Unlike our basketball-playing friends with their boring games (that take forever) and uncompetitive series, the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs were spectacular. Only two series went seven, but there easily could've been two or three more. And even the shorter series were closer than they appeared, as evidence by the five one-goal games between the Rangers and Penguins.
So now as we embark on the second round, things really get serious. With the way the playoffs are set up, they're essentially division finals, and the differences between the two teams in each series will be minimal. All these teams know each other well, and this is where mistakes are going to be exacerbated. Teams can't get away with anything, and the questionable goalie play we saw at times in round one won't fly this time.
EASTERN CONFERENCECanadiens vs. Lightning: As a Rangers fan, I was very much rooting for Detroit in Game 7. Because I know how good the Tampa Bay Lighting are, and I want absolutely nothing to do with them. But it's probably more fitting that this series is Tampa Bay vs. Montreal. They traded first place back-and-forth all season, so it should be one of them that gets to play in the conference finals.
Montreal had a little more trouble with Ottawa than most people thought, but the better team did ultimately prevail. Against Tampa Bay, things will be much different, though. The Canadiens, especially Carey Price, have to bring their "A" game every time if they expect to win. And even that might not be enough against that outstanding Tampa Bay offense. Very little separates these two teams, and Montreal is slightly better on paper. Price will probably win the Vezina and is an MVP finalist. But for some reason, I think Tampa Bay is going to win the series. The Lightning feel like they missed their chance last year and they don't want to again. Tampa Bay in six.
Rangers vs. Capitals: Sorry to everybody that was hoping for a Rangers-Islanders series. I wanted to see it, too. It would've been cool. But it is an NHL rule that the Rangers play the Capitals in the playoffs, and rules are rules. And we're all the better for it. Because these two, who've now met five times in seven years, have played some classic playoff series in recent years. This year's edition should be no different.
There's no love lost between the Rangers and Capitals, either. Both teams will probably rely on the same formula that got them here. For Washington, that's Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. For the Rangers, that's Henrik Lundqvist. Although, the Capitals have slightly expanded their arsenal, which they knew they needed to do to finally win a playoff round. Against the Islanders, they played some solid defense and let Braden Holtby go to work. It was a good strategy that probably won them the series. The Rangers, meanwhile, handled the Penguins with surprising ease, which got them some extra time off. A little rust showed tonight, and not having Mats Zuccarello, especially if its for an extended period, is a big blow. But the Rangers won the President's Trophy for a reason. Familiarity breeds contempt, and teams as familiar as these two will do battle for seven games. That's how Rangers-Capitals series always go. But Game 7 in Madison Square Garden is usually Lundqvist's time to shine. Rangers in seven.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Blackhawks vs. Wild: These two meet in the second round for the second straight year under similar circumstances. Chicago finished third and Minnesota was the top wild card, yet they both won without home ice in the first round. Last year Colorado (Minnesota) and St. Louis (Chicago) were the victims. The only thing that changed this year is that the Predators were involved instead of the Avalanche. Although, I'm still convinced that if Nashville had won the Central instead of St. Louis, we'd be seeing a Blackhawks-Predators series right now.
It's probably safe to say that the Chicago Blackhawks don't care at all where they finish in the regular season or who they end up facing in the playoffs. Chicago is built for the postseason, and that was evidence again this year against a Nashville team that actually matched up pretty well against them. The Blackhawks used all their postseason experience to their full advantage, overcoming some shaky goaltending by both Corey Crawford and Scott Darling to mount a couple comebacks in a six-game win. Minnesota won in the first round last season, then ran into the Chicago buzz saw. Unfortunately for the Wild, I think history repeats itself. The Blackhawks need to get their goalie situation straightened out. But their offense is more than enough to make up for it. They're my pick to win the Cup for a reason. Blackhawks in six.
Ducks vs. Flams: The Calgary Flames are good. As if knocking the other two California teams out of the playoffs entirely wasn't enough, they went and knocked off a Vancouver team that couldn't figure out which goalie to use until it was too late. It took six games, but Calgary completely dominated Vancouver.
Speaking of completely dominating, the Anaheim Ducks showed Winnipeg why they're the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They're good, they know it, and they wanted to make sure everybody else knows it, too. And that includes the Calgary Flames. That team is on the verge of doing something very special over the next couple of seasons. But it won't be this year. The Ducks are much too strong. If both teams play the way they did in the first round, the Flames have a chance of keeping it competitive. But I'd be very surprised if they extend it even to six. Anaheim owes Calgary a debt of gratitude for keeping the Kings and Sharks away. They'll repay that gratitude with a five-game series win.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
MLB's Baltimore Catch-22
It's terrible what's happening in Baltimore right now. Sadly, this has become all too common a scene all over the country, but I don't think I've seen it this bad in a while. Of course, I have some family in Baltimore, too, so I'm watching this one even more closely and hoping for their safety. Hopefully this all ends soon and things in Baltimore get back to normal.
This unrest has also put the city, the Orioles and Major League Baseball in an unenviable position. The Orioles were scheduled to host the White Sox in a three-game series at Camden Yards. It's Chicago's only visit to Baltimore. With the public safety concerns being what they were, they had no choice but to cancel Monday night's game. Same thing with the second game of the series, especially with a city-wide 10 p.m. curfew being put into effect. Endangering the public just to play a baseball game seems silly, but these games also need to be played, especially with the White Sox not coming back to Baltimore this season.
There were several options they had regarding the third game of the series on Wednesday. The one they chose I've never seen before. Wednesday afternoon's game will be played. In an empty stadium. No fans allowed. Then the White Sox will come back to Baltimore on a mutual off day at the end of May and they'll play a doubleheader.
While this isn't something we've seen in Major League Baseball before, it's not totally unprecedented. FIFA makes teams play inside of empty stadiums all the time, usually as some sort of punishment for fan behavior. (I think there are still some national teams that aren't allowed to play home games at all. They have to play their "home" games in a neighboring country, for various reasons.) And I know it's happened at least once in college basketball where there was that flu outbreak or something during a conference tournament in the early 90s. But this is the first time I've seen it in one of the four major U.S. professional sports.
Of course, they could've moved the games to Washington. That's been done before all kinds of times. The Yankees once had to play a game in Shea Stadium because of a structural problem at Yankee Stadium, and teams have series moved because of weather all the time. (Remember when the Cubs started the season with home games in Milwaukee?) And, of course, there was that famous six-week road trip to end the season for the Montreal Expos when Olympic Stadium began to fall apart and they had to play all their home games in their opponents' stadiums.
I also remember a couple years ago when the Marlins played a home series against the Mariners in Seattle, which is about as far away from Miami as you can get and still be in the continental U.S., because of a U2 concert in their stadium. That's what the Orioles are going to do over the weekend. They're playing the Rays and the series has been moved to Tampa, but the Orioles will still be the "home" team for those three games.
Moving the weekend series to Tampa was probably a smart move. The Dodgers did the same thing during the Rodney King riots, and since that option was available, it gives MLB a chance to make sure the games get played without having to worry about any potential problems in Baltimore.
Although, I do have one question regarding that. The Orioles and Rays are in the same division. That means they play three series a year against each other in each city. Why not just swap this series in Baltimore with one in Tampa later in the season? That way the Orioles wouldn't lose the home games (although, I think MLB does have some sort of provision for that if a situation like this arises) and they wouldn't be in the awkward position of playing 12 games against each other in one city and only six in the other. Baltimore still goes to Tampa Bay two more times, so that scenario could've worked.
Unfortunately, with the White Sox, that's not an option. The way the MLB schedule is structured, you only play teams outside of your division once at home and once on the road. It creates very little leeway if there are rainouts or other extenuating circumstances that necessitate a postponement (like these, for example). As a result, they were left trying to figure out how to reschedule games without the luxury of a return trip, where they could simply turn one of the days into a doubleheader (although I'm a little surprised that a doubleheader when they play in Chicago on 4th of July weekend wasn't put forward as an option).
The Orioles, the White Sox and Major League Baseball were put in a very difficult situation. They don't know what the right answer is, or if there even is one. They couldn't play the games in Baltimore and act like everything was normal. That much was certain. So this was the solution they came up with.
Is it fair? Probably not. The Orioles will lose a whole lot of revenue by not playing two games and playing a third in front of an empty house, as well, as of course, by playing a home series in St. Petersburg, Fla. Then there are the Orioles fans, many of whom have nothing to do with the riots and want to go back to feeling safe in their own city. They deserve the chance to see their team play and won't be able to because of all this. The sense of normalcy that watching or going to the Orioles game won't be there, which means they won't have that distraction and will be stuck thinking about the riots 24-7.
Playing the games under these circumstances I'm sure will be weird for the players, too. You know they're going to think about it. Just like the Giants and Jets couldn't escape the shadow of 9/11 in the weeks after the tragedy and the Red Sox turned the Marathon bombings into "Boston Strong" and a World Series title. But they've got a job to do and playing baseball might be the only thing that seems normal right now.
Once things calm down and Baltimore is back to being the great city it is, the Orioles will help their city get back to normal. But right now, unfortunately, the Orioles can't play games in Baltimore. Even if that's what the city needs the most.
This unrest has also put the city, the Orioles and Major League Baseball in an unenviable position. The Orioles were scheduled to host the White Sox in a three-game series at Camden Yards. It's Chicago's only visit to Baltimore. With the public safety concerns being what they were, they had no choice but to cancel Monday night's game. Same thing with the second game of the series, especially with a city-wide 10 p.m. curfew being put into effect. Endangering the public just to play a baseball game seems silly, but these games also need to be played, especially with the White Sox not coming back to Baltimore this season.
There were several options they had regarding the third game of the series on Wednesday. The one they chose I've never seen before. Wednesday afternoon's game will be played. In an empty stadium. No fans allowed. Then the White Sox will come back to Baltimore on a mutual off day at the end of May and they'll play a doubleheader.
While this isn't something we've seen in Major League Baseball before, it's not totally unprecedented. FIFA makes teams play inside of empty stadiums all the time, usually as some sort of punishment for fan behavior. (I think there are still some national teams that aren't allowed to play home games at all. They have to play their "home" games in a neighboring country, for various reasons.) And I know it's happened at least once in college basketball where there was that flu outbreak or something during a conference tournament in the early 90s. But this is the first time I've seen it in one of the four major U.S. professional sports.
Of course, they could've moved the games to Washington. That's been done before all kinds of times. The Yankees once had to play a game in Shea Stadium because of a structural problem at Yankee Stadium, and teams have series moved because of weather all the time. (Remember when the Cubs started the season with home games in Milwaukee?) And, of course, there was that famous six-week road trip to end the season for the Montreal Expos when Olympic Stadium began to fall apart and they had to play all their home games in their opponents' stadiums.
I also remember a couple years ago when the Marlins played a home series against the Mariners in Seattle, which is about as far away from Miami as you can get and still be in the continental U.S., because of a U2 concert in their stadium. That's what the Orioles are going to do over the weekend. They're playing the Rays and the series has been moved to Tampa, but the Orioles will still be the "home" team for those three games.
Moving the weekend series to Tampa was probably a smart move. The Dodgers did the same thing during the Rodney King riots, and since that option was available, it gives MLB a chance to make sure the games get played without having to worry about any potential problems in Baltimore.
Although, I do have one question regarding that. The Orioles and Rays are in the same division. That means they play three series a year against each other in each city. Why not just swap this series in Baltimore with one in Tampa later in the season? That way the Orioles wouldn't lose the home games (although, I think MLB does have some sort of provision for that if a situation like this arises) and they wouldn't be in the awkward position of playing 12 games against each other in one city and only six in the other. Baltimore still goes to Tampa Bay two more times, so that scenario could've worked.
Unfortunately, with the White Sox, that's not an option. The way the MLB schedule is structured, you only play teams outside of your division once at home and once on the road. It creates very little leeway if there are rainouts or other extenuating circumstances that necessitate a postponement (like these, for example). As a result, they were left trying to figure out how to reschedule games without the luxury of a return trip, where they could simply turn one of the days into a doubleheader (although I'm a little surprised that a doubleheader when they play in Chicago on 4th of July weekend wasn't put forward as an option).
The Orioles, the White Sox and Major League Baseball were put in a very difficult situation. They don't know what the right answer is, or if there even is one. They couldn't play the games in Baltimore and act like everything was normal. That much was certain. So this was the solution they came up with.
Is it fair? Probably not. The Orioles will lose a whole lot of revenue by not playing two games and playing a third in front of an empty house, as well, as of course, by playing a home series in St. Petersburg, Fla. Then there are the Orioles fans, many of whom have nothing to do with the riots and want to go back to feeling safe in their own city. They deserve the chance to see their team play and won't be able to because of all this. The sense of normalcy that watching or going to the Orioles game won't be there, which means they won't have that distraction and will be stuck thinking about the riots 24-7.
Playing the games under these circumstances I'm sure will be weird for the players, too. You know they're going to think about it. Just like the Giants and Jets couldn't escape the shadow of 9/11 in the weeks after the tragedy and the Red Sox turned the Marathon bombings into "Boston Strong" and a World Series title. But they've got a job to do and playing baseball might be the only thing that seems normal right now.
Once things calm down and Baltimore is back to being the great city it is, the Orioles will help their city get back to normal. But right now, unfortunately, the Orioles can't play games in Baltimore. Even if that's what the city needs the most.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
The Original Bruce Jenner
There's been so much talk and rampant speculation about Bruce Jenner's sexuality in recent months that his admission in that Diane Sawyer interview that he is, indeed, transgender didn't surprise anybody. Bruce Jenner, who was known as the 1976 Olympic decathlon champion long before he became a reality TV caricature, will soon begin the transition from life as a man to life as a woman. So what?
I'm not sure anyone cares that Bruce Jenner's transgender. And I don't mean that in a negative way. America has become so evolved as a country that this isn't shocking, and it's something that's become accepted. There are plenty of transgender people out there. Bruce Jenner just happens to be one of them. Just like when Jason Collins came out as gay, it was a brave step, but Bruce Jenner didn't owe this revelation to anyone. What he wants to do with his own life is none of our business. (If you're ignorant and closed-minded enough to have a problem with it, I ask you this: how does Bruce Jenner becoming a woman affect your life in any way?)
The reason this is such a big deal, of course, is the same reason Jason Collins' announcement was such a big deal. Bruce Jenner will now become the face of the transgender community. Until now, Chaz Bono was the most famous transgender person. But Bruce Jenner's a much bigger name than Chaz Bono, and Bruce Jenner's been in the public eye much longer. He was a famous athlete, then he was on that stupid, mind-numbing Kardashian show (thanks, O.J.). I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it was to be on that show with this deep, dark secret and all the questions and snickering that came with it.
Jenner will still go by "Bruce" for now and hasn't decided on whether or not to go through with gender reassignment surgery. Should he do it (which I think he will and is one of the reasons he decided to go public), Jenner will become, by far, the highest profile professional athlete to go from male to female.
Shortly after Jenner won Olympic gold in Montreal, Renee Richards emerged on the professional women's tennis circuit. After Richards came out of nowhere and began winning tournaments, people eventually figured out Renee Richards was actually Dick Raskind, who had been the captain of the Yale men's tennis team before going on to a successful amateur career, playing in the US Championships five times. (It was actually the similarity of Richards' game to Raskind's that led to her being exposed.)
In the late 70s, being transgender was, to put it mildly, slightly less accepted than it is today. They tried to bar Richards from tournaments, arguing it was unfair for her to compete against women. After they refused to let her enter the 1976 US Open, Richards successfully sued for the right to play. The judge in the case acknowledged Richards as a female and said that denying her the right to compete in women's tournaments was a violation of her rights as a woman, clearing the way for her to play in the 1977 US Open. Richards lost in the first round in singles, but made the doubles final, and went on to have a four-year career on the women's tennis tour.
ESPN aired a documentary about Richards in 2011. It explains the challenges she went through, both personally and professionally, before and after the surgery. This is a different time. Bruce Jenner will face no such discrimination. Sure, there's going to be closed-minded people who aren't accepting of his lifestyle choice, but the transition will likely be much easier for Bruce Jenner than it was for Renee Richards. And let's not forget, Jenner already has a TV deal for a series documenting the transition.
Of course, Jenner and Richards underwent the transition much later in life, but there's been some recent examples of transgender athletes realizing who they are while still in their athletic primes. George Washington basketball player Kye Allums came out as transgender in 2010 and played for the Colonials' women's team in 2010-11 while identifying himself as male. Then in 2012, Keelin Godsey, a transgender man, competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the women's hammer throw. Godsey didn't make the team, but still competes as a female while identifying as male.
Godsey's situation led to a whole new set of questions. If the system is designed for men to compete against men and women compete against women, where do transgender athletes fit in? These very questions led to South African Caster Semenya, the 2009 world champion in the women's 800 meters, not being able to compete for more than a year while she was forced to undergo gender tests. For privacy reasons, they never publicly disclosed the results of Semenya's gender tests, but she's competed without incident ever since and won the silver medal in the 800 at the London Olympics.
Obviously, the question of transgender athletes and their eligibility doesn't effect Bruce Jenner. He's 65 years old and he won his Olympic gold 40 years ago. But Jenner's revelation does once again bring the topic to the forefront. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. This is a different world we live in.
Transgender people walk among us. Some of them even compete in sports, probably even at a high level. It's their right to live their lives however they want to, but when it comes to athletics, we have to find a balance between not violating their rights as individuals while also making it a level playing field for everyone else. How we do that I don't know. But there has to be a solution that's fair for everybody.
I'm not sure anyone cares that Bruce Jenner's transgender. And I don't mean that in a negative way. America has become so evolved as a country that this isn't shocking, and it's something that's become accepted. There are plenty of transgender people out there. Bruce Jenner just happens to be one of them. Just like when Jason Collins came out as gay, it was a brave step, but Bruce Jenner didn't owe this revelation to anyone. What he wants to do with his own life is none of our business. (If you're ignorant and closed-minded enough to have a problem with it, I ask you this: how does Bruce Jenner becoming a woman affect your life in any way?)
