It seems fitting that I could title a post like this during the week of our nation's birthday. Now before I get all Mel Gibson in the Patriot on you, I would like to say what prompted to write and title this post was the performance of our men's soccer team this past week in South Africa.

For those of you that don't know, USA men's soccer is somewhat of a David. We're always kind of looked over, and no one really gives us the respect we deserve. We've never been flashy, or the most talented team on the planet, but this past week we showed the we can knock Goliath on his overgrown ass. Which after all is a concept that this country was founded on some 233 years ago.

Spain and Brazil are soccer royalty. Revered around the world for their talent on the pitch. This past week our men's soccer team took them on, and we took no prisoners. Yes, we fell 3-2 in the final at the hands of Brazil, but we served notice to the entire soccer world. We're here, we're for real. Get used to it.

We still have holes to fill. We need another skilled ball handler in the midfield to help control possession and pace. Landon Donovan performed brilliantly in both matches for the United States, but he cannot do it on his own. However, perhaps what we need more than anything is experience.

Tim Howard, who performed admirably in goal, and Donovan both have international experience. Some of our key players, Altidore in particular, will get better with time. Once those skills come together with the fire and intensity that makes this team so easy to love, and such a fantastic representative of our American culture, we will compete for the world cup. Not in 2010, but in 2014 this team will hopefully have the talent and experience required to make a run for it all.

For now though, I urge everyone to be proud of what was accomplished this weekend. Yes, we lost to Brazil, but remember when David fought Goliath, he only had to do it once...

MOAR!

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Why I Love Baseball has been postponed until Saturday this week. The reason for this is due to two reasons.

1) The topic is about Baseball being America's game and it's fitting to post goes up on our nation's birthday.

2) I am not able to finish the post before Nate and I depart on our road trip to Pittsburgh. Which will be featured later this week.

We apologize for this inconvenience and for our lack of posts lately. We shall make this up to you, the reader, by posting at least 1.5 times a day for the remainder of this week...starting tomorrow.

MOAR!

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MLB Trade Rumors, which despite the generic name is a pretty reliable site that's cited by insiders semi-frequently, is reporting that the Pirates are in trade talks with the Nationals, who are looking to acquire Nyjer Morgan. The deal apparently hung up when the Pirates asked for starting pitcher Craig Stammen, who honestly just seems like a throw-in player when the main piece is considered. Lastings Milledge? Really?!

My first thought is "This seems like a terrible move for the Nats."

After all, Nyjer Morgan provides extremely stellar defense, but that's about all he has to work with. He's hit three homers in his entire ML career, spanning 602 at-bats. He's normally a good hitter for average, but lacks a great batter's eye. He can swipe about 40 bases, but he'll get caught about 20 times. In short, he plays like a stellar fourth outfielder.

On the other hand, Lastings Milledge is one of those five-tool guys that scouts love. He's five years Morgan's junior and has significantly more power than Morgan does. (Though that's not saying much. Johnny Damon has significantly more power than Nyjer Morgan does, too.)

However, the more I think about this deal, the more I think Milledge may be a bust.

Let me preface this by saying that I still think this would be a better deal for the Pirates based purely on the fact that Milledge has more upside than the 29 year old Nyjer Morgan, who is what he is.

That said, there's a reason the Nats are giving up on Milledge, and that's because he's got a reputation as being a total headcase.

Lastings Milledge was once one of the brightest stars in the minor leagues, and considered one of the best prospects in all of baseball. He had an attitude problem, but he could play. However, it wasn't long before the Mets realized that that attitude problem was affecting his play.

The Mets dealt Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schnieder. The Nationals, thinking Milledge just needed to get away from the hostile environment of New York, gladly took the deal. Many around baseball saw it as a good deal for Washington.

However, it soon became apparent that Milledge didn't just need a change of scenery. He played well at times and showed flashes of his potential, but also went on long stretches of being unproductive. And not the typical young player type of "growing pains" stretches. The rub on Milledge quickly became that he just didn't care about living up to his potential.

I hate to label a guy like that, because a lot of the time it's hard to tell if it's true. We as fans know only what we get from the media, and the media only gives us things that make for a good story.

I've never talked to Lastings Milledge. I don't know him. I don't know how much he loves baseball versus how much he loves his paycheck, and it always seemed to me that it's in the best interest of even "greedy" players to perform well, because it means a bigger payday for them when they hit the open market.

That said, I'm not sure that I would want a guy with his reputation on my team. And THAT said, this could still be one of the best trades this front office can make.

Is Lastings Milledge a bad person? Does he care about baseball? Is he a lazy player? I don't know. I don't know these things for sure, because I've only seen him play, and then only on TV. Like I said, I don't know the guy personally.

Does he have potential? Big time.

Has he lived up to that potential? No, not yet. He's never done anything exciting in the Major Leagues, he's never done anything exciting in AAA, he was solid if unspectacular in AA. His last eye-popping stat lines all came in A-ball. It's easy to perform when your natural talent alone makes you better than the majority of the players you're facing. His defense has never lived up to the hype.

Would he be a better option for the Pirates than Nyjer Morgan? Yes. The Pirates have no use for Nyjer, yet he's still their best available option in the outfield. If he were younger, I'd want to keep him around as a fourth OF, but as a 29 year old that relies entirely on speed he has a skillset that will fade quickly.

Would this be a good trade for the Pirates? Despite the fact that I may be the only human that's not on the Lastings Milledge bandwagon, I have to say yes. At best, Milledge starts living up to his potential. At worst, he becomes a similar player to Nyjer Morgan that plays slightly worse defense and hits for more power, making the trade a wash. Assuming the Pirates OF prospects all pan out, that still makes him the best option for a fourth OF in the near future.

MOAR!

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As I was watching the NBA draft lottery Thursday night, I decided to take down some of my thoughts Bill Simmons style from ESPN. Here is what I came up with...

7:39pm - We’re reminded by ESPN that Mike Dunleavy is the only combo coach/GM in the NBA. We understand why no one else has tried it. Clippers take Blake Griffin. I’ve got 5 to 1 odds, he and Eric Gordon get taken out final destination style after their first all-star game.

7:41pm - Jay Bilas says, “Blake Griffin just keeps playing, and playing, and playing.” Who is he Forrest Gump?

7:42pm - Nice purple shirt Blake. He’s not worried about the past of the Clippers…Right…

7:47pm - The Grizzlies take Hasheem Thabeet. We’re informed he is the first NBA player from Tanzania. The Toronto Raptors immediately send a scout there to further monopolize their grip on international players.

7:50pm - Thabeet informs us that the biggest difference between soccer and basketball is playing with your hands and stuff. Thanks Hasheem.

7:52pm - The Thunder take James Harden out of Arizona State. Everyone and their mom starts calling the Kings to try and get Ricky Rubio.

7:57pm - The Kings select Tyreke Evans. Minny creams their shorts and screams like school girls. They were considering trading up to the number 2 pick for Rubio, now they get him at 5. Ok, pick for Sacto, but I’d have at least taken Rubio and held him hostage.

8:03pm - The T-Wolves select Rubio here. Great value for the Wolves. Oh come on you can’t send in the 6th pick too? Bastards.

8:11pm - The T-Wolves take my man Jonny Flynn at number 6 which makes me say what the hell? There has to be a trade coming. Flynn+something for Tyreke Evans? Sacto took Evans to hold him hostage? Hmmm…

8:16pm - The Warriors take Curry at 7. Really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I know Nellie loves shooters, maybe the Warriors are trying to keep him from New York and get some added value?

8:21pm - The Knicks select Jordan Hill at 8. I’d expect to see all sorts of trades going down here soon.

8:27pm - The Raptors take DeRozan at 9. Great pick up for the Raptors.

8:29pm - Pacers Digest just died. Crap.

8:33pm - The Bucks select Brandon Jennings at 10th. Wow, a lot higher then he was expected to go. I’m officially kind of excited that the Pacers might get Jrue Holiday.

8:38pm - And New Jersey/Brooklyn takes Terrence Williams. Pretty good fit now that they shipped out Vince Carter, they need some help on the wings. However, Williams is a horrible shooter to say the least.

8:45pm - The Bobkitties take hometown guy Gerald Henderson. Ok, Bird better take Holiday here. He is BPA and even if we don’t keep him he can bring added value.

