Monthly Archive for February, 2008

NL Central: The Year of the Cubbies

Published
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Chris Iafolla
on February 28, 2008
in MLB
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First off, sorry for the slow going on the posting as of late (for the 10 or so people that might actually regularly read this blog)–things have been a bit nutty at my day job.

Synopsis: At first glance, it looks as though the NL Central is in tough shape this year. Last year’s surprise team, the Milwaukee Brewers, will once again field a competitive team, and the Cubs will prove competitive. But after those two teams, the division gets a bit dodgy. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see any team take the division title-unless of course that team is the Reds or Pirates.

Prediction:

1.) Chicago Cubs: 89-73

2.) Milwaukee Brewers: 85-77

3.) St. Louis Cardinals: 81-81

4.) Houston Astros: 79-83

5.) Pittsburgh Pirates: 73-89

6.) Cincinnati Reds: 68-94

Contenders:

As I mentioned above, I think most of the teams in this division have a shot to catapult to the top if all the pieces fall into place. Most will look for this to be a two horse race between the Brewers and Reds I tend to agree. I think the Brewers have made some solid moves this offseason to make another run at the NL Central crown. By adding Mike Cameron, they have a veteran presence in a lineup of relative youngins. But still, the rotation is a major question mark, even at the top with the continued health concerns of Ben Sheets. No doubt, the Brewers will field a potent offense, but I think they will see a significant dip in production from Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart and almost zero production from Jason Kendall.

The Cubs on the other hand made an under-the-radar move that may pay off in spades.

Early indications point to Kosuke Fukudome becoming a very solid player in the majors. If he can adapt to life in America, the Cubs may have the edge in this battle. The rotation is decent, but not elite. Zambrano is a top-flight starter if he can keep his head screwed on straight.

The Cardinals are riddled with problems, the least of which is the recent Scott Spiezo situation. Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder may not be back in the rotation until May, and the lineup is aging and will be less productive than last year.

The Astros primary move this offseason was to go out and get Miguel Tejada–just days before he was named in the Mitchell Report and stories surfaced that he will be tried for perjury by the Department of Justice. With those issues hanging over his head, you have to wonder how he will be able to perform this season. And the rotation is pretty much a crap shoot after Roy Oswalt.

The Pretenders:Both the Reds and Pirates will battle it out for the distinction of worst team in the NL Central. Both of these teams are sitting squarely in rebuilding mode. But hey, it’s not about winning this year in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, it’s about building for the future. If the Pirates decide to trade Xavier Nady or Jason Bay before the All-Star break, this team could approach record futility.

Summary:

The NL Central is a division based on mediocrity. Every team can have some hope in spring training because there is so much parity through out the league. Generally, parity is a good thing in professional spots, but in this case, parity means a whole bunch of mediocre teams. In the end, the Cubs rotation will prevail and the Cubbies will advance to the playoffs–only to be swept by the Mets in the first round.

The NBA’s Image Problem

Published
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Chris Iafolla
on February 24, 2008
in NBA
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A recent article in ESPN The Magazine discussed the image problem faced by the NBA.  It was a fascinating article that warrants closer consideration.

Overwhelmingly, the NBA consistently ranked last in various public polls such as: “What league would you prefer your daughter marry a player from?” and “What is your general impression of each league?”  Dead last in virtually every poll.

This is an astonishing revelation.  The NBA is clearly facing an image crisis-but should it be?  The league certainly has had its fair share of problems (think: Kobe Bryant and the brawl at Auburn Hills) but the sheer number of incidences pale in comparison to the issues faced by the other two major professional sports leagues.  Major League Baseball is riddled with a drug problem with the two greatest players of this generation allegedly leading the charge.  In the NFL, drugs also run rampant.  Players like Pacman Jones and Michael Vick and scandals such as Spygate have left the league reeling.  So why then do we hold onto this belief that the NBA is a bunch of thugs?

