Not Just Three Musketeers

God knows I was pulling for West Virginia last night. I had them in one of my pools advancing. Joe Alexander is my favorite player. The Big East is my favorite conference. The Mountaineers also have some real hustlers, fun guys to watch like Ruoff and Mazzulla.....guys with talent like Da 'Sean Butler. They have a big-time and colorful coach in Bob Huggins.

But it wasn't meant to be. There were Musketeers all over the place. Yes, Xavier just brought it all last night. They shot 28-59 from the field and a cool 11-19 from 3-point land, supposedly a favorite Mountaineer hangout. They out-rebounded the Mountaineers too, 39-34. But it wasn't really a game about statistics, as impressive as they were.

It was really a lot like all those "Three Musketeers" movies, one for all and all for one and all that. But it wasn't just three guys. Sure, you could point to Josh Duncan and his career-high 26 points. Or you could say Stanley Burrell won the game with his all-around game and his cross-court pass to B.J. Raymond that finally iced the boys in blue. C.J. Anderson went 6 for 12 from the field and had 10 rebounds, 6 on the offensive boards.

But if you were clad in white last night, and only eight players were, you were touched by the angels. Derrick Brown only scored 9 but played 30 minutes with just 1 turnover and had 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Drew Lavender played 38 minutes, had 7 assists and just 1 turnover. B.J. Raymond did not too much all night but then went nuts in overtime, making more three-pointers in that period than the entire West Virginia team made all night.

But there was also big sophomore Jason Love, 6'9" and 255 pounds muscling 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes and freshman Dante Jackson didn't embarrass himself either. In 18 minutes, he took one 3-pointer and made it, while chipping in with an assist, a rebound and a steal.

They just wouldn't be denied, these Musketeers. Even when Joe Alexander went off in the second half, and for about ten minutes or so, anybody watching and listening had to think he'd take it all away, either by a nice shot, a strong rebound or sheer hustle. And with little Joe Mazzulla running around loose and Alex Ruoff in the right spots, and those refs hanging foul after foul on the Musketeers, surely the Mountaineers would prevail, right?

I mean, couldn't they just accept they were "beat", I mean, the refs were against them, Joe Alexander was everywhere, these little pesky guys were doing all the right things, and it was, after all, the Big East they were fighting. How could this little upstart Atlantic friggin' 10 team from Cincinnati think they could play with the Big Boys from the Big East?

And then there was a sequence that gave me the willies, that seemed to turn the game around. Surely D’Artagnan laid his sword over the basket in that 4^th quarter. Not only did Alexander miss the jumper, but then one Mountaineer grabbed the rebound, went back up and missed. Then another Mountaineer did the same thing and just missed, then still ANOTHER Mountaineer grabbed that rebound and AGAIN could not put that ball down from two feet. Finally, after an eternity of misses, Xavier finally grabbed the ball, and, as it turned out, the game.

Of course it didn’t end there. Big East fans everywhere would later thrill to Alexander’s jumper that floated right in with just over14 seconds on the clock, thus tying the game and, as he was fouled on the play, surely Joe would finally put this game away at the line. But he missed.

The game went into overtime, as do so many of these NCAA tournament games. And it seemed for a while that West Virginia would finally prevail, going up by 6. But, lo and behold, Joe Alexander fouled out. “That isn’t good,” I said to myself.

But that wasn’t all that wasn’t good. West Virginia missed four of six free throws in the extra period, and they shot only 18-27 from the foul line all night. The 18,103 in the live audience and millions at home could readily see that the hex was truly on the Mountaineers.

One for all, all for one. That one turned out to be B.J. Raymond in the final minutes. He hit a three from the top of the key with 1:18 left to put the Musketeers on top once again. Shortly afterwards, he got loose, snagged the nice pass from Burrell and sunk still another three to put his team up by four with just 30 seconds left.

By then, it was all over, at least it was to me. West Virginia, after all, did not deserve to win this game. Xavier certainly did. And when I really thought about it, I had to figure that, if any team could jolt UCLA in the final of the West Region, it would be this band of upstarts from Xavier, these damned all-for-one guys.

