Centrists - Be In The Center Of The Action

Crew chief: Red Sox-Yankees pace a ‘disgrace’

Sporting News staff reports

Umpire Joe West told the Bergen Record that the pace of the season-opening series between the Red Sox and Yankees, of which he was the crew chief, was "a disgrace to baseball."

West added: "They’re the two clubs that don’t try to pick up the pace. They’re two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest? It’s pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play."

The Boston Globe noted the game times in that series were 3:46, 3:48 and 3:21.

According to The Boston Globe, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire joined in the Red Sox and Yankees bashing when speaking to reporters in Anaheim on Thursday.

"There’s a lot that goes on in New York and Boston," Gardenhire said. "It’s showtime, and they get away with things that other people don’t, and if you want to change the game, you have to start with those guys. We all know that. "We move our games along pretty good, and it’s pretty hard to tell some of those guys, ‘Let’s go, get in the box.’ They just look at you like, ‘Why? I haven’t heard the second verse to my song yet.’ That’s just the way it is."

Sporting News staff reports

Umpire Joe West told the Bergen Record that the pace of the season-opening series between the Red Sox and Yankees, of which he was the crew chief, was "a disgrace to baseball."

The Boston Globe noted the game times in that series were 3:46, 3:48 and 3:21.

According to The Boston Globe, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire joined in the Red Sox and Yankees bashing when speaking to reporters in Anaheim on Thursday.

Marc Bulger could bring headaches to Chicago Bears

The peripatetic world of pro football can create plenty of opportunities for old relationships to be rekindled. And it’s rarely difficult to connect the dots when a veteran player becomes available.

Marc Bulger, an unrestricted free agent, is in need of a team for the 2010 season.

For quarterback Marc Bulger, the most obvious line between point A and point B leads from St. Louis to Chicago, where former Rams head coach Mike Martz has secured, after roughly a half-dozen candidates declined, the position of offensive coordinator. It probably would sound a bit hyperbolic to claim that the fate of the entire coaching staff, and possibly all of the front office, rides on Martz’s ability to get the most out of Jay Cutler, the man whom Martz criticized pointedly on NFL Network after a Week 1 loss to the Packers last September. Yes, it would sound a bit hyperbolic, but it nevertheless would be accurate.

Charged with the task of saving multiple bundles of bacon, Martz surely would like to have Bulger available, as a "break glass in the event of an emergency"-style option to the starter. And that emergency wouldn’t necessarily come from an injury to Cutler. If the Bears are cursed with a tough early-season schedule, and if the Cutler-Martz connection isn’t able to carry the team to a sufficient number of wins, Martz may need to turn to a quarterback who understands Martz’s 700-page playbook and stubborn determination to cram square pegs into round holes.

That quarterback would be Marc Bulger.

As the saying goes, a backup quarterback often becomes the most popular player in an NFL town. Now that the Bears have followed up a disappointing season by increasing expectations via a misguided free-agency splurge, a slow start from the team generally and Cutler specifically would spark widespread clamoring for Bulger to get a shot to turn things around. Within the walls of Halas Hall, Martz likewise would be cajoling good friend Lovie Smith to make the switch to Bulger, in the hopes of saving the season — and everyone’s jobs.

At that point, things would get very interesting. General manager Jerry Angelo made the decision to trade for Cutler. Benching Cutler less than two seasons into the experiment that cost two first-round draft picks (and a long-term contract) would constitute an admission by Angelo that he screwed up, and that would put Angelo squarely in line for termination if Bulger doesn’t take the team to the postseason.

For that reason, look for Angelo to resist stubbornly any flirtation with Bulger, no matter how hard Martz or Smith may encourage the move. Angelo realizes that not having a veteran quarterback with name recognition, a mixed history of success, and a high degree of familiarity with Martz’s offensive system lurking on the sidelines means that Angelo never will be pressured to allow Smith to use a veteran quarterback with name recognition, a mixed history of success, and a high degree of familiarity with Martz’s offensive system, no matter how badly Cutler might play early in the 2010 season.

