Perfectly Solid

After Dallas Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in baseball history, I got to thinking: this should be a great sign of things to come.

Unlike no-hitters, which have been accomplished by everyone from Nolan Ryan (324 career wins) to Bud Smith (7 career wins), perfect games have mostly been hurled by very good-to-great pitchers.

Four Hall-of-Famers have done it - Sandy Koufax, Catfish Hunter, Jim Bunning, and Randy Johnson (yeah, I'm jumping the gun, but it's inevitable). After that quartet, you have several pitchers that have had long and successful careers. Dennis Martinez won 244 other games besides his 1991 perfecto against the Dodgers. David Wells was one of the better lefthanders of his era, going 239-157 over 19 seasons including an afternoon in 1998 when he baffled the Twins. Kenny Rogers also toppled the 200-win plateau, playing for six different teams over nearly two decades. David Cone (perfect game in 1999 vs. Expos) struck out nearly 2,700 batters and won the 1994 Cy Young. Mike Witt (perfect game in 1984 vs. Rangers) won at least 15 games in four straight seasons from 1984-87, and Mark Buehrle (perfect game in 2009 vs. Rays) has played in four All-Star Games and is just entering his prime at 31 years old.

In fact, Don Larsen, who probably threw the most famous perfect game in the 1956 World Series, may be the worst pitcher to ever toss up all zeroes. He was just 81-91 in his career and was the only pitcher in modern baseball history to pitch a perfect game yet not ever play in an All-Star Game. Even Len Barker (perfect game in 1981 vs. Blue Jays) and Tom Browning (perfect game in 1988 vs. Dodgers), made one All-Star appearance each.

What does this mean for Braden? Nothing, as of now. He'll be 27 in August and has only made 53 career starts. While he seems solid, nobody is praising him as a future star. But, his accomplishment is unique because unlike a no-hitter, a perfect game is no fluke. Very good pitchers have made history before, and time will tell is Dallas Braden can stay true to that trend.

All-Ringless All-Stars

Another promising season ended early for one of the NBA's biggest superstars, as Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks were upset by the 7th-seeded Spurs in six games.

While most wouldn't argue Nowitzki belongs among the elite tier occupied by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade, he definitely is at the top of the 2nd tier along with players like Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and Tim Duncan. What makes Dirk different is that he is such a unique talent - a 7-foot perimeter player that is virtually unguardable. Much like Kevin Garnett, he is one of the few players to revolutionize the NBA with his unprecedented skill-set.

However, despite leading Dallas to ten straight 50+ win seasons, Nowitzki remains without a ring. The question is does Dirk Nowitzki belong on the starting five of the greatest players to never win an NBA Championship?

The Candidates (no, not like "LOST")
Point guard: This is an unbelievably deep and talented group of Championship-less players. Most immediately think of Utah's John Stockton, who despite holding the all-time assists record by over 5,000 (15,806 total), never found himself in the winner's circle. Jason Kidd, arguably the most complete point guard of all-time, is without a ring as well. Two-time MVP Steve Nash, four-time scoring champ Allen Iverson (26.7 ppg career), and the revolutionary Pete Maravich also find themselves on the list.

Shooting guard: Nearly all of the great shooting guards in NBA history (Jordan, West, Bryant, etc.) have won multiple Championships. Even second-tier players like Joe Dumars, Ray Allen, and Earl Monroe won at least one title. Headlining the list is George Gervin. The Iceman had a deadly finger roll which he used to become one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, averaging over 27 ppg from 1977-82. Other ring-less SGs include Reggie Miller, who was never surrounded by a Championship-caliber supporting cast in his 18 seasons in Indiana. Dave Bing was waived by Washington months before their only Championship in 1978. After jumping from the ABA, Hall-of-Famer David Thompson spent his career with mediocre Denver and Seattle teams.

Small forward: Knowing that Elgin Baylor spent his entire Hall-of-Fame career with the Lakers, most people probably assume that he's won multiple NBA Championships - that unfortunately is not the case. Baylor went an astonishing 0-for-8 in his NBA Finals appearances, seven of those setbacks coming to Bill Russell's Boston Celtics. One of the more underrated players in NBA history, Dominique Wilkins never got a chance to play in the NBA Finals. However, he was one of the best players in the NBA from the mid-1980's to mid-90's, and is ninth on the league's all-time scoring list. Original Dream Teamer Chris Mullin also went his entire career without a title, despite playing with the memorable Run TMC trio (with Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway) during his prime in Golden State. Bernard King's potential was derailed by a crushing knee injury in the middle of his prime, and Grant Hill never got a great opportunity due to injury issues of his own.

Power forward: Like the point guard spot, this is another list of fantastic players. Karl Malone, the NBA's 2nd leading all-time scorer, never won a Championship. Neither did Charles Barkley, who at just 6'6, did things at the forward position that were unprecedented. This is also where you would categorize Dirk Nowitzki, and even a guy like Shawn Kemp warrants a mention.