It was a great game though. Good hustle all-around, great plays on offense and defense, the lead going back and forth. It was so good that not even CBS could ruin it, not with skatey-eight commercials or the inane superlatives that kept issuing from the mouths of the succubi in the booth.

Never was a team more deserving of advancing. Hopefully, they will not have left it all on the floor last night. Hopefully, they can gut out one more win against the favorite to win it all, UCLA.

Despite my misgivings about big-time college basketball, I have to admit that games such as this one perhaps make it all worthwhile. There are, after all, worse things going on in America. The President, the war, the gas, the dollar, the economy, health care, Hillary or Barack as the alternatives, lots of things.

And only one winner will take this thing. Xavier ?

Plaaaay Ball ! プレー球技 !!

No matter what country to which MLB may send its season-opener, it'll still be a great game. As if to solidify that truism, the World Champion Boston Red Sox came from behind to beat the upstart Oakland A's 6-5 this morning in Japan to serve notice that they will have to be reckoned with once again in 2008.

Whether baseball will remain "America's game" seems open to question. With both hero and goat candidates from the home country of Japan and with the biggest slugging exhibition coming from a man who hails from Latin America, that particular moniker would seem to be highly problematical.

But does it really matter? Would the World Series be a true "World Series" if the players all hailed from the 50 states? I don't think so. That game popularity has been exported along with player development efforts is ultimately good for the game, although American fans may suffer a little along the way.

The game started at 6AM ET and, despite consuming a few cups of coffee (another wonderful product from Latin America), this fan could not keep his eyes open another moment, but did have the wherewithal to hit the "record" button on his VCR before submitting to the Sandman.

Awakened about three hours later though, I was treated to a great ending. I managed to see Huston Street of the A's blow the save for Joe Blanton in the 9th and watch the A's blow their opportunity to recapture the win against Boston's Jonathan Papelbon. I got to see another Japanese product, Oakland's Kurt Suzuki, ground out weakly to second base with the tying and winning runs on base.

What I did miss, however, was Boston’s Dice K, Daisuke Matsuzaka, give up two Oakland runs in the first inning, this despite the honor of getting the start in the season opener in his home country. I also missed Manny Ramirez’s clutch 2-rbi double in the 6^th. But Manny hadn’t finished yet, driving in two more in the 10^th with still another double to clinch the win.

As good as was the game though, it had to be somewhat drowned out by the enormity of the cultural event. Although it was not the first MLB game played overseas, it was the first one played on the Asian continent, and may be a prelude to many others, both in Japan and elsewhere.

According to Wikipedia, 34 Japanese played in MLB between 1964 and 2007. Several Japanese players have signed their first Major League contracts for the 2008 season: Kosuke Fukudome (Chicago Cubs), Masahide Kobayashi (Cleveland Indians), Yasuhiko Yabuta (Kansas City Royals), Hiroki Kuroda (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Kazuo Fukumori (Texas Rangers).

Most of those 34 players were stars in Japan and performed creditably or better in the U.S. The best player, without a doubt, has been Ichiro Suzuki (aka Ichiro)of the Seattle Mariners.

Ichiro may be the best all-around player in the Major Leagues today. Ichiro hits for average, his 262 hits in one season is the current major league record. He may be the best outfielder in the game as well, catching anything even remotely within range and possessing a gun for an arm. He has also stolen 272 bases between 2001 and 2007.

Almost as ballyhooed as Ichiro was Hideki Matsui, who came to the Yankees in 2003. Known as “Godzilla” in Japan, Hideki has yet to perform to the lofty expectations that name had promised but nevertheless has been one of the best clutch performers on the Yanks. In his five years as a Bomber, he hit .295 with 103 homers and 462 rbi’s. He continues to be one of the most colorful players on a team that has been chock-full of stars such as Arod and Jeter, Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon.

The influx of foreign-born players has energized the game. Just as Jackie Robinson excited baseball fans back in 1947 and Roberto Clemente did in the Fifties and Sixties, so has Ichiro and Dice K, Hideo Nomo and both Matsui’s, Hideki and even Kaz, who last year helped propel the Colorado Rockies to the National League pennant with his fielding, timely hitting and verve on the basepaths.

