About Chris, Sports Guru
For 31 years, I've been a devoted sports fan. My family, friends and sometimes listeners of sports talk radio have long been exposed to my vast sports knowledge, insight and incisive criticism. Now, I bring all that to the web in this site.Entrecard
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Juuust a Bit Outside
NBA Draft Looms...Who will go where?
Now that the NBA title has been decided, and the Lakers have had their parade through the city, the league turns itself to the next step in preparation for the 2009-10 season, that being the NBA draft. It will be held Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. The Los Angeles Clippers have the first overall pick, having won the draft lottery, and are expected to select Blake Griffin, the double double machine from Oklahoma that did a superb job of carrying the Sooners deep into the NCAA Tournament this past season.
It's after that where things get a bit fuzzy as far as who will go where and to whom.
One thing that is for certain is that the Minnesota Timberwolves will be big time players in the draft. They dealt Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for Etan Thomas, Darius Songalia and Oleksiy Pecherov, along with the Wizards first round pick, fifth overall. That gives Minnesota four first round selections: the fifth, sixth, eighteenth and twenty eighth picks in round number one. They've been trying to be proactive, attempting to move as far up as pick number 2, but Memphis was unwilling to accept a deal that wouldn't include either both the fifth and sixth selections, or one of those and second year postman Kevin Love.
Memphis has also tried to make a deal with Sacramento to get the fourth pick plus a player for the second pick, but the Kings balked. There was also speculation that the Thunder might be interested, but the desire for Thabo Sefolosha and the third pick to move up one spot was a bit too rich for Oklahoma City, especially knowing that the Grizzlies have given up chasing after Spanish guard Ricky Rubio. Rubio has a lot of talent on the international scale, but sometimes that doesn't translate to the NBA game. Don't believe me? Ask Darko MIlicic. Speaking of Milicic, there is talk that he might be swapped straight up for Quentin Richardson of the Knicks, as both men have expiring contracts, which will clear cap room.
As far as the cap goes, it is the first time in recent memory that the cap has actually shrunk from the previous season. The drop is somewhere in the $1.5 million range, with the projected cap to be about $57.3 million for next season. Elsewhere, the Blazers dealt the 24th and 56th picks in the draft and the worst second draft choice next year to the Mavericks to move up just two spots to number 22. Rumor and speculation was that the Kings had an eye on one of the Blazers potential targets to help their ailing frontcourt, so they made a preemptive strike.
We know that no matter what, the Clippers are most likely NOT going to be a playoff team next season. They've been a sorry excuse for a NBA franchise since leaving Buffalo for San Diego, and then Los Angeles. In fact, they had more winning seasons in eight seasons in Buffalo (three) than they have since moving to Los Angeles in 1984-85 (two, though they do have another season when they finished 41-41.) They've only been to the playoffs four times since moving to LA, and made the second round just once. On top of that, they are coming off a season with just nineteen wins, which simply isn't going to get it done, especially in the competitive Western Conference.
Then there are the Timberwolves, who have those four first round choices. They had a good run while Kevin Garnett was the focal point of the franchise, but have regressed over the past five seasons. The last two years were particularly poor, as the team won just 46 of 164 games. Dealing Foye and Miller for expiring contracts doesn't really bode well for the 09-10 season in Minnesota either, as none of the acquired "talent" will serve much in the way of helping franchise player Al Jefferson in turning the club around. It will be interesting to see if Minnesota tries to deal to get some veteran presence, such as the Clippers Baron Davis, in order to help, or if they simply use the four first round picks in an attempt to start the rebuilding process over again.
Of course, where will James Harden, Hasheem Thabeet, Stephen Curry and Jonny Flynn fall in the draft? Who will the Jazz select in round one? Will there be players who will regret their decision to come out instead of staying in school? What about players like Luke Harangody, from Notre Dame, who decided to stay in school rather than declare for the draft? Will he have any second thoughts about it when he sees some of the names selected early on, knowing the millions of dollars that was involved?
We'll find out tomorrow, starting at 7 ET when the draft gets underway. Coverage of course, will be brought to you on ESPN.
It's after that where things get a bit fuzzy as far as who will go where and to whom.
One thing that is for certain is that the Minnesota Timberwolves will be big time players in the draft. They dealt Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for Etan Thomas, Darius Songalia and Oleksiy Pecherov, along with the Wizards first round pick, fifth overall. That gives Minnesota four first round selections: the fifth, sixth, eighteenth and twenty eighth picks in round number one. They've been trying to be proactive, attempting to move as far up as pick number 2, but Memphis was unwilling to accept a deal that wouldn't include either both the fifth and sixth selections, or one of those and second year postman Kevin Love.
Memphis has also tried to make a deal with Sacramento to get the fourth pick plus a player for the second pick, but the Kings balked. There was also speculation that the Thunder might be interested, but the desire for Thabo Sefolosha and the third pick to move up one spot was a bit too rich for Oklahoma City, especially knowing that the Grizzlies have given up chasing after Spanish guard Ricky Rubio. Rubio has a lot of talent on the international scale, but sometimes that doesn't translate to the NBA game. Don't believe me? Ask Darko MIlicic. Speaking of Milicic, there is talk that he might be swapped straight up for Quentin Richardson of the Knicks, as both men have expiring contracts, which will clear cap room.
As far as the cap goes, it is the first time in recent memory that the cap has actually shrunk from the previous season. The drop is somewhere in the $1.5 million range, with the projected cap to be about $57.3 million for next season. Elsewhere, the Blazers dealt the 24th and 56th picks in the draft and the worst second draft choice next year to the Mavericks to move up just two spots to number 22. Rumor and speculation was that the Kings had an eye on one of the Blazers potential targets to help their ailing frontcourt, so they made a preemptive strike.
We know that no matter what, the Clippers are most likely NOT going to be a playoff team next season. They've been a sorry excuse for a NBA franchise since leaving Buffalo for San Diego, and then Los Angeles. In fact, they had more winning seasons in eight seasons in Buffalo (three) than they have since moving to Los Angeles in 1984-85 (two, though they do have another season when they finished 41-41.) They've only been to the playoffs four times since moving to LA, and made the second round just once. On top of that, they are coming off a season with just nineteen wins, which simply isn't going to get it done, especially in the competitive Western Conference.
Then there are the Timberwolves, who have those four first round choices. They had a good run while Kevin Garnett was the focal point of the franchise, but have regressed over the past five seasons. The last two years were particularly poor, as the team won just 46 of 164 games. Dealing Foye and Miller for expiring contracts doesn't really bode well for the 09-10 season in Minnesota either, as none of the acquired "talent" will serve much in the way of helping franchise player Al Jefferson in turning the club around. It will be interesting to see if Minnesota tries to deal to get some veteran presence, such as the Clippers Baron Davis, in order to help, or if they simply use the four first round picks in an attempt to start the rebuilding process over again.
Of course, where will James Harden, Hasheem Thabeet, Stephen Curry and Jonny Flynn fall in the draft? Who will the Jazz select in round one? Will there be players who will regret their decision to come out instead of staying in school? What about players like Luke Harangody, from Notre Dame, who decided to stay in school rather than declare for the draft? Will he have any second thoughts about it when he sees some of the names selected early on, knowing the millions of dollars that was involved?
We'll find out tomorrow, starting at 7 ET when the draft gets underway. Coverage of course, will be brought to you on ESPN.
Bills News and Notes
It's the quiet time of year when it comes to options for sports fans. The NHL and NBA recently crowned their champions for the season . The WNBA just started its season, but the majority of fans don't care, nor could they name more than a handful of players or teams. Arena football suspended operations for the 2009 season, and that takes away another option. NASCAR is going on, but it is open to interpretation whether driving around in an oval is truly considered a sport. Golf is hardly compelling television, and neither is tennis, unless there is some quality eye candy to watch.
Still, in a month, the popping of pads will start in earnest again as training camps for the NFL start up around the country. Grizzled veterans look for one more chance at that elusive Super Bowl ring, while some rookies look to show they are worth the massive contracts they signed after being drafted. It's about players coming back from injuries to show they still can play at a high level, new faces in new places, and coaches settling in trying to turn the fortunes of franchises around.
This very scenario will take place at St. John Fisher in Rochester, New York when the Buffalo Bills open up camp. However, this team will look a bit different than the 2008 version, which started fast, only to fade to 7-9, the third consecutive such season for the franchise. For starters, the team went out and got a talented, if egocentric wide receiver when they took a chance signing Terrell Owens to a one year deal after the Cowboys released him. The braintrust realized that a second playmaker at receiver was necessary to help Lee Evans out and to create opportunities for the offense to move the ball. Of course, Owens was recently on the ABC show "Superstars" with supermodel Joanna Krupa, giving a new meaning to the term exercise equipment.
Speaking of Owens, he's been trying to find a place to live in the Buffalo area, with limited success to say the least. At least once, Owens was turned down from viewing a house because the owners "didn't want any drama" in their neighborhood. It seemed that Owens had found a place in Orchard Park, only to have that fall through when he canceled the deal after the realtor went to the media about the contract. You see, Owens wanted confidentiality with his estate, which makes sense. After all, you don't want a slew of people following you around and trying to see inside your windows all the time. The media was busy taking photos of the inside of what was to be Owens' new digs, and that prompted him to change his mind and go back to looking.
Speaking of Owens, it came out today that the reason Dallas let him go was because quarterback Tony Romo wouldn't be able to become an influential leader with the franchise with Owens still a member of the organization. Now, let's get this straight. You can't be a leader with someone else there, a player that makes your team better on the field, so you cut him loose, with no real option to replace him? I'm not seeing the strategy here.
In other news for the Bills, there is talk that they may break out the no huddle offense again in 2009. You might remember that the Bills utilized it in the "K-Gun" offense when Jim Kelly was running the show during the Super Bowl years of the early 90s. Back then, they had players at the skill positions like Thurman Thomas, Kenneth Davis, Andre Reed, James Lofton, and Don Beebe. With the addition of Owens, the current roster has T.O., Evans and Josh Reed, plus Roscoe Parrish as the top four wide receivers in the mix. They'll also have Marshawn Lynch (once he returns from his suspension), Fred Jackson, and free agent signing Dominic Rhodes in the backfield. Rhodes is used to the fast paced kind of offense, playing with Peyton Manning and the Colts when they won the Super Bowl over the Bears.
Trent Edwards would be the quarterback, and he hit on 65.5 percent of his throws last season. Sam Wyche has said repeatedly that the key to running the no huddle offense is intelligence and accuracy. Edwards' completion percentage was seventh best in the NFL last season. It will be interesting to see if the Bills can break out the no huddle and successfully run it. It would bring a new level of excitement to the team, which has been struggling in recent years. At this point, what do they have to lose?
In one other Bills note, former starting quarterback J.P. Losman has finally found a job. Not in the NFL, mind you. Not even in the CFL, in case you were wondering. No, Losman has found a job playing for Las Vegas in the brand new United Football League under coach Jim Fassel. He'll play six games, which is the length of the regular season, and try to revive a floundering career that has dropped faster than GM's stock price since 2006. We wish Losman luck. He'll need it in his attempts to become relevant again.