The reason this is such a big deal, of course, is the same reason Jason Collins' announcement was such a big deal. Bruce Jenner will now become the face of the transgender community. Until now, Chaz Bono was the most famous transgender person. But Bruce Jenner's a much bigger name than Chaz Bono, and Bruce Jenner's been in the public eye much longer. He was a famous athlete, then he was on that stupid, mind-numbing Kardashian show (thanks, O.J.). I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it was to be on that show with this deep, dark secret and all the questions and snickering that came with it.
Jenner will still go by "Bruce" for now and hasn't decided on whether or not to go through with gender reassignment surgery. Should he do it (which I think he will and is one of the reasons he decided to go public), Jenner will become, by far, the highest profile professional athlete to go from male to female.
Shortly after Jenner won Olympic gold in Montreal, Renee Richards emerged on the professional women's tennis circuit. After Richards came out of nowhere and began winning tournaments, people eventually figured out Renee Richards was actually Dick Raskind, who had been the captain of the Yale men's tennis team before going on to a successful amateur career, playing in the US Championships five times. (It was actually the similarity of Richards' game to Raskind's that led to her being exposed.)
In the late 70s, being transgender was, to put it mildly, slightly less accepted than it is today. They tried to bar Richards from tournaments, arguing it was unfair for her to compete against women. After they refused to let her enter the 1976 US Open, Richards successfully sued for the right to play. The judge in the case acknowledged Richards as a female and said that denying her the right to compete in women's tournaments was a violation of her rights as a woman, clearing the way for her to play in the 1977 US Open. Richards lost in the first round in singles, but made the doubles final, and went on to have a four-year career on the women's tennis tour.
ESPN aired a documentary about Richards in 2011. It explains the challenges she went through, both personally and professionally, before and after the surgery. This is a different time. Bruce Jenner will face no such discrimination. Sure, there's going to be closed-minded people who aren't accepting of his lifestyle choice, but the transition will likely be much easier for Bruce Jenner than it was for Renee Richards. And let's not forget, Jenner already has a TV deal for a series documenting the transition.
Of course, Jenner and Richards underwent the transition much later in life, but there's been some recent examples of transgender athletes realizing who they are while still in their athletic primes. George Washington basketball player Kye Allums came out as transgender in 2010 and played for the Colonials' women's team in 2010-11 while identifying himself as male. Then in 2012, Keelin Godsey, a transgender man, competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the women's hammer throw. Godsey didn't make the team, but still competes as a female while identifying as male.
Godsey's situation led to a whole new set of questions. If the system is designed for men to compete against men and women compete against women, where do transgender athletes fit in? These very questions led to South African Caster Semenya, the 2009 world champion in the women's 800 meters, not being able to compete for more than a year while she was forced to undergo gender tests. For privacy reasons, they never publicly disclosed the results of Semenya's gender tests, but she's competed without incident ever since and won the silver medal in the 800 at the London Olympics.
Obviously, the question of transgender athletes and their eligibility doesn't effect Bruce Jenner. He's 65 years old and he won his Olympic gold 40 years ago. But Jenner's revelation does once again bring the topic to the forefront. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. This is a different world we live in.
Transgender people walk among us. Some of them even compete in sports, probably even at a high level. It's their right to live their lives however they want to, but when it comes to athletics, we have to find a balance between not violating their rights as individuals while also making it a level playing field for everyone else. How we do that I don't know. But there has to be a solution that's fair for everybody.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Two Rebrands: One Good, One Bad
I'll never understand the timing of certain things. For example, why do some college teams change their logo in the middle of the school year instead of waiting until the summer? In recent years, I've seen a number of schools tweak their logo/branding at midseason, which, again, doesn't make much sense to me, but I'm not the one making the decisions here.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because in the last week or so, two major Division I schools did just that. They updated their branding at midseason. One got it right. North Carolina made minor alterations to create a more uniform brand. Army, on the other hand, I don't know what they're doing. Actually, it's not "Army" anymore. It's "Army West Point" now. Yeah, I know. More on that later.
First, let's talk about North Carolina. If I wasn't telling you about it right now, you probably wouldn't even know that the Tar Heels went through a minor rebranding. Again, it was more of a streamlining than anything else. They didn't do anything extreme. Carolina Blue is a very distinct color that's all theirs. Doing anything to change that would've been incredibly stupid. And they realized that.
Instead they, along with Nike, made some minor tweaks so that all of the uniforms look the same regardless of sport. Each team will still have the Carolina Blue and white, but they'll be limited to only the prescribed accent colors. Some teams had been experimenting with different color schemes, and this rebranding will stop that. They also made all the fonts the same and came up with various wordmarks, and said how you can and cannot use each. (If you want to read the 50-page branding guide, it's actually kind of interesting.)
Perhaps the biggest change North Carolina made is one that I think we can all agree is an actual improvement. Outside of the Carolina Blue, the most distinct thing about the Tar Heels is the argyle pattern that's been on the men's basketball uniforms since 1991. Well, starting next season, that won't be exclusive to men's basketball. They're using it as a uniform accent for every team. And it looks awesome! Seriously, check out the new football helmet and tell me that isn't sick.
Of course, they didn't touch the interlocking "NC" logo, which, along with the Carolina Blue color, is the most identifiable part of the brand. Evidently the logo was slightly modified, but it was so subtle that you can't even tell the difference. Basically, I think they just adjusted the size/proportions so that it can't be distorted.
Now compare that to the hot mess that is Army's rebranding. Other than the colors, they basically changed everything. The new logo's fine, and I like it that black will still be the primary color for their uniforms. The football team's long had those black and gold helmets, which I think are the most identifiable elements of Army's athletic identity.
However, they missed the mark in one key area. For some reason, as a part of the rebranding, they announced that they no longer want to be referred to as "Army." Instead, they want to be known as "Army West Point," just in case there's any confusion with "Army Topeka."
Here I think Army made a major mistake. People have known the school as just "Army" for almost a century, going back to those football battles with Notre Dame in the early 1920s. And they're not suddenly going to start adding the "West Point" just because you asked them too. Especially since there isn't any reason to. It's not like it's shorter.
The root of the problem, I think, is that Army was having its own athletic identity crisis. The Academy often refers to itself simply as "West Point," and a lot of the uniforms say that rather than "Army." I think the new name is a result of their wanting to incorporate the "West Point" that they identify themselves as with the "Army" that the rest of the country knows. Nobody would've gone for just "West Point," so joining the names had to be some sort of compromise.
They have acknowledged that "Army West Point" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and they've said that using the full name won't be appropriate in all situations. "Army West Point-Navy" doesn't have quite the same cachet. Basically, they're giving people an out to keep using the name "Army," since they knew everyone was going to anyway.
I think the whole "Army West Point" thing is going to backfire. Schools try this every once in a while and it never works. St. Francis Brooklyn is really the only one that I can think of where they made the name change and no one seemed to care. But that's because "St. Francis Brooklyn" is easier to say than "St. Francis (NY)," which is a distinction that always has to be made when referring to that school, which is in the same conference as Saint Francis (PA).
But there are two other schools I can think of that tried to change their name the way Army is, and neither one had the desired effect. The first is the University at Buffalo. They're trying incredibly hard to rebrand themselves as "New York." Except no one will have it. If you look at their uniforms in practically any sport, the "New York" is the big part of the name and "Buffalo" is in much smaller text. Buffalo is the largest school in the State University of New York system, but people associate "New York" with the city, not the state. Not even NYU, a school whose full name is New York University, goes by "New York." You only hear it referred to as "NYU."
Miami, Ohio, meanwhile, decided a number of years ago that they don't want to be referred to as "Miami, Ohio." They just want to be "Miami." Except there's already a school called "Miami." It's the one in the ACC. By not wanting people to include the Ohio, you're almost saying you want them to think you're the Hurricanes. But you're not. You're the RedHawks.
No one's going to confuse Army West Point with another school, which is another reason why the "West Point" isn't needed. West Point and the U.S. Military Academy are uniquely linked. If you say "West Point," people know what you're talking about. It's been that way for more than 200 years, and it's not changing anytime soon. The fact that "West Point" hasn't been included in the athletic teams' names until now doesn't change that, either.
There were good intentions, I'm sure, when they decided to change the name from "Army" to "Army West Point." I'm sure plenty of people were consulted and they all gave the thumbs up. You'd have to think that something like this might've needed Congressional approval, too. But it's something that's just not practical, and I think the execution will be much more difficult than anyone imagined. It was unnecessary, impractical, and, sadly, probably won't work. That is, unless they change it to "Navy Annapolis," too.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because in the last week or so, two major Division I schools did just that. They updated their branding at midseason. One got it right. North Carolina made minor alterations to create a more uniform brand. Army, on the other hand, I don't know what they're doing. Actually, it's not "Army" anymore. It's "Army West Point" now. Yeah, I know. More on that later.
First, let's talk about North Carolina. If I wasn't telling you about it right now, you probably wouldn't even know that the Tar Heels went through a minor rebranding. Again, it was more of a streamlining than anything else. They didn't do anything extreme. Carolina Blue is a very distinct color that's all theirs. Doing anything to change that would've been incredibly stupid. And they realized that.
Instead they, along with Nike, made some minor tweaks so that all of the uniforms look the same regardless of sport. Each team will still have the Carolina Blue and white, but they'll be limited to only the prescribed accent colors. Some teams had been experimenting with different color schemes, and this rebranding will stop that. They also made all the fonts the same and came up with various wordmarks, and said how you can and cannot use each. (If you want to read the 50-page branding guide, it's actually kind of interesting.)
Perhaps the biggest change North Carolina made is one that I think we can all agree is an actual improvement. Outside of the Carolina Blue, the most distinct thing about the Tar Heels is the argyle pattern that's been on the men's basketball uniforms since 1991. Well, starting next season, that won't be exclusive to men's basketball. They're using it as a uniform accent for every team. And it looks awesome! Seriously, check out the new football helmet and tell me that isn't sick.
Of course, they didn't touch the interlocking "NC" logo, which, along with the Carolina Blue color, is the most identifiable part of the brand. Evidently the logo was slightly modified, but it was so subtle that you can't even tell the difference. Basically, I think they just adjusted the size/proportions so that it can't be distorted.
Now compare that to the hot mess that is Army's rebranding. Other than the colors, they basically changed everything. The new logo's fine, and I like it that black will still be the primary color for their uniforms. The football team's long had those black and gold helmets, which I think are the most identifiable elements of Army's athletic identity.
However, they missed the mark in one key area. For some reason, as a part of the rebranding, they announced that they no longer want to be referred to as "Army." Instead, they want to be known as "Army West Point," just in case there's any confusion with "Army Topeka."
Here I think Army made a major mistake. People have known the school as just "Army" for almost a century, going back to those football battles with Notre Dame in the early 1920s. And they're not suddenly going to start adding the "West Point" just because you asked them too. Especially since there isn't any reason to. It's not like it's shorter.
The root of the problem, I think, is that Army was having its own athletic identity crisis. The Academy often refers to itself simply as "West Point," and a lot of the uniforms say that rather than "Army." I think the new name is a result of their wanting to incorporate the "West Point" that they identify themselves as with the "Army" that the rest of the country knows. Nobody would've gone for just "West Point," so joining the names had to be some sort of compromise.
They have acknowledged that "Army West Point" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and they've said that using the full name won't be appropriate in all situations. "Army West Point-Navy" doesn't have quite the same cachet. Basically, they're giving people an out to keep using the name "Army," since they knew everyone was going to anyway.
I think the whole "Army West Point" thing is going to backfire. Schools try this every once in a while and it never works. St. Francis Brooklyn is really the only one that I can think of where they made the name change and no one seemed to care. But that's because "St. Francis Brooklyn" is easier to say than "St. Francis (NY)," which is a distinction that always has to be made when referring to that school, which is in the same conference as Saint Francis (PA).
But there are two other schools I can think of that tried to change their name the way Army is, and neither one had the desired effect. The first is the University at Buffalo. They're trying incredibly hard to rebrand themselves as "New York." Except no one will have it. If you look at their uniforms in practically any sport, the "New York" is the big part of the name and "Buffalo" is in much smaller text. Buffalo is the largest school in the State University of New York system, but people associate "New York" with the city, not the state. Not even NYU, a school whose full name is New York University, goes by "New York." You only hear it referred to as "NYU."
Miami, Ohio, meanwhile, decided a number of years ago that they don't want to be referred to as "Miami, Ohio." They just want to be "Miami." Except there's already a school called "Miami." It's the one in the ACC. By not wanting people to include the Ohio, you're almost saying you want them to think you're the Hurricanes. But you're not. You're the RedHawks.
No one's going to confuse Army West Point with another school, which is another reason why the "West Point" isn't needed. West Point and the U.S. Military Academy are uniquely linked. If you say "West Point," people know what you're talking about. It's been that way for more than 200 years, and it's not changing anytime soon. The fact that "West Point" hasn't been included in the athletic teams' names until now doesn't change that, either.
There were good intentions, I'm sure, when they decided to change the name from "Army" to "Army West Point." I'm sure plenty of people were consulted and they all gave the thumbs up. You'd have to think that something like this might've needed Congressional approval, too. But it's something that's just not practical, and I think the execution will be much more difficult than anyone imagined. It was unnecessary, impractical, and, sadly, probably won't work. That is, unless they change it to "Navy Annapolis," too.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
NFL Schedule Highlights
Well, it's here. We've known the opponents for months, but the anticipation finding out when those games are going to be played is over. Only in the NFL can the release of the schedule be a three-hour made-for-TV event. Only in the NFL can every detail of each team's 16-game slate be scrutinized over and over. But, hey, I get it. It's mid-April. Of course it matters where the Titans are playing in the first week of December (speaking of the Titans, how'd they manage to get four straight home games, with their bye mixed in?).
But I'm just like everybody. I get it. The NFL is king. And that's why it matters. And you, of course, want to know what the primetime games are gonna be each week. As for the breaking down of the schedule, that's part of the fun. You know I've got some thoughts on that front...
Week 1: As soon as New England won the Super Bowl, you pretty much knew the Steelers would be their opponent in the traditional Kickoff game. Outside of Pittsburgh, the Patriots' home opponents certainly weren't that appealing. At least not for a national telecast. We've also got late games on CBS for the first time in years. The US Open's exclusively on ESPN now, so CBS didn't need to keep that Sunday afternoon late spot open for tennis. They're celebrating that with a Broncos-Ravens matchup in Denver. The last time those two opened the season in Denver, Peyton Manning threw six TD passes in a Broncos rout. Another interesting late game is Tennessee-Tampa Bay. They have the top two picks in the draft. Is the NFL preparing for a possible Mariota-Winston matchup in each of their respective NFL debuts? Sunday night is Giants-Cowboys in Dallas, which is a staple of the Sunday night schedule. The Monday night doubleheader isn't great, though. Philly-Atlanta and Minnesota-San Francisco.
Week 2: The first CBS/NFL Network Thursday night game is Denver at Kansas City, while we've got an NFC Championship rematch on Sunday night, this time in Green Bay. The Monday night game is Jets-Colts. Why the Jets have a Monday night game in Week 2 is beyond me. As for the Sunday afternoon slate, it's highlighted by San Diego at Cincinnati and Dallas at Philadelphia.
Week 3: Since Super Bowl 50 is this season, the NFL is highlighting past Super Bowl matchups throughout the season (come to think of it, that's probably why Jets-Colts is a Monday night game). It worked out well, then, that the NFC North is playing the AFC West this year. Because that means Green Bay plays Kansas City. The Super Bowl I opponents square off in a Monday night game at Lambeau. Broncos-Lions is the Sunday night game, which could've been a better matchup and can't be flexed out. Redskins-Giants is the Thursday night game, which you figured would be the case during the first half of the season when the games are still on CBS. The Jets are home on Sunday afternoon against the Eagles. Meaning they'll be reunited with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow.
Week 4: Our first London game of the year is the first-ever division tilt across the pond, as the Jets "visit" the Dolphins in the new London start time of 9:30 a.m. This week's Super Bowl rematch is Giants-Bills, while Packers-49ers is the national late game on FOX. Ravens-Steelers is a Thursday night game again this season, just as we all figured it probably would be. Good Sunday night game between Dallas and New Orleans, while Detroit at Seattle is on Monday night.
Week 5: Patriots-Cowboys is the spotlight game, and I've got a big problem with that. But more on that later. Schedule gets a little light here as we start cycling through byes. The only other worthwhile afternoon games are Seattle-Cincinnati and New Orleans-Philadelphia. The real action's at night. Colts-Texans on Thursday, 49ers-Giants on Sunday and Steelers-Chargers (Roethlisberger vs. Rivers) on Monday.
Week 6: Three Super Bowl rematches here, highlighted by the first Ravens-49ers game since the Harbowl (also Cardinals-Steelers and Chiefs-Vikings). San Diego-Green Bay is another good game during the day, and I'm assuming it'll be the CBS national game. AFC Championship rematch on Sunday night as Andrew Luck will try to finally beat Tom Brady. Giants-Eagles on Monday night and Falcons-Saints on Thursday night.
Week 7: Seahawks-49ers is renewed on Thursday night in Santa Clara. This is also the week where we have that Bills-Jaguars game in London that nobody wanted to watch until the NFL announced that nobody could, and now everyone wants to try and find a way to see the online-only broadcast. As for games actually on TV on Sunday, we've got a Super Bowl XLIV rematch between the Colts and Saints, as well as the second Giants-Cowboys game. Darrelle Revis will also get to renew acquaintances with his former Patriots teammates in his first game back in Foxboro since rejoining the Jets. Eagles-Panthers on Sunday night (I'm now convinced the sole reason Philly signed Tebow was so that they could play all their games in primetime). Monday night is for the birds as Baltimore visits Arizona (the Ravens' fourth trip out west in the first seven weeks of the season!).
