The UI Hiring Process; All about the Iowa Values

Would the University of Iowa hire a Bobby Knight type of head coach? Will anyone ever see a Hawkeyes coach explode on the media like Oklahoma State football head coach Mike Gundy did? (click here to see tirade). It is highly doubtful.

Why? Because Athletic Director Gary Barta makes it a high priority to hire someone of good taste, who has the Iowa values instilled in them.

Look at any of the coaches at Iowa, especially football head coach Kirk Ferentz and basketball head coach Todd Lickliter. They always seem relaxed and composed no matter what is thrown at them. They simply don't make scenes or call attention to themselves and that is the way it should be.

Sure, it is fun to watch the Gundy tirade over and over again, or more recently when Jim Calhoun called out a reporter, or the countless Bobby Knight videos. But, that is not the kind of coach that anybody in the state of Iowa would want. They want the type of person that is down to earth and humble, not a guy like Steve Alford who was eventually pushed out of the state by Iowa supporters.

"That is a huge thing for Gary (having the Iowa values)," UI Associate Athletic Director Rick Klatt said. "This is a very special place to work, it is very unique. We are a small state. We (the Hawkeyes) are to the state of Iowa, that the Cowboys are to the state of Texas. It is just a very unique set of circumstances. It's important to put the round pegs into round holes and I think that he has done a really good job of that. There is no doubt that Gary places a high priority on Iowa values."

When vacant jobs come up, Barta throws together a committee to start doing research and put the pieces together. His committee usually consists of some administators, a few coaches from the department, and possibly one or two external people.

They talk about the values they are looking for, the expertise, and how that coach would fit into the program. They put some people into a pool and normally trim it down to two or three people to interview in person. But, they make numerous phone calls to coaches before that happens.

Barta defines the Iowa values as, "high values, believe in education, believe in doing things the right way, and they have to win."

"They need to be a proven winner, that is clear," Barta said. "They need to be committed to academics, and they need to be someone who likes Iowa and shares our values. They also need to be someone that I would like to work with every day, somebody that I trust, and somebody that I know is going to do things the right way. If they have all those things than I will consider hiring them, if they don't than I wont."

There are a lot of pieces to the coaching puzzle that the UI look for when hiring a new coach. But, from head volleyball coach, Sharon Dingman's experience, the interviewing process was excellent and well prepared.

"I thought it was tremendous," Dingman said. "I think that they were incredibly thorough in finding out about me, whether if it was through phone calls that they made previous to me even coming on campus. It was a very thorough process and that was very impressive to me. Clearly this was very important to them. That was another thing that showed me in the interview that they were serious about volleyball and want the program to do well here. They did a lot of homework beforehand when they interviewed me."

Barta made Dingman feel comfortable and right at home throughout the process and has loved every minute of being a Hawkeye.

"I was leaving Illinois State and an athletic director (Sheahon Zenger) that Ii really liked and I trusted and appreciated him. But, I feel all those same things with Gary. Gary does care about all the right things and that is really important to me. He cares about the student-athlete and the experience, but at the same time, he is very competitive and wants to win."

"He is very caring," Dingman added. "He cares about his coaches and about his student-athletes that wear the Hawkeye uniform. But at the same time, he is driven, driven by winning."

Dingman never had the expectation of Barta coming to all of their volleyball meets but he has come to several of them. She understands that it is during football season and that is the biggest sport-related priority at the UI. But, one way or another, someone from the Iowa administration is always in attendance at the home meets.

The calm and relaxing composure is simply the way Iowans are. They are down to earth, friendly people. These people don't want a hot-headed coach bringing unneccessary attention to one of their top schools. It just isn't in their nature and as long as Barta is running the show, guys like Ferentz or Lickliter will be the head hanchos. Their interviews may often be boring or dry, but that is just the way it's going to be, it is the right way to go for the state of Iowa.

Photo from the Iowa Foundation.

