Greatest Staff Ever?

"And you can fly
High as a kite if you want to
Faster than light if you want to
Speeding through the universe
Thinking is the best way to travel"
--The Best Way to Travel, The Moody Blues

I'm a big stats guy, so it's always fun to compare numbers and see how different eras and different teams stack up against one another. A thought occurred to me the other day, and I decided to put this theory to the test. So, with apologies to Jake Peavy and Adam Eaton, I present to you what could possibly be the greatest pitching staff in history, numbers first...

- No. 1 Starter: 19-11, 3.28 ERA, 329 strikeouts - one of the great power pitchers in the game, was traded and led his team to the post-season...
- No. 2 Starter: 18-7, 2.38 ERA, 257 K - dominated the league and brought his squad to the World Series...
- No. 3 Starter: 17-6, 2.47 ERA, 174 K - a World Champion the year before, he signed as a free agent and continued his dominating stuff...
- No. 4 Starter: 13-10, 3.49 ERA, 175 K - consistent, great stuff every year...
- No. 5 Starter: 12-10, 4.72 ERA, 140 K - started game seven of the World Series the previous year, continuing to develop...
- Spot Starter: 6-9, 4.21 ERA in his rookie season...

An impressive group, no? Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz? Nope. Koufax, Drysdale and any other dummy? Sorry. This is actually the current New York Yankees' starting rotation, but those numbers aren't of the 2005 variety. This would have been an unbelievable staff, had they been together in 1998, from whence these statistics came. Randy Johnson (No. 1) was traded to Houston at the deadline and caught fire, going 10-1 down the stretch and leading the 'Stros to the playoffs. Kevin Brown (No. 2) was actually healthy, dominating the NL and helping the Pads take the NL pennant. Al Leiter (No. 3) still had some stuff, helping Brown and the Marlins to the World Series the previous year and then signing a free agent deal with the Mets. Mike Mussina (No. 4) was the model of consistency in Baltimore before signing with the Yanks in '01. Jaret Wright (No. 5) pitched extremely well in the '97 series against Florida, winning a game and compiling a 2.92 ERA in his two starts therein. And Carl Pavano (spot starter) was just a rookie with the Expos, on the verge of great things. Now, however, they're all seven years older, most of them are hurt in some way, and the staff is terrible. The combined numbers of those six guys in '98: 85-53, 3.33 ERA, 8.49 strikeouts per 9 innings. And in '05: 32-28, 5.50 ERA, 7.99 K/9.
It's unbelievable to me that a team boasting a 5.50 ERA among its main starters (though he's currently injured, Chien-Ming Wang brings that number down a bit with his 6-3, 3.89 mark; this Aaron Small character won his second straight start, they've signed Hideo Nomo--are you kidding me?--and now a trade for 1-7 Shawn Chacon?) can still be just a game and a half out of first place (at press time), but that's what happens when you've got that kind of lineup. You've gotta score six or seven if you're going to give up five or six every night. A-Rod, by the way, has pretty much re-solidified his claim as the best player in the game, right? He's got triple crown-esque numbers and has been the main reason they're still very much in the thick of this AL East race.

