SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM....

JUST THINKING....

The spirit of 1776 is not dead. It has only been slumbering. The body of the American people is substantially republican. but their virtuous feelings have been played on by some fact with more fiction; they have been the dupes of artful maneuvers, and made for a moment to be willing instruments in forging chains for themselves. But times and truth dissipated the delusion, and opened their eyes - Thomas Jefferson, 1799

I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents - James Madison, 1794

A power to take from a nation, and give to itself, is a strict definition of civilized tyranny - John Taylor, 1814

In less than ten years, using reasonable assumptions, there will essentially be no money left to run the US government — 93% of all tax revenues the US government collects will go to pay social security, Medicare, Medicaid and the interest costs on their national debt. - Eric Sprott & David Franklin, Sprott Asset Management

These numbers and projections are echoed by none less than the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. The conclusions are that if we don't face our bloated budget deficits, we will be where Greece in ten years.

"In the end, we learn a lot from this latest SEC fiasco. The agency that cannot detect a Madoff fraud (or Sanford fraud - C.S.) can conjure up a Goldman fraud out of thin air. At this point, some fundamental reform is in order. Forget the fancy stuff. Either the SEC should master its primary fraud prevention mission, or it should shut down altogether." - Richard Epstein in Forbes

Once again in this SEC vs. Goldman Sachs case, which is really being whipped up into a case of "The People" vs. the United States what we are really seeing is a massive P.R / C.Y.A. campaign by our elected officials to divert their own culpability in the financial debacle.

And once again, just as we witnessed in the health care reform debacle which did nothing about tort reform--an area which most agree is one of the main reasons for escalating medical costs after government involvement--we are being spoon fed a "financial reform" package that does nothing about the GSE's or Government Sponsored Enterprises.

It's would be a joke if it weren't so serious. Throw all the bums out in November, whether they are R-'s or D-'s or phonies masquerading as I-'s. They were all there lighting matches when the house caught fire and now they want to be put in charge of the fire hose and the home rebuilding.

Tell them, No Thanks. You're Fired.

What kind of baseball do you play? Mount Piniella is ready to blow...

This is classic Lou Piniella, questioned by reporters after another dismal showing by the Cubs bats. This after the move of ace Carlos Zambrano from Opening Day starter to set-up man for Carlos Marmol.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/videobeta/?watchId=07504596-4623-418a-aff7-6f4d50ce7d0f

"Did you think of bunting after Byrd doubled?" Piniella was asked.

"Bunting what?" Piniella said. "With a left-handed hitter up, you want to bunt? What kind of baseball you play? Really, what kind of baseball do you play?"

CLASSIC!!! Sounds an exchange with Joey from Friends.

The Cubs are at an early season cross-road. And Mount Piniella is starting to steam.

NFL Draft shows the more we know, the more we don't know

How else to explain the pre-draft preening of the various ESPN football guru-dumb regarding the potential NFL future of one Tim Tebow. Kiper, McShay and NFL QB expert Ron Jaworski all on record stating that Tebow cannot play QB in the NFL.

Then along comes the Denver Broncos with a basket full of future picks, trading up into the first round to get him. They didn't put together that package of picks to make him an H-back or a TE. Josh McDaniel and the Broncos organization must have been pretty convinced to make the kind of statement they did. McDaniel has a good reputation of developing QB's. He must not have been as worried about Tebow's horrible mechanics as the ESPN talking heads did.

It was priceless to see all of them choking on the crow they were going to have to eat after predicting that Tebow was not, in their esteemed opinions of course, first-round worthy. But it was simply easier for all of them to call Josh McDaniels and the Broncos organization a bunch of idiots.

Most of these guys couldn't separate Peyton Manning from Ryan Leaf a few years back, how did that work out?

This guy had it nailed back in January:

http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/1/27/1272944/denver-broncos-mock-draft-part-13

by Sayre Bedinger on Jan 27, 2010 11:05 PM MST

Before I continue, I beg everyone to continue on in the post before simply commenting on my headline. I feel everyone has the right to their own opinion, and I acknowledge that a majority of NFL observers are not so hot on Tim Tebow, but I feel the Broncos are the perfect fit for him, have said so numerous times, and will continue to say so until a piece of Broncos brass comes forth and declares that I am wrong.

