Royalties & Cardinalate

The Tigers put on a good performance in Stillwater tonight, falling 78-68. I'd say that the game was closer than the score indicated but I hate that - the score is what it is. In any event, Mizzou lost to an excellent, veteran team on their home floor. Nothing to be ashamed of and nothing really lost in the eventual conference standings. A good showing is all that was required by the Tigers tonight. Check. Much more important is the game at KSU Saturday. It's a winnable road game the Tigers really need to get.

A couple of things: is there any conceivable reason to give Kevin Young the ball in the post? He makes Dennis Rodman look like Kevin McHale down there. He seems to play pretty good defense and is active on the boards but when he gets the ball on the offensive end, under no circumstances should he shoot it.

Also, does Marshall Brown look good or what? Keep him on the floor. And, finally, how about some more minutes for Glenn Dandridge? He's a good, long-armed defender and can flat stroke it on the offensive end. My favorite lineup would be: Horton, Conley, Kleiza, Grimes and Brown, with Dandridge taking Gardner's time as 6th man.

In a much more kindly, Joe Posnanski tone, Pos pretty much reiterated what I expressed in my last entry. I shouldn't have let it get to me. Some years ago, I made the decision to admire players for what they do on the field, nothing more.

In looking at historical data, I know that talented players from small market teams tend to move on to bigger markets as their service time accumulates and their price tags escalate. They're just transactions, pure and simple, and the only real point of analysis is examining whether even a player like Beltran is worth $17 million per annum by applying some sort of ratio of his production versus what the Mets can afford to spend on player salaries while still remaining cost efficient.

The Mets are a large market team but with the money they've spent this off-season, further bloating a cost-inefficient roster, they will likely be one of the least cost-efficient teams in baseball. This ranking won't be because of Beltran so much as it will be because of Cliff Floyd, Kris Benson, Tom Glavine and, most likely, Pedro Martinez. Beltran should bring a lot of production along with his gigantic price tag. Did they overpay for him? Probably. But it's still a good signing.

As for my previous sentiments, I was wrong to let Beltran's greed get to me. Most people are greedy, especially baseball players who equate salary with status, as Poz mentioned in his column. Further, baseball players think there is a linear relation between a team's payroll and their winning percentage. Not so, but you could never convince someone like Beltran of that. All of those quotes about playing for a winner and being treated with respect are balderdash. That is the crux of what gnaws at me. I can't stand deception. I believe in saying what you mean at all times - or don't say anything at all.

Is it Beltran's right to get as much money as possible? Absolutely. But as a person who has always refused to let material considerations rule my path in life, it bothers me. It bothers me a lot. Oh well, my philosophical views on materialism are best saved for another forum.

Tigers win
Broncos prepare for battle
Beltran update

• I actually missed most of the Tigers' comeback against Iowa State. After 8 minutes of zero field goals, frustration got the better of me and I retired to my study to stare at the wall. This team can be so unnerving to watch when their halfcourt offense, which is never pretty to start, bogs down. This is a very athletic collection of players. Jason Horton is a quick lead guard who clearly is at his best pushing the ball down the floor. When the looks don't come, I can't understand why Quin Snyder doesn't put his most athletic group on the floor and ask them to push the ball in transition. Instead, when the field goal well dries up, they slow it down and run the ugliest halfcourt set this side of the '84-85 Knicks (Ken "the Animal" Bannister, etc.). From what it sounds like, Mizzou finally did break the spell by pushing the ball down the floor. Quin: let this be a lesson to you. Okie State is next, down in red dirt country. I have a feeling it won't be pretty.
• Brian sez "Write it down: Broncos 34, Colts 30." I wish I were as optimistic. It seems to me like the Broncos have not been able to force a running game in the type of situations when they need to be one-dimensional. To me, they absolutely have to run the ball effectively when the Colts flood the box, not the best scenario for Denver's zone-blocking scheme. Getting an early lead is crucial. Otherwise, instead of Jake the Snake we might get the Flakey Jake that has shown up too often this season. Defensively, let's hope the officials let Champ Bailey be Champ Bailey. I was working today during the games so I wasn't to get a gauge as to whether the zebras where calling the pass defense any more loosely than they were during regular season. I see the Broncos keeping it close but the Colts pulling away late: Colts 40, Broncos 24.
• Carlos Beltran isn't going back to Houston. Looks like the Mets are the favorite.

``It slipped through our fingers in the last, last few minutes,'' said Astros owner Drayton McLane, who was told by Beltran's agent that Beltran was finalizing his deal with the Mets. ``It was just some sticking points. It should never, never have gotten to this.''

Mr. McLane - you never had a chance.

"As a baseball player, I want to be treated fairly - based on what I've done in my career," Beltran said. "Of course, the opportunity to win is bigger than the economic thing. I want to be part of a winning team. I will consider every team."

Bullshit. This is what I say to you, Carlos.

And the horse you rode away on.