Long Awaited Foray into Politics

Well, to expand my readership I need to expand my topics.  Having started humbly with College Football, I have added other sports, entertainment, and now politics.  But will try to keep a thread among all of them.  With that in mind, let’s look at the Presidential contenders:

Maybe easiest to start with those who are out, or will be out:

*Rudy: He reminds me of Doug Flutie.  Basically made his name on one play.  As if Flutie’s campaign slogan were: I hit Phelan on the final play, I can pull out a victory against Osama.  Rudy did not have much beyond that I guess; perhaps, like Flutie, he will do better in Canada

*Huckabee: Kind of like an Arena League QB.  Interesting but cannot make it at the next level.  Plus, the fact that he would replace the Bill of Rights (first Ten Amendments to the US Constitution) with the Ten Commandments, may not play big overall.  Look, I am just as against coveting my neighbor’s oxen as the next guy, but the Right to Privacy seems a bit important.

*Fred Thompson: He was great in Hunt for Red October and even better in In the Line of Fire.  Perhaps he thought that being president was like playing one on TV; goodness knows our current treats it that way.  Anyway, I am sure at worst they can create yet another Law and Order franchise for him.  Sports parallel?  Not a two sport athlete like Bo.  Fred Knows Acting

*Edwards: Sports metaphor?  Looks more coiffed than your average cheerleader — cannot win that way

We will get to those still in the race later.

Health Concern for My Reader

Highlights but click http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22896014/ for the entire article. 

“Middle age is miserable for many, according to a study using data from 80 countries showing that depression is most common among men and women in their 40s.

The British and U.S. researchers found that happiness for people in 72 countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe follows a U-shaped curve where life begins cheerful before turning tough during middle age and then returning to the joys of youth in the golden years.”

And

“The average low point in the U.S. was 44 1/2, although researchers noted a suprising blip in their results: happiness among American men continued to fall until about age 53. “

So most of my readership (singular) has up to 15 declining years to come. Fortunately, this blog will help keep your spirits up.

 

Quick Sporting Hits

I know you all have been anxiously awaiting my pre-Super Bowl posting.  It is coming as it has to come. Whether I have anything new to say or not, one must comment on our national holiday.  But with that in mind:

• Over the next few days on any show doing any sort of SB buildup, you will here:
  • Giants need to pressure Brady
  • Giants need to keep Moss from roaming free downfield (with some dumb pun about a Rolling Stone gather No Moss)
  • Giants need to control the ball with running game — Ahmad Bradshaw, 7th rounder out of Marshall, could be key!
  • Pats need to do what they always do — go to Moss, if not there, Welker, if not there, Maroney

Now of course, this will all be stated 100s of different ways, and in varying decibel levels (gosh I miss Michael Irvin) and with varying degrees of grammatical errors, including Berman, but please write in if you hear something different.

The other story I like is the signing of Chris Webber by the Warriors.  Forget how I cannot see how he helps the Warriors as he cannot run or rebound, but let us instead focus on how he and Don Nelson could not get it together 14 years ago when this might have mattered.  Back then the Warriors had Webber, Mullin and Tim Hardaway.  They may not have taken out the Rockets with Hakeem, or Jordan with the Bulls, but they would have been ultra-competitive.  Now, with or without Webber, the Warriors are at best a 7 seed (hey, I will take it as it is better than 13 years of the Lottery), but what is the point?

Johan Santana — glad he did not go to Yanks or Sox to be honest, although the Mets getting him does make it more difficult for the SF Giants to win the pennant, and they could have to face Johan and Pedro twice in a 7 game series.  Of course, the bigger issue is that the Giants will lose 90+ games as they have no offense and are teh worst team in the NL West.  Great!  Oh, and I predict that no one the Twins got will make a major league impact — or if they do, it will be after 2012 at best. 