Center: There's Patrick Ewing, and then there's everybody else. This is one of the few no-brainers on the list, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Knicks-homer. Bob Lanier is one of the only other Hall-of-Famers on this list, and like Ewing, rarely had a strong supporting cast. Lanier played on some contending Bucks' teams in the early 80's, but at that point was in the twilight of his career. Artis Gilmore would make this list, but he spent most of his early years in the ABA (where he did win a championship with the Kentucky Colonels in 1975).

The Starting Five
PG Jason Kidd
This is just a personal preference and you could put just about anybody here. Kidd was a five-time All-NBA First Team selection, and made the All-Defensive Team nine times. He also made the NBA Finals twice (with the Nets of all teams!), something that only John Stockton was able to match on the list. Though Kidd played on some great Nets' teams in the early 2000s, he never played alongside a player as great as Karl Malone. That's why he gets the nod over Stockton.

SG George Gervin
Nothing against Reggie, but he only made five All-Star Games, while Gervin won FOUR scoring titles. Gervin also matched Reggie's postseason heroics, averaging a whopping 27.9 ppg in 57 career NBA Playoff games.

SF Elgin Baylor
The 10-time All-NBA First Team selection is considered the greatest player to never win an NBA Championship, and it's a tough point to argue. Had his career not collided with Bill Russell's, he would've had a ring for every finger on one hand, if not more. No offense to 'Nique or Mullin, but this isn't even up for debate.

PF Charles Barkley
You can certainly argue Malone because of his numbers, but from a pure talent standpoint, I don't believe there's much debate that Barkley was the superior player. While Malone was an all-time great in his own right, I never felt that he was as dominant as Barkley was.

C Patrick Ewing
Because I'm a homer. Duh.

Final Draft Thoughts

The NFL Draft has come and gone, and the Colts addressed several needs with their incoming group. Here are a couple of my thoughts on the incoming class:

Huuuuuughes: The TCU pass-rusher looks like a classic example of a Colts' steal. Bigger (Jason Pierre-Paul), stronger (Brandon Graham), and more athletic (Derrick Morgan) ends were taken in front of Hughes, but none of them had the production that he had during his college career. At 6'2, 260, the speedster seems to be a great fit as the third defensive end.

Only one offensive lineman drafted: I'm surprised that there was only one OL taken and it wasn’t even a tackle. This is starting to make me believe that Charlie Johnson will not be switching to guard. Most of this depends on how free agent acquistions Andy Alleman and Adam Terry perform in Camp.

Staying big on the O-Line: Jacques McClendon is massive (6’3, 324) for a guard. Given his selection, the Colts have officially added lineman that are 304 (Alleman), 324, and 335 (Terry) pounds.

Finally, a return man!: Not only does the addition of Ray Fisher show the Colts are getting serious about their return game, they also signed UDFA Brandon James of Florida. Fisher led the nation in kick return average (37.3 ypr, also a Big Ten record) while James set four SEC records during his time as a return threat for the Gators.

Defense depth: With as strong as the offense is currently constructed, the Colts really addressed their defensive depth chart. Kevin Thomas makes up for the losses of Jackson and Jennings at CB, Pat Angerer and Kavell Conner fill out the two-deep at LB, Hughes and Ricardo Matthews continue to shore up the depth at the D-Line.

Colts 2010 Draft Class: TCU DE Jerry Hughes (6’2, 260), Iowa LB Pat Angerer (6’1, 235), USC CB Kevin Thomas (6’1, 185), Tennessee G Jacques McClendon (6’3, 324), Oklahoma TE Brody Eldridge (6’5, 265), Cincinnati DL Ricardo Matthews (6’3, 294), Clemson LB Kavell Conner (6’1, 225), Indiana KR Ray Fisher (5’9, 185).

My Only Friend, The End

In what was once a Pacers-crazy town here in Indianapolis, the 2009-10 season went out with a whimper. It was almost fitting that the final loss came to a dreadful Washington team - a solemn reminder of just how far this Pacers franchise has fallen.

Overall, the Blue and Gold suffered their worst record (32-50) in over twenty years, and missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season, the first time they've accomplished that feat since the 1982-86 seasons.

In what's become an annual ritual, team president Larry Bird held a season-wrapping press conference discussing his thoughts on another failed season. Besides backing head coach Jim O'Brien and saying the rebuilding plan was "on target", Larry Legend piqued my interest with this comment:

"The point guard position is one that we're going to look very hard at. It all starts with the point guard."

