CHAPEL HILL, NC - Fresh off his herculean Pigskin Bowl victory over the previously undefeated Birdmen of St. Louis, the Tar Heels' coach Francisco was photographed with ESPN's Erin Andrews, buying wine among other things, at a liquor store off-campus. The couple then drove off in Andrews' 2010 Chrysler Crossfire, but were later seen pulling up to the men's dorm buildings.
You'd think that the trail would have ended when the couple entered the building. But you'd be wrong. The relentless photographer followed them inside, where he later captured some [ahem] candid shots inside Coach Francisco's dorm room.
(WARNING!! NSFW)
I have no idea what she's holding in this picture, but it looks to me like she has broken a piece off of the Pigskin Bowl, and is either using it to curl her hair or else .... nevermind. Let's stick with curling her hair.
So, with that out of the way, here is my All Time Team USA
Line 1
LW- Joe Mullen
C- Mike Modano
RW- Pat LaFontaine
Line 2
LW- John LeClair
C- Doug Weight
RW- Brett Hull
Line 3
LW- Keith Tkachuk
C- Jeremy Roenick
RW- Tony Amonte
Line 4
LW- Dave Christian
C- Neal Broten
RW- Bill Guerin
Def. Pair 1
RD- Rod Langway
LD- Brian Leetch
Def. Pair 2
RD- Mark Howe
LD- Phil Housley
Def. Pair 3
RD- Chris Chelios
LD- Gary Suter
Goalies
1- Frank Brimsek
2- Tom Barrasso
3- John Vanbiesbrouck
Reserves
1- Ken Morrow- D
2- Mathieu Schneider- D
3- Patrick Kane- RW
4- Mike Ramsey- D
5- Zach Parise- LW
Line 1
This line would be scary quick. All 3 players have the unique ability to pass, shoot and dangle and are just as good at those abilitie as an Canadian.
Line 2
This line is nearly perfect but unfortunately, the USA has yet to deliver an elite playmaker ala Gretzky or Lemieux. Still though, near perfection is still going to give team's nightmares. I originally had JR on here but figured Weight's passing ability would take advantage of the 2 best US snipers ever.
Line 3
A fairly gritty line, no star defensive player but all 3 have the ability to play in their own end and cause trouble for opposition forwards.
Line 4
Again, no star defensive forward but still 3 guys who are well above average defensively.
Def. Pair 1
The perfect combination of offense and defence, Langway's sound defensive game would perfectly compliment Leetch's offensive game
Def. Pair 2
I'd like to officially change my pairings, here I would have Housley with CRAIG LUDWIG, same reasoning as above.
Def. Pair 3
And I'd move Mark Howe here with Chris Chelios. This would be the Top Pair on most countries teams but this shows the depth Team USA has on defence.
Goalies
Anyone nicknamed "Mr. Zero" has to be a starter. Barrasso would be the perfect back up with Beezer being one of the better 3rd stringers ever.
Reserves
The only problem with Team USA is their lack of depth up front, forcing me to choose 2 relatively unproven players in Kane and Parise. Don't get me wrong, when all is said and done, Kane and Parise could very well be Top 5 best US forwards ever.
Here's my first list. I know it's not a Top 10 but I've got a few on tap that I need a bit more time to complete so I'm starting my first Olympic themed list, My All Time Team Canada.
1st Line
LW- Wayne Gretzky
C- Mario Lemieux
RW- Maurice Richard
2nd Line
LW- Joe Sakic
C- Steve Yzerman
RW- Gordie Howe
3rd Line
LW- Guy LaFleur
C- Gilbert Perreault
RW- Mike Bossy
4th Line
LW- Ron Francis
C- Bob Gainey
RW- Marcel Dionne
Def. Pair 1
RD- Bobby Orr
LD- Doug Harvey
Def. Pair 2
RD- Larry Robinson
LD- Ray Bourque
Def. Pair 3
RD- Paul Coffey
LD- Denis Potvin
Goalies
1- Patrick Roy
2- Terry Sawchuk
3- Martin Brodeur
Reserves
1- Bobby Hull
2- Stan Mikita
3- Brad Park
4- Howie Morenz
5- Red Kelly
Line 1
The Greatest Playmaker, The Greatest 2 Way Center and the Original Power Forward. Gretzky and Lemieux with Richard would be an amazing sight to see. I really don't think theirs a defensive strategy in the history of hockey that could stop that line.
Line 2
I wanted this line to be a bit more defensively responsible, which is why I chose Mr. Hockey to be the RW over Mike Bossy.
Line 3
Not your typical 3rd line checking line but they'd be the best 3rd line in the history of hockey.
Line 4
You know you're deep on offense when Marcel Dionne is a 4th line checker.
Def. Pair 1
The 2 greatest defencemen in NHL history as you're top pairing would be like waking up in heaven with 40 virgins waiting for you. Harvey's defensive mind set would allow Orr to pretty much become the 4th forward on the ice.
Def. Pair 2
2 more of the greatest defencemen in history as a pairing. This would be my personal shutdown tandem.
Def. Pair 3
Coffey wasn't my first choice but I felt compelled to ave him because of his offensive game. I kind of wanted Park here but decided to give it to Coffey for Power Play purposes only.
Goalies
This proved tougher then expected. I really couldn't decide if I wanted Roy or Sawchuk as my starter. Ultimately, it came down to Roy's clutch OT play in the Playoffs. In hindsight, Brodeur may be the better option simply because of the 3, he'd be the one who's used to facing a low number of shots but I'm sticking to Roy.
Reserves
I know this may come as a surprise since I don't have Mark Messier anywhere on this team. Truth is, I couldn't find room for him. Theirs plenty of leadership and offense among the forwards that Messier becomes expendable. I could of had him as a reserve but I wanted 2 extra forwards and 2 extra defencemen along with the most versatile player in NHL history, Red Kelly., who can play both forward and defence.
Coach and GM
I knew I forgot something when making the list so here they are, my coaching staff and GM.
Head Coach- Scotty Bowman
Forwards Coach- Toe Blake
Defence Coach- Scott Stevens
Goalie Coach- Francois Allaire
Here's my view of the all-time toughest, meanest, and best team to play against. An all-star team might beat them, if they managed to last until the end of the game.
