I'm definitely getting old. There's no way around it. No longer can I get out of bed and pitch 7 innings without even thinking about it. Do to that now would require a whole bunch of pills and more than likely a short hospital stay to recoup from the pain afterwards. I've come to the reality that my sporting life is coming to an end at the level that I once played at. I've taken on the role of coach on my baseball team helping guide the youngsters.
There will always be a youth movement in sports. Its the natural order of being an athlete. You play as long and as hard as you can, but just like you did to somebody before you, a player who is younger and now better than you will replace you. The window of opportunity is longer for others, but for most athletes you are lucky to have a 5-10 year stretch to show the world how well you can play at an elite level.
In Oklahoma City, a group of young, elite athletes have become the newest stumbling block for LeBron James and his quest to win a championship. Just a few years ago it was James that was the future of the NBA. When he stormed into the NBA at 18, people figured he'd be in line to break all of individual scoring records and win multiple championships. His window seems to be closing quickly and he's only 27! Michael Jordan was 28 when he won the first of his six championships. He even took two years off to play baseball in his early thirties. There's no reason LeBron can't win multiple championships, but Kevin Durant (23), Russell Westbrook (23) and James Harden (22) are all younger and if they continue to play together, look to be to current 'future of the NBA'. If LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh made the aging Boston Celtics trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen look old, then what will people say about the Miami Heat if the Thunder roll through the Finals this year?
The Washington Nationals also have one of those players. Well they have a handful of young players, but I'm going to focus on the youngest...Bryce Harper. It's difficult not to wax poetic about him. At 16 he was touted as the 2nd coming of *insert any HOF baseball player here*. Now just 3 years later is in part of a youth machine that is currently rolling through the season. Nobody knows what his ceiling can be because he is only 19 years of age (old enough to drink in Canada, but don't go there bro). Yesterday he hit a moon shot against the Blue Jays which would have shattered the window of the old Hard Rock Cafe if it were still there. He swings hard, runs fast and puts forth a youthful exuberance that I hope never subsides. In a team game that has a six month season, it seems that the world comes to a stop when Harper is up to bat. As a fan, you just want to see what he will do next.
The last athlete I will touch on will be a new name to most...Andy Zhang. He is only 14 years of age, yet on Thursday he will be partaking in the U.S. Open! The same tournament that makes even the most seasoned veteran look like mere amateurs will allow a kid who is just entering high school tackle it. This is one of the greatest aspect of The Open, if you are good enough all you have to do is qualify. Even though it took someone dropping out because of injury for Zhang to make it, the story is still wonderful. While the world will be focused on the likes of Tiger, Phil and Rory, I will be following Andy and I hope that you do as well.
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Tonight on NBA TV (9 pm) is the documentary about the 1992 Dream Team. If you are too young to remember them, watch it. If you remember how they dominated the opponents and what to look back to a time when the United States were the best at basketball in the world, watch it. If you want to see why the world has become so much better at basketball, its because of what the Dream Team did in the Olympics. Basketball became so popular, because the athletes that were sent to Barcelona handled themselves with dignity, were likeable and put their ego's aside for the betterment of the team (well outside of Michael Jordan refusing to play with Isiah Thomas). Now NBA players are asking to get paid to represent their country...oh the shame.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Pocket Pair 6/12/12
Fear not Capitals fans, it can be done. For the first time in franchise history the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup. Founded in 1967 by ex-Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, the Kings had actually had worse playoff success than the Capitals until this season. Both Washington and Los Angeles had been to one Stanley Cup Final in their history before this season with the Kings going in 1993 and the Capitals being there in 1998. With a couple bold moves this off season and in season, namely acquiring two ex-Flyers Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, the Kings had the perfect mix of offense and defense to go along with all world goal tending by Jonathan Quick.
It's difficult to feel bad for Philadelphia as they chose to trade away their Captain (Richards) and fellow young star (Carter) to make room for what they thought was a goaltender, Ilya Bryzgalov, who would lead them back to the Finals. There are plenty, too many actually, Capitals fans who think that trading away their Captain, Alex Ovechkin would make sense. Hopefully they can see how it worked out for Philadelphia and rethink their stance on the issue. While Ovechkin may never be the dynamic force he was in his first couple season, he still has all worldly talent that cannot be duplicated.
The shift from free roaming, pure offense that the Capitals were famous for to the bunker down, don't make a mistake defensive hockey they tried this season can only help Ovechkin become a better two way player. Whatever coaching direction the Capitals decide to go with this year, it must fit with the skill set of Ovechkin. He needs to be able to lead them on offense, but still be held responsible on the defensive side. Alex Ovechkin will have to respect the coach that is brought in and be willing to do whatever it takes to bring Lord Stanley to Washington.
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In case you didn't realize, and if you're not a poker player you probably haven't, the World Series of Poker is in full swing in Las Vegas right now. This year there are 61 events culminating in the Main Event which to poker players is the most coveted bracelet in all the world. It has also become the most difficult bracelet to win because even though the Main Event is 40+ years old, the entry fee of $10,000 has not changed. No longer do only the wealthiest and best players play, but anyone who can scrape together the funds or have won a smaller, cheaper qualifying event can play. Through 2003 the most players who had entered the Main Event tournament was 839, but when a true amateur, Chris Moneymaker, defeated a grizzled poker pro, Sam Farha, the poker boom began.
The next year 2,500 entrants tried their luck (and skill) at taking home the gold bracelet. 2005 saw that number jump to 5,600 and then it peaked in 2006 at at stunning 8,700 entrants. Due to online gaming restrictions in the United States, fewer websites were allowed to send winners of online tournaments to Vegas and thus the number dropped in 2007 to a scant 6,300. The last four years participation has held steady between 6,500 and 7,300 and that is even after the corruption scandals and eventual shutdown of a couple of the most popular online gaming sites for poker fans.
Already this season history has been made as poker legend, Phil Hellmuth won his record 12th gold bracelet in the 7 card Razz event. Razz is basically a poker game where you actually try to win with the worst poker hand. It will be interesting to see how quickly Hellmuth can order new jackets and hats that signify his new record of 12 victories because his current logo revolves around the 11 he had. Always a shameless self promoter, you have to respect Hellmuth for his skill level at the poker table, but fans of poker are somewhat ashamed of his boorish behavior towards his fellow competitors. When he controls his emotions, Phil Hellmuth is one of the best to play the game.
The Main Event begins on July 7th, so save your pennies kids and get out there and win. Last years winner, Pius Heinz won $8.7 million. I sure could use that kind of money.
It's difficult to feel bad for Philadelphia as they chose to trade away their Captain (Richards) and fellow young star (Carter) to make room for what they thought was a goaltender, Ilya Bryzgalov, who would lead them back to the Finals. There are plenty, too many actually, Capitals fans who think that trading away their Captain, Alex Ovechkin would make sense. Hopefully they can see how it worked out for Philadelphia and rethink their stance on the issue. While Ovechkin may never be the dynamic force he was in his first couple season, he still has all worldly talent that cannot be duplicated.
The shift from free roaming, pure offense that the Capitals were famous for to the bunker down, don't make a mistake defensive hockey they tried this season can only help Ovechkin become a better two way player. Whatever coaching direction the Capitals decide to go with this year, it must fit with the skill set of Ovechkin. He needs to be able to lead them on offense, but still be held responsible on the defensive side. Alex Ovechkin will have to respect the coach that is brought in and be willing to do whatever it takes to bring Lord Stanley to Washington.
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In case you didn't realize, and if you're not a poker player you probably haven't, the World Series of Poker is in full swing in Las Vegas right now. This year there are 61 events culminating in the Main Event which to poker players is the most coveted bracelet in all the world. It has also become the most difficult bracelet to win because even though the Main Event is 40+ years old, the entry fee of $10,000 has not changed. No longer do only the wealthiest and best players play, but anyone who can scrape together the funds or have won a smaller, cheaper qualifying event can play. Through 2003 the most players who had entered the Main Event tournament was 839, but when a true amateur, Chris Moneymaker, defeated a grizzled poker pro, Sam Farha, the poker boom began.
The next year 2,500 entrants tried their luck (and skill) at taking home the gold bracelet. 2005 saw that number jump to 5,600 and then it peaked in 2006 at at stunning 8,700 entrants. Due to online gaming restrictions in the United States, fewer websites were allowed to send winners of online tournaments to Vegas and thus the number dropped in 2007 to a scant 6,300. The last four years participation has held steady between 6,500 and 7,300 and that is even after the corruption scandals and eventual shutdown of a couple of the most popular online gaming sites for poker fans.
Already this season history has been made as poker legend, Phil Hellmuth won his record 12th gold bracelet in the 7 card Razz event. Razz is basically a poker game where you actually try to win with the worst poker hand. It will be interesting to see how quickly Hellmuth can order new jackets and hats that signify his new record of 12 victories because his current logo revolves around the 11 he had. Always a shameless self promoter, you have to respect Hellmuth for his skill level at the poker table, but fans of poker are somewhat ashamed of his boorish behavior towards his fellow competitors. When he controls his emotions, Phil Hellmuth is one of the best to play the game.
The Main Event begins on July 7th, so save your pennies kids and get out there and win. Last years winner, Pius Heinz won $8.7 million. I sure could use that kind of money.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Celebrating 25 Years of Fanaticism: High School Pt 3.
