Boom Xhaka Laka

The 2015-2016 Premier League season had the makings of something special for the Gunners in North London. The summer signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea added a top-tier keeper to Arsene Wenger's dynamic squad. While Cech's signing from Chelsea was truly the only major action taken by the club in the offseason, expectations -- as always -- were still high for the perennial contender. With their last Premier League hardware coming in the undefeated season of 2003-2004, the Ozil/Alexis duo orchestrating the offensive end of the pitch, and the relative health of the fragile midfield, Arsenal was due for a championship run. 

Courtesy of The Sun

Then the season started.

#FavoriteMLBPlayersOfMyLifetime, #PartTwo

When we last spoke, the election of Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey, Jr. to the Baseball Hall of Fame coupled with the Twitter hashtag of #FavoriteMLBPlayersOfMyLifetime had steered me down a path of internal debating about who makes my list. My last post focused on my favorite players currently active in the League. I had grand plans of publishing this second part of this series on Opening Day. In early April. It is now almost June. Today (FINALLY), we focus on those old geezers who have since retired.

Courtesy of Boston Red Sox

First, let's cover the one guy that I wish I could have on this list but does not qualify - Ted Williams. Williams never played during my lifetime and it wasn't even close; his last season was in 1960. However, the most famous frozen head in the world was my Grandpa's favorite player. Since Grandpa was my favorite baseball reference, Ted Williams was also MY favorite player. Williams is in the Hall of Fame for obvious reasons. A two-time MVP, Williams hit at least .400 in three different seasons (1941, shortened 1952, shortened 1953). In his other 16 seasons, his batting average at the end of the season dipped under .300 only once in 1959 at the age of 40. To make sure he ended on a high note, his final season batting average at the age of 41 was .316. Suck it, Father Time! He is a member of the 500 home run club, hitting 521 in his career. He also amassed 2,654 hits, including 525 doubles and 71 triples. Did I mention that he missed three seasons (1943-1945) in the prime of his career during a stint for the Marines in World War II and parts of two additional seasons (1952-1953) because of the Korean War?

But alas, I was not even close to alive in 1960 so Williams is off the list.

#FavoriteMLBPlayersOfMyLifetime, #PartOne

On January 6th, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that two stars from my childhood had received enough votes to be enshrined in Cooperstown - Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey, Jr. The following day, #FavoriteMLBPlayersOfMyLifetime was trending on Twitter. Since baseball is the greatest sport ever, these two events prompted debates in my head about my favorite players that I have had the pleasure to watch. As it is now months later and Opening Day is right around the corner, I clearly took my time in digesting this information. The result of all that gear-grinding is two posts covering two distinct categories - my favorite players who are currently active in MLB and my favorite players that have retired from the game. Today, we dig into the actives.

Courtesy of MLB.com

10. Brandon McCarthy, SP - Los Angeles Dodgers - I can imagine that if you polled baseball fans around the country for a list of their favorite current MLB players, McCarthy would not appear often. He has been a MLB migrant, spending time in Chicago, Arlington, Oakland, Arizona, New York, and now LA. He has never been an elite pitcher and he has been injured a ton over his career. So why would he be one of my favorites? Easy. He played with my college roommate in high school, spent several nights in college sleeping on the couch in our house, and is one of the best Twitter follows in MLB. Despite his natural inclination to play for teams I despise, I continue to cheer for BMac. Although the personal connection is reason enough to become a fan of the guy, McCarthy has provided plenty of other reasons to be on this list. While playing for the A's, McCarthy was struck in the head with a line drive. This accident was not just career-threatening; it was life-threatening. After months and months of rehab and uncertainty, McCarthy returned to the mound to pitch again. I am not sure that I would be able to stand on the bump again had I been in his situation. He also has embraced the statistical elements of the game; adjusting his approach to pitching based on what his research of the numbers revealed. ESPN did a great story on his belief in sabermetrics and the effect pitch analysis had on his performance. It also touches on his fanboy moment with Bill James, which is funny to me. His quirky personality shows through interviews as well, like this one from Buzzfeed and this Q and A with the Players Tribune. During the Q&A, McCarthy was asked "If you could go back in time and take back one pitch you threw, which would it be and why?" McCarthy responded, "Probably the one that was hit back at my head and required lifesaving brain surgery. If you still need to know why, please reread the previous sentence."

The Sheriff

Two years ago, I remember stepping onto my back patio at halftime of the Super Bowl, starting the grill, and breathing in the cold February air. The neighborhood was silent. I stood there, enjoying the quiet while the crispness of the air battled with the warmth from the grill. It was the best I had felt in hours.