Now for the point relevant to my Moody Blues lyrics: Unbelievable three days in Vegas (got back Wednesday), consisting of high school basketball, blackjack and the most unbelievable hotel room I've ever inhabited. I got to work with a producer and director who spent 13 years apiece doing Monday Night Football, I got to meet some of the greatest college coaches in the country (a 20-minute conversation with UW boss Lorenzo Romar--and assistant Cameron Dollar--being the highlight), I got to sit at the announcers' table with Chris Rose and Marques Johnson, keeping our on-air pair apprised of the game stats and any other pertinent info, I doubled my money at the blackjack tables, and oh yeah, I stayed in the most amazing room imaginable at the Wynn, the newest resort casino on the strip. Wall to wall, ceiling to floor window, overlooking the entire strip. Huge plasma TV folding out from the wall to accomodate any viewing angle. Gigantic, comfortable bed with about a hundred pillows. Several outstanding restaurants on the premises, one of which was the scene of a dinner purchased by the big boss (Executive Producer of the network) for me and a few of my co-workers. A $45 per diem meal account that allowed me to enjoy room service breakfast my final morning. It was, needless to say, a nice trip.
Part of the trip's enjoyment was getting to watch some of the best high school players in the country, up close and, in some cases, on more than one occasion. We got to see three games from this kid Spencer Hawes, a seven-footer from the Seattle area who is generally regarded as one of the top three players in the U.S. He's narrowed his college choice down to North Carolina, Connecticut, the University of Dub, Stanford and UCLA. He won't go to Stanford, because they've already received commitments from seven-foot twins in the same class (the Lopez twins, second coming of the Collins twins), so UCLA has a realistic shot of getting this guy. I've been watching high school basketball for a long time (since at least 1990) and he's definitely the best I've seen at that level. He's got more skill than half the big men in the NBA, and just needs to bulk up and get some more experience. Our show helped get Canadian stud Ryan Wright to Westwood, so we're already volunteering our services to get this kid Spencer on campus. Look out for this guy in a little over a year (he's going to be a senior in high school this fall, dunking all over poor little Washingtonians), wherever he ends up. Spencer Hawes. Remember that I told you.

Now that I'm home, moving becomes the focus of the week, as Jason and I are on our way to 40th Street on Sunday night. Looking forward to the new place (and its proximity to the sand), but I will definitely miss Lynngrove--Side, Phil and the numerous memories. I've been quite fortunate to live in some great places with some great people, and I'm hoping this trend continues at the new spot.

Pretty much as soon as I settle in at the new place, I'm hitting the road again (and I'm writing about it now because blogging time has been ridiculously scarce of late), this time to Connecticut for a week of shows at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville (evidently about an hour and a half east of Hartford). At the end of four days of shooting, a select group will be heading into NYC for a day game at Yankee Stadium. Missed out on a trip there about eleven years ago on the greatest vacation ever (though I was outvoted that day and we went to the Statue of Liberty instead of the Stadium), so I'm definitely looking forward to it this time around.

Again, in reference to the alarming lack of blogging frequency that has manifested itself in my recent history, I probably won't have anything to say until the return from back east, so hopefully it's all good until then. Peace.

Just Older

"I like the bed I’m sleeping in
It’s just like me, it’s broken in
It’s not old -- just older"
--Just Older, Bon Jovi

I've decided that I feel old this morning. Not old like aching-back, trick-knee, thinking-about-retirement old, but more like responsible old. There are still definitely large parts of me that are quite young (immaturity does have a way of frequently rearing its ugly head), but the last few weeks have given me a different sense of feeling grown up. Most of this is work-related, as I've been fortunate enough to receive an increasing level of responsibility on almost a daily basis, putting me in situations to lead and supervise, allowing me to feel more and more significant in the show's framework. It is a pretty cool thing to realize that I'm old enough (and capable enough) to be in a higher-level, decision-making, action-taking spot. I like it...

A weird corollary of the whole old thing is a push to the periphery of less significant, less productive activities, one of which is blogging. While I do love to write, I'm almost conflicted about where that writing energy should be going now--this little on-line journal thing, the show, the Outlook (um, no), a book (the Clausens?), a screenplay, songs--lots of different possibilities and definitely not enough time for all. Obviously the show gets the bulk of my attention, but there's other stuff up there in that noggin that needs to go somewhere. It'll all work itself out, I know...

Other less productive activities that have been moved to said periphery:
- XBox. Fell way behind in my Padres season on MLB 2K5, so there's no use trying to catch up (though I will say that the Roberts and Klesko for Beltran deal was an outstanding move on my part), Halo's just not the same without Charlie or Side (did manage one session with Side his first couple days back), and even FIFA has lost its luster...
- Evening television. Other than occasional "Seinfeld" viewings and the one show I'm about to mention, it's out, even SportsCenter. Of course, if the Padres are playing on the West Coast, I'm watching on the computer, but that doesn't really count. I'm around enough TV all day--I don't need any more...
- Nikki Time. Yeah that one was quick. Maybe it's part of feeling old, I don't know...
- Chess. Not really. I never played chess to begin with, though it seems like an interesting hobby...

