OK, so I've been gone a month. Sorry. But I'm back, and I'll try to start posting a bit more regularly. So please keep checking back.
I'm picking things back up with a look back at the many trades, some good, mostly bad, that the Mariners have made through the years. It's a good time to do that, as the trade deadline just ended with Seattle trading pitcher Cliff Lee to the Rangers for a bunch of young players who we hope will develop well. I like the trade, I think Justin Smoak is going to be a great addition in a year or two, and hopefully one of the younger pitchers will develop. Lee had no future here, and if I have to chose between prospects or draft picks, give me the prospects.
So, here's a look back at the Mariners' trading history. Maybe it will jar some memories for you, or nightmares:
December 7, 1976: Grant Jackson traded to the Pirates for Craig Reynolds and Jimmy Sexton. The first real trade in Seattle history landed a starting shortstop who wasn't great but was steady, kind of an early-day Spike Owen.
March 30, 1977: Roy Thomas traded to the Astros for Larry Milbourne. This trade is only notable because it brought Milbourne to town, and he somehow kept ending up back with the Mariners, winning a lot of fans along the way despite not being all that good at baseball.
December 5, 1977: Jimmy Sexton traded to the Astros for Leon Roberts. Roberts turned into a solid bat in the middle of the order for the M's.
December 9, 1977: Dave Collins traded to the Reds for Shane Rawley. Collins was a great base stealer but Rawley was a bright young pickup for a team that was always on the lookout for pitching.
December 5, 1978: Tom McMillan, Rick Jones and Enrique Romo traded to the Pirates for Odell Jones, Mario Mendoza and Rafael Vazquez. Seattle actually traded for a guy (Mendoza) whose name is synonomous with being a bad hitter.
December 8, 1978: Craig Reynolds traded to the Astros for Floyd Bannister. The M's turned their starting shortstop into a young, locally-developed pitcher who struck out a lot of people and anchored the early M's pitching staff. Good trade amidst a sea of bad ones.
November 1, 1979: Ruppert Jones and Jim Lewis traded to the Yankees for Jim Beattie, Rick Anderson, Juan Beniquez and Jerry Narron. Jones was maybe the most popular of the early Mariners and it was sad to see him go. None of the guys acquired did much good, but Beattie lost a lot of games for Seattle.
October 29, 1980: Odell Jones traded to the Pirates for a Player to be Named Later (Larry Andersen). This is only noteworthy because Andersen was a fan favorite because he was good at practical jokes.
November 18, 1980: Larry Milbourne and a Player to be Named Later traded to the Astros for Brad Gulden and cash. What makes this trade so good is that the Player to be Named Later was Gulden, which means he was traded for himself.
December 12, 1980: Larry Cox, Rick Honeycutt, Willie Horton, Mario Mendoza and Leon Roberts traded to the Rangers for Steve Finch, Brian Allard, Rick Auerbach, Ken Clay, Jerry Don Gleaton and Richie Zisk. One of the biggest trades ever between two teams as it involved 11 players. Horton and Roberts were both good-hitting outfielders while the M's got Zisk, their best player during the early 80s.
March 7, 1981: Carlos Diaz traded to the Braves for Jeff Burroughs. I don't know who Carlos Diaz was. Burroughs at one point was a power hitter of note. But not when he came to Seattle. He did coach a Little League World Series champion with his son, though.
December 9, 1981: Dan Meyer traded to the A's for Rich Bordi. Bordi was a pointless pickup and Meyer, a solid outfielder for Seattle, never did anything after this trade. A wash.
December 11, 1981: Tom Paciorek traded to the White Sox for Rod Allen, Todd Cruz and Jim Essien. Few players have been as popular with Seattle as Paciorek, who was an all star and a pretty good hitter who has become a popular broadcaster. Cruz at least became a starter with the M's.
March 2, 1982: Player to be Named Later (Bud Black) traded to the Royals for Manny Castillo. Black was a local guy who turned into a pretty good pitcher for the Royals and is now a pretty good manager of the Padres. Castillo had a long career of being mediocre.
April 1, 1982: Shane Rawley traded to the Yankees for Bill Caudill, Gene Nelson and a Player to be Named Later (Bobby Brown). Seattle dealt Rawley for a couple of relievers, including Caudill, a hugely popular player with Seattle who was also a good closer on some terrible teams.
December 9, 1982: Rich Bordi traded to the A's for Steve Henderson. This would eventually throw the team into all kinds of chaos when they had both Steve and Dave Henderson on the team.
December 21, 1982: Ron Musselman traded to the Rangers for Pat Putnam. Putnam became the M's starting first baseman, and this was probably the only team he could have ever started for.
June 15, 1983: Julio Cruz traded to the White Sox for Tony Bernazard. Cruz was one of the most popular of the early Mariners, a fast, slick second baseman who was a fast, slick second baseman for the White Sox too. Bernazard was a good hitter before coming to Seattle, where he was not a good hitter.
November 21, 1983: Bill Caudill and Darrell Akerfelds traded to the A's for Bob Kearney and Dave Beard. A highly unpopular trade because the team dealt closer and ace jokester Caudill. There's never been a baseball player who looked more like a teacher than Kearney, and I think he did teach in the offseason if I recall one of his baseball cards correctly.
December 7, 1983: Tony Bernazard traded to the Indians for Jack Perconte and Gorman Thomas. Bernazard lasted six months with the team then was dealt for a pair of guys with awesome moustaches. Perconte was a fast little second baseman who seemed to hit a lot of foul balls in the area I always was sitting in. Thomas hit 32 homers for the M's one year and that was kind of different.
December 8, 1983: Bryan Clark traded to the Blue Jays for Barry Bonnell. Bonnell was a starter in Seattle but mostly I thought he looked a lot like Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera.
December 11, 1985: Ed Vande Berg traded to the Dodgers for Steve Yeager. Vande Berg was a reliever with a nice moustache. Yeager had been a decent catcher but by this trade he was old. I remember him hitting a big home run at one point, though, so that's good. He was also the nephew or cousin of ace pilot Chuck Yeager and I love The Right Stuff so that made him pretty cool to me.
December 12, 1985: Darnell Coles traded to the Tigers for Rich Monteleone. Coles was a young third baseman with power potential. You'd think they could've gotten more for him.
July 1, 1986: Player to be Named Later (Ivan Calderon) traded to the White Sox for Scott Bradley. Calderon turned into a power hitting outfielder that Seattle really could have used (he was later murdered!). I liked Bradley, a decent hitter who I modeled my batting stance after. But he wasn't worth Calderon, in retrospect. He's gone on to be a successful coach at Princeton, and his brother is the U.S. National Soccer Team coach.
August 19, 1986: Dave Henderson and Spike Owen traded to the Red Sox for Mike Trujillo, Mike Brown, Rey Quinones and John Christensen. A completely one-sided trade, and not in a good way. Henderson became an all-star and postseason star and Owen was a regular on successful Sox teams. Trujillo, Christensen and Brown were non-factors and Quinones was best known for being nuts and once not being able to pinch-hit because he was playing video games. He's also the only player I've ever gotten an autograph from. He muttered something I couldn't understand and then laughed gleefully.
December 10, 1986: Danny Tartabull and Rick Luecken traded to the Royals for Scott Bankhead, Mike Kingery and Steve Shields. Tartabull hit 43 home runs for Triple A Calgary and then 25 bombs as a rookie second baseman. That was all too much for the Mariners, who couldn't fathom having a player who had talent on the roster. Bankhead was an OK starter for Seattle and Kingery had a great arm in the outfield, but Tartabull had six seasons of at least 25 homers and five seasons of at least 100 RBI. And he was on Seinfeld!
December 10, 1986: Matt Young traded to the Dodgers for Mike Watters and Dennis Powell. Young was kind of a weird pitcher. He was horrible a lot, but also pretty good sometimes. At least he was something, unlike the two guys they got, who weren't.
July 11, 1987: Player to be Named Later (Dave Hartnett) traded to the Cubs for Gary Matthews. Matthews didn't do anything at all in his last big league season, but it allowed Rick Rizzs to constantly get to say, "There's Sarge!"
December 9, 1987: Phil Bradley and Tim Fortugno traded to the Phillies for Glenn Wilson, Mike Jackson and Dave Brundage. Bradley is probably the best left fielder this team has had, which is kind of sad, but in fairness he was pretty good. Wilson had recently driven in 100 runs for Philly but was awful in Seattle. But they did get The Thriller, who was one of my favorite pitchers, so it's not that bad.
December 9, 1987: Mike Morgan traded to the Orioles for Ken Dixon. Morgan was a serviceable pitcher, not good, but not horrible. He had to have something or he wouldn't have pitched for 12 Major League teams in his career. 12!
December 22, 1987: Lee Guetterman, Clay Parker and Wade Taylor to the Yankees for Henry Cotto and Steve Trout. Cotto was an OK player who could steal some bases and hit OK. Trout was horrible the few times he pitched. But at least none of the guys they gave up were worth much.