The first half did not go as anyone in Denver had hoped. From the first offensive play of the game, a snap that sailed over the head of Peyton Manning for a safety, the Broncos looked outclassed, out-coached, and out of hope. The most promising season in recent Bronco history was sadly disintegrating on the field at MetLife Stadium. 

Tomorrow, we get to try again. The Broncos are facing off against a scary-good Carolina Panthers team. Boasting a stout defense, a dynamic ground game, and the likely 2015 NFL MVP, the Panthers are understandably favored against a team that has the number one defense in the league (but a stagnant offense). In order to win the game, the Broncos have to contain Cam Newton and their running backs on first and second down to pit the strength of the Denver D against the Carolina's weakest link - 3rd and long passing situations. On the other side of the ball, the Denver offense needs to limit turnovers, catch the damn ball, and stay productive enough to keep the defense rested and Cam Newton on the sidelines. I honestly cannot predict how this game will play out. Regardless of the final score, I am going to be glued to the television for one major reason - Peyton Manning.

Down on the Farm

Despite having only attended a couple minor league baseball games in person (Denver Zephyrs), I know for a fact that minor league baseball is awesome. My perceived greatness of the developmental system is not based on rivalries or quality of play or well known superstars. No, I know that minor league baseball is awesome because of these:

The logos and hats from minor league baseball are amazingly creative and most teams take some random local thing and turn it into an amazing brand. The Hillsboro Hops are a relatively new team, having transferred from Yakima, Washington in 2013. The former Yakima Bears (with its boring name and logo) used the move to make a brand that is unique (no other team has ever been named the Hops), has multiple meanings (regional beer history and baseball lexicon of bad hop, short hop, etc), and has the potential for such cool logos as you see above. It is really unfortunate that the Hops are associated with the Diamondbacks and I must hate them.

This past baseball offseason, there was a flurry of activity as minor league affiliation contracts were expiring and teams were searching for improvements to their minor league setups. As a masochist and Rockies fan (which might be the same thing), I try to keep up with the teams affiliated with the Rockies. The Rockies happened to be one of the teams that made some changes to their minor league system.

Tulo and Hooch

This past year has made it quite clear: in my world of sports, I am not allowed to have nice things. To recap, the Rockies closed out a dismal 2014 season, the Pepsi Center sat empty over the winter as the Nuggets and Avalanche both missed the playoffs, the Broncos turned a successful regular season into a massive face plant in their first playoff game, and the Rockies started yet another disaster season at the bottom of the NL West. All of this ineptitude peaked with the Bombers of Blake Street making the biggest front office movement of their last five years - they traded Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Done Did It. . . Maybe?

A week and a half ago, I placed myself in Jeff Bridich's shoes and mapped out a path forward for my hapless Rockies. Naturally, Jeff did nothing that I recommended. This disparity most likely explains why he is running the front office of a Major League Baseball team and I am managing highway design projects. On Friday, the non-waiver trade deadline passed. The passing of the trade deadline does not mean that the Rockies are done moving pieces around, it just means that any player subject to a trade will need to clear waivers first. So where did Bridich and I differ?

Before we get into the misses, let's focus on where I freaking nailed it.

The Rockies traded LaTroy Hawkins.

That was a short list of successful predictions. The only player that was traded from my list of players that I recommended moving was the oldest player in the league. That's it. No De La Rosa, Gonzalez, Betancourt, Rosario, or Axford. Just Hawkins.

However, there was one player traded; a prediction that I missed completely: Troy Trevor Tulowitzki. Allow myself to quote. . . myself.

Tulo would return a haul of players/prospects. However, there is so much about Tulo that makes me hesitant to move him. He is the face of the franchise (and has been since Helton started sliding late in his career), he is the best shortstop in baseball, and I'm not sure that the Rockies would get a fair trade value for him. The Rockies are notoriously bad at holding onto assets too long, but Tulo is one player that I would recommend keeping around.

Instead of doing what I recommended, Jeff Bridich turned the best shortstop in baseball into Jose Reyes, Jeff Hoffman, Miguel Castro, and Jesus Tinoco. The first is a former All-Star and a former 30-30 threat who has experienced a dramatic decline in production (both sides of the ball) and is due a lot of money. The last three are all young, hard-throwing right handed pitchers.

