Dwight Howard's "Injury": updated

Update: Well apparently we were all a bit premature in our attack on Dwight. He is set to undergo back surgery on a herniated disk and will miss the rest of the season due to a very real injury. On the other hand, the way he dealt with everything this year still leaves him in the dog house. And so, most of my article still stands.


In trying not to become LeBron, Dwight has outdone LeBron. He has become everything he didn’t want to be, and just makes it worse with every passing day. Starting with the trade request and everything surrounding it, his reputation has further been tarnished. Dwight initially told the Magic that he refused to promise that he would opt in for the last year of his contract, and basically told them you can trade me or wait and see what happens. I am fine with him saying that because it’s a big decision that he has to make. While it’s not fair on the Magic, it’s better than telling them that he would opt in and then change his mind and opt out. At least he gave them some warning that he was considering going elsewhere. Next he decided to say that he won’t opt in and wants to be traded, but then later changes his mind AGAIN and finally opts in for the last year of his contract. Now we’re stuck waiting for the circus to come back again next year before the trade deadline.

Earlier in the year Dwight had told the media that he wanted to get the ball more in crunch time. I had written an article about this and stated that he had no right to ask for the ball during crunch time because he had already asked to be traded. His teammates had no reason to give him the ball when they knew he probably wouldn’t be there after the trade deadline. Dwight is also a horrible free throw shooter and being a post player, isn’t as adept as creating a shot for himself as a guard would be, but that’s a debate for another time. He should never have said anything, especially with his comments coming on the back of a WIN for the Magic where Jason Richardson went off to bring them back. After this we got into the trade fiasco, which ended in Dwight opting in for the last year of his contract. Now, sources have said that Dwight refuses to play again this year for Van Gundy. This would mean that Dwight is feigning injury because he’s not happy with the coach. This would be a new low for him and almost every professional athlete. After trying to get Van Gundy fired, Dwight is now upset that Van Gundy did not support him in the media. That Stan went out and told the truth, the truth that Dwight did try to get him fired. I have to side with Van Gundy on this one. Dwight is being a baby and thinks he owns the franchise, the franchise that only a month ago, he tried to leave. He has not signed a contract extension and has no right to get one of the best coaches in the game fired. But the Magic will do as he says. They will Van Gundy, either now or at the end of the season, because it’s easy to find a new coach, but impossible to find another Dwight, even if it is only for another year. The way some of today’s superstars are babied and coddled is pathetic and disgusting. While there is only one Dwight, he is bringing a horrible name to the franchise he represents and doesn’t deserve. He should be traded this summer and sent to the Bobcats. He needs to learn what he had. He is making millions of dollars a year playing a sport. He doesn’t appreciate that, and neither do many other athletes. It’s time sports franchises stop coddling their players. All they are is entertainment, and this isn’t entertainment anymore. This is just pathetic.

The Broncos: Tough Road Ahead

With the NFL schedules released yesterday, we finally get an idea of how the season can potentially unfold for our respective teams. Today let’s start with possibly the most anticipated team in this season, the Denver Broncos. Taking a quick look at their schedule, they are in a lot of trouble. They need Manning and the offense to step up big early. Their first six games are against Pittsburg, at Atlanta, home to Houston and Oakland, and at New England and San Diego. They could conceivably start the season at 1-5 or 2-4 if they don’t click fast. With Manning coming off of four reported neck surgeries, his health is still in question. While the news has sounded good, with many saying he looks as good as or better than he was before the injury, none of us have seen anything, and he has not taken the field in a game yet. We don’t know if he will be able to take the big hits, and with some very good, aggressive defenses coming to play him early, we will find out very early into the season how well he has healed. Besides the injury Manning will also have to figure out the offense very fast. Manning and his receivers will have to get on the same page otherwise Pittsburg, Oakland and Houston, and the other teams will definitely take advantage of the Broncos.

                While I would never put it past Manning to be who he is, be great, and lead the team to the playoffs, their early season schedule is brutal, and it doesn’t get any easier. With visits to Cincinnati, Carolina, Baltimore and Oakland and a home game against the Saints, their entire schedule is filled with tough games. Their only real “gimmie” game in the entire season is against Cleveland. Lucky for the Broncos, the Chargers have an equally difficult schedule as well. The Chiefs schedule is a bit easier than both the Broncos and Chargers, but still has only 2 gimmie games. The Raiders are the team to watch out for. They have games against Jacksonville, Miami and Cleveland, which can all be considered gimmie games. The Raiders, however, always find a way to blow it so I wouldn’t put my money on them just yet. The Broncos have a difficult schedule, but also have a very good team, with a bit of luck and some quick jelling between Manning and the offense, they could play extremely well and gain a lot of momentum from early victories against good teams.

                In most divisions, the team that wins the most in-division games wins the division. The AFC West the last two years has been a crapshoot. Last year all 4 teams finished with 3-3 records within the division, and the year before Kansas won the division with a 2-4 record against the rest of the division. This year, the team that wins the most in-divison games will win the division. All 4 teams have very difficult games against out of division opponents. While I won’t doubt the Manning led Broncos, they will have a tough time winning the division. If they can beat the teams in their division, they will win the division, otherwise they’ll have a hard time making the playoffs.

The Dodgers Hot Start

While it is obvious that the Dodgers will not win 90% of their games, is it possible for the Dodgers to continue their hot streak and be playoff contenders? The NL West is one of the few divisions that does not have an outright candidate to win. The west has always been up for grabs and while Arizona asserted their dominance last year and won the division by 8 games over the Giants. However, they still only won 94 games, which was the lowest number of wins for any division winner in either league. They bolstered their pitching staff with Cahill, and have Trevor Bauer and other prospects in the minors ready to be called up, but their offense still has some holes. Chris Young has been hugely inconsistent and Goldschmidt, while a great prospect, is still an unknown. Hill has been on a downhill path and while he played well for Arizona after he was traded, it was a small sample size. Other players on their team follow in the same path, many are young and inexperienced. That being said, Arizona has a very good team, and I would call them the favorites to win the division. Even though many say the Giants are the favorites because of their pitching, I feel their lack of real offense is going to hurt them. Sandoval has been up and down and Posey is coming off of a long term injury. While adding Melky Cabrera was a good move, their offense just lacks the punch. Colorado has the offense but their starting pitching is horrible. Chachin could be a great pitcher, but they lack any real pitching depth behind him. Moyer is 49 years old, Nicasio and Pomeranz have very little experience and while Guthrie has had a sub 4 ERA in 3 of his last 5 seasons, it will have to be seen how he performs at the hitters paradise that is Coors Field. San Diego is just missing too many parts currently to be a contender. They have many great prospects in their ranks, but they are a team that is going to have to wait for the future to contend. With all that being said, aside from San Diego, I think any of the 4 other teams in the West can challenge for the division. They all have their holes, and as I had stated in a previous post about the Dodgers, they need a lot to go right for them to be contenders. But since I am a Dodger fan let’s talk about their first 10 games of the season.

Let’s look at their torrid start from a statistical point. After 10 games, the Dodgers are sitting at 9-1, with 50 runs scored and 33 runs allowed. This gives them averages of 5 runs scored per game and 3.3 runs allowed per game. If we go back to last year, the Dodgers averaged 4 runs per game and allowed 3.8 runs per game. The 2 years prior to that, 2009 and 2008 were the Dodgers pennant years. if we go back the last 4 years, the Dodgers have averaged 4.33 runs and allowed 3.96 runs per game. So it seems that the Dodgers offense and pitching are bound to regress a bit. I believe it will take 93-95 wins to win the division. If we look closely at their 2009 year the Dodgers won 95 games. In 2009 the Dodgers, on average, scored 4.8 runs and allowed 3.77 runs. If they can repeat these numbers they could win the West. There are a few difference between 2009 and now. On offense Manny was still playing at a high level, and while he was out, Juan Pierre played extremely well. James Loney was also playing well and had 90 RBIs that year. Ethier was on his way to 31 homeruns and 106 RBIs and Furcal played a full season, even though it was not up to his normal standards. Casey Blake was giving us production from 3^rd base. And Russell Martin was giving the Dodgers production from the catcher spot.  On the pitching side, Kuroda was still on the team and was pitching very well and the bullpen had a bunch of lockdown pitchers led by Broxton and Kuo. The advantage the Dodgers have now, this year, is that Kershaw is the reigning Cy Young award winner and has become one of the best pitchers in the game and Matt Kemp has become an MVP candidate, and is currently one of the best hitters in the game. The bullpen is still a lockdown with Guerra and Jansen leading them. The starting pitching staff has some holes, but if they pitch to their potentials, they should be fine. The problem comes in with the offense. James Loney has been regressing since his first year. Uribe is trying to bounce back from one of the worst seasons in Dodger history. A.J. Ellis is trying to bring us some production back, but in a completely different way through getting walks and getting on base. There are some pluses however. Dee Gordon can make things happen on base. He has stolen 7 bases in 8 tries and while he is struggling with the bat he is finding a way to be productive. Rivera is driving runs in. Between his time last year with the Dodgers and into this year, he has driven in 52 runs in 71 games.  Ethier, while he struggled last year due to an injury, seems to be back to his old self again. The part of the current offense that scares me however, is the fact that Ethier and Kemp, between them, have driven in 31 of the Dodgers 50 runs. That is a ridiculous 51.6% of the total teams runs. This is not going to happen all season long. This will regress. Kemp and Ethier will not drive in 240+ runs each in one season. The Dodger offense is bound to regress. However, Urbie and Loney are bound to hit better than they have been so far. Their rise might be able to mitigate the regression in Kemp and Ethier. I do believe the Dodgers have the offense to challenge for a division title, but it will come down to how Uribe and Loney perform. Without them the team will struggle, with them, they have a good chance at the division.

