Lockout? What Lockout?

Well, the NHL season is 10 days old and the lockout is a distant memory. My boycott has been reduced to a "give them no money" protest that is as ineffective as it is meaningless. Forgiving fans have returned to the game in droves, with record ratings and sold out rinks in many markets. The NHL won't miss my $49.99 that I normally would have spent on Game Center Live. In fact, to my eternal shame, I have been watching GCL quite often. The league has employed a brilliant marketing strategy, offering the service for free for the first two weeks of the season. I couldn't resist watching a few games and even with the limited training camps, the action was fast and furious. Hockey is the most exciting televised sport and seeing it again being played at the highest level made me feel like a recovering alcoholic offered a free beer. In this case, I reluctantly took it, had a few sips, and am again regularly late for work. In my case though, it is because the NHL games are on in the morning here in Singapore. A hockey hangover so to speak.

So now I'm considering the advantages to the shorter season. Usually by early February, the mid-season doldrums have taken over as the 82-game slog is simply too long for players and fans alike. But a 48-game sprint should keep the mail-in games to a minimum and most teams will be in the playoff race until April. With no interconference games, travel schedules will also be lighter and the Stanley Cup Final will be the first East vs West meeting of the season.

I was hoping to avoid attending an NHL game during my upcoming month in North America, but that was wishful thinking. I've already given in and bought a ticket from a friend so I can see a regular season game at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, one of three NHL rinks I've yet to add to the Quest for 400. Before that I have a week in NYC where I will probably check out the Jets and Rangers at the renovated MSG, as well as the Leafs on Long Island. In both cases, the box office is not an option, as I want to get in the building without giving the NHL my money.

So does it really matter who gets the cash, beyond me being able to write this column extolling how I am not a hypocrite? Probably not. If I buy a used Camry from you, Toyota may not get the money directly, but they get the ancillary benefits of having me drive the car and talk about it to friends. Even if the NHL doesn't get a single dime from my pocket, they will count me in the attendance figures and will also enjoy the extremely minor exposure they get when I write about the game. In fact, my failure to stop writing about the NHL is pretty much a sign that my boycott was stupidly conceived to begin with.

The only way an economic protest can work is if a majority of market participants agree to it. Most fans want nothing to do with the business side of the game and are just happy to have the chance to cheer on their favourite team for the rest of the season. Those of us who thought we could make a difference had no chance. Before the first puck dropped, I estimated that about a third of fans would engage in some sort of action to protest the lockout, but in reality the number is probably around 5% if that.

Simply put, if you want to follow sports, you have to accept labour problems on a regular basis. If you get so frustrated that you are capable of turning away permanently, more power to you. I am not that strong, and watching Matt Frattin's beautiful overtime goal to beat the Sabres this morning convinced me that it is better to forgive and forget than hold a grudge. So once again, it's Go Leafs Go! See you in New York!

Best,

Sean

Read More

Clippers to win NBA title?

Every once in a while I like to take the mid-season standings in the NBA or NHL and run through a simulated playoffs to see who might win the championship. You might think such an exercise is entirely meaningless, but in 2011, my NHL simulation showed the Los Angeles Kings beating the Boston Bruins. Of course, the Bruins won the cup in 2011, the Kings in 2012. Coincidence? I think not. So get your betting hats on, contact your bookie, and read on.

The standings at the 41-game mark of the NBA follow. Remember the NBA has a slightly different seeding system whereby the three division champions in each conference must appear in the top four playoff spots (as opposed to the top 3 in the NHL) although that doesn't impact things this time.

East          W   L
Miami        28  13
New York     26  15
Indiana      25  16
Chicago      25  16
Brooklyn     25  16
Atlanta      23  18
Milwaukee    22  19
Boston       20  21
   
West          W   L
OKC          32   9
LA Clippers  32   9
San Antonio  30  11
Memphis      27  14
Golden State 26  15
Denver       24  17
Utah         22  19
Houston      21  20

First, the tiebreakers: Indiana beat Chicago in their only meeting so far so they are the Central Division champions and get the 3rd spot in the East. Out West, the Thunder beat the Clippers both times they have played so they take top spot.

