The Slow White Guy Needs Something to Do

2011-02-15T11:52:00.000-05:00

Hey all...

Sorry for the lack of posts the last month. But with my schedule, it will be quite hard to write a blog that I would deem of high-quality for awhile. So, until further notice, there will not be any new posts. The Hofstra Pride Sports Network is in full swing with men's and women's basketball and lacrosse, wrestling, baseball and softball. Oh, and this little team called the New York Islanders (WRHU, the only college station in the country to be the flagship station of a pro sports team). So, sorry to the ten of you I have made upset.

Roll Pride

Rex Ryan Victim of Foot-In-Mouth Syndrome (No, Not That Way People)

2011-01-11T17:41:00.001-05:00

I don't know what it is with Rex Ryan. Maybe he has short-term memory loss. Or maybe he is just plain stupid. I'm going to go with the latter, and for the New York Jets, their coach's mouth is only giving them less and less of a chance come this weekend against the Patriots.

You would think a 45-3 blowout loss on national television would be enough to shut up the exuberant Ryan. Or even the players. But no. While Bill Belichick and Tom Brady -- perhaps the most lethal coach-quarterback combo in league history -- sit back quietly, going about their business as usual, Ryan has been in front of the microphone once again. Last week he called out Peyton Manning, who traditionally has had his number, calling it "personal." At the same time, he took a shot at Brady by saying that Manning studies harder than anyone in the league, specifically calling out Brady by name and saying he's not on the same level as Peyton. Well, the Jets scraped by on a last second field goal, so I guess Rexy is thinking that route worked once, it could work again. On Monday he ranted that it's not Jets versus Pats this week in the AFC Divisional Round. It's Ryan versus Belichick.

"It's about him against myself," said Ryan. "That's what it's going to come down to." Apparently the reason the Pats won by 43 points in what many were calling the most important regular season game in Jets history is because Ryan was outcoached and Belichick took advantage of the lack of preparation on Ryan's part. In some aspects, it's respectable that Ryan tried to take the blame. And yes, Belichick had his Patriots infinitely more prepared than the Jets. But how exactly is trash-talking going to make New York more prepared? I hope Ryan remembers last time, when he said he wanted to "kick Belichick's ass."

45-3 Rex. 45-3.

And then there is Braylon Edwards, who said that he remembers the Week 13 beatdown, but that at the end of the day thinks the Jets are the better team. The Jets are talented, and they easily could compete. But remember who has the best coach and best quarterback in the league. Remember who have five capable receivers who could have a big game on any given Sunday. Remember who has lit into every team they've played since Thanksgiving. (Hint: It's not the Jets!)

For New York, this is monumental. The Patriots are the pinnacle. Once they beat them, they can beat anyone, at least in their minds (well, they think they could beat the Lakers at basketball and the Yankees at baseball, but that's besides the point). At the same press conference Monday, Ryan said Belichick will go down as either the greatest coach ever, or one of the greatest. But somehow, even that sounded a little condescending, if that's even possible. It's like he was saying "Well, Bill's the best there ever was, but still..."

I get that Ryan wants to do anything to get Belichick to pay attention to him and get into his head, but by now he should know it's not going to work. It never has, it never will. But because he needs to beat the Patriots -- needs to -- he'll try anyways. Idiot.

That's the problem with this "rivalry." It's one-sided. To the Patriots, the Jets aren't anything spectacular. Belichick is the the smart point guard: he knows the game better than anyone else. He may not have the best team around him, but he has a superstar to go to, and he makes everyone better. Ryan, on the other hand, is the big doofy center: lots and lots of talk, but not enough for the talent he has. Sure, the center led his team to victory in Week 2 (a 28-14 Jets win), but the point guard was playing with a major injury (Randy Moss was still on the team). Once they healed (dumped Moss), they became unstoppable.

Now, could the Jets go out and compete, and possibly win? Absolutely. That is, if the organization would shut up. Because although all this talking may fire up the Jets, New England is taking it all in. There is no better "Eff You" team in the NFL -- maybe in all of sports -- than the Pats. They rarely ever talk. They just sit back and take everything in, keeping it inside until game time. That's when New England strikes. They score. And keep scoring. Then the game appears over, and you know what happens? They score some more. Belichick will gladly keep Brady out there to score 50 points. He doesn't care.

I don't want to hear the reasons for Ryan doing this. Some say it's to take pressure off his players -- especially Mark Sanchez -- so the media won't keep asking them about the Week 13 dud Gang Green put up. If that's the case, then Sanchez needs a newsflash: He was the fourth overall pick, he's in his second postseason, and he's the quarterback. He needs to be a big boy and face the pressure.

I don't think Sunday's game will be a rematch of Week 13. But I don't think the Jets have a chance. It's not because they don't have the talent, because on any given week anyone in the NFL can win or lose a game, no matter the opponent. It's because the Jets are going out again, talking smack like they are undefeated and winning every game by 40, instead of preparing. Meanwhile the Patriots are doing their usual thing, keeping quiet, letting the Jets have their moment.

It very well could be a close game, but if New England gets off to a fast start, don't be surprised if it gets very, very ugly, very, very quickly. And if that is the case, Rex Ryan has only himself to blame, for teasing the caged lion and not expecting it to attack once it's let loose.

You could say he would be putting his foot in his mouth (assuming it's not already there to begin with). Yes, I had to.

Adams Should Have Dumped His Entire Family

2011-01-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

Bud Adams had a decision to make. Would he get rid of the coach who has been manning the sidelines for 16 seasons? Or would he go with the troubled quarterback who he has backed so many times before?

All things considered, the Tennessee Titans owner made a good call in choosing to bring back Jeff Fisher for a 17th season and ridding the organization of Vince Young, who will be either traded or released. But if Adams really wanted to do what is best for the Titans organization, he should have said good-riddance to both and started fresh.

If Adams' thought process was to choose one over the other, he made the right choice with Fisher. Had he dumped Fisher and kept Young aboard, it would basically be telling the players that they were bigger than the coach. And that is just setting a precedent that no coach should have to go through. That next coach would go in with the mindset that they had no power. If a player disagreed with something, they could go to the owner and get it fixed. Not getting enough touches? Not on the field enough? Go to Bud. He'll make sure you get some targets. Remember, this is a team with Randy Moss (for now). The last thing a new coach would need is to hear an aging, chemistry-killing whiner like Moss complain to the owner about how he's not getting playing time. And although he claims he wants to be a mentor for a young, budding star in Kenny Britt, we all know the diva in him would be bound to come out eventually.

And obviously having both VY and Fisher together is just too much of a hassle. To recap, Fisher never wanted to draft Young in the first place, but Adams did, so the owner won that battle. In the 2008 season opener Young was struggling and reacted poorly to the home crowd's boos. He refused to go in the game for a bit, then hurt his knee four plays later. Enter Kerry Collins, a 13-3 record, and the AFC's best record. Then last year, with Collins leading the team to an 0-6 start, Fisher finally relented and named Young the new starter. The team finished 8-8. But the success was short-lived, as in Week 2 of this year Young was pulled for the fourth quarter in a loss to the Steelers. Then, the tipping point. Week 11, Young hurts his thumb. He is apparently okay (he eventually went in injured reserve because of it), but Fisher refused to put him back in. The stories are conflicting. Young says he asked to go back in. Fisher claimed there was no such request. Either way, it ended with Young throwing his pads into the stands as he stormed into the locker room, then screaming at Fisher during the coach's post-game speech and walking out.

No, Adams made the right move in that respect. Coaches need to know they have more control than the players. And there is no shot of reconciling the relationship between the two.

But that leads me to this: why is Fisher still the coach? There are reports that the players backed Fisher and wanted him back, but their performance this season proved otherwise. There were times when they seemed to show little to no effort on the field, as if they were giving up on Fisher. The Titans lost eight of their last nine, and if you take out the two games against the Colts -- which were both very winnable in the last few minutes -- it was just a lackluster effort. Kerry Collins looked every bit of a 38-year-old man. Chris Johnson had no one blocking for him, but he also looked nothing like his 2009 form. The team looked stale.

Don't get me wrong. Jeff Fisher is a good football coach. But I think his time has run out in Tennessee. In 16 seasons what exactly has he accomplished? Three times he led the team to a 13-3 record. Okay, that's nice. But what differentiates a good coach from a great one is what they do in the postseason. And, well, his accomplishments are nothing special. He's been to the playoffs six times. The highlight was the one Super Bowl loss (remember "The Tackle"?) to the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV. But since then? Divisional Round, AFC Title Game (2001, in which the Steelers were hosed in the Divisional Round on a B.S. roughing the kicker call in what was a classic Bill Cowher-jaw moment... but I digress), Divisional Round, Wild-Card, Divisional Round (with a first-round bye). That is nothing spectacular.

But perhaps most importantly, was there one time in any of those instances (2000, '02, '03, '07, '08) -- just one time -- when you seriously considered the Titans a threat to win the Super Bowl? Maybe in 2000, seeing as they were just one year removed from almost winning a title. But that was a decade ago. In 2008, when they went 13-3, the Colts and Steelers were considered the overwhelming favorites. With Fisher, the Titans will never have a two, three, or four win season. But there will never be that fear, that sense that they can go out and win a championship with Fisher at the helm and the personnel around him.

Bud Adams didn't make the wrong move in getting rid of Vince Young and keeping Jeff Fisher. But it wasn't the right move, either. It looks like next year could be rough for Tennessee. They don't have a quarterback. Chris Johnson -- all 5-11, 191 lbs of him -- has touched the ball 768 times the last two years in a league where running backs last an average of 2.7 years. The defense was 20th against the run and 29th against the pass.

Significant changes need to be made. Bud Adams made a good start. But now is the time to let go of Fisher, because otherwise a much more somber, and publicized, firing will have to occur.

NHL Needs to Take Advantage of Work Stoppage

2011-01-04T16:27:00.005-05:00

2011 could be a terrible year for sports, with the NFL and NBA facing potential work stoppages. Roger Goodell is looking on the bright side, saying a new collective bargaining agreement "can and will" happen, while David Stern has been mum on the subject. However, many are not as optimistic, and the vast majority of football and basketball folks believe there will be at the very best a delay in the 2011-12 seasons.

For the NFL, the country's most popular sport that attracts the most television viewers and revenue, a strike would anger fans when the league has never been more popular. For the NBA, a strike would negate all the progress made in regaining its popularity from the MJ/Magic/Bird days, and the league would have to start again from scratch.

But one league needs to take full advantage of the potential work stoppages, because there may never again be as good an opportunity to become relevant in the American mind. The NHL needs to take drastic action.

It is pretty clear by now that hockey will never be as popular as football or baseball in America. And they can't act like they are. Other than the annual Winter Classic and to some extent the playoffs, hockey ratings are just dreadful. Even for the Winter Classic, which is advertised for months, the ratings aren't that good. This year's between the Capitals and Penguins -- featuring the league's two biggest stars since Gretzky and Lemieux on prime-time, national television -- drew 4.5 million viewers. It was the most watched regular season game since 1975. To put that in perspective, NBC's pre-game show prior to Sunday Night Football drew over 11 million viewers last week.

Bottom line, no matter what happens, the NHL will never be on the same level as the National Football League. But that doesn't mean it can't have a more significant impact in sports. Right now, can you name 10 hockey players not named Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin?

Ever since the 2004-05 lockout, the league has struggled mightily. I think Gary Bettman expected Crosby and Ovechkin to have the same effect that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa did on baseball. Fans were upset over the lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the 1994 postseason. It was the fourth stoppage in 22 years, and that anger was beginning to overcome the national adoration for the game. Then Big Mac and Slammin' Sammy come in and pump life back into the sport, catapulting it back into the forefront of American sports as they chased the single-season home run record (they were 'roided up, sure, but that's another story). Bettman probably thought Sid the Kid and Alexander the Great would have this same effect.

He was wrong.

It was not until recently, within the last two years, where people have really begun to focus back on the NHL. This past Stanley Cup Finals between the Flyers and Blackhawks averaged 6.1 million viewers, its best ratings in 13 years. That's pretty good, admittedly. It is the largest audience in the sport's history, according to NHL officials. But for the best playoffs in sports to draw less than what an average NFL game will attract, or less than half of what the MLB postseason will draw, shows how irrelevant the sport is in the United States.

It is clear that Bettman's attempt to withdraw hockey from Canada and into the southern U.S. has not worked out. This year, of the 16 lowest attendance figures, only the Bruins, Oilers, Devils and Islanders existed prior to the 1990s. The other 12 were either expansion franchises or moved from one city to another. Since 2000, attendance has clearly shown hockey in the south and west to not be attractive to fans.

Season	Teams After 1990 in Bottom Half of Attendance	Teams After 1990 in Top 10 in Attendance
2010-11	12	0
2009-10	10	1
2008-09	10	1
2007-08	8	2
2006-07	7	2
2005-06	9	2
2004-05	(lockout)	(lockout)
2003-04	9	2
2002-03	8	3
2001-02	9	3
2000-01	8	2

Teams like the Thrashers, Blue Jackets, Predators, Panthers, Coyotes and Ducks are consistently among the worst in attendance. The only exception among these teams is the Wild, who are always in the top 10. But what makes them different than the other 11 teams that were created after 1990? They are in Minnesota. Attendance was never a constant problem for the North Stars. Their owner moved the team to Dallas in 1994, and the league promised a new team would be put there. They are the only team that gets any sort of regularity in attendance. Compare that to Canada. The Canadians and Maple Leafs are always among the best in attendance. For the gold medal game in these past Winter Olympics (the best hockey game since the Miracle on Ice, by the way), 75 percent of the nation watched. For the Super Bowl, less than half of America tunes in.

And Bettman thought it would be smart to move hockey out of the Great White North...

But now is the time for change. The league needs to take advantage of being potentially the only major sport playing from November 2011 to March 2012. The television deal with Versus ends at the end of this season. Priority number one should be getting a deal with ESPN. Right now Versus reaches about 74 million households. However, only a quarter million watch games on average. For a professional sports league, having national ratings of that size is pathetic. And two of the Stanley Cup Finals games are aired there! The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Phillies get that many viewers on a given night for a regular season game, and they are regional broadcasts that reach nowhere even remotely close to 74 million households. It's embarrassing.

Right now the weekly agreement with NBC isn't working. The deal expires at the end of the season, but is expected to be renewed. That's fine. However, to broadcast nine Sundays of the regular season that lasts five and a half months is not enough. To get as much exposure as possible, the league needs to get back on ESPN.

Think about it: the worldwide leader in sports advertising the crap out of hockey. Ratings would certainly go up substantially. Why do you think the X-Games are on ESPN? Because they wouldn't get a tenth of the exposure elsewhere. Why do you think LeBron James aired "The Decision" on ESPN? Because he's a narcissistic jerk who needed as much exposure as possible and knew where he would get the most. Being broadcast from Bristol, Connecticut means you are getting the most exposure possible.

And that is what the NHL needs to do during this potential two-sport work stoppage, no?

Hockey is physical, exciting, has the best playoffs bar none, yet no one cares. The Winter Classic is a good start to gain national attention. But now is the time for the NHL to step up and do everything it possibly can to get into the focus of American sports. There will be no better chance than 2011.

Gone Bowlin'!

2010-12-27T16:53:00.004-05:00

I won't lie. Right now the college football season is going pretty well. I mean, through eight games only two have had any excitement and no one went to the games. But personally, I'm 7-for-8 in my Bowl Pick 'Em thus far. But come the New Year the low-tiered, pretty pointless bowls will start to wrap up, and it will be time for the big boys to step out onto the field in the BCS games. That means it's time for my second annual BCS predictions! Technically it's the third straight year I've done them, but it's the second year I've done them on this blog. Last year I went 2-3, and the year before I went 3-2, so I'm a solid .500 so far. So let's begin!

On New Year's Day is the Rose Bowl between Big Ten champ Wisconsin and #3 (and undefeated) TCU. This is a very interesting match-up to kick off the BCS games. Wisconsin is playing as well as anyone in the country, including Oregon and Auburn, and is powered by the nation's biggest and best offensive line and three capable running backs, all with over 800 yards rushing. This is their first BCS game since the 1999 Rose Bowl. TCU, in their second straight BCS game, is still looking for national respect. Looking at their schedule they beat only two ranked teams (#24 Oregon State in the season opener and a very overrated #5 Utah), but are ninth in the country in total offense and has a defense that leads the country in points allowed (11.4/gm) and yards allowed (215.4/gm). However, for all the statistics, they haven't seen an o-line that has two All-Americans and four returning starters all over 310 pounds. At 6-foot-7 and 327 pounds, Outland Trophy winner Gabe Carimi (who may be the best player in the nation) leads the way, and will do just that as Wisconsin runs away with a 35-24 win.

Later Jan. 1 is what most are expecting to be the most lopsided BCS game over when #7/Big 12 winner Oklahoma takes on the Big East "winner" Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl. After stumbling to a 3-4 start out of the gates, UConn won their last five games to win a share of the conference title in a terrible Big East. Outside of Jordan Todman, the nation's second-leading rusher, the offense is non-existant, and the secondary is shaky at best. Many are calling the Huskies the worst BCS team ever. Oklahoma (11-2) should expect to pick apart the UConn defense and roam freely in the secondary, as Landry Jones and the third-ranked passing offense have a biiiiiit of an advantage. But don't expect a 40 point blowout. The Sooners will move the ball, but in their five-game win streak the Huskies have forced 17 turnovers -- while committing only five of their own. And the UConn offensive line is none too shabby, having dominated defenses since Halloween. Oklahoma will snap their five-game BCS losing streak, but it will be closer than expected. Sooners 32, Huskies 21.

Jan. 3 is the Orange Bowl between ACC-champ Virginia Tech and Pac-10 champion Stanford. This very easily could be the best bowl game of the season outside of Oregon-Auburn. Virginia Tech has been a totally different team since their 0-2 start, having not lost since then. ACC Player of the Year Tyrod Taylor has led the way, throwing a school-record 23 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions, and has added over 800 rushing yards. The defense is average, but like UConn they force a lot of turnovers (their 22 picks are second best in FBS). However, Stanford has Andrew Luck. A junior, Luck is considered to be the number one pick in next April's draft (if he declares, and if there is even a draft at all). He has over 3000 yards in the air, 28 TDs to just 7 INTs, and has completed a ludicrous 70 percent of his passes. So what gives? A defense that forces a ton of turnovers or a quarterback that rarely throws even an incompletion, let alone interceptions? I'll take the latter, as the Cardinal win 33-28.

