The sports world, and the news world in general, is often headlined by negative stories. There are a number of reasons for it, but it is definitely a reality. Some people believe that the world is just full of negative people doing destructive things. Other people might believe that sad headlines catch more attention than happy ones. While, in reality, it is definitely a combination of those two, it is nice to come across a story that I did this morning. Even if it is minute and seemingly meaningless in the grand scheme of the news world, I was still happy to hear about how Baltimore Ravens' safety Matt Elam is spending his offseason.
First off, a little background information on Elam. He went to high school in West Palm Beach, Florida, and after being rated as the 10th best high school player in America, he attended the University of Florida. In his first year as a Gator, Elam was one of only six freshman to play in all 13 games of the 2010 season.
By 2011, as a sophomore, Elam was already one of the key cogs of the Gators' defensive unit, and in his junior year in 2012, Elam had become one of the best defensive players in the country. As a team captain, he became an AP All-American player, and therefore, he decided to enter the draft following the 2012 season, and he was selected 32nd overall by the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
As a rookie this past season, Elam made $3.7 million. So why, then, is his offseason so important and newsworthy? It isn't because of what he has done to spend that money, it is because of what he has done to continue making money. Elam took a part-time job at a Finish Line store in a Gainesville, Florida mall as a salesperson selling shoes. He has stated that one of his goals following his career in the NFL is to open a sports merchandise store, and he felt as though this job would be a good way for him to get a better feel for what the sports merchandise industry is truly like, and I find his work to be truly commendable.
As we have learned on thousands of occasions before, the professional sports world, and especially the world of the NFL is an unforgiving one that often times leaves its former stars stranded with nowhere to go after their careers end. There are endless numbers of athletes who have taken their abilities for granted, and been unable to sustain themselves once they were no longer able to make a living as a professional. It is far too often that we hear about athletes spending all of their money on outlandish things during their careers, thinking that their incomes will be everlasting, only to come to the harsh realization that what they do on the field/court/rink can only support them for so long before they have no other means to do so. While what Elam is doing may seem insignificant, I think it is something that shows foresight and intelligence.
Just like we have seen innumerable amounts of athletes blow all of their money before their careers even end, we have also seen plenty of them do so soon after their playing days are over. Whether it be a clothing line, a car dealership, a video game company endeavor, or any number of other things, professional athletes often seem to think that their physical success will lead to entrepreneurial success as well, and that is usually not the case. Clothes go unsold, cars go without drivers, and video games become dusty on the shelves of indifferent gamers, but in the end, former athletes lose their money in each and every scenario, and that is why what Elam is doing is truly admirable. If he wants to own a sports merchandise store after his career is over, then actually immersing himself within the business is the best way to get that ball rolling. Instead of retiring and then throwing a bunch of money into something he knows nearly nothing about, he is learning the business from the ground up.
Sure, Elam made more money in the past year than many of us could ever imagine, but he is also demonstrating the fact that his money will not lead him astray. Life as a professional football player is momentary in the grand scheme of the human timeline, and NFL players have decades to live after their playing days are over. While Elam's career in the league has only just begun, it is nice to see that a young man already is planning for his future, even if it begins with an hourly job at a mall in Gainesville, Florida.
Daily Nets Update: Brooklyn was blown out in Portland last night, and will face the Nuggets tonight in Denver. There is still a pretty small gap between home court advantage in the first round and missing the playoffs outright in the Eastern Conference, and the Nets are right in the middle of that fight. There are 27 games left to play, and a whole lot of sorting out to do in the East.
Daily Rangers Update: The post-Olympic season finally begins tonight for the Rangers against a very good Chicago Blackhawks team. As is the case with the Nets, the Rangers are in the middle of an enormous scrum within the middle of the Eastern Conference, and there is still a whole lot of season left to be played.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Spring Training games are finally underway, and the Diamondbacks have gone 2-1 in two days (after split squad games today). Brandon McCarthy was very good yesterday against the Dodgers, which was a great way to start off the spring, but we are still just under a month away from the games actually counting, so right now, all we can do is enjoy baseball while it finally swings back into motion.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The MVP Debate: No, it isn't over yet
In the sports world, sometimes we need to manufacture stories if a period of time passes when there is not a whole lot of significant news, and over the past month, it seems like one of the "filler" stories has been the debate about who the Most Valuable Player in the NBA will be, and the two names mentioned as possible winners have been Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
As usual, both of these guys are putting up superstar numbers, and it is pretty much them and then everyone else when it come to the MVP discussion, and the chances of "everyone else" winning the award is pretty much zero. What I have a problem with though, is the people who are already crowning Durant as the MVP, and have been doing for at least a month now. At this point in the season, my MVP choice is Durant. However, anyone who claims that the race for the award is already over is flat out wrong. The All-Star break is only a week in the rear view mirror and the MVP race is already over? No way.
Looking at the numbers, Durant has the edge on James in most categories. Durant is averaging 31.5 points per game, James is averaging 26.8. Durant is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, James is at 7.1. Durant is an 88% shooter from the free throw line, James is at 75%. Durant's Oklahoma City team is 43-12, James and the Heat are 38-14. His leads in those categories are apparent, but are they far and away better? I don't believe so.
When we look at some of the other statistical categories, James has the advantage. LeBron is averaging 6.5 assists per game, while Durant is averaging 5.5. James is shooting 57% from the field, while Durant is shooting 51%. The two have also posted identical numbers in the steals category, with both averaging 1.5 per game. So, like the categories in which Durant leads, the categories in which James leads are also by a pretty slim margin. To put it in perspective, rounding up in each category, Durant is at 32, 8, and 6 per game, while James is at 27, 7, and 7. James has the lead in field goal percentage (although with both over 50%, it is undeniable that they are both having outstanding seasons shooting the ball). Durant's team is 3.5 games ahead of James' team in the standings. The biggest difference between the two is free throw shooting, with Durant holding a clear advantage in that category. What this all adds up to is, in my opinion, Durant being the frontrunner for MVP at this point. However, is his lead insurmountable (as many analysts would say)? Absolutely not.
The Heat and Thunder are in the midst of a game in Oklahoma City as I write this. After tonight, Oklahoma City will have 26 games remaining on their schedule. Miami will have 29 games remaining. That means that both of the teams have over 30% of their seasons still to play. In an 82 game season, that is still a lot of time to go, and it is still plenty of time for things to change significantly. Hot streaks, cold streaks, and of course, the biggest equalizer in all of sports, injuries, could still play a factor in the seasons of both James and Durant. We saw Durant go on an epic scoring streak in the month prior to the All-Star Game. Is it out of the question for James to go on a similar streak with 29 games still to play? Absolutely not. Both of these teams have won a whole lot more than they have lost this season, but could Miami or Oklahoma City go through a stretch of struggles in which their records seriously decline? While not entirely likely, it is certainly possible. And, while both Durant and James have been models of consistency as far as durability to this point, injuries are always a possibility, and an injury to either player within the near future would obviously throw an enormous wrench into this entire discussion.
At this point in the season, Kevin Durant has been the Most Valuable Player in the NBA. However, is the race over? Not a chance. As a four-time MVP, James is obviously a worthy contender, and it is not as though he is having a dreadful season. Tonight, James and the Heat currently have a double digit edge on Durant's Thunder, and James has far outplayed Durant in terms of individual numbers, although there is still plenty of basketball yet to be played. And there is still plenty of basketball yet to be played in the season.
Durant and James are definitely the two best players in the NBA today. Oklahoma City and Miami are definitely two of the frontrunners to contend for the NBA title in 2014. However, neither race is close to over. I hate the fact that MVP voters can send in their ballots before the season ends, and I hate even more that some of them have seemingly already crowned Durant as the winner of the award. What Durant is doing this year is MVP-worthy, but is James having a below average season unworthy of being considered MVP-worthy? No. So, let's not be to premature in crowning a league MVP when there is still a whole lot of basketball to be played before the award is actually given out.
Daily Nets Update: Brooklyn won last night in Utah, and in doing so, moved up to the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, which means they are close to home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The west coast road swing will continue this week, as the Nets will make trips to Golden State, Los Angeles, Portland, and Denver. The next week and a half will surely be tough for Brooklyn.
Daily Rangers / Team USA Update: The much-awaited showdown between the United States and Canada will take place tomorrow, with the winner advancing to the Gold Medal game. In the other semifinal, Henrik Lundqvist and the Swedes will face off against Finland. Lundqvist has been dominant all tournament long, and no matter which team wins the USA vs Canada game, we could see Lundqvist facing some of his Rangers teammates in the final.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Spring training games begin in less than a week, and they will go a long way in deciding some roster spots that are certainly up for grabs right now. There will be battles for playing time in the outfield, as well as in both the starting rotation and the bullpen. The competition at shortstop is the most intriguing in my eyes, as Chris Owings and Didi Gregorious could be fighting for a full-time job at the position that could last for a long time. Catcher, first base, second base, and third base are pretty much the only positions in which we have a clear view of the Opening Day starters. Other than that, there is plenty left to be decided.
As usual, both of these guys are putting up superstar numbers, and it is pretty much them and then everyone else when it come to the MVP discussion, and the chances of "everyone else" winning the award is pretty much zero. What I have a problem with though, is the people who are already crowning Durant as the MVP, and have been doing for at least a month now. At this point in the season, my MVP choice is Durant. However, anyone who claims that the race for the award is already over is flat out wrong. The All-Star break is only a week in the rear view mirror and the MVP race is already over? No way.
Looking at the numbers, Durant has the edge on James in most categories. Durant is averaging 31.5 points per game, James is averaging 26.8. Durant is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, James is at 7.1. Durant is an 88% shooter from the free throw line, James is at 75%. Durant's Oklahoma City team is 43-12, James and the Heat are 38-14. His leads in those categories are apparent, but are they far and away better? I don't believe so.
When we look at some of the other statistical categories, James has the advantage. LeBron is averaging 6.5 assists per game, while Durant is averaging 5.5. James is shooting 57% from the field, while Durant is shooting 51%. The two have also posted identical numbers in the steals category, with both averaging 1.5 per game. So, like the categories in which Durant leads, the categories in which James leads are also by a pretty slim margin. To put it in perspective, rounding up in each category, Durant is at 32, 8, and 6 per game, while James is at 27, 7, and 7. James has the lead in field goal percentage (although with both over 50%, it is undeniable that they are both having outstanding seasons shooting the ball). Durant's team is 3.5 games ahead of James' team in the standings. The biggest difference between the two is free throw shooting, with Durant holding a clear advantage in that category. What this all adds up to is, in my opinion, Durant being the frontrunner for MVP at this point. However, is his lead insurmountable (as many analysts would say)? Absolutely not.
The Heat and Thunder are in the midst of a game in Oklahoma City as I write this. After tonight, Oklahoma City will have 26 games remaining on their schedule. Miami will have 29 games remaining. That means that both of the teams have over 30% of their seasons still to play. In an 82 game season, that is still a lot of time to go, and it is still plenty of time for things to change significantly. Hot streaks, cold streaks, and of course, the biggest equalizer in all of sports, injuries, could still play a factor in the seasons of both James and Durant. We saw Durant go on an epic scoring streak in the month prior to the All-Star Game. Is it out of the question for James to go on a similar streak with 29 games still to play? Absolutely not. Both of these teams have won a whole lot more than they have lost this season, but could Miami or Oklahoma City go through a stretch of struggles in which their records seriously decline? While not entirely likely, it is certainly possible. And, while both Durant and James have been models of consistency as far as durability to this point, injuries are always a possibility, and an injury to either player within the near future would obviously throw an enormous wrench into this entire discussion.
At this point in the season, Kevin Durant has been the Most Valuable Player in the NBA. However, is the race over? Not a chance. As a four-time MVP, James is obviously a worthy contender, and it is not as though he is having a dreadful season. Tonight, James and the Heat currently have a double digit edge on Durant's Thunder, and James has far outplayed Durant in terms of individual numbers, although there is still plenty of basketball yet to be played. And there is still plenty of basketball yet to be played in the season.
Durant and James are definitely the two best players in the NBA today. Oklahoma City and Miami are definitely two of the frontrunners to contend for the NBA title in 2014. However, neither race is close to over. I hate the fact that MVP voters can send in their ballots before the season ends, and I hate even more that some of them have seemingly already crowned Durant as the winner of the award. What Durant is doing this year is MVP-worthy, but is James having a below average season unworthy of being considered MVP-worthy? No. So, let's not be to premature in crowning a league MVP when there is still a whole lot of basketball to be played before the award is actually given out.
Daily Nets Update: Brooklyn won last night in Utah, and in doing so, moved up to the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, which means they are close to home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The west coast road swing will continue this week, as the Nets will make trips to Golden State, Los Angeles, Portland, and Denver. The next week and a half will surely be tough for Brooklyn.
