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| Ben's Takes | |
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Saturday, May 11, 2002
Big Ben's Insider NBA Playoff Notes  Sacramento at Dallas – Game 4 (Kings lead 2-1) Chris Webber had 31 points and Mike Bibby 29 as Sacramento reclaimed homecourt with a 125-119 victory on Thursday night. The Kings are undefeated on the road this postseason at 3-0, but only 2-2 at home. Steve Nash is shooting better from behind the 3-point arc (.425 on 17-of-40) than from the field overall (.408 on 40-of-98). In fact, if you pull out his 3-point numbers, he is hitting only .397 on 23-of-58 on 2-point shots. Predrag Stojakovic, the Kings' second-leading scorer, and Doug Christie, the team's best defensive player, both sprained their right ankles in Game 3. Christie returned, but Stojakovic missed the remainder of the game. His status for Game 4 is uncertain. Dirk Nowitzki is shooting only .389 from the field in the series (21-for-54), but is averaging 21.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg. Sacramento’s Chris Webber (20-10, 22-12, 31-15) has had a points-rebounds double-doubles in each game of the series. After averaging 17 points in the first 2 games, Dallas’ Nick Van Exel hit for only 7 in Game 3. Source: Stats Inc. permalink Friday, May 10, 2002
Big Ben's Insider NBA Playoff Notes Detroit at Boston - Game 3 (series tied 1-1) In Game 2, the Celtics outscored the Pistons 42-18 inside, while outrebounding them 53-35 to even the series. Boston has not won a playoff series in which they did not have homecourt advantage since the 1974 NBA Finals vs. Milwaukee. Detroit has won 9 of 11 best-of-7 series after winning the first game, and in 6 all-time series with Boston, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to advance every time. Ben Wallace, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 14.7 rebounds in the playoffs. Boston is 3-0 at the FleetCenter in the postseason and went 26-15 there during the regular season. Detroit is winless on the road in the postseason. Detroit has been the postseason's top defensive team, holding opponents to 83.8 points per game. Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker combined to shoot 14-31 from the field in Game 2. Los Angeles at San Antonio - Game 3 (Series tied 1-1) The Spurs survived a fourth quarter comeback to beat the 2-time defending champions 88-85 Tuesday night and even their Western Conference semifinal. The Spurs have had double-digit leads in both games, but have split the first 2 games. The Lakers have won an NBA-record 9 straight road games in the postseason; last losing on June 16, 2000 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals vs. Indiana. The Spurs have lost only once at the Alamodome since late February (in first round vs. Seattle). The Lakers have won 4 of their last 5 games in San Antonio, including regular season and postseason. Tim Duncan will be honored as NBA MVP before the game. He has 11 turnovers and is shooting only .388 from the field in the series (19-for-49), but is averaging 26.5 ppg and 19.0 rebounds. David Robinson hasn't played since Game 1 of the first round, but there is a chance he will try to go Friday. The Spurs are 0-16 in playoff series after losing Game 1, while Phil Jackson-coached teams are 32-0 in series after winning Game 1. Los Angeles is scoring 92.2 points per game this postseason, down more than 10 points from their average in last year's playoffs when they went 15-1 en route to a second straight title. Source: Stats Inc permalink
Big Ben's Insider Baseball Notes  Kazuhisa Ishii is the first Dodgers pitcher to begin a season 6-0 since 1988, when Orel Hershiser began 6-0 on his way to a 23-8 record and Cy Young Award. A victory for Ishii would be the second-best start for a pitcher in franchise history, behind only Fernando Valenzuela's 8-0 start during his rookie season of 1981. Dodgers’ CF Dave Roberts has not started against a LHP this season. The Dodgers are 17-3 this season when scoring first. At 19-15 entering Thursday, the Marlins have their best start in team history (the ’97 team started 18-15). This is the latest date in a season the Marlins have ever been in 1st place. Florida has won four straight games, their longest win streak since winning 5 