There will not be a lot of writing this week, but in the meantime check out these short pieces by John Hollinger of ESPN. Hollinger gives a short synopsis of the winners and losers of the NBA free agency period, and I could not agree more with most of what he has to say (I think you can guess who the biggest winner was). On Friday, hopefully with time permitting to format it correctly, I will have the mid-season MLB review chat that Tom and Curt joined me for last week.
Hollinger's offseason winners.
And the offseason losers.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Who Are These Guys?
Have the 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates become the 1927 New York Yankees? Who are these guys swinging the bats the past five days or so? The dog days of summer are here, the World Cup is over, training camp is still a week or so away and the Pirates are out of the playoff race. In Pittsburgh, this is usually the worst sports time of the year by far. The Pirates, however, may just give us something to watch until the Steelers and Pitt begin their regular season, other than non-contact practices and meaningless pre-season games of course.
The reason the Buccos just might give us something to watch is the youngsters look like they are starting to figure out this Major League hitting thing. Over the past five games, during which they have four wins, the Pirates have scored a combined 48 runs. That is nearly 10 runs per game, and the most encouraging part is that the guys doing the damage are the guys who are in Pittsburgh’s long term plans.
Pedro Alvarez, the guy probably most important to the Pirates near and long-term future, has gone 9-20 over these five games, with 4 HRs, 9 RBIs, 7 runs and maybe more importantly, four walks against five strikeouts. Alvarez has shown his world-class power, absolutely clubbing the four home runs he has hit (two each in the past two games) but has also shown the ability to stay patient at the plate and hit his pitch. Alvarez’ development alone could be reason enough to watch these Pirates down the stretch.
Four other important members of the Pirates near-term future; Garrett Jones, Jose Tabata, Lastings Milledge and Neil Walker; have more than chipped in their own fair share. Walker has gone a red-hot 14-24 over the five games, Jones has gone 6-20 with a home run and 6 RBIs, Tabata has been the table-setter with 8 hits and 8 runs scored and Milledge has continued his steady play over the past month or so with a 6-16 mark during the five game Pirates’ run fest. The Pirates have done all of this with Andrew McCutchen out of the line-up the last three games, and we all know what McCutchen is capable of. The Pirates are also getting solid contributions from a red-hot Ronny Cedeno and Delwyn Young, two more guys that could be contributors to the team over the next couple of seasons.
I should be quick to point out that five games is a tiny sample size. Every team, no matter how bad, goes through a few hot stretches over the course of a 162 game season. But these are the new Pirates, the guys we have been hoping and waiting for since Neal Huntington took the general manager job and began trumpeting these young guys. They look to have their feet properly wet and the evaluations can begin. At the very least, these past five games can give us hope for the future…or at least a reason to watch over the final 68 games.
The reason the Buccos just might give us something to watch is the youngsters look like they are starting to figure out this Major League hitting thing. Over the past five games, during which they have four wins, the Pirates have scored a combined 48 runs. That is nearly 10 runs per game, and the most encouraging part is that the guys doing the damage are the guys who are in Pittsburgh’s long term plans.
Pedro Alvarez, the guy probably most important to the Pirates near and long-term future, has gone 9-20 over these five games, with 4 HRs, 9 RBIs, 7 runs and maybe more importantly, four walks against five strikeouts. Alvarez has shown his world-class power, absolutely clubbing the four home runs he has hit (two each in the past two games) but has also shown the ability to stay patient at the plate and hit his pitch. Alvarez’ development alone could be reason enough to watch these Pirates down the stretch.
Four other important members of the Pirates near-term future; Garrett Jones, Jose Tabata, Lastings Milledge and Neil Walker; have more than chipped in their own fair share. Walker has gone a red-hot 14-24 over the five games, Jones has gone 6-20 with a home run and 6 RBIs, Tabata has been the table-setter with 8 hits and 8 runs scored and Milledge has continued his steady play over the past month or so with a 6-16 mark during the five game Pirates’ run fest. The Pirates have done all of this with Andrew McCutchen out of the line-up the last three games, and we all know what McCutchen is capable of. The Pirates are also getting solid contributions from a red-hot Ronny Cedeno and Delwyn Young, two more guys that could be contributors to the team over the next couple of seasons.
I should be quick to point out that five games is a tiny sample size. Every team, no matter how bad, goes through a few hot stretches over the course of a 162 game season. But these are the new Pirates, the guys we have been hoping and waiting for since Neal Huntington took the general manager job and began trumpeting these young guys. They look to have their feet properly wet and the evaluations can begin. At the very least, these past five games can give us hope for the future…or at least a reason to watch over the final 68 games.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Mid-Season MLB Awards
Major League Baseball gets back into the full swing of the second half tonight following the All-Star break. There were a handful of games last night, but tonight marks the first night every team is in action as the real chase for October begins. Before we jump into the final 70 games or so, it is time to give out my mid-season awards in both leagues. Taking a look at the four major awards also gives a nice glimpse of what has happened so far this year. We will be back early next week with a more expansive look as Tom and Curt return for a mid-season chat to discuss the current season and what we see happening the rest of the way. On to the awards…
National League Manager of the First Half – Bud Black (San Diego) – Honorable mention goes to Bobby Cox of Atlanta and Dusty Baker of Cincinnati. If you thought San Diego, Atlanta and Cincinnati would be leading their respective divisions at the halfway point, raise your hand. Yea, not too many hands raised with that one. But of the three, San Diego is the team with the least amount of talent and, by far, the most overachieving team in baseball at the break. Atlanta’s rotation alone was good enough to make a run and Cincinnati was many people’s sleeper pick to start the year. Meanwhile, Black has the Padres in first place with only one player above a .750 OPS.
American League Manager of the First Half – Ozzie Guillen (Chicago) – This team was left for dead after a 24-33 start to the season. After last night’s win, the White Sox are 26-5 over the past month and a half and sit on top of the American League Central. Guillen was able to keep a veteran locker room from going into the tank and has coaxed the most out of an entirely mediocre line-up. Joe Maddon of the Rays and Ron Washington of the Rangers deserve mention, as does Jim Leyland in Detroit, but each of those clubs have some major talent.
Year-End Predictions: Bobby Cox of Atlanta and Ron Washington of Texas.
