previous Locker Room Chatter columns
by Peter Murphy 		MurphGuide 
Sports Archives

Locker Room Chatter
with Peter Murphy
  
Summer in Calcutta November 16, 2006 
 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Part 2 October 3, 2006
Yankee Doodle July 4, 2006
Springtime for Saddam March 29, 2006
 Goobers & Raisinettes January 16, 2006
 Back to Work January 6, 2006
2005
 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Part 2 October 5, 2005
 Gimme A Break July 11, 2005
Spring Fling May 9, 2005
 The Five Sports People You Meet in HELL February 12, 2005
That’s A Rap February 12, 2005
Snowbound January 24, 2005
2004
 The Longest Year December 21, 2004
Reader Survey November 19, 2004
#!@%&*! (Curses) October 28, 2004
Regular Season Wrap-Up October 4, 2004
Pennant Push September 20, 2004
Dog Dayz August 23, 2004
The Readers Strike Back July 9, 2004
The June Swoon June 6, 2004
April Showers April 26, 2004
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year March 19, 2004
Winter Potpourri February 20, 2004
Mid Winter Night's Musings January 20, 2004 
2003
Another Year Wiser December 29, 2003   
Mid-Indian Summer Musings November 29, 2003
Baseball Playoffs Oct. 26, 2003
Baseball Regular Season Wrapup Sept. 29, 2003
How to win a World Series Sept. 2, 2003
Mid-Summer Musings July 25, 2003
What's Luck Got to Do With It? June 30, 2003
Spring Musings May 5, 2003
Baseball Season Preview and Predictions April 1, 2003
March Anger, and other End-of-Winter Musings March 18, 2003
That's a Wrap January 28, 2003
2002
Book and Movie Review: "The Boyz -N- the Junction" December 8, 2002
NBA Preview: Champions No More October 30, 2002
Major League Baseball Individual Awards September 30, 2002
 Major League Baseball Playoffs September 13, 2002
College Football August 23, 2002
Baseball's Labor Woes August 8, 2002
Mid-year Musings July 22, 2002

Summer in Calcutta
by Peter Murphy
 November 16, 2006  

The title is the politically correct way to describe this time of year, since you can’t say Indian Summer anymore, I think. It’s the time of year to look back at the baseball season just ended, and to gear up for the stretch run of college and pro football. That the NBA and NHL season’s just started is of no consequence. And of course, do not even mention college basketball until after the Super Bowl.

Baseball

Postseason
Since there were several lousy teams, and not a ton of drama (3 series sweeps, and 3 series where the winner dropped but one game), The Mets-Cards game 7 got lost in the shuffle, with the Endy Chavez’ play for the ages wiped out by the team’s failure. Of the 8 playoff teams, I would suspect maybe 3 will return to post-season next year, but that’s still a long way off. 
This post-season had teams that showed they can hit and pitch, but not necessarily know how to play baseball: 
Yankees, Twins, and Tigers, all were done in by a lack of fundamentals. And while they downplay it in baseball as compared to football, the 2006 Cardinals were the rare case when a championship can be attributed mainly to the manager, (as would also have happened with the Tigers, if they had won). I guess 4-time manager of the year LaRussa finally got the monkey off his back after being 1 for 9 in previous years when reaching the final 4. He’s no Bobby Cox.

Hot Stove Issues
But on to next year. The Mets and Yanks seem to have the money, desire and will to compete for free agents, and compete they will, for the limited number of solid starting pitchers. The Mets could use some outfield help at the corners, and need David Wright to get back on track. Barring some major move by a division opponent (say, Soriano to the Phillies), the Mets should win the East, 2nd at worst. Yankees are probably good to go as is, now that Mussina is back in the fold, but they will still try to shore up the team. Because of depth in hitting, Abreu will easily replace Sheffield next year, and offense won’t be the problem. Barry Zito and a few others will benefit from the 2006 post-season’s emphasis on quality pitching, making it a seller’s market.

But the big story, $51 million for the pain/pleasure of talking to Scott Boras. I’ll cut to the chase. 
I expect they will not sign Daisuke Matsuzaka. There are several reasons for this:

  They will come to their senses. 
 - There will be no win-win contract between the player (and his evil agent) and the team. 
Only the Seibu Lions owner makes out for sure if the deal is done. Either the player gets below market value as the Red Sox get a deal for a combined salary and negotiation fee they can live with, or the Red Sox shell out way to much total average annual cost.
 - Maybe they don’t intend to sign him, but just keep him away from the Yanks 
 - Even though I disagreed with the Rangers’ excuse for dumping A-Rod three years ago, 
(that he absorbed too much salary for them to be competitive), it is true the future moves the Red Sox wouldn’t be able to make are just too great. 
 - It’s not a case of Matsuzaka now or nothing. If they can’t do a deal, they may end up with Barry Zito, Mark Mulder,Roger Clemens, or Andy Pettite, and probably others in future years.
 - If they do sign him, anything less than 18 wins and anything above 3.20 ERA will be a bust, and that’s too much pressure to put on a guy. 
 - It will dawn on the Sox that this guy is unproven as a major leaguer. He is not Lebron James, a lock. 
He is not Eli Manning, worth 2 # draft picks. He is not ARod of the year 2000, who has won 2 MVP’s since then, but was headed to the HOF before then. Matsuzaka hasn’t done it here yet, so there is some speculation. Sure his ball moves, but how many of his outs were deep flies that might be HRs with MLB sluggers? 
 - Mathematically, consider this matrix of potential contract lengths, and annual salaries for the player. 
The figure at the right is the total average cost, including level spread out of the $51 million rights fee. 

$ are shown in Millions. 

Years

To Player

 $ox Cost
 (annual average)

3 

$5

$22 

5 

$5 

$15 

7 

$5 

$12 

10 

$5 

$10 

3  

$8

$25 

5 

$8  

$18

7  

$8

$15 

10

 $8 

$13 

3 

$11 

$28 

5   

$11

$21

7 

$11 

$18 

10

 $11 

$16 

3 

$14 

$31 

5 

$14 

$24 

7 

$14  

$21

10

$14 

$19 

The only figures that should seem reasonable to the Red Sox are those below $18 million per year, 
which rules out any thing less than 5 years. But the player will not accept any length deal for only $5 million, 
knowing the team will pay double or triple that, since he only need wait one year to become a complete free agent. 
The same applies if the player would earn only $8 million, leaving 60% to 125% of upside on the table. 
So realistically, the deal can only be done for a salary above $10 million, and for at least 7 years. 
At that point, the lesson of Kevin Brown and Mike Hampton comes into play. While hitters can deteriorate over a long contract, they are still usually productive to some extent, or you can hide them in the lineup. 
But a starting pitcher, after several years, could be useless (arm/shoulder injury), or if ineffective enough that you would rather not give them the ball at all.

College Football
(My comments here come before the weekend Michigan-Ohio State game.)
I think the BCS system gets a little more crazy every year. Because Ohio State seems so formidable, and so many other elite teams had a loss early on, the focus on who would move up in the polls, combined with 2 undefeated (unchallenged) Big East teams late in the year has added to the volume of debate.  I have always said a playoff is the way to go, but now I’d settle for the “Bowls Plus 1” concept.  As it stands, in most years, the second team in the BCS race is not discernible from the third or fourth. 
How come West Virginia was poised, and then Louisville, to rise to the top spot if undefeated, but Rutgers (say they defeat both) will have no shot, even though all three have played essentially the same schedule.  And how come all 3 Big East contenders are in the top 10 of the BCS, when their schedule has been derided so greatly?  They’re all like 3-0 vs UCONN, Syracuse, and So. Fla. So what? The computers are obviously a joke having Rutgers second and Ohio State third. 
The winner of the Michigan-Ohio State game will play for the title, against either of USC, Notre Dame, Florida or Arkansas, or maybe even a rematch.  There are probably no other possibilities.  So the system needs obvious reforms.
From now until the inevitable playoff system is established (Does anyone doubt that by 2020 there will be a playoff, and we will regret the wasted years of intransigence on the part of the “College Presidents”) they should establish a rule barring a non-conference champion (not including independents) from the BCS championship game.  In 2001, Nebraska played for the title, and didn’t even APPEAR in the Big-12 championship game.  In 2003, Oklahoma was destroyed in the Big 12 final, yet still got to the big game.  (Both teams played like crap in losing the BCS championship game.)
I say this only because there is some talk of a Big-10 rematch.  Some have said that if either team loses late, or close, or whatever, they should get a second chance.  Well, Ohio State has been the top dog all year.  The rest of the country has two more cracks at them this season.  If there were only two Flu Shots left in the entire country, would you give them both to the same guy?  To Dick Cheney?  Of course not.  Sorry Michigan, Ohio State does not have to beat you twice to win it all.  This upcoming game is your playoff game.  (Does anyone doubt that if Michigan won the Big Chill game, and could only be champion by beating OSU twice that MU fans would be bitching up a storm. 
And then there’s all the beat-the-team-that-beat-the-team nonsense.  Suppose Florida beats Arkansas in the SEC final, but not as badly as USC did opening night.  Is that a factor?  If Notre Dame wins out and is sitting pretty with one loss, does a one-loss Michigan team have a beef?  In the Kevin Bacon game of College Football, everyone with a loss has beaten a team that beat a team . .. . yada yada, that beat the team that is your sole vanquisher. 
But alas, the system could be worse, and was 40 years ago.  In 1966, the two-time defending champion (neither time undefeated), Alabama Crimson Tide BEGAN the year as the pre-season number one ranked team, won all their games (the only unbeaten-untied team) in the tough SEC, and destroyed Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl, yet ended up as the third ranked team.  Back then, Notre Dame did not yet play in Bowl games (there were only 8 bowls), and Michigan State, who tied Notre Dame and finished second, was prohibited by Big 10 rules of playing in a bowl in consecutive years. 

Prediction: USC and OSU are too tough in their respective rivalry games, and meet for the national title. 

NFL
It looks like there are again more solid teams in the AFC, but enough strength in the NFC to make the post-season a toss up in that regard. Most of the divisions are sown up (Seattle, Colts, Bears, Ravens), but recent losses (Pats and Giants) have brought those in the East back to life.  Wild Cards will be hard to come by, with the Chargers or Broncos having a leg up for one in the AFC, but a complicated NFC, with several quality teams having squandered games in the first nine that they will regret.  Cowboys, Jets, and Falcons come to mind, as do the Panthers. 

Other notes
 - Peyton Manning is answering at least some criticism, by winning without Edgerin, and winning most games close.  That’s called clutch, and talented.  But, until he makes the Super Bowl, he’ll have to settle for the Hall of Fame, and tons of dough in endorsements and salary. If you still don’t like this guy, then ask yourself how many teams would trade their QB for him, straight up? When you get to 3, stop, and start over, you’ve gone too far.
 - The Jets are playing everyone tough, and are one of 3 teams with a winning record (5-4) who have been outscored.  Credit the coach. But, even though their remaining schedule is not tough, they will rue the loss to the hapless Browns.
 - Denny Green will never work again, after this year.
 - Tiki Barber: Let him go. Why does he have to get pounded into a wheel chair? Who are we to say he should go until he’s HOF, or has a ring.  Does he tell you what to do? (Okay, he gets millions to suggest to you that you buy products he pitches, but he really isn’t emotional about whether you do it or not).  I bet Curtis Martin wished he hung it up after the 2004 season.

Potpourri
I couldn’t let the passing of Red Auerbach go without comment.  Despite 20 years in the woods, the Celts are still the all-time team of the NBA, and that’s due to Red.  Despite many virtues, I was most impressed with his string of unorthodox acquisitions that set the stage for their dominance.  He started by getting Bill Sharman, who everyone else assumed would play baseball.  A gutsy trade giving him a shot at Bill Russell, who dominated for over a decade.  By drafting an ABA player, who later signed with another team, he was able to finagle the draft pick that brought Paul Silas aboard.  Great trades brought in Cowens, and enabled the Celts to nab Parrish and McHale in the same draft.  And of course, tapping into Larry Bird a year before he left college lead to dominance in the 1980s. 
By the mid-80s, his Midas Touch was legendary.  So much so that during the most exciting sports-related non-sporting event ever (the NBA Lottery), Red almost gave me a heart attack.  Watching with several Celts fans, the 7 lottery General Managers paraded around, each grabbing one large envelope from the bowl.  When it was Red’s turn, he picked up an envelope, and then dropped it.  Assuming the fix was in, we were not surprised when the Celts ended up with the second pick in the draft, despite having just won the NBA title for the 3rd time in 6 years.

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Part 2
by Peter Murphy
 October 3, 2006  
 There are several most wonderful times of the year. The first comes in March, as the NCAA tournament comes around, just as the crack of the baseball bat emerges from hibernation. The second is now, as baseball’s post-season kicks off, just as college and pro football season’s are being made or lost. 

Football
Shaping up to be a good NFL season, but college football lacks drama, given that so few of the remaining unbeaten teams will square off in-season in must-see games. Ohio State has one game of danger, the suddenly revitalized Michigan Wolverines. Will any SEC team survive unbeaten, which is becoming crucial to get the BCS championship bid? Is Rutgers for real? And when did the Heisman trophy become the “who-among-players-on-top-teams-had-gaudy-stats-in-key-games-and,-if-a-quarterback,-played-on-an-undefeated-team” Award? 

NFL Tidbits

Baseball
There was a lot of promise coming into September for some great pennant races. But most fizzled out. Cardinals put a scare into everyone except their opponents, by feigning complete collapse. Don’t expect them to last long. The east divisions also were devoid of drama for the final 8 weeks, as the Red Sox began the long descent into mediocrity. Or more likely, their slow descent into a long period of mediocrity. They will not likely contend until the team is completely rebuilt. The White Sox proved you can’t out run a double jinx. In baseball, “Repeat” can never be used in same sentence as “Sox”, or “Chicago”. 

End-of-Season Awards:
Again, I’m probably on thin ice with the BWAA for revealing my votes, but I say more of us with the privilege of voting should lay it on the line for our readers. And even though I was suspended the year I dared to be the only writer to vote Albert Belle ahead of Mo Vaughan (1995 MVP) and then bragged about it, most of the powers that be’d at that time have moved on, so I feel safe that I will retain my voting privileges despite my maverick ways.

MVP:
I have never gotten sucked into this phony debate about what is “value”, as an excuse to discriminate against, say, hitters on teams with lousy pitching. Now that the Phillies have fallen short of the post-season, Ryan Howard’s supporters are defining value as having “held the team in the race”. So now, being in contention on Labor Day is the new qualifying standard for studs on teams that don’t make the playoffs? Why not have the trading deadline as the cutoff, which would make Big Papi eligible for consideration? Or the all-star break, which would only make Devil Rays ineligible? Nahh, I always vote for the guy who I think had the best all around season. In the N.L., I give the nod to Ryan Howard. Best power numbers, and hit for high average. He would have done more damage with some lineup protection. But it’s close. 2nd place goes to Pujols, (whose Cardinals had a higher winning percentage in games he didn’t play in, and thus would have missed the playoffs if he played more?), who had some clutch hits, and is still the long-term bet for best all around player. Honorable mention to Chase Utley, Miguel Cabrera, and Lance Berkman. 

In the A.L., it’s a tough choice, since there are so many guys with great numbers in the crown categories. If you factor in carrying a team, Vlad Guerrero probably would get the nod among guys with strong power and average numbers. Ortiz, had an insane year numbers wise, but I still believe Manny is the straw that stirs the Red Sox, and without Manny, there would be no reason to pitch to the Big P. Other candidates include Twins Mauer and Morneau, White Sox Dye, Thome, and Konerko, with Jeter, Tejada, and Hafner all ranked in my top 10. I didn’t mention Frank Thomas, because .270 hitters can’t win the MVP, unless they are also pitchers. In the end, I went with Morneau, who had the most impressive combination of power and average, among guys who, without mentioning any names, didn’t quit on their teams in August. (Hint: That was just “guys who quit on their teams in August” being “guys who quit on their teams in August”.)
Jeter had a great year, and has definitely produced more in line with his lofty salary this year than in past years. Jeter’s Yanks ran away with an unusually weak AL East. But Jeter’s year, was not as good as the year he had in 1999 when he finished 6th in MVP voting while playing in a less-stacked Yankee lineup (Knoblauch, Brosius, O’Neill, Chili Davis) that eeked out a division title over the Red Sox. And I’m not saying that because 95% of hitters in the league who bat behind Cano and Damon could end up with a 2-digit RBI total (the other 5% of hitters would have a 3-digit total). This annual campaign to push for a Yankee (I blame ESPN) isn’t as annoying as in other years (remember 2003, when the Jorge Posada candidacy pushed his 30 HR/101 RBI and .281 average to a 3rd place finish). As good as a player he is, I think he’s getting too much credit for their 10-game victory over the best team in Canada. Nevertheless, I think other top players will have their votes split (Mauer, Morneau for instance), and Jeter will win the award this year. But it did start for Jeter in June, after a few injuries when they were in 2nd place. Ironically, in a year where everyone agrees that the Yankees have their most stacked lineup in decades (Matsui, Posada, Cano is the BOTTOM of their order), for the first time in a long time, no other Yankee made a strong push to take votes away from their leading candidate.

Cy Young:
Johan Santana is an obvious unanimous lock for AL Cy. He’s clearly the best pitcher. Kudos to C.M. Wang, who, even though he couldn’t hold the legendary C.M. Newton’s clipboard, is nevertheless, one of the best C.M.’s to come around in a while. Kudos also to Jon Papelbon, who gave surrendered earned runs in only 6 games this year, or about one a month. 0.92 E.R.A. is stunning, and would merit Cy consideration in any year.

For the NL, since ya have to give one out, I’ll give the nod to Roy Oswalt, the only starter with a sub-3 E.R.A. Trevor Hoffman? Something about having ZERO victories rubs me the wrong way. 

Rookie of the Year:
When any rookie has a year that is outstanding even by veteran’s standpoint, I usually give them the nod for ROY. Not an infielder hitting .315 with 19 HRs, or a starter winning 13 games. But having an E.R.A. of .092, with 30+ saves is remarkable. Jon Papelbon gets my AL ROY vote. In the N.L., I give the nod to Ryan Zimmerman or the Montreal Internationals, with Florida’s Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez also medaling. 

Manager of the Year:
Despite their weak finishes, I’m sticking with Jim Leyland, and Joe Girardi, who were my mid-year picks. Since it’s already a done deal that Girardi is toast, the excuses the Marlins front office made up to jettison a rookie manager seem odd. If he needs work on communication or strategy, and he’s in his 10th year, or 3rd gig, fine. But shouldn’t it be assumed that Girardi could improve on those things with experience? Well that’s the Marlins for you. They will never win the World Series again, until their next one (circa 2009).

