The Major League Baseball season has reached its midway point and as a lifelong fan of the Atlanta Braves I'm understandably disappointed, though not necessarily surprised. Any time you go into a season with a starting rotation that includes two geriatrics and a guy who hasn't pitched in two years because of injuries -- not to mention a starting centerfielder with a chronic bad back -- you're asking for trouble.
And the Braves have got plenty of it.
John Smoltz is through, probably for good. Tom Glavine is, too, even though he hasn't yet come to grips with the obvious. As for Mike Hampton, I'd like to find job that pays you millions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing but rehabbing. Hell, at this point, I'd settle for any job (for those of you out there who are hiring). But I digress ...
With the trading deadline rapidly approaching, the time is coming for the Braves to make some major decisions. Do they make a longshot run at getting into the postseason this year by trading some of their prospects for starting pitching (C.C. Sabathia, Erik Bedard, Rich Harden and Bronson Arroyo are among those rumored to be available) and an outfield bat (like the Pirates' Jason Bay or Xavier Nady)? Or do they move free-agent-to-be first baseman Mark Teixeira and perhaps even Tim Hudson for prospects that will help them return to prominence in the future?
My guess is that the latter is the more prudent course. But I doubt Bobby Cox and GM Frank Wren are going to admit that their amazing run is officially over.
By the way, with Smoltz recovering from surgery, Glavine struggling to stay healthy and get anybody out, and fellow 40-something former teammate Greg Maddux only a shadow of his former Cy Young self, I would love to see all three announce their retirements at the end of the season so that five years from now, they can all be inducted into the Hall of Fame together -- as they should be given what they accomplished together during the 1990s.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Random thoughts and observations from the NBA draft
Well, the newest crop of young millionaires have officially been minted and distributed among the NBA's 30 teams and what have we learned?
For one thing, we now know -- as if we didn't already -- that the NBA's one-and-done rule isn't working. Nine freshmen, in all, went in the first round, a new record, meaning that nine college programs around the country are in the unenviable position of having to rebuild, or reload, for the second straight season.
I'm not sure why the NBA insists that these players take up space on a college roster (and sometimes, even a college classroom) for one year before turning pro. If they're going to jump at the first opportunity, anyway, they might as well be allowed to go into the draft straight out of high school. What's the difference?
The current system is a lot like a baseball team dealing for a veteran free-agent-to-be at the trade deadline. Sometimes the rent-a-players work out. Most of the time, they don't. Just ask Southern Cal (which could very well end up on probation because of O.J. Mayo's short stay), Kansas State, Arizona and N.C. State if they really, truly benefitted from any of their one-year wonders. Even Memphis, which did at least get to the Final Four, still fell short of the national championship in its one and only shot with top pick Derrick Rose.
A much better solution for everyone involved would be a system similar to the one used by Major League Baseball -- in which players can be drafted out of high school, but can decide not to sign and go to school if they choose. But once they enroll and step onto campus, they can't be drafted again until after their third year. It seems like that would make a lot more sense than the one in place now. Maybe that's why David Stern and the Players Association haven't thought of it.
A little closer to home here in North Carolina, I'm still trying to figure out what the Charlotte Bobcats were thinking as they made their first-round selections.
They went into the draft with the stated intent of getting a bigger, specifically, to add a strong post presence that would allow them to move Emeka Okafor over to power forward. But even though Stanford's 7-foot-1, 258-pound Brook Lopez was still available, the Bobcats opted instead for point guard D.J. Augustin out of Texas.
Now, Augustin is certainly an excellent player with the potential to be a highly effective NBA point guard ... but not when you've already invested a lot of money in another young player at the position. Maybe Charlotte has a deal worked out to move Raymond Felton for a big. If not, then Michael Jordan only added to his less-than-stellar reputation as a miserable drafter, because after trading a future first-rounder to Denver for the 20th overall pick, His Airness wasted it on some French stiff who averaged only five points per game in a Euro league and might not be NBA ready until 2010.
Huh?
I guess there's always next year's lottery.