in a row June 15-19, 2001. Mike Lowell leads the NL in hitting, with a .368 batting average. Jeff Kent is hitting .500 (8-16) in his career off of Javier Vasquez, with a home run and six RBI. Barry Bonds has been walked 45 times so far this season. That puts him on pace for 228 walks, which would smash the ML single-season record of 177 he set last season. The Giants have a season-high 7-game win streak – their longest streak since winning nine in a row July 25-Aug. 3, 2001. At 22-11, the Giants are off to their best start since 1973, when they started 23-10. Tony Armas, Jr. has never defeated the Giants, losing all three of his previous starts. Montreal purchased the contract of OF Troy O’Leary from Triple-A Ottawa on Wednesday. O’Leary will take the roster spot of Henry Rodriguez, who was sent to Ottawa after having just one hit in 20 ABs. Opponents should think twice when they try to run on the Montreal outfielders, as Vladimir and Brad Wilkerson each have 7 outfield assists – tied for the most in the majors. Pirates LHP Jimmy Anderson is 1-4 lifetime against the Astros with a 7.12 ERA. Mike Williams leads the NL in saves, with 12, and has a 0.69 ERA (1 ER in 13 IP). Roy Oswalt has never lost to the Pirates. In three career starts vs. Pittsburgh, he has walked just one batter while striking out 25. Starting Friday, the Pirates will play 27 games in 27 days. Their one off day is offset by a May 21st DH vs. the Cubs. The Astros are just 1-12 this season when scoring three runs or less. Houston placed RHP Hipolito Picardo on the restricted list Thursday, and he is expected to retire. Picardo started the season on the DL with elbow tendinitis and made just one appearance on the season. Vicente Padilla is expected make his first career start against his former team. In two relief appearances vs. the D-Backs, spanning 2.1 IP, he is yet to allow a run. Scott Rolen has struggled against Randy Johnson, striking out 15 times in 24 career ABs, while hitting just .167 (4-24). The Phillies have won six straight games. The Phillies have swept back-to-back series for the first time since 1998. Danny Bautista, a career .269 hitter, is batting .367 this season, 2nd in the NL. The Diamondbacks are 13-2 this season when Curt Schilling or Randy Johnson starts – 9-10 when anyone else starts. Arizona has won six of its last seven games – with four of the victories being by one run. Byung-Hyun Kim is a perfect 10-for-10 in save opportunities, with a tiny 0.47 ERA. Arizona has won seven of its last 10 meetings vs. the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. Chris Reitsma has allowed eight home runs in just 22 IP in his career vs. the Cardinals. Austin Kearns enters the weekend batting a blistering .400 for the Reds this season (22-55), best among all ML rookies. Cincinnati has won three straight games, outscoring their opponent 30-12 in these games. St. Louis has had trouble driving in runners this season. They have stranded 279 runners in their 34 games, an average of 8.2/game. The Cardinals have dropped seven of their last 10 games, averaging just 3.0 runs/game while batting .238 during this skid. Bud Smith has lost his last four decisions, allowing 30 hits and 24 earned runs in just 19.2 innings (10.98 ERA) in this drought. Mike Piazza is hitting .333 (10-30) with three home runs in his career vs. Mike Hampton. He has done even better against John Thomson, hitting the Colorado righty at a lifetime .625 clip (5-8) with two homers. Mike Hampton is allowing 19.0 baserunners/9 IP this season. Colorado has lost six of its last seven road games vs. the Mets. The Mets’ John Franco will miss the rest of the season after an MRI Wednesday revealed damage to the MCL and flexor tendor in his left elbow, an injury that Franco has not pitched since having surgery on the elbow last December. New York has lost a season-high five in a row. Steve Trachsel won’t be happy to see Larry Walker – the Rockies’ RF is a career .414 hitter vs. Trachsel, with three home runs. Edgardo Alfonzo, who has had at least 17 homers in each of the last four sesons, has zero HR in 118 AB so far this season. Devil Rays’ RHP Tanyon Sturtze continues to look for his first win of the season. He is 0-4, and opposing batters are hitting .333 off of him. The Devil Rays have dropped 14 straight