The easy answer is race.  But it is not that simple.  The NFL has nearly the same ratio of black players as the NBA, yet it does not suffer from the same image problem.  So while the NBA’s image problem does stink of a general sentiment of racism in this country, it is not the sole factor. 

Perhaps there is an issue of sociology at play here.  NFL players are our modern-day version of gladiators.  We tend to excuse their indiscretions and violent behavior because it is their nature-at least that’s what we tell ourselves.  In baseball, maybe we have become numb to the ongoing questions raised about the game.  The players have routinely turned their collective noses up at the sanctity of the game, yet we still flock to the ballparks in record numbers.

In the end, the NBA is unfairly suffering from an image crisis.  We’d be naïve to think that most of it is not predicated on race.  It is.  But it also has to do with the perceived “hip-hop culture” of the league.  Much of the public cannot identify with the players that favor rap music and baggy pants over country songs and suits.  And with no mask to hide behind like in the NFL, the public feels they know NBA players more intimately than their counterparts in other leagues. 

What does it all boil down to?  As a whole, we have formed an unfair image of NBA players in our minds.  We are entitled to our own opinion, but it should not be shaped by mere speculation.  The facts are all professional sports leagues should be held to a certain standard.  Why then do we continue to ignore that the NBA has largely met that standard while the other two leagues have missed the mark?

The Andy Pettitte Hypocrisy

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Chris Iafolla
on February 19, 2008
in MLB
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andy1019.jpgThe reactions surrounding the Andy Pettitte press conference yesterday have been across the board.  Some have called for closure, while others have called for further investigation.  But overwhelmingly, the sentiment reverberating throughout the media is that Andy Pettitte should be commended for his honesty.

Excuse me?

I don’t want to sit here on my moral high horse and wax poetic about Pettitte as a human being.  I admire his ability to stand up in front of a throng of media members and admit his wrong doing.  My issue is with the sentiment that Pettitte somehow should be celebrated for his actions-for his truthfulness.

Let’s remember how Pettitte arrived in this situation.  Would he be so truthful if he hadn’t ever been named in the Mitchell Report?  No.  Throughout this process, Pettitte has repeatedly told lies, or withheld information, only to backtrack at a later date.  Even during his press conference yesterday, Andy refused to admit that he misled the Yankees by signing his contract when he had prior knowledge that his name would be included in the Mitchell Report.  Really?  You didn’t think it was a pertinent piece of information that you would be named in a report pointing to your use of illegal drugs before you signed a $16 million contract.  Either Andy is not the sharpest tool in the shed, or he is lying to us once again.

Like I said, I don’t want to attack Andy as a person.  There were 89 players named in the Mitchell Report and very few have stood up to those accusations and admitted any wrong doing.  But let’s not celebrate Andy Pettitte as an example of honesty.    Sure, he told the truth when he was under oath.  I realize this takes courage and is more than can be said for some people.  But he has withheld information time and time again throughout this process.  Mike Golic of the Mike and Mike show often asks: “Are you sorry, or are you sorry you got caught?”

There were 89 players in the Mitchell Report.

But what about these guys that all admitted their wrongdoing? Chad Allen, Mike Bell, Gary Bennett, Mike Cameron, Matt Herges, Glenallen Hill, Chuck Knoblauch, Brian Roberts, F.P. Santegelo and Fernand Vina

89 players in the Mitchell Report and we only celebrate one for admitting his wrongdoing.

Where are all the articles celebrating the honesty of these nine players?

AL East: A Foregone Conclusion

Published
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Chris Iafolla
on February 16, 2008
in MLB
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Synopsis: Over the years, the AL East has become one of the most predictable conclusions in Baseball-Yankees and Red Sox finish atop the division, Devil Rays finish last, and the Orioles and Blue Jays battle it out for the other two spots. This year, won’t be much different, but it will be the year the Devil Rays move out of the cellar.

