tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14706171787313230022024-03-12T16:39:26.726-07:00Black and Orange Countyderekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-45405232195687944362012-03-08T13:46:00.000-08:002012-03-08T13:44:20.724-08:00Obligatory Jeremy Lin Post<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">After a very long lay off I've decided that I needed to start writing again not only for the sake of a creative outlet, but also because writing emails at work probably doesn't qualify as journalistic or educational. It's really ironic that growing up in school a lot of kids perceive writing and reading as a chore or a means to an end to get a good grade. I definitely saw it that way and can remember that more often than not I saw it as a necessary evil to get good grades and keep my parents off of my back about school. What I find interesting about that is what were my reasons for even caring about it? Why didn't I just blow off school and play video games constantly like I really wanted to? Was it because of fear of my parents scolding me? A personal expectation to get good grades so I could go to college?<br /><br />Having a chance to grow up in college and even more so after, I've been able to reflect on a lot of questions like this and begin to gain a better understanding of just why things are the way they are. The answer to my question about why I even cared about school goes back to two interconnected ideas; parenting and culture. I don't think I'm alone as an Asian-American when I say that growing up education was one of if not the most important thing in our lives. I know that Asians are not the only culture that experience this and its very prevalent in some other cultures, but I can only speak from my own experience and I know that its something that was very relevant. Growing up I always felt like I had a certain expectation of myself to get good grades in school, so that I could go to a good college, so I could get a good job and so on. However the good grades were only the product of the larger values I was taught like humility and working hard. While I see it in my own family I've also come to realize it applies in a much broader sense to most other Asian-Americans I grew up with.<br /><br />When the Jeremy Lin craze first hit the scene it really hit home hard as a big sports fan and growing up Asian-American in the Bay Area. For a while I didn't really know how I felt about it when people asked me and was just taking everything in. I read a lot of articles and posts that came about as a result that all dealt with Asian-Americans' place in society and their perception created by the media. One of the most interesting things about Jeremy Lin that I appreciate most is simply how normal he is. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> I remember hearing an interview Jeremy did at one point where he talked about how education always came first with his family and thinking about the similarities in my own upbringing. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I don't think Asian-Americans could have asked for a better representation in Jeremy as someone who achieved so much success and doing it the 'right way', meaning through the same values that were stressed in every Asian-American household: humility and hard work. Jeremy's success and instant stardom led to an outpouring of a lot of repressed opinions and feelings in many Asian-Americans simply for the fact that talking about 'Asian-Americanism' in pop-culture was unprecedented. While I didn't completely agree with everything I read, many Asian-Americans expressed some bottled up opinions about the biases that Asian-American's face. His story and the attention it has received gave me and a lot of the Asian-American community a voice and I think it inspired for a lot of people a sense of community to open up dialogue that hadn't existed prior. More than anything I think Jeremy Lin's story has been great because while it has been instrumental in drumming up some refreshing social commentary that questions cultural dispositions, when you take a step back, you can fully appreciate his story and its ability to transcend just the racial and cultural discussions as a story about perseverance overcoming biases.<br /></span></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-68262626132406757072010-11-01T21:38:00.000-07:002010-11-01T22:27:51.499-07:00Dealing with the Success of your Team<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Congratulations to the Giants. I couldn't have dreamed that this team could have done this, this year back in Spring Training when our leadoff hitter was Aaron Rowand and the biggest glimmer of hope beyond our great pitching staff, which was never in doubt- was Pablo Sandoval having another great year after batting a breakout .330 (that turned out well).<br /><br />As happy as I've been throughout these playoffs and watching the Giants win the World Series!!!! (Still surreal to me) It has been especially hard for me to see just how crowded the Giants bandwagon has become over the last couple months. I can only ask myself, where were these fans before the playoffs? In 2008-2009 when the only thing we had to root for in September was Lincecum winning the Cy Young? Hell, what about 2006 when our #1 starter was Matt Morris? And that's only 4 years ago...<br /><br />I know this can easily come off as bitter and condescending so I will try to be careful how I word this. I cannot put into words how happy I am for the team and I have lived and breathed them for years. But I cannot help but be upset a bit about trying to cope with all of the "fans" who have conveniently shown up.<br /><br />This should absolutely be the high point as a fan of the team. And I know that as a sports fan if you want to see your team succeed, dealing with fair-weather and some out-right fake fans is absolutely something you will have to deal with. I guess dealing with that and coming to accept it is all you can really do. At the end of the day your love for the team, if you really are a fan, should trump the annoyance of logging onto facebook and seeing your wall flooded with status updates from people who didn't know who Madison Bumgarner was before the All-Star break.<br /><br />Instead what anyone else in my situation should be enjoying, is how much more you savor this World Series win. Following a team through its ups and downs, and to see them reach the pinnacle of their sport is absolutely surreal and rewarding. To have followed this team for so long, and reflecting on when Matt Herges was the closer for your team and your best hitter at one point was Pedro Feliz... only to see the team draft players like Posey and Bumgarner after watching them in the CWS and watching them contribute on the biggest stage for your team... there's nothing better as a fan.<br /><br />Really, at the end of the day when the team you loves wins it all.. nothing else should matter. It shouldn't matter what anyone else says or how many quotes they spit out from the latest ESPN article about Buster Posey they read last week. In the end its about you and your team and nothing anyone else says or does should ever influence that.<br /><br />So, to you other true Giants fans out there- Congratulations, its about damn time.<br /><br />To you other true fans of other franchises, not named the Lakers or Yankees, I will leave you with this...</span><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z0OBVYNw-Hg/TM-exDrAWCI/AAAAAAAAAG8/garnW5TO84I/s1600/couragewolf+down.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z0OBVYNw-Hg/TM-exDrAWCI/AAAAAAAAAG8/garnW5TO84I/s200/couragewolf+down.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534817032698091554" border="0" /></a>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-63802485190117633132009-08-06T21:55:00.000-07:002009-08-06T22:22:20.026-07:00Michael Crabtree Must be a Terrible Poker Player...<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: verdana;">According to the Niners 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft, Michael Crabtree, he is demanding to be paid $23.5 million (how much Darius Heyward-Bey got from the Raiders at 7th overall) or he will sit out the season and re enter the draft next season. For more background info go </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: verdana;" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Ar7x7oqknb5X1Qoje298i8g5nYcB?slug=dw-michaelcrabtree080609&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">here</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: verdana;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I say, let him walk, call his bluff, he isn't going to help the team THAT much. Please remember that the Niners are a running team to start with and they did just fine the 2nd half of the season last year after Singletary settled in.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Niners need to call Crabtree's bluff and tell him that they hate to see him go, but if he must then they won't stop him. Crabtree would be a fool to sit out for an entire year and expect to be the same athlete re-entering the draft the year after- in fact, he would probably make LESS money the next year he was drafted in 2010 because teams would have doubts in drafting him, whether he was the same athlete he was leaving college after sitting out an entire year, therefore dropping his stock to well after 10th overall.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, I am biased because I would be furious that the Niners would have wasted a pick and wouldn't receive any compensation pick (to my knowledge). But honestly making this decision would hurt Michael Crabtree much more than it would hurt the Niners. Choosing to sit out this season would be a huge obstacle to jumpstarting such a bright and promising career. Can you really imagine Crabtree establishing himself in the NFL as an elite receiver down the road if he sat out an entire season and not staying in top physical shape? Where is he planning on keeping conditioned? The AFL? Even if a team would take him for a one year rental, do not tell me that he would face competition good enough to improve him as a player, not even mentioning how much football knowledge he would miss out on and drastically slow down his development as a player.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So in the end, who has more to lose here? If Crabtree sits out this season and pouts all the way to the 2010 draft, he will have:</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1) Lost money in the process, both in one lost year of NFL salary as well as the amount of his eventual contract </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">2) Deteriorated as an athlete by not facing NFL competition, assuming he played any football at all</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">3) Completely slowed down his process of development as a player being away from the game for a whole year</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">and 4) Most importantly, he would have lost the respect of many, many people both within the league and with the fans</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crabtree came into the draft with questions about his attitude and his personality as a diva, and for a brief time he silenced those critics after being drafted lower than expected and saying that he would merely take it as motivation and work harder. Now, with this whole fiasco unraveling, does he really think that teams would be willing to spend a pick anywhere close to as high as 10th on him after he sits out an entire year PLUS he has questionable signability and carrys the emotional baggage of a young T.O.?