Subj : Hmmm To : All From : Ed Grinnell Date : Tue Jul 04 2000 09:28 am I can't believe some of the stupid comments made against Roy Williams when it was reported that he'd be leaving for UNC. One guy wrote that Kansas probably end up with some no-name loser. Just how stupid can that guy be? Kansas is a PLUM. The ONLY reason Roy Williams would ever leave Kansas is to go to UNC and the Jayhawks will want for NO ONE when it comes to qualified applicants. Of course, I seem to remember this same kind of reaction when Larry Brown left and a lot of "Roy, who?" was going around when he was hired. **** For the past couple of weeks, it just hasn't been the same. For many years I've been getting the Tulsa Sunday World and opening it up to the Sports section to read Bill Connors' column. Bill passed away a few weeks ago and it hasn't been the same. What made his column so good was that he didn't use it as an instrument of evil like some do. He didn't grind any axes and even if you didn't agree with what he was writing, you knew that he was expressing what he felt was the truth and not a means of getting back at someone that he didn't like. I NEVER read a column of his that I felt was written with malice. I wish that many of his colleagues, young and old, would live by his example. Maybe, just maybe, a lot of the readers wouldn't be as turned off by sports as they are today. I miss Bill Connors because a little bit of fairness left this world with him. **** It's been a couple of weeks also since Bill Self left for Illinois and Buzz Peterson took over the program at Tulsa. The people here were up in arms when Self left but unlike previous times, they didn't have a leg to stand on. You see, Self wasn't some nobody assistant that they plucked off the bench, he was the head coach UNDER CONTRACT to Oral Roberts when he took the job at Tulsa. People knew that TU coaches have used this job as a springboard and if they didn't expect Self to do so, they were pretty stupid. I've come to terms with the TU job being a stepping stone and even though the job is one of the best in the country, it will always be seen that way. **** BTW, I'm psyched about Buzz Peterson. He's taken Appalachian State to a 79-39 record in 4 years and an NCAA berth in his last year. I wasn't at all enthused by the people that TU was looking at until they decided to bring in Buzz for an interview. Before that, their prospects were really looking bleak. **** Can you just imagine what kind of stupid comments would have come out of the Packers changing their name to the Pickers as PETA has suggested? Geez, Louise, I can hear it now - The Green Bay NOSE Pickers. Look, I can see going after the Redskins but the Packers - that's too much. **** Just how stupid has the Sosa incident been? It reminds me of a disgruntled employee and his employer in the last stages before he decides to leave for greener pastures. Both of them said things that they can't take back and has only made the situation worse. BTW, I think that the Yankees got the best deal possible. While I totally disagree with ANY suggestion that Sosa is a better fit than Gonzalez, I think that the price for either was too much. **** As for the suggestion that Sosa was a better deal - PUHLEEZE. Despite the fact that he's played in a park that isn't as favorable to him as the old park and certainly not as favorable to him as Wrigley, Gonzalez has done better than Sosa over the past 5 years: Name GM AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SP Gonzalez 655 2594 457 808 163 10 200 642 192 486 .311 .357 .613 Sosa 751 2972 511 826 113 11 241 637 288 784 .278 .343 .567 As you can see, Gonzalez matches many of Sosa's numbers, despite the fact that he's played 96 fewer games in the past 5 years. If you look at this based on 162 games, you'll see: Name GM AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SP Gonzalez 162 642 113 200 40 2 49 159 47 120 .311 .357 .613 Sosa 162 641 110 178 24 2 52 137 62 169 .278 .343 .567 Gonzalez's numbers get even better and the only category that Sosa beats him in is HR and that's only by 3. We hear about how Juan is so moody but let's not forget that until he started hitting home runs in the Mark McGwire class, Sammy wasn't exactly a poster boy for happy, happy, joy, joy. BTW, since he hit rock bottom on May 10, Juan has turned his season around. During the same period of time, he's done as well or better than Sosa in all but two categories - RBI and OBP - and the RBI closes when you take into account the 5 game difference: Name GM AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SP Gonzalez 39 159 27 50 13 2 9 25 10 24 .314 .358 .591 Sosa 44 171 26 50 10 1 8 35 24 47 .292 .379 .503 While I believe that Justice will come around and hit for the Yankees and will prove the better deal because New York gave up less than they would have for the other two, a deal for Gonzalez would have been better (and cheaper) than one for Sosa. **** While Orlando could end up with Tim Duncan and Grant Hill, don't crown them NBA champs right away. It's quite possible that both of their former teams will work out sign-and-trade deals and this could weaken their base. Orlando needs to get straight free agent signings and address how they will be able to deal with a possible matchup with the Lakers. Either Duncan plays at center or they find a bruiser to work the middle. Let's not forget that Robinson not Duncan took the pounding from O'Neal and that Shaq wasn't exactly being held to 0 points when they played. **** If I were the Lakers, I'd take a run at Perdue to backup O'Neal. He was a disappointment for the Bulls, however; he'd fit in better with the Lakers and he'd be able to fit into a power forward rotation. Brian Grant would be an excellent fit, especially since it would hurt the Blazers' rotation. A sign-and-trade moving Glen Rice could help the team fill in gaps. The Lakers' situation isn't as dire as some people make it out to be and they could put themselves in position like the Bulls were when they made their first run. --- TrekEd 1.00 * Origin: On the 7th day, God created the Dallas Cowboys (1:170/1701) .