Since the non-story of Kobe's trade demand is over, it would be pointless to write a blog figuring out what team he might get traded to. He's not going anywhere, end of non-story. Instead, talking about the second biggest story in the sports world would be much more productive. No it's not about how the Spurs are going to the NBA Finals (where they are undefeated since Timmy joined the team), nor is about how the Finals are in serious jeopardy of having a lower television audience than the NHL Playoffs if Lebron and the Cavaliers fail to defeat the Pistons for the second year in a row. The second biggest story is about the New York Yankees and their unimaginable (except by Red Sox fans) lack of productivity causing them to be behind Boston 13½ games back in the end of May.
For the first time in over a decade, the Yankees are in serious jeopardy of failing to make an appearance in the playoffs. The questions then comes up, what is wrong with the Yankees and how can they fix themselves? For the first month of the season, their entire starting rotation besides Andy Pettitte managed to be placed on the DL (Wang, Mussina, Pavano) or not live up to their expectations (Igawa). The hitters were hitting and even though the Yankees were behind Boston, everything seemed fine. They had an excuse; if you take three starting pitchers from any team, put them on the DL, that team will not do even close to how the Yankees did in April. That fact that they led the league in runs scored in April proves this. Then came May when panic set in, in New York City. The pitchers returned from the DL and for the most part pitched very well; but then the hitters (besides Jeter and Posada) decided to put their talent and enthusiasm on the DL. To this day, it hasn’t returned.
To put out some facts and figures to show you how bad the hitting has been, in their past 20 games, the Yankees have scored an average of 4.2 runs per game. The Kansas City Royals, who are the worst team in the league (19-35) have also scored an averaged of 4.2 per game in their last 20 games. The Washington Nationals, who are believed by many finish their season in last place, have scored an average of 4.8 runs per game in their last 20 games. How does a team with an all-star at every position score less than the widely-accepted worst team in baseball? I see only two explanations; either the fire and team concept are lost among the players or the manager is not doing his job.
I remember watching the Yankees when I was younger, back during the dynasty. They were the only team in the league who did the high-pound when teammates returned to the dugout after hitting homeruns. This showed that they were unique and that they were part of one team while everyone else would do the high-five. In fact, as recent as last year when the Yankees won a league best 97 games, they showed signs of unity. Giambi and others started to grow moustaches, which looked pretty bad but hey, as long as they’re getting along, whatever. The cross-town Mets all shaved their heads as part of a team this season. Now, you look at the high-fiving Yankees, and they show no signs of club house unity trying to encourage each other to do well. They sit on the bench slouched over a la Homer Simpson when he was benched during the company softball game, looking completely out of it.
Some believe this problem is Jeter’s fault as part of his responsibility as team captain. Others believe its Joe Torre’s fault for not lighting a fire under Yankee players. I’m one of the people who have to look at Torre for this problem. It’s the manager’s job to talk to the team and get them ready for every game. He doesn’t necessarily have to pick up bases and throw them around or kick dirt at the umpires, but he has to figure out a way to motivate a team who is no doubt, underachieving. If he can’t get the job done, the only other solution is getting him fired which pains me to say because I see as one of the greatest Yankee managers of all time. But in New York, we are all about immediate results, if that means getting Torre fired, we have to accept that.
Lack of motivation is not the only reason why I think it’s time to replace Torre. His managing decisions have gotten worse as well. Starting with the hitting, his tactic of playing musical chairs with the lineup has not been very productive. He tried this last year in the playoffs and they ended up losing three straight games. Sticking Bobby Abreu in the leadoff position when Johnny Damon is resting or injured isn’t too smart. Prior to Damon’s signing with the Yankees, Jeter was the leadoff hitter and he did very well. Why is Torre refusing to move him to first in the batting order when Damon is out? It was also brought up to my attention that the hitting coach has changed since last year. Well, if the hitting is all of a sudden suffering, why wouldn’t you look to make a change there?
Moving onto the pitching, with all the injuries that forced the Yankees to look into their farm system for interim starters, Torre has not handled it in the best way. As soon as the pitcher gives up a few runs in an inning, Torre calls in the bullpen. An enormous amount of pressure is riding on these young guys because they know if they don’t pitch well they’ll be pulled out of the game. Granted a lot of pressure comes from Steinbrenner as well as the fans and media, Torre is the ultimate decision maker here. He should allow the pitcher to stay in there and if he gets beat up, let him. It will only send the message that his job is not based on one inning but his overall performance within a certain number of games. I’m confident that younger pitchers would do much better without the pressure of trying to not allow more than two runs a game.
