Frontenacs: Bad policy as usual

Never look for logic with the human comedy which is the Kingston Frontenacs, unless you want your head to hurt.

The Frontenacs say they are bidding for next season's Memorial Cup, so what do they do? Trading for a player who will be too old for major junior hockey next season. According to Loose Pucks, GM-for-life Larry Mavety is working on a trade with the Saginaw Spirit that "would send an overager to Kingston, while Saginaw would get a young player and picks. No idea when this is happening now."

Please don't ask: How Frontenacs owner Doug Springer and his pet dinosaur can be earnest about hosting a Memorial Cup in the future, while mortgaging the team's prospects at being competitive in 2010-11; how they can expect to get the Memorial Cup when more stable, seriously run franchises such as Windsor, Mississauga-St. Michaels (which as per Tony Ambrogio, is bidding) are in the running; and how this is anything but bad-hockey-as-usual from the only team, in a league which is cyclical in nature, which is 0-for-the-2000s at winning a playoff series.

Honestly, this site, laugh if you must, is for trying to talk about positives, so that's why there is not much to say about the Frontenacs. Anyway, any time Loser Suit Larry is talking trade, this comes to mind.

Lisa: Do you really think you can get our dental plan back, dad?
Homer: Well, that depends on who's the better negotiator, Mr. Burns or me...
Bart: Dad, I'll trade you this delicious doorstop for your crummy old Danish.
Homer: Done and done.

Please don't ask why the people in Kingston who raise these questions, such as Mark Potter, get treated as pariahs.

Read More...

Summary only...

Spencer ups to 3-0

KILLARNEY — As Draw 5 at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts reaches the midway mark, there's one lasting truth.
If you score nine points, with seven of them stolen, you should win
Barb Spencer did that with a 9-2 win over Tanis Fortin as she tries to make her case for a fourth Manitoba championship.

It's obvious, if it wasn't before, that Spencer wants to wash the sting of a 2-9 Canadian championship performance last season. That could be the driving factor behind her dominating performace so far: 10-4 win over Terry Ursel, 10-4 over Liza Park, 9-2 over Tanis Fortin Thursday morning.

Read More...

Summary only...

Seven teams hurry hard at the Scotties

by Keith Borkowsky, The Curling Guy

KILLARNEY — Day 1 is in the books and I'm no wiser on who will win Manitoba's Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

But seven teams made better cases than the rest of the 16 teams here this week based on 2-0 opening days. Given how Manitoba's draw is set up, the seeded teams should be 2-0 by now, and all but one (Kim Link of East St. Paul) succeeded.



While there's still time to make up ground, the seven teams now at 0-2 will have to get some help. Winning a few games wouldn't hurt either.

The surprises? While Killarney has gotten behind this event in absolutely every way possible (and I really can't overstate that fact after covering four of these events), they are far from a lively bunch — even by curling standards. There's not much for crowd reaction after shots of any kind. They know the game, but seem to be the strong silent type.

I'm not saying they need a mariachi band for fifth end breaks, but what would it take to clap your hands? I mean, it's minus-freaking bone chilling molecular structure destruction is imminent 30 or whatever.

For full results, check out curlmanitoba.org, or on Twitter, KBOCURLING.

Read More...

Summary only...

Rock on to the Manitoba Scotties

by Keith Borkowsky, The Curling Guy



KILLARNEY — There's nothing left now but the playing at the Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

The banquet's been devoured, drink tickets cashed in, people screamed obscenities in unison at a television set during a World Junior Hockey overtime throughout the town.

Yes, even hockey can trump curling at the highest level sometimes.

But that's over now.

The teams have all thrown their final practise rocks in preparation for a week-long grind that will determine Manitoba's second representative (Jennifer Jones is the second) at the Canadian Scotties Tournament of Hearts slated for Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Here are some early observations from the swanky new Shamrock Centre, a facility that proves even with civic infighting that costs a town its mayor in mid term that some fights are worth the price.



Three time Manitoba champion Barb Spencer (2009, 2003, 1986) opens the championship as the top seed, and as Resby Coutts at The Curler points out, with a 15-3 Scotties record in two seasons, she deserves the ranking.

She deserves respect for that record, but that's no inidcation of what can happen when 12 teams of the 16 can legitimately contend if the cards fall the right way for them.

This year's field includes no less than five former Manitoba champions who now skip teams of their own.

Of those five, Janet Harvey (2006, 1997, 1990) would stand the best chance to get another title if she weren't in the round robin pool best described as the Group of Death.

Red Group includes Harvey, 2009 playoff qualifier Chelsea Carey, former Manitoba champion Jill Thurston (2006, 2000), and hometown favourite Lisa Blixhavn, who missed the playoffs last year with a 5-2 record. Four other teams are also in this mix, as 2001 Manitoba champion Karen Rosser joins Linda Stewart, Shauna Streich and Kari Goethe round out the squad.

Also notable? Both Streich and Blixhavn are both more than five months pregnant and will play anyway, though if Blixhavn has to sit out, she's in the best spot as five-time playoff qualifier Kristy Jenion is her fifth.