Week 8: This week's Super Bowl rematch could also easily be a Super Bowl preview. Green Bay at Denver. It's no coincidence that the NFL scheduled that marquee matchup as the Sunday night game opposite the World Series. Good games in the afternoon, too. Giants-Saints, Chargers-Ravens, Bengals-Steelers. But the afternoon highlight is definitely Seattle at Dallas. New England hosts Miami on Thursday night, as CBS wraps up its simulcasting duties, while ESPN gets Colts-Panthers on Monday night. Also, Lions-Chiefs in London.
Week 9: Receiving the ideal bye at the exact midpoint of the season are Arizona, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City and Seattle (I hate six-team bye weeks, why not just do four teams a week for eight weeks?). Among those teams actually playing are Denver at Indianapolis in what's possibly Peyton's final appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium, as he looks to redeem himself for last season's Divisional Playoff game. Cincinnati and Cleveland in the first NFL Network-only Thursday night game. Eagles-Cowboys in one of those NFC East Sunday night staples. Bears-Chargers on Monday night.
Week 10: We've reached the year in the cycle where the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl (XLII, XLVI, 50). It's also the year they meet in the regular season, and this time the matchup flips back to the Meadowlands. They play every year in the preseason, but this will be New England's first regular season meeting with the Giants in New York since capping the undefeated regular season in 2007. Another Super Bowl rematch between teams that these days are completely irrelevant, as Minnesota visits Oakland. Meanwhile, Rex Ryan's return to the Meadowlands is Thursday night. (The only AFC East team not playing at MetLife Stadium in Week 10 is Miami.) The budding Arizona-Seattle rivalry is featured on Sunday Night Football, while Houston is in Cincinnati for the Monday nighter.
Week 11: Most intriguing game of the week? Denver at Chicago, which is now coached by former Broncos mentor John Fox. Also, Cincinnati at Arizona, which could be really fun to watch, and Part II of this year's 49ers-Seahawks series. Because every team gets a Thursday night game, America, at least those people who get NFL Network, will be subjected to a Tennessee-Jacksonville broadcast. It's division games all around. Kansas City-San Diego on Sunday night, Buffalo-New England on Monday night.
Week 12: Here's why I have a problem with that Dallas-New England matchup in Week 5. This is the Cowboys' year to be on CBS on Thanksgiving. Their two AFC home games are against the Patriots and Jets. New England was a natural matchup for Dallas on Thanksgiving. But instead, they're playing Carolina, and for the second Thanksgiving in a row, not a single AFC team is playing. That's just not fair to the AFC that no teams from the conference are featured on the NFL's biggest regular season day. For the second straight year! We will see 75 percent of the NFC North, though! Detroit's opponent is Philadelphia, and the NBC game is Packers-Bears at Lambeau, which I have absolutely no problem with, especially since Green Bay will retire Brett Favre's jersey at halftime. The other NBC game (on Sunday night) is the annual Manning vs. Brady showdown, as the rivals meet for possibly the last time in Denver. Steelers-Seahawks in the CBS national doubleheader game on Sunday afternoon. Ravens-Browns on Monday night.
Week 13: The Packers visit the Lions a week later than they normally do, and this Thursday nighter is the last one that's on both CBS and NFL Network. Also, Giants-Jets, which seems randomly placed as just a no big deal 1:00 game in early December. The Eagles visit the Patriots in what will be a very interesting matchup of Chip Kelly vs. Bill Belichick. Colts-Steelers in a good Sunday night game, and the traditional Dallas-Washington Monday night game will be in D.C. after taking place in Dallas last year.
Week 14: We're getting down to the nitty-gritty, as the final quarter of the schedule begins with Minnesota at Arizona. We'll also see Rex Ryan's defense against Chip Kelly's offense and the second Steelers-Bengals game of the season. The NFL gives us the gift of Cowboys-Packers as the FOX national game, while the Seahawks fly cross country for a Sunday night game in Baltimore. The Monday night game is Giants at Dolphins.
Week 15: NFL Network's got two games this week. Bucs-Rams on Thursday night and Jets-Cowboys on Saturday night. There are also three Super Bowl rematches on tap, as Buffalo visits Washington, Green Bay is in Oakland and Cincinnati visits San Francisco in the Sunday night game. Very interesting that the NFL scheduled both Bay Area teams with a home interconference game on the same day. Leads me to believe there's no way they're changing the Sunday night game, even with Broncos-Steelers scheduled for the afternoon. Looks like CBS will get to keep that one. On Monday night, it's Detroit's defense against the New Orleans offense.
Week 16: One final Thursday night game on Christmas Eve, as the Raiders play the Chargers. (There's actually a rule that the NFL can't play games after 9:00 local time on Christmas Eve, but an 8:30 ET start on the West Coast doesn't violate that rule.) Then the final NFL Network game of the year is the only remaining NFC East matchup that hasn't been on national TV yet: Washington at Philly. As for the Sunday afternoon games, Patriots at Jets is a highlight. So is Bears-Bucs, Lovie Smith vs. his former team. And Green Bay's in Arizona. Pittsburgh-Baltimore has become like Giants-Cowboys in that every time they play it's on national TV. No exception here. After the first meeting's on Thursday night, the matchup in Baltimore's on Sunday night. Just like last season, Bengals-Broncos is the final Monday night game, except this time it's in Denver. Also, the final Super Bowl rematch of the Super Bowl's 50th anniversary season is Dallas at Buffalo.
Week 17: As usual, nothing but division games on the final week, which is actually on Jan. 3, 2016. None of the 16 matchups is more intriguing than Jets-Bills, as Rex Ryan ends the season against his former team. Early candidates for the Sunday night game? I'll go with Kansas City at Denver, Eagles at Giants and Baltimore at Cincinnati, with New Orleans at Atlanta as a potential sleeper. We've also got Seattle at Arizona in a game that I think will decide the NFC West. Also, New England's at Miami. The Dolphins have traditionally been one of the tougher opponents for the Patriots, and they beat New England in Miami in Week 1 last season.
But I'm just like everybody. I get it. The NFL is king. And that's why it matters. And you, of course, want to know what the primetime games are gonna be each week. As for the breaking down of the schedule, that's part of the fun. You know I've got some thoughts on that front...
Week 1: As soon as New England won the Super Bowl, you pretty much knew the Steelers would be their opponent in the traditional Kickoff game. Outside of Pittsburgh, the Patriots' home opponents certainly weren't that appealing. At least not for a national telecast. We've also got late games on CBS for the first time in years. The US Open's exclusively on ESPN now, so CBS didn't need to keep that Sunday afternoon late spot open for tennis. They're celebrating that with a Broncos-Ravens matchup in Denver. The last time those two opened the season in Denver, Peyton Manning threw six TD passes in a Broncos rout. Another interesting late game is Tennessee-Tampa Bay. They have the top two picks in the draft. Is the NFL preparing for a possible Mariota-Winston matchup in each of their respective NFL debuts? Sunday night is Giants-Cowboys in Dallas, which is a staple of the Sunday night schedule. The Monday night doubleheader isn't great, though. Philly-Atlanta and Minnesota-San Francisco.
Week 2: The first CBS/NFL Network Thursday night game is Denver at Kansas City, while we've got an NFC Championship rematch on Sunday night, this time in Green Bay. The Monday night game is Jets-Colts. Why the Jets have a Monday night game in Week 2 is beyond me. As for the Sunday afternoon slate, it's highlighted by San Diego at Cincinnati and Dallas at Philadelphia.
Week 3: Since Super Bowl 50 is this season, the NFL is highlighting past Super Bowl matchups throughout the season (come to think of it, that's probably why Jets-Colts is a Monday night game). It worked out well, then, that the NFC North is playing the AFC West this year. Because that means Green Bay plays Kansas City. The Super Bowl I opponents square off in a Monday night game at Lambeau. Broncos-Lions is the Sunday night game, which could've been a better matchup and can't be flexed out. Redskins-Giants is the Thursday night game, which you figured would be the case during the first half of the season when the games are still on CBS. The Jets are home on Sunday afternoon against the Eagles. Meaning they'll be reunited with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow.
Week 4: Our first London game of the year is the first-ever division tilt across the pond, as the Jets "visit" the Dolphins in the new London start time of 9:30 a.m. This week's Super Bowl rematch is Giants-Bills, while Packers-49ers is the national late game on FOX. Ravens-Steelers is a Thursday night game again this season, just as we all figured it probably would be. Good Sunday night game between Dallas and New Orleans, while Detroit at Seattle is on Monday night.
Week 5: Patriots-Cowboys is the spotlight game, and I've got a big problem with that. But more on that later. Schedule gets a little light here as we start cycling through byes. The only other worthwhile afternoon games are Seattle-Cincinnati and New Orleans-Philadelphia. The real action's at night. Colts-Texans on Thursday, 49ers-Giants on Sunday and Steelers-Chargers (Roethlisberger vs. Rivers) on Monday.
Week 6: Three Super Bowl rematches here, highlighted by the first Ravens-49ers game since the Harbowl (also Cardinals-Steelers and Chiefs-Vikings). San Diego-Green Bay is another good game during the day, and I'm assuming it'll be the CBS national game. AFC Championship rematch on Sunday night as Andrew Luck will try to finally beat Tom Brady. Giants-Eagles on Monday night and Falcons-Saints on Thursday night.
Week 7: Seahawks-49ers is renewed on Thursday night in Santa Clara. This is also the week where we have that Bills-Jaguars game in London that nobody wanted to watch until the NFL announced that nobody could, and now everyone wants to try and find a way to see the online-only broadcast. As for games actually on TV on Sunday, we've got a Super Bowl XLIV rematch between the Colts and Saints, as well as the second Giants-Cowboys game. Darrelle Revis will also get to renew acquaintances with his former Patriots teammates in his first game back in Foxboro since rejoining the Jets. Eagles-Panthers on Sunday night (I'm now convinced the sole reason Philly signed Tebow was so that they could play all their games in primetime). Monday night is for the birds as Baltimore visits Arizona (the Ravens' fourth trip out west in the first seven weeks of the season!).
Week 8: This week's Super Bowl rematch could also easily be a Super Bowl preview. Green Bay at Denver. It's no coincidence that the NFL scheduled that marquee matchup as the Sunday night game opposite the World Series. Good games in the afternoon, too. Giants-Saints, Chargers-Ravens, Bengals-Steelers. But the afternoon highlight is definitely Seattle at Dallas. New England hosts Miami on Thursday night, as CBS wraps up its simulcasting duties, while ESPN gets Colts-Panthers on Monday night. Also, Lions-Chiefs in London.
Week 9: Receiving the ideal bye at the exact midpoint of the season are Arizona, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City and Seattle (I hate six-team bye weeks, why not just do four teams a week for eight weeks?). Among those teams actually playing are Denver at Indianapolis in what's possibly Peyton's final appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium, as he looks to redeem himself for last season's Divisional Playoff game. Cincinnati and Cleveland in the first NFL Network-only Thursday night game. Eagles-Cowboys in one of those NFC East Sunday night staples. Bears-Chargers on Monday night.
Week 10: We've reached the year in the cycle where the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl (XLII, XLVI, 50). It's also the year they meet in the regular season, and this time the matchup flips back to the Meadowlands. They play every year in the preseason, but this will be New England's first regular season meeting with the Giants in New York since capping the undefeated regular season in 2007. Another Super Bowl rematch between teams that these days are completely irrelevant, as Minnesota visits Oakland. Meanwhile, Rex Ryan's return to the Meadowlands is Thursday night. (The only AFC East team not playing at MetLife Stadium in Week 10 is Miami.) The budding Arizona-Seattle rivalry is featured on Sunday Night Football, while Houston is in Cincinnati for the Monday nighter.
Week 11: Most intriguing game of the week? Denver at Chicago, which is now coached by former Broncos mentor John Fox. Also, Cincinnati at Arizona, which could be really fun to watch, and Part II of this year's 49ers-Seahawks series. Because every team gets a Thursday night game, America, at least those people who get NFL Network, will be subjected to a Tennessee-Jacksonville broadcast. It's division games all around. Kansas City-San Diego on Sunday night, Buffalo-New England on Monday night.
Week 12: Here's why I have a problem with that Dallas-New England matchup in Week 5. This is the Cowboys' year to be on CBS on Thanksgiving. Their two AFC home games are against the Patriots and Jets. New England was a natural matchup for Dallas on Thanksgiving. But instead, they're playing Carolina, and for the second Thanksgiving in a row, not a single AFC team is playing. That's just not fair to the AFC that no teams from the conference are featured on the NFL's biggest regular season day. For the second straight year! We will see 75 percent of the NFC North, though! Detroit's opponent is Philadelphia, and the NBC game is Packers-Bears at Lambeau, which I have absolutely no problem with, especially since Green Bay will retire Brett Favre's jersey at halftime. The other NBC game (on Sunday night) is the annual Manning vs. Brady showdown, as the rivals meet for possibly the last time in Denver. Steelers-Seahawks in the CBS national doubleheader game on Sunday afternoon. Ravens-Browns on Monday night.
Week 13: The Packers visit the Lions a week later than they normally do, and this Thursday nighter is the last one that's on both CBS and NFL Network. Also, Giants-Jets, which seems randomly placed as just a no big deal 1:00 game in early December. The Eagles visit the Patriots in what will be a very interesting matchup of Chip Kelly vs. Bill Belichick. Colts-Steelers in a good Sunday night game, and the traditional Dallas-Washington Monday night game will be in D.C. after taking place in Dallas last year.
Week 14: We're getting down to the nitty-gritty, as the final quarter of the schedule begins with Minnesota at Arizona. We'll also see Rex Ryan's defense against Chip Kelly's offense and the second Steelers-Bengals game of the season. The NFL gives us the gift of Cowboys-Packers as the FOX national game, while the Seahawks fly cross country for a Sunday night game in Baltimore. The Monday night game is Giants at Dolphins.
Week 15: NFL Network's got two games this week. Bucs-Rams on Thursday night and Jets-Cowboys on Saturday night. There are also three Super Bowl rematches on tap, as Buffalo visits Washington, Green Bay is in Oakland and Cincinnati visits San Francisco in the Sunday night game. Very interesting that the NFL scheduled both Bay Area teams with a home interconference game on the same day. Leads me to believe there's no way they're changing the Sunday night game, even with Broncos-Steelers scheduled for the afternoon. Looks like CBS will get to keep that one. On Monday night, it's Detroit's defense against the New Orleans offense.
Week 16: One final Thursday night game on Christmas Eve, as the Raiders play the Chargers. (There's actually a rule that the NFL can't play games after 9:00 local time on Christmas Eve, but an 8:30 ET start on the West Coast doesn't violate that rule.) Then the final NFL Network game of the year is the only remaining NFC East matchup that hasn't been on national TV yet: Washington at Philly. As for the Sunday afternoon games, Patriots at Jets is a highlight. So is Bears-Bucs, Lovie Smith vs. his former team. And Green Bay's in Arizona. Pittsburgh-Baltimore has become like Giants-Cowboys in that every time they play it's on national TV. No exception here. After the first meeting's on Thursday night, the matchup in Baltimore's on Sunday night. Just like last season, Bengals-Broncos is the final Monday night game, except this time it's in Denver. Also, the final Super Bowl rematch of the Super Bowl's 50th anniversary season is Dallas at Buffalo.
Week 17: As usual, nothing but division games on the final week, which is actually on Jan. 3, 2016. None of the 16 matchups is more intriguing than Jets-Bills, as Rex Ryan ends the season against his former team. Early candidates for the Sunday night game? I'll go with Kansas City at Denver, Eagles at Giants and Baltimore at Cincinnati, with New Orleans at Atlanta as a potential sleeper. We've also got Seattle at Arizona in a game that I think will decide the NFC West. Also, New England's at Miami. The Dolphins have traditionally been one of the tougher opponents for the Patriots, and they beat New England in Miami in Week 1 last season.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Things Not Worth Repeating
Apparently Eagles Coach Chip Kelly wasn't paying attention to the circus that was the 2012 Jets. (Maybe they don't get ESPN in Oregon, I don't know.) Anyway, as we all know, the Mark Sanchez-Tim Tebow thing didn't exactly work out. It was so bad, in fact, that it ruined two careers, ran a franchise into the ground, and set the wheels in motion for a coach's firing (two years later, but still).
So naturally, Tebow and Sanchez are going to be reunited in Philadelphia, where it makes even less sense than it did with the Jets. The Eagles already have two other quarterbacks, one of whom they just traded for to be the starter. There's also talk that Kelly wants to figure out a way to trade up and draft Marcus Mariota, who was his quarterback at Oregon. If that were to happen, they'd have five "quarterbacks" on the roster.
Never mind the fact that Tebow was never good, hasn't been on an NFL roster since the Patriots cut him after training camp in 2013, and hasn't actually played in the NFL since 2011 in Denver (and was promptly shipped out of town when some guy named Manning became available). Chip Kelly's obviously got some ideas churning in his head (as Bob Uecker famously said in Major League II, "Obviously Taylor's thinking...I don't know what the hell he's thinking!"), but I see this going about as well as the Tebow-Jets experiment did. Get ready Philly. The circus is coming. And I don't see there being much "brotherly love" in this situation.
Sometimes there are things that seem like a good idea at the time and end up just not working. Tebow in New York was one of those things. Usually, people realize that when something doesn't work, it's not worth repeating. This isn't one of those times. The Eagles should've learned from these examples. When it didn't work, they just let the idea die:
So naturally, Tebow and Sanchez are going to be reunited in Philadelphia, where it makes even less sense than it did with the Jets. The Eagles already have two other quarterbacks, one of whom they just traded for to be the starter. There's also talk that Kelly wants to figure out a way to trade up and draft Marcus Mariota, who was his quarterback at Oregon. If that were to happen, they'd have five "quarterbacks" on the roster.
