Bobby V Sit Down, and Shut Up.

Ya know what must be tough? Going without the most interesting thing that's happened in most of your sport-related lives for almost a month. And for that I apologize, I mean, how would Whitney Houston feel if you took away her cocaine? Too soon?


I've made it abundantly clear that I think Bobby V is about as useful as tits on a bull but honestly he's really getting on my nerves and the season hasn't even started. He's going to lose the team before they start and if that happens it's going to be a long season in The Hub.

I think the reason I dislike him so much is for three reasons: He can't ever be wrong. He doesn't shut his mouth. And he meddles with everything for the sake of meddling.


Re: He can't ever be wrong Valentine was proved wrong earlier this week with the demotion of Jose Iglesias and tried to spin it so that he looked right. Unfortunately I agree with him that Iglesias should have gotten the nod for Opening Day in Detroit, however I would respect Bobby V if he said, "this decision came from management and I was an advocate for Iglesias the whole time." But no, he spouted his mouth off about Iglesias and then when Ben Cherington flexed his muscles he turtled and tried to make it like that's what he thought all along.

“We decided it was best for him and this organization that he get some real regular at-bats and work a little more on the consistency of his swing and play,’’ Valentine said. “He’s working on things.

“About two weeks ago, he had a mechanic that looked like it was real functional, and I think an 0-for-3 took him out of it. That’s one of the things he has to develop - a confidence in his program.’’

Re: He doesn't shut his mouth Is there any discernible reason why he would need to bring up Derek Jeter's flip play? Look I'm all for poking the Yankees with a stick but really? I think this is the reason I can't stand him. Shut your mouth, do your job and speak when spoken to.

Re: Meddling for meddling's sake I think the next thing I'm about to say may be the most ridiculous thing he's done yet. Valentine is pondering using Mike Aviles in the lead off spot. Because the Red Sox didn't have the best lead off man in baseball last year or anything. His explanation when asked if he was thinking about it: ""Maybe, yeah," the manager said. "Trying to warm up to it, see if I can see it. He quickly strikes fear into a pitcher's heart, I'll tell you that."

Mike Aviles strikes fear into the heart of opposing pitchers? Is there another Mike Aviles on the team? Does he call Jacoby Ellsbury Mike Aviles for some asinine reason? Mike Aviles yes he of the .318 career OBP is a candidate for lead off. The runner-up 2011 MVP candidate Ellsbury, has a .354 career OBP and has by and large hit lead off his entire career. Under no circumstances with a healthy Red Sox lineup should Mike Aviles be leading off.

There is no ideal candidate on the Red Sox outside of Ellsbury to anchor the lead off spot, and Valentine should leave well enough alone. Ellsbury followed by Pedroia and Gonzalez is hands down the best top three hitters in any lineup in baseball providing Ellsbury performs as dynamically as last year.

I think the thing that I hate most of Bobby Valentine is that he's not Terry Francona. Tito, sweet Tito, come back to me and right my ship.

Stay Tuned

Norton

Peyton Manning's Possible Landing Spot

As most of you know Peyton Manning and the Colts decided, well the Colts decided, to part ways after 14 years of blissful marriage. Since being taken 1^st overall in the 1998 NFL Draft, remember when people thought Ryan Leaf was the bid? Whoops, the name Peyton Manning has become synonymous with the horseshoe on the side of the helmet. He is Johnny Unitas for the latest generation of Colts fans. He brought the Colts franchise its first championship since sneaking away to Indianapolis in the middle of the night and its first championship since Unitas led them to 4 titles between 1958-1970. He put the Colts back on the map after years of misery and proved to be one of the greatest QB’s of all time alongside Joe Montana, Steve Young, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, etc.

But after missing all of last season, his 14^th season in the NFL technically, due to multiple neck surgeries where finally a cadaver bone was fused into his neck the Colts were forced to make a decision on whether or not he was worth committing $28 million to this year and a total of roughly $70 million over the next 4 yeas. Coming off a horrendous year and owning the rights to the first overall pick and uber prospect Andrew Luck the Colts decided it didn’t make sense to commit that much money to two players at the QB position thus Manning became ‘expendable’. Now that Peyton has been made a free agent it’s up to him to choose where he’d like to continue his surefire Hall of Fame career. Below I’ve made a list of the 6 places (5 rumored to have expressed interest and one sleeper team I think should make a play) in order that I think would best suit Manning and are most likely to make a move for him. That’s why you’ll see the Jets who talent wise would be the best but already have a Sanchize in place not listed no. 1.

