1.31.2005

Sammy Sosa to Baltimore
How badly did the Cubs want to unload Sammy Sosa? While they are picking up a lot of his salary, the fact remains that they were willing to give up one of their best and most productive players ever in exchange for a decent Jerry Hairston Jr. and a few minor leaguers.

Where does this leave the Cubs? They let an aging and expensive Moises Alou walk in the off-season. Now suddenly they find themselves without both the bats of Alou and Sosa in the middle of their lineup. Are they going to go after Magglio Ordonez? Lots of questions remain. Remember, they signed Greg Maddux in February of last year, so a big move late into the offseason isn't completely out of the possibility. The problem for the Cubs this year is that there aren't many marquee bats left out on the market.

While Sosa's production has declined, he didn't have a terrible season in 2004. He hit 35 homeruns with a line of .253/.332/.517. Yes, that is far from what he did in his 'roided up prime (allegedly), but still 35 homeruns and an OPS of 849 isn't brutal. It's just the fact that he makes so much money and has fallen so far. With that said, what better place for him than Baltimore? They brought back Rafael Palmeiro, and for the past ten seasons have been to washed up ballplayers what Long Beach, CA is to washed up prostitutes. Sosa brings a still powerful bat, although now he also accompanies that with an attitude, diminishing skills, and the fact that he's a complete circus in the outfield. I wouldn't be too surprised to see him DH-ing on a semi-regular basis as we get deeper into 2005.

Sosa has fallen far from grace in the eyes of Chicago sports fans. Sosa was once revered with such stars as Michael Jordan, Ryne Sandberg, Dick Butkus, Ernie Banks and Ron Santo. Now there is almost a sense of relief that the problematic slugger is gone from the Windy City.

Think of all that Sosa has gotten away with while playing for the Cubs. The accusation of steroid use, the corked bat incident, tons of losing baseball, a reputation for choking when the game is on the line (this is not meant to start a "clutch hitting: Does it exist" debate, I'm just stating public opinion), diminishing skills, complaining about his spot in the lineup and then finally walking out on the team during the final game of the 2004 season.

My feeling is that Sosa will bounce back in 2005 to some degree. I'd predict about 35 HRs again, but with a little higher AVG and OBP. I'm thinking something like .265/.345/.500. Baltimore added another bat, but they need pitching. It looks like they might try the Cleveland Indians in the mid-1990's model for winning by trying to win a lot of 10-7 games. Unfortunately, Boston and New York has just as much offense with vastly superior pitching.


1:46 PM 0 comments
1.28.2005

Brady Clark Signs One-Year Deal
Congratulations to Brady Clark, who just made a hefty raise. He signed a one-year deal for $1.15 million. Clark was undrafted out of UC-San Diego and has been doubted at every level of baseball, and is continued to be doubted at the Major League Level.

Last season, many of you may remember from about July on I was pimping Brady Clark, saying that he should start in CF ahead of Scott Podsednik. The Brewers sent Pods to the White Sox in the offseason and are now have Clark and top prospect Dave Krynzel battling for the starting job in CF.

Clark had a career year last year. I don't see him .280/.385/.397 in 2005, but if he plays close to his career averages of .267/.353/.389 while playing a solid defensive CF and making contact, he is absolutely worth the $1.15 million he'll be making.

And as a side note, he has a super hot wife. Good to keep her in the Milwaukee area for another season.

9:35 AM 0 comments

Hideo Nomo Lands Deal With The Devil Rays
Hideo Nomo, who's fastball has dropped from 90ish to about 82 in the past few seasons, signed a minor-league deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Last year Nomo had a few stints on the DL and compiled a record of 4-11 with an 8.25 Earned Run Average. Yikes.

This is a good deal for Tampa Bay, because Nomo has had a good track record. Really, what else can you ask for when you sign a free agent for 800k?


9:29 AM 0 comments

Denny Neagle Pleads Innocent to Solicitation Charges
Former Colorado Rockies pitcher Denny Neagle pleaded innocent to solicitation of prostitution. If you need a reminder, Neagle was arrested with a street-walker who had a striking resemblance to a Michael Bolton/Alice Cooper.

Neagle's contract was terminated because he violated the "morals clause". Really, this clause was enacted because he hasn't pitched at all in two years, he completely sucks when he pitches, and he was due $19 million over the next two years.

Hmm...A married man who is making $19 million over the next two years loses it all because he wanted to get a $40 hummer from some street skank.

Good call, Denny.

9:22 AM 0 comments

NHL Labor Talks Reach Another Stand-Still
What the hell is the NHL doing? The players union has caved 99% of the way, and still there is no deal in place. Major League Baseball took 10 years to recover from their work stoppage, but I don't think NHL ever will. People in America live for baseball, not many people in America live for hockey, and those that do don't have an incredible amount of passion for the NHL.

The NHL had itself solidified as the number four sport in America, but now it's somewhere behind slamball, arena football, and monopoly. The NHL is going to lose an entire season and virtually nobody cares.

9:14 AM 0 comments

GEORGE KARL RETURNS TO THE NBA
Former Milwaukee Bucks coach George Karl has been named the new coach of the Denver Nuggets. Coincidentally, the Nuggets are in Milwaukee tonight.

The Denver Nuggets were one of the biggest surprises of the NBA in 2003-04, and so far have been the biggest disappointment in the NBA in 2004-05. Carmello Anthony has completely halted his development. There is a lot of talent on this team and perhaps George Karl can turn this team around. Karl is a winner. He has won everywhere he has gone. I know people will point to the mess at the World Basketball Championships a few years back (and by the way it is completely unfair to lay that all on him) and the way Milwaukee turned into a circus at the end of his stint with the Bucks. Still though, George Karl is one of the best coaches around, and if anybody can turn Denver around it is him.

