Just for Sport

Last night we were all graced with one of the great football games in recent memory.  It surely goes down as one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen.  If I had to choose the five greatest games in all sports in the last ten years without spending a bunch of time thinking about it or researching, they would go as follows:

5 - 2007 Fiesta Bowl, Boise State over Oklahoma, 43-42 (OT).  This makes the list for me because (A) I hate Oklahoma - see sidebar, (B) Nobody thought Boise State would stick it to OU for three and half quarters, much less pull the upset, and (C) Those last couple of plays - The Hook and Lateral and The Statue of Liberty.  Instant classic.

4 - Super Bowl XLII, New York Giants over New England, 17-14.  Not many people predicted a low-scoring game, much less a close one.  The three lead changes in the 4th quarter plus Eli Manning’s escape/David Tyree’s catch (Do we have a name for that yet?) made it a great game anyway.  The storyline behind the game (destroying the perfect season, etc.) put it on the list.

3 - 2004 AL Championship Series, Games 4 & 5, Boston over New York.  Game 4: 6-4 (12 innings).  Game 5: 5-4 (14 innings).  I think it’s fair to lump these two together because it was really the series that was impressive.  Also, Game 5 started 16 hours after Game 4 ended.  These games were great not only because nobody had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit before, but because the Yankees had so thoroughly dominated the series up until that point.  The way they won those games was just fantastic.

2 - 2006 Rose Bowl, Texas over USC, 41-38.  This one was just like last night’s game, except with 4 times the scoring.  USC were the overwhelming favorites, and Texas overcame the odds in the Championship Game, with Vince Young scoring the winning touchdown on 4th down.

1 - 1998 NBA Finals, Game 6, Chicago over Utah, 87-86. Michael Jordan hits "The Shot" (Does that play have a name?  What is it?) in his last game in a Bulls uniform to cap off a 45-point performance and the Bulls 6th Championship.

There are some others that perhaps mean more to me than the greater sports world:

1999 Stanley Cup Finals, Game 6, Dallas over Buffalo, 2-1 (Triple OT).  Creasegate.  Modano plays 55 minutes with a cast on his arm.

June 29, 2007, Chicago Cubs over Milwaukee, 6-5.  The Cubs rally from a 5-0 deficit to win on Aramis’ walkoff home run.  This game also turned the tide in the division race.

2007 NL Wild Card Tiebreaker Game, Colorado over San Diego, 9-8 (13 innings).  This was a great game even before the 13th inning.  Plenty of offense early, followed by dominant pitching and stellar defense.  There was a grand slam and a killer error that allowed the game to go into extras in the first place.  The Padres got 2 in the 13th, and the game was thought over.  But the Cinderella Rockies beat the odds and killed Trevor Hoffman.  The play at the plate, which is consistently the best play in sports, capped it all off. 

2006 NL Championship, Game 6, Florida over Chicago Cubs, 8-3.  I hate this game, but for the Marlins, this was a GREAT game.  Cubs fans, please don’t blame Bartman.  Blame Baker.

2007 AFC Championship Game, Indianapolis over New England, 38-34.  If this game was the Super Bowl, it might have made the list.  The Colts looked dead in the water, behind 21-3, then rallied to beat the team that had been keeping them down in dramatic fashion.

Feel free to disagree or suggest some other games. 

I’m too dumb to embed YouTube videos, so here’s a couple of links:

Great Play

Best Commercial 

Three.  That’s the number of shutouts Marty Turco had in the series against the Canucks.  It’s also the number of years in a row that the Stars have lost in the first round of the playoffs. 

"After the game, I wanted to tell Marty, ‘Sorry.’" - Stars Captain Brenden Morrow 

It’s true that Stars fans are spoiled.  Since moving to Dallas, they have only missed the playoffs once, and went to the Stanley Cup finals twice, winning it in 1999.  They also own two President’s Trophies.  Stars fans in Dallas don’t know anything but winning, and that’s what makes this recent bout of playoff futility so difficult.  After last season, when they were supposed to go deep, they won only one game against an inferior Avalanche team.  Many people were blamed, but Turco took the brunt of the criticism.  It’s hard to follow Ed Belfour.

So when the Stars went down 3-1 in the Vancouver series, people were already starting to call for Marty’s head.  The problem: it’s not his fault.  The Achille’s Heel of the Stars all season long has been scoring goals.  It was their problem during the playoffs as well.  Should Turco’s feet be held to the fire?  No.  Dave Tippett’s should.  

