Steph V P!

It looked bad.  With Steph Curry peddling a stationary bike on the sideline, the Portland Trailblazers ran out to a huge lead in the opening minutes.  Curry came off the bench and added some points, but the threes weren't falling and the Warriors were down 10 or more.  To make matters worse, Shaun Livingston--who started in Steph's spot--protested an uncalled foul, got a hairtrigger two technicals and was out of the game (his first ejection ever.)  Now there was no prime Steph substitute to spell him if, after two weeks of inaction, he got tired.

Instead Steph got stronger.  With Draymond Green leading a ferocious defense, the Dubs came back, and Steph dropped his first 3 late in the fourth--which became the first of many. The teams traded leads and ended tied.

Curry probably had played more than the coaches had planned for in regulation.  But he'd found his rhythm and took over overtime.  He scored 17 points in OT--the most points any player had ever scored in an overtime period, playoffs or regular season, in NBA history.  

The Dubs go home with a 3-1 series lead...and Curry's second MVP award ceremony in a row.  And it was revealed Tuesday--Curry is the first player in NBA history to be voted MVP unanimously.

Across the Bay the SF Giants managed only one run against Toronto, and spoiled a pretty good Jake Peavy start, to lose 3-1.

Shaky

Lots of MLB teams that ultimately make it to the playoffs and beyond have bad Aprils.  But while the Chicago Cubs are looking like the Golden State Warriors of baseball, the SF Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates aren't looking like playoff teams...yet.

I haven't followed the Pirates closely but their record is just 3 games above .500.  The Cubs are in first place by 7.5 games with the Pirates in second in the NL Central.  The only consolation is that the Cardinals are doing slightly worse, at .500 and in third place.  The Pirates were in good form Sunday, beating the Cards with their old formula of pitching and power, Andrew McCutchen is a notoriously slow starter and they've got key players returning from injuries, so they are still well positioned.

The Giants aren't in bad position either, in their familiar second spot just percentage points behind the Dodgers in the NL West.  But that's mostly because LA has started poorly, and the West is probably the weakest conference in the NL. The Giants too are barely above .500 and it's not because of overpowering competition.  They just aren't playing all that well.

The latest series is an example.  At home against Colorado, with the Rockies' main weapon of home park power hitters somewhat neutralized, they barely managed a split.  In the offseason they concentrated on bolstering their starting rotation, and their two big acquisitions are acquitting themselves well.  But after Bumgarner, Cueto and the Shark, the rotation falls apart.  And the relief corps remains unstable.

So the Giants tied a club record by giving up 12 runs in one inning, and about a weak later actually broke it by giving up 13 runs in one inning.  In their last two games with Colorado they scored a total of 2 runs, and it took until the 13th inning to get that second run.  They ran into some good starting pitching but they also did zilch against a statistically weak Rockies' bullpen.  In Sunday's game they also hobbled themselves by very questionable base-running.  Joe Panik saved the game with a lifetime-highlight play on Saturday, but the defense has been uncharacteristically uneven.  The team also paid for perhaps trying to be a little too smart in overshifts.

It's a long season but so far it's been annoying.  Losses are one thing, but even with flashes of brilliance, the team seems ragged, out of synch.  And, hey, it's May.

Meanwhile the Golden State Warriors won their first two second-round playoff games over Portland without Steph Curry.  Klay Thompson outscored the entire Blazers team in one quarter, very Stephlike.  But in the third game (in Portland) they lost the last three quarters and the game.

 Now fans wait with abated breath to see if Steph returns tonight in Portland, which seems likely, even though he's still listed as doubtful.  They could win the series just by winning at home, and there's a little less pressure now that the Spurs-Thunder series is tied 2-2.  But getting that third win tonight would make things so much easier.

Curry or Not, Here We Come (Continued)

The Warriors led from beginning to end and beat up on the Houston Rockets 114-81 with Steph Curry on the bench, to take the first round of the playoffs 4 games to sort of 1.

Now the Dubs wait for Portland, the likely winner of their series against the LA Clippers.  The Blazers won by ten on Wednesday and lead 3-2, despite the Clips being at home.  Losing their two stars was too much.

It's one thing to close out a first round series without the league's MVP.  To do it by more than 30 points--well, you have to like their chances in the next series, especially since they'll be starting at home in the games most likely to be without Steph.

There were lots of heroes in the Giants 13-9 victory over the Padres to sweep the series and salvage a .500 homestand.  Brandon Belt was a puff of wind short of being the first Giant to hit for the cycle at AT&T Park.  But my player is Gregor Blanco, who came off the bench to hit and especially make a play in the outfield--he actually launched himself horizontally to make the catch.  He's been the guy off the bench for years who saved the Giants time and time again, in the World Series and throughout the seasons.

Okay, Back to Fun, Baseball

Two kinds of fun in baseball: one kind, a tight but exciting 1-0 complete game, with clutch catches, close double-plays and a couple of stealers thrown out at second.  Second kind, a 9-4 blast and a three homer night for a great player.

They both happened with my teams on Tuesday.  The San Francisco Giants won 1-0 behind a masterful complete game by Johnny Cueto, for his 100th career win and a 4-1 record this season.  He's been the Giants' best pitcher.

But it also took a couple of great throws by Buster Posey to cut down base stealers in dangerous situations, and a Crawford-to-Panik-to-Belt double play that was so close it needed a replay. If it had gone against them, the Padres would have scored a run with a chance for more.  Everything really counts in a one run game.  And maybe the best thing--the complete game.  No bullpen needed.

Out in Colorado, Andrew McCutchen hit three homers, two boomers to left center and a line drive to right, to lead the 9-4 attack for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  It was his second career three-homer game, only the fourth Pirates player to do that (and I've seen two of these hit): Ralph Kiner, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell.

Two kinds of fun.  Baseball.

Basketball: The other shoe dropped on the Clippers when it was announced that Blake Griffith is out for the playoffs, as is Chris Paul.  The Clips are at home for their next game with Portland, with that series at 2-2.  If the Warriors advance by beating the Rockets one more time, they'll play the winner of this series next.

Meanwhile, the Warriors' Steve Kerr won Coach of the Year, and his coaching will be tested Wednesday when the Dubs host Houston.  It's the Warriors best chance to win this playoff series, and then also get everybody some rest.  Houston players are sounding desperately confident (or confidently desperate) but the Warriors have plenty of ways to win.

Curry or Not, Here We Come

Officially now, Steph Curry is out and his injury will be evaluated in two weeks.  He slipped on a wet court near halftime of the fourth game in Houston of the first round of playoffs.  He'd already missed two games with an ankle injury, with the Warriors winning one and losing the third game by a single point, on a shot that the NBA later said shouldn't have counted.

 But in that 4th game, the Warriors played an impassioned third quarter and were deadly accurate from threeville. They blew out Houston to come home leading 3 games to 1.

It wasn't only that they pulled together and knew what to do without Curry.  It's also that they saw his tears when he couldn't play.

Now the Warriors face at least another game against Houston and an unknown number of games against their next opponents without their MVP.  About the injury, the two weeks is not definitive, one way or the other.  It's probable some sort of evaluation will be ongoing, and taken seriously in one week.

The Warriors are unlikely to blow through opponents, but they are capable of winning this and the next series without Steph if necessary.  That became really evident Monday night when Portland tied their series with the favored Clippers.  And after some Clippers seemed to greet Curry's injury with glee, they lost their own star--Chris Paul--for an even longer time, with a broken hand. Blake Griffith also left the game injured.

Klay Thompson will have to step up and nobody else can be injured. Now the depth of this team, and especially the things they do in practice that they don't get to do in games, will be front and center. The Warriors are coming, and other teams should beware.  Steph Curry's tears may not be as strong as his court presence, but they are going to make a difference.

It depends on how the conversation starts.  How about those Giants? means the SF club is playing well and winning.  What about those Giants? means something else.

The Miami Marlins came to town just in the nick of time, after the Giants were swept at home in a four game series with Arizona.  But their inability to score a tying run with the bases loaded and no outs spoiled what should have been a sweep against a much weaker team.  (Though the Marlins beat LA the next night.)

