Friday, May 30, 2008

Bleacher Report

I'm contributing articles to the Bleacher Report, an open source sportswriting network.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/26043-New-York-Jets-Quarterback-Controversy-Kellen-Clemens-vs-Chad-Pennington-290508
Click the link above if you want to read my latest article on the Jets QB controversy.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

New band?

According to ultimate-guitar.com, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is starting a new band. The Chili Peppers are legends, and with them "disbanded" for a year to work on other things, word has leaked out that Smith is working on something big. How big? Try RHCP, Van Halen (well, Van Hagar), and Joe Satriani. Smith is joining forces with bassist Michael Anthony and famed singer Sammy Hagar of Van Halen as well as one of the best guitarists of all time, Joe Satriani. The band is called "Chickenfoot" and Hagar is very excited about it.

Hagar said in an interview with Spinner, "The band is like Cream, without the jazz, and with funk mixed in. We'll get up, do a verse of a song and then just go for 20 minutes. It's pretty great." As a mild Cream fan, a fan of Chili Pepper-style funk and not necessarily jazz, that's music to my ears.

But Hagar has even bigger plans. "We've written eight, nine songs...When people hear the music, it's Led Zeppelin. It's as good as that. I know that's a mighty bold statement...We could rival Zep."

Chad Smith spoke about the creation of the band.
"If you're in Cabo, of course you know Sammy 'cause he's, you know, he rules the joint. And he's a really nice man, he's a great guy actually. Somehow he's taken a liking to me, and we played in Vegas, and we played some cover songs — we're a good cover band now. He got pretty excited about it and it actually sounded really good. Him and Joe got together up at his place and they wrote like five things together, and we'll see."

No leak to any of their songs is out yet, but there's no doubt that this is a group to look forward to in the coming years. Imagine that cover band though playing at some function.

Quotes used from www.ultimate-guitar.com and www.spinner.com

The Mangenius

I've always been a fan of Eric Mangini since the Jets hired him, but he's quickly become one of the best/most quotable coaches in the game. Starting now, I'm going to start compiling quotes of his because some are just downright funny. I'll edit this as I go along.
5/29/08: Mangini on why they signed FB Tony Richardson: “I wanted to bring in a contemporary (of mine).”
5/29/08: "I have not spoken to [Chris Baker] since we last spoke (May 22)," Mangini said. "Actually I owe him a call. I’ll probably text him or call him either tonight or tomorrow. Texting is my new thing."
5/28/08: After revealing that QB coach Brian Daboll gave both Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens books after the year that had ways on which they could improve, "tip sheets" if you will, Mangini was asked whose book was bigger. “I don’t know if size totally matters,” Mangini deadpanned
5/22/08: “Having the passion for ballroom dancing like I do…” he began, referring to Jason Taylor’s appearance on “Dancing With the Stars.” “I’ve watched some of that. He’s pretty good. I didn’t vote, but I thought he did a great job. As long as he wants to stay out of Miami’s camp, I think he should.”
6/1/07: "We had three guys fall over the bags yesterday. Nobody fell over them today. That's improvement." -- Coach Eric Mangini on the progress the Jets' rookies made from the first to second day of their first mini-camp.
8/9/08: After Favre's first practice. “Guess word’s out how much better my press conferences are. Good to see.”
8/10/08: “Brett had his two hard-boiled eggs, a little bit of orange juice. There was a garnish, I think, and some hash browns.” Then someone asked him what he ate first. “It was a tough call, because the eggs were mixed with the hashbrowns, so I don’t know which one actually hit his mouth first. I’ll film it next time.”

