The "For Sale" Series - Cliff Lee

Okay, Rod Roddy, what's the next item on our list?



"A BRAND NEW CA-- ...Cliff Lee!"
(Awesome 'The Price is Right' music is played here.)

Okay, so our lovely item here is a 2008 AL Cy Young award winner who went from Cleveland [Rocks] to Philadelphia in a mid-season trade last year and literally tore it up in the 2009 Postseason.

Then Philadelphia went back to pursuing Roy Halladay just like George W. Bush went back after Osama bin Laden while being sidetracked by Saddam Hussein. In December, the trade was made, and my dearest 'Cliffie' was gone to the Mariners. Since then, Roy has been a god on the mound, and the Phillies give him no run support. Good trade?


Well, the Mariners don't think so anymore. They're looking to beef up their team in order to get that run support that their starting rotation needs. It's tradin' season, and the Mariners are looking to put this man's blood on the market. Just their luck, a lot of sharks are circling this one, and they are all willing to fight to the death for him.
A lot of teams have already shown interest in him, including the LA Dodgers, the Minnesota Twins, the New York Yankees and Mets, and of course, the Phillies--the guys who originally ditched him. Certain teams are willing to dish out massive cash for him, others are willing to give some of their starters up to get him.

IT'S LIKE A FREAKING CATTLE AUCTION.











Who will get him? From the looks of things, the Twins are looking mighty pretty to Lee, and the Mets are coming in a close second. It would take a Christmas miracle for the Phillies to get him back (or it could take Jayson Werth, for that matter). Seeing him in a Twins uniform could most likely make the AL Central mad--or even jealous if you're a Wahoos fan. However, their pitching is faltering, and getting him could be the best medicine for the Twins--even the Mets. But let's be honest, I wouldn't want to see that because A - I'd be torn, and B - I'd be prejudiced against the Mets even more because I live in Philadelphia and it's almost my job to show a bit of hatred toward New York sports.

Anyway, that's it for me. I'll have to see who else is on the market. I bet Johnny Olson could help me out on the next one.


"You bet I could, AZ!"
(NOTE: He never said this. He's actually dead.)







--AZ

The "For Sale" Series - LeBron James

WHO'S IT GON' BE????

Yes my children, I'm actually going to talk about this. Most people who are unfamiliar with the NBA will still likely know who LeBron James is. Jeez, he's only been in so many advertisements and has been mentioned numerous times on other sports broadcasts. For starters, he was drafted out of high school and has played with the Cleveland Cavaliers since the 2003-04 season. Where is he now? Free agency, of course. His contract recently expired, and practically every team in the NBA is fighting to the death to get this man they call a "King"--well, everyone except Miami, since they just got Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh today, which is a nice little rebound (no pun intended).

Anyway, several teams have come up as huge candidates for this big guy. Notable teams that have come up in conversation include the New Jersey Nets, the Chicago Bulls, and the New York Knicks. Hmm, interesting...three teams near the bottom. It's might not be that he hasn't grown out of his "teamwork" personality, but it looks like he wants to be a big standout star and a--instead of "King"--monarch in another city. He's been visiting teams for nearly two weeks, and he'll finally spill everything tomorrow night during a press conference.
Where do I think he'll go? Since I'm not an NBA fan, I'm going to be a rebel and say that he's going to sign with a team that nobody expects he'll sign with. If I'm really going to have to choose, I'd say he'll go with the Knicks. They haven't won a 'champeenship' since '73, and they're still a growing team that needs a bit of a boost. Not only that, people will want to see some more magic at MSG (or Madison Square Garden for you who don't like abbreviations). James will definitely want to go to a sports-heavy city and get some crowds riled up for a night of showboating and skill.

I understand this wasn't a real blog or anything, but what else is there to write about? I could tell you about what teams have already offered him, but this isn't the point of the blog. I just want to show my opinion and the ultimate lack of it (in all honesty too). I did my best, right?

I'd actually like to do more of this, so I made this a series. I'll most likely do some more familiar things next. For those who know me personally, I'm pretty sure you'll know who the next one will be...
Cliff Lee, duh.

--AZ

Thoughts about Interleague Play

Hi kids. Yes, I missed the boat by a week and a half, but it was hard to get thoughts together because there are so many pros and cons to this concept.

Soooo....interleague play--the 3 weeks out of the year where you see AL pitchers bat for themselves and see massive in-city rivalries unfold. Is it good? Yes and no. I'll give my opinions on why.