July 21, 1988: Ken Phelps traded to the Yankees for Jay Buhner, Troy Evers and Rich Balabon. One of the great trades in Seattle history and so well known it was referenced on Seinfeld. Phelps was a powerful DH/first baseman but did little after leaving Seattle, though he did break up Brian Holman's perfect game attempt with a two-out home run in the ninth inning once, which sucked. Buhner at the time was a 23-year-old strikeout machine, but developed into one of the most popular players in Seattle history and the backbone of the best Mariners teams ever.
July 22, 1988: Glenn Wilson traded to the Pirates for Darnell Coles. Three years after trading Coles, they brought him back. Two years later, they traded him again.
April 21, 1989: Bill Wilkinson and Rey Quinones traded to the Pirates for Mike Dunne, Mark Merchant and Mike Walker. The real accomplishment here was tracking down Quinones to tell him he was traded. Again, the guy was nuts!
May 25, 1989: Mark Langston and Mike Campbell traded to the Expos for Randy Johnson, Brian Holman and Gene Harris. I'll admit it, I cried, literally, when this trade happened. Langston was my favorite Mariner growing up and I was crushed when he was traded. I guess it turned out OK, though, as Holman was a quality starter for Seattle. Oh, and Johnson became the best pitcher in Seattle history and one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Johnson went on to beat Langston in the famous 1995 one-game AL West playoff win over the Angels.
January 24, 1990: Jim Presley traded to the Braves for Gary Eave and Ken Pennington. Presley was disliked by a lot of Mariners because he struck out so much but I always liked him because he hit a lot of home runs, which not many Mariners did at this point. I was disappointed when they traded him, and even more disappointed when they got two bad pitchers for him. M's fans might be shocked to learn that Presley went on to become a real, live major league hitting coach.
June 6, 1990: Mickey Brantley traded to the Brewers for Frank Bolick. Brantley looked like he might be the answer in left field but then stopped being good. Kind of like Bolick. Brantley once played in a charity basketball game at my high school, though.
May 17, 1991: Player to be Named Later (Jim Blueberg) traded to the Yankees for Mike Blowers. Seattle sent a nobody to New York for the former Huskies star, who went on to be one of the better third basemen the team has had and invented the Rally Fries!
December 11, 1991: Bill Swift, Mike Jackson and Dave Burba traded to the Giants for Kevin Mitchell and Mike Remlinger. This trade ruined Seattle's pitching staff for years. Swift went on to win 20 games, Jackson developed into a great reliever and Burba was a quality starter for years. Mitchell was even more insane than he was fat, and he was really fat. Once a great power hitter, he did nothing in his one season in Seattle but freak people out.
August 22, 1992: Sean Twitty traded to the Yankees for Tim Leary. The M's brought in Leary, who at one point was a good pitcher for the Dodgers but was well past his good days, and made that perfectly clear in Seattle.
November 17, 1992: Kevin Mitchell traded to the Reds for Norm Charlton. The Mitchell nightmare came to an end and Seattle got one of the Nasty Boys, who continued to be an effective reliever for Seattle and was very popular because he was nicknamed The Sherriff, and Seattleites love a good nickname.
June 27, 1993: Henry Cotto and Jeff Darwin traded to the Marlins for Dave Magadan. This was actually pretty awesome in its absurdity. Five months after this, Seattle traded Magadan - Lou Piniella's cousin or nephew or something - back to the Marlins for Darwin and cash. So essentially it was Cotto and Magadan for Darwin and cash.
November 2, 1993: Erik Hanson and Bret Boone traded to the Reds for Bobby Ayala and Dan Wilson. Hanson won 18 games for Seattle once but looked bad for awhile, but good again when he was traded. Boone, as expected, became a really good second baseman and was great for a couple years a decade later when he returned to Seattle. Ayala was the most hated Mariner ever, and that's got to count for something. Conversely, Wilson was the greatest catcher in Seattle history and one of the most beloved players the franchise ever had. Good trade for once!
December 10, 1993: Mike Hampton and Mike Felder traded to the Astros for Eric Anthony. Hampton developed into one of the top pitchers in baseball before becoming a vastly overpaid walking injury. Anthony had a few big power years for the Astros, but none for Seattle, another in a long line of that story for the M's.
December 20, 1993: Omar Vizquel traded to the Indians for Felix Fermin, Reggie Jefferson and cash. Little O was already a great defensive shortstop and learned how to hit for some great Cleveland teams on the way to an possible Hall of Fame career. Fermin never learned to hit and Jefferson never hit either, but at least Seattle got some cash out of this disaster.
May 15, 1995: Roger Salkeld traded to the Reds for Tim Belcher. Salkeld was a top prospect for about 20 years before Seattle finally traded him and he faded away. Belcher was the beginning of Seattle's moves that led to the AL West title. He was a steady, tough pitcher he was always pretty good, though he'll best be remembered for a meltdown he had after a game in which he karate chopped a cameraman.
May 21, 1995: Shawn Estes and Wilson Delgado traded to the Giants for Salomon Torres. Estes made an all star team two years after this trade. Torres retired for no reason.
July 7, 1995: Dave Fleming traded to the Royals for Bob Milacki. Fleming won 29 games in his first two seasons with the M's, and then did nothing after that, so even though Milacki was worthless, the trade worked out.
July 31, 1995: Marc Newfield and Ron Villone traded to the Padres for Andy Benes and a Player to be Named Later (Greg Keagle). Wait a minute. They did what? They actually traded for a star? This was the first time the Mariners actually acted like contenders, and it worked! Benes was one of the top pitchers in the National League and went 7-2 in Seattle, helping the team to the AL Championship Series. That's what a rent-a-player should do! Newfield never developed into anything and Villone just keeps finding work because he's a lefty, but has never been more than just a roster guy.
August 18, 1995: Player to be Named Later (Jim Converse) traded to the Royals for Vince Coleman. Coleman was one of the greatest base stealers ever and he gave Seattle a great threat at the top of the order on the run to the AL West title. Excellent, cheap pick up. He hit a home run on his birthday which just about made Rick Rizzs crap his pants.
December 7, 1995: Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson and Jim Mecir traded to the Yankees for Sterling Hitchcock and Russ Davis. Tino was going to be too expensive to afford so the M's dealt him at his peak and he continued to be a great power hitter in the Bronx. Nelson kept coming back to Seattle but kept winning World Series in New York, and Mecir developed into a decent reliever. The M's had a chance to get Andy Pettitte in the deal but went with Hitchcock instead. Oops. He stunk. Davis actually hit over 20 home runs three times for Seattle but was a bad third baseman who reminded me a lot of Forest Gump. But he did hit the first home run in Safeco Field history.
December 18, 1995: Miguel Cairo and Bill Risley traded to the Blue Jays for Edwin Hurtado and Paul Menhart. I really liked Bill Risley, he threw hard and was a good reliever. But really, no one in this trade had much value. Cairo rejoined Seattle later in his career as a slow pinch-running specialist.
July 30, 1996: Darren Bragg traded to the Red Sox for Jamie Moyer. Probably the best trade the franchise has ever made, and it was pulled off by the same guy - Woody Woodward - who pulled off the worst trade the franchise has ever made. So you never know. Bragg was a nice young player but the M's had Jose Cruz Jr. coming up (or so we thought) and Bragg never did anything in his career, really. Moyer, of course, turned into one of the most amazing stories in baseball, still pitching at age 87. He was one of the top pitchers in Seattle history and did a ton for the community.
July 31, 1996: Desi Relaford traded to the Phillies for Terry Muholland. Mulholland had been a pretty good pitcher, even better than Moyer. So they got a pair of solid lefties to add to the rotation for a couple of prospects who didn't do anything. At the end of the season, they had to decide whether to keep Moyer or Mulholland, and went with Moyer. Good choice.
August 14, 1996: Roger Blanco traded to the Braves for Mark Whiten. "Hard-Hittin'" Whiten didn't do much hard hittin' in Seattle. Still, the guy did hit four home runs in one game once in his career, though not with Seattle. And Blanco didn't do anything ever. And it allowed Rick Rizzs to happily say Hard Hittin' a lot.
October 29, 1996: Chris Widger, Trey Moore and Matt Wagner traded to the Expos for Jeff Fassero and Alex Pacheco. Another move that I loved, as Fassero had been a top NL pitcher and in fairness, had a couple good years for the M's before falling apart. Pacheco is not the same Alex Pacheco who co-founded PETA. Widger returned to the M's later in his career.
September 13, 1996: David Arias traded to the Twins for Dave Hollins. At the time, it seemed a great move, trading a nobody minor leaguer for a solid third baseman. But Hollins' days of solidness were behind him, and Arias changed his last name to Ortiz, left the Twins for the Red Sox, got nicknamed Big Poppy and became one of the best hitters in baseball.
December 6, 1996: Sterling Hitchcock traded to the Padres for Scott Sanders. Hitchcock was a big disappointment in Seattle and had to be moved. There was some hope that Sanders would be better, but he was actually worse than Hitchcock, but whatever.
July 18, 1997: Carlos Villalobos, Dean Crow and Scott Sanders traded to the Tigers for Omar Olivares and Felipe Lira. At first there was optimism to get two pitchers who had actually pitched for another team and had to be better than anyone the M's had (well, except Randy). But then we found out Olivares and Lira were bad.
