Standard caveat about Tim Tebow coverage...
We can have a reasonable debate about the "Should Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton start for the Broncos?" The latest conventional wisdom: Orton will be QB1 to start the season; inevitably, the Broncos will fall out of playoff contention, at which point Tebow will get his reps.
Orton is the more polished QB now; Tebow needs the reps to move up the learning curve, if only so the Broncos can evaluate whether he is their answer long-term at QB. (I think he can be, but that's actually not the point.)
Then Merril Hoge had to step in with inflammatory Tweets yesterday morning: "Sitting watching tape off bronco offense from last year! Orton or Tebow? It's embarrassing to think the broncos could win with tebow!!" He went on TV and said much of the same thing.
Now, Tebow commands massive -- massive -- fan and media interest. Hoge saying the same thing about, say, Chad Henne simply wouldn't get remotely the same traction. I call it the "It's Tim Tebow" phenomenon, and it has consistently proved that Tebow topics, big or mundane, ALWAYS become a big deal.
I suspect that some of Hoge's trolling was because he wanted the attention that comes with ripping Tebow -- there are lots of fans out there that support Tebow no matter what and flinch at any criticism; Hoge is undoubtedly in the "if they're ripping me, they're talking about me" school. (I'm sure other folks agree with him, by the way.)
Last night, Tebow tweeted out: "Hey Merril...... 'ppreciate that" -- now, you have to understand that Tebow doesn't traffic in sarcasm or snark. Like, at all. These are moments that Tebow-watchers consider rarities (see his taunting penalty in the 2008 national title game). It was kind of fascinating.
Even that engagement would have moved the story into today. But then things got weirder: LeBron weighed in, via Twitter: "Listened to Merril Hoge today on SC and he was just blasting Tebow. The man hasn't even play a full season and its only his 2nd year in. Guys get on that TV and act like they was all WORLD when they played. How bout encouraging him and wishing him the best instead of hating!!"
LeBron's participation almost assuredly means the story goes a bit nuclear today (even if it isn't much of a story); it is the No. 2 headline on ESPN.com.
Tebow stories are big enough on their own; LeBron stories are big enough on their own.
Combining them? Just prepare yourself.
More on the radar today:
*Tiger tees off at 1:40 today at the WGC: I never thought I'd say this -- it's a must-follow, if only for the "train-wreck" factor (if Tiger plays well, all the more interesting).
*A-Rod and the poker thing: It's not the poker -- athletes gamble constantly. It's the association with unsavory characters around the gambling scene. (SportsGrid's Tim Burke made a similar point.)
*The NFL "league year" starts at 4 today: Formality.
*CFB: The top QB recruit committed to Florida State. Damn, Jimbo Fisher is crushing it. I'll dig into this later this month, but Oklahoma-Florida State in mid-September is a de facto national championship qualifier, with the winner having an inside track. It's going to be the official coronation of the Fisher Era at FSU when the Noles run OU off the field.
*RIP Bubba Smith: "Police Academy," yes, but his Miller Lite ad is a classic.
More on Quickish all day.
-- D.S.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
08/03 (More Durant) Quickie
I can't help it: I'm obsessed with the bootleg videos of Kevin Durant schooling folks in New York City this week. Two nights ago it was Rucker Park. Last night, it was another Pro-Am.
I'm no fan of baseball's "code": That Tony LaRussa was more interested in throwing at Ryan Braun (twice!) with the game still in the balance than actually winning was absurd. I don't think the Brewers meant to throw at Pujols' wrist; the Cards very much meant to throw at Braun -- twice.
Name to Know: Paul Goldschmidt, the D'backs rookie vaulted from AA to starting 1B, who hit his first career HR last night (off Tim Lincecum, no less) to help Arizona pull even with the Giants.
Eagles sign Ronnie Brown? Why not?! I'm no Eagles fan -- alas, I remain team-less as it relates to the NFL (except for rooting for ol' what's-his-name in Denver) -- but I love the talent stockpile; it makes them the most interesting NFL team in years, if only for the layers and layers of storylines they include.
This week in facial hair: Tiger's little chin-hair thing looks ridiculous. And I'm pro-facial hair almost always. In this case, though, it just looks like he's trying too hard.
Keep up with Quickish today!
-- D.S.
I'm no fan of baseball's "code": That Tony LaRussa was more interested in throwing at Ryan Braun (twice!) with the game still in the balance than actually winning was absurd. I don't think the Brewers meant to throw at Pujols' wrist; the Cards very much meant to throw at Braun -- twice.
Name to Know: Paul Goldschmidt, the D'backs rookie vaulted from AA to starting 1B, who hit his first career HR last night (off Tim Lincecum, no less) to help Arizona pull even with the Giants.
Eagles sign Ronnie Brown? Why not?! I'm no Eagles fan -- alas, I remain team-less as it relates to the NFL (except for rooting for ol' what's-his-name in Denver) -- but I love the talent stockpile; it makes them the most interesting NFL team in years, if only for the layers and layers of storylines they include.
This week in facial hair: Tiger's little chin-hair thing looks ridiculous. And I'm pro-facial hair almost always. In this case, though, it just looks like he's trying too hard.
Keep up with Quickish today!
-- D.S.
Monday, August 01, 2011
Classic Quickie: Moss Moons
In honor of the retirement of Randy Moss, from the Daily Quickie, January 10, 2005:
Two Words For You:
MOON. LANDING.
Call it "Wardrobe Function." Moss' "Moon" move to celebrate his game-clinching TD catch in the 4th quarter was more than crass; it was the boldest celebratory gesture of the season (take that, T.O.).
Ugly? Hardly: It was awesome!
More important, it was catharsis for a team given no chance to stumble into Lambeau and glide out with the biggest upset of wild-card weekend.
He didn't just turn a cheek at the Packers' end-zone fans. His move was for the haters in the media, the doubters in Minnesota and the fans of top-seed Philly, suddenly a little more nervous.
Sure, he'll be fined and undoubtedly excoriated everywhere in the media -- except here. (Hey, it's not like he actually dropped his drawers.)
Here's the NFL's dirty secret: If you make plays, you can do what you want. And Moss delivered a TD. And another. And, as a bonus, the most telegenic hair in football.
There's a new rallying cry for the Vikings:
'Fro the ball to Randy!
******
You have to remember that the very next morning after the mooning, the conventional wisdom in the media was squarely behind Joe Buck's "disgust," when -- in reality -- the vast majority of fans were much closer to where I was coming from: It was hilarious (and even more devastating in that he earned it with how well he played). Over time, the "hilarious" camp won out and the "disgusting" line became arguably the defining moment of Buck's career (and not in a good way).
Two Words For You:
MOON. LANDING.
Call it "Wardrobe Function." Moss' "Moon" move to celebrate his game-clinching TD catch in the 4th quarter was more than crass; it was the boldest celebratory gesture of the season (take that, T.O.).
Ugly? Hardly: It was awesome!
More important, it was catharsis for a team given no chance to stumble into Lambeau and glide out with the biggest upset of wild-card weekend.
He didn't just turn a cheek at the Packers' end-zone fans. His move was for the haters in the media, the doubters in Minnesota and the fans of top-seed Philly, suddenly a little more nervous.
Sure, he'll be fined and undoubtedly excoriated everywhere in the media -- except here. (Hey, it's not like he actually dropped his drawers.)
Here's the NFL's dirty secret: If you make plays, you can do what you want. And Moss delivered a TD. And another. And, as a bonus, the most telegenic hair in football.
There's a new rallying cry for the Vikings:
'Fro the ball to Randy!
******
You have to remember that the very next morning after the mooning, the conventional wisdom in the media was squarely behind Joe Buck's "disgust," when -- in reality -- the vast majority of fans were much closer to where I was coming from: It was hilarious (and even more devastating in that he earned it with how well he played). Over time, the "hilarious" camp won out and the "disgusting" line became arguably the defining moment of Buck's career (and not in a good way).
08/01 (August Already?) Quickie
Let's be clear: The NFL's condensed sprint for player moves was the best version of the NFL offseason (not the Draft, just the free-agency stuff) in the history of the league.
The "offseason champs" are, clearly, the Eagles: Nnamdi Asumugha was merely the capper to what was, overall, a spectacular haul of incoming talent.
(Again, it's unclear they have done enough to unseat the Packers as the ultimate Super Bowl favorites, but they will certainly make the season more interesting, especially if they keep calling themselves a "dream team" and comparing themselves to the Heat.)
Good inside scoop on the Asumugha deal in Peter King's MMQB column today, but there's another note tucked in the column:
ESPN is launching a new stat to replace the traditional (and mystifying) "QB Rating" called "Totall Quarterback Rating" that will be fascinating to see -- QB Rating was desperate for a refresh, and I love the idea of something new with a big platform to get fans to buy into.
MLB Trade Deadline: There seems to be a consensus of two big winners -- the Rangers added two top-flight middle relievers who will become lights-out if the Rangers take a lead past the 6th inning in the playoffs (which is the only reason to make these moves, right?) And the Braves didn't have to overpay to get a huge upgrade at CF in Michael Bourn, who gets huge thumbs-up from the more analytical folks out there. (Far more than Pence gets for the Phillies.)
The Yankees stood pat: This appears to be a problem. That said, unclear how many folks actually think the Yankees can win the AL pennant anyway. The Red Sox got Erik Bedard, and -- not unlike the Patriots -- you totally expect him to start dominating with his new team (even if his recent history shows that to be a sketchy thesis).
Tons more on Quickish today. Give it a look! (This weekend, we crossed 10,000 tips since launching in January. Fun milestone.)
-- D.S.
The "offseason champs" are, clearly, the Eagles: Nnamdi Asumugha was merely the capper to what was, overall, a spectacular haul of incoming talent.
(Again, it's unclear they have done enough to unseat the Packers as the ultimate Super Bowl favorites, but they will certainly make the season more interesting, especially if they keep calling themselves a "dream team" and comparing themselves to the Heat.)
Good inside scoop on the Asumugha deal in Peter King's MMQB column today, but there's another note tucked in the column:
ESPN is launching a new stat to replace the traditional (and mystifying) "QB Rating" called "Totall Quarterback Rating" that will be fascinating to see -- QB Rating was desperate for a refresh, and I love the idea of something new with a big platform to get fans to buy into.
MLB Trade Deadline: There seems to be a consensus of two big winners -- the Rangers added two top-flight middle relievers who will become lights-out if the Rangers take a lead past the 6th inning in the playoffs (which is the only reason to make these moves, right?) And the Braves didn't have to overpay to get a huge upgrade at CF in Michael Bourn, who gets huge thumbs-up from the more analytical folks out there. (Far more than Pence gets for the Phillies.)
The Yankees stood pat: This appears to be a problem. That said, unclear how many folks actually think the Yankees can win the AL pennant anyway. The Red Sox got Erik Bedard, and -- not unlike the Patriots -- you totally expect him to start dominating with his new team (even if his recent history shows that to be a sketchy thesis).
Tons more on Quickish today. Give it a look! (This weekend, we crossed 10,000 tips since launching in January. Fun milestone.)
-- D.S.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
07/30 (Nnamdi) Quickie
I tweeted this last night: "My favorite part of Nnamdi-to-Philly: In an age where no deal goes spoiler-free, we can still get a genuine, where'd-that-come-from shock"
We can still regularly be surprised by things that happen on the field, but off the field, it's almost always telegraphed way in advance, broken by increasingly well-sourced reporting.
So when something like Asumugha going to the Eagles happens -- totally unexpected (Philly was never mentioned as a player) -- it is delightful, even if you're not an Eagles fan.
I think the Eagles were already a Super Bowl contender. I appreciate the "instant-history" being applied in arguing they are now the TOP contender to win it all, but I'll still take the Packers.
Meanwhile:
*I kind of love that the Eagles added Vince Young, too -- they have shown themselves to be excellent with (a) reclamation-project QBs and (b) developing back-ups QBs.
*MLB Trade Mania: Good for the Phillies, going after it by trading solid prospects for Hunter Pence, matching the Giants (with Beltran) stride-for-stride. Next up: Ubaldo to the Yanks or Sox?
*Lost in the flurry of NFL player signings: How awesome is it that the rookies are signing so easily? Cam Newton signed yesterday; when was the last time a No. 1 overall pick signed without ANY drama?
*Pujols gets 2000th hit: If he stays healthy (certainly an "if"), getting to 3000 hits in the next 6 years is almost assured, with 3,515 -- one more than Tris Speaker's spot at No. 5 in the Top 5 all-time -- absolutely reasonable. (Just looking over the MLB all-time hits list, I think I didn't recognize that Eddie Murray didn't just get 3,000 hits, but more than 3,200.)
Lots more from yesterday -- reactions to Asumugha and Pence deals, some great "longish" reads for your weekend -- over at Quickish. Give it a look!
-- D.S.
We can still regularly be surprised by things that happen on the field, but off the field, it's almost always telegraphed way in advance, broken by increasingly well-sourced reporting.
So when something like Asumugha going to the Eagles happens -- totally unexpected (Philly was never mentioned as a player) -- it is delightful, even if you're not an Eagles fan.
I think the Eagles were already a Super Bowl contender. I appreciate the "instant-history" being applied in arguing they are now the TOP contender to win it all, but I'll still take the Packers.
Meanwhile:
*I kind of love that the Eagles added Vince Young, too -- they have shown themselves to be excellent with (a) reclamation-project QBs and (b) developing back-ups QBs.
*MLB Trade Mania: Good for the Phillies, going after it by trading solid prospects for Hunter Pence, matching the Giants (with Beltran) stride-for-stride. Next up: Ubaldo to the Yanks or Sox?
*Lost in the flurry of NFL player signings: How awesome is it that the rookies are signing so easily? Cam Newton signed yesterday; when was the last time a No. 1 overall pick signed without ANY drama?
*Pujols gets 2000th hit: If he stays healthy (certainly an "if"), getting to 3000 hits in the next 6 years is almost assured, with 3,515 -- one more than Tris Speaker's spot at No. 5 in the Top 5 all-time -- absolutely reasonable. (Just looking over the MLB all-time hits list, I think I didn't recognize that Eddie Murray didn't just get 3,000 hits, but more than 3,200.)
Lots more from yesterday -- reactions to Asumugha and Pence deals, some great "longish" reads for your weekend -- over at Quickish. Give it a look!
-- D.S.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
07/28 (Frenzy) Quickie
Wow, it's been a whirlwind few days in sports. Yesterday, we started testing a dedicated NFL super-stream for Quickish -- you'll find more there than on the typical "main" stream, which is only for the biggest topics that "everyone" is thinking about. On the NFL stream, it's a bit more fast-n-furious -- but still doing the job of curating out the crap and only giving you the interesting analysis. Please check it out (or pass along to your NFL-crazed friends).
Anyway...
NFL Mania: Gotta love the Pats acquiring Albert Haynesworth for basically nothing - a flimsy low draft pick and not on the hook for much money, either. I'm a Belichick fanboy (if a Pats-hater), thus I am in the camp that thinks this works out amazingly for the Pats.
Dolphins get Reggie Bush: I mean, he's still kind of exciting, but I'd hardly call him a feature RB.
Vikings acquire Donovan McNabb: Putting "Flags fly forever" to the test -- McNabb fits the team's "win-now" mentality, but is McNabb the right QB? He is presumably better than rookie Christian Ponder (for now), and presumably more effective with Adrian Peterson keeping defenses honest than he is playing for the woeful Redskins. He'll outperform (admittedly low) expectations.
Seahawks acquire Sidney Rice: Things may be a bit bleak this season if you're a star WR without a decent QB to get you the ball, but just wait until they do poorly enough to bring in a talented rookie QB.
MLB Trade Mania!
*Giants trade for Carlos Beltran: "Flags fly forever." It's one of my favorite phrases in sports and perfectly captures the notion of going for it when you've got a window to win a championship, even if it means setting yourself back years from now. The Giants got better immediately, and it gives them a better shot at winning another title.
*Cards trade Colby Rasmus: A bit more curious -- Rasmus has huge upside, which the Jays will now enjoy. (The Jays and Rays don't deserve the fate of being in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox -- it is arguably the least-fair competitive set-up in all of sports.) Making it odder, it seems that Rasmus was jettisoned because Tony LaRussa simply didn't like him all that much, personally.
