New Beginning

A new year is coming and I plan to redouble my efforts to return here to my blogging roots. I have a lot of sports ideas and media-wise observations to proffer and develop, so we'll see how that goes. Expect plenty of linkage via Twitter (BRADY1M) and Facebook. 

Happy Holidays to All. Happy New Year, too!

Signed, 

Martin

Grading Davey Johnson

With their startling and rather pathetic demise in the baseball playoffs, the Washington Nationals are finding little sympathy in cyberspace.

People are still grousing about the Strasburg Decision, of course, but we’ll let that one lie for now. (Yes, Stephen Strasburg’s presence in the NLDS could’ve made a difference. The Nationals were a better team with him, and management blew its handling of his season. The fact they were still in it and were leading Game 5 vs. the reigning world champion Cardinals is testament to how good the team was without him, and at that they still might’ve won that series.)

But now I’m seeing folks criticize manager Davey Johnson in untoward ways, and I have to protest.

I followed the Nats religiously. For a team that was supposed to improve but probably not make the postseason, Johnson’s management was often nothing short of masterful. Dealing with young arms and young minds, and then with a series of injuries, Johnson made all the right moves to keep the team on track.

After moving into first place for good on May 22, the Nats stayed steady, this despite the fact that Jayson Werth was sidelined half the year with a broken wrist, Michael Morse missed 60 games with various injuries, Ryan Zimmerman’s chronic shoulder problem was acting up early, catcher Wilson Ramos was lost for the year to knee surgery after playing only 25 games, and shortstop Ian Desmond’s oblique problem cost him 30 games. 

In Zimmerman’s absence, Johnson got decent production out of veteran Chad Tracy. When Ramos went down, Johnson utilized AAA fill-ins who did just that—filled in—until finally in early August the Nats procured veteran Kurt Suzuki from the A’s. Great move.

When Desmond was MIA, Johnson entrusted shortstop to second baseman Danny Espinosa, who played  at a level where the infield really didn’t miss a beat defensively. That’s because young Steve Lombardozzi took over second base, and if he was not Espinosa’s defensive equal, then he was certainly good enough, and he hit .273 on the season.

(Espinosa, BTW, hit .247 and struck out a whopping 189 times, and if there was one regret about Johnson’s managing, it might have been allowing Lombardozzi to languish on the bench over the latter portion of the season. The 23-year-old, son of former major leaguer Steve Lombardozzi I, gets the bat on the ball, runs well, plays good D and flat-out should have had more playing time down the stretch.)

Johnson’s biggest challenge, though, was probably the outfield, with Morse and Werth laid up for significant chunks of the season. Some would call it fortuitous, then, since that evinced the call-up of rookie Bryce Harper, whose feats at the age of 19 are now the stuff of semi-legend.

Still, Johnson couldn’t have predicted Harper’s emergence, and the youngster definitely had consistency issues. Johnson moved him between center and right field defensively, utilized the versatile outfield skills of Roger Bernadina, and got Lombardozzi outfield playing time as well, in a deft bit of talent juggling that assured a minimized drop-off in results until Morse and Werth returned. (Rookie Tyler Moore also was brought up from AAA to play some outfield, and he batted .263 with 10 homers, offering the promise for bigger numbers in 2013.)

Meanwhile, Johnson got lucky with the pitching. Besides the Strasburg Decision, there were no major issues with the starting staff. Arms were young and healthy and stayed that way. The relievers were also in good shape, with the exception of 2011’s excellent closer Drew Storen, who underwent elbow surgery early in the 2012 season. After the failed experiment with Wildman Henry Rodriguez, setup man and 2011 All-Star Tyler Clippard had to morph into the closer, a role that he took on quite nicely, ringing up 32 saves. Storen returned later in August and resumed his major role with success—excluding the mixed results apparent in the NLDS.

Now, there were signs of general mediocrity or burnout or whatever you want to call it in the last quarter of the season. The Nats were 22-18 over the last 40 games. That’s okay, but it’s not exactly setting the league on fire. They were beating up on nonentities like the Mets and Cubs but still struggling with better teams like the Braves, who continued to nip at their heels in pursuit of the NL East title.

Still, Johnson got the team to the finish line, even without Strasburg. They had a division crown, the best record in the game, and home-field advantage in the playoffs. He had worked miracles around injuries, steadied the play of young newcomers and handled the pitching staff reasonably well. 

Considering the meltdown in the NLDS finale, it’s hard to see what Johnson might have done differently. His hitters finally hit, and his Cy Young candidate Gio Gonzalez gave him five useful if disappointing innings, and the team was ahead 6-3 after six.

Now, bringing in starter Edwin Jackson for relief in the 7^th inning is still a bit of a head-scratcher. Guess Davey wasn’t trusting middle-relief man Ryan Mattheus, who’d been scuffed up a bit in Game 3. But Jackson is a maddeningly inconsistent pitcher, and his appearance in that situation looks like a reach. Mattheus was rested enough and more used to the relief regimen. Jackson gave up a run and made things scary in his one inning, so this move looks weak.

Clippard and Storen were then in their appropriate roles in the final innings, so there’s little to criticize there. Davey certainly couldn't do the pitching FOR them. 

Let’s face it, there’s only so much a baseball manager can do. On balance, Johnson pushed a lot of smart buttons in 2012 and his knack for adjusting when injuries threw him curves was impressive. The team just got hornswoggled by those darn ol’ Cardinals, whose ability to avoid elimination in recent years has become legend.

Time for a break. And 2013 is not far away. Let’s hope Davey is around for the next installment.  

Nationals Nightmare Fueled by Power Outage

Our Long “Nationals” Nightmare began about 9:30 p.m. Central Standard Time last night.

In the top of the 5^th inning of the deciding Game 5 of the National League Divisional Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals,  Nats lefty Gio Gonzalez was pitching with a 6-2 lead, buoyed by an early outburst of long-ball power by Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse. Finally, after a terrible offensive showing in the series’ four previous games, the Nats’ bats had come alive, and, with Cy Young candidate Gonzalez on the mound and a standing-room-only crowd of 45,966 at Nationals Park cheering wildly, it looked like the Nation’s Capital’s baseball team would advance to the National League Championship Series. (And make me a very happy Nats fan.)

Then the power blew at my house. The entire apartment complex was out. Everything went pitch black. Goodbye, lights. Goodbye, TV. Goodbye, PC. Only half dressed, I stumbled around for my cell phone, to use it to light my way to my shirt and shoes. Finally, I poked my head out my front door, only to see other apartment dwellers wondering what was going on. The whole neighborhood, as far as the eye could see, was in darkness.

“WTF?” I said to myself. I phoned a friend—who happens to be a Cardinals fan. He commiserated about the power outage, and updated me on the game. It was now 6-3, but the action had moved on to the 6^th inning, and he really wasn’t optimistic about the game’s direction. (Sure, I thought, it’s nicer to be ahead.)

Yet it didn’t look like Nashville Electric Service was going to be Johnny-on-the-spot with the repairs, so I made the only decision I could: I got in my car and made my way to a sports bar in nearby Hillsboro Village.

Frankly, I do not like to watch important sporting events at a bar. I like watching them in my living room, with my food and my beer and my victorious whooping (when applicable) and my tears of despair (also when applicable).

I should have known it when it happened: the power outage had fucked with my karma. And a painfully long evening had begun.

I arrived at the bar, found a seat and waited for the overworked barmaid to take my order. It took her forever to arrive. Meanwhile, I had to listen to this guy sitting next to me—an obnoxious Cardinals fan—clap his hands loudly on EVERY SINGLE PITCH.

