Well, I really don't know how to react about the news on his death. It's terrible news and it really put a damper on what was otherwise, a great week (aside from a lot of work).
Hill didn't really play a lot and to be honest, I didn't know too much about him. Regardless of that though, it's a terrible loss and it sours what's been a tremendous off-season.
DAISUKE MANIA!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Week in Review
Great sports week pretty much. State of Origin kicked off in Brisbane, Australia (that's rugby folks) with a thrilling win by Queensland over their blood rivals New South Wales (more on this later). The Sox took 1 of 3 (more importantly, the middle game to make sure the Yankees gained zero momentum from either win) and kept them at 9.5 games, which is now 12.5 games. The Celtics are screwed for the next 10 years and I'm NOT diving deeper into this, it's just not worth it to stay up crying all night.
I'm going to start by talking about the AL East. Ok, I know a lot of Yankee fans out there are in denial. They believe it's early and that there is still time and they're going to bounce back. Look guys, it's not early. It's almost June and the season is almost 2 months in. You're under .500 and looking up at the Blue Jays AND Orioles. Don't look now Yanks, but you have something much more important in view, the Devil Rays. They're only a game back and you need to be conscious of them.
It's not really that shocking to be honest. They're losing games they've won in the past. Proctor walking in not one, BUT TWO RUNS TO GIVE ANAHEIM THE LEAD!? When was the last time you remember a Yankee team blowing games like that? Right now, it just isn't there year and if they're going to get on track, they need to dominate Boston in Fenway this weekend.
Meanwhile, Boston is the best team in baseball. There's no other way to put it. They have the best record, they're bullpen is nearly untouchable, and they seem to get key hits from even the most down on their luck players. J.D. Drew getting a clutch RBI today as well as Dustin Pedroia (who is playing extremely well right now) hitting what would be the game winning homer in an epic at bat against Eric Gagne. This the kind of stuff that championship teams do. Now, I'm not stupid. There is a long way to go in the season yet. But for people to say "oh it's still early" when you're calling late may series' "vital to your season" there is something wrong with your team.
Also, I wanted to chime in on Michael Kay doing his best Billy Packer impersonation defending A-Rod after he practically gave a low blow to Dustin Pedroia in game 2. It was appalling and disgraceful. This is the same guy who went out of his way in a pivotal playoff game to try and knock the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hand (sneakily at that). Look, I know it's YES and they have to support your team, but have some damn pride. When you do stuff like this, you make an ass out of yourself and your network. He made a cheap and dirty play. He should of been suspended for it. If this were the NBA and something "inadvertent" happened like that, he would of been suspended probably 3 games. MLB needs to go back and look at that tape and suspend him retroactively for it.
Champions League final was Wednesday also. Nothing special. Pipo Inzaghi has a game to remember with two goals (one that went off his shoulder and probably should of been disallowed). The game itself though, was nothing spectacular. Liverpool couldn't break Milan's defense and Dida made critical saves around EVERY corner. If you needed further proof that Serie A is a complete and total sham, this is it. Milan was and is the best team in Italy. It's not Inter. Inter was just lucky they didn't get docked points (and they probably should have) for the whole match fixing scandal. Like I said though, not a real special game and nothing really note-worthy in it. Congratulations to Milan and their fans on winning in Europe. Win the league next year like you deserve to.
Origin Time! For those unfamiliar, State of Origin is a blood feud between New South Wales and Queensland (two states in Australia). I know people from both sides and when it's Origin time, there is general hatred for each other. Well, the two teams (known as the Blues for NSW and Maroons for QLD) play a three game set regardless of outcome. That means that no matter who wins the first two games, they play the third game. QLD won game 1 25-18 in a game that in all honesty, wasn't and shouldn't have been as close as the score says. They won the series last year with a stunning turnover try late in the game from Darren Lockyer (a legitimate legend for the simple fact that he scored the winning in try in Origin, the Grand final , AND TRI-NATIONS...IN THE SAME YEAR!) in what was probably my favorite rugby match that I've ever seen. Well, for the first 40 minutes, QLD dominated and throttled NSW except for about 3 minutes at the end of the half. They were frustrated. They had two trys disallowed and one should of counted (both were called forward passes) and every time they got inside the 30 meter zone of NSW, they were unstoppable, but they also made stupid mistakes and got genuinely unlucky. Trailing 18-6 at the half, they came out in the second half and they started off just like they did in the first. 1000 miles an hour and just running NSW off the field. Big difference though, no unlucky breaks. They got the first big try of the half to cut it to 18-12 and then I saw probably one of the most boneheaded plays ever where a NSW player tried to make a near impossible pass, and threw it directly to who else but Darren Lockyer who easily ran it right into the center of the goal line for the game winning try. Jonathan Thurston was my player of the game. He seemed to be everywhere and he had some tremendous kicks including the gorgeous one that gave Greg Inglis his first try of the game.
