Yardbarker: Dallas Stars

Thanks for the Memories, Sean

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:46:18 -0500

Sean Avery was certainly one of the more interesting characters to play for the New York Rangers over the years. He didn't have the quiet dignity of a Jean Ratelle. He didn't have the class of an Adam Graves. He didn't arrive as a Hall-of-Famer like Mark Messier or Phil Esposito. But he was an instigator. He was an agitator. And he was fun. He likes actresses. He doesn't like Canada. He likes fashion. He doesn't like radio broadcasters from Toronto. He likes shooting his mouth off. And he really doesn't like Martin Brodeur. Avery's battles with his arch nemesis are already legendary. Nobody can get under Brodeur's skin like Avery. He has the ability to turn the goaltender into a quivering mess. Whether you agree with his "Slap Shot"–like antics or not, they worked. The Rangers beat the Devils by getting Brodeur to concentrate on everything but stopping the puck. Brodeur couldn't even shake Avery's hand after the series. He was last seen rocking back and forth in a padded room muttering, "Avery…Avery…Avery." Now Avery has to find someone in the Western Conference to torture. You really can't blame Glen Sather for letting Avery walk away. Is he worth $15.5 million over four years? No. It seemed like whenever he was in the lineup, the Rangers won. But at the same time, he missed a lot of games with an assortment of injuries, which hurt the team. And even when did take the ice, he was inconsistent. Look at the 2006/07 playoffs?he had a goal and four assists in the sweep of Atlanta but then came up empty with zero points when the Rangers were beaten by Buffalo. Though he was only with the Rangers for a little over one season, it was certainly a memorable time. He's always got something to say, whether you like it or not. He often mixed it up with the other team and could turn the Garden crowd into a raucous mob. Just about every player in the league can't stand him, but that's all part of the fun. But hockey is not his whole life. He's been spending the summer interning at Vogue (remember when Gordie Howe did that?), and says he's more passionate about fashion than hockey. And now he's heading to Texas. Have fun with that fashion thing there, Sean. But anyway, good luck and thanks for the memories. We'll always have Martin Brodeur.

It Appears That It’s My Turn To Not Hate Sean Avery For A Few Seasons

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:04:36 -0500

Tirico Suave. Apparently, now your number one source for hockey news on the net. While the rest of the blogosphere buzzes bout Baron Davis's move to the Clippers, (wow, an early congrats to LAC on winning around 45 games next season, finishing 7th or 8th in the West and getting swept by the Lakers or [...]

Avery Era Is Over...

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:16:06 -0500

According to Fan590 is Toronto the Dallas Stars and controversial former New York Rangers winger Sean Avery have agreed to a 4 year $15.5 million dollar contract for $3.875 million per year, the exact contract that Avery had been seeking......

Avery Signs $16M Deal with Dallas

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:04:34 -0500

Sean Avery is strapping on his spurs and heading to Dallas, where the Stars have agreed to lavish the professional pest with a four-year, $16 million deal. While it seems the Rangers were interested in bring Avery back, GM Glen Sather was unwilling to come anywhere near that exorbitant figure. As I've stated in the past, Avery is a guy who was denied his petition for a $2.6 million annual salary in arbitration last offseason and was instead award a one-year, $1.9 million pact. The notion that the diminutive winger is worth anywhere near $4 million annually is absurd, regardless of the Rangers' win-loss record with and without him. Speaking of which, that win-loss record might not be so stark were Avery in the lineup every day. Avery missed a whopping 25 games last season due to injury. We'll miss you around here, Sean. Hell, I made a t-shirt design in your honor. But as we noted here yesterday, the Rangers have already begun to prepare for life without you. Now we can all sit back and wait for the parting shots Avery is sure to deliver on his way out the door.

Who scored on NHL Free Agent Day? (Full List inc.)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:42:13 -0500

Here is a list of the 17 most notable moves along with commentary on who got the better of whom:

Top 7 :: No-Name MLB All Stars Since 1990

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:43:54 -0500

All-Star balloting for this year's game at Yankee Stadium (surely to feature one of those "this ticket went for $50,000 stories) ends next week, as fans set the starting lineups before players drop out with injuries and they must be re-set. There has been some talk this year about how much home-field means since so many teams have extraordinary records at home, but you know what that means?when it comes time for the World Series, the exact opposite will happen. Since the "home-field" policy was instituted, there has only been one Game 6 played, and the road team was the winner.

