5 For Friday

Here are a couple thoughts going thru my head on this first Friday in December:

1) Heat - I'm enjoying them struggle. I don't dislike LeBron or Wade, but it certainly makes it fun to root against them doesn't it? In watching the game last night against Cleveland, the Heat seemed to play better when Spoelstra split up those 2 on the floor. When they were out there together it looks like they (or their teammates) don't know who's the "alpha dog" and what to do. When it's just one or other, the team looks to be in a better rhythm.

2) Mo - I see where Riveria has agreed to resign with the Yankees for 2 years. Not a surprise other then the comment by Jon Heyman that the Red Sox offered Riveria a 3 year deal. That sort of came out of left field with Papelbon in house and Bard waiting in the wings. Maybe just an instance of Boston kicking the tires and trying to up the cost of the Yankees, but still, thought that was a very interesting comment if true.

3) Qatar - Really? Where the heck is Qatar? I actually thought it was in Africa till "googling" it yesterday, but come to find out, it's in the Middle East with Saudia Arabia to the south. Truthfully, still didn't really help me out, but whatever... The world cup organization awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar yesterday beating out the US and Australia (amongst others). I can understand the US not getting "The Cup" but still, Qatar? The rumor online (and we all know everything you read on the internet is true), is that Qatar bought the Cup as they're an oil rich country with money to burn... Speaking of burning, expect the soccer players to be doing that in 2022. Apparently it becomes deathly hot in the summer there (temps reach 115 on a daily basis) and the concern for the safety of the players is real. Should be fun to watch!

4) Cam Newton - I go back and forth on the NCAA's ruling making him eligible to play. I guess at the end of the day, I agree with them and am glad he's getting a chance to play, but someway there should be some punishment for what his dad was doing. You can't just go around asking for money in order to get his kid to play for you... Interesting to note that Cecil Newton (the dad) apparently owns a scouting service. Some how the NCAA needs to limit that business from being involved with student athletes, but how, I don't know. As I said, I have nothing against the kid, however the football gods will become involved here and guarantee that Auburn doesn't win the National Championship, mark my words on this.

5) RIP Ron - Cubs great Ron Santo passed away yesterday at the age of 70 due to complications from bladder cancer. For more details about Ron's career, go here:

Santos Passes Away at 70

Bill

El Toro Cross Country

A little bit of a departure from the main stream, but this was to good to pass up.

The El Toro Chargers boys cross country team took 4th place in the division 1 state meet this past weekend. An amazing accomplishment for a great group of kids.

Leading the way was junior Kevin "KC" Durham who set an individual school record breaking Brandon Bethke's record by 11 seconds. Kevin earned All State 1st team honors and recorded the 3rd fastest junior class time in course history. Kevin became the only Orange County runner to ever break the 15 minute mark on the Woodward Park course in its 25 year history and in the process qualified for this Saturdays Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland, Oregon.

Good luck this weekend KC and congratulations again to the ET boys cross country team on a great season!

Bill

ps........ Thank you also to contributing editor Julie Grable for keeping me infomed on KC and the whole cross country team!

Captain November

Not sure where I stand on the Yankee's "versus" Derek Jeter.. Truth be known, I hate both equally (hate may be a bit harsh here as I don't "hate" anyone, so maybe I go with "strongly dislike?").

On one hand, nothing would please me more than seeing the Yankee's bring back "Jete's", paying him a ridiculous amount of money (which would help tie up their payroll a little) and roll an average hitter, average fielder out there every day for the next 3 years instead of going out and bringing in a super star shortstop that would help make the Yankee's scary good (imagine if the Yankee's emptied their farm system and traded for Hanley Ramirez?? How about Montero, Banuelos, Culver and Joba Chamberlain, think the Marlins would jump on that?).

I admit though, I'd seriously enjoy watching the Yankee's part ways with Jeter and let him go elsewhere (even if it made them stronger). Wouldn't that be a blow to his huge ego? Can't imagine him getting over $10 million a year elsewhere (even that would be over paying for him). Do you know what the other top shortstops in the league are paid? I'll give you a hint... A LOT less than Jeter.... This past year Hanley Ramirez made $7 million, Troy Tulowitzki $3.5 million, Jose Reyes, $9.4 million, Jimmy Rollins, $8.5 million. The only reason Jeter makes what he does is because he's on the Yankee's. After the season he had last year (Marco Scutaro had a better year than him.....) and the fact he's 37, he should be getting offers in the 3 year, $5 million range!

The other day, Jeter's agent brought up how he's baffled the Yankee's are mistreating a " Yankee Legend" and how they should treat him like their past legends. Fine, treat him like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, I'm cool with that:

Babe Ruth's Salary Cut

I thought this was a great article by Craig Calcaterra at NBC Sports, he lays out the reasons the Yankee's are being more than fair with Jeter and why it would be ridiculous to pay him any more than they've offered - "It's Time People Got Real About What Derek Jeter Means To The Yankee Brand"

At the end of the day, I'm sure the Yankee's and Jeter will come to an agreement, which I feel benefits fans of teams competing against the Yankee's, but wouldn't it be fun to watch Jeter playing shortstop for the Pirates, making $2 million a year and stumbling towards 3,000 hits??

Ah, to dream!

Bill

Mater Dei versus El Toro - Boys Water Polo

I know I seem to be doing a lot of high school updates lately but the "dearth" (word of the day!) of news out there on local sports has been driving me crazy I guess.

Taking place on Saturday night will be the Division 1 boys water polo championship between number 1 ranked Mater Dei and number 2 ranked El Toro. They faced each other three times during the season with all 3 games ending 11-10 and Mater Dei taking 2 out of 3.

El Toro is the defending Division 1 champion and Mater Dei the defending Division 2 champion (obviously moving up to D1 this year).

Should be a great match up with the underlying story line being "private" versus "public", which always tends to fire people up.

Saturday, 6:30pm, Woollett's Aquatics Center, Irvine.

Hope to see you there,

Bill

El Toro High School Charger Signings

Yesterday was the early signing period for high school athletes to sign their college letters of intent.

A lot of the local schools hold a "ceremony" to acknowledge these athletes but El Toro just does one ceremony later in the school year, instead of splitting it up like most of the other local schools. I was surprised no mention on the school website about any of this but then again, have you seen their school website??? Probably not as it's pretty much a joke when it comes to athletics and current information.... (hint, hint).

After making my way through the 6,527 Mater Dei signings, here's what I came up with for El Toro:

Garrett Mundell - Baseball - Fresno State

Matt Chapman - Baseball - Cal State Fullerton

Lauren Chamberlain - Softball - Oklahoma

Ryan Hardy - Volleyball - Pepperdine

Brian Braasch - Lacrosse - Arizona State

Justin Morgan - Girls Water Polo - Long Beach State

Congratulations to all these amazing athletes for their hard work in their sport and in the classroom, it's an amazing accomplishment and they're great representatives of El Toro High School. Good luck as they move on to the next phase in their lives!

If anyone knows of another person that should be on this list, please let me know so I can acknowledge them.

Bill

ps.......... Was that so hard El Toro???

El Toro Sports News

On a slow Friday, I thought I'd share a couple of Charger sports news with you:

1) ET Football - Are off this week but will be playing Laguna Hills High School next Thursday to determine the Sea View league champion. El Toro started the year slow, experiencing a couple of last minute losses, but they've straightened out their QB position and are on a 3 game unbeaten streak. With a win over Laguna Hills, they'll clinch first place and an automatic bye for CIF. Thursday's start time is 7pm at Laguna Hills.

