Late Saturday Night

It's Saturday night and I have a few things on my mind. First up - the Mets.

I have yet to read any blogs, but I have to think that most Mets fans are killing management for not making any deals. I am not of the same opinion. Actually, I am perfectly fine with them staying put. Listen, this team is not going anywhere. I think they will end with a winning record, but they are not going to the playoffs. We have all been down this path before and we know how it has worked. Mike Bordick, Matt Lawton, Kris Benson, Victor Zambrano, Roberto Hernandez, Ollie Perez. If you are going to be a buyer at the deadline, you need to make sure your team is an actual contender and not a pretender. This team simply isn't that.

Of course, if there was a trade out there that could have helped the long term stability of the franchise (like dumping Castillo and Ollie for some prospects), then I would be all for it. However, all the guys the Mets were mildly interested in (Scott Downs, Chad Qualls, Ted Lilly, Brett Myers) would have come at the price of one of their top prospects. I am not ok with the idea of losing Ike Davis, Jonathan Niese, Jennry Mejia or Josh Thole for a backend starter or a late game reliever. It's just not worth it. Not with the building blocks we have in place.

If you take a step back and think about it, you see that we are in a good position long term with Wright, Reyes, Davis, Pelfrey, Pagan, Thole, Tejada, Niese, Mejia. Then we have veterans like Beltran, Bay, Santana. We just need a few extra pieces in the offseason. So let's wait and build around what we have.



Now on to the Sounders-
Great road win tonight in which we saw the debut of our newest DP Alvaro Fernandez. While I still want to see more before making a definitive decision, I did see some very positive things. I'm not sure where he will be in the pecking order, but suddenly we have some really great options on the wing.

I thought their passing looked really really good tonight. Alonso and Sturigs really controlled the middle of the pitch and Nkufo and Montero are really combining well with Nyassi and Zakuani. I'm not sure how many games they can win the rest of the way, but I think they are going to be fun to watch.

Next up is their trip to El salvador for the return leg of the CONCACAF Champions League series on Tuesday night. I assume that Sigi will trot out Scott, Graham, Wahl, Marshall, Montano, Seamon, Jaqua, Levesque on Tuesday night, but don't know who the final 2 guys will be when they face Metapan. None of the above played more than 30 minutes tonight so they should be pretty fresh. There depth is pretty impressive right now, but any injuries will be tough to overcome. They need to come home from San Salvador healthy.

Finally,a few words on Freddie Ljungberg. I would be lying if I said that our relationship wasn't rocky. Some weeks I thought were playing some quality soccer. Other weeks I thought you just weren't fitting in (see: stealing ball from Montero and vice versa). There always seemed to be things I wish you could do better: keeping your cool, taking free kicks, shooting on target, not trying to beat every defender 1on1. Whether that was fair is up for debate, but I think that comes with the territory.

With all the being said, I believe that your time in Seattle was a positive one. Your signing signaled to me that the front office was willing to spend money on quality players and that they were serious in their attempt to be a world class team. You also fit the mold of what Seattlites look for in players - gracious and appreciative of the fans and a positive member of the community. I loved how you applauded the fans before you took your first corner at each end. I appreciate how gracious you were on your way out. It may not have worked out on the field, but you helped fuel the idea that we were a big time soccer city. I wish you well in Chicago and hope you and Nery Castillo don't end up fighting each other (and if you do, please kick his unibrow ass)

G.T.L. is Finally Back

Everyone has been psycho-analyzing Lebron going to Miami. I finally know why he made the decision that he did. He took his talents to south Beach so he could be closer to the Jersey Shore meatheads without actually being in Jersey (wait, did I just bash my own home state). Think about it, though. LeBron wants to be a global icon. What better way to accomplish this than to align himself with the Jersey Shore guys? America loves to hate villains. You can become hugely famous in this country simply by being infamous. If I'm LeBron and I want to go to the next pantheon in celebrity, I decide to align myself with the jersey Shore guys. Can you imagine if he played alongside Wade and Bosh during the day and then partied with Ronnie, Vinny, Paulie D and The Situation at night?? I'm pretty sure Skip Bayless' head would explode. Literally.

I am not going to lie. I will not apologize or what I am about to say: I watch the Jersey Shore and I love it. I hate those meatheads yet I love those meatheads. I'm not sue what it is but I find myself caring about what they are going to do. I am super excited for the new season.

The only problem I see is that they are all now celebrities. Even if you don't watch the show (shame on you D-Lib, J-Will, C-Steb, Hopper, T-Gasp, etc) you know who these guys are. Girls that get together with The Situation aren't doing so to simply get laid by a disgusting pig of a man. They are doing so because he's a celebrity. That takes a lot of the excitement out of it all. Same thing with Ronnie. I bet there are tons of guys lining up to kick his ass. All he has to do is walk into a bar if he wants to get into a fight. He's doesn't even have to try. Talk about being lazy.

With all that being said, I'm really excited about the season. Angelina is back. (Everyone hates her which of course should lead to some hair pulling and drink spilling.) Fist pumping is back. Fake tans are back. And of course, the only Jersey girl on the show, Sammi Sweetheart, representing William Paterson University, is back.


And now for my two favorite lines of the night:

Favorite Line #1: J-Woww to Angelina - "You should know about trash. You're from Staten Island."
Favorite Line #2: Ronnie's friend from home - "Sometimes you gotta double bag that shit. You know, put a bag over your head in case hers falls off."

Instant (Over)Reaction: Metapan

Tonight was the Sounders inaugural foray into international competition as they took on Isidro Metapan of El Salvador in the CONCACAF Champions League. This was not a friendly but an actual game, with actual tackles and actual drama. Oh, and compared to our matches against Celtic and Boca Juniors I was actually excited.