National League Rookie – Jason Heyward (Atlanta) – This one was a little tough as all three of the top rookies have missed extensive time. Two, Stephen Strasburg (you may have heard of him) and Buster Posey, were late May-early June call-ups while Jason Heyward, after a red hot start, cooled off due to a thumb injury and eventually went on the DL for almost a month. Heyward wins out for now as his impact on the season so far is greater than that of the other two. Posey is really coming on, however, batting .355 with 7 HRs in only 39 games and is my pick to overcome Heyward by season’s end. Strasburg’s innings are going to be limited by the Nationals and he will probably be shut down come September. If the pressure on the young 20-year-old Heyward weren’t enough, he will be forced to produce big time in the middle of a pennant race. That is why I like Posey to overtake him come season’s end. One other guy deserving mention is St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia, who is 8-4 with a 2.17 ERA.
American League Rookie – Brandon Boesch (Detroit) – While the National League rookie class is absolutely stacked, the American League has somewhat of a void in production among the rookie ranks. Boesch’ biggest competition will probably come from teammate Austin Jackson, who started the season on fire but has since cooled considerably, and closer Neftali Feliz of the Texas Rangers, he of the 100 mph fastball and 23 saves. Boesch is batting .342 with 12 HRs and a .990 OPS, numbers that translate to a MVP caliber season. Once a mediocre prospect, it is hard to see him staying on that incredible pace, but he has played well enough that he should coast to the AL Rookie of the Year award.
Year-End Winners: Buster Posey of San Francisco and Boesch.
National League Cy Young – Ubaldo Jimenez (Colorado) – This one was much closer than people would think, with Jimenez sporting a 15-1 record, 2.20 ERA and 113 strikeouts and all. But Josh Johnson of the Florida Marlins has been just as dominant, sporting a 9-3 record, 1.70 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 122 innings. More impressively, in 12 of Johnson’s 18 starts, he has allowed zero or one earned run, nearing a record of such starts set by Bob Gibson in 1968. Adam Wainwright and Roy Halladay have not been too shabby themselves. Jimenez’ no hitter will stay imprinted in the minds of voters, however, giving him the nod at the end of the year.
American League Cy Young – David Price (Tampa Bay) – With no pitcher being quite as dominant as Jimenez and Johnson, I went with Price here, who leads the AL in ERA and is tied with CC Sabathia for the most wins. This one will probably come all the way down to the wire with guys like Jon Lester, Justin Verlander, Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez all getting their names in the conversation. In the end, though, I think it will come down to Price and Sabathia.
Year-End Winners: Jimenez and CC Sabathia of Yankees.
National League MVP – Albert Pujols (St. Louis) – Absolute, 100% coin flip right now between Pujols and Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds. Votto has been incredible to the tune of .314-22-60 with 59 runs and 7 stolen bases. He is at or near the top in every offensive category in the National League. So is Pujols, who right now sports an almost identical .313-21-64 with 56 runs and 9 SBs. They have been essentially the same player. I will give the slight nod in this instance to the guy who has done it 10 straight years now and plays a gold-glove caliber first base (Votto is no slouch over there either).
American League MVP – Miguel Cabrera (Detroit) – This was probably Robinson Cano’s award until about two or three weeks ago when A-Rod and Mark Teixeira decided the season had started. Cano is playing fantastic baseball at the plate and in the field. I had a Yankee friend say that even his outs are fun to watch right now because he is hitting everything so hard. But as well as Cano is playing, he has easily fallen to third in this race behind Cabrera and Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. Hamilton, the former phenom turned inspirational story, is fully healthy and it shows. Hamilton leads the AL in average (.351), is tied for 2nd in HRs (22), 4th in RBIs, and tied for 6th in runs. It is true that Hamilton is aided by his ballpark and a terrific line-up around him, but there is no denying those kind of numbers. My first half MVP, however, has to be Miguel Cabrera. While Hamilton has an outside shot at the Triple Crown, Cabrera’s chances are very much real. Cabrera is currently 2nd behind Hamilton in average (.346), tied with him at 22 HRs and leads the AL in RBIs with 77 (he is also 3rd in runs scored and 1st in OPS). Cabrera is the AL version of Albert Pujols and anyone doubting his ability should take one quick look at his career numbers. In the end I think he will fall just short of the Triple Crown, but not short of the MVP.
Year-End Winners: Pujols and Cabrera.
National League Manager of the First Half – Bud Black (San Diego) – Honorable mention goes to Bobby Cox of Atlanta and Dusty Baker of Cincinnati. If you thought San Diego, Atlanta and Cincinnati would be leading their respective divisions at the halfway point, raise your hand. Yea, not too many hands raised with that one. But of the three, San Diego is the team with the least amount of talent and, by far, the most overachieving team in baseball at the break. Atlanta’s rotation alone was good enough to make a run and Cincinnati was many people’s sleeper pick to start the year. Meanwhile, Black has the Padres in first place with only one player above a .750 OPS.
American League Manager of the First Half – Ozzie Guillen (Chicago) – This team was left for dead after a 24-33 start to the season. After last night’s win, the White Sox are 26-5 over the past month and a half and sit on top of the American League Central. Guillen was able to keep a veteran locker room from going into the tank and has coaxed the most out of an entirely mediocre line-up. Joe Maddon of the Rays and Ron Washington of the Rangers deserve mention, as does Jim Leyland in Detroit, but each of those clubs have some major talent.
Year-End Predictions: Bobby Cox of Atlanta and Ron Washington of Texas.
National League Rookie – Jason Heyward (Atlanta) – This one was a little tough as all three of the top rookies have missed extensive time. Two, Stephen Strasburg (you may have heard of him) and Buster Posey, were late May-early June call-ups while Jason Heyward, after a red hot start, cooled off due to a thumb injury and eventually went on the DL for almost a month. Heyward wins out for now as his impact on the season so far is greater than that of the other two. Posey is really coming on, however, batting .355 with 7 HRs in only 39 games and is my pick to overcome Heyward by season’s end. Strasburg’s innings are going to be limited by the Nationals and he will probably be shut down come September. If the pressure on the young 20-year-old Heyward weren’t enough, he will be forced to produce big time in the middle of a pennant race. That is why I like Posey to overtake him come season’s end. One other guy deserving mention is St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia, who is 8-4 with a 2.17 ERA.