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, to sum it up please get over yourself and get your ass into training camp Mr. Crabtree. Be thankful that you have the opportunity to play a sport for a living. Be gracious to the team who drafted you and is paying you market value, not even lowballing you. You were drafted 10th overall and you will be paid accordingly. You have proven nothing to have such ridiculous demands, but if you insist on being difficult then go ahead and walk. I assure you that you have much more to lose here than the San Francisco 49ers.</span><br /></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-34662181128247176382009-05-13T13:35:00.000-07:002009-06-01T00:52:44.764-07:00Business as Usual<!--[endif]--><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >“Sports is a business” has almost become a cliché that we fans hear from athletes whenever they are having contract negotiation troubles, or a teammate is traded, but rarely do we really read into their words.<o:p></o:p><br /><br />Sports have evolved so much in the past few years, in every sense.<span style=""> </span>A few years ago, players made a few hundred thousand dollars, these days, players are receiving record breaking hundred-million dollar contracts, such as Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia, who both just received contracts worth over $100 million from the Yankees this past offseason.<span style=""> </span>Just the other day at the MLB Network was playing the 1977 World Series, in which the Dodgers played the Yankees.<span style=""> </span>While watching the game, I noticed how there was absolutely no advertisements around the stadium on the outfield walls, behind home plate, or anywhere else.<span style=""> </span>It got me thinking about how much money had gone into sports in just the past 30 years.<span style=""> </span>That year, 1977, one of the highest contracts was Reggie Jackson’s, Mr. October, who made a then groundbreaking one million dollars.<br /><br />The point of all this is, is that once marketing and advertisement evolved to the point of bombarding consumers constantly, in this case during their form of entertainment, sports was the natural beneficiary.<span style=""> </span>Advertising dollars allowed owners to do more with their teams, whether it was improving stadiums, hiring more workers, or most importantly; paying higher contracts to players.<span style=""> </span>As this went on over time, higher contracts snowballed to the point of where we are today.<span style=""> </span>Owners may complain, and fans may say it is ridiculous to pay a player that much money, but the fact of the matter is that it is corporations and the owners who are at fault, not the athletes.<span style=""> </span>For every dollar that these athletes make, an owner is benefiting more than double.<br /><br /><span style="">For better or worse, professional sports have evolved beyond entertainment. <span style=""> </span>We must take the good with the bad, because despite how corporate sports have become, we the fans have also benefited through the up to the second media coverage that sports have attracted, or even the creation of fantasy sports, allowing fans to get even closer to the game.<span style=""> </span>Was it not for the money that was thrown into sports, all of that would never have become possible today.<span style=""> </span>Sports have become a business, but it has also become one of the most fascinating and captivating forms of entertainment.<span style=""> </span>For many people, sports has almost become an obsession, constantly seeking the newest news or keeping an ear to the ground about their favorite team’s next move.<span style=""> </span>As fans we may not always like the fact that someone is making ludicrous amounts of money as we shell out five dollars for a hotdog to watch the game, but in all honesty I wouldn’t have it any other way, because I love what sports have become.</span></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-69225842084595571082009-05-03T19:51:00.000-07:002009-05-03T21:22:10.272-07:00One Month Review<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">A month has passed in the young 2009 baseball season and the Giants are currently sitting at one game over .500 (as of 5/3), but it has been a very interesting and hope inspiring road to 12-11. After stumbling out of the gates to a 3-8 record and being absolutely steam-rolled in their series sweep by the Dodgers, something that I unfortunately had to experience live, the Giants are now surging after winning their last 10 of 14.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">What we have seen so far from the 2009 Giants has pretty much what we expected and for the most part hoped for; a pitching staff that is capable of being as good as advertised, a struggling and frequently frustrating offense, and many, many close games. After a rough first two outings, staff ace Tim Lincecum (2-1, 46 Ks) has returned to form, while Matt Cain (2-1, 3.09 ERA) has finally gotten lucky enough to receive some run support. Meanwhile, Randy Johnson has proven that he still has some in the tank inching two more wins towards 300, while Jonathan Sanchez has continued to show flashes of dominance posting a 2.60 ERA. However, the real story so far, to me at least, has been the $126 Million Dollar Man, Barry Zito. The numbers don't tell the whole story for the lefty who is the current owner of a 0-2 record to go along with a 3.99 ERA. Zito, most known for his strange <a href="http://twitter.com/BarryZito">twittering</a> recently, hasn't been dominant, but he sure has been quietly effective. After taking two absolute dumps in his first two starts of the season, giving up 10 runs in 10 innings, has since only </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">given up 3 runs in the last 20 1/3 innings- that's a 1.33 ERA for those of you keeping score at home. Despite his stellar outings, Zito hasn't had a win to show for it and is quickly beginning to look like he's stricken with a Matt Cain-like lack of run support when he takes the mound.<br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090503/capt.31fc699380294d659fa250762d4296e7.rockies_giants_baseball__fxpb102.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 409px; height: 289px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090503/capt.31fc699380294d659fa250762d4296e7.rockies_giants_baseball__fxpb102.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">On another note, the Giants' offense has been absolutely frustrating to watch. It really doesn't look like this year's lineup has improved much since last season. Thanks to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.fangraphs.com">fangraphs.com</a>, I was able to check and so far this season, the Giants are 24th in the league in batting average, 29th in HRs, and dead last in RBI. You can't even call this Giants team a small ball team, because they aren't working counts or moving runners over consistently. The Giants are walking a thin line in becoming a team with absolutely no offensive identity that relies on its pitching staff to carry them completely. Outside of Bengie Big Money Molina and the </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Round Mound Pablo Sandoval</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">, the offense has been pretty bad. I'm beggining to get scared that the Giants don't have enough lucky hits in them to keep winning games by 2 or less runs, while essentially blanking the other teams (a feat the Giants have accomplished 7 times already this season).<br /><br />While they are winning games and are looking a lot better as of late, the 2009 Giants have many glaring holes that need to be addressed before they even start talking playoffs this season. However, I am hopeful that the team we saw take 2 of 3 from the red-hot Dodgers at AT&T Park are the real 2009 Giants, compared to the mess we saw get outscored 23-7 en route to a sweep in Dodger Stadium. That's why this weekend (May 8-10), when the Giants return to play the Dodgers, who are starting a season high 11-game homestand and have yet to lose a game, will absolutely be one of the most important series of this young season in determining just what this year's club is capable of. </span></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-51882276392750991882009-02-09T23:58:00.000-08:002009-02-10T00:02:56.159-08:00Steroid Era<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm going to definitely talk more about this later and what A-Rod's confession means about baseball and how it all comes back to how differently Bonds is being treated, but for now, I just watched the A-Rod interview and it was pretty interesting, to me at least.<br /><br /><object width="440" height="361"><param name="movie" value="http://espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3895585"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3895585" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="440" height="361" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br /><br /></span></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-47460672760141283912009-02-09T00:34:00.000-08:002009-02-09T01:32:52.616-08:00Long Road Ahead<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Even though I haven't written in a long time, this is something that has been on my mind for some time now so I figured I'd write about it. The topic of this entry is: the horrible state of the Golden State Warriors Franchise. I was looking at the financial situation of the Warriors in terms of player contracts and when they expired and I was blown away at how bad of a position the Warriors really are in: <a href="http://hoopshype.com/salaries/golden_state.htm#">please take a look here</a>.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="">I was already unhappy when the Warriors made their Clipper-spiting signing of Corey Maggette after they signed Baron because a) we didn't need another wing/guard that didn't play defense on our team and b) not only did the Warriors overpay him, but signing him only took money away from any chance of landing a marquee FA in the future. The Warriors also made numerous idiotic signings in which they clearly overpaid players, such as Ronny Turiaf- really? 