The dust has settled from the NBA draft and last week we put a spot light on four players. Before the draft we took a look at these young men (and secretly hoped all of them would be Indiana Pacers). Our fantasies did not come true, but why not take a look at the reality of where these young men wound up…
1. Kyrie Irving (Duke) – As most anticipated, Kyrie was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and was widely regarded as the best player in the draft. Personally I am a Bill Simmon’s zombie and will credit him with the following from espn.com: “You know, because any time you can grab a freshman point guard who missed two-thirds of the season when you have $20 million of point guards on your roster, you have to do it.” That may speak to the quality of this year’s draft.
2. Alec Burks (Colorado) – He went number 12 to the Utah Jazz. He went to Colorado, and outside of Denver, it is about as close as you can get. Salt Lake City is amazing, and the Jazz have been nothing but consistent. This may be my favorite pick of the draft by any team because it is projected (in my opinion) to be a low risk/high reward situation.
3. Jimmer Fredette (BYU) – I thought about making naming this article “Jimmer Got Sac’d”. This is not looking like a good deal for Jimmer. He appears, by everything that I have read, to be a Jason Terry-type player who can come off the bench and be instant offense. HOWEVER, he goes to a team who traded for him and essentially put the pressure on him to be an NBA franchise savior. This does not play out well. Ask Harold Miner.
4. Norris Cole (Cleveland State) – The Miami Heat just hit a home run. This is a great pick and I truly believe that Norris Cole is going to be an NBA player for a long time. My second favorite pick of the draft. Congrats, Norris Cole made me hate the Heat less.
In truth, there were few winners in this year’s draft. Not only was the talent pool exceptionally low, but there is a lock-out impending. However, these are four quality young men you can root for, and if anything, we hope all works out for them. Let’s all hope there is no lock out and these stars light it up! Unlikely, but hell, in spite of the circumstances the NBA cashed in on an insanely high viewer rating. Thank you, The Decision!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
ALL SPORTS SALARY SOLUTION: COMMUNISM
Not to mix politics and sports, but I have an idea…and probably not a great one. There are A LOT of problems in professional sports. For examples see: NFL lockout, impending NBA lockout, damning lockout of MLB past, etc. My solution, let’s kick it old school. Like middle school/high school- old school (sorry it fits).
Let’s take the Babe Ruth (the league not the player) scenario and apply it to the MLB. There are 30 MLB teams, and only 30 starting first, second, SS, third, outfield, and catching jobs available. (I am placing pitching in a differing category). Why not take the average salary of each starting position and make it the league definite? So every starting player at each position makes the same amount of money. Every player signs a 3 year contract. Albert Pujos, Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Joey Votto, and company all make the same money; and their back ups are all paid at an equal back-up rate. The top five pitchers are paid according to their position spot (potentially per game as the season progresses), as well as relievers and closers.
The one exception that would be allowed is each team is allowed to give 4 players a franchise bonus per year. Taking a random team as an example, the Cubs may want to offer their franchise bonuses to Fukudome, Ramierez, Garza, and Dempster. Other teams may try to lure Soto away by offering him a bonus, and things get interesting. The financial game becomes much more strategic rather than who can offer the most to these over-paid arrogant…
The thing about this is it can be translated to other sports. In this model, with the lines drawn clearly in the sand there are no arguments over why this guy is so over-paid and why this rookie is the highest paid on the team without playing a down. At the same time it will never happen. The player’s associations will not agree to it. In a way, it is a shame because the only things that are certain in life are death and taxes, and the only things that are certain in professional sports are overpaid athletes and eventual lockouts.
Let’s take the Babe Ruth (the league not the player) scenario and apply it to the MLB. There are 30 MLB teams, and only 30 starting first, second, SS, third, outfield, and catching jobs available. (I am placing pitching in a differing category). Why not take the average salary of each starting position and make it the league definite? So every starting player at each position makes the same amount of money. Every player signs a 3 year contract. Albert Pujos, Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Joey Votto, and company all make the same money; and their back ups are all paid at an equal back-up rate. The top five pitchers are paid according to their position spot (potentially per game as the season progresses), as well as relievers and closers.