Clutch Hitting Continues for Brew Crew

Welcome Rickie Weeks. You have finally arrived. Down by one against the Pirates heading into the ninth, the Crew put three players on base without an out. Jason Kendall, Craig Counsell, and Corey Hart all found ways to get on base. JJ Hardy's sac fly scored Kendall to tie the game. It was Weeks turn. The count went to 3-2 before the second baseman drilled one into the left field bleachers. Trevor Hoffman came in to close it out and again worked quick for already his fourth save since he came back from injury.

Photo From JSOnline.com

The Brauny Man Still Sitting It Out

Ryan Braun, for the third straight game, will be sitting out against Pittsburgh tonight. While his teammates traveled to Pittsburgh, he remained in Milwaukee to get an MRI. He has been plagued with upper back stiffness for awhile and it acted up again.

In tonight's lineup, Bill Hall, who has been sensational at third base this year and made several outstanding plays, will use one of Mike Cameron's gloves and play left field while Casey McGehee will take over for Hall at third.

Paul Maholm is pitching for the Pirates tonight, which is why Hall is taking left and McGehee at third. Manager Ken Macha likes the right-handed matchups better against Maholm. The Crew has two outfielders on the bench with Chris Duffy and Brad Nelson, but they are both left-handed.

The unnecessary large photo is from wordpress.com.

Brewers Purchase Pirates

It's official. The Milwaukee Brewers now own the Pittsburgh Pirates and have for some time now. With the 6-5 win over the Bucs last night, the Brewers have now made the Pirates their victims 14 straight times. It currently marks the longest MLB active win streak over one team.

The Brewers have also won 17 straight against the Pirates at Miller Park.

Trevor Hoffman earned his first save last night coming back from injury and helped the Crew improve to a .500 record at 10-10. They have won their last three series (Phillies, Astros, Pirates). Yovani Gallardo will try and help the Brewers sweep the Pirates today at noon.

And Here We Go!

The Brew Crew started like the sausages right out of the gate, slow. But, they seemed to turn the corner and are putting it together with pitching and hitting. Plus, Trevor Hoffman's back. He pitched a quick ninth last night in a non-save chance. Ryan Braun is pounding the ball and Prince Fielder is starting to hit too. Jeff Suppan has pitched decently the past two games and Manny Parra even pitched alright in his last outing but was hit with the loss after a Weeks error allowed two runs. The only guy that really needs to get something going is surprisingly JJ Hardy.

St. Louis Cardinals are not going to be as good as they have been throughout the year. They will fade in the stretch just like they did last season. But, right now they are a dangerous team, one of the best. The Chicago Cubs are struggling and although early, seem to be beatable.

Dave Bush is on the mound tonight following his near no-hitter against Philadelphia. Bush will face Paul Maholm and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

NL CENTRAL STANDINGS:
1. Cardinals 14-6
2. Pirates 11-8
3. Reds 10-9
4. Cubs 9-9
5. Brewers 9-10
6. Astros 8-12

Brauny's Back in a Big Way

Redemption. Isn't it sweet? In all reality, the past is the past, but the present series win gets the Brewers right back on track after struggling the first few series of the year.

Ryan Braun played a big part in getting the Brewers back on that track with a monster series against the former World Series Champs, the Philadelphia Phillies. The left fielder who has struggled so far, broke out of his slump going 8 of 10 with six RBI, three home runs, and three base on balls which raised his average to .327.

The Brew Crew improved their record to 6-9 and are currently sitting 4.5 games back in the Central Division.

NLDS Matchup: Can the Crew turn it around against Philly?

The Phillies are 5-6, the Brewers 4-8. Neither team is looking like a playoff contender. But, tonight will be a match up of last year's NLDS where the Phillies won the series 3-1. Each team is missing pieces. For the Phillies it is their struggling ace Cole Hamels, for the Brewers, well a lot of pieces are going wrong. Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Jason Kendall, and JJ Hardy all are struggling at the plate. The pitching has lacked and the Crew is missing closer Trevor Hoffman. But Hoffman will be back Sunday and it is only a matter of time before Brauny and Fielder start crushing the ball. Also, it is only a matter of time when Cole Hamels starts pitching well (he was my first pick for fantasy pitcher so he better). Both teams will turn it around and it should make for an interesting series none the less. It would be nice for the Brewers to get some revenge and get their season going starting tonight.