RW1 - Gordie Howe
C1 - Mark Messier
LW1 - Ted Lindsey
RW1 - Rocket Richard
C2 - Bobby Clarke
LW2 - Dave Schultz
As is our custom, the Guru and I have each submitted our itemized predictions for the upcoming hockey season. This year, not only did we each try to guess the exact order of the final standings, but in these waning days of the Summer of '09, I will also attempt to predict the outcome of every playoff series in the Spring/Summer of 2010.
You may recall that we had updated our playoff predictions back in April, so look for us to make some more informed picks next Spring. Think of these playoff picks as my long-term forecast, which is always less accurate, but more revealing of my personal biases.
But before we get to who I think will win the Cup, let's take a look at my regular season predictions:
2010 Final Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Montreal 2. Pittsburgh 3. Washington 4. New York Rangers 5. Boston 6. Ottawa 7. Carolina 8. Philadelphia 9. New Jersey 10. Buffalo 11. Toronto 12. Tampa Bay 13. New York Islanders 14. Atlanta 15. Florida
Western Conference
1. San Jose 2. Chicago 3. Calgary 4. Detroit 5. Anaheim 6. Vancouver 7. Minnesota 8. Los Angeles 9. Nashville 10. Dallas 11. Columbus 12. St. Louis 13. Edmonton 14. Phoenix 15. Colorado
And with that, I'll hand the mic over to the Guru.
Thanks, TD. I won't be making my playoff picks yet, but I will see your regular season picks and raise you some maths.
In an attempt to put a twist on the pre-season prognostications, the Guru is assigning percentages as far as likelihood of making the playoffs. Since 8 teams make the playoffs in each conference, the total percentage allocated = 800% (i.e. 8 "locks" = 8 teams at 100% each)
Eastern Conference
Philadelphia Flyers: 100% Pittsburgh Penguins: 99% Washington Capitals: 98% Boston Bruins: 80% Tampa Bay Lightning: 52% Florida Panthers: 51% New Jersey Devils: 47% Buffalo Sabres: 45%
Carolina Hurricanes: 44% New York Rangers: 39% Toronto Maple Leafs: 38% Ottawa Senators: 35% Atlanta Thrashers: 27% Montreal Canadiens: 25% New York Islanders: 20%
Western Conference
San Jose Sharks 100% Detroit Red Wings 99% Vancouver Canucks: 95% Chicago Blackhawks: 90% Calgary Flames: 85% Anaheim Ducks: 70% Columbus Bluejackets: 60% St. Louis Blues: 56%
Not sure if this is even interesting to me, after completing it, but I'm going to post it in case anybody finds this remotely interesting and perhaps some discussion can ensue in the Comments section.
Obviously I'm not too high on Dallas this year (to say nothing of Colorado). But the point I think I'm making is that in today's NHL there aren't a lot of surprises. Only a few teams missing the playoffs would really shock me and reasonable arguments can be made for pretty much every team that they will be in the playoffs this year.
Injuries will definitely play a part.
If a couple teams rank way higher or lower than you expect, drop me a line and we'll break it down, Ottawa Hockey League style. Back to you, TD.
Thanks, Guru.
Damn, I wish I had thought of that. I loves me some maths. Oh well. I'll steal that idea for baseball season. Meanwhile, here are my playoff predictions, as promised:
(1) SJ def. (8) LA (2) Chi def. (7) Min (6) Vcr def. (3) Cal (5) Anh def. (4) Det
Conference Semifinals
(8) Phi def. (4) NYR (6) Otw def. (7) Car
(6) Vcr def. (1) SJ (2) Chi def. (5) Anh
Conference Finals
(6) Otw def. (8) Phi (2) Chi def. (6) Vcr
And the Stanley Cup Finals will be over in 5 games, with the Hawks ending the league's longest drought (which will seem far less impressive when the Cubs win the World Series four months later).
In case some of you don't know exactly what the Rule 5 Draft is, I'll explain it.
"The Rule 5 Draft was officially brought in 1959 so that teams could no longer stockpile their prospects and prevent them from reaching the MLB, when another MLB organization was willing to play them in the bigs."
The Rule 5 Draft procedures are fairly simple:
Any player selected must remain on the claiming team's 25-man roster for the duration of the season
Any player selected cannot be optioned or designated for assignment, without first offering the player back to his original team, without compensation
Any player selected ensures compensation of $50 000 to his original team
Any player selected who is later offered back to his original team, only ensures a refund of $25 000
Any player selected must be left off his original team's 40-man roster
Any player selected must have been signed at age 19 or older AND have been with the organization for 3 years, OR must have been signed at age 18 or younger and have been with the organization for 4 years.
So, without further delay, here is my Top Ten Rule 5 Sleepers
1971 Babe Ruth Award 1971 World Series MVP 1966 NL MVP 12x Gold Glove Award(1961-1972) 2x World Series Champion(1960, 1971) 12x All Star(1960-1967, 1969-1972) 1973 Hall of Fame Inductee
After the Commish started doing his mid-season reports by position, I decided to highlight a few diamonds in the rough - guys who were taken late and have turned into gems. I posted this list on the league Message Board back in mid-July, so the numbers listed as "current" are obviously six weeks old. Anyway, I should have published it here sooner, but heading into the regular season's final week, it's still relevant.
