This is time of year when everything seems to be happening all at once, so here is a column geared toward the insanity.
Both hoops seasons are underway, and subplots abound.
When Toronto's rookie forward Charlie Villanueva posted big numbers (26 points, 12 rebounds) on November 13, I didn't hesitate to add him to my fantasy NBA roster. After all, the former UConn standout had followed his being drafted seventh by posting a terrific preseason. This prompted columnist Bill Simmons to believe that Villanueva took offense to speculation that he was chosen too high, causing him to improve his work ethic upon entering professional basketball. The 21-year-old rewarded my faith by posting nearly the same statistics in his next game. While the Raptors lost to the 76ers, Villanueva scored 27 and added 13 boards, 8 of them on the offensive end. I was especially intrigued to see such production knowing that Chad Ford had just speculated that Andrew Bogut could win the Rookie of the Year with a consistent 10 and 10.
In an indirect way, this reminded me of Leon Powe, the talented power forward who is beginning his second season with Cal hoops. I still remember the hype surrounding the 2001 ABCD Underclassmen All-Star Game when Powe's Western squad faced off against an Eastern team featuring Villanueva, who attended high school in New Jersey. Despite missing all of the 2004-05 season due to knee surgery, Powe has been featured in several articles, including one on CBS Sportsline calling him the finest at his position in the NCAA. I was an eyewitness for his freshman campaign, during which he battled injuries to average 9.5 rebounds (which led the conference) and 15.1 points. Unfortunately, the key to the team's success has once again been sidelined at least temporarily and has not played in the team's first three regular season games.
Outside of the Bears, I'm not an enormous fan of the college game. Still, it was impressive to see some of the early tournaments, including a game in Hawaii that featured Michigan State and Gonzaga. That one lasted until the third overtime, when State's Goran Suton missed a layup cutting to the hoop, opening the door for the red-hot Derek Raivio to hit two free throws for the victorious Gonzaga. Few were happier about the game in general than me, who owns a fantasy college team despite a relative lack of information on the nation's players. In any case, the high number of tournament games and flukes like the length of this contest led my Hardwood Heroes to set the league record for fantasy points scored in a week. Three of my seven starters took part in this November 22 matchup, and here were their numbers:
Adam Morrison, Gonzaga: 52 minutes, 14-28 FG, 11-12 FT, 2 OREB 7, TREB, 4 AST
Maurice Ager, Michigan St.: 39 minutes, 13-27 FG, 3-3 FT, 1 OREB, 2 TREB, 3 AST
Paul Davis, Michigan St.: 53 minutes, 7-12 FG, 12-12 FT, 5 OREB, 13 TREB, 2 AST
The hot stove has a special place in the hearts of sports fans, and not just because cold weather is on its way.
It speaks to the interest level of fans everywhere to hear Jayson Stark remark about the number of questions he received in an ESPN chat session. As he put it, "I can't believe the volume today, in the second week of November." Stark knows as well as anyone that this really is when things can get interesting, particularly for teams whose seasons hinge on whether a key move is made between now and Spring Training. The free agent crop may not be particularly impressive, but sometimes moves that look minor at first blush turn out to be momentous to a team that addresses a significant need. This is not to mention the intrigue involved in selecting new managers and GMs: the revelation that Theo Epstein would like to return to Boston but is not being considered at present has a certain soap-opera quality to it.
Meanwhile, Peter Gammons is undoubtedly correct that the current Boston "GM-by-committee" has been active in light of the recent acquisitions of potential ace Josh Beckett, 3B Mike Lowell, and surprising throw-in Guillermo Mota, a relatively young hard-throwing reliever from Florida for four prospects including Hanley Ramirez. The reported five years and $47 million granted to new Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan is clear confirmation that Toronto has indeed promised to expand its payroll. Aaron Rowand's departure for Philadelphia in exchange for Jim Thome being sent to the White Sox seems to work for both clubs, as the Phillies were desperate to deal Thome's salary and clear the way for the impressive young Ryan Howard. Of course, this means that the Phils must either move Rowand to a corner outfield position or, more likely install him in center. An above .300 hitter this year and one of Philadelphia's platoon players at CF, Jason Michaels, is expected to depart via free agency.
Could you imagine a crazier day of the regular season at the Garden?
