American League East Preview

Champion: New York Yankees

I am not a Yankees fan, but it is hard to ignore this year's Bronx edition. This winter saw another pin striped splash as pitchers Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda we're moved in from the PST (Pacific Standard Time). The former Dodger Kuroda had been coveted by Brian Cashman for over a year. Cashman finally had the chance to add him this off-season through free agency and didn't lose his grip on this opportunity. Kuroda is a crafty Japanese veteran with an arsenal of pitches. He induces groundballs and should find success, despite moving from the NL to the AL. Pineda was acquired from Seattle in exchange for super-prospect Jesus Montero. Typically, the Yankees mortgage their futures to get proven stars, but this time they sacrificed their system's best prospect for a fireball pitcher in Pineda - who has youth to boot. The 23 year-old Pineda has an arm that is alive, but showing up to Spring Training 25 pounds over weight will not sit well with Joe Girardi. Despite the additions, the dominance doesn't lie in the staff, it lies in the lineup. The lineup in New York is the most feared in all of baseball. Robby Cano is arguably one of the top pure hitters in baseball. He can hit to all parts of the park - for power and average. This lineup is flat out scary. They also signed Raul Ibanez, hoping for a bounce back from a 2011 in which he struggled. Ibanez, at age 39, will fit in great with the cribbage games and crocheting in the Yankee locker room. 

I love Tampa's rotation and I love Boston's lineup, but I don't see either team putting it together enough to catch the Yankees. 


     Division MVP: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays


 In 2010, after a record breaking season, the Blue Jays decided to sign Bautista to a 5 year $64 million extension. Across the league, it was considered an overreaction to a fluke season. Debate was raised as to whether or not the deal was smart, considering his previous career high of home runs before 2010 was 16. Bautista confirmed the deal's validity, by not only again hitting 40 homers (43), but also increasing his batting average 40 points (.302 from .260). Bautista is an anchor to an up-and-coming Blue Jays team on the cusp of contention in baseball's best division. 


   
Division CY Young: James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays
   
    It is fair to say James Shields could be the American League's most overlooked pitcher. His tireless work ethic has made him one of baseball's durable horses. 2011 saw Shields log almost 250 innings and posting an ERA under 3 at 2.82. He struggled in 2010, but re-gained his old form plus some. His 2009 and 2010 seasons witnessed a combined total of zero complete games. Last season, Shields had 11 of them. Many say he isn't the best pitcher on his own team, but his value to this team cannot be overstated. He'll push towards 20 wins, finishing with about 17 due to a lack of run support. His ERA will be scratch and he will log another 200+ innings. 


  


Division Bold Prediction: Alex Rodriguez will bat .300, hit 30 HRs and drive in 100 RBIs
   It would be great to pose this prediction in 2003 at a Fantasy Baseball draft and watch the glasses fog up with laughter. Not funnyyyy, because this isn't 2003, it's 2012 and Alex Rodriguez is coming off one of his worst statistical seasons of his career. He hit a measly 16 homers and only had 428 plate appearances - his lowest totals since 1995. At age 36, he is still owed nearly $145 million dollars over the next 6 years. He will not produce for that long, but at 36 he can still produce. If a player can't hit with the type of protection in the order A-Rod will have in New York, a player can't hit at all. A-Rod will prove his value to the Bombers again in 2012. 


Oh yeah, and the Baltimore Orioles will finish in last place. 


Troy Klongerbo III

Friday (Unassisted)- Crosby's back...again

I will tell you the news whether or not you've already heard it: Sidney Crosby will make his return to the ice Thursday night against the New York Rangers after a lengthy bout with post concussion symptoms. He joins a Penguins team that has strung together nine straight wins, sits fourth in the Eastern Conference, and has the aforementioned first place Rangers nervously inching towards the finish line with an eye on the rearview mirror. The Penguins' success so far is a testament to their tremendous depth. Marc-Andre Fleury has been a rock in net. Their d-core has been steady even without Norris-caliber Kris Letang for long stretches of time. James Neal has been a revelation up front, and Evgeni Malkin has been nothing short of a maestro, rendering the Art Ross and Hart races moot points. With a healthy Crosby, look out National Hockey League.
 
