Mailbag - March Edition
Lots to talk about today. Selection show debate. World Baseball Classic. Dwyane Wade going MJ. Tiger. And much more. Okay, maybe not much more, but more. Thank you to everyone who sent an email my way.
Q: What do you think of your UCLA Bruins after their offensive struggles lately? (Dan from Los Angeles, CA)
A: To call the UCLA offense a struggling one is nice. I would use the word inept. Losing to USC is always my least favorite thing to do, but doing it in such uninspiring fashion makes it even worse. If the UCLA offense was a quarterback, it's passer efficiency rating would be something like Jake Delhomme's playoff rating. The only good thing about this development is that I have no confidence in the Bruins heading into the tournament, which means I'll only talk myself into their getting to the Sweet 16 instead of screwing up my bracket by having them in the Final Four. Don't be surprised if we flame out and lose in the first or second round though.
As far as the rest of the field, I see UNC (if Lawson is healthy), Louisville, and Pittsburgh as the only teams who can win it all. UConn would have been there if they had Dyson, but they're just not the same team without him. I'll have a lot more to say in the coming week, but at first glance, I see Siena as a lock to upset someone in the first round. I like the SEC and Big 10 to perform miserably. If Saint Mary's gets in, I like Patty Mills to make a Stephen Curry-esque splash.
Q: Who do you like to win the World Baseball Classic now that the Dominican Republic is out? (Sam from Santa Monica, CA)
A: To be quite honest, I've watched a grand total of zero minutes of the World Baseball Classic. The highlights of that Netherlands upset over the Dominican Republic were great, but my interest in world competitions goes down when the U.S. participates and clearly doesn't care about the event. More guys take themselves out of the World Baseball Classic due to bogus injuries than the home run derby and dunk contest combined. If my country's team doesn't care about the event, why should I? There's no question that I'd rather watch a random Dodgers regular season game than the World Baseball Classic final. I had no idea who won the last one or how often the tournament occurs until the ad campaign started. Japan would have been my sixth guess I think. Basically, I'd watch the World Baseball Classic just as much as I'd watch a random Spring Training game. Sorry if you were looking for substantive analysis. I'm sure Buster Olney or Peter Gammons cares. This is an event made up to market baseball to the global markets.
Q: What is going on with Jay Cutler and the Broncos? It's one of those things that's annoying but I still check the updates on it. (John from Los Angeles, CA)
A: The guy has been dubbed a young Brett Favre. The drama is just part of the package. I can understand Jay Cutler's being upset with the prospect of being traded. But, he's a professional football player. He's part of a business and being traded comes with the territory. If the Colts called and offered Peyton Manning for Cutler and a pick, the Broncos would say yes in a second. If Jay Cutler doesn't like that, then let him find a different job. I'm not saying that Matt Cassel is Peyton Manning, but Cutler has to be a little more cognizant of his situation. He's playing for a team that just fired its two-time Super Bowl champion coach of twenty years and a team that blew a huge divisional lead to end the season a few months back. He really thinks he's that indispensable? Again, I can understand his being upset. But I can't understand the hissy fit that he's been throwing. Putting his house up for sale in Denver and keeping his condo there is just icing on the cake. He's like that friend in your life that feeds off of drama and absent any will create his own. He may be a good guy, but he's definitely a pill you have to deal with. We'll see if the Broncos feel like swallowing that pill any longer.
Q: Why aren't the Dodgers the favorites in the NL West? (David from Los Angeles, CA)
A: I have no idea. The Dodgers' bullpen took a hit but I still think it's fine with Broxton closing and Wade, McDonald and Kuo serving in the middle innings. The starting rotation took a hit too in losing Lowe but Kershaw will log more innings this year and Billingsley can step up to be a true number one. I also think that McDonald will come out of the bullpen and be a good fifth starter by July. But look at the lineup. Where's the hole? Did you see how large an impact Manny had on everyone else last year? And don't think that this isn't another contract year for Manny with next year's $20 million being a player option. As to the rest of the lineup. The Dodgers have Blake at third, Furcal at short, Hudson at 2nd, and Loney at first. Martin is the second best hitting catcher in the NL and the outfield is far and away the best in the NL West with Ramirez, Kemp and Ethier. I really don't see how the D-Backs are the favorites. Webb and Haren are great, but you have to drive in runs too. As a Dodgers fan, I know a little something about losing with great pitching and zero hitting. The D-Backs won't be able to mask that lack of offense. I see the Dodgers eclipsing 90 wins to take the NL West.
Q: Where's your fantasy baseball preview? You said it was coming three weeks ago. (Mark from Los Angeles, CA)
A: Two weeks from now Mark. This week will be devoted to March Madness because if I wasn't Jewish, March Madness would be my religion. Expect the Fantasy Baseball Preview sometime next week. I promise it will be worth the wait.