9:09 AM 0 comments
1.27.2005

Mientkiewicz Traded to the Mets
The Red Sox sent Doug Mientkiewicz to the New York Mets in exchange for a minor leaguer. The Mets lost out on perennial slugger Carlos Delgado, who signed with the Florida Marlins for four years and $53 million.

So rather than add Delgado's virtually guaranteed 35 HR, 100 RBI, with an OPS somewhere around 940 (although his numbers slipped a little last year), they add Mientkiewicz's glove and light bat. Last season Mientkiewicz slugged .350, which would be tolerable if he played C, SS or I guess pitcher. I bet Nelson De La Rosa (aka Pedro's lil' friend) could slug more than .350 if you gave him enough at-bats.

9:26 AM 0 comments

Advertising on Some Dude's Grill
Here is the full story on Yahoo.

"Andrew Fischer, 20, of Omaha, who put his forehead for sale on eBay as advertising space, received $37,375 on Friday to advertise the snoring remedy, SnoreStop. Fischer will display the SnoreStop logo on his forehead for one month."

This actually isn't a bad idea. Instead of advertising "SnoreStop" on his forehead, I was thinking Andrew Fischer should get something a little more customized to his personality.

Why not get something like "Moron.com" on his forehead? How about "IHaveNoPride.net"?

Or he could just get something like "IveNeverKissedAGirl.org"? Oh yeah, and don't forget about "CompleteToolbox.com"

I don't know what kind of marketing packages those websites can offer, but I think it's something worth looking at.

9:14 AM 0 comments

Dick Bennett Lobs Bird to Fans
Former Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball coach Dick Bennett, now at Washington State, apologized on Tuesday for lobbing the bird to the Washington Huskies student section.

"Bennett briefly gave the middle finger to the student section, which was raucous throughout the game with coordinated chants directed at the Cougars. (Yahoo News).

Can you imagine Dick Bennett flipping somebody off? He dresses like a 1950's TV dad. It's like imagining Walt Clever flipping off a group of people. It's just ridiculous.

Keep your cool, Dick.

9:06 AM 0 comments
1.26.2005

Will Terrell Owens Play in Super Bowl XXXIX?
How many times will you hear this question in the next 10 or so days? One million? One billion?

What did T.O. do today? Did he run? How did he look? How does his ankle feel?

I mean really, the guy hasn't run in the last seven weeks until today. Even if he can play how much of a factor can he be? I know he's a physical specimen and he's a tremendous athlete, but still...To go from not being able to run a few days ago to playing in the Super Bowl in less than a two week span is too much to ask of anybody. Even if he can somehow play, I don't see him as being the factor that makes the Eagles beat the Patriots. It just is too much to ask from a guy with one leg, to knock off all that rust and contribute in the biggest game of the year against the best team in the NFL.

Like there isn't enough nonsense going on in the week of hype leading up to the Super Bowl, know we have to deal with Terrell Owens and "ankle-gate" (I say "ankle-gate" because it's fun to add "gate" as a suffix to any popular news story. It has a way of making things sound far more intense than they really are).

I look forward to tomorrow when ESPN bombards me with coverage of T.O. walking into the Eagles practice facility and then a bunch of interviews with his teammates giving responses like "only T.O. knows if he'll be ready to play" and "I think that if he feels like he can play he'll be out there". Don't you just love the media blowing things out of proportion? Am I contributing to that? Where do I send my mandatory "Is T.O. going to be ready for the big game" questions? Somebody please let me know.

3:55 PM 0 comments

Marlins Reel in Delgado
Don't you love cheesy headlines like that? I always laugh to myself when I think of some well-educated writer thinking of a clever way to capture a reader's attention.

Back to the story...Free-agent first baseman Carlos Delgado decided to sign with the Florida Marlins. He'll get 52 million over a heavily back-loaded four-year deal. I can't ever remember seeing so disproportional in it's yearly salary. Here is the breakdown...

2005 - $4 million
2006 - $13.5 million
2007 - $14.5 million
2008 - $16 million

There is also an option for a fifth year at another $16 million per year, but that would only kick if Delgado fairs well in the MVP voting or wins some type of post-season award. There is a very convoluted formula that the two sides agreed on to determine whether or not that fifth year option kicks in. If it doesn't Delgado will receive $4 million dollar buyout.

The Marlins are still paying Mike Hampton (who never played a game in South FLA) and Ivan Rodriguez a combined $13 in 2005. After this season those two deals will have expired.

The Marlins now find themselves with a powerful and well-balanced lineup in 2005. They have speed in Juan Pierre (yes, I am aware that his name is "Juan Pierre" despite not being Latin or French) and Luis Castillo. They have power with Miguel Cabrera, Mike Lowell, and now Carlos Delgado, and a solid contact/average type hitter in Paul Lo Duca. If their pitching staff can remain healthy they could make another run at the post-season in 2005.


1:39 PM 0 comments
1.24.2005

Super Bowl XXXIX is Set
Before I made my pick for the Atlanta/Philly game, the game that invariably took the Falcons, I realized that it has huge second guess potential. I wrote on Sunday afternoon that Atlanta was either going to run all over the Eagles or Vick was going to be shut down. Atlanta needs to get Vick some WRs. Anyway, the absence of TO didn't stop the Eagles from finally getting to the Super Bowl. As for Terrell Owens, okay he was cheering for his teammates during the game, I get it Fox. You don't need to show me after every play. Something I find interesting is that Terrell Owens is always compared to Randy Moss, but really, Terrell Owens isn't much like Randy Moss. Could you imagine Moss standing on the bench waving a towel and cheering on his teammates? Moss never gets that fired up unless he's swearing at opposing fans or running over metermaids in downtown Minneapolis. Really, the Eagles should've won by more. They committed so many penalties and kept the Falcons in it. Still, the Eagles were the far superior team and maybe they can make a run at the Super Bowl title.

