Monfort has Lost his Mind

I know that I am not the first person to have this reaction and I know I won't be the last, but Dick Monfort, owner of the Colorado Rockies, has lost his mind.  I don't care that he supports both manager and GM.  I care that he does it publicly and so vehemently.  In a results based industry it isn't possible to be that happy with either guy.

Dan O'Dowd has been with the Rockies for 12 seasons.  In 12 seasons he has put together 4 winning teams.  If he were a player he would be an all-star batting .330, but GM's need to connect more than 33% of the time.  Of the 4 years that he put a good team on the field they only made the playoffs twice.  If the Yankees miss the playoffs just one year, there is a good chance that someone will loose there job.  This guy misses the playoffs 83% of the time and his job is probably the safest in the building at this point.  In what world does that make sense?  Monfort said that O'Dowd is a "tremendous asset."  He either thinks asset means liability or added the et to the end of the appropriate word.  O'Dowd has exhausted or minor league program of quality pitching, allowed inconsistent players to many chances that they are anything but, and has failed in every attempt to build off this franchises successes.  We have a joke of a starting rotation, a gaping hole at third base and a large number of under performing athletes that he won't get rid of.

Now, I like Jim Tracy and of the 2 guys that Monfort supported in his comments earlier this week I believe that Tracy is the one that should keep his job, but he isn't with out fault.  The fact that this team is under performing in the field and at the plate falls on coaching.  Now, a lot of the problems stem from the makeup of the team the lack of pitching, which Tracy has little to do with, but the abundance of errors so far this season and the continued inconsistency at the plate.  I can't remember a team taking so many called third strikes in my life.  I grew up with the understanding that when you have 2 strikes you protect the plate.  These guys will swing at some of the worst pitches a guy can throw and then watch a fast ball on a corner for strike three.  That has to be something that can be taught because it still sticks with me and I haven't played in about a decade.

The Rockies suck and the only thing that I can agree with that Monfort said is that the blame is solely on him.  He is the one that refuses to look at the evidence that is so clearly laid out before him.  He is the one that has allowed this team to go from NL West contenders to a joke.  He is the one that doesn't know baseball and and refuses to admit it.  Colorado loves their Rockies and they love Coors field so he is able to continue his ways with limited draw back, but sooner or later the fans will stop going to watch the embarrassment and maybe then we will get an organization that we can be proud of.

Hockey... The Almost Forgotten Sport

The Stanley Cup Playoffs started this last weekend and to this point it has been a very exciting week.  The Penguins and Flyers are in a very heated battle in which the final favorite Penguins are down 3-1.  The Rangers are tied with Ottawa and Vancouver fought off elimination on Wednesday night.  The playoffs have a way of drawing even non fans to the sport because the play is so high tempo and personal.  Why can't the regular season muster even a little of that excitement?

The biggest problem isn't the games.  Hockey is an amazing sport that requires a lot of skill to play and only a little understanding to enjoy.  Hockey has the worst marketing people in the world working for them, they have very limited exposure during the regular season and there schedules are chaotic for fans to follow.  I think that if Gary Bettman could change at least one of these downfalls then he would see his sport's popularity rise.

The only reason I knew the playoffs were starting in the NHL this year was because of the amount of local sports radio I listen to along with the insane amount of SportsCenter that I watch.  I didn't see one commercial promoting the upcoming games or anything.  The people in charge of marketing for the NHL have to be fired because they received no press and created no buzz prior to or during the the greatest professional championship on the planet.  The NHL used to get it's name out there through endorsement products, but lately  it is rare that you can see anything hockey outside of the arenas that they play in.  The NHL needs to adopt a strategy the spans several networks and multiple medias in order to promote and expand their game.

When and where is hockey on TV these days.  The NHL has 1 nationally televised game a week.  1!  It is played on NBC in the late morning to early afternoon.  Football gets at least 6 games televised a week and  5 of them happen on the same day.  Football only plays on 2 days of the week.  Hockey plays everyday and they can only manage 1 game a week on TV in a lousy time slot that isn't even promoted well.  They show a lot of the same teams playing each other because they want to play the best teams during that time in order to impress potential fans with there product.  It is a bad plan for the smaller markets because they don't get much exposure and it's bad for the sport because if you don't like the Penguins, Rangers, Red Wings, or Bruins then you have no need or desire to watch that one game a week.

