U.S. win over Spain a fabulous result, not "Miracle 2"

The hockey team from the Soviet Union was big, bad and seemed impossible to beat.

So too did the Spanish side seem insurmountable in the days leading up to Wednesday's semifinal match in the 2009 Confederations Cup.

Both had illustrious track records and long streaks of supremacy, but the similarities fail to extend much further. 

For the U.S. men's soccer team to steal a 2-0 win from the best team in the world after looking overmatched and lost just a week before it was a stunning victory and one of the top five biggest moments in the history of the sport in our country.

It was not, however close to the magnitude of the 4-3 win from the U.S. Olympic hockey team in Lake Placid almost three decades before.

First, that was the Olympics while this tournament is second fiddle to next summer's World Cup. 

Second, those were amateurs toppling the mighty Soviet machine while the soccer team we are throwing out there is nearly complete with all of our best professional talent minus a few missing in action due to injury.

And most importantly the social, cultural, political and historical impact of that game was enormous considering the backdrop of the Cold War.

Most Americans only knew the U.S. beat Spain when they saw it on Sportscenter that evening. 

The ramifications were far less, the patriotism attached to it of a far less shriller tone.

The win was significant and another Sunday morning would really put the soccer world on notice.

But it will be on the grandest stage in South Africa a year from now when the U.S. returns for the World Cup that their biggest opportunity to seize glory will emerge.

For now their shocking turnaround has at the very least thrust them into the spotlight for a short while.

Brazil represents a stern test for the U.S. squad but win or lose they have made important steps in the right direction.

A strong performance against the Samba can catapult the red, white and blue into important tune-up games in the Gold Cup and in Concacaf qualifying that will set them up for World Cup play.

The "miracle on grass" as it has been dubbed was a remarkable effort and one that shouldn't be soon forgotten but in an age of "what has google showed me lately?" let's not forget what that win in 1980 meant for this country and hope that someday, as this soccer team vows to reach the world's elite, they can in someway rival it.

For now we'll take Wednesday's win as a day when a team that really wanted it showed they could take it and hope the valiant Americans have more of that in store for the next 12 months. 

Big win for USA soccer, the goal differential system is fine

First off, great win today for the U.S. men's soccer team. 

I know Egypt was missing key players, and emotionally spent after upsetting the reigning world champion Azzuri. 

But the U.S. got the performance it needed and most importantly help from Brazil (3-0 win over Italy) that makes the win truly mean something.

By advancing in the group, the struggling national team gets two more games on foreign soil against quality opponents. That's the real victory.

Assuming a loss to the best team in the world, Spain on Wednesday, the red, white and blue should get South Africa (the host country) in a third-place game.

For a squad desperately trying to find an identity with less than a year to go before returning to the motherland for the World Cup these games are invaluable to their improvement. 

They may get blown out by Spain but these games give coach Bob Bradley more opportunities to scout his players and figure out his eventual Cup roster.

****

Many of the talking heads blasted the system that allows the U.S. to go through over Italy despite losing to them.

But in a three-way tie where each team is 1-2 there has to be another tiebreaker. 

Don't these same critical pundits remember the Big 12 tiebreaker this past college football season?

Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas all finished with 7-1 in the Big 12 South. Each was 1-1 against the other two. 

Since there was no clear way to determine who should be awarded divisional champion and a chance to play in the Big 12 championship game the conference had made the next tiebreaker the teams BCS rank.

The Big 12 was killed for pandering to the BCS by making their voting system the next determining factor - and having a game that featured Missouri and Oklahoma - two teams that Texas had both beat.

So in an equal situation - a three-way tie - where each team has lost once and won once against the said opposition - FIFA goes to goal differential.

What else would you do? At least they let it be decided on the field and not by some herky-jerky combination of computer calculations and biased voters.

Let's think these things through before we blast the people who have done just that.

Coming to you live in HD, it's hockey!

The NHL season is done, and congrats to the Penguins on winning the Cup, they sure looked dead in February.

But the NHL has one big thing going for it as we move forward and I think the ratings from the Stanley Cup finals reflect that.

Game 7, the best drama in all of sports, was the highest rated hockey game in thirty-six years. 

There's a few reasons for that other than the point I'm about to make.

You had people tuning in to see Sidney Crosby. Sid the Kid is not even the best player on his own team but the young superstar has been hyped up so much that he is as must-see as anyone not named Ovechkin can be in this league. 

Tack on the rematch factor, the history of these two teams and of course the intrigue of a Game 7 and you have a ratings bonanza.

But there's one other big thing at work here and that's the HD effect.

