Jul 2009
Sporting News' 50 Greatest Coaches List - Some Hits, Some Misses
The Sporting News pretty much stays out of the news
these days, but they did raise some controversy this
week when they released their poll of the 50 greatest coaches of all
time. I absolutely agree with their choice
of John Wooden as the greatest
coach in any sport. As should be the case, the
vote was not even close, with the Wizard
receiving 57 first place votes, from the TSN
panel of 118 "experts". Unfortunately, many of
their last 49 choices miss the mark.
The list includes only six additional college basketball coaches and five NBA coaches, and none of them, incredibly, is Larry Brown. His omission is the most glaring misstep on the list. The list contains ten NFL coaches, and eighth among them, and number 20 overall, is Bill Belichick, who should be the second-ranked pro football coach, following the list's number two, Vince Lombardi. Also as to NFL coaches, the bottom two, Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells, at numbers 26 and 33 overall respectively, should be above the higher-ranked Paul Brown, George Halas, Joe Gibbs, and Tom Landry.
Their ranking of college football coaches is not too badly composed, but I would elevate Bud Wilkinson, number 29 overall, from the seventh spot among college football coaches, to the third spot, behind only Bear Bryant and Knute Rockne, and I'd make Rockne number one, not Bryant.
As to the five NHL coaches that made the list, perhaps Scotty Bowman deserves to be higher overall than number seven, and there are dozens of coaches from other sports who deserve the last spot, over Herb Brooks. He's listed as an NHL coach, and that does not merit him a spot on the list. Call him an Olympic Hockey coach, and there is at least a sentimental and patriotic basis for his selection.
The list includes ten MLB managers, with the over-hyped, over-indluged, and over-rated Casey Stengel on top, at number nine overall. Give him Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, and the like, and he can win pennants. He managed three other teams, before and after the scumstripes, and to call his performances mediocre would be overly generous. He still owns, at least until the Washington National's current season comes to a close, the worst single-season record in major league history, with the 1962 Mets. For my money, in following MLB as close as I have for more than 50 years, and in reading and studying much of early baseball history, the four best managers I have seen, are Walter Alston, Tony La Russa, Sparky Anderson, and Joe Torre. Their listings at numbers 35, 41, 38, and 32, respectively, are absurd. The four should all be in the list's top 20 overall.
Finally, how could the panel waste valuable, limited positions on the list with the inclusion of not one, but two, woman's basketball coaches?
The list includes only six additional college basketball coaches and five NBA coaches, and none of them, incredibly, is Larry Brown. His omission is the most glaring misstep on the list. The list contains ten NFL coaches, and eighth among them, and number 20 overall, is Bill Belichick, who should be the second-ranked pro football coach, following the list's number two, Vince Lombardi. Also as to NFL coaches, the bottom two, Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells, at numbers 26 and 33 overall respectively, should be above the higher-ranked Paul Brown, George Halas, Joe Gibbs, and Tom Landry.
Their ranking of college football coaches is not too badly composed, but I would elevate Bud Wilkinson, number 29 overall, from the seventh spot among college football coaches, to the third spot, behind only Bear Bryant and Knute Rockne, and I'd make Rockne number one, not Bryant.
As to the five NHL coaches that made the list, perhaps Scotty Bowman deserves to be higher overall than number seven, and there are dozens of coaches from other sports who deserve the last spot, over Herb Brooks. He's listed as an NHL coach, and that does not merit him a spot on the list. Call him an Olympic Hockey coach, and there is at least a sentimental and patriotic basis for his selection.
The list includes ten MLB managers, with the over-hyped, over-indluged, and over-rated Casey Stengel on top, at number nine overall. Give him Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, and the like, and he can win pennants. He managed three other teams, before and after the scumstripes, and to call his performances mediocre would be overly generous. He still owns, at least until the Washington National's current season comes to a close, the worst single-season record in major league history, with the 1962 Mets. For my money, in following MLB as close as I have for more than 50 years, and in reading and studying much of early baseball history, the four best managers I have seen, are Walter Alston, Tony La Russa, Sparky Anderson, and Joe Torre. Their listings at numbers 35, 41, 38, and 32, respectively, are absurd. The four should all be in the list's top 20 overall.
