Olympic Thoughts

So the consensus right now is that Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympian ever. The argument is simple: he has 22 medals; eighteen of which are gold. The fastest man in the world, none other than Usain Bolt, has four golds currently. He's not really in the discussion (at least in the United States), since Phelps has fourteen more gold medals.

Phelps' sport gives away far more medals than a track athlete can achieve. People say, "Michael Phelps competes in up to ten different events, while all Bolt does is run the 100m and 200m." This doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Sprinters in track and field must sculpt their bodies entirely differently than a longer-distance runner, so it wouldn't be plausible for Bolt to win any more medals than he already does. It's the same reason Phelps doesn't compete in, say, the 1500m freestyle.

The only way the uneven medal distribution for track and swimming could be compensated for would be by events such as, say, a backwards race, which would be swimming's equivalent to backstroke.

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On a more serious note:

You might have heard about this already. Seven of Cameroon's Olympians have been missing from Olympic Village. Based on the article, is sounds like they are just fine, and there's no cause for worry, however. They have simply used their situation to their advantage. Seems pretty smart, actually.

Olympic defections date back to 1948's Olympics, which were also held in London. Marie Provaznikova, then president of the International Gymnastics Federation, refused to return to her native Czechoslovakia due to "lack of freedom."

Fifteen-year-old Ethiopian torchbearer Natnael Yemane went on the from his hotel in Nottingham this past June.

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Michael Phelps probably could have come closer to repeating his Beijing performance in this summer's Olympics. He admitted in an interview to NBC's Bob Costas how he slacked off in his training for London, saying he "relaxed" and was "just having fun." He went on to explain how he would do whatever he could to avoid the weight room, and did not start training seriously until 2010. Natural talent certainly aided him in what was still an impressive farewell Olympic performance for one of the world's greatest athletes.

BREAKING NEWS: Tune to your TV, as NBC is set to air the Kennedy assassination tonight in a number of minutes for the public to see...  Okay, but really, this tape delay has been really annoying.

At least ESPN doesn't get the Olympic coverage, or it'd go something like this:

"Usain Bolt approaching the finish, looks like a new world re..."

"We interrupt these Olympics for SportsCenter breaking news!!...Tim Tebow just completed two passes in a row at Jets training camp. Now, back to the Olympics."

"That was amazing ladies and gentlemen, a once in a lifetime race!"

A Phillies Fan's Rant

My Phillies have the highest payroll in the National League. For tonight's matchup against the Washington Nationals, our lineup isn't quite Murderer's Row, or even anything that resembles a large-market ballclub. I hate to knock on the role guys, but our card features John Mayberry, Jr., Domonic Brown, Kevin Frandsen, and Erik Kratz. But it's all going to be okay; our 46-57 club features a $50 million closer.

I guess there had to be a time Dom Brown could try to prove himself after failing a few times before. I just didn't expect it to be with us in the basement, and after trading away Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino for scrap parts, or, at least, less than they are worth. I'll talk about the trades now and get to the other stuff later.

With our current situation, Shane had to go. He'll always be beloved in Philly, but he's on the decline now, or so it appears, and we weren't going to be able to afford what he wanted this offseason. I just wish we could have gotten more than a middle reliever (Josh Lindblom) for him. If the pitching prospect, Ethan Martin, emerges, maybe I'll have to eat my words. Hopefully so.

But Pence. Why, why, why? Aside from the fact that I love his hustle, and quirky, yet effective play, I simply cannot digest this move. What is the thinking here? To shed money? If so, then GM Ruben Amaro should have trade Ryan Howard, or Cliff Lee or someone who makes more. Howard is probably never going to launch 40 home runs or even hit .260 again, but he's being paid like the player he was in 2006. Is the thinking to rebuild? Are we taking lessons from the Astros? How could we rebuild anyway with the money committed to Hamels, Halladay, Lee, Rollins, Utley, Howard, and Papelbon? Trading any of them would have made more sense than Pence, who is the one bat capable of having a team built around (even if he crumbles at times in crunch time for putting too much pressure on himself).

Sure, the thought process is...wait. Pence isn't a free agent until 2014. What the heck is going on? How did this help? If Tommy Joseph, the catching prospect included with Nate Schierholtz and another guy, makes it big, then great. But what are the chances? 2012 is a lost season but 2013 doesn't have to be. Hunter Pence remaining a Phillie would only have made too much sense.

