Overview
There might be a bit of bias here, since this writer is a huge Mets fan. But that’s probably okay, since most of you who buy this DVD set are going to be fans of the blue and orange. There are six DVDs in all, and each of them feature a full game from the history of Shea Stadium, which is in its final season due to the current construction of Citi Field. The games included are Game 4 of the 1969 World Series (Tom Seaver’s 10-inning gem); Game 3 of the 1986 NLCS (Len Dykstra’s game winning homer); Game 6 of the 1986 World Series (Bill Buckner); Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS (Robin Ventura’s grand slam single); the first game in 2001 after 9/11 (Piazza’s game winning homer taking a backseat to the sentiment); and a regular season game against the Yankees from 2006 (David Wright’s game winning hit). The sixth DVD has a slew of special features, including the last out of the 1969 Series, along with other division and series clinching moments, Endy Chavez’ insane catch in the 2006 NLCS, and an interview with Bill Shea, the namesake of the stadium.
What’s Interesting?
1969 wasn’t that long ago, yet it’s truly amazing to see how much times have changed Read the rest of this entry »
Baseball purists will argue all day long about the sad fact that pitchers do not pitch nine innings anymore. Not only has the closer’s role become just as important, if not more important than that of starting pitchers, but there are set-up men and set-up men to the set-up men now. And it’s not necessarily that some guys can’t go nine, it’s just that managers feel the need to save their starters’ arms for a long season and possibly to give them an edge in the postseason.
Well here’s my take. When I see Willie Randolph yanking Johan Santana, one of the game’s best pitchers, after seven innings with a small lead to bring in Aaron Heilman, there is something wrong. And as further proof that times have changed, Cy Young had more complete games than any pitcher in history, with 749 (he completed 217 games in one four-year stretch, and 92% of all of his starts). Meanwhile, the current active leader, Greg Maddux, ranks 355th all-time. That’s more than crazy, it’s simply ridiculous. With that, here is a list of the top 10 active leaders in complete games…..
1. Greg Maddux, San Diego Padres (109)—Even this iron man couldn’t hold a candle to Cy Young, but it’s not his fault he pitches in the era of bullpen specialists. He’s only had one complete game in the last three seasons, but, well, dude is 42 years old. 37 of Maddux’s 109 complete games came from 1992-1995, when he won four straight Cy Young Awards.
2. Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (98)—It’s hard to believe the Big Unit began his career twenty years ago, and is still blowing hitters away at the age of 44. In 1999, Johnson had a career high 12 complete games, and also struck out 364 batters at the age of 35.
3. Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox (83)—Here’s another guy who never had more than 12 complete games in a season, but his longevity (20 seasons) has certainly helped his cause.
4. Mike Mussina, New York Yankees (57)—Mussina has only had 12 complete games since joining the Yankees in 2001. Well, when Mariano Rivera is your closer, you’re pretty much going to take a seat in the ninth inning.
5. Tom Glavine, Atlanta Braves (56)—In 22 seasons, you’d think a crafty lefthander like Glavine would have more complete games, but he’s still managed to win 305 games.
6. John Smoltz, Atlanta Braves (53)—Surely Smoltz would rank fourth or fifth on this list if he didn’t spend three-plus season as the Braves’ closer. But with 154 saves on his resume, we won’t hold it against him.
7. Pedro Martinez, New York Mets (46)—Pedro hasn’t completed a game since 2005, and with his rash of injuries lately, it’s doubtful that he’ll go nine again anytime soon.
8. Livan Hernandez, Minnesota Twins (44)—Is this Cuban export really only 33 years old?
9. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays (36)—Halladay is somewhat of a throwback, as he’s had 5 complete games already in 2008 in just 11 starts.
10. (tie with Halladay) Kenny Rogers, Detroit Tigers (36)—Rogers has been a steady pitcher his whole career, and his 36 complete games are a testament to his longevity more than anything else. Rogers’ last complete game came in 2005 while with Texas.
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. thinks it’s already a “foregone conclusion” that his horse, Big Brown, will win horse racing’s Triple Crown this year. Big Brown has to win at the Belmont Stakes on June 7 to capture horseracing’s most prestigious honor.
“I feel that he will do it,” he said Thursday during the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s pre-Belmont conference call. “I feel like it’s actually a foregone conclusion. To me, I just see the horses he’s in with and I see our horse so I expect him to win this race.
“I know that when that day actually does come, and if our horse is in good shape, it will be the most exciting, thrilling moment of my life. So I just … I know that that’s coming, but right now I’m just staying involved with our horse and what we think is best to get him there the right way and it keeps us plenty busy.”
