My favorite author, Robert Jordan (real name James Oliver Rigney Jr), passed away on Sunday at the age of 58. I learned of his death late last night and I've had this cloud of sadness hanging over me throughout the day.
To say I enjoyed his Wheel of Time series is a vast understatement. I discovered Jordan's books while in the 7th grade on a recommendation from the school librarian and I was done for. There was no going back; the breadth, the depth, the detail, the writing... just wow.
The plot? If I even started to try to explain the plot, I believe I'd go insane. Complex doesn't even begin it... but at the same time, it's deceptively simple. Here's how the AP describes it:
The books follow Rand al'Thor on his journey to battle ultimate evil.
There ya go. That's how he filled up 11 books (and counting).
I've probably read the first book, Eye of the World, at least seven or eight times (but I could very well be in double figures by now) and each time I get that same sense of wonderment when I open its pages. The series just sucks you in and doesn't let you out.
I almost feel bad (or maybe it's a sick pleasure) when I recommend these books to friends and family. By simply handing them Eye of the World, I know I've completely destroyed any and all free time they may have in the next month or so.
And that's not just me. I remember being at Bonnaroo a few years ago and seeing my buddy's girlfriend reading Shadows Rising (book 4) and we had the following conversation:
"dude, is she reading Robert Jordan?" "Ya, I gave the books to her, she's addicted" "You know you're a bastard, right?" "Oh I'm, aware"
You don't put his books down- you make time to read. I've read his books on trips, in school (even while walking home from school- yes, that's how engrossed I'd get), work breaks, I'd wake up in the middle of the night just to read a few chapters. I devoured these books.
Ever since then, consciously or subconsciously, I've held every other book I've read up against Jordan's standard. Will this book suck me in like Jordan? Will the world the characters inhabit ('real' or fantasy) be as fully realized as WoT? Will I gladly devote the countless hours reading (and rereading) the exploits? Sadly, very few books have stacked up.
Even the later books in the series, which some (including me) have criticized for a slow plot, have a special magic about them. Upon rereading the series I've found myself immensely enjoying the 'slow' books more than I thought I would; maybe the first time through I was disappointed because they weren't what I was expecting, but there is still that special something that keeps you reading 'til 2AM.
Part of me is sad for selfish reasons as well. I'm not going to be able to read the ending as he intended it. At the time of his death, Jordan was writing the final chapter of his 12 part series. I guess he has been dictating plot threads and endings to multiple authors and tape recorders, but it won't be the same. Don't get me wrong, I'll be happy just to get some closure and resolution to this story I've been following almost half of my lifetime (when I started reading WoT, I was younger than the main characters and I've since surpassed them). But no matter how the series ends, I won't be able to get over the fact that it won't be exactly as Jordan envisioned.
What can you do? I, for one, may just go open up Eye of the World another time. I was going to wait until book 12 came out to reread the series, but now is a good of time as ever.
1. Not me. I'm not nearly as confident in the Buckeyes as some people.
2. For one thing, Ohio State was lucky to just be down 7-3 at halftime. The Huskies dropped a few INTs and made some bone head plays at the end of long drives. I'm not saying Ohio State didn't deserve to win, but the final score (33-14) wasn't indicative of how close the game was (even if you don't include Brandon Saine's last TD run as time expired, it was closer than 27-14).
3. I do not trust Todd Boeckman at all. He got away with a lot of mistakes (seriously, how many dropped INT's were there?).
4. That being said, he put up a great second half. He made the throws when he had to, but I still hold my breath whenever he lets loose. I'd like to see the team play well for an entire game.
5. [Insert "Locker has room for improvement" pun here] I think Huskies redshirt-freshman QB James Locker is going to be really damn good. I was scared to death of him the entire game; I really think the Buckeyes won this game due to Locker's inexperience (he made some dumb throws after driving Washington down the field).
6. Or was it that 'bend but don't break' defense. I'm not a big fan of the bending defense- eventually, if you face someone good enough, it is gonna break. That being said, James Laurinaitis just makes plays.
7.I miss Mike Nugent. Just sayin'....
8. Better game from Beanie Wells. 135 yards and a TD. Not bad. But they still don't convert short yardage situations as well as they should. But hopefully this performance will calm him down and he'll find a groove.
9. Still worried. Anyone feel comfortable about those night road games at Minnesota, Purdue and Penn State yet?
10. More derision please. The pundits and the media told us that Charlie Weiss was the greatest offensive mind ever and now, instead of mocking him as inept, they just shrug and go 'isn't it weird to see a Charlie Weiss team with no offensive TDs in three games'. The guy sucks and he can't rely on Ty Willingham's players anymore (good call ND alumni!).
11. Michigan still sucks. 1-2 in three games at home. Well done boys.
12. I'm still alive (but barely). So how many 'survival leagues' did the Browns fuck up yesterday? Two guys got knocked out in my league (one of 'em picked against the Browns both weeks. Suck it). I had Denver... I am lucky.
13. Derek Anderson, WTF. 5 TDs, 328 yards. Damn, what can I say. I've never been an Anderson guy (and if anyone of you expected this, please raise your hand...) but wow. Hats off and more please.
14. Can I really nitpick after a 5 TD performance? Fuck yes, I'm from Cleveland. I don't want to sound like a hater (cause Anderson played great), but there were more than a few plays where the receivers saved his ass, especially Winslow and Edwards- they stepped up big time. He made the throws when he had too, don't get me wrong, but he missed a lot too (and the Bengals dropped more than one INT).
15. Jamal Lewis is a beast. 216 yards, 1 TD. He can thank Joe Thomas for that 65 yard TD (amazing what drafting talented linemen will do, huh?). I wish the Browns had gotten Lewis another TD at the end.
16. That's my only coaching complaint (while I don't agree with another 4th-and Vickers play, I can somewhat understand it)- not getting Lewis another TD. With 5:52 to go in the game and 3 and goal at the 1-yard line and leading 48-38, the Browns didn't simply pound Jamal Lewis two more times. Lewis had ran over the Bengal defense that entire drive (51 yards in three plays) and I didn't like the Browns throwing the ball on 3 and 1. Reward your work horse and pound Lewis twice; if he doesn't get in, you've wasted more time and Cincinnati is pinned back at it's own 1. Either way, Cincinnati needed two TD's to win (though the 3 points took away a the chance at OT) and if Lewis gets in, they need 3 scores and are basically done.
Cleveland QB Derek Anderson and Cleveland RB Jamal Lewis. "Romeo was great last night,'' Anderson said via cell phone after the game, speaking of coach Romeo Crennel. "Calm, reassuring. I think he thought we'd go out and play really well today.''
But this well? In the long NFL history of the Browns, which dates to 1950, they'd never had a game in which a back ran for 100 yards, a quarterback threw for more than 300, and two receivers exceeded 100 yards. In the 51-45 win over Cincinnati -- which could well have its worst defense in recent years -- Anderson was 20 of 33 for 328 yards. Lewis, who has so much dirt shoveled on him that I think if you watered him he'd sprout buds, had the best running day of the season: 28 carries, 215 yards. For one Sunday, there was joy in Mudville.
19. That sure was fun, right?Terry Pluto says that the Browns fans deserved the win. I'll say.
20. I love Josh Cribbs. Kent State baby (if the Browns were any good, he'd be right up there with Devin Hester)
21. With Pluto leaving for the PD, Patrick McManamon gets more column space (and I like it). I particularly enjoyed this:
The Browns announce a starter one week, trade him two days later. One game into the season, the backup is promoted and the guy who was cut is re-signed.
These are fantasy-type moves, but they've not been limited to this year.
