Continue Reading March 10th, 2008
We know. You’re like us. You’ve always wished professional sports owners could be more like Mark Cuban. He’s cool! He’s like a real fan! He has a blog! He’s not afraid to pick a nonsensical fight with Midwesterners! But, alas, we should perhaps not be too surprised: He’s as bad as the rest of them. Perhaps worse.
After a Dallas Morning News reporter/blogger broke some embarrassing news about a “Fire Avery Johnson” campaign after a game late last month, the Mavericks and Cuban announced that no one writing a blog will be allowed in the locker room.
The Dallas Mavericks will not allow ANY writer into the locker room areas pre-game and post-game whose primary purpose is to blog no matter what affiliation. They may still represent their respective publication at games but will not be granted locker room access.
We have gone this route because we did not want to give preferential treatment to any blogger, whether they are an individual or from a large media outlet. We just do not have enough room in the locker room, nor enough media passes to fairly accommodate everyone.
Tim MacMahon, the blogger/reporter who might have caused all this fuss, points out that the Mavericks locker room is enormous and has never had a problem with overcrowding before. (He can’t say it, because he’s all “impartial” and “objective” and therefore can’t just completely call bullshit on Cuban, so we will: Bullshit.) We presume this no-bloggers policy doesn’t extend to, of course, Cuban himself.
We haven’t talked much about our whole imbroglio with Cuban, not because we feared we were in the wrong (we’re 100 percent certain we weren’t), but because we hadn’t quite come to terms with the fact that a guy we’ve always respected could be so petty and deluded. (He’s also partially responsible for No End In Sight and Bubble, two great movies.) But our experience with him doesn’t compare to this. Essentially, a man who supposedly is a champion of new media is attempting to control coverage of his team, even from “legitimate” credentialed reporters. Charming, really.
There has to be something more to this, right? Right?
Cuban’s Policy Bans Bloggers From Locker Room [MavsBlog]
Continue Reading March 10th, 2008
For the third consecutive season, we are proud to introduce the Deadspin Baseball Season Previews. Yes, baseball is awfully close now; it’s spring training, after all.
Every weekday until the start of the season, a different writer will preview his/her team. We asked a gaggle of writers, from the Web, from print, from books, to tell us, in as many or as little words as they need, Where Their Team Stands. This is not meant to be factual, or dispassionate, or even logical: We just asked them to riff on why they love their team so much, or what their team means to them, or whatever.
Today: The Minnesota Twins. Your author is Aaron Gleeman.
Aaron Gleeman is a Senior Editor at Rotoworld.com, appears regularly on NBCSports.com’s “Fantasy Fix” show and has been blogging about the Twins at AaronGleeman.com since 2002. His words are after the jump.
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In 2006 the Twins used an amazing second-half run to claim their fourth division title in five years, winning more than 95 games for the first time since Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, Jim Perry, Jim Kaat, and a 19-year-old, pre-”I just fucked it up” Bert Blyleven went 98-64 in 1970. Unfortunately, the 2006 Twins also followed in the 1970 version’s footsteps by getting swept out of the playoffs and collapsing the next season.
In fact, being a Twins fan hasn’t been a whole lot of fun since watching in amazement as they completed a historic comeback by overtaking the Tigers for the AL Central crown on the final afternoon of the 2006 season. Few changes were made to that team, but the Twins fell to 79-83 last year for their first losing season since 2000, finishing third in the division while being closer to the fifth-place Royals than the first-place Indians.
Before the season was even over general manager Terry Ryan announced his retirement after 13 years at the helm, abruptly ending an uninspired final act by turning the team over to long-time assistant Bill Smith. Supposed team leader Torii Hunter talked up his impending free agency to the media in each city, threw Joe Mauer under the bus by questioning his toughness and then signed a $90 million contract with the Angels.