Go Away player of the Year: 
Roger Clemens. He sits out the part of the year where they do all the drug testing, and then soaks up a huge amount of team payroll, only to deliver them short of the playoffs. Not that it was his fault, but if he was on the Astros the whole season, maybe they are still playing. With this half-a-season style, he’s more of a cross between Pedro Martinez, and Carl Pavano. 


Playoff Predictions:
In an homage to Bill Murray, I will immediately eliminate the Cardinals and Tigers from the board. No discussion needed.
For first round matchups worth discussing, I think the Twins will struggle vs. the A’s, but on balance, their pitching and hitting should carry them through to the ALCS in 4 or 5. And my gut tells me that the Mets, who won with spunk and relief pitching all year, will put together enough big innings vs. the Dodgers to make it through in 4 games. 

For the league championships, the Twins are closer to the Yankees than most people think. They have several good hitters, and a team spirit that has served them well. They had a solid 4-month run of above average baseball, winning baseball’s toughest division. Plus, as good as the Yankees are, a lot of the fear in the lineup is based on reputation. For example, while Jeter and Cano were solid all year, A Rod, Giambi, and Damon struggled down the stretch. And Sheffield and Matsui are just returning from the D.L., so it’s not automatic that they will hit .300 throughout the post season. And a strong argument can be made that the Twins have the offensive advantage for at least 3 of the 9 positions (C, IB, CF). The also have the league’s best starter, and a closer who has been playing well all year. Twins hit .287, highest in the major this year. But on balance, the Yankees don’t have enough weaknesses to allow the Twins to win 4 of 7. The Yankees depth is always unmatched, and in a tight game, they can run up better pinch hitters (Williams, Cabrera) than the Twins. The Yankees have 3 quality starters, the Twins do, if you count Santana 3 times.  The Yanks will win the ALCS in 6.

In the NLCS, Mets-Padres is hard to predict, because even though the Mets seem to have the better roster, their starting pitching is at a low point, and the Padres fought their way into the playoffs. In a tossup, I’ll pick the Mets in 6, based on more run-scoring ability. 
For the World Series, I think it all comes down to the Michael Young vs.Trevor Hoffman match-up. This determined home field. Actually, I never make picks based on home field site, but give the Yankees the edge, winning in 6, given the aforementioned depth (In the 10th inning of game 4, conjure up the image of Endy Chavez and Jason Giambi pinch hitting with the game on the line) and starting pitching advantage. 


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Yankee Doodle
by Peter Murphy
 July 4, 2006

Well it’s the midway mark of the year, and of the baseball season, and it’s been an interesting first half.

MLB:
It looks like Jim Leyland is shaping up to be what Tony LaRussa wishes he was.  LaRussa usually has a good squad, and ends up in the playoffs, but there’s lingering doubt about his so-called genius.  Leyland has got the Tigers playing way above their expected level, in just half a season, when most people had forgotten who Jim Leyland was.  The Tigers are complicating the playoff positioning, especially with defending champs the Chisox still playing at last year’s level.  In the preseason, I refused to pick the White Sox to repeat, because you just can’t say “repeat” in the same sentence as any Chicago baseball team.  But usually, the AL east expects 2 teams, having had the wild card team in 8 of the 11 wild cards in AL history.  There’s still a lot of baseball yet to go, so it’s no given which of the Soxes, Tigers, or Yankees will miss the playoffs. 

And don’t yet cry for the Yankees with all those injuries, or start saying that the managing has been extra special, or that any one player is keeping it all together, heroically.  Sure they’ve lost a lot of key starters, but they have so many key guys to begin with.  Since they overpay for everyone, it’s not fair to just deduct the salaries of the missing and point out that they are still around $140-150 million, and still the highest payroll.  But if you analyze rosters throughout the league, there should be no surprise that the Yankees are in the hunt.  Bottom line, ask yourself, what would you expect from a team that had A-Rod, Jeter, Giambi, Mussina, Johnson and Rivera?   How many teams don’t have that many guys that good, covering batters, starters and closers?  Most teams don’t stack up.  If the Yankees can stay in the hunt until Matsui and Sheffield return, they should make a strong run for the playoffs.  It would be great to see the Twins make a run into this group.  They are the hottest team, but have a lot of ground to make up.  This would be the 4th time in five post-contraction years that the Twins make the playoffs.

In the National League, let me remind you of my pre-season prediction for the NL east:
“Mets (decent enough team, easy competition now that Leo Mazzone is gone, and the Phillies, Marlins, and Expos imploded.”  

  But I had no idea how easy it would be.  The Mets offense has exceeded expectations, the two Hall of Fame starters have been steady, and they’ve shown some spunk.  But the rest of the division hasn’t been up to the competition.   And there isn’t much more to say about the National League, other than the amazement over how fast the Diamondbacks have sunk like a stone after the whole Jason Grimsley affair.   Grimsley evidently named names to the feds about teammates who cheated, and only two names have leaked out.  David Segui has confessed already, but the other one, Jose Canseco is denying everything, and called Grimsley a Rat.

Mid-Season awards:

MVP’s              
Big Papi, and Albert Pujols.  Honorable mention to Ryan Howard, Carlos Beltran, and David Wright in the N.L. (Beltran has higher on-base and slugging average of the three, and more runs, despite missing 9 games due to injury.)

Cy Young:
A tie.  Glavine (what, you can’t give it to a 40 year old not named Roger or Unit?) and Bronson Arroyo, with Arroyo’s bat winning the tie-breaker.  In the A.L., another tie, Toronto’s B.J. Ryan and Bosox rookie Jonathan Papelbon.  Why 2 relievers?  If you give up 2 runs in half a season as a closer, you pretty much can’t top that.

Rookie of the Year:    
As a consolation, AL ROY is Francisco Liriano, over Papelbon.

National League ROY goes to

Manager of the Year:
Leyland, and Willie Randolph, (except for that one inning against the Yankees).

NBA
The NBA playoffs for 2 rounds were exciting as it gets: Long series, every game close.  The next 2 rounds were disappointing, but the finals at least had 3 tight games.  Unfortunately, bad play and bad officiating seemed to be more determinative of the outcome than usual. 

The playoffs answered the key question that was gnawing at me:  Are the writers insane to give Steve Nash back-to-back MVP awards?   The answer is yes, since Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James proved they are the far better players, and can actually carry a team through the playoffs.  Steve Nash, okay, we get the joke.  He is a good point guard, short and slow.  In 2005 maybe he was more deserving, but in 2006, you had many qualified candidates.  The Phoenix Suns lost 8 more games this year than they did last year, but writers voting for this invented the theory that to do so while playing without Amare Stoudemaire, somehow was a miracle.  They make it sound like they were playing with 4 players, or that Stoudemaire was the 2nd coming of Michael Jordan.   Maybe Stoudemaire is the MVP, since evidently, he’s so great!  Or maybe the writers are underrating Sean Marion?   And let’s not forget the fact that Dallas, the team that let Nash go, has improved its record 2 years in a row, without Nash.  Does that make Nowitzki the MVP?  Or maybe Nash was holding them back, a cancer, kind of like Steph Marbury, where teams improve when he leaves.  I know people won’t vote for Kobe because he’s a jerk, but where would the Lakers be without him?  Forget the Cavs without Lebron. 

The Heat championship raises several questions.  First off, is D. Wade that good, or could the Heat have won with, say Kobe Bryant instead of Wade?  Could Kobe have taken a team with Shaq all the way?  Maybe, as long as there was a reputed “genius” coach at the helm.

That’s the next question.  Is Riley a genius?  His coaching record is astounding, in terms of regular season, where 55 wins a year is almost like a minimum, and he collects division titles like, say, baseball’s Bobby Cox. 
Riley has now gotten the monkey off his back, having won the championship with the second team, but before that, there was a lot of comparison with Bill Parcells.  Both had early success, winning championships, and then became these larger than life gods when they turned around other teams that were at the bottom of the heap.  They were built up by the media, and started writing books about success in life, and making motivational speeches.  Their multiples turnarounds separated them from the likes of Joe Torre and Phil Jackson, who have a lot of championships, but who have never taken a crappy team way beyond expectations.  With Jackson’s championships, he has always had the MVP/Hall of Famer on his team, in a sport with only five players at a time.  With Torre, he had meager success for almost 20 years as a manager, and then suddenly the right team and payroll pushed him into the elite. 

But for some reason, these 2 coaches had been getting knocked quite a bit.  Despite the fact that Parcells has quickly turned around 4 teams, getting each to the playoffs, people are comparing him to Belichick, and saying Parcells never won without Belichick.  (How come if a John Gruden wins a Super Bowl, they say, “ah, he worked with Holmgren, who worked with Bill Walsh”, which enhances the reputation of these coaching ancestors, but with Parcells, when his assistants do well, it’s “A Ha!”).  Riley has also turned the Knicks and Heat (first tenure) into contenders, well beyond what their rosters would indicate, but was hearing the “but never without Magic” criticisms. As if 20 plus years at the top of the league was a fluke.  Riles can now kick back and relax, he has nothing left to prove.

The Knicks
Scott Layden must be rolling over in his grave.   Scott Layden is dead? you say.    Not really, but I was thinking of all the times I buried the former Knick GM.  Now, instead of saying to Scott, “gee, you weren’t so bad”, I will be less forgiving, and say, “See what you started!”  The Knicks are an example of what would have happened to the Mets (Glavine, Mo Vaughan) if there were a salary cap in baseball.  And it started when they overpaid Ewing at the end of his career out of loyalty, then the Alan Houston mess, and now Isaiah’s Folly.  The saddest part of this is that the guy who runs the company where I get phone, cable and internet service from is the same guy who decided that it isn’t worth waiting until Larry Brown turns this around, that it is time to go let Isaiah lead the team. 

World Cup
In the last four years, I had forgotten how much bull shit there is in soccer, with the cheap elbows, the whining for calls, but most of all, all that bad acting.  Can you imagine if the NBA allowed stretchers out on the court, helped pick up someone off the floor who got hacked going in for a score, or bumped at mid-court?   Same guy is running around like nothing happened a few minutes later.

How come you can’t spell “soccer” without s-c-o-r and e, but you can play 90 minutes, plus the mystery extra time, without an s-c-o-r-e?


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Locker Room Chatter
with Peter Murphy
 March 29, 2006
Springtime for Saddam

No, not that this will be yet another Saddam-and-Sports article, but I had the idea that I could generate tax write-offs and make a killing if I wrote an article so bad, no one would read it. Springtime for (name a monstrous dictator) seems like a good place to start. So here are my lamest comments on the state of sports at the moment.

NCAA Hoops.
So far (cause you can always get a shitty final weekend), this is the best tourney I can remember. No blowouts, plenty-o-upsets, and a true Cinderella in the semifinals. There were some gut-wrenching close games, with more blame to the losers than credit to the winners (Gonzaga-UCLA, and Washington-UConn). Congratulations to Providence College, who refused to hire either of their alumni hoopsters Jimmy Laranaga or Billy Donovan. Yeah, Tim Welch of Iona has much more cachet, if that’s what you were looking for.
Congratulations to George Mason, and ‘kyou to those who wanted a 9th Big East team or a fifth ACC team who was 8-8 in conference. Can you imagine Arizona State going 4-4 in the Pac 10 and demanding a shot at the BCS championship of football? Shut up, the tournament should reward good play, not good pedigree. Every bubble team has a loss that was their Alamo, look in the mirror, smell yourself. 
And Duke is fast becoming the Mike Mussina of hoops. You still can’t believe it when they are eliminated, but it happens regularly enough that you shouldn’t be surprised. 
And Big Baby’s brick-rebound from the stripe against Duke notwithstanding, why do coaches continue to not contest rebounds of late-game free throws while nursing slim leads. (See Mason vs UConn). Do you really need 4 guys back to guard one guy? You can’t contest a miss, or pressure the ball up court? 
Prediction: Florida loses to UCLA in the final. 

Baseball
World Baseball Classic. Nice first try, but never has there been a premier sporting event that had athletes in their worst playing shape of the year. Maybe try in another four years, but do it like Olympic hockey, shut down the season mid-year for 2 weeks and play in peak shape with expanded rosters to allow for MLB stars to all get some R&R. And let’s make the MLB playoffs round robin, so the worst qualifier can maybe win the championship.

Barry Bonds. Let’s give the guy the benefit of the doubt, it’s just innuendo. Until you get a report with specific dates, and specific doses of specific drugs that no one has ever heard of, and now he has to be run out of the game. But how? 
Back in 2002, Bud Selig was heavily criticized for letting the All-Star game be tied. The top of the final inning in that game saw both managers consulting with Selig in his box seat, and then the game ended tied. And I’m sitting there saying, “what were they discussing?” Can Jeter pitch? Is it okay if Trevor Hoffman pitches up to 6 more innings?
There should have been no discussion, Selig should have anticipated a tie and that he would be blamed, cause, well, he’s hated. Selig should have done all the talking, as in:
“Torre, if you don’t score in the top of the inning, your pitcher is gonna groove as many fastballs as it takes to end this game with one swing.” And to Brenly:
“Brenly, they can use Sosa’s bat if they have to. But if the Americans score, then your Nationals are going to lay down like lambs 1-2-3. Capeesh?”
But the Commish didn’t listen to me. Now listen up, Bud.
Maybe let Bonds take down the Bambino, this way he can gloat about having the most lefty homers if he wants, but only he cares about it. Don’t let him top Hank Aaron. Run, don’t walk, to the nearest FBI office with all the secret private eye files you have on him (we know they have them), which will contain details of his cash-only memorabilia earnings, and former Ranger owner, George Bush’s IRS can put him on a fast track to the land of slamming doors. Where you sleep with pillows between your knees to soak up all that blood. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. Don’t miss your second chance to do the wrong thing! Call it the Capone-Snyder-McCovey-Rose-Strawberry maneuver.

Tragedy: And in the amazing race to the bottom, Doc Gooden has padded his lead over Darryl Strawberry with his recent drug troubles. Strawberry is expected to concede the race soon. The lengths some people will go to avoid being part of the Mets 8-month long celebration of the greatest sporting comeback ever. Oh yeah, Doc will be missing out on all the fun, 1986, this year ends in a 6. 1986, back when the Mets ruled New York. Take that Yankees! Bill Buckner, oh yeah. Take that Red Sox nation. What? I’m stuck in a time warp? Nineteen forty…. Nineteen forty. Betty Grable, nice gams. 

Pre-season predictions:

Playoff qualifiers:

National: Mets (decent enough team, easy competition now that Leo Mazzone is gone, and the Phillies, Marlins, and Expos imploded. Brewers and Reds will nab 2 slots for the central, because the Astros can’ t lose 2 Hall of Famers and still remain competitive, and this is the year Tony LaRussa finally becomes a complete manager, but learning to underachieve in the REGULAR season. Out west, lets go with the Dodgers, in a weak division. 

American: Pen in the Yankees, for the same reason, too much depth to not be at a minimum, the best 2nd place team, but this year I expect the Red Sox to run out of steam and fall far off the pace. Yanks win the division, Twins in the central, and Angels out west, with the White Sox and Indians battling for the wild card. With the Sox prevailing.

Cy Youngs: Heuston Street. He continues his meteoric rise, surpassing an aging Mariano as thee closer, and gets a city, or a street named after him in baseball heaven. Dontrelle Willis. Enough said (I couldn’t think of anything write now.) Remember: Bialystock and Bloom, Bialystock and Bloom.

MVP: In the American league, Alex Rodriguez, in a back-to-back performance. His main competitors in the talent field will either not be in contention (Tejada, Ortiz) or will decline in production (Sheffield, Guererro), and in his 3rd year, he will have no nervous issues (in the regular season). With guys on base ahead of him, and protection behind, fuggedaboutit. And in a surprise and refreshing twist, the national MVP will go to someone only those paying close attention this March has ever heard of, Kevin Finnerty, of Arizona.


NFL
Were we really on the brink of labor meltdown?  Now focusing on the draft, it’s amazing how the stock of the top players keeps shifting. Brees to New Orleans shook things up, and maybe Leinart or Young slips a bit. Does anyone still think that Reggie Bush is still gonna get 400 all-purpose yards a game in the pros? And what’s with University of Texas “educated” draftee Vince Young? He couldn’t spell eneffel if you gave him the N and the F, and told him to spell it as if it was all one word. 
Terrell Owens will behave for one year, because Bill Parcells is not Andy Reid, and Bill Parcells is also not Donovan McNabb. T.O. gambled, had his bluff called, and got screwed last year, and he knows to get his craved-for sunshine, he has to be on the field. The field with the star at the 50, where he will celebrate his first key TD, and where the fans will eat it up. 

Winter Olympics
See my comments four months from now about World Cup Soccer.

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Locker Room Chatter
with Peter Murphy
 January 16, 2006
Goobers & Raisinettes

 Back in 1997, following an heartbreaking home playoff loss by the Giants (no, not the Trey Junkin game, this was the on-side kick/pass interference game), the Giants blew a 10 point lead in the last few minutes vs. the hapless Denny Green-coached Vikings.  A highly agitated NY sports radio host, Mike Francesa, was at the game, and in an unprecedented move, insisted to his radio stations that he immediately host an unscheduled post-game call-in show on his day off.  This was so he, and the rest of the Giants’ faithful, could vent their frustrations in public without delay.

Likewise, this weekend’s NFL action saw so many strange and interesting things, it has driven me straight to the typewriter, ‘cause there’s just so much to say. 

Seahawks-Skins, zzzzzzzzz. 

Panthers-Bears, wow that Steve Smith!!  He has become what Terrell Owens could have been.  And John Fox is now the all-time leading coach in playoff winning percentage, Bill Belichick, thanks for playing; we have some wonderful parting gifts.  Fox holds the lead, until his next loss anyway.   The loss of De-Sean Foster for the rest of the playoffs will probably spell their doom in the NFC championship game, but I wouldn’t be surprised either if the Panthers end up in the Bowl.

And Broncos-Pats?  Well, it’s rare to see a 27-13 game be characterized as “could have gone either way”, but the Pats threw away about 13 easy points, and handed at least 10 easy points to Los Broncos.  They had a good run, winning 7 straight in the playoffs (discontinued appearances in the playoffs of course ended their previous 3 game streak), but before we start scratching our head about how Golden Boys Tom Brady and Troy Brown can come up small in a big game, as Pats fans well-know, Troy Brown fumbled twice in the snow vs. Raiders in 2001 (both recovered by one of the game’s true heroes, Larry Izzo), and Brady, famously fumbled to “end” the game in what was later overturned and ruled an incomplete pass (the “tuck”).  If you look back at the Pats run, unlike past repeat winners, they won a lot of close playoff games, with 5 of the 10 under Belichick coming by exactly 3 points (2 in Overtime), so the ball was bound to bounce against them sooner or later.  And let’s not cry over the referee calls either.  Didn’t the NFL have to clarify and emphasize wide-receiver harassment after the 2003 AFC championship game because there were so many uncalled muggings by the Patriots?