There is no better live sport than hockey. Being in a cold, raucous arena where the hits are hard, the skaters are fast and the intensity is just awesome.

Never before could that be captured on TV and as my buddy Chad pointed out the puck is black, and much smaller than the focus of attention in other sports like basketball and football.

After the lock-out, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman took more money but far less exposure when he signed with Versus to broadcast his suddenly-floundering league.

It was an awful decision and the NHL has paid dearly for it. But HD can change all of that.

Finally, the TV can capture a lot of what going to the arena is all about and the action unfolding on the ice becomes that much clearer. 

No more squinting for the puck, waiting for the red light to tell you if a goal was scored or comet-style graphic that FOX employed some years back that gave the puck an illuminated tail to try and help the viewer to know where it was.

With more cameras in the arena and an ever crisper picture, hockey should re-slot itself as the fourth biggest sport in the American landscape and could once again push the NBA for third. 

While everything looks better in HD, the difference it makes when it comes to hockey, is much more significant and could make up the gap between fringe spectacle and mainstream mainstay.

Arena attendance is good. Fans love to pack the rink to see the games. With hockey in HD they can pack the living rooms too and be treated to a show almost as good.

Where has all the power gone?

The has-beens a.k.a. the former users

Here is David Ortiz's stat line from yesterday: 0-7, 3 K's, 12 LOB

For the season? A .208 average and ZERO homers.

I sat six rows behind home plate at Angel stadium Wednesday night for the Angels/Red Sox game and despite having no rooting interest I screamed things like "JUICE" and "when are you getting your 50 games?" and "infield power" at Ortiz all night.  

Here is a guy that averaged 47 homers over a three year stretch and now he can't even hit one and its mid-May. He may never test positive, lord knows he is off the stuff now but for every mysterious injury there is a syringe and for every magical big papi moment there is to me at least a little extra something that fueled it.

Maybe I'm just cynical at this point but I don't trust anyone and when I see how far this guy has fallen the reasons just seem obvious.

But he's not the only one, let's look at few others...

How about Andruw Jones or Brian Giles or Derrek Lee? Guys that were roided out of their minds and now just hit doubles. Guys with precipitous spikes in their average numbers who get injured and can no longer hit for power.  

As a fan of the game they make me sick. I'd like to just see them thrown out. It's not like we don't know what you did. Every time you come to the box as a shadow of your former self you remind us of how you cheated the game.

Injuries, age, and decline in skills - these things happen but not to this extreme.

But let's look at the numbers for the proof since the tests haven't showed it:

D. Lee - 2005 - .335, 120 Runs, 199 hits, 50 doubles, 46 HR's, 107 RBI's

Career year? Sure, but look closer. He plays only 50 games the next year. Steroids dramatically increase the chance for injury. His career average is .281 and he has had one other season over .300 and never hit higher than 32 home runs in a season.

B. Giles - 1999-2002 - 149 HR's, 436 RBI's .605 SLG %

Giles has been in the league since 1995 and has just 286 career homers. The year after that 4-year binge ended he had just 20 bombs. In the last 4+ years he has 55 homers TOTAL. Say all you want about Petco Park, I have looked at the home/away splits, Giles has just lost all his power and he's not banging them out of opposing teams parks either.

This year he may be even worse than Papi (although older at 38). He his hitting .169 with six extra base hits in 130 at-bats (1 HR) and he's slugging .231.

Andruw Jones - 2005-2006 - 92 HR's, 257 RBI's.

Just 26 homers the next year. Puts on a ton of weight, his average plummets and he signs a big contract in L.A. Hits 3 homers in 209 AB's and slugs .249 before injury forces him to miss the rest of the season.

Couple of others to consider with awful starts to 2009....

Bobby Abreu - 2009 - Six extra base hits in 121 AB's (No Home Runs).

Remarkably durable but just 51 homers in the last 3+ seasons. Never hit less than 20 in seven seasons from 1999-2005. Only 43 in more than 1400 AB's as a lefty hitting in old Yankee Stadium.

Magglio Ordonez - 2009 - Four extra base hits in 121 AB's (2 HR), slugging .306.

Great start to his career misses 210 games in 2004-2005. Has a monster 2007 (.363, 28 HR's, 138 RBI's).

While the ex-steroid users try to hang on to their tattered careers this is not a new phenomenon. Many ex-players have huge spikes as well. Let's look at a couple of years past for some examples.

