The Sports Don's Sunday Musings: Volume V

OK. So I lied. In last week’s musings I apologized for a sudden lack of blogs due to an increased workload at my paid writing job and I was back, better than ever and writing incessantly. If you haven’t noticed, and I’d be disappointed if you didn’t, another seven days has gone by without a new posting. Well, now, I truly have returned. You have my word. Following this edition of The Sports Don’s Sunday Musings, make sure you tune in later in the week for a blog about the impending superstardom of the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo, a look at the post Seattle Mariner careers of Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez (at the suggestion of my buddy Taco) and whatever else my twisted sports mind can conjure. As always, thank you for your support.

To read any of my past blogs, click here.

1. The only kicker the Baltimore Ravens have ever known was released Thursday. The 41-year old Matt Stover, the lone remaining Raven from the franchise’s move from Cleveland, was informed by management it would be moving in another, and I’m assuming younger, direction. The release of Stover hasn’t left me sleepless, but it once again made it clearly evident that in the NFL’s salary cap age, very few players stay in one place for their entire career, and it’s unfortunate. I appreciate professional sports are a business, and generally, in most respectable businesses, it’s all about taking the necessary steps towards greatness and therefore making more money because of it. My gripe is that there’s something to be said about a guy who spends his entire career with the franchise you root for, makes him feel like a bigger part of your life and a permanent part of your community. He's one of you. Since the majority of my readers are supporters of the Boston sports franchises, I’ll relate this to the Patriots. As of today, ESPN lists 60 players on New England’s current roster. Of those 60, only 12 have spent their entire career with the Pats while having played more than five seasons, and there isn’t much of a guarantee all 12 will be suiting up come Week 1 of 2009. With the release of players around the NFL like Derrick Brooks (14 years with Tampa Bay), Marvin Harrison (13 with Colts) and Fred Taylor (11 with Jags) loyalty doesn’t seem to exist between management and its players without a large financial compromise by the player. I’ll admit, sometimes it is the player’s inability to realize he is not what he once were (i.e. Harrison), but my point is enjoy your favorites while they’re here, because they’ll be an expendable cap casualty before you know it.

2. After an abysmal slump, hopefully, and I say this sincerely, the Boston Bruins have finally broken out of it. The red-headed stepchild of the Boston sports scene defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 Saturday in what I won’t call a must-win, because the term is cliché, but in a very important contest for the mentality of the team and its fans. After losing nine of 12 with the sole wins coming by a combine 17-2 score against Carolina, Florida and Anaheim (three locations whose possession of a hockey team seems odd), the perceived bump in the road became a major slump, and yesterday’s victory is no guarantee it’s over. Surprisingly, the B’s, a predicted contender for only the eighth-seed in the Eastern Conference entering the season, have spent the majority of it on top of the East and for awhile, atop the NHL. The days and weeks of leading the league in scoring while allowing the fewest goals are gone with the low point of the slump being a 2-1 loss against a ghastly Phoenix Coyotes team, one that was flipped upside-down at the trading deadline a day before. Young scorers Phil Kessel (only four points in his last 16 games entering yesterday) and David Krecji (no goals and one assist in the last seven) couldn’t find the back of the net, the absence of Michael Ryder and Milan Lucic due to injury were apparent, and the shockingly effective Manny Fernandez became equally un-shockingly not as effective in net. At the deadline, Boston added former Lightning right winger Mark Recchi and former Duck defenseman Steve Montador to help sure up the team’s play on both ends of the ice. Recchi scored twice against Chicago with Kessel and Krecji adding a tally apiece, and while the Blackhawks made a late push, the eventual B’s win could potentially steer the Black and Gold back in the right direction. Heading into ’08-’09, Boston fans would have been thrilled with an exit in the second round of the playoffs, but after skyrocketing to the top of the NHL, the Bruins faithful will be dissatisfied with any less than a serious run at Lord Stanley’s Cup…Annnddd, the Bruins just lost to the Rangers 4-3. What was I saying about that slump being over?

3. The United States’ portion of the World Baseball Classic began yesterday with a 6-5 win over team Canada, and much like the World Cup and Olympics, it appears to be another gathering of the sport’s elite that is significantly more important to every country who isn’t US. Personally, I’m a fan of all three of the aforementioned events so perhaps I’m a bit more foreign in my tastes then my American brethren. The disinterest is understandable as the best brand of baseball is already played in the States and since the regular season is yet to start, the games are not what they would be if the WBC was held during the middle of the season (an improbable solution for its timing as teams in contention would be even less likely to allow their players to participate if it were to be held during an extended all-star break). Pitchers are on strict pitch counts and batters have not faced live pitching since October at the latest so both are a bit rusty. Regardless, as someone who lives to make lists, I enjoy watching the countries fight for superiority, and if it means so much to everyone else, maybe it’s worth your time, too. Should Dice-K, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis or David Ortiz be injured during the spectacle, I’ll probably change my tune. Until then, I'm watching every game I can. And someone undoubtedly brought this up in 2006, but I think it’s worth asking again...who knew Bruce Chen was from Panama? I didn’t.

4. I began jotting down notes for this blog on Friday, and previous to receiving word Terrell Owens had speedily signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, I had gone through two-thirds of the NFL's teams attempting to make my best guess as to where the high-maintenance receiver would potentially land. I’m proud to announce that the four teams I had listed in the “interested category” at that point were the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, Bills and of course, the dysfunctional Oakland Raiders. Let’s be honest, with the return of Tom Brady to the Patriots and the apparent revitalization of the Dolphins and Jets, the acquisition of T.O. was a move Buffalo needed to make. The team showed life at the beginning of the 2008 season but faded as the weeks progressed, and the addition of a player of Owens’ ability partnered with Lee Evans creates a formidable duo who could secure the Bills standing as a definite playoff contender. The Bills’ owner is 90-years old, are in danger of being relocated to Toronto, haven’t made the postseason this millennium, and their best player, Marshawn Lynch, is now on probation for the next three years. Management needed to do something to give its franchise a boost, and since it’s a one-year deal, I’m sure they’re on their knees and praying T.O. will be on his best behavior and put up huge numbers as he chases a new, and potentially his last, lucrative free agent contract. Owens scored 25 touchdowns over the past two seasons which gives him 10 more than the entire Bills receiving core has combined over the same time period. Offense is obviously a need. But as long as we’re being honest, the chance of the player who trails only Jerry Rice in career receiving touchdowns making it through his deal without an incident when Trent Edwards is his quarterback is around 1%, give or take 1%. The only quarterback Owens has seemingly coexisted with is Steve Young, and Edwards is no Steve Young. If Owens was unable to get along with Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb or Tony Romo (all superior quarterbacks to Edwards), he’s going to eat poor Trent alive. I feel bad for Bills coach Dick Jauron, but he’s lucky to still have a job to lose anyway.

5. Ladies and gents, it’s His-Story time: Due to a switch in my cable provider, I now have The MLB Network, and it’s quickly become the only channel I watch with any regularity when I’m not tuned into a live game. Earlier this week, the network aired and I watched Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr.’s seventh no-hitter which came against the Toronto Blue Jays on May, 1 1991. A few incredible things about this game: It happened the same day and overshadowed Rickey Henderson capturing the career stolen base record because it was Ryan’s seventh no-no and it came at age 44, it was reported in the early innings Ryan almost didn’t even pitch that night do to fatigue and the overall soreness that comes along with being a 25-year veteran, and even more miraculously, it wasn’t pitched against the dregs of the American League, it came against a team that would win 91 games that year and went on to win back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. Although I was only nine when he retired, I realized at my young age he was more than an old Texan who still had his fastball. He was one we’ll probably never see again without the benefit of a new, undetectable performance-enhancing drug. Amazingly, while winning 324 games, striking out a ridiculous 5714 batters (MLB record) and posting a 3.19 ERA over his 27-year career played through four decades with four different teams, the Ryan Express never won a Cy Young Award. Looking at his page on baseballreference, there really isn’t a season that jumps out at me as one where he was robbed of the award since he lost almost as many games as he won (292) and issued 50% more base-on-balls than any other pitcher in history. Regardless, along with his MLB record seven no-hitters, three more than the next closest pitcher, Ryan also tossed 12 one-hitters (tied with Bob Fellers for most all-time) and 18 two-hitters. And who can forget the time a 46-year old Ryan beat the ever-livin’ crap out of Robin Ventura, a player 20 years his junior. Ryan admitted after the melee that he utilized the same maneuver he used on steers he had to brand on his ranch. Apparently when Ryan messes with the bull, he doesn’t get the horns. He punches that bull right in the face.

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