But lets face it, the only thing to really talk about after this weekend was Steelers-Colts. 

Steelers-Colts:  Right or wrong (and it’s wrong), the game will ultimately be all about Peyton Manning.  If you have followed Peyton long enough, you know that he has long been known derisively as “Goober”.  As in “Ole Goober just can’t win the big game”.  Of course, they were talking about beating the Florida Gators at the time, but pro fans, you can follow along. 

Tennessee was a powerhouse in Ole Goob’s days there, but they won the Fiesta Bowl and a national championship with a QB called Tee Martin, who followed Manning.  He failed in big game after big game.  And nowadays, when a player in uniform from, say Texas, pretends to be conducting the band playing the school fights song after the game, people think it’s cute.  But Peyton used to do this regularly, which annoyed many an SEC foe.  Manning also lost in a close Heisman trophy race, and not necessarily because his play was at fault.  A lot of the voters, my dishonest media brethren, voted for Charles Woodson not on talent, but because they didn’t care for Goober’s attitude. He then whined after finishing second, as if the world owed him a Heisman.  Yep, Old Goob came into the league as someone who had a lot to prove.  It’s funny now to think that Ryan Leaf was almost considered a better prospect in the 1998 NFL draft. 

After two 3-13 seasons, the Colts have been a top team in all but one year since 1999.  Until 2003, they said he could never win in the playoffs, although he wasn’t usually the reason they lost.  The Colts’ defense was always suspect, and lead to the firing of the ultimate can’t-win-in-the-playoffs coach, Jim Mora, now known as Jim Mora, Sr. (zero and 6 lifetime postseason record).  This year was supposed to be different, and Tony Dungy was credited with developing a solid all-around squad (including special teams).  But was supposed to be the Colts’ year, and they didn’t even win one playoff game.  They fell a staggering 6 wins short of a 19-0 season.  Again, this loss will hang on Manning, who is a less-likeable Dan Marino (8-10 in the playoffs) for the 21st century. 

As I have warned many times (usually by saying “Mark my words . . . . ”), Goober is a very me-first type of player.  He cares too much about his performance and stats over team goals, although now I’m sure he’ll take a super bowl championship over any future in-season accolades.  Despite the team kicking ass on the way to 13-0, and challenging Shula’s 1972 Dolphins , he was having more fun and was more animated in 2004 when he was challenging a different Dolphin, the 1984 Dan Marino.  Does he realize what Marino’s legacy is?  If you saw the post-game press conference Sunday, it’s clear that he is either so selfish or such a fool (or both) that he complained about “problems in protection”, essentially throwing his offensive line under the bus.  Knowing he has P.R. issues, why couldn’t he just go through the motions, saying all the right things after a loss.  Why be Matt Leinart when you can be Tom Brady?

To be fair, Manning is still a great player.  Even adjusting for indoor stadium, and high-flying offensive weapons, his 49 TD season is still good.  Shave off 40%, and you’re still at over 30 TDs.  The Colts would be worse without him, and just about any other team would be better with him as their QB.  It’s not like he sucks.   And when a team faces him in the playoffs, they don’t try to take down his receivers with hard hits, or stuff the line to neutralize Edgerrin James.  The whole scheme is about disrupting Manning.  Other than maybe someone like Michael Vick, or Vince Young, perhaps, the goal isn’t usually to just get the QB, because you don’t always know what they’re going to do.  Manning’s play is predictable.  That’s basically a salute by the league to his talent.  Even during Joe Montana’s hey day, the game wasn’t designed to stop the QB, it was to contain the offense as a whole.  Recently, a New York Times columnist complained that it was always Belichick vs. Manning, instead of vs Dungy.  Well, truth be told, it is the other coach vs. Manning.  the Patriots in their last 2 super bowl years basically had to shut down Manning.  They had weeks to get ready, and did an excellent job neutralizing ole Goob.  I’d like to see Tom Brady face a Belichick defense in a big game. 

And in yesterday’s loss, besides Vanderjagt, the defense didn’t execute very well in some key spots in the first half.  Weren’t they supposed to be the difference this year?  When Peyton waived off the punter on the 4th and 2, and converted, leading to a TD a minute later, let’s give him his due.   Had they won the game, that would have been a gutsy move for the ages.  And let’s not forget the head coach, who was ready to punt down 21-3 with 16 minutes to go.  In the aftermath of the game, the Giants are now considering trading Eli Manning and a first round draft pick for Philip Rivers, who has less miles on him.  And in the aftermath of the last two weekends, Archie Manning is considering having a vasectomy, for the good of the league.

Other points to the game: 

The Tuck, part 2: Maybe the tuck is in the rule book, but like the tuck, yesterday’s ruling that Polamalu “dropped” the pass, because several seconds after he caught it, and about nine yards away from where he caught it, his knee was still touching the ground when he “fumbled”.  This at first seemed like the game was fixed, as most NFL playoff games are.  But we were only suspicious when we had already seen a huge non-call on a pass-interference and the bizarre non-call on the 4th and 1 when everyone on the Colts, as well as in the Stanford band, was off-sides.  It seemed the refs were afraid to put the final nail in the Colts’ coffin.

Bill Cowher.  You finally found someone you could out-coach.  Too bad you never faced Marty Schottenheimer in one of your 5 other AFC championship games.  But if you look back at Cowher’s title game failures, he didn’t always have the much better team (home game and higher seed notwithstanding).  In the post-season, as a high seed they have lost to the Bills Juggernaut, the Pats twice, Elway’s Broncos during their repeat years, and the Chargers on the last play of the game.  O’Donnell, Kordell Stewart, Roethlisberger last year?  None of these guys were the better quarterback.  You may have doubts about Cowher’s big-game coaching ability, but wouldn’t you also have to assume that over his 14 years as head coach, he has probably over-achieved during the regular seasons.  This is not necessarily the case with the Dungys and the Schottenheimers of the world, who generally have solid regular season teams and should be winning in the playoffs. 

Roethlisberger:  Shut up about no one giving you a chance.  A year ago, you were 15-1, yet were home underdogs in the AFC championship game.  And you went out and sucked, as we knew would happen.  So don’t bring that crap up. 

Tony Dungy:  Like Vandejagt, Dungy benefits from having Peyton take most of the hits.  Nevertheless, being out-coached, GROSSLY out-coached by Bill Cowher?  That’s a big step down from being out-coached by Bill Bellichick, Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis.  Now we know Peyton basically calls his own plays, but who is responsible for the failure to get closer than a 46 yard FG, after?  You had the entire middle of the field, inside 10 yards to get a first down, and Bettis’ fumble spared all your timeouts.  You can overrule a quarterback?  What now?  What is going to become of the Colts next year, now that the whole world knows how to beat you?  This could be it for this version of the Colts, not many teams make the playoffs perennially, and they’ve made it four in a row, and 6 of the last 7 years.  Is their window closing?   Ask the Eagles how they feel, after 5 straight playoff seasons, while never losing in the first round, but winning no championships.  Nothing lasts forever.  Dungy, you’re time is running out too!

Player of the game? Troy Polamolamphetamine, who ran all the way back to Pittsburgh after the game.  He never slows down, but for the 2nd week in a row, his interception is followed by a blunder.  Last week, the pitch on the return, and yesterday, causing his own fumble.  Still, I love his energy and hustle, if not his girly-hairdo.

Vanderjagt:  The “idiot kicker” has done this before.  Eerily, he blew a game-winner, also about 25 feet wide right, well before Manning was known for not winning big NFL games.  Okay, so maybe it wasn’t all Manning’s fault even back in 2000 vs. Miami.  He also blew a tying FG in the 2004 Thursday night opener in Foxboro, the loss that made the Colts miss out on the bye and the home game before going down in flames to the Patriots.  However, immediately prior to all 3 Vanderjerk failures, the Colts made huge set up mistakes.  In the 2000 playoffs, the Colts turned down a penalty to force 4th and 1 and the kick, instead of 3rd and 7, because they felt they were within his FG range.  Perhaps, they could have gotten a first down, and kicked from closer.  And in the regular season loss in Foxboro, don’t forget that Manning was sacked by Willie McGinest on a 3rd and goal trying for the win.  The loss of about 10 yards evidently pushed the Colts out of his range, and he missed by inches.  Maybe  next time they face a 3rd and 2, they should let the kicker call the play.

Key and untalked about play of the game:  On Harper’s 44 yard fumble return with a minute left, replay shows that unless he pulls a Champ Bailey, if Harper makes the determination that he will out run Roethlisberger on the right sideline, instead of thinking he has to juke him back to the inside, then he probably scores, or at least gets another 40 yards.  This will haunt that man until they win a Super Bowl, if ever. 

Looking ahead?   It’s wide open, any combination of wins for these next three games is believable.  There’s a 3/4ths chance that the winner will be either first time franchise or first for a coach.  My money is on a rematch of 8 years ago, Shanahan vs. Holmgren, with Denver taking the title, leaving the other 3 streaks of futility in tact. 

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Locker Room Chatter
with Peter Murphy
January 6, 2006
Back to Work

 So the holidays are over, but do they ever really end, or do they just string together without missing a beat?  No sooner did we all toss out the Christmas Trees, then did stores start selling Martin Luther King Day candy.  It never lets up.

But now that most of the world is back to work, the real work of the NFL season begins.  College football is behind us (but for the much-awaited college all-star games), and baseball’s hot stove is overheating.

College Football Wrapup 

The Rose Bowl:
 I have been criticized for not saying the phrase “instant classic” enough.  Well this was just that.  The Rose Bowl started with a lot of obvious tension among the players, which seemed to make both teams mistake-prone.  This made for a better first half, with no blowout as was seen in last year’s final.  The 2nd half was an offensive show of force, with both teams running up and down the field.

Vince Young, a game for the ages, but what’s up with that throwing motion?  And did he hit one covered receiver the whole game?  Not only could USC not tackle well, they played a type of zone coverage that left guys wide open short of 15 yards down field.  It made it easy to pick them apart.  And how come everyone on the Texas D knew Lendale White was going to run it on 4th and 1 with 2 minutes left (personally, I would have given the ball to Heisman winner, Reggie Bush, but that would have required throwing into cent-uple coverage, as Bush was surrounded by about 100 other bench-bound Trojans on the play), yet USC couldn’t figure the obvious Vince Young-gonna-run-it-on-every-key-play strategy the Longhorns used in the last six minutes?  

I have to admit, I was always surprised with Pete Carroll’s dominance in college, especially since he runs the defense, and it was their offense that carried them through the 34-win streak.  Yet, I was also hesitating in criticizing him.  But last night was a frightening reminder of Cliff Robertson’s “Charly”, based on the book “Flowers from Algernon”.   Is Pete Carroll, the erstwhile genius, reverting back to the simpleton he so often appeared to be?   Leinart’s whine about USC being the better team may actually be true, but coaching let them down.  Gambling on 4th down (1 for 3), blowing a much-needed timeout on an extra point conversion, and not “spying” Vince Young in the 4th quarter were key coaching blunders by the Trojan staff.  

Ironically, the top 3 Heisman vote getters this year raised some concerns about their NFL status, in my eyes.  Since November, people have been drooling over their losing teams reminiscent of when Patrick Ewing was coming out of college.  Bush is flashy, but look around the league at all the top running backs that no one heard of in college.  NFL running is often a function of line blocking, and a complimentary good passing game, which keeps safeties deep.  Bush had a so-so game.  Leinart doesn’t seem like the future Carson Palmer just yet, and showed a little too much Pennington-like air under some of his passes.  And Vince Young didn’t complete or attempt anything deep or in coverage, and will no-doubt be in for a surprise if he thinks NFL defenses will allow him to run so free.  And his arm is suspect.  Lendale White’s stock may have risen, however.

In other Bowl games: 
 Like pre-teen Spin-the-Bottle (TM), football is a game of inches.  In the Fiesta Bowl, the last game ever in Tostitos Stadium, Notre Dame, on 2 key plays, came up just a mere120 inches short.  That’s how close their safeties came to catching two back-breaking bombs thrown by Ohio State’s QB.  Notre Dame came up short again, and seemed overmatched upfront vs. the OSU defense, and clearly needs more speed on defense.   Still, it was good to see ND back in the BCS bowl, if only to see ND get to share $14 million appearance fee with no one, and to hear Brent Musburger talk for four hours about Brady Quinn’s sister. 

While there didn’t seem to be a sense that anything was at stake, there were some exciting bowl games.  In another “Instant Classic” Alabama is back on the map, and got a hard-fought win against a feisty Texas Tech team.  Their buzzer-beating FG limped over the bar.  It was not the prettiest thing in the world, but neither is Laura Quinn.  But a win is a win.

It didn’t take an avalanche of reader mail for me to admit I was wrong that Joe Paterno should be fired (after five losing seasons).  With their revamped “modern” offense, evidently, you can teach an old dog new tricks . . . If you beat him over the head for five years, and threaten to tarnish his legacy.  Bobby Bowden, however, should hang ’em up.  The game has passed HIM by.

To renew my annual membership in the “we need a playoff” club, wouldn’t it be great to see teams like Penn State and Ohio State move on to the next round?  With their tough defenses, they can stay on the field with anyone. 

NFL
There were very few great match-ups the final weeks of the regular season, as most teams that had something at stake were playing teams that had given up.  But that’s all behind us now.  The season had a few interesting twists and turns, if you can call T.O. interesting.  Give him credit though, at least there were no “Towel” moments this year. 

4th Annual Regular Season Awards:

Best player:  Larry Johnson.  With over 1,400 yards in the final 8 games and 21 total TDs, the Chiefs must be drooling (at the thought of being able to trade Priest Holmes). 

Best Coach:  Lovie Smith.  He has da Bears playing his brand of defense, which has carried them all the way to a likely second-round exit.  

Luckiest:  Patriots.  Yes, they were snake bitten with numerous injuries, but this occurred in a down year for what has been the NFL’s best division.  The Jets fell apart, the Bills never got going, and Miami took time to gel. The AFC East had captured 14 of the AFC’s last 26 wild card berths over the last 10 years, and had accounted for 4 of the last 9 AFC Super Bowl entrants.  They also draw the weakest team in the playoffs for the first round (see predictions).

Least Lucky: Dallas.  They lost a couple games in incredible fashion, and were left short of the playoffs by a late-season run by the Skins. Perhaps the best team to not make the playoffs.  

Good Riddance: Take the blinders off, ESPN.  Favre is toast, and played like . . .  like other quarterbacks who lost their All-Pro running backs and have lousy receivers.  Say, Brooks Bollinger.  And during all those Favre montages, who was that young guy in the Favre jersey making all those great plays?  Don’t you have any from this century?
Other QBs who will or should hang them up:  Flutie, Testaverde, Bledsoe, Warner, and Blanda.   Good riddance to Herman Edwards.  I’ll miss his responses in press conferences, much as I miss Jim Fassel’s.

Playoff predictions: 

AFC:

I would look for the Steelers to ramp up the offense, gaining a road win vs. the Bengals, before falling to the Super Bowl bound Colts.  The Patriots will easily win their wild card matchup with the Jags, prompting endless discussion of Brady’s 10-0 playoff streak.  This is of course bogus, for four reasons:  First, the team, in a must win or face elimination game in late December 2002, lost to the eventual AFC east champ Jets, and didn’t make the playoffs.  The streak is not continuous, so is inherently bogus.  Second, on an adjusted basis, his record is really 6-1 (adjusted for games featuring late fumbles on sacks that are overturned allowing you to tie the score and win in overtime).  Third, Drew Bledsoe threw over 100 yards in relief, and threw the Pats only TD pass in that 24-17 win, so let’s say Brady is 5-1, or maybe 5 ½ and 1, adjusted.  Fourth:  Teams win games, not Quarterbacks.  Aren’t the Patriots the epitome of this truth?

(Okay, to be fair and consistent, Derek Jeter’s “adjusted” ALCS career batting average is only .256 instead of .262, since that kid reached over the fence to pull his flyout into the stands, and his career combined ALCS and World Series batting average is only .276 instead of .279, vs a career regular season batting average of .314 for “Mr. Clutch”. . . . only .276!!.    (Armando Beniteziz post-season E.R.A. dips to 3.26 from 3.56)

I think we were talking about the AFC playoffs?  Oh yeah, the magic soon ends for the Patriots, losing a tough game to a better-rested Denver at Mile High. 

NFC:   
 I expect the Giants to eke out a win at home in the first round, and then to move on to Chicago and end the Bears fantasy.  This second game requires a road win for the surging Skins over the Simms-led Bucs, who aren’t really a good team.  The game will, however, be an “Instant Classic”.   The Skins will then be no match for a well-rested Seahawks.  The extra week off and the home field advantage will spell doom for the Giants, which will raise new complaints about all those missed FGs from Jay Feely in the regular season game, which denied the Giants themselves the coveted bye and the 2nd seed.  But quickly, those complaints will dissipate, with Giants fans (those over age 9 anyway) recalling the Trey Junkin playoff mishap from three years ago as much worse.  (Note:  By getting my annual Trey Junkin reference out of the way so early in 2006, I have the option of using it again later in 2006, without seeming repetitive of fixated on the Trey Junkin mishap). 

Super Bowl:
 I will go with the Colts here, just because of the overall AFC dominance of the past decade.  The Colts do have two strong sides, and will benefit from the climate control of Ford Field.  Peyton Manning detractors, and he knows who he is, will be torn by the possibility of rooting against Tony Dungy’s team, while the rest of the country, sans Seattleians, will be pulling for Dungy amidst his family tragedy. 

 Hot Stove  (baseball)

 While I had already predicted the end of the Red Sox 3-year playoff run, I think the Johnny Damon deal sealed it.  Yanks stole away 3rd best hitter, and table setter for the Sox.  But the real story is the pitching.  Sox haven’t won the division since 1995, so even at their best, they were a wild card team. I think that they played over their heads in 2005, and though they remain talented, probably don’t have the grit or the starting pitching they had in 2004 to make it.  I am assuming the new Schilling, not the (good) Old Schilling will show up in 2006.  The Yanks, meanwhile, still have a solid lineup, and Damon improves it.  Getting Damon allows Yanks to slot down Jeter and A-Rod to their more natural slots.  If Giambi and Sheffield have solid years, then the lineup will make up for the deficiencies in the starting lineup, and Yanks should coast to a division win.    

