Look for the M's to deal Jerrod Washburn within the next 48 hours as talks on him are heating up. The most likely suitors include Milwaukee, LA Dodgers, Philadelphia and the New York Yankees. Although Wash isn't a type A free agent, teams that don't want to pay Macy's department store prices on Doc Halladay, might pay a Wal-Mart rate for our boy. Big rumor is circulating that the M's are willing to part with:
* Jeff Clement
* Brandon Morrow
* Russell Branyan
* Vlad Belentien (of course)
Strong feeling that Jack has his eyes on major league ready talent inclduing: a middle infielder, starting pitcher (with #2/#3 potential) and power bat.
One particular rumor has the M's trading in a 3 team deal w/ Cleveland and Tampa Bay to get Scott Kazmir and Reid Brignac. Kazmir could be a potential ace -- same age as Brandon Morrow only much more potential.
I love you Jack Z!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
2010 Mariners - A Better Tomorrow
The next 2 1/2 weeks will go a long way in determining the success of the 2010 Mariners. If the M's keep winning, they will probably forego making significant changes by the trading deadline. However, if the M's fall out of it, they will probably move Bedard and/or Washburn, which would hasten their rebuilding process and increase their chances of long term success. By the start of the season, the M's will have alot of options and many important organizational decisions to make. Undoubtedly, the question that fans will be asking during spring training 2010, is who are these guys?
As we look toward 2010, it is conceivable that the M's will have at least 9 new faces on the 25 man roster. Beltre, Washburn, Bedard, Batista, Chavez, Griffey, Sweeney, and Branyan are all free agents next year and Betancourt has already been shipped to Kansas City. In addition, the team will have to make a decision on what to do about its catching situation (will Johjima find his way back to Japan ala Kaz Sasaki?) and may shuffle other pieces around. Most intriguing is that $48.75 million will come off the books from the following players:
* Beltre (13.4m)
* Washburn (9.85)
* Batista (9.5)
* Bedard (7.75)
* Betancourt (2.3)
* Chavez (2)
* Griffey (2)
* Branyan (1.4)
* Sweeney (0.5)
The M's will gain payroll flexibility but will have weaknesses at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, and 1-2 starting pitchers. Without any moves, the M's lineup next year could look like:
1. RF - Ichiro
2. 2B - Lopez
3. 1B - Carp
4. DH - Clement
5. CF - Guiterrez
6. 3B - Tuiasosopo
7. LF - Saunders
8. C - Johjima/Johnson
9. SS - Cedeno
With smart decisions, the M's lineup might look like:
1. RF Ichiro
2. SS Hardy (trade)
3. 1B Branyan (resign; 2 years $15m)
4. 3B [trade]
5. CF Guiterrez
6. DH Nick Johnson (free agent; 1 year $6m) or Carp
7. 2B Lopez
8. C Moore/Johnson
9. LF Saunders
No one can argue that Jack Z hasn't shown already the ability to make shrewd moves to improve the team. All of his decisions have been golden so far. The casual fans and uneducated faithful may ask, "who are these guys?" but the uzr-reading stat-hound sabermetricians know better: the M's are building a team that will soon crush the big boys in the AL West.
As we look toward 2010, it is conceivable that the M's will have at least 9 new faces on the 25 man roster. Beltre, Washburn, Bedard, Batista, Chavez, Griffey, Sweeney, and Branyan are all free agents next year and Betancourt has already been shipped to Kansas City. In addition, the team will have to make a decision on what to do about its catching situation (will Johjima find his way back to Japan ala Kaz Sasaki?) and may shuffle other pieces around. Most intriguing is that $48.75 million will come off the books from the following players:
* Beltre (13.4m)
* Washburn (9.85)
* Batista (9.5)
* Bedard (7.75)
* Betancourt (2.3)
* Chavez (2)
* Griffey (2)
* Branyan (1.4)
* Sweeney (0.5)
The M's will gain payroll flexibility but will have weaknesses at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, and 1-2 starting pitchers. Without any moves, the M's lineup next year could look like:
1. RF - Ichiro
2. 2B - Lopez
3. 1B - Carp
4. DH - Clement
5. CF - Guiterrez
6. 3B - Tuiasosopo
7. LF - Saunders
8. C - Johjima/Johnson
9. SS - Cedeno
With smart decisions, the M's lineup might look like:
1. RF Ichiro
2. SS Hardy (trade)
3. 1B Branyan (resign; 2 years $15m)
4. 3B [trade]
5. CF Guiterrez
6. DH Nick Johnson (free agent; 1 year $6m) or Carp
7. 2B Lopez
8. C Moore/Johnson
9. LF Saunders
No one can argue that Jack Z hasn't shown already the ability to make shrewd moves to improve the team. All of his decisions have been golden so far. The casual fans and uneducated faithful may ask, "who are these guys?" but the uzr-reading stat-hound sabermetricians know better: the M's are building a team that will soon crush the big boys in the AL West.
Grading the Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are 46-42 heading into the Allstar break. They are in 3rd place in the American League West, and 4 games out of first behind the streaking Los Angeles Angels. Before the season started, many people predicted the M's to be in 3rd in the West, but few thought they'd be 4 games above 500. Let's take a look at why the M's are having success this year.
Starting Pitching: A-/B+
This would have been an A if it wasn't for Carlos Silva's six starts and a 1-3 record with an 8.48 ERA. More atrocious than Silva's record is the Mariners eating his behemoth 12,000,000 dollar salary for 09. O.k., enough, lets stop with Silva before I punch a hole my wall and kick my defensless dog while he's asleep.
Felix Hernandez has been lights out. Washburn is having a career year, which a 6-6 record doesn't reflect. If Washburn got any run support he'd easily have 9 wins this season. More impressive is his 112 innings pitched only halfway through the season, and his sub 3 ERA at 2.96.
Bedard has been fairly dominant despite a few injuries keeping him off the mound. Jason Vargas has done extremely well with his 3-3 record and 3.82 ERA. Garrett Olson and Chris Jakubauskas have been mediocre in spot fill in roles. All in all, the Mariners have one of the best rotations in baseball.
Bullpen: B
The emergence of David Aardsma as the Mariner closer could not have come at a better time. Morrow was struggling with his location and confidence without a clear cut reliever to replace him. Aardsma stepped right in and dazzled. He's saved 20 out of 22 games and has a 1.96 ERA. Those are Allstar numbers.
Mark Lowe has been a consistent arm and someone to count on in late innings. Sean White has a sub 3 ERA at 2.63. Even Miguel Batista has been quietly good with a 6-3 record and 3.33 ERA. Just don't put Miguel in the late innings where he's 0-3 in save opportunities.
Roy Corcoran has been struggling in long relief. Despite his 2-0 record, he's got a 6.88 ERA and a 16-6 BB to SO ratio. Shawn Kelly has struggled at times too going 0-2 in save opportunites and a 5.93 ERA.
It's safe to say without Aardsma the Mariners would 5 to 6 games under 500. No one else seems to have the stuff to be on the mound in the ninth inning.
Offense: D
The Mariner offense is laughable. I would rather watch an entire Seattle Storm game than watch the M's hit 1 through 9. Despite the best efforts of Ichiro, Branyan, and Gutierrez, the rest of the line-up stinks.
The Mariners have the worst catching duo in baseball with Kenji Johjima (BA 254) and Rob Johnson (BA 203). Jose Lopez has decent power numbers with 12 home runs, but is only batting 250. Griffey's batting 22o and Cedeno isn't even above the mendoza line.
The Mariner offense has only scored 348 runs in 88 games for an average of less than 4 runs a game. This is one of the lowest run totals in all of baseball. The team average is a pitiful 261 with an on base percentage of 317. It's a good thing Mariner pitching has been lights out, because this offense could not sustain a winning record.
Coaching: B-
Coaching is a tough grading category, because not too many people get to see what goes on behind the scenes. So far Wak has done a good job. I don't have many complaints about the way he's managing the club. This grade is based purely on a few questionable calls by the skipper on handling his bullpen and not going to his bench enough past the 7th inning. For example, not getting Chavez into the game after the 7th for defensive purposes.
Rick Adair has handled the pitching staff to perfection. On paper, our bullpen looks like a bunch of guys were just thrown together. No one would predict a bullpen with the likes of Jakubauskas, Kelly, White, and Bautista would be one of the strongest in baseball. Rick Adair deserves recognition for the influence he's had on this young bunch of guys.
Front Office: A
Seattle is loving Jack Zduriencik. Since coming to the Mariners Jack Z. has been wheeling and dealing. He first trade sent J.J. Putz packing for the Metz and in return got Franklin Gutierrez (who's turning out to be a stud in Center Field), Endy Chavez, Mike Carp, Aaron Heilman, and minor leaguers. Jack Z. then ships Heilman to the cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson, who are both helping the club on a daily basis. I think Ronny has a bigger upside than his sub 200 average suggests. We'll just have to be patient with him.
Jack Z. kept the trade bug going by getting rid of Yuniesky Bettencourt for a couple minor league pitchers in Danny Cortez (only 22 yrs old) and class A pitcher Saito. Cortez is supposed to be one of the Padres better pitching prospects. Jack Z has also traded for Jack Hannahan and sent minor league pitcher Souza packing to the A's. Jack Hannahan was the starter for Oakland, but struggled at the plate and was sent down to AAA. I've got a good feeling we got a steal for Hannahan, who is a much better player than what he was showing for the A's.
Overall: B
I am extremely happy with the Mariners at the break. Despite a lacking offense, the club has a desire to win and are doing so with great pitching. I have complete confidence in Jack Z. and like all the moves he's been making thus far. We are just a few more trades and draft picks away from being competitive for the pennent every year.
Starting Pitching: A-/B+
This would have been an A if it wasn't for Carlos Silva's six starts and a 1-3 record with an 8.48 ERA. More atrocious than Silva's record is the Mariners eating his behemoth 12,000,000 dollar salary for 09. O.k., enough, lets stop with Silva before I punch a hole my wall and kick my defensless dog while he's asleep.
Felix Hernandez has been lights out. Washburn is having a career year, which a 6-6 record doesn't reflect. If Washburn got any run support he'd easily have 9 wins this season. More impressive is his 112 innings pitched only halfway through the season, and his sub 3 ERA at 2.96.
Bedard has been fairly dominant despite a few injuries keeping him off the mound. Jason Vargas has done extremely well with his 3-3 record and 3.82 ERA. Garrett Olson and Chris Jakubauskas have been mediocre in spot fill in roles. All in all, the Mariners have one of the best rotations in baseball.
Bullpen: B
The emergence of David Aardsma as the Mariner closer could not have come at a better time. Morrow was struggling with his location and confidence without a clear cut reliever to replace him. Aardsma stepped right in and dazzled. He's saved 20 out of 22 games and has a 1.96 ERA. Those are Allstar numbers.
Mark Lowe has been a consistent arm and someone to count on in late innings. Sean White has a sub 3 ERA at 2.63. Even Miguel Batista has been quietly good with a 6-3 record and 3.33 ERA. Just don't put Miguel in the late innings where he's 0-3 in save opportunities.
Roy Corcoran has been struggling in long relief. Despite his 2-0 record, he's got a 6.88 ERA and a 16-6 BB to SO ratio. Shawn Kelly has struggled at times too going 0-2 in save opportunites and a 5.93 ERA.
It's safe to say without Aardsma the Mariners would 5 to 6 games under 500. No one else seems to have the stuff to be on the mound in the ninth inning.
Offense: D
The Mariner offense is laughable. I would rather watch an entire Seattle Storm game than watch the M's hit 1 through 9. Despite the best efforts of Ichiro, Branyan, and Gutierrez, the rest of the line-up stinks.
The Mariners have the worst catching duo in baseball with Kenji Johjima (BA 254) and Rob Johnson (BA 203). Jose Lopez has decent power numbers with 12 home runs, but is only batting 250. Griffey's batting 22o and Cedeno isn't even above the mendoza line.
The Mariner offense has only scored 348 runs in 88 games for an average of less than 4 runs a game. This is one of the lowest run totals in all of baseball. The team average is a pitiful 261 with an on base percentage of 317. It's a good thing Mariner pitching has been lights out, because this offense could not sustain a winning record.
Coaching: B-
Coaching is a tough grading category, because not too many people get to see what goes on behind the scenes. So far Wak has done a good job. I don't have many complaints about the way he's managing the club. This grade is based purely on a few questionable calls by the skipper on handling his bullpen and not going to his bench enough past the 7th inning. For example, not getting Chavez into the game after the 7th for defensive purposes.
Rick Adair has handled the pitching staff to perfection. On paper, our bullpen looks like a bunch of guys were just thrown together. No one would predict a bullpen with the likes of Jakubauskas, Kelly, White, and Bautista would be one of the strongest in baseball. Rick Adair deserves recognition for the influence he's had on this young bunch of guys.
Front Office: A
Seattle is loving Jack Zduriencik. Since coming to the Mariners Jack Z. has been wheeling and dealing. He first trade sent J.J. Putz packing for the Metz and in return got Franklin Gutierrez (who's turning out to be a stud in Center Field), Endy Chavez, Mike Carp, Aaron Heilman, and minor leaguers. Jack Z. then ships Heilman to the cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson, who are both helping the club on a daily basis. I think Ronny has a bigger upside than his sub 200 average suggests. We'll just have to be patient with him.
Jack Z. kept the trade bug going by getting rid of Yuniesky Bettencourt for a couple minor league pitchers in Danny Cortez (only 22 yrs old) and class A pitcher Saito. Cortez is supposed to be one of the Padres better pitching prospects. Jack Z has also traded for Jack Hannahan and sent minor league pitcher Souza packing to the A's. Jack Hannahan was the starter for Oakland, but struggled at the plate and was sent down to AAA. I've got a good feeling we got a steal for Hannahan, who is a much better player than what he was showing for the A's.
Overall: B
I am extremely happy with the Mariners at the break. Despite a lacking offense, the club has a desire to win and are doing so with great pitching. I have complete confidence in Jack Z. and like all the moves he's been making thus far. We are just a few more trades and draft picks away from being competitive for the pennent every year.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Best Win Of The Season
It's 12:30 in the morning, east coast time and I just throttled my poor sleeping cat in excitement after Franklin Gutierrez's momentous game-winning shot to left center and Aarmdsma's lucky rebound from last night. Holy shit! M's win!!! M's WIN!!!!