The problem with getting rid of Torre is that Steinbrenner will no doubt promote Don Mattingly into the position which I believe won’t make much of a difference. I don’t see him being the solution. The Yankees need someone new, someone outside the organization who can motivate the team to achieve up to their potential. I do think Clemens will have an impact on the Yankees when he joins the team on Monday. With Clemens, it’s not only the talent you’re getting, but it’s also the expectations. Clemens’ display of fire was shown on television following the Triple A start press conference when he became upset with the reporter and banged his fist on the table as he left. I do still believe the Yankees will turn it around but for the first time in a long time, I’m getting very nervous as the season progresses.
Source: MLB.com
Sports Moment of the Week
Magglio Ordonez from the Detroit Tigers had a great week hitting three homeruns, scoring eight runs and eight RBI's, while he hit .435. He has taken control of the AL MVP race with his performance lately.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
No Need to Sulk, Memphis and Boston
The 2007 NBA Draft Lottery produced some shocking results as the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Supersonics received the prized #1 and #2 picks giving them the opportunity to draft Ohio State center, Greg Oden, and Texas small forward, Kevin Durant. It was believed that the Memphis Grizzlies and the Boston Celtics would take home the prizes because they had the highest chance of winning the lottery due to their terrible seasons. The Portland Trailblazers in fact, had a 5.3% chance of winning the draft, very small compared to Memphis’ 25% chance.
After the results were announced, mass trauma spread through Memphis and Boston as many complained the system was not fair. Fear of setting the franchises back for more than ten years were being speculated if the teams were not able to select either Oden or Durant. Now that they will not get that opportunity, fans feel as if the messiah had come down from the heavens as they overslept and missed the event. However, Grizzles and Celtics fans need to calm down; this isn’t the end of the world, and it isn’t the end for your franchises. Welcome to the era of freshmen phenoms.
This is only the second year of the newly implemented rule by NBA commissioner David Stern stating that graduating high school players can no longer enter the draft. These seniors are forced to wait one year where they can attend college for one year and then be allowed to enter the NBA Draft. This has brought a new generation of basketball where high school players will be much more hyped than they were prior to the rule. Some players do not need the extra attention such as Lebron James or Greg Oden; these guys are exceptions to the rule. The rest can use the hype which will only make basketball better in both the NCAA and the NBA. I guarantee you that Kevin Durant would not have been hyped this much let alone be drafted in the top five if he come into the league straight out of high school. Also, think about the media coverage surrounding Dwight Howard for example if he attended one year of college. Howard was selected #1 overall by the Orlando Magic but he did not have nearly the amount of attention he could have received if he had attended college.
It would also do justice for the high school phenoms that were overlooked by many teams including such players as Amare Stoudemire (Drafted 9th overall after such players as Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Drew Gooden, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Dejuan Wagner, Nene, and Chris Wilcox), Tracy McGrady (Drafted 9th overall after such players as Keith Van Horn, Tony Battie, Antonio Daniels, Ron Mercer and Adonal Foyle), Kevin Garnett (Drafted 5th overall after Joe Smith, Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, and Rasheed Wallace), Kobe Bryant (Drafted 13th overall after such players as Kerry Kittles, Lorenzen Wright, Samaki Walker, Todd Fuller and Vital Potapenko), and Jermaine O’Neal (Drafted 17th overall in the same year as Bryant). There would be no question that these guys would be one of the top five draft picks in their years if they had attended college.
More recent players that came straight out of high school that have not received the attention they deserve are Andrew Bynum (Drafted 10th overall), Monta Ellis (Drafted 40th overall; he won the 2007 Most Improved Player Award), Gerald Green (Drafted 18th overall), Al Jefferson (Drafted 15th overall), Josh Smith (Drafted 17th overall), J.R. Smith (Drafted 18th overall), and Shaun Livingston (Drafted 4th overall). Too early to figure out whether these guys are busts, if they had attended college, they would have a lot more attention allowing fans to get excited over these guys which would only sell more tickets. The new rule placed by the NBA allows for this to take place.
