Bias Bulletin

Euro 2012 Update
In the upset of the tournament (apologies to Greece), the Italians used two Mario Balotelli goals and a workman-like performance in net from Gianluigi Buffon to eliminate Germany and advance to their first European Championship since their 2000 loss to France.
The Italy/Spain final is a rematch from the first weekend of the tournament, when the two teams drew 1-1. There will be no drawing in the final on Sunday.
NBA Draft Recap
As many expected, Kentucky forward Anthony Davis was the first overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft, going to the New Orleans Hornets. NOLA used their second lottery pick (10th overall) to draft Duke guard Austin Rivers, establishing, in the span of an hour, one of the best young nucleuses in the league.
Elsewhere, the Charlotte Bobcats drafted Davis’ college teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the second overall pick. The Wizards followed by taking Florida freshman Bradley Beal. Cleveland surprised many by drafting Syracuse guard Dion Waiters with the fourth pick, despite the fact that Waiters never started a game in his two years in college. Finally, Sacramento rounded out the top 5 by taking D.C.-native and Kansas forward Thomas Robinson.
The surprise of the draft, though, may have been that there were no surprises. No big trades (apologies, as always, to Tyler Zeller). No shocking picks (we call those Mouhamed Sene’s). The fans booed NBA Commissioner David Stern. They cheered Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. And the ESPN analysts talked about wingspan and upside.
5 MLB Tidbits
Great Pitching Performance #1: Felix Hernandez. Maybe it’s because he plays for a terrible team (that’s exactly what it is), but King Felix doesn’t get enough notice for just how good he is. Last night saw a return to form for the King, after a bit of an off season. Hernandez threw a shutout and struck out 13 Red Sox hitters and got the minimum of run support from his teammates to lead Seattle to a 1-0 victory.
-Great Pitching Performance #2: Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner came within one hit of throwing his first career no-hitter, as he led the now first place San Francisco Giants to a 5-0 victory over the Reds. Cincinnati’s only hit came off the bat of Ryan Hanigan. Bumgarner struck out 8.
-Great Pitching Performance #3: Andrew Cashner. The Padres decided last month to conver the electric-armed (and often-injured) Cashner to a starting pitcher role. They sent him to the minors where he was dominant. Last night, in his return to the Majors and his debut as a full-time starter, Cashner took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before surrendering a line drive single to Carlos Lee. Cashner dominated the Astros, though, in the previous six innings, striking out 9 and walking just 1. The Padres rallied in the 9th for a 7-3 victory.
-Mediocre Pitching Debut #1: Trevor Bauer. Pitching in his MLB debut on short rest (which is apparently the way to do this sort of thing…?), Diamondbacks prospect Trevor Bauer pitched 4 innings, surrendering 2 runs and striking out 3. Better things to come.
-Coming off of a week-long series with their cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates now find themselves just 1 game back in the NL Central. The Pirates begin a weekend series tonight with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
Yesterday was just your run-of-the-mill 11-10 extra innings game between the Nationals and Rockies. The Nats were on the 10 run side of the equation and drew to a disappointing split with the Rockies.
Starter Edwin Jackson was rocked for 8 runs early and exhibited as much life on his fastball as Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The Nats were able to sustain an unsuccessful rally thanks to a late-inning homer by Bryce Harper that traveled up I-25 to Cheyenne.
The Nats begin a three-game series in Atlanta tonight. They enter the series with a 3 ½ game lead on the Braves. Your weekend pitching matchups and start times:
Friday: Ross Detwiler v. Randall Delgado (7:35 p.m.)
Saturday: Stephen Strasburg v. Mike Minor (4:05 p.m.)
Sunday: Gio Gonzalez v. Tim Hudson (1:35 p.m.)
Games of the Weekend
Soccer: Spain v. Italy (Sunday 2:45/ESPN)
MLB: Tigers @ Rays (Friday 7:10/MLB.TV……Justin Verlander v. David Price)
And then some tennis and stock car racing, and I’m sure a golf tournament. Perhaps some cage fighting and some bowling.
Enjoy your weekends. Safe travels to those hitting the road, rail, or sky.