I think this blog's been silent lately because no one quite knows what to write about the Mariners this year. Every time you want to believe they're legit contenders, they stab you in the neck with back-to-back losses to the lowly O's. And every time they do that, they come back with a huge, and for seven innings, seemingly unlikely, victory.
The last three games represents the epitome of this Mariner baseball club.
But I'll tell you what, the M's looked more pumped and fired up about this comeback then I've seen them in years. Since 2000-2001, for sure. And this team has a youthful talented spirit, much like our mid-90s teams. They have swagger. Swagger. It's such a vague, almost undefinable term, but you know it when you see it. Ichiro knows nothing but swagger.Griffey was born with it and still exudes it. He earned that 8th inning walk with swagger.
And I see it in Felix and Franklin and its rubbing off on others like Lopez and Aardsma and even Cedeno -- the most swaggerly .130 hitting player in the history of Mariner baseball. I hate him, but I somehow think he'll come through. It's weird.
As you can tell, I'm a tad bit excited. I can't help it, I'm a believer. I sat here watching the game getting more pissed with every swing and miss, every feeble dribbler to second. But I kept with it, kept thinking Ichiro or Griffey or, most definitely, the talented Mr. Guti. I believed. And I believe we'll take two out of the next three from Texas. Momentum and swagger are decidedly on our side.
One last thought. My friend Graham, an admitted and mildly self-loathing Yankees fan (one of my top three favorite Yankee fans), slapbet (when the loser of the bet gets slapped, for those not familiar with the term) one of his friends that the M's would win the West. At the time, the M's were playing out of their minds toward the end of April. I still thought it was a bad bet. And probably a bet made under the influence of obscene amounts of alcohol.
My initial thought was reinforced with steel by our putrid play at the end of May and beginning of June. But we're back, Baby. And playing better than ever. We've improved. We've got swagger. Graham, you may yet become the slapper.
Friday, July 3, 2009
What's Your Fantasy: Wide Receiver Addition
The 2009 Fantasy Football season is stocked with talent at the wide receiver position. That being said, do not and I repeat do not consider drafting one in the first round. No wide receiver warrants first round consideration. I know some of you out there think Larry Fitzgerald is god, but he will come crashing down to earth if his 38 year geriatric QB gets hurt. Wide receivers are just too risky to take early mainly because they rely on someone else to get them the ball. In my estimation there are about 30 wide outs that will be strong contributors this year.
Here are my top 12 wide receivers including their 2008 stats:
1. Larry Fitzgerald: 96 catches, 1431 yards, 12 TD’s
2. Calvin Johnson: 78 catches, 1331 yards, 12TD’s
3. Randy Moss: 69 catches, 1008 yards, 11 TD’s
4. Andre Johnson: 115 catches, 1575 yards, 8 TD’s
5. Steve Smith: 78 catches, 1421 yards, 6 TD’s
6. Greg Jennings: 80 catches, 1292 yards, 9 TD’s
7. Reggie Wayne: 82 catches, 1145 yards, 6 TD’s
8. Anquan Boldin: 89 catches, 1038 yards, 11 TD’s
9. Roddy White: 88 catches, 1382 yards, 7 TD’s
10. Dwayne Bowe: 86 catches 1086 catches, 1022 yards, 7 TD’s
11. Terrell Owens: 69 catches, 1052 yards, 10 TD’s
12. Marques Colston: 47 catches, 760 yards, 5 TD’s
A few that just missed the cut:
Brandon Marshall: 104 catches, 1265 yards, 6 TD’s
Wes Welker: 111 catches, 1165 yards, 3 TD’s
T. J. Houshmandzadeh: 92 catches, 904 yards, 4 TD’s
Anthony Gonzalez: 57 catches, 664 yards, 4 TD’s
Vincent Jackson: 59 catches, 1098 yards, 7 TD’s
Here are my top 12 wide receivers including their 2008 stats:
1. Larry Fitzgerald: 96 catches, 1431 yards, 12 TD’s
2. Calvin Johnson: 78 catches, 1331 yards, 12TD’s
3. Randy Moss: 69 catches, 1008 yards, 11 TD’s
4. Andre Johnson: 115 catches, 1575 yards, 8 TD’s
5. Steve Smith: 78 catches, 1421 yards, 6 TD’s
6. Greg Jennings: 80 catches, 1292 yards, 9 TD’s
7. Reggie Wayne: 82 catches, 1145 yards, 6 TD’s
8. Anquan Boldin: 89 catches, 1038 yards, 11 TD’s
9. Roddy White: 88 catches, 1382 yards, 7 TD’s
10. Dwayne Bowe: 86 catches 1086 catches, 1022 yards, 7 TD’s
11. Terrell Owens: 69 catches, 1052 yards, 10 TD’s
12. Marques Colston: 47 catches, 760 yards, 5 TD’s
A few that just missed the cut:
Brandon Marshall: 104 catches, 1265 yards, 6 TD’s
Wes Welker: 111 catches, 1165 yards, 3 TD’s
T. J. Houshmandzadeh: 92 catches, 904 yards, 4 TD’s
Anthony Gonzalez: 57 catches, 664 yards, 4 TD’s
Vincent Jackson: 59 catches, 1098 yards, 7 TD’s
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Battle for Soccer Soul of Pacific Northwest Tonight!
Things might get a little crazy tonight in Portland -- Seattle's well-planned, Napoleon-complex-having neighbor to the south -- for the showdown between the Sounders and Timbers.
While the Sounders have ascended to the top flight MLS, the Timbers continue to languish in the opaque obscurity of First Divion U.S. professional soccer. (Most Timber players also have night jobs working in Portland's two growth industries: male stripping and weed.)
The Timbers, of course, will join the MLS in 2011. But until then, they will remain pissed that Seattle was awarded a big league franchise first. So, tonight's match amounts to a Champion's League final for Portland fans, who will be joined by a healthy cotingent of neon green-wearing, mohawked Seattleites.
I'm hoping for at least two or three mid-game brawls followed by hearty communal microbrew and/or Pabst drinking afterwards.
Here's Miguel Romero's story in today's Seattle Times about the rivalry, which dates back to the North American Soccer League.
Here's some coverage from the Oregonian.
Here's what my boy Briggs, a die-hard P-town lifer, said about the game:
"The energy for the game [tonight] is crazy here in Portland. Portlanders are envious, excited and pissed by the sounders early success. Tomorrow's prediction; bloodbath for sure, timbers win 3-2. Supposed to be over 3,000 sounders fans, going to be interesting on the smoke deck at halftime. I'm hoping someone beats up Drew Carey."
3-2, Timbers? Sounds like somebody's already been hanging out on the smoke deck for quite some time now.
My prediction: 2-nil, Sounders. Tim-burrrrrrrrrr! No one's getting past Keller in this one. Welcome to big-time soccer, Portland.
While the Sounders have ascended to the top flight MLS, the Timbers continue to languish in the opaque obscurity of First Divion U.S. professional soccer. (Most Timber players also have night jobs working in Portland's two growth industries: male stripping and weed.)
The Timbers, of course, will join the MLS in 2011. But until then, they will remain pissed that Seattle was awarded a big league franchise first. So, tonight's match amounts to a Champion's League final for Portland fans, who will be joined by a healthy cotingent of neon green-wearing, mohawked Seattleites.
I'm hoping for at least two or three mid-game brawls followed by hearty communal microbrew and/or Pabst drinking afterwards.
Here's Miguel Romero's story in today's Seattle Times about the rivalry, which dates back to the North American Soccer League.
Here's some coverage from the Oregonian.
Here's what my boy Briggs, a die-hard P-town lifer, said about the game:
"The energy for the game [tonight] is crazy here in Portland. Portlanders are envious, excited and pissed by the sounders early success. Tomorrow's prediction; bloodbath for sure, timbers win 3-2. Supposed to be over 3,000 sounders fans, going to be interesting on the smoke deck at halftime. I'm hoping someone beats up Drew Carey."
3-2, Timbers? Sounds like somebody's already been hanging out on the smoke deck for quite some time now.
My prediction: 2-nil, Sounders. Tim-burrrrrrrrrr! No one's getting past Keller in this one. Welcome to big-time soccer, Portland.
Mariner Optimism
I am and always have been a Mariner optimist. Before every season, even with a lack of talent, I believe through some sort of wizardry the Mariners can win the American League West.
Don't ask me why I feel this way, especially in the years when Jamie Moyer was our staff ace. You shouldn't expect to make the playoffs when your best pitcher is only a 10-15 game winner every season. Still, I expect to see a new banner hanging every year in the best stadium in America. Safeco Field!
Halfway through the season, the Mariners are fighting for every win and find themselves just a few games back in the West. Am I an optimist to believe the M's can make the playoffs? Beltre is out for 6-8 weeks and being replaced by an aging veteran, Chirs Woodard, and a guy who never sees first base in Cedeno. The bottom of our lineup is plagued with guys hitting barely 200. We have some of the worst hitting catchers in the league in Jojima, Johnson, and Burke.
Nonetheless, I still believe the Mariners can make the playoffs. Bedard can come back and give the rotation a shot in the arm. Olson can pitch the rest of the year like he did in Dodger Stadium. Griffey can get hot and hit a few more homers. Jose Lopez is crushing the ball and will end the year around .280-.300. as usual. In other words, anything can happen.
I am leaning towards the Mariners buying come July 31st trade deadline if we are still in the playoff picture. But I want the M's to buy smart. I am not willing to trade away the future for a run at the playoffs today. We just don't have the pieces to do that yet.
I'm proposing we add a bat for cash. Most teams in the Major Leagues want to dump payroll come trade time. The Mariners can take advantage of the current market, add a bat for cash, and not give up any prospects. Instead of trading Washburn and Bedard for below average prospects, since MLB "insiders" don't believe teams will give up much come the deadline, the M's can stockpile draft picks by letting their class A and B prospects leave in free agency.
The Mariners have options, and July is going to be a fun month for baseball in Seattle!
Don't ask me why I feel this way, especially in the years when Jamie Moyer was our staff ace. You shouldn't expect to make the playoffs when your best pitcher is only a 10-15 game winner every season. Still, I expect to see a new banner hanging every year in the best stadium in America. Safeco Field!
Halfway through the season, the Mariners are fighting for every win and find themselves just a few games back in the West. Am I an optimist to believe the M's can make the playoffs? Beltre is out for 6-8 weeks and being replaced by an aging veteran, Chirs Woodard, and a guy who never sees first base in Cedeno. The bottom of our lineup is plagued with guys hitting barely 200. We have some of the worst hitting catchers in the league in Jojima, Johnson, and Burke.
Nonetheless, I still believe the Mariners can make the playoffs. Bedard can come back and give the rotation a shot in the arm. Olson can pitch the rest of the year like he did in Dodger Stadium. Griffey can get hot and hit a few more homers. Jose Lopez is crushing the ball and will end the year around .280-.300. as usual. In other words, anything can happen.
I am leaning towards the Mariners buying come July 31st trade deadline if we are still in the playoff picture. But I want the M's to buy smart. I am not willing to trade away the future for a run at the playoffs today. We just don't have the pieces to do that yet.
I'm proposing we add a bat for cash. Most teams in the Major Leagues want to dump payroll come trade time. The Mariners can take advantage of the current market, add a bat for cash, and not give up any prospects. Instead of trading Washburn and Bedard for below average prospects, since MLB "insiders" don't believe teams will give up much come the deadline, the M's can stockpile draft picks by letting their class A and B prospects leave in free agency.
The Mariners have options, and July is going to be a fun month for baseball in Seattle!
Monday, June 29, 2009
U.S.A. Can't Hold On
What a choke job by the American squad in the Confederations Cup Final. I am angrily punching these keys thinking about the second half. In fact, I'm trying not to throw up in mouth I'm so disgusted by the lack of intensity and aggressiveness by the U.S. players.
U.S. soccer could have pulled off the greatest stretch in their history by defeating the most heralded soccer nation in the world. Instead, the U.S. took a big lead (2-0) into halftime, then laid down in the second half like a bunch of drunk soriority chicks after a mix up. Horrible, unless you're the lucky frat boy!
The game was a tale of two halves. In the ninth minute, Dempsey scored his 3rd goal of the tournament by redirecting a cross by Jonathan Spector. Seventeen minutes later, Landon Donovan scored on a crisp pass from Davies and drilled a left footed beauty past Julio Cesar. At this point I started a frenzy in my house, as I screamed wildly jumping up from the couch and scaring my 130 pound dog, who started barking in unison with my cheers.
My excitement was soon trounced in the first minute of the second half when Luis Fabiano scored from the top of the box. It was an unlucky goal for the Americans as Fabiano's shot went through defender Jay Demerit's legs and into the back of the net. This started an onslought of Brazilian attacks upon the American defense.
Things got ugly quickly for the U.S. team. They stopped attacking, stopped competing, and pulled all 11 players into their own box trying to deny the Brazilians another goal. It backfired to say the least. The U.S. gave Brazil space to operate, to use their quick precise passes and impressive ball skills to penetrate the defense and create endless scoring opportunities. The U.S. played right into the Brazilian's strength, and found themselves down 3-2 as the final whistle blew.
Why did the U.S. stop doing what made them successful in the first half? Why did they pull back into the their own box and stop putting pressure on the Brazilian defense? It was a mistake the U.S. National Team will lament for the rest of their lives. They could have had back to back wins against the two best teams in the world, and taken home their first confederations cup to boot. Instead, U.S. soccer fans are scratching their heads wondering how this monumental screw up will affect them a year from now when the World Cup begins.
U.S. soccer could have pulled off the greatest stretch in their history by defeating the most heralded soccer nation in the world. Instead, the U.S. took a big lead (2-0) into halftime, then laid down in the second half like a bunch of drunk soriority chicks after a mix up. Horrible, unless you're the lucky frat boy!
