Yesterday, after another appeals process seemed like it would be underway for the four players suspended by Roger Goodell in the New Orleans Saints' bounty case, the NFL Players Association filed yet another motion to have a new arbitrator inserted into the hearings. Following the NFL's rulings that Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita, and Anthony Hargrove were all to be suspended for their roles in this so-called "bounty" scandal, Roger Goodell ruled that they would all be disciplined.
Vilma was suspended for the entire 2012 season, Fujita was suspended but has since gotten hurt and has now been placed on injured reserve anyway, making his suspension a moot point because he will now miss the rest of the season due to the injury. Smith was suspended four games, and Hargrove was suspended eight (although that was eventually changed to seven). Smith has served his suspension and Hargrove is a free agent, so the only suspension that is still in effect is Vilma's.
However, to the surprise of many (including myself), Vilma was on the field for the Saints this past Sunday due to the fact that his suspension was currently being appealed and the case is still pending. How Vilma was able to play last week is based upon some kind of legal technicality that I don't really care about at this point. Vilma initially appealed his season-long suspension, but the appeal was heard by Roger Goodell, the same man that decided how long Vilma's suspension would be in the first place. To the surprise of no one, Goodell did not change his ruling, and Vilma's year-long suspension remained.
Following Goodell's ruling, Vilma went to court to attempt to appeal the suspension, and it looked as if former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue would be inserted and would conduct Vilma's new appeal and rule on whether or not the year-long suspension would remain or not. In my eyes, this seemed to be fine. Tagliabue was familiar with NFL suspension and appeals processes, and he had a close relationship with not only the game, but the Players Association as well. Tagliabue could rule on whether or not he believed Vilma's suspension was appropriate, and we could all move on. But no, Vilma and the NFLPA wouldn't accept that.
Saying that Tagliabue was unfit to hear the appeals because of a conflict of interest, the NFLPA and the four suspended players once again filed motions calling for the removal of Tagliabue and the appointing of a neutral arbitrator to decide the fate of the suspended players. In the meantime, Vilma will again be on the field this week as the Saints take on the Denver Broncos. Am I the only one who thinks this seems to make no sense?
The NFL commissioner ruled that Vilma was suspended for the entire season. Vilma appealed the suspension and is now about to play his second game of the year while he is in the midst of yet another appeal to another legal ruling. Vilma wants to clear his name of any wrongdoing in this case, while the NFL wants to stand by its initial ruling. I get it. But at the same time, everyone involved in this case is just looking more and more foolish. The NFL can't decide who it wants the final decision maker to be, and in the interim, they are letting Vilma play even though he is supposed to be suspended for the entire season. Vilma will never be able to avoid the fact that his name will be forever linked to this entire bounty case, yet he is looking more and more like a toddler who will not give up his favorite toy no matter what it takes.
At this point, I have to say that it seems like Vilma has already won this battle because he is out on the field when he is also supposed to be suspended for the entire season at the same time. However, this entire process is really getting tiring, and I'm sure that I am not the only one that feels this way. I understand that the legal process in this country is not something that is exactly synonymous with prudence, but can we please end this sometime soon?
We know that there was some kind of pay-for-performance system within the Saints' locker room. We know that Vilma was somehow involved, and we know that the NFL believed that he deserved a suspension for any kind of role that he played. What we also know is that the NFL season is about halfway through, and it is time to focus solely on football and not lingering legal issues that could have, and should have, been solved months ago. The Saints got off to a bad start (whether it was due to the suspensions levied in this case, poor play on the field, or a combination of both), but two straight wins have helped their cause. While they are still far from the playoffs, a win this Sunday night against a good Broncos team will greatly enhance their postseason chances.
I am through with trying to keep up with all of this legal nonsense. It is time to focus on the play on the field, and forget about anything that may be going on off the field. Like I said, at this point the chances of New Orleans making the playoffs do not seem very good. However, the Saints still have two games to play with the 6-0 Atlanta Falcons, and games with the Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, and 49ers. All of those teams have postseason aspirations, and all of those teams currently have better records than the Saints. That means that New Orleans still only has to worry about their own play, and if they are able to beat those teams, they will have a great chance to be playing into January.
There is no question that these legal issues have to be playing at least a small part in the Saints' on-field performance, if due to nothing other than the fact that the players on the team need to be constantly reminded of them. So please, for the sake of everyone from Drew Brees to Isa Abdul-Quddus, get this all over with as soon as possible so we can focus on what really matters; the games on the field each Sunday.
Daily Giants Update: I'll give you an update on my next post, which will come later today, so each of my posts today will be close to similar in length and this one won't be twice as long as the following one.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: This news is about a week old, but it has been a while since I have added any new posts. It has been officially announced that our new broadcast team in 2013 will be Steve Berthiaume and Bob Brenly. Given the circumstances, I have to say that these two are one of the best-case scenarios that I could imagine. Brenly was our manager during the 2001 championship season, and even though Berthiaume has not done much play-by-play, I am very familiar with him from ESPN, and he seems to know what he is talking about (he is actually one of the few ESPN commentators that ever even acknowledges the Diamondbacks exist!). I will always miss Daron Sutton and Mark Grace, and it is a shame that we will never get to listen to them because I really enjoyed listening to them each and every night. However, I have no problems with Berthiaume or Brenly, so I am excited to see how things go both on the field and in the booth for the 2013 season.
