Sunday, July 11, 2010

The Touchy Feely All-Star Game

Major League Baseball probably has the worst criteria for selecting All-Stars.

First, let managers, players and bench coaches make the selections. Either take the vote away from the fans or weigh the fan voting to keep ballot stuffing to a minimum. Weigh the fan voting to 25-30%. Let the remainder go to people that watch baseball on a daily basis. It's a manager and coach's job to know the opponent. Let them have a bigger say in the All-Star line ups than the fans that vote for either a local favorite or a name will nothing else to go by. Taking the decision on reserves away from each All-Star manager also avoids appearance of favoritism by selecting a player on his team.

The worst rule, by far, stipulates that each team must have a player on the squad. The local Houston Astros serve as a prime example. It's a terrible club playing terrible ball from top to bottom. No one on the Astros deserves an All-Star spot. However due the little league rule, Michael Bourn will carry the banner. Without looking at stats, cause I really don't care right now, it's a safe bet that someone more deserving was left off. I want to see the best players and not a player from every team.

Finally, do away with the winning league hosts the World Series. The rule doesn't add any intrigue. Instead it robs the team with the best record from hosting if their All-Star team loses the game.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

USA Comes Up Short in World Cup

First and foremost, Congrats to Team USA in the 2010 World Cup. They managed to win their group which was no small feat since it included England, Algeria and Slovenia. The USA drew against England and Slovenia and had to fight to get the draw against Slovenia. They had to beat Algeria to advance to the final 16. In dramatic fashion, the USA pulled it off in added time on a Landon Donovan goal.

In the knock out round, the USA gave up the quick goal again. Ghana scored very early in the game on an inexcusable turnover to dig an early goal deficit. A Ghana foul on Clint Dempsey in the penalty area earned penalty kick. Donovan converted the kick to tie up the game 1-1. It went into extra time, where Ghana scored on defensive melt down to make it 2-1. This time the United States made no comeback. They fell short and a magical Cup show ended.

And I'm all right with it. They overcame adversity and probably earned a ton of respect from world wide. The United States competes hard and is no fluke. The run up to the Confederation Cup saw them defeat top ranked Spain and had Brazil fighting from behind. No small accomplishments in this game. Powers Italy and France went home earlier than the US. Both nations were finalists in the last Cup.

What does the future hold? Probably continued success. The USA are no longer the backwater push overs they were in the 1980s and even in the hosted 1994 games. The US has now advance out of the group stage three times in last five cups. The program needs to keep building and not lay stinkers like they did in 1998 and 2006. They need to develop a solid defensive back third. To many mistakes on the defense lead to many early goals. They also need to continue to develop players like Donovan and Dempsey. Both will be four years older in the next Cup and are not guarantees to make the squad next time. The next generation needs be groomed and set up for qualifications, Gold Cup and whatever competitions the future hold.

In the end, thanks Team USA to a good run as well as igniting the passions of the country.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

World Cup, Astros Moves

World Cup
The World Cup is winding down to the knock out rounds. I can't really say it's been the most exciting World Cup. In opening games, teams played tentative and appeared happy with a draw.

The second games provided a little more entertainment as teams started to think about points and goal differentials for advancement. Today is the first day of third games. FIFA mandates that the last games are played concurrently to avoid game day shenanigans.

South Africa earned the distinction of first host country not to advance. It's a shame to say the least. They acted as great hosts and there hasn't been much negative said about the venues. The worst thing that can be said is the sound of vuvuzelas making the stadia sound like beehives. I have no problem with it but some "traditionalists" have complained about it. Deal with it. If the fans didn't like it they wouldn't keep bringing them into games. It appears the foreign travelers to South Africa are enjoying making the noise as much as the natives.

The traditional European powers have played less than impressive. France ends the tournament in disarray. England hasn't managed to win in playing two lackluster games against the United States and Algeria. Spain lost a mild upset to Switzerland. Germany lost a stunner to Serbia after an opening 4-0 rout of Australia. Portugal managed a 0-0 tie versus Ivory Coast but embarrassed North Korea 7-0. France goes home with no wins and one scored goal. England is on the bubble to advance. Right now the name of the game is just to get the next round and start anew.

Team USA faces Algeria and with a win USA goes through. Conceding early goes has been USA's flaw. Algeria pressed impressively against England. USA needs to assert themselves early and not play from behind. The defense must play strong in the back third. Landon Donovan needs to impose his will on the game. They cannot come out flat and worry about getting help. They just need to go in and handle business.

Astros Call Ups
The Astros made five roster moves calling up three players and designating two players for assignment.

Astros 2008 top pick Jason Castro, 3rd baseman Chris Johnson and outfielder Jason Bourgeois join the Big Show from AAA Round Rock. Catcher Kevin Cash and outfielder Corey Sullivan received the designation for assignment tag.

