Saturday, September 20, 2008

Jim Taylor, Fullback, 73

Jim Taylor, fullback for the Green Bay Packers in the Lombardi era, is 73 today. Jim Taylor was the epitome of the word "power sweep." Tough, strong, tough, compact, tough, quick, and tough, Taylor used to run through defenders. There is tape of him running to daylight, being able to run past a safety downfield down the sideline, but turning toward the center of the field just to run over the safety. Very cool. He was to the Pack offense what Ray Nitschke was to the defense.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Paul Brown, Greatest Football Coach in History, Born 100 Years Ago

Paul Brown was born 100 years ago today. Paul Brown was the greatest coach in football history, I think (as do others), and I think that I can make the case.

Brown might not have been the greatest coach in high school football history. But he did create the myth and legend of the Massillon Tigers High School program, which lays claim as the greatest high school program in football history. It is certainly among the top high school teams in football history. Brown was 80-8-2 in nine years at Massillon, with six state championships. Combined with his 16-1-1 mark at Severn, a Naval Academy prep school, before taking over the Massillon program, Brown was 96-9-3 record in 11 years as a high school coach. Maybe not the greatest … but maybe.

Brown was not the greatest coach in college football history. But he did win a National Championship in his second season as Ohio State's coach, in 1942. He lost most of his team to the war effort the next year, and his Baby Bucks went 3-6 in 1943, his final season as a college coach before going into the Navy. He was 18-8-1 in three years as the Buckeye's head coach. Good … not the greatest.

Brown might not have been the greatest coach in pro football history. But in his first 13 season in the NFL, as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Brown was 111-44-5. If I am calculating that correctly (I'm not sure how to calculate ties … I think you throw them out), he had a better-than 71 percent winning percentage. In those 13 seasons, he won three NFL titles, went to the Championship Game seven times, and went to the postseason eight times. Vince Lombardi was 89-29-4 in his nine years as the Packers head coach (.754 winning percentage), with five NFL titles (two Super Bowl wins) and an additional appearance in the Championship Game. Brown's first nine years in the NFL compare very favorably. Brown was 81-25-2 (.764 winning percentage?), three NFL titles (pre-Super Bowl), and an additional five appearances in the Championship Game. Maybe not the greatest … but maybe.

There are other things, of course, including the four AAFC Championships, the Great Lakes Naval Station teams, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown, a member of the Cradle of Coaches at Miami University, was innovative, using classrooms and inventing the facemask, etc. Taken all together, certainly a very good argument can be made that Paul Brown was the greatest football coach of all time.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team update

Here is the update on The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team. There were seven players that when given the chance impressed coaches enough to make the active squad. There were six players that were waived but then put on apractice squad (mostly their own teams, but Titus Brown was signed by the Browns after being cut by the Dolphins. One retired from football instead of trying the NFL. There are 13 players out of 39 on the list who will be with their teams when the season starts.

Xavier Lee - QB 6'4" 232 Florida State Baltimore Ravens
Lee was moved to TE from QB and dropped not far into training camp.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis - RB 5'11" 220 Mississippi New England Patriots
Green-Ellis was waived on final cutdown, but was re-signed to the Pats practice squad.

Dionte Johnson - FB 6'0" 238 Ohio State Arizona Cardinals
Johnson was waived on final cutdown.

Kalvin McRae - RB 5'9" 208 Ohio Kansas City Chiefs
McRae was waived during traning camp.

Kregg Lumpkin - RB 6'0" 226 Georgia Green Bay Packers
Lumpkin made the Packers' active roster, beating out Vernand Morency and Noah Herron for a roster spot.

Dantrell Savage - RB 5'8" 187 Oklahoma State Kansas City Chiefs
Dantrell Savage made the Chiefs' active roster.

Tony Temple - RB 5'9" 210 Missouri Cleveland Browns
Temple signed with the Browns and was waived during camp. He then tried out for Bills. Can't see that he was signed.

Dorien Bryant - WR 5'10" 169 Purdue Pittsburgh Steelers
Bryant failed the physical for Steelers ... And he didn't appear to be signed by anyone else.