2) Girls Water Polo Coaching Opening - Today it was announced that Matt Tilton was let go as varsity girls coach, no reason given. Tilton had been head coach since the 07/08 season leading the Lady Chargers to the CIF division playoffs in his 2 years at the helm. Prior to becoming head coach, Tilton had been the swim coach since 2000. If interested in applying for the position, send your resume to John Johansen at johansenj@svusd.org.

3) Tyler Brashears - Earlier this week, the El Toro junior pitcher verbally committed to UCI. The 2012 graduate had been considering schools from all over Southern California, but in the end, was drawn to the camaraderie of the Eater team and the leadership displayed by Coach Gillespie and Coach Shine. Tyler joins fellow Charger teammates Matt Chapman (Cal State Fullerton) and Garrett Mundell (Fresno State) as college recruits off the 2011 Charger roster. Hopefully a few more to follow!

Bill

Hot Stove Thoughts

With the world series ending, teams have 5 days to discuss contracts with their free agents, before those guys go on the open market.

I was having a conversation with a friend today, and here are some of the thoughts I came up with.

1) Cliff Lee - I think he stays with Texas. I think they realize they need to keep him and he's worth the money it'll cost... Close to his home (Arkansas), no state tax, seemed to have a great experience with Texas, team will be competing for a world series next year. With the extra income revenue they gained from making it to the world series, new ownership will see they can open their wallets and put the money back into the team. Not sure where they stand payroll wise, but he's worth the 5 year, 120 million it'll cost to keep him there. When's Arod's salary come off their books? Michael Young is their highest paid player, and I think he has no more than 2 years remaining on his contract. I think Rangers keep him. If so, great signing by them.....

2) Carl Crawford - I think either Yankee's, Red Sox or Angels. I hope Angels, as I think he'd be a perfect fit for them. Red Sox want either him or Werth but I'm hearing Werth is their first choice....

3) Victor Martinez - I say he ends up on another team than Boston. I don't think they really want him back.. Certainly not at that price level/years. We'll see.

4) Beltre - can sign with anyone. Boston won't resign him..... I think Boston is clearing space to go get either Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder. Everyone talks about Gonzalez coming to Boston because of the connections in the front office, but I don't see it happening. I say eventually they get Fielder. When? I'm not sure.... If Brewers are out of it at trade deadline this year, watch for that rumor to come up.

5) David Ortiz - I'd like him back in Boston at the 1 year club option (12.5 million). If he'll except that (he wants a multi year deal) than great. Let him enjoy the money and Boston can take the risk for one year. If he's adamant about multi years, let him go.

6) Vlad Guerrero - Not sure. American league, obviously, due to DH, but is it with Texas? I say no. I just see him becoming a veteran that goes to some team that thinks they're one "big bat" away... White Sox?

7) Jeter - resigns with Yankees, however in my dream world, here's what I hope happens. Yankee's let Jeter go on the open market... People (fans) would be bitching and what not blaming the Yankees's "no commitment to winning", blah, blah, blah... Then, the Yankee's go do a blockbuster trade for Hanley Ramirez (what ever it takes with quality prospects, Montero, Joba, kid shortstop......), then all those fans would jump back on the Yankee bandwagon and say "sayonarra" to Jeter! He'd be stuck taking some far minor 1 year deal with Tigers or someone.... Wouldn't that be funny? Could you imagine the damage that would do to Jeter's ego? Even though that would make the Yankees stronger I'd love to see that happen! It would be worth it to me.... hell, I'd probably be rooting for the Yankees to win the world series at that point, just for the damage to Jeter's "legacy".......... Ahhh, but thats in my dreams. Eventually both sides will get this deal done.

8) Mo - Yankee's resign him for 3 years, 45 million and don't worry about it till year 3..... Wish my team had him.

9) Jayson Werth - I see him as a national league guy... don't know why, but think Cubs or someone like that make a "godfather" offer to him and sign him. They have new ownership and he'd be a great sign.

Anyway, just some initial thoughts on free agents. We'll see happens this weekend once guys go on the open market.

Bill

What's Bill Thinking?

On this rainy, Tuesday afternoon, I'll bet you're wondering what I'm thinking about....

1) Sydney Moss - Randy Moss has a daughter who's quite the basketball player. No surprise there except she's 16 and a junior in high school. He's 33. You do the math. He's agile, mobile and fertile!

2) RIP Freddy Schuman - If you're a Yankee's fan you'll know who I mean. "Freddy Sez" was a fan who attended Yankee games banging spoons against skillets and holding signs that started with "Freddy Sez" on them. He was 88. Love those passionate fans. Rest in peace Freddy Sez.

3) "Say OW" - I'm sure you've all heard by now about Junior Seau and his arrest for domestic abuse and subsequent driving his SUV off a cliff..... His agent claims the two instances are not related and he simply fell asleep at the wheel. What's the deal with athletes and domestic violence? Seems to be a lot of it going around lately doesn't there?

4) Liverpool - My new favorite soccer team. Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner just bought Liverpool and while there's a lot of work to be done, some good pieces in place. "The Reds" have been around since the late 1800's and have won many titles. They've been in a down slide the last couple years and are looking to turn things around. It'll be interesting to follow and see how an influx of cash and good management can turn around a struggling team quickly. Here's their official website: Liverpool Football Club

5) Cliff Lee - Damn he's good..... I think my love affair with left handed pitchers is pretty well documented but Lee takes it to a whole other level. If any of you parents have a young lefty pitcher (nepotism alert! Can I say that??) at home, watch how he pitches. He's not throwing 100 mph people.. The guys a strike throwing machine who changes speeds. In last nights game, I was amazed how many Yankee batters struck out looking at a called third strike on a 93 mph fastball right down the middle of the plate. Why didn't they swing? Because they were expecting an 83 mph change up or cutter on the outside corner. They were completely fooled. He's just amazing on the mound. This postseason he's 3-0, allowed only 2 runs, struck out 34 and walked 1..... In 8 career playoff starts he has a 1.26 era, third lowest all time. Sabithia makes 24 million a year, does Lee top that this off season? Can the Rangers with new ownership and a new tv contract compete with the Yankee's and Red Sox on that sort of salary? It'll be interesting to see how high his salary goes. His wife and agent are excited!

Bill

El Toro / OLu

In a fall league matchup on Wednesday night, El Toro took on Trinity League power Orange Lutheran.

As I've stated, these games are for development, so it's hard to get a read on different players and teams as various pitchers are throwing and some kids are missing. OLu came out on top, but by how many I'm not sure...... 3 maybe 4.

El Toro has been hit with a rash of injuries as Gavin Collins, Mitchell Tolman and Matt Levert were all banged up and missing and another potential starter, Tim Alhanati was out.

Garrett Mundell (recent commit with Fresno State) threw the first inning and looked sharp, not giving up a run. Garrett's 6'5" and has been a work in progress the last few years, but he's finally looking to be coming into his own. He touches 91,92 now and his curveball has good depth on it and provides a good out pitch. His fastball does look to be very straight and seems to get squared up a lot on contact, which leads me to believe he's going with a four seam, instead of a two seam fastball (probably to get the extra velocity). With guys his height and velocity range, he might be better served long run by developing a sinker, staying on top of the ball and getting more downward movement to induce groundballs, ala Derek Lowe. That won't be necessary in high school, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him go that route when he gets to college.

As for the rest of the game, OLu did a good job keeping the Charger batters off balance at the plate. A couple soft tossing lefties (with good movement) were effective and other than a James Meager triple to dead center, limited El Toro to a few singles here and there.

