Utes dispose of Cal 37-27 in Poinsettia Bowl December 23, 2009
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Heading into its game at Washington, Cal still had the chance to end up in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, a prize usually reserved for the second place team in the Pac-10.
But Cal lost to Washington and ended up in San Diego for a different bowl: The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. Worse yet, the Bears could not finish their season with a win, falling to Utah 37-27 in a game that was only close for a few plays in the first and fourth quarters.
“It was really a snowball effect,” said running back Shane Vereen, who started in place of the injured Jahvid Best. “We were on track in the beginning and then we just lost our execution.” (more…)
Ichiro and Hunter win Gold Gloves…again November 10, 2009
Posted by Jordan Guinn in 1.Tags: brett favre, gold glove, ichiro suzuki, Jay-Z, Torii Hunter
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In the last nine years, the economy has gone from mighty juggernaut to slightly healthier than a veal calf. We thought the World was coming to an end (Y2K) and we watched Jay-Z and Brett Favre retire and come back. Some of us even watched two American League players become arguably the greatest fielders at their respective positions in more than a generation.
Torii Hunter and Ichiro Suzuki are consistently flawless fielders. Anyone who cannot achieve joy watching Hunter track down a rocket in the gap or isn’t floored by Ichiro’s m16a2 of a right arm doesn’t deserve love. (more…)
Frank McCourt cans wife October 22, 2009
Posted by Jordan Guinn in 1, MLB.Tags: divorce, Frank McCourt, Jamie McCourt, los angeles dodgers, manny ramirez, Terrell Owens
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Frank McCourt is making me put aside my hatred for all things related to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a minute by firing his wife. Awesome.
The Round-up: Sabean and Bochy get extended, the no-name Broncos keep winning, and A-Fraud channels Mr. October October 13, 2009
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One of the few decision Brian Sabean got right: drafting Tim Lincecum. Photo from user rocor on Flickr.
Rewarding dumb luck and failure
The San Francisco Giants managing partner Bill Neukom, in his goofy-ass-bow-tie-wearing wisdom, gave general manager Brain Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy two-year extensions today with options for third years. Bochy has been there for three years, and whether or not he’s been successful is up for interpretation – after all, in what sport is the head coach/manager more useless than in baseball?
But Sabean, who is the longest-tenured general manager in baseball with 13 years on the job, should have been handed his walking papers. The Giants haven’t made the playoffs in six seasons, and have been to the postseason only four times during Sabean’s tenure.
A lot of fans might cite the team’s resurgent 2009 campaign as proof of Sabean’s value, but what has he really done? He has horrendously overpaid for free agents the last few years (Barry Zito: seven years, $126 million; Aaron Rowand: five years, $60 million; Edgar Renteria: two years, $18.5 million), who have vastly underperformed, and hasn’t won a damn thing since Barry Bonds left.
The only two players he has drafted who have star power are Tim Lincecum, a can’t-miss type pick at tenth overall in 2006; and the Kung-Fu Panda, Pablo Sandoval, who spent nearly five years languishing in the minors and shocked everyone with a great season this year. Matt Cain has also developed into a solid starting pitcher, but what irreplaceable position players has Sabean drafted or developed?
2009 was likely more of an aberration than a sign of things to come, especially since Sabes said recently that the team doesn’t plan to add a bat in the offseason. That should really improve the team’s RBI total (29th in the majors) or batting average (25th).
Decisions like this one are what will keep the Giants forever trailing the cross-bay Oakland A’s in world championships. In case you forgot, Giants fans, the A’s have the lead in that category 4-0.
Who are these guys?
The fact that the Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots on Sunday in overtime is amazing, but what’s most impressive is the way they did it. After looking like they’d be another foil for Tom Brady’s passing attack, the Broncos held the Pats scoreless after halftime and rattled off 13 unanswered points in a 20-17 win.
But these Broncos aren’t your daddy’s John Elway-Terrell Davis-Rod Smith Broncs. This squad is led by the much-maligned Kyle Orton, disgruntled receiver Brandon Marshall and rookie running back Knowshon Moreno (on a side note, isn’t Knowshon a freaking awesome name?). Without any serious superstars on either side of the ball, the Broncos are finding ways to win close games virtually every week. After starting the season against a middling group of opponents (9-11 combined record), the Broncos solidified themselves as legitimate contenders by beating the formerly 3-1 Patriots.
The defense is the primary reason, as Denver has surrendered only 8.6 points per game (first in the NFL) and is second overall in total defense. Combine that with the careful play of Orton, who has turned the ball over only once in five games, and you have a recipe for success. As much as it kills me inside to say it, Denver will be definitely be playing football in January.
Well lookie who found their bats
Vladimir Guerrero decided to become clutch for the first time in his career, delivering the two-run death blow against the Boston Red Sox in the top of the ninth Sunday to lead the Angels to a 7-6 victory. Guerrero’s postseason at-bats had been pathetic at best before this year (.240 career average), but he came up huge in Fenway Park to complete the sweep.