As for the draft as a whole, the biggest winners were the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers (who didn't even have a pick). Why? Because they did a great job of trading picks for proven veterans who will help faster and more significantly than anything that would have been available to them otherwise.
For one thing, we now know -- as if we didn't already -- that the NBA's one-and-done rule isn't working. Nine freshmen, in all, went in the first round, a new record, meaning that nine college programs around the country are in the unenviable position of having to rebuild, or reload, for the second straight season.
I'm not sure why the NBA insists that these players take up space on a college roster (and sometimes, even a college classroom) for one year before turning pro. If they're going to jump at the first opportunity, anyway, they might as well be allowed to go into the draft straight out of high school. What's the difference?
The current system is a lot like a baseball team dealing for a veteran free-agent-to-be at the trade deadline. Sometimes the rent-a-players work out. Most of the time, they don't. Just ask Southern Cal (which could very well end up on probation because of O.J. Mayo's short stay), Kansas State, Arizona and N.C. State if they really, truly benefitted from any of their one-year wonders. Even Memphis, which did at least get to the Final Four, still fell short of the national championship in its one and only shot with top pick Derrick Rose.
A much better solution for everyone involved would be a system similar to the one used by Major League Baseball -- in which players can be drafted out of high school, but can decide not to sign and go to school if they choose. But once they enroll and step onto campus, they can't be drafted again until after their third year. It seems like that would make a lot more sense than the one in place now. Maybe that's why David Stern and the Players Association haven't thought of it.
A little closer to home here in North Carolina, I'm still trying to figure out what the Charlotte Bobcats were thinking as they made their first-round selections.
They went into the draft with the stated intent of getting a bigger, specifically, to add a strong post presence that would allow them to move Emeka Okafor over to power forward. But even though Stanford's 7-foot-1, 258-pound Brook Lopez was still available, the Bobcats opted instead for point guard D.J. Augustin out of Texas.
Now, Augustin is certainly an excellent player with the potential to be a highly effective NBA point guard ... but not when you've already invested a lot of money in another young player at the position. Maybe Charlotte has a deal worked out to move Raymond Felton for a big. If not, then Michael Jordan only added to his less-than-stellar reputation as a miserable drafter, because after trading a future first-rounder to Denver for the 20th overall pick, His Airness wasted it on some French stiff who averaged only five points per game in a Euro league and might not be NBA ready until 2010.
Huh?
I guess there's always next year's lottery.
As for the draft as a whole, the biggest winners were the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers (who didn't even have a pick). Why? Because they did a great job of trading picks for proven veterans who will help faster and more significantly than anything that would have been available to them otherwise.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
What's good for the mule isn't necessarily good for the goat
You've probably never heard of Mitch Harris, in large part because ESPN chose not to use its hype machine to turn him into a national celebrity the way it did Caleb Campbell. Then again, that's probably because "the worldwide leader" didn't have two days of air time to try to fill around the major league baseball draft the way it did with the NFL's annual lottery of college talent.
Harris' story is one that needs to be told, however, because of the gross inconsistency it exposes in the policies of our various military services.
Here's the link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjGAqB9VXy0tfWXNfuAsToMLK9kQD918UG6G0
To summarize, Harris was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball draft a few days after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and being commissioned as an Ensign. But he won't be able to sign a contract and play professionally because of the academy's required five-year military commitment.
I wouldn't normally have a problem with that, except for the fact that while Harris is in Iraq or Afghanistan putting his life on the line for the service of his country, Campbell will be putting on his helmet and pads and playing football for a living as a member of the Detroit Lions. He'll be able to do that because as a recent graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he can advantage of a controversial new policy allowing Army graduates to play professionally without having to serve any active duty.
Campbell was drafted by the Lions in the seventh round of the NFL draft in April. If he makes the team, he will be required to spend one day a week working at a local recruiting office. If he keeps his NFL job for at least two years, the newly commissioned second lieutenant will have the option to “buy out” his remaining three years of active duty in exchange for a longer reserve commitment. Implemented in 2005, the new policy — called the Alternative Service Option — allows the Army to use cadets with “special talents” as recruiting tools while allowing them the pursue careers in fields not usually open to young officers.
