Damn it Will, make a post!
Anyway, here are some thoughts about the first half of this weekend:
As mentioned yesterday, Ty Wigginton is a fucking beast
[MASN, again]
Brian Roberts signed a 4 year, $40 million extension, meaning he'll get to see a winning Orioles season! Also, it means he could be the first lifetime Oriole since Cal. Who does that nowadays? Class acts, that's who. I'm buying a Roberts player-tee first chance I get.
Penguins win over Philly in the City of Brotherly Filth. If you play for the Flyers, you probably hate yourself. Their fans have confused being assholes with being enthusiastic. Every time the prompt is "Let's Go Flyers" they shout "Crosby Sucks". Yeah, because the 2nd best points scorer in the NHL who just dropped 4 points on your team, including the game-winning goal, sucks. Retards.
[NHL.com]
It'll be interesting to see if the fairweather Caps fans who've sprung up recently will emulate their cousins 2 hours northeast. I hope so, nothing motivates Sid like a bunch of retards saying he sucks.
Resign Ruslan ("ROOOOOOSE") Fedotenko. The guy is 100% heart and looks good on Crosby's line. The first line of Dupuis-Crosby-Fedotenko was absolutely dominant this game. Enough of amateur GM.
Has Maryland done enough to get into the NCAA tourney? Not yet. A win over Duke and an overall 2-2 finish would be enough I should think, especially on the heels of beating the... Heels.
But losing to Duke, and winning out the rest of the season would put the Terps at 20-10 (9-7), which in my opinion should be enough to get them into the NCAA bracket. If you let any PAC-10 or Big Ten or (your God forbid) a Big XII team in before them, there's something seriously wrong with your judgment. 3 of 7 losses against two of the top 10 in the country? Nothing to sneeze at.
It's going to take some falls by Arizona, Michigan, and other bubble teams to make this more of a reality. Two or three wins in the ACC tourney would be crucial as well. If Morgan State wins their conference, MD looks better as a result. Michigan State winning out would also help the Terps a ton. In short, it's one of those iffy situations that never seem to favor the Terps. I'm not expecting them to make the big 65, but they at least deserve consideration this year.
If you don't like Pitt's basketball team, there's something seriously wrong with you. In recent years, they've tried a lock-down, defensive style that only their mothers could love. This would be successful in the regular season, but kill them in the tourney. This year, after Blair was in foul trouble early for a few games, they decided to open up their play. The result was big wins, including in Hartford against UConn. Fields is a great quarterback for the offense. Blair is THE rebound machine. Dixon is Juan Dixon's brother. Young is also great. I sincerely hope these guys win the whole tournament, they're the most likable team since Curry appeared at Davidson. Plus I get to riot.
Tomorrow: even if the Pens leave Washington with no points, this weekend can't by any means be considered a loss. Going up against the 2nd and 4th seeds on their turf, would you have believed they could split? I'd hoped, but it seemed unrealistic. Now, the Pens have met their 2 point total.
2 games ago, someone brought up the point that 92 points, 43 wins should be enough for the playoffs. This required the Pens to go at least 16-8-0. So far, it's 2-0-0. The difference between 64 points and 60 points seems astronomical nowadays. Even if the Penguins miss the playoffs, they're putting on a hell of a show late in the season. I'm feeling every game like I'm rooting for a playoff club, and the atmosphere in Pittsburgh is frenetic, amazing. Camaraderie between true Pens fans is huge, and you can see the hope on everyone's faces. It's the stuff I usually sneer at when it comes from Steelers fans, but I've softened up a ton about that.
Being a sports fan in Pittsburgh is honestly better than being a sports fan everywhere else. This city suffered such a slow burn in the late 60s and 70s, and the population had to get their minds to something happy. This explains the slavish Steeler devotion. Think about what Detroit's going through now, and magnify that. If only the Lions were any good...
Anyway, that's my take on the early weekend. It's good to feel so good about all three of my favorite teams. Chargers will win Super Bowl 44, fact.
- Matt
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Like Finding $20 In Your Girlfriend's Boobs
Kudos to Will for pointing this out to me.
