So New Orleans gave up on their season and traded Tyson Chandler to Okie Dokie City for expiring contracts. Except that Okie Dokie City did a medical test and said Chandler had a previously unknown foot injury that was so devastating that they wouldn't accept the trade, even though Chandler is expected to play this season. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, who watches the NBA thought the trade rejection was a little off. I'm here to say it was downright fishy. This reeks of the heavy hand of the Commish. Here's my conspiracy theory: The Commish would not allow New Orleans to throw away their season. He wants Chris Paul and company to be in the playoffs so he can showcase Paul, one of the NBA's biggest new stars. Furthermore, the more contenders there are in the West (though really it's the Lakers, the Spurs and then everyone else in that order), the better the ratings will be come playoff time. If this is the case, I agree wholeheartedly with the Commish and fully support this. Shame on New Orleans for giving up on their season when they're in line for a playoff spot. I've never seen this happen. Teams try to get better heading into the playoffs. Sometimes they gamble and it doesn't work (see Dallas Mavericks Jason Kidd trade for an example), but they almost never actively try to get worse to save a few bucks down the road.
Expect the lottery balls to fall Okie Dokie City's way in a few months as a reward for going along with the Commish. If Okie Dokie City wins the Blake Griffin sweepstakes, then you'll know I was right about my conspiracy theory.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Jesse's Guest Post
So as sports slows down, so to does the Idiot Fan. But fear not, because I have opened the floor to a very special guest blogger. I probably won't ever post on the Florida Marlins except to say the state and the city should not give that team money to build a new stadium when the state and city are so far in debt that they have to cut basic social services. But no state should give any team money in this climate. Anywho, enough economic babble, on with the show..........
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Marlins Report
Aloha Fish fans. I'd first like to thank the Idiot Fan and his devoted readership for allowing myself to post about the most untalked about team in baseball, the Florida Marlins. So as we gear up for another season of exciting marlins diamond diggery doo, let me start by first examining the off season moves by the Teal Tossers [of baseballs]:
The Great:
Kevin Gregg for Jose Ceda. A brilliant trade by the fish to attain the powerful arm in Jose Ceda, the much heralded prospect from the Cubs (#2 or 3 prospect in the entire cubs system I believe), for the waste of space that is Kevin Gregg, who's 9 lives (with lives being a euphemism for the his league leading 9 blown saves in 2008) have been exhausted. What was worse Mr. Gregg? Was it giving up that save in that ridiculous 17-18 loss to Colorado or was it giving up that grand slam in the top of the ninth (fish had a 3 – 2 lead and were still in the hunt) to the Mets on my BIRTHDAY. Good riddance sir. I hope you catch bed bugs.
Keeping Jorge Cantu, Ricky Nolasco, and Josh Johnson for at least another year: While I wish they would sign some gosh dang multi-year contracts, at least they're keeping these guys around for another year. Ricky and Josh should have monster years. Both are ace quality pitchers and it will be nice to seem them
Extending Fredi's contract: 2 years Okay. So I haven't been the most supportive of good ole Fredi in the past. I guess I just like my managers to smoke cigars and show some emotion every now and then a la Jack McKeon. However, I do really think Fredi is the perfect manager for this super young team. Hopefully, he learned his lesson last year about overworking your bullpen too early (think Pinto) and thank god he doesn't even have to consider putting Kevin Gregg in there. It's nice to see the fish taking an interest in keeping a team for once.
The Good:
Scott Proctor: The Fish desperately needed another dependable arm in the bullpen and that's exactly what they got with this solid free agency pick up. Proctor had impressive numbers including 3.5 ERA and 1.2 WHIP in 2006 with the Yanks. He was injured last year, so those numbers do not reflect how he pitches healthy. This is a classic fish move picking up a solid reliever coming off a tough year on the cheap. The fish bullpen was certainly an issue going into 2009, making Proctor is a welcome addition. The fact is, Fredi killed Pinto last year, who after a very strong start, became a liability in the bullpen as he racked up the most appearances for a reliever before he went on IR. Proctor is an important addition to a bullpen that should be much stronger this year.
Mike Jacobs for Leo Nuñez: Another solid trade in my opinion. Jacobs was worthless and worthlesser on defense. His home runs came at the most timeliness of times, like when the fish were up or down by 7. His strikeouts always came when it mattered and they came frequently. Statistically he was the worst first baseman in baseball last year consistently making poor, lazy plays. Nunez, while untested, is another strong arm with great potential and is another fine addition to the fish bullpen which is really looking quite formidable, despite its youth. Last year in KC he posted an fine 2.98 ERA and I expect similar or better numbers from him this year.
