www.WeAreTheHecklers.com
For Red Sox fans: The New York Yankees sweep over the Boston Red Sox which concluded with the Yanks comeback should not be considered an updated version of the Boston Massacre. During the four game series, the Bombers outscored the Sox 25-8. They held the Sox scoreless for over 30 innings straight at one point, including a near no-no by CC. AJ Burnett silenced the bats, but honestly, the Sox were slumping anyways.
For Yankee fans: 31-10 in your last 41 games? That's ridiculous. They have been on a tear which is unheard of since A-Rod came back. Remember a few years ago when he was the greatest choke artist? I don't care if it's April, August or October, you hit a walk off against the Red Sox in the bottom of the 15th in a pivotal series - you're clutch. Mark Tex is the reason this defense is any good. With no stats other than this writers eyes to back this up, but I'd say a good 10% of the throws he fields would have gotten by Giambi - now unemployed. All in all the starting pitching looks brilliant, the team is hitting on all cylinders - from small ball to mammoth home runs, and the bullpen is holding their leads.
- Dave
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Team 32: Detroit Lions
www.WeAreTheHecklers.com
The Lions have made NFL History, but the wrong kind. That is what the Detroit Lions fans heard a lot last year, as their team went an unprecedented 0-16. The 76 Buccaneers went 0-14, but it wasn't just losing, but the way the Lions lost. Well, Matt Millen has moved on to ESPN where he will do just fine. He's very similar to Isiah Thomas actually - great athlete, great sportsman, horrible executive. Regardless, the Lions drafted Matthew Stafford out of Georgia with the first overall pick. He brings a renewed life to a city that rides it's Red Wings everywhere, has the Tigers finally back to annual contention, and the Pistons have a recent NBA title.
How does the team look for this year?
Veteran Daunte Culpepper is listed as the starting QB this year. However, we're all just waiting to see how this kid with a monster arm performs. Stafford did not play an incredibly difficult defense during College, but he also didn't play anyone that was that weak. It seems his maturity is another huge piece that the Lions have not had in years - a mature leader. For Lions fans, the face of the franchise was the aforementioned Matt Millen. Maybe Stafford can throw it to one of the many WR's on that roster.
Last year the Lions finished 30th in Offensive YPG
Last year the Lions finished 27th in Points per game
Last year the Lions finished 32nd in Yards allowed per game
Last year the Lions finished 32nd in Points allowed per game, and by a margin of 3 points worse than the Rams.
They didn't really do anything right, but the Lions are renewed with new energy, and a slew of new talent will be brought on. This year? They will march on to 3 wins. One against the Browns (whom they play twice). They will beat the Bengals, and I can see an upset of St. Louis in week 8, right after their bye week.
As we all know, the night is darkest just before dawn. There is nowhere to go but up for the Lions.
- Dave
The Lions have made NFL History, but the wrong kind. That is what the Detroit Lions fans heard a lot last year, as their team went an unprecedented 0-16. The 76 Buccaneers went 0-14, but it wasn't just losing, but the way the Lions lost. Well, Matt Millen has moved on to ESPN where he will do just fine. He's very similar to Isiah Thomas actually - great athlete, great sportsman, horrible executive. Regardless, the Lions drafted Matthew Stafford out of Georgia with the first overall pick. He brings a renewed life to a city that rides it's Red Wings everywhere, has the Tigers finally back to annual contention, and the Pistons have a recent NBA title.
How does the team look for this year?
Veteran Daunte Culpepper is listed as the starting QB this year. However, we're all just waiting to see how this kid with a monster arm performs. Stafford did not play an incredibly difficult defense during College, but he also didn't play anyone that was that weak. It seems his maturity is another huge piece that the Lions have not had in years - a mature leader. For Lions fans, the face of the franchise was the aforementioned Matt Millen. Maybe Stafford can throw it to one of the many WR's on that roster.
Last year the Lions finished 30th in Offensive YPG
Last year the Lions finished 27th in Points per game
Last year the Lions finished 32nd in Yards allowed per game
Last year the Lions finished 32nd in Points allowed per game, and by a margin of 3 points worse than the Rams.
