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.