Playoffs based on season series so far:

1st Round
Miami vs Boston - Heat 1-1, Heat lost in 2OT so they advance
NY vs Milwaukee - Knicks 1-0
Indiana vs Atlanta - Hawks 2-0
Chicago vs Brooklyn - Bulls 1-0

OKC vs Houston - Thunder 2-0
LAC vs Utah - Clippers 3-0
San Antonio vs Denver - 1-1, Spurs advance on better record
Memphis vs Golden State - Grizzlies 2-0

2nd Round
Miami vs Chicago - Bulls 1-0
NY vs Atlanta - 0-0, Knicks advance on better record (the teams played Jan 27th, which was after game 41 for both so not counted)
OKC vs Memphis  - Grizzlies 1-0
LAC vs San Antonio - Clippers 2-0

Conference Finals
Chicago vs NY - Bulls 3-0
LAC vs Memphis - Clippers 2-0

Final
Chicago vs LAC - Clippers 2-0

So there you have it. The Clippers are your NBA favourites halfway through the season. Of course, since then, they have lost 4 in a row and are now 32-13, much like the LA Kings did after my prediction in 2011. And with Derrick Rose due back in late February, the Bulls are probably the team to beat. Look for the Clippers to take the title in 2014 instead.

Best,

Sean

Read More

Players to Watch - 3 years later

In 2010, I took a couple of roadtrips in which I saw a good bit of minor league baseball. In California, I saw three games and in Iowa, I witnessed another seven matches. For all but one of those games, I mentioned a "player to watch" which was simply a player (not a well-known prospect) who I thought might have a chance to reach the majors based on his performance in that single game. Of course, baseball is a sport where even the least talented player can have a 4-4 game once in a while, so having this feature was more an exercise in learning about randomness rather than demonstrating what a great eye for talent that I have.

Two seasons have passed since then, so I thought I'd review those players and find out where they are now. Most of the games I saw were in Class A, so the players should be playing at AAA in 2013 if they have a legitimate chance at making the big leagues. Here's the list of my players to watch from 2010, in the order in which I watched the games:

Dallas Keuchel (LHP) - Lancaster Jethawks. Keuchel was Houston's 7th round pick in 2009 and he pitched well when I saw him. No fluke, as he debuted with the Astros in June, 2012 and started 16 games, going 3-8 with a 5.25 ERA.

Roberto Lopez (C) - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes - Lopez, the Angels' 25th-round pick in 2008, had a great defensive game when I saw him. Played in 10 games in AAA in 2011 but only hit .167, so spent 2012 back in AA where was a solid contributor. At 27, he's not likely to reach the majors.

Drew Cumberland (SS) - Lake Elsinore Storm - San Diego's top pick in 2007, he played superbly in the game I watched. He was destined for the majors when he was diagnosed with a neurological condition which caused him to retire before the 2012 season.

Jay Jackson (RHP) - Iowa Cubs - OK, picking a player in AAA isn't that hard, but Jackson has yet to appear in Chicago despite some decent numbers in 2010. He had a poor 2012 and spent the winter in Mexico where he seemed to improve. Guessing if he doesn't crack the Cubs this year he will be picked up by another club.

Matt Adams (1B) - Quad Cities River Bandits - Drafted in the 23rd round in 2009, he wasn't considered a prospect but hit two long dingers in the game I saw. St. Louis called him up in May 2012 and he appeared in 27 games, hitting 244/286/384 before being returned to Memphis, where he had some great numbers, including a .986 OPS. Expect to see him back at Busch permanently very soon.

Stephen Locke (LHP) - Cedar Rapids Kernels - I saw Locke throw a 5-inning no-hitter but that was his career highlight as he's out of organized baseball after starting 2 games in the California League in 2011. He's now in the news for suing the Gainesville police.

