Baseball is the greatest of the four major sports, end of story.
Football is great.
Basketball is good.
Hockey is...there.
Baseball dwarfs them all.
It may not be the most popular sport in America, but then again nobody cares about NASCAR, but it is the most beautiful sport and in my opinion it is the most difficult sport.
Football may be more exciting, basketball may be action-packed, hell even hockey beats it with regard to speed but there is no doubt in my mind that baseball is a better sport than them all.
Reason #1 why baseball is the greatest sport: It is the hardest.
Why is baseball the hardest? Simple, I can go out onto a basketball court and make almost any shot with a bit of luck. I can run a route on a football field and catch at least 1 out of every 100 passes, at the very least. I can even waddle my souther butt out onto an ice rink and flail a puck into the net. However, in no dream world would I, or any of you reading this (unless you have played high level baseball), be able to stand in the batters box and make contact with a 95 mph fastball or even a knee-buckling 77 mph curveball. Not only that, there is very little chance I would be able to field a ball at third base, let alone stay alive in the process.
When talking about how difficult this game is, I always go back to the greatest quote I've ever heard with regard to hitting. The greatest hitter of all-time, Ted Williams used to say, and I'm paraphrasing here, the hardest thing about baseball is having to hit a round ball with a round bat, squarely.
There is something to be said about the difficulty of the game when the greatest players fail 70% of the time. If you shoot 30% from the field in the NBA, you no longer have a job. Meanwhile, in baseball, you can hit lower than .200 and sign a $10 million dollar contract for this year (Carlos Pena).
Reason #2 why baseball is the greatest sport: The time of year it is played.
Ask anyone what their favorite season of the year is and most of the time they will tell you summer. People love the weather, the lack of school (for us students), vacations and the great feeling we have during this wonderful time of year. Baseball is played during the summer. A time when the days are hot, the nights are warm, the skies are clear and (for those who apply) the beers are cold. I implore you to find a better time than going to a baseball game outside and sitting with a nice cold beverage, be it a beer, soda or water. Except in Dallas where the nights are still 100°, there is nothing better. Yes, baseball may be boring as hell to watch on TV if you are not a die-hard fan, but you cannot argue that it is the best sport to attend.
I had a conversation with a friend of mine this winter about the 2014 Super Bowl that will be held in the New Meadowlands Stadium, the first Super Bowl to be played outdoors. He said that if our beloved Cowboys made it to the Super Bowl and it was 14° outside and he had a ticket, he wouldn't go. Thats mind boggling but it proves a vital point. No one likes the cold, people may be used to it but no one likes the cold. With baseball there is no need to worry about the weather (except for rain). The majority of the games are played outside under a beautifully clear day/night sky, not a single ounce of cold in the air (unless you are counting the beginning and very end of the season, which i am not). You will not hear of anyone who will give up a ticket to the World Series because of the weather, on the contrary. This same friend skipped school and drove back home to Dallas to attend a World Series game this past season. Do you think he would have gone if it were 50° and raining? I am convinced that he would have, there is zero chance he would have missed that game. He would have been willing to attend a chilly and rainy World Series game, keep in mind there would have been at least 1 more, but he would not be willing to sit through 4 hours of cold to see the biggest sporting event in the world with his team involved. That has to say something for the sport of baseball.
Reason #3 why baseball is the greatest sport: Attending a game at the ballpark.
Football is clearly better on TV because there is so much going on. Basketball is better on TV because of the announcers and hockey is better on TV because you can keep track of the puck. With baseball, there is no need for gadgetry or announcers, yes some of the best voices in sports history were radio callers for baseball teams but the fan doesn't require them to understand the game. As a fan, you will lose nothing in translation from the TV to the ballpark.
Some stadiums in other sports come up with gimmicks to keep the fans involved and make sure they can fill the seats. Maybe they have "cheerleaders" who are more like exotic dancers. Maybe they have a costumed man jumping off a trampoline and dunking a ball. Maybe they have a t-shirt cannon and fire t-shirts into the crowd. Baseball doesn't, well at least it didn't until 5 years ago, have any of this. Fans don't need such gimmicks to attend a ball game, don't believe me? Next time you are at a game, find a little kid with a glove on his hand and ask him why he brought it. He will tell you he brought his glove to the park so he could catch a foul ball. The game ITSELF keeps the fan engaged. Hell baseball doesn't even need Jumbo-trons in the outfield to make things exciting, the game on the field is enough to keep everyone engaged.
Call me crazy, but I think the best part of the ballpark is the smell. There is nothing in sports better than walking into a baseball park and taking a nice big whiff of the mixture of beer/summer/peanuts/hotdogs/freshly printed programs. The craziest part about that? Thats before you even make it to your seat. Once you get to your seat, the real beauty takes hold. The strikingly brown dirt and the gorgeous green grass cut to perfection. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks it but that is one of the most beautiful sights in sports. It beats the hell out of a shiny basketball floor with a few lines on it and it certainly beats the hell out of a giant rectangle of grass with numbers on it. Ever baseball diamond is unique and beautiful in its own way.
Reason #4 why baseball is the greatest sport: The uniqueness of the field of play.
All the other major sports have specifications that the field has to adhere to in order to be playable.
Football? 100 yards long, 2 end zones each 10 yards deep.
Basketball? 90 foot long court, specific distances for free throw line and three point line.
Hockey? I don't know the length of the ice but i do know that every sheet of ice is exactly the same in every hockey arena.
Baseball? Yes, the bases have to be 90 feet apart and yes the mound has to be 60 feet away from the plate but what about the outfield fences? There is not a single field in the league that has the same dimensions to left, center, and right. Hell there isn't even a single field in the league that has the same wall height than another park.
