5 World Cup Questions For Greg Bartram and Brian Phillips by Colin G.

I sort of consider myself the average "American" soccer fan. I enjoy the game but typically  just drink a beer and scream real loud when a ball gets close to the net. With the 2014 World Cup almost set to pop, I thought the time was ripe to ask local soccer experts -  CD1025 DJ Brian Phillips and renowned Photographer/Musician Greg Bartram - some of my dumb-ass soccer questions to help get up to speed on what I need to know.- Colin G.

1) Ok, I said I was a soccer dumb-ass so first things first, what time and what channel is the first Team USA World Cup game vs Ghana showing?

Brian - USA/Ghana kick off at 6pm Eastern Monday June 16. USA/Portugal 6pm Sunday June 22. USA/Germany Noon Thursday June 26.

Greg - Here’s a link that lists the other coverage for the first round. This is the last year of ESPN’s coverage contract, and they’re approaching it with the mindset that they want it to be the very best coverage EVER, making it an exceedingly tough followup for FOX.

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2014/02/espn-schedule-2014-fifa-world-cup/

2) I have Ghana filed under "American killers." Is that accurate? And if so, what is it about them that seems to give us trouble?

Brian - That's tough for me to answer specific to this World Cup as I have not seen them play. Ghana is perennially one of the best sides on their continent. I'm reading they're strong in the midfield, but perhaps a bit lacking elsewhere. The 13th ranked USA will have to beat the world's 37 to have any hope of advancing. It's really that simple.

Greg - The US have played Ghana 4 times, twice in 1983, once in the 2006 World Cup, losing to them in the Round of 16, and once in the group stage in 2010. They’ve lost all four, but no one who played an any but the last match are still active with their teams. They’ve got some players in the best leagues in the world, but how will they mesh coming into this tournament?

Local connection…both Dominic Oduro (just traded to Toronto, to the great disappointment of my youngest son) and Fifi Baiden of the Crew are from Ghana. Oduro has been called into the Black Stars’ camp on at least one occasion, but has never appeared in international competition.
 

3) There has been much talk about us being in the "group of death." Is it really harder than the other brackets based on World Rankings or is that just ESPN-fueled hype?

Brian - Not in this case. Germany is ranked second in the world and Portugal fourth. Getting out of this group will be one hell of an accomplishment. 

Greg - As Brian said, this group includes the 2nd, 4th, and 37th ranked teams in the world, with the US being ranked 13th. The top two teams will advance, so the US will have to defeat at least one top-5 team to advance…there isn’t any way around that.

4) Don't we have to play a game on top of a mountain in the middle of the jungle or something? Do you feel the climate will help or hurt Team USA  one way or another?

Brian - I don't worry about that stuff. The USA plays in all manner of environments during qualifying. Everything from a blizzard in Denver at high altitude, to the extreme heat of Central America, to the smog and high altitude in Mexico City. If it's an issue we weren't ready to play.

Greg - It’s not so much where they are (although the stadium at Manaus is built in "the heart of the world’s largest rain forest," according to the CBC), as how far they have to go to get there. The US will travel 8,866 miles in the group stage alone, whereas Germany will travel slightly less than a third of the total distance the US will. The USMNT actually have the longest travel schedule of ANY team in the group stage of the World Cup.

5) It seemed odd to me that Landon Donovan was cut from the team at such a late date. Did you find this surprising? Concerning? What was the motive?

Brian - Landon took a year off and he's 32 years old now. I was a bit surprised sure, but he wasn't the only one cut. I don't think there was any motive other than the usual. Jurgen Klinsman would hardly allow politics to sway him one way or the other at this juncture. That said, if the USA performs poorly it'll be the first thing some say. 

Greg - The internet is awash with conspiracy theories, including the thought that US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is building for 2018, and not taking this one seriously, but I don’t buy into that. I will defer to the words of current LA Galaxy and former USMNT head coach Bruce Arena…"If there are 23 better players than Landon, then we have a chance to win the World Cup." 

5 more World Cup questions for Greg Bartram and Brian Phillips coming soon!

