Rockies: The biggest news is the trade of Shawn Chacon to the New York Yankees. The Rockies got a pair of double-A pitchers out of the deal. The question the article I linked to posed was, doesn't this contradict our build-from-within philosophy? Let me be the first to say: what a stupid question. Who cares? Dan O'Dowd's response was that it strengthens our youth movement.
Is that going to be the explanation for every Rockies move, and for how much longer? Not that I've lost patience in this specific plan, any more than that I never believed in it, but younger is not always the same as better. I mean, Chacon's 27, so he ought to have some decent years left. How far in the future are we building for?
More to the point, how far out of his prime will Todd Helton be by the time these guys are ready to contribute? I think he'll be the last superstar we have for a while at this rate, so we ought to make use of him. It'll be at least a few years before these guys can be counted on to pitch consistently, won't it? (They are, after all, Double-A pitchers the Yankees were willing to part with to get their hands on Shawn Chacon.)
I don't know anything about the younger guys, so I'd have a hard time evaluating this trade strictly on its baseball merits. I can see why the Rockies would get frustrated with and trade Chacon-not that he's a terrible pitcher, but in sort of that Jake Plummer fashion where he shows flashes of brilliance mixed in with his mediocrity.
Nuggets: The biggest Nuggets news this week, of course, was the news that coach George Karl was diagnosed with prostate cancer around the start of the Spurs series. He underwent successful surgery Thursday. I just hope I didn't say anything overboard-mean about his coaching at the time.
He's said to have a good shot at a quick recovery and should be able to coach this season.
Broncos (new and improved website): Yee haw, training camp is upon us. If anyone cares, all the draft picks signed on time, easily the dumbest "story" I have to endure every year. Maurice Clarett signed a Ricky Williams-esque deal, which is to say he's not making much money (the minimum this year) unless he plays and plays well. Some sports fans think that's the way it ought to be, but I don't really begrudge the guys their money. Don't worry about him: Maurice has a few years left on his Ohio State deal anyway. (All right, that's enough.)
Anyway, if Clarett does dominate, he can clean up under this contract. And he apparently has no doubts he will. As his agent told the Rocky Mountain News in a very apt comparison, "They thought Christopher Columbus was crazy, too."
The Post ran an nearly-informative story today about Jake Plummer: "Third year critical for Plummer." First of all, wasn't last year supposed to be the critical year?
And second of all, shouldn't that article be about Champ Bailey? Yes, Champ ended up in the Pro Bowl, which all voters take very seriously, but he also had a great view of some spectacular opposing touchdowns last year. To me, he has the most to prove of any Bronco this season.
Anyway, back to Plummer: who knows how he'll do this year? His first season here, he was fantastic if not quite in perfect health. Last year, he turned the ball over like crazy. What do you guys think he'll do? And why don't we have a reliable backup yet?
8 comments:
first, the columbus quote is too good to pass up by clarett.
comparing his nascent football career to the "accidental" discover of an already inhabited world is so hysterical.
so on that note, clarett is going to head out in to the wild wilderness of the NFL, and end up in the CFL as a place kicker.
plummmer... man that's a tough one. I'd like to believe that something would change. I think it's gonna be "more of the same." He'll have flashes of brilliance and asininity. Like my dad says (a broncos fan from the earliest days known to man), "he just tries too hard." He's still in the red-bird mentality of putting all of the weight on his shoulders.
take the sack, throw the ball out of bounds, just don't throw it away.
we aren't getting rid of him, so for the media to hype up the "critical year" tune is just tired sports journalism rhetoric. as much as "rebuilding year."
bottom line is, we aren't going to do any better than him. all of the elites are on lock down. Looks like we are doomed to mediocrity. sounds familiar.
FOUR MORE YEARS!
I think the Rockies should stop going after competitive teams minor league garbage and start after talented children like A-rod's kid or Mark McGuire's offspring. It seems to be working in soccer with Freddie Adu and the 9 year old Brazilian the Primier League has been scouting. Obviously the Rockies agenda is so far in the future, some action have to be taken now.
man, never thought i'd ask where's alex to liven this place up.
also, where's the rest of the crew... and by crew, i mean john.
I don't know why John's blowing us off last week and this. If you asked him, he would probably make something up like, "I took the bar exam last week," or "I was too busy moving across the country to Rhode Island to visit Mike's pathetic website."
Rest assured that these are all lies. Even if they weren't, I mean, they have to give you some kind of break during an eight-hour test, don't they? Your wife won't let you drive all night, will she? I mean, what else are you going to do with your time?
I think your dad is right on the money with Jake Plummer, Marvelous Pugs Albert. What I hate is when a trait like this is held up as something to be admired. You see, Jake is so competitive that he hates to give up on a play, announcers will say. Even if that involves throwing an admittedly perfect spiral with the wrong hand.
Wouldn't the real competitive thing to do be to focus on winning, not proving beyond a shadow of doubt that, yes, you're willing to try anything?
We don't have any better options at this point, but it's not like we never had other options. And we could do a little better than Bradlee van Pelt at No. 2, am I right?
oh don't even get me started on BVP.
that kid... couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. he can run, but so what? that's what we have RUNNING backs for.
our back up situation is laughable.
i was interested in the hype that the post is giving Ron Dayne, likening his success at WI to the potential he has in denver because of our "zone blocking scheme."
i was really glad to see reubs do so well last year, when a lot of the critics said we'd suck at running because alex gibbs had defected and as the offensive lineman coach, was supposedly the sole possessor of wisdom when it came to rushing the ball.
this year's running back scramble (get it, get it, huh?) will be a good one, as i feel like there's no clear choice, even though bell is the front runner based on 1. familiarity with the system and 2. he's not mr. butterfingers griffin.
i think dayne, clarett, bell, anderson, all have legit chances, and i'm excited to see who's the real deal... who's the horse this year.
That was a great article about Dayne. I was laughing my head off.
Bradlee van Pelt could throw for 5,000 yards, 50 TDs, and take us to the AFC Championship game this year, and I'd still hate that pretty boy. (Please don't think of the word "could" as "has the ability to".)
Regardless of who wins the running back battle, we'd be better off with Clinton Portis taking handoffs and Champ Bailey giving up long scores for Washington.
champ and CP
agreed.
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