Playoff Ticket Punched!

In The Immortal Words of Billy Zane: 

It's a walk-off! 

Chipper Jones gets to finish his career the way he and his teams was used to doing-
Going to the playoffs!

One year after a gut wrenching September collapse, that only a Red Sox collapse was able to cover up for the most part the Braves clinched a spot in this year's post season and can at least get the team ready for the one game playoff that comes with the wild card spot and/or make a run to try and catch the Nationals for tops in the NL East, but that is very unlikely. Freddie Freeman's two-run walk-off home run allowed the Braves to win yet another Kris Medlen start while punching their playoff ticket with a 4-3 win over the Marlins at Turner Field on Tuesday night. With Chipper Jones on 3rd Freeeman crushed the Mike Dunn pitch right back dead center right over the 400ft marker in center field.

With the comeback, the Braves won the 22nd consecutive game started by Medlen. As I recently posted the run that the Braves are on when Medlen takes the ball to start a game is just amazing and just goes to show that you need solid combination of luck and skill. Who knows how long the run will last but for now it is pretty amazing.

Monday Night Mayhem

I was tired of hearing about the NFL replacement refs but the last and deciding play of tonight's game was a disgrace. No game should ever end the way tonight's game ended. They say that it is not a missed call that cost a team a win and that had they played better they would not have had to let 1 play beat them. Well in this case that is not true, Green Bay was jobbed at least 3 times during the last drive due to terrible and wrong calls that should have been able to be fixed at some point. What is the point of having coaches call for red flag video reviews or having video replay in the game if it is not used to make obvious wrong calls overturned. If a bad call is made on the field it should be fixed if possible. This was a play that could have been overturned but because the ref with the worst position to see the play makes a call on the field there is no way to have the correct call made, ridiculous. Golden Tate somehow came up with the ball in the end zone to grab a last-gasp "win" Tate not only pushed off 1st but didn't even have possession at any point. The real refs had better be in place by next Sunday after this gong show.The refs didn't even know that after the wrong call was made that Seattle needed to try for an extra point. It took nearly 10 minutes for the refs to get the teams back for the extra try. That oversight just magnified how bad they botched the game. In a Billion dollar industry to have the integrity of the game compromised is a very dangerous thing. Worst of all is that was not the only bad call of the night. Every mistake just gets compounded and that is huge. The money that powers the NFL is outrageous and that doesn't even come close to touching what is generated from both legal and illegal gambling. Somebody in Vegas is getting his legs broken right now after this fiasco.  A lot of money will be changing hands but in the wrong direction.

In a 16 game season each game means even more then in just about any other sport and that could be the deciding factor if they make the playoffs, win the division or get home field advantage. A horrible and wrong call by replacement refs should not potentially ruin a teams season. Hopefully that is not the case but we will know by week 17.

NFL has to get the real refs back, 1 to show they are serious about the integrity of the game and 2 to prevent anything worse from happening. Tempers are already wearing thin and things are already breaking down.

Braves Not 'Medlen' Around

The Atlanta Braves have been known as the team with the best pitching staff over the 1990's and into the 2000's. When you can throw out 3 near lock first ballot Hall of Fame inductees like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz and then mix in other ace potential starters like: Denny Neagle, Kevin Millwood, Steve Avery, Charlie Leibrandt, Pete Smith,  Jason Marquis and Jason Schmidt, you quickly see that the Braves have a history of building a championship caliber team from the mound out.  It was a great time to be a Braves fan. 14 straight division titles will do that for you. When you looked on the bench you would see Bobby Cox getting ready to get thrown out of a game and pitching coach Leo Mazzone rocking back and forth watching his pitchers.

Now the Braves are looking at going back to the playoffs, this time likely as the Wild Card team. This is for 2 reasons 1) The Washington Nationals have over achieved and have the best record in baseball and 2) The Braves have been hit with big injuries to key pitchers and yet have managed to secure a spot in the post season.

The Braves have managed to do what the Nationals have botched up from the beginning and that is to have a young stud pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery and managing his arm correctly and not harming their team in the process. Washington has the well known big gun Stephen Strasburg, the Braves have much less known Kris Medlen. The Nats made Strasburg the opening day starter and rode him as the ace until late August when they realized that he was getting close to the max innings they were prepared for him to work so as to not harm him long team. A fine Idea if you are the Houston Astros and have no hope of making the playoffs and shutting him down has no baring on anything, but the Nats were supposed to be good and should have know that using Stephen Strasburg as much as they did they would have to shut him down early or risk breaking there plan and putting the golden arm in a potentially dangerous position. The Braves seemed to take the opposite approach with Kris Medlen. The started him out in the bullpen, managed his outings, pitch counts and innings. In mid season they called on him to join the rotation as the rotation had been pounded with injuries and inconsistent starts.

Since then Medlen has been nothing short of spectacular. Currently (9-1) lost the first two starts of his career in 2009. He hasn't taken a loss in any of his 26 starts since, with the Braves prevailing in the last 21 of those...almost unheard of (The Yankees won 22 consecutive times when Whitey Ford started games from 1950 through 1953). Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams said recently on the Dan Patrick Show that he was the best pitcher in baseball right now. Not bad for a guy who started the year as a reliever.