Fantasy Baseball Update with Brian Phillips

Our editor sent me a Facebook message the other day with some fantasy baseball questions he was hoping I would answer. Ok, it was two weeks ago. Not much has changed in the interim except 67 more players have been severely injured. Elbows are exploding, hamstrings are shredding, discs are bulging. Hell, one player - Matt Cain - missed a start after trying to catch a knife he had dropped while making a sandwich. Cain makes several million dollars a year so it is charming that he's making his own sandwiches. This should end immediately. Not that it matters as Cain is now on the DL anyway (hamstring, not ham sandwich this time). I don't think it's a coincidence that most major league clubs are hovering one side or the other of .500. The DL is amplifying baseball's trend toward parity the past few seasons. As I write Oakland and Detroit hold the best records in baseball, and both clubs have stayed relatively healthy. 

Anyway I digress. Let's plow through em so I can get to another beer and the Mariners/Astros game at 10pm. (Oh yeah, I care.)

Q: How are your various fantasy teams doing?

A trap question, because if there's anything less interesting to everyone than your fantasy teams I have yet to find it. 

I'm in first in a league with our editor, 6th place in my long running keeper league (though I've been as high as third lately, it's pretty close), and 10th place in my 12-team no-trade league. I blame all of that on my pitching. Woeful. Homer Bailey needs to fall out of love with his shitty curve ball at some point. He'll be sitting on the bench for now. 

Q: What five players on your teams have been a pleasant surprise?

1. Nolan Arenado. I spent nine bucks at auction for the Rockies' third baseman. I liked his contact skills for such a young player and figured he'd play a ton owing to his nifty glove. After he reeled off a 28 game hitting streak with some pop here and there I've gotten way more than I thought. I think he'll be on my roster for a long time. Nice player.

2. Starlin Castro. I have the Cubs shortstop on two squads and have been very happy, especially with how late and cheap I obtained him. Sure he was crap last year, but always remember: Once a player displays skills he owns them. The kid needed to grow up a bit. The fact that he's put up solid numbers on a terrible Cubs team is all the more impressive. Pure profit so far.

3. Marlon Byrd. I know, I know. Hardly sexy. He had a nice year last year, but I was a skeptic. He was moving to a new club, he was a year older. That said he cost me almost nothing to keep, so I did. As I write he's around .300 with 6 bombs and 29 RBI. I run him out there every day without much thought and with all the injuries that's worth something.

4. Nelson Cruz. Like Byrd, Cruz is a former 'roid cheater. It's fantasy though and in this game I'm mercenary. He was a late pick and I was hoping maybe he'd give me some pop here and there. All he's done is put up a .282 14/41 slash line and he's a big reason why I'm sitting in first place. 

5. Scott Kazmir. I'll be honest, I was a bit baffled at the deal the always smart Oakland A's gave the resurrected Kazmir. Still, I threw down four bucks for him on a flier. Why? Always remember! The A's front office knows way more about pitching than you do. (See also Tampa Bay.) In 52 innings Kazmir has surrendered a scant 12 walks to go with a decent 43 strike outs. Guys aren't getting a ton of hits off him either. It's real and it's fantastic. 

Who have been your disappointments?

1. Homer Bailey. I know Bailey had a reputation for being a bit of a red ass, but with a great year in 2013 and a new contract I figured we were past all that. Boy, was I wrong. He's stunk up the joint. In the starts I've watched he's been throwing way too much breaking stuff and he's getting killed. 

2. Prince Fielder. I spent big bucks on Prince. He's never hurt and always puts up the numbers, until this year. At least we know why. Fielder will undergo season ending back surgery soon. 

3. Trevor Rosenthal. He was money in the closer role last year and I always assume the Cardinals know what they're doing. Sure he's logged 14 saves, but with an ERA pushing five he's on the verge of losing his gig. It's pretty simple, the kid isn't locating his fastball. He'd better get straight fast because ex-closer Jason Motte is back from Tommy John. 

Who should owners dump and have patience with?

Tough question. I've been doing this long enough to have grown a great deal of patience. I'll answer the question generally. You drafted guys for a reason. For example I don't own Carlos Santana, but if I did I would wait. This has happened before and he's too good a hitter to be this guy all season. Stick him on your bench and wait. That said Homer Bailey is on thin ice. 

Code Reds - Five Baseball Questions for Kevin J. Elliott and Ryan Haye

Johnny Cueto's stock has never been higher. Given his injury history would you consider trading him or any other Reds pitcher for an established bat to help this anemic offense? What position needs the upgrade most of all? Who would you target in a trade? 

Kevin - Never. Despite Cueto being injury prone, he actually appears to be getting stronger as the season progresses. What pitcher these days isn't injury prone? Just look at what we got with Ryan Madson. He never threw a pitch in a Reds uniform.  I don't even think Cueto's come close to reaching his peak as a pitcher. He's looking like Bob Gibson now on one of the league's best pitching staffs. We've got to keep our ace as I think we'll see multi seasons of his dominance down the road. 