So even though the Bears would like to complement Cutler and backups Brett Basanez and Caleb Hanie with a veteran, Angelo will want a veteran who won’t be in position to provide obvious fodder for the fans and the media, if the Bears struggle out of the gates. With Angelo likely believing he has a fighting chance to survive a postseason pink-slip party if Cutler remains under center all year and the Bears miss the tournament for the fourth straight year, Angelo won’t want to risk his own rear end by planting Cutler on his.

Then again, the best interests of the organization require having someone like Bulger available, in the event that Cutler can’t get it done. But, in this regard, the team’s best interests conflict with Angelo’s.

So keep an eye on Chicago in the short term. I’ve got a feeling that Martz, and thus Smith, want Bulger. And I’ve got an even stronger feeling that he’s the last guy Angelo wants to sign.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

Marc Bulger, an unrestricted free agent, is in need of a team for the 2010 season.

That quarterback would be Marc Bulger.

So keep an eye on Chicago in the short term. I’ve got a feeling that Martz, and thus Smith, want Bulger. And I’ve got an even stronger feeling that he’s the last guy Angelo wants to sign.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

Draft Dish: Beware of these overrated prospects

Just like any draft, this one has many overrated players. Below are the prospects we believe will be drafted higher than they deserve to be. These players won’t necessarily be busts, but they won’t be as productive as their draft spot suggests.

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Berry is an elite athlete who has been hyped by some as possibly the draft’s best defensive player. We do not believe he measures up to that lofty status.

He has been regarded as a game-changing player in coverage and run support, but in film study we have been shocked at how often he was uninvolved in games and did not make much of an impact.

He flashes a willingness to come up quickly in run support when he is lined up deep. But even when he does, he doesn’t fight through blocks well and is an inconsistent tackler.

His tackling technique needs a lot of work, and he also must be more consistent at reaching the sideline to support cornerbacks in deep coverage.

We like Berry’s athleticism and his ability to cover slot receivers in man coverage, and we think he is best suited to play cornerback. We think he should be a second- or third-round pick, but he is likely to be selected in the top 10 as a safety. We expect him to struggle to become a consistent NFL safety.

Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

Cody is a mountain of a man. Sources have told us he weighed in the 380s during much of his college career. On film, he flashed the strength to be a force at holding the point of attack against double-teams and shutting down running games. When he plays with base and leverage, uses hands quickly and aggressively and competes hard, he holds his ground, sheds blocks and disrupts running plays between the tackles.

However, he often gets upright at the snap, does not use his hands well to keep blockers from getting a hold of him and can be sealed and ridden out of the play. For a player with his natural size and strength, he is not nearly as dominant as he should be.

Because he is overweight, his range is limited to between the guards and he often doesn’t get pressure on the pocket. If he could reduce his weight to the 330-340 range, he would be a much-improved player who could likely produce up to his talent level. But there are serious concerns about his ability to get in shape and stay in shape.

Because so many teams have switched to the 3-4, Cody’s value has increased, but drafting him brings great risk. In the games we evaluated, Cody played 15 to 25 snaps and was not a player who made a consistent impact.

He will likely be drafted in the second or third round by a team desperate for a nose tackle, but we think he will always have weight issues and will never develop into the elite nose tackle he has the size and strength to be.

Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Dunlap reminds us of Jets bust Vernon Gholston. He is well-built, with the quickness, explosive burst and raw power that few ends have. That said, he was outperformed in almost every game last season by Jermaine Cunningham, who played on the opposite side and does not have anywhere close to the same athleticism.

Dunlap does not explode off the snap and often pops straight up and makes no impact. Far too often, he isn’t even noticeable. But on a few snaps each game — sometimes as many as five — he shows the strength, power, explosiveness and hand use to jolt and defeat tackles easily and close on the quarterback in a flash.

Dunlap shined at Florida’s pro day, where he looked like a rare athlete and convinced many doubters he is worth a gamble in the first round. In the end, though, we think Dunlap will struggle mightily to become the productive, impact starter first-round picks are expected to be. Look for him to be in and out of the starting lineup because of his inability to consistently make plays and impact games.

Kurt Coleman, S, Ohio State

Coleman is tough, smart and instinctive with very good straight-line speed. Though he was not an impact player in 2009, he was consistently around the ball making tackles.

Throughout the season, we kept hearing from different sources that he was improving and that led to him moving up draft boards.

