Welcome to the most boring sports week of them all.
No football for Sunday, unless you count the Pro Bowl (I’m not), and baseball confined to those last few weeks of wringing hands in anxiety and pocketbooks in desperation as agents haggle with GM’s to find that elusive hostess with the mostest, so to speak.
I’ve been making a whole-hearted attempt to boycott pro and college basketball this winter. It’s so incredibly boring. Maybe it’s just the Nets but I don’t think so. It’s the whole star system which will only be exacerbated by the 2010 free agency chase of skatey-eight teams for the same ten or so players, which makes an almost obscene sense in the NBA, as they get no fouls called on them while at the same time capturing all the ink.
That situation combined with the home team bias makes pro basketball totally unwatchable.
I’m boycotting college ball too, as it is just the fodder for the pros. Do any of those guys study? Do any of them belong in college? But, geez, what would happen to the tattoo and gun industries if it weren’t for organized basketball?
I’m actually beginning to think my boycott will be easily do-able. The Super Bowl and the attendant brouhaha should take me into the middle of February, at least, and then MLB spring training starts the first week in March.
I’ll be spending a week in Port Lucie and Jupiter watching the Mets, Marlins and Cards, which, for me, will really kick off the baseball season. There’s nothing quite like spring training…baseball at its finest…where you can watch the best players in the world just play the game in a relaxed atmosphere…no pressure to win and not even that much pressure to even play well.
So, anyway, I’ll just have to get through the last half of February. And that I can do by just taking a couple of day trips to the Poconos or upstate New York for some Alpine fun. And, yes, there will be all that prelude to March Madness and that ridiculously large 65 team NCAA tourney, in which no more than 50 have even a prayer of winning….and all in the name of killing the NIT.
Enough negativity for you? (I’ve got plenty).
Okay, there’s tennis and hockey and ice-skating with big TV contracts, which puts them ahead of, for example, soccer and even more obscure American sports such as weightlifting, for example. But I think I’ll pass on paying attention. While I do enjoy tennis, I don’t really see myself getting inspired, y’know?
So, for now, it’s New Orleans and Indianapolis, unless you’re into who’s hiring what coaches around the NFL, or who’s having what surgery. Worthy of mention, I suppose, is Sanchez’s recommended knee procedures and the Giants hiring of the old Buffalo coach as their defensive coordinator. But there’s really not that much to say.
It’s a guessing game as to whether the Colts Dwight Freeney is really hurt, an injury that would surely affect the outcome of the game. Shockey’s still hurt too, but it looks as if he’ll be even healthier for the Colts than he was for the Vikings game.
The Saints have come out saying they’re going to be going after Peyton Manning, much as they sent Favre to the sidelines gimping a few times. Now, while that’s not really news, going into Super Bowl week, it’ll be a huge deal. The Colts can use it as motivation, much as they allegedly felt insulted by the Jets thinking they could win.
I for one would love seeing Manning on his back a few times. More than that, though, I’d like to see some receivers knocked off their routes, thereby messing up the timing that’s so important to Manning and all his receivers. If the Saints can do those two things and nothing else, it’ll be quite a game.
I’ll be looking at the point-spread next week, but whatever it winds up being, it’ll be difficult to forecast. The Colts are the better team overall. They have a better offense and defense. They arguably could have gone unbeaten this season.
But, while you may think it’ll an aberration for the Saints to get a few more turnovers than the Colts, it really won’t be. If a team does the same thing over and over all year long, it really can’t be considered an aberration. As all it takes is one more turnover to win the game, you have to take the Saints chances very seriously.
And, if Freeney’s really hurt, that’ll be another justifiable bump to the spread. As big as Manning is to the offense, I’d say Freeney’s worth about half as much, which is saying more than you might think. With Manning, the Colts are 4 ½ point favorites. Without him they’d be dogs by at least twice as much. That would be a swing of about 13 or 14. So I’m saying that Freeney’s absence would be about a touchdown difference in the Saints favor. More on that next week.
I suppose the biggest hot-stove personality right now is Johnny Damon. He won’t be back with the Yanks, which is a real shame for Yankees fans. But what’s about 15 million dollars between friends? I think the Yanks blew the negotiation. If they think Randy Winn and Nick Johnson make up the difference, they’re sadly mistaken.
My Mets really haven’t done much lately, unless you count their losing out on available players. But, I have to say, the later they wait, the better deal they’ll get. And I can’t be too terribly upset they didn’t get Molina or some of those available pitchers for that kind of money.