UFC was alright. An underwhelming show aside from Jackson's upset and Houston Alexander knocking Keith the hell out. I can't wait for Henderson vs Jackson. My gut tells me Henderson slaughters him, but I said the same thing about Liddell so ya never know.
Less work this week means more upsets. Keep reading and as always, I love reader feedback at akileese@gmail.com
I'm going to start by talking about the AL East. Ok, I know a lot of Yankee fans out there are in denial. They believe it's early and that there is still time and they're going to bounce back. Look guys, it's not early. It's almost June and the season is almost 2 months in. You're under .500 and looking up at the Blue Jays AND Orioles. Don't look now Yanks, but you have something much more important in view, the Devil Rays. They're only a game back and you need to be conscious of them.
It's not really that shocking to be honest. They're losing games they've won in the past. Proctor walking in not one, BUT TWO RUNS TO GIVE ANAHEIM THE LEAD!? When was the last time you remember a Yankee team blowing games like that? Right now, it just isn't there year and if they're going to get on track, they need to dominate Boston in Fenway this weekend.
Meanwhile, Boston is the best team in baseball. There's no other way to put it. They have the best record, they're bullpen is nearly untouchable, and they seem to get key hits from even the most down on their luck players. J.D. Drew getting a clutch RBI today as well as Dustin Pedroia (who is playing extremely well right now) hitting what would be the game winning homer in an epic at bat against Eric Gagne. This the kind of stuff that championship teams do. Now, I'm not stupid. There is a long way to go in the season yet. But for people to say "oh it's still early" when you're calling late may series' "vital to your season" there is something wrong with your team.
Also, I wanted to chime in on Michael Kay doing his best Billy Packer impersonation defending A-Rod after he practically gave a low blow to Dustin Pedroia in game 2. It was appalling and disgraceful. This is the same guy who went out of his way in a pivotal playoff game to try and knock the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hand (sneakily at that). Look, I know it's YES and they have to support your team, but have some damn pride. When you do stuff like this, you make an ass out of yourself and your network. He made a cheap and dirty play. He should of been suspended for it. If this were the NBA and something "inadvertent" happened like that, he would of been suspended probably 3 games. MLB needs to go back and look at that tape and suspend him retroactively for it.
Champions League final was Wednesday also. Nothing special. Pipo Inzaghi has a game to remember with two goals (one that went off his shoulder and probably should of been disallowed). The game itself though, was nothing spectacular. Liverpool couldn't break Milan's defense and Dida made critical saves around EVERY corner. If you needed further proof that Serie A is a complete and total sham, this is it. Milan was and is the best team in Italy. It's not Inter. Inter was just lucky they didn't get docked points (and they probably should have) for the whole match fixing scandal. Like I said though, not a real special game and nothing really note-worthy in it. Congratulations to Milan and their fans on winning in Europe. Win the league next year like you deserve to.
Origin Time! For those unfamiliar, State of Origin is a blood feud between New South Wales and Queensland (two states in Australia). I know people from both sides and when it's Origin time, there is general hatred for each other. Well, the two teams (known as the Blues for NSW and Maroons for QLD) play a three game set regardless of outcome. That means that no matter who wins the first two games, they play the third game. QLD won game 1 25-18 in a game that in all honesty, wasn't and shouldn't have been as close as the score says. They won the series last year with a stunning turnover try late in the game from Darren Lockyer (a legitimate legend for the simple fact that he scored the winning in try in Origin, the Grand final , AND TRI-NATIONS...IN THE SAME YEAR!) in what was probably my favorite rugby match that I've ever seen. Well, for the first 40 minutes, QLD dominated and throttled NSW except for about 3 minutes at the end of the half. They were frustrated. They had two trys disallowed and one should of counted (both were called forward passes) and every time they got inside the 30 meter zone of NSW, they were unstoppable, but they also made stupid mistakes and got genuinely unlucky. Trailing 18-6 at the half, they came out in the second half and they started off just like they did in the first. 1000 miles an hour and just running NSW off the field. Big difference though, no unlucky breaks. They got the first big try of the half to cut it to 18-12 and then I saw probably one of the most boneheaded plays ever where a NSW player tried to make a near impossible pass, and threw it directly to who else but Darren Lockyer who easily ran it right into the center of the goal line for the game winning try. Jonathan Thurston was my player of the game. He seemed to be everywhere and he had some tremendous kicks including the gorgeous one that gave Greg Inglis his first try of the game.
UFC was alright. An underwhelming show aside from Jackson's upset and Houston Alexander knocking Keith the hell out. I can't wait for Henderson vs Jackson. My gut tells me Henderson slaughters him, but I said the same thing about Liddell so ya never know.
Less work this week means more upsets. Keep reading and as always, I love reader feedback at akileese@gmail.com
Monday, May 21, 2007
Umpiring where have you gone?