The Mets meanwhile, are winning the NL East battle of attrition.  It’s likely that in 2005, Braves and Nationals played above their roster talent, and haven’t improved significantly.  Phillies and Marlins have gotten weaker over the off-season, while the Mets have added depth.  Losing Piazza won’t harm them, but another year of experience will help Reyes and Wright, so the Mets should win their division, even without Seo in the rotation, and with or without Manny Ramirez, who as of press time, is staying put in Boston.  But that’s just Manny being Manny.  (Do you think in the Ramirez home, when their three kids are misbehaving, and Mrs. Ramirez starts yelling that these kids are driving me crazy, that Manny tells her to calm down, that it’s just Manuelito, Manny Junior, and little Manny being Manny?)  
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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, part 2
by Peter Murphy
 October 5, 2005

Is there a better time of year than early autumn weekends when you don’t have to schlep to the beach, the weather is still great but not oppressively hot, and most importantly, the NFL regular season and baseball post-season are heating up.   I will focus here on baseball.

Baseball Regular Season Awards:
Again, the BWAA is gonna yank my credentials for disclosing my votes ahead of time. I’m pretty much sticking with my mid-season picks, with slight changes.  To tip my hand regarding MVP, I’ll mention upfront that I disagree with the notion that “value” is heavily slanted to players on winning teams.  Now, while in many cases, you could support the argument that without a certain top player, a certain team would not have made the playoffs.  But in most cases, let’s take the Yankees and Red Sox for example; by making the playoffs by such a slim margin (2 games over the Indians), each team probably has several players that made the difference.  In the Yankees case, you could cite Rivera, Sheff, A-Rod, Giambi, Matsui, Randy Johnson, and let’s not forget Jeter.  That’s 7 guys.  Using the playoff out is what cost Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams (twice) MVPs despite winning triple crowns.  It cost the hated Albert Belle the title in favor of Mo Vaughan in 1995.  At the time, it was said that Vaughan was a leader in the clubhouse, and was a better fielder than Belle.  You can stop laughing (or crying) now, Mets fans.  I heard some radio pundits this weekend say that Saturday’s victory clinches the MVP for A-Rod, because they won their division.  The next day, in what started out as a must-win, the Red Sox clinched a spot, and matched the Yankees 95-win total (depriving the Yanks of the 2nd seed).  Does that mean that suddenly Manny Ramirez should get the MVP over A-Rod, who couldn’t prevent a 10-1 loss (as if he was going to pull out another 10-RBI game)?  In 1998, McGwire won the epic chase for Maris, but Sosa was a near unanimous MVP. Why?  Because the Cubs won a whopping 90 games, 7 more than the Cardinals.  Did that mean that if you had traded those players, the Cardinals would have made the playoffs?  Possible, but doubtful.  And is 90 a valuable win total?  What about 82?  Could the best 2005-Padre be considered for MVP?  They made the playoffs.  To me, MVP is for the year’s best player, and can include pitchers.

NL MVP:            
Sticking with Derek Lee.   He led the majors in average, 4th in HR’s, and bad teammates held him back in RBI.  Can steal a base too.  Andruw Jones, whose first name is spelled wrong according to my spell check, was too Kingman like at the plate, although he is also a great fielder.  Believe it or not, this 50-homer guy scored ONLY 95 runs (and batted a paltry .262).  Pujols gets my 2nd place vote.

AL MVP:
I’m actually switching to A-Rod.  He had the best totals in the crown categories; plays good defense, and can steal a base.  He’s won it before (an exception, while on the 4th place Rangers).  My mid-season pick, Ortiz, gets my 2nd place vote.  Ortiz is a clutch player (though not on base or with a glove), and much has been made of his late-inning prowess and his average with men on base.  In baseball history, guess what player has the highest single-season batting average with men on base?  The answer is, who knows? and it doesn’t matter that much.  We have never drilled down that deep before, and the ARod-haters just use it as an excuse to knock him, including Yankee fans who harped on him all of last year.  A-Rod is one of the greatest players ever, a multi-tool guy, who happened to have a great year.  To Ortiz:  2nd place is not a dis.  Congratulations. 
3rd place?  Scott Podsednik.  Not for any merit, but due to some last-minute ballot stuffing from Chicago.

NL Cy Young:
Close, but I’ll stick with Dontrelle Willis.  Exciting player, win-leader, 4th in MLB in E.R.A., and a stronger finish than runner-up, Chris Carpenter.  3rd place, tie between Pettite and Clemens.  Clemens had an early edge, and lead majors with a sub-2 E.R.A.  Dry those tears, Clemens fans, think back to last year, when Randy Johnson dominated NL hitters and pitching stats all year on a bad team that provided little run-support, and came in a distant 2nd to Clemens.  What goes around comes around.

AL Cy Young:
I’ll stick with Mariano Rivera because he was un-hittable for a good two months, and gave up very few hits, walks and runs all year.  He had more innings than all other closers.  2nd place goes to Johan Santana, who is otherwise the best pitcher this year, a generally weak year for A.L. hurlers. 

NL Rookie of the Year:
Willie Taveras, Houston.  There was just no competition.

AL Rookie of the Year:
Huston Street, Oakland A’s.  Consider this.  His record is comparable to Mariano Rivera’s.  Street gave up 3 more hits, 8 more walks and 3 more earned runs in the identical 78.3 innings.   Street’s E.R.A. of 1.72, with 23 saves (didn’t begin as closer until June) is unheard of for a rookie reliever.  Street finished strong, going 3-0 and had 18 consecutive saves after the July 10th, (a stronger finish than Rivera’s) in Oakland’s futile attempt to make another post-season run.  Honorable mention to Robinson Cano, Scott Kazmir, and Jesse Crain.  

Managers of the Year: 
Sticking with Mike Scioscia and Frank Robinson.  Honorable mention goes to Willie Randolph, as a rookie skipper, who kept the Mets playing hard all year, their best year since 2000.  And let’s not forget, there is a certain World Series winning manager who overcame adversity to reach the playoffs this year with 95 wins, despite some horrendous injuries to the pitching staff.  Coming from behind to make the playoffs with some key wins in the final four games.  Only he didn’t cry about it, this honorable mention goes to Terry Francona.

Best move of the year:  
Moving Kurt Schilling OUT of the bull-pen before he could do any more damage.  Runner up:  Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s late-season acquisitions of Al Leiter, Matt Lawton, and Buck Foston.

General thoughts on the year:
The season had great excitement due to many hands in the wild card game close to the end. The ubiquitous steroids story will wither away faster than a Raffy Palmeiro boner without the performance enhancing substances.  Locally, some young players (Jacobs, Wright & Reyes) show promise for the future, while Robinson Cano played well far from the spotlight, which is what happens when you field basically an All-Star team.  There were many surprise teams, such as Cleveland, the Chisox, the Expos (um, Nationals), and maybe even the Braves, who with a weak team won a record 14th straight division title.  Except for the Padres and Braves, most playoff teams fought their way in.  And who is the hottest team coming into the post-season?   Well, if you forget the first quarter of the season, and only count the final 122 games, then you would be surprised to know the answer is the Cardinals, who went 75-47 to close out the season.  The Yankees and Astros are close, at 74-48, while the Angels and Sox tied for 4th at 72-50.   Baseball’s truly hottest team (final 122 only) was the Indians, with a 76-46 record, but sadly, 1-5 in the final week did them in.

 MLB Post-season predictions:

American:
Don’t believe the hype about the Anaheim Angels of America, or whatever they call themselves now.  They do not play the Yankees enough or beat them enough to make you think they have the Yankees’ number.  Their offense is just not that intimidating, even for the Yankees staff.   And the stunning reversal (Yanks blow 2 of 3 over the weekend) of game sites might be no favor to the Angels, who would be looking for the chance to steal 1 of the first two at Stade Yankee.  Now, the pressure is on Colon in game 1.  The Yankees have too potent an offense relative to the Angels.  I predict one blown save by Rodriguez, and Yanks in 4. 

The Red Sox are a potent offense, but their pitching is suspect.  The White Sox struggled of late, but I just have a gut feeling that they will sneak past Boston, who have played spotty in streaks.  Even if the Sox sneak by the Sox, they come-down in the closer role from the magical 2004 season (Remember that bad snap from Trey Junkin?  Sure that was the NFL post-season of 2002, but I just love bringing it up.) should prove to be too much, and the Yankees should advance to the fall classic.

National:
It is a federal crime to even discuss the first round, so skipping to the NLCS, I think the Cardinals will hold on and their hitting will top the Astros pitching.  Petitte and Clemens have too many post-season losses (15 combined) to ignore. 

As I predicted last year, (and was wrong), I will pick the Cardinals and the Yankees in a rematch of the 1926, 1928, 1942, 1943 and 1964 fall classics.  And if history is our guide, the Cardinals will win in 7. 

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Locker Room Chatter
with Peter Murphy
 July 11, 2005

Gimme A Break

The NBA and NHL season’s are over, and the MLB All-Star break is at hand.  It’s been a season of surprises so far, with lots to comment on:

All Star Game

Mid Season Awards

     Cy Young:  Dontrelle Willis and Mariano Rivera
     MVP:   Derrek Lee and David Ortiz
     Manager of the Year: Frank Robinson and Mike Scioscia
     Biggest Surprise: Expos and White Sox (yes, I know I said Expos)

Other baseball comments:

And in other sports:

NHL

Game off.  Nothing really to say. Jeremy Roenick can kiss my ass.

NBA  


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Locker Room Chatter
with Peter Murphy
 May 9, 2005

Spring Fling

Well it’s already Mid-May, and the Spring 2005 sports scene is looking very similar to most years.  For instance, Martin Brodeur has not let up many goals this year, as usual.  Other major non-surprises: 

Lets go around the horn:

Baseball

Cycling

NCAA Basketball

Belated congratulations to Syracuse, Washington, Duke and Kentucky on winning their conference tournaments.   Condolences go out to West Virginia, UNC, and Michigan State, who failed in their conference tourneys.  If you’re not into subtlety, then my point is that these conference tourneys, like much of the regular season, are over-hyped.  It’s what you do in mid-March and late March that counts.  That’s why Gene Keady has been fired from Purdue so many times.  Lack of NCAA tourney success. 

With UNC’s victory, we now know certain facts that weren’t so clear before:

  1. Bruce Weber is a good coach. 

  2. Roy Williams is a good coach. 

  3. Bill Self is a good recruiter, but not a good coach.

  4. Matt Doherty is a good recruiter, but a lousy coach.

  5. Jim Boeheim is a good coach.

How do we now know Boeheim is a good coach, even though his Big East squad lost as a 4-seed to Vermont?   Well in 2003, we still weren't sure, because he beat Roy Williams, who until fact #2 above was revealed, was considered a lousy coach.  What other conclusions could we have drawn?

NBA

Potpourri

 Well, that’s all for now.

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The Five Sports People You Meet in HELL
by Peter Murphy
February 26, 2005

Hmm, the letters in “HELL” are capitalized, could this be a clever way to work in a long-awaited mention of Hockey into this sports column, as in “H-E-Double Hockey Sticks”?

Apparently not, this article will focus solely on “Chez the Prince of Darkness”, but more specifically, on some current and future residents of same.   According to my understanding, there are 2 ways to get to hell.  You either meet the minimum number of evil deeds, or you bargain with Lucifer, or one of his advocates, to sell your sole for some earthly delights.  Actually, there is evidently a third way, but we don’t know how they do it (as in “she’s from hell”). 

Here is my list of the 5 sports figures that, if you’re bad enough, you can look forward to meeting in Hell.

1. Satanic Worshiper Laettner, whose Christian name was actually Christian.   The 1990 sweet 16 buzzer beater versus UConn made us all suspicious (actually, anyone who plays for a team called the Blue Devils is suspect).  The Elite 8 buzzer beater (after not being ejected for kicking a downed Kentucky player, which is the college version of the Clemens sawed-off bat throw)  vs the prevent defense of Rick Pitino’s Wildcats was damning as well, leading the Blue Devils to the seemingly impossible NCAA hoops repeat.  But Dream Team member?  Over Shaq?  And this guy’s still playing in the NBA.  Come on, this guy has some flames in his future.

2. Scottie Pippen.  Is there any better example among the NBA alleged top-50 all-time players?  Too bad Pippen didn’t read the fine print, because his Top-50 designation is merely applicable to the 1997 anniversary version.  There are at least 15 players who have emerged in the league since then that will bump this dude from consideration for future Top-50 lists.  But at least you get to keep your 6 rings that Michael bought you.  Let’s face it, you are overrated.  Your best play, non-Michael, was sitting out the inbounds pass, allowing Kukoc to sink the Knicks in game 3 of the 1994 East conference semis.  See you in Hell!

3. Jason Diablo Giambi.   He edges out Barry Bonds.  At least Bonds was a legit star on his own, pre-steroid.  Delicious irony:  In his super-lame press conference a couple of weeks ago, he showed that he had huge Cojones.  Steinbrenner was right, it takes a pretty big man to stand up and admit absolutely nothing.

4. O.J. Simpson.   Simpson at #4 just goes to show you that this list is apparently in random order.  It’s the 2nd murder that puts him over the top.  Enjoy eternal damnation.

5. Tom Brady.   First he steals Bledsoe’s job after Drew nearly died on the field.  Then the Fumble (known in the New England as “The Tuck”), and a trio of 3-point Super Bowl victories.  Throw in dating Bridget Moynihan, and shagging Alyssa Milano (although that’s news to her), and he just makes the list with these other bad boys.  Sorry Tom, you seemed like a nice kid.

Honorable Mention (the 333 club)

6. Joe Torre.   Say it ain’t so, Joe. His sister being a Sister (nun) is all that saves him from the top 5.  He traded a lifetime of managerial mediocrity for the brass rings.   One more autumn failure may push him back to the purgatory side. 

7. Nicollete Sheridan’s towel.  No one is that lucky without a little h-e-l-l-p.  

8. Uday (but not Qusay) Hussein   His mistreatment of the Iraqi Olympic team gives him the edge.  Plus, if you try to put yourself in Qusay’s shoes, you’d see he really wasn’t that bad of a guy.

9. George Steinbrenner.  He makes it on both the way-too-lucky and the evil-deeds side, having overseen the Evil Empire itself.               

10. Oliver Cromwell  (He’s actually a co-owner the place):  One word: Drogheda.  His connection to sports?  Well, he was a horseman.

11. Mitch Albom.  For exploiting poor Morrie’s suffering, every Tuesday like clockwork.

12. Kofi Annan. Srebrenicia, 1995.  His connection to sports?  Well, he’s full of horsemanure.

13. Jose Canseco. He might have made the top 5, but even Satan didn’t want this clown.

 Readers:   Write in your personal candidates, with an explanation of why they qualify.

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That’s A Rap
by Peter Murphy
 February 12, 2005
Another NFL season has ended predictably, with yet another AFC victory.  That’s 6 out of 8 years.  The AFC is dominating this century like it did during the hey-day of the NFL, back in the 1970s.   The 70s featured some of the most dominant teams, and some legendary coaches and quarterbacks.   How many of today’s league participants can match up with the likes of Noll, Grant, Shula, Landry and Madden?  Or with Hall of Famers Bradshaw, Tarkenton, Staubach, Stabler, and Griese. (Yes, Griese is in the Hall).

This reminiscing is probably awakening you to an interesting notion, and I agree fully with what you are now thinking.  What’s all this crap about it’s tougher now to put together a run of championship seasons in the NFL than it used to be?  I know that’s what they claim the salary cap has done, but is it really true?  In the 1970s, the Steelers won back-to-back twice, and the Dolphins also turned a double play.  These teams had to fight their way through the Raiders (5 straight AFC championship games), Vikings (4 Super Bowl appearances in 8 years) and Cowboys (who made the playoffs in 16 out of 17 years at one point, and played in 5 Super Bowls and 6 more NFC championship games between 1966 and 1982). 

In contrast, today’s typical back-to-back winners (Denver, New England) are fighting their way through Bill Cowher (Hall of Fame tactician?), Marty Schottenchoker, and Herm Edwards?   When the Patriots win, their opponents (McNabb, Manning, Roethlisberger) are belittled.  I don’t recall (because I wasn’t born yet) people picking on Snake or Tarkenton or Staubach every time their team came up short in the post-season.   Bud Grant and Marv Levy are in the Hall of Fame and never won anything.  What contemporary coach will even sniff the hall without winning the Lombardi prize?

Speaking of the Marv Levy era, how about the Bill Walsh 49ers (won 3 out of 6 yrs, or 4 in 9), or the Switzer-Johnson Cowboys (3 in 4).   They had quite impressive championship credentials despite having to battle other powerhouses.  From 1981 to 1995, just 4 teams won 13 of the 15 Super Bowls.  The 49ers run was in the midst of strong competition from the Giants and Redskins, both multiple Super Bowl winners.  A solo winner but also a power house was the Chicago Bears of the mid-1980s.   Dallas had to perennially fight off the 49ers or Packers, and then the Bills to get their rings.  

Alright already, I agree with what you’re thinking.  It is silly that this notion of impossibility of dominance in the cap era has gone unchallenged. 

And let’s not pretend that the current title holders are doing magic with the salary cap.  Let’s face it, they got lucky with a winning QB in the sixth round, which saves them substantial cash vs. a blue-chipper, and but for Ty Law (who is about to get the Lawyer Milloy/Terry Glenn treatment), several other big name Pats are taking a discount to play for the Belichicks.  The organization and staff has parlayed a lucky tuck into a championship run by getting players to take less money than other teams have to pay.  When the run is all over with, the Patriots era (all of three playoff seasons out of four) will be not be remembered as a great era in football, and their championships will be forgotten.

SUPER BOWL  x v v v v v iiii
(That’s 39 in Arabic numerals). 

 Notre Dame in the news

Notre Dame has come to the rescue (of everyone) yet again, beating the team that no one else can beat (this time, soon to be ACC cellar dwellers, Boston College).  This hero complex  started back in the 1950s, when the Irish beat Bud Wilkinson’s “The Undefeated” after a 47 game run.  ND also beat the heretofore-unbeatable Miami Hurricanes of the late 80s and the 1993 FSU Seminoles when everyone else was afraid to. 

Digger Phelps turned the trick many a time, most memorably upsetting UCLA after 88 wins (in fact, ND wins were the bread of the 88 win sandwich), but also downing San Francisco (29-0 in 1977) and later DePaul with future bad-boy Mark Aguirre.  The Lady Irish (the Coleens?) also got into the act, downing UNC at soccer, snapping the Tar Heelettes 31 game win streak (and 9 year NCAA championship streak).

