Good news, Sonics fans! The Oklahoma City Cloudfarts are 22 games into the 2008-2009 NBA season and are still on pace to finish with the worst record in the history of the league. At 2-20 (.091 winning percentage), the Claymates are currently projected to finish with 7.4 wins, which rounded up or down would still be less than the ten wins necessary to avoid being dubbed “worst team ever.” The 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers have held the distinction of biggest one-year failure in NBA history for the past 35 years. The miracle Sixers of that year put up a 9-73 record.
The nature of losing franchises doesn’t make it any less likely that the Cloudfarts will rebound from their horrendous start. Generally, NBA teams tend to “tank” down the stretch of losing seasons, with key players giving up or sitting out with injury, fatigue setting in, and the prospect of a future draft pick weighing in on the decisions of the front office.
What have we learned from the OKC disaster so far? Oklahoma City fans won’t support a loser. Sam Presti isn’t as smart as we originally thought. Three top-five draft picks in two years don’t mean much if everyone else sucks. Kevin Durant can’t carry this team (he scored 41 points in a losing effort the other night!). Jeff Green probably wasn’t worth the #5 overall pick and the trading of Ray Allen. PJ Carlesimo is a horrible coach. Scott Brooks is a horrible coach. Clay Bennett is going to lose a lot of money. The clock is ticking on the team being in OKC for the long haul. All good news for us here in Seattle!
Former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia is set to become the Stephon Marbury of Major League Baseball. After early speculation had him signing a free agent contract with the Dodgers or Angels, or possibly re-upping with the Brew Crew, Sabathia let his agent and his agent’s pocketbook do the talking by agreeing in principle to sign a contract with the New York Yankees for seven years and $160-million.
We can’t blame the guy for taking the money. Smart move there. But come on. The Yankees? CC, don’t you realize that the first time you take a tough loss you will be booed ridiculously. You will never, ever, no matter what be able to live up to the money in New York. Just look at Alex Rodriguez. He may be one of the greatest baseball players of all time, but he’ll never be fully appreciated in the Bronx because of the outlandish sum of money he’s entitled to. At the rate you and A-Rod are being paid, even Babe Ruth would have a tough time making a good impression on the fan base.
And it’s not like you didn’t have other options here. The Dodgers and Brewers were believed to have offered you comparable money for your services. Sure, it may not have been as high as the Yanks were willing to go, but isn’t a few million dollars worth the price of happiness in the long run?
I think everyone who isn’t a Yankees fan knows you’re making a bad decision. You’ve always been a good pitcher but have really only been “elite” for the past six months. And your hot streak came in the National League, against much weaker lineups than you’ll be facing in the AL East.
Plus you’ve never played in a pressure-cooker environment like that of New York. Cleveland and Milwaukee are about as far removed from the big-time atmosphere as Major League Baseball gets. The microscope of attention focused on you will be like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. Every time you leave your penthouse apartment for McDonald’s, there will be a journalist with a camera chronicling your “eating problem.” If you want to hit up Foot Locker to buy new shoes, there will be a media circus following you around to help you choose.
You do not know what you’re getting yourself into, CC, and I hope you realize that you’ve sacrificed all semblance of anonymity and freedom by making this decision. I wish you good luck, but you’re at the top right now and the only place you can go is down.
The Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker is reporting that closer J.J. Putz may soon be on his way out of Seattle in a potential trade with a number of suitors. The Tigers and Cardinals are supposedly the biggest pursuers of the right-hander.
The Mariners would be looking to obtain Major League-ready prospects in a deal, such as the Tigers Matt Joyce and Jeff Larish. The name of Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel has also been thrown around (though could not be confirmed by Baker).
This presents an interesting scenario for the 2009 Mariners. Without Putz at the back end of their bullpen, the M’s may be encouraged to turn Brandon Morrow back into a reliever. This would seemingly be counter-productive to the work Morrow has done in becoming a starter over the past year after relieving in 2007 and the first part of 2008. Another possible closer solution were Putz to exit would be unsigned first-round draft pick Josh Fields. The Mariners have yet to agree on a deal with Fields, however, and there’s a chance he may not be with the club when Spring Training kicks off in February.
From a rebuilding standpoint, the trading of Putz would be a smart move for the M’s front office. Closers tend to be overrated no matter how great their “stuff” may be, and Putz is no exception. He proved his vulnerability during an injury-plagued 2008 season. If the Mariners can obtain two solid prospects in return for J.J., they will have made a good deal. We’ll see what happens from here.
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