I recently returned from a holiday week in Washington, DC. As we prepared to board the plane headed back home, I checked my phone and glumly informed my family that the disappointing Knicks were on their way to a 3-9 record since they trailed by 15 at the half. To my credit, I later used the ESPNews channel on JetBlue and determined that the Knicks had pulled within 6 in the third. Eventually, I watched the game highlights, which included New York taking a lead of nine in the final quarter as Channing Frye headed toward his first career double-double before the visiting 76ers sent the game to overtime. In the final moments of extra time, Allen Iverson tied the game with a three-point shot before New York’s Stephon Marbury zipped a pass to rookie guard Nate Robinson, who sent the crowd home with a game-winning trey of his own as time expired.
The New York Rangers have been running ads lately that admonish fans to show up and witness young players like Jed Ortmeyer and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist “before they become household names.” The Capitals and Rangers were scheduled to play on this night, but not until 5 PM local time since the ice surface had to be prepared after the NBA game had finished. The scoring opened when Jason Ward stole the puck from Bryan Muir and slid the puck past Olaf Kolzig to tally the Rangers’ first of the year when down a man. Ortmeyer followed early in the second frame by tipping in a puck brought to the net on a quick move by Dominic Moore. New York had been outshot to this point but sported a two-goal lead that soon vanished on tallies by Chris Clark and Brian Willsie. After Kolzig and Lundqvist stood tall in the third period and overtime, it was time for a shootout, a frequent occurrence for both teams in recent weeks. Andrew Cassels got Washington on the board in the second round, but Michael Nylander answered for the home team. Willsie beat Lundqvist in the third round of sudden death, but Ville Nieminen kept the Rangers in the game by converting his opportunity. When the next goal arrived in the thirteenth overall round, off the stick of Muir, it looked like New York’s night was over. But just like the best baseball games, the team was able to respond when Jason Strudwick gave the team new life once more on a goal Kolzig later said he regretted most of all. The NHL’s longest shootout ever finished when Marek Malik, a defenseman and the 30th man so far, lined up in the face-off circle. Malik, who did not possess a goal all season and later said he felt he had nothing to lose, put the puck through his own legs when nearing the net to score top shelf.
sports
Both hoops seasons are underway, and subplots abound.
When Toronto's rookie forward Charlie Villanueva posted big numbers (26 points, 12 rebounds) on November 13, I didn't hesitate to add him to my fantasy NBA roster. After all, the former UConn standout had followed his being drafted seventh by posting a terrific preseason. This prompted columnist Bill Simmons to believe that Villanueva took offense to speculation that he was chosen too high, causing him to improve his work ethic upon entering professional basketball. The 21-year-old rewarded my faith by posting nearly the same statistics in his next game. While the Raptors lost to the 76ers, Villanueva scored 27 and added 13 boards, 8 of them on the offensive end. I was especially intrigued to see such production knowing that Chad Ford had just speculated that Andrew Bogut could win the Rookie of the Year with a consistent 10 and 10.
In an indirect way, this reminded me of Leon Powe, the talented power forward who is beginning his second season with Cal hoops. I still remember the hype surrounding the 2001 ABCD Underclassmen All-Star Game when Powe's Western squad faced off against an Eastern team featuring Villanueva, who attended high school in New Jersey. Despite missing all of the 2004-05 season due to knee surgery, Powe has been featured in several articles, including one on CBS Sportsline calling him the finest at his position in the NCAA. I was an eyewitness for his freshman campaign, during which he battled injuries to average 9.5 rebounds (which led the conference) and 15.1 points. Unfortunately, the key to the team's success has once again been sidelined at least temporarily and has not played in the team's first three regular season games.
Outside of the Bears, I'm not an enormous fan of the college game. Still, it was impressive to see some of the early tournaments, including a game in Hawaii that featured Michigan State and Gonzaga. That one lasted until the third overtime, when State's Goran Suton missed a layup cutting to the hoop, opening the door for the red-hot Derek Raivio to hit two free throws for the victorious Gonzaga. Few were happier about the game in general than me, who owns a fantasy college team despite a relative lack of information on the nation's players. In any case, the high number of tournament games and flukes like the length of this contest led my Hardwood Heroes to set the league record for fantasy points scored in a week. Three of my seven starters took part in this November 22 matchup, and here were their numbers:
Adam Morrison, Gonzaga: 52 minutes, 14-28 FG, 11-12 FT, 2 OREB 7, TREB, 4 AST
Maurice Ager, Michigan St.: 39 minutes, 13-27 FG, 3-3 FT, 1 OREB, 2 TREB, 3 AST
Paul Davis, Michigan St.: 53 minutes, 7-12 FG, 12-12 FT, 5 OREB, 13 TREB, 2 AST
The hot stove has a special place in the hearts of sports fans, and not just because cold weather is on its way.