The Patriots showed us why they're the Patriots. They dominated the Steelers. As much as Pittsburgh fans didn't want to believe it, the game came down to the QBs. Ben Roethlisberger looked like a rookie for the second time this year (the first time being against the Jets in the previous round). Tom Brady showed why he is undefeated in the playoffs, making countless throws on the money in crucial situations. The Pats open up as a 6.5 point favored over the Eagles, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that line grow as we get closer to the big game.

10:21 AM 0 comments

Mom Throws Sex Parties With Her Kid's Friends
40-year-old Sylvia Johnson (luckily, no relation) was arrested in Colorado for providing marijuana, methamphetamine and alcohol to her son and his friends. Johnson admitted that she had sex with five of her son's friends.

Damn, I wish Sylvia Johnson's kid grew up with me when I was younger. Johnson said that she did all this because she wanted to be "a cool mom". Well now she's an arrested mom, so close enough I suppose.

I bet her actions made her son pretty popular in school...Probably not in the way her son had hoped though.

"Son, you can have a party here if you want. Also, I'll provide the dope and I'll have sex with your friends too".


Un-freaking-believable.

10:08 AM 0 comments
1.23.2005

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
I'd like to preface this week's picks by saying how incredibly psyched I am for the games this weekend. Both games really are a toss-up and we should all be in for some good football. This week is huge for me. I could run my record to 7-3 or fall to 5-5 after this week's games. All right, let's get to the picks.

Falcons (+5) over EAGLES
I know the Falcons have become the trendy pick this week. I love Jim Mora and what he's done in the ATL so far this year, so perhaps my judgment is a bit clouded. I'd love to see the Eagles become the biggest chokers in the history of the NFL too. I don't have anything personal against the team or the city, but sometimes I just take a lot of joy in the misfortunes of others. I know Atlanta is a dome team playing in a cold weather city, but they're not a finesse team. They had the top running game in the NFL and the weather conditions are going to be perfect for a smash-mouth type contest. Donovan McNabb is a great quarterback, but I don't see him tearing up the Falcons secondary with the likes of Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston. I know "The People's Champ" had a great game last week, but that doesn't change the fact that he sucks. "The People's Champ"? Maybe the "people" like him so much because he catches only a few more passes a season than the common man. Michael Vick is the obviously the X-factor here. Will he come out and go 7-20 with two picks and get contained by the Eagles defense or will he, TJ Duckett and Warrick Dunn run all over the Philly defense? I'm banking on the latter occurring. I think my desire to have Philly become the next Boston in terms of torturing their fans is why I want to see the Eagles lose so badly.

New England (+3) over PITTSBURGH
I vowed never to go against the Patriots again until they lost. With that said, even though I think Pittsburgh is a much more physical team than the Patriots, I'm still siding with New England. Ben Roethlisbeger finally looked like a rookie last week against the Jets. What do you think Bill Belichick's schemes will do to the rookie this week? The best way for Pittsburgh to lose would be if they completed a pass over the middle to Plaxico Burress and he spiked a live ball and New England ran it back for a TD (similar to what happened in Plax's rookie year). I don't know why I want to see people suffer this week in the NFL, perhaps it's because I lost big at the blackjack table the other night and I want others to feel my misery.

Dan Marino (-4) over Boomer Esiason
Did anybody catch Boomer and Marino having out yet-again on CBS' pregame show? Boomer said that if Manning didn't win a Super Bowl he'd be the "Dan Marino of this generation". Needless to say Marino was pissed. He first attempted to laugh it off but the camera went back to him a few seconds later and he was caught glaring at Boomer like Bobby Knight at some reporter who just asked a stupid question.


I went with two road teams this week, and I know homefield is almost everything in the NFL playoffs--the key word being "almost".

11:09 AM 0 comments
1.21.2005

Griffey Recovering After Surgery
This headline could have been written every year for the last four years. The Reds insist that Ken Griffey Jr is recovering nicely after hamstring surgery and is beginning to rehab. Griffey tore his hamstring against the Brewers last July.

"I am very optimistic for a complete return to normal activity" said Dr. Timothy Kremchek, who performed the surgery on Griffey's hamstring.

What exactly is normal activity? Him pulling his hamstring again? Griffey hitting .260? Junior playing in less than a 100 games?

Griffey almost fooled me last year. He was having a solid season (or "mediocre" for those of you who have no understanding of the connotations of words) in 2004 and appeared to be on his way to not having a major injury to prematurely end his season. Well, yeah we all know how that ended up.

8:46 AM 0 comments
1.19.2005

Brewers Sign Ricky Bottalico
I think this is a good deal for both parties involved. The 36-year-old Bottalico will get a chance to compete for the closer's role in Milwaukee, something that he did fairly well in Philadelphia. For the Brewers, they get one arm that they can rely upon in a bullpen of question marks. It's a one year deal, so even if Bottalico was to break down or struggle it won't be a huge sacrifice for the Brewers. Bottalico was 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA for the Mets last year. His K/BB was about 2:1 and he averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, both good qualities in a relief pitcher. Bottalico only allowed 3 homeruns in 2004, but that number most likely will jump just from the simple fact that he's going from a pitcher-friendly park in Shea Stadium to a homer-friendly yard in Miller Park.

9:46 AM 0 comments

Clemens Asks for $22 Million in Arbitration
Roger Clemens won his 7th Cy Young in 2004 while playing for well below market-value at $5 million a year. Now the Rocket has asked for an MLB record $22 million in arbitration. The Astros offered $13.5 million. I'm guessing if Roger wins he'll come back. I think he will win this case. Remember that there is no in-between in salary arbitration, so it's either $13.5 mil or $22 mil.

