Monday, April 27, 2009

Vikings Get Who They Wanted

First-rounder Percy Harvin should be a dynamic presence on offense.
The Vikings didn't have many picks, but made them count this weekend in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Drafting for need, Minnesota found value and good upside with every pick.
To compliment Adrian Peterson on the ground, Minnesota used its first selection to snare versatile wide receiver Percy Harvin. Harvin is an outstanding athlete who can return kicks, work the slot and come out of the backfield. His speed and elusiveness make him a home run threat from all positions.
Phil Loadholt, the team's second round choice, immediately improves the right side of the line. A mauler with Bryant McKinnie size should open up more lanes for Peterson to pound.
Asher Allen adds depth to the corner position. The Vikings drafted the former Georgia Bulldog in round 3.
For whatever reason the franchise has an affinity with the Gamecocks. Recent drafted receivers Sidney Rice and Troy Williamson attended South Carolina. The Vikings added linebacker Jasper Brinkley to the equation in the fourth round. His speed and coverage capabilities should see the field in a starting role a year or two from now.
The team's final selection, Jamarca Sanford, safety, fills another need.

Notes on Draft Day:

Realizing the absence of a legit wideout after the Plaxico Burress incident shot its chances at a Super Bowl repeat, the Giants grab Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina in round 1 and Ramses Barden of Cal Poly in round 3. Neither has separating speed, but both are big, physical specimens who match New York's identity well.

Just as the Vikings seem to go for Gamecocks, Kansas City doesn't get away from the LSU watering hole. Back-to-back drafts the Chiefs took a former Tiger interior lineman first. Last year it was Glenn Dorsey, this year it's Tyson Jackson.

The Wildcat offense in Miami just got a bit more trippy. Dolphins selected Pat White of West Virginia in the second round.

The Clemson secondary went back-to-back in round 4. Chris Clemons joins Miami and Michael Hamlin is drafted by Dallas.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Big Zero

Nothing doing on bases
Pitching ruled the day
Five teams held scoreless

(A Haggy Haiku)

Sunday, April 19, 2009

MLB Notes

Carlos Quentin, the Chicago White Sox outfielder, hit his Major League-leading seventh home run Sunday afternoon in a 12-2 romp over Tampa Bay.

Jimmy Rollins just needed a benching.
Mired in a 3-for-33 slump and hitting .133 to start the 2009 season, the 2007 NL MVP came off the Phillies bench and belted a game-tying home run in the bottom of the eighth inning versus San Diego.

Kansas City doesn't appear to want to sit atop the AL Central for long. Kyle Farnsworth, the loser of two decisions already, thanks to separate blown leads of two runs, was brought in to pitch the ninth inning in the hitter-friendly confines of the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Texas' Michael Young hit a lead-off walk-off home run. Farnsworth's ERA rises to 18.90 and the Royals fall to 7-5.

Turning Around

Everything is going to be alright.
Ever since Minnesota's seven-run outburst in the eighth inning Friday night, capped by Jason Kubel's dramatic game-winning grand slam, the woes to begin the year have been quelled.
The team has the arms of Kevin Slowey and Glen Perkins to thank. And Kubel's bat.
Slowey pitched seven strong innings Saturday; Perkins followed with eight Sunday -- both wins, 9-2 and 3-1 -- to give the suddenly suspect bullpen a much needed break and chance to regroup.
Entering play Saturday, Twins relievers combined for a 7.61 ERA -- third worst in baseball, behind the Braves, Angels and Rangers.
Since: zero runs in three innings of work.
Kubel followed his cycle 4-for-5 effort Friday with another 4-hit night Saturday to help deliver a 9-2 win.
He hit the ball well all afternoon Sunday, but finished the game 0-for-4.
Minnesota, a team whose history for success has been good baserunning, key situational hits, strong pitching and error-free defense finally put it all together in the last few days.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Kubel Propels Twins to Win

It seems hard to believe, but the Minnesota Twins won.
It wasn't just any win, either, coming back in dramatic fashion with a seven-run eighth to win 11-9 against Los Angeles Friday night.
Jason Kubel belted a bases-loaded home run over the right field baggy to cap the team's rally and his cycle.
The designated hitter produced the first run of the night with an RBI double in the first, singled in the third and tripled in the sixth.
Minnesota's eighth inning went as follows: Michael Cuddyer led off with a single, stole second on a Brian Buscher strikeout and went to third on a wild pitch.
Joe Crede walked before Mike Redmond singled to right to score Cuddyer.
Another walk to Nick Punto and a double by Denard Span scored two more. With first base open, the Angels elected to intentionally pass Justin Morneau, setting the stage for Kubel's memorable night.
He becomes the first Twin to hit for the cycle since Carlos Gomez did it last May, and ties a career high in the process with four hits.
More importantly, Kubel's heroics propelled a team that had lost five of six.
The pitching has been atrocious, giving up another nine earned runs Friday, pushing its team E.R.A. above 6.
The bullpen accounted for five of the Angels' runs and could be in serious trouble later in the year if it continues to throw three or four innings a night. Not only for the shaky performances, but also for wear and tear purposes.
Starter Nick Blackburn pitched four solid innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He gave up three runs on four straight singles and a Denard Span throwing error.
His time ran out in the seventh and he left with a runner aboard and one out.
Enter Jesse Crain, who proceeded to give up four runs.
Matt Guerrier allowed another in the eighth before Minnesota rallied.