Stay tuned for more NFL news as we get closer to camps opening up next month.
Still, in a month, the popping of pads will start in earnest again as training camps for the NFL start up around the country. Grizzled veterans look for one more chance at that elusive Super Bowl ring, while some rookies look to show they are worth the massive contracts they signed after being drafted. It's about players coming back from injuries to show they still can play at a high level, new faces in new places, and coaches settling in trying to turn the fortunes of franchises around.
This very scenario will take place at St. John Fisher in Rochester, New York when the Buffalo Bills open up camp. However, this team will look a bit different than the 2008 version, which started fast, only to fade to 7-9, the third consecutive such season for the franchise. For starters, the team went out and got a talented, if egocentric wide receiver when they took a chance signing Terrell Owens to a one year deal after the Cowboys released him. The braintrust realized that a second playmaker at receiver was necessary to help Lee Evans out and to create opportunities for the offense to move the ball. Of course, Owens was recently on the ABC show "Superstars" with supermodel Joanna Krupa, giving a new meaning to the term exercise equipment.
Speaking of Owens, he's been trying to find a place to live in the Buffalo area, with limited success to say the least. At least once, Owens was turned down from viewing a house because the owners "didn't want any drama" in their neighborhood. It seemed that Owens had found a place in Orchard Park, only to have that fall through when he canceled the deal after the realtor went to the media about the contract. You see, Owens wanted confidentiality with his estate, which makes sense. After all, you don't want a slew of people following you around and trying to see inside your windows all the time. The media was busy taking photos of the inside of what was to be Owens' new digs, and that prompted him to change his mind and go back to looking.
Speaking of Owens, it came out today that the reason Dallas let him go was because quarterback Tony Romo wouldn't be able to become an influential leader with the franchise with Owens still a member of the organization. Now, let's get this straight. You can't be a leader with someone else there, a player that makes your team better on the field, so you cut him loose, with no real option to replace him? I'm not seeing the strategy here.
In other news for the Bills, there is talk that they may break out the no huddle offense again in 2009. You might remember that the Bills utilized it in the "K-Gun" offense when Jim Kelly was running the show during the Super Bowl years of the early 90s. Back then, they had players at the skill positions like Thurman Thomas, Kenneth Davis, Andre Reed, James Lofton, and Don Beebe. With the addition of Owens, the current roster has T.O., Evans and Josh Reed, plus Roscoe Parrish as the top four wide receivers in the mix. They'll also have Marshawn Lynch (once he returns from his suspension), Fred Jackson, and free agent signing Dominic Rhodes in the backfield. Rhodes is used to the fast paced kind of offense, playing with Peyton Manning and the Colts when they won the Super Bowl over the Bears.
Trent Edwards would be the quarterback, and he hit on 65.5 percent of his throws last season. Sam Wyche has said repeatedly that the key to running the no huddle offense is intelligence and accuracy. Edwards' completion percentage was seventh best in the NFL last season. It will be interesting to see if the Bills can break out the no huddle and successfully run it. It would bring a new level of excitement to the team, which has been struggling in recent years. At this point, what do they have to lose?
In one other Bills note, former starting quarterback J.P. Losman has finally found a job. Not in the NFL, mind you. Not even in the CFL, in case you were wondering. No, Losman has found a job playing for Las Vegas in the brand new United Football League under coach Jim Fassel. He'll play six games, which is the length of the regular season, and try to revive a floundering career that has dropped faster than GM's stock price since 2006. We wish Losman luck. He'll need it in his attempts to become relevant again.
Stay tuned for more NFL news as we get closer to camps opening up next month.
Football + Eye Candy = Successful Venture?
The NFL has been a bastion of solidarity for almost 90 years, and despite numerous attempts by upstarts and fledgling leagues, has never really been challenged. There's been the USFL, which lasted all of three seasons, and lost $163 million, then sued the NFL in an anti-trust lawsuit that saw jurors award them $1, which under anti-trust laws, was tripled to $3, forcing the league to fold officially in 1988 after all the appeals were exhausted. Of course, the league hadn't played a down since 1985. Typical pratfalls like overblown hopes of attendance and franchise instability plagued the USFL, just like every other league that tried to compete with the NFL.
However, it did bring Jim Kelly, Reggie White, Herschel Walker and Marv Levy to the forefront, plus two men that would go on to be champions in professional wrestling with Ron Simmons and Lex Luger. Even Donald Trump was in the action, and who could forget the Washington Federals? They were the Washington Generals of the USFL for crying out loud, stealing defeat from the jaws of victory on a regular basis. You think pro wrestling is scripted? You should see some of the ways the Federals lost games.
Of course, there was the World League of American Football, then changed to NFL Europe, the minor leagues of the NFL. It never really seemed to catch on, and when it folded up in 2007, five of the six remaining teams were in Germany, with the other in Amsterdam. However, at least it lasted a few seasons.
Remember the XFL? Vince McMahon is hoping and wishing that you didn't. McMahon's foray into a professional football league lasted all of one season, back in 2001, before he closed up shop. McMahon and NBC put together the project after his attempt to buy the CFL failed, and NBC was in the midst of working on a league with Time Warner Cable. The television ratings were promising at the start, but went in the tank after the press ripped the league for playing with the leftovers of the NFL, CFL and arena football drafts, not to mention McMahon's ties to the WWE, and its "fake" storylines. In fact, the XFL would end up #2 on ESPN's list of biggest flops in sports, behind only Ryan Leaf.
Of course, there may be no professional football league that suffered as ignominously as the WFL, or World Football League, which played one plus seasons, starting in 1974 and part of 1975 before closing. The WFL bolted out of the gates, throwing money at established NFL stars like Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, Paul Warfield, Daryle Lamonica, Ken Stabler, Craig Morton and others to announce that they were in the game. However, their planning left much to be desired.
The league played a 20 game schedule with no preseason games, in a nineteen week period, playing two games the week of Labor Day. The season started on July 10, 1974, and by September, already had two teams relocate during the season. A third team, the Detroit Wheels, became a vagabond franchise, traveling around from city to city for another six weeks or so before the league pulled the plug on them and the Jacksonville franchise.
Ironically, Jacksonville's Gator Bowl was supposed to host World Bowl I, which went out the window with the franchise folding. It was also slated to host the USFL title game in 1986, but as stated above, that game never took place either.
To show how poorly funded the league was, there were stories of the Charlotte Hornets having their uniforms impounded for failure to pay a laundry bill when the team was still in New York. Florida players were getting by on McDonald's meal vouchers. Rather than have a check go to the MVP of the World Bowl, the league laid out stacks of cash. Clearly, things were not going well, yet the league claimed it would be back in 1975. The Chicago Winds tried pursuing Joe Namath, who turned them down, and that seemed to take the wind out of their collective sails, as they folded five weeks into the season. The league would fold up seven weeks later, with Birmingham declared the league champion with their league best 9-3 record. After the Americans won World Bowl I, their uniforms and equipment were seized by Jefferson County law enforcement to pay against the team's debt. The team would fold, only to resurface the next year as the Vulcans.
Gives new meaning to taking the shirt off your back or tear away jersey doesn't it?
So that brings us to the meat and potatoes of the conversation. A new league is coming, starting in September. However, it shouldn't be construed as a threat to the NFL, as none of the teams are going to be throwing money and lucrative contracts at any of their players to try and get them to jump ship. However, you never know, they might try to sign some of the cheerleaders to the roster.
You see, this new league is the LFL, or Lingerie Football League. The league is an offshoot of the Lingerie Bowl, which has been wildly popular during the halftime festivities of the past few Super Bowls. Think football with a Victoria's Secret runway show mixed together and you've got the rough idea of it. The league is hoping to capitalize on the fact that guys like football and beautiful women, so by combining them, it's the perfect marketing scheme.
The LFL features ten teams across the country, and will have a 20 week season starting in September. The catch to it, you ask? Each team will only play four games over that 20 week span, two at home, two on the road. They also will play on a field similar to that of the Arena Football League, fifty yards long, thirty yards wide, with eight yard deep end zones. The game will consist of two fifteen minute halves with an eight minute sudden death overtime session should there be a tie score.
It's seven on seven action, with the active roster consisting of just twelve players, meaning you'll see some ironwoman football, players playing both ways. No comment as to what some people will construe that statement as meaning, whether it is a viable thought process or not. The league has ten teams for its kickoff campaign, with expansion in the works as well. The names are rather suggestive, but what do you expect?
That said, the ten teams are as follows:
EASTERN CONFERENCE: Philadelphia Passion, New York Majesty, Miami Caliente, Tampa Breeze, Chicago Bliss
WESTERN CONFERENCE: Dallas Desire, Denver Dream, San Diego Seduction, Seattle Mist, Los Angeles Temptation
It's been announced that the league has struck a deal with a regional sports network to showcase its games, and Fox Mobile Distribution has also negotiated a contract with the league to offer mobile content relating to the league on Jamster. The content that’s made accessible via mobile through thispartnership includes wallpapers, video clips and interviews as well asbehind-the-scenes footage. New content and applications will be continuously updated on Jamster throughout the season. Fans can also get exclusive content related to the Lingerie Football League mini-camps and practices, which began in April.
The Lingerie Bowl will take place on February 7, 2010 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, home of the Florida Panthers. No word yet on how many Panthers players are petitioning for a homestand around that date. It will also be interesting to see how many males rush out to buy engagement rings once they fall in lust with their favorite player or players.
We wish nothing but the best of luck to the LFL and all the players, coaches and those affiliated with the league. The majority of the red blooded male community is counting on the success of it.
However, it did bring Jim Kelly, Reggie White, Herschel Walker and Marv Levy to the forefront, plus two men that would go on to be champions in professional wrestling with Ron Simmons and Lex Luger. Even Donald Trump was in the action, and who could forget the Washington Federals? They were the Washington Generals of the USFL for crying out loud, stealing defeat from the jaws of victory on a regular basis. You think pro wrestling is scripted? You should see some of the ways the Federals lost games.
Of course, there was the World League of American Football, then changed to NFL Europe, the minor leagues of the NFL. It never really seemed to catch on, and when it folded up in 2007, five of the six remaining teams were in Germany, with the other in Amsterdam. However, at least it lasted a few seasons.
Remember the XFL? Vince McMahon is hoping and wishing that you didn't. McMahon's foray into a professional football league lasted all of one season, back in 2001, before he closed up shop. McMahon and NBC put together the project after his attempt to buy the CFL failed, and NBC was in the midst of working on a league with Time Warner Cable. The television ratings were promising at the start, but went in the tank after the press ripped the league for playing with the leftovers of the NFL, CFL and arena football drafts, not to mention McMahon's ties to the WWE, and its "fake" storylines. In fact, the XFL would end up #2 on ESPN's list of biggest flops in sports, behind only Ryan Leaf.