So, this year there have been a slew of blown calls, but now we're seeing horribly blown calls by the home plate umpire. Perfect example is tonight between the Sox and Yanks, Wang gets a 3-1 fastball that's easily 6-8 inches outside and gets the strike call. Now, this is the kind of call you expect a legitimate veteran pincher to get if A) His catcher frames it well, B) Veteran pitchers get those calls every now and then.
Biggest problem is, it wasn't framed, and Wang is NOT a veteran pitcher. I saw this a number of times this weekend. This is not just umpires giving calls to pitchers, their strike zones are becoming horribly inconsistent. This causes a number of issues because now at least for the next 1-1.5 innings, the hitters are swinging at awful pitches because they feel the strike zone is too wide. Meanwhile, the opposing pitcher only needs one pitch to not go his way and next thing you know, the flood gates opened (happened to Wakefield tonight but only for two innings, veteran pitchers tend to get less flustered by this, but for a younger guy, it could be horribly damaging to him).
Well, I watch a ton of baseball. It's my favorite sport and has been since I was a kid. This is a problem that's been emerging in every league, but I honestly feel that baseball umpire's control a game more than in any other sport. With one or two calls, they can send a team into a frenzy of poor pitches and swings. The big thing about the call tonight is, Boston was down 2-0 and it would of made it 2-1 with Ortiz coming up with the bases loaded. Instead Youkie struck out.
I don't know how this problem can be fixed, but baseball needs to do something about it. The NBA and NFL constantly reviews their officials and even fines them for poor play, maybe it's time baseball does the same.
Either way, this is a growing problem. Something needs to be done and now. I'm convinced that it isn't favoritism or anything of that nature. It's just blown calls. Instant Replay is NOT the answer. You can't have replay for balls and strikes. The only thing I could think of is a booth situation where an umpire could be overruled, but that would definitely damage the psyche of the umpires. They're under enough scrutiny as it is and this would make it even worse.
As for this series and this game, I really don't care. I don't honestly believe the Yankees are done and this series won't determine the division (unless the Yankees were swept by a combine 30-5 total or something like that). This is a series that the Yankees need much more than the Red Sox. As long as Boston doesn't get swept or takes 2 or 3, they're fine. Tavarez is pitching tomorrow and ever since he pitched that great game against the Yanks last time, he's been very good. I've been a fairly large anti-Tavarez person myself, so it's very nice to see him proving people like me wrong. I like being wrong. Nothing wrong with a little humility.
That being said, Wakefield doesn't look sharp right now. He's walking guys, his control looks off. Plus, it's even more difficult when it looks like Manny Ramirez just doesn't care. I've said numerous times that his contract is very attractive and the market for sluggers is so thin, you could easily try to trade him and get a legitimate young stud in return. I wouldn't mind seeing them make a run at Carl Crawford or Delmon Young (not Baldelli, we don't need injury cases blocking Ellsbury thank you very much), but whether or not it happens remains to be seen.
As for the Yankees, this reminds me a lot of the game where Kei Igawa came in and pitched. Boston showed flashes early, but for the most part, they seemed harmless and helped out the Yanks by swinging at awful pitches. It's also important to note that at 30-13, they've yet to lose back to back games this season. Interesting to note that Wakefield is throwing over a lot. The Yankees have been running on him a lot, but he's throwing over an abnormal amount of times. It comes with the territory of being a knuckleballer though. You're easy to run on. Even more so for Wakefield because he barely clocks in at 75 on his fastball.
But back to Manny for a minute. He always plays like he doesn't care and that's nothing new. I'd also like to say I love Manny. He's one of the greatest sluggers in the history of the game posting 9 straight 30 homer/100 RBI seasons. At some point though, you have to cut ties. Word is that the Rockies are listening to offers on Garrett Atkins and although I haven't heard it, I assume if someone made a good enough pitch for Matt Holiday, they'd definitely listen. The Rockies are the type of team where anyone is available for the right price. The only problem is that Manny is a 10 and 5 guy so he has a full no trade clause. This almost guarantees that it would have to be a 3 team deal for them to get a available player from a non-contender. The Dodgers would probably make sense as a trade partner. They have a slew of young talent and they figure to contend. Plus, it's on the west coast which would make Manny happy. Once again, speculation, don't read into it please.
I know the Angels are pursuing Atkins and as for why the Rockies would trade him is beyond me. I believe he's under their control until 2010 whereas Holliday only has one or two years max left. I'm just spewing my own thoughts so please don't take this as a rumor, but Holliday would be a great replacement for Manny. Do I think it'll happen? I'd say there's a 99% chance it doesn't. I just hope the Sox don't go out and do something idiotic like try to sign Torii Hunter. If you're going to sign someone, take a guy like Andruw Jones who's shown he has the power.