Over the years, I've condensed sports news out of Washington into small factoids:
* Redskins pay out the ass for washed-up, asshole Free Agent
* Capitals upset in 2nd round of playoffs despite excellent regular season
* Wizards have stupidest name ever (and stole the Bullets from the better city)
But today, I was treated to a special tidbit of information. Apparently, the Nationals' prized prospect was not who or how old they thought he was:
[Rob Neyer]
Just how dumb is this mistake? The Nasty Nats paid him $1.4 million. For reference, in 1989, the only player getting paid more than that by the Orioles was Cal Fucking Ripken, Jr. Honestly, there's not much to say about this, except the Nationals almost make the Pirates look like a well-managed franchise. Just kidding, the Pirates are pretty much the worst club ever.
In other, happier news, I'm going to sign up for the MLB Gamecenter whatever the hell they call it thing. This means I'll be able to still watch O's games this year, and thus occasionally write a recap. In case you're unfamiliar with my writing style, it will be extremely sarcastic and openly question the heterosexuality of any opposing pitcher, as well as imply they itch their bellies.
Big news expected out of Brian Roberts tomorrow. Since this is a rumor I read on Orioles Hangout's message boards, I won't bother linking. If I took message boards seriously, I'd think Jordan Staal was getting traded to Atlanta every 40 seconds.
Root for anyone playing the Panthers, Hurricanes, Canadiens, Sabres, or Rangers, in that order.
- Matt
Over the years, I've condensed sports news out of Washington into small factoids:
* Redskins pay out the ass for washed-up, asshole Free Agent
* Capitals upset in 2nd round of playoffs despite excellent regular season
* Wizards have stupidest name ever (and stole the Bullets from the better city)
But today, I was treated to a special tidbit of information. Apparently, the Nationals' prized prospect was not who or how old they thought he was:
[Rob Neyer]
Just how dumb is this mistake? The Nasty Nats paid him $1.4 million. For reference, in 1989, the only player getting paid more than that by the Orioles was Cal Fucking Ripken, Jr. Honestly, there's not much to say about this, except the Nationals almost make the Pirates look like a well-managed franchise. Just kidding, the Pirates are pretty much the worst club ever.
In other, happier news, I'm going to sign up for the MLB Gamecenter whatever the hell they call it thing. This means I'll be able to still watch O's games this year, and thus occasionally write a recap. In case you're unfamiliar with my writing style, it will be extremely sarcastic and openly question the heterosexuality of any opposing pitcher, as well as imply they itch their bellies.
Big news expected out of Brian Roberts tomorrow. Since this is a rumor I read on Orioles Hangout's message boards, I won't bother linking. If I took message boards seriously, I'd think Jordan Staal was getting traded to Atlanta every 40 seconds.
Root for anyone playing the Panthers, Hurricanes, Canadiens, Sabres, or Rangers, in that order.
- Matt
Monday, February 16, 2009
Washington: Joke City
Surprisingly, I'm not talking about the Capitals.
Long have I mocked the Nationals. You just can't turn the Expos into contenders in a few years, especially with a strategy that makes Peter Angelos blush. So imagine my surprise when I happened upon this little nugget:
[ESPN, sadly]
I don't think I've ever heard of someone announcing their regret upon signing with a team before Spring Training really got going. Check out this gem from manager Manny Acta:
"I really do not understand what is happening. I am waiting for Odalis since Saturday, but nobody has given me a reason for his absence from the field,"
Perhaps you should try checking with him:
"I thought it best and I prefer to sit in my house if the Nationals do not show more appreciation for my work," Perez said from Santo Domingo.
Appreciation, eh? I wonder if they appreciate his 7-12 record. But wait, maybe his team just failed to score runs while he was pitching. Oh, 4.34 ERA? In the National League? Well, at least he ate a lot of innings... wait, 159 2/3. Tell me they couldn't get that from other pitchers. This is why you see this when you google "Washington baseball"
Grossest image ever put on this site for sure
In other news, I know this has nothing to do with DC, but I have to wonder why Oklahoma is about to become the number 1 team in the coach's poll. The Big 12 is maybe the fourth best conference in the country, behind the Big East, ACC and even the Big Ten. The Pac 10 is also probably better than the Big 12.
