Happy Joe Thornton Day!

Today, November 30, 2007, marks the two-year anniversary of the Joe Thornton trade from Boston to San Jose. Let’s remember that day, shall we?

Sharks send: Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau, and Brad Stuart
Bruins send: Joe Thornton

Both the Sharks and Bruins were struggling that season. The Bruins went 1-8-1 in their last ten games, while the Sharks earned no wins with a streak of 0-7-3.

What they said:

We gave away three quality guys for a dominant centerman," said defenseman Kyle McLaren, a former teammate of Thornton's in Boston. "It's a big move for us. And Joe's the type of player that can help our team right now.

Added Sharks captain Patrick Marleau: "There's not one team out there that wouldn't want to have him on their team.

"Once you get over the shock of losing three of our friends, I think we're going to really come to enjoy watching Joe Thornton play every night," said [Ron] Wilson.

It was emotional," Thornton said, a day after he was part of a four-player trade that landed him with the Sharks. "But as the night went on, I kind of calmed down. Now, I'm excited to start something new.

Of the traded Sharks trio, only Sturm is still on the Bruins. Primeau and Stuart are on the Flames and the Kings, respectively. Today, the Bruins are 3rd in their division, 6th in the Eastern Conference, and the Sharks are 2nd and 7th. Despite the seeming divisional balance, Thornton’s continued performances as a franchise cornerstone reaffirms the fact that the Sharks pulled off one of the greatest heists in NHL history.

Tonight against the Avalanche, Thornton dazzled once again, netting two goals and handing out an assist to lead the Sharks to a 3-2 victory.

This is home for me," Thornton said. "This is where I want to be for the rest of my career, so it's been a good two years, and many more to come.

More hardware to come!
This, among other reasons, is why every night I say thank you to the heavens for gracing the Sharks with Joe Thornton.

Operation: Restore the Baron's Majesty

Objective: Get Baron Davis into the All-Star Game.

Logistics (League-Wide):

• Points: 8^th with 24.0 PPG
• Assists: 5^th with 8.6 APG
• Minutes: 2^nd with 40.4 MPG
• Steals: T-10^th with 2.0 SPG
• Points/Rebounds/Assists: 5^th with 38.0 AVG

Preliminary Prognosis:

All fanboyishness aside

The main thing is: He really deserves it.

Really, right now he deserves not just a spot on the team, but the starting spot, ahead of Nash, CP3, TP, and Deron.

I'd go so far as to say (and did say in the game thread) that he's currently playing like the fourth most-dominant player in the NBA. If I had to make a Top 5...

1. LeBron James (by a pretty wide margin)

2. Kevin Garnett

3. Dwight Howard

4. Baron Davis

5. Chris Paul

(Duncan should probably be on there, but there've been a lot of games where he's really been second fiddle to TP or Manu).

Then again, the game is about popularity, not actual value, so if we want BD to be there, we better start stuffing that ballot box...

Mission: Vote often, vote with multiple email addresses, and vote Baron Davis. It's been too long since a Warrior made it to the ASG, and it's time to let the league, country, world know what the Baron is capable of.

[UPDATE] Oh, and vote Baron just to spite Sir Charles Barkley again. On the TNT broadcast, he said he wouldn't put Baron over Deron Williams or Chris Paul on his list.

Killing One Bird with Three Stones

Matt Cain is safe… for now.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Minnesota Twins followed through with a rumor that included Twins RHP Matt Garza and Rays OF Delmon Young. The final deal sent Young, SS Brendan Harris, and OF Jason Pridie (MiL) to the Twins for Garza, SS Jason Bartlett, and RHP Eduardo Morlan (MiL).

