I'm not a big Home Run Derby fan. Watching guys blast their favorite kind of pitch over and over into the stands just seems... well, it's repetitive and not particularly entertaining or climactic to me. I enjoy the home run in a game setting, because it's a battle of wits and wills - the pitcher is trying to out-think the batter. There's a battle going on. That's entertaining; that's competition. But, despite that, I have to say that I'm at least a little touched by this year's Derby.
The winner was the unlikely Robinson Cano - someone I don't think I saw anyone pick to win the Derby and certainly not someone I would have picked. He hit a total of 32 home runs last night. But that's not what really stood out to me, or made me smile in a way past Derbies haven't. Cano had his father, Jose, throw pitches to him.
I smile because, in some ways, that's precisely what baseball is all about. Fathers tossing the ball around with their sons, teaching them how to catch, how to hit, etc. More than any other sport, baseball is accessible to all - you go buy a glove, buy a ball and you can play ball. Every son throws the ball with a parent at some point in his youth. That's part of what makes baseball the American Pastime, as they call it, even if the NFL has overtaken it in popularity.
Jose Cano pitched in one Major League game. He won it. It was a complete game win. He never pitched in the majors again, until his son asked him to throw him fastballs for the Home Run Derby last night. Father and son combined last night to make baseball magical for a little while; to live out a dream. Father and son, father throwing balls to his son, the son smashing them. Batting practice, just like in the ol' backyard. Every son has been there. Most fathers. But only one has gotten the chance to do it on such a stage, to win a Home Run Derby in such a fashion.
Congratulations to Robinson Cano and his father, Jose, on winning the Derby. But more than that, congratulations on living a dream last night, on making a memory that resonates across every baseball fan in America, but I know sits most prized in your hearts. Well done, sirs.
NBA Europe?
Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets is planning to take himself to Turkey in the fall to play European basketball if the lockout isn't settled, and has speculated publicly that other stars may do the same.
I'm not really sure about that. The European leagues have always seemed like a last resort for players - guys like Allen Iverson who won't accept a sixth-man role in the NBA, for example. They don't have the pockets the NBA does, and while making something in Europe is better than making nothing during a lockout, I feel like it could damage the players if they're taking lower pay in Europe during the labor dispute here.
This is another way the NBA lockout differs from the NFL: the NBA players can go play in Europe, although not for the money they make here. I'm curious to see if anyone else follows Deron Williams over, but I think that'll become more clear as the lockout stretches on. It's still in its infant stages right now, and if it hits September without any significant work getting done, I think we'll see a shift in attitudes and some stars might have to mull the decision Williams has already made.
Showing posts with label nba lockout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nba lockout. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Monday, July 4th - The MLB All-Star Rosters
The rosters for the MLB All-Star Game were announced yesterday, with a vote for the "extra" (34th) member of each team still pending. As usual, the roster announcement brings a mix of fanfare and criticism. I won't go into great depth today, as a sprained wrist is making typing difficult, but I wanted to keep my daily update in and make some quick notes on some selections.
First, congratulations to all 24 first-time All-Stars, including Detroit's second-year catcher, Alex Avila, and Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens. For the most part, I think the rosters look good. Barring a couple people, almost all are deserving. Two notables in the AL I'm less sure of are Derek Jeter and Josh Hamilton. Jeter's been hurt and having something of a down year, yet is an All-Star starter. Detroit homer bias aside, I feel Jhonny Peralta was a more deserving choice. I'm also unsure how Hamilton got in; he's doing well enough, but missed almost half of the season up to now. One shocker to me, though, is how C.C. Sabathia didn't get in. Absolutely ludicrous; he's one of top-3 pitchers in the AL. Although the Yankees always end up with too many All-Stars anyway, he was one who was truly deserving. Then again, he's scheduled to start on Sunday and wouldn't likely play, anyway.
I'll delve into this a little deeper later this week when I can type comfortably at length again.
Around the Leagues - MLB:
Detroit 6, San Francisco 3 - Five runs in the sixth and after spur the Tigers to victory after a big loss the night before.
Toronto 7, Philadelphia 4 - Cliff Lee's scoreless innings streak ends at 35 as the Jays save themselves from a sweep.
