The Sports Guru

Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, America’s Pastime, is clueless. He has proven it time and time again, but this just might take the cake. Selig was asked yesterday about Barry Bonds’ assault on the All-Time Home Run record, and what baseball would do about it should the record get broken. Selig’s response was less than intelligent, saying he would handle the record the way baseball handles all records that have been broken –

“I wasn’t there when Roger Clemens won his 300th game. That’s a matter I’ll determine at some point in the future,” Selig said at a baseball luncheon hosted by Fox Sports Bay Area. “Let me say it, and I’m not going to say anymore. That’s it.”

No Bud, that’s not it. Roger Clemens 300th win??? You are comparing the Home Run Record to a pitcher winning 300 games?? I am not a stats guy, but how many guys have won 300 games? 10, 15? How many guys have hit 755 Home Runs? Exactly ONE. As Jules Winfield says in Pulp Fiction - “It ain’t the same ballpark, it ain’t the same league, it ain’t even the same sport!” Exactly right. To compare what many say is the most hallowed record in all of sports to a milestone several players have reached is an insult to the intelligence of every sports fan out there.

“If I close my eyes, Barry will go away”

This is Selig’s way. he hopes beyond hope that if he ignores something it just won’t happen. Baseball, under his watch, turned a blind eye to steroid abuse in baseball for 15 years. Selig had no problem riding on the backs of suspected juicers Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire during the magical Summer of ‘98 when baseball replanted itself in the American conscience. Selig cultivated a culture that glorified Sosa and McGuire and forced players, Bonds among them, to go to whatever means necessary to not just be great players, but to hit home runs by the dozen. Barry Bonds was the best player in baseball before his head doubled in size. On “the clear” he might be the best ever.

Now Selig has to cash the check his regime wrote. Bonds breaking Aaron’s record is the culmination of the darkest age in baseball history. When players were cheating and everyone knew it, but chose to ignore it. Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti, and several others felt obligated to do what ever it took to become elite, and who could blame them. The difference between a 20-80 guy and a 35-120 guy is about 5 million dollars a year, what would you do?

Selig’s biggest misstep in his comments yesterday was admitting that his friendship with Hank Aaron was playing a role in all of this -

“It is a fact Hank Aaron and I have been friends for 50 years, close friends,” Selig said. “When you’re the commissioner, you just don’t think about that. I have said before if and when Barry Bonds breaks that record it will be handled the same way that every other record in baseball that’s been broken was handled.”

Sure, he tries to deny it, but the fact that he even mentions his relationship with Aaron proves otherwise. If Selig could find a way to sabotage Bonds and his trek to 756 he would, and don’t think Bonds won’t be tested multiple times during the chase. It’s a sad state of affairs, no doubt about it. Do I want Bonds to break the record? No. he just isn’t a good guy, and Hammerin’ Hank had to go through alot more than Bonds ever did to accomplish what he did.

What I think doesn’t matter. I am not the most powerful man in baseball, with an obligation to the game, and it’s past, to honor this record, no matter who breaks it, the way it deserves to be honored, not because of who breaks it, but because of who has held it in the past. If Bud Selig cares about baseball, he’ll do the right thing, but don’t hold your breath.

Technorati Tags: Barry Bonds, Bud Selig, Major League Baseball, Home Run record, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth

***I’m sorry, I have to admit, watching Duke lose three in a row for the first time in nearly 2 decades brings a smile to my face. For most of that time I was indifferent towards Duke and Coach K. I respect his success, that he has done it the right way. I accept the fact that his system is great for college and that his players, for the most part, are disappointments in the NBA(Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer and Grant Hill aside). Then came March Madness a few years ago and all those annoying Chevy and American Express commercials featuring Mike. Talk about a recruiting advantage. Think for a moment you are the parent of a 17-year old basketball phenom. Which coach do you want responsible for your son? A guy entrusted with the marketing campaign of a large car company and huge credit card company, or a guy like Bruce Pearl who wears a bright orange jacket? That’s what I thought. From that moment on I have been doing to Anti-Duke dance at night. So far, it’s worked. Now Duke has decayed all the way down to a 5-5 team in the ACC, losing at home, no less, to Virgina Tech. Not very American Express-like of the Kster. Last night it was arch-rival North Carolina with Roy Williams, who might be the guy pitching all the gear this March, stomping the Blue Devils into submission on their home floor. Duke is in trouble, and though they’ll get into the tourney on reputation alone, it will be at the price of a better, more deserving team, mark my words.

***National Signing Day came and went, and depending on which web-site you check the winner is either USC or Florida. Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer are two of the best recruiter in the business, and it doesn’t hurt that they can sell some of the best weather in the world. For us Buckeye fans it might seem like a disappointing class, given it’s ranking between 15-20 accross the board. Not to fear, Buckeye fans, Tressel and company didn’t have alot of scholarships to work with and though they lost out on a couple of blue-chippers they have a solid class based on need rather than star power. Take this into account, the Buckeyes have yet to break the Top 10 in recruiting according to Rivals.com that past 4 years. Needless to say, the Buckeyes have enjoyed a bit of success during that time. No fear Buckeye fans, Ohio St. will be oko as long as the Great Sweater Vest is running the show.

