Welcome Home, Ken Griffey Jr.

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I may have only been four-years old when Ken Griffey Jr. broke into Major League Baseball back in 1989, but growing up in the '90s there was no player I wanted to be more like, than Griffey. His sweet, beautiful, and effortless swing, was imitated on sandlots across the country. Even though my team growing up was and still is the Cleveland Indians, I still followed Griffey and the Seattle Mariners.

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During the summer mornings, I would turn on Sportcenter, and could not wait to see the Mariners highlights. I always knew there was a chance I would see a highlight or a top ten play from Griffey. I did not matter if the highlight was a titanic home run in the upper deck of the King Dome, or a diving catch in center field, or even watching him climbing the outfield wall to rob a home run, every kid including me, wanted to be Ken Griffey Jr.


Junior Dominated The 1990s:

-10 All-Star Selections
-10 Gold Glove Awards
-7 Silver Slugger Awards
-3 Home Rum Derby Champion
-1 All-Star MVP (1992)
-1 MVP (1997)
-Avg: 38 HR & 109 RBI
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Most Home Runs in the 1990s:

1. Mark McGwire--- 405
2. Ken Griffey Jr.--- 382 (Current HR Total: 661, 5th All-Time)
3. Barry Bonds------ 361
4. Albert Belle------- 351
5. Juan Gonzalez---- 339
6. Sammy Sosa------ 332
7. Rafael Palmeiro----- 328
8. Jose Canseco------ 302

From studying the home runs stats above, there is one big fact that jumps out. Look who Griffey is accompanied with. All of those seven other players on that list, have been linked or some how involved in Major League Baseball's steroid investigation. All of those players, except Griffey, have always been speculated for using steroids or Performance Enhancing Drugs. Griffey accomplished so much in the 1990s without the use of steroids and still ranks high on that list with the alleged and confirmed steroid users.
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After the 1999 season, Griffey asked for a trade to his dad's former team, the Cincinnati Reds, to be closer to his relatives. Little did he know, that trade would be a bad career move for Junior. His time with the Reds was riddled with injuries and his production dropped.

2000: 145 Games, 40 HR, 118 RBI
2001: 111 Games, 22 HR, 65 RBI
2002: 70 Games, 8 HR, 23 RBI
2003: 53 Games, 13 HR, 26 RBI
2004: 83 Games, 20 HR, 60 RBI
2005: 128 Games, 35 HR, 92 RBI
2006: 109 Games, 27 HR, 72 RBI
2007: 144 Games, 30 HR, 93 RBI
*2008: 102 Games, 15 HR, 53 RBI*

------Missed An Average Of 60 Games A Season- ---------------------------------------------cbc.ca
*In mid 2008, Griffey was traded to the Chicago White Sox. At the conclusion of '08 season, the White Sox declined to pick up Griffey's $4 million option, making him a free agent. Reports around the league this past month, indicated Griffey would sign with the Atlanta Braves to be closer to his family in Orlando, FL. However, after talks with Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and his daughter, Griffey chose to go back to Seattle, where is career began 20 years ago.

------------ -"Dad, I really think you should go back to the Mariners and not have any regrets about how you finished." -Taryn Griffey, 13-year-old daughter of Ken Griffey Jr.
------------------------------------------------------------espn.com

That is all what dad needed to hear. Griffey and the Mariners agreed on a one-year contract worth $2 million plus incentives.

This move by the Seattle Mariners is clearly a nostalgia move. Junior is 39 and he is not the player he use to be. His numbers have dropped, his bat speed is slower, has since moved to left field because of his lack of quickness, and you will probably see him batting as the DH in some games.

-----------------------------------------Elaine Thompson/AP/nbcsports.com
Signing Griffey is smart for the organization. They bring back a hero and will boost attendance. Normally, adding a 39-year-old outfielder means the team is not getting better, but this move gives something back to the fans and for the city of Seattle.