The Black Group is arguably the easier of the two pools, but it is far from the free space on the bingo card.

Spencer leads the pool that includes 2009 finalist and 2002 provincial women's champ Karen Fallis (formerly Porritt), 2008 playoff qualifier Terry Ursel, playoff contenders Liza Park and Kim Link, an up-and-comer in Kaileigh Strath, 2009-10 Manitoba Curling Tour champion Joelle Brown and the unknown Tannis Fortin of The Pas.

Making a prediction is next to impossible.

That's never stopped me before.

At the end of this week, it won't be Spencer, even though her 2-9 record at last year's Canadians — Manitoba's worst-ever result — gives her all the motivation she'll need to win.

Harvey will earn another Manitoba Buffalo crest, though serious dark horse consideration has to go to Thurston. The team that wins the Group of Death will be the most battle-tested team here this week and deserving of Manitoba's crown.

Whether any of them can make the playoffs at a Canadian championship is a debate for another day.

For now, the question is simple. Will there be a six-way tie for first place in either round robin pool? And will I need an extra day's hotel stay while they sort that out?

Manitoba Scotties coverage will also be available in the Brandon Sun and on Twitter via KBOCURLING.

Read More...

Summary only...

Confidence bordering on obnoxiousness with Alomar, Dawson

Roberto Alomar and Andre Dawson, a Blue Jay and an Expo, forming the Baseball Hall of Fame's 2010 induction class — it could happen.
— some fat, dumb and bald guy this time last year

Thank goodness Cooperstown is only a four-hour drive from a border crossing, eh!

Roberto Alomar is overqualified for the Baseball Hall of Fame, if anything. It is almost like you can't feel an euphoria because it's his just desserts.

A gut feeling is he and Dawson receive somewhere around 80% support, which is all it takes. (Terence Moore, one U.S. columnist, says it will be only those two, apologies to Bert Blyleven if that is the case.)

Anyway, Stephen Brunt found the words to evoke the Blue Jays' early-1990s salad days and it is a must-read. Meantime, some Canadian OMDs have finally clued in about two years too late about Expos great Tim Raines' bona fides, and then there are those how try to be authoritative while misrepresenting the facts (Ryne Sandberg was elected in his third year on the ballot).

Throw in the late, great Tom Cheek finishing first in the fan balloting for the Ford C. Frick Award and well, Cooperstown could have that Canada-rama in August, which probably has the people at the Hall of Fame quaking a bit over their bottom line.

Alomar received 11-of-12 votes from staffers at the Chicago Tribune and USA Today, if that is any kind of straw poll.

Just for fun, here is a Keltner test for Alomar which should remove all doubt.

Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in baseball?

Some time around 1993, Sport magazine ran one of those Barry Bonds vs. Ken Griffey Jr. comparison articles that monthly sports magazines ran to compensate for the time lag (and you wonder why they folded). Tony La Russa said neither, Alomar was the best player in the game. And he's a genius.

Retrospectively speaking, Alomar topped the AL in win shares in 1992 (34) and 1999 (35). That's cribbed from a 2004 Matthew Namee article that notes that around '93, "with the possible exception of Barry Bonds, Roberto Alomar was the most complete package in baseball. He was a switch-hitter who hit for a great average, drew a bunch of walks, had good power. He stole a ton of bases and was rarely caught, and he was a Gold Glove middle infielder.

Was he the best player on his team?

He was the best player on the 1991, '92, and '95 Jays (the latter because someone had to be), the 1996 Baltimore Orioles and 1999 and 2001 Clevelands.

Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position?

Yes. He won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves at second base (1991-2000) and added four Silver Slugger awards.

Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?

He was on seven post-season teams during an 11-year stretch, plus a 90-win Cleveland team which fell one win short of the post-season in 2000.

The '00 Indians were a .500 team at the end of July. They went 40-22 (.645) across the last two months to almost catch the Oakland Athletics, with Alomar hitting a practically Pujolsian .370/.437/.557 to spur the charge.

In 1997, he hit .500/.532/.800 in September to help the Orioles finish two games ahead of the Yankees for the AL East flag.

Was he a good enough player that he could continue to play regularly after passing his prime?

No. The New York media has never let it drop that Alomar hit a wall at age 34 and endured "a discouraging turn with the Mets in 2002 and 2003, when he hit just .265 over 222 games." Ryne Sandberg was 34 when he quit the Chicago Cubs mid-season in 1994; he returned to play two middling seasons.

Is he the very best player in baseball history who is not in the Hall of Fame?

Toss-up between him and Raines.

Are most players who have comparable career statistics in the Hall of Fame?

Five of his 10 most comparable players are in the Hall of Fame and the very much active Derek Jeter is one of the other five, so yes. Alomar and, wait for it, Tim Raines are the only post-1950 players with 1,500 runs scored who have not been inducted.

Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?

