Catching Perfection

Pitching a perfect game is a rare thing. When something has happened only 23 times, that's pretty rare. But that makes catching a perfect game equally as rare. I've got to wonder if the catchers get snubbed a bit in all the hub-bub surrounding a perfect game. Maybe not by their battery mates (King Felix was very gracious during the post game interview), but by us fans.

Jaso, in particular, may deserve a little more credit than usual for helping Felix over the hump. The Mariners traded for Jaso last November. From where? Tampa Bay -- the franchise that drafted him, groomed him through the minors and eventually shipped him to the Pacific Northwest for this guy and cash.  You can believe that Mr. Jaso brought a lot of information about his former teammates with him.

It's not like King Felix was some undeserved bum, but he and Jaso seem to be cosmically linked this season. King Felix had been close to a no hitter before. On April 11, 2007 at Fenway he took a no-no into the 8th. He had already hurled 3 complete game shutouts (5, 3 and 2-hitters, respectively) this season. Coincidentally, on June 28th versus Boston, Jaso was dramatically involved. He did not catch Felix's 5-hit shutout versus Boston, but he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth and drove in the winning run in a 1-0 affair.

When Felix 2-hit the New York Yankees 10 days ago. You guessed it. John Jaso was right there. Not only did the California native squat behind home plate with an above average understanding of AL East hitters. He also crossed home plate in the 2nd inning for the only run of a 1-0 win.

Again it was Jaso who played a leading role in Felix's brilliance. Today, Jaso called the game of his life, using his insider knowledge, and The King hurled them both into the record books.  Take a look at the company they keep. THE PERFECT GAME CLUB

2012 French Open Preview: Davids vs Goliath

I know many of you are getting prepared for Memorial Day barbecues this weekend, and that’s cool.  But while you are thawing some burgers laced with pink slime I will be preparing my French Open bracquet (no typo).  This year’s field of 128 has me particularly excited.  
The Big Three (Sorry, Murray. You’re out.) are rolling to start the year. Djokovic put on a commanding performance at the Australian Open. Fed has four titles already this year, including one on the dreaded blue clay at the Madrid Masters. And Nadal continues to prove why he is the greatest clay court tennis player who ever lived (sorry, Bjorn), storming through the field in Rome last week.
In my opinion, any one of the Big Three would make a sensible championship pick.  All of them should get through to the semis, with Federer having the toughest potential draw (an encounter with either Berdych or Del Potro in the quarters).  However, successfully picking the semis does not win you a Grand Slam bracquet these days, my friend.  The Big Three have made the Grand Slam semis something like 2,712 consecutive times.  Bracquets are won during the first week. Let me help you with that.

World's Latest Movie Review of Moneyball

As a long-time Oakland A’s fan I was very nervous to see Moneyball. So nervous, in fact, that I waited over year to see it. It wasn’t until a homemade DVD fell into my lap recently that I actually sat down to watch it. Boy, am I glad I did. I thought it was Hollywood where it should have been and baseball where it needed to be.
Ever since I read the book (4 years after it was written) there were rumors circulating about Brad Pitt producing Moneyball: The major motion picture. My apprehension to see the movie started with those early rumors and you could really boil it all down to two main thoughts:
1) I know how the movie ends... and it hurt the first time I lived through it.
2) Movies rarely live up to the lofty standards of their best-selling print counterparts.

Brackets, Brackets Everywhere

I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have been fully engrossed in college basketball lately and all of the brackets that go along with it. I’m not talking about THE bracket. You know, the bracket that even the President fills out. I am talking about conference tournament brackets. This year I filled out three conference tournament brackets: America East, Big East and ACC.

Right now you are probably thinking... “You filled out an America East bracket? Really?” And the answer is YES. Brackets are the greatest invention since Velcro! When one of my colleague prints out a bracket, I fill it out. I can’t help it, I am addicted to the simplicity of (most) brackets. The Big Dance? Of course. The Frozen Four? Absolutely! Grand slam tennis? You betcha. MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL playoff brackets? Yes, yes, sometimes and YES!

Brackets offer you the ultimate risk/reward scenario. Pick chalk (low risk) and you might follow the herd to glory. Pick upsets (high risk) and you might be laughing all the way to the bank. But if you want to win your office pool there is only one thing you need to do - pick winners. At least pick more winners than the next guy. Just be right.