If the Army is looking for a little good PR, then the plan seems to be working. When Campbell's selection was announced, it was greeted with chants of "USA, USA" from the crowd in attendance and celebrated by the ESPN talking heads as being something "special." But that's part of the problem. Because Campbell is in the Army, he's getting special privileges that aren't available to Harris or anyone else in the Navy or Air Force.
It's a discrepency that needs to be fixed. Either ALL academy graduates should be given the same opportunities or they should all be required to honor their commitments. In the mean time, Campbell should remember the tenets of duty, honor and country he learned at West Point and were put into practice by the likes of Roger Staubach, David Robinson and Pat Tillman, and put his NFL career on hold to join his classmates in active duty.
Harris' story is one that needs to be told, however, because of the gross inconsistency it exposes in the policies of our various military services.
Here's the link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjGAqB9VXy0tfWXNfuAsToMLK9kQD918UG6G0
To summarize, Harris was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball draft a few days after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and being commissioned as an Ensign. But he won't be able to sign a contract and play professionally because of the academy's required five-year military commitment.
I wouldn't normally have a problem with that, except for the fact that while Harris is in Iraq or Afghanistan putting his life on the line for the service of his country, Campbell will be putting on his helmet and pads and playing football for a living as a member of the Detroit Lions. He'll be able to do that because as a recent graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he can advantage of a controversial new policy allowing Army graduates to play professionally without having to serve any active duty.
Campbell was drafted by the Lions in the seventh round of the NFL draft in April. If he makes the team, he will be required to spend one day a week working at a local recruiting office. If he keeps his NFL job for at least two years, the newly commissioned second lieutenant will have the option to “buy out” his remaining three years of active duty in exchange for a longer reserve commitment. Implemented in 2005, the new policy — called the Alternative Service Option — allows the Army to use cadets with “special talents” as recruiting tools while allowing them the pursue careers in fields not usually open to young officers.
If the Army is looking for a little good PR, then the plan seems to be working. When Campbell's selection was announced, it was greeted with chants of "USA, USA" from the crowd in attendance and celebrated by the ESPN talking heads as being something "special." But that's part of the problem. Because Campbell is in the Army, he's getting special privileges that aren't available to Harris or anyone else in the Navy or Air Force.
It's a discrepency that needs to be fixed. Either ALL academy graduates should be given the same opportunities or they should all be required to honor their commitments. In the mean time, Campbell should remember the tenets of duty, honor and country he learned at West Point and were put into practice by the likes of Roger Staubach, David Robinson and Pat Tillman, and put his NFL career on hold to join his classmates in active duty.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Duke football finally gets a win (by losing)
It's not every day that the Duke football program gets to celebrate a victory. It's happened only eight times during the past five years. So I suppose you can't fault the Blue Devils for getting excited over this one. But if it was me, I'd be so embarassed that I'd think seriously about packing up my helmets and pads and disbanding the program.
For what it was worth, this latest "win" came in a Kentucky circuit court rather than on the field of play and it was earned when a judge sided with Duke in its breach of contract lawsuit against Louisville. The Cardinals sought to recover nearly a half million dollars in damages after the Blue Devils decided to cancel the final three games of their four-game series against their Big East Conference rivals.
The argument was that Louisville wouldn't be able to find a replacement "team of similar stature" to fill the scheduling void created by Duke. The Blue Devils countered that because their team is so bad, they can be replaced by anyone. And Judge Phillip J. Shepherd of Franklin, Ky., bought it, ruling that "Duke persuasively asserted that this is a threshold that could not be any lower."
I guess there's something to be said for that. Not everyone can be the best and somebody has to be the worst. So why not accept your lot in life and revel in it, as the Blue Devils' football program seems to have done? Besides, this is the best thing that could possibly have happened to new coach David Cutcliffe.
At this point, the bar has been set so low that any success he achieves will put him in for the ACC's Coach of the Year award and maybe even a front row seat at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the only sport at Duke that matters -- basketball.
