tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89196372024-03-23T11:50:53.571-07:00BartCopSportsStill Misinformed.
Like to contribute? Questions or comments? Sending spam? E-mail me: bartcopsportseast@yahoo.comAlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.comBlogger1176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1144328936016269332006-04-06T06:07:00.000-07:002006-04-06T06:08:56.040-07:00A present for Jets fansThis video is a perfect blend of die hard fans and a team's incompetence.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZxNeFLuY98">Jets Draft History </a>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1144195672171615582006-04-04T17:04:00.000-07:002006-04-04T17:13:55.206-07:00'06 Marlins = Cleveland Indians from Major League<pre><tt><tt>Written by Patriotsy2k<br /><br />At the beginning of the 1988 smash "Major League", a couple<br />of Indian fans in the coffee shop remark about how they<br />have never heard of half the Indian players. This is how I<br />felt when I saw the starting lineup in tonight's game against<br />Houston.<br /><br />Let me explain - with the following names I am sure few MLB<br />fans have heard of. Batting 4th.. 1B Mike Jacobs, 6th....2B<br />Dan Uggla,7th....Miguel Olivo, and 8th....Eric Reed. Telling<br />me you know about these players would be like telling me you<br />knew the White Sox were going to win it all last year.<br /><br />I am leaving out Josh Willingham (LF, batting 5th), Jeremy<br />Hermida (RF, batting 2nd), and of course...Mr Hanley Ramirez<br />(SS, leading off), who most Sox fans have heard of. Willingham<br />and Hermida developed last year on the Marlins, yet I will<br />still give credit to anyone outside the Marlins fan base that<br />has heard of them. Hanley Ramirez is well known, mostly<br />because people outside of Boston and Miami see him in that<br />Beckett trade.<br /><br />So 4 out of 9 players are unknown rookies. And if you add<br />Willingham and Hermida, that is 6 out of 9 players...or 6 out<br />of 8 positional players. Thank goodness for Miguel Cabrera.<br />Surprisingly, they are only down 1-0 in the 8th, mostly because<br />of Dontrelle Willis's strong pitching.<br /><br />Not much is expected from the Marlins this year, so I guess<br />seats will be easy to find and I can roam their temporary<br />stadium freely. This article writer is hoping, however, for<br />the same success as the Willie "Mays" Hays-Rick Vaughn-Pedro<br />Cerrano-Jake Taylor-Roger Dorn led Cleveland Indians.</tt></tt></pre>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1144119454311626382006-04-03T19:49:00.000-07:002006-04-03T20:00:53.970-07:00On paper it makes sense...But no one will care when Vinatieri's replacement misses a game winning field goal.<br /><br />In Bill Belichick New Englanders trust, but this became tougher to do for some Patriot fans with Adam Vinatieri leaving. Many fans argued it was worth paying Vinatieri a little too much. The reasoning was that kickers don't make much to begin with, and having the comfort of knowing your kicker will make clutch kicks is worth the extra money.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Mail_Pouch.php">Cold Hard Football Facts</a> does a good job explaining the logic behind the Patriots letting Vinatieri go.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;" >Vinatieri is the best kicker the Patriots have ever had and arguably the best kicker they will ever have. He's also the best clutch kicker in the history of football, and it will be a long time before any team, let alone the Patriots, see another kicker like him again. And the Colts have a better kicker now that they replaced <a href="http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=664">Vandershank</a> with Vinatieri. When it comes time for Vinatieri to head to the Hall of Fame, we’ll write the application to get him in. So, yes, we agree: Having a trusted name at kicker helps.</span><br /><br /><div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">And, barring some sort of miracle, New England’s kicker this season will not be as good as the one they just lost. But … the Patriots could be a better team. We’re not saying they will be a better team. Just that they could. This is certainly what New England’s management is banking on.</span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">New England’s management strategy represents a new paradigm in football management – the Salary Cap Paradigm (SCP). Most people realize New England is looking for value in personnel. In other words, they’re not going to dish out top dollar for, say, a wide receiver who makes twice as much as another receiver but only provides 25 percent more production. That’s poor value. People understand value. But the SCP means that New England looks at BOTH sides of every personnel equation. Fans and most other management groups do not. <a href="http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=747">They just look at the Big Name player in question</a>. They figure if they pick up Big Name, they’ll be a better team, and if they lose Big Name, they will not be as good. It seems logical. </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">But the SCP means that these seemingly logical conclusions are simply not valid. This is where New England is rewriting the football management book in the salary cap era. </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Instead of paying $2.5 million per season for Vinatieri – the