Midseason Awards

Alright baseball's at the unofficial midway part of the season and what better time than to hand out the much cliched midseason awards. Can you feel the excitement? No well anyway here goes. (oh yeah in my last column I mistakenly had John Maine in the American League instead of correctly putting him in the National League. Pretty much inexcusable but that's what you get when you don't do any research.)


American League
Rookie of the Year: Daisuke Matsuzaka

With all do respect to Hideki Okajima (non closer relievers don't win rookie of the year) and Reggie Willits (who has a good average and on base percentage but is lacking any power numbers. Daisuke has lived up to the hype. Ten wins and 123 strikeouts at the break are off the charts for a rookie.

Cy Young: Dan Haren

Although Johan Santana is closing the gap each and every start. Just look at there numbers

Wins: Haren 10, Santana 10
Strikeouts: Haren 101, Santana 125
ERA: Haren 2.30, Santana 2.75
WHIP: Haren 1.00, Santana 1.03
Losses: Haren 3, Santana 6
HR's Allowed: Haren 11, Santana 17


MVP: Alex Rodriguez

This is the only choice. He's almost single handily keeping the Yankees in the Wild Card hunt and leads the league in runs, RBI, and HRs. The only player who comes close to A-Rod is Magglio Ordonez but other than a higher batting average he pails in comparison. He has lower runs, RBI's, HR, SB, Slugging and OPS. Even though the Tigers are possibly the best team in baseball that has more to do with pitching than hitting plus they have another MVP candidate in Sheffield so don't give Magglio all the credit.

National League
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Braun

It's pretty much a toss up between him and Hunter Pence but I'd give the advantage to Braun who has a better average, on base percentage, and slugging.

Cy Young: Jake Peavy

Pretty easy choice. The only pitcher close is his teammate Chris Young but other than ERA where Young has a 0.19 edge, Peavy beats him in every category. Hands down Peavy is the best pitcher in baseball this year.

MVP: Hanley Ramirez

I know it's a little out there but here me out on this one. The other two top notch candidates are Prince Fielder and Matt Holliday so let's break down the candidates.

Runs: Ramirez 70, Fielder 62, Holliday 56
HR: Ramirez 14, Fielder 29, Holliday 15
RBI: Ramirez 35, Fielder 70, Holliday 69
Stolen Bases: Ramirez 27, Fielder 0, Holliday 4
AVG: Ramirez .331, Fielder .284, Holliday .341
On Base Percentage: Ramirez .388, Fielder .376, Holliday .392

if you look at the numbers it's pretty much a toss up. Ramirez is way behind in RBI but dominates in stolen ,leads in runs is right there with Holliday in HR, average and on base percentage. He's behind Fielder in Home runs but beats him in average and on base percentage. So of the three I'd say right now offensively it's a toss up but you also have to take into account defence. Ramirez plays shortstop, the most demanding defensive position except for catcher, while Holliday plays a much easier outfield position and Fielder plays the very easy first base. With everything taken into account I'd say Hanley Ramirez is the best player in the National League (Well except maybe for Barry Bonds but he probably won't have enough at bats to capture the voters minds)

All Star Game

First I'll clean up a couple of things about the NBA draft. Number one I got an impressive five of 14 lottery picks correct and it would have been way more if the Celtics decided to not be retarded and trade for an aging shooting guard whose had surgery on both of his ankles. But that was Danny Ainge and the NBA I guess I should have known. Also the suits didn't disappoint. From Noah's bow tie to Nick Young's all white the fashion show didn't disappoint.

Now on to the MLB allstar game. This is definitely the best allstar game of the bunch and the only one I actually watch. However with the MLB's insistence that it actually count for something (home field advantage in the World Series) I think we really need to evaluate things.

1. Should the fans decide the starting line-ups where you get players like Carlos Beltran starting or should it be the best players this season?

2. Do you need to have a representative form every team or is ensuring there is one player from the team that is hosting it enough?

My personal opinion is that since it counts we should take the starting line-ups out of the fans hand and give it to the managers or a benevolent dictator type who would pick the best players regardless of whether they are big stars or not. I would however keep the rule that every team should be represented which I know seems like a direct contradiction to my previous point but, if the benefit to winning the game is home field advantage for your respected league then I feel all teams in the league should be present to either win or lose that distinction.

Anyways with those restrictions in place here's how my allstar line-up would look like.