Finally, how could the panel waste valuable, limited positions on the list with the inclusion of not one, but two, woman's basketball coaches?
theHoundDawg
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Vick Should Rot in Hell, NOT Get Millions to Play Football
07/27/09 19:39 Filed in: NFL
| Michael Vick did not "make a
mistake" as his apologists argue. He ran a
for-profit criminal enterprise for several
years, He partially designed, and financed,
and ran on his own property, a dog-fighting
ring, participating in breeding, training,
fighting, and murdering, untold numbers of
dogs, for profit. He continually lied to his
employers and NFL administrators, and the
public, and ultimately pled guilty to doing
the disgusting acts alleged in the criminal indictment filed
against him in federal court. The image to the
right is a photo of a dog injured in a staged
dogfight, and is from the Save Vick's Dogs blog.
In exchange for his guilty plea, he received a ridiculously lenient sentence of just less than two years in custody. Now, as he has regained his freedom, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has handed back his career to him, on a silver platter. Thanks to Goodell, Vick will be earning millions |
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I have lost all respect for VIck's new mentor and number one apologist, former coach Tony Dungy, and will have nothing but disgust for any NFL owner who signs Vick to a contract, putting his despicable image in front of fans and media, and feeding him millions of dollars to finance his next criminal enterprise.
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theHoundDawg
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Jason Who II and a Four Game Streak
07/21/09 22:47 Filed in: Baseball
Well, after a very shaky first inning, Jason Schmidt
gave a decent impression of a major league pitcher
for another four innings last night, and tonight
Randy Wolf got the run support missing from his
starts most of the season, and suddenly the Dodgers
have a four game winning streak and have their best
overall record in 19 seasons.
The one downside of the Dodgers' great overall performance tonight was the hand injury Manny suffered when hit by a Homer Bailey pitch, but as they say, x-rays were negative and he's day-to-day.
In three games today and tonight, Los Angeles averaged 10 runs per game, with the Dodgers scoring 12 against the Reds, and the Angels taking two from KC, 8-5 and 10-2. The Angels are 5-1 since the break, and are weathering the losses of Vlad and Torri Hunter quite well, thanks in large part to the schedule maker, loading them up with KC, Oakland, and Cleveland while 2/3rds of the outfield is healing.
Injuries are affecting the current complexion of the AL East, with TIm Wakefield joining Dice-K Matsuzaka on the Boston DL, and the Red Sox falling into second, with a four game losing streak, despite the return of Jed Lowrie. The current success of the scumstripes not withstanding, I'm sticking with my pre-season picks that two playoff teams will come out of the AL East and neither will be from NY. With a healthier Scott Kazmir and a new ace in Jeff Niemann, Tampa will finish the season in second, behind Boston.
The one downside of the Dodgers' great overall performance tonight was the hand injury Manny suffered when hit by a Homer Bailey pitch, but as they say, x-rays were negative and he's day-to-day.
In three games today and tonight, Los Angeles averaged 10 runs per game, with the Dodgers scoring 12 against the Reds, and the Angels taking two from KC, 8-5 and 10-2. The Angels are 5-1 since the break, and are weathering the losses of Vlad and Torri Hunter quite well, thanks in large part to the schedule maker, loading them up with KC, Oakland, and Cleveland while 2/3rds of the outfield is healing.
Injuries are affecting the current complexion of the AL East, with TIm Wakefield joining Dice-K Matsuzaka on the Boston DL, and the Red Sox falling into second, with a four game losing streak, despite the return of Jed Lowrie. The current success of the scumstripes not withstanding, I'm sticking with my pre-season picks that two playoff teams will come out of the AL East and neither will be from NY. With a healthier Scott Kazmir and a new ace in Jeff Niemann, Tampa will finish the season in second, behind Boston.
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theHoundDawg
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Jason Who?
07/20/09 12:08 Filed in: Baseball
On December 6, 2006, Dodger starting pitching woes
were forever resolved, with the signing of Jason
Schmidt to a three-year contract, at the bargain
basement price tag of $47 Million, a mere $15.5 to
$16 mil per season.
What a deal! As of today, Schmidt has cost the Dodgers a mere $47 Million PER VICTORY.
That's right, fans, in case you forget. In two-and-one-half years, he has produced exactly ONE WIN for the Dodgers.
He makes his return to the Dodgers' rotation tonight, having not pitched in the majors in two years plus a month, and with a lifetime Dodger record of six appearances, a 1-4 won-lost record, and a 6.31 ERA.
Not to say that the Dodgers cannot use a new, live arm on the staff, especially in the rotation now that Eric Milton's comeback has been derailed by back surgery. But, realistically, what are the chances that Schmidt can even be competitive, let alone be good enough to improve upon Jeff Weaver or Eric Stults?
