Odds & Sods, The Wilco Edition

Wilco (The Album) comes out today, but Jason Kidd will be have his ears perked for somebody else. Joe Girardi, an unpopular fellow in the Yankees' clubhouse, seems to have at least one local admirer. Nobody, though, cares for Brandon Jennings or his silly antics.  Yao Ming is falling apart, while Eddy Curry's life continues to crumble around him.   

The Incomparable Mariano Rivera

Lat night, Mariano Rivera recorded his 500th career save--and his first RBI. Rivera, who insists he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, joins Trevor Hoffman on the exclusive list of closers to notch 500 saves. And to think the Yankees signed him for an astonishingly low $3,000 and, back in 1996, even considered trading him. Amazing. Actually, now that I think about it, everything about Mariano is amazing. Here he is talking to ESPN about his career. 

Balaram Stack, Then and Now

A few years ago, New York magazine profiled Balaram Stack, a then-15-year-old surfing prodigy from Long Beach, New York dubbed the next big thing in urban surfing, whatever the hell that means. 

Born in Florida, Strack moved to New York with his mother when he was five. He started surfing immediately, and, within seven years, captured Long Beach's King of the Beach tournament. Strack celebrated his victory at Burger King, in a paper crown. Later, Stack won the Volcom Jellyfish tournament, a regional competition, two years in a row, the juniors division of the 2006 Unsound Pro and, that same year, the Northeast Regional Surfing Championships. Red Bull, Oakley, Sector 9, WRV, Vestal, Freak and other companies lined up to sponsor him. He was famous, even if he wasn't exactly faring well against the world's top surfers. 


That all changed, though, after a trip around the world, according to the New York Times, who sat down with the 17-year-old for today's dead tree edition. Stacked surfed the North Shore (Oahu, not Long Island), Banzai, Tahiti and Australia, under the tutelage of coach Mick Cain. Stack's hard work paid off. In April, he qualified in four divisions for the national scholastic East Coast regional championships in Florida, winning the Air Show and Explorer Juniors divisions. He scored three perfect 10s. This weekend, the kid from Long Beach has a legitimate shot at winning the Open Men’s division, a launching pad to the professional surfing ranks. Amazing, considering he plies his trade within earshot of the Long Island Expressway. 

Know Your Newest Knick

Here's what I wrote about Jordan Hill, the 8th overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, back in March, before the NCAA Tournament: 

Arizona will only go as far as center/power forward Jordan Hill takes them. Sure, the Wildcats have small forward Chase Budinger and point guard Nic Wise to help pick up the offensive slack, but Jordan is the team's defensive presence and, as far as I can tell, its singular source of toughness. Hill, a 6-1o junior who averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and about 2 blocks per game this season, knows how to finish around the basket and holds his ground defensively on the low post, which could give Utah's Australian center Luke Nevil, a 7-1 junior, all he can handle.

The Wildcats have a long history of stinking up the NCAA tournament, and a number of sports writers and commentators believe the wildly inconsistent Cats, who lost to UAB but also beat Kansas, Gonzaga and UCLA, didn't deserve to make this year's tournament, especially as a 12-seed. If Hill plays like he did against the Bruins on Valentine's Day (22 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks), however, he and his Arizona teammates might just silence a few critics and, in the process, bust up a bracket or two.

Hill's not Stephen Curry, but I do like his game. I have one question, though: does Hill's arrival spell the end to David Lee's days as a Knickerbocker? 

2009 Mock Draft II

I just returned from vacation. There is literally way too much NBA news to digest. Shaq to the Cavs seems a little late, and Crawford to the Hawks feels like a supremely bad idea. For the life of me, I can't figure out why the Celtics would even consider trading Rondo, if the various dubious reports are to be take seriously. Finally, there are rumors that Donnie Walsh is looking to acquire Darko Milicic from Memphis for Quentin Richardson, and, in another move, trying to pry away one of Minnesota's four first round picks, probably number 18 or 28, in exchange for some cash. With everything up in the air, I thought I'd take another crack at predicting tonight's NBA Draft. Here goes nothing. 

Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin.
Still set in stone. 

Memphis Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet. 
It's not who they want, but it's what they need. Unfortunately, Thabeet's not going to add much, at least not right away.  

Oklahoma City Thunder: Ricky Rubio. 
Sorry, Russell Westbrook. Make room for Ricky. 

Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans. 

The Kings really want Rubio, but they could end up with the steal of the draft. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: James Harden and Stephen Curry. 
By trading Randy Foye and Mike Miller to Washington, the Timberwolves will look to rebuild their backcourt. Harden and Curry are their guys.  