UNC fires Butch Davis: Should have happened months ago, when they would have had the chance to hire a new coach before the recruiting cycle ended and send the program -- which isn't a terrible one -- in a new direction. Now? They're looking at a lost season, not to mention the longer-term damage from a lost recruiting year. (Why not hire a head-coach-in-waiting immediately to do nothing but work on recruiting?)
More later. Check out Quickish all day for the best takes on NFL deal-making, MLB trade mania and everything else that's keeping sports hopping this week.
-- D.S.
Anyway...
NFL Mania: Gotta love the Pats acquiring Albert Haynesworth for basically nothing - a flimsy low draft pick and not on the hook for much money, either. I'm a Belichick fanboy (if a Pats-hater), thus I am in the camp that thinks this works out amazingly for the Pats.
Dolphins get Reggie Bush: I mean, he's still kind of exciting, but I'd hardly call him a feature RB.
Vikings acquire Donovan McNabb: Putting "Flags fly forever" to the test -- McNabb fits the team's "win-now" mentality, but is McNabb the right QB? He is presumably better than rookie Christian Ponder (for now), and presumably more effective with Adrian Peterson keeping defenses honest than he is playing for the woeful Redskins. He'll outperform (admittedly low) expectations.
Seahawks acquire Sidney Rice: Things may be a bit bleak this season if you're a star WR without a decent QB to get you the ball, but just wait until they do poorly enough to bring in a talented rookie QB.
MLB Trade Mania!
*Giants trade for Carlos Beltran: "Flags fly forever." It's one of my favorite phrases in sports and perfectly captures the notion of going for it when you've got a window to win a championship, even if it means setting yourself back years from now. The Giants got better immediately, and it gives them a better shot at winning another title.
*Cards trade Colby Rasmus: A bit more curious -- Rasmus has huge upside, which the Jays will now enjoy. (The Jays and Rays don't deserve the fate of being in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox -- it is arguably the least-fair competitive set-up in all of sports.) Making it odder, it seems that Rasmus was jettisoned because Tony LaRussa simply didn't like him all that much, personally.
UNC fires Butch Davis: Should have happened months ago, when they would have had the chance to hire a new coach before the recruiting cycle ended and send the program -- which isn't a terrible one -- in a new direction. Now? They're looking at a lost season, not to mention the longer-term damage from a lost recruiting year. (Why not hire a head-coach-in-waiting immediately to do nothing but work on recruiting?)
More later. Check out Quickish all day for the best takes on NFL deal-making, MLB trade mania and everything else that's keeping sports hopping this week.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
07/27 (Pirates! Gah!) Quickie
Good golly: This was the worst baseball call I have ever seen -- it's even worse than Joyce blowing Galarraga's no-hitter last year, because this cost the Pirates an actual game. It is the newest evidence to support the my-god-isn't-it-obvious case that baseball needs a replay system.
NFL moves start getting made: QBs always get the glory -- Matt Hasselbeck is apparently going to Tennessee (giving 1st-round draft pick Jake Locker a season or possibly two to figure out life in the NFL). The Seahawks picked up Tarvaris Jackson (and possibly Matt Leinart) as a seat-warmer for whomever they draft next April. Still to come: Kevin Kolb to Arizona? (And, seemingly, Donovan McNabb to the Vikings? Again: Place-holder for rookie, Christian Ponder?)
Ryan Lochte beats Michael Phelps: It's not the same as beating Phelps in the Olympics, but it's a good start for the swimmer who would dethrone the king.
Just to clarify: Comparing Bryce Harper to Jackie Robinson is never going to go well. (And, as a nominal Nats fan, I like Harper and look forward to him making it to the Major Leagues. But these Nats execs did the kid no favors with this -- actually, of all the things in the Harper canon, this might instantly jump to the top of the list... and in the worst way possible.)
Andrew Luck has an amazing offseason beard: The biggest non-Florida player I'm most looking forward to watching this college football season. He is worth a non-contending NFL team tanking the entire season -- I'm talking 0-16 -- to draft next spring.
More MLB: What a start by CC Sabathia (and yet another loss -- 17th in a row -- for the Mariners). And yet Sabathia may only be the third-best pitcher in the AL, behind Justin Verlander and Jared Weaver, whose ERA is now 1.79.
"Quickish is the Best Thing To Happen to Sports Media in 2011." Someone else said it!
Check out Quickish anytime for the best takes on the biggest topics.
-- D.S.
NFL moves start getting made: QBs always get the glory -- Matt Hasselbeck is apparently going to Tennessee (giving 1st-round draft pick Jake Locker a season or possibly two to figure out life in the NFL). The Seahawks picked up Tarvaris Jackson (and possibly Matt Leinart) as a seat-warmer for whomever they draft next April. Still to come: Kevin Kolb to Arizona? (And, seemingly, Donovan McNabb to the Vikings? Again: Place-holder for rookie, Christian Ponder?)
Ryan Lochte beats Michael Phelps: It's not the same as beating Phelps in the Olympics, but it's a good start for the swimmer who would dethrone the king.
Just to clarify: Comparing Bryce Harper to Jackie Robinson is never going to go well. (And, as a nominal Nats fan, I like Harper and look forward to him making it to the Major Leagues. But these Nats execs did the kid no favors with this -- actually, of all the things in the Harper canon, this might instantly jump to the top of the list... and in the worst way possible.)
Andrew Luck has an amazing offseason beard: The biggest non-Florida player I'm most looking forward to watching this college football season. He is worth a non-contending NFL team tanking the entire season -- I'm talking 0-16 -- to draft next spring.
More MLB: What a start by CC Sabathia (and yet another loss -- 17th in a row -- for the Mariners). And yet Sabathia may only be the third-best pitcher in the AL, behind Justin Verlander and Jared Weaver, whose ERA is now 1.79.
"Quickish is the Best Thing To Happen to Sports Media in 2011." Someone else said it!
Check out Quickish anytime for the best takes on the biggest topics.
-- D.S.
Monday, July 25, 2011
07/25 (It's Over) Quickie
"Welcome back, football." That was the tweet from ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday night, and it couldn't have been any more breathtaking in its pithiness.
(It didn't matter that that lockout wasn't officially over -- it was like an expert political pundit "calling" an election; besides, he wouldn't have typed it if he wasn't 100% sure -- beyond that, he had the definitive report on Sunday of the lockout's impending end. The point is: It was a signal, a symbol. And an entirely welcome one.)
And now we get back to football -- the stuff that matters to us, like which free agents will my team sign and which returning players look good (and which don't) and who will break out this year and is it too early to get ready for my fantasy draft?
I actually love the condensed, speed-dating vibe of free-agency this year -- fans have never needed the weeks and weeks of drama and rumors and misdirection. Condensed into a few days, it's a glorious sprint that couldn't be more fan-friendly. Let's just get those deals done.
Teams have fewer weeks to install schemes or evaluate players. Some players will come back in great shape -- others might be out of shape enough that they are a red flag for injury. The limited contact in practices will also change the NFL -- almost entirely for the better.
Things are hopping at Quickish today, as they have been all weekend on the "End of the Lockout" beat. Pop by for only the most important lockout updates and best analysis of the situation -- not to mention the excitement of free agency and camps opening.
It's going to be a great week. And a great season.
And it's so nice to be able to say that, isn't it?
-- D.S.
(It didn't matter that that lockout wasn't officially over -- it was like an expert political pundit "calling" an election; besides, he wouldn't have typed it if he wasn't 100% sure -- beyond that, he had the definitive report on Sunday of the lockout's impending end. The point is: It was a signal, a symbol. And an entirely welcome one.)
And now we get back to football -- the stuff that matters to us, like which free agents will my team sign and which returning players look good (and which don't) and who will break out this year and is it too early to get ready for my fantasy draft?
I actually love the condensed, speed-dating vibe of free-agency this year -- fans have never needed the weeks and weeks of drama and rumors and misdirection. Condensed into a few days, it's a glorious sprint that couldn't be more fan-friendly. Let's just get those deals done.
Teams have fewer weeks to install schemes or evaluate players. Some players will come back in great shape -- others might be out of shape enough that they are a red flag for injury. The limited contact in practices will also change the NFL -- almost entirely for the better.
Things are hopping at Quickish today, as they have been all weekend on the "End of the Lockout" beat. Pop by for only the most important lockout updates and best analysis of the situation -- not to mention the excitement of free agency and camps opening.
It's going to be a great week. And a great season.
And it's so nice to be able to say that, isn't it?
-- D.S.
Friday, July 22, 2011
07/22 (Lockout End-Game) Quickie
I think it's reasonable to think the NFL Lockout ends today -- at the latest, over the weekend. Teams will open doors on Sunday; full-blown free-agent mania will start middle of next week.
Last night, the owners did what they were supposed to: They approved a deal -- before the players -- then sent it to the players with all the pressure in the world to simply sign it.
It's a bit of a bullying tactic and the players are right to be slightly skeptical. But De Smith would not have walked out of a meeting with Roger Goodell with a deal framework if he wasn't OK with the deal the owners were about to sign.
If Goodell materially changed the framework behind Smith's back, of course, the players should be mad. But I suspect that they will ultimately approve the deal.
It was one last turn of the screw by the owners -- it's who they are, they can't help themselves -- and the players will gripe (as they are entitled to), but then sign it and get back to the job.
The p.r. value of the owners' agreement last night is evident: Fans simply want football to return, and suddenly the owners are on the right side of that; the players aren't yet.
I hope the players carefully weigh the deal before agreeing to it, but it would be very odd if Smith created a framework the owners were fine with signing, then the deal was changed substantially.
The upshot is that despite a ripple of "uh-oh" last night, the players seem on track to vote on the deal today -- I presume they will approve. And football returns this weekend.
More on the radar:
*SEC Media Days: Alabama is the pick to win the league (no controversy there), and South Carolina is picked to win the East (no controversy there, either).
*Can we get some justice in the Bryan Stow case already? Let's hope they have the right perpetrators this time.
*Pistons hire Lawrence Frank: There is no job security like being in the NBA "fired-head-coaches" re-tread bin.
*James Shields > CC Sabathia. That the Rays continue to contend this season is overlooked by the Pirates' miraculous situation. But don't count out Tampa in the Wild Card race. As always, anyone without a different rooting interest in the AL East should be rooting for the Rays to knock out either the Red Sox or Yankees (it almost doesn't matter which).
*Tiger Woods' break-up with Steve Williams, cont'd: Should Tiger be concerned about Williams' purported "tell-all" book? It's not like Tiger can be any more humiliated than he already has been, right? (Even if Williams adds salacious details, that story has already been told.)
*I love that the Raiders were the only team to abstain from voting affirmatively on the new labor agreement. That team is the best.
The best takes on the NFL Lockout, in near-real-time, on Quickish today, along with the usual selection of terrific stories and best breaking analysis.
-- D.S.
Last night, the owners did what they were supposed to: They approved a deal -- before the players -- then sent it to the players with all the pressure in the world to simply sign it.
It's a bit of a bullying tactic and the players are right to be slightly skeptical. But De Smith would not have walked out of a meeting with Roger Goodell with a deal framework if he wasn't OK with the deal the owners were about to sign.
If Goodell materially changed the framework behind Smith's back, of course, the players should be mad. But I suspect that they will ultimately approve the deal.
It was one last turn of the screw by the owners -- it's who they are, they can't help themselves -- and the players will gripe (as they are entitled to), but then sign it and get back to the job.
The p.r. value of the owners' agreement last night is evident: Fans simply want football to return, and suddenly the owners are on the right side of that; the players aren't yet.
I hope the players carefully weigh the deal before agreeing to it, but it would be very odd if Smith created a framework the owners were fine with signing, then the deal was changed substantially.
The upshot is that despite a ripple of "uh-oh" last night, the players seem on track to vote on the deal today -- I presume they will approve. And football returns this weekend.
More on the radar:
*SEC Media Days: Alabama is the pick to win the league (no controversy there), and South Carolina is picked to win the East (no controversy there, either).
*Can we get some justice in the Bryan Stow case already? Let's hope they have the right perpetrators this time.
*Pistons hire Lawrence Frank: There is no job security like being in the NBA "fired-head-coaches" re-tread bin.
*James Shields > CC Sabathia. That the Rays continue to contend this season is overlooked by the Pirates' miraculous situation. But don't count out Tampa in the Wild Card race. As always, anyone without a different rooting interest in the AL East should be rooting for the Rays to knock out either the Red Sox or Yankees (it almost doesn't matter which).
*Tiger Woods' break-up with Steve Williams, cont'd: Should Tiger be concerned about Williams' purported "tell-all" book? It's not like Tiger can be any more humiliated than he already has been, right? (Even if Williams adds salacious details, that story has already been told.)
*I love that the Raiders were the only team to abstain from voting affirmatively on the new labor agreement. That team is the best.
The best takes on the NFL Lockout, in near-real-time, on Quickish today, along with the usual selection of terrific stories and best breaking analysis.
-- D.S.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
10 Years Ago Today: Best. Blind Date. Ever.
First published at FreeDarko.com on Feb. 14, 2007:
"He's Just Not That Into U-donis"
I'm not quite sure I can pinpoint exactly when I knew I WOULD marry my wife, but I'm quite sure I can pinpoint exactly when I knew I COULD:
The date: July 21, 2001
The setting: Our first date (a blind date, no less)
The place: West Village Italian restaurant
The context: 1.2 bottles of wine into dinner.
The topic on the table: The preeminent value of offensive rebounds in relation to (1) a basketball team's chances of success and (2) a basketball forward's worth as a player.
Let me clarify: My wife (then, the random woman I was on a blind date with) was making that argument. I was pretending to engage in the discussion. I was nodding. I may have even been responding.
All I know is that her voice was drowned out by the one in the back of my head:
Li'l Danny: "Are you listening to this? Are you listening?!"
Me: "Pipe down. She's trying to make a point about the pro potential of Udonis Haslem."
Li'l Danny: "The fat Florida center? He'll never make it!" [Ed.: This was 2001.]
Me: "Shh!"
Li'l Danny: "But here is a woman who not only loves basketball, but appreciates it for its subtle pleasures!"
Me: "Which *I'm* trying to appreciate, save for your yammering!"
Li'l Danny: "I think I'm in love. Go on: Say something smart that will make her respect you for your basketball knowledge!"
Me: "OK...wait: I'm blanking! I'm blanking!! It's all too much pressure! I'm smitten!"
Li'l Danny: "Plus-minus! Plus-minus!"
Me: "What the hell is 'plus-minus?'" [Again: It was 2001.]
Li'l Danny: "Nooooo! Damn your ignorance! You better switch topics to something more your speed... like pop culture."
Me: "So, uh, how about those...um...'Sex and the City' women?"
Li'l Danny: "D'oh!"
Fast-forward ten years, one marriage and two kids later: Her enthusiastic argument on behalf of offensive rebounds remains THE most -- if not only -- vivid detail of our entire first date.
And as we sit in our NYC apartment today watching hoops, she's still talking about offensive rebounds. And knowing the way offensive rebounding has, since that first date, been established as highly correlated to winning basketball, I couldn't love her more for it.
-END-
"He's Just Not That Into U-donis"
I'm not quite sure I can pinpoint exactly when I knew I WOULD marry my wife, but I'm quite sure I can pinpoint exactly when I knew I COULD:
The date: July 21, 2001
The setting: Our first date (a blind date, no less)
The place: West Village Italian restaurant
The context: 1.2 bottles of wine into dinner.
The topic on the table: The preeminent value of offensive rebounds in relation to (1) a basketball team's chances of success and (2) a basketball forward's worth as a player.
Let me clarify: My wife (then, the random woman I was on a blind date with) was making that argument. I was pretending to engage in the discussion. I was nodding. I may have even been responding.
All I know is that her voice was drowned out by the one in the back of my head:
Li'l Danny: "Are you listening to this? Are you listening?!"
Me: "Pipe down. She's trying to make a point about the pro potential of Udonis Haslem."