Carlo Testa (OF) - Burlington Bees - Drafted in the 18th round by the Royals in 2008, Testa hit two homers and added an outfield assist in the game I saw. He played a full season at AA in 2012 and seems to be moving up the ladder, but at 26 he is probably too old to make an impact. Still, expect to see him in the bigs this year or next.

Trey Haley (RHP) - Lake County Captains - Cleveland's 2nd-round pick in 2008, Haley was initially a starter and outpitched Shelby Miller in the game I went to. After becoming a reliever in 2011, he underwent surgery for a sports hernia injury that had plagued him for over a year. He recovered well and ended the 2012 season in AA and is now considered a top prospect for the Indians.

Keon Broxton (OF) - South Bend Silver Hawks - Arizona's 3rd round pick in 2009, this speedy outfielder hit 19 triples in 2010, including one at the game I saw. Looking at his stats, he seems to have plateaued at the High A level in Visalia, spending most of 2011 and all of 2012 there. However, he is only 22 years old and he hit 19 homers for the Rawhide last year, so I think he still has a future in baseball, although I'm not as confident that he will reach the majors as I was back in 2010.

So there you have it: out of nine players to watch, two made the majors, another three are likely to make it in smaller roles, one retired, one is out of baseball, and the other two will probably spend their entire career in the minors. Not a great record for the Player to Watch feature; I guess my dreams of becoming a baseball scout will remain just that.

Best,

Sean

Read More

Thailand Slammers 50 at Singapore Slingers 56 (ASEAN Basketball League) - January 13, 2013

If you measure a sport's popularity by the number of national federations that belong to the international governing body, basketball is surprisingly tops in the world. The Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA) boasts 213 members to 209 for FIFA, soccer's far more famous counterpart. Of course, I'd never argue that there are more people playing basketball than soccer, but it does show that both sports have fans around the world. So it should be no surprise that Southeast Asia has a basketball league of its own, known as the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). ASEAN stands for the Association of South East Asian Nations and bears no relation to my name, although A Sean Basketball League does have a certain ring to it.

Formed in 2009, the ABL has just started its fourth season with six teams, two less than contested the 2012 campaign. Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, and Singapore host squads that will play a 20-game slate over four months. The local team is known as the Slingers, a nickname that evokes both a basketball term and the world-famous concoction, the Singapore Sling. They finished 5th last season with a 9-12 record; perhaps the most impressive stat is they scored the same number of points as they allowed, 1,536 or about 73 per game.



This past weekend was the opener for 2013 and the Slingers had a home date against the Thailand Slammers, who were the cellar dwellers from 2012. Suffering from a dearth of live sports, I headed over to the Singapore Indoor Stadium to add another league to my list.

Singapore Indoor Stadium



I visited here at the end of last year for the Clash of Continents Tennis Tournament and briefly wrote  about it then, intending to provide a more detailed review this time around. However, the stadium amenities are so basic that there is very little to talk about.



As you enter, there are several banners displaying the word "Welcome" in different languages; this might be the only unusual feature (above).



For basketball, there are three ticket choices, with $19 being the most expensive that get you close to the floor. I opted for the general admission seats which are just $9 and are in the upper deck. As you can see in the shot of the box office above, the Slingers are not a popular pastime. I'd guess the stadium was barely 20% full and ushers were not checking tickets, so you could pretty much sit anywhere you wanted. I spent the first half by myself in the upper deck, then moved lower for the second half. At no point did anyone ask to see my ticket, and frankly, why would they bother? The ushers were helpful though, always asking me if there was anything they could do for me.



Food and beverage are quite limited and overpriced (2 beers for $25!), so I didn't bother partaking. There are a few restaurants on the riverside part of the stadium that make for much better destinations before or after the game. My recommendation is Brewerx, a local microbrewery with decent pizza and other snacks.



