Get Involved--Hammerspeaks@gmail.com

The blog is blowing up.  Well, not really, but yesterday The Hammer Speaks passed the 100 subscriber mark.  Baby steps.  As most of you know I am trying to figure out what to do with this blog and my radio show.  I've gotten a lot of good suggestions.  One was to add an email to the blog.  There it is in the title, so if you want to correspond with me on blog-related stuff, that's how.  Also, I'll try to sort out a better format for comments on the blog, but still have to go with what we have for now.

Recently, I came across my first blog post which I've copied below.  I called it The First Nail and I managed to write one more post before I quit.  This time I've kept it up for a couple months.  Now I need some help and feedback.  There are tons of websites and articles that cover games and give all sorts of analysis so I try not to repeat what actually happened, but rather bring some non-standard (I hope) insight into it.  I've also, on occasion, strayed away from sports, as I did a bit in the Be Amazed post, which I hope you checked out.

I obviously have free reign, so if you let me know which posts you've liked and which you haven't, whether you want lots of links or not, whether you want me to occasionally list a bunch of links to articles I like, like Rob Neyer and others do, whether you like the non-sprots stuff or not, it's helpful.  If you have a second go to the comments (if you're a subscriber you have to click on the title and it will take you to the website, where you can comment) and let me know your thoughts.  Feel free to be anonymous and let it rip.  Or you can e-mail me at hammerspeaks@gmail.com.  Thanks.

The First Nail

Let's give this a try. I'll write it, you read it. If it sucks it'll save us both some time, but for now I've been given some encouragement to post, so we'll see how it goes. I don't want to repeat what other people write so a lot of what I post will be links to things that I think are interesting. Hopefully you'll check out the links, because I'm sure you'll quickly be bored with my opinions.

Let's start with something off the beaten track--boxing. Certainly boxing's days as a mainstream sport have come and gone. I remember when you'd turn on the television on a Saturday afternoon and Wide World of Sports would be showing a big fight, live. The '70s and '80s were great times for boxing fans. It was the era of Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Ray Leonard, Ray Mancini (Has anyone ever written a sentence naming those four and not used their nicknames? Certainly this blog's first first.) and Howard Cosell. But like all other sports, boxing has changed dramatically. Like most it has been driven by television and the revenue it generates. But, unlike the others, boxing's popularity has consistently declined, and most certainly will be superseded by ultimate fighting, if it hasn't been already.


But there is an interesting fight this weekend, and it's worth paying HBO $50 to see--Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Carlos Baldomir for Baldomir's welterweight title Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Don't be confused by the fact that Baldomir is the belt holder, Mayweather is generally considered the best pound for pound fighter in the worldhttp://insider.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/insider/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=2621252. And Mayweather, clearly the best technical fighter on the planet, is a heavy favorite. But it's a very intriguing matchup and here is a great background story previewing the fight by ESPN's Dan Rafaelhttp://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=2645588. Rafael is a great boxing journalist and one of the most knowledgeable and insightful guys writing in the sports business. Here is a link to his weekly chats at 2 pm on Fridays. The transcripts are archived and you'll not only learn a ton about the sport, you'll get a good laugh at his exchanges with the Fight Freakshttp://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/story?page=ChatArchiveRafael.

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And a few thoughts:

--The buildup for Sunday night's game between the Colts and the Pats is going to be extraordinary. The Manning v. Brady/Belichick storyline will be covered thousands of times, but it is a good one and the game should be as well.

--Does anyone watch the Breeders Cup? The Derby does genuinely excite me, but even though I'll put a few bucks on the ponies now and then, I can't even name five horses total running in the ten races.

--It's already time to start salivating over Michigan vs. Ohio St, but $2,000/ticket? As Wilt said when asked about the extraordinary quote in his autobiography, "Sounds about right."

--And this week's betting tip. The Steelers are 2-5. The Broncos are 5-2. The Steelers are a 2.5 point favorite. Guys making the line generally know what they are doing. I'm biased and I will rarely ever tell someone to get on a team that I have an emotional stake in, but get on the Steelers this weekend.