1.   Miami Dolphins

If you’ve read the news reports recently it appears that the Dolphins have already landed Manning behind closed doors. The Dolphins make perfect sense for Manning, it’s a warm weather climate, he already owns a condo in the Miami area, the team always fields a very strong defense, and offensively there are some good pieces in place namely a young, strong offensive line led by fellow first overall pick LT Jake Long. One major reason that the Colts teams Manning captained for years only broke through and won it all only one time is because the team was too offensive based and struggled on the defensive side of the ball. In Miami defense tends to come first, which is a trait that I think appeals greatly to Manning. Offensively the Dolphins have some good toys for Manning to play with in WR Brandon Marshall, who can have a case of the dropsies more often than not but is an all world talent, fellow WRs Davone Bess and Brian Hartline, TE Anthony Fasano, and RB’s Reggie Bush, who played like a number one cow bell back last year racking up over 1,000 yards, and young speedster Daniel Thomas. The pieces are in place for Manning to come in and help lead the Dolphins to a playoff bid at the very least.

2.   Kansas City Chiefs (SLEEPER ALERT)

I’ve been following the Manning saga unfold for the past couple days now and almost no one has mentioned the Kansas City Chiefs as a possible destination and I can’t figure out why? Because they have Matt Cassel? Good one, try again. The two things that completely derailed the Chiefs season last year after taking a great step forward into the playoffs was the injury to All Pro RB Jamaal Charles and then injuries at the QB position. As a Patriots fan I’m a Matt Cassel fan don’t get me wrong but if he can lead them to a 10-6 record in a weak AFC West Peyton Manning should be able to get them to at least 13 wins and a first round bye. Cassel has been a good quarterback in the few years he’s had the opportunity to play but he’s also had some injury concerns and isn’t on the level of Peyton Manning. The Chiefs have a solid, young offensive line built upon through recent drafts, a great running back in Charles, a solid receiving corps led by WR Dwayne Bowe and TE Tony Moeaki, and a young defense with solid pieces in place. Like the Dolphins they Chiefs have built from the defense to the offense and with new head coach and defensive wizard Romeo Crennel the defense should get even better. The Chiefs provide Manning an opportunity to almost guarantee a playoff berth next year by its sheer placement in the weak AFC West. Once there he could do some damage with an electrifying back like Jamaal Charles to keep defenses honest. The Chiefs would have to find a way to move Cassel to free up the cap space for Manning but I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem.

3.   New York Jets

From a talent standpoint the Jets are probably ahead of the Dolphins on this list but there are plenty of extracurricular that don’t seem to be appealing to Manning. As far as weapons are concerned Manning would have a lot of fun with Santonio Holmes, when he’s not being a moron, Plaxico Burress (if he resigns or if they go after Braylon Edwards if you believe the rumors), Dustin Keller, an amazing weapon at tight end, and Shonn Greene. The Jets also have a good offensive line in place behind C Nick Mangold and LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson. The drawbacks? There are many. For starters he would have to put up with Mr. Abrasive Rex Ryan, the New York media always being on his ass, the constant dissention that seems to be occurring in the Jets locker room, and having to share the big city with his younger brother who has recently been the bigger winner. I’m sure the Jets would love to score Manning but they’ve also committed long term time and again to Mark Sanchez, even though he seems to have plateaued, and would need to move his money. I don’t see it in the cards.

4.   Seattle Seahawks

I like what the Seahawks have to offer but I don’t think Manning wants to go to the unfamiliar NFC or the Pacific Northwest. Pete Carroll has built a decent little program up there in Seattle after leaving USC in ruins by developing a solid, young offensive line and finding the good in RB Marshawn Lynch. All in all though I don’t think Manning wants to head out to the west coast this late in his career or deal with the inclement weather that tends to strike the Pacific Northwest in the fall. Seahawks would like Manning but I don’t think Manning would want the Seahawks.

5.   Arizona Cardinals

I have the Cardinals as fifth on this list but Manning could pull a shocker and pick them based on the fact that they play in a beautiful environment, it’s always warm never a chance of showers or snow, he can get a condo there and simulate the Miami weather, and they have WR Larry Fitzgerald. In my eyes Fitzgerald is the key piece to Manning possibly heading to the desert. If Manning wants to throw to arguably the best wide receiver in football then he needs to look no further than Arizona. The Cardinals made a good run down the stretch this year and almost pulled off a playoff berth with John Skelton at the helm. Manning could easily lead them to a NFC West crown and a playoff berth. The Cards have some pieces in place but I don’t know if they have enough to draw Manning to the NFC. The obvious problem here is the Cards just shelled out $50 million to Kevin Kolb who hasn’t proven yet he can be a number one QB. They’d need to move him before Manning would entertain the thought of heading out to the desert.

