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MLB – National League 2012 Season Preview

04 Apr

The major league baseball season is right around the corner – actually, it’s already started with a series between Seattle and Oakland in Japan – so it’s time to preview the races in both leagues for 2012, starting with the National League.

The balance of power looks like it’s shifted from the NL to the American League this season, with 2 of the game’s premier hitters – Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder – signing with AL clubs. The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals appear to be a classic one-year wonder champ, with Pujols gone, manager Tony LaRussa retired and pitcher Chis Carpenter recovering from injury. The San Francisco Giants, champs of the previous season, have arguably the best pitching in the NL and will be contenders. The best team in the league, however, has to be the Philadelphia Phillies, who have all the ingredients to reach the World Series, besides maybe a proven closer. The biggest challenge to the Fightin’ Phils in the NL East may come, surprisingly, from the up-and-coming Washington Nationals. They’ll be an improved club, especially if pitching phenom Steven Strasburg is recovered from injury. Another possible East challenger could be the Miami Marlins. The Fish are traditionally a scrappy team, and the boost they get from playing in their new stadium, coupled with the signing of shortstop Jose Reyes, should give them a lot of positive momentum.  I see both the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets headed for long losing years.

Despite the loss of Pujols and LaRussa, the Cards could have enough left to at least reclaim the NL Central title, although I believe the Cincinnati Reds will rebound from a disappointing 2011 campaign and win the division. The rest of division looks like a group of pretenders. The Milwaukee Brewers had a great 2011 campaign but lost Fielder and saw slugger Ryan Braun tainted with a possible steroids scandal. The doormat Pittsburgh Pirates could surprise and stay in contention if some of their youngsters develop, but at this point the Reds look like the better club. The Houston Astros definitely will bring up the rear in this division.

I see the Giants reclaiming dominance in the NL West, with defending division champ Arizona backsliding. The Giants’ biggest challengers will be their hated rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, rejuvenated under a new ownership group that includes former Laker great Magic Johnson. The Colorado Rockies, in my opinion, are also a better team than the Diamondbacks, and will be right there in the race with San Fran and the Dodgers. The San Diego Padres, unfortunately, will finish in the basement of this division. In the end, I see the Phillies representing the Senior Circuit in the Series, although the health of Chase Utley is a concern.

 
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Posted in Baseball

 

Classic Team Logo of The Day

04 Apr

Logo of another legendary team from the old Negro Leagues, the Newark Eagles. Playing in the Negro National League from 1933 to 1948, the team boasted many famous African American future major leaguers, including Larry Doby, the first player to integrate the American League, Monte Irvin, Don Newcombe and four players who never got the opportunity to play in the majors but were elected the baseball’s Hall of Fame on the merits of their Negro League years – Willie Wells, Ray Dandridge, Biz Mackie and Leon Day. The Eagles were said to be, in Newark’s black community, the equivalent of what the Dodgers were to Brooklyn.

 
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Classic Sports Card of The Day

04 Apr

Courtesy of www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1985 Fleer baseball card of former major league outfielder Jose Cruz, who is a member of a royal baseball family. He is the brother of former major leaguers Hector and Tommy Cruz, and his son, Jose Jr., also was a star major leaguer. Cruz had a long career spanning 19 seasons with 3 teams, primarily the Houston Astros. Aside from Roberto Clemente, he is the most famous Puerto Rican-born player. His 6 career walk-off home runs are still an Astro team record, and he had an outstanding NLCS playoff series in a losing cause in 1980, batting .400 in the dramatic five-game series loss to the Phillies.

 
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Random Sports Thoughts

25 Mar

A lot of great sports stories came and went, in all 4 major professional sports, during the month when Rayonsports.com was on hiatus battling technical issues with WordPress. Here are some random thoughts on those stories:

* The off-season in major league baseball was very interesting, as a couple of high-profile free agents, both power hitters in their prime, hit the market, and for the first time in years, the usual high rollers, most notably the New York Yankees, weren’t major players. Albert Pujols, probably the best hitter active in the majors right now, signed with Anaheim, making the Angels a top favorite to represent the American League in the World Series this year. Then Prince Fielder, surprisingly, signed with his dad’s old team, the Detroit Tigers, making an already top contending AL team that much more of a power. It seems as though the Yankees weren’t factors in pursuing either player – for a couple of reasons – one being that offense really isn’t something the Yanks need, their problem is pitching – and the other being that Hal Steinbrenner appears to be taking a different approach than his father. He has made statements that he believes the team can win by building from within, with a much lower payroll than in the past.

