Baseball Genius?

I just finished watching a 60 Minute's piece on baseball "geek," Bill James. James was hired by the Boston Red Sox in 2002 and is credited by many for helping the Sox break the curse and win 2 championships in 2004 and 2007 (he received 2 rings). He was a night watchman at a factory and was embraced in baseball because of his different outlook on the game.

Bill James studied statistics to come to the realization that many of baseball's aspects make no sense at all. The closer, for instance, is used the wrong way. In James' eye, he should be brought in the game at the most crucial point, even if that is in the 6th inning with men on base and the best hitter at the plate. Why must he be saved for the 9th inning?

James revealed that a players' best years are within the ages of 25-29. This is what prompted the Sox decision not to resign the aging Johnny Damon or Pedro Martinez. A good decision considering Damon's numbers have decreased and Pedro has been plagued with injury. James even came up with a way to relate a player's minor league statistics to his possible production in the majors.

His different outlook on the game brought him to the realization of the most important stats. Many believe the most important hitting statistic is the batting average. James, however, stresses that walks are extremely important and they don't get averaged into that stat, therefore, on-base percentage is the best way to judge a hitter. When analyzing a pitcher many look at his win-loss record, while James focuses on his strikeout to walk ratio. When it comes to Fenway Park and the Green Monster in left field, it was for a long time thought to be a right-handed hitters ballpark. James turned that theory around, and the RedSox line-up has been full of lefty hitters ever since.

P.S. - It was Bill James who pushed the idea of signing lefty slugger David Ortiz.

FLASHBACK

If you have read an earlier entry of mine titled, "Heart of the Falcon," you know that I played baseball in high school. In that entry I wrote about my four year experience playing high school baseball. I left out a funny story that occurred senior year and I would like to share that with you now:

During spring break my team went down to Florida to play against teams from all over the country. While we were eating in the cafeteria in between a double header, my teammate got a call from his girlfriend. She told him that there was a picture of me in the Staten Island Advance and i was "making a funny face." I didn't know what to think, so we got on the phone with one of our friends back home (and fellow classmate in Prof. Farley's Eng 1000) Luca Panarelli. Luca took a picture of the picture on his phone and sent it to us. The caption of the photo reads: "Steve McCann of Susan Wagner High School tossed a metal bat after striking out against Port Richmond High School last Friday." My teammates and coaches had a good laugh. It turns out the picture was used for an article about the possibility of banning the use of metal bats during high school baseball games. I guess throwing metal bats are more dangerous than throwing wood bats. (For the record, I am really not that type of player to throw the bat and helmet after I strike out. I was, however, very frustrated at this particular moment. It was opening day in our season and we had a very tough time scoring runs against who we all thought was an extremely hittable pitcher. I am a player who believes in good sportsmanship).

This story about banning metal bats kept appearing in the news and everytime it did, there I was throwing the metal bat. This picture appeared in the Staten Island Advance on three different occasions, once on the front page.

I did not even know there was a photographer present at the game, so it came as a complete shock to me when I saw the photo. My mother actually got the chance to speak to the photographer who took the picture. She is a dental assistant and he was a patient at the office in which my mother works. I wish I got the oppurtunity to speak with the man who made me a poster boy for the banning of metal bats.

March Madness!!

We are in the mist of one of the most exciting times on the sports calendar. Everyone fills out their brackets and enters some kind of pool in hopes to win a few bucks. They feel confident in all of their picks, especially the final four. The first day of games passes and everyone's bracket is still looking pretty good, but thats because there was only one real upset. I was pretty happy myself. I was 11-1 after the first day.

Then the upsets began.

In 4 days, 64 teams were cut down to 16 and right now we are in the middle of what is known as the Sweet 16 round. With Western Kentucky's loss to UCLA last night there is only one team with a double digit seed remaining in the tournament(Davidson plays tonight) and according to the ESPN bracket challenge there are only two people out of several million who have chosen the final 16 teams correctly. That is why it is March MADNESS. It could drive sports fans crazy. All of the #1 seeds, North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, and UCLA, are still going strong. There is now only one #2 seed remaining in Texas, my pick to win it all (I don't like picking the clear front runner North Carolina like everyone else).

Even though my bracket is all screwed up, I can still rout for my 3 final four picks that are still alive, but I would rather see a team like Davidson win it all because there is nothing like in upset in sports.

We're Going Streaking!

The Houston Rockets continued their amazing run on Sunday by extending their winning streak to 22 games. They defeated Kobe Bryant and the Lakers 104-92. This streak has shocked everyone but the Rockets who are now sitting pretty on top of the West.

