Misc. Monday 05-02-11 - Buckeye state catch up
Really, May 1 is my Jan. 1. It seems more like a day when your year should begin. Although I haven't found one mushroom yet, I am glad that spring has arrived, as are Ohio State Buckeyes football fans. The Buckeyes' Scarlet and Gray Game always seems to be the event that gets football going for fans.
Refusing to cover the Ohio State Buckeyes football program situation is a smart move for me at this point. If I want to live long enough to see my daughter grow up, I better just stay away from the whole Jim Tressel carousel of rumors. So let's cover some other Ohio-related sports topics and definitely more enlightening subjects.
LeBron James vs. Boston Celtics (and Delonte West!)
This week starts the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat second round playoff match up. Ever since "The Decision," Cleveland sports fans have been waiting to see LeBron James lose. Now is the time, fellow Cavaliers fans.
LeQuit has never conquered the Celtics. In the 2006-2007 season, the Cavs made the NBA Finals and lost to the San Antonio Spurs, but didn't have to play the Celtics that season in the playoffs. The Cavs beat the Wizards in round one, the Nets in the semi's and Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals that year.
The Cavs lost to the Celtics in 2007-2008 Eastern Conference semi's, and then again in the 2009-2010 semi's.
If LeBron wants to add to his legacy, which the NBA is all about, he has to beat the Celtics. Jordan had to beat the Pistons, Isiah had to beat Larry Birds' Celtics and now, LeBron has to beat the Celtics or wait until their older superstars are gone.
Hopefully the Heat are not able to defend Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen rains threes in their face the whole series, as the Heat's dreams of a championship this season are destroyed - to put it lightly. Oh yeah, and LeBron's buddy Delonte West has been playing some minutes for the Celtics in the playoffs. No mama jokes now boys.
And don't forget that the Lakers are still the best team in the playoffs anyhow. Whoever wins this series is not going to win the title. It's Kobe's world. LeBron, even if you get past the Celtics, the Lakers are still way out of your league. Go Celtics!
Holy smokes
How fun has it been having the Cleveland Indians playing first place baseball? Listening to Tom Hamilton call Carlos Santana's walk-off grand slam the other night will be a night I'll never forget. My cell phone absolutely blew up when Santana took a pitch into the Cleveland night over the left field wall, plating four winning runs. One text read, "holy smokes," and that was the best way to describe the Indians' season thus far.
There sure isn't anymore talk amongst Indians fans about trading outfielder Grady Sizemore. Grady is hitting .378 through his first 45 at-bats, including four home runs, and looking like the Grady of old. I still don't think Grady is an All-Star major leaguer, but hope he proves me wrong.
Travesty... I mean, Travis Hafner… seems to also be back from injury and in 76 at-bats is hitting .342. "Pronk" has also dinged four homers and looks like he is fully recovered from injury as well.
Inserting Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana in the lineup between Sizemore and Hafner seems like a pretty potent punch. Choo has recently heated up while Santana's batting average is below the Mendoza Line and you have to be wondering if having Santana batting fourth in the lineup during the beginning of the season ruined him. No reason for manager Manny Acta having him in the clean up spot in the batting order.
But we are forgetting the most important piece.
Drubal.
Asdrubal Cabrera could be the biggest reason the Indians are off to a quick start and are in first place after April. Drubal is leading the Indians in at-bats, runs, hits, RBI, and is tied for home runs with five so far. Drubal was the AL Player of the Week for the week of April 11, and is the MVP for the Tribe so far this season.
If the Indians are in it come the trade deadline, they have to deal for a starter and another arm in the bullpen. I'm hoping the Tampa Rays' season doesn't go well because starting pitcher James Shields is the guy that would fit perfectly. Shields is in the last year of a four-year, $11.25 million contract which has a club option for 2012 at $7.00 million, a 2013 option for $9.00 million and $12.00 million for 2014. The Rays know talent… and when to get rid of a player. For example Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Matt Garza all are struggling this season. Surely, the Rays don't want to pick up those huge option years, but you got to wonder that if they deal him, they feel Shields has reached his potential. This season so far, James Shields is off to a hot start, posting a 2.14 ERA through six starts. Shields' record is 2-1.
Let's finish the week off with some more Ohio professional sports news.
The Browns draft review
When the Cleveland Browns were on the clock with the sixth pick of the NFL draft this past Thursday, we all knew what they were going to do right? The Cincinnati Bengals just selected the wide receiver A.J. Green from the University of Georgia, leaving Alabama's wide receiver Julio Jones the perfect fit for the Browns.
Wrong. The Browns decided to trade their sixth pick to Atlanta for their first, second, and fourth-round selections this year and first and fourth-round picks in 2012. What a steal. And it makes complete sense.
The Atlanta Falcons could be one player away from being the best team in the NFC and a Super Bowl contender. While Julio Jones is a possible game changer, he makes sense to Atlanta and they have a big time quarterback that can get him the ball. What the Browns are saying here is we need bodies. We need multiple picks rather than betting the franchise on a wide receiver.
What is surprising is the Browns desperately needed a wide receiver. Mohamed Massaquoi, Chansi Stuckey, and Brian Robiskie might just be the worst core of receivers in the league. The Browns were able to get Greg Little, the wide receiver from North Carolina with the 59th overall pick (27th of second round). Little had 86 receptions and six touchdowns in his career at North Carolina. Expect to see a lot of Peyton Hillis again.
The Browns first round pick was defensive lineman Phil Taylor. Taylor transferred from Penn State to Baylor and sat out the 2008 season, but played the last two seasons and was Baylor's top defensive lineman.
Taylor probably won't play many passing downs is the word, but is a good run stopper and also will provide a much needed pass rush for the Browns. For whatever reason, during the weeks leading up to the draft, it seems like every player is labeled, "could be the best at his position in the draft," which is ESPN's ploy just to keep you watching. Taylor was labeled just that though, "the best defensive tackle in the draft." Let's hope so for the Browns, who turned down Julio Jones.
Misc. Web Video of the Week