Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Royals Trade Speculation Part 2

Ok, now its time for part 2 of my in depth analysis of the perspective trade pieces available for the royals. As I said before there are only 3 players I consider "untouchable", they being Zach, Joakim and Luke.

Now for the pitchers.

Gil Meche - Definitely the most valuable piece available for trade. Should the Royals decide to deal him, they can expect no less than 2 extremely talented prospects (hopefully a SS!). In my estimation it probably won't go over well with the fans, but long term it could provide dividends.

Kyle Davies - This is a tricky situation, the guy has got potential for sure, but we may never see it because of inconsistency. Under a previous regime he probably would have gotten more respect, but D Moore is no fool.

Brian Bannister - Banny could be the second most valuable pitcher the royals have to deal. On a better team is a solid 4 or 5 starter, a guy who can go 5 or 6 and keep you in the game. Playoff teams should be chomping at the bit for him. Expect a better than average prospect for Banny.

John Bale - Specialty lefty, not much to say.

Jamey Wright - Pitching way above his talent level. Probably not much of a market for him. He will eventually collapse.

Robinson Tejeda - Power arm that still needs more refinement. I would be surprised if he is shipped to a contender.

Ron Mahay - A usually solid lefty out of the pen who has struggled at times this year. Probably a weak market for an aging lefty who has trouble getting out lefties.

Juan Cruz - Right now Juan is a lost cause.

Roman Colon - Too speculative. Nobody bites on Roman.

Those not receiving consideration because they suck or are injured (you decide which): kyle farnsworth, bruce chen, Doug Waechter, Sid Ponson.

OF's

David DeJesus - De Jesus probably has the 3rd or 4th most trade value on the Royals. He plays above average defense and could help a playoff contender who needs a solid bat off of the bench. Another deal that won't please the fans, but expect a better than average prospect in return.

Jose Guillen - This guy is a joke for sure. After one season his legs have fallen apart and so has his bat. This could be one of the worst free agent deals ever in baseball. If anyone in the MLB is dumb enough to take him and his ridiculous salary the Royals should jump all over it.

Mitch Maier - Sorry Mitch, need more progression from you before you get any value.

Ok Boys and Girls, that's it for the Royals trade speculation. Feel free to leave comments or don't. Cuz that just like your opinion man.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Royals Trade Speculation Swirls, KC Star Is Still Inept.


Mad props to the Dr. for his great coverage of what seems to me to be the weakest NBA draft in a while. Anytime someone like psycho T gets drafted in the lottery, you know its whack. He just doesn't have any strengf or lengf.

There has been lots of trade speculation today about the Royals which is great! The fire sale of incompatible pieces and broken trades of the past is long overdue. This gives me a great chance to bless the world of Royals baseball with my thoughts and GMability. First I will do a run down of the speculation that has been swirling lately. I will preface this with the fact that I believe there are only 3 "untouchables" on the Royals: Zach Attack, Soria, and Cool hand Luke.

(Those who read the star probably don't know any of this because the Star only cares about pop-up ads.)

The Rumor Mill:

David DeJesus (you don't mess with De Jesus)- Multiple Teams
Mark Teahen - Multiple Teams
Gil Meche - Phillies
Kyle Davies - Multiple Teams
Brian Bannister - Phillies
The Entire Bullpen - MLB

I Agree with everything that is listed above. All of the players on that list need to get gone. The only player on that list that the Royals could retain any type of value for the Royals is Gil Meche, and that is only if he doesn't have a dead arm!

Now I will perform my highly biased and angry evaluation of an incompetent Royals roster. Let's start with the catchers.

Miguel Olivo - Miguel's time has come, he was brought in to be a part of a winning team and the Royals are not. He is sub par defensively and his bat only fits into a lineup that is capable of consistently driving in runs since he can't. He's got some pop and could help a potential playoff team.

Bryan Pena - No. No. No. Lunch Box is the royals catcher of the future. He's got a better bat and is better defensively than Olivo. Plus he looks like a catcher and that goes a long way in my book.

John Buck - Not sure what to do here since he is on the DL. Buck was always way over hyped and I have never really been a fan. No trade value since he is disabled.

Infielders:

Mark Teahen - Probably the player on the Royals with the most trade value. Can play every position on the field and swings a decent bat. There is no player I want moved more than Teahen. Teahen has been screwed by the Royals more than any other player and he deserves to know where he will play every day. Best fit would be with a playoff team who needs a guy that can play anywhere.

Tony Pena Jr - minimal trade value. Pure defensive back up. Possible pitcher? Little trade value.

Billy Butler and Alex Gordon - I decided to combine these two because they each need the same thing. A change of scenery and a stable system. Both of these players have been destroyed by the shittiness of the previous regime in the Royals organization. It may hurt to watch them go, but its probably best for both parties. Trade value is probably decent prospects in high minors for both. No playoff will be willing to give up prospects for these two. Likely trade is with another bottom feeder.

Al Callaspo - Glad he's sober this year. Only bat that has hit for the Royals. Trade value is as a pinch hitter for a playoff team.

Willie Bloomquist - Not sure why they signed ol' Willie. Pretty sure the Royals could lost games with out him. Has good trade value though since he can play all over. Best fit is probably with a playoff pretender.

Aviles - Lost cause. One year wonder. No trade Value.

Mike Jacobs - This guy could be a another lost cause if he can't figure his shit out. Guys who strike out and don't hit home runs usually retire in the minor leagues.

Tomorrow we will recap pitchers and outfielders. Just got word that Jose Guillen
will not make an error today or tomorrow. HE ISN'T PLAYING!!!!!

Hasta Luego.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

2009 NBA Draft Roundup with the Dr.

I wanted to wait a few days to let the draft marinate and observe the fallout. Here is a recap with various notes and tidbits.

***Any readers out there are encouraged to drop by the comments section and blast my spotty mock draft, or the T’Wolves decision to draft 16 point guards.

-My mock draft was all over the place: the most notable wiff was pegging Stephen Curry to the Thunder with the 3rd pick (VERY glad I was wrong) but I will pat myself on the back for nailing Earl Clark to the Suns at 14 and Jeff Teague to Atlanta at 19.

-Jeff Van Gundy was surprisingly well behaved while I’m not sure what Mark Jackson was thinking when he said that Shaq does not make Cleveland better. Shaq put up around 17 and 8 last season – only Mo Williams and LeBron had better scoring numbers for the Cavaliers and Shaq in the starting lineup makes Big Z one the most experienced back-ups in the league.

-Minnesota GM David Kahn has written an open letter to all Wolves fans explaining their draft day strategy – that sounds to me like a guy who is insecure with his work so far.

-I really enjoy the fact that the NBA is a stage for the best players in the world to compete; however, it is ludicrous that foreign players can weigh their overseas contracts against their new American teams if that team happens to be in an awful market. The Timberwolves have the draft rights to Rubio for 3 years, if he doesn’t want to play for them and decides to head back to Europe he should have to stay there for those 3 years. It’s not like Jonny Flynn can threaten to go back to college…

-The general consensus seems to be that Stephen Curry will not be a part of the Stoudamire deal with Phoenix. And to save you some reading, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Hoopsworld and RealGM all LOVE the pick (a strange feeling for Warriors fans).

-The second round of the draft is twice as boring as the first round is interesting. In case you missed it, notable draft day slides were DeJuan Blair to San Antonio (37th overall), Chase Budinger through Detroit to Houston (44th overall) and Nick Calathes to Dallas (45th overall).

-Jay Bilas is great guy to provide commentary during the draft because he legitimately knows EVERY prospect… But why is Stu Scott hosting the thing in the first place? I’ll take Mike Tirico or Dan Shulman over him any day.

Lastly, I hope everyone enjoyed the live-blogging and chit chat. Stay tuned for more rants and coverage of what is shaping up to a very busy offseason.

The day to mark your calendars is July 8th when the new NBA year kicks off with trades, free agents and much more!

Dr. Murphy out

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Live-blogging the draft

Okay so yours truly Dr. Murphy going to give this liveblogging thing a shot...

I'll check in during most of the picks in the first round and if your watching it too feel free to drop some comments on anything draft related. In the meantime check out the mock draft below and create your own at http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/features/draftmachine/index

***Note: all times Mountain Standard Time

Noon update: wow how did I miss putting Darren Collison in the first round? I think if he is available he will get a serious look from the Knicks at 29 (who just purchased the pick from the Lakers).

3:35 update: The Nets just completed a multiplayer deal with the Magic sending Vince Carter to Orlando and receiving, among others, Rafer Alston. This is probably a sign New Jersey won't go with a guard tonight so I'd look for them to take a versatile forward like Terrence Williams or James Johnson.

4:40 update: Anyone else getting the feeling this day is going to center more around potential trades than the actual draftees themselves? And good news, my take-n-bake draft pizza is officially in the oven.

5:05 tidbit: Look out for Jonny Flynn's post selection interview, he has a past tendency of referring to himself in the 3rd person. And my pizza is now out of the oven, draft in 25 minutes!

5:06 trade note: Rick Bucher reporting the Warriors have offered the 7th pick, Andris Biedrins, Marco Belinelli and Brandan Wright to the Suns for Amare Stoudamire... stay tuned

5:15 final PRE-draft update: I feel like my mock draft will end up like my March Madness brackets... look really good in my head at the time, but as the event nears seems more and more flawed! Draft in a couple minutes, I'll check back in after the first pick

1st pick, LA Clippers - By far David Stern's best draft opening. By the way, if it takes the Clippers 5 minutes to make this pick they should be fined for taking so much of our time.

2nd pick, Memphis Grizzlies - I like Thabeet for Memphis, don't love it, but every team needs a paint protector. I'm anxious to see if my prediction of Curry to OKC makes me look really smart or really dumb.

3rd pick, OKC Thunder - Well... really dumb, but Harden is great. Why would they have wanted to move Westbrook off the ball anyways?

Shout out to LSU Tigers baseball!!! My pick from the begining!

4th pick, Sactown Kings - what happened to all the supposed trades? Would have liked to see Evans in Golden State, ho hum.

5th and 6th picks, T'Wolves - when a player gets drafted by Minnesota or Milwuakee, are they pissed? Nice young talent starting to be built on that roster though. Can we just get to the Warriors pick?
But on the real, 2 quality points guards, but will be interesting to see if either get moved. Curry or DeRozan might have worked there.

7th pick, Oaktown Eastbay City Warriors - Steph Curry SWIPED from the Knicks!! nice pick, nuff said, Monta with a long ball and better passing skills. He could be packaged later though...

8th pick, New York Knicks - Okay I'm calling it now, Knicks and Warriors swap picks, then the Dubs get their guy but pay him less.

9th pick, Raptors/10th pick, Bucks - DeMar eh? Raptors get a little potential boost and hopoefully a reason for Chris Bosh to stay. As for the Bryan's favorite team the Bucks get the Italian, Brandon Jennings.

A little surprised Holiday is still on the board, that was my guy. Shows what I know I guess...

11th pick, New Jersey Nets - TWill is apparently a little awkward, i.e. watches Sponge Bob habitually and just all around wacky. Good pick though.

12th pick, Bobcats - that makes me look really dumb, I had him going late 1st round. Should give Charlotte some nice all around play off the bench.

13th pick, Indiana Pacers - Jerry Sloan is pissed! Tell me Hansbrough wouldn't have been perfect for the Utah Caucasians!

14th pick, Suns - Giving myself a pat on the back for placing Clark to the Suns. Nailed it.

I am still shocked that Holiday is on board right now, but honestly Daye being in the green room seems a little bit of a stretch.

15th pick, Pistons - and of course there he goes. Do not hire me as a GM.

WOW!! Dickie V making the early Stephen Curry Rookie of the Year call, thats gonna take some compromise from Big Don

16th pick, Bulls/17th pick, Philly 76ers - James Johnson has a nice fluid and long game that should help the Bulls when Tyrus Thomas heads to the bench. I don't know what it is but Holdiday has been on my radar since December, good steal here.

And thank you Steve Kerr for displaying the art of dodging trade questions.

****Warriors/Suns trade update: Marcus Thompson II and Tim Kawakami reporting that the Suns are in love with Steph Curry, interesting tidbit to store.

18th pick, T'Wolves - 3 picks, 3 point guards. However, former Mercury News journalist Rick Bucher reporting this pick will be moved to the pick-less Nuggets.

19th pick, Atlanta Hawks/20th pick, Utah Jazz - Taking Teague and acquiring Crawford could all be indications that Bibby may not be resigned this summer. Maybe Eric Maynor can be the missing piece to get Jerry Sloan that first Coach of the Year award.

21st pick, Hornets - Wow I completely undervalued this guy, good for him and Hornets really needed some help for CP3.

So the Blazers moved up 2 spots to get this pick so they are specifically targeting someone, off the top of my head maybe Blair, Young, or Casspi?

22nd pick, Blazers - good pick because he can develop overseas for no dough, the Blazers have enough young talent now so they can store him abroad and bring him over when he's ready.

Interesting that Blair is still here

23rd pick, Kings/24th pick, Mavericks - Casspi should come over right away, he apparently is a really gritty and tough player - not a typical attribute of the foreign dudes. BJ Mullens is a good pick up and compliment to Dirk, Eric Dampier doesn't have many more miles in him.

25th pick, OKC Thunder - Rodrigue Who? Looks like the Mavs are swapping BJ Mullens with this guy to store him overseas.

26th pick, Bulls - Taj Gibson is really under rated, an athletic four off the bench is always great. It's a little bit of a duplication of James Johnson though, just less skilled.

27th pick, Grizzlies - great pick to get an energy guy that gives you a little length and rebounding... But why take him when DeJuan Blair is still on the board?

28th pick, T'Wolves - Another pick!? Not a point guard!? Minny really loading up on their backcourt.

29th pick, Lakers picking for the Knicks - gotta love the Knicks fans' reactions to getting Darko, actually not an awful deal for the Knicks in my opinion. Toney Douglas is a nice defending guard for the offense-happy Knickerbockers.

30th pick, Cleveland LeBrons - The Shaq acquisition overshadows this pick a little bit, especially being that I have zero clue who that is.

Well thats it for our coverage as the 2nd round is generally filled with future D-leaguers and Euros. An interesting note however is that DeJuan Blair and Chase Budinger are still on the board.
Thanks for sticking around and be sure to check back in a few days for a little draft recap action.
Stay up!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Confused about the NBA draft? Dr. Murphy has your remedy.


Okay, I know I slammed mock drafts a couple weeks ago but this was just too tempting! I made these picks based on what I’ve read everywhere combined with the situations and roster needs of the teams selecting them. Each pick also has a little further explanation. ESPN has a great application for fans and aspiring GMs, so log on to create your own and then follow along Thursday night.

1. LA Clippers – Blake Griffin (F, Oklahoma): Nuff said.

2. Memphis Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet (C, Connecticut): As the saying goes “you can’t teach 7 feet.” However, this pick is being heavily shopped – if the T’Wolves or Knicks are able to get to this spot I’d expect Rubio or someone else are selected.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder – Stephen Curry (G, Davidson): I’m not one of those who believe the Thunder really want to move Westbrook off the ball permanently. They are high on Curry who can play on and off the ball, allowing Westbrook to spend the majority of his time at the point.

4. Sacramento Kings – Ricky Rubio (G, Spain): OKC helps out the Kings who snag the smartest point guard in the draft with a rare combination of experience and upside.

5. Minnesota T’Wolves – James Harden (G, Arizona State): Fills in the scoring load vacated by Miller in the recent trade.

6. Minnesota T’Wolves – Tyreke Evans (G, Memphis): Big, versatile guard in the mold of Randy Foye who had a nice season in Minny last year as a combo guard.

7. Golden State Warriors – Jordan Hill (F, Arizona): Golden State has made some attempts to bring in a non-rookie guard so it looks like the Warriors will go big and word on the street is they were going to take Jordan Hill anyways.

8. New York Knicks – Brandon Jennings (G, Italy): Probably the best system and coach for Jennings who brings a little star power to the big apple.

9. Toronto Raptors – DeMar DeRozan (G/F, USC): DeRozan is a young, athletic swingman going to a team that really needs one.

10. Milwaukee Bucks – Jonny Flynn (G, Syracuse): He can probably play right away and would see quality time as Sessions backup (assuming he is resigned this summer).

11. New Jersey Nets – Jrue Holiday (G, UCLA): Maybe an unrealistic draft day slide, but Holiday would give the Nets a decent guard to spell Devin Harris.

12. Charlotte Bobcats – Terrence Williams (G, Louisville): Apparently Williams blew Larry Brown away in a workout last week.

13. Indiana Pacers – Eric Maynor (G, VCU): Best point guard available.

14. Phoenix Suns – Earl Clark (F, Louisville): Tall, versatile and speedy forward should pair well with Stoudamire and the fast-paced Suns.

15. Detroit Pistons – James Johnson (F, Wake Forest): The Pistons are hoping Clark falls to them but Johnson is the next best athletic forward left on the board.

16. Chicago Bulls – DeJuan Blair (F, Pittsburgh): Chicago picks up a bulky, physical forward in the mold of Leon Powe.

17. Philadelphia 76ers – Ty Lawson (G, North Carolina): A proven winner, the speedy guard would help the 76ers keep up the pace they started to play with at the end of last season.

18. Minnesota T’Wolves – Austin Daye (F, Gonzaga): After getting a guard earlier it makes sense to pick up a young swingman with plenty of potential.

19. Atlanta Hawks – Jeff Teague (G, Wake Forest): Teague gives you the best point guard available who can also score.

20. Utah Jazz – Tyler Hansbrough (F, North Carolina): It just makes sense.

21. New Orleans Hornets – B.J. Mullens (C, Ohio State): With Tyson Chandler apparently on the block Chris Paul needs someone to throw alley-oops to.

22. Portland Trailblazers – Omri Casspi (F): A tough, athletic 3 that may develop overseas for a year or two.

23. Sacramento Kings – DaJuan Summers (F, Georgetown): A versatile shooter in Summers will make the bench a little bit deeper in Sacramento.

24. Dallas Mavericks – Gerald Henderson (G, Duke): This is probably Henderson’s floor and if he lands here could eventually fill the role that Jerry Stackhouse had a couple years ago.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder – Chase Budinger (G, Arizona): Gives OKC some quality perimeter shooting off the bench.

26. Chicago Bulls – Toney Douglas (G, Florida State): A good defender and developing scorer with experience is welcome at this this stage in the draft.

27. Memphis Grizzlies – Sam Young (F, Pittsburgh): With this pick Memphis can get a gritty forward to spell Rudy Gay.

28. Minnesota T’Wolves – DeMarre Carroll (F, Missouri): After getting a 1 and a 3 they now can grab the best big man available.

29. LA Lakers – Nick Calathes (G, Florida): LA nabs a large guard that will develop overseas and off the books.

30. Cleveland Cavaliers – Taj Gibson (F, USC): Solid and experienced, plus the Cavs really need someone other than Ben Wallace to chase around Rashard Lewis. Jonas Jerebko is another possibility here.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Trey Hillman Should Be Fired.


Does anyone still celebrate Zach Greinke day besides Sam Mellinger?

True to themselves the boys in blue have returned to their notorious form. Poor fundamentals, bad defense, hanging sliders, missed cut off men(entire outfield) and meatball fastballs. Just ask the Cardinals and the baseballs that ended up in the fountains how the weekend went.

This team was built on the predication that everything had to be done perfectly with average talent to win. They would play defense, pitch with a philosophy, move runners and win. Don't get me wrong, average teams can win, if they do all of those things. The worst part of the Royals inability to do all of those things is that we supposedly have a small ball guru. Hillman is supposed to be the one that preaches good defense, moving runners and pitching with a philosophy.

So I guess my question is, what good is a manager who can't motivate his players to do the fundamentals? Either the players on this team are much worse than we originally thought they were or there is clearly a problem with the manager.

I have never been a fan of Trey Hillman, this blog is now calling for him to be fired. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to hit the cutoff man, and clearly Trey is having problems with that.

Can the Star please write something interesting about the Chiefs? JFC I don't even care if they make it up. No wonder they are firing everyone over there.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Dr. Murphy is in town. I am hung over.

NBA Season in Review: Bottom half of the league struggles for the spotlight

The last month and a half or so has given basketball fans a very frequent and close look at the top echelon of teams and players in the NBA. While not everyone that graced the playoffs with their presence put up a great fight, they nonetheless were presented the opportunity to strut their stuff on the national stage. My only problem: these were the same exact squads that have dominated the airwaves of ESPN, TNT and ABC since late October.

It’s no secret to any basketball enthusiast that this season’s nationally televised matchups almost always consisted of a combination of the title contending Lakers, Celtics, Cavaliers and Spurs playing the playoff ready troops of the Hornets, Rockets, Mavericks, Jazz, Pistons and Magic. What that boils down to is interchangeable games of the division winners mixed with the Southwest Division rivals. I understand these are generally the more competitive matchups, but it only compounds the disrespect, arrogance and ignorance the national NBA media has toward smaller market teams or those teams with less star power. That is the biggest problem, not only does the national media ignore these teams, but their poorness of reporting on them is enhanced by lack of air time.

Let’s take the Golden State Warriors for example. 2 years ago the Dubs were the darling of the league, playing an entertaining brand of basketball and ousting the first seeded Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. Their fall from grace has cost them serious national TV time despite the fact their style has not changed. Warriors games mean lots of scoring both ways (per game they were second in the league while surrendering a league high on the defensive end) and sure entertainment, yet only 7 nationally aired games were thrown their way. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks – who have been on a continual slide downward since losing to Miami in the finals in 2006 – appeared on national TV 19 times.

It is not just TV time that should have fans of non-playoff teams upset. Using the Warriors example again, it is increasingly hard to find any love for them in the national news and even multimedia. When pressed in chat-rooms about Golden State’s roster issues, ESPN analysts frequently ignore any talk of the players themselves and bring up annoying front office issues. Fans looking for answers regarding the team are often met with a response of “they will never be any good until the owner sells the team” – how helpful. Even worse is the reporting of details on individual story lines. Many times Monta Ellis’ Moped accident was reported as an ATV or motorcycle crash - so not only do Bay Area fans not get to see their team on TV, they aren’t even getting the correct news. As the icing on the cake, many basketball video games (trust me, real fans play this stuff) don’t even get names right – for the record, Monta is pronounced Mon-tay not Mon-tuh and Azubuike is Azu-bookie not Azu-bweekay.

While some of these rants may sound petty, this is the result of mass disrespect in the national media. Local broadcasters, reporters and radio personalities are able to look past front office issues, get reports right and at minimum correctly pronounce the names of the athletes, so why can’t the national guys do it? ESPN calls its staff reporters yet I find it difficult to respect them as journalists when they can only accurately cover teams that make the conference finals. I can guarantee that any fan of a small market or less competitive team can relate to this.

To end on a good note: having 90 percent of the Warriors games on local broadcast is not always a bad thing as they are covered by a group that is more informed and knowledgeable than anyone you will ever see on ESPN or ABC.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Do You Know What ESPN Means? Dr. Murphy Does.


A couple of questions… Just for clarification, what time of year is it? Late spring/early summer, right? That’s what I thought. So did ESPN get the memo?

In the name of everything holy in basketball and baseball, would ESPN please change their afternoon lineup?! Anyone unemployed, on summer break or just happen to be in front of their TV from noon and beyond (that’s all three for me) will realize just how irrelevant afternoon viewing is on the Entertainment Sports Programming Network.

First, a rundown of what is really happening in sports. The NBA Finals are in full tilt while the draft looms, the MLB is in the swing of things, the underrated College World Series is shaping up to be a good one and the Stanley Cup Finals matchup just went to seven games.

Now, with that in mind, why in the wide world of sports is ESPN giving us daily installments of College Football Live and NFL Live with no sight of anything related to hoops or baseball? College Football Live has spent each of its recent episodes covering college ball in different states. I recently had lunch while viewing the best college games in the history of the state of Oregon. And this is interesting how? To add to the pain after that, NFL Live generally fills its half hour spot with updates on Brett Favre (anyone outside Minnesota care about that?) and how each teams’ OTAs are going.

None of that is relevant to what is happening in the sports world right now. Where is my NBA Fastbreak and Baseball Tonight? Don’t get me wrong, I like college and pro football – but I prefer to hear about it during football season.

Here’s an interesting thought: make Mayne Street a full half hour show to replace College Football Live and alternate media on the NBA and MLB to take over NFL Live.

PTI and Around the Horn are still quality afternoon shows; it’s just too bad they are preceded by the irrelevancy of football commentary in June.

Quick NBA Finals note: anyone getting sick of Jeff Van Gundy? Any broadcaster too scared to pick a winner in a series because his brother coaches one of the teams should not be broadcasting in the first place. It is a crime that they have imprisoned Hubie Brown and Mike Tirico on ESPN Radio.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Trey Hillman is like an Idiot Savant, without the Savant


That title is a little harsh, but I thought it was funny so I decided to use it anyway. Seriously though, Jamey Wright again? I know Juan Cruz got the loss tonight but jeez, Jamey on a minor deal, loses it again. I digress.

I have to give major props to Dayton Moore tonight. I know some of his moves since he arrived in KC have been questionable, but tonight solidified my belief that he actually knows what he's doing. Tonight at the MLB draft, Dayton stuck to his guns and did what he said he was going to do. He drafted the best player on the board, regardless of signability. Not only did he draft the best player on the board, he drafted the player who is possibly the second most MLB ready player. Most are projecting that Aaron Crow(e)(?) will arrive in KC within 2 years.

For those fans who care only for the superficial, this is probably yet another move that doesn't make much sense to you. Moore is building KC baseball from the ground up, not the top down, the latter of which is what most fans like to see. It sounds cliche, but it is a process and KC was so decimated when Moore arrived, that the task will take years.

The trades for Jacobs, Gathright, Crisp and Davies were all superficial moves to keep the club on life support while the kids develop. In my mind, Dayton never really wanted to accomplish anything with those moves other than keeping people interested. With one hand trading, the other has been drafting high picks (and signing them!), increasing scouting, and building one of the most robust Latin American operations in baseball.

The seeds of Dayton Moore's labor will eventually bear fruit. And when it does it will be nice, (borat voice) very nice.

I just hope that the bandwagon doesn't decide to get rid of Dayton before he builds his dynasty. BTW, after the loss tonight, is there anyone left on it?m

Friday, June 5, 2009

alsdfkjaslfdjasldjfasld AAHHHHH!!



SPIT IN HIS EYE!

6/4/09 Royals lose again. In the bottom of the 8th. On a meatball fastball.

Even though today is Greinke Day, the entire Royals Organization is so frustrating that this entire post may just be verbal diarrhea.

Trey Hillman: Fuck me man, what are you doing?? You have Farnsworth, Cruz, and Soria in the pen to win a game, but you bring in JAMEY WRIGHT?! Jamey Wright pitched well in the earlier part of the year but is clearly struggling. While Farnsworth has pitched how many scoreless innings? I would rather lose a game with a guy who has a 95+ fastball than a dude who now throws sinkers that don't sink. At least you could have brought our ALL - STAR closer in. Don't give me that bullshit about him not being ready....if he wasn't ready he should not have come off the DL. Is it that fucking hard?

I'm starting to curse too much so this post is almost over, but I can't for the life of me understand why the media isn't all over this! The ineptitude of the Star amazes me.

Can Scott Pioli and Todd Haley come run the Royals? At least they make me feel like they know what they are doing.

Any One Left on the Bandwagon?

Thursday, June 4, 2009

so if you don't care about the NBA finals.....here are some thoughts on the draft by Dr. Murphy

With all but 2 of the NBA’s teams eliminated from title contention let’s shift attention to the NBA draft. The long layoff between playoff rounds has allowed the media to take over the draft frenzy. Prospect measurements, interviews, team workouts and everything else are made available for the league’s fans to scrutinize and debate. However there is one thing that reigns over all else when it comes to draft speculation…the MOCK DRAFT – everyone is doing it, we are all reading it.

Just about the only thing anyone agrees on is that the Clippers will select Blake Griffin with the first overall pick. After that, it’s a crapshoot. ESPN’s Chad Ford has picks 2 through 5 going Hasheem Thabeet, Ricky Rubio, Jrue Holiday and James Harden, respectively. Meanwhile, according to Sports Illustrated those same picks are Ricky Rubio, James Harden, Tyreke Evans and Jordan Hill. Not only are they in a different order but 2 new players have emerged!

It only seems more clueless after that. Realgm.com has Golden State taking Tyreke Evans while Dime Magazine suggests them selecting Brandon Jennings at that slot. Detroit Pistons fans looking for clarity on hoopsworld.com will find 4 different mocks with them taking 4 different players: Austin Daye, Jonny Flynn, B.J. Mullens and James Johnson – none of which even play the same position. All of the aforementioned sources can’t even agree on a consensus 2nd pick between Thabeet and Rubio. How is this helpful?

At this point the NBA media begins to lose a little bit of credibility. While good intentioned, these mock drafts only add to the speculation. So much of sports media is guessing anyways, but the NBA draft is the pinnacle of it. All you can do is make your own guess and hang on for the ride.

Mark your calendars: NBA Draft, June 25th, 7 PM EST

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

&%#(@* Damn Royals


Contrary to the title of this post, do not blame the Royals for letting you down. Remember that post I made a little while ago? The one about the Royals being a bandwagon baseball town? Well, that status goes for the sports media of KC also, not just the fans.

The recent slide by the Royals has thrust the shit light back upon them. The prognosticators have fallen off of their playoff horses and begun slinging it on the boys in blue. What happened to the playoff hopes spewed forth by 610 and 810? What happened to Sam Mellinger blowing loads over Kevin Seitzer's hitting approach? Which leads me to my point:

Kevin Seitzer and Trey Hillman are destroying any shot the Royals have at being successful. I know that the media put Trey on blast earlier this year and that ruffled George Brett's ridiculously drunken feathers, but where is the blast for Kevin Seitzer? This dude has turned the team's average at best offense into a basement dweller. I know he runs an overrated baseball program for over privileged Leawood kids with the Mac attack, but when did that make him qualified to be a MAJOR BATTING INSTRUCTOR? If 810 weren't so busy stroking itself for being the biggest radio station nobody listens to, maybe they would figure this out.

In my mind any success the Royals have this season will be directly attributed to them NOT listening to Trey Hillman or Kevin Seitzer.

*The Chris and Cowboy show on 610 is sometimes reasonable, that being said, Chris Hamblin(?) stated the other day that a team under .500 could win the central. Food for thought on the KC media.

Bandwagon at Best.