Fixing Basketball

March Madness, and the conference tournaments leading up to it, is among my favorite times of the year. Yet somehow, I can't bring myself to be even remotely interested in the NBA. I've been thinking a lot about that,... perhaps because Kobe Bryant's retirement has been everywhere, or maybe because we're coming off an amazing run of tournament basketball that had a surprising run by Syracuse, and an unbelievable final few seconds.

So, what's lacking? What can change to get me interested in the NBA. Oddly, my attempt to play basketball czar and cure some of what ails the NBA ended up with a laundry list of things I'd like the NCAA to do better:

• Regarding the NBA draft, I'm going to change things up and borrow from the MLB's approach. If you're a HS senior, you can be drafted. If you go to college, you have to be there for 3 years before you're eligible to be drafted again. I'm not the first to suggest this (in fact, the recent Jonah Keri Podcast with Jonathan Abrams mentioned something like this), but when you think about it, this makes sense. Basketball isn't rocket science, but there is a very real physical component to the game. Very few 19 year olds come into the league ready to battle, and I think a couple years in school getting ready will make it so rookies can contribute far more effectively.
• This has an added benefit of improving continuity of teams in the NCAA. It puts out a better product for fans, lengthens the playbook for coaches, and is a win all around.
• That said, I'm absolutely going to change the way the transfer rules work. Simply put, if a player goes to play for a coach at a school,and the coach leaves, that player can leave and play at any school without sitting a year (except the school the coach goes to). Borrowing from Gregg Easterbook, I don't think players should be penalized if they're left behind by a coach who was unwilling to fulfill his promise.
• Going outside the box a little bit... I'm going to blow up the way we approach the Olympics and World Championships.... I'm sending the college team that just won a championship. Pack your bags Villanova, you're going to Brazil. Look, I know there would be some logistics to work out, especially having to do with allowing the team to practice more often (I'm sure the NCAA rule book would need to be broken for this). But how cool an opportunity would this be? For NBA players, if you're a player from another country who wants to play for the homeland, that's OK, you're allowed. But in terms of the team representing the US? I'm sending the college kids. **A quick note or two: Guys who are graduating seniors are 100% going to the Olympics. I want to send the players that just won a championship. Also, for a guy would drafted between the end of college season and the Olympics, he's going too. Finally, each player that goes should get a big insurance policy, in case an injury derails their career.
• I want to break up the mega conferences. I know that they're good for getting TV deals, but these 18 team conferences limit the annual home and home series between teams, and quash rivalries. I'm not a fan. Also, anyone who knows me will understand the next one... each conference should have a streaming TV package available.
• I don't know how, but I want to create a mechanism that keeps great coaches at second tier programs in place. Shaka Smart should have been a VCU Lifer, just like Coach L should have been able to build the program he wanted to build at George Mason. I don't know what it is, but if I'm basketball czar, presumably one of the smart people who work for me has a good idea.
• I'm absolutely giving the college basketball world a new way to kick off the non conference schedule. After a tune up game or two, I'm hosting regional tournaments (and playing them tournament style, with one team winning it). I may be borrowing a little bit from the Bean Pot, but that's OK. In the DC Area, this means Georgetown, Maryland, Mason and GW in a tournament (call it the President's cup). In the Mid-West, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Louisville and Kentucky are kicking off the season by going head to head. The Philadelphia Big 5 are getting together for a donnybrook. In Boston, UMass, URI, Providence and BC can get together. Etc. And I'm making this weekend of tournaments the real kick off to the NCAA season.
• I'm undoing the decision to break up the Big East. Welcome home Syracuse... welcome home.

Turning to the pros, only one other thing came to mind:

• I've written about how MLB seems to have forgotten that All Star games should be fun. For the NBA, I'm going to change the format of the All Star game, making it mixed. The new rule would be each team is made up of NBA and WNBA all stars, and coaches need to have 2 women on the floor at all times.

