It's been awhile since I've blogged so I thought I'd rant about a few topics. By the way am I ridiculous with all this alliteration? Absolutely, but I love my last name and it is quite conducive to alliteration.
Fantasy Baseball:
For the first time in years I decided to partake in a fantasy baseball league and I must admit I have my regrets. It's an unlimited keeper league with 12 teams that will in theory exist for many years. Now I must admit that I joined this league partly due to the flattery I experienced from some members but I really did think I would enjoy it.However I've learned a few things about fantasy baseball that could be quite useful for newcomers.
1. The money versus team issue is worse then in football. My reasoning is that with so many players you are bound to face your favorite team every week and this stuff can weigh on you. For example I drafted Rafi Betancourt this year and he flat out stinks. So when I find out today that the tribe won 4-2 I was very pleased. Then I heard that Rafi got lit up and Masa Kobayashi got the save. I'll admit my thought process shifted from "the tribe just swept the A's at home," to "how has the best setup man in the bigs in 07 single-handedly ruined 3 fantasy weeks for me." I also just cut Paul Byrd before his latest gem that included a season high 7 k's. Now I understand that this makes me sound like a crappy fan (which I'm not seeing as I watch every game in every month basically)but it stings. Is this a flaw not of fantasy baseball but of Brian Rosen? Quite possibly but it's enough to make me regret the decision to join the league in the first place.
2. A league of your peers is flat out shady. This may seem commonplace but I forgot how much of a hidden agenda everybody has. It truly boggles my mind that a group of very good friends could seek to screw each other so badly all the time. While most of the leagues members are older and not in my group of friends, I still find it wrong that 80 percent of the league doesn't believe in a mutually beneficial trade. It's hard for a completely fair trade in fantasy but purposely trying to offer a completely unreasonable deal is dead wrong from where I'm sitting.
3. Pay special attention to players that offer outstanding specializations such as a Javier Vazquez who consistently has high strikeout games and Willy Taveras who is awful but a stolen base machine.
500 sounds about right:
Currently the Indians stand at 3 games above 500 but they sure remind you of a 500 team. By 500 I mean they are among the best pitching teams in the MLB and among the worst hitting clubs. This drives me nuts as I cannot comprehend why we haven't dealt for a bat yet. Now thinking you have to much pitching is dumb but thinking that you can bring the same sometimes downright awful lineup back from 07 is foolish as well. I'm a Mark Shapiro guy but I think he made one critical error this off season: not accounting for regression. To assume that Hafner, Gutierrez, Cabrera, Dellucci, etc would all provide offense was illogical. The Pronk is a project again without the mental toughness to succeed as of now and the youngsters (minus Dellucci who's not young) have all been disappointments. Sure any number of these guys may wake up but if Victor Martinez is your lone consistent hitter then you have problems. Both Grady and Garko haven't wowed anybody either and Peralta/Blake are much closer to 200 then 300.
Overall, I do think this team can have success but they will miss the playoffs without acquiring a bat. Mark me down for that right now. They have the talent on this roster to compete all year right now but the Tigers will overtake the Tribe in time unless Shapiro can add a quality bat. Sorry Markie, Kenny Lofton will not suffice this time around.
That's all I got be sure to tune into Rumblings every Tuesday from 6-8. Peace Buckeye fans
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
SEASON OUTLOOK…CAN THE REDS COMPETE IN 08?
The 2007 baseball season saw the Cincinnati Reds post a 72-90 record which landed them a fifth place finish in the National League Central Division. To many fans, this was very disappointing because the 2006 season saw the Reds finish just two games behind the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s safe to say the 2008 Cincinnati Reds have received an “extreme makeover” and one can’t help but wonder if these changes will be enough to propel the Reds into the post season for the first time since 1995.
Arguably the biggest and best change the Reds made during the off-season was the hiring of new manager Dusty Baker. Dusty Baker brings a winning attitude along with his impressive resume to Cincinnati. Baker is a three time National League Manager of the Year. Baker has led four of his teams to the playoffs and has won 90 games in a season five times. The teams that he has managed have finished either first or second place nine times. A big name manager is something the Reds have lacked for many years. The last big name manager the Reds had that comes to my mind is Lou Piniella…and what did he do…manage the Reds to a World Series title in 1990.