The trade most likely quashed any realistic trade scenarios between the Giants and the Rays, who matched up well together in terms of trade partners. With the acquisition of Garza and indirectly, Morlan, the Rays have the starting pitching they need to help complement their youthful but talented lineup. That should end the common trade idea of Cain for Carl Crawford or BJ Upton.
---
Flood of Giants news (thanks McCoven):

• Lincecum and Cain are virtually untouchable trade-wise during next week’s winter meetings. [FOX Sports]
• Not even for Miguel Cabrera. [SJ Merc]
• Joe Lefebvre is still in the organization as one of the new special assistants. [SF Giants]
• AAA Fresno Grizzlies changed their colors to black and orange to identify with their parent club. It’s much better than green and tan. [Fresno Grizzlies]
• HBO plans to make a movie out of Game of Shadows. Wonder who is going to play Barry Bonds? [SF Chron]
  

Warriors vs Suns: NBA Live, Live!

Warriors 129-114 Suns



I'm in the middle of chemistry homework, so I'll get back with some thoughts about this don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it game. For now, I'll leave you with a picture of Nash in a dramatic and desperate cry to the heavens. Either that or he just turned the ball over again.

----

First off, let me say that what I watched last night was one of the purest basketball games ever. The Warriors hit a layup, the Suns answer back without using more than four seconds of the shot clock. The Suns hit a trey, the Warriors stop and pop. As Fitz repeatedly mentioned in last night’s broadcast: “[Either team] won’t let you celebrate for too long.” There was no pounding, no excessive pushing, just running, sharp passing, and buckets and buckets of points. As OptionZero commented:

MEMO TO DAVID STERN
MAKE COPIES OF THIS GAME
Send one to every other team in the league.
Mandatory movie night. Suspend all games on the schedule if you have to.
Watch this game, cuz thats pure basketball.
Man that was magic.

Bliss is...

The Lineup: Remember the game against the Suns last March when Nellie unveiled Al Harrington at center? He did it again, this time inserting Monta Ellis and Matt Barnes into the starting lineup. Hello, throwback Nellie-ball!



The Assists: The ball movement was downright pretty with the offense spacing the floor and opening up plenty of passing lanes. Four of the starters had at least four assists, pacing the total of 31 assists to 52 made shots. After a frenetic first quarter, the Warriors settled in and ran several half-court plays. They took advantage of Phoenix’s double-teams by threading the needle to another Warrior cutting through the lane for an easy layup or dunk or kicking out for an open three.

The Defense: Ever since Stephen Jackson returned, the Warriors have tightened up the D, especially in the fourth quarter. They forced Phoenix into 20 turnovers, six more than the Suns’ average of 14 per game, and turned those mistakes into 37 points. Steve Nash and Grant Hill combined for 13 of those turnovers. The Suns had nice offensive distribution with 6 of 8 players scoring in double-digits. However, not one Sun was a threat throughout the entire game, courtesy of the “piranha” defense rotating effectively and forcing quick fouls and turnovers.

Hot Hands:

Jack: Jack was one of the Warriors to top 30 against the Suns, going for 32 on an effective 13-21 shooting.

Baron: When in doubt, pass the rock to him. Baron exploited his match-up with Nash, posting him up down low or hitting a jumper whenever Nash gave him too much room. Baron went 11-24 from the field, including 5-10 on three-pointers. If he scored two more points, the Warriors would have had a trio of thirty-point scorers.

Barnes: Despite (or because of) the stressful circumstances in his life right now, Barnes went out and quietly filled up the stat sheet: 8 points on 3-5 shooting including 2-2 from the arc, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. He helped jumpstart the offense in the first quarter and was a lurking threat throughout the rest of the game. Welcome back, man, and my heart goes out to you and your family.

Al: Al rebounded from a lackluster road trip, going for 14 points on 5-9 shooting along with 2-2 on threes. His first three gave the Warriors their first points in the game and ignited the offense toward a 45-point first quarter.



Ellis to the Rim! Monta’s recent surge deserves a category for itself. After matching his career high of 31 points in Philadelphia, Monta had a second consecutive career night and matched his career high again. With a Sleepy-esque performance in the 4th quarter, he scored 15 straight points to put the Suns away for good. Nash was victimized again, this time by Monta scoring jumper after jumper with him as the defender. He tore to the rim if defenders came too close. They don’t call him the Mississippi Bullet for nothing.