4million a year for an energy guy? and resigning Stephen Jackson for almost 10 million a year through 2013, and then trading for Jamal Crawford who is owed about 10 million a year through 2011. Now, not only are the Warriors strapped for cash far beyond the free agent frenzy 2010 class, but they are loaded up with overpaid players who are almost all isolation players. When I look at the Warriors I am starting to see a very scary parallel between our current team and the Isaiah Thomas run New York Knicks, minus the huge payroll, but like i stated we definitely have financial handcuffs of our own</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >The Warriors have a lot of the same type of players as the Knicks-- isolation players like Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Jamal Crawford, and Monta Ellis that need the ball in their hands to be effective. You can also add Kelenna Azubuike and CJ Watson to a lesser extent on that list as well because they shoot more than they help facilitate ball movement. Point is, we have a whole bunch of guards. Sure Maggette and Jackson can play SF but that's moot point because they're also SGs. Sure Watson, Ellis, and Crawford can play PG but that's moot point as well because they're primarily SGs. Point is, a lot of them are most effective playing SG but they're converted to PGs or SFs.<br /><br />To add on to having a bunch of wings and guards that play the same and handcuffing our financial flexibility for years to come, the Warriors also have very little cohesion (<a target="_blank" title="source about Crawford and Maggette not on the same page" href="http://48minutes.net/2008/12/07/thoughts-on-game-no-20-spurs-123-warriors-88/">source about Crawford and Maggette not on the same page</a>), similar to the Isiah Thomas ran Knicks. At one point, during the 'We Believe' era, team chemistry was one of the Warriors' strong points, but this is now a very different team. There have been reports of internal bickering, such as ther report that Stephen Jackson wants out of the Warriors (<a title="source 1" target="_blank" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=bucher_ric&page=warriorsbucher-081223#">source 1</a> and <a title="souce 1" target="_blank" href="http://slamonline.com/online/nba/2008/12/18307/">source 2</a>), Corey Maggette wants out (<a title="source" target="_blank" href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/06/SPSC14JDK5.DTL">source</a>), and most importantly Don Nelson is not even allowing the young players on the team to grow despite how bad the Warriors are, by not giving them playing time.<br /><br />It scares me to even compare the Warriors to the Isaiah Knicks and they do have their differences, but the number of similarities is scary to fathom. Because the Knicks are a major market team, they had the attention of the media and Isaiah was being scrutinized. The Warriors on the other hadn get almost no media attention and are just quietly rotting away, which scares me even more- no change will come if there is not criticizm. I look at the Warriors, sitting at 17-35 in the division, with little to look forward to beyond contracts finally expiring. I see Don Nelson refusing to do things any other way but his own and team management that will neither step in and stop him nor stop making horrible decisions. Most importantly, I see a franchise that has become content collecting dividends from the Cinderella 'We Believe' playoff run and doesn't seem to care about their fan base. The Warriors have possibly one of the bleakest futures of all NBA teams outside of maybe the Bobcats, Clippers, and maybe the Wizards. When I look at the Warriors, I see a frustrating combination of overpaid mediocre players and underutilized young players who will never have a chance to help us compete because of the financial situation preventing the team from bringing in more complimentary players.<br /><br />There is little hope for Warriors fans- the smallest glimmer of financial freedom won't even appear until 2013 with the current players on roster. For many of us real Warriors fans who were with the team before the 2007 playoff Cinderella story and are still sticking with them, it is getting much, much harder for all of us to 'Believe' given the future we see ahead of the Warriors franchise. The Warriors franchise needs to remember that when it is all said and done, it is their loyal fans who shell out money to see the 17-35 team that is put on the floor. But beware: do not test your fan base by pushing too far, you just may start to lose them if you continue to treat them like an after thought.</span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-37848800127621001022008-11-11T12:43:00.000-08:002008-11-16T03:18:11.158-08:00The Kid wins, what does it all mean?<div style="text-align: center;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/f9/fullj.66ec36452f06c2ce16a2ddf76d097d91/66ec36452f06c2ce16a2ddf76d097d91-getty-d056401089.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 560px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/f9/fullj.66ec36452f06c2ce16a2ddf76d097d91/66ec36452f06c2ce16a2ddf76d097d91-getty-d056401089.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-nlcyyoung&prov=ap&type=lgns">CONGRATULATIONS TIMMY LINCECUM.</a><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;font-family:verdana;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> So, i promised that i'd come back and write on this, so here it is.. I dont think its necessary to talk about how great of a season the Kid had, nor mention the amazing numbers he put up pitching for a team that won so few games and provided so few runs and winning about a quarter of their games. What I really want to talk about is the trend that Lincecum seems to represent, a change in the game and the mindset that goes along with it.<br /><br />A few years ago, theres a very good chance that Lincecum would have lost this award to Brandon Webb who had 22 wins to Lincecum's 18. Baseball traditionalists almost always determined the value of a pitcher almost solely on their win counts. And because so many members of the media were traditionalists, the Cy Young award went to the pitcher with the most wins almost every single year. Now this isnt to say that wins arent important, they are. Wins are the most important statistic in baseball.. they represent success and count towards making the playoffs, which get you to a championship. But, there is so much more to wins than appears. Wins are a team statistic, and while a pitcher determines almost half of a game, there are so many factors beyond their control, such as run support and errors. While wins are an extremely important measure in determining the value of a pitcher, at the same time you have to take the team into account.<br /><br />What is a big deal in Tim Lincecum winning the Cy Young is a trend towards a new way of baseball thought; a new approach to the game. A few years ago, a statistician named Bill James made his mark on the game and began a revolution of new thought called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabermetrics">sabermetrics</a>. I first read about sabermetrics in Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Basically, sabermetrics is analyzing baseball from a statistical standpoint and determines the value of players and the aspects of the game, purely using numbers. What I see in recent years is a trend of those coming into power in baseball, whether it be in the media, GMs, or the front office- you can see more and more of the effects of sabermetrics and the influence of statistical analysis on baseball.<br /><br />My hope is that Lincecum's Cy Young win will serve as a stepping stone in the evolution of the game and the mindset that goes along with it. It is important that the game continues to grow and as important as baseball tradition is, it also alienates the fans at times. Ideas like sabermetrics will be instrumental in bringing fans closer to the game. Baseball seems to finally be moving in a direction of change, and i dont think that it will be such a huge change that baseball traditionalists will be offended. It should rather be looked at as the next step in the evolution of the game.<br /><br />Anyway, thats my little tangent of the day. Without further ado, here is my mini celebration for the Kid winning the Cy Young..<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a261/darer1ck/Gifs/celebrate.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 153px;" src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a261/darer1ck/Gifs/celebrate.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a261/darer1ck/Gifs/dwightcelebrate.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 196px;" src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a261/darer1ck/Gifs/dwightcelebrate.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll251/floydthursby/barndance-1.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 223px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll251/floydthursby/barndance-1.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a></span></div>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-70308988117607113832008-11-10T21:16:00.000-08:002008-11-10T22:38:51.774-08:00Dissappointment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/69/fullj.0e9ddf05319d28a9730c6e774502d09f/0e9ddf05319d28a9730c6e774502d09f-getty-81706925hh007_san_francisco.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 288px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/69/fullj.0e9ddf05319d28a9730c6e774502d09f/0e9ddf05319d28a9730c6e774502d09f-getty-81706925hh007_san_francisco.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I just finished watching the Niners and Cardinals on Monday Night Football.<br /><br />There isn't much to say about the game. The Niners found themselves in a very, very fortunate position to win a game that they had already allowed to slip through their hands. The Niners started off the game with an Allen Rossum kickoff return TD, Vernon Davis' first TD grab of the season, and go into the half with a 21-13 lead and all the momentum on their side. In the first half, the Niners looked great. However, in the second half, they looked lost- they allowed Kurt Warner to do what he does best; destroy secondaries. The Niners were fortunate to find themselves in a position to win the game still as they drove down the field with 4 minutes left only to have Shaun Hill throw a interception at the Arizona 18 yard line. After getting</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> a clutch defensive stop, the Niners were lucky enough to get the ball back with 1:06 on the clock, driving all the way to the 1 yard line. At the 1, Frank Gore was unable to get into the end zone as he stumbled towards the end zone after making slight contact with a defender only to have the ball called back to the 2 yard line. Then, the Niners predictably ran the ball down the middle only to be completely stuffed, an thus losing the game.<br /></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20081111/capt.f77dd58b157e4e599bc46eefdd79669c.49ers_cardinals_football_pnp112.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 382px; height: 273px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20081111/capt.f77dd58b157e4e599bc46eefdd79669c.49ers_cardinals_football_pnp112.