Daily Rangers / Team USA Update: The much-awaited showdown between the United States and Canada will take place tomorrow, with the winner advancing to the Gold Medal game. In the other semifinal, Henrik Lundqvist and the Swedes will face off against Finland. Lundqvist has been dominant all tournament long, and no matter which team wins the USA vs Canada game, we could see Lundqvist facing some of his Rangers teammates in the final.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Spring training games begin in less than a week, and they will go a long way in deciding some roster spots that are certainly up for grabs right now. There will be battles for playing time in the outfield, as well as in both the starting rotation and the bullpen. The competition at shortstop is the most intriguing in my eyes, as Chris Owings and Didi Gregorious could be fighting for a full-time job at the position that could last for a long time. Catcher, first base, second base, and third base are pretty much the only positions in which we have a clear view of the Opening Day starters. Other than that, there is plenty left to be decided.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
A slam dunk of a disappointment
The NBA celebrated it's All-Star weekend last night with its traditional contests. The "shooting stars" challenge, the skills contest, the three-point shootout, and the slam dunk contest. All-Star Saturday is not only a big night for the players, but it brings out celebrities from all over the entertainment world as well. Last night was no different, except for the fact that what is usually the thrilling climax of the night, the slam dunk contest, was a huge letdown, and I was really disappointed with it, and I know for a fact that I am not the only one who felt that way.
The All-Star celebrations in each of our four major pro sports leagues are supposed to be based upon fun for the players, and entertainment for the fans. For the most part, that is what we get. In Major League Baseball, we have the home run derby, which I always like to watch. It isn't just to see the biggest power hitters in the game swing for the fences, but just watching all of the best players in the game enjoying the camaraderie and friendly competition really humanizes these athletes that we sometimes look at in an immortal, inhuman way. The game is fun to watch as well, and I do like the rule that states that at least one player from each team must be included on the rosters, so that way fans around the country have someone to cheer for. The result of the game determining the league with home field advantage in the World Series is something I absolutely despise, but that is a discussion for another day. Overall, the MLB All-Star game and its festivities are fun to watch.
The NHL also does a good job with their All-Star festivities, and the competitions have been becoming more fun and exciting to watch in recent years. The hardest shot competition and the fastest skater competition are always fun to watch, and the league recently added a shooting challenge that is somewhat like the NHL's equivalent of a slam dunk contest. Players go one-on-one with goaltenders in a shootout style competition that focuses more on creativity than precision. Patrick Kane has starred in this competition multiple times in recent years, dressed in a Superman cape with Clark Kent glasses on, and has scored some really spectacular goals laying on his stomach and demonstrating unbelievable stickhandling.
The NHL All-Star game is always enjoyable as well. With both teams scoring plenty of goals and players providing a lot of entertainment, the NHL All-Star festivities are definitely fun to watch for hockey fans.
The one outlier here is the NFL, as its Pro Bowl is often times unwatchable because of the lack of passion and emotion that the players exhibit. There are multiple factors that play a part in this. The game being at the end of the season, the players on Super Bowl teams not being involved, the fear of injury, and many other things like those make the game extremely disappointing more often than not, but I think that if the NFL were to follow the other sports and conduct some sort of skills challenges in addition to the game, it would make the event as a whole more enjoyable for the fans.
However, putting all of these other sports aside, the All-Star weekend that I look forward to the most year after year is the one put on by the NBA. I watched the celebrity game and the rising stars game on Friday and enjoyed both for a multitude of reasons. The actual All-Star Game is tonight, and I will definitely be watching as the best athletes in the world will all be putting on a show full of highlight reel passes, dunks, shooting, and alley-oops (although defense will probably be non-existent, but this isn't the 1994 playoffs, we want to see a 150-149 game, not a 75-74 game!).
Even more than the game though, I always look forward to the Saturday night festivities. We have seen epic and legendary performances in the three-point competition from the likes of Larry Bird, Mark Price, and Jason Kapono (remember him?). I also like the shooting stars challenge that they recently implemented, where a current NBA player, a current WNBA player, and a former NBA player all team up in a shooting competition. I also really like the somewhat new "skills challenge," which is basically like an obstacle course. Players have to show off their ball handling skills, shooting skills, passing skills, and speed all in one event, and it always provides us with a glimpse at players who may be skilled but not exactly known throughout the league very well. All of it is high quality entertainment.
Then, as is always the case, there is the slam dunk contest. It is not an overstatement to say that legends can literally be made in the slam dunk contest. Isaiah Rider put the ball through his legs in mid-air before dunking and provided us with a move that most could never have dreamt of before. Spud Webb proved that little men can actually dunk, and can do it very well, when he won the contest. Dwight Howard flew through the air as Superman. Blake Griffin dunked while jumping over a car. Michael Jordan literally launched a multi-million dollar clothing line with an iconic performance, and Vince Carter (in my opinion) provided us with the most awe-inspiring and unbelievable dunk contest show ever in 2000. With a lineup of impressive names like John Wall, Paul George, Damian Lillard, and Terrence Ross, I was hoping 2014 would be a dunk contest to remember. However, what we got was an absolutely putrid idea that was an unmitigated failure.
This year, the NBA tried to focus more on East vs. West, and for most of the night it seemed like a nice change. The format was fine for the three-point shootout, and I actually really liked how the skills challenge this year was in a team format, which made it somewhat of a relay race. However, the people in the league offices who dreamt up the new scenario for the slam dunk contest did an atrocious job of changing what is one of the most anticipated events in the league each year. The three-man Eastern Conference team against the three-man Western Conference team began with something like a preliminary exhibition or "warm-up" of sorts, where all three members of the team put on a show together. In reality, this wasn't a bad idea, but it should not have been a way to judge the contest. If they used it as a literal "warm-up" with the sole purpose of providing some teamwork and entertainment for the fans, I would have been fine with it. However, that wasn't the case.
Following this first round, it was East vs. West again, but this time in individual vs. individual format. The first team to win three individual matchups would win that round. Maybe this seemed like a good idea prior to the event, but what we got in reality was horrible. We saw each participant complete one dunk, in a one-on-one matchup with a member of the opposing team, and the Eastern Conference was judged to have won all three of the first dunks. Paul George did a 360 "Isaiah Rider" dunk, Ben McLemore jumped over Shaquille O'Neal, who was seated in a "Sacramento" King's throne, and John Wall jumped over the Washington Wizards mascot and did a double-clutch reverse dunk. Some impressive dunks, and a nice start, right?
No. That was it. Six players, one dunk each, and the contest was over. The Eastern Conference had won the three individual matchups, and that meant that there would be no more dunking necessary, and the Eastern Conference had won the contest. When it was announced over, I was confused, and it seemed like everyone in the stands, and even the players, were confused as well. Twitter was bombarded with numerous players and columnists both perplexed and upset with the competition, and what we got was a huge letdown. We were accustomed to seeing multiple rounds of individual competition, with a chance for each participant to attempt multiple dunks. This year, we got nothing close to that. We got a promising lineup of dunkers and then an enormous disappointment of a contest, and it was through no fault of the players.
The East vs. West format worked in many ways this year, but it failed miserably in the slam dunk contest. What was a very entertaining 75% of the night was overshadowed by a disappointing final 25% of the night. Did John Wall win the dunk contest since he was the third Eastern Conference player to win his matchup? Did the Eastern Conference win the contest? Do we even know if this was an individual contest or a team contest? These are questions that should not be the first things that come to mind after an All-Star Saturday night. When it comes to the slam dunk contest, we want to see individual glory, not some type of artificial, team-manufactured glory. So, as the NBA is just welcoming Adam Silver into its commissioner position to replace the retiring David Stern, can one of the first orders of business for him to please be a return to normalcy for the dunk contest? If that doesn't happen, NBA All-Star Weekend will forever be far less attractive for players and fans alike.
Daily Rangers / Team USA Update: After a thrilling shootout win against Russia, the U.S. defeated Slovenia 5-1 today to secure a bye into the quarterfinals. Phil Kessel netted a hat trick, and Rangers Ryan McDonagh and Ryan Callahan both factored into the scoring, with a goal and assist, respectively. Ryan Miller was in goal and held a shutout until under a minute remained in the game, when Slovenia was able to get on the board with a goal. Certainly disappointing individually for Miller, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn't going to hurt the United States.
The U.S. has looked good for the most part thus far, and they seem poised to make a deep run into the tournament. Canada will obviously provide a huge obstacle, as well as teams like Sweden and Finland. It seemed like Russia would be very formidable as well, but they needed a shootout today to slip past Slovakia, and have thus far played far below expectations. The United States will be able to watch as the lower standing teams in the preliminary teams begin knocking each other out before the team has to again take the ice. We still don't know who the U.S. will play in their next game, but so far, the team looks like a definite medal contender.
Daily Nets Update: Joe Johnson was the only Net involved in any of the competitions last night, and he didn't fare too well in the three-point shootout. No matter though, as the main focus is still on the remainder of the season. Brooklyn will be back in action on Wednesday against a struggling Utah Jazz team, and they are 3.5 games behind the Raptors in the Atlantic Division. With 31 games left to play, we are obviously still far from the finish line, but the Nets need to start getting hot if they are going to be able to have any type of chance to advance in the playoffs.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: We are ten days away from the first official spring training game, which means expectations are high around the league. New names to camp like Bronson Arroyo, Mark Trumbo, and Archie Bradley have all supposedly made good first impressions, and I can't wait for the season to begin!
The All-Star celebrations in each of our four major pro sports leagues are supposed to be based upon fun for the players, and entertainment for the fans. For the most part, that is what we get. In Major League Baseball, we have the home run derby, which I always like to watch. It isn't just to see the biggest power hitters in the game swing for the fences, but just watching all of the best players in the game enjoying the camaraderie and friendly competition really humanizes these athletes that we sometimes look at in an immortal, inhuman way. The game is fun to watch as well, and I do like the rule that states that at least one player from each team must be included on the rosters, so that way fans around the country have someone to cheer for. The result of the game determining the league with home field advantage in the World Series is something I absolutely despise, but that is a discussion for another day. Overall, the MLB All-Star game and its festivities are fun to watch.
The NHL also does a good job with their All-Star festivities, and the competitions have been becoming more fun and exciting to watch in recent years. The hardest shot competition and the fastest skater competition are always fun to watch, and the league recently added a shooting challenge that is somewhat like the NHL's equivalent of a slam dunk contest. Players go one-on-one with goaltenders in a shootout style competition that focuses more on creativity than precision. Patrick Kane has starred in this competition multiple times in recent years, dressed in a Superman cape with Clark Kent glasses on, and has scored some really spectacular goals laying on his stomach and demonstrating unbelievable stickhandling.
The NHL All-Star game is always enjoyable as well. With both teams scoring plenty of goals and players providing a lot of entertainment, the NHL All-Star festivities are definitely fun to watch for hockey fans.
The one outlier here is the NFL, as its Pro Bowl is often times unwatchable because of the lack of passion and emotion that the players exhibit. There are multiple factors that play a part in this. The game being at the end of the season, the players on Super Bowl teams not being involved, the fear of injury, and many other things like those make the game extremely disappointing more often than not, but I think that if the NFL were to follow the other sports and conduct some sort of skills challenges in addition to the game, it would make the event as a whole more enjoyable for the fans.
However, putting all of these other sports aside, the All-Star weekend that I look forward to the most year after year is the one put on by the NBA. I watched the celebrity game and the rising stars game on Friday and enjoyed both for a multitude of reasons. The actual All-Star Game is tonight, and I will definitely be watching as the best athletes in the world will all be putting on a show full of highlight reel passes, dunks, shooting, and alley-oops (although defense will probably be non-existent, but this isn't the 1994 playoffs, we want to see a 150-149 game, not a 75-74 game!).
Even more than the game though, I always look forward to the Saturday night festivities. We have seen epic and legendary performances in the three-point competition from the likes of Larry Bird, Mark Price, and Jason Kapono (remember him?). I also like the shooting stars challenge that they recently implemented, where a current NBA player, a current WNBA player, and a former NBA player all team up in a shooting competition. I also really like the somewhat new "skills challenge," which is basically like an obstacle course. Players have to show off their ball handling skills, shooting skills, passing skills, and speed all in one event, and it always provides us with a glimpse at players who may be skilled but not exactly known throughout the league very well. All of it is high quality entertainment.
Then, as is always the case, there is the slam dunk contest. It is not an overstatement to say that legends can literally be made in the slam dunk contest. Isaiah Rider put the ball through his legs in mid-air before dunking and provided us with a move that most could never have dreamt of before. Spud Webb proved that little men can actually dunk, and can do it very well, when he won the contest. Dwight Howard flew through the air as Superman. Blake Griffin dunked while jumping over a car. Michael Jordan literally launched a multi-million dollar clothing line with an iconic performance, and Vince Carter (in my opinion) provided us with the most awe-inspiring and unbelievable dunk contest show ever in 2000. With a lineup of impressive names like John Wall, Paul George, Damian Lillard, and Terrence Ross, I was hoping 2014 would be a dunk contest to remember. However, what we got was an absolutely putrid idea that was an unmitigated failure.
This year, the NBA tried to focus more on East vs. West, and for most of the night it seemed like a nice change. The format was fine for the three-point shootout, and I actually really liked how the skills challenge this year was in a team format, which made it somewhat of a relay race. However, the people in the league offices who dreamt up the new scenario for the slam dunk contest did an atrocious job of changing what is one of the most anticipated events in the league each year. The three-man Eastern Conference team against the three-man Western Conference team began with something like a preliminary exhibition or "warm-up" of sorts, where all three members of the team put on a show together. In reality, this wasn't a bad idea, but it should not have been a way to judge the contest. If they used it as a literal "warm-up" with the sole purpose of providing some teamwork and entertainment for the fans, I would have been fine with it. However, that wasn't the case.