6.   Washington Redskins

Ah yes, the Redskins. If you’ve been reading the reports put forth by numerous news sources then you know that the Redskins plan on putting a full court press on the All Pro QB. While its well and great that Daniel Snyder has deep pockets and has no problem paying out the nose for Manning the bigger problem here is that there is almost nothing redeeming about the situation in the nation’s capital for Manning to walk in to. Outside of the fact that the Redskin’s are a marquee franchise in the NFL, though if you didn’t watch football during the first Joe Gibbs era you only know the Redskins as a dysfunctional bunch, the current squad is nothing to write home about. There defense has a few playmakers in Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan but is otherwise suspect and offensively there’s nothing there. Roy Helu had a nice rookie year but he’s not the type of back you get too jacked up about and their best wide receiver Santana Moss is currently a free agent. Mike Shanahan also isn’t the type of coach that Manning has thrived under, no one would ever confuse his tactics for those of Tony Dungy. As I said before as well the Redskins play in the NFC, con, they aren’t warm weather ideal, con, and Peyton would have to play his brother twice a year, con. I think that about sums up the Redskins chances of landing Peyton and his golden right arm.

Other possibilities that have emerged recently: Denver Broncos, Houston Texans (they’d be the best fit of all if the rumors are true and they are willing to part with Matt Schaub and mortgage the future to win now)

There’s the list of possibilities for Peyton Manning as I see it folks and in the end I see him winding up with the Miami Dolphins. But hey that’s just one man’s opinion let us know where you think Peyton will find himself throwing touchdown passes next year! Until we cross paths again.

Geoff Jablonski

Ryan Braun: One Press Conference Too Many

The number one thing I’ve learned about the Milwaukee Brewers Ryan Braun in the past few days is that he is an idiot. When Braun, the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year and 2011 NL MVP, had his 50-game suspension for elevated testosterone levels overturned last week he should’ve celebrated his victory privately, released a statement through his legal team, and then attempted to assimilate himself into the Brewers spring training as quietly as possible. Instead he called a press conference and went on a 5-minute rant, basically, where he called the MLB drug testing system ‘completely flawed’ and said that he had been ‘a victim of a failed process’. He also went out on a limb and throw it out there that his sample was tampered with that’s why the testosterone levels were in rarified air. One problem Ryan: your defense team never argued that your samples had been tampered with they only argued that the chain of custody had been too slow getting the samples to the lab in Montreal.

In fact Braun’s defense team during the hearing with the arbitration panel had accepted the presence of synthetic testosterone and knew that their best shot was to attack the procedure followed by collector Dino Laurenzi, Jr. Now we haven’t seen the deciding arbitrator’s, Shayum Das, reasoning for why he sided with the Braun camp but it makes sense that he did so based on the fact that it’s spelled out in the MLB Drug Testing Policy that samples need to be sent out that day unless there are unusual circumstances. Once collected by Laurenzi it was after 5:00 pm on a Saturday in Milwaukee and we’ve all been there before there isn’t a post office in the world that ships that late on a Saturday or ever on a Sunday thus he was forced to hold onto the sample until he could ship it out on Monday, which he did. Braun’s team argued, successfully, that that 44-hour window between when the urine sample was collected and when it was shipped out by FedEx was too long a window but they never once argued that the seals were broken on the sample. Nice job Braun you just left your ass out in the wind by calling out the process and calling it flawed for producing a ‘false positive’ when your own defense team knew that that wasn’t true.

Throughout his press conference Braun also alluded multiple times to the idea that his sample had been tampered with by the collector. The best part about that is that Braun himself signed documentation stating that the sample had been sealed properly IN FRONT OF HIM and the lab in Montreal said that the samples they received were undisturbed. Even if Laurenzi, Jr. wanted to try and frame Braun he would have to take a completely wild guess at which sample was his because there are no names on the samples just random numbers. Laurenzi, Jr. has no idea what number sample belongs to which player. That means that Braun is suggesting that Laurenzi, Jr. made a phenomenal guess grabbed his exact sample broke the seal injected mass quantities of testosterone and then was able to, in a surgical manner, reseal all packaging to its original state fooling even the most trained eye. Sure why not, right Ryan?