Never mind the fact that Tebow was never good, hasn't been on an NFL roster since the Patriots cut him after training camp in 2013, and hasn't actually played in the NFL since 2011 in Denver (and was promptly shipped out of town when some guy named Manning became available). Chip Kelly's obviously got some ideas churning in his head (as Bob Uecker famously said in Major League II, "Obviously Taylor's thinking...I don't know what the hell he's thinking!"), but I see this going about as well as the Tebow-Jets experiment did. Get ready Philly. The circus is coming. And I don't see there being much "brotherly love" in this situation.
Sometimes there are things that seem like a good idea at the time and end up just not working. Tebow in New York was one of those things. Usually, people realize that when something doesn't work, it's not worth repeating. This isn't one of those times. The Eagles should've learned from these examples. When it didn't work, they just let the idea die:
- Dwight Howard in LA. It all made sense on paper. Howard wanted out of Orlando, went to LA and the Lakers thought that by adding him, they were building a super team. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. The whole thing was a disaster. Howard didn't want to be there and it showed. Then Kobe got hurt, the Lakers struggled, and nobody else wanted him there either. After one season, Howard left for the Rockets.
- The NBA's new ball. A few years ago, they moved away from the tried and true leather ball to one that was made of a synthetic material. The players hated it. It didn't feel right and was giving some guys blisters on their fingers. David Stern didn't want to admit defeat and stuck with it as long as he could, but the player uprising led to a switch back to the leather ball at midseason.
- The NHL's North America vs. the World All-Star Game. This wasn't that bad at the start. It was a gimmick used to promote the NHL's participation in the 1998 Olympics. But it got old after a while. The NHL realized that the format was tired and switched back to East vs. West for a few years before the hot mess that is the current All-Star Game format. Here's hoping the fantasy draft idea wears out its welcome and we go back to East-West sooner rather than later.
- The Sunday-Tuesday Women's Final Four. I know I complain about this one a lot, but the final college basketball game of the season should be the men's championship game. The whole idea of Sunday-Tuesday was so that they could promote the women during the men's Final Four, but it didn't really work. It made it more anticlimactic. One more year of Sunday-Tuesday then it switches back to Friday-Sunday (like it should be) in 2017.
- FOX's glowing puck. It was worth a shot. FOX was still a novice at this whole covering sports thing and the NHL was their first big get after football. They figured they'd try something new and have little sensors in the puck so you always knew where it was. But instead of being cool, it was weird. When FOX's contract was up, the glowing puck disappeared from our lives, too. Not that that was a bad thing.
- Various new uniforms/logos. Sometimes they work (Pat the Patriot to Flying Elvis, Buccaneer Bruce to pewter entering America's color scheme), but often they don't. Remember the Islanders' fish sticks? Or the Toronto "Black" Jays? Why do you think so many teams end up going to "new" logos that are just variations of an old one? They're classics for a reason. Just ask the Yankees. Or the Canadiens. Or the Packers.
- Cold-weather outdoor Super Bowls. There's only been one, and there probably won't be another. Sure, the NFL lucked out that it was actually somewhat pleasant in New York on the day of Super Bowl XLVIII. Then a massive snowstorm hit a day later and they realized they dodged a major bullet. The Giants and Jets built their stadium and got their Super Bowl. It ain't happening again.
- NHL expansion in the South. Watching the Winnipeg Jets in their first playoff appearance made me think of this one. They used to be the Atlanta Thrashers before moving North of the Border. That's the second time hockey in Atlanta has failed. And the original Winnipeg Jets were on the verge of bankruptcy in Arizona before they got new owners. There are still rumors somebody might move to Quebec city. Why? Because they like college football in the South. Not hockey. (There are obviously some exceptions like the Lightning and the Kings.)
- John Tortorella coaching the Canucks. Two summers ago, the Rangers and Canucks traded coaches. Alain Vigneault, who was fired by Vancouver, went to the Rangers and led them to the Finals. Meanwhile, John Tortorella went from coaching the Rangers to coaching the Canucks and it was an absolute disaster. They missed the playoffs and fired him after only one season (which also included a fight with the fans in Calgary.) I think it's safe to say the Rangers won the coaching swap.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Coming to America
Back in November, when the IAAF voted on the host city of the 2019 World Championships and picked Doha, a lot of people were surprised by how close Eugene, Oregon came to actually being selected. Many thought the fact that it's such a small city and Hayward Field's capacity needs to be greatly expanded worked against Eugene being selected, but how close the election actually was indicated that we were going to see the World Championships held in Eugene sooner rather than later.
As it turns out, it was sooner than we all thought. After some clandestine meetings, the IAAF awarded Eugene the 2021 World Championships without so much as a vote. It was a historic move. The powers that be knew that, and they did what they needed to do in order to make it happen.
The first IAAF World Championships were held in 1983. They've taken place every other year since 1991. Yet, in those 30 years, the Championships have been held outside of Europe or Asia only once. The 2001 edition was in Edmonton. The United States, which has long been the dominant power in the sport of track & field, has never hosted. There was something backwards about that and everyone noticed. It's also the IAAF's chance to tap into the U.S. economy, which they were quick to point out in the press release announcing the selection.
Lamine Diack, who's retiring as President of the IAAF, wanted more than anything for his sport's signature event held in the United States. So, in a move that will surely cement his legacy, Diack pushed forward with a Eugene World Championships. Either Seb Coe or Sergey Bubka will be IAAF President six years from now, but the 2021 World Championships will have Diack's fingerprints all over them. And he's earned that right. Because the World Championships in the U.S. are long overdue.
But why Eugene and not a larger city like New York or Los Angeles? Well, for starters, neither one of those cities has a facility, and they really wouldn't have any use for one once the World Championships ended. The NCAA Championships are held at Hayward Field every year and so is the Prefontaine Classic, one of the stops on the IAAF Diamond League circuit. The last two U.S. Olympic Trials have been held there, and they will be in 2016, too. Hayward Field doesn't meet the IAAF's minimum size requirements, but it's expanded for the Olympic Trials and can easily be expanded again for the World Championships.
Eugene can rightfully call itself "Tracktown USA." There's a passion for the sport in Eugene that simply doesn't exist anywhere else in the country. Why go somewhere bigger just for the sake of going somewhere bigger? In Eugene, they get it. You've got passionate fans who care deeply and know what they're cheering for. You might sell a few more tickets in a bigger city, but the crowd wouldn't be anywhere near as vocal or knowledgeable. And certainly not as passionate. You'd have to give away so many tickets to corporations just to fill seats that there would be absolutely no atmosphere. That's not a problem in Eugene. And the smaller stadium might actually be an advantage. Remember all those empty seats in the 80,000-seat stadium in Moscow?
It's not the easiest place to get to, but Eugene is close enough to Portland (which is a direct flight from most major U.S. cities) that it shouldn't make much of a difference. Besides, the city will embrace the World Championships in a way no other place in the U.S. can. They love the sport and it will be the biggest thing ever to hit the town. And you can bet the whole town's gonna get behind it. It's kinda like Lake Placid identifies itself first and foremost with the Winter Olympics.
Any lingering concerns about Eugene's ability to hold major events were answered and then some last summer, when Eugene hosted a highly successful World Junior Championships. It's a small city, but the meet went off without a hitch. And the fact that Hayward Field is located on a college campus proved extremely beneficial. The University of Oregon's dorms doubled as the Athlete's Village. If they want to give the pros some nicer facilities to live in during the World Championships, Oregon could even get some new dorms out of it.
So, the question really should be, "Why not Eugene?" If you want a World Championships in the United States, which many do, it's the perfect place. That's why Eugene almost got the nod over Doha for 2019, and why the IAAF was so confident about 2021 that they didn't even feel the need to have a bid process. Sweden was upset about that. They wanted to put forth Gothenburg as a candidate. But even if there was a formal bid process and it was Eugene vs. Gothenburg, it probably would've been a contest. So the IAAF was really just saving everyone a lot of time and money by doing something that seemed inevitable.
Everything points to the 2021 World Championships in Eugene being just as successful as the 2014 World Juniors. Some have suggested that it could help the Boston Olympic bid's chances for 2024, but one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. The 2024 Olympic host will be picked in 2017, four years before Eugene hosts the World Championships.
Giving Eugene a shot makes complete sense all the way around. You're getting more publicity in the U.S. than ever before and can potentially tap into the American market for sponsors and the like. Then there's NBC, which will have live coverage in U.S. primetime for the first time ever. Most of all, you're leveling the playing field a little bit. The U.S. track team is the best in the world. After 30 years on the road, they're finally going to have a home game. I, for one, can't wait.
As it turns out, it was sooner than we all thought. After some clandestine meetings, the IAAF awarded Eugene the 2021 World Championships without so much as a vote. It was a historic move. The powers that be knew that, and they did what they needed to do in order to make it happen.
The first IAAF World Championships were held in 1983. They've taken place every other year since 1991. Yet, in those 30 years, the Championships have been held outside of Europe or Asia only once. The 2001 edition was in Edmonton. The United States, which has long been the dominant power in the sport of track & field, has never hosted. There was something backwards about that and everyone noticed. It's also the IAAF's chance to tap into the U.S. economy, which they were quick to point out in the press release announcing the selection.
Lamine Diack, who's retiring as President of the IAAF, wanted more than anything for his sport's signature event held in the United States. So, in a move that will surely cement his legacy, Diack pushed forward with a Eugene World Championships. Either Seb Coe or Sergey Bubka will be IAAF President six years from now, but the 2021 World Championships will have Diack's fingerprints all over them. And he's earned that right. Because the World Championships in the U.S. are long overdue.
But why Eugene and not a larger city like New York or Los Angeles? Well, for starters, neither one of those cities has a facility, and they really wouldn't have any use for one once the World Championships ended. The NCAA Championships are held at Hayward Field every year and so is the Prefontaine Classic, one of the stops on the IAAF Diamond League circuit. The last two U.S. Olympic Trials have been held there, and they will be in 2016, too. Hayward Field doesn't meet the IAAF's minimum size requirements, but it's expanded for the Olympic Trials and can easily be expanded again for the World Championships.
Eugene can rightfully call itself "Tracktown USA." There's a passion for the sport in Eugene that simply doesn't exist anywhere else in the country. Why go somewhere bigger just for the sake of going somewhere bigger? In Eugene, they get it. You've got passionate fans who care deeply and know what they're cheering for. You might sell a few more tickets in a bigger city, but the crowd wouldn't be anywhere near as vocal or knowledgeable. And certainly not as passionate. You'd have to give away so many tickets to corporations just to fill seats that there would be absolutely no atmosphere. That's not a problem in Eugene. And the smaller stadium might actually be an advantage. Remember all those empty seats in the 80,000-seat stadium in Moscow?
It's not the easiest place to get to, but Eugene is close enough to Portland (which is a direct flight from most major U.S. cities) that it shouldn't make much of a difference. Besides, the city will embrace the World Championships in a way no other place in the U.S. can. They love the sport and it will be the biggest thing ever to hit the town. And you can bet the whole town's gonna get behind it. It's kinda like Lake Placid identifies itself first and foremost with the Winter Olympics.
Any lingering concerns about Eugene's ability to hold major events were answered and then some last summer, when Eugene hosted a highly successful World Junior Championships. It's a small city, but the meet went off without a hitch. And the fact that Hayward Field is located on a college campus proved extremely beneficial. The University of Oregon's dorms doubled as the Athlete's Village. If they want to give the pros some nicer facilities to live in during the World Championships, Oregon could even get some new dorms out of it.
So, the question really should be, "Why not Eugene?" If you want a World Championships in the United States, which many do, it's the perfect place. That's why Eugene almost got the nod over Doha for 2019, and why the IAAF was so confident about 2021 that they didn't even feel the need to have a bid process. Sweden was upset about that. They wanted to put forth Gothenburg as a candidate. But even if there was a formal bid process and it was Eugene vs. Gothenburg, it probably would've been a contest. So the IAAF was really just saving everyone a lot of time and money by doing something that seemed inevitable.
Everything points to the 2021 World Championships in Eugene being just as successful as the 2014 World Juniors. Some have suggested that it could help the Boston Olympic bid's chances for 2024, but one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. The 2024 Olympic host will be picked in 2017, four years before Eugene hosts the World Championships.
Giving Eugene a shot makes complete sense all the way around. You're getting more publicity in the U.S. than ever before and can potentially tap into the American market for sponsors and the like. Then there's NBC, which will have live coverage in U.S. primetime for the first time ever. Most of all, you're leveling the playing field a little bit. The U.S. track team is the best in the world. After 30 years on the road, they're finally going to have a home game. I, for one, can't wait.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Guilty
None of us know what happened on the night Odin Lloyd died. Only those that were there know who actually pulled the trigger. Even after today's verdict, we still don't know if Aaron Hernandez did it or if, as he claimed, it was his two co-defendants. It doesn't matter. Because Aaron Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder and will spend the rest of his life in prison.
This case obviously captivated the nation and there are plenty that don't agree with the jury's verdict (did you see what Brandon Spikes, who's obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed, put on Twitter?), but ultimately, they didn't really have a choice. Hernandez's lawyers admitted he was at the scene. Once they did that (which they had to, since the evidence had already put him there), it was over. Why was he there if he didn't commit the murder? That was a question the defense couldn't answer. So, it was left up to the jury to fill in the gaps. And there was only one conclusion they could come to.
Even without a murder weapon, the defense couldn't prove that Hernandez didn't kill Lloyd. One of the great things about the American legal system is that you're innocent until proven guilty, and in order to convict someone of a crime the jury has to be convinced of their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. What made the Hernandez case so difficult, though, is that it was impossible for the defense to prove he was innocent beyond a reasonable doubt. While no one knows if Hernandez actually killed Lloyd, all of the evidence indicates that he did. Is there some doubt? Probably. But enough for the jury to be swayed? Clearly not.
All 12 members of the jury spoke to the media on their way out of the courtroom today, and all of them said that they were shocked Hernandez's team placed him at the scene. That's what convinced them of his guilt, they said. Although some of them probably did have some doubt, which is probably why it took them so long to deliberate. But, ultimately, they couldn't reconcile him being at the scene of the murder and not being involved, which left them with only one verdict they could possibly reach.
The thing that convinced me the most of Hernandez's guilt was his reaction when the verdict was read. "On the count of murder in the first degree, what say you? Guilty." No reaction whatsoever. No emotions. No remorse. Just a blank stare. He looked like a very guilty man. He did sit down later as the remaining charges and guilty verdicts were read, but Hernandez's non-reaction looked to me like a man realizing he didn't get away with it like he thought he would. If he actually hadn't done it, there would've been much more of a reaction when the verdict was read.
There were too many holes in Hernandez's story to come to any other conclusion. His defense team's strategy was always a bit of a longshot, too. He was targeted by police because he was famous? C'mon. Then how come he wasn't arrested until weeks after the murder? The police interviewed him as a witness long before he was a person of interest. It was only after their thorough investigation and all the evidence pointed towards him that Hernandez became a suspect. If he was "being targeted," why wasn't he arrested immediately?
They never did present a motive, but they did a good enough job of suggesting some possible reasons for the murder. Aaron Hernandez enjoyed being in the NFL and he felt entitled because he was. In his mind, it was a privilege just to be in his presence. And Odin Lloyd either didn't understand or didn't respect that. Hernandez clearly wasn't hanging around the right people or making the best decisions.
Let's not forget, he's also awaiting trial on two other murder charges. When the judge told the jury that, they knew they made the right decision. Because no matter what the verdict in that case is, it doesn't change the verdict in this one. Hernandez can appeal, but the chances of that being successful appear highly unlikely.
Of course, the sad irony is that two of the three high-profile murder cases that the sports world has been following took place in the Boston area. Boston marathon bomber Dzokhar Tsarnayev was convicted last week and the death penalty is on the table when the sentencing portion of his trial begins. If he does get the death penalty, which I believe he should for what he did, Tsarnayev might actually get off easier than Hernandez. Because Hernandez will definitely spend the rest of his days behind bars. And that could be 60 years or more!
That's the saddest thing of all. Aaron Hernandez had it all. He was one of the best tight ends in the NFL and he had a $40 million contract with the New England Patriots. But instead of reporting to Gillette Stadium on Sundays, Hernandez will instead spend the remainder of his life at a maximum security prison 1.5 miles away. A career so full of promise. Then he threw it all away. What a waste!
This case obviously captivated the nation and there are plenty that don't agree with the jury's verdict (did you see what Brandon Spikes, who's obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed, put on Twitter?), but ultimately, they didn't really have a choice. Hernandez's lawyers admitted he was at the scene. Once they did that (which they had to, since the evidence had already put him there), it was over. Why was he there if he didn't commit the murder? That was a question the defense couldn't answer. So, it was left up to the jury to fill in the gaps. And there was only one conclusion they could come to.
Even without a murder weapon, the defense couldn't prove that Hernandez didn't kill Lloyd. One of the great things about the American legal system is that you're innocent until proven guilty, and in order to convict someone of a crime the jury has to be convinced of their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. What made the Hernandez case so difficult, though, is that it was impossible for the defense to prove he was innocent beyond a reasonable doubt. While no one knows if Hernandez actually killed Lloyd, all of the evidence indicates that he did. Is there some doubt? Probably. But enough for the jury to be swayed? Clearly not.
All 12 members of the jury spoke to the media on their way out of the courtroom today, and all of them said that they were shocked Hernandez's team placed him at the scene. That's what convinced them of his guilt, they said. Although some of them probably did have some doubt, which is probably why it took them so long to deliberate. But, ultimately, they couldn't reconcile him being at the scene of the murder and not being involved, which left them with only one verdict they could possibly reach.