I could actually live with the starting rotation as it looks right now. I really feel Ollie Perez will be better. I think John Maine and Pelfrey will only improve too. Johan Santana is looking good after his minor surgery as well.
But stay tuned, Mets fans.
Showing posts with label tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tennis. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, September 7, 2009
I Love Labor Day!
I love Labor Day. What could be better for a sports fan? First of all, performing any actual labor is practically forbidden and what could be better than that? But the sports tableau is unbelievable, especially if you like tennis.
Now I’m watching this little mercuric Melanie Oudin drive this Russian crazy, and being that it’s Nadia Petrova, that shouldn’t be that hard. Ms Oudin is playing smart, taking full advantage of her fitness, moving Petrova left and right, up and down, and she kicked her butt in the second set tie-breaker.
I’m not ordinarily a jingo, but I find myself saying, “move that fat Russian” at every opportunity. But I have an excuse. This little fireball inspires some loyalty; she plays so hard!
But enough about tennis. The great thing on Labor Day is that you can switch between the Yankee game and the tennis, or you can watch the Mets encore against the Cubs with Mike Pelfrey apparently trying to prove he really doesn’t stink. (I had reamed him a new butt in my last article.)
The Yankee pitcher, C.C. Sabathia, is similarly easy to root for (even if the team is not). The last time I looked, he was tie at 1, his only wayward pitch was one that ventured over the plate against Tampa Bay’s Longoria.
Tampa Bay is still hanging in there, especially with Garza on the mound. He’s another real competitor, throwing hard all the time an with every pitch purposeful. (Sabathia’s in trouble now, turning back to the Yankee game).
Labor Day is also like the end of the sports fiscal year, if you will. Baseball’s winding down and it seems apparent who’ll be in the Series (although this year may be different), the football season is just beginning, fantasy drafts have all been conducted, and, as I said, there’s this U.S. Open.
But basketball’s right on the horizon too. And this year, we may even be able to root for the Knicks a little harder. I like the moves they’ve made so far, but it’s almost funny to see the horrible Curry pulling down the money he’s making, 9.7 million. It’s hard to make up that kind of deficit.
But there’s life at the end of the Knicks tunnel. They may not have Nate Robinson anymore, or that nice power forward, but they do have Larry Hughes, Darko Milicic and Cuttino Mobley. They’re all making some fancy bucks too, but I’m pretty sure those salaries will be coming off soon.
Back at Flushing Meadows, Oudin is up 5-3 in the third, and thoroughly wiping out the Red Menace. (Really, I’m no jingoist). Petrova’s done. Oudin just missed on her first match point, but she’s so so close and the result seems inevitable. Relentless is what she is.
And there it is, the end of things; Oudin has prevailed. “Down goes Dementieva, down goes Sharapova, and down goes Petrova”, says the announcer. Three Russians in a row, they’ll be talking about Oudin down in friggin’ Moscow for a long long time. Wow! I’m really psyched!
Geez, the Yankee game seems kind of tame compared to Oudin. But it’s over, it’s time to move along. The Yanks are still tied 1-1, a real pitching duel between CC and Garza. Bottom of the sixth and with these two horses, we may not see any relievers for a long time yet.
Arod just got a little single, and it’s his third hit in as many tries. With just one out and men on first and second now, this could be the end for Garza. Arod’s actually holding up pretty well this year, batting about .280 now with about 24 homers and 80 ribbies, not too shabby for missing April.
It’s so tough to watch men’s tennis and not just for obvious reasons. The thought of watching these guys for up to five sets is just too daunting, kind of the same way I feel in the first quarter of a basketball game. The women just have to win two sets and every point holds your attention.
Nevertheless, Federer is going now against Robredo, and while Federer may be the best player in the world, it’s the first set and I know there’ll be another two hours, at least, before this match winds itself down.
Geez, I just had to explain to my wife about Labor Day. It seems she’s never heard that you don’t work on Labor Day. Wikipedia tells me that I am right (again). This day has its origins back in the 1880’s after a particularly harsh treatment of labor unions in the Pullman Strike. Beyond that though, tradition has always called for this day to be a day of rest, something totally alien to my Brit wife.
At any rate, there is a conspicuous absence of football today unless you’re rabid enough to watch the 4th exhibition games. Not me. The NFL seems to think they can put anybody out there and still command the same commercial dollars from advertisers. No way. Not this guy, I have trouble slogging through all the commercials for a regular season contest.