Let’s take a quick look at the credentials of the collector who Braun decided to come after in a passive aggressive manner to see if you think he’s a credible collector or not. Dino Laurenzi, Jr. has been collecting samples for Comprehensive Drug Testing since 2005, has performed over 600 collections for the MLB and other professional sports leagues, and holds a master’s in medical/athletic training from UNC-Chapel Hill. Sounds like a pretty stand up dude to me who’s never once been called into question for his credibility but again you’re right Ryan he chose YOU to screw over. I’ll say it again, Braun should’ve released a statement through his defense team, shut his mouth, and tried to return to whatever level of normalcy possible. 

When news first broke about Braun testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone I wanted to believe that he truly was innocent but after taking in all the information out there and knowing the culture of major league baseball I couldn’t believe that the drug test policy the MLB had fought so hard to implement would make its first mistake and the only one to date after thousands of collections with such a high profile player like Braun. After hearing Braun’s speech on February 24^th I realized that he wasn’t indeed innocent and he made himself look all the more guilty by standing up there and talking nonsense without looking at the facts himself. He made claims and said things about people with no factual backing, all things that tend to be done by someone who is in fact guilty and wants so badly to try and get people to believe he’s innocent that he overcompensates. Another huge piece of the puzzle to remember is that MLB doesn’t want Ryan Braun to test positive for PED’s because it sends them back to a dark place they just seemed to finally emerge from. They implemented this new drug testing and it was agreed upon by the MLBPA because both organizations wanted to prove to their fans once and for all that the game they loved was in fact clean and free of cheaters. Instead, one of the games biggest stars got caught cheating and was exonerated on a mere technicality.

Yes, Ryan Braun had his 50-game suspension lifted and he’ll be able to participate fully in the Milwaukee Brewers 2012 season, which is great news for them but in my mind and in many fans minds the truth remains that he was in fact busted for having elevated levels of testosterone. I hope that the MLB tests him daily and that he passes every single one of them and is able to maintain his position in the upper echelon of the MLB’s elite. If you read this article by Buster Olney you’ll see how many current MLB players feel about the situation and how they are outraged and know full well that Braun wasn’t innocent he got lucky a single arbitrator decided to rule in his favor based on a misstep in the chain of custody not a tampered sample. And you know what that’s exactly how I feel right now, betrayed by someone I affectionately called ‘The Hebrew Hammer’. Ryan Braun you’re an idiot for not only holding a press conference and throwing around multiple false accusations and claims that most likely will get you sued for slander by Dino Laurenzi, Jr. but for ever thinking you could get away with taking PED’s and when you got caught attempting to lie your way out of it. You let down not only the fans but your MLB brethren.

There you have it folks my take on the Ryan Braun verdict and subsequent press conference. I think I’ve made it quite clear how I feel the real question is how do you feel? Let us know! Until we cross paths again…

Geoff Jablonski

First Annual VFC Fantasy Baseball Challenge

Our staff here at Views from the Couch are avid fantasy sports players, but nothing revs our engines more than a little fantasy baseball. That is why we thought it would be an incredible idea to compete with our fans in the first ever VFC Fantasy Baseball Challenge. Do you think you have what it takes to conquer ZHawk, JLang, Geoff and Norton?

If so, you'd have a nice little prize waiting for you at the end of your conquest. $220. Yes, you read that correctly. Two hundred and twenty American doll hairs. $20 buy in ladies and gentlemen. Runner-up gets their money back. This league is for the serious fantasy player. The player that checks their team more than 5 times a day. The player that likes to wheel and deal. The fantasy player that wakes up in the middle of the night to see that Julio Teheran was just called up and signs him immediately with a large grin on his face. That kind of player.

The heat of summer is almost on folks, do you have what it takes?

If you are in fact interested, you can let us know on our Facebook page here.

Or we can be reached via email at ViewsFromTheCouch@Gmail.com

-ZHawk

Who's It Gonna Be?

The Boston Red Sox have more questions heading into this spring training than in recent memory, and I think the competition is a good thing. Last year with everyone pigeonholed in their positions there was complacency to start the year and complacency to end the year. As much as I still am not an advocate of Bobby Valentine's brash antics, (honestly, why are you bringing up Derek Jeter's flip from almost a decade ago?) the one thing he is doing is running his camp how a camp should be ran. Longer practices, more hitting, more fielding and more fundamentals. A lot of the players seem to forget that baseball isn't something that should be taken for granted and is much more gratifying when it is grasped through hard-work, blood and sweat.