Changing gears a bit, I cannot stand Jonathan Papelbon. When the deal was announced I pacepalmed. Not even Mariano Rivera has ever been worth what the Phils are paying Papelbon. He's on the decline for sure: when he came up he was firing 103 MPH rockets to home plate. Now he's lucky to break 94. When we're paying him as a 35-year-old, he'll be relying on a 90 fastball to get guys out. So far this year, he's blown three saves and has four losses with a mid-threes ERA. Not bad, but there are probably 30 other relievers, all for less money, that could do that. And his three blown saves have come at the most inopportune times, completely blasting the slight momentum the team tried to put together: to end a four game win streak after the All-Star break, and the team proceeds to get swept, etc.

So how does our roster look overall? Here's an overview.

Our infield: Howard, who we can only hope comes alive. Utley, the same. I hate to say this, but I don't think he has much left at all. Jimmy, a shell of his former self. Polanco is too rattled by injuries and an aging body to be effective anymore offensively.

The outfield: Juan Pierre is the best we have now that Hunter and Shane are out west. Nate Schierholtz is a borderline everyday player, but he can't hit southpaws.. Mayberry will get one last chance to prove himself for the remainder of this year, but hitting righties for him in quite an obstacle. Domonic Brown, the erstwhile top prospect, has the cannon arm but will use the next two months as a final audition to make it in the bigs. This is the outfield of a rebuilding ballclub. (Problem is, we can't rebuild with this payroll.)

Starting pitching: Well, we have six more years of Cole Hamels. He's got the big bucks, which is well deserved for him. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, it's weird to say, are great unknowns now. Vance Worley is a good three or four guy. I'm surprised Joe Blanton is still here, but we need his innings-eating.

And the bullpen? I'd prefer not to talk about it. I'll always love and support my Phils, but me and the rest of Philly are currently in what was the norm pre-2007 in Philly, the "At least the Eagles look good" outlook.

Yep. Being a Philly sports fan is rough.

Cities' Most Hated Hometown Sports Figures

*Most of these are fairly recent, so don't get offended.

Seattle - Howard Schultz

Schultz is the man who sold the SuperSonics to Clay Bennett in Oklahoma City, where you know they became the Thunder. Seattle fans can only imagine what could have been. After purchasing the Sonics in 2001, Schultz had the beloved Gary Payton traded away after a feud. He got into a negotiating battle with Rashard Lewis (who was actually good back then), and soon after requested public funding for a new arena. When the city wouldn't give public funding, he became irate and threatened to sell or move the team, and sell the team he did. Clay Bennett is also one of Seattle's most hated figures, as in 2006 he said he wanted to keep the franchise in Seattle. Now head of the NBA's relocation committee, he could help make amends one day if he helps land a new team.


San Diego - Ryan Leaf

Being arguably the biggest bust in NFL history will do that do a guy.  On draft day, he proclaimed, "I'm looking forward to a 15-year career, a couple of trips to the Super Bowl and a parade through downtown San Diego." Not so fast big guy. The player who went before him, Peyton Manning, would live that dream, with the parade of course being through Indy instead. San Diego still hasn't gotten theirs.


Cleveland - LeBron James

Although they'd take him back in a heartbeat.


Chicago - Steve Bartman

Poor guy. I'm sure you know the story. I still find it ridiculous how Chicago continues to blame one foul ball for their entire 103-year World Series drought. When the incident happened, the Cubs were up 3-0 in the game. The eight runs allowed in that inning were not Bartman's doing. Nonetheless, Bartman eclipses the likes of a fallen Sammy Sosa, Carlos Zambrano, David Terrell, and others.


Boston - Bobby Valentine

Boston is in love with their Red Sox. And even though he whined a bit at the end, they are in love with Kevin Youkilis. They didn't appreciate how Bobby V threw him under the bus, or half of his other players so far as well. Boston is impatient with the Red Sox as a whole right now, but Valentine was never around for any of the success that made many of the players so beloved. He is a symbol of failure in the city.


New York - Alex Rodriguez

I'm sure we could go back in time and find someone more hated than A-Rod in New York, but the bottom line is people simply don't like the guy. Ask any Yankees fan: they love Jeter, love Mo, love Cano and Swisher and the rest of the bunch, but can't stand A-Rod. The contract and admitted steroid use don't help his case. Or the fact that he's only had one halfway decent postseason, 2009. And as the next six years go by and he continues to put up mediocre seasons like this one while eating up 30 million a year, it's not going to get any prettier.