Another former choker who suddenly learned how to swing in big spots is a rejuvenated Alex Rodriguez. The Yankee third baseman not only had an RBI single in the sixth inning to tie Game 2 against the Twins, he then went on to hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game into extras. A-Rod repeated the heroics with a tying home run in the top of the seventh in Game 3. Overall he batted .455 with 6 RBI in the Yankees’ three-game sweep of Minnesota.
A-Rod's bat has finally become something to fear in October. Photo from user Wigstruck on Flickr.
The Angels and Yankees will begin a best-of-seven series Friday night, and the Yanks have to be the clear favorites. If A-Rod continues to perform the way he did against Minnesota, there is no way the Angels can overcome New York’s powerful offense. Then again, the Angels have certainly had the Yankees’ number over the past few seasons: they are 33-21 against the Bronx Bombers since 2005. Maybe having Kate Hudson watching from the stands will continue to power A-Rod’s resurgance.
The Present ain’t Pretty, but the Future is Bright in Oakland September 3, 2009
Posted by Fernando Gallo in 1, General News, MLB.Tags: baseball, billy beane, MLB, moneyball, oakland a's, oakland athletics
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By Fernando Gallo
To the casual fan, the Oakland Athletics are pathetic: They trail the AL West-leading Angels by nearly 20 games, and their offense ranks near the bottom of the league in home runs (27th), batting average (24th), slugging (28th), and even Billy Beane’s beloved on-base percentage (22nd). For many A’s fans, this has been a season to forget, and we all know that the Eastern Seaboard Propaganda Network (also known as ESPN) never has a problem ignoring West Coast teams.
But the truth of the matter is that Beane has done it again – he has worked some magic and amassed a wealth of young talent. The writing was on the wall after the A’s last postseason run to the ALCS in 2006. Even though they finally got over the first-round hump that had dogged Beane’s celebrated tenure as general manager, that team was not built for the long hall: Barry Zito was in the last year of his deal, and his numbers were already on a downswing that would continue in San Francisco (ha ha); Esteban Loaiza’s career was winding down (it ended in 2008); despite his MVP-caliber season, at 38, Frank Thomas didn’t have many homers left in him; and Eric Chavez and Rich Harden were showing signs of the injury-plagued years that were to come. All of these pieces were key to Oakland’s rise, and their shelf life was dwindling fast.
So Beane did what Beane does best: He sold high and got some great young prospects in return. Despite the fact that he was becoming a dominant pitcher, Danny Haren was dealt for a cavalcade of minor leaguers. Many other veterans soon followed, and Oakland would rightfully earn the moniker of the Triple A’s as the prospects rolled in.
Now fast forward to 2009: The last three seasons have helped to develop some fantastic arms, including starting pitchers Brett Anderson (21-years-old), Trevor Cahill (21), Gio Gonzalez (23), and closer Andrew Bailey (25). Among those pitchers, both Anderson and Gonzalez appear to have ace-quality talent: After struggling mightily with control issues, Gonzalez has surrendered less than three runs in five of his last eight starts and is averaging better than 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Anderson appears to be hitting the proverbial wall, struggling in his last few starts, but he has had some brilliant outings this season, including a 2-hit shutout in his first career start at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. Cahill has also strung a few good starts together, and the flame-throwing Bailey was the A’s lone All-star representative in July – he currently has 21 saves in 25 chances.
Overall, the A’s have four rookie pitchers and 12 players on the everyday roster with three years of big league experience or less. Catcher Kurt Suzuki has proven himself to be a very dependable hitter (.271 career average and .405 career slugging percentage), as well as a strong leader among the pitching staff. And outfielder Rajai Davis has been a classic Beane diamond in the rough: After being cut by the rival San Francisco Giants two years ago, Davis has claimed the starting spot in centerfield with a .298 average and 30 stolen bases.
One of the most interesting developments for the A’s has been the evolution of their enigmatic general manager. Loved by stat geeks and hated by old-schoolers, Beane has been told that his vaunted “Moneyball” methods have failed in the long haul, but that is definitely not the case. Howard Bryant of ESPN wrote an article that was surprisingly even-keel by ESPN standards (but way too long), and he explains what many A’s fans have known for a long time: It’s not that Beane’s methods didn’t work – it’s that they worked too well. The Red Sox figured out that Beane’s ideas were worth copying, and their payroll dwarfs Oakland’s. The result? Two championships in four years.
“Moneyball” was never about on-base percentage; it was about exploiting the inefficiencies in the market. Home runs and .300 batting averages will always be expensive, but Beane tried to find the things that helped win games and were much cheaper than the conventional stats. In 2002, it was on-base percentage. Now that everyone has caught up to the on-base revolution, Beane has been forced to find new inefficiencies and change his methods.
