First it was Jeff Franceour and Jason Bay reportedly being annoyed at criticisms by Daryl Strawberry. Then last week, it came out that Clint Dempsey was upset with comments made by John Harkes during last years Confed Cup. And now today, Samuel Eto'o is threatening to skip the World Cup because of comments made by Cameroon legend Roger Milla.
What is going on here? Seriously, why so sensitive guys? As professional athletes you should expect to be criticized. It comes with the territory so calm down and prove your critics wrong - on the field. A quick couple thoughts on each...
Bay and Franceour, as I already mentioned, need to be aware of the history of the Mets. The 1986 team means everything to us and we will ask for Strawberry's opinion every second we get. They need to get over it and realize that the '86 players are not going anywhere.
Now, Dempsey's situation is silly because his displeasure with Harkes came out a year after Harkes' criticisms. A year. You know you're my boy, Clint, but get over it. Guess what? John Harkes never had the opportunity that you have. You have the chance to lead this team to the quarterfinals. You have led your club team to the Europa League Finals. You're better than he ever was. His job is to comment on what he sees on the field. So if you think his comments are off base, show him that they are. And if he still thinks you're performing below standards, then he will show how little he knows.
Eto'o's (correct punctuation I am assuming) situation is the craziest of all because he is threatening to skip the World Cup because of what a former player said. Think about that. He is willing to skip the biggest soccer event of his life. All because of some comments from a former striker. If I'm Cameroon, I need to seriously question his heart on this one. It's one thing to be annoyed and lash out to the media, but to skip the World Cup and hurt your teammates? That is downright crazy. Samuel, you're not bigger than your country. You need to decide right now if you're with them or against them...
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Rod Barajas Is a Winner, Update
Rod Barajas continues to put up amazing numbers in Mets wins. The statistician in me says that we can't determine which way the causal pathway goes, meaning do Mets wins lead to Barajas' success or does his success lead to Mets wins? The Mets fan in me says, who cares nerd?!? Barajas is the man.
As I continue this mental battle, here are some data for you to chew on:
As I continue this mental battle, here are some data for you to chew on:
- Mets are 18-17 when Barajas starts
- In the 17 losses he is hitting .210 with 2 hr, 2 2b and 7rbi
- In the 18 wins he is hitting .329 with 8 hr, 6 2b and 20 rbi
Nash Still the Best
I will be honest - I really have never seen Rajon Rondo play. I have no idea how good he is. So my next statement is going to be extremely biased - I still think that Steve Nash is the best point guard in the NBA. He is better than Derrick Rose. Better than Deron Williams. Better than Chris Paul. Better than all the rest.
I love everything he does on the court. Last night was an absolute treat, even if the Suns did lose. He took the game over in the fourth and led the Suns back to tie the game with little time left. He did so by not just giving his teammates open looks, but he put the game on his shoulders. Two straight times down the court in the final 2 minutes Phoenix ran the high pick and roll and both times he was able to get the mismatch against Gasol. Yet, instead of using his advantage and driving to the hole he played into Gasol's advantage and tried to shoot over him. Both times he started to drive, stepped back and drained a beautiful arching shot. He had ice in his veins.
To me, the best point guards are winners. They're not the best passers or the best shooters. They are the guys who can control the game and who can win no matter what. While Nash has never been to the NBA Finals, he has turned the Suns into perennial winners. You just know that he is going to win or at least put his team in position to win. Maybe Rondo does that - I don't know. Most of what I hear about him is that he is a match-up nightmare and that he basically runs the show in Boston even in the presence of three future hall of famers. Maybe he is a winner, I don't know. Again, I haven't seen enough of him.
But you can damn well believe that Nash is better than Williams, Paul, Rose and all the rest. Even at his old age, he is showing everyone that he is not an afterthought. Even at an old age, he deserves to be in the NBA MVP discussion.
I love everything he does on the court. Last night was an absolute treat, even if the Suns did lose. He took the game over in the fourth and led the Suns back to tie the game with little time left. He did so by not just giving his teammates open looks, but he put the game on his shoulders. Two straight times down the court in the final 2 minutes Phoenix ran the high pick and roll and both times he was able to get the mismatch against Gasol. Yet, instead of using his advantage and driving to the hole he played into Gasol's advantage and tried to shoot over him. Both times he started to drive, stepped back and drained a beautiful arching shot. He had ice in his veins.