Following this first round, it was East vs. West again, but this time in individual vs. individual format. The first team to win three individual matchups would win that round. Maybe this seemed like a good idea prior to the event, but what we got in reality was horrible. We saw each participant complete one dunk, in a one-on-one matchup with a member of the opposing team, and the Eastern Conference was judged to have won all three of the first dunks. Paul George did a 360 "Isaiah Rider" dunk, Ben McLemore jumped over Shaquille O'Neal, who was seated in a "Sacramento" King's throne, and John Wall jumped over the Washington Wizards mascot and did a double-clutch reverse dunk. Some impressive dunks, and a nice start, right?
No. That was it. Six players, one dunk each, and the contest was over. The Eastern Conference had won the three individual matchups, and that meant that there would be no more dunking necessary, and the Eastern Conference had won the contest. When it was announced over, I was confused, and it seemed like everyone in the stands, and even the players, were confused as well. Twitter was bombarded with numerous players and columnists both perplexed and upset with the competition, and what we got was a huge letdown. We were accustomed to seeing multiple rounds of individual competition, with a chance for each participant to attempt multiple dunks. This year, we got nothing close to that. We got a promising lineup of dunkers and then an enormous disappointment of a contest, and it was through no fault of the players.
The East vs. West format worked in many ways this year, but it failed miserably in the slam dunk contest. What was a very entertaining 75% of the night was overshadowed by a disappointing final 25% of the night. Did John Wall win the dunk contest since he was the third Eastern Conference player to win his matchup? Did the Eastern Conference win the contest? Do we even know if this was an individual contest or a team contest? These are questions that should not be the first things that come to mind after an All-Star Saturday night. When it comes to the slam dunk contest, we want to see individual glory, not some type of artificial, team-manufactured glory. So, as the NBA is just welcoming Adam Silver into its commissioner position to replace the retiring David Stern, can one of the first orders of business for him to please be a return to normalcy for the dunk contest? If that doesn't happen, NBA All-Star Weekend will forever be far less attractive for players and fans alike.
Daily Rangers / Team USA Update: After a thrilling shootout win against Russia, the U.S. defeated Slovenia 5-1 today to secure a bye into the quarterfinals. Phil Kessel netted a hat trick, and Rangers Ryan McDonagh and Ryan Callahan both factored into the scoring, with a goal and assist, respectively. Ryan Miller was in goal and held a shutout until under a minute remained in the game, when Slovenia was able to get on the board with a goal. Certainly disappointing individually for Miller, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn't going to hurt the United States.
The U.S. has looked good for the most part thus far, and they seem poised to make a deep run into the tournament. Canada will obviously provide a huge obstacle, as well as teams like Sweden and Finland. It seemed like Russia would be very formidable as well, but they needed a shootout today to slip past Slovakia, and have thus far played far below expectations. The United States will be able to watch as the lower standing teams in the preliminary teams begin knocking each other out before the team has to again take the ice. We still don't know who the U.S. will play in their next game, but so far, the team looks like a definite medal contender.
Daily Nets Update: Joe Johnson was the only Net involved in any of the competitions last night, and he didn't fare too well in the three-point shootout. No matter though, as the main focus is still on the remainder of the season. Brooklyn will be back in action on Wednesday against a struggling Utah Jazz team, and they are 3.5 games behind the Raptors in the Atlantic Division. With 31 games left to play, we are obviously still far from the finish line, but the Nets need to start getting hot if they are going to be able to have any type of chance to advance in the playoffs.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: We are ten days away from the first official spring training game, which means expectations are high around the league. New names to camp like Bronson Arroyo, Mark Trumbo, and Archie Bradley have all supposedly made good first impressions, and I can't wait for the season to begin!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
The Derek Jeter Farewell Tour has only just begun
The biggest news of the day in the sports world is that longtime Yankee, and surefire first ballot Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter has announced that 2014 will be his last season as a professional, and he will retire at the conclusion of the season. While this was an announcement that was far from surprising, it is still significant for the fact that baseball will see one of its all-time greats leave the game in about eight months. As we always like to do, immediately Jeter's announcement brought about discussions of where Jeter ranks among the greatest Yankees to ever play the game.
The Yankees are considered by most to be one of the most polarizing franchises in all of American sports. I actually find myself in the middle of the spectrum on the Yankees, I do not have a strong opinion about them either way, as far as my love or disdain for them. I feel much more strongly about the Dallas Cowboys and Notre Dame football than I do about the Yankees. However, for the purposes of today, I will focus solely on the Yankees and what is undeniably a franchise with an unbelievably storied history. Unless Jeter does something out of this world in 2014, I think he has pretty much carved his place in Yankee lore already, and while he is not (at least in my opinion, and probably the opinion of most) the greatest player to ever play for the franchise, he is definitely near the top. What will follow is my rankings of the greatest Yankees to ever play the game.
As is often the case with some lists such as this, the top of the list is simple. The greatest Yankee to ever play the game was Babe Ruth. Not only did he completely re-write the franchise's record books, but he literally revolutionized the way that the game of baseball was played. In his early years, the home run was almost frowned upon. It was not considered "true baseball," and when he started hitting home runs in bunches, many people looked at him as if he was bad for the game. However, by the end of his career, Ruth had glorified the home run and the big "swing for the fences" mentality. His career home run record stood for decades, and he was a star both on the field and off it. When people refer to Yankee Stadium as "The House that Ruth Built," it is literally a true statement. The profits that he brought to the Yankees franchise actually was the main reason the Yankees were able to move out of the Polo Grounds and build their own stadium.
Ruth was one of the most transcendent athletes, no matter the sport, to ever play any of the games we all watch and love. What he did for the sport of baseball matches, and probably surpasses, what legends like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and Wayne Gretzky did for their respective professions. In my mind, he is not the greatest baseball player of all-time (I give that to Willie Mays), but he definitely is close to being so. However, when discussing the greatest Yankees of all-time, anyone who does not put Ruth at the top of their list is just flat-out wrong.
Ranking the greatest Yankee of all-time is easy. The problems begin after that. In my opinion, there are five players that follow Ruth who could really be ranked anywhere from #2 to #6 on this list. The debate for #2 on my list is not only about who was the second greatest Yankee to play the game, but also about who the greatest Yankee center fielder of all-time was, and it is a supremely tough decision, although I think I have to go with Mickey Mantle.
Mantle's career highlights include TWENTY All-Star Game appearances, seven World Series championships, four American League home run titles, three MVP awards, and a Triple Crown season in 1956. Mantle, like Ruth, was not only a great player on the field, but was a star off it as well. He was also involved in one of the greatest single season home run chases ever with his teammate Roger Maris in 1961 (which Maris eventually won). Mantle's all-around talents were undeniable, and the most unfortunate part of his career was the fact that he was extremely injury prone. From an almost catastrophic leg injury early in his career, to numerous nagging leg injuries throughout the duration of his career, Mantle could have actually been better than what he was, even though what he was, was legendary.
Third on my list (and by truly the thinnest of margins) is the man that Mantle replaced in center field
in 1951, Joe DiMaggio. Just like Ruth and Mantle, DiMaggio was a star both on the field an off it. However, as the focus here is on-field production, DiMaggio has an undeniably great resume. The "Yankee Clipper" was a .325 lifetime hitter, a 13-time All Star, a seven time World Series champion, three time MVP, and holds what many consider to be the most unbreakable record in all of sports, a 56 game hitting streak that he set in 1941.
What definitely hurts DiMaggio was his three year stint in the military, and while being a member of the military is surely nothing to be shameful of, it definitely did have a negative effect on his career numbers. Not only was DiMaggio a wizard at the plate, but he was an undeniably great center fielder, and choosing between he and Mantle is basically like flipping a coin. Sometimes DiMaggio wins, sometimes Mantle wins, but either way, they are both legends.
Fourth on my list (and somewhat regrettably so) is Lou Gehrig. In terms of playing ability, many would argue that Gehrig should be higher, but through no fault of his own, I have to put him behind Mantle and DiMaggio. Some of his career numbers are unbelievable. Gehrig was a .340 lifetime hitter, was a Triple Crown winner in 1934, made seven All-Star appearances, won six World Series titles, was a two-time MVP, and held a consecutive games played streak that many thought was untouchable until Cal Ripken, Jr. finally broke it decades after it had been set.
One of the major differences between Gehrig and the first three players on my list is the personal lives of the four men. While Ruth, Mantle, and DiMaggio were constantly in the news, Gehrig was only in the news for his play on the field. In comparison to those three, Gehrig was extremely reclusive, and although he did play with Ruth, and in many cases was considered Ruth's closest companion, they led extremely different personal lifestyles.
What hurts Gehrig here the most, and like I said, it is through no fault of his own, is how his career came to such a sudden and screeching halt. Despite his legendary toughness and ability to play through pain, Gehrig was eventually felled by a disease that was almost completely unknown to the world until he contracted it. ALS, or as it has come to be commonly referred to, "Lou Gehrig's Disease," ate away at Gehrig's body and cut his career short at the age of 36. While a 36 year old baseball player is surely in the twilight of his career, there is no doubt that Gehrig would have at least been able to churn out a few more solid seasons if not for the onset of the disease that would eventually kill him. As I said, it is through no fault of his own, but because of his unfortunate circumstances, I have to put Gehrig fourth on my list of all-time greatest Yankees.
After those top four is where Derek Jeter legitimately comes into consideration. There are many numbers that would justify Jeter being fifth on this list, but I just cannot put him there. Instead, I have to put Yogi Berra one spot ahead of him. Younger generations most likely know Berra more for his off-field successes rather than what he did on the field. However, what Berra did on the field was in many ways unsurpassed. Many would consider Berra to be the best catcher to ever play the game (although in my opinion he is a close second behind Johnny Bench), but one thing there is absolutely no denying is the fact that Yogi Berra was a winner, and a winner that the baseball world has never seen. Berra won ten World Series championships as a player with the Yankees, as well as three additional championships as a coach, giving him a total of 13 championship rings, which is more than Bill Russell, who is considered by most to be the greatest winner in all of sports.
What people do not seem to remember about Berra though, is how great of a player he was on the field. He was an 18-time All Star, and a three time MVP. His hitting and defensive ability were extremely underrated, and a testament to that fact is that he actually played in the outfield near the end of his career, which is an enormous difference from playing catcher.
As is the case with most of the players on this list, his off-field accomplishments sure did help him in terms of fame, as it seemed like everything he touched turned to gold. We all know "Yogi" as the lovable jokester of the Yankees, but what he did on the field, in my opinion, warrants him being labeled as the fifth greatest Yankee of all time.
So, with that history lesson, I have to finally slot Derek Jeter in here as my sixth greatest Yankee of all-time. Was Jeter the greatest Yankee hitter to ever play the game? No. Was he the greatest Yankee defensive player to ever play the game? No. Was he the greatest winner in the history of the franchise? No. Was he the iron horse of consistency? No. Ruth was the greatest hitter, DiMaggio was the greatest fielder (although Jeter is the greatest infielder), Berra was the greatest winner, and Gehrig was the iron horse. However, what makes Jeter so great is the fact that he was so solid across the board. He didn't hit for the highest average in the history of the franchise, but he is still the Yankees all-time hits leader. He came nowhere close to being the all-time home run leader of the franchise, but he still hit his fair share of home runs. He was not the slickest fielder in the history of the franchise, but what he did at shortstop can only be matched by a select few. He didn't set the record for consecutive games played, but until the very end of his career, Jeter was a mainstay at the top of the Yankees lineup. He even wasn't the most publicized player off the field in Yankees history, but his accomplishments in that category are not too shabby as well.
What we do know about Derek Jeter, is that he is, without question, one of the greatest players to ever put on the uniform of the greatest franchise in the history of American sports. The Yankees are running out of single digit numbers to give away to team members because its greats have all worn single number jerseys (Martin, #1, Ruth, #3, Gehrig, #4, DiMaggio, #5, Mantle, #7, Berra, #8, Maris, #9, and soon, Jeter, #2). However, Jeter is surely deserving of being in the class of all those men, and decades from now, it will be impossible to mention Yankee greats without including Jeter's name in the conversation. While his farewell season is not likely to be his finest season, at least we will all now know that we have 162 more games to see one of the greatest players to ever don a uniform before the game loses a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer.
Daily Nets Update: The final game before the All Star break is just underway in Chicago. A win would mean a tie for fifth in the conference going into the break. The way the team has been playing, I think there is a legitimate chance the Nets can break into the top four in the East by the end of the season.
Daily Rangers Update: The Olympic tournament has just gotten underway, and the United States got off to a flying start with a 7-1 win over Slovakia. Henrik Lundqvist and Sweden got a win in their first game as well. The U.S. gets Russia next on Saturday, and that should be an extremely interesting game between two of the better teams in the world.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Obviously, as Spring Training is only just beginning, the expectations are extremely high from Boston to Houston. There are a lot of things I like about Arizona right now, but there are also a few concerns I have. The season is only just in its infancy though, so it is still far too early to make any realistic predictions. Either way, I can't wait to start watching some Diamondbacks baseball.
The Yankees are considered by most to be one of the most polarizing franchises in all of American sports. I actually find myself in the middle of the spectrum on the Yankees, I do not have a strong opinion about them either way, as far as my love or disdain for them. I feel much more strongly about the Dallas Cowboys and Notre Dame football than I do about the Yankees. However, for the purposes of today, I will focus solely on the Yankees and what is undeniably a franchise with an unbelievably storied history. Unless Jeter does something out of this world in 2014, I think he has pretty much carved his place in Yankee lore already, and while he is not (at least in my opinion, and probably the opinion of most) the greatest player to ever play for the franchise, he is definitely near the top. What will follow is my rankings of the greatest Yankees to ever play the game.
