- 09:00 AM
- 11/21/24
that's a great find, you don't have to be an econostatgeek to like his defensive rankings by position maybe just a defendostatgeek (and it's good to see Shane Battier getting props)
posted by pastepotpete at 08:12 PM on August 10, 2005
man, i came in hoping to get some info about the Lakers controversy and you guys are discussng Shaq and Vlade's assists? Kwame Brown is a starter on the All-Complaining about Ballhogs team coached by none other than Phil Jackson. What's wrong with that whole picture is that Phil has to send a message to Kobe through the media. Conclusion: Kobe plays elsewhere next year.
posted by pastepotpete at 01:46 PM on April 13, 2004
LeBron, LeBron and LeBron--21 pts 5 rebounds and 6 assists per? right out of high school, it's pretty obvious that he's not just a great rookie but a paradigm shift. And, Ill bet you he'd trade ROY for a playoff spot.
posted by pastepotpete at 01:37 PM on April 13, 2004
"The cooperating source told Lewis that he/she was willing to sell the narcotics to Lewis' associates for a price that Lewis can tax," meaning the price could be marked up for a profit, Mahaley said in the affidavit. "Lewis responded, 'Yeah,'" the agent said. Looks like they've got him cold! Seems a lot like the Ray Lewis deal to me, where they're just indicting him so they can get him to roll over on his buddy. I predict he makes a deal and agrees to testify in exchange for dropping the charges.
posted by pastepotpete at 08:54 AM on February 27, 2004
86, four teams is just fine but I think you're going to have a helluva time getting the season capped to 12 games, although I think it's a great idea. I speculate that the reason we don't have a playoff today is that bowl games had too much clout (and still do) to be left out of the BCS and bowl games do not want a playoff. Sure they'll take a national championship game but they want to pick their matchups otherwise because of beliefs in arcane alchemical formulas involving hotel beds filled and number of souveneir wristwatches sold. Remember bowl games are run by committees of provincial Babbits who favor odd-colored sportcoats and do a lot of back-slapping.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:26 AM on December 30, 2003
86, four teams is just fine but I think you're going to have a helluva time getting the season capped to 12 games, although I think it's a great idea. I speculate that the reason we don't have a playoff today is that bowl games had too much clout (and still do) to be left out of the BCS and bowl games do not want a playoff. Sure they'll take a national championship game but they want to pick their matchups otherwise because of beliefs in arcane alchemical formulas involving hotel beds filled and number of souveneir wristwatches sold. Remember bowl games are run by committees of provincial Babbits who favor odd-colored sportcoats and do a lot of back-slapping.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:26 AM on December 30, 2003
Most of the time, I don't think it's possible to know if they have their act together, and you don't need NBA teams spying on their employees. But when a player draws attention to himself by say, punching a woman in the face three times and then shooting at her as she tries to get away, maybe you should take a step back. the NBA will still be there after he gets done with whatever it is that requires medical confidentiality.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:15 AM on December 30, 2003
Wfrazer, I have the impression the Giants have decided on Coughlin and were just
posted by pastepotpete at 11:03 AM on December 30, 2003
I'd like to reiterate that he punched a woman in the face three times and shot at her as she tried to get away from him. Of course, it's either sign him or play against him when the Knicks do...if he can help a team like Ray Lewis then he gets Nike and ESPN-fueled redemption, if he can't help a team like Lawrence Phillips, he's a bad apple who's squandered his chances because of "character." It's a bunch of hypocritical bullshit and I'm really quite tired of it. I'd be the last person to say athletes are role models, but I'll be the first person to say that the only way we get public figures who are worthy of being role models is to hold them accountable for their actions. I'm not a conservative but I think it's comparable to say that Rush Limbaugh deserved the media ass-whupping he got for his comments about McNabb and his drug problem, plus he got fired. Eddie Griffin is getting a second-chance he might deserve but that nearly no one else gets, but does he really need a contract with the Nets while he sorts out his personal demons? Aren't the Nets really saying either "We don't care about Punched-In-The-Face Woman because Eddie blocks shots" or "We actively support the punching of women in the face and then shooting at them as they try to flee" Those are my best guesses because I can't find a statement from them clarifying this move. I'm feeling quite smug about my decision to start rooting for the Rockets again this year.