It speaks to the interest level of fans everywhere to hear Jayson Stark remark about the number of questions he received in an ESPN chat session. As he put it, "I can't believe the volume today, in the second week of November." Stark knows as well as anyone that this really is when things can get interesting, particularly for teams whose seasons hinge on whether a key move is made between now and Spring Training. The free agent crop may not be particularly impressive, but sometimes moves that look minor at first blush turn out to be momentous to a team that addresses a significant need. This is not to mention the intrigue involved in selecting new managers and GMs: the revelation that Theo Epstein would like to return to Boston but is not being considered at present has a certain soap-opera quality to it.
Meanwhile, Peter Gammons is undoubtedly correct that the current Boston "GM-by-committee" has been active in light of the recent acquisitions of potential ace Josh Beckett, 3B Mike Lowell, and surprising throw-in Guillermo Mota, a relatively young hard-throwing reliever from Florida for four prospects including Hanley Ramirez. The reported five years and $47 million granted to new Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan is clear confirmation that Toronto has indeed promised to expand its payroll. Aaron Rowand's departure for Philadelphia in exchange for Jim Thome being sent to the White Sox seems to work for both clubs, as the Phillies were desperate to deal Thome's salary and clear the way for the impressive young Ryan Howard. Of course, this means that the Phils must either move Rowand to a corner outfield position or, more likely install him in center. An above .300 hitter this year and one of Philadelphia's platoon players at CF, Jason Michaels, is expected to depart via free agency.
Could you imagine a crazier day of the regular season at the Garden?
I recently returned from a holiday week in Washington, DC. As we prepared to board the plane headed back home, I checked my phone and glumly informed my family that the disappointing Knicks were on their way to a 3-9 record since they trailed by 15 at the half. To my credit, I later used the ESPNews channel on JetBlue and determined that the Knicks had pulled within 6 in the third. Eventually, I watched the game highlights, which included New York taking a lead of nine in the final quarter as Channing Frye headed toward his first career double-double before the visiting 76ers sent the game to overtime. In the final moments of extra time, Allen Iverson tied the game with a three-point shot before New York’s Stephon Marbury zipped a pass to rookie guard Nate Robinson, who sent the crowd home with a game-winning trey of his own as time expired.
The New York Rangers have been running ads lately that admonish fans to show up and witness young players like Jed Ortmeyer and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist “before they become household names.” The Capitals and Rangers were scheduled to play on this night, but not until 5 PM local time since the ice surface had to be prepared after the NBA game had finished. The scoring opened when Jason Ward stole the puck from Bryan Muir and slid the puck past Olaf Kolzig to tally the Rangers’ first of the year when down a man. Ortmeyer followed early in the second frame by tipping in a puck brought to the net on a quick move by Dominic Moore. New York had been outshot to this point but sported a two-goal lead that soon vanished on tallies by Chris Clark and Brian Willsie. After Kolzig and Lundqvist stood tall in the third period and overtime, it was time for a shootout, a frequent occurrence for both teams in recent weeks. Andrew Cassels got Washington on the board in the second round, but Michael Nylander answered for the home team. Willsie beat Lundqvist in the third round of sudden death, but Ville Nieminen kept the Rangers in the game by converting his opportunity. When the next goal arrived in the thirteenth overall round, off the stick of Muir, it looked like New York’s night was over. But just like the best baseball games, the team was able to respond when Jason Strudwick gave the team new life once more on a goal Kolzig later said he regretted most of all. The NHL’s longest shootout ever finished when Marek Malik, a defenseman and the 30th man so far, lined up in the face-off circle. Malik, who did not possess a goal all season and later said he felt he had nothing to lose, put the puck through his own legs when nearing the net to score top shelf.
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posted by Alex at 4:21 PM
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