Here are some of my impressions from the match:

• Our tickets tonight were on the south end by the ECS. While I really like our normal seats, this was a really welcome change. I don't think most of the fans on the north end really appreciate how much passion the ECS brings to every game. Even with only 17k fans, they made Qwest sound full and alive.
• An interesting lineup tonight. I honestly believe Sigi when he says that many positions are hotly contested and that he doesn't see it as a major dropoff when the usual starters have the night off. It's a good thing because their depth is going to be tested over the next month. They fly to San Jose for a game this weekend, then to San Salvador for a return leg on Tuesday night followed by a game in Houston next weekend.
• I think Nyassi had the best game as a Sounder. He made great runs and was rewarded all night by Riley, Alonso and even Marshall. Now if he can just improve his finishing..
• I loved the midfield tonight. The combo of Nyassi and Montano (later Zakuani) gave the team tons of speed on the flanks. The introduction of Alonso in the 13th minute really gave Michael Seamon some freedom. I really like this kid - he is young enough and confident enough to try shit. He doesn't always make the smartest play, but having a safety blanket like Alonso behind him really gives him the opportunity to be creative. There was one series in the second half when Nyassi, Montero and Seamon displayed some beautiful that made all of us dream of what could be.
• Glad to see Taylor Graham get the start and play well. My buddy J-Will noted that Metapan, like Boca Juniors in May, plays the style of soccer that he is able to do well against. Perhaps its the fact that the average height for Metapan was 5'8.
• Graham's USL buddy Roger Levesque didn't have such a great game. He seemed to turn the ball over two out of three times and really had the crowd grumbling all game long. I think we all need to realize that Roger is what Roger is. He's not great, but even when he has a bad game with his passing and finishing, he still is tireless is in his work rate and I think sets a good example for guys like Fredy Montero.
• Speaking of Fredy, what can I say? We all know I am back to drinking his Cool-Aid and its for reasons that we saw last night. Sure the goal will go down as the highlight, but the most important thing to me is to see him chase after defenders and even get back on defense on occaision. I think he is going to flurish with Nkufo distributing the ball to him in open space.
  

Right now this team is dangerous, but they are also getting lucky. Just this week we have had a goal that hit the post and deflected off the goalie. We had a goal that could have been called offsides and we had a goal that any keeper saves 99% of the time. These things weren't happening earlier in the season for us. So while it is easy to get excited about our recent string of games (4-0-1 in meaningful competition), we should all temper our expectations because it can turn easily on us at any point. The key is continuing to play with commitment and passion because those alone can win some games even when luck isn't behind you.

A Modest Proposal for M's Management

Just for kicks, I decided to look at some stats from my now hometown team, the Seattle Mariners. Folks, let me tell you - its not pretty. Of the four players who qualify based on the # of at-bats, the M's have Ichiro at .307 and then a huge drop-off before we get to Franklin Gutierrez (.246), Jose Lopez (.236) and Chone Figgins (.233). Aside from the two players acquired mid-season (Russell Branyan and Justin Smoak) the team's leading HR guy is Franklin Gutierrez at 9. Overall, the team has scored 331 runs in 101 game - good for dead last in MLB. On the pitching side of things, they have King Felix and that is a great start. Past him there is some talent in Justin Vargas and Doug Fister, but not much else. In a few words, this team is a mess. An absolute mess.

Being from the East Coast, where we actually want our teams to improve regardless of what it takes, I am here to present a simple solution: trade Ichiro. I will now allow my fellow Seattlites to take a moment to calm down. I realize how dramatic a statement that is.

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Ok, hopefully you're back.

The current situation is a bad one. GM Jack Zdurenciekzkrk built the current roster on pitching and defense. While defense remains a strength, the the pitching hasn't been what was expected (they have traded Clif Lee and their season starting 3/4 pitchers are a combined 1-15 on the season). When your strengths aren't as strong as you had hoped and you are forced to rely on an area of weakness, you are bound to have problems from the start. Jack Z thought he addressed the lack of offense by bringing in Milton Bradley (gladly trading Carlos Silva to Chicago). That backfired. Ken Griffey re-signed for another year. That backfired. They traded Russell Branyan and replaced him with Casey Kotchman. That didn't work, so they traded for Branyan. Rob Johnson remains their catcher. That isn't working.

Their only assets are Ichiro and King Felix, the latter of which is going nowhere. The former however, is a pretty good trade chip. Right now, he is 36 and has 2.5 years left on his contract which pays him $9/year (he deferred most of his $17 annual salary to 2032 at an interest rate of 5.5%). He is approaching his 10th straight season with 200 hits and has a career .377 On-Base Pct. I know there are some teams out there that would love to have him at the top of their lineup. And you know what - the M's could get a lot for him. Strike that - I think they could get tons for him. I'm talking several top prospects like Justin Smoak (potentially Jack Z's only good deal this year) that could replenish the talent cupboard and allow for a winner in a few years.

Obviously this will NEVER happen because Seattle baseball is Ichiro. I have heard all the stories about what Griffey meant to the M's during the 1990's, but culturally Ichiro means more to this city than Griffey ever did (Seattlites - tell me if I'm wrong). He still draws tons of media requests from Japan and is an enigma off the field. Knowing how Seattle sports works, he will play through 2012 and then decide whether to return at age 38. The M's will be pressured into signing him for 3 more years (see: Shaun Alexander, Dan Wilson). I have no doubt he will still be able to get 200 hits at age 40, but signing 40 year olds is never the way to go. Go young. Rebuild.

Some will say that you don't get better by trading your only good player. I agree, but the team is sitting at 39-62, 20.5 games out of first. How can you get any worse? If Ichiro was to be moved, Chone Figgins could bat lead-off like he did in Anaheim for many years. He's not Ichiro, but he's not a huge drop-off. Again, whats the worst that could happen? You could lose 100 games and become irrelevant in Seattle? Oh wait...you're already there.

HGH Testing Not What It Seems

Last week, Major League Baseball instituted random HGH testing at the minor league level. On the face of it, it seems like the sport is finally attempting to get past the Steroid Era as it would be the first major American sport to test for such a substance.

But as with everything in life, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. The optimal result is for such testing to move up to the major league level, but the league knows that the MLB Players Union will never go for it. Michael Wiener, the Executive Director of the MLBPA, released a statement in which he said, "The union's position on hGH testing remains unchanged; when a test is available that is scientifically validated and that can be administered safely and without interfering with the players' ability to compete, it will be considered."

Normally I would be the first person to condemn the Players Association for their stupidity. I mean, there remains a large contingency of fans who think steroids are still a huge part of the sport. And in a time when middle and low class fans are being priced out of games, some good will would go a long way in bringing fans back.

But here's the rub - HGH testing remains an imperfect science as it is susceptible to both false negatives (ie - not detecting the drug in those where it is truly present) and false positives (ie - incorrectly 'detecting' the drug in those where it is not present). The former is a question of whether testing is worth the hassle. Why institute a pricey test if it doesn't do its job? The latter is the bigger problem. When you are told you have cancer only to later find out the test was wrong, you will probably be annoyed for a little bit but ultimately relieved. When the media is told that a player has tested positive for HGH, the stink never goes away. It doesn't matter if they are later found to be innocent - the player will always be linked to HGH because public perception is reality. So yeah, I can understand where the union is coming from. There #1 job is to protect the players.