Raise the Jolly Roger?

Wow!  Not many days of joy in being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan the past 20 years.  Are times changing?  The Rule 4 or First Year Player Draft started last night and is continuing today and tomorrow.  The Pirates had the second overall pick last night and chose Jameson Taillon.  There are write-ups here, here and The Hardball Times has great video and analysis as well.

Taillon has the highest upside of any pitcher in the draft and I love the pick.  But, TINSTAAPP--There is no such thing as a pitching prospect.  High school pitchers are inherently hard to project because of age and because so many pitchers get hurt.  That is why the Pirates 2nd pick, Stetson Allie, also the best name in the draft, is so interesting.  He is also a high school pitcher and Baseball America felt he was the second best available in the draft after Taillon.  BA thought he might go in the top 10, but he most likely fell because he wants a lot of money to pass on his scholarship to the University of North Carolina.

Both Taillon and Stetson have fastballs that touch 98-99 and excellent secondary pitches.  I will have a LOT more on this later and getting them both signed is now the challenge.  But if you are a Pirates fan, these picks should really get you excited.

What Do You Call a NBA Finals Preview Five Days Late?

Just late, I guess.  Working every day will do that.  We have two games in the books now and it's 1-1.  Good thing for Boston because they were playing for their lives on Sunday night in LA.  What's the takeaway?  Everything said up front still holds.  This, which I talked about here, seems to be validated and most talked about thus far:

 Last and maybe most noteworthy, the NBA game is IMPOSSIBLE to referee.  The game is so fast.  The players are so big and quick.  There is contact every time down the floor.  I thought the game was poorly refereed, but I also thought it was evenly refereed.  It really is a thankless and incredibly difficult job, particularly when you have two physical teams bringing the intensity that Boston and Orlando brought on Monday night.

Substitute Los Angeles for Orlando and change the date and it's pretty much good to go.

Here is a little background that I had written earlier and then we'll pick it up live a few paragraphs down.  Can't let prose like this just go to the bin.
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The pundits, who all year long implore the fans to understand the significance of every game, the importance of home court advantage and the need to go into the playoffs on a roll, now tell us the regular season doesn't matter.  I'm sure David Stern is thrilled.  Blame the Boston Celtics.

When Team Celtics went to bed on Christmas night 2009 they were no doubt filled with turkey and pride. They had just finished dismantling the Orlando Magic, the defending Eastern Conference champions, 86-77.  Sweeter still, it took place in Orlando.  This was the same Magic team that had knocked the Celtics out of last year's playoffs with a 101-82 beatdown on the Celtics' home court in a pivotal Game 7.  The Magic had also beaten the Celtics earlier in the season in Boston.  But now a national television audience would be paying attention, and the Celtics were ready.  Paul Pierce wouldn't play due to injury, but no matter.  Their ferocious defense, unquestionably the signature feature in the Kevin Garnett-Big Three era, held the Magic to 27 first half points and 33% FG shooting on the day.  It was never really a contest.  Next stop California with games against league doormats the Clippers and Warriors.  2010 looked bright.

Yep, you got it.  I foreshadowed it for you right up front.  If you watched any of the playoffs, the media has beaten you over the head with it for a month straight.  The gory details include Boston finishing the season 27-27 following their holiday feast.  They lost seven of their last ten.  2010 appeared anything but bright as Boston limped into the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Lakers weren't much better losing five of their last seven, while Kobe shot terribly and Bynum tried to get healthy.
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Then we played three rounds.  As both Boston and LA rolled two things became obvious and we got one of my favorite quotes of all time.

1.) Rajon Rondo is now the Celtics best player and he will largely determine, form Boston's side, whether they win or lose.  He destroyed Mo Williams and Cleveland in the second round playing one of the best playoff series ever by a point guard.*  His cramps in Game 4 against Orlando were probably the only reason the Magic weren't swept.  The chemistry issues that have swirled around the Celtics the past two years finally seem to be subsiding as evidenced by one of the most comical quotes ever, by Kevin Garnett on national television after the Celts beat the Magic in Game 6:

 Rondo's gettin' better, we fittin' him in.  At some point he's going to take this team over.  That's a big adjustment for us.  But he's a great addition to our team.  I think the chemistry's startin' to be sound now.