Ed Wade probably convinced owner Drayton McLane that the season is in the tank. McLane is a stubborn blind old man. I think the scores of empty seats helped convince McLane to approve the moves. McLane always believes the Astros are one or two players away from contention. I believe he also thinks fans love the team so much they will show up on game day no matter what. Fortunately Astros fans are smarter than Cubs fans. Cubs fans show up no matter what and for years gave ownership no incentive to improve the team. Astros fans won't show up to watch a lousy team. McLane build up a lot of goodwill over the years with winning teams. His mismanagement of the team has driven it into the ground. Fans finally see McLane for the snake oil salesman that he is.

If McLane has finally given Wade full run of the team then that is a major step in the right direction. The call ups aren't meant to salvage a season but to give the players major league experience in a lost season. Castro needs the experience calling games from behind the plate and the sooner the better. Pedro Feliz has been a disaster at 3rd. Johnson is expected to split time with Feliz. I think if Johnson outplays Feliz, not a difficult task, then Feliz will be given his outright release.

Of the call ups, I think Bourgeois is the most interesting and might be a signal to a future move. Or not. With an outfield of Carlos Lee, Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, Bourgeois will languish on the bench. I think the Astros will look to move Lee's bat in return for a prospect or two and try to get as much of his salary off payroll. They probably won't be able to trade Lee without agreeing to absorb part of his salary. Pitcher Roy Oswalt and first basemen Lance Berkman may also end up in other uniforms before the trade deadline.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Cold Weather Super Bowl Revisited

Tomorrow the NFL owners are expected to announce the host city for the 2014 Super Bowl. Some writers lament the fact that New York might get to host it. Reasons vary from it's to cold, other northern cities will want it and on and on.

I wrote up a piece on SI's Peter King's crying about a cold weather site. Evidently King has changed his mind. Maybe one of his phone buddies called him and told him no more interviews if he didn't change his mind.

Anyway, the latest to chime in is from Sports Illustrated again. This time it is Jeff Pearlman and his touching story of when he was a boy and his father took him to a Giants playoff game. And it was cold. And he was numb. And they left early. And they swore they will never go back.

I'm gonna be pretty blunt about Pearlman. You are just a flat out pussy. I don't use that lightly either. A direct quote from his blog:
Bringing the Super Bowl to New York would be dumb on steroids. First off, in January and February it is cold here. Secondly, in January and February it is freezing here. Thirdly, in January and February it is arctic here. Absolutely, positively arctic.

There you go. In his own words....waaaaahhhh, it's cold.

To take his argument further, he states:
But, well, the weather. From start-to-finish, Super Bowl weeks are meant to take place in warm environments. Miami. San Diego. Arizona. The parties should involve fountains and beach motifs and Kardashian sisters in embarrassingly skimpy outfits. The media days are required to occur beneath a bright sun...

Then we get to the heart of the matter. Pearlman doesn't like the cold because not only is he a pussy but he doesn't want the cold weather interrupting his paid vacation. He doesn't want to work in the cold. He doesn't want to work in the sun. He just wants to tool around and party on the beach.

Of all the lame excuses for not holding a New York Super Bowl, Pearlman's in the lamest. If he keeps writing like this, he'll join my Hack Wall of Shame.

Friday, May 7, 2010

The Rise of Football Sabermetrics?

The Rise of Football Sabermetrics?

I don’t hate sabermetrics like some purists do. I think numerical analysis gives scouts, general managers and coaches another tool to evaluate a players potential. Several baseball teams live and die by it. The Boston Red Sox won World Series based on a sabermetrics philosophy. The Oakland Athletics continuously try to build and it they have been moderately successful.

In football, especially the pros, there is a rise in sabermetric stats but mostly it is the province of website weekend warriors. I’ve read various stats on different blogs that try to put a numerical value on a player or team’s production. The writers then try to use the numbers to project a player or team’s future production.

Unlike baseball, I’ve yet to read where scouts and personnel evaluators use the numbers. Scouts and coaches will admit nothing tells more about a player than game day film. So many aspects of football can’t be measured and boiled down to a number.

Combine stats are usually overrated but are gobbled up by fans and the media. Teams are more interested in letting doctors, shrinks and other people interview and examine a player at the Combine. A team already has a pretty good idea of a player’s time and strength numbers. At the Combine, they just want to verify what they already know or start looking at the player’s mental make up. They’ve had a whole college career of game film to study.

College pro days are also vastly overrated. Teams show up not to see the star players trying out but to take a look at other players that didn’t get a combine invite. Media and fans fawned over Colt McCoy’s perfect or near perfect completion rate at the Longhorn’s pro day. Coaches and scouts could have cared less. He was throwing in a controlled environment to his own receivers and not chased by a certain Nebraska defensive tackle. The game film of McCoy’s years as the Texas start will weigh more than all the stats of pro days and combines one can imagine.

