Cup of Coffee

Cup of Coffee: 21 May 2014, Rigged

131 Comments

That damned NBA draft: rigged to shovel another top draft pick to Cleveland to make up for their loss of LBJ. I can't wait for when the T-Wolves are similarly compensated for their loss of Kevin Love.

131 thoughts on “Cup of Coffee: 21 May 2014, Rigged”

    2. I'm gonna need a translation- Riggins, Al Davis(?), (????), Wrigley isn't ringing any bells for me.

      1. Al Davis! That's Bobby Riggs, who played and lost to Billie Jean King in the famous battle of the sexes tennis match.

        1. Since that happened just about six years before I was born, I don't feel too bad about not recognizing him.

        2. Dang it, I could've done that- open image in new tab would've worked. I tried using TinEye to figure out it out, but it doesn't play nice with my company firewall.

  2. I love radio. I'm on KFAN for five seconds and the blowhards were whining that all these lawsuits by former NFL players are money grabs that are going to ruin the league.

    I change it to a music station and all I hear is Super Bowl talk.

    I change to another music station and a song I love is on. They cut off the last 45 seconds of the song, including the end of the final chorus, to go to commercial.

    I turned on my MP3 player.

    3. I don't think I've willingly listened to the radio since high school. That way leads to madness.

        1. Did you see that Barreiro tweeted that he was tired of the negativity surrounding the key for the Wolves? I don't follow him, so I just saw a retweet but I about fell off the toilet laughing.

            1. Me too! Apparently he didn't like the multiple times I pointed out his excessive use of straw-man arguments.

  3. Hey guys!
    The Twins are only two games behind the first wild card and one half-game behind the second (in third place because the Yanqmis and Jays are both 2 games over .500).
    JeffA notwithstanding, Someone please tell me why this will all come crashing down or whether I can be realistically optimistic. When the team DFA's Juan Castro and Tony Batista it's gonna be even better, right?

    1. I don't think we can be optimistic because somewhere down the way an 8-game losing streak is lying in wait. But just because we can't be optimistic doesn't mean we can't be unrealistically hopeful.

      1. The Twins have two titles in my lifetime, which is two more than any other big 6* sports team in the state in any else's lifetime**.
        *Include College Bball and Fball, exclude WNBA and college Hockey.
        **Unless maybe the Gophers Football did something a long time ago.

        1. Minneapolis Lakers almost wanted to speak to you about this, but the Gophers baseball had two championships within JeffA's lifetime (and almost mine)

          1. That's what I get for going off memory.
            I thought about Wolves, Wild, North Stars, Vikings (apparently "Never won the Superbowl" ≠ "Never won title."), Twins, Gophers Fball, Gophers Hoops.
            Bball = Basketball, not baseball. College Baseball is not one of the big 6.

        2. Gophers football had a national title--such as it was in college football at the time--in 1960, which is probably within the lifetime of a couple of folks here.

              1. Yep. I was born in 1958. Fifty-five years young, and life keeps getting better.

    3. The Twins' Pythag is 20-23, so if you figure they play .465 ball the rest of the way out, they'd go something like 77-85. 4 wins from a .500 record.

      In terms of offense, the Twins' wOBA is .318, good for 8th in the AL. They've scored 200 runs, good for 5th in the AL. So they've probably overachieved somewhat in scoring.

      The Twins' 4.05 FIP is 12th in the AL, and they've allowed 211 runs, good for 10th in the AL. So they've probably overachieved somewhat in run prevention.

      On the optimistic side, neither one of those strikes me as such a big discrepancy that it'd be impossible for them to win 75 to 80 games this year. And sometimes you just have fluke years--IIRC, the 2008 Twins had some ridiculous slash line with runners in scoring position that persisted for the entire season. I suspect they need to remain healthy to keep from cratering, though, I don't get the feeling they have a ton of major-league-ready talent to bring up as a mid-season replacement.

      1. Maybe not a ton, but Meyer could be a big improvement over Correia and May has been pretty good so far in his first taste of AAA. Those two could dramatically improve the K rate of the starting staff, especially if Gibson's K/BB rate catches up with him (and doesn't improve).

  4. How many Twins catchers have hit inside the park homeruns. Or should they be called homefuns?

    2. Not applicable, but I was at a game in the Dome when the White Sox won 4-3 and all 4 runs scored on an inside-the-park grand slam by Ron Karkovice.