American League Starters

1B: Justin Morneau

2B: Brian Roberts

3B: Alex Rodriguez

SS: Carlos Guillen

OF: Magglio Ordonez

OF: Gary Sheffield

OF: Vladimir Guerrero

C: Victor Martinez

SP: Dan Haren

American League Reserves
1B: David Ortiz
2B: Placido Planco
2B B.J. Upton
3B: Mike Lowell
SS: Orlando Cabrera
SS: Derek Jeter
OF: Ichiro Suzuki
OF: Grady Sizemore
OF: Torri Hunter
OF: Alex Rios
OF: Kenny Lofton
C: Jorge Posada

P: Johan Santana
P: C.C. Sabathia
P: Jeremy Guthrie
P: Josh Beckett
P: John Lackey
P: Justin Verlander
P: John Maine
P: J.J. Putz
P: Francisco Rodriguez
P: Bobby Jenks
P: Gil Meche

The only hitters with a legitimate beef is Youkilis from Boston and Peralta from Cleveland. But I had to make room for a Texas player hence the Kenny Lofton selection. Pitching wise the only player who doesn't belong is Meche but his numbers are actually pretty decent.

National League Starters

1B: Prince Fielder

2B: Chase Utley

3B: Miguel Cabrera

SS: Hanley Ramirez

OF: Matt Holliday

OF: Ken Griffey Jr.

OF: Barry Bonds

C: Russell Martin

SP: Jake Peavy

National League Reserves
1B: Albert Pujols
1B: Dmitri Young
2B: Brandon Phillips
3B: David Wright
3B: Chipper Jones
SS: Jose Reyes
SS: Jimmy Rollins
OF: Eric Byrnes
OF: Carlos Lee
OF: Alfonso Soriano
OF: Carlos Beltran
C: Bengie Molina

P: Brad Penny
P: Chris Young
P: Ben Sheets
P: Ian Snell
P: Cole Hamels
P: John Smoltz
P: Brandon Webb
P: Derek Lowe
P: Francisco Cordero
P: Trevor Hoffman
P: Takshi Saito

The only undeserving player here is Dmitri Young and his numbers aren't that bad. Anyone who thinks Bonds doesn't deserve to start has lost there mind. He has the highest on base percentage and OPS in the league.

Mock Draft

Another more enjoyable than it should be sporting event is about to take place this week. That's right I'm talking about the NBA draft. While I am only a casual NBA fan there are several things that I like about the NBA draft more than the NFL draft.

1) It goes by a lot quicker which is good for casual fans like myself. I don't mind the wait for the NFL draft because I could watch practically anything to do with the NFL. But the NBA has found the perfect pace for their draft.

2) Almost the entire first round shows up to the draft and by in large these are huge, African American young men who are now going to become richer than they ever imagined. This means great interviews and more importantly the best fashion show of all time. Who can forget Jalen Rose's red pinstripe suit or Karl Malone's blue blazer and white pants?

3) Whenever some team picks a foreign player over a college stud and then they interview Dick Vitale. That kills me every time. This year I can't wait until the Celtics take Yi Jianlian.

Anyway I don't know too much about the NBA but that hasn't stopped me before so without further delay here's my NBA mock draft (lottery selections only)

1) Blazers: Greg Oden
On another note don't you think Portland should drop the Trail from there name and just be the Blazers? I think so.

2) Sonics: Kevin Durant
I kind of hope he's not that good just for Comedy's sake because Bill Simmons has his huge man crush on him.

3) Hawks: Al Horford
As much as I like the Gators I just don't see him being anything more than a serviceable power forward. His offensive game needs major work. This naturally makes him a perfect selection for the Hawks.

4) Grizzlies: Mike Conley
They could use a point guard and he's the best on the board.

5) Celtics: Yi Jianlian
Take it to the bank

6) Bucks: Brandon Wright
Apparently he's very long which I hear is a good thing.

7) Timberwolves: Joakim Noah
Just what Kevin Garnett needs another project who's main asset is his energy.

8) Bobcats: Corey Brewer
He's the best guy on the board.

9) Bulls: Spencer Hawes
Bulls need a big man unfortunately Hawes isn't the answer.

10) Kings: Jeff Green
A big steal for a struggling team.

11) Hawks: Acie Law
Don't you think the Hawks should change their name to the Big Hawks?

12) Sixers: Al Thornton
Should be able to step in immediately.

13) Hornets: Nick Young
They desperately need a shooting guard.

14) Clippers: Julian Wright
Just too good to pass up at this point.

So there's the lottery. You can take these picks to the bank. You know assuming there's no trades which there almost always is.

Dynasty?

