Friday, December 2, 2011

Sports Blog Net

Sports Blog Net

Targets: Jair Jurrjens

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 04:14 PM PST

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Jair Jurrjens"][/caption] With rumors now swirling of the Yankees and Braves maybe hooking up for a trade with utility-man Eduardo Nunez, the Braves may have some trade candidates that the Yankees might be interested in. The Target of discussion/analysis this time around is Jair Jurrjens. We'll start with "The Good and The Bad". The Good:
  • Jair is just 25 years old and has been around for a while, so he knows his way around a mound.
  • Throughout Jurrjens young career he has shown to be an above average pitcher with a career ERA of 3.40 and a career 3.88 FIP.
  • Although Jair isn't much a of a strikeout pitcher (6.15 K/9 career, just about average), he usually get groundballs for outs when he needs to, which once again is ideal in Yankee Stadium.
  • Jurrjens has an average walk rate of 3.1 BB/9, which is ok for a pitcher with his kind of stuff.
  • Jurrjens handles righties pretty darn well with a batting against line that is: .233/.279/.355/.634, he also handles lefties at a decent rate .270/.339/.421/.760.
  • Jurrjens' salary should be dirt cheap for the Yankees as he was paid $3.25 million in 2011. He should be getting a raise to something in the range of $5-$8 million because of arbitration, but his salary will be dirt cheap if the Yankees do acquire him from the Braves.
The Bad:
  • Jair just cannot stay healthy for a full season. He has only played a full season with 200+ IP in 2009 (his best season to date). Jurrjens has only had 1 season with his innings total above 160 IP and that was in 2008 (excluding 2009). Every year he has been hurt or somehow can't make starts and that is a problem for any team that is looking to maybe acquire Jurrjens.
  • Jurrjens velocity has been dipping the past few years and for a groundball pitcher like him in Yankee Stadium, which can be a problem.
  • The Braves asking price for Jair is supposedly an ace type package. Jair is certainly not worth an ace package but he is worth a decent package of prospects if a team is interested and has the pieces to get a deal done.
  • Jurrjens has mostly been in the NL East so we don't know if he will be able to handle the very tough AL (B) East. Many pitchers who come from the NL just can't adjust to the tougher hitters in the AL which can possibly hurt their numbers greatly.
  While Jair Jurrjens may seem like a young-gun in the making with room to improve, he has yet to show he can stay healthy for more than one season. When a young player has many injury concerns early in his career, it's hard to think how he will fare when he is older and the body starts to break down more easily. If the Yankees are looking for pitching and Jair Jurrjens is on their list, they should cross him off because he is not worth it, too many injury concerns and too high of a price set by the Braves. Sorry, no fit…..NEXT!

What's wrong with Ndamukong Suh?

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 04:01 PM PST

Are you kidding me with what I'm seeing with Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh right now? First he pulls this stunt on Thanksgiving Day where he dribbles a Green Bay Packers offensive lineman's head on the Ford Field turf and steps on him afterwards. Then he gives a garbage explanation for how all that happened. The NFL decides to give him a two-game suspension(which I felt like was well deserved), and Suh has the nerve to appeal the suspension. Today the NFL decided to uphold the suspension, which I feel like they should have. The message had to be sent to Suh that he needs to understand what he is doing and that he needs to change his act. The appeal came after he issued an apology to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. I guess he felt like the apology would lessen the punishment for the crime, and when it didn't he wanted to fight the decision. I just don't understand why Suh does the things that he does. I really feel like Suh has the potential to be one of the best defensive linemen ever to play the game. He's big, strong, fast, and he makes plays. He plays with a mean streak, which is not a bad thing. Anyone who plays or has played football knows that you have to be a little bit on the edge in order to survive on the football field. But you have to find away to keep the aggressive play in between the whistles. After the whistle, the play is dead, and that seems to be the part where Suh is having a problem comprehending. He also has a problem committing personal foul penalties. Suh has committed eight of those in his short career. So what that tells you is that there is a trend that continues with his play. The thing that is real disturbing is that I don't think Suh realizes that what he does is wrong. He really feels like the league is out to get him. He has to realize that the league is not going to change for him, he has to adjust to the league's rules. It would be real sad to see a promising career go to waste because of lapses in judgement and bad decision making. The good thing is that Suh does have the chance to get things corrected and get his career back on the right track. He's not in trouble with the law or anything, he just has some things that he needs to get fixed inside his head. Hopefully this two-game suspension will be some time for him to sit back and reflect on things. We will see how Suh grows from this experience. I would like to think he will be better because of this, but we will see.