games. That is the longest losing streak in the majors since the Cubs also dropped 14 straight, April 1-20, 1997. Greg Vaughn is batting an anemic .097 at home this season (6-62). The Devil Rays’ Ryan Rupe has the best K/BB ratio in the AL, at 6.6:1 (33 K, five BB). Tampa Bay has scored just eight runs in the 1st inning of games all season. Rodrigo Lopez is looking for his 5th straight win. Baltimore’s Sidney Ponson has pitched at least seven innings and given up no more than three earned runs in each of his last four starts. Both Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux have exactly 20 career wins against the Padres. Dennis Tankersly makes his major league debut on Friday. The 23-year-old righthander is 23-10 with a 2.54 ERA in 70 appearances -- 64 starts -- and was the Padres' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2001. Andruw Jones is a lifetime .500 hitter (11-22) vs. Bobby J. Jones. Chipper Jones, meanwhile, has four career homers off of Jones. The Braves have not been swept in a series since Aug. 10-12, 2001 (vs. Arizona). After going 81 AB without a homer, Gary Sheffield has hit two homers in the last three days. Although the Padres’ bullpen has a 2.86 ERA, they have already blown seven saves. San Diego has lost three straight games and five of its last seven. The Padres have hit just 25 homers this season, 3rd fewest in the NL. Ted Lilly is 0-2 in his last three starts despite allowing just 10 hits and seven ER in 20 IP (2.25 ERA), while striking out 21 batters. David Wells is 15-6 with a 2.43 ERA lifetime vs. the Twins. The Yankees’ Alfonso Soriano entered Thursday with 25 extra base hits, most in the AL. Mariano Rivera set a Yankees franchise record for career saves on Thursday, picking up save # 225. He had been tied with Dave Righetti for the record. Joe Torre needs three victories to become the 17th manager in ML history to win 1,500 games. Minnesota is 22-13 this season despite outscoring their opponents by a total of just 10 runs all season The Twins are 16-3 at home this season, the best record after 19 home games in franchise history. Minnesota 3B Corey Koskie, who pulled his right hamstring on Tuesday, will be re-evaluated on Friday before a decision is made whether to put him on the DL. When Brad Radke threw a complete game on Wednesday, he became the first Twins’ starter this season to go longer than 7.2 innings in a game. Jeff Weaver has never beaten the Rangers in his career, going 0-3 with a 5.25 ERA in four career starts. According to a report in the May 7th issue of the “Detroit News,” the Tigers are actively pursuing another LH reliever. Right now, Jamie Weaver is the only lefty in Detroit’s bullpen. Seth Greisinger picked up his first major league win since 1998 in the Tigers’ 3-0 win over Anaheim on May 7th. The 26-year-old RHP missed all of the 2000 and 2001 seasons after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery in 1999. Hideki Irabu has responded well to being the Rangers’ closer, going 1-0 with seven saves in his last eight appearances. The Rangers have already used eight different starting pitchers this season. Frank Catalanotto had gone 189 ABs without a homer before hitting one in the 7th inning on Thursday. Texas OF Calvin Murray is in a 4-for-32 slump. Detroit’s starting pitchers have given up just 14 home runs this season, fewest among AL starting staffs. The Tigers’ starters have a 3.38 ERA in the last 15 games. Roy Halladay has not had much success in his career against the A’s, posting a 0-3 record and 9.58 ERA in four career starts. The A’s have lost seven of their last nine games to fall to the .500 mark for the first time since last July 7th. Oakland’s starters are just 2-6 in the last nine games, with a combined 8.50 ERA. The A’s activated Mark Mulder off the DL following Thursday’s game. Mulder, on the DL since April 15th with a left forearm strain, is expected to make the start Friday vs. the Blue Jays. In two career starts vs. the White Sox, Ramon Ortiz has allowed 10 ER in just 8.2 IP. The Angels have won seven of the last 10 home meetings vs. the White Sox. Anaheim has won 11 of its last 13 games. Angels’ DH/1B Brad Fullmer has yet to hit a home run this season. The Angels have nine comeback victories this season. After his first 31 games last season, Tim