With less than 2,000 fans on hand, there were approximately 11,000 empty seats. This didn’t bode well for the atmosphere, but things got worse once the action started. Whenever the Slingers were on defense, the MC said “Let’s D up!” and tried to get a “D-Fence” chant going while the PA system played monotonous recorded clapping. He also let us know whenever there was a rebound although on several occasions, he called a defensive rebound a turnover. One of the funnier things was when the MC told the teams to “return to the court” after a timeout. I thought that was the referee’s job.



There were some cheerleaders (Slingerls, above, practicing before the game) who used slingshots (get it?) to send t-shirts into the crowd during timeouts. Quarter breaks and halftime saw a couple of typical games such as the one featuring kids trying to shoot hoops after donning oversized basketball uniforms.


The roof is pretty cool

Sadly, these were the most entertaining aspects of the afternoon as the quality of basketball was very bad. Singapore Indoor Stadium is a top-notch venue but there is precious little sport that makes it worthwhile to visit.



The Game

I didn't have high expectations for this league, but even then I was surprised at just how bad both teams were at shooting. The first quarter saw a combined 7/40 from the floor, or 17.5%. It wasn't like the defence was smothering, it was just that the players missed easy shot after easy shot. It was brutal to watch as the first quarter ended 10-8 for Singapore.



The second quarter was somewhat better (well, it had to be) and Singapore used a nice run to head into the half with a 35-23 advantage. They fell apart in the third quarter though, scoring only 8 points as Thailand cut the lead in half with just ten minutes left.



The Slammers kept the pressure on but their shooting remained awful and they couldn't quite get themselves over the hump despite getting with 2 a couple of times. The final was 56-50 for Singapore with the combined shooting percentage an unbelievably bad 31%.



I don't know if I can struggle through another one of these games. Even though $9 is not a lot of money, the basketball is likely worse than Division III. These players have not grown up with the game and although each team had a couple of Americans (perhaps the most famous is Rashad Jones-Jennings   who led Division I in rebounding in 2006-07, that's him on the right above, missing an easy layup), the talent differential was too much for the team to play in a cohesive manner. I was planning a trip to Jakarta to see a game in May and by then, perhaps the teams will have gelled and the entertainment value might make the trip worthwhile. But if not, I'll be giving this league a pass for the rest of the season.

Notes



The Slammers were coached by Joe "Jellybean" Bryant (above), father of Kobe. I DVR'd the game and when I returned, watched the post-game show. Bryant was interviewed and was extremely positive about his team despite their woeful performance. He said that most of them were local Thai players who had never played at this level and he expected them to improve over the season. It was nice to see a coach saying good things about his team rather than chewing them out after an embarrassing loss.

This was venue 396 for me. The rules indicate that you may count a venue twice if it hosts a different sport or different professional or college franchise in the same sport, so this counts as the 50th basketball arena in which I have seen a game. Only baseball (191) and hockey (77) have more visits, next on the list is soccer with 29. I have seen events in 85 different "leagues" as well.

Next Up

The rest of January will be very quiet as I prepare for what may be my only trip to North America this year. I'll be stopping in Japan for a week before that and will check out Tokyo's new entry in the bj League before flying to Dallas to start two weeks on the road watching lots of basketball as well as the first couple of weekends in the NCAA baseball season. The NHL is also back, and my boycott will be tested as the Leafs are in Long Island while I am visiting New York. Check back in February for updates on what promises to be an exciting trip.

Best,

Sean

Read More

Bye-Bye Brian

So the Leafs have fired bombastic GM Brian Burke, ensuring that this season will be the least entertaining in some time. Depending on which sources you read, the firing was due to Burke's failure to make the playoffs during his 4-year tenure, his unwillingness to trade for Roberto Luongo, or a personality conflict with the new owners (I fear the name George Cope may become this decade's equivalent to Harold Ballard).

Whatever the case, there is an air of expectation in Toronto. Although I am self-righteously boycotting the NHL this season, there is always a concern that the Leafs will suddenly become contenders and draw me back in. With Burke's firing seeming to indicate meddling owners though, I think this is more unlikely than it was last week.