Stop the Presses!

NINERS WIN! NINERS WIN! NINERS WIN!

-hyperventilates and is unable to continue-

Ok, I've stopped.

Boy, that was the best win, even if it was one of the sloppiest defensively, this entire season. It’s time to start counting my blessings, even though Thanksgiving is three days over.

Thank you for the Arizona Cardinals, the only team we’ve swept this season and who contributed to 2/3 of our win total.

Thank you for Patrick Willis, who had 16 tackles and 0.5 sack and continues to work his tail off no matter if the Niners are out of it.

Thank you for Andy Lee, who punted for an average of 47.7 yards and who continues his case for MVP of the Niners.

Thank you for Frank Gore, who finally hit the 100-yard mark for the first time this season and scored two touchdowns.

Thank you for the Cardinals’ special teams, whose delay of game penalty forced kicker Neil Rackers to miss a 32-yard field goal attempt.

Thank you for Ronald Fields, who sacked Kurt Warner in the endzone and forced a fumble.

Thank you for Tully Banta-Cain, who finally contributed something positive and recovered the fumble.

Thank you for the win, since the Niners are one step closer to mediocrity and one step further from absolute unwatchableness!

Hail Kelenna Azubuike

Warriors 100-98 Sixers
Kelenna Azubuike's Game-Winning Three in Overtime







[Yahoo.com]

Earthquakes on the Defensive

Three days ago, the San Jose Earthquakes held their expansion draft and selected 10 players from 10 other MLS teams.

Player	Former Team
Ryan Cochrane	Houston Dynamo
Clarence Goodson	FC Dallas
Ned Grabovoy	Columbus Crew
James Riley	New England Revolution
Joseph Vide	New York Red Bulls
Ivan Guerrero	Chicago Fire
Brian Carroll	DC United
Jason Hernandez	Chivas USA
Gavin Glinton	LA Galaxy
Chris Pozniak	Toronto FC

Who else is excited to see Cochrane back in a Quakes uni? Hope he brings a ring too.

WHEEEEE

From NYC, your 2007-08 Warriors:



I'm gonna have to try that sometime.

[Warriors PR Blog]
[Fear the Beard]

49ers 9-13 Rams: Insanity

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

- Albert Einstein

Found in the 49ers' locker room following the 13-9 loss against the Rams:

Two Game Win Streak?!

Warriors 106
Raptors 100

Apparently it was Italian Day in Canada, so if the Raptors put up at least 100 points, everyone would go home with a free pizza.

Warriors away games must be a hot commodity with the amount of fans they bring in:

Everyone wins (insert some sort of giveaway) if (insert team name) score 100 points!

Anyways, DANCE BABY!

And on the 7th Day

He said, "Let there be a win for the Warriors," and He saw it, and it was good.

It feels great getting the monkey off our backs. I loved the win, but I loved the way we got the win even better. The Warriors won the battle of the paint for once. The FSN crew kept showing the points in the paint graphic throughout the game, and at one point, the Warriors had 50 points in the paint compared to about 10 for the Clippers. Everyone was fighting for a rebound last night and everyone was trying for the extra pass, and it showed in the game and the boxscore.



The Assists Baron getting 8+ assists a night is a given, so I was impressed with Barnes and Monta. With a dislocated finger, Barnes found Andris and POB for a lot of easy dunks and lay-ins. His 8 assists complemented Baron's 12. Monta couldn't seem to finish at the rim early-midway through the game, but used his speed to pass the ball instead. I remember a play when Monta slashed to the rim, was crowded by two Clippers, and and threw a nifty outlet pass to Andris for a dunk. Monta could easily be one of the most creative passers on the team.