One of the more intriguing story lines of this spring season is going to be who wins the battle for the fifth spot in the rotation. Let's face it, Lester, Beckett and Buchholz have their spot sewn up. They wouldn't have ramped up Bard all off season to put him back in the pen unless he was catastrophic in the spring. So there is ONLY one spot for the taking, let's take a look at the candidates:

Alfredo Aceves, 29- (10-2, 2.61 ERA, 114 IP, 80K, 1.105 WHIP, 2.9WAR) Fettuccine had a phenomenal year as a spot starter and 'Ace' reliever. He saved the bullpen many times and also bailed out the starters more often than not. However he drilled 3x more guys (15) in 2011 than he had in any other season and his walk rate was the highest it had been in any of his prior 4 seasons. His WHIP was actually quite good, but if he is going to be plunking that many player be it because of stubbornness or lack of control the last thing this team needs is someone who is going to put base runners on without earning the base.

Aaron Cook, 33- (3-10, 6.03 ERA, 97 IP, 48K, 1.691 WHIP, .2 WAR) At the beginning of 2011, Aaron Cook had strengthened his shoulder and seemed ready for the long haul when during spring training jammed his finger in a door, and was set back 4 weeks. He wasn't the same after that and his statistics suffered. That coupled with pitching in Colorado made for a long 2011. He is not a power pitcher, he pitches to contact and has a real heavy sinker.

Vicente Padilla, 34- (2010 stats 6-5, 4.07 ERA, 95IP, 84K, 1.084 WHIP, .7 WAR) Vicente Padilla was all but out of baseball in 2011 because of a poor attitude. He doesn't walk many guys and he has great stuff, according to scouts he was back to hitting the mid-90's in Dominican League and his secondary pitches were back to par. This would essentially be his last chance in the MLB if he doesn't clean up his act in the clubhouse.

Ross Ohlendorf, 29- (2010 stats 1-10, 4.07 ERA, 108.1IP, 79K, 1.385WHIP, 1.9WAR) 2011 was another guy whose 2011 season was all but lost and without looking at his W-L record of 2010 (because he pitched on a putrid Pirates team) his season was pretty good. He's another guy that will rely on his defense because he will not over power hitters but he went to Princeton and is regarded as one of the smartest players/pitchers in the game with his ability to break down film and use computers to generate outs on the mound.

Felix Doubront, 24- (PAW stats 2-5, 4.22 ERA, 70.1IP, 61K, 1.298WHIP, 0WAR) In 2011 Felix came into camp overweight and out of shape and ended up getting injured because of it. Thus far in 2012 Doubront has shed pounds and come into camp with an urgency that would suggest he's ready for the big leagues. The Red Sox could use another lefty every five days, but Felix has the same durability questions that plague Ohlendorf and Cook.

Andrew Miller, NOT A GODDAMN CHANCE

There are two different opinions here as to who SHOULD get it and who I think will get it. All things being equal Alfredo Aceves SHOULD get it because of how good he was last year but if I'm the manager I am 100% not taking him out of my bullpen. He is much more valuable throwing 3-4x a week at multiple innings in high leverage situations than 1 per week at 6-7 innings per start. He has a rubber arm which is something you can't teach, keep him in the stable.

Vicente Padilla, right now, probably has the inside track. He's a hard thrower with excellent secondary stuff. Cook and Ohlendorf at this point I don't think are anything more than the 8-9 guys in the rotation that one of them might make the bullpen and the other will be stashed away in Pawtucket for the dog days in August or if a cataclysm of injuries arise.

Despite Padilla having the inside track, Doubront is something to watch. Doubront doesn't come with half the baggage that Padilla does of being an absolute meat whistle in the clubhouse and that could be a saving grace. The one downside is that Doubront still has options and Padilla does not. They will option him back down to Pawtucket and try their hand with Vicente before handing the reigns over to a young'n. Because of the frugality of the Red Sox they will most certainly send him down, unless he is lights-out in the spring. Light's out meaning Sub-2 ERA, WHIP below 1 and striking out double the amount of guys as innings pitched.

None of the options are sure things, but at least there are options.

Stay Tuned

Norton