With the "When Healthy, Best Player in the world" in the lineup the Penguins change from contenders to favorites. The Rangers certainly have reason to boast- they've been splendid this year, playing the kind of hockey that wins in the playoffs: balanced scoring, gritty checking, consistent defensive play, and world class goaltending. Henrik Lundqvist has already prepared his Vezina speech. The Penguins are a matchup nightmare however. Six foot four Jordan Staal plays and scores in all three situations (even strength, power play, and shorthanded), and he happily shuts down the opposing team's best forward. Claude Giroux should invite Jordan to his house for awhile if only to get used to the Thuder Bay native's ever-presence should a first round series come to fruition. On second thought, Zach Parise and even Alex Ovechkin should prepare similarly just in case. On most teams, Staal would center the first line. With a healthy Crosby, he plays third line for the Penguins. Let's play "if the season ended right now." The Penguins would host a first round series against the Flyers. When possible, the Flyers would matchup their big pair of Nicklas Grossmann and Brayden Coburn against the formidable Malkin. Timonen and whomever he's paired with would likely take Crosby. Even if the Flyers' d-men limit the Pens attack (2 or 3 goals given their attacking prowess), they will surely spend the majority of the game in their defensive zone. And we haven't even brought up Staal yet, whose size and puck possession ability saps minutes from opposing defensemen. In the Flyers case, the time spent in the d-zone will severely limit the effectiveness of Claude Giroux (ditto for the easily frustrated Ovechkin), an effect we've already seen recently with the absence of the puck moving Timonen and the Slovak Andrej Meszaros.

In truth, the only team that could matchup with Pittsburgh is the team they're chasing. In Ryan McDonugh and Dan Girardi, and Marc Staal and Michael Del Zotto, the Rangers have two mobile, shut down pairs that could stifle the Penguins attack while stimulating their own. Captain Ryan Callahan's gritty two-way game suits playoff hockey perfectly. Big signing Brad Richards has a Stanley Cup as well as a Conn Smythe trophy on his resume. Marian Gaborik scores in droves when he's playing well. Not surprisingly, the Pens and Rangers have split their season series thus far, each winning two with Crosby playing in one game, a 4-3 Rangers win. Conveniently enough, the rubber match (though not really, the teams will play once more in early April) comes in Sidney Crosby's return this Thursday. At the least, the winner will grab control of the Atlantic Division and as a result the Eastern Conference, at the most they will assert themselves as cup favorites.

We should note at this point that Crosby's success, nor his health, is not guaranteed. Although his abbreviated return yielded  twelve points in only eight games, one hit could end Crosby's season. It doesn't help that that his next two opponents are arguably the Penguins two biggest rivals. The Rangers and Flyers both physical games with an emphasis on finishing checks. Then again, he'll face similar challenges come playoff time and as long as hitting exists in hockey every game poses a threat. On the other hand, Crosby has been seemingly more careful this time around, and he's more rested than he's ever been as a professional. That is a scary notion for all teams.


-Dillon Friday

Jonathon Papelbon: Philly Fans > Boston Fans

He's been in a Phillies uniform for less than year, in Spring Training a mere few weeks, and he's never taken the mound in regular season game for the Phightin's, and yet he already has a grasp on the city's phans. Thursday on a Philly radio station Jonathon Papelbon had an interesting comparison to make between his former fans and his current ones. The enigmatic closer caused a stir when he claimed "Philly fans tend to know the game a little better" than Red Sox fans.

This little quip could work on a variety of levels:
1. A jab to the ribs of a city that cast out one of its once beloved characters.
2. A preemptive strike to prevent some boos come May and June.
3. A sincere statement of Jonathon's intellectual analysis of both fan bases.

Whichever of the three seems most plausible, two things are certain. One, Red Sox fans will continue to hurl epithets at their ex-closer and dream of an October match up. And two, Phillies fans will nod in unison, saying someone finally gets us; any victory against Boston, no matter how small, is a victory worth celebrating.


Is Papelbon right?

Having grown up as a Phillies fan, an intelligent Phillies fan mind you, and going to school with what seems like hundreds of students from "just outside Boston" or other places in New England, I like to think I have some insight into Papelbon's comparison.

Red Sox fans tend towards habitual hypocrisy. Their success over the last decade has been well documented; two world series, eight playoff appearances, and the end of the "Curse of the Bambino." Yet hundreds of millions of dollars in salary later, Sox fans still see themselves as good guys to the Yankees' evil empire. In New England, "Woe is perpetually me."

Red Sox "nation" is not unlike the Holy Roman Empire, which was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire (Professor Ambrose). They misnomer contents them as they try to convince the rest of the world that we're missing out. Still, Red Sox fans challenge you to empathize with them. "Try being a Sox fan," I hear far too often in the Spring and Summer. With all of their success, including the fourth most championships of all time, how hard could it be?