Draft

1. First Round, 10th overall: Tim Tebow, Quarterback, Florida

6'3" 240

We can all think of so many reasons we don't want the Broncos to draft Tim Tebow, but in all honesty, he's going to be the best player available when we pick in all likelihood.

Rolando McClain? He'll be gone. Joe Haden? Gone. Many see this as a reach of a pick, but not me. With Tebow's intangibles and arm strength, if the only thing holding him back is his poor throwing motion then I'd take the guy number one overall, and it wouldn't even be a question.

Players like Tebow are extremely rare. It's not often you see a player so devoted to his teammates, so devoted to learning anything and everything, and a player who is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win.

He is a winner. All the guy ever did in college was win. Say what you want about him being a "system" quarterback, but he mastered that particular system better than any quarterback before him, and he is arguably the greatest college quarterback of all time because of it.

Tebow is an All-American athlete. He is an All-American student. His work ethic and intangibles are off the charts. His passion for the game is almost unmatched. His arm strength is elite.

Seems like all he needs is the right coaching, and with the McDaniels brothers, he has it. If I'm the one calling the shots, I pull the trigger on Tebow right away. It looks to me like our coin flip with Jacksonville is going to hold a lot more weight than all of us think.

I guess the Broncos are now my new favorite (AFC) team.

Which bring me to my other favorite team and the fallacy of evaluating the draft on a knee-jerk basis.

I flip back to the last time I felt as excited about a draft pick as I was this week when the Broncos positioned themselves to get Tim Tebow.

The Giants pick of Eli Manning.

Many people questioned the Giants for paying too much to get Eli when the pick was first made. Myself included. Many felt that there were other, better options out there like Ben Roethlisberger or Phillip Rivers to be had without mortgaging the future. And the early returns showed the Giants possibly making a huge mistake. When Big Ben won his first Super Bowl, the pick looked like a monumental bust. Now, after Eli matches Big Ben's Super Bowl and Phillip Rivers looks lost without LT, the Giants look golden for making a bold move. Throw in Big Ben's recent character issues and the G-men look like geniuses, after initially looking like fools.

So we shall see, over time, who is right as far as this pick goes. Josh McDaniels has clearly made a statement. And he has some sound basis for making his decision. Ultimately, it may or may not work out--which is why the games are played.

Giants head to LA-LA land

And now we'll get an early indication as to where this team stands and what may follow this season.

The Giants are currently 7-2. Does that say more about the Giants or the Astros and Pirates? You can only play the teams they put in front of you.

Is it too early to worry about Huff/DeRosa, holding down the 4-5 spots in the order yet hitting like middle IF's? Perhaps a bit too early for that, once the weather warms, the bats have to follow.

Where will Freddie Lewis end up? And what will the Giants get in return? I'd be surprised if they get a serviceable ML'er. Maybe more like a AA fringe prospect?

Is it too early to worry about Madison Bumgarner's first two AAA starts? 14.14 ERA and 21 H allowed in 7 IP. Sounds like he's serving up BP. I'm sure the velocity numbers are going to get a workout.

What is going on with Conor Gillaspie? After a picture on the milk carton type year as a prospect, he follows up with a .207 start in AA. He has blasted 2 HR's though. Is that part of the problem? Is being described as a Bill Mueller clone is not good enough for a corner IF prospect?

On brighter notes, Buster Posey is raking in AAA. Suggesting that baseball is not always a pure meritocracy, as some would opine. Brandon Crawford continues to hit at AA (.381 start) and Francisco Pegeuro off to a great start in Hi-A (.348 BA)

More plusses than minuses so far. All eyes turn to the Dodger series.

Once a target for contraction, now proud owners of Target Field

The Twins christened Target Field with a victory yesterday. It seems like only yesterday the franchise was on Bud Selig's short list of franchises worthy of being contracted.

