Author Archives: benweinrib

Chase Garnham joins in lawsuit against NCAA

Posted on August 21, 2013 by benweinrib

The NCAA can’t get out of the news, and it’s not because of the actual games on the field. Instead of celebrating tantalizing talents like Jadeveon Clowney and Johnny Manziel, the fans’ focus has shifted to the NCAA potentially colluding  with video-game giant Electronic Arts to make billions off their cash-cow student-athletes.

The biggest threat to the NCAA is currently the class action anti-trust lawsuit brought on by Ed O’Bannon, a star basketball player for UCLA in the 1990s.

O’Bannon contends that the NCAA and EA, which makes popular video games “NCAA Football” and “NCAA March Madness,” together artificially set the price of a student-athlete’s likeness at $0. On an open market, the players’ likenesses would undoubtedly be worth more than that.

The NCAA doesn’t pay student-athletes, who must sign a waiver that forfeits their right to make money off their own likeness as NCAA athletes. Receiving payment would make them professionals, and professionals can’t play in an amateur sport—an amateur sport that nets more than $6 billion in revenues annually.

as

One of nine Vanderbilt captains, Garnham has a chance to change the landscape of college sports as we know it.

While the O’Bannon suit could revolutionize the way all college sports operate, an impact has already been felt on Vanderbilt’s campus: senior linebacker Chase Garnham has joined lawsuit as a plaintiff.

Five other current student-athletes also joined Garnham in the lawsuit: Arizona’s Jake Fischer and Jake Smith, Clemson’s Darius Robertson, and Minnesota’s Moses Alipate and Victor Kiese.

The proceedings won’t affect Garnham’s eligibility, however, and he will be a key cog in the Commodores’ defense this year. Garnham, who is not answering questions about the case at this time, was second on the team with 84 tackles last year and led the team with seven sacks.

Although the lawsuit is far from nearing an end—the trial is set for July 9, 2014—signals that O’Bannon and Co. may end up winning are already visible. Last month, the NCAA ended its partnership with EA and will not license an “NCAA Football 15” game.

Adding two and two together, it’s clear that the NCAA does not want to run the risk of having to pay thousands of student-athletes for the right to their likeness, should O’Bannon win the lawsuit.

Another potential impact of the O’Bannon lawsuit is that players would receive royalties from revenue coming from merchandise and broadcast rights.

Previously, the NCAA claimed that they just sold generic jerseys, although nearly every jersey sold in the Vanderbilt book store last year was No. 2 or No. 11, which happen to be the same numbers worn by starting running back Zac Stacy and quarterback Jordan Rodgers, respectively.

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas debunked the laughable claim earlier this month when he exposed that you could search for players’ names on ShopNCAAsports.com and find specific player jerseys. Three days later, the NCAA announced they would stop selling jerseys because, as NCAA president Mark Emmert put it, they can “certainly recognize why that could be seen as hypocritical.”

All of this means that schools may have to skimp on other aspects of the athletic experience. Maybe schools like Oregon will have to put a few less Milanese-furnished barbershops and pool tables in their $86 million football facilities.

The landscape of college athletics could undergo some massive changes in the near future, and Chase Garnham will play a large role in the lawsuit. For now, though, he’ll be just another key player on Vanderbilt’s defense.

(This first appeared in the Vanderbilt Hustler)

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I Am an A-Rod Fan

Posted on August 6, 2013 by benweinrib

Congrats, Major League Baseball, you’ve turned NCAA on us.

Major League Baseball eschewed the 21st century by embracing human error over getting calls correct, but they’ve outdone themselves with the Biogenesis case.

MLB set off on a poorly cloaked witch hunt for two of the biggest name (rumored) steroid users: Ryan Braun, who avoided an earlier PED suspension on a technicality, and Alex Rodriguez, who is just universally hated. The league paid known sleazebag Anthony Bosch for information from his sketchy health clinic, although they previously identified him as having highly questionable information.

Finally, they settled on a 65-game suspension for Braun and nailed 12 more players with 50-game suspensions. Then they dropped a 211-game bomb on Alex Rodriguez.

a

MLB has botched the A-Rod case so badly, that I’m actually rooting for him. And I hated A-Rod.

They’ve mishandled this whole case so badly that they’ve made me a fan of the most hated player in sports.

Major League Baseball and the MLBPA agreed on a Joint Drug Agreement, which states that any player who fails a test or has possession of a PED is to be suspended 50 games after his first offense, 100 games after his second offense, and given a lifetime suspension on the third offense.

MLB circumvented the JDA already when they slapped Braun with a 65-game suspension, but they mutually agreed to that ban. A-Rod’s 211-game suspension completely oversteps baseball’s jurisdiction according to the JDA and CBA.

Alex Rodriguez clearly didn’t do a good thing. He was the Chosen One. It was said that he would destroy steroids, not take them. Bring balance to the sport, not leave it in darkness.

But now Major League Baseball has found a way to make a cheater into a sympathetic villain, just like Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi.

So what makes whatever A-Rod did more than 4 times worse than what the other Biogenesis players did? If he did use HGH in recent years, what makes him so special that he’s given a suspension 146 games longer than any other previous one?

The short answer: there’s no reason.

MLB says that part of the reason for the excessive length is because he tampered with baseball’s investigation. Well Melky Cabrera did the same thing–and created a fake website in an attempted coverup–and only got 50 games. MLB clearly has a vested interest in getting Rodriguez away from the game.

The Yankees get out from under around $33.5 million in salary plus millions more in luxury tax–more money they can spend. MLB gets Rodriguez–who’s been nothing but bad press for the sport recently–away from baseball and momentarily away from the record books.

While it’s clear that Major League Baseball is overstepping its bounds–which leads to the MLBPA’s appeal that will last until November or December–this isn’t the real issue.

Alex Rodriguez breaking rules–and he hasn’t even failed a drug test–is a micro issue. MLB’s rules on PEDs is the macro issue.

What we need to be doing now is looking at why steroids are banned. A-Rod technically cheated because the rules said he wasn’t allowed to use a substance. Cheating by definition is breaking rules. So why are steroids illegal?

It’s easy to see why substances that are harmful to players’ health should be illegal. You’re asking players to sacrifice their own health to keep up with the Joneses. Furthermore, it creates a culture in which young, impressionable kids feel they have to renounce their future health to compete and earn a scholarship.

But what about non-harmful supplements? Protein shakes seem to be widely accepted because they have no known downside but help build muscle. Aspirin stops pain and similarly has no major side effects. No one thinks they should be illegal.

As Yahoo!’s Jeff Passan put it: “If one player is taking synthetic testosterone to heal faster and another player is getting his blood spun and reinjected into him to heal faster, why is the former banned and the latter welcomed? Because the government says so? The government also says marijuana is illegal, and baseball players on the 40-man roster can take bong rips galore without penalty.”

The core issue isn’t that steroids are bad because they’re banned. That’s begging the question. The real issue is that harmful performance enhancers create a bad culture, while non-harmful performance enhancers just, well, enhance your performance like drinking that protein shake or taking a dietary supplement do.

We know that athletes will do whatever they can to gain a competitive edge. Catchers frame pitches to get extra strikes. Ray Lewis sprayed deer antler velvet under his tongue. Bartolo Colon had bone marrow stem cells injected into his elbow. Hell, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays openly used amphetamines, and Gaylord Perry used a banned spitball, and they’re accepted with open arms into the Hall of Fame. Yet steroids are the spawn of the devil.

Nothing gets people up on their moral high horse like steroids, but it would be hard to turn down a pill that makes you 50% markedly at your job, especially if it means escaping poverty in a third-world country.  Really, using modern medicine isn’t much different than any other type of cheating in the past, even if known cheater Perry would have you think otherwise.

You know what the real crime is, right? Babe Ruth never got to face Latino and black pitchers. Ask Daniel Tosh.

Baseball needs to re-evaluate what is banned and what isn’t based on potential health risks. Because if something like deer antler spray has no health risk, what’s the difference between it and a protein shake? It’s just a rose by another name.

Categories: MLB | Leave a comment

Crawdads on pace to shatter records

Posted on August 5, 2013 by benweinrib

(First appeared in The Charlotte Observer)

Baseball history is being made by the Hickory Crawdads this summer.