El Toro's next game is Monday at 5:15 against Edison. Edison is stacked with "name" players and if they show (always iffy in fall ball), it'll be neat to come out and watch some talented players. Henry Owens, Christian Lopes, Timmy Lopes and Eric Snyder. Owens and C. Lopes are on the 18U National Team, T. Lopes is on the 16U National Team and Snyder made it to the final cut of the 18U team. Game will be played at Windrow Park in Irvine.

Hope to see you there!

Bill

Christmas Tree's and Wreaths

It's that time again everyone, time to start getting in the Christmas spirit!

The El Toro Chargers baseball team is having their annual christmas tree sale. Having been purchasing tree's there for the last 7 years, I can testify they get great tree's and the prices are very much in line with what you'd pay if you went to your local Christmas Tree lot. All proceeds go towards supporting the Charger Baseball program, so you know it's going towards a good cause!

They also offer great wreaths so those of you that may have an artificial tree, no need to feel left out. The tree's also make a great gift to donate to your favorite charity.

From now till the end of October, all tree's and wreaths paid in full will receive a 10% discount, so don't wait.

Tree pickup will be held at El Toro High School from December 2nd thru the 4th, and we also can arrange to have the boys deliver locally for a minimal fee, if you need to.

Please click on the attachment below to fill out your form. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at bill@billtolman.com or call me at (949) 394-0074. It would be appreciated if you put down Mitchell Tolman under "sold by (player)" as all the boys do have to sell a certain amount.

If you have any friends/neighbors/relatives that might be interested, please forward the attachment along to them.

Thank you for your generous support.

Bill

The Randy Moss Trade

Being a Patriots fan, I've gotten a few questions about my opinion on it and whether it was good or bad.

Basically I'm fine with it. Is New England a better team without Randy Moss? Probably not, but they're a different team.... Time, and the rest of the season will tell if they're better. Lot's of football to be played.

Football is the ultimate team sport and I don't think one player, even one as talented as Moss, can dictate a season (QB being the one possible exception). New England's going to change their offense and go back to being more of the offense they were before Moss arrived. Interestingly enough, during the playoffs with Moss, New England averaged far less points a game with him then they did without him, so it's going to be interesting how it all plays out.

The Patriots had decided to not resign Moss after the season so they figured they'll get something for him now, instead of nothing later..... Not the worst idea.

Bill

Instant Replay in Baseball

We had another controversy last night when in the 4th inning Buster Posey was called safe at second on a steal when replays showed him being out. Posey of course went on to score the only run in the game, leading to a big up roar again of bringing instant replay to baseball.

I go back and forth on whether baseball should adopt instant replay. On one hand, you want the call correct, on the other hand, human error is part of the game. Also if the umpires are leaving the field every inning to huddle up somewhere around a monitor, it'll turn games into 4 and half hour affairs (and Yankee /Red Sox games into 6 hours!).

How about this compromise:

Each manager gets one "replay request" a game to use whenever he wants. If it's a questionable call, he can use his one allotment. Once he uses it, he doesn't have another so he better make sure it's a crucial call effecting the outcome. The home plate umpire has an earpiece that someone up in the booth can relay to him what the correct call should be, so it gets ruled on immediately and not taking 5 minutes with the umpires leaving the field.

Simple, quick and prevents the managers from having every questionable call checked.

What do you think?

Bill

I Have A Secret

I LOVE MY DUCKS!

There, I said it, I love my Oregon Ducks football team. I've tried avoiding it for a while, but I can't help myself. I know very little about Oregon (other than Bend is nice....) and other than spending a lot of time in Portland 10-11 years ago, have never been to the University nor know anyone who has, but I love them none the less. I have come up with 3 reasons for my love:

1) Uniforms - They have great uniforms. Not sure if it's just the football team or all athletics, but Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, is a Duck alumnus and large donor to the school, and one of the things they've placed a big emphasis on is the dress apparel. It's always fun tuning into a game and seeing what new look they're sporting. Makes it interesting.

2) Chip Kelly - The football head coach is from Manchester, New Hampshire (graduate from Central) and a 1990 graduate from UNH, so I have to support a fellow New Hampshirite and Wildcat grad. Upon graduation he worked in a few different programs before taking over as offensive coordinator at UNH in 1999 and over the next 7 years, the Wildcats became the most prolific offense in the country garnering him numerous awards including one of the hottest college football coaches in the country. I assume it wasn't for his looks? Anyway, he moved to Oregon in 07 becoming their offensive coordinator and in 09 took over as head coach. The one thing I don't get is he's 2 years older than me, but graduated from UNH 3 years after me, so some where in there he took some time off......

3) I Love My Ducks video - Finally we get to he reason that brought me over. Admittedly I've been walking around my house lately randomly singing this song. It's catchy, fun and the video these kids made to it is very engaging. They've got a couple video's (I Smell Roses and Return of the Quack) which I suggest you check out. I prefer the "Return of the Quack" as I like the scenes with the cheerleaders following them and dancing and hey, anything with former Oregon Ducks and Detroit Lions QB Joey Harrington in it has to be good!

Return Of The Quack

I Smell Roses

Remember, when it comes to the Oregon Ducks, "it never rains there, it pours touchdowns".

I LOVE MY DUCKS!

Bill

Chargers / Tillers Match up

In a late Wednesday night start, the El Toro Chargers and Tustin Tillers matched up in a fall league baseball game.

More of the same as last week in that the fall is meant for development and giving many pitchers an opportunity to throw and get live at bats for the players.

This week the expected #1 and #2 pitchers for El Toro threw as Tyler Brashears and Garrett Mundell took the mound in the first 2 innings. Neither allowed a run but were a little rusty and needed to be helped out by some nice glove work in the field. Also throwing were Daniel Cavazos (transfer from Tustin), Ben Villines, Ryan Kayoda, Brett Hammond and Jordan Wirth. That group is basically competing with each other for 2 roster spots, as El Toro will mainly go with 4 guys during the season (some would say 3). All threw well last night. Cavazos seemed to have a little more zip on his fastball as he looked pumped up to be facing his old team. Kayoda, while only a sophomore, has thrown great so far this fall and Villines and Wirth were dominate in their one inning. Hammond here is the key which could decide a roster spot or two. He's a lefty and the only one higher up in the program, and if his off speed is on, he's as hard to hit as anyone and gives a different look on the mound. If he starts rolling through lineups like he's capable off, he'll be hard to knock out from one of those other two spots, leaving those other 4 fighting for 1 spot. It's good to be a lefty!

Offensively the Chargers are going to hit. Although missing one of their top hitters from last year (Gavin Collins, out with a fracture in his hip), their lineup is solid 1-9. A stand up triple by Matt Chapman and doubles by Mitchell Tolman and Dan James paced the hitting last night. Jayson Yano continued his hot start with 2 more hits and great at bats by Nick Villar, Daniel Conmy and Sean Nearhoof produced a lot of runs. Expect to hear more of this as the season goes along.

Defensively, things are starting to round into shape. A few less kids in the dugout last night meant the coaches are starting to narrow down the roster as we proceed farther into fall. Some position spots are safe to asssume. Nearhoof at catcher (where he was the top defensive catcher in the Sea View league last year as a Junior), Chapman at shortstop, Ryan Joyce in center and Dan James at first you can pencil in now. A couple others you probably can pencil in also, however a few dominos need to drop before we see how it all shakes out and who ends up in which positions.

On a final note about last nights game, Travis Harrison for Tustin was not there. Harrision is a potential first round pick (in some early mock drafts he's going as high as 11 to Detroit) and a few people in the stands were hoping he'd show up so we could get a look at him. Don't know if he's playing in any of these fall league games as apparently he wasn't there last week either.

Next week El Toro comes back with a Wednesday night game against San Juan Hills. Windrow Park, Irvine, 7:30pm.