Pitching has been a major issue for this franchise over recent years. A team needs to have good pitching if they want to make the playoffs. Knowing that their pitching has been their weak point, the Reds bolstered both their starting pitching and bullpen in the off-season…enter Francisco Cordero.
The Reds acquired closing pitcher Francisco Cordero from free agency when the division rival Milwaukee Brewers chose not to re-sign him. Cordero will be the ninth inning man for the Reds and this will take the monkey off the back of veteran David Weathers. This will allow the Reds to move David Weathers back to his setup role in either the seventh or eighth inning. Also the young and hard throwing right hander Jared Burton will receive a lot of opportunities in either the seventh or eight innings as well. Acquiring Cordero SHOULD give the Reds a solid back end of the bullpen which should drastically reduce the amount of blown leads the Reds tallied throughout the 2007 season.
The Reds also acquired relief pitcher Jeremy Affeldt from the Colorado Rockies. Affeldt will also provide stability to a “shaky” bullpen. Affeldt had a good season in relief last year with the Rockies, and hopefully he brings that performance to Cincinnati. As far as starting pitching goes, the Reds will look to Aaron Harang to be their ace and to put up the numbers he has in the past two seasons. Bronson Arroyo will be the number two starter while the final three spots in the rotation belong to Johnny Cueto, Josh Fogg, and Edinson Volquez. It will be interesting to watch the young and hard throwing pitchers in Cueto and Volquez mature throughout the season. Throughout his first two major league starts Cueto is 1-0 with a 2.03 era and 18 strikeouts. He has received a lot of hype from everybody around the league. Volquez also had a great first start as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
As I write this article the Reds are 6-4 in the 2008 season. They have the weapons on offense to score runs. However, the fans will have to see if the new manager and new pieces to the “pitching puzzle” will be enough to push the Reds into the playoffs. The National League Central Division is arguably the weakest division in all of Major League Baseball, and if the Reds can get quality pitching performances, they have the talent and capability to compete with the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers for the National League Central title.
It’s safe to say the 2008 Cincinnati Reds have received an “extreme makeover” and one can’t help but wonder if these changes will be enough to propel the Reds into the post season for the first time since 1995.
Arguably the biggest and best change the Reds made during the off-season was the hiring of new manager Dusty Baker. Dusty Baker brings a winning attitude along with his impressive resume to Cincinnati. Baker is a three time National League Manager of the Year. Baker has led four of his teams to the playoffs and has won 90 games in a season five times. The teams that he has managed have finished either first or second place nine times. A big name manager is something the Reds have lacked for many years. The last big name manager the Reds had that comes to my mind is Lou Piniella…and what did he do…manage the Reds to a World Series title in 1990.
Pitching has been a major issue for this franchise over recent years. A team needs to have good pitching if they want to make the playoffs. Knowing that their pitching has been their weak point, the Reds bolstered both their starting pitching and bullpen in the off-season…enter Francisco Cordero.
The Reds acquired closing pitcher Francisco Cordero from free agency when the division rival Milwaukee Brewers chose not to re-sign him. Cordero will be the ninth inning man for the Reds and this will take the monkey off the back of veteran David Weathers. This will allow the Reds to move David Weathers back to his setup role in either the seventh or eighth inning. Also the young and hard throwing right hander Jared Burton will receive a lot of opportunities in either the seventh or eight innings as well. Acquiring Cordero SHOULD give the Reds a solid back end of the bullpen which should drastically reduce the amount of blown leads the Reds tallied throughout the 2007 season.