The thing that convinced me the most of Hernandez's guilt was his reaction when the verdict was read. "On the count of murder in the first degree, what say you? Guilty." No reaction whatsoever. No emotions. No remorse. Just a blank stare. He looked like a very guilty man. He did sit down later as the remaining charges and guilty verdicts were read, but Hernandez's non-reaction looked to me like a man realizing he didn't get away with it like he thought he would. If he actually hadn't done it, there would've been much more of a reaction when the verdict was read.
There were too many holes in Hernandez's story to come to any other conclusion. His defense team's strategy was always a bit of a longshot, too. He was targeted by police because he was famous? C'mon. Then how come he wasn't arrested until weeks after the murder? The police interviewed him as a witness long before he was a person of interest. It was only after their thorough investigation and all the evidence pointed towards him that Hernandez became a suspect. If he was "being targeted," why wasn't he arrested immediately?
They never did present a motive, but they did a good enough job of suggesting some possible reasons for the murder. Aaron Hernandez enjoyed being in the NFL and he felt entitled because he was. In his mind, it was a privilege just to be in his presence. And Odin Lloyd either didn't understand or didn't respect that. Hernandez clearly wasn't hanging around the right people or making the best decisions.
Let's not forget, he's also awaiting trial on two other murder charges. When the judge told the jury that, they knew they made the right decision. Because no matter what the verdict in that case is, it doesn't change the verdict in this one. Hernandez can appeal, but the chances of that being successful appear highly unlikely.
Of course, the sad irony is that two of the three high-profile murder cases that the sports world has been following took place in the Boston area. Boston marathon bomber Dzokhar Tsarnayev was convicted last week and the death penalty is on the table when the sentencing portion of his trial begins. If he does get the death penalty, which I believe he should for what he did, Tsarnayev might actually get off easier than Hernandez. Because Hernandez will definitely spend the rest of his days behind bars. And that could be 60 years or more!
That's the saddest thing of all. Aaron Hernandez had it all. He was one of the best tight ends in the NFL and he had a $40 million contract with the New England Patriots. But instead of reporting to Gillette Stadium on Sundays, Hernandez will instead spend the remainder of his life at a maximum security prison 1.5 miles away. A career so full of promise. Then he threw it all away. What a waste!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The 2015 Hockey Playoffs
The NHL regular season has ended and, I have to admit, there were definitely some surprises. I'm still having a hard time wrapping my finger around the fact that the Sharks can't collapse in the postseason this year. Meanwhile, the defending champion Kings won't be in the playoffs, either, and neither will the Bruins, who I had reaching the Cup finals in my preseason projections.
But you won't find anyone complaining (except for maybe their fans) that Boston and LA didn't make the playoffs. Because nobody wanted to play either one of them. The same could probably be said for Columbus, which was the hottest team in hockey over the last month of the season, but ran out of time and will also be watching the playoffs from home.
So, in lieu of the dangerous lower seed that's hot at the right time, I've got a feeling that we're going to see a postseason where the favorites will be very tough to beat. But, as we know, anything can happen over the next two months. That's why the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy in sports to win. And that's part of what makes playoff hockey so great.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Canadiens vs. Senators: Ottawa's on a roll. The Bruins didn't make the playoffs because of how good Ottawa was down the stretch. So good that the Senators snuck into the postseason position most people assumed was going to Boston for months. But winning one of the two battles of Canada (five of the seven Canadian teams made the playoffs, and two are guaranteed to advance, how 'bout that?) will take a lot. Montreal's the better team, and the Canadiens did what they had to do to make sure they (a) had home ice and (b) avoided Detroit. The Senators will definitely make it interesting, and they'll probably take a game or two, but the Canadiens are simply too strong. Montreal in six.
Lightning vs. Red Wings: Tampa Bay is a team on a mission, especially after last season's flameout. The big difference this year, though, is that the Lightning have a healthy Ben Bishop. As they learned last year, not having your goalie in the playoffs is a big problem. The Red Wings, meanwhile, kept their postseason streak alive. They've made it 24 consecutive times, which is coming up on the NHL record. This is perhaps the most evenly-matched of the eight series. Tampa Bay's definitely got more firepower, but Detroit has plenty of its own stars and a ton of postseason experience to bank on. But the Red Wings usually only advance when they play a team that they're better than, and in this series that's not the case. Detroit might make it go the distance, but the Lightning have home ice for a reason. Lightning in seven.
Rangers vs. Penguins: Ever since they locked up the 1-seed two weeks ago, the Rangers and their fans wanted more than anything to not see Boston. Well, mission accomplished. Although Pittsburgh might've been No. 2 on that list. But with the way the Penguins played down the stretch, this matchup actually is more favorable than a series with the Bruins would've been. Pittsburgh's actually been a pretty good matchup for the Rangers over the past couple years, including last season's miracle seven-game comeback in the Conference Semis. The Rangers have also owned the regular season meetings between the two. The Penguins will definitely make them work for it. But I'll take Henrik Lundqvist over Marc-Andre Fleury any day. Rangers in six.
Capitals vs. Islanders: This one's interesting. The Islanders were so good for so much of the year, yet fizzled down the stretch and will end up starting the playoffs on the road. The Capitals, meanwhile, went on the opposite trajectory. Washington went from a wild card and potentially having to play the Rangers to second place and home ice in the first round. Except they have a history of underachieving in the postseason. Alex Ovechkin knows this and will do anything he can to change that. He'll need some help, though, and they'll also have to get by Jaroslav Halak, who I think was the Islanders' MVP this season. He's the difference-maker in this series. Islanders in six, setting up the all-New York conference semi.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Blues vs. Wild: Where did St. Louis come from? It was Anaheim vs. Nashville for the No. 1 overall seed in the West for the longest time, then the Blues come from out of nowhere to win the Central Division and end up with the same point total as the Ducks. Winning the division was big because it meant avoiding the Blackhawks, but not getting No. 1 overall means a matchup with Minnesota instead, which might be just as tough. St. Louis is on that list of teams that continually underachieve in the playoffs, while Minnesota always manages to go deeper than people think. Take last year's first round upset of Colorado. I smell another one. Wild in six.
Predators vs. Blackhawks: Here's why finishing first in the Central mattered so much: it meant playing a wild card instead of the Blackhawks. And it's not like Nashville having home ice is going to make any sort of difference. Do you really think that bothers Chicago? The Blackhawks have become regulars in the later rounds of the playoffs mostly because of their ability to win on the road. It's also their year in the cycle to regain the Western Conference title, which won't require beating the Kings this season. Nashville had a great season. It's a shame that they drew the most playoff-tested team in hockey in the first round. It'll be a great series, but this is the Blackhawks' time to shine. Chicago wins Game 7 on the road.
Ducks vs. Jets: In the Pacific Division bracket, it's Anaheim vs. Western Canada. And the Ducks are probably very thankful for that. Because last year, as the 1-seed, things didn't go well for them in the California bracket. This year they're the state's only representative, though. And they're the strongest team among these four by far. Great job by the Jets to qualify for their first playoff appearance since moving to Winnipeg, but facing the Ducks will be a daunting task for Evander Kane and Co. Anaheim, a team with so much promise, played up to it in the regular season. Now it's up to them to carry that over into the playoffs. Because they're clearly the superior team. Winnipeg shouldn't be a problem. Ducks in five.
Canucks vs. Flames: This is the series I expected to see the least. But you know CBC's not complaining. They've got a guaranteed "Hockey Night In Canada" late game for as long as this series lasts, which could be all seven. Vancouver fired Alain Vigneault because they never won the Cup with all that talent, then watched Vigneault lead the Rangers to the Finals while they watched from home last season. Now they're back in the playoffs with most of the same pieces in place. Except for Roberto Luongo. He got blamed for all of their problems, but I'd still take Luongo in a heartbeat. And if they lose to Calgary, they'll really regret not having him. As for the Flames, it looked like they'd be a year or two away. Well, we were wrong. And they're the ones that knocked out both the Kings and the Sharks. Calgary's gonna be around for a while. And I think they're going to beat Vancouver. Flames in six.
But you won't find anyone complaining (except for maybe their fans) that Boston and LA didn't make the playoffs. Because nobody wanted to play either one of them. The same could probably be said for Columbus, which was the hottest team in hockey over the last month of the season, but ran out of time and will also be watching the playoffs from home.
So, in lieu of the dangerous lower seed that's hot at the right time, I've got a feeling that we're going to see a postseason where the favorites will be very tough to beat. But, as we know, anything can happen over the next two months. That's why the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy in sports to win. And that's part of what makes playoff hockey so great.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Canadiens vs. Senators: Ottawa's on a roll. The Bruins didn't make the playoffs because of how good Ottawa was down the stretch. So good that the Senators snuck into the postseason position most people assumed was going to Boston for months. But winning one of the two battles of Canada (five of the seven Canadian teams made the playoffs, and two are guaranteed to advance, how 'bout that?) will take a lot. Montreal's the better team, and the Canadiens did what they had to do to make sure they (a) had home ice and (b) avoided Detroit. The Senators will definitely make it interesting, and they'll probably take a game or two, but the Canadiens are simply too strong. Montreal in six.
Lightning vs. Red Wings: Tampa Bay is a team on a mission, especially after last season's flameout. The big difference this year, though, is that the Lightning have a healthy Ben Bishop. As they learned last year, not having your goalie in the playoffs is a big problem. The Red Wings, meanwhile, kept their postseason streak alive. They've made it 24 consecutive times, which is coming up on the NHL record. This is perhaps the most evenly-matched of the eight series. Tampa Bay's definitely got more firepower, but Detroit has plenty of its own stars and a ton of postseason experience to bank on. But the Red Wings usually only advance when they play a team that they're better than, and in this series that's not the case. Detroit might make it go the distance, but the Lightning have home ice for a reason. Lightning in seven.
Rangers vs. Penguins: Ever since they locked up the 1-seed two weeks ago, the Rangers and their fans wanted more than anything to not see Boston. Well, mission accomplished. Although Pittsburgh might've been No. 2 on that list. But with the way the Penguins played down the stretch, this matchup actually is more favorable than a series with the Bruins would've been. Pittsburgh's actually been a pretty good matchup for the Rangers over the past couple years, including last season's miracle seven-game comeback in the Conference Semis. The Rangers have also owned the regular season meetings between the two. The Penguins will definitely make them work for it. But I'll take Henrik Lundqvist over Marc-Andre Fleury any day. Rangers in six.
Capitals vs. Islanders: This one's interesting. The Islanders were so good for so much of the year, yet fizzled down the stretch and will end up starting the playoffs on the road. The Capitals, meanwhile, went on the opposite trajectory. Washington went from a wild card and potentially having to play the Rangers to second place and home ice in the first round. Except they have a history of underachieving in the postseason. Alex Ovechkin knows this and will do anything he can to change that. He'll need some help, though, and they'll also have to get by Jaroslav Halak, who I think was the Islanders' MVP this season. He's the difference-maker in this series. Islanders in six, setting up the all-New York conference semi.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Blues vs. Wild: Where did St. Louis come from? It was Anaheim vs. Nashville for the No. 1 overall seed in the West for the longest time, then the Blues come from out of nowhere to win the Central Division and end up with the same point total as the Ducks. Winning the division was big because it meant avoiding the Blackhawks, but not getting No. 1 overall means a matchup with Minnesota instead, which might be just as tough. St. Louis is on that list of teams that continually underachieve in the playoffs, while Minnesota always manages to go deeper than people think. Take last year's first round upset of Colorado. I smell another one. Wild in six.
Predators vs. Blackhawks: Here's why finishing first in the Central mattered so much: it meant playing a wild card instead of the Blackhawks. And it's not like Nashville having home ice is going to make any sort of difference. Do you really think that bothers Chicago? The Blackhawks have become regulars in the later rounds of the playoffs mostly because of their ability to win on the road. It's also their year in the cycle to regain the Western Conference title, which won't require beating the Kings this season. Nashville had a great season. It's a shame that they drew the most playoff-tested team in hockey in the first round. It'll be a great series, but this is the Blackhawks' time to shine. Chicago wins Game 7 on the road.
Ducks vs. Jets: In the Pacific Division bracket, it's Anaheim vs. Western Canada. And the Ducks are probably very thankful for that. Because last year, as the 1-seed, things didn't go well for them in the California bracket. This year they're the state's only representative, though. And they're the strongest team among these four by far. Great job by the Jets to qualify for their first playoff appearance since moving to Winnipeg, but facing the Ducks will be a daunting task for Evander Kane and Co. Anaheim, a team with so much promise, played up to it in the regular season. Now it's up to them to carry that over into the playoffs. Because they're clearly the superior team. Winnipeg shouldn't be a problem. Ducks in five.
Canucks vs. Flames: This is the series I expected to see the least. But you know CBC's not complaining. They've got a guaranteed "Hockey Night In Canada" late game for as long as this series lasts, which could be all seven. Vancouver fired Alain Vigneault because they never won the Cup with all that talent, then watched Vigneault lead the Rangers to the Finals while they watched from home last season. Now they're back in the playoffs with most of the same pieces in place. Except for Roberto Luongo. He got blamed for all of their problems, but I'd still take Luongo in a heartbeat. And if they lose to Calgary, they'll really regret not having him. As for the Flames, it looked like they'd be a year or two away. Well, we were wrong. And they're the ones that knocked out both the Kings and the Sharks. Calgary's gonna be around for a while. And I think they're going to beat Vancouver. Flames in six.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Nothing Good Happens After 2 a.m.
In the aftermath of the stabbing incident involving Pacers forward Chris Copeland a few nights ago and his subsequent apology, I've seen more comments from people saying that Copeland has nothing to apologize for. He's a victim. I'm not disputing that. But if you don't think Chris Copeland owed people an apology, you're an idiot.
I have no idea what actually happened at that club or what led to Copeland being stabbed. Apparently no one else does either, seeing as the police report, the statement by the club and what witnesses have said all contradict each other. But I do know this: an NBA player should not have been in that situation at 4:00 in the morning on the night before a game.
One of the first classic episodes of How I Met Your Mother (after the amazing pilot) came in season one. It was the episode where Ted's waiting for a phone call from his girlfriend in Germany, but he gets a call from Robin instead. He ends up going over to Robin's apartment, lies about being broken up, and they start going at it. Ted's girlfriend calls while he's in the bathroom, Robin talks to her, finds out they aren't broken up at all, and kicks Ted out. Ted then calls his girlfriend back and they break up. But he's also screwed up his chance at getting together with Robin. At the end, he reminds his kids that "nothing good happens after 2 a.m." The episode is aptly titled "Nothing Good Happens After 2 a.m."
Ever since that episode aired, I've found it amazing how true the adage rings. So, as Ted Mosby, in all his infinite wisdom, suggests, "if you're out after 2 a.m., just go home and go to bed."
Chris Copeland should've heeded Ted's advice. Yes, he's an adult. But that doesn't mean he should be given a pass for making a stupid decision that led to this situation. Do the Pacers have a curfew on the road? If they do, I'm sure Copeland was out past it. One guy went on to detail the Pacers' schedule for the days in question. They had flown into New York that afternoon and practiced, but evidently there was nothing between that practice and the game against the Knicks on Wednesday night. I don't know about the NBA, but I know in college, pretty much all teams have a shootaround at the arena on the morning of a game. So, if the Pacers had a shootaround, you'd have to figure that's something Copeland would've been required to be at. Likewise, even if they did just have the game, would it really be OK for him to come strolling into the hotel at whatever time of day and roll out of bed in time for the game?
So, yes, Chris Copeland did owe an apology. To the Indiana Pacers. He obviously didn't deserve to be stabbed, but he put himself in that situation because he made a poor decision. He put himself over the team. And this is a team that's fighting for a playoff spot, mind you. If I was the Pacers, Copeland wouldn't have played against the Knicks even if he wasn't in the hospital. He would've been benched.
There's precedent for benching athletes that break curfew. It happens all the time. Perhaps the most famous story of it involves Vince Lombardi. The night before Super Bowl I, Max McGee and Paul Hornung, two veterans figuring they weren't going to play anyway, snuck out of the hotel and went out in LA. Lombardi found out and benched them both, but he ended up needing McGee after starting wide receiver Boyd Dowler got hurt on the third play of the game and McGee ended up scoring the first touchdown in Super Bowl and arguably should've been the game's MVP.
As for the two Atlanta Hawks players that were there, I don't know their story, either. But the same thing applies. They were arrested for preventing police officers from setting up the crime scene, although that's being challenged by both the players' attorneys and the NBPA. The Hawks were in town to play the Nets, but my questioning of Copeland's judgment applies to them as well.
It's made even worse by the fact that Atlanta isn't fighting for a playoff berth. They're the best team in the Eastern Conference and a legitimate title contender. One of them broke his leg in the melee and is out for the year. So, you play for one of the best teams in the NBA and now they're without you for the rest of the season and the entire postseason because you couldn't go to bed at a decent hour. On the night before a game. Not just stupid. Incredibly selfish.
Yet neither of the Hawks players thinks he did anything wrong. Well, I think the NYPD would disagree, but that's a whole different story. No apology coming out of Atlanta. Even though there needs to be.
Sometimes these guys don't think. That's what I think is the main problem here. I don't know why those three players were at the same club at 4:00 in the morning or the circumstances that led to Chris Copeland being stabbed. But it's not OK that people are giving them a pass. They shouldn't be able to do whatever they want just because they play in the NBA. There needs to be some accountability. And if, as some have suggested, this (guys being out late at clubs) happens all the time, that's an even bigger problem. Because Ted was absolutely right. Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.
I have no idea what actually happened at that club or what led to Copeland being stabbed. Apparently no one else does either, seeing as the police report, the statement by the club and what witnesses have said all contradict each other. But I do know this: an NBA player should not have been in that situation at 4:00 in the morning on the night before a game.