Trent Dilfer and Reuben Droughns were signed to contract extensions, then dealt a year later. Jeff Faine was jettisoned against the wishes of the offensive coaches. Kevin Shaffer signed a huge deal, then was discussed in a trade after the drafting of Joe Thomas.
The quarterback position has been a complete yo-yo, with an environment that makes it next to impossible for anyone to succeed.
Consider offensive coordinator.
Maurice Carthon was kept too long, then Jeff Davidson tried to make it work with Carthon's offense the rest of last season. When Davidson was very blunt with Savage about his assessment of the team's talent ` hint: he wasn't real positive ` he was removed from consideration to keep the job. Davidson got the same job with the Carolina Panthers and looked pretty smart in the team's opening game.
21. I'm sick of spygate. I hate the overblown coverage of any controversy in sports; I'll tell ya right now ESPN, whenever something that involves TO, Barry Bonds or some similar shit goes down, I stay away from your station. I can't stand it.
22. More spygate (sorry). Surprisingly, Bill Simmons is whining (I like Simmons, I really do, but this God damned Boston victimization really pisses me off):
That reminds me, everyone's talking about the other teams and implying they were the victims. What about Pats fans? How did we deserve this? Our favorite team cheated, we lost a No. 1 pick, our coach pulled the football version of the Watergate break-in, our entire mini-dynasty has been tainted according to the outside world. ... Seriously, what did we ever do other than support a perpetually crappy franchise with a bad stadium for years and years and years? Do you think we wanted any of this to happen? All week, I almost felt like I did something wrong just because I rooted for these guys. Well, no more. Call them cheaters, call them villains, call them the evil empire, but it's still my team. You can't disown your team just because it does something sleazy, just like you can't disown a close family member for doing something sleazy. Your team is your team. I hate what happened, I think it has been terribly overblown, we paid the price, and we're moving on. At least until Belichick's version of the 17-minute missing Nixon tape is released.
What about Pats fans? Seriously, your team cheats and you're complaining? Really? Imagine if Joe Torre and the Yankees got caught cheating, what the hell would Simmons be saying? He'd be laying it on. For the past five years we've been bombarded with stories and quotes about how the Patriots are a model franchise and that they're just "a team of football players", they do everything the right way blah blah fucking blah. Look, the Patriots are far and away the best team in the NFL, the Red Sox have a sick rotation and will be World Series favorites and the Celtics just got KG and Ray Allen- I'm sorry if no one is considering the feelings of Patriots' fans during spygate. Take your medicine and shut the fuck up.
22. Big series begins tonight. Tribe vs Tigers. Byrd goes tonight against Kenny Rogers (who the Tribe never seems to hit hard). Hopefully that changes tonight.
23. Maybe some fans will show up. And maybe the local sports media will give 'em half the coverage the Browns get. Who am I kidding...
24. Is it weird to say that this team reminds me of the 90's Yankees? They hit well, they pitch well, they make opposing pitchers work and though they hit for power, they don't have any big mashers (though they have a bunch of guys in the mid 20s). I think this is good. (Also, I didn't notice this before but: is Grady our Jeter?)
25. Though, they are missing a few things. They don't have a closer anywhere near as lights out as Mariano Rivera, they don't anyone near as ugly as the horse faced Scott Brosius and they don't have anyone who is nearly as big of a douche bag as Paul O'Neil.
26. Not a bad way to do it (and thank God that it wasn't against Cleveland).Good for Jim Thome. Always like him and I never really got mad that he left (same with Manny).
27. I am confused. I saw Colbert and Stewart announce Ricky Gervais but then they said that since "Ricky Gervais could not be here tonight. Instead we're going to give this to our friend, Steve Carell" Carell then ran on stage and jumped around with Colbert and Stewart (which was awesome). Gervais won. Colbert and Stewart's bit where they made fun of award shows was good too.
28. Really? How the hell did James freaking Spader beat out both Tony Soprano and Tommy Gavin. Come on (but hey, at least 30 Rock won something)
29. Thank God it's back. I freaking love It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The first two this year were pretty solid, but not great. Some parts where brilliant (the ali baba sword? Green man? Awesome). Check out the videos on their website, I enjoyed 'em.
30. That didn't go as planned. So last Tuesday I was planning on attending a concert and seeing the Coral and the Arctic Monkeys. Now, I like both bands, but I wouldn't have made the trip to Columbus on a weeknight just to see the Arctic Monkeys- I love the Coral. Anyways, we get there and there are no t-shirts for the Coral. Not good. Turns out they dropped out of the tour and got replaced by Voxtrot. This blew chunks for multiple reasons: A) I didn't get to hear any acid pirate rock B) I didn't get to buy a Coral t-shirt (and I really wanted on) and C) Voxtrot sucks ass (check out the comments in the link). On the plus side, the Arctic Monkeys were better than I was expecting (to the point where I'd go out of my way to see 'em again). But seriously, Voxtrot was awful; whiny, skinny indie kids playing boring music while acting like they were rocking out. I was not a fan (and neither were other people, the beer line was long as hell when Voxtrot was up).
I read the whole column and all I noticed was A) a "why the hell is this even there" Celtics reference B) Simmons likes being right and C) Simmons likes to jump to conclusion.
Charlie Frye had little to recommend him except earnestness as a lifelong Browns fan and geographical happenstance as a college player at Akron.
Both gave him a pass for a time. The rub was that eventually he had to pass, too.
Maybe Frye bought some time with fans (and Terry Pluto) simply by being an Akron product and local boy, but I hope to God that Frye's hometown never came up in meeting between Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage (and if it did come up, fire both of them right now).
There seems to be some idea that the only reason Frye was around this season was because he was a "hometown kid". I don't particularly think so, maybe that played a part in things. A small part.
But ya know what? Frye won the job in training camp! We all saw that right? We all saw Derek Anderson lose the job to Charlie Frye (and he did lose the job, he was ahead of Frye coming into training camp). Sure, we also saw Brady Quinn outshine both of 'em, but he wasn't starting the season as the number 1 QB. So Frye won the job.
And then was awful.
Did Frye need to be traded (or cut)? Probably. Does the thought process of the Browns management scare the hell out of me? My God yes (a year ago they thought Frye was so well off that they didn't need a veteran QB to help out). Are we now simply waiting for Brady Quinn to take the field?
Charlie Frye sucks so bad that they have to trade him for a 6th round pick after one terrible half.... so they can hand the keys to the guy who couldn't beat out Charlie Frye in training camp.
1. Ohio State hasn't impressed me... Yes, they're 2-0, so they're doing better than some teams, but damn a 3-2 first half versus Akron? Not good. They weren't exactly impressive against Youngstown State either. I'm not feeling particularly good about facing Washington next weekend.
2. I'm also not excited for some other games. Mainly the night games at Minnesota, Purdue and Penn State. Ohio State teams haven't exactly played well at night under Tressel and the team doesn't look that strong this year.
3. Their ranking confuses me too. Right now, they're 10 in both polls, which seems high to me (some people have them ranked 3rd. 3?!?! are you kidding me? I love me some Buckeyes, but God damn).
4. I was expecting more from Beanie Wells. Bill Livingston isn't impressed and says Wells needs to step up (though some of the problem has been play calling). I'm not too worried (yet) but I was hoping he'd run all over Youngstown State and Akron and he's been average thus far.
5. What's better than Michigan starting the season 0-2? Michigan AND Notre Dame starting the season 0-2. The Battle of Suck is next Saturday. Can both teams lose? Can Lloyd Carr be fired at halftime (Charlie Frye style)? What do I root for? A 0-3 Michigan or a 0-3 Charlie Weiss? Or do I simply root for injuries? So many questions...
