Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Nevermind
So never mind on the Rafael Soriano article I was going to put up. I typed it up, was going to post it today, but he signed with the Nationals (on a great deal for them by the way). The Nationals were 1 of 3 teams that I did mention in the article I was going to put up. They sign him for about the price I felt he could be signed for, with an even better deal for them with deferred money. The Nationals are a couple of left handed relievers away from being possibly the favorites to win the World Series. They have multiple avenues to pursue this and I expect that they will address that issue at some point soon. Meanwhile, the Tigers and Blue Jays are left with question marks in the back of their bullpen. The Tigers plan on going with top prospect Bruce Rondon. He throws 100 mph, but its unknown if he can jump up to the big leagues and immediately provide the team with a shut down closer. The Blue Jays will rely on a tandem of Sergio Santos coming off of an injury and Casey Janssen, who at 31 years old is coming off of arguably the best year of his career, when he accumulated 22 saves. It is not known if he can continue and perform like that for a full season. Santos, who has proven himself as a closer before, may take a setup role while he continues to recover from his injury. Brad Lincoln, Steve Delabar, and (if he doesnt retire) Darren Oliver look to have prominent roles in the middle to late innings. There are still options out there, but none the caliber of Soriano. It should be interesting to see how this signing will effect these 3 teams in particular
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
NBA 2012-2013 Preseason Predictions
Pre Season Picks (2012-2013)
EAST WEST
1. Miami Heat 1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. New York Knicks 2. LA Clippers
3. Boston Celtics 3. Denver Nuggets
4. Indiana Pacers 4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Philadelphia 76ers 5. LA Lakers
6. Chicago Bulls 6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Brooklyn Nets 7. Utah Jazz
8. Atlanta Hawks 8, Dallas Mavericks
9. Milwalkee Bucks 9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10.Toronto Raptors 10.Golden State Warriors
11.Cleveland Cavaliers 11.New Orleans Hornets
12.Orlando Magic 12.Phoenix Suns
13.Washington Wizards 13.Houston Rockets
14.Detroit Pistons 14.Portland Trail Blazers
15.Charlotte Bobcats 15.Sacramento Kings
Eastern Conference Finals Western Conference Finals
Miami Heat def. Boston Celtics Oklahoma City Thunder def. LA Clippers
NBA Finals
Miami Heat def. Oklahoma City Thunder
2013 NBA CHAMPIONS
MIAMI HEAT
These were my preseason picks. I originally had slightly different choices for different spots, but after John Wall, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, and other players were injured, those changed. Obviously, many things have changed since the season started, including more injuries and a couple of teams playing worse than I might have thought they would. Amusingly, some of what has happened actually was in my original preseason picks. This year was very tough for me. It was hard to figure out who wouldnt be a decent team. The league is really deep and I didnt think there was going to be that one terrible team this year, barring injuries. I figured that there would be more teams closer to .500. The Western Conference was especially hard to figure out from 3-15 and I had a hard time separating some of the teams more than a game or 2. I wanted to put Memphis higher, but couldnt figure out who to put lower, so I went with this saying that the teams finishing in the 3-6 range would be close together. A similar thing can be said for the Eastern Conference as well. I didnt think the Celtics would finish too high in the regular season, but also didnt know where I would put them. I also thought Atlanta would be somewhere around the 5th or 6th seed, but didnt know who to drop. I felt like there was going to be a close range of games separating a lot of teams. Updated picks will come out during the All-Star break.