One of the first classic episodes of How I Met Your Mother (after the amazing pilot) came in season one. It was the episode where Ted's waiting for a phone call from his girlfriend in Germany, but he gets a call from Robin instead. He ends up going over to Robin's apartment, lies about being broken up, and they start going at it. Ted's girlfriend calls while he's in the bathroom, Robin talks to her, finds out they aren't broken up at all, and kicks Ted out. Ted then calls his girlfriend back and they break up. But he's also screwed up his chance at getting together with Robin. At the end, he reminds his kids that "nothing good happens after 2 a.m." The episode is aptly titled "Nothing Good Happens After 2 a.m."
Ever since that episode aired, I've found it amazing how true the adage rings. So, as Ted Mosby, in all his infinite wisdom, suggests, "if you're out after 2 a.m., just go home and go to bed."
Chris Copeland should've heeded Ted's advice. Yes, he's an adult. But that doesn't mean he should be given a pass for making a stupid decision that led to this situation. Do the Pacers have a curfew on the road? If they do, I'm sure Copeland was out past it. One guy went on to detail the Pacers' schedule for the days in question. They had flown into New York that afternoon and practiced, but evidently there was nothing between that practice and the game against the Knicks on Wednesday night. I don't know about the NBA, but I know in college, pretty much all teams have a shootaround at the arena on the morning of a game. So, if the Pacers had a shootaround, you'd have to figure that's something Copeland would've been required to be at. Likewise, even if they did just have the game, would it really be OK for him to come strolling into the hotel at whatever time of day and roll out of bed in time for the game?
So, yes, Chris Copeland did owe an apology. To the Indiana Pacers. He obviously didn't deserve to be stabbed, but he put himself in that situation because he made a poor decision. He put himself over the team. And this is a team that's fighting for a playoff spot, mind you. If I was the Pacers, Copeland wouldn't have played against the Knicks even if he wasn't in the hospital. He would've been benched.
There's precedent for benching athletes that break curfew. It happens all the time. Perhaps the most famous story of it involves Vince Lombardi. The night before Super Bowl I, Max McGee and Paul Hornung, two veterans figuring they weren't going to play anyway, snuck out of the hotel and went out in LA. Lombardi found out and benched them both, but he ended up needing McGee after starting wide receiver Boyd Dowler got hurt on the third play of the game and McGee ended up scoring the first touchdown in Super Bowl and arguably should've been the game's MVP.
As for the two Atlanta Hawks players that were there, I don't know their story, either. But the same thing applies. They were arrested for preventing police officers from setting up the crime scene, although that's being challenged by both the players' attorneys and the NBPA. The Hawks were in town to play the Nets, but my questioning of Copeland's judgment applies to them as well.
It's made even worse by the fact that Atlanta isn't fighting for a playoff berth. They're the best team in the Eastern Conference and a legitimate title contender. One of them broke his leg in the melee and is out for the year. So, you play for one of the best teams in the NBA and now they're without you for the rest of the season and the entire postseason because you couldn't go to bed at a decent hour. On the night before a game. Not just stupid. Incredibly selfish.
Yet neither of the Hawks players thinks he did anything wrong. Well, I think the NYPD would disagree, but that's a whole different story. No apology coming out of Atlanta. Even though there needs to be.
Sometimes these guys don't think. That's what I think is the main problem here. I don't know why those three players were at the same club at 4:00 in the morning or the circumstances that led to Chris Copeland being stabbed. But it's not OK that people are giving them a pass. They shouldn't be able to do whatever they want just because they play in the NBA. There needs to be some accountability. And if, as some have suggested, this (guys being out late at clubs) happens all the time, that's an even bigger problem. Because Ted was absolutely right. Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
All 30 Franchise Fours
Major League Baseball announced today that they're doing this "Franchise Four" thing. Fans of each team get to vote for the four most impactful players in franchise history, and they're going to unveil all 30 at the All-Star Game in Cincinnati (all the more reason for Pete Rose to be reinstated, since he should be on the Reds' Franchise Four).
This "Mount Rushmore" concept is something that has been debated on various websites for the last couple years now, but this is the first time it's been formalized in any fashion. And it's a fun thing. Fans will finally get the chance to compare players from different eras and decide who truly are the most significant players in franchise history. There are plenty of obvious selections, while some will be incredibly hard. How can you pick just four Yankees? Or four Cardinals? Likewise, how do you pick four Marlins or Diamondbacks?
I decided it would be fun to take on the challenge of picking the "Franchise Four" for all 30 teams. I realize that I'm probably going to be way off on some teams, which is OK. That's part of the fun of it. Everybody's top four is going to be different.
There were also some decisions that I had to make. Originally, I wanted to make players eligible for only one team. After all, the Hall of Fame makes them choose a hat. Then I realized it was unfair to the handful of guys it applied to. Because Randy Johnson is just as important a figure in Mariners history as he is in Diamondbacks history. I also wasn't sure what to do about teams that have relocated. Do Expos count for the Nationals? What about Washington Senators with the Twins? But Jackie Robinson can't not be one of the four Dodgers, which means Brooklyn has to be included. So what I decided was that for the franchises that have relocated but kept their name/identity (Dodgers, Giants, A's, Braves), all players qualify. For those that basically recreated their identity when they moved (Nationals, Twins, Rangers, Orioles), it's only players from their current city. And since they said most impactful "players" in franchise history, that means no Joe Maddon for the Rays or Earl Weaver for the Orioles or any other managers.
So now, without further ado, here are my selections for the "Franchise Four" for all 30 Major League franchises (plus a bonus "Franchise Four" for the Expos):
Baltimore Orioles: Cal Ripken Jr., Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray
Boston Red Sox: Ted Williams, Carl Yastrezmski, David Ortiz, Roger Clemens
Chicago White Sox: Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk, Eddie Collins, Nellie Fox
Cleveland Indians: Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby, Jim Thome
Detroit Tigers: Al Kaline, Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Cochrane
Houston Astros: Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Scott, Nolan Ryan
Kansas City Royals: George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, Dan Quisenberry
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Rod Carew, Nolan Ryan, Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero
Minnesota Twins: Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva
New York Yankees: Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter
Oakland Athletics: Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Catfish Hunter, Lefty Grove
Seattle Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez
Tampa Bay Rays: Evan Longoria, David Price, Ben Zobrist, Wade Boggs
Texas Rangers: Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Nolan Ryan, Michael Young
Toronto Blue Jays: Dave Stieb, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, George Bell
Arizona Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Curt Schilling, Paul Goldschmidt
Atlanta Braves: Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Dale Murphy, Chipper Jones
Chicago Cubs: Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo, Sammy Sosa
Cincinnati Reds: Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Barry Larkin
Colorado Rockies: Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Troy Tulowitzki
Los Angeles Dodgers: Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Steve Garvey
Miami Marlins: Jeff Conine, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sheffield, Josh Beckett
Milwaukee Brewers: Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Rollie Fingers, Ryan Braun
New York Mets: Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza, Dwight Gooden
Philadelphia Phillies: Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Chase Utley
Pittsburgh Pirates: Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Ralph Kiner
San Diego Padres: Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield, Trevor Hoffman, Jake Peavy
San Francisco Giants: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Barry Bonds, Juan Marichal
St. Louis Cardinals: Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Albert Pujols
Washington Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Alfonso Soriano
Montreal Expos: Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Pedro Martinez
This "Mount Rushmore" concept is something that has been debated on various websites for the last couple years now, but this is the first time it's been formalized in any fashion. And it's a fun thing. Fans will finally get the chance to compare players from different eras and decide who truly are the most significant players in franchise history. There are plenty of obvious selections, while some will be incredibly hard. How can you pick just four Yankees? Or four Cardinals? Likewise, how do you pick four Marlins or Diamondbacks?
I decided it would be fun to take on the challenge of picking the "Franchise Four" for all 30 teams. I realize that I'm probably going to be way off on some teams, which is OK. That's part of the fun of it. Everybody's top four is going to be different.
There were also some decisions that I had to make. Originally, I wanted to make players eligible for only one team. After all, the Hall of Fame makes them choose a hat. Then I realized it was unfair to the handful of guys it applied to. Because Randy Johnson is just as important a figure in Mariners history as he is in Diamondbacks history. I also wasn't sure what to do about teams that have relocated. Do Expos count for the Nationals? What about Washington Senators with the Twins? But Jackie Robinson can't not be one of the four Dodgers, which means Brooklyn has to be included. So what I decided was that for the franchises that have relocated but kept their name/identity (Dodgers, Giants, A's, Braves), all players qualify. For those that basically recreated their identity when they moved (Nationals, Twins, Rangers, Orioles), it's only players from their current city. And since they said most impactful "players" in franchise history, that means no Joe Maddon for the Rays or Earl Weaver for the Orioles or any other managers.
So now, without further ado, here are my selections for the "Franchise Four" for all 30 Major League franchises (plus a bonus "Franchise Four" for the Expos):
Baltimore Orioles: Cal Ripken Jr., Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray
Boston Red Sox: Ted Williams, Carl Yastrezmski, David Ortiz, Roger Clemens
Chicago White Sox: Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk, Eddie Collins, Nellie Fox
Cleveland Indians: Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby, Jim Thome
Detroit Tigers: Al Kaline, Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Cochrane
Houston Astros: Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Scott, Nolan Ryan
Kansas City Royals: George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, Dan Quisenberry
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Rod Carew, Nolan Ryan, Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero
Minnesota Twins: Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva
New York Yankees: Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter
Oakland Athletics: Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Catfish Hunter, Lefty Grove
Seattle Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez
Tampa Bay Rays: Evan Longoria, David Price, Ben Zobrist, Wade Boggs
Texas Rangers: Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Nolan Ryan, Michael Young
Toronto Blue Jays: Dave Stieb, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, George Bell
Arizona Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Curt Schilling, Paul Goldschmidt
Atlanta Braves: Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Dale Murphy, Chipper Jones
Chicago Cubs: Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo, Sammy Sosa
Cincinnati Reds: Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Barry Larkin
Colorado Rockies: Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Troy Tulowitzki
Los Angeles Dodgers: Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Steve Garvey
Miami Marlins: Jeff Conine, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sheffield, Josh Beckett
Milwaukee Brewers: Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Rollie Fingers, Ryan Braun
New York Mets: Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza, Dwight Gooden
Philadelphia Phillies: Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Chase Utley
Pittsburgh Pirates: Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Ralph Kiner
San Diego Padres: Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield, Trevor Hoffman, Jake Peavy
San Francisco Giants: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Barry Bonds, Juan Marichal
St. Louis Cardinals: Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Albert Pujols
Washington Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Alfonso Soriano
Montreal Expos: Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Pedro Martinez
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Time For Baseball (NL West)
So, we've reached the end of our six-part odyssey. After taking a look at each of Baseball's other five divisions, it's time for the NL West, where the defending World Series champs and the two most dominant lefties in the game reside. We've also got two of the worst teams in baseball and perhaps the most improved team. But they're all still fighting to catch the Dodgers, who are still right up there at the very top of the game.
It's crazy to think that the Dodgers were the consensus best team in baseball for most, if not all, of last season, yet it was the archrival Giants that ended up winning the World Series for the third time in five years. Despite all that regular season success they've had recently, the Dodgers can't beat the Cardinals in the playoffs, and they haven't been to the NLCS since Joe Torre was their manager. Meanwhile, they watch San Francisco get in as the second wild card and take the whole thing with only 88 regular season wins.
There's something to be said about peaking at the right time, but we all know that Madison Bumgarner won the World Series by himself and Clayton Kershaw just picked a bad time to have his two worst innings of the year. You know that the Giants' success irks the Dodgers, though. And LA's window is running out the same way that Detroit's is. They know they only have another year or two to take advantage of Kershaw's prime and the glut of talent they have around him. Besides, it's an odd-numbered year, so we know the Giants aren't going to win this season.
We also know that winning in the regular season means nothing come October. The Dodgers would love nothing more than having absolutely nothing to do with the St. Louis Cardinals in the postseason. But it really shouldn't matter with the team they've built. The Dodgers are clear favorites in the NL West and right up there with Washington as the two best teams in the National League.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers: Everyone pretty much knew that Hanley Ramirez wasn't coming back. The challenge was going to be how to replace him. And I like Jimmy Rollins in that role. A lot. With the Phillies, he had to be the man. With the Dodgers he doesn't. And, yes, Rollins is older, but there's still some gas in the tank, which is why Philadelphia traded him. It's an entirely new middle infield, as Howie Kendrick swaps Angel red for Dodger Blue. Second base was a weak spot last season, so Kendrick's bat in the back end of the lineup will certainly help. They also figured out the whole four outfielders for three spots problem. Well, kind of. They needed to find a place for Joc Pederson, which would've given them five outfielders for three spots. So they decided that Matt Kemp would be the one to go, strangely sending him south to the division-rival Padres. I, personally, love Matt Kemp and think he's the most talented of the bunch behind Puig, so I would've kept him, but the Dodgers were likely wary of his injury history and knew that Kemp was the one with the most trade value. With him gone, that freed up center field for Pederson. Andre Ethier is still the odd-man out, though. And he's not happy about it. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ethier traded this season. As if they needed to make the rotation any stronger, they swept up Brandon McCarthy after his solid three months with the Yankees and are giving him a whole lot of money to be their No. 4 starter. McCarthy's good enough to be a No. 1, and he could be elsewhere. The fact that he's the No. 4, and voluntarily so, speaks to how deep this Dodgers rotation is. And they've obviously got that superhuman freak who last season became the first NL pitcher in 45 years to win MVP. In case you thought there was anything left for Clayton Kershaw to prove, he's motivated by his October struggles against the Cardinals the last two seasons. Look out, National League hitters. You already couldn't hit him.
Projected Lineup: Jimmy Rollins-SS, Carl Crawford-LF, Yasiel Puig-RF, Adrian Gonzalez-1B, Howie Kendrick-2B, Juan Uribe-3B, Joc Pederson-CF, A.J. Ellis-C
Projected Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson
Closer: Kenley Jansen
Projected Record: 93-69
2. San Diego Padres: I don't think I've ever seen a team get an entirely new outfield, all via trade, in a span of about 45 minutes before. Yet that's what the Padres did, improving at all three outfield positions in the process. You're definitely going to need a program at Petco Park in April. Seriously, the entire freakin' roster is new. Will Middlebrooks was a Red Sok last season. Clint Barmes was a Pirate. Derek Norris, an A. That leaves only two Opening Day starters: Jedd Gyorko and Yonder Alonso, who actually played for San Diego just 12 months ago. And with Chase Headley gone, Gyorko has probably taken over that "face of the franchise" tag. There's been that much turnover in San Diego. But that's not a bad thing. Because the Padres spent some money and vastly improved their team, and they might've improved enough to challenge for a wild card spot. San Diego's also got one of the strongest benches of any team in the National League. All three outfield casualties: Will Venable, Carlos Quentin and Cameron Maybin went form starters to pinch hitters. That's three excellent options as pinch hitters, and they also provide valuable insurance policies should Matt Kemp get hurt (likely) and/or Justin Upton sucks. It's not going to work long term, but should San Diego be in contention and looking for pitching at the trade deadline, Maybin, Quentin and Venable are all chips that other clubs will want. It can also work the other way. If they're out of it, those are the three easiest guys to trade and get something for in the same way they got Yangervis Solarte in the Headley trade. As if greatly improving their lineup wasn't enough, the Padres surprised virtually everybody by being the team that snagged James Shields. This guy has already pitched in the World Series for small market teams Tampa Bay and Kansas City. It's a lot of money, but definitely worth the risk. Because there could be very high reward. I am worried about Shields pitching in the National League for the first time and matching up against Kershaw and Bumgarner regularly, though.
Projected Lineup: Wil Myers-CF, Jedd Gyorko-2B, Matt Kemp-RF, Yonder Alonso-1B, Justin Upton-LF, Derek Norris-C, Will Middlebrooks-3B, Alexei Amarista-SS
Projected Rotation: James Shields, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy, Brandon Morrow
Closer: Joaquin Benoit
Projected Record: 86-76
3. San Francisco Giants: Even if this wasn't the off year in the Giants' World Series rotation, I'd be hard-pressed to pick San Francisco this season. Because Panda's going to be a bigger loss than they imagine. Sure, they'll save money on food, but that hole in the lineup isn't just in a metaphorical sense. Casey McGehee is no Pablo Sandoval. Although, they do get Angel Pagan back (it's not like they missed him during the playoffs last year, though), and they'll have an actual outfielder in left field this season, so there's that. There's also no discounting the boatloads of postseason experience a majority of this roster has gotten over the past five years. Only Buster, Bumgarner and a few others have been on all three World Series teams, but there's something to be said about the winning culture that Bruce Bochy's built. It's kind of like the Patriots. Regardless of how well the lineup does, the Giants have been all about pitching ever since Barry Bonds left, and that's the case again this year. Madison Bumgarner might be on a complete other level in October, but he ain't to shabby in the regular season, either, even if he his a mere mortal between the months of April and September. With their excess of starters, either Ryan Vogelsong or Tim Lincecum is likely getting Tanner Roarked with the return of Matt Cain. Think about that. The Giants won the World Series without their leadoff hitter and their No. 2 starter last season. The pitching will be there again. It always is. So whether or not the Giants can buck the trend and make it back-to-back postseason appearances really depends on the lineup. But with Sandoval gone and Hunter Pence out two months with a broken arm, that's a lot of pressure to put on Buster Posey and Brandon Belt. The lineup is San Francisco's Achilles heel. And as good as their pitching staff is, I'm not sure they'll be able to overcome the lack of run support I know will be an issue. It's not good that Bumgarner will be the third-best hitter in the lineup on the days he pitches.