In our view, he is a classic overachiever. He was productive in college because of excellent intangibles but will struggle greatly to sustain that production. Though he is expected to be drafted in the third round, he should be a fifth- or sixth-round pick whose best chance to contribute is as a backup safety and special teams player.

For more than 640 player scouting reports from Lande and his team of former NFL scouts — plus updated Mock Draft, Super 99 rankings and more — go to warroom.sportingnews.com.

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Berry is an elite athlete who has been hyped by some as possibly the draft’s best defensive player. We do not believe he measures up to that lofty status.

He has been regarded as a game-changing player in coverage and run support, but in film study we have been shocked at how often he was uninvolved in games and did not make much of an impact.

He flashes a willingness to come up quickly in run support when he is lined up deep. But even when he does, he doesn’t fight through blocks well and is an inconsistent tackler.

His tackling technique needs a lot of work, and he also must be more consistent at reaching the sideline to support cornerbacks in deep coverage.

Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Kurt Coleman, S, Ohio State

Coleman is tough, smart and instinctive with very good straight-line speed. Though he was not an impact player in 2009, he was consistently around the ball making tackles.

Throughout the season, we kept hearing from different sources that he was improving and that led to him moving up draft boards.

For more than 640 player scouting reports from Lande and his team of former NFL scouts — plus updated Mock Draft, Super 99 rankings and more — go to warroom.sportingnews.com.

Three strikes: Wells production bodes well for Jays

Sporting News’ Stan McNeal analyzes several early season trends.

STRIKE 1: It’s early but Wells is showing up

Vernon Wells is letting his bat speak for him — and it’s making big noise.

Just ask David Ortiz if the season is too young to make long-range assumptions. He bristled at reporters (to put it nicely) who tried to ask him about his slow start.

Vernon Wells has been around too long to get overly excited about his strong start. But this sure beats last year when he hit .260 with 15 homers. His struggles were compounded because of his massive contract, which has the Blue Jays on the hook for $107 million over the next five years. You can be sure Toronto fans upset about the team’s decision to trade Roy Halladay haven’t forgotten about Well’s deal.

Wells is doing as much as possible to get back in Toronto’s good graces. He slammed his fourth home run in three games Thursday — it was a ninth-inning shot that tied their game against Rangers. Toronto won 3-1, and Wells ended the series with a 6-for-10 showing, seven RBIs and more homers than he hit all of last April.

Don’t expect him to regress to his ’09 struggles, either. Two reasons: "Vernon is healthy and motivated," Blue Jays TV announcer and former manager Buck Martinez said. "He finally takes on the leadership role with Halladay out of the picture."

Health is the key. Wells, 31, didn’t complain last year when he missed only four games even though his left wrist bothered him most of the season (the same wrist he broke in 2008). But offseason surgery to repair cartilage damage has Wells feeling better and producing more than he has since signing his deal in late 2006.

STRIKE 2: San Francisco is off to a Giant start

Early results on Mark DeRosa are good as the Giants crank up on offense.

What was impressive about the Giants’ three-game, 18-run, 37-hit sweep of the Astros: They didn’t get an RBI from Pablo Sandoval.

What wasn’t so impressive: their opponent. The Astros’ best pitchers, Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez, both turned in (bare minimum) quality starts. But Brett Myers and the troubled Astros’ bullpen didn’t fare so well. The Giants pounded out 12 runs and 23 hits in 15 innings against Myers and the Houston ‘pen.

Like Wells, San Francisco newcomer Mark DeRosa also is responding nicely from offseason wrist surgery. DeRosa scored at least once and reached base at least twice in all three games. Edgar Renteria, a disappointment last season, had a five-hit game and reached base 11 times in 14 plate appearances. But the Giant to keep an eye on is John Bowker, who hit his way into the right-field job with a six-homer, 23-RBI showing in spring training. He had a hit in all three games, including a homer in Game 3.

The Giants will be tested this weekend when they open at home against the Braves. Hanging 18 runs on Atlanta like they did at Houston certainly would qualify as impressive.

STRIKE 3: Dusty’s critics are out again

Dusty Baker wears out umpires; more critical is early overuse of pitchers.