Still, that series exposed the main weak point of the Giants now.  The Marlins, the Padres are relatively weak teams especially in the bullpen stocked with rookies coming and going through the swinging door.  Unfortunately though, so are the Giants.

Some of these kids are stars of the future, but it's not the future yet.  In the present the Giants are depending on them, and so the late innings of every game are suddenly up for grabs. The remaining (uninjured) veterans are not so dependable either. And third year Hunter Strickland is so far not turning out to be the closer in waiting he was hoped to be.  The starting rotation is getting into a groove, and the young arms in the bullpen are showing flashes of brilliance, but things still are askew.

It's certainly not all bad.  Casilla got his 100th save, Angel Pagan is having a career month, and Gregor Blanco continues to be excellent whenever called upon. And maybe it's that I'm getting too used to the brilliance of Duffy, Panik, Pence etc. but somehow, so far this year, this team still seems out of synch.  Maybe it's just April.

Stephless in Houston?

After outscoring Houston in the first quarter all by himself in the first game of the playoffs, Steph Curry left the action later in the game with an ankle injury that also kept him out of the second.  Golden State won both.  The difference was that they blew out Houston early in the first, but pulled significantly ahead late in the second.

Without Steph, they need tighter ball control and defense, and they need Klay Thompson and at least one other shooter to get hot.  They got all of that in the second game, and more.

Now the series moves to Houston, and Steph wants to play in the third game.  Will he?  Nobody associated with Golden State, including fans, would be upset if he didn't.  The ankle has to be strong, not just playable, because further injury might be disastrous.  Steph wants to stay sharp, and the team would probably like to sweep.  But a return for the fourth game on Sunday wouldn't bother anyone, regardless of what happens in the third game.

Whether Houston even wants to play is an open question.  Harden and Howard are not destined to be teammates much longer.

In baseball, both the Pirates and Giants have significantly cooled off since their fast starts.  Right now if the Giants didn't have bad luck, they wouldn't have any luck at all.  They held veterans back in spring training to prevent injuries, which seemed to work--for a week or so.  Now they are hit hard by injuries, particularly among relief pitchers, and their veterans show some signs of rust, with less than stellar fielding and pitching.

But two games lost on double play balls that were instead errors, and then a game that was won with the closer on the mound and just one strike to go but eventually lost in 11 innings?  That's just weird.

Romo and Kontos are on the DL.  Chris Heston was apparently so ineffective in short relief that he was sent down.  The bullpen is getting younger fast.  So far the new starting pitching acquisitions are doing well.  The lowly flu is hampering Bumgarner still, and the veteran back end of the rotation is having a rough time, as was feared.  But Matt Cain giving up three runs really doesn't matter if the Giants can't score at all.

#24 and #73

What an amazing night for basketball fans.

It was the wonder of the past and of the future, both dazzling in the present moment.

After 20 years, Kobe Bryant played his last NBA game Wednesday night. Older and coming off injuries, his farewell tour performances were often cameos, in the worst Lakers season in their history, breaking last year's record.  But in several games late in the season, there were flashes of the old Kobe.  He scored in the 30 point range a few times.

Wednesday the Lakers were playing Utah, a team that until game time was hoping for a playoff berth, but Houston had nabbed it.  The Lakers players fed Kobe the ball and urged him to shoot just about every time down the court.  But these advantages mean nothing unless you make the baskets.  And Kobe did.  Drives to the hoop, steals and one-man fast breaks, and three pointers.  He hit two three pointers in the last minute and a half of the game, to give the Lakers their first lead.  And improbably, they won.

Even more improbably, Kobe Bryant had scored 60 points in his last NBA game, 23 in the fourth quarter alone.  Nobody his age had ever scored even 40 in their last NBA game.  Kobe, who once scored 81 and had a string of 50 plus nights, hasn't scored 60 since 2009.  He retires as the NBA's third leading scorer.  He was praised before the game by Magic Johnson.  He even hugged Shaq, who was one of Kobe's former teammates on hand for the occasion.

Now Kobe is past.  But the future is at Golden State.

The Golden State Warriors won their 73rd game, breaking the single season record for victories nobody thought would ever be broken.  They had to win their last four games to do it, including two against another team having a remarkable year, the San Antonio Spurs.

Steph Curry scored 46 points, including 10 three pointers.  The record for 3 pointers in a season was set last year (by Curry) at 289.  Earlier this season Curry became the first NBA player to hit 300.  And Wednesday, he became the first to hit more than 400.  He finished the regular season with 402.

This storybook season ended where it should have, at home at Oracle Arena.

Next weekend the Warriors begin the playoffs as the top seed, beginning their quest for a second championship in a row.   That's their immediate future, with a pretty bright future as a team.

What a night for basketball.

#72

It had to be the most important regular season win in Golden State Warriors history that didn't have direct playoff implications.  Their victory over the Spurs in San Antonio meant they tied for the single season victory record of 72 wins.  They cinched the first time in NBA history that a team did not lose two games in a row, and/or without losing twice to the same team.

Their victory in San Antonio was Golden State's first since 1997, and it ended the Spurs' bid to become the first team to win out at home (though they could still tie the record for the most home wins in a season.)  The Warriors also set an NBA record with 34 road wins in a season.

Though the game had no direct playoff implications--it didn't change the seeding etc.--it sent a powerful message to the Spurs.  The Spurs lost three times to the Dubs this season, including twice in three games. The Warriors beat them despite playing a tough game less than 24 hours earlier, in Memphis.  The Spurs can no longer count on beating them at home.  And it told the Warriors that with Bogut in the lineup, they can be competitive with the Spurs even in San Antonio.

Bogut's presence was crucial, but it was Green's defense and a return to shooting form and audacity by Steph Curry that made the difference in today's game.  Other players like Thompson and Barnes made key shots--and generally it was the kind of team effort that is the Warriors at their best.

One victory like this changes the story.  Recent struggles can be seen as learning experiences, partly due to reintegrating players back from injuries.  A victory like today's reignites the confidence that can buoy them through the playoffs.

Especially if they come out with crispness and confidence to defeat Memphis when they go for the record 73rd win at their home arena on Wednesday.  As unlikely as that possibility may have sounded at the beginning of the season, or a few days ago.  Just think what it must be like to have tickets to that game!

And if you are counting, Steph Curry made 4 3s today, for a season total of 389. [Update: My math seems to be off here.  It was more like 392.] Reaching 400 is an unlikely but possible feat still, though the least meaningful of these records and benchmarks.  After all, nobody has even hit 300 before.

In San Francisco, Johnny Cueto learned some of the major advantages of becoming a Giant.  He had a terrible first inning against the Dodgers, giving up 5 runs.  But Bruce Bochy did not take him out.  Even in the fifth, with two men on and two out, Bochy did not pinch-hit for him, and his at-bat ended the inning in what had become a tight game.

After the first, Cueto settled down and pitched well for the next six innings but he had given up six runs.  Still, he left the field to a standing ovation.  It was his first game in San Francisco as a Giant, and how could he not feel welcomed by that?

The Giants came back fairly quickly in the game courtesy of homers by Buster Posey and Brandon Belt, then again on a homer by Angel Pagan, before Joe Panik broke it open with a double.  The Giants won 9-6, to take 3 out of 4 from the Dodgers.

A word about Pagan.  Some commentators watching him last season came to the opinion that he's washed up.  But as I noted here, he was playing hurt, and it hurt his play.  But he did it to help the team.  This year he was asked to play left field instead of center, and he has done that without complaint and so far with success.  His speed and power are back.  He's been instrumental in several wins so far.  Angel Pagan is a true Giant and a tremendous asset to this team.

The Great Escape

The Golden State Warriors won their 71st of the season with a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, and escaped Memphis with a one point win, 100-99.

It was another horrible shooting night for Steph Curry, and by now this repetition might be concerning for the playoffs.  He was especially off on 3s, going into the locker room at half time with five misses and no made 3.  He made a crucial one in the fourth quarter, but in the last seconds he had two opportunities to seal the win and missed them both.  He ended up with 3, barely continuing his streak of games with made 3s, and making the mark of 400 in a season less likely.  (He's at 385, so it's not impossible.)