The Rebounds: The Warriors outrebounded the Clips 52-43. As I noted, it seemed as if every Warrior had a nose for a rebound. Al Harrington nabbed a particularly funky rebound: the ball caromed off the floor and into the air, and Al outjumped three Clippers for it.



The Big Guys Our big man trio was awesome last night. Andris Biedrins was a beast with 23 points on 9-12 FGs, a career-matching 18 rebounds, and 2 blocks, including a nasty rejection when Corey Maggette went in for a dunk. After being thoroughly outplayed by Chris Kaman in LA, he outmatched the Caveman in Oakland.

Patrick O'Bryant notched career highs all-around: 10 points on 5-6 FGs, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal and block apiece. I loved the way every Warrior high-fived him after every time he dunked or hit his hook shot. He came in for Andris when he got into foul trouble in the third quarter and played well above expectations. I don't think I've ever seen Patrick that happy up until last night. If he can produce like last night, the Warriors will have a very solid center rotation.

I can't wait until Nellie is confident enough to play Andris-Wright or POB-Wright at the same time. Their length bothered the hell out of the Clippers (remember the play where POB stole the ball just by sticking out his arm? Fantastic).

Bonds Indicted

SFGate: Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction of justice charges

Honestly, what a waste of four years. All of this government money went into an effort to figure out if a guy put substances in his body. In the big picture, there are so many worse crimes. Rape, homicide, manslaughter, genocide, child abuse. I’m disappointed in the feds for turning this into a fully-fledged witch hunt.

[UPDATE]

Ray Ratto: One thing seems clear, consider Bonds retired

I just skimmed the article, but here are some interesting lines:

The five-count indictment blows so many holes in Bonds' desirability to other teams that it is unfathomable that another team would be willing to sign him, either in December, March, June or ever. Never mind whether he is still a salable commodity to the average fan - no team is going to sign someone who might have to take a few weeks off during the middle of the 2008 season to go on trial. Even the most benign viewing of the events of today undercuts Bonds' ability to make himself attractive to another team. His new uniform is a suit, his support staff is John Burris and Michael Rains, and 762 is the home run record for the foreseeable future.

And finally, there is one last conclusion not to be jumped. That with Bonds indicted, the Steroid Era is finally behind us, and baseball can dance free and untainted. No, it's in front of us, halogen high-beams right through our corneas, and it's going to stay in front of us for at least as long as it took for the drugs to become a full-blown era.

Bill James Predictions for 2008 Season

Sorry I put this up so late. And that it's not even half-finished. I underestimated the power and inconvenience of English essays yet again. I guess half-baked is better than stone cold. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore.

Here's the not finished post:

Fangraphs.com has his predictions for each player individually, so no need to buy the $21 book.

Persons of interest:

Kevin Frandsen: 408 AB - .282/.330/.407, 115 H, 7 HR, 25:37 BB:SO
Ray Durham: 446 AB - .258/.337/.410, 115 H, 13 HR, 49:70 BB:SO

I’m not sure how Durham bounces back while Frandsen has a solid year at the same time, unless Frandsen plays third base or Durham bounces back with another team. Either way, it’s good seeing Kevin get consistent playing time since he’s more effective with regular AB.

Nate Schierholtz: 344 AB - .299/.331/.480, 103 H, 10 HR, 15:50 BB:SO

Excellent numbers for a rookie if James’ predictions come true. The Giants are in a sorry state if Nate is one of the better hitters in the 2008 lineup.

I'll get some more done tomorrow.

(Late) Congratulations to Jeremy Roenick

… for scoring his 500th goal two night ago against the Coyotes. The goal itself was unconventional: shot from center ice, bounced off the back boards, bounced off Alex Auld’s back and into the net. Roenick joined the ranks of Mike Modano and Joe Mullen as American-born players with 500 career goals.

In another scheduling quirk, the Sharks face the Coyotes again tonight. If the Sharks can keep up the play from the last game, then there should be no problem notching another win. At least I hope.

