MOMENTUM SWINGS TO SANTANA...

Some notes before dinner:

• Related to a previous post where my good friend Neate Sager and I discussed this years AL Cy Young candidates, Johan Santaña dominated the Kansas City Royals today, striking out 11 over 7 innings of work. Now, with momentum seemingly shifting toward him, all eyes, well, mine at least, will be focused on Doc Halladay tonight, when he takes on Boston tonight. And considering the way Boston has been playing recently, odds are Doc will take some of Santaña's momentum back tonight.

• Of note in that game, pitcher David Wells, the scheduled starter for Boston, was pulled from the line-up. His locker was cleared out, and TSN is reporting that he has been traded. The team, as of this posting, was not yet known.

• Also, Adam Vinateri, arguably the NFL's best kicker, has a broken bone in his planting foot. It is not known if and when he will return; however, after just coming off a broken bone in my own foot, he should be able to play! Although if he doesn't, I am sure Adam Sandler would have something to say about it.

• Finally, congratulations, and "thanks" goes out to Cassie Campbell. The "face" of Canadian women's hockey, has retired from the sport at the age of 32. Her accomplishments and awards speak for themselves, and the current state of women's hockey in Canada, and indeed, across the globe, owes her some gratitude.

Keep yer stick on the ice.

MORNING NEWS CRUISE - AUGUST 29, 2006

Carson Palmer appears to be back! In his first start since having his knee re-built, he took hits, avoided the rush, and threw three TD's to lead the Bengals to a 48-17 win over my beloved Green Bay Packers.

It was a bittersweet evening. For starter's the Monday-nighter wasn't even carried by ABC, so I had to watch the interns at TSN update the game log. Then, I had to watch Carson Palmer
and the offense destroy what would generously be described as the Green Bay defense.

However, it is great to see someone like Palmer come back from a difficult injury such as the one he sustained. Much talk has been circulating about his mental ability to come back and sustain hits, avoid the rush, and read the defense. I think last night's demonstration may silence his critics.

But, the cyncial sports reporter says, "last night wasn't even a test -- it was Green Bay!" Touché I say, yet, it is still an NFL-level defense (cough), and still, the ability to get in a real game, take some snaps and some hits, is a monumental hurdle to overcome. Watch out for Palmer to get better and better as the season goes on.

Of Note:

• Big Papi, suffering from what seemed to be flu-like symptoms has actually been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. He will be evaluated further later this week.

• Tim Connolly is still feeling to effects of post-concussion syndrome. Speculation is that he won't be ready for the start of training camp -- maybe longer.

• The Ottawa-Lynx, Canada's only Triple-A baseball team is no longer. Read more about it over at "Out of Left Field."

Keep yer stick on the ice.

AND YOUR 2006 CY YOUNG WINNER IS.........

VERSUS




It started out innocently enough. It was one of those questions thrown out there as a typical conversation starter, but it soon took on a life of it's own. And from it, this post.

Fellow blogger and good home-town friend Neate Sager, from "Out of Left Field" simply asked: "Pat, who do you think for AL Cy Young: Johan Santaña or Doc Halladay?" He had to have known I would have an opinion on this matter. With both of us growing up in-and-around Napanee, Ontario, a rural, hockey mad community, we watched what little baseball we could [read: were aloud]. Neate, the die-hard loyal Jays fan, and myself, the only person in Napanee (and now Halifax) who proudly sports the "Twin Stripes."

So with this years Cy Young race quickly boiling down to the two ace's on our respective favourate teams, it was no wonder we were both eager to get into this debate.

Below is text of what transpired that fine Sunday afternoon, while the rest of the world was watching and wondering if Tiger might actually falter.

Sager:
So Johan Santaña has the flashy numbers, but at the end of the day, I've been watching Roy Halladay all season and this looks like a Cy Young Award season. He has had maybe one bad start all season. He's 16-4 with a low ERA in a hitter's ballpark for an average team. He could easily have 20 wins already. Pat, don't you think he passes the litmus test for a Cy Young winner?