The Sugar Bowl sees two at-large bids when Arkansas and Ohio State meet on Jan. 4. Ohio State is third in the nation in scoring defense. Arkansas has one of the most electrifying offenses and is third in passing. Ryan Mallett is turnover-prone, however, with 11 interceptions, but many coming in key situations (i.e. late in the fourth quarter against #1 Alabama). Terrelle Pryor of the Buckeyes is lucky to even be playing after the NCAA found that he and four teammates violated the rules by selling their rings, jerseys and awards, as well as receiving free tattoos. Which leads me to this week's tangent!!

There is absolutely no reason Pryor and his four teammates should play this game. The NCAA found they were wrong. In every prior situation that means immediate suspension. Georgia's AJ Greene sold a game-worn jersey -- a single jersey -- and was suspended immediately for four games. The six Buckeyes sold multiple jerseys and other memorabilia. Last year Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant was suspended for 10 games for talking to Deion Sanders and lying about it. The Buckeyes did not report their violations, and Pryor wrote on his Twitter page that he paid for all his tattoos. HE LIED. The NCAA tried to get out of it by saying that the players didn't deserve to be suspended because they were unaware they were breaking the rules. This just in: the reason Bryant lied was because he didn't know he was breaking the rules! Did that stop NCAA officials? Not even a little bit. But because the players are from Ohio State and it's a BCS game, Pryor and his teammates get to play. If it were any other team short of Michigan and Notre Dame, and I do mean any other team, these players get suspended. But because they are from the historic, precious Big Ten, they get to play because it is a "once in a lifetime opportunity". That shouldn't matter. It's like a parent saying "Oh, you snuck out, stole the car and crashed it? That's fine! You didn't know you were breaking the rules! So you can go to the concert tomorrow, but after that you are grounded!" And because most of them will be drafted, they can leave early, thus avoiding any punishment whatsoever.

Okay, tangent over.

Ohio State is 14th in rushing yards per game, while Arkansas is mediocre in stopping the run. Of course, they also had to face the likes of Cam Newton (Heisman winner), Mark Ingram (2009 Heisman winner) and Trent Richardson (most underrated back in the nation and best sidekick since Arkansas's Felix Jones backed up Darren McFadden). Although Jim Tressel's crew snapped their BCS losing streak in last year's Rose Bowl, they won't be extended any winning streaks, as the Razorbacks will throttle the Buckeyes 52-31.

Then there's the big one, when Auburn and Oregon play for the national title. Both teams have high-powered offenses. Oregon leads the nation in points (49.3/gm) and is fourth in rushing (over 300/gm) and has the football version of Mike D'Antoni's "Seven Seconds or Less" offense that he made famous with the Phoenix Suns. Auburn is sixth in points (42.7/gm) and rushing (287/gm) and is led by Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, who is becoming as good a thrower as he is an athlete. The outcome in this game will come from the defensive side. Who will make a key stop? Because it seems as though neither offense can be stopped. My heart wants the Ducks to win, but I can't figure out how they will be able to stop Newton when teams like Alabama (sixth fewest yards allowed per game), LSU (eighth) and Florida (ninth) could not. The Tigers will win the national title -- outright this time, as opposed to 2004. Auburn 52-45.

After the title game I will post the results in the sidebar, and hope to get above the .500 mark.

You Haven't Done Nothin'

2010-12-20T13:49:00.001-05:00

Stevie Wonder sure was right. Donovan McNabb hasn't done nothin'. The storyline going into Sunday's Redskins-Cowboys game was 'Skins coach Mike Shanahan's decision to bench starter McNabb in favor of Rex Grossman. When the announcement was made, Fletcher Smith, McNabb's agent, called the move "beyond disrespectful." Spare me. For all that McNabb has done in his career, Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins owe him nothing. And while I don't think the coaching staff has handled the situation properly, for Smith to play the "veteran-is-disrespected" card is just ridiculous.

In a phone interview, Smith said of the benching, "Disrespectful is probably not strong enough of a word. Donovan has handled himself with nothing but class, not just in Washington but as an ambassador for the league. To treat him this way ... it's beyond disrespectful."

Newsflash to Fletcher: This is sports, where 99 percent of organizations demand results now (Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Pirates excluded) and for a quarterback who is in his first year on a new team, the past doesn't matter. What has Donovan McNabb done for the Redskins in his 12 years that Shanahan should think to himself "Gee, he's accomplished so much for me that I shouldn't be so quick to pull the plug."? Nothing, that's what. If this were Philadelphia, it would be different. In Philly, McNabb took the Eagles to the Super Bowl, five NFC Title Games and eight playoffs. He is the overwhelming franchise leader in every passing statistic, is 14th all-time in rushing and seventh in rushing touchdowns. In ten years fans will go to Lincoln Financial Field and see #5 alongside the other retired numbers in Eagles' lore.

But that is in Philadelphia.

In Washington, none of that matters. Fact is, McNabb led the team to a 5-8 record and five losses in six games. He is 26th in the league in passer rating. Do you know who has a better passer rating than Donovan's 77.1? Jason Campbell. Alex Smith. Chad Henne. Carson Palmer. Do you realize how bad Carson Palmer has been this season? He's thrown 18 interceptions and had about 100 more dropped. He throws solely to Terrell Owens the majority of the time. And he's still got a higher rating than McNabb.

McNabb has thrown more INTs (15) than TDs (14). He is 28th in completion percentage (58.3%). Fact is, because he is Donovan McNabb he got the starting nod because he, in theory, gave the team the best chance to win. If he were Jason Campbell, Alex Smith or Chad Henne, he probably would have been benched four weeks earlier. This is in some ways similar another quarterbacking situation involving He Who Shall Not Be Named On This Blog over in Minnesota, who wouldn't have been playing by Week 6 if he were Tarvaris Jackson.

Then there is the part where Smith said that McNabb deserves to start because he has "handled himself with nothing but class, not just in Washington but as an ambassador for the league." Unless you are doing something criminal or just plain stupid, that doesn't matter on the field. Charlie Batch has been recognized for his work in, among other things, helping underprivileged youth, those without food, those without shelter and advocating against gang violence. I would say he is a pretty good ambassador for the NFL. Yet when Ben Roethlisberger returned from his four-game suspension, I didn't see Batch's agent calling it "beyond disrespectful." And note that in the two games Batch started this season his passer rating (76.2) was not much worse than McNabb's, so this comparison isn't entirely dumb.

And the last two games of 2010 don't look good for him, either. Grossman didn't win against the Cowboys, but he didn't play poorly. His four touchdowns were two more than McNabb has thrown in any one game this year, and his two picks were something McNabb has done four times. Rexy's 93.7 rating topped all but two of McNabb's ratings, and he brought the team back from a 20-point deficit early in the third to tie the game with 7:37 to go. I mean, sure, it was against a Dallas defense that is 31st in points allowed, but some merit has to go into the comeback.

As for the off-season and beyond, well, that doesn't look too hot either. The five-year, $78 million extension he signed on Nov. 15 (which was followed by a 59-28 drubbing at the hands of the Eagles on Monday Night Football) has a clause where the team can get out the deal after the season. It is highly unlikely you will be seeing McNabb in the nation's capital next year.

For that, Redskins fans should only have one thing to say: ~~All hail Rex Grossman!!~~ Please draft Jake Locker!!

(NOTE: Stats from ESPN.com, pro-football-reference.com, and NFL.com)
Check back next week for my 2nd annual BCS prediction post!

Stop With the BCS BS

2010-12-03T22:12:00.001-05:00

People seriously need to stop complaining about the BCS. This is the 13th year of its existence, and every year there has been an issue with it. There have been snubs (i.e. 11-1 Texas Tech in 2008), BCS-busters who have been discriminated against (Boise State in '06 and '09) and questionable BCS representatives. Countless solutions have been proposed: a playoff format, a plus-one system, basically anything not based off a computer. This year the problem has been with the Big East, whose members have -- to say the least -- underperformed a bit. Still, come Saturday either unranked UConn (7-4) or #24 West Virginia (7-3) will most likely accept a bid to the Fiesta or Orange Bowl. Meanwhile, it looks like #8 Michigan State, who finished 11-1, will be left out of the BCS bowl picture for being the third-lowest ranked Big Ten team (#5 Wisconsin will represent the conference as champions and #6 Ohio State will get an at-large bid... no more than two teams from the same conference can be in a BCS game). But to all the whiners out there, I have only one thing to say.

Stop it. Because no matter how much you complain, no matter how big a temper-tantrum you throw, nothing will be done.

Is anyone from the Big East deserving of a BCS bid? No. I'm not stupid. The conference has three wins against BCS opponents in 14 tries: West Virginia's massacre of 8-4 Maryland, UConn's trampling of SEC bottom-feeder Vanderbilt, and South Florida's overtime squeaker against underachieving Miami (FL). The Mountaineers needed a miracle comeback and overtime to beat in-state rival Marshall (5-7). Rutgers needed three quarters to get going against FCS opponent Norfolk State. And in what were supposed to be high-profile match-ups, Oklahoma edged two-time defending champion Cincinnati and Miami (FL) annihilated Pittsburgh, who was picked to win the league, 31-3. Pitt, who is currently 6-5, also lost their home opener to Utah. Until this week, when the BCS ranked West Virginia at #24, no Big East team had made an appearance in the rankings in five weeks. Currently no team is ranked in either the AP or Coaches' Poll, and none have since October 23. Basically, the conference has sucked.

Still, though, this is not the first time a three- or four-loss team would receive an automatic BCS bid. This is just the most scrutinized occurrence. In fact, it has happened three times:

In 2002 Florida State finished the regular season 9-4. They lost to #1 Miami (FL) and #6 Notre Dame, but also lost to Louisville, who would finish 7-5, and unranked NC State. They went to the Sugar Bowl and lost to Georgia by 13.

The Seminoles faced the same situation in 2005, when they finished 8-4, losing to Virginia, NC State, Clemson and Florida (the latter three in consecutive weeks). The Gators were the only team ranked out of those four. They lost to Penn State in the Orange Bowl in triple overtime.

In 2008 Virginia Tech opened the season with a loss to East Carolina (unranked) to fall from #15 to unranked, then re-entered for two weeks before losing to Boston College (unranked) and #24 Florida State in back-to-back weeks, and then lost to a 7-6 Miami (FL) team. They were not ranked, but won the conference and beat Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl.

Most say West Virginia would do best in a BCS game. And by best I mean people believe they'll lose by the least amount. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, though, their destiny in the hands of the Huskies. UConn started 3-4, ending that start with an uninspired 26-0 blowout at the hands of Louisville. But since then the team has won four straight, including wins over West Virginia and Pitt in consecutive weeks. If they win at South Florida -- another streaking team coming off a program-defining win against Miami -- they get the automatic bid. If they lose and West Virginia beats Rutgers (which will happen... the Scarlet Knights have completely collapsed in recent weeks), then the Mountaineers get the bid. If both teams lose and Pitt beats Cincinnati, then the Panthers, at 7-5, go bowling BCS style. If all three teams lose and there is a five-way tie in the conference between UConn, Pitt, West Virginia, South Florida and Syracuse, then it turns into a five-team mini-conference, and Connecticut would win based off their 3-1 record against the other four teams. Wouldn't life be so much easier if the Huskies won Saturday?

The main argument against the Big East, but specifically the Huskies and Mountaineers, is that they aren't as deserving as, say, Michigan State, LSU, Missouri, Boise State and Nebraska/Oklahoma (whichever loses in the Big 12 title game), all of whom will most likely not get an invitation to a BCS game. Michigan State is the victim of an unfortunate rule. I can't really argue this. But for all the other teams, they have no one to blame but themselves for their participation in lower-tiered bowls because they all broke (or will break) the unwritten rule of college football: don't lose after Halloween. If LSU beat Arkansas last week, they would be in. If Missouri didn't lose in consecutive weeks to Oklahoma and Texas Tech (the latter of which came on November 6), they would be in the Big 12 title game. If Boise State makes a few more plays and beats Nevada, they're in. (Note: This game was not lost entirely on the two missed field goals by Kyle Brotzman. There were plenty of other opportunities for the Broncos to put the game away and they didn't). And whoever loses the Big 12 title game, well, win and you'd be in, too. It has been the way the system has worked for years, and it will continue to be that way at least for the near future. A Big East team could be 10-1 right now and it wouldn't make a difference: none of these teams would be playing in a BCS bowl game. You may not agree with it, but complaining is going to fall upon deaf ears, as I don't believe the BCS computer has a built-in microphone to which you can talk into.

And who's to say UConn or West Virginia would automatically get blown out? UConn hasn't lost since Oct. 23, and WVU since Oct. 29. It looks like the Big East winner will face either the ACC champion in the Orange Bowl or the Big 12 champion in the Fiesta Bowl. That means they will either face Virginia Tech, Florida State, Nebraska or Oklahoma.

For UConn, they should be able to run, run, run all day. Jordan Todman is second in the nation in rushing at over 145 yards per game, has rushed for over 100 yards in all but one game he's played in this year, and is the UConn offense (the passing game is 113th in the nation). That being said, teams know this, but that hasn't stopped Todman and the offensive line, who have played as well as any line in the country over the past month. In the last four Husky victories Todman has averaged 161 yards per game. And those four opponents? Three are in the top-25 in fewest rushing yards allowed per game, and the fourth (Syracuse) is in the top 50. None of the four possible opponents are among the top 25 in this category. They are all middle of the pack. Sure, the secondary is a bit shaky, and in any shootout the Huskies would fade pretty quickly, but don't count them out entirely. Their defense gives up a lot of yards, but gets key turnovers. Against West Virginia they forced seven fumbles, recovering four. Among those included one on fourth down and another inside their own two-yard line in overtime. Against Cincinnati they forced five turnovers. In all they have forced 14 turnovers in their four straight wins, to just three turnovers of their own. I don't think the Huskies will win should they get the bid, but I think it could be closer than most people think. (And just remember, this Huskies team won five straight games to end 2009, including a dominating effort over South Carolina -- the same South Carolina who beat #1 Alabama and could very well upset #1 Auburn this weekend. Just saying.)

As for the Mountaineers, their defense is pretty damn good. Through 11 games only two teams have surpassed the 20-point plateau against WVU: Marshall scored 21, LSU scored 20. They have given up 10 points in three consecutive games. They are third in the nation in total yards allowed per game. The unit is, in a word, dominating. The offense is turnover-prone and Noel Devine has suffered nagging injuries all year, but something tells me with a few weeks off, he'll be just fine for the final game of his collegiate career.

I understand the criticism the Big East is facing. In all honesty, no one from that conference is worthy of a BCS bid. But by rule, someone will in fact get a bid, and it will be, barring the unforeseeable, UConn or West Virginia. I'm not saying either team will win. I'm not guaranteeing the game will be close. But please, stop with the B.S., because nothing will change, one of those teams will go to a BCS game, and, contrary to popular belief, they very well could compete.

Another year, more BCS madness. You know, just like usual.

Blast Back to the Past: A Look At My March Baseball Predictions

2010-11-24T23:37:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants. They were merely one of many, many teams, players and managers to make me look incredibly dumb with my March predictions. But, hey, I can't be right all the time. Now that all wthe awards have been handed out, and the 2010 season is now 100% behind us, we'll look back and grade the predictions based on a scale of -3 to 3, then go and give myself a numerical score that will judge just how truly stupid I was eight months ago.

1) The New York Yankees will repeat as World Series champions. Made it to the ALCS and were the World Series favorites, but lost because their starters couldn't pitch. Score: -1

2) The Phillies will make it to their 3rd straight World Series. Again, made it to the NLCS, but their bats went silent against the outstanding San Francisco pitching rotation. Score: -1

3) Curtis Granderson will become a superstar. In his first series against the hated Red Sox he hit a game-winning home run to get off to a fairly good start. However, he missed nearly all of May and could never get going. Hit only .247 with 24 home runs and 67 runs batted in. Score: -2

4) In a related note, the Tigers will realize that replacing Granderson with Damon will be an issue. Granderson had three times as many home runs (24 to Damon's eight), a higher slugging percentage (.455 to .401), one more stolen base, a far better WAR (3.6 to 1.9) and his UZR (ultimate zone rating) was 5.3 to Damon's 0.6. In a related note, the Tigers decreased in wins due to an offense that couldn't do anything without Miguel Cabrera and went from a second place finish in 2009 to a third place finish in 2010. Score: 2

5) Steven Strasburg will be average at best this season. Alright, if this kid's arm heals and returns to full strength, he'll be a star. A 5-3 record (with zero run support), 92 strikeouts in 68 innings (including 14 in his major league debut... though that was against the Pirates) and a sub-3 earned run average. It's too bad he had Tommy John Surgery and will miss most of next year, too. Even though his ERA in August was above 5, i'll still say he far exceeded my expectations. Score: -1

6) Roy Halladay will be fine in the regular season, but come the playoffs, he'll be in for a rude awakening. He was a unanimous choice for the NL Cy Young Award, with a 22-10 record and 2.44 ERA. And he threw the second no-hitter in postseason history. Still, in the NLCS he wasn't anything special, splitting two games with Tim Lincecum. However, I think Charlie Manuel messed up here. Halladay should have pitched on short rest and started Game 5, not Game 6. Instead Joe Blanton couldn't make it out of the fifth inning and the Phillies went down 3-1 in the series. So that isn't Halladay's fault (though he should have demanded the ball... an ace should when his team is facing a 3-1 hole). Score: 0

7) Albert Pujols will win another MVP. He finished second, so I wasn't too far off. All it took for someone to take the award away from the Machine was for Joey Votto to go after the Triple Crown. I'll give myself a point. Score: 1

8) Ivan Rodriguez, Adam Kennedy, and Willy Taveras may be names, but it won't stop the Nationals from finishing last in the NL East. 68-93, 28 games out of first place, 10 games behind the fourth place Mets. I-Rod played 111 games, Kennedy 135 and Taveras only 27. Still, something tells me Taveras' .274 average, eight homers and 128 RBIs (in seven seasons) wouldn't have made a difference. Score: 3

9) 3 of these 5 managers will be fired by August 1st: Manny Acta, Dave Trembley, Dusty Baker, Lou Piniella, Cito Gaston. Alright, so Dusty Baker didn't lose his job, considering the Reds won the division. Dave Trembley was canned by Baltimore on June 4th. Piniella and Gaston either announced their retirement (Gaston) or actually retired before the season ended (Piniella), but I don't think either was pressured to do it, but both organizations probably saw it coming before August 1st. Score: 1

10) Texas will have one of the best offenses in baseball, but will be a .500 team.

