World champions. This is the goal that a lot of teams could really consider now that Roy Halladay is on the trade market. Doc Halladay, who is 11-3, is capable of being a number one starter on any team, and his Cy Young talent can change a team from struggling to compete for the wild card into a world series favorite. The Blue Jays, Halladay’s current team, are reeling with a record that’s 3 games under .500. They think that getting several quality prospects and maybe a good utility player for Halladay could help them gain some games back from their 14 and a half game deficit behind the first place Yankees in the AL East. Nevertheless, the team that gets Doc, if he gets traded, can seriously think about a deep run in the playoffs. Next I’ll discuss how different teams might shape up with Halladay and what I think they can accomplish this season with him on the roster.
Yankees: Trading their ace to a team within their division seems foolish and unlikely. However, you can’t underestimate the power and lure of money. The Yanks can offer up some big bucks for this deal and Brian Cashman has been known to try his luck on big named pitchers. New York is one of the most impatient sports cities and there are no off years allowed. If instant success is the name of the game, Doc Halladay can help. Imagine trying to win a playoff series against a team that started Roy Halladay, CC Sabathia (10-7), and A.J. Burnett (10-4), three number 1 starters. While the Yanks aren’t the frontrunners in the Halladay sweepstakes, they are certainly a team you shouldn’t count out of the conversation. The Bronx Bombers, who already have the best record in the AL, would easily be the team to beat in October.
Angels: Doc would be a great fit in Anaheim. Despite phenomenal success as of late, going 17-7 in July and 10-3 since the All-Star break, the Angels pitchers have struggled at times. Starters like Ervin Santana have been inconsistent and closer Brian Fuentes, while leading baseball in saves, has been hit hard lately. They have not had a clear number 1 go-to-guy, and Halladay would be a great fit with Jered Weaver and John Lackey for a postseason trio. Joe Saunders was originally in their top 2, but he hasn’t been able to return to his pre- All-Star break form of dominance. The Halos offense has won most of their games recently, and Doc would make the team with the 2nd best record in the AL an easy favorite to win the American League Championship. The key for the Angels would be beating the Red Sox if they met in the playoffs. Since 2004, the Angels are 1-9 against Boston in the postseason. Maybe Halladay could help them turn the tables on the Red Sox and advance further in the playoffs.
Phillies: The Phillies looked like the frontrunner for Halladay. They needed another top starter due to the struggles of Cole Hamels and Doc seemed to be a perfect fit their. But after the Phillies rejected the Blue Jays offer and trade negotiations had gone poorly, the Phils went out and got Indian’s ace Cliff Lee. That pretty much takes the Phillies out of the hunt for Halladay, but I guess anything’s possible.
Dodgers: The best team in baseball would be virtually unbeatable with Roy. In fact they’re already seemingly unbeatable. They’ve only lost one series in July and they haven’t been swept all year. Their postseason rotation could look like this: No.1 Halladay, 2. Chad Billingsley (10-6), 3. Clayton Kershaw, one of the top young pitchers in the game. Couple that with one of the top offenses in the league, who are first in the NL in batting average as a team, and you have a nearly perfect World Series formula. Their bullpen has been sound behind closer Jonathan Broxton, who is 7-0 and has converted 23 out of 25 save opportunities. They’ve also got experience with manager Joe Torre’s 4 World Series championships and slugger Manny Ramirez’ 2 World championships.
The Dodgers appear flawless. An easy pick to win it all. But that’s not how it works in baseball. Anything can happen. Davids can beat Goliaths. If there’s one thing we can almost be sure off, it is that Roy Halladay will make a huge impact for whatever team he’s traded to. If he gets traded. As usual, when it comes to baseball, we just have to wait and see if Doc can prescribe the perfect medicine for a World Series championship.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Busy Off-season for NBA
Several NBA teams have gone out and gotten a giant, experienced, impact player in hopes that he can help their team win a championship in the next few years. Other teams stocked up on younger guys, who they believe can be future stars who can lead them to titles after a few years learning how to play well together. I’ll review a couple of these summer deals and acquisitions and how different teams now shape up for the 09-10 season.
