In this week's installment of my Fantasy Football column, I'll tackle some questions some of you may have been thinking about in the offseason:
Has Eli Manning arrived? Starting in the final week of the regular season (which ironically is the end of most FF seasons) Peyton's younger brother went on an absolute tear. In his 4th season, Eli put the team on his shoulders and led the G-men to come from behind wins against the Pats and the Pack, while composing impressive wins against the Cowboys and Bucs.
So, has Eli become an elite FF quarterback?
Eli's run reminded me a lot of John Elway. Like Eli, he was facing unreal expectations of being a #1 pick in a quarterback-rich draft. Elway's 4th season was in 1986, where "the Drive" killed the hearts of Cleveland and took the Broncos to the SB.
As great of a season Elway had, it took him a few more years to be an elite FF quarterback - almost 8 more to be exact. He needed a head coach in Mike Shanahan to really take advantage of his skills.
Eli is in the same boat. Kevin Gilbride's offenses are known for a power running game and plenty of play-action passes. And the Giants led the league in rushing last year. I expect more of the same in 2008 - of course, with a lot less grief from the press.
Has Larry Johnson hit the wall?After a 2006 season where he set the season record of carries, Larry Johnson was heading up a lot of lists of RBs to take a fall. Sure enough, he was injured against GB and killed many a FF season (mine included). Has LJ started his decline?
No. For starters, the injury, a horse-collar pull, was a freak injury. The same injury happened to Adrian Peterson in Oklahoma, as well as Terrell Owens in 2004. Both came back just fine. Also, the injury (which actually was his foot) allowed him to heal completely as opposed to take a beating over a year.
Plus, LJ despite his age and recent usage, does not have a lot of carries on his body. He has only played 2 full seasons as a starter, and in college he played very little save his senior year at Penn State (note: Rashard Mendenhall has the same history. Draft him!). Michael Turner was lauded as a RB with little wear and tear during the offseason. LJ is also the same.
Add to that the addition to the offensive line, and I would look for a bounceback season by LJ. He may not post the back to back 1700 seasons of 2005-6, but I'd say 1400 is within reach, making him a top 7 RB.
Will any of the quarterbacks drafted this year make any noise? Unless Aaron Rodgers flops, no. Rookie QBs have historically struggled; the transition from college to the NFL is a huge one. Plus the teams that draft them tend to be bad teams.
Only Brian Brohm could break this trend with a young team in GB that made the NFC championship last year. Brohm is a very polished college QB who was deemed the most NFL ready as it was. But he was drafted as insurance for Rodgers who not only played well against Dallas, but has taken all the steps to be a leader this year.
Even the rookie QBs that play well (Trent Edwards last year, Ben Rothlesbuger last year) tend to not put up a lot of FF points anyway; their teams play conservatively.
Expect the same for all of them, Brohm included.
Does Mike Martz = Fantasy fireworks?We know his history. Martz turned St Louis into the Greatest Show On Turf. What he did in Detroit may have been even more impressive as journeyman QB John Kitna averaged 4000 yards passing and Mike Furrey (who?) had 98 catches in 2006.
Can he do the same in SF? It's possible. Martz raves about Alex Smith, whos intelligence and athleticism makes him an ideal fit to run Martz offense. Martz also promises Frank Gore and Vernon Davis will be "cornerstones" in the offense.
However, SF's receivers are not the caliber of a Roy Williams/CAlvin Williams or Torry Holt/Isaac Bruce. And the RB has never been a huge point producer (unless they can catch the ball ala Marshall Faulk).
I'd consider Gore as a FF stud; the others I would take a "buy low" approach.
Could the STEELERS be the next FF juggernaut? This is not as crazy as it sounds.
Last year, running Bruce Arians spread offense for the first time, Big Ben set a team record with 32 touchdowns. Willie Parker was leading the league in rushing until he was injured for the year. And Santonio Holmes was a good half away from 1000 yards, averaging a whopping 18 yards per reception.
