An Unfortunate Day For Sports

We have Commissioners and Competitor's Unions ad other authoritative organizations to try to prevent these kinds of days, but unfortunately sometimes a sport just lends itself to trouble and there's nothing we can do about it.

Sadly.

-APT

Bracket First Impressions

Well the bracket is out. Expect to get bracket predictions from APT, The BOMB and THE-A-TRAIN on Tuesday. Perhaps it will help you with your office pool. Here are some first impressions.

Bubble Snubs:
The only bubble snub that bothered me was Mississippi State. I understand that they had bad losses with Rider and Western Kentucky, but they performed admirably in the SEC, and their run in the SEC tournament was very impressive. They were within 0.1 seconds of the automatic bid, and I just feel like that should count for something. That was their second OT loss to Kentucky this season. I know that wins mean everything, but when you are trying to decide the best team, how you lose means something to me. Minnesota got smacked in the second half against OSU after beating up on a couple crippled Big 10 teams that are going nowhere in the NCAAs (Purdue and Mich St.). Their run was enough to get them min. MSU however took down Florida and Vanderbilt on their way to a hell of a game with Kentucky. I would have liked to see them in, but I understand.

Virginia Tech's best out of conference win was Seton Hall and they did not perform well against the top of the weak ACC, despite racking up a high number of wins.

Illinois didn't deserve it, either did Seton Hall, Rhode Island (not an island), Ole Miss or any of the others.

Seeding Snubs: There were definitely some seeding snubs out there led by...

Cornell: I know that the 12 seeds have solid success, but the Big Red got boned with this seed. They had some decent out of conference wins (Alabama, Bucknell, Davidson, Vermont). They lost 4 times. Once in the Ivy to Penn (a perennial Ivy contender), and then to Seton Hall, Syracuse and Kansas (2 #1 seeds). APT had the Big Red at a #9.

Northern Iowa: I thought Northern Iowa got snubbed with a 9. They put some quality wins together (Old Dominion, Siena, BC, rolling through the MVC) and I would have given them a 7.

Gonzaga: This is nothing new for the Zags who are always underseeded. Granted, they usually have more success this way. The couple times they've earned high seeds they've had upset trouble. The Zags however, always play one of the tougher out of conference schedules (this season wins against Wisconsin, Cincy, Oklahoma, Illinois; losses to Mich St, Duke, Wake Forest), and still put up large win totals. They lost in their conference tournament, but in the Finals and to a solid St. Mary's team.

Siena: They definitely came in low at a 13 seed, however the committee did them a favor to make up for it in giving them a sorry 4 seed, Purdue. Purdue doesn't seem to have it without Robbie Hummel, so we'll excuse the bracket for this.

Winthrop: I thought the Eagles got balled being put in the play-in game. I'd have them at a 15 seed, maybe drop Morgan State to a #16 and Lehigh take down Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Eagles will take down APB though and get their chance against Duke.

OVER-seeded:

Minnesota: I thought they shouldn't have been in, but if they were, it should have been at a 12. Not a drastic misstep, but still wrong. If the Big 10 proves its worth in the tourney, I'll take it back.

Florida: This is a squad that many thought would be pushed out, but they end up with a #10. They had good wins against Florida State and Mich State, but also lost to Southern Alabama and got beat up by Mississippi State in the Tournament. I have no problem with them being in, but maybe they could have given this spot to Cornell.

New Mexico: The Lobos had a solid season, undoubtedly, but a 3 is very high here. They put up some quality wins against the Big 12 (TTech, TA&M), but I wouldn't have minded seeing Temple here at the 3.

Notre Dame: The Irish win the most grossly over-seeded team in this tournament. This is a team that some weren't sure were in the field until they beat Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament. They went on to take down Pitt as well. The Irish really didn't do anything out of conference though. They got all their points for playing in the Big East. I, again, am okay with them in the tournament. They should be there, but this # six belongs to Northern Iowa. ND would have been happy with the 9. They get no reward by drawing Old Dominion.