***The Cincinnati Reds are single-handedly assuring the Cleveland Indians will have no shot to re-sign Jake Westbrook this season or C.C. Sabathia after next. After watching the Kansas City Royals throw 55 million big ones at Gil Meche, a journeyman with mediocre talent at best, the Reds did the same thing, on back to back days, no less. First it was Aaron Harang getting 36 million. Harang is a nice pitcher, but definitely no Sabathia. Then today the Reds gave Bronson Arroyo 25 million over the next two seasons. Come on, is Arroyo any better than Westbrook? The Indians, who were hoping to get Westbrook signed to an extension before the start of Spring Training have to be sweating what the price tag for a .500 pitcher has ballooned to. Not good news for Tribe fans.

$25 Million for this guy???

***Jerry Jones hired Wade Phillips to coach the Cowboys. Wade frickin’ Phillips. Let’s see….I am not a big fan of Bill Parcells, going so far as to call him the most overrated head coach in league history. That was probably a bit overstated and teams can do alot worse than the Tuna. He has the personality to take the spotlight and shine it directly on himself, allowing his players to play without the pressure. He even managed to co-exist with T.O. Now comes Phillips, not known for his personality in stints in Denver and Buffalo. What makes Jerry Jones think T.O. is going to give this guy any respect when he refused to give a guy with two rings and three Super Bowl appearances on his resume any due. Add that to the fact that Jason Garrett, with exactly 5 minutes of experience running an NFL offense will now have total control of Tony Romo and company since Phillips’ strength is defense. This just can’t end well, can it? The Cowboys have way too much talent, and the NFC is way too weak, for this team not to make a serious run next year, that is, unless the inmates run the asylum and the whole thing goes up in flames.

Technorati Tags: Cincinnati Reds, Bronson Arroyo, Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys, Aaron Harang, Duke, North Carolina, Coach K, Roy Williams, USC

Ok, so this might not be Broncos specific, but I do have the Samsung ACE and I love the service. Well, according to Money.com, the service will be no more, as soon as today. Hmmm, does that let me out of my contract???

Another Great Idea Ahead Of It’s Time.

Technorati Tags: ESPN, ESPN Mobile

I know, I know.  There has been a lack of posting over here.  Sorry about that.  Truth is, I have been focusing on my Broncos Blog, and have kind of neglected my original home.  Shame on me!  There has been alot going on, and with basketball trainig camps set to tip-off next week, along with the NHL regualr season, and college basketball soon after, the sports world is about to get crazy.  Oh yea, and the baseball playoffs…

Since my Tribe is just playing out the string, I figured we could chit-chat about them quickly.  I must be honest and say that I am cautiously optimistic about 2007 and beyond.  The infusion of young players have sparked a nice run the past 6 weeks, and it looks like some of these guys can play.  Ryan Garko looks like a guy that’ll be a true four hitter.  Not necessarily because of his raw power, but becuase he has a great eye at the plate and the dude flat out rakes with guys in scoring position.  I really like Franklin Gutierrez and even Andy marte has started to hit.  Add those guys to Travis Hafner, who will return at full strength next season, and arguably the AL’s best player in Grady Sizemore and the offense is shaping up nicely.

As for the pitching, C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers are locks for the rotation.  Jake Westbrook can come back, and Paul Byrd is under contract, but I don’t think the Indians are sold on either.  Fausto Carmona has recovered nicely from his disaster in the bullpen, and Jeremy Guthrie is also waiting in the wings.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the Indians look for a verteran, upper tier pitcher this off-seaosn to be a leader for the staff, similar to Kevin Millwood last season.

The big question will ultimately be, Is Eric Wedge the right guy for the job?  It is looking more and more likely that he will be back next season, much to the dismay of many.  I have been calling for a change since mid-June and my stance hasn’t changed.  What we may see from the Indians next season is a team created that favors Wedge moe than the 2006 version of the Indians.  Eric Wedge just does not get through to or motivate veteran players.  He has been successful in the minor leagues and early on in Cleveland because he has primarily had younger players.  Mark Shapiro added some verterans this past season and it blew up in his face.  I have to believe Wedge is going to be ginven one more chance to lead this team to the playoffs before a change is made, though I still am pining for Tony Pena.

Here are a couple thoughts on some other stuff –

*–The “Madden Curse” has struck again, with NFL MVP and Madden cover-boy Shaun Alexander on the shelf with a broken bone in his foot.  Think about some of the guys that have graced the cover, only to completely fall apart that season - Marshall Faulk, Ray Lewis, Daunte Culpepper, Donavan McNabb.  In my opinion, they couldn’t pay me enough to be on that cover…..They can have it!

*–Time to put the Ryder Cup to bed.  Not becuase we are losing, getting killed every two years, no, but becuase we simply DO NOT CARE.  Why hold an event when one of the participants doesn’t give a damn about it.  Frankly, if I were Phil Mickelson, or Chris Dimarco, I would be utterly embarrassed.  Tiger Woods, who has never done well in Ryder Cup play, actually played better this time, but if he wants to be considered the best EVER he is going to need to bring the Ryder Cup back to the U.S.