Had Medlen been in the rotation he would likely be in the running for the Cy Young in the NL but then he also would be over his innings limit like Strasberg the Braves still have Medlen's services.  After losing Brandon Beachy's services after he went under the knife with Tommy John Surgery the braves were in need of a new ace. Ben Sheets went on the DL, Tim Hudson was on and off injured, Tommy Hanson had his struggles and Jair Jurrjens was inconsistent and then on the DL.  The braves managed to work through these injuries and still be in a position for the wild card.  No small feat for sure. Going forward they also have 2 guys to help fill out the depth of the rotation in respect to high end prospects; Randall Delgado and Julio Teheran. Both have a high upside and can hopefully come in and compete for a spot, work out of the pen as they mature or be used to help fill out the roster with the holes via trade that will open up this off season.

Just where would the Braves be have they have a full staff.  If Medlen and Beachy were healthy at the same time and Mike minor continued to pitch the way he has been and mix in Ben Sheets and Tommy Hanson WOW, that is one awesome staff and likely top team in the east.  Unfortunately injuries and baseball are and inevitability and that is why pitching depth is so  key.  Braves fans can only hope this is the second coming of a dominant pitching staff like they have in the mid 1990s.  It is too early to put these guys in the same class as future Hall of Famer's but the potential is there.

Hopefully the one game playoff between the two wild card teams does not come back to bite the Braves.  It can be interesting to see what this group can do. A strong playoff runin Chipper Jones last season would be a fitting end to a magnificent career.

Anti-Gay Slur Has Jays Escobar in Hot Water

The Toronto Blue Jays say they are investigating why shortstop Yunel Escobar played Saturday's game against Boston with a homophobic slur written in Spanish under his eyes.

It is too early to know both sides of the story and the truth may clear Escobar of any wrong doing but at first glance this is a very messy situation. It is never a good thing to use slurs of any kind but it is even worse and is more magnified when it is used by high profile athletes. In the heat of competition things are said and trash talking happens. It may not be good, it may not be tolerate or politically correct, but it happens. You can't defend it, but it is a convenient go to response for many people. 

The comments are usually not meant literally but hold a lot of power and are offensive and insensitive. An athlete who uses these sayings do so at their own peril and if overheard usually come with a firestorm from both their league, the fans and the press. That is just from saying it, having it written on your body or on your uniform is just ridiculous. You either had no idea and one of your "friends" thought it would be funny or you are so oblivious that you thought that because it was in another language it would get past people.

If it is found that Escobar knowingly had  "TU ERE MARICON" ("You are a fagot") written on his eye black shows that he is not only immature but not a very bright person. In an age where everyone has a cameras and you are used to being seen by thousands of people to not expect a huge backlash, investigation, and potential penalties is just really short sighted.

There were character questions when he was traded from Atlanta to Toronto and until now he seemed to be an upstanding teammate but now there are questions again. He was never number 1 on former manager Bobby Cox's list and that helped prompt his exit from the ATL and who knows this could be the tipping point that could get him moved again.

When you have a young up and comer looking to take your position like Escobar does being careless like this is a good way to becoming instant trade bait. If he is not smart he could be writing his own ticket right out of town. If the Jays are able to fill a hole in the roster maybe someone with a bad PR rep is easier to make expendable and also make the ball club seem to have high standards and a solid image.

It will be interesting to see how things shake down but there will surely be some repercussions. It is just a matter of how severe they are.

Dead Lock'd

NHL and Media Coverage should both be under a media blackout

As of September 15th at 11:59pm the NHL owners will lock out its players and "negotiations" will continue until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (from here on known as the CBA) is finalized. The NHL has not had a good record of labour peace in the entire Gary Bettman era and that trend seems to be continuing. This time around it is not a fundamental change line last time. It more or less is the owners and players deciding on how best to divide a lot of money. It is too bad when millionaires and billionaires fight because the only people that loose are the fans of the game and the people who are employed in the organizations and at the arenas that essentially locked out as well.
The league has placed these artificial deadlines like September 15th in hopes to make it appear that there is something to loose right away. Training camp wouldn't plan to start until the 21st so what is the rush. What other organization or business would lock out its workers the minute a deal expires. Why not have training camp and continue to negotiate? Why not make an effort in good faith to get the players feel like they are a part of the grand plan and the owners are not trying to strong arm them. That also gives a good actual deadline to try and hammer out a deal. It doesn't hurt to give the players a feel for the ice and the game they love to play. By that point the players will be closer to missing the first paycheck and might encourage some more serious talks.

It seems like all these meaningless deadlines will come and go until there is something tangible to loose...paychecks, gate revenue and/or the Winter Classic game between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

It is interesting that the owners voted 100% to lock out the players because that way money is being shared. Just in the last few days 100's of million dollar contracts have been given out by these owners to players before the old deal expires. This CBA is essentially to protect the owners from themselves. If things were so bad why did the Wild spend nearly $100M for 2 players yet claim that they have a problem with the distribution of money? Bell/Rogers JUST took over MLSE as owners of the Leafs. How can they be in a position to vote for or against any proposed deal? Why when both own sports channels with hockey rights think it is either of their interest to not have hockey? They have programming hours to fill and no hockey will leave a big hole. Comcast (Ed Snider from the Philly Flyers) are in a joint venture with NBC who owns the NHL rights in the US. They have launched NBC Sports to compete with the CBS Sports, Fox Sports and the Mother Ship aka. ESPN. Hockey and hockey programming was and is key to the potential growth and viability of this new sports venture in an already saturated sports network landscape. How can this be good for them? I don't think it is or will be.