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">While the game seemed competitive, it really wasn't as close as you may think. The Niners were outscored 16-3 in the second half and were fortunate to find themselves in two positions to win the game. Normally when teams are gifted with the chance to win games that they didn't deserve to, they win them. Not the Niners. Instead, the Niners spoiled their opportunities and were dealt a spirit crushing loss to a division rival. While an upset w</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">in tonight would have definitely been a huge step in the development of such a young team and a new coach, hopefully there can be some good taken away from this horrible loss. After the controversy of last weekend when Vernon Davis and Mike Singletary got into an argument, it could have easily created a horrible locker room divide and a rookie coach starting with a bad foundation with one of the players who the franchise <span style="font-style: italic;">hope</span> will become a big part of their future. Instead, after Davis' spectacular TD grab tonight, you could see Singletary and Davis hugging and reconciling a very important relationship between a young potential building block of the franchise and his new coach. Another thing that can be taken away from the game was that despite the turmoil over the QB situation in San Francisco, it seemed to me that the team rallied around Shaun Hill, especially after a QB scramble in which his helmet was ripped off, only to have him c</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">ontinue to run and successfully fight for the first down. You could see everyone on the sidelines getting pumped up and rallying around their quarterback, no matter how many games he has started for the team. This young team definitely can use plays like that for all the players to see. To see that the team is above all of them and</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> establishing a mentality based on hard work, sacrifice and the idea that if they keep fighting, the results will come.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">This is actually why I think that tonight's loss was so disappointing. I can only imagine how much good would have come out of a win tonight; on the national stage, against the division leaders. Had the Niners won tonight, how could the players ignore the results of hard work? How could the players not be motivated to work hard? In a game where every single analyst sided against the Niners, and to come out on top after fighting for every inch and yard against all expectations. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">And while every single player on the Niners is definitely demoralized and disappointed after probably feeling like tonight was when their hard work would pay off, we can all only hope that </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Mike Singletary can use his passion for the game and his emotion to get through to his young team that if they continue to fight and grow that the results will come eventually.<br /></span></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-13306501122028500122008-11-05T20:31:00.000-08:002008-11-05T20:43:38.477-08:001 Phillie Too Many<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, according to reports and what many people expected, it looks like the first player to leave the World Champion Phillies will most likely be their slugging left fielder Put Burrell. The reason that this is of any interest to me, is that its being reported that none other than the <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/post/Signs-pointing-toward-Burrell-leaving-Philadephi;_ylt=AtXJVZ5IpjpYlb3V9noTc.M5nYcB?urn=mlb,119916">San Francisco Giants are interested</a> in Burrell's services.<br /><br />Now, admittedly Burrell is a better player than Aaron Rowand. But i really don't think that Burrell would fit well with the team. Do we need more offense? Yes. Doesn't Burrell annually put up 30 hrs, 100 rbis? Yes he does. However, if we haven't learned anything from Rowand, we should know that players moving from the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park to the offensive blackhole of China Basin take a huge hit in their offensive numbers. While I know that Burrell is a much better hitter than Rowand and his numbers wouldn't nearly dip as much, he is also a worst fielder (as bad as Rowand is already) and he strikes out alot (.250 avg and 136 k's). I really think that if the Giants signed Burrell it would be more of a step backwards than forwards because of how much Burrell will be demanding on the open market. We already overpaid for one former-Phillie, and i really hope that we don't repeat our mistake. Yes the Giants need offensive help, this is obvious; however, a power hitter like Burrell who hits for a low average and will be overpaid, is NOT the answer. Hopefully under the new ownership, the Giants will not continue to make the same mistakes of overpaying players (see: Zito and Rowand) only to see them become a financial burden to the team.<br /></span></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-86183427467076879462008-11-02T16:13:00.000-08:002008-11-02T16:32:20.371-08:00NBA Season Begins<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Haven't updated in awhile, here are random things from the start of the NBA season<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i38.tinypic.com/k4chtw.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 392px; height: 284px;" src="http://i38.tinypic.com/k4chtw.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tGp9fTnV-Jk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tGp9fTnV-Jk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j22YfTt3F4k&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j22YfTt3F4k&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-S_soY5Jg_Q&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-S_soY5Jg_Q&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i36.tinypic.com/34hx57d.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 195px;" src="http://i36.tinypic.com/34hx57d.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-24621404639755900242008-10-11T20:51:00.000-07:002008-10-11T20:52:43.198-07:00Nike Fate<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jlXRengzZoc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jlXRengzZoc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-1462096481101230172008-10-07T22:06:00.000-07:002008-10-07T22:05:43.122-07:00100 Year- Old Curses and Suicide Squeezes<span style="font-size:85%;">So, with the Division Series' finished up in both the AL and NL, the two teams with the best records in their respective divisions have both been knocked out of the playoffs. For one team, it was an absolute meltdown that their fan base half expected and the other just couldn't produce when it counted most.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sportsmaven.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cubs-lose-to-diamondbacks-10-6-07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 416px; height: 257px;" src="http://sportsmaven.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cubs-lose-to-diamondbacks-10-6-07.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">For the Chicago Cubs, going into the playoffs you almost </span><span style="font-size:85%;">half expected something to go wrong at some point that made them meltdown and lose. But it didn't happen that way. There was no Bartman this year to blame- the Cubs just flat out failed. Watching game 1 of that series in Wrigley, if you just listened to the crowd you knew the Cubs fans were shook. Each one of them knew the Cubs' history and it seemed like they were scared to cheer, because they felt like the curse was just around the corner. After Dempster tanked game 1 with 7 walks and the Cubs down a game, it was a manageable deficit to come back from but it didnt turn out that way, the Cubs never recovered. I'll give credit where credit is due though, no matter how much I hate the Dodgers, they did a hell of a job shutting down the Cubs' big bats. After seeing the Cubs swept out of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion, I could only feel bad f</span><span style="font-size:85%;">or them. With no team in the NL that i was really pulling for, I had hopped onto the Cubs bandwagon at the start of the playoffs, because despite the face that they had the best record in the NL, they still seemed like underdogs playing against their plagued past. The worst part of it all is, I think this might have been their best chance in a long time at winning the World Series. After the brutal sweep, i don't know if the cubs can put this past them. This was really a miracle season for them, everything was going right- Dempster was great (except when it mattered) moving from the bullpen to a starter, Harden was both healthy and dominant for them, much of their lineup was having career years like DeRosa (again, except when it mattered), Kerry Wood was mostly healthy and their bullpen was dominant. Plain and simple, the Cubs choked and i really don't think that everything can go as well as it did this season for them to be in a similar situation heading into the playoffs next season. Oh well, at least possibly having a president will be a sufficient consolation for Cubs fans.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/10/07/alg_varitek-tag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 388px; height: 251px;" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/10/07/alg_varitek-tag.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">On the other hand, there was the Angels, the best team in baseball against the defending world champion Red Sox. After being pushed to the brink of elimination due to the dominance of Jon Lester and a freak out fielding error, the Angels clawed their way back and looked like they were sending the series back to Anaheim with all of the momentum, the now infamous suicide squeeze play happened. I personally don't like how much some writers and analysts are blasting Sciosca for calling the squeeze play. I thought it was the right play in that situation- all the conditions were right and it was a tie game in the top of the 9th. If Aybar just makes contact on that bunt play, they're up a run, K-Rod comes in to close it out and most likely, we're looking at a deciding game 5 in Anaheim, with the momentum on the Angels' side. I agree with most people when they say that the Angels were the better team, but the playoffs are the playoffs and it only matters who shows up when it matters most. The Angels hitters looked lost against the Redsox staff, despite the fact that their middle relief was terrible. I don't feel like the Angels choked as much as they were just outplayed by the gritty Redsox. Sciosca made the right call on that squeeze play- you have Aybar swinging that bat there, there is a much better chance that he gets the run in bunting than swinging the bat. However, in the end, the Redsox stepped up in the 9th to get a walk off single.