Golden State Warriors: Jordan Hill.  
This seems to be the growing consensus. A talented big man to complement the Warriors' numerous guards and wings.  

New York Knicks: Jrue Holliday.    
A reliable, if underwhelming pick.   

Toronto Raptors: Jonny Flynn. 
It seems they're in search of a point guard to help Jose Calderon carry the load.  

Milwaukee Bucks: DeMar DeRozan. 
The Bucks take a chance on the athletic DeRozan to replace the recently departed Richard Jefferson.  

New Jersey Nets: Gerald Henderson.

DeJuan Blair's knee and weight issues make the Nets look elsewhere. What they find is Henderson.    

Charlotte Bobcats: Terrence Williams.   
Versatile, and said to have a promise from Charlotte. Makes sense.   

Indiana Pacers: Ty Lawson. 
The Pacers will go with the best available player, even if it is a carbon copy of incumbent TJ Ford.

Phoenix Suns. James Johnson.

Quick, versatile big man who can play the 3 and the 4. Just one of the things Phoenix needs.

(UPDATE: Looks like SI's Ian Thomsen has an almost identical mock draft, which means I'm probably wrong. )

I'm Not There

I'm heading out of town for the next week or so, which means I'll probably won't be posting much, if at all. I leave you with a look inside the mind of Craig Robinson, a kid who loves graphs almost as much as he digs baseball. His site, Flip Flop Fly Ball, should hold you over for the next couple of days. It really is kind of amazing, especially . Check it out. Enjoy, and have a good week.  



(H/T B.A.)

2009 NBA Mock Draft

I hate to say this, but I'm not particularly excited about this year's draft. Blake Griffin is the consensus number one pick, almost by default. When I watch him, I see Michael Beasley, not Karl Malone, as some basketball pundits have claimed. I'm not sure that's the level of talent you'd want in return for the first overall pick. Still, there's almost no shot of him falling out of the top slot. After Griffin, though, it's a total crap shoot. This is, without question, a guard-heavy draft, with Ricky Rubio, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Jennings, Jeff Teague, Ty Lawson and Eric Maynor, among others, all up for grabs. All have potential, but can anyone really tell me, between, say, Holiday and Evans, which player will have a more immediate impact in the league, or a better career? I can't. The differences in these players are, as far as I can tell, marginal at best. For instance, would you take Rubio or Curry? Is one necessarily four-to-five picks better than the other? I'm not so sure. Fortunately, I don't have to decide; I can just throw up a mock draft with impunity.   

Here's how I think the upcoming lottery will unfold.

Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin. 

The Clips are pretty much locked in here. Griffin, though, will have to split time with Zach Randolph, whose outrageous contract--and horrible attitude-- pretty much preclude him from every being dealt to another team. Have fun with that, Blake. 

Memphis Grizzlies: Tyreke Evans.

Ricky Rubio says he doesn't want to play in Memphis. The Grizzlies, then, will be more than happy to pair Evans, who led the University of Memphis to the Sweet 16, with O.J. Mayo.  

Oklahoma City Thunder: Hasheem Thabeet.

Behind Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder averaged 97 points per game this year, while giving up 103. Thabeet's defensive presence, if nothing else, should help rectify this. 

Sacramento Kings: Ricky Rubio.

This is a win-win. Rubio gets to play in California, and the Kings get a talented point guard to fill some seats, and run with Kevin Martin.

Washington Wizards: Jordan Hill.

Washington will think long and hard about taking James Harden or Stephen Curry here, but will ultimately go with Hill because of his size and ability to grab some boards. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: James Harden.

They would love to get their hands on Thabeet, but will settle for Harden, a much better option at the 2 than Randy Foye, who's really better playing the point.

Golden State Warriors: DeMar DeRozan. 

The mad scientist strikes again, picking DeRozan, an athletic freak, over the more polished Stephen Curry.  

New York Knicks: Stephen Curry. 

Too good to be true? God, I hope not.  

Toronto Raptors: Gerald Henderson.

This might be a bit of a reach, but the Raptors really need a shooting guard. Henderson is the best one available. 

Milwaukee Bucks: Jrue Holiday. 

The defensive-minded Scott Skiles would be absolutely giddy about landing Holiday, a product of Ben Howland's UCLA system.

New Jersey Nets: DeJuan Blair. 

Let's face it: the Nets are soft down low. Blair will give them some much-needed toughness.

Charlotte Bobcats: Earl Clark. 

Larry Brown won't be able to resist Clark's versatility. 

Indiana Pacers: Brandon Jennings. 

At this point, the Pacers will go with the best available player, even if it is a point guard. 

Phoenix Suns. Ty Lawson.