Cincinnati 7, Cleveland 5 - The Reds get their first season win against the Tribe in the finale, avoiding a season sweep against their in-state rival.
NY Mets 3, NY Yankees 2 - Tying it in the ninth, the Mets win on a Jason Bay RBI single in the tenth inning.
Baltimore 5, Atlanta 4 - Mark Reynolds followed up his 2-HR effort yesterday with another that ultimately provided the game-winning runs in the eighth.
Pittsburgh 10, Washington 2 - Kevin Correia pitches strong to join the rest of the league leaders with 11 wins.
Tampa Bay 8, St. Louis 3 - The Rays finish strong with 2 runs in the sixth and 3 in the eighth to clinch the win.
Boston 2, Houston 1 - Josh Beckett dominated for eight innings, throwing 11 strikeouts and allowing only one run.
Minnesota 9, Milwaukee 7 - After starter Nick Blackburn struggled through four, the Twins righted the ship with a seventh-inning rally to take the series.
Chi. Cubs 3, Chi. White Sox 1 - Rodrigo Lopez threw a two-hitter through eight and Aramis Ramirez belted a two-run HR to lift the Cubs.
Kansas City 16, Colorado 8 - The Royals put up a season-high 21 hits, 12 of which were for extra bases, as they routed the Rockies.
Oakland 7, Arizona 2 - Gio Gonzalez, a newly-named first-time All-Star, pitched seven innings of one-run ball, fanning seven along the way.
Seattle 3, San Diego 1 - Rookie Blake Beaven won his first Major League start, allowing one run and three hits over seven innings.
Florida 6, Texas 4 - Four runs in the top of the eighth put the Marlins back into this game and picked them up the series win.
LA Angels 3, LA Dodgers 1 - After five scoreless innings, Russell Branyan's first career HR - a two-run shot in the seventh - put the Angels over the top.
Around the Leagues - NBA:
The lockout is in effect and many are projecting that at least part of the season, if not all, will be lost. No news to report on this front. Both sides are ready for a showdown.
Free agency is on hold while the lockout is in effect.
Around the Leagues - NFL:
Still locked out here, too, although both sides have been talking at length over the past couple weeks. Negotiations are scheduled to resume tomorrow as the deadline nears for getting an agreement in place before preseason games get axed.
Around the Leagues - NHL:
Free agency is moving players all over, but the biggest news was Brad Richards signing with the New York Rangers for 9 years and $60M. Jaromir Jagr is a Flyer, somehow extorting $3.3M out of them for the coming year.
The Sharks and Wild, who made a surprising draft-day trade, joined again, this time trading Danny Heatley for Martin Havlat, as the Sharks sought to replace some of the speed they lost when they traded away Devin Setoguchi. Havlat waived a no-trade clause to join a team that made it to the Western Conference Finals the last two years. I believe this trade favors the Sharks, as Havlat was a bright spot for the otherwise anemic Wild offense last season. However, Heatley and Setoguchi could make up for that. Much their previous trade, I believe this makes both teams better.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Friday, July 1st - The NBA is locked out.
We all knew it was coming, but...
The NBA is officially locked out its players with the expiration of its collective bargaining agreement last night. This is no surprise; almost everyone knew it was coming. It appears that even the negotiations the past week or so were expecting it. Unlike the NFL, there was no extension, no eleventh-hour attempts to work it out. And, truth be told, this lockout means business.
The NFL lockout is, in truth, a simple matter. No one is losing money in the NFL. When the NFLPA pushed the owners to prove that there was a single team losing money, the owners ignored the request. Too bad for them that one team is publicly owned - the Green Bay Packers - meaning their finances are available to the public. The Packers, while operating at less of a profit than a year before, were still making millions of dollars in profit. The NFL lockout, as we've come to realize, is primarily two things: billionaires and millionaires fighting over a revenue split between them, and it's a battle of wills between Roger Goodell and DeMaurce Smith, the NFL commissioner and union chief, respectively, who are both at the helm of their first labor battle. Both know that their legacies could depend on the deal that comes out of it, and so there's been plenty of ridiculous posturing from both.