I finally got a bottle of beer, but I could not stand sitting next to this guy. So I moved from the bar to a table near another large-screen TV. Alas, there I was surrounded by more Cardinals fans, loud and urging on their heroes. (In fact, I soon realized that about 95% of the patrons were rooting for the Cards.)

I watched the TV and saw that Nationals manager Davey Johnson had brought in Edwin Jackson to pitch the 7^th inning. “WTF??” Jackson is one of the most nerve-wracking and unreliable starting pitchers in the league. He once threw a no-hitter, and he has some talent, but you NEVER know what you will get with him, and this was the most important game of the year, with the team nursing a three-run lead (which had been a six-run lead, so the hemorrhaging had begun).

Jackson’ll drive you crazy, and I suppose it was a blessing to see that he “only” gave up one run. Typically, he walked batters and had to extricate himself from a mess. So now it’s 6-4…and what happens next? The TV I am watching blows out. No shit. Boom. No picture, no sound. Gone.  

“WTF??” Now I move to another part of the bar, beer bottle in hand. I eye a petite blonde lady who is sitting with friends and is… a Nats fan! An occasionally vociferous Nats fans!! So I find a table near her and hope the karma will stay positive for the remainder of the game.

No such luck. The two guys at the table in back of me represent more of that ardent Cardinals fandom and keep up the chatter. “C’mon, Allen.” “C’mon, Yadi.” “C’mon, Pete.”

It’s now the 8^th inning, and the Nats bring in Tyler Clippard, their setup man and sometime closer. He’s pretty good, but he was not dominant late in the season. So what does he do? He gives up a home run to none other than the great Daniel Descalso, the Cards second-baseman who hit a whopping .227 this year. Doh!

Now it’s 6-5, and the walls of inevitable ineptitude are beginning to close in, though neither that blonde lady nor me can give up hope. I mean, we DO have the lead, right?

And, when, in the bottom of the 8^th the Nats add a run to make it 7-5—and there are only three Cardinal outs left to get—well, maybe…..MAY BE…

All season, the Nationals have been defined by their pitching. They can hit a little, yes, but they were very erratic in that department. Anyone who followed the team all year knows that it was pitching that made it possible to eke out many close victories. And let’s face it, pitching is the name of the game in the major leagues.

Enter Drew Storen, a young relief stud who excelled in 2011 but entered 2012 with physical problems that took him months to work out. He had seemed to finally have gotten into shape down the stretch but his reliability was still an unknown—especially in the biggest game of his life. (To be fair, Storen had won the previous night’s game, pitching a scoreless ninth inning just before Jayson Werth hit a dramatic walk-off homer that ended an extremely tense pitchers’ duel.)

Of all the monsters in this frightful scenario for the Nats, Storen proved to be the most ghastly. Yielding three hits—including key blows by that Descalso guy and the immortal Pete Kozma (a 24-year-old rookie who batted .232 in AAA ball before a late summer call-up to replace the injured Rafael Furcal)—and two unforgivable walks, Storen made a mockery of quality relief pitching, as the Cardinals scored four 9^th inning runs to take a 9-7  lead.

With that, I left the bar. The inevitable was nigh. Some sporting events take on lives of their own. This was not only the Great Cardinals Comeback—it was also the Great Nationals Choke.

When I returned home, my power was back, the game was over, and I learned that the Nats hitters in the bottom of the ninth had faded 1-2-3. The power outage theme for the evening was now complete.

For a team cannily built on pitching, the Nats’ playoff performances pretty much sucked. In the three games they lost, Nats pitchers yielded 29 runs on 38 hits and issued 17 walks. While ace Gonzalez pitched okay in two games, he was not lights out, and his lack of control kept inviting trouble. The well-respected Jordan Zimmermann got hammered in Game 2; ditto Jackson in Game 3. Only youngster Ross Detwiler in Game 4 acquitted himself like a champion.

No further proof was needed that the Nats were not the same team without Stephen Strasburg. When they shut down the young ace for the season in deference to concern for the possible untoward stress on his surgically repaired elbow, they changed the delicate character of their team. Jackson, a pitcher who is fine for regular season use, will never be the third starter on a championship team, and his ascension as a key player in the Nats playoff run played a critical role in their downfall.

General manager Mike Rizzo and Nats fans everywhere will now get a long, long off-season to ponder the what-ifs of what was, otherwise, a pretty exciting season.

As for karma and power outages? They’re a bitch. 

And our long Nationals nightmare...is over. (With apologies to the late President Gerald Ford.)

 Men Among Men: Historical Reflections in the Age of Strasburg

So ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg is shut down. Only 24, gifted as can be, having completed a mostly magical season of dominance over National League hitters, his bosses with the Washington Nationals have said, “Sit down, kid. Your season is over.” This while the club has the best record in baseball and is poised to be the first Washington, D.C., baseball franchise to play in the postseason since 1933.

“Chalk” Talk: NFL Postseason Predictions Look Predictable Enough

AFC Wild Card Round

Cincinnati (9-7) at Houston (10-6)
Houston has battled injuries, and they limp into the playoffs riding a three-game losing streak and led by an unheralded rookie QB, T. J. Yates. They’re a physical team, though, with a great runner in Arian Foster and they play very tough defense. The Bengals do a lot of things well, and their rookie QB, Andy Dalton, had a remarkable season. The Bengals can play smash-mouth, too (competing in the AFC North will do that to you). If there’s an upset on the horizon, this could be it. The Texans need to keep their offense grounded, go after Dalton, and hold Cincy RB Cedric Benson in check. Home field should count in this one.

Prediction: Texans 20, Bengals 19

Pittsburgh (12-4) at Denver (8-8)
The Steelers are another team plagued by injury. Leading RB Rashard Mendenhall is out, QB Ben Roethlisberger has a sprained ankle. Nevertheless, this team led the entire NFL in points allowed, only 14.18 per game, and if any defense is geared to give Tim Tebow fits, it’s this one. The Broncos are another division winner stumbling into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak, including the inexplicable season-ender at home against mediocre Kansas City. No more Tebow magic.  

Prediction: Steelers 20, Broncos 6

AFC Divisional Round

Houston at Baltimore (12-4)
Two tough defenses clash. Baltimore should be in better shape offensively, however. Tough to imagine Yates winning this one.

Prediction: Ravens 17, Texans 10

Pittsburgh at New England (13-3)
Patriots coach Belichick has to be wondering why the #2-seeded Ravens get to play wounded Houston while his #1-rated club has to square off against the Steelers. There’s definitely something that seems inherently unfair about it, but that’s what happens when wild-card teams are particularly dangerous. The Pats’ offense was third in the NFL in points scored, after Green Bay and New Orleans, and Tom Brady & Co. are in fine form. The New England defense isn’t bad, but it’s not elite by a long shot. The Steelers’ D is, however, and hence this one shapes up as a mini-classic. The Steelers have wideouts who will challenge the Pats’ defensive backfield as long as Roethlisberger can maneuver. Meanwhile, Brady will try to get the ball to his amazing tight ends Gronkowski and Hernandez and also wideout Wes Welker, who caught 122 passes. Belichick’s patented ground game by committee worked yet again, his runners tallying 1,764 yards. Question is, How good are these Steelers exactly? They might fall one Gronk TD shy.

Prediction: Patriots 27, Steelers 21 

AFC Championship

Baltimore at New England
Can Joe Flacco come up big in the latest “biggest” game of his career? Now in his fourth year, Flacco (and head coach John Harbaugh) has never missed the playoffs, and he’s always won at least one game in the postseason, including an upset on the road against the Patriots following the 2009 season. His numbers are down this year--completion percentage, TDs, passer rating--and his INTs are up slightly. The Ravens’ overall toughness gives ‘em a chance. Very tough call.