minimum, apparently, it would have taken to keep him in New England – maybe the Patriots can get a kicker for $1 million to $1.5 million. For $1.25 million, they can get a solid NFL kicker who, perhaps, delivers 90 percent of the production that Vinatieri does – for half the money. So right away, they’re getting better value. </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">But here’s where they Salary Cap Paradigm moves beyond value: For the $1.25 million they saved on a kicker, New England figures it can pick up, for example, a stud situational player who they otherwise could not have afforded. Perhaps this situational player comes up with a big sack, a long kick return, or a drive-killing INT at a key moment in a big game. Perhaps he bulks up the offensive line and fills in ably when a starter goes down. Maybe this play or this player eliminates the need for a major clutch kicker to come through at the end of the game. Maybe, because of this play, they win the Super Bowl by 10 points rather than by 3. This play from the situational player will never generate the same publicity as a last-second field goal, but it will certainly be no less important. The student of the SCP understands that a game-changing play in the middle of a contest by a backup linebacker is just as important as a last-second, game-winning kick – even if the play goes unnoticed by history.</span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Maybe the Patriots are a better team because they find value at kicker and pick up an otherwise unaffordable player who bolsters them in a position where they had been weak in the past.</span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> </span></div> <div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Maybe it will work. Or maybe it blows up in their face. We will see. In either case, you can’t just look at what the team lost. You have to look at what they can pick up in return. That is the Salary Cap Paradigm.</span></div></blockquote><div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div style="font-style: italic;"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ></span></div><div style="font-style: italic;"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ></span></div>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1144109531997835202006-04-03T17:07:00.000-07:002006-04-03T17:12:12.016-07:00Who would win in the wild?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/gator.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/gator.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/bruin.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/bruin.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The Gator seems quicker, but the Bruin has a size advantage and is more physical. I think the Bruins will win.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1144108622169051962006-04-03T16:42:00.000-07:002006-04-03T16:57:02.230-07:00MLB ProjectionsBased on today's games, things are looking pretty good for the Red Sox. Here's some projections based on this season's stats (I told you <span style="font-style: italic;">Moneyball</span> would influence me).<br /><br />Curt Schilling: 32 Wins<br />David Ortiz: 162 Home Runs, 486 RBI, 486 R<br />Jason Varitek: .500 AVG<br />Team Record: 162-0<br /><br />Now Red Sox fans shouldn't the only happy ones. Kevin Millar will make Ted Williams roll in his frozen chamber as joins Varitek with a season batting average of .500. The Mets will be happy with their free agent pick up, Billy Wagner who gets 162 Saves, tying him with fellow record breakers Fernando Rodney, Chris Ray, and Derrick Turnbow.<br /><br />The happiest fans will be in St. Louis. Albert Pujols is on track to hit 324 Home Runs, 648 RBI, and a 1.000 batting averages.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1144107729031657752006-04-03T16:41:00.000-07:002006-04-03T16:42:09.056-07:00Guess the Athlete!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/guess.11.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/guess.9.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143955349569996592006-04-01T22:14:00.000-07:002006-04-01T22:22:29.590-07:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/george_mason.0.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/george_mason.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143923443668768582006-04-01T13:16:00.000-07:002006-04-01T13:30:43.740-07:00Poison pills & another year of retirement stories<ul><li>The Vikings <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2392289">did not match </a>Seattle's offer for Nate Burleson. Nate Burleson and $49 million should never share a paragraph, but teams paying too much for a player is nothing new. Also, we should always take these contracts with a grain of salt because they're not guaranteed. Burleson getting all of that $49 million is as likely as it was for him making up for the absence of Randy Moss.</li><li>The troubling thing about this story is the so called "poison pill" the Seahawks put into this contract. The contract says that if Burleson plays five games in the state of Minnesota, the contract would be guaranteed. Surprisingly the Minnesota Vikings did not match this. The NFL should be ashamed that they're letting this go on.</li><li>Brett Favre says he coming back to play with the Packers for another season. In other words, ESPN, FOX, CBS, SI, and everyone else wasted everyone's time with Brett Favre retirement hype at the end of last season. Hopefully they'll be able to recycle it next year, and maybe even the following year too.