Of course Rondo was the starting point guard in 2008 when Boston won the title and he's been on the team a year longer than Garnett.  Details.  But it goes to show how deep the divide was.  Boston even considered moving Rondo this past off-season.  Danny Ainge talked about all of this on my radio show. You can here the podcast here.

*Best point guards in the league right now?  The second five in no order is Westbrook, Kidd--yea I know, but he's shot much better the last two years, can defend bigger guys and still sees the floor as well as anyone, Curry, Collison--yes he's a backup, but has to get moved, he's too good and Parker.  Yep, Parker's now out of the top five.  Next, in reverse order, Nash, he's getting older and can't defend, but still a fantastic player.  Rose.  Paul--didn't play enough last year to tell if he still his the ability to score at will.  Rondo.  Williams.  Basically throw the top four in a hat.

2.)  Kobe's still the man.  During the season the mantle of best player passed from Kobe to LeBron.  Two straight MVPs, Big O type numbers, constant highlight reel athleticism, a willingness to bring it every night and the best record on a team bereft of stars sealed the deal for LBJ.  Then LeBron had his Kobe moment* against the Celts.  James seemed disinterested in Game 2 and the Cavs lost 104-86 at home.  After Game 1 Cleveland lost four of five to get bounced pre-Finals for the second year in a row.  No one could figure out what happened to LeBron as the Cavs got whooped.  At the same time Kobe was going off.  He was brilliant against Phoenix in the Conference Finals which included a Game 6 performance that was Jordanesque as the Lakers won the clincher on the road.  Kobe's a killer.  The Black Mamba.  Now three straight years in the Finals.  When you play a team sport, you know who the best players are.  Players in the NBA still talk about Kobe as the best in the game.  Good enough for me.

*It will forever be debated if Kobe quit in Game 7 against the Suns in 2006.  A game the Suns won 121-90, winning the series after being down in the series 3-1.  Kobe took only three shots in the second half.

Now the Finals.  All the storylines are in place.  It's a rematch of 2008 when the Lakers got pushed around and Boston won title number 17, blowing out LA 131-92 in Game 6 to clinch it.  But, the Lakers are the titleholders, rebounding in 2009 to win it all while Boston, sans KG, got KO'd before the Finals.  Phil Jackson is 47-0 when winning game 1 of a series (and they won this one) and Boston's starting five has never lost a playoff series together.

For LA, Gasol is the most underrated all-star in a long time.  Artest is a presence, but erratic.   Odom is an enigma, but can dominate.  Fisher has proven his mettle in big games.  For Boston, Pierce has been a rock-solid big moment performer throughout his career, KG brings tremendous heart and intensity, but little offense, Allen is one of the best shooters of all-time, Perkins can defend in the low post.

But it really is very simple.  Kobe and Rondo will decide the series.  If Rondo can constantly get in the paint, create and distribute and still keep the defense honest with the occasional jumper Boston will score enough points and their defense can carry them.  If Kobe can get his 30-35 while keeping others involved when he gets doubled, if he can guard Rondo on the defensive end for stretches (because no one else can) and let other focus on Allen and Pierce, and if he can bring his intensity to the whole team the Lakers length and depth should prevail.

I really hope the storyline of the referees and the early foul trouble that turned Games 1 & 2 recedes into the background and we get to see the amazing talent that these two teams bring to the game.  Before Game 1 I said Lakers in six.  I'll still take Kobe over Rondo.  But only barely.  A split in the first two means we probably go seven.  Now you know what to look for.  Sit back and enjoy.

A Puerto Rican and A Jew Walked into...