10. Kendry Morales Drafted by: Gloucester Expos, 16th Round, 317th Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 297th Overall, 40th among 1B, 40th among RF Current Rank: 104th Overall, 20th among 1B, 16th among RF Current Stars: .288 Avg, 24 D, 17 HR, 52 RBI, .888 OPS, 43 XBH
9. Jarrod Washburn Drafted by: Nepean Hotspurs, 29th Round, 569th Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 324th Overall, 82nd among SP Current Rank: 94th Overall, 16th among SP Current Stats: 112.1 IP, 6 W, 72 K, 2.96 ERA, 12 QS
8. Russell Branyan Drafted by: Fowl Play, 17th Round, 330th Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 321st Overall, 42nd among 1B, 40th among 3B Current Rank: 74th Overall, 15th among 1B, 10th among 3B Current Stats: .275 Avg, 17 D, 22 HR, 49 RBI, .938 OPS, 40 XBH
7. Brandon Inge Drafted By: Fowl Play, 20th Round, 391st Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 314th Overall, 24th among C, 39th among 3B, 38th among CF Current Rank: 64th Overall, 3rd among C, 8th among 3B, 10th among CF Current Stats: .264 Avg, 9 D, 21 HR, 58 RBI, .864 OPS, 31 XBH
6. Edwin Jackson Drafted by: Appalachia Christian, 17th Round, 331st Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 304th Overall, 80th among SP Current Rank: 24th Overall, 6th among SP Current Stats: 121.2 IP, 7 W, 97 K, 2.52 ERA, 14 QS
5. Ryan Franklin Drafted by: Funky Cold Medina, 19th Round, 372nd Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 301st Overall, 39th among RP Current Rank: 22nd Overall, 2nd among RP Current Stats: 34.0 IP, 2 W, 21 Svs, 27 K, 0.79 ERA
4. Luke Scott Drafted by: Chesapeake Abyss, 20th Round, 388th Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 278th Overall, 41st among LF Current Rank: 107th Overall, 15th among LF Current Stats: .298 Avg, 11 D, 18 HR, 51 RBI, .957 OPS, 30 XBH
3. Aaron Hill Drafted by: Toronto Maple Leafs, 15th Round, 294th Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 288th Overall, 24th among 2B Current Rank: 36th Overall, 5th among 2B Current Stats: .289 Avg, 16 D, 20 HR, 60 RBI, .811 OPS, 36 XBH
2. Jason Bartlett Drafted By: CT Defenders, 23rd Round, 456th Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 306th Overall, 22nd among SS Current Rank: 59th Overall, 4th among SS Current Stats: .343 Avg, 17 D, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 19 SB, .921 OPS, 28 XBH
1. Marco Scutaro Drafted by: Montreal Royals, 19th Round, 380th Overall Pre-Draft Rank: 310th Overall, 26th among 2B, 37th among 3B, 24th among SS Current Rank: 89th Overall, 10th among 2B, 11th among 3B, 6th among SS
As an addendum to this list, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the top undrafted player.
Ben Zobrist Added by: Montreal Royals on March 30th Pre-Draft Rank: 307th Overall, 25th among 2B, 23rd among SS, 49th among LF, 41st amonf RF Current Rank: 34th Overall, 4th among 2B, 3rd among SS, 7th among LF, 5th among RF Current Stats: .300 Avg, 15 D, 17 HR, 52 RBI, 11 SB, 1.013 OPS, 36 XBH
I paraphrase the famous ten year old question, and put it to a 40-year old veteran: will the real John Smoltz please stand up?
Or Hell, sit down? Or just lay there? Whatever you did before your last game, when the Cards benefitted from your greatness.
Then!
I'll welcome Sierra Menace into the fold. As long as this guy streams his players more than Plano, I'm certain we'll get along.
Finally!
My guest tonight in the studio will be Dany Heatley.
I'll ask him not what he can do for the league, but what the league can do for him. Tonight ... on the Guru Report!
Welcome Nation. I know it's still only Olympic evaluation Camp time, and that hockey season doesn't even kick into first gear for another few couple of weeks, so I'll remember to include some more non-hockey material in tonight's episode. First up, it's Hockey Guru's segment called, "Balls ... for kids (of all ages)!"
Eager to have a top-of-the-rotation arm, particularly one pitching for the Red Sox, I drafted John Smoltz in several leagues this Spring.
His return has been ... shall we say ... less that stellar?
Even when he's getting outs, it feels like it is being done through smoke and mirrors. Why does age have to impact pitchers? Why did Ulf Samuelson's knee have to ruin Cam Neely's career? And why can't I drink and avoid hangovers anymore?
In late July, after Week 16 had ended, the Guru transformed into his alter-ego, Clubber Lang. Witnessing yet another bad week from my man Smoltz seemed to set me off. I responded to the Commish's Week 16 Awards™ with my own recap:
"I pity the fools that performed so poorly in Week 16 that it caused me pain - so much pain that this list is limited to one fool...
John Smoltz
There was more scoring off you this past week, John Smoltz, than there was off Paris Hilton - and don't forget it was Fleet week, fool!
You say you bad? You ain't so bad. You a chump.
All your records and history is made up against creampuff National League opponents, fool.
Now go score yourself some of that HGH - I got plenty of the stuff in Clubber Lang's Laboratory. C'mon fool, you part of the chemistry team, now ..."
Moving on!
We here at the Clubhouse would like to take this opportunity to welcome Sierra Menace to the league. It's always great to see the Yankees rebranded and run outta New York, even if they were a 20th place team this season.
Sierra was joined soon after by another expansion owner, Gloucester Expos, who took over the unfortunately named Gobble Gobble Gobble team.
So to help acclimate them to their new surroundings, the Guru has a few things that you both should know...
TRADER DICK ISN'T YELLING WHEN HE POSTS IN ALL CAPS, SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT
Billy Bradski is probably not the real Jesus - no miracles have been performed by him to date. Perhaps he is employing his avatar in the hope that we bow down before him and let him win?
On your first day, you've already posted more Season-to-date messages than half the league. I apparently missed the memo about the rule that this is supposed to be the OttawaHockeyLeague Library Edition
Never disrespect Aaron Hill - it is critical that his value in this league does not get questioned. That issue has the potential to shut the league down, entirely
Anyway, it's great to see someone who can give the Commish a run for his money in the Total Transactions department. Unfortunately for Nepean, he forgot to include that column as a scoring category, which is why he'll never see the Top Ten.
Moving on!
My guest tonight is none other than Ottawa Senators forward, Dany Heatley. Let's give him a hand, Nation - Dany Heatley!!
...
[silence]
...
[*crickets, crickets*]
...
Ummmm Tito? Our producer, Tito O'Dell in the booth, everyone ... Tito, you there? What's going on? Where's tonight's guest?