[UPDATE] Sharks pounded the Coyotes 5-0. I wish FSN broadcasted the game so I wouldn't have to watch the carnage that was the 49ers/Seahawks game. Flat out terrible. Eh, I might as well do a little odds & ends link dump.

• Ray Ratto: Time to turn off the Niners [SFGate]
• Sharks beat Coyotes again (and can you believe they're playing each other again on Thursday?) [SFGate.com]
• Open Feel Sorry For Ourselves Thread (and lament the fact that Bay Area sports are at a near all time low) [McCovey Chronicles]
• Stanford's Got the Goods (hooray for Stanford men's basketball!) [SFGate.com]
• You can't not love Andris Biedrins. [warriors.com]
  
• Bill James Handbook Projections (I have a post about this tomorrow) [Fangraphs.com]
  

The First Rule of Fight Club Is

... you do not trade Tim Lincecum. Or Matt Cain for that matter.

A few days ago, Tracy Ringolsby reported, “Tim Lincecum, [the Giants’] No. 1 pick in 2006, can be had for a quality bat.”

Say what? Maybe it’s a bit of common media exaggeration. Understandably, the Giants are in no position to refuse to listen to any trade offers for Lincecum, but who are those quality bats?



Miguel Cabrera: Floating rumors have suggested that the Marlins will take Lincecum straight up for Miggy. Cabrera instantly fills a void at 3B and at a power spot in the lineup. Last season, he batted .320/.401/.565 with career highs in home runs (34) and RBIs (119).

Why not: Not only is his batting prowess growing, so are his waistline, errors (23, up from 17 in 2006), and questionable work ethic. Most importantly, he is eligible for arbitration and free agency after 2009 and could command at least $10 million. On the other hand, Lincecum is under contract for the next 5 years. I would not want to give up five guaranteed years of superb pitching and discipline in exchange for a probable one-year rental.



Delmon Young and Carl Crawford or BJ Upton: Young, the talented Rays’ outfielder, easily exhibits more upside than any of the young Giants outfielders. That goes for Crawford and Upton too.

Why not: First off, the Rays would laugh Sabean off the phone if he offered Lincecum for Young and either Crawford or Upton. Lincecum could probably fetch Young and a developing prospect, not Crawford or Upton. Secondly, the Giants have a glut in the outfield. Trading for Young and Crawford/Upton means moving Dave Roberts and Randy Winn to other teams. It’s not impossible, but Roberts has a hefty contract and Winn holds to right to veto trades to ten different teams.

If the Giants are trading Lincecum, they should receive Evan Longoria and a developing infield prospect. Longoria and Lincecum both are “unproven” in terms of major league experience but have shown incredible talent, so the trade balances. The infield prospect comes from the fact that Lincecum has played and can handle, even dominate at times, the big league.

I am all for improving the Giants’ offense in any way possible, as long as the names don’t include Lincecum (or Cain). They are the anchors of the team and will complement any good (or at least league-average) offense the Giants have in the future.

Lincecum and Cain, they keep us sane.

90+ Days Until Pitchers and Catchers Report

Click to view

People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.

- Rogers Hornsby

Fortunato Ain't Dead

Ay, what a sucker-punch of a game.

Mavericks 120-115 Warriors

Three lessons learned:

* Monta needs to step up. Underwhelming play, limited court vision, and too many jumpers are not the signs of an improving PG.
* Rebounding. The starters snagged 35, but the bench, namely Matt Barnes, contributed a paltry 3. I can't give Barnes a pass on this one. He rebounded spectacularly during the playoffs last year, and that was on one leg and a broken finger.
* Free throws. For the love of basketball, they are manna from heaven. Don't throw them away. Over the 5-day break, something needs to be done. Visualization, Rick Barry style, hypnosis, anything.