For what it was worth, this latest "win" came in a Kentucky circuit court rather than on the field of play and it was earned when a judge sided with Duke in its breach of contract lawsuit against Louisville. The Cardinals sought to recover nearly a half million dollars in damages after the Blue Devils decided to cancel the final three games of their four-game series against their Big East Conference rivals.
The argument was that Louisville wouldn't be able to find a replacement "team of similar stature" to fill the scheduling void created by Duke. The Blue Devils countered that because their team is so bad, they can be replaced by anyone. And Judge Phillip J. Shepherd of Franklin, Ky., bought it, ruling that "Duke persuasively asserted that this is a threshold that could not be any lower."
I guess there's something to be said for that. Not everyone can be the best and somebody has to be the worst. So why not accept your lot in life and revel in it, as the Blue Devils' football program seems to have done? Besides, this is the best thing that could possibly have happened to new coach David Cutcliffe.
At this point, the bar has been set so low that any success he achieves will put him in for the ACC's Coach of the Year award and maybe even a front row seat at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the only sport at Duke that matters -- basketball.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Christmas in June for Tar Heels fans
The presents weren't stacked neatly beneath a tree bedazzled with lights and tinsel. They were delivered as a single line of type, crawling across the bottom of the television screen on ESPN shortly after Tiger Woods celebrated his epic U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines. But the celebration was just as merry among the Tar Heel faithful.
Even the most optimistic among them probably never considered it realistic to hope that Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson would all withdraw their names from the NBA draft and return to school for next season. In fact, there seemed more of a chance that all three would leave than stay.
In the end, Ellington listened to the multitude of informed voices who warned that there are still too many holes in his game to be a first-round pick and Lawson decided to play it safe rather than risk going into the draft as damaged goods after a recent drunk-driving arrest and numerous injuries. As for Green, he and his cash-strapped family finally came to the realization that you can't pay off many bills on the $20,000 a year or so they pay for playing in the NBA's D-League.
Barring injury or other unforeseen circumstance, all three should greatly enhance their pro prospects (and pay checks) by playing one more season of college ball. Then again, Ellington, Lawson and Green might have been just as swayed by the experiences of Tar Heel teammates Tyler Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor back on campus. Those guys seemed to be having a lot more fun "testing the waters," so why not come back and join them -- especially if a national championship ring is included in the deal?
Though the reasons behind their individual decisions might never be known, the repercussions are as tangible as the banners hanging from the Smith Center rafters. As of Monday afternoon at 5 p.m., UNC is officially the team to beat in college basketball for 2008-09.
There can be no argument that the Tar Heels will be the most talented, experienced and motivated team in the country next fall. But their march to the national championship, let alone the Four Four in Detroit, is anything but inevitible.
For one thing, despite the return of so many starters, the chemistry of next year's team will be drastically different than it was during last spring's impressive stretch run. Frasor will be back from his injury and will want playing time that might not be available. There's also the problem of trying to fit a trio of talented freshmen -- power forward Ed Davis, point guard Larry Drew Jr. and center Tyler Zeller -- into an already overcrowded rotation.
The last time UNC was faced with such a situation, in 1994, the combination proved toxic. The four returning starters from the previous year's national championship team never got along with newcomers Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse and the Tar Heels never came close to reaching their potential. When they lost to Boston College in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the players seemed more relieved than upset. They couldn't wait for the season to be over.
While that's not as likely to happen with this group, in large measure, because of the personalities of the players involved, it's still a possibility. Coach Roy Williams is going to realize the threat and take whatever measures necessary to keep his team from becoming fractured. That means doing more than just rolling the ball out and letting the most talented players in the nation do their thing.
But worrying about that now is like putting your Christmas toys away without playing with them for fear that they might get broken. It is, after all, better to have too much talent than not enough. When you're given an unexpected gift, as the Tar Heels and their fans were Monday, you don't question your good fortune. You simply thank your lucky stars and enjoy it for as long as it lasts.
Even the most optimistic among them probably never considered it realistic to hope that Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson would all withdraw their names from the NBA draft and return to school for next season. In fact, there seemed more of a chance that all three would leave than stay.
