Adam Dunn and Pat Burrell

Adam Dunn and Pat Burrell don't remind anyone of Joe Sewell, who struck out once for every 168 at-bats in 1932, but while Dunn averages 180 strikeouts a season, he also hits .248 and averages 40 home runs a season. Burrell hits .256, averaging 157 strikeouts and 30 home runs a year. Isn't it amazing that hitting .248 or .256 is almost considered a positive? (Ty Cobb: .366. Rogers Hornsby: .358)

Chris Davis' Statistics

After one and one-half seasons, Chris Davis bats .247, averages 34 home runs and 209 strikeouts a season. He averages more strikeouts in a season than Mark Reynolds' single season record, but it gets better (or worse for Rangers' fans).

This season, Chris is batting .203, with a .259 on base average and an OPS+ of 76. He reached 100 strikeouts faster than any player in baseball history, and his strikeout average of .445 is more than double his batting average.

Davis started his career in 2006 with Spokane. As a minor leaguer, Davis had 1,045 at bats. He struck out 288 times, which by modern standards is acceptable, hit .302 with decent home run power and produced a good .357 on base average.

Texas Can Lose Without Davis

The Rangers, a mediocre team, trail the Angels, a mediocre team, by one-half game in the American League's Western Division. They may win the division, but they have as much chance of winning the pennant as Barry Bonds has of setting another home run record. They can afford to send Davis to the minors to learn his trade.

Chris Davis Has Great Potential

Chris Davis has great potential. He is only 23 years old, is a fine fielder, and hits with power, but walking back to the dugout more than 200 times after striking out is not a good thing. Recently, Omar Vizquel gave Davis some advice, which Davis heeded.

Omar spoke to Rangers' hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, who reminded him that batting practice pitches are thrown about 10 mph slower than pitches made in a game. Vizquel told Davis to try to hit the ball up the middle in batting practice instead of always going for the long ball.

"Sometimes you have to make an adjustment and you don't even know what you're doing at the plate," Vizquel said. "I just told him something to change his mind a little bit...."

High Strikeout Numbers Are Not Acceptable

No contending team can afford to have a .203 hitter who strikes out over 200 times in the lineup. There are too many negatives and almost no positives about striking out. Chris Davis must be brought along slowly, learn the strike zone, try to develop better plate discipline, and not accept striking out as something that is going to happen regardless of his hitting approach. If he does, he may become another Pat Burrell, or even an Adam Dunn.

References:

Wilson, Jeff. "Chris Davis turns tips into hits in Texas Rangers' 12th-inning win." The Dallas Morning News. 26 June 2009.

Baseball-Reference

Fernando Nieve, Mets starting pitcher, allowed 11 hits and three earned runs with one strike out. He received his first loss on the season.

The Mets tried to make a late game comeback, but it was too late.

First baseman Daniel Murphy, third baseman David Wright, left fielder Gary Sheffield, right fielder Ryan Church, and center fielder Fernando Martinez all had one run each.

Braden Looper, the Brewers' starting pitcher, pitched six innings, allowing seven hits with only one earned run. He received the victory and is 6-4 on the season.

Casey McGehee, the Brewers' third baseman, was excited to provide a grand slam for the Brewers.

"Prince had to tell me to get out there and I didn't even know what he said. I didn't really know what was going on," McGehee said. "If somebody would have told me this time last year I'd have 40,000 people calling me out of a dugout for a curtain call, I would've told you you were lying."

McGehee had one run with four RBI's and Fielder went 2-for-4 with two runs. J.J. Hardy, the Brewers' shortstop, was a triple away from hitting for the cycle. He went 2-4, with one RBI and one home run. Second baseman Craig Counsell, center fielder Mike Cameron, right fielder Frank Catalanotto, catcher Jason Kendall, and pinch hitter Corey Hart all had one run each.

Yahoo Quotes

Relief Pitchers Were "Firemen"

From the glory days of Washington's Firpo Marberry and the Yankees' Wilcy Moore, to the days of Hoyt Wilhelm, Elroy Face, Tug McGraw, and Steve Bedrosian, relief pitchers were "fireman" who came in to put out the fire. It was not unusual for a team's best relief pitcher to enter the game in the seventh or eighth inning in close games. They weren't specialists who were used only in the game's last inning to protect a lead.

Impossible to Compare a "Fireman" to a Closer

A few days ago, Goose Gossage stated that he considered Mariano Rivera the greatest of all closers, but that it was impossible to compare closers with relief pitchers. Gossage contends that he, Rollie Fingers, Dan Quisenberry, and Sparky Lyle were relief pitchers who did a job that requires three pitchers to accomplish today.

Why Rich "Goose" Gossage is Right

Rich Gossage is right on target. Starting an inning with the bases empty and no outs cannot be compared to entering the game with runners on base. The closer has the luxury of allowing a hit to the first batter he faces, and even to the second batter, because he has the opportunity to work out of his own jam. A relief pitcher that comes in with a runner in scoring position cannot allow a hit because he cannot let the runner score. It is an entirely different ball game.

Jonathon Papelbon and George Sherrill

Jonathan Papelbon would like to become the next Mariano Rivera. He may accomplish that seemingly impossible dream, but he will never be the next Rich Gossage.

Jonathan Allows One Hit and His Team Loses

On June 30, 2009, Jonathan entered the game in the eighth inning with Baltimore runners on first and second and one out. Boston was desperately clinging to a 10-9 lead that had been a 10-1 lead an inning earlier. Papelbon struck out Felix Pie for the second out, but then Nick Markakis hit a double to left center field to give the Birds the lead.

George Allows One Hit and His Team Wins

Baltimore brought in closer George Sherrill to pitch the ninth. Jeff Bailey greeted Sherrill with a ringing single to left. If Sherrill had entered the game in the situation Papelbon found himself in an inning earlier, he would have blown the save. The Orioles' closer retired Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia, hit Kevin Youkilis with a pitch, and struck out Jason Bay for the save.

Rich Gossage and friends didn't have the luxury of starting the last inning with the bases empty. In the Orioles-Red Sox game, Papelbon didn't have that luxury and his team lost. Sherrill had that situation, and although he allowed two runners, he "earned" a save. Closers have it much easier than the relief pitchers known as "firemen."

Reference:

Rich Gossage Interview

It’s been over 48 hours since the US’ 3-2 loss to Brazil in the FIFA Confederations Cup championship game. So I figured a good way to have someone else do the writing for me for a lazy post I should interview a good friend of this blog, Seattle Times writer, soccer aficionado, and fellow Seattle-area resident Josh (from The Beautiful Game) on several topics discussing the US Men’s National Team. Questions from me are in bold, and his answers are directly below.

1.) We’ll start with Sunday’s game itself. Did you think that the US would hang onto the 2-0 lead against Brazil before the 2nd half kicked off?

I thought it was a 50-50 shot. I really believed the USMNT would probably need one more goal at some point in the second half to pull it out. That realism/pessimism kept me from feeling too devastated from the loss because I knew the lead was FAR from safe — especially considering that Brazil had probably outplayed the U.S. in the first half anyways. Afterward, some of my bandwagon fans were freaking out about the apparent ‘choke job’ but I knew at halftime that it was still a toss-up.

2.) Would you consider any “moral victories” for the US (if you believe in that sort of thing)?

Being a sports fan in Seattle, I almost have to believe in moral victories (we don’t get many winners up here). And yes, I believe there is encouragement to take from how the USMNT played in the final three games of the tournament. While the American roster isn’t stacked with elite world-class talent, there is enough to compete and there is enough to win at the highest level of play.

3.) What’s your confidence in Bob Bradley as we head towards more WCQ and presumably the 2010 WC?

I’m really not a fan of Bradley. The guy came into the Confederations Cup tournament playing a one-forward lineup for god’s sake. WTF, right? Didn’t we fire Arena because of that? With Bradley, I don’t like his substitutions. I don’t like his apparent loyalty to Chivas USA players — at least it appears that way (why else would Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan play 30 minutes in the final?). I don’t like how he jerks players around (Freddy Adu, Jose Francisco Torres). I don’t like how he has the emotion of a sea urchin. I am not confident in him and, unfortunately, it appears we’re stuck with him through the World Cup.

4.) Most outstanding US player in the Confederations Cup? Most disappointing?

It’s hard for me to pick one player that stood out. I thought Tim Howard and Oguchi Onyewu were phenomenal in the back. And two guys I’ve been a bit critical of in the past — Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey — were very productive in leading an attack that scored eight goals. I’ll go with Gooch [Onyewu] though as my pick. He was a rock in every sense of the word, particularly since the forwards/midfielders couldn’t hold onto the ball to save their life and the backline was under constant attack. Hopefully a nice payday is coming his way in a move to a top-flight European club.

It was disappointing to see the death, of sorts, of DaMarcus Beasley. So he’s  the pick. While I didn’t expect game-changing ability from DMB, I certainly didn’t expect to see such horrible play from the veteran. He’s had some great moments for the USMNT, but the door is slamming shut on his national-team career now. Also, Sacha Kljestan was absolutely horrible (but I didn’t expect much from him) and Conor Casey was a stiff, so those guys deserve a public lashing too.

5.) Do you see Demarcus Beasley having any future on this team after his recent poor performances?

As I said in the previous question, I think USMNT fans shouldn’t expect any meaningful production from Beasley anymore. If anything, maybe a late offensive substitute in the 2010 World Cup would be the last realistic contribution for him at this level, but he still has a lot of work to do to reach that kind of form. If he’s anywhere on the field, he has to be an offensive-minded left winger. No more of this left back nonsense.

6.) Do you see Freddy Adu or Jose Francisco Torres getting some meaningful playing time? It seemed like they were intentionally ignored in the Confederations Cup.

