Is it just me or are the San Francisco Giants, the team that just won the 2010 World Series, getting no respect across the country? Yes, I know I'm a biased Giants fan and last season did seem a bit like a magic carpet ride for the G-Men but there really does not seem to be anyone out there who hasn't already boiled each league down to the Phillies and Red Sox. The only question that seems to matter coming into the baseball season is whether the bats of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez will be enough to overcome the one through four punch of the Phillies rotation come October.
Clearly, there are at least four good reasons to go with the Phillies to win it all. The combined forces of Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels and Lee leaves you with a two-time Cy Young winner, last year's NL leader in WHIP and a two-time 20 game winner, a World Series MVP and another Cy Young winner. Still, the Giants pitching out-dueled all four of those pitchers on their way to the title, beating Lee twice in the Series. Really, when you factor in the bullpens of the Giants and Phillies, I could say with some confidence that the Giants staff is better – the Phils don't have the best closer in the game in Brian Wilson.
There's no doubt that the Philly starters are going to make them tough to beat, but fans around baseball have seen the proven success of the Giants staff when it matters most. "Big- Time Timmy Jim" and "Matty Ice" Cain can pitch with anyone on any given day, Jonathan Sanchez has matured and isn't as erratic has he once was and Madison Bumgarner absolutely shined in the post-season. In fact, both he and Sanchez can be among the toughest pitchers in the game at times. How many number three starters can you come up with that lead their team with a 3.07 ERA and post 205 strikeouts?
No, pitching is not the real issue when we're talking about the possibility of a repeat. For that, we have to examine the hitting.
Yes, the Giants bats as a whole were nothing to be proud of last season. Though they got hot in the playoffs, the team hit just .257 on the season with a 19th-ranked on-base percentage. But you know what? They won 92 games and the division, so some things must have worked out alright. One of the most important things to remember is that they did it without the help of Pablo Sandoval.
Sandoval, a big disappointment last year, is only 24 and has trimmed down to 240 pounds. So far in spring training, the Panda has looked very good and he is just a year removed from his .330 season with 25 HR and 90 RBI, finishing seventh in the NL MVP voting. The Giants have last year's NL Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, behind the dish. Freddie Sanchez and Aubrey Huff are very solid at their positions, especially if Huff can come through again with a big year. The replacement of Juan Uribe with Miguel Tejada is an upgrade as far as I'm concerned and, with a healthy Mark DeRosa (as crazy as that sounds) the Giants outfield will be very good defensively. Plus, having Pat Burrell coming off the bench will be a huge boost.
The key to the Giants' offensive prowess will be determined by when GM Brian Sabean decides to bring up top prospect Brandon Belt. After hitting .352 with 23 homers and 112 RBI throughout the minors last year, and a solid start to spring training, Belt will be more than ready to take over first base and push Huff into the outfield. If he can do something close to what Posey was able to do last season, the Giants offense will no longer be a weak spot.
Just like most teams in baseball, the Giants could definitely use some more offense and could stand to trade a pitcher or two to get it. However, Sabean is a "pitching wins championships" kind of guy, and he doesn't need to move a key member of his rotation to improve his offense. With the validation of a title, how could you argue against him? Additionally, with Bruce Bochy pulling the strings, the Giants have one of the very best managers in baseball to mix and match his rosters and work some magic.
Let's look at some of the competition the Giants would have to deal with for a repeat. Without Cliff Lee, the Rangers will not be as good as they were last year. The AL Central has not been able to produce a World Series-caliber team in the last few years. The Rays lost pitching and picked up old hitters in Damon and Manny, the Yankees' pitching can't hold and the new-look Red Sox look like a good bet to conquer the American League.