Salmon was hitting .220 with four HR and 13 RBI. This season, he has struggled just as badly, hitting .189 with three HR and 15 RBI. Because the team still owes the OF $28.75 million over the next three seasons, a trade seems unlikely. At 21-14, the White Sox have reversed their record from last season at this time (14-21). Kenny Lofton has almost as many SB this season (15) as he did all of last season (16). Chicago is 0-8 when scoring three or fewer runs this season. Royce Clayton has a 61-game errorless streak at SS for the White Sox. Seattle has won six of the last eight meetings with the Red Sox. The Mariners placed reliever Jeff Nelson on the 15-day DL with bone chips in his right elbow. Nelson will undergo surgery on Friday and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. Kazuhiro Sasaki has been given permission to leave the club to tend to some family business. The Mariners expect him to return Sunday night for their upcoming road trip. The Red Sox have won nine straight games. This is the team’s longest win streak since they took 12 straight in August 1995. At 24-7, Boston is off to their best start since the 1946 team went 25-6 to begin that season. Pedro Martinez is 8-0 with a miniscule 0.89 ERA in his career against Seattle. Johnny Damon had his 18-game hitting streak snapped Thursday when he went 0-4 against Oakland. He is still hitting .369 (31-84) in the last 19 games. Source: Stats Inc permalink
Shaq is the Real MVP  By Ben Maller For some reason the NBA continues to overlook the greatness of Shaquille O'Neal. The NBA MVP voting came out yesterday and Tim Duncan of the Spurs took home the award. Many in New Jersey felt that Jason Kidd should have gotten the honor. Surprisingly I didn't hear anyone speak up and say that Shaq got the royal screw from the Media again. Duncan received 57 first-place votes and 954 points from a panel of 126 sportswriters and broadcasters, while Kidd drew 45 first-place votes and 897 points. O'Neal was third with 696 points. To me there really is no debate who the most dominant and valuable player in the NBA is. You ask every team in the league if they could only have one player off another club's roster who they would take and they would say Shaquille O'Neal everytime. I GUARANTEE it! Shaq is really the only player in the league that teams have to change their game plan for. While some will say that because he only played in 67 games he shouldn't have won the award, I don't buy it! Shaq averaged 27.2ppg 10.7ppg and 2bpg.  Duncan averaged 25.5ppg and 12.7rpg along with 2.5bpg. Almost the same numbers as the great Shaq. So with the numbers about the same and the Lakers & Spurs finished with the same record, how in the hell did Duncan beat out Shaq? I hear some short fat balding sports writers say that Shaq has an unfair advantage and that's why they don't give him his due. Talk like that makes me sick. Shaq should not be penalized because god gave him great gifts and he has taken advantage of them. Like the NBA Draft Lottery the NBA MVP voting is a Joke! permalink Thursday, May 09, 2002
Bye Bye Redskins?  By Ben Maller Owner Daniel Snyder is considering making a major change to his Washington Redskins in next few years. According to reports out of Washington D.C. Snyder is considering dumping the Redskins nickname as soon as after the 2002 season. The Skins are having a special "70th Anniversary" celebration with throwback uniforms and all-time teams named by a panel of experts. Some media members are having a problem with this for starters, the franchise that is now the Washington Redskins has played as the Redskins for only 69 years and in Washington for only 65. Something is not kosher here. The Skins replica uniforms don't actually replicate anything the team has actually worn in its history. Some believe that Snyder is planning this tribute as a goodbye to the Redskins nickname and a hello to a new nickname like the Warriors. Why the nickname Warriors you ask? In the spring of 2000, Snyder applied with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register "Warriors" under Washington Football Inc. The goods and services described in his application were "entertainment services in the nature of professional football games and exhibitions." (He had registered "Skins" three months earlier.)  Snyder said he was going to use the nickname "Warriors" for a Washington franchise in the Arena Football League, the rights to which he purchased in 1999. That squad, Snyder said when buying into the AFL, would start play in 2003. There is a problem with that, though, Snyder has made no announcements about his indoor-football plans in a long while, but the Chicago-based AFL now admits that the Washington franchise is not in its plan for next season. So depending on marketing 101, stay tuned you could be seeing the final season Washington Redskins football. Source: Washington City Paper permalink Wednesday, May 08, 2002