Enough bickering about that?time for something else to complain about. Each year, there is a microcosm of events that leads to pretty bad players being selected for their league's team, a combination of injuries to other players, the "all teams must be represented" little league rule, and an occasional mind-boggling manager decision. Since 1990, here are the worst players that have played in the game.

7. Jose Rosado, 1997, 1999
This Royal starter finished 4th in the rookie of the year balloting the year before and parlayed that into an appearance in the midsummer "classic" the following year. This list could be changed into "Top 7 Sole Appearing All-Star Royals" pretty easily. Had to get a Royals shot in here somewhere since they swept the Cardinals and are playing again this weekend. Rosado returned to the game in '99, a season which he finished 10-14.

6. Jose Lopez, 2006
Lopez is a good example of a guy who came out of nowhere with a good first half, was rewarded with an All-Star Game, tailed off in the second half, and has since stuck around the majors as a guy barely able to keep an everyday job. Now, two years later, you look back and wonder how in the world below-average hitting Mariner second baseman Jose Lopez ever made the All-Star team.

5. Kent Bottenfield, 1999
Bottenfield is one of Cardinal fans' all-time favorites. Pitching for an atrocious Cardinal team, he was somehow able to luck into a combination of good run support and great bullpen help (from an ungodly horrible bullpen at that), turning his record from a standard .500-on-a-crappy-team to an All-Star level well-over-.500-standing-out-on-said-crappy-team. And for Cards' fans, it turned into eight years of Jim Edmonds and the greatest run in franchise history. As an added bonus, Bottenfield is an award winning Christian rock star and strongly resembles every player in the original RBI Baseball.

4. Ron Coomer, 1999
Granted, it was hard not to root for Coomer, he had the likable persona of Ham from The Sandlot or the guy in your neighborhood who would always crush the ball in your backyard. But neither of those guys ever made a major league All-Star team, at least not that I could research.

3. Ken Harvey, 2004
Here's a good one, a guy who hit .270 for a couple of years with a few homers, ended up backing into an All-Star appearance since he was on the Royals, had twelve at-bats the following year, and has not sniffed the majors since.

2. Lance Carter, 2003
He is probably the most notorious example from this decade. The Rays, when they still had their Devil adjective in front of their name, needed an All-Star, and they went with lefty specialist reliever and eventual closer Carter, who ended the '03 season with a 4.39 ERA. His other accomplishment is much more impressive, the elite "baseball players named Lance" club, joining Berkman, Cormier, Johnson, Broadway, Blankenship, Niekro, Parrish, and Painter.

1. Scott Cooper, 1993, 1994
He may be the perfect example of the differences between "decent everyday player" and "All-Star." In his 1993 All-Star season, he hit .279 with 9 homers and 63 RsBI and a .353 OB%. The next year, .279 with 13 homers, 53 RsBI and a .355 OB%. Average numbers, but no All-Star. Cooper's name is mentioned a lot when various points are made about the one-per-team rule and others, so it's only natural that he gains the top spot on the list?especially since he made it twice. Unlike Rosado, Cooper didn't pitch 200 innings in each of his seasons.

The Top 7 is written by Jason Major. He forgot to mention that Cooper was more popular than he deserved because he was the replacement to Wade Boggs. Email him at jason@joesportsfan.com

The Soul Glo All-Stars

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:35:00 -0500

Has there ever been a more awesome baseball hairstyle than the Jheri Curl? Short answer ... no. Let your Soul Glow !!