Toughest Bracket:

The toughest bracket for me unfortunately goes to the #1 overall seed, playing in the Midwest. Kansas has a 2, 3, 4 of Ohio State, Georgetown and Maryland. If you want to put Mich State as the five there, I suppose you can do that. I would be more worried about Tennessee slipping in this bracket too as a 6 and Oklahoma State at 7. You also have a possible Northern Iowa match-up in the second round as a 9. It's a real tough draw.

Runner up is the West, but pretty much only due to the fact that the Orange have to play the winner of the 8v9, Gonzaga taking on Florida State. Those are some troubling teams if your Syracuse. Also, if anyone noticed, the Committee had themselves a laugh by giving Cuse the 16 seed Vermont. The Catamounts upset the Orange as a #13 over a #4 back in 2005.

Easiest Bracket:

The easiest bracket is Duke's Southern bracket. I neglected to mention in my seeding snubs that Syracuse should have been the #3 overall. Instead, the committee gave Duke that honor, despite Duke not able to win the ACC outright, despite the weakness of the conference. Cuse rocked the Big East, the best conference in Basketball and happened to slip up against a great Georgetown team. Worse things have happened. They got screwed. Duke, however, gets a great draw. Villanova as a two has seem to run out of ideas. They've been having trouble for weeks now, losing 5 of 7. The 3 is a good Baylor team, but not one I believe will be a major threat. The 4 is a Purdue team previously referred to as crippled. Texas A&M is a decent squadron at 5, and ND is over-ranked at 6. The toughest part of this bracket for Duke might be the possible second round match-up with Louisville.

Bomb Outs:

We will have bomb outs be defined as a 1 or 2 seed that misses the sweet 16 or a 3 or 4 seed to lose in round one. Possible BOs:

Villanova: As mentioned, the cats have been struggling. They should be able to handle Robert Morris, but look out for the "Spiders on the Field". Richmond is going to give the Cats all they can take, and it is very likely Kevin Anderson and Co might end up in the Sweet 16, sending Nova home.

Syracuse: As much as I love the Big East, two of their teams are in trouble. I already mentioned that 2nd round match-up against the Gonzaga/Florida State winner. Either of those teams could give Cuse trouble. APT wants to see Andy Rautins be a big-time ball handler for the Orange.

I have a couple others but I'll save it for a separate segment.

Sleepers:

We will define sleepers as teams seeded 5-9 who can make a run or 10+ that could be a surprise Sweet 16.

Richmond: Already mentioned the Spiders. Kevin Anderson is big-time and the Spiders are as well. I like them over St. Mary's and I think they can take down Villanova. The next match-up will likely be a Baylor team that can do some damage inside, but look for the Spiders to make some noise.

Siena: But this doesn't surprise anyone that they can be a Sweet 16. They are not a #13.

Cornell: Same goes here. They should be able to play right with Temple (but the Owls are solid) and then Wisconsin is another winnable game as well.

UTEP: They draw Butler in round 1, who can be upset, and then will likely get a Vanderbilt team in round 2.

Marquette: This is a real sleeper. They played great down the stretch and play almost exclusively close games. That gives them a chance to win any game. Acker plays a consistent point guard, they have plenty of shooting and Lazar Hayward is the real deal.

Temple: Although I mentioned their 1st match-up as a possible upset, don't dismiss the Owls. They can do some work.

Pairing to Watch:

I am very intrigued by the 4v13 pairings in this years tournament. I see multiple possible upsets. They will definitely provide some interesting moments in the first couple days of the tournament. Very Exciting!

4. Maryland vs. 13. Houston
4. Vanderbilt vs. 13. Murray State
4. Purdue vs. 13. Siena
4. Wisconsin vs. 13. Wofford

If we see there 13 seeds advance to the field of 32, don't say I didn't warn you.