I was very, very, very disappointed not to Torres on the Gold Cup roster. I thought he and Adu would have a great opportunity next month to earn playing time at the A-level by leading the team at the B-level. Obviously, I think their playing styles aren’t in favor with the coach (that same guy who played a one-forward lineup to start the Confed. Cup tournament). My guess is the trusts between the players and Bradley are beyond repair and they won’t see significant playing time under this regime.

7.) Finally, these last three games have had bloggers and journalists proclaim (yet again) that US soccer may have finally turned the corner into an emerging power. Has it turned the corner for you? If not then when do you think that will happen?

The proverbial ‘corner’ is different for every person and, for me, the corner is being able to compete with the world’s best. Right now, I am confident the USMNT could give a game — and, yes, potentially win — against any country in the world. So for me the corner is turned. That means I think we should raise our expectations accordingly. Not dominating CONCACAF W.C. qualifying is not acceptable. Not making it out of the W.C. group stage is not acceptable. This team is good enough for its fans to be critical, but that said I was very impressed and proud to be a fan of the team that last three games of the Confederations Cup.

You can visit Josh’s blog here or on the link provided in the blogroll, where you should actually scroll for good reads. Also, you can peak at his Seattle Times archives here. Thanks to him for taking the time to respond to these hard-hitting questions with solid answers I generally agree with.

That own goal allowed the US to advance to the elimination stages of the Confeds Cup, beating Italy via tie-breakers. It wasn’t until the US defeated Spain 2-0 that anyone outside the most die-hard of American soccer enthusiasts took notice. It was the first time Spain had fallen since November of 2006, an unprecedented streak of dominance shattered by a relative upstart in the sport.

Few saw that match, apart from the already converted. But it got the attention of everyone else. The ensuing match with Brazil was ESPN’s highest rated US Soccer game since the World Cup (Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2009/06/miami_likes_soccer.html). And that’s not including those who watched on Univision.

The folks who tuned in weren’t disappointed. Although typically, blowing a 2-0 lead in soccer is a monumental choke on par with losing an 8 run lead in baseball, or a 4 goal lead in hockey. And to be frank, the US’s goals were on the freakish side of things. One was an accidentally brilliant finishing touch by Fulham’s Clint Dempsey.

Then there was Landon Donovan’s score, which was a nice conversion of Brazillian mistakery into a goal.

But the US deserves credit for being up 2-0. Dempsey’s goal was a bit of luck, that was set-up by good play. And Donovan’s goal looked like something that Brazil would typically inflict on the US. Then there was Tim Howard, who was so good that even when the Brazilians put the ball into the net, Howard still got credit for a save.

Losing 3-2 to Brazil is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s a sort of Pyrrhic defeat. It at least makes it seem possible that the US could be a consistent winner on the global stage. If they can beat Spain, and nearly beat Brazil, why not anyone else in the world?

Even if Americans refuse to become fans of soccer, they are fans of winning. As General George S. Patton put it, “Americans love a winner. America will not tolerate a loser.” And at this moment, Americans can anticipate winning some games in the 2010 World Cup.

So there’s hope. But there won’t be much patience from those people who just want to see winning, and care little for soccer. If the US exits early in 2010, these fans will quickly and easily find something else to do.

Of course, this hope potential has all happened before. In 2002, the US made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, before falling to Germany in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss. Oliver Kahn’s genetically engineered goalkeeping skills and a handball ended America’s hopes at international glory.

But what crushed the bits of hope leftover from the Germany game was a 2-1 loss to Ghana, and a group stage exit from the 2006 Cup. People forget that the US tied eventual champion Italy 1-1 just days before losing to Ghana. But there was also an embarrassingly bad 3-0 failure against the Czech Republic. The US national team may have wanted us, but we didn’t want to watch them.

I guess what I’m saying is that it’s up to the US team now to not only win games, but perhaps win the attention of a nation. There is a potential for hopefulness in the 2010 World Cup. But it won’t last long if the team doesn’t last long. Losing to Brazil and Italy is fine. Even France or Argentina would be okay. So long as it’s a close game, and it’s late in the tournament. Oh yeah, high scoring losses are more enjoyable as well.

The peripheral vision of America is on this team now.

The Philadelphia Phillies are among the oldest baseball teams in the United States. The company is also one of the least sucessful franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, having won only two World Series championships in 126 years of existence. The company actively markets baseball, captive audience and nigh on prohibitively costly parking, overly expensive and watered down beer and reprehensibly pricey food; as well as owning and operating several minor league baseball teams.

The company's strength lies in its strong and growing young hitters, which (a good amount of the time) give it a significant competitive advantage. However, the Phillies face the threat of the expected slowdown of their pitching staff and the increasing Met and Brave burden and the volatility in Florida and the rest of the National League (NL), which could affect the company's level of production and lead to decline in overall top of the divison standings.

Strengths

Expanding Market Share in Division

Strong Win Margin

Strong Growth Prospects

Away Games Operational Performance

Expanding Market Share in Divison

The company's compounded annual playoff rate (CAPR) for seasons was 40% during 2004-2008. This was below the National League East sector average of 60%, but equal to or above any individual team average, which was 40% for rival company the Atlanta Braves and 20% for bitter, hated arch rival firm the New York Mets.

A higher than sector average CAPR may indicate that the company has outperformed the average sector growth and gained league share over the last four years. The company achieved this growth as a result of better competitive position players due to getting their heads out of their butts, bucking conventional wisdom and hiring the unconventional Charlie Manuel as manager, building a kick-ass new stadium and catering to the fan - with the clear knowledge that catering to the fan is always the most important component to any successful team.

Totally objective chart of 2004-2008 NL East division leaders

Year    Ranking    Wins    Divison Winner

2008    FIRST!     92       PHILLIES 

2007    First!     89       PHILLIES 

2006    second     85       Mets *

2005    second     88       Braves

2004    second     86       Braves 

Won World Series and proved they were the best team 

*##!@!##!#@!!!!

Strong Win Margin

Put simply, the Phillies won more games than the Mets did in both 2007 and 2008, and this led them to the postseason. That's all you really need to know.

Strong Growth Prospects

After winning the World Series, the Phillies allowed wily veteran Pat Burrell to walk, replacing him with the far more mobile Raul Ibanez, who is a fielding improvement, a speed upgrade and is far less prone to streaky batting performances. Even though he was a fixture in Philly, and we kinda miss Pat - but we're likin' this Ibanez guy.

Away Games Operational Performance

Who the hell can figure this out? The Phillies are freakin' 13-22 at home and 26-12 on the road. Discussions are ongoing to change the appearance of Citizens Bank Park to look more like whatever stadium it is that the Washington Nationals play in. It's also been discussed to bus in rude New York Met fans to provide the proper level of booing to ensure the Phillies do not feel at home when playing in Philadelphia. Of course, the likelihood of Arlen Specter meddling in these efforts and effing it all up is strong, so the discussions are being held in a secret location unknown to the author. Pity.

Weaknesses

Dropdown in Run Support

Rise in Home Runs Surrendered

Geographic Consternation

Dropdown in Run Support   Like any smart operation, you try to strike a balance. Anyone who looked at this team from last year to this could see that the pitching was a bit suspect. But did they take any major steps to upgrade the staff? Nooooo. I mean, Cole Hamels is great and all, but what's behind him? Ahem. As I was saying, the Phillies have suffered from an inability to push runs across the plate. As is well known in baseball, you can't win if you don't score more than your opponent. You could look it up.

Rise in Home Runs Surrendered

For whatver reason, balls are flying out of the park faster than you can say "Not again!" Needless to say, this increase in home runs by opposing teams (which leads NL pitching staffs), has contributed mightily to more than a few freaking Phillies losses. It would be nice to see fewer homers surrendered, guys. Just sayin'

Geographic Consternation

No. Can't say it again. It aggravates me. Please see the "Away Games Operational Performance" section under "Strengths" - you get the idea.  

Opportunities

Expansion into American League Markets

Positive Outlook for Second Half of Season

Leading In All-Star Voting  

Expansion into American League Markets

This could have been a positive area for the Phillies, but noooo....they lose two of three to Boston, three to Toronto, three to Baltimore (!), two of three to Tampa Bay and then, by some too late miracle, take two of three from Toronto. Maybe this section should have been under the "Weaknesses" heading.

Positive Outlook for Second Half of Season  

Holy crap! Could it get much worse? If not for the Mets injuries and their overall ability to match the Phillies crappy loss to teams they should be beating, the season would be shaping up quite differently. With any luck, the Phillies will get to the All-Star break and get things together. Then a nice 10 of 12 win streak would go nicely to help increase the division lead.

There is also talk in Pennsylvania of having the Phillies play the Nationals for the remainder of the season. Hey, it sounds good to me. The Phillies own them, after all. Oh right - like you wouldn't want that for your team. Fine - so there's no discussion like that going on. But there should be.  

Leading In All-Star Voting  

Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez are leading at their positions. Nice job, voters. For once, you got it right. Not that the All-Star game means anything, but go ahead and win it anyway, NL. Just in case. Nice rule, Selig, you...  

Threats

Playing the Mets

Playing the American League

The Pitching Staff

Not Scoring Enough Runs

Playing Home Games  

Look, this has gone on long enough. Suffice it to say that they don't play well against the Mets; they suck ass against the American League; the Pitching Staff gives up too many homers, too many runs and needs to have more quality starts; the offense is often guilty of leaving too many frigging men on base; and they stink on ice at home. What more do you want? If you read any of this, you'd know all this already!

Note : The author should have used a wide range of research methods to gather and verify his information. These would have included sports related web sites, team websites, written reports on the teams and press releases. The author lazily contented himself with cursory checks of data on ESPN's web site.

Saves are an awful stat, unless you have 500 of them. Then they become something else. Not that there’s much difference between 499 and 500, but we like round numbers.

