Just days before the World Cup, David Beckham faces the realization that he will only play a small part in trying to end one of sports' greatest droughts.
England's World Cup chances rely heavily on the shoulders of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. The new poster boy for English football, Rooney leads a talented group into South Africa hoping to win England's first World Cup in 44 years.
Captained by Steven Gerrard, the group of 23 is awfully impressive on paper. Even more impressive may be their storied coach Fabio Capello. But the red and white always seem to occur the unluckiest of fates on the biggest stage. Many recall the recent heartbreak at the 2006 World Cup when England lost in the quarter finals to Portugal on penalties.
All three players that missed penalties in that shootout (Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Jamie Carragher) are on the team this year. Lampard has said that in order for England to take a step forward, they have to be mentally stronger this year.
And Rooney fits the bill. He plays on the country's most prestigious club team and consistently puts up great numbers. One of the stars featured on Nike's newest World Cup commercial, one has to wonder if England does win it this year, if every newborn baby boy will be named Wayne.
If anything does get into the minds of the English, it is that they are not getting any younger. Only 3 players on the squad are under the age of 25 (Rooney, Aaron Lennon and James Milner) with most of the England core in their late 20s and early 30s. In 2014, the Gerrard's and Lampard's will give way to next generation of English stars.
Take Lennon's Tottenham teammate Danny Rose for example. Just 20 years old, he may have scored the goal of the year in his first Premiership game. Manchester City's Michael Johnson barely missed this year's squad with Capello opting to choose veteran Joe Cole. Their most promising young star may be Arsenal's Theo Walcott. At 21 years of age, he was expected to make this year's team but dealing with injuries this past season, Capello did not think he was fit enough.
Going with experience over potential, Capello hopes to change the football fortunes of this hard luck country. Until father time catches up with them, they will be relied on to help this team party like it's 1966.
DD
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Trading Doc
It's finally here. JP Ricciardi's self-imposed deadline is today and so far nothing concrete to report on. Doc is slated to start tomorrow in Seattle and the Phillies are still balking at the Jays trade offer. It seems as though JP won't consider trading with anyone else because he views the Happ/Drabek offer as the best he could possibly get. Once again, another wrong move from the Jays GM.
This whole process has made Ricciardi look bad... at least in the eyes of Jays fans. From the outset, you knew he wouldn't come out looking like the hero who traded Roy Halladay while infusing a below average farm system with top prospects. The most dumbfounding move might be publicly saying Doc told the team he'd test the free agent waters in 2010. If the Phillies knew they had a shot at signing Doc to an extension before free agency, I think getting rid of Happ and Drabek would be a little less painful.
Nonetheless, we're left with just a couple of teams left in the race for the workhorse: the Phillies, Red Sox and Angels. The Dodgers aren't out of the race but don't have a solid package in place as of yet.
We all know about the Phillies package. They want to give up only one of Happ/Drabek, Carlos Carrasco, Luke Donald and Michael Taylor. The latter 3 are lower tier prospects and project as average major leaguers. The Jays want JA Happ along with Kyle Drabek and top prospect Dominic Brown. JP has not backed off this package, but in my opinion he could get a comparable one elsewhere...
The Red Sox have made a formal offer of Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden and top outfield prospect Ryan Westmoreland according to a report on Yahoo Sports. Buchholz is major league ready and projects to be a future ace. The combination of Buchholz and Bowden are better than Happ/Drabek in my opinion. Drabek also had Tommy John Surgery just 2 years ago so he's far from a sure thing. Westmoreland is only 19 and if the Jays can move Vernon in the next couple of years, he'd be the starting LF/RF depending on where the Jays feel comfortable with Travis Snider.
Decision: Because the Red Sox must "pay a premium", I'd ask for the hard-throwing Daniel Bard instead of Bowden. The Jays have also asked for Jed Lowrie in earlier discussions, who would easily start next year once Scutaro leaves (either at the deadline or in the offseason). Don't be surprised if JP actually trades Doc to his hometown team.
The Angels have offered Joe Saunders, Brandon Wood, Erick Aybar and a lower level prospect. While the trade would give Toronto options on the left side of its infield, Saunders has never really been a pitcher I've liked. This year his ERA stands in the mid 4's.
Decision: It's a decent offer but I'd say the Angels are a long shot to get Halladay. If they replaced Saunders with Jered Weaver and added a couple of higher level prospects (Sean Rodriguez) the Jays might contemplate it. But I'd say the Angels end up with Cliff Lee instead.
Finally, the team I'd like to see Doc get traded to would be the LA Dodgers. Not only are they my second favourite team, but they have great young players that the Jays could build around. The problem is, JP might be getting a bit greedy as he has asked for both Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp with prospects for Roy. If the Dodgers were to make a run for Halladay, rumours have suggested that it be Chad Billingsley who the Dodgers would part with and anyone else off their major league roster would be untouchable.