Pittsburgh seems to have shifted to a more offensive style of play, in response to DeJuan Blair getting into foul trouble early and often. The result has been domination, including an upset against number 1 Connecticut in Hartford. This change in philosophy could be exactly what the school needs to finally crack the Final Four. The only two losses by Pitt are to a streaking Louisville team and an underrated Villanova squad. No one in the country has lost to a combination of better teams. That's the quality of a top team.
As for Maryland, they're going to need to win at least 5 of their remaining 6 games. Wins over Clemson, Duke and North Carolina would help a lot. Will this happen? No. When does Orioles season start again?
- Matt
Long have I mocked the Nationals. You just can't turn the Expos into contenders in a few years, especially with a strategy that makes Peter Angelos blush. So imagine my surprise when I happened upon this little nugget:
[ESPN, sadly]
I don't think I've ever heard of someone announcing their regret upon signing with a team before Spring Training really got going. Check out this gem from manager Manny Acta:
"I really do not understand what is happening. I am waiting for Odalis since Saturday, but nobody has given me a reason for his absence from the field,"
Perhaps you should try checking with him:
"I thought it best and I prefer to sit in my house if the Nationals do not show more appreciation for my work," Perez said from Santo Domingo.
Appreciation, eh? I wonder if they appreciate his 7-12 record. But wait, maybe his team just failed to score runs while he was pitching. Oh, 4.34 ERA? In the National League? Well, at least he ate a lot of innings... wait, 159 2/3. Tell me they couldn't get that from other pitchers. This is why you see this when you google "Washington baseball"
Grossest image ever put on this site for sure
In other news, I know this has nothing to do with DC, but I have to wonder why Oklahoma is about to become the number 1 team in the coach's poll. The Big 12 is maybe the fourth best conference in the country, behind the Big East, ACC and even the Big Ten. The Pac 10 is also probably better than the Big 12.
Pittsburgh seems to have shifted to a more offensive style of play, in response to DeJuan Blair getting into foul trouble early and often. The result has been domination, including an upset against number 1 Connecticut in Hartford. This change in philosophy could be exactly what the school needs to finally crack the Final Four. The only two losses by Pitt are to a streaking Louisville team and an underrated Villanova squad. No one in the country has lost to a combination of better teams. That's the quality of a top team.
As for Maryland, they're going to need to win at least 5 of their remaining 6 games. Wins over Clemson, Duke and North Carolina would help a lot. Will this happen? No. When does Orioles season start again?
- Matt
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Way Too Early MVP Talk
Bunch of names have been floating out there. Ovechkin seems to be the favorite for this year's Hart, though I don't really know why. He's not even the best player on the Caps this year (see below).
I'm a firm believer that the main difference maker on a playoff team should be the MVP each year. Recently, there's been a trend of just voting for the Art Ross winner. In that case, put money on Malkin getting the MVP trophy as well. But say the Penguins don't make the playoffs, or they do but not by any special feat by Malkin. Who are the 3 candidates (and honorable mentions) I would choose?
I had to make one of my top 3 a situational pick. That is, his team must make the playoffs for him to be seriously considered. But here are my honorable mentions first:
Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings)
Why: He's a friggin' beast, and the leader of a great team
Why Not: He hasn't been THE reason for Detroit's success, he's a player in a very good system.
Joe Thornton (Sharks)
Why: Leading point getter on the Sharks
Why Not: Nothing particularly amazing beyond that.
Scott Clemmensen (Devils)
Why: Who thought the Devils would be leading the Atlantic this late without Martin Brodeur? If you say you did, you're a lying asshole.
Why Not: Better goalies below
Zdeno Chara (Bruins)
Why: Are you going to argue with the Yeti's performance?
Why Not: He's not even the top performer on his team, see below.
Evgeni Malkin (Penguins)
Why: For reasons stated above
Why Not: Could potentially happen (probably will make top 3), but I don't see him winning without the Pens in the playoffs.
Alex Ovechkin (Capitals)
Why: League's leading goal scorer, and he's a force on the ice
Why Not: He's a cog in the well-oiled Capitals machine, and the Caps haven't been challenged in their division-leading supremacy like the other five front-runners.
Now, for my top 3:
3. Steve Mason (Blue Jackets)
Why: The shoo-in for ROY, he currently leads the league in GAA and shutouts. The kid is absolutely phenomenal, he deserves it.
Why Not: If the Blue Jackets don't make the playoffs, it'll be all for naught.