The one exception that would be allowed is each team is allowed to give 4 players a franchise bonus per year. Taking a random team as an example, the Cubs may want to offer their franchise bonuses to Fukudome, Ramierez, Garza, and Dempster. Other teams may try to lure Soto away by offering him a bonus, and things get interesting. The financial game becomes much more strategic rather than who can offer the most to these over-paid arrogant…
The thing about this is it can be translated to other sports. In this model, with the lines drawn clearly in the sand there are no arguments over why this guy is so over-paid and why this rookie is the highest paid on the team without playing a down. At the same time it will never happen. The player’s associations will not agree to it. In a way, it is a shame because the only things that are certain in life are death and taxes, and the only things that are certain in professional sports are overpaid athletes and eventual lockouts.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
FOUR PLAYERS IN THE NBA DRAFT TO WATCH
The NBA Draft is tonight. Normally, a giant “who cares” would follow the preceding statement. However, this year is interesting. Don’t get me wrong, there are no expectations of a LBJ, DWade, Carmelo, Bosh 2003 draft. With a potential for a lockout, and essentially unknown talent coming in the draft, who knows what is going to happen or where these players are going to go. With that, here are four players you want on your team (in no order although they are numbered)...
1. Kyrie Irving (Duke) – He is a 6’ 3” PG from Duke who played with seemingly an understanding of the game of someone much older than his actual age. However, there is a big question mark in the limited sample size we have from his talents. He was injured and missed a good portion of the season, including crunch time games. How much do we know about him other than he is a great athlete with good insights? Regardless, that is a good plate of putty to mold into an established NBA point guard.
2. Alec Burks (Colorado) – Colorado pulled out more than one upset win this year and Alec Burks is a big reason. Although many think they were served an injustice by being left out of the Big Dance, they should still can consider the 2010-2011 campaign a success. The dude can flat out play and the 6’ 6” sophomore can play either point or shooting guard. While he may not be a franchise player, he may be able to be a key addition especially in the next 2-3 years.
3. Jimmer Fredette (BYU) – In my opinion, the greatest unknown of the draft because of his unorthodox playing style. He kind of reminds me of Adam Morrison (from what I’ve seen), and we have witnessed the struggles Morrison experienced in the league. However, there is something about a guy who loves to hit difficult shots, and knows how to win. In The League, that can be a great asset. I say give Jimmer a chance.
4. Norris Cole (Cleveland State) – Following Butler all year, and living in Cleveland last year, I was able to see a few Norris Cole games. I’m not sure what all the scouts say, but I am predicting the greatest steal of the draft being Norris Cole because he is projected to go so late…and he is a great talent. There is something to be said for a player who can carry his team on his back, and Norris Cole has that skill.
So there you go, as a fan of any team if any of those are on the board, you can safely root for your team to take them. We will meet again tomorrow to look at how these four official Outside the Inside of Sports picks fit into their teams. Until then, happy drafting!
1. Kyrie Irving (Duke) – He is a 6’ 3” PG from Duke who played with seemingly an understanding of the game of someone much older than his actual age. However, there is a big question mark in the limited sample size we have from his talents. He was injured and missed a good portion of the season, including crunch time games. How much do we know about him other than he is a great athlete with good insights? Regardless, that is a good plate of putty to mold into an established NBA point guard.
2. Alec Burks (Colorado) – Colorado pulled out more than one upset win this year and Alec Burks is a big reason. Although many think they were served an injustice by being left out of the Big Dance, they should still can consider the 2010-2011 campaign a success. The dude can flat out play and the 6’ 6” sophomore can play either point or shooting guard. While he may not be a franchise player, he may be able to be a key addition especially in the next 2-3 years.
3. Jimmer Fredette (BYU) – In my opinion, the greatest unknown of the draft because of his unorthodox playing style. He kind of reminds me of Adam Morrison (from what I’ve seen), and we have witnessed the struggles Morrison experienced in the league. However, there is something about a guy who loves to hit difficult shots, and knows how to win. In The League, that can be a great asset. I say give Jimmer a chance.