</li></ul>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143813508278503622006-03-31T06:54:00.000-07:002006-03-31T06:58:28.306-07:00Answer to Guess the Athlete!It's Sadaharu Oh, manager of the Japanese team who won the WBC. I guess he used to be able to hit for power too, hitting 868 home runs. Wonder if he used flax seed oil.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143813128561160882006-03-31T06:38:00.000-07:002006-03-31T06:52:08.690-07:00Conflict of Interest?George Mitchell, who was hired to do an "independent" investigation of steroid use in baseball seems like a decent, hardworking guy. One problem though: he's a partial owner of the Red Sox. Even if Mitchell has great integrity, any of his findings will be clouded with suspicion. Already I've heard brain-dead-radio-personality-Yankee-fan, JT the Brick, ask why David Ortiz isn't being scrutinized as much as Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi.<br /><br />Another problem: George Mitchell is a chairman at Disney, who happens to own ESPN, who happened to give baseball a lot of money to broadcast games. There might be a little pressure for Mitchell to avoid giving baseball a black eye.<br /><br />So I guess MLB doesn't understand the problems of conflict of interest. Who knows what they'll do next? Hire a team owner to be commissioner of the MLB? Now I'm just getting carried away.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143770340949094942006-03-30T18:50:00.000-07:002006-03-30T18:59:00.966-07:00Anna Benson's availableAnna and Kris Benson are getting divorced. This is usually a good excuse for me to post a picture of a woman, but I haven't been able to post pictures lately.<br /><br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060322">Bill Simmons</a> does a good job describing Anna:<br /><blockquote><em>...she's loathsome and doesn't deserve the attention. She's not even that cute<br />anymore -- she's starting to look like Elvira, or one of those porn stars that<br />tried to set too many "most guys in one day" records.</em></blockquote>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143684653199768332006-03-29T19:06:00.000-07:002006-03-29T19:10:53.203-07:00Two things you can count on springI'll be miserable with allergies, and Kerry Wood and Mark Prior will <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2387988">hit the DL</a>.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143684063707507812006-03-29T18:52:00.000-07:002006-03-29T19:01:03.710-07:00They do play in MarchSome NBA thoughts:<br /><ul><li>So much for the Amare Stoudemire comeback. He's knee swelled up, so he's probably out for the year. Now whenever I see Chris Webber hobble around, I pray that won't happen to Stoudemire (who had the same knee surgery as Webber).</li><li>Kevin Garnett is <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2387812">frustrated</a>, boo hoo. He is a superstar, but is he a player that makes his teammates better?</li><li>Latrell Sprewell is <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&id=2386732&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2&amp;action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dsheridan_chris%26id%3d2386732%26lpos%3dspotlight%26lid%3dtab2pos2">still available</a>.</li></ul>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143683424983494752006-03-29T18:43:00.000-07:002006-03-29T18:50:25.020-07:00Time to worryMLB has hired former Senator George Mitchell to investigate past steroid use by major league players. The focus right now is on Barry Bonds, but there must be several other players around baseball that are pretty nervous tonight. Mitchell may find that there are several Greg Anderson and Victor Contes out there helping players.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143598173702154522006-03-28T18:47:00.000-07:002006-03-28T19:09:33.730-07:00NFL rule changes<a href="http://images.nfl.com/photos/news/img6926347.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 185px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px" height="419" alt="" src="http://images.nfl.com/photos/news/img6926347.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://web.bentley.edu/students/b/Bent_Will/milloy_law_800.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://web.bentley.edu/students/b/Bent_Will/milloy_law_800.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here's some of the <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2387077">changes </a>proposed by the NFL owners:<br /><ul><li><strong>Stricter enforcement on touchdown celebrations</strong>: Just what we need, more subjective judgment calls by officials. I respect a player who acts like he's been there before when scoring a touchdown. That said, are celebrations something that officials should really be concentrating on? It's fun watching players make asses of themselves. </li><li><strong>Down by contact subject to instant replay review</strong>: I don't get this one. When the whistle blows, players are supposed to stop. Now there's an exception; if a whistle blows and the ball's loose they should keep playing. This will cause problems.</li><li><strong>Receivers can flinch and not be called for illegal procedure</strong>: What a surprise, another rule helping the offense.</li><li><strong>"Toughening enforcement on pass rushers who hit quarterbacks below the knees, as long as the defensive players could have avoided making the hit"</strong>: Helping the offense again. I really trust NFL officials guessing if a player could avoid making a hit or not.