What are the chances that all four wild card teams win on the first weekend of the playoffs? Or, maybe a better question: do you think it’s more likely that all four home teams win that weekend or all four road teams?
How Does Derek Lowe in Red Pinstripes Sound?
According to this Boston Globe article, the Phillies are one of two teams that have made offers to Dodgers ace Derek Lowe.
Honestly, I think this is fantastic news (though it might mean that hometown boy Jamie Moyer pitches elsewhere next year). Lowe is durable, solid, and experienced. He is also a sinker-ball pitcher–exactly what you want in The Bank. Obviously, this will depend on the price, but I am excited about this possibility.
I also love the fact that the Boston Globe used the phrase “the World Champion Phillies.”
Tagged derek lowe, MLB, phillies
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College Basketball Preview: The Contenders
[DISCLAIMER: most of this was written before the preseason tournaments, so I apologize if some new developments were not addressed. Oh, and one of these teams is written facetiously–see if you can figure out which one.]
I wrote a column last year, as a preview of the college basketball season, that picked out the teams that I thought had a chance to win the title when it was all said and done. The intro talked about all the questions that arise at the beginning of every college basketball season–so many, in fact, that it is almost a immaterial to even discuss most of them. Conferences rarely turn out as predicted; superstars emerge throughout the season; and, even Joe Lunardi does not know, at this point, even remotely what the field of 64 is going to look like. However, college basketball is unlike the other major sports in one interesting way–success is defined very differently across teams. For instance, in the NFL or MLB or the NBA, you can rationalize a “successful” year as one without winning a title, but not really. Every professional team in these sports defines success by winning championships–not NFC Championships or National League pennants, but World Championships. Not so, in college hoops. I was a student at UMBC last year, during their incredibly successful season, which ended in a blowout loss in the first round of the tournament. Davidson College had, by all accounts, a very successful year last year, even though they lost in the Elite Eight. On the other hand, North Carolina and UCLA, who both made it a round further than Davidson would not consider their seasons successful because they did not win the title. That is one of the many things that makes college hoops so incredibly interesting–there is a group of top-tier teams vying for the national title, and they just have to survive a minefield of “successful” teams from UMBC to Davidson to Villanova, on their way to earning the right to duke it out with other top-tier teams for the title. And, though the season always ends up flipped over and over again throughout the season, the eventual champion almost always comes from a group of teams that can relatively easily be identified before the season even starts. In fact, last year, all four of the final four teams were teams that I mentioned in my preseason column (not that that is difficult because they were all #1 seeds, but the point remains). So, here are the teams that I feel are capable of cutting down the nets this year, as the 2009 NCAA Champion:
THE FAVORITE: NORTH CAROLINA
It is not going out on a limb here to say that the preseason #1 will also be the postseason #1, especially when they were easily one of the best teams in the country last year and have everyone back of any import.
Strengths:
-Uh…everything. Yes, this team is completely loaded. I am foreseeing a future Question of the Day comparing this team to the Florida championship team of two years ago. Personally, I think that the starting five for Florida was slightly better than this UNC starting five, but this team, on the whole, is better. They have Tyler Hansbrough, last year’s national player of the year who should break JJ Reddick’s all-time ACC scoring record, Ty Lawson, one of the two or three best point guards in the country, Wayne Ellington, a guy who could go for 30 any given night, Danny Green, a superstar in the making, and a plethora of supporting players, like rebounding machine Deon Thompson, talented freshmen Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller, and returning do-it-everything guard Bobby Frasor. WOW!
-Coaching. Roy Williams is a great coach, who demands a lot from his players. He has been there with both Kansas and UNC, and will certainly not be outcoached very often. He also seems to be the exact type of coach that is needed on a team with so much talent–he plays a run-and-gun style, which enables him to get a lot of guys into the rotation, and he communicates very well with his players, so they always know where they stand. Though, I must say, if he doesn’t win in three tries with this nucleus, the old questions of “can he win the Big One” that were so prevalant in Kansas may resurface.
-Experience. This whole team remembers the feelings of losing in devastating fashion to Georgetown in the Elite Eight two years ago and to Kansas in the Final Four last year. That should give them the needed drive to stay hungry during a season in which tough games may not come all that often.
Question Marks:
-Expectations? It seems like the only team that can stop UNC is UNC. The expectations are so high this year that there is a chance that they wilt under that pressure, especially come tournament time. They have those guys that want it SO bad, which is usually a good thing, but can sometimes have the opposite effect, if the chips are down.
-Injuries? Hansbrough has a stress fracture that could flare up at any time. Danny Green has had injury problems and Ty Lawson missed 9 games last year. Bobby Frasor was granted a medical redshirt last year, so that he could return for this, his senior year, but there are questions about how strong his knee really is.
