2014 World Series

Game 1 of the World Series ended in a 7-1 Giants blowout. This may lead people to think the Giants will run away with the series, but this is not necessarily true. I am writing this after game 1, so the series may be close to over when this article comes out.

The outcome of game 1 was not surprising due to the starting pitchers. Giants SP Madison Bumgarner has been one of the hottest pitches in baseball. Bumgarner retired 13 of his final 14 batters en route to a game 1 victory. He also extended his road playoff shutout streak to 32 2/3 innings until Royals C Salvador Perez homered in the seventh. Royals’ starter James Shields has struggled in past playoffs, despite his “Big Game James” nickname. He won Game 2 of the 2008 World Series against Philadelphia, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings. His next two playoff starts were awful however. In 2010 and 2011, he allowed a total of 11 runs in 9 1/3 innings. In his six previous postseason starts with Tampa Bay, his ERA was a subpar 4.98. It is unsurprising that San Francisco would win that game big, but Kansas City will make the rest of the series a fight. The two teams have similar styles, which is why intangibles like experience will likely make a difference.

In game 2, the Royals will send 23 year-old pitcher Yordano Ventura to the mound to face veteran Jake Peavy. Ventura made a name for himself against the Angels in the ALDS, when he allowed only five hits and one walk in seven innings. He left Game 2 of the ALCS against Baltimore with shoulder tightness, his velocity clearly lacking. KC was blown out in game 1, so manager Ned Yost was able to preserve his top relievers (Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera, Greg Holland). Thursday is a travel day, so those guys will not be held back in game 2. This bodes well for KC, since their bullpen has been their strength all year. Herrera, Davis and Holland all had an ERA of less than 1.50 in at least 65 appearances. No team had ever featured two relievers with sub-1.50 ERAs in 60 appearances or more. KC went 65-5 when leading after six innings, 72-1 when leading after seven, and 79-1 when leading after eight. In a total 134.1 innings pitched since June 27, they have thrown 2,067 pitches without allowing a homer. This is positive for KC, because the Giants do not possess great power. Although the Royals’ 95 home runs were dead last in the majors during the regular season, the Giants’ 132 were 17^th.

The Giants have had their own share of bullpen success as well. Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt, and Javier Lopez have all been with the team since their first World Series run in 2010, and they have anchored a bullpen since then. In three postseasons, the Giants’ bullpen has gone 11-2 with a 2.40 ERA, a .182 batting average allowed, 126 strikeouts, 37 walks and 11 homers allowed. They have done a fantastic job of replacing 2010 star, closer Brian Wilson.

The Royals offense has literally been hit-or-miss, ranking 30^th in walks. This speaks to a lack of plate discipline, or their inability to wait for good pitches. Their aggressiveness has helped a lineup without star talent to get timely hits. Being too aggressive, however, can lead to long stretches of bad at-bats. CF Lorenzo Cain led the Royals in average with .301, but only had five homers. Their top three home run hitters were LF Alex Gordon (19), Perez (17), and 3B Mike Moustakas (15). Their batting averages were meager .266, .260, and .212 respectively. The Giants have offensive ups and downs, explosions followed by lulls. They have more potential pop in their lineup than the Royals, led by C Buster Posey (22 HR, .311 BA), RF Hunter Pence (20, .277), LF Michael Morse and 3B Pablo Sandoval (16, .279 each). If the Royals do not fall behind early, I give them the edge late in close games because of the bullpen.

Jake Peavy has had a stellar season as well, but I believe the Royals will even up the series in game 2. The Giants have playoff experience, but I think their remaining starters will struggle unlike Bumgarner. Although KC will play well for the remainder of the series, I believe the Giants will win in 7.

Sayreville

Last week, the Sayreville, NJ high school football team had its season cancelled by the Board of Education. This decision came amid numerous allegations of freshman hazing that were extremely sexual in nature. I decided to write this article because I realize that this type of decision garners many different emotions. Many will argue that this is the right thing to do. Others feel that innocent players and the community are being unfairly punished. The fact is that the Board of Education made the right decision, and hopefully it sets a precedent moving forward.