To get 500 Saves requires longevity, a rare thing to find in bullpens. After all, these are pitchers who couldn’t cut it as starters. That’s at least how Mariano Rivera became a reliever, by failing as a starter. He made 10 starts in 1995, going 3-3 with a 5.94 ERA. But he still had a good pitch (that infamous cutter), and a good arm, so he became John Wetteland’s set-up man. He recorded 26 Holds (which is like a Save for mid-relievers) in 1996, and on May 17th he put Save #1 in the books. It was one of those easy Saves. The Yankees led the Angels 8-5, and Rivera was facing the 8-9-1 hitters. Since then, he’s been a personification of baseball history.

But are 500 Saves on the same level of achievement as say 300 wins? Is there a stigma to the accomplishments of a relief pitcher compared to a starter? After all, a starter is more important to a team than a reliever. Relievers are specialists, 3rd down running backs, penalty killing forwards. Rivera couldn’t make the grade as a starter. Understandable as he only has two pitches in his arsenal.

But doesn’t it say something about how nasty those two pitches are, that he can throw them for 15 seasons without anyone really figuring them out? Jonathan Papelbon has a similarly limited repertoire, and he’s now struggling as hitters have gotten to know him better. Closers have notoriously short shelf-lives. Just look at Eric Gagne.

89% of the time Rivera has taken the mound in a Save opportunity, he’s gotten the S in the boxscore That’s extraordinary. In hold ‘em, 7-2 offsuit has the same chance of beating pocket Aces, as opposing teams have of beating Rivera.

The 500 Save Club is currently quite exclusive, with only Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. And it should stay small unless Billy Wagner explodes. If K-Rod continues to be a mutant, he’ll probably inaugurate the 600 Save Club. It’s a new club, a product of baseball’s Specialization Era. But even in such an age, where guys like Roberto Hernandez and Jose Mesa are high on the all-time Saves list, reaching the number 500 is truly a mountainous achievement.

I’m not a Rivera fan. But you have to respect the guy. 500 Saves is 500 Saves is 500 Saves. And as a baseball fan, I’m glad to have seen him pitch. Even though as a Red Sox fan, I’m even gladder to have seen one of his 61 Blown Saves, on April 13, 2002. Thanks Shea Hillenbrand!

1. Ben Roethlisberger

Roethlisberger will enter his sixth full season in the league as the proud owner of two Super Bowl rings after his Steelers defeated the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

In 2008, he threw for over 3,300 yards with 19 total TDs, two coming via the run.

This year, the same cast of characters are back, but Santonio Holmes is a year older and more dangerous. Big Ben’s offensive weapons remain intact and strong.

Look for 3,500 yards and between 23 to 26 TDs.

2. Carson Palmer

Palmer is the most talented QB in the division stuck on a horrible team. When healthy, he’s right there in the conversation with Manning, Brady and Brees.

Last year, a lingering elbow injury forced him to miss 12 games.

After an off season to strengthen his elbow, Palmer is healthy, and Ochocinco looks rearing to go.

Mix that in with some of the younger receivers and look for a nice comeback season. He will get over 3,500 yards with 20—25TDs.

3. Joe Flacco

For most of his rookie season, he wasn’t called upon to do much, aside from managing the offense and not making mistakes. But towards the end, as Flacco’s confidence grew, OC Cam Cameron opened up the playbook ever so slightly and he produced, finishing with just under 3,000 yards and 16 total TDs, two coming via the run.

While this will still be a team that relies on its running game and defense to win games, look for another step forward in year two with over 3,000 yards and between 18 to 20 TDs.

4. Derek Anderson

Brady Quinn could certainly end up as the starter, and if so, our projections wouldn’t differ too drastically, but our thinking is that Anderson’s the better QB, and his problems last year were due to a horrendous offensive unit and the incessant drops by WR Braylon Edwards in crucial situations.

The forecast in the Dawg Pound isn’t very bright this season as the team dealt TE Winslow to the Bucs and WR Stallworth is suspended indefinitely.

Regardless, look for a team that relies heavily on the run and for Anderson, or Quinn, to throw for 2,500 - 2,700 yards with 15-18 TDs.

Draft Tip

Roethlisberger will probably be selected before Palmer. His name will be called from round four on.

Palmer, coming off a serious injury, will probably last until round six, and could potentially be an excellent fantasy sleeper.

Flacco will be available after round ten and you should be able to scoop up Anderson or Quinn at the end of the draft.

source: www.profootball101.org

Welcome to the Minnesota Sports Rant for June 27, 2009. The title says it all on this glorious Saturday after a great draft by the Wolves, and the start of the non-Kevin McHale era. There's certainly a lot to talk about with a potentially major update in the Brett Favre story, a troubling story coming out of St. Paul as well as a look at the 2009 NHL Draft, and Mauer showing once again that the hometown hero is one of the best. Also included is a response to a potentially troubling rumor being perpetuated by Sports Illustrated.

RUBIOOOOOOO

The youngest of the T-Pups is already bigger than most of the pack (photo jacked from nba.com)

So Ricky Rubio is now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.  No more Kevin McHale means we finally are going to have draft picks, and that means the wolves can start growing into a real contender.  I love the pick.  The kid (he is actually still a kid) has 3 years of professional experience in Spain at age 17, and some are already comparing him to Pete Maravich.  Granted, this comparison is probably a bit far-fetched (and Rubio even said that he wont compare himself to Maravich outside of his hairdo), but the mere fact that there's a player on the Wolves roster that at least has the potential to be compared to Pistol Pete is great news.

Rubio's definitely right - the two look eerely similar

Granted, Rubio isn't a pure Point Guard, and he needs to add weight, and there's some concern over how soon the Wolves can buyout his contract from Spain, but these are not major defects.  He'll get bigger with age and practice, and worst case it's another year before he suits up for the wolves.  It doesn't matter if he isn't a pure point guard because the wolves drafted another point guard that they aren't trading in Johnny Flynn (Ty Lawson was selected 18th by the Wolves and traded to Denver for their 1st round pick in 2010) .  The Wolves GM David Kahn said that he's keen on the Wolves starting both guards.  A starting Lineup of Rubio, Flynn, Corey Brewer, Kevin Love, and Al Jefferson seems like it has a ton of upside and could actually be competitive.  Long story short, the future is bright for the Wolves.

Highlight of the evening - Kevin Love on Twitter after hearing Shaquille O'Neal had been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers:

shaw (sic) has played with kobe dwayne penny now lbj....lucky you shaq....lucky you

Tonight also marks the start of a Kevin McHale-free era.  So I would like to pay some final dues to the awful players that Kevin McHale brought in and are no longer with the team:

Marcus Banks Mark Blount Marko Jaric Michael Olowokandi Mike Miller (what an awful trade) Ndudi Ebi (Leandro Barbosa and Josh Howard were still available when they drafted him) Paul Grant Rashad McCants Randy Foye (too painful of a memory) Ricky Avis Troy "T-Hud" Hudson

Thank you.

Favrapolooza 2k9 Update

Favre looks awfully good in Purple and Gold...

It's been confirmed by Pro Football Talk and WCCO's Mark Rosen that Brett Favre is going to be starting under center for the Minnesota Vikings this year assuming his arm heals from the surgery he had.  This isn't really a surprise - Favre made sure he wouldn't be under contract with the Jets this upcoming season, has supposedly met with Head Coach Brad Childress and his staff numerous times, has been practicing throwing for a couple weeks, and had surgery on his elbow (?) that would have been unnecessary if he wasn't interested in returning to the NFL.

I feel if Favre is even as productive as he was with the Jets last season, the Vikings are a Super Bowl contender.  They have the best RB in the NFL with Adrian Peterson, and 9 former first round draft picks (if you can name all 9 without looking it up, I will be seriously impressed) and 6 Pro Bowlers (I'll give you a hint for the 9 first-rounders - all 6 Pro Bowlers were former first round draft picks).  Add in Chester Taylor, who is arguably the best back up RB in the NFL today.  Taylor has shown that he has the capabilities of being a starting RB, so having him back up AP can only be beneficial.  Take a relatively solid WR Corps of Bernard Berrian, Sydney Rice, and Bobby Wade; throw in the versatile Percy Harvin, and you have one of the better WR Corps in the NFL.

Favre has a pretty simple task in front of him.  In order to be an upgrade over last year's performance, he needs to bring the Vikings up from being: 25th in passing yards per game 18th in QB Rating 23rd in Completion percentage

Simply put, Favre can regress significantly this upcoming season and still be a huge upgrade for the Vikings.

Gabbywatch and the State of Hockey

Wild free agent Marian Gaborik is still saying that he is not committed to leaving Minnesota this offseason.  However, when Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province broke this story, things started looking bleak.  It is still just a rumor, but the fact that there could be a rumor about this means things are not going well in the negotiations between the Wild and Gaborik.  Gaborik has said he's been frustrated by now-outed and extremely agitated Head Coach Jacques Leamire's vanilla, defense-oriented system, and the Wild are notorious for being cheap after letting Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston sign with a different team last off season (Rolston even offered them a drastically lower deal than he could get on the open market and the Wild did nothing).

If the Wild let Gaborik walk, they sure as hell better know something about the group of players they have now that we don't, because I'm not sure how they can attempt to become a more offensive-minded team by trading a guy who was their 4th best goal scorer despite playing in less than a fourth of the games last season.

Friday night, the Wild selected Nick Leddy (D - Eden Prarie HS, MN) with the 16th overall pick.  Although I would have loved it it the Wild took Jordan Schroeder (C - U of MN) who went to the Canucks a couple picks later, I can't really say that I have an issue with this kid.  He was named Mr. Hockey (given to the most outstanding Senior in Minnesota) and is a offensive-minded forward.  He led his school to a State Championship as a Senior, and will play for the U of MN next season.  Quite honestly, from both what I remember from the couple of games I saw him and what i've read online, I don't really know what his weakness is minus maybe his height (5'11).  He's going to be a great addition to both the Gophers and to the Wild down the road.