Scheduling in the NHL follows the basketball plan.  They play a different team every night that they play and with a season that is as long as the NHL's there is very little importance that can be put on one game.  That is why I feel that hockey should switch to the baseball strategy of scheduling.  Each individual game would still lack importance due to the long season, but loosing 2 in a row would mean loosing a series which in baseball is the bigger issue.  So, while the individual game would remain the same in principal, the way that they are clumped together adds importance to them as a whole in the regular season.  Also, it would add a sense of urgency to games against teams that you know would only face once a year in a series format verses 3 or 4 games spread out throughout a season.

The NHL is hurting and it isn't doing anything at the moment to help itself.  They have major obstacles preventing themselves from increasing their popularity.  Gary Bettman would be wise to make a few changes  in order to improve his sports standing in this country.  If he doesn't then I'm afraid that next year I won't even hear about hockey on the sports networks.

Tracy Called Wrong Player Gutless

A day after Rockies short stop Troy Tulowitzki was plunked by a Ubaldo Jimenez fast ball I heard about the article that caused the event.  Mark Kiszla, of the Denver Post, wrote an article last week about the messy situation that was the Jimenez trade to the Cleveland Indians last season.  The article was Ubaldo's feelings about some of the behind the scene things that were rumored to be happening and his contract situation.  The article also featured Troy Tulowitzki's responses to Jimenez's comments.  Based on Sunday's 1st inning between the 2 teams, I guess Tulo should have kept his mouth shut.

In the article Ubaldo simply talked about how angry he is with the Rockies organization about how he was handled contractually and otherwise by management.  Tuo and CarGo (Carlos Gonzales) were signed to long term deals for a lot of money after a short time in which they had proved their worth.  Jimenez believes that he had proved himself as well when he became the teams ace by winning 19 games in 2010.  He, however, was not signed to an extension and was being paid less than 5 other pitchers on the staff.  I don't know what kind of money he was looking for, but it is safe to say that he was deserving of more than he was making.  There were rumors around Denver last season that Jimenez was sandbagging his season last year and not putting in the work to be what he was the year before.  He had a problem with those whispers and pointed out that he worked hard to get ready for every start and it is insulting to him to be questioned like that.  He had a big issue with the fact that he was forced to pitch on the day he was traded when both he and the organization knew it was going to happen.  He pitched for 1 inning and gave up 5 runs.  He left the bench right after his one inning of work and has been pissed with the organization ever since.

So, after Kiszla talked with Ubaldo he then talked with the Rockies captain and got his take one how Jimenez felt about the situation.  For some reason it appears that Tulowitzki took exception to the things that Jimenez said. Tulo said that he didn't understand the issue with Jimenez not getting a new deal and followed that up with, "He had signed his deal and had years left on it.  Why would we give him something new when we didn't see anything out of him?"  Did Tulo miss the first ever no hitter in club history?  Did he miss the 19 wins which should have been over 20 if the lineup that he was apart of could have delivered some runs later in the season?  Later in the article Tulo says that Ubaldo needs to "put this to an end to this, go pitch and help his team.  Now his new team is questioning him."  Classy, real classy.

I wonder what Tulo would say about Cargo if he ever leaves?

Did I miss the part of the article where Ubaldo ripped into Troy?  Did Jimenez once attack a player on the Rockies squad for anything?  Did he say that Cargo and Tulo didn't deserve the money that they made?  No, not once did he say a negative or throw out an accusation about a player.  Tulo, however, threw Ubaldo under the bus and called him greedy, unprofessional, and questioned his ability to pitch now with his new team.