The game was a tale of two halves. In the ninth minute, Dempsey scored his 3rd goal of the tournament by redirecting a cross by Jonathan Spector. Seventeen minutes later, Landon Donovan scored on a crisp pass from Davies and drilled a left footed beauty past Julio Cesar. At this point I started a frenzy in my house, as I screamed wildly jumping up from the couch and scaring my 130 pound dog, who started barking in unison with my cheers.
My excitement was soon trounced in the first minute of the second half when Luis Fabiano scored from the top of the box. It was an unlucky goal for the Americans as Fabiano's shot went through defender Jay Demerit's legs and into the back of the net. This started an onslought of Brazilian attacks upon the American defense.
Things got ugly quickly for the U.S. team. They stopped attacking, stopped competing, and pulled all 11 players into their own box trying to deny the Brazilians another goal. It backfired to say the least. The U.S. gave Brazil space to operate, to use their quick precise passes and impressive ball skills to penetrate the defense and create endless scoring opportunities. The U.S. played right into the Brazilian's strength, and found themselves down 3-2 as the final whistle blew.
Why did the U.S. stop doing what made them successful in the first half? Why did they pull back into the their own box and stop putting pressure on the Brazilian defense? It was a mistake the U.S. National Team will lament for the rest of their lives. They could have had back to back wins against the two best teams in the world, and taken home their first confederations cup to boot. Instead, U.S. soccer fans are scratching their heads wondering how this monumental screw up will affect them a year from now when the World Cup begins.
Monday Morning Musing's Summer Goals: Become Sounders Fan, Read Ridiculously Long Novel By Suicidal Author
This gets almost downright David Foster Wallace-like. Settle in.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday Evening Musing: Vegas Style
I did have some decent Pacific Northwest-related sports insight to offer here, but I'd be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to congratulate one of the Wetland bloggers on his recent engagement, which I'm convinced he engineered just so he would have an excuse to spend a weekend gambling and otherwise debauching in Las Vegas.
Here's to you, Matty Witt! You're life just ended! How does it feel to be spiritually and sexually dead, at least on the inside? Just kidding. Kind of.
We'll talk more about that later, while drinking very strong whiskey and chain smoking cigarettes. But, for now, back to the bachelor party.
By the way, Erika, if you're reading this, nothing crazy ever happens in Vegas despite what Bradley Cooper might have you believe. And if your boy blacks out from too many Jager bombs and blow and ends up accidentally marrying a hot but kind of smart escort working on her masters in exercise science at UNLV ($117) who just happens to love fantasy football, we'll definitely do our damnedest to get it annulled immediately. Well, okay, at least right after we eat something and drink beer in the pool to take the edge off our hangovers.
Anyway, I'm voting for a high intensity sports weekend for the date, but not too intense that we'll get priced out of a decent hotel. My Vegas bachelor party fell on a decent weekend, almost exactly a year ago.
It was the middle of the lop-sided but still entertaining (because Kobe got his ass handed to him) Celtics-Lakers finals, the European soccer championships were in its early, games-all-day stage, baseball was heating up and the Mariners were already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. It was also the U.S. Open. More on that in a minute.
Most of the weekend was a drunken blur. Here's another piece of advice: never spend more than two nights in Vegas. It's just not good for your health. By the third night, its a battle of attrition.
There's only two ways the third night ends.
One, guys come down with mysterious illnesses and coming up with incomprehensible excuses that sound something like "aaaaummmapuuusssy" for staying in the hotel room.
Or two, guys go way too hard, forget to take into account the fact they haven't slept more than 4 hours combined the previous two nights and are purely running on the copious amounts of oxygen pumped into Vegas casinos, end up drinking too much too quickly, getting in a fight at the strip club because a stripper with three kids tried to charge you for a lap dance you didn't ask for and you flip out like Madonna at a Malawi adoption agent who tries to deny her a new baby and then finally vomiting outside of Fat Burger while your buddy fleeces your Fat Fries.
Either way, it's not pretty. Two nights. That's it. No human being should ever attempt more than that.
I'll remember a few things from last year's madness. And that's it. The rest you'll have to read in the book, which I will fictionalize so I can deny everything to my wife. Actually, let's just keep this sports related.
1) My brother, who lives in Philly, put down $10 on the Phillies winning the series at 10-1 odds. Good call. Bad bet.
2) The Mariners lost every game they played. Okay, I don't remember any of those M's results, I'm just assuming that was the case.
3) On Monday, after three nights of heavy partying, my brother and I still had a whole day to kill. Luckily, one-legged Tiger had come back to tie big-assed Rocco Mediate in the Open, forcing an 18-hole playoff and giving us an entire morning of relaxing, easy to watch sports entertainment.
Which led to this epiphany: If you've spent one too many nights partying way too hard and drinking way too much in 115-degree Vegas, golf is the absolute perfect sport for viewing consumption. I recommend it with a cold Coke and 7 Advils.
This is why, whatever date we choose, may it fall on weekend where there's a major golf championship. And I don't even like to watch golf. Normally.
I Blame Myself
People who know me know that I have a 5 run rule when I go to Mariner games. If the M's are leading or trailing by 5 runs after the 7th inning of the ballgame, I don't feel bad for taking off early. With the M's pathetic offense the past few years how could anyone blame me for trying to jet out early to beat traffic?
The rule has never let me down.
However, last Friday I disobeyed my own rule and it came back to bite me in the ass!!
Trailing 3-0 against the Diamondbacks in an otherwise forgettable game, I decided that I'd seen enough and coerced my friend to take off early after the M's hit in the bottom of the 7th. In fact, after being shut down 1-2-3 in the 7th I felt confident that the M's weren't going to do anything. They couldn't hit the entire game even against a crappy pitcher that was overpowering us with 89 mph fastballs. How many times have we seen this before? We were well on the way to another shutout.
To make matters worse Griffey (my favorite player) was not even playing. We had to watch Sweeney uncomfortably fidget with his batting gloves for 3 previous at bats that merited nothing in return but aggravation and discontent. Why was he playing over Griffey in the 4 hole anyway against a poopy right handed pitcher? I didn't know but it gave me even more validity to leave early. I can't remember a time when Griffey ever pinch hit and knew deep down that I wouldn't get a chance to see him bat.
I blame myself.
Talking to my friend the entire 15 minute walk back to the car I kept bitching about the M's lack of offense. How frustrated I was to watch another outstanding pitching performance go to waste...but when we got into the car and turned on the radio--it was another story all together.
There was a buzz on the radio with people cheering loudly. Apparently, Russ "The Muscle" just went deep to put the score at 3-1 and then the next batter followed with a base knock. One on nobody out. Niehaus (in top form) told us that Griffey was walking into the on deck circle. The crowd seemed ready to explode--Niehaus noting that the fans were giving Griffey a standing ovation at the time. I was ready to slap myself--my friend ready to slap me too. This was the moment we had been waiting for...a chance to see Griffey with the game on the line. A chance to recreate some of the 95 magic.
Niehaus even mentioned how the place would explode if Griffey went deep. Sure enough--he did. First pitch. "Swung on and belted..." Chills raced down my spine. Hairs on my arm began to stand up. The kid did it again. This would be a moment I could tell my kids and grandkids about someday.
Sadly, I was not there to see it. And for that reason I will never EVER disobey my rule again.
But it sure makes for one hell of a story.
I have no one to blame but myself.
The rule has never let me down.
However, last Friday I disobeyed my own rule and it came back to bite me in the ass!!
Trailing 3-0 against the Diamondbacks in an otherwise forgettable game, I decided that I'd seen enough and coerced my friend to take off early after the M's hit in the bottom of the 7th. In fact, after being shut down 1-2-3 in the 7th I felt confident that the M's weren't going to do anything. They couldn't hit the entire game even against a crappy pitcher that was overpowering us with 89 mph fastballs. How many times have we seen this before? We were well on the way to another shutout.
To make matters worse Griffey (my favorite player) was not even playing. We had to watch Sweeney uncomfortably fidget with his batting gloves for 3 previous at bats that merited nothing in return but aggravation and discontent. Why was he playing over Griffey in the 4 hole anyway against a poopy right handed pitcher? I didn't know but it gave me even more validity to leave early. I can't remember a time when Griffey ever pinch hit and knew deep down that I wouldn't get a chance to see him bat.
I blame myself.
Talking to my friend the entire 15 minute walk back to the car I kept bitching about the M's lack of offense. How frustrated I was to watch another outstanding pitching performance go to waste...but when we got into the car and turned on the radio--it was another story all together.
There was a buzz on the radio with people cheering loudly. Apparently, Russ "The Muscle" just went deep to put the score at 3-1 and then the next batter followed with a base knock. One on nobody out. Niehaus (in top form) told us that Griffey was walking into the on deck circle. The crowd seemed ready to explode--Niehaus noting that the fans were giving Griffey a standing ovation at the time. I was ready to slap myself--my friend ready to slap me too. This was the moment we had been waiting for...a chance to see Griffey with the game on the line. A chance to recreate some of the 95 magic.
Niehaus even mentioned how the place would explode if Griffey went deep. Sure enough--he did. First pitch. "Swung on and belted..." Chills raced down my spine. Hairs on my arm began to stand up. The kid did it again. This would be a moment I could tell my kids and grandkids about someday.
Sadly, I was not there to see it. And for that reason I will never EVER disobey my rule again.
But it sure makes for one hell of a story.
I have no one to blame but myself.
Monday Morning Musing, June 22
Due to unscheduled technical difficulties (i.e. laziness), the full girth of MMM will not be available until later this evening. Here's a quick preview:
-HOW BOUT THEM MARINERS!!!!
-Intriguing Seahawk news and analysis from the past week.
-Why the NBA draft sucks now for Seattle sports fans.
-Original reporting from the Sounders game in New Jersey on Saturday.
Check back here around 7 p.m. pacific time for all the action.
-HOW BOUT THEM MARINERS!!!!
-Intriguing Seahawk news and analysis from the past week.
-Why the NBA draft sucks now for Seattle sports fans.
-Original reporting from the Sounders game in New Jersey on Saturday.
Check back here around 7 p.m. pacific time for all the action.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Improbably Day for U.S. National Team
The U.S. Men's National Team in soccer pulled off the unthinkable today. They not only needed to beat Egypt by 3 + goals, a country that lost to a world class Brazil team by the slimmest of margins at 4-3, but the U.S. also needed Brazil to beat a very talented Italian National Team by 3 goals as well. Impossible right?
Not exactly! Charlie Davies started the scoring barrage for the U.S. in the 21st minute beating Egyptian goal keeper Essam El Hadary to a loose ball. However, with only one goal at half time beating the Egyptians by 3 was still looking bleak. It wasn't until the 63rd minute when the Americans realized they had a shot to pull it off! Landon Donovan diced through the Egyptian defense and hit Michael Bradley with a square pass that was drilled past a diving El Hadary for the second goal. That was followed 8 minutes later by a goal from Clint Dempsey to cap off the 3-0 win for the Americans.
Throughout the match, U.S. players were given updates on the Brazil game that was being played simultaneously. For most of the first half, U.S. players were told Brazil and Italy were tied 0-0. Things didn't look good for the Americans to advance. But suddenly in the 36th minute, Luis Fabiano scorched the Italian keeper for the first goal, and followed it up six minutes later with his second goal in the 42nd minute. Just like that the Americans chances were getting better. To make matters worse for the Italians, in the 44th minute they scored an own goal and Brazil was up 3-0 before the first half was over.
No one thought the U.S. had a chance to advance in the Confederations Cup after losing 3-1 to Italy and 3-0 to Brazil. Of course those outcomes were dramatically affected because of red cards in both games, leaving the Americans to play with only 10 men. To the non-soccer fan, playing 11 on 10 wouldn't seem to make much of a difference, but the advantage of a team playing a man up is almost insurmountable.
Nonetheless, the U.S. Men's Soccer Team advances to the semis in style. The celebration will be short lived though, with the hottest team in the World in Spain waiting to knock them off. Spain has rolled off 15 straight wins, a world record, and is unbeaten in their last 35 games. It'll be tough for the Americans to make the finals, but if today's unprobable win is any indication, anything is possible.
Not exactly! Charlie Davies started the scoring barrage for the U.S. in the 21st minute beating Egyptian goal keeper Essam El Hadary to a loose ball. However, with only one goal at half time beating the Egyptians by 3 was still looking bleak. It wasn't until the 63rd minute when the Americans realized they had a shot to pull it off! Landon Donovan diced through the Egyptian defense and hit Michael Bradley with a square pass that was drilled past a diving El Hadary for the second goal. That was followed 8 minutes later by a goal from Clint Dempsey to cap off the 3-0 win for the Americans.
Throughout the match, U.S. players were given updates on the Brazil game that was being played simultaneously. For most of the first half, U.S. players were told Brazil and Italy were tied 0-0. Things didn't look good for the Americans to advance. But suddenly in the 36th minute, Luis Fabiano scorched the Italian keeper for the first goal, and followed it up six minutes later with his second goal in the 42nd minute. Just like that the Americans chances were getting better. To make matters worse for the Italians, in the 44th minute they scored an own goal and Brazil was up 3-0 before the first half was over.
No one thought the U.S. had a chance to advance in the Confederations Cup after losing 3-1 to Italy and 3-0 to Brazil. Of course those outcomes were dramatically affected because of red cards in both games, leaving the Americans to play with only 10 men. To the non-soccer fan, playing 11 on 10 wouldn't seem to make much of a difference, but the advantage of a team playing a man up is almost insurmountable.
Nonetheless, the U.S. Men's Soccer Team advances to the semis in style. The celebration will be short lived though, with the hottest team in the World in Spain waiting to knock them off. Spain has rolled off 15 straight wins, a world record, and is unbeaten in their last 35 games. It'll be tough for the Americans to make the finals, but if today's unprobable win is any indication, anything is possible.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Sark Dawg and UW Football Team Will Win 6 Games Next Year
By this time next year, new U-Dub football coach Steve Sarkesian will own this town.
Sark will be the darling of the Pacific Northwest as he will take the winless Huskies to a respectable 6 win season. You heard it here first.