4. Norris Cole (Cleveland State) – Following Butler all year, and living in Cleveland last year, I was able to see a few Norris Cole games. I’m not sure what all the scouts say, but I am predicting the greatest steal of the draft being Norris Cole because he is projected to go so late…and he is a great talent. There is something to be said for a player who can carry his team on his back, and Norris Cole has that skill.
So there you go, as a fan of any team if any of those are on the board, you can safely root for your team to take them. We will meet again tomorrow to look at how these four official Outside the Inside of Sports picks fit into their teams. Until then, happy drafting!
WE WANT YOUR BRAIN!
The purpose of Outside the Inside of Sports is to try to capture the creativity of those who are not sport’s “insiders”. Not many of us get to interview Kobe, LeBron, Tiger, or AROD after a game. However, does that make our voices less valued? Unless they are caught in a weak moment, they are only going to give scripted answers anyway. And, in order for the press to stand in good order with the high profile athletes, it is in their benefit to portray them in the brightest light possible (which isn’t a bad thing…this is not TMZ part 2).
The mission of this website is for fans to express their opinion in an intelligent, thought provoking, well-read sense. “Jeter sucks because he is from New York”, “F*the Lakers”, and “(name your superstar)is a bum” will not cut it here. However, talent is talent and this is your platform and we want to see it. Write an article on anything sports related, and we will read and (potentially) edit it (and then send it back for approval). The goal is to take those who have creative/artistic potential and give them a platform to express themselves. So don’t be bashful. Submit articles, opinions, and questions to outsidetheinsideofsports@gmail.com. We cannot wait to hear from you!
The mission of this website is for fans to express their opinion in an intelligent, thought provoking, well-read sense. “Jeter sucks because he is from New York”, “F*the Lakers”, and “(name your superstar)is a bum” will not cut it here. However, talent is talent and this is your platform and we want to see it. Write an article on anything sports related, and we will read and (potentially) edit it (and then send it back for approval). The goal is to take those who have creative/artistic potential and give them a platform to express themselves. So don’t be bashful. Submit articles, opinions, and questions to outsidetheinsideofsports@gmail.com. We cannot wait to hear from you!
Monday, June 20, 2011
OVERLY CRITICAL FAN EVALUATES 3RD BASEMAN’S BATTING APPROACH
There is no other feeling like being at a baseball stadium, and I have no idea what it would be like to take bat in front of a stadium full of fans who either love or hate you. I do know, however, how cool it is to watch it all go down. And with that, a note of complete light-hearted, over-criticism…
When Scott Rolen joined the Reds in 2009, I attended a game and he was greeted at the batter’s box by Limp Bizkit’s “rollin’, rollin’, rollin’” and it was fantastic. Not only is it a great play on words, you got the sense in watching him that it may have been one of the first few times he had even heard the song. In what I would deem a controversial move, his intro song has been changed to Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” Is there anything more depressing than a player in the twilight of his career approaching the plate to the lyrics of “that is when I ruled the world?” I’m not sure that remembering the best days are behind him is the greatest motivator in the world, but maybe the dude just digs Coldplay.
Side note: at a 2011 game, Rolen made a play at third and threw a laser to get the guy at first and they played “rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ – RAWHIDE”…that was good.
POST SCRIPT: I posted this and then later in the evening listened to the Reds/ Yankees game on the radio while doing various chores. For the readers who may not have had the pleasure, Marty Brennaman is a legend in sports broadcasting and does the majority of the calls for the Red’s game. During the broadcast there is a segment called “Ask Marty” where a fan will email in a question (baseball related or not) and the Hall of Fame Broadcaster will answer it. The question for June 20th: “Two parts, 1. Do players get to pick the music they walk up to the batter’s box to before an at-bat? 2. What song would you pick?”
Marty’s answer, without hesitation…”Tiptoe Through the Tulips”. First of all, imagine anyone walking up to bat with that song – it is hilarious. Secondly, I recognized the song, but didn’t realize anything of its origin or that (at least one of) the artist was on Johnny Carson (see it at: http://youtu.be/sOjso0rPncc). At any rate, the timing was perfect comedically on the delivery and was just a flat out funny answer.