Notes: Kubel joins Ian Kinsler and Orlando Hudson as players who have already hit for the cycle this season.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Understanding What We Fear

I wrote this in the fall of 2006 for a journalism class. Enjoy.

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People tend to fear what they do not understand. Americans; business travelers; fathers; mothers; daughters; sons – innocent people had the chance to witness firsthand the meaning behind that statement.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, a group of “Islamic terrorists” hijacked several commercial planes and drove them through America’s heart. While the bleeding has since stopped for many, now five years after the attacks, the lingering fear and paranoia of another attack remain. Muslims and Muslim Americans have become the recipient of wary stares and grave misunderstanding.
For Saif Syed, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who would one day like to work in patent law, wary stares and mistreatment are commonplace.
Since 9/11, the misunderstanding of Muslims has reached epic proportions, Syed explains. Before then, not many people even knew what Muslims were, let alone how to spot one. But now that their calling card is out there, Muslims like Syed are the victims of profiling.
“People tend to believe that we do not know science, we do not know math," Syed said. "Instead, all we do is fight and oppress our women. That’s the picture that is depicted about Muslims.”
One of the more hurtful experiences of when this stereotyping was put into action came during Syed’s senior year (2001-02) at Rufus King High School in Milwaukee.

About one month after the attacks, Syed decided that he would go to the city library to work on his homework. He set out from his home with some books in hand, and on this particular walk, he encountered an elderly lady coming from the other direction.
As they converged, the woman raced from the sidewalk to instead walk on the road. Of course, as soon as he passed her, Syed recounts, the woman returned to her place on the path.
“Those sorts of things hurt more than the media reports or anything else because those are your personal relations,” Syed said.
His mom is having a difficult time coming to terms with the post 9/11 view of Muslims.

“My mom is constantly worried about me, about my safety,” Syed said.
She doesn’t want Syed to have a beard because, she says, it makes him stand out. Not only does she think that her son should shave, she also worries that Syed’s phone is tapped, or that he’ll go to jail for resembling a terrorist.

Common misconceptions arose surrounding the Islamic faith after many Muslims chose to terrorize America and die for what they “believed in.” The problem with that, Syed says, is Islam is not based on the principles of violence and holy wars at all.

“I believe that [was] an act of desperation, not religion,” Syed said. “They misrepresented the idea of jihad, which does not translate to holy war. It translates to struggle. Jihad refers to the struggle of the inner soul; the struggle to pray five times a day; the struggle to smile; [the struggle] to keep going with life when it’s so tough – that’s what it refers to.
“It does not take a true Muslim long to realize that what happened was obviously wrong.” Although Syed feels the presence of a cold stare on his back or hears the mutterings of an Osama bin Laden joke as he walks past, he casually ignores them. Of course he is somewhat hurt by the musing, but also he knows his place in the world and attributes faith in God as his inspiration. "These reactions [towards me] have helped me rather than held me back and [they have become] a fuel to do more outreach and more education,” Syed explains. “Muslims believe that any calamity can be a tragedy or a blessing. It’s a tragedy if it pulls you away from God; it’s a blessing if it draws you near to God.”
The outreach and educating Syed does is mostly through the Muslim Students’ Association, or MSA. Representing the only voice of its kind on campus, the group gives Syed, the active president of the group, and other Muslims a chance to unite and practice their faith freely.
More importantly, MSA provides outreach services to the Muslim and non-Muslim community alike, all while educating those who will listen to who Muslims are as people and what the faith of Islam is all about.

"I like to do what I do, and I leave the rest on God,” Syed said. “I’m not sure how things match up, and even if they don’t, I’m OK with that. I just like to do my best and if it doesn’t happen it’s from God, and if it does happen it’s from God. I leave it at that.”
The hope is that through education and joint communion, people will see that Islam is not a violent religion and that Muslims are truly loving, religious-minded people.
If such a standard of life can be attained, people like Syed’s mother, victims of discrimination and terror, and even that elderly lady who preferred to stroll among cars instead of Muslims will perhaps one day fear a man with a beard or a woman with a hejab no more.

New Look

Check out my new template. Thoughts?

Anyone reading know how to make a polished Web site? I would like to be able to add video and photos.

Thanks for reading.

