Just a few Musings...
1) Where would the Yankees be if they were as injury riddled as the Braves? For a team that has had such a dominating run I don't think their front office gets as much credit as it should. A team that has sat on top of the NL East since the days of Dale Murphy (or maybe Audie Murphy or the invention of Murphy's oil) seems to have an incredible well of talent coming in from the minor leagues. I'm looking for those more knowledgeable but of any of the teams that has been on top for the last 3-5 years, do any of them have a better farm system than Atlanta?
2) Besides Saint Louis, is any playoff team in the NL from last year going to make it back? While I'm not writing off my previously mentioned Atlanta, if that there is a pretty clean overhaul of the playoff teams I hope there's some recognition that baseball has increased its level of parity in the past year or two. Of course a series of freak occurences: 1) the fact that in LA Gagne's arm fell off, 2) Houston, which according to Delay, seems to have the same security problems as Iraq and 3) San Fran has been crippled by the flaxseed oil strike - all may have contributed to this turnover.
3) As a North Carolina fan, I can say with pride, hubris and gumption....5 Tar Heels will be drafted in the NBA draft this year. That has to be a record or something.
4) I'm sticking with my original prediction of Spurs in 7.
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5 comments:
For the record the original predictions were:
Mighty: Spurs in 7
Gutsy: Spurs in 7
MJ: Spurs in 6
Hart: Mini-Dikta's in 4
The Atlanta Braves are a model organization and one, unfortunately, that is taken for granted by Atlantans and baseball fans in general. True, they didn't win nearly enough World Series rings during their prime years of 1991-1999 but even still, they've clinched an astounding 13 straight division titles (3 NL West, 10 NL East) and have represented the NL in the World Series 5 times since 1991 -- more than any other team over that period.
Atlanta does it by consistently drafting and signing good players from the amateur ranks and by guiding these players through the minor leagues and dropping them off at Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone's doorstep. Those two guys do a good job every year.
The best thing about being Atlanta is that their minor league system has developed a reputation so good that they can trade their minor leaguers at super-inflated prices.
PS - My original prediction of Spurs in 6 was based out of a belief in the Spurs' ability to play and beat a physical team (Denver), a perimiter team (Seattle) and a fast-breaking team (Phoenix) with relative ease. Also, it was based out of a profound dislike for Larry Brown over the last 3 weeks where he openly slutted around the league looking for his next job.
I'm going Pistons in 7 tonight. I know the refs will call a favorable game for the Spurs and that the Spurs will probably win. I've changed my mind because I just can't help but respect the resolve of this Pistons team. They won a Game 7 on the road in the Eastern Conference Finals and they're looking to do it again tonight. I really respect them for having guts and desire that the Spurs don't seem to have right now. I just really respect Larry Brown.
I think that alot of the credit for the Bravos dominance is the fact that they have the best (and perhaps the best in the history of baseball) pitching coach in the "Rocker" Leo Mazzone. Leo just seems to get pitchers to understand the fine tooling of their pitching strength. Take Mike Hampton, who totally lost his confidence up in the clouds here in Denver. Hampton is now back in top form. Millwood, Reitsma, Smoltz, Gurg Schemez, Glavine, Jaret Wright, John Thomson, etc. The Tourrettes man has the ability to make decent pitchers great and improve young talent after they come out of the farm team. The fact that your team finishes in the top 2 in ERA from 1992-2002 and also has 7 Cy Young winners from 1991-1998 says a lot about the pitching coach.
PPS - I don't know if it's parity or just dumb luck. LA's and Atlanta's injuries make me believe that the turnover being experienced in the NL is more a fluke occurence. The Cards and Braves are virtual mainstays in the NL playoffs since 1996 and there's no reason to write off Atlanta quite yet -- they play in the Mets & Phils division, after all. Ditto the AL -- the Red Sox and Angels are perennial playoff teams. The only change is that the White Sox will be swapped in for the Twins this year and someone other than the Yanks will make it in (although even that may not happen, much to the whole world's chagrin).
What it all boils down to is that I'm not buying the parity thing. If I were an investor, I wouldn't go long on the White Sox; I'd be buying put options on them today for 2006 when they go back to being their usual sucky selves.
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