Football stadiums are definitely louder and hold more fans but how much fun can it actually be to have the same dimensions as everyone else. Teams are identified by their unique stadiums and the dimensions of said stadium. Boston is known for the Green Monster, Houston is known for the hill in center field, and Oakland is known for the huge amounts of foul territory.
On another level, ever field has the grass cut in a different patter. Maybe that pattern is straight lines, checkered lines or maybe even the skyline of the city. The only unique part of any of the other sports fields of play are the paint jobs of the team logos.
Reason #5 why baseball is the greatest sport: Numbers.
More than any other sport, baseball lives and breathes numbers, without which the game would not be nearly what we know it as today.
For every action that takes place in baseball, there is a number statistic to correlate it to. The same is not true for the rest of the sports. More than anything else the game is describable to the uneducated fan. Something that can't be said for the other major sports.
No other sport even comes close to the amount of statistical numbers baseball has, baseball has Batting Average, On Base Percentage, Caught Stealing %, Steal %, Fielding % and many many many more.
What does basketball have? Shooting %, Free throw % and 3 point % and....thats about it.
What about hockey? Save %
Football? Completion %
Reason #6 why baseball is the greatest sport: The Baseball Hat.
This one pretty much speaks for itself. If you wear a hat, unless its a fedora or a cowboy hat, you are wearing a baseball hat.
Reason #7 why baseball is the greatest sport: Every pitch matters.
Unlike other sports, every single pitch matters in baseball. It may not seem like it but if a pitcher makes a mistake on an 0-1 fastball and leaves it belt high over the plate, the ball is gone and the other team has scored a precious run. Because the sport is so low scoring, every run matters and any single mistake, be it a hit, wild pitch or hit batsman, can make a huge difference in the out come of a game. The only sport that comes close to having this kind of intensity is hockey but in hockey not every possession is going to lead to a scoring opportunity.
A 3 point basket in the beginning of 1st quarter of a game is not going to affect the eventual outcome of the game, many more possessions will take place on both offense and defense for both teams.
Football also comes close to having the same kind of importance for possessions. If a quarterback makes a mistake and throws the ball into the arms of the defender for a pick six, the game's momentum will shift. But every single pitch is important and can change the game.
There is also the feeling of 1-on-1 battle during every at bat. For the most part, the entire game takes place between the pitcher and the batter and that is a beautiful thing. Yes the team in involved in fielding and running the bases but the idea of individual battles dominating the game gives us the possibility of David v. Goliath excitement every night. Better yet, baseball affords us the opportunity to see two of the greatest players, one hitter and one batter, face off against each other to see who is better. You cannot deny the excitement of watching Albert Pujols step into the batters box in the 9th inning against Mariano Riveria. THAT is a beautiful occurrence we all hope and pray for.
Reason #8 why baseball is the greatest sport: No time limit.
Most other sports have a time limit on their games: four 12 minute quarters, two 20 minute halves, three 20 minute periods, but baseball only ends when one team has more points than the other. That means a game can end after the top half of the 9th or after the top half of the 29th inning. However long it takes for a team to score more than the other team is how long the game will go on for. There are no ties and no overtime losses, a game counts the same not matter if it was a 9 inning game or a 29 inning game. A team won't gain a game in the standings for an extra inning loss....cough cough...hockey.
Reason #9 why baseball is the greatest sport: Walk-offs.
There is not greater euphoria than your team hitting a walk-off homer, there simply isn't. Yes, in other sports your team can have the opportunity to hit a last second shot to win the game, but so can the other team. In baseball, if you are the away team, you will never bat last, the home team will always bat with a chance, no matter how slim, to win the game.
This is why walk-offs are so spectacular. They only apply to the home team which means the only fans who will ever be able to watch a walk-off and enjoy it are the home fans. According to the rules of baseball, it is IMPOSSIBLE for the away team to win the game on the last pitch. That is why people go bananas when a walk-off is hit. Don't believe me? Go check out youtube and watch one for yourself.
Reason #10 why baseball is the greatest sport: Chicks love the long ball.
Yea I stole this one from the Greg Maddox, Tom Glavine ESPN commercial from back in the day but it's true.
Well there you have it, the tentative list from Zuck's Mind as to why baseball is ther greatest sport of them all. Don't worry, I will continue to come up with reasons and when I do I will be sure to put out another post detailing each and every one of them, as well as telling you why the other sports simple cower in the shadow of baseball.
Until next time kids.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
10 years $300 million? No Way!
Word on the streets is that Albert Pujols, who is a free agent after this season, will require a team to pay $300 million over 10 years for his services. There are three glaring problems with this number:
1) The number is being blown up by the Major League Baseball Players Union with the goal of increasing all future player contracts.
2) In 10 years, Pujols will be 41 years old. As an every day player, there is no shot in hell that in 10 years he will be half as productive as he is today.
3) $30 million a year is an insult to the sport and to the citizens of this country.
Apparently, Pujols has a goal of surpassing Alex Rodriguez as the highest paid player in the history of the sport. Before I get into the why that should not happen, is that even a goal that should be set by a professional athlete for himself?
Pujols is, statistically, one of the greatest baseball players who have played the game and he is hands down the best player in the game today. He is the ONLY player in the 130+ year history of the game to hit 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI in each of his first 10 seasons. He has made 9 All-Star games, won three MVP awards, a Rookie of the Year award and a World Series title. He has accomplished what most professional ballplayers can only dream of but according to him, "I don't play for numbers."(MLB.com 2009-09-24). Well Albert, if that was true, you wouldn't care about becoming the highest paid player in MLB history. You wouldn't be asking for 10 years $300 million. Instead, you would do what Joe Mauer did, you would take the "home town discount".