Gallardo Back on Track

The Brewers still cannot figure it out, but Yovani Gallardo is back on track after getting roughed up against Cincinnati. He had one bad inning against the Reds that spoiled his last outing and his team backed him up with six runs but that wasn't enough that time around. This time the Brewers hitting spoiled his gem. Gallardo pitched six innings of shutout ball and had 7 k's. Carlos Villanueva came in relief but a Rickie Weeks error scored the only run of the game for the New York Mets, who gave Johan Santana his second win of the season. There were no extra base hits in the game.

Crew Off to a Disappointing 2009, but Hope Lingers

Sure, the Crew are off to a 3-6 start and have lost all three series (@ Giants, Cubs, Reds). But, hope lingers. Hey, I am a positive guy and know the talent on the Brewers. They played it close with the Cubs, even could have won the series if Reed Johnson hadn't caught Prince Fielder's grand slam. A few more timely hits could have given the Brewers all series wins, but that can happen when athletes are working out early season kinks. Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Jason Kendall have so far been in big slumps, but Rickie Weeks, Mike Cameron, and Billy Hall are all hitting the ball pretty well. It is only a matter of time before Fielder, Braun, and Kendall get their stuff together. The pitching will eventually get it together too and Braden Looper so far has been the best on the staff. Jeff Suppan is terrible, Yovani Gallardo has one bad inning that led to a loss, and Manny Parra pitched alright his last outing. Dave Bush has pitched solid but will get better over time as well. The Brewers will be fine, I don't think there are any disbelievers in that category that think the Crew will continue their struggles.

Brewers Could Make Push for Peavy

Jeff Suppan is terrible. I cringe every time he throws a pitch. The Brewers are starting to doubt his ability. I am not sure why they are starting to disbelieve in Suppan now- the guy was awful last year, but no Ken Macha wants a guy that gives up a ton of home runs and cannot find the strike zone to be the ace. What a joke. Anyways MLBTraderumors.com, ESPN and the Chicago Tribune have the Brewers considering a Jake Peavy trade or possibly picking up Pedro Martinez. Heck, why not trade for Peavy and pick up Martinez. Martinez would only cost $5 million. Pull the trigger right now- the Brewers after all paid Eric Gagne $10 million to blow a bunch of games for them last season. More on Peavy from the Chicago Tribune.

The 1994 Baseball Strike was Inevitable

The poor Montreal Expos. They sat with the best record in baseball in 1994 and had a strong case to win the World Series before the MLB canceled the season after the players went on strike. The work stoppage was the worst in professional sports, but baseball is back on track.

In 1994, the owners demanded a salary cap in response to the worsening financial situation in baseball. This was an act to help the small market teams but the players opposed. The strike was a complete mess without a commissioner at the helm.

The salary cap undoubtedly would help the small market teams out. But, with the recent past it is not necessary. The Tampa Bay Rays came out of last place to go to the World Series before being tripped up against the Philadelphia Phillies last season. They overcame the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees to win the division. The Yankees and Red Sox are two of the high rollers in the league.

Revenue-sharing would not be fair to the players who would have decreased salaries. There would be no chance of Alex Rodriguez or CC Sabathia's massive salaries.

Major League Baseball leader Donald Fehr believed that the salary cap was a way to help the owner's problems but there would be little benefits to the players side.

The tension between the owners and players continued to heat up before the players union ultimately decided to strike.

Small market teams are losing out on the big name free agents, but they are drafting the better players. Big name players want to go to the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Braves and so on because they have the most exposure around the country and usually can give them the best contract. That doesn't mean to say that the small market teams cannot compete for some free agents.

The Rays and Milwaukee Brewers are prime examples of using the draft as their means of competing. Almost the entire starting lineup for the Brewers are all of their draft picks in the past few years.