Daily Nets Update: As I said, I am on the Nets bandwagon now that they are in Brooklyn and I can root for a team in New York that isn't the Knicks. I was thinking about doing an NBA preview, but I'm not sure if I will yet. However, I will say that I believe the Nets both can be and should be a playoff team this season. Despite a starting lineup that features a few big names, I think it might take a year for the team to gel and for each player to find a defined role. I don't believe that they are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but I think that anywhere between the 5th and 8th seed should be considered a success. If they were to win a first round series, I would say that it would be a great season. The first regular season game will be at the Barclays Center against the Knicks on November 1st.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Nolan Ryan: Way out of line
When one thinks of Nolan Ryan, it is impossible to not think of the Texas Rangers. Ryan is the all-time strikeouts leader in Major League Baseball history, and he was an ace for the Rangers for many years. Now, years after his retirement, he has become the president of the team, and he has done a very good job in that capacity. The Rangers won the American League in both 2010 and 2011, and despite losing in the World Series in both seasons, Ryan had helped the Rangers franchise establish itself as not only one that was competitive in the present, but they seem primed to be competitive into the future as well. Until about one month ago, the Rangers were near the top of the baseball world.
That all changed though, as the Rangers squandered a 13 game lead in the American League West division, and the Oakland Athletics were able to extend their fairy tale season into the playoffs. There were a number of reasons that the A's were able to end up in the postseason, but with a lead in the division of 13 games, it is impossible to deny that the Rangers had a huge hand in allowing Oakland to overtake them on the final day of the regular season. And like it or not, when a team slumps at the end of the year, most outsiders immediately look at the superstar player as the main culprit.
For the Rangers, the superstar is Josh Hamilton, and when we look at his performance over the latter part of the season, it seems like his poor play paralleled the poor play of the team. In June, Hamilton hit .223, and in July, he hit an even worse .177. What he will probably be most known for this season, however, is the seemingly easy fly ball that he misplayed on the final day of the season against the Athletics that opened the floodgates and allowed Oakland to turn a close game into a blowout win over the Rangers and an AL West division title. There is no doubt that Hamilton's poor performance played a part in the collapse of the Rangers. He admitted himself that he did not play well, and took some of the blame for the 2012 season ending far sooner than the Rangers and their fans hoped it would.
This past week, on a radio interview in Dallas, Nolan Ryan was asked about the disappointing end to the team's season, and he opened a needless wound that not only made himself look bad, but made Hamilton look bad as well. Asked about Hamilton's struggles, Ryan said that the decision of Hamilton to quit using chewing tobacco "couldn't have been worse," and blamed Hamilton's decision to stop using chewing tobacco for the downfall of the team. For that I only have four words for Ryan: "What were you thinking?"
The story of Josh Hamilton is one of the greatest redemption stories in sports history. Originally touted as a "can't miss" prospect, Hamilton had all the talent to one day become a superstar on the baseball diamond. However, Hamilton succumbed to a drug and alcohol addiction, and it seemed like he had lost his chance to ever star on the baseball field. Eventually though, after a long period of rehabilitation, Hamilton not only overcame his addiction, but became the superstar that he seemed destined to be when he was initially drafted. We do not usually see athletes granted second chances, especially when it comes to addictions as tremendous and vast as Hamilton's multiple addictions. In a comeback story deserving of a Hollywood script, Hamilton not only was granted a second chance, but earned a second chance to play professional baseball.
In 2008, the Rangers brought in Hamilton and he repaid them with a spectacular season. He continued to improve, and in 2010, his redemption story seemed to reach its peak, as he won the American League MVP award and led the Texas Rangers to the World Series. In 2012, Hamilton hit a career high 43 home runs and drove in 128 runs. As his midseason slump would attest, Hamilton put up huge numbers during the first two months of the season, as despite his prolonged slump, he was still able to produce a superstar-like season.
What all of this means is that no matter the reason Hamilton may have slumped and the team may have fallen short of expectations, it is totally out of line for Ryan to blame the failure of the team on Hamilton's decision to quit using chewing tobacco. If anyone should know about the struggles that Hamilton has had to overcome, it should be the Texas Rangers organization. They extended a helping hand to Hamilton along his road to recovery, and they should truly appreciate his work ethic and desire to get as far away from his dark past as possible.
Hamilton himself did admit that when he stopped using chewing tobacco, it was indeed a struggle for him. However, if Hamilton has done nothing else, he has at least proven that he has both the will power and strength to overcome intense addictions. For Ryan to call Hamilton out and blame his desire to distance himself from another addictive substance is both unneeded and out of line. If Ryan truly felt that way, he should have spoken to Hamilton privately, and not aired his feelings on the radio for the entire world to hear.
Hamilton is a free agent now and it is likely that he will sign a lucrative contract somewhere. Until recently, it seemed like he fit perfectly with the Rangers, but I think Ryan's comments should change Hamilton's thoughts. The Rangers have said that they intend to allow Hamilton to field offers from other teams. If it were not for his dark past, it is likely that Hamilton would receive a monstrous deal from the highest bidder. However, even before Ryan's comments, teams had to be wary of Hamilton's past problems and the possibility that they might resurface at any time. Maybe Ryan went public with these comments to cement the fact that Hamilton was still not 100% rehabilitated in the minds of fellow general managers in order to bring the price tag for Hamilton down, but if that were the reason, I am completely against Ryan's ways of thinking.
