Baseball Hall of Fame Gallery

These are pictures I took in this past weekend's trip to Cooperstown, NY to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame. More to come soon.

No Stopping Duke

There is one main question about the Duke Blue Devils basketball team after last night's 82-68 win over No. 4 Kansas State. Are the Blue Devils beatable? Featuring some NBA-level talent, and a legendary Coach in Mike Kryzewski, whose win yesterday was his 800th at Duke, the Devils seem unstoppable. A repeat championship run seems more likely as the days go by. While this team's talent is clearly greater than last season's, it is still not entirely known whether they are a better team than the one that defeated Butler to win it all last year. But like that team, they have the teamwork, experience, and leadership skills to repeat. The undefeated season is also being thrown out there, which might be setting the bar too high, but there's a chance.

The bottom line is this: the Blue Devils are one of the, if not the top team in college basketball this season, and seeing how they dismantled Jacob Pullen and Kansas St. only proves this point. Let's take a look at each of their main players.

G Kyrie Irving: Irving is establishing himself as one of the top guards in college basketball, and compares well to Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose. He has breathtaking speed, blowing by Kansas St.'s All-American Jacob Pullen countless times. He sometimes loses control on the break and can turn the ball over a few too many times, but this will improve with experience. An NBA future is a guarantee for him, and this might be his only season playing for Duke before a bolt to the NBA draft. The Cameron Crazies will love this hyped freshman. Stats thru 11/24 (five games): 14.2 ppg, 6.6 apg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 spg

G Nolan Smith: Nolan increased his ppg by 9 from sophomore to junior seasons, largely because of the departure of Gerald Henderson. Averaging 17.4 ppg  last year, he was a key reason for Duke championship run last season. Smith has a decent touch from beyond the arc, shooting close to 40% from three. He has good speed for a guard, as well as what is becoming his trademark floater. He's a leader of this year's team, along with fellow senior Kyle Singler. He will be an NBA player next year if he continues to show his skill.
Stats thru 11/24 (five games): 16.6 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5 rpg, 1 spg

F Kyle Singler: Making an immediate impact upon his arrival to Duke, Singler has developed into a star and a candidate for the player of the year this season. Along with Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, (the three Ss) he starred for last year's championship team. Singler is a very complete player, not outstanding at any one skill, but above average at all for the college level.  However, he seems to have regressed a bit since last season, and through five games his numbers have shown that. It is questionable whether he will transition to the NBA level smoothly, and some scouts say that he should have left after last year. But the fact that he is still playing for Duke only makes the Blue Devils a much more challenging matchup.
Stats thru 11/24 (five games): 13.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.6 spg


F Mason Plumlee: Never really getting to show off his skills last year, partially because of a wrist injury, the sophomore Plumlee is starting to emerge this year. The more talented of the two brothers on the team (a third Plumlee has been recruited for next year, said to be the best of the three), Plumlee broke out against Marquette, scoring a career high 25 points, showing what he's capable of against a formidable Big East opponent.
Stats thru 11/24 (five games): 11.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.8 apg



G Seth Curry: Referred to as "Stephen's Little Brother," (because of former Davidson star and now Golden State Warriors starting guard Stephen), Seth led all college freshman in scoring, averaging over 20 ppg playing for Liberty. Now transferred to Duke, he will have a diminished role, no longer being the go-to option. But the sharpshooter will still make some noise with the Blue Devils, but don't expect him to reach his full potential this season.
Stats thru 11/24 (five games): 10.2 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 rpg, 1.8 spg


G Andre Dawkins: Dawkins is beginning to find himself this year, after an up-and-down freshman season in which he went in and out of rotation. He came to Duke this season as a much improved player, being able to do more than just shoot from beyond. He is becoming able to create his own shot, as well as defend on-ball better than before. Could break out next year with departure of Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, as could Seth Curry.
Stats thru 11/24 (five games): 11.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, .545 3PT %

Duke's balanced attack also includes Ryan Kelly, who is a starter, but plays limited minutes, and Miles Plumlee, who gets minutes off the bench, both of whom average close to 5 ppg this year. The outright skill of the Blue Devils can be seen by the fact that Andre Dawkins, Miles Plumlee, and Seth Curry come off the bench, all of whom would start on almost any other team, and be a star almost anywhere else. But for the good of the team, every player on this team submits to a role best suited for the team, which makes the Blue Devils the early favorite to go all the way.