Part 3: Junior Year
The summer of 1994 was my first with a driver's license. It gave me the freedom to do things on my time and not have to rely on rides from my parents or my friends parents. I played baseball again that summer and this year Jody was on my team. We hit 1-2 in the order that year and were much better than opponents at that level. The previous spring I had made the Varsity baseball team, but was relegated to keeping score so outside of practice I didn't get to actually play much. I was eager to play and play a lot. Being a rec league, I wasn't forced to playing solely with just my team. A couple of times during the summer teams that were playing after our games would ask for players to fill their roster and I said yes every time. I just loved playing ball. Splitting time between outfield and first I stayed active, but I just wanted to get on the mound. Occasionally I would get a chance to pitch, but I only threw a fastball. At that level it was enough to not get pummeled, but I knew I had to have a second pitch I was even to get the chance in high school.
With my new found freedom I also got to hang out with my new friends outside of school for the first time. We started to get interested in street hockey. We had a goal and I went out and bought a hockey stick and a group of us would find an abandoned parking lot and play. Running around while trying to play hockey was exhausting. Quickly some of my friend bough rollerblades which were all the rage in the mid nineties. Inline skating was going to be the transportation of the future...was being the key word in that sentence. I had never skated much (ice or roller) so I was not quick to switch and thus forced to play goalie which sucked. I needed to learn how to skate.
The summer of 1994 is known for many things. The United States hosted the World Cup which introduced a new generation to the sport of soccer. I already loved soccer and at the time I cheered for Argentina. Why you ask? I did a report on Argentina in 1989 for a sixth grade class and learned they were the defending champions from the 1986 World Cup. I was at a friends' birthday party in 1990 when they took on West Germany in the Finals of that World Cup and I remember asking my mom as she picked me up "Who won?" and she said Germany I was bummed. The United States wasn't very good at soccer, but they played well that year surprising the world by making it out of the qualification round. Although they lost to Brazil, it marked a turning point for the game here in the states and I quickly left Argentina behind even though they do have a pretty shade of blue on their flag. I was also very privileged to be asked to go to the Mexico/Norway by a friend of mine and that was a wonderful experience. I remember a drunk Norwegian who couldn't find his seat, so he took up residence in the aisle. He just sprawled out without a care in the world, until security hauled him off.
1994 is also remembered for the OJ Simpson slow moving car chase in the white Bronco. It was during the NBA Finals between New York and Houston and we kept flipping back and forth. The drama was so intense. I had only known OJ from the Naked Gun movies, but my Dad grew up watching him play football. It was just a surreal set of events that day and they will never be forgotten by those watched it live. ESPN did a magnificent documentary about that day on their 30 for 30 feature. It is a must watch.
What 1994 means most to me is the baseball season that never was. The Montreal Expos had the best team in the majors that year and because of the strike and eventual cancellation of the playoffs they never got their chance to play on the big stage. All of their best talent (Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, Cliff Floyd, Marquis Grissom and Moises Alou) would eventually be traded away or lost to free agency and the franchise began a steady downward spiral that they would never recover from leading them to fold and move to Washington, D.C.
Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres was hitting .394 and with 45 games left was still within reach of ending at or above the magical .400 mark. Matt Williams of the San Francisco Giants had 43 home runs with 47 games left and was within reach of the record 61 hit by Roger Maris 33 years earlier. The baseball world was being robbed of potential history. It was history of another sort that I was wrapped up in.
The Athletics were still terrible, but they had been placed into the newly formed American League West division with only three other teams and they sucked equally as much. I didn't care what the standing were, I just knew the Athletics had a chance at making the playoffs. On June 13th the Athletics were a miserable 19-43. During most seasons they would have already been eliminated. At the time they were a mere 12.5 games out of first. All of a sudden they became the hottest team in baseball. Over their next 22 games they went 19-3 and on July 7th they were a scant 3 games out of 1st! They reverted back to their losing ways and as the strike date approached I knew that if the Athletics could just be in 1st place at the time of the strike maybe they'd be allowed in the playoffs if everything got resolved by October. They swept a 3 game series from the 1st place Texas with only four days left until 'D-Day' and were within 1.5 games of the Division lead. Two nights later Ruben Sierra hit a go ahead 8th inning home run to beat the White Sox. I was on vacation at the beach with my family but watching the game on WGN and I remember writing 'YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES!!' on a piece of paper and taping it to the mirror in my Dad's bathroom. With two games left the Athletics had crept to within 0.5 a game of first place. They lost their last two games and finished one game out when the strike hit and the season never finished. Texas led that worst division in the history of MLB with a stellar 52-62 record. It's probably best that fans weren't subjected to a playoff race of sub-.500 teams.
Junior year started and it was my first school year not playing a sport other than baseball. Choosing not to play baseball that fall, it gave me ample opportunity to learn how to roller blade. I purchased a pair and slowly got used to it. Going to tennis courts I relied heavily on the brakes and had a very difficult time not crashing into the fence when trying to stop. It was much easier to skate with a stick in hand and once I mastered the crossover life became much easier. My strongest attribute was my slap shot. Not having ever played hockey before it just came naturally. I could hit that ball (we used a tennis ball sized plastic ball that had liquid in it to keep it from bouncing) hard and sometime accurate. Nobody was practicing tip drills in front of the net when I wound up.
As soon as everyone in my group of friends was up to speed in skating we found every waking moment available to play. Abandoned tennis courts were the most ideal and Cavalier Park in Falls Church, VA was where you were most likely to find us. As the weather grew colder, we played more because nobody was playing tennis. I loved to throw my weight around and as I became sturdier on skates it was my goal to drop Justin on his ass as much as possible. Luke did enough of that himself without contact and we yelled "Nancy!" each time. Zack bit the bullet and became our resident goalie. I don't know if he never took to skating or he just relished the challenge, but for our level he was pretty darn good. Trevor and Jody were good skaters and when one of them didn't play a co-worker of Zack's stepped in. Our best player, Isaac dominated us at times. He had played ice hockey all through his youth and until becoming a father this past year was still playing. At first he skated circles around us and beat Zack like a rented goalie on numerous occasions. We tracked our improvement by slowing Isaac down. The best part about it is how frustrated he would get when we stole the puck away from him or got past him while he was on defense. Zack and I would yell "DA DUM" every time he failed and then he would just unload a slap shot harder and higher to prove his worth.
Tennis players never cared about us skating on their courts and our wheels were made of the same material that tennis shoes were made of, but that didn't stop the locals from calling the cops on us on a regular basis. The police claimed we were too loud (we weren't) or scuffing the courts (we didn't) and did their duty by shutting us down for the night. There were plenty of open tennis courts so we just rotated until we were thrown out. It was harmless fun but we got pretty competitive especially Isaac and I. I wanted to be the best athlete in the group and I knew he was miles ahead of me on skates. That never stopped me from trying to beat him and he relished someone getting closer to his level. I never was able to skate with him, but I used his temper against him and that was my smartest move. All I had to do was get him angry and he stop using skill and resorted to being a bull in a china shop and stopping someone going straight at you is much easier than having him go wide and using flashy moves.
If I had thought that the 1993 season had been bad for the Washington Redskins, 1994 proved to be even worse. The Redskins had select Heath Shuler in the draft earlier that year and he was supposed to be the next great quarterback in franchise history. He proved to not even be the best quarterback Washington drafted that year. In the 7th round a little known quarterback, Gus Frerotte was selected and he wound up playing 118 more games than did Shuler in their respective careers. It's said when a franchise chooses the wrong quarterback of the future it sets the franchise back five years with two to three years to prove he can't play and two to three more to find the next savior. This would resonate all too true.
The Redskins lost 6 of their first 7 and 7 of their following 8 only to end with a meaningless victory to end the season a paltry 3-13. It was their fewest wins since 1963...31 years earlier!! From a model franchise to the laughing stock of the NFL in only three years. What a sad state of affairs.
As did the Redskins, the Detroit Pistons drafted who they thought would be the savior of a once proud franchise. With the 3rd overall picked I was dismayed to watch Detroit select Grant Hill from the hated Duke Blue Devils. It was very difficult to root for him and I never embraced him fully. To add insult to injury the Pistons traded for Bill Curley who was the best player on the same Boston College team that had just beaten UNC. To say the Pistons were testing me as a fan is an understatement.
After having two picks in the top 11 from the draft before it was apparent that the Pistons now had the building blocks to be a better team. It didn't show that season. Although Grant Hill led the team in scoring, the team as a whole only increased their win total by 8 games. Don Cheney, the Pistons head coach over the last two horrible seasons, was let go and the team was forced to head in a new direction.
Down a level the Tar Heels were loaded with as both Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse were back and with it being their team now, issues of meshing well with the older guys was no longer going to be an issue. They were ranked #2 in the preseason polls and started the season 18-1 as they elevated to #1 in the nation. The most memorable game of that season was against rival Duke who was having an all time worst season with their coach (who shall not be named because if he doesn't count the stats against him he doesn't get a mention from me here) out for the season after back surgery. UNC was 16-1 and Duke was 10-9 and losers of all seven conference games. UNC dominated in all aspects of the game early on including one of the sickest dunks by Jerry Stackhouse that I had ever witnessed.