        1. IIRC, I think the centerfielder got stuck under the fence or something bizarre happened. I don't think it was Kirby.

    3. If it wasn't for replay, I don't think Suzuki gets a home run at all. I think the LF gave up on the play because he knew it was going to be overturned. In the past, fielders generally would play the ball regardless in the hopes the umps didn't know it went out, but the LF knew it was going to be overturned so he didn't bother going after it.

      1. As a fielder, I would never assume that there would definitely be a good replay angle for the umpires to use in their decision--especially on something as important as a home run, if I still have a chance to deny the home run, I'll take it.

        1. Yeah, I was kind of expecting to see a benching of that guy in the box score. But I think he was batting 3rd…

          (Get To Know Your Padres!)

    1. I know that, somewhat.
      I've seen enough dead or stunned Tree Swallows under power lines. I've heard stories about windmills, too.
      Also, it's not just tall buildings: we had a Fox Sparrow windowkill years ago.
      I think the Downtown library's really bad because of the glass hallway looks like something they can find shelter flying through and the angles are funny.
      Count so far this spring: 2 Tennessee Warblers, 1 Common Yellowthroat
      I've been getting in to the office later on average, so I may have missed many that the janitors have cleaned up.
      I would guess that fall migration is much worse though, because many of the birds are just months old, doing their first migration, and fleeing cold. If a bird isn't fast enough to get north on time, s/he may miss on breeding opportunities. If a bird is late getting south on time, it' s freezing and starvation.

      1. I get a bird strike on my (home) office window at least once a season. The UP HQ in Omaha requires outside offices to pull window sunscreens down during most of the daylight hours to minimize strikes.

      2. The other morning, I came across a dead bird (something small and gray-ish) on the sidewalk a block east of the library and thought immediately of AMR.

        For some reason, seeing a dead bird always unnerves me. It feels like some sort of bad omen.

        2. On third street? I photographed a Tennessee Warbler there on Monday.
          It looks like this when alive:
          Non-Window-Kill TEWA
          You're unnerved, I'm fascinated.
          The law keeps me from collecting them. (My wife, too, probably.)
          I'd just take feathers.

              1. I was running a little late, so it would have been about 8:15. I usually disembark from the bus on the north side of Washington rather than on Third Street, though. But I'm often out and about in the vicinity of the library at lunch time. It amuses me that we may be crossing paths regularly without realizing it.

                1. somebody needs to share the sekret pass-sign with Pepper ASAP.*

                  *No, it is not "Hail Hydra!"

                    1. Maybe we could get Bootsy or meat to design rub-on neck tattoos for sale at the company store?

                    4. Awesome. Because a WGOM neck tat is definitely what my life has been missing.

                2. In the mornings I go from Hennepin and 4th through the library to Nicc/3rd, then Third to Marq to Wash. Typically around 8 am. +/- 20 minutes.
                  Yes, this path is to see the most dead birds.
                  No, I'm not worried that I just announced to would-be assassins where to find me.

                  I'm bearded and have a black backpack. I'll find something to pin to my backpack shoulder strap to make things obvious. But probably not until next week.

                  1. I might have to change my route so that I go from Marq/3rd to 1st Ave/3rd (along the north side of 3rd St) just to see if I can spot you. Your timing is pretty much the same as mine.

                    I carry a medium-blue shoulder bag and wear a lot of black. (This description is probably not very helpful.)

  6. Word Lens available for iOS and Android for free.

    I was super excited about this when I first saw a video about it a while back. Google recently bought the parent company and made it a free download. I just downloaded it and it is freaky how it works. I opened a word doc and put "BONJOUR" in big letters on my screen, and it said "Good Morning" on my phone. Seriously cool.

    1. Whoa, that's pretty sweet and will probably be very useful when I have to travel for work. Thanks for the heads up!

  7. Trey has had a couple of memorable games for his Little League team in the last few days. On Saturday, his Mets team was playing the first place Red Sox. The Mets had just taken a 7-5 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Most games go four innings due to a 90-minute time limit. The first two batters reached for the Red Sox in the top of the 3rd when Trey was brought in to pitch to the top of the lineup. The Red Sox managed to score a run and get runners to 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs, but Trey struck out a pretty good hitter to preserve the lead. Another kid was brought in to pitch in the 4th and the Red Sox scored a run for a 7-7 tie.