It may not be the house that Joe Mauer built, but it will be his job to help keep the yard filled.

It's great to see another indoor park fall by the wayside as well as one of the last artificial turf fields. Are you listening Tampa-St. Petersburg?

If the St. Petersburg city leaders don't get to work, don't be too surprised if MLB starts turning the screws to get an open-air yard for the Rays, "or else". Because seemingly every time Bud and his merry men play the "or else" card, they are rewarded.

Awesome story from tampabay.com

Sometimes the most inspirational sports stories are not found on major league fields but on local diamonds near you. Is this girl not a real champion? I think so. WOW!!

"I don't ever give myself excuses."

Video:
(April 9, 2010) [Joseph Garnett, Jr. | tampabay.com] Boca Ciega High's second baseman Mary Burkett has a prosthetic foot, but plays without it. She says being physically different all her life has made her a better person and player.

http://www.tampabay.com/video/?bcpid=2441023001&bclid=0&bctid=77104532001




The rest of the story:

http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/apr/12/no-excuses-no-allowances-boca-ciega-second-baseman/

Giants make easy work of Astros

Giants are off to a good start, 3-0. Top of the division. Zito looked good, that adds a third arm and mitigates the need for "Lincecum, Cain and pray for rain..". We'll see if Sanchez can continue the beat and how effective Wellemeyer is as the fifth starter this weekend.

So far, all the bats are .250 or better. Bowker winning the RF job over Schierholtz was the only mild surprise, not really if Bowker's spring stats hold over into the season.

If the veterans up the middle, Molina, Renteria and Rowand have good bounce back years and Freddie Sanchez can return to form, this could be a just-good-enough lineup. Uribe is good insurance policy for either Sanchez or Renteria slumping. We need to see more than 650 runs from this lineup. Between 700 and 800 should be the range, closer to 700 decrease the odds of the divisional crown, with 800 in the cross-hairs, this team should be dancing into October.

On the Farm:

AAA - Fresno Grizzlies will feature Madison Bumgarnber, Kevin Pucetas, Joe Martinez and Alex Hinshaw starting and Henry Sosa in the bullpen. Buster Posey is a late-May phone call away. The extra year of service time gained by the Giants may cost Posey the ROY award (which may have gone to the Braves Heyward or Cubs Colvin anyway).

AA - Richmond Flying Squirrels will feature the best minor league team name this side of the Lansing Lugnuts. After that, Clayton Tanner and Daniel Turpen are the pitchers to keep an eye on. Tony Pena, Jr. continues to transition to the bullpen.

The Giants potential IF and OF of the future is located here. Nick Noonan 2B, Brandon Crawford SS, and Conor Gillaspie 3B combine with an OF lineup of Thomas Neal, Darren Ford and Roger Kieshcnick to provide a true "fantasy team" for prospect watchers.

GO SQUIRRELS?!?

A - San Jose which last year was prospect laden goes to being virtually prospect barren this year. LHP's Aaron King and Eric Surkamp are the arms to watch. SS Ehire Adrianza and CF Francisco Peguero are the everyday players generating the most buzz. 3B Chris Dominguez may end up here, although Augusta would not be a huge surprise either.

A - Augusta is the likely landing spot for RHP Zach Wheeler, last years first rounder. C's Tommy Joseph and Hector Sanchez could share duties here initially, with both seeing some
time at 1B or DH as well. Joseph has generated buzz with his power, Sanchez has shown ability to hit as well, minus the prodigious power.

"Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator." (Pope Pius XII, "Sport at the Service of the Spirit," July 29, 1945)

Should HS Athletes be exempt from PE class?