They didn't really do anything right, but the Lions are renewed with new energy, and a slew of new talent will be brought on. This year? They will march on to 3 wins. One against the Browns (whom they play twice). They will beat the Bengals, and I can see an upset of St. Louis in week 8, right after their bye week.
As we all know, the night is darkest just before dawn. There is nowhere to go but up for the Lions.
- Dave
NFL Preview: Hecklers Rankings. 32 Team breakdown
www.WeAreTheHecklers.com
What is below is the first ever Heckler Ratings. I asked the five main contributors to come up with a preseason ranking, and here is how it shaped up:
With all apologies to the sloppy format, the content leaves us many questions about fan-dom.
A few bulletpoints:
- Dave
What is below is the first ever Heckler Ratings. I asked the five main contributors to come up with a preseason ranking, and here is how it shaped up:
With all apologies to the sloppy format, the content leaves us many questions about fan-dom.
A few bulletpoints:
- There are only two teams that were unanimous decisions, the Steelers and the Patriots at 1 and 2 respectively.
- Tom Brady wants to play every game of the preseason. However, it could be a case of Brady just doing what he does - saying "I want to do it all" before his coaches step in and say, "Don't kid."
- The second best team last year - well at least losers of Super Bowl XLIII, are tied with the Bears, but since their variance was lower, they slotted in with the middle spot at 16.
- Despite many saying LT is past his prime, he has had an impressive camp and looks to bounce back from the foot injury that has plagued him recently.
- According to NFL.com's fantasy rankings, LT isn't even in the top five. In the top five? Adrian Peterson and Matt Forte. The Bears, as mentioned before, are in the middle of the pack. Yet, word out of Bears camp is that newly acquired QB Jay Cutler has made his receivers look fantastic. Fantasy freaks, look for Greg Olson to make huge plays this year.
- The Lions will be horrible, but the worst ever? Not so much, that was last year.
- Dave
Saturday, August 8, 2009
USA vs. Mexico: worth more than your average World Cup qualifying match
Americans everywhere, even a few of the 90 percent who don't care about soccer, were captivated by the United States' run to the final of the Confederations Cup a little over a month ago.
The US advanced to the semi-finals out of Group B, ahead of the defending World Cup champions (Italy), then shocked the #1 ranked team in the world (Spain), and then led Brazil 2-0 at halftime in the final before a heart-wrenching second half collapse sent the Americans home with silver medals.
Last month, the US rolled to the final of the Gold Cup (The regional championship for North and Central America) before getting smashed by Mexico, 5-0, in the championship match. To be fair, the Americans used few of their regulars at any point in that competition, and the line-up was full of reserves for the final with Mexico.
Now, with a summer of great surprising successes and painful what-could-have-beens behind them, the United States men's national team (ranked 12th in the world) turns its full attention to the remaining five games in their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup. Halfway through the final round of qualifying, here is how the standings look:
(top 3 teams advance to the World Cup automatically, 4th place team will have a play-off with the 5th place team in South America - currently Ecuador - and the winner will qualify)
1. Costa Rica: 4-1-0, 12 points
2. United States: 3-1-1, 10 points
3. Honduras: 2-2-1, 7 points
4. Mexico: 2-3-0, 6 points
5. El Salvador: 1-2-2, 5 points
6. Trinidad & Tobago: 0-3-2, 2 points
Costa Rica has been the surprise of the final round, and they are quickly moving towards being a lock for South Africa 2010. The United States has been inconsistent so far, but after how well they played this summer, it's hard to imagine they will fall short of qualification. Mexico, long considered the best team in the region on the international stage, has struggled, particularly away from home, where they are 0-3 and have been outscored 2-7.
So when the United States travels to Mexico City next week (August 12), there will be plenty riding on the line.
For the United States, who are 0-18-1 all time in Mexico City, there is the chance to finally win a game on the road against their biggest rivals. With the way Mexico has been playing lately, this might be the best chance the US will ever have to steal three points from Estadio Azteca.