Never too Early for Baseball

The note below is from Brian Sabean (GM of the Giants) to all tix holders.  I have commented in italics

From Brian below: 

With three weeks until the pitchers and catchers report to Scottsdale for the start of the 2008 season, I want to take this opportunity to give you a state of the Giants message. This off-season has been an exercise in patience, both on your part as our loyal fans and from the club’s standpoint in acquiring the right type of impact players who will help the Giants not only in 2008 but into the future.

Barry is gone and we have no plan to be in contention, but please keep paying high prices to sit in our beautiful ballparkIn recent years, you have become accustomed to us building our teams with an influx of veteran players, in many cases on a one-year basis.

We have been accustomed because we are not the GM and could not stop the signing of Aurilia, Roberts, Klesko, etc. 

Moving forward, we are looking to build our teams with solid all-around players from within our system and supplementing them with high-integrity, impact players who will play major roles on our club for years to come.

Solid all around means mediocre

High Integrity means non-Bonds

The years to come concerns me since he probably will sign 30+ high integrity players to 6 year contracts 

We have seen this formula work for clubs such as the Atlanta Braves of the early-1990s — whose strength much like the Giants was strong starting pitching — and we all know that they went on to win an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles.

Yes, with three hall of famers — Glavine, Maddux, and Smoltz — so it should be easy to find three of those guys in their prime.  Oh, and let’s not forget the Braves have had MVPs Chipper, and Pendleton, as well as the likes of Lonnie Smith, Fred McGriff (who single-handedly destroyed the best Giants team of all time (1993), Andruw Jones, Blauser (OK, forget him as he was the reincarnation of Johnnie LeMaster), Javy Lopez, etc.  The Giants have one guy — Vizquel — who could start on those teams.

One of those players who will make a huge impact not only on the 2008 team, but over the next five years is our new Gold Glove center fielder Aaron Rowand. As we stress pitching, speed and defense in the new era of Giants baseball, the 30-year-old All-Star embodies those three attributes while also coming off the finest offensive season of his career in 2007. Perhaps his most marketable trait to us as we look to change the culture around our team is his “all-or-nothing” attitude once he takes the field.

Excuse me?  Sabean mentioned “Pitching, speed and defense” and goes on to say that the 30 year old all star embodies those three attributes.”  Forget whether or not they are really attributes, and tell me that Rowand is actually going to pitch too?  To follow Sabean’s logic, I would prefer that he substitute hitting for pitching as a Rowand attribute.

We have had ‘all or nothing’ in the past, just had to define ‘all’ as ‘all for Barry’

When Rowand takes the field, he will be roaming center field at AT&T Park behind one of the top starting rotations in the National League. This winter our assumptions that Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are two of the top arms in the game today were confirmed by all of the teams which wanted to acquire them. While off-season acquisitions often make headlines, I think our best moves have been the ones we did not make. In holding onto Cain and Lincecum, they combine with Barry Zito and Noah Lowry to be the foundation for a very strong rotation for years to come.

Holding those guys was good, but Zito was a disaster.  And in the NL West, I am not sure how much better we are than what AZ throws with Haren, etc, or SD with Peavy and Young.

While the game starts on the mound, having a solid defense is crucial especially if you have to manufacture runs. The baseball axiom of having a strong defense up the middle applies with this team, as Rowand combines with catcher Bengie Molina and shortstop Omar Vizquel for 14 Gold Gloves. Our outfield defense will be much improved this year, as we could possibly have three center fielders covering the gaps at AT&T Park this season in Rowand, Dave Roberts and Randy Winn. That trio, along with youngsters Rajai Davis, Fred Lewis and Nate Schierholtz, will be an asset to our pitching staff as their speed will allow them to cover a lot of ground and hold runners from taking extra bases as they have in the past. In turn, that will keep the doubleplay in effect and help lessen pitch counts for our pitchers, allowing them to work deeper into games.

We got a lot of no bat speed guys.  Our outfield will have 100 years of life experience — that is a recipe for success.  And Trainer Stan Conte is in LA .  If any of the three youngsters becomes a .280 regular with 10-20HR pop, I will be pleasantly surprised.  I actually know nothing about them, but do know that the Giants never seem to find those guys.