If anyone should appreciate what Hamilton has been able to do during his recovery, it should be the Texas Rangers. With these comments, Ryan may be burning a bridge that he does not need to burn. Despite what Hamilton may say publicly, I cannot think that the comments Ryan made did not have a deep impact upon Hamilton. It would be one thing to point out Hamilton's poor performance on the field to the world in order to drive Hamilton's free agent price tag down. But to use the method that Ryan used, especially when it comes to Josh Hamilton, is completely out of line in my opinion.
I've always liked Hamilton and I think his story is one that could inspire people all over the world, and I hope he gets the big contract he has proven he deserves. Now though, because of Ryan's comments, I no longer hope that the Rangers are the team that gives Hamilton that deal. So hopefully in 2013, Hamilton can make his redemption story even better by signing with another team and watching the Rangers fall short of the playoffs again, all while Nolan Ryan tries his best to find someone else to throw under the bus for a failed season.
Daily Giants Update: The "easy" part of the schedule is over, as we now face what could be likened to a murderer's row of games the rest of the way. It starts in San Francisco this Sunday afternoon, and the 49ers will be looking for revenge for the NFC Championship game last season. Hopefully everyone in the universe picks the 49ers to win, because when that happens is when the Giants play their best.
Daily Nets Update: Yes, I'm on the bandwagon. The first preseason game against the 76ers is in two days, so we will finally get to see this newly constructed team on the court.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: New names are being thrown around to replace Daron Sutton and Mark Grace in the television booth, and I have to say that no matter who ends up replacing them, I will really miss Sutton and Grace. They made watching the Diamondbacks enjoyable, and my only hope is that whoever the replacements are can be at least half as entertaining as a duo that will be sorely missed by many Diamondbacks fans.
That all changed though, as the Rangers squandered a 13 game lead in the American League West division, and the Oakland Athletics were able to extend their fairy tale season into the playoffs. There were a number of reasons that the A's were able to end up in the postseason, but with a lead in the division of 13 games, it is impossible to deny that the Rangers had a huge hand in allowing Oakland to overtake them on the final day of the regular season. And like it or not, when a team slumps at the end of the year, most outsiders immediately look at the superstar player as the main culprit.
For the Rangers, the superstar is Josh Hamilton, and when we look at his performance over the latter part of the season, it seems like his poor play paralleled the poor play of the team. In June, Hamilton hit .223, and in July, he hit an even worse .177. What he will probably be most known for this season, however, is the seemingly easy fly ball that he misplayed on the final day of the season against the Athletics that opened the floodgates and allowed Oakland to turn a close game into a blowout win over the Rangers and an AL West division title. There is no doubt that Hamilton's poor performance played a part in the collapse of the Rangers. He admitted himself that he did not play well, and took some of the blame for the 2012 season ending far sooner than the Rangers and their fans hoped it would.
This past week, on a radio interview in Dallas, Nolan Ryan was asked about the disappointing end to the team's season, and he opened a needless wound that not only made himself look bad, but made Hamilton look bad as well. Asked about Hamilton's struggles, Ryan said that the decision of Hamilton to quit using chewing tobacco "couldn't have been worse," and blamed Hamilton's decision to stop using chewing tobacco for the downfall of the team. For that I only have four words for Ryan: "What were you thinking?"
The story of Josh Hamilton is one of the greatest redemption stories in sports history. Originally touted as a "can't miss" prospect, Hamilton had all the talent to one day become a superstar on the baseball diamond. However, Hamilton succumbed to a drug and alcohol addiction, and it seemed like he had lost his chance to ever star on the baseball field. Eventually though, after a long period of rehabilitation, Hamilton not only overcame his addiction, but became the superstar that he seemed destined to be when he was initially drafted. We do not usually see athletes granted second chances, especially when it comes to addictions as tremendous and vast as Hamilton's multiple addictions. In a comeback story deserving of a Hollywood script, Hamilton not only was granted a second chance, but earned a second chance to play professional baseball.
In 2008, the Rangers brought in Hamilton and he repaid them with a spectacular season. He continued to improve, and in 2010, his redemption story seemed to reach its peak, as he won the American League MVP award and led the Texas Rangers to the World Series. In 2012, Hamilton hit a career high 43 home runs and drove in 128 runs. As his midseason slump would attest, Hamilton put up huge numbers during the first two months of the season, as despite his prolonged slump, he was still able to produce a superstar-like season.
What all of this means is that no matter the reason Hamilton may have slumped and the team may have fallen short of expectations, it is totally out of line for Ryan to blame the failure of the team on Hamilton's decision to quit using chewing tobacco. If anyone should know about the struggles that Hamilton has had to overcome, it should be the Texas Rangers organization. They extended a helping hand to Hamilton along his road to recovery, and they should truly appreciate his work ethic and desire to get as far away from his dark past as possible.
Hamilton himself did admit that when he stopped using chewing tobacco, it was indeed a struggle for him. However, if Hamilton has done nothing else, he has at least proven that he has both the will power and strength to overcome intense addictions. For Ryan to call Hamilton out and blame his desire to distance himself from another addictive substance is both unneeded and out of line. If Ryan truly felt that way, he should have spoken to Hamilton privately, and not aired his feelings on the radio for the entire world to hear.