D.J. Hall - WR 6'2" 190 Alabama New York Giants
Hall was cut by the Giants near final cutdown day.

Maurice Purify - WR 6'3" 224 Nebraska Cincinnati Bengals
Purify was waived by the Bengals near final cutdown day, then was re-signed to the Bengals practice squad.

Todd Blythe - WR 6'6" 209 Iowa State New Orleans Saints
Blythe was waived before final cutdown day.

Taj Smith - WR 6'1" 187 Syracuse Green Bay Packers
Taj Smith was cut by the Packers during training camp, and tried out for the Jaguars.

Digger Bujnoch - OT 6'5" 290 Cincinnati New York Giants
OK ... I have to admit that Digger was going to make OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team mostly because of his dad, Glenn Bujnoch, former Bengal guard. But Digger was a pretty good player in his own right. Bujnoch was placed on injured reserved instead of being cut by the Giants because of a sprained knee.

Robert Felton - OG 6'4" 313 Arkansas Buffalo Bills
Felton was waived by the Bills on final cutdown day.

Adam Kraus - OG 6'6" 305 Michigan Baltimore Ravens
Kraus was waived by the Ravens during final cutdown day.

Drew Miller - OT 6'5" 302 Florida Jacksonville Jaguars
Miller was waived by the Jaguars on final cutdown day, then was re-signed to the Jags' practice squad.

Martin O'Donnell - OG 6'5" 312 Illinois Retired
O'Donnell battled leg and foot injuries during his college career and decided to not pursue an NFL career.

Tyler Polumbus - OT 6'8" 312 Colorado Denver Broncos
Polumbus made the Broncos active roster.

Drew Radovich - OT 6'5" 305 Southern Cal Minnesota Vikings
Radovich made the Vikings active roster.

Matt Spanos - C 6'5" 305 Southern Cal Miami Dolphins
Spanos was waived during final roster cutdown.

Chris McDuffie - G 6'4" 330 Clemson Kansas City Chiefs
Originally incorrectly listed as a defensive tackle (sorry about that), McDuffie was waived during camp at some point.

Tommy Blake - DE 6'3" 272 TCU - tryout Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tommy Blake was a highly regarded prospect but had issues with clinical depression and social anxiety disorder that made him miss several games his senior year. He had a tryout, at least, with the Buccaneers, but it doesn't appear that he was signed. I can find no additional information on him.

Jeremy Geathers - DE 6'2" 256 UNLV New Orleans Saints
Geathers -- Jumpy Geathers's son -- was waived in final cutdown.

Wallace Gilberry - DE 6'3" 263 Alabama New York Giants
Gilberry was waived in final cutdown, then was re-signed by the Giants for the practice squad.

James McClinton - DT 6'0" 289 Kansas Kanas City Chiefs
Was given a tryout by Chiefs but was not signed, apparently. Can find no further info on him.

Darrell Robertson - DE 6'5" 245 Georgia Tech Dallas Cowboys
Robertson was waived in final roster cutdown.

Titus Brown - OLB 6'3" 239 Mississippi State Miami Dolphins
Brown was cut during final roster cutdown by the Dolphins, but the Browns signed Brown to their practice squad.

Vince Hall - ILB 6'0" 238 Virginia Tech St. Louis Rams
Hall was waived with an injury early in camp by the Rams. He had a hamstring injury.

Ali Highsmith - OLB 6'0" 226 LSU Arizona Cardinals
Highsmith made the Arizona active roster.

Jeremy Leman - LB 6'2" 240 Illinois Minnesota Vikings
Leman was cut on final cutdown.

Ben Moffitt - OLB 6'1" 234 South Florida Houston Texans
Moffitt was waived in final cutdown.

Wesley Woodyard - OLB 6'1" 227 Kentucky Denver Broncos
Woodyard made the Broncos active roster.

Simeon Castille - CB 6'0" 190 Alabama Cincinnati Bengals
Simeon Castille made the Bengals active roster.

D.J. Wolfe - CB 5'11" 207 Oklahoma Atlanta Falcons
Wolfe was cut during training camp by the Falcons.