While pitching and defense will be key ingredients in our formula for success in 2008, we are also going to have to execute effectively at the plate and use a speed game to drive our offense. Bruce Bochy wants to instill an aggressive, selfless style in 2008 in which each player will be asked to do the little things and play for one run in an inning. The Giants have traditionally been a team that has relied on power, but this year’s edition will be one that will need to execute the fundamentals and use aggressive baserunning to thrive.

I think we just signed Maury Wills and Lou Brock.  Actually, I bet Rickey Henderson would play for us.

Going into Spring Training, we are definitely going to give our younger players a chance to compete for significant playing time this season. Daniel Ortmeier and Kevin Frandsen embody the type of players who play an all-out brand of baseball. To not give a fair shot to players like them, who seem ready to play on a regular basis after what they showed down the stretch last season, would be counterproductive to getting our club on the right track.

OK, I agree; we might as well find out if they can play, because watching Klesko, Tony Clark or some other oldster would be painful.  At least I can dream that these guys become the second coming of Cepeda, Mays and McCovey!!!!!  (oops, time to take my meds)

One of our major downfalls last year was losing close games, as we played the most games in the majors decided by two runs or less (39-55). We expect to close the gap in those tight contests with an improved outfield defense, better situational hitting and a bullpen with young arms who have another year of experience.

I’m heartened to know that we have three viable candidates to close games in Brian Wilson, Brad Hennessey and Tyler Walker. As we all saw in September, Wilson has made great strides and appears to be ready to take the next step towards being an extremely valuable man in the late innings. Hennessey is a valuable commodity for us, as his versatility really give Bruce and Dave Righetti many options on how to use him — starting, middle, setup or closing. Remember, he led our club with 19 saves last year. I am definitely intrigued by the return of Tyler Walker from Tommy John surgery at the end of last season. With even more time for his arm to recover, I look forward to seeing him help us close out victories with his late inning efforts.

Still making up for trading Joe Nathan. Also, I know that surgery has improved, but being intrigued by a guy who had a tendon replaced in his arm seems like a bit of a stretch to me.

Even with Spring Training just around the corner, I assure you that we are not standing pat with our club. We are always looking to strengthen our team for both the present and the future. With that said, it is quite possible that the team that reports to Scottsdale in three weeks will not be the same team that opens the season March 31 at Dodger Stadium.

Resign Jeff Kent, pick up Tony Clark, and Julio Franco could be a boost to AARP ticket sales.

Not only are we taking a new tact on the field, but we also made three major new additions to the front office to help supplement our baseball operations staff. To add the baseball knowledge of former White Sox GM Ron Schueler, longtime Dodgers’ scout John Barr and former Pirates scouting director Ed Creech to the decision making process can only strengthen our personnel moves, both on the major- and minor-league levels. 

Um, the White Sox stunk until this guy was replaced and the Pirates???  This is a positive reference?  Good thing I scheduled my heart bypass with Dr. Kevorkian for after the season.

As we enter a new era in Giants baseball, I think that you will enjoy watching a core of energetic players who will leave everything on the field in pursuit of victories when you come to AT&T Park. Like any time there is change, there is the potential for growing pains, but watching a group of young players grow into established major leaguers that lead a winning team can be even more rewarding. I look forward to seeing you at AT&T Park this season to watch the dawning of a new era in Giants baseball.

In other words, spending lots of cash to say you saw (for example) Frandsen when he was a regular with the Giants before he became Floor Manager at Home Depot will be well worth it.

Sincerely,

Brian R. Sabean
Senior Vice President and General Manager

MSG

Aspiring Blogger and All Around Cynic

(and still smarting from 2002)

Mein Fuhrer’s Take On Cowboys – Giants

Definitely the best take on the Cowboys-Giants football game. Note, if you speak German or are offended by written R-rated words, do not play. Otherwise, laugh out loud.

Catching up on College Hoops

So during the bye week, not only for the Pats and G-men, but for all of us who like football, I decided to try and check out some college hoop.  If you recall from an earlier post, I mentioned the five one-and-done freshman who are rocking the league. 