The Latino players who have become stars in the United States are almost too numerous to mention. In fact, there has been concern voiced on the part of black U.S. players that their representation in the major leagues has become marginal, that player development has become stilted in the U.S. and that Latino players are easier to manage both financially and on the field.

There is, of course, a great deal of truth in that thinking. Latinos compose today almost 30% of all players and there are about 80 players in MLB from the Dominican Republic alone. But they are also among the best players. In fact, in October of 2005, a “Latino Legends” team was named and its membership reads like a “Who’s Who” of baseball superstars in the modern era.

From Puerto Rico, there was Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez and Roberto Clemente. Representing the Dominican Republic were Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero, Pedro Martinez and Juan Marichal. There were also two players from Panama, Rod Carew and Mariano Rivera. And one great pitcher from Mexico named Fernando Valenzuela. One other player I’ve saved for last for obvious reasons, none other than Manny Ramirez of the Dominican Republic, who outshone every other player on that Japanese field with his performance today.

Fans may have to get up at 6:00 AM, or even 3:00 AM for those Oakland fans, to view a MLB game played in Asia, or be somewhat inconvenienced by a game played in Mexico or the Dominican Republic, but it’s evident that, as measured by the excellence of the product on the field, we all benefit from the globalization of our game.

There aren’t too many sandlots to be found in the U.S. today, at least not in our major cities. Perhaps there should be.

The Times They Are a Chaaaangin....

Nowhere is change more evident than in baseball this year. The Dodgers are moving out of Dodgertown. The Red Sox are on their way to Japan. The Dodgers went to China. Pitchers can't throw inside anymore. You can't run over the catcher in March. And Hanley Ramirez is the likely Number 2 pick overall in your fantasy draft.

Who, you ask? You mean Manny Ramirez, right? Or even Aramis Ramirez? Well, no. I mean Hanley, still another Ramirez from the Dominican Republic, actually Samana, but what's a few miles?. Hanley plays for the Florida Marlins, and puts up beautiful numbers, batting .292 his first full year and .332 his second year. His home run totals went from 17 to 29, though, in 2007. He also stole 51 bases in each of those years. It makes me sad the Red Sox got rid of him after his two-game audition in 2005. And, um, who's playing shortstop for them now?

While I can understand fantasy players salivating over Hanley, it is rather odd, isn't it? First pick - Arod, second pick-Hanley friggin' Ramirez. Just as Arod was passed over as the Number 1 in my Fantasy League last year by Ryan Howard, much to that owner's chagrin (although Mr. Howard had one hell of a second half), let me suggest that Hanley selectors may be crying in their beer this October.

Two years does not make a legacy. It could perhaps be the beginning of one, I suppose, and it certainly is a nice streak, but as much as baseball is changing, some things remain the same. Sluggers change the game, whether it's baseball or fantasy baseball.

Shown above left is Alex Rodriguez, aka AROD, the consensus number one on everyone's list. Alex was awesome last year. After having dropped some weight and apparently having redistributed much of the rest, Alex went on to hit 54 homers, score 143 runs and knock in 156. Not too shabby. Oh, and he stole 24 bases. From a fantasy point of view, he is Michelangelo, or at the very least, Leonardo daVinci.

Arod even hit a post-season home run...and posted his lone RBI with it. He did manage to cross home plate at the same time, thus assuring him of two runs scored for the divisional playoff loss to the Cleveland Indians, 3 games to 1. Thus, while Arod may be the straw that stirs the fantasy drink, he has yet to prove that he can shake anything up in October. That he is pictured above with Big Papi, a terrific clutch performer and Reggie, Mr. October himself, is not without its irony.

But he still prevails in the regular season and has done so for many years, but not too many. Other players of the same ilk have apparently too many seasons under their belts, such as Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and even Big Papi himself.

Manny Ramirez is practically off the charts in fantasy leagues, averaging pick 36 in Yahoo leagues, the end of the third round. Ortiz is this year selected at about pick 17 and Guerrero at about the 21^st pick. Too many seasons for all three of these all-time greats, I suppose, along with a bit of a decline for all three last year, have contributed to the decline in expectations.