In 2001 two guys stand out. First is Bret Boone (.331, 37 HR, 141 RBI) His 162 game average (.266, 23 HR, 93 RBI) and those averages include that year and another big one in 2003. Or Luis Gonzales who hit 57 home runs that year and drove in 142. His 162 game averages were 22 HR and 90 RBI. The only other time he even got to the 30-HR plateau was the year before when he hit 31.

How about 1996 when Brady Anderson hit 50 homers and drove in 110. His 162 game averages? 19 and 67. That was also the year Ken Caminiti won the NL MVP. He later admitted taking steroids.

The list could go on and on, but for baseball's sake I hope the list of current players with stat lines that resemble Richter Scale-esque spikes continues to get smaller until the playing field is much more balanced and the sanctity of the game can be restored.

Giants pitching coming around

The strength of the Giants team before the season was no doubt their starting rotation.

But Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson, and Barry Zito were hit hard in their first two outings.

Matt Cain has always been immensely talented but always lacked the run support he so desperately needed to get some wins and some breathing room on the mound.

Cain is quickly 2-0 and the whole rotation has been lights out since they returned home from an awful Southern California trip.

Starters Jonathan Sanchez, Lincecum and Johnson surrendered no runs in 21 2/3 innings and two Giants wins against Arizona this weekend (The Giants managed just four runs, and all three games were 2-0). Add in Cain's two runs last night against San Diego and seven scoreless frames from Zito this afternoon and that's two earned runs in 34 2/3 innings (0.58 ERA) on the homestand.

Zito-Sandoval Battery

Bruce Bochy gave catcher Bengie Molina the day off today, even though the Giants are off tomorrow something we grew accustomed to seeing with Bonds to be able to give the guy two full days off.

But I don't think it was a coincidence that Pablo Sandoval, a very skilled young backstop, was behind the dish with Zito on the hill.

Consider these numbers: 3-0, 3.21 ERA in five starts.

Those were Zito's 2008 numbers with Pablo calling pitches for him and after a 0-2 start with a 10.00 ERA, all the lefty did today was throw seven scoreless innings, giving up six hits, striking out five and most importantly walking none.

That's six starts - three wins and no losses and 2.70 ERA. In a Giants uniform with someone else behind the plate he is 18-32 with an ERA just under 5.

So why not run this pair out every fifth day? Molina is not exactly young and sprightly and playing 135-140 games is plenty. 

Sandoval is adjusting to life at third base but is so valuable because he can catch and with phenom Buster Posey waiting in the wings, Sandoval will be the perfect guy to spell the young catcher at the big league level.

Posey can run and his athleticism will be an asset that needs to be protected to the tune of 120-130 games max with the mask so cultivating Sandoval for this role now seems like a smart idea.

Then there's Zito to consider. The 30-year old has been by all accounts a $126-million bust. But if he can hammer the strike zone and effectively mix his fastball, curve and change like he did today with Sandoval back there what's not to like about that?

0-0 in the eighth, how bout those bats boys?

UNC - Making Barack Obama and I look good

Well UNC was the best team in the nation since April of 2008 and they sure proved it the last few weeks.

In an era where parity is lauded and guys leave early all the time winning every tournament game by 12 points or more and really never being tested is quite a feat.

Pretty good tournament overall. I'd love to see a few more smaller schools in the fray and we really haven't had the deep run from a cinderella the past two March's but in the big schools we get the best basketball and I'm o.k. with that.

It really is the best time of the year for sports. Baseball is under way - just this week for MLB, late February for the college guys, and the NBA and NHL playoffs are just around the corner.

While I miss football there is a much broader array of good stuff going on now than at any time during the fall.

Look for some NHL playoff material very soon - President's Trophy coming to San Jose in a matter of hours.

Final Four

Three out of four ain't bad right?

I took UConn and UNC despite injury concerns - Dyson being out and Lawson being hobbled - but both advanced. 

I nailed my upset pick in Villanova and totally missed on Wake Forest. 

In retrospect I had Michigan State and Louisville in the Sweet 16 but had them both getting bounced before the match-up that actually happened today.

My bracket seemed busted at the beginning but I took my lumps early and held on for a pretty solid outcome.

Still sticking with UNC and UConn in the finals, though Nova has looked great to this point.

March Madness is here

On the eve of the NCAA Tourney I thought I would throw some picks your way. I just rushed through a Yahoo! bracket and while I hastily threw the thing together I'm willing to put my final four picks out there although they are subject to change.

Semifinal 1

Wake Forest v Connecticut

Semfinal 2

Villanova v North Carolina

Final

UConn v UNC

Both have injuries to guards... Dyson is out for the Huskies and Lawson's status is uncertain for UNC. Might cause me to change my mind but it's Tuesday right?