-Randomness? Not to be overly dramatic, but chances are that if this team doesn’t win the title in April, it will be because the NCAA tournament, like all sports, is just very unpredictable (remember the Super Bowl?). They are that confident, that experienced, and most importantly, that talented.
Posted in College Hoops
Tagged duke, gonzaga, louisville, notre dame, oklahoma, pittsburgh, temple, tennessee, ucla, uconn, unc
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First Impressions of the 08-09 College Hoops Season
The glory that is the college basketball season is well underway, and I’m looking forward to settling in tonight for two top teams in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, when Duke travels to Purdue. Baseball is the only sport I look forward to more than college basketball, and they really get things started right with all these Invitationals in exotic locales and conference vs. conference challenges. I’ve been catching as many games as I can so far, and here are my thoughts:
-The best start to finish game I’ve seen was Oklahoma’s win over Davidson. Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin has established 
himself as the early Player of the Year favorite, averaging a ridiculous 26 points and 19 rebounds for the 6-0 Sooners. Griffin was a favorite of mine last year, but I’ll have to share him with everyone now because he is just too good. He has an amazing combination of size, strength, quickness, and all-around athleticism. If he can keep improving his mid-range jumper, he will be an All-Star on the next level. Of course, Stephen Curry was also featured in this game, and all he did was drop 44 points on the Sooners. Curry’s season averages of 29 points and 7 assists could land him with Griffin on the 1st Team All-American roster by seasons end, as long as more teams don’t use the Loyola defense on him. Also keep an eye on Oklahoma’s freshman guard Willie Warren.
-I’ve seen the best team in the land, North Carolina, dismantle Kentucky and a very good Notre Dame team. The Tar Heels have the potential to be one of the very best college teams I’ve ever seen. Ty Lawson is one of the most fun players to watch, as he blazes by defenders and leaves them in the dust with one the best crossovers on the planet. The frontcourt depth did take a little hit when freshman Tyler Zeller, who started the first two games in place of Hansbrough, went down for the season with a broken wrist. As for the Irish, they will pile up points with Luke Harangody down low and an array of long-range bombers, led by Kyle McAlarney, who will jack up a three from just about anywhere on the court.
-Syracuse topped Florida in an entertaining game. The best player in that game was Florida’s Nick Calathes, a 6’6″ swingman who can do it all. Last year as a freshman, he led the SEC in assists and averaged 5 rebounds. He can score inside and out and is averaging 2.5 steals per game so far this season. He’s one of the best pure passers in the country, and he isn’t even a point guard. I’m often skeptical of Syracuse, but they are loaded up with a lot talent this year, especially on the perimeter, and Jim Boeheim even took his team on the road in this one and beat Florida. Shocking.
-Gonzaga put the major conferences on notice last night when they beat down Tennessee to win the Old Spice Classic. This might be the best Gonzaga team ever, and that’s saying something. All five starters can shoot from long-range, and then they bring maybe the best shooter on the team, Steven Gray, off the bench. But they’re not completely perimeter-oriented either, because Austin Daye and Josh Heytvelt give excellent low-post presence. Tennessee will recover from this loss. Tyler Smith is a superstar and they have plenty of depth to keep pressing and running like Bruce Pearl likes to do. They were lucky to get transfer PG Bobby Maze to replace Ramar Smith, who was kicked off the team after last season. These two teams will meet again in an interesting rematch in January.
-I caught Georgetown’s rout of Maryland yesterday. Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez is a great player in the same mold as Nick Calathes, but Georgetown kept him completely under wraps. The Hoyas should stay in the Top 25 mix all season. John Thompson III has done a fantastic job of resurrecting that program. He recruits well, they always play tough defensively, and the Princeton-style offense is often a thing of beauty.
-Duke just completed a comfortable win over Purdue, relying on some great defense and some not-so-great offensive execution by the Boilermakers. Obviously, Duke has loads of talent and I think the weight and muscle that Kyle Singler has added will be a boost for them, but the jury is still out on whether or not they are deserving of their current #4 ranking. A win at Purdue is impressive, but I’m not sold on Brian Zoubek as the lone starting big man for a title contender.
Posted in College Hoops
Tagged blake griffin, davidson, duke, florida, georgetown, gonzaga, greivis vasquez, kyle singler, nick calathes, north carolina, notre dame, oklahoma, purdue, stephen curry, syracuse, tennessee, ty lawson
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Phillies Turn Down Potential Compensation for Burrell and Moyer
As the 6-year free agent arbitration deadline came and went at midnight last night, the Phillies officially chose not to make offers to four free agents, including two Type A free agents, Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer (Rudy Seanez and Tom Gordon were the others).