Prediction: Patriots 20, Ravens 16 

NFC Wild Card Round

Detroit (10-6) at New Orleans (13-3)
If it’s a balls-to-the-walls shootout, maybe Detroit could get lucky and steal one. It's not likely, though, ‘cause the Lions have some weaknesses that will matter, such as an erratic running game and a suspect secondary. The Saints have an equally impressive air attack and they also have Darren Sproles leading a committee of runners who gained 2,127 yards in 2011. The Saints are at home, too, and without doubt the most dangerous #3 seed in this year’s playoff field. This could be fun for a while, though. When’s the last time two QBs--Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees--each with 5,000+ passing yards during the regular season ever squared off in the playoffs? Answer: Never before.

Prediction: Saints 38, Lions 34

Atlanta (10-6) at New York Giants (9-7)
The Giants are a very unpredictable team. They started the year 6-2, then went 3-5, including a loss at home to the lowly Redskins in what seemed to be a must-win situation. The chokester Cowboys helped the New Yorkers salvage their postseason hopes, but now they face an Atlanta team that’s got talent and possibly more motivation. For all their high-profile defensive personnel, the G-Men gave up 25 points a game this year, and that’s not good. The Falcons scan more positively on both sides of the ball statistically. This game is there for the Giants to take, being the home team and all, but they were only 4-4 at the Meadowlands in 2011.

Prediction: Atlanta 23, Giants 20

NFC Divisional Round

New Orleans at San Francisco (13-3)
The 49ers have a winning record for the first time since 2002. Is it the Harbaughian magic? Is Alex Smith finally the real deal at QB? And exactly how good is this defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFC? The Niners are in a weak-sister division--the NFC West--but their record included wins over Cincy, Philly (before they tanked), Detroit, the Giants and Pittsburgh, with two of their three losses to Dallas and Baltimore. In short, all they’ve done is take care of business. Now they take on offensive juggernaut New Orleans in what could be an epic battle. Hard to imagine anyone shutting down Drew Brees long enough to actually contain him. It’s very tempting to take the upstart hosts, but some of us don’t quite believe in Smith yet.

Prediction: Saints 26, 49ers 20   

Atlanta at Green Bay (15-1)
If the Falcons had a great defense, they might have a chance here. But theirs is average, and their good offense is simply no match for the Pack’s (which is putting up 35 points per game). True, Green Bay’s running game is merely competent, but no one’s ever been able to stop Aaron Rodgers and his receivers enough to expose the ground attack as a liability. It’s almost impossible to imagine a scenario where the Falcons go to Wisconsin in January and return home a winner.

Prediction: Packers 31, Falcons 20   

NFC Championship

New Orleans at Green Bay
This is the big matchup many have waited for. Statistically, the Packers have a slightly better offense, the Saints a slightly better defense. Home-field advantage has got to play a role here, and if Rodgers has his usual pinpoint, mistake-free game, the Pack should move on to the Super Bowl.

Prediction: Packers 27, Saints 24

Super Bowl

New England vs. Green Bay
What a surprise (Not!): The teams with the best records within their own conferences have advanced to the title game. The two stellar offenses rather cancel each other out, so whoever steps up to play defense can grab the brass ring. On paper, this is pretty much a toss-up, but the Packers’ D was actually pretty good in 2010--allowing only 15 points per game--until injuries hit them later on. Yes, good offenses scored on the Packers this year without much trouble, but Rodgers & Co. always responded. The Pats so far have not shown the kind of defense to do the job here.

Prediction: Packers 30, Patriots 24


Editor's Note:  The NFL Draft returns to primetime in 2012, with the first round taking place Thurs., April 26, followed by the second and third rounds on Fri., April 27. Rounds 4-7 will be held Sat., April 28. See you then!

Where’d They Play Their College Ball?

Everyone knows about big-name NFL QBs like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. There’s also Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer and Eli Manning, plus others with fairly high name recognition. Usually, guys like that have come to the pros after having attended a big-name university, like Michigan, or Tennessee, or Ole Miss, or USC. But there’s a passel of other NFL QBs, both occasional starters and bench-warmers, who attended lesser-known colleges unlikely to produce NFL signal-callers. It may be tough enough to remember who some of these guys are, but all of them are currently on NFL rosters. The stiffer challenge for you is, Can you match up their names to where they played their college ball? Answers below, but no peeking.

1. Joe Webb, Vikings                            a. Nevada-Reno

2. Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks           b. UConn

3. John Skelton, Cardinals                  c. Tarleton State

4. Kevin O’Connell, Jets                      d. Fresno State

5. Tyrod Taylor, Ravens                       e. Coastal Carolina

6. Thaddeus Lewis, Browns                f. UAB

7. Josh McCown, Bears                        g. Va. Tech

8. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers                  h. Sam Houston St.

9. Caleb Hanie, Bears                           i. Idaho

10. Nate Enderle, Bears                        j. Arizona State

11. Dan Orlovsky, Colts                         k. San Diego

12. Luke McCown, Jaguars                  l. Alabama State

13. Dan LeFevour, Jaguars                  m. Duke

14. Richard Bartel, Cardinals               n. San Diego State

15. Josh Johnson, Buccaneers              o. Delaware

16. Rudy Carpenter, Buccaneers          p. Colorado St.

17. Tom Brandstater, Rams                   q. La. Tech

18. Josh Portis, Seahawks                      r. California (Pa.)

19. Pat Devlin, Dolphins                         s. Central Michigan

20. Tyler Thigpen, Bills                           t. Fordham

Answers: 1-f; 2-l; 3-t; 4-n; 5-g; 6-m; 7-h; 8-a; 9-p; 10-i; 11-b; 12-q; 13-s; 14-c; 15-k; 16-j; 17-d; 18-r; 19-o; 20-e.

Separated at Birth??

Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer (above) and actor Kiefer Sutherland (below).

Nancy Allen Takes on Stephen Sondheim with High Style in Belmont Concert

Denice Hicks--artistic director of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival--once spoke of the richness of our fair city’s talent base. And so it is.

If someone did a study of per capita musical talent, Nashville would surely lead the nation. It’s a smaller-sized “major” city that attracts all sorts of musical people--so much so that truly gifted singers, composers and players often fail to grab the brass rings of big-time financial and/or deserving critical success.

Nashville--for all its southern charm and laid-back livability--is a tough town.

That goes for theatrical performers as well. I have witnessed tremendous growth in that area in my decade-plus stint as a Nashville theater critic. This town has many, many gifted actors, and alas there are not enough roles for them all.

Such is the artistic life.

And such is life in Nashville, where, on a balmy Monday night in November, one can mosey on over to the stunningly appointed Belmont Mansion on the campus of Belmont University, where a faculty recital, Send in the Sondheim, wows a packed house. (Oh yeah...the admission was free.)

Hard to say which was the main attraction: the lineup of Stephen Sondheim pieces from shows both familiar and obscure, or the leading lady, Nancy Allen, with her robust mezzo-soprano.

Let’s defer--easily--to the latter. Allen (left) is a familiar face to Nashville theatergoers, though we probably don’t see her onstage as often as we should. When she’s not singing in church, she teaches classical voice, mainly to theater majors at Belmont, does occasional opera work, and gigs at various theater companies. Back in April, she performed in Street Theatre Company’s production of Hairspray--as the racist Velma. Unlikely casting for the lovely and gracious Allen? Sure, but the talented pro pulled it off with venomous mirth.