Also, the MLB Draft is going to be televised and is coming up soon. As Ken Rosenthal said, it'll be interesting to see where the Devil Rays go with their first pick. Some say Matt Wieters the Georgia Tech catcher, but since he's represented by Scott Boras, I really doubt that'll happen. Either way, I can't wait to see what happens and if I can, I'll definitely be watching it.
That's it for tonight, I'm out to go watch TV.
Biggest problem is, it wasn't framed, and Wang is NOT a veteran pitcher. I saw this a number of times this weekend. This is not just umpires giving calls to pitchers, their strike zones are becoming horribly inconsistent. This causes a number of issues because now at least for the next 1-1.5 innings, the hitters are swinging at awful pitches because they feel the strike zone is too wide. Meanwhile, the opposing pitcher only needs one pitch to not go his way and next thing you know, the flood gates opened (happened to Wakefield tonight but only for two innings, veteran pitchers tend to get less flustered by this, but for a younger guy, it could be horribly damaging to him).
Well, I watch a ton of baseball. It's my favorite sport and has been since I was a kid. This is a problem that's been emerging in every league, but I honestly feel that baseball umpire's control a game more than in any other sport. With one or two calls, they can send a team into a frenzy of poor pitches and swings. The big thing about the call tonight is, Boston was down 2-0 and it would of made it 2-1 with Ortiz coming up with the bases loaded. Instead Youkie struck out.
I don't know how this problem can be fixed, but baseball needs to do something about it. The NBA and NFL constantly reviews their officials and even fines them for poor play, maybe it's time baseball does the same.
Either way, this is a growing problem. Something needs to be done and now. I'm convinced that it isn't favoritism or anything of that nature. It's just blown calls. Instant Replay is NOT the answer. You can't have replay for balls and strikes. The only thing I could think of is a booth situation where an umpire could be overruled, but that would definitely damage the psyche of the umpires. They're under enough scrutiny as it is and this would make it even worse.
As for this series and this game, I really don't care. I don't honestly believe the Yankees are done and this series won't determine the division (unless the Yankees were swept by a combine 30-5 total or something like that). This is a series that the Yankees need much more than the Red Sox. As long as Boston doesn't get swept or takes 2 or 3, they're fine. Tavarez is pitching tomorrow and ever since he pitched that great game against the Yanks last time, he's been very good. I've been a fairly large anti-Tavarez person myself, so it's very nice to see him proving people like me wrong. I like being wrong. Nothing wrong with a little humility.
That being said, Wakefield doesn't look sharp right now. He's walking guys, his control looks off. Plus, it's even more difficult when it looks like Manny Ramirez just doesn't care. I've said numerous times that his contract is very attractive and the market for sluggers is so thin, you could easily try to trade him and get a legitimate young stud in return. I wouldn't mind seeing them make a run at Carl Crawford or Delmon Young (not Baldelli, we don't need injury cases blocking Ellsbury thank you very much), but whether or not it happens remains to be seen.
As for the Yankees, this reminds me a lot of the game where Kei Igawa came in and pitched. Boston showed flashes early, but for the most part, they seemed harmless and helped out the Yanks by swinging at awful pitches. It's also important to note that at 30-13, they've yet to lose back to back games this season. Interesting to note that Wakefield is throwing over a lot. The Yankees have been running on him a lot, but he's throwing over an abnormal amount of times. It comes with the territory of being a knuckleballer though. You're easy to run on. Even more so for Wakefield because he barely clocks in at 75 on his fastball.
But back to Manny for a minute. He always plays like he doesn't care and that's nothing new. I'd also like to say I love Manny. He's one of the greatest sluggers in the history of the game posting 9 straight 30 homer/100 RBI seasons. At some point though, you have to cut ties. Word is that the Rockies are listening to offers on Garrett Atkins and although I haven't heard it, I assume if someone made a good enough pitch for Matt Holiday, they'd definitely listen. The Rockies are the type of team where anyone is available for the right price. The only problem is that Manny is a 10 and 5 guy so he has a full no trade clause. This almost guarantees that it would have to be a 3 team deal for them to get a available player from a non-contender. The Dodgers would probably make sense as a trade partner. They have a slew of young talent and they figure to contend. Plus, it's on the west coast which would make Manny happy. Once again, speculation, don't read into it please.
I know the Angels are pursuing Atkins and as for why the Rockies would trade him is beyond me. I believe he's under their control until 2010 whereas Holliday only has one or two years max left. I'm just spewing my own thoughts so please don't take this as a rumor, but Holliday would be a great replacement for Manny. Do I think it'll happen? I'd say there's a 99% chance it doesn't. I just hope the Sox don't go out and do something idiotic like try to sign Torii Hunter. If you're going to sign someone, take a guy like Andruw Jones who's shown he has the power.