When Scott Rolen joined the Reds in 2009, I attended a game and he was greeted at the batter’s box by Limp Bizkit’s “rollin’, rollin’, rollin’” and it was fantastic. Not only is it a great play on words, you got the sense in watching him that it may have been one of the first few times he had even heard the song. In what I would deem a controversial move, his intro song has been changed to Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” Is there anything more depressing than a player in the twilight of his career approaching the plate to the lyrics of “that is when I ruled the world?” I’m not sure that remembering the best days are behind him is the greatest motivator in the world, but maybe the dude just digs Coldplay.
Side note: at a 2011 game, Rolen made a play at third and threw a laser to get the guy at first and they played “rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ – RAWHIDE”…that was good.
POST SCRIPT: I posted this and then later in the evening listened to the Reds/ Yankees game on the radio while doing various chores. For the readers who may not have had the pleasure, Marty Brennaman is a legend in sports broadcasting and does the majority of the calls for the Red’s game. During the broadcast there is a segment called “Ask Marty” where a fan will email in a question (baseball related or not) and the Hall of Fame Broadcaster will answer it. The question for June 20th: “Two parts, 1. Do players get to pick the music they walk up to the batter’s box to before an at-bat? 2. What song would you pick?”
Marty’s answer, without hesitation…”Tiptoe Through the Tulips”. First of all, imagine anyone walking up to bat with that song – it is hilarious. Secondly, I recognized the song, but didn’t realize anything of its origin or that (at least one of) the artist was on Johnny Carson (see it at: http://youtu.be/sOjso0rPncc). At any rate, the timing was perfect comedically on the delivery and was just a flat out funny answer.
TORONTO FANS ARE AWESOME
Saturday, June 18th I took my girlfriend (and after the game fiancé…thank you) to the Reds/ Blue Jays game. I have a few observations on the evening. First of all, scalping is awesome. We paid $25 per seat to sit 17 rows from 3rd base. Secondly, Blue Jays fans are awesome and travel incredibly well. And third, the Reds don’t seem to really care at this point.
I was really surprised to see as many Blue Jays fans at the game as what I did. There were several in our section, including one wearing a Canadian flag one in a Nacho Libre-style wrestling mask, and they all stood up and begged for a souvenir each time the Blue Jays retreated to their dug out after a defensive inning. I have always heard that the nicest people in this country come from the Midwest and Canadians are famously polite. So what happens when you have a group of Canadians at an Ohio sporting event? Pure awesomeness. I had a running conversation with a group of 4 guys from Toronto throughout the night about Joey Votto, the NL vs AL rules, Corey Patterson, the best parks in baseball, Molson vs. Labatts, and so on. We each rooted for our teams, talked a little smack on the other and shook hands at the end of the game. I honestly wished our kids were at the game to see how to be an honest sports fan. And then, the post game happened…
After the game, the girlfriend (at the time) and I went downtown for some drinks and an appetizer. We sat outside by a fountain and spotted the Blue Jays closer Jon Rauch walking into the restaurant. Not being a huge BJ fan (strike that) Blue Jay fan, I decided against asking for an autograph, but will tell you the dude is huge. We sat next to a group of younger Reds fans (early 20’s) who had plenty to drink for the night. Out of nowhere, the exact group that sat behind us from Toronto from the game came into the restaurant. Unfortunately, the drunk 20 year olds spotted them and heckeled them to the point where I actually told them “guys, those people are actually really cool and came here from Canada to watch some baseball. They had a really good time tonight and have been really impressed with the city of Cincinnati, give them a break”. That was not well received and they continued to heckle to the point that the manager asked them to leave. That being said, I was terribly disappointed because I truly felt like we had reached a new level in sports fandom. Isn’t it sad when someone is hurt for wearing the opposing teams jersey to a game? Isn’t it sad that you can’t go to a city where your team is visiting and grab a burger and a beer post-game. It is absolutely barbaric and that is why I am “outside the inside of sports” because as much as I love sports…they are just games.