But he contributed in other ways, with assists, and in the final seconds, on defense. It looked as though he blocked or altered what could have been the winning shot.

Steve Kerr held Andrew Bogut out, and that makes the victory more impressive because Bogut has become so essential on both ends.  So Bogut will be fresh for San Antonio, where he did not play last time because of injury, and his absence was crucial in that loss.

So Golden State can still make history, and they will need to make a bunch of it on Sunday, handing the Spurs their first home loss of the season, and breaking their own decades-long losing streak in San Antonio.  If they do, they will tie the single season record for wins, with a chance to break it at home, against that Memphis team they barely beat today.

The San Francisco Giants almost escaped with another win over the Dodgers--they were leading 2-1 in the ninth with one out and a double-play ball on its way to the day's second baseman Kelby Tomlinson.  But it was starting to rain again in a rain-delayed game, and the ball was doing funny things in the wet infield.  It took just one weird bounce to tie the game, and the Dodgers--who had left runners in scoring position all day--finally cashed one in, and eventually won 3-2.

Neither Bumgarner nor Kershaw got a decision.  Kershaw pitched the more efficient game but Bumgarner showed flashes of his typical dominance, and left with the lead.  Part of that lead came from what everybody will talk about from this game--Bumgarner's laser shot home run off Kershaw, the only pitcher to ever ding him more than once.

The 4-0 Pittsburgh Pirates lost their first game of the season, with ace Gerritt Cole again failing to beat Cinncy.

Wild MLB Night, Unfair NBA sked

Think you've seen it all?  On Friday the San Francisco Giants played 10 innings, got not a single, not a double, not a triple, and won the game against the LA Dodgers 3-2.  They were no-hit for 7 plus innings.  They got just two hits in total, but they both happened to be home runs.

Ross Stripling, the Dodgers afterthought of a fifth starter, starting his first MLB game, dazzled the Giants.  He had a no-hitter going in the 8th.  But he was showing signs of wildness and after he walked Pagan on his 100th pitch, new Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took him out, reportedly on front office instruction.

The next batter was second string catcher Trevor Brown, brought up in late summer for a look last year, and who won the backup job in spring training.  He had never hit a major league home run.

But if you've noticed, the 8th inning is home run inning for the Giants this year. And Brown lofted one off reliever Chris Hatcher.  When you're being no-hit, a 2-0 score against you looks huge.  One swing and the game was tied.

Shortly afterwards Roberts went nuts and got thrown out of the game.  The Dodgers had chances but couldn't score.  First batter in the bottom of the 10th was Brian Crawford, who smoked an opposite field line drive over the left field fence.  Game over.

Roberts' decision was the butt of jokes on the Internet even before then.  In baseball terms he was trying to save the arm of a young pitcher who had never even approached 100 pitches before.  But imagine the noise in LA this weekend.

Lost in the fireworks (and there were scheduled fireworks at the Giants yard) was a strong start by Matt Cain.  He kept the Giants in the game through 6.

This game was played in the mist and rain.  The Pirates played in frigid Cinncy.  They fell behind but were powered to the win by Sterling Marte's first grand slam. His swing on this was beautiful.  Wearing a black face mask against the cold, he looked like Batman or maybe the Lone Ranger rounding the bases.

Tomorrow the Giants go for the sweep with Madison Bumgarner against Kershaw. More good news for the Giants--agreement on a long-term contract for first baseman Brandon Belt.

In the NBA, the SA Spurs played their subs in Denver and almost but not quite pulled off the win.  But the loss coupled with the loss at Golden State in their previous game means that the Warriors are the only team not to lose two in a row so far this year.

The Warriors play in Memphis Saturday and in San Antonio Sunday.  This is their second game in San Antonio this year, and the second time it is the second of road back-to-back games.  When the Spurs went to Golden State in January, they had two days off after their game a few hundred miles away in LA.  They had a day off before the Warriors came to San Antonio--the Warriors played in Dallas the night before.  They had a day off between road games when they came to Golden State on April 7.  And they will have a day off between a road game and their home game against the Warriors on Sunday.  Don't seem fair, do it?

#70 and #1

Golden State Warriors with a "convincing" win over the Spurs became the second team in NBA history to record their 70th victory in a season.  Perhaps more importantly, they secured the #1 seed and home court throughout the playoffs.

They also avoided back to back losses, and Steph Curry's shooting recovered. They took advantage of a Spurs injury to run a big lead.

These teams each have a game with another opponent before they meet again in San Antonio.  The Warriors visit S.A. again one day after a game in another city.  According to their coaches, the Spurs will rest their starters for the next game (in Denver) before returning them against the Warriors at home.  Popovich says this strategy has nothing to do with the opponent, nor the home winning streak.  Sure.  Right.

However, with the #1 seed accomplished, the Warriors will meet as a team Friday to decide if any of the starters will be held back from the next three games.  If it is up to the players (and it seems to be at the moment) then it's not likely.

So Golden State has to beat Memphis twice, a dangerous team and the kind that the Warriors have fallen to this season.  In between, a day after their game in Memphis Saturday, they go to San Antonio.  They must win out to break the record. Smart money is on them losing in San Antonio (although if they run out to a big lead, those Spurs starters might get another rest.)  But if the Warriors win in San Antonio Sunday it could well be the biggest regular season victory in their history.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants took their home opener against the Dodgers.  The Dodgers had shut out the Padres for their first three games, and in this game were an inning shy of the record for consecutive shutout innings to open the season.  But once the Giants scored, they kept on going, and won 12-6.  Hunter Pence hit a grand slam in the eighth (their big homer inning so far this year), Joe Panik tripled, Kelby Tomlinson had a pinch hit single, and the Giants had 17 hits. Jake Peavy started, had 5 labored innings, and Chris Heston won in relief.

Game On

It's game on at Oracle tonight.  Both the Warriors and Spurs have big stakes to play for, and the word is that the Spurs will not rest its starters.  The Warriors must win out to get the single season record, but the higher stakes are the top seed in the playoffs.  The Spurs can help their cause by beating the Warriors twice, starting tonight.

Also on the line: the Warriors have not lost two games in a row this season, though now they've lost two out of their last three.  The Spurs also haven't lost back to back (though they also have lost two out of three during the season, but not recently.)

Everyone will be watching Steph Curry.  Was his horrendous shooting night against Minnesota a fluke, or is he facing shooting woes the equivalent of his miraculous shooting for most of the season?

Fascinating that while the Warriors broke several regular season records already, the Spurs may quietly break some significant ones that the Warriors couldn't.  They still can win out at home for the entire season (while the Warriors have recently lost twice), and tonight the no back-to-back losses record is in play for the Warriors.

Baseball: The Giants sent their first off-season pitching acquisition to the mound yesterday.  Jeff S. pitched smart and even without his best stuff managed a 3 run no-decision (the Giants ultimately lost 4-3.)  But that was better than the pitcher he essentially replaced, Mike Leake.  Leake (who got a humugous contract) started for the Cardinals for the first time, in Pittsburgh, and had a terrible game.  He walked in a run and was otherwise ineffective as the Pirates swept their central division rivals (one of them anyway).

Train Wreck at Oracle; Giants, Pirates Looking Good

It had to be one of the worst shooting nights of Steph Curry's life, as he not only had a horrendous first quarter but blew shot after shot in the fourth quarter and in overtime, and the Warriors suffered a stunning defeat vs. Minnesota.  It was the first time this season that they've been ahead by 15 points at any time of the game, and lost.

Now the 73 win season looks much farther away--they have to win out, which means winning two games against the Spurs, one of them in San Antonio.  And two games over Memphis, a depleted team which nevertheless shocked the Bulls who are (or were) fighting for a playoff spot.

Thanks the gods for baseball starting.  The San Francisco Giants are undefeated!  They won their first game on hitting and the second on impressive pitching.  The front office look like geniuses since a lot of the hitting was done by acquisition Denard Span, and the pitching by acquisition Johnny Queto.  The whole team looks good--but they are playing Milwaukee, expected to have a terrible season.

The Pirates are also undefeated but their record is even more impressive because they've won their first two games against division rival St. Louis, the second in 11 innings.  And in the unusual cold at PNC Park.