The Crawdads have passed their season record of 135 home runs–and there’s still a quarter of the season left. And they’re well on their way to shattering a Class A record set in 1998.

But with the home runs come a lot of swings and misses. The team also is on pace to break the minor league record for strikeouts and become the first team to whiff 1,400 times.

The Crawdads have struck out 10 times or more in more than half of their games, and they’ve hit multiple home runs in more than a third of their games. This has led them to be the fourth-highest scoring team in the South Atlantic League and the second-worst team in batting average and on-base percentage.

Crawdads second baseman Ryan Rua leads all of minor league baseball with 29 home runs. At age 23, he is older than most players in the league, and there isn’t much precedent for sluggers his age making it from Class A to the majors.

But he is playing on a team filled with potential and loaded with some of the best young talent in baseball.

On a rainy afternoon last month in Hickory, seven scouts watched the Crawdads, the youngest South Atlantic League team.

The club includes five of the Texas Rangers’ top 10 prospects, according to Baseball Prospectus, an amateur baseball scouting service. The Rangers, Hickory’s major league parent club invested $13.7 million in those five players.

That collection of talent on one Class A team is rare. The Arkansas Travelers, the Angels’ Class AA affiliate, is the only other minor league team with even four hitters among the team’s top 10 prospects.

With a starting lineup whose average age is nearly three years younger than the rest of the South Atlantic League, Hickory’s talent has keyed the Crawdads’ run to first place in the Northern Division.

“For me being the older guy,” Rua said, “it’s fun to watch them and their talents they have at such a young age.”

While manager Corey Ragsdale said the players aren’t close to where they need to be as hitters, he also said there isn’t another minor league team he’d trade his for because of its sheer talent.

“This is their first full year of baseball,” Ragsdale said. “A bunch of them would be freshman in college right now. Some of the Latin kids would even be seniors in high school still. It’s a pretty big jump; they’re facing kids older than them every day of the season.”

Third baseman Joey Gallo, 19, and center fielder Lewis Brinson, 19, have accounted for nearly a third of the team’s home runs and more than a quarter of the team’s strikeouts. The two were drafted 10 picks apart last year and have roomed together for two years.

Gallo led the minors in home runs before suffering a groin injury that has kept him out for a short stint. He has what one scout called “majestic power.” Brinson is an excellent defender with power and speed. He has 17 home runs and 16 stolen bases.

Even though they signed for a combined $3.875 million, the two live small. Gallo grew up in Las Vegas, where he often would head to the Strip for dinner and a show on the weekend. Now, he and Brinson spend a lot of time playing video games.

“Maybe we can go out to eat a little more, but that’s about it,” Gallo said.

The other three young potential stars arrived through a different route. Catcher Jorge Alfaro, 20, right fielder Nomar Mazara, 18, and first baseman Ronald Guzman, 18, signed with Texas in international free agency. Mazara got the biggest bonus of the group: $5 million.

The three live together in an apartment with shortstop Luis Marte. Mazara, Guzman and Marte, along with 11 other Crawdads played last year for Ragsdale in Arizona, where they won the Arizona League rookie title. Since they’ve been together for more than a year, they have chemistry and can overcome a language barrier.

“We always mess around, saying stuff in Spanish–mostly bad words because that’s all we know–and they say a lot of bad words in English to us,” Gallo said. “We all get along really well, and it’s a lot of fun being with people that are from different places in the world and grew up a little different than you did.”

After finishing a half-game out of first place in the first half, the Crawdads now are third in the Northern Division. For the season, they are 2 1/2 games out of first.

The fans have taken notice of the team’s talent and success; attendance which had been falling during recent years, is up slightly to 2,075 fans per game.

The players also see how special this team is and sometimes envision themselves playing together with the Rangers in the future.

“We have a tremendous amount of talent on this team,” Gallo said. “I don’t see why this whole team can’t move up together and make it up to the top.”

Categories: MLB | Leave a comment

Hickory Crawdads Podcast

Posted on August 5, 2013 by benweinrib

I’ve gotten to write a lot of stories for the Charlotte Observer this summer, but this one has been my favorite this far. I went an hour north of Charlotte to Hickory to watch the Hickory Crawdads play.

Besides the fact that they’ve got a great team name, the team is incredibly interesting. They’ve got five of the Rangers Top 10 prospects–they received a combined $13.7 million bonus–and that doesn’t even include the minor league leader in home runs.

Joey Gallo. Lewis Brinson. Nomar Mazara. Jorge Alfaro. Ronald Guzman. Even Ryan Rua and Nick Williams. The list of talented players goes on and on.

You can read the full article here, but there’s more content I want to share that I couldn’t fit in the article. That’s why I made the 5th installment of The Knuckle Cast.

This podcast features interviews with Gallo, Brinson, Rua, Williams, and manager Corey Ragsdale. My interviews with Mazara, Alfaro, and Guzman were over the phone and needed a translator, so they’re not really worth sharing.

I had a lot of fun with this project, and I hope between the article and the podcast you enjoy it a fraction as much as I did.

The Knuckle Cast Episode #5

(This may take a minute to load, but I promise it’s worth the wait.)

_

(The Observer link is now broken, so I copied it here.)

Baseball history is being made by the Hickory Crawdads this summer.

The Crawdads have passed their season record of 135 home runs–and there’s still a quarter of the season left. And they’re well on their way to shattering a Class A record set in 1998.

But with the home runs come a lot of swings and misses. The team also is on pace to break the minor league record for strikeouts and become the first team to whiff 1,400 times.

The Crawdads have struck out 10 times or more in more than half of their games, and they’re hit multiple home runs in more than a third of their games. This has led them to be the fourth-highest scoring team in teh South Atlantic League and the second-worst team in batting average and on-base percentage.

Cradads second baseman Ryan Rua leads all of minor league baseball with 29 home runs. At age 23, he is older than most players in the league, and there isn’t much precedent for sluggers his age making it from Class A to the majors.

But he is playing on a team filled with potential and loaded with some of the best young talent in baseball.

On a rainy afternoon last month in Hickory, seven scouts watched the Crawdads, the youngest South Atlantic League team.

The club includes five of the Texas Rangers’ top 10 prospects, according to Baseball Prospectus, an amateur baseball scouting service. The Rangers, Hickory’s major league parent club invested $13.7 million in those five players.

That collection of talent on one Class A team is rare. The Arkansas Travelers, the Angels’ Class AA affiliate, is the only other minor league team with even four hitters among the team’s top 10 prospects.

With a With a starting lineup whose average age is nearly three years younger than the rest of the South Atlantic League, Hickory’s talent has keyed the Crawdads’ run to first place in the Northern Division.

“For me being the older guy,” Rua said, “it’s fun to watch them and their talents they have at such a young age.”

While manager Corey Ragsdale said the players aren’t close to where they need to be as hitters, he also said there isn’t another minor league team he’d trade his for because of its sheer talent.

“This is their first full year of baseball,” Ragsdale said. “A bunch of them would be freshman in college right now. Some of the Latin kids would even be seniors in high school still. It’s a pretty big jump; they’re facing kids older than them every day of the season.”

Third baseman Joey Gallo, 19, and center fielder Lewis Brinson, have accounted for nearly a third of the team’s home runs and more than a quarter of the team’s strikeouts. The two were drafted 10 picks apart last year and have roomed together for two years.

Gallo led the minors in home runs before suffering a groin injury that has kept him out for a short stint. He has what one scout called “majestic power.” Brinson is an excellent defender with power and speed. He has 17 home runs and 16 stolen bases.

Even though they stigned for a combined $3.875 million, the two live small. Gallo grew up in Las Vegas, where he often would head to the Strip for dinner and a show on the weekend. Now, he and Brinson spend a lot of time playing video games.

“Maybe we can go out to eat a little more, but that’s about it,” Gallo said.

The other three young potential stars arrived through a different route. Catcher Jorge Alfaro, 20, right fielder Nomar Mazara, 18, and first baseman Ronald Guzman, 18, signed with Texas in international free agency. Mazara got the biggest bonus of the group: $5 million.