The knock against Dusty Baker is that he burns out his starting pitchers. Scouts and execs take both sides of the argument, and, yes, more have leaned toward the "yes" side. Three games into 2010, it’s easy to see why Baker has developed such a reputation.

Two Reds starters threw 109 pitches in their season debuts. On Wednesday, it was Johnny Cueto and on Thursday, Bronson Arroyo. So far, only the Rays’ Matt Garza has thrown more pitches (114).

So was 109 too many?

In Cueto’s case, yes. He’s 24 and spent time on the disabled list last season because of shoulder inflammation. He wasn’t pitching well enough to be extended so early. Still, Baker’s stance is easy to understand. Though Cueto labored, he had the Reds even with the Cardinals, 2-2, through six innings. Enter bullpen, goodbye tie. The Cardinals scored four runs in the seventh and won 6-3. This came after Cincinnati’s bullpen was bashed for seven runs in four innings in the opener.

Arroyo, conversely, is a veteran who can handle a heavy workload. Beginning in November, he throws "pretty much every day" and reports to spring training in excellent shape. Before he left for Arizona, he said, "I need those full six weeks (of camp). Hopefully, I’ll get 90 pitches under my belt in spring and with a little extra adrenaline in a real game, I can push it to 105."

Arroyo topped that slightly Thursday, but Baker shouldn’t be faulted for sending Arroyo out for the eighth in a 1-1 game. Arroyo had allowed only three hits to that point. After extending Arroyo through a scoreless eighth, Baker sent out closer Francisco Cordero in the ninth and he retired the Cardinals in order, setting the stage for Jonny Gomes’ walkoff homer to give the Reds their first victory.

This story appears in April 9’s edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only digital sports daily, sign up today.

Stan McNeal is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.

Sporting News’ Stan McNeal analyzes several early season trends.

STRIKE 1: It’s early but Wells is showing up

Vernon Wells is letting his bat speak for him — and it’s making big noise.

Just ask David Ortiz if the season is too young to make long-range assumptions. He bristled at reporters (to put it nicely) who tried to ask him about his slow start.

STRIKE 2: San Francisco is off to a Giant start

Early results on Mark DeRosa are good as the Giants crank up on offense.

What was impressive about the Giants’ three-game, 18-run, 37-hit sweep of the Astros: They didn’t get an RBI from Pablo Sandoval.

The Giants will be tested this weekend when they open at home against the Braves. Hanging 18 runs on Atlanta like they did at Houston certainly would qualify as impressive.

STRIKE 3: Dusty’s critics are out again

Dusty Baker wears out umpires; more critical is early overuse of pitchers.

Two Reds starters threw 109 pitches in their season debuts. On Wednesday, it was Johnny Cueto and on Thursday, Bronson Arroyo. So far, only the Rays’ Matt Garza has thrown more pitches (114).

So was 109 too many?

This story appears in April 9’s edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only digital sports daily, sign up today.

Stan McNeal is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.

Rose: ‘I’d have been better off to be a drug addict’

Sports Radio Interviews

In a wide-ranging conversation, Pete Rose spoke with Dan Barreiro on KFAN in Minneapolis about differences between baseball players today and those from his playing days, and, of course, the scandal that led to Rose’s banishment from baseball. To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews.

In a recent interview, Pete Rose wondered why he hasn’t been forgiven by the Commissioner of Baseball.

What does Rose think about players who hang on to their careers too long?

Rose: I think, more or less, guys in my time stuck around a little longer. Let me tell you why. It’s because today, if you’re a Willie Mays type player – and there’s some pretty good players out there – when they get to the end of their career at 37, 38 years old, they’re going to have $100 million in the bank. Okay? Willie, when he played – Hank, when he played – we didn’t have $100 million in the bank.

So, to stay around for that extra 1 or 2 years, to go to another team and make that extra money, that’s probably why most of us did it. So, you know, a lot things would be easier when you’re making $16 million a year and you sign a 10-year contract. And that’s the type of players we’re talking about.

Wouldn’t you like to be in Joe Mauer’s shoes? And he may go down – and I’m predicting this and I played with Johnny Bench – Joe’s going to go down as the best hitting catcher in the history of baseball when it’s all over. I mean, he’s already won two or three batting titles. Do you know how hard it is to win a batting title? And it’s even harder if you’re a catcher.