Her embrace of Sondheim last night was even better. The lineup of 20 songs was drawn from the expected big shows (West Side Story, Follies, Company, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music) and also from shows with perhaps less immediate recognition for the average Joe (Evening Primrose, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Assassins).

If there were glitches in Allen’s singing, they were undetectable. She tackled the breathless (“Something’s Coming,” “Another Hundred People”) with power; the comical (“Broadway Baby,” “Can That Boy Fox Trot”) with wit; and the serious (“Send in the Clowns,” “Losing My Mind”) with deep emotion.

Allen is more than a singer, however. Her actorly chops proved useful in her duets with guest artist Scott Logsdon (left), including the very excellent “You Must Meet My Wife” and “The Little Things.” Lyric baritone Logsdon also delivered a solo number, “Marry Me a Little.”

Another contributing artist was soprano Patricia Roberts (left), whose duet with Allen, “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” combined rich humor with sharp timing.

Interestingly, the final three selections all derived from Anyone Can Whistle, Sondheim’s most famous flop, which lasted nine performances on Broadway in 1964. The trio of singers’ group rendition of that show’s title tune was a sheer delight. This is one of the composer’s almost legendary songs, a fine little ballad with poignance and--especially for the often overly complex Sondheim--an accessible warmth and structural simplicity. Nashville Opera choral director Amy Tate Williams provided the original arrangement for three voices, and that was a fabulous surprise.

Finally, let us not overlook accompanist Chris Rayis, a Belmont composition major with a confessed “deep adoration” of Sondheim and definitely the skill to have a go at the master’s intricate solo piano. If anyone had the tightrope act of the evening, it was Rayis. Happy to say, he never wavered through all of the tricky filigree that adorns these pieces, which, as it is, are written in challenging keys and require deft rhythmic control from the instrumentalist.

There was no encore, but--no surprise--there was a standing ovation.

Send in the Sondheim
Nancy Allen in Recital
Belmont University School of Music
Belmont Mansion, Nov. 14, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Featuring: Scott Logsdon & Patricia Roberts
Piano: Chris Rayis

Cards Miss Chance to Take Series Lead; Head to Texas Tied 1-1 with Rangers

Few figured the St. Louis Cardinals would ever make it to the 2011 World Series. But now that they’re here, it’s hard to resist admiring their tenacious spirit. Alas, they squandered a chance to take a 2-0 Series lead last night, losing a 2-1 squeaker in which their closer du jour, Jason Motte, proved unable to do what he’d done the previous evening: pitch a scoreless ninth inning and keep the enemy at bay. Instead, their opponents, the Texas Rangers, scored two runs in the top of the final frame and turned a 1-0 deficit into victory.

The Rangers look on paper to be the superior team--a nicely balanced collection of sweet swingers and impressive young relief arms--with strength up the middle defensively, especially the shortstop/second base combo of Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler, who pulled off a nifty double play in the 4th inning of last night’s Game 2, then pulled off a totally amazing force play to end the 5th inning. Plays like that kept the Rangers in a real nail-biter, as did their gritty relief pitchers Mike Adams and Neftali Feliz, the latter firing 100 MPH BB’s in the ninth inning to put away the spunky Cards.

The series now moves to Texas for Games 3, 4 and 5.

Of course, it’s a surprise that each team has only scored four runs in the first two games of the series. (St. Louis won the series opener, 3-2.) There are big bats on that field, from the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli to the Cards’ Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman and clutch National League Championship Series star David Freese.

So far the pitchers are in charge, with maybe the exception of the Rangers’ Alexi Ogando, who was an excellent starter for the team this season (13-8, 3.51) but has been pressed into middle relief in the postseason. In each of the first two Series games, Ogando has faced the Cards’ pinch-hitting Allen Craig, and twice has yielded key run-scoring singles.

But while the season stats seem to favor Texas, the Cards might be able to ride it out on the wave of their continued improbable run, from presumed also-rans to National League champions.

Amazingly, the Cards clawed back from a 10-game wild card deficit in late August to slip into the playoffs on the final day of the season. And they did so having completely replaced their regular middle infielders, a move almost unheard of among World Series contestants.

Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker were the main DP combo this year, based on games played and at-bats. Yet after acquiring shortstop Rafael Furcal from the Dodgers on July 31 for a minor leaguer, manager Tony LaRussa eventually paired him with unheralded veteran second baseman Nick Punto, an offseason pickup from Minnesota (career batting average: .249) who appeared in only 63 regular season games.

Furcal, who won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2000, is--believe it or not--playing in his first World Series, after many previous postseason appearances with Atlanta and Los Angeles. He turns 34 this Monday. He and Punto (turning 34 on Nov. 8) can’t combine youth and athleticism like Andrus and Kinsler can, but they nonetheless have provided solid defense, and Punto has surprisingly rapped out three hits in six at-bats.

Reliever Motte’s also an interesting case. He hasn’t been around the big leagues that long--parts of four seasons--yet he’s a bit of a journeyman at 29 years old. He only has 12 career saves (9 in 2011) but--with a high 90s fastball--has emerged as the big closer for LaRussa, despite the fact that Fernando Salas led the team with 24 regular season saves.

For the Rangers, they can breathe a sigh of relief that they escaped St. Louis with a split of the first two games, despite the fact that their big hitters are stuck in neutral. Hamilton, Young, Beltre and Cruz are so far a combined 5 for 28, and memories of the 2010 Series, when the Rangers’ bats were silenced by the San Francisco Giants’ excellent pitching, are not that far in the forbidding past.

Returning to Texas should provide some tonic for the home team’s hitting woes, but if the Cards continue to get good starting pitching, they might hold off the Rangers until their own bats come alive.

Media Notes
I still can’t figure out what Tim McCarver is talking about. The FOX color guy seems to make up the most ridiculous stuff passed off as expert observations. His verbiage meanders into fanciful explanations that simply have no basis in fact or even in logical conjecture.

Last night, McCarver offered this (paraphrased): “In order to get a good bunt off him, you’ve gotta not bunt at the ball. You’ve gotta bring the bat down so the ball goes under it, and then maybe you’ve got a chance.” Huh? Tim is 70, and we might suggest that hardening of the arteries explains his ridiculous surmises--except for the fact that he’s been doing the same thing for almost 15 years.

ALCS Notebook

After losing veteran outfielders Delmon Young and Magglio Ordonez to injury heading into the American League Championship Series, things have looked bleak for the Detroit Tigers.

Yet Jim Leyland's team rebounded Tuesday night to defeat the Texas Rangers in Game 3, 5-2. Texas still leads the series, 2-1, but don’t count the scrappy Tigers out.

Postseason play has often provided opportunities for little-known players to achieve and win the hearts of hometown fans, and the Tigers’ Andy Dirks and Don Kelly--Who?--are a couple of nobodies who will now have to step up and make some contributions to the cause.

Dirks is a 25-year-old rookie outfielder who hit .251 during the regular season in 78 games. Kelly is a 31-year-old utilityman with a career batting average of .240 in parts of four seasons. Both will play the outfield, though Kelly has also seen time at third base spelling regular Brandon Inge, who batted a woeful .197 this year.

Despite being undone by bad karma, and seemingly outmanned by the potent Rangers' bats, the Tigers still have some gamers in former longtime Indians shortstop Jhonny Peralta, veteran Ramon Santiago (subbing in at second base for injured Carlos Guillen), speedy centerfielder Austin Jackson, plus super-DH Victor Martinez, who unfortunately seems to have pulled a rib muscle Tuesday night in the process of hitting a game-changing home run. He’ll have to limp along with the rest of Detroit’s walking wounded.