Unfortunately for them, as I said before, public perception is reality. By saying NO to HGH testing at the major league level, the union is no doubt going to take a public relations hit. To the common fan, this is a smack in the face. They are going to look terrible.

And this is exactly what MLB wanted as it gives them a bargaining chip in the upcoming CBA negotiations. The league knows the union won't go for HGH testing, so they can use it to get something else in return. One can thus argue that the league itself isn't even interested in HGH testing for the good of the game. Rather, they are interested in HGH testing as a bargaining chip.

The sport has the opportunity to make some positive gains with being proactive in regards to testing. But once again, they are showing how out of touch they are with their fanbase as they introduced HGH testing solely to further their own agenda.

Friday Night Five-Pack

Here is a five-pack of thoughts to help with your Friday night pre-game:

• The Mets might be done. I may not have written about them since the All-Star break, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried. In fact, it's the opposite. I think they're done. Something happened to them, be it the return of Carlos Beltran and Oliver Perez, or the mental breakdown of Mike Pelfrey, but this is not the same team that had a 81% Confidence Rating a month ago on metsblog.com. They have a tough stretch coming up - 3 vs LA, 3 vs Stl, 3 vs Arz, 3 vs Atl, 3 vs Phi, 3 vs Col and 3 vs Phi. If they can make it through this above .500 I think Mets fans would have to be happy. But it's not looking good and I'm in the mood where I think they go 8-13.
• I won't pretend to know everything that is going on with the NCAA and its investigations of UNC, USC, Florida and Georgia, but I do know that there is a lot of shit wrong with collegiate athletics. My thoughts are long enough on this subject to fill up an entire blog post, but I'll say this - the NCAA is a bunch of crooks
• This is a big weekend for the Sounders. They need 3 points. They also need the distraction of Freddie Ljungberg to go away. Whatever happens, happens...just stop the distraction.
  
• Jon Brockman was traded to the Bucks and then signed a 3 year, $3 million deal. You all know how I feel about Brockman...I really hope he gets a chance in Milwaukee because I really feel that he is the type of player every team needs. He works hard. He grabs rebounds. He doesn't pout.
  
• Last night Thierry Henry made his Red Bulls debut (and scored) in a friendly against Tottenham. Obviously this means nothing in the grand scheme of things. That being said, combined with the underrated but highly skilled Joel Lindpere, Henry and Juan Pablo Angel are going to tear up MLS. It is not going to be fair (luckily we're done with them for the season already). Add in either Rafa Marquez or Mark van Bommel and we could very well be looking at a team that challenges LA for MLS Cup '10. (Oh, and who thinks LA getting Ronaldinho is a bad idea for chemistry besides me?)

Ok, off to go camping with my family. First time overnight with the daughter - wish us luck

I Just Learned Something

So Kovalchuk's record deal was rejected by the NHL because the league felt it was a blatant end-around the salary cap. I have to admit that I was initially confused by this since I was under the impression that the Devils would be handcuffed by the contract during the five year period when he was due to make $11.5 million as well as by the extended no-trade clause. If anything, the Devils seemed to be the stupid ones, signing him for 17 years.

And then I learned something. The hit to the salary cap is equal to the average salary during the life of the contract. So there ya have it - teams have been front or back loading deals with a lot of money and allowing the rest of the years to be <$1 million in order to bring down the average salary. With the Kovalchuk deal, the Devils would have owed him $11.5 million in 2012-2016 but would have only had to take an annual $6 million cap hit. The deal was an amazing one for the Devils, even if it did stretch the rules. And if Kovalchuk decided to retired at the age of 40, I'm pretty sure the money would come off the books.

The NHL had warned teams to stop this practice. They let the Ovechkin, DiPietro, Hossa, and Pronger deals goes through, but finally put their foot down. It really is an unprecedented event. As a hockey fan, one must be happy with this because it shows that the league does care - that it doesn't want to be a laughing stock. But obviously as a Devils fan, I'm sad because it probably means he will sign elsewhere (that is of course only if he doesn't have a conscience because a player who says he is truly not after money would be forced into signing another deal to save face).

Now the word from ESPN's Scott Burnside is that Lamiorello knew that the league was going to reject the deal prior to the Devils press conference. The obvious question is then, why did he allow it to go on if he new it was going to be rejected? Burnside wonders outloud "Is it beyond the realm of possibility Lamoriello was hoping to bring Kovalchuk under contract at a more manageable term and dollar?" and calls the entire charade "distasteful". I'm still mulling this one over in my head. Part of me says that Lou is a creep for handling the situation this way. I mean, it is a blatant smack in the face to the fans. But the other part of me says that it was a clever plan that went wrong. In an interview with the Bergen Record's Tom Gulitti, Lou basically said that the financial commitment was out of his hands and that he only focused on whether the player would be a good fit. Could it be possible that Lou was pissed off that the ownership went over his head to make this signing? Could this have been his way to get what he wanted while not pissing off ownership? I mean, think about it...if Lou truly didn't like the deal, and didn't want to clash with ownership, the best case scenario would have been for the NHL to reject it. Then he isn't the bad guy. So in a way, it makes sense that he would try to keep it quiet. The problem is that if the plan didn't work, he would get killed by fans and media. Either way, I think this has to raise questions as to whether Lou and ownership are on the same page. Regardless of what happens with Kovalchuk from here on, I think the most important thing is for Devils ownership and Lou Lamiorello to be on the same side. We can't afford any kind of rift because they never benefit the on-ice product.

17 years...Wow

I understand that many of my readers are not hockey fans, so I will ask you to think about the following sentence as if we were talking about an athlete from another sport: Ilya Kovalchuk just signed a 17-year deal with the New Jersey Devils worth $105 million. Let me write that again so we are sure there is no mistake - Kovalchuk just signed a 17 year deal. That is unfathomable to comprehend. After all, here are some things that will happen when (if) this deal is completed:

• I will be 47
• My daughter will be 18
• I will have acquired 10k+ gray hairs, which I will then go on to lose
• 4 World Cups will have been played
• The Devils will have gone through 8-9 coaches
• Kovalchuk will be 44
  

And hopefully:

• Kovalchuk will have scored 400+ goals
• New Jersey will have won 1-2 Stanley Cups
  

A 17-year deal is a ridiculous commitment. Even if Kovalchuk continues to be a premier goal scorer until the age of 35, he will still have 9 years left on his contract.

