Now that the Cowboys have the stadium of all stadiums, there’s no need for the old one. This had to be one of the quickest demos of a stadium or arena that I can remember. They were just playing football there a little over a year ago. Nonetheless, the footage is pretty impressive…
Are the A’s For Real? I Like What I See So Far!
The A’s opened up their season with nearly every expert picking them to finish dead last in the AL West. I personally have VERY low expectations going into this season, and since they usually struggle out the gate, I figured this April would be just as rough as years past. Even back when they were winning the division crowns, they were always dubbed a second half team. Another reason for pessimism for my beloved A’s was that they are the youngest roster in the league, which usually calls for lots of growing pains. I’m not going to say that this 6-2 start makes them a lock to win the west or even a .500 ballclub, but I know that they have the potential to stay out of the cellar. A lot of the “experts” picked the Mariners and Angels to win the West. Most liked the M’s because of the big off season moves, and the Angels because they are always there over the last decade. They still could be right, but after watching both the first series between the two teams, I have to say I’m impressed with the grittiness that this years’ A’s squad has. If chicks dig the long ball, then there won’t be many in the A’s clubhouse, but if chicks dig good pitching and defense we could have the next Playboy mansion in the works.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m probably way too overly excited about the 5-2 start, but it finally got me inspired enough to write a late preview about the club. The A’s easily could’ve swept the Mariners in their opening series, if they hadn’t committed four errors in that first game they could’ve beaten Seattle’s best pitcher, King Felix. The most inspiring part about watching them so far, sans game 1, is their ability to continue to put up runs during the game. They’ve scored in nearly 30% of their innings this year, which is a good way to win. They are supposed to have a good defense, and have played pretty good aside from opening nights four error performance. Pennington and Kouzmanoff are much better defensively than I thought they were, and now that our outfield is Cust free (I’ll get back to Cust getting cut later), we don’t have to give up an out a game wherever he happened to be. This is a grind it out team, and even this early in the year it feels like they are never out of a game. They have been behind in five of their eight games and comeback to win four of them. Continue reading
Phillin the Love at Augusta
It was quite a fun weekend of golf, even if you aren’t that into the sport. There were plenty of memorable players and shots that made it interesting and fun to watch. The whole time I was waiting for the wheels to fall off for Phil, instead I was pleasantly surprised it was Tiger falling apart on Sunday. There were a lot of fun story lines that kept me from changing the channel, including 50 year old Freddy making a push, Anthony Kim coming out of nowhere, Lee Westwood playing solid, but not quite pulling it out in a major once again, and a lot of great golf shots in between. Continue reading
Premature Power Rankings
The first 5 days of the season are in the books. Time to rank the top 5 teams….
1. San Francisco Giants: You may never see me put the Giants atop any rankings ever again. But, for as long as they’re undefeated, they’ll remain in the top spot here. There was no question about SF’s pitching, but the bats have come through early, as the G’s are outscoring their opponents,23-10 thus far.
2. Oakland Athletics: No hometown bias here, I swear. The A’s are 3-1, soon to be 4-1. (They’re up 7-2 late in the 6th in Anaheim). After a setback in the season opener, the A’s rattled off three straight to take a 3-1 record into first place in the AL West.
3. St. Louis Cardinals: Two of three from the Reds and game one of the Brewers’ series earns the Cards the number three spot in our rankings.
4. Tampa Bay Rays: They’re no match for the mighty Bay Area teams, but they took two of three from Baltimore, and the first game of their weekend series with the Yankees.
5. Detroit Tigers: Don’t be surprised to see the Tigers sitting atop the AL Central at 5-1 after their weekend series with the Indians.
Rich Eisen Vs. Football Prospects
This is a really old clip, but I stumbled across it a couple of days ago again, and thought I’d pull it back out for those who missed it. I doubt that Rich Eisen ever left many if any vapor trails behind him during in his life. I have a hard time believing he really even works out all that much (going off his looks), but this is a good example of how fast the pros really are. I never thought I could beat the receivers or skill position players in a foot race, but always thought that I could beat some of the big guys on the line. After seeing this footage, I’m not so sure I could beat them anymore either. It’s sad our (Raiders) draft has been decided too many times to count over the years on this sprint 4 second sprint during the combines.
Crack a Bud Light and Light Up a Stogie
Our fearless, and sometimes heavily buzzed coach, Don Nelson, got his all-time wins record today. He surpassed Lenny Wilkens for all-time wins as a head coach in the NBA with 1,333 victories. You can guarantee that Nellie is going to party like it’s the 70’s(that’s when he started), break out a Hawaiian shirt, crack a Bud Light, and light up his victory stogie. This was the last noteworthy milestone that the dubs will probably make this season, unless Curry snatches that ROY award away from Tyreke (27 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds and seven steals tonight btw). Or maybe if they hit the lotto in the draft. That’s not what this post is about though.