Some positives:

* The motion offense looked much better tonight. I would've liked to see more passing and less dribbling, but an overall improvement from previous games.
* The starters improved tonight, except for Monta. Baron showed flashes of playoff-Baron, Kaz played well with a sprained ankle, Al continued his hot hand, and Andris nearly had a double-double along with 5 blocks, 2 assists, and only 1 turnover.
* The 3-point shooting wasn't near the Mendoza line. In fact, the Warriors batted an MVP-esque .440! I can give props to Barnes for shooting 3-6 from long range with a dislocated finger. Hopefully he's found his touch again and can provide a bigger spark off the bench.

See Ray Ratto's post about the rivalry. There still is some optimism.

Warriors vs Mavericks Tomorrow: Breaking out the Vintage

In my English class, we just started our Romanticism unit by reading some short stories by Edgar Allen Poe. The story that intrigued me the most was "The Cask of Amontillado." If you haven't read it yet, "The Cask" is about two friends, one of whom wants revenge on the other.

Montresor lures Fortunato to his wine cellar, claiming that he needs Fortunato to identify a sherry called Amontillado. Montresor leads him deeper into the cellar and offers him multiple draughts of wine. Eventually, Montresor pushes the drunk Fortunato into a room, chains him to the wall, and begins closing off the entrance with mortar and stone. Fortunato jokes and tells Montresor to let him out, but Montresor just mimics his requests. He seals up the last stone and leaves Fortunato to die.

A bit morbid, isn't it?

Tomorrow, the Mavericks come into Oakland. Like Montresor, Nellie cajoled the Mavs into believing that the Warriors would do no harm. Like Fortunato (what an ironic name), the 67-win Mavs were strung up by the Warriors.

This season, the Warriors have been playing shoddy defense and even shoddier offense. Not the best way to face a team who is out for your head for the past 2 years. The optimist in me says the Warriors improved over the past four games, but the pessimist predicts a 20-point blowout loss. Hopefully, the stone-and-mortar holds up because Fortunato might not be dead just yet.

Frank Yallop: Goodbye LA, Hello to the Bay

Operation Schadenfreude-

Phase 1: Sabotage the Los Angeles Dodgers by sending Mark Sweeney. Accomplished.

Phase 2: Send two-time championship winner coach to the Los Angeles Galaxy to compile a mediocre 18-20-12 record. Accomplished.

Phase 3: Have said coach return to the San Jose Earthquakes to win the MLS in their first inaugural season. Pending.

You Know the Little Red Button that Says "Panic"?

... don't press it just yet.

The Warriors are off to an uninspiring 0-2 start, understandably losing to the Utah Jazz and not-so-understandably losing to the Brand-less Los Angeles Clippers. Recurring themes? Being outrebounded and abused by the other team’s big man. In the reverie of last season’s magical run, this is enough for some fans to say:



Rebounding is not a quick fix problem. What can the Warriors do then?

• Stop taking ill-advised threes: We love to watch the Warriors when their threes are falling. We love to lambast when they are not. In yesterday’s game, the Warriors shot 25% from three-point land as a team with Baron Davis as the main culprit: 1-9. Threes are a good way to quickly erase a large deficit, but if they are not falling, take it to the rack. Many times an opposing player will snag the rebound from the missed three since Andris Biedrins is usually the only player around the paint.
• Pass more: You know the Warriors are “on” when you see quick, sharp passes that result in wide open dunks and threes. I can’t comment about the passing in yesterday’s game (I was covering a football game), but in the game against the Jazz, I did not see any of the drive-kick out-drive-kick out-shoot sequences that were effective last season. Less dribbling and more passing equals high percentage shots and less scoring opportunities for the opponent.
• Get the energy back: Specifically, get the energy from the bench back. Apart from Al Harrington, nobody else on the bench has produced. Because of his incessant rally-killing jumpers in the first game, some fans have dubbed Troy “T-Hud” Hudson as T-Rash. Matt Barnes is looking more like a one-hit wonder than a breakout player. A nifty steal and breakaway dunk or a block down low is sometimes all it takes to get the team rolling again.

Solving these problems won’t effect a 78-game win streak. They will, however, help the team look as if they want to play above mediocrity.