Minneapolis to Faribault is about an hour-long drive

The Wild also acquired Center Kyle Brodziak from Edmonton; Matthew Hackett (G - Ontario); Kristopher Foucault (LW - Albertia); Alexander Fallstrom (RW - Shattuck St. Mary's HS, MN); Darcy Kuemper (G - Sasketchewan); Jere Sallinen (F - FInland); Erik Haula (LW - Shattuck St. Mary's HS, MN); and Anthony Hamburg (C - Arizona).  For those of you unaware, Shattuck is a boarding school in Faribault, MN and is where Sidney Crosby went to school.  For the most part, Shattuck is where Hockey prodigies go to become noticed.  They've won 2 of the last 3 USA Hockey U18 National Championships.   However, if you don't play Hockey, I have no fucking clue why you would chose to go to school there.

The only other Minnesota player that was drafted in the first round was Jordan Schroeder who grew up in Minnesota and played for the U of MN last year.  Since Mookie emailed me about him, I'll post what I told him:

[Jordan Schroeder] everything you'd expect from a guy who grew up in the Exurbs of the Twin Cities.  Great vision, smart kid, huge steal that late in the draft.  Second in points at the U [of MN] as a Freshman, just an overall great player.  [Although] he's [only] 5'9 and 180, he's [only] 18 so he could still grow another inch (and that's a pretty important inch), and he's played hockey almost his entire life.  He comes from a great program at the U of MN [for those of you who aren't avid College Hockey fans, the U is the equivalent of a Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio St., Michigan, etc - a program with a rich history of success, almost always near the top in the nation with their recruiting classes, and apro-style program] and played with Jay Barriball (STL) and Ryan Stoa (COL) who are both pretty good NHL prospects.  He's gonna be fun to watch this year (he'll stay in college at least another year).  His only weakness is that he's always looking to set someone up and can be unwilling to take a shot.  But its better for him to be that way than to be taking shitty shots.

Mr. 400

Can Joe Mauer avoid the SI Cover Curse?

Although the Minnesota Twins have had a mediocre season so far, catcher Joe Mauer has been spectacular.  In 51 games, Mauer has a .394 batting average, a .486  OBP, and a .691 SLG to go with his 14 Home Runs and 43 RBIs.  Not only is this a great start for any player (much less a catcher), but Joe Mauer has done this despite not working out all winter and missing spring training due to an inflamed joint in his pelvis and a kidney surgery.  Simply put, Mauer is having a season unlike any other.  According to SI's Tom Verducci, Mauer has his swing down to a science.  He swung at maybe 9 first pitches in his first 200 at bats, has broken maybe a half-dozen bats in his career (not a typo), and some say he's taken 4 check swings total in the past 5 years.  Mauer is hitting over .250 in 2-strike situations (league average is around .190), hits .421 against right-handed pitchers, and .356 against lefties.  Translation: If you're a Manager and you have to decide who to bring out of the bullpen to face Mauer, the best you can hope for is to make him only a good hitter.

Beyond his consistency, there's no doubt that having Justin Morneau hit behind him has helped tremendously.  Morneau is hitting .309 (.390 OBP) right now with 16 Home Runs and 58 RBIs.  If Denard Span can bring his average back above .300 (he's hitting .289 right now), Mauer will be surrounded by .300+ hitters, making the opposing Manager's job even more difficult.  Despite pitching woes, I still think that the Twins and Mauer can have a strong second half of the season.  The Twins for some reason have always been able to turn things around in the second half of the season, and if Mauer can keep up the pace (which would be remarkable), the Twins have a shot to win the AL Central.

Re: Rubio to the Knicks?

Sports Illustrated as well as several other prominent sports news sources are hyping the rumor that the Wolves might trade Ricky Rubio to the New York Knicks.

There are three primary reasons why this will not happen any time soon:

1. The Wolves have no Coach

As of now, the Wolves are still without a Head Coach.  So long as this is the case, I can't honestly see the Wolves trading Rubio. They have two very different Point Guards in Vince Flynn and Rubio, and the new coach will inevitably want to have a say in which one they keep (assuming the plan is to trade one of them).  Depending on the type of Offense the new coach plays, and his general impression of each player, he might end up prefering one over the other, or even deciding that he wants to play both of them at the same time.  Until they have a new coach, there's no way to know who to trade and for what.

2. The Fans love Rubio

Kevin McHale is out, and Andrew Kahn is in as Wolves GM.  McHale (as explained earlier) was notorious amongst Wolves fans for his awful drafting strategy and trading away players.  He sent Brandon Roy to Portland for Randy Foye, and then traded O.J. Mayo for Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins (I like Love a lot, but Miller, Cardinal, and Collins were awful for the Wolves last year).  Thursday night, Kahn showed he was not going to be like McHale and took the best player available in Rubio.  He's young, he's energetic, he's flashy, and Wolves fans are still rejoicing over the selection.  Simply put, Rubio was the signal Wolves fans were waiting for that a new era had begun.  To trade Rubio would be a very unpopular move (especially to the Knicks who have nothing to offer the Wolves sans a first round pick next year).

3. Andrew Kahn

From what I've heard so far, Kahn is dead set on having both Flynn and Kahn on the court at the same time in the future.  He thinks that a 2 point guard system is the way of the future in the NBA, and has had nothing but confidence that it would work out to have both of them on the court.  He's the one that would make the decision as to whether or not to trade Rubio, and from what we know, he likes Rubio.

1. Wimbledon: 5 times
2. Australian Open: 3 times
3. U.S Open: 5 times
4. French Open: 1 time

Federer is the only player in tennis history to win at least five consecutive titles at two different Grand Slam tournaments (2003-07 Wimbledon, 2004-08 US Open). He is also the only player in tennis history to win the same two Grand Slam tournaments back to back for four consecutive years (2004-07). He is also the only one to win at least two Grand Slam titles for four consecutive years (2004-2007). Sampras is the only other man to win two Grand Slams in a calendar year four different times (1993-95, 1997), but unlike Federer, they were not won in consecutive years. He has won at least one Grand Slam title for the past seven years (2003-09), and he is the first tennis player to be ranked No. 1 for more than 200 consecutive weeks.

With all of this being said, he is said to be the best tennis player of the history of tennis, and I agree with that statement. I think he's the smartest player in tennis and he plays with tremendous effort and with unique techniques. This proves that power isn't really needed in tennis and all you need is to use your brains. This, to me, shows that he is the best player in the history of tennis.

The report cards are in.

Here are the winners, losers, and everyone in between.

Los Angeles Clippers – B+ F Blake Griffin The Clippers had the easiest decision of the night and took the consensus top prospect in this draft.

He won't be the best player from this draft in ten years, but he's a solid player who could average a double-double for a long time.

Now the Clippers have to trade either Chris Kaman or Marcus Camby to make room for Griffin. There is more interest in Camby because of his versatility and his contract.

Since Camby is the likely casualty of this selection, the Clippers fall short of a top grade.

Memphis Grizzlies – A C Hasheem Thabeet, F DeMarre Carroll, F Sam Young, G/F Quentin Richardson When Darko Milicic and Kwame Brown are in your frontcourt rotation, you need help.

Thabeet will be a shot blocking presence from day one. If the Grizzlies focus his efforts on becoming a great defender, he should fare better than Greg Oden in Portland.

With no power forward prospects in this spot, Thabeet was the only smart pick for them to make.

Carroll was a stretch but the Grizzlies made up for it by stealing Sam Young in the second round. He will be a major contributor off their bench.

Getting a productive player for Milicic is also a plus.

Q-Rich should help mentor their young core of players and will especially help the development of O.J. Mayo.

Oklahoma City Thunder – A+ G James Harden, C B.J. Mullens, G Robert Vaden Harden is a perfect fit to play alongside Kevin Durant. He can shoot and drive into the lane. He complements Durant perfectly.

Also, he isn't someone who can lead an NBA team and be the primary creator of offense. However, as a supporting facilitator, he's the best available in this draft.

The only spot in their starting lineup which isn't set in stone for the next five years is at center. Mullens is athletic and could develop into that guy.

Right now, he's an upgrade over Robert Swift.

Vaden can flat out shoot it from the perimeter, and that’s his trump card to earn a roster spot.

Sacramento Kings – A G Tyreke Evans, F Omri Casspi, F Jon Brockman, G Sergio Rodriguez

Evans can play either guard position and could develop into the next Brandon Roy if everything clicks for him. He walks in as the best player on the team.

Casspi is the first Israeli player taken in the first round and will be the first to play in the NBA.

He is a tough player with a little more offensive skill then most are giving him credit for. He should develop into a consistent contributor off the bench.

Brockman should be able to get rebounds for a team lacking interior toughness. Realistically, that's about all he'll consistently provide at this level.

"Spanish Chocolate" will remind fans of the Jayson Williams days of exciting and erratic basketball. He puts some pressure on Beno Udrih.

Minnesota Timberwolves – B- G Ricky Rubio, G Jonny Flynn, G Wayne Ellington, F Henk Norel, F/C Etan Thomas, F Darius Songailia, Oleksiy Pecherov

The T-Wolves didn't have to move up to get who was supposed to be their guy in Rubio. He is Steve Nash reincarnated and will be a perennial all-star in this league.

Flynn isn't the flashiest player but has the toughness and the "it" factor to lead the Wolves for the foreseeable future.

Flynn at number six was the most puzzling selection of the night. T-Wolves president David Kahn says he wants both point guards to play together.

This would be a complete disaster as opposing backcourts destroy the duo defensively. Flynn is undersized and Rubio physically is no match for most NBA guards.

If Kahn is serious about playing them both at the same time, he might have to go Kevin McHale and coach the team himself because no legit NBA coach is going to sign off on the idea.