7. The Browns suck. This shouldn't exactly shock anyone, but I'm sure it will (though I didn't expect them to play that poorly against Pittsburgh, my lord).
8. That didn't work. Maybe they should've eased Eric Steinbach into the starting lineup eh?
9. When did we start referring to Romeo Crennel as RAC? This was all over the message boards yesterday and even in a teaser link for a Bud Shaw column.
10. Peter King has some Browns tidbits in his MMQB column:
Quote of the Week II
"BRAY-dee! BRAY-dee! BRAY-dee!''
-- The Cleveland Browns Stadium crowd, four minutes and 23 seconds into the new season. Literally. That's how long it took them to call for coach Romeo Crennel to make Brady Quinn his starting quarterback. But Crennel did not listen. He replaced Charlie Frye, all right, in the second quarter -- but with Derek Anderson, not the 22nd pick in April's draft.
---------
f. Teams that have to feel ridiculously depressed after Sunday: St. Louis, Buffalo, Kansas City, the Jets and Cleveland.
g. Wait -- give me a separate category for Cleveland. What I wonder after watching chunks of that game is, how can you work for an entire training camp and look like that? "If the gamut runs from A to Z,'' GM Phil Savage said last night, "that was a Z.'' Maybe a letter doesn't exist for what that was.
---------
3. I think the most overplayed story of Week 1 was the subterfuge angle of former players spilling the beans to the enemy. Just like Jason David's information on the Indy offense meant nothing to New Orleans' defense in the Colts' 41-10 beatdown of the Saints, the importation of former Patriot Reche Caldwell for a look-see and the Patriots bringing in ex-Jets Tim Dwight and Bobby Hamilton (on the QT Friday) meant nothing to the outcome of the Patriots' win over the Jets. Maybe the Jets learned a scintilla about the physical condition of Randy Moss -- maybe -- but as far as strategy or signals or audible signs ... fiction.
"It's the most overrated thing in sports,'' said Peyton Manning, who went on to give me a great example of how a foreign agent can actually hurt a team's preparation. "The classic was when we're playing Cleveland and they got [former Colts backup quarterback and offensive assistant] Kelly Holcomb and Bruce Arians. It's Tony Dungy's first year, maybe 2002. So the Browns grill Holcomb all week, 'You got to give us something' and he says, 'I'm telling you, Peyton's going to change it up. He knows I'm here, he's going to give you a dummy audible early. I'm telling you, he's not stupid. So, just play your keys.'
"They're up 16-3, I think, at the half," said Manning. "Second half, we get a good drive going and it's fourth-and-three. So we run our bread and butter play, a little five-yard under route. Well, I signal the play and Holcomb -- it's the same signal -- so he says, 'Ah, now I'm going to help them.' So he says, 'They're running the five-yard under play! Five-yard under play!"
"And so you can see it on the film -- they're going, 'Watch the slants, watch the slants.' So they load up, all inside technique, and they go into a man defense. Well, I see this and I see the defenders all change up -- that's the thing about the no-huddle, I can see this -- and I kept the receivers doing the same thing and I checked to a zone running play and it's only six guys who gotta know -- the linemen and the back [James Mungro]. And he goes 29 yards untouched for a touchdown. And so their guys go to Holcomb, all pissed off, 'So, they're running a slant, huh? Thanks a freaking lot, Holcomb.'
So, maybe that sums it up right there, be careful of what you think you know.''
4. I think, still, that Romeo Crennel has to stand strong and not put Quinn on the field. Not yet, anyway. Four of the next five games, before Cleveland's bye, come against teams that finished in the NFL's top 10 in defensive rankings last year. "Our whole thought was Charlie [Frye] and Derek [Anderson] keeping us functional through the tough part of our schedule,'' Savage told me. And now? "If you ask 70,000 people in our stadium today, the process got accelerated. We'll meet [Monday morning] and discuss it. But I think you run into trouble if you change your plans after one game. Back in 1999, we lost to Pittsburgh 43-0 in the first game of the season with Ty Detmer playing and we threw Tim Couch in there. You saw how that turned out. Once Brady goes in, that's it; there's no turning back. To do it after the first week ...''
Look, the Browns know this season's a wash. Frye got sacked five times in the first 23 minutes against Pittsburgh. Do you want the kid shellshocked in September, or do you want him to play after he's had more than 92 snaps (the real number) with the first unit since he signed his contract?
11. I'm not sure where I'm at with Quinn. Obviously, Frye and Anderson both suck ass. This can't be denied. Sure, we may prefer one over the other, but neither is a good option. Quinn is going to get his shot this year, it's only a matter of time. So what's the point of sitting him? I mean, would anyone be worried about him if he had to face the 'vaunted' Cincinnati defense next week?
13. That's some fine coaching there Lou. I'm glad we had that quarterback competition in the preseason so they could scrap the guy by halftime. Good times (with coin flips!). And I know Frye sucked ass. He was terrible (Terry Pluto tries to defend him by saying that the Steelers didn't blitz Anderson nearly as much). It's not the losses that piss me off so much, it's the terrible coaching; these don't look prepared at all. The whole offense was a mess (again) and this shit is getting old.
16. I know the Browns are going to be the big talk of the day, but... we're all aware that the Indians kick major ass, right? They just split a four game series with the Angels. These guys are good, they have a bona fide number 1 starter in Sabathia and they should be able to make some noise in the playoffs.
17. Grady Sizemore is awesome. Last night in the fourth inning he bunted for a hit, stole second base and then scored on grounder that didn't leave the infield. Well done young sir.
The Tribe knocked around Jered Weaver (11-7, 4.00) for six runs on nine hits in five innings. The man who delivered the big hit - a three-run homer in the five-run fourth inning - was the last position player to make the club out of spring training. Ryan Garko hit Weaver's first pitch over the bullpens in left field for a 4-2 lead.
It was Garko's second homer of the series. His parents, Michael and Elaine, were in the stands. So was most of his senior class from Servite High School in Walnut, Calif.
"Garko had to make the club out of spring training," said Wedge. "Then we weren't sure how much he was going to play. But Andy Marte got hurt, Casey Blake moved to third and Garko has played better than a lot of people thought at first base."
19. Honestly? Has Garko really played that much better than people would've thought? Cause he's about where I'd thought he'd be. And look, I know that he had to earn his job and all that, but the fact that the Tribe's brass was prepared to sit Garko for Casey Blake scares me.
20. Speaking of really surprising things. People can't actually be shocked that Randy Moss put up those numbers yesterday, right? I know he's a 'locker room' problem and he missed preseason games and blah blah blah... but come on. This guy made Jeff George into an MVP candidate, I think he'll be okay with Tom Brady.
21. Ha. Kenny Lofton thinks he's putting finishing touches on Hall of Fame career. And I know it's a humorous article and all... but say Kenny had stayed with Cleveland all these years and started every day (rather than jumping around and platooning). I'm not saying he'd be a HoF'er, but he'd be though of rather differently at least.
22. AL MVP... I know A-Rod is going to win it (and he probably should) but I'd be willing to bet that if Victor Martinez played in Boston or New York, he'd be higher than 'rest of our top 10'.
24. When can the Brett Boone reports come out? Come on, he went from 'scrappy second baseman' to '140 RBI machine'. I've been pissed about this for years.
25. Faaaantastic. Alan Houston is 95% sure he's going to return. If he ends up taking time away from Boobie Gibson, I will be one pissed blogger.