Jim Tracey called Ubaldo throwing at Tulo gutless, the worst thing he has seen in the majors, and that he lost all respect for Jimenez.  First things first, Tracey had little respect for Ubaldo last year and proved it when he threw him out to pitch the day he was being traded so, it's hard to loose something he really didn't have in the first place.  Second, Troy Tulowitzki is the gutless one in this situation.  Tulo blasted a former teammate in the press for no reason.  Where is the guts in that?  He deserved to get hit by a pitch and he is lucky it wasn't aimed at his head.  Ubaldo may not have done the right thing in handling this situation, but at least he didn't hide in the press.  I just hope that Tulowitzki  learned his lesson and shuts his gutless mouth in the future.

Tiger's Back

This past weekend Tiger Woods did something that he hadn't done in almost 3 years; he won a PGA tour event.  With his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods has added a spark to the question that many people have been asking for the better part of the last 6 months.  Is Tiger Woods back?  The simple answer to this question is no.  He isn't back for 2 reasons which lye on separate sides of the argument.  The most common reason is that he isn't back because he has only won 1 tournament and that isn't good enough to say that he is fully back.  The more unconventional reason is that he isn't back because he hasn't gone anywhere.

3 years ago we saw Tiger's world blow up in his face.  His personal life was riddled with scandal and it all happened in the view of the public.  As often as we all saw Tiger on TV we were never allowed into his personal life before the night of his car accident.  It is the collapse of his personal life that makes people feel that  Tiger collapsed as a golfer as well.  I don't doubt that it had an affect on his game, but the biggest obstacle That Woods had to overcome was his physical health.  So, that mental edge that people said he lost probably never went anywhere, he just couldn't back it up with his performance on the course due to injuries.

Once Tiger Woods was declared fully healthy, meaning that he was able to train instead of rehab, his game seemed to still be a little off and the talk of his continued struggles persisted.  We were then informed that Tiger was in the middle of a swing change.  Whenever Woods had gone through a swing change before he would struggle with winning tournaments for an extended period of time.  He looked off and though he had some really good days he would be unable to put several good rounds together.  That is exactly what we have seen for the last few months.

I am one of the few that say Tiger really hasn't gone anywhere.  I understand that an almost 3 year gap between wins is significant, but it wasn't a collapse of Woods' game that was the culprit, it was his body.  Now that his body is right, and he is more comfortable with his new swing, Tiger has been in contention in the last few tournaments and finally won last weekend.  Is he back to where he was before the injuries?  Probably, but while 1 win is a good, Tiger has a higher standard.  The Masters will be a better display of the state of Tiger's game and if he is in contention then he should be labeled as officially back in everyone's eyes.

Sean Peyton's Suspension is Overkill

The NFL has rendered a verdict and sentence in the Saints "bounty" program case.  Guilty!  Sean Peyton is the sacrificial lamb in this instance with his season being over before it starts.  He has been suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season.  This sentence is more than anyone thought would happen and honestly more than is warranted.

The "bounty" system in New Orleans, though maybe on a grander scale, occurs on every team throughout the league.  Defenses have been targeting positions and players since this game was developed.  Mario Williams was just signed to a huge contact because he is one of the best players in the league at targeting QB's.  The defensive game plan of every team is to eliminate the starting QB of the other team.  Yes, eliminate them as a threat.  That means constantly hitting them and making them uncomfortable in the pocket and all over the field.  The mindset is simple, it is easier to defeat the backup than it is the starter.

Now, with that said, the defenders in the NFL go about this business in a clean fashion for the most part.  The stats on the Saints show that they haven't been dirty over the last 3 seasons.  They rank in the middle of the pack for personal fouls and from what I know they haven't injured more players on average than any other team.  So, if they weren't dirty in their pursuit of winning games and executing their game plan then what is the real issue?

The issue is the deceit of the organization to the league and the issue of non-contractual incentives.  Both are bad and warrant suspensions and/or fines.  I have no problem with the NFL handing down harsh punishment for the "bounty" cover-up, but suspending any one for a year is absurd.  Peyton didn't put any "bounties" on anyone.  Did he know it was going on?  Yes, but like I said earlier, it goes on in every locker room and installed in every game plan.

