RIP: John Wooden (1910-2010)

We lost one of the greatest sport coaches of all-time, maybe the best ever. The Wooden Pyramid should be on or near every coaches desktop. This link shows how much the great minds do think alike. Some wisdom from Wooden, Lombardi and Ben Franklin to boot.


http://www.squidoo.com/coachjohnwooden

Contemporaries

Lombardi and Wooden

I hesitate to include this, but Lombardi quarterback Bart Starr has written that the philosophies of these coaches of different sports were "very much the same." (A Perspective on Victory, Follett Publishing Co., 1972). Wooden did not give pre-game motivational speeches; professional football coaches may need to; reportedly, at the close of the following speech, inebriated middle-aged businessmen in the 1960s were ready to take the field or run through a brick wall.

From When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss (Simon & Schuster, 1999) (pp. 397-406)


February 8, 1967
New York
Speech to American Management Association
Vince Lombardi

Block One
The Meaning of Football


Football is a game very much like life, a game which gives 100 per cent elation, 100 per cent fun, when you win, yet demands and extracts a 100 per cent resolution, 100 per cent determination when you lose, a violent game and to play it any other way but violently would be imbecilic, a game played by millions of Americans, yet completely uninhibited by racial or social barriers, a game that demands the Spartan qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication and fearlessness.

I have been in football all my life, and although I sometimes wonder why I stay in an occupation as precarious as football coaching, I do not feel particularly qualified to be part of anything else.

Block Two
The American Zeal


Over the years I have grown increasingly worried about the lack of interest in competition, particularly athletic competition among our young people. Men need the test of competition to find their better selves, whether it is in sports, politics or business.

I need no greater authority than the great General MacArthur, and I would like to quote some of the things he said to me. Namely: "Competitive sports keeps alive in all of us a spirit of vitality and enterprise. It teaches the strong to know when they are weak and the brave to face themselves when they are afraid. To be proud and unbending in defeat, yet humble and gentle in victory. To master ourselves before we attempt to master others. To learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep, and it gives a predominance of courage over timidity.

Block Three
A Man's Personal Commitment to Excellence and Victory


While complete victory can never be won, it must be pursued, it must be wooed with all of one's might. Each week there is a new encounter, each year there is a new challenge. But all of the display, all of the noise, all of the glamour, and all of the color and excitement, they exist only in the memory. But the spirit, the will to excel, the will to win, they endure, they last forever. These are the qualities, I think, that are larger and more important than any of the events that occasion them.

Block Four
Abuse of Liberty


For most of the twentieth century, we as individuals have struggled to liberate ourselves from ancient traditions, congealed creeds and despotic states. Therefore, freedom was necessarily idealized against order, the new against the old, and genius against discipline. Everything was done to strengthen the rights of the individual and weaken the state, and weaken the church, and weaken all authority. I think we all shared in this rebellion, but maybe the battle was too completely won, maybe we have too much freedom. Maybe we have so long ridiculed authority in the family, discipline in education, and decency in conduct and law that our freedom has brought us close to chaos.

I am sure you are disturbed like I am by what seems to be a complete breakdown of law and order and the moral code which is almost beyond belief. Unhappily, our youth, the most gifted segment of our population, the heirs to scientific advances and freedom's breath, the beneficiaries of their elders' sacrifices and achievements, seem, in too large numbers, to have disregard for the law's authority, for its meaning, for its indispensability to their enjoyment of the fullness of life, and have conjoined with certain of their elders, who should know better, to seek a development of a new right, the right to violate the law with impunity. The prevailing sentiment seems to be if you don't like the rule, break it.

Block Five
Discipline


It could be that our leaders no longer understand the relationship between themselves and the people they lead.

That is, while most shout to be independent, they at the same time wish to be dependent, and while most shout to assert themselves, they at the same time wish to be told what to do.

Block Six
What Makes a Great Leader?


Leaders are made, not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.

A leader must identify himself with the group, must back up the group, even at the risk of displeasing his superiors. He must believe that the group wants from him a sense of approval. If this feeling prevails, production, discipline and morale will be high, and in return he can demand the cooperation to promote the goals of the company. He must believe in teamwork through participation. As a result, the contact must be close and informal. He must be sensitive to the emotional needs and expectations of others. In return, the attitude toward him should be one of confidence and, possibly, affection. The leader, in spite of what was said above, can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk, as it were, a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control that he must exert.