Hamilton is a free agent now and it is likely that he will sign a lucrative contract somewhere. Until recently, it seemed like he fit perfectly with the Rangers, but I think Ryan's comments should change Hamilton's thoughts. The Rangers have said that they intend to allow Hamilton to field offers from other teams. If it were not for his dark past, it is likely that Hamilton would receive a monstrous deal from the highest bidder. However, even before Ryan's comments, teams had to be wary of Hamilton's past problems and the possibility that they might resurface at any time. Maybe Ryan went public with these comments to cement the fact that Hamilton was still not 100% rehabilitated in the minds of fellow general managers in order to bring the price tag for Hamilton down, but if that were the reason, I am completely against Ryan's ways of thinking.
If anyone should appreciate what Hamilton has been able to do during his recovery, it should be the Texas Rangers. With these comments, Ryan may be burning a bridge that he does not need to burn. Despite what Hamilton may say publicly, I cannot think that the comments Ryan made did not have a deep impact upon Hamilton. It would be one thing to point out Hamilton's poor performance on the field to the world in order to drive Hamilton's free agent price tag down. But to use the method that Ryan used, especially when it comes to Josh Hamilton, is completely out of line in my opinion.
I've always liked Hamilton and I think his story is one that could inspire people all over the world, and I hope he gets the big contract he has proven he deserves. Now though, because of Ryan's comments, I no longer hope that the Rangers are the team that gives Hamilton that deal. So hopefully in 2013, Hamilton can make his redemption story even better by signing with another team and watching the Rangers fall short of the playoffs again, all while Nolan Ryan tries his best to find someone else to throw under the bus for a failed season.
Daily Giants Update: The "easy" part of the schedule is over, as we now face what could be likened to a murderer's row of games the rest of the way. It starts in San Francisco this Sunday afternoon, and the 49ers will be looking for revenge for the NFC Championship game last season. Hopefully everyone in the universe picks the 49ers to win, because when that happens is when the Giants play their best.
Daily Nets Update: Yes, I'm on the bandwagon. The first preseason game against the 76ers is in two days, so we will finally get to see this newly constructed team on the court.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: New names are being thrown around to replace Daron Sutton and Mark Grace in the television booth, and I have to say that no matter who ends up replacing them, I will really miss Sutton and Grace. They made watching the Diamondbacks enjoyable, and my only hope is that whoever the replacements are can be at least half as entertaining as a duo that will be sorely missed by many Diamondbacks fans.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Unique Circumstances
While it may not be fair, or it may not be ethical, there are some things in the world that we just have to accept. This is true in all different sorts of ways. If two people competing for a TV news anchor position have equal qualifications but one is more physically attractive than the other, it is highly likely that the more attractive candidate will be offered the position. If someone is trying to decide between two restaurants in which to eat dinner, but one advertises better than the other, potential customers are probably more likely to choose the restaurant that does the better job in advertising.
This is many times even more evident in the sports world. If two baseball pitchers are available to a team in free agency, but one throws a 98 MPH fastball, and the other throws a 90 MPH fastball, it is likely that the pitcher with the 98 MPH fastball will be more coveted. If a football team needs to draft a running back, and they are forced to decide between two backs with equal size but different speeds, the faster back is the likely choice.
Basketball is a sport in which some of these seemingly unfair comparisons are not only common, but they are actually quite prevalent. Before even looking at a scouting report for a center, the first thing we look at is the size of the player. If someone is listed at 6'9" as a center, and another is listed at 7'0" as a center, the seven-footer immediately has the advantage. It may not be fair to the 6'9" player, and it may in some cases be the difference between signing a bigger contract or being drafted in a higher position, but it is just the flat-out truth.
That is why when Royce White entered the draft, it brought about an extremely unique set of circumstances that could have a tremendous impact on both him and the team that drafted him in the future. White went to Iowa State University, and as only a sophomore he led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. I don't care what team you may play for, if you lead in all five of those categories, that is ultra-impressive. Despite only being a sophomore, scouting reports had him labeled high pretty much across the board, and he seemed absolutely ready to make the jump to the NBA. However, there was one thing that overshadowed his immense potential, and it could be something that determines whether he succeeds or fails as a professional basketball player.
Reports surfaced that he passed up a shot to play at Baylor and decided to instead play at Iowa State because of a fear of flying. At the moment, Baylor is in the midst of a nice run as a successful basketball program, and White likely would have been able to gain more national exposure playing in Waco, Texas as opposed to Ames, Iowa. The reports of his fear of flying therefore seemed to make sense, as Iowa is closer to Minnesota (White's home state) than Texas is.
White ended up being drafted 16th overall by the Houston Rockets, and he recently confirmed that he does indeed have an anxiety disorder that leads to his fear of flying. Not long ago, White asked the Rockets' organization if it would be acceptable for him to travel by bus to some of the team's games, as opposed to traveling on an airplane with the rest of the team. For someone with a fear of flying, this is a completely realistic request. However, because of the profession that he has chosen, it will absolutely be a hindrance, and that is a fact that cannot be avoided. The team announced that it would be willing to allow White to travel by bus for certain trips, and I commend the organization for attempting to work with White to adhere to his unique needs. However, it is undeniable that this will have an impact on both White and the team throughout the season. The Rockets did not say when White will travel by bus and when he will travel by plane, but taking a look at their schedule for the upcoming season, this dilemma will absolutely come into play many times.
