Scherzer

Ugh. Scherzer. Shut up. The American League instituted the DH in 1973. Since then the count by league has the American League slightly ahead (22) in World Series Championships than the NL (20) since. So lets call it a coin flip. So to say the DH is a huge advantage for American league teams is bs. Yes they get to hold onto aging sluggers but they also have to handicap themselves to huge contracts to bring said sluggers to their team (howd that work out for the angels and josh hamilton?). So yes, the giants would have no shot to bring a player of his caliber to their team, but here in lays my point on why the DH in effect is detrimental to a team, and basically the count being so close is semi- proof to my point.

A team in the NL essentially is built around 2 elite starting pitchers, and 1 slugger in the middle of the lineup and those players are surrounded by key role players and elite relief/speciality pitchers. So lets take the Giants model. Slugger:Posey. Pitchers: Cain/Lincecum, Bumgarner/???. So instead of having a second elite pitcher they have another slugger (Pence) and a very good bullpen (Affeldt, Lopez, Petite, Romo, Casilla, Etc). So the money that would've gone to overpay for a DH can now go to higher than average role players (Pagan) and a very good bullpen when managed well (Bochey, Righetti) can beat any AL team blasted with big name sluggers but can't lay down a bunt when there's a runner on 2nd and no outs to get him to third (small ball).

Getting back to my original thesis. The thing that makes baseball so much different than many other professional leagues is that the different leagues involved are themselves different. So as the AFC/NFC and East/West are different leagues there is no difference in terms of actual play (talent and geography non withstanding) that makes playing in one different. So yes, a big bulky overpaid aging veteran that a team will eventually be handicapped with during the last few years of their contract i'd rather watch a team play small ball and not just wait for the lineup to turnover. Did you choose to come to the NL? Yep.

one and done

I’ve always had an issue about the NBA instituting a rule that a player must wait at least one year before declaring themselves for the NBA  draft is ridiculous. First off, it’s not a safety issue.   Players like Kobe, Lebron, KG among plenty of others have shown that their bodies are NBA ready out of high school. Unlike football which is a minimum of 3 years, which is entirely righteous because there is not a single graduating high school football star that would be able to last more than a drive in the NFL, kickers don’t count.  So is a monetary situation for the players?  Again, there are plenty of players that went from high school to the nba and have done very well and have been very responsible with their fortunes.  Also, there are those who haven’t both that attended college, even graduated, and those that have jumped from high school to the nba. So that’s not it.  The only…only plausible thing that makes sense is that the majority of owners, especially in smaller markets, got burned so badly because the hype around those players were so great but the level of competition was slim, so the teams drafted them, got burned and the franchises were set back. Ok, that makes sense somewhat but drafting isn’t a determined science. There’s no formula.   If it were, every team would be good, every team would have a short rebuilding process. So to the point that kind of makes sense I have several counters to that argument. One, the players that were hyped coming out of high school, are the same ones that are hyped once they play one year of college. Nothing really changes. For every Dejuan Wagner, there’s a Demarcus Cousins. What did they gain by attending the one year in college? Both top 10 players coming out of high school, both top 10 draft picks, 1 is an nba star the other was out of the league in 3 years. Also the hardest part to fathom about this whole thing is why CAN’T the players try to improve their financial status? If they have a unique skill that they can benefit from, shoot do it.  What if I was given the opportunity to have a great job right out of high school, should I be forced to attend at least one year of college before taking it…no. so why should they….

Baseball's End Times

The sharp *snap* of bubble gum punctuates the Iron Maiden song blasting over Yankee Stadium's PA system. The player jaws it back into his mouth, head bowed as he hefts a bat onto his shoulder and makes his way to the plate, morphing from bystander to batter, from ignored to booed. This is the life of Alex Rodriguez in 2015, playing for a team, a fanbase, and a league that seem largely just to want him to go away.

One issue of contention, of course, is the set of milestones (and bonus payouts, let's not forget) he could reach this year despite his declining performance, the pall of steroid suspicions, and overall disdain lofted in his general direction. He's fast approaching 3000 hits, and 660 home runs, among other marks.

I've crunched the numbers using his age-36 season's 18 homers in 122 games as a baseline, trying to factor in his age and the year off, the usual gradual decline in power we see for players his age, playing time limited by a few minor injuries and the Yankees messing with him, and his association with the Devil. My projection system expects a season total of 12 home runs, not because he doesn't retain decent power or because it sees him missing major time for injury, but because with 12 dingers hell [sic] reach 666 for his career, a total that will initiate the Apocalypse.

There were signs. A-Rod was good at 19, a Revelation at age 20, and quickly became one of the best--if not the beast--players in the game. He set records, won awards, made Scott Boras richer, dated Madonna. But here's the secret: his true performance enhancer was not a drug, not stanozolol or HGH or nandrolone. You see, Alex Rodriguez is really a centaur, half man and half horse, half amazing and half ass. His decline has been precipitous in part because, yes, he's unhealthy and his hips are arthritic, but moreover, he's got four of them. What once created hip rotation that gave his swing unparalleled power now haunts him. Japanese World War II propaganda knew it, and the Puritans at Salem knew it, even if we've since forgotten: humans consorting with or indistinguishable from beasts are really demons, Satan's minions in our world. They're preparing the way.