Not one team in the NL improved enough for anyone to notice, even the Phillies. The competition in the West might come down to the Giants and Rockies, but Ubaldo Jimenez is not likely to repeat his performance from the first half of last season. The Dodgers overpaid for Juan Uribe and do not have the pitching to keep up, the Diamondbacks are going nowhere fast and the Padres' loss of Adrian Gonzalez speaks for itself. In the Central, the Cards lost Wainwright for the year so it may be time for the Cubs or Brewers to take that division if the Reds falter. No team poses a real threat to the Giants or Phillies, however. The Braves should do well again, in theory, and will fall in line behind the Phils.
With a young and somehow improving pitching staff, a better lineup than last season and only the Phillies as final competition, there's no reason why the Giants shouldn't be able to extend their magic carpet ride for one more year.
About a week ago, February 24 at 3 p.m. ET to be exact, the NBA was shook up like a rack of Keystones being hauled up the backs stairs of a frat house. Hopefully, David Stern flicks the lid of each can enough for the league not to explode next year in a lockout, but before we start worrying about that, let's evaluate the major moves being made across the wild West, post-LeBracle NBA at the deadline. This article won't deal with the ‘Melo deal, as I'm sure you've heard nearly every opinion on it if you've watched any ESPN in the last two weeks. (If you're interested, flip back to last week's Maroon-News Around the Hill to read other staff and me sound off on whether the trade was worth it for the Knicks.) Also, I'm ignoring trades that did not affect playoff contender teams because I have a take-home test due Friday and only so many hours in a day.
Atlanta Hawks trade Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and a 2011 first-round draft pick to Washington for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong: B-
The Atlanta Hawks finally have a semi-serviceable point guard to run an offense that has been plagued by one-on-one shot creation and isolation over the last several seasons. On top of that, Kirk Hinrich can actually defend some players in this league – unlike Mike Bibby, who had dropped even below Nash or Fisher status as worst defensive point guard. In fact, Hinrich is one of the better defensive guards in this league and defends everyone from point guards to small forwards, which will help as Atlanta's defense is built on switching on picks. So, replacing Bibby with Hinrich is a major upgrade. However, the cost was steep in giving up a legitimate prospect in Jordan Crawford (a.k.a. "The guy who dunked on LeBron in high school") as well as a first round pick in the upcoming daft.
Chicago Bulls trade James Johnson to Toronto for a first-round draft pick: B+
This is a fairly insignificant deal, but one that does free up some space for the Bulls and puts them in position to continue to build in the future. I would have liked to have seen them scoop up a better option at shooting guard. This deal does allow them to pursue free agents once they are bought out by their respective teams. Chicago would love Rip Hamilton, but his becoming available is looking increasingly unlikely. Rasual Butler is a possibility, but I predict his lack of commitment on D will not be tolerated by defensively-focused head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Utah Jazz trade Deron Williams to New Jersey for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations: B+
For successfully avoiding a potentially impending "‘Melo Drama 2.0: Der-ama," the Jazz deserve praise. I consider Williams a more valuable player than Anthony and the Jazz got what the Nuggets had wanted without all the torment and heartbreak. Devin Harris is a good enough point guard for now, and Derrick Favors is one of the top rookie prospects in the league. He provides some post-defense, something that Salt Lake City hasn't seen a whole lot of of since... well, since Greg Ostertag, I guess. With Favors, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Gordon Hayward, C.J Miles and Jeremy Evans, all whom are 26 or younger, the Jazz still have a bright future despite losing Williams and Carlos Boozer less than 365 days apart.
New Orleans Hornets trade Marcus Thornton and cash considerations to Sacramento for Carl Landry: C+
Again, this trade is not a huge deal considering the Hornets are only a fringe playoff team and Thornton and Landry are only role players. That being said, I consider Thornton to be the better piece both presently and in terms of upside. The Hornets killed his trade value by giving minutes to the likes of Marco Belinelli, Willie Green or Jarrett Jack over Thornton. He is a potential Jason Terry-type scorer. Instead of marketing Marcus as such, New Orleans took the first thing that came their way.