Anyway, as far as the game goes, it was disappointing. The Reds had a great 2010…and they seem to be pleased with making the playoffs last year and then looking like a deer in headlights in the post season. The highlights of the game: Chris Heisey played well in left field, Edinson Volquez pitched well (but got a lot of criticism from the local media), and the stadium did have a bit of a buzz even if it didn’t come until the eighth inning and I thought we had a legitimate shot at a comeback. The downside: outside of Heisey and Volquez nobody really seemed to care to play baseball on Saturday June 18th, an American League team came into a National League stadium and put on a 3 game clinic in how to play small ball (embarrassing), and the less than 10% crowd of Blue Jay fans showed more enthusiasm than any Red fan or player in the park.
On a parting personal note I will add the following. I did ask my girlfriend to marry me following the game. It did not go according to plan, it was awkward, and spectacular all at the same time. Cincinnati always has had a special place in our relationship because of the Reds. After passing my boards for my medical profession she told me to block out a certain weekend and she was kidnapping me. She took me to a Reds game, we fell in love, and I knew that was where I was going to propose. You will get to know her as I have asked her to write 1 entry every 2 weeks to capture the true spirit of “Outside the Inside of Sports”. However, I wanted to share the story because as much disappointment I felt from the society of sports at the restaurant while the Reds fans were badgering the Blue Jay fans, I felt a proportionate amount of joy in the realization that one of the most important events of my life is connected to the culture of sports.
I was really surprised to see as many Blue Jays fans at the game as what I did. There were several in our section, including one wearing a Canadian flag one in a Nacho Libre-style wrestling mask, and they all stood up and begged for a souvenir each time the Blue Jays retreated to their dug out after a defensive inning. I have always heard that the nicest people in this country come from the Midwest and Canadians are famously polite. So what happens when you have a group of Canadians at an Ohio sporting event? Pure awesomeness. I had a running conversation with a group of 4 guys from Toronto throughout the night about Joey Votto, the NL vs AL rules, Corey Patterson, the best parks in baseball, Molson vs. Labatts, and so on. We each rooted for our teams, talked a little smack on the other and shook hands at the end of the game. I honestly wished our kids were at the game to see how to be an honest sports fan. And then, the post game happened…
After the game, the girlfriend (at the time) and I went downtown for some drinks and an appetizer. We sat outside by a fountain and spotted the Blue Jays closer Jon Rauch walking into the restaurant. Not being a huge BJ fan (strike that) Blue Jay fan, I decided against asking for an autograph, but will tell you the dude is huge. We sat next to a group of younger Reds fans (early 20’s) who had plenty to drink for the night. Out of nowhere, the exact group that sat behind us from Toronto from the game came into the restaurant. Unfortunately, the drunk 20 year olds spotted them and heckeled them to the point where I actually told them “guys, those people are actually really cool and came here from Canada to watch some baseball. They had a really good time tonight and have been really impressed with the city of Cincinnati, give them a break”. That was not well received and they continued to heckle to the point that the manager asked them to leave. That being said, I was terribly disappointed because I truly felt like we had reached a new level in sports fandom. Isn’t it sad when someone is hurt for wearing the opposing teams jersey to a game? Isn’t it sad that you can’t go to a city where your team is visiting and grab a burger and a beer post-game. It is absolutely barbaric and that is why I am “outside the inside of sports” because as much as I love sports…they are just games.
Anyway, as far as the game goes, it was disappointing. The Reds had a great 2010…and they seem to be pleased with making the playoffs last year and then looking like a deer in headlights in the post season. The highlights of the game: Chris Heisey played well in left field, Edinson Volquez pitched well (but got a lot of criticism from the local media), and the stadium did have a bit of a buzz even if it didn’t come until the eighth inning and I thought we had a legitimate shot at a comeback. The downside: outside of Heisey and Volquez nobody really seemed to care to play baseball on Saturday June 18th, an American League team came into a National League stadium and put on a 3 game clinic in how to play small ball (embarrassing), and the less than 10% crowd of Blue Jay fans showed more enthusiasm than any Red fan or player in the park.