MLB Closers

Like death and taxes, you can always expect the closer wagon to be in full swing at the start of baseball season. While this creates some excitement in the form of blown saves and come back wins, it creates havoc for fantasy owners. The biggest culprit is currently the Red Sox. When Andrew Bailey went down with an injury, most of us thought that Melancon would get the call, considering his previous experience saving games for the Astros. But surprisingly, Aceves was named the closer. In their first game, with the scores tied, Melancon came in during the 9^th and proceeded to give up 2 hits to the Tigers while only getting one out. Aceves then followed him and hit the hit batter he faced and then proceeded to give up the game winning hit. During the second game, Aceves once again came up empty. With a 3 run lead, he allowed 3 hits to the Tigers in the 9^th, one of which was the game tying 3 run homer by Miguel Cabrera.  All of this happened while getting no outs. Even worse, Melancon came in during the 11^th with a 2 run lead, and blew it again, giving up 3 runs including a homerun to Alex Avila. So in all, Aceves faced 5 batters in the first 2 games, allowed 4 hits, one homerun and hit a batter and Melancon faced 9 batters, getting 2 outs, while allowing 5 hits, one home run and a sacrifice fly. Well then, who gets the closer role now? Aceves is still the closer and came in during their 4^th game and proceeded to save their only win so far in this young season. Melancon hasn’t pitched since those first 2 games. If you are one of the managers who has Aceves, I wouldn’t worry just yet. It is early in the season and it sometimes takes relief pitchers a while to get their rhythm. And on the other side, there is no real threat behind him. While Padilla could take the spot, I don’t think they would jump on to him yet, considering he has very little experience coming out of the pen. And until the starting rotation comes back, Lackey and Miller are both currently on the DL, Daniel Bard is stuck in the starting rotation.

While the season is still young, Boston clearly has issues in their bullpen, but they are not alone in this. Toronto has had their own issues in the bullpen. Sergio Santos got his first save today, after blowing 2 previous saves. He gave up runs in back to back outings, which led to back to back blown saves. Santos was pretty good last season, saving 30 games with a 3.55 ERA and a very low WHIP at 1.11. While this could just be a pitcher needing to find his rhythm in the early season, the problem is that if he does struggle for an extended period of time, the Blue Jays have an experienced closer behind him who could take over. Francisco Cordero is coming off of a 37 save season, which followed a 40 save season. While he is getting old, and his K-rate has dropped, he is still capable of pitching at a very high level. However I do believe his numbers from last year were an anomaly, his WHIP of 1.02 was unusually below his career average of 1.33. 1.02 is the second lowest WHIP he has posted in his career, behind a 1.01 performance in his 4^th season in 2002. His numbers do speak for themselves however, with multiple seasons of 30+ saves and a few 40+ save seasons. He is always a threat to take over the closer spot. I wouldn’t start to worry yet about Santos since he is young and thus should have a decent leash before they pull him.

Since relievers come out of the pen and pitch on short notice and have less time to really get their groove due to the short amount of time they actually pitch, they sometimes takes a while to get their rhythm back. I wouldn’t worry too much just yet, but I’d keep an eye out on the situations. In other closer news, it seems that Fernando Rodney has taken the closer spot for the Rays, unofficially of course. Officially it is still a closer by committee, but with 3 saves and a win in 5 games, he should be the one getting most of the save opportunities until Farnsworth comes back. Sean Marshall for the Reds, hasn’t had a chance to save any games yet, but has been perfect both times he has come in. He has 2 innings pitched and 3 k’s, while retiring all the batter he has faced. The opportunities will come, and it seems like he should be ready for the closer gig. If he’s still available consider picking him up. Javy Guerra has been great for the Dodgers so far. His pitches and command have both been very sharp. This season he has allowed only 1 hit, 1 walk in 3 innings of work, while allowing 0 runs and striking out 3. Many people think Jansen should be the closer because of his great K rate, Javy currently has the job and it is his to lose.

Kobe's injury and what it means for the Lakers

Kobe’s shin injury could spell trouble for the Lakers. That statement on its own is pretty obvious because losing Kobe for any period of time is always a problem for the Lakers, as would losing a superstar for any other team. This year, however it is an even bigger problem. The Lakers currently hold only a half game lead on the Clippers for the division and the 3^rd spot, however they hold the tie breaker which means the Clippers are essentially a game and a half back. The Lakers are also 2 games ahead of Memphis, who are currently in 5^th, behind the Lakers and Clippers, and are the hottest team in the League right now. They have come off of wins to Oklahoma City, Miami and Dallas in the last WEEK. This year the Lakers need to get a top 4 spot this year more than any other year. If Kobe is out for a week or more, they could drop down to 5^th and lose home court in the first round. They have struggled mightily on the road and currently have a 12-16 road record.

One thing not on the side of the Lakers is their schedule. Of those 3 teams, the Lakers have the most difficult schedule. They have 3 games left against the Spurs, 2 of them in San Antonio, and 1 game against the Mavs, OKC and Denver, all at home. Their only 2 “gimmie” games are away games at Sacramento and Golden State, which can both be difficult places to play at. The Clippers have 6 of their remaining 10 against playoff level opposition, 2 of which are against OKC, and another 2 against teams that they have had trouble with (Phoenix and Minnesota). The Grizzlies have the easiest schedule for the rest of the year, with only 3 games left against current playoff teams. The remaining schedules could mean a battle of LA first round playoff series. Now all of this doesn’t matter if the Lakers win out, or at least find a way to stabilize. But a team without its leading scorer and superstar is almost always going to struggle (who thought the Bulls would play so well without Rose?). This leaves the major possibility that the Lakers end up in the 5^th spot.

If the Lakers do drop into 5^th, they would most likely play either the Clippers or the Grizzlies. If the Clippers drop down to 4^th then the Lakers would essentially be playing at home for the entire series, which could benefit them. If they end up playing the Grizzlies, this could be a problem. The Grizzlies would have home court advantage and they have already shown that they can win at Staples. While the Lakers have won in Memphis, their road record over the whole season does not help their cause. They would have to win all their home games, and try to pull off at least one away win, which will be very difficult. While I would never doubt most Lakers teams, this one just doesn’t have the same attitude as previous teams. A big part of it is probably the coaching change. Phil Jackson was always able to get the best out of his players. More importantly he had the respect of his players, which is something Mike Brown does not currently seem to have. Playing on the road is mostly mental, and Brown has been unable to coach his team past the mental aspect.

The Lakers will make the playoffs. Kobe will be back for the playoffs. The question is, where will they be, in the comforts of their home? Or under the lights and roars of opposing fans? It’s time for the rest of the Lakers to step up and show that they can at least hold the fort down for a week or two. They need to show that they are capable of winning without Kobe. Or they may end up with a first round exit.

MLB Opening Day recap and some fantasy tidbits

Opening day of baseball (on U.S. soil) brought us back so many of the things that we love. In the early game Detroit closer, Valverde, blew his first save since 2010. After not blowing a save opportunity all of last year, on his way to 49 saves, Valverde blew his first save in his first chance, in the first game. Luckily for the Tigers, Boston has their own relief problems and ended up losing it in the bottom of the 9^th, when former Astros closer Melancon allowed 2 runners to reach base and Aceves allowed them to score.  In the other games, we had the return of two great pitchers who had been out all of last year due to injury. Johan Santana and Stephen Stasburg both made strong returns to the mound en route to leading their teams to opening day victories. Santana went 5 innings, striking out 5, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks and no runs to score. Strasburg went 7 innings, with 5 k’s, 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run. These are good signs for those of you who drafted these guys. We found that in the absence of Drew Storen, the Nationals have decided to use Brad Lidge as their closer.

                In the other games, we had the longest game in opening day history, a 16 inning nail biter between the Indians and the Blue Jays. Some people this year have even picked the Blue Jays to make the playoffs and they started off on the right foot. They scored 3 runs of Indians closer, Perez, in the 9^th to tie it, and won it in the 16^th with help from a 3 run homerun by J.P. Arenciba, who missed a bunt sign and swung away. Lucky for him it worked out. We had a masterful pitching performance by Roy Halladay. He went 8 innings, striking out 5 and only allowing 2 hits. The Pirates pitching staff nearly matched his performance and kept it close throughout. Bedard went 7 great innings, allowing only 1 run. Miami lost again, this time to Cincinnati and are yet to record a win as the Miami Marlins. Hanley and Stanton still remain hitless.

