Thoughts on Ralph Wilson's Passing

I took a trip last to San Diego a couple weeks ago, and it threw me way off my planned posting schedule. Really took a lot out of me flying back and forth across the country. Even if I did get stuck in SD for an extra day and have spend a day working frhom a friend of mine's porch which located right on the water on Coronado Island - Well, I have to admit that part was pretty sweet.

Headed to Orlando this week. Not really one of my favorite places for a conference - too sterile - same event was held last year in New Orleans, which was a great location.  But anyhow, to catch up on a few things.

Obviously Bills owner Ralph Wilson has died. And while that's certainly sad, he was 95, and unfortunatley was probably as responsible as anyone for the Bills not making the playoffs for the past 15 years. He had a bad habit of hiring really old GMs like Marv Levy and Buddy Nix -perhaps because he could relate to them - but those guys couldn't compete in today's NFL. There were certianly a lot of positive stories on Mr. Wilson's passing- and derservedly so. I really liked this Peter King tribute (King is a great writer.) There was another article I read that pretty much served to remind people that Wilson certainly wasn't a saint and that be got very rich leveraging public funding (as many NFL ownsers have) for a stadium named after him. I won't even get into the fact that he couldn't get along well enough with Bill Polian to keep the architect of our greaterst era of success on board.

A former Bills writer used to refer to the stadium as "Negligiant Owner Stadium," which probably sounds pretty bad now that Wilson has passed and everyone has these great memories of him, but still...On the plus side, Wilson did apparently feel loyalty to Buffalo, which many owners don't feel toward their home cities. He seemed to understand the concept of a team as a public trust. We may not be so lucky now that new owners are on the horizon. That said, it's apparently unrealistic (due to lease obligations) to expect the Bills to move before 2020, so Buffalo certainly has time to get a plan together to keep the team there. Heck, maybe it would be more profitable someplace else, but I don't think it does badly in Buffalo. We're not Jacksonville.

That's probably plenty to chew on for now. Hope to have more to post on other stuff soon.

Cheers.

We're the Millers

Finally watched this fairly entertaining comedy yesterday. Not that it was on my list of things to do, but my wife and I both like fairly raunchy obnoxious (think Hangover - which this was compared to on the box, so how could I not get it) comedies and this definitely qualifies. I had rented the Blu-ray from Family Video on Saturday along with a kids/family movie. We had managed to watch the intriguing but somewhat didactic  Khubma the night we got it, but had We're the Millers sitting around for a few days until we got rid of the kids long enough (which basically meant until we stayed up late enough) to watch it. Glad we waited because it was certainly not appropriate for kids - or at least it made me uncomfortable to watch it with them - although I'm certain my 15-year-old watches/has watched worse with his friends.

This was the second straight movie I've watched where Jennifer Aniston plays kind of a bad girl role, and I find her very entertaining in this mode. Maybe it has to do with her playing against the caricature of her that is often portrayed in the media - remember how she was pitted as the good girl against Jon Voight's daughter in the whole Brad Pitt sage? Anyhow, Aniston delivers these off color roles with a solid deadpan that may just be lack of acting ability - but I find her style kind of funny. Plus, she is still hot for someone close to my age.

The previous funny role I saw her in was the perverted dentist in Horrible Bosses, where I thought she held up pretty well next to Oscar winners like Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey, who were also in that underrated comedy. Apparently there is a Horrible Bosses 2 coming out this year which I'm kind of excited about. SNL veteran Jason Sudeikis is in the Horrible Bosses movies and also plays a solid lead in We're the Millers. He's like a Peter Pan pot dealer that is forced to grow up through his tribulations with this fake family - Aniston is a stripper he hires to play his wife in order to help him cross the border with an RV full of weed. Yes, it's a ridiculous premise, but they kind of pull it off and there are genuinely funny lines and scenes and that enable you to suspend your disbelief long enough to enjoy the flick - I think.

Anyhow, have a great weekend.

Congrats to Clippers on Big Win

over Phoenix who they have had some trouble with so far this year. Matt Barnes had a big game 28 points, including 18 in red-hot third quarter when the Clippers took the lead by scoring 37 points. Blake Griffin also had another huge night, including clutch turnaround jumper after Suns had pulled within three with a couple minutes to go. He banked it in - reminded me of Tim Duncan. Speaking of clutch and turnaround, DeAndre Jordan continued his amazing turnaround season with 17 boards. He's averaging 14 rebounds per game, after averaging just over 7 last year. Doc Rivers is being given credit for turning him around. Jordan was also clutch last night, with a big block of an attempted lay-in with less than a minute to go and Phoenix down by 5. He then grabbed the rebound and made both free throws (he's a career 43% shooter from the line) at the other end to ice the game. Chris Paul had kind of an off night, although he did have 9 assists. Jamaal Crawford and J.J. Reddick both sat out.