The same was said of Tim Tebow’s throwing transformation after he changed his mechanics. Other than Josh McDaniels, no one was buying it. I read a quote in Pro Football Weekly from Mike Holmgren in which basically he said it is one thing to change mechanics but he feared Tebow would revert to old habits during game pressure in the NFL. He played one style his career at Florida and he can’t change easily in on off season. Yet McDaniels is banking on it. I’m guessing McDaniels will be unemployed in two seasons.

I just don’t see a switch to a numbers based scouting system in the NFL. There are just to many variables that go into evaluating a player. No one system will be able to capture what coaches are looking for. I’m not saying it can’t be done. Somebody might come up with a few stats that teams can use to filter out players and make the process more efficient. However, I don’t think football scouting will ever be replaced by a numbers game. Sometimes there is just as much art as science to evaluating a player.

LT's Off the Field Problems Continue

Lawrence Taylor, one of the fiercest linebackers in the NFL who, along with Mike Singletary, revolutionized the position. He played a remarkable career.

Unfortunately, LT (sorry younger fans but there is only one LT and it's Lawrence Taylor) also leaves a trail of off the field issues. Included in his off field incidences are drug and tax evasion charges. Taylor had a well documented drug problem.

Sadly, Taylor is facing more off field allegations. The latest alleges that Taylor solicited a prostitute a middle man. The prostitute supposedly is a 16 year old runaway. Taylor paid $300 for the girls. When she refused, her alleged pimp Rasheed Davis beat her and gave her over to Taylor. He allegedly proceeded to sexually assault the girl.

According the ESPN.com story, Taylor was quoted as saying "I'm not that important" to the reporters gathered around after his release. I find may problems with that statement. In typical ego fashion, Taylor believes all the media reporters are around cause of him. They are but the story isn't all about him. There is a young girl who may have caused physical and mental damage. His apparent attempt at self deprecation falls short. While not out right joking, it's very obvious the severity hasn't set in. His comments can almost be taken as "It's no big deal." Yes, Taylor, it is a big deal.

I'm not passing judgment yet but it doesn't look good for LT. Sexual assault is abhorrent on anyone. No person or child should ever be subjected to it. If reports are true, Taylor was hell bent on having sex and he didn't care with who. He allegedly paid someone $300 to buy him a girl. The pimp allegedly beat her when she refused. Taylor still took her after she refuse and was then beaten. You're right LT, your not that important. The young girl you allegedly assaulted is important though. Check your ego please.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

NFL Overtime Rule, Clarification of Networks Paying NFL in Work Stoppage

The NFL Overtime Rule Change
I wrote in a previous post that I somewhat like the playoff overtime rule change that it didn’t go far enough.

My biggest problem with the change is that teams are playing under a different set of rules in the post season. In the regular season, a coin toss, field position and a kick can win a game. In the post season it won’t. Why different criteria for overtime playoff wins?

I do think the change is a step in the right direction but it needs to extend to regular season and tweaked some more.

At the very least, both teams should be given one possession and a chance to win the game. Regardless of a first possession touchdown, let the other team get a shot at winning the game.

I find one possible change interesting. I would allow a sudden death one possession victory under one circumstance. The current playoff rule will allow a one possession win if a team scores a TD. I say take the one possession rule one step further. A TD alone doesn’t warrant a victory. I propose changing the rule to allowing a sudden death victory only if a TD and successful two point conversion are scored.

A missed two point attempt leaves a six point lead and allows the second team a shot at winning with a TD and one point conversion. I think it is a simple tweak that would make for more interesting finishes. A coach could gamble to seal the deal on a two pointer or play it safe and go for one. It’s a high risk but high reward scenario. If after one possession for each team then the game reverts to sudden death on any score. Even if a team fails to score the two points, they still maintain the advantage and can win the game with a defensive stop.

The downside is given the conservative nature of most coaches the two point conversion may never come into play.

I’m just throwing out some food for thought.

NFL Network Money and Work Stoppage
In Pro Football Weekly’s April 2010 issue, Barry Jackson quotes a network source about television money paid to the NFL in the even of a work stoppage. The source confirmed that the networks will pay the league but the amount of payments will be deducted from any money due once play starts up again.

Basically the networks will advance money to the NFL during a strike/lockout situation to help clubs keep in operations. Despite the stoppage, bills continue to accrue like stadium maintenance, staff payroll and other organizational needs. The money just comes out of the next year’s network payments.

Good to hear that cleared up. I know the networks pay out megabucks to the NFL for broadcast rights. However the payments for no product just didn’t make any sense on any level.

My Sports Allegiances

My favorite teams are in no particular order: Houston Texans, San Antonio Spurs(NBA champs 99, 03, 05, 07, 14) and the Houston Cougars, Pittsburgh Penguins (Stanley Cups 91, 92, 08, 16, 17)
My secondary teams are: Houston Dynamo(MLS Champs 06, 07), Houston Astros (NL Champs 05), Houston Rockets (NBA Champs 94, 95)
Teams I Hate: Anything out of Dallas
Teams I Enjoy Seeing Lose: Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, Baylor Bears football
Teams that are Insignificant: rice owls