As is often the case with some lists such as this, the top of the list is simple. The greatest Yankee to ever play the game was Babe Ruth. Not only did he completely re-write the franchise's record books, but he literally revolutionized the way that the game of baseball was played. In his early years, the home run was almost frowned upon. It was not considered "true baseball," and when he started hitting home runs in bunches, many people looked at him as if he was bad for the game. However, by the end of his career, Ruth had glorified the home run and the big "swing for the fences" mentality. His career home run record stood for decades, and he was a star both on the field and off it. When people refer to Yankee Stadium as "The House that Ruth Built," it is literally a true statement. The profits that he brought to the Yankees franchise actually was the main reason the Yankees were able to move out of the Polo Grounds and build their own stadium.
Ruth was one of the most transcendent athletes, no matter the sport, to ever play any of the games we all watch and love. What he did for the sport of baseball matches, and probably surpasses, what legends like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and Wayne Gretzky did for their respective professions. In my mind, he is not the greatest baseball player of all-time (I give that to Willie Mays), but he definitely is close to being so. However, when discussing the greatest Yankees of all-time, anyone who does not put Ruth at the top of their list is just flat-out wrong.
Ranking the greatest Yankee of all-time is easy. The problems begin after that. In my opinion, there are five players that follow Ruth who could really be ranked anywhere from #2 to #6 on this list. The debate for #2 on my list is not only about who was the second greatest Yankee to play the game, but also about who the greatest Yankee center fielder of all-time was, and it is a supremely tough decision, although I think I have to go with Mickey Mantle.
Mantle's career highlights include TWENTY All-Star Game appearances, seven World Series championships, four American League home run titles, three MVP awards, and a Triple Crown season in 1956. Mantle, like Ruth, was not only a great player on the field, but was a star off it as well. He was also involved in one of the greatest single season home run chases ever with his teammate Roger Maris in 1961 (which Maris eventually won). Mantle's all-around talents were undeniable, and the most unfortunate part of his career was the fact that he was extremely injury prone. From an almost catastrophic leg injury early in his career, to numerous nagging leg injuries throughout the duration of his career, Mantle could have actually been better than what he was, even though what he was, was legendary.
Third on my list (and by truly the thinnest of margins) is the man that Mantle replaced in center field
in 1951, Joe DiMaggio. Just like Ruth and Mantle, DiMaggio was a star both on the field an off it. However, as the focus here is on-field production, DiMaggio has an undeniably great resume. The "Yankee Clipper" was a .325 lifetime hitter, a 13-time All Star, a seven time World Series champion, three time MVP, and holds what many consider to be the most unbreakable record in all of sports, a 56 game hitting streak that he set in 1941.
What definitely hurts DiMaggio was his three year stint in the military, and while being a member of the military is surely nothing to be shameful of, it definitely did have a negative effect on his career numbers. Not only was DiMaggio a wizard at the plate, but he was an undeniably great center fielder, and choosing between he and Mantle is basically like flipping a coin. Sometimes DiMaggio wins, sometimes Mantle wins, but either way, they are both legends.
Fourth on my list (and somewhat regrettably so) is Lou Gehrig. In terms of playing ability, many would argue that Gehrig should be higher, but through no fault of his own, I have to put him behind Mantle and DiMaggio. Some of his career numbers are unbelievable. Gehrig was a .340 lifetime hitter, was a Triple Crown winner in 1934, made seven All-Star appearances, won six World Series titles, was a two-time MVP, and held a consecutive games played streak that many thought was untouchable until Cal Ripken, Jr. finally broke it decades after it had been set.
One of the major differences between Gehrig and the first three players on my list is the personal lives of the four men. While Ruth, Mantle, and DiMaggio were constantly in the news, Gehrig was only in the news for his play on the field. In comparison to those three, Gehrig was extremely reclusive, and although he did play with Ruth, and in many cases was considered Ruth's closest companion, they led extremely different personal lifestyles.
What hurts Gehrig here the most, and like I said, it is through no fault of his own, is how his career came to such a sudden and screeching halt. Despite his legendary toughness and ability to play through pain, Gehrig was eventually felled by a disease that was almost completely unknown to the world until he contracted it. ALS, or as it has come to be commonly referred to, "Lou Gehrig's Disease," ate away at Gehrig's body and cut his career short at the age of 36. While a 36 year old baseball player is surely in the twilight of his career, there is no doubt that Gehrig would have at least been able to churn out a few more solid seasons if not for the onset of the disease that would eventually kill him. As I said, it is through no fault of his own, but because of his unfortunate circumstances, I have to put Gehrig fourth on my list of all-time greatest Yankees.
After those top four is where Derek Jeter legitimately comes into consideration. There are many numbers that would justify Jeter being fifth on this list, but I just cannot put him there. Instead, I have to put Yogi Berra one spot ahead of him. Younger generations most likely know Berra more for his off-field successes rather than what he did on the field. However, what Berra did on the field was in many ways unsurpassed. Many would consider Berra to be the best catcher to ever play the game (although in my opinion he is a close second behind Johnny Bench), but one thing there is absolutely no denying is the fact that Yogi Berra was a winner, and a winner that the baseball world has never seen. Berra won ten World Series championships as a player with the Yankees, as well as three additional championships as a coach, giving him a total of 13 championship rings, which is more than Bill Russell, who is considered by most to be the greatest winner in all of sports.
What people do not seem to remember about Berra though, is how great of a player he was on the field. He was an 18-time All Star, and a three time MVP. His hitting and defensive ability were extremely underrated, and a testament to that fact is that he actually played in the outfield near the end of his career, which is an enormous difference from playing catcher.
As is the case with most of the players on this list, his off-field accomplishments sure did help him in terms of fame, as it seemed like everything he touched turned to gold. We all know "Yogi" as the lovable jokester of the Yankees, but what he did on the field, in my opinion, warrants him being labeled as the fifth greatest Yankee of all time.
So, with that history lesson, I have to finally slot Derek Jeter in here as my sixth greatest Yankee of all-time. Was Jeter the greatest Yankee hitter to ever play the game? No. Was he the greatest Yankee defensive player to ever play the game? No. Was he the greatest winner in the history of the franchise? No. Was he the iron horse of consistency? No. Ruth was the greatest hitter, DiMaggio was the greatest fielder (although Jeter is the greatest infielder), Berra was the greatest winner, and Gehrig was the iron horse. However, what makes Jeter so great is the fact that he was so solid across the board. He didn't hit for the highest average in the history of the franchise, but he is still the Yankees all-time hits leader. He came nowhere close to being the all-time home run leader of the franchise, but he still hit his fair share of home runs. He was not the slickest fielder in the history of the franchise, but what he did at shortstop can only be matched by a select few. He didn't set the record for consecutive games played, but until the very end of his career, Jeter was a mainstay at the top of the Yankees lineup. He even wasn't the most publicized player off the field in Yankees history, but his accomplishments in that category are not too shabby as well.
What we do know about Derek Jeter, is that he is, without question, one of the greatest players to ever put on the uniform of the greatest franchise in the history of American sports. The Yankees are running out of single digit numbers to give away to team members because its greats have all worn single number jerseys (Martin, #1, Ruth, #3, Gehrig, #4, DiMaggio, #5, Mantle, #7, Berra, #8, Maris, #9, and soon, Jeter, #2). However, Jeter is surely deserving of being in the class of all those men, and decades from now, it will be impossible to mention Yankee greats without including Jeter's name in the conversation. While his farewell season is not likely to be his finest season, at least we will all now know that we have 162 more games to see one of the greatest players to ever don a uniform before the game loses a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer.
Daily Nets Update: The final game before the All Star break is just underway in Chicago. A win would mean a tie for fifth in the conference going into the break. The way the team has been playing, I think there is a legitimate chance the Nets can break into the top four in the East by the end of the season.
Daily Rangers Update: The Olympic tournament has just gotten underway, and the United States got off to a flying start with a 7-1 win over Slovakia. Henrik Lundqvist and Sweden got a win in their first game as well. The U.S. gets Russia next on Saturday, and that should be an extremely interesting game between two of the better teams in the world.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Obviously, as Spring Training is only just beginning, the expectations are extremely high from Boston to Houston. There are a lot of things I like about Arizona right now, but there are also a few concerns I have. The season is only just in its infancy though, so it is still far too early to make any realistic predictions. Either way, I can't wait to start watching some Diamondbacks baseball.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The Marcus Smart incident
The other noteworthy story of this past weekend in the world of sports involved Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, and his physical altercation with a Texas Tech fan. After attempting to make a defensive play, Smart tumbled into the stands, and followed that by confronting a fan in the first row. He exchanged words with the fan, and then shoved the man before being restrained by teammates and receiving a technical foul. The incident received national sports headlines, and even though it lasted only a matter of seconds, it is still part of a bigger problem that the sports world has faced for a long time, and that is the interaction of fans and players.
When Smart landed on the floor, he had his back turned to the fan, and seemed as though he was ready to lift himself up and return to the floor after a tough play. However, after video showed the Texas Tech fan shouting something in Smart's direction, Smart turned around and confronted the fan. What followed was a shove, and in terms of the world we live in outside of sports, this would really be considered an insignificant encounter. Yet, in the sports world, the conduct that Smart displayed was definitely over the line and unacceptable. No matter the sport, no matter the age of the athlete, it is unacceptable for a player to physically confront a fan. The problem with this is, it is much easier said than done.
As a sports society, we revere athletes for their physical gifts and abilities that only a select few possess. One of, if not the most, underappreciated gifts that any successful athlete possesses is the ability to separate himself from the outside world and constrict his emotions to the field of play without letting emotions get the best of them off the field. Anyone who has ever attended a sporting event can attest to the fact that while most fans are there to simply enjoy the games they watch, there are also some in attendance who cross the line and cannot be considered "fans," but are more like antagonists. No matter the reason for their behavior, those who attend sporting events with an intent to antagonize are people that I believe are let off the hook more often than they deserve, and do not receive near the reprehensibility that they deserve.
While this most recent incident has focused far more on Smart than the fan he confronted, I feel like it is time to look at situations such as this from a different perspective. I completely understand why Smart was suspended for multiple games, and I also completely understand why those in the sports world will use this incident against him. As an athlete (be it professional or collegiate), it is unacceptable to engage in a physical confrontation with a fan. There is no question about that. However, I think we, as fans, are getting too much of a free pass here, and we have proven time after time that that free pass is unwarranted.
I have attended football, baseball, hockey, basketball, and soccer competitions at both the professional and collegiate level, and it is almost a normality to hear fans in attendance shouting all types of obscenities to not only opponents on the field, but to fans of opposing teams as well. No matter what the sport is, and no matter where in the world we are watching the sports from, fans have continually crossed the line when it comes to verbal abuse of athletes. I cannot count all of the reasons that fans vociferate their hatred for the opposition, but it has to do with all types of things. Team affiliation, upbringing, athletic history, sexual orientation, skin color; the reasons are endless. No matter, fans feel like they have the right to say anything they can imagine to athletes without any type of consequences, and the fact of the matter is, far too many times, there are no consequences. The behaviors of fans is too often overlooked, and in many cases, fans who cause such a ruckus with their language are not reprimanded in any matter.
Both Marcus Smart and the Texas Tech fan he confronted have since come out with public apologies for their actions. Smart did not say what he heard that caused him to react the way that he did, and the Texas Tech fan apologized for calling Smart a "piece of crap." I have a very hard time believing that Smart would be offended enough by being called a "piece of crap" that he would have physically confronted the fan, but that is all we have to go on right now. I don't know if the fan used a racial or personal slur, but for Smart to physically confront him, I assume it must have been something very offensive. As I have tried to say though, Smart is definitely at fault for his actions, but I think we, as sports fans, need to come to the realization that what we say can actually be infectious, and we need to learn to behave in a more genteel way at the sporting events we attend. While we might be watching people who are more physically and mentally gifted than we are, we need to remember that they are still human, and there is always a line that can be crossed in which we go from a simple fan to a crazed fanatic, and until this point, that is a line that we have clearly ignored.
Daily Nets Update: Still no different than yesterday. Wins against Charlotte and Chicago before the All-Star break would be great, and the off-time will be a big help in getting the team healthy and ready for the stretch run. Aside from Indiana and Miami, the Eastern Conference is wide open, and any kind of winning streak will move a team up the standings in a hurry.
Daily Rangers Update: As I said yesterday, the Olympic break will put a big hiatus on the NHL season, so unless we see an injury or something drastic happen, there will not be much to report over the next few weeks.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The forecast in New York is sadly not as positive as the forecast in Arizona, so it isn't quite time to start looking forward to baseball season yet, but spring training is slowly creeping up on us, and I can't wait until the season finally gets underway.
When Smart landed on the floor, he had his back turned to the fan, and seemed as though he was ready to lift himself up and return to the floor after a tough play. However, after video showed the Texas Tech fan shouting something in Smart's direction, Smart turned around and confronted the fan. What followed was a shove, and in terms of the world we live in outside of sports, this would really be considered an insignificant encounter. Yet, in the sports world, the conduct that Smart displayed was definitely over the line and unacceptable. No matter the sport, no matter the age of the athlete, it is unacceptable for a player to physically confront a fan. The problem with this is, it is much easier said than done.