<br /><br />If anything, these two playoff series were just another example, that it doesnt matter what you do during the regular season- everyone has a clean slate in October. The Angels and Cubs didnt show up when it mattered most and the Dodgers and Redsox got hot at the right time. Also, its a lesson that its hard to swing the bat, when your hands are around you neck. (choking)<br /></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-65272074939519958352008-09-12T02:32:00.000-07:002008-09-12T10:32:58.754-07:00The Great DebateL<span style="font-size:85%;">ately, I've been reading a few articles about the Cy Young </span><span style="font-size:85%;">award s</span><span style="font-size:85%;">ince the end of the season is approaching. Because the season is ending and the number of articles and debates about the end of the season awards will increase, I wanted to talk about how I felt about all of it before it was too late. So, obviously this is going to be biased towards Lincecum winning the NL Cy Young, but it is my blog, so what do i care. So, hopefully by the end of reading this, you will be convinced that Lincecum is the deserving recipient of the NL Cy Young Award this year. And before you read this, keep in mind that all <span style="font-weight: bold;">stats</span> are as of <span style="font-weight: bold;">9/11/08</span>.<br /></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/a3/fullj.9dd9e2c946856beecdb76a840442d1b7/9dd9e2c946856beecdb76a840442d1b7-getty-80322151sd007_arizona_diamo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 197px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/a3/fullj.9dd9e2c946856beecdb76a840442d1b7/9dd9e2c946856beecdb76a840442d1b7-getty-80322151sd007_arizona_diamo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Ok, so first off, in the NL there are essentially only three </span><span style="font-size:85%;">pitchers that are in consideration at this point for the Cy Young award: <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7121;_ylt=Ag.pRzsdJN6gVjDcF.s6vf8Q0bYF">Brandon Webb</a>, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6603">CC Sabathia</a>, and <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7981">Tim Lincecum</a>. So, lets talk about Webb first. Brandon Webb, the sinkerball extraordinaire who is the ace of the Dbacks' staff, is currently sitting at a 19-7 record (1st in the NL), and a 3.41 ERA (10th in the NL). These are often times the most looked at stats by Cy Young voters. And until recently, Webb was looking like the runaway candidate for the Cy Young this year, before taking 3 straight losses and inflating his ERA from 2.74 to his current 3.41. Now, after his recent rough patches, and the Dbacks falling 3.5 games out of the NL West lead, the only number that can really argue Webb as the Cy Young winner is his win total of 19-7, which I will get back to later. If Webb wins the remainder of his starts and/</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> or the Dbacks end up winning the NL West with Webb playing a significant role, it would give Webb a very strong case for the award, but only time will tell and as of right now, it looks like Webb is quickly loosing ground in the race.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Moving on to CC Sabathia, the reigning AL Cy Young winning Vallejo Native. Sabathia moved from the struggling Cleveland Indians to the young Milwaukee Brewers in a trade deadline deal. Now, it cannot be argued that Sabathia has been dominant since his move to the NL; however, the question is with him- do you look at his stats as a whole or only his time in the NL? If you look at his stats on a whole, Sabathia sports a good but not great win total of 15-8 in addition to a great 2.81 ERA, which I will get back to later. If you include his stats as a whole, he is tied for the major league lead in strikeouts with none other than Tim Lincecum at 225. Now, if you look at what he's done only in the NL, he eye-popping numbers: 9-0, 1.59 ERA, 6 complete games. However, if you only take Sabathia's numbers in the NL, can you really give CC the Cy Young based on only 13 starts compared to Lincecum's 29?<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080910/capt.6900531b20ab408190abc3b3b1f1725a.reds_brewers_baseball_wimg103.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 266px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080910/capt.6900531b20ab408190abc3b3b1f1725a.reds_brewers_baseball_wimg103.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Finally, there is young Tim Lincecum, sporting an NL leading 2.54 ERA, a tied for Major league leadin</span><span style="font-size:85%;">g 225 K's, and a record of 16-3 on the sub .500 SF Giants. First off, let me address the arguments against Lincecum's case for Cy Young. Traditionally, the Cy Young has often times gone to the pitcher with the highest win total, which in this case is projected to be Brandon Webb (19-7). However, Lincecum isn't too far behind, as he is currently tied for 2nd in the NL in wins (16-3). Also, if you are going to include wins, then you must also look at losses right? And if you get a winning percentage from each pitcher, Webb sits at (.731), while Lincecum is at (.842). So, besides number of wins, Lincecum trumps Webb in every other major statistical category, including winning percentage, and it really isn't that close.<br /><br />Then, it can also be argued that Lincecum plays for a sub-.500 team that is going to miss the playoffs. In my opinion, since the Cy Young award is an individual award and not a team award, not only does the number of wins a pitcher has have less weight, but it also seems to me that what Lincecum has done this year is even more impressive and should even help his case for Cy Young. Had the Giants' bullpen performed better or he was given more run support, Lincecum could quite possibly have 20-21 wins right now, in which case there wouldn't be any argument over who was the Cy Young winner this season.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Pitching/Images/Pitchers/TimLincecum/TimLincecum_2007_035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 275px;" src="http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Pitching/Images/Pitchers/TimLincecum/TimLincecum_2007_035.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Next, there is the issue about what is more deserving </span><span style="font-size:85%;">of</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Cy </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Young recognition, </span><span style="font-size:85%;">a short </span><span style="font-size:85%;">sample of near </span><span style="font-size:85%;">perfection (Sabathia in the NL), or prolonged dominance (Lincecum)? And, what I believe is that you cannot look at Sabathia's numbers in the NL only and believe that he could have been this dominant all season. Looking at </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Sabathia's season numbers, he has a 2.81 ERA compared to Lincecum's 2.54 in addition to having a 15-8 record compared to Lincecum's 16-3. Now, all pitchers go through ups and downs over the course of the year- a pitcher can go on a month or two tear only to cool off and get shelled his next few outings. That's the thing about baseball- the season is so long that there are rarely flukes. Why do you think you almost always see the same players in discussion for best players in the league? Its because the length of the season weeds out all the players who aren't truly great. Greatness in baseball revolves around being great and being great consistently. Take for example Chris Shelton formerly of the Detroit Tigers- in the beginning of the 2006 season, he hit 10 HRs in April and was being heralded as a potential HR king for the season. What happened after that month? He went ice cold, and managed a measly 6 more HRs before the All-Star Break, after which he was sent down to the Minor Leagues.<br /><br />I know Chris Shelton is an extreme example and i know that Sabathia is one of the best pitchers in the Majors, but it helps to prove my point about baseball- its an 162 game season and you cannot be rewarded for being brilliant for half of it and only decent the other half. Sabathia has been amazing since he got to Milwaukee, but is what he did in the beginning of the season to be completely forgotten? If you still aren't convinced, think about this: If Sabathia had been this good for the first half of the season, only to pitch the second half like he did in Cleveland, would he even be in the discussion for the Cy Young right now?<br /><br />Lincecum has been consitently dominant over the course of the season and he has the stats to prove it. When it boils down to it, it just seems like there's too much evidence against Webb and Sabathia to argue against the numbers that Timmy has put up this season. Are the Giants making the playoffs? No. But why should Lincecum's achievements this season be affected at all by that? This isn't the MVP award, which means the player is most valuable to his <span style="font-weight: bold;">team</span>'s success. The Cy Young is an individual award, and if you look at it individually, Tim Lincecum is the clear choice for the 2008 NL Cy Young.<br /></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-38210227208571672842008-09-08T21:46:00.000-07:002008-09-11T21:35:02.924-07:00TGIF<span style="font-size:85%;">Thank God Its Football.<br /><br />Words cannot express how happy I am that football is back. As much as I love baseball, when your home team is absolutely out of the playoff picture and there's nothing else to watch in terms of sports besides analysts talking about the Red Sox and Yankees making the playoffs this year, Football is very appreciated. Despite the terrible season opener by the Niners plagued by turnovers, I couldn't be happier with the return of fantasy football, sunday, and monday games to look forward to. I don't have much else to say about football this season yet, except that its going to be an interesting year with the Colts looking lost against the Bears and the Pats losing Brady for the season.<br />I guess this is also a post about my appreciation for fantasy sports, which played a huge part in both sparking and causing my interest in sports to grow. I know watching sports with fantasy points looming in the back of your thoughts is not the best way to watch games, but you have to admit, it draws more fans to the game.<br /><br />In other news, the Giants just wrapped up their win against the Dbacks tonight with Lincecum on the mound almost pitching his first complete game, only to load the bases in the 9th and being pulled after throwing 8.1 shutout innings and throwing<span style="font-size:180%;"> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >127 pitches</span>.