Lots of news in the world of sport this week. The NBA playoffs begin with great fanfare. The NHL playoffs continue without anyone noticing. The NFL draft just a week away.
But nothing stood out to me like what happened at Yankee Stadium last Thursday.
Cleveland manager Eric Wedge is officially living on borrowed time. He’s already led a ragtag band of underachieving players to no playoff contention in 2006 despite a roster stacked with young talent like Wahoo Warrior. Now this. He wanted to get his first-time closer, Joe Borowski, some work in a 6-2 game, because Borowski hadn’t worked in four days. Alright. And I’m even okay leaving the guy after he gave up a two-out solo homer to Josh Phelps, a single to Jorge Posada and a walk to Johnny Damon. Heck, give him the benefit of the doubt and let him face Derek Jeter (gulp).
But after Throw singled off Posada to make it 6-4, maybe it was time to start thinking about a different pitcher. And after Bobby Abreu singled off Damon to make it 6-5, it really was time to start thinking about a different pitcher. And after Borowski threw a wild pitch that allowed Jeter and Abreu to advance to second and third, your blind, deaf, battered grandmother would have known to switch pitchers. Incredibly, Wedge let Borowski in. To face Alex Rodriguez. Who hit nine home runs in his first 13 games. With first base open.
This is the kind of logic that leads Sanjaya to stay alive too long on American Idol. (Speaking of which, how perfect is it for Sanjaya to next have dinner with President George W. Bush? Let’s talk about two unfairly rewarded symbols of mediocrity.)
You know what happened next. A-Rod went to the yard while Wedge played his violin. The Indians lost 2.5 first-place games in the AL Central. And the Yankees danced all over the Tribe. If these two teams meet in the playoffs, don’t think this weight won’t weigh heavily on Cleveland’s neck. Could Wedge have walked Rodriguez to face Jason Giambi with a force on the line at every base? Yes. Could he (even better) have done something radical like, oh, I don’t know, switch pitchers? Yeah.
But he didn’t. She stood up and watched, then justified herself to reporters. It’s time to go, Eric.
The Yankees already had what I considered a suspect starting rotation going into 2007, and now they can’t keep more than one or two starters healthy. Do you think they’ll end up struggling this year, or is it just an early season thing that will go away?
BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.com: This doesn’t bode well for the Yankees; Other than Andy Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees don’t have prime pitchers. Mike Mussina has been a rock his entire career, but his age and his 477 career starts have caught up with him. Carl Pavano has thrown just 111 innings since 2005. The Yankees’ pitching staff is in trouble, but they still have enough offense to keep them going in any game.
The NBA playoffs are starting to take shape and the West promises to be incredible. So what will it be? dallas? Saint Anthony? Phoenix? Someone else?
BDB, BoDog.com: Dallas, San Antonio and Phoenix are head and shoulders above the rest of the NBA. Dallas finished with the best record and has the probable MVP in the lead. In San Antonio, Gregg Popovich seems to have the Spurs in his prime. However, the fallout from Tim Duncan’s ejection and Joey Crawford’s subsequent suspension could have nervous refs calling Spurs games. Phoenix has more to prove; they need to prove once and for all that their fast-paced offense translates well in the playoffs. For the Suns, anything less than a Finals appearance will be a huge disappointment. The only other team from the West that has a chance is Houston. McGrady and Yao are two of the most dominant players in the game when healthy. They have a chance if both players warm up at the same time.
I asked about Kevin Durant last week and you were poetic. Now it looks like Greg Oden will also declare for the NBA Draft. Do you think he’s a franchise player, like you think he is Durant? Which guy would you pick first overall?
BDB, BoDog.com: This debate will continue in bars, locker rooms, Internet forums, and anywhere else people like basketball. Greg Oden is going to be a franchise player in the same mold as David Robinson; he will come in and go to work. Dominant big centers are rare, so when you get a chance to pick one in the draft, you don’t think twice unless someone like Kevin Durant is on the board. I’d still pick KD over Oden; both will win games and change their franchise, but from a business perspective, Durant will fill more seats and sell more merchandise.
One week after the NHL playoffs, what are your biggest stories?
BDB, BoDog.com: So far it’s been Sidney Crosby’s quick exit at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, who are putting up consistent goalkeeping and could quickly become favorites to come out of the East. I’m also struck by Atlanta’s apparent lack of effort; it is quite surprising to see a team of this level that is not ready to play. Bob Hartley clearly didn’t have his team ready to play, and he made some very disconcerting goalkeeping decisions. The abstract logic of replacing Kari Lehtonen after it was clearly not his fault that the Thrashers lost Game 1, and then returning to him after Johan Hedberg was brilliant in Game 2, is nothing short of mind-blowing.