A loss would not be all that harmful (or particularly unexpected) to the United States' World Cup hopes, provided they don't stumble through the four games that follow, but a victory in Mexico would have major ramifications.
First, and most importantly, it would move the US one step closer to qualification for the World Cup.
Second, it would put Mexico in serious jeopardy of missing out on the World Cup for the first time since 1982. After the game with the Americans, Mexico has to go on the road to play group-leaders Costa Rica, and its not difficult to imagine Mexico losing that game as well. Wednesday could be the beginning of the end for Mexico if the US can get the win.
Third, it would help settle the debate about which team (Mexico or the United States) is the best in the CONCACAF region. Though the US has consistently beaten Mexico at home over the past decade, their inability to win in Mexico gives the perception that the red, white, and blue are still the second-class citizens of the region. If they can finally break through in Mexico City, on the heels of that fantastic showing at the Confederations Cup, the world's opinion may be changed for good.
The bigger question still remains: Is the United States finally ready to be considered a legitimate contender for the World Cup? On Wednesday, the US will have all their big names in Mexico City, and if this team can use the momentum and confidence they have gained from their games this summer, this match could go a long way towards answering that question.
-Eric
www.WeAreTheHecklers.com
----------------
Now playing: Kings of Leon - I Want You
via FoxyTunes
The US advanced to the semi-finals out of Group B, ahead of the defending World Cup champions (Italy), then shocked the #1 ranked team in the world (Spain), and then led Brazil 2-0 at halftime in the final before a heart-wrenching second half collapse sent the Americans home with silver medals.
Last month, the US rolled to the final of the Gold Cup (The regional championship for North and Central America) before getting smashed by Mexico, 5-0, in the championship match. To be fair, the Americans used few of their regulars at any point in that competition, and the line-up was full of reserves for the final with Mexico.
Now, with a summer of great surprising successes and painful what-could-have-beens behind them, the United States men's national team (ranked 12th in the world) turns its full attention to the remaining five games in their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup. Halfway through the final round of qualifying, here is how the standings look:
(top 3 teams advance to the World Cup automatically, 4th place team will have a play-off with the 5th place team in South America - currently Ecuador - and the winner will qualify)
1. Costa Rica: 4-1-0, 12 points
2. United States: 3-1-1, 10 points
3. Honduras: 2-2-1, 7 points
4. Mexico: 2-3-0, 6 points
5. El Salvador: 1-2-2, 5 points
6. Trinidad & Tobago: 0-3-2, 2 points
Costa Rica has been the surprise of the final round, and they are quickly moving towards being a lock for South Africa 2010. The United States has been inconsistent so far, but after how well they played this summer, it's hard to imagine they will fall short of qualification. Mexico, long considered the best team in the region on the international stage, has struggled, particularly away from home, where they are 0-3 and have been outscored 2-7.
So when the United States travels to Mexico City next week (August 12), there will be plenty riding on the line.
For the United States, who are 0-18-1 all time in Mexico City, there is the chance to finally win a game on the road against their biggest rivals. With the way Mexico has been playing lately, this might be the best chance the US will ever have to steal three points from Estadio Azteca.
A loss would not be all that harmful (or particularly unexpected) to the United States' World Cup hopes, provided they don't stumble through the four games that follow, but a victory in Mexico would have major ramifications.
First, and most importantly, it would move the US one step closer to qualification for the World Cup.
Second, it would put Mexico in serious jeopardy of missing out on the World Cup for the first time since 1982. After the game with the Americans, Mexico has to go on the road to play group-leaders Costa Rica, and its not difficult to imagine Mexico losing that game as well. Wednesday could be the beginning of the end for Mexico if the US can get the win.
Third, it would help settle the debate about which team (Mexico or the United States) is the best in the CONCACAF region. Though the US has consistently beaten Mexico at home over the past decade, their inability to win in Mexico gives the perception that the red, white, and blue are still the second-class citizens of the region. If they can finally break through in Mexico City, on the heels of that fantastic showing at the Confederations Cup, the world's opinion may be changed for good.