To me, the best point guards are winners. They're not the best passers or the best shooters. They are the guys who can control the game and who can win no matter what. While Nash has never been to the NBA Finals, he has turned the Suns into perennial winners. You just know that he is going to win or at least put his team in position to win. Maybe Rondo does that - I don't know. Most of what I hear about him is that he is a match-up nightmare and that he basically runs the show in Boston even in the presence of three future hall of famers. Maybe he is a winner, I don't know. Again, I haven't seen enough of him.
But you can damn well believe that Nash is better than Williams, Paul, Rose and all the rest. Even at his old age, he is showing everyone that he is not an afterthought. Even at an old age, he deserves to be in the NBA MVP discussion.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Holy Crap
Three straight shutouts against the Phillies, a team that came into the series having scored the third most runs in the league. Last time the Mets shutout an opponent 3 straight games was 1969.
I have no analysis. This is straight up amazing. Let's Go Mets Go.
I have no analysis. This is straight up amazing. Let's Go Mets Go.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Rulers of the Patriot League
On my way to Ottawa today I saw a guy at the airport with a Bucknell tshirt on. This never happens - I can count on one hand how many BU shirts I have seen on strangers over the years.
Seeing it made me think about my days there and about how we dominate the Patriot League every year in athletics. Don't believe me? It's the truth. Here is a link to prove it.
For those who would rather read what I have to say than to read the official press release let me sum it up like this. The PL gives out a corny Presidents Trophy every year that celebrates the best overall athletic department in the league. Every varsity sport is considered. in 20 years BU has won the award 16 times! This year we set a school record with 9 League champions across all sports.
In the past I have been a bit skeptical because we have the most amount of varsity sports - 23, a number of which only Lehigh and Holy Cross can match. In years past, on a per-sports basis, it was always closer than on the aggregate. However this year we really kicked ass, finishing 15 points ahead of Navy and winning not only the women's trophy for the 16th time but the men's trophy for the 7th time.
Simply put, we kick ass. It's probably a stupid award to be proud of, but I don't care. Suck it Lehigh. Suck it Holy Cross. Respect to Army and Navy. But suck it Lafayette, Colgate and American.
Seeing it made me think about my days there and about how we dominate the Patriot League every year in athletics. Don't believe me? It's the truth. Here is a link to prove it.
For those who would rather read what I have to say than to read the official press release let me sum it up like this. The PL gives out a corny Presidents Trophy every year that celebrates the best overall athletic department in the league. Every varsity sport is considered. in 20 years BU has won the award 16 times! This year we set a school record with 9 League champions across all sports.
In the past I have been a bit skeptical because we have the most amount of varsity sports - 23, a number of which only Lehigh and Holy Cross can match. In years past, on a per-sports basis, it was always closer than on the aggregate. However this year we really kicked ass, finishing 15 points ahead of Navy and winning not only the women's trophy for the 16th time but the men's trophy for the 7th time.
Simply put, we kick ass. It's probably a stupid award to be proud of, but I don't care. Suck it Lehigh. Suck it Holy Cross. Respect to Army and Navy. But suck it Lafayette, Colgate and American.
Meet Your New #3 and #4 starters
If I was to tell you that the Mets have shutout the vaunted Phillies offense for two games in a row you would think one of two things: either I'm crazy or we had Pelf and Johan on the mound. In fact neither is correct (ok, maybe I'm a little crazy but who isn't?) as pitching for the Mets were R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi. Yep, that's right - a guy who prefers to be called RA than Robert and a guy who the casual Mets fan thinks pitched (and cried) for us last year started those two games. Our rotation is in shambles - 3/5 of our opening week starters are no longer in the rotation and yet here we have RA Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi pitching like they're Doc and Darling.
There is no real point to this post except to note that if Dickey and Takahashi can give us any stability we may have more to hope for then we thought.
There is no real point to this post except to note that if Dickey and Takahashi can give us any stability we may have more to hope for then we thought.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Who Doesn't Want Straw Around?
