February 19th: Getting an Invitation

Contrary to what the thermometer may be telling you, today is the first day of spring! Pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training, kicking off the beginning of the 2015 baseball season.

As the hot stove cools off and the season approaches, teams prepare to prove that the off-season buzz can turn into regular season success. To beef up their chances, though, each team invites Non-Roster Invitees to take a crack at joining the Major League roster. Each year, you see youngsters making their first attempt at the league alongside older veterans who will have to prove that they still have what it takes to contribute at the highest level. Teams have, in past years, found major contributors hidden in their NRI list.

This year in particular, there are a litany of diamonds in the rough, especially those with prior years of ML service. Some will pan out, while others will be sent to the minors, maybe never to be seen again.

The Zoot Perspective: Left Fielder looks at 10 Non-Roster Invitees who could make a significant impact on their new ball club:

1. 

   Ryan Ludwick, OF - Rangers
   Ludwick spent most of his time with the Reds either looking over his shoulder waiting to be replaced, or on the DL. Now that he’s free of that contract, he has the chance to go to the relatively depleted Rangers and stake a claim on the left field gig currently held by...well, nobody.
   
2. Wandy Rodriguez, SP - Braves
   After coming into the league as a highly anticipated prospect with the Astros, Rodriguez’s time with the Pirates was relatively lackluster. He has the chance to fight his way into the Braves rotation, and could return to form. This is a great example of a player with nothing to lose, fighting for a spot that actually does exist.
   
3. Franklin Gutierrez, OF - Mariners
   After a pair of years in 2009-2010 that left Mariners fan with cautious optimism about the young Gutierrez, he caught the injury bug and has struggled to be a major contributor. He sat out the 2014 season, and the Mariners have the chance to buy low on a player who, if healthy, could put back together the pieces of his career.
   
4. Jeff Francoeur, OF - Phillies
   Frenchy is a long-time fan favorite, and a journeyman, having spent time on six different teams. He now has the chance to maybe add some excitement to a Phillies team that otherwise looks like it will experience a long summer. Famous for treating the fans in the bleachers to pizza and beer, Francoeur better provide some off-field fun to combat the on-field disaster.
   
5. Ryan Madson, RP - Royals
   Madson is another former star who was hampered by injury. He spent time with the Reds and Angels, never having thrown a pitch for either Major League squad. The Royals don’t need a closer, so Madson doesn’t have the same degree of pressure. He can, however, fill the role of swing man, getting the ball from the starting pitchers to the stout Three-Headed Monster. This could be a great chance for him.
   
6. Andrew Bailey, RP - Yankees
   Every year, a former Rookie of the Year makes himself known on this list. This time around, it’s Andrew Bailey, who couldn’t keep up his Oakland magic after he was shipped off by Billy Beane. Bailey can play a supporting role as Dellin Betances inserts himself into the closer role. You can never have too many good late-inning arms.
   
7. Reed Johnson, OF - Marlins
   The Marlins are trying to add to the success of last year, and need some veteran guidance to get them there. Enter Reed Johnson, who has been a supporting cast member of many young teams, and continues to get quality at-bats year after year. I’m a biased HUGE Reed Johnson fan, but he could be a vital supporting cast member in getting the Marlins to the next level.
   
8. Chris Parmalee, OF - Orioles
   The Orioles spent most of this off-season watching helplessly as free agents fled to greener pastures, including Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz. Chris Parmalee has an opportunity to bring the big bat and provide some of that pop that the Orioles will surely miss.
   
9. Bryan LaHair, 1B, OF - Red Sox
   As if the Red Sox needed another outfielder, LaHair came back from a year in Japan to take a crack at the Boston roster. LaHair is a former all-star who lost his job to Anthony Rizzo, leading to a sharp decline in production. He was one of the worst all-stars in recent memory, but when he gets hot, he’s a force. If the Red Sox can find a spot for him, he will be in the Majors this year.
   
10. Geovany Soto, C - White Sox
    The White Sox makeover did not extend to the catcher position, where they are trusting a newly beefed up staff to Tyler Flowers. Soto, meanwhile, caught a playoff game last year, and is another former Rookie of the Year. Could he be a major piece of the Chicago puzzle? I think so.