Every idiot sportswriter in town is talking about 3-4 wins. B-O-R-I-N-G! I'm not going to be happy with what the so-called experts call "improvement." Even Ty might have gone 3-9 if he were coaching the 2009 team. (In fact, the Huskies arguably should've had 3 wins last year -- Stanford, BYU and WSU). Sark will do even better.
Why?
Because the cloud of hopelessness is about to be lifted over the program. You'll see the guys playing with enthusiasm and passion. You'll see guys actually look like football players and not the skinny, underfed and underdeveloped lopers you saw in 2008. The weight room is an amazing place sometimes. Guys will stop playing like robots. Jake will get tutoring from a successful college QB, not the worst of the three Huard Brothers (Luke - the shitty one who didn't play here).
In addition, the talent level of the football team is potentially better than that of every other Pac-10 team except USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Cal. Don't believe me? Go to Scout.com and look up the UW's recruitment classes from 2005-2008. The UW has gotten commitments from plenty of 3 and 4 star kids; and arguably has the most talented QB in the conference, the most talented pair of TEs, and a deep crop of WRs.
The road to 6 wins won't be easy, but here's how they'll do it:
By winning at home vs. Idaho, LSU, WSU, Cal and on the road against ASU and Stanford. (I'm chalking up losses at home against Zona and USC and away against Notre Dame, UCLA and the Oregon St.)
The biggest game of the year is the Stanford game. If the Dawg's win that game, they'll start the season 2-2 and 1-1 in Pac-10 play. Lose to Stanford, and the team's confidence goes out the window.
Here are my optimistic predictions:
Sark will be the darling of the Pacific Northwest as he will take the winless Huskies to a respectable 6 win season. You heard it here first.
Every idiot sportswriter in town is talking about 3-4 wins. B-O-R-I-N-G! I'm not going to be happy with what the so-called experts call "improvement." Even Ty might have gone 3-9 if he were coaching the 2009 team. (In fact, the Huskies arguably should've had 3 wins last year -- Stanford, BYU and WSU). Sark will do even better.
Why?
Because the cloud of hopelessness is about to be lifted over the program. You'll see the guys playing with enthusiasm and passion. You'll see guys actually look like football players and not the skinny, underfed and underdeveloped lopers you saw in 2008. The weight room is an amazing place sometimes. Guys will stop playing like robots. Jake will get tutoring from a successful college QB, not the worst of the three Huard Brothers (Luke - the shitty one who didn't play here).
In addition, the talent level of the football team is potentially better than that of every other Pac-10 team except USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Cal. Don't believe me? Go to Scout.com and look up the UW's recruitment classes from 2005-2008. The UW has gotten commitments from plenty of 3 and 4 star kids; and arguably has the most talented QB in the conference, the most talented pair of TEs, and a deep crop of WRs.
The road to 6 wins won't be easy, but here's how they'll do it:
By winning at home vs. Idaho, LSU, WSU, Cal and on the road against ASU and Stanford. (I'm chalking up losses at home against Zona and USC and away against Notre Dame, UCLA and the Oregon St.)
The biggest game of the year is the Stanford game. If the Dawg's win that game, they'll start the season 2-2 and 1-1 in Pac-10 play. Lose to Stanford, and the team's confidence goes out the window.
Here are my optimistic predictions:
*Jake will be even better than expected. He'll complete 60% of his passes and the UW passing offense will win some shootouts this season. He'll have at least one 4 TD passing game.
* Chris Polk is the answer at RB. Polk will go the distance on a few long TD runs and will remind fans of what it's like to have a home-run RB.
* The UW receivers will be very busy (Goodwin will crack the top 5 in WR yards in the conference)
* Kavario Middleton and Chris Izbicki will be the best 1-2 punch at TE in the conference
* The UW defense will still be awful (but not dreadful)
* EJ Savannah will lead an improved LB corp
* The D will double its sack total from 2008.
* The defense will give up 30-50 less yards per game. (Now that's a dramatic improvement!)
* The UW will get into several shootouts this season. (Think 45-35)
With Sark's youthfulness and recruiting savvy, the UWs recruiting classes stand to be even better going forward. Keep in mind, USC is about to be hit with major sanctions for their sports teams (Reggie Bush = Billy Joe Hobert). If SC loses several scholarships, that's just the ammunition Sark needs to rip off even more studs from So-Cal.
All in all, look for 2009 to be even better than expected. You heard it hear first.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Waking a Sleeping Giant
About three weeks ago, Mariner Manager Don Wakamatsu asked his star pitcher to "step it up" after his fourth consecutive lack-luster performance. The question was if King Felix was actually listening? There are times in the past where Felix Hernandez hasn't responded to his Manager's motivations. This was not one of those times.
Felix Hernandez has been lights out in his last 5 starts since Don Wakamatsu's statement to the media. He is 3-0 in that span and averaging over 7 innings per start. More impressively, Felix has allowed only 3 earned runs in over 37 innings, dropping his ERA from 4.13 to a staggering 2.77. That puts King Felix at 7th lowest ERA in the American League, and 13th in all of Major League Baseball.
Felix is not only winning games now, but he's actually pitching! Yes, there is a difference. Pitching is when you're thinking, using both sides of the dish, hitting your spots, and saving your out-pitch for a 2 strike count.
A lot of you are probably asking yourself what it means when pitchers aren't pitching. Well, just look at game tape of Jarrod Washburn in '07 and '08 to answer that question. There, you'll see no focus or itensity, a lack of competitiveness, no urgency to make good pitches or trying to outhink hitters.
Baseball is definitely a thinking game, and Felix is doing more than just that. He's two steps ahead of everyone in the box, and making hitters look absolutely foolish. The question everyone wants to know is how long it will last?
Felix Hernandez has been lights out in his last 5 starts since Don Wakamatsu's statement to the media. He is 3-0 in that span and averaging over 7 innings per start. More impressively, Felix has allowed only 3 earned runs in over 37 innings, dropping his ERA from 4.13 to a staggering 2.77. That puts King Felix at 7th lowest ERA in the American League, and 13th in all of Major League Baseball.
Felix is not only winning games now, but he's actually pitching! Yes, there is a difference. Pitching is when you're thinking, using both sides of the dish, hitting your spots, and saving your out-pitch for a 2 strike count.
A lot of you are probably asking yourself what it means when pitchers aren't pitching. Well, just look at game tape of Jarrod Washburn in '07 and '08 to answer that question. There, you'll see no focus or itensity, a lack of competitiveness, no urgency to make good pitches or trying to outhink hitters.
Baseball is definitely a thinking game, and Felix is doing more than just that. He's two steps ahead of everyone in the box, and making hitters look absolutely foolish. The question everyone wants to know is how long it will last?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Shaq to Cavs? Bad Idea
Much has been made the past week of the hot rumor going around that Shaq will be traded to the Cavs to join LeBron. Some people even argue that a Shaq/LeBron duo would greatly enhance the Cavs' ability to win an NBA title in 2010. And in the process keep King James in Ohio.
I am not one of them.
If you are a Cavs fan you better pray this rumor doesn’t have any merit. Shaq to the Cavs would destroy the team.
LeBron would only get worse (if that’s possible) if the team acquired Shaq because his gigantic, slow-moving presence would plug the middle and take away LeBron’s nearly-unstoppable drive-to-the-hole capabilities.
LeBron doesn’t need an overpriced, over-the-hill, non-defender to help him win a title. What LeBron needs is a guard or small forward that can shoot from the outside and defend taller perimeter players.
No disrespect to Delonte West or Mo Williams who are both admirable players but LeBron needs a taller perimeter athlete that can defend bigger players and also be his wingman (a la Scottie Pippen).
The Cavs flat-out could not defend the Orlando Magic’s lengthy shooting trio of Rashard Lewis, Hedo Terkoglu, and Mickael Pietrus in the Eastern Conference championship series and lost because of it.
While Shaq is entertaining and provides great pre- and post-game quotes to the media, his skills have greatly diminished and adding him would only hurt LeBron.
Note to Cavs GM Danny Ferry: If you want to keep LeBron in Cleveland beyond 2010 try adding actual talent your roster to help LeBron—not crappy players like Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak. Adding players in the twilights of their careers is not the answer.
LeBron is a beast and deserves a ring but it won’t be with Shaq.
I am not one of them.
If you are a Cavs fan you better pray this rumor doesn’t have any merit. Shaq to the Cavs would destroy the team.
LeBron would only get worse (if that’s possible) if the team acquired Shaq because his gigantic, slow-moving presence would plug the middle and take away LeBron’s nearly-unstoppable drive-to-the-hole capabilities.
LeBron doesn’t need an overpriced, over-the-hill, non-defender to help him win a title. What LeBron needs is a guard or small forward that can shoot from the outside and defend taller perimeter players.
No disrespect to Delonte West or Mo Williams who are both admirable players but LeBron needs a taller perimeter athlete that can defend bigger players and also be his wingman (a la Scottie Pippen).
The Cavs flat-out could not defend the Orlando Magic’s lengthy shooting trio of Rashard Lewis, Hedo Terkoglu, and Mickael Pietrus in the Eastern Conference championship series and lost because of it.
While Shaq is entertaining and provides great pre- and post-game quotes to the media, his skills have greatly diminished and adding him would only hurt LeBron.
Note to Cavs GM Danny Ferry: If you want to keep LeBron in Cleveland beyond 2010 try adding actual talent your roster to help LeBron—not crappy players like Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak. Adding players in the twilights of their careers is not the answer.
LeBron is a beast and deserves a ring but it won’t be with Shaq.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday Morning Musing, June 15
Can't bring myself to even acknowledge this past weekend's Mile High debacle for the M's, so...
Let me first just say this: I hate Kobe Bryant (and the Lakers, as all Seattle sports fans should), but there was no team preventing his maniacal quest for a fourth NBA championship and his first without the Big Aristotle.
It's a shame. One, because Kobe won another championship. Two, because of what might have been if the Celtics were healthy.
There were only three teams with enough firepower to prevent Kobe from reaching the mountain top: The Magic, Nuggets, Celtics and Lebrons.
The Magic and Nuggets obviously weren't ready and their coaches flat-out failed them. Our old buddy George Karl, who I still stupidly defend as being a good coach (quick question: am I alone as Sonics fan who does this?), by refusing to make adjustments and not having an in-bounds play. Seriously, he didn't have an in-bounds play and it cost him at least two games. Stan Van Gundy, by refusing to play Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston during key stretches.
But aside form the coaching catastophe, really, these teams didn't have the high-pressure experience necessary to deal with Kobe's crew. Both will be back next year.
The Lebrons turned out to be just Lebron, despite all the Mo Williams hyperbole throughout the regular season, which they absolutely dominated. This, by the way, reinforces what we already know about the NBA: the regular season doesn't mean shiite. They were also let down by a coach, Mike Brown, who despite an aesthetic attempt to look smart (his Gucci glasses), failed to make any strategic adjustments throughout the Magic series. He gets the Donald Rumsfeld award for "staying the course" for absolutely no reason.
And, finally, the Celtics, oh my poor Celtics. After treating us to the two best series of the entire playoffs (against the Bulls and Magic), they simply ran out of gas after game 5 of the Magic series. And the yawning void, especially on defense, left by the injury to Kevin Garnett, completely did them in.
So, we're left with a sad "what-if" scenario with the end to this exceedingly disappointing finals. What if Garnett had come back, healthy, midway through the Magic series? What if he had provided an answer and challenge to Dwight Howard? What if the C's took out the Magic and then the Cavs and we were treated to a rematch of the 2008 finals: Lakers-Celtics, the modern version, Round 2?
Last year, the Lakers appeared just happy to be in the finals again, after a three year run of mediocrity and Kobe/Zen Master-inspired drama. Plus, they ran into an on-a-mission Celtics team with three in-their-prime superstars, including our boy Ray-Ray. The Celtics beat them like Brandon Marshall's girlfriend.
Now, to quote Bush (the band of mid-90s brief fame, not the former Idiot-and-Chief): Everyhthing Zen in the city of Angels. And like all of Phil Jackson's championship teams, the Lakers are loaded: Kobe, one of the best guards ever; two 7-footers, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, with great all-around skills and Inspector Gadget arms; another 7-footer who isn't terrible, Andrew Bynum; playoff breakout player of the season, Trevor Ariza (aka the new Boris Diaw); gritty playoff vet, the neck-less Derek Fisher; and a bunch of other serviceable NBAers like Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and Shannon Brown.
The new peaking Lakers vs. the grizzled defending champs would have been great drama for NBA fans and an enormous boost to the league. Think about it for a second.
The Celtics lost Kobe-stopper James Posey, but that's it. They gained an improved Rajondo (my nickname, which I trademarked during the Bulls series while watching games under the influence), and two improved Bigs, in Big Baby Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins, to go into battle with Garnett against Gasol/Bynum/Odom. There would also be Pierce vs. Kobe. And Ray vs. nobody. (By the way, it would have been incredibly interesting to have seen if Kobe would have continued with his newly adopted chin-jutting, lip-clenching, I'm-going-to-kill-a-small-animal-with-my-bare-hands scowl, which he obviously stole from Garnett.)
Those matchups, combined with the history of four decades of memorable matchups would have pushed the NBA back on top of the American sports scene. Plus, the Sports Guy's head would have exploded.
Instead, we just got Kobe celebrating for himself, on the road, against a crappy, inferior opponent. Did I mention I hate Kobe?
The NBA: where boring, predictable championships happen for self-absorbed, unlikable superstars. I just vomited in my mouth a little. I'd rather watch hockey.
Let me first just say this: I hate Kobe Bryant (and the Lakers, as all Seattle sports fans should), but there was no team preventing his maniacal quest for a fourth NBA championship and his first without the Big Aristotle.
It's a shame. One, because Kobe won another championship. Two, because of what might have been if the Celtics were healthy.
There were only three teams with enough firepower to prevent Kobe from reaching the mountain top: The Magic, Nuggets, Celtics and Lebrons.