In Sight

The Warriors scored 136--their highest point total of the season--to beat Portland for their 69th victory. Though it was close most of the way, the Warriors pulled ahead in the fourth with a tremendous burst that it seems only they are capable of. In the course of the game, Steph Curry hit the 1,000 3 pointer for the team this season, another record.  And they keep another record possibility in hand--no back to back losses.

Their next victory will be the one the Bulls chased 20 years ago: 70.  Only that Bulls team ever had more.

The interesting factor in this game was the return of Ezeli, who started in place of injured Bogut.  He did enough for them to win.  That's a good sign.

San Antonio won at home Saturday, and set a franchise record with their 64th win.
The Spurs also have not lost two games in a row this year, so it's entirely possible that this record will be broken by both teams.

The Spurs have but two remaining home games.  If they win them, they will be the first team to win out at home for an entire season.  One of those two is the Warriors, the other is Oklahoma.  Both teams have beaten them on their home courts.  For all the buzz about the Spurs resting players, can they pass up the opportunity to complete this record in the 3rd and second-to the last games of the year?  I'd be surprised if they did.  Their last game is at Dallas, and they can rest their starters then.  The Warriors on the other hand may well be playing for their 73rd win on the last day of the season, at home.

But the more intriguing possibility is this: if the Warriors win their home games against Minn. and the Spurs at home, and then their away game in Memphis, they will be playing for their 73rd win...in San Antonio.

And as the NBA season nears its end, it's time to play ball! on the MLB diamonds.  The traditional opener featuring St. Louis was on Sunday in Pittsburgh, won by their rival--and another of the elder franchises--the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1, on the dominant arm of Francisco Liriano.

The San Francisco Giants open in Milwaukee on Monday.  The team's biggest boast of the spring is that they emerged healthy.  It appears that some players--notably Denard Span--were brought along so slowly that they may need real games to get up to speed.  But the waiting is over.  Now it begins.

Wrinkles in Time for the Warriors-- and the Spurs

Golden State's loss to the Celtics on Friday night shakes up the rest of the regular season schedule, possibly for the Spurs as well as the Warriors.

The loss meant that the Warriors will not be the first team to win out at home for an entire season.  But the Spurs still can be.

The loss also means the Warriors must win one of its two remaining meetings with the Spurs to surpass the Bulls' season record by one game.

It also means that the Warriors will have to win one of its remaining two road games, either at San Antonio (where this Warriors team, like many before it, has not won) or in Memphis.  And of course, win out at home against Portland, Minnesota--and the Spurs.

What both the Warriors and to a lesser extent the Spurs do about resting their starters will likely be determined game-by-game by outcomes.  If the Warriors lose more than one game, Steve Kerr may well opt for rest.That will also depend on when the Warriors clinch the best overall record, giving them home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Which will also factor in whether or when the Spurs rest their vets.

Now the Warriors cannot tie the record by winning their home game against the Spurs.  That might lessen the pressure on the Spurs, and they might rest their veterans for that game.

But the game in San Antonio might be different.  If the Spurs haven't lost at home at that point, they would be highly motivated to go all out to win over the Warriors, so they can be the first team to win out for an entire season.  If the Warriors still have the 73 win possibility, they too will send out their starters.  But if either or both conditions don't pertain, this game may well be played by backups.

As for the Celtics game, the Warriors most prominent vulnerability was in evidence: turnovers.   Also the loss of Andrew Bogut in the second half allowed Boston to keep pace offensively.  Steph Curry and the team made adjustments to free Curry in the second half, but Klay Thompson was stifled--that's a problem.  Still, the tying shot rattled off the rim at the end of the gain, and there wasn't enough time for Curry to reload.  

In the end, of course, it's one game at a time.  And Sunday's game against Portland is no gimme, especially with Bogut listed as questionable, and neither Iguodala or Ezeili apparently ready to play.

Tonight's Challenge (Update: Met!)

As the season record gets closer, Golden State Warriors are doing what is expected of a great team--winning against inferior opponents at home.  (Although as more teams adopt their style of play, no game is safe.)  In a few hours they face one of the remaining obvious tests: less than 24 hours after their home victory Tuesday, they are playing in a different time zone and altitude, in Utah.  If they win this game, the record comes more than a game nearer.

After the game....

The Warriors victory over the Jazz in overtime may be their most significant win in months.  This was not only one of their biggest remaining tests of the regular season run at the record (and possibly their biggest), it may be their last playoff preview.

This is especially true if--as Tony Parker is saying--coach Popovich rests his starters in the remaining two Spurs games with the Warriors.  (Cautioning that such player statements have been tactical misdirections before. If the Spurs are still undefeated at home when the Warriors arrive, I don't see them giving that game away.)

This game showed two things.  The first is the basis of everything: the Warriors as a team have no significant weaknesses in their game. (Of course this game was not the first time this was exhibited.)  They can play defense, they can score in every way, they rebound, they steal, they block shots and they make their foul shots. They can protect the ball (though there have been more games lately when turnovers were higher than they should be.) And they are, as Steve Kerr likes to say, very competitive.  They will exploit any weakness of the other team.

The second is that even though they were playing at Utah altitude after getting there at 4 a.m. from a tough game at home, and were probably physically as well as mentally weary, they pulled up from their reserves the skills and effort to win.  The game in regulation was uneven, but they ran away with overtime--especially Steph Curry.  He wore the Utah defenses down.

 It all bodes well for the playoffs, and, oh yeah, the Record. It was their 68th win, the most in franchise history, one game shy of the Lakers record that the Bulls broke.  They can tie that one on Friday when the Boston Celtics come to Oracle Arena--a streaky team that's got a pretty good record, coming in for their second of a road back to back.

When They're 65

With Bogut back on the home court, the Warriors have returned to form in two victories to reach 65 wins--only the second team to do it for two years running, the first being the team that set a lot of records they're going for this year, the late 90s Chicago Bulls.  In these two games combined, the Splash Brothers (Curry and Thompson) scored more than 135 points.  

Having defeated both the Clippers and Mavs this week, the Warriors now have to guard against lack of concentration as they face clearly inferior opponents, beginning with the Sixers on Sunday.  Several players after the game noted that this sort of happened against Dallas (a likely playoff team), when an 18 point lead almost evaporated in the fourth quarter.

Then come the Wizards, who've been on a bit of a tear lately, and the trip to Utah.  The Jazz took down Cleveland last week and would dearly love to giant-kill GS as well.  The Warriors play Memphis and San Antonio twice more, home and away.  Boston, Portland and Minnesota are their other regular season opponents.  Put it this way--they have to lose 3 out of the remaining 10 to not break the record for most wins in a season.   If they keep winning, they will have the opportunity to tie the record against San Antonio at home.

The Last Ten

Are the last ten the hardest?  I guess we'll see.  The Warriors are at 63-7, after a loss in San Antonio and a close victory in Minnesota.  They have 12 games left, and must win 10 to break the season win record.  With each victory the percentages become better that they will.  Or seem to--because the pressure mounts, and the fatigue, and lately, the injuries.

The Spurs took advantage of Andrew Bogut's absence at center, and tried a new defense of quick switches, especially on Steph Curry.  When the Warriors saw Minnesota doing the same defense they were prepared, even without Bogut.  Curry had two bad shooting games in a row, but both games were close anyway.  The effort to beat them so exhausted the Spurs that for the first time all year they blew a 20 point lead and lost.

The Warriors go home and mostly stay there for 9 of the final 12 games.  But their first game back is a tough one--the Clippers, always out for blood against Golden State.  The Warriors play Dallas and the Spurs on this home stand, and go to Utah and finally to San Antonio.  Those are the five biggest challenges, on paper.  And it starts Wednesday with the Clips.  I'd feel better with Bogut back, but no word on that yet.  Still, the Clips are kind of reeling lately, and Blake Griffith is still out.

At Giants camp, another troubling injury, this time to catcher Trevor Brown, but again it doesn't seem serious.  Brown has a good chance of making the team, especially with Susac still bothered by a mysterious wrist problem.  Hard to evaluate pitchers at this point, but among the veteran position players, the best news appears to be Angel Pagan (hitting well, running better than in recent years, and fielding his new position in left) and Hunter Pence (3 homers, etc.)  Pence and Joe Panik healthy and back in form are confidence builders for sure.

