Celtics Out Of Shape?

Going into this season I was worried about the conditioning of some of the guys on the Celtics. Not Allen, or Rondo, but guys like Shaq, Big Baby, O'Neal, even Paul Pierce. Well, it looks like I had a right to be concerned...

Rivers wasn't exactly blooming with pride over his older club's condition. From the Boston Globe :

"...I think that we’re not in great shape personally. I don’t think that we’ve come back in the condition that we want. So we’re going to have to come back in better shape."

“What we did last year was play Game 7 on the road,” Rivers said. “If Game 7 was in Boston Garden it would have been very different. So that was on us. Last year was out of necessity. It wasn’t planned. It was planned if we had the injuries, then we had to make a tough call to start resting guys in the middle of the season. I hope as coach I don’t have to make that call this year."

I am very interested to see how the Celtics play the regular season. Last year they basically took it off. Doc even said they were "bored", but this year should be different. The Knicks, Bulls, and Heat have improved dramatically, and obviously the Magic will still be a very good team. I am not overly concerned, since they proved last year they can turn it on whenever they want, but Doc makes an interesting point... What if Game 7 last year was in Boston?

Dolphins Defense Gets Stronger

The Dolphins through 3 games has looked pretty good, but it's about to get stronger. Many thought Channing Crowder might be out for the season, now there is word that he might be back as early as this Monday Night vs. the Patriots.

"Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel tweeted Thursday that Crowder is on the practice field, being paired with fellow starting ILB Karlos Dansby. This is a good sign for his being active against the New England Patriots on Monday night, although he may rotate with Tim Dobbins if he's not 100 percent back. Either way, a massive boost for the defense as they prepare for their second night game against a division rival in as many weeks (ESPN)."

Huge game for the Dolphins as well as the Patriots, and if he is healthy at all I expect he will be out there. I still don't believe the Dolphins are a good team, but they usually play the Patriots tough, and New England's defense makes everyone look good, so this will be a very interesting game.

If Facebook Had Been Around

Red Sox vs. Angels For Crawford?

The Sox season is over, but rumors are already starting about how they will rebuild. One rumor that seems to be on every site is the Red Sox vs. Angels for the services of Carl Crawford.

Carl Crawford is expected to draw in the neighborhood of $100 million over six years. He could get even more if the Yankees become involved. They said last week that he is not on their radar, but I don't believe any of that.

I really don't see Crawford in a Sox jersey, but he would be an awesome fit. He could take over the leadoff spot, and give the Sox even more speed on the base paths, which could be awesome in Ellsbury is also healthy.

As for the Angels he is a great fit. They need outfielders, but I also don't see them spending the money it's going to take to get it done. Basically, I have no idea where he is going to go, but the Angels are also the early frontrunners to sign Beltre once he declines the Sox option for next year.

LeBron: Race Factored In Backlash

"According to the Akron Beacon-Journal, former Cavalier LeBron James and his good friend and business partner, Maverick Carter, were interviewed for a show on CNN and talked about "The Decision." James took a lot of heat for the way he made the announcement and both say race played a factor in the backlash.

"I think so at times," James said. "It's always, you know, a race factor."

"It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written. For sure," said Carter (ESPN)."

Yea, it had to be race. It couldn't have been that everyone just saw you as an arrogant jerk who only cares about himself, right? Fuck you Lebron, I can't wait for you to choke again.

Why Not?

Why not see the worst tattoo client ever?

Yet another reason woman shouldn't be allowed in the military.

Here Comes A Tiger Woods Sex Tape

We all knew this was coming...

"One of Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses is shopping an alleged sex tape she says she made with Tiger Woods.

"The tape is 62 minutes long and 37 minutes of it is us having sex," Devon James told RadarOnline.com on Wednesday, placing its value at $350,000.

James said she was meeting with adult video distributor Vivid Entertainment to talk turkey (FoxNews)."

I am surprised it has taken this long. I feel bad for Tiger he has paid enough for his sins, and I wish everyone would just let him be. He might get lucky since this skank's mom says she is a pathological liar, and that she never had a relationship with Tiger. If you can remember this is the same bitch that said Tiger was the father of her kid, which a judge threw out.