Li'l Danny: "The fat Florida center? He'll never make it!" [Ed.: This was 2001.]
Me: "Shh!"
Li'l Danny: "But here is a woman who not only loves basketball, but appreciates it for its subtle pleasures!"
Me: "Which *I'm* trying to appreciate, save for your yammering!"
Li'l Danny: "I think I'm in love. Go on: Say something smart that will make her respect you for your basketball knowledge!"
Me: "OK...wait: I'm blanking! I'm blanking!! It's all too much pressure! I'm smitten!"
Li'l Danny: "Plus-minus! Plus-minus!"
Me: "What the hell is 'plus-minus?'" [Again: It was 2001.]
Li'l Danny: "Nooooo! Damn your ignorance! You better switch topics to something more your speed... like pop culture."
Me: "So, uh, how about those...um...'Sex and the City' women?"
Li'l Danny: "D'oh!"
Fast-forward ten years, one marriage and two kids later: Her enthusiastic argument on behalf of offensive rebounds remains THE most -- if not only -- vivid detail of our entire first date.
And as we sit in our NYC apartment today watching hoops, she's still talking about offensive rebounds. And knowing the way offensive rebounding has, since that first date, been established as highly correlated to winning basketball, I couldn't love her more for it.
-END-
07/21 (Lockout Over Yet?) Quickie
At this point, I'm getting a little annoyed that the NFL lockout isn't over yet. That's irrational, because the ending has never been closer -- it could come today or tomorrow, certainly by the weekend.
Fortunately, there's a lot to keep us occupied. Most personally, today is the 10th anniversary of the first date (blind date!) with my wife. Longtime readers will remember this post from 2007 -- probably my favorite post in the history of the site -- but here is a revised version for new folks.
Oh, and today my kids return from being down in Florida with my in-laws for the past two weeks -- it's the longest I've ever been away from them by far, and I'm a bit giddy at seeing them again.
More on the radar:
*Tiger breaks up with caddie Steve Williams. This is a moment where "It's not you, it's me" feels fairly authentic.
*SEC Commish Mike Slive wants to reform college football: His plan is both common sensical and almost noble. He is the best commissioner in college sports and has the clout of running the best football league to pull it off. (Slive and the SEC's success is the reason I always claimed he could, if he hated the BCS enough, secede from the BCS and form his own playoff system.)
*Oklahoma and Texas A&M threatening to leave Big 12 because of Texas' "Longhorns Network?" Maybe it's posturing, but this made a lot of sense for A&M last summer during Realignment Mania -- it still makes sense. Texas doesn't need the Big 12 to make the LHN work; I've thought all along it makes sense for UT to go indie. A split would be wild, though.
*Bandwagons: Unless you root for another team in the NL Central, how can you not be rooting for the Pittsburgh Pirates?
*Kobe to Turkey? Not seeing it. Great pub for the Turkish team (and Kobe), though.
*Bart Scott thinks the NFL going away from two-a-days is for wusses. He's a fool. (Meanwhile, kudos to the Ivy League for dramatically reducing the number of "full-contact" practices its football teams can have. Expect the rest of the country to follow in the next few years.
More later. Check out Quickish all day for the latest on the NFL Lockout and more.
-- D.S.
Fortunately, there's a lot to keep us occupied. Most personally, today is the 10th anniversary of the first date (blind date!) with my wife. Longtime readers will remember this post from 2007 -- probably my favorite post in the history of the site -- but here is a revised version for new folks.
Oh, and today my kids return from being down in Florida with my in-laws for the past two weeks -- it's the longest I've ever been away from them by far, and I'm a bit giddy at seeing them again.
More on the radar:
*Tiger breaks up with caddie Steve Williams. This is a moment where "It's not you, it's me" feels fairly authentic.
*SEC Commish Mike Slive wants to reform college football: His plan is both common sensical and almost noble. He is the best commissioner in college sports and has the clout of running the best football league to pull it off. (Slive and the SEC's success is the reason I always claimed he could, if he hated the BCS enough, secede from the BCS and form his own playoff system.)
*Oklahoma and Texas A&M threatening to leave Big 12 because of Texas' "Longhorns Network?" Maybe it's posturing, but this made a lot of sense for A&M last summer during Realignment Mania -- it still makes sense. Texas doesn't need the Big 12 to make the LHN work; I've thought all along it makes sense for UT to go indie. A split would be wild, though.
*Bandwagons: Unless you root for another team in the NL Central, how can you not be rooting for the Pittsburgh Pirates?
*Kobe to Turkey? Not seeing it. Great pub for the Turkish team (and Kobe), though.
*Bart Scott thinks the NFL going away from two-a-days is for wusses. He's a fool. (Meanwhile, kudos to the Ivy League for dramatically reducing the number of "full-contact" practices its football teams can have. Expect the rest of the country to follow in the next few years.
More later. Check out Quickish all day for the latest on the NFL Lockout and more.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
07/20 (Media Daze) Quickie
Still a little curious why no one has "called" the NFL Lockout over by now, given that it is all-but-over. That said, the moment when the news breaks today (or, I guess, tomorrow) "The players have agreed to the deal," with the owners on deck tomorrow will be a fun one. The NFL will be back.
It's not just "when, not if" but "hours, not days."
Meanwhile, today kicks off the grandaddy of all college football media days -- the SEC Media Days, which take up three full days and include 900 credentialed media folks.
I remember two years ago, I launched TimTeblog.com just before SEC Media Days, because I knew they would be insane. Indeed, Clay Travis asked Tim Tebow if he was a virgin, and that question became the defining moment of SEC Media Days insanity (as well as one of the most memorable moments of the Tebow Phenomena).
It seems appropriate, then, that Travis is launching his own new site today: OutkickTheCoverage.com, with a focus on college football (and SEC football, specifically, although not exclusively). It goes without saying that I support anyone starting their own business -- it's not easy (god knows), but hopefully he will find it satisfying (to help offset the "harrowing" feeling).
Anyway, for college football fans, today is a great day -- even if you aren't an SEC fan (or even hate the SEC), because the next three days include all of the circus you've come to love about college football. (As a Florida fan -- and I celebrate the 10th anniversary of the start of my Florida fandom tomorrow -- I am giddy with anticipation.)
Two things to recommend for you, while you wait for the NFL lockout to end or you wait for the SEC to stop preening:
*SBNation's Spencer Hall spent 8 hours fishing with Mike Leach. Great story.
*SI's Joe Posnanski spent a week on the road trying to figure out why people still love baseball. If you already love baseball, you'll really like it. If you don't like baseball, it's still a good read.
Pop by Quickish all day for real-time(-ish) updates on the end-game of the NFL Lockout, reports from SEC Media Days and recommendations to the best takes on the biggest topics.
-- D.S.
It's not just "when, not if" but "hours, not days."
Meanwhile, today kicks off the grandaddy of all college football media days -- the SEC Media Days, which take up three full days and include 900 credentialed media folks.
I remember two years ago, I launched TimTeblog.com just before SEC Media Days, because I knew they would be insane. Indeed, Clay Travis asked Tim Tebow if he was a virgin, and that question became the defining moment of SEC Media Days insanity (as well as one of the most memorable moments of the Tebow Phenomena).
It seems appropriate, then, that Travis is launching his own new site today: OutkickTheCoverage.com, with a focus on college football (and SEC football, specifically, although not exclusively). It goes without saying that I support anyone starting their own business -- it's not easy (god knows), but hopefully he will find it satisfying (to help offset the "harrowing" feeling).
Anyway, for college football fans, today is a great day -- even if you aren't an SEC fan (or even hate the SEC), because the next three days include all of the circus you've come to love about college football. (As a Florida fan -- and I celebrate the 10th anniversary of the start of my Florida fandom tomorrow -- I am giddy with anticipation.)
Two things to recommend for you, while you wait for the NFL lockout to end or you wait for the SEC to stop preening:
*SBNation's Spencer Hall spent 8 hours fishing with Mike Leach. Great story.
*SI's Joe Posnanski spent a week on the road trying to figure out why people still love baseball. If you already love baseball, you'll really like it. If you don't like baseball, it's still a good read.
Pop by Quickish all day for real-time(-ish) updates on the end-game of the NFL Lockout, reports from SEC Media Days and recommendations to the best takes on the biggest topics.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
07/19 (Choke or No Choke?) Quickie
A lot of smart folks I respect seem to really dislike the idea that others labeled a "choke" what the US women's national soccer team did on Sunday in the Women's World Cup final.
Somehow, the "choke" label is simplistic, talk-radio-ish, no-real-fan-would-say-that bunk. Normally, I'm inclined to agree with smart folks -- in this case, I disagree.
Oh, I think that some largely soccer-ignorant fools in sports media are using "choke" like a blunt instrument. But I think that chokery is one of the most compelling things in sports.
It's no shame to choke -- it is perhaps the most human of any result you'll find in sports, even more than championship efforts by an underdog.
Among the anti-choke camp, hidden behind the pretentious "there's-no-nuance-in-choke-analysis" attitude is a weird paternalism, as if people want to protect the team from critical analysis of how they played -- analysis that absolutely can and should include the notion that the team unraveled at the end, with victory almost assuredly in hand.
"Pressure Makes Us" was a wonderful ad campaign for the team -- I suspect they would want to be held to no less of a standard than "championship or failure."
If we can't have an intelligent discussion about the totality of the USWNT's efforts -- from the "never-say-die" attitude to the late-game chokery -- then we do them and us a disservice.
-- D.S.
Somehow, the "choke" label is simplistic, talk-radio-ish, no-real-fan-would-say-that bunk. Normally, I'm inclined to agree with smart folks -- in this case, I disagree.
Oh, I think that some largely soccer-ignorant fools in sports media are using "choke" like a blunt instrument. But I think that chokery is one of the most compelling things in sports.
It's no shame to choke -- it is perhaps the most human of any result you'll find in sports, even more than championship efforts by an underdog.
Among the anti-choke camp, hidden behind the pretentious "there's-no-nuance-in-choke-analysis" attitude is a weird paternalism, as if people want to protect the team from critical analysis of how they played -- analysis that absolutely can and should include the notion that the team unraveled at the end, with victory almost assuredly in hand.
"Pressure Makes Us" was a wonderful ad campaign for the team -- I suspect they would want to be held to no less of a standard than "championship or failure."
If we can't have an intelligent discussion about the totality of the USWNT's efforts -- from the "never-say-die" attitude to the late-game chokery -- then we do them and us a disservice.
-- D.S.
Monday, July 18, 2011
From the Archives: July 18, 1996
Wrote something up about a very important anniversary today from 15 years ago. The story (and a few lessons for anyone looking for a dream job) is here. The supporting illustration is below -- it's not my finest bit of writing ever, but it certainly had an impact.
07/18 (USWNT Stunner) Quickie
Count me among the cohort that argues progress in sports is that, on the merits, we can say the US women's soccer team choked yet still appreciate their overall verve and the tournament's drama.
It is condescending to the players as competitors to ignore how yesterday's game ended -- I would expect extreme competitors like the team members themselves would agree.
Here is an interesting counter-factual: Imagine it was Japan that dominated the game and the US with the miracle equalizer at 81', then an even more miracle goal at 117' (the beauty and technical difficulty of Sawa's shot without hundreds of replays will be underrated in history), then the win in PKs. We would be talking about it as one of the great games in US sports history and this team as even more memorable than the '99ers. In reality, Japan's pluck was that spectacular.
The reality is that in the waning moments of the biggest game in any of these players' careers, the USWNT choked.
It's not a value judgment about them -- their bonafides as competitors have long since been established.
But it is a judgment that they were able to move the conversation in sports from one with blind, possibly patronizing allegiance ("love the gals!") to one that iswilling to engage these athletes on their merits, not their gender.
There is no shame in being a world finalist in anything. Upsets happen -- more often than not, we love them. In this case, less so, although as so many have pointed out, if the US had to lose to anyone, losing to Japan in a crazy upset is as reasonable as it gets.
Let's not showcase a lesson that we should hold back on sports' nastiest "C-word" -- choker -- simply because they are women athletes.
Ironically, it is a glorious moment in US sports history that we can (and should) label this group "chokers" while simultaneously (a) lamenting their fate and (b) celebrating their run.
-- D.S.
It is condescending to the players as competitors to ignore how yesterday's game ended -- I would expect extreme competitors like the team members themselves would agree.
Here is an interesting counter-factual: Imagine it was Japan that dominated the game and the US with the miracle equalizer at 81', then an even more miracle goal at 117' (the beauty and technical difficulty of Sawa's shot without hundreds of replays will be underrated in history), then the win in PKs. We would be talking about it as one of the great games in US sports history and this team as even more memorable than the '99ers. In reality, Japan's pluck was that spectacular.
The reality is that in the waning moments of the biggest game in any of these players' careers, the USWNT choked.
It's not a value judgment about them -- their bonafides as competitors have long since been established.
But it is a judgment that they were able to move the conversation in sports from one with blind, possibly patronizing allegiance ("love the gals!") to one that iswilling to engage these athletes on their merits, not their gender.
There is no shame in being a world finalist in anything. Upsets happen -- more often than not, we love them. In this case, less so, although as so many have pointed out, if the US had to lose to anyone, losing to Japan in a crazy upset is as reasonable as it gets.
Let's not showcase a lesson that we should hold back on sports' nastiest "C-word" -- choker -- simply because they are women athletes.
Ironically, it is a glorious moment in US sports history that we can (and should) label this group "chokers" while simultaneously (a) lamenting their fate and (b) celebrating their run.
-- D.S.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
7/16 (Very) Quickie
The "Friday Night Lights" finale last night was very very well done, particularly the last 8-10 minutes. No spoilers here. But both a satisfying conclusion -- and, for fans, closure.
(Oh, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in first place on July 16 -- congrats, Pirates fans.)
-- D.S.
(Oh, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in first place on July 16 -- congrats, Pirates fans.)
-- D.S.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Two Years of TimTeblog (Already?)
Want to read something really earnest about the two-year anniversary of the launch of TimTeblog.com? Of course you do.
07/15 (FNL) Quickie
No NFL deal yet, but it sure feels inevitable -- now that they're this far, it's in everyone's best interests to get this settled soon enough (within a week) to get the teams in camps and going.
What I'm watching this weekend: The Women's World Cup final -- US vs. Japan.
What I'm watching tonight: The "Friday Night Lights" series finale. I'm among those who think it's a terrific show. I don't think there has been a TV mom in history played more skillfully than Connie Britton's "Tami Taylor." She, not Kyle Chandler's Coach Eric Taylor, is the true center of the show, and their relationship -- not the football stuff -- is the show's soul. I'm bummed the show is ending but grateful that it was given this final season to find some closure.
Anniversaries: Two years ago today, I launched TimTeblog.com, which from July 2009 through April 2010 (and particularly that July-January final college football season) was one of the most interesting experiences of my life -- as a writer, as a media-industry wonk and as a fan. The blog is still around -- nearly 1,000 posts later -- and the light posting is more a function of limited news about Tebow than a lack of interest in keeping it going. But for that first year: Wow, a lot of fun.
Quickish is rolling all day (and all weekend) with the latest on the NFL Lockout developments, coverage of the Women's World Cup final, great recommendations and so much more. Check it out!
-- D.S.
What I'm watching this weekend: The Women's World Cup final -- US vs. Japan.
What I'm watching tonight: The "Friday Night Lights" series finale. I'm among those who think it's a terrific show. I don't think there has been a TV mom in history played more skillfully than Connie Britton's "Tami Taylor." She, not Kyle Chandler's Coach Eric Taylor, is the true center of the show, and their relationship -- not the football stuff -- is the show's soul. I'm bummed the show is ending but grateful that it was given this final season to find some closure.
Anniversaries: Two years ago today, I launched TimTeblog.com, which from July 2009 through April 2010 (and particularly that July-January final college football season) was one of the most interesting experiences of my life -- as a writer, as a media-industry wonk and as a fan. The blog is still around -- nearly 1,000 posts later -- and the light posting is more a function of limited news about Tebow than a lack of interest in keeping it going. But for that first year: Wow, a lot of fun.