Bias Bulletin

I’m An Idiot or How The BCS Died and I Didn’t Tell You
I missed a huge story in yesterday’s Bulletin. Total oversight. So consider this your old news update.
Beginning in 2014, college football will finally turn to a playoff system to determine the National Champion. A yet to be determined board will determine the four best teams and place them in a seeded tournament using the current bowl system. They’ll apparently measure strength of schedule, win-loss record, and give preference to conference champions. In short, the BCS, for all intents and purposes, is dead.
So commence the arguing over who is the fourth best team in the country. Bear in mind that last year’s 4th and 5thplace teams in the BCS were Stanford and Oregon. And Stanford was the 4thseed. And they didn’t win the Pac-12. And they lost to Oregon. Let’s hope the humans get it right.
Euro 2012 Update
Something about Cristiano Ronaldo not having a penalty kick…
5 Baseball Tidbits
-The San Francisco Giants completed their first ever shutout sweep of the LA Dodgers, outscoring the boys in blue 13-0 in the series. The teams are now tied for the NL West lead.
-The Baltimore Orioles had found a diamond in the rough in Jason Hammel. Hammel had been a less than successful pitcher for the Rays and Rockies before coming to Baltimore in an offseason trade. Up until 7:05 p.m. yesterday, Hammel had been a revelation. Then he got lit up by the Angels and all was made right with the world.
-The Chicago Cubs are terrible. They proved that yesterday by surrendering 17 runs to the New York Mets.
-Chase Utley returned to the lineup for the Philadelphia Phillies last night and delivered a home run in his first at bat. Then the Phillies lost. And again, all was made right with the world.
-(an editorial) The Colorado Rockies are an embarrassment to baseball. You’ll recall that the Rockies have employed a 4-man rotation of underqualified starters. Yesterday, they promoted an ill-prepared AA prospect to start against the best team in the National League (the Washington Nationals). That prospect (Edwar Cabrera) was shelled by the Nationals. 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings. It is never a good idea to promote and expose a raw pitching prospect to Major League hitters. Especially on a team that is going absolutely nowhere and has very little. The Rockies need as many good young pitchers without destroyed psyches as possible. It does no good in promoting a guy like Cabrera nearly a year too soon.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
As you could probably tell in the previous bit, the Nationals exploded offensively again last night, en route to an 11-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies. They continue to possess the best record in the National League. They’ll look to take the series against Colorado this afternoon. Edwin Jackson will face Josh Outman (3:10/MASN).
Games of the Day
Germany v. Italy (2:45/ESPN). The winner will face Spain in the Euro Final on Sunday.
My baseball game of the day features one of my favorite prospects in the game, Diamondbacks pitcher Trevor Bauer. He’ll make his MLB debut tonight against the Atlanta Braves, down in the Peach State. He’ll oppose Jair Jurrjens. Game time is 7:10. You’ll need to have some sort of MLB package to watch.
The Bulletin may not be watching Bauer’s debut live tonight though, as one of its favorite sporting events will be taking place. That, of course, is the 2012 NBA Draft. The Draft starts at 7:30 and airs on ESPN. The Bulletin wrote an NBA Draft preview over on his weblog.

2012 NBA Draft Preview

If the NBA Draft was a science, it would be a baking soda volcano. It’s not terribly hard to make a baking soda volcano erupt. Baking soda + vinegar + food coloring (optional)= Boom! Or fizz.

The NFL Draft is hard. The talent gap between college football and professional football is enormous. You have complex systems in the NFL, playbooks that are written in hieroglyphics, demanding offseason workouts, and the dramatic increase in game speed. It’s harder to project NFL prospects.

I’ve never found the NBA Draft to be a hard code to crack. Teams that draft high on upside have a very good chance to be let down. I’m having a hard time remembering the last time a raw, high-upside guy was taken in the Top 5 and had an All-Star career.

Two years ago, Derrick Favors was drafted out of Georgia Tech by the New Jersey Nets. He was sushi-grade raw. But the experts loved his potential. This year, he averaged 9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Utah Jazz.

How about Xavier Henry, a raw guard from Kansas who didn’t do much in his short time in the Big XII? He was drafted 12th overall in that draft by Memphis. He averaged 17 minutes per game this year and scored 5 points per.

Favors may develop into a solid role player, but the only way he gets to the All-Star game is if he buys a ticket. Henry will be out of the NBA in 3 years.

Lottery teams cannot afford to be patient with players like Henry because when your lottery picks don’t make an immediate impact, you end up back in the lottery, drafting other guys who take playing time from the previous lottery pick. And the cycle goes on.

The NBA Draft is actually kind of simple. Early on (in the lottery), you draft the most impactful available college player who is already very good at something, with room to grow elsewhere. You don’t draft players who aren’t good at anything, and made no impact in college, but “could develop into an All-Star” because they’re “long” and athletic. If you’re a playoff team (as in, out of the lottery) and those players fall to you, take the risk. Drafting high, though, you have to realize that the chances that that player will develop into an All-Star are so low as to not make it worth the wasted pick. Get value for your high picks. Yes, maybe the guy won’t be the next Michael Jordan. But Steve Kerr was a pretty darn important player. Let the good teams take the risk later in the first round.  If you’re bad, don’t you want an immediate positive impact? Otherwise,  aren’t GMs and coaches going to lose their jobs? Professional sports is not a place to sit around and wait for guys to blossom. It’s an industry that requires immediate dividends. You can argue about whether that’s the way it “should be” or not, in the “perfect world.”. But it’s the way it is. So adapt.