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

NBA Mock Draft v1.0

1. Chicago - Derrick Rose, Memphis
2. Miami - Michael Beasley, Kansas State
3. Minnesota - Kevin Love, UCLA
4. Seattle - Jerryd Bayless, Arizona
5. Memphis - Brook Lopez, Stanford
6. New York - OJ Mayo, USC
7. Los Angeles Clippers - Eric Gordon, Indiana
8. Milwaukee - Danilo Gallinari, Italy
9. Charlotte - Anthony Randolph, LSU
10. New Jersey - DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M
11. Indiana - DJ Augustin, Texas
12. Sacramento - Russell Westbrook, UCLA
13. Portland - Joe Alexander, West Virginia
14. Golden State - Darrell Arthur, Golden State
15. Phoenix - Brandon Rush, Kansas
16. Philadelphia - Marreese Speights, Florida
17. Toronto - Donte Greene, Syracuse
18. Washington - JaVale McGee, Nevada
19. Cleveland - Kosta Koufos, Ohio State
20. Denver - Ty Lawson, North Carolina
21. New Jersey - Chase Budinger, Arizona
22. Orlando - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis
23. Utah - Roy Hibbert, Georgetown
24. Seattle - Serge Ibaka, Congo
25. Houston - Nicolas Batum, France
26. San Antonio - Alexis Ajinca, France
27. New Orleans - Bill Walker, Kansas State
28. Memphis - Robin Lopez, Stanford
29. Detroit - Nathan Jawai, Australia
30. Boston - Trent Plaisted, BYU

Halfway through the Great Joba Transition

Sorry about the lack of updates, I've been busy moving in and starting school again (yes, it's May 28, I'm currently in my Business Dynamics class), but it's time to discuss Joba Chamberlain yet again. Last week after another fantastic Darrell Rasner start, manager Joe Girardi killed the Rasner buzz by announcing that Chamberlain's transition to becoming a starting pitcher was underway. The bullpen had been a little shaky outside of the final two innings, where Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera had essentially made games 7 innings long. Unfortunately for the Yankees, the Yankees were often losing those 7 inning long games, with an average starting rotation and a slumping offense without Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez. Besides taking the two best Yankees bats from the previous season from the lineup, it also took away the team's two best non-lefty bats, making the lineup both less potent and less balanced. The lefty-heavy lineup struggled, but Rodriguez is back in the lineup and some hitters who had struggled have returned to form, like Jason Giambi. The struggling team decided to begin the transition for Chamberlain, a very risky move at the time, since in the short-term, the Yankees were below .500 and removing Chamberlain from high pressure 8th inning situations would not immediately help the situation.

Chamberlain's schedule is relatively set in terms of which days he will pitch and how long he will pitch. He might be able to make his first start next week, but he would only likely be able to go about 4 innings or so. In the quest to extend him to about 100-110 pitches, we are about to enter the awkward middle part where he throws about 60-70 pitches, too long for a scheduled relief pitching appearance, but too short for a reasonable start. That leads to the question of whether it hurts the team to put his development so high on the list of priorities. Clearly, one can make that argument from watching the game last night and watching Ross Ohlendorf and LaTroy Hawkins blow the game, but that's a story for another paragraph. Should the Yankees either extend their bullpen by making Chamberlain start a game, or should they plan on or limit a starter (Mussina?) to pitching only 5 innings in a start? Neither scenario is particularly appealing, especially since the Yankees lack a long reliever. Many have suggested that Chamberlain make a start or two in the minors, but Chamberlain has been such an amazing pitcher in his short career, that it wouldn't make any sense for the Yankees to waste some of his innings this season in the minors. Even if it messes with the rotation to a certain extent, Chamberlain is the second-most trustworthy pitcher on the team, and it would be better for the team for Chamberlain to pitch those 10 innings rather than a Ross Ohlendorf/LaTroy Hawkins/Jose Veras/Chris Britton. With Ian Kennedy likely headed to the disabled list, there is an open spot in the rotation to be had. There's no reason Chamberlain can't make that start, with Jeff Karstens or Dan Giese essentially completing the start.

Like it or not, the Yankees are sticking to their plan. Their plan was to start Joba, but only pitch him the amount of innings they want. Starting the transition when they did allows him to make starts in mid-June, about when it was expected he would. I admire the Yankees for sticking to this plan because Chamberlain is meant to be a starting pitcher. This isn't a "don't kill the golden goose" situation. Chamberlain has been a starter his entire life except for the short time he's been in the majors. He has more than enough stuff and enough good pitches where he should be a starter, and despite what Mike and the Mad Dog believe, a #1 pitcher is much more important than an 8th inning guy. The Yankees lack a true shutdown pitcher, though Chien-Ming Wang is very good. Chamberlain has the stuff and makeup that only a handful of guys have. Leaving that in the bullpen is not using that talent correctly.