July 31, 1997: Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek traded to the Red Sox for Heathcliff Slocumb. Here it is everyone, the worst trade in Mariners history, and one of the worst in the history of baseball. Slocumb was coming off two-straight seasons of at least 30 saves, but had an ERA near 6 when the trade happened. He actually was pretty good for the rest of the season with Seattle, but was horrible in 1998. Lowe and Varitek went on to have five All-Star selections between them. Lowe was a top closer and a top starter for the Red Sox, though he'd shown little with Seattle. Varitek was a top prospect for the M's and went on to be one of the top catchers in baseball, and the Red Sox captain. What makes this really bad is that the Red Sox apparently asked for one or the other, and Woody Woodward said, "Nah, take both of them." Nice.
July 31, 1997: Jose Cruz, Jr. traded to the Blue Jays for Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric. The M's really, really wanted to improve their bullpen, dealing their top prospect for a pair of average relievers. Luckily, Cruz never really developed into a star, which is good, because Timlin and Spoljaric didn't do much either.
August 20, 1997: Joe Mays and Jeremy Palki traded to the Twins for Roberto Kelly. Kelly at one point was a fast, good-hitting outfielder. But that ship had sailed by the time he joined Seattle. Neither pitcher was a top prospect but Mays ended up winning 17 games for the Twins one year.
July 31, 1998: Randy Johnson traded to the Astros for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen and a Player to be Named Later (John Halama). Yes, the team traded the best pitcher it ever had and he went on to continue to be ridiculously good. But he didn't want to be in Seattle anymore, and the team got back three good prospects who all developed, which rarely ever happens. Garcia turned into the ace the M's hoped he'd be, Guillen was a good-hitting, always-injured infielder and Halama was a useful lefty arm. A rare win-win.
August 31, 1998: Joey Cora traded to the Indians for David Bell. My nephew Travis cried when he found out Joey Cora got traded. I'm sure he's not the only one. Moms throughout the Puget Sound area were crushed when Joey was dealt. He was a good player best known for crying in the dugout, but I didn't cry when he was traded. Bell turned out to be a good player and Joey's career was pretty much over.
November 9, 1998: Paul Spoljaric traded to the Phillies for Mark Leiter. Leiter was best known as Al Leiter's way less talented brother. He did save 23 games the previous season but only pitched in two games for Seattle.
December 14, 1998: Leslie Brea traded to the Mets for Butch Huskey. Huskey looked like a guy who could hit about 100 home runs in a season but he wasn't, it turns out. In fact, he was traded less than a year later.
April 3, 1999: Bobby Ayala traded to the Expos for Jimmy Turman. For some M's fans, this is the greatest day in Mariner history, the day they got rid of the most hated player in franchise history. I never had much against Bobby, always thought he was better than people gave him credit for, at least, for awhile. But most people were shocked anyone gave anything to Seattle for him.
April 28, 1999: Two Players to be Named Later (Andy Van Hekken and Jerry Amador) traded to the Tigers for Brian Hunter. Hunter was a top base stealer and he stole a lot of bases in his one season in Seattle, and then went the way of every other potential left fielder the club ever had.
July 28, 1999: David Segui traded to the Blue Jays for Tom Davey and Steve Sinclair. Segui was a pretty good first baseman who ended up being on steroids and beat up Randy Johnson in the clubhouse. Davey was best known for being huge.
August 27, 1999: Jeff Fassero traded to the Rangers for a Player to be Named Later (Adrian Myers). They cashed out Fassero after two good years and he never did much after this. Which is as much as Myers did.
July 31, 2000: John Mabry and Tom Davey traded to the Padres for Al Martin. Neither Mabry nor Davey were worth anything, but this was still a disaster. Why? Because Martin couldn't hit and was crazy, inventing stories about his past that were easily refuted.
December 10, 2000: Ken Griffey, Jr. traded to the Reds for Mike Cameron, Brett Tomko, Antonio Perez and Jake Meyer. The day Seattle traded its greatest player ever. Griffey would not allow a trade to anyone but the Reds, so Seattle was limited in its options but you'd have thought they'd get more than this. Griffey had a couple good seasons for Cincinnati before his body fell apart. Cameron was a very good replacement, a great center fielder with power and speed and a great smile who made an all star team. Tomko stunk and Perez never developed.
December 11, 2001: Tom Lampkin, Brett Tomko and Ramon Vazquez traded to the Padres for Alex Arias, Ben Davis and Wascar Serrano. This is notable because of the six players in this trade, none of them were worth much of anything. Tomko pitched some in the bigs, Lampkin stuck around forever as a backup catcher and Vazquez was a backup infielder, same with Arias. Davis was the biggest name because he was a terribly failed No. 1 pick.
December 16, 2001: Brian Fuentes, Denny Stark and Jose Paniagua traded to the Rockies for Jeff Cirillo. I loved this trade when it was made and interviewed Cirillo shortly after it and he seemed like a good guy. But boy could he not hit in Seattle, odd since he was still in his prime and was a really good hitter. But for the M's he batted .234 with no power. Fuentes has gone on to be a quality closer.
January 25, 2002: David Bell traded to the Giants for Desi Relaford and cash. Seattle had just acquired Jeff Cirillo so had no real place for Bell, a solid third baseman and decent hitter who was never again as good as he was with Seattle. Relaford was worthless but the cash came in handy to pay for Cirillo's terribleness.
August 19, 2002: Derrick Van Dusen and Jermaine Clark traded to the Rangers for Ismael Valdez. Valdez had some success in the National League with the Dodgers but had no success with Seattle. Kind of like a latter day Tim Leary.
October 28, 2002: Lou Piniella and Antonio Perez traded to the Devil Rays for Randy Winn. OK, so Piniella wasn't really part of the trade but the trade was contingent on Piniella signing with the Rays, so essentially he was. Winn thought he was, because he openly complained about getting traded for a manager, even if it was the best manager in Mariners history. Winn was a good left fielder for a few years though.
August 6, 2003: Jeff Nelson traded to the Yankees for Armando Benitez. I kind of liked this trade because while I was a Nellie fan, I liked Benitez because he was huge and threw about 800 miles an hour or so. Plus, I figured Nellie would be back at some point anyway, and he was. Unfortunately, Benitez only pitched like 15 games and never got a save.
December 15, 2003: Gregg Colbrunn traded to the Diamondbacks for Quinton McCracken. This trade was pointless except that they got a guy named Quinton McCracken. What a great name. And I don't think he was even Irish.
January 6, 2004: Jeff Cirillo and Brian Sweeney traded to the Padres for Vince Faison, Wiki Gonzalez, Dave Hansen and Kevin Jarvis. The M's celebrated the new year by getting rid of Cirillo, one of the bigger busts in franchise history. No, none of the guys they got had much value but sometimes it's not what you get but what you get rid of.
January 8, 2004: Carlos Guillen traded to the Tigers for Ramon Santiago and Juan Gonzalez. The Mariners thought they had a trade for Omar Vizquel but that fell apart and then for some reason they traded Guillen, who was always hurt (he even had Mono) but could hit. He's continued to always be hurt, but really became a hitter in Detroit. Santiago played just 27 games for Seattle and then re-signed with Detroit. What's up with that? Gonzalez was not the MVP outfielder of the same name but a worthless middle infielder who never made the big leagues.
June 27, 2004: Freddy Garcia and Ben Davis traded to the White Sox for Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed and Mike Morse. I didn't mind this trade so much at the time even though I liked Freddy and he was a budding ace. He never did become much better than he was in Seattle, though. Unfortunately, none of the three prospects Seattle got - Olivo and Reed were highly rated at the time - did anything in Seattle. Reed kept being hyped as a really good hitter, but he wasn't. Olivo was, but Seattle didn't wait long enough for him and now he's an all star. Morse was the biggest shortstop I've ever seen.
August 31, 2004: Pat Borders traded to the Twins for B.J. Garbe. Borders was with the Mariners like five different times and was so old and worthless it was amazing anyone traded for him. But all the Twins gave up were Garbe, a former local prep star who never made it.
June 30, 2005: Randy Winn traded to the Giants for Jesse Foppert and Yorvit Torrealba. My wife loved Randy Winn, so this trade didn't tear me up too much. But if I take jealousy out of it, it was a bad trade as Winn was probably the best left fielder the team has had in the last decade or two. Torrealba was one in a string of bad Latino catchers Seattle traded for within like two weeks of each other.
November 29, 2005: Mike Blowers traded to the Dodgers for Miguel Cairo and Willis Otanez. Blowers never had the kind of success again he had in Seattle, where he was one of the streakiest hitters and hardest-throwing third basemen I've ever seen. But you'd think they could have gotten something more for him than two guys who never amounted to anything.
July 31, 2005: Miguel Olivo traded to the Padres for Nathanael Mateo and Miguel Ojeda. If only Seattle could have waited a little longer they might have seen that Olivo was actually good and worth having.