Philadelphia - Terrell Owens

Being a diehard Eagles fan, I don't want to say anything about this. We really don't like J.D. Drew or Scott Rolen, either - Drew because he was drafted number one overall by the Phillies in 1997 and refused to sign and re-entered the draft the next year, and Rolen because he demanded to be traded away.


Miami - No one because they have like two legitimate sports fans.


St. Louis - Albert Pujols

Many still love him, but most can't forgive him. Illinois' most beloved athlete for a decade chose to leave a better fan base and just as good of a chance to win another World Series because the Cardinals couldn't offer him as much money as the Angels could. I'm sure the Cardinals' faithful delighted in his April swoon, and are happy his 10-year contract isn't crippling their franchise.


Washington - Albert Haynesworth

Probably the worst free agent signing in NFL history. An All-Pro in 2007 and 2008, Haynesworth was highly coveted heading into free agency. The Redskins, notorious for overpaying players, made their worst move yet, snatching Haynesworth for seven years, $100 million. All downhill from there. Haynesworth had an endless list of fighting teammates, a stomping incident, and exhibited all-around poor play. His ineffectiveness can be partially attributed to the fact that he didn't feel like getting into anything close to playing shape for the '09 season. 


Pittsburgh - Barry Bonds

Terry Bradhaw's backup Cliff Stoudt is also despised in the Burgh, but Barry Bonds is the undisputed number one. First of all, everyone outside of San Francisco hates Bonds. Who likes a cheater? But it's personal in Pittsburgh, because after failing to advance the Bucs to the World Series in his seven years there, he left for more money in San Francisco (which is the only city in the U.S. where he'd be welcomed today).

2012 MLB Predictions at the Break

American League MVP: Josh Hamilton. His incredible power numbers will be able to fend off rookie phenom Mike Trout, who will probably have a few of these awards by the time his career is done.

National League MVP: Andrew McCutchen. Joey Votto has gotten on base more, but Cutch has done everything else more effectively thus far. Even if the power numbers stack up similarly at the end, McCutchen's 25-30 steals and stellar centerfield play will give him the edge over the first baseman. The deciding factor might end up being which team makes the playoffs.

American League Cy Young: Jered Weaver. The popular pick is Justin Verlander, and while he leads Weaver in most pitching statistical categories, Weaver's ERA is 62 points lower (1.96). Pitchers starting off this hot have a tendency to stumble down the stretch (Weaver's ERA on August 5 of last season was 1.78. He finished at 2.41), but I think he'll be able to learn from last year. Another dark horse candidate is 23-year-old Chris Sale, who has posted a 2.19 ERA to go along with a 0.95 WHIP and 98 Ks in 102.2 innings.

National League Cy Young: R.A. Dickey. Even if Johnny Cueto and James McDonald (I have absolutely no clue how they weren't all-stars by the way) finish with slightly better statistics, Dickey will take the award if he keeps pitching as he is. The fact that he is a 37-year-old knuckleballer with a heartwarming story will appeal to voters. I have a feeling that Cueto and McDonald, at 26 and 27 years old respectively, will be in the Cy conversation for years to come.

American League Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout. Yu Darvish or anyone else won't come close.

National League Rookie of the Year: Bryce Harper. I don't know if he'll deserve it, but he'll win nonetheless. There were about 25 guys that should have made the all-star game before he did, but his hype wins out. He's not outhitting the Reds' Todd Frazier, a guy whom many of you probably don't know who he is. Wade Miley, the owner of a 9-5 record and 3.04 ERA, could make things interesting of he keeps things up.

AL East winner: New York Yankees. No one's catching them.

AL Central winner: Chicago White Sox. Youk is coming alive, they've found a diamond in the rough in Jose Quintana, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios are rejuvenated, and Paul Konerko is still hitting the lights out. Robin Ventura's crew should be able to pull off the improbable and hold off Verlander, Prince and the Tigers for the division crown.

AL West winner: Texas Rangers. This division is all but assured of having two playoff teams, as the Angels will probably take a wild card if they can't bounce the Rangers from first place. Texas looks October-ready in July.

AL Wild Cards: Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers. I'm pretty much positive the Angels are going to grab one, but the second spot is up in the air. It's pretty much in between the second-place Central team (White Sox or Tigers) and the Tampa Bay Rays. Detroit looks like they are coming together while the Rays are barely getting by. I think this is the year when the Rays' lack of cash will bite them as they await Evan Longoria's return.