The bad:
Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham for Emilio Bonofacio and 2 minor leaguers. What? Come again? Hello? While I have no attachment to either player and definitely glad to see Scott "Here have some jello shots Don Hopscotch and Mott McSwilly" Olsen go, is this really all they could get for them: an above-average defender/terrible bat and a few decent-at-best prospects?!?!? I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! Top top it off, the Fish front office doesn't expect Bonofacio to make the cut in spring training. Billowing Bananas!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll retract my previous statement, as I did like Willingham (AKA Woogybottom). The fish had to cut either Woogybottom or Hermida, and since the fish FO Hermida has a love affair with Hermida, they said adios to Woogy. His numbers before he got injured last year were absolutely staggering and it would be disappointing if he were to regain that form, while Hermida doesn't find his.
Not signing Joe Nelson. COME ON FISH!!! Joe had a great year last year, and while yes he is in the twilight of his career, it would only of taken a few more hundred thousand to have him for another season. In 54 innings he posted a 2 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 60 K's. Sad to see you go Joe, but I'm glad you found a spot on the Rays who paid you a lot more.
The Fish front office being the Fish front office
Back-up catcher. While I am happy with Baker (although realistic that he can't repeat last year's performance), it would have been nice to sign one of the zillion catchers out there. Or even better, it would have been nice to actually of gotten value for Olsen and Woogybottom. There is still talk of signing Pudge, and while that is a long shot, every day that goes by ups the chances ever so little. I'm also a bit dismayed to see Treanor go, and I wonder if the fish regret not retaining him now that they have been unable to land another catcher.
Not signing Uggla to a multi-year contract: I know the Fish hate signing multi-year contracts, and I also know Uggla was downright horrendous after the all-star break, but still, give the man some love!!! I'm happy he won his arbitration case as he certainly deserves it.
Dan Meyer from free agency: With the unfortunate loss of Rhode, who was downright dominating in limited timelast year, the fish needed a situational lefty. They got it with Meyer. He has only pitched 47 innings of major league ball and while his era has been astronomical, his whip is only 1.76. The fish seem to have a knack for finding these bullpen types so hopefully he'll turn into another one of those fish finds.
Wes Helms 2 year contract: Hmmmm....So, you don't sign multi-year contracts, but you sign, off all people, Wes Helms to a 2 year contract. Wes is a solid utility player and I'm happy to see him stay, but sheesh! Oh fish.
Overall: Not bad fish. Not bad. No huge surprises one way or the other. They retained a majority of last year's team while taking out the trash (Jacobs, Olsen, Gregg). The Willingham/Olsen trade is downright mindboggling, but I think the Jacobs and Gregg trades almost make up for it. They've certainly shored up the bullpen which was a big concern need. A backup catcher (Rabelo isn't going to cut it) is still an issue as the fish should of been more aggressive in landing someone in that position. But I really can't complain. The front office did what they said they would do.
Okay Fish Fans. That's my off-season moves report. In the coming days I will update with my predictions for the season, my evaluation of the team, spring training news, and other various fish facts, like what was Billy the Marlins major in college.
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Marlins Report
Aloha Fish fans. I'd first like to thank the Idiot Fan and his devoted readership for allowing myself to post about the most untalked about team in baseball, the Florida Marlins. So as we gear up for another season of exciting marlins diamond diggery doo, let me start by first examining the off season moves by the Teal Tossers [of baseballs]:
The Great:
Kevin Gregg for Jose Ceda. A brilliant trade by the fish to attain the powerful arm in Jose Ceda, the much heralded prospect from the Cubs (#2 or 3 prospect in the entire cubs system I believe), for the waste of space that is Kevin Gregg, who's 9 lives (with lives being a euphemism for the his league leading 9 blown saves in 2008) have been exhausted. What was worse Mr. Gregg? Was it giving up that save in that ridiculous 17-18 loss to Colorado or was it giving up that grand slam in the top of the ninth (fish had a 3 – 2 lead and were still in the hunt) to the Mets on my BIRTHDAY. Good riddance sir. I hope you catch bed bugs.