The 2008 Playoffs: Where the Revival of the NBA's Two Flagship Franchises Happened

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:50:10 -0500

One year ago, the NBA's two flagship franchises appeared to be in total disarray. The Boston Celtics had just completed a demoralizing 24-58 season and their "reward" for posting the worst record in the Eastern Conference was the fifth pick in what was considered to be a two player draft. The L.A. Lakers earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 42-40 record and got destroyed 4-1 by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant had just won his second straight scoring title with a 31.6 ppg average and he poured in a playoff career-high 32.8 ppg versus the Suns but he did not look forward to wasting the prime years of his career going into battle with Kwame Brown and Smush Parker starting at the two most important positions, center and point guard. Bryant had always wanted to be a Laker for life but he also wanted to win championships, so he publicly blasted the team's management and demanded that they work as hard to put together a championship team as he worked at being the best player in the league. What a difference a year makes! The Celtics packaged the fifth overall pick with other considerations and acquired All-Star guard Ray Allen from a rebuilding Seattle team. Now that the Celtics had two All-Stars on the roster, Kevin Garnett agreed to be traded from Minnesota to Boston and the remade Celtics were suddenly a bona fide threat to win the East and contend for a championship. Meanwhile, young Andrew Bynum emerged as a legit double double threat and the Lakers raced to a 26-11 start. Bynum went down with what turned out to be a season ending knee injury but Bryant held the team together until the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis in exchange for Brown and other considerations. The Lakers now had a legit second option, which meant that overmatched second option Lamar Odom could now become a solid third option. The Celtics finished with the best record in the NBA (66-16), while the Lakers had the best record in perhaps the most competitive Western Conference race ever (57-25). The top two seeds have generally not both made it to the Finals in recent seasons but the Celtics and Lakers each vanquished tough foes to advance to the championship round, where Boston earned the right to hoist a 17th championship banner, denying Phil Jackson his 10th coaching title and Bryant his fourth ring as a player and in the process completing the one blank space on the Hall of Fame resumes of Garnett, Allen and 2008 Finals MVP Paul Pierce. I correctly predicted the outcome of 12 of the 15 playoff series this year and I correctly predicted that the Celtics and Lakers would meet in the Finals; my three incorrect predictions were that the Lakers would beat the Celtics, the Suns would beat the Spurs and the Mavericks would beat the Hornets. Last year, I also went 12-3, including picking the correct Finals matchup and the eventual winner. In 2006, I went 10-5 but did not correctly pick either Finalist, while in 2005 I went 9-6, correctly picking both Finalists but picking the wrong champion. So, in four years of posting playoff predictions online I have a 43-17 record (.716) and I have correctly picked six out of eight Finalists, though I have only been right about one out of four champions. Here are some final thoughts and observations about each of the 16 playoff teams: 1) My default position about players and teams is skepticism and there were plenty of good reasons to be skeptical about the Celtics prior to the start of the season. None of their "Big Three" had been able to lead their teams to the playoffs in 2007, the Boston bench was of questionable quality (Danny Ainge shrewdly strengthened it later in the season) and neither Pierce nor Allen had previously been known as great defensive players. However, once I saw the Celtics play during the regular season I began to modify my opinion of their team because they played so hard and so well defensively night after night. After their 5-0 start, I was already convinced that they could win more than 60 games, a significant departure from my preseason expectations. A couple days later, I saw them in person for the first time, observed that Pierce was playing at an elite level offensively and concluded, "I am impressed by how hard they played throughout the game, particularly on defense...Call it tenacity, heart or will to win, the great teams have it and that is how they win even when they are not at their best. The Celtics provided a glimpse of this against Indiana and it will be interesting to see if they can replicate such efforts at playoff time against the very best teams." The Celtics proved to be the best team in the NBA from start to finish, answering all questions about chemistry, defense and depth. The only question now is whether or not they can duplicate this high level of play next season. It is unlikely that they will win 66 regular season games, because that requires not only skill and tenacity but also good health, something that is hard to maintain two years in a row; the real issue is what level will the Celtics be playing at by the time next year's playoffs roll around. Are the "Big Three" satisfied with winning one title or will they pursue a repeat title with the same hunger that fueled their chase for the 2008 championship? My initial thought is, as usual, that I am skeptical; it is difficult to repeat, though the teams that have done so in the past 15 years were tough minded squads led by multiple All-Stars, a description that certainly fits the Celtics. 