Of course, there may be no professional football league that suffered as ignominously as the WFL, or World Football League, which played one plus seasons, starting in 1974 and part of 1975 before closing. The WFL bolted out of the gates, throwing money at established NFL stars like Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, Paul Warfield, Daryle Lamonica, Ken Stabler, Craig Morton and others to announce that they were in the game. However, their planning left much to be desired.
The league played a 20 game schedule with no preseason games, in a nineteen week period, playing two games the week of Labor Day. The season started on July 10, 1974, and by September, already had two teams relocate during the season. A third team, the Detroit Wheels, became a vagabond franchise, traveling around from city to city for another six weeks or so before the league pulled the plug on them and the Jacksonville franchise.
Ironically, Jacksonville's Gator Bowl was supposed to host World Bowl I, which went out the window with the franchise folding. It was also slated to host the USFL title game in 1986, but as stated above, that game never took place either.
To show how poorly funded the league was, there were stories of the Charlotte Hornets having their uniforms impounded for failure to pay a laundry bill when the team was still in New York. Florida players were getting by on McDonald's meal vouchers. Rather than have a check go to the MVP of the World Bowl, the league laid out stacks of cash. Clearly, things were not going well, yet the league claimed it would be back in 1975. The Chicago Winds tried pursuing Joe Namath, who turned them down, and that seemed to take the wind out of their collective sails, as they folded five weeks into the season. The league would fold up seven weeks later, with Birmingham declared the league champion with their league best 9-3 record. After the Americans won World Bowl I, their uniforms and equipment were seized by Jefferson County law enforcement to pay against the team's debt. The team would fold, only to resurface the next year as the Vulcans.
Gives new meaning to taking the shirt off your back or tear away jersey doesn't it?
So that brings us to the meat and potatoes of the conversation. A new league is coming, starting in September. However, it shouldn't be construed as a threat to the NFL, as none of the teams are going to be throwing money and lucrative contracts at any of their players to try and get them to jump ship. However, you never know, they might try to sign some of the cheerleaders to the roster.
You see, this new league is the LFL, or Lingerie Football League. The league is an offshoot of the Lingerie Bowl, which has been wildly popular during the halftime festivities of the past few Super Bowls. Think football with a Victoria's Secret runway show mixed together and you've got the rough idea of it. The league is hoping to capitalize on the fact that guys like football and beautiful women, so by combining them, it's the perfect marketing scheme.
The LFL features ten teams across the country, and will have a 20 week season starting in September. The catch to it, you ask? Each team will only play four games over that 20 week span, two at home, two on the road. They also will play on a field similar to that of the Arena Football League, fifty yards long, thirty yards wide, with eight yard deep end zones. The game will consist of two fifteen minute halves with an eight minute sudden death overtime session should there be a tie score.
It's seven on seven action, with the active roster consisting of just twelve players, meaning you'll see some ironwoman football, players playing both ways. No comment as to what some people will construe that statement as meaning, whether it is a viable thought process or not. The league has ten teams for its kickoff campaign, with expansion in the works as well. The names are rather suggestive, but what do you expect?
That said, the ten teams are as follows:
EASTERN CONFERENCE: Philadelphia Passion, New York Majesty, Miami Caliente, Tampa Breeze, Chicago Bliss
WESTERN CONFERENCE: Dallas Desire, Denver Dream, San Diego Seduction, Seattle Mist, Los Angeles Temptation
It's been announced that the league has struck a deal with a regional sports network to showcase its games, and Fox Mobile Distribution has also negotiated a contract with the league to offer mobile content relating to the league on Jamster. The content that’s made accessible via mobile through thispartnership includes wallpapers, video clips and interviews as well asbehind-the-scenes footage. New content and applications will be continuously updated on Jamster throughout the season. Fans can also get exclusive content related to the Lingerie Football League mini-camps and practices, which began in April.
The Lingerie Bowl will take place on February 7, 2010 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, home of the Florida Panthers. No word yet on how many Panthers players are petitioning for a homestand around that date. It will also be interesting to see how many males rush out to buy engagement rings once they fall in lust with their favorite player or players.
We wish nothing but the best of luck to the LFL and all the players, coaches and those affiliated with the league. The majority of the red blooded male community is counting on the success of it.
Lord Stanley's Chalice Handed Out
What was a grueling six month regular season, and then an enthralling, if not taxing, eight week postseason, came down to one final game Friday night. One game, sixty minutes, thirty six hundred seconds to determine who would skate around Detroit's Joe Louis Arena as the Stanley Cup Champions.
It turned out to be an epic contest that wasn't truly decided until that thirty six hundredth second ticked off the clock.
The Pittsburgh Penguins overcame all the odds to post a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings before a packed house at the Joe Friday night, taking the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992, when current owner Mario Lemieux was captain and centering for a guy named Jaromir Jagr. Their current head coach, Dan Bylsma, was playing his senior year at Bowling Green. Sidney Crosby wasn't even five years old. Evgeni Malkin was almost six.
In doing so, the Penguins shattered several trends. They became the first team to overcome 2-0 deficits in two playoff series in one season, and the first team to win two game 7s on the road. The Penguins are also the first team in any pro sport to win a road Game 7 in the championship series (NBA Finals, World Series, Stanley Cup Finals) since the PIttsburgh Pirates did it in the 1979 World Series. They became the first team to win the Cup one year after losing in the finals since the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, a team that was blessed with talent such as Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Andy Moog, and Grant Fuhr. Throw in that it was the first time a team won a road game seven in the Cup Finals after the first six games were won by the home squads since the 1971 Canadiens, and you get an idea of how rare this feat actually was.
All in all, the Penguins did it with grit, determination, and hard work. It's almost easy to forget that Bylsma took over for the fired Michel Therrien following a 6-2 debacle against the Maple Leafs in Toronto back in February. The team suddenly seemed to click after that, going 18-3-4 over the final 25 games of the regular season to finish second in the Atlantic Division. Sergei Gonchar returned after missing 57 games to help the power play and the defense. Key acquisitions like Chris Kunitz, Craig Adams and Bill Guerin gave the team a veteran presence, having been there before, to help counter the youth and relative inexperience of Crosby, Malkin, Jordan Staal and others. They battled through adversity, including being dumped three times on Detroit's home ice, scoring just two goals in those contests, including a humiliating 5-0 thrashing in game five that had the Pens on the proverbial ropes.
However, like Rocky Balboa, they came back swinging. It took a gritty performance on home ice in Game Six, where the Penguins took a 2-0 lead early in the third period, only to watch Detroit get within one with more than half the final frame to go. Sharp goaltending by Marc-Andre Fleury and heads up play by defensemen like Rob Scuderi kept the Wings from getting the equalizer, sending it back to the Motor City for the penultimate game of the series, and the season.
After a scoreless first frame, the Penguins took advantage of a miscue by Brad Stuart, allowing Maxime Talbot to snap one between Osgood's pads in the opening 90 seconds of the second period, to take a 1-0 lead. Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin, who led all postseason scorers with 36 points after winning the Art Ross Trophy for the most points in the regular season, assisted on that tally. Just under nine minutes later, it was Talbot again, snapping one just under the crossbar to complete a 2 on 1 rush to give the Pens their two goal lead, much like game six. The Penguins were physical, they forced Detroit into long shifts, they hit the Wings, and controlled the tempo of play. They did it without Sidney Crosby, who played just two shifts in the second period, and just one in the third, after being crumpled like the front end of a Yugo hitting a brick wall at 85 miles an hour on a check by Johan Franzen.
Still, without their captain, despite the 1-5 record in Detroit the last two Finals, despite being 0-3 this time around in Detroit, the Penguins perservered. They killed off an early third period power play, as Detroit kept their shifts long, leaving their key players seemingly out of gas by the time they generated any offensive pressure. Osgood managed to keep the Penguins from scoring on a few good opportunities to keep the game close, but the Wings couldn't light the lamp.
That is, until 6:07 remained in the third period, when unheralded defenseman Jonathan Ericsson beat Fleury with a knuckleball from just inside the blueline to trim the lead to one goal. Fleury got a piece of it, but not enough to keep it from crossing the line, setting the goal light on, and revitalizing the crowd. Three hundred sixty seven seconds of regulation stretched out in front of both teams like an endless desert, the Cup a mere oasis of relief and satisfaction.
The Wings had their chances. Niklas Kronwall beat Fleury, only to hear the unforgiving clang of the iron as he rang one off the crossbar with 2:14 remaining in the stanza. Then in the dying seconds, a shot went wide, only to carom off the boards to four time Cup winner and All World defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Fleury was out of position and there was a gaping hole for Lidstrom to shoot at.
As the saying goes, he who hesitates is lost. It may have only been a split second before Lidstrom fired the puck toward the net, but it was enough for Fleury to dive across the crease and take the puck off his stomach as the horn sounded, touching off a celebration by the Penguins and leaving the sellout crowd of 20,066 in silent disbelief at what had transpired. After all, this was the defending champs we were talking about. A team that was gunning for their fifth Stanley Cup in twelve years. A team that was 11-1 at home in the playoffs going into the decisive game seven. Yet all that was for naught.
Also for naught was Marian Hossa's signing of a one year deal with the Red Wings. Hossa, who was acquired by the Penguins from Atlanta before the trade deadline last season, was a member of the Penguins who watched the Wings celebrate winning the Cup last season. He took a less lucrative deal to go to Detroit in the offseason, thinking it was a better chance at winning the Cup. Fate and irony combine to make a cruel mistress. Hossa ended up living the same nightmare, only in a different uniform this season.
So, we close a chapter on what has been an up and down, scintillating roller coaster ride of an NHL season. The Penguins are the champions of the world, and for this night, there is gloom in Hockeytown. Fear not though, fans of the Red Wings, be you die hards or bandwagon jumpers: next season is just three and a half months away, and the whole thing starts again.
As the song by Journey goes:
Working hard to get my fill,
Everybody wants a thrill
Paying anything to roll the dice,
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on
Don't stop believing folks.
Mired in Mediocrity: The Cubs at the One Third Mark, Part Two
The other day, I wrote a piece covering the things that have affected the Cubs in the first third of the season, dooming them to being a .500 ballclub after winning a NL best 97 games last season. Certainly, there have been some major issues that have cost the team numerous ballgames, which takes a club that could be nine or ten games better than their current mark. Of course, all teams suffer through injuries and slumps, and good teams come out of them and regain their stride, while subpar teams sink like the Titanic.
However, that doesn't mean that everything has been doom and gloom for the Cubs, even after losing two of three to the Houston Astros to cap a 4-4 road trip. Realistically, the club could have won all eight, but once again, the bullpen reared its ugly head. After an impressive 7-1 thumping of Houston Tuesday night, when the Cubs were 6 for 19 with runners in scoring position, they scored just two runs in the final two games, each on solo homers, in a pair of 2-1 losses. Last night's loss came in the bottom of the ninth, while today's was a thirteen inning affair, with Houston's Geoff Blum driving in the winning run in both contests for Houston.