The Tigers still boast the American League’s probable Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander, and they’ll need him to get back to dominance after some less than perfect recent outings. But if there’s one single reason why the Tigers still have a shot at a World Series appearance, it’s first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who is probably the best player in the game that you never really thought about.

Check Cabrera out at Baseball-Reference.com: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cabremi01.shtml. His career numbers are astonishingly good--.317 career batting average--and he’s only 28. He’s been playing some tremendously good defense in the postseason as well. He’s the type of guy who can carry a team, though the Rangers have three or four guys like that themselves. (Cabrera has also rather famously been involved with some off-the-field booze incidents. Whatever. He looked stone-cold sober to me when he drilled that 7th-inning home run Tuesday night.)

I see the Rangers’ bats and bullpen winning the ALCS and returning them to the World Series, but the Tigers have already made things interesting.

Media Notes
Meanwhile, we remain stuck with FOX Sports’ godawful broadcasting team for the ALCS. There’s play-by-play guy Joe Buck--who refuses to acknowledge that since we’re watching the game on television we don’t need him to constantly, incessantly, interminably keep his pompous gums flapping with stupid speculations and pointless information. And is there anything worse than the FOX stats geeks putting up a graphic for us to see on the screen, and then Buck ponderously reading off every word and digit aloud? Clearly, Buck’s head is far up his ass, and we’re flummoxed by the network execs’ affection for pretty-boy Joe.

Worse on the announcer front is Tim McCarver. The so-called “color” guy remains an annoyance, mainly because he makes up all kinds of stupid stuff. McCarver seems bound and determined to turn baseball analysis into The Science of Tim and it would be flat-out embarrassing if it weren’t so gosh-darn laughable. Tuesday night, for example, he dared to suggest that guys that hit more home runs hurt themselves more when they foul-tip balls off their bodies. Really, Tim? REALLY???

McCarver doubtless was a popular guy during his playing career, which stretched from 1959 to 1980. Yeah, that’s a lot of “good-ol’-boy” back-slapping and high-five-ing and fanny-patting for the Timster, so someone like that is apparently tough to fire. Everyone knows him and I guess enough people think of him as an institution. Whereas I only think of him as a lucky SOB from Memphis. Maybe Donald Trump could help: “Tim? You’re fired!”

Go here--http://www.shutuptimmccarver.com/--if you want to jump on the anti-McCarver bandwagon. There’s also this site: http://www.bobfinnan.com/TimMcCarver/.

Ken Rosenthal is the third wart on the FOX baseball ass. God knows who he blackmailed, or which relative called in a favor, but Rosenthal has ascended to the position of FOX’s lead baseball sideline/dugout guy. A weenie of the first rank, Rosenthal actually wore a puce bowtie on the job during Game 2 of the ALCS. Really, Ken? Puce?? REALLY??

Rosenthal is a corporate-clown dullard, and you can’t even begin to imagine that Kenny the little kid ever played an inning of baseball or a down of football, ‘cause his mom most likely wouldn’t let him out of his violin lessons. He never has an insightful thing to say, either. It’s all boilerplate. Not even the law of averages can help him out there. Plus, he looks like a dork on TV. We’d vote you off the island, Ken, but someone upstairs likes you so it would be pointless for us to try. Oh well, there’s always the mute button on the remote.

BTW, McCarver missed the first two games of the series due to a health check-up. Subbing for him was former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who was actually rather good--understated, friendly, just trying to call things as he saw them without a lot of meaningless blather. Too bad Francona can’t stick around. But maybe, since he’s no longer a manager--for the time being, anyway--he might be persuaded to do more broadcasting. (We certainly know who he could replace.) ;o)

Pudge on the Brink of Baseball History: But Will the Fates Be Kind?

Thanks to my brother Daniel, I'm the proud owner of an Ivan ("Pudge") Rodriguez bobblehead doll. I'm a big Pudge fan, and in the summer of 2010 I went to see a Washington Nationals game in D.C. with Daniel and his three sons, along with my best old high school buddy, John. Initially, there were possibilities that we might attend a game pitched by phenom Stephen Strasburg, but the schedule never worked out that way. Failing that, my fondest hope was that I might see Pudge play catcher. Alas, that never happened either. We had to suffer through an entire extra-inning game watching the legendary Wil Nieves behind the plate. Pudge never even pinch-hit. Hell, I don't think he even poked his head out of the dugout. Oh, and the Nats lost to the Phillies, of course.

Pudge is winding up a Hall of Fame career and is presently playing out a two-year contract he signed with the Nationals prior to the 2010 season. His HOF numbers were mainly put up with the Texas Rangers in the '90s and early 2000s, including a fantastic 1999 in which he won the American League Most Valuable Player Award. That year, playing the most demanding position in the game, Pudge scored 116 runs, smacked 199 hits, bashed 35 homers, drove in 113 runs, and compiled a .332 batting average. Great numbers, but particularly rare for a catcher. Just for good measure, he also stole 25 bases that year.

Pudge later won a World Series title with the 2003 Florida Marlins, and since has bounced around a bit, from Detroit to New York to Houston, back to the Rangers, and now with Washington, where he is beloved and respected, even as he heads toward his 40th birthday on November 27.

Pudge has been hurt this season. He's only appeared in 40 games and his batting average is a very un-Pudge-like .212. Just the other day he was reinstated to the roster after spending two months rehabbing an oblique strain.

Here's the thing, though. Pudge could certainly retire today and the Hall is assured. At the same time, he is not the future where the Nats' catching is concerned. That belongs to Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores.

Yet a quick check of the stats reveals that Pudge has 2,842 career hits, only 158 hits shy of 3,000. Huge baseball fact: NO CATCHER HAS EVER AMASSED 3,000 HITS. Berra had 2,150. Bench had 2,048. Mike Piazza put up big career numbers for a catcher, including 427 homers, and his career .308 batting average eclipses Pudge's current .296. Yet Piazza retired with only 2,127 hits.

The only player close to Pudge's hit tally who served predominantly as a catcher is Ted Simmons, with 2,472, and Pudge passed him by four years ago. (Come to think of it, Simmons had a helluva career, and his numbers definitely bear revisiting for HOF consideration. His lifetime BA: .285.)

To put this situation into some other perspective, consider that Minnesota Twins star catcher Joe Mauer, winner of three batting titles before the age of 28 and currently a career .324 hitter, has 1,091 hits. Even Mauer will have to stay healthy and continue to crank 'em out well into his late thirties to approach 3,000.

So Pudge is close to making history. Two big factors will determine his chances. First, someone's gotta let him play, and 40-year-old catchers are pretty rare (though certainly there are role models for that, like Carlton Fisk, who played until he was 45 and, by the way, accumulated 2,356 hits). Secondly, Pudge has to stay healthy, and that certainly brings a wild card aspect to the equation. It gets tougher to stay in shape and resist injury as the body ages, and probably no one knows that as well as Pudge.

Still, 158 hits. That's 100 in 2012, and 58 in 2013. Or 79 in each. It can be done. But it's gonna take some moxie--which Pudge has in abundance--and also some luck.

The Empire Strikes Back: The Force Is With Serena Williams at the U.S. Open

It’s no surprise to avid tennis fans that Serena Williams is dominating at the U.S. Open. With her intense demeanor and occasional bear-like roars, Serena is the women’s game’s Darth Vader, seemingly capable of choking her rivals merely by thinking about doing it.