posted by pastepotpete at 10:07 AM on December 30, 2003
Patrickje, You are essentially right but it's not quite as easy as "get the AD on it." College football schedules are made years in advance of being able to assess the strength of the team that year. You better bet that Maryland didn't expect a loss or even a tough game when they originally scheduled No. Illinois. You also better bet that if No. Illinois tried to create a schedule like you like right now they'd be doing it for 2007 or '08 or later. The AD and the coach might be facing a 5-7 year or some other firable type result if they can't get another Michael "The Burner" Turner in the hizzouse that season. The logistics of improving your schedule make it unwise to try and jump up a notch, because a 10 win season isn't enough to get prestige recruits to come play in your second class stadium and second class conference and a 4 win season can set you back 10 years. If you're not in a major conference, it is extremely difficult to claw your way into the elite. I may not be thinking of everyone but since 1980 what teams have managed to climb to perennial nation title contender status? I can think of Miami, Va Tech, Florida and Kansas State. Of those four only Miami did it without a major conference backing them. So there you go 1 school out of 117(?) since 1980. That's as good a reason as any to scrap the bowl system for a playoff.
posted by pastepotpete at 02:47 PM on November 06, 2003
Nobody is forcing them to play football. They could mortgage their future with student loans and get a job to go to college. I'll bet some of us did that.
posted by pastepotpete at 04:05 PM on September 02, 2003
oh, there's such a difference between a lazy player taking Rocks for Jocks and a player with a contract held over his head being forced to. As I understand it, right now as long as you hold your ground and say "I'm not playing and I'm keeping my scholarship" and you maintain the course load and GPA you're supposed to, they can't *make* you do anything. Once, they're paying them it's going to be completely different. Profit sharing doesn't work for any number of reasons, but here's one--profits fluctuate but student fees don't. The problem with this whole thing is that there's a handful of extremely profitable athletic programs, there's a vast mushy middle that could afford to stipend, and there's a number of schools like Rice, for instance, where it would be a real strain on the system. Stipending them is fine, but if the stipend is going to be limited to Division 1-A schools for instance, then you're going to force some schools out of 1-A. When you force schools out of 1-A, you just removed a bunch of athletes from the stipending pool (sucker!--you should have gone to Michigan). You would quite literally break the backs of tons of 1-AA schools if they were forced to stipend also. Do you want to raise tuition to pay for this? The end result is inevitably the best college athletes don't choose one of 20-30 top schools because they *want* to but because this new economic system forces it to. Or, every college student in america pays more, so that Marcus Vick can by an xbox.
posted by pastepotpete at 04:04 PM on September 02, 2003
Yee-haw, welcome to the new world of college sports! "I was going to sign with Youngstown State but then Western Michigan upped the ante" Or better, "I was just about to sign with Arizona State, but then the California legislature, loosened up the rules, now UCLA can give me free tanning and acting lessons in addition to the car and stipend" If the NCAA took every single dollar in profit, that the schools made and redistributed it, then there would be enough to stipend scholarship athletes. But here's what you would see. #1 The top schools band together to force the smaller, unprofitable schools out of Division 1A (Goodbye Army! See you later Vanderbilt! It was fun, Cal!) Why should Miami pay to help UTEP make a profit? #2 "What the heck do we have a scholarship fencing program for?" Goodbye unprofitable sports! The NCAA must accept responsibility for Maurice Clarett's Visa bill! #3 Incoming recruits are forced to sign contracts, tying their immediate financial security to the average college football coach. They'll play hurt, they'll be forced to take easy classes. Standards shoot right down the tubes. The first time an underclassman wants to turn pro, he has to agree to a settlement with the institution currently employing him. It only makes things worse. You have to remove the ties between semi-professional sports programs and the colleges that currently run them before it can be anything that even approaches fair. Any volunteers to set up an NFL developmental league that competes with the colleges?
posted by pastepotpete at 01:11 PM on September 02, 2003
Of course, I meant to say, good for her. The Katie Hnida saga has finally been completed. It's a gimmick to be sure, but since there are probably thousands of girls out there who can outdo her and compete with men for positions on the football team, are we going to remember Hnida as a door opener?