It brings back the excitement that was once there. It gives the younger fans a chance to watch a future Hall of Famer. In a city where many things have gone wrong since Junior left in 2000. The Mariners haven not been to the playoffs since 2001, they are coming off its second worst season in franchise history (61-101, 39 games back of first place in division), Starbucks closed 600 stores, laid off 1,000 jobs, Microsoft lost 62 percent of its value, Boeing moved its headquarters to Chicago, the city's NFL team (Seattle Seahawks) lost Super Bowl XL to Pittsburgh and have never been the same. Seattle even lost its NBA team (Supersonics) this past year. The owner could not get a new arena, so he moved the team to Oklahoma City and renamed the team the Thunder.

Bringing Ken Griffey Jr. back is a bigger move for the the fans and city than is it to the team. Griffey is the result, of a man who did not cheat, while in the steroid era. He was clean and did things the right way. He may not be the player he once was, but I hope, when I can wake in mornings this summer, I can turn on Sportscenter and hope to see a highlight of one the game's all time best, just as I did a decade ago.

~Sabol


Highlights Of Griffey's First Stint With Seattle:
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200902193847956

2009 NBA All-Star Weekend Recap

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With All-Star weekend now over, I cannot help but try to compare this past weekends festivities to others in the past. Ever since I was six-years old, I can remember watching the NBA All-Star Weekend in the family room with my dad. Out of the three major sports, I instantly fell in love with the NBA and especially the Cleveland Cavaliers. Much my of my obsession with the NBA and the Cavs had to do with my childhood idol and former Cavalier, Mark Price.

Growing up, I modeled my game after Price, always trying to shoot 25 foot jumpers in the driveway and during my Saturday morning rec games. It definitely helped we both lived in the same city considering, he played 11 miles away at the Richfield Coliseum. My fondness memories as child watching professional sports occurred at the Coliseum. I was nine-years old when the Coliseum closed and I can still remember what the home court looked like, how the seating decks were arranged, and even what advertising was on the JuboTron!

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Okay, enough of me reminiscing of the old Richfield Coliseum and back to the point of this blog post. The first event I will compare actually had to do with Mark Price so lets get it started!

The 3-Point Shootout: 2009 vs 1993

This year Miami Heat and former Ohio State Buckeye, Daequan Cook won this event. Cook beat out Orlando Magic Rashard Lewis and former two-time champ Jason Kapono. Nothing really exciting in this year's event, except former two-time champion Jason Kapono got knocked out in the final round. A bunch of no names in this year's contest, so it really was not a draw as it was in the past. In my opinion, one of the weaker 3-point contests I have watched.

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In 1993, Mark Price knocked out former three-time champion Craig Hodges in the semifinal round and then went on to beat Terry Porter by one bucket in the finals. Price dominated Hodges and the rest of the field until the final round when the competition got a little tighter. Price finished with a final round of 18 and Porter finished with 17, giving Price his first 3-Point Shootout trophy.

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Price won his second title in 1994, beating Dana Barros 24-13. Even though Price scored at the time, a contest high of 24 buckets (Jason Kapono 25-2008) , I picked the '93 event because he beat out a three-time champion.

-Winner: 1993

The Slam Dunk Contest: 2009 vs. 2000

In this year's contest, Nate Robinson beat former champion Dwight Howard. Robinson, who is 5 ft 9 in, jumped over Howard (6ft 11 in), in the final round sealing the victory.

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Now, that may sound impressive, but if you look above, Robinson pushed off Howard's head with his left hand, making Howard bend forward. By doing that, Robinson cut nearly five inches off the jump, resulting in him not fully clearing Howard. The other players in contest did not have any other dunks that stood out.

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The 2000 Slam Dunk Contest was the best contest of all. Vince Carter blew the competition away on all of his dunks. Some of his dunks included, a reverse 360 windmill, honey dip (dunking the ball along with his whole arm, shown above), and a between-the-legs dunk off of a bounced alley-oop. If it was not for one of the judges, Kenny Smith, Carter would have gotten a perfect 50 on all dunks, but instead, Smith gave him a nine resulting in a 49 in one of the rounds. The ending score did not matter, as Carter beat the field and brought relevance back to the Slam Dunk Contest.

-Winner: 2000

Rookie vs Sophomore Game: 2009 vs. 2008

This year, Thunder forward Kevin Durant exploded for a record 46 points and game MVP, as the Sophomores won 122-116. Durant dominating this game. No one was even close of achieving Durant's performance. This game was a lot closer and much more competitive than the 2008 game.