I would be surprised if there isn't a tape out there though. I mean with all those chicks looking to make money, you know someone taped something.

College Football Picks: Week 5

Last week, I picked with the spreads, and went 6-3-1 (Oregon/Arizona State was a push). So i'll continue with the spreads this week. Again, I'm getting these spreads from VegasInsider.com.

Thursday 7:30 PM - ESPN
Texas A&M Aggies @ Oklahoma State Cowboys
I'm taking the Cowboys -3 against A&M. I know the Aggies have improved this year, and both teams are 3-0. But the game's in Stillwater, and I'm not totally sold on A&M yet.



The rest of the games I picked for are on Saturday...

12:00 PM - ESPN2
#16 Miami Hurricanes @ Clemson Tigers
I'm kind of surprised Miami is only favored by 3, after they torched Pittsburgh on the road last week. I'm taking Miami -3, because Clemson won't be able to keep up with them.



12:00 PM
Florida State Seminoles @ Virginia Cavaliers
I'm taking FSU -7. The Noles are 3-1, with their only loss coming in Norman, Oklahoma. That's not bad. I guess UVA deserves some credit for keeping pace with USC a few weeks ago, but their only two wins came against Richmond and VMI. FSU covers comfortably.



12:00 PM
Temple Owls @ Army Black Knights
I'm taking Temple -4.5, even though I've yet to see either team play. Temple is actually good, and Army is still Army.

3:30 PM - ABC
#11 Wisconsin Badgers @ #24 Michigan State Spartans
I know the game's in East Lansing, but I have to take the Badgers -1.5 here. Both teams are 4-0, and this will be a pivotal game in determining the Big Ten title. I just like Wisconsin more.



3:30 PM - ABC
Virginia Tech Hokies @ #23 NC State Wolfpack
I'm taking NCSU +4 at home. I guess Tech's shutout win over BC impressed some people. But BC's offense is atrocious, and any team with reasonable athleticism can shut them down. NC State is the dark horse to claim the ACC title, as they're 4-0, and have already vanquished Georgia Tech on the road.



3:30 PM - ABC
#21 Texas Longhorns vs. #8 Oklahoma Sooners (in Dallas, TX)
Before the season, I predicted OU would win this game. But I'll bet against my heart and take Texas +4. I just haven't been that impressed with the Sooners. And while Texas has also struggled, especially with turnovers, they're still just as good as OU. So with the 4 points, I'll take the Longhorns.



6:30 PM
Arizona State Sun Devils @ Oregon State Beavers
OSU got little credit for hanging with Boise State. I'll take them -3.5 at home against a not-so-good ASU side. The Sun Devils have played close games against tough teams like Wisconsin and Oregon. But they lost. And their two wins came against Portland State and Northern Arizona. So with the small spread, and the game in Corvallis, I'll take the Beavers.



7:00 PM
Texas Tech Red Raiders @ Iowa State Cyclones
ISU sucks, so I'm taking Texas Tech -7. Pretty standard here.



8:00 PM - CBS
#7 Florida Gators @ #1 Alabama Crimson Tide
To be honest, if I were actually betting money, I wouldn't wager on this game. The 8 point spread is too perfect. But since this is just a blog, I can feel free to say that I'll take Alabama -8. I don't think Florida is all that good. They're a Top 20 team, maybe. But not Top 10.



8:00 PM - ABC
#9 Stanford Cardinal @ #4 Oregon
The Pac-10 title might be decided in Eugene Saturday night. I'm taking Stanford +7. I think the Cardinal might be able to keep it close. Then again, I wouldn't be shocked if Oregon racked up 40+.



-The Commodore

Random Celtics News

Here is Nate Robinson still fucking around with Shaq and putting salt water in his drink:


and I guess Delonte is playing like a madman:
"I’m just happy to be given this opportunity to do what I love," he said. "I’m lucky to be here. I’m happy to be here. I’m a soldier in Doc’s army. Whatever he needs me to do. I’ll go to war and die for this team. Playing every game, every minute this year like my life depended on it, cause it [does.] Nothing’s promised."