March 20, 2006: Matt Thornton traded to the White Sox for Joe Borchard. Thornton never really made it as a reliever for Seattle after being drafted so high. Of course, he went to Chicago and became one of the best set-up men in baseball and an all star. Borchard was a former Stanford quarterback who hit a lot of home runs for the Cardinal baseball team but hardly any as a pro.
June 30, 2006: Asdrubal Cabrera traded to the Indians for Eduardo Perez. Cabrera was a highly-regarded prospect and has developed into a highly-regarded middle infielder for Cleveland. Perez, the son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez, was worthless and was hosting Baseball Tonight on ESPN less than a year after this trade. That's not the sign of a good trade.
July 6, 2006: Eddie Guardado and cash traded to the Reds for Travis Chick. I loved Everyday Eddie. He was a good closer with terrible stuff but even more than that, he was the real leader of the team. But he was past his usefulness as J.J. Putz had emerged as the closer, so it made sense to trade him.
August 19, 2006: Jamie Moyer traded to the Phillies for Andrew Barb and Andy Baldwin. Who knew that Moyer would still be pitching in 2010? Barb and Baldwin did nothing in the Seattle system.
August 24, 2006: Shin-Soo Choo and Shawn Nottingham traded to the Indians for Ben Broussard. This seemed like a pretty good trade at the time, as Choo was stalled as a prospect and Broussard seemed poise to break out. Instead, Choo has become a star finally and Broussard retired to play guitar professionally.
December 7, 2006: Rafael Soriano traded to the Braves for Horacio Ramirez. Soriano was an overpower young reliever who once had dinner with my dad. But the M's decided they needed a starter, any starter, and traded a guy who has developed into an all-star closer for a horrible pitcher.
December 18, 2006: Chris Snelling and Emiliano Fruto traded to the Nationals for Jose Vidro. Snelling and Fruto were both not very good, though Seattle fans really liked Snelling because he was always willing to run full speed into an outfield fence and get hurt, and he was Australian. But wow was Vidro a horrible designated hitter. I thought this might turn out pretty good but boy was I wrong.
April 1, 2007: Travis Blackley traded to the Giants for Jason Ellison. Blackley was a top pitching prospect for like a decade before the team gave up on him. Ellison was best known for being good friends with Willie Bloomquist, the favorite player of every Mariner fan who knew nothing about baseball.
February 8, 2008: Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Tony Butler and Kam Mickolio traded to the Orioles for Erik Bedard. At the time I liked this trade, getting a No. 1 starter to team with Felix and Washburn. It turns out Bedard was one of the most fragile pitchers ever and a malcontent. Jones was the team's top prospect and developed into an all star, Sherrill became a solid closer and Tillman still is considered a good prospect. This was bad in every way.
May 27, 2008: Cha-Seung Baek traded to the Padres for Jared Wells. Baek was another in a long line of top pitching prospects who stunk until the team finally dealt them.
July 31, 2008: Arthur Rhodes traded to the Marlins for Gaby Hernandez. Rhodes was a popular reliever for several M's teams and is best known for his incredible hatred of Omar Vizquel. He made an all-star team this year at age 72!
December 11, 2008: J.J. Putz, Sean Green and Jeremy Reed traded to the Mets and Luis Valbuena traded to the Indians for Ezequiel Carrera, Maikel Cleto, Mike Carp, Endy Chavez, Aaron Heilman, Jason Vargas and Franklin Guttierez. Jack Zdurencik's first trade as M's GM was a big one and a great one. Putz was a closer on a team that didn't need one and hasn't been the same since being traded. Green is a dime a dozen. Chavez was valuable for a few months though Carp looks like he'll never fit with Seattle. But Vargas has been a huge surprise as a starter and Guttierez is probably the best player on the team other than Felix and Ichiro and is the future of this team.
January 28, 2009: Aaron Heilman traded to the Cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson. This trade was mostly noteable because Heilman was one of the few players to go to Mariners Fan Fest and then got traded like five minutes later.
July 10, 2009: Yuniesky Betancourt traded to the Royals for Danny Cortes and Derrick Saito. The fact that Seattle got anything for Yuni is amazing. The guy can't hit, and isn't a good shortstop. Cortes was KC's top pitching prospect and while he may not be that good, he might still develop some value, and even if he doesn't, who cares, they actually got something for Yuni!
July 29, 2009: Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock traded to the Pirates for Jack Wilson and Ian Snell. Seattle finally gave up on Clement, a huge bust as a hitting prospect who was taken ahead of guys too painful for me to list. Wilson has continued to be a good defensive shortstop who can't hit and gets hurt a lot, and Snell continues to be a pitcher who throws hard and deals with mental health issues.
July 29, 2009: Wladimir Balentien traded to the Reds for Robert Manuel. The same day the M's gave up on Clement as a hitting prospect, they gave up on their other top hitting prospect, Balentien. Only in this deal, they got nothing back.
August 1, 2009: Jarrod Washburn traded to the Tigers for Luke French and Mauricio Robles. Washburn was having a great season and was a free agent at the end of the year, and there was a good chance he'd re-sign with Seattle. Of course, he didn't re-sign. French still has some potential and Robles is an exciting prospect so this could turn out to be pretty good.
December 16, 2009: Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and JC Ramirez traded to the Phillies for Cliff Lee. At the time it was amazing, the M's getting one of baseball's best pitchers to go along with Felix Hernandez. While Lee was awesome, the M's were horrible and they turned him into some other prospects from the Rangers. None of the three Seattle prospects traded to Philly are really developing into stars.
December 18, 2009: Carlos Silva traded to the Cubs for Milton Bradley. Don't let Silva's fast start fool you, he's still fat and bad. Bradley is still crazy and unfortunately, looks like he forgot how to hit. This trade is what many expected, one bad player dealt for another and both continue to be bad.
December 23, 2009: Brandon Morrow traded to the Blue Jays for Brandon League and Johermyn Chavez. No pitcher has been screwed up by their organization more than Morrow, who was never going to live down being picked ahead of former UW star Tim Lincecum, as stupid as the argument is. League is actually pretty good, but pretty inconsistent, and Chavez can hit home runs so there's some hope there. There better be, as Morrow is starting to look pretty good.
June 11, 2010: Cliff Lee traded to the Rangers for Justin Smoak, Blake Beaven, Josh Lueke and Matt Lawson. Lee was never going to stay with Seattle so the M's needed to get quality prospects for him. They did in Smoak, one of the top young power prospects in the game. Beaven has some potential but Lueke could turn out to be a disaster.
June 26, 2010: Ezequiel Carrera and Juan Diaz traded to the Indians for Russell Branyan. I didn't understand this trade and still don't. I like Branyan, but what was the point?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Are They Ghana Do It?
Is this the biggest day in the history of United States soccer? Hard to argue it. Never have more eyes been on the American team than today, when it faces Ghana in the first knockout round of the World Cup.
So will the U.S. rise to the occassion or crumple under the pressure of playing against the only African nation left standing after group play?
It's hard to believe the United States can top the drama it provided in the three games of group play. The lucky goal against England, the hard-fought comeback against Slovenia and the shocking last-minute goal against Algeria. Has any team provided more drama than the United States? I mean on the field, France.
Well, it might have to, as the crowd will certainly be with Ghana, which carries the hopes of the entire home continent. The United States does have the motivation of paying back the Black Stars for knocking it out of the 2006 Cup, but will that be enough?
For me, the biggest question besides how the Americans will react to having a crowd mostly against it will be how they recover from such arduous games over the last week. Bouncing back from the Algeria match just a few days ago is going to be quite a task, and reserves could play an even bigger role than they have so far.
I didn't think Ghana would get this far. In fact, I picked it last in the group. I didn't think the Black Stars could recover from the loss of superstar Michael Essien to injury before the tournament. Boy was I wrong. The Ghana defense, led by center back John Mensah, has been awesome, allowing just two goals. The midfield has allowed Ghana to control play as Kevin Prince-Boateng and Anthony Annan have really stepped up in place of Essien.
The good news for the United States is that Ghana has not been good on offense, as striker Asamoah Gyan has struggled to get much going and the attacking midfielders haven't been very creative. In fact, the only two goals Ghana has scored have come via penalty kick. For an American team that has struggled on the back line, that will be a welcome change. But the United States can't be complacent, as it only takes one breakdown for the very fast Ghana offense to score against a slower U.S. defense and get momentum.
A huge key will be the United States midfield, especially center mids Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu, who have to battle Ghana's mids for control of the ball and not allow any quick strikes coming from the midfield. If they can do that, that should free up Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey on the wings to create and get into the box, really putting pressure on a Ghana back line that will have to focus on the tall, fast Jozy Altidore, who is right on the cusp of getting his first World Cup goal.
So, what will happen?
I think the U.S. midfield will rise to the occassion. I see Michael Bradley having a really strong game and making life tough on the Ghana mids. Landon Donovan's speed will give Ghana some trouble and they'll get sucked into stopping him, freeing up Jozy Altidore inside. Altidore will score his first goal today, putting the U.S. ahead early in the second half. After some scares on defense and more great play by Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey will break free on a counter and show off his creativity, netting a second goal for a 2-0 U.S. win.
Hopefully I'm right for once.
So will the U.S. rise to the occassion or crumple under the pressure of playing against the only African nation left standing after group play?