Best First Round Match-ups:

Here are my top 3 games to make sure you are watching online if they are not broadcast regionally for you.

3. 5. Butler vs. 12. UTEP
2. 8. Gonzaga vs. 9. Florida State
1. 7. BYU vs. 10. Florida

Finally, here is a quick Final Four prediction for you. I don't know if this will hold when my bracket comes out on Tuesday, but here's a taste.

Midwest: Kansas
West: Gonzaga
East: West Virginia
South: Duke

Check back soon.

-APT

Boston Red Sox

Losses: OF Jason Bay, SS Alex Gonzales, 1B Adam Laroche, UT Mark Kotsay, OF Rocco Baldelli, 1B Casey Kotchman

Gains: 3B Adrian Beltre, OF Mike Cameron, IF Marco Scutaro, P John Lackey, OF Jeremy Hermida, UT Bill Hall, P Boof Bonser, IF Nomar Garciaparra's Retirement

Analysis: It's been a widely accepted thought that the Red Sox made some sacrifices in their line-up this winter, in favor of improvements on defense and a very sturdy pitching staff. This thought is not too far out of line. The Sox definitely improve their defense at third base. Mike Lowell was a great thirdbaseman when he was younger, but his range has deteriorated significantly. Adrian Beltre is still active at third and is a perennial Bronze Arm candidate (fictitious award). Marco Scutaro is a big improvement on Jed Lowrie defensively, though he put together a solid year at the plate for the Jays last season. The Sox lose Jason Bay, which is where the line-up problems are noted to come from, but they replace him in left field by moving Jacoby Ellsbury there and putting Mike Cameron, arguably the best defensive centerfielder of the post-griffey generation (arguments for Torii Hunter and Andrew Jones). Cameron is getting older, but still put up very good metrics last year in center. Hermida comes in as a good 4th OF option, likewise with Hall as an extra infielder. And the Sox bring in John Lackey to strengthen an already solid rotation. The losses, outside of Bay, were just rentals from last season. Looks like a good winter for Boston (Though not a good March, as apparently it is never going to stop raining.)

More moves: They are still trying to move Mike Lowell. I'm sure they'll come up with something.

2010 Thoughts: I had mentioned thoughts of line-up deficiency. I suppose you could say that, but I don't necessarily think it is a problem moreso than it was last season. The Sox bring in Beltre's bat to replace whoever they would have been playing at 1st, 3rd or C last season (with Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez filling the other two positions). And they bring in Mike Cameron to replace Jason Bay. (Some numbers: Bay 2008 .286/31/101 2009 .267/36/119 Cameron 2008 .243/25/70 (120 games) 2009 .250/24/70) The Sox are losing some average, but Cameron puts up solid OBP (as did Jason Bay). The Sox also bring in Marco Scutaro off 2009 .282/12/60. I think the line-up will be right around where it was last season, if Big Papi doesn't continue to decline. (and that's before they make a move at the trading deadline) The rotations is Josh Beckett, John Lester, John Lackey, Clay Bucholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield. The Sox go 6 deep in their rotation. Their top 3 is as good as anyone in the league. There is no day off for opposing hitters. The bullpen is fine. Hideki Okajima has a chance to prove himself this year after having an up and down year last season. The Red Sox neeed someone to emerge in the 8th inning role. That role is something they've been playing with for a few season (Okajima, acquisitions of Wagner, Gagne, etc.). If someone can assume that positions (maybe Daniel Bard), then the pitching could carry this team to some success.

Predictions: I'm only so sorry to say that the Yankees are just too good. 2nd place, likely a wild card.

