- My hatred of the Yankees is well known. My hatred of Captain America, Derek Jeter is also well known. What might not be well known however is the respect that I have for him. If he was on any other team, I would have no problem with him. He never gets into trouble off the field. He never kills his teammates in the press. He plays the game the way it should be. He is a great player, but he is a lifelong Yankee and a winner of 5 World Series. That is why I am absolutely shocked that the Yankees management is playing hardball with him this offseason. Sure they are offering a great deal, but Jeter thinks this is below value. For a team that basically prints money, paying him what he wants should be a no-brainer. He is the face of the franchise - to let him walk and play for another team seems ridiculous. This is not a front office that is afraid of spending money, so why start now? Why play hardball with Jeter?
- I just got done watching UW-Kentucky and I must say that we let one get away. Terrence Jones, who originally committed with UW before signing with John Calipari and the Wildcats, torched the Huskies for 16 points and 17 boards in the 'Cats 74-67 win. Losing to Kentucky is not a terrible loss, but it was a painful one given how well Jones played. He looks like the real deal and he totally could have put us over the top this season. Obviously we weren't going to run through every team this season, but it's disappointing to see a UW team once again have their halfcourt offense go cold against a highly rated team. This team will go far but we need to get better in close games.
- Thanksgiving football is one of the best traditions in sports. For 27 years I have watched the Lions and Cowboys and I hope to do so for many more years. It's not that I like either team and it's not that the games are guaranteed to be good. It's just tradition - don't get rid of it to make sure the games are more competitive. I want football to be in the background - I don't need it to be the main event.
- With a 107-100 OT win against Atlanta, the Nets are now 5-9 on the season. It's not good enough for the playoffs, but it is a huge improvement from last year. Considering that 5 of the 9 losses have come against the Magic (2), Heat, Nuggets and Jazz, I think this team is ready to take the next step.
- The holiday season always makes people realize how lucky they are. With temperatures in Seattle in the low teens the past few days, I couldn't think how lucky I am to have a roof over my head and food on my table. I am blessed to be able to have a silly thing like a blog because it means I have the resources to do so. If you are able to read this blog, I hope you can realize how blessed you are too.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday Five-Pack
Here is a 5-pack of thoughts to quench your Thanksgiving Eve appetite.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sounders Use Protection
After weeks of speculation, we finally found out who the Sounders were protecting from from the Expansion Draft. I made my own selections on Saturday and much to my surprise, was correct only correct on 7 of them: Alonso, Montero, Zakuani, Keller, Parke, Hurtado. The eighth player on the list was Brad Evans, a player that I really like but who I thought might not be protected because of his high salary and history of injuries. Ultimately I am happy he is coming back.
The final three names came as a big shock to me. Michael Fucito, James Riley and Nate Jaqua. I didn't see the Jaqua selection coming - he has a high salary, is from Oregon and was not starting at the end of the season. I figured he was a perfect candidate for Portland. As for Fucito, I guess they rate him super highly. I like him a lot I just didn't think he was one of the top 11. And what can I say about James Riley? I thought he was expendable, but apparently not.
The craziest thing about the players they protected was the resulting players that they did not protect. The biggest omission has to be Patrick Ianni. I know they protected two central defenders already, but how can you let him go? He was the heart and soul of their revamped defense and was quickly becoming a leader. There is NO way Portland doesn't pick him.
The other names to be left unprotected are Leo Gonzalez, Nathan Sturgis, Sanna Nyassi and Blaise Nkufo. I saw the Nkufo thing coming - his age, his salary, his production and his connection to Vancouver made it easy to see. I was on the fence with Sturgis and Nyassi so I am not surprised, but I am surprised about Leo. Maybe I am blind on this one, afterall I'm the same guy who said that James Riley was expendable, but he is only making $72k. And he is quality.
So now we sit here, less than 24 hours from the expansion draft, wondering who we will lose. We know it's going to be 2 players, but we don't know who. I expect Ianni and Nyassi but who knows, Vancouver might take a chance with Nkufo. Portland might take a chance with the steady Nathan Sturgis. Or they might throw a curveball and take Miguel Montano. I have no idea.
What I do know is that there is some talent available on other teams. There are the big name, big contract guys that won't be selected - Freddie Ljungberg, Nery Castillo, Julian de Guzman, Juan Pablo Angel. There are also the old guys like Freddie Hejduk, Pat Onstad, Guillermo Barros Schelotto. And then there are a lot of young, low salary, high talent guys like Anthony Wallace, Corey Ashe, Pat Phelan, Brad Knighton, Kyle Reinish, Shea Salinas, Tim Ward. And then there are some young, mid-salary, high talent guys like Dax McCarty, Daniel Hernandez, Ryan Cochrane, Chris Seitz, Eric Avila, Alex Nimo and Ned Grabavoy . Expansion teams never seem to pick who the pundits think they should, but there is some talent out there. I'll be happy to get more than 50% correct.