Hope to see you there!

Bill

Expect Fewer Home Runs In College This Year

The NCAA has changed the rules on bats they certify to be used this year in Division 1 college baseball and the early reports are to expect home runs to drop off. The NCAA has a new procedure to test the bats to make them perform more like wood bats than under the previous testing method.

There have been concerns in recent years about how hard the ball comes off the bats making it more and more dangerous to be a pitcher, so they've started trying to make the bat manufactures conform to new standards. Head coaches such as George Horton at Oregon and Auggie Garrido at Texas think the changes will be dramatic.

Aaron Fit at Baseball America had a great write up about it today detailing the new bats and how coaches think it'll affect the college game. Not everyone thinks the bats are bad, just that they'll change how the game is played. It's a good informative article and I highly suggest you read (thank you to Colin Tanner for forwarding):

Knock On Wood

If you're wondering about high school baseball, out here in Southern California, they're changing those bats also. The CIF hasn't announced their list of approved bats yet (late November early December) but like the NCAA, the bats will need to comply with the BBCOR standards (Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution). Here's a link from the CIF with more details:

CIF Baseball Bat Implementation

At least I know one thing my 16 year old is getting for Christmas this year!

Bill

Monday Musings

After a great (hot) weekend of sports, here are some Monday thoughts and observations:

1) RIP George - Hall of Fame QB George Blanda passed away today at the age of 83. He played for 26 years in the NFL as both a QB and a kicker, just amazing when you think about it.

2) Mike Johnson - Who? That was my 1st thought when I heard the 49er's fired Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye today and promoted Johnson who was their QB coach. I was already to start screaming "racism" as Raye is black and Johnson white. Well guess what? Johnson's black (and has quite a resume....). For those that don't know who Mike Johnson is, here's a write up I found about him from the Bleacher Report: The Walking Lemonade Stand. Sounds like a good guy, I'm pulling for him to succeed.

3) Vikings and Cowboys - Big wins for both teams, neither could afford to go 0-3. Cowboys I think can straighten themselves out but the Vikings have a tough road ahead. After a bye this week, they go on the road against the Jets, home to Dallas, then on the road at Green Bay and at New England. I think they lose all 4 of those games which effectively ends their season. We'll see.

4)Football Coach Fired For Mooning Fans - I'll let you read this piece from the NY Daily News. This guys real proud today! Coach Fired For Mooning Fans

5) Adenhart Killer Found Guilty - Last year, Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver after pitching 6 innings and getting his first win. Two other passengers in the car also died. The man was found guilty today and will be sentenced to a minimum of 55 years behind bars. The Orange County Register has all the details: Driver Guilty of Murder. Just sad all the way around... Some touching photo's in the write up.

6) Omaha NightHawks - Did anyone out there get a chance to watch any United Football League games this weekend? Truthfully I hadn't heard much about it, however this past summer I was in Omaha and got some information about the NightHawks. I knew Ahman Green was playing for them (exciting news as he's a big name from Lincoln just down the way) but I didn't know Jeff Garcia, Maurice Clarett, DJ Shockley, Dusty Dvoracek and a couple other ex "names" were also out there.. Peter King had a mention in his Monday Morning QB article this morning and it sounds like some good football is being played. Might be worth checking out. Here's the WikiPedia entry talking about the teams and the league - UFL in Second Season.

Bill

Angels - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Wow, so what happened this year with the Angels? I believe at the beginning of the year, I predicted they'd win 95 games and the AL West title. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but I honestly thought they'd do better then they have. I thought they'd continue to score runs (they were second in runs scored last year) and I liked their defense. Pitching was a concern but I thought they had enough to overcome it.

I suppose I could go down a laundry list of excuses like injuries or players not playing up to their potential, but you can do that with every team, so I'm not going to. As Bill Parcells said, "you are what your record says you are" and I'm in agreement on it. Bottom line is they just weren't good enough to make the playoffs.

There were some story lines this year that contributed to their record (they're currently 75-78) and I decided to use one of my favorite Clint Eastwood movies to highlight them.

The Good - Jered Weaver - In the movie, Clint Eastwood plays the unnamed, cocksure bounty hunter. The movie revolves around "Blondie" as he and Tuco make their way through the civil war trying to find buried confederate gold. Weaver played "Blondie" for the Angels this year, navigating thru the battlefield we call the Angels. He finally lived up to his potential as he posted an era of 2.99 with a WHIP of 1.03 along with 220 strikeouts (second in all of baseball). Without him anchoring the rotation, the Angels would have been dead by the all star break. Weaver went up against other teams number 1's and held his own, "Blondie" was definitely the Good in the Angels this year.

The Bad - Brandon Wood - In the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes was a sociopath Union soldier who captures, interrogates and kills Confederate soldiers unmercifully. Now am I saying Brandon Wood is a sociopath who kills? ABSOLUTELY! He killed the Angels this year....... Here's a guy who's a former high 1st round pick who has torn it up in the minors for years being ranked as high as a top 5 prospect in all of baseball. I don't know why that ability hasn't translated to the major leagues but if this year is any indication, Wood is not long for the major leagues. I'm not sure if it's just confidence or what, but he couldn't have played much worse this year if he tried. Admittedly I thought a stat line of .280, 20 hrs and 80 rbi's was a reasonable expectation based on the playing time he was going to get and the fact he's been billed as a stud prospect. What did he end up with? A .154 batting average, 4 hr's and 14 rbi's. That's BAD and consequently he killed the Angels as they needed his production. Forever from now on whether he's on the Angels or not (and I think they cut him loose) his nickname is "Angel Eyes".

The Ugly - Kendry Morales - Eli Wallach was great as Tuco, the comical, fast talking thief who knows the name on the tombstone where the gold is buried, forcing him and "Blondie" (who knows the location of the cemetery where the tombstone is) to become partners. Now I'm not saying Kendry Morales is ugly, but when he broke his ankle jumping on home plate after his walk off home run against Seattle on May 29th, it effectively ended the Angels season and that was ugly! The Angels never recovered from losing their number 4 batter and best hitter. If the Angels get Morales back healthy and he can continue to produce as expected (he was off to another big year as when he got hurt he was hitting .290 with 11 hr's and 39 rbi's after 51 games), that'll help solidify the lineup and give the Angels some pieces to build around.

Kendry and Blondie are the cornerstones of this Angels team and with some nice complimentary pieces (Howie Kendricks, Erick Aybar, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Torii Hunter) they're right there contending for the division title next year.

Maybe this year didn't turn out as expected, but it wasn't the Angels year. Do you blame Scioscia, Reagins maybe Mickey Hatcher for their problems? I certainly wouldn't blow up the team and I don't blame the coaches for this season. I just think it wasn't their year... It happens. I would get rid of Matsui and move either Napoli or Mathis. You need to go with one catcher. Make a decision and move forward. Stop the platooning. Make Abreau the DH and go spend the money on Carl Crawford this winter and stick him in left field. He'd cure a lot of their run scoring problems. Overall, I like the pitching staff. Weaver, Haren, Santana, Pinerio and hopefully a rejuvenated Kazmir is solid. It's not Tampa Bay Rays good, but in the upper half in all of baseball. Their defense and pitching will be solid and if they can get back to scoring runs, they'll be fine.

Anyway, that's the Good, the Bad and the Ugly as it pertained to the Angels 2010 season, here's looking forward to an active hot stove league!

Bill

El Toro Baseball

With school back in session last week, it's time to get the fall baseball season started.

Fall's the time for the coaches to work on rotations, lineups and see where different kids fit in the program. It's not about winning (or even keeping tract of scores), so my focus will be about the program and what's going on.