-APT

San Diego Padres

Losses: 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff, C Henry Blanco, C Eliezer Alfonso, OF Brian Giles (Last season: OF Jody Gerut, P Cla Meredith, P Jake Peavy, P Chad Gaudin)

Gains: P John Garland, OF Scott Hairston (Re-acquired after mid-season trade), (Last season: P Sean Gallagher)

Analysis: Don't know what to say about the Padres. They didn't make many moves this off-season, frankly, because they didn't have much left to give up. They held onto Adrian Gonzales for the time being. They hang onto Chris Young and Heath Bell, as well. The big move of the off-season was the trade of Kevin Kouzmanoff. Chase Headley, who's been a solid contributor over the last few years, takes over. The big incomer is John Garland. Garland will give the Padres some innings, which is nice when paired with a still relatively young rotation. They also bring back Scott Hairston, who is nice to see back in a Padres uniform. Overall, the Padres sit pretty much where they sat at the end of 2009, trying to entertain fans as best they can with no payroll, as they wait for Adrian Gonzales to leave town.

More moves: Not yet.

2010 Thoughts: The Padres have a core of offensive players that do show minimal production from time to time in Headley, Hairston, Nick Hundley, Will Venable and of course Adrian Gonzales. The Padres offense will score as many runs as they can put men on base for Gonzales. The rotation has a couple of good arms in Garland and Chris Young. Kevin Correia has come along nicely, and the combo of Clayton Richard and Sean Gallagher will try to channel their more effective days. The bullpen is anchored well by Heath Bell for now. The rest of the pen is solid as well. Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson, Edward Mujica and Joe Thatcher had good years in 2009.

Prediction: What's left of the Padres at the end of 2010 will find themselves in last place, likely in the National League.

The Curious Case of Milton Bradley

So as anyone who watches a whole lot of SportsCenter like I do knows, Milton Bradley has been in the news recently. He has come out talking about last season, which he spent in Chicago as a Cub, and discussed some reasons why he was not as a consistent of a performer as many, myself included, thought he should have been. The basis of what Bradley has said is that he felt that he dealt with an “extreme” amount of racism and hate mail during his stay in Chicago. Bradley says that other African-American Cubs in the past such as LaTroy Hawkins dealt with similar issues. He says in his recent interview on SportsCenter that he couldn’t go out, and was pretty much forced to stay in, like a “prisoner in my own home”. He went on to explain that when he went with a friend who had come to town, he was inundated with insults about his play and was told to “go back to the ghetto” and that he “didn’t deserve anything”. He said that he feared violence against him when he was playing at home, citing numerous occasions when he had bottles thrown at him. In the aftermath, the Cubs GM Jim Hendry stated that it was simply Bradley’s ineffectiveness at the plate that led to such negative feelings from Chicago. I did enjoy the snarkyness with which Bradley responded, by saying that he “had nothing bad to say” about Hendry, because “[Hendry] paid me 30 million dollars”.

It’s difficult to say whether or not Bradley is justified in his comments. For starters, he did have a very poor year last year at the plate. Bradley was paid to come in and hit, and he did not do that. Could it be that Bradley is trying to make excuses after the fact for his subpar performance last year? Or is he speaking some form of the truth, and the bad year came as a result of being unable to truly be himself in Chicago? Of course, it’s difficult to say, and having never been an African-American baseball player in Chicago, I have no desire nor ability to comment on that aspect of what Bradley said. What I can say is that Bradley has been a hitter his whole career, and only after going to Chicago did his numbers drop so low. There seems to be some coloration, but that does not infer causation. It could be that he changed leagues and had to play in the NL Central, facing some quality pitchers throughout the year. The AL West hasn’t typically been a hotbed for great starting pitching during Bradley’s time there, so it could be that he was not ready to face the likes of Carpenter, Wainwright and the rest of the NL Central on a consistent basis.

The case of Milton Bradley is a perplexing one, but I for one will not be surprised in the least if Bradley tears it up for the Mariners this year. I feel like he will be in what Bill Simmons calls “eff you mode” the whole year, trying to show all of Chicago his ability to play ball and pretty tell them all to go fuck themselves. Also, he will be back in the AL West, the division in which he hit well enough to earn that 30 million dollar contract with the Cubs. I’m excited to see what Bradley has in store, because if nothing else, I’m sure it’ll be fun to watch.