Then Duke made a run...of course they did. This was during the heart of the era of the Cameron Crazies. The student section at Duke was ahead of its time and they caused havoc on the psyche of opposing teams. Everything that Duke did that night was thanks to the fans. They were undermanned and outplaying one of the most talented teams in the country. They blew past UNC and had a double digit lead in the second half. The Tar Heels clawed backed and forced overtime and that is when the Tar Heels took over. With only 1:30 left in the 5 minute overtime UNC had scored the only 9 points. The game was over, I had survived. I couldn't imagine going to school after losing to Duke. UNC was #1 and Duke sucked. It should have been a blowout, but a win is a win and I'll take it. Oh Duke hit a 3 pointer? Too little, too late. Less than a minute to go. UNC misses and gets the rebound and is fouled. Hey they're rolling the credits of the film crew. Ballgame! Two free throws, an 8 point lead. Duke comes down and hits a two pointer with :30 left. Big whoop. The announcers already have already moved UNC to 7-1 in conference play. Two more UNC free throws and the lead was back to 8. Duke hit a 3 with :16 left and the lead was still a safe 5 points. The Tar Heels made 1 of 2 free throws to extend the lead back to 6 and Jeff Capel took the ball back down the court and charged into the UNC defender for an offensive foul....what? NO! A blocking foul?? Are you effing kidding me?? He made the basket but it was still a four point lead and there is no four point play in college. He made the free throw and during the timeout I was still pissed. How the hell was that not a charge? Duke fouled 7' 6" Serge Zwikker and all he had to do was make one of his two free throws to officially ice the game. He missed them both. Cherokee Parks grabbed the rebound, fed it to Jeff Capel who launched a desperation shot from just over the mid court stripe and buried it! The game was tied at 95 and headed to a second overtime. It felt like UNC had lost. I was dumfounded. It was too late at night to yell, I couldn't break anything but I was furious. What type of crap was this...how was that not a charge!?!
The 2nd OT was just like the first with UNC scoring the only 3 points through the first 3 1/2 minutes. Then Duke hit a 3 to tie the game at 98. Ugh. UNC scored, stole the inbound pass and scored again and were up 102-98...phew. Survived that one. Duke scored with :45 left to cut it to two and then inexplicably didn't foul UNC. :30 :25 :20 and then a forced pass into the paint and the ball was stolen with :15 to go. Duke now could win the game with a 3 since that is what they are best at. Fudge! Crap! Darn it! Yes that is what I was screaming in my head. Freshman point guard and all time poster boy that is all wrong with Duke Steve Wojciechowski (Wojo) slowly dribbled the ball down the court and hurried a two point shot which he missed and the put back was missed as well and the game was over. 102-100. A classic.
The second half of the season saw a few more bumps in the road for UNC and they entered the NCAA Tournament as the #2 Seed in the Southeast. The #1 Seed was Kentucky. My friend Erin and I were now 3 games away from a possible meeting for a trip to the Final Four. Of course Trevor had his favorite team, UCLA in Tournament as a #1 Seed as well.
I assumed that UNC would breeze by Murray St. in their 1st round game and I remember getting the substitute teacher to let us put the tournament on during class so I could keep an eye on it. I should have avoided it all together. The Tar Heels came out flat and trailed the 15 Seed by a point at the half. I had to go to baseball practice at that time so I had no clue what was going on. If UNC lost it would be a total disaster. Erin and I had already began our smack talk on how UNC would crush Kentucky and it looked like both the team and I forgot we had win 3 games first. After practice I got in my car and sat there waiting to hear the scores on the sports ticker. I held my breath the entire time. It was excruciating. Finally I heard "UNC 80 Murray St. 70"...and exhale. Survive and advance.
UNC cruised in it's 2nd round game as did Kentucky. UCLA needed a last second, full court sprint by point guard Tyus Edney to survive and move on. In the Sweet 16 UNC was matched up against Georgetown and spectacular point guard Allen Iverson. My father who was still a Georgetown fan took me to my Uncle's house to watch the game on his brand new big screen television. He was an alum of Georgetown so I was on a very uncomfortable island. Luckily UNC handled the Hoyas from beginning to end and moved to the Elite 8. Kentucky crushed Arizona St. and the stage was set for the most epic battle of my High School years.
For three years Erin and I had been going at each others' throat about which team was more supreme. It was probably for the best that we only had 48 hours to wait for the game because it would've gotten ugly. Our back and forth was all in good fun, but we were serious about our hatred for each others school. UNC already had a championship 2 years earlier and I held the upper hand. A victory in the game and I would hold bragging rights for a long time.
Kentucky relied heavily on their press defense that would cause turnovers and I knew UNC could handle this. If they didn't it would get ugly, but if they did and Stackhouse and Wallace got free from breaking it, Carolina would roll. It was tight, it was exciting, but the Heels pulled away down the stretch and UNC was headed to Seattle for the Final 4! Erin didn't speak to me for a week. It was pure bliss. I wore a different UNC shirt/hat combo (I had plenty to spare as well) each day to school that week. Up next was Arkansas. Oh hi, I remember you guys from last year beating Duke for the National Championship. Remember when I said we owed you one? Well forget it.
They didn't forget it. What worked so well for UNC against the pressure defense of Kentucky, failed in Seattle. After leading at half time, UNC fell apart in the 2nd half. Stackhouse and Wallace had only 13 combined shots. They couldn't get the ball. The Heels had to rely on the outside shooting of Donald Williams (the hero of the 1993 Final Four), Jeff McInnis and Dante Calabria who combined for 11 for 38 shooting which didn't work out so well. Arkansas moved on to the Finals where they lost to Trevor and I had to hear about those 11 Championships for another year. We're even Arkansas...ya bums.
The NHL had labor issues just like baseball did and for a moment it looked like the season was going to be lost. Shortly after the start of the new year the each side came to a resolution and the 'Sprint for the Cup' was afoot. Peter Bondra was beginning to become the face of the franchise along with Dale Hunter and in the shortened season he had a spectacular year. In only 47 games he scored 34 goals which is a near 60 goal pace. The NHL was in the middle of the the clutching and grabbing trap era when scoring plummeted and goalies starting putting up ridiculous statistics. Bondra led the NHL in goals during that shortened season and with the emergence of rookie goaltender Jim 'Ace' Carey who had the 2nd lowest goals against average I had high hopes for that playoff season.
Not so surprisingly the Capitals were paired up with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1st round. I really hate that team. The Capitals went into Pittsburgh and beat them in game 1 and then lost Game 2. Games 3 and 4 in Washington were blowouts...by the Caps!! The won each game by a 6-2 score and had a commanding 3 games to 1 lead and were doing it in dominating fashion. In game five it was more of the same with Washington taking a 2-0 lead and heading to a power play late in the 1st period. Jaromir Jagr who fashioned a horrible euro-mullet struck with a short handed goal and the lead was shaved in half. The Penguins evened the game up in the 2nd, but Dale Hunter scored his second of the game to restore the lead. Once again Pittsburgh scored late and the game was tied after two periods. Peter Bondra opened the scoring in the 3rd period and less than a minute later the lead was gone as Jagr scored again. Only 26 seconds after that Bondra restored the Capitals lead with his second tally and it was the fourth time the Capitals led. The fourth time wasn't the charm as less than 3 minutes later the score was tied at five when Kevin Stevens scored his second goal of the game which was a very common theme. The game headed for overtime and true Capitals fans knew that if they lost this one the momentum may have been lost forever. Luc Robitaille scored in the fifth minute of overtime for the Penguins and the series was head back to Washington (well Landover, MD to be exact). The next two games in the series will probably go down as the worst performances in Capitals history. They were outscored by a combined 10-1 and the season was over, just like that. To be so close to moving on with four leads in a closeout game only to watch 12 of the series final 13 goals go in against you was shocking.
That spring my High School got a new baseball coach which was good for me. I hated the previous coach as he had told me I would never pitch. I didn't throw hard enough and wasn't good enough. Way to build a player up coach! Tom Horn was our coaches name and he was a revelation. He taught me so much about the game that I realized. He focused on the details and how to take advantage of every situation. Our practices were completely different, they were organized, up beat and we were always learning. Skills sets were developed, confidence was instilled.
Most importantly though, Tom Horns' singular focus was improving the conditions of the field, how we looked and how we were perceived. We had no fence on the baseball field so we built one. Our field was rock hard and didn't hold water well so he imported 'Camden Yards' dirt and we replaced everything. He realized that the mound didn't line up with the plate so we dug that up and aligned it properly. He tore down the mound and built it up for a better angle. We cleaned out the shed that was next to the field and turned it into a clubhouse. We ordered new team cleats and were asked to polish them before every game. We ordered new jerseys because you have to look good to play good. When it rained we pulled out wet vacs to suck the water off so we could practice. We had conditioning practices before school. What was probably taken for granted at bigger schools were brand new to used and we relished in it.
That season I platooned in the outfield and only got to pitch two innings. I was told to practice and pitch a lot that summer to get a chance next season. Two of my classmates were already ahead of me for next year on the mound and our best player who was a grade behind me was probably going to be the third pitcher. If I didn't get better I wasn't going to get to pitch. As a team we lost in the first round of the District Tournament but we had a good feeling about next year with a full season under our belt as a real team.
The summer of 1994 was my first with a driver's license. It gave me the freedom to do things on my time and not have to rely on rides from my parents or my friends parents. I played baseball again that summer and this year Jody was on my team. We hit 1-2 in the order that year and were much better than opponents at that level. The previous spring I had made the Varsity baseball team, but was relegated to keeping score so outside of practice I didn't get to actually play much. I was eager to play and play a lot. Being a rec league, I wasn't forced to playing solely with just my team. A couple of times during the summer teams that were playing after our games would ask for players to fill their roster and I said yes every time. I just loved playing ball. Splitting time between outfield and first I stayed active, but I just wanted to get on the mound. Occasionally I would get a chance to pitch, but I only threw a fastball. At that level it was enough to not get pummeled, but I knew I had to have a second pitch I was even to get the chance in high school.
With my new found freedom I also got to hang out with my new friends outside of school for the first time. We started to get interested in street hockey. We had a goal and I went out and bought a hockey stick and a group of us would find an abandoned parking lot and play. Running around while trying to play hockey was exhausting. Quickly some of my friend bough rollerblades which were all the rage in the mid nineties. Inline skating was going to be the transportation of the future...was being the key word in that sentence. I had never skated much (ice or roller) so I was not quick to switch and thus forced to play goalie which sucked. I needed to learn how to skate.
