Next Year

It has been far too long since I posted. I will not bore you with details, but suffice it to say that this summer was a rough one for me.

That sounds like a terrific segue into the first topic I will touch on: The Boston Red Sox. It has been a tough season to watch, but there are signs of hope for those of us in the "wait 'til next year" section. Next year, David Ortiz will be healthy. Will Middlebrooks should be, too. And we have money to spend in the offseason. We also have Jacoby Ellsbury who could be one of the most sought after trade pieces in all of sports. And best of all, we have found our shortstop, finally. That's right, Pedro Ciriaco. I have watched Jose Iglesias play the last couple of months and his defense has not been quite as exciting as advertised, let alone exciting enough to make up for his lack of ability at the plate. I am pretty sure the Statue of Liberty could have a higher batting average. So give me Ciriaco.
Are there still questions about this team? For sure. Do they need to make a change at manager? They'd better. Do they need to take one on the chin and, if he can prove he's healthy in the first month or two, trade John Lackey and $20 million or so to a small market team (i.e. Kansas City) the same way the Yankees rid themselves of A.J. Burnett last year? I hope they're smart enough to. But is there hope? Yes. There is talent on this roster and wiggle room to improve it.

Speaking of improvement, I thought the New England Patriots were improved over last year. I even called for them to go 19-0 and win the Super Bowl. Yeah. That's not happening. I still think that they are a better team, but so are the teams around them. Even with Aaron Hernandez out, this is still one of the best receiving corps in football and they now have a running game worth considering. And, oh by the way, the defense is playing better, not that it could play worse. I thought they would come out with both barrels firing, that they'd play with a chip on their shoulder. So far, that doesn't seem to be the case.

There is a team playing with a chip on their shoulder, the Houston Texans. And I am not sure why. But I like it. They won a playoff game last year with their third-string quarterback. They will not go undefeated. But they will win a lot of games this year and they are the only thing that can stop themselves from getting to New Orleans and the Super Bowl.

Where they may play the Atlanta Falcons. This team may not look quite as good as the San Francisco 49ers, but boy do they look good. They lost to the Giants in the playoffs last year and look like they want to make people forget that their offense looked as anemic as it did.

Speaking of anemic, someone needs to tell the New Orleans Saints that the season has started. My bold prediction of the week: the Saints will finish with a worse record than they had last year. (I would like to thank the savvy reader who has picked up the obvious sarcasm of the prediction.)

And you can't blame any of this on the replacement referees who are now a thing of the past. In fact, I think they were doing alright. It would be unfair to expect a group of unqualified referees to be able to officiate a game when even the "pros" struggle. They did the best they could. Was it always great? No. But should we blame them for stepping up when the NFL (rightfully, in my opinion) locked out the real refs? No. We should thank them for trying. We should teach them from their mistakes.

And oh by the way, that play in Seattle? It was offensive pass interference. And we all know who caught it...Golden Tate. I have perfect eyesight, thank you for asking. I did see M.D. Jennings catch the ball with two hands. But between the ball and Jennings was Tate's hand. And I have seen a million or more one-handed catches in the NFL and even in College Football. And there is no way to tell whether or not Tate's hand was on the ball at the same time as Jennings's hands because the view is obstructed. Therefore, since he could have caught it and controlled it with one hand. The rules state that simultaneous possession goes to the offense. Therefore, based on that evidence, it was a touchdown. Of course, the offensive PI would have negated that and ended the game. Either of them that the refs missed late on Seattle.

And speaking of missed, I am sure you missed this. Quick, tell me who holds the record for most receiving yards in a single game in Miami Dolphin's history. I'll give you a hint: Ryan Tannehill was throwing him the ball. That's right, it's Brian Hartline. Hartline caught 12 passes for 253 yards in the overtime loss to the still-undefeated Arizona Cardinals. Fellow Miami wideout Devon Bess added 123 yards on 7 catches. This makes Bess and Hartline the first Miami receiving duo to each have over 100 yards in the same game in over 10 years!

To Miami fans, that is a lifetime, but baseball fans in Washington have literally waited a lifetime to see a team from the capital to make it to the MLB playoffs. My 81-year-old grandfather was 2 when Washington last sent a team to the playoffs. The last time the franchise did it? Well, I was 7 years away from birth, and I am 24. And boy did they earn it. I have seen this team play many times this season and they never fail to impress. They have a great young team and a lights-out rotation and bullpen. They will miss Stephen Strasburg. Any team would. But I think it is a great idea to sit him and save him. In doing so, they make themselves one of the top favorites for next year.