The Magic and Nuggets obviously weren't ready and their coaches flat-out failed them. Our old buddy George Karl, who I still stupidly defend as being a good coach (quick question: am I alone as Sonics fan who does this?), by refusing to make adjustments and not having an in-bounds play. Seriously, he didn't have an in-bounds play and it cost him at least two games. Stan Van Gundy, by refusing to play Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston during key stretches.
But aside form the coaching catastophe, really, these teams didn't have the high-pressure experience necessary to deal with Kobe's crew. Both will be back next year.
The Lebrons turned out to be just Lebron, despite all the Mo Williams hyperbole throughout the regular season, which they absolutely dominated. This, by the way, reinforces what we already know about the NBA: the regular season doesn't mean shiite. They were also let down by a coach, Mike Brown, who despite an aesthetic attempt to look smart (his Gucci glasses), failed to make any strategic adjustments throughout the Magic series. He gets the Donald Rumsfeld award for "staying the course" for absolutely no reason.
And, finally, the Celtics, oh my poor Celtics. After treating us to the two best series of the entire playoffs (against the Bulls and Magic), they simply ran out of gas after game 5 of the Magic series. And the yawning void, especially on defense, left by the injury to Kevin Garnett, completely did them in.
So, we're left with a sad "what-if" scenario with the end to this exceedingly disappointing finals. What if Garnett had come back, healthy, midway through the Magic series? What if he had provided an answer and challenge to Dwight Howard? What if the C's took out the Magic and then the Cavs and we were treated to a rematch of the 2008 finals: Lakers-Celtics, the modern version, Round 2?
Last year, the Lakers appeared just happy to be in the finals again, after a three year run of mediocrity and Kobe/Zen Master-inspired drama. Plus, they ran into an on-a-mission Celtics team with three in-their-prime superstars, including our boy Ray-Ray. The Celtics beat them like Brandon Marshall's girlfriend.
Now, to quote Bush (the band of mid-90s brief fame, not the former Idiot-and-Chief): Everyhthing Zen in the city of Angels. And like all of Phil Jackson's championship teams, the Lakers are loaded: Kobe, one of the best guards ever; two 7-footers, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, with great all-around skills and Inspector Gadget arms; another 7-footer who isn't terrible, Andrew Bynum; playoff breakout player of the season, Trevor Ariza (aka the new Boris Diaw); gritty playoff vet, the neck-less Derek Fisher; and a bunch of other serviceable NBAers like Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and Shannon Brown.
The new peaking Lakers vs. the grizzled defending champs would have been great drama for NBA fans and an enormous boost to the league. Think about it for a second.
The Celtics lost Kobe-stopper James Posey, but that's it. They gained an improved Rajondo (my nickname, which I trademarked during the Bulls series while watching games under the influence), and two improved Bigs, in Big Baby Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins, to go into battle with Garnett against Gasol/Bynum/Odom. There would also be Pierce vs. Kobe. And Ray vs. nobody. (By the way, it would have been incredibly interesting to have seen if Kobe would have continued with his newly adopted chin-jutting, lip-clenching, I'm-going-to-kill-a-small-animal-with-my-bare-hands scowl, which he obviously stole from Garnett.)
Those matchups, combined with the history of four decades of memorable matchups would have pushed the NBA back on top of the American sports scene. Plus, the Sports Guy's head would have exploded.
Instead, we just got Kobe celebrating for himself, on the road, against a crappy, inferior opponent. Did I mention I hate Kobe?
The NBA: where boring, predictable championships happen for self-absorbed, unlikable superstars. I just vomited in my mouth a little. I'd rather watch hockey.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Big Win For Sounders FC
The Sounders came out firing Saturday night at Qwest Field and it couldn't have come at a better time. Winless in their last 6 matches, and slipping to 3rd place in the West, the Sounders were desperate for 3 points. And they go it.
You could see the intensity on the players' faces. Fresh off a grueling practice, where head coach Sigi Schmid pounded the players with finishing drills, the team looked sharp. From kick-off the Sounders applied relentless pressure on the San Jose Earthquake defense.
Rookie forward Steve Zakuani was playing like a man possessed and consistently snuck behind Earthquake defenders for scoring chances. Sebastien Le Toux supplied numerous tireless runs creating havoc and mismatches all over the field. And the oft-injured Swedish refugee Freddie Ljungberg was magnificent with the ball at his feet, serving Fredy Montero and the rest of the front line with clean goal scoring opportunities.
It was obvious the Sounders were the superior team. All they needed was a goal to show for it.
Finally, with a few minutes to spare in the first half, Ljungberg broke free and chipped the Earthquake goalkeeper for the Sounders' first goal. Montero then made it 2-0 off a corner kick in the second half, where he found himself all alone at the far post for a wide open net. This was all the Sounders would need to cruise to an easy victory.
D.C. United is up next for the Sounders, this Wednesday, June 17th. It should be a great match between 2 of the top 4 teams in the MLS.
You could see the intensity on the players' faces. Fresh off a grueling practice, where head coach Sigi Schmid pounded the players with finishing drills, the team looked sharp. From kick-off the Sounders applied relentless pressure on the San Jose Earthquake defense.
Rookie forward Steve Zakuani was playing like a man possessed and consistently snuck behind Earthquake defenders for scoring chances. Sebastien Le Toux supplied numerous tireless runs creating havoc and mismatches all over the field. And the oft-injured Swedish refugee Freddie Ljungberg was magnificent with the ball at his feet, serving Fredy Montero and the rest of the front line with clean goal scoring opportunities.
It was obvious the Sounders were the superior team. All they needed was a goal to show for it.
Finally, with a few minutes to spare in the first half, Ljungberg broke free and chipped the Earthquake goalkeeper for the Sounders' first goal. Montero then made it 2-0 off a corner kick in the second half, where he found himself all alone at the far post for a wide open net. This was all the Sounders would need to cruise to an easy victory.
D.C. United is up next for the Sounders, this Wednesday, June 17th. It should be a great match between 2 of the top 4 teams in the MLS.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Football Friday - What's Your Fantasy? This Week: Running Backs
It’s time for MRW to come out of the closet and reveal his true feelings……….I’m a fantasy football fanatic. It’s true. I’m one of the biggest fantasy geeks around. My draft board is coming together and my player analysis is almost complete. We are still several months away from the preseason, but this is the time of year when championships are won. So Football Friday has become Fantasy Football Friday, or triple F for short. Well, triple F may not stick, but it is the size of former-Packer Gilbert Brown’s bra size anyway.
Let's start with my top 12 running backs in 2009:
1. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota
AP is the new LT. For a 5 or 6 year stretch, LT was the consensus #1 pick in all of fantasy. I see the same run in AP. He is only 24 years old and heading into his 3rd season. He has been scary good and he will only get better. There are only a handful of players in this league that are a threat to go the distance with every touch and he is one of them.
2. Michael turner – Atlanta
He was phenomenal in 2008, almost 1700 yards and 17 TD’s. No one and I mean no one saw that coming. We saw flashes of brilliance when he was in San Diego but it was in garbage time. He was always in LT’s shadow. Turner was drafted in the 4th round of most leagues last year but he won’t slide past #2 overall this year. The only knock on Turner is that he is not an every down back. He will lose some carries to Norwood and get pulled on 3rd downs, but he is a beast at the goal line.
3. Matt Forte – Chicago
I love this kid. In his first pro game he took a carry 50+ yards to the house. Forte has all the tools. He has the speed to break long runs, the strength to run in between the tackles and he has the softest hands outside of Westbrook. He led the league last year in receptions at the RB position. Forte had 379 total touches last year. Add Cutler behind center and defenses can’t stack the line. I expect Forte to improve on his numbers from last season and find much more running room this year.
4. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville
He is going to be an absolute beast this year. He is probably the shortest starting running back in the league, but he has balls. Just ask Mr. Lights Out. We all saw the block he put on Merriman at the goal line. I rank MJD #4 because he is an every down back. Without Fred Taylor in the fold MJD will get all the carries. He scored 12 times last year on 197 carries. Imagine how many more TD’s he will score with 100+ more carries this year. He is also a monster in the passing game racking up 565 yards on 62 catches. He is like a poor man’s Westbrook, except he is one of the best goal line runners in the game.
5. Steven Jackson – St. Louis
If Steven Jackson could stay healthy and play a full season you could slot him in front of Forte at #3. The NFL has changed over the last few years. We now have the RBBC or running back by committee. This is a fantasy owner’s nightmare. S-Jax is a 3 down player. He runs well between the tackles, catches the ball like a receiver and mashes at the goal line. He is the type of back you could build a championship around. But he will sit 2-3 games due to injury (running style) and he plays for a shitty team that won’t score many TD’s.
6. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina
For the record, I’m not a DeAngelo Williams fan or believer. It will be impossible for him to duplicate his production from last year. I just don’t think Carolina is going to produce 30 rushing TD’s again. Williams will still split carries with Stewart who now has a year of experience under his belt. If Carolina falls down to the range of 20 rushing TD’s then DeAngelo’s piece of the pie will be about 10 or 11 scores. Remember, he wasn’t good enough to beat out Deshaun Foster for a starting gig the past few years. What happens if Stewart has the hot hand early and the Panthers ride him? Williams may find himself playing second fiddle to the bigger, faster Stewart. Williams is a high risk high reward player. I have Williams this high on my board, only because the players rated below him either have injury concerns or play with bad offenses. When it comes to Williams you have to ask yourself, do I really want my #1 guy to share the load 50/50? He’s just not my type of player.
7. LaDainian Tomlinson – San Diego
People might think I’m crazy for listing him this high. But please hear me out before passing judgment. He scored 12 TD’s last year with 1,536 combined yards. If I gave you this stat line without a name attached to it, would you take it 7 picks into a draft? The answer is hell yes. I think LT will even improve on these numbers. San Diego has a good offense that lives in the red zone. LT will continue to get the goal line carries. This pretty much guarantees him 10TD’s. He was hampered by a toe injury that bothered him all season and he looked awfully slow last year. But that injury is healed and LT has supposedly looked great in camp. The bolts also get a healthy Merriman back on defense. His presence alone with create more opportunities for the offense to put points on the board.
8. Frank Gore – San Francisco
If Frank Gore played on a better team he would move up 3 slots on my board. The reality is that SF sucks. They just don’t get into the red zone enough for Gore to put up huge numbers. He is probably one of my favorite players to watch run the ball. In his rookie season you would have thought defensive players broke into his mama’s house on Sunday, stole her good hair (weave), kicked grandma in the stomach and ate the entire peach cobbler. He really punished people and ran with a mean streak. He rarely went out of bounds and always fought for the extra yard. He still plays that way today. I like Gore because you won’t see him on the sidelines. He plays all three downs. However, I would like to see him get into the end zone a little more often.
9. Brian Westbrook – Philly
Westbrook gains yards like Kristy Ally gains LB’s, in chunks. Westbrook has been my favorite NFL player for the last 4 years. But his days of 2000 combined yard seasons are over. He has had several surgeries to his knees and just went under the knife a few days ago to remove bone spurs in his ankle. It seems like he is held together by band-aids. The Eagles also drafted McCoy who will steal a few touches. You can expect him to miss 2 to 3 games, have 8-10 TD’s and about 1,500 combined yards.
10. Chris Johnson – Tennessee
This kid can flat out burn. He was the fastest player in the 08 draft. I’m kind of surprised the Raiders didn’t pick him over McFadden (just kidding). LenDale White should do us all a favor and throw himself in front a bus. He is a touchdown vulture that seriously hampers Johnson’s stats. If he wasn’t around, Johnson would be a top 5 pick. As a rookie he had 1,488 combined yards and 10TD’s. With another year of experience, Johnson should command a larger role in the offense. If he gets it in the preseason, slot him as high as #6 on your draft board.
11. Steve Slaton – Houston
Slaton came out of nowhere last year. He was very opportunistic with all the injuries to the RB’s ahead of him on the depth chart. He racked up 1,659 total yards with 10 TD’s. Given his lack of size the Texans may take some carries away from him to keep him healthy. He won’t be the back of choice at the goal line either. He should be a steady producer all year.
12. Clinton Portis – Washington
Portis is starting to wear down. He has lugged a lot of carries over the past 7 seasons. This could be the year he hits the wall. He is pretty much guaranteed to get at least 325 carries if he stays healthy. He averaged 4.3 yards a carry in 2008 but most of that production was done in the first 8 games. He looked pedestrian the second half of the year. That trend could continue. I expect 8 – 10 TD’s and 1,500 combined yards.
Others you should considerable:
Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs.
Check back next week for my top 12 wide receivers.
Let's start with my top 12 running backs in 2009:
1. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota
AP is the new LT. For a 5 or 6 year stretch, LT was the consensus #1 pick in all of fantasy. I see the same run in AP. He is only 24 years old and heading into his 3rd season. He has been scary good and he will only get better. There are only a handful of players in this league that are a threat to go the distance with every touch and he is one of them.
2. Michael turner – Atlanta
He was phenomenal in 2008, almost 1700 yards and 17 TD’s. No one and I mean no one saw that coming. We saw flashes of brilliance when he was in San Diego but it was in garbage time. He was always in LT’s shadow. Turner was drafted in the 4th round of most leagues last year but he won’t slide past #2 overall this year. The only knock on Turner is that he is not an every down back. He will lose some carries to Norwood and get pulled on 3rd downs, but he is a beast at the goal line.
3. Matt Forte – Chicago
I love this kid. In his first pro game he took a carry 50+ yards to the house. Forte has all the tools. He has the speed to break long runs, the strength to run in between the tackles and he has the softest hands outside of Westbrook. He led the league last year in receptions at the RB position. Forte had 379 total touches last year. Add Cutler behind center and defenses can’t stack the line. I expect Forte to improve on his numbers from last season and find much more running room this year.
4. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville
He is going to be an absolute beast this year. He is probably the shortest starting running back in the league, but he has balls. Just ask Mr. Lights Out. We all saw the block he put on Merriman at the goal line. I rank MJD #4 because he is an every down back. Without Fred Taylor in the fold MJD will get all the carries. He scored 12 times last year on 197 carries. Imagine how many more TD’s he will score with 100+ more carries this year. He is also a monster in the passing game racking up 565 yards on 62 catches. He is like a poor man’s Westbrook, except he is one of the best goal line runners in the game.