Tom Gulitti has all the contract details on his blog. Basically, Kovalchuk will get $6 million for the first two years and then will receiver no less than $10.5 million for the next 6 years. The Devils will be on the hook for only $550k for each of the final 6 years. Unfortunately in today's NHL, the only way to get around the salary cap and remain competitive (ie - have multiple big name guys) is to sign long term contracts that are back weighted (see Alex Ovechkin, Marian Hossa, Rick DiPietro).

Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is one of the shrewdest guys in the business. He has been able to keep this franchise competitive even with the losses of Stevens, Niedermayer, Rafalski and Daneyko (to name only a few), so I will talk myself into trusting his judgment on this one. That being said, this contract will not go without any consequences. With a salary cap of ~$57 and a roster of around 20 players, one guy earning $11.5 million does now allow for a lot of flexibility. We have heard how the other 9 guys on the Heat will have to be minimum salary guys - that works for the basketball because you can win with 3 guys. That does not work in the hockey though because only a few members of the team will be on the ice for more than 1/3 of the game. To win in the NHL, you need a few stars and a lot of average guys.

Something is going to have to give in New Jersey. The Devils best player, Zach Parise is a restricted free agent after this year and an unrestricted free agent in two years. He is in line for a big pay day - the Kovalchuk signing means there is a good possibility he doesn't get it from the Devils. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Patrick Elias and Martin Brodeur are the key guys in this equation. Elias has 3 years left on his contract in which he will be paid $5 million a year (down from $6 million this year) while Brodeur has 2 years left on his contract in which he will be paid $5.2 million a year. That is over $10 million in cap space that will be coming off the board in the next 3 years. Don't think that it is just a coincidence that Kovalchuk's salary goes up the year after Marty's current contract is over. I have to believe that the Devils are preparing themselves for the post-Marty era. If they can develop a young goalie over the next two years and ride him once Marty retires, then there is going to be a lot of money for Parise. With Kovalchuk and hopefully Parise on board for the next decade, don't expect this team to be the same as it was during it's dynasty days.

Let's just hope more exciting will equal more Stanley Cups because I don't want to be 47 and not had a Stanley Cup since I was 23.

Running with the Devils

Ilya Kovalchuk is re-signing with NJ, according to ESPN. This isn't a blog that breaks news, so I don't have any other information, but I figured my two readers might be interested in the great news. I'll be interested to see his deal, because this is without a doubt going to affect Zach Parise's deal in a few years. With Marty retiring in a few years, his contract will come off the books, but as long as Marty and Ilya are under contract, Parise is going to need to take less money to stay in NJ. I LOVE Parise. He needs to stay.

[Update: Here's another story from nj.com]

Instant (Over)Reaction: Celtic

My dislike for friendly matches has been previously documented. I wish they didn't happen and I wish I didn't have to talk about them. That being said, yesterday's game against Celtic FC was part of our season ticket package and since we had already paid for it, the wife and I went to cheer on our boys. Interestingly, there were a few moments that need some commentary, so here we go. My first review of a friendly match

• The game was instantly changed when GK Terry Boss was issued a red card for his take down of Georgios Samaras in the 30th minute. It's a decision that I have issues with. I will be the first person to cite the rules of the game; that when the last man back takes down a player with a clear scoring chance, that he will be issued a red card and sent off. The problem is that Samaras still goes on to score. Referee Paul Ward, after the game noted that he did not play the advantage because he did not feel their was one. So the goal comes off the board, Boss gets tossed, the Sounders have to play a man down, and a player with no name on his jersey enters the game for the first time. I understand the rule, but given the situation I think Ward needs to use his discretion - count the goal and give Boss a yellow card. This was a freaking friendly for crying out loud. Celtic traveled to the states for some preseason training. Sounders FC are just trying to make a little more money all while giving their back-ups the opportunity to play. By sending Boss off, Ward made the game even more meaningless than when it started. I know he has no obligation to the fans, but I feel sorry for those who bought tickets for the game. It was exciting at times, but overall was a bust.
  
• I purposely did not mention the back-up goalies name on purpose so that I could give him his proper due here. The kids name was Jordan Jennings, a 25 year old keeper from Seattle University who currently plays for the PDL Tacoma Tides (and actually played the the night before). He was a guest player for the day after Kasey Keller was given the day off to nurse some injuries. Jennings' first duty was to try to save a PK against Samaras, a player fresh off 3 World Cup starts for Greece. His jersey had no name on it. It was a size to big. He appeared to be introducing himself to everyone on the team upon entry. He was without a doubt a little jittery at the start, but overall made some nice plays to keep the team in the game. I have to believe this was the best day of his professional life.
  
• I know he turned the ball over way too many times, but it is great to have Alonso back. I am not surprised that the team has made a mini-turn around since his re-introduction into the team. The guys just appear to have more swagger and confidence with Alonso sprinting from player to player, trying to rip the ball away from them.
• My opinions on the Fred's changes monthly. currently I am on the Montero side, as it is so clear to everyone in the stadium what a different player he is without Ljungberg in the game. His confidence is clearly there and he is such an exciting player (Did you know he has 7 assists on the year??) when the Ljungberg shackles are taken off.
• I understand how and why Sigi is cheating the system with placing David Estrada on the IR, but I have to think it is a little weasley. Placing a player on the IR means they cannot play in an MLS competition for 6 matches (but can be available for US Open Cup and Champions League), thus allowing the team some flexibility in not having to drop him to make room for Blaise Nkufo. But with Estrada playing (and scoring) against Celtic, how can anyone believe he is injured? Obviously the MLS Front Office is watching - look for this rule to be changed next year.
• Speaking of Nkufo, he is good. Man-crush good. Again, it was an exhibition, but he was always a step ahead of his competition in terms of decision making and for being a huling 6'2" always appeared to be more skilled than I envisioned. Somehow the ball never came off his foot.
• Finally, Celtic looked like a rugby team with the collared shirts. I have always thought the hoops were interesting when I saw them on tv, but in person, the collars and the white shorts just didn't do it for me.
  

Sounders now get an actual full week of practice before Sunday night's game against Colorado (look for a Colorado based preview here in the next few days). Then it is something like 5 games in 14 days or something - this is where our depth is going to be tested. But I am back in full belief mode, so I have no doubt they will get it done.