Anyhow, that's my Clippers report. Remember, they used to be the Buffalo Braves! Cheers.

Milbury Blasts LaFontaine

So, I guess it's nothing new, but last night, I'm watching the Stars beat the Sabres (not surprising) and between periods NHL NBC commentator Mike Milbury goes off on Pat LaFontaine for resigning from his position as president of hockey operations for the Sabres after less than three months. Apparently LaFontaine was upset that the Sabres traded star goalie Ryan Miller, which doesn't make too much sense (for LaFontaine to be upset over) because everyone assumed Miller was going to walk at the end of the year anyhow - when his contract was up. Maybe he had told LaFontaine something else.

Either way, LaFontaine is now gone, as well as Miller, as well as former captain Steve Ott, and Sabres are in full rebuilding mode, which I thought was the plan anyhow. Of course this all leaves my favorite coach Ted Nolan somewhat in limbo. The Sabres were supposed to announce a contract extension for him, but then called off the press conference where that was supposed to be announced. LaFontaine and Nolan had been friends from LaFontaine's days as a player.

At least the Sabres under Lafontaine brought in an apparently competent GM in Tim Murray - who executed the Ott and Miller trades to fairly favorable reviews.

Milbury, who has a reputation for being bombastic, went off on LaFontaine for running away when things got tough, which apparently Milbury also accused him of doing in a former job with the Islanders. It doesn't help that Milbury apparently had something to do with the Islanders front office at the time. Milbury also basically accused Nolan of disloyalty by not coming out 100% in favor of the organization and instead moping, and maybe drawing back on his contract extension agreement, in the wake of LaFontaine's exit. Get 100% behind the organization or get out, was the effect of what Milbury said.

Of course, Nolan's (who also has some history with the Islanders) stock is sky high after his impressive work with the Latvian team at the recent Winter Olypmpics (and it all comes back to that). Anyhow, that's my report for Sabre-land, which is now in full soap opera mode. At least they are entertaining off the ice!

Another Reason to Love Olympic Hockey: Tuukka Rask Hangover

Tuukka Rask denies hangover caused him to miss Olympic semifinal: That was a headline that moved like a week ago - I can't believe I missed it. You have the Stanley Cup-winning goalie missing a semifinal game against his country's (Finland's) arch-rival (Sweden), because he had been out too late the night before. Although he denies it, it makes sense. He was able to bounce back the next day and shut out the U.S. in the bronze medal game, which might be tougher to do with the flu.

And from what I read, the Olympics can be a very big party. And the games were played in Sochi, which, from all accounts seemed like a good place to tip a few after hours. And, a friend of mine who spent some time in France once told me that Fins like to tip more than some other nationalities...

So, there are clearly reasons to believe that Rask may have enjoyed a few too many the night before the scheduled semi-final game. Could Finland have beaten Sweden with him in goal? Tough to say as the back-up, from what I recall played pretty well - but we will never know. And Canada may have been the ultimate beneficiary as they then got to play a depleted Swedish team in the final - due to injuries and an untimely suspension for the use of an allergy medication. Oh well, if anyone knows about drinking and hockey it's Canadians, so they probably deserved to win. Maybe it was even Rask's Canadian friends from the NHL who took him out that night to "soften him up," - a strategy Dominique Wilkins apparently employed in his days with the Hawks and discusses on this episode of the Bill Simmons' B.S. Report.

Yet another potentially great Olympic memory.

Early Yankees Spring Training Game Observations

• Just wantched Nune and Beltran  go back-to-back
• Tenaka threw two solid innings yesterday
• So did CC
• So did Koruda
• A kid named Adonis Garcia from Cuba went 3-4 today. He is in his late 20's and had some great stats in Cuba before defecting. He is listed at 5-9 or 5-7, depending on the source, and 190 lbs. Listed as a CF. Apparently broke his wrist last year and then had a rough year at Scranton. Maybe he is ready to break out ala Puig.
• Word is that Michael Pineda is throwing well and will pitch  Friday: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/yankees-pitcher-michael-pineda-confident-as-spring-progresses?ymd=20140302&content_id=68570312&vkey=news_mlb

What does this all mean? Likely not much. But it is spring, and as they say about hope and enternal.