When it comes to trying to mock the NBA Draft, you may as well just pick names from a hat. There are so many trades and reaches that it’s a futile exercise to try to guess who Milwaukee will take with the 12th overall pick. By the time I publish this post, they’ll have traded it for future draft considerations. (I kid you not, I wrote this on Wednesday before they traded this pick to the Rockets)

I did a mock draft in 2008 that had Nicolas Batum going 3rd overall. It looked ridiculous at the time because no one who reads this had seen him play. I hadn’t seen him play. But I read about him and liked what was there. Batum was drafted 25th overall. If we had a 2008 NBA Draft do-over, he’d likely be a Top 10 pick.
And so with that, below you will find my list of the 30 players who will pay the highest dividends in the NBA. Some of these guys won’t be drafted in the first round. Heck, some might not even get drafted. And I’m okay with that. And always keep in mind, most NBA first rounders won’t matter ten years down the line. Of all the players selected in the first round in the 2002 draft, only 5 are still playing any sort of role in the NBA. This is my big board. Apologies to Tyler Zeller.


1.)Anthony Davis (PF/Kentucky/Freshman)
Comment: He’s the consensus #1 for a reason. His defensive presence alone would make him a top-5 pick. He didn’t get enough credit as an offensive player at UK though. Davis can shoot. And he 
can run the floor better than any big man in this, or any, draft.

2.) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF/Kentucky/Freshman)
Comment: The gap between Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist is smaller than the gap between MKG and Lillard. I love Kidd-Gilchrist’s motor. I love his tenacity on the defensive side of the ball. He can do everything, save for shoot the 3. And he’s a high character guy. I think a lot of people look at him as boring. He might not be a superstar, but he’ll be one of the best all-around players in the NBA. And very quickly.

3.) Damian Lillard (PG/Weber State/Junior)
Comment: I love Lillard’s ability (and willingness) to drive. The kid can flat out score the basketball. He can shoot it from deep. His traditional point guard skills can (and will) improve. Right now, I could see him coming in and leading any team in the top 5, except for the Cavs (Kyrie Irving). And yes, that’s a personal attack on John Wall.

4.) Kendall Marshall (PG/North Carolina/Sophomore)
Comment: Marshall will not be a lottery pick. I understand that. However, for a team in need of a facilitator, he should be. I haven’t seen a college guard at an elite program with Marshall’s court vision since Jason Kidd. He’s going to be a very good PG for a long time in the NBA.

5.) Thomas Robinson (PF/Kansas/Junior)
Comment: Robinson is a physical specimen. He’s not going to be able to push around NBA 4s/5s like he did in college, but he’s athletic enough to pull them away from the basket. He’ll be a solid rebounder and a defensive force.

6.) Bradley Beal (SG/Florida/Freshman)
Comment: A scorer who can handle the ball. And when I say “scorer” I mean he can score from 
anywhere on the court. Great range, but quick enough to beat guys off the dribble.

7.) Jared Sullinger (PF/Ohio State/Sophomore)
Comment: Remember how DeJuan Blair was a really good college player, but people didn’t like him because he was undersized and injury prone and he fell into the middle-part of the second round? Yeah. Exactly.

8.) Doron Lamb (SG/Kentucky/Sophomore)
Comment: Other areas of his game will have to improve, but if you’re looking for an efficient 3-point shooter who’s not going to kill you on the defensive side of the ball, you could do much worse than Doron Lamb. I think he can build around his shooting to become a long-term starter in the NBA.

9.) Marquis Teague (PG/Kentucky/Freshman)
Comment: I like PGs. That’s obviously very clear here. I like Teague more than the experts. He’s quick. He sees the court beautifully. He needs to develop more of a shooting stroke, perhaps, to warrant this high of a pick, but I think he can step in right away and be a very useful 20 MPG backup PG in 2012-13 and be a full-time starter for years after.

10.) Austin Rivers (SG/Duke/Freshman)
Comment: There is no more polarizing player in this draft. You either love Rivers or you hate him. Funny enough that he’s here because I hate him. However, I see the value in Rivers. He’s a fearless shooter and scorer who can get to the basket consistently. He’s a shoot first (and second, and third, and fourth) player who, on the right team, could develop into a major threat and potential All-Star. You cannot overlook players who can get their own shot and score. Rivers can do that.

11.) Harrison Barnes (SF/North Carolina/Sophomore)
Comment: Barnes is like Rivers, except he’s not a fearless shooter. In fact, sometimes, he’s invisible on the court. That said, you cannot pass up a guy who can score like Barnes can. He’ll give you nothing on the defensive side of the ball, but could develop into the slightly richer man’s Marvin 
Williams, which, in this spot, is actually fairly valuable.

12.) Royce White (PF/Iowa State/Sophomore)
Comment: I’m biased when it comes to Royce White. As a person who suffers from unexplained fits of uncontrollable anxiety, I have a hard time not rooting for an athlete who is open and honest about his health. White had (and continues to have) a lot to lose financially by being honest about his struggles with an anxiety disorder. That has not stopped him from trying to get teams and fans to understand his mindset. And I respect that. I also respect a guy his size who can score from anywhere on the court and can pass like he can. If I’m rooting for anyone in this draft to succeed, outside of Anthony Davis and MKG, it’s Royce White.

13.) Dion Waiters (SG/Syracuse/Sophomore)
Comment: Do I love Dion Waiters? No. Do I think he’s inconsistent? Yes. Do I think he’s better, on paper, than all of the players below him on this list? Absolutely. Though I will say, to hear scouts rave about his scoring ability is a bit amusing because he only averaged 12 points a game last year at Syracuse. But there’s room in his game for a marked improvement there.