In the old NHL, the adage "Defense Wins Championships" held true.  In the new NHL, it does not.  The Stars play a certain way in the regular season: Play it close.  If we’re ahead by a goal, fine.  If we’re behind by a goal, let’s force overtime and rely on our NHL-best shootout to get the two points.  The philosophy doesn’t translate to the playoffs.  Teams tighten up.  They don’t want to lose one goal games, and they’re not going to be satisfied with overtime because no points are awarded.  Meanwhile, if the Stars can get into overtime, they’re conditioned to ride the storm out for five minutes and hit the showers.  Gone are the days of Brett Hull and Mike Modano playing 55 minutes each and hooking up for a game-winner.  And you know what?  It’s not Mike Modano’s fault, crossbar aside.  Those things happen.  The team needs to be put into a position to win.  It’s not Brenden Morrow’s fault.  He has shown as much leadership as a player can.  It’s certainly not Marty Turco’s fault.  He proved that the choker label doesn’t fit.  It IS Dave Tippett’s fault.  Mr. Hicks, if you’re looking for changes to make to this team to keep them contending (and I certainly hope you are), head coach is the place to look.  Otherwise, I’m afraid the Stars are on a spiral into the basement of the Western Conference.

Every year, there is a short time (this year, it’s 12 days) which I refer to as the Sports Black Hole - it is the time between the Super Bowl and The Day when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. During this Black Hole period, hockey and, to a lesser extent, basketball tide me over. Perhaps, then, this is the best time for me to write a bit about each. First, though, I want to mention the thing that is helping me cope with the Black Hole this year - umpiring.

On February 5th, the day after the Super Bowl, I stepped behind the plate for the first time and called balls and strikes. I also took my position in the field and performed umpiring duties there. It was a fairly uneventful game. I got to call a play at the plate. My strike zone was a little too small for the hometown fans, but it was consistent. We did blow a call or two. There was an infield fly that went uncalled, and a ball that should have been called foul was called fair. Nevertheless, the game went on. I am looking forward to a year (and hopefully more) of umpiring. I am proud to take this role in America’s Pasttime.

As for hockey, I have this to say: Sportswriters and television commentators need to grow up. Most of them speak as if they have been personally slighted by the NHL. Hockey? We don’t cover that inferior sport. These people are paid to cover sports, yet they only cover the ones they enjoy personally. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see as much hockey as I would like this year, although I did attend my first NHL game in October. It seems as if the NHL is committing suicide by allowing the majority of their games to be broadcast on a crappy network that’s apparently too good to be broadcast on satellite.

Having said that, this season has been an exciting one. For Stars fans, it has been frustrating. I was at the game where Steve Ott broke his leg, and that seemed to set off a steady stream of injuries that have crippled the Stars all season. Add an inconsistent Marty Turco to the equation, and it makes me more nervous as we approach the end of the season. I had all kinds of optimism going into last year’s playoffs, and it all got squelched in the first round. I don’t know if I can handle another collapse. Stay tuned…

As for basketball, I’d like to get everything I have to say about the regular season (both pro and college) in one post. So, here are my mid-February Final Four picks. As always, you never know who’s going to end up in what region, so I tried my best to come up with four teams that are fairly spread apart. I’ve got two fairly obvious picks and two underdogs, listed here in alphabetical order:

Florida
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Texas A&M

In the pros, I see only six legitimate contenders for a Finals berth: Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago. If you forced me to pick right now, I would say Dallas vs. Detroit, although anything can happen in the West. I’ll probably have more to say when the regular season is up, but not until then.

On Friday, watch for a preview of both the Rangers and the Cubs.

TSN reported yesterday that the NHL is considering realigning its teams. The league, which is currently in a six division format, is thinking about switching to just four divisions. The six division format has always been doomed from its inception. At least it’s an even number, but not when you crown division champions and are stuck with the problem of deciding which teams face each other, etc. It’s better in hockey than it is in baseball, though, because Western Conference teams face Eastern Conference teams all the time.

Baseball, ironically enough, reacted to its four division “problem” by switching to a six division format, then switching Milwaukee from one league to another. It was a simple enough solution: even number of teams in each league, and nobody even cares about Milwaukee anyway, right? Well, except for the commissioner. Anyway, the American League now has 14 teams, and the National League has 16. Why not round it out? The NCAA tournament starts with 64 teams, not 62.

It’s time for baseball to take a clue from the NFL: We need four divisions in each league, with an equal amount of teams. This would provide more competitive balance, a simpler schedule, and possibly more playoff teams. I’ll admit that I’m biased on this topic because I have a vested interest in the two divisions (AL West and NL Central) that have an abnormal amount of teams. In an age where the schedule makers are concerned about balance of schedule, the schedule is very unbalanced for the ten teams (1/3 of the league) in these two divisions.