The team led the majors in batting average and hits, was fifth in RBIs and on-base percentage and struck out the third-fewest times. Nothing new. However the team finished with 90 wins, in large part because of the efforts of CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis on the mound (then Cliff Lee until the World Series). The offense was just as good as past years. I just didn't see the pitching coming around like it did. Score: -2

11) With the addition of Chone Figgins, Ichiro will score 120 runs. Wanna know how terrible the Mariners offense was this year? Only four players played more than 95 games. Figgins hit a dreadful .258 -- and it was third highest on the team. The fact that Ichiro scored 74 runs is a freakin' miracle. Score: -4 (yes, the scale is -3 to 3. That's how bad a prediction it was)

12) ESPN won't be the same without Peter Gammons. Tim Kurkjian is nice, and so is Buster Olney. But Gammons was irreplaceable. Baseball Tonight was considerably less interesting without him there. Score: 3

13) The only teams capable of beating the Yankees in a playoff series are the Red Sox and Mariners. I said this because of their pitching. And that is exactly how the Yankees lost -- they ran into a team with strong pitching. Too bad it wasn't the fairly disappointing Red Sox rotation (that means you, John Lackey), or the Mariners (who did finish in the top 12 of the league in ERA, opponent batting average, earned runs and allowed the third fewest walks). So I knew what it would take to beat the Yankees. Again, I just never thought it would be the Rangers who had the staff. Score: 0

14) Josh Johnson, Tim Lincecum, and Jair Jurrjens will be the NL Cy Young candidates. Josh Johnson had a streak of 13 starts without allowing more than two earned runs. Had he not been hurt in the second half, he would have ran away with it. Ubaldo Jimenez won 15 (not a misprint) games before the All-Star break. He should have easily won. However, he only won four games the rest of the year and disappeared down the stretch, even as the Rockies challenged once again for a playoff berth. Lincecum had a good season by most standards (16-10, 231 strikeouts) and will probably finish fourth or fifth in voting. Jurrjens was hurt for much of the season, could only make 20 starts and had a terrible WHIP (1.39). Roy Halladay was the unanimous choice. Score: 2

15) The NL West rides on the arm of Brandon Webb. Webb didn't make a start, Arizona had all sorts of pitching problems (towards the bottom of the league in ERA, batting average against and strikeouts). And the D'Backs never really contended. Score: -1

16) These will be this year's playoff teams: AL - New York, Minnesota, Seattle, Boston (wild card) NL - Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco, Atlanta (wild card) Got five out of eight teams right, and give me a break on the Sox (if they didn't have so many injuries they would have made it fairly easily). However, that more than gets cancelled out by the Mariners.... oh, the Mariners... Score: 1

17) The Royals will be 2nd in the AL Central on May 1st. By June 30th they will be last. Hey! For once the Royals started the way they finished: a terrible team! They were five games out and third on May 1st, and were already out of it by June 30th. Score: 1

18) Joe Mauer, Lance Berkman, and Derek Jeter, all in their last year of their contracts, will stay. Mauer signed an enormous deal right away, and it looks as though Jeter is going to stay a Yankee (it has to happen). Berkman, though, was traded to the Bronx. Two out of three ain't bad. Score: 2

19) Ozzie Guillen will feud with Jake Peavy at least twice. Peavy only started 17 games and went 7-6. Not worth $15 million by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, no feuds, though. Score: -2

20) The NL East will be the best race. The Yankees and Rays had the tightest race, but it was a well-known fact that whoever finished second would get the wild-card. That goes out the window. You could make a claim for the NL West, but for the entire second half people were wondering if the Phillies were stumbling and if the Braves were for real. Then the roles flipped and led to the best long-term race. Score: 2

21) The AL West will be the 2nd best race. The Rangers had a stranglehold on the division. After July 25th their lead was never fewer than seven and a half games. Score: -2

22) The Pirates will trade Zach Duke and/or Andrew McCutchen. Duke went 8-15 and had an ERA of 5.71. McCutchen was the lone bright spot. Both were on the team all year. However, literally a minute before I was about to hit "Publish", I saw that Duke was traded to Arizona. So technically it wasn't during the season, but he was traded. Originally I was going to give myself a score of -3. New Score: 1

23) With José Reyes back, David Wright will once again hit 25 home runs. Wright hit 29 home runs. Reyes played in 133 games. Score: 3

24) This is the penultimate year for Mariano Rivera. Rivera had 33 saves this year, but have no one in line to replace him, as Joba Chamberlain proved nothing. Looks like Mo will have to go past 2011. Score: -1

25) Evan Longoria will win AL MVP. Longoria was very quiet. He had a solid year (.294, 22 homers, 104 RBIs), but was never amazing. Josh Hamilton ran away with MVP honors in convincing fashion. Score: -2

26) JA Happ and Jayson Werth will launch into superstardom. Happ only appeared in 13 games due to injury, and Werth struggled early but finished very strong, hitting a shade under .300 with 27 HRs and 85 RBIs. He finished eighth in MVP voting, and one of the most sought-after free agents this summer. Score: 1

27) Daisuke Matsuzaka will milk another injury in Boston. Matsuzaka made two trips to the disabled list for a right forearm strain. It was probably legitimate. Probably. But still, he has not been a "bust" but by no means has he been worth the billion and a half dollars or whatever it was that the Sox spent to get him. Score: 1

28) Managers of the Year: Don Wakamatsu, Bobby Cox. Wakamatsu was fired, Cox probably would have had it not been for the surprising Padres and Reds. The Twins' Ron Gardenhire and the Padres' Bud Black won the award. Score: -2

29) Brandon Webb and Garrett Atkins will be Comeback POY: Webb made one short-lived start. Atkins played in 44 games. Maybe I was a year too soon with these picks. Francisco Liriano and Tim Hudson won the award. Score: -3

30) The Marlins and Braves will be 2 of the NL's 5 best teams. Well, the Braves were. The Marlins finished two games under .500. Score: 1

31) Alfonso Soriano is no longer in his prime. By a long shot. Hit a nice and pathetic .258. Yeah, he had 24 homers and 79 RBIs, but he also had nearly as many strikeouts (123) as hits (128). Score: 3

32) Adam Lind will be the Blue Jays offense. Jose Bautista hit 54 home runs in leading of the most powerful offenses ever (in terms of home run hitting at least). Lind hit a dreadful .237 and hit only 23 home runs. Score: -3

33) Matt Holliday will redeem himself for last year's error. My boy hit .312, 28 homers and 103 RBIs, winning a Silver Slugger Award and going to the All-Star game. Although St. Louis didn't make the playoffs, Holliday had his fifth consecutive solid season. Score: 3

34) Brad Lidge makes a triumphant comeback this year. Well he wasn't 48-for-48 like he was in 2008, but his ERA also wasn't 7.21 like it was in 2009. He had a respectable 27 saves in 32 chances, striking out 52 in 45 2/3 innings of work and lowering the earned run average to below three. Not a triumphant comeback, but a good rebound nonetheless. Score: 1

35) Chan Ho Park will be the next Chien Ming Wang for the Yankees. Park went 2-1 with an ERA over five before being ~~relegated to the minors~~ traded to Pittsburgh. He was about as effective as Wang was in 2009. Score: 2

36) Griffey, Edmonds, and Vlad go out quietly. Griffey retired with a day of sadness around baseball, but nothing extraordinary. Edmonds played in only 86 games and drove in 23 runs. Vlad, though, had a huge resurgence, hitting .300 and surpassing 100 runs batted in. Score: 2

37) In his 1st at-bat of interleague play, Joba Chamberlain gets hit by a 95 mph fastball. Seeing as he wasn't a starter, he didn't get an at-bat this year. But I still dislike him. A lot. Score: 0

38) Tim McCarver says approximately 1.5 idiotic things per inning. Just how dumb is Tim McCarver? Before the World Series, partner Joe Buck was on Pardon the Interruption on ESPN doing an interview live. McCarver walked by and, oblivious of the camera or the fact that Buck was talking to it, smacked Buck on the shoulder and started talking to him. Then, when the games were actually played, here were some of my favorites: "The Rangers aren't hitting because the Giants are pitching."

"He's been throwing up some bad dreams to the Texas Rangers." Score: 3

39) Manny will say it's his last season in LA, then it's not, then it is again at least 10 times. Well seeing as he was a pain in Joe Torre's ass and ended the year an unproductive member of the White Sox (what's that? unproductive and White Sox are redundancies? Good to know). Score: 2

40) Minka Kelly is shown on camera at least five times per game. So I must say that I barely saw the Yankees play at all this year, but I'm going to assume that she was on at least occasionally. Plus, I need a few points. Score: 1

41) On a related note, Kelly will put the same curse on Jeter that Kate Hudson put on A-Rod. Jeter had his worst year since he was a rookie (though he still won a Gold Glove that was totally unjustified), and I am 100% attributing it to the lovely Minka Kelly. Score: 3

42) After breaking the single-season passing, rushing, and receiving records by Week 6 of the NFL season, Tim Tebow signs with a contender, wins MVP in the LCS and World Series, and in doing so makes his case for the Baseball Hall of Fame. This will be followed by Tebow returning to the NFL and winning the Super Bowl on a last second 76-yard touchdown run. It was a pipe-dream, but I shouldn't be surprised that Tebow didn't do all this. After all, he's humble. He simply didn't want to take the spotlight away from the already-unpopular baseball players (and by unpopular, I mean far less popular than NFL players, unless your name is Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols or Derek Jeter). Score: -3

Although it didn't seem like it, my score was a 16. I don't really know how good that is, because I couldn't figure out an accurate scoring system that would figure out how well I really did. So take from that score what you will. And in reality I probably -- okay, I knowingly -- gave myself an extra point here or there to boost my score that otherwise would have been shockingly terrible.

Still Sore Losers

2010-11-18T17:28:00.002-05:00

There may not be a more tortured fan base than Cleveland. Not having won a championship of any sort since 1964, the city has come close numerous times, only to have their hopes shattered by some terrible play or occurrence. They even have names for all of them, which need no clarification (in fact, going into detail may or may not get you shot if you are anywhere near East Cleveland). "The Shot", "The Fumble" , "The Drive", The Decision. Just the mere mentioning of some names make the city collectively cringe. Jose Mesa, Art Modell, LeBron James. One would think that a fan base like that deserved some sort of success. But looking at how Cleveland fans have conducted themselves since the Decision, especially after the incident that occurred after the Browns' overtime loss to the Jets last week, it made me realize something: those fans don't deserve it.

To recap, the quietly dangerous Browns lost a key fumble late in overtime to New York, then four Cleveland defenders let Santonio Holmes weave through them like they were tackling dummies en route to the end zone. Among those in the stands was a Jets fan who lived in Cleveland, but was born in New York. He decided to take his eight-year-old son to the game, the boy's first ever NFL game. Being New York fans, they wore Jets jerseys. The game was fine, but afterwards, according to the boy's mother, Cleveland fans began throwing food and yelling at the boy and his father. Then, one drunken idiot tackled the boy to the ground. Not accidentally pushed or ran into him. But actually full on tackled the kid, leaving him with some scratches and a few tears.

Are you serious? A little kid?

Look, I'm as big a sports fan as anyone. As I was watching the Steelers get manhandled by New England last week I was getting angry at the television. But it's just a football game. Sports are meant to be a distraction from life. They aren't supposed to get this real. No amount of "fandom", no amount of alcohol, can be used as a defense in this case. No matter how passionate a fan you are, does the game really matter that much? Win or lose, you still live your life just the same. The only difference between winning and losing is -- or should be -- a few minutes of being annoyed or happy. Of course there are exceptions. When the Browns left Cleveland fans had a right to be angry and hold a grudge against Art Modell. Conversely, when New Orleans won the Super Bowl last year the entire city earned the right to party. But short of something drastic, there is absolutely no reason to be so emotional to the point where you lose self-control.

And in this case, the lack of self-control and common decency was disgusting. It would have been bad enough had this happened to some drunken Jets fan who was going around bragging about the win. But no, it happened to be a father who was minding his own business after a nice afternoon enjoying football. And he was with his kid. Kids are off-limits. If you feel the need to harass or make fun of a little kid for being a Jets fan, you are sick. But to go all the way and tackle an eight year old is the lowest of lows. People who do that are scumbags. It shouldn't have to be said that kids are off-limits. The fact that it needs to be shows how insanely stupid Cleveland fans have become.

Could it be that I'm being a little unfair for judging an entire city's fan base off of a group of idiots merely because of one isolated -- although sickening -- incident? You could make that argument. But ever since the Decision, fans have been nutty. Just look at the night James said he was leaving. Fans burned a jersey in the streets. Extra police was called in to handle crowds. Fans disowned LeBron, like he was some sort of monster. He's a basketball player. Obviously he handled the situation very poorly. He should have told the organization before that he wasn't coming back. He should not have announced it in a one-hour, nationally televised event. It was a backstabbing move. But do you really think the city would have reacted any differently had he done it via a press release at noon on a random Tuesday? I don't think so. The jerseys still would have been burned. The police would have still been called upon and fans would still be incredibly bitter.

I get it that LeBron inspired hope in the city. He was born there, he was raised there, he was supposed to give the city something to cheer for. But it was entirely his right to leave Cleveland. Nowhere under the term "unrestricted free agent" is there some magic fine print that says "except you have to stay with your original team." Do I think he made the right choice? No. He handled the entire process poorly and he chose the wrong team. But that doesn't give the city a right to go berserk. It doesn't give them a right to go "Oh, woe is us!" It doesn't give them a right to act however they want. Most people are expecting the Cavaliers to finish well below .500 this year. The Indians are still rebuilding. The Browns are perennially terrible. And to be honest, that's exactly what this fan base deserves right now.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once said "You can't win unless you learn how to lose." You would think that after all these years, after all these heartbreaks, the city of Cleveland would have learned by now. I guess not, and until they do, I hope they never get to experience success. They aren't ready for it.

Ten Weeks, Four Questions

2010-11-11T15:39:00.001-05:00

The NFL season has passed the mid-way point, and it is time for a valid question to become clear. Who is the best team in football? In past years there was a clear answer. In 2007 it was the Patriots. In 2008 it was the Steelers and Titans. Last year the Colts and Saints. But this year? Oh how it is different. Every week we learn something new. We think things are finally beginning to settle down. Then the next week all that comes crashing down, and we have an entirely new set of "best teams." But this week, with many high-profile and divisional games, things will begin to pan out and shape the rest of the season. Many questions will be answered. Here are the four big questions to be answered starting Thursday night.

Is the AFC or NFC the early favorite for the Super Bowl?
Thursday night sees quite arguably the the AFC's best team against the NFC's best team when the Falcons host the Ravens. Baltimore's defense is still one of the top five in the game, but they are beginning to show signs of weakness and age. They give up 104 yards a game on the ground, and face Michael Turner, who is coming off his best game of the year against the Buccaneers. The pass defense is fourth in the game, but they also haven't seen anyone nearly as good as the Matt Ryan-to-Roddy White connection. Meanwhile, the Falcons defense can't stop the pass, and Joe Flacco isn't quite an elite quarterback, but he's good enough for 250 yards and three scores. Right now these two are considered the best in their conference. If one team kicks the crap out of the other, it could be a good indication as to which conference has the upper hand, and has the apparent advantage for Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.

Who is the best team in the AFC?
The Jets had this title to start the year, but lost it after a pathetic Week 1 showing offensively against Baltimore. If you asked two or three weeks ago, it was the Steelers. Too bad they couldn't show up on Halloween against the Saints, then needed a defensive stand in the red zone to stave off a comeback by the woeful Bengals. Their pass defense has looked like an issue as of late. Then the title went back to the Jets, who then got shut out by Green Bay and needed a collapse by the Lions to win in overtime. Then it moved to the Patriots. They didn't just lose to the Browns. They got the living crap kicked out of them. Now the Ravens have the title, which is at stake Thursday. If the Ravens lose, the title is once again up for grabs. And the 6-2 Steelers face the 6-2 Patriots Sunday. Expect this to be the game of the week. The Steelers secondary against a Patriots receiving corps that always seems to do well because Tom Brady is under center. The Patriots always-shaky secondary against the league's best quarterback at keeping plays alive and making cornerbacks cover receivers for six, seven, eight seconds. I am expecting a very close game. And the playoffs should be among the most exciting in years (at least on the AFC side), with the potential for the Jets, Patriots, Steelers and Ravens to play each other in some order for spots in the conference title game.

What will the AFC South look like?
The 4-4 Texans play the 4-4 Jaguars. The 5-3 Colts play the Bengals. The 5-3 Titans travel to Miami to play the Dolphins. For the Colts, this could be an upset game. Think about it: they just lost a tough road game against the Eagles, they are playing a 2-6 Bengals team at home and next week they travel to New England to take on a team that has perennially beaten them in the past. They need the Patriots win to keep pace with the rest of the conference. And they are beat to hell, with their receivers being Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and whoever else they could find off the streets of Indianapolis. Look for the Bengals to take their solid fourth quarter against the Steelers and continue that in Indy. I'm not saying Cincinnati will win, but don't expect a blowout. For Tennessee, the Dolphins are a dangerous team. And with Chad Pennington (who I honestly thought retired like last year) as the starter for Miami, the Titans' defense is guaranteed to see a mistake-free game from the quarterback position. Both the Titans and what's left of the Colts should win, but both could easily lose. and with the winner of the Texans-Jaguars game at 5-4, there could conceivably be a three-way tie for first place, with the last place team a game behind. There could also be a two-way tie, with the Houston-Jacksonville winner still fine and the last place team in a bit of a hole. The shaping of the division will be a lot more clear after this week.

Will the Giants essentially clinch the NFC East come Tuesday morning?
As ugly as the Giants have looked at times this season (see: Weeks 1-3, Week 6 against the Lions), they are 6-2 and considered an NFC favorite. Their ability to not only get to the quarterback, but to throttle them and somehow injure all of them is incredible. Of course, their ability to turn the ball over is just as incredible. But with the dreadful, discombobulated, drama-filled 1-7 Cowboys coming to East Rutherford Sunday, theory has it they should cruise. It is Monday night's matchup that could determine the rest of their season when the Eagles play the Redskins. With a Philadelphia win, the Eagles would go to 6-3 and remain a game back (this is assuming the Giants take care of business). If Washington wins, both the 'Skins and Iggles will be 5-4 and two games back. This puts the Giants in a much more comfortable position. They still won't be able to put it on cruise control, but it means a slip-up later in the year (say, a loss to Jacksonville or Minnesota) wouldn't be as bad.

This is a key week. Soon it will be put-up-or-shut-up for many teams. Especially this year, where only a handful of teams are out of the mix already and seemingly anyone can lose on any given week, every game is important. It has been a long time since there has been such little dominance by any one team, and there are no guarantees for anyone going forward. But Week 10 of the season should see the start of things clearing up, as only six games affect nearly half the league.