Before last season started, Mauer signed an 8 year $184 million contract. Fine, it is still an obscene amount of money but he took less money to stay with the team he came up with instead of going to a team like the Yankees or Red Sox, who would have happily paid him more money. Granted, Pujols gave the Cardinals the exclusive opportunity to sign him this offseason before Spring Training, but gratefully, they wouldn't succumb to his insane asking price (which was not 10y $30m yet).
When free-agency final comes at the end of the season, Pujols is going to make his decision based on one or two factors: Where can he win and who among those teams will pay him the most money?
Before Spring Training started, the St. Louis Cardinals were still a very powerful team in the National League. A team that would have competed for the pennant for years to come and because of this, I am confused as to why Pujols did not sign his contract then. However, now that Adam Wainwright, the Cardinal's ace, has gone down with Tommy John surgery, they are less likely to compete with the likes of the Phillies and Giants, both of which have stellar rotations.
I just don't know where Pujols thinks he is going to make that kind of money. The Yankees have a first baseman named Mark Teixeira whom they are paying $180 million. The Red Sox just extended Adrian Gonzalez for $154 million. Both of those teams are not in the market for a first baseman, who is in the market for one? Off the top of my head I can't think of any team who is in need of a Pujols type player AND is willing to spend the kind of money necessary to acquire him. If I were a betting man, I would bet that Pujols stays with the Cardinals and does NOT receive the $300 million he is asking for.
Don't get me wrong, Pujols is a once-in-a-generation type of talent. He is by far the best player in the league today, but under no circumstances is he worth $30 million a year. If I'm being blunt, he plays a game for 6 months a year and receives more money than men and women who work full-time busting their ass will see in a lifetime.
I'm not 100% sure how spending this kind of money is conceivable or even considered ok, but no matter what the formula is there is no way on Earth that a baseball player is worth that much money. A friend of mine said that the money they get paid is based off the amount of money that player brings into the team. Well, i have news for you, the team that brings in the most money, is the Yankees. Do you have any idea what their revenue numbers look like? They New York Yankees bring in $264 million a year based on this website...http://www.fantasybaseballcafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=238635...If my math serves me well, thats $36 million less than Pujols is asking for. Under no circumstances can you tell me that he brings in that much money on his own, no matter how you slice the numbers, they just don't add up.
In order to stop such heinous amounts of money from being thrown around to athletes who work 6 months a year, baseball needs to change something drastically, and fast. Ken Williams, the GM of the Chicago White Sox has gone on record and blasted the numbers of the contract Pujols is going to ask for. He has even gone as far as to say that if contracts continue to spike like they currently are, the MLB should, in its best interest, shut down for a year and restructure how contracts are given out.
I like that Williams has come out and blasted the Players Union but there is something that can be done which is a lot simpler, at least on paper. Create a salary cap for the sport. Not only will it stunt the insane growth of player contracts, it will also bring back a level a parody which has been largely missing for years.
I don't know what the league is going to do in the future, if it will quell contracts like this or not. However, what I do know is that no team should "bite the bullet" and pay this money. Teach these players that they can't do whatever they want. Teach them that the owners and the league are in charge and that they will get the money they are offered, not the money they ask for.
1) The number is being blown up by the Major League Baseball Players Union with the goal of increasing all future player contracts.
2) In 10 years, Pujols will be 41 years old. As an every day player, there is no shot in hell that in 10 years he will be half as productive as he is today.
3) $30 million a year is an insult to the sport and to the citizens of this country.
Apparently, Pujols has a goal of surpassing Alex Rodriguez as the highest paid player in the history of the sport. Before I get into the why that should not happen, is that even a goal that should be set by a professional athlete for himself?
Pujols is, statistically, one of the greatest baseball players who have played the game and he is hands down the best player in the game today. He is the ONLY player in the 130+ year history of the game to hit 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI in each of his first 10 seasons. He has made 9 All-Star games, won three MVP awards, a Rookie of the Year award and a World Series title. He has accomplished what most professional ballplayers can only dream of but according to him, "I don't play for numbers."(MLB.com 2009-09-24). Well Albert, if that was true, you wouldn't care about becoming the highest paid player in MLB history. You wouldn't be asking for 10 years $300 million. Instead, you would do what Joe Mauer did, you would take the "home town discount".
Before last season started, Mauer signed an 8 year $184 million contract. Fine, it is still an obscene amount of money but he took less money to stay with the team he came up with instead of going to a team like the Yankees or Red Sox, who would have happily paid him more money. Granted, Pujols gave the Cardinals the exclusive opportunity to sign him this offseason before Spring Training, but gratefully, they wouldn't succumb to his insane asking price (which was not 10y $30m yet).
When free-agency final comes at the end of the season, Pujols is going to make his decision based on one or two factors: Where can he win and who among those teams will pay him the most money?
Before Spring Training started, the St. Louis Cardinals were still a very powerful team in the National League. A team that would have competed for the pennant for years to come and because of this, I am confused as to why Pujols did not sign his contract then. However, now that Adam Wainwright, the Cardinal's ace, has gone down with Tommy John surgery, they are less likely to compete with the likes of the Phillies and Giants, both of which have stellar rotations.
I just don't know where Pujols thinks he is going to make that kind of money. The Yankees have a first baseman named Mark Teixeira whom they are paying $180 million. The Red Sox just extended Adrian Gonzalez for $154 million. Both of those teams are not in the market for a first baseman, who is in the market for one? Off the top of my head I can't think of any team who is in need of a Pujols type player AND is willing to spend the kind of money necessary to acquire him. If I were a betting man, I would bet that Pujols stays with the Cardinals and does NOT receive the $300 million he is asking for.
Don't get me wrong, Pujols is a once-in-a-generation type of talent. He is by far the best player in the league today, but under no circumstances is he worth $30 million a year. If I'm being blunt, he plays a game for 6 months a year and receives more money than men and women who work full-time busting their ass will see in a lifetime.