Couple things, Rick:
1. Your horse has a freaking crack in one of his hooves.
2. The last time a horse won the Triple Crown was 1978.
3. Maybe you’ve heard of this horse from China named Casino Drive that’s getting a little attention. Some think he’s smelling upset.
Finally and most importantly:
4. There’s no trash talking in horse racing. It’s just ridiculous.
So let’s just slow down on all the “foregone conclusion” talk shall we? Big Brown is a monster favorite and he should be with the way he absolutely dominated at the Preakness. But nothing is a guarantee.
It’s always interesting to see how top athletes stay in shape – especially baseball players. What kinds of exercises get you through an entire 162-game season?
Mens Fitness.com got a peek at Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter’s workout regime and it’s quite interesting.
Hunter says there isn’t a set rotation of exercises on each day, so the players don’t know what Maresh will have them doing when they show up each morning. The only guarantee is that it will be an intense two to three hours, and that there won’t be much machine work; it’s all “Rocky Balboa stuff,” as Hunter says, with the players often using their own body weight as the tension force. “You might do box jumps, stepups, and pullups,” Hunter says. But the trickiest one has him in pushup position, feet on a physio ball, while using his hands to balance a board over asmall wheel. “At first, the goal is to just balance it,” he says. “I can do pushups now, but it’s real tough. It takes focus.
“The physio ball is definitely my friend,” Hunter says. “It’s a big part in everything I do with my core. I get a 45-pound weight and lay back with my arms out in front of me and crunch it without moving the physio ball. Keep your hips up the whole time. Get stabilization. If you’re strong in the midsection, that means you’re stable; you’re stronger than a guy who just lifts weights.”
As you can see from the photos, Hunter does a ton of core exercises, which is vital for baseball. There isn’t a lot of heavy lifting in his workout routine and almost everything is done on a physio ball (or Swiss ball as it’s sometimes called), which forces more muscle groups to work together at the same time. For more photos click here.
NBA Western Conference Finals Game 5: Lakers 100, Spurs 92
The Lakers domination over the Spurs continues as L.A. downs San Antonio and clinches a spot in the NBA Finals. Here’s Kobe’s take:
MLB Musings:
- Cubs 8, Rockies 4. The Cubs are damn near unbeatable at home. They’ve now won 12 of their last 14 at Wrigley, but they still can’t create any space between them and the Cards in the NL Central.
- Giants 4, Diamondbacks 3. The D-Backs are officially slumping after being swept by the Giants. They wasted a tremendous effort by Randy Johnson, who tied Roger Clemens for second place on the all-time strike out list.
- Mets 8, Dodgers 4. The Mets ruined Joe Torre’s return to New York by absolutely pounding Brad Penny. He’s now lost four of his last five decisions, is 5-6 on the year and his ERA has risen to 5.66. Ouch.
- White Sox 5, Rays 1. How about those White Sox? They’re now winners of seven of their last 10 and more importantly, they’re winning on the road. Having a healthy Joe Crede (ninth home run last night) in the lineup certainly makes a difference, doesn’t it?
Collins hasn’t coached since the 2002-03 season when he guided the Washington Wizards in the second of back-to-back 37-45 seasons. He has compiled a career record of 332-287 (.536), which includes two 50+ win seasons – the 1987-88 Bulls and the 1996-97 Pistons.
The Bulls have a good, young roster that features Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. They recently won the draft lottery, which means they have their choice of Kansas State’s Michael Beasley and Memphis’ Derrick Rose. Word on the street is that the Bulls are leaning towards taking Beasley, who would give them the post presence they have been lacking since their boneheaded decision to trade Elton Brand to the Clippers for the draft rights to Tyson Chandler. Obviously, winning the lottery didn’t hurt their chances of coaxing Collins out of retirement.
I wonder if Mike D’Antoni is regretting his decision to choose the Knicks over the Bulls…
In a recent post about Mike D’Antoni’s decision to take the Knicks job, I mentioned that the first order of business is to find a quick guard to push the ball up court and to make good decisions. T.J. Ford, the odd man out in Toronto with the emergence of Jose Calderon, would be a great guy for the Knicks to target. Now that Toronto is actually pursuing a trade, it made me wonder – other than the Knicks, which teams should be interested in Ford?
The answer is all about pace, which is a team’s average number of possessions per game. Ford is a great player in the open court where he can use his incredible speed and wonderful ball handling to make positive plays for his team. When the tempo slows, Ford’s weaknesses – size, lack of a consistent jumper – rise to the surface. His shot is a work in progress, but he is a good on-the-ball defender.