Bob Raissman of the Daily News is reporting that Daryl Strawberry was in the Mets dugout over the weekend and apparently he may have ticked off two prominent current players. "He was saying you're better than last place. He told them it was 'rough' watching them play, but you're better than what you showed," a Mets insider said. After the little pep talk the two players went to the management and demanded that Straw not be allowed in the dugout anymore. However, management feels that Straw is and always will be welcome.
This is a bit of head scratcher. We all know about Daryl's past and the jury is still out on whether he has turned his life around. Maybe we wouldn't feel comfortable having him hang out our youth, but this is for certain - he was an amazing player, he loves the Mets and he was part of that 1986 team. That means that he gets special treatment by the organization. From a fans perspective, it's great to have Keith, Ron, and Ojeda around the organization. They help us remember the good times and give us hope that there winning mentality may be able to rub off on the current squad. Current players need to be aware of the Mets history and be able to embrace these guys being around the team. We're not the Yankees. We don't have 20 hall of famers. But we do have some guys who deserve respect. I'm talking Tom Seaver, Daryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, Mike Piazza and John Franco. For the players to be upset at what Straw said clearly shows their lack of self-awareness. This team is painful to watch. Sure there are some moments when you see what this team could be, but overall they are a sub-.500 team. It may be acceptable in Seattle, but not in NY. If you don't like what Straw said, don't go to management and complain. Instead come out with a chip on your shoulder and bust some people up. Knock over a catcher next time he blocks the plate. Brush back A-Rod next time he is crowding the plate. Piss people off with your celebrations. Bottom line - get back that old Mets attitude.
I imagine that speculation will run wild as to who the players were that were offended by Straw's comments. After taking a few minutes to think about it myself, I have to wonder if one of Wright, Reyes or Santana were in the guilty party. I think Reyes is the obvious choice because he appears to be so fragile both physically and mentally. Wright is an interesting one. At first I didn't think there was any way because of how much he cares, but you know, he has been beaten down by everyone so much lately that maybe he did take it personally. I really hope the names don't come out. Let the organization deal with this matter behind closed doors and don't let it become a mess like so many other situations.
[Update: According to Mike Francesa on WFAN, Straw talked to Wright, Reyes, Bay and Franceour and it was Bay and Franceour that didn't take it too well. My apologies for throwing Reyes under the bus and for even suggesting that it could have been my boy Wright]
This is a bit of head scratcher. We all know about Daryl's past and the jury is still out on whether he has turned his life around. Maybe we wouldn't feel comfortable having him hang out our youth, but this is for certain - he was an amazing player, he loves the Mets and he was part of that 1986 team. That means that he gets special treatment by the organization. From a fans perspective, it's great to have Keith, Ron, and Ojeda around the organization. They help us remember the good times and give us hope that there winning mentality may be able to rub off on the current squad. Current players need to be aware of the Mets history and be able to embrace these guys being around the team. We're not the Yankees. We don't have 20 hall of famers. But we do have some guys who deserve respect. I'm talking Tom Seaver, Daryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, Mike Piazza and John Franco. For the players to be upset at what Straw said clearly shows their lack of self-awareness. This team is painful to watch. Sure there are some moments when you see what this team could be, but overall they are a sub-.500 team. It may be acceptable in Seattle, but not in NY. If you don't like what Straw said, don't go to management and complain. Instead come out with a chip on your shoulder and bust some people up. Knock over a catcher next time he blocks the plate. Brush back A-Rod next time he is crowding the plate. Piss people off with your celebrations. Bottom line - get back that old Mets attitude.
I imagine that speculation will run wild as to who the players were that were offended by Straw's comments. After taking a few minutes to think about it myself, I have to wonder if one of Wright, Reyes or Santana were in the guilty party. I think Reyes is the obvious choice because he appears to be so fragile both physically and mentally. Wright is an interesting one. At first I didn't think there was any way because of how much he cares, but you know, he has been beaten down by everyone so much lately that maybe he did take it personally. I really hope the names don't come out. Let the organization deal with this matter behind closed doors and don't let it become a mess like so many other situations.
[Update: According to Mike Francesa on WFAN, Straw talked to Wright, Reyes, Bay and Franceour and it was Bay and Franceour that didn't take it too well. My apologies for throwing Reyes under the bus and for even suggesting that it could have been my boy Wright]
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