2) The blowout loss in game six of the Finals was without question a bitter pill for the Lakers to swallow but it should not lead to rash judgments or actions. The Lakers still have the same strengths that enabled them to not only post the best record in the West but also defeat three 50-plus win teams in the playoffs: they have a Hall of Fame coach, the best all-around player in the NBA and a high powered offense. The Finals highlighted the weaknesses that they overcame to have such a great season: a lack of toughness that manifests itself defensively and on the boards and the lack of a legit, top flight small forward who can make a significant offensive contribution and/or lock down the opposing team's high scoring small forward. If Andrew Bynum returns to health and is productive then he can start at center and Pau Gasol can shift to power forward. In that scenario, the ideal move for the Lakers would be to trade Lamar Odom for a quality small forward. Odom is not an ideal small forward, so a frontline of Bynum-Gasol-Odom is not feasible, despite what some people may try to convince you; the only way that those three players can effectively coexist is if one of them comes off of the bench. Gasol is the second best player on the team, so he is not going to be a reserve. Bynum is the best postup player, so it does not make sense to sit him either. 3) As long as the San Antonio Spurs have Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich they are going to be a formidable team. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are perfect complements to Duncan and the Spurs do an excellent job of finding veteran players who fit in perfectly to their system. Barring injuries or a marked decline by Duncan, the Spurs should be right back in the mix as a contender. 4) Joe Dumars finally figured out that Flip Saunders was never going to lead the Pistons back to the Finals, let alone win a championship. The question now is whether the team's championship-contending window is still open with the current nucleus of players or if Dumars is going to overhaul the roster. Until I see what happens on that front it is impossible to predict how good the Pistons will be in 2009. 5) The Utah Jazz have a dynamic young duo in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, plus a talented supporting cast that includes two former All-Stars, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko. They certainly have to be considered a Western Conference contender. If not for Kobe Bryant's heroics against them in the Western Conference semifinals (33.2 ppg, 7.2 apg, 7.0 rpg, .491 field goal shooting) they could very well have made it to the Finals for the first time since the Stockton-Malone era. 6) The Cleveland Cavaliers remain one of the most misunderstood and underrated teams in the league. All season long I heard "experts" talking about how the Cavs would not even make the playoffs, a ludicrous idea that I consistently rejected. The Cavaliers' formula for success is the brilliance of LeBron James, defense and rebounding. Everyone except Skip Bayless realizes that LeBron James is a great player but few people appreciate or respect the way that Coach Mike Brown has turned the Cavs into San Antonio East in terms of defense and rebounding. What happened to the Cavs in the playoffs is that they ran into a Boston team that matched their commitment defensively and on the glass and had three All-Stars to match James' offensive production. The Cavs need one more player who can create his own shot and/or create shots for other players but even if they don't add that player they still will be a serious Eastern Conference contender next year. Injuries or personnel moves around the league could change this but right now they are the biggest threat to knock off the Celtics in the East. 7) Chris Paul emerged as the best point guard in the NBA, David West is probably still underrated even though he made the All-Star team and New Orleans looks like a legit Western Conference contender. The playoff experience that the Hornets gained this year should serve them well in the future. The Hornets' defense is underrated and that defense--combined with the brilliance of the Paul-West duo--could very well carry them to the Western Conference Finals in 2009. 8) Dwight Howard is already the dominant low post force in the NBA and the scary thing is that he is still improving. I question whether Jameer Nelson is a championship level point guard and I think that the Magic need to still improve their overall talent base but Orlando is a team on the rise. 9) I've been saying for a couple years that the Raptors are the Phoenix Suns East: that means that they can win a lot of regular season games and be a tough playoff matchup but unless they become more stout defensively and on the glass they will not beat Boston, Cleveland, Detroit or Orlando in a seven game series. 