• Memphis PG — Derrick Rose.  He has been tagged a first team All American at the midway point of the season, and the potential first pick in the draft.  Looked good in the action I saw against Gonzaga (19 points, including a monster jam follow up at the end of the 1st half)
• Indiana SG — Eric Gordon.  Only had 14 in an upset loss to UConn, who was undermanned because Jim Calhoun actually suspended two players.  Man, what do you have to do at UConn to get suspended.  Calhoun is not my least ethical (from what I have heard) coach, but he is close (see below for the others)
• Kansas State F — Michael Beasley.  Another mid season All American and the leader of the Wildcats.  Set your TIVO for Kansas-Kansas State, as it could be a good one
• UCLA C — Kevin Love.  Has 26 and 18 in a monster game against Oregon in Eugene.  This is his home state and where his dad played, so he really stepped up.  The only guy I think might stay an extra year for more college fun (co-eds, Westwood, Hoops – what is not to like), but being a top 5 pick and a guaranteed $10+M could be hard for anyone to turn down, even a relative of a Beach Boy.  The third freshman on the mid season All America team.  Oh, and his site is all about him — rather creepy.
• USC G — OJ Mayo (Ovinton J’Anthony, which is even better than the original OJ — Orenthal James).  OJ is my favorite.  When a junior in HS, he was supposed to be the next LeBron.  Think he went to like 5 high schools, etc.  Then when he was being recruited, Tim Floyd (who along with Coach Calipari of Memphis are my least “scholastic”-oriented coaches, and that is a tough field), said he basically turned recruiting over to OJ to try to get his AAU friends to come to USC.  Recently, he accepted two tix to a Denver Nuggets game from Carmelo Anthony in violation of NCAA rules.  Floyd, not surprisingly, took the heat, and Mayo and his family were forced to pay the $460 face value of the tix to charity to not be suspended.  I wonder if the NCAA thought of investigating where the $460 came from?

Anyway, your College Hoops update — only 7 weeks to Selection Sunday.

For those who like Cinema

My loyal reader has suggested that I branch out into other topics, like Politics, to enhance my viewship.  One more reader is 100% growth.  However, I cannot be an expert on too many things, so while I will have the occassional Entertainment take and add in Politics, I have added to my Blogroll (link on the right) my friend Craig’s take on Cinema.  he used to do morning interviews with stars for the local news, so he is uniquely qualifed and appropriately sarcastic, to lend a unique take on things. 

Check it out if you like film (http://craigbe.typepad.com/movieblog/)

Melding of Cultures

Since my loyal reader knows that my son is 1/2 Brazilian, I have included this photo as a cultural reference for him.  It combines two essential pieces of his heritage: America (Football) and Brazil (Supermodels).  Not that each culture does not have more to share, but pictures of the hi-tech industry and soy exports are not as appealing.

Not a Shock Jock fan but….

OK, I am sure I am late to the game since this guy has been around forever.  However, the more exposure I get to Adam Carolla, the funnier I think he is.  He is not, in my opinion, over the top crude, like Stern and so many shock jocks, just witty and entertaining and gets away with comments we would all like to say. 

 For instance, this morning they had a clip of Britney Spears speaking with a British accent.  The hosts found this amusing and started to think that all Louisiana “white trash” should have British accents.  Would make it much more impressive when they said such things as:

“Time to rotate the tires on my home.”

Anyway, it is 5-10am each day out of LA, but here is the URL.  My commute is 5 minutes so I don’t catch much, but if you are home sick and the kids are at school, and you have no tolerance for watching Regis or last night’s SportsCenter again, give it a try.

http://adam.freefm.com/

It is never too early to think March Madness

So last year I did this NCAA Basketball Sign up and it was awesome.  You could watch out of region games on your PC.  Perfect for the first two days of the tourney if you are unable to skip work and head to a sportsbar.  I just checked it out and there are only 52 days and 6 hours and 26 minutes until the tourney starts.

SIGN UP NOW!

http://ncaasports.com/mmod/welcome