With NFL free agency in full swing, the New England Patriots made their first big move by informing outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain that he will be released on Thursday, the first official day they can. The announcement comes just a few days after news hit that Banta-Cain will need surgery for an abdominal injury. Banta-Cain has been very productive for the Patriots as he was second on the team in sacks last season. Many people wonder how Bill Belichick will fill the role Banta-Cain had which is now left vacant.
It seems unlikely Banta-Cain's injury was the main reason he will not be returning to the Patriots in 2011, as he is only scheduled to miss four to five weeks. My guess is Belichick will use second year pass rusher Jermaine Cunningham in a much larger role this year. It is unlikely - despite how much people want it to happen - that Belichick will sign a big name player to help with the pass rush. Players who will also have a bigger role will be Eric Moore and Rob Ninkovich.
The Patriots open their season in Miami on Monday Night Football.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Kuroda to Red Sox?
The most recent rumor around baseball is that Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda would waive his no-trade clause to join either the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees. So far this season, Kuroda is 6-12 with 3.19 ERA (just by observing this stat you can tell wins and losses are a stupid way to determine how good a pitcher is, but that topic is for another day).
The Yankees have been showing interest in Kuroda for some time now, especially after not signing Cliff Lee in the off-season. But it just does not seem like the Yankees are willing to trade any of their top pitching prospects for a 36 year-old, even though the Yankees are in big need of a quality starting pitcher.
The Red Sox on the other hand have a deep farm system and could be willing to pull the trigger for Kuroda. Both Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have missed numerous starts and Daisuke Matsuzaka is lost for the season. The Red Sox are also in need of a fourth starting pitcher for October baseball because they probably cannot rely on Tim Wakefield or Jon Lackey to fill the role (although Lackey has been looking much better as of late). It will be very interesting to see were Kuroda ends up.
The non-waiver trade deadline ends July 31.
The Yankees have been showing interest in Kuroda for some time now, especially after not signing Cliff Lee in the off-season. But it just does not seem like the Yankees are willing to trade any of their top pitching prospects for a 36 year-old, even though the Yankees are in big need of a quality starting pitcher.
The Red Sox on the other hand have a deep farm system and could be willing to pull the trigger for Kuroda. Both Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have missed numerous starts and Daisuke Matsuzaka is lost for the season. The Red Sox are also in need of a fourth starting pitcher for October baseball because they probably cannot rely on Tim Wakefield or Jon Lackey to fill the role (although Lackey has been looking much better as of late). It will be very interesting to see were Kuroda ends up.
The non-waiver trade deadline ends July 31.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Four Unapparent Reasons the Red Sox are on Fire
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/glossary/
http://www.fangraphs.com/library/
After beating the Seattle Mariners this afternoon 12-8, the Boston Red Sox remained three games up on the New York Yankees and improved their record to 62-37. Since their slow 2-10 start, the Red Sox have played ridiculously good baseball and have led the majors with a 60-27 record (.690 winning percentage). But how have the Red Sox been able to keep up on this torrent pace? Let's look at four reasons that aren't that obvious.
1. Offensive Catching - Defensively Jason Varitek is not what he used to be and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is decent, but what has been a pleasant surprise is the production the Red Sox have received from these two men at the plate. Saltalamacchia has an impressive VORP of 10.5 and Varitek has a 5.9. That is already higher than Varitek's VORP from 2010 (5.0). To add to this, Saltalamacchia has been racking up some extra base hits and has an OPS of .780. This was not a position the Red Sox were thinking would provide them with a lot of production offensively, but it has turned into one reason the Red Sox have been playing solid baseball thus far.
2. Incredible Depth - I could sit here and write about every player who has landed on the DL this year for the Red Sox but I don't want to compete with War and Peace in length. Basically they have had a plethora of players on it at one time or another. But thanks to their incredible depth (mostly by bulking up the farm system and not trading those players away before they make it to the majors) the Red Sox have survived the injury bug and continued to win. One player who has been electric thus far is Josh Reddick. With J.D. Drew struggling at the plate (but not in the field) Reddick has stepped up with an OPS of 1.030 and a TrR of 33.0. And on the pitching side Alfredo Aceves has been very good in all roles he has undertaken for the pitching staff. He has been able to stand in and pitch a spot start or eat up valuable innings out of the bullpen.
3. Patience at the Plate - The worst part of any pitching staff is their middle relief pitchers. That is why part of the Red Sox philosophy is to drive up pitch counts and get to this part of the bullpen early in the game. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are two of the best players at driving up pitch count. Also, The Red Sox have a team OBP of .353 compared to their opponents who have a measly .314 OBP. I do not have the statistics on me, but the Red Sox have done a lot of damage in the seventh inning this year. This is mostly due to the fact that they have forced the starter to be pulled early in the game thanks to a high pitch count and then they have followed this up by absolutely dominating middle relief pitching.