That said, let's take a look at what has been a positive so far for the club a bit more in depth:
THE STARTING ROTATION: The Cubs have the best rotation ERA in the majors right now at 3.65, a number that probably dropped slightly with Ryan Dempster's outing in a no decision today. On the road trip, which began last Tuesday in Atlanta, Cubs starters gave up the following for runs: 1, 2, 1, 3 (none of those earned), 2, 0, 1, and 1. The record of the starters in those 8 games would be pretty impressive you would think right?
The actual record? 2-0. That's right, there were SIX no decisions in that span. Chalk some of it up to inept hitting, which would cover the last two games, shoddy relief work, as leads were blown in two games and tie scores were squandered in three others that would end up in losses. Still, we've talked a lot about Randy Wells, who is 0-2 despite his 1.86 ERA, but look at the rest of the rotation. Ted Lilly is 7-4 with an ERA of 3.00, while fanning 63 batters in 78 innings of work. Carlos Zambrano is 4-2 with a 3.39 ERA and his strikeout rate is up again, as he has whiffed 56 men in 63.2 innings after a subpar season strikeout wise last season, when he was hampered down the stretch.
Ryan Dempster is 4-3 with a 3.87 ERA, and has been victimized of little run support in his recent outings, including today, where he allowed one run in seven frames but was on the hook for the loss until Derrek Lee's one out solo homer in the ninth. Rich Harden is due back off the DL to start Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, and he'll look to lower his ERA from 4.74, though he does have a 4-2 record with 53 K's in 43.2 innings of work. With a little help offensively and in the pen, the Cubs could steamroll through the second half.
KOSUKE FUKUDOME: Barring a recent slip, Fukudome has been pretty solid offensively, in a time when the Cubs bats have been in hibernation. He still is hitting .294 with five homers and 22 RBI, while walking more than he was striking out. He also has a .425 on base percentage for the year, which is a solid number, especially with the subpar numbers the rest of the roster has put together. He's done a better job of watching the strike zone and isn't chasing as many pitches.
He's been hitting in the three hole for the time being with Ramirez out, and with Soriano not being moved from the leadoff slot, it means that Kosuke needs to step up to help the team carry the offensive slack until Ramirez returns, while Soto, Bradley and company find their groove.
RYAN THERIOT: The Riot, as Bob Brenly and Len Kasper call him, has suddenly developed a bit of a power stroke this season, popping six homers after hitting just one last season, and no more than three in any other season in the bigs. He's still hitting .288 on the year with 23 runs batted in, and his on base percentage is .353, which is close to his career mark of .361 over the past four seasons. However, he isn't walking as much as he has the last couple seasons, and that has impacted his walk to strikeout ratio.
After walking 73 times and fanning just 58 times last season in 661 plate appearances, he has walked just 18 times and fanned 31 in 241 plate appearances so far this season. Moreso, he has forsaken some of the inside out, hitting the ball to the opposite field swing that benefitted him immensely last season, and that is something he needs to get back to. Ideally, Theriot is a slap hitter who utilizes his speed to set the table and force the issue on the defense. Let's hope for a return to form going forward.
ANGEL GUZMAN: Guzman has been the lone solid, consistent reliever in the pen so far, even with last night's failure to hold Houston in the ninth with a chance to send the game to extra innings. He's 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 26 games, allowing 19 hits in 28 innings while fanning 25. He's gotten his first career big league win (April 18th against St. Louis) and first career big league save (June 7th against Cincinnati) this year, and Lou Piniella has used him in important situations.
Normally he would be the middle inning bridge guy to Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg, but with both of those men struggling (though they both did log a pair of scoreless frames in today's game), Piniella is not afraid to throw him in clutch spots to try and get outs. He's gotten a lot of confidence with his pitches, and his fastball has been clocked in the mid to high 90s, exploding through the zone. Even more dangerous, his slider is hitting near 90 miles an hour, with a wicked break to it, diving out of the strike zone after looking enticing to a hitter. If he can keep it up, he will be a valuable asset in the second half of the season.
So there are some of the high points for the Cubs so far, as they gear up for interleague play starting tomorrow at Wrigley Field against the Minnesota Twins. Randy Wells tries again for career win number one, as he'll match up against Kevin Slowey. Slowey is 8-2, but he has a 4.21 ERA and has given up a slew of hits (95 in 72.2 innings pitched, contributing to a WHIP of 1.431 on the season.) He's also homer prone (averaging 1.5 homers allowed per nine innings pitched), and the only thing saving him from having extremely ugly numbers is the fact that he doesn't walk many (nine walks allowed on the year.) The league is also hitting .317 against him, with a .507 slugging percentage. If the wind is blowing out, it could be a rough day for him.
Next, we'll look at what the Cubs can expect the rest of the season. Stay tuned.
However, that doesn't mean that everything has been doom and gloom for the Cubs, even after losing two of three to the Houston Astros to cap a 4-4 road trip. Realistically, the club could have won all eight, but once again, the bullpen reared its ugly head. After an impressive 7-1 thumping of Houston Tuesday night, when the Cubs were 6 for 19 with runners in scoring position, they scored just two runs in the final two games, each on solo homers, in a pair of 2-1 losses. Last night's loss came in the bottom of the ninth, while today's was a thirteen inning affair, with Houston's Geoff Blum driving in the winning run in both contests for Houston.
That said, let's take a look at what has been a positive so far for the club a bit more in depth:
THE STARTING ROTATION: The Cubs have the best rotation ERA in the majors right now at 3.65, a number that probably dropped slightly with Ryan Dempster's outing in a no decision today. On the road trip, which began last Tuesday in Atlanta, Cubs starters gave up the following for runs: 1, 2, 1, 3 (none of those earned), 2, 0, 1, and 1. The record of the starters in those 8 games would be pretty impressive you would think right?
The actual record? 2-0. That's right, there were SIX no decisions in that span. Chalk some of it up to inept hitting, which would cover the last two games, shoddy relief work, as leads were blown in two games and tie scores were squandered in three others that would end up in losses. Still, we've talked a lot about Randy Wells, who is 0-2 despite his 1.86 ERA, but look at the rest of the rotation. Ted Lilly is 7-4 with an ERA of 3.00, while fanning 63 batters in 78 innings of work. Carlos Zambrano is 4-2 with a 3.39 ERA and his strikeout rate is up again, as he has whiffed 56 men in 63.2 innings after a subpar season strikeout wise last season, when he was hampered down the stretch.
Ryan Dempster is 4-3 with a 3.87 ERA, and has been victimized of little run support in his recent outings, including today, where he allowed one run in seven frames but was on the hook for the loss until Derrek Lee's one out solo homer in the ninth. Rich Harden is due back off the DL to start Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, and he'll look to lower his ERA from 4.74, though he does have a 4-2 record with 53 K's in 43.2 innings of work. With a little help offensively and in the pen, the Cubs could steamroll through the second half.
KOSUKE FUKUDOME: Barring a recent slip, Fukudome has been pretty solid offensively, in a time when the Cubs bats have been in hibernation. He still is hitting .294 with five homers and 22 RBI, while walking more than he was striking out. He also has a .425 on base percentage for the year, which is a solid number, especially with the subpar numbers the rest of the roster has put together. He's done a better job of watching the strike zone and isn't chasing as many pitches.
He's been hitting in the three hole for the time being with Ramirez out, and with Soriano not being moved from the leadoff slot, it means that Kosuke needs to step up to help the team carry the offensive slack until Ramirez returns, while Soto, Bradley and company find their groove.
RYAN THERIOT: The Riot, as Bob Brenly and Len Kasper call him, has suddenly developed a bit of a power stroke this season, popping six homers after hitting just one last season, and no more than three in any other season in the bigs. He's still hitting .288 on the year with 23 runs batted in, and his on base percentage is .353, which is close to his career mark of .361 over the past four seasons. However, he isn't walking as much as he has the last couple seasons, and that has impacted his walk to strikeout ratio.
After walking 73 times and fanning just 58 times last season in 661 plate appearances, he has walked just 18 times and fanned 31 in 241 plate appearances so far this season. Moreso, he has forsaken some of the inside out, hitting the ball to the opposite field swing that benefitted him immensely last season, and that is something he needs to get back to. Ideally, Theriot is a slap hitter who utilizes his speed to set the table and force the issue on the defense. Let's hope for a return to form going forward.
ANGEL GUZMAN: Guzman has been the lone solid, consistent reliever in the pen so far, even with last night's failure to hold Houston in the ninth with a chance to send the game to extra innings. He's 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 26 games, allowing 19 hits in 28 innings while fanning 25. He's gotten his first career big league win (April 18th against St. Louis) and first career big league save (June 7th against Cincinnati) this year, and Lou Piniella has used him in important situations.
Normally he would be the middle inning bridge guy to Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg, but with both of those men struggling (though they both did log a pair of scoreless frames in today's game), Piniella is not afraid to throw him in clutch spots to try and get outs. He's gotten a lot of confidence with his pitches, and his fastball has been clocked in the mid to high 90s, exploding through the zone. Even more dangerous, his slider is hitting near 90 miles an hour, with a wicked break to it, diving out of the strike zone after looking enticing to a hitter. If he can keep it up, he will be a valuable asset in the second half of the season.
So there are some of the high points for the Cubs so far, as they gear up for interleague play starting tomorrow at Wrigley Field against the Minnesota Twins. Randy Wells tries again for career win number one, as he'll match up against Kevin Slowey. Slowey is 8-2, but he has a 4.21 ERA and has given up a slew of hits (95 in 72.2 innings pitched, contributing to a WHIP of 1.431 on the season.) He's also homer prone (averaging 1.5 homers allowed per nine innings pitched), and the only thing saving him from having extremely ugly numbers is the fact that he doesn't walk many (nine walks allowed on the year.) The league is also hitting .317 against him, with a .507 slugging percentage. If the wind is blowing out, it could be a rough day for him.
Next, we'll look at what the Cubs can expect the rest of the season. Stay tuned.
Mired in Mediocrity: The Cubs at the One Third Mark
We're just over two months into the big league baseball season, and that means two major things: the All Star Game is about a month off, and that teams are just about one third of a way through the marathon grind that is the regular season. For the Chicago Cubs, that is more a blessing than a curse. The team has been plagued by injuries, ineffective relief pitching, and spotty offensive outputs throughout the first two months, but find themselves just 3.5 games behind Milwaukee for the NL Central lead, and a mere 1.5 games behind the New York Mets for the wild card race.
Let's look at some of the things that have plagued the team, what has worked, and what they have to look toward as 2009 continues to wind through its meandering season. This is the first part of the series, going over the things that have hurt the Cubs so far this season:
INJURIES: The Cubs have taken some major hits on the injury front. Aramis Ramirez had been injured, missed half a dozen games, came back, and ended up dislocating his shoulder against the Cardinals. He's missed a month with that injury, and is expected to return in early July. He's played just eighteen games, and has forced the Cubs to juggle their lineup and their defensive alignments. Injuries like this underscore the value of a Mark DeRosa, who the Cubs had last season, but dealt in the offseason to Cleveland. The Cubs big offseason acquisition, Milton Bradley, has been hurt, with a couple of hamstring issues, and has yet to really find his groove in Chicago, hitting just .218 with five homers and 14 RBIs.