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Last year's game, featured Cavalier forward Daniel Gibson raining 11, 3-pointers and finishing with 33 points. He led his team to 136-109 win over the Rookies and also received the MVP. This game was a blow out from the start. If you compare the box score (below) of each player, Durant had the better game.

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---------------------Durant---- vs.----- Gibson

Pts:-------------------46------------------33

FGM/A:--------------17/25-------------11/20

3PM/A:---------------4/8---------------11/20

Reb:-------------------7-------------------4

Ast:-------------------4-------------------2

Stl:--------------------2-------------------2

-Winner: 2009

All Star Game: 2009 vs. 2003

This year's game, featured a Co-MVP trophy to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Kobe finished with 27 points and Shaq added 17. Do not be fooled by the Co-MVP choices. In my opinion, Kobe was the MVP. He played better than anyone on the floor, especially Shaq. Shaq did have 17 points, but you know the NBA jumped at the idea of giving both players MVP, considering their rocky relationship.

------------------------------------news.yahoo.com

Putting the MVP talk aside, this game was really boring. You did not have any amazing dunks throughout the game, until the last minute when everyone gave up playing defense. You had a few nice shots hear and there, but normally for an All-Star Game, they are more common. Plus, this game was a blowout. The only time it was competitive was the first quarter. The West took control and destroyed the East 146-119. A very average All-Star Game to watch in my opinion.

The 2003 game featured Michael Jordan's final All-Star Game. Not only was this game much closer, the hype of Jordan's final All-Star Game was the big story. This historic game did not start out well for Jordan. He missed eight of his first 10 shots, but would recover. The game went back in fourth and went into overtime.

-------------------------------------------------nba.com

With 4.8 seconds left in the first overtime, Jordan nailed a jumper over Shawn Marion (above) to give the East a one-point lead. It would have been the game winner, but Kobe Bryant hit a free throw sending the game to a second OT. In the second OT, Kevin Garnett added seven points and gave the West the lead. They never looked back. KG finished with 37 points and was name All-Star MVP.----------------------------------------------nba.com

The 2003 game was the first All-Star Game to go to two overtimes. It gave us another Michael Jordan shot to put on his career highlight reel and also showed Jordan, at 40-years old, could still play.

-Winner: 2003

Every All-Star Weekend will not be like the one in 2003, nor will it be like the one this year. But it does not matter how competitive or exciting the game is, because any child watching the Slam Dunk Contest or the game itself, will always have a memory from it. That matters, because it happened to me when I was six-years old and I can guarantee you, it happened this year.

~Sabol

A-Rod Admits To Taking Steroids. Should You Be Surprised?

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Baseball's golden boy and arguably the best player in the game, admitting taking banned substances does not really surprise me. In my opinion, it was only a matter of time until another high profiled baseball player admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

In the past few years, a large number of popular and Hall of Fame caliber baseball players have either been accused or admitted to taking PEDs or steroids. Whether it was Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds or now Alex Rodriguez, all of these players images have now been tarnished, and will never be the same.

A-Rod admits to taking PEDs from 2001-2003 while with the Texas Rangers. His reasoning for taking PEDs:
-------------"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day," Rodriguez told ESPN's Peter Gammons.

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During those three years, A-Rod had his best career statistically, including one of his three MVP awards.

-------------------------------A-Rod's Career Stats

-------------1996-2000-----------*2001-2003*------------2004-2008

Bat Avg:-------.286-------------------.305---------------------.302

Slug %:--------.498-------------------.615---------------------.572

HR a Year:-----27---------------------52-----------------------41

RBI a Year:----85--------------------132---------------------123

*Years While Taking Banned Substances.*

Pressure or just trying to get an edge, is the reason why people take steroids or PEDs. However, while players taking these banned substances are considered cheaters, it is not the first time baseball players have taken actions like this to get ahead.

Baseball since the 1800s had cases of cheating. In 1897, legendary knuckle ball pitcher Joe Niekro was caught using an emery board on the mound during a game, to sand grooves in the ball. Other pitchers, including Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry, was notorious for doctoring balls. Perry would put saliva, sweat, or petroleum jelly from under the brim of his hat, on the ball making it move in different directions.