The Reds also acquired relief pitcher Jeremy Affeldt from the Colorado Rockies. Affeldt will also provide stability to a “shaky” bullpen. Affeldt had a good season in relief last year with the Rockies, and hopefully he brings that performance to Cincinnati. As far as starting pitching goes, the Reds will look to Aaron Harang to be their ace and to put up the numbers he has in the past two seasons. Bronson Arroyo will be the number two starter while the final three spots in the rotation belong to Johnny Cueto, Josh Fogg, and Edinson Volquez. It will be interesting to watch the young and hard throwing pitchers in Cueto and Volquez mature throughout the season. Throughout his first two major league starts Cueto is 1-0 with a 2.03 era and 18 strikeouts. He has received a lot of hype from everybody around the league. Volquez also had a great first start as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
As I write this article the Reds are 6-4 in the 2008 season. They have the weapons on offense to score runs. However, the fans will have to see if the new manager and new pieces to the “pitching puzzle” will be enough to push the Reds into the playoffs. The National League Central Division is arguably the weakest division in all of Major League Baseball, and if the Reds can get quality pitching performances, they have the talent and capability to compete with the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers for the National League Central title.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Bucks win NIT
It is riot time again in Columbus. The burning dumpsters and horseback policemen are in full force because the Ohio State Buckeyes are NIT CHAMPIONS!!
A masterful second half led to a 92-85 win over UMass so after this blog post is finished, I think I’m going to join the mass hysteria on High Street.
Alright, slight exaggeration, but an exciting way to end the season nonetheless.
This team once thought incapable of winning big games or putting teams away down the stretch mowed their way through five teams on the way to the tournament championship. No, it isn’t the big one, but it is still a great way for Jamar Butler, Matt Terwilliger and Othello Hunter to go out after a sour regular season and will make next year’s team infinitely better.
Kosta Koufos was unstoppable in this tournament, and finally stopped committing the silly turnovers and taking the ugly shots that had plagued him and the Bucks for much of the season.
Evan Turner scored 20 in the title game, using a mixture of nice drives, three-pointers and a massive put-back dunk. He also was seen running some point; foreshadowing the state of affairs for next season. Turner is a kid who has got game, he just needs to be harnessed in a little and know when to stay under control and when to pass on certain shots. He will be a future leader of this basketball team.
David Lighty was solid throughout, and Jon Diebler and P.J. Hill at the least had a learning experience.
The Buckeyes teamwork and focus was superior throughout the tourney and they clearly showed a lot of pride and worked hard to win each game. That is what we have come to expect from a Thad Matta coached team. They were relaxed and found a way to shut the door on opposing teams.
This title will be forgotten outside of Columbus within two weeks. But these players and fans will remember this if the Buckeyes are in the Big Dance next year, because this experience has helped them get there.
-Matt Friedman
A masterful second half led to a 92-85 win over UMass so after this blog post is finished, I think I’m going to join the mass hysteria on High Street.
Alright, slight exaggeration, but an exciting way to end the season nonetheless.
This team once thought incapable of winning big games or putting teams away down the stretch mowed their way through five teams on the way to the tournament championship. No, it isn’t the big one, but it is still a great way for Jamar Butler, Matt Terwilliger and Othello Hunter to go out after a sour regular season and will make next year’s team infinitely better.
Kosta Koufos was unstoppable in this tournament, and finally stopped committing the silly turnovers and taking the ugly shots that had plagued him and the Bucks for much of the season.
Evan Turner scored 20 in the title game, using a mixture of nice drives, three-pointers and a massive put-back dunk. He also was seen running some point; foreshadowing the state of affairs for next season. Turner is a kid who has got game, he just needs to be harnessed in a little and know when to stay under control and when to pass on certain shots. He will be a future leader of this basketball team.
David Lighty was solid throughout, and Jon Diebler and P.J. Hill at the least had a learning experience.
The Buckeyes teamwork and focus was superior throughout the tourney and they clearly showed a lot of pride and worked hard to win each game. That is what we have come to expect from a Thad Matta coached team. They were relaxed and found a way to shut the door on opposing teams.
This title will be forgotten outside of Columbus within two weeks. But these players and fans will remember this if the Buckeyes are in the Big Dance next year, because this experience has helped them get there.