As a life long Brewers fan it is frustrating to see that the New York Yankees signed Sabathia to a 161 million dollar contract. Also during the off-season, they signed Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett to big deals. Oh and they already had the highest payroll in the league. A-Rod alone is almost making more money than the Florida Marlins roster. But, the highest payroll doesn't always mean that team will go to the playoffs or win the World Series, the Yankees are a prime example the last few seasons. Despite the discrepancy in pay for the Marlins, they still made a push to make the playoffs.

It is hard to talk about the MLB being in bad shape anymore as long as small market teams are still competing. Seems that players are getting offered larger contracts by the year so there are no complaints on the players side. The strike affected Major League Baseball for awhile, but it is all in the past now. Baseball is back.

Yovani Gallardo, First Pitcher Ever to Take Randy Johnson Deep

Yovani Gallardo, only 23 years old, became the first pitcher to ever take future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson deep. It was a two-out, two-strike, three-run homerun to give the Brewers their first win of the season. Oh and he also pitched nicely for his first start: 6.2 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K and picked up the W as the Crew won 4-2.

Jeff Suppan and Ken Macha Grind My Gears

Following Peter on Family Guy when he was hired to do a segment on the news called, "What Grinds My Gears", here is my segment on "Who Grinds My Gears".

Jeff Suppan really grinds my gears. Manager Ken Macha has him fronting the rotation as the ace. What a terrible move. Ken Macha also is on this segment of who grinds my gears because he made the move. Let's take a look at how Suppan did yesterday afternoon to start the Brewers in the wrong direction. Here is his stats from yesterday: 4.0 innings, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (of course, the guy always gives up a bomb). This is against the harmless Giants hitters (he even gave up a base hit to SF ace Tim Lincecum when he needed to get an out.)

I'll give Suppan the benefit of the doubt because it was the first game of the season. I think he will still get around 10-12 wins but that is not good enough as the Crew's ace, especially with future CY Young winner Yovani Gallardo in the rotation. Dave Bush should be at the front of the rotation (if Macha was smart and if the Brewers want to go with experience, (technically Gallardo should easily be the ace on the staff)). How is this guy making the most money on the Brewers roster. This is like the Roger Dorn situation in the movie Major League, "I thought you said we didn't have any high-priced talent?", "Forget about Dorn, he is just high priced."

For the aforementioned, this is why Jeff Suppan and Ken Macha are really grinding my gears.

Crew Owns the Best National League Record in Spring Training

Okay, so Spring Training doesn't mean much really. But, if anything, the young guys on the Brewers roster should have some confidence going into the season. The Brewers beat the Dodgers last night, 7-4, to push their record to 22-10. They finished second in the Cactus League but own the best record in the National League. I always think Spring Training means a little something and it shows that the Brewers have some good prospects. Last Spring Training Prince Fielder struggled and didn't really hit any homeruns. He didn't have his most productive year at the plate last year either for the Crew during the regular season. This Spring Training he has hit a few homers and batted well. So, we will see if the Brewers can go off their Spring Training momentum starting the season tomorrow.

Brewers will make a postseason push even without Sabathia and Sheets

Major League Baseball is soon to be underway and the anticipation is growing. Milwaukee lost two aces in the offseason; Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia. That is in the past, the Brewers are now looking to their future. That future hinges on young Yovani Gallardo staying healthy.

Milwaukee was able to secure the Wild Card position last season and it was their first playoff appearance since 1982. Sabathia more than anything was a key reason the Crew made the playoffs last season, but Milwaukee is poised to make another playoff run in 2009.

As long as Gallardo is healthy, the Brewers are just as dangerous as last season, if not more so. Gallardo did not see much time last season because he had a freak torn ACL injury. It is not an arm injury which is always good news. Guys that have arm injuries seem to be haunted the rest of their careers by it.

The rotation is yet to be set, but here is how it will look; Jeff Suppan, Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Braden Looper, and Dave Bush.