posted by pastepotpete at 12:11 PM on September 02, 2003
weedy has it right in his 1st post. Jeter primary value is the peripheral offensive stuff. Anybody who has watched five Yankee games knows his value. Rodriguez is on his way to being the best baseball player ever, and outperforms Jeter in every phase of the game--except those peripheral offensive stats. But why should he? Given the choice of taking a smart at-bat, drawing a walk or moving a runner along, A-Rod is wise to choose to hit a 440 foot home run instead. As to pitchers, it's a non-issue. It's perfectly appropriate to give the Cy Young to the pitcher with the most wins. People who care about assessing the relative value of pitchers in a given season, just should be mindful that the Cy Young is neither instructive nor reflective of who is the best pitcher. This is really just the monthly Joe Morgan flogging, isn't it? Maybe we should make it a column...
posted by pastepotpete at 11:49 AM on September 02, 2003
Jermaine will play for whomever Larry chooses because Jermaine is getting paid. Period. Well, maybe he will, but I think that's kind of glossing over some very duplicitous behavior by Donnie Walsh. Jermaine went down for a lot of years with this team and then they change coaches five weeks later? Having said that, Reggie comes back and averages at least 14 PPG. And shoots a MUCH better percentage And, that's because Carlisle uses his telekinetic powers to guide the ball through the hoop, right? Tinsley has a good all around year. Remember, Carlisle actually made Chucky Atkins look like a steal for a season and a half. Ack. Chucky Atkins made Chucky Atkins look like a steal for a season and a half. Coaches help in this by a) having systems that fit their players well and b) playing them. Atkins actually had the same year in 2000-01, which is pre-Carlisle, that he did in 01-02. That being said: Isiah Thomas sure seems like a jerk to me. But, so does Larry Bird. So does Donnie Walsh. So one jerk hired another jerk to fire another jerk. Meanwhile, a team full of improving young stars is going to try to break through this season.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:22 AM on August 28, 2003
I'd have to disagree on this. It was a debate because Michael Johnson accomplished a singular achievement, to wit: the 200m-400m double gold, not because Johnson was a US citizen. If Michael Johnson had been a Swede or a Mongol the debate would have still existed, it just would have been quieter, and probably not present the opportunity for a gimmick race that could "settle" it, in addition to a purse of $2 million. "Thankfully it was Johnson who ended up injured" Hey, that's Canadian sportsmanship for you! You forgot to call him a coward like Bailey did after he won. I rather agree with the posts in front of this silly Donovan Bailey hijack.
posted by pastepotpete at 10:34 AM on August 28, 2003
This is Dave Bliss. This is not college athletics. Posters are right in that the win-at-all-costs mentality causes Baylor to higher a low-rent outlaw like Dave Bliss, who then gets busy with his scumbag recruiting techniques. Surely, we all realize that this is an extraordinary confluence of unstable personalities and vile ethics. And if that is so, I don't think you can blithely indict college athletics over it. I'm totally disgusted though.
posted by pastepotpete at 10:54 AM on August 21, 2003
This is all pretty shady...but apparently Scottie Pippen's attorney has responded. Do you think it's a smear campaign perpetrated by Kendall Gill?
posted by pastepotpete at 10:41 AM on August 21, 2003
oh and, i'll bet Alex Gonzalez got robbed because Cincinatti needed an all-star, which has to be Aaron Boone and Gonzalez doesn't get in over Furcal or Renteria.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:03 AM on July 07, 2003
Myself, I don't see anything wrong with Matsui getting voted in. He is playing excellent baseball right now, and is already one of the better all-around OF in the AL. Same goes for Ichiro. If compelling fan interest from abroad or from new Asian-American fans at home is driving their inclusion, that seems like a good thing for the game. The expanded rosters are great. Hasegawa has deserved all-star status a few times in his career. If we still had last year's selection rules, Matsui would have been voted in and Wells would have missed out and that would have been a real crime. What jumps out at me is how crappy the Mets are, Benitez is a big minus on a roster full of underachievers and he's *still* arguably the most sensible selection.
posted by pastepotpete at 10:55 AM on July 07, 2003
racism is cool my sentence was poorly worded, thanks for the helpful sarcasm, kjh! as always rcade makes sense of the insensible...