Serena entered this tournament seeded a laughable #28, a situation due to comparative inactivity on the circuit the past year, which in turn was partly due to a mysterious foot injury that laid her low for a good while. Clearly, she is all better--check out the splits, above--and it might be argued that the layoff only brings her into Flushing Meadows feeling she has something especially frightful to prove. And with all the talent to do just that.

If Serena scares me as I watch her play from my living room, I can only imagine what her opponents feel when the force is with her in spades down on the hardcourts. Though capable of a winning smile, and conducting herself with seeming modesty in her post-match on-court interviews--one journalist termed it her new “Aw, shucks” approach--Serena has a long way to go to win the hearts of many fans. Unlike Roger Federer, her male tennis counterpart--i.e., a longtime champion of unassailable dominance in his time--Serena doesn’t come off as particularly likable. And so, a fan such as myself can have tremendous respect for what Serena does--but I can’t say that I’m rooting for her. I want to see her get beat. It’s sort of like the way I feel about the New York Yankees.

With fellow past champions like Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters vanquished early or missing in action completely this year--and with sister Venus having withdrawn after the first round due to illness--there is only Caroline Wozniacki, the #1 seed, remaining to reasonably challenge a healthy Serena. Yet the 21-year-old Wozniacki still has yet to breathe the rarefied air of Grand Slam victory in her career, while Serena’s angling for her 14th such title. Youth is a great thing in tennis, but so is a crushing forehand, a potent backhand and a killer serve at any age. So far, Serena’s accuracy and consistency look good. Scary good.

Williams is listed at 5’9,” yet somehow she seems shorter, especially when compared to all those tall, lithe European gals. She’s also listed at 150 pounds, yet somehow seems heftier, especially when all those same opponents rarely come in above 130. (Sharapova, for example, packs her 130 pounds into a 6’2” frame.) But if Serena’s got thighs like football’s Ray Lewis, that only seems to reinforce her unique athleticism in a game where long and slender is the general norm. Fact is, no one is built like Serena. You might guess that her overall sturdiness might hamper her quickness, but somehow she seems to get to every ball.

She polished off #4-seeded Victoria Azarenka in Round 3, 6-1, 7-6, and it was even easier than the numbers imply. (You can bet that Azarenka wasn’t expecting her early round, low-seeded foe to be the greatest lady tennis player in the world.) In fact, until Serena’s second set with Azarenka, none of her opponents to that point had even won more than one game per set. On Labor Day, she dispatched #16-seeded Ana Ivanovic, 6-3, 6-4, in another fairly routine rout. Now it's on to the quarterfinals.

Serena turns 30 on Sept. 26, and doubtless she’s aware of it. What better way to celebrate that milestone birthday than with another Grand Slam title.

She’s probably gonna do it, and if she does, then hats off--and sincere congrats--to Serena Williams. But I don’t have to root for her.

(C’mon: No one ever roots for Darth Vader.)

Maryland, My Maryland: Terps Football Team Wraps Itself in the Flag

The reviews aren't all in yet. In fact, the verdict may remain out for a long while on the University of Maryland football team's new uniforms. In what might be considered someone's clever bit of conceptualizing, the Terps are now

essentially sporting the state flag of Maryland. It's a rad look, actually--especially the helmets--and the initial karma the uniforms brought was in the form of a season-opening 32-24 Labor Day victory over the Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes.

As a native Free Stater, I'm gonna give a thumb's up to the fashion statement. College football could use a little fun these days. Just ask Miami head coach Al Golden, who vacated his relatively successful tenure as head coach at low-profile Temple for the big-time environs of "The U," only to find unpleasant scandals and player suspensions mucking up his first season in Coral Gables. Too bad, because after enduring a bad rep for years, while often dominating the college football standings, the Miami program seemed pretty quiet recently, if only moderately successful on the football field. Now it looks like the Hurricanes get the worst of both. At this point, new uniforms probably wouldn't help.

But "You go, Terps!"

Live Long and Prosper: Vulcans from Cal (Pa.) Continue NFL Invasion

With its undergrad enrollment of approx. 7,000, California University is situated in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, kind of in the middle of nowhere, approximately halfway between Pittsburgh and Morgantown, W. Va. The school competes in NCAA Division II football in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and while the Vulcans have experienced on-field success in recent years, their team achievement is probably best expressed by the players' impressively strong GPAs. "Cal" is a former teacher's college founded in 1852, and being a student-athlete there seems to actually hold some meaning.

But what the heck. Now that former Vulcans defensive back Tommie Campbell and quarterback Josh Portis both made NFL rosters as rookies over the weekend, that makes a total of four Vulcans in the football big-time. Campbell with the Tennessee Titans and Portis with the Seattle Seahawks join fellow ex-Vulcans wide receiver Dominique Curry (St. Louis Rams) and cornerback/punt returner Terrence Johnson (Indianapolis Colts) as members of the 53-player active rosters with their respective teams.

Campbell--pictured, left, completing a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown--was a longshot seventh-round draft choice who played well in the preseason and now will back up Titans All-Pro Cortland Finnegan. Portis made an even more surprising leap, from complete unknown--signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seahawks in July--and now enters the season as the third-string quarterback behind Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst. (Stay ready, Josh. You never know what'll happen with those two guys.)

Curry is enjoying active-roster status with the Rams for the second-straight year. In 2010, he became the first Vulcan to play in an NFL regular-season game since wide receiver Perry Kemp in 1991. Johnson, meanwhile, made the active roster with the Colts this year after spending 2010 on the team's practice squad. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots.

A fifth ex-Vulcan, wide receiver Derrick Jones, entered training camp with the Oakland Raiders before being placed on injured reserve on Aug. 10.

Meanwhile, for the seventh consecutive year, The Princeton Review has named California U. one of the best colleges and universities in the northeastern U. S. In its online profile, TPR notes the university’s “long tradition of excellence in teacher education and a variety … of other programs” in liberal arts, science and technology and professional studies. (The latter didn't include football, of course, but the Vulcans appear to be a school to watch in that area.) Nationally, only about 25 percent of the country’s 2,500 four-year institutions are selected as regional "bests."

For all you ever wanted to know about Cal U.--and that hungry Vulcans football squad--visit Calvulcans.com.

Separated at Birth???

PGA golfer Brandt Snedeker (above) and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden (below)

Reality Check for 2011 Titans: Mediocrity on the New Horizon

[Editor's note: Later on the same day after this story was published, the Titans announced that veteran wide receiver Justin Gage had been released from the team, and that fullback Ahmard Hall had been levied a four-game suspension to begin the season for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.]

Like many a Titans fan, I would love to believe that 2011, with all its personnel changes and sense of renewal, promises a playoff berth. Unfortunately, my rose-colored glasses keep fogging up.

The arrival of Matt Hasselbeck (left) as interim quarterback-savior bodes well--in theory. Hasselbeck is actually a very, very good quarterback. He’s not a flashy guy, but he’s a solid athlete (when healthy, of course), and he’s a poised signal-caller who’s been to a Super Bowl in which his team (Seahawks) got jobbed by the zebras. Hasselbeck turns 36 on Sept. 25, so he’s not even that much younger than Kerry Collins, who got the subliminal heave-ho by Titans brass but has re-surfaced as Peyton Manning’s understudy with the division rival Colts. (Yes, everyone notes the irony, and if Manning can’t start the season due to his neck surgery problems, then Collins will get the nod.)

Some pundits claim that Hasselbeck will be safe behind the Titans’ offensive line, considered by other pundits as the team’s saving grace. If true, then great. An oldster like Hasselbeck will need protecting in order to achieve.