Apparently not--even on game days--according to this study published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2010/03000/After_School_Fitness_Performance_is_Not_Altered.24.aspx

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research:
March 2010 - Volume 24 - Issue 3 - pp 765-770
doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c7c2b2
Original Research

After-School Fitness Performance is Not Altered After Physical Education Lessons in Adolescent Athletes
Faigenbaum, Avery D; McFarland, James E; Buchanan, Erin; Ratamess, Nicholas A; Kang, Jie; Hoffman, Jay R

Abstract
Faigenbaum, AD, McFarland, JE, Buchanan, E, Ratamess, NA, Kang, J, and Hoffman, JR. After-school fitness performance is not altered after physical education lessons in adolescent athletes. J Strength Cond Res 24(3): 765-770, 2010-Physical education (PE) provides a unique opportunity for school-age youth to establish health habits, although some young athletes are exempt from PE and others do not participate because of a concern regarding the lingering effects of fatigue on after-school fitness performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of different PE lessons on after-school fitness performance in young athletes. Twenty athletes (14-18 years) participated in 3 different PE lessons that consisted of aerobic exercise (AE), resistance training (RT), or basketball skill training (BS). Fitness performance was assessed after-school following each lesson and after a control day without PE. There were no significant differences in flexibility (34.1 ± 6.5, 34.7 ± 1.3, 33.5 ± 7.2, and 33.6 ± 7.3 cm), vertical jump (46.3 ± 14.7, 46.2 ± 13.6, 46.4 ± 13.4, and 45.6 ± 14.2 cm), long jump (175.0 ± 36.4, 174.2 ± 36.3, 172.7 ± 35.8, and 171.9 ± 34.7 cm), medicine ball toss (348.9 ± 121.8, 342.0 ± 120.6, 353.9 ± 123.6, and 348.4 ± 129.1 cm), proagility shuttle run (5.8 ± 0.5, 5.7 ±0.53, 5.8 ± 0.52, and 5.8 ± 0.5 seconds), 20-m sprint (3.7 ± 0.4, 3.7 ± 0.4, 3.7 ± 0.3, and 3.7 ± 0.3 seconds), and 200-m sprint (36.3 ± 4.7, 35.1 ± 4.0, 35.9 ± 5.9, and 35.4 ± 5.4 seconds) after AE, RT, BS, or the control day, respectively. These findings suggest that an exercise lesson or skill-based PE class will not have an adverse effect on after-school fitness performance in adolescent athletes.

Not sure why this is even an issue anymore. Yes, I understand the ball coach with elements of Murphy's Law rattling around his head on game day. "OMG, my staring pitcher might blow out an UCL playing dodge-ball" (they still play that, right?) or "My star RB might pull a hammy doing a crab walk", but if that is really a threat to happen shouldn't you perhaps be examining the merits of your athletic conditioning program or the conditioning level of your athlete?

Just from a "looks test" and "setting a good example" for the other students standard, they probably should be participating. If they are going to get hurt, they can get hurt from the minute they get out of bed. That's the risk we all take daily. If something bad is going to happen, it's going to happen. It just doesn't seem to make much sense to be building policy decisions around such thinking.

If well-conditioned, athletic kids are at risk of injury in PE, what does that say about the relative safety of less well-conditioned, less athletically gifted students?

As a coach, I would want my kid in PE class--performing well, to the best of his/her ability--I would want him/her to take the same approach in English or Science classes. However, should he/she corner the student council president in dodge-ball, I probably wouldn't mind if he/she throw the change-up or BP fastball, rather than the heater. That's all I ask.

NCAA Final Four and the future of March Madne$$

OK, just because I did not pick ANY of the Final Four teams for the first time, doesn't mean I am going to ignore the event like it's the pre-season NIT or the Maui Invitational Tournament or something. But I was thinking along those lines.

The remaining match ups are intriguing.

Cinderella and home town favorite Butler vs. perennial tournament heavyweight Michigan State.

I like Team Sparty here, based mainly on their rebounding and toughness. Coach Izzo's experience in this environment should help as well. The Butler is a very entertaining team to watch, so this will be a close call. My guess is it will be a pro-Butler crowd, but that should not deter Michigan State. It's not like they are very popular at fellow Big Ten venues.

Perennial favorite Duke and West Virginia.