I understand that Roger Goodell wants to protect players and I respect the efforts he has made in certain areas.  This reaction to the Saints targeting players for big hits is absurd.  The targets are the same for every team and there is no amount of money that will change the intent of the defense.  They want to hurt people and make them want to quit during the game.  1 year is to long for a situation that was blown out of proportion in the media and exacerbated by the league. 

Manning Impressive in First Appearance

Yesterday I watched the press conference that introduced Peyton Manning to Denver.  It was an hour long session that had written statements and an extensive question and answer period for both Manning and John Elway.  At the end of the conference I was more impressed with Manning than I was before he made his way to Denver.

Both Pat Bowlen and John Elway took turns introducing the future Hall of Fame QB and both emphasized the fact that this acquisition put the Broncos in a position to compete for Super Bowls. Manning took to the podium and briefly talked about the process he took to make his decision and thanked all the teams for their interest in him.  He then followed that up by apologizing to the teams that he didn't choose for taking as long as he did to make a decision.  He actually felt bad that he might have caused teams to miss out on potential free agents in the pursuit of him.

When Manning entered the question and answer portion of the press conference he seemed to be genuinely excited to be in Denver and part of the Broncos' organization.  He made his intent clear from the beginning that he was hear to win a Super Bowl and that it would be a team effort.  The effort of winning a Super Bowl starts at the top with Pat Bowlen and John Elway.  Manning said time and time again that the organization was dedicated to winning and that he was proud to be a part of it.

Peyton Manning will be wearing the number 18 in Denver and at first I thought it was a poor move on his part.  I understand that he has always worn 18, but here in Denver that Number had been retired.  With Manning's love of the game and passion for it's history I thought that he would respect that and wear a different number.  Then Manning addressed the issue of his number in the last part of his written statement.  Frank Tripuka, Ring of Famer that wore 18, told Peyton that he would be honored if he wore the 18 jersey and told him that he should wear it.  Manning expressed that when a number is retired it should stay retired, but due to Tripuka's request he would wear it.

Manning is a great player that and no one could ever refute that.  Until today, though most suspected, most people didn't understand how classy he is as well.  He didn't have to mention the teams that didn't get him and certainly didn't have to apologize for any potential losses in free agency.  He did his best to endear himself to his new team and his new city.  He explained to everyone why he was wearing the number 18.  He didn't have to go into detail, but he wanted people to know that he wasn't going to ask for it.  It was offered to him and he felt it would be disrespectful to decline that offer.  Manning is showed Denver what they can look forward to for the next 5 seasons and it was nothing less than great.

Miami's Move is Dumbfounding

I heard today that the Miami Dolphins made a big move on their roster.  They didn't sign Peyton Manning, at least not yet, but rather made it harder for them to get him instead.  The Dolphins traded their best WR, Brandon Marshall, to the Chicago Bears.

Most of the teams in the Manning sweepstakes are doing everything they can to make themselves better.  Teams that aren't in the Manning sweepstakes are using this time to make their teams better.  Miami just took it's biggest threat and shipped him off to another city for nothing.  Yes, they get 2 3rd round draft picks, but compared to a WR that has proven himself to be productive that is nothing.  There is no guarantee that whoever they do draft will be able to produce.  They reduced their talent level and they did it before Manning makes his decision.  Why?

The Dolphins found something near the end of the season that allowed them to win games.  They weren't the best team, but they had heart and played hard every game.  Marshall, from what I can tell, was a part of that.  He wasn't on TV talking down about the people in his locker room or his coaches.  I don't think he has any serious off the field issues since he left Denver.  So, if he wasn't a bad teammate, in trouble off the field, or awful on it then I don't understand why they would give up on him when they had the potential to develop him under Manning.

There are going to be a lot of transaction in the coming weeks.  Most are going to make a lot of sense, some will be insignificant, and a few are going to be dumbfounding.  Marshall's trade to the Bears falls under dumbfounding.  I don't see how it really improved the Dolphins or their chances of getting Manning.  Maybe by the beginning of the regular season we will see what the Dolphins did when making this deal.