                In the late game we had the Dodgers take on the Padres at Petco Park. Somehow Kershaw found the energy to take the mound. After suffering from a stomach flu, he was unable to keep any food down, but convinced the coach that he could take the mound. He was not his usual dominant self and was only able to go 3 innings, but it’s an attitude that like that separates the good from the great. Matt Kemp started off his season on the right foot, banging in 3 RBIs with help from an oppo field 2 run homerun. However he was out done by Maybin who hit an estimated 455 foot 2 run homerun to keep the game close. In the pitchers paradise that is Petco, we were able to witness two giant homeruns. For those of you that have Kenley Jansen on their roster, he looked very shaky. From his history he tends to start a bit slow, but should get his rhythm soon enough. He was not throwing very hard and continued to throw fastballs. I wouldn’t be worried too much about this as it is still early in the season and it takes time to get that rhythm going.

                On the fantasy watch, the White Sox have still not named their closer and from what manager Ventura said, it could be a closer by committee situation. A closer may be named by the end of the game today. Kyle Farnsworth has been put on the DL and the Rays have decided to go on a closer by committee as well, but Peralta might be the one getting most of the opportunities, as he did last year while Farnsworth was out. Perez was extremely shaky in his appearance for the Indians. With Pestano pitching behind him, this will be a situation to watch. I wouldn’t worry about it just yet as it is still early in the season and Perez was injured during spring training and hasn’t been able to get his rhythm yet. Masterson pitched beautifully for the Indians, striking out 10 in 8 innings and only allowing 2 hits, one home run, and one run. If he was not picked up and is on your waiver wire, you should pick him up. Sean Marshall pitched a perfect 9^th. Even though it was not a save opportunity, it’s always a good sign when your closer strikes out 2 and allows no runners against the heart of the order. Venters is an interesting pick up. While he is not the closer, he still strikes out a lot of batters, allows very few runners to reach base and allows even fewer runs. While he allowed 2 hits and a walk during yesterday’s game, he allowed no runs and was able to get out of it with 2 strike outs. Frank Francisco got the save opportunity for the Mets and pitched a perfect 9^th, and struck out one.

                From the hitter standpoint, Colby Rasmus went 0/7 and was unable to break out of his slump from last year. He has the potential to be a great hitter, but until he gets out of his slump he is only someone to keep an eye on. Danny Murphy returned for the Mets after missing the last few months of last season. He continued where he left off, going 2/4. He is a guy who will hit for average, but won’t give you too much more. He does, however, have 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd base eligibility, which would make him a great guy to keep on your bench. Werth is still not hitting well, he went 0/3 but did walk in a run. The interesting players to watch today will be Jason Kubel and Adam Dunn. Dunn will bat 3^rd and if he can get his form back, he would make a great waiver pickup. His stock should be down significantly and he should be available in many leagues due to his horrible season last year. Kubel is slated to be the Arizona starter and has the potential to hit .275, with 25 homerus and 100 RBIs. Arizona is a hitters park and if he stays healthy he should put up good numbers. The only problem is that behind him is Gerardo Parra, who is a gold glover and Kubel isn’t a great defensive player. While Parar does not possess the same offensive ability as Kubel, he is still a capable hitter and hit .292 last year. This will be something to keep your eye on, but Kubel should get the majority of the starts.

Clippers vs Lakers.

Clippers vs Lakers. This is a huge game and could end up being the decider in who wins the Pacific Division. The Lakers, with a 34-20 record, currently hold a 1.5 game lead on the 32-21 Clippers. The head to head series is tied at 1-1, and the winner will own the tie breaker. The Clippers had a horrible March record of 11-9. This was bolstered by the last week of March where they won 5 in a row. They continued this win streak into April by blowing out the Mavs in Dallas. This win streak is mostly due to two things that were not happening since Billups went down. Firstly, the Clippers were finally getting production from their 2 and 3 spots. During this win streak, Butler has averaged 10.8 points and more importantly has shot over 50% in 5 of the 6 games. Foye He has finally started to consistently hit his 3’s, hitting 46% during this stretch, which has been a huge reason in his increase in scoring. He has averaged 16 points during this stretch and has hit a ridiculous 22 3 pointers, capped by his 8 Monday night in Dallas.

Since Billups went down, Randy Foye has been inconsistent in his scoring. This coincided with Butler going through a massive slump as well. When 3 of your starters are not producing consistently, DJ has been very inconsistent as well, and your bench isn’t scoring, it’s going to be very tough to find a way to win. And Secondly, the Clippers have FINALLY started to work hard on defense. Their rotations are finally working and shooters are not being left open. The intensity that was lacking on defense for most of the year has finally showed up. Through this streak the Clippers have allowed 87.3 points per game. They have held their opponents to under 90 points in 4 of the 6 games, and even held the Mavs to 75 points IN Dallas. They’ve forced their opponents into bad shots, and most importantly, they’ve gotten turnovers. With the personnel the Clippers have, these turnovers lead into momentum shifting fast break dunks that get the crowd and players excited. It’s brought the fun back into the game. Oddly this turn of fates and coincided with Mo Williams being injured. While this may be looking too far into something, there is some truth here. Mo Williams being out has opened up time for Bledsoe. While Bledsoe is not a scorer, his defensive intensity has been huge for the Clippers second unit. He is one of their best perimeter defenders and has helped to keep the opposing guards quiet. Mo Williams is a great, streaky scorer. When he goes off from 3, there is no stopping him. But he is a huge liability on defense. While Williams and Bledsoe are both listed as 6’ 1, 195, Mo lacks the hunger on defense that Bledsoe possesses. It will be interesting to see what happens when Mo returns from injury.

For most of March the Clippers players looked frustrated. And with the way they were playing, they were right to be frustrated. Their defensive intensity was not there, players were missing open shots, and they were lacking consistency. While this recent 6 game streak is only a short span of games, the signs looks good. If they are able to keep this defensive intensity up along with getting production from Foye and Butler, it will be a very tough game for the Lakers and a tough series for whoever they play in the playoffs.

The Lakers on the other side have been all over the place. They play hard and build big leads only to blow them late. They can’t rely on Kobe bailing them out every game, and this has been their biggest problem. In cliché terms, they lack the killer instinct. When they get a team down, they can’t finish the job and allow the opposition back into the game. The Clippers had this same problem, but they were unable to pull back and win the games. That is what separated these teams in March. While they both blew big leads and played inconsistently, the Lakers were able to still pull out the wins. A few weeks ago this was a must win for the Clippers. They were falling out of the playoffs and things were looking down. But with their recent stretch they have started to separate themselves from the rest of the chasing pack. A win here would help them to get the pacific title, but from the way it seems, both the Lakers and Clippers will have home court advantage in, at least, the first round of the playoffs. This is a statement game. Big brother wants to show that he is still in charge of the house. Young brother wants to show that his time has finally come. Both of these teams are finally relevant at the same time. Regardless of who wins tonight, this rivalry is great for Los Angeles.

Ubaldo drills Tulo: Bush league at its worst

Only in certain occasions is intentionally hitting a batter considered OK. The main case would be for retaliation. If your teammate was intentionally hit, then in my eyes, you have the right to hit a batter on the opposing team, but still never above the shoulders. The ideal spot to hit a batter, the place where you can get a message across, but not have it be a bush league play, is on the thigh.  This is the area where it would cause the least amount of injury to a hitter. I never agree with pitchers throwing high at batters. The potential for concussions, broken wrists, and major injures are too high. I understand the need to protect your teammates, but it must be done with caution. On the other hand, hitting a batter still doesn’t logically make sense. In a real game, why would you give the other team a free base runner? The message an intentional plunking gives is clear, but that can be sent with a glancing pitch, like an inside fastball. This gets the message across without giving the other team a base runner.

                Ubaldo Jimenez still has issues with the Rockies. They did not give him a huge contract extension, but gave one to Tulowitzki and to Carlos Gonzalez. There has been a back and forth in the media between the Rockies and Ubaldo. Tulowitzki recently got involved and stood up for the Rockies. Ublado brought his anger to the forefront by intentionally (most likely) hitting Tulowitzki on the elbow during a SPRING TRAINING game.  I have never in my life heard about anyone intentionally hitting someone during spring training.  He was suspended for 5 games once the regular seasons starts. While 5 games for a hitter would be a lot, 5 games for a pitcher means only 1 missed start, so it is not as big of a deal. For such a dangerous play that could have sent Tulowitzki to the DL, Ubaldo is essentially only missing 1 game. I find these sorts of plays extremely bush league, and he should miss more than one start. Jimenez states he tried to go inside to Tulowitzki and accidentally hit him, but also says that he won’t apologize. It’s not easy to tell if a pitcher intentionally threw at a batter, but there are some signs. Sometimes you can tell by his pitching motion and his release, and other times you can tell by his reaction after he throws the pitch. In this case Ubaldo not only hit Tulowitzki, but then immediately threw his glove off and ran towards the batter’s box. While the only person who really knows if it was intentional or not is Ubaldo, his actions afterwards did not help his case. If it was intentional, and it most likely was, it was an extremely bush league play by Ubaldo. These sort of things need to be stopped. There is no room for these kinds of dirty plays in baseball, or in any other sport. But the problem lies in determining if it was intentional or not. There will always be a doubt, and that is why the suspension will never be big enough to get rid of this kind of play.