It's hard to believe the United States can top the drama it provided in the three games of group play. The lucky goal against England, the hard-fought comeback against Slovenia and the shocking last-minute goal against Algeria. Has any team provided more drama than the United States? I mean on the field, France.
Well, it might have to, as the crowd will certainly be with Ghana, which carries the hopes of the entire home continent. The United States does have the motivation of paying back the Black Stars for knocking it out of the 2006 Cup, but will that be enough?
For me, the biggest question besides how the Americans will react to having a crowd mostly against it will be how they recover from such arduous games over the last week. Bouncing back from the Algeria match just a few days ago is going to be quite a task, and reserves could play an even bigger role than they have so far.
I didn't think Ghana would get this far. In fact, I picked it last in the group. I didn't think the Black Stars could recover from the loss of superstar Michael Essien to injury before the tournament. Boy was I wrong. The Ghana defense, led by center back John Mensah, has been awesome, allowing just two goals. The midfield has allowed Ghana to control play as Kevin Prince-Boateng and Anthony Annan have really stepped up in place of Essien.
The good news for the United States is that Ghana has not been good on offense, as striker Asamoah Gyan has struggled to get much going and the attacking midfielders haven't been very creative. In fact, the only two goals Ghana has scored have come via penalty kick. For an American team that has struggled on the back line, that will be a welcome change. But the United States can't be complacent, as it only takes one breakdown for the very fast Ghana offense to score against a slower U.S. defense and get momentum.
A huge key will be the United States midfield, especially center mids Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu, who have to battle Ghana's mids for control of the ball and not allow any quick strikes coming from the midfield. If they can do that, that should free up Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey on the wings to create and get into the box, really putting pressure on a Ghana back line that will have to focus on the tall, fast Jozy Altidore, who is right on the cusp of getting his first World Cup goal.
So, what will happen?
I think the U.S. midfield will rise to the occassion. I see Michael Bradley having a really strong game and making life tough on the Ghana mids. Landon Donovan's speed will give Ghana some trouble and they'll get sucked into stopping him, freeing up Jozy Altidore inside. Altidore will score his first goal today, putting the U.S. ahead early in the second half. After some scares on defense and more great play by Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey will break free on a counter and show off his creativity, netting a second goal for a 2-0 U.S. win.
Hopefully I'm right for once.
How'd I Do?
Group play is over in the 2010 World Cup and we're on to the one-and-done portion of our show. No more playing for a tie, because the winner moves on and the loser is out.
The group stage was shocking on a lot of fronts, most notably the incredible failures of France (I know, I know) and Italy. No one expected Spain to lose, but it did. People expected more from the African nations, but only one has moved on, which is too bad. And what about South America? Five teams qualify, five teams are still alive. That's really remarkable.
We've seen some thrilling games, a few great goals, some fabulous goalkeeping, and some really bad reffing.
All that is behind us now, though, as we move on to the most exciting part of the tournament. But, now's a good time to look back at my pre-tournament predictions and see how I did. ...it's not good. But I stand by what I write, so this is what I said, and what actually happened:
Group A
What I predicted: 1. France; 2. Uruguay; 3. Mexico; 4. South Africa
What happened: 1. Uruguay; 2. Mexico; 3. South Africa; 4. France
What was I thinking?: OK, I failed miserably here in picking France, but come on, did any of you really expect a failure of that magnitude? I mean, to the point where France wouldn't even practice? I know many of you thought I was nuts to pick them to go so far, and it turns out you were right, but I don't believe anyone quite expected that complete of a meltdown. So, yeah, France was a disaster. Uruguay, on the other hand, was not a disaster. It wasn't great, but it was good enough. It defended well, Diego Forlan was excellent and it showed that it's not a flashy team, but it's a pretty good one. Mexico had its struggles but took advantage of France's horribleness to claim the second spot ahead of a South Africa team that showed much better than I expected.
Group B
What I predicted: 1. Argentina; 2. Nigeria; 3. Greece; 4. South Korea.
What happened: 1. Argentina; 2. South Korea; 3. Greece; 4. Nigeria.
What was I thinking?: OK, so I was half right. Argentina looked very, very good, and I'm enjoying watching Maradona look like he's having fun, the only coach in the entire tournament to not look like he's headed to his funeral. Argentina is a definite contender as it attacks from everywhere and defends well. I was wrong about Nigeria, which was not as good as I'd hoped. It's too bad things didn't come together better for the Eagles because this was an opportunity to take a step forward, and it didn't happen. Greece was every bit as unentertaining as I expected but what about South Korea? They just run teams into the ground, which is kinda fun to watch. They have more talent than I thought and just keep working, and there's obviously something to be said for that, so congrats, good to see them make up for the 2006 disappointment.
Group C
What I predicted: 1. England; 2. United States; 3. Algeria; 4. Slovenia
What happened: 1. United States; 2. England; 3. Slovenia; 4. Algeria
What was I thinking: Turned out to be a more balanced group than I expected, and how about those Americans? No, they didn't look great, but they were hard-working and clutch, and that was fun to watch. The match against Algeria will be the one that is remembered but the comeback against Slovenia was just as big. People may not quite fathom how impressive it is that the U.S. won its group, particularly a group that features England, but it's enormous. England squeaked in and wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be. It just goes to show how important it is to have a good keeper (how can England not have one top-flight keeper? Not one?). Slovenia was a solid side and maybe deserved to move forward. Maybe in four years. Algeria was Algeria, combative, not particularly good, not particularly bad, not good enough.
Group D
What I predicted: 1. Germany; 2. Serbia; 3. Australia; 4. Ghana
What happened: 1. Germany; 2. Ghana; 3. Australia; 4. Serbia
What was I thinking?: Germany was clearly the class of this group, and that was predictable from the start. The Germans are just a good, balanced team that has attacked well (Mesut Ozil is really good) and defends strong (though it can get caught out of position from time to time). As always, it's clearly a threat to go a long way. Serbia must be disappointed, though, after beating Germany only to finish last in the group. Some predicted Serbia could be the group winner so to finish in the basemen has to be quite a blow. But I'm glad I was wrong, because it wasn't that exciting a team. Australia I got right, but I'm surprised it recovered from the 4-0 shallacking it took from Germany in the opener. What happened there? The Australians have to be disappointed as well, after returning the bulk of the 2006 team that made it out of group play. I didn't buy into the Ghana hype but I was clearly wrong, as this is a fun, exciting team with great speed that attacks well. I thought this would be a disasterous tourney for Ghana but instead, it's the only African nation still alive, which is both a disappointment and says a lot for Ghana.
Group E
What I predicted: 1. Netherlands; 2. Cameroon; 3. Denmark; 4. Japan
What happened: 1. Netherlands; 2. Japan; 3. Denmark; 4. Cameroon
What was I thinking?: There was no way Netherlands wasn't going to win this group, and it was never seriously challenged. There's two reasons for that. First, this didn't turn out to be a very good group. Second, Netherlands is really good. As always, this side attacks and is dangerous on offense, but the midfield was stronger than I thought defensively. This is definitely a team to reckon with. Cameroon was a big disappointment, as I thought it would show much better but was in over its head. Denmark finished where I thought, almost getting through but not quite, and not doing a lot to make anyone outside of Denmark take notice. Japan is the real story, as I thought this would be a team that was out of its league but instead it simply outworked Japan and Cameroon and showed some real flashes of greatness on offense. This could turn out to be a dangerous team. With South Korea and Japan advancing while playing away from Asia, this could be a real breakthrough for that region.
Group F
What I predicted: 1. Italy; 2. Paraguay; 3. Slovakia; 4. New Zealand
What happened: 1. Paraguay; 2. Slovakia; 3. New Zealand; 4. Italy
What was I thinking?: From top to bottom, probably the most surprising group in the first round. There isn't a person out there - no you didn't, liar - that thought Italy fail to advance, much less finish last. Yes, this was an old team that probably wasn't going to win it all again, but this was still a strong team that was the clear group favorite. I mean, this was a weak group! So to finish last, wow, we're going to see some major changes for that side, and fast. Instead, Paraguay took advantage and just played well. Justo Villar was outstanding at keeper and the team just played steady and earned the group win. Slovakia, my new favorite team thanks to the Sounders, was the Cinderella story. This is its first World Cup appearance and early on looked over its head but just played steady and then pulled off the shocker against Italy. This team may not go any further but just wait four years. New Zealand, to me, was one of the real stories of the tournament. I thought this was by far. ...by far. ...the worst team in the entire tournament and probably wouldn't even score. I mean, this team only has a couple of really, truly pro soccer players, and I mean that literally. But they just kept tying, and that's great! Good for them. I hope this leads to some added interest in soccer for New Zealand.