As for this year, I think it will come down to Cincinnati and Washington. Whoever wins between these two in the NLCS will win the World Series.

My prediction: Cincinnati gets it done this year. Sorry Nationals. But I will take Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. They have a better offense to go with their equally good pitching staff. But, Washington, wait 'til next year.

Fantasy Draft

Imagine for a moment that there is no salary cap in the NBA or the NFL. There already isn’t on in MLB, so instead we will imagine that there is no luxury tax. And your pockets are as deep as space.

Money is no issue.

Better yet, every player in the NBA, NFL, and MLB has suddenly become an unrestricted free agent at the exact same time. Anyone can go anywhere.

And as if it couldn’t get any better, they all want to play for you.

This scenario is as unrealistic as it gets. This will never happen. Even if you become three times richer than the U.S. debt, the likelihood that all players become available at one is so remote that Pluto has a better chance of being both reinstated as a planet and determined to be the center of the universe. And the notion that all three leagues would give up the ability to restrict (if even by fear of paying a tax) payroll for the sake of balance would be as likely as the winner of this year’s presidential election selling off New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami to the highest bidding country.

So this will never, ever, happen.

But it’s a fun exercise.

So here is how I would build my rosters (NBA and NFL first- and second-string only, MLB a full 25-man roster).

NBA

Starters:                                                                                                              

1) Rajon Rondo                                                                                                                

2) Dwayne Wade                                                                                            

3-4) Lebron James                                                                                          

4-5) Kevin Love                                                                                                                

5) Dwight Howard

Backups:

1) Steve Nash

2-3) Paul Pierce

2-4) Kevin Durant

4-5) Kevin Garnett

5) Brook Lopez

                                                                                               

It is hard for me to ignore the ability of Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose, but there just isn’t enough space when I am only taking 10 players. Plus, Nash is a guilty pleasure as he has long been my favorite player to watch and maybe it’s something about him being a South African-born Canadian soccer fan who can get the ball to anyone anywhere at any time makes him my back-up point guard to get him his ring!

Yes, I left out Kobe Bryant. But I don’t like Kobe’s attitude. Never have. Never will. Undoubtedly amazing on the court, but in my game, it’s about team dynamic. And he doesn’t fit mine. Wade is younger and nearly as talented when he is on and healthy. Better yet, he took a  sidekick role on his own team so that Lebron could get his ring. That’s my kind of teammate.

Rondo is not the greatest shooting point guard in the game, but every now and again he can light up the hoop almost to spite those who think he can’t. And he doesn’t need to on my wish-list team. His ability to create shots for other players is tops in the game and his back-up, Nash, can hit the late game three or the free throws when needed. He is a plus defender as well.

Lebron is the King and, for now at least, he is the best player in all of basketball. The second-best comes of the bench more likely to join Lebron as they will combine to play some combination within the 2-4 range. Likewise, Paul Pierce will be available off the bench so if the game is close late the offense has the ball, the lineup may feature Nash, Pierce, Durant, Lebron and either Love or Garnett.

The key to my team is versatility and pure ability. Howard is pretty much stuck at the 5 and isn’t dominating the free throw line, but he will dominate the paint and the boards. In doing so and getting the ball quickly to Rondo, Nash, Durant, Pierce, Wade, and Lebron, he allows the offense to have a jump start. Love is similar with a bit more ability as he can play 4 or 5 and has more range.

And Lopez is another big who can score and provide a rest for the others, though he is likely the 10^th man to make it on the floor. Don’t think I didn’t consider taking his brother, Robin, instead, for no other reason than that Side-Show Bob hair cut!

NFL

Starters:                                                                                                              

OFFENSE:                                                                                                           

QB) Tom Brady                                                                                                 

RB) Arian Foster                                                                                              

TE) Rob Gronkowski                                                                                      

1 WR) Calvin Johnson                                                                                    

2 WR) Larry Fitzgerald                                                                                   

Slot WR) Wes Welker                                                                                    

T) Jake Long                                                                                                      

T) Joe Staley                                                                                                      

G) Devin Joseph                                                                                                              

G) Ben Grubbs                                                                                                 

C) Nick Mangold                                                                                              

DEFENSE:                                                                                                            

DE) Dwight Freeney                                                                                       

DE) Jared Allen                                                                                                 

DT) B.J. Raji                                                                                                        

DT) Vince Wilfork                                                                                            

OLB) Clay Matthews                                                                                      

OLB) DeMarcus Ware                                                                                    

ILB) Ray Lewis                                                                                                   

CB) Darrelle Revis                                                                                           

CB) Jonathan Joseph                                                                                     

S) Ed Reed                                                                                                         

S) Troy Polamalu                                                                                             

Backups

OFFENSE:

QB) Eli Manning

RB) Matt Forte

TE) Aaron Hernandez

1 WR) Andre Johnson

2 WR) Greg Jennings

Slot WR) Victor Cruz

T) Joe Thomas

T) Jason Peters

G)  Jahri Evans

G) Marshal Yanda

C) Maurkice Pouncey

DEFENSE:

DE) Elvis Dumervil

DE) Jason Pierre-Paul

DT) Haloti Ngata

DT) Paul Soliai

OLB) Von Miller

OLB) Terrell Suggs

ILB) Patrick Willis

CB) Carlos Rogers

CB) Nnamdi Asomugha

S) Ryan Clark

S) Adrian Wilson

Selecting a quarterback in the NFL is easy. Brady, Manning, Peyton, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Phillip Rivers are fairly well established. I suppose Joe Flacco could be included there as well. Many would then say Andy Dalton, Matt Schaub, Cam Newton, and Michael Vick are all great QBs. Many think Matt Flynn will be good and Kevin Kolb is said to have a great ceiling. And we have the rookies Andrew Luck, RG3, and Ryan Tannehill.  I will choose the two who seemingly put up the numbers in the regular season, but more importantly in the post-season as well. Between the two, they have 7 Super Bowl appearances, 5 Super Bowl trophies and 4 Super Bowl MVPs.

Running back is fairly deep as well, as is wide receiver. AJ Green would be my 7^th choice, followed by Mike Wallace, Jeremy Maclin, Mario Manningham, Devone Bess, Brandon Lloyd, Vincent Jackson, Brandon Marshall, Steve Smith, Roddy White, DeSean Jackson, Anquan Boldin, Malcolm Floyd, Percy Harvin, Stevie Johnson, Miles Austin, Julio Jones, and even (a personal favorite) Brian Hartline, in no particular order.

Offensive line is harder to choose because they don’t get as much press. Checking the Pro Bowl rosters is a good way of recognizing some names as well as checking the starters for playoff teams with “elite” quarterbacks or even dominating running games. Offensive lines go a long way in allowing running backs and quarterbacks to get going.

There are a lot of great defenders in the league, too. But to me, the usual names are the usual names for a reason. The hardest part for me was not including Eric Weddle and Cameron Wake (of my Miami Dolphins).

MLB

Starters:                                                                                                              

C) Yadier Molina                                                                                              

1B) Joey Votto                                                                                                 

2B) Dustin Pedroia                                                                                          

3B) David Wright                                                                                             

SS) Andrelton Simmons                                                                                               

LF) Mike Trout                                                                                                                  

CF) Jacoby Ellsbury                                                                                                                         

RF)  Bryce Harper

DH) David Ortiz

Bench:

C) Jarrod Saltalmacchia

1B/3B) Eric Hosmer

2B/SS) Andrelton Simmons

OF) Matt Kemp

OF) Giancarlo Stanton

Rotation:                                                                                                            

SP) Stephen Strasburg (R)                                                                           

SP) Gio Gonzalez (L)                                                                                      

SP) Cole Hamels               (L)                                                                                         

SP) Chris Sale (L)                                                                                              

SP) Zack Greinke (R)      

Bullpen:

LRP) Scott Atchison (R)

LRP) Cesar Ramos (L)

MRP) Joaquin Benoit (R)

MRP) Aroldis Chapman (L)

SU) Joel Hanrahan (R)

CP) Craig Kimbrell (R)

                                                                               

No when I set up an MLB roster, I like to have a 6-man bullpen as you see above. This allows me to have a 5-man bench. Ideally, I would keep two infielders (who can play all four infield positions between them), two outfielders, and a backup catcher. I do not buy in as much to the idea of lefty-v-lefty at the plate because righties face righties all the time. I can see where facing a left-handed pitcher would be easier for a righty and vice-versa, but if righties are expected to hit righties than likewise should apply to lefties.

There are a number of good pitchers out there that I have passed on. I am basing my decision on this year. Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, Yu Darvish, Roy Halladay, and maybe the struggling Jon Lester could all be acceptable additions or substitutions. As would Ryan Dempster, RA Dickey, and even Matt Garza. But I based my decision on their performances right now.

And whether I buy into the lefty-lefty matchup, I do like to keep two lefties in the bullpen by four righties. It could be a three-three split. This is not necessarily for matchups, but also for balance. A good closer and an equally good setup man are keys. As are good long relief guys. Last year, Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard would have been a shoe-in for the long relief and setup roles, respectively.