In other ND news:   Notre Dame’s new football coach takes over (depriving the New England Patriots of its offensive genius), just as USC loses it’s offensive genius to the NFL. 

USC and Notre Dame.  Two teams headed in different directions?  Stay tuned.

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Snowbound
by Peter Murphy
 January 24, 2005

Well, it’s the middle of winter, and a major storm is hitting the Springfield region in the state that I live in.  So I might at well put the time to good use.

Hot Stove League  

NFL Playoffs 

Wild Card Round

 Division and Championship rounds.

NBA

 NHL

The Longest Year
 by Peter Murphy
December 21, 2004

The title of this article is a twist on “The Longest Yard” the classic football flick starring Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, that-bald-guy-who-always-plays-a-bad-guy, and the doofy guy from F-Troop.  Or for those of us who are still of an age when their auto insurance is more expensive than their life insurance, it’s a twist on the coming-to-theaters-soon remake, starring Adam Sandler (very believable as a guy doing hard time), and featuring budding Hollywood starlet Corrinne Saffell, of “Lingerie Bowl 2” fame.  But my real intention is to describe 2004, a year in sports that seemed like it was at least 24 hours longer than any year since 2000.

But . . .  rather than recap the year, recent events across the sports world have provided plenty of commentary fodder.   Besides, recapping a whole year wouldn’t be as fun as in last year, when you could sneak in a reference to Trey Junkin’s short snapping heroics of January 2003, right about when people were beginning to forget. 

NBA

NFL

Quarterback commentary:

NHLzzzzzzz

Players offer to roll back salaries by 25%.  The owners rejected it.  Are the owners freakin’ crazy?  Actually, No.  The players offer was an act of desperation, and the owners have the players on the run.  This desperation will increase as time goes by.  The owners were ready to blow off the whole year to begin with, so why stop now.  By summer, after the season is cancelled, the owners will get a great deal, probably a salary cap, although some lasting fan-damage will be done. 

Baseball

NCAA

Joe Paterno 
There are 2 arguments.  Either, (1)  He deserves to go out on his own terms, or, (2) The athletic department/The University should be able to remove him if it feels it would improve the program.  Almost 100% of people everywhere is in the second camp, ie, Paterno does NOT deserve to go out on his own terms.  100% seems high, but let me explain: 

Penn State has sucked for about 5 years.  Every year, more people feel that Paterno should be shown the door (degree of delicacy in doing this varies).  For those who “say” let him leave on his own terms, consider this:  If Paterno is still there in say, 10 years, without going to a bowl or contending, would you remove him?  How about 15 or 20 years, or if he lives long enough, 30 years, with limited success?  At some point, everyone would agree to whack him.  This shows that people don’t really believe he should go out on his own terms, they feel it’s up to the school.  The only variation is whether 3 years, or the current 5 years, or some other number of years is enough of disappointment. 

The solution:  (which should have happened a year ago).  The A.D. says, “Look, you can coach 1 more year.  Either you announce that now or during next season, and enjoy all the accolades, or, at the end of year, you will be fired, the school and me as Athletic Director, will take some heat, and likely get some kudos from well-heeled alumni who are sick of failure.  But you will be humiliated to some degree by going out kicking, screaming, and losing.  The championships and undefeated non-championship seasons will be somewhat forgotten, and the enduring memory will be of the ending ugliness.  Your choice, Jo Pa.”

Notre Dame Football
Hell OHHHHHHHHHHH.  The last 2 times Notre Dame hired a football coach, they got their 3rd or 4th choice (or higher).  Don’t they learn from their mistakes?   ND didn’t want to look like Auburn, by hiring a coach before they fired the existing coach, i.e, they didn’t want to look bad.  Well they ended up looking bad anyway, and they didn’t get the hot new coach they wanted, Urban Meyer from Utah. 

A word to the Weis:  Just Win baby!  Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.  That’s the real motto for Irish football.  He may have to be a genius, or cheat to make it come true.  But that raises 2 important points.  First, ND should lower their FOOTBALL standards.  The way their rigid academic requirements are, they should compete with Stanford, Northwestern, and Boston College, not with Miami, Fla. State, Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan or USC.  Second, they should compete with Miami, Fla. State, Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan and USC and lower their rigid ACADEMIC standards.  Let’s face it.  How long is NBC and the Irish’s well-heeled subway alumni going to put up with this crap.   

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Reader Survey
 by Peter Murphy
November 19, 2004
Ordinarily, I would be writing something topical (about Dave Wannstedt quitting as Dolphins head coach so that he could smoke more weed), or sarcastic (about four Univ. of Memphis hoop players being burglarized of several items, including $40,000 worth of mink coats), or provocative (like stating that the Yankees, and NOW the Red Sox are ruining baseball with their spendthrift ways).   But, instead, as the calendar dictates and as popular demand requires, it’s time again for the 4th annual Year-End Reader Award Survey.   So read on, and remember to vote.  Or Die. 

 (Hit Feedback button at the end of the survey)

1. Who is the athlete of the year?

2. What was the year’s biggest surprise?

And finally:

3. Who is the Biggest Buffoon in each Sport

 A. Basketball (the Jayson Williams Award)

B. Baseball (the George Steinbrenner Award)

C.  Football (The Warren Sapp Award)

D. Soccer

 E. Hockey

#!@%&*! (Curses)
October 28, 2004

Musings on the baseball post-season
• Finally, the Sox win.  It’s a good thing, now we can move on to other things.  The Pirates now join the bottom-5, of teams with the longest drought (not counting the Rangers, Expos, Astros, Padres, Mariners, and Brewers, who have never won a WS).

• A very boring “coronation”, after game 1.  The Cardinals put up absolutely no fight, which rarely happens in baseball.  

• Once Suppan showed his inexperience on the bases in game 3, Pedro was lights out, and that was that.   It was pathetic, really.  Will this team be a factor in 2005?  Will Tony LaRussa get a pass, or will he take some heat like Joe Torre finally (deservedly) is?

• Overall, the post-season wasn’t quite as good as last year’s which was off the charts.  But for the Sox, the curse is double dead, (title, plus beating the Yankees).  May the Bambino finally rest in peace. Now, only the Mets and Reds have it over the Red Sox.   For all eternity! 

• The Sox comeback from the dead versus the Yankees was the ultimate team victory.  As with many close series, pretty much every Red Sock contributed in some way to the comeback victory (all except 3rd base coach Dale Sveum, who wins my inaugural Jose Oquendo award for lousy 3rd base coaching).

• Foulke?  Sure, we knew he was good, having posted nearly identical stats vs Mariano Rivera in Innings, Games, K’s, batting average against, E.R.A., and blown saves in 2004.  (alright, maybe we didn’t realize that, cause many Sox blowout victories came without saves).  14 innings, 7 hits, 1 run in the post season.  Maybe the best post-season ever for reliever?

• How bad, in terms of fundamentals, must Manny Ramirez have been in high school, before he got to see 1,500 major league games, and be around dozens of coaches for 12 years.  Yet, his overthrow of the cutoff man in game 3 turned out to be a huge turning point.  17 game hitting streak.  He’s the new Mr. October.

• What would Jesus do, if he were on the Red Sox?  Besides chanting “Whose My Daddy?, He’d probably probably say “What in the name of Me is Jennifer Garner doing next to Ben Affleck in a Red Sox hat?

• Does anyone want to a ball autographed by both Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson? 

• Will Mia say “Now that’s showing some emotion, Nomar” after he takes a baseball bat to all that new china they got from the wedding.  It’s bad enough he passed up a never-to-be-seen again $60 million 4-year contract.  Now, virtually the only homegrown Sock on the 2004 team, finds out that he was the curse, that he has the birthmark on his skull featuring the number of the beast: 1918.

• On Fox’s coverage of the post-season.   Since when does a few soldiers, all hailing from 3 or 4 states in the northeast, constitute a “multinational force”?   And why was  Al Leiter so quiet during the World Series? 

Yankees 
Was it only a year ago, after a devastating loss, the Yankee Nation (lead by Jeter, who said after the Boone dinger “We have a lot of ghosts in this building.”) proclaimed eternal dominance.  Now, it’s the Yankees who appear cursed, being eliminated two years in a row on their own formerly hallowed ground.

But wait.  Ask yourself this, if the Yankees don’t make one single move over the off-season, how many wins can the team, as is, (minus Willie Randolph?) have over a 162 game 2005 schedule.

 It’s possible that Jeter, A-Rod, Giambi and Matsui can have better years.  Williams, Posada and Sheffield aren’t finished yet.  Their lineup is still well-above average.  Mussina could bounce back for a full season, and Lieber has shown his chops.  Brown, Vasquez have a lot to prove, and Brown is probably washed up. But Vasquez has a shot  But, as we saw with the Dodgers, Cardinals, Braves, and Twins, very few teams have strong pitching staffs.  And there’s no guarantee that Lowe and Pedro will be back in beantown, or that an aging Schilling will give a shit anymore. Will the bullpen do its job, better than most other teams?  Add that all up, and you must get at least 90 wins, is it unreasonable to expect a few more.  Remember, this year’s squad didn’t get great starting pitching, still won 101 games.    Is this a playoff team?  Who’s gonna knock them out, the A’s,  White Sox or Indians?  The Rangers? The Yankees don't need to make major changes.  They can win it all next year with what they've got. Just play better baseball when it counts.

Now for a shocker:   The Curse of the Bambino actually got in the Yankees heads more than the Red Sox heads.  They clearly tightened up in games 6 and 7 vs. the surging Sox.  They were relying on the curse.  That’s crap.  They were the Yankees, they had a great team, though not perfect.  They played tight, got no clutch hitting after the middle of game 5.  In 2003, they blamed the drama and exhaustion of the ALCS for their poor showing in the WS.  They made a June capping of sweep of the Red Sox at the stadium out to be “the greatest regular season game ever played”, and then promptly got swept by the hapless Metropolitans.  They got all excited at keeping the Bosox at bay in September six game split, but by then the Yankees had already all but qualified for the playoffs.  Torre over-taxed the bullpen all year, fighting for the division, and you can’t say fatigue wasn’t a factor in Tom Gordon’s and Rivera’s October meltdowns.

The fans also got carried away, dressing as ghosts, putting Babe’s face all over the place.  Yankee fans were more into the curse than Red Sox fans.  And the deep sadness and disbelief that they would finally lose to the Sox.  Isn’t losing, to anyone, bad enough?   Was being defeated by the Marlins so fun?  Other than about 5 long-time Yanks, plus Sheffield, Olerud, and Brown,  most Yankees have never won a World Series.  All playoffs losses should sting equally.  Move on already. 

And on other topics.

The NHL
The silence is deafening.  No, not the empty arena’s, but the apathy on the part of everybody.  The league and players aren’t even talking.  There’s no urgency.  The players saved up their money, or are working elsewhere, and the owners save money by not playing.  How sad it must be, growing up in Phoenix, Columbus, Charlotte, Tampa Bay, and Nashville, without hockey.  How are they coping?

NFL
Quietly, the NFL season has progressed 7 weeks and the original 2 front-running teams are seemingly unchallenged at the top of the heep.  The Belichicks and the Andy Reids are easily the class of the league.  The Pats are on a remarkable run (20 games as of this writing), although they should more concern themselves with winning in the playoffs than the pressure of the regular season streak (see Yankees above.  Keep your eyes on the prize). 

Tom Brady has single handedly won 20 straight.  Joe Montana never did that.  He reminds me of Phil Simms.  You know, never down by more than 7 points in any game, great kicker, great defense.  I wonder what would happen if he had to go up against the one team that humbles all other offenses.  The Patriots.  I wonder what that would be like, him facing a Belichick contrived defensive scheme.  That’s kind of like pitting the 2004  “comeback Yankees” against Mariano “money” Rivera.  Except that age-old question is more like asking could the Mets mount a comeback while facing John Franco. 

This year’s surprises seem soft (Jets, Giants, Broncos, Vikings), and the busts are numerous (Cowboys, Bengals, Panthers).  I never thought I’d say this, but I actually feel sorry for Dolphin fans, they’re that bad. 

Barry Bonds/Tyler Hamilton
Even though my ballot said Pujols, it looks as if Barry Bonds is going to win the NL MVP again.  The balloting was held prior to new embarrassing revelations (proof!) that Barry is an ass.  There aren’t many guys who would try to treat Gary Sheffield like a child?  But Bonds has more troubles, since there is taped evidence of his steroid supplier talking about Bonds using illegal enhancements.  And with some of Bonds’ specimens still on ice at the lab, it’s time for drastic action.   He needs to hire one of Olympic cyclist Tyler Hamilton’s minions to go on another tamper-trip into the lab.  I’m sure Barry has enough cash to make it happen, although I suspect in Hamilton’s case, his fans (average age: 17.  average number of X chromosomes:  2.0) were probably after his specimens for more personal reasons. 

NBA
This could be a good season, with the Lakers no longer a front-runner. A lot of talent changed hands:  Rockets, Heat, Jazz have improved.  Dallas, New Jersey, Lakers have slipped.  I would expect that at least 6 teams have a shot at winning division titles.  Okay, that was a trick, because as everyone now knows (That’s everyone with access to this WorldWideWeb sports column, which is to say about 3 billion people), the eastern and western conferences have both split into 3 divisions.

 Still, I’d expect some one of the Kings, T-Wolves and Spurs to battle with the Pacers, Pistons, or maybe even the Heat out of the east. 

Biggest rude awakening.  Omeka Okefur carrying the expansion Bobcats to no where.  This team might win 5 games.  Second rudest awakening:  New Orleans Hornets, moving to the western conference.  Ouch!   Third rudest awakening:  New Jersey’s new ownership.  “ I didn’t know NBA arenas echoed that loudly!”

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"Wregular Season Wrap-Up"
by Peter Murphy
October 4, 2004
 
Pennant Races
A tip of the hat to the Angels, and good riddance to the A’s.   Skipper Mike Scioscia managed to convince the team to suspend a top player, Ozzie Guillen, for having a bad attitude, and it paid off.  Let's hope the Yankees have the guts to dock Kevin Brown for his 3 missed weeks.  Maybe it won’t lead to player revolt that they fear. The A’s can never win the big games.  The overrated triumvirate of Hudson, Mulder and Zito are saving Steinbrenner millions in future free agent contracts, although the Yanks may be desperate enough this winter, that they’ll seek even less-than-great talent.  The A’s top pitchers remind me a little of this year’s Cubs, (see below) more reputation than actual results.  The Astros remarkable run to close out the year exonerates those who said Phil  Garner couldn’t go 46-26 with a stacked lineup and two Cy Young (award) caliber starters.  As it turns out, the Andy Pettite signing was the key, only in that it induced Clemens to pitch for Houston this year. 

Mets-Cubs
The Mets mismanagement of difficult situations continues with the hiring of Queens native Omar Minaya to oversee the baseball operations.  The A-Rod and Vlad Guerrero non-acquisitions were embarrassing.  Piazza’s position changes were fraught with missteps.  And now, the Duquette-Minaya mess.  At his introductory press conference, Mets owner/mis-manager Fred Wilpon basically said that Minaya would have full autonomy, and that ownership wouldn’t meddle in baseball decisions.  They could have just as easily not hired him but announced that they wouldn’t meddle with the duties of current general manager Jim Duquette.  It would have saved a lot of money, money they could have used to hire more doctors to look at AL MVP Guerrero’s X-rays.  And what’s the big deal about Minaya anyway?  He discovered Sammy Sosa 20 years ago?  Why don’t they hire Sosa’s chemist, or his carpenter, the guys really responsible for his almost 600 career home runs. 

Wilpon had hoped to play “meaningful” games in September, as a cover to his desire to slash payroll while still hoping for a shot at qualifying for the post-season.  Well, the Mets are exonerated on a technicality.  They played a meaningful inning, but the meaning was for the Cubs.  The blowing of a three run lead in the ninth at Shea on September 25th was the beginning of the end for the hapless Northsiders, unleashing a week of blown late leads.  Their meltdown is reminiscent of the 2002 Giants World Series meltdown, when, up 5-0 in the 7th inning of the game 6 clincher.  Reminiscent, because Dusty Baker presided over both failures. 

The Cubs in post-season would have been a nice story, but in a way, it’s good to see them on the golf course so soon, because after having won the 2003 NL Central (with a whopping 88 wins), and winning 1 of 3 rounds in the postseason they and their fans were a little arrogant coming in to the 2004 campaign.  As Bill Parcells has said, you start where you started, not where you finished.  Just because you make the playoffs in 2003, doesn’t mean your gonna be back.  You still have to fight it out, and their team wasn’t complete, and just not good enough.  Yet they acted as if they were a perennial playoff contender.  Alou and Sosa are showing signs of age.  Their pitching was overrated.  Maddux, Wood and Prior aren't exactly Schilling, Randy Johnson and anyone.  Maddux is well past his prime and inspires fear in no one.  Wood and Prior, with their 83 combined wins lifetime coming in to the season, have already both blown games late in the playoffs.  Their team, again with 88 wins, was not as good as, say, the Red Sox, who had a more valid reason to assume they would make the playoffs.

Other Items:
Ichiro.   Please, Mariners, do not let this hit machine and baseball’s most exciting player go to waste.  His run scoring and RBI totals are pitiful, so hitting .370, and getting on base twice a game isn’t meaningful unless he’s surrounded by other talent.  Without a lot of power, he can’t do it alone, so trade him, or develop some more offense.

Piazza. Please start caring.  About something, anything.  You look like you don’t give a crap.  Al Leiter has been on the Mets just as long, through the good times and the dregs, and he still can get up for a game, so can you. 

Nomar.  Oh well, too bad you didn’t take the $15 mill a year to stay in Boston last year.  Maybe next . . . . Oh wait, that was a one-time offer.

Larry Bowa.  He’s Bobby Valentine, without the 3 out of 5 post-season series record.   Good riddance to you to.

Tom Glavine.  When you retire about 15 wins shy of 300, I want you to remember that you followed up an all-star first half of the season with 3 wins and an E.R.A. of 5.15  in the second half of the season.

League Awards.
N.L. MVP
I’ll give the nod this year to Albert Pujols, who is the league’s second (to Bonds) most dangerous hitter.  Bonds is the most dangerous pitch-taker.  Bonds was 33rd in RBI in the majors, but still cracked the 100 mark in only 373 at bats (and usually with bases empty).  Pujols is again strong across the board, with power and batting average. 

N.L.  Cy Young  
Not out of habit, but I’ll go with Clemens.  No one else stood out above a core group of three or four, but at 40+ years old, Clemens held the team above water for most of the year.  Was his stomach virus a sign of nerves, like he can’t start in a big spot?  Hardly, Clemens has pitched poorly in plenty of big spots (Game 7 vs Red Sox in 2003 the most recent) that he’s used to it.  Except the Astros never win in the post-season, wouldn’t it be cool if the Astros lose 4 road World Series games, and they blame Roger for blowing the all-star game?