********
Also, I want to take this time to thank Pete Vagenas for his service to the Sounders. On Monday he was traded to Colorado for two international defenders - 21 year old Danny Earls from Ireland and 30 year old Julian Baudet from France. The trade was one of necessity - I think the Sounders no longer had room for him and his large salary while the Rapids had too many international players. I don't know what the team is going to do with either player, but Earls might be a cheap starting option if Leo is selected. Baudet, on the other hand, actually has a higher salary than Vagenas so this wasn't a true salary dump - I have a feeling the team might just release him.
This is just the start of what should be an interesting offseason. And if this is the sign of things to come, it will definitely be crazy.
The final three names came as a big shock to me. Michael Fucito, James Riley and Nate Jaqua. I didn't see the Jaqua selection coming - he has a high salary, is from Oregon and was not starting at the end of the season. I figured he was a perfect candidate for Portland. As for Fucito, I guess they rate him super highly. I like him a lot I just didn't think he was one of the top 11. And what can I say about James Riley? I thought he was expendable, but apparently not.
The craziest thing about the players they protected was the resulting players that they did not protect. The biggest omission has to be Patrick Ianni. I know they protected two central defenders already, but how can you let him go? He was the heart and soul of their revamped defense and was quickly becoming a leader. There is NO way Portland doesn't pick him.
The other names to be left unprotected are Leo Gonzalez, Nathan Sturgis, Sanna Nyassi and Blaise Nkufo. I saw the Nkufo thing coming - his age, his salary, his production and his connection to Vancouver made it easy to see. I was on the fence with Sturgis and Nyassi so I am not surprised, but I am surprised about Leo. Maybe I am blind on this one, afterall I'm the same guy who said that James Riley was expendable, but he is only making $72k. And he is quality.
So now we sit here, less than 24 hours from the expansion draft, wondering who we will lose. We know it's going to be 2 players, but we don't know who. I expect Ianni and Nyassi but who knows, Vancouver might take a chance with Nkufo. Portland might take a chance with the steady Nathan Sturgis. Or they might throw a curveball and take Miguel Montano. I have no idea.
What I do know is that there is some talent available on other teams. There are the big name, big contract guys that won't be selected - Freddie Ljungberg, Nery Castillo, Julian de Guzman, Juan Pablo Angel. There are also the old guys like Freddie Hejduk, Pat Onstad, Guillermo Barros Schelotto. And then there are a lot of young, low salary, high talent guys like Anthony Wallace, Corey Ashe, Pat Phelan, Brad Knighton, Kyle Reinish, Shea Salinas, Tim Ward. And then there are some young, mid-salary, high talent guys like Dax McCarty, Daniel Hernandez, Ryan Cochrane, Chris Seitz, Eric Avila, Alex Nimo and Ned Grabavoy . Expansion teams never seem to pick who the pundits think they should, but there is some talent out there. I'll be happy to get more than 50% correct.
********
Also, I want to take this time to thank Pete Vagenas for his service to the Sounders. On Monday he was traded to Colorado for two international defenders - 21 year old Danny Earls from Ireland and 30 year old Julian Baudet from France. The trade was one of necessity - I think the Sounders no longer had room for him and his large salary while the Rapids had too many international players. I don't know what the team is going to do with either player, but Earls might be a cheap starting option if Leo is selected. Baudet, on the other hand, actually has a higher salary than Vagenas so this wasn't a true salary dump - I have a feeling the team might just release him.
This is just the start of what should be an interesting offseason. And if this is the sign of things to come, it will definitely be crazy.
Monday, November 22, 2010
A Boring Hire
It is snowing this morning in Seattle. What a better way to warm up than to talk a little baseball, namely the Mets naming a new manager.
Up to now I have stayed out of it, not wanting to speculate on what might happen, or better yet, what should happen. We all knew that Wally Backman was going to be the fan favorite, but the question seemed whether he fit into what new GM Sandy Alderson was looking for. I am going to re-read Moneyball in the near future so I can get more insight into Alderson's philosophy, but my understanding is that he believes that an organization should be run by the GM and that the manager should be no more than a face in the dugout. Because of this I never really felt that Wally had a chance. Also going against Backman was the fact that he was the fan favorite - as I said when Alderson was hired, he is a man with a plan. We may not like it. It may not get better in the short term, but he believes he can turn the team around. Fans wanted Backman because he would provide us with some excitement even when our team stunk, but I ask what happens when that wears off? If we are hiring him to cuss and kick dirt around and the team continues not to win, then how are we better off as an organization?
