Pitt gets more than they bargained for while ‘Cuse cruises

Pitt just came awfully close to becoming the first 1 seed to ever lose in the NCAA tournament and wrecking my bracket in the process.  This performance is a little worrisome for them going forward, however I have to say that was the most talented 16 seed I think I’ve ever seen.  Usually when a really high seed makes an upset bid, it’s because they shoot really well.  After all, anyone can get hot. 

However, ETSU shot poorly overall and horrendously from the foul line (11-22).  Yet they still hung around until the final minute.  If they had shot well, there is a pretty good chance they pull off the upset.

ETSU stands in strong contrast to the team Syracuse played today, Stephen F Austin.  They were, in a word, awful.  Their shooting guard was shorter than me.  Now, I heard going in that they had a really short guy, and the shooting guard grabbed it and I said to myself “wow, he is short.”  Then he passed it to the point guard, who was more than a half a foot shorter!  They list him at 5′ 3″ but announcers informed us he’s closer to 5′ 1″.  Impressive.

Their uniforms looked like something an underfunded public high school would be wearing.  They had a 27 year old senior.  They were described as a “poor shooting team” (and lived up to that reputation).  How is a team that starts 2 guys under 5 foot 10 a bad shooting team (well, and end up in the NCCA tourney)?

Maybe Syracuse is just that good, but after watching the higher seeds, especially Pitt, have much tougher games, I think SU probably played one of the 2 or 3 worst teams in the tournament.

March Madness thoughts

Just filled out my bracket (you can see a copy of it here, since I know everyone’s interested).  Some thoughts:

-  I hate picking brackets involving Syracuse.  I know them too well to think rationally.  While I certainly think they’re capable of beating UNC and getting to the final four, they’ve shown they’re also very susceptible to the early upset – like Vermont in ‘05 when Boeheim refused to change the tempo and just run them off the court.  So I have them in the Elite 8.  It’s a compromise.

-  I think there are two distinct top tiers: 1a – Pitt and UConn, 1b- every other 1, 2, or 3 seed.  I think any of those teams could very reasonably win it all.  Below that, things get a little sketchy.  But make no mistake, Pitt and UConn were the best two regular season teams.  And Pitt owns UConn head-to-head.  So I think you can guess who I picked to win it all.

-  Wake Forest scares me.  I picked them being upset in the first round because they just haven’t been playing that good recently.  However, I could see them regaining some of their early season form and busting my bracket.  But I mean, hey, you can’t pick every team to win. 

-  Based on the Big East tourney I formed the following opinions:

1) UConn is really good.  I know SU outlasted them and I’ve heard people say how sloppy these teams played in the final overtimes.  But do you realize how tired and shorthanded those teams were?  Walk-ons were playing.  Of course it got sloppy.

But Thabeet changes the game and UConn can beat you inside, midrange, and outside.  They have lots of weapons.

2) West Virginia isn’t that good.  SU had nothing left in that game and still won.

3) Louisville can be beat.  SU again played slow and tired and still had the lead at halftime.  And if they could have made a few layups in the second half, they would have been right there at the end.  

-  When it comes to this tournament, no one knows anything.  So really, the fact that I’ve thought about it enough to write this post pretty much ensures I’ll lose.  Oh well. 

Dick Vitale is so predictable

Just watched Dick Vitale’s final four picks on SportsCenter.  I immediately said to myself – “he’ll have all 4 #1s in the Final Four and he’ll have North Carolina winning.”  And guess what?  I was right.

I mean, seriously?  The guy picks all the #1 seeds (with an occasional #2 if it’s Duke or UNC) every single year.  He knows nothing about basketball.  He only knows coaches’ names.  That’s it. 

Check out this video (courtesy of The Big Lead).  Jay Bilas completely embarrasses Vitale, who just isn’t in touch with the college game anymore. 

Take a look at Vitale’s “writing” as well.  This is a journalist being published on the most popular sports website?  Whatever Vitale makes, it’s too much.   

Daily News Pt 2 : More inane trade ideas

This time from Bill Madden.

Yanks must bring in Matt Holliday, ship out Robinson Cano & Phil Hughes

Really, the title says it all.  Madden’s idea: trade for a “commodity they seemingly don’t need” in an effort “to get younger in the outfield.”  That’s right, the trade would be Robinson Cano and Phil Hughes for Matt Holliday.  The Yankees would then give Holliday a monster extension and sign Orlando Hudson.

There are so many things wrong with that idea, I don’t know where to begin.

First, Madden already admits earlier in the article that the Yankees need starting pitching.  So why would they trade Hughes, a premium talent who is still cost controlled with his prime years ahead of them?

Madden then says the Yankees need to get younger.  So also why trade Cano, a young player who is just entering his prime?