On a parting personal note I will add the following. I did ask my girlfriend to marry me following the game. It did not go according to plan, it was awkward, and spectacular all at the same time. Cincinnati always has had a special place in our relationship because of the Reds. After passing my boards for my medical profession she told me to block out a certain weekend and she was kidnapping me. She took me to a Reds game, we fell in love, and I knew that was where I was going to propose. You will get to know her as I have asked her to write 1 entry every 2 weeks to capture the true spirit of “Outside the Inside of Sports”. However, I wanted to share the story because as much disappointment I felt from the society of sports at the restaurant while the Reds fans were badgering the Blue Jay fans, I felt a proportionate amount of joy in the realization that one of the most important events of my life is connected to the culture of sports.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
REDS CORNER
This is a portion of the blog dedicated to my favorite MLB team the Reds. I try to be unbiased in every other section of the website, other than this…
This is an exciting year for the Reds, if they pull their shit together. They have the talent, but lately seem to be missing the drive from last year. The 2010 Reds bragged about “1st to 3rd” in the All-Star game and seemed to play with a “swagger” (my new favorite hip-hop sports-themed phrase that I actually use in any possible scenario. “I just cooked a bad ass chicken Florentine, try not to deep throat the swagger).
The pitching has been fantastic, and early on the Reds seemed to be fighting for close games. On Sunday night, I saw something different. Those hungry bunch of kids who would pride themselves on “1st to 3rd” didn’t even sprint to 1st in the 9th inning. If I were to call someone out, and I will Edgar Renteria, I would state the obvious in that offensive production is unacceptable and defensively the SS position has too many errors. To some degree, I unintentionally called it. My friend Marconi lives in Cleveland and upon hearing the news I called and said…I will trade you a case of Labatts and in return the Reds get Orlando Cabrerra. It made sense because he may have accidentally confused Orlando with Estrubal Carberra. He did not accept, and the Tribe were off to the best record in baseball.
It is too late to get him back, but the Reds demonstrate glaring errors in two positions. Left field and short stop due to lack of offensive production. Speculation has explored Miguel Tejadaand/or minor leaguers to fill the SS void. As far as left field, Chris Hiesey (in my opinion) deserves more of a chance.
BOOKS TO READ THAT ARE GOOD AND YOU WILL LIKE
The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst
This was an at random Kindle pick for me, and it paid off. I suspended all other readings until I had finished this book. I know this is going to sound super clichéd, but It had a feel of Bull Durham to it. It was funny, honest, and in the end emotional. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to baseball fans or any male ages 22-35.
The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons
I do not hate on ESPN like many people outside of the network do. I like their personalities and programs. The only thing I do not like has more to do with the sports climate than the network (and I am in support of the public creating the climate and the big networks capturing it). At any rate, yes this is an ESPN book and it is amazing. Bill Simmons creates comparisons of players, teams, eras and even pop culture fixtures. Although I am not a Kobe fan, probably my favorite piece in this book is the comparison between Kobe and Teen Wolf…it makes sense when he explains it, read it.
DALLAS MANAGES TO WIN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP WITHOUT PRE-SEASON FIREWORK SHOW
I want to write about how this is a great day for Dirk, The Jet, and J Kidd, but that’s not the story I see. What the Dallas Mavericks did was unthinkable. They were a group of rotating has-beens with one superstar and one super sixth man. They were a group who were lead by a tactician who understood his player’s talents, and his opponent’s weaknesses. MVP: Rick Carlisle.
Coach Carlisle showed the biggest cahunas of any coach I have ever seen. He sat Pagia, a player who he has been associated with since his days at Indiana (and he is welcome back any time…Thanks, Ron). He played an unorthodox zone defense routinely. He even switched point guards in the Finals. Could you imagine if the Yankees made the Series this year and in game 3 Joe Girardi asks Jeter to sit because this new major leaguer who was called up in August is hitting better against lefties than he is? That is the greatness of Carlisle. He not only was able to play the strongest line up at any given time, he did it with no backlash. He managed players as well as recognizing strategic advantages. Post-NBA, he has whatever business ventures waiting for him. And he will knock them out of the park. Side note: he played on the ’86 Celtics, he may have learned a thing or two from Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ, Ainge, Walton.