Yankee Stadium.  Actually lots of Puerto Ricans, lots of Jews and a lot of other people walked into Yankee Stadium Saturday night to watch the junior middleweight title fight between Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto.  As you may have guessed the twenty-nine year old Foreman is the Jew.  Born in Belarus, his family emigrated to Israel when he was nine.  He trained at an Arab gym.  "The first time I walked in, I saw the stares.  In their eyes, there was a lot of hatred.  It was scary.  But I needed to box; and boy, did they all want to box me," Foreman said, able to chuckle about it with the distance of time.  Box he did--and well.  But after winning three national boxing championships, his career hit a crossroads and he emigrated again.  This time to Brooklyn.  Saturday night the Orthodox Jew and rabbinical student was on the first fight card in the new Yankee Stadium.  He arrived after sundown because he was observing the sabbath.

The Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto is 85 days younger than Foreman, but he brought a far more accomplished boxing resume into the ring with him.  Cotto had lost two of his last four fights, the most recent an ass-whipping from Manny Pacquiao, and many questioned whether he was done as an elite fighter.  Cotto switched trainers for this tilt and now had the legendary Emanuel Steward in his corner.  Steward said Cotto's footwork and technique were a mess when he arrived, and the two spent training camp trying to find the form that once made "Junito" the most devastating body puncher in the game.  A prideful yet humble man Cotto learned English on his rise through the ranks and it was clear in his pre-fight interviews that he had something to prove.

The popularity of boxing has ebbed and flowed, but mostly receded over the years.  The old Yankee Stadium hosted many great fights--Joe Louis fought there twelve times--but only one in last last fifty years.  Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton in 1976 but Yankee owner George Steinbrenner was so mad about the damage done to the playing field he refused top permit another fight card in the House that Ruth Built.  Boxing, like all else, followed the money and the money was in Vegas and in the last forty years the sport has made its living on pay-per-view.

But times are changing once again.  Big outdoor venues have regained popularity.  Cards in Europe have gotten huge audiences at soccer stadiums and 50,000 filled Cowboys Stadium in March to watch Manny Pacquiao destroy Joshua Clottey.  On Saturday Bob Arum and Top Rank were relying on the venue and the City's strong ethic ties to put people in the seats.

Twenty thousand showed up and they got a better show than expected.  Everyone knows that styles make fights.  It's the defining statement in boxing.  The fear here was that Foreman's quickness and agility could be a problem for Cotto and as a result action would be limited as Foreman would be less inclined to slug it out.

Cotto got ahead early, effectively using his jab while Foreman tried to find his rhythm.  By the third round it was on as the Jew found that his straight right could land effectively.  The Puerto Rican countered with jabs and left hooks to the body and Foreman soon had a bloody nose, a result of some of his forays in close.  It was a good fight.  Unfortunately in the seventh Foreman slipped and his knee, injured years ago, gave out on him.  Now the fight became memorable.  Foreman couldn't move.  Literally he was dragging his right leg around the ring.  Quickness and agility, the two assets that gave him a chance in this fight, were gone.  But heart was not.

Foreman had no choice but to change tactics.  He chose to continue fighting when most would have retired due to injury.  He chose to get in close and see what damage he could do.  Good on him.  To say he has a pop-gun arsenal would be underselling it, but Cotto has heavy artillery in comparison.  It was only a matter of time.  A bizarre incident with a towel-of-surrender thrown from Foreman's corner appeared to end it in the eighth, but referee Arthur Mercante, Jr.*, the only person with the authority to stop the fight took charge.  He asked Foreman if he wanted to continue and then had to clear the ring of the throng that had amassed, assuming the evening's pugilistic happenings were finished.

*In a nice nod to history, Mercante's father referred the Ali-Norton fight in 1976.

Foreman went another round but was finished by a left hook to the body, Cotto's signature punch of yore.  Foreman probably gained more fans in defeat than he ever imagined.  He fought well throughout, but earned tremendous respect for gamely trying to continue when he knew his advantages had already exited the ring.  Cotto gave notice that he is, once again, the fighter we've come to love.  He was tremendous Saturday and exited with a new belt for his efforts.  Crisp, powerful and tactically astute, he was always in control.  Steward is clearly more than a steward and having him in his corner will be a big advantage for Cotto going forward.