So yeah, I'm ok with Wally not being hired. The fact is that he has had some less than stellar moments in his past and has never managed above AA. Normally you take a chance with a young manager when you're team is rebuilding and save the big name, big money guys for when you are winning. I don't think the Mets are in that position right now because they will never be in full rebuilding mode. The cyclical Marlins' fire sale just wouldn't work in Queens. We needed someone with major league experience who can help restore pride to the franchise.
Bob Melvin may not have been a sexy choice, but I would have felt a lot better about him than I did their actual choice: Terry Collins. Collins is not an unknown, but even the most hardcore of baseball fans could not have seen this coming as it has been 11 years since he managed in the Majors. Again, I am not in the predicting business, so it is entirely possible that it might work, but we are entrusting our franchise in a GM and a manager both who have not been in their current roles for more than a decade. I know I said I was going to believe in Alderson until he proves me wrong, but this is stretching it a little.
So why Collins? Reports are that he had 'more fire' in him than Melvin, that he is familiar with the organization (minor league coordinator in 2009) and that he shares Alderson's vision. That is all well and fine, but there is a reason why he hasn't managed since 1999. I don't know what that is, but the fact that no one gave him another chance despite his >.500 win percentage sends up some red flags. Of all the candidates he was secretly the one I was rooting against. I don't know why, but to me he feels like a boring hire. Luckily be boring has nothing to do with being successful. As Matt Cerrone has been reminding us at metsblog.com, Terry Francona and Joe Torre were also considered terrible hires at the time. It's way to early to say whether Collins will have even 1/4 the success of those two, but at least their is some precedence.
So let's take an in-depth look at his managing career. From 1994-1996 he managed the Houston Astros and came in second in the NL Central every year. In looking purely at the rosters, he may have overachieved slightly in his first two years -Bagwell and Biggio were studs, but their pitching staff - Reynolds, Drabek, Hampton, Kile -was certainly underwhelming. In 1996 though, the Astros were in first at late as Sept 1 and ended up finishing 8-15 in their final 23 games. The next year, the team hired their announcer and finished 1st in the division. Collins then went west to Anaheim and led the Angels to 2nd place finishes in both 1997 and 1998 before resigning after a 51-82 record in 1999.
So in 6 years as a major league manager, Collins led his team to 2nd place finishes 5 times. So why hasn't this guy got another major league job? He is clearly seems to be competent. Well, I think I may have found a possible reason. In 1999, the Angels' players petitioned the GM to fire him. His own players disliked him so much that they went to the GM to get rid of him. This may happen in other lines of work, but in the world of baseball and sports in general, this is just not done. Teams like to deal with problems internally. If you have a problem with a decision, you take it up with your teammate/coach in the dugout or behind closed doors. You don't go to the media. And you certainly don't go above someone's head. This is purely speculation, but I wonder if this stuck to Collins like the word 'steroids' sticks to certain players.
Whatever the reason, I want this to be my last time saying anything negative about Collins or Alderson until the season starts. I said I would put my trust in Sandy and that is what I need to do. So with that, welcome to New York, Terry Collins. I hope you are here for awhile.
***********
In an unrelated note, the wife and I taught my daughter to booo the Yankees. I have never been prouder.
Up to now I have stayed out of it, not wanting to speculate on what might happen, or better yet, what should happen. We all knew that Wally Backman was going to be the fan favorite, but the question seemed whether he fit into what new GM Sandy Alderson was looking for. I am going to re-read Moneyball in the near future so I can get more insight into Alderson's philosophy, but my understanding is that he believes that an organization should be run by the GM and that the manager should be no more than a face in the dugout. Because of this I never really felt that Wally had a chance. Also going against Backman was the fact that he was the fan favorite - as I said when Alderson was hired, he is a man with a plan. We may not like it. It may not get better in the short term, but he believes he can turn the team around. Fans wanted Backman because he would provide us with some excitement even when our team stunk, but I ask what happens when that wears off? If we are hiring him to cuss and kick dirt around and the team continues not to win, then how are we better off as an organization?
So yeah, I'm ok with Wally not being hired. The fact is that he has had some less than stellar moments in his past and has never managed above AA. Normally you take a chance with a young manager when you're team is rebuilding and save the big name, big money guys for when you are winning. I don't think the Mets are in that position right now because they will never be in full rebuilding mode. The cyclical Marlins' fire sale just wouldn't work in Queens. We needed someone with major league experience who can help restore pride to the franchise.