If Minnesota wants to keep both players, the smart solution is to use Rubio as an insurance policy. They can save money and let him stay in Spain next year while playing Flynn as the primary point guard.

If Flynn becomes the floor general of the future, they can then trade Rubio next year for a great player or a high lottery pick.

There are already reports that Rubio isn't pleased with the idea of playing in Minnesota and that he might prefer to stay in Spain. The situation could work in the T-Wolves favor if they play their cards right.

Otherwise this could be Yi Jianlian and Milwaukee all over again.

Ellington is a pure shooter who will replace the departed Mike Miller.

Thomas and Songailia give Minnesota some versatility for their second team frontcourt.

Pecherov is famous for his role as Stewie Griffin in Family Guy and for getting dunked on by Andres Nocioni:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbxzfVl_7c4

Golden State Warriors – INCOMPLETE G Stephen Curry, G Acie Law, G Speedy Claxton Law never found himself in Atlanta and could resurrect his career in Golden State in the same way as current Warriors G Kelenna Azubuike.

The Warriors don't have a grade yet because Curry might be part of a trade package to bring in Suns' F/C Amare Stoudemire. The rumored trade proposal would send Curry, G Marco Belinelli, F/C Andris Biedrins, and F Brandan Wright to Phoenix.

If the trade goes through, the Warriors get an A+. Amare isn't even in the prime of his career yet, and is a major upgrade over Andres Biedrins.

Golden State already has plenty of scoring guards and Belinelli and Wright aren't the greatest prospects on the planet.

Getting Stoudemire makes the Warriors a playoff team.

New York Knicks – B+ F Jordan Hill, G Toney Douglas, C Darko Milicic The Knicks got the short end of the stick when both Flynn and Curry were taken ahead of them. Hill was the only pick they could make given the circumstances.

With that said, Hill is a solid player who could develop into a well balanced machine.

In the short term he will replace David Lee when he's traded or gets the big contract he deserves in free agency.

Douglas is a tough guard who can get his shot up and drill it from almost anywhere on the court. He isn't afraid to play defense either and his efforts are contagious.

If Douglas played for a high-profile program, he easily could've landed in the lottery.

Milicic saves the Knicks around eight million dollars in 2010. He's useful for once.

Toronto Raptors – D G DeMar DeRozan DeRozan didn't show anything at USC to warrant a top ten selection. There has to be a bust in the top ten and he's the most likely candidate.

The Raptors needed a long term answer at the two-guard. They'll need to find it in whatever they get back in the inevitable Chris Bosh trade.

Milwaukee Bucks – C+ G Brandon Jennings, G Jodie Meeks, F Bruce Bowen, F/C Kurt Thomas, F Amir Johnson Jennings is a player with a ton of upside who accelerated his maturity curve by going to Italy for a year and learning about real life and responsibility. He isn't the same person he was in high school and that's a positive.

With the rumored departure of Luke Ridnour, there should be a good chunk of playing time for Jennings.

Meeks can score but will struggle in the NBA unless he learns how to separate from defenders.

I know moving Richard Jefferson was purely a salary cap move, but to get absolutely no major future value in return for his talents is a waste.

New Jersey Nets – A+ F Terrence Williams, G Rafer Alston, G Courtney Lee, F/C Tony Battie The Nets were finally able to move the huge burden of Vince Carter's contract, and unlike some other teams trading away big name players, they got some talent back in return.

Courtney Lee will continue to develop and will become much more of a scorer in New Jersey as he gets a lot more touches. He is a slasher with some range and creates a quick backcourt with Devin Harris.

Alston solidifies the point guard position off the bench and provides a nice marketing chip as Skip to My Lou when the Nets move to Brooklyn if they keep him.

Battie gives them some much needed depth and veteran know-how behind C Brook Lopez.

Williams is an outstanding selection. He has point guard passing ability and lock down defense. He can get to the rim and is simply a winner.

The Nets are planning for the future but should be a perennial playoff contender in a few years.

Charlotte Bobcats – B G Gerald Henderson, F Derrick Brown The Bobcats didn't hit a home run with either pick but picked up two athletic players to work into the rotation at some point in the future.

Charlotte basically has its major rotation in place, so they didn't need an impact player in this draft.

This is the year the Bobcats make the playoffs.

Indiana Pacers – C- F Tyler Hansbrough, G A.J. Price Hansbrough is a gritty player who will earn his paycheck in the league for many years. But the Pacers had bigger needs.

They needed someone athletic in the frontcourt with some range for the future. James Johnson was still available.

They also could've taken the point guard of the future, as it doesn't seem T.J. Ford or Jarrett Jack provides a long term solution.

Price gives the Pacers decent value, but isn't something they don't already have at point guard.

If the goal of the draft is to improve the quality of your team, the Pacers didn't help themselves much.

Phoenix Suns – INCOMPLETE F Earl Clark, F Taylor Griffin, F Emir Preldzic, G/F Sasha Pavlovic, F/C Ben Wallace Clark is a very talented player who just couldn't take his game to the next level at Louisville. If he can utilize his skills and play consistently, he has all star potential. He can do a little bit of everything.

The other Griffin is a novelty pick. The fact that he could make the team tells you a lot about the depth on the Suns.

Pavlovic and Wallace are cap savers. Neither will be a major factor as players for this franchise.

The incomplete grade stems from the potential Stoudemire deal. In that case, the Suns would get an F. They would be trading a big man with immense skills for a couple of solid role players and a couple scrubs.

The Shaq trade was understandable. That experiment was a failure. They needed to just unload his contract.

If the Suns just waste Amare, they're making the type of move which haunts a franchise for at least a decade.

Curry would be a nice addition but there's no evidence to show he can actually play the point in the NBA. He didn't make his supporting cast at Davidson any better and they had experienced players who should've progressed.

It's no accident Davidson was an elite eight in 2008 with point guard Jason Richards, who led the country in assists.

With a veteran squad, Curry didn't even make the big dance running the offense.

If Curry plays shooting guard, then you have a major defensive liability on the floor and no plan behind an aging Steve Nash.

Biedrins is a great rebounder but is very limited offensively.

The Suns need to try and trade Stoudemire for a proven star if they insist on moving on without him.

Otherwise Steve Kerr will continue to murder the Suns.

Detroit Pistons – B- F Austin Daye, F DaJuan Summers, F Jonas Jerebko, C Fabricio Oberto The Pistons don't receive a great grade for a couple of reasons.

Daye is the primary one. He's a toothpick and is easily the softest player in the draft. He has great potential and range, but doesn't have the mentality to capitalize on his skills.

He's the next Channing Frye. And just like Frye, Daye will find himself in NBA obscurity in four years.

Summers can get after the ball and knock down a jump shot. He should develop into a consistent scorer and gives the Pistons second unit a different dimension.

Jerebko is a developmental talent who could evolve into a Trevor Ariza type, so he's worth a shot at some point.

The other reason for the low grade is that all three of these picks address the same position.

If rumors about the Pistons moving Richard Hamilton and/or Tayshaun Prince are true, the Pistons could have covered themselves a little by drafting a shooting guard.

Chicago Bulls – B F James Johnson, F Taj Gibson Johnson is an excellent selection as the Bulls finally take a frontcourt player who can score from outside ten feet.

He gives them great depth at the three or four, and with the uncertainty surrounding Luol Deng, he's a solid insurance policy who should develop into a starter down the road.

Gibson can make an NBA team but didn’t make much sense for the Bulls in the late first round. They needed guard depth and will now have to either resign Ben Gordon or find that player for Kirk Hinrich.

Philadelphia 76ers – B+ G Jrue Holiday The Sixers needed a point guard prospect for the future.

As long as they keep Andre Miller, they can wait on Holiday to mature and develop while staying with Miller and backup Louis Williams.

Denver Nuggets – A G Ty Lawson The Nuggets needed a better backup behind Chauncey Billups.

Lawson loves to push the ball up the floor and fits in perfectly with the likes of J.R. Smith and Chris "Birdman" Andersen on Denver's second unit.

Atlanta Hawks – A- G Jeff Teague, G Sergiy Gladyr, G Jamal Crawford Teague is a nice point guard prospect and the Hawks can let him come off the bench and ease into the starting spot in a couple of years.

For now, he's an energy guy with some scoring ability off the bench.

Crawford is an excellent addition, as the Hawks lost nothing to get him after drafting Teague.

He is a great scorer and a severely underrated point guard. When given the slim opportunity in New York, he easily proved he can run an offense in the half court and get the bigs involved.

If this move means the Hawks lose Mike Bibby, it's an added plus. Bibby is a perennial choke artist and the team played better with Johnson running things.

Johnson and Crawford can switch off point guard duties. Together, they'll give NBA defenses all kinds of issues, especially with Josh Smith patrolling around and a center in Al Horford who can knock down a 12-footer.

The only minus sign is the second round pick. The Hawks need some frontcourt depth and Ahmad Nivins was the type of player they need in their second unit.

Utah Jazz – C G Eric Maynor, C Goran Suton The Jazz drafted two solid players. The problem lies in where they fit in.

Maynor is an underrated point guard who can lead a team and score.

It seemed the Jazz were set on Ronnie Price as the backup to Deron Williams after his performance in the playoffs, but this move indicates he could end up elsewhere.

Suton is a decent center prospect who has solid rebounding and touch around the basket.

He's basically a polished Kosta Koufos. Either this pick means Koufos isn't coming along as planned or the Jazz are log jammed at center.

Either way, it doesn't help the Jazz catch up to the contenders out west.

New Orleans Hornets – B G Darren Collison, G Marcus Thornton Collison is a quick point guard who can spell Paul for a few minutes.

The Hornets needed a backup point, but Collison was a bit of a reach. They could've traded down easily and still had him, and the way the board unfolded there were probably teams interested in moving up.