One Down

With a fantastic late flurry in the fourth, the Warriors blew open what had been a close game against Dallas, winning 130-112.  It was yet another record-setter and record-tying performance.

Now the biggest challenge of the season so far: an overnight trip to San Antonio.  To make it more exciting, Andrew Bogut was injured and probably won't play against the Spurs.  That's the biggest personnel loss so far--especially against the Spurs, and especially on defense.

The Splash Brothers were both "on" in Dallas (combining for 70 points), and even though Steph Curry proved in Dallas that he's essentially unguardable, they'll both need to be on big time in San Antonio (which means a back to back big night for Klay Thompson) if the Warriors are going to do what they haven't done in this century, and what nobody has done in San Antonio this season: beat the Spurs in their own building.  If they do, it will be their most spectacular win of the season.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants have fans holding their breath as the injury bug that ate their season last year beginning in spring training has been biting again.  So far, nothing long term, but it's ridiculous.  Several veterans have lost playing time because of injuries, but the most maddening and ridiculous have been to two new Giants--pitcher Cueto throws one pitch and gets hit in the head with a line drive and in his first game playing center field  Denard Span injures his shoulder on the first fly ball hit to him.

But at least so far, the difference is that the injuries weren't serious.  Cueto survived without a concussion, Matt Cain recovered to pitch a great game today against the Padres, with four Giants homering, including Span.  MadBum has recovered from his two small injuries fast enough to start Saturday.

It's actually been a pretty good spring for the Giants, especially with eye-popping hitting by young players who will go back to the minors (or already have) but who make the Giants' future (in some cases, near future) look good.

None Bigger

Golden State finished its home stand still undefeated there, with 61 wins in all for the season so far, thanks to a drubbing of the New York Knicks on Wednesday.  Their home winning streak is at 50, as they keep extending the record.

But their biggest remaining challenge of the regular season is next: back to back road games at Dallas and San Antonio, Friday and Saturday.  One of their 6 losses came in Dallas, and they haven't won in San Antonio (which is also undefeated this year at home) in 20 years, not since the Spurs first featured Tim Duncan.

Plus the Warriors are missing two important pieces:  Andre Iguodala and Festus Ezeli, both injured.  They won't even make the trip.

The drama of the San Antonio game also has to do with that home winning streak.  No team has ever gone through the NBA season undefeated at home.  Right now Golden State and the Spurs are.  Counting this game, the Warriors have two games in San Antonio.  The Spurs have one more at Golden State.

As for the big record, the Warriors have 15 games left.  They must win 12 to break the 72 victory record. At this point, the Warriors are 4 games ahead of the Spurs for the best record this season, their number one goal since it affects the playoffs.  Every game is important.  But there are none bigger than the two this weekend.

There's That Way, and There's This Way

After some games that were shaky thrilling maybe more than they should have been, the Golden State Warriors got back on track, showing how they can beat you that way, and they can beat you this way.

That way was  vs. the Utah Jazz, a game in which the Warriors scored 115 but Step Curry had all of 18 points.  Curry however led the team in assists.

This way was more familiar, even classic: Klay Thompson and Curry combined for 71 of the Warriors' 128 points against Portland, Thompson with 37, Curry with 34.  But as a team, a season low 8 turnovers.  And a stifling defense against the team that beat them at their last meeting by more than 30 points.

45 and The 300

Monday night the Golden State Warriors broke the NBA record for consecutive wins at home with their 45th, and Steph Curry became the first player in NBA history to hit 300 three pointers in a season.  He scored 41, including seven 3s.

Whether it's a temporary lull or a return to reality, the Warriors aren't putting teams away early as they used to, but they still have the best record ever at this point in the season at 56-6.

Even after the Lakers' surprising victory over the Warriors Sunday, the L.A. Times did this story by Dylan Hernandez on why the Warriors are a great team.   He quotes Laker great James Worthy comparing the Warriors with the Magic Johnson Showtime Lakers (and Worthy was the speedster scorer on that team who I thought never got the credit he deserved.)  He recalled that the style of that team was brand new and basketball purists criticized them.  It took awhile--and winning championships--before their style of play was accepted.

You know, I'm just old enough to remember that.  Though I started watching the NBA with the Larry Bird Celtics, the Lakers soon captured my imagination, with Magic, Kareem and Worthy.  And I do remember that "Showtime" was at first a slur before it became a brand.  Following that Lakers team was frowned upon.  (Furtively following them was encouraged by the fact that the networks broadcast those playoff games on tape delay after the late news.)

The Warriors, Worthy points out, are playing in a new way now, and getting some heat from stars of previous generations.  The way to prevail now as then is to win championships.  Meanwhile, they are incredible to watch.  And for the same reason as the other great teams and players--their grace, doing what seems impossible.

Having made the playoffs, the Warriors quest now is the #1 seed in the West.  Their only serious competition is San Antonio, a team that in any other year would be making headlines for their season.  Their loss on Monday was only their tenth.

And the two remaining dangerous patches in the Warriors' schedule both involve the Spurs.  On March 18 and 19 they play back-to-back road games at Dallas and San Antonio.  Then they meet the Spurs in San Antonio again in the second game of a road back to back on April 10, this time with trip to Memphis on April 9.  This is after playing the Spurs at home on April 7.  (The Warriors are done playing the Thunder this regular season, having won all three of those games.)

And of course, these games are likely to figure in whether Golden State breaks the wins in a season record, currently held by the 1996 Chicago Bulls, at 72.  I remember that quest, too, with the Bulls looking weary as the record approached. It may be the hardest of all records to break.

Are You Stephin Kidding Me?

After two wins in Florida on back to back nights, the Warriors flew back across the country to Oklahoma to play the Thunder on Saturday night.  Recall that Steph Curry had a total of 93 points in those two games, and in the last one at Orlando he hit 10 3 pointers.

Besides San Antonio, Oklahoma Thunder are this year's strongest competition in the West.  Their two superstars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, were hitting on all cylinders for the entire game.  When Westbrook fell on Steph Curry, sending him to the locker room with a possible ankle injury, the game seemed lost.

It wasn't.  Curry returned and helped spark a comeback.  Even though the Thunder were up by 11 with 4 minutes left in the game, the Warriors tied it with no time left, on two foul shots by not their best foul shooter, Andre Iguodala.

They fell behind again in overtime, and again the game seemed lost with 14 seconds, and then with 7 seconds to play.  Then--well, except for all the shots that came before it, all those buzzer beaters from another galaxy far, far away--this would go down in history as The Shot.

But for Steph Curry?  Another night at the office.  A shot from outer space and the game was won.  This season for the Warriors and Steph Curry is transcending the history they are making--this is the stuff of myth.

As emerging Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis tweeted, "Is this real life?"

With that shot, Curry tied the single game record for 3s, with 12.  Something like 40% is considered pretty good for making 3s.  Curry's 12 came on 16 attempts. And those were about half of the 46 points he added to the road trip total. By the end of the game, Curry had broken his own record for 3s in a season and the Warriors clinched a playoff spot--with more than two months left in this season.

Now they're going home, where they are undefeated this year.

Here's the ESPN story with the video.  It's a keeper.

More on Curry from the New York Times.

Magic

Orlando hosted a game Wednesday but it was Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors who were Magic.  In back to back games on the road, the Warriors beat Miami and Orlando.  In those two games Steph Curry scored a total of 93 points, and broke the consecutive game record for at least one 3 pointer.  On Wednesday he had 10.  The Warriors have won 3 of 4 games on this road trip since the All Star Break.

His ten included another half court shot at the buzzer.  He does that so often it's like going to a Giants game in one of Barry Bonds record homer years--if you didn't see him hit one, you might feel cheated.  Now if you're lucky enough to get into a Golden State game, if you don't see Curry make a half court shot during the game, you might be disappointed.  But if you got there early, you certainly saw him make a few in warm-ups.

After they beat the Clippers, the LA Times sportswriter contrasted the two locker rooms.  The Clippers being tentative and a bit fractious.  But the Warriors, he wrote, don't just all like each other, they love each other.

