Guess What, I am not the only person who thinks he cheated.

24% of the 71 golfers polled in SI think Tigger cheated with PEDs.

Can you imagine what the real number is?

Especially with the golfer's honor code meaning they need to show that they trust the guy.

Is it coincident that today, after he finds out that his fellow golfers thinks he cheated, he shoots his worst of his career?

j

Remembering Robin Yount

First the easy stuff.

First Ballot Hall of Famer

2 time MVP at two positions. SS and CF. 3000 hits.

His 1,479 games at shortstop and 1,150 games in center field are the most by a player at two positions.

Started for the Brewers at age 18, he was the draft pick the Rangers passed on for David Clyde.

The Amazing Fact:

Yount actually retired from Baseball in 1978 at the age of 22 to pursue a career on

the PGA. Luckily for the Brewers in only lasted a few months.

j

NBA and Referee's

For those people that doubt that the games are not called by the letter of the rule book.

The Dallas Mavericks are 1-16 in games officiated by Crawford.

He is supposedly proud of what he has done.

When they lost the finals to the Heat with the obvious issues with the refs, it took my respect for the NBA to a level with figure skating judges.

j

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/043010dnspomavsdonaghy.c885dad.html

Follow up on Curry's Daughter Pitching

The Tampa Bay Rays honored her during their game on Sunday.

The TV station went out an filmed her strike out 14 of 16 batters.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/sports/myfoxprep/428-young-pitcher-throwing-perfect-games

j

Is Kinsler returning on Friday supposed to save the dope head?

Ian Kinsler, (my father-in-laws favorite player,) is set to return on Friday.

He is a spark plug, but I doubt a guy that hit .253 last year is the key with Sir Slamilton struggling like he is high again.

If they do not fix the bullpen it is not relevant.

Francisco is weak again and I do understand Washington's faith in him.

Felix and his 102mph heater has to be developed, three good outings in a row could be the start of something special.

j

China had a girl that was underage at the Olympics? Really?

When I saw that China was stripped of its Gold medal, I assumed it was for the 2008 debacle in Beijing, but NO the IOC stripped the 2000 team that won in Australia. The gold was awarded to team USA.

I wonder what decade the truth will come out about the 2008 games.

China was stripped of a team all-around bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics on Wednesday because it fielded an underage gymnast. Dong Fangxiao was discovered to be 14 at the time of those Games, two years younger than the minimum age requirement.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/China-stripped-of-2000-gymnastics-medal-for-unde?urn=oly,237384

j

Here he comes.

21 year old Stephen Strasburg should be called up to the Nats before the All-Star Game.

He had his 3rd start last night in Double A.

5 no hit innings with no walks. 1 passed ball on strike 3 allowed the only base runner.

He has pitched 17 innings allowed 7 hits with 23 SO's and only 3 Walks

Did I mention the 0.52 ERA.

His speed is not up to the reported 103MPH we heard last year in college, but is steady at 98.

I had no idea he had this much control, if he has any movement at all it will be interesting.

j

As a Caveat:

The other 100mph plusm 22 yr old. Aroldis Chapman is dominant but a bit wild.

Over his three previous starts this season, Chapman has a 0.60 ERA, 10 walks and 18 strikeouts over 15 innings.

Secretariat Movie

I didn't know about this until this week:

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/First-Images-Of-Diane-Lane-And-John-Malkovich-In-Secretariat-18321.html

A little more on the SEC Reign of dominance

We know they dominate the NFL draft, especially recently. Leading the conferences in draft picks 11 of last 13 years.
They have also won 6 of the last 12 Nation Championships in Football.

Here is an article with some reasoning:

http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/04/25/secs-draft-show-ends-best-college-football-conference-argument/
The SEC set a draft record with 49 league players selected out of the 255 drafted. 19%
The SEC passed the Big 10 for all time draft picks form 1936 to 2010 --335 to 330.

SEC Recruiting classes are the tops in the nation:
2007? Seven of the top 10.
2008? Four of the top 11.
2009? Six of the top 12.
2010? Five of the top nine.

