as told by Bill James. Bottom line:
“You ever go to a movie, it’ s pretty good for about an hour and a half but then the story is over but it’s like the director can’t find the ending so it goes on for another half-hour looking for some way to tie things together? That’s kind of Biggio’s career; it was over, and then it went on for quite awhile.”
Until Iditarod XXXVI begins.
Picks?
I think you’ve got to like the chances of 2007 winner Lance Mackey to repeat. The son of 1978 winner Dick Mackey and brother of 1983 winner Rick Mackey, he’s clearly come into his own.
According to the New York Times, he’s still married to the former Mrs. Ron Greschner, (trading down from a Ranger to an Islander? Things are tough all over, I guess.) but instead of playing for her hometown Islanders, he’s now starring for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in the Russian Superliga.
The article suggests that the Superliga is emerging as a competitor to the NHL for top hockey talent. As seems standard for the Times these days, though, the headline assertion isn’t supported by much evidence. The Superliga’s talent raid on the NHL appears to consist of an over-the-hill Yashin and assorted journeymen, making it more of a competitor to the AHL, or possibly the ECAC.
And even that level of competition is supported mainly by money flowing from the global commodities boom, rather than sustainable economic growth and the emergence of a bona fide middle class. The subtext is one of renewed nationalism, with former Red Wing and Stanley Cup winner (and 1980 Bronze medalist, snicker) Slava Fetisov grousing about the NHL “stealing” Russian players. But $100/barrel oil and a proto-fascist regime in Moscow waving the bloody shirt may be as good as it gets for the Superliga. The oil boom and Putinism will one day fade, and the NHL will continue to offer a brighter future to the world’s best hockey players, Russian or otherwise.
Plus, can you imagine a crappier team name than “Lokomotiv?” So 19th-century. It would be like calling Detroit’s team the “Horseless Carriage.” Clearly, the scars of Communism will remain with Russia for years to come.
…until Iditarod XXXVI.
Lately, Garth Brooks is everywhere I look. This guy has really been making the rounds, and I just figured out why. Apparently, he has become the biggest selling solo artist in history, knocking the late Elvis Presley off his throne. Is anyone else bothered by this? I normally wouldn’t bring it up here, but it has been a little over a year since we’ve seen a post in the Elvisiana section and I felt that someone had to stick up for the King.
Okay, sure. I’ll admit to liking a few Garth Brooks songs, perhaps even several. I was introduced to Mr. Brooks many moons ago by a young Mark Petersen, and I know he’s had a pretty good career. But number one of all time? Really? I didn’t know that his body of work was so expansive that he could sell so many albums. Shouldn’t a guy with 10 or more rehashed greatest hits albums at least get an asterix next to his name? I’m not looking for Congressional hearings on this, but c’mon already! As I glance across my office at the King’s velvet likeness, I just can’t fathom that somewhere somebody would display a velvet Garth Brooks painting. If Garth Brooks isn’t a pretender to the throne, someone please tell me what I’m missing.
See previous post for rules
See previous post on BOS
A couple of years ago the SportsGuy wrote an article about a trip to see the Brewers. In that article, he stated that none of the Brewers could have started for either the Yankees or the Red Sox. The game was played on August 18, 2006. As you can see Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Bill Hall started in that game along with a bunch of AAAA players. Granted, he had a point, as Hart and Fielder were very young, and certainly the Red Sox shortstop at the time Alex Gonzalez was far superior to a 35HR Bill Hall, but I digress. Let’s assume he was correct then… Where do we stand now? What would happen if you combined the Brewers and the Red Sox? How many players from each team would make the starting lineup/pitching staff/relief corps/bench? Basically, what would be your 25 man roster? How many Brewers would you put in the starting lineup? Feel free to be very flexible with the rosters. Assume Ortiz is the DH. Assume the outfielders could play any of the positions. However, starting pitchers can not be used in the bullpen, and other starting players can not be used on the bench… so if you decide Bill Hall is the 3rd baseman, you can’t put Lowell on the bench. I have my 25, and I am guessing that it will cause several pounder bets. Let me know yours first. We should do this with the Yankees and Mets as well, but I’ll post that in another post.
It’s almost as though the *last* place you want to be when the white flag comes down to signal the final lap is in the lead. Unless you happen to have teammates behind you, you’re doomed. Tony Stewart had a decent lead, but with Penske teammates Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch behind him, it was a weak position. By the time he could move down to the inside lane in front of his teammate Kyle Busch, the elder Busch had bump-drafted Newman into an insurmountable lead.
Interestingly given all the attention paid to the new Toyota engines was the fact that six of the top eight cars - all but the Stewart and Busch Toyotas - were Dodges. It does seem clear that it is only a matter of time, and likely not too much of it, before Toyota earns its first Sprint Cup victory, though.
It was nice to see Junior finish in the top ten, benefiting from having top-flight equipment though suffering from a paucity of teammates after wrecks claimed Al Qaeda operative Jeff Gordon, and Gordon’s mini-me, Jimmy Johnson. Junior and Stewart were a strong drafting team when they hooked up though. Junior also had some funny ads for his new sponsor, Amp.
It was a shame, if not surprising, to see Dale Jarrett post a weak finish in his final Daytona 500 though. And sentimental favorite Mark Martin of course suffered a cut tire, though one expects he’ll be back next year.
Overall, a good start to the season. On to Fontana.
Today is the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Lots of interesting stories going into the race:
- After a hideous debut last year, the Toyota teams are now outfitted with more horsepower than anyone else on the track. Will Waltrip and Red Bull rise to the level of Toyota newcomer Joe Gibbs Racing, or vice versa?
- How will the new open wheel drivers fare? Juan Pablo had a respectable rookie season in 2007 - can he follow in Tony Stewart’s footsteps and emerge as a competitor for the Cup? And how will Indy 500 winners Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti fare in their rookie NASCAR seasons?
- What will Junior do with Hendrick-quality equipment? In the other races this past week he posted 2 wins and 1 third-place finish (the highest ranked non-Toyota in the Nationwide race). Based on this week he looks ready to finally win the Cup.
- And let’s give a shout-out to the veterans who didn’t make the field for this year’s race - Bill Elliott, Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader will all be watching the race this year. And former champion Dale Jarrett will be racing in his final Daytona 500.
It will also be interesting to see whether the sport’s ratings rebound this year, or decline further. It seems Brian France has recognized that he changed the sport too much, pursuing mainstream and corporate fans and money in a way that alienated some of the sport’s most fervent longtime fans. Probably the 30% decline in International Speedway Corp. stock from its peak in 2005 caught his attention. Ouch.