And, Weaver and Stults are not getting paid $7.83 Million per start.
What a deal! As of today, Schmidt has cost the Dodgers a mere $47 Million PER VICTORY.
That's right, fans, in case you forget. In two-and-one-half years, he has produced exactly ONE WIN for the Dodgers.
He makes his return to the Dodgers' rotation tonight, having not pitched in the majors in two years plus a month, and with a lifetime Dodger record of six appearances, a 1-4 won-lost record, and a 6.31 ERA.
Not to say that the Dodgers cannot use a new, live arm on the staff, especially in the rotation now that Eric Milton's comeback has been derailed by back surgery. But, realistically, what are the chances that Schmidt can even be competitive, let alone be good enough to improve upon Jeff Weaver or Eric Stults?
And, Weaver and Stults are not getting paid $7.83 Million per start.
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theHoundDawg
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Kershaw Rights the Ship - Is He Already the Guy?
07/19/09 11:32 Filed in: Baseball
The Dodgers started the season's second half by being
embarrassed in back-to-back losses to Houston. Lack
of timely hitting, Chad Billingsley's continued
recent struggles, and an overall aura of complacency,
all colored what appeared to be two lackluster
performances.
Then, up stepped Clayton Kershaw. Last night, he continued, and even improved upon, his streak of impressive outings, this time becoming the guy to end a short, but potentially unsettling, losing streak. Kershaw is now 5-0 with a 0.63 ERA over his last seven starts, has lowered his season ERA to 2.95, and most important of all, stretched last night's outing to seven full innings.
Any more of those "experts" out there still want to see the Dodgers trade him?
Then, up stepped Clayton Kershaw. Last night, he continued, and even improved upon, his streak of impressive outings, this time becoming the guy to end a short, but potentially unsettling, losing streak. Kershaw is now 5-0 with a 0.63 ERA over his last seven starts, has lowered his season ERA to 2.95, and most important of all, stretched last night's outing to seven full innings.
Any more of those "experts" out there still want to see the Dodgers trade him?
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theHoundDawg
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As Usual, Pitching is Key, as Second Half Begins
07/16/09 09:11 Filed in: Baseball
As the second half of the season is set to begin,
pitching is, as always, the key to success
down the stretch.
First, and in consideration of rumor number one, which may just be speculation and defective, stupid controversy created by certain second-line radio commentators, is the ridiculous theory that the Dodger would even consider trading Clayton Kershaw and/or Matt Kemp, in order to obtain Roy Halladay. Kershaw and Kemp are rare talents that come along infrequently. At the start of the year, I felt that Kemp would put it together this season, and become a star, and that is happening before our eyes. He deserved to be on the All-Star team. Kershaw has more ability than any pitcher to reach the majors in many years, but I did feel it would be at least until next season before he took his place as a number one starter, and Cy Young contender. Well, he has just about reached that level over the past six weeks, with only his penchant for making too many pitches and being able to only go an average of six innings per start keeping him from reaching that level. The fact is, though, that he has been scored on in only two of his last six starts, giving up a total of three runs in his last 36 or so innings, lowering his ERA from 4.50 to 3.16.
He is on the verge of becoming the ace the Dodgers have been seeking, and only more experience and more consistent control stand in his way.
Trade him or Kemp? Never, for any current player in the majors, save that Albert guy in St. Louis.
Second is that other rumor that indicated that Toronto would commit franchise suicide by trading Halladay to the Redsox or scumstripes. Trade the AL's reigning pitching star within your division, to one of the best teams in the league, whose only weaknesses relate to pitching? No way. If so, through, fire the GM and pack the trunk and move to Moose Jaw.
Toronto does not realize their situation. Their limited success this season is due to Halladay, their vastly improved offense, which is due to the maturation of several of their young players, and the development of several young pitchers, such as Ricky Romero. Add back injured young stud starters Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum, and the 2010 Blue Jays are a real contender. Don't screw that up and hand the division to one of those other teams.
The seemingly healthier Angels' staff now has to not only compensate for the loss of Vald and Torri Hunter, but for the continued struggles of Earvin Santana. He starts opening night of the second half, and has to show that he is regaining last year's form, or else he might need a Howie Kendrick Triple A vacation.