"I’ve been given this opportunity to prove to the NBA and the world that I’m a good person," West said. "I have a lot to prove and I don’t want to let anyone down. For them to say they want this guy back and Danny Ainge to say that, Wyc [Grousbeck] and the ownership and some of the players… that’s a high compliment. That’s something that you’re going to take to the grave with you. When you’re done playing you’ll tell your kids, 'Doc Rivers wanted me to play for him.' Maybe I’m not this quote unquote bad guy after all." From EEI

I love Delonte, I felt really bad when we traded him for Ray Allen because I believe he had a special bond with Boston. You can call him every name in the book, but there is one thing that I can say with all confidence, is that he is a baller, and he works really hard at it. He may be nutso off the court, but on the court you won't find a harder working fellow.

Why Not?

Why not combine Ghostbusters and AC/DC's Thunderstrike to make Thunder Busters?

Athlete's Really Need To Get Off Twitter

Our latest victim is Oklahoma's sophomore wide receiver Jaz Reynolds who has been suspended indefinitely about joking about a tragedy that recently happened at UT. Anyways, here is what he said:
“Hey everyone in Austin, tx…….kill yourself #evillaugh.”

and then it changed too

“Everyone in austin, tx disregard that last tweet….y’all will mess around n do it lmao.”

Bob Stoops released this shortly after:
“Because of his insensitive remarks on Twitter relative to Tuesday’s tragedy in Austin, we have suspended Jaz Reynolds from our team indefinitely. Our rivalry with Texas will not come at the expense of dignity and respect. We have great concern for what happened in Austin and I am incredibly disappointed that someone connected with our team would react so callously. We have taken immediate action and I hope by doing so have illustrated how seriously we view this matter.”

Yes, I agree he should be suspended about publicly making fun of a tragedy on twitter. But America needs to stop being so uptight about stuff like this. People who play at Oklahoma hate UT and vice versa, so they need to let this go. I mean when Corey Lidle drove his plane into a building all Red Sox fans had a silent chuckle about it. Shit happens, tell this kid to do a public apology and move on, no need to suspend him indefinitely.

How Bout This Punishment

I'll tell you these parents really f'd up this kids plan when he was home alone. He had a nice little night ahead of him with getting high, cranking it to porn and calling it a night, but then this happened. Parents these days are getting too clever with their punishments, what happened to screaming and beating the American way. But I'll tell you what if I was that age and my mom did this to me, it would have been a much more effective technique.

A Closer Look at the AL Cy Young Award

For decades the Baseball Writers Association of America has been handing out the Cy Young award to the best pitcher in each league. And for decades the most heavily weighed factor has been a pitcher's win total. It was long considered an atrocity if a pitcher with less than 20 wins was given the award. In fact, that has only happened a combined 24 times in the AL and NL since the award has been given (not counting RP winners.) Last year's winner, Zack Greinke tied the all-time low in wins for an AL Cy Young winner with 16.

Recent trends and developments in statistics and saber metrics (insert nerd joke here) have become wide spread enough that some writers are beginning to consider them more heavily when voting for the winner. (See Greinke, Zack K.C. Royals 2009) No longer, does the award get decided by archaic statistics like Wins, Losses, ERA and BAA (batting average against). We now have things like BABIP (batting average per balls in play) and WAR (a measurement of a player's contributions to a win compared to a replacement player...Wins Against Replacement). Basically, some nerds who jerk off to baseball games came up with some pretty sweet statistics to try and more accurately measure a player's performance by removing factors out of his control.

The AL Cy Young award is, by most accounts a race between two pitchers. C.C. Sabatthia of the Yankees and Felix Hernandez of the Mariners, although some might include David Price and Clay Buchloz of the Rays and Red Sox, respectively. A few fools might even try to throw Trevor Cahill in the mix, although without 200 IP he's not in my consideration. For the sake, of brevity and simplicity we'll keep this comparison between the top two in my consideration, C.C. and King Felix.