This is the past classes that led to the 49 players this year.
2002? four of the top 11
2003? Five of the top 11
2004? Five of the top 15
2005? Four of the top 15
2006? Six of the top 16.

Sorry to punch a hole in the Big 12, but they need to pass the Big 10 and ACC in overall talent before they mention themselves with the SEC in discussing the best conference.

The talent level is just different and the close games in the SEC on Saturday are misleading. It always shows up when the lower ranked SEC teams have winning records in the Bowl games against higher ranked teams. The SEC went 6-4 in bowl games this year and was the higher ranked team in just 2 games. Alabama over UT and Ga over Texas A&M.

The SEC beat the Big 12 in 9 of 11 meetings in recent Independence Bowls with the Big 12 having the higher conference ranked team each year.
Here is a line, I posted last year.
For a point of reference, The Big 12 has won 1 game against a team that finished higher than the Big 12 team in conference in two years. Oklahoma's win over Stanford this year. SEC had 4 this year and 5 last year.

j

LSU's lack of Development is going to go national TV and the Recruits will leave

Here is Guilbeau's article from today, it is brutal.

Below are a few of the Quotes.

It hurts me to read this article. I hate that I was correct about Miles in 2004, I cannot believe they fought to keep him out of Michigan.

"LSU churns out players, but they aren't living up to expectations," a headline in the Kansas City Star read last week. The very well-reported story pointed out that, "LSU has produced 35 NFL draft picks since 2003, but there are more stories of failure than success. Of those 35 players, nine of whom were first-round picks, only one has been selected for a Pro Bowl: Indianapolis running back Joseph Addai's appearance as a reserve in 2007."

What is more alarming from the LSU angle is that suddenly LSU's players are not developing to their full potential while at LSU.

Over the weekend, LSU produced no first- or second-round picks in the NFL Draft for the first time since 2003, which was the last year before the players from tremendous talent influx of Saban became draft eligible.

What that tells me is LSU is still recruiting very talented and highly ranked players, but they're not being developed to their full potential at LSU," NFL draft analyst Mike Detillier said. "Nick Saban used to always say, 'It's all about R and D -- recruiting and development.' They're not being developed into the high-round picks they should be."

Miles just completed his fifth year as LSU's coach. Of the players signed by him since 2005, just eight have been drafted -- the six this year and seventh rounders Ricky-Jean Francois and Demetrius Byrd last season. He has produced no one higher than the third round and six of the eight have not been picked until the fourth round or later.

After Saban's fifth season in 2004 and the 2005 NFL Draft, he had produced 10 draftees, including two No. 1 picks and six players in the third round or higher. By the time his players all left LSU, there were nine first-round picks and 33 drafted players overall, including 18 taken in the third round or higher.

"You can see the program starting to slip," Detillier said.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100426/SPORTS0402/4260313/1036/SPORTS0402

The Best Media Guy at picking the Draft?

Http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2010/4/26/1444578/grading-the-2010-nfl-mock-drafts?ref=CBS

In another article Peter King talked about RG obsession with getting he the picks correct for the teams. Here is his comment.

Rick Gosselin of theDallas Morning News, who devotes three months of his life buried in this stuff (and whose charts and notebooks look like something a nuclear physicist would keep), is not an easy grader in his annual post-draft grading.

Read More:http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/04/25/draft/4.html#ixzz0mKrB2Kgs
Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee withSI Subscription

Roy Halladay

S,

I finally read the SI article you were talking about, Halladay really is special.

I love the idea of no wasted pitches with the same velocity for each pitch.

I wonder why only certain people can apply the correct finger pressure to get the movement?

But, we do not need another pitcher that is a prima donna and can't be a good guy on days he pitches. I do not respect the thought that he could not be great and treat people civil.

Now I understand why you mentioned my doubting his work out regimen, without the juice.

His workout is about endurance and did not produce the bulk. At his height he could have been huge with the help of meds. I do not have as much doubt on Halladay because his body and arms fit hands and the pictures do not show freakish growth.

