Random Thoughts By Matt Dery
1. I cannot wait for baseball season to start. I really do think this is my favorite week for sports, with MLB opening up and the Final Four this weekend. I was talking to Mike Valenti's dad the other day and he said that he does not love the game of baseball anymore and finds it "too slow". I still love the game.
2. The Tigers have a very good team, on paper. The addition of Victor Martinez is a huge one for a team that failed to drive in important runs last season. Justin Verlander is a stud and I like the outfield depth with Boesch and Wells actually. I do not like the left side of the infield and success this season also will hinge on whether or not Rick Porcello can be the Rick Porcello of 2009.
3. I still would be very scared of the Minnesota Twins. They have continuity and some young guys in Valencia and Nishioka, but I am not doing jumping jacks over their starting pitching. But, if they bring up righty Kyle Gibson this season they could be scary.
4. Wow. VCU. Wow. I know everybody is doing cartwheels over Shaka Smart and they should, the guy has coached one heckuva tournament.
But you see the talent that this team has, how come they barely made the NCAA Tournament? I honestly think they can win it all. They have blown out 4 of the 5 teams they have played. These are not close games.
5. On the other side, I do not want to hear the Bill Self bashers now come out of the wood-work. Give me a break. He lost 3, count em 3 (Henry, Collins, and Aldrich) players to the NBA this summer and still went 35-3 and won the Big 12 regular season and the Big 12 tournament.
Is it his fault his team missed 19 of 21 from 3 and 13 free throws?
I'll take Self any day. Great coach.
6. Saturday night was fun at the Palace as the Pistons beat the Pacers. The team won and played well, heck, even Charlie V exploded for 13 pts in the 4th quarter! And... And, some big dude took his shirt off on the jumbotron during the YMCA and the place was cracking up. No, Terry Foster did not do "The Dougie".