Q: Who's the MVP this season, LeBron, Kobe, or Wade?
A: If everybody didn't have this massive hard-on for LeBron, I'd be giving it to D-wyane Wade as Barkley pronounces it. LeBron has had an excellent statistical season and yes, they are unstoppable at home and vying for a top seed in the east, but have you noticed what Wade's been doing? This is a team that was trying to win the draft lottery last year. Now, would you want to play them in the Eastern Conference Playoffs? That steal/running-3 finish he had the other night was unreal. There is a zero percent chance that LeBron makes that happen because the guy can't shoot from the outside. He has his moments, but when it comes down to the end of the game, LeBron is so far inferior to Wade with the outside shot that I think it really begs the question as to why he's so deserving of the MVP. If anything, Nike should get the MVP for the ad campaign. As to Kobe, and we know I love my Lakers, he has actual help this year. Fisher is a great veteran running the show and Gasol is a guy who can demand a double team. Bynum was a huge addition early and Odom caught fire a few weeks ago after getting in Garnett's face. Add to that the fact that Kobe doesn't have to guard the other team's best player at all times because of Ariza and Kobe's got it much easier this year than in any year since the Shaq days. Look at Wade's lineup. He's had Jermaine O'Neal's cardboard cutout/Shawn Marion as his second option, an overrated Beasley, Udonis Haslem, and Mario Chalmers. I'm probably forgetting someone, but his supporting cast is just that, forgettable. Wade's my MVP.
Q: What is wrong with Tiger? I thought he'd at least get to the semi-finals of that tournament and have a decent showing at Doral where he's good but he stinks. (Danny from Los Angeles, CA)
A: First, Tim Clark had 6 birdies and no bogies in the shortened round he had against Tiger to beat him. Not to say that Tiger played well, but not too many golfers would have beat Clark on that day. More importantly, and if you're a golfer this will resonate a little more, long layoffs are not good for your golf game. More specifically, they're not good for your short game. Your swing is something your mind tends to remember, but the touch you have around the greens is something that seems to disappear if you don't work at it consistently. Tiger hit more greens and fairways in the first three rounds than did Phil Mickelson, but had 14 more puts than Mickelson in that same span. That's not good for the scorecard as you well know. When Tiger regains his usual touch, he'll be ready to dominate the competition like the Tiger of old. Tiger will win the Masters.
That's it for this shortened edition of the monthly Mailbag. I'll be going in depth with my March Madness predictions this week. Get excited. The bracket's due out in 45 minutes.
Q: What do you think of your UCLA Bruins after their offensive struggles lately? (Dan from Los Angeles, CA)
A: To call the UCLA offense a struggling one is nice. I would use the word inept. Losing to USC is always my least favorite thing to do, but doing it in such uninspiring fashion makes it even worse. If the UCLA offense was a quarterback, it's passer efficiency rating would be something like Jake Delhomme's playoff rating. The only good thing about this development is that I have no confidence in the Bruins heading into the tournament, which means I'll only talk myself into their getting to the Sweet 16 instead of screwing up my bracket by having them in the Final Four. Don't be surprised if we flame out and lose in the first or second round though.
As far as the rest of the field, I see UNC (if Lawson is healthy), Louisville, and Pittsburgh as the only teams who can win it all. UConn would have been there if they had Dyson, but they're just not the same team without him. I'll have a lot more to say in the coming week, but at first glance, I see Siena as a lock to upset someone in the first round. I like the SEC and Big 10 to perform miserably. If Saint Mary's gets in, I like Patty Mills to make a Stephen Curry-esque splash.
Q: Who do you like to win the World Baseball Classic now that the Dominican Republic is out? (Sam from Santa Monica, CA)
A: To be quite honest, I've watched a grand total of zero minutes of the World Baseball Classic. The highlights of that Netherlands upset over the Dominican Republic were great, but my interest in world competitions goes down when the U.S. participates and clearly doesn't care about the event. More guys take themselves out of the World Baseball Classic due to bogus injuries than the home run derby and dunk contest combined. If my country's team doesn't care about the event, why should I? There's no question that I'd rather watch a random Dodgers regular season game than the World Baseball Classic final. I had no idea who won the last one or how often the tournament occurs until the ad campaign started. Japan would have been my sixth guess I think. Basically, I'd watch the World Baseball Classic just as much as I'd watch a random Spring Training game. Sorry if you were looking for substantive analysis. I'm sure Buster Olney or Peter Gammons cares. This is an event made up to market baseball to the global markets.