American League Rookie – Brandon Boesch (Detroit) – While the National League rookie class is absolutely stacked, the American League has somewhat of a void in production among the rookie ranks. Boesch’ biggest competition will probably come from teammate Austin Jackson, who started the season on fire but has since cooled considerably, and closer Neftali Feliz of the Texas Rangers, he of the 100 mph fastball and 23 saves. Boesch is batting .342 with 12 HRs and a .990 OPS, numbers that translate to a MVP caliber season. Once a mediocre prospect, it is hard to see him staying on that incredible pace, but he has played well enough that he should coast to the AL Rookie of the Year award.
Year-End Winners: Buster Posey of San Francisco and Boesch.
National League Cy Young – Ubaldo Jimenez (Colorado) – This one was much closer than people would think, with Jimenez sporting a 15-1 record, 2.20 ERA and 113 strikeouts and all. But Josh Johnson of the Florida Marlins has been just as dominant, sporting a 9-3 record, 1.70 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 122 innings. More impressively, in 12 of Johnson’s 18 starts, he has allowed zero or one earned run, nearing a record of such starts set by Bob Gibson in 1968. Adam Wainwright and Roy Halladay have not been too shabby themselves. Jimenez’ no hitter will stay imprinted in the minds of voters, however, giving him the nod at the end of the year.
American League Cy Young – David Price (Tampa Bay) – With no pitcher being quite as dominant as Jimenez and Johnson, I went with Price here, who leads the AL in ERA and is tied with CC Sabathia for the most wins. This one will probably come all the way down to the wire with guys like Jon Lester, Justin Verlander, Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez all getting their names in the conversation. In the end, though, I think it will come down to Price and Sabathia.
Year-End Winners: Jimenez and CC Sabathia of Yankees.
National League MVP – Albert Pujols (St. Louis) – Absolute, 100% coin flip right now between Pujols and Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds. Votto has been incredible to the tune of .314-22-60 with 59 runs and 7 stolen bases. He is at or near the top in every offensive category in the National League. So is Pujols, who right now sports an almost identical .313-21-64 with 56 runs and 9 SBs. They have been essentially the same player. I will give the slight nod in this instance to the guy who has done it 10 straight years now and plays a gold-glove caliber first base (Votto is no slouch over there either).
American League MVP – Miguel Cabrera (Detroit) – This was probably Robinson Cano’s award until about two or three weeks ago when A-Rod and Mark Teixeira decided the season had started. Cano is playing fantastic baseball at the plate and in the field. I had a Yankee friend say that even his outs are fun to watch right now because he is hitting everything so hard. But as well as Cano is playing, he has easily fallen to third in this race behind Cabrera and Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. Hamilton, the former phenom turned inspirational story, is fully healthy and it shows. Hamilton leads the AL in average (.351), is tied for 2nd in HRs (22), 4th in RBIs, and tied for 6th in runs. It is true that Hamilton is aided by his ballpark and a terrific line-up around him, but there is no denying those kind of numbers. My first half MVP, however, has to be Miguel Cabrera. While Hamilton has an outside shot at the Triple Crown, Cabrera’s chances are very much real. Cabrera is currently 2nd behind Hamilton in average (.346), tied with him at 22 HRs and leads the AL in RBIs with 77 (he is also 3rd in runs scored and 1st in OPS). Cabrera is the AL version of Albert Pujols and anyone doubting his ability should take one quick look at his career numbers. In the end I think he will fall just short of the Triple Crown, but not short of the MVP.
Year-End Winners: Pujols and Cabrera.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Pirates Dreadful Season Continues
The Pirates head into the All-Star break on yet another six game losing streak, all six on the road once again. I have actually written this opening three times in the last two weeks, each time this post getting bumped by other news. The common link each time I have written this piece has been how dreadful the Pirates have been.
The first edition came immediately following the Pirates first win after 17 consecutive road losses. The second time the Buccos had actually managed to win two of three from the Cubbies, giving them a whopping four wins in a 23 game stretch at that point. This time, the Pirates are fresh off another miserable road trip where they were swept in Houston and in Milwaukee, two teams that had been playing nearly as bad as the Pirates had been.
The Pirates play for most of the first half of the season has been quite simply horrible, almost downright embarrassing. The current six game losing streak has pushed their road record on the season to 11-38, which for perspective’s sake would equate to a 126 loss season. These Pirates are playing some historically bad baseball on the road. Worse yet, the Bucs play at home has not been much better recently. Overall, the Pirates have nine wins in 36 games in June and July. NINE FREAKIN’ WINS…
Not only are the Pirates losing, they are playing terrible baseball. Horrible fielding, bad baserunning, poor at-bats and a general lack of fundamentals have exemplified this current stretch of embarrassing baseball. As we begin the All-Star festivities tonight, the Pirates are a National League worst 30-58, a record that puts them on pace for 107 losses this season. That number of losses would be more than even the worst pessimist would have guessed to start the year. With the halfway point behind us and no end in sight to the losing, it is time to take a quick look at what has gone right (very little) and what has gone wrong (way too much) so far this season:
The Good
Andrew McCutchen – McCutchen has picked up right where he left off last year and that has the young phenom well on his way to stardom. After batting .286/.365/.471 with 12 HRs and 22 SBs in only 433 at-bats as a rookie, “Cutch” has followed it up with a .287/.363/.435, 8 HRs and 20 SBs as a sophomore and that despite a recent slump. Yes, a few more timely hits would be nice, but those hits will come as McCutchen matures. Despite getting ripped off from an All-Star appearance this year, you can be sure that McCutchen is well on his way to multiple All-Star classics.
Evan Meek – Meek has been dominant out of the bullpen. The former Rule-5 pick, maybe Neal Huntington’s best move as a GM to date, has held opponents to a .184 batting average, sports a 1.11 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and has struck out 45 batters in 48 innings against only 14 walks. He probably did not deserve his All-Star bid, but Meek definitely looks as though he will be the Buccos closer in the not so distant future.
Arrivals of Walker, Tabata, Lincoln and Alvarez – Only Neil Walker has performed reasonably well since his call-up to the big leagues but all four of these Pirates’ prospects earned their trip to the show and none have looked totally outclassed. The Pirates’ future is very dependent on these four guys, along with the two guys above, so to see them in their big league uniforms is a positive in itself.