Back to the misfortune of the Grizzlies and Celtics, these teams will get plenty more opportunities to pick up potential upcoming all-stars. With the attention surrounding Oden and Durant, many are forgetting next year’s 1-2 draft picks, guard O.J. Mayo and forward Michael Beasley. These guys will receive just as much attention as Oden and Durant and if next year’s worst team gets unlucky in the lottery, they will be experiencing exactly the same pain Grizzlies and Celtics fans are experiencing right now. We should get used to the NBA Draft becoming a huge event from now on because opportunities to pick up franchise players will come more regularly.
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Sports Moment of the Week
The Robert Horry shove to Steve Nash that affected the Suns more negatively than it did the Spurs causing the Suns to early an elimination, 4-2.
After the results were announced, mass trauma spread through Memphis and Boston as many complained the system was not fair. Fear of setting the franchises back for more than ten years were being speculated if the teams were not able to select either Oden or Durant. Now that they will not get that opportunity, fans feel as if the messiah had come down from the heavens as they overslept and missed the event. However, Grizzles and Celtics fans need to calm down; this isn’t the end of the world, and it isn’t the end for your franchises. Welcome to the era of freshmen phenoms.
This is only the second year of the newly implemented rule by NBA commissioner David Stern stating that graduating high school players can no longer enter the draft. These seniors are forced to wait one year where they can attend college for one year and then be allowed to enter the NBA Draft. This has brought a new generation of basketball where high school players will be much more hyped than they were prior to the rule. Some players do not need the extra attention such as Lebron James or Greg Oden; these guys are exceptions to the rule. The rest can use the hype which will only make basketball better in both the NCAA and the NBA. I guarantee you that Kevin Durant would not have been hyped this much let alone be drafted in the top five if he come into the league straight out of high school. Also, think about the media coverage surrounding Dwight Howard for example if he attended one year of college. Howard was selected #1 overall by the Orlando Magic but he did not have nearly the amount of attention he could have received if he had attended college.
It would also do justice for the high school phenoms that were overlooked by many teams including such players as Amare Stoudemire (Drafted 9th overall after such players as Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Drew Gooden, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Dejuan Wagner, Nene, and Chris Wilcox), Tracy McGrady (Drafted 9th overall after such players as Keith Van Horn, Tony Battie, Antonio Daniels, Ron Mercer and Adonal Foyle), Kevin Garnett (Drafted 5th overall after Joe Smith, Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, and Rasheed Wallace), Kobe Bryant (Drafted 13th overall after such players as Kerry Kittles, Lorenzen Wright, Samaki Walker, Todd Fuller and Vital Potapenko), and Jermaine O’Neal (Drafted 17th overall in the same year as Bryant). There would be no question that these guys would be one of the top five draft picks in their years if they had attended college.
More recent players that came straight out of high school that have not received the attention they deserve are Andrew Bynum (Drafted 10th overall), Monta Ellis (Drafted 40th overall; he won the 2007 Most Improved Player Award), Gerald Green (Drafted 18th overall), Al Jefferson (Drafted 15th overall), Josh Smith (Drafted 17th overall), J.R. Smith (Drafted 18th overall), and Shaun Livingston (Drafted 4th overall). Too early to figure out whether these guys are busts, if they had attended college, they would have a lot more attention allowing fans to get excited over these guys which would only sell more tickets. The new rule placed by the NBA allows for this to take place.
Back to the misfortune of the Grizzlies and Celtics, these teams will get plenty more opportunities to pick up potential upcoming all-stars. With the attention surrounding Oden and Durant, many are forgetting next year’s 1-2 draft picks, guard O.J. Mayo and forward Michael Beasley. These guys will receive just as much attention as Oden and Durant and if next year’s worst team gets unlucky in the lottery, they will be experiencing exactly the same pain Grizzlies and Celtics fans are experiencing right now. We should get used to the NBA Draft becoming a huge event from now on because opportunities to pick up franchise players will come more regularly.
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Sports Moment of the Week
The Robert Horry shove to Steve Nash that affected the Suns more negatively than it did the Spurs causing the Suns to early an elimination, 4-2.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The MVP Jinx
With finals finally over, I can get back into my blog. Perhaps the biggest story that developed since my last entry was the shocking elimination of the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks to the #8 seed Golden State Warriors. The greatest upset of NBA history that no one saw coming, besides Warriors fans and my brother, who has a habit of going out a limb even if the prediction seems totally out there. It did get me thinking that maybe we should've expected it; not because the Warriors were 3-0 against the Mavericks in the regular season, but because we all knew that Dirk Nowitzki was going to win the MVP trophy. What does this have anything to do with the Mavericks getting eliminated? Let me begin...