Quickish is rolling all day (and all weekend) with the latest on the NFL Lockout developments, coverage of the Women's World Cup final, great recommendations and so much more. Check it out!
-- D.S.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
07/14 (Clemens Mistrial) Quickie
Honestly, there was a very good chance that today would be the slowest day of the sports year. And then, of course, Roger Clemens had a mistrial. And all of a sudden it's yet another Big Story.
They just keep on coming. Tomorrow, it could be a handshake deal to end the NFL Lockout. Then the Women's World Cup Final, then college football media days.
Of course, the end to the NFL lockout would be huge news from now 'til... well, from now 'til, period. But really: Just when you think that the sports world can't top itself, it does.
I love that I get to watch all this up close and that we all get to watch it up close together. Full lockout coverage coming all day Friday on Quickish, for sure. Light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel time.
-- D.S.
They just keep on coming. Tomorrow, it could be a handshake deal to end the NFL Lockout. Then the Women's World Cup Final, then college football media days.
Of course, the end to the NFL lockout would be huge news from now 'til... well, from now 'til, period. But really: Just when you think that the sports world can't top itself, it does.
I love that I get to watch all this up close and that we all get to watch it up close together. Full lockout coverage coming all day Friday on Quickish, for sure. Light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel time.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
07/13 (USWNT!) Quickie
Slow on the draw today but now immersed in watching the USWNT in the Women's World Cup semi vs. France...
You know the MLB All-Star Game is bad when the top highlight is Justin Timberlake being interviewed by Mark Grace was the most memorable moment. (OK: Prince Fielder's HR.)
A quick note about Joe Buck: I'm not going to rip him like most, but I do think that if his voice wasn't up to his usual standards -- and it wasn't -- he shouldn't have called the game. I appreciate he battled back from a throat virus, but it wasn't in the best interests of fans the way he was.
Typically, the day after the MLB All-Star Game IS the slowest day of the sports year, but the Women's World Cup has changed that completely, giving the day a real national anchor.
Oh, and James Harrison's quotes in Men's Journal about Roger Goodell. Harrison is kind of insane and most definitely a fool. The retribution from the league (and perhaps his team) this fall will be harsh and swift. But let's agree that if we're at the point the league can punish players -- because, y'know, we've got a labor deal -- that's a good thing.
This made me smile this morning: Video of John Wall last night at a pro-am summer league game in Raleigh, just destroying Julius Hodge. These gonzo videos of NBA players slumming it in summer leagues is helping feed the jones during the lockout.
More later. Enjoy the game and the day.
-- D.S.
You know the MLB All-Star Game is bad when the top highlight is Justin Timberlake being interviewed by Mark Grace was the most memorable moment. (OK: Prince Fielder's HR.)
A quick note about Joe Buck: I'm not going to rip him like most, but I do think that if his voice wasn't up to his usual standards -- and it wasn't -- he shouldn't have called the game. I appreciate he battled back from a throat virus, but it wasn't in the best interests of fans the way he was.
Typically, the day after the MLB All-Star Game IS the slowest day of the sports year, but the Women's World Cup has changed that completely, giving the day a real national anchor.
Oh, and James Harrison's quotes in Men's Journal about Roger Goodell. Harrison is kind of insane and most definitely a fool. The retribution from the league (and perhaps his team) this fall will be harsh and swift. But let's agree that if we're at the point the league can punish players -- because, y'know, we've got a labor deal -- that's a good thing.
This made me smile this morning: Video of John Wall last night at a pro-am summer league game in Raleigh, just destroying Julius Hodge. These gonzo videos of NBA players slumming it in summer leagues is helping feed the jones during the lockout.
More later. Enjoy the game and the day.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
07/12 (Cano) Quickie
Another moment for "parents and kids" in sports. If last week's tragedy of Shannon and Cooper Stone was just about the worst thing I could possibly imagine, then last night's moment between Robinson Cano and his dad Jose was up near the best.
Robinson had his dad -- an erstwhile Major Leaguer years ago -- pitch to him in the Home Run Derby, and Cano crushed it (both of 'em). Robinson had 32 home runs to win the event, including a record-setting 12 in the finals. His home runs were spectacular.
Even better was the joyful hug shared between the parent and kid when Cano secured the Derby title. It shares a link with every parent who has ever softly pitched a ball to their kid -- earlier this year, I started doing that with my own kids; it's a wonderful moment.
****
Two other notable things about last night's Derby:
(1) The guy who caught a ball while jumping from the edge of the pool in the outfield into the water -- while still holding his beer with the lip of the cup just barely over the water line. It was spectacular -- frankly, I think it is the Web Gem of the season. Check it out here.
(2) The freaking moron who stood on a table in the outfield, then fell over it trying to catch a Prince Fielder ball. He needed his family and fans standing next to him to grab his ankles to keep him from plunging 20 feet below. To try something like that isn't just dangerous -- it is spitting in the face of everyone grieving for Shannon Stone. What a jerk/dope. Get more on that here.
***
MLB All-Star Game tonight: "It counts," so there's that. But otherwise, it feels more notable for the storyline about the number of players NOT playing than the ones who are. I will inevitably tune in, because who doesn't want to see Roy Halladay pitch to Jose Bautista, among other intriguing pitching matchups? I'm calling a low-scoring game, taut 'til the finish. (It would be nice if Fox at least mentioned the SB 1070 controversy -- I'm not holding my breath.)
(Meanwhile, Derek Jeter might be "exhausted" enough to skip the game, but I think that he owes it to the fans to at least show up. A lot of folks are pinning this on MLB for not escorting Jeter to the event, but it would be nice if Jeter took some initiative, too. BTW, speaking of Jeter: I would like to see the Yankees offer to pay the 3,000-hit guy's outstanding college loans -- roughly $100,000, which is easily what he could have gotten had he kept the ball and auctioned it off. It's a drop in the bucket for the team; if you appreciated the simple niceness of the fan, it would be great to see the team follow his lead.)
USWNT play France at 11:30 a.m. ET tomorrow on ESPN: The mid-day, mid-week major sports event (the epitome of which is, of course, the first two days of the NCAA Tournament) is one of my favorite moments of the sports calendar. If you can't watch, we'll try to make sure Quickish keeps you updated. (Twitter is a good bet, too.)
NFL labor deal by July 21? I think it happens. What a fun sprint until Labor Day that will be.
More later. Please pop by Quickish throughout the day for the best takes on the biggest topics, plus recommendations to other great stuff.
-- D.S.
Robinson had his dad -- an erstwhile Major Leaguer years ago -- pitch to him in the Home Run Derby, and Cano crushed it (both of 'em). Robinson had 32 home runs to win the event, including a record-setting 12 in the finals. His home runs were spectacular.
Even better was the joyful hug shared between the parent and kid when Cano secured the Derby title. It shares a link with every parent who has ever softly pitched a ball to their kid -- earlier this year, I started doing that with my own kids; it's a wonderful moment.
****
Two other notable things about last night's Derby:
(1) The guy who caught a ball while jumping from the edge of the pool in the outfield into the water -- while still holding his beer with the lip of the cup just barely over the water line. It was spectacular -- frankly, I think it is the Web Gem of the season. Check it out here.
(2) The freaking moron who stood on a table in the outfield, then fell over it trying to catch a Prince Fielder ball. He needed his family and fans standing next to him to grab his ankles to keep him from plunging 20 feet below. To try something like that isn't just dangerous -- it is spitting in the face of everyone grieving for Shannon Stone. What a jerk/dope. Get more on that here.
***
MLB All-Star Game tonight: "It counts," so there's that. But otherwise, it feels more notable for the storyline about the number of players NOT playing than the ones who are. I will inevitably tune in, because who doesn't want to see Roy Halladay pitch to Jose Bautista, among other intriguing pitching matchups? I'm calling a low-scoring game, taut 'til the finish. (It would be nice if Fox at least mentioned the SB 1070 controversy -- I'm not holding my breath.)
(Meanwhile, Derek Jeter might be "exhausted" enough to skip the game, but I think that he owes it to the fans to at least show up. A lot of folks are pinning this on MLB for not escorting Jeter to the event, but it would be nice if Jeter took some initiative, too. BTW, speaking of Jeter: I would like to see the Yankees offer to pay the 3,000-hit guy's outstanding college loans -- roughly $100,000, which is easily what he could have gotten had he kept the ball and auctioned it off. It's a drop in the bucket for the team; if you appreciated the simple niceness of the fan, it would be great to see the team follow his lead.)
USWNT play France at 11:30 a.m. ET tomorrow on ESPN: The mid-day, mid-week major sports event (the epitome of which is, of course, the first two days of the NCAA Tournament) is one of my favorite moments of the sports calendar. If you can't watch, we'll try to make sure Quickish keeps you updated. (Twitter is a good bet, too.)
NFL labor deal by July 21? I think it happens. What a fun sprint until Labor Day that will be.
More later. Please pop by Quickish throughout the day for the best takes on the biggest topics, plus recommendations to other great stuff.
-- D.S.
Monday, July 11, 2011
07/11 (USWNT!!!) Quickie
Super-proud of the Quickish coverage of the US women's soccer World Cup win from yesterday, masterfully curated by Michael Katz. Please check it out.
So that was one of the most exciting finishes I can remember in sports. Playing 10-on-11 (for an hour!), down a goal -- not just the last minute of an extended overtime, but the last minute of stoppage time after a Brazil player faked an injury, tacking on a few extra minutes to OT.
Analogues are unfair and unnecessary, but this wasn't like a Hail Mary touchdown in football or a buzzer-beater in hoops. This was like being down 25 with two minutes to play and winning. The closest thing I can think of is a baseball analogy -- it was like being down 8 or 9 runs with two outs in the 9th, against an All-Star closer, with your pitcher coming up to bat -- and winning.
"This is why we love sports" is so cliche -- but so universal and true. It is certainly at the heart of why I personally love sports. It was as remarkable of a finish of a game as I can remember.
(My only regret -- and this is fairly meta-media stuff, so forgive me -- is that as I surveyed the sports-news landscape last night and this morning for compelling takes on the game, there was such a dearth that I almost couldn't believe it. Hoping for more as the day progresses.)
It was a hell of a weekend in sports -- just when you think Derek Jeter reaching 3,000 career hits on a home run is the most dramatic thing that could happen this weekend, the USWNT tops it. (And, as amazing as Jeter's performance on Saturday was, it was topped on Sunday by the women.)
I remain utterly saddened by the tragedy of Shannon Stone's death in Texas. As jaw-dropping as Jeter's 3,000th hit was or as jubilant as Abby Wambach's header was, I just can't shake how crushed I am about Stone and his family's loss.
I hope people don't lose sight of him as the sports world moves on, as it always does: First Jeter, then the US women's soccer team. This morning brings optimism about an NFL labor deal perhaps as early as 10 days from now. Tonight is the Home Run Derby; tomorrow is the MLB All-Star Game -- no matter who pulls out of it, still a great midsummer event. The ESPYs are mid-week -- is it too late to write-in Wambach's goal as the Play of the Year? We're near college football "media days," which -- at least in the SEC -- is an event unto itself.
I have been covering all sports on a daily basis for nearly 9 years -- there is this notion that mid-July is the "slowest moment of the sports year." (This year, that was supposed to be compounded by NFL and NBA lockouts.) Sure doesn't feel like it.
In fact, on an early-July Sunday that is supposed to be as slow as it gets, we got the most electrifying moment of the sports year. Not bad.
-- D.S.
So that was one of the most exciting finishes I can remember in sports. Playing 10-on-11 (for an hour!), down a goal -- not just the last minute of an extended overtime, but the last minute of stoppage time after a Brazil player faked an injury, tacking on a few extra minutes to OT.
Analogues are unfair and unnecessary, but this wasn't like a Hail Mary touchdown in football or a buzzer-beater in hoops. This was like being down 25 with two minutes to play and winning. The closest thing I can think of is a baseball analogy -- it was like being down 8 or 9 runs with two outs in the 9th, against an All-Star closer, with your pitcher coming up to bat -- and winning.
"This is why we love sports" is so cliche -- but so universal and true. It is certainly at the heart of why I personally love sports. It was as remarkable of a finish of a game as I can remember.
(My only regret -- and this is fairly meta-media stuff, so forgive me -- is that as I surveyed the sports-news landscape last night and this morning for compelling takes on the game, there was such a dearth that I almost couldn't believe it. Hoping for more as the day progresses.)
It was a hell of a weekend in sports -- just when you think Derek Jeter reaching 3,000 career hits on a home run is the most dramatic thing that could happen this weekend, the USWNT tops it. (And, as amazing as Jeter's performance on Saturday was, it was topped on Sunday by the women.)
I remain utterly saddened by the tragedy of Shannon Stone's death in Texas. As jaw-dropping as Jeter's 3,000th hit was or as jubilant as Abby Wambach's header was, I just can't shake how crushed I am about Stone and his family's loss.
I hope people don't lose sight of him as the sports world moves on, as it always does: First Jeter, then the US women's soccer team. This morning brings optimism about an NFL labor deal perhaps as early as 10 days from now. Tonight is the Home Run Derby; tomorrow is the MLB All-Star Game -- no matter who pulls out of it, still a great midsummer event. The ESPYs are mid-week -- is it too late to write-in Wambach's goal as the Play of the Year? We're near college football "media days," which -- at least in the SEC -- is an event unto itself.
I have been covering all sports on a daily basis for nearly 9 years -- there is this notion that mid-July is the "slowest moment of the sports year." (This year, that was supposed to be compounded by NFL and NBA lockouts.) Sure doesn't feel like it.
In fact, on an early-July Sunday that is supposed to be as slow as it gets, we got the most electrifying moment of the sports year. Not bad.
-- D.S.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sunday 7/10 (Jeter 3,000) Quickie
Well, hard to add a whole lot to what happened yesterday -- or what has been said since:
Derek Jeter crossed the 3,000-hit threshold in just about the most dramatic way possible -- on a home run, part of a 5-for-5 day (including the game-winning hit), in front of a frenzied crowd.
You can hate the Yankees and/or you can loathe the drenching love in the media for Jeter, but it's hard to begrudge his career, his accomplishments and -- frankly -- how he goes about his business.
Joe Sheehan said this in his newsletter yesterday about Jeter: When we look back, Jeter will be the poster player of this generation -- not Bonds or Pujols or anything related to steroids.
That's probably a good thing. In Jeter, we have a guy who put up great stats, won a lot of games, won a lot of important games and conducted himself with self-respect and respect for the game and its fans.
My 5-year-old son -- only discovering his sports fandom in the past few months -- recently proclaimed the Yankees are his favorite team. It's not an outrageous idea, given that we live in New York and he is surrounded by Yankees iconography, propaganda and fans.
As a Yankees-hater, that wounds me a bit. But my kid could do a lot worse than rooting for Derek Jeter, even if by the time he is 8 -- let alone a teenager -- Jeter is a distant memory.
For now, it seems reasonable that watching Jeter's 3,000th hit live and having it be as dramatic as it was will be a very acute memory for me for a very long time.
Recommended reading: SI.com's Joe Posnanski on the moment when Jeter hit No. 3,000 and what it means.
-- D.S.
Derek Jeter crossed the 3,000-hit threshold in just about the most dramatic way possible -- on a home run, part of a 5-for-5 day (including the game-winning hit), in front of a frenzied crowd.
You can hate the Yankees and/or you can loathe the drenching love in the media for Jeter, but it's hard to begrudge his career, his accomplishments and -- frankly -- how he goes about his business.
Joe Sheehan said this in his newsletter yesterday about Jeter: When we look back, Jeter will be the poster player of this generation -- not Bonds or Pujols or anything related to steroids.
That's probably a good thing. In Jeter, we have a guy who put up great stats, won a lot of games, won a lot of important games and conducted himself with self-respect and respect for the game and its fans.
My 5-year-old son -- only discovering his sports fandom in the past few months -- recently proclaimed the Yankees are his favorite team. It's not an outrageous idea, given that we live in New York and he is surrounded by Yankees iconography, propaganda and fans.
As a Yankees-hater, that wounds me a bit. But my kid could do a lot worse than rooting for Derek Jeter, even if by the time he is 8 -- let alone a teenager -- Jeter is a distant memory.