Keeping Jorge Cantu, Ricky Nolasco, and Josh Johnson for at least another year: While I wish they would sign some gosh dang multi-year contracts, at least they're keeping these guys around for another year. Ricky and Josh should have monster years. Both are ace quality pitchers and it will be nice to seem them
Extending Fredi's contract: 2 years Okay. So I haven't been the most supportive of good ole Fredi in the past. I guess I just like my managers to smoke cigars and show some emotion every now and then a la Jack McKeon. However, I do really think Fredi is the perfect manager for this super young team. Hopefully, he learned his lesson last year about overworking your bullpen too early (think Pinto) and thank god he doesn't even have to consider putting Kevin Gregg in there. It's nice to see the fish taking an interest in keeping a team for once.
The Good:
Scott Proctor: The Fish desperately needed another dependable arm in the bullpen and that's exactly what they got with this solid free agency pick up. Proctor had impressive numbers including 3.5 ERA and 1.2 WHIP in 2006 with the Yanks. He was injured last year, so those numbers do not reflect how he pitches healthy. This is a classic fish move picking up a solid reliever coming off a tough year on the cheap. The fish bullpen was certainly an issue going into 2009, making Proctor is a welcome addition. The fact is, Fredi killed Pinto last year, who after a very strong start, became a liability in the bullpen as he racked up the most appearances for a reliever before he went on IR. Proctor is an important addition to a bullpen that should be much stronger this year.
Mike Jacobs for Leo Nuñez: Another solid trade in my opinion. Jacobs was worthless and worthlesser on defense. His home runs came at the most timeliness of times, like when the fish were up or down by 7. His strikeouts always came when it mattered and they came frequently. Statistically he was the worst first baseman in baseball last year consistently making poor, lazy plays. Nunez, while untested, is another strong arm with great potential and is another fine addition to the fish bullpen which is really looking quite formidable, despite its youth. Last year in KC he posted an fine 2.98 ERA and I expect similar or better numbers from him this year.
The bad:
Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham for Emilio Bonofacio and 2 minor leaguers. What? Come again? Hello? While I have no attachment to either player and definitely glad to see Scott "Here have some jello shots Don Hopscotch and Mott McSwilly" Olsen go, is this really all they could get for them: an above-average defender/terrible bat and a few decent-at-best prospects?!?!? I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! Top top it off, the Fish front office doesn't expect Bonofacio to make the cut in spring training. Billowing Bananas!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll retract my previous statement, as I did like Willingham (AKA Woogybottom). The fish had to cut either Woogybottom or Hermida, and since the fish FO Hermida has a love affair with Hermida, they said adios to Woogy. His numbers before he got injured last year were absolutely staggering and it would be disappointing if he were to regain that form, while Hermida doesn't find his.
Not signing Joe Nelson. COME ON FISH!!! Joe had a great year last year, and while yes he is in the twilight of his career, it would only of taken a few more hundred thousand to have him for another season. In 54 innings he posted a 2 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 60 K's. Sad to see you go Joe, but I'm glad you found a spot on the Rays who paid you a lot more.
The Fish front office being the Fish front office
Back-up catcher. While I am happy with Baker (although realistic that he can't repeat last year's performance), it would have been nice to sign one of the zillion catchers out there. Or even better, it would have been nice to actually of gotten value for Olsen and Woogybottom. There is still talk of signing Pudge, and while that is a long shot, every day that goes by ups the chances ever so little. I'm also a bit dismayed to see Treanor go, and I wonder if the fish regret not retaining him now that they have been unable to land another catcher.
Not signing Uggla to a multi-year contract: I know the Fish hate signing multi-year contracts, and I also know Uggla was downright horrendous after the all-star break, but still, give the man some love!!! I'm happy he won his arbitration case as he certainly deserves it.
Dan Meyer from free agency: With the unfortunate loss of Rhode, who was downright dominating in limited timelast year, the fish needed a situational lefty. They got it with Meyer. He has only pitched 47 innings of major league ball and while his era has been astronomical, his whip is only 1.76. The fish seem to have a knack for finding these bullpen types so hopefully he'll turn into another one of those fish finds.
Wes Helms 2 year contract: Hmmmm....So, you don't sign multi-year contracts, but you sign, off all people, Wes Helms to a 2 year contract. Wes is a solid utility player and I'm happy to see him stay, but sheesh! Oh fish.