In order to divide the teams into eight divisions of four teams each, two more teams are required. Both would have to be in the AL, unless the Brewers were to move back over (not advised). Before I talk about where the new teams should be located, let’s talk about the realignment of the National League, because we know where all those teams are. My proposed plan takes into account mostly geography, but also does its best not to split up truly historical rivalries – recent ones don’t count as much because they’re mostly based on recent success, which is pretty spotty when you’re trying to set up a system that should last for a while.

NL North
Chicago
Cincinnati
Milwaukee
St. Louis

NL South
Atlanta
Arizona
Houston
Florida

NL West
Colorado
Los Angeles
San Diego
San Francisco

NL East
New York
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Washington

This method ensures that each team resides in a division that is actually descriptive of their location. The South division is probably most problematic, because it is large in scope and a hodgepodge of all three current divisions. At least the problem of the Pirates in the Central division is solved. Travel issues for each team are improved or at least the same, with the possible exception of the Diamondbacks. Rivalries such as LA-San Fran and Chicago-St. Louis are preserved.

Before we realign the American League, we must first address the issue of expansion. What cities should get the new teams? Here are the candidates.

Locations that were in contention for the Expos franchise: Arlington (Va.), Las Vegas, Monterrey (Mexico), Norfolk (Va.), Portland

Locations that have professional teams other than baseball: Buffalo, Calgary, Charlotte, Columbus, Edmonton, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Long Island (Uniondale), Memphis, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey (East Rutherford), New Orleans, Oklahoma City (kind of), Orlando, Ottawa, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Jose, Vancouver

Other locations that might be capable of supporting a pro team: Albuquerque, Anchorage, Austin, Birmingham, Boise, Honolulu, Little Rock, Louisville, Omaha, San Juan, Tulsa, probably a bunch of Canadian cities (forgive me if I’ve forgotten any…if they’re not already on this overly extensive list, it ain’t happening)

Let’s assume, for the sake of my sanity, that new teams would be picked based solely on their geographical location in order to make realignment easier. Here’s what the American League might look like:

AL North
Chicago
Cleveland
Detroit
Minnesota

AL South
Kansas City
Tampa Bay
Texas
New Team A, perhaps New Orleans or Nashville

AL West
Anaheim
Oakland
Seattle
New Team B, perhaps Portland or Las Vegas

AL East
Baltimore
Boston
New York
Toronto

Once again, travel is made easier for almost every team, again with the possible exception of Tampa Bay and Texas. Of course, Texas is no longer in a West Coast-only division, and Tampa Bay isn’t always going North, so it makes more sense nevertheless. Friends that I have proposed this system to maintain that my bias for Texas led to the considerably weak AL South, but these teams do not have to be perennially bad. A few years ago, the North division would have been considered very weak as well. Again, historic rivalries are preserved, for the most part.

Possible Problems
Any time the league is expanded (let alone realigned), the integrity of the game is called into question. One has to consider schedule expansion, although this is highly unlikely.
Nevertheless, the introduction of more teams means that the talent pool is going to be watered down a bit, calling statistics into question in an era where they are already on very shaky ground. However, these questions always end up being temporal. It is much more important to have an equality between the leagues, especially if so much emphasis is being placed on a “balanced schedule.” How can the schedule be balanced if the numbers are wrong?

The playoff question, in my mind, is the biggest obstacle to a realignment. Right now four teams from each league make it, meaning under a new system there would be no wild card. One thing I appreciate about the current playoff system is that only good teams make the playoffs. To be sure, some very good teams are often left out, but at least half the league doesn’t make it in, a la NBA or NHL. The reality is, though, that the player’s association has actually been pushing to let more teams in. Last year, they proposed a system where ultimately eight teams make it in, but there’s a play-in round. Certainly this and other proposals would have to be considered if MLB wanted to continue allowing Wild Card teams to make the playoffs. In my mind, whatever they came up with would be worth the switch to an eight division format – as long as they keep the playoff pool relatively shallow. I still want end of season pennant races to mean something.

There are several other logistic problems inherent with expansion. Ownership groups would have to be assembled, stadiums would have to built (I withdraw my nomination of New Orleans if they use the Superdome), minor league affiliations would have to be made, etc. It’s clear that such a system couldn’t happen overnight. But Mr. Selig is clearly on his way out. The new commissioner could start things off on the right foot by announcing a five-year or seven-year plan to expand and realign baseball, for the better integrity of the game.

Got a different plan for realignment, or an improved playoff system? Don’t think baseball should be realigned? Want to lobby for a specific city to get a team? Post a comment!

Note: This post appeared as part of a larger post on February 10, 2006.