There have been some things happening though, and I was sorry to see David Tyree let go, albeit totally agreeing with the move. Now both heroes of the Super Bowl are gone and they’ll be missed, if just for the sake of nostalgia. But Tyree’s routes (and hands) were always an adventure.
Back to the Yankees, Posada and Cano (and Hughes for that matter) just teamed up on a great pitchout and throwout of Crawford, the fastest Ray, at second base. Just when I was thinking what a huge mistake it was for Hughes to walk Crawford, the error gets expunged by a beautiful play (and call).
And that’s what makes this Yankee team kinda special, their infield defense is formidable and their hitting and relief pitching are all there too. I was surprised to hear that even Aceves has ten wins.
Aaaaah, Labor Day.
Now I’m watching this little mercuric Melanie Oudin drive this Russian crazy, and being that it’s Nadia Petrova, that shouldn’t be that hard. Ms Oudin is playing smart, taking full advantage of her fitness, moving Petrova left and right, up and down, and she kicked her butt in the second set tie-breaker.
I’m not ordinarily a jingo, but I find myself saying, “move that fat Russian” at every opportunity. But I have an excuse. This little fireball inspires some loyalty; she plays so hard!
But enough about tennis. The great thing on Labor Day is that you can switch between the Yankee game and the tennis, or you can watch the Mets encore against the Cubs with Mike Pelfrey apparently trying to prove he really doesn’t stink. (I had reamed him a new butt in my last article.)
The Yankee pitcher, C.C. Sabathia, is similarly easy to root for (even if the team is not). The last time I looked, he was tie at 1, his only wayward pitch was one that ventured over the plate against Tampa Bay’s Longoria.
Tampa Bay is still hanging in there, especially with Garza on the mound. He’s another real competitor, throwing hard all the time an with every pitch purposeful. (Sabathia’s in trouble now, turning back to the Yankee game).
Labor Day is also like the end of the sports fiscal year, if you will. Baseball’s winding down and it seems apparent who’ll be in the Series (although this year may be different), the football season is just beginning, fantasy drafts have all been conducted, and, as I said, there’s this U.S. Open.
But basketball’s right on the horizon too. And this year, we may even be able to root for the Knicks a little harder. I like the moves they’ve made so far, but it’s almost funny to see the horrible Curry pulling down the money he’s making, 9.7 million. It’s hard to make up that kind of deficit.
But there’s life at the end of the Knicks tunnel. They may not have Nate Robinson anymore, or that nice power forward, but they do have Larry Hughes, Darko Milicic and Cuttino Mobley. They’re all making some fancy bucks too, but I’m pretty sure those salaries will be coming off soon.
Back at Flushing Meadows, Oudin is up 5-3 in the third, and thoroughly wiping out the Red Menace. (Really, I’m no jingoist). Petrova’s done. Oudin just missed on her first match point, but she’s so so close and the result seems inevitable. Relentless is what she is.
And there it is, the end of things; Oudin has prevailed. “Down goes Dementieva, down goes Sharapova, and down goes Petrova”, says the announcer. Three Russians in a row, they’ll be talking about Oudin down in friggin’ Moscow for a long long time. Wow! I’m really psyched!
Geez, the Yankee game seems kind of tame compared to Oudin. But it’s over, it’s time to move along. The Yanks are still tied 1-1, a real pitching duel between CC and Garza. Bottom of the sixth and with these two horses, we may not see any relievers for a long time yet.
Arod just got a little single, and it’s his third hit in as many tries. With just one out and men on first and second now, this could be the end for Garza. Arod’s actually holding up pretty well this year, batting about .280 now with about 24 homers and 80 ribbies, not too shabby for missing April.
It’s so tough to watch men’s tennis and not just for obvious reasons. The thought of watching these guys for up to five sets is just too daunting, kind of the same way I feel in the first quarter of a basketball game. The women just have to win two sets and every point holds your attention.
Nevertheless, Federer is going now against Robredo, and while Federer may be the best player in the world, it’s the first set and I know there’ll be another two hours, at least, before this match winds itself down.
Geez, I just had to explain to my wife about Labor Day. It seems she’s never heard that you don’t work on Labor Day. Wikipedia tells me that I am right (again). This day has its origins back in the 1880’s after a particularly harsh treatment of labor unions in the Pullman Strike. Beyond that though, tradition has always called for this day to be a day of rest, something totally alien to my Brit wife.
At any rate, there is a conspicuous absence of football today unless you’re rabid enough to watch the 4th exhibition games. Not me. The NFL seems to think they can put anybody out there and still command the same commercial dollars from advertisers. No way. Not this guy, I have trouble slogging through all the commercials for a regular season contest.