Why it's good:
--You prepare certain teams/players for the All-Star game in July and possibly the World Series in October. A lot of people complain about how they haven't seen certain people ever pitch or not able to get used to playing in particular stadiums. You get it in interleague play.
--You widen your fanbase by getting kids (and adults) to see you in person and watch you kick serious butt. Getting traded doesn't count here, because you need to be like a flash in the night and not a prostitute to teams, per se. Hey, it gets the stadiums some more revenue, am I right?
--It shows your versatility. I'm not going to lie, the AL and NL are different worlds, and only playing certain teams kinda makes you susceptible to show alienation or signs of a funk once you go up against a team you've never seen or haven't played in six seasons.
--I sort of mentioned this already, but it's also great for stadium revenue. Shoot, I highly doubt people ever go to Camden Yards to watch a game anymore, but interleague definitely helps especially when you have teams like the Mets, Phillies, and Braves come around with faithful fans and have them watch you get schooled.
--It's interesting to watch the NL teams get the DH role. See, I've never agreed with the idea of the designated hitter. I'll explain why: if a pitcher is in the majors, he should show more versatility and use his pitching mechanics to decipher an opposing pitchers' moves and style, therefore, being a smart and mindful batter (cough cough Cliff Lee cough cough). I hate to see the idea of these really old (and fat, mind you) guys that should have retired years ago still playing because they can hit home runs. I say home runs because let's be honest, can old fat guys run well? The first guy that comes to mind is Frank Thomas. He finally retired last year, and that was probably the best decision ever. Of course, you get skinny guys like Matsui or Morneau in there, but I'm just trying to make a point--the American League is way too offensive for my liking whilst the National League is a bit more strategical since you have to ultimately have to work things around the skill of your pitcher more than usual.

Why it's bad:
--First things first, American League pitchers HATE to bat. We National League fans laugh at them for it.
--National League players hate the fact that they don't have the DH and that it takes a toll on their own morale. A main offender of complaining as far as my recent memory goes is Chipper Jones. He's whined about it for quite some time, and a lot of other players can agree with them--because yeah, he's sorta right on how the AL is more offensively-oriented and it can make a difference in play, but shouldn't you be prepared for that with your smarter pitching and bulkier bullpens? Just sayin', Larry.
--It may actually mess your offense up due to heavy adjusting against different pitching. There have been a lot of issues with that lately. The Phillies went into a massive funk after going against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in mid-May. Could you imagine how much more demeaning it would be if it was that Japanese chick owning them instead?
--It proves nothing on how tops you are in your own respective division/league. Awesome, you did well against the opposing league, but how are you doing in your own division/league? Sucky? Oh, well that's too bad.


Well, that's my view on things about Interleague Play. It has it's kinks, but it also has it's massive downsides. What do you think about it? Comment, please!!

--AZ

PERFECTION UPDATE - Are you kidding me???

Seriously, they better review that blown call from El Diago's perfect game last night.
This would officially break the record of time period inbetween perfect games thrown by one day. This record is outside the modern era, but who cares?

I call this the new Year of the Pitcher.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Bud Selig refuses to reverse the call. What a sour son of a gun. I never liked this guy, and now I have several more reasons to hate this guy. Maybe that will be another blog post.

NBA Finals - Clash of the Titans

I will admit, I haven't followed basketball ever, but I'll talk about it.
While watching countless YouTube videos of the Sega Genesis version of NBA Jam (awesome game, by the way), I realized I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the NBA Playoffs. Then while reading about "Los Suns" and LeBron's issues and what have you, I found the two finals teams--the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers. A matchup like that is like Steelers vs. Patriots, Yankees vs. Red Sox, Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, or any Canadian hockey team vs. any Canadian hockey team.
Being it that I'm a know-nothing in basketball, I'm not going to throw in much here; all I know is that this is going to be a huge display of talent and ball juggling. I can't call who will win this one, because it can go either which way. I'd rather see Boston win one since the Lakers have been in the finals so many times within the past 10-15 years.

--AZ

Perfection and its Rarity (or lack thereof after this May)

In the modern era, (writing this as if May never happened) eighteen men--including one during the World Series--have achieved perfection. Perfection in retiring 27 men in a row, perfection in complete isolation from the rest of your team until the perfection is complete, and perfection that can be achieved by an accomplished man, or one that has never made a significant impact in the MLB pitching world. However, in a period of just three weeks, this rare feat looked all too common. Starting on Mother's Day with Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden, and ending this past Saturday with previous Cy Young winner Roy Halladay. After this madness, twenty men have now achieved a feat that is not only rare, but can give you massive jitters, stomach pains, and loss of all temperance.

In July of 2009, we all raved about "The Catch" and White Sox pitcher Mark Buerhle pitching the first perfect game in five years (performed by who else but Randy Johnson) and doing it in an exciting fashion. Ten months later, the baseball gods took this big mama of a perfect game, impregnated it, and had two healthy twins--within the same month.

Dallas Braden, up until this past Mother's Day, was pretty much an absolute nobody to people who only really knew a great deal about the National League [raises hand]. This guy had a losing record at this point, and just had the usual bag of pitches, with the changeup being the best pitch. I'm assuming that the Tampa Bay Rays wanted to be involved in another bit of history since they haven't won a World Series yet (and they most likely will come October) because they have become the second team to have been pummeled in consecutive perfect games in MLB history (the first team being the LA Dodgers).
Official Aside: In a way, this makes me laugh, because there are these "underground, unwritten rules" of baseball, and 3B Evan Longoria almost nearly broke one and upset the baseball gods. C'mon, why would you want to try to break a no-no in the 5th inning with a bunt single? Are you that much of a party pooper? Do you want to fatefully screw your team over for the next ten years? Believe me, if I was being shut out by some dude who was on fire on the mound, I'd let things take their course and if I got a ball to hit, well that just sucks for the pitcher. I wouldn't be cheap and yoink a bunt single out of a guy to break a no-hitter during a game. If it were a pitcher's duel, I'd totally understand, but c'mon, let the guy have his day. Obviously, I like to believe in sports-related fate.