This year, the Steelers are running the offense for the second year. Holmes is entering his 3rd year in the league - the magical year for WRs. The Steelers lucked out in getting Mendenhall and Limas Sweed. Mendenhall could be a stud anywhere else; he'll split the carries with Fast Willie this year (When Parker went down, the running game went with it.). Sweed provides a huge target at 6'4" and allows Hines Ward to play in the slot, which he is more suited for - Ward's best seasons were when he played alongside 6'5" Plaxico Burress.
Look to Pittsburgh early and often in your FF draft.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
NBA Draft
Well, the draft came and went. And for the Knicks, all I have to say is this:
I sure as heck hope the Knicks know what they are doing.
Danilo Gallinari, the 6'9" small forward who at 19 has yet to scratch the surface, is heading to NY. The question is, will Gallinari be the next Dirk - or will he be the next Darko?
In my previous post regarding the Knicks I had said that they needed to get pick DJ Augustin, which they did not. Jerrod Bayless, a tweener guard who is not a pure point at this stage but is in the mold of Chauncey Billups, was also available. That's a lot of talent to pass up.
I had also said the Knicks should try to swing a deal for Shawn Marion. Supposedly, Danilo has a similar game. Let's hope!
Meanwhile, in all the wheeling and dealing, how could the Knicks not trade off any of their players? Teams like Miami are in an obvious "Win-now" mode - they could easily use Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph (don't tell me Riley doesn't want to take on head cases if he picked Beasley as opposed to Mayo!). Supposedly Minny was looking to deal as well, particularly with the hope of giving Al Jefferson some post help. Now that KG is gone, they definitely have the cap room.
Look at the Nets. They moved quickly and decisively, first dealing Kidd during the season, then trading Richard Jefferson hours before the draft. And the picks they made, from Brooks Lopez at 10 to Chris Douglas Roberts in the second round not only fit needs - they were absolute steals.
I really really REALLY hope the Knicks know what they are doing....
I sure as heck hope the Knicks know what they are doing.
Danilo Gallinari, the 6'9" small forward who at 19 has yet to scratch the surface, is heading to NY. The question is, will Gallinari be the next Dirk - or will he be the next Darko?
In my previous post regarding the Knicks I had said that they needed to get pick DJ Augustin, which they did not. Jerrod Bayless, a tweener guard who is not a pure point at this stage but is in the mold of Chauncey Billups, was also available. That's a lot of talent to pass up.
I had also said the Knicks should try to swing a deal for Shawn Marion. Supposedly, Danilo has a similar game. Let's hope!
Meanwhile, in all the wheeling and dealing, how could the Knicks not trade off any of their players? Teams like Miami are in an obvious "Win-now" mode - they could easily use Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph (don't tell me Riley doesn't want to take on head cases if he picked Beasley as opposed to Mayo!). Supposedly Minny was looking to deal as well, particularly with the hope of giving Al Jefferson some post help. Now that KG is gone, they definitely have the cap room.
Look at the Nets. They moved quickly and decisively, first dealing Kidd during the season, then trading Richard Jefferson hours before the draft. And the picks they made, from Brooks Lopez at 10 to Chris Douglas Roberts in the second round not only fit needs - they were absolute steals.
I really really REALLY hope the Knicks know what they are doing....
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
James Dobson does NOT speak for me!!
This website speaks for itself:
http://www.jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com/
http://www.jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com/
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Fantasy Football Part 1
Ahhh, yes. It's that time of year... Fantasy football!
I've been playing for 13 some odd years and I've really enjoyed putting my math background to good use. Borrowing heavily from the Billy Beane school of management (read Moneyball if you want more info), it's been a lot of fun for me the last few years.
The past few years, our league has played what's called a Dynasty League, where you can practically keep your whole team (up to 15 players). So there's been a definite emphasis on youth in our league. But that doesn't prevent "old reliables" from being valued.
Anyway, as the year begins, here are my initial thoughts to the 2008 season. I'll be writing a weekly column (that is, once a week), and I will try to post some things that you probably won't see on most FF rags.