29. About time.Help! is being released on DVD with a deluxe treatment. Now if we could get Let it Be...
30. Sweet concert tomorrow night. I'm seeing the Arctic Monkeys and the Coral. The Arctic Monkeys are the headliner (not surprising) but I more excited to see the Coral. They've been one of my favorite bands for awhile now and I'm really excited to see them live. I can't really describe their sound, because they change things up from album to album, but the song writing and performance is always quality; they're kinda hard to pin down. Their new one, Roots and Echoes, is a more stripped down affair and it is quite good (I probably still love their self titled debut the most, but that was my introduction and I've played that thing a ton). They aren't very well known (I've never met someone else who's even aware of 'em- well, besides people who've heard of them through me) and I hope that they'll get some stateside exposure from this tour.
Also, it is my opinion that Brady Quinn didn't get any playing solely because Romeo doesn't want to have to answer "when does Brady start?" questions this week (and honestly, a blow out is the perfect time to get a rookie QB some reps).
28. Cleveland Browns One year away from being turned around by Bill Cowher and his rejuvenated spittle.
Is it really that much of a lock? WKNR 850 plays a blurb from Jim Rome discussing this possibility. Should I start preparing myself now? A team with a ND quarterback, a Miami tight end, a Michigan wide receiver and a former Raven (who gained 500 yards against the Browns in one season) at running back... all coached by a former Steeler?
But hey, if they win games.... I root for whoever.
I know this is late (since the season, you know, starts tonight) but if anyone is interested in joining a(nother) pick 'em or survival league, I'm hosting a couple through yahoo fantasy sports.
The info is as such:
Survival Football: Leauge ID:13453 password: firefight Pro Pick 'Em: League ID: 37888 password: kitna
This is the year that the Browns aren't supposed to fuck up. This is the year the team takes off. Getting arrested during the first week of the season wasn't on the agenda:
Browns starting cornerback Leigh Bodden ended up in the Cleveland City Jail on Wednesday after being arrested at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport. He was accused of aggravated disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and various traffic offenses.
According to Lt. Thomas Stacho, public information officer for the Cleveland Police Department, Bodden was spotted about 6:30 p.m. driving a 2004 GMC Yukon the wrong way on the lower roadway for arriving flights. When a police officer instructed Bodden to stop, he didn't immediately, but complied with a second request, pulling his vehicle to the curb and walking away.
God dammit. I'm sure Romeo is loving this, he's only had a quarter back controversy and a first round hold out in training camp. Things were supposed to become kinda normal for the season. But he can't care for this distraction for Week 1, especially when the first week's opponent thinks that their former coach is going to take his job.
(On a semi related note: this is dumb and means nothing at all)
But as you appreciate that the Indians beat Johan Santana five times this season and further realize that C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona won all five of those games between them, not only should one think about what the Indians may be like in a short series in October should they get there, but realize what Sabathia has done to help put the Indians six games ahead of the Tigers in the AL Central.
Click down the list of pitchers Sabathia has faced. He beat Santana three times. He was matched up with Justin Verlander twice in five days on May 26 and 31, and won both games. He has also lost to Verlander and dropped a 1-0 decision to Daisuke Matsuzaka.
He's first in the AL in wins (16) and innings pitched (211), second in complete games (three) and fourth in strikeouts (182).
Think what having the Indians go 5-1 in his starts against Santana and Verlander means to the Indians in the standings, and right now Sabathia also has to get consideration for votes in the top 10 in the AL MVP balloting.
They just keep winning games, it is actually kinda amazing at this point. And they win them in crazy ways; last at-bat walks and home runs, Garko hit taking a weird hop and even in spite of Casey Blake taking off on a fly ball with no outs.
I was hoping I'd be able to recap all of Team USA's games on here, but a few things happened: 1) classes started 2) the games are kinda boring so I'll only watch the first half to see if they're actually being challenged. So I haven't really watched many full games.
I'm not sure if you guys listen to the Bill Simmon's podcast B.S. Report stuff (they aren't bad IMO) but if you listen to one featuring Steve Kerr, not only do you get some good basketball talk, some sucking up to the Suns and an awesome Steve Kerr presence, but at the very beginning Simmons and Kerr discuss Mark Price and how much he kicked ass. So if you don't want to listen to the whole thing (I liked it), you can hear the Mark Price/90's Cavs stuff at the very beginning.
I wasn't sure C.C. was ever going to get that elusive 15th win but he did AND the Tribe is in first place. Here is Sabathia's run support since July 24th: 0, 1, 5, 4, 2, 3, 1 and 4. Over this time he is 2-3 with 3 no decisions (though the Tribe lost those 3 games) and he hasn't given up more than 2 runs since July 29th (where he gave up 3). It's not a stretch to say that he could very easily have 20 wins right now (and be cruising towards a Cy Young award, cause voters LOVE wins).
I know it's not against the best competition and the 3pt line is shorter... but damn, this is nice to read (emphasis added):
LeBron James soared for powerful dunks, pulled up for flawless 3-pointers. And when the halftime buzzer sounded, there was only one way to describe his play.
Perfect.
James was 11-for-11 from the field, making all four of his 3-point attempts, and scored 26 points in the first half Wednesday night to lead the United States to a 118-79 victory over Uruguay in the FIBA Americas tournament.
In a sensational display of speed and power, James raised his tournament-leading shooting percentage to an almost comical 79.7 percent (47-of-59). He is 14-of-20 from 3-point range, a 70 percent mark that also leads the event.
80% from the floor and 70% from beyond the arc. Those aren't even video game numbers. That's simply insane.
I wasn't sure I really wanted to see James play for the US this summer. I wanted him to rest up, work on some post moves and get ready for next season.
But he's looked good in Vegas; he ran the floor really well, played good defense and got to the rim at ease. But I was a bit worried because, at least early on, all of LeBron's shots were dunks and layups (which is fine for FIBA, where he can just run the floor and overpower the other team with his athleticism) and I don't think he even attempted a jumper until the 3rd game.
But that jumper went in. And more jumpers went in. Then Bill Walton informed viewers that only Jason Kidd and LeBron were practicing during Team USA's lone off day (now that I liked to hear). And more jumpers went in. Maybe he has found time to work on his jumper. I dunno.
But if he comes into next season with a reliable jump shot.... dear God...
Like Alan Houston, this would be great news.... if it was the late 90s. And like Alan Houston, I'm torn on this, because I think Charles Oakley (or a player like Oakley) is exactly what the Cavaliers (and LeBron James) need:
Oakley, a 6-9 power forward and center, said the Cavs could have used his knowledge and skills in the finals against the Spurs, who dominated the inside with Tim Duncan and with uncontested drives by guard Tony Parker. The no-nonsense Oakley, rumored to have smacked around a few players off the court, would not have any of that.
"They lost to San Antonio because guys didn't know the next step on defense," said Oakley, whom the Cavs drafted in 1985. "The Cavs are not a good help defensive team. . . . When I come back, I'm going to bring an attitude. I'm not coming back just to be on a team. I'm going to come back and go all out."
Johnny Clark, who was the assistant player development/shooting coach when Oakley was with the Toronto Raptors, said LeBron James would benefit from Oakley's presence just as Vince Carter did several years ago. Back then, Carter was fearless when he went inside for monster dunks. Carter knew who had his back if he was on the other end of a hard foul.
"Other teams need to know that a superstar has a teammate who will step up in their chest if the superstar gets knocked down or receives a hard foul," Clark said. "LeBron would definitely have that with Oakley as a teammate."
Would Oakley have changed the outcome of the Finals? Not really. Maybe Tony Parker would ended up with a few more bruises, but a 43 year old power forward doesn't tilt that series in the Cavaliers' favor.