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">What the hell is wrong with Bruce Bochy? Look, i am happy that the Giants won tonight against the Dbacks, but its not like they were hanging onto a 1 run lead, if you are so concerned about preserving a win, why not turn it over to Brian Wilson who may end the season as the NL saves leader? </span><span style="font-size:85%;">I understand that itd be a cool accomplishment for Timmy to throw his first complete game shutout but come on. The Giants were up 5-0 since the 3rd inning. How can Bochy leave him in for 127 pitches when the game is in hand? Maybe it'd make sense if the Giants were in the playoff or wild card hunt, but they aren't. </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Is Bochy trying to sabotage the future of the Giants by destroying our franchise player's arm?? Its not like this is the first time Bochy has done this, I've written about it before. Bochy is a repeat offender of breaking rule one as a manager for the Giants this season- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Protecting the Young Arms</span>. While I'm talking Lincecum, i hope Webb continues to lose and Timmy keeps winning, so he can win the Cy Young in his 2nd season. And if you think i'm contradicting myself by saying he should have been pulled and hoping he wins the Cy Young this year- the Giants were up 5-0 since the 3rd, don't tell me he couldn't have been pulled in the 7th or 8th while at a reasonable pitch count.<br /><br />Fire Bruce Bochy.<br />Lincecum for Cy Young.<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />edit: Hopefully, articles like <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Aj_c2m96r.6TMTtl07Wf7uQ5nYcB?slug=jp-nlcyyoung091108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">this </a>continue to get Lincecum some support outside of the Bay Area<br /></span></span></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-88364722110749596602008-08-30T22:43:00.000-07:002008-08-31T09:01:22.147-07:00Career Lights Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hotchickshotpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/merriman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 193px;" src="http://www.hotchickshotpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/merriman.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Its old news by now, but perennial pro-bowl linebacker Shawn Merriman of the Chargers</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> has decided to <a href="http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_chargers_28.46d7957.html?npc">play this season with 2 torn knee ligaments</a> and going against 4 doctors' suggestions in the process.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />I don't understand. Am I missing something? Last time I checked, Merriman is only 24 years old, only 3 years into his NFL career, has been to 3 pro-bowls, is one of the best defensive players in football, oh yeah and did i mention he is only 24 years old?? What is he thinking? I understand that people can be stubborn and that he is a gamer and just wants to play, but at some point it becomes irresponsible. Most of the time when players 'play through the pain', i respect them more, the way i always respected McNair and Leftwich for playing injured so often. But in Merriman's case? I am losing respect for him because of how irresponsible of a decision this is.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://partmule.com/blog16/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/shawnemerriman_59778.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://partmule.com/blog16/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/shawnemerriman_59778.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Merriman c</span><span style="font-size:85%;">laims that the injury isn't career threatening, but id have to say that when 4 doctors tell you to get the surgery and you are dealing with a knee injury, which are never a joke, you might be putting your career in jeopardy. I get the fact that he prepared for this season and he wants to play and that the Chargers are a favorite to win the Superbowl this year, but does he really think he will stay healthy all season playing on a torn up knee? Merriman is making the worst possible decision. What he needs to do is shut it down for the season, get healthy, and come back next season and lead his team to the Superbowl, because it isnt like LT is going anywhere fast. If Merriman isn't there this season, the Chargers will still probably go deep in the playoffs, although I doubt they'll win the Superbowl, and next season will still be superbowl favorites, but with a healthy Merriman. If Merriman plays, they'll make the playoffs, but by that time, the ticking time bomb that is Merriman's knee may have blown up and he may have done irreversible damage to his knee. Merriman is putting his potential hall of fame career on the line just to play this season even though hes only 24 years old.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PXeAG2VuBo0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PXeAG2VuBo0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />The fact that Chargers management hasnt spoken up, publicly atleast, shocks me. If the cornerstone of my defense was trying to do this, i would tell him that he had no choice but to get the surgery. Not only is Merriman's choice to play irresponsible, its also selfish, because it puts the Chargers' future success at stake. Lets say Merriman's career is ruined- what happens then to the Chargers who were trusting him to be their defensive leader and cornerstone for the years to come? Yes, football contracts arent garunteed and they can cut him, but its not as if Merriman is any ordinary football player, he is a potential hall of famer at this point and losing him will definately hurt the team.<br /><br />Its pretty clear what i think Merriman should do. Who knows, maybe he will come to his senses or someone will finally talk him out of this terrible decision. However, despite the fact that i dont really like Merriman as an athlete because of his over the top celebrations, steroid use, and he also seems like he has an asshole personality- i never like to see any athlete, let alone a rising star, have their career cut short. It sounds cliche, but if the self nicknamed 'Lights Out' continues with his current decision id have to gamble, although nothing is certain, that his career will be 'Lights Out' very, very soon.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eTbCtjX_y0w&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eTbCtjX_y0w&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />I had to post this video even though its the same. The gun shot is too much, haha.<br /></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-51828649931181740722008-08-30T00:40:00.000-07:002008-08-30T00:58:49.039-07:00Ocho Cinco and Mucho Hurt-o<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://assets.bengals.com/assets/default/gallery061029-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 231px;" src="http://assets.bengals.com/assets/default/gallery061029-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Chad Johnson has <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AndVyngi9N2bUnho8J9Er2g5nYcB?slug=ap-bengals-ochocinco&prov=ap&type=lgns">legally changed his name</a> to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco, meaning that his jersey name will now officially read, "Ocho Cinco". I'd probably have to say that this is one of those red flags that other teams will not like when inquiring about a trade for Chad Ocho Cinco, formerly Johnson, who's motivation and focus is often questioned. Chad has unquestioned abilities, but his focus has often been an issue. If Chad really wanted to get traded, I think he should be showing potential suitors that he is focused on playing good football, rather than doing things that make teams question if they want the All-pro receiver on their team, like changing his name so that his jersey will read "Ocho Cinco".</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />In other news, Monta Ellis is going to be <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AqXCbmh6AwvpBuOkfXozOai8vLYF?slug=ap-warriors-ellis&prov=ap&type=lgns">out for 3-4 months</a>, meaning the Warriors already unpromising season looks to start off even worse. Pretty much i figured that the W's were going to have a bad season by essentially handing the keys over to the teams' 22-year-old guard after the surprising loss of Baron Davis, but with this, it looks like the starting point guard starting off the season may be Marcus Williams. In </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">my opinion i dont think Monta going down affects the immediate future of the Ws at all since the Ws arent going anywhere this season. However, it does scare me that the Ws just signed the 22 year old to a $66 million contract and hes been injured three times already in his young career. Best case scenario, Marcus Williams takes full advantage of his starting time and reaches his potential that made him a 1st round pick, and the other young guys get valuable experience and Monta comes back at full speed and the Ws are a dangerous playoff </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">sleeper. Another good/ok scenario is that the Ws suck as expected </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">and they land a top 3 pick in the upcoming draft and land a superstar, although i dont know who </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">the top </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">prospects are this year. Worst case- the Ws are a so-so/crappy team that just misses the playoffs again and has a bad pick in the draft as well- so </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080827/capt.nyol56208272145.warriors_ellis_basketball_nyol562.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 160px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080827/capt.nyol56208272145.warriors_ellis_basketball_nyol562.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">basically, they do a bit worse than this year. I dont want to admit that the Ws are taking steps backwards since making the playoffs finally and just barely missing them again this year. However, i think Ws fans need to admit that they are in a rebuilding effort and its better to do it now with our young core, than to pile on bad contracts and fight for a low playoff seed in the west.<br /></span></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-86154407857413719732008-08-22T19:01:00.000-07:002008-08-22T19:37:11.277-07:00Happy Trails, Alex Smith!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tastyburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/t1_kornheiser.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 278px;" src="http://tastyburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/t1_kornheiser.