Since Yao Ming went down for the season everyone wondered how they would replace such production. Tracy McGrady has carried the team on his back, but the real reason for this streak has to be the defense. Yao's replacement and veteran big man Dikembe Mutombo is a defensive force down low, blocking shots and wagging his figure.

On Sunday, however, it was Rafer "Skip To My Lou" Alston who came up big scoring 31 points and hitting 8 three pointers (both career highs). The former AND-1 streetballer has polished himself as an NBA player and finally found a home, running the point for the streaking Rockets.

How far can Houston ride this streak? It is hard to say. This will be a big question for the next few games as their schedule gets extremely difficult. They past their first test by beating the Lakers and taking over first place. The Rockets play one more game at home where they will go up against the beasts of the east, the Boston Celtics. Houston will then go on the road to face New Orleans, Golden State, and Pheonix.

The Rockets now have the second longest winning streak of all-time and are 11 games away from best streak in NBA history, but all of this will mean nothing if they can't make it happen in the playoffs.

Dominance.

Some are calling this the most amazing run in sports history. On Sunday Tiger Woods continued to dominate the golfing world with his 64th victory, tying Ben Hogan at No. 3 on the tour's career list. His victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational was his 5th straight PGA victory and 7th straight victory worldwide. Tiger is now 4 for 4 in 2008.

Tiger Wood was challenged on Sunday by Bart Bryant. Bryant was sitting in the scoring trailer when Tiger nailed a 25 foot birdie put to win it. "I heard a big cheer, and I got up and left," Bryant said. "That's why he's Tiger Woods."

That's exactly why he is Tiger Woods. There have been five winning streaks of at least five tournaments in PGA Tour history and Tiger holds three of them. I will admit I do not watch much golf, but watching the final few holes of this one made me realize how special this was. Watching Tiger throw his hat to the ground in joy after sinking the winning put was a sight to see. I haven't seen him celebrate a victory like that in a while. You can tell how much his accomplishments mean to him.

Another note about Tiger's dominance: He has more career victories than Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh combined.

Billy Baseball

It is every kids dream to play in a Major League Baseball game. Stand in the on-deck circle and take your cuts while watching the opposing pitcher warm up. The catcher throws down to second and the inning is ready to begin. He gives Derek Jeter a fist pound, walks up to the plate and steps in the box. He looks up at the pitcher, takes a deep breath and tries to calm his nerves. This is his dream coming true right before his eyes. Calm down. His good friend is watching from the stands. The first pitch comes in a bit outside. 1-0. He fouls off the second pitch down the first base line. People applaud the fact that he made contact. 1-1. Next pitch is a bit inside. 2-1. Then a bit high. Good eye. 3-1. He knows he is going to get a good pitch now. A cut fastball running in on the hands. He was a little late on his swing. 3-2. Full count. Protect the plate. Anything close. The same pitch whizzes by his bat. Strike 3! Like a true professional he asks the umpire if he at least swung at a strike. He waves to the crowd as he walks back to the dugout to a standing ovation. His dream just come true.



This child playing out his dream was 59 year old, actor/comedian Billy Crystal. Crystal ran into Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter while he was vacationaing in Costa Rica. As the two stars began to talk, Billy was telling Derek that he was dreading the fact that he was turning 60 (Crystal wore #60 in the game). Derek asked what he could do to help. Billy, probably sarcastically, said that signing a contract with the Yankees would help. Jeter made it happen. Billy Crystal signed a one day contract with the Yankees. He worked out with the team and took batting practice before the game like every other player. After his at-bat he went back in the dugout where he stayed and was later pitch-hit for by Johny Damon. By the way, Crystal's friend in the stands was Robin Williams.



"Granted, it's an extreme situation, but it's coming true for me, so it can come true for anybody else who wants it and just works hard at making their dreams come true."

TOP 10

This will not be easy. I will attempt to countdown my top 10 favorite sports movies:

10) League of Their Own

9) Friday Night Lights

8) Raging Bull

7) Rocky

6) Major League

5) Hoosiers

4) Bull Durham

3) Remember the Titans

2) Rudy

1) Field of Dreams

Here is the breakdown by sport: baseball-4; football-3;boxing-2;basketball-1

I started out with a list of about 20 movies, but i wanted to narrow it down to 10. Putting them in order was even harder then cutting down the list. Field of Dreams and Rudy were an easy decision for me because they are my two favorite movies of any genre. Remember the Titans was full of inspirational moments and is a must-see for everyone; sports fan or not. Bull Durham is a great movie for anyone who has every played baseball and had dreams of making it to "the show." Hoosiers is a true story about a small town high school basketball team. It's an amazing underdog story. Major League is a movie you probably wouldn't find on many top 10 lists, but you can find it on mine. Rocky and Raging Bull are two classic boxing movies that should be on everyone's list. Friday Night Lights is a great portrayal of high school football in the state of Texas. League of Their Own, every womens favorite sports movie, is about the formation of an all-female baseball league during WWII. Some notable movies left out my list were The Natural, White Men Can't Jump, The Bad News Bears, and Ali. There are many sports movies that are made, but many of them are just not good. Making a great sports movie is harder than many people think.