Remember Dontrelle Willis?

Just five years ago, with the Florida Marlins, pitcher Dontrelle Willis won 22 games and finished 2nd in the NL Cy Young Award.

Those days are long gone. Now he's just a minor league journeyman, after being payed $12M to rarely be on the Diamondbacks roster last year. The 28-year-old was yesterday signed by the Reds organization to a minor league deal. Maybe there's a chance he'll get his control back, and be able to effectively use his amazing stuff. He's always been an above-average hitter for a pitcher. Could he do what Rick Ankiel did at first successfully, and become a position player? That's not so likely, but still a possibility. While Willis yearns to be the pitcher he once was, he'll need to fix himself in the minors first.

Colts Struggling?

It was another showdown. This time the Patriots came out victorious. The Colts were in field goal range to tie. But a tie would not happen, as Manning was pressured and threw a pick.

31-28 was the score. Brady, with his ridiculous haircut, and the Patriots, left Gillette Stadium with a defining victory. Manning threw three picks, the Colts with their worst 10-game start in years, at 6-4. Sure, many teams would be pleased to be two games over .500, contending for a playoff spot. But this isn't an average team. The Colts contend every year, losing a thriller to the Saints in the Super Bowl this past February.

But Manning will continue to sit in the tape room, watching countless hours of tape. By next week's game, he'll probably have watched his final throw over a hundred times. He'll continue to scout every defense he will face, as well as San Diego next week, and the now surging Cowboys the week after. He will learn the tendencies of every guy he'll see on the opposing defense, which is why the he and Colts will be able to recover. Which is why Manning stands apart.

The Jeter Situation

One of the greatest Yankees of all time, Derek Jeter, at age 36, wants more than a 3-year deal. The Yankees offered Jeter a 3-year, $45M deal, which seems completely fair considering the Captain's best days are behind him.

He hit a career-low .270 last year, but agent Casey Close still wants 4, or preferably more years for his client, which would be long enough until Jeter retires. But the Yankees don't want to pay Jeter, whose days as an everyday player might be limited, when he is sitting in the dugout as a 41-year old.

The bottom line is, while Jeter will probably eventually be signed, the deal won't be what both sides wanted. The Yankees need Jeter, and he needs them.

AL Cy Young Goes to....13 Game Winner?

Yes. Deservedly so, King Felix Hernandez was crowned the AL Cy Young award. His 13 wins are the lowest total ever for a Cy Young winner, but keep in mind, he played for one of the worst offenses ever and got dreadful run support. In twelve of his decisions the Mariners scored 0-2 runs. His record in those games was 2-10. His ERA? 2.84. That explains the win-loss record.

Hernandez was easily the best pitcher in the AL this past season. With 232 Ks, 249 IP and an amazing 2.27 ERA, King Felix showed he was deserving of the award. He did everything he could control. Had he been on, say, the Yankees for instance, he would have easily won twenty games. And there would have been no debate. Instead of winning 21 of 28 first place votes, he might have gotten them all, like Roy Halladay did. But that doesn't matter at all. What matters is the man who deserved the award got what he should have.

Unanimous Cy for Halladay

As expected, 21-game winner Roy "Doc" Halladay has won his second Cy Young award, joining the now five-man list of Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Gaylord Perry as the only pitchers to receive the award pitching in both leagues. Halladay is the 13th pitcher to win the award unanimously, with Jake Peavy in 2007 being the last to do so.

While posting a 2.44 ERA, with a record of 21-10, and 219 strikeouts, the Phillies ace was the obvious favorite for the award. His perfect game against the Florida Marlins will be long remembered by Phillies fans, but not as much as his postseason no-hitter vs. the Reds, the second in the postseason ever, with the Yankees' Don Larsen being the first.

Halladay is well-known for his outstanding, unmatched work ethic, running countless miles and watching a ridiculous amount of tape. He rarely shows emotion, except for that glare he possessed in the NLCS vs. the Giants. His work ethic is what makes it possible for him to go deep into games almost every outing, and be arguably the greatest pitcher in the game today.