And that’s about it on the list of the positives. Paul Maholm and Garrett Jones have performed well, and that is more than most of this organization can attest to, but neither has exceeded expectations. On the contrary, there have been too many negatives to list in this space. As the halfway point nears we will try to limit our list to the most glaring deficiencies at the halfway mark.
The Bad
Ryan Doumit – I have to vent for a quick second: Has any catcher in the history of baseball missed more foul tips than this guy?! Little league catchers don’t get hit from foul tips and pitches in the dirt as much as this guy. Throw in his total inability to throw a runner out, the pitchers’ slow delivery be damned, and Doumit has to be the worst defensive catcher in baseball. He is not a very good hitter either, and any hope that he was going to be a cornerstone for this franchise is out the door. Sure, he can still be a productive Major League catcher. Most teams would take a .260-.280 hitting, 15-20 home run guy as their backstop. But Doumit is 29-years-old now, there is no more potential with him. He is what he is, and that is an average catcher at best.
Lastings Milledge – I am not going to crush Milledge in this space. He has played hard, competed and seems to have matured a great deal since his arrival. His talent simply did not match the hype, however, and I think we are getting the definitive answer on his role going forward. He is a good fourth outfielder. The simple fact is that you cannot have a corner outfielder, especially one that is not even a superior fielder, hitting only 5-10 home runs over the course of a season and be in your everyday line-up. Milledge does enough to be a productive player off the bench and start a couple of times per week, but I think any hope that he could be the starting right fielder long-term has left.
Neal Huntington – I could have put Ryan Church, Bobby Crosby, Aki Iwamura, or Jeff Clement here but those guys all have one thing in common; they were brought here by general manager Neal Huntington. I will not bore you with stats, you can look them up for yourself, but these four Huntington acquisitions have been just terrible. Poor talent evaluation has done this franchise in for 15 plus years now, and the only hope for any small revenue team is the ability to recognize cheap and available talent. It is still way too early to judge the Huntington drafts, but his signings and trades on the Major League level are not giving much hope, or optimism, to the franchise right now.
Walker, Tabata, Lincoln and Alvarez – It is entirely too early to judge the performance of any these guys to this point. Like I said earlier, just seeing them in the big leagues is a step in the right direction. Each of them has shown glimmers of their potential, but the overall performance has not been there yet. It would be nice to see a string of hits and stolen bases from Tabata, a few big home runs and less strike outs from Alvarez, and a few gems in a row from Lincoln. They could be coming, but to this point we have not seen enough of it. At the very least, they do give us something to watch as the season progresses. Their development, along with that of McCutchen, are going to be vital to the near future of this team.
The first edition came immediately following the Pirates first win after 17 consecutive road losses. The second time the Buccos had actually managed to win two of three from the Cubbies, giving them a whopping four wins in a 23 game stretch at that point. This time, the Pirates are fresh off another miserable road trip where they were swept in Houston and in Milwaukee, two teams that had been playing nearly as bad as the Pirates had been.
The Pirates play for most of the first half of the season has been quite simply horrible, almost downright embarrassing. The current six game losing streak has pushed their road record on the season to 11-38, which for perspective’s sake would equate to a 126 loss season. These Pirates are playing some historically bad baseball on the road. Worse yet, the Bucs play at home has not been much better recently. Overall, the Pirates have nine wins in 36 games in June and July. NINE FREAKIN’ WINS…
Not only are the Pirates losing, they are playing terrible baseball. Horrible fielding, bad baserunning, poor at-bats and a general lack of fundamentals have exemplified this current stretch of embarrassing baseball. As we begin the All-Star festivities tonight, the Pirates are a National League worst 30-58, a record that puts them on pace for 107 losses this season. That number of losses would be more than even the worst pessimist would have guessed to start the year. With the halfway point behind us and no end in sight to the losing, it is time to take a quick look at what has gone right (very little) and what has gone wrong (way too much) so far this season:
The Good
Andrew McCutchen – McCutchen has picked up right where he left off last year and that has the young phenom well on his way to stardom. After batting .286/.365/.471 with 12 HRs and 22 SBs in only 433 at-bats as a rookie, “Cutch” has followed it up with a .287/.363/.435, 8 HRs and 20 SBs as a sophomore and that despite a recent slump. Yes, a few more timely hits would be nice, but those hits will come as McCutchen matures. Despite getting ripped off from an All-Star appearance this year, you can be sure that McCutchen is well on his way to multiple All-Star classics.
Evan Meek – Meek has been dominant out of the bullpen. The former Rule-5 pick, maybe Neal Huntington’s best move as a GM to date, has held opponents to a .184 batting average, sports a 1.11 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and has struck out 45 batters in 48 innings against only 14 walks. He probably did not deserve his All-Star bid, but Meek definitely looks as though he will be the Buccos closer in the not so distant future.
Arrivals of Walker, Tabata, Lincoln and Alvarez – Only Neil Walker has performed reasonably well since his call-up to the big leagues but all four of these Pirates’ prospects earned their trip to the show and none have looked totally outclassed. The Pirates’ future is very dependent on these four guys, along with the two guys above, so to see them in their big league uniforms is a positive in itself.
And that’s about it on the list of the positives. Paul Maholm and Garrett Jones have performed well, and that is more than most of this organization can attest to, but neither has exceeded expectations. On the contrary, there have been too many negatives to list in this space. As the halfway point nears we will try to limit our list to the most glaring deficiencies at the halfway mark.
The Bad
Ryan Doumit – I have to vent for a quick second: Has any catcher in the history of baseball missed more foul tips than this guy?! Little league catchers don’t get hit from foul tips and pitches in the dirt as much as this guy. Throw in his total inability to throw a runner out, the pitchers’ slow delivery be damned, and Doumit has to be the worst defensive catcher in baseball. He is not a very good hitter either, and any hope that he was going to be a cornerstone for this franchise is out the door. Sure, he can still be a productive Major League catcher. Most teams would take a .260-.280 hitting, 15-20 home run guy as their backstop. But Doumit is 29-years-old now, there is no more potential with him. He is what he is, and that is an average catcher at best.
Lastings Milledge – I am not going to crush Milledge in this space. He has played hard, competed and seems to have matured a great deal since his arrival. His talent simply did not match the hype, however, and I think we are getting the definitive answer on his role going forward. He is a good fourth outfielder. The simple fact is that you cannot have a corner outfielder, especially one that is not even a superior fielder, hitting only 5-10 home runs over the course of a season and be in your everyday line-up. Milledge does enough to be a productive player off the bench and start a couple of times per week, but I think any hope that he could be the starting right fielder long-term has left.