2. Tim Thomas (Bruins)
Why: He's been leading the league or in the top few all season for GAA and Save Percentage. His solid play is the reason for Boston's dominance of the Eastern Conference, and their drastic improvement over last year.
Why Not: It might be more for his D than his individual effort.
Finally....
1. Mike Green (Capitals)
Why: He's been the best player in the NHL this year, hands down. Not only is he leading a surprising defensive corps, he also broke the NHL record tonight for most consecutive games with a goal (7). He's a leader on the ice and his solid play is an example to every hockey player in the world.
Why Not: Just like the QB-RB bias for the Heisman Trophy, there's a Forward bias in hockey, with Goalies occasionally grabbing one for exceptional years. Voters may overlook this human wrecking ball, in favor of someone flashier (Malkin or his teammate, Ovechkin). This would, in my opinion, be a loss for the league.
Well, look at that. I chose a Capital to win the Hart. Looks like I'm not an outrageous homer after all.
- Matt
I'm a firm believer that the main difference maker on a playoff team should be the MVP each year. Recently, there's been a trend of just voting for the Art Ross winner. In that case, put money on Malkin getting the MVP trophy as well. But say the Penguins don't make the playoffs, or they do but not by any special feat by Malkin. Who are the 3 candidates (and honorable mentions) I would choose?
I had to make one of my top 3 a situational pick. That is, his team must make the playoffs for him to be seriously considered. But here are my honorable mentions first:
Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings)
Why: He's a friggin' beast, and the leader of a great team
Why Not: He hasn't been THE reason for Detroit's success, he's a player in a very good system.
Joe Thornton (Sharks)
Why: Leading point getter on the Sharks
Why Not: Nothing particularly amazing beyond that.
Scott Clemmensen (Devils)
Why: Who thought the Devils would be leading the Atlantic this late without Martin Brodeur? If you say you did, you're a lying asshole.
Why Not: Better goalies below
Zdeno Chara (Bruins)
Why: Are you going to argue with the Yeti's performance?
Why Not: He's not even the top performer on his team, see below.
Evgeni Malkin (Penguins)
Why: For reasons stated above
Why Not: Could potentially happen (probably will make top 3), but I don't see him winning without the Pens in the playoffs.
Alex Ovechkin (Capitals)
Why: League's leading goal scorer, and he's a force on the ice
Why Not: He's a cog in the well-oiled Capitals machine, and the Caps haven't been challenged in their division-leading supremacy like the other five front-runners.
Now, for my top 3:
3. Steve Mason (Blue Jackets)
Why: The shoo-in for ROY, he currently leads the league in GAA and shutouts. The kid is absolutely phenomenal, he deserves it.
Why Not: If the Blue Jackets don't make the playoffs, it'll be all for naught.
2. Tim Thomas (Bruins)
Why: He's been leading the league or in the top few all season for GAA and Save Percentage. His solid play is the reason for Boston's dominance of the Eastern Conference, and their drastic improvement over last year.
Why Not: It might be more for his D than his individual effort.
Finally....
1. Mike Green (Capitals)
Why: He's been the best player in the NHL this year, hands down. Not only is he leading a surprising defensive corps, he also broke the NHL record tonight for most consecutive games with a goal (7). He's a leader on the ice and his solid play is an example to every hockey player in the world.
Why Not: Just like the QB-RB bias for the Heisman Trophy, there's a Forward bias in hockey, with Goalies occasionally grabbing one for exceptional years. Voters may overlook this human wrecking ball, in favor of someone flashier (Malkin or his teammate, Ovechkin). This would, in my opinion, be a loss for the league.
Well, look at that. I chose a Capital to win the Hart. Looks like I'm not an outrageous homer after all.
- Matt
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Hate Expectations
As an O's fan, I can safely say I've enjoyed seeing McPhail make moves and cause a splash in the sports media. Yet, I also know that thinking the Orioles will be contenders this year is a joke at best. And if you're like me, you're staring at the depth chart on the Orioles' homepage, trying to figure out just how much you should expect from this team.
No? Well, fuck you too, buddy.
Anyway, I decided to use pseudo-scientific bullshit to put some numbers on said expectations, just to see some tangible statistic. What I'm doing is no different than ESPN's writers, I'm just admitting it's bullshit. Anyway, I only applied this to the batting stats, since it's impossible to tie down 5 starting pitchers for the O's this year.