J Lo to Jay Will  By Ben Maller It was bound to happen at some point in sports: a professional athlete has changed his name because of a shoe company. Jason Williams, the star guard who could be the first pick in the NBA Draft has turned into "Jay" Williams. According to the New York Daily News, Williams is changing his name because of a "Marketing Strategy." Williams is following the lead of Jennifer Lopez who became "J-Lo." This means that Nike or Adidas or whoever signs Williams to an endorsement package doesn't want the public to confuse their guy with Jayson Williams, the ex-nets star who is facing manslaughter charges in New Jersey.  Lew Alcindor became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for religious reasons. Chris Jackson the star guard from LSU in the early 90's became Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf for the same reasons. Williams is doing it for the religion of money. Why not change his name to "Jay Ditty" or "Jay Nike" or "Jay will play for pay" It's crazy! Sports in the year 2002 where an athlete has to change his name to help sell sneakers. By the way, I'm not saying its all a bad thing. If Nike or Reebok wants to pay me a couple million dollars I'll change my name to Ben "Sneakers" Maller. Read more about this story here permalink Tuesday, May 07, 2002
Give Tiger Credit  By Ben Maller Tiger Woods has now done everything in life, it's official. Canadians can get their own Tiger Woods Credit Card. American Express is offering the card for an annual $62 dollar fee, nearly twice as much as a regular card in Canada. The Canada card does offer several golf-related benefits that include free lessons, discounts and a free round of golf. No word on if the card includes a hot Swedish girlfriend. I also don't believe that it's only good for the major events on the PGA tour.  In case you were wondering, the man they call Tiger has been pimping American Express since 1997. Woods has a five-year endorsement deal with the credit card company until 2007 that reportedly pays him $5 million a year. While the card is currently only available in Canada, there is talk that it could be coming to America in the near future.  Source: AP permalink Monday, May 06, 2002
San Antonio Marshmallows
  By Ben Maller Imagine if someone gave you a bag of $100 dollar bills and 48 minutes to take it. Odds are you would probably jump at the chance to grab the cash. Right? Well, the Lakers gave the San Antonio Spurs the NBA playoff version of a bag of $100 dollar bills, a chance to beat Shaq & Kobe at Staples Center. Not only did Tim Duncan and the Spurs not take the money they gave back a few thousand. If the Spurs were a food, they would be a marshmallow, a spongy confection made of gelatin and sugar and corn syrup--nice and soft all the way through. The Lakers, of course, are prime rib from Lawry's. Good from the first bite to the last. Tim Duncan should have taken things into his own hands in game one. Instead Duncan shot an Iverson-like 9-of-30 from the floor with Shaq on the bench 17 minutes do to injuries. San Antonio was only able to build 64-61 lead before Super Man returned with 10:49 left in the 4th.  When will people wake up and realize how great a playoff run we are seeing from this group of LA hoopsters. Shaq, Kobe & Phil have now won 20-of-21 playoff games. This run is better than the Jordan and Pippen Bulls of the 90's or the Laker's show time team of the 80's. Sorry to wise guys on the radio, but the Dallas Mavericks or Sacramento Kings have no chance of beating this Laker team in a seven game series. Give them the title right now! permalink |
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