    Then, last night, the Mets were leading the Phillies 4-3 in the third when Trey was brought in again to face the top of the lineup with a runner on third and no outs. Trey struck out all three batters he faced to keep the lead. The Mets then scored five runs in the top of the fourth (we have a 5-run rule per inning), and because of the time limit and the 5-run rule, the Mets couldn't lose so a kid who had been begging to pitch was allowed to pitch the last inning, which was scoreless for a 9-3 win.

    Junior also played last night. He's been struggling to just hit the ball and doesn't have a hit this season while playing at a much higher level (this is the 10-12 yr-old level that is the one that plays in Williamsport for the Little League World Series). He did manage to ground out. He also walked in his first PA. His Pirates team has had a good year, but it's kind of uninteresting. They are in second place but the first-place Astros are undefeated. Neither team has lost to the other three teams in the league. Unfortunately, only the first-place team gets to go to the Tournament of Champions. The Astros have already locked that spot up and the Pirates have locked up second place, so the last 4 games of the season will be lacking in drama except for trying to hand the Astros their first loss.

  8. Chad Ford's mock draft:

    6 Aaron Gordon
    Boston Celtics (25 - 57) COLLEGE: Arizona HT: 6-9 WT: 220 POS: PF
    The Celtics will likely shop this pick, though at No. 6 I am not sure exactly what they can get for it. They have been high on Gordon for a while, and I think this would be a very good fit for them. Offensively he is a bit raw, but I think his intangibles as a defender and energy guy will make up for a lot of that. He changes the game with his athleticism in ways that are hard to quantify.

    PLAYER CARD
    7 Julius Randle
    Los Angeles Lakers (27 - 55) COLLEGE: Kentucky HT: 6-9 WT: 234 POS: PF
    Look for the Lakers to start shopping this pick. If they had stayed in the top three, they might have hung onto it, but at No. 7, the interest will be in trying to turn this pick and other assets into a veteran such as Kevin Love. If they keep the pick, they'll want a player who can come in and contribute from the start. Randle, along with Parker, might be the most NBA-ready freshman in the draft. With the Lakers' entire front line heading into free agency this summer (including Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman and Jordan Hill), L.A. is going to have a lot of needs up front.

    Both the Celtics and the Lakers will probably look to trade their picks, having missed out on the (obviously fixed, amirite?) lottery. At no. 6, Ford says that he's "not sure exactly what [The Celtics] can get for it." At no. 7, Ford says that the Lakers will be "trying to turn this pick and other assets into a veteran such as Kevin Love." He also notes that "the Lakers' entire front line [is] heading into free agency this summer", leaving Kobe and the remains of Steve Nash's NBA body left as starters. But, they are going to try to use this to get Love.

    This is going to be a very, very, very long summer.

    1. I also appreciate the Kevin Love downplay there. I don't think "a veteran such as..." is an appropriate way to describe him,

  9. The draft lottery is stupid. There's no reason to leave something like that up to chance. Here is the ubel-order for the NBA draft:

    Rank - Team (Actual position)
    1. Minnesota Timberwolves ( 13 )
    2. Sacramento Kings ( 8 )
    3. Detroit Pistons ( 9 )
    4. Phoenix Suns ( 14 )
    5. New Orleans Pelicans ( 10 )
    6. Philadelphia 76ers ( 3 )
    7. Utah Jazz ( 5 )
    8. Orlando Magic ( 4 )
    9. Boston Celtics ( 6 )
    10. Los Angeles Lakers ( 7 )
    11. Cleveland Cavaliers ( 1 )
    12. Milwaukee Bucks ( 2 )
    13. New York Knicks ( 12 )
    14. Denver Nuggets ( 11 )

    Criteria for determining draft order:

    1. The higher of (most recent year in playoffs) and (last #1 pick).
    2. If still tied, use most recent year in playoffs
    3. If still tied, use wins in most recent year in playoffs

    You could get fancier and do things like rotate the order of teams that are on a tie (so that you don't have, say, New York picking ahead of Denver every year), but you don't ever need to resort to a random draw--even a weighted random draw.

    As it stands, I don't think that teams have to suffer enough for the #1 pick. Sure, it's possible for a long-suffering team to get the #1 pick, but it's also possible for a team with just one fluke bad year to get the #1 pick. My method would basically ensure that it's a painful process to be awarded the #1 pick--and that after you get the #1 pick, you go to the back of the line. The order would also be generally more predictable, which would make valuing future picks somewhat easier.

    Note: I compiled this by hand, I might be off by a position or three for some of the teams.