I'm a day late, but "Entourage" continues to impress on Sunday nights. I don't know how I missed out on this last year, but by all accounts it was on a similarly genius level then, and has only gotten better. Piven drives the show, but the four dudes complement each other so well, and now there are guest star spots from people we know? It's getting a little out of hand. The lone drawback at this point is the move to a 10:00 Sunday night air, which guarantees me at least a 10:30 bedtime (usually much later, unfortunately). Not so great when 5 a.m. comes and I've gotten less than six hours of sleep. Still, I'm willing to make the sacrifice, at least until January, when "24" makes its triumphant return for season (and day) 5...

I need to qualify the following statement by asserting that I do not believe in karma at all. It's a convenient way for people to explain the rhythm of the universe, but there's no such thing. That notwithstanding, I was on the wrong end of some karma the other night in our rec league game. After ripping on one of the bonus teammates we had in our loss two weeks ago (the one who couldn't find a loose ball to save his life and couldn't make a simple layup), I proceeded to miss five or six layups myself and brick five of my six free throw attempts. I played okay defensively and on the boards, even making a big layup late in the game, but I jinxed myself big-time with the layup-missing comments. Of course, in reality, it's got nothing to do with this other cat, it's just that I decided to really suck in this particular game, but it's nicer when I can blame it on someone--and something--else...

I've decided that Buster Olney (need password) is to baseball what Peter King is to football. He's not that good on TV (yet), but he does two things very well: 1) he spans the globe (not literally) to provide the most interesting stuff from all of baseball every morning, and 2) his opinions on everything baseball-related are very well thought out and explained, never arrogant and always asking for input. He's touched on a lot of different things all season, from controversial things like steroids and Kenny Rogers to fun things like the All-Star voting, and it's always balanced. He doesn't stray from the sport as much as King does (coffee talk and random other observations from big Pete are commonplace), but it's everyday and it's incredibly insightful. If you do have the benefit of an Insider password (and you don't hate baseball), check him out...

Moving sucks. We have to move out of our lovely little Manhattan Beach home by the end of the month, and I'm not excited about that prospect. Every annoying thing that goes into it, not just the packing and carrying and throwing stuff away, but the changing of address forms for the credit cards and banks and money managers and payroll people--it all sucks. People move all the time and I know it's not that awful, but I can still be annoyed by it all. Looks like it'll be a two-bedroom place somewhere in Manhattan, but there's a bit of searching still to do...

Major League Baseball All-Star Red Carpet Show today at 4 p.m. PST. Fox actually gave us another shot after the Super Bowl debacle, and while this one does air on FSN, it's a big stage. I got here at 6:30 this morning, so it better be a good show. Should be fun...

Back in Session

"And now I rub my eyes, for he has returned
Seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned
For he still smiles, and he’s still strong
Nothing’s changed, but the surrounding bulls***
That has grown"
--Off He Goes, Pearl Jam

