March 2009 - Posts
I’m in South Florida covering tennis, but I’m taken with the sports conversation here centering on the Marlins. March Madness doesn’t register (why the NCAA placed a first/second round here, or a regional in Memphis where empty seats were in most every television shot, is a question begging to be answered), as the NCAA television ratings in Miami are the lowest of any major US market.
The Heat and Panthers are making playoff runs (what percentage of true sports fans know what league the Panthers play in?). Spring football is in full bloom, and none of it is pushing the Marlins into the background.
CONTINUED >>
A group of players had such outstanding seasons in 2008, the natural question is can they approach such success in 2009?
LIKELY:
MANNY RAMIREZ: He probably can’t repost similar numbers because National League teams will pitch to him with extreme caution. National League West ballparks, save Colorado, favor good pitching. But his impact will be greater than any player in his division. His two-year deal provides motivation to stay fit and sharp in the pursuit of one more contract, and his stated goal of 3,000 hits.
TIM LINCECUM: This blog is a firm believer in the “year after” syndrome for pitchers. But Lincecum appears to be an exception to all rules. This week, he pitched six innings, that’s SIX, just so he could reach his appointed pitch count.
CONTINUED >>
Ten days ago, a Pac-10 commentator approached Lute Olson to offer congratulations on the former Arizona coach’s induction into the Pac-10 Hall of Honor. Selection Sunday was 24 hours away, and the well-wisher offered the sentiment that good news could be coming for Arizona. Understandably, neither Olson nor Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood seemed overly optimistic.
Yet, the Wildcats were placed in the NCAA tournament much to the dismay of schools like St. Mary’s, Creighton, and San Diego State. Arizona was rewarded for its four wins over Top 20 teams (Gonzaga, Kansas, Washington, and UCLA).
Now, ten days later, Arizona stands alone from the six Pac-10 NCAA entrants. The only team from its conference to make the Sweet 16.
CONTINUED >>
On Sunday driving to the airport in Boise after broadcasting a weekend of March Madness, I listened as the radio announcers were selling their audience on the noticeable growth of the World Baseball Classic.
They were simply being company men -- a stance with which I am familiar. But there has been no WBC excitement anywhere I have been this month.
On Monday night, the telecast of the championship game tried to communicate the passion between Asian rivals Japan and South Korea, complete with pre-game pageantry, and oft-clumsy attempts to speak their languages.
CONTINUED >>
Does Roger Federer need a coach?
The answer to that could be unanimous as long as Federer himself isn’t included in the polling.
After this year’s Australian Open final, where Federer fell in five sets to Rafael Nadal, sage tennis minds from Patrick McEnroe to Darren Cahill suggested Federer needed a voice to offer him advice, and occasional healthy dissent.
CONTINUED >>
Hard to see the Cubs as anything other than heavy favorites for a third straight division title (perspective: the Cubs have NEVER won three straight of anything! In fact, since 1940, they have had only one stretch of three straight winning seasons, Leo Durocher's 1967-72 run).
In order, here's my view of the Cubs’ challengers this season:
CONTINUED >>
On forgiveness and madness...
I had a conversation over the weekend with one of my respected advisors, a man with over three decades of baseball experience, and boundless common sense and decency?
For the first time, I heard angst and passion in his voice when the subject arose of performance enhancing drug use. I shared my view that Major League Baseball, and its commissioner, Bud Selig in particular, gain nothing from a punitive stance against a player at each new admission/revelation of PED use.
CONTINUED >>
Spring training is absurdly long this year to accommodate the World Baseball Classic. But with four weeks to Opening Day, hitters are beginning to sharpen their focus while pitchers are getting into longer outings. Results start to matter.
Thus, here are 10 players to watch over the next month, and then on into the season:
CHASE UTLEY: A high-speed recovery from hip surgery is underway (don’t think A-Rod and the Yankees aren’t watching intently at the progress being made by Utley). Utley is fielding, and hitting live pitching. Game action may be as little as a week away. And Utley in the lineup on opening day is not completely out of the question.
CONTINUED >>
An advanced degree in “Moneyball,” the book authored by Michael Lewis on how A’s general manager Billy Beane goes about running a cost-effective but also competitive franchise, wasn’t needed to fix the A’s this winter.
Beane saw the flaws of last season’s team, and aggressively addressed them. Oakland is a trendy pick to challenge the Angels’ dominance of the AL West, but to do so the A’s must get positive answers to some critical questions.
CONTINUED >>
Pedro Martinez is using the World Baseball Classic as a “Dominican Idol” to prove he is healthy, and that he can still pitch. It just might work.
Martinez threw three outstanding innings in relief in the Domincan Republic's opening WBC game against the Netherlands. He fired 40 pitches, 32 of them strikes, allowed only one hit, and faced the minimum nine batters. Be certain that general managers and scouts throughout the majors took note. Pedro still wants to pitch, and if, for the rest of his team's stay in the WBC, he repeats the form of his opening effort, he'll likely have some offers to choose from.
CONTINUED >>
The Yankees are stunned by the news that Alex Rodriguez will undergo surgery on his right hip and be sidelined for 6-9 weeks.
CONTINUED >>
The heat will be on these skippers right from opening day:
JOE GIRARDI: Not a shock. These words actually came through my radio the other day: “The Yankees are looking up as they try to contend with both the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.” That’s the TAMPA BAY RAYS!
The Yankees believe it is their birthright to forever look down at expansion teams. So, third place is unacceptable for New York. Girardi is playing his mulligan, and he is armed with a bloated payroll, expensive free agents, and in the words of his own general manager, “a bad defensive team.”
CONTINUED >>
I heard this during NBC’s coverage Saturday of the Accenture Match Play Championship. Someone e-mailed a question to analyst Johnny Miller, asking why there aren’t more match-play events.
Miller, with his trademark candor, answered that since Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia all lost Thursday, the event lost its luster. NBC heavily promoted Woods, but Sunday’s final was between Geoff Ogilvy and Paul Casey, two players who certainly don’t elevate interest or drive ratings.
I laughed, and thought about Arlen Kantarian.
CONTINUED >>