AJ Burnett Deal Great for the Yankees, Financially Speaking

Much of the talk in the media revolves around how the Yankees are still paying $20 Million of the money due on AJ Burnett’s contract. This statement is accurate, however, misleading. The Yankees were on the hook for $33 Million over the next two years, regardless of whether AJ pitched for them or not. If they gave AJ the title of pie maker for post game celebrations, they would have paid him $33 Million. This economic reality is known as ‘sunk cost.’ Therefore, the Yankees aren’t still paying him $20 Million; they are only paying him $20 Million.

In order to access whether the return of $13 Million the Yankees received was a good deal, one only needs to look at the stats. Over the previous two years AJ Burnett was one of the worst pitchers in baseball. AJ had the third worst ERA for a qualifying pitcher both in 2010 and 2011 (5.26 and 5.15, respectively). In fact, the third worst finish was the only thing consistent about AJ Burnett over the previous two years. This begs the question, how much would a team spend on a comparable pitcher in free agency? Brad Penny, who had a similar year last season to AJ – not to mention a similar career path, was signed for $4 Million … by the Softbank Hawks of Japan’s Pacific League. Now, AJ has been a durable starter whereas Penny was injured in 2010, however, the similarities lead to AJ being exiled from MLB. Is this a fair assessment? Probably not, as AJ has shown flashes of his former self over the past two seasons, which is precisely the reason the Pirates are willing to take a chance on him.

The Yankees were left with a purely economic decision. What is AJ’s marginal value over the other available options, mainly Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia? In the end, the answer was far less than $13 Million. In the end, the Yankees would have been justified outright cutting Burnett, if he did not return to form. Such is the harsh reality of a sunk cost. The Yankees just received $13 Million for an asset worth close to zero to them – and that is the business reality of the game.

Liverpool’s Carling Cup Magic Versus Cardiff City

For those who weren’t glued to the television on Sunday for a hot sports lineup which included the NBA all-star game, WGC match-play final, the Memphis ATP 500 series final, a rained-out Daytona 500 and the Academy Awards (sorry Moneyball), you might have missed one of the best soccer matches of the year. I know it’s still early in 2012, but this year’s Carling Cup final had a number of intriguing elements leading into the opening kickoff. And the emotions that come with a cup final turned this match into an instant classic.

On paper this final looked like David (Cardiff City) versus Goliath (Liverpool). The Championship versus the English Premier league. Wales versus England. Cardiff had the chance to become the first Welsh team to win a major trophy since 1927. And Liverpool has lifted the Football League Cup more than any other team, but had gone trophyless over the last six years. Thankfully, the game did not dissappoint.

Davis Cup Delirium in Fribourg

So the first post focused on the Superbowl, but I didn’t really have a dog in the fight (are we allowed to say that anymore?). I enjoyed the game as a moderately impartial sports fan. For my second post, I plan to reveal a little bit more of my fandom. There are two things I should make clear:
1) I love USA athletics.
2) I love tennis.
If the United States of America has a sports team that competes against other countries - I will watch. Team USA badminton? Yes, please. Team USA curling? Give me a double-helping with the hammer on the side. And when you start talking Team USA Davis Cup tennis, a combination of two sports passions, forget it – clear my calendar. Round one of this year’s Davis Cup competition saw Team USA travel to Fribourg, Switzerland, to battle Federer and Co.

Just Eli Being Eli

Heading into "Big game" XVLI, the New York football Giants were two and a half point dogs to the New England football Patriots. So when a 33 yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes pulled the G-men to within two points as time expired in the third quarter, the bookies nearly had it right. Unfortunately for Pats fans, the odds-makers fell 15 minutes short with their prediction.

Instead, the fourth quarter happened. Perhaps the most exciting six-point quarter in Superbowl history. It started with a turnover (those are always exciting) and finished with a hail Mary (also a very exciting play). But the game will probably be most remembered for Eli Manning's three minute drive that resulted in the most unwanted, game-winning touchdown in the history of American football (I know, that was the second superlative used in this paragraph alone). So I will give readers what they want... my take on the final 5 minutes of Superbowl XVLI.