Pearce:
He passes the test in many years, including this one. However, there is someone this year who goes beyong what Halladay can do. For instance, you say "flashy" numbers for Santaña, I say solid. He is 15-5, with an even lower ERA, more strikeouts, and is leading his team to a wild-card berth, and dare I say, a division crown.

Sager:
Don't get too far ahead of yourself there. The Twins still have to win it, and regardless, this is an individual award. Halladay's numbers reflect his importance to the Blue Jays -- take him away and the Jays are probably a sub-500 team, like they were when he missed major parts of the previous two seasons.

Pearce:
Okay, we will leave the Twins run out of this for the moment. Indeed, the Cy Young is an individual achievement given to the best pitcher in the league. And Santaña's numbers speak for themselves: first in ERA, first in WHIP (walks and hits allowed per inning pitched), first in strikeouts. After starting the season 0-3, he has won 15 of his last 17 decisions.

Sager:
Well, the Twins didn't score runs early on in the season, hence Santaña's 0-3 start. As for the slightly lower ERA, put it in context. That 0.11 difference between them amounts to two, three runs over nearly 200 innings, and you haven't even begun to discuss park effects or the quality of the opposition. Their ERAs are essentially the same.

Pearce:
If you are talking about style, would Halladay's numbers be worse if he were on a team with weaker defence? No one argues that the guy is a horse (four complete games this season), but he also puts a lot of balls in play. The regular Jays tarters (if you could call their middle infield 'regular') have a combined .986 fielding percentage (to the Twins .979), so with a weaker defence, would some of those 6-4-3 double plays actually be hits against Halladay?

Sager:
There's no defence that's good enough to make a pitcher better than he really is in he long run. (Funny: Right as I wrote that, Aaron Hill and John McDonald botched a sure inning-ending double play in the Jays-Royals game, reducing an 8-4 Jays lead to 8-6).

Here's my question to you, Pat: Are Halladay's numbers in the AL East, with the smaller ballparks and the Evil Empires, superior to Santana's stats in the AL Central, which has bigger parks, the majors worst team, Kansas City, and at least one good team that doesn't have a reputation for patient hitting? (cough, Detroit Tigers.)

Pearce:
Absolutely not! And here's why. The Jays, to date, have played the Red Sox and Yankees a combined 23 times, but the Twins have played the Tigers and White Sox a combined 30 times. It should be noted that the Tigers still have the best record in baseball, while the White Sox actually have a better record than the Red Sox.

Moreover, The Twins have played 24 games against the Royals, Orioles and Devil Rays, while the Jays, not including today, have played 40 games against the AL's unholy trinity of mediocrity.

When you consider Tampa Bay is only five wins better than the Royals, the notion of a weaker schedule for the Twins and Santaña falls a bit flat.

Santaña, by the way, is 6-2 against the Tigers and White Sox.

Sager:
Well, if you're talking best-on-best competition, consider that the Jays are 6-0 in Doc's starts against Boston and both New York teams (He only got the decision three times).

Pearce:
However, Santaña's ERA against the Tigers and White Sox is 2.12 while Halladay's is 3.00 against the Yankees and Red Sox. What's more, in the games Halladay started against the Yankees and Boston, the Jays averaged 6.8 runs per game. In the games Santaña has started against the Tigers and White Sox, the Twins have averaged 4.5 runs per game.

What this indicates is that against their respective divisions' top teams, Doc gets better run support, while Santaña, despite putting up wins, has less margin for error in his pitching.

Sager:
Ok, what I'm wondering, though, is if we're wrong to talk about what each guy has done to date and not look at where he's headed. Santaña is on a 15-2 roll. Halladay was 8-1 out of the gate. Is Santaña going to keep this up as the Twins pursue a playoff berth? How is Halladay going to fare in September, when the Jays will be playing for pride and have a schedule loaded with contenders? (Their last 13 games of the season are all against Boston, Detroit or New York.)