But the thing is, the Cavs could really use a player like Oakley. They need a badass, they need an enforcer, they need that presence. For his part Oakley says he hasn't changed from his playing weight of 245 lbs and that he's in shape:
Oakley said he is still in great shape. "I run three miles per day, lift weights, take shots in the gym and I still play," Oakley said. "Everyone's going to get old, it just comes down to how did you take care of your body and I've taken care of myself. I guarantee, if I get into someone's training camp, I'll end camp as one of the top eight players. It just comes down to if you want to deal with me."
Honestly, right now, I don't particularly care how about the age of the players that the Cavs bring in, I just want to see new faces. They've had this roster for two years now and the only real additions have been the draft picks (and neither was picked particularly high).
Are Charles Oakley and Alan Houston too old? Maybe.... probably... but what do you got to lose at this point? Worse comes to worse they embarrass themselves, you cut 'em and the Cavs enter the season with basically the exact same roster as last season. And honestly, does anyone want to bet against Oakley's "I'll end camp as one of the top eight players" remark? I don't.
Something is different... Oh, look Kobe Bryant. You'd think with a team of stars, no one player would stand out. Wrong. Kobe stood out. The most striking thing was his intensity, especially at the defensive end. He was a ball hawk from the get go, constantly pressuring opposing guards and forcing mistakes. He also hit an array of shots, including a weird loopy looking layup and a dunk of a LeBron behind the backer. And I don't know if you heard, he's slimmed down and dropped 18 pounds (this was mentioned just a few times in the broadcast). The announcers also mentioned how Bryant has been practicing a lot of catch-and-shoot jumpers to prepare for the tournament, since he's not used to shooting without creating the space himself- I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a big Bryant guy, but that is pretty cool. Bryant probably had the best overall line in the box score with 14 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and a block.
Dwight Howard is a beast. He had his way inside and often got punished for it (as did Amare Stoudemire, they shot 7 and 9 free throws, respectively). It seemed like Team USA was actively feeding Howard in the early going and they got the Venezuelan big men in foul trouble.
LeBron... some good, some meh. The good: LeBron was 5-7 from the floor, scored 11 points and passed the ball quite well. The meh: he didn't take a shot that wasn't a layup (of the two shots missed, one was a long alley-oop from Bryant and the other was a scoop reverse layup thing) and he missed his first free throw attempt (1-2 overall, I'm glad hosting the ESPY's paid off...). James also pitched in 3 assists, 3 boards and 3 steals.
Shooters! Mike Miller and Michael Redd are both on the team this time around and they made their presence known; they shot long ball early and often (Redd was 3-5 while Miller was a Larry Hughes-esque 2-8). Redd took the ball to the hole as well and tied for the team high in points (with 'Melo) with 17.
And point guards!? Jason Kidd started for Team USA, didn't attempt a shot but finished with 3 boards, 4 assists, a steal and a block. Yup, sounds about right. The US also played Chauncey Billups (meh) and Deron Williams (yay!). Right now Williams is third on the depth chart, but I'd like to see him get more PT over Chauncey (mostly because I hate the Pistons).
Tayshaun Prince played, but I barely recognized him. He wasn't whining during every stoppage of play, it was weird to see (har!). Not that it wasn't justified (sans the scoreboard of course)- the refs sucked pretty hard. There were a lot of weird calls and no calls; clean strips were called for fouls, but body checks... notsomuch. However, I don't believe there were any traveling calls (none that I remember at least), which has plagued the Americans in the past (and by 'plagued' I mean that the refs actually call traveling violations).
Bill Walton was in rare form. I think I'm going to enjoy Bill during the Tournament of the Americas, not just due to his normal "horrendous call" and "that was the worst pass in the history of Western civilization" schtick but he studied up with the world atlas and gave us a lot of 'fun facts' on Venezuela (he compared a LeBron dunk to Angel Falls, the tallest water fall in the world and located in Venezuela). He also went rambling on about Hugo Chavez and called this sports summer "the summer of madness". Good times.
and finally...
Tonight: the Virgin Islands. This should be a cakewalk as well. Neither Venezuela nor the Virgin Islands will give the US much of a test. The game to look forward to is on Sunday, when Team USA takes on Brazil.
It's pretty clear in Cleveland that no one seems to know how to handle the quarterback situation. Coach Romeo Crennel used a coin flip to determine the starter of the first preseason game. After that, Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson made mistake after mistake. Heads or tails, no one looks like the winner there.
Then there's Brady Quinn. He came off the bench on Saturday to lead a frantic fourth-quarter rally against the Lions that excited the fans. His reward was being tabbed as the No. 3 quarterback in this weekend's preseason game. Folks, Quinn isn't ready to start, but the Browns aren't doing much to push the process. The new offense is taking time to mesh with the talent that's there. It looks like the Browns are in for a long season.
Anyone who thinks differently is fooling themselves. Will they be better than last year? Yes. Will they be good? I doubt it.
I have a feeling that this might be filled with jokes that I've been personally making since the age of 13, but it still looks awesome (Jack White as Elvis? Paul Rudd as John Lennon?):
In an effort to get me to stop ragging on them, the Plain Dealer signed Terry Pluto (who is leaving the Akron Beacon Journal after 22 years). This is probably for the best (well, not for the ABJ, they better hold on to Brian Windhorst or they got nothin'), the more people who read Pluto the better and the Plain Dealer could use a sports columnist that actually enjoys watching the NBA.
This Alan Houston business.... I'm torn here. On one hand, the Cavs could use a veteran lights out shooter at the 2. On the other hand, I'd prefer one with two working knees. He's 'only' 36, but again, he retired because of injuries. Houston would be a great fit for LeBron... seven years ago. But now? I dunno (though this could be another Chris Webber type scenario. When he was making $20 million a year in Philly, Webber was regarded as trash. But making the veteran minimum in Detroit? A very nice player. My views on Houston could be tainted by his bloated salary from his latter days as a Knick). If he plays 15-20 minutes a game, that is fine, but who is he taking minutes away from? Boobie? Pavlovic? Hughes? Shannon Brown? Though, I'm not gonna lie, I do love the idea of crunch time back court of Gibson and Houston... double team LeBron now assholes!
Oh, Charles Oakley is also trying to make a comeback. He's another player I would LOVE to pair with LeBron... ten years ago (I mean, come on? With Oakley on the team who knocks down LeBron... ever? Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejao just don't bring that same intimidation and toughness- I know, understatement of the year). That's the problem here, the Cavs don't actually need the 2007 version of Alan Houston and Charles Oakley- they need the 1997 versions. Put those guy with LeBron and you'd have something special. But the 2007 versions... I just don't know
Charlie Frye looked really, really good.... until he made two costly plays. One wasn't completely his fault (the lateral that got returned for a TD) but the other one was (taking a sack/scrambling inside the 10 with 12 seconds left in the half and no timeouts. Not good). I like Frye a lot and I'm in his camp, but I'm starting to wonder if these big mistakes are something you can coach out of... It sucks, because Frye made a lot of good decisions throughout the first half (scrambling.... in order to pass? Wah?)
Derek Anderson didn't really impress me either. Both QB's dealt with drops, but Anderson simply missed guys. It seemed like whenever he made a good throw, he immediately followed it up with a terrible one. He almost got picked off a few times and didn't seem to handle the blitz too well.
Joe Thomas: some good, some bad. When he wasn't being called for holding, Thomas looked really good. Problem was, he was called for holding a few times. Overall, the o-line looked vastly improved- QB's had time to throw and running backs had holes. It was god damn beautiful.
The running backs looked pretty good. Both Lewis and Wright run down hill and into people, while Harrison skips around. They all looked pretty solid running the football.... but they all missed picking up some blitzes.