Overall: Not bad fish. Not bad. No huge surprises one way or the other. They retained a majority of last year's team while taking out the trash (Jacobs, Olsen, Gregg). The Willingham/Olsen trade is downright mindboggling, but I think the Jacobs and Gregg trades almost make up for it. They've certainly shored up the bullpen which was a big concern need. A backup catcher (Rabelo isn't going to cut it) is still an issue as the fish should of been more aggressive in landing someone in that position. But I really can't complain. The front office did what they said they would do.
Okay Fish Fans. That's my off-season moves report. In the coming days I will update with my predictions for the season, my evaluation of the team, spring training news, and other various fish facts, like what was Billy the Marlins major in college.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The AFC is wide open, two too good to be true NBA trades, and why A-Rod fails in the clutch
Football first:
Look across the landscape that is the AFC and tell me who's a lock to make the playoffs. Pittsburgh a lock, but after that, nothing's guaranteed. Tennessee was the best team in the AFC this year, but they have huge question marks. For starters, can Kerry Collins replicate last season's magic run as a starter? And will they keep Albert Haynesworth, who was their most important player on defense?
Indy changed head coaches. The Dolphins might have been a one-year wonder. They have a tougher schedule this season. The Pats still have the giant question about the state of Brady's knee. The Ravens have a few key free agents on the defense, and the Chargers are coached by Norv Turner.
Houston looked decent at the end of the year, but this team's peak might be 9-7 or 8-8. The Broncos are going to be rebuilding. That defense needs a lot of help and I think they're about a year away from being a serious playoff threat. The Chiefs are about 3 years away at least, and the Raiders are the Raiders. I like Cable as their head coach, but I can't pencil them, even lightly, in the playoffs because of the past 5 years. They have to show me they can win more than 5 games in a season before I start to believe in them.
The Jets have questions at quarterback and the defense faded down the stretch. They should be better under Rex Ryan, but he's a first year head coach, so you never know. The Bills are coached by Dick Jauron, so you can never take them too seriously.
The Browns are the Browns and the Bengals have a lot of holes on offense and defense. Jacksonville completely imploded this year and David Garrard was exposed as a one-year wonder.
And yet, it's the offseason, and every team is dreaming of the Super Bowl. And really, if the Cardinals can make the Super Bowl and if the Dolphins can win 11 games a season after losing 15, why can't a team like the Raiders or the Jags make a run in the playoffs?
NBA Stuff (stop reading if you don't care about basketball or baseball from this point on)
Two possible trades involving two Suns that would make for the best stories in the NBA this year. One of them is a really smart trade and the other is questionable.
Trade #1: Amare Stoudemire for Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley or spare parts from the Heat. The Heat need to do this deal. They would have essentially turned Shaq and a #1 pick into Amare Stoudemire. How is that not a great deal? Stoudemire paired with D-Wade makes the Heat a 50 win team and the 4th best team in the East. That team becomes good enough to beat Orlando and scare the Cavs and the Celtics in the playoffs.
For the Suns, it would be the ultimate admission of a mistake. They traded Marion for Shaq because Marion and Stoudemire couldn't co-exist and they wanted to shake up the team. Well that shake-up is an abysmal failure. The Suns never recovered from losing to the Spurs in the first round of last year's playoffs. They inexplicably forced Mike D'Antoni out of town and then hired Terry Porter (really?!?) to get the team to play better defense, except that really hasn't worked and now everyone on that team hates playing in Phoenix.
Trade #2: Shaq for Lamar Odom and spare parts. This would be huge. Might not be a great deal for the Lakers, since Odom's versatility is more of a benefit to them when Bynum's healthy and playing, but for sheer storylines, Shaq back with Kobe on the Lakers would be huge. He would immediately fill their need for interior toughness while Bynum's out. And he wouldn't have to play big minutes since they have Gasol. And when Bynum came back, he could play 20 minutes a game and save himself for the playoffs. I'd like this trade a little more if the Lakers hadn't traded Radmanovich (who sucks, but can score occasionally) for Adam Morrison (who REALLY sucks and can't score even occasionally). Odom can fill a lot of roles for a team. He's a good complimentary scorer, good rebounder, decent defender and a good ballhandler. He's come up in a lot of trade scenarios, but I think the Lakers would be smart to keep him. If this did happen, it'd be funny that Lakers would be trading Odom for Shaq since they got Odom from the Heat in a trade with Shaq. Both these trades would be like teams hitting the reset button.
