Friday, October 1, 2010

The hope for next season

What is it about our favorite sports teams that leads to the eternal optimism of. "There is always next year." Being a long time Cardinals fan that was a phrase that was said around Halloween every year. I am definitely what you would call a "homer" meaning I love to root for my hometown teams. We all know my love for the Cardinals and my 1A love for the Diamondbacks, and I can't forget about the Suns they are right there with these two teams.
Now that the baseball season is about to finish up the regular season, I am already looking forward to the Diamondbacks coming back for spring training (it's only 5 months away). I have been watching the games more closely the last couple of weeks for the D-Backs and I feel that we actually be a team to reckon with next season. "Next season" there it is the hope that my team will somehow use the mistakes and trials faced this season to build and improve upon as to be in a better position this time next year. I, for one, am excited to see what our boys in Sedona Red are going to look like. We have a core of good young hitters and pitchers that can be a staple for years to come. Kids like Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson are going to help fill out a pitching rotation that will include John Saunders and possibly Brandon Webb. That has the ability to be a fearsome rotation. Kids like Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, and Chris Young can be a potent part of the middle of the batting order. Toss in veterans like Adam LaRouche and Kelly Johnson and we have a team that can compete with any team in the league. The issues of the bullpen will be addressed very quickly by new General Manager Kevin Towers and his eye for making great decisions in the areas of pitching. The only thing I have to add is that hopefully Kirk Gibson will be hired as the full time manager for next year he has really done a good job working his style and mentality on this team and that is something that will only benefit us. So "next season" is coming already and its going to be a damn good one. Quote me on that
That brings me to the other team that has "next season" attached to its name for this season. Our Phoenix Suns the longest tenured team in basketball to never win a championship is starting training camp this week and after an amazing run to the Western Conference Finals this past May the general feeling for this season is that the Suns are the last pick to make the playoffs and be eliminated in the first round. Why the disrespect there "basketball experts" if i recall many of you said the Suns would probably not make the playoffs. You say the same things we play no defense, Nash is another year older, and who is going to be doing the rebounding? This upcoming season the new question is, "How can the Suns possibly replace A'mare Stoudemire and all he brought." Well I don't think the Suns lost all the much when he left, sure he average 27 points a game and had great dunks but how many rebounds was he pulling down in the regular season he average a little more than 9 a game and his defensive presence...well thats a subject in and of itself and its not a good one.
The Suns made some very smart basketball decisions this summer we picked a sharpshooting Hedo Turkoglu who is going to be that pick and pop 3 point guy that is going to make opposing defenses spread out when Nash drives to the inside, they collapse on him he throws out to Hedo or Jason Richardson. Perhaps he hands off to Robin Lopez for an easy throw down or he takes to the rim himself.
The next smart move signing Josh Childress. Being a huge fan of Shawn Marion when he played for us this kid is going to be out perimeter defender that we have lacked since Shawn left. He can come out on the shooters to disrupt timing and create general havoc on the floor. Same thing can be said for Jared Dudley he is going to be a much more important aspect of the offense this upcoming season just wait and see. So there is a good start to the A'mare void. Scoring points will be spreadout more Richardson, Turkoglu. Nash, Grant Hill, and Channing Frye will have plenty of good open looks to make up the points that A'mare has taken with him. We will still be in the top 3 of the league in points per game.
We will have a bench that is just as deep as any contending team in the league. Dudley, Childress, Goran Dragic, Gani Lawal, Earl Clark, Hakim Warrick and a couple other bench players we have individuals will contribute in just garbage time but when the starters have put the team in a hole these guys can play just as hard and as tough as the starters. So have no doubts when the bench players come in about how much longer til so-so comes in. We have a team that can play with any team's starters and damn sure anyone's bench.
So please continue to devalue this team, we have a very special group of players that are looking to put the team first and get us to what every Suns fan has wanted for over 40 years a NBA Championship. So instead of, "There is always next year" how about, "There is this year"

Joel - The armchair bleacher bum

No comments:

Post a Comment