Another perennial favorite, Miguel Cabrera, currently listed at an average of the ninth pick in fantasy drafts, has been shipped off to Detroit, which perhaps would have increased his stock if he had not also lost 30 pounds at the same time. While Miguel may play the field better and run faster (not without its own merits in Detroit), the jury is out on whether he'll hit better at the lighter weight.

<>So who are the usurpers of the top spots? Besides Hanley, there is Jose Reyes of the Mets listed at three, Albert Pujols of the Cards at four, David Wright of the Mets is five and the Phils Chase Utley is six. Matt Holliday of the Rockies, still another Met, Johan Santana and the Phils Jimmy Rollins round out the top ten. <>

For those of you who are saying “so what”?, I say to you that fantasy drafts are all about expectations. If three Mets are in the top ten, that means one whole hell of a lot of people think the Mets should win this year. And with two Phillies in there as well, folks will be expecting a battle royale in October.

I certainly hope it turns out that way. I’m expecting less of Jose Reyes for sure, and there is reason to believe that Santana may experience a fall from grace, given that other American League pitchers have had trouble in their first year on the senior circuit. David Wright has shown remarkable consistency though, and seems to improve his game every year. He is one of the few that I think deserve their lofty status.

Much the same could be said about Chase Utley. The Rockies’ Matt Holliday certainly deserves his name in the top ten too, as does Jimmy Rollins, who defeated Holliday for the NL MVP in 2007. Both players have shown continuous excellence for years, Holliday for four and Rollins for eight, just on the verge of too many years.

Although I would like to think that all these fantasy players are wrong, there is more likely at least some truth in the numbers. I’m a believer in consensus-thinking, despite having spent many years in meetings that should have proven otherwise.

There is a changing of the guard going on, and although that could be said for any year, it seems more applicable to this one. Numbers don’t lie, at least in the aggregate, and if the expectations for these stars, and others I haven’t mentioned, are fading, then at least some of their performances will truly fade.

What that will mean for Boston and the Angels and others remains to be seen. But I’m betting there will be some reflection in the standings.

An Embarrassment of Bitches

The onset of Spring usually means the excitement of March Madness, followed closely by some nail-biting NBA Playoffs action. But not this Spring, not for New Yorkers at any rate.

What a wasteland has been this 2007-2008 basketball season for New York fans. Every New York area men's basketball team is mediocre to bad, whether you're talking professional or college teams. That would include the Knicks, Nets, Seton Hall or Rutgers.

While other cities teams can boast of long winning streaks, such as Houston, or tough-minded do-everything types of competitors, such as Manu Ginoboli of the Spurs, the New York fan can only wonder what happened. How can the Knicks manage the salary cap after Isiah? How can the Nets replace Jason Kidd? How can Bobby Gonzalez compete in the Big East? How can Rutgers do anything?

The Knicks season has been an arithmetic anomaly, 5 plus 1 somehow did not make 6. Power forward Zach Randolph's acquisition did nothing for the team as Eddy Curry all but disappeared. The photo above left says a lot about Curry. It seems that Nate Robinson is lending him support, much as coach Isiah Thomas has been doing for too long.

Curry couldn’t handle having another scorer to help him in the post. He never could play defense. So a one-dimensional player was left with no dimensions. I’m hoping he’ll be the first player to go under the new GM . Curry defines soft. He doesn’t rebound, doesn’t block shots, doesn’t steal the ball. What he does is watch opponents drive by, much like a “lookout block” in football.

The Knicks are loaded with one-dimensional players. Even my favorite Knick, Jamal Crawford, is very often lost on defense. Even David Lee, who rebounds like a crazy man, doesn’t have the quick feet needed to stay with his man. Even some of the alleged defensive specialists on the Knicks, such as Jared Jeffries and Renaldo Balkman don’t seem quite up to the task.

You have to wonder whether Isiah is capable of teaching defensive basketball, although such a notion is hard to believe of a “Bad Boys” alumnus. Either that, or he has simply acquired players who won’t play defense. Maybe that’s what drove Larry Brown over the edge.