Overall, at the mid-point, four of my six division picks are in first place, and all of my picks except Cleveland are in the running for the playoffs. And, Torri Hunter is the AL's MVP at this point in the season.
theHoundDawg
First, and in consideration of rumor number one, which may just be speculation and defective, stupid controversy created by certain second-line radio commentators, is the ridiculous theory that the Dodger would even consider trading Clayton Kershaw and/or Matt Kemp, in order to obtain Roy Halladay. Kershaw and Kemp are rare talents that come along infrequently. At the start of the year, I felt that Kemp would put it together this season, and become a star, and that is happening before our eyes. He deserved to be on the All-Star team. Kershaw has more ability than any pitcher to reach the majors in many years, but I did feel it would be at least until next season before he took his place as a number one starter, and Cy Young contender. Well, he has just about reached that level over the past six weeks, with only his penchant for making too many pitches and being able to only go an average of six innings per start keeping him from reaching that level. The fact is, though, that he has been scored on in only two of his last six starts, giving up a total of three runs in his last 36 or so innings, lowering his ERA from 4.50 to 3.16.
He is on the verge of becoming the ace the Dodgers have been seeking, and only more experience and more consistent control stand in his way.
Trade him or Kemp? Never, for any current player in the majors, save that Albert guy in St. Louis.
Second is that other rumor that indicated that Toronto would commit franchise suicide by trading Halladay to the Redsox or scumstripes. Trade the AL's reigning pitching star within your division, to one of the best teams in the league, whose only weaknesses relate to pitching? No way. If so, through, fire the GM and pack the trunk and move to Moose Jaw.
Toronto does not realize their situation. Their limited success this season is due to Halladay, their vastly improved offense, which is due to the maturation of several of their young players, and the development of several young pitchers, such as Ricky Romero. Add back injured young stud starters Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum, and the 2010 Blue Jays are a real contender. Don't screw that up and hand the division to one of those other teams.
The seemingly healthier Angels' staff now has to not only compensate for the loss of Vald and Torri Hunter, but for the continued struggles of Earvin Santana. He starts opening night of the second half, and has to show that he is regaining last year's form, or else he might need a Howie Kendrick Triple A vacation.
Overall, at the mid-point, four of my six division picks are in first place, and all of my picks except Cleveland are in the running for the playoffs. And, Torri Hunter is the AL's MVP at this point in the season.
theHoundDawg
Life, Liberty, and the Enjoyment of Baseball, and Restrooms, Too
07/08/09 18:48 Filed in: Baseball
A little more than two years ago, before the
beginning of theHoundDawgSportblog, I wrote in
another forum about the following:
The NY Yankees, in their efforts to force patriotism on their fans, not only do not allow fans to leave their seats during the playing of the National Anthem before games and during the playing of God Bless America during the 7th-inning strech, but they go so far as to put up chains, preventing fans from moving about. No bathroon visits, no trips to concession stands, no going home. The scariest part of this, is that it is a policy carried out by a billionaire owner with a captive audience of lemmings who see nothing wrong with this absurd conduct, restricting the rights of the paying fan.
Well, that all ended today, thanks to a Boston Red Sox fan, who, after being forcibly removed from Yankee stadium by uniformed NYPD cops for daring to try to use the restroom during the playing of God Bless America, settled a lawsuit he had filed in Federal Court, against the Yankees and the City of New York.
As part of the settlement, with the Yankees and the City of New York agreeing that they could not, and would no longer, prevent fans from leaving their seats during God Bless America, the Red Sox fan received $10,000 in damages and $12,000 in legal fees. News reports note that the City of New York settled with the fan, due to him being physically removed from the stadium by two uniformed NYPD cops, one of whom who also said to him "Get out of my country.”
theHoundDawg
The NY Yankees, in their efforts to force patriotism on their fans, not only do not allow fans to leave their seats during the playing of the National Anthem before games and during the playing of God Bless America during the 7th-inning strech, but they go so far as to put up chains, preventing fans from moving about. No bathroon visits, no trips to concession stands, no going home. The scariest part of this, is that it is a policy carried out by a billionaire owner with a captive audience of lemmings who see nothing wrong with this absurd conduct, restricting the rights of the paying fan.
Well, that all ended today, thanks to a Boston Red Sox fan, who, after being forcibly removed from Yankee stadium by uniformed NYPD cops for daring to try to use the restroom during the playing of God Bless America, settled a lawsuit he had filed in Federal Court, against the Yankees and the City of New York.