The three live together in an apartment with shortstop Luis Marte. Mazara, Guzman and Marte, along with 11 other crawdads played last year for Ragsdale in Arizona, where they won the Arizona League rookie title. Since they’ve been together for more than a year, they have chemistry and can overcome a language barrier.

“We always mess around, saying stuff in Spanish–mostly bad words because that’s all we know–and they say a lot of bad words in English to us,” Gallo said. “We all get along really well, and it’s a lot of fun being with people that are from different places in the world and grew up a little different than you did.”

After finishing a half-game out of first place in the first half, the Crawdads now are third in the Northern Division. For the season, they are 2 1/2 games out of first.

The fans have taken notice of the team’s talent and success; attendance which had been falling during recent years, is up slightly to 2,075 fans per game.

The players also see how special this team is and sometimes envision themselves playing together with the Rangers in the future.

“We have a tremendous amount of talent on this team,” Gallo said. “I don’t see why this whole team can’t move up together and make it up to the top.”

Categories: MLB, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Breaking Down The Jake Peavy Trade

Posted on July 31, 2013 by benweinrib

Hey, guys, it’s been a while. Haven’t wrote much (or anything) about the current baseball season, so I thought I’d start with a breakdown of the biggest trade from trade deadline: Jake Peavy to the Red Sox.

To preface the rest of this article, I’d like to say that Jake Peavy was one of my favorite pitchers growing up. In fact, I’m wearing his Padres t-shirt right now as I write this–it’s about two sizes too small. Wow was he dominant from ’04 to ’08. My (irrational) love for Peavy may be well docummented, but I can assure you that the rest of the article will be written with the utmost objectivity.

But back to the real news.

Underrated topic: theese White Sox jerseys need to stay. They're fantastic.

Underrated topic: these White Sox jerseys need to stay. They’re fantastic.

The Red Sox picked up Peavy and the $20 million owed to him for Jose Iglesias and A-Ball prospects Cleuluis Rondon, Frank Montas, and J.B. Wendelken. Iglesias ended up in Detroit in exchange for Avisail Garcia, and the Sawx also picked up Brayan Villarreal.

When news broke last night that the Red Sox acquired Peavy for Iglesias and others, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It can’t just be Iglesias, right? But they wouldn’t trade him AND Jackie Bradley Jr., Anthony Ranaudo, or Will Middlebrooks for Peavy, right? What am I missing?

Iglesias and spare parts is a steal for Peavy, even if the 32-year old will never see his glory days of a 97 mph heat and a power slider.

We’ve already seen Iglesias’ peak: elite defense and a .409/.455/.530 through June fueled by an inconceivable, unsustainable .464 BABIP and 15.4% infield hit rate. To put that in perspective, Chris Johnson and Ichiro are tops in the league for the season with a .425 BABIP and 15.2% IFH%. Of course, Iggy was hit with The Great Regression in July, hitting just .205/.247/.217.

Iglesias is a good get for Detroit, who will need a shortstop when Jhonny Peralta is slapped with a 50-game Biogenesis suspension, but they should expect offense much closer to July’s production than anything else. He should hit just well enough to warrant hitting 8th in an NL lineup, but then again, he’ll make up for everything Miguel Cabrera can’t do defensively at third and then some.

Iglesias is a nice player, but a flawed one. And with shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third basemen Will Middlebrooks and Garin Cecchini already past him in prospect status, he becomes very expendable. That the Red Sox were able to acquire a very good pitcher–when healthy–for just Iglesias is a near miracle.

What’s even more funny is that the Red Sox picked up a starter for a year and a half for less than it took the Rangers to add Matt Garza–a very similar pitcher–for two plus months. And Texas won’t even be able to recoup a compensatory pick should Garza sign elsewhere, as Boston will next winter.

Mike Olt, C.J. Edwards, Justin Grimm, and (likely) Neil Ramirez are all major league contributors, and Olt and Edwards have the chance to be above-average regulars. Can you even say that about Iglesias?

Peavy may not have the dominant numbers from last year, but his peripherals look good. He has an exquisite 4.48 K/BB ratio but an unlucky 13.1% HR/FB rate, something pitchers don’t really have control of. That’s illustrated in his 3.68 xFIP compared to his 4.28 ERA to date.

Peavy’s throwing his fastball just as hard as he has the past two seasons (90.6 mph average compared to 90.7 and 90.8), although he’s throwing more two-seamers and cutters now than ever (80% of his fastballs). He’s even going to his curveball more than his slider–10.0% vs. 4.1% compared to 8.7% vs. 18.5% for his career–leading to a much less pronounced platoon split–4.13 vs. 4.05 FIP compared to 3.91 vs. 3.16 FIP for his career.

Peavy makes a very nice third starter behind Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz (assuming he’s healthy by September/October), with some combination of John Lackey, Felix Doubront, and John Lackey to round out the rotation. Boston will have a nice problem next spring with those six plus Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, Brandon Workman, and Anthony Ranaudo under contract, but a little pitching surplus never hurt anyone. Ask the formerly-pitching-deep Dodgers, who traded away their depth at the beginning of the season, only to be bit by the inevitable injury bug.

At the end of the day, the Red Sox picked up an affordable starter (they’re paying him like a 3-WAR pitcher) without giving up their most prized assets. Additionally, this trade may even encourage them to give Bogaerts a cup of coffee in preparation for an everyday job next spring.

How could this have turned out any better?

(Alright now I can take off this adult small shirt, so it’ll stop choking me)

Categories: MLB | Leave a comment

The NCAA Is Morally Wrong, But You Already Knew That

Posted on July 18, 2013 by benweinrib

Yesterday was a big step for the NCAA. It didn’t make a great step, but things are better of than they were two days ago.

If you hadn’t heard before, the NCAA will not renew its partnership with EA Sports, meaning there won’t be an NCAA Football 15 video game.

The NCAA gave out a statement, saying “given the current business climate and costs of litigation, we determined participating in this game is not in the best interests of the NCAA.” Essentially, the NCAA is in danger of losing a couple lawsuits because they haven’t been paying student-athletes for their likeness, and the NCAA does not want to break its own rule of not paying student-athletes.

There are many issues with the NCAA; so many that I don’t have time to go over right now. But the one issue that really upsets me is paying athletes.

Or student-athletes, whatever the NCAA wants us to call them.

I’ve always believed that student-athletes should be paid. University of Texas football created $163 million in revenue in the 2011-12 season, yet they only paid their 85 scholarship athletes, the people who create that revenue, a total of $2.38 million. That’s just $28,000 per player in a currency they can’t spend.

The NCAA can do this because there is no viable path to the NFL other than college football, so they effectively run a cartel. Student-athletes have no union, so they can’t collectively bargain to be paid. The NCAA just gets to make up their own rules to say that athletes can’t be paid.

It’s utterly outrageous and morally wrong.

Do you think this hit was so swift it didn't hurt? Like Vincent Smith just went numb?

The Editor-in-Chief of the Vanderbilt Hustler can be paid $375 a month, but Jadeveon Clowney can’t get paid anything for devouring souls.

In what other workplace can someone put in full-time work–yes, college athletes have a full time job, and it’s sports–create billions of dollars in revenue, and not get paid a dime? We only accept this idea because it’s the way things have always been, which is never a great way to make decisions.

Imagine if the only way to get into Hollywood was to go to a three-year Movie University, where actors’ skills are honed. Student-actors work hard to make movies while at the University–blockbuster ones that gross hundreds of millions of dollars–but they aren’t paid because University officials say they’re amateurs, and the University keeps all the money.

No one would be okay with this.

Why are we okay not paying college-athletes?

The main argument I keep hearing is that students are paid–in the form of scholarships. But scholarships are not real payment. They’re useful for someone who can dedicate the time to learn, but many student-athletes don’t have the time to take close to full-advantage of it, and scholarships damn sure aren’t doing much for student-athletes who can’t read. Scholarships can’t feed a hungry family back home, and they can’t be cashed in for anything.

Furthermore, a scholarship would be fine payment if it were just part of the player’s payment. Twice minimum wage isn’t remotely close to equitable payment for a player who creates millions in revenue. Imagine that Movie University actor getting paid $30,000 for starring in a Golden Globes-nominated film. That’s just not right.