Overall, the pitching of the Yankees and Red Sox, coupled with potent lineups will be too much for any of the AL East teams to overcome. The Devil Rays have started to take some steps toward capitalizing on their young talent. With Kazimir and Shileds at the top of the rotation, and the addition of Matt Garza, the Devil Rays will compete right down to the wire for third place in the division with the Blue Jays. In the end, if Vernon Wells has a bounce-back season and Alex Rios produces all year long, the Blue Jays will take the third place spot.

Prediction:

1.) Boston Red Sox: 94-68

2.) New York Yankees: 92-70

3.) Toronto Blue Jays: 86-76

4.) Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 81-81

5.) Baltimore Orioles: 65-97

Contenders:

Really, in this division, are there ever more than two serious contenders? This year is no different, as the Red Sox and Yankees will battle it out for AL East supremacy once again. Neither team had a terribly intriguing off-season (once you get past the ARod drama that ultimately resulted in the Yankees keeping their third baseman).

Let me start off by saying I don’t think either pitching staff is as good as Red Sox and Yankees fans want to believe. On the Red Sox side, after Beckett, there is not a single certainty on that staff. You hope that Daisuke takes a step forward, but can we really count on that? Lester and Buchholz have shown signs of stardom, but how will they fare over a 162 game marathon? Schilling’s problems have been well documented and Wakefield is the next closest thing you have to a sure thing. For the Yankees, Andy Pettite faced an off-season of turmoil. Philip Hughes is still developing and Joba Chamberlain is attempting to make the transition from reliever to starter. Chien-Ming Wang is a bona fide top of the rotation starter. When you boil it down, the rotations of these two teams come out a wash. So, the race will be decided by health, consistency in the lineup and bullpen.

When you evaluate the lineups of these two teams, you find a similar circumstance to the pitching staff. The Red Sox are relying on the emergence of some young players, the continued progression of others, and key contributions from others. Here is the thing though: Dustin Pedroia is not the player we saw last year, and neither is Kevin Youkilis. Counting on Ellsbury to put up all-star numbers is asking a lot of a player his age-despite his enormous potential. Despite that, the Red Sox have fewer holes across the board than the Yankees in their lineup and pitching stuff, and thus, will win the division by a slim 2 game margin.

The Pretenders:

As stated earlier, the pretenders in this division are the same year after year. This year, the Orioles take the dubious distinction of being the cellar dwellers. As signaled by the trades of Bedard and Tejada, the Orioles are not looking to win this year, or even next year. They are looking to stockpile young talent to compete somewhere down the line.

That leaves the Blue Jays and Devil Rays in this division. It has been said for a few seasons now that the Devil Rays will finally be competitive, and for a few seasons, those predictions have been wrong. But consider this: the Rays have finally taken building a team seriously. Look no further than the addition of Troy Percival and Matt Garza as proof. In addition, the Rays brass finally understands that wining is not solely based on talent, something they have had for quite some time, but it is also about character. As a result, the team has shipped much-maligned Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes out of town. This team is poised to take a step forward this season, and it will finally emerge from the AL East basement.

Summary:

It all boils down to the Sox and Yankees in this division. The Devil Rays are on the rise, but are not nearly on the level of these two teams yet. The Blue Jays have some talent and money sunk into their roster, but are heading in the wrong direction. In the end, the Red Sox win out, and the Yanks take the Wild Card. But one thing is for sure: neither of these two teams will represent the AL in the World Series.

Kidd Comes Full Circle

Published
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Chris Iafolla
on February 16, 2008
in NBA
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jkidd.jpg

UPDATE: It appears this trade may be dead in the water. Between the bellyaching of Devean of George and the big mouth of Jerry Stackhouse, this deal was doomed from the outset. I’m not sure that is a bad thing for the Mavs. Perhaps the botched trade will serve as a wake-up call to the current team. In the end, it matters little whether this trade goes through or not, the Mavs can’t win the West with or without Kidd.

It appears that Jason Kidd’s continued lobbying has paid off, as a deal is in place to send him to Dallas for a package that is still being sorted out. Details on the imminent trade can be found here.