Q: What is going on with Jay Cutler and the Broncos? It's one of those things that's annoying but I still check the updates on it. (John from Los Angeles, CA)
A: The guy has been dubbed a young Brett Favre. The drama is just part of the package. I can understand Jay Cutler's being upset with the prospect of being traded. But, he's a professional football player. He's part of a business and being traded comes with the territory. If the Colts called and offered Peyton Manning for Cutler and a pick, the Broncos would say yes in a second. If Jay Cutler doesn't like that, then let him find a different job. I'm not saying that Matt Cassel is Peyton Manning, but Cutler has to be a little more cognizant of his situation. He's playing for a team that just fired its two-time Super Bowl champion coach of twenty years and a team that blew a huge divisional lead to end the season a few months back. He really thinks he's that indispensable? Again, I can understand his being upset. But I can't understand the hissy fit that he's been throwing. Putting his house up for sale in Denver and keeping his condo there is just icing on the cake. He's like that friend in your life that feeds off of drama and absent any will create his own. He may be a good guy, but he's definitely a pill you have to deal with. We'll see if the Broncos feel like swallowing that pill any longer.
Q: Why aren't the Dodgers the favorites in the NL West? (David from Los Angeles, CA)
A: I have no idea. The Dodgers' bullpen took a hit but I still think it's fine with Broxton closing and Wade, McDonald and Kuo serving in the middle innings. The starting rotation took a hit too in losing Lowe but Kershaw will log more innings this year and Billingsley can step up to be a true number one. I also think that McDonald will come out of the bullpen and be a good fifth starter by July. But look at the lineup. Where's the hole? Did you see how large an impact Manny had on everyone else last year? And don't think that this isn't another contract year for Manny with next year's $20 million being a player option. As to the rest of the lineup. The Dodgers have Blake at third, Furcal at short, Hudson at 2nd, and Loney at first. Martin is the second best hitting catcher in the NL and the outfield is far and away the best in the NL West with Ramirez, Kemp and Ethier. I really don't see how the D-Backs are the favorites. Webb and Haren are great, but you have to drive in runs too. As a Dodgers fan, I know a little something about losing with great pitching and zero hitting. The D-Backs won't be able to mask that lack of offense. I see the Dodgers eclipsing 90 wins to take the NL West.
Q: Where's your fantasy baseball preview? You said it was coming three weeks ago. (Mark from Los Angeles, CA)
A: Two weeks from now Mark. This week will be devoted to March Madness because if I wasn't Jewish, March Madness would be my religion. Expect the Fantasy Baseball Preview sometime next week. I promise it will be worth the wait.
Q: Who's the MVP this season, LeBron, Kobe, or Wade?
A: If everybody didn't have this massive hard-on for LeBron, I'd be giving it to D-wyane Wade as Barkley pronounces it. LeBron has had an excellent statistical season and yes, they are unstoppable at home and vying for a top seed in the east, but have you noticed what Wade's been doing? This is a team that was trying to win the draft lottery last year. Now, would you want to play them in the Eastern Conference Playoffs? That steal/running-3 finish he had the other night was unreal. There is a zero percent chance that LeBron makes that happen because the guy can't shoot from the outside. He has his moments, but when it comes down to the end of the game, LeBron is so far inferior to Wade with the outside shot that I think it really begs the question as to why he's so deserving of the MVP. If anything, Nike should get the MVP for the ad campaign. As to Kobe, and we know I love my Lakers, he has actual help this year. Fisher is a great veteran running the show and Gasol is a guy who can demand a double team. Bynum was a huge addition early and Odom caught fire a few weeks ago after getting in Garnett's face. Add to that the fact that Kobe doesn't have to guard the other team's best player at all times because of Ariza and Kobe's got it much easier this year than in any year since the Shaq days. Look at Wade's lineup. He's had Jermaine O'Neal's cardboard cutout/Shawn Marion as his second option, an overrated Beasley, Udonis Haslem, and Mario Chalmers. I'm probably forgetting someone, but his supporting cast is just that, forgettable. Wade's my MVP.
Q: What is wrong with Tiger? I thought he'd at least get to the semi-finals of that tournament and have a decent showing at Doral where he's good but he stinks. (Danny from Los Angeles, CA)
A: First, Tim Clark had 6 birdies and no bogies in the shortened round he had against Tiger to beat him. Not to say that Tiger played well, but not too many golfers would have beat Clark on that day. More importantly, and if you're a golfer this will resonate a little more, long layoffs are not good for your golf game. More specifically, they're not good for your short game. Your swing is something your mind tends to remember, but the touch you have around the greens is something that seems to disappear if you don't work at it consistently. Tiger hit more greens and fairways in the first three rounds than did Phil Mickelson, but had 14 more puts than Mickelson in that same span. That's not good for the scorecard as you well know. When Tiger regains his usual touch, he'll be ready to dominate the competition like the Tiger of old. Tiger will win the Masters.
That's it for this shortened edition of the monthly Mailbag. I'll be going in depth with my March Madness predictions this week. Get excited. The bracket's due out in 45 minutes.
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