Suppan is usually good for 10-plus wins. Parra pitched incredible for his first full season before falling off at the end of the season, but still posted 10 wins. Looper was an off-season acquisition and has posted 12-wins in each of the past two seasons. Bush has shown flashes of greatness and really came into his own during the final stretch last year. He won nine games last year and had 12 wins in each of the previous seasons before that. Finally, Gallardo has not seen a whole lot of time in the show but has already shown that he will be a future CY Young candidate. I personally believe he will be a candidate this year. The guy can do everything from pitching to hitting. He is a workhorse. Gallardo was not supposed to be back last season or playoffs. Not even close because of his injury. He trained so hard to make it back that he started the playoffs for the Brewers.

Imagine if the Brewers had a healthy Ben Sheets and Yovani Gallardo the entire season to go along with the CC Sabathia trade at midseason. Holy God that rotation would have been ridiculous. But, Ben Sheets is always injured and he will be out the entire year this year. Gallardo (who is much better and shouldn’t be injury prone) will basically take over for him and the Brewers will have a better rotation with the addition of Looper.

The pitching staff and the rotation in my opinion are just as good if not better going into the season than they were going into last season (well if Gallardo would have been hurt anyway, which he was pretty soon into the season). I think Milwaukee has a good shot at 85-90 wins this year, if healthy.

Photo: Courtesy of JSOnline.com

Gwynn Jr. put on waivers, but no one claimed him!

I am a huge fan of Tony Gwynn Jr.. I think he has tremendous talent and will be a great player. So, needless to say, I was a bit sad when the Brewers had to put him on waivers. To my luck, nobody claimed him and the Brew Crew were able to send him to Nashville. I think eventually he will be starting in Milwaukee's outfield. More on Gwynn heading back to the minors.

Photo: Courtesy of JSOnline.com

My fantasy team this year:

I had an ESPN draft the other night with nine other guys. Here's my team and their projected 2009 statistics (the Downtown NooJ):

Starting Pitchers:
Cole Hamels (Phillies): 15-11, 182 K, 3.24 ERA
Yovani Gallardo (Brewers): 15-9, 187 K, 3.40 ERA
Scott Kazmir (Rays): 12-8, 182 K, 3.48 ERA
Matt Cain (Giants): 11-11, 177 K, 3.65 ERA

Bench Pitchers:
Manny Parra (Brewers): 12-11, 162 K, 4.25 ERA
Wandy Rodriguez (Astros): 11-11, 169 K, 4.14 ERA

Relief Pitchers (closers):
Brian Fuentes (Angels): 4-3, 32 Saves (should be more with the Angels), 73 K, 3.14 ERA
Chad Qualls (Diamondbacks): 4-3, 32 Saves, 55 K, 3.52 ERA

Starting Lineup:
C- Brian McCann (Braves): .299 avg., 63 runs, 22 HR, 89 RBI, 3 SB
1B- Albert Pujols (Cards): .346 avg., 107 runs, 40 HR, 124 RBI, 6 SB
2B- Brandon Phillips (Reds): .272 avg., 87 runs, 24 HR, 84 RBI, 27 SB
3B- Garrett Atkins (Rockies): .292 avg., 86 runs, 21 HR, 100 RBI, 2 SB
SS- Derek Jeter (Yankees): .303 avg., 96 runs, 12 HR, 74 RBI, 15 SB
OF:
Manny Ramirez (Dodgers): .317 avg., 93 runs, 32 HR, 108 RBI, 2 SB
Corey Hart (Brewers): .274 avg., 75 runs, 20 HR, 83 RBI, 21 SB
Ryan Ludwick (Cards): .279 avg., 87 runs, 29 HR, 92 RBI, 3 SB

DH- Jim Thome (White Sox): .257 avg., 92 runs, 35 HR, 94 RBI, 1 SB

Bench:
3B- Chone Figgins (Angels): .283 avg., 90 runs, 4 HR, 48 RBI, 44 SB
3B, 2B, OF- Mark DeRosa (Indians): .288 avg., 90 runs, 17 HR, 81 RBI, 4 SB
OF- Justin Upton (Diamondbacks): .267 avg., 82 runs, 26 HR, 62 RBI, 7 SB
C- Bengie Molina (Giants): .273 avg., 42 runs, 14 HR, 75 RBI, 0 SB

Should be a good year for my fantasy team!