-THE-A-TRAIN-

Chicago White Sox

Losses: IF Josh Fields, IF Chris Getz, OF Jermaine Dye, OF Scott Podsednik, OF Dewayne Wise, P Octavio Dotel, P Bartolo Colon

Gains: OF Juan Pierre, UT Mark Teahen, OF Andruw Jones, P Jake Peavy, P J.J. Putz, Omar Vizquel, Daniel Cabrera

Analysis: The White Sox had an underrated off-season. I haven't heard many whispers about them, with most of the world focusing the AL Central around Joe Mauer and the Twins. With Joe Nathan likely off to season-ending (hopefully not career threatening) surgery, maybe the ChiSox will get some attention. Chicago lost some players, but it was mostly spare change. Josh Fields is a player that had a chance to show himsel but never did. Chris Getz is an extra in the show. Those two were sent off to Kansas City for Mark Teahen. Teahen is going to step in and play 3rd base for the Sox. He'd jumped around positions, playing some 1st base and OF. He had worked on 2B for the Royals before injuries forced him back into the OF. Jermaine Dye's time was up in Chicago. His production was slowly falling off and the White Sox didn't want to pay him. Scott Podsednik came in and had a nice year in 2009 after down years, but he was never meant to stay too long. Octavio Dotel and Bartolo Colon are nothing more than coinflips at this point in their careers. One loss that is interesting is Dewayne Wise, who made one of the biggest catches in White Sox history, robbing (I believe it was Gabe Kapler) of a HR to save Mark Buehrle's perfect game in the 9th inning. But he refused a AAA assignment and is now in Philadelphia. The Sox bring in with Teahen, a couple fading outfielders in Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre. We'll have to see what the two have left. Jones showed some promise last season in Texas after just spiraling downwards upon receiving a huge contract in LA. Pierre was still an important piece in LA but the youth movement there left him a 4th OF. Pierre looks to prove he can still start (he did nicely starting in place of Manny during his suspension last season). The pitching staff gets a huge boost as a healthy Jake Peavy will be taking the hill. The ChiSox also bring in an apparently healthy J.J. Putz to help get to closer Bobby Jenks. They bring in an interesting idea in Daniel Cabrera (eventually someone will get him to fulfill his potential, right?) and the consummate professional in Omar Vizquel.

More moves: I don't see anything necessary, but Kenny Williams is always on the lookout.

2010 Thoughts: The White Sox are looking good for the upcoming season. As always, there are X-factors. For the ChiSox, they can be found in the outfield. Carlos Quentin returns from injury. He showed a little something at the end of last season after returning, but he was playing at an elite level before the injury. If Quentin can return to form, the Sox are a completely different team. The other X-factor, Alexis Rios. Rios lost his stride last season in Toronto and was dumped to the White Sox for nothing. If Rios can find his swing, that will go a long way toward a division championship. Elsewhere in the line-up, Gordan Beckham is getting his chance to shine, Pierre his chance to start again, Paul Konerko his chance to defy age, and Andruw Jones his chance to return to his old ways. The line-up has the ability to be anywhere from good to near unstoppable, depending on if the players can take advantage of these chances. The pitching rotation looks solid with the addition of Jake Peavy. He takes over the Ace role, sliding Mark Buehrle to a very good #2, and then Gavin Floyd, Freddy Garcia and John Danks to fill the other 3. If Danks can pitch like its 2008, this rotation will do a lot of damage. It then hands off work to a formidable bullpen. APT is expecting a bounce-back year form J.J. Putz. Together with last season's acquisition of Tony Pena, the ChiSox shouldn't have much of an issue getting to Bobby Jenks. Scott Linnebrink is there too to help out. They have a legit lefty in Mark Thornton and Randy Williams as a second lefty with the ability to go long. The bullpen is one of the better reviewed thus far.