Including Reyes in the deal makes me think that the trade was made for financial purposes. Reyes is due more money than the Rockies would have been paying Tulo each season, but with much smaller returns. There were a few rumors when the Tulo trade broke that there was a third team involved that would take on Reyes. This scenario made sense as Reyes could have been packaged with another Rockie or two for more pitching. The Rockies have a backup plan in Trevor Story, a highly-touted SS crushing the ball in Albuquerque. That third team never emerged and Reyes reported to his new team a couple days later.

Older (and much better) Asheville Tourists logo

I don't know much about Castro and Jesus, other than they are both right-handed, both young (20 years old) and are not Tulo. Tinoco had his debut with the Asheville Tourists on Sunday and it was as spectacular as a mid-afternoon Class A game against the Savannah Sand Gnats can be. (There is so much to love about minor league baseball. . .) Castro was assigned to the Albuquerque Isotopes and has completed two innings in two appearances. Yippie.

That Sand Gnat is ripped.

Hoffman is the centerpiece of the trade and is a pirate. For real. He attended East Carolina University before being drafted #9 overall in the 2014 draft, slipping down from potentially being taken in the top three picks of the draft after having Tommy John surgery. While Hoffman was the key to this trade, I really wish the Rockies would have gotten Daniel Norris instead. Hoffman was assigned to the soon-to-be defunct New Britain Rock Cats and made his debut on Saturday. Reports are that he pitched incredibly well against the Class AA hitters of the Erie SeaWolves. How this trade pans out for the Rockies is directly related to what Jeff Hoffman becomes. No pressure, kid.

And that was it. The trade deadline on Friday passed with no other activity from the Rockies. Bridich did not move his most valuable remaining asset (CarGo) or his new expensive toy (Reyes) or his butthead boss (Monfort). Rockies fans, including me, were perplexed. The trade of Tulo was supposed to be the start of the rebuild, the start of a new era at Coors. Instead, we sat and scratched our heads at the inactivity. There is still time to move some pieces, so I am going to make another failed attempt at being Jeff Bridich.

Waiver-Trade Candidates
Carlos Gonzalez - His name will continue to pop up on these lists until he is traded. CarGo now is the most valuable trade piece that Bridich has. With two remaining years on the contract worth $17 million and $20 million, there is potential that CarGo clears waivers. There are so many teams that should want his ridiculously high production. The problem is that he is injury prone and has played in all but seven of the Rockies' games this year. He's begging for something to break. His game also consists of streaky patches of peaks and valleys. This month of hitting the cover off the ball could easily be followed up with a three week slump. As the pressure to make the post-season increases, more teams will be willing to pick up a power-hitting corner outfielder.

Jose Reyes - With his contract ($22 million / year for 2016 and 2017 plus a club option in 2018), no one will claim Jose as he tumbles through waivers. Despite his decline, there are teams out there that could use an upgrade at shortstop. The Rockies will most likely need to eat some of Reyes' salary to move him. The Blue Jays are probably not a candidate.

Wilin Rosario - Baby Bull still needs to go to the American League. With his relatively low salary ($2.8 million this year with two more years of arbitration), he might get claimed on waivers. Still, a young, powerful DH for a young, powerful SP sounds like a great deal for both sides.

Drew Stubbs - The Rockies are paying nearly $6 million for a .202 batting average. I think he clears waivers, but I'm not sure if there are any teams interested.


Clearly, I suck at predicting what Bridich will do with this team. For now, I'll just enjoy tomorrow's game, the first major league start in the career of Jon Gray.

You may be wondering why I didn't talk about Tulo. One reason is that I have way too many words in this post already. The main reason is that I am still crying. Maybe later this week. . .

This looks unnatural.

Blow It Up

The Rockies are just a few days away from their first trade deadline with Jeff Bridich at the helm of the organization. After an exhausting, frustrating, and seemingly endless reign of inactivity under Dan O'Dowd and Bill Geivett, there is rumbling that the General Manager will actually do something this time around. While I am cautiously optimistic that Dick Monfort will unhook the leash from his GM, I am not going to get my expectations too high. What in Monfort's history has shown that he is willing to change his approach? That being said, it's time to play some virtual GM. Here is how I would approach the team if I were Bridich.

Move Them Now
Wilin Rosario - Right now, the Rockies and Rosario are a bad fit. Rosario does not have a position, can't play defense when he is on the field, and is playing in the wrong league. Baby Bull is a perfect DH candidate - power at the plate and defensively not on the field. It makes sense to move him to the American League where he can be successful.

Rafael Betancourt - Old and not good. Just see if you can get something for him.

