BOB’S PICK IS TEAM USA OVER PUERTO IN WBC TITLE SHOWDOWN
The United States advanced to the World Baseball Classic Tuesday night with a soggy 2-1 victory over Japan at Dodger Stadium. Team USA will face Puerto Rico in Wednesday night’s championship game.
Japan, winner of the first two WBCs in 2006 and 2009, entered Tuesday’s semifinal showdown against Tem USA with a 6-0 record in the first two rounds of this tournament. Japan scored 46 runs in those games – all played in Tokyo.
It seldom rains in Los Angeles, but Tuesday’s game was played in a steady rain and Japan’s hopes were compromised by the elements. Two usually sure-handed infielders – accustomed to playing in domes – had misplays that contributed to both runs by Team USA.
Team USA has advanced to the WBC championship game for the first time.
Marcus Stroman will start for Team USA Wednesday night. He was born in New York City but his mother is Puerto Rican. He could have played for Puerto Rico in the WBC but opted to pitch for Team USA.
Interestingly, Puerto Rico’s starting pitcher Wednesday will be Seth Lugo (Mets), who was born and raised in Louisiana. The heat is on Lugo because Team USA has a deeper bullpen than Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico beat Team USA 6-5 in the second round of this WBC.
Is this the game Team USA slugger Nolan Arenado breaks out of his slump (3-for-26 in this tournament, including four strikeouts Tuesday night)? Will manager Jim Leyland bench him?
With or without Arenado, my pick is Team USA 8-4.
IS TYLER LYDON MAKING A MISTAKE?
Syracuse U. sophomore forward Tyler Lydon reportedly has hired an agent and will enter the 2017 NBA Draft.
For Lydon’s sake, I hope it is a very good agent.
Most of the 2017 NBA mock drafts have Lydon rated from 21 to 30. That means he figures to be among the last 10 picks in the first round and wiil earn his first pro paychecks. That’s good for his bank account.
But has Lydon made a mistake? Would he have been better off returning to SU for his junior season? I believe so.
Lydon was a very good player for SU but seldom dominated. His performance lines at SU:
Freshman (2015-16 season) – 37 games (0 starts)…30.3 minutes per game; 10.1 points per game; .479 field-goal percentage; .405 three-point FG percentage (49-for-122); .774 free-throw percentage; 6.3 rebounds per game; 1.5 assists per game; 67 shots blocked
Sophomore (2016-17 season) – 34 games (34 starts) – 36.1 minutes per game; 13.2 points per game; .473 field-goal percentage; .395 three-point FG percentage (49-for-124); .836 free-throw percentage; 2.3 assists per game; 49 shots blocked.
Lydon did not make a dramatic overall improvement this season compared to last season. I often felt he was capable of more. He showed flashes of dominance this season but not often enough to suggest he is ready for the NBA. I wonder if fatigue was a factor down the stretch as he never got a rest.
I believe Lydon had a chance to become a far more effective player at SU as a junior. With 10 more pounds and more hunger to dominate inside, he might have been a candidate for at least second-team All-ACC. He had the potential to improve his draft status for 2018 and earn a considerably fatter initial NBA contract than he will this year.
I am skeptical regarding Lydon as a productive long-term NBA player. He’s 6-foot-9 and the majority of players his size in the NBA run faster and jump higher. I think he’ll have trouble playing man-to-man defense in the NBA. SU’s 2-3 zone didn’t prepare him for what he’ll be facing in the pros. He might lack the quickness to get off his three-point shots in the NBA.
Syracuse surely will miss Lydon next season. I suspect that he will wind up missing SU and second-guessing himself for opting for the NBA at least one year too soon.
TWO EX-RED WINGS INVOLVED IN WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC THRILLER
Two former Rochester Red Wings were central figures in the decisive 11th inning of Puerto Rico’s 4-3 victory over the Netherlands in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic Monday night at Dodger Stadium.
The game was settled with WBC’s new tie-breaking procedure. After the 10th inning, subsequent innings begin with runners on first base and second base. The idea is to quickly determine a winner – and it worked.
In the top half of the 11th inning, the Netherlands loaded the bases on a sacrifice bunt. A double-play ground ball ended the threat.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, Puerto Rico loaded the bases on a sacrifice bunt. Ex-Red Wing outfielder Eddie Rosario lined a sacrifice fly to center field off ex-Red Wing pitcher Loek Van Mil to end the game and send Puerto Rico to the championship game Wednesday night against the United States.
The Puerto Rican team mobbed Rosario and he was ecstatic during his TV interview in English and Spanish. Hard-luck losing pitcher Van Mil was seen slamming his glove to the ground in frustration and disgust.
Rosario, 25, started fast with Rochester last season (.319, 14 doubles, 7 HRs, 25 RBI in 41 games) to earn a return ticket to Minnesota. Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler give the Twins one of baseball’s best young outfields.
Van Mil, 32 and at 7-foot-1 the tallest player in organized baseball history, started last season with the Red Wings. He signed with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and had bounced around assorted minor leagues since. In five games with Rochester last year, he allowed 17 hits in 5 1/3 innings and had a ghastly 23.62 ERA. He was released April 27, abandoned his Major League Baseball Dream, and returned to the Dutch League.
