Good Things

Sometimes things work out for the best, despite the madness surrounding them.

For the past month and half or so, this years Masters was severely hyped up because of the return of Eldrick Woods. Everyone from media, talk radio, publications, bloggers (including myself) all had an opinion, thought, or emotion regarding Woods' return. How will he play? Will he be heckled? How will he handle adversity if he doesn't play well? Will he be able to reclaim his throne as the Goliath Of Golf? Blah, Blah, Blah...

What we failed to realize is that there are plenty of other remarkable golfers on this tour. One of them claimed his third Green Jacket this weekend, and his name is Phil Mickelson. Shame on us for allowing Eldrick to play us for saps again. He tried to make this years Master Tournament all about him, and he damn near succeeded. Mickelson however, snatched the spotlight right from him. How did he do this? Not only by winning the tournament, not only by playing with a dramatic crowd-engaging flair, not only by making arguably the greatest Masters shot ever....but he also reminded us he took a leave of absence from golf because he actually gave a sh*t about his wife, rather than engage in a bunch of self-indulgent "rehab" or "therapy" like Woods did.

Before I get accused of going soft though, I must clarify that I'm NOT suggesting Phil is an angel, or a model citizen. I point this out for a couple of reasons. One, we really are unable to actually know anything about a sports figure, that they don't allows us to know. Two, there have been some for odd rumors about Phil for quite some time. So please don't say I'm suggesting Phil is one of the "good guys" or anything similar to that.

All I'm saying is that Phil played a remarkable tournament. Despite what people who started watching golf around 1997 say, or people who play Golden Tee in bars and believe that makes them some sort of an "expert", or what the television ratings say, Phil was able to remind us that the PGA is much more than just Eldrick. It's been around way before his arrival, and it will be around when he no longer plays...no matter how selfishly he tries to make it all about him.

"...HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF DECENCY, SIR?"

Well, he finally did it. I truly believed that The Beard was the only one left who hadn't gotten angry, or hurt, or disappointed, or shocked at Eldrick for his sexual misgivings, bad driving, and overall scumbag personality being brought out in full view for the Court Of Public Opinion to rule over. I thought I was the only one who knew this guy was nothing but of piece of crap from day one. Until now, I just laughed my whole way through this bizarre journey since Thanksgiving.

That has all changed now with the release of this Nike Ad. Now he's PISSED ME OFF! While the whole golf world watched him laugh and joke and play grab-ass to the crowd/cameras on his way to shooting 4 under par today at Augusta National Golf KKKlub, he managed to do something that actually surprised, disappointed, shocked, and angered me with the release of this ad today. The ad essentially unearths his fathers corpse and uses it as a human shield so that he can continue to sell Nike products, PERIOD. There's no other explanation, interpretation or goal.

What people must first remember is that not only was Tiger Woods The Nice Guy Family Man image a myth before Thanksgiving, but Earl Woods similar image was a myth as well. Earl Woods according to several reports like this one, was a fall-down drunk who also cheated on his wife and whether people like it or not, probably shouldn't have programmed his son to do nothing but play golf as early as the age of THREE YEARS OLD. Secondly, even if Earl was such a strong and wholesome influence on Eldrick, it is still unethical, not to mention completely CREEPY to exploit his death by suggesting it's the reason why Tiger The Hero fell from grace, let alone to sell product for a global multi-billion dollar faceless bloodthirsty corporation.

This is a new low, even for Tiger. This is nothing but shameless on his and Nike's part. The worst thing is that his fans, admirers, linchpins and sycophants don't care simply because Eldrick is still a great golfer. That's all that matters to them...unless it was their daughter that he married and cheated on...unless it was their neighborhood he was drunk driving in...unless it was their daughter that Eldrick had sex with in his office.

Then maybe the hero-worshippers might develop something that Eldrick, Nike, his media ass-lickers, and his fans seem to think is a disease...a CONSCIENCE.