Decision: Getting a pitcher like Billingsley or Kershaw would almost be a wash for Doc. Both are very talented and are proven big league starters. Heck, I would probably take lower prospects with either and make a trade. Kershaw is only 22 and barring injury problems could be the best pitcher of the next decade. Billingsley is a bit older but he'd contribute right away and give the 2010 rotation a dangerous look. But the fact that the Dodgers have the NL West in total control make them longshots to make a splash for Lee or Halladay.
Prediction: JP hasn't made one substantially great decision in his 8 years here other than resigning Doc a couple of years back. So I'm going to say this last month was just a waste of time and we'll be seeing Doc in a Jays uniform for another 1.5 years... That, or he'll panic and give in to the Phillies demands and screw this organization for another 8 years.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, Check out T.O. Sports Magazine, Toronto's free sports monthly magazine...Pick one UP, you know you want to. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
This whole process has made Ricciardi look bad... at least in the eyes of Jays fans. From the outset, you knew he wouldn't come out looking like the hero who traded Roy Halladay while infusing a below average farm system with top prospects. The most dumbfounding move might be publicly saying Doc told the team he'd test the free agent waters in 2010. If the Phillies knew they had a shot at signing Doc to an extension before free agency, I think getting rid of Happ and Drabek would be a little less painful.
Nonetheless, we're left with just a couple of teams left in the race for the workhorse: the Phillies, Red Sox and Angels. The Dodgers aren't out of the race but don't have a solid package in place as of yet.
We all know about the Phillies package. They want to give up only one of Happ/Drabek, Carlos Carrasco, Luke Donald and Michael Taylor. The latter 3 are lower tier prospects and project as average major leaguers. The Jays want JA Happ along with Kyle Drabek and top prospect Dominic Brown. JP has not backed off this package, but in my opinion he could get a comparable one elsewhere...
The Red Sox have made a formal offer of Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden and top outfield prospect Ryan Westmoreland according to a report on Yahoo Sports. Buchholz is major league ready and projects to be a future ace. The combination of Buchholz and Bowden are better than Happ/Drabek in my opinion. Drabek also had Tommy John Surgery just 2 years ago so he's far from a sure thing. Westmoreland is only 19 and if the Jays can move Vernon in the next couple of years, he'd be the starting LF/RF depending on where the Jays feel comfortable with Travis Snider.
Decision: Because the Red Sox must "pay a premium", I'd ask for the hard-throwing Daniel Bard instead of Bowden. The Jays have also asked for Jed Lowrie in earlier discussions, who would easily start next year once Scutaro leaves (either at the deadline or in the offseason). Don't be surprised if JP actually trades Doc to his hometown team.
The Angels have offered Joe Saunders, Brandon Wood, Erick Aybar and a lower level prospect. While the trade would give Toronto options on the left side of its infield, Saunders has never really been a pitcher I've liked. This year his ERA stands in the mid 4's.
Decision: It's a decent offer but I'd say the Angels are a long shot to get Halladay. If they replaced Saunders with Jered Weaver and added a couple of higher level prospects (Sean Rodriguez) the Jays might contemplate it. But I'd say the Angels end up with Cliff Lee instead.
Finally, the team I'd like to see Doc get traded to would be the LA Dodgers. Not only are they my second favourite team, but they have great young players that the Jays could build around. The problem is, JP might be getting a bit greedy as he has asked for both Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp with prospects for Roy. If the Dodgers were to make a run for Halladay, rumours have suggested that it be Chad Billingsley who the Dodgers would part with and anyone else off their major league roster would be untouchable.
Decision: Getting a pitcher like Billingsley or Kershaw would almost be a wash for Doc. Both are very talented and are proven big league starters. Heck, I would probably take lower prospects with either and make a trade. Kershaw is only 22 and barring injury problems could be the best pitcher of the next decade. Billingsley is a bit older but he'd contribute right away and give the 2010 rotation a dangerous look. But the fact that the Dodgers have the NL West in total control make them longshots to make a splash for Lee or Halladay.
Prediction: JP hasn't made one substantially great decision in his 8 years here other than resigning Doc a couple of years back. So I'm going to say this last month was just a waste of time and we'll be seeing Doc in a Jays uniform for another 1.5 years... That, or he'll panic and give in to the Phillies demands and screw this organization for another 8 years.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, Check out T.O. Sports Magazine, Toronto's free sports monthly magazine...Pick one UP, you know you want to. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Canadian Skiing's 2010 Hopeful
Here we are, less than a year away from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Much of the talk in this country has been about Canada's Mens hockey team. But there are a many more amateur athletes who only make a name for themselves once every four years. Canadian alpine skiier Mike Janyk fits that description as one of Canada's amateur medal hopefuls next year.
Of course the majority of Canadians watch the Winter Olympics for the hockey. Either that, or the events where a Canadian is expected to medal. Janyk will be the hometown boy in Whistler and is definitely a favourite to at least medal. He is coming off a bronze medal in the Slalom event at the 2009 Alpine Skiing World Championships, one of the two medals Canada won (John Kucera won the downhill event).
