This Blog Begins on Opening Day.

• I agree with the Red Sox’s philosophy that it makes more sense to try to create an overall solid bullpen rather than just giving one guy like Heathcliff Slocumb the magic title “Closer” and then only using him in extremely specific situations. Seriously, how many times have you seen a team bring in their 9th best pitcher to get out of a 7th-inning bases-loaded jam then use their supposed fireman to get the bottom of the order out in the ninth with a three-run lead? That being said, however, it probably doesn’t help silence any of the Conventional Wisdom nay-sayers when that bullpen gives up five runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose to the Devil Rays.
• Boy, it's a good thing that Cablevision and YES made that last-minute deal so that my Yankees-loving dad was able to see Derek Jeter dislocate his left shoulder in a collision at third base. Don't worry, though, Jeter fans — Derek uses his right hand to grab supermodels' asses at Nobu, so this won't affect him too much.
• Great debuts today: Jim Thome gettinng an RBI double on the first pitch he saw as a Phillie; Ray Durham homering in his first Giant AB; Hideki Matsui getting an RBI in his first American AB. Not-so-great debut: Tom Glavine getting torched by the Cubs in his first Mets start (though this was all but certain once I paid $22 for him in my fantasy auction yesterday).
• Home teams were a depressing 4-8 today (added to the Angels' loss yesterday), a pretty sad Opening Day. Including home blowouts against the Reds (10-1 in their brand-new ballpark), Diamondbacks (8-0), Blue Jays (8-4 after 4 late runs), and especially the Mets (15-2).

Posted by Ken at 6:36:55 PM

NBA MVP?
I know we've seen all the analysis before regarding who the best player in the NBA is, but Steve Hirdt is onto something -- "percentage of team total"

Basically, he shows that there are only a handful of players that have ever compromised 25% of their teams total points and boards in a given season and of those that did -only a few did it several times... the importance of this is that in recent years both total scoring and total rebounding is down drastically -- so for someone to still put up big numbers like Shaq and to also comprise 25% of each category is astounding. In fact Shaq has done it 10 times. However, if KG can up his point production by .5 ppg he can be the first player ever to comprise 25% in the big three: pts, rebs and assists.

Posted by kj at 6:36:57 PM

Oh, yeah...sports.
I guess if there's any excuse I can give for not posting to a sports blog it's that I was busy preparing for my fantasy drafts (AL yesterday, NL this Sunday), so let's just go with that. The great thing about a fantasy draft is that it's a perfect can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees event: you do your research, pick out your sleepers, create a strategy...and then get so focused on the round-by-round acticity that you don't realize that you've drafted five Devil Rays and three Tigers. And by "you" I mean "me." Oh well, I got Ichiro and Mussina and about 19 guys I need to have career years...

Perhaps I picked a bad time to stick my head out of the sand, as I had to watch the Rutgers woman's basketball team lose to Georgia in the tourney 74-64, in a game where the Bulldogs scored 29 points on freaking free throws! My poor alma mater...first those bastards shut down the grease trucks, and now this.

Back to baseball, if we've learned one thing during this spring training season, it's that if you're ever in a position where you've managed to alienate yourself from your co-workers and clients, so that the only person left who's sticking up you is also the guy signing your checks, you should do everything in your power to piss that person off as well.

Posted by Ken at 7:34:28 PM

Stupid Quote of the Day
"We also have a war we have to fight, too -- the Washington Wizards are trying to make the playoffs. It's pretty much the same thing."

-- Wizards point guard Tyronn Lue, keeping the trouble with Saddam Hussein in perspective, sort of, during yesterday's practice, according to the Associated Press. [via WaPo]

Posted by kj at 8:47:50 AM

Bonehead Play of the Day
The Big 12 tournament is here in Dallas. Last night I was watching the end of Kansas State vs Colorado on TV. Neither team is very good. K-State was up by 2 with 2.5 seconds left. Neither team had any timeouts and Colorado had to go the length of the court. They throw the ball down court and a K-State player catches it and starts RUNNING with the ball in celebration! The ref naturally calls traveling and Colorado gets to inbound the ball close to the basket with 1.8 seconds left. Of course they hit a three at the buzzer to win it. I can't believe that guy started running with the ball when he caught it. Had to be one of the dumbest plays I ever saw.

Posted by kj at 9:58:46 PM

SFM Interview with David Wells
here

Posted by kj at 8:32:54 AM

The Biggest Non-Story of the Spring

Cashman: Book 'tarnishes the Yankees' image'

TAMPA, Fla. -- David Wells could be punished by the New York Yankees for writing an autobiography that general manager Brian Cashman said "tarnishes the Yankees' image." [...] "I can't rule out the possibility that we will pursue some sort of disciplinary action," Cashman said. "I'm going to get a copy of the book, read it myself and then determine what course of action, if any, to take."

Look, am I the only one who thinks that punishing or even reprimanding David Wells for being drunk and telling a lot of BS stories is like arresting Keith Richards after finding half a joint in his car? Although I do have to admit that there might need to be some disciplinary action taken against somebody who's now claiming to have been misquoted in his own autobiography.

Posted by Ken at 8:10:44 PM