18-Game NFL Season

First of all, there might not even be football next year. Even if there isn't, an 18-game season is being considered, and there is more than a small chance it will happen in the near future. After all, the NFL season is significantly shorter than baseball's or basketball's, so why not? Well, the players' union makes the point injuries will increase with the number of games. Today, the union sent a counter-proposal to the league's plan, saying roster size should increase by 3-4 players, and for mandatory preseason workouts/training camp to be decreased. Also, they call for raised salary, which seems practical, even if they are among the highest-paid in the world.

The fan would really have no problem with the increased season, more football could only be good, right? Maybe a few would be annoyed by the change in player stats, but there is no real issue there. For the owners and execs, this is obviously for increased profit alone. They aren't the ones throwing their bodies around every week. Whatever happens, the plan to increase the season seems probable.

James Person of the Year Award Finalist?

At least LeBron also thinks it's crazy. James is one of 25 finalists to receive Time Magazine's Person of the Year Award. Why? He doesn't even know. Calling it "crazy," the two-time MVP has no idea why. All he did this past year was have a huge show "The Decision" about how he crushed the dreams of a city. Then again, it does make sense he is on the ballot, because the award is for the person who "has done the most to influence the events of the year." I mean, Lady Gaga is also on the ballot, which justifies LeBron being there. Pilot Charles Lindbergh was the inaugural winner of the award, and Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only three-time winner. James is probably on it because he's received an extra amount of public attention due to his signing with Miami, whether the public is outraged or not.

Is Favre Finally Done?

In the past three years, Brett Favre has annoyed so many people with his indecisiveness to return to football, and how this decision clogs the sports news. This time, he is saying this is it. Before the season, the legendary quarterback claimed this was his final year, and recently told NFL Network in an interview that he would not be playing football next year. But if the Vikings go on a hot streak, who knows? He might change his mind again. What he is saying about not returning is how he feels now, which isn't necessarily how he'll feel about a return after the season, which is why anyone interested should just disregard his comments.

McNabb Deserves Better

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, in the team's last game Sunday, benched McNabb for, well, he couldn't decide on the main reason. It was either that he didn't have the "cardiovascular health" or didn't know how to run the two minute offense as well, or his hamstring, whatever. But let's face it. Donovan McNabb is a better quarterback than Rex Grossman, the Redskins backup. McNabb hasn't had the greatest year, but he is still a quality alternative to anything else the Redskins have. There is really no point to what Shanahan is trying to do. A player of his stature should have the benefit of the doubt, especially when there is no one who could compete for the job. Shanahan needs to treat McNabb like any other franchise QB, because that is his only option. Putting Grossman in to throw an interception won't help the Skins' cause.

Cowboys' Phillips Axed

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has decided to move on after the Cowboys were crushed 45-7 on Sunday Night Football yesterday. The loss drops the Cowboys to 1-7, as they are now on a five-game losing streak. This was a Cowboys team that was one of the Super Bowl favorites, but more than a few things have gone wrong in Dallas.

Just last Friday, when asked whether coach Wade Phillips would be the coach of the Cowboys for the remainder of the season, Jones replied, "yes." That turned out to be a lie. Maybe he didn't expect for it to be this bad, didn't expect 38 point losses on national T.V. Phillips still had the support of some of his players, including star receiver Miles Austin, but instead of Phillips as coach, the Cowboys have offensive coordinator Jason Garrett taking over the interim position.

Phillips' job had been in jeopardy various times in his tenure with the Cowboys, such as when he dealt questionably with troubled cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and outspoken WR Terrell Owens. Both are since gone, but regardless, the Cowboys are in a shambled state.

Duke Poised for Repeat: College Basketball Preview

Last April's clash between the Duke Blue Devils and the unexpected Butler Bulldogs will go down in history as one of the greatest college hoops finals ever. Butler's chances aren't great to get back there this year, but Duke, who loses three senior starters from last season, is looking for the same outcome in 2010-11. Ranked preseason #1 indisputably, Duke added top recruit PG Kyrie Irving, G Seth Curry, who's NBA star Stephen's younger brother, G Tyler Thornton and F Josh Hairston. The Devils also have both Plumlees, Mason and Miles, starting in place of Lance Thomas and 7'1" Brian Zoubek. They are the favorites.