The summer of 1994 is known for many things. The United States hosted the World Cup which introduced a new generation to the sport of soccer. I already loved soccer and at the time I cheered for Argentina. Why you ask? I did a report on Argentina in 1989 for a sixth grade class and learned they were the defending champions from the 1986 World Cup. I was at a friends' birthday party in 1990 when they took on West Germany in the Finals of that World Cup and I remember asking my mom as she picked me up "Who won?" and she said Germany I was bummed. The United States wasn't very good at soccer, but they played well that year surprising the world by making it out of the qualification round. Although they lost to Brazil, it marked a turning point for the game here in the states and I quickly left Argentina behind even though they do have a pretty shade of blue on their flag. I was also very privileged to be asked to go to the Mexico/Norway by a friend of mine and that was a wonderful experience. I remember a drunk Norwegian who couldn't find his seat, so he took up residence in the aisle. He just sprawled out without a care in the world, until security hauled him off.
1994 is also remembered for the OJ Simpson slow moving car chase in the white Bronco. It was during the NBA Finals between New York and Houston and we kept flipping back and forth. The drama was so intense. I had only known OJ from the Naked Gun movies, but my Dad grew up watching him play football. It was just a surreal set of events that day and they will never be forgotten by those watched it live. ESPN did a magnificent documentary about that day on their 30 for 30 feature. It is a must watch.
What 1994 means most to me is the baseball season that never was. The Montreal Expos had the best team in the majors that year and because of the strike and eventual cancellation of the playoffs they never got their chance to play on the big stage. All of their best talent (Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, Cliff Floyd, Marquis Grissom and Moises Alou) would eventually be traded away or lost to free agency and the franchise began a steady downward spiral that they would never recover from leading them to fold and move to Washington, D.C.
Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres was hitting .394 and with 45 games left was still within reach of ending at or above the magical .400 mark. Matt Williams of the San Francisco Giants had 43 home runs with 47 games left and was within reach of the record 61 hit by Roger Maris 33 years earlier. The baseball world was being robbed of potential history. It was history of another sort that I was wrapped up in.
The Athletics were still terrible, but they had been placed into the newly formed American League West division with only three other teams and they sucked equally as much. I didn't care what the standing were, I just knew the Athletics had a chance at making the playoffs. On June 13th the Athletics were a miserable 19-43. During most seasons they would have already been eliminated. At the time they were a mere 12.5 games out of first. All of a sudden they became the hottest team in baseball. Over their next 22 games they went 19-3 and on July 7th they were a scant 3 games out of 1st! They reverted back to their losing ways and as the strike date approached I knew that if the Athletics could just be in 1st place at the time of the strike maybe they'd be allowed in the playoffs if everything got resolved by October. They swept a 3 game series from the 1st place Texas with only four days left until 'D-Day' and were within 1.5 games of the Division lead. Two nights later Ruben Sierra hit a go ahead 8th inning home run to beat the White Sox. I was on vacation at the beach with my family but watching the game on WGN and I remember writing 'YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES!!' on a piece of paper and taping it to the mirror in my Dad's bathroom. With two games left the Athletics had crept to within 0.5 a game of first place. They lost their last two games and finished one game out when the strike hit and the season never finished. Texas led that worst division in the history of MLB with a stellar 52-62 record. It's probably best that fans weren't subjected to a playoff race of sub-.500 teams.
Junior year started and it was my first school year not playing a sport other than baseball. Choosing not to play baseball that fall, it gave me ample opportunity to learn how to roller blade. I purchased a pair and slowly got used to it. Going to tennis courts I relied heavily on the brakes and had a very difficult time not crashing into the fence when trying to stop. It was much easier to skate with a stick in hand and once I mastered the crossover life became much easier. My strongest attribute was my slap shot. Not having ever played hockey before it just came naturally. I could hit that ball (we used a tennis ball sized plastic ball that had liquid in it to keep it from bouncing) hard and sometime accurate. Nobody was practicing tip drills in front of the net when I wound up.
As soon as everyone in my group of friends was up to speed in skating we found every waking moment available to play. Abandoned tennis courts were the most ideal and Cavalier Park in Falls Church, VA was where you were most likely to find us. As the weather grew colder, we played more because nobody was playing tennis. I loved to throw my weight around and as I became sturdier on skates it was my goal to drop Justin on his ass as much as possible. Luke did enough of that himself without contact and we yelled "Nancy!" each time. Zack bit the bullet and became our resident goalie. I don't know if he never took to skating or he just relished the challenge, but for our level he was pretty darn good. Trevor and Jody were good skaters and when one of them didn't play a co-worker of Zack's stepped in. Our best player, Isaac dominated us at times. He had played ice hockey all through his youth and until becoming a father this past year was still playing. At first he skated circles around us and beat Zack like a rented goalie on numerous occasions. We tracked our improvement by slowing Isaac down. The best part about it is how frustrated he would get when we stole the puck away from him or got past him while he was on defense. Zack and I would yell "DA DUM" every time he failed and then he would just unload a slap shot harder and higher to prove his worth.
Tennis players never cared about us skating on their courts and our wheels were made of the same material that tennis shoes were made of, but that didn't stop the locals from calling the cops on us on a regular basis. The police claimed we were too loud (we weren't) or scuffing the courts (we didn't) and did their duty by shutting us down for the night. There were plenty of open tennis courts so we just rotated until we were thrown out. It was harmless fun but we got pretty competitive especially Isaac and I. I wanted to be the best athlete in the group and I knew he was miles ahead of me on skates. That never stopped me from trying to beat him and he relished someone getting closer to his level. I never was able to skate with him, but I used his temper against him and that was my smartest move. All I had to do was get him angry and he stop using skill and resorted to being a bull in a china shop and stopping someone going straight at you is much easier than having him go wide and using flashy moves.
If I had thought that the 1993 season had been bad for the Washington Redskins, 1994 proved to be even worse. The Redskins had select Heath Shuler in the draft earlier that year and he was supposed to be the next great quarterback in franchise history. He proved to not even be the best quarterback Washington drafted that year. In the 7th round a little known quarterback, Gus Frerotte was selected and he wound up playing 118 more games than did Shuler in their respective careers. It's said when a franchise chooses the wrong quarterback of the future it sets the franchise back five years with two to three years to prove he can't play and two to three more to find the next savior. This would resonate all too true.
The Redskins lost 6 of their first 7 and 7 of their following 8 only to end with a meaningless victory to end the season a paltry 3-13. It was their fewest wins since 1963...31 years earlier!! From a model franchise to the laughing stock of the NFL in only three years. What a sad state of affairs.
As did the Redskins, the Detroit Pistons drafted who they thought would be the savior of a once proud franchise. With the 3rd overall picked I was dismayed to watch Detroit select Grant Hill from the hated Duke Blue Devils. It was very difficult to root for him and I never embraced him fully. To add insult to injury the Pistons traded for Bill Curley who was the best player on the same Boston College team that had just beaten UNC. To say the Pistons were testing me as a fan is an understatement.
After having two picks in the top 11 from the draft before it was apparent that the Pistons now had the building blocks to be a better team. It didn't show that season. Although Grant Hill led the team in scoring, the team as a whole only increased their win total by 8 games. Don Cheney, the Pistons head coach over the last two horrible seasons, was let go and the team was forced to head in a new direction.
Down a level the Tar Heels were loaded with as both Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse were back and with it being their team now, issues of meshing well with the older guys was no longer going to be an issue. They were ranked #2 in the preseason polls and started the season 18-1 as they elevated to #1 in the nation. The most memorable game of that season was against rival Duke who was having an all time worst season with their coach (who shall not be named because if he doesn't count the stats against him he doesn't get a mention from me here) out for the season after back surgery. UNC was 16-1 and Duke was 10-9 and losers of all seven conference games. UNC dominated in all aspects of the game early on including one of the sickest dunks by Jerry Stackhouse that I had ever witnessed.
Then Duke made a run...of course they did. This was during the heart of the era of the Cameron Crazies. The student section at Duke was ahead of its time and they caused havoc on the psyche of opposing teams. Everything that Duke did that night was thanks to the fans. They were undermanned and outplaying one of the most talented teams in the country. They blew past UNC and had a double digit lead in the second half. The Tar Heels clawed backed and forced overtime and that is when the Tar Heels took over. With only 1:30 left in the 5 minute overtime UNC had scored the only 9 points. The game was over, I had survived. I couldn't imagine going to school after losing to Duke. UNC was #1 and Duke sucked. It should have been a blowout, but a win is a win and I'll take it. Oh Duke hit a 3 pointer? Too little, too late. Less than a minute to go. UNC misses and gets the rebound and is fouled. Hey they're rolling the credits of the film crew. Ballgame! Two free throws, an 8 point lead. Duke comes down and hits a two pointer with :30 left. Big whoop. The announcers already have already moved UNC to 7-1 in conference play. Two more UNC free throws and the lead was back to 8. Duke hit a 3 with :16 left and the lead was still a safe 5 points. The Tar Heels made 1 of 2 free throws to extend the lead back to 6 and Jeff Capel took the ball back down the court and charged into the UNC defender for an offensive foul....what? NO! A blocking foul?? Are you effing kidding me?? He made the basket but it was still a four point lead and there is no four point play in college. He made the free throw and during the timeout I was still pissed. How the hell was that not a charge? Duke fouled 7' 6" Serge Zwikker and all he had to do was make one of his two free throws to officially ice the game. He missed them both. Cherokee Parks grabbed the rebound, fed it to Jeff Capel who launched a desperation shot from just over the mid court stripe and buried it! The game was tied at 95 and headed to a second overtime. It felt like UNC had lost. I was dumfounded. It was too late at night to yell, I couldn't break anything but I was furious. What type of crap was this...how was that not a charge!?!