10) The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the real surprise teams of the season--as opposed to a team like the Cavs that only surprised people who were foolish enough to not understand how good they are. No one expected the 76ers to be a playoff team. Whenever a young team comes out of the woodwork like that there is always a question of whether they were one year wonders or if this was the first step toward bigger and better things. I think that the Sixers took the first step toward bigger and better things but they won't be a serious contender unless they upgrade their roster a little bit and become a better half court team. 11) The Phoenix Suns were never going to win a championship with their previous nucleus, so I still think that trading for Shaquille O'Neal was a worthwhile risk to take, even though they still failed to beat the Spurs. New Coach Terry Porter will surely try to instill more of a defensive mindset in this team but if the Suns' championship window has not close the opening is very, very small: young teams have emerged in L.A., New Orleans and Utah and the Suns have yet to prove that they can beat their old nemesis San Antonio, let alone deal with the new kids on the block. 12) Point blank, it seems like the Mavericks have never recovered from blowing a 2 3/4 games to 0 lead over the Miami Heat in the 2006 Finals; one more good quarter and they might have swept Diesel and Flash but it's been all downhill for the Mavs since Gary Payton hit one of his few playoff field goals in 2006. The Mavs still have a very good team but it just seems like the rest of the top West teams are better than they are now. 13) Houston put together an amazing winning streak but everyone understood that the Rockets could not go far in the West playoffs without Yao Ming. If Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming can both stay healthy for a full season, this would be a very formidable team. Rick Adelman has proven that he can take teams deep into the playoffs, though he has yet to win a title. 14) The Atlanta Hawks almost rewrote the entire script of the 2008 playoffs, pushing the Celtics to seven games in the first round. The future looks bright but keep in mind that Golden State knocked off the defending conference champion one year and did not even make the playoffs (albeit in a very tough conference) the next season. As with the Sixers, there is the question of whether the Hawks are a team on the rise or a one year wonder. 15) The Denver Nuggets are the NBA's mystery team: they have a former MVP who is still playing at a high level (Allen Iverson), one of the premier scorers in the league (Carmelo Anthony), a former Defensive Player of the Year (Marcus Camby), a top sixth man (J.R. Smith)--and yet they simply cannot get out of the first round of the playoffs. Despite all of the talent on their roster, they have problems at both ends of the court: their defense is terrible and their offensive execution is wildly inconsistent, with Iverson and Anthony taking turns running the show while the other players pick up the table scraps that are left over. It is either entertaining or sickening to realize that ESPN pays "expert" Stephen A. Smith a lot of money for "insights" such as saying prior to the 2008 season that the Cavs won't make the playoffs and the Nuggets would win the West. Hey, I don't get everything right but I don't miss the mark that wildly either. 16) The Washington Wizards will never make it further than the second round of the playoffs as long as Gilbert Arenas is their primary offensive option. Period. I don't care how certain people crunch various numbers to "prove" his value and I don't care that the Wizards were once in first place in the East for a minute and a half almost two years ago when Arenas had some high scoring games. Arenas is a player who is primarily focused on scoring points and on settling old scores (being a second round pick, being left off of Team USA, etc.). It seems highly unlikely that he will ever change his mindset and that makes him ill equipped to lead a legit contender. OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK Portable, Battery-Driven CT Scanner for Bats to Be Unveiled - The Biz of Baseball MLB Launches "Welcome Back Veterans" Initiative - The Biz of Baseball Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from Red Sox/Cards Game - The Biz of Baseball Matt Sosnick Talks Being a Player Agent - The Biz of Baseball New Bidders in the Mix for Cubs. One Would Offer Shares - The Biz of Baseball Anheuser-Busch to Sponsor New Meadowlands Stadium - The Biz of Football Big Ten Network Nearing First Major Cable Deal with Comcast - The Biz of Football Cowboys Stadium Site Allows Fans to View Their Seat Before They Buy Tickets - The Biz of Football Former NFL Steroids Dealer Found Shot to Death - The Biz of Football Cowboys, Bank of America Extend Sponsorship Deal - The Biz of Football NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey NBC Reports 6.8 Million Viewers for Game 6. Up 111% from 2006 - The Biz of HockeyNASCAR on TNT Live: Comments and Interviews from the Toyota/Save Mart 350 from Infineon Raceway in Sonoma - Maury Brown's Biz of SportsDavid Friedman is a weekly contributor to the Business of Sports Network. To read more of his basketball articles, just take a 20 Second Timeout. His general sports commentary can be found at Best Ever Sports Talk, where "Tiger's High Stakes Gamble Pays Off—For Now," "Tiger Woods Marches—and Limps—Toward Golf Immortality," "Sports are Part of What Makes Us Uniquely Human" and "'The Kid' is 'The Man': Griffey Blasts His 600th Home Run—Naturally" are among the subjects that have been recently discussed.