I'm tempted to go with Jonny Flynn here, but, all things being equal, I think Steve Kerr goes with Lawson, the better defender.    

Why the Knicks Still Matter

Three reasons: Location. Location. Location. At least according to FreeDarko's 6th man:

In this way, New York is the true capital of basketball. Beyond the dizzying array of connections to the NYC that unite almost all of the game’s denizens, New York’s primacy as a streetball center keeps the sport anchored in the five boroughs. Basketball embodies New York’s spirit, and New York embodies basketball’s. Appreciating this dynamic explains why places like West 4th Street are hallowed proving grounds; why the history of the game was likely altered the day that Black Jesus came forth from Philadelphia, held court in Harlem, and dazzled Lew Alcindor; why a palpable chill descends on the building when Kobe shows up to drop 60.

[SNIP]

The Knickerbockers are New York’s most visible link to the sport with which it shares a soul; the Knicks are a proxy for the City. And the Knicks, of course, play in the National Basketball Association. NBA basketball is the best-known, best-played form of the sport. A sustained championship drought, therefore, has bedeviled New Yorkers because it has challenged a shared sense of identity. Even if this discomfort is not always articulated as such, the Knicks’ failures have struck at what New Yorkers are about. The place of basketball should field a team which can play it as well as just about any other.

With or without LeBron, the Knicks will soon field a team as good as the game. Mark my words. 

Can Mariano Rivera Delay the Inevitable?

It doesn't take a genius to figure out Mariano Rivera's performance has dipped a bit over the past couple of years. He's still effective, but he's hardly as dominant as he was during the Yankees' championship runs, even with an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio. So, what's wrong with Mo? More than a slight decrease in velocity, Rivera is simply having trouble putting hitters away, specifically getting that all-important swing-and-a-miss. Batters, it seems, are making contact with Mo's cutter and four-seamer with more regularity. To wit: last night, it took Mo 10 pitches to retire Elijah Dukes, who fouled off four consecutive pitches (three cutters and one four-seamer) before grounding out to Robinson Cano. Already, in 27.2 innings, Mo has yielded 27 hits, only 14 less than he gave up all last year. Are we watching the beginning of the end for Mo?

Fangraphs illuminates this disturbing, possibly irreversible, trend. 

Move forward to 2009 and how has Rivera done? Well, noticeably worse is easy to see, but there are some frightening numbers beneath the surface. Rivera's 7.5% swinging strike rate is the lowest on record for him. There has been a sizable dip in the number of pitches thrown within the strike zone and hitters are not chasing these extra balls out of the zone.

Rivera’s ground ball rate is also at its lowest point on record, though that is over a smaller sample than his individual pitch results. It is no surprise then that the home run rate has increased, though the rate by which is has increased is surprising and not likely to continue. Rivera has allowed five home runs already this season through 26.2 innings. The last time he allowed more than five home runs was 1995 when he was a starter.

Interestingly, Rivera’s strikeout and walk rates have not moved much despite the drastic change in his individual pitch outcomes. 32 strikeouts to just two unintentional walks, and no hit batters, gives Rivera an even better ratio than last year. Given his extreme drop in missed bats and overall strikes thrown however, I would not expect that to continue. It will be interesting to see which regression, the strikeout and walk rates or the home run rate, influences Rivera’s final line the most.

I still have faith in Mo. Hell, I'd take him over 99 percent of the league's other closers. Given his age, however, I also have to admit that even the mighty Mariano is going to have to call it quits sometime. Hopefully, he can make some adjustments and deliver a few more postseason runs before he heads off to Cooperstown. 

(UPDATE:) RAB counters. I'm not sure who's right, but it's interesting that the same data can lead to two different conclusions. Half-empty, Half-full, I guess. At least we can agree there's still a glass. 

Obama's Point Guard Problem?

Is Sacramento Mayor and former NBA all-star Kevin Johnson about to derail Obama's presidency? I doubt it. There's barely any smoke, let alone fire. I'm still trying to get my head around the controversy, but, from what I've read this morning, here's the nuts-and-bolts of what went down: According to various sources, Johnson reportedly misused federal funds for ST. HOPE Public Schools, a nonprofit education education program he established in 2001. After an extensive investigation, federal prosecutors ordered Johnson to return one-half of the original grant, approximately $400,000, to AmeriCorps, the federal agency that initially gave Johnson the money. Johnson complied. Case closed, right? Hardly. Here's where it gets a little sticky. 

Gerald Walpin, the inspector general for the government-run Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs the AmeriCorps program, said Johnson got off easy, because he's Obama guy. He wrote as much to Congress, asking the legislative body review the case. In turn, acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence Brown requested the federal counsel of inspector generals review Walpin's performance, arguing that Walpin's conclusions in the Johnson investigation seemed overstated and, ultimately, biased. Last week, President Obama fired Walpin, saying he had lost confidence in the national service agency's inspector general. 