14.) Andrew Nicholson (PF/Saint Bonaventure/Senior)
Comment: The team that drafts Nicholson will have a fan base sighing. It won’t be a sigh of relief, necessarily. It will be more a sigh of disinterest. But it shouldn’t be. Nicholson is a finisher around the basket. He’s a solid defensive player who can block shots because of of his length, and has some NBA range on his 3-point shot.

15.) Scott Machado (PG/Iona/Senior)
Comment: I’m pretty confident that Machado won’t be a first round pick. But, again, I love PGs, and if Machado was a little bigger, he’d be a top 10 here. I added the qualifier, with Kendall Marshall that I haven’t seen vision like his at an elite program….Iona is not an elite program. The few times I was able to watch Machado live last year, I was blown away by his quickness and his vision, especially in transition. He’s not going to be an ideal half-court PG. But he could be a Rajon Rondo-type PG, just without the defense.

16.) Terrence Ross (SG/Washington/Sophomore)
Comment: A scorer and nothing else really. But he has elite scoring potential.


17.)Jeffrey Taylor (SF/Vanderbilt/Senior)
Comment: An elite college defender who should translate to the NBA. Taylor’s athleticism is an asset in his transition to the NBA. A player with his skill set, minus that athleticism, would likely be a second rounder.

18.) Jae Crowder (SF/Marquette/Senior)
Comment: Another guy who won’t be a first rounder, and very well might not get drafted. Regardless, I think you’d have to be insane to overlook Crowder. The knock on him is that he is the ultimate tweener. He has no position on the basketball court. He’s a 6’6” player with a power forward’s skill set. Whatever. The guy has a motor that is unparalleled. I hate to make the obvious physical appearance comp, but Crowder reminds of a smaller Kenneth Faried. Faried made a name for himself as a 6’8” PF/C for Denver. And he was very good in that role. Crowder can do the same and shoot the basketball from outside. I’ll be very disappointed if he doesn’t get a shot.

19.) Terrence Jones (SF/Kentucky/Sophomore)
Comment: Giant enigma #1. Jones’ two years at Kentucky were as up-and-down as an apathetic roller coaster ride. At times, Jones looked like he just didn’t care (see: Kentucky’s loss to Indiana last season). Other times, Jones looked unstoppable (see: Kentucky’s win over St. John’s last season). He has a definite position in the NBA. He can pass the basketball. Often times, he does that too much. He can rebound and would be considered athletic at any spot on the court. And there’s a world of potential as a scorer at the 3.

20.) Tony Wroten Jr (PG/Washington/Freshman)
Comment: Wroten is a pass-first PG who is incredibly raw, but there are enough ball skills to warrant him being taken in the later ⅓ of the first round. He needs to develop as a scoring threat, but he possesses great vision and passing ability.


21.) Perry Jones III (SF/Baylor/Sophomore)
Comment: Giant enigma #2. Read Terrence Jones’ comment from above. Now take out the part where Terrence Jones has a defined position. I think Perry Jones can succeed in the NBA, but it’s going to take a lot of patience, which is why he’s this low. He would have been a top-3 pick last year, but a season of no development hurt him. He’d be a great fit on the Celtics if Garnett returns. If KG can’t light a fire under Jones III, no one can.


22.) Arnett Moultrie (PF/Mississippi State/Junior)
Comment: We’ve now moved into the part of the draft where you and I get pretty bored. Moultrie is an athletic big man with enough of an outside game to become a matchup problem for some NBA teams.


23.) Evan Fournier (SG/France/Freshman (age))
Comment: Dude is from France. How should I know?


24.) Meyers Leonard (C/Illinois/Sophomore)
Comment: Athletic and a good defensive player, he’ll serve as a useful backup for someone. Think Aaron Gray or other white backup big-men.


25.) John Jenkins (SG/Vanderbilt/Junior)
Comment: He’s a shooter. Pure and true. He’s not going to add anything else.


26.) Fab Melo (C/Syracuse/Sophomore)
Comment: Um, he’s tall. He’s like the less athletic, offensively challenged version of Meyers Leonard. Except he got kicked out of school.


27.) Moe Harkless (SF/St. Johns/Freshman)
Comment: A generally indifferent player with some great athleticism. As a 6’9” small forward, I’m not sure what the heck he really is in the NBA, though I’m not terribly concerned with that. I’m more concerned by how little he played defense at St. John’s.  Regardless, his athleticism makes him worthy of a late first-round selection.


28.) Jeremy Lamb (SG/Connecticut/Sophomore)
Comment: This is the portion that is reserved for guys who will be top-10 picks who I wouldn’t touch. Lamb was a good college defender, but he’s a beanpole. He’s going to get abused by the Dwyane Wade’s of the world. He was often a non-factor offensively despite the fact that he’s got some good offensive tools. Lamb will be a top-10 pick (and the first Lamb to get drafted) because he’s a freakish athlete. A long wing-span never really got anyone far without drive and, you know, usable size. Reach is only good for a skinny basketball player when it comes to giving teammates Gatorade.