1.LT is the number one back in FF, but AP is closing the gap. Most of my league knows by now that I was drooling over Adrian Peterson since he was in high school (yes, I need help:)). And in his rookie year, he delivered! While his rookie season was not on the level of Eric Dickerson (1800+ yds) or Edgerrin James (1700+ yds), his numbers were quite close to Barry Sanders, who like AP rushed for over 1300 yards and was within reach of the rushing title.
Ladainlian Tomlinson, meanwhile continued his reign as the top back in fantasy. He didn't have the year he had in 2006, but was still quite impressive, leading the league in rushing.
Will this trend continue? I say yes - for one more year. LT will be 29 on June 23rd (Happy Birthday, LT!) and the statistics for RBs dropping off at the 30 year mark is frightening. LT in particular has been used quite a bit - not just in the running game, but in the passing game as well (he is one of only 3 RBs to ever amass 100 receptions in a season). AP, meanwhile has already entrenched himself as the #2 back in FF, with Stephen Jackson and Frank Gore close behind among the RBs under 25.
So enjoy LT while you can. Those of you in keeper/dynasty leagues, look to trade him this year. And look at either Jackson or Gore as "buy low" candidates.
2.Darren McFadden will not be the next Adrian Peterson. In fact, D-Mac may not even be the best rookie RB this year!
Most pro scouts were not even convinced that D-Mac was any better than Jonathan Stewart or Rashad Mendenhall, both of whom landed on teams that like to run the ball. Stewart in fact was drafted with an Offensive tackle in the first round who would complete a return to a power running game in Carolina. While there is no argument regarding MacFadden's explosiveness, there are those who question his ability to run in between the tackles, along with his "stiffness" with his hips (this is the scouts talking, not me!). AP had no such concerns.
In fact, his own team has stated they will not use MacFadden like Peterson. They have pointed to Reggie Bush as their model (which if you play in a league that scores for receptions would definitely hike him to #1); plus Oakland drafted Michael Bush as their "power" back last year anyway.
At this time last year, the gap between AP and Marshawn Lynch (who would probably have won rookie of the year any other year) was pretty wide. This year, you could arguably flip a coin between the three rookies. My prediction is that Matt Forte will be the top rookie in FF, with either Stewart or Kevin Smith having a better career than D-Mac.
(incidently, this is a good year to grab a rookie RB in fantasy. All of the RBs mentioned will probably be top 15 RBs by 2009.)
3.Tom Brady will NOT be the best quarterback in FF this year. History proves this point. Look at the "all time" statistical years QBs have had in previous years: Dan Marino, 1984; Kurt Warner 1999; Peyton Manning/Daunte Culpepper 2004. Not only did none of them repeat, they weren't even the top QBs the next season!
If there was a consistent record of that success, that's one thing. But a spike like that doesn't usually last. In Brady's case, he was never even considered among the top 5 FF QBs before any season until this one.
Of course, most experts point to Randy Moss as the difference maker, and I'll grant you that. But Brady threw 50 TDs! Think of it this way - Moss broke Jerry Rice's TD record, and both WRs were consistently among the league leaders in TDs. Did either of their QBs break even 40 TDS in any of their seasons? No! Culpepper came the closest in 2004 with 39. But, Moss was injured for a fair portion of the season.
Brady broke Manning's record of 49 TDs, set in 2004. Manning didn't even break 30 the next year - and he's considered Mr. Consistency!
Let someone else pick Brady as their #1 QB. I'll pass on that pick.
4.Randy Moss, however will be the #1 WR in again. Go back and look at the tape of last year. Moss was regularly beating double and triple coverage for many of his TDs (He beat the entire Jets secondary at one point. Sigh!). With Belicheck on his behind and Brady having his back, there is no reason for him not to be. Moss knows he won't get this shot anywhere else. For the first time in his career he has found a team and system where he can succeed both on the field and off. He may not put up 24 TDs again, but remember his 98 receptions and 1491 yards were NOT career highs. In fact they were right among his average before he was traded to Oakland. I'd pencil him in for 94-1500-18TDs easily, numbers that should keep him at #1.
5.If Brady is not the #1 FF QB for 2008, who will be? Here's my prediction: Carson Palmer. Palmer threw for 4000 yards and 26 TDs, and yet he had what folks considered a down year. 20 interceptions will do that to you.