Also, the MLB Draft is going to be televised and is coming up soon. As Ken Rosenthal said, it'll be interesting to see where the Devil Rays go with their first pick. Some say Matt Wieters the Georgia Tech catcher, but since he's represented by Scott Boras, I really doubt that'll happen. Either way, I can't wait to see what happens and if I can, I'll definitely be watching it.
That's it for tonight, I'm out to go watch TV.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Baseball thoughts
So, first I'm going to start with this hilarious Jason Giambi news. Basically, the meat of it is that the Yankees want to void his contract. Now, there were rumors that the Yankees were going after Todd Helton and I could totally see them trying to use Helton as their DH, although voiding Giambi's contract to get Helton is ludicrous.
The main reason I find this whole thing ridiculous is based off the amount of teams who need decent sluggers. We're at a point where the closer we get to the deadline, there won't be a single decent slugger on the trade market for a low price and the Yankees are going to GIVE GIABMI AWAY!? Not only that, but they're going to give away one over payed slugger for another and they'll have to GIVE UP MORE YOUNG PLAYERS! Yeah, that makes sense. People calling for the firing of Joe Torre might be right, but if this actually happens, it's Brian Cashman and the boss that should be canned as well. Anyways, trying to get rid of Giambi now is ridiculous. Wait until the off-season or trade him. Don't give him away to another team for free. In fact, do it. One more nail in the coffin.
Beckett is on the DL, but he's expected to be back by the 29th since Boston was able to retroactively throw him ont he DL from week ago. I love that rule.
The Mets have really exposed the Yankees as a team that's incredibly easy to run on due to their inexperienced pitching staff.
Well, for now, I just wanted to chime in on that, more after the Red Sox thrash the Yankees again this week.
The main reason I find this whole thing ridiculous is based off the amount of teams who need decent sluggers. We're at a point where the closer we get to the deadline, there won't be a single decent slugger on the trade market for a low price and the Yankees are going to GIVE GIABMI AWAY!? Not only that, but they're going to give away one over payed slugger for another and they'll have to GIVE UP MORE YOUNG PLAYERS! Yeah, that makes sense. People calling for the firing of Joe Torre might be right, but if this actually happens, it's Brian Cashman and the boss that should be canned as well. Anyways, trying to get rid of Giambi now is ridiculous. Wait until the off-season or trade him. Don't give him away to another team for free. In fact, do it. One more nail in the coffin.
Beckett is on the DL, but he's expected to be back by the 29th since Boston was able to retroactively throw him ont he DL from week ago. I love that rule.
The Mets have really exposed the Yankees as a team that's incredibly easy to run on due to their inexperienced pitching staff.
Well, for now, I just wanted to chime in on that, more after the Red Sox thrash the Yankees again this week.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Quick note for Wrestling fans
I'd like to congratulate my favorite Wrestling promotion (and a bit local to me) Ring of Honor on their new PPV deal. For those who don't know, they've around since about 2002 and are responsible for many of the talents that you may see like Brian Kendrick and Paul London, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Austin Starr (Aries), Christopher Daniels, and more. Basically, they're going to be having PPVs come July 1st that are available on "99% of cable TV homes" and Dish network (they're currently working on DirectTV as we speak).
Now, if this wasn't enough, they're really no longer an Independent federation. They've signed most of their big stars to full fledged contracts (Nigel McGuinness, The Briscoes, Bryan Danielson, Davey Richards, Roderick Strong, and Rocky Romero). They also don't have to worry about their Dragon Gate (CIMA, SHINGO, a few others I have yet to see) and NOAH talent (KENTA, Naomichi Marufuji, and of course, the champ, Takeshi "I look like the staypuff Marshmellow Man" Morishima) going anywhere because they're under contracts with their Japanese promotions and those promotions have working deals with ROH. It's also worth noting that ROH will be heading to Japan this summer for a tour and as expected, most of their top NOAH, Dragon Gate talent have signed as well as Nigel (who is huge in Japan).
So in short, congratulations to Ring of Honor on their rise to the big time and for those who support ROH, keep it up fellas. It's time to show those WWE fan what REAL wrestling crowds are like.
Now, if this wasn't enough, they're really no longer an Independent federation. They've signed most of their big stars to full fledged contracts (Nigel McGuinness, The Briscoes, Bryan Danielson, Davey Richards, Roderick Strong, and Rocky Romero). They also don't have to worry about their Dragon Gate (CIMA, SHINGO, a few others I have yet to see) and NOAH talent (KENTA, Naomichi Marufuji, and of course, the champ, Takeshi "I look like the staypuff Marshmellow Man" Morishima) going anywhere because they're under contracts with their Japanese promotions and those promotions have working deals with ROH. It's also worth noting that ROH will be heading to Japan this summer for a tour and as expected, most of their top NOAH, Dragon Gate talent have signed as well as Nigel (who is huge in Japan).