Everyone likes to talk about the Sports Illustrated Jinx and the Madden Jinx. Maybe we need to look at a jinx that has been in affecting most athletes for quite some time: the MVP Jinx. Dirk Nowitzki just won the MVP award a couple of days ago and he was forced to accept the award in a suit due to the fact that the NBA can't give him the award before a playoff game since the Mavericks are now eliminated. We should go back and take a look at the list of past MVP's. The last two years Steve Nash has won the award only to have the Phoenix Suns eliminated in the conference finals both times. Kevin Garnett won the award in 2004 where the Minnesota Timberwolves were eliminated in the conference finals as well. Tim Duncan won the award in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated in the conference semi-finals. The Spurs did manage to win the championship in 2003. In fact, Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal are the only two MVP's who got a chance to hoist the Finals trophy the year they hoisted their MVP trophy in the past eight years. Allen Iverson's Sixers were eliminated in the NBA Finals in 2001, and Karl Malone's Jazz were eliminated in the conference semi-finals in 1999.
The NBA is not the only league that is affected by the MVP Jinx. In the NFL, there has been only 2 MVP's who have won the Super Bowl in the past ten years, Terrell Davis' Broncos in 1998, and Kurt Warner's Rams in 1999. Most recently, LaDanian Tomlinson's Chargers lost in the divisional playoffs; Shaun Alexander's Seahawks lost in the Super Bowl in 2005; Peyton Manning's Colts lost in the divisional playoffs in 2004; and Co-MVP's Peyton Manning and Steve McNair lost in the divisional playoffs and conference championship in 2003.
In Major League Baseball, the affects of the MVP award have been much more devastating. No one has hoisted both the MVP trophy and the World Series trophy in the same year in either league for the past ten years. In fact, the last time it happened in the National League was 1988 when Kirk Gibson's Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series. In the American League, the last person to hoist both trophy's was Willie Henderson of the Detroit Tigers in 1984. Notable MVP's whose teams failed to win the World Series are Alex Rodriguez's Yankees and Albert Pujol's Cardinals in 2005, Barry Bond's Giants in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, Chipper Jones' Braves in 1999, and Ken Griffery Jr.'s Mariners in 1997.
The MVP Jinx affects college sports as well, who don't even call their athlete's most valuable players. In football, the only Heisman trophy winners who won the national championship in the past ten years were Matt Leinart of USC in 2004 and Charles Woodson of Michigan in 1997. Notable Heisman trophy winners who failed to win the championship include Troy Smith of Ohio State this past year, Reggie Bush of USC last year, Carson Palmer of USC in 2002, Eric Crouch of Nebraska in 2001, and Ricky Williams of Texas in 1998. The Heisman Jinx goes far beyond just failing to win the championship. Many of the athletes who receive the trophy fall off the radar in the NFL. Troy Smith fell to the fifth round this past year. Jason White of Oklahoma has disappeared along with Eric Crouch of Nebraska. Chris Weinke of Florida State is a backup who has been forgotten along with Ron Dayne of Wisconsin. Finally, Ricky Williams of Texas is struggling to stay in the NFL despite his talent due to drug related issues.
In NCAA Basketball, only Shane Battier of Duke has won the Naismith Award as well as the Tournament Championship in the past ten years. Before him, Christian Laettner of Duke managed to do so in 1992. Notable Naismith Award winners who failed to win the championship include Kevin Durant of Texas this past year, J.J. Redick of Duke in 2006, T.J. Ford of Texas in 2003, Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati in 2000, Elton Brand of Duke in 1999, and Tim Duncan of Wake Forest in 1997.
With few MVP's who managed to help their team win the championship the same year over time, a jinx has to have affected these sports. One explanation could be the opponent's strategy of eliminating the threat of the MVP in the postseason; another explanation could be cockiness. Whatever it is, I sure wouldn't want players on my team to win the award from now on. Call me superstitious but the facts don't lie, there is an MVP Jinx in effect.
Sources: Basketball-Reference.com, Baseball-Reference.com, ProFootball-Reference.com
Sports Moment of the Week:
The baseball rally's on Mother's Day. The Boston Red Sox rallied from 5-0 down in the 9th inning to win 6-5. The Oakland A's rallied from 7-5 down in the 9th inning to win 10-7.
