2012 Olympics

The 2012 Olympics kicked off last night in London with the opening ceremonies.  I watched the ceremonies.  I'll say it was different and seemed a little long winded.  I'm not faulting the organizers as you don't get many opportunities to host the Olympics.  Still I'm glad there were commentators to help explain what was going on or I would have been lost.  That said I did like the Queen's entrance with James Bond himself as they "parachuted" from the helicopter to enter the stadium.  Nice bit.  My favorite is always the athletes parading into the stadium.  The ending as seen in the picture to the left was also pretty cool with the Olympic rings lifting into the air.  Nice way to end it.  Can't wait to see what Russia comes up with in 2016.

It is funny when the Olympics come around as conversations pop up as to why we care.  With all the distractions in the world nowadays the Olympics can seem somewhat dated to many.  I'm a little old school and still like the international challenge as the world's best go head to head for their country.  They may win titles throughout the years but in the Olympics you are directly representing your country in a venue second to none.  I also enjoy all the stories that are reported on.  With so many athletes from around the world there are plenty of fun and heart tugging stories to go around.  The underdogs also get to play on the big stage.  As the athletes marched into the stadium last night there were many times where I was saying "that's a country?".  You also have all the different sports that'll never see the light of day on cable TV otherwise.  Racewalking or trampoline anyone?  And they dropped baseball and softball?  Hmmm.  Sports come and go so even if I think they're goofy I'll watch just to say I did.

Again I enjoy the Olympics.  I like everything that surrounds it.  Nothing like seeing the excitement as athletes and teams win medals and the moment when they receive their medals is still special.  I better get going.  American Timmy Wang is down two sets to none to his North Korean ping pong opponent.  I'd better pay more attention... 

Linsanity Moves to Houston

When the New York Knicks decided not to match the three year 25 million dollar contract offer by the Houston Rockets the Jeremy Lin show hit the road.  I must say this is a story that I tired on very quickly this past season.  Don't get me wrong.  I think it is interesting but I swear some folks thought the second coming of Jerry West had appeared in New York. 

Lin did put up some good numbers but also turned the ball over at a rate of 3.6 a game.  Some of the game's great point guards have led the league in turnovers so this alone isn't enough to condemn him - NBA Turnover Leaders by Year .  His 14 points, 6 assists, and 44% shooting percentage should give any team hope that he might be a nice point guard.  But I'm not convinced.  He started only 25 games and when Carmelo Anthony returned from the disabled list the offense didn't click as well.  While many want to put the blame on Anthony I would have thought adding a good point guard with Anthony and Amare Stoudemire would have taken that team to the next level.  I'm not saying it was his fault.  Much of that blame should be leveled at the coach but why couldn't it work?  I hope he does do well but I'm always skeptical about a player who is the second coming after such a short period of excellent play.  I'd think he will make a good backup someday but I can't see him being much more than that. 

Hopefully for Houston he'll be much better.  The money they are giving him and everything they are saying says they expect a starter and nothing less.  They of course are also buying "Linsanity" which will help bring press to the team.  An added bonus but only if he plays well.  Again I hope this works well for everyone.  Houston needs something as they rebuild for the future and continue their pursuit of Dwight Howard.  New York now moves forward with Raymond Felton at the point who should be solid but won't come with the hype which may be a plus in the long run.  No matter what happens I know I'll be stuck hearing about Jeremy Lin on the radio each morning for some time to come. 

2012 Major League All-Star Game

Was able to catch the baseball all-star game last week.  I think this is the the best of all the sports all-star games.  You still have great pitcher versus batter match ups.  At it's basic element it is pitcher versus batter.  We might even be talking about some of these in future as a "remember when..." conversation.  Maybe even Justin Verlander versus Joey Votto.  Yes Verlander had a bad game but again some day the conversation may lend itself to "I saw Verlander strike out Votto looking". 