These are my opinions and based on the scientific process of fairly-well-educated opinion. If you disagree, I don’t blame you. But I hope it gets you thinking about who you might use on your teams.

(please note that I have left the NHL out of this exercise. This is because, though I love hockey, I am not as knowledgeable about the players in that league. I can make a logical argument for choosing each of the players that I have, but in the NHL I would be doing a disservice to the more loyal and hardcore fans to attempt my feeble opinion. So I apologize to the hockey fans, but trust me, you'd be far more outraged had I tried.)

A Love/Hate Relationship

I hate Johnny Damon. I always will.

He went from being a member of the Red Sox to being a member of the New York Yankees. That is an unforgivable baseball sin.

But Johnny Damon will always occupy a space in the baseball wing of Red Sox fans’ hearts. He helped bring Boston a World Series. He helped lead the “idiot” era. He contributed. He may never be a Hall of Famer and he will not be mentioned in the top five or maybe not even in the top ten outfielders in Red Sox history. But I respect him a lot and as much as I hate him for leaving, I will always love what he helped do for my team.

It’s an intriguing and utterly confusing coinciding of feelings but it helps me understand the complexity of the Lebron James universe.

Lebron James is one of the best players I have ever seen play basketball. Ask anybody who they would pay to see and Lebron will be near the top of the list, if not number one. Yet Lebron is one of the most hated figures in sports. And it doesn’t seem fair to me.

I am not the type to buy into the idea that the hatred was birthed around the time of the now infamous “Decision” and subsequent pep rally where he promised a number of championships. No no. I remember hearing detractors when he was in Cleveland. I’ve heard that he gave up on a series against Boston. He can’t finish a game. He disappears in the fourth quarter. Etc. Etc.

But you know what. He is one of the best all-around players ever. Period.

He can play a mean, mean defense. There are times where ESPN plays montages of his ability to chase down the opposing fast break and swat the ball away on what would normally be a routine lay-up or dunk. Rajon Rondo will alter the shot because he knows Lebron is hot on his heels. And even then it doesn’t always work.

That is the ultimate in “transition D” and it shows another of his qualities: his effort. He seems to give 100% of himself at all times. I don’t care what the numbers say or what the critics claim, when the game is on the line, I would be elated to have the ball in his hand because I know that he will try. And he can make almost every shot on the court. I have seen him hit a three in a half-court set from about half-way between the three-point arc and the half-court line. And he is an above-average free throw shooter.

Sometimes he drives the lane and kicks it out to an open teammate (an open, OPEN, teammate). If the teammate misses, it’s the teammate’s fault in my book. You’re an NBA player and you should be able to make an open shot. No points off for being unselfish.

I have argued for years that the forgotten role of a leader is knowing when to step back and let someone else lead for a bit. Lebron has this quality in that he is as much about getting his teammates going. Basketball is one of the few sports where one player can greatly impact the outcome of the game. But it is still a team sport and one player cannot beat five others by himself. Not even Michael Jordan *coughs*Pippen*coughs*.

Lebron made Cleveland basketball worth watching. That takes an other-worldly ability. He was so famous that millions watched an hour-long show just to see where he would sign! Would people hate that way he handled it if he said “I am taking my talents back to Cleveland” ? And heaven forbid he tell his fans that he plans on winning a myriad of titles. What analyst or fan wasn’t thinking that themselves? So what is the big deal that Lebron said it?

And you know what, he made good on the beginning of that promise. They won. Finally. The King has a ring. And it is well-deserved. And what is scariest and most reassuring about the Finals win is that the Heat played well, but they did not play as well as they could. I know it sounds crazy when you think of the big games for Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller. But Dwayne Wade wasn’t playing his best basketball. Chris Bosh didn’t play the entire playoffs.

There is every reason to believe that the Heat will win again next year. And the year after. And the year after that. So long as they all stay healthy. And all of the reasons that people give for hating Lebron should be dissected to show what they are hiding. There is one reason to hate Lebron. One big reason to hate Lebron.

He is as good as advertised. If Jordan is the best player ever Lebron is on pace to eclipse him.

Yes, I said it. If he stays healthy, Lebron James will be better than Michael Jordan. And if you want to hate him for that, that’s fine. But while you continue to hate, take a moment to recognize that you love to watch him play at his best. And you need him to play his best. And as much as it may feel like enabling the enemy, you love Lebron. You just hate what that means.