It hurt this Knicks team a lot, though, to lose Stephon Marbury. Another one-dimensional player, at least he helped drive the offense, often so much so that the team could overcome its defensive liabilities. Nate Robinson shows promise but he’s no Marbury.

Jamal Crawford has played too many minutes this season. Recently, he’s lost any spark he could, more often than not, provide. Of course, he’s hurt now too, nursing a bruised hand, rough on a shooter. Lee, Richardson, Randolph, they can’t do it by themselves.

There is a recent report that Marbury may be going to the Pistons. Another report says that Curry has torn cartilage but will continue to play. (Oh joy…). That’s a nice display of toughness from someone who hasn’t shown much of anything, but with only about 3 more years left on his 6-year 60 million dollar contract, perhaps Eddy is beginning to see the end, especially in light of the fact that he’ll be losing his strongest supporter.

The Nets at least have a shrewd GM, Rod Thorn, who brought us Kidd for Marbury so many years ago. And then picked up the young and talented point guard Devin Harris to take the point. But that move, while a good one for the long haul, will not salvage this season. Not with Vince Carter seeming to have abandoned his breathtaking moves to the basket and Richard Jefferson playing inconsistently at best. Not with a team that’s lost its reason for being, that seems to have given up in mid-March.

Lawrence Frank needs to kick some butt. He’s beginning to remind me of Jets coach Eric Mangini, so logical, so calm, so “professional”. Give me a break ! These guys are just showing up. Give me a coach who’ll get mad ! Give me a coach who’ll run these gold-brickers into the ground !

I’m probably jumping the gun here but I’m very tired of watching lifeless basketball. And a lifeless coach. (Lawrence did at least pick up a technical this night). The Nets have talent; they just don’t appear to be really trying. I know it’s a team game, and the Nets are assimilating new players, but at least give the appearance of effort !

Yes, the Nets too are playing soft. Very soft, like a Carvel double-dip on hot Bayonne asphalt on the Fourth of July. Complacent, all of them, they can’t compete with the Ginoboli’s of the world, or Bowen, or Duncan, or McGrady, or Parker, or ANYBODY who’s trying.

Then there’s college ball. Seton Hall, I must say, always plays hard but they seem to be over-matched in the Big East. Ranked 11^th for the Big East tourney, maybe they can turn it around but it’s pretty unlikely. They’ll face 6^th-ranked Marquette in their opener tomorrow, the winner to take on 3^rd-ranked Notre Dame. Although nothing is impossible in college basketball, Marquette beat the Pirates by six in January and by about 26 a month later. It’s almost inconceivable that the Golden Eagles will falter in March.

All is not lost for the Pirates, however, as they successfully recruited one of the finest point guards in the country in the person of Jordan Theodore of Paterson, NJ. Theodore is said to be very quick, while able to knife through traffic and make spinning moves to the hoop. That should bode well for 2009 and beyond but won’t help them tomorrow night.

Rutgers of course couldn’t even qualify for the tournament. They have trouble in every aspect of the game, from shooting to rebounding to defense.

Things can only get better, New York fans. The 2007-2008 season is just about over. The Nets are our only hope. In the NBA East, they could possibly surprise.

Musials They Ain't

Although there were plenty of Musial fans in the house last night in the Cards spring home, there certainly were no Musials on the field. After two straight days of watching the Marlins though, I think they're starting to grow on me. The Marlins exude youth and enthusiasm, and compared to the Cards, they're absolutely dynamic!

The lineup starts with Hanley Ramirez, Alfredo Amezaga, Mike Jacobs and Josh Willingham. Jorge Cantu, a favorite of mine from a couple of years ago, bats sixth. He only knocked in about 97 runs in 2006. The Cards one through four last night was Skip Schumacher, Adam Kennedy, Rick Ankiel and the mighty Amaury Marti. No, really! This is on the web! How could it not be true?

<>The best thing about the Cards is their colorful fan base. Included above is a picture of one senior fan in his Musial jersey. But, really, I talked with several of them and they all think the Cards are great, they don't think Tony LaRussa should crawl under a rock, and they don't seem to mind that Rick Ankiel is batting third. They're truly a "glass half full" bunch.