NCAA officials often say that it’s the players’ choice and privilege to play football, but they have no other alternative. It’s like John Rockefeller talking to his workers before they unionized. Being paid for what you do is a basic tenant of this country, but college football colludes to not pay its cash cows purely for profits and tradition.

But as immoral and illogical as it is to not compensate student-athletes, it’s even more mind-numbing to me that they’re not allowed to take payment of any kind. They can’t get a cut of their jersey sales. They can’t be sponsors in commercials. They can’t get money for their likeness in a video game. They can’t even be treated to a $5 footlong sub at Subway.

The biggest jokes of all are the jersey sales and video game likenesses. Kansas, of course, doesn’t carry any Andrew Wiggins jerseys, but they suddenly got a large stock of #22 jerseys when he committed. The biggest sham, of course, is the video game, where Texas A&M suddenly got an amazing quarterback and South Carolina got a superhuman defensive end in NCAA Football 14. I thought that was pretty ironic because Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy last year and has the same frame, number, and general skills as Texas A&M QB #2. Same for South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney and USC DE #7.

But there’s no way they’re related. The NCAA claims they’re not related.

I can live with athletes not being paid directly by their school if they are allowed to receive outside payments. At the very least, they need to be able to make money off their jersey sales and a hypothetical future video game likeness.

Fans may say that paying athletes will lead to an unfair system where rich schools get better athletes, but is that any different than Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern being handicapped because they have to hold athletes to a higher academic standard? A potentially polarized college football landscape is not a reason to bar student-athletes from being paid for their work.

But and schools get records removed and players still get suspended for taking free tattoos and getting a free lunch. Only recently have small loopholes opened up.

But until we make changes, these players are slaves to an arcane system based on reprehensible and indefensible rules.

Altogether eliminating NCAA video games was over the top, but God forbid we pay people for using their likeness in a multi-million dollar product. It sure wasn’t the best move, but it’s better than the old system.

Categories: College Football | Leave a comment

Top 20 Kanye West Songs

Posted on July 13, 2013 by benweinrib

I spent four nights in Chicago while my brother visited colleges, and I came up with this idea. Kanye West is the greatest artist of this generation — I don’t want to hear an argument against this — so I figured I’d make a Top 10 of Kanye West songs.

Then after second thought, that would be too hard, and it wouldn’t do justice to Yeezy’s work. So I expanded to a Top 20.

But even a Top 20 doesn’t do him justice because I ended up leaving off some great songs. That just goes to show how enduring and powerful his music is.

And I know what you’re saying: “Ben, this is a sports blog, not a music blog!”

“Ben, rap music is shallow and churlish and trash!”

“Ben, Kanye West has nothing on Trinadad James and Juicy J!”

Well then just skip this post. (Warning: Kanye uses a bit of language in his songs, and I’m keeping quotes true to the songs)

20. New God Flow

CruelSummercoverCruel Summer – 2012

I’m not a huge fan of Cruel Summer since it feels more like a DJ Khaled album than a Kanye Album, but Kanye kills it on this track. I barely put this in over Love Lockdown because it’s a little too auto-tuney and doesn’t have many great lines for a Ye song, plus another song higher up on the list better represents 808s and Heartbreak. Anyway, Pusha T opens with the first two verses of the song, which have some clever rhymes, but I’m completely ignoring the Ghostface Killa part at the end, which doesn’t even appear on the Single version.

Highlights:

“Did Moses not part the water with the cane? / Did strippers not make an ark when I made it rain?”

“Hold up, I ain’t trying to stunt, man
But these Yeezys jumped over the Jumpman
Went from most hated to the champion god flow
I guess that’s a feeling only me and LeBron know”

“What has the world come to, I’m from the 312
Where cops don’t come through and dreams don’t come true
Like there the god go in his Murcielago
From working McDonalds, barely paying the car note
He even got enough to get his mama a condo
Then they ran up and shot him right in front of his mom”

19. Through The Wire

Kanyewest_collegedropoutThe College Dropout – 2004

This was Kanye’s first song after his near-fatal car accident, where he talks about… his near-fatal car accident. And how he’s “the hottest rap label around.” His first verse is full of clever rhymes, and he really opens up in this song.

Highlights:

“Dawg, don’t you realize I’ll never make it on a bad plane now? / It’s bad enough I got all this jewelry on!”

“But I’m a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph / Make music that’s fire, spit my soul through the wire”

“And just imagine how my girl might feel
On the plane, scared as hell that her guy look like Emmett Till
She was with me before the deal, she been tryna be mine
She a Delta, so she been throwin’ that Dynasty sign”

18. Dark Fantasy

My_Beautiful_Dark_Twisted_FantasyMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – 2010

Dark Fantasy is the first song in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, setting the tone for his fifth album, which Entertainment Weekly named the 8th greatest album of all-time. Nicki Minaj starts it off with a twist on Roald Dahl’s take on Cinderella from Revolting Rhymes. Her shift from happy-sounding to angry lets you know what’s coming in MBDTF.

Highlights:

“The plan was to drink until the pain over / But what’s worse, the pain or the hangover?”

“You might think you’ve peeped the scene
You haven’t, the real one’s far too mean
The watered-down one, the one you know
was made up centuries ago
They made it sound wack and corny
Yes it’s awful, blasted boring
Twisted fictions, sick addictions
Well gather ‘round children, zip it, listen”

“Stupid, but what the hell do I know / I’m just a Chi-town n***a with a Nas flow”

17. I Am A God

Yeezus_Kanye_WestYeezus – 2013

This is an… interesting song. Taken out of context, misanthropes will say this is why everyone hates Kanye: He’s egotistical and arrogant. But check out Psalm 82.6: “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” I Am A God also has the most quotable line from the entire album and a whole lot of screaming.

Highlights:

“I am a god
Even though I’m a man of God
My whole life in the hands of God
So y’all better quit playing with God”

“I just talked to Jesus
He said, “What up Yeezus?”
I said, “Shit I’m chilling
Trying to stack these millions”
I know he the most high
But I am a close high”

“In a French-ass restaurant / Hurry up with my damn croissants”

16. Flashing Lights

Graduation_(album)Graduation – 2007

This is one of Kanye’s tamer songs, where he talks about his relationship with the media by personifying them as a girlfriend he can’t get out of his mind. This one’s actually okay for your grandma to listen to! At least the clean version…

Highlights:

“She don’t believe in shooting stars / But she believe in shoes and cars”

“I’m more of the trips to Florida / Ordered the hors d’oeuvres, views of the water / Straight from the page of your favorite author”

“In my past, you on the other side of the glass
Of my memory’s museum
I’m just saying, hey Mona Lisa come home
You know you can’t roam without Caesar”

15. Can’t Tell Me Nothing

Graduation_(album)Graduation – 2007

It sounds like Kanye is saying he won’t listen to anyone because he has money, but he’s actually mocking people who believe that. He already has his money right. Fun fact: I always think of The Hangover when this song comes on.

Highlights:

“Life is a, UH, depending how you dress her / So if the devil wear Prada, Adam Eve wear nada / I’m in between but way more fresher”

“I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven
When I woke, I spent that on a necklace
I told God I’d be back in a second
Man it’s so hard not to act reckless”

“I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny
And what I do, act more stupidly
Bought more jewelry, more Louis V
My Momma couldn’t get through to me”

14. Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)

Late_registration_cd_coverLate Registration – 2005

Most people like the original version of this song better, but I’m partial to the Remix. Kanye simultaneously talks about the internal struggle over Blood Diamonds — which he dubs “conflict diamonds” — and his relationship with Jay-Z–where their symbol for Roc-a-fella Records is a diamond — over Shirley Bassey’s Diamonds Are Forever track. Jay-Z closes the song with the great line: “If you’re waiting for the end of the Dynasty sign / It would seem like forever is a mighty long time.”