Papelbon dismisses the fan base as "hysterical." They are hysterical in that their emotions blind them from their own success. For eighty-six years they bequeathed a curse, but failed to remind their sons and daughters that they dominated Major League Baseball for its first twenty years of existence. Now they've created a farce: a fan base that's loyal only because it's the cool thing to do, hysterical because they need to prove how passionate they are, massive because Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez drove a band wagon through the country in the peak of the Yankee hating era. The results have watered down the quality of the fan base. Certainly "intelligent" fans still exist in Boston. The problem is they are grossly outnumbered by these baseball neophytes.

 Interestingly, Philadelphia faces the same problem. Philly fans may appear more intelligent to Papelbon because the fan base isn't quite at "nation" status just yet. They've long suffered through losing season after losing season, through Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen wanting to get the hell out, through JD Drew refusing to sign there. After ten thousand losses, the Phillies finely whet their palate with repeated success winning back to back pennants in 2008-9, and five straight East Division titles dating back to 2007. B.W.S. (Before World Series) Philly fans cheered their baseball club only because it represented their city. Not because they were good, or because they found baseball entertaining (they don't), but because when Philly is on the national stage they want the city to be behind it. In many ways they still cheer for the same reasons, only now they want to be a part of the fun when they get to shove the championship into other cities' faces, most notably New York and Boston. The second cousins have come to the family reunion in droves. That is to say, these fans want to say they have a tie to the team, regardless of whether or not they've been there for the past twenty years.

I guess what I'm getting at, is it's difficult to judge either fan base at this point because both have been so diluted by success. What is intelligence to Jonathon Papelbon? He explains the Philly fans might know the game better because of "being in the National League;" they really appreciate a good sacrifice bunt in other words.

My advice to Papelbon: wait until you blow your first save before you judge intelligence. In Boston, the Red Sox clubhouse was famous for "booze"- while in Philly, he'll need some of that to deal with the "boo's."

Dillon Friday

Oh Peyton, Where Art Thou?

Peyton Manning is no longer an Indianapolis Colt. As Indy fans across the state are crying like Nancy Kerrigan, screaming “Whyyy!!!”, Peyton is cleaning his locker and heading out (assuming he even had anything in his locker after not playing all year). The news hit us this morning, with the feeling being hit on the head by an apple when standing under an apple tree – it was evident (not that I ever done that). Peyton wasn’t staying in Indy and even if you wanted to deny it, it was almost impossible ignore. It was the Joe Montana-Steve Young and Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers scenario. Despite a Hall of Fame career in Indianapolis, speculation now begins as to where he will finish off his career. A decision must be made. As we are all excited, let’s keep in mind that Peyton Manning’s choice in the coming days, weeks and months will be just another decision. Not the decision. Just a decision. Take notes LeBron, this is how great athletes make free agent decisions.

Destinations:

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans were pulling people off the street to fill their injury plagued quarterback position last year. Why should it be any different this year? Pull another guy off the street, only this time it will be a legend. Matt Schaub is still considered to be a solid starter in the league – showing the ability to win games and put up gaudy statistics – but he is not the QB that Peyton is, zero questions asked. Schaub himself is already 30 years old and a 36 year-old Peyton for 3 years is much better than a good Schaub for 7. The Texans are a team on the rise, making the playoffs for the first time in history last season, and they won a game! Granted it was the Bengals, but a playoff win is a playoff win.

Allow me to be honest. Everyone wants to see healthy Peyton slinging it to healthy Andre.

San Francisco 49ers

Jim Harbaugh would be the only man that could be comparably close to as lucky as the Indianapolis Colts. He gets Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. The new age Ray Lewis, i.e. Patrick Willis, led this defense to the tops of the league. They have a fantastic offensive line that could protect Peyton’s fragile elderly frame and his golden mind/arm. They run the ball enough to be balanced and we’ve seen Peyton’s success with a talented TE in Dallas Clark. He has another one similar in the Bay Area.

Allow me to be honest. Everyone wants to see if Vernon Davis would break all of Rob Gronkowski’s TE receiving records.

Arizona Cardinals

An intriguing notion is seeing Peyton in a situation like Arizona. Arizona was an irrelevant franchise before the arrival of their last former Super Bowl MVP quarterback, but upon signing Kurt Warner, they booked a trip to the Super Bowl. They could do it again with Manning. I know they just traded for Kolb, but I frankly don’t care. Kolb can still be the future, after Manning. The Cardinals gave a lot to bring in Kevin Kolb, but he didn’t stay on the field. Its no guarantee Peyton is staying healthy, so Kolb may get action anyways.