It's not like Palmer suddenly forgot how to throw. The biggest obstacle was a lack of a running game. Rudi Johnson, a traditional FF bedrock of 1300 yds and 12 tds each year, had a down year when he tried to lose weight for the 2007 season. What's worse, his backups in Chris Perry and Kenny Irons were injured - Irons, drafted specifically to be Rudi's backup, tore his ACL in preason. So everyone and their mother knew Palmer was throwing.
And despite his "bad" year, both Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmanzada had career seasons, with Ocho Cinco setting team records in recieving yards and TJ leading the league in receptions (also setting team records). So somebody was benefitting!
With a more balanced running game (and the same putrid defense) expect Palmer to rise up and take his crown as FF's #1 QB. Remember, you read it here first!
I'll be posting more thoughts next week.
I've been playing for 13 some odd years and I've really enjoyed putting my math background to good use. Borrowing heavily from the Billy Beane school of management (read Moneyball if you want more info), it's been a lot of fun for me the last few years.
The past few years, our league has played what's called a Dynasty League, where you can practically keep your whole team (up to 15 players). So there's been a definite emphasis on youth in our league. But that doesn't prevent "old reliables" from being valued.
Anyway, as the year begins, here are my initial thoughts to the 2008 season. I'll be writing a weekly column (that is, once a week), and I will try to post some things that you probably won't see on most FF rags.
1.LT is the number one back in FF, but AP is closing the gap. Most of my league knows by now that I was drooling over Adrian Peterson since he was in high school (yes, I need help:)). And in his rookie year, he delivered! While his rookie season was not on the level of Eric Dickerson (1800+ yds) or Edgerrin James (1700+ yds), his numbers were quite close to Barry Sanders, who like AP rushed for over 1300 yards and was within reach of the rushing title.
Ladainlian Tomlinson, meanwhile continued his reign as the top back in fantasy. He didn't have the year he had in 2006, but was still quite impressive, leading the league in rushing.
Will this trend continue? I say yes - for one more year. LT will be 29 on June 23rd (Happy Birthday, LT!) and the statistics for RBs dropping off at the 30 year mark is frightening. LT in particular has been used quite a bit - not just in the running game, but in the passing game as well (he is one of only 3 RBs to ever amass 100 receptions in a season). AP, meanwhile has already entrenched himself as the #2 back in FF, with Stephen Jackson and Frank Gore close behind among the RBs under 25.
So enjoy LT while you can. Those of you in keeper/dynasty leagues, look to trade him this year. And look at either Jackson or Gore as "buy low" candidates.
2.Darren McFadden will not be the next Adrian Peterson. In fact, D-Mac may not even be the best rookie RB this year!
Most pro scouts were not even convinced that D-Mac was any better than Jonathan Stewart or Rashad Mendenhall, both of whom landed on teams that like to run the ball. Stewart in fact was drafted with an Offensive tackle in the first round who would complete a return to a power running game in Carolina. While there is no argument regarding MacFadden's explosiveness, there are those who question his ability to run in between the tackles, along with his "stiffness" with his hips (this is the scouts talking, not me!). AP had no such concerns.
In fact, his own team has stated they will not use MacFadden like Peterson. They have pointed to Reggie Bush as their model (which if you play in a league that scores for receptions would definitely hike him to #1); plus Oakland drafted Michael Bush as their "power" back last year anyway.
At this time last year, the gap between AP and Marshawn Lynch (who would probably have won rookie of the year any other year) was pretty wide. This year, you could arguably flip a coin between the three rookies. My prediction is that Matt Forte will be the top rookie in FF, with either Stewart or Kevin Smith having a better career than D-Mac.
(incidently, this is a good year to grab a rookie RB in fantasy. All of the RBs mentioned will probably be top 15 RBs by 2009.)
3.Tom Brady will NOT be the best quarterback in FF this year. History proves this point. Look at the "all time" statistical years QBs have had in previous years: Dan Marino, 1984; Kurt Warner 1999; Peyton Manning/Daunte Culpepper 2004. Not only did none of them repeat, they weren't even the top QBs the next season!