Group G
What I predicted: 1. Brazil; 2. Portugal; 3. Ivory Coast; 4. North Korea
What happened: 1. Brazil; 2. Portugal; 3. Ivory Coast; 4. North Korea
What was I thinking?: The one group I got entirely correct. It wasn't that hard. It was clear Brazil would win the group, and it did. This team is dynamite. It defends, it attacks with its usual style, has an excellent keeper and plays with more confidence than any two teams combined. It's the clear favorite, sorry Spain. It was also obvious before the tourney, and even moreso during the tournament, that North Korea was the worst team in the Group of Death. This just wasn't a good team, and there's probably plenty of countries not in South Africa thinking, "What the heck?" So it came down to Portugal and Ivory Coast. Outside of embarrasing North Korea 7-0, Portugal wasn't that impressive, and took diving to a new level. I mean, they went down every time anyone even looked at them. Too bad, too, because there's obviously talent. Ivory Coast missed a fully-healthy Didier Drogba - though it was nice to see him out there, and he showed some real heart - and really, what it came down to is one team bullied the group weakling more than the other, so that team moved on.
Group H
What I predicted: 1. Spain; 2. Switzerland; 3. Chile; 4. Honduras
What happened: 1. Spain; 2. Chile; 3. Switzerland; 4. Honduras
What was I thinking?: The one prediction I'm really happy I got wrong. I thought that Chile's defense and youth would be exposed and while it would be close, it wouldn't quite make it through. I was wrong. The defense was outstanding for most of group play despite usually only having three guys in the back. It made up for it with some of the most impressive attacking in the field, led by Alexis Sanchez, and was one of the most impressive teams in the tournament, despite the loss to Spain. Speaking of Spain, what a shocker it opened up with. But talent won out eventually and there's no questioning this team's talent. But Switzerland did everyone else a favor by showing that Spain is beatable and can't just show up and be crowned. Do you realize how close we came to a Brazil-Spain Sweet 16 match? What a surprise that would have been. Switzerland got great play from its keeper but didn't have too much else, which is good news for the Sounders, who will get Blaise Nkufo sooner rather than later. Honduras had some supporters early on but just didn't have enough talent to keep up with the three other teams in the group.
So, 10 out of my 16 picks are moving on, which isn't that good of a percentage. But Chile and Slovakia are moving on and the United States actually won its group, so I'm not complaining. It should be a fun run to the end!
The group stage was shocking on a lot of fronts, most notably the incredible failures of France (I know, I know) and Italy. No one expected Spain to lose, but it did. People expected more from the African nations, but only one has moved on, which is too bad. And what about South America? Five teams qualify, five teams are still alive. That's really remarkable.
We've seen some thrilling games, a few great goals, some fabulous goalkeeping, and some really bad reffing.
All that is behind us now, though, as we move on to the most exciting part of the tournament. But, now's a good time to look back at my pre-tournament predictions and see how I did. ...it's not good. But I stand by what I write, so this is what I said, and what actually happened:
Group A
What I predicted: 1. France; 2. Uruguay; 3. Mexico; 4. South Africa
What happened: 1. Uruguay; 2. Mexico; 3. South Africa; 4. France
What was I thinking?: OK, I failed miserably here in picking France, but come on, did any of you really expect a failure of that magnitude? I mean, to the point where France wouldn't even practice? I know many of you thought I was nuts to pick them to go so far, and it turns out you were right, but I don't believe anyone quite expected that complete of a meltdown. So, yeah, France was a disaster. Uruguay, on the other hand, was not a disaster. It wasn't great, but it was good enough. It defended well, Diego Forlan was excellent and it showed that it's not a flashy team, but it's a pretty good one. Mexico had its struggles but took advantage of France's horribleness to claim the second spot ahead of a South Africa team that showed much better than I expected.
Group B
What I predicted: 1. Argentina; 2. Nigeria; 3. Greece; 4. South Korea.
What happened: 1. Argentina; 2. South Korea; 3. Greece; 4. Nigeria.
What was I thinking?: OK, so I was half right. Argentina looked very, very good, and I'm enjoying watching Maradona look like he's having fun, the only coach in the entire tournament to not look like he's headed to his funeral. Argentina is a definite contender as it attacks from everywhere and defends well. I was wrong about Nigeria, which was not as good as I'd hoped. It's too bad things didn't come together better for the Eagles because this was an opportunity to take a step forward, and it didn't happen. Greece was every bit as unentertaining as I expected but what about South Korea? They just run teams into the ground, which is kinda fun to watch. They have more talent than I thought and just keep working, and there's obviously something to be said for that, so congrats, good to see them make up for the 2006 disappointment.
Group C
What I predicted: 1. England; 2. United States; 3. Algeria; 4. Slovenia
What happened: 1. United States; 2. England; 3. Slovenia; 4. Algeria
What was I thinking: Turned out to be a more balanced group than I expected, and how about those Americans? No, they didn't look great, but they were hard-working and clutch, and that was fun to watch. The match against Algeria will be the one that is remembered but the comeback against Slovenia was just as big. People may not quite fathom how impressive it is that the U.S. won its group, particularly a group that features England, but it's enormous. England squeaked in and wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be. It just goes to show how important it is to have a good keeper (how can England not have one top-flight keeper? Not one?). Slovenia was a solid side and maybe deserved to move forward. Maybe in four years. Algeria was Algeria, combative, not particularly good, not particularly bad, not good enough.
Group D
What I predicted: 1. Germany; 2. Serbia; 3. Australia; 4. Ghana
What happened: 1. Germany; 2. Ghana; 3. Australia; 4. Serbia
What was I thinking?: Germany was clearly the class of this group, and that was predictable from the start. The Germans are just a good, balanced team that has attacked well (Mesut Ozil is really good) and defends strong (though it can get caught out of position from time to time). As always, it's clearly a threat to go a long way. Serbia must be disappointed, though, after beating Germany only to finish last in the group. Some predicted Serbia could be the group winner so to finish in the basemen has to be quite a blow. But I'm glad I was wrong, because it wasn't that exciting a team. Australia I got right, but I'm surprised it recovered from the 4-0 shallacking it took from Germany in the opener. What happened there? The Australians have to be disappointed as well, after returning the bulk of the 2006 team that made it out of group play. I didn't buy into the Ghana hype but I was clearly wrong, as this is a fun, exciting team with great speed that attacks well. I thought this would be a disasterous tourney for Ghana but instead, it's the only African nation still alive, which is both a disappointment and says a lot for Ghana.
Group E
What I predicted: 1. Netherlands; 2. Cameroon; 3. Denmark; 4. Japan
What happened: 1. Netherlands; 2. Japan; 3. Denmark; 4. Cameroon
What was I thinking?: There was no way Netherlands wasn't going to win this group, and it was never seriously challenged. There's two reasons for that. First, this didn't turn out to be a very good group. Second, Netherlands is really good. As always, this side attacks and is dangerous on offense, but the midfield was stronger than I thought defensively. This is definitely a team to reckon with. Cameroon was a big disappointment, as I thought it would show much better but was in over its head. Denmark finished where I thought, almost getting through but not quite, and not doing a lot to make anyone outside of Denmark take notice. Japan is the real story, as I thought this would be a team that was out of its league but instead it simply outworked Japan and Cameroon and showed some real flashes of greatness on offense. This could turn out to be a dangerous team. With South Korea and Japan advancing while playing away from Asia, this could be a real breakthrough for that region.
Group F
What I predicted: 1. Italy; 2. Paraguay; 3. Slovakia; 4. New Zealand
What happened: 1. Paraguay; 2. Slovakia; 3. New Zealand; 4. Italy
What was I thinking?: From top to bottom, probably the most surprising group in the first round. There isn't a person out there - no you didn't, liar - that thought Italy fail to advance, much less finish last. Yes, this was an old team that probably wasn't going to win it all again, but this was still a strong team that was the clear group favorite. I mean, this was a weak group! So to finish last, wow, we're going to see some major changes for that side, and fast. Instead, Paraguay took advantage and just played well. Justo Villar was outstanding at keeper and the team just played steady and earned the group win. Slovakia, my new favorite team thanks to the Sounders, was the Cinderella story. This is its first World Cup appearance and early on looked over its head but just played steady and then pulled off the shocker against Italy. This team may not go any further but just wait four years. New Zealand, to me, was one of the real stories of the tournament. I thought this was by far. ...by far. ...the worst team in the entire tournament and probably wouldn't even score. I mean, this team only has a couple of really, truly pro soccer players, and I mean that literally. But they just kept tying, and that's great! Good for them. I hope this leads to some added interest in soccer for New Zealand.
Group G
What I predicted: 1. Brazil; 2. Portugal; 3. Ivory Coast; 4. North Korea
What happened: 1. Brazil; 2. Portugal; 3. Ivory Coast; 4. North Korea
What was I thinking?: The one group I got entirely correct. It wasn't that hard. It was clear Brazil would win the group, and it did. This team is dynamite. It defends, it attacks with its usual style, has an excellent keeper and plays with more confidence than any two teams combined. It's the clear favorite, sorry Spain. It was also obvious before the tourney, and even moreso during the tournament, that North Korea was the worst team in the Group of Death. This just wasn't a good team, and there's probably plenty of countries not in South Africa thinking, "What the heck?" So it came down to Portugal and Ivory Coast. Outside of embarrasing North Korea 7-0, Portugal wasn't that impressive, and took diving to a new level. I mean, they went down every time anyone even looked at them. Too bad, too, because there's obviously talent. Ivory Coast missed a fully-healthy Didier Drogba - though it was nice to see him out there, and he showed some real heart - and really, what it came down to is one team bullied the group weakling more than the other, so that team moved on.