There have been some things happening though, and I was sorry to see David Tyree let go, albeit totally agreeing with the move. Now both heroes of the Super Bowl are gone and they’ll be missed, if just for the sake of nostalgia. But Tyree’s routes (and hands) were always an adventure.
Back to the Yankees, Posada and Cano (and Hughes for that matter) just teamed up on a great pitchout and throwout of Crawford, the fastest Ray, at second base. Just when I was thinking what a huge mistake it was for Hughes to walk Crawford, the error gets expunged by a beautiful play (and call).
And that’s what makes this Yankee team kinda special, their infield defense is formidable and their hitting and relief pitching are all there too. I was surprised to hear that even Aceves has ten wins.
Aaaaah, Labor Day.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Open, Blackouts and Budgets
Wow! This U.S. Open women’s bracket is really sumthin’. A 17-year old young woman from Georgia just beat Maria Dementieva, and she looked great doing it. Dementieva didn’t give it away either. Oudin took it.
Oudin won it on an ace. But there were some long rallies and some wicked forehands mixed in. And this is all happening right up there in Flushing Meadows, hard by Metsland.
Tennis continued into today, of course, and we got to see Maria Sharapova, who only even needs a last name because of one Maria Kirilenko. I love the U.S. Open. And this Open may be enjoying the best weather of any U.S. Open ever. Just a good time for everybody in a beautiful setting.
Today though, the Mets won again, for once not losing the first game of a series. So that’s pretty good, and they beat Carlos Zambrano. The Mets pitcher was Bobby Parnell and, after about five horrid outings in a row, he shut out the Cubs for seven innings. So that’s two in a row for my sorry team, the first time they’ve pulled that off since July 30th.
But one thing definitely caught my eye today, and pretty soon it will be all too apparent to football fans in lots of places. Commissioner Goodell expects that 20% of NFL games will be blacked out this year. That’s one out of five for you math minors. In New York we may be safe but what about the six or seven cities every week that can’t sit back and watch their local football team on TV.
I can’t imagine the uproar. For example, in Denver (which may or may not be one of the cities in trouble), folks can sit home on Sunday morning and see NFL action starting at 10 AM. Then they’ll take a little break maybe and see another game at 1 PM. If the Broncos are blacked out, that goes a long way towards ruining your Sunday morning.
Too many Sundays like that and maybe football fans will have to develop an alternative life style. I can’t even imagine what that would be…maybe attendance at churches will soar to the heights but I don’t think so. People will go skiing or take a ride into the mountains for a day trip. Maybe they’ll realize what they’ve been missing and forget about the vicarious thrills of hard hits (yeah, even in Denver) and bad behavior (especially in Denver).
Can anything be worse than trying to get into a team’s fourth exhibition game? Oh My God! Lots of offense if that’s what turns you on, but the whole game is played by folks you’ve never heard of. And may never hear from again.
The Jets had Sanchez on the field for one series against the Eagles second team. He was great again, going four for four to that nifty tight end, Dustin Keller, twice and once to Cotchery in the end zone. Other than that, they managed to lose the game but nobody really cared.
The Giants game was even more boring but I guess Sinorice Moss made a case for himself, if anybody really cares about Moss. I know he’d shown nothing for at least two years. If I were the Giants, I’d drop him anyway. It’s a little late in the game to decide to show up and play.
Baseball’s getting a lot crazier. I just watched Jim Thome belt out a hit for the Dodgers! I can’t get used to this. Meanwhile, Giambi banged out another big hit for the Rockies. Cliff Lee is pitching for the Phils. Pedro Martinez is too, and he beat Lincecum the other day. And that’s only a tithe (well maybe a mini-tithe) of the players who’ve changed teams since the break.
Everybody’s just picking up players willy-nilly. I wonder if teams feel a little better this year about dumping salaries. Makes sense to me. But it sure does make things confusing. And things are confusing enough, especially if you’re a Mets fan.
I mean, really, what kind of curse got laid on this team! Not only did all the players get hurt but the friggin’ owner went out and lost a lot of his money too, probably more than a a tithe. It’s really not fair. Not only is our present messed up, but now our future doesn’t look that rosy either.
Ah well, I guess in this economy,you just have to roll with the punches, and if the recession or depression or whatever it is we’re in the middle of, finally starts to intrude on our fantasy sports world, I guess we had it coming. It’s certainly intruded on everybody else’s life. Why should we be immune?