My problem is I’m just not convinced that this OL is as good as people think. It’s basically the same OL as 2010, and what we know about them is that they anchored the 27th-ranked total offense in the NFL. The Titans additionally ranked 25th in the league in yards passing per game, which can certainly be improved upon. The hopeful news there is that the Titans ranked 6th in the league in least sacks allowed. (In other words, 26 other teams allowed more sacks.)

So, yes, when Hasselbeck drops back, he should get protection. That gives him time to throw to gifted Kenny Britt (if he’s not in court) or Nate Washington (who’s still trying to reach elite receiver status while the window of that opportunity may have passed him by). The other receivers are older (Justin Gage) or wannabes like Lavelle Hawkins or Damien Williams, whom the Titans keep praying are better than they appear to be. (Sadly, if they were, we’d’ve found out long before now.)

Tight end Jared Cook may be the chief beneficiary of a well-insulated Hasselbeck. Once the QB sees that his receivers can’t get open, he can check down to third-year man Cook, who seems to have the native ability to be an excellent receiving TE. Yet again, we shall see.

But here’s the real mind-bender about the Titans’ offensive line: If they’re so great, how come they finished 17th in the league last year in rushing yards per game? With the estimable (and now really rich) Chris Johnson at running back, the Titans managed to gain .4 yards more per game on the ground than the 4-12 Buffalo Bills, whose leading rusher was Fred Jackson with 927 yards.

In a 6-10 2010 season, many were the times when CJ2K went nowhere. Yeah, he accumulated yardage--1,364 to be exact, yet that was 642 fewer yards than he gained in 2009. CJ also once again led the team in receptions, with 44, but his 5.6 yards per catch average was way down from the 10.1 of 2009.

No one needs statistics to close their eyes and think back to 2010 and recall how many times Johnson tried to hit nonexistent holes or how many times he slipped in the backfield trying to cut away from invading defenders. It was a classic modern-day case for opposing defenses: If you have no passing game, then we’ll just completely shut down possibly the best RB in the game. Certainly Johnson had the ugliest 1,364-yard season in NFL history.

Now he enters 2011 jinxed as the whining marquee offensive star who held out for--and received--a stadium-full of cash to last dozens of lifetimes, so don’t be surprised to see him get hurt early on. If that happens, that’ll turn the chores over to Javon Ringer (if he’s healthy) or a rookie named Jamie Harper, who had an earnest pre-season, but doesn’t have the size or speed to carry the running back load for an NFL franchise. (Lord help this team if it has to turn to the NFL scrap heap to find a runner.)

Which further begs the question of how the Titans can afford to carry fullback Ahmard Hall, who enters his sixth NFL season having gained a career total of 56 yards on the ground on 18 carries. To be fair, Hall has occasional value as a safety-valve receiver out of the backfield, but in this day and age you should be able to get a blocking back--Hall’s main duty--who can do legit damage as a runner too.

The Titans defense has almost as many “if”s.

The news that defensive end Derrick Morgan, the 2010 #1 draft choice who missed most all of 2010, has reinjured his knee is definitely a bad karma thing. DE Jason Jones is also nursing a sore knee. Supposedly both will be back soon. Otherwise, the defensive line is a huge question mark, filled with ongoing projects and rookies and might-be’s, and no one really knows how good these guys are, individually or collectively.

At linebacker, the Titans brass let Stephen Tulloch go in free-agency to the Detroit Lions for a mere $3.25M. Tullock had 160 tackles last year, second in the NFL, and while that stat might be symptomatic of things wrong on the Titans’ D-line, it still exemplifies a hard-working dude, whom apparently the team figured was expendable. (Strange that former Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, now the head coach at Detroit, snapped up Tulloch, whom he’d coached previously. Or maybe not so strange at all.)

There is some hope at linebacker, I suppose. Will Witherspoon is a good veteran ballplayer, though he’s 31. Gerald McRath is right behind him, younger and improving. Off-season acquisition Barrett Ruud is a solid if unspectacular pro. And there’s definite upside with rookies Akeem Ayers and Colin McCarthy.

The Titans have impressive talent in the defensive backfield, starting with cornerbacks Cortland Finnegan (left) and Alterraun Verner, the latter a huge rookie surprise in 2010. Veteran safeties Michael Griffin and Chris Hope should be solid, but there are decent other vets and possibly a rookie or two for reliable backup.

Special teams look more than secure with the excellent Rob Bironas kicking field goals and Brett Kern doing the punting. One assumes that Marc Mariani will stay on as the punt and kickoff returner, after a statistics-rich 2010. Still, his value elsewhere is suspect (as a receiver), and Williams and Hawkins were both exhibiting abilities in special-teams areas in the pre-season. With new rules changes in kickoffs, one wonders if Mariani’s one-dimensional talents have a long shelf-life.

Most of the Titans’ nine draft choices are sticking with the club. Chief among them is #1 pick Jake Locker (left), who looks like he might be an NFL quarterback, after all. (If Hasselbeck goes down with an injury, fans will follow Locker’s fortunes closely.) Linebacker Ayers also seems like a keeper. Other defensive draftees McCarthy, Jurrell Casey and Karl Klug look like definite contributors. So the rookie class offers at least some support.

Of course, the coaching staff provokes a lot of newbie question marks of its own.

Who knows if new head coach Mike Munchak (left) is the real deal? His main hires, offensive coordinator Chris Palmer and defensive coordinator Jerry Gray, are both NFL re-treads. Trying to fill the hole led by the defection of former Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn to Philadelphia is Tracy Rocker, who is a rookie NFL assistant coach working under a rookie NFL head coach. Representing some semblance of continuity is the presence of Alan Lowry, architect of the Music City Miracle, who is still around as special teams coach.

Bottom line: There simply is no way to know how this motley collection of coaching talent will jive with an equally motley collection of ballplayers. And even in the age of the salary cap--where supposedly everyone gets a fair shot at the Lombardi Trophy--the Titans look like a small-market team, unimaginatively administered, victimized by narrow vision and doing things on the cheap (except when they spend ALL their money on one guy who probably isn’t worth it in the long run).

Only the fact that the AFC South looks up for grabs in 2011 affords the Titans a fighting chance at a playoff berth. Unfortunately, the schedule looks surprisingly rough for a team coming off a 6-10 season. Besides the six division games versus Indy, Jacksonville and Houston, they’ve been matched up with the AFC North and the NFC South, which means contests against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans. Other games include road trips to Cleveland, Carolina and Buffalo, three other struggling teams who’ll be desperate for victory on their home turf.

I guess the Titans could surprise, but from this vantage point, it looks like mediocrity is in store for Tennessee football fans.

Prediction: 7-9 (and it could be worse).

Schedule:
Sept. 11 @ Jacksonville
Sept. 18 vs. Baltimore
Sept. 25 vs. Denver
Oct. 2 @ Cleveland
Oct. 9 @ Pittsburgh
Oct. 16 BYE
Oct. 23 vs. Houston
Oct. 30 vs. Indianapolis
Nov. 6 vs.Cincinnati
Nov. 13 @ Carolina
Nov. 20 @ Atlanta
Nov. 27 vs. Tampa Bay
Dec. 4 @ Buffalo
Dec. 11 vs. New Orleans
Dec. 18 @ Indianapolis
Dec. 24 vs. Jacksonville
Jan. 1 @ Houston

Nats Faltering, Rizzo Makes Lame Trade

The Washington Nationals, who were actually surprising baseball observers there for a while, are now 9-15 since Davey Johnson replaced Jim Riggleman as manager.