If any of these Media parties want to get hockey rolling then they should direct all of their sports channels to not report a single thing on the NHL or the lockout until there is an announcement from the league saying that a deal has been struck. No updates, no rumours of talks no mention of back room discussions nothing on Sportsnet Connected, Nothing on Sportscenter. Do not mention it or anything about it. Out of sight, out of mind then maybe there will be discussion in the board rooms and the two sides trying to WIN a PR war instead of negotiating a long term labour deal. The fans would not have to hear updates of items that are neither news or news worthy. Rumours and speculation would not exist and there would be a lot less bitter fans more willing to support the league when they do come back because they won't have a bitter taste in their mouths from having to listen to useless uninformative crap every day and night until a resolution is reached. Just like a judge who puts a media ban on a court case the same should happen in the case of this lockout...a media blackout may be the most productive thing to get this whole circus put to rest.

Time for the madness to stop...before it even starts. Lets only talk about on ice issues and rosters and not topics of discussions driven by accountants and the editors at financial magazines like Forbes.

A Hidden Gem In The ATL

"Jack of all trades, master of none" is a figure of speech used in reference to a person that is competent with many skills but is not necessarily outstanding in any particular one. This person is a generalist rather than a specialist. This phrase is usually not used in a flattering manner.

This is seemingly true when it comes to baseball players. The common term is utility man. This is used mostly for a guy that you have on the bench that can come in and relieve your everyday players or 'starters' when they need a break or succumb to injury. This is a good player to have on the roster and a benefit for a manager to have on the roster but not deemed as valuable as most of the everyday player or a star player.

There are some exceptions to this but very few. It is rare that someone is so good that the can not be taken out of the lineup but is also so versatile that they are able to adapt to multiple roles and do so at a high or above average level. The Atlanta Braves have one of these exceptions to the rule and that is a man named Martin Prado. Prado was a 2010 All Star and was again on the team this year.  Martin usually plays left field in Atlanta but of late he has bounced around the infield filling holes as they crop up. He plays 3rd when future Hall of Fame member Chipper Jones needs a break.He plays 2nd when Dan Uggla is struggling (which is happening far too often this season). He plays Shortstop when inexperienced Paul Janish,  Andrelton Simmons and Tyler Pastornicky need time to watch from the bench and learn. It is a great thing for manager Fredi Gonzalez to have, a player that is good enough to be an All Star and be able to fill so many roles. It allows him to be flexible when making in-game changes but also in day to day roster changes as circumstances change. Prado is such a good and valuable player for the Braves but seems to never get the respect or credit that he deserves for his versatility.

Fans usually look at the big name guys, the ones that have the big gaudy offensive numbers or have a lot of power and perceive them as being the ones worth the most and deserve the big contracts. The Pujols' , ARods, Prince Feilders and David Ortiz's. Prado may not drive in 120 runs or hit 35+ home runs but he put up solid AND consistent numbers, a high batting average and good on base percentage. When  you take into account the offensive numbers as well as the defensive abilities Prado pretty much stands alone in the league. There are not too many compatibles out there that can rival what he brings to the table. Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays is someone who could play that role but is rarely asked to do so. He has the ability to hit the long ball as an everyday right fielder  who has a great arm but is also an excellent 3rd baseman when put in that role. He is more like the reverse Chipper Jones who moved to left for a few seasons because it helped the team when they could get another 3rd baseman to shore up the lineup and give him some added protection.

It is also good for the Braves moving forward into next season to have the flexibility to move him to just about any position and for him to be a qualified starter at any position. They can make him the everyday 3rd baseman when Chipper retires, SS should they not feel comfortable with the youngsters, or leave him in left and fill in around him. With the uncertainty of free agent to be Michael Bourn's return, knowing that Prado gives the Braves plenty of options on where to spend and fill the holes may be his most valuable he can give to the Braves going into the off season.

Robbie Alomar- Fact or Fiction?

I am sure that many sport and Blue Jays fans are familiar with former second baseman, and Hall of Fame member Robbie Alomar. He was a great player for the Jays and also for many other teams including the Orioles and the Indians.

Alomar was known as being a versatile player with a solid bat, good speed and spectacular range and defensive prowess. He was what every team would love to have at the top of a lineup and up the middle. He hit for average, had some power at the plate and could turn a double play as well as just about any other player to ever play his position. A truly deserving inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame and a key member to the Blue Jays World Series Championship teams. He can be put right up there as one of the best second basemen of all time with the tools he had in his prime.

All of this is common knowledge and known by most, that is far from the interesting part. I am sure that both sports fans and regular people are at least familiar with hearing that back in 1996 Alomar was involved in a spitting incident involving an umpire.  Alomar got into a heated argument over a called third strike with umpire John Hirschbeck and spat in his face. He defended himself by saying Hirschbeck had uttered a racial slur and that Hirschbeck had been bitter since one son had died of ALD and another had been recently diagnosed as well. Upon hearing this public disclosure of his private life, Hirschbeck had to be physically restrained from confronting Alomar in the players' locker room.

This is where the un-proven and never verified part comes into play, and is part of a bigger part of the story that I had not heard before just a few days ago. Like I said before, I remember the story but never this version and now that it was mentioned it kind of makes sense and is a very interesting theory. This is all just alleged but is a somewhat plausible explanation. It was said that Alomar had heard a racial slur from Hirschbeck. Perhaps it was not a racial slur but maybe it was a sexual preference slur. If this was the case it would help validate the second part, the part that was a little more interesting.