Bob Melvin may not have been a sexy choice, but I would have felt a lot better about him than I did their actual choice: Terry Collins. Collins is not an unknown, but even the most hardcore of baseball fans could not have seen this coming as it has been 11 years since he managed in the Majors. Again, I am not in the predicting business, so it is entirely possible that it might work, but we are entrusting our franchise in a GM and a manager both who have not been in their current roles for more than a decade. I know I said I was going to believe in Alderson until he proves me wrong, but this is stretching it a little.
So why Collins? Reports are that he had 'more fire' in him than Melvin, that he is familiar with the organization (minor league coordinator in 2009) and that he shares Alderson's vision. That is all well and fine, but there is a reason why he hasn't managed since 1999. I don't know what that is, but the fact that no one gave him another chance despite his >.500 win percentage sends up some red flags. Of all the candidates he was secretly the one I was rooting against. I don't know why, but to me he feels like a boring hire. Luckily be boring has nothing to do with being successful. As Matt Cerrone has been reminding us at metsblog.com, Terry Francona and Joe Torre were also considered terrible hires at the time. It's way to early to say whether Collins will have even 1/4 the success of those two, but at least their is some precedence.
So let's take an in-depth look at his managing career. From 1994-1996 he managed the Houston Astros and came in second in the NL Central every year. In looking purely at the rosters, he may have overachieved slightly in his first two years -Bagwell and Biggio were studs, but their pitching staff - Reynolds, Drabek, Hampton, Kile -was certainly underwhelming. In 1996 though, the Astros were in first at late as Sept 1 and ended up finishing 8-15 in their final 23 games. The next year, the team hired their announcer and finished 1st in the division. Collins then went west to Anaheim and led the Angels to 2nd place finishes in both 1997 and 1998 before resigning after a 51-82 record in 1999.
So in 6 years as a major league manager, Collins led his team to 2nd place finishes 5 times. So why hasn't this guy got another major league job? He is clearly seems to be competent. Well, I think I may have found a possible reason. In 1999, the Angels' players petitioned the GM to fire him. His own players disliked him so much that they went to the GM to get rid of him. This may happen in other lines of work, but in the world of baseball and sports in general, this is just not done. Teams like to deal with problems internally. If you have a problem with a decision, you take it up with your teammate/coach in the dugout or behind closed doors. You don't go to the media. And you certainly don't go above someone's head. This is purely speculation, but I wonder if this stuck to Collins like the word 'steroids' sticks to certain players.
Whatever the reason, I want this to be my last time saying anything negative about Collins or Alderson until the season starts. I said I would put my trust in Sandy and that is what I need to do. So with that, welcome to New York, Terry Collins. I hope you are here for awhile.
***********
In an unrelated note, the wife and I taught my daughter to booo the Yankees. I have never been prouder.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Pat Burns: 1952-2010
Pat Burns was awesome and probably my favorite of numerous Devils' coaches. He won the Jack Adams award for best coach three times, although not during his Stanley Cup-winning campaign with NJ.
For several years after he was diagnosed with cancer (in 2005) I had held out hope that he would recover to the point that he would return to the bench, which might have been selfish. I'm glad that he lived 5 years after his initial diagnosis and I'm glad we were treated to one last Coach Burns moment in September:
"They're trying to kill me before I'm dead. I come to Quebec to spend some time with my family and they say I'm dead. I'm not dead, far [expletive] from it. They've had me dead since June. Tell them I'm alive. Set them straight."
Rest in Peace, Coach.
Who Do Sounders Protect?
On Wednesday, Portland and Vancouver will take part in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft. Both teams will be choose a total of 10 players from current MLS teams, who are allowed to protect 11 players. Current teams are not allowed to lose more than 2 players and it is widely assumed that the Sounders will have the best talent available because of their depth. All Sounders' blogs will have a post dedicated solely to who should be protected and JerseySounder is no different. Over the past two years we have grown to love our players and losing two of them to our biggest rivals is going to hurt. Speculating on who it might be is helping some cope with the inevitable.
Before I get into my picks, I wanted to give a little history on MLS Expansion Drafts. Since 1997, there have been five Expansion drafts (2004-RSL, Chivas; 2006-Toronto; 2007-San Jose; 2008-Seattle; 2009-Philly) and 60 players chosen of which, Midfield (25) and Defense (21) have been the most popular positions. Of the 60 players, only 57% of the picks started at least one game for their new team and only 35% started more than 15 games. Of all the positions, 47% of Defenders started at least 15 games compared to 28% of Midfielders.
