Fathead Blog

Coming into the 2012 MLB season, the Texas Rangers came up on the short end of back-to-back trips to the World Series. As the cliché goes, the third time is the charm and the Rangers sure do look like they’re planning on making it a reality.

Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers have started the MLB season on fire.

Given, it’s only six weeks into the MLB season, but the Rangers look to be the cream of the crop. Currently sitting at 23-12, the team from Texas simply looks better than every other team in baseball.  Most impressively, they are currently 13-6 on the road. Every team knows that to be considered successful they must win on the road and the Rangers are doing just that.

This Rangers team is a well-rounded blend of stellar pitching and a deadly offense. Joining the club this season is Japanese sensation, right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish. The Rangers paid a hefty price (around $111 million) when they acquired Darvish from his former team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters but so far, he’s been worth every penny. He has posted a 5-1 record with a 2.84 ERA. Darvish has a nasty variety of six pitches and he’s proven that by striking out 51 batters thus far. The most amazing thing about him, he said in an interview that he can throw all six pitches with his off-hand, inclusing a left-handed fastball that can hit 82 mph on the radar gun.

As for the offensive side of the Rangers, the team is led by All-World outfielder Josh Hamilton, who is on a torrid pace this season. He already has hit 18 home runs and knocked in 45 RBI while batting .402. At this rate he’s on track to knock in over 200 RBI, which has never been done in the history of baseball. The current record is 191 held by Hack Wilson in 1930. While it’s a bit too early to start thinking that Hamilton is going to plate 200-plus RBI, it’s certainly something that brings wonderment to the imagination. If Hamilton can stay healthy, he’s on his way to having a historic MVP season.

The Rangers organization, led by Hall of Fame hurler Nolan Ryan has set the standard for all MLB teams. They have set the pedestal very high but carry themselves very well as they’ve become the precedent of baseball.  By continuing their winning ways they’ll find themselves with a ring at season’s end.

The first round of the NBA playoffs became survival of the fittest with player after player going down with an injury. The list looks like an all-star roster. The Bulls, Hawks, Magic and even Knicks could all blame injuries for their first round exits. As the conference semi-finals get underway, the playoff picture is much different than I expected with the 50-win Bulls and everybody’s “sleeper” team (Memphis) eliminated. Time to reassess and rank the eight teams still standing.

The Thunder have been very convincing during the NBA playoffs, already eliminating the defending champion Dallas Mavericks.

No. 8   Philadelphia 76ers

This young team took advantage of an injury-riddled Bulls team and became the fifth No. 8 seed to advance to the second round. They have stolen home-court advantage against the Celtics with a game two win and showed that they will make Boston earn a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

No. 7   Los Angeles Clippers

The jam-packed NBA schedule has been tough on players and coaches but the group that may be the most exhausted by the whole thing is Clipper fans. These people are usually in wait-till-next-year mode by New Years and here they are in round two after a thrilling seven-game series against Memphis. How much more can they take?

No. 6   Los Angeles Lakers

This team looks like a championship contender. But only about once a week. They should be better than that with Kobe Bryant and two 7-footers. That was an embarrassing loss in Oklahoma City. It’s only one game, but the Lakers are in trouble.

No. 5   Indiana Pacers

Indiana has quietly been one of the best teams all season. Only four teams had more regular season victories than the Pacers. But they don’t seem to get much respect. Here’s their chance to change that. The Dwight Howard-less Magic didn’t give them any trouble in the first round. Can they challenge the Heat?

No. 4   Boston Celtics

It’s now or never for the Celtics. They caught a break with the Bulls going down after the Derrick Rose injury. They ought to be able to use their championship experience to get by the up-and-coming 76ers and likely have one more showdown with Miami. They know this is probably their last shot as a group. The question is how much is left in the tank?

No. 3   Miami Heat

Miami leads the Pacers 1-0 but it looks like the big three is down to a big two with Chris Bosh out “indefinitely.” Without Bosh, the Heat could be in trouble against Indiana. They are still the favorites but it may take six or seven games. They won’t win the NBA championship without a healthy Bosh back in the lineup.

No. 2   San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs have home court advantage as long as they are in the playoffs. It seems like they have had about two weeks off after the sweep of the Utah Jazz. A lot of people expected them to have a tough matchup with the Grizzlies after losing to them in the playoffs last season. But instead they get Chris Paul and the Clippers. This should be a good series.

No. 1   Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City has the look of a champion. Trailing by double-digits in game four against the defending world champion Mavericks, the Thunder could have easily let that game go and finished off the Mavs in another game. But Durant and company would have none of that and finished off the sweep. Then they absolutely destroyed the Lakers in game one. They look like they are on a mission.

Who doesn’t love a night at the ballpark? Even if baseball doesn’t happen to be your favorite sport, attending a live game is still a good time. So when Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals came to town to play the Pittsburgh Pirates, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the evening. And the fact that I found seats about ten rows off the field behind the visitors’ dugout for half-price through an online vendor made it even more of a slam dunk.

PNC Park is a great place to go and catch a game.

The on-field action, though, wasn’t the only part of the night. Here’s a brief recap of the evening:

6:40 – Arrive at PNC Park (seriously, if you’ve never been there, you’re missing out) and promptly head into souvenir shop with time to kill. After browsing the hat section, I find a minor league prospect paperback book that caught my attention … until I noticed the $24.00 price tag. Quickly head out, opting for the $7.00 yearbook instead.

7:05 – Settle into my seat just in time for the opening pitch. Seated next to me are a father and son, each with the largest bucket of wings available. My only thoughts are, ‘Good luck finishing those, guys.’

Bottom of 2^nd Inning – Strasburg strikes out the side. Eh, not so impressive.

Top of the 3^rd Inning – Strasburg gets hit by a pitch and is jeered relentlessly when he asks for a jacket at first base. A female Pirates fan in front of me asks her companion, “Who is this Strasburg guy,” pronouncing it “Strays-burg.” I can’t help but think this is going to be a long night.

Bottom of the 3^rd inning – Strasburg strikes out the side. Again.

Top of the 4^th Inning – When Ryan Zimmerman comes to the plate, a somewhat drunk fan behind me tells his friend how great he is, repeatedly calling him ‘Ray.’ This all happens despite the fact that we happen to be facing the scoreboard with his name on it in gigantic letters.

Middle of the 4^th Inning – The Pirates host their own version of the Price is Right’s Hi Lo game. The team provides a statistic and a selected fan has to determine whether a certain Pirates player had a higher or lower amount of that statistic than the previous player shown. The category in question is the amount of career walks.

Honus Wagner comes up as one of the players and the previously-referenced fan is at it again saying, “Honus Wagner couldn’t have walked a lot since he swung at everything.” I’m not sure which was more amusing – the certainty with which he said it or the fact that he appears to have studied Wagner’s prowess in actual game footage from nearly 100 years ago. At any rate, a somewhat confused contestant reaches the final question and after giving what is clearly the wrong answer, an exasperated host asks her if she wants to reconsider her choice. After a brief pause, she says no and loses. Fun, fun, fun.

Top of the 5^th Inning – Strasburg smashes a double at the plate. Is there anything this guy can’t do? By the end of the night, he’s hitting .308 on the season. Forget the pitching, I’m thinking he’d look pretty good in the middle of the Pirates’ anemic batting order.

Middle of the 5^th Inning – The Pittsburgh Pierogi mascot race also features the Washington Nationals’ President mascots. The mascots run around the park, much to the fans’ delight. Well, at least the ones under the age of 12.

Top of the 6^th Inning – Zimmerman again comes to bat and the now clearly drunk fan behind me calls him Ray yet again. After his friend politely corrects him by saying, “I think his name’s Ryan,” there’s an eerie silence followed by an “Oh.” Said fan then ceases to talk for the rest of the inning, which quickly becomes the highlight of the night.

Middle of the 6^th Inning – Father and son duo next to me not only finish off both buckets of wings relatively easy, but leave and return with a jumbo-sized portion of nachos. Yeah, I got that one wrong.

Top of the 7^th Inning – Steve Lombardozzi comes to bat as a pinch-hitter as Strasburg exits the game. Despite a close contest, many fans follow suit, heading for the turnstiles after watching him toss 13 strikeouts in only six innings.

Middle of the 7^th Inning– Another fan loses an inning break game. This time, a guy misses out on a jacket and then a hat, selecting a mystery box, which included an assortment of beef jerky instead. The irony that the fans are losing seemingly as much as the Pirates do isn’t lost on me.

Top of the 8^th Inning – Harper comes up for his final at bat. After striking out, more than half of the remaining crowd files out.

9:43 – Game ends as Pirates lose, 4-2. All in all, well worth the $21.00 ticket price. I’d traveled to Altoona to witness Strasburg’s debut in AA two years ago and though he’s lost some velocity either because of his surgery last year or through his own choice (he topped 100 miles per hour then and touched the upper 90s only a few times last week), he’s still one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball.

Lost in all of the hype and debate about which NFL prospect is the next Joe Montana or Jerry Rice, is which prospects could become Pro-Bowlers on the interior of the offensive line (or at least Pro Bowl caliber, if there is no Pro Bowl).  This year’s Draft showed how lightly NFL teams value interior lineman, specifically centers.  Peter Konz, the #1 rated center according to many draft sites, fell all the way to the Atlanta Falcons at #55.  But when you look at teams that have been successful over the last decade, they all have had very good, if not elite, centers.

THE PATRIOTS – DAN KOPPEN

Dan Koppen started 119 games from 2003-2010 for the Patriots.  He was injured early in 2011.  During his tenure as the Patriots center, New England won two Super Bowls and started another season 19-0.  Koppen may not be as important to the team’s success as Tom Brady or Bill Belichick, but he has been an important cog on the offensive line for a long time.

THE COLTS – JEFF SATURDAY

Saturday started 188 games for the Colts from 1999-2011.  Anyone who thinks that the Colts’ offense is completely run by Peyton Manning has never seen Saturday argue with him on the sidelines.  Saturday was out there for all of those years calling protections and identifying linebackers for the Colts’ offensive line.  He is a major reason that Peyton Manning started every game for 13 years in a row.  It will be interesting to see how much of an impact Jeff Saturday can make in Green Bay now that he has signed with the Packers.

MORE EXAMPLES

Maurkice Pouncey, David Haas, and Scott Wells have all been on Super Bowl teams in the past two seasons.  The Steelers went against the grain and drafted Pouncey 16^th overall in 2010.  He has more than lived up to the selection by earning a selection to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons.  Scott Wells went from the Packers’ 7^th round draft pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to the starting center in Super Bowl XLV and a Pro Bowler in 2011.  He recently signed a contract with the Rams.  Before the 2011 season, David Haas left the 49ers and signed with the Giants in free agency.  The Giants had not made the playoffs in two years, but won the Super Bowl last year with Haas manning the pivot.  The list does not end there.  The Bears’ Super Bowl run in 2006 featured team captain and perennial Pro Bowl Center Olin Kreutz.  The Giants’ 2007 Super Bowl team had Shaun O’Hara, who made three Pro Bowl teams and one All-Pro Team.

Does Fathead undervalue centers too? The only center on Fathead.com is Nick Mangold.

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Poor play at center can bring a team down as well.  Would the Cowboys have had better records in recent years if they had gotten more consistent play from center Andre Gurode?  Gurode, at times, struggled with shotgun snaps, and, on a few occasions, had multiple bad snaps in the same game.  The Cowboys chose not to resign him following the 2010 season, and, while he signed with Baltimore for the 2011 season, he started only five games for the Ravens.

Recent history has shown that the most successful teams in the league have to-of-the-line centers.  A poor center can bring down an otherwise talented football team.  So why do NFL teams seem to overlook this position in the draft?  It is one of the greatest mysteries in pro football.

At 41, Phil Mickelson was one of five inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday. He’s earned it.

Not only because of his four major championships, 40 PGA Tour wins, or the $66 million career earnings. He’s earned it with the way he plays the game and all of the fascinating moments he has given the fans.

Nobody (not even Tiger) adds more intrigue to a leader board than Mickelson because you never know what he will do. Maybe he will birdie five of the last seven holes to win the tournament. Or maybe he will hit his tee shot on the final hole into a hospitality tent and make a double-bogey that costs him the tournament. Either way, it is worth watching.

They call him Phil the Thrill for a reason. He’s regarded by many as having the best short game on tour, in large part to the flop shot he has mastered. His touch and creativity allow him to often, not only attempt, but pull off shots that other players wouldn’t even think of. Here are a few of my favorite Mickelson moments.

1. Of course, the top of the list is the 2004 Masters. In Phil entered the final round tied for the lead and at the end of the day he had a green jacket and was no longer considered the best player without a major championship on his resume. After a back nine where Mickelson made five birdies and was surrounded by players holing out from all over Augusta, he was the last man standing on a day that Jim Nantz called one of the greatest in Masters history. I agree and I think Phil would too.

2. When I heard the Mickelson had an instructional video for your short game, I knew it would be worth watching. What I didn’t know was that he would teach me how to hit the ball straight up and backwards onto the green. It’s an incredibly difficult shot. Even when you know how to do it, I don’t know if anyone but Phil can. If I want to hit one that goes backwards, I’ve got to find a tree to bounce it off of.

3. In 2006, Mickelson arrived at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot looking to win his third straight major, something only Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods have done. He had the lead after 71 holes but committed a colossal mistake on the final hole and finished one shot behind Geoff Ogilvy. I’m not putting this on my list because I’m glad it happened, but it’s another example of the style of play that makes Phil the Thrill so great to watch. Not many guys would have hit driver on that hole. He did. And he paid a steep price for not hitting a good one. This is where we get Phil’s famous “I’m such and idiot” quote.

4. At just 20 and still in college, he won his first PGA Tour event, the Northern Telecom Open, in Tucson as an amateur. It’s a feat that has only been done six times in history and hasn’t been matched since he pulled it off in 1991.

5. When a hailstorm crashes the party as Phil plays the 18^th at the 2000 Williams World Challenge, he doesn’t seek shelter like a normal human being would. Instead of trying to putt on a green covered in hail, he pulls out a wedge and chips it in for birdie.

There are my five favorites. I give honorable mention to his PGA Championship win in 2005 and the run he made playing with two drivers in his bag. What are your favorites that I left out?