Do you blame Clemens for asking for $22 million? He deserves it. He was 18-4 with a 2.98 ERA while throwing 214 innings. Yes, he'll be 42 in 2005, but still, Roger Clemens at 42 is as good as any pitcher in Major League Baseball. I'm guessing if he wins he'll definitely be back in 2005. He has said that he isn't sure yet, but I'm guessing whatever thought is going through his mind will change once the arbitrator says he has won his case...

arbitrator: Roger Clemens has won his...
Clemens: (Interrupting) I'm in. See you guys at Spring Training.

I still don't think the Astros are going to be good enough to win the NL Central. They lost Beltran, Kent, Wade Miller and possibly Clemens. Lance Berkman blew up his knee in the offseason, so who knows how that will affect his production.

9:23 AM 0 comments

Happy Birthday Marty Conlon!
Former Milwaukee Bucks forward Marty Conlon celebrates his 37th birthday today. Conlon was an incredibly slow, awkward looking, 6'10'' small forward that didn't do much but jack threes. I don't know, he was a crowd favorite in Milwaukee. He was undrafted out of Providence and somehow turned that into an NBA career that also included being the spokesman for Liberty Bank in Milwaukee. What's funny is that the way things are going, Darko Milicic would be lucky to have as good of a career as Marty Conlon.

9:14 AM 0 comments
1.18.2005

What the Hell Are the 49ers Doing?
Since the York family has taken over this franchise it has been a complete mess. They ran Steve Mariucci out of town, in favor of serial NFL-loser Dennis Erickson. This off-season they fired Erickson and GM Terry Donahue, which was a good decision. Although Terry Donahue had one of my favorite quotes of "We have a lot of stars, just no one you've ever heard of." Umm, okay TD.

Now the 49ers went out and hired a new head coach before they hired a GM. What a joke. They've gone away from the west coast offense, the offense that made them the premier franchise in professional sports from about 1981 until 2002.

The Yorks don't know anything about football and have proven it time and again. They need to sell this team or the 49ers are going to turn into the NFL's version of the Clippers.

9:22 AM 0 comments
1.17.2005

NFL Weekend Review
First I'll start off with what went wrong for me. Why did I think Indy would beat New England? The Patriots are a machine, it doesn't matter who is hurt or who their opponent is. I'm going to have to roll with the Patriots until somebody takes them out, because at this point I just can't see betting against them. I'm guessing that most people had Pittsburgh as a loser with that 8.5 point line. To think that they were two Doug Brien field goal attempts away from sitting at home right now. The second field goal that Brien missed was about as wide as I've ever seen a kick missed.

My two winners were Philly (-8) and Atlanta (-7). I figured that the Falcons would dominate the Rams, but nothing like that. I expected Philly to get off to a slow start due to shaking off some rust but the Eagles jumped all over the Vikings.

So I went 2-2 this week against the spread. That runs my post-season record to 5-3. Not bad, but I still would hope to be a little better. I'm hoping for a 8-3 finish, which would be nothing to be ashamed of.

1:53 PM 0 comments

Bill James 2004 Handbook
I bought this book a few weeks ago and have been looking at it a lot recently. I thought I'd write a little about some of the statistics that jumped out at me.

Percentage of Pitches Taken...
Of course Barry Bonds was tops with 72.0. Some interesting players on this list were Scott Podsednik at number 7 (63.2%), Brady Clark at number 8 (62.1%) and Craig Counsell 10th (61.5%).

The Brewers have three players in the top 10 in percentage of pitches taken. There are a few ways to look at this. I'll lend my observations below...

-Podsednik and Counsell spent most of 2004 looking at strikes. Pods didn't walk very much and had a low AVG and OBP. Counsell hit the trifecta of offensive inaptitude, posting his lowest average, OBP and SLG in any season in which he received more than 304 at-bats. Counsell also set a career high with 88 strikeouts. This goes back to the "being patient" philosophy. "Patient" is such a poorly used term, but anyway you slice it, taking lots of strikes is not good. You're not going to be able to walk your way on base consistently in the Major Leagues. You have to prove that you can swing the bat. If you can't hit the ball they're going to come right after you and make you prove that you are worth pitching around. How many at-bats do you think Counsell and Podsednik each started 0-2 last season? I'd be willing to bet it was a lot. Both of them struggled at the plate and lost their confidence, which essentially goes hand-in-hand with aggressiveness at the plate (and for the millionth time, "aggressive" doesn't mean swinging at bad pitches, it means attacking good pitches to drive as opposed to watching them into the catchers mit, which Pods was a king at. I'd still be willing to bet he led all of organized baseball in "times staring at the umpire after a called strike").

-Despite all that "patient" hitting, the Brewers offense still sucked. Again, nobody is going to pitch around a hitter who is slugging .315 l(Counsell) or .364 (Podsednik). I think this overly conservative approach may have hurt the Brewers with men on base, because in those situations pitchers are just trying to get ahead. By sitting their with the bat on their shoulder the Brewers allowed pitchers to get ahead in the count and turn the tables back in the defenses favor. Barry Bonds is the most selective hitter in the game, how many fastballs does he watch go down the middle of the plate, especially with men on base?

Best OPS vs. Curveballs
If you were a pitcher, how would you get Geoff Jenkins out? Curveball in the dirt, right? Surprisingly enough Jenkins was second in the NL in OPS against curveballs. Albert Pujols was tops with 1.217, Jenkins was second with 1.192. This number just defies logic. Maybe this is why statistical analysis is so important. My eyes told me that Jenkins sucks against offspeed stuff...Either this is a statistical anomaly or my eyes have deceived me.

Pickoffs
Chris Capuano led the NL with 6 pickoffs. He only had 88.1 IP last season. Impressive.

Catchers ERA
Chad Moeller led the NL in Catchers ERA amongst regulars. His CERA was 3.67. I know catching Sheets and Davis was a big part of this, but still he caught a lot of scrubs too. He had a CERA of 3.96 in Arizona back in 2003, so maybe there is something to the fact he kept getting in the lineup despite having a terrible year at the plate in 2004.

