Cliff Lee became the latest big name pitcher to make his spring training debut with a new team yesterday. It was a mixed bag – mostly, but not entirely, positive. The good news is that he lasted the full three innings he was scheduled for, and he did it without obvious issues with the foot injury that he had been struggling with up to this point. It’s also pretty positive that he only allowed one run and one walk in those five innings. The problem is that he allowed five hits in the outing, and his control wasn’t exactly pinpoint throughout. It’s too early to panic, of course, and the Mariners just have to be relieved that their new toy isn’t broken, but we’ve been spoiled by so many good outings so far this spring that I guess I just hoped for more – especially considering how optimistic I am about the Mariners this year, and about their rotation in particular.
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What the hell is going on with the Clippers? Just over a month after they relieved Mike Dunleavy of his coaching duties and mad him a full-time GM they have now removed him from that position as well. The reason they gave us that they are tired of losing as they have throughout the Dunleavy era, and that they want to win now. First, I don’t actually believe that the Clippers are determined to win because nothing they have done in the last decade has made us believe that that is the case. Second, how is getting rid of Dunleavy now going to do anything to help them win now? What will help them win is getting Blake Griffin healthy, adding another nice lottery pick this year to play with him, and starting to make some decisions that aren’t moronically driven by being incredibly cheap. That cheapness hasn’t been Dunleavy’s fault – it’s the fault of the ownership. I have no problem with the moving away from Dunleavy, but I don’t understand why they felt compelled to do it in such a dramatic, distracting way.
Another day, another high profile pitcher making his two-inning spring debut for his new team. Unlike Roy Halladay and Aroldis Chapman before him, though, Stephen Strasburg was only solid and not jaw-dropping. The Nationals’ future ace didn’t allow any runs, but he did allow consecutive hits with two outs in the second. He threw 27 pitches – 15 of them for strikes – and he topped out at 98 mph. Two things in particular stood out when I watched the game. First he ended the second inning – his last – with a stunning breaking ball. It was clocked at 81 mph, and it looked like it was bending around a corner. That’s a serious major league out pitch. Beyond that, though, Strasburg definitely looked like a guy who is in need of some time in the minors before he hits the big time. His talent is obvious and massive, but he struggled with his location throughout his outing, and he doesn’t quite look like he believes he belongs and can dominate the pitchers he faces. It’s not like Washington is going to do anything this year anyway, so I think it would be a real mistake to rush him along. Regardless of the rough edges, though, it was exciting to finally see him pitch in the pros, and it’s not hard to see why we have heard so much about him.
There is one good thing abut being a Michigan fan right now – there is absolutely no reason to be nervous about Championship Week. It would take a miracle – a really miraculous one – for the Wolverines to make the field. The discussion of the bubble is entirely irrelevant to me. Because of that, I can just sit back and watch – and hope for the worst for bubble teams for my sadistic pleasure. On that front tonight couldn’t have been any better. St. Mary’s, a bubble team on the outside looking in by most accounts, absolutely crushed Gonzaga to win the WCC Championship. That means that they get an automatic bid in the tournament instead of a trip to the NIT. Since Gonzaga was a tournament lock no matter what happened, this means that the 11 spots for at-large teams has been reduced to 10. Now if only Old Dominion had lost to William & Mary.
I’m later than normal writing this because that incredibly dull broadcast of the Oscars put me into a coma and I am just waking up. That was a lot of things tonight, but entertaining is not one of them. The Hurt Locker was a good movie, and I am glad it beat Avatar wherever it mattered, but I thought that Up in the Air was better and should have won more. Or at least it should have won something. This is the second year in a row that my favorite movie got totally shut out – I liked Frost/Nixon best last year. Oh well.
Rough break for the Spurs tonight – pun intended. Tony Parker broke his hand, and he’s out for up to six weeks – the rest of the regular season, in other words. The Spurs aren’t exactly locked into a playoff spot – they are just one game out of eighth place in the West, and though there is a gap between them and Houston, Memphis, and New Orleans – the teams out of the playoffs – but it’s not an insurmountable lead if the Spurs don’t keep their act together. Without Parker this isn’t the same team (obviously), so this will be very interesting to watch. There’s a very good chance, though, that the public will overcompensate for this injury – at least in the short term. George Hill is a competent player who is putting up some solid numbers (11.7 ppg), and he’s more than capable of stepping up, playing more, and doing it well. The Spurs have already had to play 10 games without Parker this year thanks to various ailments, and the team is 5-5 in those games. The Spurs aren’t likely to self-destruct in the short term without Parker, so there could be value.
