Dear readers:

I'd like to begin my blogging on this account by thanking each and every one of you who have taken the time to read my content in the past, and those of you who will do the same in the near future. A special, personal thanks goes out to the readers who have provided me with direct feedback.

If you've been unable to check out my writer profile, my name is John Frascella, and I am the author of "Theo-logy: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land." The book is centered on Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, and is set for an April 1 release. If you'd like, check it out on Amazon.com. (That's the direct link to my book's info page.)

I was formerly the lead sports columnist at the University of Connecticut, and don't hesitate to read my final column from that portion of my career, entitled " Why We Love Sports." At UConn, I covered the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NCAA Men's Basketball (of course, the Huskies themselves). 

Continue reading "Welcome to JFro Sports Journalism"

Since I registered as a New Jersey Nets blogger (though I could have registered under the Mets, Jets or even Knicks), I figured I'd begin with a Nets post. I noticed that the top forum topic is, "What can the Nets do to win a championship this year?" or something along those lines.

Lofty goals, I see. Particularly lofty considering the extremely low preseason expectations for this team. Jeff Van Gundy, former head coach of both the Knicks and Rockets, predicted that the Nets would win less than 30 games this year, and finish somewhere around 25-57. "Coach" is eating his words right now, as New Jersey already has 18 victories, and is currently seventh in the Eastern Conference, in line for a playoff spot. 

Our Nets are easily the biggest surprise team in the NBA thus far this season, and that's in large part due to the efforts of Vince Carter and Devin Harris. Both members of the Nets' starting backcourt are amongst the league leaders in scoring, and their outstanding one-on-one offensive abilities make New Jersey a dangerous team down the stretch of close games. Most teams are lucky to have one legitimate "closer" -- so to speak -- and yet the Nets have two.

Continue reading "How the Nets can win a championship"

Not only did the Nets fall to the Bucks on a last-second floater by shifty point guard Luke Ridnour, but they also lost Yi Jianlian for (at least) a month in tonight's contest. Yi broke the pinky finger on his right hand, which of course, is his shooting hand. Depending on the healing process, his return may be as far as six or seven weeks away.

Repercussions for the Nets:

(1) Bobby Simmons and Jarvis Hayes will see more shot attempts at the forward position, and a revived Eduardo Najera will see more minutes as well.

(2) Despite Yi's hot shooting of late, the Nets' offensive production likely won't taper off much because of a huge boost in the form of Devin Harris' return this week. 

(3) New Jersey's team defense will probably improve in Yi's absence because, quite frankly, he's the worst defender in the starting lineup. 

Continue reading "Yi-eeeek! Jianlian goes down"

Let's take a look at some players that have elevated their games to the next level this season, and are surprising opposing players, coaches, and (especially) fans with their production.

Danny Granger-SF, Indiana Pacers

Granger fed into his "rising star" status with a solid season in '07-08, but he's in another stratosphere this year. Indiana's smooth-stroking small forward is currently fourth in the entire NBA in scoring, and he's in good company...

Granger trails only Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant -- the league's top three players. Though it goes Wade, LeBron, and Kobe in active scoring, if I were listing the best players in order it would be (1) Kobe, (2) LeBron, and (3) Wade. But that's a different discussion for another time. As for Granger, his 25.9 point per game average is incredibly impressive, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

Continue reading "The NBA's most pleasant surprises"

Following the trades that sent Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph packing, for a short while, the Knicks seemed like they'd be able to survive the core-shaking changes to their roster. Al Harrington came to New York with something to prove, and he blazed through a hot streak of games about a week after joining the club.

Unfortunately, Harrington's magic quickly disappeared, and he's since reverted back to his inconsistent ways. Crawford and Randolph were New York's go-to scorers, and the only two players on the team that could be counted on for one-on-one buckets. While Donnie Walsh's deals may have created cap space for a 2010 shopping spree, they also created a monster in the face of the Knicks' current roster.