Again, this all seems, more or less, aboveboard. Obama is within his legal rights to terminate Walpin, and both Alan Solomont, chairman of the government-run Corporation for National and Community Service, and Stephen Goldsmith, a Republican and the board's vice chair, have said they backed the president's decision to can Walpin, a 2007 George W. Bush appointee. This hasn't stopped Senator Chuck Grassley from calling for an investigation.  Grassley seems to think Michelle Obama's behind all this, because her former chief of staff, Jackie Norris, is scheduled to join the Corporation for National and Community Service next week. That's quite a leap there, Senator Grassley. Even more impressive than this. 

I honestly don't think President Obama has anything to worry about; this is, after all, Johnson's problem, and a minor one at that. The Sacramento Bee isn't exactly calling for Johnson's head. I doubt very much, though, that Obama wants to get dragged into this squabble as he prepares to revamp the country's health care system.  

Alibay Barkley, Revisited

Last month, I wrote about Alibay Barkley, an offensive force from Washington Height's George Washington High School. At the time, Barkley was reportedly going to St. Petersburg College, a junior college in Florida, to prepare for next year's MLB Draft. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, however, had a different idea. The team last week selected Barkley in the 50th--and final--round, making him the 1521st overall pick, literally the last player picked in this year's draft. Although Barkley has not yet officially decided about his immediate future, he told the Times' John Branch that he's leaning toward playing in the Angels' farm system. "We've got see what happens," he said, "but I do want to play pro ball."

I was kind of hoping the Yankees would have take a shot at Barkley, but I'm excited a local kid gets a shot at making it to the majors, even if it's with the Angels. 

"Nacho I Give You Some Chees If U Change UR Mind"

God, I love Ron Artest. Per The Baseline's request, I checked Artest's Tweets during last night's Lakers-Magic game. He didn't disappoint. 

"You're My Favorite Water-Ski Accident"

Dwyane Wade is funnier than Jimmy Kimmel. Shocking, I know. But see for yourself. 

Standing-Eight Count

Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean that really got out of hand fast. There are still 102 games left to play this season,  the majority of which are not, thankfully, mercifully, against the Red Sox, the class of the American League. The fuckers. 

Chiba Lotte Monster Mash

I stumbled upon these amazing posters for Bobby Valentine's Chiba Lotte Marines via YFSF. (Yes, I'm still worked up about the Yanks' seven-game losing streak, despite this morning's bravado. So what.) The retro posters depict brave Marine players defending the Japanese port city against monstrous mutations of their league rivals. The Marines, currently five games under .500, enjoy one of the most creative marketing departments in the world. 

Here's another one.


And one more for good luck. 

These posters are all kinds of awesome, and would make Ed Wood proud. For a more complete catalog, take a look over here. Dou itashi mashite.

The Sky is Falling?

Hardly. Look, I'm not having any fun watching the Yankees lose seven straight (eight, going back to last year) to the Sox, but the Yankees are only one game behind in the standings. One game, even after spotting Boston seven--seven!-- wins. Things could be a whole lot worse, believe me. All a fan needs to do is think back to last year, when the Yankees, on the last day of August, were a staggering 12.5 games behind the Tampa Rays, eventually missing the playoffs for the first time since 1995. The Yankees, despite their team-wide impotence against the Sox, are still 34-18 against the rest of baseball, a very healthy 16 games over .500. Boston, on the other hand, is a rather uninspiring 28-24 against teams not from the Bronx. Amazingly, then, a game or two here or there, and the Yankees would currently enjoy a comfortable advantage over their rivals. Should've. Could've. Would've. That's why they play the game. And that's why, later tonight, the Yankees get a chance to win their first game in nine attempts against the Sox, and walk out of Boston in a flat-footed tie for first, not worrying at all about which team they're supposedly looking up at in the standings.  

Slade Heathcott

Yesterday, before the professionals got their collective asses handed to them (again) in Boston, the Yankees drafted Slade Heathcott, a left-handed outfielder from Texarkana, Texas, in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft. By all accounts, Heathcott, who also pitches, is an all-around talented baseball player, a real 5-tool player. MLB.com describes him as "an intense competitor with instincts beyond his years" and a "plus defender who can play all three outfield positions well." The site also says he is "muscular with broad shoulders and a v-cut torso." So there's that, too. 