What do you think? Good ideas? Not so much? Hit me in the comments.

Red Sox Notes- Sandoval, Buchholz and Adam Jones

We're around 5% of the way through the season, so it seems like a perfect time to offer an arm chair critique of the Red Sox.

Nope... still too early.

That said, there are a few things we've learned from the team so far.

• This Panda signing is looking awful. In one of those things that seems almost unbelievable, the guy's belt exploded during an AB, because... of course it did. This guy is snake bitten in Boston thus far, and this incident gives the Boo Birds more ammo on which to feast. The Sox made the smart move, putting him on the DL with a bruised ego shoulder issue. I hope he gets out of town, spends a little time with friends and family and finds his sense of humor. The Boston media can be brutal (same with the fan base), and while some of this seems self-inflicted, I can't remember a guy who had a more brutal start to a season.
• Speaking of birds, I really like the way Adam Jones stood up for a teammate who was booed by fans on opening day. It's all speculation, but I wonder if someone standing up for Panda might help the guy out.
• The idea of Sandoval is getting released is crazy. It just can't happen as we're 1 year and 8 games through a 5 year deal.... can it?
• Maybe Clay Buchholz isn't an ace, but that might be OK.... Curt Schilling gave an interview (of course he did) where he said maybe we need to adjust our expectations on what the greasy-haired SP brings each time he takes the mound. Look, Buchholz seems like one of those guys who is never fully healthy, but who's good when he is. The question for the Sox should be, how do we handle that? Can we move his starts around to maximize rest and keep him upright, and do so without messing up everyone else's routine?
• It feels a lot like Stephen Wright could end up being this team's 2nd or 3rd best starter this year (assuming Rodriguez comes back healthy and picks up where he left off, and barring a trade). I love Stephen Wright, but I'm not sure that's a recipe for a post season birth.

Boston Game 1 is in the books

In the home opener at Fenway, the Red Sox $200 million pitcher gave up 5 runs in 5 innings; the closer Boston gave up a TON of prospects for gave up a 3R HR and took a loss; and David Ortiz, the hometown hero in his final Fenway Opening Day ground into a double play with men on base and a chance at a walk off.

I'm guessing that's not exactly how they drew it up in the off season.

Obviously, I'm kidding. It's only one game.

Hope tomorrow is a better day for the hometown team.

Opening day predictions

Given the start of the season today, seems like as good a time as any to make some predictions:

In the NL, Nationals, Cubs and Giants will win their divisions, while the Mets and Pirates earn the wild cards.

In the AL, Red Sox, White Sox and Astros win their divisions, while the Orioles and Indians earn the wild cards.

Some individual awards:

• AL MVP- Chris Davis
• NL MVP- Andrew McCutchen
• AL Cy Young- Marcus Stroman
• NL Cy Young- Noah Syndergaard
• AL ROY- Blake Snell
• NL ROY- Trea Turner (he'll make me regret the day I traded him in Strat-O-Matic)

Play ball!

Four moves I liked

With MLB's opening day coming this weekend, it seemed like a good time to point out a few off season moves that left me impressed. If you're a regular reader, you're aware that I don't love the free agent mega contracts... I'm a believer in building from within, and then augmenting with smart, lower cost and lower risk signings.

As such, here are a few that caught my eye this year.