The 2nd OT was just like the first with UNC scoring the only 3 points through the first 3 1/2 minutes. Then Duke hit a 3 to tie the game at 98. Ugh. UNC scored, stole the inbound pass and scored again and were up 102-98...phew. Survived that one. Duke scored with :45 left to cut it to two and then inexplicably didn't foul UNC. :30 :25 :20 and then a forced pass into the paint and the ball was stolen with :15 to go. Duke now could win the game with a 3 since that is what they are best at. Fudge! Crap! Darn it! Yes that is what I was screaming in my head. Freshman point guard and all time poster boy that is all wrong with Duke Steve Wojciechowski (Wojo) slowly dribbled the ball down the court and hurried a two point shot which he missed and the put back was missed as well and the game was over. 102-100. A classic.
The second half of the season saw a few more bumps in the road for UNC and they entered the NCAA Tournament as the #2 Seed in the Southeast. The #1 Seed was Kentucky. My friend Erin and I were now 3 games away from a possible meeting for a trip to the Final Four. Of course Trevor had his favorite team, UCLA in Tournament as a #1 Seed as well.
I assumed that UNC would breeze by Murray St. in their 1st round game and I remember getting the substitute teacher to let us put the tournament on during class so I could keep an eye on it. I should have avoided it all together. The Tar Heels came out flat and trailed the 15 Seed by a point at the half. I had to go to baseball practice at that time so I had no clue what was going on. If UNC lost it would be a total disaster. Erin and I had already began our smack talk on how UNC would crush Kentucky and it looked like both the team and I forgot we had win 3 games first. After practice I got in my car and sat there waiting to hear the scores on the sports ticker. I held my breath the entire time. It was excruciating. Finally I heard "UNC 80 Murray St. 70"...and exhale. Survive and advance.
UNC cruised in it's 2nd round game as did Kentucky. UCLA needed a last second, full court sprint by point guard Tyus Edney to survive and move on. In the Sweet 16 UNC was matched up against Georgetown and spectacular point guard Allen Iverson. My father who was still a Georgetown fan took me to my Uncle's house to watch the game on his brand new big screen television. He was an alum of Georgetown so I was on a very uncomfortable island. Luckily UNC handled the Hoyas from beginning to end and moved to the Elite 8. Kentucky crushed Arizona St. and the stage was set for the most epic battle of my High School years.
For three years Erin and I had been going at each others' throat about which team was more supreme. It was probably for the best that we only had 48 hours to wait for the game because it would've gotten ugly. Our back and forth was all in good fun, but we were serious about our hatred for each others school. UNC already had a championship 2 years earlier and I held the upper hand. A victory in the game and I would hold bragging rights for a long time.
Kentucky relied heavily on their press defense that would cause turnovers and I knew UNC could handle this. If they didn't it would get ugly, but if they did and Stackhouse and Wallace got free from breaking it, Carolina would roll. It was tight, it was exciting, but the Heels pulled away down the stretch and UNC was headed to Seattle for the Final 4! Erin didn't speak to me for a week. It was pure bliss. I wore a different UNC shirt/hat combo (I had plenty to spare as well) each day to school that week. Up next was Arkansas. Oh hi, I remember you guys from last year beating Duke for the National Championship. Remember when I said we owed you one? Well forget it.
They didn't forget it. What worked so well for UNC against the pressure defense of Kentucky, failed in Seattle. After leading at half time, UNC fell apart in the 2nd half. Stackhouse and Wallace had only 13 combined shots. They couldn't get the ball. The Heels had to rely on the outside shooting of Donald Williams (the hero of the 1993 Final Four), Jeff McInnis and Dante Calabria who combined for 11 for 38 shooting which didn't work out so well. Arkansas moved on to the Finals where they lost to Trevor and I had to hear about those 11 Championships for another year. We're even Arkansas...ya bums.
The NHL had labor issues just like baseball did and for a moment it looked like the season was going to be lost. Shortly after the start of the new year the each side came to a resolution and the 'Sprint for the Cup' was afoot. Peter Bondra was beginning to become the face of the franchise along with Dale Hunter and in the shortened season he had a spectacular year. In only 47 games he scored 34 goals which is a near 60 goal pace. The NHL was in the middle of the the clutching and grabbing trap era when scoring plummeted and goalies starting putting up ridiculous statistics. Bondra led the NHL in goals during that shortened season and with the emergence of rookie goaltender Jim 'Ace' Carey who had the 2nd lowest goals against average I had high hopes for that playoff season.
Not so surprisingly the Capitals were paired up with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1st round. I really hate that team. The Capitals went into Pittsburgh and beat them in game 1 and then lost Game 2. Games 3 and 4 in Washington were blowouts...by the Caps!! The won each game by a 6-2 score and had a commanding 3 games to 1 lead and were doing it in dominating fashion. In game five it was more of the same with Washington taking a 2-0 lead and heading to a power play late in the 1st period. Jaromir Jagr who fashioned a horrible euro-mullet struck with a short handed goal and the lead was shaved in half. The Penguins evened the game up in the 2nd, but Dale Hunter scored his second of the game to restore the lead. Once again Pittsburgh scored late and the game was tied after two periods. Peter Bondra opened the scoring in the 3rd period and less than a minute later the lead was gone as Jagr scored again. Only 26 seconds after that Bondra restored the Capitals lead with his second tally and it was the fourth time the Capitals led. The fourth time wasn't the charm as less than 3 minutes later the score was tied at five when Kevin Stevens scored his second goal of the game which was a very common theme. The game headed for overtime and true Capitals fans knew that if they lost this one the momentum may have been lost forever. Luc Robitaille scored in the fifth minute of overtime for the Penguins and the series was head back to Washington (well Landover, MD to be exact). The next two games in the series will probably go down as the worst performances in Capitals history. They were outscored by a combined 10-1 and the season was over, just like that. To be so close to moving on with four leads in a closeout game only to watch 12 of the series final 13 goals go in against you was shocking.
That spring my High School got a new baseball coach which was good for me. I hated the previous coach as he had told me I would never pitch. I didn't throw hard enough and wasn't good enough. Way to build a player up coach! Tom Horn was our coaches name and he was a revelation. He taught me so much about the game that I realized. He focused on the details and how to take advantage of every situation. Our practices were completely different, they were organized, up beat and we were always learning. Skills sets were developed, confidence was instilled.
Most importantly though, Tom Horns' singular focus was improving the conditions of the field, how we looked and how we were perceived. We had no fence on the baseball field so we built one. Our field was rock hard and didn't hold water well so he imported 'Camden Yards' dirt and we replaced everything. He realized that the mound didn't line up with the plate so we dug that up and aligned it properly. He tore down the mound and built it up for a better angle. We cleaned out the shed that was next to the field and turned it into a clubhouse. We ordered new team cleats and were asked to polish them before every game. We ordered new jerseys because you have to look good to play good. When it rained we pulled out wet vacs to suck the water off so we could practice. We had conditioning practices before school. What was probably taken for granted at bigger schools were brand new to used and we relished in it.
That season I platooned in the outfield and only got to pitch two innings. I was told to practice and pitch a lot that summer to get a chance next season. Two of my classmates were already ahead of me for next year on the mound and our best player who was a grade behind me was probably going to be the third pitcher. If I didn't get better I wasn't going to get to pitch. As a team we lost in the first round of the District Tournament but we had a good feeling about next year with a full season under our belt as a real team.
Pocket Pair 6/11/12
Now that was a weekend!
Some people complain that the summer months are the most boring time for a sports fans so when you have an active weekend like we just witnessed, you had best relish it.
Let's look back at my weekend to do list and see what transpired:
10. NCAA Baseball Super Regionals
What do you know, I was glued to the LSU vs. Stony Brook series. Stony Brook is being compared to George Mason/VCU of College Basketball and rightfully so. They became only the second #4 seed (under current playoff system) to reach Omaha and the first from the America East Conference. Well done kids. They join Arizona, UCLA, Florida and Florida St. there with 3 more bids yet to come.
9. Euro Cup 2012
The Spain vs. Italy match on Sunday was fabulous even if I could only listen to it on the way back from Pennsylvania as the highlights matched the overall excitement level that came over the airwaves. Germany vs. Portugal was tightly contested as the entire German nation held their collective breath every time Chrisiano Ronaldo touched that ball (which was not nearly enough for the Portuguese). Today you have England and France squaring off which should be fantastic.
8. French Open Women's Finals
Maria Sharapova dominated this Tournament and as the World's new #1 is playing the best tennis of her career.
7. Stanley Cup Game 5
I hope the city of Los Angeles didn't put too big of a down payment on that parade equipment. New Jersey has turned the tables on the Kings and is forcing the series back to California tonight for a suddenly important Game 6. The team that has scored first has won all five games so if you are only a casual fan feel safe to turn the television off after the first tally of the night. Keep your eyes to yourself Pete DeBoer.
6. Washington Nationals at the Boston Red Sox
Sweeeeeeep Caroline...oh oh oh. Sweeeeeeep Caroline. I guess the Nationals might be for real, not that I didn't doubt that before walking out of Fenway with three victories. The new 'Big 3' of Strasburg, Gonzalez and Zimmerman along with Bryce Harper proved too much for an aging, inconstant Boston this weekend.
5. The Belmont Stakes
Before the weekend even got underway I'll Have Another was forced out of his chance for history with a bad tendon. It's a shame for a struggling sport like Horse Racing to not get the publicity it deserved (well not good publicity). Now the focus shifts to the trainer of I'll Have Another who has been caught doping horses and the question will linger on whether they pulled the horse to avoid any further testing and minimize a huge scandal. Tin foil hat wearers unite!!!
4. Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley
Keep those tin foil hats on kids, talk about scandal, intrigue and conspiracy. By all sane accounts, Manny Pacquiao did everything to win except pay the proper people on Saturday night. Twitter broke overnight when the ruling came down that Timothy Bradley had somehow managed a split decision victory. By Sunday afternoon the mob was linked to the victory, judges were being sequestered by the FBI and the rematch was being promoted. (Some facts may have been embellished)
3. The rest of Interleague Baseball
The Orioles took 2 of 3 (winning both in extra innings) from Philadelphia, they Yankees swept the Mets, Tampa Bay swept Miami, but the biggest eye opener of the weekend was how Mark Trumbo, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols combined for 16/40 hitting (.400 average), 2 HR, 15 runs and 15 RBI...wow! Overall the American League went 22-20 this weekend.
2. French Open Men's Finals
The rain was the biggest winner of this match. Just when it was starting to get good, mother nature stepped in an delayed the Finals until this morning when before I had even gotten to work it was over...how disappointing. Rafael Nadal wins his 7th French Open and denies Novak Djokovic his shot at holding all four tennis majors at the same time.
1. Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Game 7
For a little more than three quarters this was exactly what fans wanted. It was close, back and forth with the stars making big plays. Then the Celtics remembered that they were old and ran out of gas. Miami with Chris Bosh is a better team and that was obviously apparent over the final two games. I still like Oklahoma City to win the Championship (really I'm just hoping for it more than anything).
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On the ride home on Friday, The Sports Reporters (Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin) discussed comparisons in sports history to I'll Have Another dropping out and leaving the sports world with a hollow feeling of not getting to witness potential history. Callers brought up hypothetical scenarios like Michael Jordan sitting out against Utah when he had the flu or Emmit Smith not having that remarkable game with his injured shoulder against the New York Giants with home field advantage at stake.
I had some actual events where and injury or other reasons had affected me personally when it came to players not playing:
October 5, 2003 Tim Hudson is starting for the Oakland Athletics in Game 4 versus the Boston Red Sox. Oakland is yet again a win away from winning a series and Hudson who pitched a complete game, two hit shutout against Boston in August is ready and raring to move them to the ALCS. Unfortunately he strained his left oblique during the first inning and couldn't continue. The string of bad decisions, bad luck, bad judgement and poor results would continue. Instead of Hudson who went 16-7 on the season, the Athletics turned to Steve Sparks who went without a win (0-6) in the 2003 season. Advantage Boston. He pitched admirably and the Athletics even led until Keith Foulke (future Red Sox hero) blew the lead in the eighth. They then lost Game 5 and the season was over.
November 27, 2007 The Day Sean Taylor succumbed to a gun shot wound to his leg and died. For 3 1/2 years the Washington Redskins had one of the best young safties in the NFL. He hit like a freight truck, covered ground like a gazelle and created havoc for opposing offenses. In short, Sean Taylor was a player that the Redskins could build their defense around for the next ten seasons. This was taken away in an instant and the Redskins have been a mess (for more reasons than this) since then. We only got to see a glimpse of what Sean Taylor could do in the NFL and one can only wonder what might have been.
March 18, 2012 Kendall Marshall had 18 points, 11 assists and played 36 minutes against Creighton. I was stuck on a bus coming back from New York, but following along on Twitter. Everything seemed rosy until there were tweets that the team doctor was meeting with Marshall and the coaching staff. The diagnosis was a fractured wrist and that meant Marshall was done for the year. This UNC team was built for the 2011-12 season. They were the only true competition for eventual Champion Kentucky. Earlier the two schools had gone down to the wire in Lexington and I was among the masses hoping for a rematch. There are nine players on the two teams that will probably be drafted in this years NBA Draft. Without Marshall, the Tar Heels eked out a victory over Ohio and came up short against National Runner Up Kansas.
Some people complain that the summer months are the most boring time for a sports fans so when you have an active weekend like we just witnessed, you had best relish it.
Let's look back at my weekend to do list and see what transpired:
10. NCAA Baseball Super Regionals
What do you know, I was glued to the LSU vs. Stony Brook series. Stony Brook is being compared to George Mason/VCU of College Basketball and rightfully so. They became only the second #4 seed (under current playoff system) to reach Omaha and the first from the America East Conference. Well done kids. They join Arizona, UCLA, Florida and Florida St. there with 3 more bids yet to come.
9. Euro Cup 2012
The Spain vs. Italy match on Sunday was fabulous even if I could only listen to it on the way back from Pennsylvania as the highlights matched the overall excitement level that came over the airwaves. Germany vs. Portugal was tightly contested as the entire German nation held their collective breath every time Chrisiano Ronaldo touched that ball (which was not nearly enough for the Portuguese). Today you have England and France squaring off which should be fantastic.
8. French Open Women's Finals
Maria Sharapova dominated this Tournament and as the World's new #1 is playing the best tennis of her career.
7. Stanley Cup Game 5
I hope the city of Los Angeles didn't put too big of a down payment on that parade equipment. New Jersey has turned the tables on the Kings and is forcing the series back to California tonight for a suddenly important Game 6. The team that has scored first has won all five games so if you are only a casual fan feel safe to turn the television off after the first tally of the night. Keep your eyes to yourself Pete DeBoer.
6. Washington Nationals at the Boston Red Sox
Sweeeeeeep Caroline...oh oh oh. Sweeeeeeep Caroline. I guess the Nationals might be for real, not that I didn't doubt that before walking out of Fenway with three victories. The new 'Big 3' of Strasburg, Gonzalez and Zimmerman along with Bryce Harper proved too much for an aging, inconstant Boston this weekend.
5. The Belmont Stakes
Before the weekend even got underway I'll Have Another was forced out of his chance for history with a bad tendon. It's a shame for a struggling sport like Horse Racing to not get the publicity it deserved (well not good publicity). Now the focus shifts to the trainer of I'll Have Another who has been caught doping horses and the question will linger on whether they pulled the horse to avoid any further testing and minimize a huge scandal. Tin foil hat wearers unite!!!
4. Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley
Keep those tin foil hats on kids, talk about scandal, intrigue and conspiracy. By all sane accounts, Manny Pacquiao did everything to win except pay the proper people on Saturday night. Twitter broke overnight when the ruling came down that Timothy Bradley had somehow managed a split decision victory. By Sunday afternoon the mob was linked to the victory, judges were being sequestered by the FBI and the rematch was being promoted. (Some facts may have been embellished)
3. The rest of Interleague Baseball
The Orioles took 2 of 3 (winning both in extra innings) from Philadelphia, they Yankees swept the Mets, Tampa Bay swept Miami, but the biggest eye opener of the weekend was how Mark Trumbo, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols combined for 16/40 hitting (.400 average), 2 HR, 15 runs and 15 RBI...wow! Overall the American League went 22-20 this weekend.
2. French Open Men's Finals
The rain was the biggest winner of this match. Just when it was starting to get good, mother nature stepped in an delayed the Finals until this morning when before I had even gotten to work it was over...how disappointing. Rafael Nadal wins his 7th French Open and denies Novak Djokovic his shot at holding all four tennis majors at the same time.
1. Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Game 7
For a little more than three quarters this was exactly what fans wanted. It was close, back and forth with the stars making big plays. Then the Celtics remembered that they were old and ran out of gas. Miami with Chris Bosh is a better team and that was obviously apparent over the final two games. I still like Oklahoma City to win the Championship (really I'm just hoping for it more than anything).
-------------------------------------------------
On the ride home on Friday, The Sports Reporters (Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin) discussed comparisons in sports history to I'll Have Another dropping out and leaving the sports world with a hollow feeling of not getting to witness potential history. Callers brought up hypothetical scenarios like Michael Jordan sitting out against Utah when he had the flu or Emmit Smith not having that remarkable game with his injured shoulder against the New York Giants with home field advantage at stake.
I had some actual events where and injury or other reasons had affected me personally when it came to players not playing:
October 5, 2003 Tim Hudson is starting for the Oakland Athletics in Game 4 versus the Boston Red Sox. Oakland is yet again a win away from winning a series and Hudson who pitched a complete game, two hit shutout against Boston in August is ready and raring to move them to the ALCS. Unfortunately he strained his left oblique during the first inning and couldn't continue. The string of bad decisions, bad luck, bad judgement and poor results would continue. Instead of Hudson who went 16-7 on the season, the Athletics turned to Steve Sparks who went without a win (0-6) in the 2003 season. Advantage Boston. He pitched admirably and the Athletics even led until Keith Foulke (future Red Sox hero) blew the lead in the eighth. They then lost Game 5 and the season was over.
November 27, 2007 The Day Sean Taylor succumbed to a gun shot wound to his leg and died. For 3 1/2 years the Washington Redskins had one of the best young safties in the NFL. He hit like a freight truck, covered ground like a gazelle and created havoc for opposing offenses. In short, Sean Taylor was a player that the Redskins could build their defense around for the next ten seasons. This was taken away in an instant and the Redskins have been a mess (for more reasons than this) since then. We only got to see a glimpse of what Sean Taylor could do in the NFL and one can only wonder what might have been.
March 18, 2012 Kendall Marshall had 18 points, 11 assists and played 36 minutes against Creighton. I was stuck on a bus coming back from New York, but following along on Twitter. Everything seemed rosy until there were tweets that the team doctor was meeting with Marshall and the coaching staff. The diagnosis was a fractured wrist and that meant Marshall was done for the year. This UNC team was built for the 2011-12 season. They were the only true competition for eventual Champion Kentucky. Earlier the two schools had gone down to the wire in Lexington and I was among the masses hoping for a rematch. There are nine players on the two teams that will probably be drafted in this years NBA Draft. Without Marshall, the Tar Heels eked out a victory over Ohio and came up short against National Runner Up Kansas.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Pocket Pair 6/8/12
A new segment of daily (hopefully) rants about the goings on in the world of sports, movies or anything else I have an opinion on.