Is Rose ultimately to blame for making the All Star Game mean less, because he bowled over Ray Fosse in 1970?

Rose: I never took an exhibition game as going through the motions when people pay good money to see you play. Now, I played the same in the All Star Game, and if you watch that replay, Dan, I actually started to slide head first because Ray Fosse had that plate blocked, and I went over him and tagged the plate with my hand. Okay?

But what people won’t say about that controversial play is I missed the next three games of the season and he didn’t miss any. And he went on to have a better second half than he did a first half. But everybody said I ruined his career.

I mean, there’s 53,000 people in Cincinnati, my hometown, watching that game and I always thought – maybe I’m wrong, but I’m going to preach this ’till the day I die – I’m playing the game to win. That’s my goal. If I’ve got a uniform on and people are paying to see me play, I’m going to give everything I’ve got to try to win the game. I don’t care if it’s a spring training game, if it’s an exhibition game, if it’s an intrasquad game, I’m going to try to win the game. That’s just the way you have to do it, and if you don’t that way, you’re going to be a loser.

Now, why did I play that way in an All Star Game? Well, I played 17 of them and we won 16 of them, and I think it’s partly being around Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron, and those guys early in my career when I’d just become an All Star. It was like an honor to be an All Star in the National League and that’s the way we looked at it. I mean, I can’t imagine Willie Mays getting on a plane from San Francisco to Pittsburgh, or New York, to play in an All Star game to get one at bat and then fly. I mean, he’d want four at bats. We all did.

Does he think the steroids era has made his transgressions seem more palatable to the public?

Rose: You’re probably right in the eyes of the people, but I don’t think you’re so right in the eyes of the commissioner. I’m just one guy, and regardless of what side you’re on, or what you think I did, or how bad you think it was, or whatever, it was wrong, no question about it.

But I had nothing to do with altering the statistics of the game of baseball. As you know, as I can tell from hearing you talk, baseball’s statistics are sacred.

Now, to answer your question about steroids, wouldn’t you like to ask Roger Maris how he feels about steroids? Or Babe Ruth how he feels about steroids? Or Hank Aaron, you could probably ask how he feels about steroids. Because those guys all lost records because of people who supposedly took steroids. So that’s a different deal right there. But I didn’t alter any statistics of baseball.

What did I do? I’ll tell you exactly what I did. I bet on my team to win every night. I mean, my players were like my sons. I had so much confidence in them. I was wrong, but I didn’t bet on them four times a week, or five times. I bet on them every night. Okay? That’s the way I did it, and I was wrong, and I paid the price. But unlike me, it seems like most other guys, or a lot of other guys who do this, or do that, or do this, they’ve all gotten second chances.

I’d have been better off to be a drug addict, or a spousal beater, or an alcoholic. If I’d been one of those three, they probably would have paid for my rehab and I’d still be managing a baseball team. That’s the sad thing about my case.

Has Rose allowed himself to think about what it would be like if he were to be elected to the Hall of Fame?

Rose: No. I don’t think about that moment at all. Listen, I go to ball games just like everybody else. I get texts from players every day, asking my advice on how to hit a baseball and how to approach the game of baseball. So it’s not like I’m not around the game of baseball. I’m just not allowed to work in baseball. Okay? That don’t mean I don’t help this player, or that player, or this player.

I mean, a couple months ago, I went out with Joe Mauer right here in Las Vegas. We went to the 9 Steakhouse and talked about hitting for 45 minutes. I do that all the time. Whether baseball wants it or not, my name is synonymous with the game of baseball. As long as I’ve got that "Hit King" in front of my name, people are going to look at me as a player who did special things.

What would he say to those who are wary of trusting Rose, since he denied allegations against him for many years before finally coming clean?

Rose: You have no idea what I would have said if I was called into baseball’s office in 1991 or 1992, because I was never given the opportunity. The first time I was able to have a meeting with the commissioner I spilled my guts. Okay? The first time. That’s how long it took those guys to answer my mail or my phone calls…

I’ve never seen a report that says I bet against my own team. Never. Ever!

Stephen Curry discusses completing his first season in the NBA