On Wednesday, November 14th, the Rockets will play a home game against the New Orleans Hornets at 7:00 PM local time. Two days later, on the 16th of November, the Rockets will play on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM (9:00 PM local time in Houston). NBA games usually last about two and a half hours, so that means that the game with the Hornets will probably be over around 9:30. I'm not familiar with the travel schedules of NBA teams, but I would assume that the earliest the team would leave to travel to Portland would be about 11:00 PM (although, like I said, I have no idea what travel schedules are like so that is just a guess). The trip from Houston to Portland is over 1,800 miles. An average flight for that distance is about four hours. An average bus ride for that distance is over two days. That is an unbelievably big difference.
Now I'm sure on long trips like that, White will be forced to ride along with the team on a plane, because if he were to take a bus for that trip, he would not get to Portland in time to actually play in the game. The difference is still very large though.
Following that game in Portland, the Rockets will play in Los Angeles against the Lakers. The distance between those two cities is about 800 miles. For an NBA road trip that would be considered relatively short. The travel time via airplane in that case is about an hour and a half. The average time between Portland and Los Angeles on a bus? Just under 24 hours. That is still an enormous difference when you have only about 48 hours between games.
We have already seen the effects of White's fear of flying in training camp. Coach Kevin McHale remarked yesterday that White is already behind in terms of his conditioning and his familiarity with the Rockets' schemes. White has said that his first practices with the teams went "as good as it could go." That is not exactly convincing me that he is fully in tune with the team and where it is at this point in camp, but it already demonstrates how his anxiety disorder has caused him problems because he is unable to keep up with the rest of the team in terms of travel times.
So, to get back to my original point, this seems to be one of those cases where we can try to look at something objectively, but it is probably impossible to do so. White's potential and skill at this point are still undeniable. If it were not for his fear of flying, it is pretty much a consensus that he would have been drafted earlier than 16th overall. However, many teams saw a huge red flag when they learned about his fear of flying. An 82 game NBA schedule demands a huge amount of travel; much more so than in most other professions. When we look at White on the surface, he seems to have the potential to be a very good NBA player. However, when all things are considered, it appears that this is not a situation that can be looked at objectively, and one of those rare characteristics could possibly be the downfall of a person that could be highly qualified to succeed within his chosen profession.
Daily Giants Update: I will provide a full Week 5 NFL recap shortly, but all that needs to be said is we got a win last week. The Eagles and Redskins also lost, while the Cowboys had a bye, so that is great news all around for the defending Super Bowl champs.
And since I just went through a full story about the NBA, I have to say that I am now about 95% aboard the bandwagon of the "new" Brooklyn Nets. There are a number of reasons for this. First, I have never really had a favorite NBA team. I have usually just cheered for teams with players that I like. This past season I was a Miami Heat fan because I really wanted to see LeBron James shut up all of his critics and win a title. However, I also like guys such as Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, and Rudy Gay, so I cheered for the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Grizzlies as well.
Second, I am now living in Brooklyn, and with the Nets moving to Brooklyn while also being a team with a few guys that I have always liked (Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson), it now seems like I have a team I can support.
Third, and possibly most important, is the fact that I cannot stand the New York Knicks and their overzealous, swollen-headed fans who believe that their team is deserving of attention that it doesn't deserve. Any team that embarrasses the Knicks is a good team in my eyes, and I now have a team in New York to root for that will hopefully do just that. The Nets' first preseason game is October 13th against the 76ers, so let the new era in Brooklyn begin!
This is many times even more evident in the sports world. If two baseball pitchers are available to a team in free agency, but one throws a 98 MPH fastball, and the other throws a 90 MPH fastball, it is likely that the pitcher with the 98 MPH fastball will be more coveted. If a football team needs to draft a running back, and they are forced to decide between two backs with equal size but different speeds, the faster back is the likely choice.
Basketball is a sport in which some of these seemingly unfair comparisons are not only common, but they are actually quite prevalent. Before even looking at a scouting report for a center, the first thing we look at is the size of the player. If someone is listed at 6'9" as a center, and another is listed at 7'0" as a center, the seven-footer immediately has the advantage. It may not be fair to the 6'9" player, and it may in some cases be the difference between signing a bigger contract or being drafted in a higher position, but it is just the flat-out truth.
That is why when Royce White entered the draft, it brought about an extremely unique set of circumstances that could have a tremendous impact on both him and the team that drafted him in the future. White went to Iowa State University, and as only a sophomore he led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. I don't care what team you may play for, if you lead in all five of those categories, that is ultra-impressive. Despite only being a sophomore, scouting reports had him labeled high pretty much across the board, and he seemed absolutely ready to make the jump to the NBA. However, there was one thing that overshadowed his immense potential, and it could be something that determines whether he succeeds or fails as a professional basketball player.
Reports surfaced that he passed up a shot to play at Baylor and decided to instead play at Iowa State because of a fear of flying. At the moment, Baylor is in the midst of a nice run as a successful basketball program, and White likely would have been able to gain more national exposure playing in Waco, Texas as opposed to Ames, Iowa. The reports of his fear of flying therefore seemed to make sense, as Iowa is closer to Minnesota (White's home state) than Texas is.