Alomar joined the Mets in 2002 and it was in this time period that It was during this era that the "Mike Piazza is Gay" rumors began -- somewhat as a result of comments that Bobby Valentine made about Major League Baseball being ready to accept an openly gay athlete. This was a big deal at the time, so much so that it forced Piazza to hold a press conference to make a formal announcement with his model girlfriend saying he was not gay, that he was heterosexual. No active player has come out as being openly gay and to have to hold a press conference to state your orientation was big news. It was because of this that many still believe that Piazza is gay and he was just trying to get get ahead of a possible story. What was news to me was the possibility that Valentines comments were possibly made in regards to another prominent Met at the time...Robbie Alomar. He too had a prominent, beautiful, and famous girlfriend in tennis player Mary Pierce. Apparently there were whispers for years about Alomar's "preference" but it was Piazza who bore the brunt of all that crap at the time. Most people now have no issue with a persons personal preference, but in pro sports, especially team sports, there is still a stigma and an announcement of that nature would be a very difficult to do. There is also allegations of HIV and AIDS linked to Alomar (which do not help by any means either) and has been sued by a former girlfriend and his wife.


Weather or not any of this is true or not is up for debate, but because I had not heard this theory/story before I found it interesting that a lot of these pieces fit together and is at least plausible. It is up to the reader to decide what they want to believe. To many Alomar is and always be that Blue Jay who was a vacuum at 2nd to others he will be that Mets player who's skill almost disappeared overnight and was more of a train wreck then a ballplayer. It just makes it more interesting that it was his time in New York that all this happened and at the same time his play began to erode.

USADA to Strip Armstrong of Tour Wins

In a sport known more for being a haven for drug abuse there was always that one superstar that few believed would or could every cheat and/or lie about performance enhancement and that 

WAS Lance Armstrong.

Well I guess it was just a matter of time. After years of speculation,accusations and a seemingly endless pursuit it would appear that the truth has finally caught up to the once revered and celebrated athletes of our lifetime has seemingly been cut down and is just another disappointment.
For years it was common for other countries to accuse Lance Armstrong of cheating and he would deny it. All around him, before and after is 'amazing' run of 7 Tour de France wins, participants have pop'd positive. Never had Armstrong tested positive but now after all these years and countless allegations, Armstrong now is having to face the music, or at least turn that music off.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart says the agency will ban Lance Armstrong from cycling for life and strip him of his seven Tour de France titles for doping. The ban means nothing at this point as he is removed from being any sort of threat in the cycling world upon his retirement but what it does is crush a legacy that was inspiring to many sports fans, cycling fans and more importantly people fighting cancer, cancer victims, survivors, and those who have been able to beat the horrible enemy. Armstrong's LiveStrong products and branding at one time was unbelievably popular. There were so many people out there who rocked the yellow wrist bracelets is support for the cause. Livestrong was founded and made successful because of what Armstrong had done in the cycling world. It now appears to be all built on a lie.

There was always speculation that something was just not right and that Armstrong 'must have some kind of edge'. Armstrong without fail fought every rumor or accusation and say there was no proof and it was all fabricated, that was until Armstrong on Thursday night dropped any further challenges to USADA's allegations that he took performance-enhancing drugs to win cycling's premier event from 1999-2005.

You are almost looking for the 1920's newspaper kid on the corner yelling 'Extra Extra!' and hearing him say "Say it ain`t so, Lance, Say it ain`t so``

Armstrong says USADA doesn't have the authority to vacate his Tour titles. However, Tygart told The Associated Press that USADA can do it.

It will be interesting to see what the overall reaction to this really is. Have people become to use of drugs in sport and nothing surprises them? Maybe they don`t care anymore, or maybe they will feel betrayed by their one time hero. In any event the court of public appeal is one thing, being officially stripped of Tour Victories is another.

Armstrong has not admitted to any doping infractions but is just not issuing an appeal. That seems to only keep the conspiracy alive. It looks like no one will never know the truth for sure, believers will believe and detractors will continue. Did he or didn't he, the real truth may never be known.

All Time Blue Jays Team Roster

TSN had on their website the best Blue Jays of all time, by position. It was an interesting look back and see who was chosen. Because the team is a relativity new expansion team (in the grand scheme of the game) the names are for the most part only made up of players that the majority of fans remember or have seen play. It is not like the Yankees and you have to choose between Babe Ruth or Roger Maris...Mickey Mantle or Joe DiMaggio. The sample size is much smaller and we can remember the Jays guys better.

THE LIST is one that I for the most part agree with. Here is the players by position:
C - Pat Borders
1B - Carlos Delgado
2B - Roberto Alomar
3B - Kelly Gruber
SS - Tony Fernandez
LF - George Bell
CF - Devon White
RF - Joe Carter
DH - Paul Molitor
SP - Dave Stieb
CP - Tom Henke
Set-up Man - Duane Ward
Manager - Cito Gaston.

This was in the first pack of cards I bought (except mine was O-Pee-Chee)

A strong case could be made for - John Olerud at 1st, maybe Rolen or Glaus at 3rd. As for the starters it is a matter of personal preference and what you consider a `Blue Jay`. Halladay, Clemens, Hentgan, Cone, Stewart, Morris... What is a true Blue Jay by definition, how much time logged is important.

Outside of this list there is not a whole lot of possible debate. This is both good and depressing. I was a Kelly Gruber fan when I was young. When I went to a game I wanted them to have Kelly sit the day before to ensure he was in the line up when I was there. Looking back it may have been greedy but I was there to see him play. Now, in the reflection of top players in the franchise`s history, this is not the most stellar of line-ups. I like all the players, I like the team, but when you see a Kelly Gruber, Pat Borders and Tony Fernandez as your all time infielders it is not nearly as impressive as a lot of other teams line up. Granted, Fernandez was a great SS in his day and was good enough to be brought back some 5 times. When you take in his body of work it pales in comparison to many other teams short stops. And Pat Borders, it is not cool that he is still on the list and outside of maybe Ernie Whitt I don`t know who else would fit the bill. This is about as far a cry from a Hall of Fame lineup as one will find.