Bench Players/Relief Pitching: A Big Question Heading into the Season

Some players are out of options, some players have options but are performing better in Spring Training than the players out of options. So, what are the Brewers going to do?

Here's what the Brewers' official website has as the 25-man roster:

Starting pitchers: Jeff Suppan, Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Braden Looper, and Dave Bush

Relief pitching: (Trevor Hoffman will start the season on the DL), Todd Coffey, Mark DeFelice, Jorge Julio, Seth McClung, David Riske, Carlos Villanueva, and Mitch Stetter. Once Hoffman comes back, either Julio or DeFelice will head to Triple-A Nashville. Hoffman should not be on the DL for long.

Infield: Craig Counsell, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, Mike Lamb, and J.J. Hardy.

Catchers: Jason Kendall and Mike Rivera.

Outfield: Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron, Corey Hart, Tony Gwynn Jr., and Brad Nelson.

The debate on who to keep and who to send down: Casey McGehee, Gwynn Jr., Nelson, Lamb, and Chris Duffy.

McGehee has been dominate in Spring Training but Lamb is out of options. McGehee is still young and would benefit starting in Nashville. He has hit .373 in 47 at-bats, five homeruns, and 13-RBI. Lamb is a solid veteran player and the Brewers are getting him for cheap: 400,000 of his three million dollar contract. The Twins released him and have to pay the rest of that contract. The thing is, McGehee is a great fielder and is versatile in the field. His natural position is third base, but he can also play first, second, outfield, and catcher. The Brewers already have Counsell who also excels in different positions so they can get by without McGehee. If Lamb cannot produce than the Brewers can release him and bring up McGehee.

Gwynn Jr. and Nelson will most likely make the team because they are out of options. They both have a lot of talent. Nelson has hit the ball really well in Spring Training. Gwynn hasn't but has been limited by an injury for most of the preseason. Duffy has been one of the best hitters but can go to the minors because he still has options. I don't think the Brewers want to give up on Gwynn or Nelson, nor do I.

Side note: Villanueva will fill in to be the closer for Hoffman. The Crew cut ties with Trot Nixon as well.

Who will be the unsung heroes for the Crew this year?

Brewers need a few players to really step up their games and play to their potential. Here's my picks for the players that will be the unsung heroes and the players that need to step up their game for the Crew to make it to their second straight postseason:

Players that need to step up:

1. Rickie Weeks. He will more than likely be the lead-off hitter. He has tremendous potential but is inconsistent. He'll be a free agent and needs to have a breakout season. As the lead-off role, he needs to get his average up. He does a great job of getting on base (.342 OBP last season), but needs to produce more hits (.234 BA last year).

2. Bill Hall. He strikes out way too much. Like Weeks, he could be a great player. He has proven to be a great player (i.e. 2005 he hit .290 avg., 2006 he hit for a .270 average, 35 homeruns, 85 RBI & four triples) but he has fallen off the past two seasons (2007 he hit .254, 14 HR, 63 RBI and in 2008: .225, 15 HR, 55 RBI). He was moving around to different positions the past few seasons and that could have had effects on his batting. I think he will have a much better season this year with staying put at third base. Not that Spring Training is any measure of how a player will do during a season, but Hall has batted very well in the spring and is currently hitting .333. He needs to keep his K's down and start stroking the long ball more often.

3. The entire team needs to start hitting better with men on base. They have an incredible lineup but need to start hitting for clutch especially with the losses of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. They need to bail out their pitching.

4. Jeff Suppan. He is not a strikeout threat. When he was with the Cards, he was a ground ball pitcher. Now he gives up a ton of homeruns. He needs to keep the ball down and get more ground outs. He will most likely be the ace on the staff and needs to act like an ace (even though clearly Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra are the best pitchers on the team). For the Brew Crew to be successful, he needs to have close to 15 wins on the season and be around a low four-point ERA.