He what?!? Just because we took him out of the first segment and replaced him with that John Smoltz piece?
Did you explain to him that he's still an important component of the show? Or that he is guaranteed more than one-third of the air-time AND he is playing the third act, aka the powerplay segment of the show?
And he still won't join us? I don't get it ...
What's that? He was booked to go on The Nightly Show with Plano Flames, then quickly cancelled his appearance in Alberta as well? What a turd. Do we have any video of that? Roll it, Tito:
You know what? Screw him. We'll do this segment without him, and probably have better chemistry to boot.
Ladies and gentlemen, Nation, it’s time for the formation of the DHL – the Dany Heatley League. There’s no room for him in the NHL anymore. In fact, the DHL doesn’t need to be limited to hockey players only – it can be a league for all athletes that are simply entitled to everything.
Society has moved so far away from accountability it’s ridiculous. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time nor probably the last time we see this garbage take place.
The outrage, disappointment and utter contempt this creates among fans is like seeing Santa Claus steal your flat screen TV. It’s something that just shouldn’t happen. It’s just plain wrong. Unfortunately, fans will root for him again. He will be loved again – not because of who he is – but merely because of the sweater he’ll pull over his shoulder pads.
His legacy is tarnished forever. He can’t un-ring that bell. Hopefully he’ll never land in the Hall of Fame (if his numbers even end up supporting his case), because voters and fans simply won’t want to honour somebody that brought dishonour to the sport.
Having the talent and opportunity to play professional sports is something that 99% of society can never fully understand. However, that 99% of society spends absurd amounts of money which gets channeled into the pockets of those gifted few.
Dany Heatley capitalized on his skills and abilities and chose to sign a 6-year $45 million dollar contract with Ottawa and required a no movement clause in that contract.
When you sign a contract like that, both you and the team lose the right to move on.
In his August 21st press conference, he claimed that he requested a trade because he felt his role had been reduced in Ottawa. Awwww, poor baby. It's an embarrassment to him, his agent and his parents that he wasn't raised to understand the importance of accountability and responsibility.
He’s guaranteed the money, but you can’t be guaranteed the ice time. That is earned. If you don’t like your role, then bust your ass and improve your role. Dany reduced his own role ever since separating his shoulder against Detroit in December 2007. Since that time, he plays mostly on the periphery looking for the big wind-up slapshot.
If he wanted out of Ottawa, he should have offered to have Ottawa tear up the contract. (Not that that would have been legal in today's NHL, unlike when Daniel Alfredsson cancelled his last contract). At the very least, let Ottawa trade his rights to whichever team makes the best offer. He’s not a free agent and shouldn’t control the process. On the open market he wouldn’t even sniff the contract he is currently paid under.
Now he wants to be given a role that may not be deserved?
Meet me over on camera 3, Mr. Heatley.
Okay, you listening Dany? If you truly love the fans of Ottawa and the city of Ottawa, then bust your ass and earn the role you want to have. Earn your contract. Become an MVP candidate.
Given his life's experiences so far, he shouldn’t be feeling sorry for himself. Rather he should be thanking his lucky stars that he continues to have the opportunities he has, and he should never have requested the trade in the first place.
At this point, there probably aren’t too many NHL teams that really want to bring in an overpaid star that wants his role given to him rather than earning his ice time. It’s the wrong message for an organization to send its players, its’ the wrong message for the league and it’s the wrong message for sports.
The Guru says trade him to the KHL so he can play with his apparent mentor - Alexei Yashin. Or better yet, create the DHL and simply let him go away and rot.
Earlier this summer, in a stunning move, the Atlanta Braves released baseball's winningest pitcher, just when he was ready to return to the big leagues.
I'll find out if the recession has hit Ted Turner, or if he's just being as cheap as Jane Fonda says he is.
Then!
I'll break with baseball tradition and speak openly about that of which we dare not speak.
Finally! I'll recap the standings from our playoff hockey pool. Mmmm....there's nothing like fresh hockey scores in August. Tonight....on the Guru Report....
Welcome, welcome Nation. I trust all nine of you have enjoyed your summers. Here at the Clubhouse, we've taken a few months off to try our hand at baseball, and I just want to say one thing off the top.
Baseball is the best because you never spill your beer no matter how crazy the play is. The annual dry cleaning bill for my fishsticks jersey is enough to send Mr. Lam's daughter to university in Ottawa, so it's nice to be able to sit back and watch a relaxing ball game and get less beer on me, than in me.
But then I remembered that you can't be angry while you're relaxed....unless, of course, you're Charles Bronson. I tried several times, but no dice. So I went to the closet, pulled out my vintage Clark Gillies sweater and got my game face on....well, at first I had to wear my wife's exfoliating mask, cuz after a few months I couldn't remember where my game face was. But then I found it, so it was cool.
Just in time, too, cuz it was NOT cool the way the Braves were treating a legend.
The 43-year-old Glavine, who was coming back from shoulder and elbow surgery, threw six scoreless innings for Class A Rome on a Tuesday night in June and proclaimed himself ready to pitch in the majors again. Instead, the Braves cut him immediately. Just another move that figures to draw the ire of Atlanta fans after the team failed to re-sign John Smoltz during the offseason. Glavine was the winningest active pitcher in the majors with a record of 305-203. The move could be based on financial considerations. Glavine's $3.5 million deal, signed after the start of spring training, included a $1 million bonus when he was placed on the active roster and $1.25 million each for 30 and 90 days on the active roster.
Sounds to me like somebody's paying some extra-high alimony to ol' Hanoi Jane.
Moving on.
Something I noticed this summer on more than one occasion - the MLB Network has, more than once, cut in live to games that are progressing as no-hitters. In the studio, however, there is no avoidance of the phrase "no hitter", which has always been the tradition in the past.
In early June, ESPN sent out text messages alerting people that Beckett had a no-hitter going into the seventh. Dennis Eckersley, on the Red Sox own broadcast, must have said "no-hitter" fifty times.
So of course, in the bottom of the seventh Beckett loses the no-hit bid - and to the guy who Eckersley had repeatedly claimed that Beckett just plain owned. Eck assured us that Curtis Granderson would be an easy strikeout.