Pearce:
Here, I think I have to go with Halladay's perserverance. It doesn't hurt Santaña that his team is still in the hunt, but given Halladay's history, he is as good as it gets down the stretch, even with a team that's out of it. As mentioned, the guy is a horse. Back in 2003, when he won his first Cy Young, he was two years removed from a minor league stint that saw him re-define himself as a pitcher.

This year is eerily similar. He missed most of last year with a broken leg, and it just seems that he always has something to prove and is the best when that's the case.

And just take a look at his record down the stretch: since 2003, he is 7-3, despite missing some significant time in two seasons. Combine that with the aforementioned fact that his plays well against the Red Sox, Yankees, and Tigers, and he will likely to put up great numbers from here on in.

And consider this, in 2003, after pitching four complete games in the season's first five months, he tore through September, finishing the season with five complete-game wins in his final six starts.

Sager:
So can I mark you down tentatively for Halladay, I take it? It's funny, the question I keep asking of myself is, "What if the records were reversed -- if Santaña was 16-4 and Halladay was 15-5?" If that was the case, there would be no Cy Young debate, and Santaña, not his batterymate Joe Mauer, might be getting the Sports Illustrated cover.

Pearce:
Although, that was a pretty nice spread of Mauer!

But what about you? Do you think Santaña's momentum will lead him to a second Cy Young?

Sager:
Momentum is a funny thing, but yes, based on the stats and how he's overcome his team and his own slow start, Santaña is the guy here, especially since he's pitching in a playoff race, which should help him keep his focus. However, can we agree on one thing? That this season has two very compelling candidates for the AL Cy Young, which is about two more than in 2005 (when Halladay was injured and Santaña finished third largely since his record was only 16-7.)

Pearce:
Ya, I agree. There wasn't a whole lot happening from AL mounds last year.

Sager:
The other aspect we can agree on is that it could just easily be you backing Santaña and me backing Halladay.

Pearce:
Absolutely! Their numbers are so close in every category except for strikeouts. But as you mentioned, Halladay's quickness and ground-ball pitching is surely beneficial to his team. And of course, it gets the job done, which is the end goal.

And that is that. The race is close this year, and it has come down to two dominant, yet stylistically different pitchers. If Santaña gets Minnesota into the playoffs, I think it is a lock. If Doc can have a September like 2003, he is a lock. Like all good things, it comes down to the final few moments for it all to play out.

Send thoughts and comments to pwjp22@hotmail.com.

Keep your stick on the ice.

MORNING NEWS CRUISE

What you may have missed while pondering who J.K Rowling is gonna finish off. (this format 'borrowed' from other [read: better] bloggers)

• Burris Burns: As I called it, the Calgary Stampeders beat the Montreal Alouettes for their third straight victory. Coincidentally, the Alouettes lost their third in a row after starting the season 7-0. Henry Burris, Stamps starter, went 18-for-33, for 295 yards, while the Stamps racked up 523 total yards against the leagues second-best defense. In an otherwise boring year for the CFL, hopefully this game is the catalyst for more excitement.

• See me fly: Carolina Panthers rookie DeAngelo Williams returned a kick-off 98 yards for a touchdown, perhaps securing his spot as the starting kick-off / punt returner for the team. However, the first-team offense was horrendous: Steve Smith is still out, Jake Delhomme went 6-for-15 for a whopping 56 yards, and the team did not gain a first down until 3:33 left in second quarter. Despite this, they still won. Against Miami. Sounds about right.

• Seeing Red: Scoring thier final four-runs with two out, the Cincinnati Reds beat the San Franciso Giants last night. The big deal? The victory allowed the Reds to tie the Cardinals (who lost to the Mets) for first place in the NL Central. What's really sad about this is that the Reds and the Cardinals have a worse winning percentage (as do the Dodgers, the NL West division leaders) that the Toronto Blue Jays, who sit third in the AL East. Does anyone else think something's wrong with this picture?