His forearms look normal for his hands.

Now all bets are off if at 39 he starts throwing 99 instead of 93.

It also made me think about the 300 win club, at 15 wins a year until he is 40, he will still be 30 short.

j

Pujols vs. the Best Using Best 9 Yrs

Chad Jones a Giant and becoming infamous.

Quote from NFC East Blog on Espn.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast

A scout's take.

I've seen him play quite a bit. He'll make a big play, but he'll also shy away from contact at times. You don't want 6-3, 220-pound players taking that type of approach. He'll come in and compete for playing time. And if Phillips isn't ready to go at the start of the season, Jones has to be ready.

Here is a Jones Quote on he lost weight during Baseball Season.

"I actually think I got bigger during baseball season," said Jones. "I was a pitcher, and I didn’t really do much running because I was in shape from football. I was basically one of the best players when it comes to conditioning wise on the team. I kind of blew up during baseball as a pitcher because I only pitched once a week. I would pitch 2-3 innings as a closer, and at night time they would actually give you a box of pizza. Sometimes we would have five games a week, so I’d get five boxes of pizza. It kind of sat on my stomach, without me doing much exercise or running, and I blew up. When I got back to football, the weight cut really quick because it was all extra and I didn’t need it on my body."

Les Miles is such a positive influence.

j

Saints top Pick.

A little comparison-between a 1st and 6th round pick.

Wall 6th round vs Robinson 1st round.

They are the same size.

Robinson is faster 4.42 vs 4.5- Vertical Explosion to Wall 40.5-Robinson 39.

Robinson only had 1 interception in his last 2years at Fla ST and created a rep as underachiever.

Ball Skills - Advantage Wall.

Wall played in a conference with more passing and practiced against the better passing teams, not to mention a Crabtree.

Wall had nearly the same grade as Robinson as a 2nd rounder until the East - West Shrine game where his stock dropped. Then he tweaked a hammy in 40 at pro day.

Excuses, Excuses.... or was he really hurt.... So he falls to Dallas and will be the 4th CB on the team.

Does anyone really think Robinson would be anymore than the 4th CB in Dallas?

The Saints used his soph year highlights in his press clip.

j

For the record Fla State game up more yards a game passing than Texas Tech with a much weaker scoring offense. Below is the individual stat comparison.

Year	GP	TKL	PBU	INT	YDS
6th rd	50	185	34	9	45
1st rd	44	117	21	7	87

2011 Draft and SEC

We can expect more players from the SEC in 2011 to blow past the 49 SEC players this year.

5 of top 10 picks being offense in early poll from ESPN.

Green-GA

Mallett-AR

Pouncy-FL

Ingram-AL

Jones-GA.

Also include Dareus, Hightower and Patterson and you may have 7 in top 12.

I would have Patterson in my top 5.

The SEC has now led or tied for the most selections in the NFL draft for 11 of the last 13 seasons and for the last four drafts.

j

Did you know the Kentucky Derby was Saturday?

Did you really care?

It is sad that it has fallen so far down in importance nationally.

I see where they are considering moving the time for a night time race.

j

Draft Grades

I read NFL expert Rick Gosselin grading of the draft.

A few others...Philly writer- Dallas A-, CBS like the draft also.

Gosselin is great in picking the players the teams draft, but I question his ability to break from his cronies in NFL reasoning.

Teams seem to be rated higher if they have a bigger need or he thought a player has more potential and he grades less on past production. I question his logic and comments.

Lets do a Dallas and New Orleans review from the article...Both had 6 picks.

First Dallas gets a C from Rick.

(Nearly every other expert had a minimum of a B some are A- )

The reasoning, the 4th-7th round picks are not likely to have an impact...?????

They get what he thinks is rookie of the year in Bryant, a starter in Lee and PROBABLY no other starters and it is a C.

To me, 2 starters with superstar moves it to no lower than B.

Saints Grade an A.