Conflicted About Recent Request for $12M in State Funding for the Uht

 "City of Erie Requests $12M in State Funding for the Uht" Yes, this is the type of headline appearing this week in the local paper that makes you do the proverbial double-take. As in "WHAT????" $12 million for improvements to an already beautiful ballpark. And, then when you realize it's state money, oh well, that's not so bad. Of course, when you consider again that you are a taxpayer in this state...Okay so maybe those weren't your reactions, but they certainly were mine.

And then there is this bit from the story in the paper, "The planned improvements at the ballpark, which is managed by the Convention Center Authority, include new enclosures; expanded concessions; a team store; elevated decks and the expansion of corridors at the stadium; an exterior marquee; a larger children's area; and new lighting and walkways. 'Uht Park needs all of these improvements,' said Roger Richards, a Convention Center Authority board member who heads its Strategic Planning Committee."

Alright, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure any of that stuff is really "needed." I mean I was at the park at least a half dozen times last year and I never remember thinking, "Wow, I wish there were more concessions (maybe more variety) or a better exterior marquee."

Those were my initial thoughts at least. Digging a little deeper, apparently Erie Insurance is building or has built a five-level parking garage somewhere in the area, at a cost of $11.2 million, which the city has submitted as the majority of the matching funds required to get the funding from the state. The Convention Center Authority has pledged to put up the other $800,000. So, basically, for the a total of $800,000, the Convention Center Authority, with the backing from the city, is hoping to get $12.8 million in improvement money for Uht Part from the PA State government (as well as use of the parking garage I'm assuming, so maybe we throw another $11.2 million on top of that). I guess that is a good deal for us, although why the taxpayers of PA are funding improvements at a ballpark that only serves Erie (as well as the teams, primarily the Seawolves, that play there) is beyond me. A lot of the conflicts associated with municipal funding of stadiums utilized by privately owned teams are addressed in Gregg Easterbrook's wonderful book about football - The King of Sports. I can't recommend this book more if you are fan, like I am, of all things football, but sometimes find yourself questioning, "why?"

Anyhow, I guess I hope we get the money because if we don't some other equally, or even more, nefarious project somewhere else in the state likely will, but seriously....ah well, I guess I should just shut up and enjoy the Uht!
 

Otters Blow 3-0 Lead; McDavid Scores Highlight Reel Goal

So, I'm kinda embarrassed about it, but last night was the first time I saw the already legendary Connor McDavid in action. McDavid, who now has 20 goals and 60 assists, on the season was great. He scored a highlight reel goal on a breakaway in the first period  (Link is to Youtube video. McDavid's goal is at about the :22 mark) to give the Otters a 3-0 lead. Here's how the Otters' Web site described it: "Connor McDavid was sprung through the neutral zone on a pass from Darren Raddysh. McDavid entered the offensive zone, turned defenseman Brady Austin inside out, and beat Patterson on the phenomenal individual effort to give Erie a three goal lead."

Unfortunately, it was all downhill after that, as the Otters got tired and/or lakadaisical and were outshot 12-6 in the second period - enabling the streaking London Knights to tie the game. London then scored on a power play with less than a minute left in the game to win 4-3. Kind of a big loss as Erie was one point ahead of London in the standings going in, and while Erie has been slumping, London has won like eight in a row.

Anyhow, it was nice to see McDavid, who is the presumptive top pick in the 2015 NHL draft, which means he was one more year in Erie (and then maybe many in Buffalo)! Hope to see him many more times.

Great night for D-10 Playoffs; Otters at Home Tonight vs. London

Amazing night of basketball in D-10 last night. McDowell smoked Prep for AAAA title, while East beat Oil City to advance to AAA final. Meantime, Farrell came from way down in the fourth quarter to knock of SV and spoil a potential East-SV AAA title match-up. SV still has chance to advance to states with win over Oil City in third-place game.

So, one night after having the opportunity to attend the very exciting Prep-McDowell game - full house at the Hammermill Center/Audi, I'm heading to see the Otters for first time this year, against the London Knights, who I am told are coached by ex-NHLer Dale Hunter - a great fighting scorer type, who also has Ty Domi's kid on the team - apparently another scorer/fighter type. A great week of sports for me (love it when my buddies call me up with extra tix.) Looking forward to seeing Connor McDavid and hopefully the rest of the Otters on the ice tonight.