I'm not 100% sure how spending this kind of money is conceivable or even considered ok, but no matter what the formula is there is no way on Earth that a baseball player is worth that much money. A friend of mine said that the money they get paid is based off the amount of money that player brings into the team. Well, i have news for you, the team that brings in the most money, is the Yankees. Do you have any idea what their revenue numbers look like? They New York Yankees bring in $264 million a year based on this website...http://www.fantasybaseballcafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=238635...If my math serves me well, thats $36 million less than Pujols is asking for. Under no circumstances can you tell me that he brings in that much money on his own, no matter how you slice the numbers, they just don't add up.
In order to stop such heinous amounts of money from being thrown around to athletes who work 6 months a year, baseball needs to change something drastically, and fast. Ken Williams, the GM of the Chicago White Sox has gone on record and blasted the numbers of the contract Pujols is going to ask for. He has even gone as far as to say that if contracts continue to spike like they currently are, the MLB should, in its best interest, shut down for a year and restructure how contracts are given out.
I like that Williams has come out and blasted the Players Union but there is something that can be done which is a lot simpler, at least on paper. Create a salary cap for the sport. Not only will it stunt the insane growth of player contracts, it will also bring back a level a parody which has been largely missing for years.
I don't know what the league is going to do in the future, if it will quell contracts like this or not. However, what I do know is that no team should "bite the bullet" and pay this money. Teach these players that they can't do whatever they want. Teach them that the owners and the league are in charge and that they will get the money they are offered, not the money they ask for.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Michael Young asks for trade
When this off season started in early November, I thought there was no reason the Rangers wouldn't again make a run at the World Series. However, since then, a few alarming things have taken place.
1) Cliff Lee leaving for the Phillies: Granted, he left the American League, We probably would have won the division without him and we were fairly certain when we traded for him that it would be just a 3 month loan. Once the playoffs started and the team started advancing to heights it had never been before, I, along with many others tricked ourselves into thinking he would resign with the Rangers and cement their status as a contender for years to come. Well, Cliff wanted to go to Philly and with him went our Ace and our "dominance" in the American League.
2) The signing of Adrian Beltre: For the last 10 years, the face of this ball club has been Michael Young, he is the emotional leader, the leader on the field and the leader in the clubhouse. He has moved from 2nd to short to 3rd, all at the request of the team. He is a perennial 200 hits, .300 BA guy and an above average fielder. The signing of Beltre put Mike's status with the team in question and was relatively unwarranted. Beltre is a power hitting stud at 3rd, but his best years take place in the final year of his contract. He is a great fielder but last season he had 19 errors at 3rd base. Do you know who else had 19 errors at 3rd last season? Michael Young.
3) Moving Michael Young to DH: With the signing of Beltre, the Rangers asked Young to move positions for a third time, this time to DH, a hitting-only spot on the roster. He reluctantly agreed with the team adding in that he would be the "super utility man". He would fill in for any injured infielder through the course of the year and he would split time at 1st with Mitch Moreland (something that is unfair to both Moreland and Young).
4) The Mike Napoli trade: Only a few weeks after Beltre was signed, the Rangers went on to trade Frankie Francisco to Toronto for Catcher/1B/DH Mike Napoli. As you would imagine, this did not sit well with Young, as it shouldn't have. He went from the starting 3rd baseman for the American League Champions, to the DH, to the part-time DH/utility infielder. You can say, why not just put Napoli at catcher and let Young keep his DH spot. Simple, the Rangers signed Yorvit Torrealba to take over for Benji Molina behind the plate AND the Rangers resigned Matt Treanor to be the back-up to Torrealba.
5) Michael Young asking to be traded: As one would expect, moves 2-4 did not rub Mike the right way. He was inevitably going to not play half the season, he would not play in National League parks during Inter-league play and depending on how Napoli fit in with the club, his playing time may be cut into even more. The Rangers have said they are willing to grant Young's request for a trade if the move with improve the franchise and not before that.
This whole offseason the Rangers have handled personnel issues and transactions very well, until the last few weeks. They refused to overpay for Lee and he left, they refused to overpay for Greinkie and he went elsewhere. They made moves that were smart for the team going forward and that were in the best interest of the club, until now. I think the Beltre deal was more of a blockage deal to stop the Angels from signing him, sadly we were the highest bidder and signed him.
The Napoli trade also makes no sense to me, trade for a catcher (which we already have two) or a first baseman (which we already have) or a DH (which we already have). Unless the Rangers have had plans to move Young all along, neither of these moves makes sense.
The front office has been so good at handling club issues internally, but this last week's war of words between the club and Young has shaken the boat ever so slightly, something that is cause for a bit of concern.
I don't think Young ends up being traded but he deserves better than being the back-up DH on this team. He has given too much and asked for too little to be treated this way. If the team can work out a deal that will improve the club, I am all for it, but until that point, don't settle just to make Young happy. He has been the face of the franchise for 10 years and deserves to be treated better.
Here's to hoping the Rangers know what they are doing.
1) Cliff Lee leaving for the Phillies: Granted, he left the American League, We probably would have won the division without him and we were fairly certain when we traded for him that it would be just a 3 month loan. Once the playoffs started and the team started advancing to heights it had never been before, I, along with many others tricked ourselves into thinking he would resign with the Rangers and cement their status as a contender for years to come. Well, Cliff wanted to go to Philly and with him went our Ace and our "dominance" in the American League.
2) The signing of Adrian Beltre: For the last 10 years, the face of this ball club has been Michael Young, he is the emotional leader, the leader on the field and the leader in the clubhouse. He has moved from 2nd to short to 3rd, all at the request of the team. He is a perennial 200 hits, .300 BA guy and an above average fielder. The signing of Beltre put Mike's status with the team in question and was relatively unwarranted. Beltre is a power hitting stud at 3rd, but his best years take place in the final year of his contract. He is a great fielder but last season he had 19 errors at 3rd base. Do you know who else had 19 errors at 3rd last season? Michael Young.