Carlos Zambrano missed a couple of starts with a hamstring issue, and Rich Harden has been on the disabled list for a stint as well with a lower back injury. Aaron Miles is also on the shelf, further thinning the versatility that the Cubs have in positional changes.
BULLPEN WOES: Last season, Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood were pretty much lights out on a regular basis for the Cubs. Wood is gone now, closing in Cleveland, but Marmol is still here. The problem is, he isn't nearly as effective as he was in 2008. Last season, he was 2-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 82 games, allowing just 40 hits in 87.1 innings of work, walking 41 and fanning 114 hitters. His WHIP was an impressive 0.927 for the year, and he converted 7 of 9 save chances while Wood was on the shelf or otherwise unavailable.
So far this season, Marmol has been wild, and it has cost him, and the Cubs, on more than one occasion. He is 1-1 with a 3.67 ERA in 30 games this season, but those 30 appearances have totaled just 27 innings. His inability to find the strike zone was evident again in yesterday's 6-3, 14 inning win over Cincinnati at the Great American Ballpark: leading 3-2 in the eighth, Marmol walked the two men he faced, throwing 3 strikes out of the 11 pitches he threw, before being lifted. Aaron Heilman got out of the jam, but the tying run scored, costing rookie Randy Wells another chance at his first big league win. Marmol's hits per inning is still low (14 hits allowed in 27 innings) but he has a strikeout to walk ratio of just 29:27, and he has hit five other batters. His WHIP is an unsightly 1.519, and he needs to get back on the ball.
Speaking of Wells, he's had the bullpen cough up four potential wins for him. Besides yesterday, in his last start on Tuesday in Atlanta, he left with a 5-1 lead only to have Marmol and Kevin Gregg cough that up, in a game that the Cubs would go on to lose in extra innings. Earlier this season, against Houston, he left ahead, and the lead was 4-0 in the ninth, before Gregg gave up a pair of solo homers, a pair of singles, and hit a man. The Astros would tie that game before the Cubs rallied in the bottom of the ninth. Then in his debut, Wells left with a 2-0 lead against MIlwaukee, only to have the bullpen give that away in a 3-2 defeat.
Gregg has been spotty as a closer. His numbers are not overly impressive when you look at them in depth. He is 0-1 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 games, and has converted 10 of 12 save opportunities. That doesn't include the Houston debacle, among others, when he came in during a non save situation and torched a lead. His WHIP is an even 1.500, and as Lou Piniella has stated more than once, when you allow that many baserunners, you aren't going to win a lot of ballgames.
Neal Cotts was shipped back to AAA Iowa after his inability to find the strike zone or retire left handed hitters with any regularity. He was 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in nineteen outings, spanning a whopping eleven innings. Jeff Samardzija, who was solid in a late season callup last season, scuffled in his five appearances before being sent back down to work on things as well. The only true reliable arm so far in the pen has been Angel Guzman, who has picked up his first major league victory and save this season. He's 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA in 25 games, and has shown some nasty stuff in recent outings.
INABILITY TO GET CLUTCH/TIMELY HITS: When the Cubs had their eight game losing streak, they had a stretch on the road in St. Louis and San Diego where in the six games, they tallied all of five runs. As a team, they are 28th in the majors as far as hitting with runners in scoring position, with a paltry .231 mark. Only San Diego and Arizona are worse in that regard, and it is a steep dropoff from last season's .278 clip. In fact, it is their worst team benchmark going back to the 2000 season, with the low water mark in the last decade a .241 clip in 2002.
In fact, the Cubs were 4 for 21 with runners in scoring position yesterday against the Reds, but that was an IMPROVEMENT over the first two games of the series, when they were a combined 0 for 17 in splitting the opening contests. Clearly, the bats need to wake up, and it shouldn't take a Pedro Cerrano offering to Jobu to do so. The talent is there, quite obviously, but guys need to step it up. Alfonso Soriano is a clear example. Yes, he has 14 homers, but he's driven in just 27 runs, and has fanned 60 times in 224 at bats. His average is down to .241, and he has been unable to hit with RISP, going at a .125 clip in the opening month, .190 in May, and 0 for 6 so far this month. When one of your big bats isn't getting it done, that is not a good sign. With Ramirez out, it makes it even tougher.
POOR DEFENSE/MENTAL MISTAKES: Clear case in point of this was Mike Fontenot Saturday night against Cincinnati. He fields the first ball in play cleanly in the bottom of the first, and throws it away. The Reds go on to score three runs against Ryan Dempster, all unearned. The Cubs battle back to tie it and send the game to extra innings, only to have Fontenot throw high and wide on a fielder's choice, allowing the winning run to score. This comes after failing to cover third on a bunt play right before the fielder's choice.
There are a myriad of other miscues like this, but these couple plays were what stood out, especially since they directly affected all of Cincinnati's scoring in the game, while on the other side, Chris Dickerson robbed the Cubs of a couple hits, which would have led to runs.
Now, it hasn't been all bad for the Cubs so far, as the fact that they are 28-26 will attest to. Tomorrow, we'll take a look at some of the things that HAVE gone well for Sweet Lou and the North Siders, as we get ready for a three game set with Houston and then the start of my personal least favorite time of year for baseball, interleague play. Stay tuned.
Let's look at some of the things that have plagued the team, what has worked, and what they have to look toward as 2009 continues to wind through its meandering season. This is the first part of the series, going over the things that have hurt the Cubs so far this season:
INJURIES: The Cubs have taken some major hits on the injury front. Aramis Ramirez had been injured, missed half a dozen games, came back, and ended up dislocating his shoulder against the Cardinals. He's missed a month with that injury, and is expected to return in early July. He's played just eighteen games, and has forced the Cubs to juggle their lineup and their defensive alignments. Injuries like this underscore the value of a Mark DeRosa, who the Cubs had last season, but dealt in the offseason to Cleveland. The Cubs big offseason acquisition, Milton Bradley, has been hurt, with a couple of hamstring issues, and has yet to really find his groove in Chicago, hitting just .218 with five homers and 14 RBIs.
Carlos Zambrano missed a couple of starts with a hamstring issue, and Rich Harden has been on the disabled list for a stint as well with a lower back injury. Aaron Miles is also on the shelf, further thinning the versatility that the Cubs have in positional changes.
BULLPEN WOES: Last season, Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood were pretty much lights out on a regular basis for the Cubs. Wood is gone now, closing in Cleveland, but Marmol is still here. The problem is, he isn't nearly as effective as he was in 2008. Last season, he was 2-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 82 games, allowing just 40 hits in 87.1 innings of work, walking 41 and fanning 114 hitters. His WHIP was an impressive 0.927 for the year, and he converted 7 of 9 save chances while Wood was on the shelf or otherwise unavailable.
So far this season, Marmol has been wild, and it has cost him, and the Cubs, on more than one occasion. He is 1-1 with a 3.67 ERA in 30 games this season, but those 30 appearances have totaled just 27 innings. His inability to find the strike zone was evident again in yesterday's 6-3, 14 inning win over Cincinnati at the Great American Ballpark: leading 3-2 in the eighth, Marmol walked the two men he faced, throwing 3 strikes out of the 11 pitches he threw, before being lifted. Aaron Heilman got out of the jam, but the tying run scored, costing rookie Randy Wells another chance at his first big league win. Marmol's hits per inning is still low (14 hits allowed in 27 innings) but he has a strikeout to walk ratio of just 29:27, and he has hit five other batters. His WHIP is an unsightly 1.519, and he needs to get back on the ball.
Speaking of Wells, he's had the bullpen cough up four potential wins for him. Besides yesterday, in his last start on Tuesday in Atlanta, he left with a 5-1 lead only to have Marmol and Kevin Gregg cough that up, in a game that the Cubs would go on to lose in extra innings. Earlier this season, against Houston, he left ahead, and the lead was 4-0 in the ninth, before Gregg gave up a pair of solo homers, a pair of singles, and hit a man. The Astros would tie that game before the Cubs rallied in the bottom of the ninth. Then in his debut, Wells left with a 2-0 lead against MIlwaukee, only to have the bullpen give that away in a 3-2 defeat.
Gregg has been spotty as a closer. His numbers are not overly impressive when you look at them in depth. He is 0-1 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 games, and has converted 10 of 12 save opportunities. That doesn't include the Houston debacle, among others, when he came in during a non save situation and torched a lead. His WHIP is an even 1.500, and as Lou Piniella has stated more than once, when you allow that many baserunners, you aren't going to win a lot of ballgames.
Neal Cotts was shipped back to AAA Iowa after his inability to find the strike zone or retire left handed hitters with any regularity. He was 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in nineteen outings, spanning a whopping eleven innings. Jeff Samardzija, who was solid in a late season callup last season, scuffled in his five appearances before being sent back down to work on things as well. The only true reliable arm so far in the pen has been Angel Guzman, who has picked up his first major league victory and save this season. He's 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA in 25 games, and has shown some nasty stuff in recent outings.
INABILITY TO GET CLUTCH/TIMELY HITS: When the Cubs had their eight game losing streak, they had a stretch on the road in St. Louis and San Diego where in the six games, they tallied all of five runs. As a team, they are 28th in the majors as far as hitting with runners in scoring position, with a paltry .231 mark. Only San Diego and Arizona are worse in that regard, and it is a steep dropoff from last season's .278 clip. In fact, it is their worst team benchmark going back to the 2000 season, with the low water mark in the last decade a .241 clip in 2002.
In fact, the Cubs were 4 for 21 with runners in scoring position yesterday against the Reds, but that was an IMPROVEMENT over the first two games of the series, when they were a combined 0 for 17 in splitting the opening contests. Clearly, the bats need to wake up, and it shouldn't take a Pedro Cerrano offering to Jobu to do so. The talent is there, quite obviously, but guys need to step it up. Alfonso Soriano is a clear example. Yes, he has 14 homers, but he's driven in just 27 runs, and has fanned 60 times in 224 at bats. His average is down to .241, and he has been unable to hit with RISP, going at a .125 clip in the opening month, .190 in May, and 0 for 6 so far this month. When one of your big bats isn't getting it done, that is not a good sign. With Ramirez out, it makes it even tougher.
POOR DEFENSE/MENTAL MISTAKES: Clear case in point of this was Mike Fontenot Saturday night against Cincinnati. He fields the first ball in play cleanly in the bottom of the first, and throws it away. The Reds go on to score three runs against Ryan Dempster, all unearned. The Cubs battle back to tie it and send the game to extra innings, only to have Fontenot throw high and wide on a fielder's choice, allowing the winning run to score. This comes after failing to cover third on a bunt play right before the fielder's choice.
There are a myriad of other miscues like this, but these couple plays were what stood out, especially since they directly affected all of Cincinnati's scoring in the game, while on the other side, Chris Dickerson robbed the Cubs of a couple hits, which would have led to runs.
Now, it hasn't been all bad for the Cubs so far, as the fact that they are 28-26 will attest to. Tomorrow, we'll take a look at some of the things that HAVE gone well for Sweet Lou and the North Siders, as we get ready for a three game set with Houston and then the start of my personal least favorite time of year for baseball, interleague play. Stay tuned.