New MLB Plate Blocking Rule Confusing

The new MLB rule designed to prevent homeplate collisions, is somewhat confusing, at least in its initial form. It's an experimental rule designed to limit plate collisions. Apparently, there would have been too much retraining of catchers required in too short a time period to completely eliminate collisions. But, to me the way the new rule is worded leaves too much discretion in the umpires hands and could lead to a hit first, ask questions later approach by base runners.

In particular I think the second comment associated with the rule is particularly vague: (From an ESPN story): "unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score." The runner shall be declared safe if the catcher violates that provision. In addition, it is not a violation "if the catcher blocks the pathway of the runner in order to field a throw, and the umpire determines that the catcher could not have fielded the ball without blocking the pathway of the runner and that contact with the runner was unavoidable."

Later in the story it says Orioles catcher Matt Weiters would "like to get clarifications from Major League Baseball on exactly what is and isn't permitted." I agree.

Yanks could face FSU QB Winston

In spring training game scheduled for today: http://m.espn.go.com/mlb/story?storyId=10512225. Winston, of course, won the Heisman and led his team to BCS title this fall. He's also a Yankee fan. Go figure.

Happy Tuesday.

Yankees Once Traded a Bigot for a Racist

Yes, this all happened in the madcap world that was the MLB in the late 1930's. Check out Steve Wulf's entertaining piece on former ball player Jake Powell and his quote about beating (well, you know)s with a black jack to stay in shape in the off-season. Back then apparently you did need to Twitter to go virile!

Winter Olympics over - Baeball around the Corner

Going to miss the Winter Olympics. They only come once every four years, and this is probably good, as I don't know how much skiing, ice skating, bobsledding, and even hockey I can watch, but it sure is fun when it comes around. The colors of the uniforms and the scenery are a big help. I mean who doesn't enjoy watching a Swedish All-Star hockey team in bright yellow with three blue crowns on their chest, battle the red-and-white Canadians and their maple leaf insignia?

Baseball season is just around the corner. Major League training camps have already started. I'm trying to get my coaching house in order. Looks like I am going to be managing the Post 11 NWPA Junior Legion team this year, taking over for a guy who did a great job last year. I got to coach last year,  a job which was pretty much gravy: you show up and do baseball stuff. Now, I have to do some admin/paperwork stuff as well. Ugh. But, what are you going to do? We have a good group of kids and are hoping to have a great season.

Still some confusion over what I'm going to do for Little League/Junior League for my boys. There was some serious doubt about whether Erie Little League was going to be functioning this year, but that seems to have been alleviated. I guess there is a Facebook site up there, but I can't seem to find it. So, I guess we'll see. One of the guys I coached with  last year has already said he is going over to MYAA, which is something I am considering, despite my history with Erie - but I still want to go with Erie. Let's hope we can get our proverbial stuff together!

Finally, just finished up a great book by the outstanding sportswriter Roger Kahn -  A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaching '20s. Dempsey seemed like a great character to write about, but then again, maybe it was Kahn's great writing the portrayed him that way. Everything in the book was well crafted - up through the acknowledgements at the end!

Kahn is best known for his The Boys of Summer portrayal of the 1950s Dodgers, which was published in the early 1970s. I tried reading it on the recommendation of a friend, maybe when I was in junior high. Maybe because I am a Yankees fan, or maybe I was just too young to grasp it, but I didn't really enjoy it nearly as much as my buddy did. But, then, maybe 15 years ago, another buddy of mine gave me a signed copy of The Era, 1947-1957: When the Yankees, the Giants, and the Dodgers Ruled the World, and I loved it. It was apparently published in 1993. The Dempsey book was published six years later, and I also immensely enjoyed that. So I don't know. Maybe I'll go back and read Boys of Summer or maybe I just like Kahn's later writing.

That all said, like the 2014 Winter Olympics, I am going to miss hanging out with Jack Dempsey and his colorful 1920's set.

Cheers.

Have a great week!

Ralph

Physicality Wins Postseason NFL Football

Well, it at least helps a lot. The last three Super Bowls have been won by the Seahawks (last night) preceded by the Ravens, and the Giants. Non of these three squads would be what you call finesse football teams. They all featured physical, strong defenses, and more or less older-school offenses. All three champions' offenses could run the ball - with the Giants and Ravens also specializing in the deep ball, while Russell Wilson is a bit more of a "West Coast" offense guy, who is still a very physical with his ability to run and throw absolute bullets on shorter passes.