Neal Huntington – I could have put Ryan Church, Bobby Crosby, Aki Iwamura, or Jeff Clement here but those guys all have one thing in common; they were brought here by general manager Neal Huntington. I will not bore you with stats, you can look them up for yourself, but these four Huntington acquisitions have been just terrible. Poor talent evaluation has done this franchise in for 15 plus years now, and the only hope for any small revenue team is the ability to recognize cheap and available talent. It is still way too early to judge the Huntington drafts, but his signings and trades on the Major League level are not giving much hope, or optimism, to the franchise right now.
Walker, Tabata, Lincoln and Alvarez – It is entirely too early to judge the performance of any these guys to this point. Like I said earlier, just seeing them in the big leagues is a step in the right direction. Each of them has shown glimmers of their potential, but the overall performance has not been there yet. It would be nice to see a string of hits and stolen bases from Tabata, a few big home runs and less strike outs from Alvarez, and a few gems in a row from Lincoln. They could be coming, but to this point we have not seen enough of it. At the very least, they do give us something to watch as the season progresses. Their development, along with that of McCutchen, are going to be vital to the near future of this team.
Friday, July 9, 2010
LeBron Leaves for Miami
I had my mid-season Pirate review that I have been working on and condensing for about a week now all ready to be posted today (look for it on Monday now). I was sure LeBron James was heading back to Cleveland, last night’s show would be much ado about nothing, and we could be back to talking a little baseball. I mean, there is no way that James would go on national TV, on his own one hour program, and tell his fans and his hometown that he was leaving right? Wow, was I wrong!
LeBron used to be my favorite player. “Used to be” is the absolute key phrase in that sentence. We will get to that in a second. First, let’s discuss the actual show itself. I had no problem with it initially. Many of the local and national reporters, “the old guard”, thought it was a selfish and narcissistic act. Of course it was, but that’s the world we live in today. LeBron is the biggest sports star in the world right now; at least he has a reason to have his own hour-long program to announce his team for the next five or more years. I will take that over some 18-year-old high school athlete who has yet to accomplish anything announcing his college decision at a press conference any day of the week. This mattered, and it mattered big time, to the entire landscape of professional sports. Not to mention that it was entertaining and captivating at the same time.
The show itself, however, was a dud. The “King” montage at the beginning was a bit much, the speculating by the ESPN guys kind of ruined the actual moment, and the actual announcement itself was kind of boring. I will give LeBron some credit, at least, in that he stuck around and answered all of Mike Wilbon and Stuart Scott’s questions after his decision was announced to Jim Gray. That was the only meaningful part of the hour long special.
Now, the decision itself, I really just do not get it. As I said, LeBron used to be my favorite player. I actually attended the same 5-star camp going into my senior year as LeBron was entering his sophomore year of high school. I remember coming home from that camp and telling my Dad about this kid “LeBron James”, that people are talking about him as the next big thing. LeBron and Melvin Scott, who played at North Carolina, are the only players I remember from that camp even though there were probably loads of division one players there. (My team won the championship at the camp by the way, and I have no idea how. We didn’t have a single big-time recruit on our squad but somehow we played well enough to beat all of these top players.) It was not long after that James’ reputation spread nationally and he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and ESPN as the chosen one. Telling my Dad that early about “this kid” always gave me a special attachment and rooting interest in LeBron. I was sure that he was going to become the greatest player who ever lived. He still might, but last night’s decision has given me serious doubts and definitely changed my overall view of “The King”.
First and foremost, this has nothing to do with LeBron leaving Cleveland. He should do whatever and play wherever that makes him happy. If that wasn’t in Cleveland, so be it. He owes nothing to the people of Cleveland other than a thank you for rooting for him the last seven years, something he did last night in his post-decision interviews. This has everything to do with LeBron’s competitive make-up.
LeBron did not leave Cleveland for money, for the bright lights of New York, to further his global icon ambition, LeBron left purely for basketball reasons. Basketball reasons that simply go against every trait that a player who aspires to be the greatest of all time must have. LeBron is going where it will be easy to win, to join a cast of superstars, to build a team and franchise that already had its cornerstone and icon. They say to be the best, you must beat the best. LeBron is joining the best. If LeBron truly wanted and desired to go down as one of, if not THE best, to ever play the game, he should have stayed in Cleveland or went to New York where everything would have been built around him. Even Chicago would have been acceptable. Miami, however, was a cop out.
Listening to Jon Barry and Michael Wilbon, among others, say that Miami is not the favorite next year made me turn the TV off. How do they put guys who know nothing about basketball on TV and then call them experts? They are, at worst, the co-favorites with the Lakers, and at best, the overwhelming favorites to win the title next year and for the next five years. The Cavs were the favorites last year when they surrounded James with guys like Moe Williams, Antawn Jamison and Delonte West in the starting line-up. Put any marginal guys at point guard and center and this Miami team is going to win 60+ games and be the favorites in the East. You’re telling me a starting line-up of Mario Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh and say Jermaine O’Neal is not overwhelmingly superior to Williams, West, James, Jamison and Shaq? Come on now…
That is why I absolutely hate this move by LeBron. My wife couldn’t figure out why I was so mad last night. She said, “wait, he’s going to play in South Beach with other great players, what’s so bad about that?” I couldn’t explain it to her, and I am not sure I am explaining it here, but don’t we want our best athletes to be so competitive, so driven, that they want the team to be built around them and win championships their way. The same way that Michael, Magic and Larry did. The same way young Shaq and old Kobe have. I know that is what I wanted from LeBron. Maybe LBJ just wasn’t wired that way from the beginning. Maybe South Beach is the best place for him, maybe he will go on to win multiple titles and go down as a top ten or top five player of all-time. I just wanted so much more for him, and I wish he wanted the same.
LeBron used to be my favorite player. “Used to be” is the absolute key phrase in that sentence. We will get to that in a second. First, let’s discuss the actual show itself. I had no problem with it initially. Many of the local and national reporters, “the old guard”, thought it was a selfish and narcissistic act. Of course it was, but that’s the world we live in today. LeBron is the biggest sports star in the world right now; at least he has a reason to have his own hour-long program to announce his team for the next five or more years. I will take that over some 18-year-old high school athlete who has yet to accomplish anything announcing his college decision at a press conference any day of the week. This mattered, and it mattered big time, to the entire landscape of professional sports. Not to mention that it was entertaining and captivating at the same time.