Various Ben Sheets numbers
I can't really break Sheets' statistics down to one or two impressive stats. Sheets just put up so many impressive numbers that you have to look at them as a collective you really appreciate how outstanding 2004 for was for him.

7th in Opp Avg (.226)
2nd in baserunners per nine (9.00)
3rd in CG (5)
4th in IP (237.0)
2nd in K (264)
2nd in % of pitches in the strike zone (59.6)
4th in Quality Starts (24...tied with Doug Davis)
4th in K/9 (10.03)
2nd in OBP Against (.255)
7th in Hits/9 (7.63)
1st in K/BB (8.25)
4th in Fastest Average fastball (93.3)
2nd in NL Win Shares (20, tied with Pavano and Clemens)

And to shed a little light onto how much bad luck Sheeter endured in 2004, he lead the NL in tough losses with 11.

All right, well that's an hour or so of my life that I'll never get back. I'd highly recommend this book, it has so many statistics and it's so easy to page through the players and everything. Really, this book changed my life (okay not really).




1:06 PM 0 comments
1.15.2005

NFL Playoffs
After going 3-1 against the spread last week, I'm looking to run the table in the second week of the playoffs.

Pittsburgh (-8.5) over New York
I made the mistake of going against the Jets last week in San Diego, but I think that the Jets' performance was more based on how bad the Chargers choked than how well the Jets played. With that said I see Pittsburgh pounding the Jets. I know Roethlisburger is a rookie, but the Steelers' offense doesn't completely rely on him to be successful. The Jets offense has been poor for the majority of the season, and I don't see that changing against the 2004-05 version of the Steel Curtain. Steelers 23, Jets 13

Atlanta (-7) over St. Louis
It's time for Mike Martz to remind us why you should never back him in a big game. I have the sense that this will be one of those games where Martz decides to throw the ball 85% of the time. Isaac Bruce being banged up definitely doesn't help the Rams pass attack. I don't know how much production you can count on from Shaun McDonald, Dane Looker and Kevin Curtis when crunch-time rolls around. Atlanta has the top ground attack in the NFL and the Rams had the 15th ranked run defense in the NFC. Right there is your key factor in the Atlanta victory. Falcons 30, Rams 20

Philly (-8) over Minnesota
I think Philly resting their offensive starters for basically the last three weeks will cause the Eagles to get off to a slow start, but in the end their talent should overwhelm Minnesota. I just can't wait for Randy Moss to simulate wiping himself on a ref or him to whip his piece out if he scores a touchdown. I also look forward to Mike Tice having that surprised look on his face like some woman just told him that he's the daddy of her baby. Eagles 34, Vikings 17

Indianapolis (+2) over New England
If Indy is ever going to win a big game, and if New England is ever going to lose one, it's going to be this week. Everything is in Indy's favor, and despite playing outdoors the weather is supposed to be pretty decent given that it's January in New England. I can't believe I'm going against the Patriots in a big game, because they always seem to come through, but I just don't think Peyton Manning and that offense can be stopped by a patch-work New England secondary. Colts 34, Patriots 31

Again I went with three of four home teams that are giving points. Hopefully I run my playoff record to 7-1 after this week. Enjoy the games.

10:58 AM 0 comments
1.14.2005

Ashlee Simpson Responds to Orange Bowl Crowd Reaction
I don't know why but I felt like writing a little about random things today...With that theme in mind, I give you this...

No-talent gravy-trainer Ashlee Simpson says that she doesn't think the crowd was reacting to her singing performance when she was booed off the stage at halftime during the Orange Bowl. Simpson feels that Oklahoma fans were booing her because she was shown on the scoreboard cheering for USC. Hmm, last time I checked the stadium wasn't filled with 72,000 Oklahoma fans...

Bethany Decker, an 18-year-old from Staten Island, NY has started a petition to get Ashlee Simpson to stop performing. She says, "I guess I did it, mostly because I'm just sick of record companies deciding who is popular... We want people who have talent. People who can sing, and don't need their voices retouched for their CD. Artists whose CDs reflect how they actually sound."

Decker's petition starts out with "We, the undersigned, are disgusted with Ashlee Simpson's horrible singing and hereby ask her to stop. Stop recording, touring, modeling and performing. We do not wish to see her again."

To paraphrase Lionel Hutz, "I don't use the word 'hero' very often, but you are the greatest hero in the history of the world".

After two horrible public appearances, the one on SNL when she showed she was a female Milli Vanilli and then the debacle at the Orange Bowl. Dude, Ashlee just call it a career.




10:25 AM 0 comments

Speaker Encouraged 8th Grade Girls to Become Strippers
So let me get this straight, it's not a good idea to encourage 13 and 14 year old girls to become strippers?

Apparently not. The principle at Jane Winthrop Stanford Middle School in Palo Alto, CA will not invite back Management Consultant William Fried, who said to students that stripping and exotic dancing can pay $250,000 or more per year, depending on their bust size.

Fried gave a listing of a 140 possible careers, exotic dancing being one of them. Yeah, I don't know what better field a 13 or 14 year-old girl could go into other than stripping. And what isn't great about having dirty men stuffing dollars into your g-string? How is it bad for a woman's self-esteem to have men pay her to take her clothes off? I don't think stripping is really a field anybody "wants" to get into, you just kinda end up there. Well, first it's cheerleading, then stripping, then you're eventually a prostitute. I believe that's the "whore-spectrum", but I'm not entirely sure on that one.

10:05 AM 0 comments

MLB New Drug Testing Policy Thoughts
Major League Baseball stepped up and amended the League's drug-testing policy. I'm not sure exactly why they did this, since the integrity of the game never seemed to be a big issue with the owners or players, perhaps the impending threats from Congress to implement their own drug-testing had something to do with this.