So what is undervalued right now? Speed and defense. Beane was a fervent hater of the stolen base, as reflected by his team’s stats: The A’s haven‘t finished better than 14th in the majors in stolen bases since 2002, and have finished dead last in that category three times in that span. Beane felt that the risk of losing a base runner outweighed the benefit of a possible stolen base, so he never acquired speedsters and the A’s never ran. But this year, the A’s are fifth overall in steals, and Davis has been allowed to run hog wild on the base paths.
Defense has always been a hard quality to measure statistically, so Beane ignored it for the most part. He opted to try to hide bad defenders in the corner outfield spots or at first base, but lately defense has made a comeback. The re-signing of Mark Ellis proves that point: Beane doesn’t find .267 career hitters that appealing, but he gave Ellis a two-year deal in 2008 because of his great defense at second base.
So what does this all mean? It means fear not, A’s fans – your team is still in good hands. The young pitchers have gained valuable on the job training this season, and the team has switched to a six-man rotation for the rest of the year to allow the kids to rest. Beane still has to prove that he can develop a power hitter (he hasn’t had much success in doing so since Eric Chavez), but there are many viable candidates for that role in the minor leagues. All of the trades have always been part of a long-term plan, with the one-year veteran deals just there to ensure the team stays competitive. The A’s will soon be just a veteran or two away from the postseason (like they were in 2006), and a long playoff run is on the horizon. In the meantime… there’s always football!
Ichiro: I’m too sexy for home runs August 27, 2009
Posted by Fernando Gallo in 1, MLB.Tags: baseball, home runs, ichiro suzuki, MLB, seattle mariners
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By Fernando Gallo
Everyone’s favorite slap-hitter, Ichiro Suzuki, was featured in a New York Times article on Saturday, and although I tend to stay away from that elitist snob-fest, this story was too good to pass up. It discusses Ichiro’s many talents, but also has a priceless quote from the king of the first 90 feet.
“Chicks who dig home runs aren’t the ones who appeal to me,” he said. “I think there’s sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I’d rather impress the chicks with my technique than with my brute strength. Then, every now and then, just to show I can do that, too, I might flirt a little by hitting one out.”
As a fan of true baseball, and not just ‘roid-induced home run derby-style games, I can respect the value of singles and infield hits. But calling infield hits sexy? Wishful thinking there, Ichiro. For proof, look no further than a man Ichiro is so often compared to, Pete Rose. “Charlie Hustle” was many things: A great hitter, gritty competitor, gambling manager – but certainly not sexy. But hey, maybe I’m wrong: You be the judge on that one.
For all of his accomplishments, Ichiro is still just a glorified lead-off man. He has speed, defense and the ability to hit for average, but he doesn’t walk nearly enough (even though his batting average is third-best in the majors, his on-base percentage is 27th) and he’s only reached double-digit home runs twice over his nine-year career. There are always rumors that Ichiro has great power in batting practice, but simply chooses not to utilize it in order to get more hits. But what Mariners fan wouldn’t trade in a 30-point drop in Ichiro’s average in order to get some more home runs? Since 2002, the Mariners haven’t ranked higher than 18th in the majors in team home runs – coincidentally, guess when the last time they made the playoffs was?
You may find some chicks that dig you, Ichiro, but October clearly digs the long ball. By the way, what do you care about chicks, anyway – you’re married! Who do you think you are, Andrei Kirilenko?
Zito’s biggest challenge yet August 24, 2009
Posted by Fernando Gallo in 1.Tags: barry zito, baseball, colorado rockies, MLB, NL West, playoffs, san francisco giants, wild card race
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By Jordan Guinn
Barry Zito doing what he does best: looking ridiculous. Find information about this photo from Flickr user slgckgc here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/slgc/ / CC BY 2.0
Barry Zito must go deep for the San Francisco Giants on Monday in the final game of a four-game set against the Colorado Rockies. By far, this is Zito’s biggest start as a member of the orange and black. While all the starts at this point of the season are big, Zito has never faced this sort of pressure in his two and a half seasons with the Giants.
He has always been considered a second-half pitcher, but the Giants have always been well out of contention by late August since he signed his insanely ridiculous seven-year, $126 million contract.
A win tonight would bring the Giants within two games of Colorado, while a loss would put the team four games back in the wild card race. A loss tonight certainly wouldn’t spell the end of the season for the Giants, but it would provide them with a winning record on their current 11-game road trip and a series split with a team they are trailing in a tight race.
Few have been more critical of Zito than myself. I have blasted him on Facebook, previous columns and in person at AT&T Park. I understand that he has the worst run support in baseball this season. I also understand this is the best he has pitched since donning a Giants uniform. However, that isn’t saying much. Zito has made great steps this year and has the opportunity to endear himself more to faithful Giants fans like myself. The Giants must give him some runs, but Zito cannot have a meltdown against Jason Marquis on Monday, he cannot exit before the sixth inning and he cannot give up more than two runs.