8:50pm - My hometown Indiana Pacers select, Tyler Hansbrough. Vomit. Seriously, vomit everywhere. I can’t even control this. Horrible, horrible pick. I’m depressed. I don’t care if he makes ten all-star teams I look like an idiot. I hate this pick.

8:55pm - Final pick of the lotto and of my live coverage tonight, the Suns select Earl Clark. Kind of a surprise, but he is very athletic and could thrive in the up tempo system. Oh Brandon Jennings just showed up, good job there big fella.

MOAR!

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I spent the few minutes I was awake this morning looking at my favorite sites to see what was going on and I came across two fantastic articles I wanted to share.

The first one is from Indy Cornrows, a Pacers blog. I know, if you're like us, you've been coping with the Pacers selection of Tyler Hansbrough. The article is entitled "The Five Stages Of Accepting Tyler Hansbrough." I love the accuracy of this post, as I have already gone through these five stages and have made peace with the Pacers selection.

The second article is from the Tampa Bay Rays blog Rays Index. Although this isn't a Rays Index original piece, without the link via their blog, I wouldn't have seen it otherwise. The article is from Tampa Bay Online, or as most people call it, TBO. It addresses St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker's reaction to the Rays considering new stadium sites in Tampa instead of St. Petersburg.

Here's some quick back story on St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Most people outside the region don't even know St. Petersburg exists. They think Tampa Bay IS the city name. I'm sure at least one person reading this did not realize that. Tampa Bay is a region and the area is composed of St. Petersburg and Tampa along with other smaller cities/towns.

Now, I can only speak of my time spent in Tampa Bay on and off since 2001, but here's how this relationship works:

Tampa gets all the recognition due to the fact their city name is in the regional name. St. Pete suffers from a bit of an inferiority complex. Here's a fictional conversation between the two cities that will help explain:

St. Pete: Don't take our team, you've taken everything else.
Tampa: We're not? Anyway we're a region, regardless of where the team is, it's good.
St. Pete: Bullshit, you just take everything! The region name, every sports franchise.
Tampa: We're a region, people visit both of us. Unity baby, unity!
St. Pete: Screw You.
Tampa: Go Bucs?
St. Pete: Finally, something we can agree on.

That's at least how I've interpreted the relationship. Enjoy the articles.

MOAR!

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Last night Thomas and I decided to attend the second annual Pacers Draft Party at Conseco Fieldhouse. Before I get to anything else, I have to hand it to the Pacers, they did a really great job with the party. It isn't perfect, but pretty good for the second year attempting this. Parking, entrance, entertainment, basically everything was free except for food. They always go out of their way to make their fans happy and it was a fun evening for us.

Below are thoughts and opinions on what happened last night.

-I was rather happy to see Rubio fall to a non-major market team. It's one thing for an American player to say that and to bad mouth a city. Although if they're willing to pay you a ton of money to do something you love, I still think it's stupid, but acceptable. Meanwhile, when it comes to a foreign player, I never find it acceptable for them to trash a city. If I was offered millions of euros to play in Spain I would not complain that my team was a smaller market franchise. It's not my country, I know nothing about these people, it's not fair to cut them down.

Guess what Ricky? You're going to the Twin Cities! Freeze to death in Minnesota and earn your spot in the limelight or stay in Spain. That's how we do it here in America, meritocracy, motherfucker.

Also I'd like to add that Rubio doesn't have a complete grasp on our language yet, but still he knows one more language than most of us do, so I have to give him credit for that. Yet, this exchange after being drafted just made Thomas and I laugh.
Q: What was it like for you when your countryman Pau Gasol was drafted?
A: Well I was 11 and I didn't know what draft was, now I know what draft is.

Gold.

Finally, don't worry Ricky, you're starting to figure out how to act American. If you complain enough and in public forums, you'll eventually get what you want (a trade).

-While mentioning Ricky "Major Market or Bust" Rubio, his current team, the Minnesota Timberwolves performed a hording of one position I had not seen since the Matt Millen days of attempting to build a team of just Wide Receivers. They drafted four guards in the first round. At points Thomas and I began wondering how this process was working out in the Minnesota war room, was this part of an all-guard starting lineup master plan or were they just throwing darts at a list of names?

Eventually they did trade the draft rights to Ty Lawson, but still, imagine the possibilities!

-Finally the moment we were waiting for arrived. The Pacers draft pick. As a die hard Pacers fan and a prospective season ticket holder, I was really hoping for the proposed trade down with the Bulls to take over their two first round picks. While rumors are circulating that this was the original plan, and when Henderson was taken by Charlotte the deal fell through. Although the Pacers first pick would have been the same, I wish we could have obtained that second first round pick.

The reaction to the pick was mixed at best. There was some clapping when Hansbrough's name was called, but it seemed that those opposed were more vocal. "We're finished," exclaimed one man near me and almost immediately people started leaving in droves. This may be due to the fact there wasn't much to stick around for after we picked, but I believe some of this was due in part to the selection.

Pacers coach, Jim O'Brien came up on to the stage and was interviewed about the team's pick. Apparently Tyler Hansbrough was their top choice as O'Brien said, "He was the guy everybody in the [draft] room wanted."

Over the course of time since the draft, there have been a lot of varying opinions about Hansbrough. As time passes most here in Indiana are either happy about the pick or have made peace with it, as we now realize after a welcome press conference and jerseys now available to purchase in the team store that Tyler is here to stay.

I kept thinking that a trade would still occur after we made our selection, but as the events of today are unfolding it is becoming less and less likely that anything will happen.

I'm still waiting though, for a trade, for free agency, for next season.

MOAR!

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With the baseball season approaching the All-Star break and the halfway point, I'd like to take a look at some of the statistics that have defined this season for my favorite team.

Despite the fact that the Pirates are slated to be a losing club, there are things to be optimistic about. Not winning this year, of course, but still some encouraging signs that progress is finally happening in Pittsburgh. In the following, I'll highlight six statistics that have defined the 2009 season for the Pittsburgh Pirates so far.

1. 43. That's the number of home runs hit by the Pirates as a team. Total. That's a pathetic number for an entire team. 43 is a number close to what you would expect Adam Dunn to produce at year's end by himself. This, more than anything, indicates the total lack of power on the Pirates baseball team.

2. 10. The total number of triples hit by Andrew McCutchen and Nyjer Morgan. They've each hit five this season, tied for the league lead. McCutchen is even more impressive as he's collected all of his triples in just 87 plate appearances since being called up. He's a special talent, and most scouts agree that he has the best speed from first to third in all of professional baseball.

In this lineup, speed kills, and if Nyjer Morgan is hitting (because McCutchen almost always is), it's a deadly top of the lineup. On a good day, the Pirates can score eight runs without any coming from a homer.

3. 24.2%. The percentage of balls hit by Andy LaRoche that are line drives. Pirates post-game host Rocco DeMaro has dubbed him Andy LaRoche, line drive machine, and the numbers certainly bear that out.

After crapping the bed in his 183 plate appearances with the Pirates last year and going 0-for-16 to start the season, Luigi, as he is affectionately known (as opposed to his older brother across the diamond—Adam—known as Mario), has blossomed into one of the best, most consistent hitters in the Pirates lineup. His defense is not too shabby either.

So far, Andy LaRoche has flashed almost everything that made him a top prospect in the minors. Excellent plate discipline (20 BB to 36 K), good contact, and a neutral if not plus glove at third base. He still hasn't shown the 20-25 home run power that most scouts expect from him, but at 25 years old, he has time. The line drives and doubles power are encouraging signs that usually blossom into home run power as players mature.

4. .325/.356/.518. The batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage of Andrew McCutchen since being called up to the Major Leagues.

At only 22 years old, the Pirates control McCutchen's contract for the next six years, and he looks to be a huge cornerstone to their future success if they're to have it.

According to most projection systems, McCutchen was supposed to have a mediocre year (which would still be good for a 22 year old) before blossoming into the super-prospect he was hyped as.

There's still plenty of time for McCutchen to regress and bear those projections out, but so far he has looked VERY comfortable at the Major League level, flashing all five tools and showing no signs of slowing down. Already, he looks like one of the best leadoff men in all of baseball. If he keeps up his current pace, he's a shoo-in for NL Rookie of the Year.

5. 4.39. The collective ERA of the Pirates pitching staff. The Pittsburgh starters have looked very good this year, and they can credit the majority of that improvement to vastly improved team defense behind them.