But this is college basketball. How much does being the favorite actually matter? Because I'm pretty sure Butler wasn't one last year. Duke was atop the list, but no one saw Kansas or John Wall's Kentucky in the final like everyone expected. Mid-majors are always lurking, like Memphis, who, under coach Josh Pastner, seem to be improving since John Calipari left. There's also many top teams in the mix, like star senior PG Kalin Lucas' Michigan St, who reached the final four last year, to be beaten by the Blue Devils. Kansas St. looks to win their first Big 12 title since 1977, and this looks to be a year they can do it.

Now the seemingly always strong Big East, whom beating each other up last year seemed to take its toll. Pitt is the favorite, returning most of last year's top scorers. But Corey Fisher and Villanova will try to prevent the Oakland Zoo from celebrating a conference title.

Is this the year when a 16-seed finally beats a #1? Probably not. But get ready for another upbeat, crazy season of college basketball.

Examining NFL Hits

This season, Steelers linebacker James Harrison has been fined three times by the NFL due to hard hits on offensive players, for a total of $100,000. Only one of them, a roughing-the-passer on Titans QB Vince Young, has actually been a penalty. That was the smallest fine, $5,000. Which means, Harrison has lost $95,000 for hits that, by the referees, have been deemed legal.
   
Eagles linebacker Ernie Sims was fined $50K by the league for a single hit on Titans receiver Lavelle Hawkins. There was no penalty on the play.

And these aren't the only two guys. Various defensive players have been fined countless times this year for hard hits to members of the offense, as part of the NFL trying to minimize dangerous hits. This is an effort to protect the league's "moneymakers," the guys who sell the jerseys, are on fantasy teams, etc. Because injuries to them would be devastating to the league's income. This issue is totally one-sided; the defensive players have no benefits. All it does for them is keeps them from playing their hardest. Big hits are a part of the game; if there is no penalty for it, there should be no fine. Injuries are part of football; that's the way it is. The guys out there are getting paid millions; their job should be tough. I know I'm not one to talk, but I'm sure many working-class Americans would rather get an NFL salary and have a chance of a concussion.

By no means am I saying the NFL shouldn't worry about an offensive player, but not in the way they are doing it. The guys in the league are full of money, $25,000 won't do much to them. But the players don't like it, and it is unfair for Goodell to take away the money they earned even if they do get an NFL salary. Technically, most of the hits are legal. Until there's a specific rule established about what a defender should do instead of the hard hit, there shouldn't be a fine. It's like being charged extra for taking five meals home from a buffet. It is frowned upon, but legal. Make it illegal before dishing out the fines. And if it is a penalty already in effect, have some more leeway. It isn't fair how the offense has no chance of getting fined, but the other side does. Fairness should be put into effect on this issue.

Last Hurrah

In two weeks, Jamie Moyer turns 48. He was let go by the Phillies October 28. All signs point to him not starting another big league game. But he's been around since 1986, and there's a chance someone would be interested in a 4th or 5th starter. However, his last two years haven't been his greatest, posting ERAs close to five in both, of course this past season being sidelined with elbow surgery for the second half. He may and probably will finally retire. If he pitches again or not, props to the 267-game winner on a fabulous career.

Why the MLB Postseason is Perfect Right Now

Think of the NBA playoffs. More than half of the league makes it; and the last few teams in the east are usually below .500. For the decent teams, all the regular season is is a matter of seeding. That isn't the way a pro sport should be.
  
Baseball, on the other hand, is quite the contrary. Making the playoffs is much more difficult, as only 8 teams of 30 do so. It causes annual division and wild-card races, fights to the very end. Remember 2009's Game 163 between the Twins and Tigers? The intensity? That doesn't exist in basketball. Oh, look, the Bobcats are 6 games below .500 and the Pacers are 5 games below, this will be a good race! No. The postseason should be a reward for the league's premier teams, not for everyone who isn't terrible.
   
This is why Bud Selig should leave the MLB playoffs just as they are and not add more wild-card teams. There's no need. A longer postseason would just have it drag on and have fans lose interest, like I do with basketball. By the time the finals roll around, fans have shifted to baseball. Like they should.   