For now, it seems reasonable that watching Jeter's 3,000th hit live and having it be as dramatic as it was will be a very acute memory for me for a very long time.
Recommended reading: SI.com's Joe Posnanski on the moment when Jeter hit No. 3,000 and what it means.
-- D.S.
Friday, July 08, 2011
LeBron's Decision: One Year Later
Here is what I wrote the morning after The Decision, which was one year ago tonight:
I don't begrudge LeBron his decision, but there are consequences.Let's start with the backlash he deserves: This show/spectacle was off-putting, on all fronts. It was a horrible way to treat Cleveland fans — and a condescending way to treat all fans.
Now the backlash he doesn't deserve: Choosing to play alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, as if the only way he should play is on his own.
I have said this before: LeBron is about nothing if not exceptionalism. And, in this case, "starring on your own" has been done before, plenty of times.
What has never been done — never been done — is a star entering his prime choosing to play with two other stars in their prime. From that perspective, his "decision" is to be celebrated. It is a risk unlike any in NBA history.
Because of those darned consequences: Forget his pariah status in Ohio. More universally, he has created a set of expectations for himself that are more brutal than for any other player in the history of the NBA.
He not only MUST win an NBA title, but I would argue that one isn't enough. Two probably isn't enough. Three merely matches Kobe (who has done it twice). Four or five? Come on. ...
Let's get real: Season-ticket packages are sold on regular-season superstardom. Championships are won by a combination of stars and fantastic supporting casts. Just look at the Lakers the past two years. Or, more instructively, the Lakers in 2004.
"Miami Thrice" (ugh) has the star power — but even with Mike Miller (who I think is a brilliant addition), with league-minimum talent surrounding them, I find it hard to see them winning 16 games in the playoffs.
Next year? Good luck getting past the Lakers. In the two-three years after that? Who will guard Dwight Howard? After that? The reign of Kevin Durant. All of a sudden, it's 2015 and the Heat have won ... hmm: anything?
It wouldn't surprise me if LeBron, Wade and Bosh win zero titles over these next five years — I certainly see that as being more realistic than them winning, say, two or three. A fair question: Would two even be enough?
The punishment to his basketball legacy for not fulfilling the expectations — particularly if he is ringless — will make his enemy-of-the-state status in Ohio seem benign.
Good luck with that, LeBron.
A year later, I'm struck by how little attention "The Decision" show itself got from me. I mean, yes, IDing that it was off-putting, yes, but I was so focused on the on-court implications. In that way, I mis-read the national reaction almost as much as LeBron or the media did.
Having not looked at this particular column in a year, I'm struck by this idea near the end: "The punishment to his basketball legacy for not fulfilling the expectations — particularly if he is ringless — will make his enemy-of-the-state status in Ohio seem benign."
In fact, that is precisely what happened -- with the off-puttingness from The Decision show itself as the foundation.
One year later, The Decision turns out to have been a far bigger blunder in hindsight than it was the morning of July 9, 2010.
-- D.S.
July 8: The Shannon Stone Tragedy
All I wanted to do this morning was write about The Decision, one year later.
Then Rangers fan Shannon Stone died after flipping over the railing at the ballpark while catching a foul ball innocently tossed to him by Josh Hamilton. Stone's son was sitting right next to him.
That any fan would die at the ballpark is tragic. That Stone was simply trying to collect a priceless memory for his young son is the part that has me choked up just thinking about it.
That is me, as a parent -- or any parent. Could have been your parent, when you were a kid. Could be you, for your own kids.
I am toggling between grief for Stone's son and his family and the natural projection of my own feelings for my kids, particularly as my older son, just 5, is at the start of his life as a sports fan.
Yesterday, Mrs. Quickish and I dropped off our kids at my in-laws' house in Florida, leaving them for two weeks. Each of us - parents, kids, grandparents - is going to have a blast.
But this morning, all I really want to do is adjust the increasingly ubiquitous baseball hats on my kids' heads, give them hugs and tell them I love them.
Thoughts are with Shannon Stone's kid and family, the Rangers and fans everywhere who feel as terrible about this as I do.
If you're looking for a single great read this morning about Stone, here is a column from Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
-- D.S.
Then Rangers fan Shannon Stone died after flipping over the railing at the ballpark while catching a foul ball innocently tossed to him by Josh Hamilton. Stone's son was sitting right next to him.
That any fan would die at the ballpark is tragic. That Stone was simply trying to collect a priceless memory for his young son is the part that has me choked up just thinking about it.
That is me, as a parent -- or any parent. Could have been your parent, when you were a kid. Could be you, for your own kids.
I am toggling between grief for Stone's son and his family and the natural projection of my own feelings for my kids, particularly as my older son, just 5, is at the start of his life as a sports fan.
Yesterday, Mrs. Quickish and I dropped off our kids at my in-laws' house in Florida, leaving them for two weeks. Each of us - parents, kids, grandparents - is going to have a blast.
But this morning, all I really want to do is adjust the increasingly ubiquitous baseball hats on my kids' heads, give them hugs and tell them I love them.
Thoughts are with Shannon Stone's kid and family, the Rangers and fans everywhere who feel as terrible about this as I do.
If you're looking for a single great read this morning about Stone, here is a column from Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
-- D.S.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
07/07 (Jeter) Quickie
Slow on the draw today, but on the other hand, I just left my kids with their grandparents for the next two weeks, so there's that. As I tweeted earlier today, that's a rare "win-win-win" scenario.
Carve out 15 minutes this afternoon to read Joe Posnanski on Derek Jeter and the 3,000-hits thing. I'm not a big Jeter fan, although I can appreciate him (though without typical worship).
I think I will come to appreciate him more after his career is over -- I already do, now that it's on the wane. It was a lot easier than earlier years, when I disliked him because I'm not a Yankees fan and I didn't like the blind worship from basically everyone (says the erstwhile Tebow blogger).
Anyway, it finally clicked for me that our professional tracks have been side-by-side: When Jeter came up to the Yankees, I was just out of college and starting my own career.
And so I have not had a professional moment that did not include Derek Jeter as a constant -- perhaps THE constant. That resonated for me, even if he is in career decline while I -- at least theoretically -- am still chugging along professionally, perhaps with my best years still ahead.
So read the essay above. More on Jeter as he hits 3000.
BTW: I'm leaning towards this whole "Deron Williams signs to play in Turkey during the lockout" as one of the more genius moves by a player in a long time. If nothing else, it's got novelty and trailblazing going for it. Watch other players follow suit.
-- D.S.
Carve out 15 minutes this afternoon to read Joe Posnanski on Derek Jeter and the 3,000-hits thing. I'm not a big Jeter fan, although I can appreciate him (though without typical worship).
I think I will come to appreciate him more after his career is over -- I already do, now that it's on the wane. It was a lot easier than earlier years, when I disliked him because I'm not a Yankees fan and I didn't like the blind worship from basically everyone (says the erstwhile Tebow blogger).
Anyway, it finally clicked for me that our professional tracks have been side-by-side: When Jeter came up to the Yankees, I was just out of college and starting my own career.
And so I have not had a professional moment that did not include Derek Jeter as a constant -- perhaps THE constant. That resonated for me, even if he is in career decline while I -- at least theoretically -- am still chugging along professionally, perhaps with my best years still ahead.
So read the essay above. More on Jeter as he hits 3000.
BTW: I'm leaning towards this whole "Deron Williams signs to play in Turkey during the lockout" as one of the more genius moves by a player in a long time. If nothing else, it's got novelty and trailblazing going for it. Watch other players follow suit.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
07/05 (5th of July) Quickie
Casey Anthony not guilty: Really? Seriously?
So I think that the NFL labor impasse is resolved in the next three weeks. If you can hold out until then, I think you'll be rewarded.
As for the NBA, I think you've got a six-month slog ahead of you, so settle in.
But that's not to say there aren't interesting storylines to keep you going.
For example, Derek Jeter returned to the Yankees last night -- same story: Limp offensive contributions. At what point will Yankees fans care more about their team than their Captain and get behind the idea of dropping him to the end of the lineup -- or out of it altogether -- at least against right-handed pitchers, against which he has been brutal.
I know they love him and he's the most popular Yankee ever, but there is serious cognitive dissonance going on with this.
Albert Pujols is back tonight for the Cardinals, three weeks ahead of schedule. Huge playoff implications hanging on whether his wrist looks good or not -- maybe not immediately, but over time.
Bryce Harper elevated to AA, where he'll stay the rest of the 2011 season: He's off to a fast start. He'll crush it there, then play the first two months of 2012 in AAA before getting called up and teaming with Stephen Strasburg to make the Nationals one of the most must-see teams of the spring (perhaps the season, if fans turn out to check out Harper).
Tiger Woods pulls out of British Open: Did you really think he would play? Rory McIlroy is a hell of a story, but when the dominant plotline of your sport is "Will Tiger play or not?" (not even "Will Tiger win or not?"), you have a soft underbelly.
By the way, tennis hasn't been better in a quarter-century, so enjoy it.
MLB Final Vote endorsements: AL -- Paul Konerko. NL -- I am abstaining out of protest for Andrew McCutchen being left off both the original roster THEN the Final Vote options. Vote here.
Great new book out today: Flip Flop Fly Ball by Craig Robinson of the same-named blog, which focuses on cool infographical treatments of baseball.
Now, appreciating odd tennis and golf storylines might not be as satisfying as getting ready for NFL training camp or watching summer league, but either you're making the best of things or you're sitting there focused on the Casey Anthony verdict. I'll take the former, along with a very compelling second half of the baseball season coming up.
Be sure to check out Quickish, which has been rolling along all day today (and yesterday plus the entire weekend, too).
-- D.S.
So I think that the NFL labor impasse is resolved in the next three weeks. If you can hold out until then, I think you'll be rewarded.
As for the NBA, I think you've got a six-month slog ahead of you, so settle in.
But that's not to say there aren't interesting storylines to keep you going.
For example, Derek Jeter returned to the Yankees last night -- same story: Limp offensive contributions. At what point will Yankees fans care more about their team than their Captain and get behind the idea of dropping him to the end of the lineup -- or out of it altogether -- at least against right-handed pitchers, against which he has been brutal.
I know they love him and he's the most popular Yankee ever, but there is serious cognitive dissonance going on with this.
Albert Pujols is back tonight for the Cardinals, three weeks ahead of schedule. Huge playoff implications hanging on whether his wrist looks good or not -- maybe not immediately, but over time.
Bryce Harper elevated to AA, where he'll stay the rest of the 2011 season: He's off to a fast start. He'll crush it there, then play the first two months of 2012 in AAA before getting called up and teaming with Stephen Strasburg to make the Nationals one of the most must-see teams of the spring (perhaps the season, if fans turn out to check out Harper).
Tiger Woods pulls out of British Open: Did you really think he would play? Rory McIlroy is a hell of a story, but when the dominant plotline of your sport is "Will Tiger play or not?" (not even "Will Tiger win or not?"), you have a soft underbelly.
By the way, tennis hasn't been better in a quarter-century, so enjoy it.
MLB Final Vote endorsements: AL -- Paul Konerko. NL -- I am abstaining out of protest for Andrew McCutchen being left off both the original roster THEN the Final Vote options. Vote here.
Great new book out today: Flip Flop Fly Ball by Craig Robinson of the same-named blog, which focuses on cool infographical treatments of baseball.
Now, appreciating odd tennis and golf storylines might not be as satisfying as getting ready for NFL training camp or watching summer league, but either you're making the best of things or you're sitting there focused on the Casey Anthony verdict. I'll take the former, along with a very compelling second half of the baseball season coming up.
Be sure to check out Quickish, which has been rolling along all day today (and yesterday plus the entire weekend, too).
-- D.S.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Happy July 4th Weekend
I'll be blogging here all weekend and, of course, you can expect a steady stream of analysis and recommendations at Quickish all (long) weekend long.
I'm spending the weekend down in St. Pete with my siblings, their spouses and my brand-new nephew and niece, plus Mrs. Quickish, my kids and my mom. Lots of fun. Among the festivities, I'm trying to get over to the Rays-Cards game on Sunday with my kids - it would be Gabe's 2nd MLB game ever (after last July's First Game Ever at Wrigley) and Jonah's First MLB Game Ever. It's "Family Day" at The Trop, which is a nice coincidence. We'll see if we can work it out.
So what's on the radar today?
*The NBA Lockout. (As I said earlier this morning: It'll all be OK!)
*The NFL Lockout: Resolved in the next two weeks? Maybe!
*The Big Ten welcomes Nebraska and the Pac-10 becomes the Pac-12. College football was already the 2nd-most-popular sport behind NFL. It will only get more popular this fall, in part strengthened by these two conferences boosting their power and cachet. (I'll call it now: Nebraska will win the Big Ten next year and Utah will finish Top 3 in the Pac-10, behind Stanford and Oregon.)
*MLB at Midseason. All-Star voting ended yesterday. I have always been a fan of having a fairly irrational mix of "players having an awesome first half who deserve to start" and "big name players that fans would like to see." There are some tensions: I think Cleveland's Cabrera has earned a starting spot at SS ahead of New York's Jeter. And yet I'd still like to see Ichiro start in the AL outfield, even if he doesn't deserve it. (Love that Bautista is leading the fan vote in the AL OF.) Anyway, rosters will be announced on Sunday night. It's hard to get too worked up. I'll focus my energy on the "Extra Man" vote next week, which is always fascinating.
*MLB yesterday: That AL Cy race between Verlander and Sabathia is going to be terrific.
If you're not dropping by over the next few days, have a terrific holiday weekend. If you can, pop by Quickish. And if you are at a barbeque or 4th of July party or otherwise hanging out with people this weekend, please let them know about Quickish. That's the best way to get the word out there about it. Thanks!
-- D.S.
I'm spending the weekend down in St. Pete with my siblings, their spouses and my brand-new nephew and niece, plus Mrs. Quickish, my kids and my mom. Lots of fun. Among the festivities, I'm trying to get over to the Rays-Cards game on Sunday with my kids - it would be Gabe's 2nd MLB game ever (after last July's First Game Ever at Wrigley) and Jonah's First MLB Game Ever. It's "Family Day" at The Trop, which is a nice coincidence. We'll see if we can work it out.
So what's on the radar today?
*The NBA Lockout. (As I said earlier this morning: It'll all be OK!)
*The NFL Lockout: Resolved in the next two weeks? Maybe!
*The Big Ten welcomes Nebraska and the Pac-10 becomes the Pac-12. College football was already the 2nd-most-popular sport behind NFL. It will only get more popular this fall, in part strengthened by these two conferences boosting their power and cachet. (I'll call it now: Nebraska will win the Big Ten next year and Utah will finish Top 3 in the Pac-10, behind Stanford and Oregon.)
*MLB at Midseason. All-Star voting ended yesterday. I have always been a fan of having a fairly irrational mix of "players having an awesome first half who deserve to start" and "big name players that fans would like to see." There are some tensions: I think Cleveland's Cabrera has earned a starting spot at SS ahead of New York's Jeter. And yet I'd still like to see Ichiro start in the AL outfield, even if he doesn't deserve it. (Love that Bautista is leading the fan vote in the AL OF.) Anyway, rosters will be announced on Sunday night. It's hard to get too worked up. I'll focus my energy on the "Extra Man" vote next week, which is always fascinating.
*MLB yesterday: That AL Cy race between Verlander and Sabathia is going to be terrific.
If you're not dropping by over the next few days, have a terrific holiday weekend. If you can, pop by Quickish. And if you are at a barbeque or 4th of July party or otherwise hanging out with people this weekend, please let them know about Quickish. That's the best way to get the word out there about it. Thanks!
-- D.S.
07/01 (NBA Lockout) Quickie
I'm an NBA fan and hope they resolve the lockout soon. Realistically, nothing will happen until the late fall and I fully expect the season to start in 2012 - at the earliest - with a truncated (ironically highly compelling) regular season followed by a full playoffs. It's going to be a long slog.