Block Seven
Character and Will


The character, rather than education, is man's greatest need and man's greatest safeguard, because character is higher than intellect. While it is true the difference between men is in energy, in the strong will, in the settled purpose and in the invincible determination, the new leadership is in sacrifice, it is in self-denial, it is in love and loyalty, it is in fearlessness, it is in humility, and it is in the perfectly disciplined will. This, gentlemen, is the distinction between great and little men.

The love I'm speaking of is loyalty, which is the greatest of loves. Teamwork, the love that one man has for another and that he respects the dignity of another. The love that I am speaking of is charity. I am not speaking of detraction. You show me a man who belittles another and I will show you a man who is not a leader; or one who is not charitable, who has no respect for the dignity of another, is not loyal, and I will show you a man who is not a leader. I am not advocating that love is the answer to everything. I am not speaking of a love which forces everyone to love everybody else, that you must love the white man because he is white or the black man because he is your enemy, but rather of a love that one man has for another human being. Heart power is the strength of your company. Heart power is the strength of the Green Bay Packers. Heart power is the strength of America and hate power is the weakness of the world.

A Precursor

Thirteen Virtues of Benjamin Franklin

Legendary coach Pete Newell quoted Ben Franklin to explain his own philosophy, "Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge. For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost, and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for want of care about a horseshoe nail." It sums up John Wooden's philosophy as well.

From The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin:

1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

11. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Umpires worst nightmare

Umpire Jim Joyce emphatically called Cleveland's Jason Donald safe - AND THE REST IS HISTORY!!!

THE VARIOUS ANNOUNCERS CALLS OF THE PLAY & THE POST-MORTEM FROM MLB.COM
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8629733

"It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the (stuff) out of it," Joyce said, looking and sounding distraught as he paced in the umpires' locker room. "I just cost that kid a perfect game."

This has got to be an umpire's worst nightmare. Influencing the outcome of a GAME on the basis of a bad call would be bad enough. Jim Joyce cost the Tigers Armando Gallaraga a chance at history and a place in the Hall of Fame. WOW!!!

I don't understand how in that situation, with two outs and a perfect game going, that ANY close play at first would not be SOLD as an out as emphatically as the umpire in Don Larsen's World Series perfect game sold strike three to end that one. Has anyone questioned that call? Anyone calling for instant replay based on that call? SELL THE CALL!!! It didn't even need selling, it looked like a clear out.

Maybe instant replay is the answer here. And in the white-hot crucible of the World Series.

But this isn't the answer to the recent twin Joe West debacles. Lately, Major League umpires are violating that age-old adage that the best thing anyone can say about umpires or referees after the game is that they didn't really notice them.

Now, in Joe West's defense, I will say that if anyone of us had a job supervisor or quasi-quality control inspector on our own jobs that had the personality of an Ozzie Guillen, Lou Piniella or Joe Girardi, we might act like the southern end of a north-bound horse, but Joe West brought a lot of this on himself by being a publicity whore. That's what he was fined for, more than the perception of bad calls, Hawk Harrelson's opinion aside. West doesn't seem as if he enjoys being out there anymore.

I know with Joe West, it's "The Show" and all, but when I do games during the season, the hardest problem I have is making the adjustment from having to deal with testosterone fueled 15-18 year-old young men and their equally daffy baseball coaches one night and 10 and under girls the next night, who are trying to influence the outcome of the game by singing songs with lyrics that end with something along the lines of "Oosh-ka, ash-ka. Oosh-oosh-kah, ash-ka".

On second thought, maybe that's just what a Joe West needs right now, more games on his schedule where the players are trying to influence the outcome of the game by singing "Oosh-ka, ash-ka. Oosh-oosh-kah, ash-ka". Its worth a try. The ball's in your court Commissioner Selig.



"Oosh-ka, ash-ka. Oosh-oosh-kah, ash-ka, indeed!!"

Finally a Brian Sabean trade I can embrace....

HELLO BRIAN?, I'LL TAKE YOUR JOB, YOU CAN HAVE MINE. NOW GET OUT!!