The essential problem is that the team lacks an identity, and in the NBA, a team's identity is often rooted in its stars. The group of misfit toys that Walsh has assembled lacks a single star, and thus, Mike D'Antoni's squad has no one to rely on in close fourth quarter situations. 

Continue reading "The New York Knicks: Back to Their Old Ways"

The Boston Celtics have to tread carefully right now. Their mini skid has become a slide, and they've actually fallen behind the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference standings.

Sure the Men in Green are the defending league champions, but the chinks in their armor may eventually become gaping holes. The Celtics and their fans are getting a little worried, and the players have no one to blame but themselves.

Yes, believe it or not, there is such a thing as playing too hard. It sounds absurd -- I know -- but the Celtics are guilty as charged. With three older, veteran stars like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, you simply can't play the never-stop, always-hustle, dive-on-loose-balls-if-you-have-to style for two consecutive regular seasons. 

Pierce and Garnett are gassed; go ahead, try to deny it. Pierce has no lift on his jump shot and his attacks of the rim are in slower motion than ever. Garnett, meanwhile, is getting himself in foul trouble at times while looking a step slower defensively than we're accustomed to. Eddie House hasn't been as efficient from the perimeter as he's been in recent years, and Brian Scalabrine can't seem to provide anything when he's called upon off the pine.

Continue reading "The Boston Celtics: Spiraling Out of Control?"

Sure, Omar Minaya may have cleaned up the pigsty in the Mets' pen with the acquisitions of Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez and J.J. Putz, but that doesn't mean that this team is going to leapfrog the Phillies at the top of the National League East. There are still a number of rather deep holes to fill, and they need to be filled with quality players, not stopgaps.

In the starting rotation, Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, and now apparently Tim Redding are locked into spots. If Spring Training were currently underway, Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell, and Brandon Knight would be competing for that fifth and final opening. In my eyes, Maine, Redding, and mystery man No. 5 fail to represent the makings of a potential World Series caliber back of the rotation. There's undoubtedly room for improvement.

Continue reading "The New York Mets: Plenty of Question Marks Remain"

Many of my closest friends refer to me by the nickname, "Fro." When we're sitting around watching a game or chit-chatting about nothing (kinda like "Seinfeld") they like to slip "Fro" into everything.

For example, player names:

Frobe Bryant, Stephon Frobury, Jared Frofries, Nate Frobinson -- you get the idea.

Often "Fro" finds its way into general conversation, this time as a variation on "prediction." As one of my lifelong friends likes to say, this one here is "another awesome Frodiction." Painful, I know. Might as well call me Frostradamus..OK, I'll stop it there, even I can't take it anymore.

I'm not exactly going out a limb with this prediction, but in terms of sheer odds, I have a mere 25 percent chance to get it right. We have four NFL teams remaining, and of course the Steelers

Continue reading "A comfortable "Fro"diction: the Steelers WILL win the Super Bowl"

We're about 35 games into the NBA season right now -- nearly to the midway point -- and the New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks are holding on to the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. I doubt that's the way it will end, however, because the list of teams that are on the outside looking in is quite an interesting one: Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Indiana Pacers (to name the true contenders).

I think we can assume that the 1-5 seeds are locks, and they are the Cavaliers, Magic, Celtics, Pistons, and Hawks. The Miami Heat should be pretty comfortable in that 6-spot as well, as long as Dwyane Wade remains healthy and continues playing at his customary all-world level. So it's those final two spots that will be up in the air.

The Nets should be able to retain one of the spots,

Continue reading "Eastern Conference Playoff Race Will Get Dicey"

Omar Minaya is the Jekyll and Hyde of Major League general managers. It's incredible how he can look like an Einstein-esque genius with some moves, and an executive that knows very little about baseball with others.

This time, he's allowed the best free agent pitcher remaining on the market, Derek Lowe, to go elsewhere. Lowe would have been a perfect fit behind Johan Santana in the Mets' starting rotation, and not only did Minaya let him slip away, he allowed Lowe to sign with a division rival: the Braves. 