Why doesn't he get more attention? Because skiing is a "world sport." What I mean is that Canada doesn't care about these athletes unless they do something amazing. Take for example Daniel Nestor, Canadian tennis player. When is the only time you hear his name? When he wins a doubles title at Wimbledon. Of course from time to time, some skiing events will be squeezed into the final minutes of a sports program. Or maybe even a little note at the bottom of a sports show's ticker. But as 2010 nears, I think more time should be spent focusing on the athletes that will participate at the games.
On the flip side, maybe it's due to injury that people haven't really heard of Janyk. He spent most of last year sidelined due to a back injury and is just starting to feel 100 per cent. In his latest bronze medal finish, he said he took more risks on the course to even have a chance to be on the podium. Injuries do have something to do with it, just ask Jan Hudec. A couple of years ago, Hudec was actually pretty big in Canada. He was finishing high in his races, but then suffered a knee injury which he hasn't fully recovered from yet. So now that Janyk is healthy, expect to hear more from the slalom specialist.
Being a year away from the big event, skiing will probably not be in the limelight anytime soon. Janyk would have to win a few races for people to really take notice. But since he hasn't won a world cup event yet, expect his first one to be covered in the same way Hudec's was. As I recall, TSN led off Sportscentre with Hudec's win just a couple of years ago. So if you haven't heard of Mike Janyk yet, expect to see him at the top of a podium well before the main stage in 2010.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, Check out T.O. Sports Magazine, Toronto's free sports monthly magazine...Pick one UP, you know you want to. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
Of course the majority of Canadians watch the Winter Olympics for the hockey. Either that, or the events where a Canadian is expected to medal. Janyk will be the hometown boy in Whistler and is definitely a favourite to at least medal. He is coming off a bronze medal in the Slalom event at the 2009 Alpine Skiing World Championships, one of the two medals Canada won (John Kucera won the downhill event).
Why doesn't he get more attention? Because skiing is a "world sport." What I mean is that Canada doesn't care about these athletes unless they do something amazing. Take for example Daniel Nestor, Canadian tennis player. When is the only time you hear his name? When he wins a doubles title at Wimbledon. Of course from time to time, some skiing events will be squeezed into the final minutes of a sports program. Or maybe even a little note at the bottom of a sports show's ticker. But as 2010 nears, I think more time should be spent focusing on the athletes that will participate at the games.
On the flip side, maybe it's due to injury that people haven't really heard of Janyk. He spent most of last year sidelined due to a back injury and is just starting to feel 100 per cent. In his latest bronze medal finish, he said he took more risks on the course to even have a chance to be on the podium. Injuries do have something to do with it, just ask Jan Hudec. A couple of years ago, Hudec was actually pretty big in Canada. He was finishing high in his races, but then suffered a knee injury which he hasn't fully recovered from yet. So now that Janyk is healthy, expect to hear more from the slalom specialist.
Being a year away from the big event, skiing will probably not be in the limelight anytime soon. Janyk would have to win a few races for people to really take notice. But since he hasn't won a world cup event yet, expect his first one to be covered in the same way Hudec's was. As I recall, TSN led off Sportscentre with Hudec's win just a couple of years ago. So if you haven't heard of Mike Janyk yet, expect to see him at the top of a podium well before the main stage in 2010.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, Check out T.O. Sports Magazine, Toronto's free sports monthly magazine...Pick one UP, you know you want to. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Winter Wonderland
Is it cold enough for you yet? Here we are in just another chilling winter in Toronto. And while it may be easy for most of us to just stay inside our warm, cozy houses/apartments, there are a ton of sports that you have to take advantage of while you still can.
With the amount of snow this country has been getting, it's been a god-sent for Ski and Snowboarding companies. Skiing or Snowboarding are two exhilarating ways of exercising this winter season.
If you haven't tried either before, you're not alone. Many ski/snowboard resorts are located north of the city. But if you're willing to make the trip it's an experience you won't forget.
The first thing you want to do is make sure you're dressed properly. Going down the slopes in the cold weather will make your eyes tear up so bringing sunglasses or goggles help increase visibility. Try to stay away from jeans unless you want to feel soaked afterward.
Whether you choose to ski or snowboard, both require some form of training. Before hitting the slopes take a quick lesson to learn the basics. From my experience, skiing is the easier of the two as the individual is positioned straight ahead rather than on the side. Once the training session is over, start on the bunny hills (beginner hills).
Turns are extremely important in both sports. I used to think the best way to ski was to just ride down a hill straight ahead. Not only is this unsafe, but it is almost impossible to do depending on the steepness of the hill. The key to safe skiing and snowboarding is to effectively turn from side to side in order to maintain a constant speed. A great way to practice turns when you're not on the slopes is to practice turns on a skating rink. The fundamentals are similar even though the downhill aspect isn't there.
