Saturday, May 31, 2008

Brighter Note

Instead of talking about how Detroit lost in the eastern finals again..or how Boston/LA will be the most over-analyzed Finals ever...I decided to go in a different route...

Bill Walton...

He's been unavailable for travel or anything NBA related because of a pitched nerve in his back...so he's been MIA for a little while...but he's one of my favorite personalities on ESPN..and there's only like 5 that I like on the whole network..so here are a few of my favorite quoteables by Bill Walton

"A timeout controversy with Chris Webber, how can that be?"

Exchange between he and Tom Hammond:

"John Stockton is one of the true marvels, not just of basketball, or in America, but in the history of Western Civilization!" Tom: "Wow, that's a pretty strong statement. I guess I don't have a good handle on world history." Bill: "Well Tom, that's because you didn't go to UCLA."

Tony Parker makes a pass, which gets deflected out of bounds by an opposing defender. Spurs ball, no big deal... Walton roars: "Tony Parker just made the worst pass... in the history of Western Civilization!"

"Memo to Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker: Couldn't you wait until at least the All-Star break to have the franchise suffer its worse loss in its storied history? Bill Russell just called looking for an address to send his 11 championship rings back to the Celtics because he is so disappointed."

"Dirk Nowitzki"s shot is like a gazelle,flowing through the swiss Alps"

the NBA panel was picking who's gonna reach the Western Conference finals and J.Rose picked Phoenix and Dallas.

Walton: WHAT!? the Suns still paying you?
J.Rose: Yeah, under the table ...
Walton: ahh just like at Michigan

"Atlanta needs all 13 lottery picks"

"Dale Davis, pick ONE pivot foot........PLEASE!"

Walton: That has to be a foul.
Snapper: Against who?
Walton: Against the game of basketball.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Where Taking 3 Shots In A Half Is Okay Happens

Ginobili somehow mustered enough energy to make his mark on the LA/SA series last night...I dont remember when he "jammed" his ankle..but I do remember his production level dropping every series..but he exploded last night and LA looked kinda dazed in the blowout...even though they are still up 2-1..which I thought was interesting...

Ken Griffey Jr....remember him?....well if not he's the center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds..and he's on track to hit a great mark which is 600 HRs...and if you also didnt know....600 HRs is a great mark to hit for any player..right now Ken is #6 on the list behind Sammy Sosa,Willie Mays,Babe Ruth,Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds....some company right?...I'd like to think so.But no one seems to make much deal of his impact on the game..but that is typical..making things like ARod's 500 a super big deal..now I know he is the guy who everyone is hoping to dethrone Barry Bonds at #1,but you have to give credit to the guy who they were talking about to break the HR record in his prime,not Bonds...in the late 90s when Sosa and McGwire were having their "magical" season...Griffey was a distant 3rd with 56 HRs...and for that time 56 wasnt a number you can shrug at...but it was by the people who make the most noise about the sport...maybe it was him being hidden in Seattle...but when he forced his way out of there to Cincinnati..the injuries set in...and as a result the derailment began..I think I'll go on the record of saying he had a bigger impact on baseball than Sosa or McGwire..so when he hits his 600th home run..just know that steroids were never ever an issue with any of those baseballs leaving the park.

This past week was an indication of baseball needing instant replay...it seemed every day one game would have a split decision that would have needed instant replay...and while most people would think that it would help the sport in terms if the ball was fair or foul,its not going to solve every split decision in baseball...balls and strikes will never be reviewed..and depending on the angle the umps wont make the right call on if it was a home run or a double..how many calls have you seen in basketball...or hockey or football..where the call is reviewed...you sit around for like 5 minutes only to see them blow the call?...why would that be any different...incorporate instant replay...but just dont think that calls still wont be blown..

I dont watch Sportscenter...I think its too wordy,too trendy during the highlights that come around every 10 minutes(and how does a sports show not show all the highlights of the games of the day?)...its also too over-analytical for the lack of material that they have,football is still a main story somehow year round and half of the show is dedicated to backtracking of the "experts" who use the word "wont" instead "maybe"....anyways...Sunday at 6 there was absolutely nothing on and I decided to put SC on and give it another chance..maybe I was too harsh...well it was going well,baseball was on and everything was nice...then they started to cover the Boston/Detroit series..and who did they bring on as a guest analyst?....Damon Jones of the Cleveland Cavaliers...I was dumbfounded...literally dumbfounded..but again...I thought..."Ryan..you are pretty overly critical sometimes..yes Damon Jones is a terrible shooter...but maybe he has a better grip of the game in terms of breakdown...role players make the best people on tv"......