Jorge De La Rosa - George of the Rose is arguably the best pitcher in Coors Field history. For some reason, a guy with a history of emotional meltdowns and mental breakdowns has conquered one of the worst pitching parks in all of baseball. It makes no sense at all. That being said, he is 34 years old and not a part of the Rockies' plan moving forward. This trade deadline is a perfect time to move him.

John Axford - I really like what the Ax Man has provided for the back end of the bullpen, despite his recent and untimely slump. With the injury to Adam Ottavino, Axford has been a solid late-innings reliever. Another pitcher in his mid thirties with value, it makes sense to use his success to build your farm system with a prospect or two.

LaTroy Hawkins - Oldest player in the major leagues with expectations that this is his final season. If you are a playoff team looking to add another arrow to your bullpen quiver, Hawkins makes for a sensible and short-term option. If you are the Rockies, why would you not try to get something for a guy that has no future with your team?

Carlos Gonzalez - Of all the players on the 40 man roster, Carlos Gonzalez makes the most sense to move. After an early season slump, CarGo has begun to play pretty well as of late (at least enough to show he is capable of returning to his past production). He is a middle-of-the-order bat that a playoff team should be salivating to add to their roster. CarGo will garner plenty of attention from other teams and should return a nice group of young players. Plus, CarGo is due $37M+ over the next two seasons. Getting that (at least a chunk of it) off the books would be helpful for the organization.

See What You Can Get
DJ LeMahieu - First time All Star, slick fielding, dependable bat second baseman. DJ has value, but isn't going to generate a ton of interest or return. He is making just over $500k this year with three years of arbitration ahead of him. If someone gives an offer that makes sense, make the deal. If nothing materializes, I have no issues keeping DJ around for a while.

Charlie Blackmon - Chuck Nazty was named an All Star for the first time in his career last year after a torrid start to his season.  His contract situation is exactly the same as LeMahieu's, so there is no sense in actively shopping him around. He provides good quality for the price you are paying him. But if a good offer comes in, pull the trigger.

Only If The Offer Is Outstanding
Troy Tulowitzki - Tulo would return a haul of players/prospects. However, there is so much about Tulo that makes me hesitant to move him. He is the face of the franchise (and has been since Helton started sliding late in his career), he is the best shortstop in baseball, and I'm not sure that the Rockies would get a fair trade value for him. The Rockies are notoriously bad at holding onto assets too long, but Tulo is one player that I would recommend keeping around.

No Way In Hell
Nolan Arenado - Do I need to explain this one at all?

Get Rid of Them Immediately, Even If All You Get Is A Bag Of Balls
Kyle Kendrick - Another free agent pitching failure that will make Monfort even more unwilling to dabble in the free agent pitching market.

Dick Monfort - I'd even take a used rosin bag.

Roller Coasters

As I listen to the gentle breaths of my dreaming wifey, I sit in my bed exhausted but unable to sleep. Maybe it is me being sentimental, maybe it is the lingering emotions of the day, but my fatigue is losing the battle to my churning brain. 

Tuesday nights are my Pueblo night and this week was no different until we got word that a friend of ours from our softball days had passed away and his service was early this afternoon. The overnight was scrapped and I spent the morning attempting to work from home as the kids squealed and yelled and had a grand time. After lunch, Sarah and I headed over to say our goodbyes to a man who impacted the lives of many and died way too young. Seeing the number of people in attendance and the outpouring of support for his family was beautiful yet heartbreaking. He only had 32 years to make an impression on the world and he did a bang-up job. We reconnected with old friends, ate some delicious green chile, and reminisced on the man we lost. 

After we got home, my parents came over to have dinner and help us with another parenting monument. Our little man was getting out of his crib and into his big boy bed. The bed can be a bunk bed, a trundle bed, or two separate beds. More importantly, it was my (and Matt's) bed growing up. Before that, it was my dad's (and probably various other Flick kids') bed when he was a child. The bed got set up, the 'rents left, and we put our kids to bed. This time, there was no crib wall to bend over. Our little dude is now a big boy. 

Couple that with dropping off Mackenzie's shot record at her new Kindergarten and this daddy has had enough for the day. 

So here I sit, yawning and wide eyed. I so desperately want to sleep and my mind's telling me no. But my body, my body's telling me yes. 

Rest in peace, Stefan. See you on the other side. 