Riding The Learning Curve

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:22:47 -0500

At age 23, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has seen his star rise in recent months. How do Fleury's numbers and achievements to this point in his career compare to some of his peers? Is he the second coming of Martin Brodeur, or just another product of the French-Canadian goalie factory? Look at the numbers and judge for yourself.

Keita Stars For Mali

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:45:23 -0500

It was a good weekend for two of Barça's African players. On Saturday Samuel Eto'o scored both goals including a last minute winner in Cameroon's 2-1 victory over Tanzania, while yesterday Seydou Keita scored twice in Mali's 3-0 win over Sudan. Both Cameroon and Mali lead their respective qualifying groups for the 2010 World Cup. "Keita Stars For [...]

Create The Caption #230

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:52:49 -0500

(Usually) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues. I'm also adding a handful of links at the bottom of the page that you should check out each day.

Last Thursday's Winners....

"Hey, Peyton...hey...hey...hey how much ya wanna bet I can throw this football over them mountains?"- Anon

"10 Seconds later Marsha Brady's prom will be ruined."- Sanity Has Gone South

"Eli's gut reflects the great toll it takes on your body to endure a long championship-winning season . . . in the Double Stuffed Racing League."- Collin

"Five seconds later: Peyton has gone through three sets of audibles and Eli got picked off by a fourth grade girl."- Mal
_______________________________________

Are you funny enough to create a caption for this photo of Candace Parker throwing it down during a WNBA game this past weekend?

Daily Links:

Shrutebag Says All Men Are Not Created Equal (DC Sports Bog)
The NBA Draft And Nickelback (Ryan Parker Songs)
An Interview With NJIT's Head Coach (Storming The Floor)
Sharapova Going With Shorts For Wimbledon (Booooo!) (The Big Picture)
A Trip To The Pirates' All You Can Eat Section (Mondesi's House)
Wall-E And The Future Of Sports (Fan Sided)
The Luckiest People In Sports (Rumors and Rants)
The Jeff Conine All-Stars (Money Shot)
A Look At The TB Bucs Cheerleaders (Uncoached)
More Iron Ref Goodness (HHR)

MLB Launches "Welcome Back Veterans" Initiative

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:17:42 -0500

Major League Baseball today announced a series of national fundraising and awareness initiatives over the July 4th weekend and on September 11th for Welcome Back Veterans, which addresses the mental health and job needs of returning American Veterans.Welcome Back Veterans was created by New York Mets Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fred Wilpon and a group of private citizens. Supported by Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and the McCormick Foundation, the goal of Welcome Back Veterans is to raise $100 million and provide 100,000 job opportunities for Veterans. All creative materials for the charitable organization, including television, radio and online creative, were produced pro bono by McCann Erickson North America in conjunction with the Ad Council. This includes a series of public service advertisements featuring Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks and directed by Bennett Miller, nominated for an Oscar for his direction of Capote.The announcement was made this afternoon at a press conference at Major League Baseball Offices in Manhattan. The event featured Fred Wilpon; General David L. Grange, retired United States Army Brigadier General and President and CEO of the McCormick Foundation and third baseman David Wright of the New York Mets.For games throughout the July 4 weekend and on September 11th, all Major League Baseball teams will wear “Stars Stripes” caps that are available for sale to the public with a portion of the proceeds going to Welcome Back Veterans. These official New Era caps can be purchased beginning today at www.shop.mlb.com.All home teams over the July 4th weekend will host ceremonies honoring Veterans in their community. For games on July 4th, “Welcome Back Veterans” will adorn the bases and ceremonial home plates. There will be custom lineup cards, with a place for a local veteran to place his or her signature. Among many fundraising activities, MLB.com will auction off a set of bases, game-worn caps and a specially-designed team jersey to benefit the Welcome Back Veterans Fund.“Major League Baseball considers it both an obligation and a privilege to assist our troops in any way we can,” said Bob DuPuy, President Chief Operating Officer, Major League Baseball and a veteran who served a year in Vietnam and received the Army Commendation Medal for his service. “Welcome Back Veterans was created to help our brave men and women make a successful transition to civilian life when their service to their country has ended. We ask that all Major League Baseball fans join us on July 4th weekend and on September 11th in this grand-scale effort to raise funds and bring awareness to this vital cause.”“I congratulate Major League Baseball on this extraordinary act of compassion for our veterans throughout our Independence Day weekend,” said General Grange. “With Welcome Back Veterans, Major League Baseball is providing financial support and, just as importantly, shining a light on the challenges facing our returning men and women of the armed forces.”Welcome Back Veterans has teamed with the University Hospitals of Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, the University of Michigan and Stanford University, which are developing treatment procedures for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health issues of returning Veterans and their families. In addition, Welcome Back Veterans is working closely with corporate America to provide 100,000 job opportunities for returning Veterans.“This is a cause that transcends everything, so I encourage all baseball fans to join us over July 4th weekend and on September 11th in supporting Welcome Back Veterans,” said David Wright, the Mets’ third baseman. “When it comes to supporting our veterans, everyone in Major League Baseball is on the same team.”For additional information on Welcome Back Veterans, please go to www.welcomebackveterans.org (http://www.welcomebackveterans.org).Source: Major League Baseball press release Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