In the meantime, what to do about the 8th inning? Kyle Farnsworth will keep getting his chances at having that job, but he's been very inconsistent in that role, allowing far too many home runs. Girardi thinks he can turn him around, but until proven otherwise, Farnsworth is not going to get the job done consistently. The Yankees hope Ross Ohlendorf or Jose Veras can claim that role, but both have been knocked around lately. LaTroy Hawkins has struggled to get his ERA under 5. There is one option, however, and until he starts to get hit, he should get that role. Edwar Ramirez has thrown 21.2 innings this season (14 with the Yankees) and has yet to allow a run. He's thin as a pole, and it looks like he's missing a letter in his first name, but as long as his changeup remains dominant, he can keep getting hitters out. He sought advice from Pedro Martinez and Mariano Rivera in the offseason, and both told him he needed to establish his fastball and then go to the changeup. So far, the results have been perfect, and Ramirez deserves a chance to be the main bridge to Rivera. Farnsworth may be the best option other than Ramirez, but he has done nothing in three years that would make the job his. He's got the stuff, but it takes more than a 100 MPH fastball and a high salary to hold onto the 8th inning job.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Santana Revisited

Tonight is game 1 of the Subway Series between the Yankees and the Mets. Both teams are struggling coming in; the creative New York media called both teams "Train Wrecks" on their back covers (Subway, train, train wreck, get it? Awesome.), but even more important is the first start for Johan Santana against the Yankees. The Santana saga lasted most of the offseason. The Yankees wanted him, then they didn't, then the Red Sox wanted him, so the Yankees were back in it, then both teams cooled off. It was a polarizing issue among Yankees fans. Some wanted to get the best pitcher in the American League, since they were sick of average starting pitching, while others wanted to let the prospects develop and stick with the plan. When the Mets finally traded for him, fans were shocked because they did not feel the Mets were giving up that much. Sure, they gave up a few top 50 prospects, with Carlos Gomez being the centerpiece, but many fans were appalled that the Yankees couldn't get a deal done, since it did not seem like the Mets gave up a whole lot.

So should the Yankees have made the move? I wasn't in favor of it at the time, but with the struggles of Phil Hughes, it's very easy to second guess. Let's take a look at the two deals reported as being on the table. I did hear that the Twins wanted even more than the two deals that I'm going to go over, but for argument's sake, let's forget that they may have wanted Ian Kennedy as well.

Deal 1: Chien-Ming Wang and Melky Cabrera
At the time, Wang was looked down upon by many fans. Wang had another fine regular season, winning 19 games with an ERA of 3.70, posting very similar numbers, except with more strike outs. Despite the increase in K's, he still had the 5th lowest K/9 ratio in the league (he was last in 2006 among qualifiers). He made up for that by allowing the least home runs per 9 innings for the second consecutive year. However, he struggled mightily in the postseason, allowing 14 hits and 12 runs in 5 2/3 postseason innings. As a hard-throwing sinkerballer without many strike outs, many statheads doubted his ability to really improve any further.

Cabrera did not improve on his 2006 rookie season. A very good defensive outfielder with pretty good speed, he is not needed to be a power hitter, but he only posted a .327 OBP and a .391 SLG. His stats were pretty similar, except his walk totals were down from the previous year. Despite that, on opening day, he was only 23 years old, and still had room to improve. As it was, he was probably a below average centerfielder.

Verdict:
Santana has been Santana early on so far. He's always been a second half pitcher, but he's adjusted pretty well to the National League so far. Wang and Cabrera, on the other hand, have both taken major strides forward. Wang's strikeout total has improved, as his K/BB ratio is now an even 2.0. His ERA is down under 3, and his WHIP is down as well as his hits allowed total is down. He added a slider to his arsenal and now looks like a more dominant pitcher. He has half the strikeouts already that he had in all of 2006. Cabrera has 6 home runs this season, after posting season totals of 7 and 8 in the previous two seasons. His OBP is the same as it was last season, but the newfound power has made him a solid enough hitter. His defense remains a plus.