ET has 9 games scheduled over the next two months. Top Southern California programs such as Orange Lutheran, Edison, Chaminade and Santa Margarita are some of the teams they'll be playing.

They started off the season last night against Santa Margarita. 7 pitchers went for the Chargers although neither their expected #1 or #2 pitcher threw. A new guy each inning. A lot were curious to check out the new transfer from Tustin High School, Dan Cavazos. He's a junior who was one of Tustin's main pitchers last year. As a Sophomore, he started 10 games with a 4.35 era. He throws hard but seems to have some control issues as his walk to strikeout totals last year were about 1/1. Last night he seemed to just be working on his fastball control as he didn't throw many off speed pitches. It'll be interesting to follow to see if he can work his way into El Toro's rotation as they'll mainly go with 4 pitchers through the regular season.

From an offensive standpoint, seniors Matt Chapman (Cal State Fullerton commit) and Ryan Joyce homered in the first to get things started. One of the Chargers strengths this year is expected to be their hitting as they look to be strong up and down the lineup. They lost Chris Manning and Garrett Donohoe from their starting lineup, but with all the young talent coming up through the program and the continued development of the returning players, they look to score more runs this year.

As to the game, it was a back and forth affair that ended 7-7.

Next Wednesday (9/29), El Toro faces the aforementioned Tustin High School. A lot of excitement as Tustin features one of the top high school players in the country in Travis Harrison. Game is scheduled for 7:30 at Windrow Park in Irvine.

Go Chargers,

Bill

Monday Musings

After a long weekend of football, here are some thoughts:

1) Jets played well against the Patriots and deserved to win. They made half time adjustments that I didn't see New England making. Did NE go away from Welker in the second half or did the Jets change their coverage? I don't remember Welker being targeted much in the second half. Pats kept picking up 8 yards on first down, then next two downs throwing down field, incompletions, then 3 and out. Pick up a god damn first down and move the ball!

2) No one could be happier that the Vikings are 0-2. All the build up about Favre coming back and their recruitment of him. Good riddance.

3) Cowboys are 0-2 and the Buccaneers are 2-0. Two of the bigger surprises to me. I don't really have a routing interest either way here, but seeing as how the Cowboys were a trendy pick to make the super bowl and many predicted Tampa Bay to finish about 4-12....... It's early and things can, and will change, but it's still interesting.

4) My NFC Super Bowl pick, the Green Bay Packers, are off to a 2-0 start and travel to Chicago next Monday night for an interdivision match up against the 1-1 Bears. Packers had 2 home games to start but now it gets tougher as they go on the road.

5) QB controversy in Philly? Vick looked good yesterday throwing for 287 yards and 2 td's in the Eagles win over Detroit. When's Kolb coming back? I know Andy Reid has said Kolb will start when he gets back, but if he struggles early and the Eagles lose, you know the sports talk shows are going to be all over Reid. This might get interesting.

6) Is it Max Hall time in Arizona? Do you think Matt Leinert is pretty happy now that the Cardinals let him go? If they'd kept him as the starter, he'd be the scapegoat here. Now? This falls squarely on the shoulders of Ken Whisenhunt. Oakland comes to town next week and if by some chance the Raiders can pull out a win and Derek Anderson struggles, this franchise could drop real quick.

7)Bengals beating the Ravens? Surprised me needless to say. Didn't expect that.

8) Houston's 2-0. Are they legit this year? They've beaten Indy and Washington and have Dallas come to town next week. If they beat Dallas, they might make it to November 1st before losing a game (Monday night game at Indy). Schedule lines up pretty well for them. If they can stay healthy, they could make things interesting for the Colts in the AFC South.

Bill

Five For Friday

1) NFL Predictions - With opening week 1 week away, it's time to make my predictions:

AFC East - Patriots

AFC South - Colts

AFC North - Ravens

AFC West - Chargers

I'm not on board with the trendy pick of the Jets, too many older veterans and injuries will happen. For what it's worth, I also want to pick someone else other than the Chargers in the west. They're due for a let down. I just don't know who yet...

NFC East - Dallas

NFC South - New Orleans

NFC North - Green Bay

NFC West - 49'ers

Green Bay is the biggest surprise here. I like Rodgers a lot, he's going to have a big year. This team is primed to move to the next level.

Next week I'll give wildcards, playoff predictions and super bowl winner.

2) Aroldis Chapman - Stephen Strasburg who? This is how professional sports is. It's a replacement deal. Once one stumbles or goes down with injury, someone else steps up to take over the press. Chapman's only pitched a couple innings in relief, but he's already the talk of the town. The other night he hit 103.5 in a game (when did we start going to half seconds?). I read where his fastball has averaged 99 so far. Wow..... Fun to watch. He'll be interesting to follow and see how effective he is in the postseason should the Reds make the playoffs (as an update, they were the hottest team in baseball in August).

3) USC Football - The Lane Kiffin regime is here. Offense looked great in their win over Hawaii last night but their defense needs work. They're going to be fun to watch this year as they'll be in some high scoring games. In watching last night, this occured to me. They're not eligible for a bowl game this year, so I wonder if Kiffin says "screw it", lets throw the crap out of the ball, let Barkley put up some monster numbers and see if he can win the Heisman. If you can't compete for the National Championship, maybe try to have an individual on the team get recognition. By the way, Barkley threw for 5 tds and 257 yards. Next week is their home opener against Virginia.

4) US Open - Do I really have to talk about tennis? I know I've said this before, but has any sport fallen from US popularity more then tennis in the last 20 years? US Open back in the 80's used to be must see tv. Now? Is anyone out watching it? Does anyone care? I'm curious what the tv ratings are because literally, I know no one that watches tennis now. No one. No doubt there are die hards out there but the casual fan, what point is there to watch? Having said that, here is a reason to watch the US Open, a fight in the stands - NY At It's Finest

5) Nyjer Morgan - Speaking of fights, what's up with him? He was suspended for 8 games today for his part in the benches clearing brawl the other day with the Marlins. Fun to watch the fight? Yes, very fun, but still you have to wonder what his thinking is. He's 30, doesn't make a lot of money, was just recently dropped to 7th in the batting order and he probably feels his career is at a crossroads, he's frustrated and trying to make something happen. His 8 game ban is in addition to a 7 game suspension he received back in August for inappropriate comments he made to fans during a game Aug. 21st against Philadelphia. That suspension is currently under appeal. Don't expect to see Morgan back with the Nationals next year. In case you haven't seen the fight, here he is charging the mound

Bill

Ask Bill

I've been receiving more emails lately from you with questions on various topics, so I thought I'd create a new column. Some of these I've already answered in separate emails so if yours is one of the questions below, I apologize for the duplicate answer. Please continue to send me questions, and I'll try to get an answer and list it here.

John from Keene, New Hampshire asks: Bill did you catch Rob Dibbles comment the day Strasburg got hurt? Talk about being tough on the kid.

Answer: Yes I did hear about that. In my opinion it was a bad coincidence for Dibble as who knew the injury would require Tommy John surgery? For those that didn't hear, when Strasburg hurt his arm last week, right after he threw the pitch, it didn't seem all that serious but Strasburg instantly called the coach and trainer out and quickly left the game. He was shaking his arm around and moving it like it was going to be fine but as we know, turned out to be more serious. Well Rob Dibble, who's one of the Nationals announcers, criticized Strasburg and said on air the kid needs to man up and shake it off. I don't feel the comments were meant in a bad way, it was an honest comment by a guy that pitched in the majors for a long time and dealt with various injuries himself. Apparently Dibble asked to take a couple days off and hasn't been back on the air since.