The various expansion teams had very different strategies heading into the draft. Of the ten Toronto selections, only 1 wore the Red that season as the team used the picks to make trades with other teams. On the other hand, all 10 Philly selections saw the field for the Union this year. As for Seattle, the Sounders got Jaqua, Sturgis, Parke, Vagenas, Riley, and Evans.
The tough thing about picking who to protect is that we don't know who is out of contract and who is looking to go overseas. In the past, expansion teams have taken chances on players who were looking to move to Europe (Sea- Parke, SJ-Goodison, Tor-Jaqua) hoping a change of scenery might convince them to stay. I don't think we have any of those guys, but we might have some players whose contracts are up - maybe Marshall, Vagenas?
With that being said, let's get to it. I asked my boy J-Will to give me his picks as well to see how much we agree. As it turns out, it appears that 7 players are obvious choices - Alonso, Montero, Zakuani, Fernandez, Parke, Hurtado, Ianni. The 8th player we both agreed on was Nathan Sturgis. He may not be flashy or even start for us next year, but he is a solid player who rarely seems rattled. And for $69k he is would be very, very attractive to Portland and Vancouver. The 9th player we agreed on was someone who I originally was torn on - Leo Gonzalez. It's not that I don't like Leo, it's just that outside backs are expendable and I assumed his salary to be high. Turns out he is only on the books $72k which would make him also very attractive. So there you go - 9 players who we agree on.
The final two players were the first two differences we had. My tenth pick was Kasey Keller. A few weeks ago I wondered aloud if we might take the chance to leave him unprotected. After all, we know for a fact that he would retire rather than going to our rivals. Still, I wouldn't put it past Portland to pick him just to piss us off. And while Vancouver is going to lean towards younger players, a one-year flier on Keller, even at $300k might make him attractive. In my mind, we just can't risk it - he is our heart and soul and we have no backup plan for next year if we didn't have his rights anymore. John, on the other hand, felt that he has lost a lot of steps and while he is certainly one of the top ten goalies in the league, he thinks his on field performance can be replaced. He thinks Keller would make a great assistant coach/back-up goalie if we can get a younger version.
For me, the final slot then came down to 5 players - Evans, Riley, Nyassi, Seamon, Fucito. I really like what the future might hold for Seamon and Fucito, but the fact remains that Seamon is still raw and other teams might not know his potential because of the limited action he saw. And really, I think either team could get comparable talent in the college draft. Fucito also has great upside, but unfortunately for Sounders he is not unknown, having scored several goals for the club. However, something just tells me that neither team will bite on a 5'8" player from Harvard.
As for Riley, both John and I think he is expendable. He is a great guy and he has a manageable salary ($76), but I think we can go elsewhere in the league to get a replacement. Losing James wouldn't hurt us terribly. That leaves Nyassi and Evans. I love Brad and hope that he is with us next year. But the reality is he is coming off another injury plagued year and his salary ($123k) is just high enough that neither team will want to select him. That leaves Nyassi as my 11th selection. He was a player who as late as July I thought needed to go. Obviously getting some goals changed my opinion of him, but really the deciding factor was his youth (21) and his salary ($40k). There is just too much potential for such a small price. I think Vancouver would LOVE to draft him. John on the other hand says that while he is "faster than a taco bell shit", he only recently learned to look up before he shanks his cross. Clearly this will not be an easy task.
If you look closely, you will notice the big name not on my list is Mr Blaise Nkufo. I was one of the biggest Nkufo supporters last year, but I just cannot justify protecting a 35-year old striker who is getting paid a crap-ton ($480) for 4 goals. He brings a lot to the team, but if we lose him, it will be an opportunity for us to sign a creative midfielder to run the show (Schelotto anyone?). His wife is from Vancouver, so that would be attractive to him I'm sure, but I just don't see the Whitecaps going in that direction. Remember, this is a team that values their academy. They basically gave up on the 2010 USL season when they released their leading scorer to make room for some younger players with better potential. We might just be able to dangle him with no bites.
Ok, that was a lot of fun. I have been looking forward to writing that for a long time now. For all you Sounders fans out there, let me know what you think. Here is a link of salary information for your information.
Before I get into my picks, I wanted to give a little history on MLS Expansion Drafts. Since 1997, there have been five Expansion drafts (2004-RSL, Chivas; 2006-Toronto; 2007-San Jose; 2008-Seattle; 2009-Philly) and 60 players chosen of which, Midfield (25) and Defense (21) have been the most popular positions. Of the 60 players, only 57% of the picks started at least one game for their new team and only 35% started more than 15 games. Of all the positions, 47% of Defenders started at least 15 games compared to 28% of Midfielders.