5. Steven Jackson – St. Louis
If Steven Jackson could stay healthy and play a full season you could slot him in front of Forte at #3. The NFL has changed over the last few years. We now have the RBBC or running back by committee. This is a fantasy owner’s nightmare. S-Jax is a 3 down player. He runs well between the tackles, catches the ball like a receiver and mashes at the goal line. He is the type of back you could build a championship around. But he will sit 2-3 games due to injury (running style) and he plays for a shitty team that won’t score many TD’s.
6. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina
For the record, I’m not a DeAngelo Williams fan or believer. It will be impossible for him to duplicate his production from last year. I just don’t think Carolina is going to produce 30 rushing TD’s again. Williams will still split carries with Stewart who now has a year of experience under his belt. If Carolina falls down to the range of 20 rushing TD’s then DeAngelo’s piece of the pie will be about 10 or 11 scores. Remember, he wasn’t good enough to beat out Deshaun Foster for a starting gig the past few years. What happens if Stewart has the hot hand early and the Panthers ride him? Williams may find himself playing second fiddle to the bigger, faster Stewart. Williams is a high risk high reward player. I have Williams this high on my board, only because the players rated below him either have injury concerns or play with bad offenses. When it comes to Williams you have to ask yourself, do I really want my #1 guy to share the load 50/50? He’s just not my type of player.
7. LaDainian Tomlinson – San Diego
People might think I’m crazy for listing him this high. But please hear me out before passing judgment. He scored 12 TD’s last year with 1,536 combined yards. If I gave you this stat line without a name attached to it, would you take it 7 picks into a draft? The answer is hell yes. I think LT will even improve on these numbers. San Diego has a good offense that lives in the red zone. LT will continue to get the goal line carries. This pretty much guarantees him 10TD’s. He was hampered by a toe injury that bothered him all season and he looked awfully slow last year. But that injury is healed and LT has supposedly looked great in camp. The bolts also get a healthy Merriman back on defense. His presence alone with create more opportunities for the offense to put points on the board.
8. Frank Gore – San Francisco
If Frank Gore played on a better team he would move up 3 slots on my board. The reality is that SF sucks. They just don’t get into the red zone enough for Gore to put up huge numbers. He is probably one of my favorite players to watch run the ball. In his rookie season you would have thought defensive players broke into his mama’s house on Sunday, stole her good hair (weave), kicked grandma in the stomach and ate the entire peach cobbler. He really punished people and ran with a mean streak. He rarely went out of bounds and always fought for the extra yard. He still plays that way today. I like Gore because you won’t see him on the sidelines. He plays all three downs. However, I would like to see him get into the end zone a little more often.
9. Brian Westbrook – Philly
Westbrook gains yards like Kristy Ally gains LB’s, in chunks. Westbrook has been my favorite NFL player for the last 4 years. But his days of 2000 combined yard seasons are over. He has had several surgeries to his knees and just went under the knife a few days ago to remove bone spurs in his ankle. It seems like he is held together by band-aids. The Eagles also drafted McCoy who will steal a few touches. You can expect him to miss 2 to 3 games, have 8-10 TD’s and about 1,500 combined yards.
10. Chris Johnson – Tennessee
This kid can flat out burn. He was the fastest player in the 08 draft. I’m kind of surprised the Raiders didn’t pick him over McFadden (just kidding). LenDale White should do us all a favor and throw himself in front a bus. He is a touchdown vulture that seriously hampers Johnson’s stats. If he wasn’t around, Johnson would be a top 5 pick. As a rookie he had 1,488 combined yards and 10TD’s. With another year of experience, Johnson should command a larger role in the offense. If he gets it in the preseason, slot him as high as #6 on your draft board.
11. Steve Slaton – Houston
Slaton came out of nowhere last year. He was very opportunistic with all the injuries to the RB’s ahead of him on the depth chart. He racked up 1,659 total yards with 10 TD’s. Given his lack of size the Texans may take some carries away from him to keep him healthy. He won’t be the back of choice at the goal line either. He should be a steady producer all year.
12. Clinton Portis – Washington
Portis is starting to wear down. He has lugged a lot of carries over the past 7 seasons. This could be the year he hits the wall. He is pretty much guaranteed to get at least 325 carries if he stays healthy. He averaged 4.3 yards a carry in 2008 but most of that production was done in the first 8 games. He looked pedestrian the second half of the year. That trend could continue. I expect 8 – 10 TD’s and 1,500 combined yards.
Others you should considerable:
Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs.
Check back next week for my top 12 wide receivers.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Happy Dustin Ackley Day!
At sometime after 3pm PST, the M's will begin to rebuild their minor league system. Considered in the bottom third of baseball, Bill Bavasi traded away most of the talent that would've been MLB ready in 2009-2010. Jack Z will attempt to draft players today that will restock that system and bring it back to respectability. If the M's play their cards right, their farm system might be considered in the middle of the pack at the same time next year.
Whether Dustin Ackley (CF) or Aaron Crow (starting Pitcher) are taken, either will instantly become the M's #1 prospect. In fact, the first 4-5 players taken will probably land on the M's top 10 prospect list -- that's how bad their minor league talent has fallen.
Most intriguing is what the M's are attempting to do with their 2nd 1st round pick at #27. The MLB draft is the opposite the NBA or NFL drafts where the top talent gets taken first. In the MLB draft, often top 5 or top 10 stud talents will fall later or out of the first round due to financial concerns or signability. Poorer teams will sign a 2nd round talent in the first round if that player agrees to take less money than similar players in that slot. The M's are said to be negotiating with Steve Baron (a catcher), a projected 3rd rounder, and will take him with the 33rd pick, if he'll take 3rd round money. That way, the M's will overpay for a stud talent who falls to them at #27.
The M's, who possess deeper financial pockets than most of their baseball brethren, are strategically hoping that several stud pitchers will fall to them. The draft will be considered a wild success today if the M's draft one of the following pitchers at #27:
1. Tanner Scheppers
2. Matt Purke
3. James Paxton
4. Kyle Gibson
Any of these players are considered top 5-10 talents. Scheppers is said to have arm issues but throws a high 90's fastball.
Go get 'em, Jack Z!
Whether Dustin Ackley (CF) or Aaron Crow (starting Pitcher) are taken, either will instantly become the M's #1 prospect. In fact, the first 4-5 players taken will probably land on the M's top 10 prospect list -- that's how bad their minor league talent has fallen.
Most intriguing is what the M's are attempting to do with their 2nd 1st round pick at #27. The MLB draft is the opposite the NBA or NFL drafts where the top talent gets taken first. In the MLB draft, often top 5 or top 10 stud talents will fall later or out of the first round due to financial concerns or signability. Poorer teams will sign a 2nd round talent in the first round if that player agrees to take less money than similar players in that slot. The M's are said to be negotiating with Steve Baron (a catcher), a projected 3rd rounder, and will take him with the 33rd pick, if he'll take 3rd round money. That way, the M's will overpay for a stud talent who falls to them at #27.
The M's, who possess deeper financial pockets than most of their baseball brethren, are strategically hoping that several stud pitchers will fall to them. The draft will be considered a wild success today if the M's draft one of the following pitchers at #27:
1. Tanner Scheppers
2. Matt Purke
3. James Paxton
4. Kyle Gibson
Any of these players are considered top 5-10 talents. Scheppers is said to have arm issues but throws a high 90's fastball.
Go get 'em, Jack Z!
Erik Bedard: Keep or Trade?
Now that the M’s are back to only one game under .500 and only 5.5 games out of first place in the AL West, the pressure on Jack Z to sign or deal Bedard is at an all-time high.
Fans seem to be in one of two camps: either trade the lefty to the highest bidder or lock him up to a long term deal. Bedard is like Two-Face in Batman—there are two different sides to him. You either love or hate the guy.
The Seattle Times ran an article a few days back about Bedard stating that he really does want to play for the M’s long-term, saying, “I love Seattle. I can’t complain– the city, the fans, the stadium, all of the new coaches we got, the players. It’s a lot of fun. I love it here.”
Is this posturing by Bedard or truly genuine? The same article also mentioned how Bedard and Jay Buhner have formed a friendship over fishing and Bedard typically fishes at Buhner’s house in Issaquah a few times a week when the M’s are in town. Should this make any difference to the M’s?
No, but it is worth examining further.
Bedard, never one for the limelight or big city, may actually like it in Seattle and may even be pitching better to stay here. Or in an effort to make a crap load of money elsewhere. Who knows? Let's look at what you get from the Candadian lefty.
Here are the positives:
-Bedard owns the sickest left-handed hook in baseball. Period.
-He is also 5-2 with a miniscule earned run average of only 2.47 (This is the American League people!!) His win/losses would be even better if not for the anemic M’s offense.
-Having an all-star season—should have more wins to show for it.
-In 65 innings of work, Bedard has only allowed 54 hits and has struck out a whopping 65.
-Left-handers are only hitting .203 against the dominant south-paw.
-He has allowed no more than 3 runs in any of his 11 starts.
Here are the negatives:
-Has only gone more than 7 innings in two starts.
-Highly injury prone—weak back and hip.
-Tendency to leave games early after hitting self-imposed “100 pitch limit.”
-Will never live up to magnitude of the Adam Jones trade
-Poor attitude (reminds me of Grumpy Smurf: I hate baseball)
While Bedard is truly pitching like the ace we all expected in the trade last season with the Dirty Birds, he is also the hottest commodity on the trade market. The Phillies obviously need another horse in the rotation and Bedard could be their man. Jack Z would be silly not to demand the farm in any trade for the south-paw and should explore all avenues.
If the M’s decide to lock him up long term, they would have a dominant 1-2 punch for the next three to five years. With any additional offense in future Jack Z trades, King and Bedard just might be the most feared 1-2 punch in baseball. These two arms in the starting rotation can win playoff series by themselves. With ANY offense, these two could win 20 games apiece. Easily.
In the end, I tend to bounce back and forth on what to do with Bedard. One minute I hate him, the next I stand up and yell when I watch that 12-6 hook absolutely freeze left handed hitters.
I’m putting my faith in Jack Z on this one to do the right thing whatever that is…
What does everyone else think?
Keep or Trade?
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday Morning Musing, June 8
As always, these are random thoughts to get your week started on the right and/or wrong foot. Prepare to be spellbound. Or at least mildly amused.
Who cares if our offensive scoring prowess is worse than the two dudes from Superbad? So what if 40 percent of our starting rotation should be taking buses to games in small towns with names that end in "ville"?
Right now, this team of thrown-together misfits, castoffs, underachieving middle infielders, over-the-hill Hall of Famers, aloof Asian superstars and over-priced free agent mistakes is positively scorching the earth like the climax of a Michael Bay film.
Relatively speaking.
In fact, the M's have won two in a row (shoula been three, Wladamir!) taken three straight series against solid competition (Angels, Orioles and Twins) and sit just one game under .500. Not bad, but not awesome. But here's the kicker. We're improving. That's right, the Mariners are getting better.
The starting pitching has been fantastic. The new lineup, with Branyan hitting second, has been increasingly productive.
But the most impressive wrinkle in this delightfully unpredictable season is that this team is coming to play every night or afternoon. We lose focus and games, some that we shouldn't, some that we blew. Regardless, we're coming back the next day and playing hard.
I credit Wak and I credit our cooky veterans.
Wak, because he's willing to make changes (brilliant on the Branyan shift) and holds his players accountable for making preventable mistakes (Jose, Yuni, even Felix have all been taken to task for mental errors).
By cooky veterans, I mean Griffey and Sweeney. These graybeards are keeping this team focused and in stitches. The major league baseball season is long and arduous. You need to have a short memory to keep coming back day after day and act like nothing (good or bad) happened yesterday. And what's the best way to forget about your troubles: laughing. Comedy as cure-all.
When Griffey's gone, sadly, the Mariners will need to hire Zach Galafianakis to fill the comedic void. "The Hangover" star probably couldn't hit much worse. It hurts just to write that, but I'm sure, if he read that surprisingly topical joke, the new ego-less Ken "Cosby" Griffey would probably be laughing. When isn't he?
Anyway, I'm enjoying it.
Other musings:
-This Bedard renaissance is a sham. He's a mercenary, plain and simple. If someone were to play him in a movie, it would be Jean Claude Van Dam.
-He's also re-established himself as one of the top 5 nastiest pitchers in the American League. Scouts are watching. Too bad we still won't get half of what we gave up for him.
-Seahawks starting tailback, Michael Vick. Sounds good, doesn't it.
-If you saw Pau Gasol on the street, wouldn't you wonder why someone that tall had fallen so far and wasn't playing in the NBA? Wouldn't you point him to the nearest homeless shelter, keep walking and then make a (Chappelle) Rick James joke? "Cocaine is a helluva drug."
-I really hope the Magic win a couple of games against the Lakers, just to prolong the series. Aside from Rescue Me (best season yet and it goes all summer long) and the occasionally train-wreckish fun of crappy reality shows, TV is terrible this time of year.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Mariner Player Analysis a Shame
Former GM Bill Bavasi's trade for starting pitcher Erik Bedard might very well turn out to be the very worst deal in Mariner history. All apologies to fellow idiot ex-GM Woody Woodward's soul-crushing Slocumb-Varitek/Lowe deal.
With the Birds and budding superstar center fielder Adam Jones just leaving Safeco Field, it's not hard to imagine new Mariner management shaking their heads in disgust. Jack Z must have been cursing Bavasi with every Jones at bat this week.
Mariner fans see Jones's batting average (345), RBI's (36), HR's (11), Runs (42), and slugging percentage topping .600 and want to stab themselves with the closest sharp object.
The problem was the Bavasi-led M's front office didn't see it and gave up on one of their best prospects to play in their system. Just another debacle we fans call Mariner talent evaluation.
I will admit I too thought Jones was overrated. But I don't have 20-plus years of experience evaluating talent, and earning a good paycheck to make those decisions. How could the Mariner front office give up on Jones that early? He's only 24 years old!!!