NL East winner: Washington Nationals. I know they had a great core coming in, but still, who would have thought that the Washington Nationals would have the best record in the NL at the break? That's like saying "The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl!" from a few years back. Maybe the Nats would compete for a wild card, sure, but not this.

NL Central winner: St. Louis Cardinals. They have the most talent in the division, and it's all but certain the Pirates will fade at least a little bit. As far as the Reds go, if they want to win the division, they are going to need Drew Stubbs (.215/.286/.367) to come alive. It's certainly possible this division is the first in baseball history to have three playoff teams.

NL West winner: San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers are free fallin'. Even Matt Kemp's return won't be able to save them at this point. Despite Tim Lincecum's terribleness, San Fran will take advantage and win the division.

NL Wild Cards: Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves. This will be baseball's most intense race. Atlanta is a shoo-in, and Pittsburgh is, well, a gut pick. I want it to happen. The Mets' lack of talent will get to them and they will fade, but the Reds, Cardinals, and Bucs will duke it out until the finish.

Trying to Make Sense of the Sixers' Offseason Moves

Nick Young's a ball hog and proud of it.

Prior to the start of last season, the Philadelphia 76ers had a definite direction. With Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala present on the roster, the team would try to develop its young players, and hopefully advance out of the first round in the playoffs. The end result of the 2011-2012 season was regarded as satisfactory: a Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference semis, an improvement to a five-game first-round exit the year before.

The 2012 offseason was, or is, supposed to be the next step in the team becoming a contender. Except, with the Atlantic division strengthening around them, the Sixers really haven't improved their roster much at all.

The Brooklyn Nets have completely revamped their team and possibly become contenders in the blink of an eye; that is for another column. The Raptors added Kyle Lowry to pair alongside DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani. The Celtics grabbed some big names, Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, in the draft, but both are NBA question marks. 

So what have the Sixers done?

The draft is where the head-scratching began. With the 15th pick, they selected Moe Harkless out of St. John's, who is a player with potential, but one who simply does not fit on this current roster. The best-case scenario is that he becomes a right-handed version of Thaddeus Young, a player the Sixers have under contract for the next four years. Philly was already overloaded at the small forward position; in addition to Young, Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala, who is still on the roster, also play the position.

What would have made more sense would have been to take a big man with the pick; that is the glaring weakness. The Harkless signing seems to be in hope of trading Iguodala for Pau Gasol or another established big. But with the current roster, Harkless' addition will create a minutes disparity and/or guys playing out of position too often.

The Sixers did eventually take a big man in Arnett Moultrie, with the 27th pick. The problem here, though, is they gave away next year's first rounder to the Miami Heat in order to draft him. Why not just take him at fifteen, or trade down if they knew he'd still be there?

What has transpired after the draft has not been very encouraging either. Thus far the front office has:

Re-signed Lavoy Allen for 2 yrs, $6 million
Re-signed Spencer Hawes for 2 yrs, $13 million
Amnestied Elton Brand, owing him $18 million
Chose not to re-sign Lou Williams, Jodie Meeks, Tony Battie, Sam Young, and Xavier Silas
Signed Nick Young for 1 yr, $6 million

There is one positive. Lavoy Allen's contract is very reasonable; last year he showed his excellent defensive post presence, and he has potential to develop his offensive game. He's a valuable bench player at this stage, but he will have an opportunity to prove himself this season and may see starter's minutes.

And then Spencer Hawes is back. There probably weren't many alternatives, but from a diehard fan's perspective, he is just difficult to watch. Kevin Garnett ran all over him in the playoffs; as a result he lost minutes to Allen. He plays rather soft and is nonathletic. Capable of scoring spurts at times, he earned $13 million, I guess, from two twenty-point performances in the postseason. Hawes is a capable backup, but going into 2012-13 with him in position to start makes fans uncomfortable.

More puzzling than the Harkless and Hawes signings was the decision to amnesty Elton Brand. If you are not familiar, the amnesty clause, new in last year's collective bargaining agreement, allows teams to waive one player's contract from their salary cap figure while still paying the player in actuality. Brand was a hardworking player who gave 110% in every game he played with the Sixers, but his production had not merited his contract. The fact he was amnestied is not especially controversial, but ESPN's John Hollinger explains the problem with the move, as the timing was off:

But let's get back to Philly, who both amnestied Brand and announced they'd be parting ways with Lou Williams on Friday, and then said they reached a one-year deal with Nick Young.