If there was a consistent record of that success, that's one thing. But a spike like that doesn't usually last. In Brady's case, he was never even considered among the top 5 FF QBs before any season until this one.
Of course, most experts point to Randy Moss as the difference maker, and I'll grant you that. But Brady threw 50 TDs! Think of it this way - Moss broke Jerry Rice's TD record, and both WRs were consistently among the league leaders in TDs. Did either of their QBs break even 40 TDS in any of their seasons? No! Culpepper came the closest in 2004 with 39. But, Moss was injured for a fair portion of the season.
Brady broke Manning's record of 49 TDs, set in 2004. Manning didn't even break 30 the next year - and he's considered Mr. Consistency!
Let someone else pick Brady as their #1 QB. I'll pass on that pick.
4.Randy Moss, however will be the #1 WR in again. Go back and look at the tape of last year. Moss was regularly beating double and triple coverage for many of his TDs (He beat the entire Jets secondary at one point. Sigh!). With Belicheck on his behind and Brady having his back, there is no reason for him not to be. Moss knows he won't get this shot anywhere else. For the first time in his career he has found a team and system where he can succeed both on the field and off. He may not put up 24 TDs again, but remember his 98 receptions and 1491 yards were NOT career highs. In fact they were right among his average before he was traded to Oakland. I'd pencil him in for 94-1500-18TDs easily, numbers that should keep him at #1.
5.If Brady is not the #1 FF QB for 2008, who will be? Here's my prediction: Carson Palmer. Palmer threw for 4000 yards and 26 TDs, and yet he had what folks considered a down year. 20 interceptions will do that to you.
It's not like Palmer suddenly forgot how to throw. The biggest obstacle was a lack of a running game. Rudi Johnson, a traditional FF bedrock of 1300 yds and 12 tds each year, had a down year when he tried to lose weight for the 2007 season. What's worse, his backups in Chris Perry and Kenny Irons were injured - Irons, drafted specifically to be Rudi's backup, tore his ACL in preason. So everyone and their mother knew Palmer was throwing.
And despite his "bad" year, both Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmanzada had career seasons, with Ocho Cinco setting team records in recieving yards and TJ leading the league in receptions (also setting team records). So somebody was benefitting!
With a more balanced running game (and the same putrid defense) expect Palmer to rise up and take his crown as FF's #1 QB. Remember, you read it here first!
I'll be posting more thoughts next week.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Has the internet ruined music?
Has the internet ruined music? Well, it depends on how you look at it.
It used to be when you thought of really big rock groups, the Stadium headliners, the groups you'd see today as worthy of being inducted in the Rock and Roll "Hall of Fame" you had groups like The Police, U2, Van Halen, REM, Metallica, Tom Petty...
Who do you have now? Coldplay? Radiohead? Would you consider those groups on that level? Maybe even Dave Matthews?
I read an interesting article about this in the Post Gazette, which used this very example. It used to be that when a record label "discovered" a group, they had time to develop and refine their sound. The article goes on to mention how nowadays, with Youtube and Myspace it doesn't take much for a group to get popular, and then "bypass" the time needed for refining their sound. Even itunes is musician friendly.
I can somewhat relate to this. I've been taking jazz piano lessons for the last 18 months or so. My wife will be the first to tell you how much my playing has improved over the last year or so.
Last year I was gigging quite heavily between playing reggae and jazz. And yet I knew that I could have been better, that I had the desire, but my fingers had not caught up with ears.
Anyway, I don't think the internet has "ruined" music, but I do think that the music industry does need to adapt.
Look at video games. You can get and play plenty of games on the internet, yet the demand for quality computer gaming easily funds large gaming companies (let alone stand alone consoles like the Wii, Xbox, PS2+3, etc.).
It's going to take some creative thinking, a "business model" innovation to catch up with the technological innovation.
It used to be when you thought of really big rock groups, the Stadium headliners, the groups you'd see today as worthy of being inducted in the Rock and Roll "Hall of Fame" you had groups like The Police, U2, Van Halen, REM, Metallica, Tom Petty...