The Lakers made a big move this off-season that could help them defend their NBA title of last season. They signed free-agent Ron Artest (17.1 ppg) who has grown up a bit after several violent episodes with players and fans, and now can attract people’s attention with his talent instead. They did lose small forward Trevor Ariza, who was a major cog in their championship run, but Artest should be able to make up for the loss and more. With experiences players like Kobe Bryant (4 titles), Derek Fisher (4 titles), and Artest (10 NBA seasons), working with younger developing stars like Andrew Bynum, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar, back-to-back titles is certainly not out of the question for the Lakers. Artest is also a great defender and therefore should be a beneficial addition. The only cons could be that the Lakers are getting old overall and the fact that Artest might not be able to share the spotlight with Kobe in L.A.
The Orlando Magic shocked the basketball world by knocking off MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-final to advance to the finals. They went on to lose to the Lakers, but they managed to make a huge splash this summer. They picked up star shooting guard Vince Carter in a trade with the Nets. They lost point guard Rafer Alston and shooting guard Courtney Lee, who were starters during their postseason run. However, the Magic have Jameer Nelson, who started most of the regular season at the point, and Carter has a lot more experience and ability that Lee. Orlando did lose small forward Hedo Turkoglu (16.8 ppg) and also picked up power forward Barndon Bass. Unfortunately, Bass is only 6-8 and may be too small to post up against taller and bigger forwards. Carter should lead the Magic to another playoff appearance, as well as maybe take off some of the pressure on center Dwight Howard, who has been the lone superstar in Orlando the past few years.
The Cleveland Cavaliers came into the summer realizing that by not getting to the finals, they had not met anyone’s expectations, including their own. They may have fixed their title woes by picking up legendary 7’1”, 325 pound center Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq has won 4 NBA titles, winning 3 with Kobe in L.A. and 1 with Dwayne Wade in Miami. Winning his titles with superstars like Kobe and Wade shows that Shaq can share the spotlight and the glory, which he’ll have to do with LeBron James in Cleveland. Despite losing some of his ability due to aging, Shaq is still a major and fearsome presence in the paint. He could take some of the media pressure of LeBron in a similar way to Carter relieving Howard. The Cavs will be hungry, Shaq will be hungry for a 5th title, and LeBron will be a man on a mission. Besides, if King James doesn’t win a championship for his home town in 2010, he may be headed to be king of another team and another town. I like the Cavs chances for winning a title with the duo of James and O’Neal.
The biggest challenge for the new duo will be the old trio. The Big Three of the Boston Celtics (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce) appeared to be the biggest threat to the Cavs in the playoffs last season after winning the NBA title the year before. Surprisingly, they were upset by that pesky Orlando Magic team. Allen, Garnett, and Pierce will go down as some of the best players of all-time; Allen will probably be the all-time NBA leader in three-pointers, Garnett is one of the greatest defenders in history, and Pierce has been one of the best closers ever. The only major con of the Big Three is age. Their average age of over 32 has shown as all three suffered injuries last season. The Celtics increased their team age average by picking up center Rasheed Wallace, who is 34. The upside of Wallace is a huge upside. He won the NBA championship in 2004 and was a runner-up in 2005 with the Pistons. He has been one of the best defenders in this decade, and can play inside as well as make long 2-pointers and hit threes. This huge age issue for Boston is partially resolved by point guard Rajon Rondo, who is 23. Despite being injury prone, the Big Four has plenty of experience and can play well together since they know the league and the game so well. Don’t be shocked if the Celtics make it far in the playoffs thanks to their new addition.
The San Antonio Spurs certainly know success in the playoffs. The Spurs have won 4 titles since 1999, but also share Boston’s age problem. Two of their Big Three players are over 30, Manu Ginobili (31) and Tim Duncan (33). But the experience level in San Antonio exceeds the level in Boston in terms of success. Duncan has won 4 titles and is a 3-time Finals MVP, Ginobili has won 3 championships, and Tony Parker has also won 3 titles. They work well together and will continue to get huge support from Matt Bonner and Roger Mason. To bulk up this championship –caliber roster, the Spurs traded for star forward Richard Jefferson from the Bucks. Jefferson averaged 19.6 points per game last season and should perfectly complement the Big Three of the Spurs. The Spurs also drafted forward DaJuan Blair, who despite his diminutive size, has incredible strength and rebounding ability which should translate successfully into the NBA. This pick-up combined with the Jefferson deal could propel coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs to another championship.