Haggy

Monday, April 13, 2009

Silver Lining

An ugly loss to Tampa Bay Monday night may have Yankee fans thinking it's time to play "Apprentice" and start firing people.
Chien-Ming Wang gave up eight runs in one-plus inning of work to raise his E.R.A. to a "we need a crane to lift this" 28.93.
That's not all.
Mark Teixeira, one of New York's $100-plus million dollar men, is out with a sore wrist. Alex Rodriguez is recovering from hip surgery and C.C. Sabathia, the team's top pitcher, has been so-so.
But hey, at least Nick Swisher is doing well.
The versatile switch-hitter scored two of the team's five runs, one on a solo homer, and finished the game 1-for-3.
In seven games Swisher is hitting .450 with 3 home runs, 10 RBI and 9 runs scored. Normally asked to play first base or man the outfield, the versatile switch-hitter, thanks to a 15-5 deficit, was called upon to pitch the ninth inning.
He allowed the first to batters to reach on a single and a walk, but got the next three to end the inning and become the lone Yankee pitcher to not surrender a run.
Swisher even struck Gabe Kapler out swinging.
Who knows, maybe in a couple weeks the Steinbrenner's will say enough is enough, can Wang and insert Swisher into the rotation.
Crazier things have happend.

Cabrera Wins Masters


Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson threatened.
Kenny Perry cruised.
But in the end Angel Cabrera won.
Instead of a familiar face donning the green jacket after a memorable final round, or seeing a first time winner of a major at the age of 48, the reticent Argentinian took home the coveted garb, defeating Perry and Chad Campbell in a three way playoff.
All eyes diverted to the pairing of Mickelson and Woods, the co-leader heading into Sunday's final round flew under the radar.
His slow start disinterested those that remained with the final group.
Back-to-back bogies at hole 4 and 5 hole and another at 10 put him three off the lead. He couldn't find the stroke and seemed destined for at best, a top-5 finish.
Not so fast.
He regrouped, collecting birdies at 13, 15 and 16. Perry bogied 17 and 18 and the two, along with Campbell headed into a three way playoff.
Campbell couldn't get the handle on the first hole and was eliminated. Perry took two shots to land the green and two more to reach the cup setting up Cabrera for the win on a six inch putt.
The win was his second major, the other one coming in 2007 at the U.S. Open.

Thoughts:

Woods wasn't in top form for whatever reason. His mechanics and approach were just a bit off. But Woods at his worst still finishes tied for sixth-place. Anyone else at his worst probably doesn't make the cut.

If Mickelson (-9) had sunk just about any putt on the back nine and/or avoided the water at 12, he could have been in line to win his fourth major championship. He made history, tying three others with a front nine 30 and would get as close as a stroke off the lead after sitting tied for 10th to start the day.

John Merrick ran out of time. The young man shot a day low 66 to end up tied for sixth with Woods and two others.

Steady doesn't win ... this time. Perry pared the first 11 holes and 13 of 14, but ended up losing in the playoff thanks to two bogies on the final two holes. They were just his fifth and sixth bogies of the Masters, certainly coming at a costly time.

Friday, April 10, 2009

R.I.P. Nick Adenhart






Scoreless season debut
Life full of promise
Can change when light turns red

Much too young to die
Drunk driver stole him away
Never got his chance

(A Double Haggy Haiku in honor of one of the top prospects in the Los Angeles Angels' farm system who had so much to offer but was slammed to an end prematurely by a drunk driver)

Monday, April 6, 2009

Heels Stomp Spartans, Win National Championship

Good things come to those who wait.
Ask North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, or Ty Lawson. Talk to Wayne Ellington and Danny Green.
All four elected to return following a disappointing loss to Kansas in the 2008 Final Four, passing up a chance at millions of dollars in the NBA for a chance at something with which stacks of Benjamins cannot compete: a national championship.
Monday night, before a partisan Detroit crowd, the Tar Heels fulfilled that goal, winning 89-72 over Michigan State.
In what has become the custom in the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina outran, outhustled, outshot and ultimately knocked out the Spartans.
Lawson was the game's most valuable player, scoring 21 points and setting the NCAA Final Four record for steals with eight.
Ellington, the Final Four's MVP, added 19 points and several big 3-pointers in the first half to help North Carolina get off to a fast start.
By halftime, North Carolina set two more records: the most points scored in the first half of a NCAA Championship game (55) and the largest halftime lead (21).
Then again, the Tar Heels have made the competition look like a Steve Urckel punch; the team's tightest margin of victory was 12, coming in the Elite Eight against Oklahoma.
Green, who wore the Carolina blue for a team record 145 games and Hansbrough, who fought tooth and nail on every possession of every game for four years en route to becoming fifth on the NCAA's all-time scoring list, capped a perfect ending to their collegiate careers as national champions.
Perfect.

What Did You Say?

Before the championship game could be played, a prediction had to be made.
As part of the CBS pregame show, Greg Gumble asked his "in studio" analysts Greg Anthony and Seth Davis to breakdown the game and select a winner.
Both said Michigan State.
Davis' rationale for selecting Tom Izzo's bunch was this: defense, depth, Detroit and ... destiny.
Michigan State won the NCAA Championship 30 years ago. It has the "home court" as the game will be played at Detroit's Ford Field and can go 12 deep without losing much in the way of tempo and ability.
None of that matters when compared to North Carolina's talent, teamwork, track record and ... destiny.
North Carolina has four players who will be playing in the NBA either this coming season or the next. The Tar Heels average 90 points per game this season and play off of one another better than those guys from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
Not to mention the Heels have won every game thus far in the NCAA Tournament by at least 12 points, and who did you predict to win?
Come on. Get it together.
North Carolina will win it running away, 84-67.