NO KILLER INSTINCT, A Royal Mess, A New NL East

Good to be back again. OK, I'm going to say this to start this posting: I am pulling for the Mavs to win the NBA title. I am a Mavs fan. There.....I said it. But, when you have an opponent down 13 with six minutes and change to go in the game, you'd better damn well close the deal out, period! Michael Jordan's teams would have NEVER let something like that happen to them. Look at the NBA champions from 1991 up to now. The Bulls had Jordan, who was as money as they come in the Finals. The Rockets had Robert Horry, and to a lesser extent, Mario Elie. The Bulls, part 2, had....well..Jordan. Then, he Laker dynasty had Shaq, and as much as I hate to say it, Kobe. Remember the monumental meltdown of the Trailblazers against the Lakers during that era? The Spurs had Duncan and Robinson. The Pistons had Ben Wallace and Chauncey "Ice Water" Billups (good move trading him, Pitino). All of these guys had killer instincts. They had what it took to take the heart out of an opponent when it was time to drop the hammer. Dallas did not display that the other night, and as a result, now find themselves tied at two games apiece in the Finals. Plus, going into Game 5, I'm going to guess that Jerry Stackhouse will be suspended for the flagrant foul he delivered to O'Neal in Game 4. Bottom line is this: Mavs didn't close out Miami when they should have the other night, and if it costs them the series, they're going to be remembered along with the Cubs (Bartman game) and the Red Sox (Little leaving Pedro in one batter too many) as teams that got to the final turn, but couldn't cross the finish line. Game 5 is Sunday night in Miami.


So, the Kansas City Royals finally fired GM Allard Baird. Well, what took them so long? The Royals are owned by David Glass, formerly of the Wal-Mart empire. What he's done to the Royals is nothing short of pathetic. In his six year tenure, they have averaged 97 losses per season, and have had three seasons of over 100 losses. This is just sad for a franchise that is in such a loyal fan based town such as Kansas City. Glass's philosophy has been the Wal-Mart way: Cheap, inexpensive, and customer friendly. From what I hear, seats in Kansas City cost 7 bucks to get in the door. Try that just about anywhere else in baseball. But, there may be hope on the horizon, as they have hired Dayton Moore away from Atlanta to be the new GM. Moore's first act was to hire Dean Taylor away from Cincinnati to be the assistant GM. Taylor also spent time in Atlanta. Now, why do I include the references to Atlanta here? In 1990, former KC GM John Schuerholz was hired to rebuild the struggling Braves. In 1991......well, REAL Braves fans know what happened in 1991, and from that time since. Maybe it's time for Atlanta to repay that favor. By hiring guys who worked for an MLB Executive of the Year, KC is showing a little business sense here. My ultimate wish is that the team get bought by a group of investors, led by George Brett. Second, make more of a reference to two late Royals in Dick Howser and Dan Quisenberry. Those two are permanently etched into Royals lore, and there should be more of a reference to them. Let's see what KC can do now with new management in place. I'm sure trading Reggie Sanders will be on the list, as well as figuring out a way to get someone to take Matt Stairs off their hands. I'm staying on the Royal bandwagon, because they'll be back one day, and I want to be able to say I was there.
While I pull for the Royals, my all-time team is the Atlanta Braves. Fourteen straight division crowns, five league championships and a World Series title since 1991 is nothing to sneeze at. But, over time, the economics of baseball have turned to where the bigger media markets are taking over. Well, that's no shock. In 1996, when Ted Turner sold the Braves to Time-Warner, I knew that someday, the run would end. Under Turner, if the team needed a player, they went and got him, no questions asked, no matter what the cost. Now, under Time-Warner, it is run in a business-type fashion, where the bottom line is still the bottom line. They have cut up to 20 million off their payroll, watched Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Gary Sheffield, J.D. Drew, Russ Ortiz, Javy Lopez, and Rafael Furcal leave via free agency, and yet, they still have continued to win their division. Until this season. While I'm not throwing in the towel on the season due to the wild card, the Braves just can't get it going this season, and the NY Mets are absolutely running away and hiding with the NL East. It's an odd place for the Braves to be, too. They've never had to deal with as many problems as they are dealing with their pitching staff, and that's the whole reason behind the skid this year. The lineup is still pretty sound, but when you have a pitcher in the rotation that was cut from Tampa Bay (Jorge Sosa), that should tell you something. They're investing too much on John Thompson, Mike Hampton is out for the year, Kyle Davies just underwent surgery for a torn groin, and Horacio Ramirez is still being bothered by dizzy spells after taking a Lance Berkman line drive off his head. With all the starters banged up, you can probably guess the bullpen is in sad shape. Reitsma is likely headed to the DL, they've just about overused everyone else, and the Richmond pipeline is getting dry. I will never jump off this wagon. I just wish that I could have a more competitive team with which to remember my 25th season of being a Braves fan with. Go Braves! Win the Wild Card!!!


To the NFL, we close with the NFC West.
San Francisco- Is there anything more sad than this team? They signed Larry Allen away from Dallas, and for what? Are they going to compete in a bench press contest? Allen's best days are way behind him, and the Cowboys should have traded him long ago, when he still had value. I do like Coach Nolan's style of leadership there. A much more disciplined style than Dennis Erickson. Alex Smith is still a year away. By that time, given the right circumstances, the Niners might be able to rise to respectability, but I wouldn't go stand in line for 49ers playoff tickets any time soon.
Arizona- Love what they did in getting Matt Leinart and Edgerrin James. Add them to the reciever combo of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, and you have an offense that can keep them in games. Here's hoping the defense can keep them in games as well. I predict that Leinart will be the starter before the season ends. This is due to the fact that Kurt Warner cannot play in a five step drop system. Warner is an Arena football QB, plain and simple. I know you're going to bring up his time in St. Louis, and to those that do, I say this: Look at that system back then. QB takes the snap, drops three steps, gets rid of the ball. It was all based on timing. Put him in a new system, (NY Giants, Arizona), and he's inept. Leinart is the future, and he's got a heck of a core around him to help his transition.
St. Louis- With the injuries to Marc Bulger and Marshall Faulk, many people are looking for the Rams to throw in the towel. RB Stephen Jackson might be ready to step up and carry the team like Faulk did years ago. But, with a new coacn comes a new system, and that sometimes spells trouble. Isaac Bruce is no spring chicken anymore, neither is Torry Holt. They lost SS Adam Archuleta to free agency, and that was a big blow. St. Louis might be able to compete for a wild card spot, but I see Arizona beating out the Rams for that.
Seattle- Filled the biggest need by re-signing RB Shaun Alexander. Lost OL Steve Hutchinson to a strange contract in Minnesota, but got WR Nate Burleson from Minnesota in free agency. This is a team that has tasted Super Bowl defeat, although, that kind of depends on what side of the country you are. Most of Seattle's key components are still in place. This team will win the NFC West, and just might be the number one seed in the NFC again this season. They are a strong team that will go deep in the playoffs again.



Well, that about covers it. Interleague play starts again this weekend. Add to that the U.S. Open, the World Cup, the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the NBA Finals, and it's a great time to be a sports fan. And, before we all know it, two-a-days will be starting. GOtta love the sports calendar. Always something going on.


Till next time..............


Patrick