29.) John Henson (PF/North Carolina/Sophomore)
Comment: See: Thabeet, Hasheem. I actually don’t dislike John Henson. I just don’t think he’s worthy of a top-15 pick because he’s “long.” You’re not going to find a longer player than Henson in this draft. His length, at least visually, is magnified by his incredibly slight frame. I weigh 140 pounds and I look bigger than the 6’10” Henson. He was a decent shot blocker in college, but a lot of that was due to his getting beat off the dribble and cleaning up his mistakes. In the NBA, players are too quick for second chances. Henson is going to get lost on the court. He’s the case of a player who should have returned to school and accessed the UNC weight room.


30.) Andre Drummond (C/Connecticut/Freshman)
Comment: See: Bust, Giant. I referred to someone from above as sushi-grade raw (Derrick Favors). I’m not sure what’s more raw than that. Perhaps a fish, swimming in the ocean? Drummond is a swimming fish. He’s so un-NBA ready that his early entry into the Draft was the source of laughter for me. Some guys could use some more seasoning (Henson). Drummond needs a vat of salt. He rebounded in the Big East. I seriously question if he’ll do the same in the NBA. Outside of his rebounding, he could not score consistently in conference play. He’s going to be a high lottery pick. And that’s going to hurt a franchise.

Bias Bulletin

Euro 2012 Update
The semi-finals get underway in Euro 2012 this afternoon when Spain and Portugal square off in the Battle for Iberia (sorry, Andorra).
The Spanish, as you may be aware, won the World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2008. They haven’t lost a knockout game in a major tournament since a 3-1 loss to France in the 2006 World Cup. The Portuguese are playing arguably their best soccer since the 2004 European Cup Championship (they lost the final to Greece). The two played most recently in November 2010 in Lisbon. On that day, Portugal handed Spain their worst loss in over 45 years. That was a friendly. This will be anything but.
5 Baseball Tidbits
Behind what some are calling a “virtuoso performance” by Ryan Vogelsong, the San Francisco Giants moved to within a game of the Dodgers last night in the NL West. The loss was LA’s 8th in its last 10 games and it appears the team is finally coming back to Earth after exceeding expectations through the first 2 ½ months of the season. LA will have a good chance to win today in the series finale, as the Giants will send Tim Lincecum to the mound. Imagine reading that sentence a year ago…
-Perhaps it’s not the “Tumble Heard Round The World” but it’s close. Reds closer Aroldis Chapman has struggled mightily in his role since moving from whatever it was that his role was before being moved to closer. Last night, though, Chapman pitched well to pick up the save. Following a strikeout of Brewers human Martin Maldonado, Chapman celebrated by doing two tumbles towards home plate. After the game, Reds stars Joey Votto and Jay Bruce took Chapman aside to explain to him that he is an idiot and they’d prefer not to get hit by an angry Brewers pitcher in today’s game. So maybe all will be right with the world.
-The hashtag #umpshow has caught on this season on social networking site Twitter. #umpshow is used to describe the situation of an umpire taking over a game and becoming the story. Last night’s Yankees/Indians game became an #umpshow. Yankees outfielder Dewayne Wise lept into the stands to make a catch of a foul ball. That ball bounced off of his glove, rolled, and landed about 10 feet to Wise’s left. In fact, it was picked up by a fan in the stands, who held the ball in the air. Not to fear though, third-base umpire Mike DiMuro didn’t need to see any of that. He ruled that Wise made the catch without asking to see the ball. #umpshow
-Rangers starter Yu Darvish shook off a slow start to last night’s game against the Detroit Tigers to pitch 7 strong innings. Darvish struck out 10 Tigers. The Rangers offense was powered by Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton, who each hit home runs. Hamilton’s was his 24th of the season.
-The Boston Red Sox are 2 games out of a Wild Card slot. Just store that one in your memory bank.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
A day after an incredibly frustrating offensive performance, the Nationals went out and broke a number of franchise hitting records, because that makes sense.
The Nats beat the Rockies 12-5. They added 21 hits. Every starter had at least one hit. Gio Gonzalez had an RBI. And hitting coach Rick Eckstein didn’t get fired.
The Nationals now sport the best record in the National League, which is kind of remarkable for a team that is 4-6 in their last 10 games.
Game 3 of this 4 game series with the Rockies will be played tonight. Jordan Zimmermann will take the hill for Washington. Colorado called up AA prospect Edwar Cabrera to make this start. Game time is 8:40 p.m. Cabrera might be back in AA by 9:30.
Game of the Day
Spain v. Portugal (2:45/ESPN)
Baseball game of the day: Angels @ Orioles. Jered Weaver faces Jason Hammel. Weaver is 7-1 with a 2.40 ERA. Hammel is 8-2 with a 2.61 ERA. Game time is 7:05.