Highlights:

“See, a part of me saying: “Keep shining”
How? When I know what a blood diamond is
Though it’s thousands of miles away
Sierra Leone connects to what we go through today” ”

“Over here it’s a drug trade, we die from drugs / Over there they die from what we buy from drugs”

“The diamonds, the chains, the bracelets, the charmses
I thought my Jesus-piece was so harmless
Til I seen a picture of a shorty armless
And here’s the conflict:
It’s in a black person soul to rock that gold
Spend your whole life trying to get that ice”

13. Stronger

Graduation_(album)Graduation – 2007

This was Ye’s big hit off his third album, his second-ever single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100. Using samples from Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” Stronger has a fun beat and it’s one of his best-known songs, but it’s not as deep as a lot of other songs on this list. But what makes a good song? Popularity or the message?

Highlights:

“Now that that don’t kill me / Can only make me stronger”

“Damn, they don’t make ’em like this anymore / I ask, cause I’m not sure / Do anybody make real shit anymore?”

“Bow in the presence of greatness
Cause right now thou hast forsaken us
You should be honored by my lateness
That I would even show up to this fake shit”

12. Runaway

My_Beautiful_Dark_Twisted_FantasyMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – 2010

A beautifully sad song, this song might sum up My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy best. Kanye talks about how he can’t keep a relationship with women and tells them not to settle with bad men. Also, this has one of the best music videos I’ve seen, which ties in several other songs from the album. That’s art.

Highlights:

“And I always find, yeah, I always find something wrong
You been putting up with my shit just way too long
I’m so gifted at finding what I don’t like the most
So I think it’s time for us to have a toast”

“Let’s have a toast for the douchebags
Let’s have a toast for the assholes
Let’s have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know
Let’s have a toast for the jerkoffs
That’ll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can”

“And I don’t know how Imma manage / If one day you just up and leave”

11. Lost in the World

My_Beautiful_Dark_Twisted_FantasyMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – 2010

It’s a simple song, short and repetitive, but a great one. When I first played this song in the car with my brother, he asked “Is this music?” because the Bon Iver beginning is very, well, Bon Iver-ish. But apparently, Kanye’s first eight bars were his favorite ever to write.

Highlights:

“You’re my devil, you’re my angel
You’re my heaven, you’re my hell
You’re my now, you’re my forever
You’re my freedom, you’re my jail
You’re my lies, you’re my truth
You’re my war, you’re my truce
You’re my questions, you’re my proof
You’re my stress and you’re my masseuse”

“I’m lost in the world, I’m down on my mind / I’m new in the city, and I’m down for the night”

“Lost in this plastic life / Let’s break out of this fake ass party / Turn this into a classic night”

10. Homecoming

Graduation_(album)Graduation – 2007

Kanye had been working on this song a while before it came out in 2007, and it’s one of his best. He gives an ode to his home town of Chicago — he moved there at age three after his mom’s divorce — by personifying Chi-town as a girl from home. Once you figure out that much — he spoils it at the end — you can see how well his lines talk about both a girl and his hometown. That’s why this is my favorite song on Graduation.

Highlights:

“I met this girl when I was 3 years old
And what I loved most she had so much soul
She said ‘Excuse me lil homey, I know you don’t know me
But, my name is Windy and I like to blow trees'”

“And when I grew up she showed me how to go downtown
In the nighttime her face lit up, so astounding
I told her in my heart is where she’ll always be
She never messed with entertainers cause they always leave”

“Now everybody got the game figured out all wrong / I guess you never know what you got ’til it’s gone / I guess that’s why I’m here and I can’t come back home”

9. Coldest Winter

808s_&_Heartbreak808s and Heartbreak – 2008

There are only nine different lines in this song, but they’re haunting. The heavy drums in the background play up the lyrics even more. 808s and Heartbreak came on the heels of his mom’s death (we’ll see her importance to him in a few songs) and the breaking off of his two-year engagement with Alexis Phifer, and this song best represents that time in his life. Fun fact: The holiday season has the highest suicide rate of any time of the year!

Highlights:

“On lonely nights, I start to fade
Her love is a thousand miles away
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend, will I ever love again”

“It’s 4 a.m. and I can’t sleep / Her love is all that I can see”

“If spring can take the snow away
Can it melt away all of our mistakes
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend, I won’t ever love again, never again”

8. Black Skinhead

Yeezus_Kanye_WestYeezus – 2013

This is where Kanye’s songs take a leap; these next eight songs are fantastic. Although this was the second song on Yeezus, it sets the tone for the whole album with rebellious lyrics, coarse music, and screams. And this beat is impossible not to love. He killed it on SNL but sadly left out the line “My homie was number one draft pick / They still burned his jersey in Akron” in the album version. It’s also a little unclear if Black Skinhead means he hates how black people are acting or if he thinks blacks are superior. Maybe both.

Highlights:

“They see a black man with a white woman / At the top floor they gone come to kill King Kong”

“Four in the morning, and I’m zoning
They say I’m possessed, it’s an omen
I keep it 300, like the Romans
300 bitches, where the Trojans?
Baby we living in the moment
I’ve been a menace for the longest
But I ain’t finished, I’m devoted
And you know it, and you know it”

“So follow me up cause this shit ’bout to go (down)
I’m doing 500, I’m outta control (now)
But there’s nowhere to go (now)
And there’s no way to slow (down)
If I knew what I knew in the past
I would’ve been blacked out on your ass”

7. No Church in the Wild

Watch_The_ThroneWatch the Throne – 2011

No Church in the Wild is probably the best song on Watch the Thone, in large part to Jay-Z killing his verse, but I’m only considering Kanye lines. This song is used in about two dozen commercials and previews, much like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ Can’t Hold Us, but it has crazy good staying power. I could write an entire essay on this song. I probably will someday.

Highlights:

“Human beings in a mob / What’s a mob to a king? What’s a king to a God? / What’s a God to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything?”

“Two tattoos: one read “No Apologies”
The other said “Love is Cursed by Monogamy”
It’s something that the pastor don’t preach
It’s something that a teacher can’t teach
When we die the money we can’t keep
But we probably spend it all cause the pain ain’t cheap: preach”

“We formed a new religion
No sins as long as there’s permission
And deception is the only felony
So never fuck nobody without telling me”

6. N****s in Paris

Watch_The_ThroneWatch the Throne – 2011

Huge hit. Lots of quotable lines, too. What’s not to love? These guys are so good they can thrown a couple lines from Blades of Glory on the record and still make Top 5 on the Billboard.

Highlights:

“Doctors say I’m the illest, cause I’m suffering from realness
Got my n****s in Paris and they going gorillas, huh
I don’t even know what that means
(No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative)
No it’s not, it’s gross (Gets the people going)”

“That shit cray, ain’t it Jay? What she order, fish filet?”

“Excuse my French but I’m in France, I’m just sayin’ / Prince William ain’t do it right if you ask me / Cause I was him, I would have married Kate and Ashley”

5. Hey Mama

Late_registration_cd_coverLate Registration – 2005

I’ll be perfectly honest: this song makes me cry. Hey Mama was the first song Kanye ever wrote, which gives a shout out to the most important person in his life: Donda West. A lot of people haven’t heard this song, but it’s undoubtedly one of his best. Watching him break down crying while singing this live kills me.

Highlights:

“(Hey Mama), I wanna scream so loud for you, cause I’m so proud of you
Let me tell you what I’m about to do, (Hey Mama)
I know I act a fool but, I promise you I’m goin’ back to school
I appreciate what you allowed for me
I just want you to be proud of me”

“I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine
This little light of mine and I’m finna let it shine
I’m finna take yall back to them better times
I’m finna talk about my mama if yall don’t mind”

“Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes
Cuz a n***a cheatin’, telling you lies, then I started to cry
As we knelt on the kitchen floor
I said mommy Imma love you till you don’t hurt no more
And when I’m older, you ain’t gotta work no more
And Imma get you that mansion that we couldn’t afford
See you’re, unbreakable, unmistakable
Highly capable, lady that’s makin’ loot
A livin’ legend too, just look at what heaven do
Send us an angel, and I thank you”

4. Gold Digger

Late_registration_cd_coverLate Registration – 2005

For starters, Jamie Foxx does a fantastic Ray Charles impersonation coming off his Academy Award-winning performance in “Ray,” and it’s more than ironic that he takes the I Got A Woman hook and completely flips the meaning. This was Kanye’s first No. 1 Billboard song, and it’s fun. An awful story, for sure, but it’s fun.