February 8th: Technically Foul

I watch a fair amount of basketball. Between college and the NBA, I would say I take in parts of about five or six games a week. In all of my basketball watching, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team receive 5 technical fouls in a single night. It happened to the Los Angeles Clippers, though.

On Thursday night, the Clippers were T-ed up five times in a blowout loss to the now-surging Cleveland Cavaliers. After the game, Chris Paul, the recipient of one of those foul calls, was pretty irritated. He called out the ref for the abundance of calls, and demonstrated his frustration.

This wouldn’t have been the first time a player called out a referee for questionable calls. Usually, such comments would receive about 30 seconds of Sportscenter time before everyone moved on. This is, though, the first time an NBA player has publicly called out a female ref.

Lauren Holtkamp is one of two full time
female referees in the NBA

You see, the referee for this particular game was Lauren Holtkamp, one of two full-time women serving in the NBA as officiators. In Paul’s comments, he calls out his disagreement with the call, and follows it up with “That’s ridiculous [in reference to the technical]. If that’s the case, this might not be for her.”

The NBA Referee’s union made a public statement on Friday, stating “the NBRA deplores the personal and unprofessional comments made by Chris Paul. She belongs.”

As the president of the NBA Players Association, Chris Paul is no stranger to the union in-fighting that goes on in and around the game. This is groundbreaking, though, in that it features a uniquely gender-related disagreement, and is challenging one of the game’s pioneers in gender-equality. Except that it shouldn’t.

The comments made by Paul could have been made against a man. In fact, there is nothing specifically gender related about them. He cited an example of an interaction that he found to be bothersome, and called into question whether or not a rookie was ready for the next level. The fact that she is a woman has been made to be a big deal by the rest of the world. The nature of “this might not be for her” can be called into question, but all evidence points to the fact that, in Paul’s opinion, a rookie referee who can’t get a call right doesn’t belong, regardless of his or her gender.

The sexism of sports is an oft-debated one, and one that frequently returns to the concept of a meritocracy. You find me a woman, the argument goes, who can compete in the NFL, and she can grab a jersey. Until then, it will remain a man’s game. This has gone relatively unchallenged, as it appears as though those who do demonstrate abilities have found their way into the game, most often in non-player roles. There have been increases in the number of women in front-office roles, the Spurs now have a female coach on the staff, and female referees are, as we see, hitting the hardwood. The progress has been slow, but it does appear to be moving.

All that being said, for there to be such intense backlash against Paul for his comments against a referee who happens to be a woman, there would have to be some kind of proof that his comments were based on her gender, rather than her ability to arbitrate a game. In this case, there appears no evidence that his argument would have been different if a man had gave his team an insane number of technical fouls. Paul has defended himself fiercely, repeating that his issue was with the call, not the woman behind it.

Sports have always served as a cutting-edge for the pursuit of social reform. We saw Jackie Robinson break the color barrier. Just recently, we saw Michael Sam and Jason Collins come out as openly gay athletes. Now, women are attempting to find their place in sports. And there most certainly is a place for women in sports.

But we have the challenge of creating an environment where women are welcome and also subjected to the same challenges as men. We can’t be gentle to women referees because we are afraid of hurting their feelings or looking sexist. To even the playing field, it must be completely even, in both directions. In this case, the NBA has the chance to do far more damage to the fight for women’s rights than Chris Paul.

January 6th: In Like a Playoff Team, Out Like the Lions

If controversy is the way we gauge how much fun we had during NFL Wild Card Weekend, then the Lions, Cowboys game was clearly the highlight!

After having led for most of the game, the Lions squandered a 20-17 lead, giving up a bullet passed by Tony Romo to the back of the end zone with 2:30 left to go. With the Cowboys now up 24-20, Matthew Stafford attempted to run a last-chance offensive stand, Alas, a forced fumble ended it, sending the Lions home, and the Cowboys to Green Bay to take on the Packers in the divisional round.