For the love of God Zito, keep the team in the game.
The Round-Up: Some serious jaw-ing going on in Oakland; the Mets just can’t catch a break August 24, 2009
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by Fernando Gallo
I don’t know if he’s a good coach, but he’s got a monster left hook
So Tom Cable was somehow involved in the breaking of assistant coach Randy Hanson’s jaw – are we supposed to be surprised about this? In recent years, there hasn’t been a more dysfunctional franchise in professional sports than the Oakland Raiders. There are pathetic teams (hello Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Pirates), but Oakland is the only team that still makes it entertaining. The real trouble is not Hanson’s broken jaw, or even that the Napa, Calif. police are investigating the matter – the real concern for Raider Nation is that Cable is not the first head coach to have problems with Hanson. Lane Kiffin suspended Hanson last season, which was reportedly one of the things that set Al Davis off and played a part in his firing (although I suppose losing 15 of 20 games didn’t help). If cryptkeeper, er, Davis wants Hanson there, he ain’t going anywhere, so Cable better find somewhere quiet to put him and then leave him alone. Otherwise, Cable will be adding to California’s horrendous unemployment rate.
And yet, they still charge full price to go to the games
What do we know so far about the NFL in 2009, based on two weeks of preseason? The Raiders are second in points per game (25.5), the Cardinals are second-to-last (8), Tarvaris Jackson completed 12 of 15 passes to spark a great comeback win for Minnesota, and 49ers rookie running back Glen Coffee has more than three times as many rushing yards (196) as Adrian Peterson (64). Which proves yet again that the preseason is about as meaningless as a Clippers – Bobcats game in April.
Three outs, one player, zero happiness in Queens
Eric Bruntlett of the Phillies completed an unassisted triple play on Sunday, which doesn’t seem that special, but you’d be surprised: There have actually been fewer of them than perfect games. Bruntlett’s feat was the fifteenth such accomplishment in major league history, while Mark Buehrle threw baseball’s eighteenth perfect game this season. The fact that it happened against the Mets to end a game in which they had two runners on with no outs is more noteworthy to me. Since New York’s spectacular collapse to lose the NL East on the last day of the season in 2007, has there been a team with worse luck? In 2008, the Mets were eliminated from the playoffs on the season’s last day yet again (and both times the Marlins did them in), and they’ve celebrated the opening of a new stadium by stumbling to a 57-67 record. If it weren’t for the fact that they play in the same division as the lowly Washington Nationals, the Mets would surely be in last place.
You Should Have Voted for the Kung Fu Panda July 9, 2009
Posted by Fernando Gallo in 1.Tags: all-star game, MLB, pablo sandoval, san francisco giants
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By Jordan Guinn
Baseball’s All-Star game is set to take place next week and we here at Unsportsmanlike Conduct relish and look forward to the festivities every year. We could rail against the laughable stipulation to the game that requires the winning league to receive home field advantage during the World Series, but that topic has been done more than Kate Hudson (no easy feat). With the exception of one final player for each team, the rosters have already been announced. That’s right, thanks to the Sprint Final Vote, the San Francisco Giants had the possibility to send three players to the Midsummer Classic in St. Louis. (more…)
The Roundup: Marshall on the move? Kobe gets his and the boy wonder skips the prom June 16, 2009
Posted by Fernando Gallo in 1, General News.Tags: brandon marshall, bryce harper, denver broncos, kobe bryant, los angeles lakers, MLB, NBA, NFL, phil jackson, prince fielder
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Press coverage? No problem. But watch out for that Big Mac box! Photo by user Jeffrey Beall on Flickr.
I’m Lovin’ it
Brandon Marshall is a dope, plain and simple. He’s also immature, as evidenced by his inability to take the hit for previous injuries he inflicted on himself by supposedly slipping on a McDonald’s wrapper. As a man who’s enjoyed his share of McChickens in his day, I can tell you that I’ve never been close to slipping on a wrapper. I guess making a tip-toe catch in the back of the endzone is easier than avoiding a piece of paper from Mickey D’s.
But now Marshall has decided he’s done with the Denver Broncos, and everyone has a different opinion about what happens next. Should the Broncos trade him? No. As much of a child as Marshall is, he is still very talented and the Broncos need all the talent they can get right now. But then again, they shouldn’t have traded Jay Cutler, and we all know how that worked out. Josh McDaniels can’t afford to have disgruntled players in his first year as head coach, so Denver is likely to move Marshall if they get a decent offer. The Jets, Bears and Raiders are all teams that would get immediate upgrades from a guy like Marshall, provided he doesn’t fall over a Chicken McNuggets box at some point in 2009. (more…)