• Mat Latos- Whitesox- The Hardball Times pointed out that no one is as good at keeping players healthy as the White Sox. Latos is a guy who, when healthy, can be dominant. This is a match made in heaven. I'm anticipating a terrific season from Latos, and the Whitesox to make a bunch of noise in the AL central.
• Garin Cecchini- Brewers- The Brewers picked up a guy who's been a terrific hitter throughout his minor league career, and whose struggles seemed to coincide with a switch in positions. He's been high up on all of the prospect lists (BA, BP, Etc). I acknowledge this guy is a bit of a personal cheese-ball (H/T John Manual for the verbiage), but I think he's going to end up being a year, year good player for the Brewers for the next few years. And it kills me that the Red Sox, a team that just benched their $90 million 3rd baseman, dropped this guy in the off season. Anyone want to give odds on who ends the year with better numbers: Shaw or Cecchini?
• A little off the beaten path for me, but was the rest of the league sleeping when the Dodgers signed Kenta Maeda? $3 million per year, with more if the guy pitches well? It's an absolutely ideal contract for the Dodgers, who, at the very worst case scenario, spent 1.5% of their budget on a long reliever?
• John Jaso- Pirates Two years and $8 million for the strong half of a platoon? Add in the fact that he, based on how many catcher have made this transition, will likely be an above average defender (my personal theory is that guys who spent the better art of their career picking pitches out of the dirt will easily transition to digging out throw from other IF's... so while his range may not be great, he'll make the rest of the infield better), and this is a great signing.
• Bonus pick: Toronto has a history of taking struggling power hitters and turning them into monsters. Could Dominic Brown be the next one?
• Amateur signing:Eddy Julio Martinez - Cubs- It's not an inexpensive signing, but this is a guy who's regularly comped to Andruw Jones. I know the Cubs brought back Dexter Fowler, but the idea that Martinez and Solar could become part of a young, dynamic outfield together (throw in Schwarber, and is there another OF you'd rather have for the next 6-8 years?). This was a terrific signing for Theo and Co.

I'm no GM, but

If I had a spot at the MLB winter meetings, there are a few players I'd be looking to add:

• Henderson Alvarez- Yes, the shoulder injury is scary, but this guy knows how to pitch. I'd be pitching a one year deal with a team option for a second year. Something like a $2.5 million first year, $8.5 million team option. Get him into the system, let him work his way back, and see if you can pick up a potential Ace on the cheap.
• Other names I'm keeping an eye on are Mat Latos and Justin Masterson, the former more than the latter.
• Garin Cecchini screams "post-hype sleeper" to me, and I'd be doing everything I could to get him onto my roster, deciding if he fits better at 3b or 1b (I see a more athletic Scott Hatteburg type here), telling him to get ready, and letting him compete for a roster spot out of spring training.
• Eric Stamets would be the top of my rule 5 draft board. He's a terrific defensive middle infielder, who can do a little pinch running. Whoever picks him up won't be disappointed.

Some other baseball thoughts:

• The Red Sox signed David Price to a HUGE contract. I'm sure they know what they're doing, and I'll happily root for the laundry on this one. But boy, if it were my money, I'd have split the cost in half and tried to pick up both Mike Leake and Wei-Yin Chen. I don't think Boston is one strong pitcher away from being a playoff team. I hope I'm wrong.
• I don't love the trend of athletes announcing retirement early or during a season. David Ortiz and Kobe Bryant (man, the Red Sox fan in me hates putting those two in the same group for anything), have both turn their last season into farewell tours of sorts, and while the Lakers don't exactly have anything to play for, the Sox signing of Price makes it look like they're panning to compete this year. Why build in a distraction to start the season?
• Also, David Ortiz is the most ferocious hitter I've ever seen in the batter's box. Thanks for all the memories David. You literally changed the outlook on life for millions of Red Sox fans.
• Fangraphs said it best about the Shark signing: Giants invest in Jeff Samardzija, Dave Righetti. I know that Rick Peterson is somewhat famous (infamous?) for talking about how quickly he'd be able to "fix" Victor Zambrano, but it's awesome to see an organization put tons of faith in a coach who's rewarded them over and over again.
• I think Orioles fans will be disappointed with the offseason as the team heads into spring training, but Dan Duquette is a smart GM who regularly finds under-the-radar talent. Don't be surprised to see the O's lose Chris Davis and Wei-Yin Chen, picking up a couple of draft picks to go along with a few quiet signings, and somehow ending up in the tick of things again next year.
• It may be Duquette's parting gift, after the way Peter Angelos has kept him from seeking promotions this offseason. Duquette deserves better, and hopefully can find a new role next year.