4. Defense - The Red Sox have also had a very solid year defensively. Fielding percentage, to me, is a poor way of judging how good a defense is. Mainly because fielding percentage does not take range into account. Looking at some defensive statistics that incorporate all aspects of fielding, the Red Sox rank high in most of the categories. They rank fourth in UZR (behind only the Angels, Reds and Diamondbacks), second in RngR (Diamondbacks), and sixth in ErrR. The Red Sox team defense is very good because they have a lot of range, thereby lowering opponents scoring chances.
These are obviously not the four biggest reasons why the Red Sox have the best record in the American League; however, these are four aspects the Red Sox are not getting enough credit for.
http://www.fangraphs.com/library/
After beating the Seattle Mariners this afternoon 12-8, the Boston Red Sox remained three games up on the New York Yankees and improved their record to 62-37. Since their slow 2-10 start, the Red Sox have played ridiculously good baseball and have led the majors with a 60-27 record (.690 winning percentage). But how have the Red Sox been able to keep up on this torrent pace? Let's look at four reasons that aren't that obvious.
1. Offensive Catching - Defensively Jason Varitek is not what he used to be and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is decent, but what has been a pleasant surprise is the production the Red Sox have received from these two men at the plate. Saltalamacchia has an impressive VORP of 10.5 and Varitek has a 5.9. That is already higher than Varitek's VORP from 2010 (5.0). To add to this, Saltalamacchia has been racking up some extra base hits and has an OPS of .780. This was not a position the Red Sox were thinking would provide them with a lot of production offensively, but it has turned into one reason the Red Sox have been playing solid baseball thus far.
2. Incredible Depth - I could sit here and write about every player who has landed on the DL this year for the Red Sox but I don't want to compete with War and Peace in length. Basically they have had a plethora of players on it at one time or another. But thanks to their incredible depth (mostly by bulking up the farm system and not trading those players away before they make it to the majors) the Red Sox have survived the injury bug and continued to win. One player who has been electric thus far is Josh Reddick. With J.D. Drew struggling at the plate (but not in the field) Reddick has stepped up with an OPS of 1.030 and a TrR of 33.0. And on the pitching side Alfredo Aceves has been very good in all roles he has undertaken for the pitching staff. He has been able to stand in and pitch a spot start or eat up valuable innings out of the bullpen.
3. Patience at the Plate - The worst part of any pitching staff is their middle relief pitchers. That is why part of the Red Sox philosophy is to drive up pitch counts and get to this part of the bullpen early in the game. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are two of the best players at driving up pitch count. Also, The Red Sox have a team OBP of .353 compared to their opponents who have a measly .314 OBP. I do not have the statistics on me, but the Red Sox have done a lot of damage in the seventh inning this year. This is mostly due to the fact that they have forced the starter to be pulled early in the game thanks to a high pitch count and then they have followed this up by absolutely dominating middle relief pitching.
4. Defense - The Red Sox have also had a very solid year defensively. Fielding percentage, to me, is a poor way of judging how good a defense is. Mainly because fielding percentage does not take range into account. Looking at some defensive statistics that incorporate all aspects of fielding, the Red Sox rank high in most of the categories. They rank fourth in UZR (behind only the Angels, Reds and Diamondbacks), second in RngR (Diamondbacks), and sixth in ErrR. The Red Sox team defense is very good because they have a lot of range, thereby lowering opponents scoring chances.
These are obviously not the four biggest reasons why the Red Sox have the best record in the American League; however, these are four aspects the Red Sox are not getting enough credit for.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Spielberg to Make Jurassic Park IV
Steven Spielberg announced at the most recent Comic-Con that a script is in place for the fourth movie in the Jurassic Park franchise. However, it was left unclear whether Spielberg will be directing the upcoming film or simply just producing it. Jurassic Park was released in the summer of 1993 and captivated audiences around the globe with its spectacular use of CGI (computer-generated imagery) as the dinosaurs seemed alive. But as the franchise continued to release movies, audiences seemed less interested as box office totals worsened with each release (it didn't help that the movies The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III weren't very good). So will a fourth movie be able to recapture the magic of the first film? Let's examine.
Ten years have passed since the release of Jurassic Park III and a fourth movie would have to do something to get people to care about the franchise again. One way to do this would be to have Spielberg direct the fourth outing like he did the first two in the franchise. It's not a surprise that the third movie (Spielberg did not direct) bombed at the box office. Audiences will be disinterested in a series when you go from the caliber of Spielberg to the caliber of Joe Johnston. Spielberg himself will bring in a decent audience.