The reasoning - a 3rd pick on a TE that has only played 1 year and a BC center in the 5th round that could be starters. Did I mention they get points for drafting players that started on perennial college bowl teams with no mention that they were all under achievers, just that they could be starters for the Sains. I think his love of Saint Sean is showing.

Sorry, but I usually support Gosselin on his thought process, but I like the production of players over the players who never excelled.

My Grade for Saints- C

I like the Saints Boston College Center and QB Canfield, but I like Chase Daniels better.

3 of their first 4 Saints picks were considered disappointments in college.

Gosselin also gave the Bronco and Pats an A. ? How do the Pats add 13 players and 3 players prior to draft.

I do agree that the Chiefs and Seahawks were excellent.

I think he grades on liking the coaching staffs to develop people.

j

SEC Blows Them Out

Final tally: SEC 49, Big Ten 33, ACC 31, Big 12 30, Pac 10 28.

Schools: Fla 9, OK 7, AL 7, USC 7, TX 6, LSU 6, Iowa 6, Penn St 6, TN 6, Utah 6 (wow)

**Jevan Snead is the idiot of the year

S

NL Cy Young

Lincecum and Halladay are both 4-0 and hardly touched. Shaping up to be one of the all-time duels for the Cy Young award. I give Halladay the edge just because the Phillies are better than the Giants. Should be fun to watch.

S

NBA Playoffs

The Spurs' "complimentary" players are a little better than the Mavs'. At every position those other options for them have outplayed their Mavs counterpart. It's so frustrating getting SA in the first round. It can sure be painful being a Mavs fan.

Deron Williams is averaging 27 pts and 12 asst so far and shooting 53%. Would he now be your first choice to fill your point guard position if you started a team?

I'll say again that Scott Brooks is doing an incredible job with the Thunder. To be that young but play so hard and with so much confidence! I'm amazed at how effective they are defensively with so much youth. This series should build their confidence even more for next year.

S

Pujols

You may be tired of everyone telling you how good Pujols is and I know you have your doubts about his physique. But let's assume he's on the up and up. I did some work comparing his first 9 years with the all-time greats' best 9 years. If you look closely at the numbers you can absolutely make the case that he is one of the 3 best all-around hitters of the post-war era. I'm going to send you a spreadsheet because I can't figure out how to post one on this blog. I did include Bonds' pre-steroid numbers but I did not include A-Rod or Manny because their prime years are tainted. I believe you can conclude that Pujols is a little better than everyone other than Williams and maybe Musial. Also, note that I did not require the players other than Pujols to have 9 consecutive great years like he has. I threw out some off years for most of them. Only Pujols and Williams have started their careers with such consistent greatness right out of the gate. Most of these players had a "warm-up" year or 2 before hitting greatness. I included: Williams, Musial, Mays, Aaron, Robinson, Mantle, Bonds (pre-steroids), Fr Thomas, Vlad Guerrero (better than you think), Griffey Jr. If there were any surprises to me since I haven't looked at these numbers in quite some time, it was how good Mays was in a pitcher's era from a purely offensive standpoint, how good Bonds was without the 'roids, and how great Frank Thomas was before tailing off so fast. Will this happen to Pujols or will he continue into the upper echelon of all-timers?

S

Rex Ryan on Vernon Gholston

Asked about former first-round selection Ohio States Vernon Gholston’s(notes) move from rush linebacker to defensive end,

Jets coach Rex Ryan:

“He’ll soon be playing a new position – left out.”

Gholston is the poster child for the Herculean muscle body with straight ahead speed and low production day to day. Otherwise known as a "Workout Warrior."

j

Dallas 2nd Round Pick Sean Lee

Here are some comments form Dallas Morning News.

Lee, listed at 6 feet 2 and 236 pounds, had 11 tackles for a loss and two sacks last season. He also participated in pass coverage, intercepting one throw and breaking up eight other passes.
Lee was a fifth-year senior. He missed the 2008 season because of a torn anterior-cruciate ligament in the right knee. His play improved during the season, and Lee had a stellar performance in Penn State's victory over LSU in the Citrus Bowl.
In a pre-draft conversation, MIke Mayock of the NFL Network praised Lee for being ``smart, instinctive, a good solid football player. He makes plays.''