Corking bats is another way of players cheating. Players would hollow out the center of a bat and fill it with cork or even rubber balls. Modifying bats makes it lighter and players think it makes the ball go farther. Since 1970, six players have been caught corking bats, including alleged steroid user Sammy Sosa back in 2003.

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These cases may seem small and not relevant to banned substances, but the question is, is steroids any different? How can we as a society determine what players cheated back then, without them getting caught? I think it is safe to say, some current Hall of Famers cheated at some point in their careers, without using PEDs. How do you differentiate those cheaters to steroid users?

From the 1980s when steroids and PEDs allegedly came into play in MLB, no one can tell for sure which players used. Until tests started in 2003, the only way of knowing, is from people accusing or admitting to using banned substances.

I believe no matter how many steroid testes there are, steroid makers will always be one step ahead. As the years go on and technology gets better, cheating will get better.

It is sad to see a sport considered America's Pastime, will always be linked to cheating and steroids.

~Sabol

Lakers Pound Cavs

I do not know what is more surprising. That fact that LeBron vs. Kobe was a disappointing show or the Cavaliers 23-home game winning streak was snapped. In the end it does not matter because the Lakers dumped the Cavs 101-91.

Bryant played just 35 minutes, sat most of the second half with the flu, and finished with 19 points. James shot a dismal 5 of 20 and finished with 16 points. Every time LeBron drove to the hoop and shot, the ball bounced off the basket as if there was a lid on the rim.

----------------------------espn.com(AP-Mark Duncan)
Lamar Odom picked up the slack for L.A. and finished with a season high 28 points and 17 rebounds. Every rebound seemed to go right to Odom in the fourth quarter. It did not matter if Anderson Varejao, Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace, or even J.J. Hickson guarded Odom, because he dominated the Cavaliers.

----------------------------espn.com (AP-Mark Duncan)

What was more impressive was the Lakers swept the season series against Cleveland and beat them without their young starting center Andrew Bynum. Before Bynum tore a knee ligament a week ago, he started to become more consistent and averaging nearly 20 points a game. However, the Lakers still did not need him yesterday in Cleveland.

The Cavs home win streak ending at 23 was fitting, because number 23 (LeBron James) had his worst game of the year. "I missed a lot of easy shots that I usually make," James said after the game.

What the Cavs now need to do is regroup and put this game behind them. They travel to Indy tomorrow to face the Pacers. The Pacers may be 12 games below .500, but the Cavs should not take them lightly. A loss to them would not be the end, but would look as if Cleveland still had the Lakers loss on their mind.

You can bet Cavs Head Coach Mike Brown will not let that happen.

~Sabol

James Awes Knicks Crowd

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As predicted, the biggest story from the Cavs/Knicks game was about LeBron out dueling Bryant’s 61 point night. James did not surpass Kobe’s 61 points, but he did have a triple-double, which was more impressive than Kobe’s box score. Wait...what I meant to say was LeBron did have a triple-double until the NBA league offices found a statistical error in LeBron’s last rebound on Friday.

With :39 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Cavalier forward Ben Wallace appeared to have control of a rebound and then passed the ball to James. It may have been a weak pass, but in my opinion, it looked as if the ball bounced off Wallace and into James hands.

When James was asked about the change he said, "I never thought you could look at the box score and see somebody with 50 with a triple-double, but it’s happened."

If the NBA did let the rebound stand, it would have been the first 50-point game in a triple-double since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975.

Even without the triple-double, LeBron James had a better night statistically. The stats show more about his game than Kobe’s. That is why LeBron is inching so closely to Kobe as the best player in the NBA.

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-----------------------LeBron vs. Kobe @ the Garden

James: 52 Points, 11 Assists, *9 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, 0 Steals
Bryant: 61 Points, 2 Assists, 0 Rebounds, 1 Blocks, 0 Steals

*One rebound deducted from James and given to Ben Wallace after review.

We will not have to wait long to debate about these two, because on Sunday, the Lakers will take on the Cavs in Cleveland. All signs are pointing for this to be one of the year’s most anticipated games.