The bigger question still remains: Is the United States finally ready to be considered a legitimate contender for the World Cup? On Wednesday, the US will have all their big names in Mexico City, and if this team can use the momentum and confidence they have gained from their games this summer, this match could go a long way towards answering that question.
-Eric
www.WeAreTheHecklers.com
----------------
Now playing: Kings of Leon - I Want You
via FoxyTunes
Friday, July 31, 2009
Why I Love The Trade Deadline
I'll put together another post in a few days that will try to draw some conclusions from the deals we have seen this week, but for now I'm going to be more philosophical about why this is one of my favorite days on the sports calendar each year.
The Trade Deadline in Major League Baseball is a completely unique experience. Though trade deadlines exist in other sports, you almost never see this kind of excitement surrounding them. Trades in the NFL are so rare that you're more likely to see a California Condor than a blockbuster deal. Trades in the NBA occur almost exclusively in the off-season. The NHL is the only other major professional sport that can even hold a flame to the baseball deadline, because usually there are more than a few teams trading pieces and trying to gear up for a play-off run.
The NHL deadline isn't quite the same, though. It has to fight with the NBA, March Madness, and Spring Training to get attention. For another thing, it takes place within the world of the National Hockey League, and recent polls suggest only 60% of the American public believes such a place exists.
But the real reason why I like the baseball deadline is not because it is superior to all the other trade deadlines. The reason is connected to why I love baseball itself; because the trade deadline reflects the intense, yet subtle, drama that is built into every single game.
Baseball is a game of possibilities. The pauses between every pitch allow you to imagine all the possible outcomes. The way the second-baseman shifts closer to the bag, or the way the pitcher eyes the runner at first, or the batter digging into the box - they all express the possibility of what might happen next. Every pitch is played out in the mind dozens of times before it is delivered on the field.
When the time for action comes, and the pitch is thrown, those possibilities reach a crescendo in a split-second, a time when anything is possible. On most pitches, not much happens. The ball is delivered back to the mound and the possibilities begin to mount once again. It is this relationship, between the action on the field and the drama of the mind, that makes baseball so uniquely appealing. The repetition, pitch after pitch, inning after inning,
In sports that are all about constant motion (like hockey, basketball, or soccer) the breaks in the game are interruptions that take us away from the action, but in baseball the long pauses are part of the beauty of the game.
So what does this have to do with the Trade Deadline? Everything.
The deadline embodies the same qualities that make baseball so great, because this is a day that is all about possibilities. For every trade that becomes a reality, hundreds of others are played out in the minds of fans and GMs across the country. Just like a baseball game, most of the action takes place in the mind, with adversaries staring each other down and trying to out-wit each other in pursuit of victory. Each day in the weeks leading up to this day is like an inning of a game, each rumored proposal is like a single pitch, containing within it all the possibilities of success, failure, and everything in between. Some become Home Runs, while others end up as strikeouts, but most remain in the mind, never given the chance to become reality.
This is an experience that is, in my opinion, utterly unique in the world of sports. And that's why I enjoy it so much.
I imagine that it is the same kind of feeling that many have for the NFL draft, but I've never really enjoyed that as much. It's too formulaic, too ordered, to have the same sense of infinite possible outcomes. In that way, it reflects its game as well. The formula of football precludes the feeling that "anything is possible" because you have only four downs, you have only 60 minutes, and the draft is the same way: you have only 7 rounds, you have a set amount of time per pick. While baseball fans live for the drama of a thousand outcomes all possible at once in the mind, football fans live for the intense, though brief, moments of excitement and action.
So here we are, in the bottom of the ninth, only a few hours from the deadline. Every moment contains flashes of what might be. The possibilities are endless.