Because the NFL lockout is a simple matter, it's no surprise to see both sides coming together amiably again now that the threat of lost games draws near. The NFL needs a deal within the next two weeks before preseason games start to die - and believe it or not, the owners make money off of those. No one in the NFL wants to miss games; everyone - owners and players - profit from them. What makes the NBA lockout a more significant problem is that not every owner is profiting - according to the league, 22 of 30 teams are running at a loss. To put it simply: it's cheaper for 22 owners to not play games at all than it is to open their doors. That, readers, is a very serious problem.
With no doubt, the NBA players union will refute those numbers, and maybe they're not entirely accurate - but even if that's a projected or embellished number, it seems almost certain that there are teams that are operating in red ink. Maybe it's 15 instead of 22, but even that is a huge number. Even 10 is a huge number. Even 1 is too many. Right now, the players end up with 57% of league revenues. The owners, before the lockout began, stated they wanted that to change to a 60/40 split - in their favor. The owners are also fixated on adopting a hard salary cap - like the NFL and, after their missed season due to lockout in 2004-05, the NHL - something the players are steadfast against.
One thing the NBA has going for it is that the commissioner is David Stern and the union chief is Billy Hunter: two men who have been at the helm for their respective sides in labor disputes before, notably when the 1998-99 season was threatened. Unlike Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith, who haven't yet engaged each other in labor battle, these two men are familiar with each other and have worked together before. They won't be posturing to see who has the bigger... well, you catch my drift. Their legacies are already mostly in place, whereas the two NFL men are just starting to build theirs. Stern and Hunter know what's at stake.
And yet, it won't be enough. I said when the NFL lockout was beginning to take shape that it would be nothing, just an appetizer to whet our tastes for the real labor spectacle: the NBA lockout. That the NFL is still locked out, that the NFL season is threatened, that no deal is in place yet are all laughable truths. It's unfortunate, but it doesn't change the fact that the prevailing dispute is over who gets more from the sizable pie of NFL profits. That's all. There's no one bleeding red ink. There's no broken system in which small-market teams are preyed upon by the big-market teams (who headline the playoffs every year; those that do in the NFL do so because of savvy front-office leaders). The NFL also has a longer off-season to fight over this stuff - the playoffs end in February, no season games are played again until September - almost seven months. The NBA season wraps up in June and starts again in October - four months. There are NBA teams awash in red ink. Small-market teams want a salary cap so they can be competitive and not watch every valuable player they obtain walk when they become a free agent. The NBA, folks, has some serious problems. I said it mid-season and I'll say it again, now, formally in writing - the NBA will not play a 2011-12 season.
Around the MLB -
Boston 5, Philadelphia 2 - Lester's shutout-through-seven helps save the Red Sox from a sweep.
NY Yankees 5, Milwaukee 0 - Sabathia shuts down his old team with 13 strikeouts through 7 innings for his 11th win.
Detroit 5, NY Mets 2 - He wasn't amazing, but Verlander gave the Tigers what they needed - a solid game allowing 1 run through seven innings for his 11th win.
Chi. Cubs 5, San Francisco 2 - A solo shot to tie it in the bottom of the ninth and a walk-off 3-run HR in the 13th win it for the Cubs.
Chi. White Sox 6, Colorado 4 - Juan Pierre's 2-run RBI single in the top of the 10th holds up and wins it for the White Sox.
Florida 5, Oakland 4 - Chris Volstad dominates for seven innnings as the Marlins take the series win.
St. Louis 9, Baltimore 6 - Lance Berkman powers two HRs - one from each side of the plate - to give the Cards the sweep.
Pittsburgh 6, Toronto 2 - Two runs allowed over seven by Jeff Karstens gives the Pirates all they need to hold onto a series win.
Houston 7, Texas 0 - The Astros lose the series, but avoid the sweep, thanks to a huge four-run fifth inning.
The NBA is officially locked out its players with the expiration of its collective bargaining agreement last night. This is no surprise; almost everyone knew it was coming. It appears that even the negotiations the past week or so were expecting it. Unlike the NFL, there was no extension, no eleventh-hour attempts to work it out. And, truth be told, this lockout means business.