So in short, congratulations to Ring of Honor on their rise to the big time and for those who support ROH, keep it up fellas. It's time to show those WWE fan what REAL wrestling crowds are like.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
GS/DAL thoughts
So, it was roughly 12:50 AM in the East Coast. Golden State led Dallas by about 20 very early in the 4th quarter. I kept waiting for the run and for Nowitzki to show that he was going to have SOME impact (no matter how minor) on this game. So I waited...
And I waited...
And I waited.
1:15 AM came. 111-86 Golden State.
No run. No magic comeback like game 5. This was all? Really? The number 1 seed in the West couldn't make a run on a Golden State team led by Baron Davis and his bum hamstring?
In all honesty, it felt a little like Deja Vu. I remembered the flu game of Michael Jordan where he was puking in the locker room. They said he could barely stand on his own power. What does he do? He goes out against the Utah Jazz in a crucial finals game and buries them with 38 and the tie breaking 3 pointer with 25 seconds left. And you know what? He couldn't walk. Scottie Pippen and Steve Kerr CARRIED him off the floor. Now, I'm not comparing Baron Davis to Michael Jordan by any means, but when he came back on that court, he just started burying threes and you wondered whether the hamstring injury was a bit of a god send as he was FEELING IT from deep. All that was missing was Stephen Jackson carrying a hobbling Baron Davis off the court as he pumped his fist (ok, maybe a bit much).
This game lacked the drama though. It was never close in the second half. Now, it was 50-48 GS at the half, but Golden State ran off a 24-9 run in the start of the second half and that was it. There would be no run, but there would be opportunities. Every time Dallas had a chance to make a come back, Dirk misses a jumper or someone takes a poor shot. It just wasn't their series.
Was Nellie in their head? Probably. In the first game Dallas opted to go small against the 8 seed when they should of stuck to what worked all season. They were out of their game from the very beginning. Not only that, but as Bill Simmons has said, Golden State is the only team in the playoffs to have a legitimate sixth man in their home crowd. I could only wish to be there live. Just watching it on TV I could feel an aura from that crowd that gave me chills. It really was something else.
But back to tonight's game. What happened in that 3rd quarter? Stephen Jackson, that's what. Jackson dropped 14 points in the 3rd quarter, One less than the ENTIRE MAVERICKS TEAM! This is the guy who had the most prominent role int he palace brawl and he ends up as one of the most important players in the series and the leading scorer in the decisive game. Baron Davis went off in the second and Stephen Jackson went off in the 3rd. Dirk Nowitzki apparently was at the bratwurst cart working sales for the majority of the game.
What bothered me about Nowitzki was his lack of passion (seemingly). 13 shots. Really? Just 13? This is your franchise player and your team leader and he only takes 13 shots in a do or die game!?!? To be honest, he was pretty consistent with the rest of the series. Ironically, his consistency revolved around his inconsistent play. He didn't shoot well, he rebounded fairly well grabbing 10 boards, but it wasn't enough for your star player. Look, people have been calling you out all week Dirk. They've been saying you don't have the leadership skills and can't get it done. So what do you do? You come and show them up right? Drop 45 points, grab 20 boards and absolutely stick it to your critics right? Nope. You go 2-13, score 8 points and get 10 boards. To me, Dirk's series was summed up in one play. Late in the 4th, Matt Barnes drives down the lane and absolutely POSTERIZED Dirk. This should NEVER EVER happen...and yet it did.
So where does Dallas go from here? I don't know. They have a ton of talent and a great team, but they just seem to lack leadership and a killer instict. Josh Howard is too young to take that team as his, but in a few years, he might be able to. I just don't know what to do with Nowitzki. I don't want to say he's like A-Rod because that's cruel and not true, but his killer instinct seems to have an on and off switch that he can't seem to control and that's a problem.
As for Golden State. It's a win/win situation. They move on by beating the Mavs in six AND the Utah/Houston series goes to 7 so they get extra rest. Most people slept on the Warriors. They figured that Dallas would sweep them aside on route to the Conference finals at least and that would be that. Most picked Dallas to win in 5 or 6. I would like to state that I was NOT one of those people. Call me crazy, but if a team beats a team 3 times in the season series and wins 6 straight against them (now 5 straight on the road and Dallas is an accomplished road team), I think that team is on to something. So what if I'm adopting the Warriors for the playoffs? It's fun rooting for the underdog that no one gave a chance to. Just remember the two words on the shirts of nearly every Golden State fan at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
We Believe.
And if you didn't believe before, you will now because seeing is believing.
And I waited...
And I waited.
1:15 AM came. 111-86 Golden State.
No run. No magic comeback like game 5. This was all? Really? The number 1 seed in the West couldn't make a run on a Golden State team led by Baron Davis and his bum hamstring?