3) Moving Michael Young to DH: With the signing of Beltre, the Rangers asked Young to move positions for a third time, this time to DH, a hitting-only spot on the roster. He reluctantly agreed with the team adding in that he would be the "super utility man". He would fill in for any injured infielder through the course of the year and he would split time at 1st with Mitch Moreland (something that is unfair to both Moreland and Young).
4) The Mike Napoli trade: Only a few weeks after Beltre was signed, the Rangers went on to trade Frankie Francisco to Toronto for Catcher/1B/DH Mike Napoli. As you would imagine, this did not sit well with Young, as it shouldn't have. He went from the starting 3rd baseman for the American League Champions, to the DH, to the part-time DH/utility infielder. You can say, why not just put Napoli at catcher and let Young keep his DH spot. Simple, the Rangers signed Yorvit Torrealba to take over for Benji Molina behind the plate AND the Rangers resigned Matt Treanor to be the back-up to Torrealba.
5) Michael Young asking to be traded: As one would expect, moves 2-4 did not rub Mike the right way. He was inevitably going to not play half the season, he would not play in National League parks during Inter-league play and depending on how Napoli fit in with the club, his playing time may be cut into even more. The Rangers have said they are willing to grant Young's request for a trade if the move with improve the franchise and not before that.
This whole offseason the Rangers have handled personnel issues and transactions very well, until the last few weeks. They refused to overpay for Lee and he left, they refused to overpay for Greinkie and he went elsewhere. They made moves that were smart for the team going forward and that were in the best interest of the club, until now. I think the Beltre deal was more of a blockage deal to stop the Angels from signing him, sadly we were the highest bidder and signed him.
The Napoli trade also makes no sense to me, trade for a catcher (which we already have two) or a first baseman (which we already have) or a DH (which we already have). Unless the Rangers have had plans to move Young all along, neither of these moves makes sense.
The front office has been so good at handling club issues internally, but this last week's war of words between the club and Young has shaken the boat ever so slightly, something that is cause for a bit of concern.
I don't think Young ends up being traded but he deserves better than being the back-up DH on this team. He has given too much and asked for too little to be treated this way. If the team can work out a deal that will improve the club, I am all for it, but until that point, don't settle just to make Young happy. He has been the face of the franchise for 10 years and deserves to be treated better.
Here's to hoping the Rangers know what they are doing.
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Most Under Appreciated Athlete in Dallas Sports History?
The Dallas Mavericks have 10 straight 50-win seasons, they have 1 NBA Finals appearance, and the have the best European-born player in NBA history. They have no real number 2 scorer and until this year they did not have a real force in the paint. Why then do people continue to blame Dirk Nowitzki for his teams short-comings?
After another early playoff exit to the Spurs last season, Mavs fans nation-wide were calling for change, even if that meant parting ways with the franchise leader in almost every offensive category. With all do respect to said people, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!
The Mavs have never won a championship. Correct. The team continues to impress in the regular season and disappear during the playoffs. Agreed, but don't dare place the blame on Dirk. All he, the 2007 NBA MVP, has done is lead his team: in scoring, to the finals, a 67-win season and 10 consecutive 50-win seasons and playoff appearances. But I guess the general population of Mavs fans is right, "Meh, what has he REALLY done for me lately?"
Shame on you.
Dirk is arguably the greatest athlete this city has ever seen, definitely the greatest Mav ever, and somehow he is taken for granted. For his career he is averaging 23 points per game and 8 rebounds per game (that includes his rookie season when he averaged only 8 points and 3 rebounds a game). That means every night, he is going out and casually pouring in invaluable totals to help his team win. For those who think Dirk is the Mavs' problem, what more can you expect him to do. Oh and by the way, those point totals jump come playoff time so don't tell me he disappears when is matters most.
The main argument I've heard against him is that he just can't seem to win a championship with this team and he never will. You know what? That may be true but listen to this. Since 1980, thats 30 NBA seasons, there have been a grand total of 8, read that number again, 8 different champions. Meanwhile, in the NFL, there have been 8 different champions...since the year 2000.
Can we blame Dirk for not winning a championship when over the past 30 years only a quarter of the league has won a championship? It seems to me like that is a bit unfair. No one would dare say Ted Williams, the greatest hitter in baseball history, wasn't that good because he never won a championship. Dan Marino is still considered one of the top 3 quarterbacks of all-time despite the number of championships he has won, ZERO. Why is Dirk being held to a higher standard.
This is the man who recently passed Larry Bird, LARRY BIRD, for 25th on the all-time NBA Career Scoring List.
Is it Dirk's fault he never had a center to clog the middle and defend the likes of Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal in the paint? No.
Is it Dirk's fault we traded away youth and draft picks for an old, passed-his-prime point guard? No.
Dirk has done everything this organization has asked of him and more. It's about time we recognize and appreciate that.
The day Dirk Nowitzki retires and no longer is giving the Mavs 23-9 a game is the day most Mavs fans will understand his significance. You never truly appreciate what you've had until it's gone.
We are not that far removed from the days of the Mavericks being the worst team in the NBA and the days of 50+ wins and a playoff birth every year will not be here forever. Until these days past, appreciate the greatness of Dirk Nowitzki for it will not be here forever.
After another early playoff exit to the Spurs last season, Mavs fans nation-wide were calling for change, even if that meant parting ways with the franchise leader in almost every offensive category. With all do respect to said people, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!