Jamar Adams - S 6'2" 212 Michigan Seattle Seahawks
Adams was released by the Seahawks on final cutdown day but was re-signed by the Seahawks to the practice squad.

Cornelius Brown - S 5'11" 200 Missouri Kansas City Chiefs
Pig Brown was waived by the Chiefs sometime during training camp, but I can't find when.

Marcus Griffin - FS 5'10" 201 Texas Minnesota Vikings
Marcus Griffin was waived by the Vikings near the beginning of camp.

Tony Joiner - FS 6'0" 215 Florida Tennessee Titans
Tony Joiner was waived during final roster cutdown.

Nehemiah Warrick - SS 6'1" 210 Michigan State New York Giants
Warrick was waived near the beginning of Giant training camp with an injury.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Paul Dietzel, Cradle of Coaches Coach, Turns 84

Paul Dietzel, one of the four I believe Miami University Cradle of Coaches coaches who have won a National Championship, is 84 today.

Born September 5, 1924, Paul Dietzel served in World War II. After serving, he was an All-American center from Miami University. After he was graduated in 1948, Dietzel was an assistant under Red Blaik and Bear Bryant, two of the greatest coaches in history. Blaik was one of the four Miami coaches who went on to win a National Championship. The others were Paul Brown (in my opinion the greatest football coach of all time), Ara Parseghian, and Woody Hayes.

Dietzel became the head coach at LSU in 1955. He was credited with popularizing the platoon system when, in 1958, he won a National Championship with a starting team, the White Team, that was the starting offensive and defensive unit, the Gold Team, which was the second string offense, and the Chinese Bandits, the second string defense. The Chinese Bandits have gained fame for being smaller, quicker, less talented but more ferocious players. Dietzel went on to coach at Army and South Carolina.

There is a great article from Bud Johnson of the Advocate on the magical 1958 LSU Season. That is where the image is from.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Miami Redhawks football ... livin' the dream

Miami Redhawks play at the larger-than-average hizzy in Michigan Saturday. This is my dream upset ... The Redhawks beating the old blue and yellow giant weasels in their place making the fans of the old blue and yellow very very sad. But, there are several problems with this dream. 1) Appalacian State came in a year before and did a masterful job in destroying the weasels. Even if the Redhawks were to beat the weasels, it would be bad but not rank as the big upset. 2) Lloyd Carr either was forced out or just had it, and the new coach doesn't run the circa-1989 pro style offense that old Gary Moeller had devised. Thus, Utah beat the weasels at the larger-than-average hizzy. 3) Daniel Raudabaugh, the Miami QB, may not have the ability to do those things to take an underdog on the road and beat a bigger-school team. He has a pretty good arm, but he isn't that accurate. And he doesn't have great feet, which is problem when you are running the spread option. So he doesn't really move the chains. And, yes, as far as it goes, the blue and yellow giants weasels offense, which doesn't look all that great, will score against the Redhawks D. So keeping the ball and moving the chains will be important to the Redhawks. A dream deferred. (Photo is from Ohio.com ... Paul Tople/Akron Beacon Journal)

Thursday, August 28, 2008

OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team ... Maybe not

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team has some updates. Some are good, some are, well, not so good.

The only quarterback on the team, Xavier Lee, was moved to tight end by the Ravens. He didn't make it to first cuts, much less last cuts. So the team isn't going to have a lot of passing. Be interesting to see if there is another undrafted QB that makes a team. Dorien Bryant from Purdue was a top OldCleat pick to eventually become an NFL starter. Oops. Bryant failed his physical with the Steelers. I can't find that he's hooked on any where else.

More later.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Lou Piniella throws a birthday base

Lou Piniella turns 65 today. He was the World Series-winning manager for the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. One of my favorite teams of all time was the 1990 Cincinnati Reds ... I may have mentioned this before. I am not sure what became of Lou after, I don't know, about 1992. (Actually, I am going to Wrigley Field tonight, as it happens, to see Sweet Lou.) Happy Birthday, Lou ... throw a base for me.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

John Hiatt, 56 Years Old today

John Hiatt turns 56 today. I am tempted to say somthing about the cracked rear view of his life, but I will resist that temptation. "Bring the Family" is I think one of the great all-time albums, and it may be the most overlooked great album of the last whatever years. The image is from Amazon.