EAST WEST
1. Miami Heat 1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. New York Knicks 2. LA Clippers
3. Boston Celtics 3. Denver Nuggets
4. Indiana Pacers 4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Philadelphia 76ers 5. LA Lakers
6. Chicago Bulls 6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Brooklyn Nets 7. Utah Jazz
8. Atlanta Hawks 8, Dallas Mavericks
9. Milwalkee Bucks 9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10.Toronto Raptors 10.Golden State Warriors
11.Cleveland Cavaliers 11.New Orleans Hornets
12.Orlando Magic 12.Phoenix Suns
13.Washington Wizards 13.Houston Rockets
14.Detroit Pistons 14.Portland Trail Blazers
15.Charlotte Bobcats 15.Sacramento Kings
Eastern Conference Finals Western Conference Finals
Miami Heat def. Boston Celtics Oklahoma City Thunder def. LA Clippers
NBA Finals
Miami Heat def. Oklahoma City Thunder
2013 NBA CHAMPIONS
MIAMI HEAT
These were my preseason picks. I originally had slightly different choices for different spots, but after John Wall, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, and other players were injured, those changed. Obviously, many things have changed since the season started, including more injuries and a couple of teams playing worse than I might have thought they would. Amusingly, some of what has happened actually was in my original preseason picks. This year was very tough for me. It was hard to figure out who wouldnt be a decent team. The league is really deep and I didnt think there was going to be that one terrible team this year, barring injuries. I figured that there would be more teams closer to .500. The Western Conference was especially hard to figure out from 3-15 and I had a hard time separating some of the teams more than a game or 2. I wanted to put Memphis higher, but couldnt figure out who to put lower, so I went with this saying that the teams finishing in the 3-6 range would be close together. A similar thing can be said for the Eastern Conference as well. I didnt think the Celtics would finish too high in the regular season, but also didnt know where I would put them. I also thought Atlanta would be somewhere around the 5th or 6th seed, but didnt know who to drop. I felt like there was going to be a close range of games separating a lot of teams. Updated picks will come out during the All-Star break.
I'm Back (sort of)
After not posting for almost a year, I decided to put up 2-3 posts and go from there. I actually did write up a few things that I didnt post since my last posts, including NBA predictions for this year. The reason that I didnt put those posts up is that I didnt see any real need to. I decided that I dont wish to format my thoughts in formal write-ups, so my posts here will most likely be limited. My vision is the main hindrance in all of this and because of those issues, I have a hard time proof reading. I generally comment on everything that is going on in sports, but I do so on facebook so I dont have to organize everything too much and can ramble on about the topic. The Hall of Fame post I made was not very well organized, and I literally wrote down my thoughts in a few minutes. I'm not sure that the next 2 articles I put up will be like that, but it is still possible that it will be the direction I go in. The next 2 articles will be about the Marlins and a possible Giancarlo Stanton trade, and what I think about it as a Marlins fan (which I think will surprise everyone), and who I think should sign Rafael Soriano and why it might put them over the top as a contender. I've spoken about these topics more than several times and decided that they might be good topics to bring up here. I expect to put them up at some point in the next couple of days.
2013 Hall of Fame (non)Selection
Later today, the results of this year’s Hall of Fame voting
will be in, and for the first time since 1996, it looks like nobody will be
getting in. We have heard every reason thinkable from the many different writers
who decided not to vote for certain players, or anyone at all. Those reasons
range from “his stats aren’t good enough” to “he had a lot of back hair, so he
was probably taking some kind of PED.” We’ve heard certain writers say that
they would be handing in blank ballots as a protest for the players of PED use.
This is my problem with the situation. How can we say with total certainty who
did or didn’t do something, when there isn’t any evidence against them? How do
we know who else was doing it during that era, whether it be a bench player,
the starting pitcher giving up those HRs or anyone on the field? Personally, I
think that there are at least 13 players on the ballot this year that deserve
to be in the Hall of Fame, and none of them getting in would be a disgrace. To
me, it makes the Hall of Fame a joke if these players don’t get in, just as it
looks like a joke with Pete Rose not being in the Hall of Fame, but that’s a
different story for another time. The Hall of Fame is supposed to be one of the
greatest foundations of story in sports. How can you have a Hall of Fame
without its greatest players to tell your kids about. When I visited the Hall
of Fame a few years back, I had an amazing time, and wished I went back for a
second day b/c there wasn’t enough time to see everything before closing. I
loved the experience, and it is something that I would think I could share
later on in my life. Unfortunately, I don’t know what I would say if I’m asked
why Barry Bonds isn’t in the Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Craig Biggio, Tim Raines, Mike Piazza, Jack Morris, Rafael
Palmeiro, Jeff Bagwell, Alan Trammel, Curt Schilling, Fred McGriff, Edgar
Martinez, and Mark McGwire all should get in. You can only
vote for 10 per year, so 3 of these would have to be left off for another year.