Alomar's 193 on Bill James' HOF monitor is 47th-best all-time, the highest of anyone who played entirely in the expansion era and entirely at second base. (Joe Morgan is 60th.) Alomar is 50th in HOF standards, putting him in a class with Morgan and Craig Biggio.

Only Bonds scored more runs during Alomar's first 14 seasons in the majors (ESPN.com).

Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?

The fielding stats which are now taken for granted were not readily available in the 1990s. Alomar's fielding reputation might have been inflated, especially since he had benefit of playing more than half his games on artificial turf from 1991-95.

People over the last 10 years have accepted that stolen-base success rates are more important than just raw steal totals, so Alomar's 81% success rate counts for more than his total, 474.

Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?

Biggio is not yet eligible.

How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?

Put it this way: Dustin Pedroia was the American League MVP in 2008 as a second baseman who OPS-plused 122. Alomar had six seasons where he OPS-plused 129 or better, scored 100 runs and received a Gold Glove.

God only knows why he had little traction with MVP voters during his Toronto years, when he finished sixth three years in a row.

He never won the MVP Award. His best finish was third in 1999 (tied with Manny Ramirez and ahead of sixth-place Derek Jeter, who should have won), followed by a fourth in 2001. He also finished sixth from 1991-93 with the Jays, largely since the voters of the day tended to go for RBI guys.

How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the other players who played in this many go to the Hall of Fame?

He had 13 all-star type seasons, 1988 and 1990-2001. He was selected 12 times; in 1988 he had the best season ever by a 20-year-old second baseman (The Hardball Times), but was overlooked for the All-Star Game since he started the season in the minors and was playing for a going-nowhere San Diego Padres team.

Off-hand, the 12 appearances ranks well with several first-ballot inductees who played in the AL in the 1980s and '90s: George Brett made 13 all-star teams, then there are Wade Boggs (12), Dave Winfield (12), Rickey Henderson (10), Eddie Murray (8) and Paul Molitor (7). The other same-era second baseman who's in the Hall, Ryne Sandberg, had 10 selections. Barry Larkin played in 12, but one was a courtesy invite in his final season.

Most people who went to the All-Star Game as often as Alomar have gone to Hall of Fame, usually with not much debate.

If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?

The '91-92 Blue Jays each won 90-plus games and the AL East. The '96 Baltimore team, the first wild-card entry to win a playoff series, reached the American League championship series. In 1999, Alomar tied for third in MVP balloting while helping Cleveland to a 97-65 record one win off the AL's best.

What impact did the player have on baseball history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?

None especially, although he was among the many great Puerto Rican players who have reshaped the sport. He would be the first elected (the late Roberto Clemente was a special case).

Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?

Yeah, the spitting incident. Only two lives were really affected by it and John Hirschbeck moved on long ago, telling the New York Daily News recently, "It's long over with and a lot more good has come out of it than you can ever believe. If that was to cost Robbie the Hall of Fame, I would feel awful."

Read More...

Summary only...

Sports broadcasting's King and saviour

Or as they spell it south of the border, "Savior."

Tyler King is knocking people out with his exuberance, his raw power — and his punctuality.

Calling an AHL game on short notice, well, I guess that's more than most 22-year-olds can handle, but our friend Kinger literally pulled it off with aplomb on Saturday. Tyler did play-by-play of pro hockey for the first time, calling the Syracuse Crunch's 6-3 win over Albany for SportsRadio 620 WHEN. You may take aplomb as a fancy way of saying he slipped his patented "holds it ... holds it" into the broadcast at least once.

Granted, Bob Costas also called minor-league hockey in Syracuse when he was roughly the same age and look what happened to him.

Calling it a professional debut is technically right but seems like a misnomer. Tyler was born professional. Seriously, someone is not doing her/his job if Hockey Night in Canada does not have him on their radar screen.

As an added bonus, former Belleville Bulls star Mike Murphy was in goal for Albany, so Tyler finally got to cover a team which Murphy did not dominate. It's well-deserved reward after a couple frustrating seasons of following the Kingston Frontenacs.

Read More...

Summary only...

Blog blast past: Niedermayer as captain? Could 'C' that coming from 2 years away

Good friend Neil Acharya totally called Scott Niedermayer being captain of Team Canada. From June 11, 2007:

There has been talk that Scott Niedermayer could retire after leading the Anaheim Ducks to the Stanley Cup. It says here no such thing will happen. Not only is Niedermeyer coming off a tremendous season, capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup, he also enjoyed the highest point total of his career.

"Out of any NHL team that has won the Cup in over the past three seasons, Anaheim is the best suited for a repeat. Farther down the line, in 2010, the Olympics will be in Vancouver. Although he already has an Olympic gold medal, can you imagine Niedermayer playing in front of a rabid audience in his home province? He’ll be 37 years old by then, but Steve Yzerman was playing his 19th season during the 2002 Salt Lake gold medal run with Canada and Chris Chelios captained the U.S. Olympic hockey team well into his 40s.

Niedermayer is currently playing some the best hockey of his life. I'm predicting he will be in Vancouver with a letter on his sweater.

Read More...

Summary only...