Night at the Ballpark: Salem

The final night of our two game , two city Oregon baseball tour rolled into Keizer, OR as the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes hosted the Boise Hawks. Now, I have been to probably 15 different minor league stadiums in my life and seen upward of 30 games. I can say with confidence that tonight's game may rank in the top three. It was an overall amazing night - here are the highlights

• Thursday nights at Volcanoes Stadium are $1 beer nights. No kidding. $1 beers. Luckily I was with my family, so I was able to hold back, but had I been with Jay, I probably would have spent the night in the car. I heard a guy who just graduated from college talk about how slow the service was and it made me laugh. To him, $1 beer is a right, not a privilege. It happens. But when you're 30 with a kid, $1 beer night is like the holy grail.
• I'm not sure I have ever been to a stadium closer to the freeway than I was tonight. I-5 I think was no more than 50 yards from the right field wall. The stadium was in stark contrast to PK Park - no frills at all. really felt like a minor league ballpark.
• $18.25. Thanks to the $1 beer night, I bought 4 beers, 3 hot dogs, kettle korn and a baseball for $18.25. The hot dogs were $2.75 and made me forget the decision to not buy the bacon wrapped hot dog last night. It was amazing.
• At about the 3rd inning, I got word of the Sounders win. The wife and I were the only ones excited in the stadium. Love ya Roger
• My daughter didn't know what to make of Crater, the volcanoes mascot. She couldn't even muster a wave, which for her is hard to do.
• When the Volcanoes hit a home run, smoke came out of the scoreboard
• Volcanoes Stadium had an amazing selection of food - Kielbasa, Rice Bowls, Wraps, Nachos, Salad...enough to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters
• Once again, we bought bleacher seats and got to sit behind home plate. Credit the small crowds and the baby stroller.
• The Volcanoes played Super Mario Bros. music after several at bats
• I am really old. Now I know that 21 is a lot younger than 30, but I was shocked at how young kids looked when standing on the beer line. Seriously, it was amazing. I later found out that one kid sitting in front of me was using a fake, but still..it was ridic.
  

Overall, it was an amazing night. I think the ball game was good too - 4-2 Salem-Keizer when I left, but it was hard to determine with the amount of time I spent on the beer line. I have no report on any prospects, but will leave you with this bit of knowledge: my boy D-Lib used to be an intern for the Volcanoes. I was interested in finding out whether he was a good employee or not, but no one had heard of him. Way to make an impression, D.

Night at the Ballpark: Eugene

Tonight my wife and I took our daughter to her first minor league baseball game as the Eugene Emeralds hosted the Tri-City Dust Devils. Overall it was like most other games that I have been to (95% of which have been with my boy Jay - sorry you couldn't be here buddy), but it did have the following highlights.

• The game was played right next to Autzen Stadium in the brand new PK Park. It was unspectacular on the outside, but was really beautiful inside with its cedar roof.
• The first thing I encountered when I walked in the stadium was an amazing smell. It turned out to be a bacon wrapped hot dog. Seriously, bacon wrapped hot dog. I didn't have one, because I'm cheap, but it smelled great.They have a promotion twice a game where the announcer says that if the Ems' pitcher strikes out the batter, beers will be $3 for the next 15 minutes. In the third inning, the batter grounded into a double play that got the Ems out of the inning. I was sad that he didn't get the strikeout. The usher heard me say this to the wife and made fun of me for having the wrong priorities. In the 6th the batter struck out. The stands were cleared of all men in less than 15 seconds.
• The charm of Single A baseball is undeniable. It is simple and pure. As you walk in, they have the league standings updated on an erasable board with the team names printed off a computer. When the relief pitcher was ready to come in from the bullpen, they pitching coach didn't use a phone. Rather, the players in the bullpen raised their hats to signal when he was ready.
  

The highest rated draft pick in the game was Jedd Gyorko, a 2010 2nd round draft pick out of Texas A&M while the highest rated Padres prospect was CF Rymer Liriano (#12). However, it was 19-year old Keyvius Sampson (Padres #17 prospect), the Padres 4th round draft pick in 2009 that stole the show. He came into the game with a 2-0 record, with a 1.88 ERA and a below 1 WHIP. Tonight he left after 5 innings with a no hitter finishing with 4 K's and walked out the winner.

The weather was beautiful and we had a great time. We can only hope for another great night tomorrow as we watch the Salem-Keizier Volcanoes take on the Boise Hawks.

Mets at the All Star Break

Carlos Beltran has not played a game all season. Jason bay has 6 HR and 44 RBI. Oliver Perez and John Maine are a combined 1-6 with a 6.24 ERA. If you were to tell me this at the start of the season I would have said the Mets would be 10 games under .500. Yet somehow, they sit at 48-40 at the All-Star break which puts them on pace for 88 wins this year.

I always send out an email with yearly projections to my boys; this year I am allowing all of my readers to ponder the stats.

David Wright: 161 games, 188 H, 96 R, 46 doubles, 26 HR, 120 RBI, 179 K, 35 SB
Jose Reyes: 142 games, 163 H, 96 R, 27 doubles, 11 triples, 61 RBI, 35 SB
Angel Pagan: 147 games, 173 H, 85 R, 31 doubles, 11 triples, 74 RBI, 35 SB
Jason Bay: 157 games, 151 H, 85 R, 35 doubles, 11 HR, 81 RBI, 18 SB
Ike Davis: 138 games, 70 R, 29 doubles, 20 HR, 74 RBI
Jeff Franceour: 159 games, 28 doubles, 14 HR, 77 RBI
Rod Barajas: 125 games, 20 HR, 59 RBI

So what do we think? Well, if you ask me, Pagan, Wright, Ike and Barajas are all exceeding expectations while Reyes and Franceour are slightly below. Bay obviously is failing. Not mentioned is Ruben Tejada, who while only hitting .217 has provided the team with some great defense and intelligence. Count me as a fan who thinks he should be playing even once Luis Castillo comes back from injury.

On the pitchers side of things, Maine and Perez are somehow even doing worse than expected - so much so that they have been replaced by Hisanori Takahashi and RA Dickey. Both have been absolute studs since joining the rotation, so our hats go off to Johnny and Ollie for sucking. The other nice surprise has been Jon Niese who is 6-3 with a 3.61 ERA.