With that said, Collison is an accomplished defender and can keep pressure on the ball like Paul.

Thornton is a nice acquisition and can light it up. The Hornets hope he can replace what they lost a couple years ago when they let Jannero Pargo go.

Portland Trail Blazers – B+ F Victor Claver, F Dante Cunningham, G Patrick Mills, F Jeff Pendergraph Claver is a talented player who the Blazers can stash overseas.

Mills is an absolute steal in the second round and will find himself on an NBA roster someday. Portland has no use for him right now and will ship him overseas.

Cunningham and Pendergraph give the Blazers some scoring depth in the frontcourt. With Portland willing to wheel and deal, a spot should open up in the rotation for one of these two when the season starts.

Dallas Mavericks – C+ F Ahmad Nivins, G Rodrigue Beaubois, G Nick Calathes Beaubois is supposed to be a talented point guard but will take years to develop. The Mavericks needed more of an immediate impact.

Nivins is a gritty hustle player, but the Mavs already have that kind of player in Brandon Bass.

Calathes could make or break this draft. If the Mavs still have Jason Kidd next year, they should try and bring Calathes over this season for Kidd to mentor him.

There is an element of Kidd in Calathes in how Calathes anticipates plays. On a team with an actual basketball IQ, he could blossom into a major steal.

He needs to become an offensive asset because he will never get it done in man to man defense in the NBA.

Cleveland Cavaliers – D- F Christian Eyenga, F Danny Green, C Shaquille O'Neal The Cavs were decimated by the Magic because they had no depth. They failed to address that glaring weakness in this draft.

Green gives the Cavs someone off the bench with shooting ability, but he's as inconsistent as the shooters they already have.

The deal for Shaq has been widely praised as a major move which steers the Cavs toward the NBA finals. I completely disagree.

Can Shaq guard Rashard Lewis? Hedo Turkoglu? Rajon Rondo? Paul Pierce? Kevin Garnett? Pau Gasol? Lamar Odom?

The Cavs were slammed by the Magic because they had no one to stop any of their key players. Skilled starting lineups can destroy Cleveland.

Now they have an aging Shaq who didn't help Phoenix do anything. He's a much better fit in the Cavs half court offense, but will also clog the lane and hamper LeBron James in his assault on the paint.

There is also the issue of what happens to Zydrunas Ilgauskas. You obviously can't start both players and Z is a capable starter in this league.

Cleveland absolutely needs another major roster shakeup before next year, and odds are Z will have to be part of that deal.

As it is now, the Cavs have no frontcourt bench and still have a midget backcourt which will struggle to stop championship contenders.

Once again, GM Danny Ferry is chasing a big name, but hasn't helped his efforts to get LeBron a ring.

The only reason they don't get an F grade is the fact that at least they finally turned Sasha Pavlovic into something.

Washington Wizards – A++ G Randy Foye, G/F Mike Miller The Wizards are looking to win now. With their trade for Miller and Foye, they're a top three team in the east if they stay healthy.

First off, they now have tremendous depth. They can start Arenas, Miller, Butler, and Jamison and have solid reserves at all positions.

Foye and Nick Young will anchor the second unit for some time and could eventually start themselves.

Getting Stevenson out of the starting lineup is another plus as he's much better suited as a role player off the bench.

Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee should continue to develop and are nice options off the bench up front. One of them could also be involved in a trade to bring in an established center.

The Wizards now have tremendous firepower. It's now or never for coach Flip Saunders.

If the Wizards can play under control, they’re the sleeper in the east.

Houston Rockets – INCOMPLETE G Jermaine Taylor, G Sergio Llull, F Chase Budinger The Rockets bought three useful players in the second round to bolster their roster.

Taylor is a cheap Aaron Brooks and Budinger gives the Rockets tremendous offensive talent for someone in the middle of the second round. He should have an immediate impact.

The Rockets needed depth and got it in this draft.

They don't have a grade because of the impending departure of Tracy McGrady. It's long overdue and if they get anything of value in return, the draft was a success.

San Antonio Spurs – A+ F DeJuan Blair, G Jack McClinton, G Nando De Colo, F Richard Jefferson The Spurs continue to show why they are the best run franchise in the NBA. They had a tremendous draft given they were out of the first round.

Blair is an absolute steal and is a perfect replacement for the departed Kurt Thomas. He is tough as nails and is the best rebounder in the draft since Paul Millsap. He also has an underrated face-up jumper from ten feet.

He will immediately spell Duncan and Bonner in the rotation.

McClinton might be one of the best pure scorers in this draft and has ridiculous range for a second round pick. With Roger Mason getting major minutes next year, McClinton has a chance to become the bench guard scorer who can make some big shots when Ginobili or Parker doesn't have the ball.

De Colo is a talented prospect and allows the Spurs to continue stockpiling talent overseas.

Jefferson is an excellent addition, especially for what they gave up.

The Spurs didn't need Bowen anymore with George Hill and Ime Udoka.

Jefferson gives the Spurs a reliable scorer and should thrive not being a primary option. He also serves as major insurance should Ginobili go down again.

The Jefferson deal puts the Spurs back in contention for the west crown.

Miami Heat – C- F Robert Dozier, G Patrick Beverly For a team which needed better depth, the Heat didn't accomplish much.

Dozier can block shots and get on the boards, but with the Heat picking up the option on Joel Anthony, Dozier either starts in the NBDL or will be cut.

Beverly is a defensive minded player who will have to fight to beat out Yakhouba Diawara and Dorell Wright for a spot on the team.

Los Angeles Lakers – INCOMPLETE F Chinemelu Elonu The Lakers sold their first three picks in an effort to save as much money as possible to get back Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom.

This draft is a success if it helps the Lakers keep their title team together.

I'm sure Elonu can be had for the right price too.

Boston Celtics – B G Lester Hudson The Celtics might be in need of a shooter. Rumors are swirling about Ray Allen and Eddie House might actually opt out of his deal.

Hudson was the best shooter available.

If they landed McClinton, he would've been a perfect replacement for House if he skipped town, but the Spurs beat them to the punch.

Overall, the Celtics get a player who could make their roster, and that's a plus at the bottom of the second round.

=Orlando Magic – C+ G/F Vince Carter, F Ryan Anderson The Magic traded their starting backcourt from the NBA finals to bring in Carter and a talented offensive minded bench player in Anderson.

Carter can still score but is a shadow of what he once was. He isn't a good defender and is more of a volume shooter.

The Magic see him as an all star caliber player but he won’t help them win a ring.

He is another jump shot happy player and will stunt the growth of Dwight Howard as the few touches Superman got in the fourth quarter may have just vanished.

The Magic are a good team but aren’t aggressive enough in driving to the paint. They also don’t play enough smart basketball and take too many bad shots.

Carter doesn't fix any of their problems.

If they also bring back Turkoglu, which just became even more of a costly move with the luxury tax situation attached to Carter's contract, they have an offensive force of a starting five.

Defensively though, they are worse off. Lee was the closest thing they had to a shutdown defender in the starting lineup.

Mickael Pietrus is going to have his hands full coming off the bench to stop every wing player giving the Magic fits.

If Turkoglu isn't back, then Pietrus is the starting two guard, which kills their second unit, which has already lost Marcin Gortat to free agency.

Rafer Alston was expendable but Lee was developing into a very good player. If the Magic don't reach the finals with Carter, they'll regret trading Lee away in a couple years.

If they keep Turkoglu, their grade is elevated to a B-.

[edit] AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1)

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens we all know will be battling for the top spot in the top-heavy AFC North division, but since I have decided to name at least one team per division to look out for, I chose the hungry Bengals from Cincinnati.  Former elite QB Carson Palmer claims he is back to full health, but I guess only time will tell.  If he, in fact, is in full health then the rest of the NFL will have to watch out and not underestimate his ability.  The reason I said he is a "former" elite QB is because he will have to prove to his critics, once again, that he can stay healthy and let everyone know he can still play.  Despite the continuing drama surrounding Chad Ocho Cinco, "will he play or not," the Bengals offense should be at full strength.  The front office brought in New York Jets WR Laveranues Coles to help cushion the absence of T.J. Houshmandzadeh.  Cedric Benson has seemed to find a home in Cincinnati, quickly finding comfort in mini-camps, and the defense has had a makeover, as well.

Keith Rivers is looking to make a full recovery this season, anchoring the LB corps alongside veteran middle linebacker Dhani Jones, who recorded a team-high 116 tackles in 2008.  The secondary is in good hands with young, potential-filled CB's Leon Hall, who led the team in interceptions in 2008, and 25-year old Johnathan Joseph.  Together, Hall and Joseph have a combined five years experience and 12 career interceptions.  Both are good cover men, and are well backed-up by free safety, tackling machine Marvin White (age 25) and strong safety Chinedum Ndukwe (age 24).  So, yes, the secondary is young, but they have shown a lot of potential over the past couple of years.  If the defense can just do their job and improve on last year's 12th-ranked overall defense, this team has the chance to surprise a lot of people in 2009.

Benson's career has been resurrected in Cincinnati.

[edit] AFC East

Buffalo Bills (7-9)

It wasn't just the move to sign Terrell Owens to a one-year deal this off-season that got my attention, but instead the much improved defense and stealthy offense.  Trent Edwards, the team's franchise QB, improved greatly from 2007 (his rookie year) to 2008, seeing all of his numbers sky-rocket.  Edwards was a play-maker shy of breaking 3,000 passing yards on the year and now that they have T.O. on their side, Edwards' numbers may go up just a little bit more in '09.  Edwards has all the traits to become an elite QB in the NFL: the size (6'4", 231 pounds), arm strength, and accuracy.  If he can protect the ball a little better, he will be great.  The running game may see a bit of a dip in the first few weeks of play thanks to the suspension of running back Marshawn Lynch.  But, back-up RB Fred Jackson could see some spotlight while filling in for Lynch.  Jackson has shown the potential in his first two seasons, running for 500+ yards on 130 attempts last season (4.4 YPC) and coughing up the ball just once in his 24 career games (188 carries).  Jackson can also catch the ball out of the backfield (8.6 yards per catch on 59 career receptions) which will be a big help to the young Edwards.