Dave Nonis is the new GM and faces the challenge of bringing Toronto another winner. The city is now used to winning championships after the Argos claimed the 100th Grey Cup back in November and Nonis either has to match that (with meddling owners) or be deemed an unqualified failure. Good luck Dave.

Finally, I wanted to mention a story that explains why I will always support Brian Burke. You all know about his work with LGBT causes after the death of his son Brendan, and what I am about to relate is insignificant beside that, but it illustrates how Burke always kept an eye out for the little guy. When my occasional roadtripping buddy Sharpy and I were in Nashville to see the Leafs in January, 2010, we ended up with post-game passes to the basement of the Sommet Center (as Bridgestone Arena was known back then). This allowed us to stand behind a barrier and watch the Leafs walk to their bus. The sight was doubtless pathetic: two middle-aged men in Leaf jerseys waiting for their heroes to pass by. The Leafs had won 4-3 but even then, those players who passed by seemed distracted and did not acknowledge us. Only when Burke emerged did we get some validation; as he walked by he said gruffly, "Thanks for coming, guys.". Just four words that made the entire two-week roadtrip worthwhile, even though the Leafs lost all three games that we saw after that.

For now, Burke is still employed by the Leafs as a consultant, but I'm guessing he is already looking for other options where he can be in charge again. When that happens, I'll send him a message: "So long, Brian, and thanks for coming to Toronto".

Best,

Sean

Read More

NHL Fans Welcome Baaaaaaack the Game

During the NHL lockout, I posted encouraging fans to speak with their wallets when the dispute was finally settled. This past weekend the parties finally realized that they are better off playing hockey and generating revenue than yelling at each other across a table. It didn't take fans long to make their own views known as they flocked to social media to either welcome back the NHL or profess a complete lack of interest in the upcoming season. By a rough estimate based on my own feeds, I'd say over 2/3 of fans are actually looking forward to the 48-game slate. I am disappointed but not surprised by this, hockey fans have always been sheep (hence the title of this post). I had hoped that they would realize that supporting the NHL rewards the owners and players who care nothing about them. Instead, they are behaving as jilted lovers welcomed back by a cheating, abusive spouse who promises it will never happen again.

To be fair, there have been a couple of interesting arguments for supporting the NHL despite the league cancelling 16.8% of regular season games since 2004. One is to forgive and forget. If you love hockey, you have to deal with the fact that the NHL operating model is broken. Accept labour stoppages every few years and when the games begin anew, you can return with a clear conscience. This argument is tough to fight because it is not based on emotion but a simple realization of the powerless position of the fan. It seems like most enthusiasts are following this way of thinking, not even bothering to understand the economics behind the dispute.

The other argument I heard was that by supporting the NHL, you are also helping the businesses and arena workers who have been hurt the most by the lockout. This point is not nearly as robust simply because you can support those businesses regardless if there is a game or not and you can help those workers too if you are so inclined. Giving $200 to the owners so you can also give $50 dollars to a restaurant near the arena seems a rather backward way of approaching things. Just go the restaurant and spend $100 instead.

For me, I am not angry or hateful towards the league; I feel that I am behaving as a smart consumer. Much like you would stop going to a restaurant that routinely brought the wrong order and ignored your complaints, I'm stopping spending money on NHL games. That doesn't mean I won't go, there are still three stadiums I need to visit, but I will do so without a penny going to the owners. I've also canceled my Game Center Live subscription so the NHL will see not a dime from me for the next couple of years. Of course, living in Singapore makes this very easy to do.

Regardless of your location, I encourage other NHL fans to make a similar statement. Those with season tickets are not going to cancel, likely seeing themselves as fortunate to see a 42% reduction in their annual bill, making it far easier to condone the continuation. Yes, your money goes to the deplorable owners but you can still stop buying concessions and merchandise and cease contributing to other assorted sources of revenue. For those who attend occasionally, consider abstaining for this season at least. Only by showing the owners and players that we can reduce their salaries by withholding revenue can we ensure that the same stupid process doesn't repeat itself eight years hence.

Best,

Sean

Read More