I don't think those mentions of a no-hitter or the alerts were the reason the no-hitter was broken up - but I do like the tradition of not talking about it. The tap dance around the term is part of the intrigue to me - just like a shutout in hockey.
Anyhow, I just wanted to see what the opinions of others were.
The closest no-hitter that I saw which really stung when it was broken up:
Curt Schilling versus Oakland, which was broken up with 2 outs in the ninth, I believe. Watching on television is a little bit different from being "live" at an event, but it is still cool to be part of a no-hitter as it occurs. As a Sox fan, I've watched several no-hitters. A few that were awesome and a couple that absolutely sucked.
The first, and worst, of my life? The 4th of July, Red Sox at Yanks. I spent the day watching at my parents' friends' house without air conditioning in about a million degree heat. I'm pretty sure that it was Dave Righetti who threw it. Another shit-tastic no hitter was Chris Bosio for Seattle mowing down the Sox in a late night game on the West Coast. There's nothing better than staying up to see absolutely nothing happen. I wish I could be more open to seeing greatness as a fan, but I hated it. A classic (apparent) no-hitter, which was later taken away, was when Matt Young threw a no-no and lost, giving up about three runs on no hits.
I used to tape almost every one of Pedro's starts - waiting to save his no hitter - but it never came. I did, however, watch and tape the end of the Nomo No-No against Baltimore. Unfortunately, I was out of town for my anniversary, listening to the radio during the Derek Lowe no hitter. I was, and still am, a huge Derek Lowe fan - the guy liked to party and the guy really liked chicks. Finally, the Clay Buchholz no-hitter was unreal, watching it unfold in the September atmosphere of Fenway.
The second closest I ever came to witnessing a no-no live and in person was when Greg Harris threw a 3-hitter against the Yanks and still lost (I think the Yanks' pitcher put up a 2-hitter, himself), but the closest I ever came was a much happier occasion, seeing Crazy Carl Everett break up Mike Mussina's bid.
[At this point, the Guru's brain won't stop playing, "No No No" by Def Leppard. Is anyone else reminded of that song when using the term, "no-no"?]
Moving on.
After trying to pick up the ball from Nepean, who dropped it when he stopped updating our Playoff Hockey Pool, the Guru also ended up dropping the ball.
It really didn't matter, though.
Since the previous update (my team had Nepean's team in a strangle-hold), I believe my team advanced to the Finals. Yeah. We'll go with that.
(It really, really didn't matter).
Meanwhile, Appalachia Christian had Toronto beat going into Round 2 by virtue of owning the same (and additional) players. Toronto was without a mathematical chance to catch him.
So the Finals pitted Appalachia versus the Clubhouse, but Appie had the series won before it began, yet again.
Therefore, we can safely crown Appalachia Christian as the Ottawa Hockey League Playoff Hockey Pool Champion. Congrats! Well Done! You may drink from the cup!
Well that's about all we have for tonight's installment of the Guru Report. Be sure to tune in regularly for more frequent updates, especially now with hockey season gearing up. And be sure to watch tomorrow's episode, when my guest in the studio will be Dany Heatley.
Heatley? Really? Wow, that's a good guest. Are we sure that he'll be here, Tito? Yeah? He committed to this show the day before last? Cool. I guess that means he's under contract to us and we can expect him to be here, as per that contract, so look for that.
Well that just about concludes my examination of the best baseball players in history. The only thing left to do now is to compile them all into a Field of Dreams-style All-Star Series.
Imagine someone had built it ... and they had come ... come to play a five-game series that pitted the best players of all time against each other in a National League versus American League format, with the AL serving as hosts.
I'll use the following Top Ten Lists to collect the best possible teams of 25 players, and then fill out the line-up cards.
Thanks to everyone for following along. I had so much fun assembling these lists that I think I'll produce a few more before baseball season ends.
I have already produced a list of our fantasy league's Top Ten Draft Day Sleepers, as well as a trio of Lists detailing MLB's biggest Draft Busts, and a List of the Top Ten Rule 5 Selections. I'll think of a few more before football season gets underway, but then it'll be a solid month (or less) of football-related Lists before hockey season starts.
So drawing from my previous Lists, I present to you my All-Time All-Stars:
National League
CF Willie Mays SS Honus Wagner LF Barry Bonds RF Hank Aaron 3B Mike Schmidt DH Duke Snider C Johnny Bench 1B Cap Anson 2B Rogers Hornsby
Starting Rotation
1. Cy Young 2. Randy Johnson 3. Greg Maddux 4. Steve Carlton 5. Warren Spahn
Bullpen CL Trevor Hoffman SU Robb Nen RP Billy Wagner RP Rod Beck RP Lee Smith
Dugout Util Pete Rose RF Roberto Clemente 2B Jackie Robinson LF Lou Brock C Roy Campanella PH Lenny Harris
Manager: Joe Torre Bench Coach: Sparky Anderson Bullpen Coach: Bobby Cox 1B Coach: Walter Alston 3B Coach: John McGraw
American League
CF Ty Cobb LF Ted Williams RF Babe Ruth 1B Lou Gehrig DH Edgar Martinez C Yogi Berra 3B Brooks Robinson 2B Nap Lajoie SS Derek Jeter
Starting Rotation
1. Nolan Ryan 2. Walter Johnson 3. Roger Clemens 4. Bob Feller 5. Pedro Martinez
Bullpen CL Mariano Rivera SU Dennis Eckersley RP Tom Henke RP Francisco Rodriguez RP John Wetteland
Dugout 1B Jimmy Foxx 3B George Brett CF Ken Griffey Jr. LF Rickey Henderson C Pudge Rodriguez 2B Roberto Alomar
Manager: Joe McCarthy Bench Coach: Tony La Russa Bullpen Coach: Cito Gaston 1B Coach: Casey Stengel 3B Coach: Earl Weaver
Beween 1901 and 1968, teams were either in the American League or the National League. In 1969, the AL East, AL West, NL East and NL West were created. In 1994, the AL Central and the NL Central were added to make six Divisions, which introduced the Wild Card spot.