In all honesty, it felt a little like Deja Vu. I remembered the flu game of Michael Jordan where he was puking in the locker room. They said he could barely stand on his own power. What does he do? He goes out against the Utah Jazz in a crucial finals game and buries them with 38 and the tie breaking 3 pointer with 25 seconds left. And you know what? He couldn't walk. Scottie Pippen and Steve Kerr CARRIED him off the floor. Now, I'm not comparing Baron Davis to Michael Jordan by any means, but when he came back on that court, he just started burying threes and you wondered whether the hamstring injury was a bit of a god send as he was FEELING IT from deep. All that was missing was Stephen Jackson carrying a hobbling Baron Davis off the court as he pumped his fist (ok, maybe a bit much).
This game lacked the drama though. It was never close in the second half. Now, it was 50-48 GS at the half, but Golden State ran off a 24-9 run in the start of the second half and that was it. There would be no run, but there would be opportunities. Every time Dallas had a chance to make a come back, Dirk misses a jumper or someone takes a poor shot. It just wasn't their series.
Was Nellie in their head? Probably. In the first game Dallas opted to go small against the 8 seed when they should of stuck to what worked all season. They were out of their game from the very beginning. Not only that, but as Bill Simmons has said, Golden State is the only team in the playoffs to have a legitimate sixth man in their home crowd. I could only wish to be there live. Just watching it on TV I could feel an aura from that crowd that gave me chills. It really was something else.
But back to tonight's game. What happened in that 3rd quarter? Stephen Jackson, that's what. Jackson dropped 14 points in the 3rd quarter, One less than the ENTIRE MAVERICKS TEAM! This is the guy who had the most prominent role int he palace brawl and he ends up as one of the most important players in the series and the leading scorer in the decisive game. Baron Davis went off in the second and Stephen Jackson went off in the 3rd. Dirk Nowitzki apparently was at the bratwurst cart working sales for the majority of the game.
What bothered me about Nowitzki was his lack of passion (seemingly). 13 shots. Really? Just 13? This is your franchise player and your team leader and he only takes 13 shots in a do or die game!?!? To be honest, he was pretty consistent with the rest of the series. Ironically, his consistency revolved around his inconsistent play. He didn't shoot well, he rebounded fairly well grabbing 10 boards, but it wasn't enough for your star player. Look, people have been calling you out all week Dirk. They've been saying you don't have the leadership skills and can't get it done. So what do you do? You come and show them up right? Drop 45 points, grab 20 boards and absolutely stick it to your critics right? Nope. You go 2-13, score 8 points and get 10 boards. To me, Dirk's series was summed up in one play. Late in the 4th, Matt Barnes drives down the lane and absolutely POSTERIZED Dirk. This should NEVER EVER happen...and yet it did.
So where does Dallas go from here? I don't know. They have a ton of talent and a great team, but they just seem to lack leadership and a killer instict. Josh Howard is too young to take that team as his, but in a few years, he might be able to. I just don't know what to do with Nowitzki. I don't want to say he's like A-Rod because that's cruel and not true, but his killer instinct seems to have an on and off switch that he can't seem to control and that's a problem.
As for Golden State. It's a win/win situation. They move on by beating the Mavs in six AND the Utah/Houston series goes to 7 so they get extra rest. Most people slept on the Warriors. They figured that Dallas would sweep them aside on route to the Conference finals at least and that would be that. Most picked Dallas to win in 5 or 6. I would like to state that I was NOT one of those people. Call me crazy, but if a team beats a team 3 times in the season series and wins 6 straight against them (now 5 straight on the road and Dallas is an accomplished road team), I think that team is on to something. So what if I'm adopting the Warriors for the playoffs? It's fun rooting for the underdog that no one gave a chance to. Just remember the two words on the shirts of nearly every Golden State fan at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
We Believe.
And if you didn't believe before, you will now because seeing is believing.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thoughts on Tonight's Sox/Yanks game
So, I sit here watching Rivera pitch and I'm a bit befuddled. I've watched him come in so many times and dismantle the greatest of lineups, but something is wrong with him. Michael Kay believes it's mechanical, but Michael Kay is an idiot. I think he's hurt. It would make perfect sense to be completely honest. The guy hasn't been getting the work in and he looks like, well, Armando Benitez with a cutter. He's leaving balls up in the zone and the ones that are down are catching a fat part of the plate. Make no mistake, the Sox have always hit Rivera well by the standards of hitting the best closer in history (mainly because we see the Yankees atleast 19 times a season, 26 in 2004 and 2003). This is different though. I really believe he's hurt. There's just no other explanation for the most dominant closer in major league history to suddenly lose his command.
The game isn't over yet, Myers came in, walked in a run and then gave up a single to add another one to Rivera's era (that's 2 runs in 1/3 if you're keeping a boxscore at home and if you are, I really think you need a more active social life). Actually, Ortiz singled. 11-4 Sox and top half is done with a Manny ground out.