Francisco's Fear

Johan Santana called him "The Franchise." He has only had 20 major league starts, but in those starts he is 13-5 with a 2.74 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings. Minnesota Twins' fans are aware of his stats and the fact that he was forced to sit out the entire 2007 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the Fall of '06. What people don't know about Franciso Liriano is his fear of never pithing again.

"Oh yeah, at first when I started playing catch, it hurt so bad I said, 'I'm done playing baseball,'" Liriano said earlier this week at the Twins' spring training complex. The pain in his left arm was so bad he was doubtful that he would ever pitch again. Liriano's throwing program began in April of '07 and it took him three months to move from 45 feet on flat ground to 90 feet and he didn't step on a mound until September. The lefty did not tell anyone about his pain, however, he did speak with his mother every day. The Twins knew that it was not going to be a quick recovery and there is no reason to rush the future of your pitching staff. Liriano came into the league with a fastball in the upper 90s, a Johan-like change-up, and a devastating slider. It was his best pitch, the slider, that caused his injury when he snapped it so much that he snapped a ligment in his arm. The true test in his recovery will be if he can move away from his most dominant pitch. With the loss of Johan Santana, Twins fans will be heavily relying on the left arm of Francisco Liriano.

"Heart of the Falcon"

I wanted to take some time to look back on a personal sports experience. Baseball has always been my favorite sport and i have been playing my whole life, including four years for my high school team, the Wagner Falcons. I was never a great player, but i always worked hard. Freshmen year I was placed on the freshmen team and it was a fun experience playing with all my friends. At the end of the year, I walked away with the team M.V.P. award, the coaches award, and a preview of what high school baseball is like. The next year I played on the J.V. team. This was a also a fun experience. We made the playoffs, but lost in the first round. After this season the real challenge began. I had to work hard to make the varsity team that was full of seniors. I made the team, but was only able to crack the starting line up a few times. We had a very talented team and were able to put together a good season. We made the PSAL playoffs and lost a heartbreaker to Beacon in Central Park. I knew that next year i was going to get my chance. We had a very young team. I was one of only three seniors on the team so i was forced into a leadership role. I played five different positions throughout the year and didn't complain. Where ever I was asked to play I played to my full potential. As long as I was playing, I was happy. At the end of the season I was one of only three players to play every game. One day during the season I was hit with a dilemma. My father got his hands on two tickets to a Yankee game sitting right behind the dugout. The Yankee game was on the same day that we had a meaningless, non-league doubleheader. I approached my coach about this situation. I figured it woudn't be a big deal if I missed a doubleheader that didn't mean anything. Coach Nappo told me that he needed me to catch the second game in the doubleheader, because the back up catcher wasn't going to be there. "You can go see a Yankee game anytime. Where are the seats, right behind the dugout?," Coach Nappo said. "Yea, actually, they are," I replied. He reminded me that he was counting on me to be there, but he left the decision up to me. I called him a couple of hours later to tell him that I will be at the game. When I showed up at school for the game my teammates didn't understand why I was there and not in the Bronx. Coach understood and he thanked me for making the right decision because the team needed me. I played both games and played pretty good. When I came home I had to listen to my dad tell me how great the seats were, but I still believe I made the right choice. Coach Nappo honored my decision and all of my hard work at the awards ceremony at the end of the year by giving my the "Heart of the Falcon" award. The trophy reads: Presented to the player who displays character and dedication.

Free Agent Frenzy

As a Giant fan I am not happy with what has happened in the NFL free agent market so far. New York has already lost three members of their starting defense from the Super Bowl. With Mitchell going to the Bills, Torbor going to the Dolphins, and Wilson going to the Raiders, the defense has taken a huge hit. At least they still have that pass rush and Big Blue is currently in the market for their replacements.

I am also unhappy with the Eagles' signing of cornerback Asante Samuel. Many other moves have been made recently. Wide Reciever Bernard Berrian signed with the Vikings, DE Justin Smith signed with the 49ers, the Jets signed OL Alan Faneca and traded for pro bowl DT Kris Jenkins , the Browns locked QB Derek Anderson and provided him with another weapon by signing WR Dante Stallworth, and the Saints strengthened thier defense by trading for LB Jonathan Vilma and signing CB Randall Gay.

I enjoy watching this kind of action in the offseason. It provides entertainment when their are no games being played and it is fun to see all these players in new uniforms come next season.