My First Vlog

Now to clarify one thing (I didn't feel like doing it again), I'm not advocating either crime, and I'm not trying to say Stallworth doesn't deserve a second chance once he serves his time. I just don't see how one crime can make you hated by the entire US, but one doesn't really matter to the general public. Leonard Little got away with killing someone while drinking and driving during Paul Tagliabue's tenure with only an 8 game suspension. I think Roger Goddell can be a douche sometimes, but he made the right call here.

Last point, I've said this for a while, if the Orioles were in the NL West they would have won at least 4 division crowns, and probably gone to at least 1 World Series. However, they play in the evil AL East, where great teams go to die. As much as I hate Peter Angelos, I can't blame him for not trying to outspend the Yankees and Red Sox every year. He finally got a GM that has a long term plan, and a coach that has developed young players for the first time since Davey Johnson. Hopefully this little winning pattern continues when they go back to playing the AL.

Just for fun

French Open

So I promised a friend I would do some more discussion on non-American sports, so since the French Open is most recent international happening, that seems too appropriate. First, I was happy to see Roger Federer finally win the French and capture his 14th Grand Slam event. He has officially put his name right near the top of tennis' all time greats. But let's stop all the talk of greatest ever. He lucked out in not having to play Rafael Nadal, who has shown the ability to dominate Roger on clay. Federer has played in an era in which he was the only great player until 2001 when Nadal appeared on the pro scene when he was 15. Had Federer played at the same time as Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, or any of the other greats, I don't think he gets more than 8 or 9. He is the best hard court player in the world, and has been for a long time, and he is still in the top 5 of clay court players, but we live in a world in which specialization has prevented some of the best athletes from experimenting with other sports. Guys don't play every sport under the sun and pick the one they're best at, they go for one sport and train vigirously for it year round in hopes of making it big. While this has created some advantages, it has left a void in the sports world that used to be filled with the Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders types of guys. Nowadays it's too much to ask for a pitcher to hit, or a RB to return a kick. But I digress, tennis seems to be one of the hardest hit sports due to this specialization because when football, baseball, basketball, track, and wrestling are finished plucking the high school talent pool, tennis is left to the fat kids and gays. Not saying there is anything wrong with that, but unfortunately its a trend, especially in smaller schools where there aren't enough male athletes to go around. And even though I love watching Roger Federer play tennis, and believe that he is the best player of his generation by more than most have been, he isn't the greatest of all time because his only test has come while he's on his way out the door, not when he was truly at his peak.

Updates Galore

So a lot has happened since I last posted on here, so I figured I would give you all what you want, ranting and raving about nothing special.

First, Vitamin Water and Nike, Fuck You! Sorry for the language, but really, how awful are those commercials. Although I would have preferred it to be Kobe, thank God one of them missed the finals so we can stop seeing them. The puppets looked nothing like Kobe or LeBron, and the commercials just made me want to ban Vitamin Water and Nike products forever. Eventually I just started changing the channel every time they came on, but then I would start to miss parts of the game because I wouldn't get back in time. So I do believe it's official, I won't be buying any Vitamin Water or Nike for a while to teach them a lesson.
And for you Beav, here is a sample if you haven't seen it

The Stanley Cup Finals are officially marginalized by moving from NBC to VS. The series is tied 2-2, and the NHL seems desperate to make the Penguins win by having the first five games played in 8 days. The older Red Wings are having trouble keeping up with the younger Penguins, which is exactly what Gary Bettman wants considering he's commisioner of a failing league that isn't available in 50% of households. Ever since the Boston-Carolina round 2 game I've finally come back to hockey because it's back to the hard nosed style they used to have in the playoffs, but without as much trap and clutching. Well I believe in the NHL, which is why I'm writing about them before the actual NBA playoffs.

So on to the NBA Finals, where it's already a foregone conclusion that the Lakers are going to win, probably in 6 once the series returns to LA. As much as I hate watching them win, they really showed they were a better team last night. I could hardly stand to watch some of it because they made the Magic look like they were a college team. They did the smart thing by fouling Howard when he went up strong and forced him to make his FTs. With Bynum, Gasol, Odom, and Trevor Ariza they have 24 fouls between their big guys to throw at Howard, and then they have the speed to step out and contest the 3 that the Sixers, Cavs, and Celtics didn't. It's too bad because I'd really like to see anyone but LA or Boston win this season, but it doesn't look likely.

That's about it for now, but hopefully once I get into a better routine with work updates will be more frequent again.

The Answer

For all of you who may have read the blog recently and wondered, well, who is the most underrated baseball player? The answer is very simple, it's Lance Berkman. He doesn't get the media exposure that many of the top hitters in baseball do, but every year he quietly puts up spectacular numbers. The most telling stat is his OPS (On base % + Slugging %), where he ranks 16th all time, and 4th among active players. The names he's behind on that list are some of the great hitters of all time: Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, DiMaggio, and Musial. The three players who are ahead of him are Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, and Todd Helton. Manny can be disqualified because he's trying to get pregnant, and even though I'm not usually one to admit this, you can't discount Coors Field when evaluating Todd Helton's statistics. So that leaves Pujols and Berkman as the top 2 hitters in the game. Would anyone out there have ever put those 2 together? Doubtful. For those of you who thought that Adrian Gonzalez was the pick, he was a great guess, but if he stopped playing tomorrow he hasn't put up the stats consistently enough to be remembered. Berkman is the same age as A-Rod, but has never had a hint of steroid suspicion. He plays all 3 OF positions and 1B. He's 2 HRs shy of 300 for his career, has a career .300 average, .412 OBP, and .557 slugging. The closest he has come to an MVP was in 2006, when he placed 3rd behind Pujols and winner Ryan Howard with a stat line of .315 average, 45 HRs, and 136 RBIs. Pretty phenomenal for not winning the award. Berkman deserves to be considered with the best of the best, not just a marginally good All-Star. 30 years ago Berkman is a first ballot hall of famer, but in the steroid era he doesn't even get a sniff from the casual fan. So to Lance Berkman, I salute you.

An Unofficial Poll

So I've been debating this for a while. As part of my giving attention to the players who don't get it nationally, I've decided to take a poll of any and everyone who might read this and ask one simple question. After that, I'll give the correct answer. It's very simple, and should generate some interesting responses. Who is the most underrated baseball player out there? The only hint I'll give is that it's a position player and not a pitcher, but if you feel it's a pitcher, feel free. After enough time has passed I will evaluate the responses and hopefully someone else will get the correct answer, but I doubt it.

Again: Who is the most underrated baseball player?

P.S. He doesn't play in Boston or New York, if that wasn't obvious.

Last Night Was Awesome

Boston teams went 0-3, and I enjoyed watching as much as I could. Plus, the Orioles won 9-5 and the Rockets forced a game 7, setting up a great Sunday for basketball. There is a potential for my two least favorite NBA teams, the Celtics and Lakers, to lose on the same day and be eliminated from the playoffs as higher seeds. The Red Sox went to extra innings before they lost to the Angels, and the Bruins went to OT before they got beat by the Canes. The Bruins at least showed some fight in the game, basically mugging the Canes for the entire OT without getting called for a penalty. The Magic found a way to come back and expose the tired and old legs of the Celtics. Hopefully they remember how to continue this on Sunday, so that the crappy Celtics can just go home. Not much else other than the past 2 nights has been the best 2 day span for me in ages, my birthday was awesome, and last night was awesome too.