Quick sports post

Here are my thoughts on my favorite professional teams:

Utah Jazz

I love the fact that the Jazz are matching Millsap's contract.   He is young, energetic and is a proven Nba player.  This past year he filled in for Boozer when he was injured and played at a close to an All Star level.   His production is worth $8M a year especially when someone like Ben Gordon can make $11M a year.  The Wages of Win team did an analysis on Boozer/Millsap back in December 2008.   Their conclusion was that Boozer has been and probably will be a better player.  
 

While that is true (and I believe it is true) my beliefs on the Boozer/Millsap option is that: 

• Millsap is younger and has already improved every season he has been in the Nba.   I can't imagine him not improving as he gets more minutes.
• Millsap would be signed for 4 years at a reasonable rate, while Boozer is only signed through this upcoming year.   It is important to have a power forward and as Cavs fans know you can't count on Boozer.   Millsap is consistent while Boozer is a variable.
• Millsap's PER (player efficiency rating) according to John Hollinger was 18.71 last year.  Boozer's PER last year was 17.28.  Of course he was coming back from injury last year, so maybe it is best to look at his career average of 20.45.  Still for the price being paid I like Millsap's production.  
  
  
• For whatever reason (luck, poor conditioning or something else) Boozer has been more injury prone. 

I think that replacing Boozer with Millsap and trading Boozer away for the best deal possible is the best move and thankfully the one the Jazz will do.   I think a lineup of Deron Williams, Brewer, Kirilenko, Millsap and Okur with backups being Maynor, Korver, Miles, Tyrus Thomas (or someone they get for Boozer) and Kosta Koufus can win some games.  I don't know if it will compete for the title with the arms race that has been going on in the Nba, but give it a year and the Knicks top pick next year then maybe in 2010-2011.  

Minnesota Twins

Do you want to know what an average baseball team looks like?   It is a rhetorical question since the answer is obviously the Minnesota Twins.  They have 45 wins and 44 losses, which last time I checked is pretty much the definition of average.  The average AL team has scored 424 runs while the Twins have scored 432 runs.  The average AL team has total bases of 1285, while the Twins come in at 1289, which means they are one home run away from being completely average.  

What about pitching you might ask?  Well the Twins have an ERA of 4.34 compared to an average AL team of 4.39.  In fact their earned runs are one run away from being completely average.   

The funny thing about their team is that individually they are far from average.  You have Mauer and Morneau who will be competing for the MVP again this year.   Then you have players like Delmon Young, Matt Tolbert and Nick Punto.   What is frustrating is that the Twins are so close to being a great team.  All they have to do is never play Delmon Young again, find a middle infielder and either replace Gomez or hope that his last game was a better predictor of his 2nd half than the previous 88 games.  

As far as pitching goes I think that the best, cheapest and easiest way to try to improve is to help get some middle relief.   Another lefthander to go with Jose Mijares wouldn't hurt.   I still like the starters of Blackburn, Baker, Liriano, Perkins and Slowey.   

Miami Dolphins

No news is good news.  I am still very happy from last year's season.    Let the countdown to the next year begin.  While I think 6-10 is probably more likely than 10-6, I am still optimistic about the long term path of the Dolphins.