I wanted to talk about Daisuke and honestly, he's been consistent. He'll pitch 6-7 innings, give you 5-6 good innings and have one poor inning where he doesn't necessarily give up hits, but he just tries too hard to strike people out. He kept running the count 3-2 on what seemed like every batter. Rather than trying to nip the corner, run a slider over the inside half of the plate or try to bust them in with a changeup in a fastball count. Once he grasps this and I'm very confident that he'll eventually stop trying to strike everyone, and just try to get the out.
- Paps isn't even coming in and they brought in Pineiro, who isn't pitching that poor this year. He's got a 3.82 in only 8 innings so you can't really gauge him in 8 innings. He's got a 7 run cushion so I'm pretty sure Tito will give him some room.
- 1 out. I pretty much turned this into a running diary and when the game is all over, I'll continue analysis. Melky Cabrera up against Pineiro, who struck out Doug M and then turned around and walked Cabrera on 4 pitches.
- Highlight of the night, the "LET'S GO RED SOX" chant at the top of the 9th. I love those moments. You'll never hear a "LET'S GO YANKEES" chant at Fenway, but you'll hear the Sox chants at the Stadium. Priceless.
- It's pretty much hopeless at this point for the Yankees. 2 outs 11-4 game bottom 9. Even if they string a rally together, Paps is fully warmed up in the bullpen so if they got as run or two, Tito wouldn't hesitate to put him in. Also, listening to Michael Kay is hilarious. You get the feeling that he's already got his keys in his pocket and his jacket on while announcing.
- Michael Kay summed up the 2007 Yankees in one sentence. "How do they snap out of it? I guess you need a good pitching performance from Jeff Karstens tomorrow." Ladies and gentlemen your 2007 New York Yankees!
So, Karstens goes tomorrow again Wakefield who historically pitches pretty well against the Yankees. I really wish we just used a 4 man rotation for the season or just use Pineiro as a starter. I think it's bound to happen. Julian Tavarez CANNOT be our #5. The guy is dreadful. I hope Sunday get's rained out just so he doesn't pitch and they skip his spot in the rotation.
That's all for tonight. Tomorrow I'm pondering a running diary of the NFL Draft as well as the Red Sox. I'm off to watch some Dragon Gate wrestling for the night. This week should be back to normal with plenty of posts so you'll get plenty of opinions from me.
The game isn't over yet, Myers came in, walked in a run and then gave up a single to add another one to Rivera's era (that's 2 runs in 1/3 if you're keeping a boxscore at home and if you are, I really think you need a more active social life). Actually, Ortiz singled. 11-4 Sox and top half is done with a Manny ground out.
I wanted to talk about Daisuke and honestly, he's been consistent. He'll pitch 6-7 innings, give you 5-6 good innings and have one poor inning where he doesn't necessarily give up hits, but he just tries too hard to strike people out. He kept running the count 3-2 on what seemed like every batter. Rather than trying to nip the corner, run a slider over the inside half of the plate or try to bust them in with a changeup in a fastball count. Once he grasps this and I'm very confident that he'll eventually stop trying to strike everyone, and just try to get the out.
- Paps isn't even coming in and they brought in Pineiro, who isn't pitching that poor this year. He's got a 3.82 in only 8 innings so you can't really gauge him in 8 innings. He's got a 7 run cushion so I'm pretty sure Tito will give him some room.
- 1 out. I pretty much turned this into a running diary and when the game is all over, I'll continue analysis. Melky Cabrera up against Pineiro, who struck out Doug M and then turned around and walked Cabrera on 4 pitches.
- Highlight of the night, the "LET'S GO RED SOX" chant at the top of the 9th. I love those moments. You'll never hear a "LET'S GO YANKEES" chant at Fenway, but you'll hear the Sox chants at the Stadium. Priceless.
- It's pretty much hopeless at this point for the Yankees. 2 outs 11-4 game bottom 9. Even if they string a rally together, Paps is fully warmed up in the bullpen so if they got as run or two, Tito wouldn't hesitate to put him in. Also, listening to Michael Kay is hilarious. You get the feeling that he's already got his keys in his pocket and his jacket on while announcing.
- Michael Kay summed up the 2007 Yankees in one sentence. "How do they snap out of it? I guess you need a good pitching performance from Jeff Karstens tomorrow." Ladies and gentlemen your 2007 New York Yankees!
So, Karstens goes tomorrow again Wakefield who historically pitches pretty well against the Yankees. I really wish we just used a 4 man rotation for the season or just use Pineiro as a starter. I think it's bound to happen. Julian Tavarez CANNOT be our #5. The guy is dreadful. I hope Sunday get's rained out just so he doesn't pitch and they skip his spot in the rotation.
That's all for tonight. Tomorrow I'm pondering a running diary of the NFL Draft as well as the Red Sox. I'm off to watch some Dragon Gate wrestling for the night. This week should be back to normal with plenty of posts so you'll get plenty of opinions from me.
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