Friday, July 31, 2009

Friday 07/31 Quickie: MLB Trades, Papi,
Brady, NFL Camps, USC, Canseco, More

I feel like I said my piece about David Ortiz in yesterday's post (below). You also get the sense that fans -- as always -- REALLY don't care (aside from schadenfreude value) and would much rather talk about the MLB Trade Deadline. I agree.

So let me summarize this morning's lead argument from today's SN column:

Remember when I presented my "Two NBAs" theory? The gist: Like 10 total NBA teams seem to truly be playing to win a championship right now -- this season.

OK, compare that to MLB: There are 10 teams NOT taking the season seriously enough to compete for the 2009 playoffs. (8 teams for the NL Wild Card, alone!)

2/3 of the NBA is either tanking, faking, hiding or evading payroll; in MLB, 2/3 of the league is in playoff contention -- and it shows.

Consider the conventional wisdom about the Giants or Rangers or Mariners before the season started. Now consider that they are BUYERS, not sellers at the trade deadline. Amazing.

Maybe it is the lucky vagaries of baseball's anything-can-happen playoff system that has teams at the periphery of contention saying, "Why not us?" Whatever it is: It works.

If you're not making moves today -- or at least this week -- you're falling behind. Or you're that majority part of the NBA that doesn't seem to think competing THIS season matters.

Meanwhile, if you do want more Papi analysis, it's in the column -- including what I think is a pretty good approximation of how Papi's "fact-finding" mission will end up:

"That milkshake my 'friend' handed me was laced with PEDs? I'm shocked! I always thought my ballooning home run totals in 2003 were a result of my emerging talents!"

Oh, and file that Canseco quote away. He's a world-class d'bag, but more than anyone -- players, media, owners, MLB execs, politicians -- he has been right about all this stuff.

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

1 comment:

Robyn said...

Did you really say "Like" in that 3rd paragraph? Like, wow, I think you really did. Hmmm.