The Yankees do NOT have a need in the outfield, but making this trade would create a need at second base and worsen their need at starting pitcher.  Not to mention, despite his .405 OBP on the road, Holliday is partially a product of Coors Field.  Don’t get me wrong: he’s a good player.  He’s just not a great player and a trade would require the Yankees to pay him market value.  Why not just wait a year and sign him as a free agent then, after Matsui and Damon come off the books?

As for Hudson, he is no longer the defensive player he once was and is on the downside of his career.  He’s exactly the type of player the Yankees are trying to get away from.

It gets better though:

Otherwise, the Yankees go into the offseason with two significant holes to fill – first base and center field. If they want to be foolish, they could fill first base by throwing $100 million at Boras client Mark Teixeira.

But it wouldn’t be foolish to give that same money to Boras client Matt Holliday?  Teixeira is a proven AL player.  He’s a better hitter than Holliday.  He’s a better defender.  He’s the same age.  If he’ll sign for $100 million, the Yankees will do it without blinking.

But with Jorge Posada’s throwing ability uncertain, and first base his likely destination by the end of his contract in 2011, they would probably be advised to expedite that process this spring. If it’s determined that Posada can catch, then first base will have to be addressed from the outside – free agent Kevin Millar or a trade for Texas’ Hank Blalock are two options – but it would be a lot easier for the Yankees to have Posada concentrate on first base and bring in a veteran free agent such as switch-hitter Gregg Zaun to help Jose Molina with the catching.

So Posada should immediately be made a first basemen because he might end up there anyways in 2011 and it would be “easier”?  Posada’s value is tied into his ability to catch.  As a DH or a first baseman, he’s a decent hitter.  As a catcher, he’s a GREAT hitter.  Bringing in defensively challenged and offensively inferior Greg Zaun does not make this any better.  Kevin Millar?  Wouldn’t the Yankees just be better off keeping Giambi?  Oh, wait:

In any case, the Yankees should not be fooled into bringing Jason Giambi back at a discount because of his power numbers. Rather, it’s that .213 average with runners in scoring position that should dictate saying goodbye to Giambi.

Wait – it’s not the fact that he’s injury prone or that he plays defense like he’s wearing cement shoes and throwing with the wrong arm? Someone needs to explain sample sizes to you.  Hitting with runners in scoring position is completely a product of luck and it fluctuates from year to year.  Giambi is just as likely to hit over .300 with RISP than he is to repeat his performance this year.  But guess what we can predict?  That Giambi will hit a lot more homeruns and draw a ton more walks than Kevin Millar.

For center field, the Yankees should look to the Kansas City Royals, who are said to be amenable to dealing Brooklyn native David DeJesus for young pitching. Cashman has been loathe to give up any of his young pitchers, but after last year’s setbacks for almost all of his young arms, impatient Yankee ownership may be inclined to push them this winter. And while DeJesus is not a great center fielder, he’s more than adequate out there and led the majors in batting with runners in scoring position (.419) – something the Yankees sure could have used more of in ‘08.

Wow.  So the Yankees should trade away MORE of their young pitching – something that fills their two primary needs, pitching and youth – to acquire a mediocre center fielder because a disproportionate number of his hits happened to come when men were on base?  I would rather just play Brett Gardner who is pretty much a younger version of David DeJesus.  But that’s just me.

Madden goes on to suggest Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez, two more Boras clients who he admits they’d have to overpay for.  But that’s okay, because the Yankees “seem to be willing to pay crazy money for middle-of-the-rotation starters this winter.”  They do?  Based on what?  Your suggestions?  I think the Yankees have learned their lesson signing mediocre starters from the NL.  At least, I sure hope so.

First In Person Look at SU Basketball

Got to attend Syracuse’s game vs Oklahoma St. on Tuesday night. Although SU lost, still seems like a team with plenty of potential. Paul Harris, while having a disappointing game overall, is an absolute beast down low for a guard. When it was crunch time, he was on every loose ball. That said, his jump shot is poor and it seems that the entire team is still trying to figure out how to survive post-GMac. Harris simply does not stretch the defense the same way. Hopefully SU will improve as they learn how to complement each other.

Josh Wright really hurts the Orange at the point. He was lightning quick and has a first step that can get around most anyone. However, he has no court vision and no finishing ability. So that first step does him no good. Countless times Harris, Nichols, and company would be wide open as Wright drove the lane merely to lose the ball. Harris also kept calling for the ball in the backcourt and would take it up the court whenever he could, despite Wright’s presence. You definately get the feeling that the team does not trust Wright. Harris and Devendorf will probably be the crunch time backcourt by years end.

Should be an interesting team. And they have the best recruiting class in the country coming next year.