This was completely biased, because to be honest, I want Larry Fitzgerald to flourish. He has flourished with Triple A quarterbacks – if football had a Triple A – and with Manning he would hit mythical status. (Come to think of it, the quarterbacks he’s had have been closer to Double A quarterbacks.)

WHERE HE SHOULD GO…..

Baltimore Ravens

Move over Joey-boy, Peyton is coming to town. I don’t much care for the whole Flacco hate talk, but he’s not Peyton. Flacco over the course of his career hasn’t proven the ability to be elite in this league. He is a sufficient quarterback. Is sufficient enough? Super Bowls as of late have not been won with sufficient. Ray Lewis’ days are limited. Ed Reed’s days are limited. With the touches Ray Rice gets, he will not be able to perform at this level forever. The defense is aging. They only have a few more chances to again raise the Lombardi Trophy. Ray Lewis deserves the chance to have an elite player at the helm of the offense. Think, this team was 31 yards from making a trip to the Super Bowl.

Allow me to be honest. Everyone wants to see Ray and Peyton lead the Ravens into a Super Bowl.

Taking a twist from the Field of Dreams, If you sign him, a ring will come.

Troy ‘Bobo Manning” Klongerbo the III

One Term to remove from March Madness

Appropriately enough, I just saw ESPN's most recent poll question: Who will be this year's Cinderella?
The question is: Why do we continue to call underdog teams Cinderella teams? How has no one complained about this yet? Rags to riches aside, let's break down the analogy:

Notice the ... dress

What defines Cinderella (Disney version): 
1. She's a young woman tormented by vicious step sisters and evil step mother
2. She cleans her kitchen with the help of mice
3. She rides in a pumpkin coach to a ball
4. She loses a slipper after meeting a dreamy young man
5. The slipper fits, happily ever after, yada, yada, yada

Notice the tats

What defines College Basketball teams:
1. They are made up of twelve young men from a variety of backgrounds
2. They play basketball with and against other human beings
3. They do not attend balls, they play with them
4. They wear sneakers that fit quite snugly and meet many dreamy women after games
5. See four.

I admit that both lists are far from comprehensive, but I feel my point has been made: Cinderella has nothing in common with College basketball teams let alone players, and yet announcers, analysts, pundits, talking heads, what have you still throw out the term liberally. I'm sure that's what high school players, many from the so called 'hood' mind you, strive for when they sign for the likes of Gonzaga, Butler, VCU, or other mid-Majors (another cringe worthy term): to be a part of Cinderella teams.

At first it was kind of cute: "O these teams go the 'Big Dance.' No one expects them to do well, and surprisingly they do. It's a real Cinderella story!" Don't these announcers know that "Caddyshack" is a comedy?

Are unlikely pairs between rough, rugged players and their more graceful teammates, think Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell or Derek Rose and Joakim Noah, Beauty and the Beast?

Should we call Girard Pique Snow White just because seven of his Barcelona teammates stand 5'8" or shorter?

Is Dan Bylsma waiting for his Sleeping Beauty to wake up? (On second thought, this one works quite well. Go Flyers!).

In a word, no. Yet every March we have to sort through this year's Cinderellas, waiting to see if, as Gus Johnson once said about the "original" Cinderella Gonzaga, "The slipper still fits!!!!!!!!!!"

Perhaps, as with many other problems in our country, we can blame the Great Depression. The Depression era boxer James J. Braddock rose from the shipping docks of New York to prominence as the Heavyweight Champion of the World. He held the title until a young Joe Louis defeated Braddock in 1937. His biography and the accompanying movie starring Russel Crowe are titled "Cinderella Man." The term should've died with the man (I'm afraid to say anything too harsh about this nickname given that although he's been dead for nearly forty years, Braddock could still kick my ass).

I challenge sports fans to boycott "Cinderella" not only this March, but for all Marches (fingers crossed 2012) to come. Don't say it, don't allow your friends to say it, and curse at every announcer who mutters the now hackneyed term.

Let me offer an alternative: Biggie Smalls. He has a similar rags to riches story as many of the best D-I players. His song "Juicy" contains such lyrics as  "this [game] is dedicated to all the [coaches, analysts, haters] who told me I'd never amount to nothing," "it was all a dream," and "Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, when I was dead broke I couldn't picture this." I feel that Biggie Smalls better encapsulates the hip-hop culture that defines many a basketball team. Who wouldn't love Gus Johnson screaming "V-C-U! If you don't know, now you know!" at the end of an upset? 