I wanted to thank Nellie for his couple stints with the Warriors. If it wasn’t for him, we’d probably have zero playoff appearances in the last two decades. He might not be the most celebrated coach of all time, because he never had the “superstar” that could win it all with him. I’m still happy for him though, and even happier that he got the record this year instead of having it loom over the whole off-season. It will be interesting to see if the W’s keep him around. I guess it all depends on how the hunt for a new owner goes. My heart says that I should want him to stay, but maybe his time is up in the Bay Area. I doubt the next owner will let do whatever he wants like the current management does. I’d go as far to say that a new owner would make him play guys like Randolph 30 minutes a game just to see what he’s got in the mental department. We know we have a lot of talented players, but can any of them develop or stay healthy? From what I’ve observed, it might be hard for them to learn under Nellie, and his always infamous doghouse.
One other problem I have with all this winning (4 of their last 6), is that we are beating all the teams that we are trying to take ping pong balls from! At this rate we’re going to end up with the 7th or 8th pick. Didn’t they hear the word? Wall, Cousins, Favors, and Turner have declared for the draft? Tank the rest of the year boys, we NEED a top four pick! Hopefully Nellie will kick back now, and we can tank the rest of the season in style.
Doin MLB Predictions
I think part of college is passing out with Sister Cleo telling you to call around 3-4AM. Bust out those Tarot Cards Cleo! I need to make my predictions!
Just like anyone else, we like to be right about things, and what better way to see if we can predict the future as good as Sister Cleo than to put them in writing. We’ve decided to put up our predictions on a new tab as we make them, so it’s easy for the readers to refer back and laugh in our faces. At the end hopefully one of us can claim the coveted “I called it” moment at the end of the year. Who knows, maybe nobody will get anything right, but if that’s the case it would be one of the wackiest seasons we’ve ever seen, and unlike Cleo, we don’t have tarot card! It’s a long year, and we could look pretty ridiculous by the end, but here’s how we see the division and wild card winners, World Series, MVP’s, Cy Young’s, and top stat categories for each league playing out.
AL East Winner:
Mceezy: New York Yankees – No reason to suggest anything would change here.
Chappy: New York Yankees – No surprises here. The defending champs look as good as last year, and could be the first team to go back to back since, well, themselves.
By: Boston Red Sox – Why? Because I hate the Yankees, ’nuff said.
Dyslecix: Boston Red Sox – Meh….something about the Yankees getting it done back to back doesn’t feel right.
Cali4dre: NY Yankees. Once they move Granderson up to leadoff for good, they will be unstoppable from 1-6 and they’re 7-9 will still be better than half of MLB’s 3-5 hitters. Not to mention they’re pitching is very solid, and frankly the coach could be an orangutan and still be successful but it’s not, it’s a very serviceable Joe Girardi.
AL Central Winner
Chappy: Chicago White Sox – I just have this weird feeling that they will be good. Not that I’m overly confident in Rios and Peavy, but they are pretty solid up and down. The Tigers are talented, but don’t ever seem to put it together. I feel like the Twins will have more problems with injuries than Nathan going down for the season.
Mceezy: Detroit Tigers – I think they get big years from Cabrera and Verlander, and there’s no clear frontrunner in the Central.
By: Minnesota Twins – Why? Because Joe Mauer went to Cabo with the Playstation guy!
Dyslecix: Minnesota Twins – Not sold on the White Sox or Detroit the Twins are always there.
Cali4Dre: Detroit Tigers. The pitching staff is strong and young at the top, with Verlander and Porcello ready to carry the load. The offense is still pretty strong… love Austin Jackson as fantastic replacement for Grandy. Magglio’s bat looks to be back, Cabrera is sober, and Sizemore will be another great rookie-producer on this team. This is the year they get it together and hold off a weak Twins and White Sox combo. Continue reading
Wayne Rooney Nick’s More then Goals!!
Granted as a Chelsea fan when it comes to any Manchester United I should simply hate it out of hand. But how do you not love this clip of Wayne Rooney trying sneak in a beer as he watched his team play on Saturday. It was a massive affair and the lad surely had nerves that needed calming. So, what do you do? Hijack that beer (I’m betting you ordered in the first place) that a waitress had dropped off at a nearby table.
Hat’s off Mr. Rooney, after the season you’ve had you deserve as many pints as you want. Not even this Chelsea fan can deny you that. You may need a few more after the World Cup!
In Your Face(s)
Did anyone get an opportunity to see what Dwayne Wade did to Troy Murphy, Brandon Rush and Josh McRoberts last week? Well there are a lot of “cons” to how easily accessible things are with this “new” media (youtube), but this right here, is definitely a “pro”.