Group H
What I predicted: 1. Spain; 2. Switzerland; 3. Chile; 4. Honduras
What happened: 1. Spain; 2. Chile; 3. Switzerland; 4. Honduras
What was I thinking?: The one prediction I'm really happy I got wrong. I thought that Chile's defense and youth would be exposed and while it would be close, it wouldn't quite make it through. I was wrong. The defense was outstanding for most of group play despite usually only having three guys in the back. It made up for it with some of the most impressive attacking in the field, led by Alexis Sanchez, and was one of the most impressive teams in the tournament, despite the loss to Spain. Speaking of Spain, what a shocker it opened up with. But talent won out eventually and there's no questioning this team's talent. But Switzerland did everyone else a favor by showing that Spain is beatable and can't just show up and be crowned. Do you realize how close we came to a Brazil-Spain Sweet 16 match? What a surprise that would have been. Switzerland got great play from its keeper but didn't have too much else, which is good news for the Sounders, who will get Blaise Nkufo sooner rather than later. Honduras had some supporters early on but just didn't have enough talent to keep up with the three other teams in the group.
So, 10 out of my 16 picks are moving on, which isn't that good of a percentage. But Chile and Slovakia are moving on and the United States actually won its group, so I'm not complaining. It should be a fun run to the end!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Who's Redder?
Fans of attacking soccer should have a treat today. First we've got Portugal-Brazil, with Portugal coming off a 7-goal performance against North Korea, and Brazil. ...being Brazil.
But the one I really care about - and the one with more at stake - comes at 11:30 when Chile plays Spain in what could be the most entertaining match of the first round. Chile has been one of the most impressive teams of the first round, leading Group H after a pair of 1-0 wins and in position to be the surprising group winner. Spain, the pre-tournament co-favorite, recovered from a shocking loss to Switzerland in the opening match to beat Honduras. Spain and Switzerland are tied, so it's possible that the team considered the best in the world coming into the tournament might not even make it out of group play. Italy. France. Spain? Can you imagine?
The game will feature two of the top offensive teams in the tournament. Chile,which can win the group with a tie but is not likely to play for one, has been on non-stop attack since the plane set down in South Africa a few weeks ago. Spain has some of the top offensive players in the world. What more could you ask for?
Chile will be at a disadvantage as midfielders Carlos Carmona and Mattias Fernandez are both out on yellow-card suspensions, not a good thing against a Spanish team with some of the top midfielders in the world, including Andres Iniesta, who missed the Honduras game with injury.
Two keys for Chile:
1. Can the three-man defensive line continue to hold up against a team as good as Spain? Chile's defense has been surprisingly solid, recovering quickly on counterattacks and somehow preventing even a single goal despite always being left without a lot of midfield help. But Spain is a lot better than Switzerland and Honduras, so we'll see if coach Marcello Bielsa adds a defensive midfielder to the mix.
2. Can Humberto Suazo, the team's top scorer and the leading goal scorer in South American qualifying, be a factor? Suazo missed Chile's first game while recovering from injury and was off his game completely against Switzerland, being subbed out early in the second half. Chile needs Suazo to be a threat in this game and beyond to make a serious run.
So, what happens? Both teams are desperate for points. Spain needs three, Chile one. I think Spain comes out strong and Fernando Torres scores on a counterattack early on. Chile answers close to halftime and the teams end the half tied.
Chile comes out strong in the second half and takes a lead on a goal by Alexis Sanchez, who so far may be the player of the tournament. It looks good for Chile, but in the last minutes, Spain breaks through with a goal and the game ends in a 2-2 tie. Luckily for Spain, Switzerland is upset by Honduras and both of the Red teams move on.
But the one I really care about - and the one with more at stake - comes at 11:30 when Chile plays Spain in what could be the most entertaining match of the first round. Chile has been one of the most impressive teams of the first round, leading Group H after a pair of 1-0 wins and in position to be the surprising group winner. Spain, the pre-tournament co-favorite, recovered from a shocking loss to Switzerland in the opening match to beat Honduras. Spain and Switzerland are tied, so it's possible that the team considered the best in the world coming into the tournament might not even make it out of group play. Italy. France. Spain? Can you imagine?
The game will feature two of the top offensive teams in the tournament. Chile,which can win the group with a tie but is not likely to play for one, has been on non-stop attack since the plane set down in South Africa a few weeks ago. Spain has some of the top offensive players in the world. What more could you ask for?
Chile will be at a disadvantage as midfielders Carlos Carmona and Mattias Fernandez are both out on yellow-card suspensions, not a good thing against a Spanish team with some of the top midfielders in the world, including Andres Iniesta, who missed the Honduras game with injury.
Two keys for Chile:
1. Can the three-man defensive line continue to hold up against a team as good as Spain? Chile's defense has been surprisingly solid, recovering quickly on counterattacks and somehow preventing even a single goal despite always being left without a lot of midfield help. But Spain is a lot better than Switzerland and Honduras, so we'll see if coach Marcello Bielsa adds a defensive midfielder to the mix.
2. Can Humberto Suazo, the team's top scorer and the leading goal scorer in South American qualifying, be a factor? Suazo missed Chile's first game while recovering from injury and was off his game completely against Switzerland, being subbed out early in the second half. Chile needs Suazo to be a threat in this game and beyond to make a serious run.
So, what happens? Both teams are desperate for points. Spain needs three, Chile one. I think Spain comes out strong and Fernando Torres scores on a counterattack early on. Chile answers close to halftime and the teams end the half tied.
Chile comes out strong in the second half and takes a lead on a goal by Alexis Sanchez, who so far may be the player of the tournament. It looks good for Chile, but in the last minutes, Spain breaks through with a goal and the game ends in a 2-2 tie. Luckily for Spain, Switzerland is upset by Honduras and both of the Red teams move on.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A Fun End to a Fun Day
Wednesday was one of those days that was just, well, about perfect.
In the morning, I watched one of the real transcending sporting events of my life when the United States won 1-0 in a World Cup match that could not have been more thrilling. The only thing that would have made it better was if I was with other people watching it. Unbelievable.
Satchel woke up in a great mood and we got together with my friends Chris Beatty and Jeff Carpenter, and Chris' kids. Satch had a great time playing with his friends and Chris and I had fun catching up with Jeff, who I don't think we've seen since we graduated from high school, 17 years ago. It was good to catch up.
The day was beautiful, warm, sunny, almost like summer was actually here in Seattle. What a concept!
We came home and later in the day, Jess, my Uncle Bob, Satchel, my dad and I played out in the yard. Satchel is big on soccer, and so that's what we did. We played "as a team," as Satchel said, and had so much fun. Satchel really perfected his diving, constantly needing to be carried off the field. I don't know where he got that from, but it's impressive.
But really made the night great was how it ended. Jess, Bob, my mom and I sat on the couch until midnight as my mom and Bob talked about what it was like for them growing up.
My mom grew up in a tiny village in upstate New York named Port Henry. My grandmother and grandfather had eight kids. My mom is No. 3, Bob is the baby (though he's 45 now). He, my uncle Bill and my aunt DeeDee came here last week for my brother's wedding, which was great. It was so fun to see them.
I know a lot about how my mom grew up, but not as much as I'd like, or should. Which is why I love my wife so much (well, one of the million reasons). I'm a journalist, but when it comes to asking questions to my family, I suck. Not Jess. She wants to know. I've learned so much more about my family since I married Jessica than I ever did before.
And so it was so great to listen to my mom talk about how they spent their summers, how my grandparents handled having eight kids in a tiny village where there isn't much to do. It was just great to hear my mom remember things, remember how, while they didn't have much, it was great growing up there. Hearing her talk about fights they had, neighbors they had, places they went. It's a bit hard to describe, but it just allows me to know my mom and that part of my family better, and that's so valuable. I've had similar experiences with my dad - again, thanks to Jess - and that has been just as fun and valuable.
Anyway, it wasn't anything big, but it was the perfect way to end such a great day. Simple, free and fun. What more do you need?
In the morning, I watched one of the real transcending sporting events of my life when the United States won 1-0 in a World Cup match that could not have been more thrilling. The only thing that would have made it better was if I was with other people watching it. Unbelievable.
Satchel woke up in a great mood and we got together with my friends Chris Beatty and Jeff Carpenter, and Chris' kids. Satch had a great time playing with his friends and Chris and I had fun catching up with Jeff, who I don't think we've seen since we graduated from high school, 17 years ago. It was good to catch up.
The day was beautiful, warm, sunny, almost like summer was actually here in Seattle. What a concept!
We came home and later in the day, Jess, my Uncle Bob, Satchel, my dad and I played out in the yard. Satchel is big on soccer, and so that's what we did. We played "as a team," as Satchel said, and had so much fun. Satchel really perfected his diving, constantly needing to be carried off the field. I don't know where he got that from, but it's impressive.
But really made the night great was how it ended. Jess, Bob, my mom and I sat on the couch until midnight as my mom and Bob talked about what it was like for them growing up.