I've been 100 percent for a long time now," the 6-2, 236-pound Lee said during a conference call with Valley Ranch media, acknowledging that the knee still bothered him early last season.

Lee said several teams told him that they were concerned about his health, not his ability. He understands that line of thinking but prefers to look at the situation the other way.

I admit confusion at another LB as a pick.
Can we now assume that last year picks are considered a waste.

I hope that Lee is slated to play in the middle.

Brookings is old and Bradie James is well....James.


J

Did I mention she plays against boys in Florida?

Plant City Little League player, recently pitched her second perfect game in less than a year.
http://plantcity2.tbo.com/content/2010/apr/21/12-year-old-plant-city-girl-pitches-second-perfect/

This is the daughter of a great friend and one our former classmates.

She learned her knuckleball from former major-leaguer Joe Niekro, a Plant City resident who died in 2006. Her pitches have done more than make many children whiff at the plate; they have drawn attention to Baker on a national scale.

Curry is a proud papa.

J

I flipped channels to Inside The NBA

Is there any doubt that the NBA is out of touch with America.

The 3 experts posing as analyst.

Charles Barkley- Could he pass an 8th grade entrance exam.

Chris Webber-How does a criminal and crook like him get on TV.

Kenny Smith- Classy in comparison.

Ernie Johnson-Geez.

Well the reason I mentioned the show..

Durant was guarding Kobe last night one on one, blocking shots and causing serious problems.

I am shocked that Durant can play Kobe on both ends but the Lakers cannot do it in reverse without fouling.

Did I mention Durant had 29pt/19rebs and Kobe was 10/29 in shooting.

j

Rating the draft.

I really liked the Thursday Night addition.

I also like the delay before round 2.

I do not like to grade a draft, because it is not as relevant to me to consider a teams needs.

Some people downgraded Detroit because they did not need a defensive lineman and a RB.

That is ridiculous to me, since with those two picks they landed two special college talents.

Not good talent, special talents. Actually the best players in the two conferences.

Detroit, with two picks or not may have been my top pick.

Picks I really judge on talent and production with a lean toward the importance of the position.

Injuries or up and down career is a

Example. Short of Reed, I don't like safety unless they can cover like Berry with ball skills.

ILB - Filler position unless it is a Willis.

1. Detroit. Best DL, and special RB.

2. Seahawks- Best OL and Second Best DB.

3. Eagles-Best LB

4. Cowboys- Best WR - Without checked family life he would have been top 5 pick.

5. Chiefs - Best DB if he was corner I would have them 3rd.

6. Steelers-Best Center -

I cannot put Bradford on here, only because of the offense he ran and the injuries.

j

Round 1

I guess my headline would be "Claussen tumbles to 2nd day!" Romo should be doing the happy dance; he now has 2 big, fast, physical specimens on the outside. Jerry Hughes should be perfect for the Colts. I loved the Matthews pick for the Chargers, just what they need. I'm sure Kindle and McCoy are disappointed. Both could be really good in my opinion. That was really cool seeing Gerald McCoy crying, and Joe Haden also. The Philly & Giants picks will make life harder for Romo. Incredible the talent that Stoops had collected.

S

Saints

Two thing.

1. Drew Brees is out of his element in the NY public speaking arena.

That was a bit uncomfortable and against his persona bragging about the Madden Cover. I hope they paid him a lot of money for that speech.

He is still a classy guy.

2. Patrick Robinson- Good Athlete - Not great in talent or production.

I agree they needed a corner, so I cannot find fault.

I love a good DB more than any other defensive position and I would start 4 of them every play.

The tackling difference in a Safety and Corner can be negligible.

J

Gruden

First Gruden goes on national TV and makes fun of McCoy and his Texas accent.

Then he says he did it on purpose, ( I call BS.)

Tonight he drops a Dumb A loudly for everyone to here on a return from commercial break.