A Tale of Two 300 Game Winners
Once upon a time in Major League Baseball, the 300 game winner was far more commonplace than big home run hitters, closers racking up 40 plus saves, or for that matter, teams. However, in recent years, it has become as scarce as workhorse pitchers, ten cent beer night, and the Seattle Pilots.
After Don Sutton became the third pitcher in two years to hit the 300 win plateau in June of 1986 (Tom Seaver had hit the mark in August 1985, and Phil Niekro followed in October of 1985), when coupled with Steve Carlton hitting the mark in 1983, it was four years until there was another addition to the club. That was flamethrower Nolan Ryan, who won career game number 300 on July 31, 1990. Ryan would go on to tack on another 24 victories to his name before retiring, the majors all time strikeout king with 5714.
It would be another 14 years before a 300 game winner would surface again, with whispers saying that it may be the last. That was Greg Maddux, pitching for the team that he had started his career with, the Chicago Cubs. against the San Francisco Giants on August 7th, 2004. Maddux would go on to finish his illustrious career with 355 wins, and is pretty much a sure fire Hall of Famer. Certainly, the 90s and into the new millenium has been more of the offensive era of major league baseball, which has put a damper on pitchers lasting longer into games, and procuring wins. Factor in positional switches, the advent of deeper pitching staffs with specialized relievers and the like, and it makes the challenge even more daunting.
So fast forward three years, when Tom Glavine, then with the New York Mets, tallied his 300th career win, over the Chicago Cubs in 2007. Glavine would suffer an elbow injury in 2008, sending him to his first major injury of his career and on an arduous rehabilitation to try and make his way back to the big leagues. At the time, it seemed that he very well may be the last 300 game winner for quite a while in the bigs. Most of the pitchers leading the group of active pitchers in wins were in the twilight of their careers, and some were coming off injury plagued campaigns.
Still, perserverance takes precedent sometimes, and such is the case with Randy Johnson. The Big Unit, who has won more games in his 40s than he did in his 20s, who has a perfect game and five Cy Youngs to his credit, over 4800 strikeouts, nine times the leader in strikeouts, three twenty victory seasons and a World Series MVP, overcame injury shortened 2003 and 2007 campaigns, not to mention a mediocre, by his standards, 2008, to position himself just five wins shy of that magical plateau.
Now Johnson may not have the heater he once had, and he may not be as wild as Rick Vaughn like he was early in his career, but he does have the ability to intimidate and pitch effectively. He does still have the height (6'10) and the mullet that would give Barry Melrose a run for his money, but he relies more on control and hitting spots than trying to throw it down the middle and daring people to hit it. The strikeout plus an inning days are long since passed. He signed a one year deal to pitch for the Giants, near his birthplace of Walnut Creek, and continued with his quest.
This week, he got his opportunity, in the nation's capital, against the team that he started his career with. Of course, back then, the Washington Nationals were the Montreal Expos. He only won three games in an Expos uniform, and was dealt to Seattle in 1989, in a deal that netted the Expos Mark Langston. Langston would make just 24 starts for Montreal, going 12-9 before leaving as a free agent at the end of the season, and landing with the Angels, a divisional rival of the Mariners. Meanwhile, Johnson would go on to win 130 games for the Mariners, including a one game playoff against the Angels and Langston in 1995 that would give the M's the AL West flag.
Johnson was slated to go Wednesday, against rookie pitcher Jordan Zimmerman of the Nationals, only to have that game rained out. The game was pushed back to the first game of a doubleheader Thursday, which was delayed by rain before it finally got underway. Johnson would throw six strong innings despite the rain soaked conditions, allowing two hits and an unearned run while leaving ahead 2-1. He walked a pair and struck out two while throwing just 78 pitches.
The game, and the elusive victory, nearly escaped Johnson, when in the eighth, the Nationals loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks, which prompted manager Bruce Bochy to summon closer Brian Wilson to douse the flames. It took what many termed a generous third strike call on Nationals slugger Adam Dunn on a full count, knee high fastball to close the door in the inning. The Giants would tally three runs in the ninth, on a two run double by Randy Winn, and a sacrifice fly by Pablo Sandoval to give the Giants some breathing room. Wilson fanned the side around an infield single, to give the Giants a 5-1 win, and Johnson his 300th career victory. Johnson became the sixth lefthander to win 300 games, the 24th pitcher all time, and the first pitcher since Tom Seaver to win his 300th game on his first attempt.
So while Johnson still has the better part of four months to add to his total, it brings us to the previous entrant to the prestigious club, Glavine. Glavine returned to the Braves for a one year deal in the offseason after contemplating retirement. As stated, he had elbow and shoulder issues that required surgery. He had made successful rehab starts for the Braves minor league affiliates, and was preparing to return to the rotation this weekend. His final tuneup was a six scoreless frame outing for Class A Rome on Tuesday, in front of a sold out crowd.
Instead of returning to the rotation, Glavine was blindsided Wednesday: he was cut loose by the franchise that he had been the face of for so long. A man who posted 244 career wins in 17 seasons for a franchise that was absolutely moribund when he came in, that had a run of 14 straight division titles begin under his watch, and part of a four aces rotation that included Maddux, John Smoltz and Steve Avery for a while in the mid 1990s, was bounced out unceremoniously. The management claims it has nothing to do with financial renumerations, as Glavine would have been owed a $1 million bonus for making the club, but instead that they felt that "the comeback would not be successful" and "they have a better chance to win with a younger pitcher."
Top prospect Tommy Hanson is expected to be called up to fill the rotation spot that Glavine would have had. Hanson will make his first start this weekend against Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and the free swinging, yet hard hitting, Milwaukee Brewers.
No matter what you may think of the Braves, love them or hate them, this was in poor taste. To put a Hall of Famer like Glavine out there like a dog and pony show, only to cut him loose, merely leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths. Kudos to Johnson for reaching the milestone, but let the Glavine story be a reminder: you're only as good as your last outing. This may be the end of the 300 game winner as we know it. Let's savor the moment and the class that Tom Glavine exuded as a pitcher, and a man.
After Don Sutton became the third pitcher in two years to hit the 300 win plateau in June of 1986 (Tom Seaver had hit the mark in August 1985, and Phil Niekro followed in October of 1985), when coupled with Steve Carlton hitting the mark in 1983, it was four years until there was another addition to the club. That was flamethrower Nolan Ryan, who won career game number 300 on July 31, 1990. Ryan would go on to tack on another 24 victories to his name before retiring, the majors all time strikeout king with 5714.
It would be another 14 years before a 300 game winner would surface again, with whispers saying that it may be the last. That was Greg Maddux, pitching for the team that he had started his career with, the Chicago Cubs. against the San Francisco Giants on August 7th, 2004. Maddux would go on to finish his illustrious career with 355 wins, and is pretty much a sure fire Hall of Famer. Certainly, the 90s and into the new millenium has been more of the offensive era of major league baseball, which has put a damper on pitchers lasting longer into games, and procuring wins. Factor in positional switches, the advent of deeper pitching staffs with specialized relievers and the like, and it makes the challenge even more daunting.
So fast forward three years, when Tom Glavine, then with the New York Mets, tallied his 300th career win, over the Chicago Cubs in 2007. Glavine would suffer an elbow injury in 2008, sending him to his first major injury of his career and on an arduous rehabilitation to try and make his way back to the big leagues. At the time, it seemed that he very well may be the last 300 game winner for quite a while in the bigs. Most of the pitchers leading the group of active pitchers in wins were in the twilight of their careers, and some were coming off injury plagued campaigns.
Still, perserverance takes precedent sometimes, and such is the case with Randy Johnson. The Big Unit, who has won more games in his 40s than he did in his 20s, who has a perfect game and five Cy Youngs to his credit, over 4800 strikeouts, nine times the leader in strikeouts, three twenty victory seasons and a World Series MVP, overcame injury shortened 2003 and 2007 campaigns, not to mention a mediocre, by his standards, 2008, to position himself just five wins shy of that magical plateau.
Now Johnson may not have the heater he once had, and he may not be as wild as Rick Vaughn like he was early in his career, but he does have the ability to intimidate and pitch effectively. He does still have the height (6'10) and the mullet that would give Barry Melrose a run for his money, but he relies more on control and hitting spots than trying to throw it down the middle and daring people to hit it. The strikeout plus an inning days are long since passed. He signed a one year deal to pitch for the Giants, near his birthplace of Walnut Creek, and continued with his quest.
This week, he got his opportunity, in the nation's capital, against the team that he started his career with. Of course, back then, the Washington Nationals were the Montreal Expos. He only won three games in an Expos uniform, and was dealt to Seattle in 1989, in a deal that netted the Expos Mark Langston. Langston would make just 24 starts for Montreal, going 12-9 before leaving as a free agent at the end of the season, and landing with the Angels, a divisional rival of the Mariners. Meanwhile, Johnson would go on to win 130 games for the Mariners, including a one game playoff against the Angels and Langston in 1995 that would give the M's the AL West flag.
Johnson was slated to go Wednesday, against rookie pitcher Jordan Zimmerman of the Nationals, only to have that game rained out. The game was pushed back to the first game of a doubleheader Thursday, which was delayed by rain before it finally got underway. Johnson would throw six strong innings despite the rain soaked conditions, allowing two hits and an unearned run while leaving ahead 2-1. He walked a pair and struck out two while throwing just 78 pitches.
The game, and the elusive victory, nearly escaped Johnson, when in the eighth, the Nationals loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks, which prompted manager Bruce Bochy to summon closer Brian Wilson to douse the flames. It took what many termed a generous third strike call on Nationals slugger Adam Dunn on a full count, knee high fastball to close the door in the inning. The Giants would tally three runs in the ninth, on a two run double by Randy Winn, and a sacrifice fly by Pablo Sandoval to give the Giants some breathing room. Wilson fanned the side around an infield single, to give the Giants a 5-1 win, and Johnson his 300th career victory. Johnson became the sixth lefthander to win 300 games, the 24th pitcher all time, and the first pitcher since Tom Seaver to win his 300th game on his first attempt.
So while Johnson still has the better part of four months to add to his total, it brings us to the previous entrant to the prestigious club, Glavine. Glavine returned to the Braves for a one year deal in the offseason after contemplating retirement. As stated, he had elbow and shoulder issues that required surgery. He had made successful rehab starts for the Braves minor league affiliates, and was preparing to return to the rotation this weekend. His final tuneup was a six scoreless frame outing for Class A Rome on Tuesday, in front of a sold out crowd.
Instead of returning to the rotation, Glavine was blindsided Wednesday: he was cut loose by the franchise that he had been the face of for so long. A man who posted 244 career wins in 17 seasons for a franchise that was absolutely moribund when he came in, that had a run of 14 straight division titles begin under his watch, and part of a four aces rotation that included Maddux, John Smoltz and Steve Avery for a while in the mid 1990s, was bounced out unceremoniously. The management claims it has nothing to do with financial renumerations, as Glavine would have been owed a $1 million bonus for making the club, but instead that they felt that "the comeback would not be successful" and "they have a better chance to win with a younger pitcher."