So with the NBA finals all wrapped up somewhat prematurely there is only two questions still left to be answered before the draft. The first one is whether I should ever be allowed to make predictions or comment on basketball again? The answer to that one is difficult but my feeling is if I write enough columns about it eventually I'll write something intelligent. The second question which is the topic of this column is whether the Spurs are a dynasty. Let's take a look at the facts.

The Pros

• They've now won four championships since 1999 (9 year span) which is more than any other team
• They've had the most dominant player of the past ten years in Tim Duncan who has been on all four championships.
• They're two best other players have been on three of the four championship teams (Parker, Ginobli)

The Cons

• They've never won back to back championships which is a staple of dynasties.
• They're current mark of four championships in nine years pales in comparison to the Celtics eleven in thirteen years or the Bulls six in the nineties.
• Other than Duncan their hasn't been much continuity between all four teams. Their have been players like Ginobli and Parker for the last three but three championships in seven years isn't a dynasty.
• Normal dynasties also don't allow other teams to win three championships in there run of dominance like the Lakers did. Also those Lakers teams were better than any Spurs teams that won.

So when you break down the Pros and Cons of a potential Spurs dynasty it looks like they just fall short. If one of the above Cons wasn't there I'd lean the other way. But with no back to back championships, no continuity between all four teams and another mini dynasty in between there so called dynasty I just can't label them a dynasty. The 1999 Championship just seems to distant from now to be included. If however they win next year or the year after I'll give them the respect they will then and only then deserve.

Commencement

There's been a couple of interesting subplots lately in the world of sports. We've got perhaps the greatest pitcher ever coming back to perhaps the greatest sports franchise ever to try and bring them back into pennant contention. We've got the first Philly winning a triple crown horse race in over one hundred years. And I not knowing much about horse racing initially thought "so what, a horse from Philadelphia won a triple crown race." Later I realized the that a Philly was a female horse so now I'm thinking "big deal a female horse won triple crown race. They're just as pumped with steroids as the Colts (males) are."



Anyway that's not what I'm going to write about today. Today with summer just getting under way and high school graduations taking place I'm going to give you what my commencement speech would be if I had been given the chance to speak to my high school class. See I wasn't popular enough or smart enough to be given this distinction so sadly this is the closest I'm going to come. Even though my high school graduation was two years ago I'm nevertheless going to give it my best shot. Anyway here goes.



"So I stand here before you after four years of our lives in this building. It's amazing how short of a time that seems. High school was an important four years, an educational four years, a sometimes difficult four years but above all else it was a fun four years. It Seems like yesterday I was just a boy starting freshman year, trying to fit in and not step on any one's toes and now I'm practically a grown man. My time here shaped me and who I'm going to become just like it shaped you and the men and women you'll become. I remember back in the summer before grade nine and I was a little nervous about starting high school and my parents told me not to worry and how this was going to be the best years of my life. It was comforting then but a little scary now to think like that. I mean don't get me wrong these were the best years of my life so far and I've had more fun and made more friends than I thought possible, but I'd like to think for most of us that the best years are still ahead of us. That we'll go on to bigger and better things, have more new and exciting experiences in front of us. So that's kind of what my message is here for you tonight. It's to celebrate our past accomplishments at this school which have laid the foundation for our accomplishments for the rest of our life. I know it's bittersweet. Statistics tell you that you won't talk to 90% of the people from high school which just seems unreal because I've known many of you since Kindergarten. I can't imagine my life without being able to see and talk to some of you. But that's life, we grow up, we change, we make new friends and have new challenges. Just like high school it won't always be easy but just like high school I'm sure in the end it will all be worth it. So here's to high school and all of the friendships and memories we'll always share and here's to the future. Let's make it the best years of our life."

Finals

Before I get to my final pick for the NBA playoffs (although after chalking up an 0-2 in the last round maybe I should quit) this seems like a good time to discuss Billy Donovan's decision to leave Florida and then return, and why college coaches in general whether it be basketball or football feel the need to leave their successful college positions to go for the bright lights of the professional league.


First of all I was pretty shocked when I heard that Donovan wanted to renege on his commitment to Orlando. They had as good as a situation as one could dream. It was in central Florida where he coached the Gators so his family wouldn't have to move and the magic fans might give him some more leeway if he struggled out of the gate. They had one of the best young low post players in the game who hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential. They play in the inferior conference where despite a sub .500 record they made the playoffs. They have a mid range first round draft pick in a loaded draft class so they have the opportunity to get better. They have some cap space and this summer has the potential for a great free agent class. If that can't entice him enough to jump ship I don't think anything will.