Everyone likes to talk about the Sports Illustrated Jinx and the Madden Jinx. Maybe we need to look at a jinx that has been in affecting most athletes for quite some time: the MVP Jinx. Dirk Nowitzki just won the MVP award a couple of days ago and he was forced to accept the award in a suit due to the fact that the NBA can't give him the award before a playoff game since the Mavericks are now eliminated. We should go back and take a look at the list of past MVP's. The last two years Steve Nash has won the award only to have the Phoenix Suns eliminated in the conference finals both times. Kevin Garnett won the award in 2004 where the Minnesota Timberwolves were eliminated in the conference finals as well. Tim Duncan won the award in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated in the conference semi-finals. The Spurs did manage to win the championship in 2003. In fact, Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal are the only two MVP's who got a chance to hoist the Finals trophy the year they hoisted their MVP trophy in the past eight years. Allen Iverson's Sixers were eliminated in the NBA Finals in 2001, and Karl Malone's Jazz were eliminated in the conference semi-finals in 1999.
The NBA is not the only league that is affected by the MVP Jinx. In the NFL, there has been only 2 MVP's who have won the Super Bowl in the past ten years, Terrell Davis' Broncos in 1998, and Kurt Warner's Rams in 1999. Most recently, LaDanian Tomlinson's Chargers lost in the divisional playoffs; Shaun Alexander's Seahawks lost in the Super Bowl in 2005; Peyton Manning's Colts lost in the divisional playoffs in 2004; and Co-MVP's Peyton Manning and Steve McNair lost in the divisional playoffs and conference championship in 2003.
In Major League Baseball, the affects of the MVP award have been much more devastating. No one has hoisted both the MVP trophy and the World Series trophy in the same year in either league for the past ten years. In fact, the last time it happened in the National League was 1988 when Kirk Gibson's Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series. In the American League, the last person to hoist both trophy's was Willie Henderson of the Detroit Tigers in 1984. Notable MVP's whose teams failed to win the World Series are Alex Rodriguez's Yankees and Albert Pujol's Cardinals in 2005, Barry Bond's Giants in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, Chipper Jones' Braves in 1999, and Ken Griffery Jr.'s Mariners in 1997.
The MVP Jinx affects college sports as well, who don't even call their athlete's most valuable players. In football, the only Heisman trophy winners who won the national championship in the past ten years were Matt Leinart of USC in 2004 and Charles Woodson of Michigan in 1997. Notable Heisman trophy winners who failed to win the championship include Troy Smith of Ohio State this past year, Reggie Bush of USC last year, Carson Palmer of USC in 2002, Eric Crouch of Nebraska in 2001, and Ricky Williams of Texas in 1998. The Heisman Jinx goes far beyond just failing to win the championship. Many of the athletes who receive the trophy fall off the radar in the NFL. Troy Smith fell to the fifth round this past year. Jason White of Oklahoma has disappeared along with Eric Crouch of Nebraska. Chris Weinke of Florida State is a backup who has been forgotten along with Ron Dayne of Wisconsin. Finally, Ricky Williams of Texas is struggling to stay in the NFL despite his talent due to drug related issues.
In NCAA Basketball, only Shane Battier of Duke has won the Naismith Award as well as the Tournament Championship in the past ten years. Before him, Christian Laettner of Duke managed to do so in 1992. Notable Naismith Award winners who failed to win the championship include Kevin Durant of Texas this past year, J.J. Redick of Duke in 2006, T.J. Ford of Texas in 2003, Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati in 2000, Elton Brand of Duke in 1999, and Tim Duncan of Wake Forest in 1997.
With few MVP's who managed to help their team win the championship the same year over time, a jinx has to have affected these sports. One explanation could be the opponent's strategy of eliminating the threat of the MVP in the postseason; another explanation could be cockiness. Whatever it is, I sure wouldn't want players on my team to win the award from now on. Call me superstitious but the facts don't lie, there is an MVP Jinx in effect.
Sources: Basketball-Reference.com, Baseball-Reference.com, ProFootball-Reference.com
Sports Moment of the Week:
The baseball rally's on Mother's Day. The Boston Red Sox rallied from 5-0 down in the 9th inning to win 6-5. The Oakland A's rallied from 7-5 down in the 9th inning to win 10-7.
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