The Mariners were expecting to get an ace in Bedard, who is finally pitching like person the the team traded for. But it's too late. Bedard will get traded before the deadline (for someone not as good as Jones), and the M's will be left without a stud center fielder that will dominate the game for the next decade. And for what? An injury-plagued 2008 and a couple solid months in 'o9 from Bedard.
What a blunder! What a shame! What an embarrasement from an organization that hasn't won a championship, even in a 116 win season.
Please Jack Z, we can't take this anymore, give this franchise a winning strategy.
With the Birds and budding superstar center fielder Adam Jones just leaving Safeco Field, it's not hard to imagine new Mariner management shaking their heads in disgust. Jack Z must have been cursing Bavasi with every Jones at bat this week.
Mariner fans see Jones's batting average (345), RBI's (36), HR's (11), Runs (42), and slugging percentage topping .600 and want to stab themselves with the closest sharp object.
The problem was the Bavasi-led M's front office didn't see it and gave up on one of their best prospects to play in their system. Just another debacle we fans call Mariner talent evaluation.
I will admit I too thought Jones was overrated. But I don't have 20-plus years of experience evaluating talent, and earning a good paycheck to make those decisions. How could the Mariner front office give up on Jones that early? He's only 24 years old!!!
The Mariners were expecting to get an ace in Bedard, who is finally pitching like person the the team traded for. But it's too late. Bedard will get traded before the deadline (for someone not as good as Jones), and the M's will be left without a stud center fielder that will dominate the game for the next decade. And for what? An injury-plagued 2008 and a couple solid months in 'o9 from Bedard.
What a blunder! What a shame! What an embarrasement from an organization that hasn't won a championship, even in a 116 win season.
Please Jack Z, we can't take this anymore, give this franchise a winning strategy.
M's Need to Make Moves: Who's Going, Who's Staying
With the Mariners likely falling out of contention well before the trade deadline, they would be well-advised to start lining up potential trade partners and begin to assess their opponents’ minor league prospects.
Again, my biggest fear is that the M’s will deliver false hope and remain in contention thereby making it more difficult to justify trading veterans for prospects. It’s a tricky balancing act. The M’s need their trade chips to play well enough to increase their value but for the team to remain far enough outside of the race in order to necessitate said trades.
It would be suicide for the M’s to fail to move their assets only to see them walk away for nothing as free agents. If you have followed my posts over the past two months, you’ll see that I have been consistent in my advocacy of how the team should be demolished as well as how it should be re-constructed. Here are the likely moves:
Pack your bags:
1. Jarrod Washburn
With an improved defense, Jarrod has pitched well enough to warrant interest from several teams. He can help another team as a fairly decent 3rd of 4th starter and can pitch well into ballgames. Some say he's developed a "cutter." Whatever. Although, he’ll cost around $5 million for the stretch run, Wash has a lot of value as a lefty innings eater and can occasionally be brilliant.
Destination:
The Twins, Yankees, Phillies, Angels, Rangers, Breweres, White Sox, and Cubs, will all have interest. Unless packaged with another player, the M’s will likely receive only a low level “B” prospect or two.
2. Erik Bedard
Bedard has been spectacular in 2009 and hasn’t given up more than 3 runs in any of his starts. The team’s crappy hitting has held down his win totals but that doesn’t matter. Owed less than $4 million after July, Bedard will be seen as a classic rent-a-player who can help carry a team to the playoffs.
Destination:
The Yankees, Phillies, White Sox, Cubs, Red Sox, Tigers and Dodgers are all interested. The M’s should net at least one impact minor leaguer and several B level prospects. If the failed Jake Peavy trade to Chicago is any indicator, teams are wisely holding onto their prospects and not giving much up in return. The Yanks have outfield talent to spare while Philly has solid AA pitching. Look for Jack to make the best possible haul – with Philly matching up the best for the M’s.
3. Adrian Beltre
Beltre will undoubtedly heat up in the next 30 days – hopefully increasing his trade value. He's been awful so far. As a type “B” free agent, Beltre is in no-man’s land. He’s not valuable enough to keep (M’s won’t get a 1st round draft pick for him) and he wants out. Teams will value his defense and will gamble that his stats are deflated by playing in a pitcher’s park.
Destination:
Chicago Cubs. Also looking: Dodgers, Minnesota, White Sox, Philadelphia, and Angels. The Dodgers are said to want him back but Casey Blake is playing well. The M’s would’ve gotten more for him last year but will have to settle for a couple of “B” prospects. Perhaps Jack Z can package Beltre with some pitching (Brandon Morrow?) for something even better.
50-50 chance of being moved:
4. Yuni Betancourt
Management doesn’t like him. Coaches can’t stand his plate approach. Even the fans are getting wise to his crappy OBP. He’s a goner and the M’s will move him for whatever they can get. Don’t be fooled by seeing him bat in the #2 hole. It’s just to showcase him and pump his BA up with better pitches. Some team will trade for him (and move him to 2nd base) on the promise that he can be taught a new approach without being in a pitcher’s park. Good riddance.
Destination:
Minnesota. Also looking: LA Dodgers, Detroit, Philly. M’s won’t get much of anything and will have to eat some of Yuni’s salary just to get a “B” prospect or two.
5. Jeff Clement / Russell Branyan / Mike Carp
One of these 3 players must be moved. Bet your house that Jack Z will see if he can get something worthwhile for moving Branyan. Jack won’t let The Muscle go for nothing, and might try to sign him to an extension. The Muscle fits the organization’s philosophy of patience (.400 OBA) but is over 30, might want $7-10 million per season and has never been this good before. Clement is too hurt to play catcher and doesn’t hit enough to unseat Branyan at 1st base. The organization is all for giving talented young players a chance to play but seem hesitant to let Clement take Griffey’s spot as DH. Carp is the best long-term solution at 1st/DH and is young. Something tells me that Clement will be the one to get moved. Stay tuned.
6. Endy Chavez
Little Endy started hot and has cooled off back to reality. Of course, he wasn’t really a .300 hitter to begin with. He’s fine as a 4th outfielder but is a poor long-term fit on a club that has some outfielders who are burning to play (Raben, Saunders, and soon-to-be-drafted Dustin Ackley). By the way, did anyone notice that the team won more games with Endy batting leadoff rather than Ichiro? Rumors persist that he can be had. Perhaps he’ll be part of a package.
Probably not going anywhere:
7. Jose Lopez
Lopez is a head scratcher. At times, he plays like an All-Star, at others he completely vanishes. Once Yuni goes, fans will target him next. How much longer can the team watch Lopez bat .250? Is he regressing? He has too much potential and the team has no infield talent to replace him. If Lopez gets his act together, the 3rd base job could be his. No way he’s the starting 2nd bagger in 2010 or 2011. He should be the type of player that hits 20 HR, 90 RBI and bats .275+. If. If. If.
8. David Aardsma
Aardsma was a superb pickup for the M’s and has filled the setup man/closer role admirably. Although Aardsma has a power arm, he’s been prone to wildness which led the Red Sox to give him away. With so many relievers coming up in the next couple of years, Aardsma seems to be a likely trade candidate. However, there is no need to move him because the M's control his rights for the next several years. Jack Z would be wise to see what he can get anyway.
Not going anywhere:
9. Carlos Silva
After the M's took him out of the starting rotation, they stopped hemorrhaging losses. Fatty needs to follow Ty Willingham out of the state but he has $30 million reasons not to leave. Unless the M's can move him for another bad contract, or release him, he's probably the mop up guy.
10. Ken Griffey
Yes, he's done. He's not the guy we remember when he carried the M's to high heights and put the city on the map. Kenny built Safeco field with his black bat, bare hands, and hey-o attitude. Every night I'm at the game, I just want to see one more highlight to remind me of what life was like back in 1995. The team will probably call up Clement to share some ABs with the kid any day now.
Again, my biggest fear is that the M’s will deliver false hope and remain in contention thereby making it more difficult to justify trading veterans for prospects. It’s a tricky balancing act. The M’s need their trade chips to play well enough to increase their value but for the team to remain far enough outside of the race in order to necessitate said trades.
It would be suicide for the M’s to fail to move their assets only to see them walk away for nothing as free agents. If you have followed my posts over the past two months, you’ll see that I have been consistent in my advocacy of how the team should be demolished as well as how it should be re-constructed. Here are the likely moves:
Pack your bags:
1. Jarrod Washburn
With an improved defense, Jarrod has pitched well enough to warrant interest from several teams. He can help another team as a fairly decent 3rd of 4th starter and can pitch well into ballgames. Some say he's developed a "cutter." Whatever. Although, he’ll cost around $5 million for the stretch run, Wash has a lot of value as a lefty innings eater and can occasionally be brilliant.
Destination:
The Twins, Yankees, Phillies, Angels, Rangers, Breweres, White Sox, and Cubs, will all have interest. Unless packaged with another player, the M’s will likely receive only a low level “B” prospect or two.
2. Erik Bedard
Bedard has been spectacular in 2009 and hasn’t given up more than 3 runs in any of his starts. The team’s crappy hitting has held down his win totals but that doesn’t matter. Owed less than $4 million after July, Bedard will be seen as a classic rent-a-player who can help carry a team to the playoffs.
Destination:
The Yankees, Phillies, White Sox, Cubs, Red Sox, Tigers and Dodgers are all interested. The M’s should net at least one impact minor leaguer and several B level prospects. If the failed Jake Peavy trade to Chicago is any indicator, teams are wisely holding onto their prospects and not giving much up in return. The Yanks have outfield talent to spare while Philly has solid AA pitching. Look for Jack to make the best possible haul – with Philly matching up the best for the M’s.
3. Adrian Beltre
Beltre will undoubtedly heat up in the next 30 days – hopefully increasing his trade value. He's been awful so far. As a type “B” free agent, Beltre is in no-man’s land. He’s not valuable enough to keep (M’s won’t get a 1st round draft pick for him) and he wants out. Teams will value his defense and will gamble that his stats are deflated by playing in a pitcher’s park.
Destination:
Chicago Cubs. Also looking: Dodgers, Minnesota, White Sox, Philadelphia, and Angels. The Dodgers are said to want him back but Casey Blake is playing well. The M’s would’ve gotten more for him last year but will have to settle for a couple of “B” prospects. Perhaps Jack Z can package Beltre with some pitching (Brandon Morrow?) for something even better.
50-50 chance of being moved:
4. Yuni Betancourt
Management doesn’t like him. Coaches can’t stand his plate approach. Even the fans are getting wise to his crappy OBP. He’s a goner and the M’s will move him for whatever they can get. Don’t be fooled by seeing him bat in the #2 hole. It’s just to showcase him and pump his BA up with better pitches. Some team will trade for him (and move him to 2nd base) on the promise that he can be taught a new approach without being in a pitcher’s park. Good riddance.
Destination:
Minnesota. Also looking: LA Dodgers, Detroit, Philly. M’s won’t get much of anything and will have to eat some of Yuni’s salary just to get a “B” prospect or two.
5. Jeff Clement / Russell Branyan / Mike Carp
One of these 3 players must be moved. Bet your house that Jack Z will see if he can get something worthwhile for moving Branyan. Jack won’t let The Muscle go for nothing, and might try to sign him to an extension. The Muscle fits the organization’s philosophy of patience (.400 OBA) but is over 30, might want $7-10 million per season and has never been this good before. Clement is too hurt to play catcher and doesn’t hit enough to unseat Branyan at 1st base. The organization is all for giving talented young players a chance to play but seem hesitant to let Clement take Griffey’s spot as DH. Carp is the best long-term solution at 1st/DH and is young. Something tells me that Clement will be the one to get moved. Stay tuned.
6. Endy Chavez
Little Endy started hot and has cooled off back to reality. Of course, he wasn’t really a .300 hitter to begin with. He’s fine as a 4th outfielder but is a poor long-term fit on a club that has some outfielders who are burning to play (Raben, Saunders, and soon-to-be-drafted Dustin Ackley). By the way, did anyone notice that the team won more games with Endy batting leadoff rather than Ichiro? Rumors persist that he can be had. Perhaps he’ll be part of a package.
Probably not going anywhere:
7. Jose Lopez
Lopez is a head scratcher. At times, he plays like an All-Star, at others he completely vanishes. Once Yuni goes, fans will target him next. How much longer can the team watch Lopez bat .250? Is he regressing? He has too much potential and the team has no infield talent to replace him. If Lopez gets his act together, the 3rd base job could be his. No way he’s the starting 2nd bagger in 2010 or 2011. He should be the type of player that hits 20 HR, 90 RBI and bats .275+. If. If. If.
8. David Aardsma
Aardsma was a superb pickup for the M’s and has filled the setup man/closer role admirably. Although Aardsma has a power arm, he’s been prone to wildness which led the Red Sox to give him away. With so many relievers coming up in the next couple of years, Aardsma seems to be a likely trade candidate. However, there is no need to move him because the M's control his rights for the next several years. Jack Z would be wise to see what he can get anyway.
Not going anywhere:
9. Carlos Silva
After the M's took him out of the starting rotation, they stopped hemorrhaging losses. Fatty needs to follow Ty Willingham out of the state but he has $30 million reasons not to leave. Unless the M's can move him for another bad contract, or release him, he's probably the mop up guy.
10. Ken Griffey
Yes, he's done. He's not the guy we remember when he carried the M's to high heights and put the city on the map. Kenny built Safeco field with his black bat, bare hands, and hey-o attitude. Every night I'm at the game, I just want to see one more highlight to remind me of what life was like back in 1995. The team will probably call up Clement to share some ABs with the kid any day now.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Struggling Putz Reveals Jack Z's Skills
Former M's super closer and self-appointed team prankster JJ Putz is struggling -- almost Morrow like -- in his first season in the Big Apple. Last night, after entering in the 8th to set-up K-Rod, he blew a four-run Mets lead in a game New York would eventually lose to Pittsburgh, 8-5.
Mets GM Omar Minaya, who's bullpen last year directly led them to another playoff-less season, gave up some significant pieces and potential to acquire Putz to be a shut-down pre-closer. In 28 games, his ERA is a disappointing 5.08 and he has as many walks 19 as strikeouts.