Enjoy.
Pippen, Malone, and The Dream Team Inducted Into the HOF!?!
I was scanning the headlines, and saw that Malone and Pippen were elected to the Hall of Fame deservedly so. The second part I read was really confusing to me. They inducted the 1960 and 1992 USA Basketball Dream Teams into the Hall of Fame as well. I’m all for celebrating these teams, but doesn’t that mean all of those guys are now in the Hall of Fame? Granted 11 of the players on the 1992 squad should be or are already in the HOF, but then we are including Christian Laetter. On the 1960 team they had the Big O, Jerry Lucas, Walt Bellamy, and Jerry West, but not a whole lot behind them. So, my question is, why are they inducting teams into the HOF now, and why these two in particular? I get the 1992 team, sans Laetter, but why the 1960 team? I can’t answer that one maybe you can…
Anyways, Pippen was one of the greatest sidekicks we’ll ever see to the best player we may ever see. Remember that season Jordan retired? Pippen showed he could be the alpha dog putting up averages of 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.9 steals, 1.9 three-pointers, and 0.8 blocks per game, while shooting 49.1 FG%, and 32% from 3PT. He was one of the best defenders, and will always be linked to MJ for life, but there’s many worse distinctions you could have. Malone was impressive as well, even though he ended his career as a weak link on the Lakers squad that fell short. Too bad he didn’t just stick it out in Utah, and end his career with “his” franchise.
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, WNBA star Cynthia Cooper and U.S. high school coaching great Bob Hurley, Sr., were also in the class. I have to mention them or this wouldn’t be completely informing you about this joyous event.
NBA veterans Dennis Johnson and Gus Johnson and Brazil star Maciel “Ubiratan” Pereira will be honored as well. I’ll be happy to hear Gus talk at the ceremony, the guy is unmatched in the booth, and has to give one hell of a speach. Too bad CBS is terrible at covering the March Madness, and he saved them calling some good games. What do you think will happen if they expand the tourney? Is CBS going to have their 12th team out there covering games? We already saw the D-Leaguers of announcing during the first couple rounds. They should give the rights up to ESPN if the expansion happens.
Milwaukee We Have A Big Problem!
All I can say is, this clip below is not for the faint of heart. It gave me the O face with the taste of something sour mixed in. Bogut flopping flat on his arm might give me more nightmares than this chick.This pretty much kills the Bucks chances at making any kind of impact in the playoffs. Bogut finally played like he was worthy of that #1 overall selection, and now has this devastating setback. They are now a one and done team. Salmons can only do so much…
McNabb in D.C.
Farewell Philly
Donovan McNabb was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to their division rival Washington Redskins today. In exchange for the six-time Pro-Bowl quarterback, who led them to five NFC title games and one Super Bowl appearance throughout the 2000’s, the Eagles will get two draft-picks, including a second-round pick (37th) in this year’s draft. What are the ramifications of this trade you ask? Unsure, really. For McNabb, he doesn’t have to go to Oakland (sorry Chappy) which is not where he wanted to be at, at all. He made that clear early, and I’m not so sure why Al Davis continued to openly pursue him after that was made clear.
The cardinal sin in making trades in all of professional sports is to never trade a star player to a division rival. That’s why Green Bay didn’t send Brett Favre to Minnesota in 2008, see what Favre did to them last season? But, Andy Reid and McNabb have had a great relationship throughout their time in Philly, a mutual respect to say the least, and despite the scrutiny McNabb endured while leading the Eagles to the brink of greatness only to fall short every year, the Philly fans and organization knew that McNabb deserved better. And so the exception to the rule was made, and McNabb is now a Redskin.
So, whether or not Kevin Kolb has got the goods to pick up where McNabb left off in Philly, or whether or not McNabb can be this upcoming season’s Brett Favre for Washington remains to be seen. I’ve always said this about Washington though, they are just one really good quarterback away from becoming a contender. They definitely have had the talent, but haven’t delivered. McNabb might be the key. We’ll see.