I played high school football at Hopkins, albeit a small prep school. We were not a top-level program like Sayreville, but I feel that I have the basic understanding of a football locker room. Many people may not understand why hazing exists at all, but it comes from a logical place. Every year there would be a few freshmen that were full of themselves, so a hierarchy needed to be established in a locker room among the older and younger kids. Freshman would be forced to clean up the field after games, carry the shoulder pads of older kids, get older kids a plate at lunch, etc. These practices were not meant to degrade, but to cause the younger kids to appreciate the opportunity to play. The belief was that if the kids respect the opportunity, they will work harder as players. Our coach advocated this kind of stuff, but he had avid about his intolerance for hazing. He would tell us that if we were caught hazing, we would immediately be kicked off the team. In an interview on nj.com, an ex-player on the team claims that coaches were rarely present in the locker rooms. This does look like a lack of insight by the coach, but it is hard to prove that he ignored warning signs. When the Steubenville, Ohio Rape case happened in 2012, by all accounts the assailants felt entitled due to their status as football players.

Whenever football players do horrible things, it is easy to paint all players with a broad brush. That would be unreasonable, but there is a clear culture problem. It is not a football problem, but a leadership one. Most locker rooms have credible leaders who hold everyone accountable. I experienced great leadership when I played high school football, but it is not an equal comparison to other teams. My school valued academics and image over everything else. We knew that our coach would get rid of us if we acted like idiots, because he would probably get fired if we tarnished the school’s reputation. Also, our success did not affect the overall community much due to the size and class of the program. Sayreville and Steubenville’s teams were state championship contenders for many years. When too much value is put on football, the coach’s integrity is compromised. If he is only focused on the game, he is less likely monitor what his players are doing off the field. This is why the Sayreville is justifiable. Current players who did nothing wrong will be greatly inconvenienced, but there is a much bigger problem at hand. Hopefully this case will make coaches pay closer attention to their players, and school administrators will keep an eye out as well. By the Board of Education making this decision, a strong statement was made that the safety of the kids far outweighs sports.

Bengals/Chargers/Broncos

The AFC seems wide open this year, as many teams have a shot. Through the first four weeks, a few teams have started to separate themselves from the rest. I will analyze the three teams I believe have the best chance to win the AFC.

Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)

The Cincinnati Bengals have been steadily improving over the last four years and they seem to be capable of competing for a title this year. They appear to be the most complete team in the league. They are seventh in the NFL in total offense (384 ypg) and sixth in ppg (26.7). They have one of the best collections of skill players in the league, featuring QB Andy Dalton, RB Giovanni Bernard, and WR A.J. Green. Dalton is not putting up astronomical QB numbers (722 yards, 2 TDs), but he only has one turnover. For a team built like this, protecting the ball is paramount. The Bengals are middle of the pack in yards allowed, but are first in scoring defense (11 ppg), and second in third down defense (32%). DE Carlos Dunlap has three sacks, which is tied for sixth in the league. They, however, are 29^th in 3^rd down offense. This could haunt them moving forward. Green has been banged up so far this year. He is a top three receiver in the NFL when healthy. When he feels right, his presence will bolster the offense even more.

San Diego Chargers (3-1)

The San Diego Chargers have looked impressive thus far, highlighted by their week 2 win over Seattle. Some thought QB Philip Rivers was washed up two years ago when the Chargers were struggling, but I thought otherwise. I did not believe that Norv Turner was capable of being a head coach, and the team suffered. When Mike McCoy took over, I felt that a new voice would erase some past demons. They finished last year 9-7, and they picked up where they left off this year. Rivers is sixth in passing yards (1,155) and fourth in touchdowns (9).  Keenan Allen has been doing a good job of leading the receiving core, and veteran TE Antonio Gates has looked healthier than he has in some time. The Charger defense is ninth in ypg and fifth in ppg. They are sixth in the league in sacks with 10. Their interior is led by MLB Donald Butler, DE Cory Liuget, and former UConn star Kendall Reyes. They bolstered their secondary this offseason when they added ex-Chief Brandon Flowers. The team appears to be very complete outside of one glaring hole; the running game. What was though to be a three-headed monster at running back is down to one at the moment. Danny Woodhead is out for the year, and Ryan Mathews is out for at least a few more weeks. This leaves ex-Husky Donald Brown as the only legitimate runner they have right now. Their 69.5 rushing ypg is second to last in the league. This needs to be cleaned up, but the Chargers have as much of a chance as anyone to win the AFC.