Anyone who watched Putzy for the M's last year could have seen this coming. He was injured and when he wasn't, he just didn't look right. At least not like the nearly-hittable all-star Putz of 2007.
One guy definitely paying attention: Mr. Jack Z.
We hear about "selling high" on trades in all our sports and fantasy leagues. Jay-Z sold high on Putz, acquiring one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, Franklin Gutierrez (on a side note: Guti's Rooters, or whatever those sad handful of centerfield fans are called, look like they consist of Franklin's mom, dad and two cousins. The crowds in Safeco look pathetic this year.), along with patient, almost-big-league-ready hitter, Mike Carp as well turning Aaron Heilman into a nice utility guy, Ronnie Cedeno.
Sure, those guys aren't world beaters, but they're productive and fill holes in the system Jack Z is putting together. It's infinitely better than having a closer on the down slope of his career.
On the other hand, Bill Bavasi was the king of buying high and selling low (I'm convinced he had something to do with the country's economic collapse) and the damage he did will resonate for at least another three years.
But Jay-Z has a chance to undo some of that damage this season with a host of tradeable chips, including Bedard, who we will root for again tonight again. And we won't even care if he wins. If he pitches well, it will give our new GM that much more leverage in trade negotiations.
Now, if he can somehow use that leverage to acquire some hitters so we will not continue to make the likes of Rich Hill look like Sandy Koufax.
Phillies Shaping Into Bonafide Suitor
At least 6 Mariners are on the trading block now that our boys of very early spring have caused our front office to reach the inevitable realization that we will not be competing for a World Series championship (despite all of our hopes and prayers), says SI.com's prolofic baseball writer Jon Heyman.
Heyman says underachieving Canadian mercenary Erik Bedard will be the top target for a handful of clubs, with the Phillies shooting up the list of possible suitors after finding out that Brett Meyers may miss the rest of the season.
Others mentioned were the usual suspects: Adrian Beltre, Jarrod Washburn, Yuniesky Betancourt, Miggy Batista and Russell "the Muscle" Branyan.
Phillies will also be targeting the ultra-talented Jake Peavy. But Peavy already turned down a trade to the White Sox and may not be willing to accept a trade to any team except the water-treading Cubs who still insanely harbor World Series aspirations despite being only a couple of games better than the M's. This leaves Bedard as the Phillies number one option.
And we all know how Bedard feels about being in Philly over Seattle. Jerk.
I'm not sure who the Phillies have on the farm, but I think we should start scouring it for new Mariners.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Monday Morning Musing, June 1
Before we get to musing, let me just say, welcome to Wetland Sports where will we be waxing on and waxing off about all things Seattle sports related and also random other topics that we feel you should be reading or thinking about.
Quick note on the name Wetland Sports. While the city of Seattle does indeed have several designated "wetlands," we took the name from an old Source of Labor song called "wetlands," which is about the city's diveristy, dynamics and, of course, overall wetness. The place is not only surrounded by both bodies of fresh and salt water, but it's also saturated with rain 93% of the time. (Ok, that last one is a myth, but we Seattleites don't want other people to know about it is. Shhh. Stay away from our quaint fishing village in the middle of nowhere. Nothing to see, or do, here.)
And we just thought it sounded cool. So, enjoy. Here's what we're thinking about this first Monday morning of June.
-What the hell happened to the Mariners yesterday? We scored more runs in one game than we do in a typical week and still can't get the job done. Beat writer Geoff Baker melodramatically called the loss "crippling." I'd call it predictable. The bullpen is burnt and our closer is a guy, David Aardsma, the Red Sox weren't interested in keeping around despite mid-90s smoke.
I tried telling a Boston friend of mine the other day that this isn't the wicked pissah of a reliever Beantown fans were used to. The new Aardsma is an aggressive strike-thrower with big balls. He wants the rock in his hand at the end of games, I told him. He laughed and said, "All I know is that if David Aardsma is your closer, you've got problems." How sad and how true. Ladies and gentleman, your 2009 Seattle Mariners!
-Meanwhile, Don "Magic" Wak thinks Morrow is making progress despite giving up two more runs on Saturday night. Dude has an ERA that looks more like Dwight Howard's nightly rebounding average. With Giants starter Tim Lincecum continuing to dominate big league hitters, Morrow is in danger of becoming our own personal Sam Bowie -- a pick that looked reasonable on paper, but only gets worse over time.
-Which reminds me: Bill Bavasi is pure evil. Only Joseph Stalin and Robert Mugabe have done more damage as leaders.
-Still, M's did manage to take 3 of the last 4 and are just three games under .500. I think 81 wins is still attainable.
-Griffey!!! Don't do this to us.
-Somebody please explain to me why they haven't brought up Jeff Clement. The guy's killing AAA pitching again. He's never going to get better unless he's facing big league breaking stuff on a consistent basis. I know he's been mostly DH-ing with the Rainiers, but seriously, our catchers, on offense at least, are now as worthless as GM stock.
-Speaking of bankruptcy, the Seahawks need to find a place for poor old Michael Vick. I still think he can re-invent himself as full-time RB, but the possibilities are endless -- think Kordell Stewart with more speed, moves, a better arm and less estrogen. We'll just have to keep him out of that hotbed of canine combat temptation known as White Center.
-The Sounders tied on Saturday for the 15th game in a row. Not really, but it kind of seems that way, right? To help us sort out all things Sounders related, we're going to be bringing in some reinforcements to Wetland Sports. Starting sometime this week, or next, we'll have a semi-full-time Sounders correspondent/commentator/fanatic on the blog.
On June 20, the boys in fluorescent lime green come to New York, actually New Jersey, for a match the Red Bulls.
In preparation, I've already begun purchasing fluorescent green body paint, several bottles of whiskey, a cheesy Italian-American track suit and, of course, body bags just in case we get into it with some Jersey boys and need to quietly dump the evidence in a swamp. Heeyy, Ohhh!Fuggetaboutit!
Quick note on the name Wetland Sports. While the city of Seattle does indeed have several designated "wetlands," we took the name from an old Source of Labor song called "wetlands," which is about the city's diveristy, dynamics and, of course, overall wetness. The place is not only surrounded by both bodies of fresh and salt water, but it's also saturated with rain 93% of the time. (Ok, that last one is a myth, but we Seattleites don't want other people to know about it is. Shhh. Stay away from our quaint fishing village in the middle of nowhere. Nothing to see, or do, here.)
And we just thought it sounded cool. So, enjoy. Here's what we're thinking about this first Monday morning of June.
-What the hell happened to the Mariners yesterday? We scored more runs in one game than we do in a typical week and still can't get the job done. Beat writer Geoff Baker melodramatically called the loss "crippling." I'd call it predictable. The bullpen is burnt and our closer is a guy, David Aardsma, the Red Sox weren't interested in keeping around despite mid-90s smoke.
I tried telling a Boston friend of mine the other day that this isn't the wicked pissah of a reliever Beantown fans were used to. The new Aardsma is an aggressive strike-thrower with big balls. He wants the rock in his hand at the end of games, I told him. He laughed and said, "All I know is that if David Aardsma is your closer, you've got problems." How sad and how true. Ladies and gentleman, your 2009 Seattle Mariners!
-Meanwhile, Don "Magic" Wak thinks Morrow is making progress despite giving up two more runs on Saturday night. Dude has an ERA that looks more like Dwight Howard's nightly rebounding average. With Giants starter Tim Lincecum continuing to dominate big league hitters, Morrow is in danger of becoming our own personal Sam Bowie -- a pick that looked reasonable on paper, but only gets worse over time.
-Which reminds me: Bill Bavasi is pure evil. Only Joseph Stalin and Robert Mugabe have done more damage as leaders.
-Still, M's did manage to take 3 of the last 4 and are just three games under .500. I think 81 wins is still attainable.
-Griffey!!! Don't do this to us.
-Somebody please explain to me why they haven't brought up Jeff Clement. The guy's killing AAA pitching again. He's never going to get better unless he's facing big league breaking stuff on a consistent basis. I know he's been mostly DH-ing with the Rainiers, but seriously, our catchers, on offense at least, are now as worthless as GM stock.
-Speaking of bankruptcy, the Seahawks need to find a place for poor old Michael Vick. I still think he can re-invent himself as full-time RB, but the possibilities are endless -- think Kordell Stewart with more speed, moves, a better arm and less estrogen. We'll just have to keep him out of that hotbed of canine combat temptation known as White Center.
-The Sounders tied on Saturday for the 15th game in a row. Not really, but it kind of seems that way, right? To help us sort out all things Sounders related, we're going to be bringing in some reinforcements to Wetland Sports. Starting sometime this week, or next, we'll have a semi-full-time Sounders correspondent/commentator/fanatic on the blog.
On June 20, the boys in fluorescent lime green come to New York, actually New Jersey, for a match the Red Bulls.
In preparation, I've already begun purchasing fluorescent green body paint, several bottles of whiskey, a cheesy Italian-American track suit and, of course, body bags just in case we get into it with some Jersey boys and need to quietly dump the evidence in a swamp. Heeyy, Ohhh!Fuggetaboutit!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Lazy Weekend: Who Stays and Who Goes? (Part 1)
Don’t be fooled by the recent two game winning streak. The M’s will be sellers. Jack Z has to be licking his chops right now thinking about getting rid of all the overpriced crap he inherited from Bill Bavasi. And if it’s one thing Jack Z knows—it is talent. Unlike Mariner GM’s in the past, Jack Z has always been a baseball man first. The majority of his career has been as a scout. Given the opportunity (by Japanese ownership) Jack Z can put us back into “realistic” contention sooner than people think.
Let’s take a look at the M’s current (1-4) hitters in the lineup:
1. Ichiro (Does Jack Z have the power or balls to trade the selfish all-star?)
Pros: *perennial all-star/face of the franchise
*200 hits and 100 runs scored are a lock
*trade value extremely high
*amazing arm and range in RF
*biggest trade piece on the M’s
Cons:*almost 36 years old
*little to no power
*doesn’t dive for balls in his range/lacks heart
*huge contract
*speed slowing down
Synopsis: Ichiro is an amazing player but trading him would signify trust in the new M’s regime moving forward. Ichiro would merit several top notch players in return. Would Japanese ownership go for it? Probably not but I say pull the trigger. Ichiro is not getting any younger and would be a prize piece to the Mets, Sox, or Yankees jockeying to make a big-splash.
2. Betancourt (Jack Z would love to peddle his portly SS for anything with a pulse in return)
Pros:*can’t really think of any
Cons:*rapidly decreasing range at SS
*erratic arm
*no patience at the dish; rally killer
*doesn’t walk, get on base, or hit for power
*can’t bunt or steal bags
Synopsis: Get what you can in return for Yuni. Do it! Now! I would rather have Mike Morse playing SS than Yuni.
3. Beltre (Jack Z is praying for Beltre to get hot so we can get at least a few decent prospects in return)
Pros:*gritty ball player
*plays injured
*team leader
*outstanding glove
Cons:*victim of steroid deflation
*free swinger/no patience at the dish
*lacks power
*extremely “un-clutch”
*suspect mentally
Synopsis: I love Beltre but unfortunately he has never lived up to his contract. He has done nothing memorable for the M’s except disappoint us when we needed him to hit. Finding a trading partner that will give us anything useful in return may prove difficult if Beltre continues to hit .215 through June with no power. Trade him and hope to get decent AA prospect or two in return.
4. Griffey (Has been instrumental in the re-birth of the M’s cohesiveness and clubhouse atmosphere)
Pros:*Hall of Famer
*Best Mariner of all-time
*Never cheated the game of baseball
Cons: Nice try
Synopsis: Griffey is a sure handed HOF that will go down his history as one of the best players to ever wear a uniform. And Jr. goes in as a SEATTLE MARINER!!!! Nuff said!! M’s will need Jr.’s leadership and presence when the wheels start coming off the bus. Keep him!
Let’s take a look at the M’s current (1-4) hitters in the lineup:
1. Ichiro (Does Jack Z have the power or balls to trade the selfish all-star?)
Pros: *perennial all-star/face of the franchise
*200 hits and 100 runs scored are a lock
*trade value extremely high
*amazing arm and range in RF
*biggest trade piece on the M’s
Cons:*almost 36 years old
*little to no power
*doesn’t dive for balls in his range/lacks heart
*huge contract
*speed slowing down
Synopsis: Ichiro is an amazing player but trading him would signify trust in the new M’s regime moving forward. Ichiro would merit several top notch players in return. Would Japanese ownership go for it? Probably not but I say pull the trigger. Ichiro is not getting any younger and would be a prize piece to the Mets, Sox, or Yankees jockeying to make a big-splash.
2. Betancourt (Jack Z would love to peddle his portly SS for anything with a pulse in return)
Pros:*can’t really think of any
Cons:*rapidly decreasing range at SS
*erratic arm
*no patience at the dish; rally killer
*doesn’t walk, get on base, or hit for power
*can’t bunt or steal bags
Synopsis: Get what you can in return for Yuni. Do it! Now! I would rather have Mike Morse playing SS than Yuni.
3. Beltre (Jack Z is praying for Beltre to get hot so we can get at least a few decent prospects in return)
Pros:*gritty ball player
*plays injured
*team leader
*outstanding glove
Cons:*victim of steroid deflation
*free swinger/no patience at the dish
*lacks power
*extremely “un-clutch”
*suspect mentally
Synopsis: I love Beltre but unfortunately he has never lived up to his contract. He has done nothing memorable for the M’s except disappoint us when we needed him to hit. Finding a trading partner that will give us anything useful in return may prove difficult if Beltre continues to hit .215 through June with no power. Trade him and hope to get decent AA prospect or two in return.
4. Griffey (Has been instrumental in the re-birth of the M’s cohesiveness and clubhouse atmosphere)
Pros:*Hall of Famer
*Best Mariner of all-time
*Never cheated the game of baseball
Cons: Nice try
Synopsis: Griffey is a sure handed HOF that will go down his history as one of the best players to ever wear a uniform. And Jr. goes in as a SEATTLE MARINER!!!! Nuff said!! M’s will need Jr.’s leadership and presence when the wheels start coming off the bus. Keep him!
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