Ok, I don’t get this at all, unless it is not-so-subtle penny-pinching. The downside to offering arbitration is that if the player chooses to accept, they are signed to a one-year deal, with at least a small raise from their salary last year. The upside is that if these players decline arbitration and sign with other teams, the Phillies will get two draft picks (the team’s first pick after the top 15 and a sandwich pick in between the 1st and 2nd rounds).
So, the upside is unquestionably good, especially these days when championship teams are built through the draft. So, let’s look at the downside:
- Pat Burrell – obviously, the Phillies do not want to give him a raise from his $14 million salary of a year ago, but nor does anyone else. But, all we have heard from the Burrell camp is that they are expecting a long-term deal (probably from an AL club), so why would they even accept this one-year of arbitration anyway. And, is it so bad to have him for one more year, when the defending champs are talking about replacing him with probable downgrades, in the likes of Juan Rivera (whom I actually kind of like) or Rocco Baldelli? Yes, I can see the downside of Burrell, but I believe that the upside outweighs it.
- Jamie Moyer – I do not see the downside at all on Jamie Moyer, especially since it has been said time and time again that the number one priority of this offseason is pitching and that the first order of business is to bring back Moyer. The only sticking point in the negotiations is that Moyer wants a multi-year contract and the Phillies have been hesitant because of his age. So, what is the problem with arbitration, people??? I don’t think it’s going to matter because I fully expect Moyer to be back with the Phils in ’09, but what if things fall apart? What if some other team comes in with some ridiculous offer? Why not offer arbitration so there you can receive potential compensation with the only risk being maybe having to give him a raise, but getting the contract length that you want? It just does not make sense to me.
Tagged jamie moyer, MLB, pat burrell, phillies
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World AIDS Day – There Really is “Hope Through Health”
Monday, December 1 is World AIDS Day. This awful, awful disease has been a big part of my life, as much of my work in Africa was with AIDS victims and their families. There are a lot of opinions out there about the disease and the only real truth is that it is a devastating illness that cripples families, communities, and even entire continents. One thing that most people do not realize is that it is not very expensive to live a mostly normal life with the disease. Another thing that many people do not know is how much most charities charge for “administrative expenses.” There are even charities where only a quarter out of every dollar they collect actually go to their “programs.”
Well, if you ever wanted to help and wanted all of your money to go to the people who needed it, I implore you to please give to Hope Through Health, at www.hthglobal.org. Every little bit helps (a cliche that truly means what it says in this case), and if you wanted to really help, you can join the “Stand With Us Campaign,” in which you set up a regular donation. Please contact me or go right to their website, if you have any desire to help people who truly need it. Trust me, it is something worth doing–please.
Posted in Uncategorized
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BSB’s In-Depth Analysis of the First 11 Games of the Eagles Season
Don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Phillies won the World Series!!!
Baseball Preview: BSB-Style
FINAL: Catching up on past BSB stuff, we decided to update our 2008 MLB Competition. The regular print was the original preview. The italicized portion was the midseason update (during the All-Star Break), and this italicized and underlined portion is the final assessment.
UPDATE: As many of you know, BSB runs its season previews a little differently than most. We have a little game in which Doogan and Bry pick teams, like a draft, and whether they think that they will be better or worse than they were a year ago. The baseball preview was done about a week into the season, and is reference below. In italics, are the updates to this picks, as of the All-Star break. All “projections” are based strictly on winning percentage at the All-Star break. The scores after each one represent how it would play out if the second half mirrored the first (with the “locks” in parentheses). So, without further ado, here is the update to our Baseball Preview. If you have already read the preview, just skip through to the parts in italics.
As some of you may know, the way we do season previews is a little different than the norm (shocking, huh?). Instead of just writing who we think will win their division or the MVP or who we think will be a “sleeper,” we like to make it a little competition between the two of us. What we do is a draft. Since Bry went first in the NBA preview, Doogan will have the first pick for MLB. He will pick any team and then choose the over/under on their total wins this year, with the line being last year’s win total. He can pick any team and either over or under for any team. It involves a little strategy, a little knowledge, and a little je ne sais quoi. Okay, well, maybe it doesn’t take any of them, but it’s still a somewhat fun way to do a season preview. So, without further intro, Doogan is on the clock…
DOOGAN 1. Colorado Rockies – UNDER 90 wins: Admittedly, we’re kind of cheating by doing this over a week into the season but, honestly, I would have picked the Rockies here even if we had done this before the season started. Their slow start only makes it easier. I don’t see their pitching staff repeating what they did last season, and I certainly don’t see them winning 21 out of 22 games at any point. Especially in a fairly tough division, this looks like a .500 team to me, not a 90-win team.
UPDATE: Doogan is on his way to grabbing an easy victory with his #1 pick, as the Rockies have been rather terrible this year, and project to no where near the 90 wins that they had last year. They currently project to only 66 wins, and are actively shopping Matt Holliday (to teams like the Phillies, by the way). Even if, as some are predicting, they get red-hot again in the second half and win the division, I do not see any way that they can hit the 90-win mark.