I strongly disagree, however, with the NBA pundits who claim that a lockout will hurt the game with fans. The avid fans will always come back. And, thanks to the strength of the product, there are more avid NBA fans than there have been in years. The avid fans - particularly in the media - might be the loudest critics, but let me repeat: The avid fans will always come back.
The casual fans will come back for the same reason they came around last year: The Heat. The casual fans weren't paying that close attention to the regular season anyway. They found the Heat a supremely compelling story. When the playoffs came around, they tuned in more avidly - nothing about a long lockout or half-season will change the drama of the playoffs.
That's why I argued yesterday that it is a bigger threat to casual fans' interest in the NBA if the Heat lose in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the playoffs than if the NBA loses half its regular season to the lockout.
Which is it, pundits? If the league is better than ever (or at least better than it has been in a generation), what kind of faith do you show in the product or its fans that you think fans would erode because the league isn't active from July to December? Or is the league flimsy enough that a summer of inactivity and fall lockout while most fans are giving their attention to the NFL, college football and baseball playoffs anyway will indelibly harm the league?
I don't think so. I have more faith in the strength of the game than that. I have more faith in the fans -- both avid and casual -- than that.
The lockout will be boring. The lockout will be long-lasting. The lockout will be painful -- but more from the largely irrational hysterics of pundits than any actual lasting damage done to the league.
Avid fans will wait breathlessly for the lockout to end. Casual fans will return in force with the playoffs, as long as the Heat are in the mix. That is the only thing we really know, and that's true whether the season runs smoothly or doesn't start until 2012.
-- D.S.
I strongly disagree, however, with the NBA pundits who claim that a lockout will hurt the game with fans. The avid fans will always come back. And, thanks to the strength of the product, there are more avid NBA fans than there have been in years. The avid fans - particularly in the media - might be the loudest critics, but let me repeat: The avid fans will always come back.
The casual fans will come back for the same reason they came around last year: The Heat. The casual fans weren't paying that close attention to the regular season anyway. They found the Heat a supremely compelling story. When the playoffs came around, they tuned in more avidly - nothing about a long lockout or half-season will change the drama of the playoffs.
That's why I argued yesterday that it is a bigger threat to casual fans' interest in the NBA if the Heat lose in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the playoffs than if the NBA loses half its regular season to the lockout.
Which is it, pundits? If the league is better than ever (or at least better than it has been in a generation), what kind of faith do you show in the product or its fans that you think fans would erode because the league isn't active from July to December? Or is the league flimsy enough that a summer of inactivity and fall lockout while most fans are giving their attention to the NFL, college football and baseball playoffs anyway will indelibly harm the league?
I don't think so. I have more faith in the strength of the game than that. I have more faith in the fans -- both avid and casual -- than that.
The lockout will be boring. The lockout will be long-lasting. The lockout will be painful -- but more from the largely irrational hysterics of pundits than any actual lasting damage done to the league.
Avid fans will wait breathlessly for the lockout to end. Casual fans will return in force with the playoffs, as long as the Heat are in the mix. That is the only thing we really know, and that's true whether the season runs smoothly or doesn't start until 2012.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
06/30 (NBA Lockout) Quickie
That "Charlie Sheen used steroids during the filming of Major League!" was the most interesting news of the day is either incredibly awesome or impossibly depressing.
Perhaps it will distract you from the NBA lockout that is going to start tonight at midnight and last... well, it might last all season. I'd bet that it will certainly last through the end of the year.
Here's the thing: The union will end up caving. At least, they will before the owners do. Hard cap? OK, as a fan I don't care (frankly, if anything, as a fan I think I want a hard cap, because it will reward the teams that are the smartest, not just the ones who can spend $90 million to field a title team). Non-guaranteed contracts? Works for the NFL union. Clawing back salaries? Two words: Rashard Lewis. Go right ahead. (Nevermind it was an idiot owner who OK'ed his salary.)
But here's the real reason the NBA owners will keep their boot on the throat of the union until they get what they want: The surging popularity of the league -- the marquee attraction of LeBron and the Heat -- means that whenever the league returns (even after a full year away), the fans will return at or near last year's levels, exceeding last year's levels by 2103.
The avid fans? They'll be the first ones back. These are the same ones telling you how dire it will be if the league shuts down. Nevermind that they will go right back to promoting the league as soon as it starts back up. And the casual fans? They will do exactly what they did last season: During the regular season, they will watch the Heat, because the Heat are so damn interesting. During the playoffs, they will tune in because the playoffs are fun; they are even more fun if the Heat go far.
And, without diminishing the valid points of the players' union -- who I certainly sympathize with, if don't think they'll succeed on their own behalf -- the league will see a bigger hit to its fan interest from the Heat losing in the conference semifinals of the playoffs than it will if it misses four months and is reduced to a 40-game regular season followed by playoffs (or no season at all, then returning in the fall of 2012).
I suspect the NBA owners know this -- know that the media might make it SEEM dire, but that in reality, the fans will come right back. Hell, this fall? Only the die-hard NBA fans (who, again, will be back at the front of the line WHENEVER the league starts back up) will be paying attention. Everyone else will be watching the NFL and college football until February, when they will finally re-engage with the NBA.
I think the players will fold. I think the league will get its hard cap (however they want to position it - "flex" or whatever nonsense euphemism they use). I think the league will get its non-guaranteed contracts. I think the league will cut existing salaries.
And I think fans will find all of that entirely tolerable, just as I think that the players will learn to live with it -- stars will still be paid a ton, with everyone else nibbling at the margins; that does not seem unreasonable in a star-driven product. I think fans will return like nothing happened; ignore the hysterics in the NBA media. "Armageddon?" Oh, please, spare us.
Now: Is the NFL ready to get the deal done already or what?
-- D.S.
Perhaps it will distract you from the NBA lockout that is going to start tonight at midnight and last... well, it might last all season. I'd bet that it will certainly last through the end of the year.
Here's the thing: The union will end up caving. At least, they will before the owners do. Hard cap? OK, as a fan I don't care (frankly, if anything, as a fan I think I want a hard cap, because it will reward the teams that are the smartest, not just the ones who can spend $90 million to field a title team). Non-guaranteed contracts? Works for the NFL union. Clawing back salaries? Two words: Rashard Lewis. Go right ahead. (Nevermind it was an idiot owner who OK'ed his salary.)
But here's the real reason the NBA owners will keep their boot on the throat of the union until they get what they want: The surging popularity of the league -- the marquee attraction of LeBron and the Heat -- means that whenever the league returns (even after a full year away), the fans will return at or near last year's levels, exceeding last year's levels by 2103.
The avid fans? They'll be the first ones back. These are the same ones telling you how dire it will be if the league shuts down. Nevermind that they will go right back to promoting the league as soon as it starts back up. And the casual fans? They will do exactly what they did last season: During the regular season, they will watch the Heat, because the Heat are so damn interesting. During the playoffs, they will tune in because the playoffs are fun; they are even more fun if the Heat go far.
And, without diminishing the valid points of the players' union -- who I certainly sympathize with, if don't think they'll succeed on their own behalf -- the league will see a bigger hit to its fan interest from the Heat losing in the conference semifinals of the playoffs than it will if it misses four months and is reduced to a 40-game regular season followed by playoffs (or no season at all, then returning in the fall of 2012).
I suspect the NBA owners know this -- know that the media might make it SEEM dire, but that in reality, the fans will come right back. Hell, this fall? Only the die-hard NBA fans (who, again, will be back at the front of the line WHENEVER the league starts back up) will be paying attention. Everyone else will be watching the NFL and college football until February, when they will finally re-engage with the NBA.
I think the players will fold. I think the league will get its hard cap (however they want to position it - "flex" or whatever nonsense euphemism they use). I think the league will get its non-guaranteed contracts. I think the league will cut existing salaries.
And I think fans will find all of that entirely tolerable, just as I think that the players will learn to live with it -- stars will still be paid a ton, with everyone else nibbling at the margins; that does not seem unreasonable in a star-driven product. I think fans will return like nothing happened; ignore the hysterics in the NBA media. "Armageddon?" Oh, please, spare us.
Now: Is the NFL ready to get the deal done already or what?
-- D.S.
RIP Randy Walker, 5 Years Later
Northwestern football coach Randy Walker died of a heart attack five years ago today. This is what I wrote in the Daily Quickie the morning after, one of the first mainstream reactions to the news:
-- D.S.
Two Words For You: COACH. WALKER.RIP, Coach Walker. I hope his family, friends and many fans find some semblance of comfort on a difficult day through their memories of him and his lasting legacy.
When a coach performs the impossible, you begin to think he is untouchable.
Randy Walker's death is a stunner -- and that reaction shouldn't be limited to super-intense Northwestern football fans like me. (Frankly, I'm devastated.)
Winning football at Northwestern used to be the biggest oxymoron in sports. Gary Barnett broke through; Walker took it to the next level:
Consistency.
By the end of last season, when Walker led Northwestern to its 3rd bowl appearance in his 7-year tenure, one stat stood out:
He was the first NU coach to lead the program to four seasons with at least six wins since the turn of the century -- the 19th century.
That might not sound like much to a fan of Notre Dame or USC or Oklahoma or Penn State, but to long-suffering Northwestern fans, simply being a perennial contender for bowl eligibility was like becoming a national power.
After the high of Barnett's tenure, Walker delivered year-over-year stability, even as he imported a wild, high-octane spread offense that produced endless dramatic, you-never-know finishes.
That offense was showcased in one of the most entertaining games of the last decade (2000: NU 54, Michigan 51) and in the 2nd-best bowl game last season (Sun: UCLA 50, NU 38); and was even analyzed by some of the top programs in the country (Urban Meyer has called it an influence).
Year after year, Walker had college football's longtime laughingstock in the hunt for a bowl game; week after week, he kept the team in games.
How could a coach whose heart carried a historically horrible program to the fans' bliss of weekly competitiveness die of an apparent heart attack?
It's a result as impossible as his on-field accomplishments.
-- D.S.
06/29 (Gamecocks Repeat) Quickie
South Carolina x 2: Regular readers know that I'm a sucker for repeat champs -- it's a common prediction for me at the start of a season or playoffs, and when it actually happens, it only serves to reinforce my bias.
And so congrats to South Carolina, which re-tooled its pitching staff after winning its first college baseball championship a year ago to win another this year, an umpteen-game CWS winning streak.
(Do I wish it didn't come at the expense of Florida? Sure. Then again, I think most fans would rather lose in the championship game than not make the championship game at all.)
Three things to think about today:
*There's going to be an NBA lockout. No, it will not impact the sport in the long-term, aside from more financial stability for the owners. That the sport has never been better only means the owners have a more stable base from which to squeeze the players.
The avid fans will come back -- they always do. The casual fans will tune in for the playoffs just like they did this spring -- particularly if the Heat make it to the Finals. (Put it this way: A long lockout would have less of an impact on fan interest in the NBA Playoffs than if the Heat got knocked out of the playoffs in the conference semifinals, and we ended up with a Spurs-Magic Finals.)
I am not rooting for a lockout -- I am as eager to get the new season going as anyone. However, if I was David Stern and I wanted serious financial concessions from the players, I wouldn't worry about an entirely theoretical short-term hit to the game's popularity -- it's a myth.
*Cliff Lee is unstoppable: That's three straight complete-game shut-outs, last night's coming against the vaunted Boston lineup. Lee is 5-0 in June with an ERA this month that is so small that it barely registers. And, as many folks have pointed out, despite his streak, he remains just the third-best pitcher on the Phillies this season. Amazing.
*Looking for a fun read today? Try this oral history of "Major League" from this week's SI, the "Where Are They Now?" issue.
Enjoy the day. Quickish will be on top of everything big (along with a few serendipitous goodies), as usual. Pop by!
-- D.S.
And so congrats to South Carolina, which re-tooled its pitching staff after winning its first college baseball championship a year ago to win another this year, an umpteen-game CWS winning streak.
(Do I wish it didn't come at the expense of Florida? Sure. Then again, I think most fans would rather lose in the championship game than not make the championship game at all.)
Three things to think about today:
*There's going to be an NBA lockout. No, it will not impact the sport in the long-term, aside from more financial stability for the owners. That the sport has never been better only means the owners have a more stable base from which to squeeze the players.
The avid fans will come back -- they always do. The casual fans will tune in for the playoffs just like they did this spring -- particularly if the Heat make it to the Finals. (Put it this way: A long lockout would have less of an impact on fan interest in the NBA Playoffs than if the Heat got knocked out of the playoffs in the conference semifinals, and we ended up with a Spurs-Magic Finals.)
I am not rooting for a lockout -- I am as eager to get the new season going as anyone. However, if I was David Stern and I wanted serious financial concessions from the players, I wouldn't worry about an entirely theoretical short-term hit to the game's popularity -- it's a myth.
*Cliff Lee is unstoppable: That's three straight complete-game shut-outs, last night's coming against the vaunted Boston lineup. Lee is 5-0 in June with an ERA this month that is so small that it barely registers. And, as many folks have pointed out, despite his streak, he remains just the third-best pitcher on the Phillies this season. Amazing.
*Looking for a fun read today? Try this oral history of "Major League" from this week's SI, the "Where Are They Now?" issue.
Enjoy the day. Quickish will be on top of everything big (along with a few serendipitous goodies), as usual. Pop by!
-- D.S.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
06/28 (Cardiac 'Cocks) Quickie
Two words: Cardiac. 'Cocks.
(Can I claim credit for coining the phrase "Cardiac 'Cocks?")
I'll admit that I would probably not have watched Game 1 of the College World Series if Florida wasn't in it, playing the defending champs, South Carolina.
I would have followed along via Twitter while doing other things. But I certainly would have tuned in around the 7th or 8th inning or 9th, when things got tense and interesting, the game in the balance. South Carolina scored a clutch run to tie, then won it in extra innings. That's sort of a "thing" for the Gamecocks this year, thus the "Cardiac 'Cocks" nickname.
Even if you aren't a college baseball fan, last night's game is about as exciting as it gets -- the equivalent of a taut NCAA Tournament game won at the buzzer or Cam Newton's amazing comeback at Alabama last November (well, not quite THAT amazing, but amazing enough).
It should be more than enough to get you to tune in tonight for Game 2, in which South Carolina can either clinch a back-to-back national title or the Gators can rebound to force a do-or-die Game 3 tomorrow. Amazing stuff.
****
Wimbledon: Yes, the big stars on the women's side got ousted yesterday, but it's hard not to like Marion Bartoli. It's also hard not to root for Bernard Tomic on the men's side, the 18-year-old Aussie now improbably into the quarters with the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
Women's World Cup: Sure, you might not tune in for some of the other countries in the same way you would for the World Cup last summer, but you have to keep an eye on the U.S. They play North Korea at noon on ESPN (if you have a TV) or ESPN3.com (if you can get it at work).
RIP Lorenzo Charles: Where does his title-winning buzzer-beating alley-oop in the 1983 national title game rank among the Tournament's all-time greatest moments? You could make a very strong case that it is No. 1, if you combine in the immediate TV camera cut to Jim Valvano running around the court looking for someone -- anyone! -- to give a hug.
Dodgers file for bankruptcy: How soon can MLB get that team sold, with new owners beginning the process of righting the franchise? This is one of the worst ownership situations in recent sports history.
Kentucky gives John Calipari a huge raise: He is underpaid. Substantially. (So are most elite college basketball and college football coaches.)
Calipari's innovation was to arbitrage the NBA's one-and-done rule into creating a safe haven for the top prep players to come to UK, knowing Calipari will give them the closest thing to an NBA qualifying program as exists in college basketball:
They will get playing time, TV time and marketing time -- from a coach who knows that it is in everyone's best interests if he prepares his one-and-dones for the NBA in the same way a top journalism school would focus on preparing its students to work professionally. (There is a really good column in that idea. Maybe later this summer.)
Great stuff popping all morning (and all day) at Quickish. Give it a look (and tell a friend!)
-- D.S.
(Can I claim credit for coining the phrase "Cardiac 'Cocks?")
I'll admit that I would probably not have watched Game 1 of the College World Series if Florida wasn't in it, playing the defending champs, South Carolina.