Although he's verbally committed to play ball at Louisiana State University, odds are that Heathcott will sign with the Yankees, which is a good thing because Heathcott was taken with the compensatory pick the Yankees received after failing to sign their 2008 top selection, Gerrit Cole: if they can't sign Heathcott, they lose the pick. For those scoring at home, that would be two consecutive drafts in which the Yankees pissed away their first-round picks. Never a good thing for the organizational depth chart.  

For more information about Heatchott, check out No Maas, an amazing website that is simply over the moon about this pick--and, for that matter, the Yankees' second pick, T.J. Murphy, a power-hitting catcher. No Maas was way out in front of the Heathcott selection, interviewing the kid back in March. Check it out here. Among the many things I learned about Heathcott is that he grew up a Red Sox fan, holds a healthy sized man-crush on Josh Hamilton, and compares his game favorably to Rusty Greer. Also, his baseball role model is Mickey Mantle, which, I assume, is why he wears No. 7.  

Remi Gaillard

Below are two clips of Remi Gaillard in action. Gaillard is a French performance artist who rose to fame staging elaborate, high-profile pranks. The first clip is a mash-up of Gaillard performing trick shots in between footage of him posing as a Lorient footballer after the team won the 2002 Coupe de France. During the celebration, but sadly not included in the clip below, Gaillard also met Jacques Chirac and, later, gave a television interview about the victory. Which isn't to insinuate that the following clip isn't worth watching. It certainly is, if only for Gaillard's deft touch and the incongruous AC/DC soundtrack. 

This second clip, though, shows a much more creative use of Gaillard's talents and is, therefore, about a thousand times funnier. In it, Gaillard dresses up as Pac Man and descends, along with his Ghost-clad cohorts, into a local supermarket, a golf course and, later, a pool hall to wreak havoc on his unsuspecting compatriots. Enjoy.

Yet Another Reason to Root Against the Nets

I'm not going to go into all the many, many ins-and-outs of the highly contentious Atlantic Yards development project, which consists of a new arena for the New Jersey Nets and 16 residential/office towers right in the heart of Brooklyn. For a full reckoning, take a look over here. By my unofficial tally, however, there are probably 1,000 or so reasons to be against the project. But until developer and Nets owner Bruce Ratner had the gaul to fire architect Frank Gehry in favor of Ellerbe Becket, the architectural equivalent of trading Michael Jordan for Kerry Kittles, nobody of institutional import dared to chime in against Ratner's plan. Enter the New York Times, whose line in the sand is, apparently, bad architecture:  

In a stunning bait-and-switch, Forest City Ratner (which was the development partner for The New York Times Company’s headquarters in Midtown) has now decided that it can’t afford an architect of Mr. Gehry’s stature. Neglecting to tell the public, the firm went out months ago and hired Ellerbe Becket, corporate architects known for producing generic, unimaginative buildings. And although it has refused to release details of the design, the renderings, obtained by The New York Times, tell you all you need to know.

A massive vaulted shed that rests on a masonry base, the arena is as glamorous as a storage warehouse. A rectangular window overlooks Atlantic, but without the other buildings it lacks the sense of mystery and surprise that was such an essential part of the Gehry design. A trapezoidal brick and glass box at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush is obviously intended as an echo of Gehry’s public space. But Gehry’s room, several stories tall, soared over the intersection. Ellerbe Becket’s, lower to the ground, just sits there, adding nothing.

Building this monstrosity at such a critical urban intersection would be deadly. Clearly, the city would be better off with nothing. But what’s at issue here is more than the betrayal of a particular community, as tragic as that could be. It is the way the city makes decisions about large-sale development.

Forget about displaced residents; save the architects.

Gasol's Goaltending

I have always been under the impression that if a defensive player touched the rim during a shot, it was goaltending. Let's see what the league says:

RULE NO. 11-BASKETBALL INTERFERENCE-GOALTENDING
Section I-A Player Shall Not:
a. Touch the ball or the basket ring when the ball is using the basket ring as its lower base.
EXCEPTION: If a player near his own basket has his hand legally in contact with the ball, it is not a violation if his contact with the ball continues after the ball enters the cylinder, or if, in such action, he touches the basket.
b. Touch the ball when it is above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder.
c. For goaltending to occur, the ball, in the judgment of the official, must have a chance to score.
d. During a field goal attempt, touch a ball after it has touched any part of the backboard above ring level, whether the ball is considered on its upward or downward flight.
e. During a field goal attempt, touch a ball after it has touched the backboard below the ring level and while the ball is on its upward flight.
f. Trap the ball against the face of the backboard. (To be a trapped ball, three elements must exist simultaneously. The hand, the ball and the backboard must all occur at the same time. A batted ball against the backboard is not a trapped ball.)
g. Touch any live ball from within the playing area that is on its downward flight with an opportunity to touch the basket ring. This is considered to be a "field goal attempt" or trying for a goal.
h. Touch the ball at any time with a hand which is through the basket ring.
i. Vibrate the rim or backboard so as to cause the ball to make an
unnatural bounce. [Emphasis mine]