Also, I know I'm on to something because my Starbucks receipt this morning shows a total of $6.66, for a grande latte and a mediocre cheese danish. So it's coming; put on the damn helmet. Don't say you haven't been warned.

10-year olds and basketball

So I've been slacking, and haven't posted lately except to respond to Brennan. Partly that's because as far as I'm concerned, we're in a bit of a lull. Baseball and football are in their off-seasons and I just find their efforts (football more than baseball) to pretend that all the off-season garbage is spectacular off-putting. I may pay attention to the NBA playoffs, but until then, meh. I like the first few rounds of March Madness, when there are tons of games on simultaneously and I can just immerse myself, but I was way too busy to sit and watch this year. And is it hockey season?

Anyway, I also haven't posted lately because I've been a bit busy. Some of the weekends have been devoted to my kids' sports, a first for me. Both girls played basketball, though the younger (age 7) was mostly doing drills and practice. The older one (10), however, practiced with her team and then played a season. She hadn't played basketball before, and I didn't realize she had any interest at all until she asked to get signed up. She accidentally landed on a good team--only two of the girls had played before, but they were both pretty good (both can dribble and shoot); they had a first-time coach; and the rest of the girls learned and got better. Somehow, they ended up in the championship game--I'm not sure my daughter even realized what that actually meant, just that she got to play another game. They played a team that had been playing together for 4 years, and they were GOOD. Our team lost, but it was close, and nobody seemed too distressed by the outcome, which was just about perfect. Anyway, a few observations.

-Parents can be horrible. That's a shock to no one. But trying to coach your kid from the bleachers, and reducing her to tears? Jeez.
-Some coaches can make all the difference. Ours was great, and at the party at the end of the season, somehow didn't mention winning or losing a single time that I heard. And I have to point out, that's not because she was clueless--she talked about picks, and traps, and she coached 'em up.
-It's a big deal when these girls make their first shot in a game. I'm pretty sure every girl knows which game she made her first shot in. And we managed to get some baskets on film--video and photo. Great action shots, which are a blast.
-Also, it's funny to watch reactions during games. A shot goes in, and players celebrate--but oh yeah, there's still a game going on. I love it.
-Referees are...interesting. Some of these refs are clearly just making some money in between more serious work--they hammer on the whistle, call every damn thing, and yell back at coaches. Chill, dude. On the other hand, the most impressive refs call things closely enough, AND explain to the girls just what it is that they're calling.
-I do actually like watching basketball when I don't have to deal with constant commercials. It would be better if parents couldn't talk--just make it a blanket rule that parents can clap but make no other noise.

Now we apparently need to get a basket so we can play at home this summer. Good stuff.

Fantasy Baseball

Jason, ye asked and ye shall receive!  I just wanted to let all three people, including me, who read this blog know that my fantasy baseball team is names "Kingman-esque."  The funny part is that my team lacks power pretty severely.  They also can't hit for average, so I guess the name is half appropriate!  The funniest thing is that "Why Not Kingman" was in the running for the name of this blog!  I love it.  Nobody else but Jason will get it.  Oh well.

Athletes I Dislike

Here's my list.  And hopefully my return to actually writing here!

1)  Rick Fox - I hate his face.  Literally.  It's almost visceral.  Ask Jason.  I'm a huge Lakers fan, and I hated Rick Fox.  I can't pinpoint why, so I probably shouldn't hate him, but I do.

2)  DeSean Jackson - The only former Cal athlete Michael Silver won't say nice things about.... Enough said.

3)  Marshawn Lynch - Has everybody forgotten the gun charges a few years back in LA?  Of course they have.  He's the lovable idiot who refuses to talk to the media.  Well, he is an idiot for sure.  Geez.  That's two Cal guys.  I'm turning on my own!

4)  Donovan McNabb - Overrated.  And an attention whore to boot.  All he does is bitch an moan.  This is coming from a guy who loved Syracuse before going to Cal for school.  I loved McNabb... Until he opened his mouth.  Does anybody else remember when he claimed he "bulked up" for the season, but he was really just fat?  The guy was out of shape like Shaquille O'Neal for half his career.  Maybe that was the reason for the injury problems.  Wasted talent...

5)  Mike Bibby - He's not albino, but he's albino, right?  Guy just creeps me out.  He was like a ghost (yeah, I went there) who haunted me every time the Kings played the Lakers.  Okay, I'm going to be honest.  I hated the guy because he was legit and killed the Lakers.

6)  Devean George - Jason can attest to me screaming "Don't let George touch the f-ing ball!"  He was terrible.  Hated that guy.

7)  Eli Manning - Daddy got you out of San Diego.  Congratulations.  Need your pacifier?

Okay, that's all I've got.  I don't really actually hate any of these guys, but this was a fun exercise in irrational visceral responses to nonsense.  Okay, maybe I kinda still hate 1 and 2, but that's it.