Steve from San Clemente asks: Bill what happened with Mike Napoli being on waivers and being claimed by the Red Sox? Napoli's one of the Angels power hitters and they can't score runs...

Answer: Yes the Angels put Napoli on waivers and he was claimed by the Red Sox but they were unable to work out a deal, so Napoli stays. A lot of teams put players on waivers, some time with the intention of trading them, other times just to see what interest is out there from what teams, should some thing come up in the off season. Speaking of the Red Sox, I'll bet you didn't know they had Clay Bucholtz, John Lester, Josh Bard and Hideki Okajimi on waivers this year. Why? They were just curious what was out there, doesn't mean they want to trade any of them. Going back to Napoli, the Angels have catchers Mathis and Wilson also on the roster with Hank Conger in AAA. Napoli is the worst of the major league guys defensively (although the best offensively) and makes the most money (roughly $3.6 million). They have to do something and they've probably decided Napoli is the guy to "cut bait on" and get that salary off the books. Red Sox probably didn't offer as good a prospect as the Angels were looking for, so they're waiting till the off season to unload him.

Jim from Portsmouth, New Hampshire asks: Bill loved your write ups on Basketball Wives, what's going on with it? Will it be back next year?

Answer: Thanks Jim. I got quite a bit of feedback on those write ups and apologize for not recapping the last couple episodes. The good news is Basketball Wives has been renewed for a second season although they haven't announced the "cast". It'll still take place in Miami so maybe with the new Heat roster, they'll have plenty of fresh "talent" to choose from. As soon as I hear more details I'll pass it along. I just hope Evelyn returns, she's my favorite "ho".

Rob from Natick, Massachusetts asks: Bill what's your prediction about Roger Clemens and his court case? I read your write up last week and then saw the "Rocket" plead not guilty yesterday. Is he going to jail?

Answer: I saw the sentencing guidelines yesterday if he's found guilty. 15 years in jail and a million dollar fine. Yikes....Now most likely if found guilty he'd get the minimum (20 months jail time) but still, would you risk that? I know he's a "proud Texan" (god knows we heard him say that for 25 years now) but still, way too much circumstantial evidence out there for me to be risking that sort of stiff penalty if by some strange reason I'm found guilty. I see where his lawyer (Rusty Hardin) quit last weekend. Usually when that happens it's due to the fact the lawyer thinks the client is guilty and should plead guilty and except a lesser sentence and the client disagrees and wants to fight it. As I said last week, I think Roger should suck it up, plead guilty and except the consequences.

Pete from Naperville, Illinois asks: Did you see the hit by Ndamukong Suh on Jake Delhomme last weekend? Think he should be suspended?

Answer: Hi Pete, long time, no hear. Yes I did see it, pretty scary. No I don't feel he should be suspended, I don't think any extra "malice" was intended other than bringing down the QB. He was penalized on the play and personally I think it should be left at that. From Suh's comments he thought Delhomme still had the ball and that's why he finished off the play by throwing Delhomme down. You can't expect to tell football players to be aggressive, then go out and suspend them when they think they're being aggressive within the rules. As I said, he was penalized for the face mask and as they say in Star Wars, "move along, nothing more to see here". For those haven't seen the hit, here's a youtube clip: Suh flattens Delhomme

Steve from Lake Forest, Ca asks: Bill, how will the El Toro football team do this year?

Answer: Thanks for asking Steve, nice hearing from you. Actually I think the program is on an upswing. They've got some nice pieces in place with 6 returning all league players from last year along with a transfer QB from Virginia who's being highly recruited. Coach Frith and his staff did a great job last year in year one of taking over and are looking at improving on last years record of 8-4 (4-1 Sea View). With Trabuco Hills moving over to the South Coast league, it leaves the league wide open for El Toro and they'll capitalize on it. I believe the OC Register has them at #11 in their Orange County preseason rankings and that sounds about right to me. My prediction is 9-3 on the year. They open on the road when they travel to Boston to face Delaware Valley this Friday, September 3rd. Go Chargers!

Susan from Lake Forest, Ca asks: Bill, you were talking about the CIF transfer rules and how a couple players eligibility were turned down due to it being an athletic transfer, yet I see a linebacker from Trabuco Hills just transferred to Mission and he's eligible. What's up?

Answer: Susan, great question. The CIF is sort of like the NCAA sanctioning body as they seem to be a government all their own! Seriously though, they have certain guidelines they follow and then make their decision based on the information they gather. In relation to your question though. Chase Favreau transferred from Mater Dei this year to Edison and was all set to take over as starting QB. Well CIF ruled he transferred due to athletic reasons and have said he needs to sit out a year. Of course Edison's fans and coaches are upset but come on, it was athletically motivated and everyone in the "know" knows it. I remember sitting in the stands for a Mater Dei baseball game two summers ago and talking about Favreau and Wittek battling it out for the starting position. Well Wittek won the job so Faveau's leaving so he can start elsewhere. Not brain surgery.... From all I've heard, the family lives in Newport Beach and the dad has plenty of money, so the transfer is not due to "money issues" (and besides if it was money, why wouldn't the kid go to Newport Harbor or CDM, where he's zoned for?). The linebacker from Trabuco Hills you're referring to is Griffin Balmer. He just transferred to Mission for his senior year. He was the Sea View leagues Defensive MVP last year and CIF just okayed his transfer and he's eligible to play this year. Why is he eligible but Favreau isn't? Not sure. How about that for an answer? I'm doing some checking around with my sources at Trabuco Hills trying to find out. Someone said the parents are divorcing and the mother has moved into an apartment in Mission Viejo and he's living with her and now eligible to attend Mission. If that's the case, well it would fit the CIF rules for transferring. If and when I get a clear answer I'll pass it along (9/2 update - Got more info on Ballmer. Apparently he has "off field issues" which in all fairness to the boy, I'm not comfortable mentioning in a public forum. How this entails him to transfer and not lose eligibility, I'm not sure, but the transfer does NOT have to do with family marital problems). Some times the CIF does seem arbitrary when they rule some one eligible or ineligible, but I'm sure they have all the facts where as the rest of us are just guessing at what's going on.

Tim from Lake Forest, Ca asks: Bill, I know you're dialed in on the high school baseball players, whats the latest on any underclassmen signing?

Answer: Tim, here are a couple "name" underclassmen that have verbally committed recently. Sophomore short stop Chris Rivera from El Dorado High School committed to Cal State Fullerton, Sophomore catcher Jeremy Martinez from Mater Dei committed to USC, Junior 3rd baseman Andre Real from Orange Lutheran committed to University of San Diego and Junior Rio Riuz from Bishop Amat has committed to USC. The USC signings will be interesting to follow as Kreuter just got fired there and Pat Haden is waiting for a year to announce the new permanent head coach. A lot can happen between now and 2012/13.....

Thanks for the questions and please keep them coming!

Bill

5 For Friday - Monday Edition

Ok, so I'm a few days late and a couple dollars short.....

1) Texas Con Man - Just come out and admit you took steroids Roger and apologize to Congress. The government wouldn't be pursuing this unless they had something substantial on him. They're not going to bring a case to court they think they're going to lose. As much as I despise Clemens, I don't want to see him spend 6 months in jail. Admit what he's done and move forward. What should you take away from this? The government is like Fight Club. First rule of Fight Club? DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB. What's the first rule of government? DON'T LIE TO CONGRESS. Nothing good comes from it.

2) Brett Favre - Speaking of people I despise...... I hope week 2 he gets knocked out, gets his leg broken or something and is done for the year. Karma's a bitch Brett, remember it.