The Marlins, if they can get some pitching, could be dangerous. Hanley Ramirez has already proven to be one of the best, if not THE best, shortstop in the National League. Alfredo Amezaga makes contact, is faster than a speeding bullet, and has that Jose Reyes-type of charisma about him. Mike Jacobs and Josh Willingham can both hit for power and should only get better this year.

Last night's starting pitcher, Ricky Nolasco, is shown above on the right. He can throw hard and seems to have a nice curve and slider. Their other starters, Scott Olsen, Sergio Mitre, Andrew Miller and Mark Hendrickson are all young but with a year or two of experience in the Major Leagues. Two other youngsters are injured right now, Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez, but they might be the best of the bunch. <>Their closer is creditable, saving 32 games last year, and struck out 87 in 84 innings.

Not too shabby. It will be the middle-relief that makes or breaks the Marlins this year, and if a couple of those young starters can be converted, the sky’s the limit for the boys in teal. (Really, their colors have nothing).

While the Cards may finish with a better record, they certainly won’t be more exciting. Albert Pujols will still be great, that is, if LaRussa plays him. (I’ll never get over the 2007 All-Star game when the temperamental genius left his best player on the bench at the game’s critical juncture). LaRussa also scared off Scott Rolen and got Troy Glaus in return, and the Blue Jays couldn’t be happier. <>

And, although I was never a Jim Edmonds fan, his departure, along with the loss of David Eckstein, certainly leaves the Cards with less team chemistry (unless you count Glaus’s inclusion in the Mitchell report). <>That I was at this game at all is a tribute to my own sloth. Having watched the Dodgers-Red Sox earlier in the day on ESPN, I thought I could take one night of the Cards. I was wrong.

Decisions, decisions…One of the very best morning activities while down here in the Sunshine State is deciding which game to attend while having breakfast at the nearby Cracker Barrel. Heavy rains and some truly scary winds (a tornado may have touched down at the Stuart Airport) made all my scheming moot today, however.

<>The Marlins take on the improving Washington Nationals in Jupiter later today while an 80-mile drive up to Vero Beach will get me the Dodgers game. But guess who they’re playing? You got it, the Cards. I don’t think I could take that again. After all, I just saw Joe Torre on ESPN ! (Would Elaine Bennis have put an exclamation point there)? <>

My Mets take on the Indians, which is really the premiere game today, but as it’s in Winter Haven, a 2-hour drive up there takes a lot of luster off that particular gem. A quick look at the Nats prospects for the year makes it evident that Jupiter will once again be THE place to be. Or have I become a Marlins fan?

The Nats have an interesting mix and could improve considerably over last year. Lastings Milledge will add some speed and power to a lineup that already includes Austin Kearns, Dmitri Young and Nick Johnson back from his injury. The Nats lineup also boasts Ryan Zimmerman and Wily Mo Pena, while landing Johnny Estrada to catch for them after the injury to LoDuca was an absolute coup.

<>The Washingtonians also have an interesting pitching staff, one that has some talent but more bad luck in 2007. John Patterson had a great year in 2005 before his injuries. Jason Bergmann has shown promise and the rest of their starters bear a strong resemblance to that Marlins staff, young and feisty. Jon Rauch and Chad Cordero give them at least the nucleus of a relief corps and, all things considered, I believe they’ll be much improved in 2008.

Ah well, one more day of spring baseball and it will be back on the Amtrak to face another month of winter. Of course, there will be breakfast in the dining car, and sneaking out for a smoke in places like Richmond and Jacksonville. The train-ride is almost an entire vacation by itself. <>

After having spent about 500 miles conversation with a marine archeologist (yes, we did discuss George Costanza’s role as marine biologist but I’m not sure he appreciated it), and having become one woman’s savior by simply returning her wallet she had left in the bathroom, I can truly say I’m ready for the ride home.

I mean…there are a lot worse things I could be doing, like, well, having my fingernails pulled out, or listening to the sound of weirdly-angled chalk on a blackboard, or …taking in a Cardinals game.