Sounds simple enough. Except, there was a play with over 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter that has NFL fans in Detroit and beyond up in arms.

With the lead, the Lions were stringing a drive together. On 3rd and 1 in plus-territory, Stafford dropped back to pass, finding Brandon Pettigrew a good 20 yards downfield. Except, Pettigrew, tangled up in Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens, doesn’t catch the ball. The flag is thrown. Defensive pass interference is called. The first down is given. Again, fairly simple. Except that the officials later took the penalty back.

Out of nowhere, after the penalty had already been announced, the officiating crew decided that no pass interference had happened after all, and that it was 4th down.

Cue the panic. When Detroit eventually lost the game (c’mon, it was Detroit, we saw that coming), players and fans alike pointed at that play as the reason the Lions were headed home. ESPN commentators tore the play to shreds. Fans shamed the NFL for allowing such a thing to happen. Even Dean Blandino, the NFL Head of Officiating, came forward and acknowledged the blown call. Or, rather, the correct call that was taken back.

At the end of the day, though, the Lions lost. Fans want to believe that it was the fault of that one play. All of a sudden, everyone is looking back at the game for every possible penalty. Dez Bryant coming out onto the field without a helmet. Ndamukong Suh being held on a critical 4th down opportunity. Anything that could be found WAS found.

The only thing that couldn’t be found, though, was the Lions clutch factor. It is absolutely understandable, as a fan, to be furious that the officiating played a role in such a pivotal moment. But that was one minute of play. What is the excuse for the other 59 minutes? What’s the excuse for the fact that the Lions had over two minutes left on the clock at the end of the game with the chance to win, and didn’t? Where is the argument that the Lions could have had their foot more firmly on the gas and been winning by 14, rather than three, in the fourth quarter? Where is the second-ranked Lions defense, who gave the Cowboys the ball in a home-field advantage situation late in the game, allowing them to march down the field in 11 plays for the game-winning score?

The bottom line is this: the officiating team screwed up. The call should have favored the Lions. They should have had excellent field position, and held onto the ball a little longer, burning more time off the clock. The Cowboys should have had a harder time stealing the victory late in the game like that. But, when all was said and done, the Lions let one minute be the excuse for 59 other minutes of football.

A team that allows a play midway through the fourth quarter to be their excuse for relinquishing the lead and eventually losing the game lacks the winning pedigree necessary to make a championship run. THAT is why Detroit will be watching next week’s games from the couch.

October 29th: NBA Preview

The NBA season is ready to kick off after one of the most exciting off-seasons in recent memory. LeBron has come home, the Clippers have new ownership, and the Bulls have a healthy Derrick Rose (we hope).

That being said, things are going to get exciting right off the bat. Here is the Zoot Perspective: Left Fielder’s NBA Preview for the 2014-2015 season:

MVP Award: LeBron James

Coming back home is going to be good for LeBron’s psyche. He will also have more help in Cleveland than he did in Miami, leaving him open to dominating at his game. There is nobody on this planet who balls better than LeBron, and he will regain his control over the MVP award fairly easily.

Rookie of the Year: Jabari Parker

My favorite player coming out of college this year, Parker is primed to have a monster rookie year. Playing for the Bucks will help, as they’ll take all the talent they can get. He can score, is growing as a defender, and will become an instant leader on a team with nowhere to go but up.

Surprise Team: Charlotte Hornets

The Bobcats finished their short-lived career with a playoff berth. Now, the Hornets are going to have a coming out party. The new logo and color scheme are awesome, and the team is ready to compete. Lance Stephenson is a huge addition, and the duo of former Hoosiers, Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh, will both be big role-players as they develop (although I’m clearly biased). I expect this team to emerge as a md-level competitor in the East.

Disappointing Team: New York Knicks

The Knicks are excited about Phil Jackson, and thrilled that they were able to re-sign Carmelo Anthony. Other than that, there isn’t much to look forward to. They will have occasional bursts of scoring enthusiasm, but this team needs a whole lot more of a supporting cast than Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith can provide. I think this team will be competitive in 2016, but not this year.

Eastern Conference Playoff Picture:

1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose is the key to this team. He doesn’t need to be an MVP, he just needs to stay healthy and produce.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers - This team is terrifying on paper, although a learning curve is to be expected.
3. Washington Wizards - The Wizards will have to answer to whether or not last year was the start of something or a fluke.
4. Charlotte Hornets - A surprise team to watch, the Hornets are young, can run the court, and look like a sleeper pick for the East.
5. Toronto Raptors - An overtime loss was all that stood between the Raptors and a deep run in the playoffs. This year they’ll look to get back there.
6. Miami Heat - Oh, how far they fall. The Heat got Luol Deng to replace LeBron, which will be good enough for the playoffs, but nowhere near championship level.
7. Brooklyn Nets - A lot has changed for the Nets, but I like their competitive edge. Lionel Hollins was huge for the Grizzlies, and will do great things for the Nets.
8. Detroit Pistons - This is another sleeper for a lower-level playoff team. The Pistons could be competitive in a powerful division.

Western Conference Playoff Picture:

1. San Antonio Spurs - The defending champs know how to get it done in the regular season. They will cruise to a top-seed finish.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder - The first few months without Durant will hurt, but this team is deep enough to overcome it and make a run.
3. Los Angeles Clippers - There might be some growing into new ownership, but this team will wind up even better than they were a year ago.
4. Dallas Mavericks - Dallas gave San Antonio a run for their money in last year’s postseason, and they’ve added the pieces to make it back there.
5. Portland Trail Blazers - Lillard is a beast, and Aldridge is a reliable star. This team will be fun to watch, although they are one star away from contending for the West.
6. Golden State Warriors - The Splash Brothers make the Warriors exciting, but, if you live and die by the hot hand, you aren’t destined for long playoff drives.
7. Houston Rockets - Everyone was singing the Rockets’ praises this time last year. Now, there are too many questions about their reliability. A low-seed playoff team is all you can expect.
8. New Orleans Pelicans - This isn’t so much picking the Pelicans as it is picking Anthony Davis. He will eat the rest of the league for breakfast.

Eastern Conference Finals: Chicago Bulls over Cleveland Cavaliers

A midwestern battle, this should be the best matchup all year. In the finals, the Bulls will have home-court advantage, and will use their experience and defense to beat the still-gelling Cavaliers in 6.

Western Conference FInals: Los Angeles Clippers over San Antonio Spurs

The Clippers were distracted during last year’s playoffs, no matter what anyone tells you. The Spurs are constantly finding ways to be there at the end. This will be an epic 7 gamer, but Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will lead the charge.

2015 NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls over Los Angeles Clippers

Two major markets squaring off. This will be a showdown of two of the game’s best point guards and two of the game’s best big men. It’s nearly impossible to predict how things will go, but the Bulls have the championship pedigree to bring home the championship.

Bull Market, Bear Down

The Bulls’ hopes of a championship run snapped along with Derrick Rose’s meniscus earlier this week. For the second straight season, the team is forced to look to the rest of their year knowing that their superstar, the face of the franchise, isn’t going to be returning any time soon.

Now the Bulls are faced with a decision. It has become clear that Rose is facing much more than simply physical deterioration. A meniscus tear does not require a player to miss the entire season, especially only eight or nine games in. To rule out the whole year means that Rose is dealing with an emotional, mental block that puts his career in far more jeopardy.

With Rose as no longer a viable option, the speculation has been that the Bulls tank their season in favor of drafting higher and getting more in return for the future. While this may put the future into perspective, it is not the kind of answer that Chicago fans are looking for. Bulls fans are accustomed to the big names, the Michael Jordans of the world, not the Anthony Davis model.

That leaves it to the Bulls front office to go out and get themselves a free agent or two. Luol Deng, the Bulls’ last real star left standing with Rose hurt and Carlos Boozer struggling to produce, is going to be on the market, but so will a few other big name options, including Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, and even LeBron James. If the Bulls want to return to form, they will find a way to bring in the big name that will immediately launch them into the upper class of teams in the league. Rose, it seems, will no longer be sufficient to lead the charge.

In a similar predicament, the Bulls’ football counterparts are having a similar challenge. Jay Cutler has played five seasons with the Bears, and only played a full season in one. While playing “often,” he has also experienced injuries each year, including concussions, sprained ankles, and a general beating. In the 2013 season, the pressure was on, as Cutler was in a contract year and was being evaluated both by the team and others as to the extent to which he deserved to be resigned. Yet again, the injury bug caught hold, and Cutler has missed parts of four games.  The Bears are 6-5 this season, yet another season that started strong and head into mediocrity after Cutler gets beat around.

Aside from Cutler, the Bears have a running back that is capable of being a stud, two of the best receivers in the game, and a defense that, while struggling this year, is known for being monstrous.

With Cutler’s contract coming to an end, the Bears have a similar identity crisis on their hands. Rather than resigning Cutler, though, it would do the team best to let the guy go and move on to the next play-caller.

While free agency may be the route for the Bulls, it is not for the Bears. In a draft class that has plenty of quarterbacks that run the gamut on playing styles, the Bears have several options. The trend right now is running quarterbacks, like RGIII or Russell Wilson, guys who can get out of the pocket and extend drives with their legs. This doesn’t really fit in with what the Bears have done in the past, or the way their team is built. Instead, there is one option that appears to be a QB-Team match made in heaven.

AJ McCarron is the most undervalued pick in the draft. To get him, it will probably take a mid-to-late second or early third round pick. A pocket passer, McCarron would fit into the Bears’ system, and wouldn’t require a top draft pick to do it. It would also greatly help his development as a player to be able to spend at least his first year throwing to receivers like Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, who have a way of making even the Josh McCowns of the world look good.

Both Chicago teams are looking to heal, but must go in very different directions. Retailers should celebrate, though, because either way, there will be some new jerseys hitting the Chicago market.

Twin Billing?

As the Hot Stove starts to heat up, MLB teams are attempting to decide the direction to take their organizations. Whether to pursue the hottest free agents or seek a trade, to look outside for help or to focus on internal matters to strengthen the team, teams have a big few months ahead of them.

For the Minnesota Twins, this is a question that requires some fan input. Last week, the Twins posted on their Twitter account “Give us your list of the top 3 free agents you think the Twins should pursue using #TwinsHotStove. We’ll talk about fan answers on the show.”

While representing a small social media gimmick, the Twins get to the heart of a very important question in putting together a team from year to year. What is the role of the fan? Do the ticket holders have a part in constructing the team that will take the field 162 times?

The reality is that the Twins will most likely do very little, if anything, with the information they receive from their twitter account. Fans aren’t really qualified to make organizational decisions, especially when they are playing with hundreds of millions of dollars. At the same time, though, those dollars originated, at least partially, in the pockets of the fans, and thus, they have an argument for contributing.

While baseball has blossomed into a trillion dollar industry, it’s true intent is to entertain. The fans are, or at least should be, the focus of the organization. This doesn’t appear to be the case when you view negotiations with players that include no-trade clauses and contract incentives and stipulations. The game has shifted to focus instead on the players and the front office.

While asking fans which players in particular they would want to see in their teams uniform may not be realistic, it is not unreasonable to ask what kind of team they would like to see. Take a look at the Houston Astros. Who in their right minds is excited about the Astros? Their fan-base is the pity of everybody, except maybe the loveable losers of Chicago, and the future doesn’t look particularly bright. The front office is promising that things will get better, but that doesn’t appear to be happening any time soon. The money that is being spent is being done in a way that will replenish the farm system and get the team ready for the future. At the same time, though, that means that being an Astros fan, at least for the next, oh, half decade is going to be an abysmal thing.

For fans to be able to select the overall direction of the team, whether it be rebuilding for the future as the Cubs appear to be doing or a win-now mentality the likes of which the Yankees almost always embody, is not an unrealistic request. If teams really expect to see fans pay their dollars to see their organization, it is not unrealistic to expect that they would have some kind of input.

This is unlikely to become a reality any time soon in any of the major sports fields, but that twitter is as good a place as any to start.