So would I have done this trade in hindsight? Definitely not. While talentwise, the deal is likely fair, the salary difference is immense. Wang is still in his early arbitration years, while Santana just received a 6 year, $138 million dollar contract. For a 29 year old pitcher who doesn't have the greatest build, that is a long contract worth a lot of money. Sure he's worth it now, but will he be worth it in 3-4 years? Obviously he's a better pitcher, but ask the Giants how giving Barry Zito that long a contract is working out? And Wang has been just as good as Santana this season so far, and with the added slider, there's no reason to think he'll be anything but a top notch AL pitcher for the next few years as well.

Deal 2: Cabrera, Phil Hughes, and Austin Jackson
This deal would hurt the farm system greatly, as Hughes and Jackson have even more years under the Yankees' control. Jackson has turned from a project with all the athletic tools to succeed to a major force to be reckoned with on the minor league level. Jackson is likely the team's best offensive prospect, besting Jesus Montero and Jose Tabata. He projects as a 5-tool outfielder who could come up in 2009 or 2010.

Hughes had been the best pitching prospect for the Yankees for several years until Jobamania last year. He has a few plus pitches, and he can control all of them. He dominated the minor leagues before getting the call last year, and he was in the midst of throwing a no hitter against the Texas Rangers last season until he got injured. Hughes is still only 21 years old, the youngest starting pitcher in the big leagues, and he has plenty of time to grow into his skills, even if he does seem injury prone. I'd be shocked if he didn't develop into at least a good starter, assuming he can stay healthy. That might be a big if, though.

Verdict:
I agree with the Yankees that you can't move such key components to your future and give a big contract all in the same deal. I wouldn't have done it then, and I wouldn't do it now, but the team would be in better shape if Santana were here, no doubt. Cashman took a risk going with the kids, and I applaud him for that, but the kids need to work out, or Cashman might be gone.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Kennedy to start Thursday? And what's up with the Celtics?

Sweeney Murti is reporting that Ian Kennedy, not Kei Igawa, will make the start on Thursday. Kennedy was unhittable in his one start at AAA Scranton, and he is by far the most appealing option. Igawa was average in AAA, and other options are similarly unappealing. The two best options on the 40 man roster are Chase Wright and Jeff Karstens, and Karstens isn't ready to pitch yet. Wright is a legitimate option, but he's still probably not ready for major league action again. Kennedy pitched well last season, and 7.1 innings of 1 hit ball with 8 strikeouts in his one AAA start is enough proof to show that he's the best option available. Options off the 40 man roster include Jeff Marquez, Dan Giese, Steven Wright, and Dan McCutcheon, but none of them are as talented or as ready for the majors as Kennedy. The Yankees had planned on using Kennedy as their 4th or 5th starter this season, and he did pitch in the majors last season, so they are not rushing him. This was part of his development, and the team hopes he can return to being the pitcher they hoped he would be. In short, he's the best option short-term and long-term for the Yankees' plans. Darrell Rasner will now start on Friday against the Mets.



Moving on to the NBA, game 4 of Boston and Cleveland tonight. A lot is on the line tonight. Boston wants to shut the naysayers up by proving they can win a playoff game on the road. I thought that criticism was ridiculous heading into this series, as Boston was 31-10 on the road in the regular season, but the Cavaliers blew them off the court on Saturday. Another win for Cleveland tonight, and the theory that Boston can't win on the road will gain even more steam. Cleveland isn't nearly as great a team as Boston, but they are dangerous. They have a superstar who can simply will his team to victory (just ask Detroit), a couple of three point snipers, and a big man who can score. They also play very good team defense. If they win tonight, which they very well might, LeBron James has the ability to steal a game on the road almost by himself. While he is under intense pressure to perform at a higher level than he has been, Boston is under much more pressure to win a game on the road. Sure, they can technically win the championship without winning a road game, but it would be much easier for them if they could get that monkey off their back now. The competition will only get better from here.