Boise St. vs. BCS

It seems that how ever many times Boise St. goes undefeated in the regular season, they won't get a chance to play for the BCS National Championship. In the wake of another undefeated season, they find themselves behind Oregon and Auburn (as well as TCU, another mid-major, who is 3rd) in the BCS standings, which is perfectly expected. This is because of the mid-major power's strength of schedule, their biggest wins over then 10th-ranked Virginia Tech and then 24th ranked Oregon St, neither of which are still ranked. So it makes sense they are behind, however, not necessarily fair. Because it's not entirely Boise's fault they don't get powerhouse opponents such as an Oregon or Alabama, but, rather, that these teams are basically scared to face the Broncos, fearing a loss to a mid-major that will remove their team from the championship hunt. TCU is in the exact same situation as Boise, but both will likely have to settle for the same situation as they did last year, in a BCS Bowl, but not the one everyone will have their eyes on. Last year they duked it out for a close Boise win, but the fans of these schools and mid-majors in general, wish they'd get a shot against a power BCS school.
   
Of course, there is another solution that only makes too much sense for college football to implement, a playoff. Or we could just watch two 6-6 schools play it out in the EagleBank Bowl so college football can have more sponsors. Why they can't switch to a playoff, like every other sport, is beyond me. The format doesn't even matter at this point. But what does matter, is that every deserving team gets a shot at a college football, not BCS, title.
  

World Series Finished, Hot Stove to Begin

Former Phillies Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand, and the San Francisco club that hasn't won since 1954, are baseball's champions. Cliff Lee's Rangers fall. Phillies fan had a choice of these players to root for, but not their own team. Lee and Rowand are thought of extremely highly in the City of Brotherly Love, many fans wishing Lee was still a Phil, and remembering Rowand's dive into the centerfield fence. Burrell was and is very classy, but receives a mixed reaction when coming to the Bank, due to some inconsistencies in his game. But all three served Philly well.
  
But now the main focus for the Phillies is resigning Jayson Werth. Despite Phils GM Ruben Amaro saying he came up a little short RBI-wise, Werth had another huge season and is a top prize in this year's free agent class, much like Cliff Lee. Lee's chances of returning to Texas are slim, and many expect a ludicrous contract from the Bronx Bombers. Also free agents: (* means option) Adam Dunn, Carlos Pena, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins*, Jose Reyes*, Adrian Beltre*, Carl Crawford, and Vladimir Guerrero*. Aside from Lee, and Andy Pettitte, the pitching class is fairly weak.
   
Crawford is almost guaranteed to leave Tampa Bay, while the Yankees have a decision to make about whether or not to keep the Core Four together. Jeter is likely to resign, and Pettitte will consider retirement. Dunn broke out with the Nationals this season; will he look to go somewhere with a chance to be a champion next season? Just because the season ended hours ago, doesn't mean teams are not already thinking about April 2011.

Durant #1 Superstar in NBA - Over LeBron

Now that LeBron has given up some stats due to his move to Miami, and Kobe is aging, 3rd-year Thunder forward Kevin Durant will likely emerge as this season's top superstar. He is ranked highest by ESPN in fantasy auction drafts, worth $8 more than LeBron, and $4 more than Chris Paul, who is ranked 2nd to Durant. I know it's extremely early, but as of Nov. 1, James is averaging 20.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 6.0 apg. These stats seem to be accurate as to what he will produce for the remainder of the season. Durant, last year's scoring champ, on the other hand, is putting up 29.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 1.7 apg. Now you might say LeBron's numbers are more well rounded, but the casual fan recognizes scoring more than assists if the player is not a point guard. Also, Durant is the leader of his team, while LeBron chose not to be, surrounding himself with D-Wade, and Bosh. And the way things are playing out, Miami is not even LeBron's team, but Wade's. Argue all you want, but as of right now, Durant is the NBA's cover guy.

Randy Moss Waived Abruptly

Just a few weeks ago, Randy Moss proudly held up the jersey of a team he'd formerly been a star with, reunited in Minnesota. But after just four games and 174 receiving yards later, the established receiver finds himself on waivers, released by the Vikings after they gave a 3rd-round pick to the Patriots for him. Maybe it was because he didn't put forth full effort, or some other undisclosed reason; whatever it was, Vikings head coach Brad Childress didn't give any idea. We do know that Moss was disgruntled with the media and with the Vikings, as he was upset that the Vikings didn't listen to what he had to say about the plays the Patriots might run against them. The receiver said he wouldn't speak to the media for the rest of the season after the Pats beat the Vikings, 28-18, (Moss having 1 rec, 8 yds) and the NFL fined him $25,000. Regardless of what actually happened, the reunion didn't go as planned.