What has impressed me most about this team, despite the offensive improvement, is the defensive and special teams units.  The defensive line, which combined for 6.5 sacks in '08, has a combined 29 years experience, which averages out to just over seven years experience per defensive lineman.  The linebacking corps isn't quite as experienced.  In fact, all three of the starting LB's are under the age of 30.  But, the 24-year old Paul Posluszny (110 tackles, 1 INT in '08) could be the bright side of the entire defense this year.  He has been under the radar so far in his short career, but this may just be his break-through season as an elite middle linebacker.  Like the team's linebackers, the Bills secondary is very young and inexperienced.  They are not the type to pick a whole lot of passes off, so the front seven will need to thrive and create turnovers on their own.  If they can do that and get to the QB early and often, we could see Buffalo in the top ten in total defense this year.  But the real question will be: can Buffalo keep up with the favorites in the East (New England and New York)?  Time will tell.

[edit] AFC South

Houston Texans (8-8)

For me, this is a no-brainer.  The Texans will not be a division-winner in 2009, but they will, without a doubt, be a wild card contender.  This is the year the Texans get over their years of mediocrity and break that 8-8 streak.  Matt Schaub, the team's QB, broke 3,000 passing yards in a season for the first time last year thanks to some help from the much-improved running game, and he could see that category, along with his passing TD's, rise as his INT total drops.  Running back Steve Slaton had a dreamy rookie campaign in '08 (1,282 yards, 4.8 YPC, 9 TD's) and will look to improve on that performance this season.  All-Pro WR Andre Johnson broke 100 receptions for the second time and 1,500 receiving yards for the first in his six-year career.  He even tied his career-high with 8 receiving TD's.  Johnson, accompanied by 6'3", 215 pound wideout Kevin Walter at receiver, is one of the NFL's most underrated WR despite his career-high, All-Pro numbers in '08.  Walter set career-highs in receiving yards (899) and TD's (8) last season, too.  Both Johnson and Walter's size provide valuable size at the wideout position.  Do not be surprised if both of their '08 numbers improve in 2009.  Slaton's 1,200 rushing yards will see a boost this season, as well.  By the end of the season, people will know just how dangerous the Houston Texans offense really is.

Mario Williams, the 24-year old Texan defensive end, has recorded 30.5 sacks in just three NFL seasons in Houston and his side of the Houston defensive line may be one of most dangerous this season.  Third-year defensive tackle Amobi Okoye is still learning the game (he didn't start playing football until his sophomore year of HS and knew nothing about the game before that time) but can already be considered armed and dangerous.  Alongside Mario, Okoye could see himself record 10+ sacks this season (he has 6.5 in his first two NFL seasons), thanks to extra attention paid to Mario.  So, while Williams is being doubled, maybe even triple-teamed, Okoye will be putting several different QB's on their backs, eating grass.  The LB group may not have the big names, but MLB DeMeco Ryans, entering his fourth season in the league, already has a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection to his name along with the 2006 NFL Defenisve Rookie of the Year award.  Ryans' career numbers look great, too: 396 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 INT's.  Another accomplishment includes three straight seasons with 100+ total tackles, something that a Zach Thomas/Patrick Willis-type player would do.  Underestimate this team and you could pay a huge price.

Houston's young, stingy D will be the key to their sudden success in 2009.

[edit] AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)

Say what you want about Matt Cassel's 2008 success being the result of Bill Belichick's system, but Cassel has looked good during Kansas City's mini camps so far.  With new management and coaching, the KC Chiefs are looking for a fresh start and so far, have looked great doing it.  It appears as though the whole Larry Johnson mess has finally blown over, and if he gets the ball a little more this season and stays healthy for a good portion of the season Johnson could break a 1,000 for the first time since '06.  Something to keep in mind is that Johnson had the potential to do so last year (he averaged 4.5 YPC), but because of injury only got 193 carries (158 carries for 559 yards in '07).  If Johnson continues to struggle in the backfield, KC will most likely turn to second-year RB Jamaal Charles who managed 5.3 YPC on 67 attempts last season while filling in for Johnson.  Cassel will not have All-Pro, future HOF TE Tony Gonzalez, who left for Atlanta this offseason, but will have the 6'2" Dwayne Bowe, who set career-highs in receptions, yards and TD's last year (86 rec, 1,022 yards, 7 TD's in 16 games).

New Kansas City head coach Todd Haley, a member of the 2008 NFC champion Arizona Cardinals coaching staff last season, is in the rebuilding process with this Kansas City defense, adding DE Tyson Jackson with the third overall pick and DT Alex Magee with the 67th overall pick in the draft this year.  Jackson recorded 18.5 sacks in four seasons with the LSU Tigers, good enough for eighth all-time.  Jackson was named to the All-SEC second team in 2006 and 2008.  Jackson is a welcome addition to the Chiefs defensive line, which is currently anchored by second-year defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.  Dorsey recorded 46 tackles and one sack with KC last year and was Jackson's teammate at LSU for three seasons.  The LB corps is in good hands after the front office (new GM Scott Pioli, formerly a member of the New England Patriots organization) went out and signed veterans Zach Thomas and Mike Vrabel.  Vrabel was acquired in the deal that also landed them their new QB Matt Cassel.  Pioli is very familiar with both Cassel and Vrabel.  Thomas, signed as an unrestricted FA on April 9th, 2009, is a huge addition.  He brought his leadership and his tackling ability with him to Kansas City.  According to some of their offseason moves, it looks like Kansas City is actually looking to be a contender this year as opposed to two or three years down the road. The 2009 Kansas City Chiefs have no where to go but up!

Part two: NFC's 2009 Wild Card Teams--coming soon (AKA when I get around to it).

A four hour slugfest of awful segues and recycled cliches.

The following recaps just some of the nonsense I found on the interweb… (This collection is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to share, add, edit)

Funny 

sportsguy33 : DaJuan Blair to the Spurs at 37? How does shit like this happen? You're damned right I just swore. Unbelievable.

One of only 3 tweets from BS on the night…but seriously how does shit like this happen??

latimeslakers : Stu Scott asks Rod Thorn why they let go "one of the most electrifying players in the league?" Dude in the crowd: Because he sucks!

This is why I love the draft. The most entertaining personalities in the theatre at MSG had to pay to attend. Can’t ESPN get KIA to sponsor a special segment featuring the Stephen A. Smith hecklers.

Phoenix Suns 

RealSkipBayless : Man, it has come to this for once mighty Phoenix: Earl Clark. Steve Kerr made a mess of a very good team.

From the best record in the West (34-14)16 months ago (just prior to the Shaq trade), Phoenix now appears to be hell bent on disenchanting Steve Nash and putting together an All-Star line-up of less talented brothers (what’s Harvey Grant doing these days?).

Ricky Rubio 

hoopshype : From Rubio's father: "Right now, Ricky is likely staying in Europe one or two years."

If this turns out to be so, and the 6 point whatever million dollars can’t be “conveyed” to Club Joventut Badalona, then maybe taking Jonny Flynn wasn’t so questionable.

RealSkipBayless : If Ricky Rubio can't cut it in NBA, he can join Jonas Brothers.

SHAQ 
RealSkipBayless : Shaq says "I've always been a team player." Somwhere Kobe is laughing out loud.

All misspellings aside, the DH was my favorite tweeter of the evening. 

Oh, and the award for the absolute dumbest question on a night littered with ridiculous hypotheticals… Lisa Salters for her pondering as to how Shaq would deal with the possibility of coming off the bench. The fact that he didn’t immediately hang up and instead sounded humbly sober in his response, speaks volumes.

He plays and he starts… or Mike Brown hates himself. In either case I can’t imagine this thing ending with a title.

Shaq on Shaq’s longevity??

THE_REAL_SHAQ : My numbers are not good enough to retire 3 more yrs left

It remains to be seen.

The most unintentionally ambiguous tweet of the night… 
jadande : "Baby Boomers grew up with Michael Jackson, Gen X grew up on him."

Of course, I'm going to take this in a completely figurative/complementary sense of "on him."

RealLamarOdom : My thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Jackson and his family. He is a legend. King of Pop.

R.I.P. MJ

Ok…I know there are some other good ones out there. Let’s hear them.

pangs tum pixie

• Jayson Stark calls Manny a " scoundrel " and even worse, says Ramirez "...personally sabotaged the magical season of a team like the Dodgers."

• Here's what Hat Guy (aka Mike Celizic) had to say :  "Ramirez didn't just let (the Dodgers) down.  He kicked them all where it hurts the worst.  It came without warning, a dark-alley attack that never gave them a chance to brace for what was coming."  He goes on to say that "Manny's got to stop being Manny and start being a decent human being."

• Tracy Ringolsby's reaction :  "The saga of Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, et al is an embarassment to the game," and even attempts to demean Ramirez by comparing his use of PEDs to the affliction of Clint Hurdle's daughter, which requires her to take growth hormones.

There are many more of these, but I have neither the energy nor the inclination to track any more of them.  They all follow in a similar vein and have the constant theme, one belittling Ramirez's place in the not only the annals of baseball history, but also as his status as a person.  I have several problems with this.  My first is there is no outcry when Guillermo Mota or Alex Sanchez tests positive for PEDs.  Nobody is admonishing Adam Piatt for being a terrible human being or Neifi Perez for castrating his teammates (figuratively speaking, of course).  There's a vicious excoriation given by baseball writers that the stars get for cheating that goes beyond their ability to hit a baseball.  But even these things don't get to the heart of my problem with this issue.