I didn't get to attend the fight.  I did however get to see it on HBO and you can as well.  They will re-air it Monday night at 12:45 am or Tuesday at 11:00 pm.  If you watch that broadcast you will get to hear the best play-by-play man in sports in Jim Lampley and some insightful banter from Max Kellerman and Roy Jones.  It's a good ninety minutes of entertainment.

Why Some Teams Will Never Win

The lead two paragraphs in this article are mind-boggling.  

The New Orleans Hornets offered their vacant coaching job to Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau last week, but they're prepared to move on if Thibodeau has not accepted the job before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, according to sources close to the situation.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Hornets don't want to let their coaching search drag beyond this week and plan to offer the job instead to Portland Trail Blazers assistant Monty Williams if Thibodeau, architect of Boston's vaunted defense, doesn't accept by Thursday.

Let's go Hubie Brown:

"As an owner you have countless millions of dollars invested in your NBA franchise. You are located in a city with only one other major sports franchise.  You have a big opportunity here.  The NBA is a coach's league.  You have to make a good decision here.  You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT afford to make a mistake here."

Thanks, Hubie.  No you cannot.

So, let's see.  You've identified the guy you think is the best coach out there and offered him the job.  He happens to be the associate head coach of one of the two teams playing for the championship of your league.  Someday you hope that your franchise has such an opportunity.

Your chosen coach has been the architect of his team's defense which has been the keystone of its success in reaching the Finals in two of the past three years.  Said Finals could take two weeks.  No team is pursuing your alternative candidate to be its head coach.  Yet, you might not wait for an answer because the guy you have chosen, the coach you want to lead your franchise for the next five to ten years, is coaching in the NBA Finals.  You may have to wait two weeks for him to finish that job and look at his options.  Options that only exist because other teams realize what a great coaching talent he is.  You want an answer now.

The NBA draft is June 24.  Free agency starts July 1.  You can't wait.  You have to move.  The second choice will work out just fine, you convince yourself.

Enjoy lottery hell for the next five years.  Flawed decision making like this makes it a virtual certainty.

Dope the Bike, A Whole New Level of Cheating

Swiss professional road bicycle racer Fabian Cancellara, three time World Time Trial champion and current Olympic gold medalist apparently has decided that conventional doping is passe. While this YouTube video certainly doesn't prove anything, Cancellara's ridiculous performances in the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix raised all sorts of red flags. The demo of how the "doped bike" works, with the highest end cycling components all functioning "normally", is pretty compelling.  The Belgian broadcasters are screaming, "That Swiss mfer looks like he has a motor in his bike!  What the hell!" as he flys by Belgian favorite Tom Boonen.  But my Flemish isn't so good, so I could be wrong.

Cancellara seems to be raising the bar for cheating by going old-school. As Phil Liggett would say, "that would really put the cat amongst the pigeons."

Somewhere, Il Pirata, Marco Pantani is laughing. Probably not heaven.

Penguins Retire Baby Blues

On January 1, 2008 the Penguins broke out a new third jersey for the inaugural Winter Classic.

Sidney Crosby scored the game winner in a shootout (above) and the jerseys, which reintroduce the Penguins original colors, were a huge marketing success.  Quietly, the Penguins have announced that the jersey has now been retired.  From the May 28 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in an article by Shelly Anderson:

The Penguins probably will unveil a new jersey/uniform for the game. The design -- and whether it will become the team's next "third jersey" -- is still in the works. The blue alternate uniform that the Penguins debuted in the 2008 Winter Classic and kept to wear in select games was retired after the 2009-10 season.

This was certainly news to me.  Obviously it is a marketing move and will lead to thousands more jerseys being sold at $150 a pop.  It will be interesting if the team keeps the color scheme or moves in another direction.  Hit the poll on the right and share your thoughts.