I’m So Ready For Baseball, I Don’t Even Care If It’s the Yankees vs. Red Sox
Here we go… Easter lunch is out of the way, so now the real holiday can begin – no disrespect to Jesus of course. Two of Major League Baseball’s top franchises will take the diamond tonight and kick of the 2010 season. Normally I’d be as interested in a Yankees-Red Sox affair as I would in a Spurs-Jazz snoozefest, but tonight, I’m so starved for baseball I can’t wait to see these guys in action. Aside from the whole Opening Night thing, there’s plenty of other storylines to keep me glued to the tube. Sure, it’s a rivalry game featuring the defending champions blah blah blah, but here is what has got me excited…
CC Sabathia vs. Josh Beckett – Forget great Opening Day matchups, this is about as good a matchup as you’ll see on any given day in baseball. Sabathia is a Bay Area product, so he’s got plenty of supporters at Doin Work. He’s also one of the preseason favorites for the AL Cy Young Award. While Beckett isn’t as high on the Cy Young list, he’s still one of the best pitchers in the game. He may not have the hardware that most pitchers covet, but I’m sure he wouldn’t trade his two World Series rings or his World Series MVP for anything. One might anticipate a pitcher’s duel tonight, but there’s so much firepower on the offensive side for both teams that there are sure to be some runs put on the board as well.
New Additions – Each team picked up one guy I’m looking forward to seeing make their debut tonight. The Yankees replaced Johnny Damon in center field with former Tiger, Curtis Granderson. Granderson is quietly emerging as an elite player in this league, and the Yankees coveting him only further cements that. If he can get his average back up closer to .300 this year, he’ll surely build on his first all-star berth last year with many more to come, since there’ll be no shortage of exposure playing the Big Apple. The Red Sox, on the other hand, tested my hatred of them by signing the legendary Marco Scutaro. Even if Scutaro spurned the A’s to sign with Boston, he can do absolutely nothing to ever stop me from being a fan.
John Lackey in a Boston Uniform – You know how there are certain things that make you cringe or gag at the sight of it? I’m willing to bet that John Lackey donning a Red Sox jersey is going to be one of those. As much as I dislike the Red Sox, there’s not really any players on the team that I hate, aside from Papelbon of course. I think Lackey is going to be that guy, and I look forward to it. I’m actually going to keep a trash can by the couch to start the game in case the first camera shot of Lackey makes me throw up. It could happen.
First Fantasy AB of the Year – I try to keep my fantasy nerdom to a minimum here on the blog, but I can’t lie…. When Granderson steps into the box to face Beckett in the first pitch of the season, my squad, Five Tool Academy, is going to have a monopoly on fantasy stats for the duration of the at-bat. Beckett returns to my team by way of the draft (7th rd) after helping HolyShirtsandPants secure third place in last year’s league. Granderson is a new addition after being selected in the 5th round as part of my five tool plan, complementing other power/speed combo players Matt Kemp, BJ Upton, and Adam Jones. The fantasy season won’t be won with one at bat, but it starts here.
Easter, Be Thankful
LeBron James is the clear-cut favorite to win the 2009-2010 MVP award. There’s even talks of a “unanimous” vote –
As much as I am pro-LeBron, I am not sold on Cleveland walking right into the 2010 NBA Finals. That’s fool’s gold, and I’ve been down that road before, in fact, just last season. Yes, the acquisition of Antawn Jamison definitely helps the cause, but we can’t just disregard Orlando as if they do not exist, and even Boston to a certain extent.
But, this post is not even about that. Being that it’s Easter, I feel it is a time to be grateful for certain things. Wait, or is that Thanksgiving? Either way, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers need to send the Toronto Raptors a “Thank You” card. Why you ask? Simple, Toronto had a mini-melt down in the latter stages of March and let a hobbled Chicago Bulls team back into the playoff hunt. More so, Toronto slipped into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and allowed the Charlotte Bobcats to move up to the seventh seed. Why is that significant? Does everyone remember what happened in the 2007 NBA Playoffs? Only the greatest upset in NBA Playoff history, that’s what happened!
The Dallas Mavericks boasted the best record in the NBA in 2006-2007 (67-15) and the league’s MVP (Dirk), they were the odds on favorite to represent the West in the 2007 NBA Finals (along with San Antonio) but there was just one problem. Those pesky Warriors. Golden State owned the Mavericks that season, sweeping the season series 4-0, including a win on the Warriors 81st game of the season in which Dallas chose to rest their stars. Big mistake. We all know what ensued, no need to write about it, but here, a visual reminder:
Now here Cleveland sits, all indications point to an improved team from a season ago, with the best record in the NBA yet again, but – what is their record against the upstart Bobcats? 1-3 with their only win coming on Halloween last year, the first week of the season. Being that I’m from San Francisco, I haven’t had an opportunity to actually watch any of those games, but the highlights on ESPN’s Sportscenter showed Cleveland’s inability to handle the match-up with Charlotte. Sound familiar Dallas/Golden State fans. Guess what? Stephen Jackson is in the middle of all this again!
(Beware Charlotte fans, don’t invest in S-Jack.)
Anyway, as I said at the top of this post, it’s a time of the year to appreciate things, and the Cleveland Cavs needs to appreciate the fact that they currently won’t have to face the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round. No monumental upset this time around. Thank you Toronto.
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