Thursday, July 31, 2003

Return of the Game Pipeline The Game Pipeline is back as a public service to Scotty J. over at Base Camp, who depends on the Pipeline for all his sports coverage.  The pressure's on... It's that time of year when the three sports I love most are at their most active.  The NBA is blasting fast and furious through free agency and trades.  Major League Baseball's trading deadline is today.  And NFL camps are in full swing.  Let's talk NBA first... Clippers owner Donald Sterling has opened his wallet, to the tune of $124 million, to re-sign Elton Brand and Corey Maggette.  Where this leaves Lamar Odom, no one is yet sure.  Friends, let me tell you something.  The Clippers are still going to really suck.  Brand's a very nice player, but Maggette's nothing special.  Would you rather have a $126 million Kevin Garnett, or a $124 million Elton Brand and Corey Maggette?  Of course, Maggette's signing means that the Utah Jazz have come up empty in free agency, meaning that despite boatloads of cash, they weren't able to lure any free agents.  Seriously, how many NBA players really want to live in Utah?  Jerrry Sloan's going to have six heart attacks in his first season without Stockton-to-Malone.  It's going to be so freaking hilarious when the Jazz faithful pull their same old gag where they scream and kick and throw their hands to the air when the refs don't call every single flop by the Jazz as a charge against the opposition.  It wasn't funny before, because they got the calls.  But try getting those calls with DeShawn Stephenson doing the flopping, instead of Stockton or Malone.  Hilarious.  Bite it, Jazz! "What's wrong with you guys?  Haven't you ever run a pick and roll?" The Wolves continued to add to the mix, signing Fred "The Mayor" Hoiberg and Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen.  I love the Madsen signing; he's tough, he'll do dirty work, he can board, and he doesn't need or want the ball.  Which is good, because he's not going to get it.  In other news, the Wolves have announced they will only sign players with established nicknames, leaving hope that failed Minnesota star Rick "The Rickster" Rickert will have a spot on the team after 12 years of seasoning in a European league. Boy, talk about your bad decisions.  Here's a guy who, after his freshman year, was a consensus lottery pick.  Unfortunately, Rickert actually played during his sophomore season, exposing himself as being softer than Rafael Palmeiro in his pre-Viagra days.  Not only that, but the guy couldn't guard Jabba the Hut.  So, naturally, he is advised by his agent (and probably his Svengali dad) to enter the draft this year.  In their eyes, The Rickster was a 6'11" player who could shoot and had some serious game. But there was, shall we say, a lack of consensus on that point.  The Rickster worked out privately for every team that would have him.  The results?  He fell all the way to the 56th pick, a mercy pick by the Wolves for a hometown product, probably just designed to make Sid Hartman shut up for about five days.  Now he's going to play in Europe.  So, add it up: He forgoes the rest of his college eligibility (two years' worth), not to mention two years of the very best time of his life, to get what he thinks is going to be a phat $8 million, 3 year guaranteed deal in the NBA.  Instead, what he gets is a loss of his college eligibility, a non-guaranteed $150k a year deal in some scary place in Europe where fans throw knives and cattle at players while they are on the court, and a huge dose of public humiliation. It's early, but I like the Wolves, Lakers and Spurs in the West.  I don't think Sacramento comes out that far ahead in gaining Brad Miller while losing Scott Pollard and Hedo Turkoglu, not to mention that the Kings are paying Miller about 5 times what the Wolves will be paying Olowokandi.  And Dallas?  They didn't get their big man, and I'm not convinced that team is improved over last year.  Nellie's act seems to be wearing thin there.  Like Loyal Pipeline reader Mike B. says-he's a gimmick coach. In the East, you've got to like Detroit, and you figure Jersey will still be around.  The Pacers have talent, but they waaaay overpaid for Jermaine O'Neal, and the same goofball is still their coach.  Surprise team in the East?  Orlando won't really be a surprise, but that team is going to get past the first round this year. But it's still West World in the NBA.  Detroit will be good, but they're a 4-2 loss in the Finals waiting to happen.  