Despite Johan Santana being under contract through 2008, trade rumors began to pick up steam in the second half, became impossible to ignore down the stretch, dragged on while dominating the first several months of the offseason, and then became a reality when the best pitcher in baseball was dealt to the Mets for a package of prospects and signed a $150 million extension.
Within the span of about 18 months the Twins went from improbably extending their reign atop the AL Central to being also-rans facing a dim outlook, capping off an 83-loss season by losing arguably the three men most responsible for the team’s recent success in Ryan, Santana, and Hunter. Certainly by now Twins fans are used to losing key players over money and small-payroll teams are never very far away from rebuilding mode.
Still, this latest wave of misery seemed to sneak up and hit harder than usual. With the Indians and Tigers looking likely to duke it out at the top of the division and the Twins not even bothering to spend $25 million in unused payroll following the departures of Santana, Hunter, and Carlos Silva, the franchise has seemingly turned an eye toward becoming a contender again in time for the new outdoor ballpark opening in 2010.
In the meantime, let’s get up to speed on some of the key players from a completely overlooked team that has a legitimate chance to surprise everyone by at least finishing above .500 (so says the guy who might kill himself if he has to blog about another 79-win season) …
* Justin Morneau, First Baseman - Signed an $80 million contract extension this winter despite seeing his OPS drop 100 points from his MVP-winning 2006 campaign, and then celebrated by getting engaged to a “Minnesota girl.”
* Joe Mauer, Catcher - Went from hitting an MLB-leading .347 in 2006 to batting just .293 last year, missed one-third of the season with injuries, and ceased dating former Miss USA Chelsea Cooley.
* Boof Bonser, Starter - Dropped 30 pounds during the offseason at the team’s request after a disappointing year, yet still has a gut that hangs over his belt.
* Francisco Liriano, Starter - Missed the entire season following Tommy John elbow surgery and reportedly found the 30 pounds that Bonser lost (in muscle, of course), but could do a lot to ease the pain of losing Santana if healthy after going 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA as a rookie.
* Livan Hernandez, Starter - Signed to a one-year deal worth up to $7 million because the Twins love overpaying for veteran mediocrity and needed someone to make Bonser feel good about his body now that Matthew LeCroy is gone.
* Michael Cuddyer, Right Fielder - Like Morneau, he turned a big drop in OPS into a multi-year contract extension and then made a fan in me during the offseason by subtlety mocking Hunter’s supposed leadership skills.
* Nick Punto, Utility Infielder - Turned back into a pumpkin last year, if pumpkins had a .562 OPS and refused to stop sliding head-long into first base unnecessarily. Despite being arguably the worst hitter in all of baseball last season, he’ll make $2.4 million in 2008 while almost certainly getting far too many at-bats.
* Joe Nathan, Closer - An impending free agent and the next star to potentially exit Minnesota, he’s quietly been one of baseball’s elite closers since coming to the Twins along with Liriano and Bonser in the heist that sent A.J. Pierzynski to the Giants, going 19-8 with 160 saves and a 1.94 ERA in four seasons.
* Pat Neshek, Reliever - “Sideshow Pat” has turned a whacky delivery into a 2.68 career ERA, making him the best blogging relief pitcher of all time.
* Delmon Young, Left Fielder - Already has optimistic fans convinced that he’s the next Frank Robinson despite a measly .408 slugging percentage last season, already has the local media convinced that he’s a changed man despite the infamous bat-throwing incident and a season full of “issues” in Tampa Bay, and shouldn’t be expecting any Christmas cards from Carl Crawford.
* Kevin Slowey, Starter - Scored a 1420 on his SAT, uses words like “grievous” when being interviewed by bloggers, and posted insanely good numbers in the minors (1.93 ERA, 342-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio), but still has to prove that he can thrive in the majors with a high-80s fastball.
* Jason Kubel, Designated Hitter - Rarely speaks and grows odd facial hair to go along with the constant presence of thousand-yard stare, but batted .303 with an .891 OPS in the second half and is perhaps the team’s best bet for a breakout season.