3) Preseason Football - I've actually been watching it this year. Maybe my football interest is coming back. I basically took last football season off. I think my hatred of the Jets is fueling this interest.... This is why rivalries are good, they generate interest.

4) Clay Buchholz - For those that haven't paid attention, Buchholz has been having a monster year for the Red Sox. 15-5 with an AL leading 2.26 era, finally fulfilling all the hype after he threw the no hitter a couple years ago. Good for him, seems like a nice, intelligent, hard working kid. Good to have these types of heroes that young people can look up to. And yes that's a knock against Clemens.....

5) Sweet Lou - Lou Pinella decided to retire from coaching yesterday in order to spend time with his ailing mother. Pinella's one of the few Yankee's I would have liked to have seen with the Red Sox. Played the game the right way. Wears his emotions on his sleeve and always gave an honest days work whether that was in the field as a player or at the ballpark as the manager. I'm sure we'll see him next year behind a microphone someplace as he's a natural talking about the game.

Bill

Five For Friday

1) Hopefully NOT The Full Monty - The British golfer, Colin Montgomerie, was awarded an injunction this week against an ex mistress who's claiming she wants to publish details and "media" of her and her relationship with married golfer Colin Montgomerie. They're not allowed to discuss what those items are in public but we should all be thankful to the judge not to allow public viewing of any possible Monty sex tape...... Can we agree on that?

2) Survivor: Nicaragua - I think Survivor jumped the shark about 4 years ago but I'm really looking forward to watching this season (Premieres Wednesday, September 15th on CBS). Why? Football analyst and ex Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson is one of the contestants. Apparently he's tried to get on the show for years and after having some heart work done recently they green lighted him for this season. I've always liked Jimmy and think he'll make an interesting person to follow. "How Bout Them Cowboys"!

3) MLB Draft Signings - The MLB draft was back in June but Monday is when they need to sign by. This weekend should be quite hectic as 3/4's of the 1st round picks haven't signed yet (including Bryce Harper). I'm sure most will wait till right up to the midnight ET signing deadline before inking their deals. Most are expected to sign however 2 picks to keep an eye on are the number 6th pick Barret Loux (Arizona Diamondbacks) and the number 18th pick Kaleb Cowart (LA Angels). Cowart really wants to go to FSU and has been very vocal from before the draft about wanting to go to college. The Angels reportedly are offering up to $2 million in signing bonus to get him which is WAY ABOVE slot.... (by about $1.5 million). Loux is a different story all together. Loux would sign right now, however Arizona has pulled their pre draft agreed upon offer off the table. Apparently Loux has arm issues (known by everyone before the draft) and while not needing surgery now, most likely will need it sometime down the road. The Diamondbacks are saying they will forfeit signing Loux and take their compensatory pick in next years draft instead. Needless to say the Loux family is not pleased with this and the Players Union has threatened to get involved. Not sure if this is something that'll get resolved before Monday so it'll be interesting to see whether Loux enrolls in classes at Texas A&M for the fall or sits it out. Normally when it's disagreement between a player and a team I take the teams side but in this case I'm fully in Loux's corner. The Diamondbacks knew of his injury pre draft and didn't have to take him but they did. He's not asking to sign for a ridiculous number just an amount they'd already agreed upon, so the Diamondbacks knew what they were getting when they picked him. The issue comes in where the Diamondbacks have fired their old GM and have different management in place so now they're trying to change things up... I get how new management comes in and wants to do things differently but some stuff you just have to go with. Step up to the plate and be honorable with the kid!

4) Zeke - This man knows no bounds when it comes to playing by the rules does he??? After the terrible mess on and off the court he did with the Knicks, why would they want him back as a consultant? I know we always joke about someone having blackmail photo's and using it, but seriously, why would James Dolan want to hire Isiah to be a consultant? That's not even realizing that it's blatantly against the rules (what would prevent the Nets from "hiring" John Calipari to consult or the Celtics to hire Mike Krzyzewski in the same capacity?). It just made no sense. Thankfully it didn't work out, Stern put his foot down and Zeke is back where he belongs on the Golden Panther bench coaching up a storm! I'm happy, your happy and most importantly, the FIU Co-Eds are happy!

5) HBO Hard Knocks - I haven't been a big fan of this show the previous couple editions, and god knows I hate the Jets, but after watching the 1st episode last night I gotta say this is must see TV! Rex Ryan is great. Lots of characters on the Jets to play off of, new faces, team being "billed" as a Super Bowl contender (don't fool yourself though, it's not, they have lots of issues.....) and Ryan is a made for television character. I highly recommend watching this. New episodes every Wednesday at 10pm on HBO (although it reruns often during the week). Don't miss it.

And this week, a bonus.....

6) USC Baseball - My previous entry on Monday was about SC firing Chad Kreuter and mentioned names of who they might hire. Well I've been doing more research on this and I think I discarded George Horton (Oregon head coach) too quickly. He's only been at Oregon for a couple years but his contract runs out after 2011. Pat Haden is taking a year to name a head coach (and giving the interim title to Cruz for this coming year), so the time frame matches up. Horton makes almost double the amount of money at Oregon than any other Pac 10 coach ($450,000 salary from Oregon and $500,000 from a Nike endorsement) but USC, being private, has the ability to match that with their deep pocketed alumni so they could step up there. The final piece here is that Horton is a Southern California guy and his kids and grand kids still live here. And from what I heard, his wife is anxious to come back and spend time with the kids.. Apparently the daughter is living in their old home down here, so a lot of pieces are in place for this happening. A majority of his recruits in Oregon are Southern California kids, so he still has those connections and it would be even easier to get top talent to come to USC as opposed to going away to Oregon. Until I hear something else, I'm going on record as saying expect to see George Horton named new USC head baseball coach in the summer of 2011.

Bill

Not A Surprise

USC Fires Coach Kreuter

Back in March when I attended the DodgerTown Classic, I came away surprised at how far the USC baseball program had fallen. Under Kreuter's tenure they'd been a sub .500 team and I said then if they didn't do better soon, Kreuter would be on his way out. Well they had a horrible year (28-37 and 7-20 in the Pac 10) and on Monday new AD Pat Haden fired Kreuter.

Where do they go from here? The LA Times article I linked to mentioned some local coaches, but I don't see any of them leaving. Maybe Hill from USD, but unless the money is substantially better (and that's a possibility as SC being private can pay whatever as compared to the limitations of a state school), why would any of them leave their current situation? Yes, USC has tradition but still, just seems a reach for one of them to leave a current successful program in order to resurect the Trojan program.

One thing the new coach needs to do is start mining the Southern California talent. That was a noticeable difference between USC and UCLA when I looked at their rosters this spring. UCLA was something like 90% southern California kids and USC was barely 40% (see the Dodgertown write up for more details). Not a coincidence UCLA made it to the College World Series final and USC had a losing record.

Here's an idea for a coach. What about Rick Vanderhook? Current UCLA assistant coach and prior to that long time Cal State Fullerton coach. How many CWS has he been apart of??? Successful winning coach with ties to the local southern california high schools and prep programs. USC would be hard pressed to find a better guy to take over and he's currently right down the road. Here's his bio from the UCLA website:

Coach Vanderhook - With this resume and his connections, are you telling me he wouldn't be succesful at USC???

Bill

RIP

On an exciting day in the NBA with LeBron James announcing his new team, some sadness came with the news that Mel Turpin, former number 6th pick in the 1984 draft, had committed suicide. I remember the Big Dipper well as I was a fan of those early 80's Kentucky teams.

Rest In Peace Mel.

Turpin Commits Suicide

Bill

How Does This Happen?

I was looking at the Baseball America High School All American Team and this stood out:

Ethan Bennett, 1st team catcher. Senior, heck of a year with a .407 average and 27 home runs on a great team, yet he goes undrafted. WTF??