For the first sixty years of the century, winning a Pennant was a contest between eight teams. In 1961, the American League expanded by two teams, with the National League following suit in 1962. For most of the 60's, winning a Pennant became a ten-team contest.
With another expansion for each league in 1969, winning a Pennant became a 12-team contest in both leagues. Fortunately for managers, Division titles were the new measure of regular season success, and there were four of them. Each Title would initially be contested between only six teams.
In 1977, the American League added two more teams, making each of their Division Titles a seven-team contest. The National League followed suit in 1993, giving themselves only one season of seven-team Divisions. The following season saw six Division Titles contested by either 4 or 5 teams per Division, and the new consolation prizes, the Wild Cards were added to each league.
The National League launched their 4th two-team expansion in 1998, giving them a total of 16 teams in the 38th year of the Expansion Era. Once again, it became a six-team contest to win the NL Central Division (though an AL West Division title could still be had in a four-way race).
So while winning a Pennant has gotten progressively tougher from 1960-1998, winning a Division Title actually got easier between 1993 and 1994.
In addition to chasing Pennants and Division Titles, baseball managers have been awarded individual honours, as well. Between 1936-1985, The Sporting News awarded one Manager of the Year Award for all of baseball. They have since switched to awarding one per league. It wasn't until 1983 that MLB began awarding their own official Manager of the Year trophy, granting one to each league. This award was voted upon by the Base Ball Writers Association of America. By that time, however, there had already been 48 winners of the TSN Award.
Brooklyn Dodgers 1939-1946 New York Giants 1948-1955 Chicago Cubs 1966-1972 Houston Astros 1972-1973
Only NL manager to lead two teams during one season (1948, 1972) 3x TSN Manager of the Year (1939, 1951, 1954) 3 NL Pennants (1941, 1951, 1954) 1 World Series Trophy (1954) Hall of Fame (1994)
Holds AL record for career Ejections (98) 2x TSN Manager of the Year (1977, 1979) 6 AL East Titles (1969-1971, 1973, 1974, 1979) 4 AL Pennants (1969-1971, 1979) 1 World Series Trophy (1970) Hall of Fame (1996)
Brooklyn Dodgers 1954-1957 Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1976
3x TSN Manager of the Year (1955, 1959, 1963) 1 NL West Title (1974) 7 NL Pennants (1955, 1956, 1969, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974) 4 World Series Trophies (1955, 1959, 1963, 1965) Hall of Fame (1983)
Brooklyn Dodgers 1934-1936 Boston Bees 1938-1940 Boston Braves 1941-1943 New York Yankees 1949-1960 New York Mets 1962-1965
Holds MLB record for World Series Trophies (7) Holds MLB record for Pennants (10) Holds MLB record for consecutive World Series Trophies (5) 3x TSN Manager of the Year (1949, 1953, 1958) 10 AL Pennants (1949-1953, 1955-1958, 1960) 7 World Series Trophies (1949-1953, 1956, 1958) Hall of Fame (1966)
Chicago White Sox 1979-1986 Oakland Athletics 1986-1995 St. Louis Cardinals 1996-present
5th of 5 AL managers to lead two teams during one season (1986) Won inaugural BBWAA American League Manager of the Year (1983) 3x AL Manager of the Year (1983, 1988, 1992) TSN Manager of the Year (1983) 2x TSN American League Manager of the Year (1988, 1992) NL Manager of the Year (2002) NL Wild Card (2002) 6 NL Central Titles (1996, 2000, 2002, 2004-2006) 5 AL West Titles (1983, 1988-1990, 1992) 3 AL Pennants (1988-1990) 2 NL Pennants (2004, 2006) 2 World Series Trophies (1989, 2006)
Atlanta Braves 1978-1981 Toronto Blue Jays 1982-1985 Atlanta Braves 1990-present
Holds MLB record for career Post-Season Appearances (15) Holds MLB record for career Ejections (132) AL Manager of the Year (1985) 3x NL Manager of the Year (1991, 2004, 2005) Won final TSN Manager of the Year Award for entire MLB (1985) 7x TSN National League Manager of the Year (1991, 1993, 1999, 2002-2005) In line to win NL's inaugural Wild Card (1994) 11 NL East Titles (1995-2005) 3 NL West Titles (1991-1993) 1 AL East Title (1985) 5 NL Pennants (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999) 1 World Series Trophy (1995)
Baltimore Orioles 1899-1902 New York Giants 1902-1932
Holds MLB record for Pennants (10) Holds MLB record for career Games Above .500 (815) Holds MLB record for Ejections in a season with 13 (1905) Holds NL record for Seasons Managed (32) 10 NL Pennants (1904, 1905, 1911-1913, 1917, 1921-1924) 3 World Series Trophies (1905, 1921, 1922) Hall of Fame (1983)
Chicago Cubs 1926-1930 New York Yankees 1931-1946 Boston Red Sox 1948-1950
Holds MLB record for career Winning Percentage (.615) Holds MLB record for World Series Trophies (7) Won inaugural TSN Manager of the Year Award (1936) 3x TSN Manager of the Year (1936, 1938, 1943) 8 AL Pennants (1932, 1936-1939, 1941-1943) 1 NL Pennant (1929) 7 World Series Trophies (1932, 1936-1939, 1941, 1943) Hall of Fame (1957)
Cincinnati Reds 1970-1978 Detroit Tigers 1979-1995
2x AL Manager of the Year (1984, 1987) TSN American League Manager of the Year (1987) 5 NL West Titles (1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976) 2 AL East Titles (1984, 1987) 4 NL Pennants (1970, 1972, 1975, 1976) 1 AL Pennant (1984) 3 World Series Trophies (1975, 1976, 1984) Hall of Fame (2000)
New York Mets 1977-1981 Atlanta Braves 1982-1984 St. Louis Cardinals 1990-1995 New York Yankees 1996-2007 Los Angeles Dodgers 2008-present
2x AL Manager of the Year (1996, 1998) TSN American League Manager of the Year (1998) 2 AL Wild Cards (1997, 2007) 10 AL East Titles (1996, 1998-2006) 2 NL West Titles (1982, 2007) 6 AL Pennants (1996, 1998-2001, 2003) 4 World Series Trophies (1996, 1998-2000)
Here are links to the entire 15-part series, The Top Ten Baseball Players:
This turned out to be, by far, my most thorough List. I began by splitting the Starting Pitchers into four eras, to ensure that I didn't leave anyone out. These periods each had some distinct features, though the dates sometimes overlap:
1850-1939: The Dead-Ball Era 1940-1960: The War Years 1961-1983: The Expansion Era 1984-present: The Power Hitting Era
In the event an individual pitcher's career spans two eras, he gets considered only within the era in which he played the majority of his seasons.