Bias Bulletin

5 Baseball Tidbits
-It’s not often that you see two complete games pitched in the same matchup. It’s really uncommon for that to happen when the final score is 8-0. But it happened last night in Kansas City when the Royals beat the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa was coming off of a doubleheader on Sunday and rather than overwork their bullpen, manager Joe Maddon decided to put Alex Cobb out there as a sacrificial lamb. Cobb surrendered 8 runs on 13 hits in his complete game. Afterward, he was called “heroic” by Maddon. Memo to Joe Maddon: might want to tone down the hyperbole.
-Barry Zito got himself back on track last night and the Giants offense exploded for 8 runs, as they pulled to within 2 games of the Dodgers in the NL West. Pablo Sandoval led the way for the Giants with 3 hits and 2 runs scored.
-Day 1 of life without Youk ended poorly for the Boston Red Sox last night as they fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6. The Blue Jays, though, suffered a loss that they could ill afford when starter Henderson Alvarez left the game with a back injury. He joins Brandon Morrow and Kyle Drabek on the list of Blue Jays starters with injuries. But that’s okay because they signed Jamie Moyer yesterday.
-The New York Yankees remained the hottest team in baseball, beating the Indians 7-1 thanks to 7 strong innings from Hiroki Kuroda and a Robinson Cano homer.
-Baseball’s most inconsistent pitcher, Mat Latos, found himself on the upswing last night. And then some. Latos pitched a complete game with 13 Ks against the Brewers. Expect a line like this next time he goes out: 2.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB. Ah the majesty of Mat Latos!
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
Last night’s game may have been the most frustrating of the season. At least, the new “most frustrating game of the season.” Stephen Strasburg was as good as he’s been until he surrendered a triple to Dexter Fowler to lead off the 6th and followed that by throwing an errant 95 MPH fastball at Marco Scutaro’s head. Scutaro left the game and Strasburg appeared to be very shaken by the errant pitch. And it showed. Carlos Gonzalez scored Fowler and then Todd Helton hit a sac fly to give the Rockies a lead they wouldn’t surrender. Colorado won 4-2.
The Nats will have the chance tonight to make right what they made wrong last night. Gio Gonzalez will oppose Christian Friedrich. Game time is 8:40 on one of the MASN networks.
Game of the Day
Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Francisco Giants (10:15). Clayton Kershaw will face Ryan Vogelsong in a game the Dodgers really need to have to try to slow down the momentum that the Giants have right now. 

Bias Bulletin

NBA Update
The Miami Heat remain NBA Champions. This is a fluid situation. We’ll do our best to keep you updated.
Euro 2012 Update
Well, the semifinals are set for Euro 2012. Germany continued to flash its superiority in the face of the Greeks, this time on a soccer pitch. Saturday saw Spain surgically and methodically destroy the French. And yesterday, England and Italy set soccer’s US popularity back 20 years, by playing to a 0-0 draw, with Italy prevailing 4-2 on penalty kicks.
The semifinals will take place on Wednesday and Thursday of this week (all times are 2:45 on ESPN)
Wednesday: Portugal v. Spain
Thursday: Germany v. Italy
The final will be played on Sunday.
5 Baseball Tidbits
-The R.A. Dickey train made an abrupt stop last night in Queens. Mechanics are still trying to find the problem with the locomotive, though some pinstripes were found in the engine block.
-Former Nationals prospect Derek Norris (part of the package Washington sent to Oakland for Gio Gonzalez) hit his first career HR yesterday and made it a walk-off as the A’s salvaged a game in their1 weekend series with the Giants.
-The Arizona Diamondbacks will promote their top prospect, Trevor Bauer, on Thursday to make his debut against the Braves.
-Kevin Youkilis was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox yesterday for pitching prospect Zach Stewart and human being Brent Lillibridge. The White Sox head to Fenway Park in mid-July.
-Biggest Series This Week: Dodgers @ Giants. San Francisco enters this 3-game set just 3 games behind the Dodgers, who have cooled off a bit while the Giants have been playing their best baseball.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
The Nationals are, without a doubt, going through their worst stretch of 2012. They mustered just 5 runs in their 3-game series with the Orioles over the weekend, managing to win just Saturday’s game.
While this is happening, Ryan Zimmerman is going through perhaps his worst stretch of his career. He ranks near the bottom of all qualifying hitters in OPS+ (Don’t worry about not knowing what that is. Just know that you don’t want to rank near the bottom of it). Much of the blame can likely be placed on a shoulder that has been ailing Zimmerman for much of the season. He received a cortisone shot yesterday and plans to continue without a DL stint. But it’s clearly affecting his ability to hit.
The Nationals will begin a 4-game set in Denver today against maybe baseball’s worst team, the Colorado Rockies. Because it’s a 4-game series, the Nats will get to see all of Colorado’s starting pitchers, as they’re going with a 4-man, 75 pitch-per-start rotation, that so far has been a wild success (it’s good to be 3-14 in your last 17 games, right?).
Tonight, Stephen Strasburg (9-1, 2.46 ERA) will oppose Jeff Francis (0-1, 8.56 ERA). Game time is 8:40 on MASN.
Game of the Day
(From here on out, most of these will be the best potential matchup in baseball. Sometimes it’ll tie into the “Biggest Series of the Week,” other times it will be about pitching matchups. And some days, like today, I’ll just be grasping at straws.)
Toronto @ Boston (7:05). Henderson Alvarez and Felix Doubront will take the hill, which is about as sexy as a spray tan. Regardless, this will be the Boston Red Sox’s first game without Kevin Youkilis. It’ll be (a little) interesting to see how the team responds. Or some sports writer narrative. Again, I’m just grasping at straws here. It’s not a particularly exciting night for baseball matchups. Just watch the Nats/Rockies game like a good human being. Or, I don’t know, volunteer your time for a cause you support.