Even with the shutout the National League put on the American League I enjoyed the game.  Of course it being Chipper Jones' last game it was something special.  Can't say he will be one of the all-time great motivational speakers   - Chipper Jones Addresses NL Locker Room Prior to All-Star Game -  but it was still pretty special for me and I know it was for him - Chipper Jones 2012 All-Star Moments  Enough about Chipper.  San Francisco represented as Matt Cain, Melky Cabrera (MVP) and Pablo Sandoval all had a very good games.  I thought Rafael Furcal stood out with his great defense and added a hit.  Ryan Braun also had two hits and Craig Kimbrel fanned two facing only two batters.  Along with Aroldis Chapman, Wade Miley, Joel Hanrahan, and Jonathan Papelbon the National League relievers allowed only one hit cementing the shutout. 

Nice to see Tony LaRussa get a win as he probably managed the last game of his career.  Pretty cool that he was able to manage the all-star game after retiring after the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series last year.  Speaking of, I do still believe it is garbage that this game determines home field advantage in the World Series.  This is an exhibition game.  Do the Yankees want to count on a game that will have every all-star, including rookies, get to play or do the Nationals want home field advantage determined by rookie Bryce Harper's fielding blunder?  Oh wait, he plays for the Nationals...but you get the idea.  I do think players play hard but are these players all truly the best?  How many don't play due to "injuries" or pitch because a pitcher pitched two days before the all-star game?  Too many variables here to make this game determine home field advantage.  But at it's core it is a game I look forward to each year and do enjoy watching. 

Slideshows...Just Say NO!

It is very common nowadays for a website to have a slideshow of this or that.  They are everywhere allowing us to see a group of pics that all relate to the subject of the show.  I think they are great...when they work.  My idea of a slideshow is the ability to click from one picture to another without actually going to a different page.  On many sites this is exactly how it works.  These are a couple of examples of when they work:

Bleacher Report
NBC Sports

There are many others that basically just move you from one web page to the next web page with a different picture on each.  This may be me just being a whiner but in today's day and age there is no reason for this.  Slideshows should be smooth without that hiccup as a new picture loads.  Again this is probably the most petty thing I'll ever complain about but it seems these are seen on every site out there and I have no forgiveness for those who can't join the modern world. 

College Football Adopts Four Team Playoff

College football will now have a four team playoff starting in 2014.  There will be a selection committe, details on who that will be comprised of are yet to come, who will select the teams who will play in a championship game that occurs after all the bowl games.  There are details like how the money will be doled out to be decided but the big story is the playoff.  I would have liked a playoff with eight teams but I'm more than ready to give this a chance.  With a selection committee choosing the teams in the playoffs I think there is a chance of error and I might be in the minority but I actually liked how the BCS chose teams for it's championship and think it could be applied here.  There are arguments that this system will make the regular season more important as committee members can weigh issues affecting teams throughout the season such as key injuries.  I believe there is some truth to that.  Of course it will also open the process up to more criticism but I doubt any system that will ever be in place will be without it's detractors. 

There will always be teams who could make an argument for being in the playoff even if there were 64 football teams involved.  With only four you're getting the best of the best.  March Madness, while fun, is not designed for the best team to win.  The winner of that tourney gives the championship to the team who can get hot at the right time.  Does that mean they are the best team in the country?  Very debatable.  Doesn't matter as the public loves the drama, the underdogs and the stories that come from the 68 team scramble. 

Bottom line I like this for a start.  We'll probably see the process tweaked or changed as the years go on.  This is a move in the right direction and I hope it will help stop some of the complaining that goes along with the BCS. 

LeBron James and the Miami Heat Win NBA Title

The Miami Heat won their second NBA title four games to one over the Oklahoma City Thunder.  After losing game one they returned to attacking the rim and their outside shooters hit shots and the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't answer.  While I thought Miami would win I expected a longer series.  Still, with the exception of game 4, all the games were close.  LeBron James had an outstanding series averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.  As a team the Heat hit 42 of 98 three point shots.  Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh did their part very well but my other hero for Miami is Shane Battier who was the role player who stepped up with a great series.  He only averaged 11 points per game but hit 15 of 26 from beyond the arc.  He was the beneficiary of many passes when the defense collapsed on driving Heat players.  This was something the Thunder had no answer for. 