The Argument for C.C. Sabatthia

C.C. knows how to win. Or so Yankees fans and other ignoramouses will try and tell you. However, that is an outdated way of looking at things. C.C. greatly benefits from playing for the Yankees, arguably the best offense in baseball. This is not to say, he's not great and isn't deserving of being in the conversation. He is, in fact near the top of many advanced statistics. WHIP, Percentage of runners left on base, and Wins Against Replacement (WAR) are just a few categories in which he excels (but doesn't lead).

The Argument for Felix Hernandez

King Felix should be one guy who is very glad that an army of basement nerds have come up with the statistics I referenced above. Without them, people might look at his 13-12 record and think he has no chance at winning the Cy Young award. However, a close look reveals that King Felix has been by most measurements the most dominant hurler in the league. He is the leader in Quality Starts (6 IP or more and 3 ER or less) and Innings Pitched. He also has 6 complete games, 4 more than C.C.

Side by Side

Basically, Felix leads Sabatthia in every category that is not dependent on his team, ie. Wins and Losses.

Runs Allowed
C.C. - 92
Felix - 80

Strikeouts
C.C. - 197
Felix - 232

Wins When Team Scores 4 runs or Less (4 is about league average)
C.C. - 6
Felix - 8

When Team Scores 3 runs or less
C.C. - 1
Felix - 2

WAR (Wins Against Replacement)
C.C. - 5.4
Felix - 6.0

If those stats aren't enough to convince you take a look at some of this anecdotal evidence.

In 7 of Hernandez's last 13 starts the Mariners have scored ZERO RUNS! What?!

He has pitched into the 7th inning or better in 24 consecutive starts.

If you give him 4 runs or more, he doesn't lose. He hasn't lost once in that scenario all year long.

He has given up 17 Unearned runs this season. Meaning that those 80 R mentioned earlier is really 63 ER. In almost 250 IP!

You can't hold the failings of his teammates against him. King Felix reigns supreme on the mound. The Mariners are the worst run scoring team in the league, barely cracking 500 runs to this point. The Yankees on the other hand are the league leader in runs with over 830 scored so far.

The AL Cy Young should definitely go to King Felix. Let's hope the crusty old writers are all reading fangraph.com!


*NL Cy Young Award debate later this week.

If Facebook Had Been Around

5 White Sox, 2 Red Sox

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
BOS	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	4	1
CHW	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	1	-	5	13	0

W: F. Garcia (12-6)

L: J. Beckett (6-6)

S: M. Thornton (8)

Well josh Beckett ended the season on a winning note.... oh wait, nope he lost to even his record to 6-6. Like many Red Sox fans, I'm forced to assume this year is an off year and he will be fine next year, because he's with us for 900 more years.

Back to last nights game. Omar Vizquel hit a go-ahead single in Chicago's three-run seventh inning and the White Sox backed Garcia in a 5-2 win. After Vizquel's hit, the White Sox made it 4-1 on a throwing error by catcher Victor Martinez and a single by Alexei Ramirez.

I like the White Sox for next year a lot. They have good young players to be excited about with Tyler Flowers, Dayan Viciedo, Chris Sale and Ozzie Guillen's antics. The White Sox are in my top 5 of teams that I root for and I think with the young pitching staff and decent hitting, they can definitely push the Twins for next year. Let's face it, Carl Pavano will not repeat and their pitching staff is a mess right now.

Anyways, both Sox teams are out if it. There is always next year.

Scoring Summary

			BOS	CHW
	4th	D Ortiz singled to left, M Scutaro scored.	1	0
	4th	A Pierzynski homered to right (347 feet).	1	1
	7th	O Vizquel singled to center, A De Aza scored, J Pierre to second.	1	2
	7th	B Lillibridge reached on bunt single to catcher, J Pierre to third, O Vizquel to second, J Pierre scored, O Vizquel to third, B Lillibridge to second on throwing error by catcher V Martinez.	1	3
	7th	A Ramirez singled to left, O Vizquel scored, B Lillibridge to third, A Pierzynski to second.	1	4
	8th	M Lowell homered to left center (400 feet).	2	4
	8th	J Pierre grounded into double play, shortstop to first, B Morel scored, A De Aza out at second.	2	5