The show itself, however, was a dud. The “King” montage at the beginning was a bit much, the speculating by the ESPN guys kind of ruined the actual moment, and the actual announcement itself was kind of boring. I will give LeBron some credit, at least, in that he stuck around and answered all of Mike Wilbon and Stuart Scott’s questions after his decision was announced to Jim Gray. That was the only meaningful part of the hour long special.
Now, the decision itself, I really just do not get it. As I said, LeBron used to be my favorite player. I actually attended the same 5-star camp going into my senior year as LeBron was entering his sophomore year of high school. I remember coming home from that camp and telling my Dad about this kid “LeBron James”, that people are talking about him as the next big thing. LeBron and Melvin Scott, who played at North Carolina, are the only players I remember from that camp even though there were probably loads of division one players there. (My team won the championship at the camp by the way, and I have no idea how. We didn’t have a single big-time recruit on our squad but somehow we played well enough to beat all of these top players.) It was not long after that James’ reputation spread nationally and he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and ESPN as the chosen one. Telling my Dad that early about “this kid” always gave me a special attachment and rooting interest in LeBron. I was sure that he was going to become the greatest player who ever lived. He still might, but last night’s decision has given me serious doubts and definitely changed my overall view of “The King”.
First and foremost, this has nothing to do with LeBron leaving Cleveland. He should do whatever and play wherever that makes him happy. If that wasn’t in Cleveland, so be it. He owes nothing to the people of Cleveland other than a thank you for rooting for him the last seven years, something he did last night in his post-decision interviews. This has everything to do with LeBron’s competitive make-up.
LeBron did not leave Cleveland for money, for the bright lights of New York, to further his global icon ambition, LeBron left purely for basketball reasons. Basketball reasons that simply go against every trait that a player who aspires to be the greatest of all time must have. LeBron is going where it will be easy to win, to join a cast of superstars, to build a team and franchise that already had its cornerstone and icon. They say to be the best, you must beat the best. LeBron is joining the best. If LeBron truly wanted and desired to go down as one of, if not THE best, to ever play the game, he should have stayed in Cleveland or went to New York where everything would have been built around him. Even Chicago would have been acceptable. Miami, however, was a cop out.
Listening to Jon Barry and Michael Wilbon, among others, say that Miami is not the favorite next year made me turn the TV off. How do they put guys who know nothing about basketball on TV and then call them experts? They are, at worst, the co-favorites with the Lakers, and at best, the overwhelming favorites to win the title next year and for the next five years. The Cavs were the favorites last year when they surrounded James with guys like Moe Williams, Antawn Jamison and Delonte West in the starting line-up. Put any marginal guys at point guard and center and this Miami team is going to win 60+ games and be the favorites in the East. You’re telling me a starting line-up of Mario Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh and say Jermaine O’Neal is not overwhelmingly superior to Williams, West, James, Jamison and Shaq? Come on now…
That is why I absolutely hate this move by LeBron. My wife couldn’t figure out why I was so mad last night. She said, “wait, he’s going to play in South Beach with other great players, what’s so bad about that?” I couldn’t explain it to her, and I am not sure I am explaining it here, but don’t we want our best athletes to be so competitive, so driven, that they want the team to be built around them and win championships their way. The same way that Michael, Magic and Larry did. The same way young Shaq and old Kobe have. I know that is what I wanted from LeBron. Maybe LBJ just wasn’t wired that way from the beginning. Maybe South Beach is the best place for him, maybe he will go on to win multiple titles and go down as a top ten or top five player of all-time. I just wanted so much more for him, and I wish he wanted the same.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
NBA Pieces Beginning to Land
The NBA free agency period is now six days old and the dominoes are beginning to fall. Free agents cannot officially sign with their new teams until July 8th, that is the day in which the salary cap will be revealed, but players can agree to deals anytime after July 1st leading up to the 8th and obviously anytime after that. Three of the four major deals announced so far have been veteran stars remaining with their current teams; Paul Pierce with Boston, Dirk Nowitzki with Dallas and Joe Johnson with Atlanta.
Pierce and Nowitzki were no-brainers as they are the faces of their respective franchises. Both players took slightly less money than they could have made under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to give their teams some financial flexibility to pursue that ever elusive title. Both players are now seasoned vets on their way to the Hall of Fame who have made loads of money in their career. It is no surprise that winning, as well as their legacy in one city, were very high on their list of priorities. Johnson’s deal was a little shocking as it appears to me like the Hawks have committed $120 million over the next six years to ensure second round playoff exits. Johnson is a nice player, a borderline all-star, but giving a max deal to a 28-year-old borderline all-star is no way to build a contender. I have no doubt that Atlanta will be regretting this move in the next 2-3 years.
Those three signings, however, were somewhat expected. The first big shake-up came when Amar’e Stoudemire agreed to a contract with the New York Knicks. Stoudemire’s contract is for five years and around $100 million. Stoudemire, unlike Johnson, is a franchise-type player. At the very least, he makes the Knickerbockers relevant once again, and potentially makes them very serious players in the competition to sign another star. Even if the Knicks were to strikeout in the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade race, the rumblings have already begun that the Knicks could land Carmelo Anthony and/or Tony Parker, both of whom become free agents next year.
In the end, though, this summer ultimately comes back to where James and Wade, and to a lesser extent, Chris Bosh end up. All three of their situations are still very much up in the air. It is impossible to evaluate the winners and losers of the “Summer of LeBron” until we find out where everyone lands. That is something we should know in the next few days.
Pierce and Nowitzki were no-brainers as they are the faces of their respective franchises. Both players took slightly less money than they could have made under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to give their teams some financial flexibility to pursue that ever elusive title. Both players are now seasoned vets on their way to the Hall of Fame who have made loads of money in their career. It is no surprise that winning, as well as their legacy in one city, were very high on their list of priorities. Johnson’s deal was a little shocking as it appears to me like the Hawks have committed $120 million over the next six years to ensure second round playoff exits. Johnson is a nice player, a borderline all-star, but giving a max deal to a 28-year-old borderline all-star is no way to build a contender. I have no doubt that Atlanta will be regretting this move in the next 2-3 years.