I guess maybe down the line Jose Bautista could crack through in Right, ahead of Carter, but he will need a few more good years and Carter still has a lot cred based on that little hit he had back in `93, as some may recall.

The one thing that is also a bit depressing is the time period that all these players played are far removed to where the team is now. This list , for the most part could have been done in 1995 and would look just about the same. It is a bit of a shame that there has not really been a player worthy of cracking this lineup in the last 16 or so years. not to place any blame for that but I can`t seem to feel that JP Ricciardi has something to do with that.

If you have other players that you feel are more deserving I would like to hear who they are and the rational behind it.

In an upcoming blog I will be posting about an interesting story that I have recently come across. To some it may be old news, to some it will be surprising. I for one had not heard this version of the story and it is very far from proven and only alleged but very interesting none the less. So stay tuned for that. 

Time For An New/Old Approach To Pitchers

 It is interesting on how depleted the Toronto Blue Jays are due to injury. I outlined in my last post all about the position players, now for the pitchers. 

The pitching staff has been picked apart and has seen more then its fair share of adversity to say the least. Kyle Drabek 60-day DL, Jason Frasor 15-day DL, Drew Hutchison 60-day DL, Jesse Litsch 60-day DL, Dustin McGowan 60-day DL, Brandon Morrow 60-day DL, Luis Perez 60-day DL, Sergio Santos 60-day DL. Is this just bad luck or does it go deeper then that?

One possibility is that they have a secret referral deal with Dr, James Andrews in Alabama and are getting kickbacks for sending such a huge percentage of their staff for Tommy John Surgery. Another possibility is that the program at the minor league level and perhaps even at the major league level is in fact doing more harm then good. For the most part it seems like the majority of the issues stem from players who are younger and have spent time in the minors. If this continues, Alex Anthopoulos is going to have to take a serious look at the organizational plan that they use in developing young pitchers.

It seems like teams, because of signing bonuses, rush players along to get the most for their money. I is a little odd that a player can be making more money in A ball one year then someone playing in the majors at that same time. You do get rewarded for potential, and that is not necessarily a good thing. The minor leagues are there for the purpose of developing players in all positions. When a pitcher makes it to the majors they should be major league ready...completely ready. That includes a strong, refined, reliable arm that is fit to throw over 200 innings in a year. The Majors is not the place to develop that.

It is rushing pitchers in particular that has the Washington Nationals in the news right now because star pitcher Stephen Strasberg may be shut down at 180 innings. This is fine, except they are 1st in the NL East right now and how can you shut down your number 1 guy? Do you bring him back for the playoffs? These are questions that should not need to be asked. Oh, and Strasberg has already had Tommy John surgery.

I thinks that it may be more important to have pitchers throw more and not less. Starters throwing more in-between starts to strengthen their arms. Don't baby pitchers and have them on such a short leash. It is just common sens that a young persons arm will be stronger and more resilient then that of an older player. Use the benefit of youth to bring along pitchers quicker by making them stronger and allowing them to grow by throwing more often. Look at what the Yankee's did with the "Joba rules" and limited pitches and innings and outings. What did that do? Exactly what it was set up to avoid. Washington tried a similar thing with Stephen Strasburg and he required Tommy John as well. What about Matt Clement, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. That had all the makings of a dynasty rotation but was instead ravaged by injury.

Make pitchers pitch in the minors, and pitch deep into games. Teach a pitcher early that the goal is to pitch 8 solid innings each start is the goal, not 5 1/3 innings and then going to the bullpen for a lefty-lefty match-up. More throwing, more often, and deep into games. They used to do that in the mid 1900's. Players are bigger and stronger and better conditioned now. There is better medical treatment now. There is more knowledge about good mechanics to save arms...use them. If guys could do what they did in the 40's, 50's, and 60's shouldn't the "super athletes" of today be better equipped and be able to handle even more? One would think so. Teach the pitchers to throw a good slider and/or develop a cutter and not throw as many curve balls is a good option as well. The curve balls are know to put even more added stress on the elbow then the average pitch. All these young kids are far better suited to learn those pitches and develop control and then, when more mature, learn and develop the curve more at the higher pro level. If you already have the strong arm it is better equipped to handle the strain of the high torq a curve requires.

Sure there is no sure way to avoid injury and every players is different. On the whole a new plan may not be a bad idea. When you hear about Dr. James Andrews more then a teams prospects you know there is a problem. The name of an orthopedic surgeon should not be the name most affiliated with your sport. With the amount of work he seems to be getting from baseball It is like he is the hot dog vendor on the Simpsons when Marge wonders why he follows Homer around everywhere and he responds "Lady, he's putting my kids through college!"

Blue Jays Bit By Injury Bug

Injuries are a part of baseball, everyone knows that. How can it not be? They play 162 games a year sometimes 2 in one day. Injuries are just a fact of the game (unless you are Cal Ripkin Jr. or Lou Gherig).

For whatever reason the Toronto Blue Jays have seem to take this inevitability to the next level. Sure, my Atlanta Braves have taken a big hit this year as well and lost some key cogs and big arms but thankfully had some good prospects in the minors to help plug the hols and keep the boat afloat. When it comes to the Blue Jays it feels like they have gone above and beyond the call and taken on a couple of teams share of guys on the DL.