Overall, Mets fans should be ecstatic with the pitching and comfortable with the hitting. Obviously we can have more pop in our bats (and hopefully that will increase with Beltran's return) but so far we have played well to the strengths of CitiField. If this can continue, we will be in the hunt until the end. Lets Go Mets Go.

Tuesday Night Five-Pack

I've been MIA from the blogosphere for a few days now, but have no fear - I'm back and coming to you from the Oregon coast. Here is a five pack of thoughts for your consumption

1. I'm really interested to see what happens to the Sounders during the July transfer window. Soccer a sport of constant rumors, but sometimes when there is smoke, their is fire. I have the feeling that the Freddie Ljungberg rumors are more than just rumors. Call it a total gut feeling, but I think there is a 65% chance he is transferred overseas. I put Montero at 50%. If either or both happens, expect to see some new faces in Sounders land
2. I have never been a George Steinbrenner fan, but his passing is a sad day for baseball. Say what you want about the Yanks and George (I have definitely said a lot over the years), you have to been impressed with how much he cared about winning. And while I hated the whole corporate aspect thing (you know, how Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon had to cut their hair and shave their beards), it was his way or no way. Gotta appreciate it.
3. My boys over at Netsarescorching.com have done a great job of getting me into full-blown hope mode recently. I must be crazy to be drinking the cool-aid given their free agent signings: Jordan Farmer, Travis Outlaw, Johan Petro and possibly Anthony Morrow. It is honestly mind boggling how little they got. That being said, the foundation is still there and these new signings give them a distinct flavor - tenacious defense turned into fast break offense. At the very least they will be exciting to watch.
   
4. Pat Reilly continues to defy all the odds with his signings. Everyone assumed the Heat would have 9 minimum salary (and minimum talent) guys playing with them, but instead he has gotten Juwan Howard, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Zadrunas Ilgauskas to come to South Beach. Not a bad group of veterans I would say.
5. I was saddened to watch the type of soccer played by the Dutch over the weekend. The final had the potential to be a free-flowing game, but a MMA event broke out instead. It was brutal. It was ugly. It was a bad representation of our favorite sport. I hope that the record breaking audience did not come away with a bad taste in their mouth as a result.

I am super stoked for the next two days as I have tickets to both a Salem-Keizer Volcanoes game but an Eugene Emeralds game as well. They will be the 3rd and 4th minor league stadiums that I will have visited in my 6 years out here. That is way to low...and something I hope to remedy in the coming years

Deal With It

This will hopefully be my last post about the LeBron free agency spectacle. Obviously I was bummed when LeBron said he wasn't going to New Jersey. But to be honest, there was never a time in the past year when I really thought he was coming. sure, I told everyone about it, but it was always a pipe dream. Stars don't come to Jersey. They just don't.

Nets fans get to move on. I doubt any of us are that angry. However, his decision to go to South Beach has resulted in all sorts of emotions in other parts of the country. I don't know what it's like to go 50 years without a title, to have a homegrown phenom play for my team and become the best player in the league, to have all the hope sucked out of my team. I admit that I just don't get it. That could be the reason why I seem to be the only person not in Southern Florida that doesn't think he made a bad decision.

Say what you want about how narcissistic the spectacle was. It was tacky and reeked of ego. No one can argue that. In my opinion, going to Miami was a perfectly acceptable move by LeBron. staying in Cleveland was the choice most NBA fans preferred, but that decision would have been solely about emotion. He would have stayed because he was comfortable there, because he felt that he the chosen one to bring Cleveland a title. it would have been about loyalty. As I mentioned in a previous post, there is no such thing as loyalty in sports. It doesn't exist among owners, coaches or players - the only loyal people in sports are fans.

LeBron staying in Cleveland was death sentence for his title hopes. In the past years, GM Danny Ferry did an absolute terrible job of acquiring talent. I'm sorry but Mo Williams, Shaq and Antawn Jamison just aren't good enough. Fans and media are ripping on LeBron because he has never won a title. I saw a stat on the bottom line the other day stating that he was the third person to have won two MVP's without an NBA Title. The other two are Steve Nash and Karl Malone. Neither was 25 at the time of their MVP's. People expect a title from LeBron, but no one can win it by himself. Jordan had Pippen. Jamison and Williams can't even sniff Pippen's jockstrap. LeBron left Cleveland to win a title - I know that Ferry is gone, but facts are facts - nothing has been done in his 7 years to put together a title contender. Somehow he is getting killed in the media because he went to a place that could bring him a title.

There were other choices. Chicago, New York, New Jersey, LA. Chicago seemed to be the best fit. Combined with the other pieces - Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng - LeBron would have won a ton of titles. I mean, that team would have been NASTY. New York and New Jersey were fighting each other and I don't think ever had a shot. They could offer LeBron a ton of publicity and would have allowed him to expand his global brand. But neither team is any good and winning a title would have taken a few years. The Clippers, well, why would he want to play for Donald Sterling.

In the end, he decided to go play with in Miami his close friends Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. All are in their mid-20's. How can any guy pass that up? Seriously. You're rich and famous - what better place in this country to go to than Miami?

Aside from that, he is leaving a lot of money on the table and he is putting himself in a good position to win. It may not be the best - they still have to go through Boston, Orlando and Chicago in the East - but it is good. So why is he getting killed by the average fan? I can understand that Cleveland is mad, but why everyone else?

LeBron's decision was obviously going to be an emotional one - too many teams wanted to get him. Too many fan bases were convinced he was coming to their team. It was destined to be a letdown for someone. But when you take a step back, forget the ego trip lead up and get rid of any emotion, it was a sound business decision. Deal with it.

All-Star Game Fix

The MLB All-Star game is less than a week away and instead of focusing on who is going to Anaheim, all the talk is about who got snubbed. According to most writers, Joey Votto is Biggest Snub #1 while the phenom from Washington is Biggest Snub #2. Some say that Stephen Strasburg has to be there. Others question whether he deserves to be there given lack of experience. To me, the Strasburg argument results in two questions that must be answered. First - is he one of the 8 best pitchers in the league? Second - what is the purpose of the All-Star game?

I won't dive into the first question and instead leave that to the reader. I am going to assume for this argument that he is not (but in real life think he probably is, but not ahead of Mike Pelfrey who gets my vote as Biggest Snub #1). So if Strasburg was to make the All-Star Game and is not one of the 8 best pitchers, then he obviously is there because he is quickly becoming the biggest star in the game. That right there is my biggest grip about the All-Star Game. I'm not sure if the game is supposed to be taken seriously or if it is just supposed to be a glorified exhibition.