Of course we need a bat. I'm the huge optimist in thinking that Votto and Bruce -- and perhaps Frazier -- will have above average seasons and Mez might hit 35 HRs, but certainly realize someone like Albert Pujols (yes, I said it, but we've become a home for former Cards) in this order would really shake things up. Or what about a young guy like the Rays' Will Myers?  I do think Skip Shumacker is a nice addition to the line-up, filling in where needed. Defensively we are golden -- so what do we need? Upgrades in the OF and a SS who could hit for average. 


Ryan - I have to agree with Kevin on this one. There is absolutely no scenario where trading Johnny Cueto is a good idea. He may be injury prone but he is also a known commodity and it’s just not worth getting rid of your ace for a “hot young prospect,” because “hot young prospects” never (statistically speaking)  pan out.  Cueto has turned into a real pitcher and with the adjustment to his windup - notice the decreased twist - and his decreased dependence on his fastball, I feel his injuries could be a thing of the past. Assuming he stays away from the buffet table. 

Thanks in part to Walt Jocketty’s off-season coma the Red’s are thin on the bench. Schumacker is nice but we have a very small sample size, Soto is lost, and nobody outside of Donegal, Ireland thinks Jack Hannahan is a viable backup to Frazier should he go down or when Hannahan returns from the DL. Sure, a bat is needed but with the injuries they’ve sustained this year I think it’s best to wait and see what happens when Bruce, and Votto get healthy. Hopefully, we get some hot bats and Mez can stay hot and healthy. 


2) Which contract you would most like to wave a magic wand and make disappear? Joey Votto 10 years/ $225 million/ expires 2023, Homer Bailey 6 years/ $105 million/ expires 2020, Brandon Phillips 6 years/ $72.5 million/ expires 2017/ Jay Bruce 6 years/ $51 million / expires 2017.

Kevin - Though I'm a homer for Homer, it's Homer. He's really grown in our organization but he'll never be more than a 3-4 guy in your rotation and always seems to be a risk on the mound -- I don't think two no-hitters should ever warrant that type of money. 

Ryan - This is obvious, it’s Homer (dammit Kevin, we agree again). He’s nice but his slow starts and his almost heroic ability to forget how to pitch one inning per game just doesn’t lend itself to the contract they gave him, especially when you’re a team that’s as deep as the Reds are on the mound. That being said, when he’s on he’s un-hittable. 


 3) Are you happy with the job Byran Price has done replacing Dusty Baker? What do you like and what has been disappointing? Are you surprised that the talk of moving Aroldis Chapman to the starting rotation completely disappeared this spring? Is this good or bad? 

Kevin - So far I'm on the fence with Price. I love his aggressiveness on the bases and his constant shifting of the line-up (though injuries have led to that). But I think his pitcher management has been atrocious. There is no reason guys like Ondrusek should be pitching in tight ballgames. As for Chap, when he's on there is no closer greater. I don't think that would ever translate well over 6-7 innings, though I'd love to one day see that proven wrong. 

Ryan - It kills me how much Price loves the bunt. I watched him use his last position player in a tied multi-inning marathon - his last position player! - only to send him to the plate to bunt. That is lunacy. Send a pitcher to the plate in that scenario, it’s not like your two best athletes left on the bench aren’t pitchers (Leake and Cingranni). Or DON’T BUNT. It has to be an organizational philosophy and Price is a company man. That being said, with what the Reds have had to face with injuries Price has done a fine job of managing the roster and the pitchers (mostly). Lastly, Ondrusek is the worst pitcher in the majors. I know it, and you know it.


4) Billy Hamilton is pretty damn exciting but can he become an everyday player? 

Kevin - With Choo gone, we have no choice. He should be playing his final year in AAA, but will have to buck-up and see what he can do in the big leagues. I've seen flashes that he can be a guy who gets on,   and when he gets on it's a thing to watch. But Marty was just discussing the legacy of Ricky Henderson the other night, who hit well and had an incredible OBP. Right now you just can't put Hamilton in any sort of sentence with Ricky Henderson. Fast? Yes. But boy, does he swing at some bad pitches. 