Nope....

So much for giving him benefit of the doubt..he didnt say anything I hadnt thought of(or has been said before on that network) prior to the series...it was a trainwreck really...and didnt help me like Sportscenter any more than I did prior...maybe a little less.

Congrats to Barry Zito for winning last week and getting off the 0-8 record..1-8 isnt very much better...but its way better than 0-9.

Chauncey Billups is almost done..he had a small run when won that ring..but I personally think he's down the hill(not over) and dont think that "Big Shot" nickname should stand very much longer...if at all.

I personally witnessed my Mariners implode Sunday against the Yankees and during that 8th inning I came up with reasons why the Mariners suck.

-Walks...they dont...Ichiro is our best player...and how it works is that the team takes on the personality of their best player...Ichiro is a great hitter..but patience at the plate isnt something he shows alot of...and as a result other players follow suit...yes they are 9th in walks in the league but it leads me to the next point

-Hitting...when you as a team are only hitting .251(which is 6th worst in the league) you cant score those players in when they actually DO walk...so the mentality would be that since you cant walk because you cant get in..you swing a little more than you'd want to..which leads to strikeouts....they 4th worst in the league when runners are in scoring position at .236..ew

-Pitching....heres an easy one...tied for last in Earned Run Average(at .496)...and its all connected...if your pitcher gives up 5 runs a game...and your offense is struggling..you arent going to be winning...much..if at all...they bring in Erik Bedard from Baltimore to take over the staff...so far here's what he's brought

3-3(out of 8 starts) 4.70ERA 40 strikeouts,20 walks

Its not bad...but its easily not good either....

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

And With The 1st Pick....

Chicago takes?....who knows..but you really cant go wrong either way I feel....he's a fence playing..

Why Chicago should take Michael Beasley

-He's a legit post player...Joakim Noah,Aaron Gray,Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas all fill roles assuming the Bulls keep all of them...and none of these players are players you throw it to on the block and let them work to score points...Beasley is..and for the past few years they've passed on the position that they actually have missed in the past few years...a Power Forward

-He finished off one of the most dominant seasons by a freshman in a very long time...how can 26 pts and 12 rebounds not translate into the NBA?

Why Chicago shouldnt take Michael Beasley

-While he can play the post...he's only 6-9 and that can be viewed as undersized for the power forward spot...

-Some view him more as a small forward who can sometimes post up.But his ball handling isnt at the point to slide him to the 3 yet.Many people think that his range can be a fault and will see him fall in love with the jumper too many times rather than taking it to the cup.

Why Chicago should take Derrick Rose

-I remember a draft in the not to long ago when a particular team(who will remain nameless) passed on a particular good point guard..and took a small forward instead..and now...that point guard..is widely regarded as the best right now..you cant pass on point guards...not good ones anyway...

-He's from Chicago..hometown kids are always a nice story

-If you take Rose,you are sure to have plenty of options from other teams putting together nice packages for Chris Duhon(if he's still around) and Kirk Hinrich even though he had a down year.You can get an experienced post player to get running with right now and be back in the playoffs in no time.

-An issue with the Bulls has been since they are so athletic,they should run more...with Rose you can really do that...having Rose,Hughes/Gordon,Deng,whoever and Noah will work in the east..I'm sure of that.

Why Chicago shouldnt take Derrick Rose

-With the 1st pick why would you take a player who isnt what you need when there is another player who fits that need?..you only draft the "best" player when you have no other needs to fill or you plan to trade for something else...neither of which should happen here

-Assuming Kirk Hinrich doesnt have the head scratching effect like Barry Zito...he'll bounce back from his mediocre season to 17pts and 6 asts...thats not bad at all in my opinion at that position...I'm not sure what you are expecting from Rose in his career,but I'm not sure if you can build around Rose with that roster of players

-In college people are easily overlooking his assist to turnover ratio...which isnt good by any standards...it was 4.7 to 2.7....Kirk's was 6 to 2.1...against waay better competition.