For the tamer individual, cross-country skiing can be an excellent source of exercise as well. Of course, the process is a lot more arduous as the sport is one of the most difficult in the world. If you want to really take on a challenge, skiing cross-country exercises almost all the muscles in the body. The use of both hands and legs are extremely important because the muscles in those body parts are where all your momentum comes from.
Don't let the cold keep you from getting out there and doing something new. For more information on skiing and snowboarding, check out www.skicanada.org. Or just check your local yellow pages for a slope near you.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, Check out T.O. Sports Magazine, Toronto's free sports monthly magazine...Pick one UP, you know you want to. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
With the amount of snow this country has been getting, it's been a god-sent for Ski and Snowboarding companies. Skiing or Snowboarding are two exhilarating ways of exercising this winter season.
If you haven't tried either before, you're not alone. Many ski/snowboard resorts are located north of the city. But if you're willing to make the trip it's an experience you won't forget.
The first thing you want to do is make sure you're dressed properly. Going down the slopes in the cold weather will make your eyes tear up so bringing sunglasses or goggles help increase visibility. Try to stay away from jeans unless you want to feel soaked afterward.
Whether you choose to ski or snowboard, both require some form of training. Before hitting the slopes take a quick lesson to learn the basics. From my experience, skiing is the easier of the two as the individual is positioned straight ahead rather than on the side. Once the training session is over, start on the bunny hills (beginner hills).
Turns are extremely important in both sports. I used to think the best way to ski was to just ride down a hill straight ahead. Not only is this unsafe, but it is almost impossible to do depending on the steepness of the hill. The key to safe skiing and snowboarding is to effectively turn from side to side in order to maintain a constant speed. A great way to practice turns when you're not on the slopes is to practice turns on a skating rink. The fundamentals are similar even though the downhill aspect isn't there.
For the tamer individual, cross-country skiing can be an excellent source of exercise as well. Of course, the process is a lot more arduous as the sport is one of the most difficult in the world. If you want to really take on a challenge, skiing cross-country exercises almost all the muscles in the body. The use of both hands and legs are extremely important because the muscles in those body parts are where all your momentum comes from.
Don't let the cold keep you from getting out there and doing something new. For more information on skiing and snowboarding, check out www.skicanada.org. Or just check your local yellow pages for a slope near you.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, Check out T.O. Sports Magazine, Toronto's free sports monthly magazine...Pick one UP, you know you want to. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Keeping fit in the new year
This time of year, most people put on a couple of extra pounds. The term "Holiday Weight" has been coined to explain individuals' lack of exercise/over-eating around Christmas and New Years. Whether you've stuffed your face full of turkey on the 25th or making yet another new years resolution about keeping active, something has to give. It isn't hard work to be lazy, so lets go through some ways to make 2009 different... no more excuses, it's time to get fit.
One of the most basic ways of getting exercise is incorporating it into your daily routine. Think about what you do throughout the day. Is there time to hit up the local gym? Maybe get together with a couple of friends to play a pick-up game of your favourite sport? These are the simplest ways of getting exercise but for some reason are the hardest to commit to. There always seems to be some kind of excuse to miss a workout session or to postpone a game with the buddies. By the end of the night, you end up at a bar sitting around WATCHING the game instead of participating in it.
It doesn't take a lot of will power to say, "I'm going to the gym three times a week"... but it does to actually stick to it for more than one week. How do you stick to a routine? One of the most effective ways is to hire a personal trainer.
The reason being is now you HAVE to exercise. Sure, it may cost a bit of money to hire one but now that you have invested in keeping fit you are more likely to be motivated. There's a guy/girl out there who is getting paid whether you attend the sessions or not. So you might as well attend and get the benefits of working one on one with a certified professional.
Sessions mainly happen at a gym or at your home. I suggest doing them at home just because even if you don't feel like working out that day, once you hear that knock on the door it gets even harder to avoid.
Being the big city it is, Toronto has a vast array of personal trainers for hire. Just typing it into a search engine will give you an overwhelming amount of results. So if you truly want to keep that holiday weight off and are serious about getting in shape, hiring a personal trainer might be the best decision you've ever made.
If you're the type of person who just wants to keep active, recreational sports are a great alternative. All the time we hear about house-league sports for kids but there are many house-league sports for adults too. For example, pick-up games of basketball are easy to organize just by going to your local community centre. By going to a local rink you can find out a schedule for when shinny (pick-up hockey) is being held. The problem with this is that there are so many people that have that exact same mind-set. If you don't show up, it's no big deal because there are so many people that you probably won't be missed.