White ended up being drafted 16th overall by the Houston Rockets, and he recently confirmed that he does indeed have an anxiety disorder that leads to his fear of flying. Not long ago, White asked the Rockets' organization if it would be acceptable for him to travel by bus to some of the team's games, as opposed to traveling on an airplane with the rest of the team. For someone with a fear of flying, this is a completely realistic request. However, because of the profession that he has chosen, it will absolutely be a hindrance, and that is a fact that cannot be avoided. The team announced that it would be willing to allow White to travel by bus for certain trips, and I commend the organization for attempting to work with White to adhere to his unique needs. However, it is undeniable that this will have an impact on both White and the team throughout the season. The Rockets did not say when White will travel by bus and when he will travel by plane, but taking a look at their schedule for the upcoming season, this dilemma will absolutely come into play many times.
On Wednesday, November 14th, the Rockets will play a home game against the New Orleans Hornets at 7:00 PM local time. Two days later, on the 16th of November, the Rockets will play on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM (9:00 PM local time in Houston). NBA games usually last about two and a half hours, so that means that the game with the Hornets will probably be over around 9:30. I'm not familiar with the travel schedules of NBA teams, but I would assume that the earliest the team would leave to travel to Portland would be about 11:00 PM (although, like I said, I have no idea what travel schedules are like so that is just a guess). The trip from Houston to Portland is over 1,800 miles. An average flight for that distance is about four hours. An average bus ride for that distance is over two days. That is an unbelievably big difference.
Now I'm sure on long trips like that, White will be forced to ride along with the team on a plane, because if he were to take a bus for that trip, he would not get to Portland in time to actually play in the game. The difference is still very large though.
Following that game in Portland, the Rockets will play in Los Angeles against the Lakers. The distance between those two cities is about 800 miles. For an NBA road trip that would be considered relatively short. The travel time via airplane in that case is about an hour and a half. The average time between Portland and Los Angeles on a bus? Just under 24 hours. That is still an enormous difference when you have only about 48 hours between games.
We have already seen the effects of White's fear of flying in training camp. Coach Kevin McHale remarked yesterday that White is already behind in terms of his conditioning and his familiarity with the Rockets' schemes. White has said that his first practices with the teams went "as good as it could go." That is not exactly convincing me that he is fully in tune with the team and where it is at this point in camp, but it already demonstrates how his anxiety disorder has caused him problems because he is unable to keep up with the rest of the team in terms of travel times.
So, to get back to my original point, this seems to be one of those cases where we can try to look at something objectively, but it is probably impossible to do so. White's potential and skill at this point are still undeniable. If it were not for his fear of flying, it is pretty much a consensus that he would have been drafted earlier than 16th overall. However, many teams saw a huge red flag when they learned about his fear of flying. An 82 game NBA schedule demands a huge amount of travel; much more so than in most other professions. When we look at White on the surface, he seems to have the potential to be a very good NBA player. However, when all things are considered, it appears that this is not a situation that can be looked at objectively, and one of those rare characteristics could possibly be the downfall of a person that could be highly qualified to succeed within his chosen profession.
Daily Giants Update: I will provide a full Week 5 NFL recap shortly, but all that needs to be said is we got a win last week. The Eagles and Redskins also lost, while the Cowboys had a bye, so that is great news all around for the defending Super Bowl champs.
And since I just went through a full story about the NBA, I have to say that I am now about 95% aboard the bandwagon of the "new" Brooklyn Nets. There are a number of reasons for this. First, I have never really had a favorite NBA team. I have usually just cheered for teams with players that I like. This past season I was a Miami Heat fan because I really wanted to see LeBron James shut up all of his critics and win a title. However, I also like guys such as Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, and Rudy Gay, so I cheered for the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Grizzlies as well.
Second, I am now living in Brooklyn, and with the Nets moving to Brooklyn while also being a team with a few guys that I have always liked (Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson), it now seems like I have a team I can support.
Third, and possibly most important, is the fact that I cannot stand the New York Knicks and their overzealous, swollen-headed fans who believe that their team is deserving of attention that it doesn't deserve. Any team that embarrasses the Knicks is a good team in my eyes, and I now have a team in New York to root for that will hopefully do just that. The Nets' first preseason game is October 13th against the 76ers, so let the new era in Brooklyn begin!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
New school baseball vs Old school baseball
Baseball in the United States has always been a game full of tradition. It has existed far longer than any of the other major sports in this country, and reading its history is in many ways like reading the history of the United States over the past 150 years. We saw the game become segregated as racial issues arose throughout the country, and the existence of the Negro Leagues along with Major League Baseball mirrored how the United States was racially divided for so many years. After racial segregation ended throughout the country, it eventually ended in baseball (although most would say that it took a lot longer than it should have) with the signing of Jackie Robinson by the Brooklyn Dodgers.
When our country was embroiled in war or tragedy, it was reflected in the game of baseball. Some of the game's greatest players, such as Willie Mays and Ted Williams, were drafted and served time in the military while they were in the primes of their careers. We saw the first ever Major League Baseball games played in the month of November in 2001 due to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, which brought about a temporary postponement of the baseball season. We even saw one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game, Sandy Koufax, decline to pitch in a World Series game in honor of Yom Kippur, a Jewish day of observation that was more important to him than baseball.