The Dead-Ball Era
I feel that so many aspects of the game have changed that it's especially difficult to quickly cobble together this particular Top Ten List. Even assemblimg ten candidates from this era was tough, with so many greats being left off the final List.
Winning the MVP Award in the days before the Cy Young Award existed wasn't enough to secure a spot on the list for Lefty Grove (1931) or Dizzy Dean (1934). The special Eds, as they weren't really known, or Ed Walsh and Eddie Plank both won championships after the turn of the century, but now it's a hundred World Series-ziz-iz...'s later and neither guy stands out anymore. Winning the Triple Crown wasn't enough to get Tim Keefe (1888) or Charley Radbourn (1884) onto the final draft, especially when I couldn't even make room for four-time Triple Crown winner, Grover Cleveland Alexander (1915-1917, 1920).
The War Years
This was, in my opinion, the weakest era for pitching. I actually only had eleven bona fide candidates for the Top Ten and tried in vain to find a few more guys to add to the mix. There simply were no players in the same class as the top ten or eleven. I think a lot of this had to do with the War itself, which led to many good pitchers retiring after only 3-7 years. Among the guys who did excel, there still ended up being many good players left off the final List.
Guys like Bob Lemon and Whitey Ford, who were each was named the AL's Pitcher of the Year on three occasions. Or how about Hal Newhouser and Robin Roberts who each won the award twice. Jim Bunning was no slouch, but he failed to make the List. One of the most appropriately named and earliest winners of the Cy Young Award was none other than Early Wynn, but that didn't propel him past the final cuts. The same goes for Don Drysdale, who won the following year's Cy Young. Winning the 1940 Triple Crown was impressive, but Bob Feller couldn't find room in the top grouping either. Perhaps the hardest cut I had to make was Sandy Koufax, who owns a veritable showcase of trophies and awards. But no Top Ten Award.
The Expansion Era
This era saw many things change from the earlier days, as the development of bullpens and pitch counts began to alter the way a pitcher made his living. It's very noticable how Complete Game totals began to shrink, though not yet to the degree of today's pitchers. Also, this era saw the development of the 5-man rotation. In years past, teams often went with a 4-man rotation and in some cases, a 3-man rotation.
Judging pitchers from this era against their forefathers was not easy and highly subjective. I was once again forced to leave out several great players, such as Dave Stieb and his World Series ring, or Gaylord Perry and his pair of Cy Youngs. Don Sutton and Jim Palmer dominated the 70's, but couldn't make the all-century rotation. Juan Marichal was an early Latino ace who came close to making the List, but fell just short like his contemporary, Bob Gibson. I couldn't believe that I did not find a place for Fergie Jenkins, but in the end he was off the List as well.
The Power Hitting Era
When attempting to reduce this era's sub-List into it's own Top Ten, I found myself stuck on the top fifteen. Unlike the other eras, where there were clear-cut great pitchers, the Modern Era produced not as many greats, but far more very good pitchers. What hurts this era when it comes to comparisons to earlier days, is the fact that bullpens, pitch counts and 5-man rotations have now become as big a part of the game as starting pitchers themselves, who are no longer relied upon to shoulder the burden.
Not since I compiled the Catchers List, have I felt the extraordinary need to include a long "Honourable Mention" roll call, so that I can at least give some credit to the many, many very good pitchers of this era. One funny thing I noticed with this era's candidates was that the majority of the players I considered had played for the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, New York Yankees or the Baltimore Orioles at some point.
Guys like Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, Dennis Martinez, Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay, David Wells, Jimmy Key, John Smoltz, Curt Schilling, Johan Santana, Dwight Gooden, Orel Hershiser, Bret Saberhagan, David Cone, Kevin Brown, Kevin Appier, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Finley, Jose Rijo, Fernando Valenzuela, Jamie Moyer, Sid Fernandez and Mark Langston, to name a select few. The list could go on and on. Literally.