Denver Broncos (2-1)

The Denver Broncos are probably most people’s favorite to win the AFC, and it is obvious why. The passing offense that Peyton Manning orchestrates has been stellar his whole career. Their offense has been down statistically though. Their 339.2 ypg is way down from the 45.7 they finished wit last year. These numbers will improve, however, because they played two elite defenses in Seattle and Kansas City. This could also be due to the absence of Wes Welker, who became Manning’s safety blanket last year. The defense is improved. They still let up a lot of yards, but they only allow 22.3 ppg. This is good for a team who throws as much as Denver. Like San Diego, they have trouble running the ball (75.3 ypg). Montee Ball is improving in his second year, but a huge void was left by the departure of Knowshon Moreno. Denver will win a lot because of their high-flying offense, but they need to be more physical in order to beat a team like the Seahawks. The running game needs to get better for this to happen.

Roger Goodell - Ray Rice

The NFL season is finally under way, but the biggest story in sports is Ray Rice. I wish this was not a subject of conversation, but I must express my opinion about it at least once. I could write about why domestic violence is awful, but that goes without saying in my world. Instead, I choose to call out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the cowardice he shows on a regular basis now. For the most part, Goodell has done a good job as commissioner. He was brought in initially for his law and order principles, and he actually had credibility at first. His No Fun League policies may have irked fans, but ultimately it helped the brand to have players handle themselves more professionally. The constant threat of hefty fines and suspensions seemed to be a good deterrent for bad behavior. I had no issue with the way Goodell recently handled the Josh Gordon and Colts Jim Irsay suspensions. Gordon appealed his season long suspension for his fourth drug violation by arguing that he only had trace amounts of marijuana in his system. Goodell was right to uphold the ruling because the CBA states that Gordon would face the proper suspension for a fourth time offender. With Irsay, I was far more upset with the legal system than Goodell. It is ridiculous that a rich white man with a car full of illegal prescription pills did not receive any jail time, but that is a different issue. Goodell did not have much leverage to suspend Irsay any more games. Last week, Goodell implemented the new six game suspension doctrine for domestic violence. Many people were surprised when he admitted to getting the original decision to suspend Rice two games wrong. I was not surprised, however, because this is not the first time I heard this from Goodell. When bountygate happened with the Saints in 2012, he could not have been more stringent in his feelings against the team. The Saints were fined $500,000 and lost two second-round picks. GM Mickey Loomis was suspended for eight games. HC Sean Payton was suspended for the year, former DC Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely, and assistant coach Joe Vitt was suspended for six games. LB Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the year, DL Anthony Hargrove was suspended for eight games, DE Will Smith was suspended for four games, and LB Scott Fujita was suspended for three games. I agreed with the punishment, except for what the players got. Coaches are paid to be leaders, and I believed Payton and Williams were at fault. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who was appointed by Goodell to hear appeals, agreed that players were treated unfairly and overturned Goodell’s ruling in December of 2012. Goodell did not have authority to specifically suspend players for bounties without going through an arbitrator, but he used a blanket “conduct detrimental” clause to get around it. Vilma accused him of performing a shoddy investigation also. The fact that Goodell never refuted the new findings was an admission of guilt in theory. He took such a hard stance, only to wilt away and disappear when called out. I knew then that he had no backbone.

The idiotic way Goodell handled the Rice situation seems to exemplify who he really is. When the original video outside the elevator surfaced in February, it was accompanied by a police report stating that Rice struck his fiancé and knocked her unconscious. The league had access to this information. Goodell, however, praised Rice for the strides he was making to rehabilitate himself. Rice was granted a pre-trial intervention so that he and his fiancé (now wife) could go to therapy. The legal system sat on their hands too, but Goodell accepted this and moved on. I believe that he just assumed that the legal system did its job and that the NFL did not need to do a real investigation. The original two-game suspension was ridiculous, but I defended the fact that a new six-game policy was instated quickly. I also understood why Rice’s previously clean record would have made the original ruling murky. I do not understand, however, why Goodell changed everything after seeing the new tape from inside the elevator. Right after it surfaced, the Ravens cut Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely. I scratched my head at the suspension. What happened to six games? Where was this outrage when you read the police report? Under the new policy, players like Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy should get six games (McDonald may get more because the woman was pregnant). If so, this would be significantly less than what Rice received. This proves that Goodell thinks domestic violence is worse if it is caught on tape. All of this might lead to a new policy where everybody guilty of domestic violence gets an indefinite suspension. I would have no problem with this, but I have no idea what the policy is currently. Goodell has shown that he is the type of commissioner who could change policies every day based on what television shows say about him. He should learn something from NBA commissioner Adam Silver. When the Donald Sterling controversy happened, he took a strong stance. He made a ruling, knowing that he would be accused of overstepping his bounds. He stood firm, however, because he knew he was right and that people would support him. By taking a real stance, he got the job done. On the other hand, Goodell bumbles through any issue that he gets questioned on. In the aftermath of the Josh Gordon issue, the league is changing the marijuana threshold in the testing. This may be the right end result, but it would be nice if it did not take Goodell eight tries to get something right.