Looks like it's time to start over in Philadelphia

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 02:29 PM PST

I think a lot of us already thought that the Philadelphia Eagles were already done in terms of making the playoffs this year. All of the "dream team" hype has turned into a nightmare as the Eagles have struggled to a 4-8 record following last night's 31-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. It's one thing to have a hard time coming up with the victories. It's another thing to struggle while you see players showing lack of effort out on the field. When you see players not giving it their all out there, that's a telling sign that the head coach is losing the players. It's starting to look like head coach Andy Reid is having that happen to him before his own eyes. Players are visibly frustrated about what has happened this season and it doesn't look like things are any better within the coaching staff for the Eagles. They continue to bicker amongst each other and players, most notably WR DeSean Jackson, are checking out mentally and emotionally. I think there are a lot of things that you can point to for why the Eagles are performing far below expectations this year, but I don't want to hear that the lockout is one of those reasons. The San Francisco 49ers had a rookie head coach come in after a terrible last season and they're 9-2 this season. The Cincinnati Bengals are starting a rookie at quarterback and they're 7-4 in a year that a lot of people thought that they may be the worst team in the league. So let's not blame the lockout for why the Eagles have struggled. When you look at the whole season, the Eagles can be easily 9-3 if they could hold on to 4th quarter leads. They have blown five of those in their eight losses. A lot of the new players they brought into the team in free agency aren't fitting in with the scheme that's in place. Starting QB Michael Vick has been beaten down constantly this year and he has missed the last three games with broken ribs, and Jackson has become selfish in the midst of a contract dispute that has yet to be settled. The players bear a lot of the blame for what has happened in Philadelphia, but the man who ultimately takes the fall when a team isn't producing on the field is the head coach. I really do feel like Reid has overstayed his welcome and the team has regressed from the Eagles' last NFC Championship appearance in '08-'09 in terms of advancing in the playoffs. I think it time for a new voice in Philly and some of those players may have to go also. This will be a huge off season coming up for the Eagles, and it might be the first one in a while that doesn't include Andy Reid as the head coach.

Troy Brown and Julian Edelman: Bill Belichick's Favorite Type of Player

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST

[caption id="attachment_1750" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Though not yet at the level of Troy Brown, Julian Edelman has been undeniably productive as a cornerback this season. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)"][/caption] Bill Belichick's defensive genius, record-breaking offenses and three Super Bowl victories will someday put him in the Hall of Fame. Tom Brady and he have formed the greatest coach-quarterback pair in NFL history. But beyond all of that, one thing truly sets Belichick above the rest: his creative use of personnel. Belichick has always found a way to get maximum productivity out of players cast aside elsewhere.

Troy Brown: Turning Small Receptions into Big Defenses

Brady might be the best example of a nobody Belichick turned into a superstar, but the full list is much, much longer. A perfect example is Troy Brown: a small-yardage receiver (career average: 11.4 yards per catch) who only once gave the Patriots a 1,000-yards receiving year once, and whose touchdown receptions maxed out at six in 1997. He averaged fewer than four catches per game in the playoffs, only scoring once. As Belichick's offense became bigger and bigger, Brown's usefulness as a wide receiver lessened and lessened. So in typical fashion, Belichick made Brown a cornerback in 2004. The move paid dividends, with Brown picking off three passes and recovering two fumbles. Injuries wracked the Patriot secondary that year, and Brown's contributions gave the full-time defenders just enough of a reprieve to keep everything from collapsing. When Brown retired in 2008, Belichick said it was "an honor and a privilege" to work with Brown. High praise from a man who rarely gives any.

Julian Edelman: The New Troy Brown?

This season, an injury-riddled defense has been once again getting help from a wide receiver. Three years into his career, Julian Edelman has yet to find a clear role with the Patriots. His 2010 season didn't come close to his 37 catches and 359 yards (one touchdown) the year before. Without a decent final five games, his 2011 season (three catches, 27 yards) won't even approach his 2010 season (seven, 86). Edelman currently ranks ninth on the Patriots' receiving chart – easily last place among the wide receivers and tight ends. Belichick's passing strategy – Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez in the slot, Deion Branch along the sideline, Rob Gronkowski over the top – just doesn't include Edelman's skill set. Like Brown, Edelman is also a competent punt returner, but in recent weeks Danny Woodhead has taken his place. Unwilling to let a talented, healthy player just sit on the bench, Belichick has started using Edelman as a cornerback. While the move hasn't yet produced a turnover or sack, Edelman has undeniably helped an incredibly shaky secondary hold together for just a bit longer. It might be a stop-gap measure, but so far Edelman at cornerback has worked out. Edelman currently has five tackles, including four solo. These aren't the numbers Brown put up in 2004 – 17 tackles, four defensed passes – but they still reflect the overall positive impact Edelman has had on the team. Equally important to Edelman's tackles has been his tackling technique, which is flawless. He gets low on receivers, then wraps them up or trips them. He doesn't lead with his helmet, and he stops forward momentum without allowing extra yards after the catch. He hits hard, but clean. Edelman put all that on display in Sunday's thrashing of the Philadelphia Eagles. Vince Young scrambled for the end zone on second-and-eight from the New England 9 midway through the third quarter, and Edelman stopped him at the 2. A fourth-and-1 incomplete pass killed the Eagles' best change to get back in the game. Apparently unsatisfied with that tackle, Edelman hit Young again near the end of the third. Young dropped back to pass near midfield, and an unblocked Edelman zeroed in on Young on a right-side corner-blitz. Young threw a rushed, incomplete pass to avoid the sack, but Edelman still leveled him with a perfect, waste-high, pads-first tackle. Edelman's tackle sent as clear a message to Young as James Harrison or Ndamukong Suh ever could. And Edelman did it without playing dirty or dangerously. Belichick has yet again found a way to get production from a player that otherwise would have just sat on the bench. Good for Belichick for getting past Edelman's off-the-field issues, and good for Edelman for swallowing his ego and being willing to play a position he'd never played before. Edelman might never be Brown. But with a defense as banged up as the Patriots, Edelman might just need to continue being Edelman.

Who Is Bob Kuzava and Why Should We Care?

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 04:49 AM PST

In his recent guest post on Hardball Times, my friend and fellow baseball historian Graham Womack mentioned in passing that he had never heard of pitcher Bob Kuzava.Read Graham's post "Getting One Vote for the Hall of Fame" here. Let's be clear from the outset. There's not a reason in the world that anyone outside of diehard New York Yankee fans from the mid-1950s should recognize Kuzava's name. The journeyman left hander who pitched for eight teams in 10 years (Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals) and compiled a 49-44 record with a 4.05 ERA is completely forgettable. But as was so often the case with the Yankees during their run of five consecutive World Championships, a player---usually a pitcher---would rise out of obscurity to perform spectacularly at a critical moment to help deliver a key game to the Yankees. So it was with Kuzava in 1951, his best season. After posting an 8-4 record with a 2.40 ERA Kuzava, who had started eight games, took a seat in the Yankees' bull pen for the World Series against the crosstown rival New York Giants. With Vic Raschi and Eddie Lopat winning 21 games and Allie Reynolds 17, manager Casey Stengel's starting rotation was set. In the sixth game, the Yankees were coasting with a 4-1 lead in the top of the ninth. But Johnny Sain, pitching in relief of starter Reynolds, faltered, gave up two runs and left the bases full when Stengel summoned Kuzava.  Press box reporters thought Stengel was crazy since the next two batters were right handed, Monte Irvin and Bobby Thompson. But Stengel's gamble paid off. Irvin and Thompson hit back-to-back sacrifice flies that scored two runs but left Kuzava with only one out to collect. With the score now 4-3, it was Giants' manager Leo Durocher's turn to play a hunch. Durocher chose right handed, back up catcher Sal Yvars to hit for the lefty Hank Thompson. Yvars, understudy to Wes Westrum, had made a mere 41 regular season plate appearances. That set the stage for one of the World Series' most thrilling finishes. With Whitey Lockman in scoring position and representing the tying run, Yvars lifted a weak fly ball to right field that, in the late afternoon sun and with the shifting winds, seemed sure to drop in. But Hank Bauer, playing right in place of the injured Mickey Mantle, made a lunging dive and came up with the ball. The game and the series were over. Kuzava earned the save, an achievement he repeated in 1952 in the seventh gameagainst the Brooklyn Dodgers. Although the Dodgers slugging right handed line up feasted on lefties, especially in Ebbets Field where the game was played, Kuzava set down the last eight batters: Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson (on another famous lunging catch, this one by Billy Martin falling on his knees near the pitcher's mound), Roy Campanella, Andy Pafko, Carl Furillo, Bobby Morgan, Billy Cox and Pee Wee Reese. Once again, Stengel's faith in Kuzava paid off. Now 88 and living in Michigan, Kuzava's friends call him "Sarge," his rank during World War II where he served from 1943 to 1945.

Marlins Reel In A Big Fish

Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:48 PM PST

  No you are not dreaming fish fans. The Miami Marlins have made their first big splash by signing former Padres closer Heath Bell to a 3 year $27 million deal with a 4th year option. Bell has proven to be one of the most dominate closers  in the past three years compiling 40 plus saves in each of those seasons. The signing of Heath Bell provides the security of knowing what you are going to get in the 9th inning. Something that we didn't get with Leo Nunez, or should I say Juan Carlos Oviedo. In my opinion, the Heath Bell signing is great. Signing a top notch and proven closer solidify's the teams bullpen. I'll have more posted on the Bell signing soon, but for the moment, rejoice Marlins fans! -Alex
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