Boxing is such an under-the-radar type sport that many people don't know how useful it can be in keeping active. There are many different ways to on how to make boxing a part of your daily routine. First, you can head over to the local gym and start working on the punching bag. This is a great way to start and will really help work your upper body. The downside is how many times will you really go to the gym? Secondly, you can get a personal trainer who specializes in boxing to help you out. This would be ideal because you get the advice of someone who knows the art of boxing and you would know that you are doing everything right. Also, the personal trainer would be able to show you how to work different parts of your body while boxing. And of course, it's always a lot safer with the guidance of a professional. Finally, for the real lazy people out there just pick up a Wii and get Wii sports. You do get a workout playing the boxing game but it does get a bit repetitive.
Staying active consistently is extremely hard if you aren't motivated. Keeping in mind these tips will hopefully help in deciding what course of action is right for you. 2009 is here, the question is will you stick through your new years resolution or give up in the middle of February? Lets hope it's not the latter.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, check out one of toronto's newest sports magazines at Toronto Sports Magazine. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
One of the most basic ways of getting exercise is incorporating it into your daily routine. Think about what you do throughout the day. Is there time to hit up the local gym? Maybe get together with a couple of friends to play a pick-up game of your favourite sport? These are the simplest ways of getting exercise but for some reason are the hardest to commit to. There always seems to be some kind of excuse to miss a workout session or to postpone a game with the buddies. By the end of the night, you end up at a bar sitting around WATCHING the game instead of participating in it.
It doesn't take a lot of will power to say, "I'm going to the gym three times a week"... but it does to actually stick to it for more than one week. How do you stick to a routine? One of the most effective ways is to hire a personal trainer.
The reason being is now you HAVE to exercise. Sure, it may cost a bit of money to hire one but now that you have invested in keeping fit you are more likely to be motivated. There's a guy/girl out there who is getting paid whether you attend the sessions or not. So you might as well attend and get the benefits of working one on one with a certified professional.
Sessions mainly happen at a gym or at your home. I suggest doing them at home just because even if you don't feel like working out that day, once you hear that knock on the door it gets even harder to avoid.
Being the big city it is, Toronto has a vast array of personal trainers for hire. Just typing it into a search engine will give you an overwhelming amount of results. So if you truly want to keep that holiday weight off and are serious about getting in shape, hiring a personal trainer might be the best decision you've ever made.
If you're the type of person who just wants to keep active, recreational sports are a great alternative. All the time we hear about house-league sports for kids but there are many house-league sports for adults too. For example, pick-up games of basketball are easy to organize just by going to your local community centre. By going to a local rink you can find out a schedule for when shinny (pick-up hockey) is being held. The problem with this is that there are so many people that have that exact same mind-set. If you don't show up, it's no big deal because there are so many people that you probably won't be missed.
Boxing is such an under-the-radar type sport that many people don't know how useful it can be in keeping active. There are many different ways to on how to make boxing a part of your daily routine. First, you can head over to the local gym and start working on the punching bag. This is a great way to start and will really help work your upper body. The downside is how many times will you really go to the gym? Secondly, you can get a personal trainer who specializes in boxing to help you out. This would be ideal because you get the advice of someone who knows the art of boxing and you would know that you are doing everything right. Also, the personal trainer would be able to show you how to work different parts of your body while boxing. And of course, it's always a lot safer with the guidance of a professional. Finally, for the real lazy people out there just pick up a Wii and get Wii sports. You do get a workout playing the boxing game but it does get a bit repetitive.
Staying active consistently is extremely hard if you aren't motivated. Keeping in mind these tips will hopefully help in deciding what course of action is right for you. 2009 is here, the question is will you stick through your new years resolution or give up in the middle of February? Lets hope it's not the latter.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, check out one of toronto's newest sports magazines at Toronto Sports Magazine. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
It's no longer Sam's Club
Seventeen games into an uninspired start to the season, the Raptors brass has fired Sam Mitchell.
8-9 isn't the way I thought this team would start the season, but to fire a head coach this early is kind of surprising... not a very Brian Colangelo like move.
I personally am against the move. There are so many reasons as to why Sam should have stayed, but there are also a lot of reasons he needed to go. But lets start with why I'm against the move.
The first main point that needs to be made is the roster dynamic. Last year the Raptors had one of the best benches in the NBA. Calderon, Delfino, Kapono and Rasho kept the Raps in games and allowed Mitchell to rest his starters. Turn that around to this year and its clear that the Raps depth is one of the worst in the NBA. Joey Graham has been a nice surprise and Roko Ukic is coming along nicely. But in order to win games, Bosh/Calderon need to play 40 minutes a night, something neither of them has done consistently in their short NBA careers. If Mitchell was given a longer look (maybe another 17 games), he might have been able to turn things around.
Injuries have also been a big part of this year. Jose and JO have both had minor injuries that have kept them out of action for some time. You can't blame all 9 losses on just injuries, but without JO the team lacks a sense of toughness. Without Jose, the team lacks a decent ball-handler. Mitchell has had to deal with these injuries by being forced to start Will Solomon (something no coach should ever have to do) and be forced to leave Bosh out there for close to 45 minutes a night. The great thing about Bosh is that he will never complain and he'll always welcome more action but over the stretch of 82 games, it's clear that he needs to get some rest. Playing him this much early in the season will wear on him.