During his own local radio show, Giants GM Brian Sabean made what would have gone down as his best trade ever as Giants GM. He offered to trade jobs with the local radio jock!! AND THE GUY DIDN'T TAKE HIM UP ON THE OFFER!! This is every fantasy leaguer's wet dream come true.

"I know that I can't do your job," Sabean told Barbieri on the air Thursday, "but, you apparently think you can do my job. So, why don't we both take sabbaticals and I'll try to do your job and you can come over and (fix things) doing my job!"

from The Brian Sabean Show - KNBR 680/1050 The Sports Leader - The Razor and Mr. T. Show

http://knbr.com/OnKNBR680/RazorandMrT/tabid/595/Default.aspx

And in this case the guy would have gone down as some sort of local folk hero. Plus, he couldn't do much worse than Sabean has done recently. The conversation actually started with the jock steering the conversation in the direction of "when are we going to see some results, Brian?" Not an unreasonable question by the way.

After the Zito debacle, and Rowand and Renteria. And now DeRosa (the DL guy) and Huff and like they say in government, "a billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talking about some real money".

That's been the legacy of Brian Sabean recently. A bad contract here, a bad contract there, pretty soon you're talking about a real legacy of failure.

Please someone make this deal if it's offered again, before Sabean tries to revitalize the offense by signing Jermaine Dye to a three-year, $25 million dollar deal or trades a couple of uber-prospects to the Rays for Pat "The Bat" Burrell.

It just seems as if this guy is becoming a bit unhinged. Unfortunately, armed with a fresh two-year deal, he has just enough time to ruin this team before the window of opportunity of the Lincecum-Cain dominance runs it's course.

Where would this team be without it's dominant pitching? Less than .500 and keeping the D-Backs company in the basement?

The Buster Posey era begins in SF...and the Brian Sabean era should end

The Buster Posey era is off to a great start. A six for nine start (.667 BA) with two doubles and four RBI in his first two games. And the Giants offense comes to life. Now Buster won't continue at this pace, but a .270 to .290 average, a 10-15 HR pace with 75-80 RBI pace would give credence to my theory that this guy will be the face of the franchise for the next ten years or longer. Much like Joe Mauer will be for the Twins and Derek Jeter is for the Yankees.

This should please Giants GM Brian Sabean to no end. His recent derogatory comments regarding Posey's progress in AAA should be the last straw for ownership. How much more proof do they need that this guy is just a total fool. To denigrate Posey's start like some sort of jealous Dodger fan is foolish and repugnant. You don't piss on your product, much less the crown jewel of the farm system right now.

Can you not say something along the lines of, "We're pleased and happy that Buster Posey is justifying his selection by the Giants, the bonus he received and the hopes we have for him to be a future star for this organization." Would that have been too hard, Brian?

They should have been beaming and bragging like a proud parent. But no. Not the Giants. Not Brian Sabean. And do you know why? Because Buster's great start just shows the stupidity of the re-signing of the ever-petulant Bengie Molina. Another over-paid, over-the-hill Giant player that shows the Giants recent proclivity to stockpile these type of contracts. This forces the manager into a "play the contract over the talent" mentality that will retard the organizations development into a bona-fide playoff team. Play the talent, not the contract, geniuses.

They were fortunate with Tim Lincecum who proved he could play and forced himself into the Giants starting rotation. And the rest is history. But there are multiple spots in the starting rotation. They did the same thing once it was clear that Pablo Sandoval could rake at any level and was ready for the bigs. Like Posey, he was not the most polished catcher. But they found another spot for him, are happy with the results with the bat and again the rest is history. Throw another All-Star on the list, another face of the franchise.

Now comes Buster Posey. Why was it not very clear to this club LATE LAST YEAR, that Posey was ready for the bigs and that a cursory trip to AAA, to delay the clock from running on his eventual free-agency, was a waste of time? Then the Molina signing becomes the stupid move it is proving to be now and will continue to be until the end of the season. Mr. Meritocracy is going to bitch and whine about the Golden Boy until the Giants cut his sorry ass. Sorry Bengie, the kid is better than you now, he was better than you last year and he was likely better than you two years ago. Keep your bags packed please, the Mets still need a catcher and appear to be as stupid as ever. I told you last year they were the perfect spot for you.