That's what I thought. The refs missed Howard's similar--and more egregious--goaltending earlier in the game. All things being equal, though, in the above photo, Gasol's clearly touching the rim, which, according to the league rules, is goaltending. Would Lee's shot have fallen if Gasol hadn't hit the rim? Maybe, maybe not. It certainly had a good chance of going in: hell, every fan in the country thought Lee had stolen the game. I certainly did, and, judging from Kobe's reaction in the above photo, he certainly thought so, too. In the end, the refs swallowed their whistles, and probably cost the Magic the game, and the series.

That, and Van Gundy's decision to play J.J. Redick 27 minutes.

(UPDATE: Phil Jackson confirms it. “Yeah, he got his hand caught in the rim in that one, no doubt about it,” Jackson said. “It's called basket interference is what it's called. Even if you hit the net supposedly in the process that's part of it, but that rule is kind of archaic. It isn't called in this day and age as much, but when we were in high school that was something a high school ref might call, basket interference. According to the rules [the right call] was not [made]. It wasn't made."

Some Much-Needed Joba Sanity

The Joba-t0-the-pen debate rages on, even in the wake of the kid's impressive 8-inning outing against the Indians. I, for one, want Joba to remain in the starting rotation, although I do miss the energy of his late-game appearances. When he first came up, his appearances, which were initially  limited to every other day because of the famous "Joba Rules," became an event, bordering, at times, on pandemonium. Of course, it wasn't simply Joba's one inning of dominance that caught people's attention. It was his fearlessness, his un-Yankee-like histrionics that got people going. His nasty slider and 100-mph fastball didn't hurt either. As I wrote following Joba's eventual 12-strike out performance against the Red Sox earlier this year, Joba needs a certain level of intensity, a specific knock-and-tumble vigor to succeed, whether he's pitching in the 8th inning or every fifth day. Yes, I think Joba should start, but I also want him to be Joba, "disrespectful" fist pumps and all. These two things aren't mutually exclusive; in fact, they're symbiotic.  

Still, despite the constant protestations of RAB and Tyler Kepner and, yup, the Yankees, members of the media--specifically Mike Francesa and ESPN-- seem to think Joba, who they consider the next Goose Gossage, should be coming out of the pen. Nothing short of a Cy Young Award, it seems, can dissuade them of their short-sighted opinions about Joba's usefulness to the club. And I'm fine with that. They're entitled to their opinion, no matter how misguided or uninformed it happens to be. Some people still vote Republican, after all. It's nice, though, to have a national voice weigh in on the debate. SI's Tim Marchman speaks the truth thusly:

Starters are more valuable than relievers, and Chamberlain is showing every sign of developing into a wonderful starter; therefore, he should start. Simple. 

[Snip]

There are complicated decisions to be made in baseball. Neither this nor any similar argument involving any young pitcher is really one of them. If Chamberlain is hurt, or if the Yankees obtain access to a time machine and learn that he really is much better than Mariano Rivera, they should by all means listen to the outraged minority and consign to the bullpen a 23-year-old with every chance at being the best pitcher they've developed since Whitey Ford. Otherwise, they should leave him alone where everyone can enjoy him. He's doing fine.

I'd say he's doing better than fine, but let's not argue about semantics. Joba's proving his worth in the rotation, right where he belongs. 

Win or Lose, Patrick Ewing Is Going to Be Disappointed

Patrick Ewing is one of my favorite professional athletes of all time. I grew up during his heyday with the Knicks. I watched him, each year, come tantalizingly close to breaking through against Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Finally, in 1994, while Jordan was off trying his hand at baseball, Ewing led the Knicks past the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Championship, putting up an amazing 24 points, 22 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks in the decisive Game 7. A few weeks later, despite jumping out to a 3-1 series lead, Ewing and the Knicks ended up on the wrong side of Hakeem Olajuwan's Houston Rockets in the Finals. Later, in 1999, Ewing, out with a partially torn Achilles tendon, was forced to watch from the sidelines, as the Knicks, behind Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, Larry Johnson and Marcus Camby, made their improbable run to the Finals. That Knicks team lost in five games to the San Antonio Spurs, another goddam team from Texas. In his professional career, Ewing was 0-2 in the Finals. 