The fourth installment will also have to bring back the characters we cared about and mix them in with some cool, new characters. The Lost World: Jurassic Park didn't have Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) or Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern). Jurassic Park III didn't have Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldbum) or John Hammond (Richard Attenborough). Bring back these four characters and while you're at it, add in some slick, new characters and we may have a decent sequel in the works.
Also, I think for the next Jurassic Park film to succeed outside the box office we cannot be drowned with CGI. The first film used CGI very well (and minimally I might add as well) and since Spielberg had success with it back in 1993 films have been over using CGI to the point where films look ridiculous. So please, use CGI when needed or when it looks cool, otherwise the film is going to look like ninety percent of the other summer blockbusters released in the past decade. In addition to this we will need a story that we care about so we will be drawn back in to watch it multiple times. And this goes back to the lack of interesting characters in the second and third films of the franchise, if we don't care about the characters, we don't care what happens (or doesn't happen) to them.
Jurassic Park IV will be coming out in two to three years. I just hope they take my advice and make a pretty sweet movie.
Ten years have passed since the release of Jurassic Park III and a fourth movie would have to do something to get people to care about the franchise again. One way to do this would be to have Spielberg direct the fourth outing like he did the first two in the franchise. It's not a surprise that the third movie (Spielberg did not direct) bombed at the box office. Audiences will be disinterested in a series when you go from the caliber of Spielberg to the caliber of Joe Johnston. Spielberg himself will bring in a decent audience.
The fourth installment will also have to bring back the characters we cared about and mix them in with some cool, new characters. The Lost World: Jurassic Park didn't have Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) or Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern). Jurassic Park III didn't have Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldbum) or John Hammond (Richard Attenborough). Bring back these four characters and while you're at it, add in some slick, new characters and we may have a decent sequel in the works.
Also, I think for the next Jurassic Park film to succeed outside the box office we cannot be drowned with CGI. The first film used CGI very well (and minimally I might add as well) and since Spielberg had success with it back in 1993 films have been over using CGI to the point where films look ridiculous. So please, use CGI when needed or when it looks cool, otherwise the film is going to look like ninety percent of the other summer blockbusters released in the past decade. In addition to this we will need a story that we care about so we will be drawn back in to watch it multiple times. And this goes back to the lack of interesting characters in the second and third films of the franchise, if we don't care about the characters, we don't care what happens (or doesn't happen) to them.
Jurassic Park IV will be coming out in two to three years. I just hope they take my advice and make a pretty sweet movie.
Friday, July 22, 2011
A Visit to O'Connor's Restaurant & Bar
http://www.oconnorsrestaurant.com/
The other night I went out for dinner and ended up at O'Connor's Restaurant & Bar, an Irish restaurant located in the outskirts of Worcester, Massachusetts. The food was excellent and the service was good, but my lasting memory will be a sign I saw in the men's room. Here it is:
The Man's Guide to Love and Lasting Relationships
1. Find a woman who makes you laugh.
2. Find a woman who has a job and loves housework.
3. Find a woman who is honest.
4. Find a woman who will wait on you hand and foot.
5. Find a woman who is awesome in the bedroom.
6. Most of all it is VERY IMPORTANT that these five women NEVER meet!
Typical Irish.
The other night I went out for dinner and ended up at O'Connor's Restaurant & Bar, an Irish restaurant located in the outskirts of Worcester, Massachusetts. The food was excellent and the service was good, but my lasting memory will be a sign I saw in the men's room. Here it is:
The Man's Guide to Love and Lasting Relationships
1. Find a woman who makes you laugh.
2. Find a woman who has a job and loves housework.
3. Find a woman who is honest.
4. Find a woman who will wait on you hand and foot.
5. Find a woman who is awesome in the bedroom.
6. Most of all it is VERY IMPORTANT that these five women NEVER meet!
Typical Irish.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Detroit Pistons to Hire Lawrence Frank as Next Head Coach
The Detroit Pistons next head coach will be none other than Lawrence Frank.
This will be Frank's second head coaching opportunity in the NBA, his first coming with the New Jersey Nets from 2004 through 2009. Frank started his head coaching stint sizzling hot as he won his first 13 games as a head coach. However, Frank's tenure with the Nets following this can be summed up as mediocre at best. His final record with New Jersey was just below .500 totaling 225 wins and 241 losses. To begin the 2009 season, the Nets lost their first 16 games before firing Frank.
Frank spent last season as Doc Rivers' top assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, replacing the popular and successful (especially on the defensive end) Tom Thibodeau. The season for the Celtics had a disappointing ending as they lost to the Miami Heat 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
It will be pretty interesting to see what Frank has learned from his first experience with the Nets and especially what he was able to learn from Doc Rivers, who has a very tremendous resume thus far with the Celtics. Frank is very knowledgeable and is extremely good with the X's and O's of basketball. However, one reason he ended up failing in New Jersey was that he could not relate to the players. To me, one of Doc Rivers' best attributes is his relationship with his players, most notably his three future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. If Frank learned anything while he was in Boston about coach-player relationships from his former mentor, he will be pretty successful in Detroit.