N.L. Rookie of the year
David Wright, New York Mets.  What other rookie was his team’s top hitter in terms of batting average, and home runs per at bat?  But the real reason?  I’m writing this off the top of my head, and can’t think of anyone else right now.  Oh wait, my research intern just mumbled a name, I think Jason Bay?  Yes, her head is bobbing up and down, so I must have heard her correctly.  Okay. Jason Bay is it, David Wright takes second.

N.L. Manager of the Year
How about Bobby Cox?  The only difference between him and Felipe Alou is that Alou had tougher in-division competition, and goes home early.  But really, who thought the Braves would win the division this year.  Phil Garner, a close third, but he had a better lineup to work with. 

A.L. Cy Young
Johan Sebastian Santana.  13-0 to close out the year.   This could be unanimous.  Second is obviously Schilling.

A.L. MVP
I’m tempted to go with Gary Sheffield, base on his .330 average, almost 40 home runs, and 132 RBI.  But, of course, that was last year’s tally.  So he dropped 40 points in batting average (30 in on base percentage) and a couple of HR’s and RBI.  All this while having either A-Rod or Matsui as batting order protection.  Plus, there are 5 guys on the Yankees with 100 runs, three with over 100 RBI.  Granted, he did hit .327 with runners in scoring position, but Manny Ramirez hit .340 with runners in scoring position too, beats Sheffield in HR, RBI Avg, On-base percentage, slugging percentage.  And for those who insist on a player being “valuable” only if their team makes the post-season, (which I don’t) well, lets just try to imagine the Red Sox without Manny’s production.  It’s very possible that the Sox aren’t the wild card without Manny.  The Yankees probably are at least the wild card team without Sheffield.  In other words, yes Yankee fans, you’ve had a great run of 10 playoff appearances, second all-time only to the current Braves 13 year streak, and it’s frustrating to not have had a player win an MVP.  But isn’t that the key to the Yankees’ success, that the team is stacked, and even it’s best player doesn’t have to be the league’s best for the team to be successful?  So enough of these campaigns (Soriano in 2002, Posada in 2003).  Try to have the World Series MVP on your team.

Vladimir Guerrero was player of the month of September, and hit .526 in the final week, with 6 HRs to lead his team to a division title, the only team to do so that was facing elimination from postseason altogether.  Guerrero is also the only hitter in the top 5 in all three crown categories.  Not a bad fielder either.  Final ballot: Guerrero, Ramirez, Tejada, Sheffield, and Ortiz.

A.L. Rookie of the Year
Lew Ford over Bobby Crosby.  Crosby got all the acclaim and is a keeper, but how many rookies hit around .300. 

A.L. Manager of the Year
Mike Scioscia.  Solely because he had the guts to cut a great hitter in the last week of the season while trailing in the division race by 3 games.  He took command, got the job done against tough in-division rivals, and made it to the post-season. 

Playoff Predictions:

Astros over Braves, only because the Braves (like the A’s) were eliminated in the first round in the last four seasons, I have no faith in this perennial playoff bust.  Plus, the 2004 Braves are not that good.  I know the Astros haven’t EVER won a post-season series, but the Braves lost a Game 5 at home to the wild card Cubs last year, and lost to the wild card Giants in 2002.

Cardinals over Dodgers The Cardinals have fallen off the radar screen, with their easy division championship clinched long ago.  Not that impressed with the Dodgers.

Angels over Red Sox. Angels are on a roll, and will catch the Red Sox looking ahead to the LCS.  If this prediction doesn’t come through, the Red Sox nation, come Halloween, will wish it had, because any first round victories will be just stringing the Sox faithful along.  Ask your Cubs-Fan cousins, which was worse, 2003 or 2004?

Yankees over Twins.  The Yankees have owned the Twins for a few years now, and are too good to lose in the first round.

World Series
I’ve been dead on the last two years, and I’m going for three.  Cardinals over Angels.  The Cardinals, who haven’t sipped from the Cup since 1982, but have the stronger offense, which will make the Angels bullpen edge moot.  

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"Pennant Push et al"
by Peter Murphy
 September 20, 2004
The baseball season is winding down, and again, without the wild card races, would be less interesting.  The national league holds much of the drama, with the most teams in a tight formation.  The AL pecking order is open to speculation, but it looks like 3 of the 4 qualifiers are known.  Six of the final 12 games will feature A’s-Angels head-to-head for the final spot, but we on the east coast will have to stay up late to file our stories.  For the A.L., I predict that the A’s will hold off the Angels before losing to the Yankees in round 1.  I also expect the Twins to go down in a hail of Red Sox big innings, setting up the match-up that everyone has been waiting for since last October. 

The recent series in the Bronx fizzled out early as the bombers smacked around Red Sox starting pitching, but no offense Yankee fans, you’re kind of expected to win 2 of 3 at home vs. just about anybody.  I watched these blowouts at T.G. Whitney's pub which, ironically was the inspiration for the television program “Cheers”, and had to endure the pleadings to the barmen to change the channel to college and pro football.  Derek Lowe and Pedro proved what was already known to be true:  Derek Lowe is Derek Lowe, and Pedro is the new Pedro, not the Pedro of old.  Neither of these facts bode well for the Bosox.  Pedro, with his E.R.A. hovering around 3 and a half all year, is 1 to 2 runs per game worse than during his hey day.  The Yankees have never really feared Pedro anyway, having beaten him numerous times.  The fact that they clobbered him in a big game only means that someone important is gonna get hit Friday night in Fenway.  Lets hope it’s Jeter.

Back to the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry.  The Yankees, lead by Steinbrenner, Levine, and Torre, are in danger of falling into the over-hype trap.  The Yankees have dominated the Sox for years, and should approach them as if they were any other team.  Let the Red Sox, who have the failure hang-up, worry about you, not vice-versa.  Recall all the crap that went on after the early July series which ended with John Flaherty and Miguel Cairo’s heroics.  The Yankees acted as if that series was a playoff, and promptly got swept by the Mets, which had never happened before. (More on this later).  The Red Sox swept the Yanks in the Bronx in April, but the Yankees bounced back.  Yankees swept the Sox, and the Sox rebounded.  These series are not as important as the playoffs.  Each game is not as meaningful as it is made out to be.  Steinbrenner was freaking out on Friday night, as it turns out, needlessly. 

In the National League, the Marlins and Astros face uphill battles, which is good because I would prefer to see the Cubs or Giants, just for the human interest stories.  Actually, I really just want to see the Cubs make it so that another page can be added to the tragedy.  How do you top the Bartman incident?  For now, my crystal ball says a Cubs-Braves first round match-up.  With St. Louis defeating west champ Los Angeles, a dream match-up of Cubs vs. Cardinals will give baseball two great league championship series.

Amazing Mess, Part 1

Time to blow off steam about New York’s other baseball team, the Mets.  I will restate my claim of a year ago, but more loudly:  FRED WILPON IS THE ROOT OF ALL MEDIOCRITY.  The Mets will not succeed while this idiot is in charge.  The Met management’s performance has been awful in several ways.

  1. Bad acquisitions.  In response to competition within the city, the Mets in recent years have fallen into selling out the future to “compete” now.  The acquisitions of Appier, Vaughan, Alomar, Benson and Zambrano have come at too high of a cost for their potential gain.  Most of these players were either past their primes, cost to much in salary, and/or cost too much in trades.
  2. Inconsistency.  To begin the year, the Mets thought they would try to save on salaries, and be less competitive.  This is what they should have done two years ago.  Unfortunately, after sweeping the Yankees in July, and being in the midst of a slumping N.L. East pennant race, the Mets assumed that it was then okay to reverse field, and start adding payroll in an effort to capture the east flag with about 88 wins.  Make up your mind, you are either rebuilding (which means trade Piazza, like 2 years ago) or you aren’t. Don’t go half-assed after Vlad Guerrero, who is in the top 5 players in the league, and turn down Kazmir for Soriano,  and then turn around and give up Kazmir for Zambrano, who isn’t even playing now.  And it’s been going on for a while.  Remember A-Rod was too rich for Mets blood, yet they’ve at times paid Glavine, Appier, Vaughan and Hidalgo over $10 mil a year? 
  3. Lack of leadership.  Why does Piazza get to decide where he plays?  He works for you, not the other way around.  Tell him where to play (which should be catcher, since at .265, you want him to miss those 30 games a year), and expect him to do it.  Oh, he’s a superstar, so you can’t tell him what to do?   Well then what’s the excuse with Kaz Matsui?  He can’t play Short, and you have one who’s better, but you’re afraid to move him?  What message does that send to the rest of the team?  He doesn’t even speak English, just tell him it’s a rule change or something, but move him over.  And why does Al Leiter get to fire pitching coaches (Apodaca in 1999) and get consulted on bad trades (Zambrano in 2004)?  What G.M. school does he have a degree from?
  4. Poor personnel decisions.  Why did the Mets extend Steve Phillips in 2000, and then let him ruin the team.  Why did they give Art "How?" four years?  Why don’t they let Jim Duquette do his job?  Why does heir to the crown Jeff Wilpon have power?
  5. Poor communication.  Why does Piazza find out where he’s playing from reporters.  I’m getting sick of him asking me if I’ve seen today’s lineup card.  Why is Art How? the last to know he is fired?

The bad luck that the Mets have experienced (rampant injuries) can only be blamed for so much. WIlpon gets the rest.  Please, sir, sell the team to someone else.  How about to the amazing William Davidson, who owns the Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Pistons, and the Detroit Shock, all winners of championship titles in 2004.

 Amazing Mess, Part 2

Granted, no one cares, but the NHL is in trouble.  The recent lockout will either end badly in the short run, or the long run.  If the players show resolve, which they might given overseas employment opportunities, then league could lose a season.  This is not baseball, which can rebound from such a calamity.  This is hockey, which is a distant 4th among major U.S. sports.  If the owners are successful in getting a cap, and it suppresses salaries, then numerous stars may seek overseas employment anyway.  And please, hockey fans, don’t hit the Feedback button and tell me that I criticize hockey because I don’t like or understand hockey.  That’s a cop out.  Face it, the league has made mistakes (playoff format, tolerance of fighting and cheap shots, and paying Bobby Holik $9 million a year), deal with it.

Movie Previews

Hustle (ESPN, September 26th).

Finally, Pete Rose’s life story will be told in celluloid?  Couldn’t they get someone more likeable to play the part of Pete, or was that the point.  Ex-con (wife beater) to play ex-con (tax evader).  The movie was informative, especially if you aren’t up on the case.  The acting and script, however, are awful.  It’s classic made-for-TV writing, and is weaker than earlier efforts of the ESPN film school, namely the Junction Boys (Paul “Bear” Bryant) and A Season on the Brink (Bobby “the Unbearable” Knight).

The film exposes the seedier side of Rose, and is the latest in a long line of events that will only keep Rose out of the Hall of Fame beyond his 15 year writer’s eligibility period.  Under BWAA rules, I’m not supposed to say in advance who I will or won’t vote for, but if I were him (and if at least 25% of the other voters voted the way I will if his ban is lifted), then he will have to wait for consideration  from the veterans committee.  And that group, besides Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt, are not sympathetic.  Some Hall of Fame vets who have come out against Rose were contemporaries like Johnny Bench and Hank Aaron, and others are just old and cranky (Bob Feller, Jim Bunning).  Of course, Jim Bunning, now Senator Bunning from somewhere wanted to have Alan Greenspan removed from office, and in fact was the lone dissenting vote in the reconfirmation of the Fed Chairman.  How do you think he’d vote on the all-time hit king?

The best thing you can say about the movie was the atmosphere at the sneak preview.  The hors d’oerves were fabulous, and the scene was a veritable who’s who in baseball.  The most prominent of course was Bud Selig, the man who holds the keys to Rose’s reentry into baseball, but after revealing that Rose will be instated by Christmas, it was discovered that Selig was really an imposter working for the Howard Stern radio show. 

Mr. 3000 (in theatres now)

What seems like a light-hearted affair of baseball hi-jinks is more accurately described as a veiled attempt to call into questions the records of Al Kaline and Roberto Clemente, both who barely made it to 3,000 hits.  This movie is like most baseball movies.  Tries too hard to be funny, and it shows.  The baseball scenes are implausible.  The whole premise of the movie, that a player could completely lose all skill, is also far-fetched.  If O.J. Simpson can take on two younger people, murder them on a bum knee, then Bernie Mac (as Mr. 3000) can certainly do more than one pushup at a time.  This film is a must miss.

Potpourri


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"Dog Dayz"  
by Peter Murphy
 August 23, 2004

Dog days, that’s what they call this time of summer, when baseball pennant races start heating up, and some teams wilt in the summer heat.  It also describes the part of the NFL season where things are getting warmed up, with the training camps buzzing.  The “z” in the spelling of the title was just a successful attempt to make this sports column seem more edgy and get the reader to stay with it for at least the first paragraph. 

NFL preview
So far, the NFL pre-season has been dominated by stories that are funny, sad, and bizarre.  You get all three with the Ricky Williams story.  It’s funny if you root for the Pats, Jets and Bills.  Sad if you like fish.  This guy was unconventional from day one, and although their running styles differ, Williams seems to be taking a page from the Barry Sanders finishing school.  Williams joins a growing list of players, like Sanders, Jim Brown, Robert Smith and former 49er tight end John Frank, who hang it up before they reach the lame/demented stage.  Most non-players can’t figure out why they give up the cash and the glory.  It annoys the lay person who doesn’t have the option to play and to not play.  Many who have criticized Williams have said he quit on his teammates, but that’s bull.  No player has that obligation, the season is too long and too violent for anyone to realistically expect a teammate to put up with the pounding that Williams has been getting with 400 touches a year.  The only ones he is screwing is Dolphin ownership, who laid out big signing bonus cash for a long term deal, expecting him to be the centerpiece.  They probably don’t give the big bonus for just three years, so he probably should kick some back.

Looks like Eli Manning will take a back seat . . . .. . to the man who broke Ricky Williams all-time NCAA D-1 rushing record.  Ron Dayne.  Dayne flashed never-before-seen brilliance in the first exhibition game.  He’s playing much better (or just playing period) since Fassel left and since he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, to which he donated about 40 pounds of ass.  Who knew that the NFL required speed to be successful as a runner?!  Will Dayne’s resurgence cost the fumbling Tiki Scissorhands some playing time?

And what’s up with the Cleveland new-Browns giving all those dog biscuits to decorated college football veteran Kellen Winslow the 2nd?  How does a tight end from college get $40 million to sign.  How many plays you gonna run his way per game, and he doesn’t even block.  

Playoff prediction:

Baseball
Seems like there are only two division races yet to be decided, thank Bud-God for the wild card, which remains the only smart thing the owners have done since they hired Selig.  At least half the teams have been tricked into thinking they can make the playoffs.  The wild card has tricked the Mets into trading minor league phenom Scott Kazimir for starting pitching help for this year’s wild card run.  Good move, he’s the same guy (and Reyes too) who was untouchable when Alfonso Soriano was on the block earlier this year.

Speaking of the Mets, (who said a tearful goodbye to former original Met announcer Bob Murphy), what’s up with that?  It’s gotten so bad, that Piazza is blaming his summer slump on a knee injury.  I say dump him.  So bad that their vaunted middle infield is ailing.  So bad that Tom Glavine, seeing no other way out nearly dies on the highway.  Next time use a seatbelt (or cyanide, if this is what I really think it was about).  But who could blame you.  How you gonna win 300 games when your fielders continue to cost you runs, and you suffer from untimely hitting lapses.  And sometimes, untimely set-up relief.  What is John Franco still doing in the league?  He’s the Golan Cipel of the major leagues. (He is given a job at a high salary for which he is so obviously unqualified for).  The silver linings:  David Wright, and every day is one day closer to dumping Art Howe (as in Howe did he get a $2 mil per contract?)

Future Hall of Famer, Randy Johnson is imprisoned in the baseball wasteland of Phoenix.  I say, screw him, he wanted the big money, crippling his team toward bankruptcy, and then refused to bail them out by scaring most non-Bronx teams away from trading for him.  He deserves to be playing with 24 rookies with no hope of success. 

The Astros, or was it the Jimy Williams led Astros, are a joke.  Remember the hoopla when they signed Andy Pettite?  The owner was saying that it was their turn.  Turn for what?  Their turn to find out that Andy Pettite isn’t dominant, and you can live without him? That sorry franchise has never even won a playoff series.  That’s in 43 years, and they’ve been in the playoffs about 6 times.  Without Clemens, they’re a sub-500 team, which is sad, since they have Berkman, Kent, Biggio, and the formerly juiced Jeff Bagwell in their lineup.

 I reiterate my call for the head of Larry Bowa.  They have given him a good roster, and they're still a joke.  He ran Scott Rolen out of town, and pisses everyone else off.  What are they waiting for?  Call Bobby Valentine while you still have a shot at the wild card.

Edgar Martinez is calling it quits. He’s second (behind Barry Larkin) among current players in continuous service to one team.  Great right handed hitter, but probably short of the Hall of Fame.  At least as long as Steve Garvey and Jim Rice are still Hall-less.  Or the Hall is GarveyandRiceless.   I wonder what was up with the Mariners decision to can John Olerud.  A good guy in the clubhouse, a good eye at the plate, and slick fielder, having anchored one of the greatest fielding infields in history, the 1999 Mets.  If Giambi doesn’t come back to form, the Yankees will benefit from his presence, or the Mariners presents.

And finally, Nomar.  He must be thanking his lucky stars he left the 86-year non-champion streak of the Red Sox, for the contending Chicago Cubs.  This way he has a better chance of celebrating 100 years of futility as a Cub in 2008.  Maybe later in his career, he can sign with the White Sox, and only have to wait until 2017.  I think the Red Sox have enough bats to get by without this sour puss, and formerly great hitter.  He had his chance to make peace with the Red Sox over the last year and a half.  Good luck getting $15 million a year, pal.   Mamma Mia!

Early playoff prediction:

NBA
Can someone end this Kobe mess already.  As I said 6 months ago, you’ll never get a 12-0 guilty vote, even if he did it.  Now, the prosecutors will be lucky to get a hung jury.  Let’s move on so we don’t have to hear about how courageous he has been in playing like an all-star despite all the turmoil.  Maybe he’s playing well because he’s not physically “tuckered out”, now that his wife undoubtedly has him sleeping on the couch. 