-Matt Friedman
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Cavs blog
Listeners,
As you may know, I'm a big Cleveland sports fan. Here are my thoughts on the Cavs as they gear up for the playoffs:
The NBA playoffs are almost here, and as a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, this is the time of year I had been anticipating since the Cavs fell in the NBA Finals in early June. Sprinkle in a better-than-ever LeBron and the biggest trade in Cavs history, and I should be getting ready to celebrate Cleveland’s first major sports championship since 1964.
Problem; the Cavs don’t look like a champion right now and I’m almost dreading the start of the playoffs. Maybe that’s a little overkill, but I definitely don’t think—with the combination of injuries and new players—this team is ready to make the postseason run yet.
The Cavs are like a college student who lost their cell phone, their car is in the shop and their significant other just broke up with them—all one day before a big research paper is due—they need an extension.
With players going in and out of the doctor’s office and newly-acquired Wally Szczerbiak pulling a Larry Hughes impression, the team has been unable to jell. The luster of the trade has worn off as folks have realized how hard it is to replace half the team and have them all playing in sync by the playoffs.
Delonte West has been inconsistent as the point guard, often deferring to LeBron. Perhaps most importantly, coach Mike Brown hasn’t seen enough of all 11 players healthy to know what rotation will work best and who will see a decrease in minutes.
It’s hard to even know what the best, most productive lineup to put out on the floor will be. Mike Brown essentially needs to figure out how much of each ingredient he needs to make the best batch of cookies. That’s something that should be accomplished during the regular season, not the postseason. Mmm, cookies.
The Cavs won on Sunday against Philly in the final game before press time, and I have to admit that it was a solid, hard fought win and I was very happy. I was also basically done with this article, and decided that one win wasn’t enough to make me spend the next two hours writing a wildly optimistic NBA Champions Cavs column. The team has been much too inconsistent and unpredictable for me to do that.
Maybe the most troubling thing is that the Cavs will run into tough opponents, and I’m not just talking Pistons or Celtics, I’m talking about a tough first-round match-up, which will likely be with Washington, Philadelphia or Toronto. The Sixers are red-hot, Washington is a familiar but strong opponent and the Raptors have one of the most underrated players in basketball in Chris Bosh. Unless the Cavs really get things together, they will still likely have a longer, more difficult first round than the four-game sweep of the Wizards from last year.
One positive to remember is that the Cavs weren’t all that impressive or consistent heading into the playoffs last year, but still won the East. Starting Wednesday against Charlotte, the Cavs have eight games to figure it out and then the playoffs begin.
I’m not trying to be a downer; in fact I hate the unflappable pessimism of some Cleveland fans. I’m just being realistic. The Cavs surely have the talent to go toe-to-toe with anyone in basketball and make a run at the title, but they need to get that talent working in sublime fashion if they hope to match or improve upon last season’s playoff run. I’m also not forgetting the LeBron factor: in the playoffs, he will stop at nothing to win and can carry the team on his back.
Finally, just to prove I’m not some Cleveland pessimist, let me say this: the Indians will take home the World Series title in 2008. By next February, three major sports championship trophies will reside in Cleveland. Not to mention the Gladiators in the Arena Football League.
Alright, fine, maybe just one trophy.
Please?
The NBA playoffs are almost here, and as a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, this is the time of year I had been anticipating since the Cavs fell in the NBA Finals in early June. Sprinkle in a better-than-ever LeBron and the biggest trade in Cavs history, and I should be getting ready to celebrate Cleveland’s first major sports championship since 1964.
Problem; the Cavs don’t look like a champion right now and I’m almost dreading the start of the playoffs. Maybe that’s a little overkill, but I definitely don’t think—with the combination of injuries and new players—this team is ready to make the postseason run yet.
The Cavs are like a college student who lost their cell phone, their car is in the shop and their significant other just broke up with them—all one day before a big research paper is due—they need an extension.
With players going in and out of the doctor’s office and newly-acquired Wally Szczerbiak pulling a Larry Hughes impression, the team has been unable to jell. The luster of the trade has worn off as folks have realized how hard it is to replace half the team and have them all playing in sync by the playoffs.
Delonte West has been inconsistent as the point guard, often deferring to LeBron. Perhaps most importantly, coach Mike Brown hasn’t seen enough of all 11 players healthy to know what rotation will work best and who will see a decrease in minutes.
It’s hard to even know what the best, most productive lineup to put out on the floor will be. Mike Brown essentially needs to figure out how much of each ingredient he needs to make the best batch of cookies. That’s something that should be accomplished during the regular season, not the postseason. Mmm, cookies.
The Cavs won on Sunday against Philly in the final game before press time, and I have to admit that it was a solid, hard fought win and I was very happy. I was also basically done with this article, and decided that one win wasn’t enough to make me spend the next two hours writing a wildly optimistic NBA Champions Cavs column. The team has been much too inconsistent and unpredictable for me to do that.
Maybe the most troubling thing is that the Cavs will run into tough opponents, and I’m not just talking Pistons or Celtics, I’m talking about a tough first-round match-up, which will likely be with Washington, Philadelphia or Toronto. The Sixers are red-hot, Washington is a familiar but strong opponent and the Raptors have one of the most underrated players in basketball in Chris Bosh. Unless the Cavs really get things together, they will still likely have a longer, more difficult first round than the four-game sweep of the Wizards from last year.
One positive to remember is that the Cavs weren’t all that impressive or consistent heading into the playoffs last year, but still won the East. Starting Wednesday against Charlotte, the Cavs have eight games to figure it out and then the playoffs begin.
I’m not trying to be a downer; in fact I hate the unflappable pessimism of some Cleveland fans. I’m just being realistic. The Cavs surely have the talent to go toe-to-toe with anyone in basketball and make a run at the title, but they need to get that talent working in sublime fashion if they hope to match or improve upon last season’s playoff run. I’m also not forgetting the LeBron factor: in the playoffs, he will stop at nothing to win and can carry the team on his back.
Finally, just to prove I’m not some Cleveland pessimist, let me say this: the Indians will take home the World Series title in 2008. By next February, three major sports championship trophies will reside in Cleveland. Not to mention the Gladiators in the Arena Football League.
Alright, fine, maybe just one trophy.
Please?
-Matt Friedman
Thursday, March 27, 2008
I want to be a part of it...
Look at that picture.
"It's just a shot of some of the OSU basketball team smiling," you might say.
It isn't just the shot, it is what is behind the shot. This is a team having fun, and once again they had a fun night in the NIT quarterfinals, advancing past Dayton, 74-63.
They have been executing on both ends of the floor, and even more importantly, they have been relaxed and loose throughout the tournament. This is a team that is playing its best basketball right now, and really a group that had much of the talent all along. It was that calm, that quiet confidence, that the team was missing.
With every game another opportunity to state a case for the NCAA Tournament, the team often put too much pressure on themselves and forgot to have any fun. They learned from that.
Trailing 31-30 at half tonight, the Bucks seemed to have met their match in Dayton. But, they breezed by the Flyers in the second half and led to this image of the players enjoying another victory. They will now go to New York for an NIT semifinal for the second time this season, as they did for the NIT Tip-Off tournament.
Like we said on the broadcast, it may only be the NIT, but this team has played with a whole lot of pride rather than hanging their heads over not making the big tourney. If they keep playing like they have the first three games, they will coast to their second-ever NIT Championship. It's no NCAA, but it would be a nice consolation and leave a good taste from this season.
It was great to see seniors Jamar Butler, Matt Terwilliger and Othello Hunter (and maybe departing Kosta Koufos?) leave their final games at the Schott to a standing ovation. It was also a bittersweet night for myself and Josh Ellis, a senior broadcast duo that did our final basketball broadcast. We have been grateful to have the opportunity to call games for this team. I hope to call basketball again soon, next time as a pro, but who knows if and where?
Finally, legendary Cleveland Cavalier announcer Joe Tait did his 3,000th Cavs broadcast tonight. He has been an inspiration to me and has set the bar high for the next era of broadcasters. There will never be another quite like him. Way to go Joe.
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