That doesn't happen very often.  Which is part of this year's Golden State Magic.  52-5, on their way to Oklahoma Saturday.  Then home.

50-5

The Golden State Warriors became the fastest team to 50 wins in NBA history by beating Atlanta, which could be the start of several records between now and the end of the season.

They came out of the All Star break rusty and dropped their first road game of a challenging trip in Portland.  They rebounded with a victory over the Clippers the next night.  Then with just a travel day across 3 time zones, they hit the court running against Atlanta.  They lost big leads in both of their victories, so Steph got no rest in the fourth quarters.

Now they fly down to Florida for back to back games with Miami and Orlando, before another single travel day to cross time zones to Oklahoma on Saturday.  It's the most punishing trip of the year, and may determine a number of things for the remainder of the season, which they spent mostly at home, but with a quick rematch with Oklahoma and three games later with San Antonio.

To break the all-time victories for a season record they need to go 23-4 for the rest of the season.  They also have the all time record in consecutive home wins in their sights.  Why should they bother with these records instead of resting players for the playoffs?  One championship related answer is San Antonio, which is 47-9 and is riding their own consecutive home wins streak.  Golden State's goal is to give itself the best possible position in the playoffs, and that means holding the best record in the West.  So they'll be out to win every game for the foreseeable future. April is another question, to be answered by what happens this month and through March.

Catching Up Links

As the NFL season becomes a memory, an article on the increasing number of players retiring before they're 30, suggesting it's related to medical findings on the perils of concussion and other injury to a healthy life.

As the NBA gets back in gear, here's a keeper about Kobe and his last All Star game.

And as MLB spring training begins, a suggestion that takeout slides of the kind that caused the injury that pretty much doomed the Pittsburgh Pirates postseason hopes late last season, may be outlawed.

Here We Go

The Golden State Warriors chase history as the NBA season resumes after the All-Star break.

And spring training begins in MLB.  Neither the San Francisco Giants nor the Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to win their divisions--but hopes are high among their fans that this will be a great year.  For the Giants of course, it's an even-numbered year, when they're used to winning it all.

A Beautiful Game--and a Once Beautiful Game

The day after Steph Curry went off on the surprisingly good Washington Wizards for 51 points, the Golden State Warriors went to the White House to get praised and teased by President Obama, for what they did last season.  Meanwhile the New Yorker published a terrific piece describing the Warriors' "beautiful game."  It puts into words why it's so much fun to watch them.

In football:
An opinion piece in the New York Times affirms much of what I've tried to say here about football and physical trauma.

George Lundberg begins with the cautionary tale of boxing, a popular sport which brutal injury consigned to a lesser role.  His example of football's growing brutality is the one I've mentioned (though I'm hardly the only one): the Steelers-Bengals playoff game.

But while Lundberg (a pathologist and football fan) called for banning boxing, he concedes that he can't yet do so for football.  He makes the same point I tried to make: "In part, I admit, because of my own bias toward football, but also because I believe that violence is a byproduct of football — one that can be reduced — not the intended result, as was the case for boxing."

If the NFL could redesign the game to emphasize violence, which it has (with the full and enthusiastic cooperation of sports media) then it can redesign it to make it less violent, and no less a sport of skill, strategy and athleticism.

So far the NFL has shown no leadership in this area, and is therefore dooming the sport to a slow but certain death. "At a bare minimum, the N.F.L. should publicly admit that there is a real problem with the risk of player brain damage (as it has in court documents). It should follow the lead of college football, which now punishes offending players with immediate expulsions from the game."

There are other ideas out there, such as widening the playing field.  But the NFL is not exploring them, and it's not hard to see why.  Besides avoiding costly lawsuits by not admitting the links to brain damage, this violence is deep in the NFL culture, though that might be changing at least among players, and certainly among parents.

I won't be watching the Super Bowl.  I haven't watched one in several years.  All those commercials and injury time-outs.  But I may well watch highlights, of what I expect to be a Carolina victory, 40-16.

Back to Back

What probably doomed the New York Knicks on Sunday happened in Philadelphia on Saturday.  It took a last second tie-breaker for the Golden State Warriors, with the best record in the NBA, to beat the Sixers, with the worst record, after being ahead in the second half by 24 points.

So even though Steph Curry had a bad shooting night in New York, and the Warriors sloppily turned the ball over too much again, they won their second of the back-to-backs by 21 points, 116-95.

Draymond Green helped compensate for Curry by hitting 9 for 9 and 20 points.  Klay Thompson had 34.  The break can't come too soon for the Warriors as they are showing signs of weariness.  And yet...two victories, and a big second half against the Knicks to win by 21.

The Long Goodbye

Thanks largely to the Bengals and their homicidal players (though that team is not unique in that respect), the Pittsburgh Steelers lost their second playoff game in a year they had a real shot at the Super Bowl.  The following week, one of the heroes of their first Super Bowl victory since the 70s glory years, wide receiver Antwaan Randle El told a Pittsburgh reporter than he wished he had never played football.  Not yet 40, he has trouble walking and maintaining balance, and is showing since of cognitive problems similar to those suffered by people twice his age.

Randle El was not a bruising lineman, but a swift and graceful wide receiver.  He did not take hits on every down.  Yet he apparently suffered substantial damage.  He told the reporter he thought professional football would be gone in 25 years because of the results of its fashionable brutality.

Apart from the injury to quarterback Big Ben which involved some extra action meant to injure, the felonious hit that hurt the Steelers was a visibly brutal one to its latest swift and graceful wide receiver, Antonio Brown.  Though to my knowledge he hasn't made waves over this incident, he also took a group of high school players to see the Will Smith movie about NFL football called "Concussion."

In his meditations on the subject in the New Yorker, its editor David Remnick relates aspects of  football's history to make the case that this brutality has always been part of the game.  It was in many ways worse when it was primarily a college sport, in the early 20th century, when 19 players were actually killed in one season.

Rules were changed, equipment improved, but Remnick writes the pressure to make big showy hits was unrelenting.  Yet, he says, people who see this violence and its results can't quite back away from watching:

 But the modern football fan in possession of a conscience and a reasonable knowledge of the horrific statistics about injuries suffered by players comes to resemble a nacho-scarfing version of St. Augustine, who, faced with his own lust, addresses God: “Lord, let me be pure . . . but not yet.” Precisely. Let’s confront the crisis in football . . . but not yet. It’s kickoff!

In a way I fall into this category, but for me it is not because I have a love-hate relationship with the violence.  Maybe I'm a pollyanna on this, but I maintain that football is a great game that doesn't need homicidal hitting.  I played it, though not in more than a semi-organized way, up until leaving high school, and though high school football was king in my western Pennsylvania (which was known for incubating college and NFL stars), there was blocking and tackling, but not hitting. Not really, or at least not much.

It's those aspects of the game--the skills, the strategies--that appeal to many fans.  It's harder and harder to look past the homicidal hits and the people (the NFL, non-playing team leaders and sports media) that promote it.

Unless the NFL radically reforms its game, it is doomed.  As Remnick says, even legendary figures of the game like Mike Ditka say they wouldn't let their children play football now.  In the short term, teams from high school to colleges will survive on players from poor families, the analogue of slaves in the gladitorial ring, with the ability to take care of their families as the suicide incentive.  Before the whole thing collapses.

For now we've got Denver and Carolina in Super Bowl Fifty.  Denver doesn't have a chance.

Basketball in the NBA is about to get especially interesting, as the much publicized Golden State Warriors have the first of four regular season games with the San Antonio Spurs, who have quietly had a season almost the match of Golden State's.  Incredibly they have not played each other this year yet.  Golden State demolished Cleveland last week--a forty point destruction of their Finals opponent last year, that probably led directly to their coach being fired, despite a winning record at the top of their division.  The Spurs seem like the Warriors real competition.

Update: The Spurs brought a 13 game winning streak and a 38-6 record to the Golden State arena in a meeting of the two most dominant NBA teams in at least a generation.  The Warriors destroyed them by 30 points, 120-90.  Department of defending Steph Curry--guarding him close and harrassing him provided him opportunities to make them look silly with his ball handling and magnetic attraction to the hoop.