In the end, Ellington listened to the multitude of informed voices who warned that there are still too many holes in his game to be a first-round pick and Lawson decided to play it safe rather than risk going into the draft as damaged goods after a recent drunk-driving arrest and numerous injuries. As for Green, he and his cash-strapped family finally came to the realization that you can't pay off many bills on the $20,000 a year or so they pay for playing in the NBA's D-League.
Barring injury or other unforeseen circumstance, all three should greatly enhance their pro prospects (and pay checks) by playing one more season of college ball. Then again, Ellington, Lawson and Green might have been just as swayed by the experiences of Tar Heel teammates Tyler Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor back on campus. Those guys seemed to be having a lot more fun "testing the waters," so why not come back and join them -- especially if a national championship ring is included in the deal?
Though the reasons behind their individual decisions might never be known, the repercussions are as tangible as the banners hanging from the Smith Center rafters. As of Monday afternoon at 5 p.m., UNC is officially the team to beat in college basketball for 2008-09.
There can be no argument that the Tar Heels will be the most talented, experienced and motivated team in the country next fall. But their march to the national championship, let alone the Four Four in Detroit, is anything but inevitible.
For one thing, despite the return of so many starters, the chemistry of next year's team will be drastically different than it was during last spring's impressive stretch run. Frasor will be back from his injury and will want playing time that might not be available. There's also the problem of trying to fit a trio of talented freshmen -- power forward Ed Davis, point guard Larry Drew Jr. and center Tyler Zeller -- into an already overcrowded rotation.
The last time UNC was faced with such a situation, in 1994, the combination proved toxic. The four returning starters from the previous year's national championship team never got along with newcomers Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse and the Tar Heels never came close to reaching their potential. When they lost to Boston College in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the players seemed more relieved than upset. They couldn't wait for the season to be over.
While that's not as likely to happen with this group, in large measure, because of the personalities of the players involved, it's still a possibility. Coach Roy Williams is going to realize the threat and take whatever measures necessary to keep his team from becoming fractured. That means doing more than just rolling the ball out and letting the most talented players in the nation do their thing.
But worrying about that now is like putting your Christmas toys away without playing with them for fear that they might get broken. It is, after all, better to have too much talent than not enough. When you're given an unexpected gift, as the Tar Heels and their fans were Monday, you don't question your good fortune. You simply thank your lucky stars and enjoy it for as long as it lasts.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hello and welcome!
For those of you who know me and are familiar with my writing, thanks for finding this blog and your continued support. Your loyalty means a lot to me in this uncertain time. For those of you discovering me for the first time, let me introduce myself.
My name is Brett Friedlander and until a few weeks ago, I was the lead sports columnist at the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina. Through my "Weekly Rant," I regularly commented on everything from ACC basketball and the Masters to the Southern Professional Hockey League and local high school sports. Although my column has been taken away from me -- for reasons I still don't fully understand -- my voice is still is as loud and strong as ever. So until such time as I am able to find a more traditional vehicle to express my many opinions, I will post them here.
You're not going to agree with everything I have to say. At least, I hope you don't. Sports wouldn't be nearly as fun if we all rooted for the same teams and were passionate about the same players or issues. We'd certainly have a lot less to talk about during the down time between the games. All I ask is that when I piss you off, you write in and let me have it. I'll listen to what you have to say. And while you probably won't change my mind, we can at least agree to disagree.
Let the ranting begin!
My name is Brett Friedlander and until a few weeks ago, I was the lead sports columnist at the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina. Through my "Weekly Rant," I regularly commented on everything from ACC basketball and the Masters to the Southern Professional Hockey League and local high school sports. Although my column has been taken away from me -- for reasons I still don't fully understand -- my voice is still is as loud and strong as ever. So until such time as I am able to find a more traditional vehicle to express my many opinions, I will post them here.
You're not going to agree with everything I have to say. At least, I hope you don't. Sports wouldn't be nearly as fun if we all rooted for the same teams and were passionate about the same players or issues. We'd certainly have a lot less to talk about during the down time between the games. All I ask is that when I piss you off, you write in and let me have it. I'll listen to what you have to say. And while you probably won't change my mind, we can at least agree to disagree.
Let the ranting begin!
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