Guggenheim Partners: The Money Behind Magic

Speaking for every Dodger fan, this is a great day. Frank McCourt and his mess are gone. Magic Johnson being the face of the new ownership is just another 5 layers added to the cake. It is wonderful news. Magic loves LA and I know he will do his best to bring our franchise back to the top. That being said, we must be cautious with our expectations. The majority of the money, it seems, is coming from Guggenheim Partners. For most of us unfamiliar with Guggenheim, their front page on their website explains all we need to know. It reads as follows:

Guggenheim Partners is a privately held global financial services firm with more than $125 billion in assets under management. We provide asset management, investment banking and capital markets services, insurance, institutional finance and investment advisory solutions to institutions, governments and agencies, corporations, investment advisors, family offices and individuals.

In other terms, this is a group out to make money. They don’t make bad investments and know what they’re getting into. They expect to make money from the Dodgers and probably already have a plan laid out on how to do that. No one, not even a firm with $125 billion in assets under management, would just invest $2 billion on the anything without knowing the return. A big source of revnue could be a huge new TV deal, or even a Dodgers TV station. The ammount of money this would bring in would be tremendous and could more than double the $2 billion value of the Dodgers. While we are now aware that the financial backers of the Dodgers have money, we can only hope that they will be willing to spend it. Having money and spending money are two very different things. It will become apparent within the next year or so, how much Guggenheim is willing to spend on team, and we must reserve our judgement until then.            

                 What does this all mean for the Dodgers? It means that they can finally pull themselves out of the hole that McCourt dug. They can start to move in the right direction. Having Magic Johnson as the face of the ownership will be huge, especially in getting free agents to come to LA. There is no bigger, more liked person in LA than Magic. He wants to be a part of the free agency recruitment process. With his business sense and likeable personality he can be a huge help in luring big name free agents to the big market that is LA. It also means that current GM, Ned Colletti, could be reaching the end of his road. While he has been able to get Kemp and Kershaw under contract, trade for Ethier, and make a few other good signings, he has also made a lot of major mistakes. Big contracts for Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre are a few of those mistakes. The ownership has already stated they will wait to see how this year goes before making any changes, but his leash will be very short.

                There is not much we really know at the moment. We can only hope that the new ownership brings back the glory days and takes us out of the dark cloud we have been under the last few years. We can’t let our expectations get too high, but we should rejoice. The end of McCourts reign over the Dodgers has finally ended. The sun is already starting to shine through those clouds. Only a matter of time before it’s a perfect southern California day again.

Fantasy MLB: Last year's injured become this years steal

Drafting a guy returning from a long term injury is always a risk. Drafting a pitcher returning from injury is especially risky. But like I stated in my previous article, late round picks are where the risk can pay off. I was lucky enough to get Clay Buchholz very late in my draft. While he missed a huge chunk of last year due to a stress fracture in his back, he is an ace worthy pitcher. In his first season of being a full time starting pitcher in the MLB, he had a 2.33 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 17 wins, 120 k’s in 173.2 innings, and 28 starts. In his injury shortened 2011 season, he went 16 games, 82.2 innings, with 60 k’s, 6 wins, a 3.48 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.29. While his 2011 numbers were nowhere as good as his 2010 numbers, they were still pretty good. If he is able to pitch a full season with the numbers close to or better than last years, he should be a great late round pick up. Adam Wainwright is another high risk, high reward player. If you can pick him up in the middle or late rounds of the draft, he is definitely worth a spot. When healthy, Wainwright is one of the best pitchers in baseball. In his 4 years as a starter, he has lowered his ERA every year, from 3.7 to 3.2 to 2.63 to 2.42. His WHIP has also greatly gone down since his first season, from 1.40 to 1.05. He has also increased his strike out in each of those 4 seasons. If healthy, he can give you 200+ strike outs, an ERA of 2.5 or better, a WHIP below 1.2, and potentially win close to 20 games. He is a very high reward pitcher, but coming off of an elbow injury, we don’t know if he will be able to last the full season, and his innings might be limited and he could be shut down later in the season to preserve for the playoffs. This could be a huge problem for fantasy teams in their fantasy playoffs. But you need to make the playoffs first to worry about them, so as a mid-late or late round pick, he is definitely a must get. Broxton is another guy returning from injury, but his risk goes even farther than his injury. With Soria out due to his elbow injury, the Royals have 3 potential closers: Broxton, Crow and Holland. Any three of these guys could take the closer role, which makes all of them risky picks. Broxton had a horrible year last year, giving up 8 runs in 12.2 innings. This in itself is too small of a sample size to judge. He just didn’t seem to have it. I would personally stay away from all three of these guys until one of them takes the closer role.

On the hitters side we have two major forces returning: Buster Posey and Kendrys Morales. Posey is already in spring training and is having his work load increased to get ready for opening day. He is the less risky of the two, and so he will not fall as low in the draft. He is a great player and at catcher, can make a huge difference for your team. In 108 games in his first real year, he hit .304, with 18 homeruns, 67 RBIs, and 58 runs. For a catcher these numbers stretched out over a full season would be good production, but he did it in 2/3rds of a season. Last year before his injury, in 45 games, he hit .284, with 4 homeruns, 21 RBIs and 17 runs. This expanded over a full season would be around 17-18 homeruns, 92 RBIs, and 74 runs. If he can produce like this, he would be a worthy risk in the middle of the draft. Being able to get a catcher than can produce anything late in the draft is hard enough and if he falls due to the uncertainty with how he will respond to injury, he is a very worthy mid to late round pickup. Morales is a very risky pick. He was supposed to return last season from his broken leg, but missed the full season, and has missed close to 2 seasons because of it. He is a player capable of hitting over .300, hitting 30+ homeruns, knocking in over 10 RBIs and scoring 80+ runs. The problem is that, he still has only recently returned to playing. While he has looked good so far in spring training, spring training numbers are never to be trusted. Most pitchers struggle with their command, and hitters can capitalize on this, while hitters are also trying to regain their swing and form. His broken leg could cause a loss of power, which would mean lower numbers for him. If he falls late into the draft, you should take him. But considering he has missed almost 2 seasons, the risk will be very high.

Some tips for Fantasy Baseball

With baseball season around the corner, many of you are getting ready to draft your teams. There are a few things to keep in mind while drafting that can make a difference in your season. The first thing is that stolen bases are a rare commodity in fantasy baseball. While one good base stealer can help you win that category here and there, if you have the chance to draft a couple guys who can steal bases week in and week out, you can secure that category permanently. There are so few guys capable of stealing enough bases to make a difference, that if you can grab 2-3 of them, that category is set. A lot of these base stealers however, do little other than steal bases. Many of them are leadoff hitters and hit for average, some close to .300, but most will not give you power or RBI’s. They may help in the runs scored category, but that is entirely dependent on their team. If their team has a weak lineup, then they really do become more specialized. This is where your drafting strategy comes into play.  Part of your drafting strategy should be to grab a top producing 2^nd baseman or a top shortstop. These are two of the worst positions in terms of production. The statistical fall off from a top tier middle infielder to a middle tier middle infielder is much bigger than those of the corner infielders and outfielders. There are so few middle infielders capable of producing huge numbers that if you can take one of them, your team will always have an advantage. A Tulowitzki or Robinson Cano type player can make your team a championship contender. You must grab one of these top middle infielders in the draft. Now if you grab Robinson Cano you can wait until later to grab a middle or even lower tier shortstop. A player like Dee Gordon grabbed lower in the draft could prove to be a great pickup due to his high batting average and his base stealing capability. He also has the potential to score many runs due to Ethier and Kemp hitting close behind him.

                Deciding when to take pitchers can be very difficult. I would recommend taking a top tier closer early in the draft. The problem with the closer position is that when you get to the lower tier closers, they have the potential to lose their closing position. A closer like Sergio Santos, Kyle Farnsworth, or Javy Guerra may start out as the closer, but has a chance of losing his position. At that point they lose all worth because they are not big strike out guys, and now are not getting you saves. Someone like Rivera is an established closer and you know he will not lose his spot. Even Marmol with his high era has a use if he loses his closer spot due to his high strike out numbers. This is why it is important to take a closer when you see the opportunity earlier in the draft rather than later. Starting pitchers are a different story. Personally I like to take 1-2 top pitchers early in the draft to at least give myself some peace of mind. Even with one great pitcher and a few middle or upper middle tier pitchers, you pitching rotation can be very solid. Last season my only true ace was Gallardo. After him I had guys like Romero, Anibal Sanchez, Ervin Santana, and Jaime Garcia. While these are not top tier pitchers they still got the job done and I was able to draft many of the hitter I wanted first without worrying about pitching. I also had Bucholz and Brett Anderson, but both of these guys I was able to draft in the middle and both ended up injured and I still ended up with the title. While these are not top tier pitchers they still got the job done and I was able to draft many of the hitter I wanted first without worrying about pitching. Picking pitchers changing teams is also very risky. A fly ball pitcher switching from a pitchers park to Coors, could spell trouble. A pitcher changing from the NL to the AL could also have problems due to the DH rule. Picking established pitchers, staying on their same team, with no history of health problems is usually the best way to go. All other pitchers can be held off until later in the draft, where a risky pick won’t hurt you as much.

                Always keep your eye on the waiver wire. Last year I picked up Freddy Freeman, Brandon Beachy, Eric Hosmer, Mark Trumbo and countless other players that led me to my title. If a rookie is playing well late into the season, don’t be hesitant to jump on his bandwagon. They may go through a slump, but that’s just how baseball works. The end result could lead you to the top. There is nothing worse than an unproductive player ruining your stats and taking up space. Don’t jump too fast, but don’t wait too long. I know that it is a vague statement but if you followed a player all year, or had him on your team for multiple years, you know better than anyone if he is worth keeping. Trust yourself and good luck.