Is he going on a 2 year Mormon Mission, enlisting in the Army or what?

I see another 1st teamer, Ryan Wilson out of Owasso was also undrafted....

I'm not saying they should have gone in the top 5 rounds or anything, but doesn't that seem a little weird that Baseball America has them as 1st teamers, yet they can't be 1 of 1,500 kids picked?

Here's a complete list of the team:

High School All Americans

Bill

Lakers Win (or as I like to call it - Invasion of the Little Stupid Yellow Flags)

As much as this hurts to say, the better team won.... Congratulations to the Lakers. They were more than Kobe Bryant, lots of guys stepped up and played great offensively and defensively. When Ron Artests is hitting 3 pointers late in a game, you know it's your year (or not in my case!).

Big question now for L.A. is whether Phil Jackson comes back or not. Does it matter? They look to be a well oiled machine, slide Brian Shaw into the head coaching spot and let him roll the ball out there. At this point, with that roster, I don't think it would make much difference. Should be an interesting off season in the NBA.

As to the flags comment, here in Southern California, there'll probably be about a million cars on the road today (and for the next 3 months...) with those stupid flags hanging out the window. Is there a judge in the land that would convict me if I shot the person who invented that idiotic thing??? I don't think so.

Anyway, congratulations to the Lakers and we'll see again next year.

Bill

Five For Friday

1) Basketball Wives - I know I haven't done a recap since week 3, but the shows been great, and I'm still watching (Sunday nights, VH1)! The first few episodes centered around Royce (Miami Heat dancer), then it went to Gloria (Matt Barnes wife), then Jen (Eric Williams wife) and now it's focusing on Evelyn (employee #8's long time girlfriend). In the last episode, the girls fly to Los Angeles so Evelyn can confront the person she "thinks" has been emailing and texting her "threatening" stuff. They don't say what that is, but a quick google search shows someone posted nude photo's of her online (I'll wait while you look for the pictures - hint - go to the YBF website... just saying, not that I looked or anything......). She hired a "P.I." (and throwing that slang out there numerous times), before we finally get to see who she thinks it is. Turns out it's Vanessa Davis, wife of Ricky Davis (known psychopath..). Vanessa denies it, Evelyn threatens her and throws a drink in her face. Evelyn looks really bad here with her accusations, so I hope for her sake she's right! Here's an article detailing more info. Vanessa Davis Basketball Wife

2) NBA Playoffs - Well I think I jinxed the Celtics and Lakers last week by claiming it was a lock they'd meet in the finals... Since then, both have struggled with Phoenix and the Magic both winning multiple games to get back into the series. I'm not backing off now, however, the Celtics really need to close it out tonight, otherwise I've got a feeling the Magic are going to pull a "Flyers" and come back after being down 3-0.

3) Ubaldo Jimenez - Has he been lights out for the Rockies or what? With his latest win Wednesday, his record moves to 9-1 with a microscopic era of 0.88... He's currently on a 16 inning scoreless streak. Still a long way to go in the season, but Jimenez has a shot at Bob Gibson's era record of 1.12. Dwight Gooden was the last person to come close in 1985 when he posted a 1.53 era. A fun fact - Ubaldo and I share the same birthday, January 22nd, although he might be a couple years younger.....

4) World Cup Soccer - The US finalized their team the other day and while I had hopes about how far they'd advance, after looking over the roster, I think they're in trouble. World Cup starts June 11th and it takes place in South Africa. I'm a big fan of the World Cup and am looking forward to it. I'll probably have more to say as we get closer, but for now, don't be rooting for the US unless you're a big fan of the long shot!

5) Raiders - Don't you just love the audacity of Al Davis? I see where he's now filed a grievance against Jamarcus Russell trying to reclaim $9.55 million that is owed or was payed... Not quite sure on that... Hasn't Davis done this before with coaches Lane Kiffin and Mike Shanahan? He comes up with some story saying they defaulted on their contracts so he doesn't have to pay what is owed. Man knows no bounds! Usually I'm for the owners in contract disputes as it's usually the player trying to get out of a contract, but in the case of Davis, I gotta go with the employees. It's a running soap opera with the Raiders, that's for sure and until Davis is gone, stuff like this will continue.

Until next week,

Bill

Five For Friday

I know I've been missing for a while but wanted to get a quick Friday write up out.

1) Floyd Landis - Wow, big surprise hearing about his admission yesterday. When athlete's get "accused" of steroid use and nobody believes them when they say they didn't use, here's an example of why we don't believe them. Landis has been VERY vocal saying the positive results were wrong and even suing (or threatening to sue) the Paris based cycling federation that suspended him. Apparently he's run up over 2 million in legal fee's fighting this. Hell, I believed him! Now he comes clean. As the saying goes, "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". Here me Lance?????

2) Hanley being Hanley - I love Hanley Ramirez talent but with this latest episode I'm done with him. These spoiled athletes thinking they're above the game, I'm fed up with it. I agree with every thing Fredi Gonzalez (the Manager) said, did and how he handled it. I hope and pray the owner (Jeff Loria) backs his manager. This has happened now too many times with Ramirez, either he has to change or they get rid of him. Some one please stand up to these selfish athletes!

3) MMA Fighting - I've really been enjoying both TUF season 11 and the Bellator Fights. Both free and both have had some great fights and story lines this year. Last week on Bellator was one of the best "technical" fights I've ever seen. Patrizio "Pitbull" Freire versus Wilson Reis (pronounced "Haysis" - substitue an "H" for an "R"). Both Brazilian, both black belt (and high level black) brazilian jiu jitsu guys. Freire ended up winning the decision but all thru that fight it was dynamic. Take downs, attempted submissions, escapes. At either point if 1 guy made a mistake it could have been over. Great fight. In the Ultimate Fighter, I've been enjoying the animosity between Ortiz and Liddell. Unlike last season with Rashard Evans and "Rampage" Jackson where every episode seemed to denigrate into calling each other bitches, Liddell and Ortiz are more civilized with their put downs of each other. Genuine hatred between the two but they know how to get under each others skin without the childish antics. Question though that has to be asked..... Nick Diaz - One of the favorites, highly thought of, nice guy but did have to pull out this week due to tearing his ACL. However every time I listen to him talk or watch his mannerisms, my "gaydar" goes up....... Just comes across as awfully feminine... Am I the only one seeing this??

4) NBA Playoffs - I've been trying not to get too excited about the possibility of this, but this train is rolling and I don't see it stopping.... Celtics/Lakers. Offense versus Defense. Now it wasn't a stretch thinking the Lakers could make it back, but Boston limped down the stretch and was a below .500 team after the all star break. For what ever reason, and I don't know what it is, they flipped a switch and are looking like the team that started the season 23-5. They're healthy and the "big three" look like they've finally excepted the fact that Rondo is now the best player on the court and they defer to him. I'm know crossing my fingers and getting a fresh keg for my kegerator, this is going to be a good one!

5) The Rays - Can they keep up this pace? That's the question. They're off to an amazing start. The only thing more impressive than their won/loss record (30-11) is their runs scored to runs allowed (some ungodly number that only the 27 Yankees surpassed). They're on pace to win close to 110 games and truthfully the only thing I see slowing them down is injuries. So far they've been amazingly healthy, but it's a long season. Due to their small payroll they don't have the luxury to have a strong bench and be able to pick up a stud at the trade deadline (Cliff Lee anyone????). I'm now in their corner (which is probably the kiss of death.....) and hope they stay healthy. I'd love for them to have a monster year. We'll see....

Have a good weekend,

Bill