I was talking with Tony and he said it immediately...Did you hear what Gruden said.

So much for G rated TV.

Maybe I should forgive him for talking good about Tebow.

No doubtful.

J

Good for the Lions

I cannot believe the Vikings would trade with a rival.

I really like Best.

He is every bit of a player as Spiller and was the best (pun intended) rb I saw last year.

Suh and Best this year.

Last year. Stafford and Pettigrew.

They seem to be turning the corner if they can keep Stafford upright.

Now they need a defense, they are horrible.

j

Year of the Big 12

9 players in top 24 and no National Titles.

Top 4 and 5 of top 6.

Wow.

Has Stoops really lost it?

The funny thing is that they should do it again next year.

SEC has 7 but should pass everyone in the later rounds and especially Free agency.

Heck I have forgotten how many titles...Oh yea, all of them.

j

Saints

I really wanted to see Weatherspoon go there.

Kindle is a freak, I thought he was the best player in Tx coming out of HS and felt that

he was under utilitzed.

The TCU players just hasn't played the same level of football.

J

NFC East

I love the Eagles pick. My favorite LB.

I think the Giants know how to pick pass rushers.

Redskins- Well, I just do not know.

OKLA players worry me just like TX players.

I worry about the mental toughness since Switzer left.

J

Tebow

I actually clapped.

Denver trades up to get him, while Buffalo was trying to do the same.

Now let the critics come out of the closet with his short comings.

No worries, they can recant or forget it in 3 years.

He was the best athlete and QB in HS and College.

Has anyone actually ever seen him not get it done because of his play?

Now lets see if the arrogant NFL players can judge him for what he does on the field and not what they have said while watching him on tape when throwing at Florida.

I think Kiper, Young and Jackson are about to have a heart attack.

I found this article almost immediately afterwards.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/13275324/broncos-mcdaniels-can-kiss-job-goodbye-with-tebow-pick?tag=pageRow&pageContainer=

j

Dallas Draft

How hard is it watch a Jerry Jones Draft. Maybe this year a kicker will not be the highlight.

I never expected Dez Bryant to fall that far, now lets see if Calvin Hill can keep him out of jail or league suspensions.

Two years ago, I thought he was the best WR in college.

The reports are they traded 3rd and 4th round draft positions.

j

Hypocrisy in Steeltown

The Rooney's are playing holy men with Big Ben.

This is a franchise that won 4 superbowls with admitted steriod problems before they were popular.

Good for them, but please!

j

Big Ben and the rumors.

If it is true that he is open for a top 10.

Tampa Bay should jump. (unless my suspicion is true that he has many bad issues hidden by the NFL and Pittsburgh.

They have a young QB, but Ben is the real deal and fits the toughness.

NFL Draft.

My hopes for Dallas:

1. - Pouncey Drops a bit and the Cowboys move up and pick him up.

Trade current all[pro center for picks next year. I love a center that is special and grows with a QB.

2. Pick up Tate in round 2 to compliment Austin.

Ware comments on OL-"We’ve got to go and draft and guy or even get [Adams] back, because I mean, if you can’t protect a quarterback’s back, you’re going to have problems," Ware said during his interview with the NFL Live crew last night.

3. The rest of the Picks on OL with quickness and DB's with quickness and ball skills.

Notice I did not say speed. I hate the combine freaks.

Saints-

1. I would move up for Weatherspoon if possible. The kid is non-stop aggression.

The OL with quickness, this is more important for them as the NFL catches up with the schemes that Saint Sean runs.

2. DB's all sizes, people are constantly playing catch up or fearing an offensive explosion so the other teams will be extremely aggressive.

3. At some point pick up Dexter from Ole Miss. Forget the 40, he is elusive and can catch the ball. He will make the Bush salary expendable.

Rams-

1. Suh

2. Move up to make sure I get Colt McCoy.

Rumors

1. Cowboys trade with Miami Dolphins: This surfaced last night that the Cowboys were shopping defensive end Marcus Spears to the Dolphins for possibly the No. 12 pick in the first round. Seems the Dolphins want to move down to No. 27, where Dallas is selecting.