posted by pastepotpete at 12:59 PM on March 05, 2003
rcade, I think you will be proven wrong as long as he gets to run behind a decent line. Smith had the motor this season, but the coaching staff kept the brakes on him. I think part of it was to make sure he broke the record at home, part of it was to test out Troy Hambrick (who is a wet sack of poo and never shows anything like the toughness and grit that Emmitt showed throughout his whole career--and this ain't baseball or basketball where toughness and grit is a synonym for "white", this is football where toughness means first downs, wins and Super Bowl rings) and I think part of it was to set up the justification for this release which was fait accompli before last season even started. that said, I have a hard time blaming Jones. The salary cap makes it tough to compete. Of course, Emmitt Smith in 5 years will still be worth twice as much as Jeff Robinson.
posted by pastepotpete at 04:02 PM on February 27, 2003
Ron Santo has as good or better stats as every hall of fame third baseman, even Brooks Robinson. His only knock was that he played for the cubs. if that were true he'd be in the Hall of Fame..his stats don't compare to the 3 great ones in the hall George Brett, Eddie Matthews and Mike Schmidt. Ray Dandridge and Judy Johnson don't have MLB stats to compare with but there is little doubt that Dandridge was one of the great players of the Negro Leagues. Johnson, I've heard doubts about him but he was also a groundbreaking scout after the color line was broken. And when you take a look, quite a few of the 3b in the Hall have notable accomplishments as managers and such. Personally, I think George Kell and Pie Traynor are better players too, but there's an argument there at least. What Santo has going for him is that he's probably better than Frank Baker, Jimmy Collins and Freddie Lindstrom. But, who wants Santo to be in the HOF just because they're better than players who don't deserve to be there in the first place? Well, you do (and Ron Santo does too) but I'd like Darell Evans to be in the Hall, and that ain't gonna happen...
posted by pastepotpete at 03:55 PM on February 27, 2003
there's lots of reasons why someone might miss the HOF on the first ballot. It's just as plausible to think that instead of holding Sandberg off the ballot because he doesn't deserve "first ballot" honors, that perhaps some of the voters don't like to vote too many candidates into the Hall every year. Also, don't for one minute think that the voting isn't heavily influenced by campaigns for the candidates. There's no real point to campaign for someone like Sandberg until he's been refused entry once. We hear more about the campaigns that fail (Ron Santo) or take forever (Mazeroski) then we do about the successful ones. First ballot is meaningful because it shows a near-universal acclamation for that player's place in baseball history. Sandberg doesn't get that kind of respect, and rightfully so in my opinion but he does deserve the HOF and will most likely get there. However, anybody that's upset about Sandberg, rightfully should be 3x as upset about Andre Dawson.
posted by pastepotpete at 08:31 AM on January 10, 2003
Could someone tell me who the entertaining coaches are in the NFL? I'm having trouble thinking of even one. Spurrier looked like he was going to be amusing, but he just seems depressed now. Sure Coughlin's no master of mirth like Dick Jauron or a laugh riot like Bill Belichek, but he definitely has the funniest tirades. No doubt, the football is boring, but here's a short list of the non-boring teams. Oakland, Kansas City, and the NY Jets. I'm not a Jags fan, but previous to this article, I thought Jacksonville never quite recovered from all that salary cap trouble they got themselves in a few years ago and struggled to replace a defense full of very rich very old underachievers. Well, maybe Weaver can hire Jimmy Kimmel to coach this team (that would mercifully get him off my TV) and then we can really rachet up the excitement with a Fun n Gun offense centering around Mark Brunell, Kyle Brady and Stacey Mack.
posted by pastepotpete at 08:30 AM on January 03, 2003
He's a threat in every phase of the game, except maybe driving to the basket. Unfortunately, that really limits his impact on a game in crunch time, according to the media. But, you don't trade him, you draft guys that will play for you in Minnesota, you sign quality mid-level free agents. You try to trade Wally, the Kelly Tripucka of the 21st century for a handful of players who can make you better (something along the lines of the Jalen Rose deal last year comes to mind). McBain is right, Garnett is a young veteran, and will probably step it up and play even better than he already does.
posted by pastepotpete at 10:26 AM on October 24, 2002
No he doesn't. Do you think it's the Cardinals good season that has helped this along? If Scott Erickson had died tragically this season, do you think he'd make the HOF ballot?
posted by pastepotpete at 10:12 AM on October 24, 2002
Same thing every year..."can anyone beat the 'Canes?" or popular variants from years past "Does anybody believe that
posted by pastepotpete at 03:32 PM on October 22, 2002
Well, he certainly ruined his chances of winning the Cy Young. I find that a little brave. But, I believe individuals have a responsibility to their teams, even the Red Sox. Is it possible to be lazy and brave?