Top prospect Tommy Hanson is expected to be called up to fill the rotation spot that Glavine would have had. Hanson will make his first start this weekend against Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and the free swinging, yet hard hitting, Milwaukee Brewers.
No matter what you may think of the Braves, love them or hate them, this was in poor taste. To put a Hall of Famer like Glavine out there like a dog and pony show, only to cut him loose, merely leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths. Kudos to Johnson for reaching the milestone, but let the Glavine story be a reminder: you're only as good as your last outing. This may be the end of the 300 game winner as we know it. Let's savor the moment and the class that Tom Glavine exuded as a pitcher, and a man.
Could the Rams be on the way out of the Gateway City?
Professional sports is known for having franchises shift locations, names, divisions, players, coaches, owners, colors...practically everything under the sun. In just the past two decades, we have seen the Cleveland Browns become the Baltimore Ravens, the St. Louis Cardinals become the Phoenix Cardinals and then the Arizona Cardinals, the Oakland Raiders becoming the Los Angeles Raiders and then back to the Oakland Raiders, and the Houston Oilers becoming the Tennessee Titans, and this is just in the NFL.
The NBA has seen the Vancouver Grizzlies become the Memphis Grizzlies, the Charlotte Hornets become the New Orleans Hornets, and the Seattle Sonics becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder. The NHL has watched the Quebec Nordiques turn into the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota North Stars have transformed to the Dallas Stars, the Winnipeg Jets are now the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Hartford Whalers are now the Carolina Hurricanes. Even baseball hasn't been immune, as the Montreal Expos are the Washington Nationals, and the California Angels have had about 48 name changes, before finally settling, at least for the moment, as the Anaheim Angels.
Once again, in the tough economic times, there is speculation that another team may be shifting locales. This particular franchise realignment, should it go through, however, would directly impact where I currently reside.
Rumor and speculation says that the St. Louis Rams are up for sale, and that after a year of attempting to find a local buyer, Chip Rosenbloom and Julia Rodriguez, who are the brother and sister who were the children of former owner Georgia Frontiere, who passed away last year. The two own sixty percent of the franchise, which was recently valued at $929 million, though it is expected that the team would fetch a full 50 to 100 million dollars less than that given the current economic crunch. The other 40 percent of the Rams stake is owned by Stan Kroenke, who was reviled by Vince McMahon and WWE fans with the Pepsi Center fiasco last month. That puts the Rosenbloom chunk of the franchise would be worth roughly $560 million, meaning potentially they could expect about $500 million or so before taxes and the rest.
Neither of the siblings are interested in running or owning a NFL franchise. Where does that leave things? Well, for starters, they have retained Goldman Sachs to try and find a prospective buyer. Should a local buyer not be found, or one that wants to keep the team in St. Louis, then the city could see a NFL franchise leave town for the second time. There, of course, are always cities clamoring for an NFL franchise, though finding a viable option may be more difficult. In fact, in this economy, options are thinner than Kate Moss on afedra, which in case you are unaware, is ridiculous.
Whenever speculation of a relocation bubbles to the surface, the first destination that comes to the minds of people is Los Angeles. The city has not had a team since the Raiders moved back to Oakland, though the Rams came from Los Angeles when they moved to St. Louis back in 1995. There is talk that the Blues owner, Dave Checketts, may attempt to be the spearhead of a group to buy the team and keep it in St. Louis. He believes that he and his group have the assets to get a deal done.
The Rams deal with the Edward Jones Dome is in effect until 2014, and it doesn't seem as if people in the St. Louis area are jumping through hoops to buy the team. It has already been stated that the founder of Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Jack Taylor, is not interested in buying the club, and no one from the Busch empire, well known to the point of being revered here, has stepped forward either. City officials are ssying that a new or refurbished stadium would cost in the range of 800 million to one billion dollars. It is hard to fathom that there is enough of a tax base to generate that kind of money, or that the city officials would pass a bond bill to do so.
The coming months will determine a lot of the climate for professional football in St. Louis, though there is one given. The market will be set by what happens here, and the fate of the Gateway City will as well. Hopefully, for the city, the Rams will stay in town.
The NBA has seen the Vancouver Grizzlies become the Memphis Grizzlies, the Charlotte Hornets become the New Orleans Hornets, and the Seattle Sonics becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder. The NHL has watched the Quebec Nordiques turn into the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota North Stars have transformed to the Dallas Stars, the Winnipeg Jets are now the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Hartford Whalers are now the Carolina Hurricanes. Even baseball hasn't been immune, as the Montreal Expos are the Washington Nationals, and the California Angels have had about 48 name changes, before finally settling, at least for the moment, as the Anaheim Angels.
Once again, in the tough economic times, there is speculation that another team may be shifting locales. This particular franchise realignment, should it go through, however, would directly impact where I currently reside.
Rumor and speculation says that the St. Louis Rams are up for sale, and that after a year of attempting to find a local buyer, Chip Rosenbloom and Julia Rodriguez, who are the brother and sister who were the children of former owner Georgia Frontiere, who passed away last year. The two own sixty percent of the franchise, which was recently valued at $929 million, though it is expected that the team would fetch a full 50 to 100 million dollars less than that given the current economic crunch. The other 40 percent of the Rams stake is owned by Stan Kroenke, who was reviled by Vince McMahon and WWE fans with the Pepsi Center fiasco last month. That puts the Rosenbloom chunk of the franchise would be worth roughly $560 million, meaning potentially they could expect about $500 million or so before taxes and the rest.
Neither of the siblings are interested in running or owning a NFL franchise. Where does that leave things? Well, for starters, they have retained Goldman Sachs to try and find a prospective buyer. Should a local buyer not be found, or one that wants to keep the team in St. Louis, then the city could see a NFL franchise leave town for the second time. There, of course, are always cities clamoring for an NFL franchise, though finding a viable option may be more difficult. In fact, in this economy, options are thinner than Kate Moss on afedra, which in case you are unaware, is ridiculous.
Whenever speculation of a relocation bubbles to the surface, the first destination that comes to the minds of people is Los Angeles. The city has not had a team since the Raiders moved back to Oakland, though the Rams came from Los Angeles when they moved to St. Louis back in 1995. There is talk that the Blues owner, Dave Checketts, may attempt to be the spearhead of a group to buy the team and keep it in St. Louis. He believes that he and his group have the assets to get a deal done.
The Rams deal with the Edward Jones Dome is in effect until 2014, and it doesn't seem as if people in the St. Louis area are jumping through hoops to buy the team. It has already been stated that the founder of Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Jack Taylor, is not interested in buying the club, and no one from the Busch empire, well known to the point of being revered here, has stepped forward either. City officials are ssying that a new or refurbished stadium would cost in the range of 800 million to one billion dollars. It is hard to fathom that there is enough of a tax base to generate that kind of money, or that the city officials would pass a bond bill to do so.
The coming months will determine a lot of the climate for professional football in St. Louis, though there is one given. The market will be set by what happens here, and the fate of the Gateway City will as well. Hopefully, for the city, the Rams will stay in town.
Can Randy Wells catch a break?
Odds are, if I mention the name Randy Wells, it means, well, absolutely nothing to the majority of you. Some of you might think I mistyped the first name and was thinking of portly lefthander David Wells, who once threw a perfect game. Hockey fans might think I was talking about journeyman defenseman Jay Wells, who had a long career in the NHL playing for a myriad of teams. College and pro football fans might be contemplating former Ohio State tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells, who was selected in the first round by the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. If you go further back, the name Warren "Going to the" Wells might cross the mind of fans of the John Madden coached Oakland Raiders.
None of those would be correct, for you see, Randy Wells was not a typographical error.
Wells is a little known lefthanded starter for the Cubs, who came up when Carlos Zambrano was on the disabled list last month with a hamstring injury. He was solid in his first two starts, not yielding a run, but came up with a pair of no decisions as the bullpen let a 2-0 lead against Milwaukee slip away and then Kevin Gregg imploded against Houston, giving up a 4-0 lead in the ninth. The Cubs would lose to the Brewers 3-2, and come back in the bottom of the ninth of that contest against Houston to win 5-4, when Alfonso Soriano blooped a single down the right field line to score Bobby Scales.
Tough losses to the Padres and Dodgers would follow, though he would give up a total of five runs in fourteen innings spanning those two starts. The issue? Lack of offense, as the team would tally just two runs in those contests, only one of which came when he was on the mound. So, Wells, who easily should have had at least two wins, if not more based on his performances, entered Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field with a mark of 0-2, despite an ERA of 1.80 in twenty five innings.
Wells did his part, no hitting the Braves for 6 and two third innings, leaving after facing two batters in the eighth with a 5-1 lead. He allowed what would turn out to be two runs on two hits, one of those earned, with no walks, four strikeouts and a hit batsman in his outing, lowering his ERA to 1.69 with a strikeout to walk ratio of 27 to 7. His WHIP is an impressive 0.97, and he even singled home a run in the game, his first big league RBI.
However, while he got his first hit and RBI, he's still looking for his first big league win.
The bullpen coughed up the lead, as Carlos Marmol failed to harness his wildness in the eighth, walking the first man he faced, hitting another, and then walking Kelly Johnson with the bases loaded to force in a run. Not only did Marmol walk the first man he faced, it was the remarkably difficult to walk Jeff Francouer, who drew just his sixth walk in 195 plate appearances this season and the 121st in 2344 major league at bats in his career. Even worse, it was a four pitch walk. Atlanta would plate their third run on a sacrifice fly, and the Cubs led 5-3 going to the bottom of the ninth.
Gregg had a chance to put the game away, but failed to. He retired Brian McCann on a fly ball to left, and struck out Garrett Anderson. However, the third strike was on a wild pitch, allowing Anderson to reach. One out later, Francoeur tied the game with a two run shot to left center field, and the Cubs were left stunned. The game went to extra innings, but it was merely prolonging the inevitable, as Atlanta would win in the twelfth on a base hit by Yunel Escobar, who stole second, and then scored on a single by Chipper Jones.
One has to wonder what it will take for Wells to get a win. When you buzzsaw through a lineup and carry a no hitter into the seventh, leave with a four run lead in the eighth, and still come up empty, what else is there to do? Does he have to throw a perfect game to get a win?
I have to wonder if taking Wells out at the juncture that he did was a case of bad judgment by Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild. He had been dominant, only throwing 83 pitches at the time of his removal, and may have been able to work out of the bit of a jam he got himself into in the eighth. This walking the tightrope with the bullpen is getting out of hand. The pen is blowing games left, right and center, and that won't keep you in the playoff race for long should that continue. It might be time for Marmol to take over the closer role, or for Jim Hendry to start making inquiries about obtaining one or more live arms to help out in the pen, because the guys out there are simply not doing their job.