The most important changes to the steroid testing is that players will be suspended upon their first positive test (although I'm not sure what "up to 10 days" means exactly). Random testing with no limits is also a big thing, as well as off-season testing. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

Interestingly enough they did not include amphetamines in their drug testing. Apparently it's cool to be a tweaker but not cool to be a 'roid monster. If I had my choice I would rather have steroids out of the game before amphetamines, but still I'd rather have both. These guys won't be shooting themselves up with 'roids but they can shovel handfuls of greenies into their mouths.

Still, progress has been made, why am I always so pessimistic?

9:53 AM 0 comments

Cavs v. Lakers
I actually watched a regular season NBA game that didn't involve the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time this year. I was hyped to see the Kobe v. Lebron James matchup, but thanks to the Rockets and Nets going into OT I didn't get to see Bryant get injured live.

No I didn't get the Kobe v. Lebron matchup, but I did get to watch several other matchups like Chucky Atkins v. Lebron, and Sasha Vujacic v. Lebron and of course Jumaine Jones v. Lebron.

Somehow, despite Bryant being injured, the Lakers defeated the Cavs 98-94. Lamar Odom and Caron Butler each stepped up from beneath Bryant's shadow and scored 24 and 21 respectively.

I'd have to say my favorite part of the night was seeing Ashton Kutcher celebrate the Lakers victory as the final buzzer sounded. I love the NBA! It's FANtastic!!!

9:46 AM 0 comments
1.13.2005

Sale of the Brewers FINALLY official
Congratulations Mark Attansio, you're the new owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. I think the investment Attansio has made is much better than some people realize. A few random thoughts...

Milwaukee is a great baseball city. Look at what happened when the team was four games over .500 in July last season, there were crowds over 30 and 40 thousand to see Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

The Beloit/Wisconsin Low A game back in 2003 drew a crowd of twelve-thousand. Twelve-thousand fans went out to Miller Park to see just a glimmer of hope for the future. I think that's a very positive message.

Attansio has purchased a team that is on the rise. They have a very talented minor league system and have a lot of talented young Major Leagers. This team will be competitive in 2005 and will be very close to the playoffs in the years after that.

And as a final thought, notice how Selig combined the new drug-testing policy press-conference and the new Brewers ownership press-conference? It's all about marketing...

2:42 PM 0 comments

Randy Moss Stuff
Randy Moss got fined $10,000 for his endzone celebration against Green Bay on Sunday. The Vikings owner Red McCombs requested that Joe Buck be removed from the broadcast against Philly this weekend because of the way that he reacted to Moss' actions.

1) Red McCombs needs to shut up.
2) I love the way Fox reacted to McCombs' request by basically saying 'umm, yeah whatever, Red'.

Buck called Moss' act "disgusting" and "classless". Well, I guess that is all up for interpretation, but a player simulating "mooning" a crowd of people and then pretending to wipe himself on the goalpost can't be too far from "disgusting" and "classless".


2:31 PM 0 comments
1.12.2005

New Steroid Policy in MLB
According to ESPN.com, Major League Baseball and the Players Union will announce the details of a new drug testing policy on Thursday. There haven't been many specifics released on this story, but I hope the new policy is stronger and can finally start to remove the image of " 'roid monster " from every successful baseball player.

Stronger testing for performance-enhancing drugs can only help the game. Maybe we won't see 'roid monsters with cartoonish heads hitting 70+ homeruns a year, but at least we can go back to having some faith in the game that we all love is being played in a legitimate manner.

5:16 PM 0 comments

Randy Johnson Snaps At New York Camera Man
Before his press conference yesterday, Randy Johnson snapped at a camera man on the street in New York. How can he melt down like that? He realizes that he is in New York right? What did he expect? How can he not hold it together on his first day?

How can he melt down like that in January, on the way to a physical, with only one camera there? How's he going to react after losing a big game in September or October when there are fifty cameras in his face with tons of microphones in his trailer-stacheless grill?

"Get out of my face and don't talk back to me!"

Did The Big Unit attend the "Ryan Leaf School of Media Relations"?

4:55 PM 0 comments
1.10.2005

Beltran Signs with the Mets
The Mets have signed the most coveted free-agent in the 2004/2005 class. Carlos Beltran has reportedly signed a 7-year 119 million dollar deal with the other team in New York. The Mets are now rumored to be going after Carlos Delgado. Where did the Mets get all this money from? If the Mets add Delgado on top of Beltran and P Martinez, are they a playoff caliber team?

Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Kris Benson, Victor Zambrano and Steve Trachsel is a likely rotation for them. It's not bad, but it doesn't have the makeup of a staff that can carry a team to the Post-Season. Adding Beltran will help their offense, and so would Carlos Delgado. The Mets will have to compete with the Phillies and Marlins in the East. Really though, why even discuss the NL East, Atlanta will win it anyway. For about the past 5 years somebody else has been predicted to win the East and every year Atlanta takes it. I should make a vow never to discuss the NL East until Atlanta doesn't win it one year.

10:28 AM 0 comments

Shawn Green to Arizona
Finally. After being rumored to be heading to the Valley of the Sun for about two months, Shawn Green is finally there. He'll be the D'Backs right fielder this season. He signed a three-year deal worth 32 million. The Dodgers now free up cash to sign Boston Post-Season hero Derek Lowe. Shawn Green's power numbers have dropped off considerably since 2002, but he did hit 18 HR after the All-Star Break in 2004.

I'm not really sure what the Diamondbacks are doing. Are they rebuilding? Are they trying to make the playoffs? I still don't think they have enough to make the playoffs, but the fact that they keep adding veterans makes it look like they think they have a shot at baseball in October. Losing Randy Johnson and adding Javier Vazquez, Shawn Green, Troy Glaus and Russ Ortiz does not turn a 111 loss team into a 90+ win team. Unless they have some of their younger players really step up, they still look to be about a 75-87 club.