Recapping Mason vs Manhattan

Before Thanksgiving, I went to the George Mason vs Manhattan game. While I'm no expert, here are some takeaways and impressions I got from the game, offered in a good, bad, ugly sort of way.

The good

• This is not Paul Hewitt's Mason team. They played defense, they rebounded, and for the most part, there was a general sense of purpose in what was happening on the court. In Dave We Trust.
• Marko Gujanicic = Luke Walton- Marko played a fantastic game. In the first half, he'd hit 3's, grabbed boards, made terrific passes, and looked like he was one his way to a sneaky triple-double (he ended with 14 point, 10 boards, and 4 assists)
• Not quite Mason-related, but there is something nice about the gym the game was played in. I know this won't sound like a compliment, but there was a weird nostalgia for seeing a game played in a venue that felt like a high school gym (and had a crowd size to match). Later this year, I'll catch the Patriots in the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, which is a palace. This was far more intimate.

The bad

• It's tough not to compare Wednesday night's offense to the version that showed up against UVA, and find last the more recent approach lacking. Against Virginia (a game I caught on TV), it seemed, especially in the first half, as if there was a ton of motion. On Wednesday, the offense was far more stagnant, running mostly a high low set in which Gujanicic would set up at the foul line, flash up to a point now and then, or get the ball and try to dump it in to Shevon Thompson. In general, there was a huge number of ugly possessions, with guys standing around waiting for someone else to play hero ball. It wasn't what I expected, based on the UVA game.
• The depth on this team is going to be a challenge for the entire season, based solely on the fact that there's very little of it. I think Mason played 8 guys in the game, but DeAndre Abram and Danny Dixon only played for a few minute a piece, cutting the rotation down to really, 6 players. Holloway's suspension, and Isiah Jackson's transfer were both apparent in their impact. (note: Looking at the box score, I missed that Kameron Murell played 7 minutes... Mason played 9 guys in this one, but the point still stands)
• The depth thing go me thinking. I wonder if there are times when Coach Paulsen wants to press, push the tempo, or incorporate more motion into the offense, but literally doesn't have the ability to give his guys a breather after doing so.
• Shevon still really struggles with the double team.

The ugly

• They were up by as much as 16 and lost the game. (this deserves its own bullet point)
• Early in the 2nd half, Manhattan went to a trapping defense, and it seemed like none of Mason's players had ever seen a full court press. Ever. Not in video sessions, video games, high school or anywhere. Mason's 3 guards were generally flummoxed. You can argue the Freshman deserved a possession or 2 to figure it out, but neither Moore nor Gujanicic were helping much either. This is what turned the game around for Manhattan, and in my mind, why Mason took a long ride back to Fairfax.

For the first half, Mason played OK, and the score was more lopsided than the actual game was. There were times in this game (especially early), when it almost felt like watching a big brother play against a little brother. The older guy scores when he needs to, plays defense on occasion, and as soon as the younger kid scores a couple in a row, then takes interest and exerts energy to keep his distance. Unfortunately, by late in the 2nd half, it was like the Big Brother's overconfidence caught up, and when shots stopped falling (both due to Little Brother's defense and some odd decisions by Mason), the end felt inevitable.

That said, this game was a dramatic improvement from the Paul Hewitt days. There was a sense of purpose in the rotation; Mason's best players played the most minutes (a stunning difference from a year ago).

There's a theory in baseball that gets thrown around here and there regarding roster construction, that the easiest improvement to make is going from "awful" to "league average." Applied to this team, there are a couple of gaping holes (Mason's ability to beat the press, entry passes to Shevon, Shevon beating double coverage), but if the team can clean those things up and gets a boost from Holloway when he returns, it's not hard to imagine these guys being middle of the pack in the A-10, and making some noise in Brooklyn.

Given the holiday yesterday, that's the type of outcome Mason fans can be thankful for.