Who do you have now? Coldplay? Radiohead? Would you consider those groups on that level? Maybe even Dave Matthews?
I read an interesting article about this in the Post Gazette, which used this very example. It used to be that when a record label "discovered" a group, they had time to develop and refine their sound. The article goes on to mention how nowadays, with Youtube and Myspace it doesn't take much for a group to get popular, and then "bypass" the time needed for refining their sound. Even itunes is musician friendly.
I can somewhat relate to this. I've been taking jazz piano lessons for the last 18 months or so. My wife will be the first to tell you how much my playing has improved over the last year or so.
Last year I was gigging quite heavily between playing reggae and jazz. And yet I knew that I could have been better, that I had the desire, but my fingers had not caught up with ears.
Anyway, I don't think the internet has "ruined" music, but I do think that the music industry does need to adapt.
Look at video games. You can get and play plenty of games on the internet, yet the demand for quality computer gaming easily funds large gaming companies (let alone stand alone consoles like the Wii, Xbox, PS2+3, etc.).
It's going to take some creative thinking, a "business model" innovation to catch up with the technological innovation.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Mets suck!!!
Ugh!
Well, we know now what the real problem is with the Mess.
Getting fired at 3:15 in the morning??? A press release??????? After making them fly across country?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Personally speaking, I've been laid off a lot of different ways. I can probably speak better than anyone on how classless this is.
What makes this even crazier is how this contrasts to the class that Willie has been all these years. He definitely deserves better.
Where to begin?
1.Willie. Really, was this his fault? If you think it was, ask yourself this: what was the difference between him now and the Mets of 2006? The one who nearly made the World Series with one good pitcher? The one whos season ended with their MVP candidate at bat?
Look at the Mets of 2005. The parallels are ridiculous! A lack of power at 1B and the outfield, a bullpen that failed to hold leads for their ace, and it resulted in a 83-79 season. After the 2005 season, Omar responded and got Delgado and Wagner.
Now I can understand the logic that Willie should have been fired after the collapse last year. I wouldn't have agreed with it - after all, they hired a manager with no experience, what did they expect? - but I can at least understand it. Now of course, NO ONE is talking about Willie.
2.Omar. Omar has made a lot of good deals; however, the lack of a power bat should have been addressed during the offseason. Again, look at the difference Delgado made in 2006. When his bat slowed, they could have theoretically protected themselves with a legit power bat in RF or LF. Particularly with the interest in Heilman. Either way, he's on the firing line now.
3.Fred Wilpon. Really who is the common denominator here? The Wilpons have allowed this culture to exist since the 1980s. I think without the Wilpons changing the Mets will have to succeed despite themselves.
One of the issues is that the veterans started losing respect for Willie. Well, supposedly, "confidential" conversations between Willie and management regarding such players leaked to them. Again, how is Willie - or anyone - supposed to have a chance in this situation?
In all this mess steps in poor Jerry Manuel. He deserves a lot better. Ironically, his managerial record is almost identical to Randolphs....
Well, we know now what the real problem is with the Mess.
Getting fired at 3:15 in the morning??? A press release??????? After making them fly across country?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Personally speaking, I've been laid off a lot of different ways. I can probably speak better than anyone on how classless this is.
What makes this even crazier is how this contrasts to the class that Willie has been all these years. He definitely deserves better.
Where to begin?
1.Willie. Really, was this his fault? If you think it was, ask yourself this: what was the difference between him now and the Mets of 2006? The one who nearly made the World Series with one good pitcher? The one whos season ended with their MVP candidate at bat?
Look at the Mets of 2005. The parallels are ridiculous! A lack of power at 1B and the outfield, a bullpen that failed to hold leads for their ace, and it resulted in a 83-79 season. After the 2005 season, Omar responded and got Delgado and Wagner.
Now I can understand the logic that Willie should have been fired after the collapse last year. I wouldn't have agreed with it - after all, they hired a manager with no experience, what did they expect? - but I can at least understand it. Now of course, NO ONE is talking about Willie.