For a change, I actually like this Duke team. Maybe it's the Chicago area product John Scheyer. He looks like he might be the tenth guy picked on the playground, but he scores, he passes, he makes his teammates better. He may have to play some D here. Singler looks like a cross between Dirk Nowitzki and Jack Sikma. Dare I say love-child? He's a good player though. I like Nolan Smith as well. They have trouble with athletic, physical teams like West Virginia and Coach Huggy-bear comes close to nullifying any coaching advantage Coach K would usually hold. I would feel better about the Mountaineers if their PG were healthy, but Duke in a battle.

Then Duke over Michigan State in the final.
--------

NCAA to increase play-in field by 3500%

On a separate note, apparently the NCAA plans to expand the March Madness field in the future from the current 65 team field to 96 teams.

So in the future, the 97th best team in the country, likely with a near .500 record will be whining their way to the NIT (also owned by the NCAA).

No stop-over from 65 to 68, maybe by increasing the play-in field from one to four teams first, just to see how that works.

I like the fact that now the mid-major teams that win their regular season conference championships will make the field automatically rather than having to win their conference tournament as well.

A team that plays well all season, but is banged up, can be left at the curb (or the NIT) by fading in a one-week tournament. The Cinderella stories that win their late season tournaments will still make the Big Dance.

The future NIT tournaments are going to be real hoot. Maybe they can capture fan interest in the future by pitting the NIT champion against the womens champion or the WNBA champion or something along those lines. Just a thought.

It's all about the CA$H register and the non-revenue sports that are desperate for funding in a post Title IX world.

Hey, maybe now that women are entering and graduating from our nations colleges in greater numbers than men in recent years, we can pass a "Title XI" that would save some of these "minority programs" -- MEN'S PROGRAMS -- JK N.O.W. -  I don't want a pink brick thrown through my window or anything.

Pre-Season MLB Predictions - 2010

Since I did so well with the March Madness picks, now is as good a time as any to make my pre-season baseball predictions.

NL East:

Phillies: Probably the only 90+ win team in the division.
Braves: Should win 85+.
Mets: .500 would be a good bounce back year for this club.
Marlins: Around .500 would be great, more likely less than 80 wins.
Nationals: 72 wins and 30 starts for Stephen Strasburg, all at home.

NL Central:

Cardinals: Another 90+ win season.
Cubs: Better than .500, but probably not 90+ wins.
Brewers: .500 would be a good season here.
Reds: maybe a 75 win season.
Astros: also looking like a 75 win team.
Pirates: the battle is to not lose 100.

NL West:

Giants: Have to do it. 90 wins should take the division. Do-able, but it won't be pretty.
Dodgers: High 80 to 90 win potential here. Wild-card.
D-Backs: Mid to upper 80 wins.
Rockies: Maybe mid 80's win total tops.
Padres: Mid 70 wins.

AL East:

Yankees: Will threaten 100 wins
Rays: 90 to 95 wins and a wild-card berth
Red Sox: Should top 90 wins, won't be enough. Sucks to be the Sawks.
Blue Jays: 70 wins, will feel like 80 after the conversion to metric.
Orioles: 70 wins, may challenge the Jays to escape the basement.

AL Central:

White Sox: High 80's wins, should give an assist to Joe Nathan's elbow.
Twins: Will still find a way to win 85.
Tigers: No bailout for this Detroit franchise.
Royals: Maybe mid 70's wins, some good young talent emerging.
Indians: May lose 95-100, WTF happened here?

AL West:

Angels: 85 wins, should be enough in a very balanced division.
Rangers: Low 80's wins.
Mariners: Low 80's wins.
A's: Somebody needs to write a book about how smart they look post Zito-Hudson-Mulder.


AL Playoffs:
Yankees over Angles.
Rays over White Sox.

NL Playoffs:

Phillies over Dodgers
Giants over Cardinals

You can see where this is going, right?

AL Championship:

Rays over Yankees, Steinbrenner's have multiple coronary events.

NL Championship:

Giants stomp the daylights out of the Phillies, setting up, YES, my ultimate World Series for 2010. The Giants and the Rays.

In that match-up - the Giants sweep the Rays, four straight.

GO GIANTS!!!