Sports

More Surprising: Andres Torres, or Jose Bautista?

HOWARD MEGDAL: While I couldn’t say that I saw Jose Bautista’s 2010 season coming, it seems to me that the more surprising breakout offensively has to be that of Andres Torres over the past two years.

CHRIS PUMMER: Torres’ breakout has been less surprising to me because when his minor league output is taken into consideration, his recent major league success seems like less of an anomaly.

The Dan Haren Trade

JASON CLINKSCALES: While this isn’t exactly Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown and others, this Dan Haren trade has quite a few baseball people upset. It’s understandable when you consider that Haren is a strikeout machine; a somewhat rare thing, even in this resurgent year for pitchers. However, it’s hard to say that this deal will immediately give the will-always-be Anaheim Angels the last piece of the puzzle to grab the Wild Card.

JESSICA BADER: Even with Dan Haren, the Angels most likely will be watching the playoffs on TV this year. Yet that shouldn’t obscure what a good trade this was for Anaheim and what an awful one it was for Arizona.

SI vs. ESPN

JASON CLINKSCALES: The target on ESPN’s proverbial back has grown with every property the network has acquired over the years. With Comcast hoping to leverage their potential purchase of NBC Universal to ramp up Versus and The Golf Channel and FOX Sports becoming the leading regional sports provider in the country, the new arrangement between Turner Sports and Sports Illustrated is more than another competitor throwing its name in the hat. It’s a symbol of how far Turner Sports has come.

HOWARD MEGDAL: The final point Jason makes is the key one, though I agree with the rest of his take as well: will quality journalism be enough to amass a huge audience to take on ESPN?

That’s a two-part question, really. Can TNT put together an entity that does this kind of journalism, and then, will quality be enough?

Patrick Ewing: Head Coach

HOWARD MEGDAL: For me, a lifelong Patrick Ewing fan, seeing him become a head coach is about unfinished business. I want Patrick Ewing to win an NBA championship. But hearing that Ewing wants to be a head coach himself-well, who would be a better candidate?

JASON CLINKSCALES: The idea of Patrick Ewing as a future head coach may not be strange to those far removed from his heyday with the New York Knicks. However, but for those who followed his Hall of Fame career up close, it’ll take some eye-rubbing.

The Cliff Lee Trade: Too Much?

HOWARD MEGDAL: Don’t get me wrong: as pitchers you can acquire for two-and-a-half months go, Cliff Lee is about the best there is. But the Rangers paid too much for a rental, and saved the Yankees from paying way too much for a rental.

CHRIS PUMMER: Six year’s from now, the Mariners’ side of the ledger might seem lopsided, but unless Lee gets hurt between now and November, it won’t be. Not only will the Rangers have taken their best shot at winning a World Series, but the team should go right back to building more long-term player value, starting by collecting the draft pick compensation they’ll receive should Lee leave for another team.

That’s part of the balancing act that most teams must complete if they’re going to win a title. And it’s why both sides look like winners in this trade.

World Cup Recap: America and Abroad

HOWARD MEGDAL: There’s something about both soccer and the Internet that encourages people to strongly express a disliking, rather than simply ignoring it.

And I think that colored much of the overall World Cup experience here, which was a very strong one, on balance.

While many will point to the strong U.S. showing, allow me to point to another possible reason: the penetration into the marketplace of HDTV.

JASON CLINKSCALES: Recently, I was in Frankfurt, Germany and London, England as part of a MBA student trip. It provided a tremendous opportunity to not only experience the business culture on the other side of the Atlantic, but an even better opportunity to observe these cities during the World Cup. For nearly two weeks, I was witness to what is considered the globe’s biggest party.

Actually, it was a party in Frankfurt. London was a different story, altogether.

3D TV

HOWARD MEGDAL: When I first heard about 3D TV, I thought it stood a good chance of appearing at the wrong time. People had just gotten used to their HD TVs, and I wasn’t certain that the technology would be good enough, or that there would be a programming impetus for it.

But I can see now- it is just a matter of time until I break down and get one. The prices are already on par with HD TVs, and the programming that is most enhanced by it- sports- is what I watch a large percentage of the time.

JASON CLINKSCALES: 3D TV may be an absolutely brilliant innovation that will hit all of our homes, bars and offices in the coming years. Yet, we’re still getting a hold on high-definition TV. To make another leap so soon is a lot to ask of the viewing public.

LeBron in Review

JASON CLINKSCALES: LeBronomania was Hulkamania on speed rather than steroids. It was a maglev train barreling into the sports world several times over thanks to the immediacy of social media, the desperation of ESPN to win a ratings war against no one and a few people just being dumb.

AKIE BERMISS: Well, listen, I’m no expert: I just love basketball. I love basketball, I love the Knicks, and I used to love watching LeBron James.

NL East Predictions

HOWARD MEGDAL: When I set out to write this piece originally, last week, the Phillies looked to me like the clear favorites in the NL East. And even today, six games behind Atlanta and three behind the Mets, that Phillies team would still be a pretty good bet to make up the ground.

But that Phillies team no longer exists. Chase Utley and Placido Polanco are injured, and the implications for the division are immense.

Josh Byrnes in Review

CHRIS PUMMER: There’s been a few tears over Josh Byrnes’ firing by the Arizona Diamondbacks. While I’ll agree with critics of the move that it came too quickly to get a real sense of how well Byrnes has done as the team’s general manager, I’d also point out that Byrnes’ tenure was also undistinguished.