The NFL lockout is, in truth, a simple matter. No one is losing money in the NFL. When the NFLPA pushed the owners to prove that there was a single team losing money, the owners ignored the request. Too bad for them that one team is publicly owned - the Green Bay Packers - meaning their finances are available to the public. The Packers, while operating at less of a profit than a year before, were still making millions of dollars in profit. The NFL lockout, as we've come to realize, is primarily two things: billionaires and millionaires fighting over a revenue split between them, and it's a battle of wills between Roger Goodell and DeMaurce Smith, the NFL commissioner and union chief, respectively, who are both at the helm of their first labor battle. Both know that their legacies could depend on the deal that comes out of it, and so there's been plenty of ridiculous posturing from both.
Because the NFL lockout is a simple matter, it's no surprise to see both sides coming together amiably again now that the threat of lost games draws near. The NFL needs a deal within the next two weeks before preseason games start to die - and believe it or not, the owners make money off of those. No one in the NFL wants to miss games; everyone - owners and players - profit from them. What makes the NBA lockout a more significant problem is that not every owner is profiting - according to the league, 22 of 30 teams are running at a loss. To put it simply: it's cheaper for 22 owners to not play games at all than it is to open their doors. That, readers, is a very serious problem.
With no doubt, the NBA players union will refute those numbers, and maybe they're not entirely accurate - but even if that's a projected or embellished number, it seems almost certain that there are teams that are operating in red ink. Maybe it's 15 instead of 22, but even that is a huge number. Even 10 is a huge number. Even 1 is too many. Right now, the players end up with 57% of league revenues. The owners, before the lockout began, stated they wanted that to change to a 60/40 split - in their favor. The owners are also fixated on adopting a hard salary cap - like the NFL and, after their missed season due to lockout in 2004-05, the NHL - something the players are steadfast against.
One thing the NBA has going for it is that the commissioner is David Stern and the union chief is Billy Hunter: two men who have been at the helm for their respective sides in labor disputes before, notably when the 1998-99 season was threatened. Unlike Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith, who haven't yet engaged each other in labor battle, these two men are familiar with each other and have worked together before. They won't be posturing to see who has the bigger... well, you catch my drift. Their legacies are already mostly in place, whereas the two NFL men are just starting to build theirs. Stern and Hunter know what's at stake.
And yet, it won't be enough. I said when the NFL lockout was beginning to take shape that it would be nothing, just an appetizer to whet our tastes for the real labor spectacle: the NBA lockout. That the NFL is still locked out, that the NFL season is threatened, that no deal is in place yet are all laughable truths. It's unfortunate, but it doesn't change the fact that the prevailing dispute is over who gets more from the sizable pie of NFL profits. That's all. There's no one bleeding red ink. There's no broken system in which small-market teams are preyed upon by the big-market teams (who headline the playoffs every year; those that do in the NFL do so because of savvy front-office leaders). The NFL also has a longer off-season to fight over this stuff - the playoffs end in February, no season games are played again until September - almost seven months. The NBA season wraps up in June and starts again in October - four months. There are NBA teams awash in red ink. Small-market teams want a salary cap so they can be competitive and not watch every valuable player they obtain walk when they become a free agent. The NBA, folks, has some serious problems. I said it mid-season and I'll say it again, now, formally in writing - the NBA will not play a 2011-12 season.
Around the MLB -
Boston 5, Philadelphia 2 - Lester's shutout-through-seven helps save the Red Sox from a sweep.
NY Yankees 5, Milwaukee 0 - Sabathia shuts down his old team with 13 strikeouts through 7 innings for his 11th win.
Detroit 5, NY Mets 2 - He wasn't amazing, but Verlander gave the Tigers what they needed - a solid game allowing 1 run through seven innings for his 11th win.
Chi. Cubs 5, San Francisco 2 - A solo shot to tie it in the bottom of the ninth and a walk-off 3-run HR in the 13th win it for the Cubs.
Chi. White Sox 6, Colorado 4 - Juan Pierre's 2-run RBI single in the top of the 10th holds up and wins it for the White Sox.
Florida 5, Oakland 4 - Chris Volstad dominates for seven innnings as the Marlins take the series win.
St. Louis 9, Baltimore 6 - Lance Berkman powers two HRs - one from each side of the plate - to give the Cards the sweep.
Pittsburgh 6, Toronto 2 - Two runs allowed over seven by Jeff Karstens gives the Pirates all they need to hold onto a series win.
Houston 7, Texas 0 - The Astros lose the series, but avoid the sweep, thanks to a huge four-run fifth inning.
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