FINAL: An easy opening win for Doogan, as the Rockies, despite a strong August, finished 16 games worse this year than last at 74-88
DOOGAN 1 – BRY 0
BRY 2. Tampa Bay Rays – OVER 66 wins: There is real hope in Tampa Bay this year about a potential .500 season. Honestly, I do not see 81 wins out of this team, in this incredible division, but I also do not think they will be the worst team in baseball again this year. I like Matt Garza and they have a true stud at the top of the rotation, in Kazmir. Plus, they just exercised their option on Carl Crawford, so he is probably going to stick around for the whole season. 66 wins is a tiny number. They will probably hit the 70-mark, at least.
UPDATE: Bry also seems to be well on his way to hitting with his #1 pick. The surprise story of the year was predicted here first (well, unless you count the part that says “I do not see 81 wins out of this team.” But, it is nice to be right, even when you are very wrong). The Rays project to an astronomical 95 wins for the season.
FINAL: Bry’s first pick proved…uh…a pretty good one. You all know the stories of this turnaround, so I won’t bore you with more.
BRY 1 – DOOGAN 1
Cimorelli’s Question of the Day
Is 35-year old Derek Lowe worth $64 million over the next 4 years?
Thank You, Tony
I hate the Dallas Cowboys, but I am quickly learning to love the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.
I am going to try hard not to get on a soapbox here, but I am not very good at avoiding that, especially in situations like this. I believe that the one thing that our culture lacks more than anything else is compassion for one another. And, though I do not believe professional athletes exemplify it any more than anyone else, they are often the poster children for a lack of compassion because they are rich, they are famous, and they play games for a living, and are therefore held to a higher standard of compassion. So, to compensate for this, many of them write large checks to various charities. They play golf tournaments to raise money or spend a day with the United Way. And, believe me, I am not in any way degrading these actions. I think it is fantastic for these people to use their fame and fortune to give back–I just think that these things are easy. How hard is it to write a $1,000 check when you’re making one hundred times that? Again, not degrading, just commenting on the ease of this–and the benefits of it (public image, tax breaks, etc.). One more time–this is NOT a bad thing, I just want to call it what it is–easy.
And, with easy, often comes a subtle, yet profound separation from the why. Why is it important to give to charitable organizations or to raise money for cancer research or to grant wishes to children with terminal illnesses? And, the answer to this has nothing to do with the public or the IRS. It is oneself and one’s place in a larger society. One should do philanthropic actions because you care about your fellow man. And, it ought to be a selfish act–selflessness is best expressed selfishly.
That brings us back to the Cowboys’ quarterback. Back in early September, the Cowboys defeated the Cleveland Browns 28-10. During the game, their quarterback, Tony Romo, took a big hit that split his chin. So, after the game, he went to the hospital and received 13 stitches. On his way home, he spotted a couple broken down on the side of the road. The couple, whose broken air compressor was prohibiting them from repairing a flat tire, watched as more than 100 cars passed by and did not stop. Finally, a car stopped, a man got out and helped them fix their tire. This man had a large bandage on his chin, but refused to confirm who he was at first. Finally, he admitted that, yes, he was the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, as reported in the Dallas Morning News, Romo’s compassion is not limited just to those with large cars and bad luck. It extends to those with no cars and bad luck. Apparently, Romo was going to see the new movie Role Model, when he saw a homeless man doing day labor handing out fliers for a consignment store across the street. Not only did Romo buy the man a ticket to the movie, but he insisted that he sit with him and his friend during it. The man, who goes by Doc, was embarrassed that he had not showered in a couple days, but Romo brushed it off, saying “Don’t worry about that. I’m used to locker rooms.”
These two acts, and possibly others that may have not been reported, show a sense of character that transcends arm strength or red zone touchdowns. These are not the usual pro athlete acts of charity because all evidence points to the fact that Romo was most certainly not doing this for publicity or fame. Though it is easy to change a tire or watch a movie, these acts of kindness are not easy because they require stopping on the side of the road and making the effort to insist that Doc sits with him. As a social worker who works predominantly with the homeless, the one thing that makes me happier than anything to see in fellow human beings is compassion. Tony Romo has that, and Tony Romo truly “gets it.” He seems to recognize that his fame and his fortune are powerful and, when used for good, can be incredibly rewarding. As Doc said, “It was a blessing. It gave me some encouragement and faith in mankind. I just wanted to say thank you.”
I, too, just want say thank you, Tony, though I am sure that the feeling of personal satisfaction that you get from these acts is more than enough gratitude for 20 minutes on the side of a road or watching a movie with an extra friend.
Tagged dallas cowboys, NFL, tony romo
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