Prediction: Ozzie Guillen's squadron will take this year's AL Central crown.

-APT

GREAT GAME

Just watched a great game between the North Texas Mean Green and the Troy Trojans for the Sun Belt Conference championship. The Trojans just missed a half court shot at the buzzer, and North Texas won 66-63 and will advance to the NCAA tournament.

After watching, APT thinks this could be the kind of team that puts a scare into a high seed come tournament time. This is the conference that has produced some Western Kentucky teams that have been scary, defeating Illinois last year after making the sweet 16 in 2008. The Mean Green made the tourney in 2007, losing by 15 in the first round to a #2 Memphis team that made the Elite 8. This Mean Green team has 2 things that you need to be an upset hunter, Size and solid point guard play. George Odufuwa was a force in this game, good for 11 points and 18 rebounds. Josh White played with poise down the stretch, despite one error which led to a tie-up turnover.

Expect North Texas to be a #14 seed and possibly catch a team like Michigan State off guard.

-APT

BOLT: NCAA Tournament Expansion?

It seems as though we are headed toward expansion of the now 65-team NCAA tournament bracket.

I've been delaying talking about this, as I hoped it would just go away. But the conversation continues to pick up steam. The coaches are for it, as I'm sure it will save many of them their jobs. APT is for expansion to 68 teams. I like the play-in games. They give some smaller schools a chance to actually celebrate a NCAA victory, which is nice to see. I understand that Division I is growing and that the tournament field should grow with it. That makes some sense, but D-I hasn't grown by 50%, so there is no need to jump the tourney to that level, necessarily. I also understand that no one watches these other tournaments. I watch the NIT sometimes. It's pretty solid basketball, but it certainly doesn't get a lot of support.

It's tough though. I guess I'm still formulating my opinion. The thing is, if they expand to 96 teams, everyone is still going to watch. We'll adjust to the new way they schedule, we'll skip work and class when we need to, and we will watch the tournament in its entirety, because it is the greatest annual event in sports. The seeds that typically win the tournament won't have to play any extra games, as the now 9-16 seeds will all be playing additional basketball, and after one round of 32 play-ins, we will be back at 64 teams, and continue as we used to.

I guess I have to think about it further. Perhaps after watching this years tournament, I will feel stronger.

Your thoughts?

-APT

Atlanta Braves

Losses: OF Ryan Church, P Javier Vasquez, P Rafael Soriano, P Mike Gonzales, 1B Casey Kotchman, 2B Kelly Johnson

Gains: P Billy Wagner, IF Troy Glaus, UT Eric Hinske, OF Melky Cabrera, P Takashi Saito, P Scott Proctor

Analysis: The Braves certainly made some changes. We'll look at what they've done, but their biggest additions are probably coming from the minor leagues. The Braves are relying on some health this season. They bring in Troy Glaus and Billy Wagner, who, if healthy, are nice improvements on Rafael Soriano and Casey Kotchman. However, both players need to prove themselves healthy. They do have the advantage of having picked up players who were both able to return to action late in 2009, and were deemed health enough by their former teams (Cardinals and Red Sox) to be put on their respective playoff rosters. If these two can produce, than it will show golden for the Braves off season. A questionable move by the Braves came in the trade of Javier Vasquez. Vasquez was one the top 5 pitchers in the National League last season, despite a little bit of hard luck in run support. The Bravos let him go to the Yankees for a deal featuring Melky Cabrera. The Melk man is a major league player, and a solid one, but I just don't know if Atlanta needed to make that deal. They were, however, overstocked at Starting Pitcher, so let that idea weigh in as well. Takashi Saito should have been mentioned in the same light as Glaus and Wagner. He can be an improvement on Mike Gonzales if he is healthy enough to regain form. Ryan Church and Kelly Johnson were no longer fits with the Braves. Johnson lost his job to Martin Prado, and Church will enjoy the possibility of being a starting player in Pittsburgh. Eric Hinske (a pirate most of last season) replaces him, as he is much more comfortable as that bench player, and has 1st base experience if Glaus gets hurt. Overall, an interesting, but mostly successful off season.