2.Omar. Omar has made a lot of good deals; however, the lack of a power bat should have been addressed during the offseason. Again, look at the difference Delgado made in 2006. When his bat slowed, they could have theoretically protected themselves with a legit power bat in RF or LF. Particularly with the interest in Heilman. Either way, he's on the firing line now.
3.Fred Wilpon. Really who is the common denominator here? The Wilpons have allowed this culture to exist since the 1980s. I think without the Wilpons changing the Mets will have to succeed despite themselves.
One of the issues is that the veterans started losing respect for Willie. Well, supposedly, "confidential" conversations between Willie and management regarding such players leaked to them. Again, how is Willie - or anyone - supposed to have a chance in this situation?
In all this mess steps in poor Jerry Manuel. He deserves a lot better. Ironically, his managerial record is almost identical to Randolphs....
Friday, June 13, 2008
Boston - the center of the sporting universe???
Since when is BOSTON become the center of the Sporting Universe????
The Red Sox are the defending World Series champs for the second time in 4 years. The Patriots were one David Tyree miracle catch from a perfect season, and a 4th Superbowl in 6 seasons. And the Celts - after finishing dead last the year before, are a win away from winning the NBA title (Knicks management - are you paying attention to this???)
A lot of this is due to some new talent. The Red Sox, besides having their pitching rebuilt, is centered around David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez being the most feared 3-4 hitters in baseball. The Pats took off after taking a chance on Randy Moss. And we know what the Celts did, importing KG and Ray Ray to Paul Pierce's side.
I'm going to add one more reason to this - controversial as it is....
Boston is now a city that has overcome it's reputation for being racist.
Think about this for a minute. David Stern never wanted to admit this, but what fueled much of the fanbase of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry was race - Magic was black, Bird was white. When you thought of "Hall of Fame" Red Sox players pre-Manny/Pedro, you thought of Ted Williams, Carl Yazstremski, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens. The most prominent black Red Sox until they got Pedro was Jim Rice, whos surliness not only cost him any shot at the hall of fame, it only pushed the reputation more of Boston being hostile towards blacks. And let's not forget what happened to Paul Pierce during the 1999 season with him being stabbed.
Yet this perception has begun to change. When the Red Sox finally started making the post season consistently during the 90s, they were led by Mo Vaughn, who did his best to turn the reputation around. The Celts brief turnaround during the 2002-3 season was driven by Pierce and Antoine Walker. Still, Boston had a reputation for being hostile towards african-americans, and as a result many stayed away.
Garnett was initially leery of Boston because of this reputation, but Pierce did his best to convince him otherwise - and look at the result. Corey Dillon and Randy Moss had media reputations far worse than Rice - and yet the Patriots were able to not only integrate them but they were arguably the engines that ran the last two Pats teams that made the SB. None of this was possible even 10 years ago.
This is not to say Boston is no longer a "racist" city. Nor is this saying Boston really was one ten years ago. What this *is* saying is that the perception no longer exists to many black atheletes.
After all, the Bruins are still struggling....
The Red Sox are the defending World Series champs for the second time in 4 years. The Patriots were one David Tyree miracle catch from a perfect season, and a 4th Superbowl in 6 seasons. And the Celts - after finishing dead last the year before, are a win away from winning the NBA title (Knicks management - are you paying attention to this???)
A lot of this is due to some new talent. The Red Sox, besides having their pitching rebuilt, is centered around David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez being the most feared 3-4 hitters in baseball. The Pats took off after taking a chance on Randy Moss. And we know what the Celts did, importing KG and Ray Ray to Paul Pierce's side.
I'm going to add one more reason to this - controversial as it is....
Boston is now a city that has overcome it's reputation for being racist.
Think about this for a minute. David Stern never wanted to admit this, but what fueled much of the fanbase of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry was race - Magic was black, Bird was white. When you thought of "Hall of Fame" Red Sox players pre-Manny/Pedro, you thought of Ted Williams, Carl Yazstremski, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens. The most prominent black Red Sox until they got Pedro was Jim Rice, whos surliness not only cost him any shot at the hall of fame, it only pushed the reputation more of Boston being hostile towards blacks. And let's not forget what happened to Paul Pierce during the 1999 season with him being stabbed.