With Kidd joining the Mavericks, the obvious question is how this impacts the balance of power in the West. The answer is simple: it doesn’t.

Jason Kidd is a phenomenal player who will immediately improve the Mavs. However, he does not provide them with the inside presence needed to compete against the preeminent powers in the West. As the Suns recently admitted by acquiring Shaq, small ball in the NBA rarely prevails. One needs to look no further than the last 9 championships for proof. Eight of those championships were won by a team that had either Tim Duncan or Shaq. The other one was won by a Detroit Pistons team that had an overpowering physical presence in its own right in Ben Wallace.

Few people in this league can run an offense like Jason Kidd. He has a unique ability to make everyone around him better. But in a 7 game series, the Mavs simply cannot match up with the Spurs, Lakers, Suns or possible even the Jazz. So while this is a good move for the Mavs, it won’t put them over the top.

Impact of Tomorrow’s Congressional Hearings

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Chris Iafolla
on February 12, 2008
in MLB
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There is a laundry list of opinions out there regarding tomorrow’s congressional hearings on the Mitchell Report, or shall we say, “The Clemens Report.”

Let’s be honest, as soon as Clemens’ name was invoked in the report, it was clear this would escalate to something larger than baseball ever imagined. And who can be surprised? From the outset, there were skeptics on whether this whole exercise was good for baseball. Those skeptics wondered: “why call more attention to a dark era of baseball?” or “we have taken steps as a game to eliminate rampant drug use from the sport, this report does nothing to move the game forward.” And while I agree that the Mitchell Report is not helping to push the game forward, the fact is that was never its intent.

True, George Mitchell and Bud Selig among others will try to tell you the Mitchell Report has always been about improving the game. The reality is: the report is about placing a one million watt spotlight on the most maligned era of baseball. The hope in the end was not to speed the process of removing steroids from the sport; it was to protect the sanctity of our game. To protect Cooperstown…To place historical numbers in context rather than in a vacuum….To protect Hank Aaron.

Baseball more than any other sport lives by the numbers. 755 and 61 used to be numbers that held a special place in sport. But in recent years, those numbers have fallen to more eye-popping figures like 762 and 73. How can we protect that sanctity of the game without exposing those numbers for that they are-frauds?

So while tomorrow’s congressional hearing on whether or not Roger Clemens used steroids may do little to move the game forward, it will do plenty to place a more accurate historical perceptive on the game. 354 wins and 7 Cy Youngs. What do those numbers mean? We might know more tomorrow.

Can the Phils Repeat in the NL East?

Published
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Chris Iafolla
on February 10, 2008
in MLB
. 1 Comment

With spring training right around the corner, I thought now was as good a time as any to throw out some predictions on the upcoming season. For the next few weeks, I will take each division one by one and provide an analysis of how I think things will shake out.

For the first installment, let’s take a look at the NL East. Full disclosure: I am a Braves fan.

The NL East promises to be a hotly-contested division. Every year we seem to speculate that the NL East rivals will beat up on each other so much during the season that only one team will come out of the division. With the Mets adding Johan Santana, the Braves having a quietly productive offseason and the Phillies addressing some critical flaws, this is certainly a three-horse race at the moment.

Prediction:

Maybe I am just talking myself into it, but I honestly believe the Braves will win the division this year with the Mets finishing a close second. I think the Mets lineup has some serious flaws and while the addition of Santana will pay dividends, it is important to remember he only pitches every five games. The Braves biggest flaw is currently in center field and it is only minor at that. The Phillies have a solid team, but I think the loss of Aaron Rowand will take its toll on the team. Rowand was the heart and soul of that team.

In the end, the Braves rotation depth will prevail and they will win the division with a 3 game lead on the Mets at season end. I’ll provide analysis following the standings.