It's been way too long, and I'll spare y'all the apology, but an entire week of getting into the office at 5:30 in the a.m. doesn't exactly lend itself to blogging frequently. So I'm back to a relatively normal schedule this week and had a wonderfully relaxing weekend to prepare. But wow, I just noticed that my last entry was way back on June 23, so there's a little bit of catching up to do:
- Got to two Dodger-Padre games last week, a loss on Monday (though it was definitely a win in other respects) and a real win Tuesday. Somehow we've gotten through a rough June still sitting in first place, 4.5 games up and with the Dodgers fading fast (now no J.D. Drew? Big trouble). Currently getting blitzed by Morgan Ensberg and the red-hot Astros, but thankfully, the rest of the divison still sucks (Colorado over Los Dodgers and St. Louise over 'Zona last night)...
- Have I mentioned before how much I love living in Manhattan Beach? Spent Friday afternoon totally relaxing down on the sand (followed by a quality Mama D's dinner), Sunday afternoon volleyballing it up (I've found that if I can be limited in responsibility to about five square feet on the court, I can do some damage at the net; otherwise, my volleyball skills are negligible) and Monday enjoying some sunshine as well as the peace and quiet of our neighborhood...
- Heartbreaking finish to the Galaxy game Monday night: a UCLA rookie named Mike Enfield came in late (80th minute or so) and totally flubbed his first touch, a breakaway chance that could have given L.A. the lead, but then came back and scored on a diving header in the 87th minute that should have meant victory for the Galaxy. Instead, New England got the equalizer in injury time, frustrating the assembled masses and leaving Landon-less L.A. winless in its last five matches. The fireworks after the game were well worth the (free) price of admission (thank you, Fox Soccer Channel)...
- I think I've also failed to discuss last Sunday's debacle of a rec league game, our first loss of the season. Besides the whole 5:30 thing, I often choose to stifle unpleasant memories, so this is one that's gonna have to stay most of the way below the surface. I think I scored 10 points on tip-ins alone (meaning there were lots of missed shots), but we struggled (understatement) defensively and couldn't make a three to save our lives (figuratively...though what if that ever was a literal statement? Could you actually make a three-pointer if your life was literally on the line? I'm assuming that I'd choke...)
- Coldplay's new CD still hasn't left my CD player (except for once: right after the Dodger game Monday, when it was deemed necessary to blast Linkin Park & Jay-Z throughout our lengthy exit from the parking lot; X&Y returned quickly thereafter), and I'm still quite enthused by it. In addition to the tune on the radio right now ("Speed of Sound"), "Fix You" (track 4) and "Swallowed in the Sea" are amazing, and "Til Kingdom Come" (track 13) is rapidly approaching all-time top-ten status. I'm learning it on guitar as well, which is accelerating the process...
- Good show yesterday, with Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones in studio (Torii is probably my favorite non-Padre in all of baseball, except maybe Vladi), followed by hit king Pete Rose, who cracked up the entire control room when he told John Salley, "Now, if you were a betting man, you should bet against [Derrek Lee winning] the triple crown." We've been warned repeatedly to stay away from wagering references with Pete, so it was hilarious that he brough it up, then followed with, "I'm going to the Forum Shops [at Caesar's Palace] tomorrow, so give me some money and I'll put it down for you." It's sad that such a great career had to be tarnished by a gambling problem, so maybe it was a bit of tragic laughter, but he seemed to find it funny, so I'm okay with it...
- The old Summer Pro League gets underway in Long Beach on Friday, kicking off two weeks of all-day hoops at the Pyramid. Andrew Bynum should be there with the Lakers' squad (and hopefully Turiaf and Wafer as well), and the Raptors, Grizz, Heat and Mavs have squads in the league also. The rest of the teams (somewhere around 18 in all) are wanna-be pros or random groups (like the Senegalese National Team??? and the Percy Miller All-Stars--that's Master P, for those not as in tune with the hip hop culture as I am)...
- "Entourage" continues to guide me through the 24- and West Wing-less summer television schedule, with yet another hilarious episode this week. I'm quite certain that it wouldn't be nearly as funny without the cameos--Ralph Macchio and Pauly Shore last week and Bob Saget this time around. Johnny Drama's weakest episode so far, but I'm actually enjoying the quasi-suspense surrounding this "Aquaman" casting...
- Lou Piniella has evidently gone off the deep end in Tampa Bay. Since his relivers continue to suck (they blew another game last night in the late innings), he decided that he's going to start a reliever, hope they can give him a couple decent early innings, and then bring in his starter, who will hopefully get to the ninth and closer Danys Baez. I don't think bad pitchers are any better when they pitch early as opposed to late, but I guess it's easier to handle a 6-2 loss when you've been down 6-0 since the third inning than a 6-2 loss when you led 2-1 going into the seventh. It's Tampa Bay, after all, when does football season start again?
- London gets the Olympics in 2012. France lost again. Ha...