Baby steps... Now, baseball... Just look at him: Steinbrenner's up to something The trades have started, as teams are jockeying for position in the standings and on the ledger (which is where the real action is).  There is big talk that the Yankees are getting ready to pull the trigger on a blockbuster.  Speculation had centered on the Pirates' Brian Giles, but now there is late word that they are looking at the Padres' Ryan Klesko.  Giles would be a monster in New York, but Klesko is a similar player, and would most likely cost less in prospects.  Speaking of which, the Yankees dont' have all that many prospects to deal.  Expect to see Brandon Claussen's name involved in most offers.  But the Yankees might be able to pull a deal off with cash rather than grade A prospects, by offering to pick up the salaries of the players they trade as well as the players they are acquiring.  That's pretty much how it works now.  If you can get a premium prospect in a deal, you're golden. Who needs what? The Mariners will probably stand pat.  They might need some bullpen help, but what they need most of all is for John Olerud, Edgar Martinez, and Kaz Sasaki to get and stay healthy. The A's needed a bat, and made a move to bring in Jose Guillen.  The A's didn't give up much to get Guillen, and that's as it should be.  Guillen's having his career year, but he's basically a reclamation project from the Reds.  They were smart to turn him into two servicable pitching prospects in Aaron Harang and Joe Valentine. The White Sox probably are done dealing.  Getting Schoeneweis from the Angels was a nice move, geared to the post-season.  The Royals continue to add to their pen, bringing in Graeme Lloyd, another nice post-season matchup move.  The Royals' biggest decision isn't who to bring in, it's whether to keep Carlos Beltran.  Their recent contention hopes have cooled that talk somewhat, but the Royals fear that Beltran will make a huge salary in arbitration this season, which would make him an unattractive rent-a-player next season, his last before a free agency bonanza that could see him get a $120 million contract somewhere.  Yeah, he's that good. And the Twins?  Hard to say if they are going to be buyers or sellers at this point.  If anything, they might bring in Rafael Palmeiro, if the price is right. The Yankees and Boston and Toronto have been and will be active today.  Boston doesn't have much to deal, though, since people are starting to see some of the flaws in Casey Fossum's game.  And they just dealt one of their (ony) other pitching prospects, Phil Dumatrait, to the Reds in exchange for Scott Williamson. In the NL, the biggest decisions are involving the Pirates, Padres, Reds, Cardinals and Expos.  Will the Pirates move Giles, their best player for a number of years now?  Will he bring enough to restock their system, as Cleveland did last year by moving Colon to Montreal?  He will bring at least one A prospect in return. The Padres are gearing up to move into a new ballpark next year, and are said to be in the Giles sweepstakes.  And don't forget the Yankee interest in Klesko. The Reds are trying to shed salary, and have an unhappy Aaron Boone to move.  The Cardinals are trying to decide if they should part with JD Drew in order to bring in some pitching.  That better be a lot of pitching; Drew's a great young player. And the Expos are certainly hearing offers for Livan Hernandez and Javier Vasquez.  Since they are owned by MLB, it's hard to predict what they will do.  What they WON'T do is add any salary. Should be a fun day today as the deadline approaches. Finally, in NFL news... Jason Sehorn hurt his ankle and will be out of action for the Rams for up to 10 weeks.  Which means that ESPN will have to find someone else to posterize on their highlight features. The Vikings' front line averages...averages...6'6" and 330 pounds.  Bryant McKinnie has the distinction of being both the tallest (7'4") and heaviest (612 pounds) of the bunch.  Remember the Hogs, the celebrated offensive line of the early '80s-era Washington Redskins?  Guys like Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, and a bunch of other fatasses I can't remember...Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper is heavier than three of those guys. The NFL had changed.  Where the hell do they find guys like this?  And a lot of those guys can run the 40 in under 5 seconds, so they are huge AND fast.  Say what you want about soccer, or baseball, or the NBA or whatever.  No group of athletes, in my mind, has the ability to both physically intimidate you and physically destroy you like guys from the NFL.      12:47:15 PM    Say what?[]