Finally, Mitchell has been with the team since 2004. He's developed a lot of players on the team like Bosh, Jose and Andrea. I think every player in that locker room respects him for what he's done for the organization. Just like the players, he's developed as a coach as well. In his first year, no one talked about his coaching methods. They only talked about his soundbytes... "if you don't want to play, do everyone a favour... quit". His sarcastic way with the media made more headlines than his horrible coaching record. But once he was given some talent to work with, he did a great job. His level of brashness toned down quite a bit and in his last days as the coach, he was extremely relaxed (almost too relaxed). If the 39 point loss to Denver happened 3 years ago, there would have been a 5 minute tirade by Mitchell. When it happened a couple of days ago, he just had a solemn attitude and talked like he would after a 10 point loss.
But this may also be a reason as to why Colangelo let him go. Watching that interview after the Denver loss was kind of disheartening. I wanted to see Mitchell go off on his players. And I think Colangelo wanted to see that kind of fire as well. But the lack of passion from Mitchell and a seemingly lack of passion from the players probably influenced this decision. That and the fact that the Raps have had at least a couple of games in the bag this year and just blew it at the end. The game in Boston and the VC dagger shot and dunk are two things that Colangelo admittedly said bothered him. Maybe a new voice will wake the players up cause it is obvious that the Raps aren't playing with any sense of urgency right now.
With the team up against the salary cap right now, the 8-9 record couldn't be fixed with a trade. A lot of people thought that maybe Al Harrington or Gerald Wallace might be traded here but the Raps would have to give up a major piece in order to get a guy like that. And the only major piece the Raps have that is trade-able is Andrea Bargnani. Colangelo has been adamant that he won't trade him so this move was the only one that could be made.
If I've learned anything in the 3 or so odd years that BC has been here, it's that he hasn't made one bad move. He's the anti-JP so to speak. But it bothers me that the Blue Jays GM has had 8 years of losing seasons and still has a job, whereas Mitchell spent 4 years here, leading the team to the playoffs twice while winning coach of the year and still he gets fired.
I have no doubt that Jay Triano will do a good job because he knows the players that are here. He's already talked about wanting the team to run more so we may be looking at the Phoenix-East team everyone talked about 3 years ago. And only Brian Colangelo could make this move... making a Canadian the coach of Canada's team. Always a crowd pleaser and that's why he's Toronto's most loved GM.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, check out one of toronto's newest sports magazines at Toronto Sports Magazine. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
8-9 isn't the way I thought this team would start the season, but to fire a head coach this early is kind of surprising... not a very Brian Colangelo like move.
I personally am against the move. There are so many reasons as to why Sam should have stayed, but there are also a lot of reasons he needed to go. But lets start with why I'm against the move.
The first main point that needs to be made is the roster dynamic. Last year the Raptors had one of the best benches in the NBA. Calderon, Delfino, Kapono and Rasho kept the Raps in games and allowed Mitchell to rest his starters. Turn that around to this year and its clear that the Raps depth is one of the worst in the NBA. Joey Graham has been a nice surprise and Roko Ukic is coming along nicely. But in order to win games, Bosh/Calderon need to play 40 minutes a night, something neither of them has done consistently in their short NBA careers. If Mitchell was given a longer look (maybe another 17 games), he might have been able to turn things around.
Injuries have also been a big part of this year. Jose and JO have both had minor injuries that have kept them out of action for some time. You can't blame all 9 losses on just injuries, but without JO the team lacks a sense of toughness. Without Jose, the team lacks a decent ball-handler. Mitchell has had to deal with these injuries by being forced to start Will Solomon (something no coach should ever have to do) and be forced to leave Bosh out there for close to 45 minutes a night. The great thing about Bosh is that he will never complain and he'll always welcome more action but over the stretch of 82 games, it's clear that he needs to get some rest. Playing him this much early in the season will wear on him.
Finally, Mitchell has been with the team since 2004. He's developed a lot of players on the team like Bosh, Jose and Andrea. I think every player in that locker room respects him for what he's done for the organization. Just like the players, he's developed as a coach as well. In his first year, no one talked about his coaching methods. They only talked about his soundbytes... "if you don't want to play, do everyone a favour... quit". His sarcastic way with the media made more headlines than his horrible coaching record. But once he was given some talent to work with, he did a great job. His level of brashness toned down quite a bit and in his last days as the coach, he was extremely relaxed (almost too relaxed). If the 39 point loss to Denver happened 3 years ago, there would have been a 5 minute tirade by Mitchell. When it happened a couple of days ago, he just had a solemn attitude and talked like he would after a 10 point loss.