The diversity and multifariousness that makes the United States the country that it is can often times be observed within the game of baseball. That is what makes the debate about who should win the American League Most Valuable Player award so intriguing. On one hand, you have Mike Trout, the unbelievable rookie who burst on to the scene with the Anaheim Angels and produced arguably the best rookie season in the history of American sports. Since his arrival in Anaheim at the end of April, he has done nothing but surpass any and all expectations. The arrival of Albert Pujols in Anaheim was the only storyline anyone wanted to discuss when talking about the Angels into the first month of the season. Not only did Trout put that story on the back burner, he performed so well that it was almost as if Pujols didn't even exist anymore.
There is absolutely no doubt that the numbers that Trout has produced are historic. Trout leads all of baseball with 129 runs and 48 stolen bases, and is second in the AL to Miguel Cabrera with a .325 batting average (fifth in all of baseball when the NL leaders are added to the equation). Doing this as a rookie is even more impressive. Add to that his defensive prowess and the fact that he will probably win a Gold Glove, and his credentials are extremely impressive.
If you take a look at Cabrera's numbers for the year, any baseball fan, past or present, cannot deny the greatness of his season. With only two games left to play, Cabrera leads the American League in batting average at .329 (Trout is second at .325). He leads the American League (and all of baseball) with 44 home runs. Josh Hamilton is one behind him for the AL lead with 43, and Trout has 30. Cabrera leads all of baseball with 137 RBI. Trout has 83. Unless Hamilton is able to pass Cabrera in the home runs category in the final two days of the regular season, Cabrera will become the first Triple Crown winner since 1967. Undeniable, unbelievable, and until about a week ago, most thought unattainable.
The number one argument that supporters of the "Trout for AL MVP" campaign use is that his WAR is higher than Cabrera's. What exactly is WAR? Well, besides a newly developed, made for sabermetrics stat like WHIP or VORP, it is defined as an estimate of wins a player is worth to their team compared to a bench or minor league player.
Are you kidding me?!? The first flaw in this "statistic" that should immediately render it useless is the word "estimate." Any time any major award is based upon estimation is a time that we as voters have lost our minds. Denzel Washington does not win an Academy Award because we estimate that if he were replaced by a C-list actor, the movie would be a lot worse. John Steinbeck doesn't win a Nobel Prize in literature because some guy on a couch could not have possibly written a better novel than Steinbeck did. So why is Trout's value compared to a minor leaguer or bench warmer so important? To use this statistic as the leading argument in making a case for Trout as the MVP is, as Stephen A. Smith or Skip Bayless would say, not only asiNINE, it is asiTEN and ELEVEN!
The categories that Miguel Cabrera leads the American League in are 100% measurable. Batting average, home runs, and runs batted in all can be decisively measured. They are not estimations of how Cabrera might perform as opposed to a player nowhere near his skill level. When it comes to the MVP award, we are measuring the best players against one another, not each player individually against some guy that 95% of baseball fans has never heard of because he will never earn a starting spot in an every day lineup.
What Cabrera has a chance to do is historic. The Triple Crown has long been considered one of the most prestigious achievements in all of American sports. Not only do you have to be able to hit for average, you need to be able to hit for power and drive in runs as well. The last Triple Crown winner was Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. The list of Triple Crown winners is a list of some of the greatest players to ever play the sport. Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig. When you talk about the all-time greats, you talk about those guys. These men were and still are "old school baseball." When they stepped to the plate, they had the potential to do anything at any time, and Cabrera has been the same way this season. Whether it was a base hit with two men out and the bases empty, or a three-run homer to take the lead late in the game, these guys had the potential to do either. Winning the Triple Crown is synonymous with greatness.
In a game that is full of historians who claim that the players of today cannot measure up to the players of decades ago, it is time to recognize that what Miguel Cabrera could possibly do is something that could put him in the company of some of the greatest to ever play the game. I am not a believer in the fact that baseball will never be as good or as pure as it once was. There is a difference between clinging on to history and downplaying anything that might happen in the present and recognizing history while also taking the present into account.
This is the MVP award we are talking about. It is a comparison of the best players in the league, not a debate about how much better Mike Trout is than Peter Bourjous as opposed to how much better Miguel Cabrera is in comparison to Ramon Santiago. If Cabrera wins the Triple Crown, he puts himself into an elite class with some of the best players to ever play the game. If Mike Trout leads the league in WAR, he puts himself into a class that involves any player who has ever been better than a bench warmer. So please, I beg the voters to take into account the historic significance of what Cabrera is doing, and put aside how Trout looks in the estimation of some guy that had nothing better to do than make up some new statistic that needs an essay to define.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: So playoff contention is officially over, and the only real question remaining is whether the team will finish over .500 (82-80), at .500 (81-81), or below .500 (80-82). I will do a full recap of the 2012 season once it finishes, but for now, I have to say that it was indeed a disappointing year for the Diamondbacks, but there are also a lot of reasons to be optimistic heading into 2013.