I would say something snide like "thanks Captain Obvious!" but that wouldn't be fair to Captain or even Lieutenant Obvious. Not to sound like a know-it-all, but I pleaded with the Pacers to address the point guard position in last year's NBA Draft, which had one of the deepest PG classes in recent memory. This fact may be depressing, but take into consideration the point guards that the Pacers passed up last year to draft Tyler Hansbrough at #13 overall:

#17 – Jrue Holiday, Sixers (8.0 ppg, 3.8 apg in 24 mpg)
#18 – Ty Lawson, Nuggets (8.3 ppg, 3.1 apg in 20 mpg)
#19 – Jeff Teague, Hawks (3.2 ppg, 1.7 apg in 10 mpg)
#20 – Eric Maynor, Jazz/Thunder (4.7 ppg, 3.3 apg in 15 mpg)
#21 – Darren Collison, Hornets (12.4 ppg, 5.7 apg in 28 mpg)

I would take any one of those five players over Hansbrough in a heartbeat, and it's not just because of Psycho T's mutant ear infection. T.J. Ford, for lack of a better word, is bad. We've known that for years. He's lost his starting job for every team he's ever played for. Earl Watson, while productive, is what he is: a veteran that is a backup on any halfway decent NBA team. While I like the potential of 2nd round pick A.J. Price, he's still at least another season or two away from being an NBA starter.

The Pacers are really behind the eight-ball this summer because they a) aren't shedding any money, and b) have another middling Lottery pick (10th overall barring a ping-pong ball miracle). Also, this Draft is big heavy, and point guard light.

The team you saw this year, will basically be the team you see next year. The only thing the Pacers are "on target' for is another 30-35 win season.

We'll reconvene in 2011.

For Perception's Sake

Has anyone had a more trying first few years on the job than Roger Goodell? In a seemingly unending cycle of player incidents, it is once again decision-time for the NFL's head honcho.

Georgia authorities said on Monday that they would not pursue sexual assault charges against Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, but that doesn't mean he's off the hook with the league. In the past (most notably with Pacman Jones), Goodell has handed out suspensions to players regardless of whether they were charged with a crime.

No one is going to argue that Roethlisberger hasn't sullied the image of the NFL, along with his own. Though he isn't going to be charged, should this 2nd scrape with the law cost him some game time?

A suspension for Roethlisberger is warranted for two major reasons:

1) To send a message to Ben that he needs to stop putting himself in these kind of situations.

2) To dispell the belief among NFL fans that there is a double-standard when it comes to race.

I don't think Goodell has unfairly punished minority players, but there's no question there's a perception out there that he has. Throwing Michael Vick into the fire while letting Roethlisberger walk would make plenty of people question Goodell's integrity. I don't think Goodell is racist, nor do I think he was unfair with his punishments of players like Vick and Jones. However, perception is what matters - and Goodell has to do everything he can to guard against a negative labeling from NFL fans and players.

Stevens Returns

Note: I know I had promised an NCAA Tournament wrap-up post, but I don't feel like I can add anything to what's already been said. It was a terrific run for Butler, and overall was probably the most entertaining Tournament since the field expanded in 1985.

Brad Stevens will be back, at least for next year.

Stevens and Butler agreed to a 12-year contract extension, which was announced late this afternoon. The extension means that for this summer the overtures from BCS teams will be ignored. However, the rumors about Stevens' future will never fully go away, regardless of whatever contract he signs or what is said publicly.

Much like Mark Few at Gonzaga, as long as Stevens keeps winning, his name will come up in the conversation of every big school coaching vacancy.

On the bright side, Brad Stevens will definitely be back at Butler next season. That in itself is crucial because the program needs Stevens there to carry the momentum from an improbable run to the National Championship game, and take advantage on the recruiting trail. However, what he does after next season is anybody's guess.

In the college coaching ranks today, contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Extensions don't signify that any coach will stay - their only purpose is to boost the monetary amount of the buyout that a BCS-level team will have to pay.

Such is life for mid-major programs, but we're happy Brad Stevens didn't jump at the first opportunity.

STP and Final Four picks

I hit the free STP show downtown last night to ring-in the Final Four festivities. While it was still pretty awesome, it was nothing like this:

A clearly obliterated sleepy Scott Weiland rambled on between songs about picking up his USA Today, putting his money on STP (instead of Butler, MSU, Duke, or West Va), and called the record-warm weather "glorious".

Final Four picks...
Butler 64, Michigan State 62
Before you accuse me of picking with my heart instead of my head, remember that the Dawgs are actually a 1.5-point favorite according to Vegas. Butler has completely shutdown two much stronger offenses in Syracuse and Kansas State over the past week, and the Spartans will likely struggle to score. One thing that should make Butler fans nervous is the fact that Michigan State is much more physical than any team Butler has faced in the Tournament so far. Butler gives the hometown fans a win to continue this run.

West Virginia 74, Duke 67
I'm curious as to why Duke is considered the National Championship favorite. West Virginia could've easily been a #1 seed, and they dismantled the team that a lot of people thought was going to walk away with the title (Kentucky) just a week ago. Duke's size is certainly an advantage, but I don't envision the Mountaineers letting them have their way on the offensive glass like they did against both Purdue and Baylor. West Virginia's offense wakes up for the first time this Tournament and they slip into Monday night's marquee matchup.