Projected Lineup: Angel Pagan-CF, Joe Panik-2B, Buster Posey-C, Brandon Belt-1B, Casey McGehee-3B, Brandon Crawford-SS, Gregor Blanco-RF, Nori Aoki-LF
Projected Rotation: Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy, Tim Lincecum
Closer: Sergio Romo
Projected Record: 83-79
4. Colorado Rockies: What is it about the two Western Divisions? The six West Coast teams are all pretty good. But the two in Texas aren't, and neither are the Rockies or Diamondbacks. Colorado and Arizona will be fighting with the Phillies for the NL's worst record, but one of them won't even finish last in the division. I think that team will be Colorado. Because the Rockies do have more talent than the Diamondbacks. Troy Tulowitzki is clearly their best player, but he can't stay on the field. That might be a blessing in disguise, though. Because if he could stay healthy, it's highly unlikely Tulowitzki would still be a Rocky. Same thing with Carlos Gonzalez, who probably is gone once he becomes a free agent. It was nice to see Justin Morneau revive his career last season, though. They're going to score. Everybody knows that. Coors Field has been a hitter's park since it opened 20 years ago. The problem is they're going to give up a ton of runs, too. Normally, you can look at the Rockies pitching staff and see that one diamond in the rough who can stabilize things a little bit. I just don't know who that's supposed to be this season. Kyle Kendrick? Jorge De La Rosa? Any of those random rejects from other teams in the bullpen? It could be Rafael Betancourt, who's a Comeback Player of the Year candidate. Somebody needs to emerge. Because this pitching staff is a mess. They've got 85-year-old LaTroy Hawkins, who hasn't been good since he was on the Twins, closing. That's the state of Colorado's pitching in 2015.
Projected Lineup: DJ LeMathieu-2B, Corey Dickerson-LF, Troy Tulowitzki-SS, Carlos Gonzalez-RF, Justin Morneau-1B, Nolan Arenado-3B, Charlie Blackmon-CF, Nick Hundley-C
Projected Rotation: Jorge De La Rosa, Kyle Kendrick, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Matzek, Jon Gray
Closer: LaTroy Hawkins
Projected Record: 69-93
5. Arizona Diamondbacks: But at least the Rockies aren't the Diamondbacks. What's there to say that's positive about Arizona? Paul Goldschmit's a stud. That's about it. Oh, and Randy Johnson became their first Hall of Famer this year, and he's going to wear a Diamondbacks hat on his plaque. It isn't good that that's the biggest thing for this team to look forward to this season. Because on the field, it's going to be another long one. Other than Goldschmidt, they've got nobody, and I mean nobody, that scares you. Even Mark Trumbo isn't intimidating in this lineup. The fact that Trumbo is a DH playing for a National League team doesn't help. Outside of Cliff Owings and A.J. Pollock, I've never heard of anyone else that's listed as a projected starter for Arizona on the MLB.com depth chart. The same thing kind of applies to the pitching staff. Bronson Arroyo and Jeremy Hellickson both had Tommy John surgery. If Arizona had them in the rotation, they might actually be in a position to finish ahead of the Rockies. But I'll still take Josh Collmenter and Jeremy Hellickson over any Colorado starter, and Rubby De La Rosa will get a shot as their No. 2 starter. Arizona's other Cuban, Yasmany Tomas, might end up starting the year in the Minors, which seems silly, considering the amount of money they spent to sign him and the fact that they don't really have anyone better than him at the Major League level. And this isn't a Kris Bryant situation, either. I really don't understand why Arizona, who shocked everybody by landing Tomas, doesn't plan on using him. Especially since the Diamondbacks aren't going anywhere.
Projected Lineup: A.J. Pollock-CF, Cliff Owings-2B, Paul Goldschmidt-1B, Mark Trumbo-RF, David Peralta-LF, Jake Lamb-3B, Nick Ahmed-SS, Tuffy Gosewisch-C
Projected Rotation: Josh Collmenter, Rubby De La Rosa, Jeremy Hellickson, Chase Anderson, Archie Bradley
Closer: Addison Reed
Projected Record: 67-95
Now that I'm done with my division predictions, it's time to review. Here's how I see the postseason playing out:
AL Wild Card-Red Sox def. Angels
ALDS-Mariners def. Blue Jays, Tigers def. Red Sox
ALCS-Mariners def. Tigers
NL Wild Card-Cubs def. Padres
NLDS-Cardinals def. Dodgers, Nationals def. Cubs
NLCS-Nationals def. Cardinals
World Series-Nationals def. Mariners in 6
It's crazy to think that the Dodgers were the consensus best team in baseball for most, if not all, of last season, yet it was the archrival Giants that ended up winning the World Series for the third time in five years. Despite all that regular season success they've had recently, the Dodgers can't beat the Cardinals in the playoffs, and they haven't been to the NLCS since Joe Torre was their manager. Meanwhile, they watch San Francisco get in as the second wild card and take the whole thing with only 88 regular season wins.
There's something to be said about peaking at the right time, but we all know that Madison Bumgarner won the World Series by himself and Clayton Kershaw just picked a bad time to have his two worst innings of the year. You know that the Giants' success irks the Dodgers, though. And LA's window is running out the same way that Detroit's is. They know they only have another year or two to take advantage of Kershaw's prime and the glut of talent they have around him. Besides, it's an odd-numbered year, so we know the Giants aren't going to win this season.
We also know that winning in the regular season means nothing come October. The Dodgers would love nothing more than having absolutely nothing to do with the St. Louis Cardinals in the postseason. But it really shouldn't matter with the team they've built. The Dodgers are clear favorites in the NL West and right up there with Washington as the two best teams in the National League.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers: Everyone pretty much knew that Hanley Ramirez wasn't coming back. The challenge was going to be how to replace him. And I like Jimmy Rollins in that role. A lot. With the Phillies, he had to be the man. With the Dodgers he doesn't. And, yes, Rollins is older, but there's still some gas in the tank, which is why Philadelphia traded him. It's an entirely new middle infield, as Howie Kendrick swaps Angel red for Dodger Blue. Second base was a weak spot last season, so Kendrick's bat in the back end of the lineup will certainly help. They also figured out the whole four outfielders for three spots problem. Well, kind of. They needed to find a place for Joc Pederson, which would've given them five outfielders for three spots. So they decided that Matt Kemp would be the one to go, strangely sending him south to the division-rival Padres. I, personally, love Matt Kemp and think he's the most talented of the bunch behind Puig, so I would've kept him, but the Dodgers were likely wary of his injury history and knew that Kemp was the one with the most trade value. With him gone, that freed up center field for Pederson. Andre Ethier is still the odd-man out, though. And he's not happy about it. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ethier traded this season. As if they needed to make the rotation any stronger, they swept up Brandon McCarthy after his solid three months with the Yankees and are giving him a whole lot of money to be their No. 4 starter. McCarthy's good enough to be a No. 1, and he could be elsewhere. The fact that he's the No. 4, and voluntarily so, speaks to how deep this Dodgers rotation is. And they've obviously got that superhuman freak who last season became the first NL pitcher in 45 years to win MVP. In case you thought there was anything left for Clayton Kershaw to prove, he's motivated by his October struggles against the Cardinals the last two seasons. Look out, National League hitters. You already couldn't hit him.
Projected Lineup: Jimmy Rollins-SS, Carl Crawford-LF, Yasiel Puig-RF, Adrian Gonzalez-1B, Howie Kendrick-2B, Juan Uribe-3B, Joc Pederson-CF, A.J. Ellis-C
Projected Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson
Closer: Kenley Jansen
Projected Record: 93-69
2. San Diego Padres: I don't think I've ever seen a team get an entirely new outfield, all via trade, in a span of about 45 minutes before. Yet that's what the Padres did, improving at all three outfield positions in the process. You're definitely going to need a program at Petco Park in April. Seriously, the entire freakin' roster is new. Will Middlebrooks was a Red Sok last season. Clint Barmes was a Pirate. Derek Norris, an A. That leaves only two Opening Day starters: Jedd Gyorko and Yonder Alonso, who actually played for San Diego just 12 months ago. And with Chase Headley gone, Gyorko has probably taken over that "face of the franchise" tag. There's been that much turnover in San Diego. But that's not a bad thing. Because the Padres spent some money and vastly improved their team, and they might've improved enough to challenge for a wild card spot. San Diego's also got one of the strongest benches of any team in the National League. All three outfield casualties: Will Venable, Carlos Quentin and Cameron Maybin went form starters to pinch hitters. That's three excellent options as pinch hitters, and they also provide valuable insurance policies should Matt Kemp get hurt (likely) and/or Justin Upton sucks. It's not going to work long term, but should San Diego be in contention and looking for pitching at the trade deadline, Maybin, Quentin and Venable are all chips that other clubs will want. It can also work the other way. If they're out of it, those are the three easiest guys to trade and get something for in the same way they got Yangervis Solarte in the Headley trade. As if greatly improving their lineup wasn't enough, the Padres surprised virtually everybody by being the team that snagged James Shields. This guy has already pitched in the World Series for small market teams Tampa Bay and Kansas City. It's a lot of money, but definitely worth the risk. Because there could be very high reward. I am worried about Shields pitching in the National League for the first time and matching up against Kershaw and Bumgarner regularly, though.
Projected Lineup: Wil Myers-CF, Jedd Gyorko-2B, Matt Kemp-RF, Yonder Alonso-1B, Justin Upton-LF, Derek Norris-C, Will Middlebrooks-3B, Alexei Amarista-SS
Projected Rotation: James Shields, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy, Brandon Morrow
Closer: Joaquin Benoit
Projected Record: 86-76
3. San Francisco Giants: Even if this wasn't the off year in the Giants' World Series rotation, I'd be hard-pressed to pick San Francisco this season. Because Panda's going to be a bigger loss than they imagine. Sure, they'll save money on food, but that hole in the lineup isn't just in a metaphorical sense. Casey McGehee is no Pablo Sandoval. Although, they do get Angel Pagan back (it's not like they missed him during the playoffs last year, though), and they'll have an actual outfielder in left field this season, so there's that. There's also no discounting the boatloads of postseason experience a majority of this roster has gotten over the past five years. Only Buster, Bumgarner and a few others have been on all three World Series teams, but there's something to be said about the winning culture that Bruce Bochy's built. It's kind of like the Patriots. Regardless of how well the lineup does, the Giants have been all about pitching ever since Barry Bonds left, and that's the case again this year. Madison Bumgarner might be on a complete other level in October, but he ain't to shabby in the regular season, either, even if he his a mere mortal between the months of April and September. With their excess of starters, either Ryan Vogelsong or Tim Lincecum is likely getting Tanner Roarked with the return of Matt Cain. Think about that. The Giants won the World Series without their leadoff hitter and their No. 2 starter last season. The pitching will be there again. It always is. So whether or not the Giants can buck the trend and make it back-to-back postseason appearances really depends on the lineup. But with Sandoval gone and Hunter Pence out two months with a broken arm, that's a lot of pressure to put on Buster Posey and Brandon Belt. The lineup is San Francisco's Achilles heel. And as good as their pitching staff is, I'm not sure they'll be able to overcome the lack of run support I know will be an issue. It's not good that Bumgarner will be the third-best hitter in the lineup on the days he pitches.
Projected Lineup: Angel Pagan-CF, Joe Panik-2B, Buster Posey-C, Brandon Belt-1B, Casey McGehee-3B, Brandon Crawford-SS, Gregor Blanco-RF, Nori Aoki-LF
Projected Rotation: Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy, Tim Lincecum
Closer: Sergio Romo
Projected Record: 83-79
4. Colorado Rockies: What is it about the two Western Divisions? The six West Coast teams are all pretty good. But the two in Texas aren't, and neither are the Rockies or Diamondbacks. Colorado and Arizona will be fighting with the Phillies for the NL's worst record, but one of them won't even finish last in the division. I think that team will be Colorado. Because the Rockies do have more talent than the Diamondbacks. Troy Tulowitzki is clearly their best player, but he can't stay on the field. That might be a blessing in disguise, though. Because if he could stay healthy, it's highly unlikely Tulowitzki would still be a Rocky. Same thing with Carlos Gonzalez, who probably is gone once he becomes a free agent. It was nice to see Justin Morneau revive his career last season, though. They're going to score. Everybody knows that. Coors Field has been a hitter's park since it opened 20 years ago. The problem is they're going to give up a ton of runs, too. Normally, you can look at the Rockies pitching staff and see that one diamond in the rough who can stabilize things a little bit. I just don't know who that's supposed to be this season. Kyle Kendrick? Jorge De La Rosa? Any of those random rejects from other teams in the bullpen? It could be Rafael Betancourt, who's a Comeback Player of the Year candidate. Somebody needs to emerge. Because this pitching staff is a mess. They've got 85-year-old LaTroy Hawkins, who hasn't been good since he was on the Twins, closing. That's the state of Colorado's pitching in 2015.
Projected Lineup: DJ LeMathieu-2B, Corey Dickerson-LF, Troy Tulowitzki-SS, Carlos Gonzalez-RF, Justin Morneau-1B, Nolan Arenado-3B, Charlie Blackmon-CF, Nick Hundley-C
Projected Rotation: Jorge De La Rosa, Kyle Kendrick, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Matzek, Jon Gray
Closer: LaTroy Hawkins
Projected Record: 69-93
5. Arizona Diamondbacks: But at least the Rockies aren't the Diamondbacks. What's there to say that's positive about Arizona? Paul Goldschmit's a stud. That's about it. Oh, and Randy Johnson became their first Hall of Famer this year, and he's going to wear a Diamondbacks hat on his plaque. It isn't good that that's the biggest thing for this team to look forward to this season. Because on the field, it's going to be another long one. Other than Goldschmidt, they've got nobody, and I mean nobody, that scares you. Even Mark Trumbo isn't intimidating in this lineup. The fact that Trumbo is a DH playing for a National League team doesn't help. Outside of Cliff Owings and A.J. Pollock, I've never heard of anyone else that's listed as a projected starter for Arizona on the MLB.com depth chart. The same thing kind of applies to the pitching staff. Bronson Arroyo and Jeremy Hellickson both had Tommy John surgery. If Arizona had them in the rotation, they might actually be in a position to finish ahead of the Rockies. But I'll still take Josh Collmenter and Jeremy Hellickson over any Colorado starter, and Rubby De La Rosa will get a shot as their No. 2 starter. Arizona's other Cuban, Yasmany Tomas, might end up starting the year in the Minors, which seems silly, considering the amount of money they spent to sign him and the fact that they don't really have anyone better than him at the Major League level. And this isn't a Kris Bryant situation, either. I really don't understand why Arizona, who shocked everybody by landing Tomas, doesn't plan on using him. Especially since the Diamondbacks aren't going anywhere.
Projected Lineup: A.J. Pollock-CF, Cliff Owings-2B, Paul Goldschmidt-1B, Mark Trumbo-RF, David Peralta-LF, Jake Lamb-3B, Nick Ahmed-SS, Tuffy Gosewisch-C
Projected Rotation: Josh Collmenter, Rubby De La Rosa, Jeremy Hellickson, Chase Anderson, Archie Bradley
Closer: Addison Reed
Projected Record: 67-95
Now that I'm done with my division predictions, it's time to review. Here's how I see the postseason playing out:
AL Wild Card-Red Sox def. Angels
ALDS-Mariners def. Blue Jays, Tigers def. Red Sox
ALCS-Mariners def. Tigers
NL Wild Card-Cubs def. Padres
NLDS-Cardinals def. Dodgers, Nationals def. Cubs
NLCS-Nationals def. Cardinals
World Series-Nationals def. Mariners in 6
Friday, April 3, 2015
Time For Baseball (AL West)
We're almost there! This is the last pre-baseball weekend of 2015, as well as the last weekend without baseball until November. Spring Training isn't officially over yet, but teams have broken camp and headed North for exhibition games in their actual home parks. Although, for the teams on the West Coast, they won't be doing much traveling from Arizona to their respective home cities.
In the AL West, things are going to be a little different this year. Houston's going to be much better, so the Angels, A's and Mariners won't have as many automatic wins to add to their record. It was an interesting point they brought up during the Division Series last year. The Angels had the best record in the American League, but were only like five games over .500 against good teams. They loaded up on wins over Houston and Texas. But with the Astros much improved and the Rangers, you'd figure, not going to be as snake bitten with injuries, the AL West won't have as great of a win disparity this season.
I'm also curious to see if Oakland will continue doing its thing or actually be only as good as its talent suggests. It was another winter overhaul for the A's, who had that epic collapse last season and enter 2015 as the third-best team in the division. I agree with the consensus. The best team in the AL West is Seattle. The Mariners have always had the pitching, and signing Robinson Cano before last season marked the start of their commitment to the offensive part. It almost paid off with a playoff appearance last season, and they only got better during the offseason. Seattle should return to the postseason for the first time in 14 years and is a real threat to win its first American League pennant.
1. Seattle Mariners: They've always had King Felix. Then they added Hisashi Iwakuma. Then they finally figured out that they can't rely on those two to win every game 2-0 and decided to get an offense around them. It started with Robinson Cano. Now they've added Nelson Cruz. And Kyle Seager is turning into a star. And suddenly the Seattle Mariners are arguably the best team in the American League. I still think Detroit's a little better, but the Mariners are legitimate World Series contenders. At the very least, they should end their playoff drought. Even in a tough AL West, Seattle's got the most complete team in the division. It all starts with Hernandez and Iwakuma. Spots 3-5 in the rotation are good, not great, although pretty much everyone agrees Taijuan Walker will turn into a star. And they've got Fernando Rodney in the back of the bullpen. A good team needs a good closer, and the Mariners have one. If there's a cause for concern, it's that they don't have much depth. Losing Michael Saunders, who signed with the Blue Jays, might hurt more than they think. Because Seth Smith isn't the answer in right. And as much promise as Dustin Ackley has shown (they drafted him No. 2 overall for a reason), you have to wonder if he's ever going to live up to that potential. I'm not sure about Logan Morrison at first, either. They should've been more aggressive in trying to re-sign Kendrys Morales. I have a feeling that they'll be in the market for a bat at the trade deadline. Maybe more than one. Because, as good as their pitching is, the Mariners aren't going to be able to get away with scoring three runs a game. Not in a division with the Angels. Regardless, their offense will be better than it was in 2014, and that should result in a playoff spot.