* The Buffalo Sabres made a trade at the NHL deadline in which both the Sabres and their trading partners, the Vancouver Canucks, looked like they were giving up on former high first round draft picks. Buffalo, in dire need of help at the center position, got young Cody Hodgson in exchange for winger Zack Kassian, and also gave up Marc-Andre Gragnani, who was supposed to be an up-and-coming defenseman in their system, for a throw-in – Alex Sulzer. In dealing Kassian and Paul Gaustad, the Sabres, who are constantly criticized for a lack of character and soft play, traded away two players whose main contributions are in those areas. Hodgson did next to nothing for 10 games, and Sulzer actually made more of a positive contribution, although the deal has looked better lately as Hodgson has begun to find his mark. Getting a first round pick for Gaustad, in my opinion, is a steal. Then again, if they pick another Kassian with the choice, a player who they decide isn’t a fit a couple years later, then it’s not such a great deal. The best thing to happen out of the trade of Gaustad and Kassian is the promotion of young Marcus Foligno from Rochester, who has added some much-needed offense to a team that had become stale, and has become, along with linemates Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford, the main reason Buffalo is still in playoff contention.

* The NBA salvaged a shortened season after their bitter lockout, and a big story so far has been the emergence of Jeremy Lin, point guard for the New York Knicks who kicked around the league for a couple of seasons before getting his big chance this season in New York. “Linsanity” has cooled off recently, but after a coaching change, the Knicks are winning again, and could do some damage in the playoffs if they can qualify.

* After making the second-biggest splash in NFL free agency by signing Mario Williams (yes, Peyton Manning to Denver is a bigger story), the Buffalo Bills made a couple of less-publicized, but just as important, moves to improve their defense. The signing of Mark Anderson, who played for New England last year, is another boost to the team’s pass rush. At 6’4, 255 lbs., Anderson, to me, is mostly a situational pass rusher, a little too light to be an every down defensive end. However, the Bills seem to think he’s an every down guy. At any rate, he had 10 sacks for the Pats last season. This comparison says it all – Marcell Dareus led the Bills with 5.5 sacks in 2011; Anderson had 2.5 sacks in 3 playoff games alone for New England. The other move was re-signing veteran safety Bryan Scott, a key member of the secondary who adds a lot of depth and versatility. At 31 years old, he struggled at times in coverage, especially against big tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates, but also has shown a knack for making big plays at key times.

 
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Classic Team Logo of The Day

25 Mar

Logo of a baseball team that played in the old Negro Leagues, the New York Black Yankees. The club played a barnstorming schedule in the early 1930s and also in the Negro National League and existed from 1932 to 1948. Dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was a co-owner of the franchise, and some of their notable players included pitcher Satchel Paige, outfielder Fats Jenkins, who was the club’s first All Star, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe and George “Mule” Suttles.

 
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Classic Sports Card of The Day

25 Mar

1964 Topps baseball card of former major league player and manager Tony LaRussa, who retired after guiding the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title in 2011. He had been involved in major league baseball since 1963, when he began his playing career as a utility infielder for the Kansas City Athletics. He was mostly a mediocre player, finishing in 1973 with a .199 career batting average. His managerial career was legendary, however, as he piloted 3 different franchises, the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A’s and the Cardinals, for a total of 33 years. He won 3 World Series championships and is third on the all-time list for wins by a manager, behind Connie Mack and John McGraw.

 

 
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NBA – Top Five Point Guards of All Time

22 Mar

In the classic NBA game that I remember growing up, as well as today, one of the most important players on the court was the point guard. His job was to quarterback his team’s attack and control the tempo of the game on both ends of the floor – on offense and defense. The most important statistics for the point guard  were assists and steals, with scoring being mostly an afterthought. However, the best point guards over the years could also score when necessary. Here are my choices for the best NBA point guards of all time, in no particular order:

1. Bob Cousy – this is the player who orchestrated Red Auerbach’s Boston Celtic dynasty in the 1950s and ’60s. He was a 13 time NBA All Star, and led the league in assists eight consecutive years. He was known for his ball handling and passing skills, and dubbed “Mr. Basketball” by the Boston media as he guided the Celts to six NBA championships. His flashy passing and behind-the-back dribbling were his trademark, and marked him as one of the league’s first “showmen”.

 

2. Walt Frazier –  “Clyde” became a darling of the fans and media in New York as he led the Knicks to a pair of titles in the early 1970s. He played the game with a distinct sense of style, and directed a Knick attack that featured an unselfish style of play by all of the players on the floor, something that in my opinion is tough to find in today’s game. Frazier excelled at all facets of the game, and still holds team records for assists and steals. He was also a great shooter, and in the famous game in which Willis Reed played with a severe injury in a deciding game seven situation, it was Frazier, with 36 points and an astounding 19 assists, who willed his team to the victory.

 

3. Oscar Robertson –  “The Big O” is one of the players I remember most from my youth, when I first became interested in the NBA. He was a consummate all-around team player, and at first I didn’t even realize he was a point guard, since his all-around game was so polished. Robertson was a great player toiling on a mostly mediocre team in Cincinnati, but showed his true value when he was traded to the expansion Milwaukee Bucks, and guided that franchise, pairing with a young Lew Alcindor (later to be known as Kareem Abul-Jabbar) to the NBA title in 1971.

 

4. Nate Archibald –  like Robertson, “Tiny” played for losing franchises, the Kings and Nets, but was traded to Boston, where his talents as a passer and floor general blossomed. He helped the Celtics win the NBA title in 1981, and like Robertson, helped win the title along with a young budding star, this one being Larry Bird.