But this may also be a reason as to why Colangelo let him go. Watching that interview after the Denver loss was kind of disheartening. I wanted to see Mitchell go off on his players. And I think Colangelo wanted to see that kind of fire as well. But the lack of passion from Mitchell and a seemingly lack of passion from the players probably influenced this decision. That and the fact that the Raps have had at least a couple of games in the bag this year and just blew it at the end. The game in Boston and the VC dagger shot and dunk are two things that Colangelo admittedly said bothered him. Maybe a new voice will wake the players up cause it is obvious that the Raps aren't playing with any sense of urgency right now.
With the team up against the salary cap right now, the 8-9 record couldn't be fixed with a trade. A lot of people thought that maybe Al Harrington or Gerald Wallace might be traded here but the Raps would have to give up a major piece in order to get a guy like that. And the only major piece the Raps have that is trade-able is Andrea Bargnani. Colangelo has been adamant that he won't trade him so this move was the only one that could be made.
If I've learned anything in the 3 or so odd years that BC has been here, it's that he hasn't made one bad move. He's the anti-JP so to speak. But it bothers me that the Blue Jays GM has had 8 years of losing seasons and still has a job, whereas Mitchell spent 4 years here, leading the team to the playoffs twice while winning coach of the year and still he gets fired.
I have no doubt that Jay Triano will do a good job because he knows the players that are here. He's already talked about wanting the team to run more so we may be looking at the Phoenix-East team everyone talked about 3 years ago. And only Brian Colangelo could make this move... making a Canadian the coach of Canada's team. Always a crowd pleaser and that's why he's Toronto's most loved GM.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
-also, check out one of toronto's newest sports magazines at Toronto Sports Magazine. My blog entries are also posted there along with many other interesting topics.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Rays Win!
And I thought the only magic that happened in Florida took place an hour away from St. Petersburg in Orlando...
The Rays did the impossible Sunday by beating the playoff-tested Boston Red Sox. How could anyone think the Rays could pull this one out tonight? Just one year ago, these same Red Sox (sans Manny) were in the same position down 3 games to 1. Last year they beat an arguably better team in the Cleveland Indians. They had cancer-survivor Jon Lester on the mound, who lost game 3 but hadn't lost 2 straight decisions all season. And of course, the normal cast of characters: Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz.
Last year, the Sox faced sinker-baller Jake Westbrook in game 7 of the ALCS. This year, a young kid named Matt Garza took the hill with a pair of earplugs to drown out the ruckus crowd at the Trop. Like Westbrook, Garza features a hard 93 MPH sinking fastball and he had it tonight. Other than an early Dustin Pedroia homer, Garza was lights out the rest of the night. Delmon who?
As for the Rays offense, Evan Almighty got the party started with a double just inside the right field foul line. Willy Aybar provided the pop with a solo HR to stretch the Rays lead to 2 in the bottom of the 7th.
With a 3-1 lead going into the 8th, Garza allowed Alex Cora to reach base on a Jason Bartlett error. Rays skipper Joe Maddon then went to his bullpen... the same bullpen who had a 3-1 SERIES lead and a 7-0 game 5 lead. After Dan Wheeler allowed a Coco Crisp base hit, he got Pedroia to pop out to left. With Papi strolling to the plate, Maddon went to the mound for the 2nd time in the inning to get a lefty-lefty matchup going with JP Howell. Howell got Ortiz to ground into a very close fielder's choice at 2nd base. With runners at 1st and 3rd, Maddon came out once more to get veteran Chad Bradford to pitch to Youkilis. After walking Youk on 5 pitches, Maddon did the unthinkable.
With the 70 million dollar JD Drew coming to the plate, Maddon pulled the veteran submariner for a 23 year old kid just out of Vanderbilt. The first overall pick in the 2007 David Price jogged to the mound from the bullpen. A guy who started the year in A ball in May would pitch to one of the most dangerous hitters in the Boston lineup.
Four pitches later, all the nay-sayers stand corrected. A pumped up Price strikes out Drew on a check-swing call. After an uninspiring bottom of the inning, Maddon does the unthinkable.
He brings out Price to close out the most important game in Rays history. Jason Bay is the first batter up and he draws a walk out of the rookie southpaw. You can hear the critics now, "Price has no experience... Kazmir is available, he's their ace... Balfour was made for this moment." But before you can say "Manny being Manny", the Vandy Dandy stikes out a couple of batter and coaxes a ground ball to the end the game and win the pennant.
How can a manager let a rookie go out into that situation? In my opinion, David Price is arguably every single thing the Rays have stood for this season. All 25 guys that started the season in Tampa didn't have a lot (if any) post-season experience. Sure, Troy Percival had been a closer for the World Series winning Angels in 2002, but the core group of guys (Upton, Crawford, Pena) have never been in a game 7 let alone a post-season game. Entering the 2008 playoffs, all these guys were rookies. And for the longest time, all everyone's heard is you need veteran leadership to make it deep in the playoffs. After all, that's why the Brewers faltered in the first round. In any sport, experience always seems to be a factor. But the Rays are real proof that a team with as little experience as them could grow together in less than a month.