It's that we just don't care.

That's not exactly true.  It's not that we don't care, per se. Obviously, the so-called "Steroid Era" has left an indelible mark on the fabric of the baseball tapestry.  And there's no question that some of our childhood heroes have lost their hero worship status.  I'll come back to this in a minute.  To quote the venerable Stephen A. Smith, "HOWEVA"...the baseball writers (specifically, the BBWAA) have gone completely overboard.  Whether it's an attempt to overcompensate for their unwillingness/inability to blow the whistle on the players during the height of the Steroid Era (didn't want to lose access) or from their ridiculous self-appointed, self-aggrandizing position as the bastions of baseball justice, as these high and mighty upholders of the sanctity and purity of the baseball code.  I have significant problems with both of these, although my harsher criticism is reserved for the latter of these two.  I will, however, tackle these issues in the order I raised them.

The hypocrisy of many baseball writers is both ridiculous and slightly delicious at the same time.  Many of the writers who are deriding and cursing the stars of today are the same ones who were lauding the accomplishments of Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and the other big stars of a decade ago.  (A note:  As a rule, I try to avoid lumping people in to the same category based on supposition, but I've noticed that the majority of BBWAA follow this pattern.  There are a number of very good writers who have the wherewithal and the gumption to tackle this issue in a straighforward, logical manner.  Joe Posnanski and Keith Law are the two most prominent examples that spring to mind.  In fact, it was an answer Klaw gave in his most recent chat that gave me the initiative to write this.)  Cowardice is perhaps too strong a word to use, but the activity of the baseball writing community, dancing in the shadows of the game's giants for favor, too timid to write about the undercurrent of PEDs and synthetic testosterone that so defines this period, is grievous.  Even worse than that are the writings of this ideologically misguided and self-involved association of panderers.

If I could take a minute to speak directly to the BBWAA as if it were a single, rational person:  I get it, I really do.  You're outraged.  You don't understand how someone with a humongous amount of competitive juice and with an unquenchable thirst to be the best baseball player possible would take every advantage of a system that didn't test for something that would make them stronger or faster.  Or for those guys right on the fringe of making a major league club...you don't understand the frenzied desperation of a guy who needs to add 2-4 MPH to his fastball to make it to the show or else be forced to work at the family business.  Here's the thing:  Baseball is a game.  It's a great, wonderful game, and in it's purest form, it's poetry in motion and beautiful to behold.  At the same time, it's played by men, not gods, and so it's never really been played in its purest form.  Men are fundamentally flawed.  Building these men up to be more than what they are, human beings, and then later on decimate these same guys for their flaws is foolhardy at best and unconscionable at worst.

My last point, which I alluded to earlier and promise is my last, is this:  We really don't care.  By we I mean serious baseball fans.  The outrage at the use of PEDs has been ongoing since approximately 2001.  Since that time, MLB has set new attendance records in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and in 2008 the National League shattered the previous league attendance record.  Also in 2008, the Red Sox, Cubs, Tigers, Brewers, Mets, Yankees, and Phillies all set franchise records for attendance ( according to MLB.com).  Additionally, MLB itself has found itself flush with cash, as the launch of its new flagship television station, MLB Network, can attest.  The game is apparently not crippled from the fallout of the steroid era, and if the BBWAA would simply turn down the volume of incessant self-righteous indignation, perhaps this would be a more peaceful transition to a new, less murky era.

I am not a Revolution fan. If they win, fine. If they lose, then whatever. I want them to make the playoffs and advance so I can get more shifts in, and pocket a few extra bucks. But the fate of the Revolution is of very little interest to me. I’m an Arsenal man, and that's more than enough of a team for me.

Most soccer games are laid back, easy events. Unless David Beckham’s in town, we’ll usually get 10,000 to 15,000 fans. Even on the high side, that’s 1/3 the crowd size at BC’s Alumni Stadium. A Pats game boasts almost 5 times as many fans. And most of the Revs fans are kids and families. Coaches bring their youth soccer teams, parents bring their children for birthday parties, and so on.

But there are a few trouble makers. And they’ll let you know how much of a trouble maker they are. The hardcore fans set-up shop in the North End Zone, stand up the entire game, sing and chant, beat drums, wave flags. The trouble makers are embedded there, about 1 out of every 20 of the hardcore fanatics is a troublemaker.

They’re not hooligans. They’re wannabes. They all saw Green Street Hooligans, identified with Elijah Wood’s character, and now they think they’re in a “hooligan firm” like the movie’s Green Street Elite (GSE).

And normally these few and far between troublemakers are fine. Occasionally they’ll do something stupid, like spit on an event staffer, or smuggle in a beer bottle, and they’ll be ejected. But when another group of wannabes comes to Foxborough, there’s potential for trouble.

In 2007, before I started working at the Stadium, a group of fans from New York ran into a group of Revs fans. The 5% troublemaking contingent from each cadre of fanatics found each other, and rolling fights erupted throughout the concourse. So now, whenever the Red Bulls come to town, it’s not a typical soccer game.

Last year, there were no problems. They were kept in the South End Zone, escorted out by us, yelling about Tom Brady being a deadbeat dad the whole time, but there were no incidents. We didn’t have the same good fortune in 2009.

How much are these Red Bulls fans wannabes? They sang their songs with an English accent. They call themselves the ESC (sounds a great deal like GSE, doesn’t it?).

They were given their own parking lot to tailgate in. Apparently, there was some drama before that, as Red Bull the corporation kicked Red Bull fans out of a lot reserved for them, with three Red Bull fans being detained by police (they would be released at the end of the game so they could go home to New York). After a few hours of drinking, they marched to the Stadium, under escort.

Who the hell films themselves walking into a stadium?

They were patted down (three were deemed too drunk to enter the Stadium), and given section 122 to sit in. They could leave that area to go to the bathroom or get food, but Revs fans weren’t allowed in. I was on the response team in charge of the area, and there was no drama whatsoever. One guy had trouble walking up the stairs, but wasn’t fall down drunk, so he was allowed to stay.

After the game, which was won 4-0 by the Revs, we wanted to get the Red Bull fans out ASAP. Their buses were waiting for them outside their gate. Of course, as people tend to do, they took their time. They sang some songs after their team got drubbed, whined and moaned about having to leave, and finally got out of the Stadium. The delay would turn out to be costly.

Why did we want them out quickly? I don’t know the official reason, but perhaps it was to prevent a parking lot run-in between the New York fans, and the Revs fans. Here are where the two groups exited from the Stadium, with the NY fans represented by a red square, and the Revs’ by blue.

I was asked to escort a family of three to the other side of the Stadium, where their car was parked. Essentially, I was to ensure nothing happened to them from one of those troublemakers from the Revolution side of things. And that was uneventful. We talked a little bit about baseball, I made a token joke about only escorting them because the dad had a Mets hat and not a Yankees hat. They thanked me and went on their way. In reality I should have thanked them.

I went out to the gate where the New York fans had exited, and didn’t really know what was going on. Their three buses stood idling as our staff tried to keep New York people from getting off. Three New York fans sat on the sidewalk, their hands behind their backs, in handcuffs. Police scurried about. Our staff were either rubbing their faces or swishing water in their mouth and spitting it out. I had no clue what was going on.

From what I’ve gathered, here are the basic facts. And again, I wasn’t there: The NY fans were getting on their buses. A passing Revolution fan said something. A NY fan struck a Revolution fan (or vice versa). Staff and police tried to apprehend the assaulting NY fan. This caused more NY fans to pour out of the buses. The police on hand, grossly outnumbered, dispensed their pepper spray.

Here’s an account from a Red Bull fan from one of their message boards: (http://www.soccerpubs.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=33711 )

“Yeah so we are walking to our buses in NE and those retards let a bunch of Revs Army supporters walk right by our buses. Words turn to shoving and shoving turns to the police jumping in and spraying multiple RBNY supporters. Some directly some got the over spray such as myself. The situation did not warrant this excessive use of force and a simple and logical use of the brain by the stewards(such as that by our own yellow shirts) would have avoided such a situation. In the 3 supporters were taken away in the paddy wagon and the reputation of Revs fans and Security is permanently tarnished in my eyes.”

Of course, in any altercation, there are typically multiple parties to blame. Certainly the passing Revs fan may have taken liberties with his/her New York counterparts surrounded by security and police. Most definitely, escalating a verbal spat into even light pushing and shoving is asking for trouble. And perhaps security around the buses could have been tighter. Then again, how does one create a barrier that keeps shouts from reaching other people? Maybe security should carry vuvuzelas to drown out shouting.

I wish I’d been there, but I’m glad I didn’t get maced. But reading some of the accounts by Red Bull fans on the internet is indicative of an overwhelmingly self-centered attitude I’ve noticed in people while I’ve had this job. People blame everyone else for everything. And if anything doesn’t go a 100% their way, it’s a terrible affront.

Try to note the reactions people have when they‘re told they can‘t bring food/water/umbrellas into an event. Just note how often the police and our security have been called “Nazi,” “SS,” or “Gestapo.” If I recall my history correctly, the SS didn’t liquidate ghettos with pepper spray, and the Gestapo didn’t let many people go after detaining them.

Just look at the Red Bull fan’s account once more. He blames our security for the Revolution fan. He then blames the Revolution fan for saying WORDS that drew PHYSICAL ASSAULT.

Sometimes, I simply hate people. It’s just a shame that three or four out of 10,000 have to be jerks.

Real hooligans don’t fight in front of security and police. They don’t fight in or near stadiums, they fight elsewhere. And they don’t bitch and moan about pepper spray on message boards.

I can’t wait for New York’s return to Gillette Stadium in 2010. They might not even be allowed to go to concession stands or drink beer. They’ll be segregated from the Revolution fans completely and utterly. In fact, I’ll consider them fortunate if they’re allowed to come back at all.