Monday, August 11, 2008

OldCleat Draft and Undrafted Update: Injury Bug

OldCleat just recommends 'em, but they have to play. And to play, they have to stay healthy. Well, that ain't happening.

In redrafting the Bengal's draft, I would have taken Justin King over Bubba Caldwell for the Bengals in the third round. Barely. Well, King tore his toe ligament in the first preseason game and is out for the year. Caldwell is fighting for the No. 3 wideout position for the Bengals.

In the fifth round, I would have taken Jonathan Goff and Alvin Bowen over Jason Shirley (as well as a few other players). Goff injured a vertabrae (a fractured transverse process) and is out indefinitely. Bowen has a torn ACL and is probably out for the year. The big news about Shirley, all this according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, "is that he faces a Sept. 24 trial date in Fresno, Calif., on three misdemeanors: hit-and-run, driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher, the Fresno Bee reports. It will be his second trial. In June, a jury failed to reach a verdict after three days of deliberation. The trial had been scheduled to begin Aug. 27, but a judge at a hearing Thursday said he would give Shirley's lawyer more time to acquire and review transcripts of the first trial."

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team, with updates, I picked Nehemiah Warrick as one of the top players not to get drafted. The Giants signed him. Warrick hurt his knee in the first preseason game and the Giants cut him. The tough thing is, while many teams keep several safeties because of special teams, there are more strong safeties coming out of colleges than free safeties. So we shall see about Warrick. Vince Hall, another top OldCleat pick, looked impressive in early Rams camp but was waived because of a hamstring injury.

Good news, though, Ali Highsmith is impressing the Cardinals staff. And Wesley Woodyard played very well for the Broncos and is moving up in an injury-depleted staff.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Danny Graves Born in Vietnam 35 Years Ago Today

Danny Graves, former Cincinnati Reds closer, was born in Saigon 35 years ago today. He is the first and thus far only Vietnamese-American player to have made the bigs. He was part of one of the best trade deadline deals in Reds history, and one of Jim Bowden's best deals as Reds GM.

Graves was part of the deal with Jeff Branson and John Smiley on July 31, 1997 that Bowden got from the Cleveland Indians. Bowden gave up Jim Crowell, Damian Jackson, and Scott Winchester. This was one of the great deals in Bowden's great deal-bad deal dichotomy.

Graves had seasons of 27, 30, 32, 32, and 41 saves for the Reds. They tried to make him a starter during that stretch, and he want 4-15 that season. But he was a helluva closer for several seasons. He is still active, pitching for the Twins Triple-A club. Minnesota was trying to make him a starter, but they recently abandoned that experiment. The image of Danny is from Sports Illustrated and Andy Lyons/Getty Images.

The Reds released Danny in 2005 after he gave the one-gun salute to some drunken moron who made racial slurs toward him at a game. Graves was really struggling, and it appeared that his time as a Red was coming to an end. While I almost always try to side with the fans--who I think are the least-considered stakeholder in pro sports--this time, no. I don't think Danny should have made the gesture. But they should have stuck with him at least for a while instead of letting that moronic damned fan "win."

Happy Birthday, Danny.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Ken Griffey Jr. -- Good Guy Wearin' Black

Ken Griffey Jr. is now a Chicago White Sox. Good Guys wear black. Grab some bench. One Dog. Big Hurt. Little Hurt. Rockin' Robin. Paulie. El Duque. (Hawk Harrelson is sort of like George W. Bush in so many ways, but in this instance it's because he has nicknames for everyone.)

Ken Griffey Jr. cared about what the fans of Cincinnati thought about him. Paul Daugherty of the Enquirer called Junior the most thin-skinned star that he had covered in 20 years. Why was Junior thin-skinned, however? Because he cared what the fans thought. Most pro players could really give a rat's patootie.

I hope that Junior wins a World Series with the ChiSox. Since I'm up in Chicago, I am now going to go to some White Sox games down at the Comiskey and root Junior on. Junior is a great player, and I am a Junior fan. Sue me.