The Dodgers continue revamping the best team they've had in years. The team doesn't look as bad as it did about three weeks ago, when they were trading half of their team for Dioner Navarro. Now they'll head to Spring Training with Jeff Weaver, Derek Lowe, Odalis Perez, Edwin Jackson, Kaz Ishii and Brad Penny. Trading Green means the Dodgers think Hee Seop Choi can be their everyday first baseman. He had a hot start but was brutal in the second half.

10:18 AM 0 comments

NFL Playoff Weekend Recap
Well, I went 3-1 against the spread this week. Too bad I didn't have that type of success when I was in Las Vegas a few months ago. My winners were Minnesota (+7), Indy (-10) and St. Louis (+4). I didn't expect Minnesota to win outright, but Favre added another horrible playoff performance to his surprisingly growing repertoire of such events.

What the hell is up with Randy Moss? He's so talented but he's such a jackass. His pregame interview with Jimmy Johnson on Fox reaffirmed that. He admitted he was wrong for walking off the field before Week 17's game vs. Washington, but would not guarantee that it wouldn't happen again. He also attempted several ridiculous arguments justifying his behavior, which is something people always do when they admit they're wrong. Oh wait, no they don't, which again raises suspicions about how sorry he really was. This is all before he simulating mooning the Lambeau Field crowd after catching a touchdown on Sunday. Classy. Maybe he should go run over a meter maid in downtown Minneapolis to celebrate the Vikings win sometime this week

Two games fell victim to the old adage of "if everybody is saying they're going to win, something has to be up". Nobody picked Minnesota or New York to cover, let alone win outright. And they did.

Indy destroyed Denver, which really wasn't a surprise. It'll be interesting to see how the Colts adjust to outdoor conditions next week. Hopefully I can ride this 3-1 playoff hot streak all the way to the Super Bowl.


10:07 AM 0 comments
1.08.2005

NFL PLAYOFFS
The NFL Playoffs start today, so I thought I'd throw my picks out on the website.

ST LOUIS (+4) over SEATTLE
I can't believe I'm going with Mike Martz in the playoffs. With all the distractions that the Seahawks have been enduring over the past week with Shaun Alexander and everything, I think St. Louis might win this one.

SAN DIEGO (-7) over NEW YORK
The Jets suck. They're just not that good of a football team and San Diego will expose them for the mediocre football team that they are.

MINNESOTA (+6) at GREEN BAY
The Packers beat the Vikings twice this year by a combined six points (34-31 both times). I think the Packers will win outright but the game will remain pretty close.

INDIANAPOLIS (-10) over DENVER
Just like New York, I don't think Denver is that good. Plus Indianapolis in the dome should be tough to stop.

Three of the teams I picked to win outright I also picked to cover. I think the Green Bay/Minnesota game will be close as will the St. Louis/Seattle game. Enjoy week one of the playoffs.

1:36 PM 0 comments
1.07.2005

Mientkiewicz Won't Give Up Ball
Doug Mientkiewicz, who caught the toss from Keith Foulke to end the 2004 World Series, won't give the ball up yet. Mientkiewicz referred to the ball as his "retirement fund", and also added...

"I know this ball has a lot of sentimental value," Mientkiewicz said. "I hope I don't have to use it for the money. It would be cool if we have kids someday to have it stay in our family for a long time. But I can be bought. I'm thinking, there's four years at Florida State for one of my kids. At least."

Yeah, it would be awesome for the Mientkiewicz family could keep the ball in their family. Really, how stupid and selfish is this? Mientkiewicz was with the Red Sox for about three months, playing as a defensive replacement at first base.

"Retirement fund"? What did he do with the other $5 million he has made in his career? Maybe Doug is being prescient, seeing into the future of MLB where defensive-minded first basemen with an OPS of .676 do not command a high salary anymore.

Give the ball back, Boston waited 86 years for this title, you waited three months.

9:41 AM 0 comments

Dude Arrested With a .409 BAC Hank Aaron's 755...Barry Bonds' 73...Ty Cobb's .366...Lee Day's .409...

Lee Day was arrested on December 23rd with a blood-alcohol content of .409, believed to be the highest BAC ever recorded. The legal-limit for operating a motor vehicle in Wisconsin is .08...This dude blew a .409.

Well, at least you can respect the fact that he wasn't arrested driving when he was arrested. Rather than drive he was urinating in a parking lot when the police cuffed him.

.409? How on Earth does somebody get so drunk? If somebody was that drunk, how do they not pass out or die? What the hell was this guy drinking anyway? Thompson's water seal? Was he chugging glass after glass of Everclear? Unbelievable. This guy needs to be in a Hall of Fame somewhere, I don't know which one, but this feat needs to be immortalized.

9:26 AM 0 comments
1.05.2005

USC Wins College Football National Championship
USC destroyed Oklahoma last night in the BCS Championship game. Time to cue up all the "why was Oklahoma in that game, it should've been Auburn" comments. The BCS is such a flawed system, it arbitrarily matches up teams based on a computer ranking system that is changed every season after it fails the year before. If the student-athletes at D1-AA, D2 and D3 schools can have a playoff, I don't see why Division 1 college football cannot. Well actually I do, it's because every time a team gets invited to the Unnessesary.com Bowl they get a nice pay day.

9:15 AM 0 comments
1.04.2005

Cardinals New Middle-Infield
I didn't think it would be possible for the Cardinals to take a step back at second base after Tony Womack played there in 2004, but it looks like they are on their way to doing so with the addition of Roberto Alomar. This will be something like Alomar's 29th team he's played for in the Major Leagues. The Cardinals have gone from Edgar Renteria and Tony Womack to David Eckstein and Roberto Alomar.