Highlights:

“Now I ain’t saying she a gold digger / But she ain’t messing with no broke n****s”

“You will see him on TV any given Sunday
Win the Super Bowl and drive off in a Hyundai
She was supposed to buy your shorty Tyco with your money
She went to the doctor got lipo with your money
She walking around looking like Michael with your money
Should’ve got that insured, Geico for your money”

“18 years, 18 years / And on the 18th birthday he found out it wasn’t his?!”

3. All of the Lights

My_Beautiful_Dark_Twisted_FantasyMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – 2010

This is a lot more radio-friendly than Power, but it’s doesn’t have a strong of a message. That said, his story of a dysfunctional family is also meant to illustrate Kanye’s relationship with fame is still great. Imagine that, another song where Kanye personifies a facet of his life as a woman. But it’s catchy, the music is great, and all the featured artists (including Elton John!!!) do a great job. Except Fergie. The radio edit is better since she’s not on it.

Highlights:

“I made mistakes, I bumped my head
Courts sucked me dry, I spent that bread
She need her daddy, baby please
Can’t let her grow up in that ghetto university”

“All of the lights, all of the lights / Turn up the lights in here, baby / Extra bright, I want y’all to see this”

“I did that time and spent that bread
I’m heading home, I’m almost there
I’m on my way, heading up the stairs
To my surprise, a n***a replacing me
I had to take him to that ghetto university”

2. Power

My_Beautiful_Dark_Twisted_FantasyMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – 2010

I had this at No. 3 for a while, but his SNL performance, in which he includes a much more show-friendly second verse, and music video push it over the top. I don’t have much more to add beyond the fact that it’s a really great song, probably the best single on his best album.

Highlights:

“No one man should have all that power
The clock’s ticking, I just count the hours
Stop tripping, I’m tripping off the power
Till then, fuck that, the world’s ours”

“The system broken, the school is closed, the prison’s open”

“My childlike creativity, purity, and honesty
Is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts
Reality is catching up with me
Taking my inner child, I’m fighting for custody
With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
As I look down at my diamond-encrusted piece”

1. Jesus Walks

Kanyewest_collegedropoutThe College Dropout – 2004

Kanye West is extremely religious, so it’s only fitting that this is his top song. You can pretty much just cut to the last nine lines for the message, but the whole song is incredible from the drill sergeant orders to the choir voices to Kanye being Kanye. Strange that his best song came nearly a decade ago, but he was able to make a religious hip-hop song become ultra-successful in the mainstream.

Highlights:

“So here go my single dog radio needs this
They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus
That means guns, sex, lies, videotape
But if I talk about God my record won’t get played, huh?
Well if this take away from my spins
Which will probably take away from my ends
Then I hope this take away from my sins
And bring the day that I’m dreaming about
Next time I’m in the club, everybody screaming out (Jesus Walks!)”

“God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down
The only thing that I pray is that my feet don’t fail me now
And I don’t think there is nothing I can do now to right my wrongs
I want to talk to God but I’m afraid because we ain’t spoke in so long”

“A trunk full of coke rental car from Avis
My momma used to say only Jesus can save us
Well momma I know I act a fool
But I’ll be gone ’til November I got packs to move I hope”

_

…debate

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Draft Links and Big Board

Posted on June 26, 2013 by benweinrib

This is one of my favorite times of the year, NBA Draft season, and I’ve been pretty busy writing. Below I’ve shared links to all the stuff I’ve written on this site and Bobcats Baseline. Below that I have my top 30 players for the draft, which you should definitely trust over pro scouts and paid draft analysts. Enjoy!

June 25:

Atlanta Will Win The NBA Draft Despite Picking A Plumlee – Stuff on Giannis Antetokounmpo and my Mock Draft

Nerlens Noel: High and Low – A back-and-forth about whether Nerlens Noel is the best of worst possible Bobcats draft pick

June 24:

Gerald Henderson – The Free Agent – A look at what Charlotte should do at SG through the draft and free agency

June 13:

The Demarcus Debate – A back-and-forth about whether the Bobcats should trade for DeMarcus Cousins

May 31:

Anthony Bennett: The Next LJ or Sean May? – I try to convince fellow Baseliner ASChin that Anthony Bennett is great for Charlotte

_

Draft Big Board:

a

Otto Porter may not have one elite skill, but he can do everything pretty well.

1. Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky

2. Anthony Bennett, PF, UNLV

3. Otto Porter Jr., SF, Georgetown

4. Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas

5. Alex Len, C, Maryland

6. Victor Oladipo, SG, Indiana

7. Trey Burke, PG, Michigan

8. Cody Zeller, PF, Indiana

9. Michael Carter-Williams, PG, Syracuse

10. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Georgia

11. Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF, Greece

12. Shabazz Muhammad, SF, UCLA

13. C.J. McCollum, SG, Lehigh

14. Lucas Nogueira, C, Brazil

15. Steven Adams, C, Pittsburgh

16. Tony Mitchell, PF, North Texas

17. Shane Larkin, PG, Miami

18. Mason Plumlee, PF, Duke

a

No defense, T-Rex arms, and bad athleticism from a small conference? Pass.

19. Allen Crabbe, SG, California

20. Ricky Ledo, SG, Providence

21. Dennis Schroeder, PG, Germany

22. Sergey Karasev, SG, Russia

23. Reggie Bullock, SF, UNC

24. Jamaal Franklin, SG, San Diego State

25. Glen Rice Jr., SG, NBADL

26. Gorgui Dieng, C, Louisville

27. Tony Snell, SF, New Mexico

28. Kelly Olynyk, PF, Gonzaga

29. Tim Haradaway Jr., SG, Michigan

30. Grant Jerrett, PF, Arizona

Categories: NBA | Leave a comment

Atlanta Will Win The NBA Draft Despite Picking A Plumlee

Posted on June 25, 2013 by benweinrib

Yeah, you read that correctly.

The Atlanta Hawks are going to win the NBA draft despite drafting a Plumlee.

Atlanta is one of six teams with two first-rounders this year (Cleveland has 1 and 19, Phoenix is 5 and 30, Minnesota has 9 and 26, Oklahoma City has 12 and 29, and Utah has 14 and 21). Having first-round flexibility allows teams to be creative. Specifically, it allows teams to take risks.

One of the big risks teams with multiple picks are likely to take is to go international. Look at the 2011 draft when Cleveland, Utah, Washington, Charlotte, and Houston all went international with one of their two picks. Five of the eight international first-rounders were taken by teams with an extra number one pick.

Although they have the same average draft position as the Suns, T-Wolves, and Jazz, the Hawks are in a unique position because they have back-to-back picks.

Boston didn’t exactly take advantage of that same scenario last year when they took Jared Sullinger (a.k.a. Basketball Jesus) and The Most Fabulous of Melos, however Minnesota went international in 2009 with Ricky Rubio then Stephen Curry Jonny Flynn.

This year’s crop of international players isn’t quite as good as 2011, but it features some interesting characters. We have Brazilian Nerlens Noel (athletic shot blocker with crazy hair), German Rajon Rondo (quick point guard who can’t shoot), Russian Kyle Korver (white wing who can only shoot), and French Alexis Ajinca (Alexis Ajinca).

Remember the name Giannis Antetokounmpo. Or just remember there's a Greek kid with a crazy name.

Remember the name Giannis Antetokounmpo. Or just remember there’s a Greek kid with a crazy name.

And then we have the Greek Freak.

The man whose name is harder to spell than Mike Krzyzewski.

Giannis Antetokounmpo.

We don’t know a lot about the kid, but here’s what we do know: he’s athletic, he’s young, and he somehow ended up with an ‘n’ in his last name (I’m no translator, but where is the ‘n’ in γιαννης αντετοκουμπο?).

His highlights are enough to make scouts and fans alike salivate, although it’s slightly concerning that the grainy video looks like he’s playing in a middle school gym against church leaguers.

But he’s just an athletic freak–hence the nickname.

He’s 6’9″ 215 with a 7’3″ wingspan and massive hands. The kid’s only 18, who knows if he’s even done growing. He runs like a deer up the court with a nice handle–you’d be surprised how many players don’t have this simple skill–and he’s an explosive jumper. A great passer, Antetokounmpo often plays the point forward and has demonstrated three-point range.