Junior is wearing No. 17. I don't know why.

Maybe I can round the kids up and go see Junior next week when the Sox are at home. Go Junior. Go Nick Masset. Go Rocket Richar.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Joe Nuxhall Born 80 Years Ago Today

Joe Nuxhall would have been 80 years old today. And all of Reds Nation misses him, I would think. The Reds have done a very nice job honoring Nuxy, one in a spate of folks that the Reds are honoring. That, friends, is an entry for another day (Joey Jay had a few monster years for the early-1960s Reds, but are the Cincinnati nine honoring too many former players?). I have nothing at all against Dave Niehaus, but I still am a little saddened that the HOF didn't honor Nuxy when he so richly deserved it (especially after huge support from his fans). According to this story, Nuxy dominated everyone -- "Of the 122,505 fans who participated in the online election, 82,304 (67.2 percent) voted for Nuxhall, who died Nov. 15 from pneumonia at the age of 79. His passing was mourned throughout baseball, especially in Cincinnati. -- In the online balloting, King received 7,659 votes and Morgan got 6,065." The image is from the Cincinnati Enquirer and their great cartoonist, Jim Borgman.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Al Beauchamp, Cincinnati Bengals Linebacker

Al Beauchamp, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker from 1968 to 1975, celebrates a birthday on June 25. He was born June 25, 1944, in Baton Rouge, LA. He was a fine player, and he held down an outside backer job from the Bengals inception for eight years. He also played in St. Louis for the football Cardinals.

Beauchamp played at Southern University, and he was picked in the fifth round of the 1968 draft by Paul Brown. The Bengals had an interesting draft in 1968. They were a first-year expansion team, so a lot of the players had an opportunity to impress right away. Also, Paul Brown didn't have a team to coach in 1967, so he was able to scout full-time. And he was the GM-head coach, so he didn't have to answer to anyone, so it was a little like building the Browns back in 1946.


Besides Beauchamp, Brown found Howard Fest, Bob Trumpy, Jesse Phillips, and Paul Robinson in later rounds in that draft.


The image of Al Beauchamp is the 1969 Tresler Comet Bengals card, and it comes from footballcardgallery.com.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Terry Hoeppner Inducted into Hall of Honor

Terry Hoeppner will be inducted today, June 19, 2008, into the Independence Bowl Hall of Honor, one year to the day after he died from brain cancer. The story about Coach Hep in today's Shreveport Times by Teddy Allen is very well done. Hoeppner was a great coach and a better person, and I am amazed that Miami (and the Big Ten and the college football community in general) lost two such young and amazing men as Hoeppner and Randy Walker in such a short space of time. The amazing reaction the entire Indiana University community had to Hoeppner is an indication of his impact. I'm glad Hoeppner was able to coach for the Hoosiers. The image of Terry Hoeppner is from Jeff Swinger of The Enquirer.

Here is the poem Don't Quit:

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow --
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out --
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit --
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Penguins To Decide on Next Cup Move on Saturday

The Pittsburgh Penguins, while acknowledging that the Detroit Red Wings have won enough games in the Stanley Cup Finals to take the Cup, have not made a decision on whether to suspend their quest for the championship this year.

Penguins coach Michel Therrien congratulated the Red Wings for their campaign, but he did not concede the Cup. "This has been a long campaign, and the Penguins will be making no decisions tonight," he said. There were reports after the Red Wings won the fourth game that Pittsburgh would concede, but Therrien said Pittsburgh was "absolutely not" prepared to do so.

"I am just enormously grateful," Therrien said, "because, in the millions of quiet moments, in thousands of places, you asked yourself a simple question: Who will be the strongest team. Who will be ready to hoist the Stanley Cup and take charge as champions and lead hockey to better tomorrows?

"You know, I understand that that a lot of people are asking, 'What do the Penguins want? What do they want?

"Well, the Penguins want what the Penguins have always fought for in this whole campaign. The Pengins want to win the Cup.