What, exactly, are they going for here? Even after the amnesty, Philly has just $7 million in cap room, which is perhaps enough to put in a bid for the likes of Ersan Ilyasova or Kris Humphries, but if you're going to do that you might as well ride out another year with Brand, right?

Even more puzzling is the timing. If Philly had determined to amnesty Brand a week ago and not bothered with Young or the recent two-year, $13-million deal with Spencer Hawes, the Sixers were looking at max cap space and the chance to lure a top free agent. Not a great chance, perhaps, but a chance.

Now? They're looking at, best-case scenario, signing somebody almost as good as Brand. One wonders if another move is waiting around the corner -- an Andre Iguodala trade, perhaps, or some other move that will allow us to make sense of all this.

There really is no direction to what the front office is doing right now. Meeks, Battie, Sam Young, and Silas can go. Meeks had his moments, Battie is a great veteran presence to the younger guys and will probably be a coach someday, and Young worked harder than anyone, but no one in Philly is going to outcry over these moves. But why Nick Young? He is a ballhog. Plain and simple. In a team that is trying to build around Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, two guys that already don't like to pass much, adding Nick Young won't make the big guys in the game happy.

To try to justify the move: the Sixers needed a pure scorer, and Young gives them that at a much lower price than Lou Williams would have been. The problem with Young is, well, everything except his scoring. And he doesn't score efficiently either: he shot just 40% last season. But he may be able to help the team avoid those six-minute scoring droughts that plagued them in the postseason.

I will do a follow-up post to this later in the offseason when more moves have been made.

Breaking Down the AL All-Star Voting Totals

1B: Prince Fielder leads Paul Konerko by about 250,000 votes. It's been somewhat of a down year for American League first baseman, and even in a down year by his standards power-wise, Prince leads the voting. Konerko is hitting over twenty points higher, but has eleven fewer RBIs. Both will make the squad anyway.

2B: The fact that Mitch Moreland is fourth is the 1B voting makes me believe Texas is stuffing the ballot box somewhat. Ian Kinsler is a fan favorite, but having a far less productive season than Robinson Cano, yet he leads, even if only by 15,000 votes. Cano is hitting .307/.371/.579/.950 while Kinsler is at .279/.340/.458/.798. You have to hand in to the Rangers' fan base for outvoting the Yankee supporters.

3B: Texas' offensive juggernaut is going to feature multiple all-stars. Adrian Beltre is hitting the lights out, playing stellar defense, and simply outperforming Miguel Cabrera. And it shows in the vote.

SS: Derek Jeter leads Elvis Andrus by well over a million votes. Only Josh Hamilton has more votes than the captain. Jeter's hit just .240 in June, but has already done enough to start yet another ASG.

C: Hitting just .242, Mike Napoli will get the starting nod. The NL has three catchers outhitting him, but being in the Rangers' lineup and 12 HR and 30 RBI are enough.

DH: David Ortiz leads Michael Young by half a million votes. He's hitting .309/.399/.628 with 21 home runs and leads the American League in OPS and runs scored, while ranking second in slugging percentage and total bases.Well deserved.

OF: Josh Hamilton has over five million votes. Curtis Granderson is a distant second, over two and a half million behind. Jose Bautista and Adam Jones are battling for the third and final starting spot. Following are a bunch of large market guys having completely average seasons, by any standards. Many of the better outfielders seem to be in the NL this season.

Breaking Down the NL All-Star Voting Totals

National League:

1B: Joey Votto leads by a landslide. The fact that he is batting .353/.478/.643 makes him the easy choice, especially because the NL has a lack of productiveness out of the first base position this season.

2B: This one is a question mark. Dan Uggla leads Brandon Phillips by over 700,000 votes. The only edge Uggla has over Phillips is one more home run (eleven to ten). Uggla has committed four times as many errors as Phillips (eight to two). While Brandon Phillips is hitting a respectable .289, Uggla is sitting at .232, which would have to be one of the lowest batting averages for an all-star the game has ever seen.

3B: David Wright leads Pablo Sandoval by a few hundred thousand votes. Batting .357 makes that well deserved on its own.