Bias Bulletin

The King Is Here (An Editorial)
Last night, perhaps to the chagrin of many, the Miami Heat won the 2011-12 NBA Championship.
There exists for many a desire to see the best fail. As a young Bulletin, I rooted against Michael Jordan. Today, as an old, bitter, tired Bulletin, I regret that choice. Despite my allegiances to a certain team in green and white, I should have rooted for MJ. I should have truly appreciated his dominance.
In 2008-09, the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship with a roster sewn together from excellent pieces of fabric that had yet to win a Championship. They were celebrated. By me. By you. By everyone (except Lakers fans).
In the summer of 2010, LeBron James decided to leave Cleveland, Ohio to join forces with a friend and fellow elite basketball player, in the hopes of winning an NBA Title. The world, myself included, reacted poorly to this.
Much of that blame fell on LeBron and ESPN for turning his free agent decision into “The Decision.” But some of that blame also belongs on us.  We were cruel to LeBron. We made LeBron James out to be evil. LeBron James, who by all accounts is a great, selfless teammate. All of a sudden, we were on Team Kobe. “Kobe is the best player in the NBA.” “Kobe is a winner.” “LeBron will never be Kobe. Etc. Etc.”
(It’s worth noting, Kobe Bryant made a trip to Colorado in 2003. Read about that in case you’ve forgotten.)
We were overcome with joy last year when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. We chastised LeBron for not winning the title on his own. What, was he not a good enough basketball player to carry a terrible team (and the Miami Heat were TERRIBLE, outside of the Big 2 ½)? In the year after “The Decision” LeBron reacted poorly to our poor reaction. He played up the villain role. It was a role not suited for a man with a great smile, a receding hairline, a sense of humor, and unparalleled skills on the basketball court.
He entered the 2011-12 season wanting to shed the villain tag. He didn’t pout. He didn’t talk about “me.” He played, perhaps, the best basketball of his career. And unlike what we had seen previously, he saved the best for last.
LeBron James’ 2012 NBA Finals performance was remarkable, capped off by a triple-double last night. The numbers aren’t important. What we saw was a player, after 9 seasons, reaching his full potential. For some, that would be too little, too late. Or just not enough. But consider the potential of 18 year old LeBron. It was near limitless. He was going to be a little Michael Jordan (scoring), some Scottie Pippen (defense…more so the ability to guard any position on the floor), Magic Johnson (passing), and (the most apt comparison) Oscar Robertson (overall impact in all areas).
The LeBron of the 2012 NBA Finals was that historic amalgamation of greatness. He scored like MJ, defended like Scottie, passed like Magic, and impacted every area of the game like the Big O.
You won’t find a bigger Kevin Durant fan outside of Oklahoma than the Bulletin. I was moved by how emotional he was at the conclusion of last night’s game. But I know that Durant will win NBA titles. He’s 23 with a lot of room to improve, remarkable as that may seem.
LeBron James has reached his pinnacle. He’s young enough that he could keep playing at this level for a handful of years before he returns to earth. Earth, of course, for him, being other-worldly for most.
Now is the time to celebrate LeBron James. Now is the time to put aside our desire to see the best fail. It’s not a particularly noble cause. LeBron made himself better, on the court and off. Perhaps it’s time that we do the same.

Bias Bulletin (In Brief)

Euro 2012 Update
The quarterfinals of Euro 2012 begin today, as Portugal faces Czech Republic (2:45/ESPN)
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
Stephen Strasburg stopped the bleeding and, perhaps, the feud between the Nats and Rays stopped as well, as the Nationals snapped their 4-game losing streak, beating Tampa Bay 3-2.
Strasburg pitched 7 innings and struck out 10, while surrendering just 2 runs. After a rocky first inning, Rays starter Chris Archer settled down and at one point, threw 5 consecutive hitless innings.
The teams will play the rubber game of the series tonight. Temperatures will be around 100 degrees at first pitch (7:05/MASN) when Gio Gonzalez opposes Matt Moore.
Game of the Day
The Miami Heat will look to capture their second NBA title tonight. Game 5 starts at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN

Bias Bulletin

Basketball Update
You can hope beyond hope, but the Miami Heat are going to win the NBA Championship.
Despite 43 points (on an efficient 32 shots…) from Russell Westbrook, the Oklahoma City Thunder could not overcome a near triple-double from LeBron James last night. The 104-98 loss puts OKC in a must-win situation for the remainder of the series.
LeBron James missed much of the 4th quarter due to leg soreness (I refuse to open the door for silly jokes by calling them “cramps). Regardless, James turned in another statement-type performance, putting up a 26/9/12 line. He also had 2 steals, despite being a bad defender.
Game 5 is tomorrow night in Miami. Expect the expected.
Euro 2012 Update
So, um, things didn’t work out so well for Ukraine yesterday…
Here are your quarterfinal matchups. All matches begin at 2:30 p.m.
Thursday: Portugal v. Czech Republic
Friday: Greece v. Germany
Saturday: Spain v. France
Sunday: England v. Italy
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update (Now With More Pine Tar)
The Nationals lost their 4th straight game last night. No one is talking about that.
In the bottom of the 8th, Rays manager Joe Maddon went to his bullpen and former Nat Joel Peralta.  Before Peralta could throw his first pitch, Nats manager Davey Johnson approached home plate umpire Tim Timmons and asked for him to check Peralta. Timmons confiscated the pitcher’s glove and upon a cursory examination, discovered pine tar inside of his glove. Peralta was ejected. Joe Maddon was not so happy.
Maddon had Nats reliever Ryan Matteus checked (he was clean), and the Rays won the game 5-4. After the game, Maddon implied that Johnson was a part of the female anatomy, located somewhere below the waist yet above the knee.
The two teams will play a very friendly Game 2 tonight. Stephen Strasburg will look to stop the bleeding (and perhaps start some). He’ll be opposed by Rays prospect Chris Archer, who will be making his big league debut. 7:05/MASN2
Game of the Day
So, there’s no European soccer today. There isn’t an NBA game. And the Bulletin has people coming over for dinner tonight. So why don’t we all just take the night off? Or we could sneak into our bedroom to repeatedly check the score of the Nats game. You know, whatever you feel like doing.

Bias Bulletin

The Magic of R.A. Dickey
Robert Allen Dickey began pitching in the Major Leagues in 2001 with the Texas Rangers. He had been drafted in the first round of the 1996 draft by the team out of the University of Tennessee. During his 5 years as a spot starter/long reliever for the Rangers, Dickey was terrible. Terrible would be an understatement. Over 5 years, his WAR was (-0.3).  For those unaware of WAR, that means that his performances took away .3 wins from the Texas Rangers.
Dickey stopped over in Minnesota and Seattle and was never a solid contributor.  His WHIP of 1.60 during those two stops was clearly indicative of that.
Few expected anything, or even noticed, when Dickey signed with the New York Mets in 2010. He was a knuckleballer with a terrible career record. He had never finished a season with an ERA under 4.60. His K/BB ratio fell in the pedestrian 1.25 range. He was, at best, a replacement level player.
That 2010 season was a bit of a revelation for Dickey, though. He began to control his knuckleball (if that’s even possible) better than he had previously. His statistics improved drastically. A WHIP of 1.19. An ERA below 3.00. Dickey had a breakout season.
If 2010 was a breakout season for Dickey, I’m not sure what to call 2012, other than the best. Dickey has been, unquestionably, the best starting pitcher in baseball in 2012. To say that seasons like this don’t happen normally would be an understatement.  Dickey is a 37 year old journeyman knuckleball pitcher. He’ll earn $4.25 million for his services; not chump change, but nowhere near the number that a pitcher of his statistical caliber should earn.
Last night, Dickey threw his second consecutive complete game, 1 hitter. He struck out 13 Baltimore Orioles. He leads the National League in Wins, ERA, WHIP, and Strikeouts.
The knuckleball is but a fleeting, fluttering thing. No pitcher has been able to control the knuckler like Dickey has in 2012. He’s on a collision course with the Cy Young award and an All-Star Game start, 6 years after it appeared like he was a major draft bust.
Dickey’s next start will come on Sunday night in front of a national TV audience against the red hot New York Yankees. What Dickey is doing right now is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a pitcher with his repertoire. Make a point to tune in.
Euro 2012 Update
Thanks to a late goal by Jesus Nava, Spain advanced to the Quarterfinals of the European Championship as the winner of Group C. That, combined with a 2-0 Italy win over Ireland, meant happy times for the Italians, as they advanced as well to the quarterfinals. Both teams will watch Group D action today to see who their opponents will be.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
The Nationals did not lose to the New York Yankees yesterday. So there’s that…
The Nats were off yesterday. They begin a three-game series tonight with the Tampa Bay Rays in D.C.  Chien-Ming Wang will oppose David Price. In the world of sport, that is referred to as a “mismatch.”  Game time is 7:05 on one of the MASN networks.
Games of the Day
NBA:
Oklahoma City @ Miami (MIA leads 2-1): 9:00 p.m./ABC
Euro (2:45/ESPN and ESPN2):
England v. Ukraine (England advances with a win or draw. Ukraine advances only with a win.)
France v. Sweden (France advances with a  win or draw. Sweden advances only if the other three teams forfeit their previous games.)