Singing a Different Tune About LeBron

After watching LeBron James and D-Wade answer every question and close out another game, Game 1 of The Finals, I have no problem admitting they are number 1 and 2 in the league. I was a hater from the beginning, bitching about their arrogance and waiting for their demise. I never questioned their talent and picked them to win it all in 6 games after they defeated the Bulls. I now wonder if the series will even go that long. 

With LeBron's first ring and Wade's second on the cusp, I'm starting to wonder where they stack up with the best players in the NBA. In 1996-97 the NBA came out with the top 50 players and since then I feel like only a handful of players would crack that list. In no particular order; Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, and currently in the finals, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. A few others you could argue but I think a lot of the current superstars need to put in a few more years. 

As for Wade and LeBron, I honestly feel that they belong in the top 25 with LeBron already being in the top 15. He easily has the potential to be a top 3-5 greatest player of all time. I won't pull a Scottie Pippen and say LeBron is already better than Jordan, but he forgets more about basketball than I'll ever know. I just don't agree with him. If LeBron wins 6 rings, continues to put up 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists every year, who's to say that he won't be? I just hope my "hating" on him won't blind me from watching one of the greatest perform. 

My top 5 most memorable games. Bruins Game 7 is right there!

It's been a few days since the Bruins sealed up the Eastern Conference and are on there way to the Stanley Cup Finals. My initial reaction was this was a top 5 most memorable sports moment in Boston sports in my lifetime. I wanted to take a couple days to give it some time to see if it would wear off but I still feel that way. 

Now there's horrible memories like the '86 Red Sox, '03 Red Sox and the 18-1 Patriots (screw you David Tyree) but this game was definitely in the 5 most memorable positive outcomes. In no order, I would say Game 7 Sox vs Yankees in '04, Game 4 Sox vs Cardinals in '04, Patriots vs Rams Super Bowl in '01, and the "Bird stole the ball" Celtics playoff game. I was between 6-8 at the time so I'm not sure the exact game. I just remember watching the game with my Nana and falling in love with basketball, Larry Bird and the Celtics right there. This Bruins game 7 is right up there with them. 

I was on the edge of my seat the whole game and after the Bruins scored with just over 7 minutes left in the game, I had to remind myself to keep breathing. With success coming few and far between for the Bruins, I feel it adds to the drama. I'm hoping a Stanley Cup win for the first time in 39 years will replace this game on my top 5 most memorable games. We'll know in a few weeks. 

Fantasy Sports

I consider myself somewhat of an oxymoron. I'm an objective Boston sports fan which is hard to fine. If you know anything about Boston fans, we bleed the colors of our teams and we don't like to hear about anything going wrong with our local heroes. I have no problem telling you when we suck, and even less of a problem when we are dominating. I think it's because I'm becoming more of a sports fan rather than a regional fan and I think fantasy sports have something to do with it. 

I started playing fantasy football 5 years ago and fantasy baseball 2 years later. In order to succeed, I need to stay up to date with every team/player in the league. Every game I watch becomes important and gives me a reason to pay attention. I wouldn't hear of a lot of up and coming players and athletes from small market teams if it wasn't for fantasy sports. I know that God's greatest gifts don't always put on the Boston uniform, unlike when I was a kid. I've caught a lot of great games, including the 19 inning game in Philadelphia and the 12 inning game in San Francisco recently where Buster Posey brutally injured his leg and ankle. These are games I wouldn't be following otherwise. 

I've heard from people who haven't played fantasy sports before say it's dumb and pathetic but I believe they don't know what they're missing. A lot of my fun growing up derived from sports and being competitive with my friends. Growing older and having day to day responsibilities limits my ability to play in sporting events on a regular basis but these leagues help me stay competitive with friends. Oh, then there's the trash talking which is always fun. 

I still am and always will be a Boston sports fan first but now enjoy games from all over. It's bittersweet though when a pitcher on my fantasy team shuts down my Red Sox like tonight. So  Jake Peavy, here's your thanks and I hate you all in one. 

Wilson Valdez is a Winner!