MLB (stop reading if you cared about the NBA, but not about MLB)
Why A-Rod always fades in the clutch
As it turns out, the dude just doesn't know how to cycle his roids properly. He gets to September and he lays off the juice and turns into a normal player. Then, knowing he doesn't have his usual pick-me-up, he panics and makes abnormally stupid plays in the field and at bat. Hence, his propensity to fold in the playoffs.
Look across the landscape that is the AFC and tell me who's a lock to make the playoffs. Pittsburgh a lock, but after that, nothing's guaranteed. Tennessee was the best team in the AFC this year, but they have huge question marks. For starters, can Kerry Collins replicate last season's magic run as a starter? And will they keep Albert Haynesworth, who was their most important player on defense?
Indy changed head coaches. The Dolphins might have been a one-year wonder. They have a tougher schedule this season. The Pats still have the giant question about the state of Brady's knee. The Ravens have a few key free agents on the defense, and the Chargers are coached by Norv Turner.
Houston looked decent at the end of the year, but this team's peak might be 9-7 or 8-8. The Broncos are going to be rebuilding. That defense needs a lot of help and I think they're about a year away from being a serious playoff threat. The Chiefs are about 3 years away at least, and the Raiders are the Raiders. I like Cable as their head coach, but I can't pencil them, even lightly, in the playoffs because of the past 5 years. They have to show me they can win more than 5 games in a season before I start to believe in them.
The Jets have questions at quarterback and the defense faded down the stretch. They should be better under Rex Ryan, but he's a first year head coach, so you never know. The Bills are coached by Dick Jauron, so you can never take them too seriously.
The Browns are the Browns and the Bengals have a lot of holes on offense and defense. Jacksonville completely imploded this year and David Garrard was exposed as a one-year wonder.
And yet, it's the offseason, and every team is dreaming of the Super Bowl. And really, if the Cardinals can make the Super Bowl and if the Dolphins can win 11 games a season after losing 15, why can't a team like the Raiders or the Jags make a run in the playoffs?
NBA Stuff (stop reading if you don't care about basketball or baseball from this point on)
Two possible trades involving two Suns that would make for the best stories in the NBA this year. One of them is a really smart trade and the other is questionable.
Trade #1: Amare Stoudemire for Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley or spare parts from the Heat. The Heat need to do this deal. They would have essentially turned Shaq and a #1 pick into Amare Stoudemire. How is that not a great deal? Stoudemire paired with D-Wade makes the Heat a 50 win team and the 4th best team in the East. That team becomes good enough to beat Orlando and scare the Cavs and the Celtics in the playoffs.
For the Suns, it would be the ultimate admission of a mistake. They traded Marion for Shaq because Marion and Stoudemire couldn't co-exist and they wanted to shake up the team. Well that shake-up is an abysmal failure. The Suns never recovered from losing to the Spurs in the first round of last year's playoffs. They inexplicably forced Mike D'Antoni out of town and then hired Terry Porter (really?!?) to get the team to play better defense, except that really hasn't worked and now everyone on that team hates playing in Phoenix.
Trade #2: Shaq for Lamar Odom and spare parts. This would be huge. Might not be a great deal for the Lakers, since Odom's versatility is more of a benefit to them when Bynum's healthy and playing, but for sheer storylines, Shaq back with Kobe on the Lakers would be huge. He would immediately fill their need for interior toughness while Bynum's out. And he wouldn't have to play big minutes since they have Gasol. And when Bynum came back, he could play 20 minutes a game and save himself for the playoffs. I'd like this trade a little more if the Lakers hadn't traded Radmanovich (who sucks, but can score occasionally) for Adam Morrison (who REALLY sucks and can't score even occasionally). Odom can fill a lot of roles for a team. He's a good complimentary scorer, good rebounder, decent defender and a good ballhandler. He's come up in a lot of trade scenarios, but I think the Lakers would be smart to keep him. If this did happen, it'd be funny that Lakers would be trading Odom for Shaq since they got Odom from the Heat in a trade with Shaq. Both these trades would be like teams hitting the reset button.
MLB (stop reading if you cared about the NBA, but not about MLB)
Why A-Rod always fades in the clutch
As it turns out, the dude just doesn't know how to cycle his roids properly. He gets to September and he lays off the juice and turns into a normal player. Then, knowing he doesn't have his usual pick-me-up, he panics and makes abnormally stupid plays in the field and at bat. Hence, his propensity to fold in the playoffs.
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