The Mavs have never won a championship. Correct. The team continues to impress in the regular season and disappear during the playoffs. Agreed, but don't dare place the blame on Dirk. All he, the 2007 NBA MVP, has done is lead his team: in scoring, to the finals, a 67-win season and 10 consecutive 50-win seasons and playoff appearances. But I guess the general population of Mavs fans is right, "Meh, what has he REALLY done for me lately?"
Shame on you.
Dirk is arguably the greatest athlete this city has ever seen, definitely the greatest Mav ever, and somehow he is taken for granted. For his career he is averaging 23 points per game and 8 rebounds per game (that includes his rookie season when he averaged only 8 points and 3 rebounds a game). That means every night, he is going out and casually pouring in invaluable totals to help his team win. For those who think Dirk is the Mavs' problem, what more can you expect him to do. Oh and by the way, those point totals jump come playoff time so don't tell me he disappears when is matters most.
The main argument I've heard against him is that he just can't seem to win a championship with this team and he never will. You know what? That may be true but listen to this. Since 1980, thats 30 NBA seasons, there have been a grand total of 8, read that number again, 8 different champions. Meanwhile, in the NFL, there have been 8 different champions...since the year 2000.
Can we blame Dirk for not winning a championship when over the past 30 years only a quarter of the league has won a championship? It seems to me like that is a bit unfair. No one would dare say Ted Williams, the greatest hitter in baseball history, wasn't that good because he never won a championship. Dan Marino is still considered one of the top 3 quarterbacks of all-time despite the number of championships he has won, ZERO. Why is Dirk being held to a higher standard.
This is the man who recently passed Larry Bird, LARRY BIRD, for 25th on the all-time NBA Career Scoring List.
Is it Dirk's fault he never had a center to clog the middle and defend the likes of Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal in the paint? No.
Is it Dirk's fault we traded away youth and draft picks for an old, passed-his-prime point guard? No.
Dirk has done everything this organization has asked of him and more. It's about time we recognize and appreciate that.
The day Dirk Nowitzki retires and no longer is giving the Mavs 23-9 a game is the day most Mavs fans will understand his significance. You never truly appreciate what you've had until it's gone.
We are not that far removed from the days of the Mavericks being the worst team in the NBA and the days of 50+ wins and a playoff birth every year will not be here forever. Until these days past, appreciate the greatness of Dirk Nowitzki for it will not be here forever.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Cliff Lee Signs With Phillies
It was a foregone conclusion. The second the Rangers' season ended Cliff Lee would be offered a huge deal by the Yankees and the Evil Empire would claim another victim. Everyone knew it would happen. So why didn't it happen?
Cliff Lee spurned deals with the Yankees and the Rangers and settled on less money and fewer years with the Phillies. As a Rangers fan I am obviously disappointed in the fact that he won't be back with the team next year, but as a baseball fan I could not be happier. Isn't this what we have all been hoping for over the last decade? A player who will turn down the most money and play where he wants and where his family will be happy? Every single one of us (even a few Yankee fans I know) hate it that the Yanks can outbid everyone and sign whomever they want. It takes away from the fairness of the game.
Earlier in this process, before Lee made his decision, Hank Steinbrenner was quoted as saying, it would "behoove Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees". Is that not the kind of pompous gloating we have come to despise? Yes it is and it looks like the players might be turning on the Yankees. Thy just don't seem to draw talent like they used to. Their fans are terrible, the media is brutal and the cost of living is astronomical. What makes New York better than any other baseball town? People will tell you it's the championships you can win. Oh, really? Last I checked the Yankees have spent billions of dollars on contracts over the last decade and have 1, count it again, 1 championship to show for it.
It seems to me that the Yankees may be losing some of their prestige with the young talent that is out there. So far this offseason, the biggest acquisition made by them was the signing of Russell Martin, a player who hit 5 homers drove in 26 rbi and hit .248 in 97 games this season. What are some of the names they missed out on? Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and apparently they have no shot at getting either Zack Greinke from Kansas City or Matt Garza from Tampa Bay. Is it time to panic in the Bronx? I don't know about that but it is definitely time to reevaluate things to try and make the Yankees a more prized destination.
As bad as this signing may be for the Yankees, it is equally good, if not better for the Phillies. Not only do they ad arguably the best left-hander in the game, he joins a staff that includes Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. The Phillies will be throwing a #1 caliber starter 4/5 of the time. If things go to plan and these pitchers pitch the way they are capable, this could be the greatest rotation of all time.
A bunch of people have been texting me and calling me to tell me how awful this is for the Rangers. I've got news for you, this is in some ways a good thing for the Rangers for two reasons. One, the contract that was offered to Lee was not a good contract for the future of this franchise. Any time you offer 6 years and $160 million to a player, no matter how good he may be, it is a bad contract. The second reason this is a good thing for the Rangers is like this. The Rangers showed that they can compete with the likes of the Yankees in the free-agent market. That means that no free-agent is out of reach, especially now since the Rangers are contenders. It also shows the John Daniels and the front office are willing to do whatever is in the best interest of the franchise to put a winning team on the field. When New York bumped up their deal to include a 7th yea, the Rangers didn't back down but rather they bumped up their own deal and were from then on considered the favorite over the Yankees to land Lee.
It's hard to see how this can possibly be a good thing for the Rangers or for baseball but trust me, anytime we can make a dent in the Yankees armor, it is a good thing. The Yankees couldn't compete with the Rangers on the field in the ALCS and they couldn't compete with the Rangers front office in the off-season.
The best news about Lee not signing with the Yankees? They Yankees are now in a panic and will overspend on players that worth nowhere near the money they will get. Remember, they just signed Derek Jeter to a new deal, they signed Mariano Riveria to a new deal, Jorge Posada's current deal and they still have A-Rod's gigantic monstrosity of a deal. Those contracts combined are worth $92.5 million dollars THIS YEAR alone. This year, the Yankees will be paying $93 million to four players that will not be on the team in 5 years. They can have all the money they want but it looks to me like they are wasting an awful lot of it.