This will be Frank's second head coaching opportunity in the NBA, his first coming with the New Jersey Nets from 2004 through 2009. Frank started his head coaching stint sizzling hot as he won his first 13 games as a head coach. However, Frank's tenure with the Nets following this can be summed up as mediocre at best. His final record with New Jersey was just below .500 totaling 225 wins and 241 losses. To begin the 2009 season, the Nets lost their first 16 games before firing Frank.
Frank spent last season as Doc Rivers' top assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, replacing the popular and successful (especially on the defensive end) Tom Thibodeau. The season for the Celtics had a disappointing ending as they lost to the Miami Heat 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
It will be pretty interesting to see what Frank has learned from his first experience with the Nets and especially what he was able to learn from Doc Rivers, who has a very tremendous resume thus far with the Celtics. Frank is very knowledgeable and is extremely good with the X's and O's of basketball. However, one reason he ended up failing in New Jersey was that he could not relate to the players. To me, one of Doc Rivers' best attributes is his relationship with his players, most notably his three future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. If Frank learned anything while he was in Boston about coach-player relationships from his former mentor, he will be pretty successful in Detroit.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Gangsters and GoodFellas
I just finished reading the book Gangsters and GoodFellas: The Mob, Witness Protection, and Life on the Run by Henry Hill as told to Gus Russo. The book was more or less a follow-up to the book Wiseguy, a 1986 New York Times National Bestseller by Nicholas Pileggi, which detailed the rise and fall of New York gangster Henry Hill (which of course was the basis for Martin Scorsese's 1990 film, GoodFellas). Not as intriguing as Wiseguy or GoodFellas, the book still provided some fascinating details that were left out of both works. Here are a couple of them:
1. Tommy DeSimone's killer is ... - Most of us remember Tommy DeSimone because of Joe Pesci's outstanding Academy Award winning portrayal of the gangster. In the movie, we never found out who ended up whacking Tommy. However, Henry Hill explains that Tommy's killer was none other than the legendary John Gotti. Hill also elucidates that Paulie Vario (played by Paul Sorvino in the film) really hated Tommy but put up with him because Jimmy Burke (played by Robert De Niro in the film) loved him. And finally, we learned that Paulie was actually sleeping with Henry's wife, Karen, and that Tommy tried to rape Karen when Henry was in prison.
2. Hill's relationship with Joe Namath - Hill details in the book how he met and knew New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath. They met because Hill was sleeping with a girl who was friends with a girl who was sleeping with Joe Namath (we shouldn't be surprised that Namath was sleeping with a lot of women, should we?). Joe Namath also gave him tickets to attend SuperBowl III down in Miami. It also mentions in the book that Namath told Hill "to bet the fucking ranch" on the Jets, who were 17 point underdogs against the Baltimore Colts. Hill ended up putting $30,000 on the Jets. And of course, the Jets ended up winning the game 16-7.
I do recommend the book (I guess I have to, I don't want to get whacked) if you are interested in crime or the gangster lifestyle. You may want to read Wiseguy or see GoodFellas first though.
1. Tommy DeSimone's killer is ... - Most of us remember Tommy DeSimone because of Joe Pesci's outstanding Academy Award winning portrayal of the gangster. In the movie, we never found out who ended up whacking Tommy. However, Henry Hill explains that Tommy's killer was none other than the legendary John Gotti. Hill also elucidates that Paulie Vario (played by Paul Sorvino in the film) really hated Tommy but put up with him because Jimmy Burke (played by Robert De Niro in the film) loved him. And finally, we learned that Paulie was actually sleeping with Henry's wife, Karen, and that Tommy tried to rape Karen when Henry was in prison.
2. Hill's relationship with Joe Namath - Hill details in the book how he met and knew New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath. They met because Hill was sleeping with a girl who was friends with a girl who was sleeping with Joe Namath (we shouldn't be surprised that Namath was sleeping with a lot of women, should we?). Joe Namath also gave him tickets to attend SuperBowl III down in Miami. It also mentions in the book that Namath told Hill "to bet the fucking ranch" on the Jets, who were 17 point underdogs against the Baltimore Colts. Hill ended up putting $30,000 on the Jets. And of course, the Jets ended up winning the game 16-7.
I do recommend the book (I guess I have to, I don't want to get whacked) if you are interested in crime or the gangster lifestyle. You may want to read Wiseguy or see GoodFellas first though.
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