Maybe the Mets will become like the Pirates, developing young players and then dumping them at peak value. Even if it could be for just a couple of years, that would be very depressing. Not that it’d be all bad to see young guys playing the game, especially after the years of watching aging fellows not quite living up to what they had done in the past.
I know one thing. I’m really tired of watching Pelfrey. He’s finally made it to my list. How many times can he pitch a good one only to look like a Little Leaguer the very next start. Enough with the head cases already. We already have Ollie Perez, that’s more than enough.
Aah, Minaya will think of something. If anybody’s adept at picking up serviceable players for just a little money, it’s him. And things aren’t totally bad, I suppose. Beltran’s supposed to be showing his face next week, and I guess Reyes will be back next year. Delgado’s gone but so will that salary. If Omar is free to spend it, all will be right with the world.
Meanwhile, Mets fans can try to imagine the Yankees in a short series with just about anybody with two good starters and getting their arrogant butts beat.
Oudin won it on an ace. But there were some long rallies and some wicked forehands mixed in. And this is all happening right up there in Flushing Meadows, hard by Metsland.
Tennis continued into today, of course, and we got to see Maria Sharapova, who only even needs a last name because of one Maria Kirilenko. I love the U.S. Open. And this Open may be enjoying the best weather of any U.S. Open ever. Just a good time for everybody in a beautiful setting.
Today though, the Mets won again, for once not losing the first game of a series. So that’s pretty good, and they beat Carlos Zambrano. The Mets pitcher was Bobby Parnell and, after about five horrid outings in a row, he shut out the Cubs for seven innings. So that’s two in a row for my sorry team, the first time they’ve pulled that off since July 30th.
But one thing definitely caught my eye today, and pretty soon it will be all too apparent to football fans in lots of places. Commissioner Goodell expects that 20% of NFL games will be blacked out this year. That’s one out of five for you math minors. In New York we may be safe but what about the six or seven cities every week that can’t sit back and watch their local football team on TV.
I can’t imagine the uproar. For example, in Denver (which may or may not be one of the cities in trouble), folks can sit home on Sunday morning and see NFL action starting at 10 AM. Then they’ll take a little break maybe and see another game at 1 PM. If the Broncos are blacked out, that goes a long way towards ruining your Sunday morning.
Too many Sundays like that and maybe football fans will have to develop an alternative life style. I can’t even imagine what that would be…maybe attendance at churches will soar to the heights but I don’t think so. People will go skiing or take a ride into the mountains for a day trip. Maybe they’ll realize what they’ve been missing and forget about the vicarious thrills of hard hits (yeah, even in Denver) and bad behavior (especially in Denver).
Can anything be worse than trying to get into a team’s fourth exhibition game? Oh My God! Lots of offense if that’s what turns you on, but the whole game is played by folks you’ve never heard of. And may never hear from again.
The Jets had Sanchez on the field for one series against the Eagles second team. He was great again, going four for four to that nifty tight end, Dustin Keller, twice and once to Cotchery in the end zone. Other than that, they managed to lose the game but nobody really cared.
The Giants game was even more boring but I guess Sinorice Moss made a case for himself, if anybody really cares about Moss. I know he’d shown nothing for at least two years. If I were the Giants, I’d drop him anyway. It’s a little late in the game to decide to show up and play.
Baseball’s getting a lot crazier. I just watched Jim Thome belt out a hit for the Dodgers! I can’t get used to this. Meanwhile, Giambi banged out another big hit for the Rockies. Cliff Lee is pitching for the Phils. Pedro Martinez is too, and he beat Lincecum the other day. And that’s only a tithe (well maybe a mini-tithe) of the players who’ve changed teams since the break.
Everybody’s just picking up players willy-nilly. I wonder if teams feel a little better this year about dumping salaries. Makes sense to me. But it sure does make things confusing. And things are confusing enough, especially if you’re a Mets fan.
I mean, really, what kind of curse got laid on this team! Not only did all the players get hurt but the friggin’ owner went out and lost a lot of his money too, probably more than a a tithe. It’s really not fair. Not only is our present messed up, but now our future doesn’t look that rosy either.
Ah well, I guess in this economy,you just have to roll with the punches, and if the recession or depression or whatever it is we’re in the middle of, finally starts to intrude on our fantasy sports world, I guess we had it coming. It’s certainly intruded on everybody else’s life. Why should we be immune?
Maybe the Mets will become like the Pirates, developing young players and then dumping them at peak value. Even if it could be for just a couple of years, that would be very depressing. Not that it’d be all bad to see young guys playing the game, especially after the years of watching aging fellows not quite living up to what they had done in the past.
I know one thing. I’m really tired of watching Pelfrey. He’s finally made it to my list. How many times can he pitch a good one only to look like a Little Leaguer the very next start. Enough with the head cases already. We already have Ollie Perez, that’s more than enough.
Aah, Minaya will think of something. If anybody’s adept at picking up serviceable players for just a little money, it’s him. And things aren’t totally bad, I suppose. Beltran’s supposed to be showing his face next week, and I guess Reyes will be back next year. Delgado’s gone but so will that salary. If Omar is free to spend it, all will be right with the world.
Meanwhile, Mets fans can try to imagine the Yankees in a short series with just about anybody with two good starters and getting their arrogant butts beat.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Mid-Lull - Tennis, Basketball and Hot Stove
Well, here it is again, the annual big lull, that is, the period between the end of the Division Championships and the Super-Duper Bowl. Even worse than that, we’re almost in the direct middle of the lull. What this means for me is that I start watching tennis again, pay more attention to the Knicks and Nets, and even try getting into hockey. The “hot stove” stuff from baseball is almost over, of course, and will Manny Ramirez ever get signed by anyone?
The Australian Open, the first major tennis event of the year, is in full swing now and it’s always interesting to see which established stars are going to bomb and which newcomers will knock our socks off.
This year it seems that Venus Williams has bombed spectacularly. She lost to some great forehands from 20-year old Carla Suarez Navarro while Ana Ivanovic was done in by an even younger Russian, Alisa Kleybanova. There aren’t that many big names left on the board either.
The biggest name, Maria Sharapova, has been hurt for some time of course. Serena Williams is still alive, though just barely from what I saw of her last match, as are some of the old reliables, Elena Dementieva, Nadia Petrova, Dinara Safina and Amelie Mauresmo. But it’ll be exciting to follow some of the up-and-comers, Alize Cornet from France, Victoria Azarenko and the Bondarenko sisters.
I can’t get that excited about the men, not only because they’re, well, men, but it’s always the same guys. How often do I want to hear about Nadal and Federer?
The Knicks may have found a new small forward in Danilo Gallinari. The 6’10” Italian is showing recently why he was a #1 pick with a display of shooting, rebounding and even some defense. David Lee has been showing he can shoot from beyond a few feet lately too, and the combination of the two of them playing together might be just what the Knicks have needed.
I was never too high on Richardson. But now there is Wilson Chandler. And, doing his best Marbury impression at times is little Nate Robinson. Jersey’s Al Harrington provides some height and toughness and can shoot, but not as good as he thinks he can.
But at least it’s interesting basketball, something the Knicks haven’t seen in oh, maybe three or four years now. There’s also talk of Marbury going to Greece. That’d be nice. Oh, and Eddie Curry’s still on the roster, although I wouldn’t expect to see him on the court anytime soon. What more could a Knicks fan ask for?
I think that, in order to really follow professional basketball, you’re forced to pay attention to the local teams. There just isn’t enough information to be had on the other teams. If your name isn’t Kobe or Lebron, the NBA isn’t interested. It’s a shame, really, this star system in the NBA, where rookies can’t get a break and the stars can’t commit any fouls.
And that’s the reason that Brook Lopez has been having a little trouble establishing himself. The league makes it virtually impossible for a rookie, especially a rook unlucky enough to be playing center. The Nets might be in trouble for a while now, as Devin Harris is hurt, Vince Carter seems unexcited, and they get only sporadic play from everyone else.
It’s amazing that their record is as good as it is. Guys such as Keyon Dooling, Bobby Simmons and Yi seem to play well enough in spurts to keep the team from falling totally into oblivion. And Lawrence Frank juggles things up enough to keep everyone on their toes.
At 19-23 now, though, they’re in danger of slipping beneath the Knicks in the standings. The Knicks are 17-24 and seem to be on an upswing. Not so the Nets. If you’re interested in seeing a whole hell of a lot of different combinations on the floor, though, the Nets are the team for you.
As for “hot stove”, there still are some blockbuster things going on. Prince Fielder just signed a 2-year 18 million dollar contract with the Brew Crew and, closer to home, the Phillies re-signed clutch outfielder Jayson Werth. He might be the best utility player on the planet and, as a result, managed to extract a 2-year 10 million dollar agreement from the Phillies.