Olympics
 I wasn’t really looking forward to this over-hyped quadrennial event, it’s just really to kill time before the Republican convention.  But I happened to catch the dream team’s opener vs. Puerto Rico.  Sitting through the final dismal minutes, I couldn’t stop thinking of the solution to the USA men’s hoop teams troubles.  It’s time for drastic action.  No, not reverting to college players, or even canning an evidently lousy coach, Larry Brown.  It is finally time to make Puerto Rico our 51st state!     

NHL
You gotta love the NHL, with rules allowing assault, and gambling by players on other sports.  If Flyer star Jeremy Roenick paying $100,000 for gambling advice from a “tout”, how much is he betting on games?  How much would you invest in the stock market if you had to pay a stockbroker $100,000 upfront?  If this was the NFL or the ML Baseball, he would be suspended, and if he bet on hockey, he’d be ineligible for the hall of fame (unless he admitted he lied about it for 15 years, then he’d get some sympathy).

Tiger Woods (I mean “Golf”)
Oh well, another major, the PGA championship, has come and gone and Tiger Woods is no closer to catching the ghost of Jack Nicklaus.  Congratulations to the winner, whomever that was.  It’s sad now that they’ve lowered the bar, and started talking about how many consecutive tournament cuts Woods has made.  As of now, I resolve to stop watching tournaments just to see how Tiger does.  From now on, I will only watch golf tournaments on Sunday’s when Tiger is actually in contention for the win.

Thatz all for now.  

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"The Readers Strike Back"
by Peter Murphy
July 9, 2004

 As has been a tradition, when the e-mail bag starts overflowing I have one of my interns sift through reader mail for the best letters, and I try to respond.  It’s that time again.

 1.  Dear MurphGuideTM sports guy:
 What did you think of the Euro Cup this year?  
                            Mark in the Azores

 Dear Mark (if that’s your real name):            
I’m tempted to tell you to get a life, since everyone knows the only non-American football worth watching is the World Cup, which will be held in another two years.  But since you asked, I would say that this year’s Euro Cup was, in a word, shocking!  While you chew on that for a while, it will buy me some time to find out who played whom, and what team was victorious.  Oh, here it is.  Greece wins 1 to “nil”, over Portugal.  It was a great game, assuming it didn’t end in penalty kicks.  It was a match-up of two former world powers.  (Trust me, they both are former world powers; I looked it up in an encyclopedia.)   Despite the low scoring, I’m sure there were a lot of “ooh” and “ahh” moments, as is often the case in a soccer game.  Can’t believe we’ll have to wait another four years for the next one.

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2.  Dear Chatterer:
Looks like you screwed up in your June 6th edition (see “Archives”) by predicting the Lakers would defeat the Pistons.  What’s up with that?
                         Monday morning Quarterback

Dear Monday:
At the time of the pick, the Fakers had just dominated Minnesota, and had swept out the Spurs in games 3 to 6.  Meanwhile, the gutty Pistons had some trouble with the Pacers, and a lot of unnecessary trouble with the Nets.  I fell for it, but it’s not like the Lakers (12-4 pre Pistons) were showing signs of implosion.  It was a great upset, I just got it wrong.  Sorry (although I doubt you picked it correctly either).  I ain’t perfect, remember, I had Smarty Jones to win the Belmont, Serena, or any Williams, to win Wimbledon, and the Yankees to NOT get swept at Shea by the Mets, who did not pitch Leiter, or Glavine. 

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3.  Dear Murph:
Hey, don’t let “Monday” off so easily and respectfully!   Does he forget that in your April 26, 2004 NBA playoff preview article (see “Archives”) you initially picked the Pistons to win it all, based on Baltimore-Raven caliber all-time defense, and having the best coach in the business, bar none?
                            Got your Back

Dear Got my back:           
  I appreciate the support, and your excellent memory.  However, next time, try to write in a style that doesn’t so obviously give away the fact that either you somehow read my mail, or, more likely, that this letter was just made up to point out that pre-playoff, I had picked the east’s 2-seed as the champion.

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4.  Murph:         
Why don’t you cover the Tour de France as much as you used to?
                             Name withheld

Dear name withheld, (whose real name is Bob Swanson):   
Because the outcome is pre-determined.  Lance will win again.  Plus, it’s a strange sport, with teams competing to see who is the best individual.  If your Sir Lance’s teammate, you’re expected carry his water, block the wind for him, and give him your front tire if he needs it.  Can you imagine an NBA team playing the same way US Postal ServiceTM team plays?   Would the coach say, “Hey C-Webb, Peja’s lace ripped, can you give him yours, and while you’re at it, box out so he can get some rebounds.”

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5.  Sports guy:
What did you think of Cliff Floyd’s catch the other night, wherein, while in a tight battle of first and second place division rivals (a big game, even if it’s only July), Floyd ran at full speed without regard to his safety to catch a ball with 2 outs and men on base.  He caught the ball, then crashed into the wall hurting his shoulder in the process.  Amazingly, he remained in the game, and even played the next 3 games of the series.   
                            Mikey Z. on the car phone

Dear Mikey: 
It’s obvious to me by the way you over-dramatize Floyd’s catch in a game featuring two division rivals that you don’t know too much about baseball.  This sort of thing happens all the time.  What was Floyd supposed to do, pull up when he felt the warning track under his feet?  Don’t blow it out of proportion.  1st and 2nd place teams playing in July is not the same as September or October.  Don’t get too emotional, because it will leave you flat for the next series.

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6.   Dear Yoda:
Do you think Cerzakashewski made the right decision staying at Duke?  Do you think the Laker’s point guard situation had any influence on his decision?                                             

                          Ben

Dear Benji:    
First of all, Coach C’s name is spelled with two or three Zee’s, I think.  Coach C. made the right call in turning his back on the Moo La of La La Land, and it had nothing to do with the Point Guard Formerly Known as Gary Payton.  Face it, Coach C’s strength is in motivation.  The Dukies are told that if they play the way they know they are capable of playing, then no one can defeat them.  They believe his words.  That’s why those poor blue chips that cycle in and out of Duke are always left in teary disbelief when they lose in the NCAA tournament (even though this is how 21 of the 24 years of Coach C’s tenure have ended).  They act like when they find out smoking is bad for you, or that Santa Claus is sleeping with the Tooth Fairy.  Well, in the NBA, the players are motivated by being on Sports CenterTM and by the millions in salary and endorsements.  They don’t come to play every night; the season and the playoffs are too long.  And, even if successful, Coach C would lose 25 games a year, about 6 year’s worth in Durham.  And he won’t get blue chips every year, he’ll have to motivate some mid-level exception that they squeeze in under the salary cap, and some 20th pick in the first round.     

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 7.  Mr. Murphy:
I’m only 82, so I call you Mister out of respect for my elders.  Can you tell me what it was like when the Red Sox last won the World Series?  I’ve been told by my doctors that I only have about 25 years to live, so I’m wondering will I live to see the Sox ever win another World Series?  

Mr. old guy:                  
First of all, I would have to be like 200 years old to have witnessed the Sox last victory in 1819 or something like that.  From what I know, it was like horse drawn carriages, the gold standard, and no-air conditioning.  I don’t know if they’ll ever win it again, since they’re cursed.  But this year’s version of the Sox will not win.  They can’t even beat Tanyon Sturtze.  They can’t even close out a game facing Sierra, Cairo, and Flaherty.  How are they gonna win four out of seven vs. Rivera, Sheffield, A-Rod and Matsui?   It seems they have psyched themselves out.  They have placed too much emphasis on beating the Yankees head to head, rather than just playing six months of good ball.  How can the division race be over in July, only 7 or 8 games out?  That’s a loser mentality.  Fact is, it seems the Yankees are also getting a little psyched out.  Last year vs. the Marlins, and this year vs. the Mets, they seemed flat playing in an anti-climactic series.  That shouldn’t happen.  Of course it’s win now in a playoff series, there’s no tomorrow, but you can’t manage your bullpen in a regular season series such that you are flat for the subsequent series. 

And yes, you are correct, the Sox should dump Nomar.   

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8.  Murph:                     
I’m an open minded Redskin fan, and I think the Redskins should change the name of the team to something more modern, more reflective of the community they play in.  What do you suggest?

                          H.A.L.

 Hal:      
How about the Washington Bullets?  

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9.  Yo:
What do you think of the Laker’s off-season so far?

                         Phil J., Pat R. and Jerry W.

Dear P P & J:            
  I think management and ownership are making a mistake by betting on Kobe the younger.  He is a selfish player, and evidently he doesn’t play nice off the court.  Bob Dylan is working on a song to put Kobe IN prison.  Course, Dylan is a T-Wolves fan.  It seems they favor Kobe over Phil Jackson, who has won 9 rings, and Shaq, who was finals MVP 3 times.  Even though Shaquille has a sometimes-questionable attitude, is a little older and has more miles on him, he still remains unmatchupable, which is key in a short series.  He is one of the few, and probably the best NBAer at dominating both ends of the court.  If you get rid of Shaq, it’s hard to recreate what he brings you, even with two players.   If I had a choice, I’d go with Shaq, and surround him with other players.  I just don’t feel that Kobe can lead a team through 4 rounds. 

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10.  Dear Pete:              
Anything else?  
                Pete

Dear Pete:Yes.

"The June Swoon"
by Peter Murphy
 June 6, 2004

Baseball
The Red Sox are playing like it’s October already.  Pedro has lost his edge, and will not get that fat contract that he used to talk about.  Schilling, Manny and Ortiz are doing their part, but it looks like the Yankees have them outgunned.  Will the return of NoMas make a difference? Let’s hope the Red Sox don’t get too complacent and lose out on the wild card.  Red Sox in postseason is always memorable (in that you will never struggle to recall if they won the World Series or not)  The irony so far:   Red Sox fans thought the dinger off Wakefield (that just landed) was the worst that Aaron Boone could do to the Sox.  His foolish injury lead the Yanks to A-Rod, who has proven to be a stud in the Yankee lineup, making Yankee fans forget former stud Derek Jeter. 

Mets have the look of a heart-breaking .500 tease.  The best starting pitching in the five boroughs has kept them close in the parity-filled NL East, but the lineup on paper, and on grass or artificial turf is weak.  But will the Mets be mid-season buyers or sellers?  We’ll see.  Maybe they can pick up Benitez, who until recently had retired 41 straight hitters (his ERA doubled in one at bat to 0.56) for the stretch run.

National League Central:  Much like the Red Sox, the Cubs started this year thinking that you start off where you ended last year, in the playoffs.  Not so fast. That’s what’s great about sports.  You start out where you started, not where you finished. The Cubbies, with major stars injured (SoSo and Prior) find themselves in 5th place!!  Even the A-Rod led Rangers never finished that low.  Astros are under .500 when Clemens isn’t pitching (which often means he isn’t even at the stadium).  Cardinals O is challenging the re-Juniorated Reds for the top spot. 

Triple Crown
Yes, Ted Williams won it twice without winning the MVP award, (as did Hack Wilson in 1932).  But now I’m talking about horse racing, even though I usually dabble in just human sports.  Yes, Smarty Jones found out the hard way what Rich Kotite has known for a long time.  Making the jump from the small time of Philadelphia to the Big time in New York is not for sissy small-towners.  
Note to People:      “People, there is no such thing as a lock when it comes to sports.”   All those once-a-year horseracing experts can shut up now.

NBA
At this writing, the NBA finals are one game old. .  It’s a rematch of the 1988 NBA finals (one of the best series in history) and the 1989 finals (one of the most boring).   Will the youngster be intimidated by the Hall of Famer he’s going up against?  Or, will his 9 NBA titles already in bag get him over his nervousness? 

Since the modern age of the NBA (1980), no team has won an NBA championship without a Hall of Famer.  If you’ve had any one of these 7 players (Magic, Bird, Moses, Isaiah, Michael, Hakeem, Shaq, or Tim Duncan) then you have won a championship in the last 24 years.  7 guys, 24 years, all Hall of Famers (Duncan is on pace).  That’s what it takes in this league.  A super elite player (throw in sidekicks like Jabbar, McHale, Kobe, and your odds go up).  

So my question:  Of these next five guys, who is the superstar, and who is the sidekick?  Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed, Taysean, and Chauncy.  (Hint:  Just because you know who Rasheed, Taysean, and Chauncy are by their first names does NOT put them in the same class as Magic, Bird, Moses, Isaiah, Michael, Hakeem, and Shaq. . . . and Manute).  The answer appears below.

Answer: None.  Lakers rebound, win in 6!

The Olympics
Enough about dissin’ the NBAers, who after 100 or so games aren’t going to Greece.  First of all, every time one backs out, another steps forward.  Maybe those that step up are really courageous, yet they get no praise?  Actually, the word “courage” is over used.  Courage is joining the Rangers (for anything less than $252 million) or publicly dissin’ Eminem, giving him fodder when you know he’s in the middle of writing a song. 

Would you go?  Would you be scared to go?  Is having surgery, a wedding, a rape trial the equivalent of joining the National Guard in drafttime, a way to dodge danger?  Enough about the “representing your country”.  Many, such as Kevin Garnett, have already gone to the Olympics.  It’s not like it was back in 1956, when President Eisenhower asked Bill Russell to delay signing a pro contract until after the Olympics (which was held in November, springtime in Melbourne).  It’s a nasty world now.  Greece is in or near a bad neighborhood.  Cut these guys some slack, put yourselves in their shoes. They’re not some tourist, they’re the freakin’ show, and a big target in more than just height.  It’s not like anyone is gonna watch the men’s tournament anyway, or get real psyched when we win. 

NHL
I know pro-Hockey is fake, but it’s entertainment.  Wait, that’s Pro-wrestling.  Hockey only exists because of gambling.  Oh, that’s Jai Alai.  Well, the Hockey finals are finally done.    I was rooting for the Flames, as underdogs, who almost clinched in game 6 with a late-3rd period goal.  And the point of referees looking at replays of close calls was what?  Not since the “fumble” (known in New England as the “tuck”) have we seen such an important blown call.  With a Flames win, all those American chants of  “Nineteen Ninetythree” could have ended.   With the 2002 Olympic win, Canada would already have 2 hockey successes this short century!   I guess the Gods thought that’s 1 too many?   

NFL Quarterbacks
What are the Giants thinking. They run Collins out of town to replace him with Warner?  All this to help groom Eli?  Or are they trying to win now with the Ex-MVP?  And what’s up with Testaverde in Dallas.  I guess we shouldn’t have believed that Quincy C. was a Parcells guy.  Maybe Testaverde can back up Drew Henson.  And what is Collins gonna do in Oakland.  Is he willing to wait all those years from now until Rich Gannon calls it quits?  Talk about patience.  Kordell Stewart to the Redskins?  Why is this guy still employed?  What’s up with that?  Good thing they have Brunell.  I guess in the NFC east, I’ll be rooting for McNabb.  I want him to succeed for some reason. 

Notre Dame
Rest in Peace, Gipper! 


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"April Showers"
by Peter Murphy
 April 26, 2004
April has potential to be an exciting sports month given the usual schedules, and this year has lived up to the hype.  From the beginnings of baseball, to the hoop and hockey playoffs, to the wrap-up of the NCAA tournament, to the NFL draft. 

But first, the Pat Tillman story:
Even though we see the nightly news, with an American military person or two dying on the average day, most in their young 20s, the Tillman story shocked us, even non-Sports fans.  Even though I can’t recall ever seeing him play, or actually even hearing about him until he joined the Rangers, I felt a pit in my stomach.  While everyone is careful to say that every soldier’s death is tragic, the death of Pat Tillman is different for the simple fact that no one can imagine having the balls to trade in a 7-figure pay day and volunteer for the armed forces.  Most people wouldn’t even consider for two seconds taking a cut in pay, let alone a drastic one, and let far alone join a dangerous fight, the most dangerous type of fighting in the U.S. army.  And think of all the moaning about the cost of the Iraq war, meanwhile not many are even willing to support an income tax increase to pay for the military operation.  Yeah, there are very few Pat Tillman’s.

Other than John McCain and Nelson Mandela, who turned down early release from prison on principal, most people don’t know of anyone who would have the courage of a Pat Tillman.  In recent sports history, only actions by Muhammad Ali and Buffalo Bill lineman Bob Kalsu, both over 30 years ago, come close.  That’s what is striking about Pat Tillman.  He’s called a hero because of the relative non-heroism of the average person.  If any good comes out of this, aside from greater appreciation for the average soldier, I hope it’s that people like Kellen Winslow the 2nd, and Simeon Rice can become less clueless, and that we hear less from them in the future.

NFL DRAFT
Eli Manning, you’re such a Manning.  Except you’re smart enough to let daddy do your talking.  Remember the whining out of Peyton when he finished second for the Heisman?  Complaining that people were against him because of all the hype.  Now Eli threatens to hold up the Chargers, and basically puts Kerry Collins out of a job.

However, I’m merely complaining about the way he went about it.  But put yourselves in his shoes.  You’re coming out of college, sumo cum whatever, highly sought after, and you’re forced to work for the Acme 8-track tape company, located in Pittsburgh.  You’d say “   ‘k-that  ”.  You couldn’t imagine being forced to give up control of your career or your right to work in the city of your choice.  Yeah, it’s pro sports, and they get paid a lot, but most people would do whatever they could to find the right job, and it’s not up to you to decide where Eli should play. He doesn’t owe you crap!  Elway took heat for the same sort of punk-maneuvering, and Magic Johnson took heat for getting his coach fired.  If they have the power to do it, let them use it.  Let’s end this plantation mentality that the owners and the league are in control. They need the players as much as the players need them. 

Now, it seems like the guy is being a little over-hyped, just because his brother was a co-MVP.  He’s probably not worth two first rounders, a 3rd and a 5th.  Giants probably overpaid, and can write off this season from the get-go.  Collins is not gonna be able to give his all, and take the pounding knowing that every fumble, interception, and bad pass will result in a cascade of boos, and “we want Eli” chants from the Giant unfaithful. 

Speaking of the owner’s control, isn’t Larry Fitzgerald (3rd overall draft pick), about 2 months older than Maurice Clarrett, who is too young to play for the NFL, according the league’s Supreme Court pleading?  What a joke.  The obvious agenda is that they don’t want to get screwed like the NBA owners, who keep misreading potential in some of these high school draft picks.  And the NCAA cooperates by making ineligible anyone un-drafted who has contracted with an agent.  Let’s see, someone wants to come back to school (and possibly get a degree), and the NCAA puts obstacles in their way?  Good one.

NBA

UCONNCAA

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and answer this question:
Assuming Calhoun’s UCONN men were encouraged to dominate, what would the score be for a 40-minute game between the UCONN men vs. UCONN women.  Go ahead, make yourself heard. It’s free.