New Orleans in trouble

To the Hornets fans at the Clippers game last night, you are a disgrace. Hearing the cheering when Jason Smith body checked Blake Griffin was one of the most disgusting sports moments I have ever witnessed. If Blake had already started his jump when that happened, he could have been seriously injured. A potential career damaging injury, a season ending injury, or any injury at all is nothing to cheer about. The Clippers had not flagrantly fouled the Hornets before; this was not retaliation for a previous hit. This was just disgusting behavior by a player, and even more disgusting behavior by the fans. For an act like that, you deserved to lose Chris Paul. Sometimes we let our emotions get the best of us, but this was just a dirty play. If Smith is not suspended for a long time because of this, justice will not have been served.

Why should we be surprised that this happened in New Orleans? Only weeks after the release of bounty gate, the Hornets pull a similar tactic, except this was not for money. The Saints had been warned for the last THREE years. They had been told to cease their bounty program, and they did not. No coach, GM, or any management personnel in that franchise can plead innocence. Peyton is the head coach and must have been informed by the owner and GM about what Greg Williams was doing. There is no way he had no idea, especially after the leagues initial warnings. This is why the suspensions, while harsh, are just. Peyton is losing one year, the GM is losing 8 games, Greg Williams could potentially lose his career, but this is all justified. The Saints were out to injure other players. These potentially injured players entire lives would be thrown into chaos. A career ending injury would lead to financial problems, career changes, potential long term or permanent physical or mental damage. If a clean hard play leads to an injury, then so be it. These players understand the dangers of playing football. However, this does not include having opposing players trying to intentionally end their careers. This is unacceptable. For all the players who could have potentially lost their careers to this bounty program, this year of suspensions is just. The punishment fits the crime.

Tebow to the Jets

Tebowmania is about to hit the Big Apple. Can he survive there? Jeremy Lin found his way into the hearts of New Yorkers, can Tebow follow in his path? There is only one similarity between these two; they are both extremely religious and that is where the similarities end. Tebow played at a powerhouse sports college while Lin did not. Tebow was drafted in the first round, Lin was undrafted. Tebow had fans chanting for him to play before he got his chance, Jeremy Lin was a complete unknown to most fans. And the biggest difference, Jeremy Lin is actually a pretty good NBA player, while Tebow is arguably one of the worst QB’s in the NFL. In a league where teams are built on passing the ball, Tebow ranked 33^rd in completion percentage and there are only 32 teams in the NFL.

You can say all you want about how Tebow got the Broncos to the playoffs and beat the Steelers, but the truth is that the Broncos made the playoffs despite Tebow, not because of him. He barely came out on top against a horrible Dolphins team. Barely beat a Chicago team missing its starting quarterback and running back. Barely beat a Kansas City team missing key parts on both sides and then was almost SHUT OUT against the same Kansas City team. The list goes on and on, but in the end it boils down to this, the Broncos defense kept them in the game, and a few things went Tebow’s way and they won, mostly on late field goals. In the end Tebow is a great running quarterback, but a horrible throwing quarterback, and that is unacceptable in this league.

If it is true that Tebow had a choice between the Jets and the Jags, why did he choose the Jets? The Jags are closer to his home and he would have fans everywhere. He would also have a better chance of getting the starting quarterback job since the incumbent starter, Gabbert, had a subpar rookie year last year. So why go to the Jets, with a more established quarterback, in a city farther away from home, and into the spotlight? Tebow doesn’t seem like the type of person to want to be in the spotlight. So what is it that drew him to New York?  It could be his need to prove himself in the spotlight, but he could do that in Jacksonville since he would have a better chance at being the starter. In all honesty I have no idea, and I don’t think anyone does except Tebow.

What does Tebow bring the Jets? He brings a change of pace quarterback. Ever heard of that before? I think this is the first time a quarterback can be used as a change of style in the middle of the game. Similar to how there are power running backs that come in during short yardage, Tebow is the quarterback who can make a play to get his team a few yards. It’s a horrible situation for Mark Sanchez. If he plays inconsistently like he has been so far in his career, fans might to start call for Tebow. Now I don’t think Rex Ryan would be as inclined to play Tebow as Broncos were, nor do I think the New York fans are going to be as enamored with Tebow as the Denver fans were, but that won’t stop the calls for Tebow. Since he has won games, regardless of how those games were really won or who they were against, fans will want him in if their team is not winning. Management always likes competition for places, and while players usually don’t like competition, sometimes it helps to push them to the top. I hope this is the case for Sanchez. If he feels Tebow breathing down his neck maybe it will help him to achieve his potential. Hopefully this is the reason the Jets brought in Tebow, because other than that, I don’t think he’s worth much.

Peyton Manning is a... Bronco?

Peyton Manning signed a 5 year $96 million contract with the Denver Broncos this week, surprising many people. If you had told me a month ago that Manning would be a Bronco, I would probably call it ridiculous and laugh. There are a few reasons I can think of that make this decision seem less surprising. The first reason is Manning’s desire to stay in the AFC. After being in the AFC for his entire career, Manning has developed a familiarity with the defenses that each team brings. Going to the NFC would mean that he would have to learn a whole new set of team defenses that he rarely faced before. At this stage in his career, it doesn’t make sense for him to do that. This was probably one of the reasons he chose not to go to the 49ers. The next reason could have something to do with the fact that the AFC West is considerably weaker than most of the other divisions. Going to the Titans would have meant having to play a great up and coming Houston Texans team, and also playing his former team twice a year. Going to the Dolphins would have meant playing the Patriots and the Jets twice a year. In the AFC West, Kansas City is an unknown going into the new season. They could play like they did in their 10-6 playoff season 2 years ago, or they could be the sub .500 team from last year. The Raiders are always poised to be a good team, but never end up amounting to much. The only team that can be a serious threat is the Chargers, but even they have the potential to be horrible or great and we won’t know until the season ends. The final reason is John Elway. Elway is a Hall of Fame quarterback and is the only person who can relate to Manning. He knows what Manning will need to win and that is probably one of the biggest reasons Peyton chose the Broncos. Having someone in upper management understand what you want and need will lead to fewer problems in the future. Manning can trust Elway and know that he will work to build a team that can win a championship. Peyton is running out of time and he can’t waste it waiting on promises management makes to him. Denver has a lot of the parts that make up a championship caliber team. He trusts Elway will deliver the rest and this is why he went to Denver.

It's almost time for real baseball, can the Dodgers play into October?

Baseball season is finally here. Spring training is in full swing and teams are getting ready for the rigors of the regular season. This year with the added wild card spot in each league, more teams will have hope of making the playoffs. Do the Dodgers have what it takes to be one of these playoff teams?

                After two seasons of mediocrity, something will have to change. In 2010, the Dodgers finished under .500 for the second time since 2000. Last season they at least finished over .500, but still just barely. But there was a glimmer of hope from the end of the season. The Dodgers finished the season extremely strong with a 45-27 record. They will have to be more like the team that finished the season, than the team that had them 15 games under .500. The biggest thing that changed was that the team went from being only Kemp and Kershaw, to them finally have players step up. James Loney had a horrific first half of the season, but finished the season great. One of the reasons for this was that he changed his swing and his approach. He found a new swing which helped keep him from opening up prematurely. He also started to pull the ball more, which led to his increase in power numbers. While this only brought his numbers up to around his career, even this was an accomplishment given how bad he was hitting previously. Besides Loney, Ted Lilly also started to pitch better. He finished the season with a sub 3-era in his final 11. Over these 11 starts, he brought era down from 5.08 to 3.97. He never gave up more than 3 runs, and gave up 2 or less earned runs in 9 of those 11 starts.

Juan Rivera was another helpful addition. In 62 games with the Dodgers, he hit .274 with 48 rbis. The Dodgers finally found some sort of protection for Kemp, and finally had someone who could actually hit behind him. Ethier had a very down year. Aside from the 30 game hit streak at the beginning of the season, he did not produce. I’m hoping it was because of his knee, which was bothersome enough to shut him down at the end of the season. He is also only signed a one year contract this offseason and has a lot to prove if he wants to get a big contract. Ethier wasn’t the only one having a down year. Juan Uribe had a horrific year. He hit .204 with 4 homeruns and 28 rbis in close to half a season. He was disrupted by injuries all season and never hit his stride. He is capable of hitting .250 and banging in 20+ homers in a season, and that’s what we need out of him. He came back into spring training this year in great shape and that can hopefully help his production. Dee Gordon’s arrival in the big leagues for his second stint was another factor in the Dodgers push at the end of the season. He hit .304 from the leadoff spot, and stole 24 bases, at a success rate of 77%, in only 56 games. He may not have any power, but a shortstop, leadoff hitter capable of hitting over .300 and stealing 50+ bases makes for a very valuable player.