Unsung Heroes this year:

1. J.J. Hardy. Should be in the number two hole and I think he will have a breakout season. He has already shown that he is a great hitter and is a strong defender. He is one of the most underrated shortstops in the game. He has put up a monster Spring Training and I think it will continue into the season. He has hit .423 so far in the preseason.

2. Craig Counsell. He will be the top player off the bench because of his versatility in the field. He will get the most playing time and is a great option off the bench. He also adds the veteran leadership and scored the winning run of the World Series back when Arizona won it. He has been there which is a much needed player with a young team. He will keep them grounded.

3. Seth McClung. I believe he will be the setup man for the Crew. Trevor Hoffman will be out for at least the first week of the season and McClung will take his duties. I really like McClung and think he will flourish in these roles. He is hard throwing and can dominate in just one inning of work for that role. He will be very valuable to the team. If Brewers wouldn't have had so many blown games last year they would have overtaken the Cubs easily for first in the division. The duo of McClung/Hoffman will help the Crew get to the postseason.

USA Needs to Start Caring About International Competitions

Baseball was born in the United States. Yet, America cannot find the muscle to win world competitions. Is it lack of talent? Is it the lack of team cohesion? Or is it that the players just don’t care?

So, what’s the solution?

Recall the miracle on ice. USA defeated the unbeatable Red Machine from the USSR. The USA consisted of a passionate coach and college-age players. They wanted it.

Think American hotdog competitive eater Joey Chestnut. He beat the unstoppable Takeru Kobayashi. It deemed similar to the iceberg that took down the unsinkable Titanic. It was thought to be impossible.

America has the talent in every area, but it is the want in the athlete. They have to want to win.

USA basketball finally pulled a championship out in the past Olympics. Why? Because the players finally started giving a damn. They had the best players from the NBA. They had a college coach who cared if they won. So why should baseball be any different?

World baseball competitions have been friendly to very few. Japan, Cuba, and South Korea are always the best. The world event simply does not matter. Japan won back-to-back World Baseball Classics. They are the only team who has won the Classic. In 2006, USA did not place. In 2009, USA took fourth. Simply pathetic with the amount of talent on their team.

In 2000, minor league players in American went to the Olympics. Tommy Lasorda was named the manager of team USA. He managed them all the way to the title game. He put Milwaukee Brewers prospect (at the time) Ben Sheets on the mound against Cuba for the world title. Cuba was heavily favored in the championship vs. team USA. Sheets game out and pitched a gem. He pitched a three-hit complete game shutout to take the gold. Like USA and Duke Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, Lasorda cared about winning. After the win, Lasorda celebrated and said, “This is bigger than the World Series.”

Players need to put international competitions up on a pedestal like Lasorda did. They highly regard winning the World Series as they should. But, what is better than knowing you are the best in the world?

In 1980, the USA team went up against a hockey giant in the USSR. They won with college players. The US of A baseball team won gold in the Olympics with minor leaguers. Professional egos clash when they are together. Team USA looked like they got along pretty well during this year's WBC. But, they flat-out don't care if they win. It is more important that they remain healthy for their team. Minor leaguers not only want to get their name out there but they want to show their respective teams how much they deserve a shot to go pro. They are more about the team at their ages and for the most part do not have an ego because they are rookies.

America has so many of the world’s best baseball players. They have so much minor league talent. The minor leaguers have a lot to offer. Yet, a majority of fans will only watch the big name players. So, here’s the deal; put big names with small names. Mix and match. The eagerness of the minor leaguers may send them to a championship. It has worked for team USA in both hockey and baseball, but they go back to they system of putting the professional's out there. They need more team cohesion and that will be provided with less ego's and more love for the game.

America is the land of opportunity. It is time for the USA to give themselves an opportunity. The economy is hurting and people are looking for any sense of national pride. Ballplayers need to start caring about the name USA on the front of their uniforms and not the name on the back. American's created this game. They marketed this game. They need to start working harder to show why America is the best place to play baseball.