However, I shouldn't place all of the blame on Minaya in this situation, because it's obvious that the Wilpons (owners) are looking to save money this offseason. What happened? I thought we were a major-market team.

Apparently things have changed in lieu of the national financial crisis. Perhaps it's hitting the Mets harder than the media has speculated.

Continue reading "Major Mets Blunder: Lowe Signs with Braves"

I've posted lists of this length and magnitude elsewhere in the past. Before I get to the rankings, I like to explain my general rationale and some of the specifics of the decision-making process. Here are some essential rules, so you can better understand my thinking:

(1) The most emphasis will be placed on the current NFL season, but the rankings are not entirely based upon the '08-09 NFL campaign. The previous two years will be taken into account, and weighed accordingly.

(2) Proven players get the nod over upstarts if they have maintained an all-pro caliber level of play. For example, Edgerrin James is a proven player, but his performance was shaky to the point where he was benched this season, which means a guy like Pierre Thomas or Le'Ron McClain would certainly be ranked ahead of him.

Continue reading "The NFL's Top 100 Players"

Honestly, I can't figure this front office out. I still can't decide if Omar Minaya is a crafty, savvy baseball mind, or a complete and utter idiot. I just can't tell. The decisions being made by this franchise are all over the map. This offseason is driving me insane -- not because it's neither good nor bad, but because I cannot comprehend our financial difficulties or the intended direction of the club.

Why have we taken such measures to steer clear of Manny Ramirez? What, it's not worth investing in one of the top five players in the world, a player who, offensively, is either or second or third best? We're talking about one of the greatest run producers in the history of the game, and a guy who showed absolutely no signs of slowing down after being traded to the Dodgers last season. 

Continue reading "Does anyone know what the Mets are thinking?"

Despite a tough 116-110 loss in Philadelphia tonight, the New York Knicks are playing surprisingly well under their new head coach, Mike D'Antoni. The Knicks had won three in a row prior to this evening's contest, including an impressive victory over D'Antoni's old team, the immensely-talented Phoenix Suns.

D'Antoni deserves to be in the discussion for NBA Coach of the Year because he's had to deal with a franchise in transition, and a general manager that traded away his best two players -- Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford -- in an effort to clear space for a shopping spree in 2010. Of course the fact that the Knicks were one of the worst, if not the worst team in the entire league last season, also works to D'Antoni's advantage in any Coach of the Year discussions.

Continue reading "Mike D'Antoni for Coach of the Year? Hey, it could happen"

(Note: I've published this post on another blog of mine, here.)

Did you see these two teams yesterday? I don't think I've ever been more impressed by a pair of NBA teams on the same day. The Celtics absolutely dismantled a respectable Dallas Mavericks' team, and the Lakers shamed the once-mighty San Antonio Spurs. Everything was clicking for both the Celtics and Lakers, and yet it's not as if this was a one-time deal.

I just don't see any way around this prediction:

The Celtics and Lakers will meet again in the NBA Finals this season. 

I know that's not exactly going out on a limb, but it's rare for the same two teams to reach the championship in back-to-back years. The Celtics have formidable competition in the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic, and the Lakers have to worry about the aforementioned Spurs, the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, and wild card Phoenix Suns.

Continue reading "We're headed for a Lakers/Celtics championship (again)"

We're not even at the All-Star Break, and yet this is a crucial game for the Nets tonight against the Thunder. The Nets sit just 0.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and this evening presents a winnable game for New Jersey.

The Thunder have drastically improved, specifically of late, thanks to the play of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green. That trio represents a promising core for the enthusiastic fans of Oklahoma City to boast about. They should save the boasting for the future, however, because their team isn't quite ready to win consistently. The Nets need to utilize their experience (Vince Carter, Devin Harris, Keyon Dooling, Bobby Simmons, and Jarvis Hayes) and poise in order to thrive in tonight's match-up.

Continue reading "The New Jersey Nets: Critical game in Oklahoma City tonight"