Mike D'Antoni (not D'Antonio) is the new head coach of the Knicks. A lot of people are criticizing the move on both the Knicks and D'Antoni's parts, but I don't really understand. Reports have said that D'Antoni and Jerry Reinsdorf did not get along, and combining that with the unwillingness of Chicago to pony up as much money as New York did, I can't blame him. He has absolutely no pressure, and he'll be making a boatload of money. From New York's side, he was the best coach available, and he plays a more exciting up-tempo style which will at least be fun to watch. The fans will take that, as long as Isiah's gone.

Friday, May 9, 2008

The end of Kei Igawa?

With the struggles of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, the Yankees had every right to give someone else a chance to start. Last season the Yankees gave the Hanshin Tigers $26 million dollars for the privelege to negotiate with Kei Igawa. "Shades" was terrible last season, as he allowed a lot of fly balls, a lot of walks, and all the while he didn't miss enough bats. But with Alan Horne and Humberto Sanchez still recovering from injuries, it made sense to give Igawa another start. After all, if they could get anything from that investment, they would be happy. Given that Igawa is a lefty, there is all the more reason to give him every chance to succeed.

But Friday may have been his last chance. Igawa had been having mild success in AAA, but none of that translated back to the majors. The Detroit Tigers had 11 hits in just 3 innings of work off Igawa. He had better control than expected, except for his still awfully wild off-speed pitches, but he had no strikeouts and the Tigers tagged him.

Manager Joe Girardi said the plan is for Igawa to make his next start Wednesday in Tampa, but that plan (hopefully) can change. That leads to the question of who else would start. Dan McCutcheon has been thought of as a possible reliever candidate later this season, but he may be able to help more as a starter now. Steven White has been around for a while. He throws pretty hard, but he didn't seem to impress as much this spring. Chase Wright can come back, too, but he showed he wasn't ready last season. He has pitched pretty well so far this season, but he still needs some more time to tune up. Jeff Karstens is the other main option, but he isn't ready to come back from his injury...

And speaking of injuries, wasn't it about time that another Yankee got hurt? Welcome to the disabled list, Jonathan Albaladejo! Alby hurt his elbow Friday, and early reports have not been very positive. Chris Britton is staying on the roster. This is the second time he has been sent down only to be called up the very next day due to an injury. Britton was bounced around all last season and seemingly denied a shot, and this year, it hasn't been any different. They traded Jaret Wright for him, and while I'm sure the managers do not like his wright, the guy has pitched pretty well when given a chance. Maybe with all these injuries, we can finally be forced to see what he can do. Maybe all those Yankees fans clamoring for Britton will finally get to see their hero in action. I like Britton, but we'll see. It's still likely that he's a placeholder until they feel someone else is ready. We will likely see more of Edwar Ramirez, who has yet to allow a run in his first four appearances this season. He showed flashes of brilliance interspersed with many walks and home runs. When he was on, his devastating changeup fooled hitters into many swings and misses. He has more potential to improve than anyone in the bullpen. Just look at how thin he is...

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Quick update

Sorry that I haven't been quite on top of this as I would like to be. Exams this week at school along with a few other things can take up a lot of time. I finished up the NFL Draft first round preview yesterday, soon I will discuss all the Jets picks, and not to give that away, but I like pretty much all of the players selected, but there isn't one pick I can point to, and say it was a steal. A lot of the players have some boom/bust potential, but most of those players are hard workers, and I will take a team of guys who work hard and have a lot of potential to get better. That seems like a good combination for me.

I'll give updates on the Yankees in my next post. As I type, the Yankees lead Seattle 1-0 in the 2nd inning, with Mike Mussina on the mound against Felix Hernandez. I have been highly critical of the Moose, but 2 innings of no hit ball so far for him. With Hughes out until likely July and Kennedy struggling mightily, the Yankees need someone else besides Chien-Ming Wang (who is unbelievable with that slider) and Andy Pettitte to step up. Mussina is like a car whose gas light just came on. You know you've reached close to the end of the line, but you can still squeeze it out for some more miles. Right now, the Yankees are doing that with Mussina. With an 85 mph fastball, Moose is running on fumes, but he's trying to prove that you can't count him out.