In a year when it looked like they could overachieve and maybe make a run at the new extra wild card position and Boston having a lot of trouble the door looked wide open and then they started to drop like flies. When you are looking at a lineup that has David Cooper, Moises Sierra , Adeiny Hechavarria, Yan Gomes, and Anthony Gose at any given time you know you are in trouble. When you are missing bats like Brett Lawrie, Adam Lind, JP Arencibia and Jose Bautista...those are some pretty big shoes to fill and leaves the players still in the lineup exposed and far less protected.

This is just the position players. I have not mentioned the pitchers. The starters have been dropping like sacks of wet cement. For now I am going to leave that alone and do a blog dedicated to that subject and offer my opinion on why this is such a problem and maybe a possible solution going forward, so expect that in the near future. It may be enlightening to some, common knowledge to others or outright dismissed (hopefully that is not the case though).

In the mean time Go Toronto 51's...errr Blue Jays!! Use this as a tool to develop your youth and get the most out of them so when you get healthy you have young players with some experience or at least some trade bait to put you over the top. Maybe take that step to get back to the playoffs sometime soon 1993 was a long time ago.

Battle on the Beach - May/Walsh VS Ross/Kessy

Looking forward to the Woman's Beach final between the two USA Teams: 

Keri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor vs April Ross and Jen Kessy.

It has been a long time since I have blogged and hope to get back to it more consistently again. Figured now was a good time to dip my toe back in as I am getting excited for the 4pm Gold Medal Woman's Beach Volleyball match.

I have been a huge fan of the team of Walsh and May since the beginning watching the old AVP tour on TV. I even have my Misty May autographed picture on the wall in a frame still. As much as I want this team to do what everyone seems to think they are going to do and that is go 3 for 3 in the Olympics with gold medals, I am not so convinced that Ross/Kessy are as big of underdogs as everyone thinks they are. This is a good team and it would be unwise to under-estimate them. Sure May/Walsh are the sexy pick and the ones getting all the spotlight (and deservedly so), but being disregarded as second class citizens like Ross/Kessy have to give them some added motivation. Even NBC only showed the last few point of their match last night despite having to have a huge comeback just to move into the finals. It is too bad that even their own country isn't getting behind them.

In any event it should be a great match regardless of the outcome. Ross and Kessy are playing against May and Walsh. May and Walsh are playing against Ross/Kessy and history...it is like a 2on1. Gotta love beach volleyball. I hope that there is a domestic North American League for beach volleyball again soon so we can see this great sport more and increase its exposure.

The Man In White - You Play To Win The Game

If you ain’t Cheat’n you ain’t Try’n.

So now there is "Spy-Dome". Really? Really? Even if this is true I don’t see much of a story here. I understand that if you are on the field of play and you can intercept signs then more power to you. I suppose that there is another one of those unwritten rules in baseball that stealing signs is wrong, or is it? If you are smart enough or have the ability to steal another teams signs then that is an advantage you have. Just like having better players then the other team will give you an advantage. It does not mean you will necessarily win but it may give you an edge. Into the
alligations to the Blue Jays having a "Man in White" getting signals from another guy in center field and relaying them to the batter who has to focus on the pitcher who is going to throw a ball between 84 and 98 MPH and giving you a fraction of a second to react? Sound tough? Yeah, that is some kind of engineering, and that might just be giving Blue Jays batters too much credit to just how quick and/or smart they are. That is an awful lot to happen in a very condensed time period. Maybe there was someone doing what the "anonymous" bull pen sources from the unnamed team did. But maybe it was just a fan in the stands. Maybe it is no different then the 2 guys that sit in on home games at Rogers Centre with the umpire gear and mimic the actions of the home plate ump. Are they tipping balls a strikes to the pitcher? Stealing second or third base is stealing too, is that as bad?

J.P. Arencibia had a good line when asked about it and basically he said that if they had a method to steal signs and it was making a difference he wouldn’t be batting .200 right now. I say if you are going to use signs then it is on you to protect them. Catchers use a series when there is a man on second base. If they are that worried about stealing do that regardless of the situation.

If it happened cool, if not whatever, but chances are if they were cheating they should be a better team. if you are gong to cheat the least you can do is win.

The True Beautiful Game - BASEBALL

I love baseball. Some people call it slow and boring and I can see their point. If you just look at it superficially i can see your point. I, however love the game and I watch it as not only a fan but also a someone who played the game.

When I played, and admittedly not at a super high level but played and played hard. I tried to pride myself on the details. I played the game with competitiveness and for a true passion for the game. Regardless of the level of play, be it Fastball (or windmill) Hardball (traditional baseball) or just a Men’s League Lob Ball (that one is self explanatory). I loved to think the game on the field. As a defensive specialist and Short-Stop I played it as the captain of the infield. I would remember what players did during past at bats, tendencies from past games and align players in positioning and any shifts that needed to be made. It was also a point of emphasis to know where to be at various times during game play. No matter where the ball was hit there is always a place for each player to be. It may be backing up a base or rotating around to cover possible angled throws. I would try to put myself in those positions and also other players as well. There is nothing more annoying when you know you could have gotten an out if a player had they just been in the right position and had their head in the game. It is these nuances that make me appreciate the game both playing an watching. For those who do not have that level of appreciation for the game I can see how watching an entire game may become tedious. Granted a nice cold beer and a hot dog while sitting in the stands does enhance the live experience.