Settled Dust

Yesterday, I posted on the chaos surrounding the Jim McElwain/CSU/Florida ordeal and the opinions developed as things progressed. This morning gave us the finality that we were seeking. Now that we have a much better idea about what is going down in Fort Collins, I have more thoughts. First, the facts;

• McElwain has been released from his contract and has been hired as the head coach of the University of Florida football team.
• In return, Colorado State will get a buyout totaling $7 million. Florida will contribute $3 million over six years, McElwain will contribute $2 million (unknown time frame), and $2 million will be paid for a future game between the two schools in Gainesville.
• The agreed-upon buyout is the largest in college football history. WE'RE NUMBER ONE!! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!! 
• Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin has assumed head coaching responsibilities in the interim, including our upcoming bowl game. 
• Tony Frank, with the assistance of Interim Athletic Director John Morris, began a nationwide search for a new head coach. According to Morris this afternoon, the athletic department had received between 40 and 50 inquiries about the position. 

Now the opinions:

• Tony Frank held strong as Jeremy Foley pressured him to reduce the buyout. The publicity of the whole matter should have provided Florida with all the leverage to negotiate down the buyout. However, the buyout ended up reducing by only $500k. That is on TFrank. What a stud. Thankfully, I did not have to lose any faith in that man. If this were Twitter, I would say #TonyFrankIsMyPresident. Jon of Jon of all Trades sent me this article, which explains the resolve of our fine president. 
• If the negotiations on the buyout had failed, I do not know how McElwain could have returned to coaching at CSU. It would have been impossible for him to recruit players knowing that he was looking to leave on the next plane out of town.
• I'm not sure that I agree with how Jim McElwain handled the whole situation. From what I could gather from those journalists following the events closely, his players were in the dark until after ESPN reported that the deal was finalized. Maybe McElwain was unsure if the buyout could be negotiated, but the players and his coaching staff deserved to know what was going on. 
• As much as I deny it to myself and others, I knew that McElwain was going to leave (despite my longing for second Sonny Lubick tenure). It was the timing that surprised me. I was shocked that the courting by a power team in a power conference happened this year. After another successful season in 2015? For sure. But not after one great year. 
• In my last post, I called CSU a "stepping stone" school. Is it really? Besides Jim McElwain leaving for the money and grandeur of the SEC, only one other coach in recent history has left for greener pastures (Tim Miles to Nebraska, at the "greener" part is debatable). Sonny Lubick was declining rapidly when he was let go. Steve Fairchild was 3-9 for three straight seasons when he was let go. Maybe CSU is not such a stepping stone school after all. . .
• This whole situation would have gone differently if Jack Graham were still at the helm. With his passionate and fiery demeanor, it may have actually been much uglier than it ending up being.
• The hiring of the next coach should be interesting for a couple reasons - first, we do not have a true athletic director. John Morris has been the interim AD since the firing of Jack Graham, but he admitted at his press conference today that Tony Frank would be leading the hiring process with Morris' assistance. The lack of stability at the AD position may be an issue for an incoming coach. Secondly, it is tough to envision a football coach search with a team that has a record of 10-2. That record makes the job a lot more enticing to those quality coaches looking for a new position. 

• I truly believe that Dave Baldwin will be retained as the head coach for next year. He has been an integral part (if not the most integral part) of our success on the offensive side of the ball. No other FBS school has a quarterback/wide receiver/running back combo that we have in Grayson/Higgins/Hart. Plus, Baldwin has previous head coaching experience and our questions at the AD position make this an easy and safe choice. Hopefully it is a smart choice as well. 
• I cannot tell you how many people stopped by my desk today to make sure I was okay. Clearly, I display my loyalties toward CSU loudly and proudly. Shockingly, I took the news far better than a lot of people I know and countless people that I do not know that I encountered on social media. Based on some of the reactions, you would have thought we were eliminating the football program like poor UAB. Poaching of your coach by an SEC team means that you are doing something right. 
• A lot of people had issue with McElwain leaving the program just months after talking about CSU as his home. I cannot blame the man for leaving - the pay increase and chance to compete for a national championship are both incredibly enticing. I wish him all the success in the world, except when they play us in a few years. If you question his motives, that is your deal. The players that were sitting in that locker room today when he broke the news to them all came out of that meeting with the same message - they were thankful for the time they had with him, they were excited to move forward toward a bowl victory, and they understood why he made his decision. 
• Let's hope that the climb continues and we continue to make strides toward national relevance on the gridiron. 
• I really hope that the person responsible for those "The Grind" videos sticks around. They are incredible. Check them out. 
• Any chance we can slide into the Pac12 or Big12 now?!!

Go Rams.