    1. I can get behind this draft order. (I think I've also liked the idea of playoff absences playing a large role in the draft order when you proposed it before.)

      1. I think the only wrinkle I added this time was actually adjusting for the last time a team got a #1 pick. A team shouldn't be able to sit on the #1 pick indefinitely if they keep missing the playoffs indefinitely.

        1. Makes sense, although if a team sits on the first pick year after year, then I don't think their picking the right players because they're dumb, making the second pick effectively the #1.

        2. Interesting ideas.

          Of course, it would not eliminate tanking incentives. Teams on the verge of making the playoffs but with long histories of frustration would face a LARGE institutional incentive to tank down the stretch.

          1. It would not totally eliminate tanking incentives, but I think that from a practical standpoint, players and coaches will be very reluctant to pass up an opportunity to play in the postseason. It would also just be fewer teams with the incentive to tank--right now your incentive to tank starts up when you're effectively eliminated from making the playoffs, which can be quite early in the season for some teams anyway.

    3. This is interesting. You should put this in a separate post and have everyone around here reference it via Twitter #NBADraftLottery and #NBA.

    1. I just posted this TEDstuff on WGOM fitness.

      Funny I was just at a play this weekend (Tennessee Williams shorts) and there was a Four in the Morning scene as well. Wheel.

  11. Dentist deep-cleaning done. Can confirm @JerryZgoda report: #Twolves have permission to interview Dave Joerger. Make him the favorite.— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) May 21, 2014

    This sounds a whole hell of a lot better than Sam Mitchell. Make it happen, Billy Smith!

      1. See, the country club model might just work.

        (That is, assuming this isn't just a smoke screen.)

        1. I've heard that there might be a real house cleaning in Memphis. One wonders if John Hollinger will survive.

          1. I just saw that Hollinger doesn't write for ESPN any longer. I did not know that.

  12. Crash Davis? Dude, eventually you have to get a real job.

  13. If Flip gets Joerger, that'd be cool. Upon reflection, he did a pretty good job playing his hand in the draft last year, picking up maybe the best player in the draft in Dieng (hell, a guy who can play at that position is a major coup) and a guy who's a lot harder worker than I would have believed in Bazz (can he play, though? The jury is out). Maybe Flip can actually do this job competently.

    Yesterday, I was ready to give up on the club. It doesn't take much to reel me back in.

    1. Yesterday, I was ready to give up on the club.

      I was/am right there with you.

    3. What I like about Joerger is that he has a lot of head coaching experience going back to his coaching at lower levels. I generally feel like those hires work out better than picking someone who has only been an assistant. Of course, that's just a general rule, and I'm sure there are exceptions, but too often it seems that assistant coaches to successful coaches don't work out. (I'm thinking of guys like Kurt Rambis and Tim Brewster. Tony Dungy would be a good counter-example.)

      On the subject of NBA coaches, what are your thoughts on Kevin McHale's work with the Rockets?

      1. I haven't been paying that much attention to the Rockets this year. I know he was taking some heat in the playoffs. I think McHale would be a great assistant coach. He is a master at footwork for bigs. I'm not sure he is all about managing a club. But, the Rockets were pretty good in a very tough conference.

        1. That makes sense. I am just surprised at how well the Rockets have done given how unimpressive his run was with the Wolves.

          It also seems like someone with good assistant skills (like you mention with McHale and footwork) could potentially make themselves a good/decent head coach if they realize their limitations and are good at delegating responsibilities.

          1. Maybe time has eroded memories, but I thought when he was with the team show fight and spirit but had little talent.
            He did start Kevin Love for the rest of the 08-09 season after Randy Wittman had him on the bench.

  14. The opening in an article on the 4ltr:

    It's finally here. After months of waiting, and denial from the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Kevin Love sweepstakes have begun.

    It's finally here.

    1. And this:

      Here's a primer of every team's chances of being a player in the "Summer of Love," including top trade chips, likelihood of landing him and potential pitch to the All-Star big and the Wolves.

      They rate every other team's chances. OMG, I think I just threw up in my mouth.