The Phillies and Reds played a terribly long game on Wednesday night, as the Phillies eeked out a 5-4 win, in 19 innings over the Cincinnati Reds.  The game went so long, that the Phillies ran out of pitchers.  No problem, they pulled in Wilson Valdez from second, to pitch the 19th.

I'm sure the Reds were licking their chops, especially with Joey Votto stepping up to the plate.  No matter, as Valdez got him to fly out to center.  He also hit 90 on the gun.  Valdez got through the inning unscathed, and the Phillies won it on a sac fly in the 19th.

Valdez becomes the first position player since Brett Mayne to win a game as a pitcher; Mayne did it in 2000.  Valdez is also the first player since Babe Ruth to win a game as a pitcher, after starting the game as a position player.

Babe Ruth and Wilson Valdez forever joined in history.  Unbelievable.

My Beef With Bud Black

Not this year, Buddy

The San Diego Padres have gotten off to a horrendous 20-30 start.  I had the Padres winning 83 games at the start of the season, so they have grossly underachieved, at least by the expectations I had.  The Padres have been the worst offensive team in baseball this year, as they are dead last in average, and slugging percentage.

I am not one of those dopey fans who calls for the heads of the manager.  Overall, I think Bud Black is a good manager.  He took the Padres within one game of the playoffs last year, and deserved the extension he received.  This Padres team is devoid of offense talent.  When your hitting Orlando Hudson and Nick Hundley in the middle of your order, you know things are going to be rough.

I do however, loathe the way Bud has managed this team.  I do not like the way he has set his lineups.  Ryan Ludwick has seemed to produce much more when he hits lower than 4th, leave him down there.  The recently departed Will Venable has great wheels, but really had no business leading off.  His most egregious of errors however, is his aversion to playing rookies.

When Orlando Hudson hit the DL earlier in the month, the Padres brought up Logan Forsythe, an infielder, and one of the organizations top minor league players.  He was a former 1st rounder, and put up a .388 OBP in AAA Tucson.  Naturally, a team with no other viable options, wouldn't bring up a kid to ride the pine, right?  Well Forsythe made one whole start in two weeks, and went hitless in eight at-bats.  The Padres chose to play Alberto Gonzalez and Eric Patterson at 2nd, both players are fringe minor leaguers at best.  I was floored that Forsythe was never given a shot to see what he can do in the big leagues.

The Padres also recently purchased the contract of Blake Tekotte, a 3rd rounder back in '08.  Tekotte was playing in AA San Antonio, where he posted a solid line of .291/.410/.486, and had 14 steals in 16 attempts.  He was not on the 40 man roster, so the Padres parted ways with Samuel Deduno, a pitcher who cracked the opening day lineup.  The Padres have minor league outfielders Luis Durango, Aaron Cunningham, and Cedric Hunter on the 40 man roster already, and all have seen big league action recently.  The Padres chose Tekotte, because he profiled the best defensively.

Tekotte has seen one at-bat in the three games that he has been in San Diego.  Clearly, he was not brought up to play, so why waste the roster space on him.  He should be getting at-bats somewhere, be it in AA, or in the big leagues.  A 23 year old, who hasn't even seen AAA, should not be riding the pine.  It just a waste to not be giving him regular at-bats.

I believe that Buddy Black is the right manager for this team, I just wish he would let the kids play in this lost season.

Justin's MLB Early Surprises

The MLB season is about 1/3rd of the way in and there's already been plenty of surprises on and off the field. There's been a lot of big names on the disabled list and a few resurgences from veterans who seemed over the hill. There's been teams who were picked to down right suck who are thriving early on. 

You can put an all star team together with the stars that have been on the DL already this year. David Wright, Evan Longoria, Ryan Zimmerman, Jason Heyward, Victor Martinez, Pedro Sandoval, Jake Peavy, John Lackey, Josh Johnson, Andrew Bailey, Brad Lidge, Jason Bay, Vernon Wells, Josh Hamilton and Zack Grienke just to name a handful. It's just one of those weird things this year but 3rd base has been brutal when it comes to injuries. It's been a tough position to fill in the fantasy baseball world. 

A big disappointment has been that 6 players were arrested for DUI with in the first month of the season. Miguel Cabrera, Austin Kearns, Shin-Soo Choo, Adam Kennedy, Coco Crisp and Derek Lowe were the guilty parties. There is no disciplinary action in place by MLB for this. 

There's been big disappointments on the field as well. The Red Sox and their enormous payroll started out horrendous but picked it up of late to get to four games over .500. The Chicago White Sox were the favorites to win the AL Central but an anemic bullpen has them struggling early. Then there's the debacle in Los Angeles were MLB had to take over the Dodgers due to the McCourts ugly divorce case. 

The biggest surprise has to be the Cleveland Indians. Picked by a lot of experts to be the worst team in baseball but instead they have the best record in the Majors and are 18-5 at home. Florida looks like they'll be in the hunt all year because of their talented pitching staff and young sluggers stepping up. Pittsburg has actually been competitive early as well. 

I know it's early but here are my picks for individual awards:
AL; MVP- Curtis Granderson. He is on fire and has been the best Yankee hands down. He will still strike out in bunches but his numbers are off the chart. He's currently at .275/16HRs/35RBIs/37R/6Steals. He is 2nd in HRs, 3rd in slugging %, and 4th in RBIs and OPS in the AL. 

Cy Young- Josh Beckett. He's let up 2 runs or less in 8 out of 10 starts, and no more than 4 runs in any one start. He is 4-1 with a .95 WHIP, 1.69 ERA and batters are only hitting .186 off him. Oh, and he has 58Ks to 20BBs in 64 innings pitched. 

Rookie of the Year- Michael Pineda- you could argue Pineda as a Cy Young candidate and he probably will be one in the future. He is 6-2 with a .94 WHIP and a 2.16 ERA. He also has a k/9 of 9.41. He gives Seattle hope, especially if they have to move King Felix. In my opinion they should hold onto him. Pitching wins and Seattle now has a nice 1-2 punch. 

Comeback player- Russell Martin- in 98 games last year with the Dodgers, Martin batted .248 with 5 HRs and 26 RBIs. He already had 9 HRs 26 RBIs and batting .266 with the Yankees this year. He's also had numerous key hits throughout the season. 

NL; MVP- Ryan Braun- Just coming off a 10 game hit streak, Braun's numbers are dominant. He's batting .299/12HRs/37RBIs/34R/10Steals. Braun will challenge for the MVP for many years to come. 

Cy Young- Josh Johnson- He's currently on the DL but has been close to un-hittable  all year. Only a 3-1 record but has a .98 WHIP, a 1.64 ERA and a .185 batting average against. 

Rookie of the Year- Brett Wallace- Although his power numbers aren't huge, he is having a great year. Being stuck in that Astros line up makes it hard to rack up the RBIs. That being said, he is hitting .316/3HRs/15RBIs/21Rs. He has an OBP of .388 as well. 

Comeback Player- Hands down it's Lance Berkman. Last year with Houston and New York (AL) combined he hit .248 with 14HRs/48RBIs. This year for St. Louis his numbers are insane! .346/11HRs/35RBIs/32Rs/31BBs and a ridiculous 1.116 OPS. 

Lakers Hire Mike Brown

The Lakers have the heir apprent to the retired Phil Jackson; and that replacment is former Cavs coach Mike Brown.  Brown signed a four year, $18.5 million dollar to deal to be the headman in Hollywood.  The fourth year is an option.

Brown had a successful, but controversial tenure with Cleveland.  He owns a spectacular .663 winning percentage, and won Coach of the Year in 2009.  He was criticized for never winning a championship with Lebron James, and fans grew disenchanted over his defense first philosophy.

Personally, Brown is a good hire.  While he doesn't have the hardware, he was the most polished coach of the potential candidates that the Lakers could have hired.  Rick Adelman is a solid coach, Brian Shaw is a respected assistant who is a Jackson prodigy.  Mike Dunleavy would have been a disaster.

The Lakers have bigger problems than the Head Coaching position.  They are coming off a horrid run in the playoffs, and figure to have some roster turnover.

  

Stanley Cup hopes for This Bruins Fan...

The Boston Bruins are one win away from going to the Stanley Cup and facing the Vancouver Canucks. The last time they were there was 1990, when I was 10. Other than a conference final in 1992 where they lost to an all time great Pittsburg Penguins team, they really haven't done much. It's been painful first and second round losses year in and year out. It got to the point where petitions went around to fire Harry Sinden, who ran the team during that championship dry spell and franchise players like Ray Bourque  were leaving to win a cup elsewhere.

With the recent success of all the other Boston teams, the Bruins have been pushed to the bottom of the local team totem pole. When the Sox, Pats and Celtics have won recent championships, the Bs have had historic collapses. The last two years they have been sent packing in game 7 losses in the second round. Last year they lost after having a 3-0 lead in the series and in game 7 but baffled their fan base by being the first NHL team in 50 plus years to give up a 3-0 lead in a series (sound familiar Yankee fans?)

They can erase all their recent mediocrity by winning tonight and going to play for the Stanley Cup. As a fan, I haven't been this excited to win yet nervous about my team failing since 2003. That's the year Aaron Bleeping Boone hit an extra inning game 7 home run to kill the hopes of all Sox fans. 2004 and 2007 has ALMOST erased those memories. The game is still 14 hours away and my heart is ready to beat out of my chest. That's what it's all about when your a fan around here. -Justin Adams

Someone New. Please?

In my lifetime, since 1980, there has only been 8 teams crowned champions in the NBA and 6 of them have multiple titles (Lakers 10, Bulls 6, Spurs 4, Celtics 4, Pistons 3, Rockets 2, Heat and 76ers 1 each.) This year will be the first time since 1998 that Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan or Kobe Bryant won't be in the finals. Don't sports thrive on parity? It's interesting to see dominant teams but this is getting ridiculous. I want, no, need someone new to win if basketball is going to peak my interest. 

Of the 4 teams remaining, the Western Conference does not have a team on that list of 8 winners, and both teams in the East have won previously. It makes it easier to figure out who to route for since my home team, the Celtics, are out. (Yes I know this seems hypocritical since the Cs have won multiple championships, but I'm a homer first and an NBA fan second.) It doesn't hurt routing for the west since the hated Heat looks like they are coming out of the East. With a pompous team like that, my decision was pretty much made up for me. If Dallas wins, I'll be happy to see Dirk Nowitzski get a ring which he deserves. If Oklahoma City wins, it'll be nice to see Kevin Durant, who already is a top 3 player in the NBA get a ring. I don't care who wins, just someone new. Please!

Why I root Against the Miami Heat

The Heat are in the drivers seat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Chicago Bulls, after winning 96-85 on Sunday night.  Chris Bosh had a dominant game, scoring 34 points in the win.  It appears than many people are enjoying the Heatles run to greatness, I however, would like to see them crash and burn.

First of all, I strongly dislike Lebron James.  The "decision" showed the world that his ego is in a different stratosphere, and ripping the heart out of a city who has suffered enough over the years.  Even before that, James came across as an entitled brat, who had everyone in his life cater to his needs.  I respect the talent, but cannot stand the individual.

Second, the whole pageantry of the big three's arrival in Miami left a bitter taste in my mouth.  Bosh played for a sorry Toronto team that collapsed last year, and I felt he was not worth the deal he received.  Before the team had even played a game together, they declared that they would win seven championships, even though the team had no point guard, or bench to speak of.

You would think that having two of the best players in the game would energize a market starving for a winner, yet often times this season, American Airlines Arena was not filled to capacity.  Miami is a tourist town, and the citizens looked like they had yet to fully embrace their new super squad.

Everyone else may want to see "King James" win his first ring, but I take pleasure in watching him fail.  Perhaps I am bitter, but there is just something about the guy that rubs me the wrong way.  Here's hoping that the Bulls can crush the spirits of Lebron once more.

-Kevin

Another Poor Week in San Diego

The Padres went into their current homestand, with some momentum, winning a series in Colorado, and splitting against the Diamondbacks.  The weekend series vs. the Mariners killed any momentum the Padres had going, however.

The Padres scored a grand total of two runs in the three game set, and simply looked overmatched at the plate.  Michael Pineda stifled the Padres on Saturday, giving up just two hits over seven innings, striking out nine.  King Felix was just as dominant on Sunday, striking 13 in eight innings. 

The Padres cannot get it done with runners in scoring position, as they have hit .215 in those situations this season.  The team preached a small-ball approach going into the season, and it simply has not worked this year.  The team has some intriguing prospects on the farm, but they are not quite ripe yet for the picking.

For now, San Diego fans are stuck watching punchless baseball, which stinks.

Passing on the Tradition

Most of my preteen/early teenage years was spent being obsessed with collecting baseball cards. I used all my paper route, Christmas and birthday money, and any loose change I could find to buy packs of cards. I would ride my bike to Front Row card store with my brother and friends to chase that next big rookie or "priceless" card I may come across in a pack. Except to me it wasn't priceless. All my cards that were worth anything I would trade in to get more cards and eventually I would be left with common cards (I would also do this years later with gambling winnings at casinos. Instead of getting back "commons" I'd get back a big fat nothing.) Looking back, it wasn't the cards that were "priceless" but the experience that was. It's how I memorized stats and got involved in learning about all sports. I still wished I had a few of my Randy Johnson, Tony Gwynn and David Robinson (NBA) rookie cards back though.

My 10 year old son has received packs of cards here and there for gifts but never really got into it. For his birthday he got a card binder for a present. We spent Saturday night separating all his cards by team names and putting them in the binder by alphabetical order. He was getting into it as one page after another got close to being filled. He is genuinely excited to continue his collection. Hopefully he won't trade in his Stephen Strasburg or Starlin Castro rookie cards for commons but I can't blame him if he does.

The Day That Got Away

May 21st was supposed to be the day of the rapture but it was also supposed to be a great day for Boston sports. The Bruins had a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead at Tampa Bay. They've been great in the playoffs away from the Boston Garden (no matter what it's called now it will always be the Garden) accruing a 5-1 record on the road. The Bs started out on fire taking a 3-0 lead in the first. Patrice Bergeron lead the way with 2 goals including a short handed one. The Lightning stormed back with 3 goals in the 2nd period and the momentum shifted. The Bs came out flat in the 3rd and Tampa struck first. Seeing them go down 4-3 hurt and hurt bad, but there was 10 minutes left and we've pulled it off before. Not today though as Tampa scored an empty netter and called it a day.

As a Boston sports fan, I had to shake it off and get ready for the Red Sox and Cubs game. This was the first series the Cubs have been to Fenway since 1918. The game was a little boring besides the old uniforms, but David Ortiz hit his 300th home run with the Sox and they moved ahead to a 3-1 lead. Cubs couldn't get much going all night.....until the 8th inning. They unloaded for 8 runs off of the Sox bullpen and pretty much ended the game right there.

Well, the rapture never came but I'm sure some Boston sports fans including myself wish that it had. At the very least, I would take a Bill Murray Groundhog's Day do-over.

Disorders and Sports

I started this sports podcast with Kevin because A) I love sports and B) To help me try and conquer my social anxiety. In one we did we started talking about Zack Greinke, an ace pitcher currently with the Milwaukee Brewers. I almost forgot that a few years ago he was placed on the disabled list (d.l.) for social anxiety and depression. He has made tremendous strides and is now a premier pitcher in all of Major League Baseball.

I remember when he was with the Kansas City Royals and placed on the d.l. in 2006. There was a lot of rumbles about how he was a "soft" player. Another rumor was that he was "afraid to pitch" because he was coming off a bad year in 2005. I guess you're not allowed to have any personal issues as a professional ball player or at least that's how some people perceive it.

Greinke stepped away from baseball for seven months in 2006 to receive treatment for his disorders. He came back as the pitcher everyone thought he was going to be. He won the highest award for a pitcher, the Cy Young award, in 2009. It appears he is doing really well and I hope he remains on the top of his game.

I commend Greinke for coming forward and shedding a spotlight on this. Since you can't physically see what is going on with someone who has depression or anxiety in an X-ray or MRI, people with it get labeled as soft, lazy, or "faking" it. It must have been tough on him, especially since he gets paid a lot of money to play a kids game and isn't "supposed" to be unhappy (another false notion about someone with depression/social anxiety.) I wish him nothing but the best and hope he continues to succeed except on those days he plays the Red Sox. I won't have to worry much as long as he stays in the National League.

Here's a link to the podcast. It's show #2 and we talk about Greinke towards the end...
The Bicoastal Sports Show

Here's a link to an article on what Greinke went through...
Greinke and social anxiety disorder

-Justin

Sox Have Interest in Armando Galarraga

It was a busy Thursday for the Red Sox, as they acquired Franklin Morales from Colorado for a player to be named, and they also signed RHP Kevin Millwood to a minor league deal.  However, they might not be done.

A report on www.prorumors.com says that the Sox have interest in the pitcher, who was designated for assignment this week.

Galarraga is most famous for his near perfect game last season, although his 2011 campaign has been a disaster.  He has a 3-4 record with a 5.91 ERA, and has given up an NL high 13 homers.  Sounds like a recipe for disaster in Fenway.

With Dice-K, Wheeler Lackey, and Jenks on the shelf, it looks like the Sox are exhausting all options.

WTF!? Sean Burroughs is Back In The Big Leagues

Oh Padre fans, what could have been.

Hey Padre fans, remember Sean Burroughs?  That third baseman who was supposed to the best homegrown product since Tony Gwynn?  Well, his career never quite panned out, and traded him to Tampa Bay before the 2006 season. Well, Burroughs only amassed 25 at-bats with the Rays that year, and never played in the big leagues again.  Well, until now.

The Arizona Diamondbacks called up the now 30 year old infielder to take the spot of Melvin Mora, who went on the bereavement list.  Playing for the AAA Reno Aces, Burroughs put up a line of .386/.434/.571 in 80 at-bats so far in 2011.  The power still isn't there, as Burroughs has hit just one homer.

This is a great story of perseverance.  Burroughs could have easily walked away from the game, and moved to the next phase in life. He's made around $5 million in his career, and has had some success at the big league level.  He hadn't played a big league in five years, and it looked like he never would again.  Burroughs' story is truly an inspiration.

Note:  Burroughs went 0-1 in his first big league action since 2006.

What if...

There's a rumor going around in Boston that the player the Celtics originally wanted in the Kendrick Perkins/Jeff Green deal was James Harden.

We can now say the Jeff Green deal was a bust, at least for the '11 season. The C's went from having the #1 seed in the east to #3 seed after the deal; then lost to the Heat in 5 games. It seems they lost their toughness and grit. Green just really didn't fit in. He was touted to play a backup SF/PF role and didn't florish in that role. He got burned by standout small forwards and was banged around by power forwards

Harden has been the most consistent player for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs outside of Kevin Durant. He would have fit in more, being a 6th man to spell Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, while providing instant offense and a spark off the bench. Would it have been enough to get by the Heat? Probably not, but I have to imagine we would have put up more of a fight, and yes I use "we" as I'm a huge fan of the Celtics!

Who knows what would've happened if we got Harden or if Danny Ainge held on to Perk instead. Maybe the C's would still be going for banner 18. In the meantime, fear the beard of James Harden.

...And it Begins

Two friends who never met but shared a lot of similar interests over a sports website come together to give you The Bicoastal Sports Show, a weekly podcast. Kevin resides in San Diego and is a very knowledgeable and passionate fan of that area and all sports. Justin bleeds Boston sports, follows and hangs on to the ups and downs of the competitive drama.

You'll get their take on their region's professional teams and what's going on nationally as well. It's fans talking to other fans about sports, and what's better than that?! Feel free to comment on the blog, listen to the show, and join the fan page. We want to set up a thriving sports community where fans of any team, and all takes are welcomed. Hope you enjoy it as much as we like doing it.