Chicago White Sox Preview and Prediction for 2010

October 26, 2005. That date is an official Holiday to all White Sox Fans. Many Sox fans call it the greatest day of their lives. Nearly everyone remembers where they were and who they were with that day. They also remember the feeling of triumph, relief, satisfaction, catharsis, and glory that came permanently attached to our collective psyches from that day forward.


While that day will never be forgotten, the past four season since then won't be forgotten as well. Over those years, many personnel changes have taken place. Some good (Thome, Danks, Floyd, Thornton, Ramirez, Quentin), many bad (Rob Mackowiak, Nick Swisher, Orlando Cabrera, Toby Hall), and some just dreadful (Jeff Nelson, Mike MacDougal, Darin Erstad, Octavio Dotel, Andrew Sisco) that have amounted to just one division championship since that day.


What has also taken place since that day is an erosion of warm and fuzzy feelings between skipper Ozzie Guillen and General Manager Kenny Williams. Rumor is, (and I believe it), Kenny is still not happy about Ozzie's comments in June of 2008 where he threw Kenny under the bus for acquiring such lousy players. Their relationship was permanently damaged from that point on, and indications are that this season could be Ozzie's last as manager if the team doesn't reach the postseason. So much so, that Kenny let Ozzie pretty much call the shots on player moves this offseason. Gone are mainstays such as Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome. In their place, the Sox acquired Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones, Mark Teahen, and Omar Vizquel. The White Sox and Ozzie have made no secret that their plan is to manufacture runs, play much better defense, and win with superior starting pitching. Will it work? Here's what I see:


HOW THEY PLAN TO WIN GAMES - LINEUP : You know for a lineup, the White Sox have one helluva pitching staff....Seriously, the Sox lineup is a bit of a head-scratcher to put it mildly. They got rid of one leadoff hitter who's not really that good (Podsednik) for another leadoff hitter who's also not really that good in Juan Pierre. A healthy Carlos Quentin will help in terms of a power in the middle of the lineup. Paul Konerko will have to be Paul Konerko (.280, 30 HR, 90 RBI). A reinvented (and GOOD) Alex Rios is pretty much a requirement if this lineup is going to score runs at an above average and consistent pace. Mark Kotsay and Andruw Jones will have to become a two headed monster named "Kotsdruw". I'd be thrilled if Mark Teahen hit .270. A.J. Pierzynski will still be the owner of the ugliest swing to ever hit .300, and Gordon Beckham will make the All Star Team this year - you heard it here first.


HOW THEY PLAN TO WIN GAMES - PITCHING : The White Sox keep telling people they have arguably the best starting rotation in baseball. On paper, they have a pretty good argument. Despite what Michael Lewis and Billy Beane will tell you however, baseball isn't played on paper, or on a stat sheet, or in a computer program. Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, John Danks, and Freddy Garcia are so unstoppable that they have a collective ONE Cy Young Award among the five of them...OK maybe that's not fair to judge it based on that standard but still...Given their depth 1-5 and the fact that the first four have thrown over 200 innings at least once in their careers, I like the White Sox chances in that respect. The bullpen will have some question marks, specifically with Bobby Jenks at closer. Despite what people say, Bobby Jenks is a pretty vital piece. His days of throwing the ball 100 MPH are over, but he still must be able to close games out if the rest of the bullpen is to take proper shape. The way it will take shape is newcomer Sergio Santos, Tony Pena, Randy Williams, and Scott Linebrink handling the 7th innins. Thornton and JJ Putz will need to shut down the 8th inning and get the ball to Jenks in the 9th.


Prediction : PAIN mostly, but I believe the White Sox pitching will give them the edge in their division. They certainly won't be slugging teams to death by scoring 5 runs a game, but their rotation (as long as it stays healthy) and solid enough bullpen should get them 85 wins. 85 wins should be plenty to win the awful AL Central Division. Their defense, particularly on the left side of the infield and much more range in the outfield, will be much improved from last seasons Butcher Shop of a roster. I think they'll end up being destroyed by either the Rays, or the Red Sox in the postseason, but Ozzie should be able to keep his job by winning another division title.