For those of you not being dragged to your wife's cousin's wedding in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania I present to you the:
Top 10 Viewing Guide for the Weekend Sports Fan
10. NCAA Baseball Super Regionals - Normally I'd be glued to this, but with the early exit by North Carolina I will be skipping it. Good luck to Kent. St., St. Johns and Stony Brook though against some bigger name teams from power conferences.
9. Euro Cup 2012 gets underway today and the weekend is highlighted by Germany v Portugal on Saturday and Spain and Italy on Sunday
8. French Open Women's Finals - Saturday gives you the Women's Final with Maria Sharapova who has ascended to World #1 with her win yesterday going against Sara Errani who...uh...I haven't the foggiest clue who she is.
7. Stanley Cup Game 5 - The Los Angeles Kings will have their second opportunity to hoist Lord Stanley for the 1st time as they travel cross country to battle the New Jersey Devils. The Kings are 10-0 on the road this playoff season.
6. Washington Nationals at the Boston Red Sox in Fenway. The 1st place Nationals will throw out Strasburg, Gonzalez and Zimmerman this weekend against the Sox who will trot out Felix Doubront, Dice-K and John Lester (guess who has the most wins from that trio??)
5. The Belmont Stakes - I'll Have Another will look to end horse racing's 34 year drought of no Triple Crown winners. The question will be whether win or lose will anyone care by Sunday? *Editor's Note* I'll Have Another has just been scratched from the Belmont Stakes and Horse Racing continues to lose the average viewer.
4. Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley - Saturday night is fight night in Las Vegas (I'm as shocked as you are folks). Bradley is undefeated and Pacquiao is beloved by millions and the favorite...should be fun.
3. The rest of Interleague Baseball - While Washington vs. Boston is the highlight for me there is also Baltimore vs. Philiadelphia where the Orioles are the 1st place team and the Phillies are last place and San Francisco vs. Texas in a rematch of the World Series from two years ago. Did you know the Rangers are 0-11 all time at Pac Bell? Tampa Bay vs Florida should be good, I could care less about New York vs. New York but I'm certain a four letter cable network will be all over it, and Mark Trumbo, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout get to hit in the rarefied air of Colorado as the Angels travel slightly east.
2. French Open Men's Finals - Rafael Nadal has already moved on today and he will face either #1 seed Novak Djokovic or #3 seed Roger Federer. Fans will be treated to good quality tennis either way as the top 3 players in Men's Tennis are the only ones still remaining. Nadal is looking for a record 7th French Open title.
1. Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Game 7 - LeBron James showed why he is the best player in the sport last night as he poured in 45 points in Boston to force a Game 7 on Saturday night. Will Miami keep Erik Spoelstra employed for a little big longer or will Boston prove they have one final push left?
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Prometheus is being released today and I have high hopes for this sorta, possible, looks a lot like, Alien prequel. Ridley Scott who directed Alien back in 1979 returns to the sci-fi extra-terrestrial genre with a much bigger budget and some spectacular special effects.
This movie stars the other Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender who gained fame and recognition released for not wearing many clothes in the movie Shame. Charlize Theron is in a wide release blockbuster for the 2nd consecutive week as last week Snow White and the Huntsman debuted. Rounding out the most well know cast members are Idris Elba and Guy Pearce. Both of them are good quality actors that should add the overall depth of the film.
Also being release for the kiddies is Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. I missed the sequel, but I remember the first one being funny and who doesn't enjoyed Chris Rock yelling like a madman?
Both movies are 'guaranteed fresh' by Rotten Tomatoes, 74% positive for Prometheus and 73% for Madagascar 3...so good times should be had by all ages this weekend (except anyone going to Pennsylvania for an in-law wedding).
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Pocket Pair 6/7/12
A new segment of daily (hopefully) rants about goings on in the world of sports, movies or anything else I have an opinion on.
Yesterday it was officially announced by the Washington Capitals that Forward Mike Knuble would not be returning next season. This was a mere formality to the fan base that saw Knubles' playing time, goals and overall effectiveness drop last season dramatically. What didn't diminish was his effort or his character as a man. Whether he was a healthy scratch (meaning he wasn't on the active roster for the game) or whether he was relegated to play with the fourth line (normally fewer minutes per game) Mike Knuble always acted as a true professional which is why he was so revered by the Capitals fan base.
It didn't start out rocky, he joined the team in 2009 and was the perfect fit on the line with young superstars Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The happy go lucky, run and gun Capitals toyed with opponents during the regular season scoring a league high 318 goals en route to the best record in the NHL with 121 points. Knuble scored 29 goals in only 69 games and the majority of them were within 2 feet of the goal crease. He was so deft at planting himself directly in front of the opposing goalie and picking up all the loose change from his line mates. It was perfect. The playoffs that season were not. The Capitals were stonewalled by a ridiculously hot goalie and were sent packing.
The next season was more of the same for the first two months of the season. The Capitals scored and scored some more. Then during a losing streak in December with the HBO film crews covering every waking moment for the New Years game vs Pittsburgh, the team made a dramatic shift in strategy. Instead of focusing solely on offense, it appeared the Capitals were going to focus on nothing but defense. Everybody had to adjust, but it didn't seem to affect Mike Knuble. You don't need to adjust your game when your role is to be in the face of the goalie and score dirty goals. He had 24 goals and played in 79 games during the regular season but was unfortunately injured during the first round of the playoffs and could not contribute in his normal fashion as the Capitals were swept out of the 2nd round.
Year three was full of dysfunction for the Capitals. After a scorching 7-0 start it all fell apart as Coach Bruce Boudreau lost the locker room and then his job. Dale Hunter was brought in and instilled an old school grind it out defensive approach and it barely worked. Mike Knuble was demoted to the fourth line or benched all together for most of the season. He was no longer used on the power play and it was quickly apparent that he was not the right fit for what Hunter was looking for.
When the playoffs began, Knuble wasn't on the active roster. #FreeKnuble was the mantra on Twitter. Die hard fans knew what Knuble could bring to the table and we all hoped he would get his chance. When Nicklas Backstrom got suspended for Game 4 versus the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, it was Mike Knuble that Dale Hunter turned to. He responded as we all knew he would. He scored a goal in a pivotal Game 5 and set up the series clinching overtime goal in Game 7 by driving hard to the net...classic Knuble. The Capitals won 3 of 4 games that series with him in the lineup and all of a sudden people considered the Capitals a dangerous team.
In the 2nd round Mike Knuble managed only 1 goal and 0 assists, but his playing time was severely limited. Whether he didn't have the gas in the tank at his age to compete night in and night out in such a rigid system or whether Coach Hunter didn't give him the chances to shine we'll never know. The writing was on the wall that Mike Knuble's time as a Capital was coming to sad end. He was a fan favorite for good reason, he played the game right, always a true professional and I can only wish we could turn back the clock and have Mike Knuble play another 10 years with Washington.
Thank you for your service Mike Knuble.
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To change directions I feel in the mood to rant about traffic lights. With all the change in technology I had high hopes that somehow traffic lights would become smarter with the ability to recognize traffic patterns and adjust their cycle automatically to reduce traffic. It appears I was wrong. I drive the same stretch of road every day and there is one light that drives me insane. For 2-3 miles before and 5-6 miles after it is smooth sailing, but every day there is a 2 mile backup leading to this one light. It makes no sense that the light can't stay green when the traffic gets bad longer rather than letting the 10-15 cars go through from the opposite directions. Let them sit for an additional 20-30 seconds per cycle so that we don't have to sit through 6-7 full cycles before getting through after the initial backup begins.
I realize I should just bitch and moan to VDOT, but I had hopes that technological advances would fix this. Other lights get shorter at night time and there are cities that go to blinking lights at night. What never seems to get better is rush hour light cycles. I'm sure a smarter man then me can figure out a way to have a quicker response to backups and adjust the cycle of lights better...ok I'm done.
Yesterday it was officially announced by the Washington Capitals that Forward Mike Knuble would not be returning next season. This was a mere formality to the fan base that saw Knubles' playing time, goals and overall effectiveness drop last season dramatically. What didn't diminish was his effort or his character as a man. Whether he was a healthy scratch (meaning he wasn't on the active roster for the game) or whether he was relegated to play with the fourth line (normally fewer minutes per game) Mike Knuble always acted as a true professional which is why he was so revered by the Capitals fan base.
It didn't start out rocky, he joined the team in 2009 and was the perfect fit on the line with young superstars Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The happy go lucky, run and gun Capitals toyed with opponents during the regular season scoring a league high 318 goals en route to the best record in the NHL with 121 points. Knuble scored 29 goals in only 69 games and the majority of them were within 2 feet of the goal crease. He was so deft at planting himself directly in front of the opposing goalie and picking up all the loose change from his line mates. It was perfect. The playoffs that season were not. The Capitals were stonewalled by a ridiculously hot goalie and were sent packing.
The next season was more of the same for the first two months of the season. The Capitals scored and scored some more. Then during a losing streak in December with the HBO film crews covering every waking moment for the New Years game vs Pittsburgh, the team made a dramatic shift in strategy. Instead of focusing solely on offense, it appeared the Capitals were going to focus on nothing but defense. Everybody had to adjust, but it didn't seem to affect Mike Knuble. You don't need to adjust your game when your role is to be in the face of the goalie and score dirty goals. He had 24 goals and played in 79 games during the regular season but was unfortunately injured during the first round of the playoffs and could not contribute in his normal fashion as the Capitals were swept out of the 2nd round.