Still, they all should get in at some point. Those that speak of Bonds’ and
Clemens’ PED use do so without merit in my opinion. Bonds was a no doubt, first
ballot Hall of Fame player before he ever did any of it. He still would have
hit over 600 HRs regardless, and some argue that he is the greatest player they
ever saw play the game. Clemens also has a similar case. The accusations
against Clemens suggest that he did his PED use in Toronto. Before his stint in
Toronto began in 1997, Clemens had pitched for 13 years and accumulated 3 Cy
Young awards, an MVP award, and an additional 2nd and 3rd
place finish for the Cy Young award. He was already a Hall of Fame pitcher.
Clemens is likely the greatest pitcher that I have ever seen and it would be a
travesty if neither he nor Barry Bonds got into the Hall of Fame. There is also
new speculation about Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza that has absolutely no merit
and is only being brought on because of who their peers were. Mike Piazza is
arguably the greatest offensive catcher in the history of the game. If he isn’t
a Hall of Famer, then I don’t know what is. The argument against McGriff is
ridiculous. Some say that he shouldn’t get in because he didn’t hit 500 HRs. HE
HIT 493! Are you really telling me that you aren’t letting “The Crime Dog” into
the Hall of Fame because of 7 HRs?! He could have easily hit those HRs if it wasn’t
for the strike shortened season in 1994, and regardless, 7 HRs is such a small
number to keep someone away from the Hall of Fame. Biggio came up as a catcher,
moved to 2nd base, to center field, and back to 2nd base,
and all he did during that time was collect more than 3000 hits and put his
name in history as an all time Houston Astros great.. He played the game the
right way and for him to be part of this whole “protest” is an absolute shame.
Tim Raines is probably the 2nd greatest lead-off hitter of all time,
and to leave him out because he played at the same time as Ricky Henderson, is
just plain stupid. Jack Morris was probably the greatest pitcher of the 1980s
and is synonymous with winning. He was dominant during his time and just
because his ERA is where it is, shouldn’t deny him his rightful spot in the
Hall of Fame. This is a guy that averaged 7 1/3 innings per start. That means
he literally pitched into the 8th inning every time he pitched. If
the objective of baseball isn’t winning, then what is the object of the game? I
don’t think he should be held out for going out on the mound and trying to win every
time he went out there. Curt Schilling’s big time moments also speak for
themselves, and he should be a Hall of Fame pitcher. Palmeiro and McGwire also
deserve to be in, even with the PED use. Palmeiro didn’t just have the HRs. He
also has more than 3000 hits, and that gets him in the Hall of Fame for me.
Meanwhile, McGwire wasn’t one-dimensional. He was always a high OBP guy, along with
the HRs. As you can tell, I would be OK with putting PED users into the Hall of
Fame because we don’t know, and will never know, enough about the whole
situation. We don’t know who did or didn’t do them before or during this period
of time. We don’t know how which specific PED effected things either. Its just the way the game was and I don’t think
we should keep the greatest players to play this game out of the Hall of Fame
because of it. If you want to put up a wing dedicated to just this era, then that’s
fine. Put up information explaining everything, so we can walk through those
halls in Cooperstown and read about these players. On their plaques, “admitted
or found PED user” can be written to show that they might not have done everything
cleanly. Do whatever you have to do, but don’t rob the fans of seeing the
greatest players in the Hall of Fame.
*Please excuse the lack of
paragraphs in this write-up. It was meant to be a quick assessment of some of
the issues in Hall of Fame voting this year, and who I think should get in on
this year’s ballot. Other articles will generally be in a more professional
format, with better organization.
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