The full story cannot be told without mentioning “The Decision”, D Wade, Bosh, or Spolstra. Talk about a guy who puts pressure on himself. LBJ chose 23 in Cleveland, had “The Chosen One” to tattoo on his back, and then decided to “take his talents to South Beach” where he promised “not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six…” in terms of a dynasty. Not only did he put the pressure on himself, but brought that to his team mates-before even taking to the practice floor. D Wade and Bosh played as well as LBJ and Spolstra allowed, but it wasn’t enough.
In the end, it the deciding factor was coaching. Carlisle was able to maximize his players and coaches talents, and Splostra was able to look arrogant and surprised when his team didn’t win. I guess I would be surprised to, if I had 2 of the best 5 players in the league and 3 of the best 10 and still lost to a team of over-aged scrappers with one superstar. I would also guess my next move would be to learn how to polish Pat Riley’s rings in an attempt to stay on payroll.
MLB CALLING FOR A CHIROPRACTOR
Well, maybe not a chiropractor, but they are contemplating a re-alignment. By now, most readers have likely caught wind of the up-for-debate topic of re-alignment in the MLB. For those who may not have, let me give a brief recap. The NL has 16 teams (2 divisions with 5 teams, 1 with 6) and the AL has 14 teams (2 divisions with 5 teams, 1 with 4). Suddenly the smartest people in the sport realize that 16 = 14 is somewhat in proportionate and they consider a new concept called “re-alignment”.
Upon hearing this story, I thought to myself “how the hell did we just realize this?”
Anyway, there seem to be two ideas in general that have come from discussions on re-alignment. The first, take the Houston Astros from the NL Central and put them in the AL West. This creates a “natural rivalry” with the Texas Rangers, takes a team from a division of 6, places them in a division of 4 and evens out all of baseball. Two leagues have 15 teams, all divisions have 5 teams.
Let’s play “what if”. If the aforementioned happens, there is a sort of potential scheduling complication. We have an odd number of teams in each league, which means on any given night, one team in each league will not have a divisional opponent. So the somewhat obvious solution: if the Chicago Cubs (NL) and Toronto Blue Jays (AL) have no league opponent to play on a given 3 day stretch (due to other teams being locked into another series), why not play each other? That is ok, if you are willing to support interleague play every night for one team in each division.
The second thought “Why don’t we have the best 5 teams in each league in the playoffs” Good question, hypothetical and potentially hallucinated voice in my head put into print. It sounds like you are hinting at splitting MLB into two equal leagues (15 and 15 or 14 and 14) and forgetting about the divisions within the leagues, then taking the best 5 records and they are in the playoffs. This is not the first time this would be done in the MLB (see 1969). However, we kind of have this in the NBA…and personally, I don’t really like it. As a Reds fan, I love the Reds/Cards rivalry because the value is that much higher than a Reds/Rockies series. On the same token, Yanks/Soxs (everyone’s favorite/least favorite two teams) would be equally diminished. In baseball, some games just mean more. It’s true, honestly and statistically. I say we hold on to that. Besides, finding a storyline for 162 games a year in a world without extra valued games would be brutal as a viewer. “These two teams used to be in the same division and would not even shake hands when on the same all-star team. Now, they square off again. Let’s see if the same intensity resonates”. Set the DVR, I want to watch the last 2 innings.
Another consideration: “I don’t like interleague play, and the league is too diluted” Solution: get rid of a team from each league (I’m not naming names) and move the Astros. Now we have 14 and 14 and interleague play resumes as normal. This could work, except it would be difficult to cut two teams and two markets from a financial perspective just to better the game from a quality standpoint, at least I would think. The game may be better off, but money is money and I think the suits like their gold-plated toilets.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens, but the most likely scenario is Houston to the AL and everything else stays the same, with some considerations for scheduling (likely an expansion of interleague play). As a fan of the NL and more specifically the NL Central I think it is a way of having the most difficult division in baseball served some justice. (Seriously, no DH and you compete with 6 teams. Great year last year Rangers, you had to hold off 3 teams with a DH to win the division. Try holding off 5 with your pitcher hitting every game!)
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