Those three signings, however, were somewhat expected. The first big shake-up came when Amar’e Stoudemire agreed to a contract with the New York Knicks. Stoudemire’s contract is for five years and around $100 million. Stoudemire, unlike Johnson, is a franchise-type player. At the very least, he makes the Knickerbockers relevant once again, and potentially makes them very serious players in the competition to sign another star. Even if the Knicks were to strikeout in the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade race, the rumblings have already begun that the Knicks could land Carmelo Anthony and/or Tony Parker, both of whom become free agents next year.
In the end, though, this summer ultimately comes back to where James and Wade, and to a lesser extent, Chris Bosh end up. All three of their situations are still very much up in the air. It is impossible to evaluate the winners and losers of the “Summer of LeBron” until we find out where everyone lands. That is something we should know in the next few days.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Fast and Furious Start to NHL Free Agency
The NHL Free Agency period is off to a fast and furious start. This seems like it occurs every year with the NHL as the signings happen so fast that they become impossible to keep track of. Throw in the fact that there are about four million free agents in the market (actual number on the ESPN free agent tracker is well over 600 players), half of whom you see once a year at most, and it becomes almost entirely hopeless to grasp who has done what with their rosters. That being said, here are a few of the more notable signings that I have seen, and their potential impacts on the respective teams.
Anton Volchenkov (6 years, $25.5M) and Henrik Tallinder (4 years, $13.5M) to the Devils – The game of defensemen musical chairs continued on day one. The Penguins essentially traded Gonchar and Hamhuis for Martin and Michalek. The Devils did some retooling of their own on the blue line with the additions of Volchenkov, a very defensive minded guy, and Tallinder, a good puck moving defenseman. These signings should be helpful to the Devils but they do not address their primary concern which should be putting the puck in the other team’s net. I would also rather have the Penguins’ two additions, both of whom are younger and slightly more versatile.
Dan Hamhuis (6 years, $27M) to the Canucks – Speaking of Hamhuis and moving defenseman, Hamhuis’ rights were traded twice before free agency began with neither team, Penguins included, coming close to signing this solid two-way defender because of his desire to return home to the British Columbia. This is a nice signing, and it came gift-wrapped, for Vancouver who continue to upgrade their roster in front of Roberto Luongo. The addition of one or two scorers could make the Canucks a viable Stanley Cup contender next year.
Toni Lydman (3 years, $9M) to the Ducks – I am not so much thrilled with this move for the Ducks, although Lydman is a good skater and passer from the blue line and becomes a cheap replacement for the retired Scott Niedermayer, as I am wondering what the Buffalo Sabres are doing. Losing Lydman and Tallinder in front of goaltender Ryan Miller could prove to be a significant blow to a team who was built around winning games 1-0 and 2-1 last year.
Ray Whitney (2 years, $6M) to the Coyotes – I mention Whitney because he was on many people’s short list for the Penguins to acquire and shows the relative lack of scoring punch on the market. Despite being 38-years-old, I like the signing for Phoenix as the relative small dollar amount and short timeframe limit the risk associated with the winger’s age. For a team needing some scoring power, Whitney was one of the better alternatives out there.
Antero Niittymaki (2 years, $4M) to the Sharks – From the ”this does not make any sense” category, the Sharks decided to let Evgeni Nabokov leave to sign Antero Niittymaki, the same Niittymaki that was a career bum in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. What? Say that again, please. I know that the Sharks have been extremely disappointing in the post season the past few years, but they let their world-class goaltender, the one who led them to the Western Conference Finals last year and the best record in hockey over the last three years, leave for a career underachiever with no Stanley Cup playoff credentials. I can honestly say that I do not understand that one. There is going to be a team that gets Nabokov at a discount in this free agency and turn out to be very happy that they did.
And finally, for all of the Penguins fans out there, Colby Armstrong signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for three years and $9 million. I know Colby was a fan favorite here but I am glad that he signed on day one so that we would not have to hear his name continue to come up in these parts. Armstrong is a nice role player, but he is not worth the $3M per year that he received on the open market, a price that reflects the lack of forward depth available. Good for Colby and I hope to see him do well, just glad that he was never on Ray Shero’s radar.
Anton Volchenkov (6 years, $25.5M) and Henrik Tallinder (4 years, $13.5M) to the Devils – The game of defensemen musical chairs continued on day one. The Penguins essentially traded Gonchar and Hamhuis for Martin and Michalek. The Devils did some retooling of their own on the blue line with the additions of Volchenkov, a very defensive minded guy, and Tallinder, a good puck moving defenseman. These signings should be helpful to the Devils but they do not address their primary concern which should be putting the puck in the other team’s net. I would also rather have the Penguins’ two additions, both of whom are younger and slightly more versatile.
Dan Hamhuis (6 years, $27M) to the Canucks – Speaking of Hamhuis and moving defenseman, Hamhuis’ rights were traded twice before free agency began with neither team, Penguins included, coming close to signing this solid two-way defender because of his desire to return home to the British Columbia. This is a nice signing, and it came gift-wrapped, for Vancouver who continue to upgrade their roster in front of Roberto Luongo. The addition of one or two scorers could make the Canucks a viable Stanley Cup contender next year.
Toni Lydman (3 years, $9M) to the Ducks – I am not so much thrilled with this move for the Ducks, although Lydman is a good skater and passer from the blue line and becomes a cheap replacement for the retired Scott Niedermayer, as I am wondering what the Buffalo Sabres are doing. Losing Lydman and Tallinder in front of goaltender Ryan Miller could prove to be a significant blow to a team who was built around winning games 1-0 and 2-1 last year.
Ray Whitney (2 years, $6M) to the Coyotes – I mention Whitney because he was on many people’s short list for the Penguins to acquire and shows the relative lack of scoring punch on the market. Despite being 38-years-old, I like the signing for Phoenix as the relative small dollar amount and short timeframe limit the risk associated with the winger’s age. For a team needing some scoring power, Whitney was one of the better alternatives out there.