Goodell is defending himself by saying he did not see the tape, but this is utter nonsense. He knew what occurred because of the police report, but did nothing. He could have easily gotten the tape from the casino or Rice’s defense team, but did not. Ignorance was bliss for him, and now he’s caught in his own lie. I criticize MLB commissioner Bud Selig all the time, but he exhausted every end in order to get evidence in his PED investigations. The way Goodell investigates is by looking at social media to see what people think about an issue, and decides after the fact. He is spineless, and should lose his job. His credibility is gone, and I assume every word out of his mouth is a lie. Terrell Suggs was accused of horrific violence toward his wife, but the charges were dropped. I do not believe Goodell even mentioned this at any point. All he cares about is his own image. Everything he does moving forward is about repairing his own image, not about the victim. If he did care about the victim at all, he would have taken a real stance when the evidence was presented to him in March.

UConn Basketball 2014-15

Last year, the UConn Huskies won what was the most unprecedented of their four national championships. Much of this was due to the leadership of Shabazz Napier and key tourney play by DeAndre Daniels. Both are gone, which presents third year coach Kevin Ollie with a new challenge.

Many fans like myself were blindsided by Daniels bolting for the NBA, which leaves PG Ryan Boatright as the primary leader of this team. The senior was a seminal part of last year’s title, primarily due to his defense in the tournament. Boatright has been an extremely skilled and athletic slasher ever since he arrived at UConn, but I always questioned his basketball I.Q. In order for him to take the same leap that Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier took before him, he must develop what they did; a jump shot. If he can extend his range, it will open up the rest of his game. He averaged 12.1 ppg and 3.4 apg last year, so he will be special if he makes these improvements.

The development of the sophomores is huge as well, primarily C Amida Brimah. He showed flashes of Thabeet-esque dominance at times (4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 blg), but he spent a lot of time on the bench because of his inability to adapt to the speed of the game. (16.2 minutes per game) He gives this otherwise small team a valuable anchor in the middle, but only if he can stay on the court. He put up nice numbers in limited minutes, which is a good sign. I am sure coach Ollie has explained to Brimah how important he is, and improvement will likely be seen. It will not be easy, however, because running is part of Ollie’s system. Sophomore G Terrence Samuels is important, too. He contributed very little at the beginning of last year, but he became a key bench player in the tournament. If he can become more of a swingman, he will become a valuable piece. Not to mention that junior guard Omar Calhoun looks better by all accounts.

They also lost key role players like Niels Giffey and Lasan Kromah, but the team did a god job of retooling. The first of the new additions is Rodney Purvis. The 6’4”, 203 lb guard from Raleigh, North Carolina had a stellar high school career. In 2012, he was named 2012 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year and McDonald's All-American. After one year at N.C. State where he averaged 8.3 ppg, he decided to transfer to UConn because of Ollie’s guard centric offense. He sat out during last year’s title season, but he is ready to compete this year.  

The Huskies had two more additions, both of which have NBA family connections. Daniel Hamilton, the 6’7” swingman from L.A., is the younger brother of former Texas star and current Houston Rocket Jordan Hamilton. Daniel averaged 20.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 5.2 apg en route to a high school state title last year. He has natural scoring ability, and can seamlessly transition between playing SG and SF. Although he is from the other side of the country, Hamilton does have a connection to UConn. He played his first two years of high school at Crenshaw. This is the same high school Kevin Ollie attended, and Ollie had been recruiting him since ninth grade. Hamilton was also childhood friends and AAU teammates with DeAndre Daniels. The Huskies also brought in 6’3” guard Sam Cassell, Jr., son of longtime NBA PG Sam Cassell.

With the departure of Louisville, the AAC will be wide open this year. The Huskies will be younger than they are accustomed to, but their talent should put them in the tournament again. If all the new parts click, this should be another exciting season.