• Love the 'Twin Stripes': The Minnesota Twins took two-of-three from the Baltimore Orioles (where's the SWEEP?!), including a 11-2 rout last night to keep pace with the AL wild card leaders, the Chicago White Sox. This confidence bodes well for the Twins upcoming (read: HUGE) series with the Chicago White Sox. Probably starters for the series: Friday: Radke (12-9) vs. Vazquez (11-8); Saturday: Santana (15-5) vs. Contreras (11-6); Sunday: Silva (8-11) vs. Buehrle (10-11). I am calling this one 2-outta-3 for the Twins, with Saturday's game being the one to watch (no brainer).

• Hometown Roots: Former agent/accused pedofile/assassination target/juicebar owner/gag-inducer David Frost is going on trial in September in my small hometown of Napanee. Ontario. He faces 12 charges of sexual exploitation and one assault charge from his involvement with the Quinte Hawks organization, based out of even smaller Deseronto, Ontario.

Not to worry though, I am having my mom bake a coconut cream pie to splash on his face. However, knowing the population of Quinte Detention Centre, Millhaven Penitentary (made famous by none other than the Tragically Hip), Jocyeville Penitentary, and the numerous Penitentaries in Kingston, a 'coconut' pie in the face is the least of Frost's worries. At least I hope so.

SIDE NOTE: The numerous "correctional facilities" in-and-around my hometown is neither a reflection of those town's or their inhabitants. Plain and simple, we need the money, jobs, and free-labour for our farms.

Enjoy the last weekend of summer. Labour Day doesn't count for me, because, I have to labour at work. Boo.

MAURICE CLARETT: SOCIAL CAPITAL AND CAUTIONARY TALES

It is impossible to know what was going on in Maurice Clarett's mind the night he flashed a gun and demanded property from a couple on New Year's day 2006. It is also impossible to know what was going on in his head the night of August 9, 2006, when he was arrested and police found guns and a half-empty bottle of vodka in his vehicle. However, it is very easy to speculate what was going on in his mind -- a quick glance in the sports sections of the major newspapers over the last few weeks confirms this. What is certain though, is that Maurice Clarett had all the talent and ability to have a successful career in the NFL, but his lack of social capital, and/or his desire to tap into the little available to him, ultimately cost him his career, and potentially, significant portions of his life.

On January 3, 2003, Maurice Clarett joined some rare company: Magic Johnson, Grant Hill, and Isiah Thomas. The act that allowed his name to be said along with these greats? His five-yard run for a touchdown in the second overtime delivered a national championship to Ohio State. And with that, he became of of those few who, at a very young age, led their team to a nation championship.

However, who would have thought that this celebratory evening would have been the last highlight of his young life?

Maurice Clarett was pure football skill. Coming out of Warren Harding High School, he was dubbed by many journalists as the top high-school football player in the country. His speed was virtually unmatched, and his ability to read and react to play's was compared to veteran collegiate players.

He shined in his first year with the Buckeye's, rushing for 1,237 yards (a school record for freshmen) and scoring 18 touchdowns. The Buckeye's finished with a perfect 14-0 record, and went on to win the aforementioned national championship on his winning touchdown.
However, unlike another Ohio teenage phenom, Maurice Clarett did not have the social capital, at a young age, necessary to develop the skills, knowledge, and contacts, necessary to maintain a level head and be successful.

The idea behind social capital is that inherent in each individual's social networks is the knowledge, resources, and contacts that are invaluable for pursuing and achieving goals. For instance, because person A knows person B, and person B knows person C, person A can tap into the knowledge and resources person C possess, due to their relationship with person B. It is somewhat more complex than this, and has much to do with trust and reciprocity, but this is the basic point.

In any event, social capital is crucial for an individuals continued development and success. And compared to other athletes, Clarett just didn't have it at an early age. Clarett came from an impoverished background, traditionally low on social capital, and he had very little support from his family. In fact, he had the burden of being the "one," the individual on whom the family's hopes and dreams were pinned.

However, other athletes from poor backgrounds have gone on to have successful and healthy careers. The question remains, why did Clarett not succeed. And in this instance, the blame falls squarely on him. Whereas other athletes with little social capital tapped into what bit they had, Clarett refused to do this.