-Dillon "Do they call going from riches to rags a T.O.?" Friday

Top 5 Point Guards in the NBA

(Someone other than Skip and Stephen A...)

March 5, 2012

Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith’s opinions sometimes grow tireless on the topic of NBA superstars, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, etc…The hot topic over the course of the past few months is that of point guards. The league is a ball handling league. Sick of another opinion on the NBA...? Well, here’s another one.

Criteria

The criteria for this list bear no weight on age or team (although I may emphasize it). It is right now, one season, to win an NBA Championship. Ability to pass, improve teammates, score the basketball, rebound on both ends of the court, leadership, ‘clutch’ gene and defensive abilities all factor themselves into discussion. Let’s get started.

6. Steve Nash

I know I said I would only rank the top 5, but I want to give Steve Nash his due credit. At 38 years of age, Nash is still a tremendous passer and play maker on the offensive end of the court. He is a dangerous shooter, great teammate and good leader. It’s too bad he’s never had the opportunity to win an NBA Championship (and won’t again in Phoenix), but I feel the only thing holding him back from the top 5 is the fact that he is a liability on the defensive end of the court. It would be fun to see him go to the Lakers at the deadline to make something happen, but anyways moving on….

5. Tony Parker

I feel as though Tony Parker gets consistently disrespected on these lists of point guards. Parker right now, has an aging Spurs team in contention once again in the Western Conference behind his 20 points and 8 assists per game. Amazingly, not yet 30 years old, he has already been in the league for 10 NBA seasons and is a noted champion, winning 3 rings in 2003, 2005 and 2007. We shall also not forget the fact that he was a Finals MVP in 2007. This year, he is playing at an extremely high level, having arguably one of the best seasons of his career. Known as one of the quickest players in the league, Parker plays pestering defense and is a potent scorer. He is proven as a leader. Watch out for him and the Spurs come May and June. Yes, June.

4. Derrick Rose

The former MVP sits at number 4. Although it may seem idiotic to place an MVP this low at his own position, a ranking this low is meant only because of the players I see above him. Rose is a talented scorer, an amazing athlete and very skilled finishing around the basket, but he still doesn’t remain quite the shooter that some of his contemporaries on this list. A ranking this low may end up causing me to eat my words, but I will take the 3 above Rose on this list to win a championship. Once thing I do love about Rose is that he is fearless at the end of basketball games. Clutch gene.

3. Deron Williams

He has become almost irrelevant since moving to the Nets last season. In fact, without Stephen A. Smith’s loyal preaching for him every morning, we may have forgot he was even in the league - even though he goes for 20 a night. Now check last night (Sunday, March 4^th), Williams posts 57 points and proves the type of impact player he can still be in this league. He has always been a threat as a scorer. In Utah, he was a playmaker with the ball and the ability to pass and make decisions - also being a great leader. He was a perennial playoff contender in Utah, before being shipped off. Soon enough, he’ll be in either Brooklyn, or another basketball mecca and we will again remember his relevance as a top guard in the league. Imagine him in Chicago with that cast of role players.

2. Rajon Rondo

His performance on Sunday was historic. We are used to seeing Rondo fly around the court, snagging loose ball rebounds and finding open shooters, but Sunday afternoon against the Knicks, he once again secured his place as one of the most complete point guards in the NBA. He posted a career-high 17 rebounds along with 18 points and 20 assists. He was only the 3^rd player in NBA history to post a line like that (15-15-20). Rondo is quick, elusive and has proved himself as a swift decision maker. He won a title in Boston already in 2008 and has now become the heir-apparent leader of an aging Celtics team. He is the second best quarterback in New England (my apologies to the Patriots backup – Ryan Mallet?) With his improved jump shot and ever expanding repertoire, Rondo will be an anchor at the position for years to come. He is only 26….

1. Chris Paul

As much as I wanted to go elsewhere with my top guy at the one slot, Paul is indeed the best point guard in the league. He can score the ball at will (19.2 per game), is a strong defender (2x All-Defensive Team) and a tenacious leader. He wants the ball. He wants to win. Ever since his trade to LA, Paul has been the undisputed leader of a youthful Clippers organization. We saw what he was able to do in New Orleans with that supporting cast and it is exciting to think what he will accomplish in the next 5 years around other All-Star caliber players. Although he seems so much older (…to me at least…), he is the same age as Rajon Rondo. His accomplishments thus far are extensive, but the thoughts of what his future can bring are endless.

Troy Klongerbo aka TKCPIII