Becky Hammon Drive and Dish Offense

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:11:23 -0500

The San Antonio Silver Stars took on the winless Atlanta Dream last night in the WNBA, and the result was as expected. The Stars took the game on the road thanks to strong games by the duo of Becky Hammon and Ann Wauters.

It was probably more to do with the poor defense by the Dream than excellent offense by the Silver Stars, but nonetheless, Hammon was able to drive at will last night. She reminds me of a Steve Nash type of a player, can get into the teeth of the defense, then make the right play. Here are a couple of drive and dish plays from the second half,

Drive and Dish:

That's why it's critical that your players are good 1v1 defenders, so that they won't get beat on the perimeter and require your interior defenders to leave their man and stop the penetration. On the flip side, if you have a penetrating guard like Becky, you have use her ability to get into the teeth of the defense, and allow her to make the right play.

The first play was just a wing drive by Becky, she's able to get all the way to the basket, then the easy dish to Ann,

In this second play, it's out of a 1-2-2 set. There is a stagger ball-screen for Becky. Ann rolls to the basket. Becky comes off the second screen and is able to turn the corner and go straight to the basket unimpeded, where she finds an open Ann,

Summary:

I think Becky Hammon is a great player, but I agree with the Team USA picks, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are better. I don't have a problem with Becky going to play for Team Russia, after all, she just wants to play. Russia has seen fit to give her a passport as she's played a number of years for CSKA Moscow. I don't see her less of an American now that she will play for Team Russia, but one things for sure, it's going to be one heck of a match between USA and Russia this summer.

With the popularity of the dribble-drive offense, more videos have been coming out for it. Here is Jerry Petitgoue's new DVD on the Dribble Drive Offense. I like Petitgoue's stuff on the open post for youth players, so I'm sure this one is a good one as well. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to talk hoops with other coaches.

Is MLB?'s Diversity Keeping Advertisers Away?