The Lakers, the Magic, the Cavaliers, the Celtics, and the Spurs were not the only teams to complete huge transactions this summer. The Pistons added rising stars Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva which could help them capture a better playoff seed this year. From the looks of things, the race for the title should come down to a battle between the Lakers, Spurs, Cavs, and Celtics. But don’t rule anyone out yet. You never know what deals will work out for what teams. One thing we have learned to count on in the NBA is plenty of controversy. One thing we will learn to count on is the overrated usage of Twitter, from which we shall hear idiotic but entertaining comments which will be overblown by the media. Hopefully these traded players can make just as big of an impact on the court next season.
The Lakers made a big move this off-season that could help them defend their NBA title of last season. They signed free-agent Ron Artest (17.1 ppg) who has grown up a bit after several violent episodes with players and fans, and now can attract people’s attention with his talent instead. They did lose small forward Trevor Ariza, who was a major cog in their championship run, but Artest should be able to make up for the loss and more. With experiences players like Kobe Bryant (4 titles), Derek Fisher (4 titles), and Artest (10 NBA seasons), working with younger developing stars like Andrew Bynum, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar, back-to-back titles is certainly not out of the question for the Lakers. Artest is also a great defender and therefore should be a beneficial addition. The only cons could be that the Lakers are getting old overall and the fact that Artest might not be able to share the spotlight with Kobe in L.A.
The Orlando Magic shocked the basketball world by knocking off MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-final to advance to the finals. They went on to lose to the Lakers, but they managed to make a huge splash this summer. They picked up star shooting guard Vince Carter in a trade with the Nets. They lost point guard Rafer Alston and shooting guard Courtney Lee, who were starters during their postseason run. However, the Magic have Jameer Nelson, who started most of the regular season at the point, and Carter has a lot more experience and ability that Lee. Orlando did lose small forward Hedo Turkoglu (16.8 ppg) and also picked up power forward Barndon Bass. Unfortunately, Bass is only 6-8 and may be too small to post up against taller and bigger forwards. Carter should lead the Magic to another playoff appearance, as well as maybe take off some of the pressure on center Dwight Howard, who has been the lone superstar in Orlando the past few years.
The Cleveland Cavaliers came into the summer realizing that by not getting to the finals, they had not met anyone’s expectations, including their own. They may have fixed their title woes by picking up legendary 7’1”, 325 pound center Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq has won 4 NBA titles, winning 3 with Kobe in L.A. and 1 with Dwayne Wade in Miami. Winning his titles with superstars like Kobe and Wade shows that Shaq can share the spotlight and the glory, which he’ll have to do with LeBron James in Cleveland. Despite losing some of his ability due to aging, Shaq is still a major and fearsome presence in the paint. He could take some of the media pressure of LeBron in a similar way to Carter relieving Howard. The Cavs will be hungry, Shaq will be hungry for a 5th title, and LeBron will be a man on a mission. Besides, if King James doesn’t win a championship for his home town in 2010, he may be headed to be king of another team and another town. I like the Cavs chances for winning a title with the duo of James and O’Neal.
The biggest challenge for the new duo will be the old trio. The Big Three of the Boston Celtics (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce) appeared to be the biggest threat to the Cavs in the playoffs last season after winning the NBA title the year before. Surprisingly, they were upset by that pesky Orlando Magic team. Allen, Garnett, and Pierce will go down as some of the best players of all-time; Allen will probably be the all-time NBA leader in three-pointers, Garnett is one of the greatest defenders in history, and Pierce has been one of the best closers ever. The only major con of the Big Three is age. Their average age of over 32 has shown as all three suffered injuries last season. The Celtics increased their team age average by picking up center Rasheed Wallace, who is 34. The upside of Wallace is a huge upside. He won the NBA championship in 2004 and was a runner-up in 2005 with the Pistons. He has been one of the best defenders in this decade, and can play inside as well as make long 2-pointers and hit threes. This huge age issue for Boston is partially resolved by point guard Rajon Rondo, who is 23. Despite being injury prone, the Big Four has plenty of experience and can play well together since they know the league and the game so well. Don’t be shocked if the Celtics make it far in the playoffs thanks to their new addition.