I am perfectly fine with the idea that the All-Star game decides home-field advantage in the World Series. I think it is an creative concept and is better than switching every year (rewards the best team 50% of the time) and better than using interleague records (best league does not imply best team) to determine home-field . The real problem lies in how the All-Star games rosters are determined. If this game is supposed to determine home-field advantage, then take it seriously and have the BEST players there. Not the most popular, the BEST. As it stands now, every team must be represented and fans get to choose the starters. The effects of twofold: 1. the Pirates will have an all-star at the expense of a better player on another team and 2. popular players may pass up more deserving players who don't have the same name recognition. If the Mets make the World Series and the NL loses the All-Star Game because Evan Meek, Arthur Rhodes, Chris Young or Matt Capps effed up, I am going to be pissed. If it counts, then have the best players there. Period.

If Strasburg can help the team win, then by all means, bring him to the game. But if he is brought simply for publicity reasons, then we need to seriously rethink giving the winner homefield advantage. This is too important to mess up. So here's my suggestion: get rid of fan voting and let the managers and players vote for who deserves to go. If this means only 10 teams per league are represented, then so be it. If you're angry because your team doesn't have an All-Star, I say - get better players. If we want a representative from the Royals or Orioles or Pirates to participate in the festivities, then how about they have players in the home run derby? Or, here is something radical - make an All-Star team of players from teams not represented in the game and have that team take on an All-Star team from AAA or Cuba or Japan. It sounds weird, but it might be cool and it definitely would help with the purpose of selling the game.

Whatever the solution is, one thing is clear - it needs to have a purpose. Either call the game an exhibition and relax the rules or have it contested as a real game and clean up all the garbage.

Tonight's the Night...

...when LeBron announces live on ESPN that he is coming to NJ. (Or at least, that is what I am hoping.)

My buddies and I have been talking about his made for TV announcement and how it reeks of ego. I mean, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh didn't hold an hour long special to talk about their plan. Not only is LeBron talking to ESPN, but his camp set it up. Now I know that the American sports world is talking about LeBron but having his own announcement show is a little ridiculous. What is he going to do - go all high school football recruit and choose a hat?

A few of my Knicks friends are so turned off by how LeBron is handling this situation that they are actually starting to talk themselves out of LeBron. Statements like "And I'm going to say it- Lebron doesn't completely do it for me. For all the hype, he certainly seems to be missing that extra gear in clutch situations. He doesn't seem to have that killer instinct that separates guys like Kobe and Jordan from the best of the superstars out there" and "...I hate this whole thing. It seems very overdone and selfish. This guy hasn't won a ring. He should do that first before being this huge attention whore" are being thrown around in our emails.

Here's the thing - yeah, LeBron may be an attention whore right now. But I am in no way talking myself out of a LeBron era in NJ (were it to happen). Not a chance. If they go back to being a title contender, that is good enough for me. A 60-win regular season is a hell of a lot better than a 12 win season (5 times better if you do the math). And I would love to be able to watch him destroy other teams whenever he feels like it.

LeBron, if you are reading this - some Knicks fans may not want you, but Nets fans aren't that crazy. Come to NJ. Drink White Russians with Prokhorov. Be seen with Jay-Z and Beyonce at every major social event. Turn this franchise into a winner again.

Let's Not Forget Ilya

Lost in all the talk about where LeBron and Chris Bosh are going is the talk centered around NHL free agent Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk continues to take his time and no one really seems to know where he is going.

In the past he turned down both a 12 year $101 million deal and a 7 year $70 million deal to continue playing for the lowly Atlanta Thrashers (which led to the trade to New Jersey) as well as a 3 year $12 million deal to play for a talent rich LA Kings team [Update - note sure where those figures came from, but now hearing LA offered him 13 years at $6.5 million]. Apparently the Devils are offering him $8.5 million over the course of a few years to remain in Newark and team with Zach Parise to make the Devils potentially an offensive juggernaut.

The wild card in this whole thing is the reports that the Russian KHL is courting Kovalchuk and offering more money than any of the NHL teams can offer. The lure of the Russian money is tough to turn down. First, more money is never a bad thing. Second, he would be able to play in his native country in front of family and friends. Third, if he was to sign a four year deal, then he could play in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, which the NHL is thinking about not sending their pros to.

Some have questioned his leadership. Some have questioned his desire to be on a winner. I think both are a little strong at this point. Sure, he has only played in 9 career playoff games, but let's not forget that he had no one playing around him. It wasn't like he was in NJ for all those years. And in turning down the big deal from the Thrashers, many questioned his leadership, declaring he was out for more money. Here's the thing I don't understand - is Kovalchuk that dumb that he doesn't understand that no team can offer him more than that with the salary cap? Is he dumb enough to think that he will be anything more than an island if he was to have taken those deals? I can't see how the answer is yes. I would like to think he is looking for the right situation. LA may have been, but while playing for an up and coming team would have been great, he still was only being offered $4 million a year which is well well well below market value.

Maybe the Devils do have the inside track for signing him: Good money. Great franchise. Not a one-man island. but then again, the opportunity to play in Russia may be too good to turn down. Until he makes a decision I will be holding out hope that he comes back to NJ.

Jersey Shore is Back

I love Jersey Shore. I'm not actually talking about the place (which I actually do love) but the MTV show. It makes no sense because it's a show that I have no right enjoying. I don't like reality tv and in general am normally repulsed by people like The Situation and J-Woww.

Somehow I loved the first season and am super excited for the second season after watching this trailer. Somewhere along the way, the cast mates actually grew on me. I want to see The Situation (seen here in a Vitamin Water commercial with David Wright) handle his insecurities by hooking up with every random girl he can all while flaunting his abs. I want to see if Ronnie and Sammi Sweetheart (William Paterson alum) are going to get back to together. I want to see Ronnie kick the crap out of someone. I want to break out the Jersey accent to say "Paulie D" and "Vinny". And of course I want to see if Snooki get find a man.

It's all coming back to a tv near you.