Projected Lineup: Austin Jackson-CF, Dustin Ackley-LF, Robinson Cano-2B, Nelson Cruz-DH, Kyle Seager-3B, Logan Morrison-1B, Mike Zunino-C, Seth Smith-RF, Brad Miller-SS
Projected Rotation: Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, J.A. Happ, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker
Closer: Fernando Rodney
Projected Record: 93-69
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Orange County, California: What does Mike Trout, the consensus best player in baseball, have up his sleeve for year four? And is the real Albert Pujols finally back? Based on what we saw at the end of last season, it sure looks like it. But beyond the two of them, I'm not sure the Angels have another run like last year in them. Especially since no one knows when they'll get Josh Hamilton back. You've gotta figure he's due for a pretty lengthy suspension after his drug relapse. Anaheim's been without Hamilton for extended periods before, but there's no question he makes them better. Does Matt Joyce take over left field until Hamilton's back, or is he the starting DH? And they don't really have another first baseman on the roster, which could be problematic if Albert either isn't healthy or just needs a day to DH. And for all the crap the Angels get about their pitching staff, I don't think Jered Weaver gets anywhere near enough credit. He's been the ace of this team for years, and he's good for 30 starts, 200 innings and at least 15 wins every year. They're still waiting for C.J. Wilson to be the type of pitcher he was while leading the Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances, and it's vital that Matt Shoemaker back up a season where he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting with another solid campaign. Should Shoemaker keep up his 2014 form and Garrett Richards returns from injury sooner rather than later, the Angels have four solid starting pitchers. The Angels won a Major League-high 98 games last season, but were three-and-out against the Royals in the playoffs, becoming the first team ever to finish with the best regular season record and go winless in October. If they get back this year, that probably won't happen again. Because the AL West is much more competitive. It'd be a surprise to see the Angels finish with the best record again. If they do, they'll be in a much better position come October.
Projected Lineup: Kole Calhoun-RF, Erick Aybar-SS, Mike Trout-CF, Albert Pujols-1B, David Freese-3B, Chris Iannetta-C, Matt Joyce-DH, Colin Cowgill-LF, Johnny Giavotella-2B
Projected Rotation: Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Hector Santiago
Closer: Huston Street
Projected Record: 90-72
3. Oakland Athletics: I say every year that I don't think Oakland's going to be any good and every year they surprise me. You would think I've learned my lesson by now, but once again, I'm not sure I see the A's finishing higher than third in the division. This year's makeover included trading their best player, Josh Donaldson, and trading for Mr. Versatility, Ben Zobrist. Zobrist is Billy Beane's type of player. You can put him literally anywhere on the field. Except the difference is Zobrist is actually capable of playing all those positions. He won't just be standing out there like when they had Brandon Moss in the outfield. They also added Billy Butler, which was an interesting acquisition in that Oakland isn't the type of team to utilize a full-time DH. Then there's Ike Davis at first base. Hopefully his third team in a year and a new league can lead to a fresh start for a guy I still think has a lot of upside. Except without Yoenis Cespedes, I'm not sure where they're going to get any power from. They're also without a leadoff hitter. Coco Crisp had elbow surgery and is out for two months. They'll probably rely on their pitching to win games, which is their usual M.O. But seeing as they made their push for the playoffs last season with three guys they knew were going to leave as free agents, it's back to guys you've never heard of starting for Oakland. Jarrod Parker will be returning from Tommy John surgery around midseason. Until then, it's all on Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir's shoulders. Since my projection for Oakland is always below .500 and I'm always wrong, I'm going to change things up a little this year. I think the A's hover around .500 and are in the mix for the wild cards. Except this year they won't fall into the Wild Card Game after blowing a June division lead. Seattle and Anaheim are both better than the A's. But Oakland's better than both Texas teams. That's why I'm saying third place.
Projected Lineup: Sam Fuld-LF, Ben Zobrist-2B, Josh Reddick-RF, Billy Butler-DH, Brett Lawrie-3B, Ike Davis-1B, Stephen Vogt-C, Craig Gentry-CF, Marcus Semien-SS
Projected Rotation: Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Jesse Hahn, Kendall Graveman, Drew Pomeranz
Closer: Tyler Clippard
Projected Record: 83-79
4. Texas Rangers: So which Texas team will finish ahead of the other? Last year, I was very high on the Rangers, picking them to win the AL West. Boy was I wrong. Injury after injury resulted in a lost season in Texas, as the big trade for Prince Fielder didn't pay off at all in 2014. Fielder missed practically the entire year and Jurickson Profar, the guy they traded Ian Kinsler to make a place for, joined him on the DL. The only good thing about that was the emergence of Rougned Odor at second base. With Profar out yet again, second base is officially Odor's job without question. Assuming they do have Fielder in the lineup, the power combo he forms with Adrian Beltre is almost as good as the one he and Miggy formed in Detroit. They are missing a big piece, though with Alex Rios now in Kansas City. Instead, rookie Ryan Rua joins Lenoys Martin and Shin-Soo Choo in the outfield. They also get DH Mitch Moreland back. The Rangers' offense will be better in 2015 simply because it has to. They get all of their starters who were on the DL last season back. However, one big injury has already hit the 2015 Rangers. Yu Darvish is this year's first Tommy John casualty. That creates a big hole in the Texas rotation that each of their other starters need to fill. Starting with Yovani Gallardo, who was brought over to be a No. 2, but now has to be the guy, which means matching up against Weaver and King Felix on a regular basis. That's easier said than done. The AL West isn't the NL Central.
Projected Lineup: Shin-Soo Choo-RF, Elvis Andrus-SS, Adrian Beltre-3B, Prince Fielder-1B, Mitch Moreland-DH, Ryan Rua-LF, Roughned Odor-2B, Robinson Chirinos-C, Leonys Martin-CF
Projected Rotation: Yovani Gallardo, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Ross Detwiler, Nick Martinez
Closer: Neftali Feliz
Projected Record: 73-89
5. Houston Astros: We're probably about a year or two away from the Astros being the next 2013 Pirates or 2014 Royals. Houston's definitely on the way up, and I don't think the 100-loss thing is a guarantee this year. They've got one of the best players in the game in Jose Altuve and a rising star in George Springer. I also give them credit for going out and actually getting some veteran free agents to go along with all those young guys. Colby Rasmus gets a fresh start after things didn't quite work out in Toronto, Jed Lowrie gets a chance to be the everyday shortstop he wasn't in Oakland, and Evan Gattis was rescued from the National League so he can finally have a chance to play his natural position of DH. The bullpen actually looks decent, too. Luke Gregerson will close, while they've got two legitimate setup guys in longtime Astro Chad Qualls and Pat Neshek, who made the All-Star team last year with the Cardinals. Of course, the last piece of the puzzle is the starting rotation, and in Houston, that's the missing piece. Dallas Keuchel is a legitimate No. 1. He actually finished above .500 last season, going 12-9 in 29 starts. Scott Feldman's a decent No. 2. But behind them, the rotation is questionable. It'll come around. The predictions called for the Astros to be contenders in 2016, 2017. I think that's right around where we'll see it. Houston's no longer the worst team in baseball. They're not even the worst team in the American League. Hell, they might not even be the worst team in Texas. I give the Rangers a slight edge, but it's close.
Projected Lineup: Colby Rasmus-LF, Jose Altuve-2B, George Springer-RF, Chris Carter-1B, Jason Castro-C, Evan Gattis-DH, Luis Valbuena-3B, Jed Lowrie-SS, Jake Marisnick-CF
Projected Rotation: Dallas Keuchel, Scott Feldman, Asher Wojciechowski, Collin McHugh, Roberto Hernandez
Closer: Luke Gregerson
Projected Record: 70-92
In the AL West, things are going to be a little different this year. Houston's going to be much better, so the Angels, A's and Mariners won't have as many automatic wins to add to their record. It was an interesting point they brought up during the Division Series last year. The Angels had the best record in the American League, but were only like five games over .500 against good teams. They loaded up on wins over Houston and Texas. But with the Astros much improved and the Rangers, you'd figure, not going to be as snake bitten with injuries, the AL West won't have as great of a win disparity this season.
I'm also curious to see if Oakland will continue doing its thing or actually be only as good as its talent suggests. It was another winter overhaul for the A's, who had that epic collapse last season and enter 2015 as the third-best team in the division. I agree with the consensus. The best team in the AL West is Seattle. The Mariners have always had the pitching, and signing Robinson Cano before last season marked the start of their commitment to the offensive part. It almost paid off with a playoff appearance last season, and they only got better during the offseason. Seattle should return to the postseason for the first time in 14 years and is a real threat to win its first American League pennant.
1. Seattle Mariners: They've always had King Felix. Then they added Hisashi Iwakuma. Then they finally figured out that they can't rely on those two to win every game 2-0 and decided to get an offense around them. It started with Robinson Cano. Now they've added Nelson Cruz. And Kyle Seager is turning into a star. And suddenly the Seattle Mariners are arguably the best team in the American League. I still think Detroit's a little better, but the Mariners are legitimate World Series contenders. At the very least, they should end their playoff drought. Even in a tough AL West, Seattle's got the most complete team in the division. It all starts with Hernandez and Iwakuma. Spots 3-5 in the rotation are good, not great, although pretty much everyone agrees Taijuan Walker will turn into a star. And they've got Fernando Rodney in the back of the bullpen. A good team needs a good closer, and the Mariners have one. If there's a cause for concern, it's that they don't have much depth. Losing Michael Saunders, who signed with the Blue Jays, might hurt more than they think. Because Seth Smith isn't the answer in right. And as much promise as Dustin Ackley has shown (they drafted him No. 2 overall for a reason), you have to wonder if he's ever going to live up to that potential. I'm not sure about Logan Morrison at first, either. They should've been more aggressive in trying to re-sign Kendrys Morales. I have a feeling that they'll be in the market for a bat at the trade deadline. Maybe more than one. Because, as good as their pitching is, the Mariners aren't going to be able to get away with scoring three runs a game. Not in a division with the Angels. Regardless, their offense will be better than it was in 2014, and that should result in a playoff spot.
Projected Lineup: Austin Jackson-CF, Dustin Ackley-LF, Robinson Cano-2B, Nelson Cruz-DH, Kyle Seager-3B, Logan Morrison-1B, Mike Zunino-C, Seth Smith-RF, Brad Miller-SS
Projected Rotation: Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, J.A. Happ, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker
Closer: Fernando Rodney
Projected Record: 93-69
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Orange County, California: What does Mike Trout, the consensus best player in baseball, have up his sleeve for year four? And is the real Albert Pujols finally back? Based on what we saw at the end of last season, it sure looks like it. But beyond the two of them, I'm not sure the Angels have another run like last year in them. Especially since no one knows when they'll get Josh Hamilton back. You've gotta figure he's due for a pretty lengthy suspension after his drug relapse. Anaheim's been without Hamilton for extended periods before, but there's no question he makes them better. Does Matt Joyce take over left field until Hamilton's back, or is he the starting DH? And they don't really have another first baseman on the roster, which could be problematic if Albert either isn't healthy or just needs a day to DH. And for all the crap the Angels get about their pitching staff, I don't think Jered Weaver gets anywhere near enough credit. He's been the ace of this team for years, and he's good for 30 starts, 200 innings and at least 15 wins every year. They're still waiting for C.J. Wilson to be the type of pitcher he was while leading the Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances, and it's vital that Matt Shoemaker back up a season where he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting with another solid campaign. Should Shoemaker keep up his 2014 form and Garrett Richards returns from injury sooner rather than later, the Angels have four solid starting pitchers. The Angels won a Major League-high 98 games last season, but were three-and-out against the Royals in the playoffs, becoming the first team ever to finish with the best regular season record and go winless in October. If they get back this year, that probably won't happen again. Because the AL West is much more competitive. It'd be a surprise to see the Angels finish with the best record again. If they do, they'll be in a much better position come October.
Projected Lineup: Kole Calhoun-RF, Erick Aybar-SS, Mike Trout-CF, Albert Pujols-1B, David Freese-3B, Chris Iannetta-C, Matt Joyce-DH, Colin Cowgill-LF, Johnny Giavotella-2B
Projected Rotation: Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Hector Santiago
Closer: Huston Street
Projected Record: 90-72
3. Oakland Athletics: I say every year that I don't think Oakland's going to be any good and every year they surprise me. You would think I've learned my lesson by now, but once again, I'm not sure I see the A's finishing higher than third in the division. This year's makeover included trading their best player, Josh Donaldson, and trading for Mr. Versatility, Ben Zobrist. Zobrist is Billy Beane's type of player. You can put him literally anywhere on the field. Except the difference is Zobrist is actually capable of playing all those positions. He won't just be standing out there like when they had Brandon Moss in the outfield. They also added Billy Butler, which was an interesting acquisition in that Oakland isn't the type of team to utilize a full-time DH. Then there's Ike Davis at first base. Hopefully his third team in a year and a new league can lead to a fresh start for a guy I still think has a lot of upside. Except without Yoenis Cespedes, I'm not sure where they're going to get any power from. They're also without a leadoff hitter. Coco Crisp had elbow surgery and is out for two months. They'll probably rely on their pitching to win games, which is their usual M.O. But seeing as they made their push for the playoffs last season with three guys they knew were going to leave as free agents, it's back to guys you've never heard of starting for Oakland. Jarrod Parker will be returning from Tommy John surgery around midseason. Until then, it's all on Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir's shoulders. Since my projection for Oakland is always below .500 and I'm always wrong, I'm going to change things up a little this year. I think the A's hover around .500 and are in the mix for the wild cards. Except this year they won't fall into the Wild Card Game after blowing a June division lead. Seattle and Anaheim are both better than the A's. But Oakland's better than both Texas teams. That's why I'm saying third place.
Projected Lineup: Sam Fuld-LF, Ben Zobrist-2B, Josh Reddick-RF, Billy Butler-DH, Brett Lawrie-3B, Ike Davis-1B, Stephen Vogt-C, Craig Gentry-CF, Marcus Semien-SS
Projected Rotation: Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Jesse Hahn, Kendall Graveman, Drew Pomeranz
Closer: Tyler Clippard
Projected Record: 83-79
4. Texas Rangers: So which Texas team will finish ahead of the other? Last year, I was very high on the Rangers, picking them to win the AL West. Boy was I wrong. Injury after injury resulted in a lost season in Texas, as the big trade for Prince Fielder didn't pay off at all in 2014. Fielder missed practically the entire year and Jurickson Profar, the guy they traded Ian Kinsler to make a place for, joined him on the DL. The only good thing about that was the emergence of Rougned Odor at second base. With Profar out yet again, second base is officially Odor's job without question. Assuming they do have Fielder in the lineup, the power combo he forms with Adrian Beltre is almost as good as the one he and Miggy formed in Detroit. They are missing a big piece, though with Alex Rios now in Kansas City. Instead, rookie Ryan Rua joins Lenoys Martin and Shin-Soo Choo in the outfield. They also get DH Mitch Moreland back. The Rangers' offense will be better in 2015 simply because it has to. They get all of their starters who were on the DL last season back. However, one big injury has already hit the 2015 Rangers. Yu Darvish is this year's first Tommy John casualty. That creates a big hole in the Texas rotation that each of their other starters need to fill. Starting with Yovani Gallardo, who was brought over to be a No. 2, but now has to be the guy, which means matching up against Weaver and King Felix on a regular basis. That's easier said than done. The AL West isn't the NL Central.
Projected Lineup: Shin-Soo Choo-RF, Elvis Andrus-SS, Adrian Beltre-3B, Prince Fielder-1B, Mitch Moreland-DH, Ryan Rua-LF, Roughned Odor-2B, Robinson Chirinos-C, Leonys Martin-CF
Projected Rotation: Yovani Gallardo, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Ross Detwiler, Nick Martinez
Closer: Neftali Feliz
Projected Record: 73-89
5. Houston Astros: We're probably about a year or two away from the Astros being the next 2013 Pirates or 2014 Royals. Houston's definitely on the way up, and I don't think the 100-loss thing is a guarantee this year. They've got one of the best players in the game in Jose Altuve and a rising star in George Springer. I also give them credit for going out and actually getting some veteran free agents to go along with all those young guys. Colby Rasmus gets a fresh start after things didn't quite work out in Toronto, Jed Lowrie gets a chance to be the everyday shortstop he wasn't in Oakland, and Evan Gattis was rescued from the National League so he can finally have a chance to play his natural position of DH. The bullpen actually looks decent, too. Luke Gregerson will close, while they've got two legitimate setup guys in longtime Astro Chad Qualls and Pat Neshek, who made the All-Star team last year with the Cardinals. Of course, the last piece of the puzzle is the starting rotation, and in Houston, that's the missing piece. Dallas Keuchel is a legitimate No. 1. He actually finished above .500 last season, going 12-9 in 29 starts. Scott Feldman's a decent No. 2. But behind them, the rotation is questionable. It'll come around. The predictions called for the Astros to be contenders in 2016, 2017. I think that's right around where we'll see it. Houston's no longer the worst team in baseball. They're not even the worst team in the American League. Hell, they might not even be the worst team in Texas. I give the Rangers a slight edge, but it's close.
Projected Lineup: Colby Rasmus-LF, Jose Altuve-2B, George Springer-RF, Chris Carter-1B, Jason Castro-C, Evan Gattis-DH, Luis Valbuena-3B, Jed Lowrie-SS, Jake Marisnick-CF
Projected Rotation: Dallas Keuchel, Scott Feldman, Asher Wojciechowski, Collin McHugh, Roberto Hernandez
Closer: Luke Gregerson
Projected Record: 70-92
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