Chipper Jones politicked the Braves brass into keeping Jason Heyward with the Braves rather than send him out for further seasoning. And the rest is history in the making. The Giants should have done the same with Posey.

But the Giants would rather judge talent and playing time by the size of contract and length of service rather than who can help the team to win right now.

The Giants would rather wait until they begin to slip into third place behind the surprising Pads and the resurgent Dodgers, to call on Posey to help.

And that's one of the big problems with this organization. The other one is Brian Sabean.

This is how we do it in Chicago.....a stirring rendition....an emotional reaction

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US National Anthem drowned out by cheers at 91 NHL All Star Game

Wayne Messmer sings the National Anthem at Chicago Stadium during the '91 NHL All-Star game, days after the U.S. went into Iraq at the start of the Gulf War. He is nearly drowned out by the crowd.

This was broadcast live to the troops in the Middle East, and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf reportedly played a tape of this to his soldiers.

-------

I don't know if this will start the debate anew, but I like this. I like it a lot. And maybe it is time for the somewhat quaint and antiquated tradition of showing quiet respect for the flag falls by the wayside. And maybe we can show our love and support for our country and the troops in a passionate way. Why not? To do otherwise conveys the impression that the support is not there.

I understand why veterans quietly bow there heads and pay homage and respect in their own way, but they do not seem to be offended by the 'Hawks fans level of support. It is veterans and armed services groups that present the colors each time the anthem is played here and they do not seem offended.

In the Fox News debate below the columnist from Detroit who takes issue with the 'Hawks fans display mentions that the "penalties" for this type of action are the same as those for defacing the flag. Well someone should have pointed out to him that thanks to the Supreme Court those "penalties" are zero. It's a free speech right apparently to deface, defile and rebuke the flag and all its stands for in every way, shape and form imaginable. IMO, it is high time those of us who support the flag and this country and all that it stands for stand quietly no more. Those that stand for something else can choose to stand somewhere far away from myself and those who attend games at "The Madhouse on Madison". By law, we may not be able to silence you, but we sure as hell can drown your sorry ass voices out.

I agree with Marv Albert's description of the 1991 display. A stirring rendition.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GO BLACKHAWKS!!!

BLACKHAWKS IN SIX.

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2010 Chicago Blackhawks National Anthem: "Let's Show The World How We Do It In Chicago"

In 1991, a week after we sent our troops into the Gulf War, the Blackhawks hosted the NHL all-star game. After it was announced that the troops were watching the game overseas, the crowd cheered throughout the ENTIRE national anthem. It's been a tradidtion ever since. You've never seen anything like this...

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Blackhawks National Anthem Controversy

The thin line between good and bad behavior in sports.....

One of the most interesting dynamics in youth sports is the interplay between the interests and motivations of parent, coaches and the young athlete to participate in youth sports programs.

There is a growing disconnect between the reasons for participation and the value received from participation that causes a natural and growing friction from each constituent in this "love-triangle" of sports.

Parents generally see participation as competition. There is a natural competition between the child and his peers, the child and himself and the parents themselves built into participation.

Kids generally see participation as an extension of their social network. Many are involves primarily because their friends are.

Coaches also see the games as competition and are stressed by attempting to balance their own need to win games versus the parents interest in their child's development and the child's need to develop athletically as well as socially.

This competition between the needs of each group provides much of the friction that comes between the groups as they interact with each other throughout the season. It sets up a circle of anger or frustration that can rapidly deteriorate into a vortex that sucks life out of a team and removes the joy of participation in the sport.

And as we can see by looking at the following column, if we are not continuously reminded to stay focused on the positive values and goals that come from participation, then it can be very easy to take the step over the line from good behavior to bad.

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From Pschology Today:

December 16, 2009, Evolutionary Psychology
The Morally Questionable Lessons of Formal Sports II: Moral Disengagement in the Drive to Win
How athletes justify cheating, lying, and deliberately hurting a person.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200912/the-morally-questionable-lessons-formal-sports-ii-moral-disengagement-in-t


1) What is disturbing here is the the link between the length of time participated in sports and the moral justification of bad behavior.