As a sports society, we revere athletes for their physical gifts and abilities that only a select few possess. One of, if not the most, underappreciated gifts that any successful athlete possesses is the ability to separate himself from the outside world and constrict his emotions to the field of play without letting emotions get the best of them off the field. Anyone who has ever attended a sporting event can attest to the fact that while most fans are there to simply enjoy the games they watch, there are also some in attendance who cross the line and cannot be considered "fans," but are more like antagonists. No matter the reason for their behavior, those who attend sporting events with an intent to antagonize are people that I believe are let off the hook more often than they deserve, and do not receive near the reprehensibility that they deserve.
While this most recent incident has focused far more on Smart than the fan he confronted, I feel like it is time to look at situations such as this from a different perspective. I completely understand why Smart was suspended for multiple games, and I also completely understand why those in the sports world will use this incident against him. As an athlete (be it professional or collegiate), it is unacceptable to engage in a physical confrontation with a fan. There is no question about that. However, I think we, as fans, are getting too much of a free pass here, and we have proven time after time that that free pass is unwarranted.
I have attended football, baseball, hockey, basketball, and soccer competitions at both the professional and collegiate level, and it is almost a normality to hear fans in attendance shouting all types of obscenities to not only opponents on the field, but to fans of opposing teams as well. No matter what the sport is, and no matter where in the world we are watching the sports from, fans have continually crossed the line when it comes to verbal abuse of athletes. I cannot count all of the reasons that fans vociferate their hatred for the opposition, but it has to do with all types of things. Team affiliation, upbringing, athletic history, sexual orientation, skin color; the reasons are endless. No matter, fans feel like they have the right to say anything they can imagine to athletes without any type of consequences, and the fact of the matter is, far too many times, there are no consequences. The behaviors of fans is too often overlooked, and in many cases, fans who cause such a ruckus with their language are not reprimanded in any matter.
Both Marcus Smart and the Texas Tech fan he confronted have since come out with public apologies for their actions. Smart did not say what he heard that caused him to react the way that he did, and the Texas Tech fan apologized for calling Smart a "piece of crap." I have a very hard time believing that Smart would be offended enough by being called a "piece of crap" that he would have physically confronted the fan, but that is all we have to go on right now. I don't know if the fan used a racial or personal slur, but for Smart to physically confront him, I assume it must have been something very offensive. As I have tried to say though, Smart is definitely at fault for his actions, but I think we, as sports fans, need to come to the realization that what we say can actually be infectious, and we need to learn to behave in a more genteel way at the sporting events we attend. While we might be watching people who are more physically and mentally gifted than we are, we need to remember that they are still human, and there is always a line that can be crossed in which we go from a simple fan to a crazed fanatic, and until this point, that is a line that we have clearly ignored.
Daily Nets Update: Still no different than yesterday. Wins against Charlotte and Chicago before the All-Star break would be great, and the off-time will be a big help in getting the team healthy and ready for the stretch run. Aside from Indiana and Miami, the Eastern Conference is wide open, and any kind of winning streak will move a team up the standings in a hurry.
Daily Rangers Update: As I said yesterday, the Olympic break will put a big hiatus on the NHL season, so unless we see an injury or something drastic happen, there will not be much to report over the next few weeks.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The forecast in New York is sadly not as positive as the forecast in Arizona, so it isn't quite time to start looking forward to baseball season yet, but spring training is slowly creeping up on us, and I can't wait until the season finally gets underway.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Michael Sam and the gay professional athlete
In a weekend that featured multiple headline-grabbing sports stories, the most significant of all was Michael Sam's public announcement that he was homosexual. Sam, a graduated senior of the Missouri Tigers, was the SEC co-defensive player of the year, and is projected to be a mid-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Sam will likely be the first openly gay athlete who is actively playing in any of our four major sports. Others, like Jason Collins and John Amaechi, have announced that they were homosexual after their playing careers ended, but Sam is only beginning his NFL career, and his announcement is much more significant in terms of the sports world than the announcements of Collins and Amaechi.
The National Football League is one that is based upon results. Owners, coaches, players, and all personnel from top to bottom are judged on what they can produce. A general manager needs to put the best team on the field that he can. A player needs to go above and beyond to earn his stripes. Even down to water boys and ball boys, they all are judged based on how well they do their job. On the surface, Michael Sam's situation will hopefully be the same. However, because Sam's open homosexuality is something that no team has had to deal with before, I don't think his case will be as easy as some may hope.
Even though the NFL is a results based business, it is still filled with thousands of people coming from many different backgrounds and cultures. Whether it is race, religion, language, or anything else, the NFL is a melting pot of a business. It is considered to be a "man's game," and even though it might not be publicly acknowledged by players, coaches, and executives, there are definitely standards attached to what defines a "man" in the NFL world, and homosexuality is definitely not part of that definition.
It is easy for people around the league today to say that Sam's announcement will not have any effect on how he is viewed throughout the NFL world, but I think there is no doubt that once Sam actually joins a team (which I am presuming will happen), we might see a bit more hesitation by some to accept Sam into the "man's world" that is the NFL.
Sam reportedly announced to his teammates and coaches at Missouri that he was gay prior to this past season, and it appeared to have no impact at all upon how they viewed Sam. He was a great player on the field, and that was clearly what mattered most. The fact that they accepted him off the field as well exemplified the attitude of acceptance that the Missouri football program demonstrated. However, college football and professional football are two entirely different trades. In college, most of the team is together both on and off the field, and the players are all immersed within the same collegiate world. In the NFL, things are not quite the same. Some players on the same team come from wildly different cultures, and come from all over the country. Football players on the Missouri Tigers spend most of their time in and around the same campus, and are somewhat sheltered from the outside world. Players on any given NFL team do not enjoy the same type of camaraderie.
NFL teams consist of all types of different races, age groups, and most of all, personalities. While a school like Notre Dame consists mostly of Catholic males, an NFL team is made up of players of all different faiths and religions. Likewise, a team like the Stanford Cardinal is made up of mostly well educated men who have graduated from college. Any given NFL team has players with education levels ranging from valedictorian graduate to college dropout. This abundance of cultural and societal differences makes the NFL a far different world than college football. And that is why being a gay football player in college will be far different from being a gay player in the NFL for Michael Sam.
With each NFL team consisting of an active roster of 53 players (plus coaching staffs, practice squad players, and all different types of other personnel), that means that there are thousands of people employed throughout the league. The likelihood of multiple privately gay members of the league is extremely high. However, there is still a reason that Michael Sam's announcement comes as a revelation. It is because the NFL is different from every day society. The league is definitely full of people who accept others no matter their personal differences, but there is also no question that it also contains a plethora of people who are unwilling to accept people with different attitudes. This discrimination might be based upon race, religion, political affiliation, or any number of different factors, but it is undeniable that the NFL, like any other professional organization, is full of bigots. That is why Michael Sam's public proclamation of his homosexuality is only the beginning of a story that will last long into the future. Sure, it is easy for teams and players to say the right things right now, in February, but once the draft rolls around and training camps open, will 100% of the NFL population be so accepting of Sam? In a perfect world, that would happen, but I have a hard time believing that, in the real world, it will indeed happen.
Daily Nets Update: The Nets have two winnable games before the All-Star break, and if they can get two wins, they can go into the break with a good shot to at least avoid both Miami and Indiana in the first round of the playoffs. The team has been playing much better lately after a subpar start, but a record below .500 is still far beneath expectations going into the season.
Daily Rangers Update: The Olympic break is officially underway, so there will be no NHL for a few weeks. It will be a nice respite for some, but when league action commences again, the Rangers need to continue their solid play so they can hopefully move up into the top four of the Eastern Conference, thus gaining home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Spring training is just around the corner, and that means expectations are high for each and every team in Major League Baseball. The recent signing of Bronson Arroyo certainly did not make tidal waves of headlines throughout the league, but hopefully it can be a solid pickup for Arizona. We still don't have a true number one ace on the staff, but the arrival of Arroyo means that we have plenty of pitching depth, and spring training should be very interesting when it comes to determining which pitchers will make up our Opening Day staff.
The National Football League is one that is based upon results. Owners, coaches, players, and all personnel from top to bottom are judged on what they can produce. A general manager needs to put the best team on the field that he can. A player needs to go above and beyond to earn his stripes. Even down to water boys and ball boys, they all are judged based on how well they do their job. On the surface, Michael Sam's situation will hopefully be the same. However, because Sam's open homosexuality is something that no team has had to deal with before, I don't think his case will be as easy as some may hope.
Even though the NFL is a results based business, it is still filled with thousands of people coming from many different backgrounds and cultures. Whether it is race, religion, language, or anything else, the NFL is a melting pot of a business. It is considered to be a "man's game," and even though it might not be publicly acknowledged by players, coaches, and executives, there are definitely standards attached to what defines a "man" in the NFL world, and homosexuality is definitely not part of that definition.
It is easy for people around the league today to say that Sam's announcement will not have any effect on how he is viewed throughout the NFL world, but I think there is no doubt that once Sam actually joins a team (which I am presuming will happen), we might see a bit more hesitation by some to accept Sam into the "man's world" that is the NFL.
Sam reportedly announced to his teammates and coaches at Missouri that he was gay prior to this past season, and it appeared to have no impact at all upon how they viewed Sam. He was a great player on the field, and that was clearly what mattered most. The fact that they accepted him off the field as well exemplified the attitude of acceptance that the Missouri football program demonstrated. However, college football and professional football are two entirely different trades. In college, most of the team is together both on and off the field, and the players are all immersed within the same collegiate world. In the NFL, things are not quite the same. Some players on the same team come from wildly different cultures, and come from all over the country. Football players on the Missouri Tigers spend most of their time in and around the same campus, and are somewhat sheltered from the outside world. Players on any given NFL team do not enjoy the same type of camaraderie.
NFL teams consist of all types of different races, age groups, and most of all, personalities. While a school like Notre Dame consists mostly of Catholic males, an NFL team is made up of players of all different faiths and religions. Likewise, a team like the Stanford Cardinal is made up of mostly well educated men who have graduated from college. Any given NFL team has players with education levels ranging from valedictorian graduate to college dropout. This abundance of cultural and societal differences makes the NFL a far different world than college football. And that is why being a gay football player in college will be far different from being a gay player in the NFL for Michael Sam.
With each NFL team consisting of an active roster of 53 players (plus coaching staffs, practice squad players, and all different types of other personnel), that means that there are thousands of people employed throughout the league. The likelihood of multiple privately gay members of the league is extremely high. However, there is still a reason that Michael Sam's announcement comes as a revelation. It is because the NFL is different from every day society. The league is definitely full of people who accept others no matter their personal differences, but there is also no question that it also contains a plethora of people who are unwilling to accept people with different attitudes. This discrimination might be based upon race, religion, political affiliation, or any number of different factors, but it is undeniable that the NFL, like any other professional organization, is full of bigots. That is why Michael Sam's public proclamation of his homosexuality is only the beginning of a story that will last long into the future. Sure, it is easy for teams and players to say the right things right now, in February, but once the draft rolls around and training camps open, will 100% of the NFL population be so accepting of Sam? In a perfect world, that would happen, but I have a hard time believing that, in the real world, it will indeed happen.
Daily Nets Update: The Nets have two winnable games before the All-Star break, and if they can get two wins, they can go into the break with a good shot to at least avoid both Miami and Indiana in the first round of the playoffs. The team has been playing much better lately after a subpar start, but a record below .500 is still far beneath expectations going into the season.
Daily Rangers Update: The Olympic break is officially underway, so there will be no NHL for a few weeks. It will be a nice respite for some, but when league action commences again, the Rangers need to continue their solid play so they can hopefully move up into the top four of the Eastern Conference, thus gaining home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Spring training is just around the corner, and that means expectations are high for each and every team in Major League Baseball. The recent signing of Bronson Arroyo certainly did not make tidal waves of headlines throughout the league, but hopefully it can be a solid pickup for Arizona. We still don't have a true number one ace on the staff, but the arrival of Arroyo means that we have plenty of pitching depth, and spring training should be very interesting when it comes to determining which pitchers will make up our Opening Day staff.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Opening Day is upon us
The weather is (slowly...very slowly) getting better, and as the calendar turns to April, it signals the beginning of the 2013 Major League Baseball season. There are always interesting story lines to follow as the season opens, and many more talking points will arise throughout the next seven months in the baseball world. Before I address any individual stories, here is an American League division-by-division look at how I think things will play out in 2013.
AL East
This is clearly the best division in all of baseball. We are always used to the Red Sox and Yankees spending tons of money to bring players in, but they were both upstaged by the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason, who made major changes and appear to have gone all-in on a revival of the franchise and what they hope can be a trip back to the World Series for the first time in two decades.
Toronto Blue Jays - This was a tough choice, but I think the Jays are the team to beat here. They have a ton of speed with guys like Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, and Rajai Davis, and they also have mashers like Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista to drive in runs. On paper, this offense has the potential to be great.
The additions of R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle means that they have two proven commodities at the top of the rotation. If Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson can stay healthy (which, in their cases, is far from a certainty), the rotation could be great as well.
The bullpen doesn't feature any big names, but the guys they do have are very underrated, and I think they can get the job done. We learned last year from the Marlins that an offseason spending bonanza does not always work, but I'm inclined to think that this one will pay off with at least a berth in the postseason. They may not be World Series contenders, but I think this is a playoff team.
