Friday, June 17, 2011

Boston Gets the Cup

Boston wins Lord Stanley's cup in Vancouver over the Canucks, thanks to the stalwart goal keeping of Tim Thomas, former University of Vermont player. The home team won each game until vital game 7 when Boston took it 3-0. Enjoy your time with the cup boys. Mr. Thomas, I expect to hear about Lord Stanley taking a trip to Burlington!


NBA: Dallas Mavericks Win--I Like

If the Mavs win was a Facebook post, I'd click the "like" button. There are a lot of reasons for this, including an enjoyment of team oriented basketball, a dislike of LeBron and all the stuff that has emanated from the Miami Heat, and a just reward for the long and great career of Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas.
Once this series was established, everyone was just about crowning Miami champion before the first tip off. However, Miami's lack of ability to finish kept the talented team from winning the series. Dallas was just too good for Miami to overcome with its less than perfect chemistry and team work, and its tendency to fade in the fourth quarter.

The turning point was without a doubt game two in Miami, where Dallas came back from a double digit deficit half way in the forth quarter to win that game and keep the series from going 2-0 Heat. If the Heat win that game the series was essentially over. This showed that Dallas could keep up with the athletically gifted Miami team. It was funny though, even after this win, people were still crowning the Heat, saying they'd win the next three.

The pattern of Heat fade and Mav push in the last quarter maintained through out the remaining games--even the second Miami win was nearly a Miami loss in the late fourth quarter.
Miami has questions to answer--Dallas has celebrated. Assuming the NBA can avoid a nasty labor situation, next year looks to be a fun year for the league, which is wide open for new heroes and teams in a way it hasn't been for a long time. (Good night, Kobe.)

Photos from the Dallas Morning News.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Aviles Down; Moustakas Up

You just knew that it had to happen, that Mike Aviles, who I really like as a ball player and who seems to be a top notch guy too, was playing too poorly. He has regressed defensively--I don't know if it's all the switching, or something with his arm after surgery or what but Aviles was optioned to AAA and Mike Moustakas was brought up.

Not all are in agreement about bringing "Moose" up to the bigs, but he is in for a full dose of it, as Ned Yost has indicted he will play every day. We shall see then.

The Royals are going as their starting pitching goes right now. If they get good pitching at the beginning, and aren't dumped in a hole, they do alright. If they go down several runs, they do not have the punch to come back.

As it goes...

Monday, June 6, 2011

Royals Take Starling in First Round

I don't know if it was a surprise or expected, but the Kansas City Royals made the intriguing pick of Bubba Starling out of Gardner, KS. Starling was a two sport star at Gardner-Edgerton HS, playing outstanding quarterback for the school in the fall.

Considered a five tool player in baseball, with a live arm, hitting for average and power at the high school level, able to run well and play defense, if the Royals can actually sign Starling he would be quite an addition for the team in the future.

However, many consider that he is even better at football than baseball, and believe that he will go to Nebraska and throw passes in the Big 10 for the Cornhuskers. In addition, his agent is Scott Boras who no doubt will make signing him as difficult and expensive as possible.
The cynics out there are saying that this is one way the Royals can save money, by drafting a guy in the first round that they have no chance of signing. The optimists are saying that the Royals know more about signing him then they are letting on.

Earlier today, I saw this story on how Bo Jackson was signed by the Kansas City Royals. Hat tip to Tony's Kansas City. Images here are screen captures from footage on mlb.com