* Mike Redmond, Catcher - Still one of the league’s best backup catchers and still getting naked way too much.
* Carlos Gomez, Center Fielder - Chosen by the Twins as the centerpiece of the Santana trade, he has world-class speed, a questionable bat, and insanely high expectations.
* Scott Baker, Starter - A year ago the Twins demoted him to Triple-A and continuously spread the notion that he couldn’t “keep the ball down,” but he could be this season’s Opening Day starter.
* Craig Monroe, Outfielder - Batted .219 with a .638 OPS last season and then somehow convinced the Twins to give him $3.8 million to be a fourth outfielder.
* Denard Span, Center Fielder - Several thousand quotes regarding his being “confident” about replacing Hunter in center field have already made their way into newspapers, but someone with a .678 OPS at Triple-A thinking that they’re capable of replacing anyone in the majors is more like “delusional” than “confident.”
* Glen Perkins, Starter - Has the league’s lowest pounds-to-chins ratio and spent most of last season on the disabled list with an arm injury.
* Bill Smith, General Manager - Faced with making the biggest move of his career just a few months into his job, Smith overplayed his hand with Santana and got less than a full return, took a big gamble to acquire Young, and then showed the same love for veteran mediocrity that Ryan was famous for.
* Ron Gardenhire, Manager - Loves bowling, banjo-hitting utility infielders, relying on conventional wisdom, and using clichés, but it’s tough to argue with a .550 career winning percentage despite some pretty sizable flaws.
* Keeley Hazell, Woman - Has absolutely nothing to do with the Twins (the Minnesota, baseball-playing type, anyway), but looks like this, could probably out-hit Punto, and seems like a good note to end on. Go ahead, complain.
Continue Reading March 10th, 2008
The NBA Closer is written by Matt McHale, who is holed up in a basement next to a big stack of canned goods and bottled water right now. When he isn’t preparing for the end of all life as we know it, he can be found tweezing his eyebrows at Basketbawful. Enjoy!
• It’s the end of the world as we know it. You know all that crap about how a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa can create tiny changes in the atmosphere that might ultimately cause a giant, apocalyptic tornado? Well, I’m not a weatherologist and I don’t know anything about sensitive dependence on initial conditions, but according to the calculations I just made up, the sigh of relief emanating out of the greater Phoenix area yesterday afternoon will destroy the Earth in approximately 17 minutes. So unless you’re Flash Gordon or know where to find him, we’re all screwed. I only ask that you finish reading this column and leave a nice remark in the comments section before you run off to engage in furious end-of-the-world sex and/or masturbation. Thank you.
The cause of that world-destroying sigh was the Suns’ 94-87 win over the San Antonio Spurs. And Shaq - who had 14 points, 16 rebounds, and a dive into the crowd that killed three people and injured dozens more - finally gave Steve Kerr a chance to high-five Robert Sarver and say, “See? I was right about the trade. I was right!” Hair Canada came to life with 19 points and 14 assists, and Grant Hill added 18 points and clutch 20-footer with 1:15 left to help hold off the champs. Manu Ginobili paced Los Spurs with 21 points and Timmy D conjured up a 17 and 10 performance. Fun fact: The Suns are 21-2 this season when holding an opponent under 100 points. And if you find it hard to believe that the Suns have held an opposing team under 100 points 23 times this season, you’re not alone.
• Let’s give Tayshaun a hand. Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. Prince bounced back from third quarter foul that numbed his hand to score 15 points in the final 17 minutes of the Detroit Pistons’ 116-109 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Said Prince: “I couldn’t feel my hand, and I knew that wasn’t good. I thought I was going to have to shoot my freethrows one-handed, but I got enough feeling back to make the shots, and then I hit a three, so I figured I would keep going.” I’ll have to read that quote a couple more times before I’m entirely convinced there wasn’t a double-entendre in there somewhere. Anyway, the Pistons also got 34 points from Chauncey Billups and 10 rebounds from Tony McDyess. Ben Gordon continued his farewell tour with the Bulls by scoring 27. Fun fact: Despite suffering a sprained ankle that kept him out of the game, Rasheed Wallace danced his usual pregame jig in the Detroit huddle. ‘Sheed is such a warrior.