New York Yankees - Although this definitely is not the strongest Yankee team we have seen in recent years, they simply always are in the postseason discussion, and until that changes, I am not counting them out. Injuries will really be tough on the Yankees early on, as Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira will all miss the first few weeks of the season. However, when those three return, this is still a very good offensive team.
As far as the pitching goes, C.C. Sabathia is still the definition of a workhorse, Andy Pettitte will still probably win at least 10 games despite being 439 years old, and Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova are both stellar as well.
In the bullpen, Mariano Rivera is back for one last ride, and he is hoping to go out in style just like Ray Lewis. David Robertson is one of the best setup men in baseball as well. As I said before, the Yankees are always in the mix when the season winds down, and no one should be surprised to see them playing into October once again in 2013.
Baltimore Orioles - This was a tough choice. You could make an argument for Baltimore to be higher in the division based upon the talent they have and what they did in making the playoffs last season, or you could say that they were the "team of destiny" in 2012, and they won't be able to catch all the breaks they seemingly caught daily last season. I am inclined to put them somewhere in between, but this has the potential to be a postseason contender.
The offense should be very good. Adam Jones and Matt Wieters lead the way, and youngster Manny Machado seems to be a star in the making. All through the lineup, the Orioles have guys that can hurt you in various ways.
The big question here is the rotation. Baltimore had a plethora of guys start games for them in 2012, but none of them were particularly effective over the course of the entire season. Jason Hammel is the "ace," but on many teams he would be a middle-of-the-rotation guy. The wild card here is much heralded prospect Dylan Bundy, who is probably too talented to be held back in the minor leagues for much longer. If he is able to have an immediate impact and provide a much needed spark for the rotation, it will do wonders for Baltimore's playoff chances.
The bullpen is above average, and Jim Johnson has become a top-notch closer. After what happened last year, it is impossible to count the Orioles out. Whether or not they win 93 games again remains to be seen, but I still think they can compete for a spot in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Rays - The often disrespected Rays finish fourth here for me, but don't be surprised to see them finish higher than that when the season ends. Losing James Shields and B.J. Upton will obviously hurt, but the Rays have overcome longer odds before. Despite the loss of Shields, the strength of this team remains its rotation, which is led by former Cy Young winner David Price. Jeremy Hellickson is a strong #2 guy, and the Rays have a ton of options after that, including youngsters like Alex Cobb and Matt Moore.
As I already said, the loss of B.J. Upton will obviously hurt the offense (as well as the defense), but if the Rays can get an injury free season from Evan Longoria, it will go a long way in helping to ease the pain. Additions like Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson will help as well, and don't forget about jack-of-all-trades Ben Zobrist, one of the most underrated players in all of baseball. If the offense needs a boost, don't be surprised to hear the name Wil Myers, as he was the big return that Tampa Bay got in return for James Shields, and he may not spend much more time in the minor leagues.
In the bullpen, it would be unfair to expect Fernando Rodney to repeat what he did in 2012 in saving 48 games and posting an un-earthly 0.60 ERA. However, he is still very good at the back end of the 'pen, and the setup guys are good as well.
In any other division, this would be a very good team. However, since the AL East is so tough, the Rays will have to battle every night to win games. They have the talent to do so though, so don't be surprised to see this team in the playoff picture in September.
Boston Red Sox - Oh, how times have changed in Beantown. After a decade of success that included two World Series championships, Boston collapsed at the end of the 2011 season, and suffered through a last-place year in 2012. The team was highly criticized last year for what many perceived as a white-flag waving trade in which they sent Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers, and while those two will obviously be missed, Boston still has a lot of talent in their lineup.
Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia are both proven stars, and David Ortiz can still drive in runs. New faces like Stephen Drew and Shane Victorino will help as well. Also, Will Middlebrooks is a youngster of whom much will be expected. Boston can still score runs, do not doubt that,
The rotation is coming off a very poor year, and I think it is fair to say that Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz will not be as bad in 2013 as they were in 2012. Felix Doubront won 11 games last season, and if he repeats that in 2013, Boston should be thrilled. Ryan Dempster is on the downside of his career, and I have lost all hope for John Lackey.
In the bullpen, the Red Sox added Joel Hanrahan, who was a very underrated closer during his time in Pittsburgh. They also have useful arms like Andrew Bailey, Koji Uehara, and Craig Breslow. The bullpen is definitely respectable.
Like I have said throughout this AL East preview, the Red Sox will have a tough time in such a good division. However, this still can be a team that finishes at least near the .500 mark. I don't think fans in Boston should expect to be cheering their team into the playoffs, but they still have enough pieces to at least improve after a disastrous 2012.
AL Central
Unlike the AL East, the Central is a division that will most likely be far less competitive in 2013. Despite not being able to reach the peak and win a World Series, the Tigers have been the class of this division for the past few seasons, and I don't expect anything different this year.
Detroit Tigers - After a disappointing end to 2012 in which Detroit was swept by the San Francisco Giants in toe World Series, the Tigers field a team that will look much like the 2012 version, except they will get Victor Martinez back from injury, and Torii Hunter will be playing right field. Detroit still features arguably the best hitter and pitcher in all of baseball (although it is getting harder and harder to argue against those acclaims) in Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. The addition of Torii Hunter and the return of Victor Martinez, as well as the presence of guys like Prince Fielder, Austin Jackson, and Alex Avila make this offense very formidable.
Verlander obviously leads the rotation, but guys like Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, and Doug Fister combine to make this rotation excellent from top to bottom.
The biggest question here is in the bullpen, where the Tigers let Jose Valverde go, and now do not have any proven closer on the roster. Bruce Rondon was thought to be the closer-in-waiting, but after a bad spring, he was sent down to Triple-A. Phil Coke, Joaquin Benoit, Al Alburquerque, and Octavio Dotel are very good in middle relief, but can one of them take over as a full-time closer? That still remains to be seen.
However, despite the predicament at the back end of the bullpen, this team is simply too talented not to win this division.
Kansas City Royals - After years and years of struggles, the arrow is finally pointing up in Kansas City. The Royals are loaded with young talent, and they added James Shields in a big offseason trade. Shields will be counted on to lead the rotation.
Offensively, this team is loaded with potential. Much was expected from Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas in 2012, and the duo did not meet those expectations. However, going through tough seasons will probably work out well for them both, and I expect them to start reaching their potentials in 2013. In left field, Alex Gordon is very underrated, and do not be surprised to see a huge season from him. Billy Butler provides a whole lot of power, and Salvador Perez is one of the brightest young stars behind the plate in all of baseball. A lot of it is potential, but this offense could be very good.
Shields heads a rotation that may still not be great, but has a chance to at least be pretty good. Ervin Santana, Jeremy Guthrie, and Bruce Chen aren't flashy names, but I think they can all win at least 10 games, and that is more than Kansas City has been able to expect from the middle of its rotation for a long time. Kansas City also acquired Wade Davis from the Rays in the Shields deal, and while he has not met expectations yet during his career, he has the potential to be a very good #5 starter.
The bullpen features zero household names, but do not mistake that for meaning it is not a good group of pitchers. Greg Holland, Tim Collins, Kelvin Herrera...learn these names now because this 'pen definitely has some talent.
The Royals have been a bottom feeder in the AL Central for a long time now, but I think that the future is bright in Kansas City. Are they good enough to challenge Detroit for the top spot in the division? No. Are they good enough to surpass the .500 mark for the first time in a decade though? Absolutely.
Cleveland Indians - Coming off of a bad year in which the Indians won only 68 games, Cleveland now has a marquee name as their new manager (Terry Francona), and they added a multiple nice pieces in Nick Swisher, Drew Stubbs, Michael Bourn, and Mark Reynolds.
Bourn is arguably the best leadoff hitter in baseball, and he will instantly add a spark to the top of Cleveland's lineup. Stubbs adds speed and Reynolds adds power, although they both strike out at remarkably high rates. Swisher also will provide a nice presence in the middle of the lineup. Those four will all join a lineup that already featured guys like Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Carlos Santana. Potentially, this could actually be a very good offense.
The big question here is the starting rotation. Justin Masterson heads the staff, but he would not be a #1 starter on most teams. Ubaldo Jimenez is next in line, and we are getting close to the point that it is time to stop expecting the great things he did in 2009 and 2010. We're not there yet, but he had a bad year in 2012, and it would be wrong to expect big things from him in 2013. The wild card here is former Diamondback Trevor Bauer. He is loaded with potential, but he was not very good last year in his short stint with Arizona. He is still very young though, and I am still wary of the fact that the Diamondbacks trading him away could end up being a really bad move.
Cleveland's bullpen is actually very good, even if it doesn't feature marquee names. Chris Perez can be a very good closer, and guys like Vinnie Pestano, Joe Smith, and Bryan Shaw are good in middle relief.
Overall, I think this team has the potential to surprise some people, but most of it will depend upon how their questionable rotation fares. Cleveland won't challenge Detroit for the AL Central crown, but don't be surprised if they finish in a distant second place.
Chicago White Sox - After surprisingly staying atop the division for the majority of 2012, the White Sox were unable to hang on down the stretch, and they were eventually surpassed by the Tigers and Chicago watched the playoffs from home. However, there were a lot of positives that the White Sox were able to take away from the 2012 season, the first of which was new found ace Chris Sale. Whether or not Sale could make the transition from the bullpen to the rotation was a huge question, and Sale emphatically answered that with a yes. He won 17 games, had an ERA of 3.05, and is now the unquestioned #1 starter for the White Sox.
After Sale, the White Sox feature an above average rotation that features Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, Jose Quintana, and (when he is healthy) John Danks. If Sale is able to come anywhere close to what he did in 2012, this rotation has the potential to be pretty good.
Offensively, the White Sox have some solid players. Paul Konerko is aging like a fine wine, and still driving in runs at 37 years old. Adam Dunn may not hit 41 home runs again like he did in 2012, but we all know what he can do. A lot of power and not much else. Alex Rios is coming off a huge year, and if he can come anywhere close to the .304/25/91 line he put up in 2012, White Sox fans should be thrilled. Dayan Viciedo and Tyler Flowers add some power potential, and Alejandro De Aza adds speed at the top.
Like the Royals and the Indians, the White Sox bullpen might not feature any household names, but it has the potential to be pretty good. Addison Reed will be the closer, and he will look to build on a nice 2012 in which he saved 29 games for Chicago. Nate Jones, Matt Thornton, and Jesse Crain are solid as well.
After the Tigers, this division is really wide open. I doubt that Chicago will spend the majority of the season in first place like they did in 2012, but I think that they could realistically expect to finish anywhere from second to fourth in the division.
Minnesota Twins - After winning over 90 games and making the postseason in both 2009 and 2010, the Twins have struggled mightily over the past two seasons, winning 63 games in 2011 and 66 games in 2012. In a division that is not very strong, I still find it hard to believe that the Twins will be good enough to compete once again in 2013.
The offense features two proven stars in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but seeing both of them simultaneously make it through a 162 game season without missing time due to injury has been a rare occurrence. Josh Willingham is solid, and Trevor Plouffe is a nice player, but after that, Minnesota has a whole lot of unproven players. Pedro Florimon, Darin Mastroianni, Aaron Hicks...these are players who have proven little to nothing at the major league level, and the Twins will be hoping that they can play big roles in their success in 2013. There is potential, but until I see legitimate proof, I can't believe that these guys will be able to shoulder much of a load in 2013.
The starting rotation has a bit more overall proven experience than most of the lineup, the problem is, it is made up of proven mediocrities. Vance Worley, Kevin Correia, Mike Pelfrey, and Scott Diamond have experience at the major league level, but none of them are more than middle-of-the-rotation pitchers, and guys like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder will be salivating at the chance to face whoever is on the mound for the Twins. The bullpen is average at best. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton are serviceable, but nothing more.
In a weak AL Central, I think the Twins are still at the back of the class. They simply have too many mediocre players to have a realistic shot at competing in 2013. If Minnesota finishes anywhere above last in the division, I think they should consider it a good year.
AL West
Everyone in this division should be thankful of the addition of the Astros, as Houston will provide a new whipping boy for all other teams in the division. As far as the top of the division goes, I cannot see the Athletics repeating what they did in 2012, and I think that the fans in Anaheim should be expecting a deep run into October.
Anaheim Angels - First, let me get this out of the way; this is a legitimate World Series contender. The rotation took a definite blow with Danny Haren and Zack Greinke leaving, but I think their replacements are still good enough to provide enough support to an offense that is arguably the best in all of baseball.
As far that offense, where do I begin? Is it with newly signed, former AL MVP Josh Hamilton? Or maybe three-time MVP first baseman Albert Pujols? Or what about the man who put up what could possibly be the best rookie season in the history of American sports in 2012, Mike Trout? No matter what, the Angels will boast one of the best lineups in baseball. With those three studs being supplemented by guys like Mark Trumbo, Howie Kendrick, and Erick Aybar, opposing pitching staffs should fear having to face this offense.
As I said before, the "weakest" part of this team is probably its starting rotation. However, when your rotation is led by an ace like Jered Weaver, you need to use the term "weakest" in a loose manner. Weaver is one of the best in the game, and C.J. Wilson is very good as a #2. Haren and Greinke are gone, but they have been replaced by Tommy Hanson and Jason Vargas, both of whom have the ability to be pretty good. Anaheim's 2013 rotation may not be its strongest in recent memory, but it is still very formidable.
Mike Scioscia's bullpens have long been excellent, and I don't see 2013 being any different. Ryan Madson is good, but not great, as a closer, but Anaheim boasts a strong middle relief corps that makes this bullpen very good.