According to most defensive metrics, the Pirates have the best defensive outfield in the Major Leagues. In addition, the infield has been improved over last year's version due to Andy LaRoche replacing the flashy-yet-ineffective Jose Bautista at third base. Couple this with the always steady gloves of Jack Wilson and Adam LaRoche, and the Pirates have a plus defensive infield as well.

All this has done wonders for the Pirates pitching staff. Every rotation member except for Ian Snell—who it may be time to give up on ever being good again—has been a pleasant surprise. Zach Duke, especially, has proven that if you give him a good defense playing behind him, his 2005 rookie numbers were not a mirage.

The bullpen was expected to be one of the worst in the Majors this year, but injuries have actually helped to BOLSTER the 'pen.

At the start of the season, the Pirates had several bullpen pitchers that were either out of options or were Rule 5 picks and therefore had to play in the Majors for a full year in order for the team to retain the rights to their contract. There were better options in AAA, but no space in the 'pen to accomodate them.

Injuries are rarely fortunate for a team, but they have allowed the Pirates to clear space for several of the aforementioned AAA players by moving injured bullpen arms to the DL. In addition, the Bucs have seen a few pleasant surprises from their 'pen, namely solid performances by Jesse Chavez and Steven Jackson.

Finally, the Nate McLouth trade allowed the team to bolster the 'pen even more. One of the players received in that deal, Charlie Morton, has been inserted into Pittsburgh's starting rotation. This allowed the Bucs to move former #5 starter Jeff Karstens to the long relief role, where he'll probably remain for the rest of his career.

6. 17. With a losing season this year, that's how many consecutive losing seasons the Pirates will have had. That's enough to break the previous record—held by the Philadelphia Phillies—for the most consecutive losing seasons in any professional sport.

With the club below .500 so far and likely out of contention by the trading deadline, it looks as though the Pirates will be spending this year selling veteran talent to other teams in exchange for prospects. Players like Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, John Grabow and Jack Wilson are unlikely to return for next year.

In all likelihood, the Major League team will be horrifyingly bad after the trade deadline, and 17 is almost assured.

Yet despite this, the Pirates have legitimate hope of being a competitive team in the next few years. The silver lining on this wholly depressing cloud is that the club for once has a legitimate core of young players to build around. Not that Pirates fans haven't heard that before.

The previous two front office regimes both promoted several cores of exciting young players, but for the most part, those cores were mirages—players aged 28-30 who were mediocre even in their peak seasons. For several years, Jason Bay was the only legitimate building block on any Pirates team.

This time, I can personally promise there is a core of actual young players that are performing very well—and haven't even peaked yet.

The aforementioned Andrew McCutchen is in his rookie season this year, meaning that the Pirates control his contract for six years. Andy LaRoche, line drive machine, is under club control for four years after this one.

25 year old right fielder Brandon Moss is under club control for five more years, and while he has been mostly a disappointment with the bat so far, he's played stellar outfield defense and his bat has been heating up lately.

25 year old starting pitcher Charlie Morton is under control for five years after this season, and while his Major League sample with the Bucs so far is too small to get exited about (yet still good), his AAA numbers from the first half of this season are certainly enough to believe that he could be a front-end starter.

And that's not all. There is help on the way coming from the minors.

24 year old pitcher Brad Lincoln, 20 year old OF Jose Tabata and 22 year old 3B(/1B?) Pedro Alvarez all figure to be in the Majors sooner rather than later, though Alvarez will have to work on striking out less before he gets that far.

This team is likely to set a record for the most losing seasons in sporting history, and they're likely to have one or two more losing seasons after this one. Due to the barren farm system the previous regime left behind, most of the organiation's top talent is in the low levels of the minors and several years away from playing at the MLB level.

However, if the team continues building their minor league system the way they have been and don't give up in favor of signing and trading for aged, useless players like previous regimes have, they stand a good chance of becoming one of the most feared teams in baseball.

I'll take that trade. I'll suffer through more losing if it leads to competing for World Series titles instead of competing for a .500 record. It's easy for me to understand why so many Pirates fans are upset when they see players like Nate McLouth traded, because we've seen it happen before for lesser returns. I just hope that I'm right and that these frustrated fans can stick with the Bucs long enough to see a winner.

MOAR!

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Why I Love Baseball is a nine week series that will be posted on Tuesdays. This week the focus is on Ballparks.

When I was younger and my mother was just completing her education I would spend my days at the house of a woman that my mom had met through her classes. She had a kid my age and we would often play with the neighborhood kids. We played a variety of games, from sports like street hockey to games like "kick the can," which I distinctly remember was the first time I had ever heard of the game outside of a documentary I had watched about the depression. (I was a lame kid, I usually spent my days watching the History Channel, Nickelodeon and ESPN).

I digress.

One of the things I remember about my days spent at this house were the baseball games we played in the front yard. It was a quirky place to play. There was a giant tree in the middle of the yard where fly balls went to die, but it didn't always result in an out. If you were lucky the ball would bounce off branches in an unpredictable manner and you'd reach base safely.

We did come up with ground rules for the tree though—if the ball was caught before hitting the ground, regardless of how it hit the tree, you were out. If the ball got stuck in the tree it was a ground rule double. Finally if the ball somehow got a lucky bounce and cleared the short little picket fence surrounding the yard, it was a home run.

A large portion of my childhood was filled with playing baseball in various places and adapting a field to the odd things that would occur during the course of a game. It's said that one of the reasons people love baseball is because it's grown men playing a children's game.

As boys age and turn into ballplayers the fields change from backyards to gigantic cathedrals dedicated to this great game. Although those changes occur, the players are still little boys at heart and once you think about it, those monoliths start resembling your backyard.

It's funny to think that fate would have it that I ended up being a Rays fan. The tree I described earlier. When you think about it, that starts to sound really similar to Tropicana Field and its catwalks.

The quirks, intentional or not, are a throwback to days of our youth when we would play the game anywhere we could. Just like if you play enough games in your backyard, if you watch your favorite team play enough games at home you start to know how every odd angle in the wall and how every ball hit will play as it meets the grass/turf/wall/corner.

It begins to feel like a second home, you grow sentimental about how the game is inside of the park. You'll be hard pressed to find a Red Sox fan that doesn't love the Green Monster, a Padres fan that doesn't love the Western Metal Supply Company Building or even a Twins fan that doesn't love the home field advantage the Metrodome's white roof brings.

Quirks aren't the only thing I love about ballparks. The atmosphere of a stadium is something that can't be duplicated anywhere else. The game going on in front of you, the hecklers laying into a player, the vendors shouting, the crowd chattering, there are so many great things about being at a game. I know a lot of people that love going to games although they aren't baseball fans. That's the power of a ballpark atmosphere—it draws people in.

While the ballpark atmosphere exists at every baseball field, each has its own personality with its own unique features. In the former Shea Stadium and now Citi Field there is the famous home run apple. In Denver the ball never wants to stay in the park due to the thin air, so they installed a humidor to drive down home run numbers. At Wrigley, ivy covers the walls. Minute Maid Park in Houston has a hill and a flag pole in center field.

Yet these odd installations aren't just found in Major League stadiums, some Minor League ones exhibit great personality such as the hit bull, win steak in Durham.

While modern parks have great parts to their design, some of my favorite elements ever incorporated into a ballpark are in stadiums long gone. I've always loved how the upper deck overhung the lower deck in ballparks like Tiger Stadium and the Polo Grounds. In general, I just really love the Polo Grounds due to its odd dimensions including 483ft to deep center field.

While quirks like those were commonplace, they've been replaced by modern day ballpark oddities like the walls at Citi Field, which are quickly gaining a reputation for being some of the most difficult to judge where the ball is going to next. One isn't better than the other, it's just different. A progression in ballpark design.

I could go on forever about why ballparks are great, but that would require me to write several novels. If you're interested in finding out more about individual ballparks, I highly suggest going to one of the various websites dedicated to ballpark reviews.

MOAR!

LESS!

In the United States, we're big fans of age limits. We love to slap an age on something and say this is when you're capable of doing this. From voting to smoking to consuming alcohol to something as simple as seeing an R rated movie, age requirements are attached to them all.

However, there is one age limit I'd like to address and that is the one maintained by the NBA and the NFL. Particularly of interest to me is the NBA's age limit as it is still rather new, and still rather dumb. With the draft just around the corner, and news sources everywhere seemingly lamenting the dearth of the talent in this draft, it led me to ask a question.

Why not let them play?