posted by pastepotpete at 09:36 PM on September 23, 2002
It's funny, when I first saw the title "How to Fix Football", I immediately thought of bribing refs to influence the outcome of the games, which reminds me did anyone notice all the crappy calls in the Rams-Giants game? That being said, this article is bushwah. 1. Instant replay doesn't work. I don't like coaches challenges or some replay official deciding when plays are reviewed. Why not just let the referee review a play if he wants to? 2. Why screw with the extra point? 3. "At the very least, allow a team to match any offer made to one of its players by another team, making everyone with at least four years' experience an unrestricted free agent." Teams actually *do* have this right. If what he's saying is exempt these signings from the salary cap, then he's really suggesting is doing away with the salary cap, and I think the NFL can make a pretty good case that the salary cap has improved competitive balance. This is a covert attempt to restrict the player movement in absence of a contract, and would last about as long as the first lawsuit. 4. "Football is a team game, so why should an offense be penalized for its defense's shortcomings or vice versa?" The answer to this question is already in the question. Offenses should be punished for their defense's shortcomings and vice versa precisely because it is a team game. 5. QB's can and do call their own plays in lots of offenses. Helmet mikes facilitate the no huddle, and speed up the game (only by 5 seconds per play, which saves about 10 minutes) 6. Stupid silly nonsense. If we get rid of the helmets they can play like Bronko Nagurski!! 7. Even worse! So then holders will start moving back an extra couple of yards to get the 4 pointer? I can't wait for the first instant replay review of the spot of the kick. 8. Just what we need--More Penalties! 9. I'd rather banish the sideline reporters. 10. There's bad stadiums and good stadiums with good policies toward fans and bad ones too, I'll wager. This is the kind of windbag sports punditry that I just hate. All he's doing is filling up his column inches, as if the NFL can do anything about the price of a hotdog.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:55 AM on September 17, 2002
In baseball, I would say the best bloodline is probably the Alous. I give them a slight edge over the Boones because of Felipe Alou's managerial career but Bret Boone has an excellent chance to make his family the best ever. There are so many excellent brother acts in baseball (Niekro, Perry, Dean) that you really have to have several member of the family involved to really be considered. That's why I agree with smithers about the Sutters. One that nobody remembers that shoud be mentioned is the Larkins. When Barry was just starting out with the Reds, his brother Byron was in the middle of an All-American and record-setting career in basketball at Xavier (he waqs one of the great unsung players in college basketball history), and his brother (the first name eludes me) was a linebacker at Notre Dame.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:14 AM on June 11, 2002
The Giambi trade is neither particularly stupid or conspiratorial. THe A's are losing. Jeremy Giambi is an unrestricted free-agent next year, and has been grousing about the A's not resigning his brother. He is their leftfielder (terrible) and their leadoff hitter(trying hard, but anybody who thinks speed is undesirable in a leadoff hitter, has been spending too much time crushed by the weight of their Baseball Prospectus). They have Adam Piatt in AAA who is showing all signs of being ready for the bigs. They have Esteban German, an outstanding prospect to be the A's leadoff hitter of the future, and quite conveniently a second baseman to replace the stinky Frank Menechino. So where's Giambi going to play if they want to look at Piatt and German. DH? That's going to be David Justice's job. 1B? Well, as the Phillies are about to find out, Giambi is a terrible first baseman. And I predict that Carlos Pena will get it going and they'll bring him right back up. Where do they have holes? Well, they could maybe use a left-handed bat off the bench. And, despite everything you hear, John Mabry is a perfectly adequate left-handed bat off the bench. Forget about your preconceptions about the trade. Look at their current lineup right now. I really think even subtracting Giambi, this lineup looks about as good as it did before and like a much better lineup for 2003, which is what the A's should be thinking about now.