Antero Niittymaki (2 years, $4M) to the Sharks – From the ”this does not make any sense” category, the Sharks decided to let Evgeni Nabokov leave to sign Antero Niittymaki, the same Niittymaki that was a career bum in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. What? Say that again, please. I know that the Sharks have been extremely disappointing in the post season the past few years, but they let their world-class goaltender, the one who led them to the Western Conference Finals last year and the best record in hockey over the last three years, leave for a career underachiever with no Stanley Cup playoff credentials. I can honestly say that I do not understand that one. There is going to be a team that gets Nabokov at a discount in this free agency and turn out to be very happy that they did.
And finally, for all of the Penguins fans out there, Colby Armstrong signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for three years and $9 million. I know Colby was a fan favorite here but I am glad that he signed on day one so that we would not have to hear his name continue to come up in these parts. Armstrong is a nice role player, but he is not worth the $3M per year that he received on the open market, a price that reflects the lack of forward depth available. Good for Colby and I hope to see him do well, just glad that he was never on Ray Shero’s radar.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Pens Sign Defensemen
It is now being reported that the Penguins have signed a defenseman to replace the departed Sergei Gonchar. Dave Molinari of the Post Gazette is reporting that the Penguins have signed Zbynek Michalek, formerly of the Phoenix Coyotes, to a four year deal worth around $20 million. Molinari writes of the new defenseman, who is only 27-years-old, “Michalek, 27, is an accomplished shot-blocker who plays big minutes and is extremely solid in the defensive zone.”
I have to be honest here as I have not seen much of Michalek so I cannot pass judgment on the player first-hand. As most of you know, the Coyotes do not get too much TV time in these parts. But if what Molinari writes is true, and there is no reason to doubt such an accomplished writer, this is the perfect replacement for Gonchar and another brilliant job by General Manager Ray Shero. The Penguins biggest problem in the playoffs last year was their defense corps inability to shut down their opponents. Adding a solid, defensive minded player to the blue line is exactly what the Penguins needed to add this offseason.
Michalek accumulated 17 points, 30 penalty minutes and a plus five in 72 regular season games last year for the overachieving Coyotes. The penalty minutes seem to be a bit on the low side for a defensive-minded blue-liner, but the rest of his attributes seem solid.
Molinari is also reporting that the Penguins have signed defenseman Paul Martin, formerly of the New Jersey Devils, to a 5 year deal worth $25 million. Martin, as some might recall, was hit with a slapshot in a game against the Penguins at Mellon Arena last year that effectively ended his season. Martin is another solid player in his own zone and was going to play for the United States in last year’s Olympics.
Shero is certainly acknowledging that the loss of his shutdown tandem of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill last summer was a mistake. The Penguins have now signed two defensemen that are very solid in their own end but will not have the impact in the offensive zone that Gonchar or even Jordan Leopold had. I am a little surprised that the Penguins signed two of this type of defenseman, especially to four and five year contracts, respectively, but I must say that I like what the Penguins are doing so far.
I have to be honest here as I have not seen much of Michalek so I cannot pass judgment on the player first-hand. As most of you know, the Coyotes do not get too much TV time in these parts. But if what Molinari writes is true, and there is no reason to doubt such an accomplished writer, this is the perfect replacement for Gonchar and another brilliant job by General Manager Ray Shero. The Penguins biggest problem in the playoffs last year was their defense corps inability to shut down their opponents. Adding a solid, defensive minded player to the blue line is exactly what the Penguins needed to add this offseason.
Michalek accumulated 17 points, 30 penalty minutes and a plus five in 72 regular season games last year for the overachieving Coyotes. The penalty minutes seem to be a bit on the low side for a defensive-minded blue-liner, but the rest of his attributes seem solid.
Molinari is also reporting that the Penguins have signed defenseman Paul Martin, formerly of the New Jersey Devils, to a 5 year deal worth $25 million. Martin, as some might recall, was hit with a slapshot in a game against the Penguins at Mellon Arena last year that effectively ended his season. Martin is another solid player in his own zone and was going to play for the United States in last year’s Olympics.
Shero is certainly acknowledging that the loss of his shutdown tandem of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill last summer was a mistake. The Penguins have now signed two defensemen that are very solid in their own end but will not have the impact in the offensive zone that Gonchar or even Jordan Leopold had. I am a little surprised that the Penguins signed two of this type of defenseman, especially to four and five year contracts, respectively, but I must say that I like what the Penguins are doing so far.
Gonchar Headed to Ottawa
News is being reported that Sergei Gonchar has signed a deal with Ottawa for 3 years at $5.5 million per year. If the sources are correct, I say "Bye, Bye Gonch!"
Gonchar is still a solid player at 36 years old, but he is nowhere near the player that helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup two seasons ago. He has lost a step in my opinion, and seemed to shy away from contact last year more than he had in the past, something that can be expected of a player that age.
The Penguins have two young offensive defensemen in Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski that can replace what Sergei does on the power play, a power play that severely underachieved last year I might add. Gonchar is a stable presence and good veteran in the locker room, but the Penguins have plenty of leadership in Sidney Crosby. If the Penguins are able to use the money they saved from not resigning Gonchar to bring in a younger, lockdown defender such as Anton Volchenkov, I think it will be a win in the long run for the Pens.
As for the Senators, it is a decent sign albeit one that may be a little too long, but it is not a cure for what ails them most. On the positive, Ottawa has lacked a puck moving defender on their blue line for some time now and Gonchar should work well with the Senators' good group of offensive forwards. The Senators problem, however, has been goaltending, and Gonchar surely does not solve that problem.
Gonchar is still a solid player at 36 years old, but he is nowhere near the player that helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup two seasons ago. He has lost a step in my opinion, and seemed to shy away from contact last year more than he had in the past, something that can be expected of a player that age.
The Penguins have two young offensive defensemen in Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski that can replace what Sergei does on the power play, a power play that severely underachieved last year I might add. Gonchar is a stable presence and good veteran in the locker room, but the Penguins have plenty of leadership in Sidney Crosby. If the Penguins are able to use the money they saved from not resigning Gonchar to bring in a younger, lockdown defender such as Anton Volchenkov, I think it will be a win in the long run for the Pens.
As for the Senators, it is a decent sign albeit one that may be a little too long, but it is not a cure for what ails them most. On the positive, Ottawa has lacked a puck moving defender on their blue line for some time now and Gonchar should work well with the Senators' good group of offensive forwards. The Senators problem, however, has been goaltending, and Gonchar surely does not solve that problem.
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