Like I said, this team is good enough to win the World Series. Even after an unbelievably great 2012 season, the sky is still the limit for Trout. Is some sort of regression possible, or maybe likely? Yes. However, could he also be the next coming of Ken Griffey, Jr.? Yes. Willie Mays? Well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet. No matter what he does, he has plenty of support, and no one should be surprised to see this team lifting the World Series trophy in November.
Texas Rangers - After two straight AL pennants in 2010 and 2011, the Rangers returned to the postseason in 2012, only to be eliminated before reaching a third straight World Series. On paper, the 2013 version still looks formidable, but I would be surprised to see them reach the World Series for a third time in four years.
Obviously, the Rangers were dealt a huge blow this offseason when Josh Hamilton not only left, but at the same time signed with their biggest rival, the Anaheim Angels. Add to that the losses of Michael Young and Mike Napoli, and the Rangers offense took a serious hit. Texas was able to add A.J. Pierzynski, who is coming off a very good year, but he will not even come close to making up for the loss of Hamilton, Young, and Napoli. Texas is beginning to go with homegrown talent, as Leonys Martin is slated to be their starting center fielder, and it surely can't be long before we see Jurickson Profar, who is considered by many to be the top minor league prospect in all of baseball. The Rangers' infield is so stacked with Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, and Elvis Andrus though, the only problem might actually finding a spot for Profar to play. Nelson Cruz and David Murphy will play the outfield corners, but Martin has a long way to go in replacing Josh Hamilton in center.
The rotation is good, but not great. Yu Darvish has been good since coming over from Japan, and guys like Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando are solid as well.
The bullpen took a hit when Mike Adams and Koji Uehara left, but Joe Nathan is a very good closer, and Joakim Soria could provide a huge spark when he returns from Tommy John surgery (the Rangers hope that will be some time in May).
This team is definitely good enough to make the playoffs. If the rotation can overachieve and some young position players can provide a spark, the Rangers could potentially make a run at another pennant. I don't see that happening, but I think we could at least see Texas playing into October.
Oakland Athletics - After a miraculous and completely unexpected division title in 2012, the A's return in 2013 with what will obviously be heightened expectations. Whether they will repeat their 2012 success is up for debate, but I am inclined to say no at this point.
The offense featured a ton of "no-names" who just simply seemed to continually come through in the clutch in 2012, and I have a hard time believing that will be the case again in 2013. Guys like Josh Reddick, Yoenis Cespedes, and Brandon Moss are serviceable, but are they the centerpieces of legitimate, perennial contenders? I don't think so.
The strong point in Oakland should be their starting rotation. Between Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, A.J. Griffin, and Brett Anderson, the A's are loaded with young talent on the mound. Those four all have the potential to win at least 10-15 games in 2013.
As seems to be the case with any playoff team, the bullpen in Oakland was spectacular in 2012. The 'pen remains largely intact in 2013, with mainstays like Grant Balfour, Ryan Cook, and Jerry Blevins leading the way.
This team took its fans on a magical run last year, and it is unfair to expect similar results in 2013. Can they be good again? Yes. However, I don't think it is realistic to expect Oakland to finish any higher than third in the AL West this year. Texas and Anaheim are simply too talented. I think, at best, Oakland is a long shot to reach the playoffs, but even that would be asking a lot.
Seattle Mariners - Thanks to a very competitive division in 2012, the Mariners finished last, despite winning a respectable 75 games, which was the most for any last place team in baseball. However, as has been the case in recent years, I find it hard to expect much better than that in 2013. Seattle still boasts arguably the best starting pitcher in all of baseball in Felix Hernandez, but his supporting cast just remains too sub par to challenge for a spot in the postseason.
Offensively, the Mariners were one of the worst teams in the American League last season. They added Kendrys Morales and Michael Morse to a lineup that already included Kyle Seager, Jesus Montero, and Dustin Ackley. None of those name jump off the page to the casual fan, but the Mariners should at least be better offensively than they were in 2012 (although there is really nowhere to go but up).
The only thing more questionable than Seattle's offense is its rotation after Felix Hernandez. With guys like Hisashi Iwakuma, Erasmo Ramirez, and Blake Beavan, the Mariners have a rotation that is anything but proven. The bullpen is at least somewhat better, as guys like Tom Wilhelmsen and Charlie Furbush have made some marks at the major league level.
With an average offense and a questionable pitching staff after the ace, I find it hard to see the Mariners finishing anywhere above fourth place in this division. If the Astros weren't so terrible, I would have to slate Seattle in the fifth spot, but for now, I'll keep them out of the AL West basement.
Houston Astros - Welcome the the American League, Astros fans! Thanks to you, we now get interleague play throughout the season, and the Rangers, Athletics, Angels, and Mariners get a new team to beat up on.
After playing in a poor NL Central division, the Astros now move to an AL West division that is much better, and sadly, their team seems to be no more improved than it was in 2012. After being the worst team in baseball for the past two seasons, things do not seem to be looking up anywhere in the near future for Houston.
Unless you are a serious baseball fan, you would probably be at a loss if you were asked to name even half of the Astros' lineup. With names like Justin Maxwell, Matt Dominguez, and Chris Carter, it is tough to piece together a batting order for Houston. Carlos Pena is a respectable middle of the order designated hitter, and Jose Altuve is a nice second baseman, but aside from that, there is nothing much to be excited about when you look at Houston's lineup.
As if an uninspiring lineup weren't enough, things only get worse when you look at the Astros' starting rotation. Bud Norris is far from a #1 starter, but he heads Houston's rotation, and with guys like Lucas Harrell and Brad Peacock behind him, it is really tough to see this rotation being anything better than below-average.
As far as the bullpen goes? Well, that isn't exactly a strong point either. The best relief pitcher on the team in 2012, Wilton Lopez, is gone, and the bullpen now consists of mostly unknowns. Jose Veras could possibly be an average closer, but that might be asking a lot.
I have heard many people predict that this team could actually challenge the 1962 Mets for the worst regular season record of all time, when the Mets went 42-120. I have a hard time believing that the Astros will reach depths that low, but with the way this team looks now, it will take a miracle for them to finish anywhere above last place in the AL West, and anything better than 30th out of 30 teams should be considered a success. Sorry, Houston fans.
AL East
This is clearly the best division in all of baseball. We are always used to the Red Sox and Yankees spending tons of money to bring players in, but they were both upstaged by the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason, who made major changes and appear to have gone all-in on a revival of the franchise and what they hope can be a trip back to the World Series for the first time in two decades.
Toronto Blue Jays - This was a tough choice, but I think the Jays are the team to beat here. They have a ton of speed with guys like Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, and Rajai Davis, and they also have mashers like Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista to drive in runs. On paper, this offense has the potential to be great.
The additions of R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle means that they have two proven commodities at the top of the rotation. If Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson can stay healthy (which, in their cases, is far from a certainty), the rotation could be great as well.
The bullpen doesn't feature any big names, but the guys they do have are very underrated, and I think they can get the job done. We learned last year from the Marlins that an offseason spending bonanza does not always work, but I'm inclined to think that this one will pay off with at least a berth in the postseason. They may not be World Series contenders, but I think this is a playoff team.
New York Yankees - Although this definitely is not the strongest Yankee team we have seen in recent years, they simply always are in the postseason discussion, and until that changes, I am not counting them out. Injuries will really be tough on the Yankees early on, as Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira will all miss the first few weeks of the season. However, when those three return, this is still a very good offensive team.
As far as the pitching goes, C.C. Sabathia is still the definition of a workhorse, Andy Pettitte will still probably win at least 10 games despite being 439 years old, and Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova are both stellar as well.
In the bullpen, Mariano Rivera is back for one last ride, and he is hoping to go out in style just like Ray Lewis. David Robertson is one of the best setup men in baseball as well. As I said before, the Yankees are always in the mix when the season winds down, and no one should be surprised to see them playing into October once again in 2013.
Baltimore Orioles - This was a tough choice. You could make an argument for Baltimore to be higher in the division based upon the talent they have and what they did in making the playoffs last season, or you could say that they were the "team of destiny" in 2012, and they won't be able to catch all the breaks they seemingly caught daily last season. I am inclined to put them somewhere in between, but this has the potential to be a postseason contender.
The offense should be very good. Adam Jones and Matt Wieters lead the way, and youngster Manny Machado seems to be a star in the making. All through the lineup, the Orioles have guys that can hurt you in various ways.
The big question here is the rotation. Baltimore had a plethora of guys start games for them in 2012, but none of them were particularly effective over the course of the entire season. Jason Hammel is the "ace," but on many teams he would be a middle-of-the-rotation guy. The wild card here is much heralded prospect Dylan Bundy, who is probably too talented to be held back in the minor leagues for much longer. If he is able to have an immediate impact and provide a much needed spark for the rotation, it will do wonders for Baltimore's playoff chances.
The bullpen is above average, and Jim Johnson has become a top-notch closer. After what happened last year, it is impossible to count the Orioles out. Whether or not they win 93 games again remains to be seen, but I still think they can compete for a spot in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Rays - The often disrespected Rays finish fourth here for me, but don't be surprised to see them finish higher than that when the season ends. Losing James Shields and B.J. Upton will obviously hurt, but the Rays have overcome longer odds before. Despite the loss of Shields, the strength of this team remains its rotation, which is led by former Cy Young winner David Price. Jeremy Hellickson is a strong #2 guy, and the Rays have a ton of options after that, including youngsters like Alex Cobb and Matt Moore.
As I already said, the loss of B.J. Upton will obviously hurt the offense (as well as the defense), but if the Rays can get an injury free season from Evan Longoria, it will go a long way in helping to ease the pain. Additions like Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson will help as well, and don't forget about jack-of-all-trades Ben Zobrist, one of the most underrated players in all of baseball. If the offense needs a boost, don't be surprised to hear the name Wil Myers, as he was the big return that Tampa Bay got in return for James Shields, and he may not spend much more time in the minor leagues.
In the bullpen, it would be unfair to expect Fernando Rodney to repeat what he did in 2012 in saving 48 games and posting an un-earthly 0.60 ERA. However, he is still very good at the back end of the 'pen, and the setup guys are good as well.
In any other division, this would be a very good team. However, since the AL East is so tough, the Rays will have to battle every night to win games. They have the talent to do so though, so don't be surprised to see this team in the playoff picture in September.
Boston Red Sox - Oh, how times have changed in Beantown. After a decade of success that included two World Series championships, Boston collapsed at the end of the 2011 season, and suffered through a last-place year in 2012. The team was highly criticized last year for what many perceived as a white-flag waving trade in which they sent Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers, and while those two will obviously be missed, Boston still has a lot of talent in their lineup.
Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia are both proven stars, and David Ortiz can still drive in runs. New faces like Stephen Drew and Shane Victorino will help as well. Also, Will Middlebrooks is a youngster of whom much will be expected. Boston can still score runs, do not doubt that,
The rotation is coming off a very poor year, and I think it is fair to say that Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz will not be as bad in 2013 as they were in 2012. Felix Doubront won 11 games last season, and if he repeats that in 2013, Boston should be thrilled. Ryan Dempster is on the downside of his career, and I have lost all hope for John Lackey.
In the bullpen, the Red Sox added Joel Hanrahan, who was a very underrated closer during his time in Pittsburgh. They also have useful arms like Andrew Bailey, Koji Uehara, and Craig Breslow. The bullpen is definitely respectable.
Like I have said throughout this AL East preview, the Red Sox will have a tough time in such a good division. However, this still can be a team that finishes at least near the .500 mark. I don't think fans in Boston should expect to be cheering their team into the playoffs, but they still have enough pieces to at least improve after a disastrous 2012.
AL Central
Unlike the AL East, the Central is a division that will most likely be far less competitive in 2013. Despite not being able to reach the peak and win a World Series, the Tigers have been the class of this division for the past few seasons, and I don't expect anything different this year.
Detroit Tigers - After a disappointing end to 2012 in which Detroit was swept by the San Francisco Giants in toe World Series, the Tigers field a team that will look much like the 2012 version, except they will get Victor Martinez back from injury, and Torii Hunter will be playing right field. Detroit still features arguably the best hitter and pitcher in all of baseball (although it is getting harder and harder to argue against those acclaims) in Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. The addition of Torii Hunter and the return of Victor Martinez, as well as the presence of guys like Prince Fielder, Austin Jackson, and Alex Avila make this offense very formidable.
Verlander obviously leads the rotation, but guys like Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, and Doug Fister combine to make this rotation excellent from top to bottom.
The biggest question here is in the bullpen, where the Tigers let Jose Valverde go, and now do not have any proven closer on the roster. Bruce Rondon was thought to be the closer-in-waiting, but after a bad spring, he was sent down to Triple-A. Phil Coke, Joaquin Benoit, Al Alburquerque, and Octavio Dotel are very good in middle relief, but can one of them take over as a full-time closer? That still remains to be seen.
However, despite the predicament at the back end of the bullpen, this team is simply too talented not to win this division.
Kansas City Royals - After years and years of struggles, the arrow is finally pointing up in Kansas City. The Royals are loaded with young talent, and they added James Shields in a big offseason trade. Shields will be counted on to lead the rotation.
Offensively, this team is loaded with potential. Much was expected from Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas in 2012, and the duo did not meet those expectations. However, going through tough seasons will probably work out well for them both, and I expect them to start reaching their potentials in 2013. In left field, Alex Gordon is very underrated, and do not be surprised to see a huge season from him. Billy Butler provides a whole lot of power, and Salvador Perez is one of the brightest young stars behind the plate in all of baseball. A lot of it is potential, but this offense could be very good.