Brett Favre Needs to Stop Streaking

2010-10-28T18:07:00.003-04:00

There are a decent amount of things I hate in sports. These include, among others: Alex Rodriguez, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Notre Dame football and when people say "we" when talking about their favorite team (you are not a member of the organization, therefore you cannot say you are a part of the team). Before this season, I didn't hate Brett Favre. I still have few ill feelings towards the man. I personally think he should have retired after last year, but I understood why he couldn't let go. However, I hate... no, no, I loathe, that damn consecutive games streak, because it is the only reason Favre played last week, it is the only reason he will play this week, it is the only reason he will play the remaining ten games. This stupid streak is only causing more harm than good.

The only good thing I can say about this streak is that people should cherish it while it lasts, because there will never be another streak like it. Football is too physical, the players are too fast and too strong, and a player playing 19 seasons will be unfathomable going forward. But now, this streak is beginning to look like the last three seasons of Scrubs. It should have gone away once NBC dropped it (in Favre's case, when Green Bay GM Ted Thompson told him it was now Aaron Rodgers' team), it was stale and worn out when it changed networks, and the last season was just pathetic. But no, Favre came back, and heck, last year he had one of his best statistical seasons ever.

But because of this streak, this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad streak, he came back again this year. I can guarantee that if he got hurt in, say, 1996 and missed a game, he would have retired a Packer. But no he didn't! And a bum ankle be damned, Dr. James Andrews did his magic and number 4 was dressed up for the purple and gold for Week 1. Last week he was questionable, but sucked it up, threw three interceptions and was called out by head coach Brad Childress. Now it was admitted this week that he has two fractures around the ankle. Normally most people would sit out a week or two, but Brett Favre isn't most people now is he? Because he has to start, he's going to miss practice (because as he showed this pre-season and last week, he doesn't need practice), wear a walking boot and throw three picks as the Vikings go to 2-5 and get lambasted by the Patriots.

And it's not like Brad Childress has a choice as to playing Favre or not. Tarvaris Jackson is the backup, and a 42-year-old man with a crappy ankle and an off-the-field distraction is better than him. And because Favre loafed around, Jackson is the team's only other option. It wasn't a QB-heavy draft this year, so one who was available (i.e. Jimmy Clausen or Colt McCoy) would not have been game-ready. And because Favre waited until Jared Allen, Ryan Longwell and Steve Hutchinson had to physically drag him off his lawnmower the team couldn't enter in the sweepstakes for a Donovan McNabb, Jason Campbell, or even Jake Delhomme (just as many picks, only fewer distractions). And more importantly for Childress, if he benched Favre, he would go down forever as the Man Who Ended the Streak. I mean, he was blasted by the media for calling out Favre's three picks against the Packers! Did you see the one that was returned for a touchdown? Even Jay Cutler laughed at that. The media firestorm that would ensue if he actually had the chutzpah to bench THE Brett Favre would officially end the world. ESPN is already Brett Favre Central, but with that it would become BFPN (Brett Favre Programming Network).

(Semi-related tangent: People are wondering if his legacy is being tarnished. Obviously it is. What's really bothering me, though, is that people are considering him a Top-3 quarterback of all-time. This is insane. My list of all-time great QBs is: Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning (will be higher by the time all is said and done), John Elway, Tom Brady, possibly Steve Young, then Favre. That's eighth. Call me cynical, but I don't care if he leads in every major statistical category known to man. Look at stats per game. Manning, Brady and Marino have/had more passing yards and wins. Everyone except Marino have championships to their resumé (and Montana, Unitas, Elway and Brady have multiple), so Favre's lone ring doesn't exactly stand out. And he throws significantly more picks than all those names, especially in crunch time. This season is worse than others for Favre, obviously, but the poor decisions are nothing new. I would not have him in my top 10 for quarterbacks I want down four with a minute to go in the Super Bowl (the seven I mentioned before, then add in Bradshaw, Staubach, Otto Graham and possibly Bart Starr). In short, Favre is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. But he's not the greatest ever.)

Of course Favre is going to start Sunday in Foxboro. He's started 291 straight games. And although he should have retired after start 253, then after 269 and then after 285, he'll keep the streak going. At this point it is the only thing going for him. He is no longer "playing like a kid out there." That kid looks old, tired and ready to go home. His facial expression after almost every play reads "I don't care if $24 million will buy me 7884 John Deere tractors. Just let me hand it off to Adrian Peterson and get me the hell out of here."

For someone who just wants this streak to end so he can retire and go away for good, I am waiting for Dec. 12 when the Giants go to Minnesota. They've already hurt five quarterbacks this year. I can only imagine what they'll do to a 42-year-old grandfather.

America's Pastime: 1869-2010

2010-10-19T17:59:00.001-04:00

America's Pastime, 141, beloved game run by William "Bud" Selig, passed away Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Although fighting to the very end, more people ended up watching the Jaguars and Titans on Monday Night Football than Game 3 of the ALCS. Six and a half million viewers saw Cliff Lee throw eight innings of shutout baseball, striking out 13. Over seven million people watched a 27-point blowout between two low market franchises (one of which can't even sell out their home games), both of whom had backup quarterbacks in by halftime. It was a long time coming. Pastime faced recent struggles with performance-enhancing drugs, threats of strikes and this. With homes in 28 cities, including two each in New York and Chicago, America's Pastime brought joy to millions of people for decades. It produced some of the country's most celebrated icons, including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays ~~and Drew Henson.~~ It also helped the country go through some of it's most difficult times -- the Great Depression, World War II, 9/11 and that year and a half when everyone was really into the Baha Men. Pastime leaves behind it's 30 organizations (well, actually it's 29 real organizations, plus the Pirates). Funeral services will be held on Sunday, October 24, at 1 p.m. at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. An evening service will be held Monday night. Now I don't know about everyone else, but I can't make it. That's during my football time, and no one interrupts me during my NFL time. Besides, the Steelers are actually on TV for once. And then it's Monday Night Football. Giants-Cowboys, in fact. And won't it be really fun to watch the Giants look completely disorganized, yet somehow look really good at the same time? And then there are the Cowboys! 1-4 baby! I'm not sure what's funnier: Jerry Jones giving Wade Phillips a vote of confidence, Tony Romo's "Grr.... does anyone really believe I'm mad?" face, or the prospect of bringing the excessive-celebration-penalty-to-wins ratio up to 3:1. What's that? I'm digressing? From what? Oh, right America's Pastime... Eh, no one cares anyways.

The game of baseball will go on as normal. However, "America's Pastime" has officially died. America's new pastime will now be exclusively on Sundays (and Monday nights. And starting in November, Thursday nights. And near Christmas, Saturday nights).

Time For Replays

2010-10-08T17:47:00.001-04:00

Enough people ignore Major League Baseball when the NFL season starts. I am included in this group, especially this season seeing as my Red Sox have been out of the race for me since the injuries to Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. It seems that everything gets moved to the back burner once Week 1 gets underway.

By Friday baseball was again at the front of the news -- not for good reasons though. Roy Halladay's no-hitter, only the second in playoff history, should have been the story, even two days after the fact. But the top story was about how truly terrible a job umpires have done only two days into the postseason. Thursday alone all three games (Rangers vs. Rays, Braves vs. Giants and Yankees vs. Twins) were impacted by missed or non-calls. As a fan, why should I bother to watch games knowing the umpires can't do their jobs correctly, thus affecting the game? Instant replay clearly needs to be added, and the way to do it is by having a challenge rule similar to the NFL.

To recap, here's how all three games were affected by bad or missed calls yesterday. In the Rangers-Rays game, Texas was up 2-0 in the top of the fifth. They had two runners on and Michael Young at the plate. With the count at 2-2 Young checked his swing on the next pitch to make it a full count. The only problem is that it looked like he went around, and he should have been called out on strikes. Much to the chagrin of the Tampa Bay bench, though, first base umpire Jim Wolf said Young held up. Next pitch, he hits a three-run blast, and all of a sudden the Rays are down 5-0 instead of 2-0, and without manager Joe Maddon, who was ejected after Young hit the home run. Texas tacked on another run and won 6-0, going up 2-0 in the series.

In the Braves-Giants game, a 1-0 decision mind you, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey went to steal second base. Replays showed Posey was tagged at least six inches before he reached the base. Umpire Paul Emmel called him safe. Instead of two outs and no one on, it was one out with a runner on second. Two at-bats later, Cody Ross singled to drive home Posey, who would be the winning run.

(Little side note: You know why it's time for Bobby Cox to retire? Because after the missed call, he didn't come out to argue. Didn't even budge. After the game when questioned about it, he said "I haven't seen [the play].... From the dugout, you can't see anything and I didn't see a reaction from our infielders." Since when has the poor view from the dugout ever stopped Cox from going out, kicking dirt, swearing and getting tossed? The Bobby Cox we all know and love would have been out there before Emmel was finished making his "safe" signal. To make an excuse like that, you know it's time for the man to retire.)

And in the Yankees-Twins game, the game was tied 2-2 in the top of the seventh when Lance Berkman stepped to the plate. With Jorge Posada at first, Berkman took what appeared to be strike three on the inside corner. It was called a ball. Similarly to Young, Berkman sent the next pitch to the wall for a double, scoring Posada. Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire argued and was ejected. The Yanks added insurance and won 5-2 to take a 2-0 series lead going to the Bronx.

Of course, one could argue that all three teams that benefited from the poor calls would have won anyways. The Rays didn't score a run, so they would have lost anyways. Tim Lincecum pitched a gem, striking out 14 Atlanta batters and getting a shutout. The Yankees added runs after the Berkman double. Essentially it is the team's own faults for losing. If the Tampa Bay and Atlanta offenses got going the calls would not have mattered. If Chad Qualls and Carl Pavano made better pitches there would not have been an issue at all.

But that's not how sports fans think, especially when it involves their favorite teams. If I were to go out and tell a Rays fan (oh, right... bad example...). So like I was saying, if I were to go out and tell a Braves fan that Lincecum was untouchable and that the team would have probably lost anyways, I would be told quite the opposite. "No way, man! That call changed the momentum of the game! It sucked all the life out of the team!" That's just the way sports fans are. It is never the team's fault in cases like this. The loss is entirely on the umpire for that one bad call, among the hundreds of pitches in a major league game. And the case for instant replay will be made.

Which brings me to my point. Give the fans what they want. Face it, sports today are for entertainment. As one colleague told me last week, "They don't blast fireworks after every White Sox home run for the sake of it. They do it because it entertains the fans." That is what ultimately matters. Teams relocate if fans don't support them. Leagues shut down entirely. Obviously baseball is in no danger of folding, but it is certainly not the number one sport in America anymore. If the fans want instant replay, which is the best thing for the sport, expand it and give it to them.

Critics against the use of replay say that it adds too much time to the game. If I'm going to sit and watch a three to three-and-a-half hour game, what's an extra five minutes to make sure that a key call was made correct? Or better yet, to annul the added time, restrict either the number of times a manager can go to the mound, or how long the meetings can last. For a devoted fan, an extra five minutes (if that) per game is nothing. For the two biggest fan bases (Red Sox Nation and whatever the hell the Yankees call it now), their games are always four hours. At least. That little time added to make sure the umpires correct a call is well worth it, and wouldn't add to the ridiculousness of the game's length.

The only way the critics would be correct would be if replay were expanded for everything except balls and strikes, but there were no restrictions. There would be a good chance every play that was even remotely close would be reviewed. That would add to the time. Here's my proposal:

Give the managers two "challenges" per game, just like the NFL, that can be used for anything except balls and strikes. There would be no penalty if the play were overturned, but there would also be no reward for getting both challenges correct. If the game goes into extra innings, the managers would get one reward every four innings, with no rollover. That way the game is not in the hands of the umpires as much. Yeah, there would be flaws. On some plays, it will be hard to determine where runners on base should go. The best possible solution? If the play is very questionable and the call could go either way, make it so the ball is in play (i.e. the ball was trapped, not caught). Let the game run its course and see what happens. That way, if a manager chooses to challenge the play and the ball was foul, caught, etc, the runners merely return to the bases they held before the pitch. And if the call was correct to begin with, the umps aren't left pondering where runners should go, if they should be allowed to score, etc. It's not 100% foolproof, but it's better than what the system has now.

Some baseball "purists" will complain that expanding replay will ruin the game. Well, right now the purity of the game is being ruined by the umpires.

Rob's Decision

2010-09-27T17:50:00.000-04:00

I've finally made my decision. A lot of stress went into it. After all, the two extremes of my NBA fandom were cruelly fused together -- my love of Dwyane Wade, and my pure, complete hatred for LeBron James, together in Miami. The two tore at me. They were the two fat kids. I was the last Oreo (double-stuffed, of course). Which would succumb? The question of the summer was Could I root for the Heat this season, knowing LeBron is on the team?

After months and months of struggling, pondering, cerebrating, if you will, with this choice, I've come to my conclusion: I will root for the Miami Heat this season.

To recap, here was my dilemma:

Ever since his senior year at Marquette, I had been a Dwyane Wade fan. Quiet, lets his game do the talking, not a lot of people talking about him. He got drafted by the Heat, joined by my favorite player at the time, Shaquille O'Neal, and next thing you know, I'm a Heat fan. On the opposite end of the spectrum was James. The second coming was hyped to historic degrees ever since his junior year of high school. He was seemingly already better than Michael Jordan, was going to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, and he was going to win them a lot of championships. Spare me. He never got any support, gave a couple of lackluster playoff performances, and when he became a free agent, suddenly it is The Night of the Decision. He chose Miami, and made me angrier than the guy who got hit with Brandon Jacobs' helmet -- and couldn't keep it. How could I possibly root for a team with my second least favorite athlete?

Ultimately, however, I can't root against Dwyane Wade, a guy who donates 10% of his salary to a Chicago church, who's foundation promotes education, health and social skills to children, who bought a house for a family on Christmas Eve 2008, who donated $25,000 to keep a public library open in Illinois. Oh, and he can do this, too. His Wikipedia page has an entire section devoted to his charity work. LeBron? Well, he has one about his tattoos and public image.

So, yeah, I decided to be a Heat fan this year. But that doesn't mean the decision comes without a few provisions. Here is what I decided is going to happen. The Heat will roll to the #1-seed in the Eastern Conference, get home-court advantage, win 65 games, and all that jazz. LeBron will nearly average a triple-double (say, 28 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists), and finish second in MVP voting behind Kevin Durant. Come the playoffs, though, in a seven-game battle with Boston, James will choke and Wade will come through with a 20-point fourth quarter performance. James will go on to struggle in the NBA Finals as Wade thrives in crunch time. Yeah, the King has a ring (finally) but he gets criticism not because he did it with help (that horse has already been beaten to death and repeatedly hit post-mortem), but because he was ineffective. That's the best I can do. After all, I can't wish for the team to lose, so that would be the second best option (that, or if LeBron got injured and babied it during the playoffs LaDainian Tomlinson-style, but I don't see it happening).

That's my wish, but obviously I don't expect it to come true. But more importantly than my far-fetched hopes and dreams, what will fans do if the team doesn't win a title within two years? To fans, the team appears to be so loaded that the only team with a remote chance to beat them is the Lakers. Realistically, add the Celtics to this list for at least this season, and if Dwight Howard improved his offense even a little bit the Magic could be darkhorse on the list since I don't think Chris Bosh is that good and is not a top-flight forward (seven seasons, one All-NBA Second Team appearance. Not impressed). This is the team everyone loves to hate, and anything short of an NBA title will be seen with the most criticism the sports world has seen since the 18-1 '08 Patriots. There is an enormous amount of pressure if the Larry O'Brien Trophy doesn't take its talents to South Beach multiple times within the next few seasons.

Conversely, if the Heat do go on a title run (consecutive titles, two in three years, per se), then people will be quick to forget all about The Decision, all about the criticism LeBron faced, all about the summer of 2010 in general. When the Yankees spent loads of money but went a decade without a World Series, people were quick to talk. But last year, after spending $423 million on Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, the critics went away for the most part because the team won a World Series. There is no reason to think an NBA title will be any different for Miami.

The team has two of the three best players in the league, plus an All-Star caliber forward, plus a decent bench full of players who will know and accept their roles. Will the team win a title this year? Who knows. If I were to put money on it, it wouldn't be a terrible bet. And I'm going to be rooting for some to some extent. But if they weren't to win, I wouldn't exactly be heartbroken.

Tulo On a High

2010-09-18T17:34:00.006-04:00

I guess 2007 was no fluke.

If the entire baseball season was played in September, the Colorado Rockies would have won each of the last three World Series and would be cruising to a fourth straight this year. Of course that isn't the case, but once again the boys from Denver are making a late push in the last month of the season. It may not be as historic as in 2007, when the team won 13 of its final 14 games, then won an epic one-game tiebreaker against San Diego to get into the playoffs, and won seven straight to get into the World Series. But still, on September 2nd the team was 69-64 and virtually out of the playoff race. Now 16 days and and a 10 game win streak later, the team is a mere game and a half out of first place. And the play of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has almost singlehandedly steered the team towards another playoff berth.

Tulowitzki has always been solid ever since he became a full-time player in 2007 (including last year when he hit 32 home runs and drove home 92 runs). But I don't think anyone saw this coming, especially from a shortstop, which traditionally is not a power-hitter's position. Going into September Tulowitzki had 12 home runs and 55 runs batted in, for him an off season hampered by injuries (he's missed 39 games this year). What he has done this month is historic. He has 14 home runs (that's right, in 17 September games he has more than doubled his home run total) and has driven home 33 runs. It is very likely that he will shatter Ralph Kiner's National League record of 16 home runs in September. But looking further into history, he is only six home runs away from tying Sammy Sosa's major league record 20 home runs in a month, which came in June 1998. To break it he would need seven home runs in 11 games. Very possible. The record for most RBIs in a month is a lot less likely to be broken. Currently Joe DiMaggio holds that record with 53 back in August 1939. It is certainly doable with the way Tulo has played, but I think the Yankee Clipper's mark will stay. But could you imagine if he broke both records? It could very well be the greatest month any single player ever had in one month in history. Right now it is as good as Alex Rodriguez's April 2007, but that was in the opening month of the season. Big whoop. Tulowitzki's is in the middle of a playoff race, where once again the Rockies came out of nowhere and are threatening to shock the NL West and go to the playoffs. When Kiner hit 16 homers in September 1949, the Pirates began the month 21.5 games out of first and ended it 26 games back. Babe Ruth hit 17 home runs and drove in 43 runs in September 1927, but that was on the greatest team in baseball history. By the time August rolled around the team already had an 18-game lead. He could have struck out every at-bat the entire month and it would not have made any difference. Tulowitzki's performance is making a huge difference for the team, and he and Carlos Gonzalez are leading this team into the playoffs. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the Padres are struggling and the Giants can't put a winning streak together. All the signs point to a Rockies playoff berth.