2) Interesting as well that this behavioral process is no longer seen a gender-specific. It is no longer "boys will be boys". Apparently, the march to equality brings with it some unwanted baggage for the Title IX-ers.

Maria Kavussanu, at the University of Birmingham, in the UK, has for a number of years been studying sports morality. In one of her studies many college basketball, soccer, rugby, and field hockey players admitted (on anonymous questionnaires) to lying, cheating, and deliberately injuring others within the context of the game.[1] Interestingly, she also found that the longer a person had been playing formal sports, the more likely they were to say that such behaviors are justifiable. This relationship between time in sports and acceptance of transgressions applied to women as well as well as to men, though the former claimed less acceptance of such behaviors, overall, than did the latter.

There is some good news here as well. But this study demonstrates that the onus may belong on the coach, as the pack leader, to model and demonstrate the proper values.

Other researchers, studying youth football (soccer) in Norway, have found that the degree of acceptance of such behavioral transgressions depends on the "motivational climate" set by the coach.[2] If the coach emphasizes the importance of winning, then acceptance of morally questionable actions goes up; if the coach emphasizes the joys of the game, good sportsmanship, and the value of developing your own personal skills, then acceptance of such transgressions goes down.

This part of the article is fascinating as well in a very chilling and disturbing way. If you look at the reason cited for the concept of "moral disengagement" to justify unsportsmanlike behavior, they are eerily similar to the behavior slide cited by Dr. Philip Zimbardo in "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good people Turn Evil", Stanley Milgram's "Obedeince to Authority" and to a some extent Hannah Arendt's book "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil".

So the same psychological and situational issues that led to Holocaust, the Stanford Prison Experiment, the abuses at Abu-Gharab, etc. are at work to explain the prevalence of bad behavior in sports.

 LOVELY!!!

In subsequent research, Kavussanu and her colleagues found that athletes used eight psychological means of moral disengagement to justify their transgressions, both to themselves and others.[3] Here they are, with my own examples to illustrate them:

• Moral justification (describing the transgression as morally right, not wrong). "I had to do it to protect my team's honor. We're not patsies."

• Euphemistic labeling (using language that disguises culpability). "I bent the rules a little," instead of "I broke the rules." Or, "I dusted him off," instead of, "I deliberately hit him with a pitched ball."

• Advantageous comparison (comparing your actions to others' worse actions, which make yours look good). "I hit him, but I didn't throw at his head, like others would have in this situation."

• Displacement of responsibility (claiming that your action was not your choice, but that of a higher authority). "It was the coach's decision; my job is to do what the coach asks."

• Diffusion of responsibility (attributing the action to the whole group rather than yourself personally). "It wasn't just me; the whole team charged the pitcher."

• Distortion of consequences (minimizing the damage done). "Hey, it's a small injury; he'll be back in no time."

• Dehumanization (speaking of the opposition in ways that deny their humanity). "They're a bunch of animals. When you play them you have to treat them that way."

• Attribution of blame (blaming the victim). "He started it with his trash talk." Or, "If he's got a weak ankle he shouldn't be playing."

'It's just missing teeth' or Why soccer will never be popular in America...

The Blackhawks' Duncan Keith slumps in pain after getting hit in the face with a puck Sunday during the second period. Keith lost seven teeth.

Photo and story from the Daily Herald:

You have to read this story from the Blackhawks finale versus the San Jose Sharks and maybe you will understand on a visceral level why soccer will never rise in popularity in this country above hockey, much less basketball, baseball, football or even auto racing.

Soccer star gets kicked in the shins, WHILE WEARING SHIN GUARDS, and writhes around on the ground in pain as if he was shot from the cheap seats, until the referee pulls out his red card, or green card or American Express card, or whatever, and then bounces up and continues play.

Well, here's my message to all the soccer-nazis who will no doubt begin their every fourth year assault on Americans who "just don't get soccer" like the rest of the more intelligent communistas in the world:

Americans appreciate toughness. We appreciate those who get up and go to work every day (like Cal Ripken) and play hurt and don't make excuses and fulfill their obligations to others (teammates).

We are not now, and will never be like Greece, so help me God!!