Chicago Cubs Preview and Prediction for 2010

Where to begin? I guess the easiest place to start is the new ownership group. The Ricketts Family is now the proud owner of this 102 year drought. Despite a renewed sense of optimism, encouraging talk about winning while ensuring the public trust will continue between the fans and Wrigley Field, they still managed to try and get away with a Cubs tax in Mesa. So it's fair to say they have a mixed review so far.

Let's get away from the new owners for a moment. This is now year number four of the Lou Piniella Era. For everything that has happened during that time, there's no question that Lou Piniella has been the most successful Cub manager in their franchise history. He's the only Cub manager to see the postseason in back to back years since Frank Chance over 100 years ago. Unfortunately for Lou and the Cubs, the postseason has not been as kind as it was to Frank Chance. It appears that the window to a World Series title is closing fast. Personally, I don't think that is the case. Despite the overspending on Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, and the recently departed Milton Bradley, the Cubs have guessed right on more pieces than they guessed wrong about (Dempster, Lee, Lilly, Aramis) over the years as well as had some young players emerge (Soto, Fontenot, Theriot, Wells, Marmol, etc). Will the 2010 mix equal another division championship? Here's what I see:

HOW THE PLAN TO WIN GAMES - LINEUP : One thing that I can say for sure is that the Cubs will hit this season. Rudy Jaramillo is one of the few coaches in sports who actually does have an impact on his teams performance. This could mean tremendous numbers for Derrick Lee and Aramis Ramirez if they both stay healthy. Not to mention if Rudy would be able to rejuvenate that $136 million dollar stiff DH in left field, the Cubs would have three really big sticks in the lineup. The rest of the lineup is also pretty well rounded out with newcomer Marlon Byrd (another Rudy success story), Fukudome, Fontenot, and Theriot. Geovany Soto lost 40lbs, which I would only imagine would benefit him. Soriano no longer in the leadoff role will be interesting to watch as well as Tyler Colvin. He is just interesting, for lack of a better word, and somehow I believe he will find his way into the lineup more often than not this season.

HOW THEY PLAN TO WIN GAMES - PITCHING : The Cubs will be featuring three rookies (Justin Berg, Esmailin Caridad, and James Russell) in the bullpen this season. This means that the Cubs rotation will need to have about three starting pitchers that throw around 200 innings each to minimize those rookies exposure. The good news is this Cubs rotation has guys that have thrown 200 innings in a season in Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Tom Gorzelanny, and Carlos Silva. Each of them have thrown 200 plus innings at least once within the past 3 seasons. Plus Randy Wells had an impressive debut last year, and if Ted Lilly can (eventually) come back and be the same pitcher he has been since putting on a Cub uniform, that should give the Cubs plenty of guys who can eat innings. While the Cubs have a good chance of getting games to the 8th and Carlos Marmol 9th inning, they have big question marks. Someone will need to step up and own the 8th inning details between John Grabow, Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija and the rookies.

Prediction : I believe the Cubs will win 90 games and retake the NL Central Division Crown. I believe they will hit better than the .255 BA, .332 OBP, .738 OPS they posted as a team last season. I also think their pitching will be the difference for them this year as the rotation is quietly deeper than most teams in the National League. After that who knows? While I won't bet against 102 years of history, if the Cubs pitching holds up they might actually win a playoff series for the first time since 2003.

We Are...UD

Dear Flyer Faithful,

Tonight, we can call ourselves 2009-2010 NIT Champions. Tonight, we have added a third NIT Title to the history of UD Basketball. Tonight, was the culmination of a winning streak that began three weeks ago, which saw UD beat teams from the Missouri Valley, the Big East, the Big Ten, the SEC, and now the ACC and last seasons National Champion North Carolina.