</li><li><strong>One defensive player getting direct communication with a coach just like a quarterback</strong>: A rule helping the defense? Someone screwed up.</li></ul>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143515594571311412006-03-27T20:07:00.000-07:002006-03-27T20:13:14.613-07:00Baseball season must be starting soon...<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/1143498927_6420.1.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/1143498927_6420.1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/1143504080_0229.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/1143504080_0229.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />because the Red Sox and Devil Rays are fighting again.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143438085369540112006-03-26T22:36:00.000-07:002006-03-26T22:43:25.113-07:00George Mason advances<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/mason1.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/mason1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p><strong>George Mason</strong></p><p>EXPERIENCE:</p><p>CTU - Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles Domestic Unit; CTU - Senior Section Leader, Washington Headquarters; CTU - Team Leader, Washington Headquarters; CTU - Associate Special Agent in Charge, Phoenix Domestic Unit; CTU - Senior Agent, Miami Domestic Unit; CTU - Agent, Los Angeles Domestic Unit<br /><br />EDUCATION:Bachelor of Arts, Criminal Science - University of Southern California</p><p><br />PERSONAL:Divorced; Son - John Mason</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143428707448882432006-03-26T20:04:00.000-07:002006-03-26T20:05:07.466-07:00Guess the Athlete!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/guess.10.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/guess.8.jpg" border="0" /></a>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1143401396722236512006-03-26T11:47:00.000-07:002006-03-26T12:29:56.826-07:00Did I miss anything?Just had a week with little web access and no cable, so let's see how well I can review last week.<br /><ul><li><strong>Vinatieri signs with the Colts</strong>: maybe the Patriots know something we don't know, but I can't picture the Pats without him. Poor Peyton Manning, he used to be able to blame his "Idiot Kicker." Now when Manning and the Colts choke, all the attention will go to him.</li><li><strong>Terrell Owens and the Idiot Kicker are Cowboys</strong>: Parcells and T.O. reacting to the clutch performances of Bledsoe and Vanderjagt will be great entertainment.</li><li><strong>NCAA Tourny</strong>: Speaking of clutch performances, Redick came through again. I had George Mason in the Elite Eight on my bracket, but I forgot to turn it in. Didn't George Mason work for CTU on 24? Too bad Gerry McNamara's last game wasn't in the Big East Tournament. His tournament performance was a sad way to end a career. It's all a blur now, but another great year of amazing endings.</li><li><strong>Bruins fire GM Mike O'Connell</strong>: Remember the good old days when the Bruins were mediocre?</li><li><strong>NBA</strong>: Do they play in March?</li><li><strong>Japan wins the WBC</strong>: I guess it's my patriotic duty to ignore this, but there was some great baseball played. The rest of the world catching up and possibly surpassing Americans in baseball is great for the sport.</li><li><strong>Barry Bonds's lawsuit</strong>: Frivolous</li><li><strong>Red Sox trade Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena</strong>: Good trade for both teams. Reds need pitching and the Sox need a replacement for Nixon when he pulls that first hamstring. This year's Red Sox team is the deepest in my memory. </li><li><strong>Tagliabue retires</strong>: Who do I send my resume to?</li><li><strong>Red Sox sign Juan Gonzales</strong>: Great signing. Look at these numbers: 45 HR, 157 RBI, .318 batting average. Oh wait, it's not 1998 anymore?</li><li><strong>California living</strong>: The good news was I was able to watch tournament games at 9 AM; bad news was by the time I got home on Thursday and Friday, the first games had already ended.</li><li><strong>Recommended Reading</strong>: I finally read <em>Moneyball</em> by Michael Lewis<em>.</em> Despite turbulence, no leg room, and babies screaming, I could not put the book down for my entire flight. I'll never look at baseball stats the same way again.</li><li><strong>IN-N-OUT Burgers</strong>: Delicious.</li></ul>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1142654298662722532006-03-17T20:51:00.000-07:002006-03-17T20:58:18.666-07:00On vacationSorry to all of you depending on my college basketball expertiese, but I'll be gone all of next week. I'm off to Northern California to throw some beer at Ron Artest.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1142653857991613822006-03-17T20:44:00.000-07:002006-03-17T21:21:09.780-07:00From the home office of Guess the Athlete!All staff members at Guess the Athlete! Productions will be out of the office next week, so there will be no Guess the Athlete! next week.<br /><br />Here's something for those of you who would like to continue making incorrect guesses:<br /><br /><strong>Guess the WBC MVP!</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Who will win this prestigious award next Monday?Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1142653424333407412006-03-17T20:34:00.000-07:002006-03-17T20:43:44.350-07:00Answer to Guess the Athlete!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/1600/loewen_adamCP060308.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/628/400/loewen_adamCP060308.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />It's Canada's winning pitcher in their WBC upset win over the United States. 21-year-old <a href="http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/players/playerpage/448946">Adam Loewen</a>, who threw 3 2/3 shutout innings, has yet to pitch in a Major League game...or a triple A game...or a double A game.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1142570940708277632006-03-16T21:13:00.000-07:002006-03-17T15:13:01.553-07:00USA eliminatedThe run is over for the American underdogs as Mexico eliminated them tonight, 2-1. Like most others, I've been pleasantly surprised by the success and entertainment of the tournament. It's been interesting to see a player I've never heard of hold his own against the likes of A-Rod and Ken Griffey Jr. Also, I've appreciated the national pride I've seen in the fans and players of the Hispanic teams.<br /><br />Now for some complaints.<br /><ul><li>Notice I said the pride of Hispanic teams, not Asian. That's because I didn't get to see any Asian teams play. This tournament was promoted down our throats, but then when it was time for the games, they were either not on TV or on ESPN26 at 2 AM.</li><li>Brilliant move broadcasting USA's last game against the first day of the NCAA tournament (along with <em>My Name is Earl</em> and <em>The Office</em>).</li><li>It was disappointing to see so many big names drop out, but at least that gave fans the opportunity to learn about some new players.</li><li>Spring training does not seem to be the best time to have this tournament.</li></ul><p>Now what good are complaints without solutions? Here's my proposal for the next WBC:</p><p>Have it during the All Star break, extending the break from three to five days. Put eight teams in a single elimination tournament. Day one would be an off day, day two the quarterfinals, day three the semifinals, day four the finals, and day five an off day. Finally, don't select the teams until the last minute. By doing this you don't need to worry about last minute injuries or the embarrassment of players opting out at the last minute.</p><p>There are some flaws to this plan. Injuries and tired players at mid-season would be troublesome. Also, Major League teams would be concerned about their pitchers being overused. To account for this, teams should be allowed to have 40 man rosters, so there would be plenty of pitchers to use.</p><p>But here's the positive: there's no other sports going on in early July. At this time, the WBC would be the only sport people would pay attention to. Also, most sports fans don't like to think too much, and that's the flaw with a round robin tournament. Waiting to see how Korea did against Japan to see if USA would have a chance for the next round is just too much for this misinformed fan. With the Bartcop WBC, it's very simple, you lose you go home.</p><p>Every four years having players in mid-season form competing in a single elimination tournament with no other sporting distractions could be a special event.</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1142559080623149882006-03-16T18:12:00.000-07:002006-03-28T19:15:50.000-07:00Passing the torch<p>JJ Redick must be so proud. Greg Paulus has joined an exclusive club featuring club Co-Presidents Christian Laettner and Steve Wojohowski. Going into this season Redick must have been worried that there would be no one to replace him when he left. Now, however, he must be comfortable in knowing that college basketball's most hated player will remain in Durham.</p><p>Greg Paulus, keep "accidentally" hitting people, keep overreacting to a made lay up in the first half, keep joining Coach K in complaining to officials who have the audacity to call you for a foul. Make Laettner, Wojohowski, and Redick proud; just keep being the prototypical Duke player.</p><br /><p></p><p>From <a href="http://www.thebrushback.com/">the Brushback</a>:</p><p><strong>Greg Paulus Throws Hilarious Little Temper Tantrum</strong> </p><p>GREENSBORO, NC--Duke forward Greg Paulus threw the most hilarious little tempter tantrum Sunday afternoon during the ACC championship at Greensboro Coliseum. Paulus got into a shoving match with Boston College’s Louis Hinnant and his face got all red and he started spazzing out right there on national TV. Fans seated behind the bench were highly amused by the incident. “Now that was funny,” said Kayla Duggan, 20, a Duke fan. “Paulus dove to the floor to grab a loose ball, then when he got up he just started flailing his arms for some reason. Then he accidentally shoved someone from BC, who shoved him back, then he got even more angry. It was adorable! He looked like a Chihuahua attacking a chew toy. I’m just glad that the referees stepped in when they did. Greg’s a tough little player, but he probably shouldn’t be getting into fights with grown-ups.” </p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8919637.post-1142520946687217412006-03-16T07:53:00.000-07:002006-03-16T07:55:46.690-07:00Didn't see this one comingDamon has a <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5415046">sore shoulder</a>.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193982864419833777noreply@blogger.com0