The San Antonio Spurs certainly know success in the playoffs. The Spurs have won 4 titles since 1999, but also share Boston’s age problem. Two of their Big Three players are over 30, Manu Ginobili (31) and Tim Duncan (33). But the experience level in San Antonio exceeds the level in Boston in terms of success. Duncan has won 4 titles and is a 3-time Finals MVP, Ginobili has won 3 championships, and Tony Parker has also won 3 titles. They work well together and will continue to get huge support from Matt Bonner and Roger Mason. To bulk up this championship –caliber roster, the Spurs traded for star forward Richard Jefferson from the Bucks. Jefferson averaged 19.6 points per game last season and should perfectly complement the Big Three of the Spurs. The Spurs also drafted forward DaJuan Blair, who despite his diminutive size, has incredible strength and rebounding ability which should translate successfully into the NBA. This pick-up combined with the Jefferson deal could propel coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs to another championship.
The Lakers, the Magic, the Cavaliers, the Celtics, and the Spurs were not the only teams to complete huge transactions this summer. The Pistons added rising stars Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva which could help them capture a better playoff seed this year. From the looks of things, the race for the title should come down to a battle between the Lakers, Spurs, Cavs, and Celtics. But don’t rule anyone out yet. You never know what deals will work out for what teams. One thing we have learned to count on in the NBA is plenty of controversy. One thing we will learn to count on is the overrated usage of Twitter, from which we shall hear idiotic but entertaining comments which will be overblown by the media. Hopefully these traded players can make just as big of an impact on the court next season.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Teddy Ballgame
Extraordinary things happened during the career of Ted Williams. Unfortunately, frustrating events also occurred during his illustrious era in baseball. Ted Williams was arguably the greatest Red Sox player of all-time, even though he never won a World Series. Looking back, Williams was teammates with Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx, Bobby Doerr, Lefty Grove, and Joe Cronin, as well as Johnny Pesky, for whom they named Pesky’s Pole in Fenway Park. So how could a team with five future Hall-of-Famers not win the World Series? The answer is the Red Sox archrivals, the New York Yankees. During Williams’ 19 year career, the Bronx Bombers won 10 World Series and 14 pennants. Those Yankee glory years were highlighted by the grand careers of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez and many others.
Ted’s Red Sox finished 2nd four times and 3rd five times during his career when the Yankees won the pennant. Williams and the BoSox appeared poised to win the pennant in 1949, but the Yankees mounted a furious comeback, and won the pennant on the last day by beating the Red Sox. The one time Boston won the pennant during Teddy Ballgame’s career was in 1946. They went on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Unfortunately, Ted was hurt the whole series and wasn’t really a factor. Boston led 3-2, but lost Game 6. The score was tied 3-3 in the 8th inning of Game 7 before the Cardinals pulled ahead 4-3 to win the World Series. Perhaps a healthy Williams could have propelled his team to victory, but we will never know.
We will also never know what Ted’s career numbers could have been if he hadn’t gone to war during his prime. After winning the Triple Crown in 1942 with 36 homers, 137 RBI’s, and a .356 batting average, Williams enlisted in World War 2 and became a superb pilot. He would miss the ’43, ’44, and ’45 seasons because of the war. He also fought in the Korean War in 1952 and 1953, and was noted for his bravery and work ethic. By standing up to protect his country, Williams did something that was far more important than baseball, but one can’t help but wonder what he could have done with those five seasons that were cut out of his career. He also had to overcome injuries and illnesses that he got from the wars that could have affected his play. Maybe Ted could have won a World Series with those years back. Nevertheless, he did what he felt he had to do for his country.
Besides taking away possible World Series titles, Joe DiMaggio also beat out Ted for a few MVP awards that Williams would have easily won during another decade against a different player. Ted finished 2nd to DiMaggio twice in the MVP race. In 1941, Williams led the league with 37 homers and a .406 average, but Joe D’s 56-game hitting streak and World Series title stole the show. In 1947, Williams won the Triple Crown, but lost the MVP award to DiMaggio again. He also finished 2nd to Mickey Mantle in 1957, despite recording superior numbers. The most perplexing runner-up finish was in 1942. Williams won the Triple Crown and wound up finishing in second to the Yankees’ Joe Gordon. Gordon had had a decent year, but his numbers were nowhere near Ted’s, and the Yankees failed to win the World Series that season. Some say Williams lost the MVPs because he wasn’t as popular to the media as DiMaggio and the Yankees were. But I think a more likely cause is that fact that, the Yankees either won the World Series or were very successful in the years that their players won the MVP. Williams won the MVP award in 1946 and in 1949, which weren’t his greatest personal years, but years that the Red Sox were very successful.