posted by pastepotpete at 07:54 PM on May 23, 2002
I think at this point, I'm going to have to take Piazza's word for it, until he's outed. Off the top of my head, I recall rumors that Troy Aikman, Kordell Stewart, Roberto Alomar (which I guess would make his engagement to Mary Pierce a 'beard', but who ever heard of a gay tennis player?). From looking around the web, apparently Brady Anderson is a very popular target of these rumors. See, it's fine for Bobby V to say that he thinks a gay player might be accepted in MLB. What's irresponsible is that the gossip columnist assumed that this meant a Met was about to be outed. That presupposes that Bobby Valentine prompted the reporter to ask this question or somehow worked that into the conversation. That sounds pretty unbelievable to me. Anyway, I love speculating about the secret homosexual lives of baseball players, but perhaps this is just a personal quirk.
posted by pastepotpete at 12:28 PM on May 22, 2002
Yeah, but it's like a quadruple post or something:) We spent more keystrokes on Gumgate than we did on the Canadian figure skaters. Not that it isn't nice to see kirkaracha posting.
posted by pastepotpete at 12:21 PM on May 20, 2002
Shouldn't the Rockets just pick Yao Ming? There are plenty of Asian people in Houston, no matter what 'everyone' has said so far about the Chinese government wanting him to go to a major media market. I imagine they should trade down, since there are so many teams looking to get impact players right now. Maybe they could get the Candyman and the Clippers two #1s for Ming. Or Danny Fortson and the #3 pick (maybe Bob Sura thrown in for good measure).
posted by pastepotpete at 12:17 PM on May 20, 2002
outside counsel: You are mistaken on two counts. Howard Johnson fell short of 40-40 (on several occasions the only other person to do it is Alex Rodriguez) and it's not exactly a freak stat. It's the primary reason Bobby Bonds made the Hall of Fame (well he made it based on the 30-30 club but I think the reasoning is the same). It was Barry Bonds primary claim to fame before last season. It represents the power-speed combination, which has always been desirable in outfielders. Jose Canseco was a tremendous athlete who won the MVP and for a period of 2-3 years was, I believe, considered the best player in the game. He was disliked heartily the whole time by the public and the media (if anyone is interested I can document multiple instances when reporters went out of their way to make him look like a jackass), and I am certain he won't make the Hall of Fame, but so far I haven't read any arguments that convince me he doesn't belong, whereas Bill Mazeroski and Pepper Martin do belong.
posted by pastepotpete at 08:53 AM on May 16, 2002
What you really have with Canseco is a player who had lots and lots of injury problems. Between his 27th and 33rd birthdays, which are supposed to be the prime power years, he was unable to put in a full season. The difference between him and McGwire is essentially McGwire's 1998 and 1999 seasons. While I don't believe he would have put up McGwirian numbers, if he hadn't been jerked around horribly by the Angels last year, he could easily be in the middle of his second season in Anaheim, and he'd be out of the Dave Kingman/Darrell Evans/Rocky Colavito territory and in the company of HoF'ers like Reggie Jackson and Stargell. I think he's a real "edge" candidate for the Hall, in that, I think he's demonstrably better than almost all of the power hitters that aren't in the Hall and demonstrably worse than almost all of the ones that are in.
posted by pastepotpete at 12:06 PM on May 14, 2002
Some great Canseco quotes-- "I still think I'm an above-average outfielder, but I just work here"--Last year with White Sox before an interleague game with the Cubs, amid speculation Canseco might play outfield. "To Ethiopia. For a box of Froot Loops and a camel to be named later." -- when a reporter asked Canseco where he'd been traded in 1992, when he was traded to the Rangers for Ruben Sierra, Bobby Witt, and Jeff Russell. "I thought (Tampa Bay) could have gotten a Twix bar or something." on being picked up off waivers by the Yankees for $20000" The last one is from Baseball Quote of the Day I tell you he was a misunderstood player.
posted by pastepotpete at 08:33 PM on May 13, 2002
Think about it for a second. They report that it was a chauffered car so nobody thinks El Drunko was about to get in his car and drive off three sheets to the wind. Big deal anyway. So he drinks a little...
posted by pastepotpete at 11:47 AM on May 08, 2002
money, money, money is the problem, the difference between the top of the first round and the bottom is about 6-7 million over three years if I remember correctly. And with the contracts only about 3 million over 3 years at the bottom of the 1st round, that's a concern. I agree with you about spending the dead year overseas, but it certainly seems most players don't want to do that, and it's easy to imagine if you've been waiting patiently to graduate from college before you enter the draft that you don't want to wait another season.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:42 AM on April 28, 2002
This is the coolest link ever on Sportsfilter! If I could do it all over again I'd become a long snapper.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:35 AM on April 28, 2002
Ah, well, there's a catch.