Pop and Shame

In baseball, the SF Giants added an important free agent outfielder--just not one anybody was talking about, Denard Span.  Strikingly like their other big name acquisitions, Span is coming off a sub-par year, beset by injuries.  So they are all more obvious risks, though the potential of each of them is high.

Span is also much in the mold of players they have, only more so: he's fast, a good fielder (mostly center), and an excellent contact hitter with not much home run pop. So the Giants may do their mix and match outfield on a somewhat higher level, with Span, Pagan (who Span may replace in center and as lead-off), Blanco and Pence.  While this makes for a team character of play, it also has that conspicuous limitation of not much home run threat in the lineup.  They'll probably take a hard look at Jared Parker, their rookie last year who had a brief show of power.

There are contingencies to address, especially given the number of injuries these days, like quality back-ups at first and third.  Good opportunities for the farm system, and lesser known additions.  Even if only one of the three new Giants has a year towards the top of their potential, it should keep SF competitive in their division.  That will probably remain their best option for postseason.

In football, I keep getting drawn back in and rudely pushed away--basically by the violence and the injuries they cause.  I played tackle football as a kid, and I loved the game.  But at that time it was about tackling and blocking, not hitting.

The Bengals player who leveled Antonio Brown of the Steelers and gave him a concussion in one of the ugliest hits I've ever seen was penalized.  He should have been arrested.  Forget suspension.  He belongs in prison.   The Steelers are complicit in this travesty, with the coaches and organization repeatedly refusing to criticize this kind of play.  Sports media are more that complicit--they're largely responsible for the elevation of the vicious hit.  (ESPN is so bad in other ways as well.  Their on-air reporters are often wrong in the most obvious way, their writers can't even get the day of the game right--but then editors appear to be a thing of the past.)

From a fan standpoint, that vicious hit and some pretty clearly intentional attempts to cause pain and injury in the sack that injured Big Ben's shoulder, deprives us of the game we have a right to expect.  Even if both play in Denver, neither is likely to be at full strength and skill, as befits a playoff game.

But beyond that, the violence is just shameful.  And I am ashamed.  

It's Not the Baseball Hall of Fame...Yet

Back to baseball for a moment.

Department of I could still kick myself:  Some years ago I found myself footloose in Seattle and a couple of hours too late realized it was the home opener of the baseball season.  Bad enough, but Ken Griffey, Jr. homered that day.  It wasn't one of his best years but still...I never saw him play.

He made it into the Hall of Fame today with a record proportion of votes, all but unanimous.  But frankly I can't take the Hall of Fame seriously.  It's just not a Baseball Hall of Fame if Barry Bonds isn't in it, period.  It's just another hall of politics.

On another note, I've written here several times about my belief that the San Francisco Giants broadcasting team is as good as it gets, especially after listening to announcers for other cities.  Now here's a piece by someone who claims to have heard announcers for every MLB team--and he agrees.

Tea leaves seem to fall in favor of Dexter Fowler as the free agent outfielder most likely to come to the Giants.  Not the acquisition some are hoping for, and bigger names are still out there, but the Giants have won championships with over-achieving outfielders in the postseason.

Hype or Hope? Steelers The Most Feared

Is it hype, hope or what?   A long article by Andy Benoit details reasons for the headlines' assertions: Nobody Wants to Face the Steelers: An explosive downfield passing game and a creative defense make Pittsburgh the most dangerous team in the AFC bracket.

Another article by Hunter Felt in the Guardian details why the Steelers are "a force to fear" in the AFC playoffs.

Benoit's reasons are the lethal passing attack as deployed by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who he calls "the league's most gifted QB."  In addition to a quick and big scoring offense, enabled by a sturdy offensive line, Benoit cites an improving defense in the later part of the season.  He also sees intelligence in defensive designs that make up for weaknesses as cornerback.  He concludes: "The Steelers, on both sides of the ball, give an opponent a lot to prepare for. That alone is dangerous. Factor in that the Steelers in many places, including everywhere on offense, are more talented than those opponents and what you have is the scariest team entering the AFC postseason."

Hunter Felt admits the defensive breakdowns and Big Ben's interceptions, but if they can be controlled he sees the Steelers as strong against less than stellar AFC opponents.  A lot of quarterback uncertainty on the other teams is the big factor, he believes (including Tom Brady's ankle).  The Steelers may not be the best team in the conference he concludes. "They could, however, very well be the team that none of the others want to face when the games matter the most."

So is the remarkable coincidence of two such articles due to sportwriters talking to players etc. or to each other?  There's undoubted merit in the case they make, but it doesn't seem Pittsburgh sportwriters are so buoyant.

Anyway, the passing game may depend on a versatile running game, and so far that's been DeAngelo Williams.  Late Monday the unofficial word/rumors are that his ankle is sprained, the MRI was negative, so he's "day to day" (hopeful) but the Post-Gazette writers are suggesting that his chances of playing Saturday against the Bengals are slim (hopes dashed.)

With injuries for a playoff game, teams get cagey.  But if Williams isn't near 100% he might not be effective anyway.  His yardage gains slowed towards the end of the season, but he's been important as an outlet and short pass receiver.  So it's a good thing that the next guy up, Fitzgerald Touissaint, caught a two-point conversion in Sunday's game, though his 24 yards on 12 carries wasn't great.

The Bengals announced that they aren't preparing to bring back their injured starter at QB for the Steelers game Saturday, so McCarran will start again.  He did pretty well against the Steelers before, but one stat from the Bengals victory over Baltimore Sunday stands out: they went the entire game without converting a third down.

New Year Updates

First the (unexpected) good news for Steelers fans: they're in the playoffs.  After they unaccountably lost to a terrible Ravens team (for the second time this season), they needed Buffalo to defeat the Jets, and they had to win against an even more terrible team, the Browns.  Underdog Buffalo did win, and the Steelers mostly let Cleveland defeat itself.  Within minutes after the game, just about everybody on the Browns was fired.  Quarterback Johnny Football was reportedly in Las Vegas gambling.

The Steelers are the sixth seed but they won their first Super Bowl of this century from that position.  However the difference is in the Bad News: in the Cleveland game, running back DeAngelo Williams had what looks like a serious ankle injury.  Not many teams had a running back as good as Williams when their star running back went down for the season.  But if Williams is gone, too, the Steelers prospects even for a win against the Bengals in the wild card game are pretty dim.  Even the ever-impressive receiver Antonio Brown can't win it by himself.

That's the difference--the Steelers got healthy at the end of the seasons when they got to the Super Bowl and won it.  They are not healthy now, and though essentially backing into a playoff spot isn't fatal (witness the 2014 SF Giants in baseball), they already have little margin for error, without a dominating defense.

What the Steelers do have going for them is playoff experience, especially at quarterback but also across the team.  That made a big difference for the 2014 Giants, who had great heroic moments but also profited mightily from the jitters and mistakes of opponents.  The Steelers will need lots of mistakes by their opponents to get very far.

On the other hand there's an NBA team so deep that injuries barely register: the Golden State Warriors.  Steph Curry's current nagging bruise is clearly having an impact, but in the 3 games he didn't play or played little, the Warriors won two.  If not Klay Thompson, then Draymon Green or somebody else steps up and looks superhuman.   Granted the Warriors haven't been putting teams away lately but a record of 31-2 is merely ridiculous.

In baseball, everybody's waiting for the remaining name free agent outfielders to make their choices, but none of them are.  It's rumored that the Giants are actively interested in at least one, but of course nobody really knows.  There's certainly no panic about it in San Francisco.

Meanwhile the Pirates seem to be having a decent off-season with acquisitions.  There are several ex-Giants on the team now, most recently pitcher Ryan Vogelsong.  With the Cubs making a big offseason push to dominate in the division, the Pirates are basically strong but will need perseverance and steadiness to weather things in the toughest division in baseball.

December Brides

The San Francisco Giants blindsided pretty much everyone by making a major deal with pitcher Johnny Cueto.  It's for six years though in practical terms, it's really for two.