Although heated rivals, Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were very similar. They were both icons and images of the game. They were the best of the best. Even though he lost many MVP races and had years taken from his prime, Ted’s legacy as one of the greatest to ever play the game will always live on. He and Mickey Mantle are similar in the way that they will always have to live under the shadow of the “Yankee Clipper” Joe DiMaggio. Mantle was always compared to Joe whenever he did something great, which is the same thing that happened to Williams. Unfortunately for devoted Ted William’s fans, both of his MVPs were in years that Joe DiMaggio was severely hampered by injuries, which means that Williams never beat out DiMaggio in a fair race. The fact that great ball players are subject to comparison should never diminish their impact and importance. There really should be no higher compliment then being compared to Teddy Ballgame.
Ted’s Red Sox finished 2nd four times and 3rd five times during his career when the Yankees won the pennant. Williams and the BoSox appeared poised to win the pennant in 1949, but the Yankees mounted a furious comeback, and won the pennant on the last day by beating the Red Sox. The one time Boston won the pennant during Teddy Ballgame’s career was in 1946. They went on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Unfortunately, Ted was hurt the whole series and wasn’t really a factor. Boston led 3-2, but lost Game 6. The score was tied 3-3 in the 8th inning of Game 7 before the Cardinals pulled ahead 4-3 to win the World Series. Perhaps a healthy Williams could have propelled his team to victory, but we will never know.
We will also never know what Ted’s career numbers could have been if he hadn’t gone to war during his prime. After winning the Triple Crown in 1942 with 36 homers, 137 RBI’s, and a .356 batting average, Williams enlisted in World War 2 and became a superb pilot. He would miss the ’43, ’44, and ’45 seasons because of the war. He also fought in the Korean War in 1952 and 1953, and was noted for his bravery and work ethic. By standing up to protect his country, Williams did something that was far more important than baseball, but one can’t help but wonder what he could have done with those five seasons that were cut out of his career. He also had to overcome injuries and illnesses that he got from the wars that could have affected his play. Maybe Ted could have won a World Series with those years back. Nevertheless, he did what he felt he had to do for his country.
Besides taking away possible World Series titles, Joe DiMaggio also beat out Ted for a few MVP awards that Williams would have easily won during another decade against a different player. Ted finished 2nd to DiMaggio twice in the MVP race. In 1941, Williams led the league with 37 homers and a .406 average, but Joe D’s 56-game hitting streak and World Series title stole the show. In 1947, Williams won the Triple Crown, but lost the MVP award to DiMaggio again. He also finished 2nd to Mickey Mantle in 1957, despite recording superior numbers. The most perplexing runner-up finish was in 1942. Williams won the Triple Crown and wound up finishing in second to the Yankees’ Joe Gordon. Gordon had had a decent year, but his numbers were nowhere near Ted’s, and the Yankees failed to win the World Series that season. Some say Williams lost the MVPs because he wasn’t as popular to the media as DiMaggio and the Yankees were. But I think a more likely cause is that fact that, the Yankees either won the World Series or were very successful in the years that their players won the MVP. Williams won the MVP award in 1946 and in 1949, which weren’t his greatest personal years, but years that the Red Sox were very successful.
Although heated rivals, Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were very similar. They were both icons and images of the game. They were the best of the best. Even though he lost many MVP races and had years taken from his prime, Ted’s legacy as one of the greatest to ever play the game will always live on. He and Mickey Mantle are similar in the way that they will always have to live under the shadow of the “Yankee Clipper” Joe DiMaggio. Mantle was always compared to Joe whenever he did something great, which is the same thing that happened to Williams. Unfortunately for devoted Ted William’s fans, both of his MVPs were in years that Joe DiMaggio was severely hampered by injuries, which means that Williams never beat out DiMaggio in a fair race. The fact that great ball players are subject to comparison should never diminish their impact and importance. There really should be no higher compliment then being compared to Teddy Ballgame.
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