posted by pastepotpete at 09:36 AM on April 26, 2002
Play a year professionally and return to college makes a lot of sense, unfortunately that didn't fly. I guess that would pronounce amatuerism dead, but the "amatuer" concept has always reeked of class snobbery anyway.
posted by pastepotpete at 09:28 AM on April 26, 2002
I think we can probably find room in the HoF for the all time leader in attempts, completions, passing yards and TD's. You've set an excellent standard though. When that huge "winner" Bledsoe gets those kind of numbers, start a new thread.
posted by pastepotpete at 09:06 AM on April 26, 2002
Well, it's a nice thing to say but winners don't always get chances in the No Fun League. Ty Detmer looked like a winner and he got about half a chance, Doug Flutie not getting chances is well documented. Wuerffel is only given a chance by me, Ditka, and Spurrier (just saying that wasn't Ditka a disaster in NO?, everything he touched still carries his stink). Meanwhile somebody's always willing to hand Jon Kitna, Chris Chandler, Tony Banks, proven losers all, the ball for 13 games and let them take their punishment. The Pats got an outstanding deal for Bledsoe! To get that much back for that ridiculous contract is a deal and a half. If it was anybody but the Bills, who generally make such good decisions, I'd worry about this deal. I thought Bledsoe should have accepted the Bengals trade but he was smarter, this is going to work out way better.
posted by pastepotpete at 11:43 PM on April 25, 2002
Bad news, he's fourth team behind Brady, Huard, and LSU's Rohan Davey who the Patriots traded up in the fourth round to draft. Now, in every way you measure a QB except 40 yard dash time and the bench press, Major beats out Davey. But, considering the draft position and the current NFL mindset about small, slow QBs, I'm hoping Major makes the practice squad. I believe the pendulum will swing back a little bit, we'll get shed of the Spergon Wynns of the world, and the NFL may be able to find some room for playmakers with rocket arms like Mr. Applewhite.
posted by pastepotpete at 07:24 PM on April 24, 2002
Golly, I don't think Bledsoe should even be considered for the HoF at this point. He's thrown for a bajillion yards in a couple of seasons, but unless we're letting them in for the size of their contracts...
posted by pastepotpete at 09:50 AM on April 23, 2002
What a great link. I've heard of it but I've never been to their website. Bill Kenney was one of my favorites and I never knew he was Mr. Irrelevant.
posted by pastepotpete at 09:45 AM on April 23, 2002
NETS/PACERS: N.E.T.S Nets, Nets, Nets CHARLOTTE/ORLANDO: I like both these teams. Since Orlando still has a home court, I'll take them in five. BOSTON/PHILADELPHIA: Boston in five. Iverson isn't ready to play. DETROIT/TORONTO: Detroit sweeps. SACRAMENTO/UTAH: Kings in five. Utah wins its home games. DALLAS/MINNESOTA: Mavs in three. Not going to be stopped. LAKERS/BLAZERS: Blazers in five. Fuck the lakers. SAN ANTONIO/SEATTLE: Spurs in four. 2nd rnd Nets/Magic: Nets with lots of Kenyon Martin Detroit/Boston: Boston in 5. Mavs/Kings: Mavericks. That's Mr. Diggler to you. Blazers/Spurs: Blazers in seven. 3rd round: Nets/Boston: Jason Kidd in 6 Mavericks/Blazers: Mark Cuban in 5 Dalas over New Jersey in 7. NBC is happy to say goodbye to the NBA with a Dallas/Newark final.
posted by pastepotpete at 02:51 PM on April 20, 2002
Joe Sambito? Suddenly many things make more sense.
posted by pastepotpete at 10:32 PM on April 18, 2002
of course, they should have fired him! He's filed for divorce, his wife was sent to jail for domestic battery and that jerk tries to squeeze out a cheap laugh by ridiculing him. There's not one thing about it that's fun or amusing.
posted by pastepotpete at 10:30 PM on April 18, 2002
That is awesome! And gone, no chance anyone grabbed a screenshot or a saved copy? The playoffs are fixed, to an extent. The refs don't absolutely decide the outcomes of the games, but I think they do what I can to keep some teams in a series for a couple of extra games.