Ryan - He already is an everyday player and he seems to be getting better everyday. He’s young and he seems to be handling himself quite nicely thus far. Let’s just all calm down on the Ricky Henderson talk. Dude is a Hall of Famer and Hamilton is a kid. He’ll get there - which “there” may never be where Ricky got - but he’ll be a decent player as long as he stays healthy. 

5) The Reds are sitting at 20 -23 with one quarter of the MLB schedule complete, what is your best case win total and worst case at this point in the season. What scenerio leads to playoffs and what leads to disaster?

Kevin - Right now I think is rock bottom for this team. No Latos, no Votto, no Bruce - big holes.  If they could have scored an average of 3 runs a ballgame over that span, they'd be in first place. If the pitching holds up and we put a healthy team on the field, I don't see why we couldn't win 90 games. But, the Brewers and Cards look like superior teams, so things could get worse. 

Ryan - I’m fine with where the Reds are sitting right now. Like Kevin said they are hurt, not only hurt but they are missing three potential All-stars. They came out of one the most difficult April schedules essentially a .500 team, which considering the injuries is not too shabby. That being said, they need to be more consistent at the plate and they NEED their players to come off the DL ready to contribute. The margin of error is razor thin. I can’t see them north of the 90 win mark but that might be enough. I think the Brewers will come back to earth, the Cardinals -for perhaps the first time in years -have holes in their lineup and the Pirates just can’t seem to play consistent ball. It’s going to be a fun division to watch.

Ryan Haye and Kevin Elliott are both widely respected musicians and writers. More importantly, they know a shit ton about baseball and specifically, the Cincinnati Reds. 

Two Simple Steps For a Semi-Successful Browns Draft by Colin Gawel.

I think reasonable people would agree that my ten year old son Owen could have drafted for the Cleveland Browns the past five years and been as "successful" as their highly paid front office executives.  Hell, let's be frank, he probably would have done better reading names off Peter King's website. See, that is the dirty little secret about the NFL draft: for all the non-stop coverage and cheat sheets, it really isn't hard to maneuver through unless you're a local sportscaster or an ex-player who has suffered multiply concussions. This isn't rocket science. Sure you may miss here and there, but overall, the smart teams do well, the others not so much. Always.

Before I lay down my elementary two-step strategy for a successful Browns draft, I would like to present a list of every quarterback taken in the first round since 2000, picked 4th or lower. The Browns are picking 4th this year so this should give us a good idea of what quality of player to expect between the 4th pick and 32nd pick overall in the first round. In chronological order starting in 2013 working back to 2000.

EJ Manual

Ryan Tannehill

Brandon Weeden

Jake Locker

Christian Ponder

Blain Gabbert

Tim Tebow

Mark Sanchez

Josh Freeman

-- Ok, Browns fans, it is going to start to get better, but only a little. 

Joe Flacco

Brady Quinn

Matt Leinart

Jay Cutler

Aaron Rodgers

Jason Campbell

Phillip Rivers

Ben Rothlisberger

J.P. Losman

Byron Leftwich

Kyle Boller

Rex Grossman

Patrick Ramsey

Chad Pennington

Twenty-three QB's were taken in the first round picked 4th or lower since 2000. As you can see, most of them were terrible. Two became superstars (Rodgers and Rothlisberger), while three others have had good careers (Flacco, Cutler, Rivers).

Or put another way, if the Browns use a first round pick on a QB in the 2014 NFL Draft, that player has a 8.6% chance of becoming a superstar, a 17.0% chance off being pretty good and a  78% chance that he will become yet another embarrassment for an embarrassing franchise. If those numbers don't scare you, than have at it, tough guy. Go get Manziel or Blake Bortles with the 4th or 26th pick, but don't say I didn't warn you. The numbers don't lie. And keep in mind, none of these 2014 QB prospects are considered in the same class as Rodgers or Big Ben, they just happen to be coming out in a year with thin talent at that position.

"But the Browns need a franchise quarterback to win the Super Bowl. They need to hit a home run on this one."

Before I put my fingers down my throat, let me explain why this line of thinking makes me sick.

1) As a Browns fan, the last thing I am worried about is winning the Super Bowl. How about we keep a head coach for longer than 12 months or keep our owner out of jail for less than 24. If and when we sniff .500 for two consecutive seasons, we can start jawing about winning the Super Bowl. Until then, draft the best talent available and shut up about the QB. It makes us all sound dumb and Bill Belichick LOL. 

2) Sure, hitting a home run is nice, but there is another baseball cliche that may be more appropriate for this draft: "You can't get it all back with one swing."

So here we go. Two simple steps to a successful Browns draft.