Year three was full of dysfunction for the Capitals. After a scorching 7-0 start it all fell apart as Coach Bruce Boudreau lost the locker room and then his job. Dale Hunter was brought in and instilled an old school grind it out defensive approach and it barely worked. Mike Knuble was demoted to the fourth line or benched all together for most of the season. He was no longer used on the power play and it was quickly apparent that he was not the right fit for what Hunter was looking for.
When the playoffs began, Knuble wasn't on the active roster. #FreeKnuble was the mantra on Twitter. Die hard fans knew what Knuble could bring to the table and we all hoped he would get his chance. When Nicklas Backstrom got suspended for Game 4 versus the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, it was Mike Knuble that Dale Hunter turned to. He responded as we all knew he would. He scored a goal in a pivotal Game 5 and set up the series clinching overtime goal in Game 7 by driving hard to the net...classic Knuble. The Capitals won 3 of 4 games that series with him in the lineup and all of a sudden people considered the Capitals a dangerous team.
In the 2nd round Mike Knuble managed only 1 goal and 0 assists, but his playing time was severely limited. Whether he didn't have the gas in the tank at his age to compete night in and night out in such a rigid system or whether Coach Hunter didn't give him the chances to shine we'll never know. The writing was on the wall that Mike Knuble's time as a Capital was coming to sad end. He was a fan favorite for good reason, he played the game right, always a true professional and I can only wish we could turn back the clock and have Mike Knuble play another 10 years with Washington.
Thank you for your service Mike Knuble.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To change directions I feel in the mood to rant about traffic lights. With all the change in technology I had high hopes that somehow traffic lights would become smarter with the ability to recognize traffic patterns and adjust their cycle automatically to reduce traffic. It appears I was wrong. I drive the same stretch of road every day and there is one light that drives me insane. For 2-3 miles before and 5-6 miles after it is smooth sailing, but every day there is a 2 mile backup leading to this one light. It makes no sense that the light can't stay green when the traffic gets bad longer rather than letting the 10-15 cars go through from the opposite directions. Let them sit for an additional 20-30 seconds per cycle so that we don't have to sit through 6-7 full cycles before getting through after the initial backup begins.
I realize I should just bitch and moan to VDOT, but I had hopes that technological advances would fix this. Other lights get shorter at night time and there are cities that go to blinking lights at night. What never seems to get better is rush hour light cycles. I'm sure a smarter man then me can figure out a way to have a quicker response to backups and adjust the cycle of lights better...ok I'm done.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Pocket Pair 6/6/12
A new segment of daily (hopefully) rants about goings on in the world of sports, movies or anything else I have an opinion
Last night was a tough one for the thumb. Both the Washington Nationals/New York Mets game and the Boston Celtics/Miami Heat game were too good to turn away from. Both games were back and forth, taut affairs.
The Nationals took an early lead only to cough it up in the 8th inning. That's when Ian Desmond took over for Washington. He singled home the tying run in the bottom half of that frame which was only the beginning of his heroics. After the Mets took back the lead in the top of the 10th inning, Desmond took advantage of some sloppy defense to tie the game up again with a fielder's choice ground ball. He wasn't quite done. Scott Hairston homered in the top of the 12th inning to give the Mets the lead once again, but only two batters into the bottom of the inning the game was tied yet again. Ian Desmond, the man of the moment, doubled home Michael Morse to knot the game up at 6. A few batters later some unknown rooking name Bryce Harper singled home the winning run and that is what all the beat reporters and local journalists will probably focus on which is fine. The truth is that this game belonged to Ian Desmond. His three clutch late inning RBI were the only reason Bryce Harper was the 'hero' after failing to win the game during his previous two at bats. Harper is going to get the headlines, he got the post game interview, he got the Gatorade shower and he was probably the lead story on ESPN for their recap.
The focus all season has been on Bryce Harper, even before he joined the team. Quietly Ian Desmond has been steady and pretty important to their success. He has been asked to hit in the top of the lineup and then was shifted to the 5 hole when the injuries mounted for the Nationals. He thrived there and has now been shifted to the 6th spot in the lineup with the return of Michael Morse. He as already matched his home run total of 2011 through a third of this season. His batting average is right in line with his career average and most importantly for the Nationals he has played in 51 of their 53 games. Obviously the pitching has been the key to the Nationals sitting in first place in the NL East, but just as important has been the play of Ian Desmond.
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Down in Miami the Heat choked away another game, but I'm not going the easy route and blaming LeBron James. He scored 30 points and had 13 rebounds and his stat line actually spoke the truth about how well he played. Dwyane Wade scored 27 but the problem for the Heat last night were the men wearing green. The Celtics were just better than them. They wanted it more down the stretch and they made more key baskets when it mattered most. Kevin Garnett played with the heart of a champion. Rajon Rando was masterful and Paul Pierce threw in the dagger from beyond the arc. Boston had five players in double figures. Miami had two. Boston is a deeper team and the underlying stats prove it. Only one player for the Celtics was on the court for more points against than points for in game 5. Marquis Daniels played only 3 minutes and Boston was outscored by a scant 3 points during that time. The Heat had four such players including 'superstar' Chris Bosh who obviously returned from injury too soon. He played 14 minutes and saw the Celtics outscore the Heat by 12 points during that stretch. Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers who are on the roster to score points were outscored by 20 points total in their 47 combined minutes while only scoring 12 points. They shot a meager 2-8 from 3 point range as well. The fall off from Wade and James to the rest of the team is cavernous. The Heat are built around 3 top end talents and with one of them injured the dynamic of the team is broken. When they play a really good TEAM night in and night out the TEAM is going to win out. Yes the Heat can win any individual game, but the larger the sample size the more fans will see that it just is not going to happen for Miami this season.
Unless Chris Bosh shows dramatic improvement on the court on Thursday, this series is going to come to an end. The Heat are built to rely and rely heavily on Wade, James and Bosh and without any one of the three firing on all cylinders they are like a car missing a tire. I won't blame Erik Spoelstra even though he's not a very good tactician. He needs his big 3 to lead the way and its impossible to do so at this moment.
Last night was a tough one for the thumb. Both the Washington Nationals/New York Mets game and the Boston Celtics/Miami Heat game were too good to turn away from. Both games were back and forth, taut affairs.
The Nationals took an early lead only to cough it up in the 8th inning. That's when Ian Desmond took over for Washington. He singled home the tying run in the bottom half of that frame which was only the beginning of his heroics. After the Mets took back the lead in the top of the 10th inning, Desmond took advantage of some sloppy defense to tie the game up again with a fielder's choice ground ball. He wasn't quite done. Scott Hairston homered in the top of the 12th inning to give the Mets the lead once again, but only two batters into the bottom of the inning the game was tied yet again. Ian Desmond, the man of the moment, doubled home Michael Morse to knot the game up at 6. A few batters later some unknown rooking name Bryce Harper singled home the winning run and that is what all the beat reporters and local journalists will probably focus on which is fine. The truth is that this game belonged to Ian Desmond. His three clutch late inning RBI were the only reason Bryce Harper was the 'hero' after failing to win the game during his previous two at bats. Harper is going to get the headlines, he got the post game interview, he got the Gatorade shower and he was probably the lead story on ESPN for their recap.
The focus all season has been on Bryce Harper, even before he joined the team. Quietly Ian Desmond has been steady and pretty important to their success. He has been asked to hit in the top of the lineup and then was shifted to the 5 hole when the injuries mounted for the Nationals. He thrived there and has now been shifted to the 6th spot in the lineup with the return of Michael Morse. He as already matched his home run total of 2011 through a third of this season. His batting average is right in line with his career average and most importantly for the Nationals he has played in 51 of their 53 games. Obviously the pitching has been the key to the Nationals sitting in first place in the NL East, but just as important has been the play of Ian Desmond.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Down in Miami the Heat choked away another game, but I'm not going the easy route and blaming LeBron James. He scored 30 points and had 13 rebounds and his stat line actually spoke the truth about how well he played. Dwyane Wade scored 27 but the problem for the Heat last night were the men wearing green. The Celtics were just better than them. They wanted it more down the stretch and they made more key baskets when it mattered most. Kevin Garnett played with the heart of a champion. Rajon Rando was masterful and Paul Pierce threw in the dagger from beyond the arc. Boston had five players in double figures. Miami had two. Boston is a deeper team and the underlying stats prove it. Only one player for the Celtics was on the court for more points against than points for in game 5. Marquis Daniels played only 3 minutes and Boston was outscored by a scant 3 points during that time. The Heat had four such players including 'superstar' Chris Bosh who obviously returned from injury too soon. He played 14 minutes and saw the Celtics outscore the Heat by 12 points during that stretch. Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers who are on the roster to score points were outscored by 20 points total in their 47 combined minutes while only scoring 12 points. They shot a meager 2-8 from 3 point range as well. The fall off from Wade and James to the rest of the team is cavernous. The Heat are built around 3 top end talents and with one of them injured the dynamic of the team is broken. When they play a really good TEAM night in and night out the TEAM is going to win out. Yes the Heat can win any individual game, but the larger the sample size the more fans will see that it just is not going to happen for Miami this season.
Unless Chris Bosh shows dramatic improvement on the court on Thursday, this series is going to come to an end. The Heat are built to rely and rely heavily on Wade, James and Bosh and without any one of the three firing on all cylinders they are like a car missing a tire. I won't blame Erik Spoelstra even though he's not a very good tactician. He needs his big 3 to lead the way and its impossible to do so at this moment.
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