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">"Happy Trails, Alex Smith!" will be what we'll be hearing from Tony Kornheiser very, very soon. Up to this point, i have been a supporter of <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6103">Alex Smith</a> attributing his struggles to a combination of: normal rookie learning curve, weak supporting cast, musical chair offensive coordinators, and injuries. However, today the Niners announced that six year journeyman, and lifetime backup <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AobjhcOKy4lrpMbwjd1kFt85nYcB?slug=ap-49ers-osullivanstarts&prov=ap&type=lgns">JT O'Sullivan was to be the starter</a> entering the season, i am pretty much now conceding that Alex Smith is in fact a bust. For some time now, i have felt that Alex Smith may not have been the best pick for the Niners, wishing they had instead taken Braylon Edwards in 2005, tanking a year and then taking another QB in 2006 (which included Leinert and Cutler or even Kellen Clemens or Tavaris Jackson</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> in later rounds). But instead, the Niners took Smith who not only was in</span><span style="font-size:85%;">jured again this past season, but was upstaged by former nobody- Shaun Hill.<br /><br />With JT O'Sullivan being named the starter in SF, this pretty much puts the nail in Alex Smiths proverbial coffin. I don't know too much about O'Sullivan other than the fact that he played in Martz's system last season with the Lions so he has a good grasp of the offense, was born in California and played at UC Davis so he has local ties, and has been playing well in preseason. While these are all good things that give some promise to <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6103">O'Sullivan as a QB</a>, I am pretty much taking them with a grain of salt considering that O'Sullivan is playing for his 8th NFL team in 6 seasons after being drafted in the 6th round in 2002. Maybe the 7 other teams just didn't see his true potential? Lets hope.<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0585eNAcBy9Gz/610x.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0585eNAcBy9Gz/610x.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">While i wish O'Sullivan al</span><span style="font-size:85%;">l the best and i hope he is the </span><span style="font-size:85%;">next Tom Brady (coming out of nowhere and having huge success), lets just say i wont be holding my breath. On a positive note, John Clayton of ESPN mentioned yesterday that if Smith doesn't start, he doesn't reach his incentives and that could save the 49ers over $20 million. While im happy the Niners realized change is needed, i do feel bad for Alex Smith and hope maybe he gets one more shot this year after grasping Martz's system if he ever does, considering his intelligence was one of the high points on which the Niners drafted him on. Like i mentioned before, i dont feel like his failure to this point rests solely on Smith's shoulders- he was walking into a slaughterhouse being drafted first and its not like the Niners have really helped surround him with any help (Issac Bruce? Ashley Lelie? Bryant Jackson?).<br /><br />At this point all Niner fans can do is wait and pray that somehow this season wont be a step backwards from an already bad 2008 season that atleast showed flashes of promise, because it looks like its going to be another long season.<br /></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-23963876107140755002008-08-19T21:09:00.000-07:002008-08-22T22:22:51.597-07:00Phelps-mania<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Looks like Phelps wasn't done at after swimming:</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Abj9natWAEU&color1=291787617&color2=325161297&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Abj9natWAEU&color1=291787617&color2=325161297&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">On a more serious note of just how insane Michael Phelps is, if you haven't read it somewhere else, this the diet of the beast himself:</span><br /><br /><div class="mva"><div style="text-align: left;" class="bull"><span style="font-size:85%;">Breakfast: Three fried egg sandwiches; cheese; tomatoes; lettuce; fried onions; mayonnaise; three chocolate-chip pancakes; five-egg omelette; three sugar-coated slices of French toast; bowl of grits; two cups of coffee<br /><br /></span></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;" class="bull"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Lunch: Half-kilogram (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread; energy drinks</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;" class="bull"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Dinner: Half-kilogram of pasta, with carbonara sauce; large pizza; energy drinks</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">A normal person consumes 2000-4000 calories a day. Phelps consumes 12,000 calories a day including around 2000 alone from energy drinks. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Here's some more Phelps footage from the 100m Butterfly:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AhjwnsVUeto&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&fs=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AhjwnsVUeto&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">.</span><br /></div></div> </div>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-58997298823458317562008-08-19T14:15:00.001-07:002008-08-19T14:15:18.706-07:00LT is back!<object width="448" height="374"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/e/16711680/wshh48k3OzpykPmzMqmb"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="quality" value="high"> <embed src="http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/e/16711680/wshh48k3OzpykPmzMqmb" quality="high" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="448" height="374"></embed> </object>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-91275882672805479292008-08-17T19:33:00.000-07:002008-08-19T03:16:11.189-07:00Love and Baseball<span style="font-size:85%;">My recent entries haven't exactly been the deepest or most profound, but today, im going to return to voicing my opinion on recent sports news, sports trends, and anything else sports. I guess thats what my original intention was for this blog; to voice my opinion on sports. and the reason for recording it here is that i think just like your opinion on anything else, fans' perspective and opinions on sports changes. recording it here will allow me to see what things changed my mind and shaped me into the sports fan that i become. At the risk of sounding like im over thinking all of this and taking sports too seriously, i guess a big reason i love sports is the meeting of preparation and logic with chance and in effect never being able to predict what will happen.<br /><br />You can study and learn every fact and number about sports, but you can never predict the outcome of any given game. You can train and prepare, but when it all comes down to it, so much of your performance that is remembered comes down to luck and circumstance. In order to compete, you must be at par with the rest of your competition, but after that point, so much after that has to do with execution and chance. Take for example these Olympics. These world class swimmers are the best in the entire world and when competing, there are only hundreds of a second that seperate the Winner from the losers. Are we to then assume that the winners always trained the hardest of the group or simply were born with greater athletic ability? Of course not. But what made them the winner? What gave them a .01 second advantage over 2nd place?<br /><br />I think that's why of all sports i like baseball the most, i feel like in baseball its possibly the only sport in which logic and preparation can beat out chance. I guess a lot of this opinion comes from the book, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Moneyball</span> by Michael Lewis in which he studies and writes about the Oakland As and Billy Beane's quest to build a contending team while having a tiny budget. in part of the book it talks about how over the course of the regular season at least, since there are so many games, you can evaluate players accurately by their statistical trends. instead of following traditional ideas like believing batting average was an accurate representation of a players production, Billy Beane and his team analyzed statistics and found that that was not an accurate translation to success and runs scored. they took baseball and made it into a science, something that could be studied and that could translate into success on the field.<br /><br />Unfortunately for the A's the postseason does include chance as a huge deciding factor and despite making the playoffs year after the year the As would fall in the postseason. anyway, to get to my point, my love for baseball comes from the fact that its not just a game, its so much more. Everything from management in the farm system and the constant replenishment of young talent and evaluating players accurately- its all insane to think that any organization in the MLB is running 100% efficiently from top to bottom. when people say that no one is above the game, i really think it applies to baseball the most. in other sports you can have one terrible year and land some crazy phenom in the draft like Lebron and go to the playoffs the next year. in baseball, how often do you see teams make 180 turns like that? in order to have lasting success you have to plan for years and continually prepare for the future. look at the Yankees- for years people said that they could just buy the market and would continue to dominate, but what everyone forgets is that they built that success on the backs of young players that came up through their farm, like Jeter, Pettite, Mariano (who by the way were scouted and found by Brian Sabean). my point is, i think i like baseball so much because it is so hard to succeed and STAY successful. i think i probably went off on a tangent somewhere and strayed from my original intention for this post, but oh well- its my blog. i have much more to say about all this, i just cant think of it all right now.<br /></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-33192598554636761022008-08-15T00:27:00.000-07:002008-08-15T00:54:51.200-07:00Check out them thighs!!<span style="font-size:85%;">Now this isnt meant to be insulting at all. Merely an observation.<br />While watching the Olympics the other night, and watching the women's gymnastics team choke, something was bothering me seeing Shawn Johnson on tv. </span><span style="font-size:85%;">While this definitely isnt a knock on her at all- for the record i think she is pretty for a 16 year old and the 2nd best gymnast in the world- but </span><span style="font-size:85%;">watching her and seeing how bottom heavy she was, reminded me of someone, and i couldnt place my finger on it. The sheer size of her thighs combined with her height (4'9") made her look dis proportioned.</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z0OBVYNw-Hg/SKU2Jwt7XvI/AAAAAAAAAEU/TpbvKZUDtlM/s1600-h/sj.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z0OBVYNw-Hg/SKU2Jwt7XvI/AAAAAAAAAEU/TpbvKZUDtlM/s320/sj.