The various expansion teams had very different strategies heading into the draft. Of the ten Toronto selections, only 1 wore the Red that season as the team used the picks to make trades with other teams. On the other hand, all 10 Philly selections saw the field for the Union this year. As for Seattle, the Sounders got Jaqua, Sturgis, Parke, Vagenas, Riley, and Evans.
The tough thing about picking who to protect is that we don't know who is out of contract and who is looking to go overseas. In the past, expansion teams have taken chances on players who were looking to move to Europe (Sea- Parke, SJ-Goodison, Tor-Jaqua) hoping a change of scenery might convince them to stay. I don't think we have any of those guys, but we might have some players whose contracts are up - maybe Marshall, Vagenas?
With that being said, let's get to it. I asked my boy J-Will to give me his picks as well to see how much we agree. As it turns out, it appears that 7 players are obvious choices - Alonso, Montero, Zakuani, Fernandez, Parke, Hurtado, Ianni. The 8th player we both agreed on was Nathan Sturgis. He may not be flashy or even start for us next year, but he is a solid player who rarely seems rattled. And for $69k he is would be very, very attractive to Portland and Vancouver. The 9th player we agreed on was someone who I originally was torn on - Leo Gonzalez. It's not that I don't like Leo, it's just that outside backs are expendable and I assumed his salary to be high. Turns out he is only on the books $72k which would make him also very attractive. So there you go - 9 players who we agree on.
The final two players were the first two differences we had. My tenth pick was Kasey Keller. A few weeks ago I wondered aloud if we might take the chance to leave him unprotected. After all, we know for a fact that he would retire rather than going to our rivals. Still, I wouldn't put it past Portland to pick him just to piss us off. And while Vancouver is going to lean towards younger players, a one-year flier on Keller, even at $300k might make him attractive. In my mind, we just can't risk it - he is our heart and soul and we have no backup plan for next year if we didn't have his rights anymore. John, on the other hand, felt that he has lost a lot of steps and while he is certainly one of the top ten goalies in the league, he thinks his on field performance can be replaced. He thinks Keller would make a great assistant coach/back-up goalie if we can get a younger version.
For me, the final slot then came down to 5 players - Evans, Riley, Nyassi, Seamon, Fucito. I really like what the future might hold for Seamon and Fucito, but the fact remains that Seamon is still raw and other teams might not know his potential because of the limited action he saw. And really, I think either team could get comparable talent in the college draft. Fucito also has great upside, but unfortunately for Sounders he is not unknown, having scored several goals for the club. However, something just tells me that neither team will bite on a 5'8" player from Harvard.
As for Riley, both John and I think he is expendable. He is a great guy and he has a manageable salary ($76), but I think we can go elsewhere in the league to get a replacement. Losing James wouldn't hurt us terribly. That leaves Nyassi and Evans. I love Brad and hope that he is with us next year. But the reality is he is coming off another injury plagued year and his salary ($123k) is just high enough that neither team will want to select him. That leaves Nyassi as my 11th selection. He was a player who as late as July I thought needed to go. Obviously getting some goals changed my opinion of him, but really the deciding factor was his youth (21) and his salary ($40k). There is just too much potential for such a small price. I think Vancouver would LOVE to draft him. John on the other hand says that while he is "faster than a taco bell shit", he only recently learned to look up before he shanks his cross. Clearly this will not be an easy task.
If you look closely, you will notice the big name not on my list is Mr Blaise Nkufo. I was one of the biggest Nkufo supporters last year, but I just cannot justify protecting a 35-year old striker who is getting paid a crap-ton ($480) for 4 goals. He brings a lot to the team, but if we lose him, it will be an opportunity for us to sign a creative midfielder to run the show (Schelotto anyone?). His wife is from Vancouver, so that would be attractive to him I'm sure, but I just don't see the Whitecaps going in that direction. Remember, this is a team that values their academy. They basically gave up on the 2010 USL season when they released their leading scorer to make room for some younger players with better potential. We might just be able to dangle him with no bites.
Ok, that was a lot of fun. I have been looking forward to writing that for a long time now. For all you Sounders fans out there, let me know what you think. Here is a link of salary information for your information.
First Huskies Game
Last night I have the privilege of attending my first Huskies football game (not sure how I have gone 6 years without going to one...), a nationally televised Thursday night tilt against UCLA and former UW Coach Rick Neuheisel. While the team has been thoroughly disappointing this season, I was truly excited to soak in the experience. I can say that I wasn't let down.