Love it.

2. Martellus Bennett on trading block: We're not sure if the young tight end will leave the Cowboys this season, but there is some interest in his untapped potential.

Love it.

Barber should be packaged also.

Saints-

Dream scenario: They done such a good job filling in depth at defensive end that it’s no longer a huge need. That leaves outside linebacker as the only really big need. The Saints likely would be very happy to land a linebacker like Weatherspoon or Jerry Hughes and get some depth at defensive tackle and tight end over the next few rounds. Plan B: The Saints aren’t desperate in any area. If a linebacker isn’t there with value in the first round, they can save that for a bit later and perhaps draft a defensive tackle or tight end first. The Saints are capable of surprises and a running back in the first few rounds isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

j

HS Baseball

Zach Lee of McKinney High and signed with LSU as a QB/Pitcher is currently 9-0 with 73 k's in 46 innings.

Rockwall-Heath is 30-0 and ranked #1 in the state in 4A with McKinney ranked right behind. Heath has hardly been challenged.

S

Lincecum Historically

I did a little work trying to find comparables to what Tim Lincecum has done out of the gate in his career. Amazingly it's difficult to find anyone to stack up, although with more time you could probably find some. In the modern era, looking at the greats, only Seaver among righthanders came out in his first 3 years as strong as Lincecum. I looked at Palmer, Clemens, Maddux, Gibson, Marichal, Roberts, Feller and none of them had anywhere near his kind of success in their first 3 years. You have to go back to people like Alexander and Mathewson.

Lincecum 43-17 2.84 .717 W/L% .216 opp avg 1.14 hit+walk/inning 3.2 k/bb ratio
Seaver 57-32 2.38 .640 W/L% .223 opp avg 1.07 hit+walk/inning 2.8 k/bb ratio
Mathewson 64-47 2.27 .577 W/L% .225 opp avg 1.15 hit+walk/inning 2.4 k/bb ratio

S

Hamilton - 1 year wonder?

Speaking of sinking feelings; Hamilton is hitting .205 with 0 homers on the heels of his disaster in 2009. He's so mixed up he doesn't know who he is anymore. Thank God Daniels didn't give him a big contract after '08. He might have to go to 3A to get his head right. Without him rebounding this year Rangers don't have a chance.

S

John Danks

Last night's stat line for Danks: 8-2-1-1-2-9. He sits 2-0 1.29 for the year after 3 starts, having allowed 1 earned run in each. Total thus far: 21-12-3-3-6-21. The more he pitches the more I have this sinking feeling in my stomach. You know the story; Rangers draft him 9th overall out of Round Rock, TX and he becomes the face of the franchise's future. Inexplicably they give up on him before he even makes his major league debut. He takes his lumps as a rookie (very similar rookie stats to Glavine). Since then in the following 2+ seasons he carries a 3.55 era. He will pitch this year as a 25 year old. A young lefty with a career 2.3/1 strike-out to walk ratio who averages 7.1 K per 9. It just makes me want to be sick.

S

Did you see the penalty on the golf playoff hole.

Brian Davis calls a 2 stroke penalty on his self for hitting a loose reed on his backswing in thing they call a trap. Furyk get the win and the world sees that golf is truly different. (Well with a couple of exceptions.)

That is an honorable thing to do by the English man.

By the way, I absolutely despise that rule. I do not think they perceived loose debris with reeds and grass in the bunkers when the rule was written.

j

Will Dirk have to do this every night.

The Mavs slip by in game 1. 100-94

If Dirk has to play like this for a win, the Mav's are going down.

Thank goodness for Butler and Haywood.

12 of 14 from the floor. 36 pts, Of course, you wonder why he only shot 14 times.

2 seed get this SAT team that knows how to win in the playoffs without Parker and it is still close.

Ouch.

So much for Sun's looked good prediction. The Blazers beat them without their best player.