Crows Ever watch crows?  You should try it sometime.  You might be amazed at what you see. Crows are among the smartest birds, if not the smartest.  They have a highly developed language and social structure.  They have even been known to use and manufacture tools.  Did you know that not all crows are mating crows?  Some crows fill more of an "aunt" or "uncle" roll-they hang around and help raise the young, tend the nest, get food, and tell stories about the old days.  But they don't mate.  How do the crows decide who mates and who doesn't?  We don't know. But we do know that crows are capable of over 1000 different vocalizations, and are very adept at mimicry.  Crows will not only mimic other birds, but they can also mimic human voices and even cell phones.  Why the mimicry?  In some cases, it's to scare off or attract other birds.  But in many cases, mimicry serves as a source of entertainment for crows.  Crows love to tease other birds, and will chase them around in an attempt to engage in a game of tag.  If you pay attention, you will see this most often with Blue Jays, who deserve to be picked on. Crows are also not above aggression.  Loyal Pipeline reader Brad T's neighborhood was once terrorized by a crow, who once chased Brad home and made him very afraid.  And with good reason.  Crows are big birds, and they aren't afraid to mix it up with much larger hawks, if necessary. I have had two very strange crow experiences recently, one of which I will recount here. About a year ago, Linus and I got home from our day at school and work.  As I pulled into the driveway, I saw a crow walking around my backyard.  That's an odd thing-we have a lot of crows around, but they rarely just walk around our grass.  It was so odd that I noticed it immediately, but not so odd that I didn't just go inside with Linus. Then, a few minutes later, I happened to look out into my backyard and see two crows sitting on a powerline that traverses our lot.  Again, this is unusual, and it caught my attention.  Crows typically spend their time in trees, or on the tops of power poles or traffic lights.  Around our house, they are almost never actually sitting on a powerline.  But I didn't associate this strange crow behavior with the behavior of the crow in the yard. What I did do was step out on my back deck to look at them.  There were two of them, just sitting there, looking at the ground and making a low cooing noise.  After about 20 second of watching them, Linus came to the door and wanted to go out in the back yard and play.  So we did. We played baseball for a few minutes, during which time the crows on the wires flew up into the trees, somewhat away from the yard.  But they were still there, looking down at us.  Eventually, the baseball found it's way out of the yard, and into the tall grass that seperates the back of our yard and the hill behind our house. As I walked in to get the ball, I was startled to find a very large crow, laying in the grass.  I was startled not just because there was a dead animal just in front of me, but also because of the size.  Crows are pretty substatial birds, about as large as a small cat.  I picked up the body with a shovel, put it in a bag, and put it in the garbage.  It weighed a fair amount, as birds go.  And rigormortis had yet to set in; this bird hadn't been dead for very long at all. And that's when I realized something: I think those crows were having a funeral in my back yard. The crow I saw on the ground when I pulled in must have been the crow that died.  He was looking for a place to rest...in peace, so to speak.  And the crows above?  Family members, perhaps?  Friends?  Crows do maintain lifelong relationships. I think those crows on the wire were paying their respects to an old crow they had probably known for awhile.  Maybe somebody's mother, aunt, or uncle.  When I came back to the back yard after putting the crow in the garbage, the two crows were still up in the tree, looking at me.  I didn't feel menaced.  I just wondered what they were thinking.  And then they flew away. I have seen other crow behavior like that, but hey, how many crow stories do you really want to read?  Watch those crows.  It may seem like all they are doing is sitting around and making noise.  They are probably doing a lot more than that. 10:55:53 AM    Say what?[]

© Copyright 2003 Doug Hennessee. Last update: 8/1/2003; 1:13:22 PM.