The Trade Deadline in Major League Baseball is a completely unique experience. Though trade deadlines exist in other sports, you almost never see this kind of excitement surrounding them. Trades in the NFL are so rare that you're more likely to see a California Condor than a blockbuster deal. Trades in the NBA occur almost exclusively in the off-season. The NHL is the only other major professional sport that can even hold a flame to the baseball deadline, because usually there are more than a few teams trading pieces and trying to gear up for a play-off run.
The NHL deadline isn't quite the same, though. It has to fight with the NBA, March Madness, and Spring Training to get attention. For another thing, it takes place within the world of the National Hockey League, and recent polls suggest only 60% of the American public believes such a place exists.
But the real reason why I like the baseball deadline is not because it is superior to all the other trade deadlines. The reason is connected to why I love baseball itself; because the trade deadline reflects the intense, yet subtle, drama that is built into every single game.
Baseball is a game of possibilities. The pauses between every pitch allow you to imagine all the possible outcomes. The way the second-baseman shifts closer to the bag, or the way the pitcher eyes the runner at first, or the batter digging into the box - they all express the possibility of what might happen next. Every pitch is played out in the mind dozens of times before it is delivered on the field.
When the time for action comes, and the pitch is thrown, those possibilities reach a crescendo in a split-second, a time when anything is possible. On most pitches, not much happens. The ball is delivered back to the mound and the possibilities begin to mount once again. It is this relationship, between the action on the field and the drama of the mind, that makes baseball so uniquely appealing. The repetition, pitch after pitch, inning after inning,
In sports that are all about constant motion (like hockey, basketball, or soccer) the breaks in the game are interruptions that take us away from the action, but in baseball the long pauses are part of the beauty of the game.
So what does this have to do with the Trade Deadline? Everything.
The deadline embodies the same qualities that make baseball so great, because this is a day that is all about possibilities. For every trade that becomes a reality, hundreds of others are played out in the minds of fans and GMs across the country. Just like a baseball game, most of the action takes place in the mind, with adversaries staring each other down and trying to out-wit each other in pursuit of victory. Each day in the weeks leading up to this day is like an inning of a game, each rumored proposal is like a single pitch, containing within it all the possibilities of success, failure, and everything in between. Some become Home Runs, while others end up as strikeouts, but most remain in the mind, never given the chance to become reality.
This is an experience that is, in my opinion, utterly unique in the world of sports. And that's why I enjoy it so much.
I imagine that it is the same kind of feeling that many have for the NFL draft, but I've never really enjoyed that as much. It's too formulaic, too ordered, to have the same sense of infinite possible outcomes. In that way, it reflects its game as well. The formula of football precludes the feeling that "anything is possible" because you have only four downs, you have only 60 minutes, and the draft is the same way: you have only 7 rounds, you have a set amount of time per pick. While baseball fans live for the drama of a thousand outcomes all possible at once in the mind, football fans live for the intense, though brief, moments of excitement and action.
So here we are, in the bottom of the ninth, only a few hours from the deadline. Every moment contains flashes of what might be. The possibilities are endless.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Ortiz Joins A-Roid on the List?
So many of you by now have probably read that David Ortiz has joined Alex Rodriguez on what is sure to be the long list of baseball players who used performance enhancing drugs in the early 2000s. In this case, 2003. Even as a Red Sox fan, I can't say I find this particularly shocking. What is becoming increasingly clear through the names that so far have been leaked from this supposedly closed list, is that many of MLBs big stars during these years were linked to steroids. It's beginning to seem that if Henry Aaron's asterisk for PED users gets approved, we are going to be seeing a whole bunch of asterisks for players during the 2000s. With these high-profile names being leaked, it does make a fan wonder, is this only the tip of the icerberg? Was steroid use as widespread as it appears to be, or were PEDs linked primarily to these players who happened to be at the top of the batting charts? Unfortunately until the whole list is released or leaked, us ordinary fans will have no idea just how widespread PED use was in baseball, all we will be able to do is speculate on who may or may not have done steroids or used other drugs to get a leg up on their fellow players.