So why did he leave in the first place? Why does Pete Carroll entertain the thought of leaving the best college football program in America (in the heart of Los Angeles no less) why did Spurrior, Pitino and many others decide to try the pro game? Well there's a couple of reasons.


1) Money. A man much wiser than me once said the answer to all your questions is money. (or something to that effect) In the case of Billy Donovan he was going to make a lot of money 27 million over five years. But leaving college for financial reasons is pretty low on the totem pole. Donovan is going to make a ton of money when he resigns his contract at Florida. It won't be the same amount as Orlando but my guess is it will be in the ball park. Also at Florida he has much better job security. So while money is a factor (If the money wasn't there no coach would leave college in my opinion) I just don't see it as being one of the deciding factors.


2) Notoriety. Again pretty low on the list of reasons. Most college coaches have all the fame and praise they could ever want but despite how big the college game is, the professional league is always bigger. That's just the nature of the beast.


3) Wanting to take on new challenges. This is the biggest reason why successful college coaches leave for the pros. In the case of Donovan he has already won two national championships and while sustaining excellence is a huge challenge it doesn't whet the appetite quite like achieving excellence in the pros. For Donovan and all college coaches that went on to coach in the pros, life is comfortable and the job is fun but like all human beings we seek new challenges. It's like when underclassmen declare for the draft (Oden and Durant for example) They both loved college but they both realized it's time to move on. To make themselves better they have to take on new challenges (In their case the money is also a much bigger issue.) I think Mike Vick put it perfectly when he declared for the NFL draft 6 years ago in 2001. He said he loved college and he wanted to stay but he had to leave. That's why I was shocked when Donovan decided to come back. I thought the allure of the new challenge would be too much to pass up. I guess he was unwilling to give up the comfort and security of Florida because once you leave and actually start coaching you can't ever go back to the way things were before. Pitino's now at Louisville, Spurrior's at South Carolina and so on.

Now on to my NBA finals pick. Even though the Spurs should thoroughly dominate I have to go with the Cavs because if LeBron makes the ultimate leap I want it in writing that I called it all along.

Lottery

Wow it's been awhile. Too long really. I got a little distracted with the warm weather and last week I started a new job so I've been adjusting to my new schedule and the column just plain slipped my mind. Most likely because there hasn't been a heck of a lot of interesting things going on in sports. The NBA playoffs are trudging along and Baseball is still going strong but I can honestly say that the thing that got me the most excited was the NBA draft lottery. Depending on how good the draft class is this event can range from mildly intriguing to down right exciting. With this years absolutely loaded draft class it fell into the latter category. So that got me thinking. The NBA lottery stirs up a lot of excitement for its draft and it clearly has a positive effect on the NBA. But would it also work in other sports like baseball or football or is it just suited to the NBA?

There's a couple of reasons why it's ideal for the NBA.

1) There are so few players on a team that one legit superstar can mean the difference from being a contender to being the league's laughingstock.

2) The talent disparity between picks is dramatic. Often times there is one can't miss player and a bunch of question marks (Not always) Also the proportion of first round picks who become busts is large (due to the small roster sizes) therefore the higher your pick the greater the chance of an impact player which doubles in importance because of point number one.

So with those two previous points it's obvious why having a lottery adds to the excitement of the draft and hopefully will prevent tanking because just as the Celtics and Bucks found out last week increasing your odds of a top pick doesn't necessarily get you anywhere.

So will this work in Major League Baseball?
Probably not. The draft is already a non event for everyone except hardcore baseball fans so it wouldn't add any excitement level. Also baseball prospects don't' make an immediate impact and there is rarely a consensus top pick. So I can't really see the point for Baseball.

Well what about the NFL?
Even though there is a general consensus of the top overall player, seldom does that player get taken first overall unless he's a QB. Most teams end up picking for need so there doesn't seem to be a functional reason to do it. Also one player rarely turns around an entire franchise with a couple of notable exceptions (mostly QB's) However the NFL draft is huge. So I'm sure it would generate some buzz. But does the NFL really need it? After the Super Bowl there's Senior Bowl week which shortly leads into the combine, which leads into private workouts, which leads up to the draft. There's doesn't seem to be any time lag where they could use a jolt of attention.

So after careful analysis the draft lottery seems perfect for the NBA and only the NBA. I look forward to it ever year and maybe just one sport having it is enough.

(I'm perfectly aware the NHL uses it but come on that's not really a major sport)