TV slots games to fall into a 3 hour window. Usually a typical game will run about 2 1/2 hours. Get a good pitchers duel or a game with a Roy Halladay type and you can shave nearly a half hour off of that. Those are the games that are fun to watch and are wrapped up into a tight little package. Those are the games that you wish would go longer because they have good pace and are compelling. The better the flow the better the show. It seems that for whatever reason a Red Sox vs Yankee’s game can not go less then 4 hours. It is just the way it is. When those two teams play it is like watching paint dry... but not, that is what makes it strange. The games are usually fun and entertaining and it may not feel like the game is dragging but it still seems to take a ling time to get a game in. Heaven forbid the game goes into extra innings like it did Sunday Night and ended near 12:30am in the East. Maybe it is two many trips to the mound, two many big name players stepping out every pitch so they can be on camera more or longer. Sure it is usually two of the best teams scrapping it out in a fight for first place in the division but that should mean the game should go quicker with the best players available.

I hope that it does not become a trend that baseball losses its young fan base based on games that take to long to be completed. Kids and now even grown ups are in an instant gratification cycle now and everything has to be fast. This ADD/ADHD mentality (TWITTER and TEXTING i am looking in your direction) could be harmful to this beautiful sport and the fate of this great pass time.

A Glance at the Big Four

It was great to see that even at age 39 my boy Chipper Jones was named to the MLB All Star Team. After coming off knee surgery last year and multiple injuries over the last few and couple with that talk of retirement it is good that he can add some more numbers to his Hall of Fame Career.

The NFL Lockout looks like thay might just get a deal done without missing any games. That would be a good thing for all parties. The fans don’t care who wins or who loses, just make sure that they are on the field in September.

The NBA also is in a lookout but their situation looks a lot more bleak. Even though it is still early there is little optimism that it will come to an end anytime in the foreseeable future. Not good for players who may not have overseas options like they may have thought and not good for the league which has had an image issue for years now. Even worse that after such a good playoffs this year that any good favour that was gained will go right down the drain.

The NHL may actually get a chance to gain back some market foothold if the NBA is out for any period of time. In the US and A the networks are going to have to fill airtime on radio and tv and if the NHL can start getting players and get some game discussion on these shows can only help grow the league. Jim Rome and Dan Patrick (who has NBC ties and guess who has NHL rights???) are both hockey guys and can talk the game if need be and be knowledgeable. It is just a matter of getting their listeners involved. This could be a very critical time in the acceptance of the game in the US.

MLB All Star game is next Tuesday. The game itself is the best of all the major sports because it lends itself to being played close to real game action. I still hate that it decides home field advantage in the World Series. If the game actually counts then: Not every team should be represented, fans should not get the ability to vote, Managers need to choose the most deserving players not just his own guys (see Tommy Hanson -vs- Tim Linsicum) and not every player should get to play or pitchers only going 1 inning. If the game is to mean something, play it and manage it like it does. If it is truly just for the fans that is fine but don’t put something on the line as important as home field.

Happy Canada Day!

Quick Hits for this Holiday Evening.

~Free agency in the NHL is interesting when the only teams able to go out and spend money are the ones that can't afford it and just need to get to the cap floor.
~I have 3 teams that are fav's to cheer for/follow and none did much of anything today. That is not a bad thing as some of the signings were a bit suspect. Just not as exciting from a fan point of view. A new day and a clear head may not be the worse thing for those GM's.
~NBA Locked out players today...Prediction: NCAA basketball ratings will go through the roof and the NCAA tournament will be bigger then ever. To bad after such a classic NBA Championship Finals that now there is nothing positive in the near future.
~NFL also Locked Out
~NHL over half the team losing money and nearly $300M spent by teams on players today alone...yeah that is a great economic model well worth the lockout that they had a few years back.

THE NEXT TIGER?

First off, lets not loose our heads here. As awesome and historic as Rory McIlroy's performance was at the US Open lets not have him chasing Tiger Woods or Nack Nicklaus down just yet. There have been some good performances by good young golfers in the past but few that have panned out into what we would call superstars who consistently do well in Majors or just on the PGA Tour.

Now what Rory did manage to do was unbelievable, especially how soon after his major collapse at Agusta in the Masters 4th round this was. For him to bounce back and not only play well, play consistent but also to go wire to wire for the victory gives us clear hope that maybe this kid can be one of those generational players that we can latch onto.

When he suffered such a disappointing round he did not hide, did not avoid the media, the questions nothing he owned it. He stood there and took everything that came at him like a man, no not even, took it like a PRO. This kid is 22 and there was questions on wether he would EVER be able to bounce back from such a devastating loss. Here we are just a few mere months removed from that event and he is holding the US Open trophy over his head....and it was never even close. He did it the hard way even. He went wire to wire and never shot above par once and all his rounds were in the 60’s. Granted he did not have a last round pairing with El Tiger but he stayed aggressive and ran away with the tournament.

Now we don’t want to get too far ahed of ourselves, lets let him win a second major before we put him up with the greats. Remember he has as many as Justin Rose does. The poise he showed all weekend and his behavior, his body language and his charm and his personality just seems to draw people to him. He is not a robot out there he seems to have fun but remain serious at the same time. Lets hope this is just the beginning for this young man as it could be a treat to watch him play for years to come

Mav's Take Their Tallents To South Beach

It is a sad state of affairs when the one event that looks to have gotten me to begin blogging again is the NBA Finals. The NBA, the same league that will likely be in a lockout next year and unless there are some big concessions could be in jeopardy of missing not only the season but the playoffs too.