-I can think of a few big time games he was in that you didnt know he was on the court...until the tournament when everything is overhyped and boasted..he has the ability to fade out on the court and reappear sometimes.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Whoa..Wait..

I was 5 when Bird vs Wilkins happened...like 3 to be exact...But unlike alot of people that are my age..I've watched that game in its entirety to make the comparison of Lebron vs Pierce yesterday..and I'll say this...while it wasnt the spiting image of what happened in the late 80s..it was pretty close..

At one point in the 4th quarter I thought lets just get these 8 guys out of the way,they take up too much space anyways and they arent trying to shoot....lets get Lebron vs Paul one on one going...

The game seemed in the bag for Boston..but then Lebron had that flash of against Detroit last year..and I think the entire world at one point said this "Uh oh...here he goes"

But somehow it wasnt enough...the one man heroics didnt work...people like Damon Jones and Wally came up lame with missing big shots and Lebron even missed a late free throw to seal it..

Everything I've heard thus far has Detroit beating Boston because of how Boston has been playing.....but I think in sports we have waaaaay to short of a memory...can someone please consider that Detroit is the original fraud in east these past few years?.....Vs Miami 2 years ago?....Vs Cleveland last year?....come on...these are series in which they have been the easy favorites in and somehow lost..convincingly mind you and I dont even think they went 7 games...so if you are going to pick the Pistons to beat the Celtics...just know they have a history longer than 2 series like Boston.

Houston's Lance Berkman is hitting everything in sight...much like Chipper Jones in Atlanta....its crazy really...but one thing is even crazier is this....why arent teams walking them?....same thing with Albert Pujols...he should be walked alot more than 41 times out of 157 at bats.Thats just shows you how feared Barry Bonds was...he was intentionally walked 120 times in 2004...which is alot in itself...but consider he was walked 232 times that entire season..mind blowing how much people didnt want him to hit because how great of a hitter he was...

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Thank You LA

For breaking the redundancy....well its still redundant..but atleast one series is over...heres what I picked up from the LA/Utah series

-Deron Williams is going to be a real issue for the league..there is only so long before you can leave him off the season lists...its going to take Utah beating New Orleans in the playoffs sadly to get his due

-Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant..when Utah made that run in the 4th...Kobe wasnt in the game..but once he came back into the game...that was it..everyone knew what was coming..and he did it..in that aspect...I'll compare him to Mike...thats the only reason.

Interleague started yesterday!....happy?....I know I am...

It gives the fans the chance to see out of market teams and old rivalries...its always a nice thing...here are rankings of the best and worst interleague matchups

Best
-LA Dodgers at LA Angels-Yes I know Anaheim isnt LA...and I also know that the Angels are trying to tap into the Los Angeles market by naming their team the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...but actually these are 2 pretty good teams right now...easily a rivalry quality of California

-Detroit at Arizona-Detroit has had a slow start..I got that...but they still have one of the most potent lineups in the league..both leagues...and guess who has the 2nd lowest ERA,the lowest walk ratio and lowest posted WHIP?....yep..Arizona...enjoy.

-New York at New York-Okay...I'll bite...I've never been one to go with the phrase since it happens in New York the world has to care...but when Johan Santana,Jose Reyes and Derek Jeter are involved in a game...it would be a little hard to pass on

Worst

-Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs-This has to be the worst one simply because they are in the same division!...there is no inter-anything here...and since my friend Brad said (http://bradsportsfix.blogspot.com/) in the NL Central and in the AL West there isnt balance of teams...one has 4..and the other has 6...every other division has 5..hey MLB...lets make that happen.huh?

-Kansas City at Florida-If you're a resident of Miami or any place around there...how can you be sold on this matchup?...can you name anyone of the Royals?...and if you can....why?...no one shows up to the games with good matchups...this is a bad matchup...so..no one will show up..

-San Diego at Seattle-This one hurt...but according to the standings..this is a matchup of 16-27 teams...gross..the Padres cant hit..and Safeco is a pitchers park...but oh yeah..Seattle's hitting is iffy every other day as well...I'm interested..but no one else is..