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234649683212328690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(By the way how could a girl from Iowa ever end up with such an African American name, when you hear the name "Shawn Johnson: dont you immediately imagine a black guy that plays for the Atlanta Falcons or something?)</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />I kept thinking all night after watching her on tv and continued today when she competed in the Singles all around competition, when it finally dawned on me! I knew who she reminded me of, and now ladies and gentlemen, may i present to you, Shawn Johnson's body twin..........<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">MAURICE JONES DREW!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0eC391u6UjaLu/340x.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 337px;" src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0eC391u6UjaLu/340x.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Again may i remind you i am not insulting her, and i think with a closer look, you will agree with me:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z0OBVYNw-Hg/SKU1p6jbedI/AAAAAAAAAEM/4keoZC9H6mA/s1600-h/mjdsj.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z0OBVYNw-Hg/SKU1p6jbedI/AAAAAAAAAEM/4keoZC9H6mA/s400/mjdsj.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234649136096836050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">You be the Judge.</span><br /></div></div></div>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-59425805425690614492008-08-14T17:49:00.000-07:002008-08-14T18:00:36.662-07:00Snoop Dogg and Buster Posey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/05Wt51nb3C2UR/340x.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/05Wt51nb3C2UR/340x.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">A few days after signing Conor Gillaspie, who is a promising 3b/2b who i hope can someday be an everyday position player, the Giants finally signed their gem draft pick Buster Posey. Posey got a ridiculous $7.5 million, but im glad the Giants still got it done and got him signed. In my mind, Posey can hopefully become a Joe Mauer like player for the Giants (knock on wood) because of his amazing batting skills (he hit a ridiculous .463 this year in college). I dont have much else to say other than i really hope we see Posey up in the majors soon and helping to contribute to an offense that sorely needs his bat.</span><br /><br /><br />- <span style="font-size:85%;">Again, i know this is completely sports unrelated, but this video was too absurd to not pass along:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v9_7ElMpil8&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v9_7ElMpil8&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Apparently Snoop was hired to do the theme song for some Bollywood movie. First, why would you choose Snoop of all people in the world. And second, this makes me question what Snoop <span style="font-style: italic;">wouldn't</span> do for money, unless he has some secret love of Bollywood.<br /></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-88612512297464876322008-08-14T01:27:00.001-07:002008-08-14T01:58:41.897-07:00Injury scares and youth movement<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080813/capt.463d5d477add438395ab8ab72ac6f694.giants_astros_baseball_txbl110.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080813/capt.463d5d477add438395ab8ab72ac6f694.giants_astros_baseball_txbl110.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">This is coming a day late, but yesterday while i was checking the boxscores for games and knowing that another promising Lincecum vs Oswalt matchup was taking place, i checked in on the game in the 5th inning with Yabu pitching. Since the score at the time was still 1-1, i immediately panicked and searched the game notes and online to see if something had happened to the cornerstone of he Giants' future success, Lincecum. I couldnt find anything, i couldnt find an updated online source that recorded pitch count, hoping that maybe Lincecum had amassed around 100 pitches in 4.1 innings. My second thought was that maybe Bochy decided to rest his young ace and for once protect the Giants' young arms, but i quickly woke up from my dream that Bochy wasnt a constant pitcher abuser, as shown by Lincecum and Cain being numbers 6 and 8 on the <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/sortable/index.php?cid=204015">pitcher abuse scale </a>in all of MLB.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />I decided that maybe everything was ok since i couldnt find anything, so i continued on with my day, half nervous that one of the Giants' lone brightspots this season, may be injured. Later that night, i was pleased to discover that The Kid was ok and was healthy enough to be walking around the clubhouse after the game and there was no fractures; just a big bruise. Im hoping that Bochy will let the young ace either skip his next start or atleast push it back a few days to insure a full recovery, AND to plan for the future. The injury scare reminded me just how unpredictable things can get when dealing with young pitchers who seem poised for stardome. God forbid if anything ever happened to Lincecum (knock on wood) id be devestated. Which brings me to a funny quote from the <a href="http://www.leftymalo.com/">Disfrute El Lefty Malo blog</a>: </span></span><p style="font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080813/capt.1c81388a21a5474bb4a3f9d2608d0372.giants_astros_baseball_txbl109.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080813/capt.1c81388a21a5474bb4a3f9d2608d0372.giants_astros_baseball_txbl109.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Bochy is flirting with a breach of the prime directive. If he were Bart Simpson, he would have to stand at the chalkboard before every game and write </span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>I promise to keep the young pitchers healthy. I promise to keep the young pitchers healthy. I promise to keep the young pitchers healthy…</em></span></p><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><br />And while it may seem like a joke, it is very serious. the Giants coaching staff, more specifically Bochy, needs to be reminded that this season doesnt mean much in the long run and that protecting our young arms for future success is what is ultimately important.<br /><br />In other big Giants news, im glad <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10192198">to report that reports say</a> that upper management is finally giving the younger players time to develop and get big league experience. </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >The Giants are call up Travis Ishikawa, Pablo Sandoval, and Ryan Rohlinger and send down John Bowker and Stephen Holm plus designating Jose Castillo for assignment. All three prospects have been tearing up the minors recently batting .312 (Ishikawa), .339 (Sandoval), and .296 (Rohlinger). While im happy with what Bowker did this year, giving Giants fans some offensive hope from the farm, he has been terrible recently. Hopefully getting these young players big league experience will help the offense in the future. Now, if only we can trade Winn for some prospects so he can stop blocking Schierholtz from getting called up and playing consistently.<br /></span>derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470617178731323002.post-18878997444054069182008-08-09T11:19:00.000-07:002008-08-09T12:00:48.117-07:00Olympic RevivalSince the Beijing Olympics started on 8/8/08, i was able to catch the opening ceremony on tv last night. As far as Olympic opening ceremonies go, from what i remember, they are usually very extravagant and over the top. However, watching the show that the Chinese put on last night stood out as even more extravagant, over the top, and more importantly, seemed like some sort of coming out party for them. For a long time, China has been rising as both an economic powerhouse and a military one with over <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_size_of_armed_forces">2 million soldiers and double that of the next closest nation</a> (who else would you guess, the US). As i watched the countdown to the opening ceremony and the 2008 drummers in the middle of the stadium drumming in unison it felt like i was watching some kind of military ceremony as the drummers seemed like they were there to intimidate more than entertain. And if intimidation was the goal, i think it may have worked to an extent.<br /><br />Opening Ceremony Drummers pt 1<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/W1nmR8Ndj7g&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/W1nmR8Ndj7g&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Opening Ceremony Drummers pt2<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="viddler" width="437" height="370"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/911fad9/"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/911fad9/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" name="viddler" width="437" height="370"></embed></object><br /><br />China has been trying to garner international recognition as a world super power for years and they viewed these Olympic games as the time when the entire world would be forced to focus in on them and i am sure they have been planning since before the day they even were selected to host the games. While the Olympic games might not hold the same importance that they once did internationally, China has clearly shown that they still hold them in very high regard. Whether you see it through their Child Athlete Schools that train young Chinese nationals since birth with the sole purpose of representing China in the Olympic games or through the tireless effort and practice you can see that has gone into planning and preparing to host the 2008 games.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/52838049.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=780858ABC91EC214F6E6A61C6BF4E9D5A40A659CEC4C8CB6"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/52838049.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=780858ABC91EC214F6E6A61C6BF4E9D5A40A659CEC4C8CB6" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I remember just a few years ago, it felt like people cared so much more about the Olympics. I dont know if its simply because i stopped caring as much about the Olympics, or people all over the world stopped paying as much attention. However, I remember watching the 1998 Olympics in Nagano late at night live on tv as Jonny Moseley won the Men's Moguls event and going to school the next day and it was what everyone was talking about. Since then, the last time anything crazy happened in the Olympics, you wouldn't hear a word about it at school, except maybe a quick, "You watch the Olympics last night?".<br /><br />But, maybe this is good for the world. Maybe China's over the top opening ceremony that has everyone talking is the start of an Olympic games that will revive international competition and the 2008 games will make the Olympics relevant again.derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194173935580655234noreply@blogger.com0