So, besides the Knicks, who should be interested?
Denver Nuggets
If the Nuggets find a taker for Allen Iverson, Ford would be a nice fit with Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith (or Linas Kleiza) on the wings. It might take Smith or Kleiza to get the Raptors to bite, though they might do the deal for the Nuggets #20 pick.
Indiana Pacers
Did you know that Indiana played at the third highest pace this season? It’s a shame that their point guard (Jamaal Tinsley) isn’t suited for an up tempo style. I like the idea of Ford feeding Mike Dunleavy and Danny Granger on the wings. The Raptors might have interest in Shawne Williams, who played well in his first season, but the Pacers would have to add some salary to make a deal work. Other than maybe Marquis Daniels, they just don’t have any favorable contracts to move right now.
Miami Heat
I’m sure there are those that are wondering why the Heat are on this list, but we need to get out of the mindset that Miami has to be a grind-it-out team. Shaq is gone and the much more athletic Shawn Marion has taken his place. I’m hearing that the Bulls are going to take Michael Beasley, which would leave Derrick Rose for the Heat, but if it goes the other way, how nice would a core of Ford, Wade, Marion and Beasley look? It might take Dorrell Wright or Daequan Cook to make it happen.
Golden State Warriors
Sure, the Warriors already have two good point guards in Baron Davis and Monta Ellis, but Davis is looking for a big, long-term contract and the Warriors may not bite. If he opts-out of the final year of his deal, then the Warriors could work out a three-way trade involving Davis that would bring in Ford as their main ball handler. A Ford/Ellis backcourt would be small, but devastatingly quick. Who would the Raptors want in return? Brandan Wright seems like a big price to pay, but it might be worth it. Mickael Pietrus or Kelenna Azuibuike are also options.
Phoenix Suns
Nash is getting on in years and the Suns will need someone to take over once he’s gone. Why not acquire Ford to be Nash’s backup? It would allow the former MVP to rest more which should extend his career. This is all fine in theory, but with D’Antoni gone, the team will probably slow its pace, so it won’t need Ford.
Los Angeles Clippers
Apparently, Shaun Livingston is almost ready for contact drills, but the Clippers need stability at the point guard position and Ford would be great insurance if Livingston isn’t ready to go. The main problem with this move is that the Clippers aren’t built for an up tempo style. I’m guessing that Elton Brand will play out his final year to prove to teams that he’s ready to go. Brand and Chris Kaman aren’t built for an up tempo attack.
Atlanta Hawks
I’d love to see the Hawks acquire Ford. Mike Bibby helped them get to the playoffs, but he’s on the decline and is quite pricey for what he brings to the table. Imagine Ford pushing the ball up to Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams (or Josh Childress) and Josh Smith on the wings. That would be scary. The Raptors might be willing to trade Ford for Williams or Childress.
NFL.com ranked the best annual signings in the first 15 years of free agency.
1993: Reggie White, Packers
Former team: Eagles
Position: Defensive end
Reported terms: Four years, $17 million
The first free agent period was ushered in with perhaps the biggest impact signing of all time. The Packers lavished the richest contract for a defensive lineman ever on Reggie White and he proved worth every penny. White amassed 68 ½ sacks in six seasons with Green Bay and led the Packers to their only Super Bowl championship since the Vince Lombardi era. White was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. Honorable mention: RB Marcus Allen (Raiders to Chiefs)
1995: Deion Sanders, Cowboys
Former team: 49ers
Position: Cornerback
Reported terms: Seven years, $25 million
Sanders makes the list twice in a row. After accepting less money and winning a Super Bowl with the 49ers, Sanders decided to end talk that he would retire from football and play baseball exclusively by signing a mega deal with the Cowboys. In his first year he helped lead Dallas to its third championship in four years and went on to have five standout seasons with the Cowboys despite playing part-time in 1995. Honorable mention: G Mark Schlereth (Redskins to Broncos)
2001: Priest Holmes, Chiefs
Former team: Ravens
Position: Running back
Reported terms: Five years, $8 million
Holmes performed well as Jamal Lewis’ backup during the Ravens’ Super Bowl season in 2000, but despite his success, there were not a lot of suitors for Holmes in free agency. The Chiefs signed him for a bargain price and got perhaps the NFL’s best running back over a three-year period. From 2001-2003, Holmes averaged 1,530 rushing yards, 659 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns per season. Honorable mention: LB Mike Vrabel (Steelers to Patriots)
Great list. It’s hard to find a better free agent signing than Reggie White in 1993. More often than not these days, free agents aren’t worth half the contracts they signed. As the write up noted – White was worth every penny.