That Werth contract makes me think we’ll see more of him this year, definitely a bad sign for Mets fans. And the Phils seem quite interested in keeping slugger Ryan Howard happy. He’ll be pulling down something between 14 and 18 million next year. Oh well, at least Mets-killer Pat Burrell will be somewhere else.
The Mets haven’t done much lately, but then they really don’t have to. Everybody’s making a big deal about left field and second base but, really, I’m content to watch Murphy and Evans and Tatis make a go of it. And, hey, Luis Castillo can only get better, right?
You can’t have everything. At least that’s my stance. I’d rather take a chance on that Mets left field situation than have “established” stars such as Damon, Matsui and Nady, although I do wish the Mets had never gotten rid of Nady. And, as much as I like Manny Ramirez, I don’t think I want to see him spend his last few years in New York. I can see another Andruw Jones situation developing.
As good as Manny has been, and as good as he was in his contract year, I can definitely see a guy like that retiring on his next team. Maybe he won’t practice so hard, maybe he won’t run as hard, and, worst of all, maybe he won’t even be as entertaining.
Well, I guess that’s enough to keep me entertained through the feared Media Week at the Super Bowl. I still think Omar Minaya might have an ace up his sleeve, though, and I’m kinda hoping the ace is a somewhat crazy left-hander named Oliver Perez.
The Australian Open, the first major tennis event of the year, is in full swing now and it’s always interesting to see which established stars are going to bomb and which newcomers will knock our socks off.
This year it seems that Venus Williams has bombed spectacularly. She lost to some great forehands from 20-year old Carla Suarez Navarro while Ana Ivanovic was done in by an even younger Russian, Alisa Kleybanova. There aren’t that many big names left on the board either.
The biggest name, Maria Sharapova, has been hurt for some time of course. Serena Williams is still alive, though just barely from what I saw of her last match, as are some of the old reliables, Elena Dementieva, Nadia Petrova, Dinara Safina and Amelie Mauresmo. But it’ll be exciting to follow some of the up-and-comers, Alize Cornet from France, Victoria Azarenko and the Bondarenko sisters.
I can’t get that excited about the men, not only because they’re, well, men, but it’s always the same guys. How often do I want to hear about Nadal and Federer?
The Knicks may have found a new small forward in Danilo Gallinari. The 6’10” Italian is showing recently why he was a #1 pick with a display of shooting, rebounding and even some defense. David Lee has been showing he can shoot from beyond a few feet lately too, and the combination of the two of them playing together might be just what the Knicks have needed.
I was never too high on Richardson. But now there is Wilson Chandler. And, doing his best Marbury impression at times is little Nate Robinson. Jersey’s Al Harrington provides some height and toughness and can shoot, but not as good as he thinks he can.
But at least it’s interesting basketball, something the Knicks haven’t seen in oh, maybe three or four years now. There’s also talk of Marbury going to Greece. That’d be nice. Oh, and Eddie Curry’s still on the roster, although I wouldn’t expect to see him on the court anytime soon. What more could a Knicks fan ask for?
I think that, in order to really follow professional basketball, you’re forced to pay attention to the local teams. There just isn’t enough information to be had on the other teams. If your name isn’t Kobe or Lebron, the NBA isn’t interested. It’s a shame, really, this star system in the NBA, where rookies can’t get a break and the stars can’t commit any fouls.
And that’s the reason that Brook Lopez has been having a little trouble establishing himself. The league makes it virtually impossible for a rookie, especially a rook unlucky enough to be playing center. The Nets might be in trouble for a while now, as Devin Harris is hurt, Vince Carter seems unexcited, and they get only sporadic play from everyone else.
It’s amazing that their record is as good as it is. Guys such as Keyon Dooling, Bobby Simmons and Yi seem to play well enough in spurts to keep the team from falling totally into oblivion. And Lawrence Frank juggles things up enough to keep everyone on their toes.
At 19-23 now, though, they’re in danger of slipping beneath the Knicks in the standings. The Knicks are 17-24 and seem to be on an upswing. Not so the Nets. If you’re interested in seeing a whole hell of a lot of different combinations on the floor, though, the Nets are the team for you.
As for “hot stove”, there still are some blockbuster things going on. Prince Fielder just signed a 2-year 18 million dollar contract with the Brew Crew and, closer to home, the Phillies re-signed clutch outfielder Jayson Werth. He might be the best utility player on the planet and, as a result, managed to extract a 2-year 10 million dollar agreement from the Phillies.