When our country was embroiled in war or tragedy, it was reflected in the game of baseball. Some of the game's greatest players, such as Willie Mays and Ted Williams, were drafted and served time in the military while they were in the primes of their careers. We saw the first ever Major League Baseball games played in the month of November in 2001 due to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, which brought about a temporary postponement of the baseball season. We even saw one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game, Sandy Koufax, decline to pitch in a World Series game in honor of Yom Kippur, a Jewish day of observation that was more important to him than baseball.
The diversity and multifariousness that makes the United States the country that it is can often times be observed within the game of baseball. That is what makes the debate about who should win the American League Most Valuable Player award so intriguing. On one hand, you have Mike Trout, the unbelievable rookie who burst on to the scene with the Anaheim Angels and produced arguably the best rookie season in the history of American sports. Since his arrival in Anaheim at the end of April, he has done nothing but surpass any and all expectations. The arrival of Albert Pujols in Anaheim was the only storyline anyone wanted to discuss when talking about the Angels into the first month of the season. Not only did Trout put that story on the back burner, he performed so well that it was almost as if Pujols didn't even exist anymore.
There is absolutely no doubt that the numbers that Trout has produced are historic. Trout leads all of baseball with 129 runs and 48 stolen bases, and is second in the AL to Miguel Cabrera with a .325 batting average (fifth in all of baseball when the NL leaders are added to the equation). Doing this as a rookie is even more impressive. Add to that his defensive prowess and the fact that he will probably win a Gold Glove, and his credentials are extremely impressive.
If you take a look at Cabrera's numbers for the year, any baseball fan, past or present, cannot deny the greatness of his season. With only two games left to play, Cabrera leads the American League in batting average at .329 (Trout is second at .325). He leads the American League (and all of baseball) with 44 home runs. Josh Hamilton is one behind him for the AL lead with 43, and Trout has 30. Cabrera leads all of baseball with 137 RBI. Trout has 83. Unless Hamilton is able to pass Cabrera in the home runs category in the final two days of the regular season, Cabrera will become the first Triple Crown winner since 1967. Undeniable, unbelievable, and until about a week ago, most thought unattainable.
The number one argument that supporters of the "Trout for AL MVP" campaign use is that his WAR is higher than Cabrera's. What exactly is WAR? Well, besides a newly developed, made for sabermetrics stat like WHIP or VORP, it is defined as an estimate of wins a player is worth to their team compared to a bench or minor league player.
Are you kidding me?!? The first flaw in this "statistic" that should immediately render it useless is the word "estimate." Any time any major award is based upon estimation is a time that we as voters have lost our minds. Denzel Washington does not win an Academy Award because we estimate that if he were replaced by a C-list actor, the movie would be a lot worse. John Steinbeck doesn't win a Nobel Prize in literature because some guy on a couch could not have possibly written a better novel than Steinbeck did. So why is Trout's value compared to a minor leaguer or bench warmer so important? To use this statistic as the leading argument in making a case for Trout as the MVP is, as Stephen A. Smith or Skip Bayless would say, not only asiNINE, it is asiTEN and ELEVEN!
The categories that Miguel Cabrera leads the American League in are 100% measurable. Batting average, home runs, and runs batted in all can be decisively measured. They are not estimations of how Cabrera might perform as opposed to a player nowhere near his skill level. When it comes to the MVP award, we are measuring the best players against one another, not each player individually against some guy that 95% of baseball fans has never heard of because he will never earn a starting spot in an every day lineup.
What Cabrera has a chance to do is historic. The Triple Crown has long been considered one of the most prestigious achievements in all of American sports. Not only do you have to be able to hit for average, you need to be able to hit for power and drive in runs as well. The last Triple Crown winner was Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. The list of Triple Crown winners is a list of some of the greatest players to ever play the sport. Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig. When you talk about the all-time greats, you talk about those guys. These men were and still are "old school baseball." When they stepped to the plate, they had the potential to do anything at any time, and Cabrera has been the same way this season. Whether it was a base hit with two men out and the bases empty, or a three-run homer to take the lead late in the game, these guys had the potential to do either. Winning the Triple Crown is synonymous with greatness.
In a game that is full of historians who claim that the players of today cannot measure up to the players of decades ago, it is time to recognize that what Miguel Cabrera could possibly do is something that could put him in the company of some of the greatest to ever play the game. I am not a believer in the fact that baseball will never be as good or as pure as it once was. There is a difference between clinging on to history and downplaying anything that might happen in the present and recognizing history while also taking the present into account.
This is the MVP award we are talking about. It is a comparison of the best players in the league, not a debate about how much better Mike Trout is than Peter Bourjous as opposed to how much better Miguel Cabrera is in comparison to Ramon Santiago. If Cabrera wins the Triple Crown, he puts himself into an elite class with some of the best players to ever play the game. If Mike Trout leads the league in WAR, he puts himself into a class that involves any player who has ever been better than a bench warmer. So please, I beg the voters to take into account the historic significance of what Cabrera is doing, and put aside how Trout looks in the estimation of some guy that had nothing better to do than make up some new statistic that needs an essay to define.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: So playoff contention is officially over, and the only real question remaining is whether the team will finish over .500 (82-80), at .500 (81-81), or below .500 (80-82). I will do a full recap of the 2012 season once it finishes, but for now, I have to say that it was indeed a disappointing year for the Diamondbacks, but there are also a lot of reasons to be optimistic heading into 2013.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)