With the wild and woolly world of uncapped free agency upon us in the NFL as of midnight last night it’s now time to look at the deals that have been done – both signings and an abnormally high number of big name trades – and give a quick knee-jerk reaction to them:
Julius Peppers to the Bears – I think that Peppers is generally overrated, and as such he’s probably overpaid with this deal. There are a couple of things that make me generally positive about this deal, though. First, Peppers has been so desperate to get out of Carolina – he even took shots at the Panthers on the way out of town – that he should be refreshed and recharged by the move. Also, this acquisition and the other moves – notably Chester Taylor – that the Bears made on the opening day is a clear sign that the team is serious about competing and setting a tone that they are willing to do what needs to be done. I still think they need help on offense – like a receiver – but I don’t hate this deal.
Anquan Boldin to the Ravens – I absolutely love this deal for the Ravens – it’s a no-brainer. They only had to give up two mid-range draft picks to pick up an elite level quarterback. Boldin is the real deal, and there is no reason why he won’t continue to be. Joe Flacco must be the happiest guy in the country today.
Antonio Cromartie to the Jets – The price of this trade was very reasonable, and if it works out for the Jets then they will unquestionably have the best secondary in the league. That’s a big if, though. Cromartie is a Pro Bowl caliber player, but he’s a real piece of work. He has seven kids with five different women and he’s only 25. The Chargers were willing to part with him because he has serious maturity issues, and it doesn’t seem like moving to the playground of New York is a way to find that maturity i a hurry. I’m a little pessimistic about this one, but I can’t blame the Jets for trying.
Karlos Dansby to Miami – The deal isn’t officially done yet, but it seems like Dansby will head to the Dolphins, and he’ll become the highest paid inside linebacker in the league. Perhaps they are overpaying, but Dansby is a solid player, and will be even better than he has been in Arizona when he has a more competent defense around him. Dansby has Pro Bowl potential, and it’s hard to fault the deal too much.
Jake Delhomme cut – Delhomme becomes the first casualty of the uncapped period. If the salary cap was still in place the Panthers couldn’t have afforded to cut him and eat the cap hit, but without that being an issue they could cut him free. There is no doubt that it was time for him to move on – it was past time for him and the team. I don’t think he’s done as a player, but he needs new surroundings. My biggest issue with the move is that the Panthers seem committed to going with Matt Moore. He finished strong last year, but I’m still not entirely convinced that he’s a starter.
Kyle Vanden Bosch and Nate Burleson to Detroit – I like that the Lions made an early, aggressive splash, I accept that they overpaid because they have to to get players, and I like what both players bring to the table. They aren’t the best players out there, but they are better than what the team had in both cases, and the moves are very solid given what Detroit has going against them. Neither of these deals make Detroit an instant winner, but then there is no deal in the world that would.
Olympic Bet of the Day – Wow, that was frustrating. I won the first three legs of my parlay, and after two periods of the hockey game Slovakia was up 3-1 and cruising. The reason I picked them in the game was because they closed so strong against Canada, while Finland collapsed under pressure. Contrary to logic, then, it was Finland who mounted a rally – four goals in the third – while Slovakia collapsed and felt sorry for themselves. Ah well, clearly not meant to be. That means that I am now down $280 over the games. There’s only one bet to make today – Canada to win the gold medal. They are -127 to win in regulation. I’ll bet $357 on the game – that way I’ll profit $281, and at least make a profit on the two weeks.
Olympic Bet of the Day – Another day of coming close. I won three of the four events I played and was only let down by Canada’s women curlers. Losing at curling doesn’t make me happy, but I am happy to forgive considering my boys will be playing for gold – and kicking the crap out of the Americans – on Sunday. What a game that’s going to be, but more on that tomorrow. Today we’ll have one last shot at a big parlay. The events will be: Canada (-1.5 -150) in the men’s curling final, Slovakia +194 over Finland in regulation time in the bronze medal hockey game, Jasey Jay Anderson (-125) over Benjamin Karl in the snowboarding, and Silvan Zurbriggen (-130) over Michael Janyk in the slalom. That will pay $1460.
Continue reading “MJ, Tennessee, and The Last Full Day of Olympics”
Olympic Bet of the Day – If you put a bunch of monkeys in a room of typewriters you’ll get a book eventually, and if you let an idiot pick parlays long enough he’ll eventually hit a winner. With Yu-Na Kim’s dominating win of the figure skating I clinched my first parlay win of the games. That’s a profit of $562 on the day, and that decreases the loss on the games to just $80 with three days left to get positive. In an attempt to eradicate that deficit I’ll try to get lucky with a parlay again. I’ll go with: Canada (-385) over Slovakia in hockey, Norway (+160) to win the men’s biathlon relay, Canada (-191) to win the women’s curling gold medal, and U.S. (-105) to beat Finland in hockey. That will pay $874.
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