Clarett (like other athletes) was given ample opportunity to develop new social capital in the context and structure of the football environment. Here, he had coaches who wanted to help him succeed and friends and teammates upon whom he could rely. Yet still, he didn't take to this. On the contrary, he walked around like the world owed him something. Consider this comment from Mike Shanahan, Denver Bronco's coach:

He's got some heavy issues. It's just a shame this has happened to a guy that [had] so much promise and so much ability. I'm not sure what happened to him but it's a real shame...We tried to reach him quite a bit when he was here. One thing he did have here was a lot of support from our veterans and our players tried to really take care of this guy and he wanted no part of it...

So, whereas other players with similar backgrounds were able, and willing, to tap into the networks that became available to them, and to use them to their advantage, Clarett shunned these opportunities.

So when someone like Michael Wilbon refers to Clarett as a "cautionary tale," it isn't simply that Clarett had too much pressure placed upon him too quickly, it is also that young athletes must embrace and tap into the resources available to them through the networks and relationships around them. It is also about the importance coach's and team officials have in the dynamic. They are more than 'coaches' and 'officials,' they are leaders, mentors, guides, and contacts for these athletes that may have nothing else.

IS WELLS THE JAYS FUTURE?

Keeping the core of a baseball team is like working the core of your body: it takes work, cash, determination, and pure-and-simple luck. But in the end, it is worth it all when the scores start piling up -- whether it's on a baseball diamond or a beach.

This tangent came to mind this morning after reading an interesting article by the Globe and Mail's Larry Millson, who argues that the Toronto Blue Jays recent trades of Shea Hillenbrand, Scott Schoeneweis, and Eric Hinske are all designed to make the team better next year through the extra cash (12 million) saved from these salaries.

According to him, the Jays number one priority is going to be signing two-time gold-glove winner Vernon Wells to a lucrative long-term contract. And while fickle Toronto fans may want to see the centre-fielder, who is putting up MVP-type numbers, in the blue, silver, and black next year, this sports nut does not think this is likely. And here is why.

The Jays are unlikely to be able to give him the type of contract a player of his calibre deserves. With so much money invested into a few players who may be past their prime (does this remind us of any other Toronto sports franchise), the Jays only have so much to go around. Vernon may even realize this. He was approached before this season to discuss the possibility of a long-term contract, and he rebuffed, claiming he only wanted to talk about it after this season. And after the numbers he put up this season, it is likely the Jays will not be able to afford him anyway.

Also, Well's does not even want to play in Toronto. The Jays traded away Shea Hillenbrand, a player with whom Wells reportedly had a good realtionship with. Then, as has been mentioned by numerous reporters, including my good friend Neate Sager over at Out of Left Field, the Toronto sports fan and culture is extremely fickle. A hero one night and a goat the next is the calling of most Toronto players.

However, this maxim does not seem to apply to those medicore players who seem to embody characteristics that every Torontonian aspires to have, but unlikely to ever develop: hard-work, determination, and courage. Here we are talking about guys like Tie Domi and Dary Tucker, just to name a couple.

To emphasize the point, just think of this quotation from Wells, when asked about whether trading Hinske might symbolize to the fans the Jays packing it in:

"I mean, half the fans wanted to get rid of him anyway. They booed him no
mattter what he did. Hopefully, it will be a good change for him."

Does this really sound like a player who feels that the fans in Toronto have embraced the team and it's players? Of course, the Jays are not the Royals or the Devil Rays, but Well's attitude to the city does lead me to believe he wants to stay in the city.

With this in mind, J.P. Ricciardi, as opined by more knowledgable people than I, should use Vernon Wells as the centre-piece of a package that would bring in a stronger short-stop and starting pitching.

Ultimately though, it doesn't matter. Playing in the division with New York and Boston, the two largest spenders in the league, the Jays have little hope of aspiring to the division crown with a payroll of 75-78 million. The wild-card perhaps.