Yet this perception has begun to change. When the Red Sox finally started making the post season consistently during the 90s, they were led by Mo Vaughn, who did his best to turn the reputation around. The Celts brief turnaround during the 2002-3 season was driven by Pierce and Antoine Walker. Still, Boston had a reputation for being hostile towards african-americans, and as a result many stayed away.
Garnett was initially leery of Boston because of this reputation, but Pierce did his best to convince him otherwise - and look at the result. Corey Dillon and Randy Moss had media reputations far worse than Rice - and yet the Patriots were able to not only integrate them but they were arguably the engines that ran the last two Pats teams that made the SB. None of this was possible even 10 years ago.
This is not to say Boston is no longer a "racist" city. Nor is this saying Boston really was one ten years ago. What this *is* saying is that the perception no longer exists to many black atheletes.
After all, the Bruins are still struggling....
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
OBAMA
Well, it's official: Obama is now the democratic nominee. A few thoughts:
* It's pretty interesting all the people who I've found out that are supporting Obama. Certainly, most (if not all) of the musicians that I know. But also, a fair amount of Christians as well. There's an interesting article in the NY Times that talks about how a new generation of Christians are tired of being pigeon-holed as blind supporters of the Republican party. One person in particular voiced his support for Obama in the article.
Now, the NY Times is notoriously a liberal newspaper so I'll take that perspective with a grain of salt. But even among the folks I know I can't recall the last time I saw so many christians not only support a non-republican candidate, but support him wholeheartedly, with no fear of what their christian friends may think. Also, just about every christian and musician I know who is supporting Obama is doing it for reasons that are well thought out.
* For those who still question Obama's faith, I have a question - would you vote for McCain? What evidence is there of HIS faith? Obama invites this topic; McClain only recently brought it up.
* It was nice to see Hillary show her true colors. In the very day that should have been Obama's, the very night that the issue of party unity should have been addressed, Hillary would not concede. From the day Hillary first ran for NY Senator, I was very much against her very obvious run for Presidency. Of course, she has in the last few weeks shot herself in the foot as she has alienanted her fellow senators that are democrats - the very senators who she will need to work with in a few months. And any possible hope that she could have had to be Obama's VP choice was shot as well.
* Of course, who WOULD be a good VP candidate? Well, if not Hillary.... why not Bill? From Obama's perspective, this makes a lot of sense; who else can say that they have a former president in their inner circle to lean on for advice? From Bill's perspective, well let's face it - after being president, what other job could be as satisfying?
* It's pretty interesting all the people who I've found out that are supporting Obama. Certainly, most (if not all) of the musicians that I know. But also, a fair amount of Christians as well. There's an interesting article in the NY Times that talks about how a new generation of Christians are tired of being pigeon-holed as blind supporters of the Republican party. One person in particular voiced his support for Obama in the article.
Now, the NY Times is notoriously a liberal newspaper so I'll take that perspective with a grain of salt. But even among the folks I know I can't recall the last time I saw so many christians not only support a non-republican candidate, but support him wholeheartedly, with no fear of what their christian friends may think. Also, just about every christian and musician I know who is supporting Obama is doing it for reasons that are well thought out.
* For those who still question Obama's faith, I have a question - would you vote for McCain? What evidence is there of HIS faith? Obama invites this topic; McClain only recently brought it up.
* It was nice to see Hillary show her true colors. In the very day that should have been Obama's, the very night that the issue of party unity should have been addressed, Hillary would not concede. From the day Hillary first ran for NY Senator, I was very much against her very obvious run for Presidency. Of course, she has in the last few weeks shot herself in the foot as she has alienanted her fellow senators that are democrats - the very senators who she will need to work with in a few months. And any possible hope that she could have had to be Obama's VP choice was shot as well.
* Of course, who WOULD be a good VP candidate? Well, if not Hillary.... why not Bill? From Obama's perspective, this makes a lot of sense; who else can say that they have a former president in their inner circle to lean on for advice? From Bill's perspective, well let's face it - after being president, what other job could be as satisfying?
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