~Sabol

LeBron Takes On Madison Square Garden

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In T-Minus 4 hours and 28 minutes, LeBron James will take the court at Madison Square Garden. The media buzz around him will be a circus. Every time the Cavs are in New York, fans and media give the King a royal treatment, in hopes of courting him in the summer of 2010, when he becomes a free agent.

Just days ago, when Kobe Bryant and the Lakers played the Knicks at the Garden, Bryant exploded for a Madison Sqaure Garden all time high in points, with 61! Now that the Cavs are in town, the question is not "Where will James be playing in 2010?", but"Will LeBron James have a bigger night than Kobe's?"

--------------------------------------- -Bryant adding to his 61 points-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------boston.com
It is no secret that James loves playing in the most historic venue in all of sports. In fact, he has sad countless times how much he looks forward to playing at the Garden. James talked to Yahoo Sports AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney about it back in November when the Cavs were in NYC.

---------"Every time I come here, it’s like a warm feeling just because you know the history. It’s not just basketball, everything that ever went on. Concerts, boxing, I mean everything that ever went on at Madison Square Garden. Being a basketball junkie like myself, how could you not love it being in this building?" -LeBron James, Nov. 2008-

Last March, LeBron blew up at MSG scoring 50 points, adding 10 assists, and eight rebounds. During that game, James had fun entertaining and talking trash to court side celebrities. Among them, film maker Spike Lee and music producer/rapper/friend Jay-Z, were some of the stars egging him on as the Cavs beat the Knicks by 14.

-----------------James adding to his 50 points at the Garden in March 2008-
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New York media and the national media can mull over what James will do in 2010, but that is not the story today. The real story is, how does LeBron out duel Kobe's night? My guess, LeBron will scores 45 points and sit much of the fourth quarter, if the Cavs are blowing out the Knicks. If the game goes down the wire and the Cavs have the ball, you know who is going to take the last shot. If he makes it, his night will beat Kobe's night, no matter how many points he finishes with.


~Sabol

Super Bowl XLIII Review

I cannot help but be annoyed, angry, jealous, and extremely frustrated after the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. The Cards had the Steelers right where they wanted with less than 2:30 left in the game. The only thing Arizona needed to do was hold the Steelers from getting in field goal range, but that did not happen. After Cardinals wide-out Larry Fitzgerald sealed what looked to be the game winning touchdown, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethisberger mounted a historic comeback.

As Big Ben dropped back on the Arizona six yard line, he hurled the ball toward the end zone. I then, jumped out of my seat in joy thinking he was throwing the ball away…but I was wrong. Out of no where, Steeler wide-out Santonio Holmes, caught the ball and dragged both feet in bounds. An unbelievable catch that went down in history, as one of the greatest Super Bowl catches ever!

--------------------------------------------nydailynews.com

Digesting all of this as a Cleveland Browns fan was tough. I sat there in utter disbelief. Sure, the Cardinals had 35 seconds left on the clock, but would they really rally back? No. Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner led his offense down the field, but resulted in him fumbling the ball and Pittsburgh recovered to seal the victory. I was stunned. But as a Browns fan, this was fitting. After all the last ten years have been ugly for the Browns.


-----------------------------Last 10 Years:

---------------------------------------------Steelers----------Browns

Playoff Appearances:-----------------------6-------------------1*
Starting QB's:---------------------------------7-------------------14
Head Coaches:-------------------------------2--------------------4
Head-To-Head Wins:-----------------------18------------------3--
Super Bowl Rings:---------------------------2------------------0 ------- ----------------------(6 Super Bowl Rings Total- Most in NFL)

*One playoff appearance was against the Steelers and the Browns blew 24-7 third quarter lead, resulting in a 36-33 loss in 2003.

-Browns QB Kelly Holcomb after the AFC Wild Card Game-
---------------------------------------doubtaboutit.com

The Browns bitter rival is the model franchise for the NFL. Give credit when credit is due. The Steelers are what I want the Browns to be.

I hope someday in my lift time that will happen. Until then, I have to wait till next year, just as I have for the last 23 years. After all, I am from Cleveland and this is what we do best.

See you at training camp.

~Sabol