Joe Maddon deserves a lot of credit for his gutsy move. He will get it when the season is over World Series champion or not, but he is one of the few managers out there that KNOWS his team. What he's done this past year with the group of guys he's had is nothing short of unbelievable. I've paid attention to the Rays most of the year and can't tell you how many genius moves he's made, from pitching changes to weird defensive alignments (this one deserves a blog post on it's own). The Phillies may have a bit more talent, but if the World Series comes down to managing, the Rays should sweep the series.
As much as we all most likely hoped for a Dodgers/Sox World Series just to see Manny's return to Boston, you gotta love the storybook ending for the Rays. In just a couple of days, Tropicana Field will be the happiest place on earth.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
The Rays did the impossible Sunday by beating the playoff-tested Boston Red Sox. How could anyone think the Rays could pull this one out tonight? Just one year ago, these same Red Sox (sans Manny) were in the same position down 3 games to 1. Last year they beat an arguably better team in the Cleveland Indians. They had cancer-survivor Jon Lester on the mound, who lost game 3 but hadn't lost 2 straight decisions all season. And of course, the normal cast of characters: Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz.
Last year, the Sox faced sinker-baller Jake Westbrook in game 7 of the ALCS. This year, a young kid named Matt Garza took the hill with a pair of earplugs to drown out the ruckus crowd at the Trop. Like Westbrook, Garza features a hard 93 MPH sinking fastball and he had it tonight. Other than an early Dustin Pedroia homer, Garza was lights out the rest of the night. Delmon who?
As for the Rays offense, Evan Almighty got the party started with a double just inside the right field foul line. Willy Aybar provided the pop with a solo HR to stretch the Rays lead to 2 in the bottom of the 7th.
With a 3-1 lead going into the 8th, Garza allowed Alex Cora to reach base on a Jason Bartlett error. Rays skipper Joe Maddon then went to his bullpen... the same bullpen who had a 3-1 SERIES lead and a 7-0 game 5 lead. After Dan Wheeler allowed a Coco Crisp base hit, he got Pedroia to pop out to left. With Papi strolling to the plate, Maddon went to the mound for the 2nd time in the inning to get a lefty-lefty matchup going with JP Howell. Howell got Ortiz to ground into a very close fielder's choice at 2nd base. With runners at 1st and 3rd, Maddon came out once more to get veteran Chad Bradford to pitch to Youkilis. After walking Youk on 5 pitches, Maddon did the unthinkable.
With the 70 million dollar JD Drew coming to the plate, Maddon pulled the veteran submariner for a 23 year old kid just out of Vanderbilt. The first overall pick in the 2007 David Price jogged to the mound from the bullpen. A guy who started the year in A ball in May would pitch to one of the most dangerous hitters in the Boston lineup.
Four pitches later, all the nay-sayers stand corrected. A pumped up Price strikes out Drew on a check-swing call. After an uninspiring bottom of the inning, Maddon does the unthinkable.
He brings out Price to close out the most important game in Rays history. Jason Bay is the first batter up and he draws a walk out of the rookie southpaw. You can hear the critics now, "Price has no experience... Kazmir is available, he's their ace... Balfour was made for this moment." But before you can say "Manny being Manny", the Vandy Dandy stikes out a couple of batter and coaxes a ground ball to the end the game and win the pennant.
How can a manager let a rookie go out into that situation? In my opinion, David Price is arguably every single thing the Rays have stood for this season. All 25 guys that started the season in Tampa didn't have a lot (if any) post-season experience. Sure, Troy Percival had been a closer for the World Series winning Angels in 2002, but the core group of guys (Upton, Crawford, Pena) have never been in a game 7 let alone a post-season game. Entering the 2008 playoffs, all these guys were rookies. And for the longest time, all everyone's heard is you need veteran leadership to make it deep in the playoffs. After all, that's why the Brewers faltered in the first round. In any sport, experience always seems to be a factor. But the Rays are real proof that a team with as little experience as them could grow together in less than a month.
Joe Maddon deserves a lot of credit for his gutsy move. He will get it when the season is over World Series champion or not, but he is one of the few managers out there that KNOWS his team. What he's done this past year with the group of guys he's had is nothing short of unbelievable. I've paid attention to the Rays most of the year and can't tell you how many genius moves he's made, from pitching changes to weird defensive alignments (this one deserves a blog post on it's own). The Phillies may have a bit more talent, but if the World Series comes down to managing, the Rays should sweep the series.
As much as we all most likely hoped for a Dodgers/Sox World Series just to see Manny's return to Boston, you gotta love the storybook ending for the Rays. In just a couple of days, Tropicana Field will be the happiest place on earth.
DD
-check out Captain Fanatic for more Toronto Sports Blogs and other fun stuff
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