Despite injuries and their high-priced free agents flat-out sucking, the Nats had somehow managed to play respectable ball under Riggleman. They were getting consistently good pitching from their starters, and however he was doing it, Riggleman had the team scrapping for runs and enough victories to hover at or just above .500.

Now the team has dropped five of its last six, and has fallen to four games under .500 and down into the National League East basement. The pitching has flagged just a bit, which helps explain a little of the recent downward trend, but the biggest problem remains: Crap hitting, especially from Jayson Werth, pulling in millions and millions of dollars per year and the Nats having nothing to show for it.

(Hey, Jayson: Don't talk to the press and venture your opinions, will ya? Just try to hit the damn ball. Really, dude, you suck. And if you were producing at the levels management expected when they gave you that fat free-agent contract, the Nats probably wouldn't be struggling so much.)

Enter into this scenario general manager Mike Rizzo, whose latest move looks just dumb and desperate--the kind of thing a chronically shitty ballclub does to "shake things up" or, more than likely, to make it look like its GM is earning his paycheck.

In a completely inexplicable trade, Rizzo acquired Cincinnati Reds journeyman outfielder Jonny Gomes, who brings to the Nats a .211 batting average with 11 homers and 31 RBIs. (LOL, Washington just acquired another Jayson Werth, whose pathetic numbers are .215, 11 and 35.)

According to Reds GM Walt Jocketty, the Nats were persistent about Gomes. Really?? Like, what, the team didn't already have its fair share of underachieving right-handed hitters who are 30 and older?

"He's a power guy," Rizzo reportedly said. "He can get on base. He'll take his walks. He can drive in runs. Most importantly, he can change the game with one swing of the bat." Actually, in 2010, the closest to a full season Gomes ever had (571 PAs), he walked only 39 times. He also struck out 123 times. Now, to be fair, Gomes hit 18 homers last season, with 86 RBIs. Those numbers might indicate he can help the Nats, but unfortunately, 2010 has the look of a career year for him. His lifetime BA is .244.

Just to make the trade look lamer, Rizzo gave up two minor leaguers for Gomes, each of whom is playing good baseball. Chris Manno, 22, is 1-3 with a 1.04 ERA and 12 saves at Class A Hagerstown. Bill Rhinehart, 26, was batting .283 with 21 homers and 59 RBIs at Double-A Harrisburg. What, they don't get a chance to help the team? The Nats would be better served getting a look at youngsters than trading for the likes of Gomes.

The Nats are fading now--fast and maybe for good. Which is too bad, because they were playing gritty baseball, trying to hold on until Werth and Ryan Zimmerman and some of the younger players started to finally hit.

History says the team is toast now. Their decline looks predictable from here on out. Oddly, the most logical guy Gomes would replace in the lineup would be Werth. But come to think of it, that could be a step in the right direction.

Separated at Birth???

Rick Carlisle, coach of the Dallas Mavericks, and Jim Carrey, in Me, Myself and Irene

Almost Werth-less: Nats’ Progress Impeded by Silent Bats

The 2011 freefall may have started for the Washington Nationals (22-29), who dropped another one Saturday, 2-1, to the even worse San Diego Padres (21-31). For the Nats, losers of 8 of their last 10 games, it was another exercise in the frustration of life as a good-pitch, lousy-hit baseball club.

The Nats are aching for respectability, and they’ve got a combative manager, Jim Riggleman, who, considering the roster he was handed, so far ought to be a candidate for Manager of the Year. But with a team batting average of .227, the Nats are eclipsed only by the Padres (.226) for MLB offensive futility. There are various, clearly identifiable reasons for the Nats’ anemic production, but chief among them are the disappointing numbers registered by high-priced free-agent acquisitions Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche.

Werth is showing some signs of shaking off the rust--well, sort of--his average now standing at .245, including eight home runs and 18 RBIs. Yet Werth is earning approximately $10 million this year, the first installment on a seven-year, $126 million contract he signed in the off-season after leaving the Phillies.

Werth, you might say, committed highway robbery, cashing in the big payday under false pretenses. He put up solid numbers for the Phillies in recent years, but he was hitting in a lineup that included Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez, among others. He saw tastier pitches to hit, and there were always people on base to drive in. That’s not the case in D.C., where Werth has been exposed as much less than a bonafide star. Currently, he’s on a pace to hit 25 homers and drive in 60 runs. Or, about $170,000 per RBI. Ouch.

Werth also recently engaged in some public bitching about the team’s fortunes. Riggleman tried to smooth it over, but damnation, Jayson, look in a mirror, dude. (And, in 2017, at the age of 38, Werth will draw a $21 million paycheck from the Nats. Think about that when you bite into your overpriced hot dog at Nationals Park.)

LaRoche, a notorious slow starter, has taken that designation to new lows. He’s currently hitting .172 with three HRs and 15 RBIs. His OPS is .546. Ugh. Brought in to replace departed slugger and fan favorite Adam Dunn, LaRoche was just recently put on the disabled list because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder--not good for a guy who bats and throws lefthanded. No one knows when LaRoche will be back or whether he’ll need surgery. So, you can probably flush another $10 million down the drain.

And you can thank general manager Mike Rizzo for both of those brilliant moves.

The Nats have also suffered the untimely loss of former All-Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who was off to a good start (.357) when an abdominal injury sidelined him. Zimmerman’s played in eight games, which means he’s missed 43, more than a fourth of the season, already. His return is imminent but not immediate.

The hitting impotence exists practically everywhere else in the lineup, with shortstop Ian Desmond hitting .222, second baseman Danny Espinosa at .200 (though with a team-leading 28 RBIs), and center-fielder Rick Ankiel at .221 before getting sidelined by a sprained wrist. (Ankiel has since returned. Now he’s hitting .207.)

Filling the injury gaps are fill-in players like Alex Cora (.240), Jerry Hairston Jr. (.252) and Roger Bernadina (.250). Also taking up roster space is 43-year-old Matt Stairs, who is 3-for-32 for a batting average of .094 with no RBIs. (Can you say “unconditional release”??)

The big bright spot is the play of Laynce Nix, another journeyman, currently hitting .306 with seven homers and more RBIs (20) than Werth. Outfielder Michael Morse--now moved to first base to cover for LaRoche--shows occasional signs of life at .287, but until recently had not been supplying the long-ball pop team brass were hoping for in his attempt to replace the departed Josh Willingham. Young catcher Wilson Ramos appeared to be establishing himself, though his average has sunk to .248 after a promising start. Veteran Pudge Rodriguez is hitting .211.

MLB-wide, out of 30 teams, the Nats are 23d in runs scored, 28th in OBP and 24th is slugging percentage. Why the team isn’t as lowly as the lowest is a tribute to that area of the game which rarely has been considered a Nats strength: pitching.

Jordan Zimmermann lost Saturday’s game after pitching six strong innings and lowering his ERA to 3.88. He’s pitched well all year, yet his record stands at 2-6.

In fact, the Nats have received quality starts all year long from a reliable rotation that includes Livan Hernandez (3-6, 3.71), Jason Marquis (5-2, 4.26), John Lannan (2-5, 4.40), Zimmermann and Tom Gorzelanny (2-4, 4.25). And most of the time, the bullpen has been respectable. Drew Storen has nine saves and a 1.75 ERA as the stopper.

The team ERA is 3.89, and with any kind of reasonable production out of the lineup this team could easily be seven games above .500 instead of seven below. But until those veteran bats come alive, and until the younger players start to fulfill their promise at the plate, the pitchers will suffer through some hard times. And so will diehard Nats fans.