Ranger fans, don't fret. The front office was preparing for this situation and I'm sure their plan B will be put into motion very shortly. Whether they go after Matt Garza or Zack Greinke is yet to be known but rest assured, the Rangers will continue to do everything that is necessary to field a championship caliber team.
One last thing, Cliff Lee....Thank you for the greatest Rangers season of my life.
Cliff Lee spurned deals with the Yankees and the Rangers and settled on less money and fewer years with the Phillies. As a Rangers fan I am obviously disappointed in the fact that he won't be back with the team next year, but as a baseball fan I could not be happier. Isn't this what we have all been hoping for over the last decade? A player who will turn down the most money and play where he wants and where his family will be happy? Every single one of us (even a few Yankee fans I know) hate it that the Yanks can outbid everyone and sign whomever they want. It takes away from the fairness of the game.
Earlier in this process, before Lee made his decision, Hank Steinbrenner was quoted as saying, it would "behoove Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees". Is that not the kind of pompous gloating we have come to despise? Yes it is and it looks like the players might be turning on the Yankees. Thy just don't seem to draw talent like they used to. Their fans are terrible, the media is brutal and the cost of living is astronomical. What makes New York better than any other baseball town? People will tell you it's the championships you can win. Oh, really? Last I checked the Yankees have spent billions of dollars on contracts over the last decade and have 1, count it again, 1 championship to show for it.
It seems to me that the Yankees may be losing some of their prestige with the young talent that is out there. So far this offseason, the biggest acquisition made by them was the signing of Russell Martin, a player who hit 5 homers drove in 26 rbi and hit .248 in 97 games this season. What are some of the names they missed out on? Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and apparently they have no shot at getting either Zack Greinke from Kansas City or Matt Garza from Tampa Bay. Is it time to panic in the Bronx? I don't know about that but it is definitely time to reevaluate things to try and make the Yankees a more prized destination.
As bad as this signing may be for the Yankees, it is equally good, if not better for the Phillies. Not only do they ad arguably the best left-hander in the game, he joins a staff that includes Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. The Phillies will be throwing a #1 caliber starter 4/5 of the time. If things go to plan and these pitchers pitch the way they are capable, this could be the greatest rotation of all time.
A bunch of people have been texting me and calling me to tell me how awful this is for the Rangers. I've got news for you, this is in some ways a good thing for the Rangers for two reasons. One, the contract that was offered to Lee was not a good contract for the future of this franchise. Any time you offer 6 years and $160 million to a player, no matter how good he may be, it is a bad contract. The second reason this is a good thing for the Rangers is like this. The Rangers showed that they can compete with the likes of the Yankees in the free-agent market. That means that no free-agent is out of reach, especially now since the Rangers are contenders. It also shows the John Daniels and the front office are willing to do whatever is in the best interest of the franchise to put a winning team on the field. When New York bumped up their deal to include a 7th yea, the Rangers didn't back down but rather they bumped up their own deal and were from then on considered the favorite over the Yankees to land Lee.
It's hard to see how this can possibly be a good thing for the Rangers or for baseball but trust me, anytime we can make a dent in the Yankees armor, it is a good thing. The Yankees couldn't compete with the Rangers on the field in the ALCS and they couldn't compete with the Rangers front office in the off-season.
The best news about Lee not signing with the Yankees? They Yankees are now in a panic and will overspend on players that worth nowhere near the money they will get. Remember, they just signed Derek Jeter to a new deal, they signed Mariano Riveria to a new deal, Jorge Posada's current deal and they still have A-Rod's gigantic monstrosity of a deal. Those contracts combined are worth $92.5 million dollars THIS YEAR alone. This year, the Yankees will be paying $93 million to four players that will not be on the team in 5 years. They can have all the money they want but it looks to me like they are wasting an awful lot of it.
Ranger fans, don't fret. The front office was preparing for this situation and I'm sure their plan B will be put into motion very shortly. Whether they go after Matt Garza or Zack Greinke is yet to be known but rest assured, the Rangers will continue to do everything that is necessary to field a championship caliber team.
One last thing, Cliff Lee....Thank you for the greatest Rangers season of my life.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Nils Lofgren, GET OVER IT.
I read an article today on ESPN by Nils Lofgren about how he is "so disheartened" that the media are embracing Michael Vick back with open arms. He states that Vick's reprehensible behavior (referring to his dog fighting days) should have warranted a permanent suspension from the NFL, that his past behavior should never allow him to win an MVP award or sign a lucrative contract. Nils, I've got news for you, Vick will receive one of those, maybe both, and you know what? He deserves them.
People commonly misunderstand the reason Vick went to jail. Vick was sentenced to federal prison not for his dog fighting ring, but for bankrolling the gambling operation over state lines. Had the dog fighting taken place only in one state, Vick would NOT have gone to federal prison. Yes, he did some terrible things but those things alone do not warrant the punishment he received.
Lofgren says Vick should not have the opportunity to reap the benefits the NFL is likely to give him because he was cruel and sadistic to dogs. Let's take a look back shall we?
Ray Lewis, the All-Pro linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, was arrested for murder in 2000. I repeat, he was arrested and indicted for the killing of another HUMAN not a dog. What punishment did the league hand down for this? Nothing, the NFL did not punish Lewis and he was given probation and a $250,000 fine by the court. He was accused of killing another person, reached an undisclosed settlement with the family and received no penalty for his actions that night. What happened the very next year? O yea, he was name MVP of Super Bowl XXXV.
In 2009, Donte Stallworth was involved in a DUI hit-and-run and his victim died. He was driving his car while drunk, struck a man, and killed him. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and suspended without pay for the entirety of the 2009 season. He was later reinstated after Super Bowl XLV.