1) Four players are considered "can't miss" superstars by the super-majority of experts. The Browns are drafting 4th, so take whomever is left of Clowney, Robinson, Mack, Watkins.

Simple math.

 I realize it may not be exciting to take Mack with the 4th pick as our defense is already semi-respectable, but if Sammy W. is gone, that is the right move. But after watching sports science I suppose we can take Mike Evans if we are hellbent on a WR. As the previous list of QB's makes painfully clear, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THE BROWNS TAKE A QB WITH THE #4 PICK IN THE DRAFT. Got that?? NO QB at #4. And really, not at #26 either. 

2) After step one is complete the Browns should take the best available OL, WR, or CB according to who they (and experts) like most. If they take Watkins or Evans at #4 they only have to fill the other two needs and then…..

They can spend the rest of the draft trying to hit a "home run" looking for a franchise QB to lead them to the promised land.

So to summarize: The Browns first three picks should fill in no particular order, WR, OL, CB and then just go crazy looking for shitty QBs they will cut in two years. 

There you go. Easy stuff.

Colin Gawel started Pencilstorm and writes from Colin's Coffee. Learn more about him and other contributors by clicking here.

The Last Time Upper Arlington Played in the Final Four, Hitler Was Still in Power

This weekend, the Upper Arlington Golden Bears will be making their first appearance in the men's basketball final four since 1939. Back then, Hitler was chancellor of Germany while FDR was battling dust storms and the Great Depression here at home. Frank Lloyd Wright was building "Falling Water" and the Golden Gate Bridge had just opened. That year, the Golden Bears blew up like the Hindenberg in an electric storm burning up the competition and winning the Ohio high school Championship. But just as suddenly, the program disappeared like Amelia Earhart over the Pacific before finally returning to the big dance this year.

Having lived and worked in Upper Arlington for the past 17 years, I just had to make a note of what an amazing accomplishment this season has been. I can't imagine how much work these players and coaches have put in to get to this point.  It's been even more fun watching through the eyes of my ten year old son Owen. He takes his basketball to school everyday and sports his UA basketball gear with pride. To kids Owen's age, players like Kevin Vannatta and Danny Hummer (and Logan, Harrison, Wes, etc.) are rock stars on par with Aaron Craft and Andrew Wiggins. 

Just for some perspective, here are things that did not exist the last time UA made the final four in basketball:

Body Deodorant / Electric Hand Dryers / Tupperware / Twist Ties / Soft Serve Ice Cream /  Felt Tip Markers / Credit Cards / Lint Rollers / WD-40 /  

When the guys weren't practicing perhaps they were reading the latest new books "The Hobbit" or "Of Mice and Men" or catching "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" at the moving picture show. 

Anyway, win or lose, congrats to the Upper Arlington Golden Bears for an amazing season!

Colin Gawel owns Colin's Coffee in UA and writes things like this on slow mornings.  You can read all about his life in the best selling book "Hitless Wonder - A Life in Minor League Rock n Roll".

OK, We'll Be the Bigger Website and Admit Grantland Did A Pretty Good Story on Aaron Craft

It's no secret around the blogosphere that there has been some bad blood between and Pencilstorm and Grantland. Just like all the big rivalries - Ali vs Frazier, Beatles vs Stones, that one hunky English F1 driver versus that other guy - Pencilstorm and Grantland have been locking horns for web dominance for years with each side claiming glorious victories and suffering humiliating crotch-kicking losses. 

Some say that Grantland is just a collection of pretentious, over paid, ESPN sellouts taking orders from their evil overlord, Malcom Gladwell, that all they care about is generating revenue at all costs at the expense of quality content for you, the loyal blog-reading sports enthusiast.

Of course, Pencilstorm would never suggest such ideas because we have one thing Grantland has never had, CLASS. Well, that and day jobs anyway. And no advertising. Because we refuse to sell out. Never have, never will.

However, unlike our worthy adversary, once again we are willing to be the bigger website and give kudos to a job adequately done when it is deserved. Today is Aaron Craft's last home game as a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Matt Borcas of Grantland wrote a really good article summing up his extraordinary career. If you are a fan of Aaron Craft, this is a must read. Of, course we would have written an even better story ourselves, but nobody here at Pencilstorm could get off work that day. Well, except  Ricki C. but he was busy working on a 63,000-word Mott the Hoople essay. Enjoy. 

Click here to read Grantland's pretty decent Aaron Craft Story