Judging from the end of the season last year, the Dodgers are fully capable of making a run into the playoffs. They have the reigning NL Cy Young winner and the MVP runner-up to set the tone for the rest of the team. The Dodgers need their underachievers to step up, especially offensively. The Dodgers were in the top 5 in runs allowed last year, but 9^th in runs scored. They need Loney, Uribe, and Ethier to step up this season. They need to get the same production from Kemp, Rivera and Gordon, and they need to find production from the catcher and second baseman. I believe this season will once again rest on how the offense produces. They may have lost Kuroda to free agency, and Rubby De La Rosa to injury, from their last years starting pitching staff but the addition of Harang and Capuano, should be enough to make up for this. Their bull-pen should once again be dominant. Jansen and Guerra are an extremely dominant setup and closer duo. Macdougal and Gurrier should be able to hold the fort in the innings leading up to the 8^th. The Dodgers have more good pitchers than most teams, and many of them are still very young and make for a bright future. It’s their offensive that needs help.  

There are a lot of ifs that need to happen for the Dodgers to win the World Series, but they should be able to challenge for a playoff spot and finally get out of their lull in mediocrity if even half of these ifs are satisfied.

Where should Manning go?

Where will Peyton Manning go? That question has been talked about more than anything else going on in sports for the last week, and for good reason. A surefire hall of fame quarterback is a free agent. He could change a franchise by signing with them. There are currently 4 teams where he could end up, Denver, Miami, Tennessee, or Arizona. Reports say Manning is choosing between the Broncos and the Titans, but reports have been wrong before and so I will consider the Dolphins and Cardinals as well. So,which of these is the best fit?

Manning has to go somewhere that can contend the second he signs his contract. He is too old to waste the last few years of his career waiting for a team to find the right pieces. He also needs to go somewhere where he can be protected. With his neck injury, how many hits can he really take? Arizona and Miami are two of the worst teams in the league in allowing quarterback sacks, they rank 2^nd and 3^rd with 54 and 52 sacks allowed, respectively. Manning cannot afford to be hit that many times in a season. Granted some of those sacks may be the quarterbacks fault for holding onto the ball too long, a mistake we know Manning will rarely make. However it is still too many sacks for a 35 year old, coming off of 3 neck surgeries, to take. Denver was also ranked 9^th worst in sacks allowed, with 42. Although in this case, I think we can put a lot of the blame on Tebow for not being a great quarterback (I had to take a Tebow shot somewhere, right?). This is where the Titans are a cut above the rest; they allowed the 2^rd fewest quarterback sacks in the league, with 24. This team is built to protect quarterback, even though Chris Johnson probably wishes it could cut him some lanes as well, but that’s a different story.

The Dolphins just gave away their top receiver for basically nothing; Brandon Marshall was traded to Chicago for two 3^rd round picks. Unless the Dolphins can get another great wide receiver, I don’t see any reason why Miami would be an option anymore. If they want a top wide receiver to entice Mannnig, the only ones left on the market worth talking about are Mike Wallace and Brandon Lloyd, so they better hurry and get one of them. Even though Miami allowed the 6^th fewest points per game, because of the Brandon Marshall trade and the number of sacks they allowed, I think Miami is out of the running.

Arizona has Larry Fitzgerlad, one of the best receivers in the league, an up and coming receiver in Early Doucet, and a 1000-yard running back in Beanie Wells. They definitely have the offensive weapons to be a factor, but their defense and offensive line aren’t good enough. They were ranked 17^th in points allowed per game, which isn’t good enough, and as stated before, they allowed the 2^nd more sacks in the NFL. Manning can’t afford to get hit over 3 times a game, and needs a defense that can step up in the playoffs. Neither of these go in Arizona’s favor, and I don’t think he will sign there.

Denver has some great, but underrated receivers, mostly due to the fact that Tim Tebow rarely threw to any of them. With Macgahee and Moreno they have a vulture and an explosive back who can catch the ball. In Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas they have receiver who can not only catch the ball, but have great yards after catch ability. But their defense was ranked 24^th in points allowed, 20^th in yard per game allowed, and they also allowed the 9^th most sacks in the league. Their defensive showing against the top offenses in the league is proof that their defense is not ready to be a great factor yet and will not be able to step up in the playoffs.

That leaves Tennessee. This is where Manning should end up. First off, they allowed the 2^nd fewest sacks in the league. This point cannot be overstated. Manning needs protection, he can’t afford to be hit with his recent injuries. Secondly, the Titans were 8^th in points allowed per game. Although they were 18^th in yards allowed per game, the disparity comes because of their red zone defense. While they may allow a lot of yards, they allowed the 9^th fewest red-zone TD’s. Offensively the Titans have Nate Washington, Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt. They also have some young guys who have the potential to be decent players in the NFL. If Britt can stay healthy, which is big if, this has the makings of a championship team.  The big play potential on offense, along with the great defense gives the Titans the best chance of being a championship team with Manning. This is where he can be protected, this is where the offensive weapons are, this is where the defense can step up, and this is where he can seamlessly step in and bring home the title.

To drop, or not to drop...

With fantasy basketball playoffs coming up, or already started for some, a short term injury to a star player can make for a very tough decision. Currently on one of my teams, Lowry and Okafor are both out. Luckily Deng came back last night, but with his injury he could be out at anytime. In my other league, Lowry is out and Hawes is on limited minutes. I held onto Hawes through his entire injury because I knew with a healthy Hawes my team could be deadly. Going into the last two weeks, even with Hawes on the bench, my team is 2^nd. I don’t need him to win against most teams, but I will need him against the top seeds, which is why I have not dropped him. In the other league, with Okafor out for an extended period of time, I still have the 2^nd best record in the league. So once again, my team is capable of winning without him, but I need him to beat the top seeds in the playoffs. I need them to win, and therefore I refuse to drop them, yet.

Going into the playoffs, should you still hang onto these players? The answer to this is yet another set of questions. What is your overall fantasy goal? Can your team get through a few weeks of knockouts until the injured player returns? And the biggest question, without this player, can you still challenge for the title? I refuse to drop Lowry, because I know without him, I have no chance of knocking off the 1^st seed. Whether he comes back in 2 weeks, which I hope, or 4 weeks, I need him to win. If I drop him, and someone else decides to pick him up and take a chance on him, I’m in trouble. My goal is not to get as far into the playoffs as possible, it is to win the title. If your goal is different than this, you might consider dropping your injured player. But for most fantasy sports owners, the goal is to win. A player like Okafor is a possible drop because, while replacing a 10-10 guy is difficult, it is still possible to find a player with production close to that. A player like Lowry is impossible to replace, unless you play in a very small league. In the end, the decision is yours. You must do what is in your best interest, and it all depends on what your goals are. In situations like this, there is no right decision. Unless you win, you will always look back and wonder if you made the right choice. Go with your gut. It hasn’t let you down yet, right?

The Clippers Defensive Problem

I have been extremely disappointed with the way the Clippers have been defending the perimeter. Overall the Clippers allow 43.9% from the field, which is in the top 12. But the problem lies in their defense of the 3 ball. Case and point, the Clippers currently allow opponents to shoot 37.5% from 3, which is second last in the league, only the Nets allow a higher percentage at 38.5%. So why is there such a disparity between their ranking in their opponent’s 3pt% and fg%? It can be summed up in one word. Collapsing.

                Through the entire Nets game, the Spurs game, the Suns game and basically every game this season, the Clippers have dared teams to beat them for 3point land, and they have. Our guards are having a tough time keeping their defensive duties in front of them. Because of this, you have other defenders collapse onto the guy. Sometimes it is the big men, other times the wing players. This is where the problem is. The wing players should NEVER leave a 3 point shooter open. Every time it has happened, the shooter has made the Clippers pay. It is not a strategy that has worked and makes no sense as to why coach Vinny Del Negro has not fixed or changed it. The players have not rotated on defense when wing defenders have collapsed, and I would never suggest collapsing off of a shooter, especially on a team filled with shooters. The ball can travel faster than the player. Once you fall behind on a rotation, you are in trouble. It is Del Negro’s job to fix this defensive problem. If I can spot out where the issues lies, then as a coach he should already know this and be working to fix it, but it just seems to be getting worse as the season goes on. Besides just being worth more point wise, the 3 ball is a great way for teams to gain momentum, get the crowd involved, and get their players riled up. With the athletic big men the Clippers have, Kenyon Martin, DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, I would rather just have them collapse and give up a contested shot in the lane, rather than giving up an open 3.

                The last play of the game against the Nets last night was one of the worst, if not THE worst, final play defense I have ever seen in my life. Apparently it was supposed to be a double team on Deron Williams. But when Williams got the ball in the center of the court, doubling teaming him makes NO sense what so ever. In the center of the court he has full court vision, and can easily make a pass to teammate on the left or on the right, both of which are great 3 point shooters. Why would you leave a great 3 point shooter open to beat you? I can live with a pull up, contested, 3 pointer by Williams to win it. Or even a tough shot by him in the lane to tie it. I can even live with the big men in the paint collapsing onto him and leaving their guy in the lane open, because they can only tie with a 2. Giving an NBA player an open 3 pointer is basically a death sentence.

                If Vinny Del Negro, does not fix this defensive problem, the Clippers are going to be in for a hell of a season. They will continue to get beat from behind the arc, and it will lead to an early playoff exit. Either Vinny needs to fix the rotation problem, change the defensive strategy, or he needs to be fired. But we all know Donald Sterling is stingy on his money, so let’s hope that Vinny fixes the problem.