posted by pastepotpete at 04:58 PM on April 17, 2002
Yeah, I know. ZZZZZZZZZZ. Think of it as my cry for help. Any other good minor league analysis pages you want to clue me in on?
posted by pastepotpete at 12:53 PM on April 12, 2002
Hey, the Orioles won the AL East in '97 and the wildcard in '96. Their farm system has been broken for essentially 25 years and since then they've been a reasonably successful team up until now. I think that a cheap losing team suits them right now what with the spectre of the Washington Expos looming. Whether they've gotten to this point accidentally or on purpose is uncertain. it will take years to right that ship through solid trades and stocking the farm system, a la Beane in Oakland. yeah, except they already started 2 years ago. Although your rotisserie teams continued to count their stats, since july of 2000 the Orioles have traded... Mike Bordick, Charles Johnson, Will Clark, Harold Baines, B.J. Surhoff, Mike Timlin and Gabe Molina in return they've received Melvin Mora who is unfortunately probably their best player, Geronimo Gil, Brook Fordyce, Fernando Lunar (3 catchers), and Chris Richard who'll be back this summer. They also got about a dozen AA and lower pitchers who are working their way onto the club or out of baseball. That's not bad, maybe one catcher too many, but there have been worse sell-offs, considering the lack of promise in what they gave away. They've made plenty of sound baseball decisions the last couple of years, picking Batista up off waivers, Jay Gibbons as a Rule 5 pick, they've shown terrible taste in free agentse, you could probably spend the money used on Marty Cordova, Segui, Fordyce and Buddy Groom on Mike Mussina and be better off for it. But, try to remember that this team and some of the decisions (notably David Segui) look much better with Albet Belle in left field, without him and with revenue sharing and with potentially half their market going away as early as next April, they might be well-advised to hold down their operating expenses and wait for all this to shake out.
posted by pastepotpete at 09:32 PM on April 10, 2002
Well, I hope you're right but comparing him to Danny Manning makes me think we're not all on the same page. Darryl Strawberry, Derrick May, Todd VanPoppel, Carlos Baerga, Oil Can Boyd, Quilvio Veras, George Arias, Joey Hamilton, Ricky Ledee, Ruben Rivera, Homer Bush, Milt Cuyler, Mark Whiten, Pete Schourek, Bill Pulsipher, Scott Elarton. Griffey's better than his dad, he's going into the HoF, the only person hs career is a problem for is fantasy owners.
posted by pastepotpete at 12:14 PM on April 09, 2002
MLB.com is awesome except for their crappy news articles. It certainly ought to be since it's one of the major components of the Office of the Commisioner's $180 million dollar operating budget. Good link.
posted by pastepotpete at 07:45 PM on April 08, 2002
As far as this "where would the team be without him?" junk goes, the Lakers are 8-7 without Shaq, so presumably he's the MVP? Hardly. Just like Iverson, we're talking about the Most Valuable Player, not Player Whose Team Gets the Most Stinky When He Sprains His Toe. Kidd is an exciting player, who *led* the Nets from the first moment he wore their uniform. How many of these top 10 players lead anything but your fantasy team? Jason Kidd is the best player on the only team that's going to win 50 games in the East. The Nets were 26-56 last year, that's not a turnaround? Now, Tim Duncan, you can make a case for him. All due respect to Ben Wallace, but this MVP "candidate" may want to think about dropping in a few shots. Paul Pierce? First you might want to prove he's the best player on his team. Barron Davis?!? Playa, you trippin'.
posted by pastepotpete at 07:26 PM on April 08, 2002
It's Carlisle or O'Brien for CoY, and I love the Pistons, but it really should go to O'Brien. That situation could have easily become a huge ugly meltdown ruining careers left and right. But, they righted the ship, I don't think we can give them too much credit for their decent record, because it's patently obvious that this is the worst year for the Eastern Conference since...who knows? I hate to say it but being the best team in the East is kind of like being the leading scorer for the Denver Nuggets. Byron Scott is a great coach. The Nets run his system to perfection and the Nets are distinct from every other team in the NBA with their style.
posted by pastepotpete at 06:59 PM on April 08, 2002
Martz dismissed by the Rams
Martz will get a head coaching job this year. He has a Super Bowl on his resume and can develop a QB. How about Martz as the Raiders head coach?