Let's just ignore the physicality of the defenses, which is somewhat obvious, and look at the quarterbacks for a minute. Wilson, Flacco, and Eli Manning were all relatively younger guys, with Eli, at 31, the oldest of the three. Tom Brady last won the Super Bowl when he was 27. Granted, he's been in a couple Super Bowls since, but it seems that in general youth prevails in the playoffs these days. Aaron Rogers, Ben Roethlesberger and Aaron Rogers have both enjoyed tremendous postseason success under 30, and while Payton Manning and Drew Brees seemed like veterans when they won their Super Bowl titles, each was still only 30. (Going back 10 years, you start to run into Brad Johnson and John Elway, who were older, so we'll restrict our argument to the last 10 years.)

Colin Kapernick probably needs to be mentioned here, as well. After somewhat struggling, as Wilson did, during the 2013 regular season, Kapernick acquitted himself nicely with two wins in the playoffs - and, in light of the Super Bowl, the close loss to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game cemented the contention that the 49ers were the second best team in the NFL this year. Kapernick is interesting because he is a very athletic quaterback who was chosen as the the starter over the less athletic, but solid Alex Smith. While Smith was let go and enjoyed a fine regular season with the Chiefs (probably better statistically that Kapernick's), his team was one-and-done in the playoffs, while Kapernick's went 3-1 for the second straight year. Russell Wilson, meanwhile, is now 4-1 in the playoffs for his short career.

Bottom line is that the key to playoff/ultimate success in the current version of the NFL seems to be a strong, physical defense, and a strong, younger, physical quarterback. Which isn't really too different when you think about from the formula the Stillers used to win four Super Bowls back in the 1970s.

Somewhat Tragic, Ironic Marathoner Story

Sad story here, but somewhat ironic as well I guess. It seems this 84-year-old woman died a day after completing the New York City marathon in November. She was even interviewed by Al Roker on the day she died. She apparently fell, hit her head, had it bandaged and then finished the race. Doesn't exactly say why she died - but basically, she went to bed with a bump on her head...alright, I know this is not supposed to be funny.

So, is this a tragic or a glorious end, or a tragic-glorious way to die? Apparently, she loved running. From a 2008 interview, post NYC Marathon, " “When I crossed that finish line in Central Park, I just knew this is what I would do the rest of my life,” [Joy] Johnson said. “Running makes you feel good. It’s energizing."

So, if it's true that dying doing something you love is the best way to go, it seems like she went out well. Something I've always thought about since my father in law died of a heart attack playing tennis a few years back. 

Christmas Season 2013-2014

Very good Christmas - New Years season this year. 10 reasons why:

1. Didn't really drink too much on any single day. Probably had equivalent of 6 drinks or so on New Years Eve, spaced out over several hours. But felt pretty good for the couple weeks.

2. With the exception of
   a.) a flu bug that hit me the Sunday before Christmas - but unlike three of my family members (and several other people I talked to) I didn't end up throwing up. Big plus :). And I was only sick for about a day and a half - a much shorter duration than others. Took some serious bed rest of about 20 hours, but the virus eventually was overcome.
   b.) woke up with a cold a week later, the Sunday before New Years. That also took about a day and a half, at least, before I started feeling better but still am feeling some aftereffects. Nonetheless, on both cases, I seem to have healed quickly, which makes feeling normal feel all that much better.

3. Rod Hockey:

Family got a new Stiga set from Santa. Loads of fun for everyone. Much higher tech than the Munro early 70s version we have been using.

4. Great 15th annual New Years Eve party- (also my son's 15th birthday). Solid bunch of guests. Good food, company, cheer, and foosball - not necessarily in that order.

5. Majestic Chili Dogs: Maggie picked up a quart for NYE party. Ate with champagne at midnight!

6. Lot's of snow - yeah, it's a pain but great fun too for sledding, skiing and even street hockey!

7.  Blu Ray player. Yes, finally got a good one, hooked it up to my stereo and can start catching up on those movies I've missed because I wasn't satisfied with the picture my old DVD player was giving me. Watched Goon last night - great, stereotypical sports movie with some fun hockey stuff thrown in.