This past Saturday, a modern-day baseball record was made as the shortest period between perfect games has been set at 20 days. Yes, twenty. This one was performed by Roy Halladay, one of the big talks of the baseball world over the past eight months. Pretty funny how it comes at a time where the Philadelphia Phillies had scored only 5 runs in a week. Dead serious guys, the offense died [Still is, in case if you were wondering]. Their only run of the night came from a three-base error out in center field. Anyway, baseball critics know what Halladay is capable of, and he is capable of going 8-9 innings every time he's out there. This was really bound to happen at some point, because let's be honest--Roy came off of two horrible starts in the past, and you know how stoic this guy looks in the dugout. Everybody practically avoided him in the dugout because if they did their legs and pectoral muscles would be chewed off and they knew they weren't going to go back out onto the field looking like pec-less Lieutenant Dan.
It was a nice touch of sportsmanship afterward; the Marlins took off the rubber and awarded this to Halladay after the game, and for those who did not attend the game and want a piece of history, the Marlins organization are selling the remaining tickets from that game [because God only knows there are so many seats in that stadium].

So in short, baseball fans have experienced a whirlwind of events in just one month. What is that like on the heart? You basically need cardiac defibrillation.

--AZ

Lord Stanley's Cup...More Like a Big Metal Pillar with a Tiny Metal Bowl on Top

Don't lie. That's EXACTLY what it looks like.
So uh, that sport that toothless (some brain-damaged) guys with some form of Canadian history in their blood play is nearing the end as two teams will be duking it out on Saturday to determine who gets the Big Metal Pillar with a Tiny Metal Bowl on Top--otherwise known as the Stanley Cup.
Ah, Chicago and Philadelphia.
The Broad Street Bullies vs. Tommy Hawk
Windy City vs. City of Brotherly Love [ew]
Deep-dish pizza vs. Cheesesteaks [I have to mention that both meet halfway with PIEROGI. OM NOM NOM]
Patti LaBelle vs. Jennifer Hudson
....wow, I went off topic.

ANYWAY, these two teams will be going head-to-head after some harsh times and some epic series (well, on the Eastern Conference Side, at least).

Chicago, after being deemed the worst sports franchise in 2004 (talk about tag-teaming with the Curse of the Billy Goat...), has made it back to earn their first Stanley Cup since the 1960-61 season. After flying high near the top practically the whole season, they finished off the [choking] San Jose Sharks to prove who was really tops in the Western Conference. Twin killers Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are nearly tops against all 2010 postseason contenders in points, and why isn't that surprising? From what I remember, Mr. Kane was a huge part in the US Men's silver medal run in Vancouver, and Mr. Toews was also a huge part in Team Canada's gold medal run. Both were also the top goal scorers on the team and practically tops in assists. What does that mean? They're practically these guys without the head-bashing:

Yeah, I went there. I freakin' love these movies to begin with.





Philadelphia went through hell in a handbasket and somehow got thrown upward into the haven of the Stanley Cup finals. At this point, a lot of people are asking "How did they get here? Didn't they suck or something?" Yes kids, they did. Really bad. Then they fired their head coach John Stevens around Christmastime due to the huge amounts of sucking and hired Peter Laviolette to help save the team. Seriously, some of these guys played like typical college jocks and took nothing seriously. That all changed before the Winter Classic. Oh yeah, and the Flyers used a grand total of 7 goalies this season--some of them only playing one game. Fun, right? During their postseason run, they had taken down the rival NJ Devils in five games, came back from a 0-3 deficit to the Boston Bruins in epic fashion, and then shunned the Montreal Canadiens who had all the momentum from knocking out the top-seeded [and highly favored] Washington Capitals and the '09 Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Insane postseason. Yes.

All in all, these are the guys I'm looking out for during the Finals:
--Antii Niemi - I watched him during the Western Conference finals, and good God, how can he pull a full-out split, and I can't? C'mon!! If the Flyers want to score against this guy, they need to be pulling out all the stops and absolutely flush 'n fool.
--Michael Leighton - After Brian Boucher went down during the series against the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia has utmost faith in this nth-string goalie. After pulling three shutouts in four wins against the Habs, the momentum is riding with him.
--The Bash Brothers - See above.
-- Daniel Briere - Leading the Flyers in postseason goals, he's been leading hard rushes against all opposition
--Mike Richards - They're calling him the new-age Bobby Clarke. Not much more to say here.

Who do I think will win? Whomever wants it more. The Blackhawks have waited nearly 50 years, the Flyers have been waiting 35. To prevent bias, I call Chicago for the win.

[You know, some people don't like the parades on Broad Street.]

--AZ