      1. Are you referencing this article? Because there are quite a few proposals that aren't really serious. (E.g.: "The 2003 Kevin Garnett," "2011 NBA championship banner and one free pass for a business idea on Shark Tank," SVG, "Flip Saunders gets a statue outside Staples Center, Minneapolis Lakers’ title banners," etc.) There's even a good Knicks dig:

        The Knicks gave up a first-round pick to get Andrea Bargnani. Comparable value means they’d have to give up the entire Wall Street district for Love. I can’t even pretend there is a combination here that works for the Wolves. Maybe they could do a double sign-and-trade and swap Love for Carmelo Anthony? Someone ask cap guru Larry Coon if this is allowed. Can we get a reality show just recording La La’s face when Melo has to tell her they’re moving to Minneapolis?

        Although I get that the general tenor from ESPN surrounding this situation is ridiculous.

    2. "its finally here" is bunk because it started during this season's All Star Break

      1. I thought it started when he was traded on draft day to the Wolves. He was supposed to be miserable in Minnesota because of the weather. Of course, he just went to college in L.A. He was born in Santa Monica but grew up in Oregon, so not quite as dramatic a climate change. But I seem to remember stories written about the Lakers trading for him as soon as he was in Minnesota.

        1. I, for one, am glad that the Mayo/Love trade worked in the Wolves' favor, though it's still pretty ridiculous that they've gone 10 seasons without making the postseason.

          1. I never imagined that Love would become this good, but I was pretty sure that he'd be better than JR Mayo.

            The history of the Wolves is a comedy of errors and bad luck. Just some of the high- (low?) lights include

            *trading Ray Allen for Stephon Marbury

            *letting Gugliotta walk in 1998

            *Wally World. Actually not a bad choice at #6 in 1999, but the next two picks were Rip Hamilton and Andre Miller, both with longer, better careers

            *William Avery at #14 that same draft. Ok, the next pick was Frederic Weis, so it could have been marginally worse. But Ron Artest went 16th, James Posey 18th, Jeff Foster 21st, Kenny Thomas 22nd, Andrei Kirilenko 24th.

            *Malik Sealy's death in 2000. He was a contributor at that point in his career and would have had 2-3 more good seasons.

            *the Joe Smith deal. Really? Joe Smith? What. Were. You. Thinking? The 2001 draft was turrible in the middle ranks where the Wolves would have picked (after Troy Murphy at 14, it went: Steven Hunter, Kirk Haston, Michael Bradley, Jason Collins, Zach Randolph, Brendan Haywood, Joseph Forte, Jeryl Sasser 15-22). The 2002 draft would have yielded the Wolves someone like Casey Jacobsen, Tayshaun Prince, Nenad Krstic, Frankie Williams or John Salmons. So, maybe a player and maybe not. The bottom of the first round in 2004 was pretty good, however. The 2004 draft should have yielded someone like Kevin Martin, Sasha Vujacic, Beno Udrih, or David Harrison.

            *the Olowokandi signing in 2003.

            *Ndudi Ebi in 2003. Oh, my. Sure, when you are drafting 26th, you probably need to take some chances to find a player. But ugh. The next three guys taken were Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, and Josh Howard.

            *Shaddy McCants in 2005. Now, granted, the middle part of that round was a travesty (11-20 went: Fran Vasquez, Yaroslev Korolev, Sean May, Shaddy, Antoine Wright, Joey Graham, Danny Granger, Gerald Green, Hakim Warrick, Julius Hodge. Oy.). But still. He sucked.

            *Roy for Foye in 2006. I hated hated hated this trade at the time.

            *Corey Brewer in 2007. He's turning into a decent player, but he was turrible when they picked him. The next three picks (Brandan Wright, Joakim Noah, and Spencer Hawes) have each had better careers (albeit only slightly so for Wright and Hawes, so far).

            *2008: JR Mayo with the 3rd pick. Trading him for the 5th pick (Love) turned out great. But who was at 5? Russell Westbrook.

            I'll stop there before I make myself sick.

            1. Flynn. Drafting and trading Ty Lawson in the same draft. Trading Big Al for pennies on the dollar. Wes Johnson. Unloading a 1st round pick to move Johnson. K-Love contract. Giving Darko $20 million.

              1. Signing Ricky Davis. Signing Mark Madsen to a five year contract. Signing Troy Hudson to a long deal. Felton Spencer and Luc Longley in back-to-back years.

      1. I can't speak to the meat offerings for take home, but that sammich will go down in the top 10 sammies I've ever eaten. CH, be warned, your wallet may be lightened by ebbets, but your tummy could be full with a stop across the street.

  18. A note at the bottom of the AP Twins gamer:

    Ex-Twins 3B Corey Koskie and area scout John Wilson will represent the team at the first-year player draft on June 5 .

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