This was a panic move akin to some of the appeasement policies the Cavs took prior to LeBron's departure. Desperately trying to find mediocre improvements to please a superstar threatening to leave does not work. Either cut your losses like Denver and Utah have, or actually build around the guy like Orlando is trying to do with Howard. Don't get me wrong, Carl Landry is a good fit and will put up numbers closer to what he did in Houston with Paul serving him the ball where he likes it; there front-line sure needed a boost. But, it just doesn't put them over the top. Don't be surprised to see burning Chris Paul jerseys in the streets of New Orleans two summers from now.
Boston Celtics trade Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and a first round draft pick; Marquis Daniels to Sacramento and Semih Erden and Luke Harangody to Cleveland for future draft picks: B-
As a Boston fan, the loss of Perk hurts me deeply. Being the second longest tenured Celtic, the rock on which our defense depends and the ultimate role player, Kendrick Perkins' departure is not exactly being celebrated in Boston. But does it make the team better? Maybe. Marquis Daniels, the Celtic's only backup small forward, is out for the season, so we needed someone there. Jeff Green can back-up Pierce on the wing, or steal some minutes at power forward. Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers must be thinking James Posey Part II. Hopefully the O'Neals, Krstic and Glen "Big Baby" Davis can do their best to fill in for the defensive loss of Perkins. Then again, that is a lot of if's and hopefully's. Ainge was planning for next season too, though... If there is one, that is.
Oklahoma City Thunder (above): A-
The writing on the wall had hinted that Oklahoma City was considering moving Green, and you've got to love what they got in return. Perkin's toughness and hard-nosed presence in the paint is exactly what the Thunder needed to go toe-to-toe with the Lakers and Spurs out West. They've already inked an extension deal with Perk, and you can expect the Thunder to be an elite defensive team for years to come with Kendrick and Ibaka patrolling the lane. OKC still does need scoring – on the block especially – but Harden's continued development will help supplement what Westbrook and Durant already bring. Nate Robinson knows how to chuck, too. It makes me think that Boston had a long-term plan in mind with this deal. looking to prevent the Lakers from making it to the finals by bolstering their best competition out West.
Portland Trail Blazers trade Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and a conditional 2011 and a conditional 2013 first-round draft pick to Charlotte for Gerald Wallace: A
There's only one name above that matters – G-Wallace – and the Trail Blazers got him in a heist. Now, with Carmelo gone from the West, the Blazers have a chance at sneaking into the playoffs. When you have Wallace and Brandon Roy coming off the bench, you have a scary team. The last thing they needed was more injury-prone players, but still, considering how little Portland gave up, I don't know how you can criticize this trade. Just a reminder: Gerald Wallace was an All-Star last year on a bad team.
Phoenix Suns trade Goran Dragic and a future first-round draft pick to Houston for Aaron Brooks: D+
I never understand Phoenix's moves. Just get Nash out of there. Dragic was the one building block they had, and the Suns gave him up just to get a glorified Eddie House to back up Nash. Brooks is a shooting guard trapped in a six-footer's body, and the Rocket's GM, Daryl Morey, has been searching for a team to take him. How does this move make the Suns better in either the short term or long term? I have no clue. Time will tell if the move does anything beneficial.
Last weekend, the Colgate men's hockey team capped off its regular season with a 1-1 tie against the third-ranked Yale Bulldogs on Friday and a 6-4 loss to the Brown Bears. Junior forward Austin Mayer scored his third goal of the year in the tie against Yale, while first-year forward Chris Wagner increased his point streak to three games with an assist. First-year goaltender Eric Mihalik stopped 39 of 40 shots to preserve the tie, including 22 in the third period and overtime. On Saturday, senior assistant captain Francois Brisebois posted his third multi-point game of the last seven ,with a goal and an assist. The Raiders will enter the postseason riding a 4-2-1 run in their last seven games.
"You always want to make sure you are peaking at the right time and it has been a real confidence booster for us to have a strong end to the season," senior captain Brian Day said. "We have finally started to get some of the bounces that we have needed and we feel like we are playing our best hockey at this moment."