So what’s the issue, why isn’t he the top pick in a noted weak draft? Well, he’s still a risk.

Antetokounmpo was playing glorified high school ball overseas and is very raw. He won’t go straight to the NBA, and scouts haven’t been watching him as long as domestic players. Hell, Darko Milicic blew away scouts and tricked Detroit into taking him over Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

But Antetokounmpo’s name won’t be butchered by David Stern until after the lottery, and he likely won’t go until a team with multiple picks comes up. And this is where Atlanta comes in.

With two picks, the risk of wasting a draft is lessened. A team could go with two big gambles (Antetokounmpo and Lucas Nogueira), but they’ll more likely go with a safe pick and then a risk. I have the Hawks taking Duke big man Mason Plumlee directly after the Greek Freak.

Mason Plumlee won’t get fans excited. He won’t start many games–especially if they bring in Dwight Howard. But he’s a serviceable big man who can be a rich man’s Nick Collison. Teams aren’t looking for a starter outside the lottery of a normal draft, so Nick Collison isn’t a bad addition in a weak draft.

While drafting Plumlee won’t move the needle much, drafting a safe player (Plumlee will still be in the league five years from now) makes rolling the dice on Antetokounmpo a whole lot easier.

As I’ve said before, Antetokounmpo has the raw tools to become a star. But teams have to take a leap of faith on this guy, a leap of faith that his physical dominance on grainy footage in Greece can translate into dominance in 1080p HD in primetime on the biggest stage.

And I believe in him. He’s shown he can do a little bit of everything, and at the very least he’ll be a jack-of-all-trades point forward who defends well. Isn’t that Otto Porter? But if he maximizes his potential with strong coaching? He could become a better Paul George.

What’s not to love about this guy? DraftExpress lists his weaknesses as strength and explosiveness, perimeter shooting, defensive consistency, and lack of experience. All of those are correctable with experience, hard work, and coaching. It’s not like he’s physically held back by height or age like Shabazz Muhammad.

The Hawks will land a star in Giannis Antetokounmpo. He may not make a mark in the league for a few years, but mark my words he will. And it’s all because they drafted a Plumlee.

I came out with my mock lottery the night of the actual lottery, and here is my fully fleshed out mock draft. I can guarantee you this is better than picking names randomly out of a hat.

1

Alex Len
C 7-foot-1 225 lbs Maryland 19 Years Old

Nerlens Noel is the top talent in the draft, but owner Dan Gilbert gave management a playoff mandate. Noel will miss a significant part of the season, and according to sources, the Cavs are willing to take a lesser talent in Len to win now. The Cavs have been confident in their scouting reports recently, though, drafting Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters ahead of where most people valuated them the past two years, so don’t be surprised if Len is the pick here.

2

Nerlens Noel
C 7-foot 206 lbs Kentucky 19 Years Old

Orlando will reportedly swipe up Noel if he falls to number two. I can’t blame them, I’d take him first overall. Victor Oladipo is also apparently their second choice, although I’d take him fifth at the earliest. I do wonder how Noel and Nik Vucevic will work together, though.

3

Otto Porter Jr.
SF 6-foot-9 198 lbs Georgetown 19 Years Old

Porter fits what the Wizards need (defense and versatility) in a position they need (small forward), and he even has a local connection (Georgetown and the Wizards gyms are 4 miles apart). This pick ultimately comes down to Porter or Anthony Bennett–sources close to the team said they won’t consider Noel. I personally prefer Bennett, but Porter is a better fit, since they already have Nene and plenty of offense from John Wall and Bradley Beal.

4

Anthony Bennett
PF 6-foot-8 240 lbs UNLV 19 Years Old

I think Anthony Bennett will become the second best player in the draft. I don’t see his size as an issue because of his length (7-foot-1 wingspan) and his explosiveness. Also, Anthony Bennett is Larry Johnson. As documented before, they’re the same size, they both went to UNLV, they put up almost the same numbers, and, oh yeah, they have the same birthday. I’m pretty sure Grandmama was reborn at age 24 in Toronto. That would explain the lack of polarizing personality and general friendliness.

5

Victor Oladipo
SG 6-foot-4 213 lbs Indiana 20 Years Old

I’m not high on Oladipo like other people are; I’m not sure he scores more than 12 ppg. But hey, I’m not actually a scout, and they value hustle and grit more than I value scoring. But at the very least, Oladipo will be Tony Allen, and that’s not a bad floor. In case you didn’t notice already, this draft is weak.

6

Trey Burke
PG 6-foot-1 217 lbs Michigan 20 Years Old

New Orleans would probably like Len here to match with Anthony Davis, but in this scenario, he’s not here. They have keepers at power forward and shooting guard (hey, remember Eric Gordon?) and that’s it. Ben McLemore is the best talent on the board, but he doesn’t make sense if Gordon is still on roster, so Burke becomes the pick. Sorry, Austin Rivers.

7

Michael Carter-Williams
PG 6-foot-6 184 lbs Syracuse 21 Years Old

Again, McLemore is the best talent left, but he makes even less sense with the Kings because they already have black hole shooters in Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, Jimmer Freddette, John Salmons, Isaiah Thomas, …

8

Ben McLemore
SG 6-foot-5 189 lbs Kansas 20 Years Old

How does this happen every year? Detroit has spent the past four years in the lottery, and each year a top talent inexplicably falls to them. McLemore is a great fit, since they’re looking for another guard. Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight, Andre Drummond, and potentially McLemore? This isn’t fair.

9

C.J. McCollum
SG 6-foot-3 197 lbs Lehigh 21 Years Old

The Wolves are fiending for shooting, and that’s pretty much all McCollum can do. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has a better all-around game, but this combo guard gives Minnesota what it needs.

10

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SG 6-foot-6 204 lbs Georgia 20 Years Old

Meyers Leonard hasn’t worked out yet–although it’s too early to make a call on him–so the Blazers will be looking for a two guard or a big man to go with LaMarcus Aldridge. Cody Zeller is too similar to Aldridge, and Steven Adams is too similar to Leonard, so I think KCP is the pick here. Yes, I realize that’s a lazy nickname for him.

11

Cody Zeller
PF 7-foot 230 lbs Indiana 20 Years Old

I accidentally called him Tyler Zeller in my mock lottery. Yep.

12

Steven Adams
C 7-foot 255 lbs Pittsburgh 19 Years Old

OKC doesn’t need a lot of things, but they could probably use some more size. Adams is a long-term project, but he already has NBA size. Really, he just needs more time around the sport (that has to be a good sign, right?), since he’s only been playing for five years. The Thunder can afford to take this risk as a potential great defensive big man to go with Serge Ibaka.

13

Dennis Schroeder
PG 6-foot-2 165 lbs Germany 19 Years Old

We know one thing: the 13th overall pick will not play in Dallas next year. Either this pick will be traded or the Mavs will stash a player in Europe. With Dario Saric out of the draft, Sergey Karasev is getting a lot of late helium, but we’re overlooking the most obvious fit. It’s the German kid! Dallas needs a point guard, since Darren Collison isn’t the answer, and Schroeder could learn easily under the wing of Dirk “Sportmeister” Nowitzki.

14

Shane Larkin
PG 6-foot 171 lbs Miami 20 Years Old

This is the nightmare scenario for Utah. They’re in dire need of a young point guard, and Burke, Carter-Williams, McCollum, and Schroeder are all off the board. They’re big fans of Shane Larkin, but they’d probably rather take him at 21. In this case, however, they can’t risk Milwaukee or some other team swiping him up, so he’s the pick here.

15

 mil

Sergey Karasev
SG 6-foot-7 197 lbs Russia 19 Years Old

I don’t know what to think of the Bucks front court because Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, and J.J. Redick are all free agents. When’s the last time a team had their entire backcourt of good players hit free agency at once? Anyway, they’re not all coming back and they’ll need shooting. Enter, Karasev.

16

 bos

Shabazz Muhammad
SF 6-foot-6 222 lbs UCLA 20 Years Old

I don’t know how Shabazz’s star has fallen this far. He may not be able to do as much as we thought when he was coming into UCLA, but he can do one thing: score. There’s a place in this league for players who can scor

e, and the Celtics just need talented players as they enter a rebuilding stage.