Yes, winning the NIT was not our goal to start the season. Yes, this UD team underachieved and was about 6 or 7 possessions away from qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Yes, this was the second out of the past three seasons Dayton was in the Top 20 and didn't make the Tournament. Yes, Brian Gregory is once again the subject of rumors regarding his departure for greener pastures. Yes, Chris Wright did not elevate his game to the next level many people expected him to, and was wildly inconsistent.

None of it matters, at least not tonight. At least for one night, let's put away the disappointment of unrealized expectations, the sarcasm of winning a tournament that won't be around next season, the anxiety caused by rumors, and pessimism about the future. While in many respects Dayton may be at the crossroads, there is realistic hope for optimism for next season. Tomorrow will begin another offseason of intrigue, but for now let's just enjoy this, and have visions of what the new banner hanging at UD Arena will look like.

"This game is kind of a capsule of our season. Started out great, had some tough times, then just kind of through and ended up being very successful" - Brian Gregory 4/1/2010.

Still Going...

The beloved Dayton Flyers kept on rolling through the NIT as they held on for the victory tonight against Ole Miss 68-63 at The Garden. Dayton (and their growing on me black uniforms) certainly didn't make it easy on themselves in the end as usual, but clutch free throw shooting from Chris Johnson and a key miss from Murphy Holloway at the line with 35 seconds left, paved the way for the victory. Next up for Dayton is last year's National Champion North Carolina and the getting-crazier-by-the-season Roy WILL-UM for the right to call themselves the Not In Tournament Champion/Tallest Midget. Thursday's game will be the 8th time Dayton has played in the NIT Final. The last time was 1968, and their last NIT Finals win was 1962.


Not only have the Flyers provided The Beard a nice reprieve from the panic of the seeming collapse of the Blackhawks, the worst "playoff run" ever witnessed by any Bulls team in history, and the dragging on of spring training, but there are more cumulative effects for Dayton beyond just wins and losses. This NIT run has denied Gregory at least one open coaching job at the University of Iowa according to this report, and has also possibly left himself as the default candidate for the DePaul vacancy - even though Gregory isn't nearly worth $3 million per season incidentally.
Sure I won't forget that no matter what happens, this season is a disappointment for The Flyers. Dayton was supposed to win the A-10 this year, and nothing will change that. Still, if this is in fact to be the last season of Brian Gregory manning the Dayton sidelines, a victory over North Carolina in the NIT Final, would be a better than average send off for him and a nice way to make lemonade out of this lemon of a season.

Fee Fi Fo Fum...

I smell not the blood of an Englishman, but of something else that seems a little fishy. Tyler Colvin has been rewarded for his freakishly good stats this spring training by being added to the Cubs Opening Day Roster. I use the word "freakishly" because his batting average and on-base percentage is a perfect match at .455. It's pretty hard to hit .455 without ONE walk in 66 at-bats isn't it? Before someone points this out, yes it's absolutely strange that while Colvin can be rewarded for putting up remarkable stats in spring training, the Cubs best prospect Starlin Castro does not receive the same treatment from Lou Piniella even though Castro hit .423 this spring. That's not what I find interesting though...

The part that's of most interest to me is the report that Colvin has put on 25 lbs of muscle this offseason at the age of 24. OK...I suppose that's technically possible, but 15 lbs would have been much easier to believe it was obtained cleanly, agreed? Colvin has also never played at a level higher than Double A since being drafted 13th overall by the Cubs in 2006. Now suddenly he's knocking the cover off the ball so much that he's earned a roster spot despite zero openings in the Cub outfield with Soriano, Byrd, and Fukudome?

I'm not saying...I'm just saying...I find this to be a pretty interesting "blossoming" to say the least. Colvin's performance will definitely be worth keeping an eye on. Let's hope someone in the Cubs organization told Colvin that there will be testing this year too...