Sportscenter opened with the Mavericks last night, not only because Mark Cuban claimed ownership of Phil Jackson, but because they’re on a 13-game winning streak and playing defense. Anybody that knows anything about the Mavericks knows that defense has always been their Achille’s Heel, so it’s fun to see that the Little General has them whipped into shape. Even Dirk is playing defense! The franchise record for wins in a row is 14, when they started the season that way a couple of years ago. They go for the tie tonight against Denver, and a cupcake schedule for the week or so after that should allow the Mavs to keep on rolling. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against the Spurs on March 2. They’ve split the season series so far, and the way things are going, one game might make the difference between the 1 and 2 seed. Even more than that, I’m looking forward to March 28’s matchup with the Pistons. The first time they met at the beginning of the season, Dallas won 119-82. They also won both preseason matchups. Detroit has played out of their mind up until last week, but I believe they’re just a little overrated. We’ll see soon enough; for now I’m enjoying the streak and some awesome team defense.

The Stars won last night as well. Kapanen had a hat trick, and they scored three power play goals, which has been their Achille’s Heel recently. Hedberg did a great job as the backup, and a team that looked like a 4 or 5 seed at the beginning of the season might actually contend for the President’s Trophy. I’m really worried that the Olympics are going to hurt their momentum, but they have enough veteran leadership to get through it.

Finally, pitchers and catchers report soon (although that’s going to be kind of weird with the World Baseball Classic coming up next month). There’s no precedent for how the WBC will affect players (with unforeseen injuries, fatigue in the later months of the season, etc.), so I’m going to make my preseason predictions with complete disregard for all of that, since I have no idea what to make of it all. Here’s how I think each division will go down:

NL East
The New York Mets have done a lot to help themselves this offseason, so it’s tempting to give in and predict them to win. There’s always a danger in betting against history, though, as the Atlanta Braves have won 15 straight titles. They did trade away some of their prospects, and they have no closer at this moment. I think the Mets actually benefit from the loss of Piazza, as they can actually throw runners out now. It’s also tempting to put the Marlins in last based on their fire sale, but I think getting rid of Thome makes the Phillies implode.

NY Mets
Washington
Atlanta
Florida
Philadelphia

NL Central
My Cubbies have improved this offseason, getting some help in the bullpen and in the outfield. Juan Pierre gives them a leadoff hitter, and an overflowing infield allows them to make a deadline deal to make a title push. The Astros probably won’t have Roger Clemens, and they haven’t done anything to improve their poor hitting (except force Jeff Bagwell out?). The Cardinals will have a dropoff also, although the continued emergence of Albert Pujols will make things interesting. Milwaukee is in position to be good in a couple of years, but not yet.

Chicago Cubs
St. Louis - Wild Card
Milwaukee
Cincinnatti
Houston
Pittsburgh

NL West
The league’s worst division probably won’t be much better, although the Dodgers are trying to separate themselves from the pack. San Diego won’t get anywhere without Adam Eaton (and Chris Young’s not ready yet), and one or more of the San Francisco Giants might die of old age on the field. The Dodgers will win a close one, but with the league’s 7th or 8th best record.

Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Diego
Arizona
Colorado

AL East
Hooray! My least favorite division. There are two teams that ruin the financial balance of baseball with their overspending (Boston and NY Yankees), one that’s trying to do the same thing (Toronto), one with the whiniest owner in baseball (Baltimore), and the worst team in the league (Tampa Bay). Unlike previous years, the Wild Card will not come out of this division, simply because the rest of the AL has gotten stronger and the top three in the East will beat up on each other. I don’t think there will be much of a change top to bottom here from last year, but the Blue Jays will make it closer than in years past.

New York Yankees
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore
Tampa Bay

AL Central
Lots of people are picking the White Sox to repeat, but I’m not sure they know how to play under pressure. The last Chicago team to be a favorite imploded. Here’s a simple rule I like to live by: Never expect a team to overachieve two years in a row, especially not in baseball, where the schedule is 162 games long. Minnesota has been due for a stellar year for awhile now, but they won’t be as good as the other elite teams in the league because they lack depth. Cleveland will have a breakout year if they can pull off a major deadline deal. I’m banking on that.

Cleveland
Minnesota
Chicago White Sox
Detroit
Kansas City

AL West
This will be interesting, since the A’s and Rangers have both improved during the offseason. Most people are picking Oakland to win, but I’m going to stick by my prediction that they won’t win the division again as long as Billy Beane is the GM. The Rangers actually have a rotation this year, and they have the extra players to make the all-important deadline trade. Even if they don’t deal, they have the depth to overcome injury and an extended season because of the WBC (Okay, just one!). Phil Rogers seems to think that Michael Young is ready to break out, and if he does, the Rangers have a shot to hit 100. The Angels will fall off this year, as they have lost 2/5 of their rotation. Washburn and Byrd were essential parts of Anaheim’s run last year, and they won’t be able to find help. Seattle will improve, but not that much.

Texas
Oakland - Wild Card
Seattle
Anaheim