• The sweet, sweet taste of notoriety. Thaddeus Young became the second-most famous person with that first name - after Peter Griffin’s evil brother of course - when his 22 points led the Philadelphia 76ers to a 119-97 victory over the Milwaukee Deer Thingies. And Philly coach Maurice Cheeks has no idea how that happened. “He scored 20-plus points and we didn’t run one play for him. That’s the way he plays.” Here’s a crazy suggestion, coach: Run a couple plays for him next time. Not that the Sixers need the help. They shot 60 percent from the field in winning their fourth straight game, and they’ve captured 12 of 15 overall. Meanwhile, the Bucks - who were without Mo Williams (abdominal strain) and Yi Jianlian (sprained ankle) - are watching their playoff hopes go swirling like a huge, steaming loaf down the Eastern Conference toilet. Said Milwaukee coach Larry Krystkowiak: “We’re not going to lose hope or give up and quit. It’s not impossible, but it’s getting improbable.” Trust me, coach. You can go ahead and give up. It’s impossible. Fun fact: Andrew Bogut scored 1 point and grabbed 2 rebounds, but he dished out a season-high 7 assists. He does know he’s a seven-foot center, right?
• All it took was a little trust. Who knew? Rasho Nesterovic hasn’t played much this season (16 MPG). There have been games in which he hasn’t played at all (11 DNP-CDs). But with Chris Bosh sidelined by a knee injury, what other choice did Sam Mitchell really have? The answer: Primoz Brezec, which, as it turns out, is less an answer and more of an “Uh oh.” Well, that non-choice paid off last night, as ShoSho scored 17 points and dished out a team-high 6 assists (with zero turnovers) in the Toronto Raptors’ 114-106 win over the Seattle SuperSonics. Nesterovic, who couldn’t remember the last time he led his team in assists, was grateful for the chance to show off his mad passing skillz. “They don’t let big guys pass, because they don’t trust them. I finally found a team that trusts big guys.” These kinds of surprise games from seldom-used reserves never fail to evoke cliche-laden platitudes from the coach in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…”Rasho is a pro,” Mitchell said. “He never complains and is always ready to play. That’s something our young players need to learn from.” Hmm, four cliches in three sentences. Not bad. I give it a 7.3 on the NBA Coach’s Platitude Scale. In case you care, Chris Wilcox led the Sonics in points (28), Like Ridnour led them in assists (9), and Kevin Durant led them in turnovers (5).
• Beno Udrih outduels Kobe. Yes, Beno Udrih. Mr. Beno hit two freethrows with 4.6 seconds left to give his team a one-point lead, Kobe gonked an 18-footer at the buzzer, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Lakers in L.A., 114-113. This is the same Kings team that lost at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Go figure, huh? Said Ron Artest: “Wow, we just stepped up against a good team. Too bad we can’t step up against the bad teams.” That may be the closest he’s ever come to saying something that isn’t crazy. Udrih was the kingliest King with 25 points and 10 assists, Kevin Martin chipped in with 21, and John Salmons and Mikki Moore double-teamed Kobe on the Lakers’ final possession to force the tough jumper. Bryant had a game-high 26, but scored only 6 points on 1-for-7 shooting in the second half as Pau Gasol 25 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists) and Sasha Vujacic (15 points, 3-for-4 from three-point range) were taking all the shots down the stretch. Said The Mamba: “I’m okay. I’m moving on. We’ll make adjustments offensively.” Translation: “You’d better believe I’ll be getting more shots next time.