I would have followed along via Twitter while doing other things. But I certainly would have tuned in around the 7th or 8th inning or 9th, when things got tense and interesting, the game in the balance. South Carolina scored a clutch run to tie, then won it in extra innings. That's sort of a "thing" for the Gamecocks this year, thus the "Cardiac 'Cocks" nickname.
Even if you aren't a college baseball fan, last night's game is about as exciting as it gets -- the equivalent of a taut NCAA Tournament game won at the buzzer or Cam Newton's amazing comeback at Alabama last November (well, not quite THAT amazing, but amazing enough).
It should be more than enough to get you to tune in tonight for Game 2, in which South Carolina can either clinch a back-to-back national title or the Gators can rebound to force a do-or-die Game 3 tomorrow. Amazing stuff.
****
Wimbledon: Yes, the big stars on the women's side got ousted yesterday, but it's hard not to like Marion Bartoli. It's also hard not to root for Bernard Tomic on the men's side, the 18-year-old Aussie now improbably into the quarters with the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
Women's World Cup: Sure, you might not tune in for some of the other countries in the same way you would for the World Cup last summer, but you have to keep an eye on the U.S. They play North Korea at noon on ESPN (if you have a TV) or ESPN3.com (if you can get it at work).
RIP Lorenzo Charles: Where does his title-winning buzzer-beating alley-oop in the 1983 national title game rank among the Tournament's all-time greatest moments? You could make a very strong case that it is No. 1, if you combine in the immediate TV camera cut to Jim Valvano running around the court looking for someone -- anyone! -- to give a hug.
Dodgers file for bankruptcy: How soon can MLB get that team sold, with new owners beginning the process of righting the franchise? This is one of the worst ownership situations in recent sports history.
Kentucky gives John Calipari a huge raise: He is underpaid. Substantially. (So are most elite college basketball and college football coaches.)
Calipari's innovation was to arbitrage the NBA's one-and-done rule into creating a safe haven for the top prep players to come to UK, knowing Calipari will give them the closest thing to an NBA qualifying program as exists in college basketball:
They will get playing time, TV time and marketing time -- from a coach who knows that it is in everyone's best interests if he prepares his one-and-dones for the NBA in the same way a top journalism school would focus on preparing its students to work professionally. (There is a really good column in that idea. Maybe later this summer.)
Great stuff popping all morning (and all day) at Quickish. Give it a look (and tell a friend!)
-- D.S.
Monday, June 27, 2011
06/27 (What Now?) Quickie
The NFL is still locked out, with no end in sight. The NBA, coming off its most-watched draft in years, is locking out on Friday. We're officially in sports' slow season.
Oh, the Gold Cup final on Saturday night was compelling -- if frustrating. (Grantland's Bill Barnwell makes the smart point this morning that US Soccer and Bob Bradley continue to make personnel decisions to win now, not win World Cups.)
Baseball deserves -- and will get -- our full attention for the next month or so (or until the NFL resolves its issue). My old editor David Schoenfield makes the point in an ESPN.com blog post this weekend that if you take out the bankrupt Dodgers and spiritless Mets, MLB attendance is up this year. Hell, last night we had a game-winning (if not walk-off) wild pitch during an intentional walk. Adrian Gonzalez is destroying American League pitching. Justin Verlander is must-see every time he pitches, as is Roy Halladay, who had another CG yesterday.
Rather than lament the state of the NFL and NBA -- both of which will return, eventually, and to huge audience numbers, no matter how long it takes to resolve the labor issues -- it's probably more productive to recognize that baseball is entirely compelling this season. Give it a try.
Otherwise, it's going to be a long, slow, boring summer.
(You know what's never boring? Quickish -- constantly updating with the best takes on the biggest topics. Even when it's seemingly slow, Quickish is hopping and popping.)
-- D.S.
Oh, the Gold Cup final on Saturday night was compelling -- if frustrating. (Grantland's Bill Barnwell makes the smart point this morning that US Soccer and Bob Bradley continue to make personnel decisions to win now, not win World Cups.)
Baseball deserves -- and will get -- our full attention for the next month or so (or until the NFL resolves its issue). My old editor David Schoenfield makes the point in an ESPN.com blog post this weekend that if you take out the bankrupt Dodgers and spiritless Mets, MLB attendance is up this year. Hell, last night we had a game-winning (if not walk-off) wild pitch during an intentional walk. Adrian Gonzalez is destroying American League pitching. Justin Verlander is must-see every time he pitches, as is Roy Halladay, who had another CG yesterday.
Rather than lament the state of the NFL and NBA -- both of which will return, eventually, and to huge audience numbers, no matter how long it takes to resolve the labor issues -- it's probably more productive to recognize that baseball is entirely compelling this season. Give it a try.
Otherwise, it's going to be a long, slow, boring summer.
(You know what's never boring? Quickish -- constantly updating with the best takes on the biggest topics. Even when it's seemingly slow, Quickish is hopping and popping.)
-- D.S.
Friday, June 24, 2011
06/24 (Draft Hangover) Quickie
Had a fascinating experience last night watching/following/covering the Draft for Quickish:
As a Wizards fan, I was VERY down on Jan Vesely as the draft pick heading into the draft. He can dunk and... that's about it. Can't shoot (neither jumpers nor free throws), which won't get much better. Can't play D, which won't get much better. In other words: Can't contribute meaningfully on a (distant) future playoff team, which relies on non-star players who can knock down shots and play D.
As the picks went by, I was resigned to the team taking Vesely, and then...
THE KISS.
Vesely's name was called, and he gets up, grabs his 6-foot-5 hoopster girlfriend and gives her a smooch unprecedented in NBA Draft history. I leapt off the couch and cheered. The guy may never be any good, but he is interesting. And if you're not winning titles, being interesting -- in a good way, hopefully -- is the next-best thing. And so Jan Vesely and his girlfriend (and thus my Wiz) were a big winner of the draft. (Aside from superstars like John Wall falling into your lap, you cannot understand how rare it is for the Wizards/Bullets to "win" on draft night, which includes the steal of Chris Singleton at 18 and a solid pick of Butler's Shelvin Mack at 34.)
Other big winners:
*Bobcats (Michael Jordan??): I love Biyombo, so I love Biyombo + Kemba Walker (who I actually had slotted to the Bobcats in my mock draft).
*Kings taking Jimmer: See above "as long as you're not winning, be interesting" theory.
*Kenneth Faried: A double-dip. Not only did the hometown-Newark kid get to walk down from the peanut gallery to the stage, but the Nuggets are a great fit for him.
*Jimmy Butler: Nice story, 1st-round money/guaranteed contract, good fit on a great team.
*Heat: Love Norris Cole.
*Morris Twins: Back-to-back Lottery picks. (HOWEVER! I honestly question whether they will be able to function without the other in their life. A friend last night mentioned the otherwise crippling co-dependency of tennis' Bryan twins, and it seems like an apt analogy. I presume teams did psychological testing on each to make sure they could deal with being split up from their brother, but I'm not sure that would dissuade me.)
And the losers....
*Knicks: Took Iman Shumpert over Chris Singleton (much to the delight of Wiz fans). Appreciate that Shumpert might turn into a defensive stopper, but he's not nearly as much of a sure-thing as a defensive force as Singleton. Spike Lee looked so deflated.
*Cavs: Kyrie Irving? OK, solid. Tristan Thompson? Reach. They would have been better off with Derrick Williams and Brandon Knight.
*Blazers: I loved Nolan Smith... as an early 2nd-round pick. In the early 20s? Yikes.
All in all, a fun night. Catch up at Quickish on the best analysis of each pick as it was made, plus post-draft analysis.
Otherwise, no matter how bad things might seem this morning for you or your team, at least you're not Jim Riggleman.
-- D.S.
As a Wizards fan, I was VERY down on Jan Vesely as the draft pick heading into the draft. He can dunk and... that's about it. Can't shoot (neither jumpers nor free throws), which won't get much better. Can't play D, which won't get much better. In other words: Can't contribute meaningfully on a (distant) future playoff team, which relies on non-star players who can knock down shots and play D.
As the picks went by, I was resigned to the team taking Vesely, and then...
THE KISS.
Vesely's name was called, and he gets up, grabs his 6-foot-5 hoopster girlfriend and gives her a smooch unprecedented in NBA Draft history. I leapt off the couch and cheered. The guy may never be any good, but he is interesting. And if you're not winning titles, being interesting -- in a good way, hopefully -- is the next-best thing. And so Jan Vesely and his girlfriend (and thus my Wiz) were a big winner of the draft. (Aside from superstars like John Wall falling into your lap, you cannot understand how rare it is for the Wizards/Bullets to "win" on draft night, which includes the steal of Chris Singleton at 18 and a solid pick of Butler's Shelvin Mack at 34.)
Other big winners:
*Bobcats (Michael Jordan??): I love Biyombo, so I love Biyombo + Kemba Walker (who I actually had slotted to the Bobcats in my mock draft).
*Kings taking Jimmer: See above "as long as you're not winning, be interesting" theory.
*Kenneth Faried: A double-dip. Not only did the hometown-Newark kid get to walk down from the peanut gallery to the stage, but the Nuggets are a great fit for him.
*Jimmy Butler: Nice story, 1st-round money/guaranteed contract, good fit on a great team.
*Heat: Love Norris Cole.
*Morris Twins: Back-to-back Lottery picks. (HOWEVER! I honestly question whether they will be able to function without the other in their life. A friend last night mentioned the otherwise crippling co-dependency of tennis' Bryan twins, and it seems like an apt analogy. I presume teams did psychological testing on each to make sure they could deal with being split up from their brother, but I'm not sure that would dissuade me.)
And the losers....
*Knicks: Took Iman Shumpert over Chris Singleton (much to the delight of Wiz fans). Appreciate that Shumpert might turn into a defensive stopper, but he's not nearly as much of a sure-thing as a defensive force as Singleton. Spike Lee looked so deflated.
*Cavs: Kyrie Irving? OK, solid. Tristan Thompson? Reach. They would have been better off with Derrick Williams and Brandon Knight.
*Blazers: I loved Nolan Smith... as an early 2nd-round pick. In the early 20s? Yikes.
All in all, a fun night. Catch up at Quickish on the best analysis of each pick as it was made, plus post-draft analysis.
Otherwise, no matter how bad things might seem this morning for you or your team, at least you're not Jim Riggleman.
-- D.S.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
06/23 (Mock Draft) Quickie
I said I wouldn't be doing a mock draft. And yet I couldn't help myself. Each pick earns a single word of analysis that (barely) covers the rationale:
1. Cavs: Kyrie Irving. Safe.
2. T'wolves: Derrick Williams. Trade?
3. Jazz: Enes Kanter. Redundant.
4. Cavs: Tristan Thompson. Surprise!
5. Raptors: Brandon Knight. Lucky.
6. Wizards: Jan Vesely. Sigh.
7. Kings: Jimmer Fredette. Popular!
8. Pistons: Bismack Biyombo. Steal.
9. Bobcats: Kemba Walker. Name.
10. Bucks: Jonas Valanciunas. Promise?
11. Warriors: Klay Thompson. Shooter.
12. Jazz: Kawhi Leonard. Steal.
13. Suns: Marcus Morris. Size.
14. Rockets: Chris Singleton. Defense.
15. Pacers: Marshon Brooks. Sizzle.
16. 76ers: Nikola Vucevic. 6-11.
17. Knicks: Alec Burks. Available.
18. Wizards: Donatas Motiejunas. Sigh.
19. Bobcats: Markieff Morris. Safe.
20. T'wolves: Kenneth Faried. Kahn!
21. Blazers: Kyle Singler. Local.
22. Nuggets: Jordan Hamilton. Backup.
23. Rockets: Tobias Harris. Versatile.
24: Thunder: Justin Harper. Surplus.
25: Celtics: Reggie Jackson. Depth.
26: Mavs: Jeremy Tyler. Riskless.
27: Nets: Jimmy Butler. Solid.
28: Bulls: Iman Shumpert. Backup.
29: Spurs: Davis Bertans. Promise?
30: Bulls: Malcolm Lee. Defense.
(My mock was influenced by the phenomenal Jonathan Givony of the essential DraftExpress.com, whose network and insights are superlative. Here's his latest mock.)
If you are on Twitter, I recommend following Givony (@draftexpress), ESPN's Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider), SI's Sam Amick (@samamick) and SBNation's Tom Ziller (@teamziller).
Have a few fun NBA Draft-related things planned for Quickish today. We'll promote them on Twitter and on the site. For a terrific "Quickish LIVE!" experience to accompany watching the draft on TV, pop by tonight during the draft.
Here are a few of the biggest storylines to watch:
*Trades near the top? The T'wolves don't necessarily want to draft Derrick Williams; they would be thrilled to trade out. If the Jazz go for need (Brandon Knight) over "best player available" (Enes Kanter), watch for a potential deal involving Kanter and the Cavs at the No. 4 spot. (If Kanter is gone, I like the late-breaking momentum that the Cavs take Texas PF Tristan Thompson -- even if he overlaps with JJ Hickson -- over Euro prospect Jonas Valanciunas.)
*Jimmer! The biggest name in the draft could go as early as No. 7 to the Kings, but things get really interesting if the Jazz go big at No. 3, and Jimmer is available at No. 12. They would almost assuredly take him in that case; I think they will never get the chance.
*Kemba Walker sliding? The best player on the best team is also no better than the 3rd-ranked point guard in the draft. I think he'll have a fine NBA career, and he should have a sizable chip on his shoulder if he slips from the Top 5, past the Kings at 7 and Bobcats at 9. Kemba Walker in the double-digits? It could happen, but I think Michael Jordan goes for unexpectedly available glitz at 9.
*Bismack Biyombo: He has the most potential of anyone in the draft. In a relatively weak draft, where there will be plenty of busts and mediocrities, where's the risk if you take him and he is a bust? At a minimum, he can be a terrific rebounder and shot-blocker off the bench. On the other hand, his ceiling is higher than anyone else in the group. If you are calculating the expected value of awesomeness, Biyombo gets the highest grade. Whoever drafts him will be one of the night's biggest winners.
*Draft fashion and tears from moms (and players): It's a universally appealing part of the NBA draft night -- the players trying to look good. But the most drama is always when the moms of the players cry when their sons' names are called. Forget what happens on the court down the road; this is a moment of realized potential.
Enjoy the draft. We'll have "just enough" coverage throughout the day on Quickish, complete with any well-sourced rumor-mongering to keep things spicy. Then be sure to drop by Quickish tonight throughout the draft -- whether you are watching it on TV and want a sidebar or whether you are skipping it on TV and just want to get the best of real-time commentary from Twitter. Quickish is here to help.
-- D.S.
1. Cavs: Kyrie Irving. Safe.
2. T'wolves: Derrick Williams. Trade?
3. Jazz: Enes Kanter. Redundant.
4. Cavs: Tristan Thompson. Surprise!
5. Raptors: Brandon Knight. Lucky.
6. Wizards: Jan Vesely. Sigh.
7. Kings: Jimmer Fredette. Popular!
8. Pistons: Bismack Biyombo. Steal.
9. Bobcats: Kemba Walker. Name.
10. Bucks: Jonas Valanciunas. Promise?
11. Warriors: Klay Thompson. Shooter.
12. Jazz: Kawhi Leonard. Steal.
13. Suns: Marcus Morris. Size.
14. Rockets: Chris Singleton. Defense.
15. Pacers: Marshon Brooks. Sizzle.
16. 76ers: Nikola Vucevic. 6-11.
17. Knicks: Alec Burks. Available.
18. Wizards: Donatas Motiejunas. Sigh.
19. Bobcats: Markieff Morris. Safe.
20. T'wolves: Kenneth Faried. Kahn!
21. Blazers: Kyle Singler. Local.
22. Nuggets: Jordan Hamilton. Backup.
23. Rockets: Tobias Harris. Versatile.
24: Thunder: Justin Harper. Surplus.
25: Celtics: Reggie Jackson. Depth.
26: Mavs: Jeremy Tyler. Riskless.
27: Nets: Jimmy Butler. Solid.
28: Bulls: Iman Shumpert. Backup.
29: Spurs: Davis Bertans. Promise?
30: Bulls: Malcolm Lee. Defense.