The game started off on the wrong foot as UCLA took their second drive 92 yards on 13 drives and used 6:42 of clock time. They simply dominated the Huskies defense and it looked like it was going to be a long night. Husky Stadium was quiet. We all sensed what was coming. But then something strange happened - our defense starting making stops and when Jake scored on a 3 yards touchdown, the momentum switched and we never looked back. After their scoring drive drive, UCLA gained 50 yards on their final 12 drives, including -28 yards on their final 4 drives. The Husky defense was very solid and helped us win an ugly game.
It was special being their on Senior Night. I won't pretend like the atmosphere was amazing (I'd say the stadium was 3/4 full), but I definitely felt what it could be, or better yet was it was like once upon a time. The stadium was loud for a 3-6 team that hasn't been bowling since 2002. I can only imagine how insane it was during the good years.
Going to the game sort of changed my mind about the whole renovation thing. Not surprisingly, the UW Board of Regents approved a $250million renovation for Husky Stadium yesterday, a project that is supposed to be done in time for the 2013 season. At first I was against the renovation for a few reasons. First, and most importantly, that is a whopping amount of money to be spent on college athletics. In the current economic setting, spending this much money, regardless of the source, on athletics seems a little misguided. Second, Seattle already has a beautiful football stadium in Qwest Field. I know it is downtown and not on Mountlake, but it is downtown. How many universities say they play downtown in a major city...I think it could be great.
After going to the game last night, I can see why this is such a hot debate. A lot of the arguments made by fans is that if the games were played at Qwest, then there could be no tailgating. I found this humorous but after seeing what the tailgating experience was like, I can honestly see why so many people are not willing to give it up. This wasn't like tailgating at the Meadowlands and certainly not close to tailgating at Christy Matthewson Memorial Stadium -this was a community event. It seemed that everyone knew everyone (and they probably did). I'm not convinced this is the single reason why the Huskies need to play on campus, but I can certainly understand this argument more.
The other big argument is that you just can't replace the history and setting of the stadium. I honestly felt like I could have been watching a game from the 1950's (well, besides the insistent advertising and long-ass tv breaks..oh, and the cheerleaders and the increase physicality of the game) which was a pretty cool feeling. Somehow I felt a connection to the past, as small as it was. As for the setting? Well, what else can you say. The Big House might be the biggest. Death Valley might be the loudest. But Husky Stadium is the most picturesque; the most amazingly beautiful in the country, even at night time.
So yeah, I was totally sold on the experience. I still have reservations about how much money is being spent on renovating the stadium, but as always I will just turn my head and forget about it. I do it all the time with the Mets, so why not with the Huskies as well.
A major thanks to my boy T-Gasp for the tickets last night. We sat right on the 50 yard line in the 300 section. It was a cold evening, but we were protected from the wind and got to see the entire field in a Husky win. Can't ask for anything more.
The game started off on the wrong foot as UCLA took their second drive 92 yards on 13 drives and used 6:42 of clock time. They simply dominated the Huskies defense and it looked like it was going to be a long night. Husky Stadium was quiet. We all sensed what was coming. But then something strange happened - our defense starting making stops and when Jake scored on a 3 yards touchdown, the momentum switched and we never looked back. After their scoring drive drive, UCLA gained 50 yards on their final 12 drives, including -28 yards on their final 4 drives. The Husky defense was very solid and helped us win an ugly game.
It was special being their on Senior Night. I won't pretend like the atmosphere was amazing (I'd say the stadium was 3/4 full), but I definitely felt what it could be, or better yet was it was like once upon a time. The stadium was loud for a 3-6 team that hasn't been bowling since 2002. I can only imagine how insane it was during the good years.
Going to the game sort of changed my mind about the whole renovation thing. Not surprisingly, the UW Board of Regents approved a $250million renovation for Husky Stadium yesterday, a project that is supposed to be done in time for the 2013 season. At first I was against the renovation for a few reasons. First, and most importantly, that is a whopping amount of money to be spent on college athletics. In the current economic setting, spending this much money, regardless of the source, on athletics seems a little misguided. Second, Seattle already has a beautiful football stadium in Qwest Field. I know it is downtown and not on Mountlake, but it is downtown. How many universities say they play downtown in a major city...I think it could be great.
After going to the game last night, I can see why this is such a hot debate. A lot of the arguments made by fans is that if the games were played at Qwest, then there could be no tailgating. I found this humorous but after seeing what the tailgating experience was like, I can honestly see why so many people are not willing to give it up. This wasn't like tailgating at the Meadowlands and certainly not close to tailgating at Christy Matthewson Memorial Stadium -this was a community event. It seemed that everyone knew everyone (and they probably did). I'm not convinced this is the single reason why the Huskies need to play on campus, but I can certainly understand this argument more.