That Werth contract makes me think we’ll see more of him this year, definitely a bad sign for Mets fans. And the Phils seem quite interested in keeping slugger Ryan Howard happy. He’ll be pulling down something between 14 and 18 million next year. Oh well, at least Mets-killer Pat Burrell will be somewhere else.
The Mets haven’t done much lately, but then they really don’t have to. Everybody’s making a big deal about left field and second base but, really, I’m content to watch Murphy and Evans and Tatis make a go of it. And, hey, Luis Castillo can only get better, right?
You can’t have everything. At least that’s my stance. I’d rather take a chance on that Mets left field situation than have “established” stars such as Damon, Matsui and Nady, although I do wish the Mets had never gotten rid of Nady. And, as much as I like Manny Ramirez, I don’t think I want to see him spend his last few years in New York. I can see another Andruw Jones situation developing.
As good as Manny has been, and as good as he was in his contract year, I can definitely see a guy like that retiring on his next team. Maybe he won’t practice so hard, maybe he won’t run as hard, and, worst of all, maybe he won’t even be as entertaining.
Well, I guess that’s enough to keep me entertained through the feared Media Week at the Super Bowl. I still think Omar Minaya might have an ace up his sleeve, though, and I’m kinda hoping the ace is a somewhat crazy left-hander named Oliver Perez.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Big Lull
It's that time of year again, that interminable pause between the Division Championship Games and the Super Bowl. That week where we learn who plays dirty, who would've been better if certain players hadn't been present all year, who played on previous Super Bowl winners and losers. We get the initial point spread, of course, and everything but real live injury reports. So I turn off to football for several days each year at this time, and concentrate on better things, which translates to anything that moves. I usually start paying a bit of attention to college basketball, tune in to the tennis action and see what's happening with the Knicks and the Nets. Of course, there's hockey but I never really have warmed up (or cooled off) to ice hockey. Football will be fun again by Wednesday maybe.
At the Australian Open, Maria Sharapova was dazzling, both in power and athleticism. She ripped through every opponent out there, which meant Justine Henin and Jelena Jancovic as things heated up. She was devastating, her opponents seemingly had no chance. Then she was matched up against another 20-year old who had only been wow-ing most of a continent for a couple of weeks, the beautiful Ana Ivanovic from Serbia. Ironic that a final in a professional sport could come down to two individuals who could have ended up on Broadway.
Although Ana put up the good fight, there was no touching Maria, she was just too strong and too fast and too tall and too mean. And when she was done, she proved that she could be almost be too gracious. As she received her Championship award, she waxed poetic upon her text message from Billie Jean King and her love for the Serbian fans, was philosophical about her transformation from 2007 to 2008. And, of course, she was beautiful all the way.
She’s now won
As good as The Australian Open was, there were also some interesting things happening with Seton Hall, the Nets and the Knicks. Seton Hall has been proving it belongs in the Big East. The Nets are proving that you can sign a guy for less, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be the winner in the negotiation. See Vince Carter. The Knicks are showing that they can play creditable basketball, but whether the results are despite of or because of its management , it is really hard to tell.
The Knicks seem to finally be getting it. Maybe it took the fall of Stephon Marbury to finally make it happen. It’s truly been a phenomenon observable in
The Nets have been just pathetic. They’ve lost eight straight, I think it is. Kidd wanted to play elsewhere but we signed him, Carter wanted more money but stayed, and
And speaking of prima donnas, how about Daniela Hantuchova’s huffy exit from her semifinal loss to Ivanovic? We are to understand she was upset about the squeaking of Ana’s sneakers while Daniela was serving? I think it’s high time Daniela got out of the tennis game, to take her act elsewhere. There’re just too many sane tennis players around, Daniela. Take that bony ass on the road!
Oh, and then there were the Williams sisters, the nice older one and the silly squat one. Once again, they were interesting in defeat but only one was even halfway gracious in defeat. With the Williams sisters, it’s always about them. What it was that they did to lose rather than what their opponent did to win. God, it gets old. Retirement beckons, sisters!
If I could just get by this weekend, I’ll be fine. There should be enough basketball to keep me going until then. I can’t possibly listen to any more drivel from the football players, never mind the coaches. Bellichick and Coughlin, what a personality-fest this is gonna be…
I’ll tell you one thing though. I can almost feel the tide beginning to turn. The
And, let’s see, yes, the Pats beat them, but not by much and not that convincingly. And now they’ll be meeting again. It’ll be mostly older guys against mostly newer guys. And a hobbling (or lying) quarterback against a newly-confident gunslinger. Yeah, I think I could wait another few days….
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