I am very confused with MLB scheduling. I can’t figure out how any of it makes sense 
and can’t see how it could possibly be fair, especially with Interleague games. The Red Sox, for instance, face NL teams that are a combined 27 games over .500 while the Yankees face teams a combined 20 games under .500. How can that possibly be fair? Or how about the fact that the teams withthe four hardest strength of schedules are all from the American League East, but the Yankees are not one of them (they are 13th). The teams with the 11 highest strength of schedules are all American League teams and the teams withthe 11 lowest strength of schedules are all National League teams. I know the AL is beating up on the NL, but is that what creates this ridiculous difference. Even crazier, of those 11 NLteams with easy schedules, only 6 have records above .500 while of those 11 AL teams with tough schedules, only 4 have records below .500. Thus, the teams with easy schedules are losing and the teams with tough schedules are winning. Wouldn’t that suggest that those 11 AL teams are an incredibly amount better than those NL teams? Amongst those 11 NL teams are all three NL division leaders, the Phillies, Cubs, and Diamondbacks. Are we really supposed to expect the NL to contend with the AL? Continue reading “The Unfairness of Interleague Play”
Author Danny Vinik
2008 NBA Draft Grades
The 2008 NBA Draft is over with some surprises and some trades, but in the end, it was fairly predictable. Up until the Mayo/Love trade at the end of the night, the top 10 picks had all been logical picks by their teams and none of them had been traded. Below I have recapped each teams moves on draft night, briefly analyzed those moves, and graded them. Enjoy!
Atlanta Hawks
No picks. No trades.
An uneventful night in Atlanta. The Hawks proved they had some talent by forcing the Celtics to play 7 games, but this team is not ready for the big-time yet. Not sure if any teams are looking, but I would have liked to see Atlanta part ways with point guard Mike Bibby and try to get younger. There’s plenty of time for that to happen still over the summer.
Grade: C
Boston Celtics
Chose J.R. Giddens in 1st round (30th Overall)
Chose Semih Erden in 2nd round (60th Overall)
Acquired Bill Walker (47th Overall pick) for cash considerations and a future draft pick from Washington Wizards
Interesting night for the World Champions. I can’t find a way to explain choosing the trouble-laden Giddensover Chris Douglas Roberts. As a Celtic fan, I was crossing my fingers that CDR would be one the board at the 30thpick and he was, but Danny Ainge passed on him. Giddens may have talent, but he has had so many off the court issues that I can’t see him playing any pro ball. Plus, Ainge could have traded back 20 picks and still gotten Giddens. Having said that, I love the trade for Bill Walker. He is an extremely talented player and has huge possibilities if he stays healthy. I can’t say I know much about Semih Erden except that ESPN says that he has some work ethic issues as well. Seems like the Celtics were looking for players with issues in this draft. Continue reading “2008 NBA Draft Grades”
NBA Draft Decisions
The 2008 NBA Draft has finally arrived and the Chicago Bulls are minutes away from being on-the-clock and having to unveil their choice for the number one pick. Most people, myself included, have concluded that the Bulls will select Derrick Rose at number one. However, the Bulls are not saying anything so Rose’s selection at the top is not a forgone conclusion. For months, Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose were considered the premiere players in the NBA Draft and assuming Rose goes first in the draft, then everyone would expect Beasley to go number two. Well that makes perfect sense except for the Miami Heat, selecting at number 2, have held separate work outs for OJ Mayo and Jerryd Bayless over the last couple days. Could the Heat select Mayo at 2 or trade for Mayo or Bayless using the number 2 pick? Anything could happen.
Then after that, it only gets more confusing. The Minnesota Timberwolves own the number three pick and are praying that the Heat choose Mayo so that Beasley falls into their laps. That is certainly a possibility, but it is more likely that Miami grabs Beasley at number 2 and entertains trade offers for him, which leaves Mayo for the Timberwolves. However, Minnesota is not set on Mayo and I’m sure they will think hard about Russell Westbrook or even Kevin Love. The Timberwolves could also trade the number three pick and move back a little hoping, that Love is still on the board. As you can see, trying to predict the draft this year is impossible and I expect trades to completely throw any predictions off. I tried a couple of days ago with my predictions and I can’t imagine getting more than one or two of my fifteen picks correct. Continue reading “NBA Draft Decisions”
Danny Vinik 