Monday Night Five Pack

Here's a five pack of thoughts to help you get your sports buzz:

• Amare Stoudemire is the only big name to have changed teams so far this offseason, signing a 5-year $100 million contract to reunite with his former coach Mike D'Antoni in NY. Apparently Amare says that he can get both Carmelo and Tony Parker to the Garden within the next year. Knicks fans had better hope so, because alone, Amare is not the guy to bring glory back to NY. I have said that I would have loved him in the Swamp, mainly because he would have been dominant next to Brook Lopez. But in NY? What is he going to do alongside Eddy Curry and Danilo Gallinari?
• The World Cup SemiFinals begin tomorrow. Somehow I was able to correctly guess 3 of the 4 final teams prior to the start of the tournament. I won't change my prediction - Holland - but have to say that Germany looks like the class of the tournament. They absolutely dismantled Argentina in the Quarters and their counter attack looks absolutely nasty. I can't see Spain getting by them.
• I was all ready to vent my frustration with Mike Pelfrey not making the All-Star Game. But then he goes out and has his second straight stinker, giving up 7 in 4 2/3 innings. Here's hoping that Pelfrey takes the snub personally and mowes down all his opponents in the second half. The Mets can't afford to have him slip up. We need him to pitch well if we want to stay in the playoff hunt.
• I don't believe that hot dog eating is a sport, but I have to say that I loved the drama with Kobeyashi over the weekend. For those unfamiliar, the former 6-time champion did not participate in this years Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Competition, but was in the crowd to watch reigning 3-time champion Joey Chestnut win his 4th in a row. With the crowd chanting his name, Takeru Kobeyashi stormed the stage and was arrested. I'm a huge wrestling fan and this has wrestling stick written all over it. I love it. Now the Major League Eating circuit has to follow this up and schedule some sort of grudge match. The American sports public will not remember this come next July 4th. They need to act now.
• I won't bother writing a Sounders review because they simply got it handed to them by a better team. At 4-8-2, they are seemingly out of the playoffs. So I think they need to focus on US Open Cup and Champions League this year. I know casual fans won't understand this opinion, but its what they need to do. The league is done - get some more hardware and don't allow this year to be alost cause. Two more wins and we're in the final of the US Open Cup. Two more wins in MLS and we're 6-8-2 and still outside looking in. The choice is easy.

Hand of Glory

The end of today's world Cup Quarterfinal between Ghana and Uruguay was like none that I have ever seen before. It wasn't that Ghana lost in PK's, but rather how they got to PK's in the first place. With the game tied at 1 in the 120th minute, a Ghanaian player beat the keeper from 6 yards out. On the goal line were two Uruguayan's who both were unable to get the ball legally with their heads or chests. So Luis Suarez did something that you don't see often - he intentionally batted the ball out with his hand. That resulted in an instant red card and a PK for Ghana. Up stepped Asamoah Gyan, the player who broke the American's hearts, to take the PK. He started his approach...and hit the crossbar. Somehow, Luis Suarez and Uruguay regained life as quickly as they had lost it. They had just avoided giving up the game winner and being that the game was over, they never had to play a man down. Just a stunning turn of events.

The Suarez handball is the most amazing moment of selflessness I have seen in sports. He decided to break the rules to keep his team alive. He decided to break the rules knowing that if somehow a miracle happened, he would not be able to play in the Semi-finals. He decided to break the rules knowing that a PK offered his team a glimmer of hope while not playing by the rules offered his team no hope. He decided to break the rules because that's just what you do in that situation if you care about winning. It's either fight or flight. Some I'm sure will be disgusted by the handball. Some will see it as a slap in the face to the integrity to the game. I am here to say that it was a brilliant play and hands down the play of the tournament. Hats off to you, Luis Suarez. [Editor's note: In high school my buddy had an intentional handball in overtime of a 0-0 game where we were underdogs by 3 goals and had drawn our opponents offsides 25 times. They hit their PK and we lost 1-0...]

Unfortunately the play resulted in heartbreak for the Ghanaians. I think any person with an ounce of compassion had to be pulling for the Ghanaians in the shootout. Losing in the fashion they did was excruciating. The only consolation was the Gyan was able to step up and hammer home his PK in the shootout, even if it was 5 minutes too late. He may be a goat, but he would have been an even bigger goat had he missed the second PK as well.

Nyet Gains

I have to admit - I am not feeling good about the Nets these days. It's a weird feeling because this is when things were supposed to get good. I suffered through a 12-70 season last year in hopes that LeBron would come to the Swamp and team with Brooke Lopez, Devin Harris, Terrence Williams and CDR to bring the Nets back to prominence. Hell, I even convinced myself that Amare would be coming as well. How could any team in the Eastern Conference handle Lopez and Stoudemire up front with LeBron and Harris leading the break? Answer: they couldn't.

We are one full day into the free agent period and those hopes seem to be completely gone. I am convinced that we are going to miss out on all the big names and will be forced to overspend on a poo-poo platter of second rate players. I think LeBron, Wade, Pierce and Dirk all stay put. I think Bosh joins Wade in Miami, Boozer joins LeBron in Cleveland and Amare goes to NY. We have just heard that Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay have deals to stay in their respective markets as well. So who does that leave available? David Lee, Ray Allen, John Salmons, Luis Scola and a bunch of has-beens like Shaq, Jermaine O'Neal and AI.

I can't rip on David Lee - I actually love watching him play and would love him next to Lopez. Same goes for Boozer. The problem is that they both play PF, which is the position where Derrick Favors is supposed to be growing into. I understand that he may not be ready for a year or two, but if we sign either Amare, Lee or Boozer to 4-5 year contracts, then wasn't drafting Favors at #3 a stupid move? The fact remains that in a year with a lot of FA PF's, we drafted one hoping that LeBron would be our 3. Now that he is not coming to us, the only players of any quality left are PF's. Unless they are going to do pull the trigger on the Danny Granger for Harris and Favors deal, I have to say that the front office messed up.

Assuming all the above is correct, what is the best scenario moving forward? Personally, I love Granger and would have to think long and hard about that trade. Let's say the front office pulls the trigger - I would then sign Lee, Raymond Felton and either Ray Allen to a 2 year deal or JJ Redick. Then you could have the starting five of Lopez-Lee-Granger-Redick-Felton with Williams and Kris Humpries coming off the bench. This is actually a team I could really really get behind.

If we don't make the trade, then I think things are a little harder and have to evolved around Carmelo. Obviously putting our eggs in the 'Melo cart is like putting them in the LeBron cart - if you come up short, you're screwed. Assuming we can't get Carmelo, we are screwed. Period, end of paragraph. I won't subscribe to these ideas that LeBron signs a 2 year deal with Cleveland so he can go to Brooklyn once the Nets move. I don't buy it. I really don't.

Things might just be getting worse in New Jersey. How is that possible?