End of an era

We knew this was coming, but we refused to believe it. Thinking about seeing Manning in anything other than a Colts jersey seems wrong. Up until a few weeks ago, Irsay and Manning were taking shots at each other in public. Things seemed bad, and destined to end. Manning didn’t want to leave Indianapollis, Irsay didn’t want him to leave, but knew that they needed to move forward. Manning had made it clear that a quarterback taken first in the draft had to play, and shouldn’t sit on the bench. That left two options. Option 1, draft Luck and let Manning go. Option 2, keep Manning and don’t draft a quarterback. In the end, Indy had to move on and both Manning and Irsay knew this. This is why they attacked each other in public. Not because they hated each other, but because they knew they were going to have to let go. In their press conference today, there was not a dry eye in the room. Manning and Irsay both struggled to keep their emotions in check. This was never an easy decision. A 22 year old rookie quarterback coming to play for the youngest owner at 37, their paths were connected. Manning made this franchise, it is his franchise.

There was a rare sequence of events that had to happen for the Colts and Manning to be in this situation. Considering Manning hadn’t missed a game in his career before this, for him to get injured and be out a full season was very rare. From here, the Colts had to finish with the worst record in the NFL. They were one win away from finishing with the 2^nd pick, and were lucky they owned all “tiebreakers” with the Rams. And the most interesting event had to happen the year before. Andrew Luck had to decide to stay at Stanford another year. Somehow, I don’t see anything like this happening again. In the end, the Colts couldn’t afford to give Manning $28 million and keep Andrew Luck under the salary cap. They have too many holes in their team and they need to start addressing them. While many Colts fans may not be happy with the decision to let Manning go but it is the right decision, even though they may struggle for a few years.

Where will Peyton go now? The teams being thrown around are the Redskins, the Jets, the Dolphins and the Broncos. He could also pull a Favre and go to someone like the Titans, who are the Colts divison rivals. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go anywhere apart from the Patriots, Giants, Saints and Pacers, who already have star quarterbacks. Manning has to go somewhere that already has everything except a quarterback. At his age he can’t wait for a team to build around him. The Titans and Dolphins make the most sense. They have a good defense already in place, along with weapons on offense. Somehow, I don’t see Manning going to a division rival like Favre did, and so Miami makes the most sense. With Brandon Marshall, Devone Bess, Reggie Bush, an up and coming Daniel Thomas, and a solid defense, Manning could put this team over the top. Washington has Gaffney, Fred Davis, Santana Moss and Roy Helu, but I don’t feel they have the same potential as the Dolphins, largely due to their subpar defense. Regardless, where ever Manning ends up, he will make a difference. Colts fan should and will remember him for everything he did for them, but it is time to move on.14 years, 1 super bowl win, 4 MVP’s and 200 consecutive starts, the Manning era in Indianapolis is over.

It is all in the intent..

Almost everyone I have talked with agrees that paying bounties for injuring opponents is unsportsmanlike. However, I had one person say they have no problem with it, because they are playing football. I have to say I partially agree with this. Watching football, I always like to see the hard hits, the intensity on defense and the intent to take down the opposing player. What I don’t like are the helmet to helmet hits, the after the play attacks (see Ndamakung Suh), and the intent to injure. Aiming to ruin someone’s career is something that should never be allowed. I have seen this happen in European soccer as well, with the leg breaking slide tackles. Arsenal have had the worst luck with these type of tackles, with both Eduardo and Ramsey suffering bad injures and missing the season because of them. Both of them are back and are still playing, although Eduardo is not with Arsenal anymore, but other players have not been so lucky. I’ve seen broken legs in baseball from players sliding into the middle infielders at 2^nd base. It’s not about if you hurt somebody, it’s what is your intent. Making a hard slide into second base is just a good baseball play. Tackling a wide receiver on a crossing route is also just a good play. These types of plays can lead to injures, but the players were only making good hard efforts. Going into that slide, or that tackle, with the intent to injure the opposing player is where it all goes wrong. The problem is how can you tell if the intent is to make a play, or to injure? The truth is you can’t. The only person that would really know is the guy making the play.

The NFL is going to come down hard on the Saints for this scandal. From what I have heard, the Saints were previously warned about this and still did not stop. My first thought is why did the NFL even give them a second chance before issuing a punishment? Why not just stop it when they first caught the Saints? It’s the job of the NFL to protect its players, and in this case, it did not do its job. By letting the Saints continue, and not stamping out this activity at the beginning, the NFL allowed the Saints to get away with attempting to injure other players. On the other hand, how many people think that the Saints are the only ones giving bounties for injuring opposing players? No one?  Exactly. Somehow, I don’t believe that this is only happening in New Orleans. There is no way the other teams are not giving similar bounties, they are probably just doing a better job of hiding it, possibly in end of year player bonuses. Sports become competitive. Sometimes you throw at a batter, or you slide tackle a player, or commit a hard foul on a guy with the intent to send a message that you won’t be pushed around, that you won’t let them get away with what they are doing, and that is completely fine. Competition breeds intensity and sometimes anger. But it’s not ok to try to injure someone. How would you feel if you injured someone, cost them their career, their job, and millions of dollars? Now how would you feel if it happened to you? It’s all about the intent.

UCLA has issues...doesn't every school?

UPDATE: Reeves went on ESPN LA today and denied all the individual accusations written aganist him in the article. It's hard to tell if he is lying or not, but he says his former teammates have talked to him and supported him. If the allegations against him are not true, then what is the point of the article? There had to be something going on that George Dohrmann, the writter, saw that warranted the article. The first though is that either Reeves is lying or Dohrmann is lying. But once you think about it, you realize that the truth is probably just somewhere in between. 

If you haven’t read the SI article about UCLA basketball and their discipline and drug problem, I suggest you read it. It’s a great piece and it explains a great deal about what is happening with their basketball team. Being a UCLA Alum, I had noticed some issues, but I never though it went this far. The sense of entitlement that comes with being the best player on your high school team, and being a high prospect, is not what you want from your players. I would take a bunch of hard working guys with less talent than guys with more talent without a work ethic. What I’ve never understood is why these guys with such huge talent would waste it by not working hard. That is why I respect Kobe so much. I’m a long time Clippers fan and I hate the Lakers, but Kobe Bryant is always working at his game. He is one of the best players in the NBA and is still working everyday to get better. This is what college kids should strive to do, but these UCLA players did not.

                Ben Howland should have done a better job of controlling the talent on his team. While he was probably scared that if he was too hard on them they would leave for the draft or another school, he shouldn’t be worried about that. The players that should stay at the program are the ones who want to be there, and who are willing to work hard to get better. After hearing everything that Reeves Nelson did while at UCLA, I’m glad they kicked him off. They should have done it sooner. To let someone like that stay on the team for so long just because he is producing is horrible for the rest of the team. Him and Howland’s treatment of his stars caused us to love multiple talented player who are now starring on RANKED teams. Two of UCLA’s former players who transferred out during this era are now stars at #17 UNLV.  Mike Moser is averaging a double-double with 13.9 points and 10.9 rebounds, which ranks him 9^th in the nation in rebounds per game, while Chase Stanback is their second leading scorer at 13.4 points. Drew Gordon is playing for New Mexico, who are also having a good year. While unranked, they have beaten UNLV and San Diego State, who are both ranked. Gordon is also ranked 6^th in the nation in rebounding with 10.9 per game, while adding in 12.6 points to average a double-double as well. How different would UCLA be with these players still on their team?

I don’t blame Ben Howland for the talent he missed and did not recruit, because his track record of recruiting is undeniably great. Holiday, Westbrook, Love, Collison, Ariza, and Afflalo are all starters in the NBA. Westbrook and Love are both All-Stars as well. There are also many other players from his tenure still contributing in the NBA. While he did miss some recruiting talent, it happens. However, I do blame him for allowing his players to get away with this type of attitude. No coach should ever let their star players go this far. All star players get some sort of preferential treatment, however, there is a limit and that limit was crossed over tenfold. The type of attitude Nelson showed during practice should never be allowed. Now that that is out of the way, without Nelson I feel that all the other problems that were described in the article are not just at UCLA. 30 players were arrested during Urban Meyer’s tenure at Florida, but no one talked about that because they were winning. College kids will always be naïve and immature, they will want to party and have fun. This is nothing new and you can’t put the blame on the players for wanting to enjoy their college experience. They are kids, and we can’t treat them like more than that just because they are athletes.  However, because they are athletes they are held to a higher standard due to the national attention they receive. In the end, I don’t care what they do during their off day as long as it’s within reason, and as long as they step on court, whether during practice or a game, and give it their all.

This UCLA ‘scandal’ is nothing new. College players, college coaches, and college programs get in trouble all the time. Ohio State had their investment scandal, John Calipari had the Derrick Rose SAT scandal and the Marcus Camby scandal, USC had their Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo scandals. These things happen in college. To many of these coaches and programs, winning means everything. To many of these players, college is just a stepping stone to the pros. With those sort of attitudes and all the rules the NCAA has, these scandals are bound to happen. So in the big picture, this UCLA ‘scandal’ isn’t really a scandal at all. It just shows that Ben Howland let his star players take control. Once again this is nothing new. It happened with Cleveland and Lebron James. He controlled their franchise and did what he wanted when he wanted and then left. The only difference? The Cavs were making the playoffs and always challenging for the title. Winning cures everything.