"Now, the question is: Where do we go from here? And given how far we've come and where we need to go as a sport, it's a question I don't take lightly. This has been a long campaign, and the Penguins will be making no decisions tonight.

"But this has always been the fans campaign. So, to the 800,000 people who came to Penguins games, and to our 18 million other supporters out there of all ages, we want to hear from you. I hope you'll go to the Penguins website at penguins.nhl.com and share your thoughts with the team and help in any way that you can.

"And in the coming days, the Penguins will be consulting with supporters and other teams in hockey to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our team and the NHL guiding our way."

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Eric Davis Another Year Older


Eric Davis for about five years in the late 1980s was what I thought Willie Mays was. Sorry. I know that you are not supposed to compare anyone to Willie Mays. But Davis was the best package, the most complete centerfielder, I had ever seen. At age 24, he had 27 homers and 80 stolen bases. At age 25, he had 37 homers and 50 stolen bases. Of course, then Junior came along, and E kept getting hurt, and so on. But, E was the guy. He was the one who led the Reds out of the dark times, all the way to a wire-to-wire World Series with one of my favorite teams of all time. In 2007, Davis received three out of 545 ballots for the Hall of Fame, or 0.6 percent. He tied Dante Bichette. Dante Bichette, for cryin' out loud. Jose Canseco doubled that vote total, getting six votes. Goes to show that Hall of Fame voters can be moronic just like the rest of us. Davis is 46 years old today. The somewhat disturbing image of Eric Davis and Marge Schott is from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Glenn Hartong.

Bill Doran is 50


Bill Doran turned 50 years old yesterday. He grew up in Cincinnati, was a Mt. Healthy Owl, and played for Miami. He is the best major league player that Miami ever produced (sorry Charlie). When Billy was a Houston Astro, Bill James had what I think can best be described as a little crush on him. James used to talk and talk about how Bill was the second best second baseman in the NL, next to Ryne Sandberg, but nobody knew it. Bill was on the Reds in 1990 when they won the World Series, but he was on the DL during the postseason run. Happy Birthday Bill. The image is from Astros Daily.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

John Fogerty still rockin' at 63


John Fogerty turns 63 today. He was born May 28, 1945, in Berkeley, CA. I bought the Creedence Clearwater Revival boxed set and have been listening to it, especially the Golliwogs disc. The Golliwogs were the Fogerty brothers with Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford playing together before they became CCR. The Golliwogs had some pretty good tunes. They were closer to a pop-R&B sound than CCR was. Listening to the CCR songs, each one, back to back, you realize what a great damned band that was. I also have been listening quite a bit to Revival, John's most recent album, where he just gives the White House some holy hell. I would love to see John this summer, but I just checked on John Fogerty dot com and it doesn't look like he's coming to Chicago. The image at right is from Rolling Stone.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Larry Wilson, All-Time Great Safety, Turns 70

Larry Wilson was the greatest free safety of his era. He was Ed Reed. Wilson was a ballhawk (some say he was THE ballhawk), a fine run supporter, and a great cover player. And, he is supposedly the first safety to blitz. Wilson turns 70 this weekend. A coordinator named Chuck Drulis has been credited with creating the safety blitz for Wilson to take advantage of his unique abilities. The HOF profile, however, disputes that he invented it or was the first safety to blitz. Usually, these disputes come down to the fact that these schemes are reinovated again and again. The card image is from Football Card Gallery.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Aaron Harang Turns 30, Needs A Beer

Aaron Harang turned 30 years old yesterday. I just wanted to show him some support, since his teammates don't seem to.

Let's see … 15th in the League in ERA. No. 2 in the NL in strikeouts. No. 12 in the League in WHIP. Twenty-fifth in opponents slugging percentage. No. 12 in opponents on-base percentage. What's that get ya? A 1-5 record. The Reds have scored two runs or fewer in four of his losses. His 2.44 runs per nine run support is 180th overall, 94th out of 96 for all pitchers who have tossed 20 innings thus far this year. (Barry Zito is at 95th with 1.87 and Yovani Gallardo is 96th with 0.90)

Happy dang birthday, Aaron. Have a beer. Have five. You deserve it.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat