Oh Man, Ray

Domestic violence is never acceptable. One person putting their hands on another should never be an option, but yet these things happen. And when these things happen in public it's even uglier. Ex-Ravens running back Ray Rice got caught on an elevator knocking out his now wife with a sneaky left hook and after he hit her she hit her head on a pole in the elevator which lead to her losing consciousness and then eventually being dragged out of the elevator by her now husband. The NFL's initial punishment for Rice was just 2 games. That was a joke of a punishment since the same NFL suspended Cleveland Browns' wide receiver Josh Gordon for a full year after he tested positive for marijuana something that is legal in two states.

ESPN and other gas bags are now going too far; asking for  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's job. Did he make a mistake? Yes, he did. Did he make up for said mistake? In my eyes yes, he did. He changed the punishment for domestic violence violations to six unpaid games and eventually banished Ray Rice from playing after the Ravens released him. Those are steps that should have been done before this accident because there have been many other players with the same violation as Rice, but since there has never been a video that leaked out like this they have been able to skate without the amount of scrutiny that Rice and his wife and the NFL have been seeing in these last few days. Goodell shouldn't get fired, he made the necessary changes in punishment that players definitely need to wise up when they go to lift their hands against their mates.  

Little League vs. the Majors

Now that the Little League World Series is over and the people that were caught up in the moment have a chance to now breathe let's delve into many of the comments and irrational thinking I've heard in that week. I heard things from little leaguers (one especially, but I'll get to her) should be getting paid, I heard that MLB ought to look to little league for ways to make the majors better. I heard that there was more drama in little league than there was in MLB. The biggest insult was that little leaguers should be getting paid. College sports players should be the ones getting paid; basketball and football rake in millions on top of millions in endorsements and TV deals and while head coaches are getting paid millions their star players have to scrap to eat. That's not fair. Coaches can't buy students food, rich people who donate millions to help schools can't help these starving players, yet 11 and 12 year olds deserve to get paid? I don't think so.

Who knew Mo'Ne Davis two weeks ago? Besides her friends and family no one and now she is supposed to be the eventual first female player to make it to the majors? Doubt it. Even though her goal is to become a point guard in the University of Connecticut I heard people saying that she should continue to develop and make it to the majors and a "junk ball" lefty. How many junk ball lefties are out there looking for work? And yet she's supposed to make it just because she's a female? Not that I'm knocking Mo'Ne who I hope goes on and live a fantastic life, but she's not going to be the next Jaime Moyer. And why was the little league so much more dramatic because the basic plays that are made everyday in the majors don't get made by 11 and 12 year olds who are on national TV for the first time in their lives. Little league was fun for the one week it was on TV, but now let's get back to the professionals.      

Baseball is Really Unfair Right Now

It sucks being a pull hitter in the majors. When opposing defenses line up with more than two defenders on one side of the field it is damn near impossible for a hitter to get a regular hit. Regular hits (aka singles) make up a large chunk of hitter's batting average and having all these defenders on one side is unfair to hitters. It already is one sided with all these power arms coming out of everywhere to pitch, throwing 95+ mph on a regular basis and now hitters can't even enjoy a hitting single because there are 3 defenders on one side. The argument that hitters should adjust the way they hit to punish these shifts is nonsense. A major league veteran whose whole career was built on the line drive or ground ball to left or right for a uptick in batting average isn't about to start bunting to left or right side. So it shouldn't be a surprise that offense is down to a historic low now that defensive shifts are robbing hitters left and right of hits that would help infuse some more entertainment and action into a game that is mostly described as "boring".

A 2-1 or 1-0 game is the most entertaining baseball game to me, but it never hurts to watch an action packed 8-3 or 11-9 ball game from time to time. Watching David Ortiz, Brian McCann, and others struggle with getting on base is not what their fans want to go watch or their front office is paying them for. When offense is down fans don't watch and complaints about how long games are flair up and defensive shifts are partially to blame for why. I would gladly get rid of shifts and let defenses play the way they traditionally have been with shading one way or the other. Shading is when a defender takes a step or two in a certain direction to help cover up a hole, but to have him swing all the way around to the other side is insane. It's time to make baseball a bit more fair and more fun to watch.   

The New Generation of NBA Player

It wasn't too long ago when NBA players seemed to be playing well into their 30's some into their early 40's. Now with kids getting into the league younger and younger they're becoming the seasoned vets in their 20's. The worst thing, in my opinion, the NBA did was let players hop straight from high school into the association. Not only are they not really NBA ready they're 18/19 years old meaning the clock starts on their careers and they'll be out before they even notice. Dwayne Wade is 31/32 years old and he just might've signed his second to last deal in the NBA. Sure Wade played basketball with reckless abandon and that may have taken some years off his career, but I still think if more players waited until their body, and more importantly minds were NBA ready they'd last a lot longer.

Kobe Bryant has been in the association for 19 years. That's something to marvel at and he just might be the last player to last so long. Let's not forget that Kobe has been to Europe on numerous occasions to get special treatments on both his knees just so he can get another chance at getting that elusive 6th championship. Michael Jordan who Kobe is usually compared to also played 19 years, but he spent 3 years out of the sport between his 1 year of minor league baseball with the White Sox and the 2 years before he decided to join the Wizards, so in total Jordan was around the sport for 20+ years. Today's player plays in a softer NBA and yet they don't last as long as the old school guys who played in the rough and tumble times.

Who's Gonna be the First Domino to Fall?

With about a month to go before the MLB trade deadline there are several tight races throughout the majors and not many teams are already out of the race, but in a handful of cities the writing should already be on the walls. The question is who's gonna be the first to throw in the white flag on this season? These teams have plenty to offer teams that are in the race, but are they ready to tell their fans that this year doesn't matter anymore? How does Ruben Amaro tell Phillie fans that this year is over? The passionate fans in Philadelphia aren't really keen on losing especially after their recent runs of success. The Diamondbacks began the season with inspirations to at least compete against the highly funded Dodgers and the scrappy Giants, but unfortunately the DBacks all them injuries were too much to overcome.

So who throws in the towel and start selling off pieces? And by pieces I mean players (because at the end of it all that's what players really are... pieces). The Phillies and the DBacks are just 2 of about a handful of teams who should up the "For Sale" sign. Chase Utley could help a contender, any veteran not named Goldschmidt can help a contender, any of the countless veterans on the Cleveland Indians could help a contender as well. What fan base would show up when their team is in "sell now" mode? Maybe the most dedicated or maybe those trying to save a buck or two, but I'm waiting on that first white flag before the gates swing open.

The Dilemma that is The DL

Welcome to one of the main issues that face major league managers, dealing with the disabled list. The Washington Nationals have the face of their franchise (Bryce Harper) on his way back from a thumb injury, but in his absence the Nationals covered for his not being there by moving Ryan Zimmerman (who was also coming back from his own stint on the DL) to left field which allowed the Nationals to keep one of their hottest hitters in Anthony Rendon in the lineup everyday and playing 3rd base. Now, with Harper on the verge of coming back what is Matt Williams going to do? Zimmerman has excelled in left field, Rendon is looking like their future third baseman, and Adam LaRoche has been as consistent at first base as anybody.

The one thing that helps Williams is that his guys are versatile. Zimmerman once played third (even though he has had problems getting the ball across the diamond), Rendon can play second base, and Harper can play any of the outfield positions, but who is going to sit? Denard Span is the leadoff hitter and starter in center field, Span sets the table for the guys behind him and plays gold glove caliber defense, it'll be difficult to solve this issue. None of the players wants to sit and the face of the franchise has to play. I'm looking forward to seeing how Williams configures his lineup once Harper is back.         

Why I'm not Enthralled with These NBA Finals

The legacies of both LeBron James and Tim Duncan are going to rise whether they win or lose. Tim Duncan doesn't have much more to prove in his hall of fame career and LeBron is still young enough to continue to build upon his legacy whether it be with Miami or not. There is no guarantee that if Tim Duncan were to win these Finals he'd make loud mouth Mark Cuban happy by retiring. In fact, I don't think Duncan would retire even if he won because he's not declining, he may be playing less minutes, but he's not declining. Duncan's player efficiency rating was in the top 20 in the NBA this past season. Top 20 is impressive for a player Tim Duncan's age since most players his age would be lining up their next career as basketball announcers or analysts.

In my lifetime, I've seen a team three-peat twice and I've seen several other teams dominate the league and capture multiple championships. There is no parity in this league. There are just a handful of teams that have won the championship in the last ten years. So watching one team that has dominated recently and one that has had spurts of dominance since the mid-2000's isn't really interesting to me. Do I care if the Heat become a dynasty? Not really. Do I care if the old guys walk away with their 5th title? No. When a true underdog makes it to the Finals that's when I'll feel compelled to watch.