As part of the settlement, with the Yankees and the City of New York agreeing that they could not, and would no longer, prevent fans from leaving their seats during God Bless America, the Red Sox fan received $10,000 in damages and $12,000 in legal fees. News reports note that the City of New York settled with the fan, due to him being physically removed from the stadium by two uniformed NYPD cops, one of whom who also said to him "Get out of my country.”
theHoundDawg
Laker Off-Season Begins with Ups and Downs
07/08/09 14:20 Filed in: NBA
In the three-plus weeks since the Lakers became NBA
Champs, a lot has happened to the team.
First and foremost, Phil Jackson has agreed to return next season. That means that regardless of what player decisions the personnel gurus make, the team will be in contention to repeat.
Whether or not they do repeat doesn't seem as likely as it did three weeks ago, in my opinion.
First, I strongly feel that the loss of Trevor Ariza will we monumental. He is a great young talent that fits the Laker mold to a tee, and given the playing time he has now earned, and being injury-free, he will quickly develop into a star, combining tenacity and athleticism with stellar defense and a great outside shot. It would seem, though, that the strong-arm tactics of his agent, rather than his personal desires and the Lakers' interest were the reasons he is moving to Houston.
Next, replacing Ariza, the Lakers signed a walking time bomb, in Ron Artest. How quickly personnel people, commentators, and fans, all forget the evils this man has committed on the court. On October 18, 2008, I wrote:
Artest didn't explode last season (though he did seem to come close a few times), and obviously did not take the Rockets with him. Jackson's influence would protect the Lakers as a team from such a team-wide reaction, but the chances are excellent that Artest will not get through another full season without an Indiana-Detroit-like event re-occurring. As a player, he is an older, more volatile version of Ariza.
Third, the top competition has strongly improved. Cleveland has Shaq, which will make them tougher, but not give them a title. Orlando has done much re-shaping, but has not improved. A healthy Jameer Nelson will do more for them than exchanging, in effect, Vince Carter for Hedo Turkoglu, who they will quickly learn was a vital key to their team. No, the team to beat in the NBA next season, is the Celtics. Healthy seasons from Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe, the further development of Rajon Rondo into one of the top point guards in the NBA, and the tremendous addition of Rasheed Wallace, and now possibly also Grant Hill, make the Celtics number one in the East, and maybe in the NBA.
theHoundDawg
First and foremost, Phil Jackson has agreed to return next season. That means that regardless of what player decisions the personnel gurus make, the team will be in contention to repeat.
Whether or not they do repeat doesn't seem as likely as it did three weeks ago, in my opinion.
First, I strongly feel that the loss of Trevor Ariza will we monumental. He is a great young talent that fits the Laker mold to a tee, and given the playing time he has now earned, and being injury-free, he will quickly develop into a star, combining tenacity and athleticism with stellar defense and a great outside shot. It would seem, though, that the strong-arm tactics of his agent, rather than his personal desires and the Lakers' interest were the reasons he is moving to Houston.
Next, replacing Ariza, the Lakers signed a walking time bomb, in Ron Artest. How quickly personnel people, commentators, and fans, all forget the evils this man has committed on the court. On October 18, 2008, I wrote:
"Maybe the biggest question mark is the Houston Rockets. At times last year they were terrible, but then for a few weeks, after the injury to Yao Ming, they were brilliant. Which Houston team will show up this year? Well, I think the addition of Ron Artest is a major mistake and a step backward. Artest is perhaps the most over-rated player in the league, and has done nothing but make his team of the moment worse. He is a time bomb, and at some point during the season, he will explode, and take the team down with him."
Artest didn't explode last season (though he did seem to come close a few times), and obviously did not take the Rockets with him. Jackson's influence would protect the Lakers as a team from such a team-wide reaction, but the chances are excellent that Artest will not get through another full season without an Indiana-Detroit-like event re-occurring. As a player, he is an older, more volatile version of Ariza.
Third, the top competition has strongly improved. Cleveland has Shaq, which will make them tougher, but not give them a title. Orlando has done much re-shaping, but has not improved. A healthy Jameer Nelson will do more for them than exchanging, in effect, Vince Carter for Hedo Turkoglu, who they will quickly learn was a vital key to their team. No, the team to beat in the NBA next season, is the Celtics. Healthy seasons from Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe, the further development of Rajon Rondo into one of the top point guards in the NBA, and the tremendous addition of Rasheed Wallace, and now possibly also Grant Hill, make the Celtics number one in the East, and maybe in the NBA.
theHoundDawg