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Whats A Road Win?

Road wins are a must for any champion..right?...you arent guaranteed anything at home,so winning on the other teams floor is a must....right?...the phrase "the series doesnt start until the home team loses"...is being thrown around alot lately...so can we just put that to rest or just admit the playoffs dont start until the conference finals or even the finals?...

If New Orleans or Boston win out their series..they would have exactly 1 road between them...and somehow New Orleans has that win vs Dallas...the NBA is in a bad spot if it goes down like that...how can you compare any of the teams left in the playoffs to any other past championship winner?...it almost warrants its own * beside the team name.

Orlando got bounced last night...with no Billups playing mind you....the game wasnt as close as you would think by just looking at the score...Orlando had a stretch late where they hit almost every 3 they took.It was impressive...but once the game got close..like down 3,Hedo had an isolation with Prince..and well..even if you didnt see the game you knew how that one ended...Hedo drove..and tried to dunk ON Prince...well..Prince doesnt get dunked on...and decided to do his best mailman impression with a letter that has no stamp...return to sender...thanks for coming out..drive home safely...it was amazing and sad at the same time..I would never think to try to dunk on him...

I recently had a discussion about who was the most important player on the Pistons....one guy said Billups...well..no because when you actually win on the road vs Orlando without Billups down 15 late in the game..you kinda get discredited..I said Rasheed..when he shows up they hardly lose..but when he doesnt he still defends and rebounds well...Prince was the other option..hm..I think his defense is the best of the 5..but his offense comes and goes...

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Where 4.8 Seconds Feel Like A Minute Happens

I'm not quite sure how when the clock freezes/stopped...how does that shot count?....I mean I semi understand that the refs couldnt use the replay,which is dumb within itself..what is the point again of having instant replay if you cant use it for things that refs are dumbfounded on?..like they weren trying to guess how long 4.8 is...you cant count that!...I think the rules should be outlined,but at the same time..dont have rules in place that it restricts common sense...with that said...I feel Detroit will still win the series despite its overconfident attitude..

Speaking of which....I think San Antonio has a real issue...the 1st game I thought Duncan had an off game,but having 3 rebounds is a real issue..but the 2nd game the Spurs couldnt buy an outside shot..and they had alot of them..I dont know if they will miss that many shots again..but then again...they are on the ropes...and Chris Paul isnt getting any slower..in which they dont have an answer for...and Tony Parker is unable to shoot the midrange jumpers that he is given......add in that the Spurs have never come back from an 0-2...I think the writing is on the wall...

So horse racing is the new hot button topic now huh?..I've never liked it..seemed stupid to me..one of those "southern traditions"...blah..I personally would like to get rid of it...I mean they can die,as we've seen..but since its such a biiiiiig money maker...I doubt it's going anywhere...

Is there a way I can see baseball on ESPN that doesnt involve the Yankees,Mets,Red Sox,Tigers or Cardinals?...no?...okay..just thought I'd ask

I saw a mention of who was worse pitcher....Mike Hampton or Barry Zito...heres how I weigh in..
Both contracts are just terrible..involving hundreds of millions of dollars...but I see it as giving money to another person...or just dropping money on the ground....both arent good at this point..but atleast when you hand it to someone..you have a face as a point of reference...dropping it has no face...most people forgot who Hampton was or even the year he had prior to "warrant" that kind of money...

Oh yeah!....Zito pitched muuuuuch better tonight...I mean he got the loss..but when you get only one run support...you have a very very narrow margin of error...but he did strikeout 5 in 5 innings.

Pay attention to TNT's little stat overlays on specific players...I saw one last night when Lebron was at the line....it will say "Team Role"...then something..but Lebron's said The Savior....wow....hard to beat that huh?

Bye Bye Billy Knight...the Hawks GM is done in July..he's had alllllot of questionable moves..I'll save that rant for http://bradsportsfix.blogspot.com and the move I will ever criticize him for is having a decent amount of small forwards..not having a point guard...passing on Deron Williams...and Chris Paul to take small forward Marvin Williams...just wow..lol...well..that should means Mike Woodson should be getting the boot as well..one can only hope.