Having the talent and work ethic to be great together, is rare for many college players. Prospects have become entitled, and expect to run over everyone at the college level. The internet and national TV attention has led to this. In this era anyone can see the prospects, rank them and then these kids get press conferences for their decisions. They are kids and it is getting to their heads. Westbrook, Collison, and Love are all recent examples of what Ben Howland can do with talented hard workers. Westbrook and Collision both were not high prospects. Kevin Love was but he was a diamond in the rough with his work ethic, basketball IQ and talent.

 I don’t see the need to fire Ben Howland. He has admitted he made mistakes and hopefully won’t let it happen again. He has led UCLA to three consecutive final fours, and while past achievements are not something you should live on, he has earned a little bit of leeway. UCLA is UCLA and they will find a way back to the NCAA Basketball summit. The question is, how long will it take?

Pekovic and Thomas

Did you miss out on Nikola Pekovic and Isaiah Thomas? I sure did. I noticed them while they were still on the waiver wire, but by the time I had made up my mind about them, they were gone. I’m usually hesitant to break up a winning team, so I don’t rush to make moves unless I’m sure of them, or unless my team is playing horribly. If you’re lucky and are in one of the leagues where they are not owned, you should seriously consider picking them up.

                Pekovic is a very skilled big man, and is built like a brick wall. At 6ft 11, 290, he is just huge and very hard to move. While this makes him a bit immobile, he can finish around the basket and has the size to get in position, whether it’s for a rebound or for a score. He is currently averaging a ridiculous 4 offensive rebounds a game, and this includes the first quarter of the season when he didn’t start, and wasn’t playing much. Since his move into the starting line-up he has averaged 9.7 rebounds and 18.7 points a game, which includes 2 games where he came off of the bench to play around 30+ minutes. His season shooting average is around 58%, to go along with 79% from the free throw line, which is great for a big man. While he won’t get you many blocks, he’s averaging about 1 a game since he moved into the starting line-up. He is great in every category you would want from you big man, and is also only averaging 2 turnovers a game during the same span, so he has no downside. If he is still available in your league, pick him up. I’ve seen him play, and he can definitely play.

                I watched Isaiah Thomas play in college. He is another guy who played really well in college, but due to his size, dropped down to the 30^th pick in the 2^nd round, the last pick of the draft. He has been compared to Nate Robinson, due to his physique and his style of play. The one difference I see between Thomas and Robinson is that Thomas is actually more of a point guard. While Robinson only averaged a high of 4.5 assists per game, in one season, in college, and a high of 4.1 during his NBA, Thomas averaged a little over 6 assists per game in his last season at UW. In his five starts for Sacramento, all coming in the last 5 games, he has averaged 6.8 assists per game. He has also kept his turnovers in check during that span, recording 2 turnovers in 3 of those games and 3 in another. In these last 5 games he has also averaged over 19 points a game on 50.7% shooting, while hitting 11 3’s at 44% from deep. However, he will not be able to keep this shooting up. In college he had a fg% high of 44 in his last year, but shot only 41% the other 2 years, and his 3pt% was 32.4%, with a high of 35% in his last year. While he did show improvement in his shooting over his college career, especially from beyond the arc, there is no way he can keep up this type of scoring. He definitely can play though. If he is still available in your league, pick him up. While he won’t give you steals, he doesn’t have much downside, and has a lot of potential. Now that he is being given the time, he will produce. Because of the players around him, his assist numbers will probably stay between 6-7 per game, his scoring might drop around 13-15, his fg% will definitely drop down to at least 44% and his 3pt% will drop as well. He will still give you at least one 3 a night, shoot at least 42% and won’t turn over the ball more than 3 times per game. For a waiver wire pickup, you can’t really ask for much more. Pick him up.

The Wild West Part 3 (Final Part)

The Western Conference has turned into a battlefield. Every seed, from 3^rd to 12^th, is separated from the seed behind them, by 1 game or less. The Clippers in the 3^rd seed, are only 3.5 games ahead of the 9^th seeded Nuggets, whom they beat last night. The 6^th seeded Rockets are only 3 games ahead of the 10^th seeded Timberwolves. And the 8^th seeded Blazers are only 4 games ahead of the 13^th seeded Suns. This means that halfway through the season, almost every team in the west is still in contention for the playoffs. There are five teams in the Western Conference that will make the playoffs for sure. These teams are the Thunder, the Spurs, the Mavericks, the Clippers and the Lakers. Barring injury to their star players, these five teams will find a way to make the playoffs. That leaves 3 spots being fought for by 8 teams. Which of these 8 teams will find a way into the playoffs? Today let’s focus on spots 7 and 6, Memphis and Houston.

Memphis has a very strong team. They are currently the 7^th seed, and are playing without one of their best players from last year, Zach Randolph, who is out injured. Last year they made the playoffs, without Rudy Gay, as the 8^th seed, and proceeded to knock out the 1^st seeded Spurs. While that was a huge upset, the Grizzlies match up very well with the Spurs and so it was not as big of a surprise. Sometimes certain teams just match up well with other teams. The Grizzlies have all the parts for a great team. They have a great starting line-up and some good players off of the bench. Marc Gasol is an All-Star and probably the 2^nd best center in the west behind Bynum. Their weak point is currently at the power forward position, but when Randolph comes back, in him they have a 20-10 guy and that will allow them to move Speights back to the bench, where he can be more productive. Rudy Gay is a very good player and can play the small forward and power forward position. As a power forward I have seen him cause many problems for opposing power forwards due to his speed and athleticism. Tony Allen and Mike Conley form a great back court that can harass the best guards in the league. I saw Conley cause Chris Paul a lot of problems when they matched up. Conley is an above average point guard and has run the team very well. Neither of them are great scorers but that is not their role on the team. Tony Allen is there for his defense, while Mike Conley is a great defensive guard and has also run the team very well. Between the 2 of them, they average almost 4.5 steals a game. Conley is also capable of hitting shots from deep. This year he sits at 33% but he has a career average of 37.5%. The Grizzlies also have O.J. Mayo coming off the bench. He struggled last year after being moved to the bench, but this year, especially as of late, has played very well and has been a huge spark off of the bench for the Grizzlies. They have some other good role players who can come in for and spell their starters in Haddadi, Pondexter, and Arthur. The only thing working against the Grizzlies is that they are a very young team. While they gained experience from last year’s playoffs, they still have a ways to go. This is a team that relies on its defense to win games and that will allow them to make some noise in the playoffs. With a healthy team, the Grizzlies will be a very tough matchup for any team in the playoffs. They will make the playoffs. With how well they’ve played so far, without Randolph, they will be a very scary team when he comes back.

Houston’s team is very underrated. They have had some very impressive wins, and some very tough losses. Kevin McHale has done a great job with this team. They play very scrappy and it is hard not to root for them. They work very hard, and play every game with 100% intensity. They finally, temporarily, solved their problem at center. After having a 6ft 6 center in Hayes last year, they were able to land Dalembert for a 2 year deal in the offseason. He has been huge for their defense. In him they finally have a presence in the lane that they haven’t had since Yao Ming was healthy. Next to him they have Luis Scola, who is a very underrated player. Last year he averaged 18 and 9, and even though his production is down this year, he is still a hard working forward and can play in the post as well as hit the jumper outside. Part of his drop in production could be due to his unhappiness to being included in the nixed Chris Paul trade. Kevin Martin has been a very efficient shooter his entire career. He gets to the line at a career average of 6.6, and has averaged as high as 10 ft’s a game in a season. This year he hasn’t done that as much and has struggled for consistency. This could also be due to his inclusion in the same Chris Paul trade. The small forward position is probably their weak link. They have 2 small forwards with completely different strenghts Parsons is the defender and rebounder while Budinger is the scorer. Budinger has struggled with consistency though his career, and so the Rockets have opted to start Parsons and bring Budinger off the bench for more consistency in their starting lineup. Their bench is very strong as well. They bring a great point guard in Dragic off the bench along with another versatile player in Courtney Lee. I purposely left their starting point guard for last, because he will be the one who pushes them into the playoffs. Kyle Lowry is currently probably the most underrated point guard in the league. Since taking over the starting spot when Brooks got injured last year, he has been a borderline All-Star. When he first came into the league his jumper was a bit iffy, but since last year, he has had a reliable jump shot and has hit 37.5% from 3 over the last two seasons. He is the typical hardnosed Villanova product, and knows how to get into the lane and how to draw the foul. He is a great creator and his assist numbers have jumped from 4.5 two years ago to 7.6 this year. What sets him apart from most other point guards is that he is a great rebounder as well. For a 6 foot point guard to be averaging over 5 rebounds a game is amazing. Along with all his offensive skills, he is also a good, if undersized, defender. Lowry is one of the big reasons the Rockets are playing so well. With Martin struggling with consistency and a down year for Scola, Lowry will be why the Rockets make the playoffs. They have a lot of talent, and McHale has done a great job coaching them.

Now that I’ve gone through all the teams fighting for those last 3 spots, here are my predictions: The Rockets, Grizzlies and Nuggets will make the playoffs, with Portland, Utah, and Minnesota barely missing out.