Final Standings:

1.) Atlanta Braves: 95-67

2.) New York Mets: 92-70

3.) Philadelphia Phillies: 87-75

4.) Florida Marlins: 78-84

5.) Washington Nationals: 70-92

The Contenders:

Philadelphia Phillies:

Going into the offseason, the Phils biggest need was adding rotation depth. The team has failed to address that weakness thus far through free agency, though there has been speculation that the team is interested in Kris Benson. That being said, the team essentially added a frontline starter with the move of Brett Myers to the starting rotation. The combination of Cole Hamels and Myers at the top of the rotation stacks up well against the one-two punches of the Mets and Braves. After that, the rotation gets a bit dodgy. The Phillies do have one of the best lineups in the National League. Jimmy Rollins will be hard-pressed to replicate his MVP season, but he will produce a solid season. Chase Utley is a perennial MVP candidate, along with Ryan Howard. I think the Geoff Jenkins signing was a mistake and he will quickly fall into disfavor with the brutal fans of Philadelphia. Adding Pedro Feliz as the third baseman will prove to be a nice pick up for the team that had serious issues at the position last season. From a bullpen stand point, the Phils shrewdly added Brad Lidge. Mark my words: Lidge will be good for 35 saves this year at a minimum. Top to bottom, the bullpen should prove to be a formidable unit.

Atlanta Braves:

The Braves offseason was wrought with questions about rotation depth and the void left in center field by the departure of Andruw Jones. And let’s not underestimate the impact of long-time Braves GM John Schuerholz. But despite that, I believe the Braves had an extremely productive offseaon.

The addition of Tom Glavine adds much needed rotation depth. Say what you will about the veteran left-hander, but he still knows how to eat innings and win ballgames—a quality hard to find in number three starters. John Smoltz is still a frontline starter and Tim Hudson will be in the Cy Young discussion this year. If Mike Hampton can stay healthy, the Braves may be armed with the best rotation from top to bottom in the NL East. The Braves lineup is also extremely solid without a major weakness outside of lack of speed. Mark Kotsay, if healthy, will be a capable addition to the Braves lineup. But I have a hunch we may be seeing Jordan Schafer a bit earlier than expected. Mark Texeria for a full season will provide Chipper Jones with some much-needed protection Andruw Jones was unable to provide. The bullpen has some question marks. Rafel Soriano has ability to serve as a top-shelf closer, but he needs to avoid some of the tough stretches that plagued him last season.

The New York Mets:

The Mets offseaon was about one thing—adding an ace to the rotation. Up until a few days ago, it didn’t look like they would be able to get that done. But when Omar Minaya swooped in and snagged Johan Santanna, the Mets immediately changed the prospects of the upcoming season. The rotation went from suspect to solid. The Mets lineup still remains solid, but is not on par with either the Phillies or the Braves. Carlos Delgado is not what he once was, and Louis Castillo is severely overrated. In the outfield, Moises Alou will not put up the gaudy numbers of last season. In the bullpen, the Mets are in good shape, with Billy Wagner once again providing stability at the close spot.

The Pretenders:

The Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals simply cannot compete for the league crown this year. The Marlins have some outstanding young talent across the board, but the team cannot hope to go toe-to-toe with the big guns of this division. If the team can somehow find a way to hang on to the likes of Hanley Ramierez, Dan Uggla, Josh Willingham and Sirgeo Mitre, despite budget concerns, it can be competive in relatively short order.

The Nationals are a different story all together. The team is weak in just about every area, and may be staring a 90 loss season in the face.


Welcome to Heard in the Cheap Seats

Published
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Chris Iafolla
on February 10, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Welcome to “Heard in the Cheap Seats,” where I hope to provide a mix of sports news, commentary and opinion.

Rather than bore you with a long and drawn out post on why I have embarked on this project, I will simply jump right into the blogging—hope you stop by again soon. Please feel free to comment on all posts and offer suggestions on how I can make this site better. Bear with me through any initial hiccups, as I am still figuring out how to run a Web site as we go.