1. Brian Roberts: 100 R, 170 H, 45 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 55 RBI, 70 BB, 85 SO, 40 SB, .290 AVG, .360 OBP
2. Adam Jones: 75 R, 140 H, 25 2B, 8 3B, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 30 BB, 120 SO, 13 SB, .275 AVG, .320 OBP
3. Nick Markakis: 120 R, 190 H, 50 2B, 2 3B, 28 HR, 100 RBI, 110 BB, 110 SO, 12 SB, .310 AVG, .415 OBP
4. Aubrey Huff: 90 R, 160 H, 40 2B, 2 3B, 25 HR, 100 RBI, 50 BB, 80 SO, 2 SB, .295 AVG, .355 OBP
5. Melvin Mora: 74 R, 140 H, 25 2B, 1 3B, 20 HR, 95 RBI, 45 BB, 80 SO, 4 SB, .280 AVG, .340 OBP
6. Luke Scott: 60 R, 125 H, 30 2B, 3 3B, 25 HR, 75 RBI, 50 BB, 100 SO, 2 SB, .260 AVG, .340 OBP
7. Cesar Izturis: 50 R, 120 H, 10 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 30 BB, 20 SO, 26 SB, .270 AVG, .325 OBP
8. Gregg Zaun: 40 R, 75 H, 15 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 60 BB, 50 SO, 3 SB, .240 AVG, .345 OBP
9. Felix Pie: 50 R, 70 H, 10 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 35 RBI, 25 BB, 40 SO, 20 SB, .260 AVG, .330 OBP
As you can see, I'm expecting improved performance from last year from B-Rob, Jones, Markakis, Izturis, and Pie. The others aren't getting any younger, but they're not going to be suffering a huge drop-off, exactly. Still, overall batting performance from the starters will be better than last year. We'll see how close reality is to these estimates. In the end, I'm seeing the O's end up with 75 wins. Whatever.
- Matt
No? Well, fuck you too, buddy.
Anyway, I decided to use pseudo-scientific bullshit to put some numbers on said expectations, just to see some tangible statistic. What I'm doing is no different than ESPN's writers, I'm just admitting it's bullshit. Anyway, I only applied this to the batting stats, since it's impossible to tie down 5 starting pitchers for the O's this year.
1. Brian Roberts: 100 R, 170 H, 45 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 55 RBI, 70 BB, 85 SO, 40 SB, .290 AVG, .360 OBP
2. Adam Jones: 75 R, 140 H, 25 2B, 8 3B, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 30 BB, 120 SO, 13 SB, .275 AVG, .320 OBP
3. Nick Markakis: 120 R, 190 H, 50 2B, 2 3B, 28 HR, 100 RBI, 110 BB, 110 SO, 12 SB, .310 AVG, .415 OBP
4. Aubrey Huff: 90 R, 160 H, 40 2B, 2 3B, 25 HR, 100 RBI, 50 BB, 80 SO, 2 SB, .295 AVG, .355 OBP
5. Melvin Mora: 74 R, 140 H, 25 2B, 1 3B, 20 HR, 95 RBI, 45 BB, 80 SO, 4 SB, .280 AVG, .340 OBP
6. Luke Scott: 60 R, 125 H, 30 2B, 3 3B, 25 HR, 75 RBI, 50 BB, 100 SO, 2 SB, .260 AVG, .340 OBP
7. Cesar Izturis: 50 R, 120 H, 10 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 30 BB, 20 SO, 26 SB, .270 AVG, .325 OBP
8. Gregg Zaun: 40 R, 75 H, 15 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 60 BB, 50 SO, 3 SB, .240 AVG, .345 OBP
9. Felix Pie: 50 R, 70 H, 10 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 35 RBI, 25 BB, 40 SO, 20 SB, .260 AVG, .330 OBP
As you can see, I'm expecting improved performance from last year from B-Rob, Jones, Markakis, Izturis, and Pie. The others aren't getting any younger, but they're not going to be suffering a huge drop-off, exactly. Still, overall batting performance from the starters will be better than last year. We'll see how close reality is to these estimates. In the end, I'm seeing the O's end up with 75 wins. Whatever.
- Matt
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