Shields heads a rotation that may still not be great, but has a chance to at least be pretty good. Ervin Santana, Jeremy Guthrie, and Bruce Chen aren't flashy names, but I think they can all win at least 10 games, and that is more than Kansas City has been able to expect from the middle of its rotation for a long time. Kansas City also acquired Wade Davis from the Rays in the Shields deal, and while he has not met expectations yet during his career, he has the potential to be a very good #5 starter.
The bullpen features zero household names, but do not mistake that for meaning it is not a good group of pitchers. Greg Holland, Tim Collins, Kelvin Herrera...learn these names now because this 'pen definitely has some talent.
The Royals have been a bottom feeder in the AL Central for a long time now, but I think that the future is bright in Kansas City. Are they good enough to challenge Detroit for the top spot in the division? No. Are they good enough to surpass the .500 mark for the first time in a decade though? Absolutely.
Cleveland Indians - Coming off of a bad year in which the Indians won only 68 games, Cleveland now has a marquee name as their new manager (Terry Francona), and they added a multiple nice pieces in Nick Swisher, Drew Stubbs, Michael Bourn, and Mark Reynolds.
Bourn is arguably the best leadoff hitter in baseball, and he will instantly add a spark to the top of Cleveland's lineup. Stubbs adds speed and Reynolds adds power, although they both strike out at remarkably high rates. Swisher also will provide a nice presence in the middle of the lineup. Those four will all join a lineup that already featured guys like Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Carlos Santana. Potentially, this could actually be a very good offense.
The big question here is the starting rotation. Justin Masterson heads the staff, but he would not be a #1 starter on most teams. Ubaldo Jimenez is next in line, and we are getting close to the point that it is time to stop expecting the great things he did in 2009 and 2010. We're not there yet, but he had a bad year in 2012, and it would be wrong to expect big things from him in 2013. The wild card here is former Diamondback Trevor Bauer. He is loaded with potential, but he was not very good last year in his short stint with Arizona. He is still very young though, and I am still wary of the fact that the Diamondbacks trading him away could end up being a really bad move.
Cleveland's bullpen is actually very good, even if it doesn't feature marquee names. Chris Perez can be a very good closer, and guys like Vinnie Pestano, Joe Smith, and Bryan Shaw are good in middle relief.
Overall, I think this team has the potential to surprise some people, but most of it will depend upon how their questionable rotation fares. Cleveland won't challenge Detroit for the AL Central crown, but don't be surprised if they finish in a distant second place.
Chicago White Sox - After surprisingly staying atop the division for the majority of 2012, the White Sox were unable to hang on down the stretch, and they were eventually surpassed by the Tigers and Chicago watched the playoffs from home. However, there were a lot of positives that the White Sox were able to take away from the 2012 season, the first of which was new found ace Chris Sale. Whether or not Sale could make the transition from the bullpen to the rotation was a huge question, and Sale emphatically answered that with a yes. He won 17 games, had an ERA of 3.05, and is now the unquestioned #1 starter for the White Sox.
After Sale, the White Sox feature an above average rotation that features Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, Jose Quintana, and (when he is healthy) John Danks. If Sale is able to come anywhere close to what he did in 2012, this rotation has the potential to be pretty good.
Offensively, the White Sox have some solid players. Paul Konerko is aging like a fine wine, and still driving in runs at 37 years old. Adam Dunn may not hit 41 home runs again like he did in 2012, but we all know what he can do. A lot of power and not much else. Alex Rios is coming off a huge year, and if he can come anywhere close to the .304/25/91 line he put up in 2012, White Sox fans should be thrilled. Dayan Viciedo and Tyler Flowers add some power potential, and Alejandro De Aza adds speed at the top.
Like the Royals and the Indians, the White Sox bullpen might not feature any household names, but it has the potential to be pretty good. Addison Reed will be the closer, and he will look to build on a nice 2012 in which he saved 29 games for Chicago. Nate Jones, Matt Thornton, and Jesse Crain are solid as well.
After the Tigers, this division is really wide open. I doubt that Chicago will spend the majority of the season in first place like they did in 2012, but I think that they could realistically expect to finish anywhere from second to fourth in the division.
Minnesota Twins - After winning over 90 games and making the postseason in both 2009 and 2010, the Twins have struggled mightily over the past two seasons, winning 63 games in 2011 and 66 games in 2012. In a division that is not very strong, I still find it hard to believe that the Twins will be good enough to compete once again in 2013.
The offense features two proven stars in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but seeing both of them simultaneously make it through a 162 game season without missing time due to injury has been a rare occurrence. Josh Willingham is solid, and Trevor Plouffe is a nice player, but after that, Minnesota has a whole lot of unproven players. Pedro Florimon, Darin Mastroianni, Aaron Hicks...these are players who have proven little to nothing at the major league level, and the Twins will be hoping that they can play big roles in their success in 2013. There is potential, but until I see legitimate proof, I can't believe that these guys will be able to shoulder much of a load in 2013.
The starting rotation has a bit more overall proven experience than most of the lineup, the problem is, it is made up of proven mediocrities. Vance Worley, Kevin Correia, Mike Pelfrey, and Scott Diamond have experience at the major league level, but none of them are more than middle-of-the-rotation pitchers, and guys like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder will be salivating at the chance to face whoever is on the mound for the Twins. The bullpen is average at best. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton are serviceable, but nothing more.
In a weak AL Central, I think the Twins are still at the back of the class. They simply have too many mediocre players to have a realistic shot at competing in 2013. If Minnesota finishes anywhere above last in the division, I think they should consider it a good year.
AL West
Everyone in this division should be thankful of the addition of the Astros, as Houston will provide a new whipping boy for all other teams in the division. As far as the top of the division goes, I cannot see the Athletics repeating what they did in 2012, and I think that the fans in Anaheim should be expecting a deep run into October.
Anaheim Angels - First, let me get this out of the way; this is a legitimate World Series contender. The rotation took a definite blow with Danny Haren and Zack Greinke leaving, but I think their replacements are still good enough to provide enough support to an offense that is arguably the best in all of baseball.
As far that offense, where do I begin? Is it with newly signed, former AL MVP Josh Hamilton? Or maybe three-time MVP first baseman Albert Pujols? Or what about the man who put up what could possibly be the best rookie season in the history of American sports in 2012, Mike Trout? No matter what, the Angels will boast one of the best lineups in baseball. With those three studs being supplemented by guys like Mark Trumbo, Howie Kendrick, and Erick Aybar, opposing pitching staffs should fear having to face this offense.
As I said before, the "weakest" part of this team is probably its starting rotation. However, when your rotation is led by an ace like Jered Weaver, you need to use the term "weakest" in a loose manner. Weaver is one of the best in the game, and C.J. Wilson is very good as a #2. Haren and Greinke are gone, but they have been replaced by Tommy Hanson and Jason Vargas, both of whom have the ability to be pretty good. Anaheim's 2013 rotation may not be its strongest in recent memory, but it is still very formidable.
Mike Scioscia's bullpens have long been excellent, and I don't see 2013 being any different. Ryan Madson is good, but not great, as a closer, but Anaheim boasts a strong middle relief corps that makes this bullpen very good.
Like I said, this team is good enough to win the World Series. Even after an unbelievably great 2012 season, the sky is still the limit for Trout. Is some sort of regression possible, or maybe likely? Yes. However, could he also be the next coming of Ken Griffey, Jr.? Yes. Willie Mays? Well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet. No matter what he does, he has plenty of support, and no one should be surprised to see this team lifting the World Series trophy in November.
Texas Rangers - After two straight AL pennants in 2010 and 2011, the Rangers returned to the postseason in 2012, only to be eliminated before reaching a third straight World Series. On paper, the 2013 version still looks formidable, but I would be surprised to see them reach the World Series for a third time in four years.
Obviously, the Rangers were dealt a huge blow this offseason when Josh Hamilton not only left, but at the same time signed with their biggest rival, the Anaheim Angels. Add to that the losses of Michael Young and Mike Napoli, and the Rangers offense took a serious hit. Texas was able to add A.J. Pierzynski, who is coming off a very good year, but he will not even come close to making up for the loss of Hamilton, Young, and Napoli. Texas is beginning to go with homegrown talent, as Leonys Martin is slated to be their starting center fielder, and it surely can't be long before we see Jurickson Profar, who is considered by many to be the top minor league prospect in all of baseball. The Rangers' infield is so stacked with Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, and Elvis Andrus though, the only problem might actually finding a spot for Profar to play. Nelson Cruz and David Murphy will play the outfield corners, but Martin has a long way to go in replacing Josh Hamilton in center.
The rotation is good, but not great. Yu Darvish has been good since coming over from Japan, and guys like Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando are solid as well.
The bullpen took a hit when Mike Adams and Koji Uehara left, but Joe Nathan is a very good closer, and Joakim Soria could provide a huge spark when he returns from Tommy John surgery (the Rangers hope that will be some time in May).
This team is definitely good enough to make the playoffs. If the rotation can overachieve and some young position players can provide a spark, the Rangers could potentially make a run at another pennant. I don't see that happening, but I think we could at least see Texas playing into October.
Oakland Athletics - After a miraculous and completely unexpected division title in 2012, the A's return in 2013 with what will obviously be heightened expectations. Whether they will repeat their 2012 success is up for debate, but I am inclined to say no at this point.
The offense featured a ton of "no-names" who just simply seemed to continually come through in the clutch in 2012, and I have a hard time believing that will be the case again in 2013. Guys like Josh Reddick, Yoenis Cespedes, and Brandon Moss are serviceable, but are they the centerpieces of legitimate, perennial contenders? I don't think so.
The strong point in Oakland should be their starting rotation. Between Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, A.J. Griffin, and Brett Anderson, the A's are loaded with young talent on the mound. Those four all have the potential to win at least 10-15 games in 2013.
As seems to be the case with any playoff team, the bullpen in Oakland was spectacular in 2012. The 'pen remains largely intact in 2013, with mainstays like Grant Balfour, Ryan Cook, and Jerry Blevins leading the way.
This team took its fans on a magical run last year, and it is unfair to expect similar results in 2013. Can they be good again? Yes. However, I don't think it is realistic to expect Oakland to finish any higher than third in the AL West this year. Texas and Anaheim are simply too talented. I think, at best, Oakland is a long shot to reach the playoffs, but even that would be asking a lot.
Seattle Mariners - Thanks to a very competitive division in 2012, the Mariners finished last, despite winning a respectable 75 games, which was the most for any last place team in baseball. However, as has been the case in recent years, I find it hard to expect much better than that in 2013. Seattle still boasts arguably the best starting pitcher in all of baseball in Felix Hernandez, but his supporting cast just remains too sub par to challenge for a spot in the postseason.
Offensively, the Mariners were one of the worst teams in the American League last season. They added Kendrys Morales and Michael Morse to a lineup that already included Kyle Seager, Jesus Montero, and Dustin Ackley. None of those name jump off the page to the casual fan, but the Mariners should at least be better offensively than they were in 2012 (although there is really nowhere to go but up).
The only thing more questionable than Seattle's offense is its rotation after Felix Hernandez. With guys like Hisashi Iwakuma, Erasmo Ramirez, and Blake Beavan, the Mariners have a rotation that is anything but proven. The bullpen is at least somewhat better, as guys like Tom Wilhelmsen and Charlie Furbush have made some marks at the major league level.
With an average offense and a questionable pitching staff after the ace, I find it hard to see the Mariners finishing anywhere above fourth place in this division. If the Astros weren't so terrible, I would have to slate Seattle in the fifth spot, but for now, I'll keep them out of the AL West basement.
Houston Astros - Welcome the the American League, Astros fans! Thanks to you, we now get interleague play throughout the season, and the Rangers, Athletics, Angels, and Mariners get a new team to beat up on.
After playing in a poor NL Central division, the Astros now move to an AL West division that is much better, and sadly, their team seems to be no more improved than it was in 2012. After being the worst team in baseball for the past two seasons, things do not seem to be looking up anywhere in the near future for Houston.
Unless you are a serious baseball fan, you would probably be at a loss if you were asked to name even half of the Astros' lineup. With names like Justin Maxwell, Matt Dominguez, and Chris Carter, it is tough to piece together a batting order for Houston. Carlos Pena is a respectable middle of the order designated hitter, and Jose Altuve is a nice second baseman, but aside from that, there is nothing much to be excited about when you look at Houston's lineup.
As if an uninspiring lineup weren't enough, things only get worse when you look at the Astros' starting rotation. Bud Norris is far from a #1 starter, but he heads Houston's rotation, and with guys like Lucas Harrell and Brad Peacock behind him, it is really tough to see this rotation being anything better than below-average.
As far as the bullpen goes? Well, that isn't exactly a strong point either. The best relief pitcher on the team in 2012, Wilton Lopez, is gone, and the bullpen now consists of mostly unknowns. Jose Veras could possibly be an average closer, but that might be asking a lot.
I have heard many people predict that this team could actually challenge the 1962 Mets for the worst regular season record of all time, when the Mets went 42-120. I have a hard time believing that the Astros will reach depths that low, but with the way this team looks now, it will take a miracle for them to finish anywhere above last place in the AL West, and anything better than 30th out of 30 teams should be considered a success. Sorry, Houston fans.
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