The defense was solid. Honestly, the defense dominated the entire game, no matter which unit was in there. I suspect that Wimbley will have a big year- that man is a beast. Eric Wright made a few nice plays as well- this could very well be the best secondary that the Browns have had since their return (I know, bold statement, right? Better than the Robert Griffith years? No way!)
Coaching... meh. I know it's preseason and all, but the Browns had, what, 4 redzone opportunities and didn't get a touchdown out of any of 'em. It's actually worse than that- the Browns had multiple plays inside the 20 and didn't once throw a pass into the endzone (or even make an attempt). I know it's preseason and that Edwards and Winslow played a combined 5 seconds, but still. Take a shot.
To end on a lighter note: I saw a commercial for Sports Time Ohio's "Morning Coffee" (which has all the articles from TheClevelandFan.com- which I write for, sometimes, when I actually have something to say).
Bonds hits 756 and Brady Quinn ends his hold out. Now maybe we can focus on baseball playoff races (even ones that don't involve the Yankees!) or other such things.
Well, the NBA offseason had been pretty lame (and the Cavaliers' offseason still is) until Boston landed KG. Erik thinks that Cleveland fans might get upset that the Cavs didn't trade for Garnett's services (and he's right, they'll get mad, even though the Cavs don't have the cap relief or a young talent like Jefferson to trade).
But don't get angry that Garnett was traded to another Eastern Conference team, the Cavs were trying... we swear:
The Cavaliers were one of a handful of teams that tried to get in on the Kevin Garnett Sweepstakes, an NBA source said, even in the hours before Minnesota finalized the mega-deal that sent Garnett to Boston.
Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers all tried to wedge into the trade with serious offers, the source said, but no team could compete with the Celtics' offer that included potential in Al Jefferson, salary-cap relief in Theo Ratliff's expiring contract and a possible lottery draft pick.
Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry declined to comment on specifics of the Cavaliers' off-season maneuvers, but said they are aggressively pursuing avenues to improve. Among those explored, a source said, is mild interest in a potential sign-and-trade deal for Golden State restricted free agent Mickael Pietrus, a 6-6 small forward.
You hear that Cavs fans? Mickael Pietrus! Sure you're mad that the roster hasn't changed. But don't blame Ferry for sitting on his hands, he's out there aggressively pursuing deals! He's trying really really hard! He was after KG too! Til the very end!
All snark aside, here's the thing: I really want the Cavs to mix their roster up this summer. I though it needed it last summer and they really need to do something this offseason. But they're stuck right now. They'll be up against the cap once they sign Varejao and they don't have any expiring deals to trade (and it wasn't like the free agents were all that attractive either). If they want to make a trade they'll have to get really creative, fleece somebody or end up taking some terrible contracts in return.
The problem is. Ferry blew his wad two summers ago on Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones. At the time, it didn't seem like that bad of a move, but you can't say that any of those guys have worked out. I can even defend those signings to a certain extent (I don't want to get into the whole Allen or Redd discussion again-they weren't coming here!) based on the Cavs need to show LeBron they were 'serious' about improving before he signed his extension.
They threw money around. They had to do something (I don't see how you can go in 2005-2006 with Ira Newble starting at the 2 and expect LeBron to re-up). It didn't work out. And they are stuck.
Am I expecting some kind of deal to be made this offseason? Yes, but I'm not sure on the size or scope. The last thing I want them to do is trade their current bad contracts for longer bad contracts. I don't want them making a move "just to make a move" (basically, I don't want them overpaying a mediocre point guard who is simply better than Eric Snow).
Needless to say, I'm not holding my breath. But maybe I should be, after all, the Plain Dealer says they're trying.
The Cavs and Flashseats are taking Ticketbastard to court. Delightful:
The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, claims Ticketmaster is engaged in an "ongoing campaign to utilize its substantial market power . . . to exclude actual and potential competition."
At issue is an item in Ticketmaster's contract with the Cavs requiring season ticketholders who want to resell their seats to use Ticketmaster's own resale operation, TicketExchange.
Earlier this month, Ticketmaster filed a lawsuit against the Cavs and Flash Seats in federal court in California to defend that obligation. Ticketmaster has sold Cavs tickets on the primary market since 1993.
But Len Komoroski, president of the Cavs and Quicken Loans Arena, said the paperless Flash Seats is preferable to TicketExchange, which allows paper tickets to remain in existence.
Denying season ticketholders the right to use Flash Seats reduces the value and attractiveness of a season ticket, he said. "It's really all about our fans. They're speaking loud and clear that this has been a superior service."
Flash Seats, meanwhile, claims that Ticketmaster is keeping it from expanding.
Sam Gerace, chief executive of the Cleveland-based company - closely affiliated with the Cavs through some common ownership - said Flash Seats has attempted to sell its services to other sports teams, only to be blocked by existing contracts with Ticketmaster.
"A great many teams have indicated their interest . . . but they've indicated they are prohibited from doing business with us," he said. "That's the reason we have to take action."
Flashseats is a pretty neat idea (which Brian Windhorst says that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert bought from some local guys. So if you got any neat Cavs ideas....) and I've used it here and there. It can be kinda expensive (but so can scalping) but the nice part is that you're sure you are getting real tickets. You know you're not getting screwed.
I haven't used Ticketmaster's resale service before but it probably blows. Ticketmaster sucks, plain and simple.
I just bought a ticket to the Reel Big Fish-Less Than Jake show (it'll be like 1997 all over again!) for August 16th at the Agora. Face value of the tickets? $21.00. I paid: $32.55. Ticketmaster charged me $6.95 for a Convenience Charge and another $4.60 as a Order Processing Fee (and it could've been worse, I opted to have the ticket sent to me, which was free. Lord knows what kind of fee I'd have to pay for the privilege to use my own printer). $11.55 added on for using an automated service; basically a third of the total price is complete bullshit.
Good for the Cavs. I have no idea what will even happen if they win this suit, all I know is, anyone who sues Ticketmaster wins points in my book. If it happens to be my favorite sports franchise, even better.
Quite frankly, it's been too long. They traded catcher Max Ramirez for Kenny.... which basically makes this a Bob Wickman for Lofton deal. Not sure how I feel about letting go Ramirez... but hey, why not?
1. Again, sorry for the lack of posts. I'm better than that.
2. I'm taking summer courses at Kent State (I'm doing the Ohio colleges tour apparently) and I'll be taking more grad classes this fall (speaking of school, a guy in my class showed up with a Trot Nixon Indians jersey. Talk about a waste of $50). I'm not sure how that's going to play out during the Cavs season, but we shall see...
3. Sure, there's been work and grad school, but there's also been a Harry Potter book and a new Civ IV expansion. I love me some Civ IV....
4. This past weekend I watched the Planet Earth series on DVD and well... it is awesome. And weird. I can't stress that enough. It is weird as hell. You sit there and watch this stuff and you're just like "Nope. No way is that real. I can't be sharing a planet with that thing." It's basically one giant infomercial for evolution.
5. Speaking of metaphorical commercials, I attended the Columbus Jazz & Rib Fest this past weekend and it was basically one giant condom commercial. The crowd was huge and the entire time we're there (and while we're getting there and while we're trying to leave) we're making way for miserable people pushing baby strollers through this massive crowd (and these baby strollers were everywhere).
6. OK, it was either a condom commercial or PSA on why you don't take babies to outdoor festivals. Either way, it did not look fun.
7. This NBA ref business. Surprisingly, I don't really have a whole lot of thoughts. Obviously, this is terrible for the league. I basically echo Bill Simmons's comments (but with less sucking up to Suns fans).
8. As for the other major sports controversy, Michael Vick... what can ya say? It doesn't look good, does it? I guess the lesson learned here is: don't breed dogs to fight each other. This was not how his career was supposed to go...