In no other sport in this country is faking injuries like a pansy rewarded or appreciated as part of the culture. Here we walk it off, we don't rub the spot when the pitcher drills us with a fastball. WE GOT ICE, BABY!!!! We applaud taking one for the team.

We don't even demonstrate such behavior in women's sports in this country, including your beloved soccer.

So you can keep your undying soccer love and your World Cup. We'll keep guys like Duncan Keith.

Photo and story from the Daily Herald:

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=382957&src=149

John Madden estimated Duncan Keith's mouthguard flew 22 feet.

Taking a puck to the kisser from close range will do that to a guy.

"I knew right away. I took one breath and I felt like my whole mouth was missing," he said. "I saw a couple of them fall out and I had one I could feel in the back of my throat and I just coughed it out. A bunch of them disintegrated."

After missing about six minutes of play in the period, Keith was back on the ice to finish off the frame and the rest of the game.

He wouldn't have had it any other way, regardless of what the doctors had warned.

"No, I was (ticked) off," Keith said. "It's just missing teeth. It's a long way from the heart."

BTW, how tough must hockey dads be to produce kids like this? We make fun of Little League dad over here in the lower 50 sometimes for pushing kids too hard, but can you imagine what goes on at the local rinks across Canada?

"What are you crying for you big pansy? It's only a busted nose. The blood dries up. Get the heck out there and finish your shift. It's not like your missing a hand or anything.

Oh, you are? Son, you've got to stop making excuses for yourself. Get out there and shoot the puck left-handed or you are walking home."

What was that line about hockey-mom, a pit-bull with lipstick? Hockey dad must be a like pit-bull on meth. Gotta love 'em.

GO HAWKS!!!

Giants prospects review

With the calls increasing for the call-up of Buster Posey and/or Madison Bumgarner and two months worth of games in the book, it's about time to update the Giants prospect list.

We waive good-bye to 25+ age prospects LHP Dan Runzler, RHP Henry Sosa, RHP Kyle Nicholson, RHP Daniel Otero and LHP Craig Clark. Runzler is contributing as a spot starter at the major league level. With his stuff, if he can harness it, he could be a valuable late-innings match up reliever or a potential future closer. Sosa shows promise when healthy. The rest are still toiling in the minors, thereby solidifying their status move from prospect to suspect.

New addditions include last years draftees, RHP Zach Wheeler, C Tommy Joseph and RHP Jason Stoffel, all of whom impressed in limited work late season or in this years camp. Wheeler is a potential top of the rotating starter, Joseph has an impressive power bat, but his glove may transfer to the infield if Posey develops as expected. Stoffel could be a solid mid-rotation starter or a power arm out of the bullpen.

Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner retain the 1-2 spots. The high-risers are OF Thomas Neal, who moved from #5 to #3 and OF Francisco Peguero, moving from #13 to #7. Stock falling list includes #B Connor Gillaspie, statistically a solid bat, may be the type that scouts have to see everyday to appreciate. Gillaspie moved from #3 to #12. RHP Waldis Joaquin fell from #7 to #11 and RHP Jose Casilla fell from #9 to #15. Both battle health and/or command issues.

On the Latin American front, reports indicate the Giants may be the top contender for Dominican OF and top all around International position prospect, OF Eskalin Vasquez. He is a RF with a strong arm and good power. A $2M bonus is expected, so it is good to see the Giants have not become gun shy after the Angel Villalona fiasco.

Also, according to Baseball America, the Giants have signed Cuban RHP Reineir Roibal, a top young pitcher who defected in 2009.

It is the strength of the Latin American team and the scouting and player development staff that will plant the seed for the Giants long-term success.

Who's playing the best baseball? Let's turn to STAT-MAN for the answer.

http://www.urban75.org/comics/fan3.html

STAT-MAN IS COOL!!! AS ARE THE OTHER FAN PROTOTYPES FROM THIS SITE.

http://www.urban75.org/comics/fans.html

I've probably been all of them at one time or another. God, I need help.

So anyway, back to the original topic, Who is playing the best baseball so far this season?

It depends on how you look at it, I suppose. Still a bit early to go entirely by win/loss record.