8. Kids liked their XMas gifts - always a big plus.

9. Great New Years Day with absolutely nothing on the schedule. Did some skiing at golf course, cleaned up after sed party, watched some football with neighbors - went to bed!

10. Great nights out at Maggie's brothers for XMas, Maggie's Mom for XMas eve, and the Petrone's for Friday night games and conversations. Thanks for the hospitality.

Cheers all and have a great 2014.

All-time College Football Top 15

Top 15 College football programs from my perspective - a bit biased and limited of a kid who grew up in Western PA, Catholic, and came of age (as a sports fan) in the 1970s, but still follows sports today - with renewed interest (thanks to sons?)after burning out on it a couple times earlier in my life, including after working for three-plus years as a sports writer:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. USC Trojans
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
5. Michigan Wolverines
6. Nebraska Cornhuskers
7. Oklahoma Sooners
8. Texas Longhorns
9. LSU Tigers
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
11. Florida State Seminoles
12. Miami Hurricanes
13. Florida Gators
14. Clemson Tigers
15. Georgia Bulldogs

Jumping on Marrone

I really hate to do it before he loses his first game as a Buffalo Bills' head coach, but Doug Marrone really needs to be called out for the current QB situation in Buffalo. His decision not to bring in another QB, following presumptive starter and rookie E.J. Manuel's knee injury could prove to be really boneheaded. Yes, it appears the Bills are counting on Manuel to be recovered from his procedure in time to start Week 1, and, for Marrone's sake, I'm hoping this is a lock, because if Manuel is not ready, we're going to end up with either RFA Tim Tuel or a recently signed street free agent (Matt Leinart or Thaddeus Lewis) at QB. None of those three options are good, if you ask me.

Why Marrone didn't move sooner to sign another QB when Manuel went down, and presumably knowing Kolb's history of concussions, remains a mystery to me. I wasn't aware of Kolb's history when news of Manuel's surgery first broke, but I still thought it an odd/risky move not to bring in another veteran QB to at least hedge our bets. Marrone did not. Instead he went all in with who he had and then a week or so later found himself scrambling to find a back-up QB who now has only two weeks to learn the system before opening day. This could lead to disaster if Manuel can't go or re-injures knee during Week 1 game vs. Pats.

We really don't need a blowout loss at home vs. Pats to start season - as I fear our long-suffering fans would quickly become disgruntled. But, Pats have well publicized problems of their own, so at least we go that going for us.

Anyhow, good luck Bills and Doug Marrone heading into Week 1. Hope it all works out, although our margin for error is looking pretty thin at the moment.

Greek golds to Heroes

From the introduction to Robert Fagles' translation of the Illiad. Intro. was written by Bernard Knox "Such people the Greeks called "heroes;" they recognized the fact that they transcended the norms of humanity by according them worship at their tombs after death. Heroes might be, usually were, violent, antisocial, destructive, but they offered an assurance that in some chosen vessels  humanity is capable of superhuman greatness, that there are some human beings who can deny the imperatives which others obey in order to live."

This all reminded me Raskolnikov, the ax murder's thinking in Crime and Punishment.

Just thought I had to put that on the record somewhere.

Maybe Pineda Trade Will Work Out

With the news today the the Mariners have sent the potentially great Jesus Montero down the the minors, last year's preseason trade for Michael Pineda doesn't look so bad for the Yankees anymore. Montero is a catcher who can't catch, but had a great reputation as a slugger. Unfortunately for the Mariners he hasn't been slugging either. Maybe the Yankees knew something....

But, then again, you have to wonder what the Mariners knew when they gave up the 6'7" fireballer Pineda. If you remember, he reported to the Yankees camp overweight last year and then came down with a shoulder injury that required surgery. Over a year later, Pineda is finally throwing again and reports are that he's almost ready for a minor league rehab assignment. Whoopee!

Seriously though, he was fairly good in his first full season of big league pitching at age 22, posting 173 strikeouts vs. 55 walks with a Walks & Hits per Innings Pitched (WHIP) of a very solid 1.099, although as to be expected because he pitched for Seattle, his home numbers were slightly (although not that much) better than his road numbers. Another promising indicator is that his minor league strikeouts/walks/hits numbers were slightly better than his major league numbers - so it appears he's been fairly consistent.

Now all Pineda has to do is comeback fully from shoulder surgery, which is something that others have certainly done, but we shall see. At least it doesn't seem like we really missed out on anything by giving up Montero for him.