9. And as for which story is bigger or worse, things are much worse personally for Vick than they are for Tim Donaghy (well, except for that whole death threat business). But for the leagues, this is just another controversy for the NFL (which will get away untainted. If this was Stephen Jackson, I'd be reading columns by Bud Shaw about how the NBA is full of thugs) but Donaghy could have big implications on the NBA.
10. Well, biggish. I don't think the league is any serious jeopardy, but they really need to open up their reffing grade book and grading system. The less secrecy the better. Basically, listen to Mark Cuban.
11. Browns training camp starts today, and well... I'm not as pumped as a lot of people are. I dunno, I love the Browns, watch 'em every Sunday... but I can't exactly get myself excited for the season. I mean, best case scenario is.... 8-8? I dunno, we got a baseball team seemingly headed for the post season, a Cavs team coming off a trip to the Finals and my alma mater challenging for a BCS bid every season. I'll spend extra energy on the Browns when they deserve it.
12. I know we're all excited that the Browns had a great draft, but we still remember the schedule right? Needless to say, I'm not expecting much from this team.
13. Peter King has them ranked 32nd in his power rankings. Now, I don't know if they are that bad, but it wasn't like they were drafting 3rd in April because of some mistake. They weren't a good football team.
16. Gary Baxter is attempting to 'make history'. Good for him, but I wouldn't hold my breath. He blew out both of his knees (one of those, 'only in Cleveland' type injuries) and the odds are against him.
17. Terry Pluto says (among other things) don't count on LeCharles Bentley. I want Bentley to come back as much as the next guy and an offensive line featuring a healthy LeCharles, Eric Steinbach and Joe Thomas would be a beautiful thing to see. Let's take a wait and see approach, shall we?
23. Complete bullshit Cavs rumor! (somehow the Cavs get Mike Bibby AND Shawn Marion while giving up Gooden, Hughes, Snow, Wesley, Shannon Brown and two future #1)
24. When the 10 best remaining free agents include two Cavaliers and 3 Milwaukee Bucks... that is not a good crop of players.
26. Cavs vs Heat on Christmas day. Not sure how I feel about this... except that LeBron needs to move to a bigger market to get his name out there... National Christmas games... hosting the ESPYs.... hosting SNL... the man needs NYC!
27. I've gotten into disc golf recently, and I have to say, I'm quite enjoying it. Hudson has a pretty nice course and, best of all, it is free. I'm not that good but I do enjoy free fun.
28. Quick album reviews:
Reel Big Fish - Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free: A- (much like their first two albums, more 'ska' rather than 'rock with horns')
O.A.R. - Live in Madison Square Garden: B- (kinda boring and I don't care much for their new versions of old songs)
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela: A+ (how to describe their sound... flamenco, acoustic metal)
Paolo Nuntini - These Streets: B+ (took me a bit to get into, but I really dig 'These Streets', 'New Shoes', 'Loving You' and 'Alloway Grove')
Rooney - Call the World: B (not great, not bad either)
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger: B
The National - The Boxer: A- (really dark voice. I like it)
Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James, fresh off co-hosting the ESPY Awards earlier this month, will host the season premiere of 'Saturday Night Live in September, an NBC spokesman confirmed on Wednesday.
Livingston will probably get a weeks worth of columns out of this.
(and honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I definitely enjoy the fact that someone from the Cleveland Cavaliers is hosting SNL. That is neat. However, I'd like to more news reports of intensive free throw and post move workouts. But hosting SNL only takes up a week and it's not like he's doing it in the season. And it's probably less work/less tiring than the USA basketball stuff he has to do)
While listening to the new Marc Broussard album, I began thinking about former Indian Ben Broussard.
You know what I'm going to miss about him? Ben's yearly late season grand slam that helps the Tribe win a big game which makes us all think "Yah, he's been so-so all year, but he just hit that huge clutch HR... I know he doesn't have power numbers to justify a starting job, but maybe this slam is the first sign of him 'getting it'" Then Broussard would proceed to put up mediocre numbers for another season and right when we're about to get sick of him... BAM! He hits another huge clutch HR late in the year...
(this is my second favorite 'Indian home run trend' after Kenny Lofton's "HR to lead off the game followed by Kenny swinging for the fences his next 4 ABs" Good times...)
The Indians have had a season-long obsession with "RBI Baseball," the old-school Nintendo video game popular in the 1980s. Since Sunday, players and clubhouse staffers have been competing in a 16-team tournament, complete with seedings. "Guys are really into it," said pitcher Jake Westbrook, tourney director and resident trash talker, who isn't playing and has spent the past few days hearing teammates grumble about their seeds. "I'm brutal," he said. "The worst.
sorry for the lack of postings... grad school.... work... lack of interesting stuff (well, interesting Cavs stuff). I plan on bringing back the Random Thoughts from the Weekend weekly post at sometime, so be on the lookout for non-Cleveland centric related opinions at some time
Both Windhorst and the Sacramento Bee are reporting that a potential trade for Mike Bibby fell though yesterday:
A version of the deal was close to happening Thursday, sources said, in a three-way move with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Cavs were believed to be after the rights to Argentine center Luis Scola as well, which the Spurs own. When the talks broke down, the Spurs dealt Scola and reserve forward Jackie Butler to the Houston Rockets.
In exchange, the Spurs received point guard Vassilis Spanoulis and a future second-round pick.
There are expectations the Kings and Cavs will continue to have discussions directly and with other teams.
The Kings, looking to add more scoring to their front line, have been interested in Drew Gooden. According to a source, Damon Jones also might have been included in the potential deal.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this trade for Bibby. At first glance, the Cavs are getting a quality point guard with playoff experience for Drew Gooden. This I like.
But he's coming off a terrible season, filled with nagging injuries and he gets paid $13.5 million next year. That worries me just a tad.
Plus, with Bibby, Hughes, Z and LeBron's contract now kicking in, the Cavs would be paying four guys eight figures, with only one of 'em being an all-star.
And finally, if this trade does happen, I'd like to hope that some other deals would be in the works. The Cavs will have a backcourt of Bibby, Hughes, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, Shannon Brown and Ira Newble and something will have to give.
Would Pavlovic be let go? Would Gibson and Brown be the sole guards off the bench (I like 'em both, a lot actually, but two second year guys, neither of whom is very tall...)? How would the shot selection break down between LeBron, Bibby and Hughes (nevermind Zydrunas)?
I wasn't expecting a Bibby deal to happen (and it still hasn't), so this is somewhat of a shock to me. Again, I'm not sure a guard 30 year old guard, making $13.5 million, coming off an injury plagued season is the best fit.
But part of me feels, after two seasons with practically the identical roster, that this team just needs some kind of shakeup. At this point, any move is a welcome move (apparently, they are also battling three other teams for James Posey).
Though I'm still waiting for them to hire a Tex Winter/Pete Carril type coach to whisper plays into Mike Brown's ears....
With Memphis out of the running, Danny Ferry can pull a Drew Gooden and simply wait Varejao and his agent out. There's no need to rush things now, there is no market for Andy any more. Plus, because Orlando signed Lewis to a crazy deal and Memphis signed Darko to a reasonable one, the Cavs will save a few million bucks a season on Varejao.
If Darko is getting $7 million per and Gooden is getting between $6-7 million per, there is no way Andy is going to convince the Cavs to give him $8 million plus. This works for everybody.
So thank you, Orlando. Thanks for signing Rashard Lewis. Thanks for letting Darko go. Because of this, you saved the Danny Ferry a lot of trouble and the Cavs a lot of money.
I don't know what's going on, but if a young talented point guard is taking less money to join a winner, why isn't Danny Ferry stalking this guy?