As a fan of the Red Sox, I have to say it is saddening in some ways to see two of the best players (Ortiz and Manny Ramirez) on the 2004 World Series team linked to PEDs by this report. At the same time, I would not be surprised to learn if there were other members of the team whose names are also on the PED list. To all the fans who I'm sure will come out of the woodwork and argue that this somehow cheapens the World Series rings that the Red Sox won during this time frame, I cannot really refute this argument completely. But part of me can't help but think that if we were to have the list in front of us, that there would likely be a representative from every team in baseball on that list.
Will we ever see the list appear fully? Somehow I doubt it, unless it gets to a point where credibility for the league gets to such a low that the Players Union just decides to release the list to the press. Part of the reason that we will be unlikely to see a leak of the list, in my opinion is the fact that whoever posts it will get the pants sued off them by an angry group of players who were informed that this list was going to be confidential. On this disappointing day for Red Sox fans, and once again for baseball fans overall, I can't help but look ahead to the coming weeks and months when I'm sure we will find what other players rode the PED bus.
Kyle
As a fan of the Red Sox, I have to say it is saddening in some ways to see two of the best players (Ortiz and Manny Ramirez) on the 2004 World Series team linked to PEDs by this report. At the same time, I would not be surprised to learn if there were other members of the team whose names are also on the PED list. To all the fans who I'm sure will come out of the woodwork and argue that this somehow cheapens the World Series rings that the Red Sox won during this time frame, I cannot really refute this argument completely. But part of me can't help but think that if we were to have the list in front of us, that there would likely be a representative from every team in baseball on that list.
Will we ever see the list appear fully? Somehow I doubt it, unless it gets to a point where credibility for the league gets to such a low that the Players Union just decides to release the list to the press. Part of the reason that we will be unlikely to see a leak of the list, in my opinion is the fact that whoever posts it will get the pants sued off them by an angry group of players who were informed that this list was going to be confidential. On this disappointing day for Red Sox fans, and once again for baseball fans overall, I can't help but look ahead to the coming weeks and months when I'm sure we will find what other players rode the PED bus.
Kyle
Neal Huntington, what are you doing?
Pirates GM Neal Huntington is going down a slippery slope. His team's opening day roster looked like this:
C - Ryan Doumit (Pirates)
1B - Adam LaRoche (Red Sox)
2B - Freddy Sanchez (Giants)
3B - Andy LaRoche (Pirates)
SS - Jack Wilson (Mariners)
LF - Nyjer Morgan (Nationals)
CF - Nate McLouth (Braves)
RF - Brandon Moss (Pirates)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/opening.shtml
Obviously, the team the player is currently with is in parenthesis.
It's turned into a horrible version of VH1's "Where are they now"? The team they had on the field that day would not have won anything. However, they have stockpiled young players and ensured a losing team for a few years to come. However, once the next two to three years are over, did the stockpiling prove to be anything? Assuming they got good value for their trades, each player should be a slight upgrade, and that will get them to maybe 80 or so wins. However, their real future will be heavily dependent on drafting good pitching. If only they were slightly worse last year then THEY would be in the Stephen Strasburg predicament.
The Pirates have become America's Farm Team.
C - Ryan Doumit (Pirates)
1B - Adam LaRoche (Red Sox)
2B - Freddy Sanchez (Giants)
3B - Andy LaRoche (Pirates)
SS - Jack Wilson (Mariners)
LF - Nyjer Morgan (Nationals)
CF - Nate McLouth (Braves)
RF - Brandon Moss (Pirates)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/opening.shtml
Obviously, the team the player is currently with is in parenthesis.
It's turned into a horrible version of VH1's "Where are they now"? The team they had on the field that day would not have won anything. However, they have stockpiled young players and ensured a losing team for a few years to come. However, once the next two to three years are over, did the stockpiling prove to be anything? Assuming they got good value for their trades, each player should be a slight upgrade, and that will get them to maybe 80 or so wins. However, their real future will be heavily dependent on drafting good pitching. If only they were slightly worse last year then THEY would be in the Stephen Strasburg predicament.
The Pirates have become America's Farm Team.
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