A tip of the cap to Wells for a great outing, even if the result was not there. The Cubs and Braves continue their series tomorrow at 7 ET/ 6 CT, as the Cubs send Ted Lilly against the Braves and sinkerballer Derek Lowe at Turner Field. It should be a great matchup, as both pitchers are excellent, and are capable of shutting down opposing lineups. Lilly looks to build on his successful outing against the Dodgers last Friday, when he gave up one run in seven innings, and the Cubs look to snap a seven game road losing streak and get back on the ball.
None of those would be correct, for you see, Randy Wells was not a typographical error.
Wells is a little known lefthanded starter for the Cubs, who came up when Carlos Zambrano was on the disabled list last month with a hamstring injury. He was solid in his first two starts, not yielding a run, but came up with a pair of no decisions as the bullpen let a 2-0 lead against Milwaukee slip away and then Kevin Gregg imploded against Houston, giving up a 4-0 lead in the ninth. The Cubs would lose to the Brewers 3-2, and come back in the bottom of the ninth of that contest against Houston to win 5-4, when Alfonso Soriano blooped a single down the right field line to score Bobby Scales.
Tough losses to the Padres and Dodgers would follow, though he would give up a total of five runs in fourteen innings spanning those two starts. The issue? Lack of offense, as the team would tally just two runs in those contests, only one of which came when he was on the mound. So, Wells, who easily should have had at least two wins, if not more based on his performances, entered Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field with a mark of 0-2, despite an ERA of 1.80 in twenty five innings.
Wells did his part, no hitting the Braves for 6 and two third innings, leaving after facing two batters in the eighth with a 5-1 lead. He allowed what would turn out to be two runs on two hits, one of those earned, with no walks, four strikeouts and a hit batsman in his outing, lowering his ERA to 1.69 with a strikeout to walk ratio of 27 to 7. His WHIP is an impressive 0.97, and he even singled home a run in the game, his first big league RBI.
However, while he got his first hit and RBI, he's still looking for his first big league win.
The bullpen coughed up the lead, as Carlos Marmol failed to harness his wildness in the eighth, walking the first man he faced, hitting another, and then walking Kelly Johnson with the bases loaded to force in a run. Not only did Marmol walk the first man he faced, it was the remarkably difficult to walk Jeff Francouer, who drew just his sixth walk in 195 plate appearances this season and the 121st in 2344 major league at bats in his career. Even worse, it was a four pitch walk. Atlanta would plate their third run on a sacrifice fly, and the Cubs led 5-3 going to the bottom of the ninth.
Gregg had a chance to put the game away, but failed to. He retired Brian McCann on a fly ball to left, and struck out Garrett Anderson. However, the third strike was on a wild pitch, allowing Anderson to reach. One out later, Francoeur tied the game with a two run shot to left center field, and the Cubs were left stunned. The game went to extra innings, but it was merely prolonging the inevitable, as Atlanta would win in the twelfth on a base hit by Yunel Escobar, who stole second, and then scored on a single by Chipper Jones.
One has to wonder what it will take for Wells to get a win. When you buzzsaw through a lineup and carry a no hitter into the seventh, leave with a four run lead in the eighth, and still come up empty, what else is there to do? Does he have to throw a perfect game to get a win?
I have to wonder if taking Wells out at the juncture that he did was a case of bad judgment by Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild. He had been dominant, only throwing 83 pitches at the time of his removal, and may have been able to work out of the bit of a jam he got himself into in the eighth. This walking the tightrope with the bullpen is getting out of hand. The pen is blowing games left, right and center, and that won't keep you in the playoff race for long should that continue. It might be time for Marmol to take over the closer role, or for Jim Hendry to start making inquiries about obtaining one or more live arms to help out in the pen, because the guys out there are simply not doing their job.
A tip of the cap to Wells for a great outing, even if the result was not there. The Cubs and Braves continue their series tomorrow at 7 ET/ 6 CT, as the Cubs send Ted Lilly against the Braves and sinkerballer Derek Lowe at Turner Field. It should be a great matchup, as both pitchers are excellent, and are capable of shutting down opposing lineups. Lilly looks to build on his successful outing against the Dodgers last Friday, when he gave up one run in seven innings, and the Cubs look to snap a seven game road losing streak and get back on the ball.
Should Manny Ramirez be allowed to play in the All Star Game?
There is a major debate raging through Major League Baseball currently, and it has nothing to do with interleague play, arguing balls and strikes, instant replay to check the validity of home runs, the wanton destruction of Gatorade dispensers, blown saves, walk off hits, or even milestones.
Sure, Randy Johnson is going for his 300th career win later this week against the Nationals. Jamie Moyer won his 250th career game last night, also against the Nats, becoming the oldest pitcher to win that number (46 years, 195 days.) It's not even about Zack Greinke and his breakout first two months, or David Ortiz's prolonged slump. It's about a story that has plagued baseball for the past few seasons, and became a black eye for the sport in a large way starting in spring training.
We're of course, talking about the use of performance enhancing substances, as alleged and then admitted to by Alex Rodriguez, and then the suspension of Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez last month. Now, it comes down to a simple question: with Ramirez fifth in the National League voting for outfielders, should he get the fan vote and be selected to start, should he play in the All Star Game in St. Louis next month?
Joe Torre doesn't think so. Bud Selig has been his usual waffling self, throwing out a lot of words, but no real substance to speak of. There are numerous fans out there that are trying to conjure up support for the suspended slugger to get him in the mix. However, one of the biggest Dodger proponents, and one of my personal favorites when it comes to actresses, beautiful women, and well rounded individuals, Alyssa MIlano, had this to say regarding Ramirez playing in the Midsummer Classic, courtesy of her Twitter (Alyssa_Milano in case you want to follow her):
For all that have asked: I do not think #Manny should be allowed to play in the #mlb ASG. It's the wrong message to send to our youth.
Now, Ramirez has fallen some 135,000 votes behind the Cubs Alfonso Soriano for the third and final starting slot in the outfield for the July 14th contest at Busch Stadium here in St. Louis. The thing of it is, should Ramirez somehow get in by idiots stuffing ballot boxes (for my opinion on that sort of thing, read here, here and here), Selig's hands are tied. Why, you ask? The drug policy of major league baseball specifically mandates that "the commissioner's office shall not exclude a player from eligibility for election or selection because he is suspended."
So, a player could be suspended for juicing, get ballot stuffing campaigns put up, get tabbed as a starter in the All Star Game, and the sport would have zero recourse to do anything about it. How fantastic is that? Imagine if a guy was suspended in the NFL for steroid use in week 17 of the regular season, but his team makes it to the Super Bowl. Do you expect Roger Goodell to lift the suspension and have that player serve the suspension in the first game of the following season?
This is much like the incident in the Stanley Cup Finals last night. Evgeni Malkin took an instigator penalty in the final five minutes of the game, which carries an automatic game misconduct and a one game suspension. However, the league suddenly reviewed the incident, removed the instigator, and thus the mandatory suspension involved. Why? Because it's the Stanley Cup Finals and ratings would be impacted, not to mention the best players wouldn't be on the ice. I wouldn't expect any flagrant fouls or enough technicals to warrant Dwight Howard being suspended in the NBA Finals either. Officials tend to choke on their whistles when it comes to big names.
Let's keep it clean, and keep it simple. Ramirez, while he's a great player, a) is tainted by this scandal, b) will have played only 27 games when his suspension is up, and c) has not put up the numbers required to be an All Star. He should come out, publicly, and make it clear that he has no intention of being a part of the festivities, selected or not. Perhaps that will sway the legions of sheep out there who insist on voting for a player that has no right to be a part of something that showcases the best players of the current season. Let Ramirez spend the All Star Break drinking beer, playing darts, doing volunteer work, or learning to play piano, but don't put him in the Midsummer Classic.
Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on the matter, and we'll see what the consensus is.
Sure, Randy Johnson is going for his 300th career win later this week against the Nationals. Jamie Moyer won his 250th career game last night, also against the Nats, becoming the oldest pitcher to win that number (46 years, 195 days.) It's not even about Zack Greinke and his breakout first two months, or David Ortiz's prolonged slump. It's about a story that has plagued baseball for the past few seasons, and became a black eye for the sport in a large way starting in spring training.
We're of course, talking about the use of performance enhancing substances, as alleged and then admitted to by Alex Rodriguez, and then the suspension of Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez last month. Now, it comes down to a simple question: with Ramirez fifth in the National League voting for outfielders, should he get the fan vote and be selected to start, should he play in the All Star Game in St. Louis next month?
Joe Torre doesn't think so. Bud Selig has been his usual waffling self, throwing out a lot of words, but no real substance to speak of. There are numerous fans out there that are trying to conjure up support for the suspended slugger to get him in the mix. However, one of the biggest Dodger proponents, and one of my personal favorites when it comes to actresses, beautiful women, and well rounded individuals, Alyssa MIlano, had this to say regarding Ramirez playing in the Midsummer Classic, courtesy of her Twitter (Alyssa_Milano in case you want to follow her):
For all that have asked: I do not think #Manny should be allowed to play in the #mlb ASG. It's the wrong message to send to our youth.
Now, Ramirez has fallen some 135,000 votes behind the Cubs Alfonso Soriano for the third and final starting slot in the outfield for the July 14th contest at Busch Stadium here in St. Louis. The thing of it is, should Ramirez somehow get in by idiots stuffing ballot boxes (for my opinion on that sort of thing, read here, here and here), Selig's hands are tied. Why, you ask? The drug policy of major league baseball specifically mandates that "the commissioner's office shall not exclude a player from eligibility for election or selection because he is suspended."
So, a player could be suspended for juicing, get ballot stuffing campaigns put up, get tabbed as a starter in the All Star Game, and the sport would have zero recourse to do anything about it. How fantastic is that? Imagine if a guy was suspended in the NFL for steroid use in week 17 of the regular season, but his team makes it to the Super Bowl. Do you expect Roger Goodell to lift the suspension and have that player serve the suspension in the first game of the following season?
This is much like the incident in the Stanley Cup Finals last night. Evgeni Malkin took an instigator penalty in the final five minutes of the game, which carries an automatic game misconduct and a one game suspension. However, the league suddenly reviewed the incident, removed the instigator, and thus the mandatory suspension involved. Why? Because it's the Stanley Cup Finals and ratings would be impacted, not to mention the best players wouldn't be on the ice. I wouldn't expect any flagrant fouls or enough technicals to warrant Dwight Howard being suspended in the NBA Finals either. Officials tend to choke on their whistles when it comes to big names.
Let's keep it clean, and keep it simple. Ramirez, while he's a great player, a) is tainted by this scandal, b) will have played only 27 games when his suspension is up, and c) has not put up the numbers required to be an All Star. He should come out, publicly, and make it clear that he has no intention of being a part of the festivities, selected or not. Perhaps that will sway the legions of sheep out there who insist on voting for a player that has no right to be a part of something that showcases the best players of the current season. Let Ramirez spend the All Star Break drinking beer, playing darts, doing volunteer work, or learning to play piano, but don't put him in the Midsummer Classic.
Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on the matter, and we'll see what the consensus is.