SS: Rafael Furcal and Troy Tulowitzki are in a close race, with Furcal leading. With Tulo not going to be be off the DL for the Midsummer Classic, the nod will likely go to Furcal. I have no problem with Furcal instead of Starlin Castro, as Castro's defense has been inconsistent, and his overall offensive stats are not even with Furcal's.

C: Backstop is currently the NL voting's biggest mistake so far. 

Player A: .300/.366/.483/.850
Player B: .364/.428/.591/1.019
Player C: .316/.367/.518/.885

Player A is leading Player C by almost 200,000 votes and Player B by almost 700,000. If you follow baseball intently you probably know who these three are. While Carlos Ruiz (B) is leading all of Major League Baseball in hitting, Buster Posey (A) is in line to start the All-Star Game. Yadier Molina (C) is also having a better year than Posey. Both Ruiz and Molina are far better defensively than the young phenom, but in this voting none of that seems to matter.

OF: Matt Kemp leads all outfielders, and while he is currently on the DL, he aspires to return to play in the ASG. Carlos Beltran is in a deserving second, replacing Albert Pujols with 20 HR and 59 RBI to go along with a .312 average. Melky Cabrera and his .351 average have surpassed Ryan Braun for third. If not for the steroid allegation, Braun's popularity probably would have had him leading this vote. Following these four are Andre Ethier, Matt Holliday, Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, Angel Pagan, Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gonzalez, and Jason Heyward. A few of these guys will be snubbed, as many are having similarly terrific seasons. It appears the Giants are stuffing the ballots somewhat, as Pagan has no business being on this list. Heyward is a stretch as well. To put them in order, I'd go:

Beltran, McCutchen, Bourn, Cabrera, Kemp, Gonzalez, Braun. The rest shouldn't make the roster.

AL will be done tomorrow.

Resurgence

In no way am I going to attempt to justify the 5-year, $82.5 million contract Yankees GM Brian Cashman handed A.J. Burnett in December of 2008.

Prior to his Yankees signing, Burnett was simply a slightly above average pitcher. In the 2008 season with Toronto he posted a 4.07 ERA, which, while inflated by pitching in the AL East, is hardly worthy of that type of commitment.

It simply didn't make sense why the Yankees and their fans expected him to be their messiah. That being said, he drastically underachieved.

His first season with the Yankees went generally the same as his final one with Toronto: his ERA rose 0.03 points and he had 13 wins. That seemed to be a realistic projection of what he would offer for the coming four years of his massive deal, production not worth his salary.

Of course, he would go on to implode the two years after as we all know. He scuffled with Jorge Posada (as quite a few others have), prompting the Yankees to appoint Francisco Cervelli and soft-swinging Jose Molina as his personal catchers. While the results were slightly better, Burnett's battery mates weren't the ones that could control the fact that his curveball bounced two feet in front of home plate.

Burnett simply could not handle the pressure of pitching in the Big Apple. Like many other athletes that fizzle there, as well as in cities like Boston and Philadelphia, the stress was too great - particularly for a guy as emotional as A.J. Burnett. His always stuff was still there, but the correct mindset wasn't.  Being traded to the Pirates for a pair of prospects was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Fouling a ball off of his face just before the season wasn't as big a deal away from New York.

Not only is he now pitching in a smaller market with less pressure and more forgiving fans, but the NL Central lineups he faces do not consist of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Gonzalez, Ortiz, Youkilis (all healthy and hitting), ever. Pittsburgh is a place where he can relax and take on a new role of being a leader.

Burnett's leadership is paying dividends with the young Pirates staff, particularity concerning James McDonald, a guy largely unknown is his first four years in the show. Under Burnett's tutelage, the 27-year-old is dazzling fans with a 2.19 ERA and 6-3 record.

And once again, Burnett is making the most of his every fifth day as well: after six innings of two-hit ball against the Tigers earlier tonight, he sits at 8-2 with a 3.24 ERA (which would be the lowest of his career). He's won his last seven starts.

Along with Andrew McCutchen, McDonald, and the the finally emerging Pedro Alvarez, Burnett has become an instrumental part of a scrappy Pirates club that in finally convincing fans at PNC Park to believe. When they tossed in a few prospects to land Burnett, the front office was probably not expecting this magnitude of a reward.

Frustration with the Media (ESPN) - Part 2

Continued from Part 1.