*–Can this really be happening?  On September 20, only 7 days ago, the St. Louis Cardinals led the NL Central by 8 1/2 games over the Houston Astros.  The lead was so big MLB was planning on not rescheduling a rain out game between the Cards and Giants.  All of a sudden, the Cards have lost 7 games in a row and the Astros have won 7 straight.  Looks like that make-up game may be needed.   Think about it.  Right now, the MEts would be considered the favorite in the NL playoffs, though no team really has the pitching to be considered a real scare….Except for the Astros, that is, who could throw Clemens, Pettite and Oswalt in a short series.  Yikes.  I don;t know much, but I do know this….Mets fans had better be hoping the Cardinals get it going, and fast!

*–There is a lot of talk about various records that will never be broken…Ripken’s streak, Dimaggio’s streak, etc.  Well, one that will never, EVER be broken is the Byron Nelson consecutive tournaments streak.  In 1945, Nelson won an incredible 18 tourneys, including 11 in a row.  It’s news today, becuase the holder of those records passed away yesterday at 94.  It is widely considered the Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer that ever lived, but Byron Nelson put up the best year ever since and ever going forward.

Technorati Tags: Cleveland Indians, Byron Nelson, Madden Curse, Shaun Alexander, Cardinals collapse, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Roy Oswalt

I had written a great post about Anibal Snachez, and the No-Hitter he threw last night against the Diamondbacks. Some computer issues stole it form me, leaving me scrambling to re-write. I won’t try, but to only mention it was the 4th no-hitter in Marlins history, a history that started in 1993. A team that has won 2 World Championships in that time for 3 different owners.

Wayne Huiznega was the original owner of the Marlins, but quickly realized that owning a baseball team was a lot harder than collecting garbage or running a movie rental store. He realized the people of Miami had better things to do in July and August than sit in 95 degree weather watching a bad team play bad baseball. In 1997, he bought as many players as he could, players like Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla and Manager Jim Leyland. The plan worked, as the Marlins were able to beat my Cleveland Indians in the 7th Game of the ‘97 World Series.

Then came the fire sale. No sooner had the champagne dried than Huizenga ordered the team dismantled. All the big name were gone, replace by no names like Josh Beckett, Matt Clement, Jose Castillo. The Marlins stumbled in payroll and the standings. In 1999 Huizenga finally sold the team to John henry. Yes, that john Henry who now owns the Boston Red Sox. Henry’s main goal was to get a new, baseball only stadium built for the Marlins. He knew that was the only way for the Marlins to succeed long term. Meanwhile, some of these no name were starting to play a little bit.

In 2002, Henry’s dream of one dy owning the Red Sox came true when he was able to work out a 3-way “trade” involving Expos Owner Jeffrey Lorie and Major League Baseball. In the deal, Henry became the owner of the Red Sox, Lorie took over the Marlins, and MLB took over the Expos. A new stadium deal appeared to be dead and the Marlins future in Florida seemed bleak at best.

Then something funny happened. In 2003, the Marlins, under old-man manager, Jack McKeon, got back to the playoffs for the first time since ‘97 and again won the World Series, this time beating an all-star laden New York Yankees team, with Josh Beckett going the distance in a decisive Game 6 in the Bronx. 2 Championships in 6 years with 3 owners. Not the normal blueprint for success.

The Marlins attempted to keep this group together in 2004 and 2005, adding big name free-agents like Carlos Delgado, but failed to get back to the playoffs. Lorie, like Huizenga before him, ordered the team blown up and again the Marlins started over.

Coming in to 2006, the Marlins total payroll was a little over 14 Million Dollars — TOTAL! Only Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera were notable big leaguers, and the starting rotation included 3 rookies. This team was a joke, no chance to be competitive. An example of everything wrong with the economic structure in baseball.

Again, something funny happened. After starting 11-31, the Marlins got hot, and taking advantage of a weak National League find themselves just 3 games back in the Wild Card. Manager Joe Girardi, who may actually find himself fired at the end of the year, has got these kids playing hard and playing together. What a travesty that would be, byt the way, if Girardi were fired. I have a feeling he’d last about 5 seconds, before the Cubs would swoop him up. But I digress…

All this leads us back to Sanchez, and last night’s no-hitter. Witnessed by about 12 people in Pro Player Stadium, Sanchez accomplished the feat in just his 13th career start. He now has more no-hitters than Roger Clemons, Pedro Martinez, the New York Mets and San Diego Padres COMBINED. Simply amazing and borderline unbelievable.

People often ask me why I am so into sports. I need to look no further than Anibal Sanchez, and the history of the Florida Marlins for good reason. They say anything can happen in baseball, and sometimes, when we’re lucky, it does.

Technorati Tags: Anibal Sanchez, no hitter, Florida Marlins, 1997 World Series, 2003 World Series, Jeffrey Lorie, Joe Girardi, Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera