What in the Twitterverse is going on here? What has the NFL come to?
These days it is considered big news when a player decides NOT to hold out of training camp and actually fulfills the obligations of his contract, playing for the amount of money he agreed to when he signed on the dotted line.
This morning the Cards’ Darnell Dockett made a big announcement, via Twitter:
“Dockett fans, CARDINAL FANs, AND ALL SPORTS WRITERS AND ALL BLOGGER and any one else who wanna know I WILL MAKE AN ANNOUCMENT 2day @ 8:15.”
We all waited with great anticipation. Would he hold out? Did he reach a deal with the Cards? Did follow in the steps of teammate Anquan Boldin and fire agent Drew Rosenhaus?
None of the above.
@ddockett kept “Cardinal fans, and all sports writers and all blogger and any one else who wanna know” waiting until 8:40 EST before tweeting again…
“I am happy to announce that after meeting with the team recently, I have full faith and confidence in the Cardinals organization-cont
“and I am looking forward to a great season. From the first day of training camp and on, I will not let my contract issues distract me
“or my team from reaching our goals-. I also look forward to playing with my teammates and defending our NFC championship title
“and I appreciate the support I’ve received from all my fans this offseason. - WE WILL WIN THE NFC WEST”
His big announcement: he’s not holding out. He’s going to play for the money he agreed to play for when he signed his contract. Good!
With everything going on with contracts these days in the NFL it’s refreshing to see a player is man up and fulfill his contractual obligations to his team.
And perhaps the best part of his announcement (other than the Cardinals winning the NFC West again) was his disclaimer:
“FYI to all, No this was not a DREW ROSENHAUSE call or idea, THIS is how I feel and I’m sticking to it. Thanks agan to all the DDOCKETT FANS”
RotoInfo.com, a fantasy sports web site, has posted what is rumored to be the list of players who tested positive for steroids in 2003. Number 100 on the list of 103 appears to be former Diamondback Luis Gonzalez.
It is important that I reiterate that the list is “alleged” to be the infamous list, and at the time there is no confirmation from anyone that the list is legit. However, taking a glance at it will reveal many of the names we already knew, and many others that seem to be no-brainers.
The reason I used the term “appears” to be Luis Gonzalez is because of the way the list is structured. Players are listed by their 2003 teams with which they started the season. For example, Shea Hillendbrand was acquired during the 2003 season by the Snakes, but is listed at the top of the list with the other 2003 Boston Red Sox players. Raul Mondesi is listed with the Yankess; he was also acquired by the D-Backs during the season.
So what’s the problem?
Gonzalez is listed near the bottom of the list with the NL West teams. The potential problem is that there are no other D-Backs listed.
Gonzo is sandwiched between Guillermo Mota, a Dodger, and Todd Helton, a Rockie. If you remember, the Colorado Rockies had a Luis Gonzalez of their own, but the Rockies’ Gonzo didn’t join the big league club until 2004.
There are no other minor leaguers listed on the list. So it looks as though it is Arizona’s beloved Gonzo. If this list turns out to be legitimate, it would indicate that Luis Gonzalez did in fact test positive for steroids in 2003. Calling into question most of his career with the D-Backs.
There are eight former Diamondbacks and one current D-Back on the list: Shea Hillendbrand, Raul Mondesi,Jose Guillen, Troy Glaus, Richie Sexson, Roberto Alomar, Juan Cruz, Shawn Green, Eric Byrnes and Luis Gonzalez.
Gonzo hit .325 in 2001 with a career high 57 home runs and 142 RBI. He was acquired for Karim Garcia and cash prior to the 1999 season. In his first year with the Snakes he he a career high .336 with 26 HR and 111 RBI.
In 2000 Gonzo hit 31 home runs, and never again hit more than 28 in any season following 2002.
IF this report is true, it is truly a damn shame! Not only did Gonzo power the Snakes to their first World Series in 2001, but actually won it with his bloop base hit over the head of the drawn-in Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter in the bottom of the ninth inning of game 7. Would that ball have traveled as far if Gonzo didn’t have a little extra strength?
Who knows?
I just hope for the sake of Phoenix sports and the entire state of Arizona that this list is a forgery.
What a shame it would be if arguably the most loved figure in our sports history was in fact a fraud!
The only professional sports title in history of the state would be tarnished forever.
A.J. Hinch, the Diamondbacks’ Director of Player Development is expected to be introduced as the new skipper of the team this afternoon at Chase Field.
Hinch, 34, has been very successful in finding and developing young talent in his current position, but carries no managerial experience on his resume.
Bob Melvin was fired due to the team’s perceived lack of fire, passion, and of course their inability to hit a beach ball. While Hinch may be more adept at working with the young players, it is common belief that the team was babied too much under Melvin. His easy-going attitude and soft-spoken tone failed to create a sense of urgency amongst his players. There was always tomorrow, so why worry about today.
Hinch’s experience developing youngsters requires patience, something that this team has frankly been receiving too much of lately. The D-Backs’ brass and the fans are tired of waiting for their over-hyped, once-budding young stars to get off the snide and swing the bats the way they’re capable of doing.
What this team really needs is an experienced, hard-nosed, no BS manager who is willing to hold players accountable for their performances. Think Larry Bowa, Lou Pinella (yes, I know he’s still employed with the Cubs) or Dusty Baker (still with the Reds).
Having said that, the D-Backs don’t have any of those guys, so they’ll have to make due with that they do have – A.J. Hinch.
Hinch could bring more of a focused mindset and comprehensive game plan to the team. Expect to see a focus on defense in the field, running on the bases, and patience at the plate. Discipline will likely return to a clubhouse that has seemed to have lost its focus.
Whatever the result of the season, it was clear that this team was no longer responding to Bob Melvin, whatever the reason. I don’t doubt Bob is a great guy, who worked tirelessly. However, his hard work simply stopped paying off, the results simply weren’t there, perhaps to no fault of his own. A change was needed; I’m just not so sure A.J. was the right choice.
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ brass have apparently seen enough, firing Manager Bob Melvin just 29 games into the season, and less than two seasons removed from him winning NL Manager of the Year.
Melvin was relieved of his duties after his team crawled to a 12-17 start, falling nine games behind the division leading Dodgers.
It appeared Thursday morning that Melvin’s job may have been temporarily saved, after Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs and opening a window of opportunity for the Snakes to make a run.
However, after another disappointing loss in which the D-Backs could only muster four runs, Melvin’s tenure as the winningest manager in Diamondbacks history came to an abrupt end.
The move came as no surprise to many D-Backs fans who have speculated for weeks as to the security of Melvin’s job.
Without a doubt, it is the team’s lack of hitting that cost Bo-Mel his job.
The Snakes’ woes began near the end of the first half of last season. After getting off to a hot start, the D-Backs couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn in the second half.
The troubles continued this season, with the Diamondbacks ranking last in baseball with a team batting average of .222, 16 points behind the Florida Marlins, the second worst hitting team.
Conor Jackson (.191), Chris Young (.177), Chad Tracy (.221), Eric Brynes (.139), Chris Synder (.204), and Stephen Drew(.205) are all of to horrific offensive starts.
Melvin certainly cannot swing the bats for the boys, however many have pointed to Melvin’s laid back attitude as the reason the D-Backs have been playing such uninspired ball. The now former skipper was unable or unwilling to light a fire under his team, and seemed to rely too often on the home ran, rather than trying to steal bases and manufacture runs.
Melvin has also been criticized for playing with his lineup card too often, making it nearly impossible for players to develop a rhythm at the plate.
Make no mistake, hitting coach Rick Schu bears just at much, if not more responsibly for having squandered the talents of the once blossoming young stars on the team. It will be a shock to everyone if Schu hasn’t coached his last game for Arizona.
While Melvin cannot be blamed entirely (hint, hint, Rick Schu), he is the skipper, and the skipper always goes down with the ship.
A replacement has yet to be named. However, there is speculation that the once fiery Kirk Gibson could become Arizona’s next manager.
In the famous words of Jim Carrey, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”
While the D-Backs’ chance of winning the NL West was slightly better than one in 1,000,000, digging yourself out of an 8 1/2 game deficit does require some sort of small miracle, especially the way the D-Backs have been playing.
However, Arizona has received an unexpected stroke of good luck in the last 12 hours, which began by winning a game in which they should’ve lost.
The Snakes committed four errors and went 0-7 with runners in scoring position against the Jake Peavy and the Padres, but Jon Garland pitched out of his mind, despite the horrific defensive played behind him. Justin Upton extended his hitting streak to 13 games with two monster home runs, and Chad Qualls pulled a Houdini to save the game after loading the bases with nobody out in the ninth.
Simply put, they won a game they didn’t deserve to win, but with the hole this team is in, they must beg, borrow, and steal every win they can.
With the victory, the Snakes stayed on life support, avoiding falling 9 1/2 games behind the Dodgers.
This morning the news got better for the D-Backs. They were upgraded to serious but stable condition when word broke that Manny Ramirez tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. The positive test result carries an immediate and non-negotiable 50 game suspension which will keep Ramirez out of the Dodgers lineup until July 3.
Ramirez attempted to explain the situation in statement he released, saying, “Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.
“I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.”
Please, please, no apologies are necessary Manny. Whatever the reason, we don’t care! We believe you! The details and circumstances aren’t important to us D-Backs fans. We’re not on a steroid witch-hunt. We are simply looking to recapture our rightful crown, as NL West Champions. The title we’ve held more than any other team in the division since the conception of our franchise.
Quite honestly, we owe you a big “thank you!” for giving us a glimmer of hope and a golden opportunity to save our season.
Make no mistake, it won’t be easy. I think we’ll find that the 50 games will pass very quickly. Next time we look up, Manny will be back in the lineup, which makes this 50 game stretch even more important.
The Snakes and Dodgers meet only once for a three game set in ‘wood (I don’t think we can call it Mannywood anymore) during the span, but it’s fair to say already, those three games will be must-wins for Arizona.
The Phoenix Suns won’t be winning an NBA title this year; they couldn’t even manage to make it to the playoffs. The debacle that was the 2008-09 Phoenix Suns season will likely result in drastic changes this offseason that could spell the end of superstars Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal, and Amare Stoudemire’s stays in Phoenix.
That doesn’t mean however that the team was unsuccessful in all of their endeavors. In fact, there is one title the team captured during the season, “Sports’ Most Twitter-ific Team.”
That’s right, the Suns have more known Tweeters than any other professional sports franchise! Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and Alvin Gentry all have and regularly use Twitter accounts.
Shaquille O’Neal (THE_REAL_SHAQ) 730,000+ followers
Shaquille O’Neal is by far sports’ most popular Tweeter, with over 730,000 followers. Shaq tops the next closest athlete, Lance Armstrong by nearly 100,000 followers and is the ninth most popular user on Twitter behind only Ashton Kutcher, CNN, Britney Spears, The Ellen Show, Twitter itself, Barack Obama and Jimmy Fallon.
Shaq has always claimed to be a marketer, and it appears he is succeeding once again. Not only is the “King of Twitteronia” popular, but he is also, in true Diesel fashion, wildly entertaining. While some athletes post rather meaningless tweets like “great win tonight,” the Big Cactus rarely talks about basketball. Instead Shaq shares his daily thoughts, activities and of course, his sense of humor.
By talking about things other than basketball, Shaq enables fans to connect with him on a more personal level, allowing fans to find common ground with him, besides just a mutual love for the game of basketball.
“Started my diet the other day, I haven’t cheated yet, I wanna b a calvin klein underwear model, pls dnt laugh, lol” - THE_REAL_SHAQ 11:55 AM Apr 19th
Steve Nash (the_real_nash) 23,000+ followers
Shaq successfully recruited fellow MVP Steve Nash to join Twitter a few months ago. Unlike his teammate, Nash often talks basketball and is not nearly as active. While Shaq tweets several times a day, Nash tweets on average only a couple times per week. MV-Steve uses his Twitter page to connect with fans, driving them to his personal blog and Facebook page.
Of course, with the Suns’ season ending early Steve appears to have more time on his hands lately:
“My dad just beat me in tennis. He’s 62. He did a triple fist pump on match point. Irritating?! It’s been that kind of season!” – the_real_nash 12:27 PM Apr 17th
Jason Richardson (JRich23) 11,500+ followers
J-Rich tweets about once a week, which is probably a good thing. The last thing we want is for him to get pulled over for tweeting while driving.
“Man its hard watching the playoffs knowing that we should be in it. Back in charlotte trying to plan the rest of my summer” – JRich23 6:22 PM Apr 19th
Alvin Gentry (AlvinGentry) 3,000+ followers
While some coaches are scolding players for tweeting during halftime, Alvin Gentry appears to be a supporter of twitter. Alvin is active but professional, as an NBA coach should be. Alvin even got his daughter Alexis to join Twitter… or did Alexis get Alvin to join?
“@THE_REAL_SHAQ that could have been us. I still feel so bad for u. Thanks for all u did for me.” - AlvinGentry 2:13 PM Apr 18th
While Sports’ Most Twitter-ific Team isn’t the most prestigious title, it does show an effort by the organization to better connect with its fans. Let’s face it, Twitter is exploding and the Suns have always been an organization to embrace two things: technology and their fans.
The title however might not last for long. If either (or both) Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal are traded in the off-season the Suns could easily lose the only crown they have left.
For a complete list of all professional athletes on Twitter visit Athletes Who Tweet.
ASU’s Pac-10 player of the year, James Harden is expected to officially declare himself eligible for the NBA draft on Wednesday.
Harden, a sophomore, averaged 20.1 points, 5.6 boards, and 4.2 dimes this season, leading ASU to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003.
Unfortunately for the Devils, and Harden, he struggled mightily down the stretch, scoring just 10 points in ASU’s loss to USC in the Pac 10 Tournament’s championship game.
Harden’s hard luck shooting continued into the NCAA tournament, as he scored just 9 points on 1-9 shooting in ASU’s first round victory over Temple. He shot 2-10 from the field while scoring 10 in the Devils’ eliminating loss to Syracuse.
A few weeks back I argued that Harden wasn’t ready for the NBA; lacking the jump shot and aggressiveness I feel he will need to be an impact player in the world’s premier basketball league.
Even Harden seemed unsure himself after his poor performance saying, “I haven’t thought about it, but why wouldn’t I come back? We have something here at Arizona State that’s great. We have great culture, great players. Obviously, we lose a key point with Jeff (Pendergraph) leaving, but there’s some great pieces here.”
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim called Harden “passive,” saying he “did nothing” in the Devils’ victory over Temple.
Harden likely hurt his draft value with his tournament play, perhaps dropping out of the top five. Even so, Harden was still a great college player and will still be a lottery pick in this year’s draft.
No matter what type of player Harden turns out to be NBA, he will never be forgotten here in the Valley. He will be credited, along with coach Sendek, for turning around an embarrassing ASU program, and most importantly leading the Devils to five straight wins over the hated Wildcats.
So maybe he won’t be the superstar he was at ASU, but Harden is a smart guy. He is mature and professional, especially for a 19 year old, qualities that should take him a long way in the NBA.
Sound off: Where do you think James Harden will be picked in the 2009 NBA Draft?
One week ago I began writing an article that I never finished. I was preparing write about the Sun Devil’s first ever Pac-10 Tournament title and how James Harden appeared calm and poised under pressure, mature and ready to make his next career move – to the NBA.
Then, in the waning moments of the Devils’ 63-66 loss to USC last weekend my perspective of James Harden as an NBA player started to waiver.
Aside from Harden’s low scoring total, just 10 points, Harden looked cool and collected. At the time I remember admiring his maturity, but now I fear this perceived strength might in fact be a weakness – a lack of urgency.
Harden tends to let the game come to him, opting to first get his teammates involved. The problem is, as shown in the USC loss, he is often too passive throughout the game, and is unable to turn it in crunch time.
Harden missed a three-point shot with 6:38 remaining in the game. His next shot attempt came in the form of free-throws, over five minutes later. Harden made his first free-throw and missed his second.
After a three-pointer from Dwight Lewis pulled USC within one point with just over a minute to play, Harden turned the ball over on the next possession.
Harden had the opportunity to redeem himself twice after SC took the lead, but had his layup blocked and missed a three-pointer that would’ve given ASU the win.
I stopped writing. Now was not the time to celebrate James Harden.
Harden had possibly his worst game of the year in Friday’s victory over Temple, scoring just 9 points on 1-8 shooting from the field. The Devils and Harden were bailed out by 22 point performances from both Jeff Pendergraph and Derek Glasser.
Harden’s nightmare continued on Sunday, as he shot just 2-10 from the field, scoring 10 points in the Devils’ 67-78 eliminating loss to Syracuse.
Perhaps most frustrating was the lack of urgency displayed by the Maroon and Gold squad, helplessly passing the ball around the perimeter while wasting precious clock time. Even the broadcasters commented on ASU’s lack of urgency, saying the team was playing like had several minutes left to go in the game.
The Devils were shut down by the zone defense of The Orange, unable to penetrate the into the lane, settling instead for 30 foot three-pointers.
It was, to say the least, an inopportune time for the Devil’s leader to go missing. Especially for a team that relies so heavily upon him for his scoring.
A clearly shocked James Harden was immediately questioned about his next career move after the game, saying “I haven’t thought about it, but why wouldn’t I come back? We have something here at Arizona State that’s great. We have great culture, great players. Obviously, we lose a key point with Jeff (Pendergraph) leaving, but there’s some great pieces here.”
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim chimed in as well with some brutally honest comments when asked about Harden’s performance in the tournament, saying he “did nothing” and was “really passive” in the Devils’ first-round victory over Temple.
Boeheim went to say “And (today) when he was on the perimeter, we weren’t concerned. If anything, we were going to let him shoot the 3 over the other three guys.”
Harden cannot afford to be passive in the NBA. At 6’5” he’s not a particularly tall player, good outside shooter, or ball handler. To be successful in the NBA Harden has to be aggressive, driving to the rim with reckless abandon, drawing fouls or handing the ball off at the last minute to a cutting teammate.
If Harden opts to enter the NBA draft this year, he is still likely to be a lottery pick. At one point Harden was considered a top five pick, but has seen his value decline significantly over the past week. If Harden opts to stay for his junior year, he could increase both his value and minutes he is likely to see in his rookie season.
If there’s one thing you can say about Harden, it’s that he’s smart.
Let’s just hope he’s smart enough to stay in Tempe for one more year.
Earlier this week, President Barak Obama filled out his bracket with ESPN’s Andy Katz, and we let him have it. Obama picked just one of the Pac-10’s six tournament teams, Washington, to advance past the first round.
“Barak-etology” displayed his east coast bias, picking Arizona, Arizona State, USC, UCLA, and Cal to all lose in the first round.
Obama went two for three on Thursday, as Washington beat Mississippi State 71-58 and Cal lost to Maryland decisively, 84-71. The President was almost 3-0 in his Pac-10 predictions, but a favored UCLA team hung on, beating Virginia Commonwealth 65-64.
Not bad. However, Friday proved to be much more difficult for Obama, as he went 0-3 in his Pac-10 picks.
Arizona State started it off by defeating Temple 66-57 in the early game, despite James Harden’s poor shooting performance. Harden was just 1-8 from the field, finishing with just nine points, seven rebounds and three assists. Harden’s teammates, Derek Glasser and Jeff Pendergraph picked up the slack, scoring 22 points apiece in the Devils’ victory.
Things got worse for Obama when another Pac-10 team, Arizona, upset fifth seeded Utah 84-71.
When Katz questioned Obama’s motives for picking against Arizona, the President replied, “It has nothing to do with McCain. I think Arizona’s a great state. I love playing golf there, but they just sneaked in, based on reputation.”
Well Mr. President, clearly, like you, they weren’t selected solely based on reputation. However, unlike you, hope had nothing to do with it.
The Selection Committee clearly knew what they were doing by choosing Arizona to participate in the tournament for the 25th straight year.
Arizona blistered Utah with its determined offensive attack. Nic Wise showed that Point Guard-U is still alive and well in Tucson, dropping 29 points in the contest. Forward, Chase Budinger was just as unstoppable both going to the hoop and on the boards. Budinger had one of the most impressive all-around games of his career, recording 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block.
Finally, USC put the icing on Obama’s 0-3 trifecta, dropping seventh seeded Boston College 72-55.
Obama finished the first round with a 2-4 record amongst his Pac-10 picks.
Right about now, college basketball fans everyone must be questioning this new President’s judgment.
Let’s just hope his economic plan fairs better than his NCAA tournament bracket.