Unfortunately, I was restricted to picking only the Top Ten Starting Pitchers of All-Time:
Won 6th and 7th of 20 National League Triple Crowns; 8th and 10th of MLB's 36 (1905, 1908) 4x National League Wins Crown winner (1905, 1907, 1908, 1910) 5x National League Strikeout Crown winner (1903-1905, 1907, 1908) 5x National League ERA Crown winner (1905, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1913) Inaugural Hall of Fame class (1936)
9. Tom "Terrific" Seaver(New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox 1967-1987) 656 GP, 311-205, 2.86 ERA, 231 CG, 61 SHO, 4782.2 IP, 1390 BB, 3640 K
Holds MLB record for consecutive Strikeouts with 10 (April 22 1970) National League Rookie of the Year (1967) SI Sportsman of the Year (1969) 3x National League Cy Young Award winner (1969, 1973, 1975) 2x TSN National League Pitcher of the Year (1969, 1975) 3x National League Wins Crown winner (1969, 1975, 1981) 5x National League Strikeout Crown winner (1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976) 3x National League ERA Crown winner (1970, 1971, 1973) World Series Champion (1969) 12x All-Star (1967-1973, 1975-1978, 1981) Hall of Fame (1992)
8. Warren Spahn(Boston Braves, Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants 1942-1965) 750 GP, 363-245, 3.09 ERA, 382 CG, 63 SHO, 5243.2 IP, 1434 BB, 2583 K
4x TSN National League Pitcher of the Year (1953, 1957, 1958, 1961) MLB Cy Young Award winner (1957) 8x National League Wins Crown winner (1949, 1950, 1953, 1957-1961) 4x National League Strikeout Crown winner (1949-1952) 3x National League ERA Crown winner (1947, 1953, 1961) World Series Champion (1957) 14x All-Star (1947, 1949-1954, 1956-1959, 1961-1963) Hall of Fame (1973)
7. Roger "Rocket" Clemens(Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros 1984-2007) 709 GP, 354-184, 3.12 ERA, 118 CG, 46 SHO, 4916.2 IP, 1580 BB, 4672 K
Holds MLB record for most Cy Young Awards (7) Holds MLB record for Strikeouts in a game with 20 (April 29 1986, September 18 1986) Won 12th and 13th of 15 American League Triple Crowns; 31st and 32nd of MLB's 36 (1997, 1998) American League MVP (1986) TSN Player of the Year (1986) 6x American League Cy Young Award winner (1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001) National League Cy Young Award winner (2004) 5x TSN American League Pitcher of the Year (1986, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001) 4x American League Wins Crown winner (1986, 1987, 1997, 1998) 5x American League Strikout Crown winner (1988, 1991, 1996-1998) 6x American League ERA Crown winner (1986, 1990-1992, 1997, 1998) National League ERA Crown winner (2005) All-Star Game MVP (1986) 2x World Series Champion (1999, 2000) 11x All-Star (1986, 1988, 1990-1992, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003-2005)
6. Walter "The Big Train" Johnson(Washington Senators 1907-1927) 802 GP, 417-279, 2.17 ERA, 531 CG, 110 Shutouts*, 5914.2 IP, 1363 BB, 3509 K
Holds MLB record for career Shutouts (110) Won 3rd, 4th and 5th of 15 American League Triple Crowns; 11th, 14th and 17th of MLB's 36 (1913, 1918, 1924) 2x American League MVP (1913, 1924) 6x American League Wins Crown winner (1913-1916, 1918, 1924) 12x American League Strikout Crown winner (1910, 1912-1919, 1921, 1923, 1924) 5x American League ERA Crown winner (1912, 1913, 1918, 1919, 1924) World Series Champion (1924) Inaugural Hall of Fame class (1936)
5. Steve "Lefty" Carlton(St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins 1965-1988) 741 GP, 329-244, 3.22 ERA, 254 CG, 55 SHO, 5217.1 IP, 1833 BB, 4136 K
Won 17th of 20 National League Triple Crowns; 29th of MLB's 36 (1972) 4x TSN National League Pitcher of the Year (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982) 4x National League Cy Young Award winner (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982) 4x National League Wins Crown winner (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982) 5x National League Strikeout Crown winner (1972, 1974, 1980, 1982, 1983) Gold Glove Award winner (1981) 2x World Series Champion (1967, 1980) 10x All-Star (1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1979-1982) Hall of Fame (1994)
4. Greg "Mad Dog" Maddux(Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres 1986-2008) 744 GP, 355-227, 3.16 ERA, 109 CG, 35 SHO, 5008.1 IP, 999 BB, 3371 K
4x National League Cy Young Award winner (1992-1995) 4x TSN National League Pitcher of the Year (1992-1995) 3x National League Wins Crown winner (1992, 1994, 1995) 4x National League ERA Crown winner (1993-1995, 1998) 18x Gold Glove Award winner (1990-2002, 2004-2008) World Series Champion (1995) 8x All-Star (1988, 1992, 1994-1998, 2000)
3. Randy "Big Unit" Johnson(Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants 1988-present) 613 GP, 303-166, 3.29 ERA, 100 CG, 37 CG, 4131.0 IP, 1497 BB, 4869 K
Won 19th of 20 National League Triple Crowns; 34th of MLB's 36 (2002) TSN American League Pitcher of the Year (1995) American League Cy Young Award winner (1995) 4x National League Cy Young Award winner (1999-2002) 4x American League Strikeout Crown winner (1992-1995) 5x National League Strikeout Crown winner (1999-2002, 2004) American League ERA Crown winner (1995) 3x National League ERA Crown winner (1999, 2001, 2002) World Series MVP (2001) Babe Ruth Award (2001) World Series Champion (2001) 10x All-Star (1990, 1993-1995, 1997, 1999-2002, 2004)
2. Nolan "The Ryan Express" Ryan(New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers 1966-1993) 807 GP, 324-292, 3.19 ERA, 272 CG, 61 SHO, 5386.0 IP, 2795 BB, 5714 Strikeouts*
Holds MLB record for career Strikeouts (5714) Holds MLB record for Strikeouts in a season with 383 (1973) Holds MLB record for No-Hitters (7) Holds MLB record for career Hits/9 (6.6) TSN American League Pitcher of the Year (1977) 9x American League Strikeout Crown winner (1972-1974, 1976-1979, 1989, 1990) 2x National League Strikeout Crown winner (1987, 1988) 2x National League ERA Crown winner (1981, 1987) World Series Champion (1969) 8x All-Star (1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1989) Hall of Fame (1999)
1. Denton "Cy" Young(Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos, Boston Americans, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Naps, Boston Rustlers 1890-1911) 906 GP, 511-316*, 2.63 ERA, 749 Complete Games*, 76 SHO, 7354.2 Innings Pitched*, 1217 BB, 2803 K
Holds MLB record for career Games Started (815) Holds MLB record for career Innings Pitched (7354.2) Holds MLB record for career Batters Faced (30058) Holds MLB record for career Wins (511) Holds MLB record for career Losses (316) Holds MLB record for career Complete Games (749) Won Triple Crown in American League's inaugural season (1901) Won first three American League Wins Crowns (1901-1903) 2x National League Wins Crown winner (1892, 1895) National League Strikeout Crown winner (1896) National League ERA Crown winner (1892) World Series Champion (1903) Hall of Fame (1937)
That was the thirteenth installment in the fourteen-part series. To see the other lists, click here:
Duke's Bagley to miss 4th game with knee sprain
-
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Duke says Marvin Bagley III will miss his fourth
straight game with a knee sprain.
Team spokesman Mike DeGeorge announced Bagley's s...