Colorado has a game left against Los Angeles, then travels to Arizona, hosts a three-game set with the Giants that will probably knock one team out of playoff contention, another series with the Dodgers and a four-game set in St. Louis. Of those, the series with San Francisco and St. Louis could mean a playoff spot is at stake for both teams. If I'm Bruce Bochy or Tony LaRussa, I would absolutely, under no circumstances, pitch to Tulowitzki right now. Make Todd Helton, who bats behind Tulo, do something at the plate. I love Helton and think he is one of the most underrated players of the 2000s, but now is not the time to get nostalgic. Helton is 37, has hit .260, hit six home runs and driven in 32 this year. He is not the same player who hit .372, 43 HRs, 147 RBIs, and compiling 216 hits back in 2000. He is a guy with a bad back who has hit .182 this month. It doesn't seem logical to risk throwing to someone on a historic streak like Tulowitzki when there is an aging star whom the team should have replaced a year ago.

In terms of production and meaning, what Tulowitzki could potentially do is something we have never seen before. The question is can the Rockies continue their hot streak, and will teams keep pitching to him?

(NOTE: Stats provided by ESPN.com, baseball-reference.com, baseball-almanac.com and Fanhouse.tv.com)

My Super, Extra Long NFL Prediction Special

2010-09-08T10:15:00.015-04:00

I don't know why I put myself through this. Because my baseball predictions from March are going so well (haha) I might as well show off my amazing credibility by making more predictions for the upcoming football season. However, as opposed to the baseball post, where there were random guesses as to what would happen, this will be a little more structured, as I'll go team by team and make a prediction of some sort for each. And guess what? All of them will come true, because I said they would! At the end of the season I'll go back and see how I did.

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals will not finish above .500 for the season. Kurt Warner was a great comeback story, he had a heck of an arm, and he had Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to catch passes. Well, Warner retired, Matt Leinart inexplicably lost his starting job to Derek Anderson and got himself released, and Boldin bolted for Baltimore (though Early Doucet should fill his spot quite nicely). But with such a decline at the quarterback position, everyone is affected. Fitzgerald hasn't had nearly the success without Warner at the helm. The running game was 28th in the league, and will need to improve greatly. The defense was below average against the pass and one of the worst against the run (and they actually got worse defensively with the loss of Antrel Rolle). Even with the league's easiest schedule, Arizona won't be making a third consecutive post-season trip. There are too many questions in too many positions.

Atlanta Falcons: The team will win 5 of their last 6 games, but miss the playoffs. I like the Falcons this year. Matt Ryan will rebound after an inexplicable sophomore slump. Michael Turner's ankle is back to 100% and he will easily get 1200 yards and score 12-15 times. Roddy White is quietly a very good receiver. Their defense has some issues, and will give up a lot of yards through the air, but even that isn't what bothers me. It's their schedule. Based on last year's records, Atlanta has the 20th hardest schedule. But looking at it, the first half of the year is brutal. They could easily begin the season 1-3 (lose at Pittsburgh, beat Arizona, lose at New Orleans, and to San Francisco). The two weeks going into the bye they have to travel to Philly, which is a brutal environment to play in, and host defending AFC North champion Cincinnati. They also play Baltimore and Green Bay. Before they get to Week 13 they could easily have 7 losses. After Green Bay, the team will beat up on Tampa Bay, Carolina, Seattle, the New Orleans backups, and Carolina again and make a late push for a wild-card berth, but I don't think the defense is good enough to overcome the ridiculous first half of the schedule.

Baltimore Ravens: Ladies and gentlemen, your AFC champions. I hate to say it, but the Ravens have the potential to be scary good. Joe Flacco is prepped to have a breakout year, he now has Anquan Boldin and TJ Houshmandzadeh to throw to along with Mark Clayton, Todd Heap, and Ray Rice. Plus, he's young but has playoff experience already. I love that in him. Rice is perhaps the most complete back in football, with the ability to run, catch, and block. Le'Ron McClain is a beast of a fullback, and Willis McGahee is a solid backup. And do I need to mention the defense? Ray Lewis may not be in his 20s anymore, but he's still the best. Terrell Suggs has always been one of the most underrated linebackers in football. Haloti Ngata is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line. Tom Zbikowski came on strong late last year, and I like his play-making ability as well as his ability to hit hard. The only issue will be the presence of Ed Reed, who will miss at least the first six weeks of the season with a hip injury. If he can come back, his ball-hawking will be the difference between a great defense and the best defense in the AFC (with the only possible exception being the Jets). As a Pittsburgh fan, Baltimore terrifies me this year.

Buffalo Bills: CJ Spiller will be the lone bright spot. Simply put, the Bills aren't very good. Lee Evans has been the best wide receiver for what seems like ages now, what with Terrell Owens not working out like Buffalo had hoped. And this just in: Lee Evans is talented, but if he is your best receiver since Eric Moulds, the team has issues. Trent Edwards is the one throwing the ball. He is a mediocre quarterback at best. The defense gave up the 2nd fewest passing yards last season, but that's probably because they were 30th in rush defense, so everybody shoved the ball down their throats. Even with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, the team drafted the electric Spiller out of Clemson. A good choice indeed. He can bring a firepower the offense has missed greatly for most of the last decade. If nothing more, he will bring some attention to Buffalo. My pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he gains 900 yards and scores 6 times.

Carolina Panthers: Matt Moore will lead the charge and challenge for a wild-card berth. Last year Jake Delhomme was a wreck, throwing 18 interceptions to just 8 touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 59.4. The team went 4-7. In comes Matt Moore, who throws 8 TDs and just 1 INT and the team finishes the year 4-1. And not only that, but they beat NFC runner-up Minnesota and obliterated a Giants team vying for a wild-card spot (they also beat New Orleans, but most of the starter didn't play). The team still has DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, both of whom eclipsed 1000 yards rushing, and a defense that was 4th-best against the pass. If they can improve the run defense, they are definitely a team who can contend for a wild-card spot. Seeing as the explosive Saints are in their division, however, they are probably a year away from contending in the divison.

Chicago Bears: The team will not win five games. Why is everyone still so up-in-arms over Jay Cutler? In his three full years as a starter his interceptions have gone up (from 14 to 18 to 26 last year), his yards per reception and quarterback rating have gone down, and his record as a starter is 24-29. Yet he is still projected to be a Top-10 fantasy quarterback, and people are raving that new offensive coordinator Mike Martz and his offensive genius will turn Cutler's performance around. Because Martz's recent coaching jobs were so good that Cutler just has to be fantastic! Since, you know, when he was the Lions' coordinator in '06 and '07 the team threw more interceptions (44) than touchdowns (40), and in San Francisco in '08 JT O'Sullivan and Shaun Hill blew the league away. The rushing attack is terrible (29th last year, no major changes), there's not really anyone for Cutler to throw to (Devin Hester and Johnny Knox are the top two receivers. Yikes), and the defense has no playmakers. Brian Urlacher is old and has a multitude of injuries, and Julius Peppers is just an overpaid defensive end. I say they split with Detroit, beat the Seahawks at home, and take down the Bills in Buffalo to finish 3-13. (Oh, and since I couldn't fit him in anywhere, I want to mention Devin Aromashodu. Not because he will have a great year or anything. I just love saying his name)

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals won't repeat as AFC North champions. Last year the Bengals were blessed by someone up above, which is pretty impressive considering they have Chad Ochocinco on their team. All the pieces fell into place perfectly. They had the 10th weakest schedule in the league. The defending Super Bowl champion Steelers (of course I had to add the title) had the 4th easiest schedule in the NFL yet lost Troy Polamalu for much of the season. They somehow managed to lose to the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns. The Ravens lost Ed Reed for the majority of the season as well. Both defenses were good, but not great as a result of those losses. This year Polamalu is back, so I expect the Steelers' defense to look a lot more like their 2008 form. Plus the Bengals have the 4th toughest schedule this year, which includes traveling to New England, New York to face the Jets, and Indy, and hosting New Orleans. Chad Ochocinco is not a consistent number-one receiver anymore, and neither is Terrell Owens. That won't help an offense that was 26th in passing yards in '09. In fact, the egos might clash. They will be a wild-card contender, but I think asking for another division title is a bit much.

Cleveland Browns: Colt McCoy will start the final five games of the season. Someone in Cleveland must have been thinking LeBron James was going to stay, because the Browns gained absolutely zero star power this off-season. Instead, they handed Jake Delhomme $7 million to throw 18 more interceptions. The team is easily one of the worst in football. They didn't have a 1000 yard running back or receiver. Delhomme has not been good in over two years (5 INTs in one playoff game, anyone?). The only positive thing I can say is that when the Browns play host to the Panthers in Week 12, Delhomme will finally complete some of his passes to a Panthers player. This pre-season McCoy didn't impress much. Sure, he completed 71% of his passes, but didn't have a completion over 17 yards and was sacked 6 times. He didn't throw a touchdown pass. But, sadly, that might still be enough to get a starting nod late in the season when Delhomme nears the 20-interception mark and the team is out of playoff contention. If he is the future of the franchise, he's got to get his feet wet eventually. Might as well be later this year.

Dallas Cowboys: NFC East champs, get to the Divisional Round, that's it though. The Cowboys went 11-5 last year, with an explosive offense and a defense whose weakness was in the secondary. Tony Romo is coming off a career year (4483 yards, 26 TDs), but I question the receiving corps a little bit. Miles Austin is the only proven one, but remember that he's only started 9 games in his career. Roy E. Williams is overpaid and overrated, and the only reason he is going to start Week 1 is because first round pick Dez Bryant hurt his ankle. Eventually Bryant will take over, and people are already calling him the next big thing. I think he'll be very good, but it will take him some time to get used to the NFL. He hasn't played a game in over a year because of his suspension for lying to NCAA officials. Now he has to work his way back from an injury while learning a new system. I am being nit-picky here, though, because the running game is dynamic, Jason Witten is a fantastic pass catcher as well as blocker, and DeMarcus Ware leads the fairly solid defense. But I don't think they are better than Green Bay or Minnesota. Fortunately we'll get to compare the teams because Dallas is forced to travel to both places over the span of the year. If they go 11-5 again with the league's 2nd toughest schedule, I'd be impressed.

Denver Broncos: Kyle Orton will prove he's worth the $9 million extension he signed. All signs point towards Orton playing all of this year, then the team handing the reigns to either Brady Quinn or Tim Tebow. But the Broncos extended Orton's contract anyways, giving him an extra year worth $9 million through 2011. Now, to me getting Brady Quinn in a trade and then drafting Tebow made absolutely no sense. I can't see why Josh McDaniels is unhappy with 3800 yards and 21 TDs. He threw 12 picks, but 6 of them came in two games (3 each versus Pittsburgh and Kansas City). His quarterback rating over the final four games, when the team collapsed completely and failed to make the playoffs after a 6-0 start, 85.9, or right around his QB rating for the season. He isn't on the same level as, say, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, but neither Quinn or Tebow will ever be elite field generals either. As much as I love Tebow, I don't think he'll ever be more than an average quarterback in the NFL. Orton is better than both of the other options, and he'll prove it with 3500 yards and 25 touchdowns this year. It's a shame the loss of Elvis Dumervil will mean the defense is terrible, and the team could finish anywhere from second to last in the division.

Detroit Lions: The team might actually look like a football team (gasp!) The Matt Millen era is disappearing more and more each day, and the team might actually not be terribly, horribly atrocious. Don't get me wrong, they are not a playoff team by any stretch of the imagination, especially with two of the four best teams in the NFC (Green Bay and Minnesota) in their division.
However, the organization is taking the right steps. Matthew Stafford is in his second year behind center, and although he made rookie mistakes (20 INTs) his first year, he also showed flashes of potential. He has a big target in Calvin Johnson. Megatron had a bad year in '09, but with Nate Burleson there to distract DBs I think he'll have 1200 yards and 8-10 touchdowns once again (at least he better, considering he's my most reliable fantasy receiver compared to the hit-or-miss Percy Harvin and Mike Wallace). Rookie Jahvid Best can be electric. Defensively #2 overall draft pick Ndamukong Suh is already the target of double-teams on the offensive line, he decapitated Jake Delhomme in a pre-season game, and looks very much like he could dominate the league for the next decade. With new additions Corey Williams and Kyle Vanden Bosch, the defensive line could be really good. Expect five to six wins for the upbeat Lions this season.

Green Bay Packers: Super Bowl champions. Last year the Packers might have been one of the four best teams in the NFC, but lost in overtime to the Cardinals in the Wild Card round of the playoffs (after storming back from 21 down in the 3rd to force OT). Aaron Rodgers, breakout star from a year ago, played magnificently in the second half of that game, and now has at least a little playoff experience under his belt. He is the trendy pick my many to win the league MVP award. He has weapons around him in Greg Jennings, Donald Driver (who at 35 can still catch with the best of them), Jermichael Finley, and the most under-appreciated back in football, Ryan Grant. The offense can put up points in a hurry via air or ground, and although they gave up 51 points in the playoff loss in Arizona, have plenty of playmakers defensively. BJ Raji, Clay Matthews, and AJ Hawk lead the front seven that love to put pressure on quarterbacks. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Charles Woodson is at cornerback, and safety Nick Collins has 13 interceptions the past two years. For what it's worth, the team had a great pre-season. Can they carry it all the way to Dallas for Super Bowl XLV?

Houston Texans: Andre Johnson will finally get the title he deserves: Best receiver in the league. Three of the last four years Johnson has surpassed 100 receptions, with 2007 being the exception only because he missed seven games due to injury. Each of the last two years he has led the league in yards by wide margins (144 in '08 and 221 last year). He is constantly double teamed, seeing as Kevin Walter does not strike fear in defenses, yet is big enough (6-3, 228 lbs) and fast enough to cut through secondaries everywhere. Unfortunately, if you don't play fantasy football, chances are you didn't realize how dominant Johnson has been recently (he does play in Houston after all...). But this year will be different. He will finally be recognized as the hands-down best receiver the NFL has to offer. 1500 more yards will be what it takes, but he's good for it.

Indianapolis Colts: Another division title, 13 more wins, home-field advantage, etc... My goal was to make a not-obvious prediction, or at least one that would generate talk amongst the thousands of readers I have. But it's incredibly hard to think of something for a team that has been to the playoffs 10 of the last 11 years, won 6 of the last 7 AFC South titles, had 8 consecutive 10-win seasons (including 7 straight seasons of 12+ wins), advanced to at least the Divisional Round of the playoffs in 6 of 7 years, and won a Super Bowl. The Colts have done all of this, still have Peyton Manning, the best quarterback of this generation, and play in a weak division (are 15-1all-time against Houston, can't be stopped by Tennessee, and then the laughingstock Jaguars). There's not much more that can be predicted. There won't be a drop-off in wins. I don't think they are going to win the Super Bowl. I'll take the easy route here and just say the following: 13-3 record, first-round bye, beat the 5th-seeded Steelers in the Divisional Round, then lose to Baltimore in the Conference Title Game. (To see my entire playoff prediction, see here.)

Jacksonville Jaguars: David Garrard is in his last season as the starter. This team is going to struggle mightily. Garrard basically has Mike Sims-Walker to throw to and Maurice Jones-Drew to hand off to, and that's it. The defense can't stop the pass, and is mediocre at stopping the run. Chris Johnson will run freely, and Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub will feast on the secondary. Those are six losses, and that's even before you include losing to three of the four NFC East teams, San Diego, Kansas City, and possibly Oakland. Garrard isn't a terrible quarterback. His quarterback rating in '06, '08 and '09 were around the league average, and in '07 it was among the best in the AFC. He has surpassed 3500 yards each of the last two seasons. He's a solid quarterback. But in a division with Manning and Schaub, to keep up and hope for a playoff spot, the team needs a franchise quarterback. The best hope for the Jags is that they can finish poorly enough to have the worst or 2nd-worst record among them, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Seattle. That way they can get Jake Locker (unlikely though... they aren't bad enough to get the #1 pick) or Florida State's Christian Ponder. Because if they don't get either of those two, the quarterback position is weak in this year's draft class, and they will be stuck in the AFC South basement for a while otherwise.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs will finish 2nd in the AFC West. This could easily happen. This could just easily come back to haunt me. With Charlie Weis as Matt Cassel's offensive coordinator once again, the third year starter knows most of the offense from his days in New England (though he rarely got to run it in a real-game scenario). That comfort should improve the passing attack that was 25th in the league last year. Then there's the one-two combo of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones in the backfield. Charles broke out the last four games of '09, running for 658 yards over that stretch, including a 259-yard effort in the season finale at Denver that officially completed the Broncos' epic collapse. His complement is Thomas Jones, who ran for 1400 yards himself in New York. He's expected to be a second wind in the running game, but expect him to have a bigger impact than other aging backs will have (like, per se, LaDainian Tomlinson in New York). That has the potential to be a Top-5 running game. The defense was a mess, especially against the run (31st in the league). Safety Eric Berry is drawing comparisons to Troy Polamalu already, so the passing defense should improve significantly if that is the case. If they can score enough, they could have a good year. Not a playoff-type year, but a step up from 4-12.

Miami Dolphins: The Wildcat will be no more after this season. Remember that joyous late September afternoon two years ago in Foxboro? When Chad Pennington ran to the sideline and lined up as a receiver? When Ronnie Brown took the snaps directly and ran circles around the Patriots' defense, thus ending the team's 21-game winning streak with a 31-13 beatdown? I do too -- quite vividly actually -- and that's when the wildcat became the fad in the NFL. Last year the Eagles tried it with Michael Vick, and before Pat White was cut by Miami this past week, he ran the offense some of the time for the Fins. But last year coordinators began figuring the formation out. Half of the battle for opposing teams is figuring out whether the person taking the snap is going to run or pass. The Dolphins were just 2-for-11 in the passing department in '09, essentially cutting the offense's effectiveness in half. And with Ronnie Brown having a slew of injuries in the past, Ricky Williams being 33, and Pat White cut, who is going to want to run the offense on a consistent basis? Chad Henne came on strong late in the year at QB, and I think the wildcat will be overlooked, in favor of a more prolific passing attack now that Brandon Marshall is there to throw at.

Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson will fumble fewer than five times. This one might be asking for too much. Peterson is one of the league's best backs, but his downfall has been his inability to hold onto the football. In three seasons he has put the ball on the turf 19 times. That doesn't include the two fumbles in the NFC Championship Game. Typically, the general belief is "Once a fumbler, always a fumbler", with the only exception being Tiki Barber. However most of Peterson's fumbles have been when he's fought for extra yards. If he can learn when to go down, he will cut down on the fumbles. Hopefully Brett Favre gets that through his head.

New England Patriots: Wes Welker will have 120 catches. This guy has got to be a freak of nature. Nine months after tearing his ACL and MCL he was back on the field, participating in contact drills, running routes with his typical precision, and looking confident in his cuts. That just doesn't happen. But for someone who works as hard as Welker, I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. Each of the last three seasons he has surpassed 110 catches and 1100 yards. Last year was his best, catching 123 balls and gaining over 1300 yards in only fourteen games. Most people coming back from re-constructive knee surgery need a year to fully return to peak status (even Golden Boy Tom Brady had an "off" year, at least for him), especially at receiver, a position at which fear of making sharp cuts is killer. But the knee will be fine, and Welker will be back to tip-top form in no time and Bill Belichick should have nothing to worry about there. Now if only he could say the same thing about his defense...

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees will snap the Madden curse. Daunte Culpepper threw 23 interceptions, then blew out his knees and was never the same player. Marshall Faulk never had another 1000 yard season. Michael Vick broke his fibula in the pre-season. Ray Lewis did not record an interception for the first time, then broke his wrist in Week 15. Donovan McNabb suffered a sports hernia. Shaun Alexander broke his foot and never returned to form. Brett Favre threw 22 picks. Troy Polamalu missed most of the year with a knee injury suffered in Week 1. What do all of these random tid-bits have in common? Each player was on the cover of the most recent Madden game at the time. Aren't you pumped to be on the cover this year Drew!? Brees, though, will be the black sheep of this group. With all of the rules against hitting quarterbacks now, and Brees' durability (two missed starts the last seven seasons, one of which was Sean Payton's decision to rest the starters in Week 17 last year), he will play the whole season, he will throw for 4200 yards and 30 TDs, and he will be in the MVP race. The Saints will repeat as division champs, lose at Lambeau in the conference title game, and Who Dat Nation will be happy.

New York Giants: Brandon Jacobs will be ineffective once again, and the team will release him. After back-to-back 1000 yard seasons in 2007 and 2008, the monster Jacobs had an abysmal 2009 campaign, averaging only 3.7 yards per carry and scoring only 5 times en route to 835 yards. This came after he signed a 4-year/$25 million contract extension last February. And after learning that he officially lost his starting job to Ahmad Bradshaw, Jacobs' attitude does not bode for a good year. He told Jill Seward of NESN that it is "hard to stay positive" and blamed the culture of the league for his demotion. I guess seeing your yards per carry decrease by a yard and touchdowns decrease by ten isn't reason enough for a demotion. It's all the league's fault. Seward wrote, "But apparently, sharing the spotlight wasn't on Jacobs' agenda this season." With that kind of attitude, I see no reason why his numbers should improve.

New York Jets: Mark Sanchez will cost the team 1-2 wins, and possibly a Super Bowl. With Darrelle Revis back, the Jets strengthened their case for best defense in the league. Revis Island at one corner, Antonio Cromartie at the other, Bart Scott anchoring the linebackers, and Kris Jenkins plugging up the middle, it's going to be very hard for teams to score. Defense certainly won't be an issue for Gang Green. Offensively, I don't think substituting shut-up-and-run Thomas Jones for diva LaDainian Tomlinson was a good idea, but Shonn Greene will have a breakout year anyways, so the running game will be fine, too. It is Sanchez I'm worried about. There's something about him that I just don't feel comfortable with. He had a solid rookie year, and now has more weapons around him. But Braylon Edwards gets a case of the dropsies often, Santonio Holmes is suspended to start the year, and Nate Washington was cut. He was a manage-the-game type quarterback, which worked seeing as the team went to the AFC Title Game, but to get over the hump and win the Super Bowl, teams need a quarterback to lead them in today's pass-happy league. Look at the last decade of Super Bowl champions. Only the '01 Ravens won with an average quarterback (Trent Dilfer). Since, every team has had a top-flight QB under center. The good news is his breakout game was in the playoffs against Indy (17-for-30, 257 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT), but it was only the third time he surpassed 250 yards in a single game. He didn't lead any comeback drives, either. All of this leads me to believe that the Jets might be a year away, because Sanchez isn't ready to be an elite quarterback.

Oakland Raiders: Jason Campbell will carry this team to the 6-win mark. With JaMarcus Russell finally gone, replaced by the competent-but-not-flashy Campbell, the team is beginning to go in the right direction. Michael Bush and Darren McFadden are a decent one-two punch at running back. Zach Miller is one of the better tight ends in the league. The receivers are not very good, which will hold back the capabilities of the offense, but it will be an improvement over last year. Defensively Richard Seymour and Rolando McClain lead the front seven, Nnamdi Asomugha is the league's second-best shutdown corner behind Darrelle Revis, plus my boy Tyvon Branch is consistent at safety, totaling 124 tackles last year. They aren't good, but they aren't terrible, either. 6 wins is very doable with a somewhat fair schedule.

Philadelphia Eagles: Trading Donovan McNabb will come back to haunt the Eagles. The team trading franchise quarterback McNabb to "hated division rival" Washington in the off-season made me mad because it furthered my theory that there is no true rivalry in sports anymore. But in the seemingly up-for-grabs NFC East, it could very well be Philly who will regret trading the cornerstone of their franchise within the division. Now they have a first-year starter in Kevin Kolb going up against NFL defenses plus the feisty Philadelphia sports fans, a running back in LeSean McCoy who basically has to be the entire rushing attack, and two deep threat receivers (DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin) who could be hit-or-miss. The defense is expected to be one of the league's best, but looking at the depth chart nothing looks that special about it. Trent Cole will be a force at defensive end and Asante Samuel has play-making ability, but other than that no real threat appears to be there. Besides, McNabb knows the defense, including how to beat them. Two Redskins victories right there. The team also hasn't won in Dallas since 2007, and were beat down there twice in consecutive weeks (a 24-0 whopping in Week 17 then an equally as bad 34-14 playoff loss), so that's another loss. The secondary is vulnerable to the pass, and they have to face Green Bay, Indy, Houston, and Minnesota. At least two losses there. With the veteran McNabb, I give the team a shot in all of those games. But with the untested Kolb, I'm not so sure.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The defense will return to its 2008 form. The 2008 defense was one of the best ever. They led every major statistical category except rushing yards allowed, which they were 2nd. That defense anchored the team that would go on to win the Super Bowl. The 2009 squad looked the same except for Larry Foote was replaced by Lawrence Timmons. But injuries to Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith decimated the team, as the defense was shaky against the pass and could not hold 4th quarter leads. This year both players are back. Smith is quiet, but very consistent and is another body that needs to be accounted for, freeing up James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Polamalu is the most indispensable player undoubtedly, as his play-making abilities allow for the corners to take more risks. Barring another injury to the knee, the presence of #43 will make the Pittsburgh D look a lot more intimidating, which is good considering they'll be without Ben Roethlisberger for the first four games.

San Diego Chargers: The probable loss of Vincent Jackson will hurt the Bolts. Perhaps the breakout receiver from last year was Vincent Jackson. Unfortunately for San Diego, his contract didn't represent that, and he says he is willing to hold out for ten weeks to get a new one. A trade seems inevitable at this point. But his loss is huge for a team that really didn't have a whole lot of other options at the wide-out position. He was their biggest, fastest choice, and became one of the league's best deep threats. Antonio Gates will probably have double teams on him at all times now, as teams will make Phillip Rivers throw to Malcom Floyd and Patrick Crayton, both of whom are fairly solid, neither of whom are #1-type guys. And to ask rookie Ryan Mathews to come in and fix the league's least productive rushing attack from a year ago is a bit much. The division is weak enough to win still, but come playoff time against the Baltimores, New Yorks, or Pittsburghs, a deep threat is pivotal for a team that struggles to run.

San Francisco 49ers: Patrick Willis surpasses Ray Lewis as the best middle linebacker in football. For the past decade and a half Ray Lewis has been the middle linebacker in football. Consistently getting 130+ tackles a year, he's been the standard by which all of his peers of this generation are judged. But at 35 one has to think Lewis has to slow down eventually, and he'll have to pass the torch to someone. Enter Willis. He has been in the league for three years, and here are his tackle totals: 174 in 2007, 141 in 2008, and 152 in 2009. He and Lewis are very similar. He doesn't quite have the pass coverage skills Lewis does, but he forces more fumbles and his instincts are just as good. Both are 6'1" and around 245 lbs. There are enough similarities between the two that when Lewis retires, Willis will be the new standard. Why hasn't his name been out there more if he's so good? Well he plays in San Francisco, and the only thing they've done since drafting Willis is fail to live up to high expectations. This year is different, though. Mike Singletary is a good coach (and was a Hall of Fame linebacker himself, mind you), the NFC West is easily the worst division in football, and the 49ers should pretty much win the division by default, even if they finish 9-7 or 8-8. Willis will put up the same numbers he has been, only this year they will be noticed.

Seattle Seahawks: They will finish in the Top-10 in run defense. There are a few reasons I think this. For one, their pass defense is so awful that teams will air it out all game long, and running the ball will not be necessary. But secondly, with the return of Lofa Tatupu (who missed eleven games last year with a torn pectoral muscle), the linebackers are fairly solid. Tatupu is consistently a 100-tackle guy who is very fast, and will plug up holes quickly. Last year the only bright spot was the fact that the team was 11th-best at stopping the run. They got worse from last year to this year, but they will make the leap into the top-10 in something.

St. Louis Rams: The team will improve from their 1-15 record. They will go 2-14.Did you know the Rams can say they beat the Patriots and Ravens this year? I mean, sure, it was in the pre-season, but sadly that might be the highlight of this team's season. Call me crazy but I highly doubt Sam Bradford, who hasn't played a full-fledged football game in 20 months, will magically make all the Rams' woes go away. This is a team that was 28th in passing, 20th in running, 25th against the pass, and 27th against the run. They have all sorts of problems on both sides of the ball. Steven Jackson is their only other talent, but he's averaged 335 touches since 2005, and he has had a history of back problems, including surgery this past off-season. They'll beat Tampa Bay in Week 7 and Kansas City in Week 15, but that's it.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kellen Winslow will have 90 receptions and 1200 yards receiving. I don't think Winslow is one of the top ten tight ends in the NFL. This prediction was basically made because he's the only one with prior success catching the football, and quarterback Josh Freeman will quickly realize that with Antonio Bryant gone for good, Winslow is his most reliable target (yes offense to Mike Williams). Winslow's 77 receptions were 38 more than the next closest player on the team (Bryant), and his 127 targets were 41 more than anyone else. Expect a career year not because Winslow is as good as his dad, or because he is an elite tight end. It's just that Tampa is so bad offensively that they literally have no other options.

Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson will not surpass 1500 yards. Yeah, last year Johnson ran for over 2000 yards and set a single-season record for yards from scrimmage. But that won't happen again for sure. Of the five running backs to rush for over 2000 yards before him, only one (Barry Sanders in 1998) managed to surpass even 1400 yards the following year. Furthermore, of those five backs, only Terrell Davis had more touches (417) than Johnson had last year (408), and the next year was the beginning of the end for Davis, as he played in only four games. Football is a vicious sport, and getting hit as much as much as Johnson was last year takes a whole lot out of the body. Johnson is only 24, so his body is still sprightly and youthful, but last year's production will make him an obvious target to teams. And as history has shown, don't expect another record-setting season.

Washington Redskins: The running game will finish 29th or worse. If this were 2005 the Redskins would easily be favored to win the NFC East. Donovan McNabb at quarterback. Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson in the backfield. Santana Moss and Joey Galloway at wide-out. Yikes. Unfortunately, it's 2010, and aside from McNabb, all of these players are washed up. Especially Portis and Johnson. After finishing just shy of 1500 yards two seasons ago, Portis missed half of last season, scoring only once en route to 494 yards. At 29, he's just about over the hill. Johnson rushed for almost 1800 yards in 2005, but has yet to play a full season since, nor has he surpassed 900 yards in a season. Last year he split time with Kansas City and Cincinnati and rushed for a mere 581 yards. I can't see this tandem being good, although with Mike Shanahan as their head coach they at least have a chance.

(NOTE: Stats from ESPN.com, NFL.com, and pro-football-reference.com)

Pollsters Seeing Blue

2010-09-06T22:55:00.010-04:00

The most anticipated game of the year thus fair did not fail to disappoint. When Boise State and Virginia Tech met at FedEx Field on Monday night, there were high expectations, and an even better game. It looked as though Boise State would run away with it, as they came out pumped up and didn't just punch the Hokies in the mouth, they had a running start and Ivan Drago power behind that punch. Before you could blink it was 10-0, and before your popcorn was popped it was 17-0. But with all the problems Frank Beamer's crew faced early, they fought their way back and had the lead late. However, Kellen Moore masterfully led a drive late and led the Broncos to a 33-30 victory. And although they were the higher ranked team, to most of college football it was no doubt an upset. Here are my thoughts as the game went on:

1st Quarter:

Wow. Boise State is the real deal. I was amazed at how prepared and poised the team looked. Big crowd, essentially a road game considering Boise is 2400 miles from Landover, Maryland and Blacksburg, Virginia is 275, basically the team's national title game. And what do they do? They come out extra aggressive, and convert turnovers into points. On a 3rd-and-1 Tech handed the ball off to their star running back Ryan Williams and read the isolation perfectly. The entire first half the Broncos dominated in the trenches. They didn't give Williams any space to run, and if Taylor scrambled, it was to the sideline for only four or five yards. Then after blocking a punt and taking over at the Hokies' 10-yard line, quarterback Kellen Moore expertly faked the handoff, made the safety bite, and had an easy touchdown pass. Five-plus minutes in, already 10-0.

Conversely, as impressive as the Broncos were, Virginia Tech was just as bad. For years Frank Beamer and his patented "Beamer Ball" has thrived on special teams and discipline, neither of which appeared over the first fifteen minutes. On the second play of the game Tyrod Taylor, a four-year starter, fumbled the snap. Then on the second drive they went 3-and-out and had a punt blocked. Usually it is Tech blocking the punts. That goes towards the preparedness of Boise. They studied the film, found a hole, and beat the Hokies at their own game. Then on a 4th-and-1, just when the offense was about to get the ball back, DJ Coles ran into the kicker, then on top of that was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty. That led to another Boise State touchdown. Suddenly it's 17-0, and all 17 points could have been prevented. As good as the Broncos were, Virginia Tech was truly terrible on offense and special teams, which gave the defense no chance. Kellen Moore threw 39 TDs to just 3 INTs last year. He isn't going to make mistakes.

(Side note away from the game: Kellen Moore is a damn good college quarterback. Unfortunately for him, he's not NFL material. His throwing motion is very awkward. There is a lot of wasted movement. He has happy feet, doesn't step into his throws enough, and as a result throws far too often off his back foot. Because of it his body flies open, and the ball comes out of his hand with less accuracy and a very wobbly spiral. His best throw was a beautiful, perfectly executed fade route, complete with a disgusting, one-handed catch for a touchdown. If he threw more passes like that, my opinion on him would change. In fact, if he threw all of his passes like he did in that winning drive, which were purposeful and confident, I would like him more, even with the awkward footwork. I look at him like a Tim Tebow-esque quarterback. He has the stats, has the intangibles, but the fundamentals in form are weak, which is a major turnoff to pro scouts. By the time a quarterback reaches the NFL coaches don't want to waste time re-teaching someone how to throw.)

My final note from the 1st quarter was the crowd. Being so close to Virginia Tech, I expected an awful lot of maroon and orange. There certainly was an advantage for the Hokies, but I was shocked at how much blue there was in the crowd. There's no doubt those Idahoians (??) love their Boise State football!

2nd Quarter:

The rust began to wear off, and as Virginia Tech finally got into a groove, Tyrod Taylor looked good. When given more than three seconds to throw, it 's amazing what he can do. First off, he has a cannon. Coming out of his hand the ball flies and has a crisp, tight spiral. It is a thing of beauty. Down 17 he kept his composure and began to lead the comeback. For the most part he and Williams had no room to run, yet in those rare opportunities when even a small hole opened, the two were explosive and began running freely. When that happened the landscape began to change. The defense -- which didn't play poorly in the first quarter, they were put into tough situations -- was beginning to get into a rhythm, and the offense was putting drives together, gaining 105 yards in the 2nd quarter compared to just five yards in the 1st. Going into the half being down only four and beginning to put it all together, I thought the Hokies were going to be fine.

3rd Quarter:

Coming out of the half, I continued to be impressed by the Boise State defense. Right from the opening kickoff they were aggressive, always around the ball. There were four or five hideously grey jerseys around the ball at all times. But then Taylor and Williams began to take over. When Williams scored for the third time as Va. Tech took the lead at 21-20, it was only the 13th time he touched the ball. A workhorse, Williams just wore down the Boise defense. On both sides of the ball the Hokies began looking more and more explosive off the line as the Broncos began to get tired. This includes special teams, as there was pressure on punts, and later a blocked extra point. I questioned how much Boise had left in the tank, what with their 17 point lead gone and the defense looking exhausted. I thought the team -- with the magnitude and implications of the game, knowing what a loss would mean -- came out too pumped up and tired themselves out too early. I honestly thought it would be up to Kellen Moore to trade touchdowns and hope he had the ball last, because the defense could do nothing to stop the Hokie offense. Then what happens? BOOM. A 71-yard touchdown run, and there was once again life on the Boise State bench. The defense was once again aggressive, playing with a swag, an air of confidence. But that confidence went too far on 4th-and-5 deep in Bronco territory. Not wanting to give Taylor time to throw, seven Broncos rushed, and they ended up getting burned, giving up a fairly easy touchdown. Against crappy WAC teams the Broncos can afford to be as reckless as they want. But against the #10 team in the country with a 4-year starter in Taylor, you can't do that. End of 3: 27-26 Va. Tech.

4th Quarter:

The Boise offense wasn't the potent force they were against WAC teams a year ago, but they were consistently good. The chemistry between Moore and receiver Titus Young was impressive, as it seemed Moore would throw the ball into nothingness and Young would come down with it. And I found effective the Boise running attack of DJ Harper and Doug Martin. They hit the holes with power, broke arm tackles, and were hard to take down. They led a solid drive early in the quarter, but it ended with no points due to a missed field goal. While the storyline was how the kicker had a mental fight against the left hash mark, the miss wasn't entirely his fault, as the snap bounced to the holder, who had to scramble to get the ball in place.

