Warpticon

I remember when the late 90's Yankees were dominant, this was a big reason why. The Cubs have one of, if not the best offenses in the league when they are this patient. According to Dusty the late 90's Yankees did not walk. Dusty saying "You don't see the Yankees talking about walks, do you?" When they led baseball in OBP at the time is a perfectly microcosmic demonstration of his folly.

Garnett: 18.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 BPG Jefferson: 21.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.5 BPG C'mon now, let's be honest here. There isn't a single rational person that would take Jefferson over Garnett at this stage, regardless of what those numbers say. Plenty of players have put up big numbers for bad teams. This also isn't baseball; defense matters a great deal (as, to a lesser extent, do intangibles). Garnett is a much better player at this time than Jefferson. The above poster was correct, Garnett will be in the Hall of Fame and it's not likely Jefferson will join him. I'm not arguing for Jefferson being as good as KG, I'm just giving one example of KG not being the most valuable player in the league this year. KG had a wonderful season for a great team, and I'm sure he did in fact have some intangible impact on the team too, but there is simply no way I can justify voting KG the MVP, especially in a season with three otherworldly candidates the caliber of Kobe, CP, and LeBron. I'm not supporting KG as MVP; you can see an earlier post I think it should be LeBron. KG would be fourth on my ballot. However, in arguing against him, posters have totally discredited how good he is. He's a great, great player. This isn't baseball. Numbers mean a lot, but they're not everything. Defense matters a great deal and KG is a phenomenal player on that end of the court. Intangibles also come into play and KG thrives here, too. Amassing stats on bad teams is one thing (Abdur-Rahim, Randolph, etc), doing it while leading a 67-win team is different (though KG had been on poor teams the last two years). Right. Did he start being a great, great player this season? Because his numbers are down almost across the board this season versus last (including perhaps the most MVP relevant ones: games played and minutes per game). Garnett missed 11 games this season; in those games, the Celtics went 9-2. Garnett is a fantastic player, and has had a very positive influence on his team. But let's be serious here; what we're talking about is rewarding a player for the quality of his teammates. (And yes, the same could be said about Kobe.) Any arguments in Garnett's favor should be redirected toward Dwight Howard, for whom the same arguments can be much more competently made.

Garnett is a great, great player, but he's nowhere near MVP level this year. Hell, if you want to be direct about it, the guy he got traded for was better than him. I'm disappointed that Lebron basically got removed from consideration for some reason...the year he put u is ridiculous, and he's clearly carrying that team. No, they're not as good as the Lakers or Hornets, but how much worse would they be without him? Look at what they did while he was out hurt.

The Cubs' lineup boasts a MAJORITY of hitters that can take a walk at this moment. This is so confusing. Loving the patience that Soto and Fukudome have added to the lineup. Fukudome's 14/13 K/BB ratio is awesome, as is Soto's 10/12...and Aramis is walking at career-high rate. I don't expect it all to last to this degree, but just trending in that direction is a great improvement.

The Miami Dolphins have a number of needs...interior defensive line, another linebacker, a shut-down type DB. But their most glaring position of need is the lack of a franchise type quarterback. With Ronnie Brown's health issues, and the GM's love of the player, RB Felix Jones was a temptation. But in the end, The Miami Dolphins select QB Andre Woodson, Kentucky, with the first pick of the second round.

It's gonna take some serious resistance not to be a homer at the top of the 2nd if I get a chance. :P

or my internet could have been out the last few days. I wanted Jake Long. :P

This is freaking ridiculous.

Derrek Lee has been playing baseball in his backyard.

Bob Dernier's favorite word: backyard.

I'm waiting for Soriano to catch a fly ball while clicking his heels together in midair.

That "who got off to the hottest start" poll is mindnumbingly stupid. Also, Len trying to speak japanese was hilarious.

it's--ALBERT HOOBLEHOFF

Pie too.

Hope Z ate a banana that half inning.

Loving Aramis's walk rate right now.

I read the thread title as though the Baltimore franchise set several monkeys free. I tink I prefer it that way.

I also forgot how awesome it was to hear the variant mispronunciations of his name. :D

What an ignorant post. Does this poster not realize that Fukudome wasn't even alive during WW2? Even if he had been around, relations between Japan and the U.S. have drastically improved over the years, as Japan is now an ally of ours. Finally, if you're a Cubs fan, don't you root for your team to do well? To not do that because you dislike a player's nationality is incredibly petty, close-minded, racist, and simply pathetic. You bring up a good point. However, this. Okay, now it's funny. I knew I shouldn't have been slacking in my FJMing. Man, you skip a week or so and look waht happens.

Oh, I get it! He's Japanese! That's hysterical!

Yeah, the report I read emphasized that aspect of his game, and also said he was good on kick coverage as well. Nate Davis's review said the same for his kick coverage skills. Odd area of concentration. A kick returner wasn't exactly high priority with Ginn in the fold, but I guess it can't hurt, and with Booker and Chambers gone, there are going to be some opportunities for receivers to work into the lineup. I'd like to get a decent #2 to go opposite Ginn, as I don't have a ton of faith in Derek Hagan. To date he's a possession receiver with bouts of the dropsies, which is a nice little contadiction.

Huh, the Dolphins actually made moves? Go figure. What do you guys know about Tab Perry, Nathan Jones, and Keith Davis? Clearly the secondary is a major target. Also, I sure hope that Josh McCown gets beat out/released before the season starts...he's a completely redundant part. I'm also ecstatic to find good news about Marcus Monk, who had an outstanding pro day. A freak injury in the preseason rendered him a fourth option at receiver this season after three outstanding years prior, and I was worried that he wouldn't get the attention or opportunity he deserved because of that. Talk was that he was a 5th rounder at best and possibly a free agent. But he demonstrated terrific hands and solid cutting ability and route running at his pro day; perhaps best of all, he got his 40 time down into the 4.4 range. He's being talked about as a possible first day pick now.

I'd take him for that. 2nd day picks are a crapshoot anyways. The last 5th round pick that actually turned out well was probably Herschel Walker back in '85. Now it's all about what kind of money and playing time he expects to get. yeah, there haven't been any 6th round players to lead their teams to 4 Super Bowls recently And how many ended up on the practice squad or in the Arena League? The draft is, and always has been, a roll of the dice. If you can get a young player with proven abilities for a 5th round pick I'll take that. The Patriots were able to steal Moss for a 4th rounder. Yeah, but that wasn't the point. the point was that you suggested that Hershel Walker was the last 5th rounder to turn out well, which is utterly absurd.

The one year rule is, was, and always will be skull-shatteringly stupid.

I'll eat a shoe if Felix slugs over .500 this season. Gooooo Felix!