Like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and John Stockton, Ewing's quest for a championship ended badly. To this day, Ewing is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players never to have won a ring, a dissonant, unforgiving list of Hall of Fame talents who came up short, a list that grows longer each passing year. As a fan, this remains my biggest disappointment in sports. Patrick, as he was known around my household, should have won. At least twice. The fact that he didn't continues to wrankle, even today. 

It seems to be messing with the Big Fella, too.  Yesterday, Ewing, now an assistant coach with the Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic, had this to say about the prospect of winning it all. "It means a lot," he said. "A player, coach, winning a championship means a lot. That will shut everybody up. Everyone who says I don't have one, it will shut them up when I do have one."

Does he really believe this? Could capturing an elusive championship as a coach possibly be as satisfying to Ewing as it would have been if he had delivered a ring to New York as its franchise player? Does Ewing really think an Orlando victory would separate him from the likes of Barkley and Malone? I'm sorry, Patrick, but this just isn't the case. If the Magic win it all, I'm sure Dwight Howard would be more than happy to credit Ewing with his inevitable development as a player. I'm sure, too, that Stan Van Gundy would continue to put in a good word for Ewing around the league as a possible head coaching candidate. But, ultimately, if the Magic go on to beat the Lakers, bragging rights would belong, almost exclusively, to the players, head coach and general manager, just as it always has, and just as it should remain. Ewing's championship contributions, on the other hand, will be noted, rather unceremoniously, somewhere between 12th-man Jeremy Richardson and Tom Smith, the Magic's athletic trainer.   

Revisiting Ali-Frazier

A few months ago, I wrote about John Shearer's iconic photograph of Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier, which Shearer snapped on the eve of the two men's first fight. Frazier, of course, won the first, while Ali took the following two, including the particularly brutal and physically exhausting "Thrilla in Manilla." The lead up to the decisive fight was intense. At different times, Ali referred to Frazier as either an "Uncle Tom," or the "White Man's Champion," or, crudely, "a dumb gorilla." During a pre-fight press conference, Ali used the opportunity to beat up a rubber gorilla, taunting, "It's gonna be a chilla, and a killa, and a thriller, when I get the Gorilla in Manila." Frazier, it seems, never got over Ali's verbal attacks. Here's an excerpt from a 1996 Sports Illustrated story about Frazier's lingering animosity. 

Back in the States, Ali called Lewis and asked him for Frazier's private number. Ali told Lewis that he wanted to apologize to Frazier for some of the things he had said. Lewis called Frazier, but, he says, Frazier told him. "Don't give it to him."

In the 21 years since then, Ali and Frazier have seen each other at numerous affairs, and Frazier has barely disguised the loathing he feels toward his old antagonist. In 1988, for the taping of a film called Champions Forever, five former heavyweight title holders--Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Larry Holmes and Ken Norton--gathered in Las Vegas. A crowd of people were at Johnny Tocco's Gym for a morning shoot when Frazier started in on Ali, who was already debilitated by Parkinson's. "Look at Ali," Frazier said. "Look what's happened to him. All your talkin', man. I'm faster than you are now. You're damaged goods."

"I'm faster than you are, Joe," Ali slurred. Pointing to a heavy bag, Ali suggested a contest: "Let's see who hits the bag the fastest."

Frazier grinned, not knowing he was back in the slaughterhouse. He stripped off his coat, strode to the bag and buried a dozen rapid-fire hooks in it, punctuating each rip with a loud grunt: "Huh! Huh! Huh!" Without removing his coat, Ali went to the bag, assumed the ready stance and mimicked one Frazier grunt: "Huh!" He had not thrown a punch. He turned slowly to Frazier and said, "Wanna see it again, Joe?" In the uproar of hilarity that ensued, only Frazier did not laugh. Ali had humiliated him again.

After the shoot, at a luncheon for the fighters, Frazier had too much to drink, and afterward, as people milled around the room and talked, he started walking toward Ali. Thomas Hauser, Ali's chronicler, watched the scene that unfolded over the next 20 minutes. Holmes quietly positioned himself between Ali and Frazier. "Joe was trying to get to Ali," Hauser says, "but wherever Joe went, left or right, Holmes would step between him and Ali. Physically shielding him. Joe was frustrated. After about 10 minutes of this, Foreman walked up to Larry and said, 'I'll take over.' " So for the next 10 minutes Frazier quietly tried to get around 290 pounds of assimilated Big Macs. At one point Frazier leaned into Foreman, but Foreman only leaned back. "Keep it cool, Joe," Foreman whispered. "Be calm."

Ali had no idea this was going on. "He was walking around like Mr. Magoo," says Hauser. "He was oblivious."