My mom grew up in a tiny village in upstate New York named Port Henry. My grandmother and grandfather had eight kids. My mom is No. 3, Bob is the baby (though he's 45 now). He, my uncle Bill and my aunt DeeDee came here last week for my brother's wedding, which was great. It was so fun to see them.
I know a lot about how my mom grew up, but not as much as I'd like, or should. Which is why I love my wife so much (well, one of the million reasons). I'm a journalist, but when it comes to asking questions to my family, I suck. Not Jess. She wants to know. I've learned so much more about my family since I married Jessica than I ever did before.
And so it was so great to listen to my mom talk about how they spent their summers, how my grandparents handled having eight kids in a tiny village where there isn't much to do. It was just great to hear my mom remember things, remember how, while they didn't have much, it was great growing up there. Hearing her talk about fights they had, neighbors they had, places they went. It's a bit hard to describe, but it just allows me to know my mom and that part of my family better, and that's so valuable. I've had similar experiences with my dad - again, thanks to Jess - and that has been just as fun and valuable.
Anyway, it wasn't anything big, but it was the perfect way to end such a great day. Simple, free and fun. What more do you need?
A Day Later
OK, I've come down slightly from my high. A little. Kind of. But each time they show highlights of Wednesday's stunning United States 1-0 World Cup victory over Algeria, I get chills again. And I love it!
Here's the scene: I'm watching the game at home, by myself, dying. I'm convinced that the U.S. is not destined to win. I mean, how many shots did they miss? It was a glass-half-empty kind of experience. If they can't make that one, what are they going to make? And another blown call by the ref? It's just not going to happen.
And then it did!
The throws by Tim Howard were incredible. I don't know if people noticed that, but he was throwing the ball so far and so accurately that the Seahawks should think about making an offer. The game, the win, was all about effort, and that is so cool. It's not just that the United States was more talented than Algeria - though it was. What was so great about it for me, was the effort it played with. It didn't play with the laid-back cool that we often seen in our athletes. It played with the desperation that is really going on inside them. And they were rewarded.
The goal wasn't a thing of beauty, except in what it meant. It was about a great throw, leading to a great, all-effort charge ahead by Jozy Altidore, to a great, all-effort finish by Landon Donovan. They didn't let up until they got what they needed. How cool is that?
So Algeria shoots and Tim Howard makes the save. I gasp. They might tie, they might not move on, but at least don't lose! And then another spectacular throw by Howard. I'm watching, transfixed, unable to breathe, keeping one eye on the clock, one on the play. Altidore just keeps going, getting where he had to be.
A large part of me is protecting myself by not actually believing they'll score. A small part of me is believing. The cross gets through! To Dempsey! But of course, the shot is blocked. ...but it's still alive. And here comes a white shirt!
Oh. My.God!!!!!!
But here's the problem. Satchel is still asleep. Yes, I know it's almost 10, but he was still sleeping! So I scream!!!!!!! But in my library voice, as not to wake him. I look around for someone to hug. I've got nothing! What do I do?!!!! I pound my legs, pump my fists, continue to scream internally. Aaaaaahhhhh! I need to yell!!!!! But I don't (I'm such a good father). Never have I wanted to be around people more.
I've seen a million sporting events. Being a sports writer can make you somewhat indifferent, as you feel like you see the same thing over and over. But sometimes, they get to you. They remind you why you care about sports. This was one of those moments. Tears began to well in my eyes. My heart was racing. It was an emotional experience that I completely snuck up on me. And I loved that too!
It was one of the great sporting events I've ever seen, right up there with the 1995 Mariners playoff run in terms of emotion for me. I don't know how else to describe it but incredible.
The United States might not win another game. Chile may bow out of the World Cup soon. There may be other bad referee calls. Players will continue to dive, those horns will continue to ring in my ears. It doesn't matter. This one moment made the entire World Cup perfect, and nothing is going to change that.
Here's the scene: I'm watching the game at home, by myself, dying. I'm convinced that the U.S. is not destined to win. I mean, how many shots did they miss? It was a glass-half-empty kind of experience. If they can't make that one, what are they going to make? And another blown call by the ref? It's just not going to happen.
And then it did!
The throws by Tim Howard were incredible. I don't know if people noticed that, but he was throwing the ball so far and so accurately that the Seahawks should think about making an offer. The game, the win, was all about effort, and that is so cool. It's not just that the United States was more talented than Algeria - though it was. What was so great about it for me, was the effort it played with. It didn't play with the laid-back cool that we often seen in our athletes. It played with the desperation that is really going on inside them. And they were rewarded.
The goal wasn't a thing of beauty, except in what it meant. It was about a great throw, leading to a great, all-effort charge ahead by Jozy Altidore, to a great, all-effort finish by Landon Donovan. They didn't let up until they got what they needed. How cool is that?
So Algeria shoots and Tim Howard makes the save. I gasp. They might tie, they might not move on, but at least don't lose! And then another spectacular throw by Howard. I'm watching, transfixed, unable to breathe, keeping one eye on the clock, one on the play. Altidore just keeps going, getting where he had to be.
A large part of me is protecting myself by not actually believing they'll score. A small part of me is believing. The cross gets through! To Dempsey! But of course, the shot is blocked. ...but it's still alive. And here comes a white shirt!
Oh. My.God!!!!!!
But here's the problem. Satchel is still asleep. Yes, I know it's almost 10, but he was still sleeping! So I scream!!!!!!! But in my library voice, as not to wake him. I look around for someone to hug. I've got nothing! What do I do?!!!! I pound my legs, pump my fists, continue to scream internally. Aaaaaahhhhh! I need to yell!!!!! But I don't (I'm such a good father). Never have I wanted to be around people more.
I've seen a million sporting events. Being a sports writer can make you somewhat indifferent, as you feel like you see the same thing over and over. But sometimes, they get to you. They remind you why you care about sports. This was one of those moments. Tears began to well in my eyes. My heart was racing. It was an emotional experience that I completely snuck up on me. And I loved that too!
It was one of the great sporting events I've ever seen, right up there with the 1995 Mariners playoff run in terms of emotion for me. I don't know how else to describe it but incredible.
The United States might not win another game. Chile may bow out of the World Cup soon. There may be other bad referee calls. Players will continue to dive, those horns will continue to ring in my ears. It doesn't matter. This one moment made the entire World Cup perfect, and nothing is going to change that.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Can They Do It?
Remember about 10 years ago when the United States introduced Project 2010, which was geared toward the Americans winning the 2010 World Cup? Seemedd of ambitious at the time, and it turns out, it was. The United States probably isn't going to win the World Cup this year.
But, that doesn't mean it can't be a successful tournament. But only if the U.S. beats Algeria today (right now, in fact!). A win and the Americans move on to the knockout stage. A loss, and they're probably out. And they can't afford that.
Not after failing miserably in 2006, not getting out of group play and losing most of the momentum they'd built up with a solid 2002 tournament.
After a solid tie against England and a disappointing but well-fought tie with Slovenia, the United States are in position to move on to the next round, and even surprisingly win Group C. That would be a big step for U.S. soccer.
So, can the United States win today? Of course, and they should.
Coach Bob Bradley made some surprising moves today, most notably leaving out Oguchi Onyewu, who has struggled at center defense coming back from injury. A huge key will be the play of Herculez Gomez at forward alongside Jozy Altidore. The U.S. needs Gomez to be a threat.
The United States has to come out strong, something it has yet to do. They have to attack from the start and put Algeria on its heels. Algeria is not a strong attacking team and the United States have to prevent them from having any easy chances. The U.S. marking in back hasn't been great and teams have gotten too many easy looks. Nothing can come easy for Algeria. That means strong marking on set pieces and preventing counterattacks.
Mostly, the United States have top play like the favorites. They have to be confident, strong, attacking and set that tone from the start. Game's on! Let's see if they can do it.
But, that doesn't mean it can't be a successful tournament. But only if the U.S. beats Algeria today (right now, in fact!). A win and the Americans move on to the knockout stage. A loss, and they're probably out. And they can't afford that.
Not after failing miserably in 2006, not getting out of group play and losing most of the momentum they'd built up with a solid 2002 tournament.
After a solid tie against England and a disappointing but well-fought tie with Slovenia, the United States are in position to move on to the next round, and even surprisingly win Group C. That would be a big step for U.S. soccer.
So, can the United States win today? Of course, and they should.
Coach Bob Bradley made some surprising moves today, most notably leaving out Oguchi Onyewu, who has struggled at center defense coming back from injury. A huge key will be the play of Herculez Gomez at forward alongside Jozy Altidore. The U.S. needs Gomez to be a threat.
The United States has to come out strong, something it has yet to do. They have to attack from the start and put Algeria on its heels. Algeria is not a strong attacking team and the United States have to prevent them from having any easy chances. The U.S. marking in back hasn't been great and teams have gotten too many easy looks. Nothing can come easy for Algeria. That means strong marking on set pieces and preventing counterattacks.
Mostly, the United States have top play like the favorites. They have to be confident, strong, attacking and set that tone from the start. Game's on! Let's see if they can do it.
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