More moves: I feel like I say it all the time, but especially when competing with the Phillies, teams can use more lefty bullpen help. I think the Braves are done though.

2010 Thoughts: 2 names to think about with the Braves: Tommy Hanson (whom you may already know) and Jason Heyward. Heyward is all but sure to end up the opening day RF for the Braves. He is a super prospect who is the biggest story in Florida right now (he and Jenry Mejia of the Mets), exhibiting all 5 tools, and crushing balls into the Floridian sky. If Heyward can have instant success at the major league level, that does something nice for the Braves. With Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and hopefully a healthy Troy Glaus, Nate McClouth is going to be allowed to bat lead-off in Atlanta. This is important as McClouth has always seemed much more comfortable in that role. Yunel Escobar will likely follow him, after a breakout year, before the parade of power in Jones, Glaus, McCann, and Heyward, before Martin Prado and the pitcher. The line-up, as you can tell, has potential to be very solid. The rotation is strong too. There are a couple of X-factors for the Braves in the rotation. Tim Hudson will need to put together a healthy season. Unlike his former A's teammates Mark Mulder and Rich Harden, Hudson has consistently been great when healthy. Healthy is the key word though. Kenshin Kawakami had a bit of an up and down year in 2009. He is only the number 5, but it would be greatly beneficial if he straightens things out. The bullpen is good. Manny Acosta had a down year, but Peter Moylan countered with an up year. If the two level out, they should be solid. Eric O'Flaherty is one good lefty, though they could probably use another (Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez). If Saito and Wagner are healthy, its a great pen, if not, who knows?

Prediction: 2nd in the NL East (I realize I said the same of the Mets. Let's say they tie)

-APT

BOLT: Punching People in the Face

I have been fuming about this issue for days now, but at this point, I am much tamer on it. I have heard a lot of opinions that oppose mine, and it has caused me to partially reconsider my thoughts, but moreso it has made me wish I had more time to do research, or had a Kramerican type intern to do the research for me.

The info: Last week, in a game against Texas Tech, Baylor LadyBear Brittney Griner punched the Red Raider's Jordan Barncastle in the face after a perceived hard foul, breaking her nose. She was later suspended the mandatory 1 game for the incident, and an additional game by her coach.

Key points: This was NOT and elbow. This was NOT even a fight between to consenting players. This was a SUCKER PUNCH after a play, while the victim was acting accordingly to the precedent of the game of basketball. To me, this is closer to LeGarrette Blount than it is Knicks/Heat or some other fight-type situation in basketball.

Thoughts: This seems to be a terrible offense to me. A lot of media members seemed to come to the defense of Griner, saying that she should not be punished because she is female. I don't see how that was being argued at all. It seems more to me as though she may be saved from a more severe punishment because she is female. If a 7' center from THE Ohio State University, wailed an unsuspecting 6'8' F from Michigan in the face, breaking bones in the middle of a basketball game, I find a hard time believing the incident would be treated so lightly. LeGarrette Blount was suspended indefinitely from Oregon, and reinstated conditionally after EIGHT FOOTBALL GAMES. That's over 2 months of suspension. Now I understand that Blount's incident happened after a game, but it was equally reactionary and equally blindsided. To suspend Griner for TWO BASKETBALL GAMES. That is likely 6 or 7 days. When I first saw the offense, I figured that this late in the season, Griner had to be done for the year. I was flabbergasted, when the suspension time was released.

I don't doubt that Brittney Griner is a good person, or that she is remorseful for her actions. I don't think that she will be repeating an act of this kind any time soon. That is part of what punishments are for. However, they are also preventitive acts: a task which Blount's suspension seems apt to fulfill, but one which Griner's suspension seems to disregard.

If I am way off on this issue, please let me know.

-APT