17

 atl

Giannis Antetokounmpo
SF 6-foot-9 215 lbs Greece 18 Years Old

You ready my intro, right?

18

 atl

Mason Plumlee
PF 6-foot-10 238 lbs Duke 23 Years Old

You read the entry before this, right?

19

Jamaal Franklin
SG 6-foot-5 191 lbs San Diego State 21 Years Old

Cleveland is going with a center with their first pick, so they’ll get a perimeter player with this pick. There aren’t any point guards worth taking here, and I don’t see them taking Tony Mitchell (although I absolutely love him), so I have them taking a shooting guard who can’t shoot.

20

 chi

Allen Crabbe
SG 6-foot-6 197 lbs California 21 Years Old

The one thing the Bulls really need, besides healthy players, is shooting. They may add a free agent or two to address that, but Allen Crabbe would be a perfect fit for them. They don’t need him to be a star, they just need him to knock down threes, which is about the extent of his skill set.

21

Lucas Nogueira
C 6-foot-11 218 lbs Brazil 20 Years Old

Once they’ve added a point guard, Utah will probably want to add size, since Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap are free agents. Jeff Withey would make a bigger instant impact, and Mitchell has a higher upside, but Nogueira gives them defense that Enes Kanter and Derrick Favor can’t supply. Also, Nogueira is pretty much the same as Nerlens Noel–down to the crazy hair. Great shot blocking ability, extremely athletic, raw offense. Bebe’s just Brazilian and will be picked 20 picks later.

22

 bkn

Tony Mitchell
SF 6-foot-8 222 lbs North Texas 21 Years Old

High upside, star power, meet Brooklyn.

23

 ind

Kelly Olynyk
PF 7-foot 234 lbs Gonzaga 22 Years Old

White guy to Indiana!

24

 nyk

Ricky Ledo
SG 6-foot-6 197 lbs Providence 20 Years Old

Ledo is a lottery talent who didn’t play last year because of academic reasons. He could be Brandon Jennings or he could be point guard Jeremy Tyler. I’m guessing New York is willing to take the risk on this scoring guard.

25

 lac

Reggie Bullock
SF 6-foot-7 200 lbs North Carolina 22 Years Old

We know this pick isn’t going to Boston because any trade between the two teams will be vetoed by the Almighty David Stern. While they could use some size, Gorgui Dieng is too like DeAndre Jordan, and Rudy Gobert is too raw. I have them taking the best three-and-D player on the board.

26

Gorgui Dieng
C 6-foot-11 230 lbs Louisville 23 Years Old

With Nikola Pekovic a pending free agent, the Wolves will need to add a big after they add a shooter. Dieng is a steal this late–even though I don’t like his long-term potential since he’s already 23 and has no offense of which to speak.

27

 den

Tim Hardaway Jr.
SG 6-foot-6 199 lbs Michigan 21 Years Old

Even after Andre Iguodala (probably) leaves, the Nuggets don’t really have a need beyond a superstar. They have too many “pretty good” players. Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried, JaVale McGee, Kosta Koufos, Andre Miller, Evan Fourier… don’t be surprised if they try to trade this pick.

28

 sas

Rudy Gobert
C 7-foot-2 238 lbs France 20 Years Old

Gobert strikes as a guy we’ll make fun of if Minnesota drafts him and and laud if San Antonio drafts him.

29

Alex Abrines
SG 6-foot-5 195 lbs Spain 20 Years Old

Like I said earlier, the Thunder don’t really much. So I have them taking the top remaining international player to stash for a few years.

30

Glen Rice Jr.
SG 6-foot-6 211 lbs NBADL 22 Years Old

If the Suns go big with their first pick, they’re going small with their next pick. And why not go with a third Junior, right? Apparently Isaiah Canaan is getting a long look here, too.

Categories: NBA | Leave a comment

Age not a barrier for Charlotte Knight prospect Carlos Sanchez

Posted on June 13, 2013 by benweinrib

(As it appeared in the Charlotte Observer)

FORT MILL Watching the Charlotte Knights’ batting practice, the most enthusiastic player is almost always Carlos Sanchez.

He’s not the hitter, he’s the second baseman fielding grounders and turning double plays, and, at 20, he is the youngest player in the International League.

Class AAA baseball teams have the most age-diverse rosters in all the minors. The average age of a player in this level is a touch older than 28, since lineups often are littered with players clinging to their last hopes of making a major league roster.

a

Fun fact: former manager Tommy Thompson said Carlos loves ice cream.

Scattered among those grizzled veterans are a few young up-and-comers like Sanchez, who isn’t even allowed to legally drink for another 15 days.

He signed with the White Sox during May 2009 out of Maracay, Venezuela, as an international free agent. Although he’s the youngest player to reach the highest level of the minors, he didn’t have his first full season of baseball until last year.

For various reasons, Sanchez never played in spring training until 2012. He spent two years in the Dominican Summer League and another at Class A Kannapolis before he made his first appearance in Glendale, Ariz., for spring training.

“It’s a little different getting used to playing every day,” Sanchez said through a translator.

“I created a different routine that’s helped me no matter where I am, where I’m playing, to keep working hard every day.”

Work ethic admirable

That work ethic was part of the reason his managers rave about him.

“He’s what you’re looking for in a young player,” said Knights manager Joel Skinner. “He has a lot of energy, he plays in the middle of the field (shortstop and second base), and he’s a switch-hitter.”

With smooth footwork, soft hands and a strong arm, Sanchez always has been a sterling fielder, according to scouts. He looks up to fellow Venezuelan switch-hitter Omar Vizquel, and his Class A Winston-Salem Dash manager Tommy Thompson compared him to Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar Jr. because of the ease with which fields.

“He makes the normal play and extraordinary play look simple,” Thompson said.

His glove has never been in question, but Sanchez took a big step forward in his first full season of baseball when he showed how complete his overall game is.

Starting the 2012 season in Winston-Salem, he hit .315 with a .374 on-base percentage and earned a spot on the Major League Baseball All-Star Futures team alongside Manny Machado, Jose Fernandez and Jean Segura, all of whom already have made their marks in the majors.

Learning to run

Perhaps the most important thing he worked on in Winston-Salem was base running.

“Last year was actually the first time I really emphasized a lot of working on” base running, he said, “and it paid off.”

In 2011, Sanchez was 8-for-18 on stolen-base attempts, so Thompson worked with him throughout the 2012 season on leads, jumps and deciding when to steal.

The result? Sanchez leveraged his above-average speed into 26 steals – in a more efficient 41 attempts. Even more impressive was that he led the Arizona Fall League that year in steals over Reds farmhand Billy Hamilton, who has stolen 258 bases over the past two seasons.

Just a week after going 1-for-2 with a double and a run in the Futures Game, Sanchez was called up to Class AA Birmingham. After tearing through Birmingham, hitting .370 with a .424 on-base plus slugging percentage, he was called up to Charlotte for a playoff run exactly one month after his first promotion of the season.

“It was fun, and it was important for me to get that experience,” he said. “It was the first playoff I ever had in the United States, and it helped me get that experience for this year. When I came here I had already been here a little before.”

Getting noticed

After his quick rise from Class A to Class AAA in one season, Sanchez was named the White Sox’s third-best prospect by Baseball America. The magazine even has him rated as the best hitter for average and best defensive infielder in the system.

Although he only has a .297 on-base percentage this season, he has 23 steals in 36 attempts. He’s holding his own in a league in which the average pitcher is eight years older.

With White Sox second basemen Gordon Beckham and Jeff Keppinger struggling to a combined .246 average and .262 on-base percentage, Sanchez soon might become the fifth-youngest major leaguer instead of the youngest player in Class AAA. He would be the youngest White Sox player since Jon Garland in 2000.

“I’ve been coaching for 30 years,” said Thompson, “and when you get a guy like him, you want to hang on to him. But he deserves to play at the next level. If he gets called up, he’ll never go back down.”

_

Also check out my back and forth with ASChin about whether or not the Bobcats should trade for DeMarcus Cousins.

Categories: MLB | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.