 NHL

Unless a New York team is involved, or it’s the finals, or someone is assaulted or dies, then I don’t have much interest.  Mike Danton, the ex and future Devil, just doesn’t do it for me (since it was only conspiracy to commit murder).  Wake me up in June.

MLB

Joe Torre, in his own words:

After Friday night’s 11-2 thumping by the BoSox, but before the awful 4 hits in 12 innings of Saturday  “I wish I had a magic formula” Torre said, “but other than writing out the lineup and keeping the mood light, there’s nothing I can tell them that they don’t already know.”

 And in Spring Training this year:  ”This is probably the best lineup of any baseball team I’ve seen in my 40+ years in baseball.”

And while setting his rotation before last season’s playoffs (with Wells, Pettite, and Clemens):  “They’re all so good, I could really just pick the names out of a hat.”

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
by Peter Murphy
 March 19, 2004

As the song says, this is the most wonderful time of the year.  Baseball’s pre-season is heating up, the NBA is in full swing, and the NCAA tournament is upon us. The only thing that would make it better is if St. Patrick’s Day had been on a Thursday or Friday, which would have given parade-goers an excuse to hang out in a bar at 12:30 eastern, and watch wall-to-wall hoops. 

And so what if that the song is really about the Christmas Season?

NCAA Hoops

 NHL

 NBA

NFL

 Baseball

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Winter Potpourri  
by Peter Murphy
 February 20, 2004

NFL

PITCHERS and SHORTSTOPS

The A-Rod deal.   Ridiculous!  This would have been okay if they traded Jeter for A-Rod, which of course wouldn’t happen due to salary considerations.  The Rangers are a total joke, and will finish in 4th again.  How do they end up paying as much of A-Rod’s contract for three years as the Yankees do for 7 years?  How awful of a deal is that.  The “tremendous flexibility” they get now doesn’t make sense.  They’re still picking up a huge tab for A-Rod, and what are they gonna do, sign a hot pitcher for $10 million, and resign Soriano, who is clearly not as good as A-Rod?  Or are they gonna let Soriano go too.  Is Soriano gonna end up back on the Yankees in a couple of years?

Handing the Yankees the World Series trophy in February is a little like walking into a store that does NOT have a sign saying that shoplifters will be prosecuted:  Very tempting.  I will go out on a limb though, and give Joe Torre the manager of the year award.  Runner-up is whoever manages the team that wins the AL Central.  But realistically, those who point to the Marlins and Angels as champs, and claim that the Yankees pitching is suspect are missing the point.  First of all, what team has a better 10-man pitching staff than the Yankees?  Not the traditional Diamondbacks and Braves.  The Red Sox?  It’s comparable, but no clear cut advantage.  The Cubs?  Yeah, weren’t they 1-3 vs. Marlins with Wood and Pryor? When you play the Yanks, what inning do you breathe a sigh of relief?  Just say, you get passed Lofton and Jeter, then you gotta pitch to Sheffield, Giambi, A-Rod?  Then you have Bernie Williams, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada as the 6-7-8 hitters.  That’s night after night, and in all games of a playoff round,  They will outscore the hell out of everyone they face, pitching won’t matter as much.

Now who out there isn’t imagining a scene with Brian Cashman in a pin-striped suit, with gangster hat ordering his goons to hold down Aaron Boone, and then asking the hapless guy which knee he wants to get clubbed.   “Now Aaron, the story is that you were playing hoops, alright?  You got it, or do you want me to slip you the convincer?”

The silver lining in all this?  The Red Sox had their chance to get the same guy, and passed. Now they complain about how there should be a salary cap.  Meanwhile, the Sox are the 2nd highest paying team.  How hypocritical is that?  100 years from now, they will have forgotten Babe Ruth, but will still be grumbling about A-Rod.

NBA

THE LAW (A new recurring section?)

Mid Winter Night's Musings
by Peter Murphy
January 20, 2003   

NBA BASKETBALL

NCAA BASKETBALL

BASEBALL

Some Pete Rose observations:

Hall of Fame:  
 Eckersley and Molitor are worthy, but what about Jim Rice?  Look at some of the recent hall selections.  Robin Yount, Don Sutton, Tony Perez.  I’m sick of these accumulators who weren’t difference-makers ease in on the first ballot.  Rice was a feared bat for over a decade, won an MVP, close in 2 others.  Yount, a 3-time all-star.  How the hell is a 3-time all-star in the HOF?  The fans only pick the starting 8, that means of the approximately 8 other hitting positions, he was only selected by managers and coaches 3 times in over 20 years?  That’s crap.  Gary Carter and the original Pudge had to sweat it out for years, and they dominated their positions for over a decade, called the games, survived behind the plate.

George Brett, 3000 hits, legit long-time all star.  Yount and his 3,000 hits ain’t the same.  As a result, they’ll have to let Palmeiro in too.  At least Palmeiro has been a consistent threat over a long time, many HR’s and RBIs or RBI, I don’t care which.  Who’s next, Fred McGriff? 

Roger Clemens:
I guess he’s a Hall of Famer, but what about character? (or as the Wolf says, “just because you are a character, doesn’t mean you have character”).  Yes, yes, we know he’s not in David Wells’ class, cause Wells actually agreed verbally to re-up with the Yankees.  I guess Yankee fans are learning what Bosox and Blue Jay fans learned the hard way. Clemens is all about Clemens.

NFL FOOTBALL:

The Playoffs so far have been interesting, with almost all games close (except for the defeats of Denver and Dallas).  Somehow this has all been overshadowed by the Joe Gibbs hiring.  That basically puts the Senators (I’m unilaterally naming them something less offensive) right back at the top of the NFC East.  No word yet on whether he’s planning to hire Dexter Manley when he gets out of prison this April.

Back to the playoffs:  Once again, several myths have been conquered:

Super Bowl Predictions:

“Another Year Wiser”  
by Peter Murphy
 December 29, 2003   
Has there ever been an uneventful year in sports?  Of course not, so I won’t even bother writing my usual and much-awaited annual recap of the wacky events of the year.  No, December 2003 had enough crap to sift through on its own. 

College football
Well, this could be an exciting finish, but no matter what, there will be some unanswered questions.  Like, why are referees out to get Corporal Kellen Winslow?  Alright, it’s the BCS again.  But before you start nodding, “You tell ‘em Murph!”, let’s check it out:  The BCS has failed to do away with disputed national football championships, again, and the computers are definitely screwed up, yes.  But pre-BCS, we would probably be stuck with . . .  USC-Michigan in the Rose Bowl?  And since Kansas State walked off with the Big 12 title, they might have ended up in the Orange or Cotton Bowl.  That would leave SEC champ LSU in the Sugar Bowl, playing . . . .  Oklahoma?  Now people bitch about the BCS because of what happened to USC, but USC is just a team that 8 more writers and coaches somewhere think is the number one team than think LSU is number one.  You have 3 one-loss teams that have played well all year.  What would have been so damn fair about USC-Oklahoma, or USC-LSU.  Either way, someone was screwed.  I wish everyone would stop acting like USC was head and shoulders above everyone else.  True, an eight-team playoff is acknowledged as the fool-proof method to end the mess, having the best teams fight it out on the field, but leave the BCS out of it, it’s still holds out the promise of number 1 vs 2 at the end.

But even still, what is so bad about this year’s possibility of dual claims of #1?  Is that worse than in 1991, 1994 and 1997, when there were two undefeated major conference teams that couldn’t face off in a bowl due to their conference’s affiliation with the Rose. And in 1994, Penn State, featuring Kerry Collins, wasn’t even given a share.  What was so fair about that?

If anything, the BCS has ruined the 25 other bowls, with the emphasis on a college super Bowl, no one cares about the others anymore.

Hot Stove League
 If you don’t know this refers to off-season baseball, then skip down to the next section.  There has been a lot of activity, but almost all of it in the AL East, which may cannibalize itself out of a wild card.  There could be even more moves in the AL East, if Vlad Guerrero winds up at Camden Yards.  The A-Rod scenario is interesting, cause the Rangers need to move on and market A-Rod for the 2004 campaign.  Meanwhile, the Boston Curses definitely improved their team with Schilling and Foulke (the gruntled) to go along with Nomar and Manny (the disgruntled).  The Yankees may have taken a step forward with Brown, Lofton, and Sheffield, but have definitely taken a step back when it comes to playoff guts and moxie.  They have turned their back on those that were most responsible for their recent post-season success.  There may come a time next October when the Yankees regret not having . . . . . . Karim Garcia and Don Zimmer, two of the feistiest, nastiest, beat-the-shit-out-of-grounds-crew and get-body-slammed-by-a-guy-32/70ths-of-your-age guys to ever wear pinstripes.

 NFL  Two-minute drill:

The NBA
Finally!   After using these pages to refer to him as “in over his head”;  “soon to be-ex”;  “Incompetent”; “Outgoing”; and “Clueless”; we can finally use the prefix that we’ve been dying to use:  Former Knick GM finally got his due.  To be fair, however, he did get screwed by the Dolan clan, because of the precedent that was set:  Usually someone responsible for this much destruction, misery and thievery (technically, when he cashed his paycheck, it constituted larceny) gets 6-month warning, and time to grow a beard and dig a spider hole.  But alas, hiring the ever-unpopular Isaiah Thomas is no solution.  Despite picking up his first copy of Forbes Magazine in 1980 while a student at Indiana University, he has yet to prove himself as a success in business.  Maybe the Knicks should have hired someone with more experience.  Steve Phillips or Glen Sather would have been improvements over Layden.  

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Mid-Indian Summer Musings
November 29, 2003   
By Peter Murphy

This is the time of year when football and the early hot-stove rumblings dominate the sports scene.  Hockey and hoops are too fresh for the games to be of import, and the beginning of college hoop season.  Yawwwwwwwwwwwn!  Everyone knows the real fun of the college hoop season is after the tournament when all the coaching scandals come to the surface.   

College football:  The BCS system still sucks, and only truly works when there are exactly two undefeated teams.  If there is only one undefeated team, then at least that team will make the championship game.  Otherwise, it boils down to the top one of 5 or so one-loss teams, which are still determined largely by the polls.  When the bowls and the networks can work out a plausible playoff system, the NCAA will follow along.  Compared to the BCS, I’d rather have the old system where the top 8 teams played in regional bowls, and where ND, now known as No D, could jump from 5th to first with a big New Year’s day win. 

Heisman Watch:  This is my third year getting a vote, and the first since my Pawlus gaffe in 1994.  So much for the ballot being secret.   Anyway, I learned my lesson, and the Downtown Athletic Club put me back on the list.  Anyway, this is a tough year to pick a winner.  There is no clear-cut best player.  Should the top player on the #1 team get it?  Not by rule, so Jason White is no lock.  What about Chris Perry?  No, a wolverine can only win if he plays corner or wideout.  Eli Manning?  Probably not, for the same reason we didn’t let Peyton win.  We don’t like the Mannings. Julius Jones?  Maybe. 

But who says a sophomore can’t win the Heisman.  That’s like saying a Japanese leftfielder can’t win the Cy Young Award, or a Tin Man can’t win the Hart Trophy.  Larry Fitzgerald  (Pittsburgh) is scoring two TD’s per game, and averaging 19 yards per catch.  Plus, he has promised that he won’t embarrass the club, and will never be acquitted of double murder.

NFL:  AFC races are getting boring, with so many division leaders way out in front, and no weak-sisters will get wild cards this year.  But before we anoint the Chiefs as the second coming of the 1969 Chiefs, Tennessee, Indy and New England have played just as well over the last two months.  Should make for an interesting January.  

I just read a book by Bill Tuna called “My Last Year In the NFL”, a diary of the Jets’ 1999 season.  Hmmm.  The Patron Saint of hopeless causes is at it again, although I predict Dallas is going nowhere, a first round playoff loss if they even get that far.  I say this because Philly is heating up and will run away with the division.  Philadelphia and St. Louis will dominate the NFC, and St. Louis’ offensive juggernaut will get them back to the big game, down in wherever it is this year.  Tuna will get some votes for coach of the year again, but Marvin Lewis (Bengals) has it locked up.

I wouldn’t count the Buccaneers out yet, because I think Seattle, Green Bay, Minnesota and Dallas are inherently weak, and could choke down the stretch.  The Keyshawn incident may have woken up the Bucs, who give the Giants a run for the money in the category of snatching defeat from the rectum of victory. 

 Keyshawn:  Just give me the damn microphone!  Johnson could be finished as a player, since it’s likely he would view any offer in the range of his actual market value as insulting.  Plus, all reports indicate that he has managed his affairs well enough to not need the money from the NFL anymore.  He’s a hustler, with good hands, blocks well and can catch the ball.  But without speed, no one is going to waste much cash on him, especially given that he brings that big mouth to the sideline.    Dear Fox Sports:  Please do not give him a job!!   And that goes for you too, ESPN!

 Zo: How could the Nets have spent that much in uninsured, guaranteed scratch without giving the guy a physical?  Was it really only to trick Jason “nobody smacks my babe but me” Kidd into re-upping with the Nets?  Rumour has it that Knick sharpie Scott Leyden is trying to deal for Zo, based on how the Van Horn and Mutombo deals have worked.  Actually, I’m just kidding.  Scott Leyden isn’t still the Knick GM, is he?   I haven’t been paying attention, but they canned his ass a long time ago, right? 

Zo showed a lot of class though, choosing family and life over basketball and his friends on the Nets.  Now Kenyon “my knee, my knee” Martin and Jason “I eat any damn French fry I paid for” Kidd will have to carry more of the Net Class burden. 

Hot Stove: As we go to press, the Bosox have just locked up Curt “No Belt” Schilling.  They are serious about going toe-to-toe with the Yanks.  The trade with the Diamondbacks was announced Friday, and was followed by a series of other announcements.  First, the Yankees announced that they had no comment, but then retracted it to announce that since Schilling will be three years older than he was in 2001, that the Yankees would be even more embarrassed the next time he dominates them in post-season play.   Andy Pettite’s agent then announced that he will be buying a new car, beach house, Gulfstream Jet and upgrading to a younger wife as soon as he finishes negotiating Pettite’s deal with the now pitching-shy Yankees.  Grady Little then announced that if he had Schilling, he would have still kept Pedro in there in the 8th inning.  The Mets announced that they never even considered getting Schilling, since he made some outrageous demands, such as wanting to pitch only every fifth day, and to receive his paycheck via direct deposit. 

Steroids: Ah ha!, so the players have been cheating.  I just bought a thousand shares of Acme Asterisk Manufacturing Co., and quit my job.  Who would have thought that cheating was so widespread?   Nothing in the past ten years that happened was real?  How am I gonna break this to my kid, who up until now thought that only Sammy Sosa was a dirty filthy cheater.  Makes you wonder how things would be if the players were legit, without these performance enhancers.  How slow could Jason Giambi really run?   How nice would Barry Bonds be?  How much dumber could Aaron Boone become if he played au naturel?  Maybe Armando Benitez would have only given up dozens of warning track outs if the playing field was level, instead of walk-off taters?   

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Baseball Playoffs
October 26, 2003   
By Peter Murphy

Wow!  That was some month of baseball, greatest post-season overall, perhaps, although would have been cool to see a WS game 7.  Five of the seven series went the distance, and there were clutch performances, and cruel “5-outs to go” heartaches aplenty.  And in the end, the team neither fans, announcers or networks wanted to see ends up winning with a mere 2.8 runs per game.

Here are my general musings: 

Playoff rounds:

WORLD SERIES.  The end of an Era?

I’ll admit that even I didn’t think the Marlins would win it, right up to and passed the 5-outs-to-go mark in Game 6.  I have seen just too many times teams with weak closers blow late leads in post-season.  Imagine Urbina pitched the 9th?  That could be the difference in the Yankees 4-championships in 8-year run, matching the last true dynasties 4 for 8 mark (Islanders, in any 8 consecutive years starting after 1975, and ending before 1988).  You can’t say the Yankees never quit.  Other teams don’t quit either, they just have to face Mariano Rivera at the end.  Can you imagine the Yankees post-season record without Rivera these last 7 years?  Or if Rivera was on their opponent’s team?  Grady Little would have had Rivera in to start the eighth inning, and the curse would have been lifted.  Marlins would have won game 4 in regulation without having to ruin Jeff Weaver’s career.   Paul O’Neill would still be up, with an 0-2 count.

The Marlins were a great story.  Best managerial move ever!  Best in-season turnaround ever.  Best drunken celebration on an opponent’s home field ever, although I think pissing on the monuments was of questionable taste.  Should Yankee fans also be gunning for the “Cubs fan”?  Yankees might have more easily handled the Cubs, perhaps.

The Yankees still had the best roster combination of strong starting, relieving, and offense, but couldn’t pull it off.  The Yankees lost with class.  That is, aside from Jeff Nelson, Karim Garcia, and the Boss.  One of them loses without class, and the other two are classless losers.  The Yanks took their medicine, and watched the Marlins prance around after Beckett corralled Posada’s series-ending “blast”. 

But what will the Yankees do now?   With the retirements of Wells and Clemens, and the likely dumping of Aaron (don’t just tell me I suck, tell me is it my hitting, my fielding or both) Boone and Jeff Weaver, the Yankees payroll will be down to a mere $140 million, a paltry 25% above the nearest competitor.  And with all that YES money, that’s a budget gap as big as Schwarzenegger’s, though in a different color ink.  The league’s attempt to hold back Yankees spending backfired, as only mid-to-upper teams in the spending rankings were scared of the luxury penalty, and the Yankees will almost certainly succeed in the arm$ race.

The Yankees haven’t won a championship since George W. Bush was a FUNNY joke.  Steinbrenner will not let this stand.  Yankee management is scared, for 2 reasons.  The boss is a maniac, and, most of the others know their success has been because of George and his money, and that if they are canned, their secrets will be exposed.

The Yankees will have to retool, but they already have turned over much of the old roster.  Since the 1998-2000 run, the only remaining champions are Posada, Jeter, Williams, Wells, Clemens, Pettite, Nelson and Rivera.  Wells and Clemens won’t be back next year.  Mussina and Giambi came to New York to get their rings, and Soriano, Contreras, Nick Johnson, and Matsui thought it would be easier to get their rings.  Aaron “don’t call me Chambliss” Boone, who is only a holdover until Drew Henson is ready, also has naked fingers.  Yeah, wake up them ghosts, and tell them to actually get back into uniform. 

Pettite will have to be re-signed, but at his asking price, that will leave little future room to add the A’s triplets, Hudson, Mulder, and Zito.  Miguel Tejada will be sought at any price.  Can Vlad Guerrero be any worse than Rivera or Garcia in right field?   But will it make a difference?  The Yankees coaching staff is gone.  Will Torre resign or be canned himself?  Is Cashman safe?<