From there, Virginia Tech had a very effective 10-play, 64-yard drive capped by a 34-yard field goal to extend the lead to 30-26. After a Boise punt, Tech had the ball once again. A touchdown would end it. This was problematic for Tyrod Taylor. He throws hard to begin with, but you could get the sense that he was trying to overthrow the ball. A few throws that he would have made in the 2nd and 3rd quarter he wasn't making, and the drive ended.

So after a good punt return Kellen Moore had the ball at his own 44 with 1:47 to go and no timeouts. A pre-season Heisman candidate, this was a perfect time for Moore to show America what he's all about. Prime-time on national television in a hyped game, a chance to lead his team to victory. He choked right? WRONG. Moore had ice in his veins, going 4-for-5 on the drive, making the Hokie secondary look pathetic (which they kind of were... I mean single-coverage on Titus Young, who had killed them all game?). Helped by an awful unnecessary roughness call, with about 1:10 left they had the ball on the 13. Two plays later, Moore might have won himself the Heisman after Week 1 with a gorgeous touch pass to Austin Pettis to take the lead.

From there, Taylor tried to throw four bombs, the Hokies turned the ball over on downs in four plays, and what do you know? The Broncos beat the Hokies, 33-30. Who'd've thunk it?

So one game in and Boise can now pretty much go on cruise control for the rest of the season, with the only exceptions being a game against Oregon State in a few weeks, and against a surprisingly good Fresno State team on November 19. So if they finish the year undefeated, will it be enough to get them in the national title game? Of course, Alabama and/or Ohio State would have to lose, but to the voters it is a legitimate argument over whether a one-loss 'Bama, Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma, or Florida is better than the undefeated Broncos. But this year there would be more scrutiny than ever if Boise State was left out of the national title game again. There is going to be a lot of pressure on the voters, which make up 2/3 of the BCS formula. Should things play out as I expect them to, however, sorry Broncos: you'll go to a BCS game, just not the one you want to go to. I still think it will be Alabama-Wisconsin (that's right, Wisconsin). But the Broncos took a darn good step towards getting to that title game, and that's a start that Chris Petersen couldn't draw up any better.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2010-08-30T01:28:00.016-04:00

The long wait is finally over. After six long months of withdrawal, college football kicks off this week. At least for me, it's perfect timing. My roommates are gone home for the weekend, therefore half the plans I would have are cut, and I have an entire afternoon to watch UConn-Michigan and then TCU-Oregon State. Then on Monday there's what could be the 2nd most important game of the year in Boise State-Virginia Tech. I guess eventually I'll buckle down and do my schoolwork... but mainly watch football. But with 6 BCS conferences and 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, how does one know what to watch, who to watch, and when? Let me help out.

ACC

Team to Watch: Florida State Things are a bit different in Tallahassee now, what with Bobby Bowden being forced into retirement and Jimbo Fisher in place behind the clipboard. But the last few years have been bad for the usually dominant Seminoles. They haven't reached the ten-win plateau since 2003, had wins in '06 and '07 vacated due to a cheating scandal, and haven't been to a BCS game since '06. For a team with two national titles and 15 conference championships, going to the Emerald Bowl, Music City Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, and Gator Bowl in four consecutive years doesn't fly. Coming off a 7-6 year, the Seminoles have two very difficult road games, as they travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma on Sept. 11 and face Miami (FL) on Oct. 9. The good news is that they return quarterback Christian Ponder, leading rusher Jermaine Thomas, and 2nd-leading receiver Bert Reed. The pressure to win is enormous.

Player to Watch: Jacory Harris (Miami) Simply put, the kid has a cannon. He threw for 3352 yards and 24 touchdowns a year ago, but also had 17 interceptions. On any given day he could be great (20-for-25, 270 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs against Georgia Tech), or he could be terrible (3 INTs versus Clemson and 4 versus North Carolina). If his decision making can improve this year, he very well could lead Randy Shannon's most talented team yet to an ACC title and help bring the 'Canes back to glory.

Prediction: Miami's two toughest games are both non-conference as they travel to Ohio State and Pitt on back-to-back weeks. However those games do not factor into the conference rankings, and I think Miami lucked out. They have to travel to Clemson to open the conference season, which is always a tough place to play, but they get Florida State, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech at SunLife Stadium. The talent is certainly there, and the conference schedule is somewhat favorable as well. In the ACC title game they beat Florida State for the 2nd time and go to the Orange Bowl, finishing the year 11-3.

Big East

Team to Watch: Connecticut The Huskies' five losses were by a combined 15 points in 2009, three of which were heartbreakers that came after the death of cornerback Jasper Howard in October. They ended the year on a four game winning streak, highlighted by a program-defining overtime win over Notre Dame and a PapaJohns.com Bowl win over South Carolina. This year's squad sees 16 starters return, including senior quarterback Zach Fraser, who showed good composure down the stretch. The offensive line and linebacking corps are always solid. The big question is in the secondary, which is very young and susceptible to giving up big plays. There has never been so much hype coming out of Storrs, and expectations are high. The Huskies are no longer coming out of nowhere. Can they live up to the hype?

Player to Watch: Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh) Talk about talent. As a true freshman Lewis finished with 1799 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is already 4th on the all-time rushing list at Pitt, and is considered by many as a pre-season Heisman contender. At 5'8" he is small, however incredibly fast and surprisingly strong, with the ability to break as many tackles as he does ankles. However, last year he carried the ball 325 times and had 350 touches. Against Rutgers and Cincinnati he had 31 and a ridiculous 47 carries, respectively. To put it into perspective, Lewis had more carries in 13 games than every running back in the NFL except Chris Johnson, Thomas Jones, and Steven Jackson had in 16 games. And with the losses of Dorin Dickerson, Oderick Turner, and Nate Byham, QB Tino Sunseri has fewer options to go to. That means expect to see just as much of Lewis this year. My pick for Offensive Player of the Year.

Prediction: Pre-season favorite and "sexy" pick Pittsburgh would be the easy way to go. However I don't think they have enough weapons on offense and will rely too much on Lewis and star receiver Jonathan Baldwin. West Virginia has it's third starting QB in as many years in sophomore Geno Smith, but he has limited experience and missed a good portion of off-season workouts with a broken foot. He certainly has the weapons around him, but I think the off-the-field issues surrounding the program will become a distraction. UConn has too many problems in the secondary and has no proven go-to receiver. That's why I'm picking Cincinnati to win its 3rd consecutive Big East title. Quarterback Zach Collaros has the job all to himself now, and he is the real deal. In 10 games he threw for 1434 yards and 10 touchdowns, but mind you in six of those games he didn't start. He is a dual threat as he can fly out of the pocket at any moment. Plus he has Armon Binns, DJ Woods, Isiah Pead (who's slated to have a breakout year), and Ben Guidugli to work with. The defense has issues to address, but nothing that has plagued them the last few years. The Bearcats will go to another BCS game.

Big Ten

Team to Watch: Ohio State It's another year, more high hopes for THE Ohio State University. The pre-season #2 team in the land returns fourteen starters, and are led by quarterback Terrelle Pryor, now in his third year under center. After snapping their three-year BCS game losing streak in last year's Rose Bowl, it's time for the Buckeyes to take the next step and make it to (and perhaps compete for a change) in the national championship game. The games to watch are on Oct. 16 at Wisconsin and Nov. 20 at Iowa.

Player to Watch: Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State) Here's a kid whom every college came a-callin' to when he was in high school, and for much of the first two years he was a bit of a disappointment. The Rose Bowl was his coming out party, and Oregon's defense hosted it. He showed poise in the pocket, knew when and when not to scramble, and had flashes of brilliance right from the opening drive, finishing 23-for-37 with 266 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. If that player shows up every Saturday, he could very well win the Heisman and the Buckeyes could put it on cruise control for most of the season. If the Pryor who failed to surpass 125 passing yards six times shows up, it could very well be another good season, but one full of "What-ifs".

Prediction: There are three things that I love in a college football team: a big-ole offensive line, a beast of a running back, and experience. Wisconsin has all three. All of their offensive lineman are over 310 lbs, and four of them are returning starters. They have John Clay to block for, who ran for over 1500 yards and 18 scores last season, and at 6'1" 255 lbs is a monster. In all 16 starters return for the Badgers, who I think can finish the year with only one loss (they will split with Ohio State and Iowa, a brutal two weeks if you ask me), and have a legitimate chance to make it to their first BCS game since the 2000 Rose Bowl.

Big 12

Team to Watch: Oklahoma A year ago the Sooners were ranked third in the preseason polls. A Sam Bradford shoulder injury later, the team finished a disappointing 8-5. With Bradford gone to the semi-professional ranks by being drafted to St. Louis, full control of the team goes to sophomore Landry Jones. Jones had a very impressive freshman year, throwing for 3100 yards and 26 TDs. If he can cut down the turnovers (14 in '09), and DeMarco Murray can handle the pressures of being the full-time running back, the offense could be explosive enough to counter the fact that only five starters return on defense.

Player to Watch: Marquise Goodwin and Garrett Gilbert (Texas) Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley were the most prolific tandem in school history. No one connected for more catches (205), yards (2545), or touchdowns (24) in Longhorns history. That being said, both players are gone. That leaves Gilbert and Goodwin to take the reigns as smoothly as possible. Last year Gilbert saw the true powers of "one play away" for backups, as when Colt McCoy went down in the BCS Championship Game, Gilbert was thrown into the fire, completing just 15 of 40 passes while throwing two touchdowns and four picks. Now, it's a tad unfair that the country's first look of the kid was in the biggest game of the year as he came off the bench for the first meaningful time in his career, so he gets a pass. But now it's the real deal. He is the leader of the offense, and Goodwin is his best weapon. The two don't need to be as good as McCoy and Shipley right away, seeing as they return seven starters on a team that was 12th in points allowed in '09. But to repeat as Big 12 champs and make a run at a national title, they're going to have to give it their best effort.

Prediction: Texas is too young offensively with Gilbert at the helm. The Big 12 has not been known for its intimidating defenses in recent years, but Oklahoma's appears younger and less experienced than everyone else. Plus, they have to deal with each other, as well as a Baylor team that I believe can make some noise this year. That's why I'm picking the team that was one second away from a conference title last year in Nebraska. To get to the conference title game, the 8th-ranked Huskers have to have a better conference record than: Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and Iowa State. That's not exactly the SEC East. For a team that was able to get to the title game with a mediocre offense last year, with eight returning starters on offense this year, it should be even easier. And if the offense improves enough, you just might see Nebraska playing for the national title come January.

Pac-10

Team to Watch: Washington The Huskies are an interesting team. Here is a team that was a middle-of-the-pack team in just about every statistical category in '09, but returns ten offensive and eight defensive starters. Among those are a 1000-yard rusher in Chris Polk, a receiver who averaged 106 yards per contest over the final four games of last year in Jermaine Kearse, and a Heisman candidate in Jake Locker, who is already being dubbed the inevitable #1 pick in next April's NFL Draft. The problem last year was that the defense gave up 27 points a game. If they can grow as a unit and take advantage of their overall experience, this is a team that could surprise people. We'll see how good they truly are after they take on #8 Nebraska and #14 USC in back-to-back weeks in early October.

Player to Watch: Rahim Moore (UCLA) A hard-hitting safety is becoming more and more of a lost art in the NFL merely because more and more pass coverages are being used. The days of Ronnie Lott or, much more recently, John Lynch destroying their opponents are long gone. Now Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed lead a group that are ball-hawking monsters. Rahim Moore fits this perfectly. Last year he led the NCAA in interceptions with ten, and piled up 45 tackles. He isn't the most talented player in the conference. He won't win Defensive Player of the Year. But he has a knack for always being around the ball and making a big play when the defense needs one.

Prediction: Oregon and Oregon State are the two favorites, however both have major quarterback issues. That being said, however, I don't like any of the other teams in the conference enough to go against either of these two teams (remember that USC will not be bowl eligible, and cannot accept a BCS bid should they win the conference). So basically the Dec. 4 showdown in Eugene will, like last year, be for a trip to the Rose Bowl. I said last year on my morning sportscast that the 113th Civil War made the first 112 pale in comparison. The 114th could be even bigger, as both teams have such high expectations. I like Oregon and loved their bad-ass white helmets from the Rose Bowl, but I'm picking the Beavers.

SEC

Team to Watch: Arkansas Michigan had something going for them when they recruited Ryan Mallett. Last year he threw for 3624 yards and 30 touchdowns to just 7 picks, and is a pre-season candidate to win the Heisman. The bad news for the Wolverines? Mallet transferred two seasons ago to Arkansas, and those stats were put up in Fayetteville. To complement him are each of his top five receivers from last year on a team that was 10th in the nation in passing yards per game and points scored. Plus, they have the luxury of getting top-ranked Alabama and #21 LSU at home. If they can survive and beat Georgia and Auburn, those two games could be their season.

Player to Watch: John Brantley (Florida) It's difficult backing up legends. Just ask Tony Banks, Mark Malone, and now Tavaris Jackson (although his situation is a tad different from others...). But to replace Tim Tebow, the Herculean figure of all Hurculean figures?! Talk about pressure. And that's just what Brantley will have coming into this season. He only appeared in six games last year, and by the time he entered they were laughingstocks of games anyways. Now he's thrown into the fire as the quarterback for the 4th-ranked team in the country.

Prediction: Alabama has only ten starters returning from last season's championship team. However, those ten are pretty darn good. Greg McElroy progressed as the year went on from a manage-the-game quarterback to one Nick Saban could go to if they need a big play. He also has Julio Jones to throw the ball towards. Jones, coming off a rocky year, should be the playmaker he was thought to be when he was recruited as the top high school receiver in the country three years ago. Then they have Mark Ingram, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. A workhorse, Ingram ran for 1658 yards last year. But he also has Trent Richardson to take some of the load off his shoulders. Richardson is lightning to Ingram's thunder. With his speed, it would be a travesty for Saban not to use him more often to mix up the ground game. They have too many weapons and are too good not to repeat at SEC champs, if not national champs.

Miscellaneous

Team to Watch: Boise State If the Broncos are going to make it to the BCS National Title Game -- the first time a non-BCS school would make it -- then this is the year to do it. At #3 to start the season, there won't be a better opportunity. But in playing the waiting game, hoping Alabama or Ohio State loses (and at the same time hoping the voters don't catapult another team ahead of them) they absolutely must have a perfect regular season. Their conference schedule is full of cupcakes. If recent history is any indication, then Kellen Moore will throw for 300 yards every game as the Broncos will enjoy their cakewalk to a conference title. But those games will not matter if they don't survive the Week 1 showdown against Virginia Tech. For Chris Petersen and crew, this is their Super Bowl. If they can go out on primetime, national television, and kick the Hokies in the teeth, it will prove they are the real deal. In past years they were hurt because they didn't have on their resumé any Top-25 wins. This one would be against a Top-10 team. Then two weeks later they host Oregon State. They could very well win this game and add to their argument, but they could just as easily let Jacquizz Rodgers run circles around them and lose. I don't think a perfect record will be enough to convince the voters of putting the team into the national title game. But there has never been a better opportunity to do so.

(NOTE: Returning starter data from Phil Steele, stats accumulated from ESPN)

Solid Use of Taxpayer Money

2010-08-22T22:41:00.003-04:00

Steroids never seem to go away. This time the perpetrator just so happens to be the greatest pitcher of this generation in Roger Clemens. But it is not the fans who are calling him out. Nor is it journalists. Or even Bud Selig and his men. No, Clemens is being called upon by a federal grand jury, who is indicting the Rocket on six counts of lying at a 2008 Congressional hearing about steroid use in sports. The indictment specifies that Clemens lied about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, and if found guilty could face prison time ranging 15-21 months. But really, what would an admission, or I suppose here, a finding, of guilt really do to help America? Would the streets of our nation be safer knowing a liar is behind bars? This is yet another case of Congress getting involved with things that they have no business interfering with. And, sadly, this is becoming all-too-familiar a story.

Backtrack 16 months to March 2009. College football faced more criticism over the BCS format when undefeated Utah did not qualify for the national title game. Instead, one-loss teams Florida and Oklahoma did. This was certainly not the first time the BCS had come under scrutiny, and it won't be the last time either (Boise State fans might agree to this come January). At the time the country was in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Unemployment rates, according to the New York Times, were at their highest rates in twenty-five years. Yet what did Congress spending their time doing? They held a hearing over whether the BCS is "fair". Are you kidding me? The leader of the hearing, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah (which explains why the meeting was held in the first place) claimed that the BCS format was unfair because all non-BCS teams were left out at a chance at millions of dollars. This just in: universities don't need more money. They have plenty of it. And forgive the voters for thinking that Florida and Oklahoma were more deserving of a title than Utah. After all, the Gators only beat #4 LSU, #6 Georgia, #25 South Carolina, #20 Florida State (in Tallahassee), and #1 Alabama by an average of 32 points, while the Sooners only averaged 54 points a game, scored 60+ points in each of their last five games, and beat five ranked opponents by an average of 29 points. Utah hammered BYU and edged out TCU, which is nice. And although they kicked 'Bama in the teeth in the Sugar Bowl, the computers picked the two best teams in college football. The meeting was a complete waste of time in which absolutely nothing was accomplished (unless you count spending more taxpayer money an accomplishment, but at this rate isn't that becoming commonplace?).

And that was only a one-day meeting.

The steroids investigation has been a years-long process, of which the Clemens indictment is a mere footnote.The infamous Mitchell Report named Clemens 80 times, but he was but one of 89 players mentioned who were suspected of using steroids or HGH. That was a 21-month long investigation. At the 2008 hearing, Clemens told congressman "I have never taken steroids or HGH." It was a meeting of he-said-he-said between the Rocket and his former trainer Brian McNamee, who claims he injected Clemens. At the time the big-wigs at the meeting were split down the middle as to who was lying and who was telling the truth. But in the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't matter. The meeting should not have happened because it was another case where the government should have been incredibly far away. would love to hear exactly why Congress has spent so much time and money on something like steroid use in sports. The players are only hurting themselves, and while they are tainting the history of America's pastime, that's not technically a crime. This is an issue that should be dealt with by Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and every other league individually. Yeah, using PEDs is cheating and hurts the integrity of sports. But let's face it: with or without steroids, pro sports are multi-billion dollar businesses. People will question the sanctity of it all, some might even stop following it, but no matter what money will be made, and isn't that the only thing the greedy politicians care about anyways? Meanwhile, AIG employees can ask for $182 billion in bailout money, yet all their big-wigs can afford their own private jets and mansions. Congress should worry a little less about cheating going on in sports, and cheating going on in the real world. Roger Clemens did not kill anyone. He did not steal anything from anyone. He did nothing illegal except (potentially) take steroids, which I'm pretty sure is not worthy of a Congressional hearing and federal grand jury investigation.