Portland was 11-17 from FT in the 4th quarter with 3.7 seconds and still won. How?

j

One more post on NFL OT

Explain to me how this was addressed if a team scores a TD on the first possession the game is over?

It is better than the Sudden Death fiasco of the past, but still inadequate.

NFL commissioner Quote.

"Is it truly fair when one team doesn't get the opportunity to possess the ball? I think we've come up with a balanced system that is thoughtful, respects the game, and respects the people who play it.''

j

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/03/28/bradford/2.html

Peter King on McCoy

As of today, I've got him in the first half of the second round, which I think is a big, big mistake for quarterback-needy teams between 20 and 40. Other than a maddening tendency to hold the ball way too long in the pocket and almost invite sacks, McCoy has few weaknesses and I believe he will be a good starting NFL quarterback for the team lucky enough to have him fall to them.

I would probably take McCoy over any of the other QB's.

He seems like the best bet in my opinion on staying healthy and accurate.

You know this is hard for me to write with the history of pampered Texas Longhorns athletes being a bit soft with working and accepting criticism.

Besides, a culturally bias sports show host said that he needed to change his accent. That peeved me more than a little.

J

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/04/16/five.things/index.html#ixzz0lPqd8KC5

Did I mention I want Dallas to get Golden Tate.

From Cbssports.( Per Jonathan, let me clarify, not the 1st round pick, but he is that talented. )

As you know I love quickness and Tate has it, a weak point for th Cowboys on the outside.

Tate was "the best player on the field" at quarterback Jimmy Clausen's April 9 pro day, according to a scout on hand who spoke to NFLDraftScout.com's Rob Rang. At 5-feet-10, 199 pounds, Tate is undersized but continues to display agility, acceleration and excellent moves in the open field that could make him one of this year's steals of the draft.

His QB had some problems. I knew he was inaccurate in games, but compared to McCoy and Bradford this is really bad.

Clausen threw in front of scouts from 16 NFL team for the first time since January surgery on his right big toe and acquitted himself well in a throwing session scripted by former NFL offensive coordinator and current Montreal Alouttes coach Marc Trestman. He completed 57 of 59 passes, but didn't run any bootlegs or rollouts while declaring himself "75-80 percent" of full strength. He remains NFLDraftScout.com's No. 2-rated quarterback behind Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, but he could be facing a significant slide with Washington no longer in need of a quarterback with the No. 4 overall pick after acquiring Donovan McNabb. If he slips past Seattle (No. 6) and Buffalo (No. 9), Clausen could fall well into the second half of the first round.

j

Three of the CBS mock drafts had the Boy's picking a OT, all different people and McShay on Espn picked a different OT, what a crap shoot.

They had 4 people with the saints picking Sean Weatherspoon. I like Weatherspoon a lot.

j

Top SS - LSU Jones Makes the list.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft?tag=globalNav;nfldraft

	1. Chad Jones 6-2, 221, LSU
	2. Reshad Jones 6-1, 214, Georgia
	3. Darrell Stuckey 6-0, 205, Kansas
	4. T.J. Ward 5-11, 211, Oregon
	5. Kurt Coleman 5-10, 192, Ohio State

Scouts Inc top 15

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft layer	Pos.	School	Grade
1. Gerald McCoy*	DT	Oklahoma	98
2. Ndamukong Suh	DT	Nebraska	97
3. Sam Bradford*	QB	Oklahoma	96
4. Eric Berry*	S	Tennessee	96
5. Russell Okung	OT	Oklahoma State	96
6. Bryan Bulaga*	OT	Iowa	95
7. Earl Thomas*	S	Texas	95
8. Trent Williams	OT	Oklahoma	94
9. Derrick Morgan*	DE	Georgia Tech	94
10. C.J. Spiller	RB	Clemson	94
11. Joe Haden*	CB	Florida	94
12. Dez Bryant*	WR	Oklahoma State	94
13. Jason Pierre-Paul	DE	South Florida	93
14. Dan Williams	DT	Tennessee	93
15. Rolando McClain*	ILB	Alabama	93