(My mock was influenced by the phenomenal Jonathan Givony of the essential DraftExpress.com, whose network and insights are superlative. Here's his latest mock.)
If you are on Twitter, I recommend following Givony (@draftexpress), ESPN's Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider), SI's Sam Amick (@samamick) and SBNation's Tom Ziller (@teamziller).
Have a few fun NBA Draft-related things planned for Quickish today. We'll promote them on Twitter and on the site. For a terrific "Quickish LIVE!" experience to accompany watching the draft on TV, pop by tonight during the draft.
Here are a few of the biggest storylines to watch:
*Trades near the top? The T'wolves don't necessarily want to draft Derrick Williams; they would be thrilled to trade out. If the Jazz go for need (Brandon Knight) over "best player available" (Enes Kanter), watch for a potential deal involving Kanter and the Cavs at the No. 4 spot. (If Kanter is gone, I like the late-breaking momentum that the Cavs take Texas PF Tristan Thompson -- even if he overlaps with JJ Hickson -- over Euro prospect Jonas Valanciunas.)
*Jimmer! The biggest name in the draft could go as early as No. 7 to the Kings, but things get really interesting if the Jazz go big at No. 3, and Jimmer is available at No. 12. They would almost assuredly take him in that case; I think they will never get the chance.
*Kemba Walker sliding? The best player on the best team is also no better than the 3rd-ranked point guard in the draft. I think he'll have a fine NBA career, and he should have a sizable chip on his shoulder if he slips from the Top 5, past the Kings at 7 and Bobcats at 9. Kemba Walker in the double-digits? It could happen, but I think Michael Jordan goes for unexpectedly available glitz at 9.
*Bismack Biyombo: He has the most potential of anyone in the draft. In a relatively weak draft, where there will be plenty of busts and mediocrities, where's the risk if you take him and he is a bust? At a minimum, he can be a terrific rebounder and shot-blocker off the bench. On the other hand, his ceiling is higher than anyone else in the group. If you are calculating the expected value of awesomeness, Biyombo gets the highest grade. Whoever drafts him will be one of the night's biggest winners.
*Draft fashion and tears from moms (and players): It's a universally appealing part of the NBA draft night -- the players trying to look good. But the most drama is always when the moms of the players cry when their sons' names are called. Forget what happens on the court down the road; this is a moment of realized potential.
Enjoy the draft. We'll have "just enough" coverage throughout the day on Quickish, complete with any well-sourced rumor-mongering to keep things spicy. Then be sure to drop by Quickish tonight throughout the draft -- whether you are watching it on TV and want a sidebar or whether you are skipping it on TV and just want to get the best of real-time commentary from Twitter. Quickish is here to help.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
06/22 (Pre-Draft) Quickie
Some fun NBA draft speculation today: Spurs shopping Tony Parker to the Raptors or Kings? Nuggets shopping Raymond Felton to the Kings? Suns shopping Nash to the T'wolves?
But here is my favorite annual draft speculation: Projecting which players will thrive and which players will fizzle. Obviously, "fit" matters a lot. So do expectations: If Kyrie Irving is closer to the next Mike Conley than the next Derrick Rose, is that good enough? (Spoiler: Irving will be better than Conley but not nearly as good as Rose.)
I think Irving is solid, if not spectacular. I think Derrick Williams certainly looked the part of star last March, but I worry about his willingness (and fit) to be a full-time power forward. But he is obviously loaded with potential.
My favorite player in the draft is Bismack Biyombo, for a lot of reasons: I think he has the most potential, mostly owing to his insane physical measurements, but also due to his Garnett-level motor and willingness to work to get better. He played in a league last year that is so much better than college basketball that national champ UConn wouldn't win a single game, and he led that league in blocks despite limited minutes.
His offense is also very limited, yes, but the NBA is becoming a league where a player can be Top 5 in rebounds and blocks -- as Biyombo aspires to (and has the talent to) -- with limited offense and still be a huge contributor. (His offense will only get better, btw.) I think we'll look back and people will wonder how any team passed on him. (He is also a fascinating, thoughtful guy -- see this Q&A.)
I think the draftniks are totally underestimating where Biyombo might go, and I think he ends up in Toronto with the No. 5 pick. (I'm not going to mock the entire draft, don't worry.)
More players I like (Early- to mid-1st round): Chris Singleton, Tristan Thompson, Marshon Brooks, Nikola Vucevic, Kenneth Faried. Late-1st to 2nd-round steals/sleepers: Jimmy Butler, Charles Jenkins, Nolan Smith, Jeremy Tyler, Malcolm Lee, Norris Cole.
1st-round players I don't like: Jan Vesely (he can't shoot -- like, at all -- and he can't play D; what's not to love? undoubtedly, he will end up with my Wizards), Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, the Morris twins, Klay Thompson, Alec Burks, Iman Shumpert, Jordan Hamilton.
Five players I want to like but fear they won't end up being particularly good: Enes Kanter, Jimmer Fredette, Kawhi Leonard, Jonas Valanciunas, Tobias Harris.
More tomorrow -- maybe a few more draft predictions. In the meantime...
*NFL Lockout: Is there a glimmer of hope coming out of the owners' meeting yesterday? What we DID see was a nice little bit of p.r. judo by the league -- now, if the players balk, they will look like the ones who are getting in the way of a deal being done.
*CFB: UNC scandal-ish. How can anyone at the NCAA office buy that an assistant coach and a tutor with close ties to the head coach were acting as rogue agents within the program? What a joke.
*CWS: Heading for a Florida-South Carolina final? Both teams are undefeated in Omaha.
Pop by Quickish today for the latest NBA Draft scuttlebutt, the top analysis on the day's biggest stories and recommendations for great things to read.
-- D.S.
But here is my favorite annual draft speculation: Projecting which players will thrive and which players will fizzle. Obviously, "fit" matters a lot. So do expectations: If Kyrie Irving is closer to the next Mike Conley than the next Derrick Rose, is that good enough? (Spoiler: Irving will be better than Conley but not nearly as good as Rose.)
I think Irving is solid, if not spectacular. I think Derrick Williams certainly looked the part of star last March, but I worry about his willingness (and fit) to be a full-time power forward. But he is obviously loaded with potential.
My favorite player in the draft is Bismack Biyombo, for a lot of reasons: I think he has the most potential, mostly owing to his insane physical measurements, but also due to his Garnett-level motor and willingness to work to get better. He played in a league last year that is so much better than college basketball that national champ UConn wouldn't win a single game, and he led that league in blocks despite limited minutes.
His offense is also very limited, yes, but the NBA is becoming a league where a player can be Top 5 in rebounds and blocks -- as Biyombo aspires to (and has the talent to) -- with limited offense and still be a huge contributor. (His offense will only get better, btw.) I think we'll look back and people will wonder how any team passed on him. (He is also a fascinating, thoughtful guy -- see this Q&A.)
I think the draftniks are totally underestimating where Biyombo might go, and I think he ends up in Toronto with the No. 5 pick. (I'm not going to mock the entire draft, don't worry.)
More players I like (Early- to mid-1st round): Chris Singleton, Tristan Thompson, Marshon Brooks, Nikola Vucevic, Kenneth Faried. Late-1st to 2nd-round steals/sleepers: Jimmy Butler, Charles Jenkins, Nolan Smith, Jeremy Tyler, Malcolm Lee, Norris Cole.
1st-round players I don't like: Jan Vesely (he can't shoot -- like, at all -- and he can't play D; what's not to love? undoubtedly, he will end up with my Wizards), Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, the Morris twins, Klay Thompson, Alec Burks, Iman Shumpert, Jordan Hamilton.
Five players I want to like but fear they won't end up being particularly good: Enes Kanter, Jimmer Fredette, Kawhi Leonard, Jonas Valanciunas, Tobias Harris.
More tomorrow -- maybe a few more draft predictions. In the meantime...
*NFL Lockout: Is there a glimmer of hope coming out of the owners' meeting yesterday? What we DID see was a nice little bit of p.r. judo by the league -- now, if the players balk, they will look like the ones who are getting in the way of a deal being done.
*CFB: UNC scandal-ish. How can anyone at the NCAA office buy that an assistant coach and a tutor with close ties to the head coach were acting as rogue agents within the program? What a joke.
*CWS: Heading for a Florida-South Carolina final? Both teams are undefeated in Omaha.
Pop by Quickish today for the latest NBA Draft scuttlebutt, the top analysis on the day's biggest stories and recommendations for great things to read.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
06/21 (Midweek-ish) Quickie
I am a huge NBA Draft junkie, so the next 72 hours or so are a bit antsy for me. Tomorrow, I'll have a list of prospects I'm high on and prospects who I think will be a bust.
Meanwhile:
Albert Pujols: Him being out 4-6 weeks isn't enough to derail the Cards' playoff chances, but they might just be enough for him and the team to come to a deal. All for that development.
Oregon football: I like the way Spencer Hall put it -- they are either cheating or impossibly stupid, for paying $25,000 for an out-dated scouting report from a "recruiting expert" who happened to have a close connection to a top-ranked RB who ended up in Eugene.
Wimbledon: Love the Isner-Mahut rematch today, but while you're waiting for that, Grantland has a fabulous read from Run Of Play's Brian Phillips about Roger Federer. You'd think we were all tapped out of great writing about Federer, but Phillips delivers.
NFL Lockout: Big meeting today with owners evaluating the latest CBA proposal -- there will be no vote, but there will certainly be a temperature taken about whether there are enough naysayers to scuttle a potential deal.
(Big NBA lockout meeting, too, but it feels like this doesn't have nearly the urgency yet.)
Dodgers mess: Good for MLB for rejecting the team's cynical TV deal with Fox. Keep squeezing McCourt right out of the team. Among Bud Selig's other legacies, this one would be a pretty good one (only sort of making up for selling the team to McCourt to begin with).
Lots of great reads at Quickish today. Check 'em out all day long!
-- D.S.
Meanwhile:
Albert Pujols: Him being out 4-6 weeks isn't enough to derail the Cards' playoff chances, but they might just be enough for him and the team to come to a deal. All for that development.
Oregon football: I like the way Spencer Hall put it -- they are either cheating or impossibly stupid, for paying $25,000 for an out-dated scouting report from a "recruiting expert" who happened to have a close connection to a top-ranked RB who ended up in Eugene.
Wimbledon: Love the Isner-Mahut rematch today, but while you're waiting for that, Grantland has a fabulous read from Run Of Play's Brian Phillips about Roger Federer. You'd think we were all tapped out of great writing about Federer, but Phillips delivers.
NFL Lockout: Big meeting today with owners evaluating the latest CBA proposal -- there will be no vote, but there will certainly be a temperature taken about whether there are enough naysayers to scuttle a potential deal.
(Big NBA lockout meeting, too, but it feels like this doesn't have nearly the urgency yet.)
Dodgers mess: Good for MLB for rejecting the team's cynical TV deal with Fox. Keep squeezing McCourt right out of the team. Among Bud Selig's other legacies, this one would be a pretty good one (only sort of making up for selling the team to McCourt to begin with).
Lots of great reads at Quickish today. Check 'em out all day long!
-- D.S.
Monday, June 20, 2011
06/20 (Rory) Quickie
There is the Big thing about Rory McIlroy and there is the Bigger thing.
The Big thing is the storyline of Rory -- and he claimed "first-name-only" sports-star status this past weekend -- coming back from the Masters collapse to obliterate the field in Bethesda. That, on its own, is a fairly huge sports story in 2011; I'd rank it in the Top 5.
The Bigger thing is the void in golf left behind by Tiger's implosion and subsequent on-course mediocrity (let alone his absence at the US Open) that Rory has filled up, with a vibe that is fairly labeled "anti-Tiger" on a lot of levels:
Rory is young (Tiger is old). Rory is healthy (Tiger is not). Rory is fresh-faced (Tiger sexts a half-dozen women other than his ex-wife). Rory has that "easy" swing without a ton of childhood pressure (Tiger comes across as mechanical in his swing-adjustment strategies). Rory seems like a good guy (Tiger seems like kind of a jerk). Rory is a champion (Tiger is a distant former champ).
Golf fans and sports fans needed a "new Tiger" and Rory is a perfect candidate. He may or may not fulfill his potential -- Tiger's 20s represent the greatest stretch by any golfer ever, including Nicklaus -- but for now, he is more than enough: Rory isn't the next Tiger; he is the anti-Tiger.
****
MLB: How can you not love octogenarian Jack McKeon coming back to the Marlins? If Florida wasn't going to contend -- and they aren't -- being interesting isn't a bad alternative.
Pujols injured: Ack! I'm scheduled to see the Cards play the Rays in Tampa during July 4 weekend; I sure hope Pujols can play. I'm not holding my breath.
NBA Draft: I'm not sold on Kyrie Irving as an elite NBA PG -- he's no Rose or Wall, and I'm not even sure he's that much better than Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker.
And so I totally buy the idea of the Cavs using their No. 1 pick on the draft's best player available -- Derrick Williams -- then their No. 4 pick on Knight or Walker.
Father's Day: Spent most of the day with Mrs. Quickish's extended family, then the late-afternoon in an airplane row with my two kids, the 5-year-old asleep leaning on my shoulder and the 2-year-old clenching my hand for a little in-air security to go with his blankie. All in all, not a bad way to spend the last few hours of Father's Day.
-- D.S.
The Big thing is the storyline of Rory -- and he claimed "first-name-only" sports-star status this past weekend -- coming back from the Masters collapse to obliterate the field in Bethesda. That, on its own, is a fairly huge sports story in 2011; I'd rank it in the Top 5.
The Bigger thing is the void in golf left behind by Tiger's implosion and subsequent on-course mediocrity (let alone his absence at the US Open) that Rory has filled up, with a vibe that is fairly labeled "anti-Tiger" on a lot of levels:
Rory is young (Tiger is old). Rory is healthy (Tiger is not). Rory is fresh-faced (Tiger sexts a half-dozen women other than his ex-wife). Rory has that "easy" swing without a ton of childhood pressure (Tiger comes across as mechanical in his swing-adjustment strategies). Rory seems like a good guy (Tiger seems like kind of a jerk). Rory is a champion (Tiger is a distant former champ).
Golf fans and sports fans needed a "new Tiger" and Rory is a perfect candidate. He may or may not fulfill his potential -- Tiger's 20s represent the greatest stretch by any golfer ever, including Nicklaus -- but for now, he is more than enough: Rory isn't the next Tiger; he is the anti-Tiger.
****
MLB: How can you not love octogenarian Jack McKeon coming back to the Marlins? If Florida wasn't going to contend -- and they aren't -- being interesting isn't a bad alternative.
Pujols injured: Ack! I'm scheduled to see the Cards play the Rays in Tampa during July 4 weekend; I sure hope Pujols can play. I'm not holding my breath.
NBA Draft: I'm not sold on Kyrie Irving as an elite NBA PG -- he's no Rose or Wall, and I'm not even sure he's that much better than Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker.
And so I totally buy the idea of the Cavs using their No. 1 pick on the draft's best player available -- Derrick Williams -- then their No. 4 pick on Knight or Walker.
Father's Day: Spent most of the day with Mrs. Quickish's extended family, then the late-afternoon in an airplane row with my two kids, the 5-year-old asleep leaning on my shoulder and the 2-year-old clenching my hand for a little in-air security to go with his blankie. All in all, not a bad way to spend the last few hours of Father's Day.
-- D.S.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
RIP Len Bias, 25 Years Ago Today
Len Bias died 25 years ago today.
On that day, I was 13, growing up in suburban DC and just figuring things out as a sports fan. Len Bias was my favorite player. His death was shocking to me in a profound way.
He -- what he was and what he could have been -- is missed to this day. I didn't want the day to go by without saying something.
Here is Bias' finest moment as a basketball player, one of the most sublime sequences in college hoops' history:
On that day, I was 13, growing up in suburban DC and just figuring things out as a sports fan. Len Bias was my favorite player. His death was shocking to me in a profound way.
He -- what he was and what he could have been -- is missed to this day. I didn't want the day to go by without saying something.
Here is Bias' finest moment as a basketball player, one of the most sublime sequences in college hoops' history:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