CHEERS TO NBA COMMISSIONER ADAM SILVER
NBA commissioner Adam Silver continues to do a terrific job. On Monday, he sent a memo to the owners regarding teams resting marquee players and thus disappointing paying customers (NBA tickets are not cheap) and TV viewers (there are many other channels to switch to).
Silver wrote “it is an extremely significant issue for our league.” He’s right, of course. Unfortunately, I have no idea what can be done to solve the problem. (Except perhaps sitting the stars for home games. That would be an improvement).
The coaches resting the players say their only obligation is to attempt to win t6he championship. Resting key players has become a part of the winning formula.
The biggest problem is that the NBA regular season (82 games per team) is too long. No wonder the players get hurt so much and coaches give their stars nights off to rest for the playoffs.
Thumbs up to NBA Most Valuable Player frontrunners James Harden (Houston) and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City) for playing in every game for their teams this season. If these two superstars can do it, why can’t they all?
For the record, when the Rochester Royals won their NBA championship in 1951, the season was 68 games. Bobby Wanzer, Arnie Johnson and Red Holzman each played in all 68 games. Jack Coleman played in 67 games, Arnie Risen 66, Pep Saul 65 and Bobby Davies 63.
A FEW THOUGHTS ON JIM BOEHEIM
If any college basketball coach has earned the right to retire on his terms, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim is that man.
More than a few Boeheim critics wish that he were going and Mike Hopkins were staying in a new role as head coach. Those folks have short memories.
In Boeheim’s 41 season as head coach, SU has made the NCAA Tournament 32 times, including 17 trips to the Sweet 16 A few critics say he has won “only one’ national championship. A whole lot of other coaches have never won an NCAA championship.
At 72, Boeheim is old for a coach/manager in any sport. A few examples:
Former Villanova coach Rollie Massimino still is coaching basketball at Keiser University, an NAIA school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He is 82-years old.
Joe Paterno was 84 in his final football season at Penn State. Bobby Bowden was 80 in his final season at Florida State.
Ages of some other college basketball coaches in their final seasons: Tevester Anderson (Jackson State) 76…Larry Brown (SMU) 75…Jim Phelan (Mount Saint Mary’s) 74… Lute Olson (Arizona) 72…Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State) 71…Ray Meyer (DePaul) 70…Ralph Miller (Oregon State) 70…Jim Calhoun (Connecticut) 67.
NFL coaches in their final seasons: George Halas (Chicago) 72…Marv Levy (Buffalo) 70.
I wonder if Connie Mack is one of Boeheim’s heroes. He was 87 in his final season as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1950. He also owned the team.
SHORT SHOTS
Former popular Red Wings general manager Bob Drew died Sunday in Florida at age 80. In 1981, he was the radio play-by-play man for the first 32 innings (April 18-19) of the record 33-inning Red Wings at Pawtucket game. Bob wanted to hire Rick Peckham as play-by-play man for that season but Peckham was the play-by-play broadcaster for the hockey Amerks are there too many scheduling conflicts. So Drew hired Don Fischer to do home games and assigned himself to do road games. The marathon game in Pawtucket was on his first road trip. He worked the game solo and the press box at McCoy Stadium had no rest room. He remarked that an empty soda cup came in handy.
NBA Most Valuable Player updated odds from covers.com: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City) and James Harden (Houston) each even money…Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio) 5-to-1…LeBron James (Cleveland) and Isaiah Thomas (Boston) each 10-to-1…Stephen Curry (Golden State) 40-to-1…John Wall (Washington) 50-to-1.
Jim Boeheim is reminding everyone that SU lost in the NIT in 1992 and won the NCAA national championship in 1993. As far as I know, there are no incoming players nearly as good as Carmelo Anthony.
Ole Miss, coming off an upset victory over host Syracuse in the second round of the NIT, was upset by visiting Georgia Tech 74-66 in the NIT quarterfinals Tuesday night. The Rebels tore up SU’s 2-3 zone (15-for-32; 46.9 percent from three-point range) but were a mere 6-for-28 (21.4 percent) from long range vs. the Yellow Jackets.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO…
Wednesday, March 22 -- J.J. Watt (28)…Chris Ivory (29)…Ike Davis (30)…Dexter Fowler (31)…Thomas Davis (34)…Mike Smith NHL (35)…Juan Uribe (38)…Joey Porter (40)…Marcus Camby (43)…Russell Maryland (48)…Brian Shaw (51)…Hannu Virta (54)…John Tonelli (60)…Bob Costas (65)…Dave Keon (77)…Don Cherry (83). Rick Harrison of Pawn Stars (52) and William Shatner (86) are invited to the birthday party.
Thursday, March 23 – Kyrie Irving (25)…Gordon Hayward (27)…Dellin Betances (29)…Maurice Jones-Drew (32)…Brandon Marshall (33)…Mark Buehrle (38)…Jason Kidd (44)…Gord Murphy (50)…Daren Puppa (52)…Wayne Presley (52)…Geno Auriemma (63)…Ron Jaworski (66)…Lee May (74)…Gail Goodrich (74).