Teams have not played each other enough to sort it out. The Giants early season record may be inflated by a a plethora of early season games versus the Astros for example, who knows? But thank goodness for the Astros, right?

I like to look at run-differential and road record to start. Scoring more runs than the other team is the object of the game. So run-differential is important and correlates to total wins rather nicely. And if you can combine that with an ability to win games in the other guys yard, that just shows a mature, professional approach that wins games come playoff time, in my mind.

So who are the early leaders? (as of 5/19/2010)

In the AL:

Rays 29-11 overall, 16-4 road, + 95 run diff.
Yankees 25-15 overall, 12-10 road, +70 run diff.
Twins 24-16 overall, 12-10 road, +34 run diff.
Blue Jays 24-17 overall, 13-6 road, +32 run diff.

Three teams in the AL East and bad news for the Red Sox.

In the NL:

Phillies 24-15 overall, 13-7 road, +64 run diff.
Cardinals 23-18 overall, 11-11 road, +27 run diff.
Padres 23-16 overall, 11-7 road, +41 run diff.
Giants 22-16 overall, 9-8 road, +45 run diff.


Maybe you prefer the best pitching staff approach? If that is the case:

In the NL, you would like:

Padres 118 runs allowed
Giants 121 runs allowed
Cardinals 143 runs allowed
Phillies 150 runs allowed
Braves 166 runs allowed

In the AL, you would like:

Rays 122 runs allowed
Mariners 158 runs allowed
Twins 158 runs allowed
Yankees 161 runs allowed
A's 175 runs allowed

The top run scoring teams are as follows:

In the AL:

Yankess 231
Rays 217
Red Sox 213
Blue Jays 212
Rangers 194
Twins 192

Top four teams are in the AL East. Bad news for AL pitchers.

In the NL:

Phillies 214
Brewers 210
Dodgers 203
Diamondbacks 199
Marlins 194

The top teams in run differential are the Rays +95 and the Yankees +70. The Phillies lead the NL at +64 with the Gigantes next at +45.

The bottom run differential teams are, not surprisingly the Pirates -100 and the Astros -64.

The weakest offenses are the Astros 122 R's in 40 G's, the Mariners 139 R's in 39 G's and the Orioles 140 R's in 41 G's.

The weakest pitching belongs to the Red Sox -220, Royals -210 and the Angels -209 in the AL and the Brewers -228, Pirates -241 and the Diamondbacks -245 in the NL.

Very surprising results so far for the Red Sox and the Angels. No mention of the two Chicago teams or the Mets, which perhaps means that those teams are simply mired in mediocrity.

Not a good place to be mired in if you asked me. But who asked?

The Stanley Cup and LeBron in Chicago?

RESPECT THE CHIEF!!

It seems as if the Blackhawks are about to put the finishing touches on a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals by taking two road wins against the suddenly listless San Jose Sharks.

Dustin Byfuglein is an absolute BEAST!!

http://espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=3070

I have not really been into hockey that much since the year the Lightning won the Stanley Cup down in Tampa. I thought it was very unfortunate that they did not get a fair chance to defend the title and further promote the sport in that area due to the lockout. This Blackhawks team reminds me of the Lightning, a lot of guys filling roles and meshing well together.

Combined with becoming the possible destination for one LeBron James, the Chicago market could become the center of the sports world for the next couple of years. Hopefully, the Chucklehead in Chief stays out of the negotiations for LeBron, given his track record bringing home the Olympics and all.

LEBRON AND DERRICK ROSE EQUALS CHAMPIONSHIP??

Now, if only the Cubs could provide some excitement on the baseball front, this city would really ROCK!! Maybe, I ask for too much.

ERIC BYRNES IS STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!

With the release by the Rays of Pat Burrell, I was reminded that "Pat the Bat" and "The Crash Test Dummy" Eric Byrnes were on my short list of free-agent signees for the Gigantes recently (after passing on Matt Holliday).

Considering that Burrell can't break the Mendoza line and Byrnes is playing beer-league softball, maybe this GM thing is harder than it looks and I owe Brian Sabean an apology?

HAHAHAHA, I must be high......I'd have to piss away a lot more payroll than that before I was in Sab's league. Approximately, the GDP of a small country.

FREE BUSTER POSEY!!!