Like Shearer's photo, the public--and, later, semi-private--exchange between the two men, which took place more than 20 years after they last squared off in the ring, gets to the heart of each man: Ali's charismatic, rope-a-dope guile and Frazier's smoldering, brute force. Is it surprising, then, that Ali ended up getting the best of Frazier, even in retirement?  

(Via Coates)

A-Jax on Track for 2010?

Tyler Kepner's out with a tantalizing feature of Austin Jackson, the Yankees' top prospect, who's currently hitting .349 in .AAA and just about on pace to make significant contributions to the team next season. Jackson's hitting coach, Butch Wynegar, a pretty good hitter in his time, is absolutely over the moon about his pupil, even going so far as to compare Jackson's baseball development to Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett's. Mind you, he didn't say a thing about a shared talent level, just Jackson's Puckett-esque potential to develop home run power in the Majors.

“There’s nothing about Austin — defense, arm, base running, nothing — that gives me any doubts that he’s going to be a good player one day,” said the Class AAA hitting coach Butch Wynegar. “I just hope nothing happens at the big-league level where they yank him out of here premature. I’d love to see him stay here all year, see what kind of year he has and go from there. Because he’s not there yet.”

We've been down this road before with the Yankees. It seems like every other year, the organization touts marginal-to-good prospects, like Eric Duncan, Jose Tabata, and Drew Henson, for instance, only to see them fizzle out or play their way out of the system. As Wynegar points out, Jackson is still very much a work-in-progress. His tendency to strike out, to take just one example, is more than a little troublesome, to say the least. I'm not yet quite ready to anoint him the team's next great center fielder, but I am looking forward to seeing what this 22-year-old kid can do in the Majors, hopefully around this time next year. 

The Competition

50 Games In, Yankees Off to a Promising Start

Earlier this season, after the Yankees had dropped their fifth consecutive loss to the Red Sox, I was tempted to write off the team’s chances for capturing their 27th World Championship. The bullpen, behind an embarrassing 5.79 ERA, was the second worst relieving corps in the Majors. The once untouchable Mariano was starting to show cracks, serving up almost as many home runs in his first dozen or so appearances than he did all of last season. The starting pitching wasn’t faring much better. From CC to Joba, the Yankees’ front five performed somewhere between wildly inconsistent and wholly ineffective. Offensively, the Yankees were stuck in a rut, despite averaging about 5 runs per game. Mark Teixeira, the Yankees’ high-priced first baseman through Obama’s second term, couldn’t hit his weight, and was even more dreadful in RBI opportunities. Through April, the Yankees, as a team, were hitting an anemic .237 with runners in scoring position. If it weren’t for Nick Swisher’s and Johnny Damon’s unbelievable first month, the Yankees could have easily been 10 games out, buried in the standings before Alex Rodriguez, out with a hip injury, played a single game. (Cody Ransom, Rodriguez’s replacement, had an equal number of strikeouts as he did hits).

But then a funny thing happened. A-Rod returned, and since May 8, the Yankees have gone a league-best 16-6, an impressive streak that included three consecutive walk-off wins and nine straight victories in as many days. At 29-21, the Bombers currently sit atop of the standings, and are finally living up to their moniker. In May, Teixeira hit .375 and drove in 35 runs, while A-Rod, in 22 games, has seven home runs and 17 RBI. Jorge is finally healthy. Jeter is still playing at a Jeterian level. Cano’s kept up his torrid pace. Melky’s finally playing at a consistent level. And the team’s defense is the best it’s been in years. In yesterday afternoon's loss to the Cleveland Indians, the Yankees tied a Major League record with their 17th-straight game without an error.

Behind staff ace CC Sabathia, the starting pitching, which now includes Phil Hughes, is finally living up to expectations. Despite a few recent subpar outings, A.J. Burnett finally thinks he's figured out his mechanical--and mental--issues, while Andy Pettitte has locked down the back end of the rotation. The calls for Joba to the pen continue, but the kid, even with a less than impressive WHIP, is making  a strong case for why he should stay in the rotation, not just this year, but for the rest of his career. In the later innings, Mariano Rivera has returned to form, and Alfredo Aceves, the second coming of Ramiro Mendoza, has quickly emerged as a late-game stopper and reliable innings-eater. Meanwhile, erstwhile starter Chien-Ming Wang is rounding back into form: his velocity—and his signature sinker—is back, and his ERA, once an unsightly 35, is now a more manageable 16.07, spitting distance to Daisuke Matsuzaka, ESPN's favorite titular ace.

Although the team still needs to figure out the bullpen situation--and some questionable roster decisions-- I'm now much more confident in the Yankees' chances of reaching the postseason, after last year's absence, than I was in early April, just a few weeks ago. I even like their odds of capturing that elusive 27th championship this October.