Oklahoma City played well and most had them winning the series after taking game 1.  Their biggest issue was the disappearance of James Harden.  He averaged 12 points in the Finals but they weren't timely and his diminished contribution couldn't be made up.  Much was also said about Russell Westbrook taking too many shots at times but I think the Thunder's win-loss record during the regular season when he shot more than Durant was excellent.  I think they were 26 and 3.   He may not be a true point guard but he still played well and almost willed his team to victory in game 4 with 43 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.  Kevin Durant hit an outstanding 54% of his field goals while leading the Thunder with 30 points per game.  Still they weren't the better team but this Final's experience could help them in the future.  They have a great core and I think most folks wouldn't be surprised if they made a return trip or two to the Finals. 

No matter what you want to concentrate on this was LeBron's series.  LeBron haters will still hate him but no matter.  He is a great player whom we'll speak of among the all-time greats when he retires.  He now has a championship to add to his resume.  Whether or not it is his last does not matter.  He is a great player and I'm glad he has a championship.  After handling what I feel was undue criticism for "the decision" and, as he admitted himself, handled the Finals loss last year to Dallas poorly, he made all the right changes this year.  He had another great year as he led what is now his team through each challenge and when it mattered most he didn't disappoint.  Good on him and the Heat. 

Roger Clemens Acquitted

Roger Clemens was acquitted of lying about steroid use to a Congressional panel.  From everything I've read it looked as though the government's case was shaky from the start.  The accuser, Brian McNamee, was a disaster waiting to happen.  He was not credible and the evidence he brought to the table was iffy at best.  Clemens' longtime friend Andy Pettite testified "against" Clemens but by saying there was a 50-50 chance he misunderstood Roger Clemens he sunk the prosecution.  The DNA evidence seemed to have issues, not if it was Clemens', but how it was obtained.  Was it from an injection or an infection?  And McNamee really kept this stuff for eight years?  That is downright weird in itself.  In the end the jury didn't believe the evidence was there to convict Roger Clemens.  From an outsider's view I have to agree.  That is not to say he never used steroids just that the jury did not find enough evidence to convict him of the charges of lying. 

As a fan I'm left to wonder where Roger Clemens goes from here.  As a Red Sox fan he'll always have a special place in my heart even if he did play and win two World Series with the New York Yankees.  I blame his leaving the Red Sox on then general manager Dan Duquette.  Not to say Clemens was always the most lovable of fellas.  Still he had a wonderful career spanning 24 seasons with Boston, Toronto, Houston and New York in which he won 354 games, losing 184, while finishing with a career ERA of 3.12.  Wow.  He is likely part of a dying breed of 300 game winners.  The advent of the five man rotations and managers who now seem to want to go to the bullpen at any hint of a problem means we'll see less pitchers reaching this milestone.  Only three pitchers have reached 300 wins since Clemens did so in 2003 (Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson).  Only two active pitchers have over 200 wins and they are both over 40 years of age or older (Jamie Moyer 269 and Andy Pettite 243) with little to no chance of reaching 300.   

So with his wonderful career and the alleged use of steroids, is Roger Clemens a hall of famer?  I'll start with the alleged steroids use.  Steroids, or what it has done to baseball, makes me cringe and I wish it would just go away. But it isn't. I think baseball should address this issue within the hall of fame process.  Maybe by just stating the era for what it is.  Players within this era are all under some suspicion so just put it out there within the hall.  There are other eras - pre-1900,  expansion and the dead ball era to name a few.   Then let everyone make their own judgement.  I also wish this could apply to hall of fame voters but I'm afraid it is going to take quite a bit to get voters to get past their issues with players suspected of using steroids which is a shame.  We need to move on.  I think by trying to ignore those who did use the drug and those suspected of using performance enhancing drugs will mean players who should be in won't be while players like Ken Griffey Jr. will get in with no issues because he is likable and there have been no allegations thrown his way.  But we don't know if he took steroids.  Nor do we know if Jeff Bagwell did but I truly believe voters think he did.  He has also never been accused of any wrongdoing.   

Clemens' stats are slam dunk hall of fame stats in any era.  Given my thoughts I discussed in the previous paragraph I think he should be voted in.  There is no proof he took steroids.  Let the stats stand alone.  If we let what we think to be true cloud our judgement it gets way too complicated.  I would also apply this to other players.  I'm OK if a player admitted using performance enhancement drugs or was caught not making the hall.  But if it isn't definitive then we must ignore the conjecture that springs from stereotypes and our biases.  So let Roger in!