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:18:27 -0500

When The Biz of Basebal (http://www.bizofbaseball.com)l ran its roundtable compilation entitled, State of Major League Baseball – 2008 (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=2279 Itemid=1), we got 30 responses from a broad range of people that cover the sport. None of the panelists consulted one another, yet topics intersected. Most all of us agreed that MLB was in pretty good shape, bordering on greatness. All of us saw matters that needed tending to. But, one of the things that many of us hit on was the topic of marketing. Peter Abraham, Kurt Badenhausen, David Chalk, Fred Claire, Todd Radom, and myself all hit on the pluses and minuses of how MLB markets itself and the players. But, Abraham, Badenhausen, and I hit on how the players aren’t marketed as well as they could be. Abraham said, Think NBA and you think Kobe and LeBron. No last names needed. You can't turn on a television during football season without seeing Peyton Manning. The face of baseball is who exactly? A-Rod? He's the guy who opted out of his contract during the World Series. I added, “MLB is getting better at promoting the game, but is lagging when it comes to star players.” And finally, Badenhausen said, “Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning and LeBron James are all part of multiple national ad campaigns. Why aren't companies interested in baseball's best? Dice-K, Ichiro and Hideki Matsui all pull in big endorsement money in Japan, but Forbes research shows Derek Jeter to be the only American born baseball player that earns more than $3 million a year from endorsements.” The question is, “Why aren’t MLB players marketed better?” Some, such as Craig Calcaterra of Shysterball opined in a follow-up entitled, Marketing the Stars (http://shysterball.blogspot.com/2008/06/marketing-stars.html), “I really like that the game's superstars aren't being marketed for their own sake the way they are in the NFL or NBA. I feel this way because, in my mind at least, one of the many, many things that make baseball better than the other sports is that one player really can't make the difference. It's a team sport unlike the others in that each and every player can, theoretically speaking, get the glory depending on the game situation and how they perform..” And, Craig could very well be right. Maybe it is the fact that baseball is more of a team effort than the other sports. But, it gnaws on me that there are stars in the game, and many go to see them. Ichiro, Matsuzaka, Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero… they’re out there. And, while I have never been one to bring up the topic, I look at some of the star player names, and it just makes one say, “Could their ethnicity have something to do with it?” On the field, MLB surpasses all comers in diversity. Last year, MLB saw 239 players hale from outside of the U.S., or 28 percent of the total 855 Major League players (749 active 25-man roster players, 106 disabled or restricted Major League players). The country with the most players outside the U.S.? The Dominican Republic with 88, followed by Venezuela (52 players), Puerto Rico (29), Japan (16), Canada (14), Mexico (11) and Cuba (8). One of MLB’s strongest assets could be a negative to Park Ave. advertisers and corporate America. Is it a language issue? Is it that Latinos or those from the Far East do not resonate with the average American household? As Badenhausen mentioned, Jeter has great appeal. And the great opportunity for MLB was killed off by the player’s own doing; Barry Bonds could have been a marketers dream. But, PED issues aside, Bonds personality threw a wet blanket on becoming spokesman for companies wishing to tap into a high profile sports personality. So, today, as we will most likely see Kevin Garnett, or Ray Allen plugging products in the wake of the Celtics winning the NBA Finals, MLB players continue to sit – for the most part – on the sidelines. Yes, baseball is team effort. It could be that only teams from large markets have the national television visibility needed to drive star power. The reasons are multiple. However, ethnicity is one of those to consider. After all, Joe DiMaggio plugged Mr. Coffee, and players hither and yawn have been pitchmen in the past. But, with rare exception, they were white. As baseball continues to see growth internationally, it may be that MLB players will find themselves as attractive spokesmen for products. It's just that it will be outside the borders of the country MLB calls home.Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

PLEASE COME TO ALTOONA, WILL FERRELL

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:02:04 -0500

That's the plea being made by the Altoona Curve, as they try to entice the SNL alum for a July 21 double-dip with the hated Akron Aeros:

Hollywood mega-star Will Ferrell will toss out a ceremonial first pitch, broadcast an inning on radio and sign autographs for Curve fans. Actually, the odds of any of that happening are extraordinarily slim, but the Curve are hereby begging Mr. Ferrell to accept their invitation. Either way, the Curve will play video clips from his hilarious performances in "Anchorman", "Old School" and many other films.

Notice that they didn't mention Semi-Pro or Bewitched in that list of hilarious movies. But for those who follow the Curve on a regular basis, this is nothing new. The team is famous for their share of oddball promotions, which this year include:

--"You Got Caught Night" (Wednesday, June 18, honoring the 1919 Chicago Black Sox, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon and Olympic sprinter Marion Jones). What, no Clemens or Donaghy?

--"Train Wreck Series – Ode to Fallen Stars" (Wednesday, August 6, honoring Britney Spears, Leif Garrett, McKenzie Phillips, Danny Bonaduce and Jeff Conaway).

--and the team's favorite, "Awful Night VI – Worseest Ever" (Monday, July 7 vs. Harrisburg): "The most recognizable fun Curve promotion returns! Fans attending the game will be greeted by an awful giveaway item as they enter the ballpark, awful food specials and music throughout the game, and Curve and visiting player stats will change from batting averages to fail percentages."

Being that the Curve develop future players for the Pirates, is there any chance that they also develop future promotions for the Pirates? Wouldn't fans love to see "LAROCHE - FAIL PCT .781" the next time he stepped to the plate?

FUN THEME NIGHTS DOT 2008 CURVE PROMOS [Altoona Curve]