They're 18 sure, but is 19 really that much of a difference? I know that I didn't change that significantly from freshman to sophomore year of college.

Most of these guys coming out of high school that will enter the draft have the physical tools to succeed. The NBA is essentially saying they don't have the mental tools, and instead of grooming them within the league they are passing the buck to colleges across America.

At the same time, they are cheapening the term "student athlete". You think Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose were that concerned with going to class last year? Hell, Rose apparently couldn't even be bothered to take his own SATs. I doubt he was waking up at 10am to make it to his underwater basket weaving class.

Give these college scholarships to guys that deserve them. Give them to guys that have busted their butts and actually WANT to play for the colleges that are pursuing them. Let the guys that want to go get paid do so.

After all, this is America. Land of opportunity and milk and honey and all that jazz. These guys don't want to be in college, they don't relish the opportunity to win a championship for their school. If they did, they would be going to play there regardless of the NBA's age limit.

Instead, they consume scholarships for a year that eventually could have gone to a productive four year player at a school. A guy that actually wanted to be there. Don't get me wrong, these guys are fun as hell to watch in college while it lasts and they're happy. (I'm looking at YOU Eric Gordon.) However, they simply don't want to be there.

No matter what they say, all of these prospective lottery picks are just ticking off the days til they can sign with an agent and get paid. I don't blame them, I would want to maximize my skills as well. It's not their fault the system (Read as: David Stern) stupidly pigeon holes them into a place they never wanted to be.

So why does Stern do this? Is it that high schoolers never achieve their true potential in the NBA? I'd have to say a big freakin' NO to that one. Consider this in the past two years alone the regular season MVP was won by two high schoolers turned pro (Kobe Bryant and Lebron James). Kobe went on to win the Finals MVP this year.

The cornerstone of the Orlando Magic franchise who played the Lakers in the Finals is another high schooler, Dwight Howard. The three biggest faces in the NBA—Kobe, Lebron, and Dwight all entered the league as baby faced 18 year olds. The list however goes on. Kevin Garnett was 18 and scrawny when he first entered the league. Former all-stars like Jermaine O'Neal and Tracy McGrady also come to mind.

Now I am aware that for every one of these stars there are 5 high schoolers that are working at McDonald's by the end of their first contract, but is the rate of success from college players that much higher?

I don't have the stats to back myself up here, but the math alone seems to suggest that it would be nearly impossible for the success rate of college players to be that much better than the success rate of high school players. Particularly if we compare players that are one and done to players that are coming straight out of high school.

I believe this rule should be lifted by the NBA, and if a team falls in love with someone's potential and loses big, then so be it. That is their own responsibility. These guys shouldn't be forced to put on a charade of actually caring about their college for a year, and we as fans shouldn't be forced to sit through it. Some of the teams in the NBA have scouts that will fall in love with any high schooler that is 6'10" and has a jump shot. Hold those that fail accountable, but don't punish the guys that could succeed.

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The United States is not a soccer powerhouse. We all know this. But after years of improvements to our program, expectations for the team have risen. Nobody expects a World Cup, but the US team's performance in the last tournament was shameful. It got a coach fired, and may have set back fan interest in soccer in this country several years.

The team had played relatively well lately in World Cup qualifying, though that was against relatively weak competition (the US is actually the best team in CONCACAF, which is the governing body for soccer in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean). So going into the Confederations Cup there were moderate expectations - high hopes, but tempered by reality.

The reality part struck hard and fast in the first two games of the group stage, with the US team losing to Italy and Brazil by a combined score of 6-1, and looking bad doing it. The Americans went into its game against Egypt with the odds stacked against them: they needed to win by at least three goals, and have Brazil beat Italy by at least three. It was an improbable scenario.

Until it actually happened.

The US team beat down Egypt, who was coming off a 1-0 upset of reigning World Cup champs Italy, by a 3-0 score, and the Brazilians obliged by beating down the Italians by an identical score. The third goal for Brazil, the one that officially eliminated the Italian team, was ironically an own goal by one of the Italian defenders on a crossing pass.

In the grand scheme of things, this may not be that big of a deal. The Confederations Cup isn't the World Cup. The stakes were simply making the semifinals and avoiding the embarrassment that would have come with another early elimination. The Americans now face the reigning European champions, Spain - who will probably eliminate the American team quite easily.

But for those of us who follow soccer, this was a pretty big win.

Losing in the group stage of this tournament wouldn't be that bad under certain circumstances. Our group was strong, with perennially powerful Brazil and Italy, as well as the highly underrated Egyptian team. But to lose without even challenging any of the big boys would have been another highly demoralizing showing for US soccer.

To grow the sport in this country, our national team must at least be able to play with the European and South American teams. Advancing to the semis will give them another shot at doing that. They played well against a good team, and that's big for them.

It was nice just to see some fight from the US soccer players. Lately, they've had stage fright. Most underdogs in soccer are able to put up decent fights, but the Americans routinely underperformed against good teams, and did so again in their games against Italy and Brazil. In the same situation in the 2006 World Cup, they lost to Ghana and were never really in the game.

They very well could have seen the odds against them and given up, like they tend to do. But this time they showed up. They fought for their lives, and though they needed help, they did their part. And they got that help, and now their tournament lives have been saved.

If they show the same spirit against Spain that they did against Italy and Brazil, they will be crushed, and this will have been just a little gasp in an otherwise disappointing team's history. But if they show up like they did against Egypt, they will stand a chance. Win or lose, they'll have a shot, and they'll either advance or fall with honor.

And considering the state of soccer in this country, compared to the rest of the world, soccer fans will likely be happy with simply showing up.

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Alright, every so often we'll get an email that will peak our interest and we'll consider worthy of discussing in a post. Today as I was combing through the blog's email I came across one I almost deleted thinking it was spam. The subject was "Keith Hernandez film."

Well, luckily for me, I decided I needed to check this one out. Enclosed was this message:

hey guys,
please check this out
short film about baseball, cocaine, and pornography

"I'm Keith Hernandez"

Baseball? Cocaine? Porn? I'm there like it's 1983!

I decided this couldn't be passed up and decided to risk my computer's health on the link listed below the message.

Basically "I'm Keith Hernandez" is a short, satirical film which in my favorite part insinuates that the reason the Cardinals won the 1982 World Series is completely attributed to Cocaine. It made me laugh out loud almost constantly, and if you're in the middle of a rain delay or find yourself with 20 minutes to kill, please watch it. Although we should warn there are a few NSFW scenes, so workplace viewing may not be the best choice. If you love satire you will like it and if you like baseball and satire then you will love it.

Here is a link to the film, we give it 4 out of 5 Yeahhhh Boyeeeees.

It's a fantastic short film and I'm glad that it was sent in to us. It just shows you that sending in emails does pay off. Hopefully we'll start seeing more quality emails from our readership. We enjoy getting your comments, tips and insults. Hopefully through reader feedback we can become a better blog.

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You might have seen this quote from Tyler Hansbrough last week, about how basically nobody who follows sports thinks he can be a great NBA player:

These are probably a bunch of guys who just sit in their basements and probably just write out mock drafts and do this or do that. I could really care less what they’re going to think but I’m just going to go out and do what I do and see what happens.

Or this one from Raul Ibanez, on a blog post that implied (and evidently not to his knowledge, tried to refute) that his power surge this year could be coming from PEDs:

You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool - anything you can test. There should be more credibility than some 42-year-old blogger typing in his mother's basement. It demeans everything you've done with one stroke of the pen.

Besides revealing Hansbrough's apparent inferiority complex and Ibanez's apparent total lack of knowledge about how the Internet works (we tend not to use pens much, Raul), this shows another disturbing trend, at least to me.

Everyone hates bloggers.

Honestly that's a mostly unfounded hatred, though there's a point to be made about accountability.

The most important thing is that contrary to popular belief, bloggers don't all live in their mothers' basements. Take me, for example. My mother doesn't have a basement, so I'm in my mother's living room. So take that, Raul!

But in all seriousness, these people (and by that, I mean everyone involved in any aspect of life that can be blogged about) seem not to understand that, just like anything else, there are different levels of blogging.

There are blogs that are just really bad; the writers don't know what they're talking about, they have no credibility, and they just make stuff up to try to get readers. Back in my Deadspin-reading days (before the site started sucking) I remember seeing a blog that, if memory serves, was a Phillies fan site that may have been translated from Swahili. It was the worst thing I'd ever read. Alas, I cannot find it now; if anyone knows what I'm talking about, post it in the comments for all to see and mock.

There are blogs that are kind of in the middle: that is, the writers mean well, and act as professionally as possible, and write well. They actually know what they're talking about, and give a unique view on their chosen subject matters.

However, there's a catch—they don't have name recognition, nor do they have the shield from scrutiny of an ESPN or Huffington Post banner atop their pages.

I'd say that we fall into that category, as I arrogantly believe that all four of us know what we're talking about, and that we meet journalistic standards as well as possible (considering I'm the only member of this blog with any real training in journalism). Judging by the fact that Rick Reilly hasn't tried to kill me yet, I'll assume that we're doing a good job.

Finally, there's the top-level blog. Andrew Sullivan, Bill Simmons, Nate Silver, and the rest of their ilk go here. They're the gray area between blogging and "real journalism." Technically, they write in the blog style, but they tend to have that aforementioned shield.

Simmons writes for ESPN, so he doesn't have to worry as much about complaints about working in his mom's basement. Nate Silver knows everything about everything, so people dare not cross him. But because of that, they don't have the freedom that a person like me has. Which is maybe the root of the problem.

People like me (and Peter and Nate and Joe) who are in that second group tend to take the freedom of the blog as a great power that brings great responsibility. We can do a lot, but if we're not careful, we can end up getting put in the same position as Jerod Morris, who wrote the post that offended Ibanez so much. If you're a blogger and you end up on "Outside the Lines," that's not a good thing.

This isn't just an issue with athletes, though— the "legitimate journalists" of the world hate us. People like the bane of my existence, Rick Reilly. People like Buzz Bissinger. This is not surprising, because blogging represents a big reason why newspapers and traditional media are dying.

We can respond faster, because we're always working, all day, every day. We're more mobile and versatile, as the Iranian election shows. Traditional journalists can't get the news there, so they get it from Twitter. And besides that, it's a well known fact that change comes painfully, and often rather than embracing change, people try to stop it, even though that's impossible.

Take the record labels, for example: the Internet represented a likely shift in their production model, but they ignored it and let Napster set the precedent for them. Now they're dying, because people aren't willing to buy music anymore.

Instead of crying about it, deal with it. No matter how badly people like Rick Reilly and Tyler Hansbrough and Raul Ibanez want to marginalize blogs, we're here and we cannot be killed. We're not all in basements. We don't all deserve as wide latitude as some others, but simply having a blog does not make someone completely devoid of purpose.

Of course, if you're cool enough to be reading this, you probably know that already.

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As promised, the members of this blog will be taking some road trips this season and covering the games we attend. The first of these road trips will be on June 30 to Pittsburgh, PA to visit the Pirates' PNC Park as they take on the Cubs. The Bucs will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of Forbes Field and are offering general admission bleacher seats for a mere $4.

Peter, Thomas and I will be in the City of Champions on Tuesday, June 30 and will bring you the recap a day or so after the game.

If any of our readers are in Pittsburgh and will be in the bleacher seats that game, feel free to say hi to us. Look for the guy in the Pirates hat (alternately: the guy with a mohawk) sitting next to the college student that looks like a small child and will probably be wearing a Rays hat and the tall gentleman with one and a half arms who will probably be wearing a Mets hat. A motley crew indeed, but a friendly one. Also, listen for the loudest hecklers. That'll probably be us.

Also, if any of you hypothetical readers who reside in Pittsburgh have any suggestions for things we should do in the city before the game starts, feel free to make suggestions to us in the comments section. Keep in mind, however, that this will be a whirlwind one-day stop. We'll be driving there and back from Muncie, IN the same day, so we probably won't have any time to venture too far from PNC Park.

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Our experiences at sporting events with Piradicals is well documented. On Sunday I attended another Indianapolis Indians game with one of my favorite groups of people.

My friend Sam brought his camera and my buddy Gerardo took a bunch of pictures. So instead of doing a regular post, I'm going to try something different. If you would like a summary of the game itself, here's the box score. Meanwhile, here's the first ever Sixty Feet, Six Inches photoblog:

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Why I Love Baseball is a nine week series that will be posted on Tuesdays. The focus this week is on Baseball Statistics

I'm horrible with numbers. In fact, I can't do basic math without at least having a few minutes to figure out the answer. Yet, there's something different about baseball statistics that allows my brain to completely utilize its potential and come to a quick answer.

I still don't understand how I can explain the formula for VORP, but I can't tell you how to calculate the area of a circle. Perhaps the reason is due to the fact baseball is something that interests me, while trying to figure out how many apples Farmer John has does not captivate me.

Regardless for the reason that my inconsistent math skills exist, baseball statistics hold my interest. They are a part of the game's fabric.

Statistics describe baseball; they are the language of the game. Stats let us know who is a great hitter (.300) and who is below average (.200). They are indicators of our success, our failures and at times can tell us what to expect.

Statistics add to the dramatic story that is a baseball game.

If each game were a movie, then the player's stats would be the character development. When the bases are loaded in the bottom of the ninth people want the hero who is batting .315 with 30 home runs to step up and save the team, yet without stats, most of us would not know who that person is.

While we all love seeing the improbable happen with a walk off blast from a career .168 hitter, we would not fully understand the rarity of that underdog moment without stats.

Another fantastic thing about baseball stats is that there is basically a rule 34 for obscure statistics. If you can think of it, there's probably a statistic for it. Say you want to know the most home runs hit in a season by a left handed Shortstop in the modern era of baseball (Dick McAuliffe, 24 HRs in 1964). It's only a matter of looking for it, because the statistic exists.

Another great thing about stats is the fact they can help settle arguments...well, somewhat.

As we all know, some people will continue to argue the contrary in the face of hard evidence. Yet if you need to settle a dispute over who is a better hitter between two players, then all it takes is a simple review of career stats. A look at the batting averages, OPS and various other stats should help resolve the issue.

I believe right now with the rise of Sabermetrics and sites like FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus we're in a golden age of baseball statistics. I mean, the current influence of these once neglected stats is undeniable and it seems that a new type of stat is created daily. Even this blog created a stat.

I love baseball statistics because they're unbiased pieces of history. Sure, some may be flawed (see wins for pitchers), but they don't lie. And while I do love listening to different people's stories about baseball, I always know that it's slightly skewed by perception (even this series is).

Meanwhile, if I want to know who the greatest player in the history of the game is (Babe Ruth), all I have to do is look at the numbers.

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Four championship rings in less than ten years. One finals MVP. One league MVP. Multiple scoring titles. Like him or not, Kobe Bryant is now one of the most accomplished players in the history of the NBA.

With a victory in Orlando on Sunday night, Kobe etched his name into the pantheon of great NBA guards and possibly moved himself into the no. 2 spot on the list of all-time shooting guards.

Kobe's last championship in 2002-2003 seems like it might as well have been a lifetime ago. Since then, he has seen his life change in numerous ways.

Some of the ways his life has changed over the years include: A rape trial in Colorado, trade demands, etc. Kobe has been controversial, and so is what I am about to say.

Pound for pound, Kobe Bryant is just as talented as Michael Jordan was.

Yes, he has two fewer championships. I am aware of this, and believe me I am far from a Kobe Bryant fan. I would have loved to have seen the Magic take down the Lakers. Kobe has not had the same befits that Jordan has (explain this), and to be quite frank, the place where Kobe leaves you wanting more in comparison to his Airness is the leadership displayed.

Now, Jordan did have some advantages that Kobe does not have. First off, Jordan had Pippen, and while Kobe had Shaq (Shaq had Kobe?), Pippen was the prototype sidekick. Humble and willing to do whatever it takes for his team to win, while also absurdly talented, Pippen might have been the second best swingman of the 90's behind only Jordan.

This comes from a Pacers fan.

You can't say those things about Shaq. Humble? Yeah right, he was (and still is) anything but. Willing to do whatever it takes to win? Sure, as long as he is the center of attention. Even with his championship in Miami, Shaq was the center of attention. The media revolved around him, even as Wade carried all 300+ pounds of him to his fourth NBA title.

Now, surely some will cry, "Kobe wasn't humble either!", and they would be quite right in that assertion. However, we are kidding ourselves to try and say that Jordan was humble. Tongue wagging and with supreme confidence in himself, Jordan created Kobe and all the other players that tried to be like him.

In Jordan we are talking about a guy that quit after his third championship because he believed he could be a star playing baseball.

That's what made the Jordan-Pippen relationship so special. Pip was the ultimate sidekick, and never complained that he was in Jordan's shadow. Would Shaq have behaved the same way if he had been in Pippen's situation? Maybe if he had been put on the Bulls once Jordan's rep was already established, but if he had helped Jordan build his rep much like Pippen did? I doubt it.

Is Kobe Bryant equal to Michael Jordan? Maybe not. Talent wise he is pound for pound MJ's equal. He does seem to lack the killer instinct that made Jordan special.

Make no mistake Kobe can close a game, but it seems more often than not he heats up at the right time rather than an actual killer instinct. Kobe also seems to lack the ability to make his role players immediately fall in line, something Jordan was always capable of.

So, yes, maybe Kobe isn't Jordan, but he's pretty damn close, and we should enjoy it while we can. Not to mention there's that Lebron guy out in Cleveland. It's a good time to be an NBA fan.

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Just some quick thoughts from an ecstatic Penguins fan to wrap up our coverage of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

• I feel like Maxime Talbot deserved the Conn Smythe trophy. He didn't have the dazzling numbers that Crosby and Malkin did in the playoffs, but game seven wasn't the only game where he came up big to win it for Pittsburgh. He's been doing that all through the playoffs. Congratulations to Evgeni Malkin, who won the Conn Smythe and will probably also win the Hart.

• Lots of parallels between this final and last year's final. The winning team celebrated on hostile ice, the final save was made in a spectacular, dramatic fashion and Marian Hossa lost both times.

• Speaking of Marian Hossa, I wonder how good he feels about taking that one-year deal with Detroit over the 5-7 year, $7-$7.5 million contract he could have gotten from Pittsburgh "so he could win a Cup."

• There was a good bit of ballyhooing this season when the Penguins canned head coach Therien and replaced him with Dan Bylsma. That is, everywhere except in Pittsburgh. Pens fans knew that was a good move from the start, and now we have the Cup to prove it.

• My skepticism when it comes to trading for Bill Guerin was unfounded. He was a major part of the Penguins success down the stretch.

• The Penguins have come a long way from having Mario Lemieux lace up the skates in a comeback to save the franchise.

• Ray Shero may be one of the best GMs in hockey. The club he inherited was absolutely horrible, by most measures one of the worst in the league. They were having to resort to ticket bargains that would put the Yankees to shame just to get attendance at an adequate level. In only three years since he took the job, the Penguins are now Stanley Cup Champions.

• Initially I thought that the Red Wings fans in attendance were a bit classless for their nonstop booing during the presentation of the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophies, but a look at the marquee on NHL.com shows several Red Wings fans smiling, taking pictures and banging on the glass when Crosby hoisted the Cup. It's a shame when an entire fan base gets a bad rap because of a vocal few.

• Some notable hilarity from social networking sites:

1. Via Around The Horn on Twitter, retweeted from Rasalsul: "Marion (sic) Hossa just received a telegram from The Knights Templar. It simply says, 'You chose poorly.'"
2. My status on Facebook: "2009 Super Bowl Champions - Pittsburgh Steelers. 2009 Stanley Cup Champions - Pittsburgh Penguins. The City of Champions is reborn. Suck it, Boston." Yes, I really feel that way and no, I won't apologize for it.
   

All around, this was an absolutely thrilling ride to the Cup for the Penguins, who went from being out of it early in the season to fourth in their conference. Along the way, they beat two rivals in the Flyers and Capitals, swept the Hurricanes despite the wishes of Benedict Cowher, and hung tough with the fearsome Detroit Red Wings through seven games to eventually claim the franchise's third Stanley Cup.

I know it's a saying of the media hype machine, but after watching the Penguins play this year, I really feel like they may be the NHL's next dynasty. They have the talent and the passion, and they have a team that never surrenders.

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I am not a hockey fan. I don't hate the sport; on the contrary, I enjoy watching it when I do so. It's just that I don't have a team to root for, and I have no connection to the sport, so I never got into it.

I really like watching NHL hockey live, but not enough to drive to Chicago or Detroit or Columbus to do it. Add in the fact that it's next to impossible to actually watch hockey on TV in this country, and you see that my excuse for never watching hockey is pretty much bulletproof.

There is no valid excuse, though, for not watching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It is the most awesome event in all of sports (except for a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals that goes into overtime), and the Penguins and Red Wings lived up to the awesomeness on Friday night.

I don't know a ton about hockey, so if you want in-depth analysis, go to Peter's posts last night or wait for Nate's post that will probably be coming up pretty soon. But I'm going to do the best I can to impart the immense amount of awesomeness that occurred in Detroit last night.

First of all, Maxime Talbot deserves some huge props. Since I had never heard of him before last night, I can assume that he's not exactly the Penguins' go-to source for scoring. He's not Crosby or Malkin, or even Miroslav Satan (possibly my favorite name in all of sports) or Gonchar or Guerin or Staal. But he was half of the tag team that won Game 7 for Pittsburgh.

Talbot scored two goals, one of which was an awesome shot over Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood's glove hand that he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of stopping. To be able to come through like that in the biggest game of your life says a lot about a person, especially when you're only 25 years old.

Speaking of coming through, a few words on Marc-Andre Fleury. You probably don't know this, but I've been driving three hours a day from Westfield to Bloomington and back for summer classes five days a week. Because of that, I've been listening to a lot of sports talk radio, and (in an upset) the shows I listen to, especially Jim Rome, have been devoting a lot of time to hockey over the past week or so.

A lot of the talk has been about Fleury and Osgood, primarily how inconsistent Fleury has been. Especially in Detroit, where in Game 5 he gave up five goals and had to be pulled from the game. They also talked about how underrated Osgood has been throughout his career and how if the Wings won the series and Osgood won the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP), he could make a case for Hall of Fame induction.

In Game 7, it was Marc-Andre Fleury and not Osgood who was able to come through for his team. Osgood played fairly well and only gave up two goals, but Fleury was better. He got lucky a few times; he allowed fat rebounds right in front of the net, but no Red Wing was ever in position to capitalize.

Not to mention, he had possibly the best three seconds I've ever seen from a goalkeeper in the best possible situation—the last three seconds of the game. He saved two potentially game tying shots, including one on a spectacular dive that looked like he was taking a bullet meant for the president or some such thing. Fleury answered his legions of critics in a big way.

The Penguins also showed that hockey is a true team sport after losing their superstar player and the de facto face of the league (please don't tell Alex Ovechkin that I said that) to injury.

Sidney Crosby took a hit near the beginning of the second period, and suffered a knee injury that appeared to be the most painful thing that ever happened to any person ever (judging by Crosby's reaction). He played one shift in the third period, and that was it.

Even with a shortened bench, the Penguins didn't appear to miss a beat, with Talbot scoring their second goal shortly thereafter. Crosby is the captain, so he got to hold the Stanley Cup first - but in the clinching game, his team carried the load of his hype and high expectations for him while he was forced to ride the bench.

There's a lot more that I could cover, but I'll leave that to the people who actually know hockey. Suffice it to say that as a non-hockey fan, I'm extremely pleased with my decision to watch that game. I had no real stake in it aside from a general affinity to Pittsburgh, but I spent most of the third period either (literally) on the edge of my seat or standing up.

If Gary Betteman could figure out a way to bottle that and distribute it before every game, the NHL would surpass football in about a week. Hell, I'm considering actually making an effort to watch more hockey next season now.

It doesn't happen every series, but the next time there's a Game 7 in the hockey playoffs, watch it. You won't regret it. It's the best thing there is in sports.

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I know Nate will post something larger tomorrow as he is surely partying deep into the night tonight. Meanwhile you have me, Peter, giving you what I saw in the third and my closing thoughts on the finals.

-Nicolas Holmstrom is quite lucky was not called for goaltender interference around the 4:30 point of the period.

-Detroit kept playing desperate, messy hockey early on in the period and in the end that amounted to nothing more than tired bodies and failed attempts.

-The Wings really lost this period. They had so many chances, but just let them all pass by.

-Crosby's re-entry into the game was for nothing more than show/moral support. Yet, I'm sure Pittsburghers will talk about that until the day they die.

-The Wings really seemed to play better hockey in the game's dying moments as cooler heads prevailed and the veteran experience of the team shown through. Unfortunately for Detroit, it was just too little, too late.

-I hate the Red Wings, but that shot off the post in the final two minutes made me sick to my stomach.

-I will miss the playoff beards. I always do. It's actually a widely known fact that all hockey players are lumberjacks in the off season.

-I have been a hockey fan my entire life, Fleury's save on the final shot is the most clutch/amazing save I've ever seen in my life. I'm serious.

-Finally I'd like to thank the Detroit fans for doing something I cannot at the moment...boo Gary Bettman.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 2008-09 Stanley Cup Champions.

Come back tomorrow and Nate will give you a full wrap-up.

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-A great goal by Talbot. He took advantage of Detroit's failure to clear, which had been plaguing them all game. Like I wrote after the first, if they kept getting opportunities in front of the net, they will eventually start putting goals on the board.

-Detroit has changed the pace of this game dramatically. It is now a much faster, really aggressive game.

-I would say the insane cheering from Red Wings fans after Crosby got hurt is classless, but you have to remember they're from Detroit. That's par for the course.

-Osgood is keeping the Wings in this game. Straight up.

-Detroit should be capitalizing on the massive face off win advantage, but has yet to really reap any benefits from it.

-Seriously, Talbot has almost attained "God King" status based off his performances in the playoffs.

-Crosby will return for the third period of play.

-Fleury has chosen a great day to have one of the best games of his life.

-Detroit towards the end of the period seemed to be playing more desperately than aggressive.

-Still hoping Detroit scores two goals in the third so we see overtime.

-I'm currently writing this at a friend's house whom had great grandfather that played for the Red Wings. He's a Red Wings lifer, but doesn't seem so concerned right now. He's got ice water running in his veins. That's faith in a team.

-Meanwhile for myself, as a Blackhawks fan, I'm really hoping a meteor hits Joe Louis Arena. I guess I'll still settle for OT though.

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Just some quick observations after the first period of play here in game 7.

-Osgood is really getting too far out of his net in clearing/puck controlling attempts. This is almost entirely due to the Wings defenders being out of position more times than not.

-If the Penguins keep getting opportunities in front of the net like they have, the goals will start piling up. It really has just come down to players being in fantastic position to score, but unable to make the last part of a great play.

-The Wings' penalty kill unit did a great job in the middle of the period, but need to do a better job of clearing. Actually, the Wings in general need to do a better job of clearing the puck.

-Fuck Star Cams. This is a team sport, I care not for individuals.

-Detroit had a bunch of great goal scoring chances early on, but by the middle of the period they had disappeared.

-Pittsburgh needs to be careful to not tire themselves too much.

-There is nothing greater only one thing in sports than a game seven of the Stanley Cup Final. If you disagree I will cut you. A game seven of the Stanley Cup Final that goes into overtime is the greatest thing in sports.

-Two periods left, really hoping for overtime. Sudden death for the cup. I want that.

-This is disgusting, also proves hockey players are the toughest athletes out there.

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The 2009 Stanley Cup Finals have reached their final game. With the best-of-seven series tied at 3-3, whoever wins tomorrow night brings home the ultimate prize of the NHL.

Thus far, we've seen a tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from both teams in the series. Whoever has played on home ice has looked dominant, and the away team has looked overmatched in every sense all series long.

If the pattern holds true tonight, congratulations to your 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings.

But I think the Penguins may have something to say about that.

Even in their losses this year, the Penguins have looked decidedly better than they did when these teams met in the Finals last year. Even when they lose, they're typically out shooting the Red Wings, they just aren't getting the right bounces.

On the other side of the coin, the Marian Hossa storyline hasn't played out with the drama we would expect. Facing his former team in the Stanley Cup Finals, Hossa has yet to score a goal through six games. Perhaps he has something to say about where the Cup goes as well.

The game begins Friday night at 8:00 on NBC.

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Why I Love Baseball is a nine week series that will be posted on Tuesdays. This week's topic is "the characters."

No matter the situation, be it school, work or your group of friends, there is always that rather odd person. They aren't insane, but they're just crazy enough to make you question if they might have a screw loose up there.

With a history that spans as long as baseball's does, there are bound to be a few oddballs—or as they're more affectionately known, "characters."

What would baseball be without these people and their antics? They bring a much needed bit of comic relief to a generally dramatic and serious game. They allow us to laugh and remember that we are just watching a game.

Opinions are always mixed about characters in their generation, but the stories they generate will outlive their critics. The fate of most characters is that they will be remembered for their actions just as much as they will be remember for their skill on the field, and in some cases more so.

There are a lot of characters throughout baseball history and I would not be able to discuss all of them, so instead I have chosen four whom I love.

Mark Fidrych

When it comes to people who might have been one piece shy of a three piece suit, Fidrych is definitely in consideration. His career didn't last very long due to an torn rotator cuff which was not diagnosed until after he had retired. Yet in a memorable 1976 campaign, he went 19-9, including 24 complete games, with a league leading 2.34 ERA. That season ended with Fidrych taking home the Rookie of the Year honor.

Although Fidrych captivated the nation with that great season, "the bird" will be remembered more for his bizarre on-field rituals.

Fidrych would often talk to the ball before he threw it. Sometimes he would actually throw a ball back to the umpire requesting a new one because the current one "had hits in it." He was also known for running out to the mound and spending large quantities of time "manicuring" it.

Fidrych's interviews were always something to watch as his responses seemed to be given in a manner that showed he was either incredibly naive or had a fantastic sense of humor.

Casey Stengel

Casey Stengel was a career .284 hitter who is best known for managing the New York Yankees to five consecutive world championships—a feat which has not been duplicated. Yet to many he's remembered as the Stengelese speaking first manager of the New York Mets.

Stengel's antics created interest in New York's expansion franchise that was fearful of drawing a fan base in its early years. Sports writers in the city during Stengel's time managing started to call his rantings "Stengelese" as it seemed that he was speaking a completely different language. Casey was a master promoter and is the one who is responsible for the Mets famous moniker, the "Amazin Mets."

Honestly, I believe a large part of how the Mets' fan base responds to the team is due to Stengel. Mets fan typically are brutally honest about their team while making jokes along the way. And with that comedic honesty comes a strong passion for their team. Stengel did all of those things and the fan base followed suit.

Bob Uecker

Bob Uecker is my all-time favorite broadcaster. Uecker wasn't the greatest baseball player, and he'll willingly tell you that. Bob is just a very fun loving guy who loves a good practical joke and also is known for his self-depreciating humor.

Uecker has really earned a special place in my heart from his role as Harry Doyle in the Major League films. It is because of Uecker's wit and the fact he's a fantastic broadcaster, I often find myself listening to Brewers radio broadcasts just to hear him call the game.

Manny Ramirez

Like I mentioned earlier, opinions about players in their time are varied while history will generally remember them well. Manny Ramirez will probably be one of those players.

While Manny has put up some impressive numbers throughout his career, they are currently tainted due to his recent suspension. Although controversy has cast a shadow on his playing career, steroids cannot take away from "Manny being Manny."

While he is a great player, I'll never forget him going into the scoreboard on the Green Monster to use the bathroom or the time he high-fived a fan after making a catch.

He's our generation's character and while he's not the only one, his actions have always brought me laughter. Manny is carrying on something I love about the game and that's the characters.

The characters are great because they bring us much needed laughter and through their joy we can enjoy baseball all the more.

MOAR!

LESS!

Thomas already posted about this on Sunday, but I'd like to take a decidedly different approach to the subject.

After the Pirates swept the Mets recently, Carlos Beltran had some things to say about it. Namely,

"The reality of this is coming here to Pittsburgh and getting swept, me, I feel embarrassed. I mean, we have to take this personally. It can't happen. It can't happen, us being able to come here and lose three games just like that. Three games to this team. I know they're a big-league ball club, but we're better than them."

Adam LaRoche of the Pirates didn't take this remark lying down, and when asked about the comment said

"I think it shows zero class and zero professionalism. When somebody says that, they know what they're saying, and they know it's going to get out. He knows we're not going to be real happy about it. If you go and say that to your buddies, it's one thing. If you go to the media and make that public for us to hear? Yeah, that's no class. You know, if we're as bad as he says we are and we swept them, then what's that make them?"

Told of this, Beltran again had some words.

"What I said was, in a way, as a team, we all should feel embarrassed. Being honest, I don't care what he said. I believe we're a better team than them. I don't care what he said. I know that we could have won the first game, and there's no excuse. If we would have won that one, I tell you we would have won one or two more. There's no doubt. I don't care what he says. I say the way I feel. This is how I feel about the team that day. If he said that, I don't agree with him. I've got class. And I've got what he said that I don't have."

With this in mind, I'd like to proceed to write an open letter to Carlos Beltran.

Dear Mr. Beltran,

Adam LaRoche is right.

You got swept by the Pirates. You're embarrassed, and understandably so. However, to say that in public shows a lack of class and makes you look like an idiot.

Players are taught since Little League to not be sore losers. There's the post-game handshake and all the other rituals designed to show respect to the other team. Not to mention this little thing called sportsmanship.

Simply put, saying you're better than a team you just got swept by is bad sportsmanship.

But I mean, far be it from me to question Carlos Beltran. The Mets certainly ARE a better team than the Pirates. After all, the Pirates haven't had a winning season since 1992. The Mets have been good enough these past two years to choke away a large division lead in epic fashion.

The fact is this, Mr. Beltran. Your team got swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not only that, but two out of your three games against them were started by the best pitchers on your staff. You were outplayed and outclassed for three games.

Perhaps instead of spouting off, you should worry about what you and the rest of your team are going to do with your game so you won't get swept by a team with a .456 winning percentage, followed by losing 7-1 to the Nationals.

By the way, if you have to say "I don't care what he says" three times, it becomes obvious that you care. Ditto with having to say "I have class. I have what he says I don't have." If you have to say you have class, you probably haven't got it.

Oh, one last thing. Adam LaRoche may be your team mate after this year's trading deadline. You may want to patch things up with him before that happens.

Sincerely,
Nate

MOAR!

LESS!

Nate's probably not going to like this, but I agree with Carlos Beltran, and I'm glad he said what he said.

I'll back up a little bit. The Mets were swept by the Pirates in a three-game series (it was scheduled to be four games, but one was mercifully rained out) earlier this week, and they didn't look good doing it. They didn't score runs, they didn't pitch, and J.J. Putz had a Heilman-esque moment in one game. It was an embarrassing week top-to-bottom for the Mets, and Beltran made it known that he was not happy about the team's performance.

The reality of this is coming here to Pittsburgh and getting swept, me, I feel embarrassed...We have to play better. There's no doubt we have to play better. I mean, we have to take this personally. It can't happen. It can't happen us being able to come here and lose three games just like that. It just can't happen. Three games with this team -- I know they're a big-league ballclub, but we're better than them.

As you can imagine, the Pirates weren't happy. Adam LaRoche said that it "shows zero class and zero professionalism" for Beltran to make such comments, and that "if we're as bad as he says we are and we swept them, then what [does] that make them?"

I agree with LaRoche too, to an extent. And the fact that this is an issue at all is one of the most annoying things about sports to me as a fan.

I'll start with Beltran. As I write this, the Mets appear to be on the verge of beating the Nationals to push their record to 30-25 (they're winning 7-0 right now, but honestly no lead is to big). Pittsburgh is 26-29 at the moment, and tied with the Astros 3-3. So it should be apparent that the Mets are, in fact, better than the Pirates, even with the avalanche of long-term injuries the Mets have suffered.

This shouldn't be a knock on the Pirates as players; they're doing the best they can, and they obviously haven't given up on the season, even after shipping Nate McLouth to the Braves (in a move that caused me much personal consternation). But the Mets, even with injuries, have no business being swept by the Pirates, especially in a series in which both Santana and Pelfrey pitched. They ought to have been able to luck into one game, at least. If both teams had played well, it would be one thing. But the Mets played like a minor-league team (more on that later), and should be embarrassed.

So this is why, as a Mets fan, I'm glad to know that Beltran is embarrassed. There's been a lot of talk this year about a lack of fire in the Mets clubhouse, about how they may not care enough or have enough of an edge. When Beltran (or others, who would be welcome to speak up a little) say things like this, it at least shows that they care enough to pretend that they care. It shows that they know they have things to fix, and the first step is admitting that you have a problem.

LaRoche is right as well, sort of. I disagree on the question of class, but on his second point, I agree. If the Pirates are bad, and they swept the Mets, then what are the Mets? I answer, a minor league team; specifically, the Buffalo Bisons. Take a look at their starting line-ups from the series, and if you can tell me anything of consequence about Omir Santos or Wilson Valdez, I'll buy you dinner. (Not really.) A big part of the reason why the Mets looked so bad is the fact that the whole freaking team is hurt. But LaRoche is right to take offense. Beltran was basically saying that the Pirates suck, and nobody wants to hear that. So I'm glad he spoke up too.

The media and the fans need to make up their minds on something (and by that, I mean "agree with me"). When athletes answer questions, they have two choices, and they're basically stuck in a no-win situation. They can repeat the same old dull platitudes that we all know they don't mean, which is basically pointless and gets them mocked by everyone. They can say what they actually think, which usually will piss off the opposition and/or the fans and get them called classless. Either way, they lose - classless and boring aren't particularly good adjectives for people to have to deal with.

So I ask, why is saying what's on your mind classless? When did telling the truth become something people should be afraid to do? I know the sports world isn't exactly like the real world, but I feel like the same virtues that are desirable for me should be desirable for Carlos Beltran and Adam LaRoche. If Beltran's embarrassed to lose three games to a team that hasn't had a winning record since 1992 (which I should hope that he is), then he should say so. And if LaRoche thinks the Mets suck (which, with only these three games to work from, doesn't surprise me), he should say so.

I'm sick of the fakery and BS from people like Derek Jeter and Peyton Manning, not to mention the self-appointed thought police like Jimmy Rollins. Give me more people like Beltran and LaRoche, who are willing to say what they really think.

-----------

I also wanted to mention something else that I think is important. Yesterday was the 65th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day. To honor this anniversary of one of the most pivotal events in American history, and in the history of the free peoples of Earth, I wanted to share something that I wrote this spring, after I visited Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery in Normandy. This isn't sports-related, but I feel that it's important. Think of it as bonus coverage.

Watching Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers doesn’t fully communicate the true gravity of setting foot on the beaches of Normandy, but the experience definitely helps a guy to properly process the experience when it happens.

I’ve seen the movies, so I know in an incredibly watered-down way what it was like. I recognize the Czech hedgehogs. I know the names of the places the troops landed, died in, and liberated. And so when I stood on Pointe du Hoc, and on Omaha Beach, I had some understanding of what it was all about. I could see the German guns atop the cliffs, pumping anti-aircraft shells into the clouds as Americans dropped into the countryside by parachute. I could see the landing ships riding up through the surging tide, depositing their passengers in the middle of a hellish landscape, scarred by shells and machine gun rounds. I could hear the crashes, booms, cracks, and screams. Though I wasn’t there when it happened, when I stood on that beach I felt like it was happening around me.

It’s been almost 65 years since Allied forces began the great push for the freedom of Europe by invading Nazi-occupied France, and for many people, especially young people, the importance of that invasion may be starting to fade. The numbers of living veterans of World War II are dropping as time passes, and in today’s climate of government mistrust – especially in terms of war-making – it’s hard to comprehend what a war with popular support might be like.

But if you know anything at all about the war, standing on the beaches where it all happened cures all of that pretty quick. Because there’s nothing quite like standing in a place where people died for your sake to put things in perspective. People like Robert Seyler and Jimmie Monteith, people who answered their country’s call and rose to her defense. People like Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who had to submit a written petition to make the landing, and stormed the beach with only his cane and a pistol and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on the Normandy beachhead. People who died serving their country, and serving each other.

The thing that makes it the most relatable is that most of the people who were landing on these beaches, and were fighting for their lives and the lives of their loved ones, weren’t particularly different from me and the rest of our group. They were young, almost exactly the age we are now. Most of them had never left the country, and this was the first time they’d seen England or France – heck, for some of them it was the first time they’d left the counties in which they were born. They were scared and homesick, much like some of us were, but probably for better reasons.

And that, I think, is the reason why when we walked that beach, we were silent, for the most part. I can speak only for myself, but I know that I was replaying the events of June 6, 1944, in my head and in my eyes, and imagining what it was like for the boys landing on the beach and dropping from the skies that day. Because I knew that but for the grace of my date of birth was I safe. If I’d been born January 11, 1923 rather than January 11, 1988, I would have been here that day, and so would many of my friends. So when my feet touched the sands of Omaha Beach, I thought of those who died here, and I mourned them. And I did my best to stand alongside them. We all did.

MOAR!

LESS!