The other big argument is that you just can't replace the history and setting of the stadium. I honestly felt like I could have been watching a game from the 1950's (well, besides the insistent advertising and long-ass tv breaks..oh, and the cheerleaders and the increase physicality of the game) which was a pretty cool feeling. Somehow I felt a connection to the past, as small as it was. As for the setting? Well, what else can you say. The Big House might be the biggest. Death Valley might be the loudest. But Husky Stadium is the most picturesque; the most amazingly beautiful in the country, even at night time.
So yeah, I was totally sold on the experience. I still have reservations about how much money is being spent on renovating the stadium, but as always I will just turn my head and forget about it. I do it all the time with the Mets, so why not with the Huskies as well.
A major thanks to my boy T-Gasp for the tickets last night. We sat right on the 50 yard line in the 300 section. It was a cold evening, but we were protected from the wind and got to see the entire field in a Husky win. Can't ask for anything more.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Sounders and Other Random Things
On my way into work this morning I came to the realization that I am officially over the Soudners quick exit. Somehow I have totally forgotten about their playoff meltdown and am busy getting ready for next season. While I have tried to stay out of the NBA and NHL rumor mill, the MLS rumor mill is one that I love. Not only do we have an expansion draft and a college draft this offseason, but we also have the first ever Re-Entry draft in which veterans players out of contract are able to move to another team willing to pay their salary. Their is going to be a lot of movement, as well as a lot of rumors. For instance, Sounder at Heart has asked whether Guillermo Barros Schelotto might be a perfect fit for our midfield? Who knows if it will happen, but I'll say right now, if we had the chance to get Schelotto for 1-2 years I would much prefer it than Nkufo for another year. OK, ok, this post is not meant to dive into the rumors, but simply to say that I am officially back. Expect more Sounders posts over the next three weeks.
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I did want to take this opportunity to write about the OKC Thunder. In a recent post I said that I expect them to win multiple titles over the next decade -I think they are a great team. What will make them especially hard to beat is their foul shooting. Through 11 games this year they are shooting 88% as a team from the charity stripe. To put this in perspective, the second ranked team is at 81%. Beating OKC in close games is going to be near impossible because they will only miss 1 out of every 10 foul shots. Oh and it doesn't hurt that Durant and Westbrook, their two best players are shooting 93% and 92% from the line respectively. It's just amazing.
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Finally, congrats to Felix Hernandez for winning the Cy Young. He was simply dominant this year, leading the league in both ERA (2.27) and innings pitched (249 2/3) while finishing second in strikeouts (232) and WHIP (1.06). A big congrats to the voters as well who were not swayed negatively by his 13-12 record. Anyone in Seattle can tell you how terrible the M's offense was this year - win/loss should not be the sole indication of how great you were. If you switch Sabathia with King Felix he would have done no better because the M's didn't score any runs. AND if you think about, King Felix's ERA was artificially high because he didn't get the pleasure of facing the M's several times this year. to prove my point, take some time to look at Sabathia's game log. Go find what his record and ERA was against the M's this year......ok, fine, I'll help ya. Sabathia went 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA.
************
I did want to take this opportunity to write about the OKC Thunder. In a recent post I said that I expect them to win multiple titles over the next decade -I think they are a great team. What will make them especially hard to beat is their foul shooting. Through 11 games this year they are shooting 88% as a team from the charity stripe. To put this in perspective, the second ranked team is at 81%. Beating OKC in close games is going to be near impossible because they will only miss 1 out of every 10 foul shots. Oh and it doesn't hurt that Durant and Westbrook, their two best players are shooting 93% and 92% from the line respectively. It's just amazing.
************
Finally, congrats to Felix Hernandez for winning the Cy Young. He was simply dominant this year, leading the league in both ERA (2.27) and innings pitched (249 2/3) while finishing second in strikeouts (232) and WHIP (1.06). A big congrats to the voters as well who were not swayed negatively by his 13-12 record. Anyone in Seattle can tell you how terrible the M's offense was this year - win/loss should not be the sole indication of how great you were. If you switch Sabathia with King Felix he would have done no better because the M's didn't score any runs. AND if you think about, King Felix's ERA was artificially high because he didn't get the pleasure of facing the M's several times this year. to prove my point, take some time to look at Sabathia's game log. Go find what his record and ERA was against the M's this year......ok, fine, I'll help ya. Sabathia went 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA.
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