But to the Toronto sports fan, it won't really matter either way. The Jays are just not cool enough yet. And ultimately, they did it to themselves.

Hinske Traded; Jays Throw in the Towel

Reports are surfacing that the Jay's have traded third baseman/first baseman/outfielder Eric Hinske to -- wait for it -- division rival the Boston Red Sox! Questions remain of course, but what does this mean for the Toronto Blue Jays for next year and beyond?

Hinske is a very capable player, as shown by his abilities in all three positions he has been rotating around this year. Additionally, he is solid at the plate, despite the slumps and struggles that all hitters eventually go through. However, his $5.6 million dollar contract next year more than likely came into play. Thus, this move, considering the return, "future considerations," and the fact that it was to a division rival, smells like a pure and simple salary dump.

However, with the likelihood that payroll will not change significantly next year, what will next year's team look like? It is going to be difficult to find a player of Hinske's ability to play as a utility player. With the money saved on the Hinske and Schoeneweis trades, many people could view this as a move to bring back future pending free agents, such as "the Cat," Frank Catalanotto, or dare I say it, Vernon Wells.

Ultimately, it appears that the Jays have thrown in the towel for this year's race. The question remains, have they already done so for next year as well?

Other worthy news.

The PGA Championship is underway in Medinah, Illinois today. Players to watch include Tiger and Phil, but some sleepers could come through. Look for guys like Furyk and Vijay to get that big win this time around.

"I went to a wrestling match last night, and a baseball game broke out!" For those of you who didn't hear, the volatile series between the Angels and Rangers came to a head last night when Adam Kennedy charged the mound after being by a pitch.

Last night, "Juiced" "author" Jose Canseco made his pitching debut. The line: 4 and 1/3 innings pitched, one strike out, five walks, and four hit-batsmen. Hey, at least he is a better pitcher than he is a batter.

CHIMING IN ON HNIC

Wow! Has it been almost a month since my last post? It appears so; however, with the recent submission of a thesis proposal completed, my thoughts can return to the wide world of sports.

In recent days, there has been a flurry of activity -- web-postings, editorials, radio-call ins -- concerning the news that communication conglomerate Bell Globemedia is planning to offer up 10.4 billion dollars over 10 years for the rights to Hockey Night in Canada. And it seems that everyone has an opinion on the matter.

One of the oft arguments that I have encountered see's this possible purchase as great news, because without a regular Saturday evening, the CBC can turn their attention to their mandate, which is to promote and support Canadian culture through television programming (although, I am not sure where such films as 'Happy Gilmore' fit into this mandate). But I digress.

A counter-point to this argument is that the sport of hockey is Canadian culture, and by airing hockey, the CBC is contributing to it's mandate. Indeed, what Canadian child did not play on a backyard pond? Or on the street? Or played until their fingers were frozen to their Easton Aluminum? Who doesn’t remember the last Canadian team to win the Cup? Moreover, the recent runs of two western Canadian teams seemed to reaffirm Canadian passion (or at least bandwagon jumping) for the sport.

While some may disagree with my assessment, it is hard to argue that hockey is not a part of our culture. Facets of culture do not have to be agreed upon by all members of a citizenry, it simply has to permeate that citizenry in a profound way. Indeed, like may pop-culture icons and ideals, Madonna, Britney Spears, Dave Chapelle, trucker hats (ugh), hockey permeates many facets of Canadian thinking.

However, for those of you who did not agree with this, keep this in mind. HNIC provides CBC with a 30 million dollar profit each year. This cash is what enables the CBC to fund and air “real” Canadian cultural programs like "Tommy Douglas," "Rick Mercer," "the Road to Avonlea," and the like. Without this cash, the CBC would be even less able to fulfill it's mandate.

The solution then? If Bell Globemedia wants to purchase the rights to HNIC, so be it, I am gonna have to upgrade my cable package anyway. However, if Bell Globemedia wants the format as well, such as "Coach's Corner," "Satellite Hotstove," and "Behind the Mask," they should be required to pay the CBC a 30 million dollar a year rental fee.