ESPN has a blog called the "Heat Index," which shows they are not even trying to hide the fact that they play favorites to the larger markets that have a bandwagon fan base across the country. When the Indiana Pacers beat the Heat in one of their first round matchups, the headlines were not "Pacers win" but rather "Heat fall." The Pacers were still ignored, and all of the featured articles were how the Heat could improve for the next game, etc., as opposed to anything to do with the Pacers' success. This is just a general example; the network uses this technique when it comes to any of their large market lovers.

MLB closer Heath Bell picked up on ESPN's team favoritism as well, as I'm sure many others have, saying, "I truly believe ESPN only cares about promoting the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets--and nobody else. That's why I like the MLB Network, because they promote everybody. I'm really turned off by ESPN and Baseball Tonight. When Jake Peavy threw 8⅓ innings on Saturday, they showed one pitch in the third inning and that was it. It's all about the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets."

Ratings, ratings, ratings. That what drives ESPN. The rather frustrating part to many sports fans is the fact that they succeed with their act. Whether people love or hate LeBron James, ESPN knows "reporting" every single one of his brainless comments will generate traffic, because people will see James' name and automatically be drawn to the article.

Of course, some athletes are shoved down our throats anyway, even if they aren't a top player like James. At first people thought the Danica Patrick story was something worthy of excitement, until they realized she is a terrible driver with a huge ego who will probably never win a NASCAR race. But articles on her still get comments, mainly criticizing her like I just did. But to ESPN, what does it matter? She ups their ratings.

More on this topic soon.

Frustration with the Media (ESPN) - Part 1

When I was little, I used to adore ESPN. I'd stay up late on weekend nights watching essentially the same SportsCenter over and over. Scott Van Pelt, Neil Everett and others cracked me up (in fact, they still do, but now they never seem to be on for some reason). The network could do no wrong in my eyes; only reporting sports in a fun, casual way.

Sad to say, that's far from true.

Here's the bottom line: they care only about ratings, and not the quality of their content. They only focus on big markets and express a love affair toward the "superstar" athletes.

Here's their list:

Athletes - Tim Tebow, Brett Favre, LeBron James, Tom Brady,  Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tiger Woods, Dwyane Wade, Blake Griffin, Michael Vick

Teams - Miami Heat, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Jets, Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, and the entire SEC football conference.

Much more on this topic coming soon.

Just Like Old Times

Let me start off by saying I couldn't be happier for Andre Iguodala. For those of you outside of the Philadelphia area, Andre has been one of the most underappreciated athletes I have ever seen. I've written a post in the past explaining the situation. For Dre to sink two clutch free throws after struggling all season from the line to cap off a productive series, one in which he led his team past the Bulls (and completely neutralized down Luol Deng), just makes me so proud of him as one of his biggest fans.

Enough with the gushing for Andre, though. The Sixers have moved on to Boston, and split a pair at the Boston Garden. The series is now headed to Philly, and the Celtics are considerably weaker on the road.

I am a diehard Sixers fan, but that does not factor into my picking them to win in six (I am willing to face the music if they run into a full strength Miami). Here's why:

Iguodala has been able to take Paul Pierce completely out of his rhythm, and Boston needs him if they want to win the series. Having the Paul Pierce of five years ago might have made the difference in the series, because right now, he simply can't get by the more athletic Iguodala.

Spencer Hawes is not enough of an athlete to handle a rejuvenated Kevin Garnett down low. That's what makes Lavoy Allen's emergence so crucial. He's given KG all he can handle down the paint, and is averaging 11 points and 7 boards through the first two games. In last night's one point Philadelphia win, he posted a +21 +/- rating in 30 minutes (meaning when he was in the game, the Sixers outscored the Celtics by 21 points). A rookie who was ranked the worst player in the NBA by ESPN before the season, Allen is showing signs he can have a productive career. His coach believes it too, comparing him to Indiana's David West...

This has been repeated time and time again, but Philly's ability to run against Boston's age has really worked to their advantage. A lousy half court-team, the 76ers must hit the jets off of steals and defensive boards, because Boston's defense can stifle them in the slower-paced game.

Evan Turner is doing more than making the occasional spectacular play. During these playoffs, he's shown he can be a 16-8-5 type guy for a long time. Much improvement from the bust status he had begun to acquire during his rookie season.

Even if my Sixers fail to win this series, though, it's still reassuring to see these two feisty old rivals get back at it like they've done throughout their storied histories. Knowing my team is on the upswing will suffice for now, but this 76er team certainly has aspirations of ousting their northern foe, and whoever comes next.