Things I'm on the look out for:
- trade rumors. I don't see the Cavs making any major moves in free agency, mostly because none of the free agents are that attractive. Plus, I'd like to see them stand pat rather than throw money at a guy simply because he's a better PG than Larry Hughes and Eric Snow.
- At this point they need to sign the right players, not simply the 'best available'. This is how Larry Hughes came into our lives.
- If the Cavs do match Varejao, be on the look out for Drew Gooden trade rumors. If Andy is making more than $8 million a year, I don't expect him to be backing up Drew Gooden.
- If Varejao gets more than $9 million a season, you let him walk. $7-8 million... meh, I'd rather not, but you're always going to overpay for quality big men. But anything over $9 million is simply insane.
It seems recently that everyone in Cleveland is talking about the Tribe and their poor attendance figures. Tony Rizzo has devoted a lot of time to the topic, Paul Cousineau and Gary Benz wrote about on the Cleveland Fan and Terry Pluto has also penned an article. The short story is that the Indians are 25th in the majors in home game attendance. That is not good.
Everyone has their own reasons for this, from Cleveland's economy, to Cleveland fans being spoiled with the 90s and (of course) the Dolan's low payroll (you may have heard that it's below Kansas City's!).
Now, don't get me wrong, I think the lack of fan participation isn't simply one single thing but a combination of many forces. That being said, I am a bit surprised that no one has mentioned what I think is one of the main factors in the unwillingness to get behind this Indians team.
The trade of Coco Crisp.
Now, I have no way to prove this, but I think the trade of Coco to the Red Sox for minor league 3rd baseman Andy Marte hurt the Tribe much more than they could've imagined.
After barely missing out of the playoffs in 2005, the Indians come into 2006 by... trading a popular outfielder for a minor league 3rd baseman who no one has heard of. From a baseball stand point, was it a good deal? Meh, neither Crisp nor Marte has lit it up, but the Tribe had Grady Sizemore ready to step in for Crisp. It may not have been the best deal but, from a baseball side, it was defendable.
But not from a public relations side. Tribe fans had just spent the past few seasons watching the team trade away veterans for minor leaguers (when they weren't walking away for more money). This was simply the worst time to trade away a popular figure. The team was starting to come back around and form its own identity and the Tribe trades away a young veteran (with a neat name!) for yet another minor league prospect.
They said it wasn't a cost cutting move, but one believed it. For better or worse, it looked like that the Tribe, again, couldn't afford it's own players and would trade them away for that perpetual 'next year'.
Why should fans come out for this team? They'll fall in love with the regulars but by the time the team is set to make a move, they'll just trade them away because "Dolan is cheap".
Dolan has said that he'll spend the money when the time is right and, from where I'm sitting, that time is now. I've been saying for awhile now, if the Tribe came out tomorrow and offered CC and Hafner fair market deals (just biting the bullet) that Tribe fans would begin to come out to the ballpark.
Is that too simple? Maybe. But I really do think that fans simply don't trust management to do what it has to do in order to win. They see Coco traded away, they see the Tigers trade for Gary Sheffield while the Tribe shops for pitchers off the scrap heap year after year and they see a payroll at the near the bottom of the majors. This team is one of the best teams in baseball, the payroll is, if nothing else, "thrifty" and yet they're still shopping for tainted goods? They can't afford real talent? They're signing guys coming off of surgeries, guys who retire before the year starts?
Do you trust the Dolans to make that signing that puts the team over the top? Do you trust Shapiro to go get that right handed bat? Aren't we all expecting some kind of Matt Lawton/Trot Nixon type deal?
Is it fair? Probably not. Can I prove my little theory? No. But, for whatever reason, the fans don't trust this team.
Do I expect any of these guys to make the final roster? Not really. But seeing these guys on the roster is intriguing, especially Pittsnogle (Dials and Travis are both kinda undersized).
Brian Windhorst says that if the Memphis (or whoever) offer is somewhere around $7-8 million a season, the Cavs will match (as Varejao, like Nocioni, is a restricted free agent). But, he says, if that deal is in the $10 million range, the Cavs will most likely pass. This seems like pretty sound reasoning to me.
$10 million a year for a part time role player is pretty ridiculous. I love Varejao and what he brings to the table, but he is not worth $10 million a year. Hell, I'm not even sure he's worth $7-8 million.
First of all, if the Cavs match the offer for Varejao at $7 million a year (which is likely the lowest we'd be looking at) they'd basically be forced to trade away Drew Gooden. Gooden is scheduled to make $6.4 million next season and $7.1 the year after, I can't see a scenario where he'd be cool with his backup being paid more than him. Trading Gooden isn't necessarily a bad thing; he has a team friendly deal and he could bring in something of value (like a Shawn Marion? The Suns want to cut payroll and they really wanted Drew Gooden last summer). So if you think the Cavs have to resign Varejao because they need to keep their front court intact, you're wrong. If the Cavs keep Varejao and he's paid more than $7 million per year, Drew Gooden won't be around much longer.
Second of all, I know we all love Varejao's feistiness and hustle, but I'm not sure you throw a lot of money at that type of player. His offense is extremely raw and he often makes bonehead plays at the offensive end (like the end of Game 3). He's not a particularly great defender either; sure, he draws a lot of charges and offensive fouls, but he's not a shot blocker or physical presence. He's scrappy and annoying (don't get me wrong, I love that, but I don't this scrappy and annoying should net you $8-10 million per).
Plus, if the NBA changes their flopping rules, Varejao's biggest strength is negated and the Cavs are stuck paying at least $7 million to a big man with no offense and no defense. And with his offense, I know he's young and he's got time to improve his O, but does anyone think that Varejao is ever going to be as polished offensively as Drew Gooden is right now? How long do we wait for that? The Cavs offense stinks as it is, they definitely don't need this 35 minutes a night (that commentary is sweet by the way).
I guess it's obvious I'd let Varejao walk. Maybe it's the bad taste leftover from Game 3, I dunno. But I just don't see this guy being worth that much money. I'm not sure how he'd hold up playing starters minutes over 82 games (he takes a lot of contact and his wild style could lead to injury). The Cavs have a team full of overpaid defensive minded guys who can't shoot (Eric Snow, Larry Hughes, Ira Newble) and one guy who's overpaid, isn't defensive minded and can't shoot (hi Donyell Marshall!), I'm not sure paying Anderson Varejao big bucks is the way to go.
I must say, that game was pretty badass, however..... kudos to Sports Time Ohio and their full inning blackout of the 11th (well, the top half of the 11th... so that makes it a full half inning blackout?)
I mean, I'm glad I watched that entire game only to miss the go ahead home run. Well done everyone!
The Grizzlies are one of the teams that could be interested in the Cavalier big man and Tony Rizzo is saying (on his radio show) that Varejao has spoken with the Grizzlies.
He also was saying that they're talking $7+ million a year.
Um, I love me some Varejao, but I'm not sure I love a $7-10 million Varejao. Don't get me wrong, Andy hustles, plays well with LeBron and the fans love the guy. I'm not saying he's a bad player. But, he's raw offensively (and he doesn't seem to know it, like at the end of Game 3 in the Finals....) and I don't see him starting anytime soon (especially if the Cavs still have 'marksmen' like Larry Hughes and Eric Snow playing major minutes).
Varejao can't sign any deal until July 11th and once he does sign a deal, the Cavs have 15 days to match. Of the Cavs two restricted free agents (the other being Sasha Pavlovic), Varejao is the one that I think the Cavs can afford to let go (or maybe sign-and-trade). I like the guy, but I can't see a reason why the Cavs should pay $8 million to a guy who can't shoot (well, a third guy...)