So no sooner did Jeff Samardzija convince everyone that he was a great fit as a San Francisco Giant than the Cueto news had to be absorbed.  On the face of it, he seems a less certain fit. His undeniable talent and uneven temperament, and a demonstrated penchant for getting rattled by hostile fans in away game ballparks, will require the kind of support the Giants organization and his teammates can provide, if he responds to it.

It's a big roll of the dice--even more so than Samardzija, who may not have his raw talent but really wants to be with the Giants, for all the right reasons.  After a bad half season in Kansas City, Cueto wasn't getting the free agent offers he probably expected, and this deal with the choice of becoming a free agent again in two years was apparently the decider, not the team.  Of course he has ample motivation for doing well in the next two years.   Cause $46 million a year isn't enough, I guess.  Update: Cueto sounds like a better fit in this account.

The Giants probably had little choice really, as division rivals the Diamondbacks and to a lesser extent the Dodgers strengthened their pitching.  The guy who loses in all this is pitcher Mike Leake.  A couple of weeks ago he was in the driver's seat, choosing between Arizona and SF, both good situations for him.  Now he's probably not getting an offer from either.

If the Giants can stay healthy--or healthier than last season--they may need just one of those guys to rebound.  Cueto has the bigger upside, they say, if he can return to form.  Both can give innings (which was Leake's m.o., so he becomes unnecessary) and Cueto can be dominating.  If both do well, the Giants will be hard to stop.  But with the Cubs strengthening their team, the Central division is also going to be very competitive.  Wild Cards may again be hard to come by in the West.

Now it looks as though the Giants will look at rookies for the outfield, with Gregor Blanco getting the start in left but able to play center when needed.  Though a deal for a second-tier player might yet happen, they say, it doesn't look like a proven home run hitter is headed this way.

In basketball, less than 24 hours after they beat the Celtics in Boston in double overtime, the Golden State Warriors lost their first game of the season, to the Bucks in Milwaukee, at the end of a 7 game road trip.  A game that should never have been scheduled that way.  So they stand at 24-1, with only a couple of more games in December.  Does that make sense, NBA?

In football, the Pittsburgh Steelers luck may have turned this season.  Though the running back the Bengals injured out for the season is still out, Big Ben is healthy, and the Bengals quarterback essentially injured himself, and he's out for the season, too.  The Steelers won big, but picking off the second string quarterback for two touchdowns really helped.  Next game is Denver at home, against their second string quarterback.  The division is still possible but unlikely--the Bengals, like the Steelers, have some relatively easy opponents late.  But if the Steelers beat Denver and don't screw up against weaker teams in the final two games, chances are pretty good for a wild card.  And the team that gets healthy and jells at the end of the season can go pretty far.

Winter Update

Time for a sports update, as the baseball deals come fast and furious.

The San Francisco Giants again this offseason whiffed on their high profile targets of acquisition, most recently on pitcher Grienke.  They went immediately to plan B by signing Jeff Samardzgia to a five year deal, as the second starter behind MadBum.  He gives them the durability they've been lacking, even with his off-year last year.  He could help or he could be another albatross.  That's baseball.

Why have high profile pitchers passed on the Giants?  In addition to individual reasons of where they want to play, it seems mostly ego and greed.  Who will give them the contract that pays more than the last guy to get the biggest contract.

The Giants don't need those guys.  The Giants play complete baseball and they are a real team.  Brandon Crawford--Golden Glove winner and top hitting shortstop who the Giants signed to a long-term contract this offseason--is the model.  For pure baseball fans and for San Francisco area fans, the Giants will continue to be fun to watch, and to feel good about rooting for.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are utterly amazing.  Tonight was their biggest test so far--on the road against a good Brooklyn team, second of back-to-back games, with some beat-up players.  They lost their early lead in the third quarter and were briefly behind before surging in the fourth to win by their biggest margin in several games.  22-0.  Wow.

I've read about the new style of NBA games, but watching Warriors games on the net made it very clear: it's all 3 pointers and attacking the basket.  The 2-pointer jump shot that used to dominate, even on the throw it in, kick it out teams, has almost disappeared.

So Steve Kerr, one of the best 3 point shooters before Steph Curry and company blew all predecessors away, probably helped establish the Warriors game as their coach last year, but I haven't followed closely enough to know if that's what changed the league.

Former Laker Luke Walton is getting a lot of attention in that weird interim coach thing he's doing, for managing this incredible streak.  How can it be he's not getting official credit for these victories?

Big money egos taints major league baseball for me, and the injuries in football--especially concussions--have drained much of my enthusiasm for the NFL.  The Steelers play Indianapolis tonight, but this doesn't look like their year.  I've been through this particular frustration before---when the Steelers seem loaded with talent but can't put it together consistently to win.  Their defense in particular is suspect.  And Carolina and now Seattle seem the teams with the mojo working.

Later...

On the other hand...after a rocky first quarter, the Steelers manhandled the Colts 45-10 and they looked like magic.  Big Ben had an amazing touch on passes long and short, and his receivers looked superhuman.  The defense came up with takeaways and gave up only one touchdown.  Effective running game set up the pass barrage.  Suddenly the Steelers look like they might make noise this year.  Their next two games--New England and Cinncy--will tell the tale.  Commentators are prone to inflation these days, but I did hear words saying the Steelers may be better than both.  Guess we'll see.

Bad Day, Bad Plays in New York & Pittsburgh

Daniel Murphy went from hero to goat for the Mets in the World Series, but he had serious competition.  His errors in the field led to victories for Kansas City, including in the final game in New York.  But other errors, possibly including managerial mistakes, will keep New Yorkers moaning all winter.  KC won the Series in five games.  What could be more demoralizing that leading in the eighth inning and losing--three times, including KC scoring 5 runs in the 12th inning of the final game.

The Mets had starting pitching and hitting, but KC exploited their weaknesses of defense (especially infield) and relief pitching.  Ultimately however it may be Series experience that made the difference.  KC played last year, losing to the Giants in seven.  The Giants played relaxed but also with nerves of steel.  They'd been there before, and even though key players like Joe Panik hadn't been, the team had--and the Giants are always a team.  KC took it all in.  This year they were the team that played relaxed, with nerves of steel.

Meanwhile in Pittsburgh Sunday, things also started in very promising fashion.  Big Ben was back from his injury and had the Steelers ahead in the fourth quarter against the undefeated Cinncy Bengals.  But whether it was fatigue or just bad luck, his fourth quarter interceptions gave the game away.

Perhaps even worse for Pittsburgh, they lost their franchise running back to injury--likely for the year.  It's not as bad as losing Ben, but almost.  It's just November but it's hard to see a path to the playoffs.

Cutch Apparent

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

 Andrew McCutchen learned the Roberto Clemente story many years ago, long before being drafted by Clemente’s former team, the Pirates, in 2005. When he was 11 or 12, McCutchen went to a baseball camp in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the city where Clemente was born and raised. There, McCutchen met Manny Sanguillen, the former Pirates catcher who played alongside Clemente, and heard the story of a Hall of Fame outfielder, the pride of Pittsburgh, who died in a New Year’s Eve plane crash in 1972 while on a mission to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

 The Commissioner’s Award, given annually to the player who best represented the game of baseball on and off the field, was renamed in 1973 to honor Clemente. On Friday, McCutchen was named the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award winner in a ceremony at Citi Field prior to Game 3 of the World Series, joining Willie Stargell as just the second Pirates player to win the award...

I want to strive to be like he was,” McCutchen said, “a person who would give you the clothes off of his back just to make this world a better place.”

I saw Clemente play many times, mostly at Forbes Field in the late 50s and 60s.  I shook his hand on the field once, on one of those pre-game events when kids could meet the players.  His last regular season game was on September 30, 1972.  I saw him last on September 21, in New York, in a game with the Mets.  He got at least one hit that day, closing in on 3,000 hits for his career, a mark he hit with his last at-bat.  He hit .325 in the NLCS, but the Pirates lost to the Reds in the fifth game.

Clemente was the most exciting player I ever saw play.  Only Barry Bonds came close.  I've never seen McCutchen play, which means I haven't seen a game in Pittsburgh since 2008.  Horrors!  But everything I know about him makes him a fitting heir to Clemente, on and off the field.