 

5. Magic Johnson –  Johnson is not only one of the top point guards of all time, but truly a player who revolutionized the position. His size was unprecedented for the position, and he even filled in for an injured Abdul-Jabbar at center for the Lakers during one championship series. He was an amazing floor general who always made sure to include all his teammates in the attack, while also playing a starring role himself. He was one of the first point guards to include rebounds as a meaningful stat for the position, along with assists and steals, and was a prolific scorer as well. His style of play was a starting point for the “point forward” position in today’s game – where a frontcourt player distributes the ball like a point guard traditionally has.

 

 

 

 

 
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Posted in Basketball, Feature Stories

 

Classic Team Logo of The Day

22 Mar

Alternate logo of a team that plays in the National Basketball Association, the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors entered the league in 1995 along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, but when the Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001 they became the only NBA team based in Canada. They won a division title in 2006-7, but have mostly struggled to win. Some key Raptor players over the years include Damon Stoudamire, Vince Carter, John Salley, Marcus Camby and the recently departed Chris Bosh.

 
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Classic Sports Card of The Day

22 Mar

1975 Topps basketball card of former National Basketball Association player Jack Marin, who played 11 seasons in the league for 4 different teams. He was once traded from the Baltimore Bullets to Houston for Elvin Hayes, a move that helped the Bullets become a powerhouse. The left-handed Marin was a pure shooter and one of the NBA’s top free throw shooters during his career. He became a lawyer after his playing days ended, and currently serves as outside counselor to the NBA Retired Players’ Association, as well as representing players performing abroad. Marin is active in the Hope For Warriors campaign, which teaches golf and other sports activities to severely wounded U.S. Marines.

 
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NFL – Mario Williams Joins Bills

19 Mar

 

Back in January, in Part 4 of a season-ending report card on the Buffalo Bills, I wrote a post naming New Orleans receiver Marques Colston and Colts’ defensive end Robert Mathis as the top “fits” for the team to pursue in free agency as it looked to improve next season. One comment that I added was that if the Bills signed a player of the stature of either of these two, it would be big news since they haven’t historically made any big splashes when it comes to signing free agents. As it turns out, Colston re-signed with the Saints, and the Colts placed a “franchise” tag on Mathis, retaining his rights. I never even mentioned Houston’s Mario Williams as an option, since he was basically the top player available, and the possibility of Buffalo signing, or even bothering to pursue him, was unfathomable. Yet the Bills pulled off the impossible dream for their fan base last week when they inked the big defensive end to a six year contract.

To me, this signing sends more positive vibes about the franchise than just the fact that they’ve now shown they’re willing to spend money to put a winner on the field. It also tells me that the management team recognizes that the biggest obstacle to winning games in 2011 was a porous, inexperienced defense, and is taking steps to fix that. The first step was elevating Dave Wannstedt to coordinate the unit, and the signing of Williams is a huge move. He will be the closest thing the Bills have had to Bruce Smith, and like Smith, was the top overall pick of the NFL draft when he was chosen by the Texans in 2006. The Bills already have a pair of dominating defensive tackles in Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams (who helped recruit Mario) and the addition of the biggest free agent player available to that line gives the team a chance to develop a dominating front four. Their pass rush, a major weakness for years, will certainly be better, and I’ll predict here and now something that I’ve felt was always the case – just watch how much better the team’s linebacking and secondary turn out to be when they have a competent D-line in front of them. In earlier posts, I’ve mentioned that with the NFL evolving into a passing league lately, dominated by record-setting quarterbacks orchestrating spread offenses, that the next big trend will be teams attempting to build dominating defenses to control those attacks. It is a huge positive for Buffalo fans to see their team on the leading edge of that trend, rather than following the pack a couple of years later. There will actually be excitement, rather than moans and groans, when the defense takes the field this year.

A couple of other points about the Williams signing – those being Mario’s character and the role Hall of Famer Jim Kelly had in helping to recruit him to sign here. Williams’ press conference was impressive. He is obviously a team guy who should be a good fit with the current roster. Coach Chan Gailey mentioned that he knew they had the right guy when the first thing he said was “I’ll do whatever I need to do to help the team win championships.” Also, this story didn’t get much mention, but Williams’ sister’s husband was killed fighting in the war in Iraq, and he paid off the mortgage on her house after that tragedy occurred. That doesn’t bring back her husband but is a big step to relieving some stress in her life, and is an example of the guy having his priorities in order.

As for Kelly, how great is it to have an ambassador like him for the franchise? Remember, this is a guy who balked at playing here in his younger days, and now describes himself as a “Southtowns guy”. After the Williams’ signing, some Miami fans were lamenting on their team’s web site that it was great for Buffalo to have Kelly helping the franchise, and that the Dolphins should use Dan Marino in a similar role to help woo Peyton Manning to South Beach. Sorry, but I just don’t picture Marino being much of a “team” guy who’d be interested in doing that.

 

 

 
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