As expected, Friday's contest was electrifying from start to finish. The Bulldogs entered the game with a perfect 14-0 record at home this campaign and in the midst of a battle for first place, while Colgate was coming off a weekend sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth. In the first period, both teams created several grade-A scoring chances, but both Mihalik and Yale's Ryan Rondeau stood tall and stopped every shot they faced, as the Bulldogs outshot the Raiders 11-10.
The second period saw the only two goals of the game. Yale put pressure on Colgate's offensive zone early on and was able to capitalize on a turnover at the 7:32 mark when Andrew Miller put the puck past Mihalik. Trailing 1-0, the Raiders took momentum from the Bulldogs and proceeded to control the play throughout the rest of the period. Colgate's efforts were finally rewarded at 16:32 when Mayer put the biscuit past Rondeau off of helpers from Wagner and sophomore forward Robbie Bourdon. With the assist, Bourdon kept his four-game point streak against Yale alive.
The Raiders were forced to kill a penalty early in the final frame, but once that was done, they picked up right where they left off and kept pressure on the Bulldogs' offensive zone. Untimely yet questionable penalties at 8:41 and 11:55, however, forced Colgate to kill Yale's power plays and shifted momentum to the Bulldogs' side. Late in the period, however, the Raiders produced some golden scoring opportunities that were frustrated each time by Rondeau. Mihalik would not be outdone and came up with several crucial saves in the waning seconds of regulation.
Yale controlled play in the extra session, outshooting Colgate 4-1, forcing Mihalik to make several incredible stops to preserve the tie. That included a one-on-one situation against Hobey Baker candidate Denny Kearney. The Bulldogs entered the game averaging 4.41 goals per game and boasting the nation's fifth best man advantage. The Raiders were also the only squad to steal a point from Yale this season at home, and the only team that remains unbeaten at the Bulldogs' Ingalls Rink throughout the past three campaigns.
"Mihalik has been playing some great hockey lately and has been a big part of our recent success," Day said. "Our penalty killing has improved as the season has gone, which has enabled us to shut down some dangerous power play units."
The following evening, Colgate entered its game against Brown with its fate as the twelfth seed in the ECAC Hockey Tournament decided. That may have played into the lower level of intensity with which the Raiders played, and which allowed the Bears to control play for most of the match. Brown drew first blood at 7:41 when Mike Wolff put the puck past Mihalik. Colgate drew even less than three minutes later on a five-on-three man advantage when Brisebois fired the puck past the Bears' Mike Clemente, assisted by junior forward Austin Smith and senior assistant captain Wade Poplawski. It took less than two minutes for the hosts to regain the advantage, as Jesse Fratkin scored at 12:47. Despite leading in shots 11-8, the Raiders trailed 2-1 after 20 minutes of play.
Colgate was called for a penalty 1:24 into the second stanza and it took Brown less than a minute to capitalize on its power play, as Harry Zolnierczyk gave his team a two-goal lead at 2:12. The Raiders pulled within one at 13:33 after a great collective play. First-year forward Jack McNamara gained the puck along the boards and fed it to fellow classmate and forward Mike McCann, who fired it at Clemente. Junior forward Mark Nasca caught the rebound in mid-air and smacked it into the net. Once again, however, the Bears were able to score soon after, this time less than a minute later at 14:32 to take a 4-2 lead into the final 20 minutes.
Sophomore defenseman Jeremy Price gave Colgate hope after scoring 37 seconds into the final frame, assisted by Brisebois. It did not take long, however, for Brown to regain its two-goal lead, as Jarred Smith scored at 2:06. A man advantage tally at 6:11 from junior assistant captain Kevin McNamara, who was assisted by sophomore defenseman Thomas Larkin and Bourdon gave the Raiders hope of getting a point out of this game. Despite peppering Clemente with shots throughout the period, Colgate was unable to score again. The Bears sealed their victory with Smith's second goal at 18:12. This contest was a roller coaster from start to finish, as every time that the Raiders scored, Brown answered soon after. If Colgate wants to make a run into the playoffs, it will have to buckle down and prevent teams from answering goals with tallies of their own.
"We need to take care of the puck and limit our mistakes," Day said. "Most of our opponents' opportunities come off of our mistakes, whether it be turning the puck over in a bad area or not getting the puck deep when we should. If we can take care of the puck and limit our mistakes we should be in good shape."
This upcoming weekend the Raiders will travel to Rensselaer for the first round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs. The two teams split the season series, with the Engineers winning 2-1 in Hamilton and Colgate taking a decision in Troy by the same score. Both games went to the extra session.
"We need to continue to play a high energy game," Day said. "We can frustrate teams when we play like we've been playing and I really like the way we match up against RPI."
Each contest this weekend is set for a 7 p.m. start.
On Sunday, February 27, Colgate women's lacrosse competed against Vermont to earn its second win of the season with an overall score of 20-14. Senior midfielder Colleen Bubnack, led the team to victory...
The Colgate men's hockey team is officially sizzling. The Raiders have won four of their last five games, including two against nationally ranked teams. Last Friday night, Colgate knocked off No. 16...
Colgate's women's swimming and diving team are the stars of Raiders Athletics this week after handily clinching the Patriot League title at Bucknell over the weekend. The squad captured the lead after the very first day of competition and never let up, finishing with a team total of 862 points. The men's team also traveled to the meet, but did not experience the same noted level of success. They finished fifth place overall with a final tally of 363 points.
The men did, however, mark up the Colgate record books. Most remarkable was Casey Powers, who shattered a 35-year-old Colgate record in the 1650- yard freestyle by an astounding 12 seconds with a time of 15:47.15. Senior Tucker Gniewek chipped in with a third place finish in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 44.92 seconds, .15 seconds below the previous Colgate record. Junior Costas Hadjipateras finished fifth in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:49.83, almost a minute under the Raider record. Raider teammate Devon Healy also broke his own personal record in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 3:56.49, while the 400-yard freestyle relay unit composed of Dan Sweeney, Pat White, Sam Ellis and Gniewek just missed the team's record by under a second.
The real narrative is in the women's Patriot League competition, where they held onto the first-place spot for three consecutive days to completely dominate the meet.
The team finished the first day of racing with 198 points and swept the top three positions in the finals. Erica Derlath swam brilliantly, finishing over a second earlier than teammates Caren Guyett and first-year Claire Hunter, who also contributed to the Colgate victory. Senior Erin McGraw added to the total point count by earning the 200-yard individual medley title as she beat her personal best time by just under a second. Sophomore Emma Santoro and first-year Megan Jex followed closely behind.
The second day of competition marked a slew more of Colgate victories. Sophomore Kim Pilka shattered the old 1-meter dive record with a score of 303.40 to blast Army's Chelsea Haviland's 2006 mark of 291.85. The 800-yard freestyle relay team set a new league mark to give the Raiders a comfortable margin above their trailing opponents. The relay team of McGraw, Hunter, Santoro and Guyett also shattered an old Colgate record by 1.5 seconds. Their time of 7:20.09 also became the new Patriot League, championship meet and Kinney Natatorium record.
Guyett also did some personal record breaking on the second day of the competition in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:47.61, more than a second off both her own preliminary time and previous record-holder Lisa Marchi's time of 1:48.93.
McGraw rose to the occasion in the 100-yard butterfly as the Raiders had three women place in the top five to earn 50 points towards the team score. McGraw won her first individual title with a time of 54.36 seconds, just missing her record time of 54.02 seconds.
Rebecca Murray and Maggie White also contributed to the team tally after finishing the 100-yard breaststroke at third and seventh, respectively.
On the final day of competition, the Raiders' spirits were high. Their times and scores could not be beat and their confidence could only contribute to more success.
In the first swimming final of the day, Derlath won her third title of the week and broke a Colgate record in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 16:24.83, breaking her personal record by an incredible 15 seconds. The time also broke the Patriot League record. Guyett also broke the previous record, but could not match the time of her teammate and finished second in the race.
At the end of the three-day competition, Fernando Canales was named the Patriot League Women's Coach of the Year, while McGraw was awarded the Female Swimmer of the Meet honors. Pilka was also recognized as the top diver with the Female Diver of the Meet title. All in all, the meet marked the victorious end of a successful season for the women.
This past weekend, the Colgate track and field teams traveled south to Annapolis to take part in the Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships held at Navy. The women's squad competed well and earned 58 points en route to a solid fifth place finish. The men accumulated 20 points across the meet, and placed seventh overall. Despite the modest team placements, both squads ran performed well, and several individual runners and relay units earned All- Patriot League Honors.
The women's squad impressed on Friday and Saturday and asserted their strength in the long distance and medley events. The team also saw some measurable success in the longer of the sprinting events. For the second week in a row, senior Michele Miller turned in a dominant performance in the 400-meter dash. Miller posted a final time of 57.87 in the event- good enough for third place overall.
The Raiders proceeded to nearly sweep the podium in the 500-meter dash, as first year Jamie King-Prunty and junior Alexandra Atkinson placed second and third overall, respectively. King-Prunty turned in a time of 1:16.55, and capped off a strong regular season, earning second team All- Patriot League for her efforts. Atkinson clocked in just behind her teammate, finishing the event in a very respectable 1:17.04. In the distance events, junior star Elise DeRoo reasserted her dominance after a several-week absence from team competition.
The Colgate leader placed first overall posted a time of 2:53.85 in the 1000-meter run. The gutsy performance earned DeRoo first team All- Patriot League honors. In the 1 mile run, DeRoo turned in another dominant performance in placing third overall. She completed the race in a swift 4:48.44, and earned 6 points for the Raiders in the process.
In the 5000-meter run, senior captain Julie Tarallo placed fourth overall, posting a final time of 17:37.97. Finally, the team performed exceptionally well in the distance medley, placing first overall and earning first team All-Patriot League honors. Colgate's ‘A' squad (junior Kelly Cattano, DeRoo, sophomore Amy Sleeper, senior Hilary Hooley) posted a final time of 11:58.26 in the relay. DeRoo also commented on the effect of earning individual and team accolades in saying, "It's always inspiring to see your teammates be successful and I think having such a solid group of All-Patriot League athletes will inspire everyone on the team to strive to achieve such honors in seasons to come."
The men's squad didn't experience quite the same level of success as the women, but there were several bright spots for the Raiders across the two-day meet. In the 200-meter dash, junior Grahm Tooker placed fifth overall with a time of 22.34. Tooker continued to contribute consistently in the 400-meter dash, where he posted a final time of 49.9 en route to another fifth place finish and another two points. In the middle-distance events, the Raiders experienced even greater success.
In the 800-meter run, seniors Jonathan Knowlton and Andrew Smith placed fourth and sixth, respectively. Knowlton snapped the tape in a quick 1:54.14, while his teammate and classmate flew across the finish line in 1:54.91. The event was a fitting regular season conclusion for the two runners, who were rock solid across the board in the middle-distance events this season. The squad experienced an uncharacteristic lull in the long-distance events, failing to score any points in the longer races at the meet.
That said, the Raiders made up for their unforeseen drop by posting points in all three relay events. The most notable performance occurred in the 4x800 meter relay, where the team's ‘A' squad (senior Ed Boulat, junior Tim Metivier, Knowlton, and Smith) placed second overall. The foursome completed the event in just 7:34.78, and earned eight points for the men's team- nearly half of their entire meet's output. The dominant performance earned each of the runners second team All- Patriot League honors.
Both the women's and the men's teams will have a week off before some members travel to Boston for the IC4A and ECAC Championships.