Renteria is an outstanding offensive SS as well as a Gold Glove-caliber defender. Womack rebounded in 2004 to have a nice season. Eckstein hasn't played as well as he did in 2002 when he was an integral part of the Los Anafornia Angels' World Series championship. He has decent range at SS but has a below average arm. He is a decent SS offensively and defensively, but when he has to come in and replace Edgar Renteria its a different story. It is such a huge drop off that it may make a big difference in St. Louis' post-season chances in 2005. If Eckstein goes back to being a .280/.375/.415 type leadoff man that plays adequately in the field then the transition from Renteria to him won't seem so bad. Time will tell if that's what actually happens.

10:39 AM 0 comments
1.03.2005

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim? What?
So the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels have undergone another name change. Now they are the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim". What? How is that a team name? I'm so confused now. Do I refer to them as "Los Angeles" or as "Anaheim"? What is going to be on the front of their uniforms now? "LA of ANA?" "Los Anahemgelos"? I don't think "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" would fit on the front of a jersey, but I guess if they can make "Van Landingham" fit on the back, maybe "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" isn't too far fetched.

Personally I think this is stupid. Apparently so does the Anaheim City Council. The shift to "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" is a marketing ploy, but still, maybe it's too narrowly focused. I mean, they're now neglecting California, the West Coast and the rest of the United States. I propose the new name of the Anaheim Angels be the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Orange County California residing in the Pacific Time Zone in the United States of America". Think of how many people in the US will identify with the Angels now. People growing up in West Virginia can think "hey that team represents me, I live in America!". Ridiculous.

10:48 AM 0 comments
1.01.2005

Yankees and D'Backs Complete Randy Johnson Trade
I'm going to offer up my analysis of the recently completed trade between the D'Backs and the Yankees.

Yankees receive:
Randy Johnson

D'Backs receive:
Javier Vazquez
Brad Halsey
Dioner Navarro

First I'm going to look at what the D'Backs received.

JAVIER VAZQUEZ had good peripherals in 2004, but his ERA was high.
1.29 WHIP
.255 OP AVG
6.82 K/9
150 K, 60 BB
195 hits in 195 innings
33 HRA
4.91 ERA

If you look at Vazquez' career numbers, he has always given up a lot of HR. His K/9 was good at 6.82, but it was the lowest of his career. His BB/9 was a little lower than his career average, his 2004 OP AVG was lower than his career total, his OP OBP was slightly above his career mark (.313 in '04, .309 career). The biggest difference was in slugging percentage. Vazquez allowed the highest OP SLG in his career (.441), which was much higher than his career OP SLG (.425).

Still his ERA seems higher than it should have been. His ERA Component (a Bill James statistic that estimates what a pitcher's ERA "should've been" was 4.23. Really the thing that killed Vazquez wasn't just the HRA, but all the extra base hits allowed coupled with a lower K rate.

Some felt as though Vazquez was injured in 2004. Although he had a great year in 2003, Vazquez' career ERA is still at 4.26. He had three sub-3.00 ERA seasons in a row from 2001-2003, but before then posted ERAs of 6.06, 5.00, and 4.05. Anybody who has seen Vazquez when he is on knows what he can be. He throws four pitches for strikes with a fastball he can cut or sink, a slider, change and curve. I'm not saying he's the 5.00+ ERA pitcher of his earlier years, but maybe he's not the sub-3.50 ERA pitcher from 2001 and 2003. Still, he'll be 28 in 2005 and with that stuff and a string of three impressive seasons, Vazquez is a good replacement for Randy Johnson in Arizona--not to mention the other prospects the D'Backs received.

BRAD HALSEY will be 24 in 2005. The lefty will get a chance to step into the D'Backs rotation this season. He made his MLB debut in 2004. He did manage to get suspended three games for throwing at batters, despite only throwing 32 innings in the bigs. His ERA was 6.47, but he had a good K rate and K/BB ratio. Halsey dominated lefties in his short stint, but conversely was hit hard by righties. Whether or not this is a significant trend or just a statistical anomaly remains to be seen at this point in time. His minor league numbers were really good. Halsey sported a 2.63 ERA in 144 innings at AAA Columbus last year, striking out 109 while walking 37. He gave up less hits than innings pitched (128 hits in 144 innings).

DIONER NAVARRO was the best prospect in a depleted Yankees farm system. The switch-hitting catcher will be 21 in 2005. He struggled a little at AAA Columbus, hitting .250/.316/.360. He hasn't shown any power at any level of the minor leagues, hitting a career high 8 homeruns in 328 ABs in A ball back in 2002. He appears to be a good contact hitter, striking out 198 times versus 138 walks in the minors in about 850 plate appearances.

Well, what can you say about RANDY JOHNSON. For any other team (maybe with the exception of Boston), giving a 41 year-old a two or three year extension might be a bad idea. Realistically though, a multi-year extension for one of the best pitchers in baseball is a risk the Yankees can afford to take. After appearing to slip in 2003 (4.26 ERA), Johnson bounced back with a 2.60 ERA, leading the league in K's. Johnson struck out 290 and walked 44 while logging 245 2/3 innings, allowing just 177 hits. Giving an extension to a 41 year-old is a risky proposition, but really, have we seen many pitchers like Randy Johnson? Nolan Ryan maintained his success into his mid-to-late 40s, why not Johnson? Even if Johnson does finally breakdown, the money tied up in him won't financially strap the Yankees from making any more moves.

Overall I think this is a good deal for both teams. The D'Backs didn't need Randy Johnson or the amount of money tied up in him (no they'd rather overpay Troy Glaus off of shoulder surgery and Russ Ortiz, but that's a different story). Arizona adds Javier Vazquez and Brad Halsey, two pitchers who should step in and help out the worst team in baseball in 2004. The Yankees will head to spring training with a rotation of Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. Yikes.

2:08 PM 0 comments