If that happens it will be terrible, but we can at least take with us the memories of one of the best NBA Finals in recent memory. This bad boy had everything. A historic comeback, the "Big 3", the under-rated superstar, the oldest player since Kareem to win in the finals and a sick superstar who played his best game of the series with a 103 degree temperature. I hate to use this word but it was Epic.


I was happy for Dirk, I was happy for Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, heck I was happy for Dallas in general but I think I was most happy for Mav’s owner Mark Cuban.
Cuban is probably to most outspoken owner of any of the major sports. He is also likley one of the most fined owner for his actions and comments. Usually people hate billionaires, but people love Cuban. What made the Mav’s win was how he sidestepped the limelight and let the playes and coaches take all the credit. He even had the original owner of the Mav’s accept the Larry O’Brien Trophy from the commissioner. He was all class and so was his entire team.


RICK CARLISLE: - Did a masterful almost ‘zen-like’ coaching job in this series. Every time Miami made an adjustment he countered it with something even better


LEBRON JAMES - Seemed to do what he has been criticized in past playoff games with both the Cav’s and the Heat for mailing it in. People be hate’n LeBron for his actions in coming to Miami and his actions and comments leaving after the finals. His post game comments showed that he is still either very immature, a snob or just on a different planet and just doesn’t get it. He may be the best skilled player in the league but he is not close to being the best player at this point in time.


DWAYNE WADE- The Heat are his team but not even his skill could will this team to a championship. Injuries didn’t help matters either.
Dirk drinks lke a champ too!!

DIRK NOWITZKI- Soft? NOPE, can’t say that anymore. His ‘Jordan Like’ game with a 103 degree fever and injured finger couldn’t even slow him down. Mr. 4th Quarter came up at money time and delivered. He was a machine, A leader on the court, a beast. He was made in Germany and you know that the Germans make good things, you know what I am saying camera guy?? Hmmm, maybe Sham WOW should become the exclusive suppliers for those guys who mop the floors under the basket after a player falls and needs those big mops to clean up the sweat.


For not being overly engaged with basketball this past season, the finals may have rekindled my interest in the pro game. I always like the NCAA and the Madness but now the Pros are making a strong push forward.


Well this felt good to get my first blog in after a way too long time off. Looks like I may just be back on the horse and I hope that all the people who have followed me consistently in the past will continue to do so again. I now also have a Twitter Account so I may look into that for update of new content on the blog but there will be more on that once I figure out how best to utilize it. Thanks for coming back and come back soon for hopefully regular updates again.

Drive for five complete

Jimmie Johnson finished second at Homestead to win his fifth consecutive Cup Series title.

Time To Reconnect - A Blog's Return

First off I need to make the following statement:

As it has been said by one of the great wordsmiths of our generation " Don’t call it a comeback I been here for years, Rockin’ my peers, Puttin’ suckers in fear, Makin’ the tears rain down like a monsoon - Listen to the bass go boom" - LL Cool J

The last month or so has been rough and I have just not had the energy to be creative as it relates to this Blog and for that I apologies. To those loyal readers I am sorry for the lack of content and updates and I will try my best to supply you with more sports news and opinions and maybe if all goes well some laughs too going forward. Time got away from me but I am back on the horse and It is time for some brief updates just to ease back into the game as it were.

My boy Jimmie Johnson is only a few points behind leader Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR Sprint Cup going into the last race of the season at Homestead Miami Speedway. This is the closest that the series’ Championship race has been since they changed to the "Chase" format. Also in contention is Kevin Harvick who, despite being more of a dark horse is still in a very good position to sneak up and take the lead an win his first Cup Championship. Jimmie Johnson is going for an unprecedented 5th straight championship and if he was able to pull of that minor miracle he would have to be in the discussion as the greatest driver ever. Sure he is probably one of the tops of all time but to string together a run for "Cinco" would be epic. I love the dynasty and seeing historic moments so I am rooting for that story line to play out but as a realist I think that unfortunately it may now be time for Denny Hamlin’s time to shine.

The World Series was taken again by the team with the best pitching and a surprising timely offence. This time it was the San Francisco Giants. What is the worst most sad aspect of this is that my Braves were 3 Brooks Conrad errors away from ousting the Giants in the Wild Card Round. Who knows what might have happened had they managed that final victory in Bobby Cox’s final playoff appearance...oh what could have been. But it what the "Mitch Kramer" look alike Tim Lincecum that led the team to the victory.

The Lakers are who we thought they were so if you want to crown them, then crown their asses. Kobe is still the man and lets just hope they have enough talent to take the title again. In that same line of thought lets hope the Heat don’t even get a sniff at the finals so we don’t have to deal with LeBron, Dwayne, and their tag along little brother like forward Chris Bosh. They could have saved them self a lot of trouble by just keeping Michael Beasley whom they gave away for nothing and is virtually the same player as Bosh. Granted the Raptors should have got Beasley in the sign and trade but that is just another bad personnel move by people at MLSE.

As for the Ottawa Senators they are in the middle of the pack, right where I figured they'd be. At the beginning of the season I was worried where the offence was going to come from and thus far I still have the same concern. They have a lot of depth on the team but without a true trigger man or two it is hard to get consistent scoring, even from the top players. It has been better of late but there is plenty of room for an upgrade on the first two lines. Only problem with that is that it is so hard to make deals. Getting what they need is far easier said then done. The defence is starting to help out offensively so that is good but you can't presume that that kind of help is going to consistently be there. We are near game 20, a traditional measuring point for a teams success going forward and it is what it is. Guess we will see where the team is at in another 15-20 and re-assess.