Let me get that straight. Stallworth killed a man with his car, while drunk and was suspended for only one year, meanwhile Lofgren is asking for Vick, who never killed a person, to be suspended indefinitely?
I understand that there are people out there who love their animals more than themselves but that does not suddenly mean the punishment for harming dogs should be higher than killing another human being.
Michael Vick killed dogs and bankrolled the entire dog fighting operation. For this he was sentenced to 2 years in prison, a real federal prison, not one of those Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton "prisons". Vick served hard time and lost hundreds of millions of dollars because of his actions. He received the same punishment you or I would receive. Why shouldn't he have the ability to get back into the work force and make the best of his opportunity?
We don't usually see football as work. We watch it as a game and we treat it as a game, however, these athletes use this game as an occupation and they count on it to make a living. Is Lofgren now saying that he is in favor of disallowing all convicted felons to make a living doing what they do best?
Vick's job is to play football. He made a terrible mistake and paid a significant price for it but now he is out and trying to make a living. Don't forget that there was a doubt about him even receiving an offer from an NFL team when he got out of prison. The Eagles took a chance on him as a back-up quarterback. If Kevin Kolb doesn't go down with a concussion in Week 1, we may not even be talking about Vick right now.
He got his chance and he made the best of it, an opportunity we would all like to be afforded if we were in the same situation. Get over the fact that he is a convicted felon and just marvel at the way he has turned his life, and this league upside down.
MVP stands for Most Valuable PLAYER, not Most Valuable PERSON. Vick may not be the best person in the world but he is playing like the best football player and he should be rewarded for that.
People commonly misunderstand the reason Vick went to jail. Vick was sentenced to federal prison not for his dog fighting ring, but for bankrolling the gambling operation over state lines. Had the dog fighting taken place only in one state, Vick would NOT have gone to federal prison. Yes, he did some terrible things but those things alone do not warrant the punishment he received.
Lofgren says Vick should not have the opportunity to reap the benefits the NFL is likely to give him because he was cruel and sadistic to dogs. Let's take a look back shall we?
Ray Lewis, the All-Pro linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, was arrested for murder in 2000. I repeat, he was arrested and indicted for the killing of another HUMAN not a dog. What punishment did the league hand down for this? Nothing, the NFL did not punish Lewis and he was given probation and a $250,000 fine by the court. He was accused of killing another person, reached an undisclosed settlement with the family and received no penalty for his actions that night. What happened the very next year? O yea, he was name MVP of Super Bowl XXXV.
In 2009, Donte Stallworth was involved in a DUI hit-and-run and his victim died. He was driving his car while drunk, struck a man, and killed him. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and suspended without pay for the entirety of the 2009 season. He was later reinstated after Super Bowl XLV.
Let me get that straight. Stallworth killed a man with his car, while drunk and was suspended for only one year, meanwhile Lofgren is asking for Vick, who never killed a person, to be suspended indefinitely?
I understand that there are people out there who love their animals more than themselves but that does not suddenly mean the punishment for harming dogs should be higher than killing another human being.
Michael Vick killed dogs and bankrolled the entire dog fighting operation. For this he was sentenced to 2 years in prison, a real federal prison, not one of those Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton "prisons". Vick served hard time and lost hundreds of millions of dollars because of his actions. He received the same punishment you or I would receive. Why shouldn't he have the ability to get back into the work force and make the best of his opportunity?
We don't usually see football as work. We watch it as a game and we treat it as a game, however, these athletes use this game as an occupation and they count on it to make a living. Is Lofgren now saying that he is in favor of disallowing all convicted felons to make a living doing what they do best?
Vick's job is to play football. He made a terrible mistake and paid a significant price for it but now he is out and trying to make a living. Don't forget that there was a doubt about him even receiving an offer from an NFL team when he got out of prison. The Eagles took a chance on him as a back-up quarterback. If Kevin Kolb doesn't go down with a concussion in Week 1, we may not even be talking about Vick right now.
He got his chance and he made the best of it, an opportunity we would all like to be afforded if we were in the same situation. Get over the fact that he is a convicted felon and just marvel at the way he has turned his life, and this league upside down.
MVP stands for Most Valuable PLAYER, not Most Valuable PERSON. Vick may not be the best person in the world but he is playing like the best football player and he should be rewarded for that.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Rangers committing to change....in all facets.
On Friday, Chuck Greenberg announced plans for updating the Ballparks technology amenities. Among the planned upgrades are a new video board above Right Field, a new video board in Center Field (the Coca Cola sign), an updated scoreboard in the Left Field fence, updated video ribbons around the stadium, and new video screens throughout the ballpark. Every one of these video boards will be in HD. Greenberg also announced the plans for upgrading the audio system.
These updates are expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2011 season. I have copied the official press release,courtesy of the Newberg Report, from the Rangers below:
On another note, the Rangers continue to add footnotes to a stellar season. Baseball America has named Jon Daniels the top Executive of 2010, an award well deserved for the architect of the single greatest Rangers season in history.
Without Daniels as GM, there is no shot the Rangers win the American League, hell, they may not have even made the playoffs. He has indeed had his bumps in the road, after all he did trade Adrian Gonzalez, but he also traded Mark Teixeria for Elvis and Neftali.
When he took over this team in 2005, he set 2010 as the year to look forward to. When that was said, I'll be honest, I laughed. I thought there was no way in HELL this team would compete that quickly, and I know I'm not alone. Well guess what, he did it, this Team did it and Jon Daniels has positioned them to be contenders for years to come. Now lets just see if we can get Cliff Lee back here and maybe, maybe.....bring in Zack Greinke?
Here's looking forward to 2011. Can we be on the doorstep of an even better season for this franchise? There is only one way to find out, strap in and enjoy the ride.
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