(And while on the topic of Clemens: It seems the public has already reached their verdict. Roger Clemens took steroids. But just remember one thing. Jose Canseco, a very-much-admitted steroid user, said through his lawyer, "I am not aware of any use of steroids by Roger." And to this point, most everything Canseco has said regarding players and steroid use has turned out to be correct (Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi have all admitted their use, while Juan Gonzalez was mentioned in the Mitchell Report). I'm not saying this makes Clemens innocent, but I don't think it can hurt his cause. Either way, Clemens was 100% correct when he said at the meeting, "No matter what we discuss here today, I am never going to have my name restored." Which means a man with 354 wins and over 3600 strikeouts will be left out of the Hall of Fame for the foreseeable future.)

Officially Too Far

2010-08-15T22:13:00.009-04:00

This year poor officiating and refereeing have cast a major shadow on many events. Jim Joyce infamously denied Armandos Galarraga a perfect game with his incorrect call in the 9th inning. Koman Coulibaly's call took away what would have been the game-winning goal in the USA's World Cup match against Slovenia. Most recently, umpire Bob Davidson made a questionable call on a hard hit ball that would have won a game for the Marlins, one which they ended up losing in extra innings. But this Sunday takes the cake without a doubt when the PGA took away Dustin Johnson's opportunity to win his first major at the PGA Championship. To recap, on the 72nd hole of the tournament, Johnson had a one stroke lead over Bubba Watson and (eventual champion) Martin Kaymer. Johnson hit his tee shot way right into the crowd into a seeming waste area trampled on by the thousands of fans over the course of the week. He hit his second shot left of the green, laid up, missed a chance to win, but forced a playoff... Or did he? Turns out the area was a "bunker" and since he grounded his club (or in layman's terms, his club touched the ground prior to hitting the ball) it was a two-stroke penalty. That means Johnson finished at -9, or two strokes off the lead, denied a chance to go to the playoff. While it must be admitted that the rules regarding bunkers at the uniquely-built Whistling Straits was made very clear, it still doesn't take away from the fact that the rules are ill-conceived.

Theoretically the Tour officials did the right thing and made the right call. According to the rules:

All areas of the course that were designed and built as sand bunkers will be played as bunkers (hazards), whether or not they have been raked. This will mean that many bunkers positioned outside of the ropes, as well some areas of bunkers inside the ropes, close to the rope line, will likely include numerous footprints, heel prints and tire tracks during the play of the Championship. Such irregularities of surface are a part of the game and no free relief will be available from these conditions.

Technically Johnson was in a bunker, and therefore he received a correct two-stroke penalty. That is not what I have a problem with. No, what I have a slight against is the fact that the Tour would be dumb enough to keep the course's rules and call a small waste area a bunker. During normal times, the rule makes sense, because there aren't thousands of people walking around the course. But during a PGA Tour event, officials should have stepped in and changed it so that it is merely a waste area. To have people walking in and standing on designated bunkers is beyond comprehension. Should Johnson have known the rules, seeing as how he was handed a rules sheet prior to the start of the tournament? Probably. Yet players get these sheets every week, and all of them probably say the same things. I'd put money on it that if you asked every player if they knew about the rule -- all 155 of them -- only a select few would have been aware that what Johnson was hitting from was considered a bunker. Frankly, you don't have bystanders standing in hazard areas. On the 72nd hole of a major that I'm a par away from winning, if I hit my tee shot there the last thing that would be on my mind is whether or not I'm on some ridiculously marked bunker with a flat area that has no lip or other transition from sand to grass that every known bunker in the world has. In the five minute span between the tee shot and the second shot, not one person from CBS mentioned the idea that it could have been a bunker. No fan probably would have guessed. Johnson's partner, Nick Watney, did not know. Why would Johnson or his caddy worry about such a thing, when the mere idea that fans would be standing in a bunker the size of a bed? Call me crazy but I think they were more worried about which club Johnson would hit and where it would go. Silly them, they probably thought the bunkers would look something like this instead of this! At a major tournament, and at any professional golf tournament for that matter, let the bunkers be bunkers, waste areas be waste areas, and for goodness sakes, if fans are allowed to walk and stand on it, it is NOT by any means a bunker.

However, the PGA Tour did decide that the area was a bunker, which brings me to my next point. How many other players that week hit their balls onto so-called "bunkers" with no penalty? John Daly wrote on his Twitter page: "So that means the sandy cart paths that I saw other players hit off of are also considered bunkers?!" He brings up a valid point. By the course's rules, a ton of players probably unknowingly hit their balls into bunkers and grounded their clubs. Yet how many of them were penalized for the apparent infraction? Probably not too many, that's for sure. If it was, say, Derek Lamely, who finished +5 and failed to make the cut, who had a similar shot on Thursday, would the officials have caught it? It just so happened that Johnson did it on the last hole when he had the lead, so his shot came under a lot more scrutiny by rules officials. And in this case that extra scrutiny cost a young man a shot at a major championship.

Bottom line is that while in the rule books the Tour made the right call (I guess), they should not have even put themselves into that situation, because they will undoubtedly be receiving some criticism for this... at least they are here at rjoycesports.blogspot.com. It's another case where the little, needless, nit-picky crap gets in the way of what's more important: the tension of what was quickly becoming a great Sunday. In a golf world where Tiger, Tiger's clubs, Tiger's golf balls, and Phil Mickelson make up people's interest, the sport needs an intense Sunday battle between a few young guns. Dustin Johnson is a solid player (he made the Ryder Cup, is ranked 24th in the world, and at 26 has the potential to have a good career), and someone that could potentially spike golf fans' interests. Taking away from a Sunday battle between him and two other players with little prior success (Watson and the 25-year old Kaymer) because of a technicality with the rules is not something the sport needs. If they never looked at it, no one would have questioned whether any violation occurred.

It's time that officials go back to what they were originally created to do: keep order in games. They are supposed to be a part of the game. They are not supposed to be a difference maker in them.

The "What-If?" Game

2010-08-10T21:12:00.012-04:00

Tiger Woods. Training camp no-shows/fat lards/issues. Tiger Woods again. Oh yeah, plus some baseball here and there (the Red Sox and Yankees played last weekend. It was the first time all year I actually cared about whether or not the Sox won for more than a microsecond.). Basically, it's a fairly quiet time. Thankfully pre-season football will be over in a few short weeks and the real thing will begin once again. But until then what is there to talk about for someone like me? Each of the last three weeks I'd written about the going-ons in the NFL, so I didn't want to do four consecutive weeks of that. If you want weekly football articles with the occasional sarcastic comment, may I recommend DJ Gallo's Offseason Pigskinpalooza on ESPN's Page 2. However, this week I've decided to play a game that never gets old, has no definitive answers, and never will. It's the "What-If" Game!! I picked a few of my own to discuss and asked my very loyal readers on FaceBook what they would like to hear (I expected at most 4 comments, so I was surprised when I ended up receiving twelve legitimate scenarios and an idiotic one). These have no rhyme or reason to them. They are merely what people wanted to see and whatever else happened to pop into my head.

Reader Questions:

"What if Phil Mickelson wasn't such a choke artist whenever he had a chance to become the world number one in golf?"

Well let's recap first in case you're one of the millions of people who don't follow golf. At the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last week, world #1 Tiger Woods sucked. Not like a for-Tiger-he-struggled-but-for-everyone-else-it-was-okay performance. It was horrid for 4 days at a tournament he had won 7 times before, topped by a 77 on Sunday to finish +18. Phil Mickelson needed to finish in the Top 4 to overtake Woods' #1 world ranking. He started the day tied for 10th. A 78 later (as in one stroke worse than the abomination that was Tiger's final round), he finished tied for 46th. This marked yet another missed opportunity for fan favorite Mickelson to call himself the best golfer in the world. However, the reasoning behind this is legit. On Tuesday Mickelson admitted he has been battling with a form of arthritis in which the body's immune system attacks the joints and tendons. There were times before and after the US Open where he couldn't move because of the pain. I'm no doctor, but I have a sneaking suspicion this could attribute to the fact that he hasn't played consistently well.

"What if the [Red] Sox didn't have so many injuries?"

The Red Sox this year might have topped last year's Mets in terms of injuries, which is pretty bad. Basically every key member of the Sox has missed significant time. Jacoby Ellsbury just returned in the Yankee series after playing only ten games all year. Dustin Pedroia broke his foot two months ago and hasn't returned. Victor Martinez missed a few weeks with a broken thumb, and during that time Jason Varitek broke his foot. Mike Cameron has appeared in only 48 games, and his season is probably over. Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, Dai-suck-e Matsuzaka, Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima have all spent time on the disabled list. And in the biggest blow yet, Kevin Youkilis is out for the year with a freak thumb injury. For die-hard Boston fans the names Daniel Nava, Darnell McDonald, and Eric Patterson are becoming everyday names. That shouldn't be happening. There was a point where I'm pretty sure the team was made up of more PawSox than Red Sox, which considering Pawtucket is 16 games under .500 and 19 games out of first place is bad. Somehow with all this the Sox are only 4.5 games out of first place in both the division and the wild card. That being said, one has got to think if all the pieces were together for 140-150 games, Boston would be first or second in the division. Using the impossible-to-calculate Wins Above Replacement (WAR stat) from baseball-reference.com -- which is pretty accurate here, considering half the Sox lineups are made up of mostly replacement players -- Pedroia, Youk, Ellsbury, Cameron and Martinez combined for a WAR of 3.7 last year. Getting more technical, Youkilis' was 6.4 and Pedroia's was 4.9. Basically the absence of those players alone cost the team 3-6 wins. Add in Beckett and Matsuzaka, who have missed about 18 starts total, and that's another 5 wins. Right there is more than enough to give the Sox the divison title. So, in short, if the Sox didn't have so many injuries, with the way they have played in spite of everything, they probably would have won the division title. I think it is too steep a hill to climb out of now, though.

"What if Ben Roethlisberger didn't sexually assault that girl and get himself suspended?"

Well firstly, I would like to acknowledge that he allegedly assaulted her (wink-wink) and that no charges were filed due to the fact that the security tapes were mysteriously "taped over". Don't go implying he's a rapist, because while he probably is, according to the laws of our amazing justice system, he isn't. Anyways, had he not been an idiot, the Steelers would be a heck of a lot better off after missing the playoffs last year. It looks as though Big Ben will miss only four games, as opposed to five or six, so that's helpful for Pittsburgh. Weeks 1-4 are at home versus Atlanta, at Tennessee, at Tampa, and home against Baltimore. Without Roethlisberger, the Steelers are going to have to rely heavily on the running game (as seen in last year's game against Baltimore, where Dennis Dixon barely threw the ball), which struggled mightily at times last year. And considering the Falcons, Titans, and Ravens were all top-10 in rushing defense last year, it suddenly puts a helluva lot of pressure on Rashard Mendenhall's shoulders. With him, Pittsburgh would be able to have a balanced running and passing attack, but instead the defenses will most certainly load the box with seven or eight men and make Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon, or (shudder) Charlie Batch beat them. Basically, Mendenhall and the defense need to play out of their minds. If Roethlisberger wasn't such an idiot, the Steelers would have started off 3-1 at worst. Now I'd say 2-2 is much more likely.

"What if LeBron James never wins a championship in his career?"

This is probably the question that is most up for debate. There very little doubt that there has ever been a player with the athleticism, strength, size, and speed that James has. He is unstoppable, but could never get over the hump and win a ring by himself in Cleveland. Now he's teamed up with Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and an increasing list of very solid veterans in Miami to form a very scary team on paper. One would guess within five years the team will have won two or three titles. But then there is always the question of whether the egos of James and Wade clash in crunch time, can the team hold it together? However, that isn't the question. If James does not win a title, I would probably cry of joy the day he retires, for there is no one -- absolutely no one -- I hate more in sports. This summer he even managed to surpass A-Rod and Tom Brady. In terms of his legacy, that's an interesting debate. Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl, yet people put him in the discussion of greatest quarterbacks ever. But basketball is different. Bill Russell is a top-5 all-time player because he won so many rings. Michael Jordan is undoubtedly the greatest player ever, and he won six titles. Would we revere his competitive drive as much if he only won once or twice? Magic and Bird won multiple titles, as did Kareem. John Stockton, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Elgin Baylor, and Patrick Ewing never won a title, and while they are all Hall of Famers without question, none are in the running for greatest of all-time. In the NBA, championships and legacies go hand in hand. Without at least a few rings, James can be the greatest skilled player of all-time, but it won't matter. He will not surpass the Magics, the Birds, heck, even the Kobes of NBA greatness.

"What if the Mets didn't suck male human reproductive genitalia?" (So I might have edited that one slightly)

Well, quite simply, if the Mets were good, they would probably be third in the NL East, behind Atlanta or Philadelphia, because while they have the parts, they don't seem to have the results to show for them. Theoretically a team with David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Ike Davis, Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and Francisco Rodriguez would be very good, yet the Metropolitans had two epic September collapses in '07 and '08, were riddled with injuries last year, and simply aren't very good this year, being 56-56 through Monday and 7.5 out of first place.

"What if the [Red] Sox never traded Jeff Bagwell or Hanley Ramirez?"

This is probably my favorite question. In 1990 the Red Sox traded top prospect Bagwell to Houston for 36-year-old relief pitcher Larry Andersen (whose Phillies' jersey, might I add, I am a proud owner of) in what is considered one of the worst trades in baseball history. Had he stayed a Red Sox player, he wouldn't have even had a chance to play until 1993, when Wade Boggs bolted for the Evil Empire. Then if he transitioned from third base to first, like he did in Houston, he would have had to compete with Mo Vaughn, who from 1993-98 was the most productive first baseman in the American League. He would probably not have hit 449 homers and driven in 1500+ runs. Then there would have been the dark cloud on the Boston organization with Bagwell's association with steroids. Now, there is no proof that Bagpipes ever took steroids, but merely being mentioned can taint everything a player ever did. I don't think he did take them, but perception is everything, and the perception of a few ill-advised souls can change everything.

As for Ramirez, if he isn't traded, the Red Sox do not win the World Series in 2007. He and Anibal Sanchez were traded to Florida in 2006 in return for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota. In '07 Beckett went 20-7 with an earned run average of 3.27, and in the postseason he went 4-0 with an ERA around 1.50. Lowell, meanwhile, hit .324 while amassing almost 200 hits and driving in 120 runs. He was also the World Series MVP. As much as I loved Bill Mueller, getting rid of him before the '06 season was best, because Lowell was exponentially more productive than Mueller and his bad knees. As good a player as Ramirez is, Boston would not have been spoiled with another World Series title.

Among other ridiculous questions.... "What if Randy Jackson played in the MLB?" and "What if OJ got back into the NFL? :o"

Randy Jackson would suck as a pitcher or a fielder. Probably not as bad as him or him, but not much better. OJ, on the other hand, would sign with the Redskins and compete with Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, and Willie Parker for the spot of "least sucky old running back." However, since Mike Shanahan hasn't used a one-back system basically since Terrell Davis retired, all four will get playing time. Simpson will be the 20th-22nd running back taken in ESPN Fantasy Leagues because of this, but he'll be on Matthew Berry's "Hate List" for Weeks 1, 2, and 4 because his opponents were top-10 rushing defenses last year. But look on the bright side -- he'd probably be more effective than LaDainian Tomlinson.

"What if sports never existed?"

Lots of things would change. I would spend all my time on my laptop and watching re-runs of Seinfeld. Brett Favre would spend his summer days mowing his ridiculously huge lawns on his John Deere riding mower in his worn-out Wrangler jeans and dirty cap. Michael Jordan would spend all his time at casinos to feed his competitive drive. Tiger Woods would be a bachelor having sex with every possible woman. Kurt Warner would have spent the '90s bagging at his local grocery store. No one would know who Elmer Flick and George Stone were. And no one would care about the WNBA. See, life as we know it would be drastically different.

"What if [Mark] McGwire gets in the Hall of Fame?"

It would be astronomical if McGwire, or any admitted steroid user, got into Cooperstown, seeing as it's not happening anytime soon. The writers, who vote on who gets into the Hall, have made it quite clear they will not vote for anyone who has juiced, which is why McGwire only received 23.7% of votes (75% is required for election) in 2010. That would mean that Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, among scattered others, would have no shot at getting into the Hall. While I understand the idea that they cheated and should be left out, a huge piece of baseball history is being ignored -- the home run king, two other 600-home run hitters, a 3000-hit member, and a 300-game winner. As long as Pete Rose is left out, no steroid user should ever be allowed in. But if someone like Bonds or McGwire gets in, then it opens up the floodgates for a whole group of juicers that could taint the honor of being in the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown.

My Questions:

"What if David Tyree didn't ~~put a bottle of super glue on his helmet~~ make the ridiculous helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII?"

It is perhaps behind only the Immaculate Reception and "The Catch" in terms of fame (and for New England fans, infamy). David Tyree, the 4th string receiver, making the unbelievable catch against his helmet as Rodney Harrison is taking him down, completing a play where ~~the refs missed about 35 holding calls~~ Eli Manning slithered away from a group of Pats defenders and heaved the ball into the air. A few plays later it was Manning-to-Burress and the mighty Patriots were undefeated no more. If he doesn't catch the ball, it is 4th-and-5 with :59 to go. Manning to that point was 14-for-22 on throws of 10 yards or less, averaging 8.2 yards per reception according to my research. In the 4th quarter he was 5-for-7 and averaged 10 yards a catch. So I believe New York would have gotten the first down and gone into Patriots' territory. From there, however, I think the drive would have stalled, seeing as how Eli was only 1-of-8 on deep throws to that point. The Patriots' defense holds, they go undefeated, Tom Brady is the golden boy (it's disgusting isn't it?), David Tyree ends his career in anonymity, and Mercury Morris finally goes away for good.

(On the note of Tyree retiring, I think it is stupid how he signed a one-day contract to retire a Giant. His career stats (54 receptions, 650 yards) amassed over a five-year season are crappy for a good receiver in one year, let alone half a decade. One-day contracts are meant for Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, sure-fire Hall of Famers who are among the greatest at their positions. Robert Horry did not get a one-day contract from the Lakers, Spurs, or Rockets for his numerous clutch playoff shots. Dexter Jackson was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXVII for Tampa Bay, yet he's out of the NFL without a one-day contract. I understand the significance of the Helmet Catch, but I don't think it's grounds for something like a one-day contract, because if he hadn't been so lucky, no one would have known his name. One-day contracts are for established skill players. Sorry)

"What if the Braves or Pirates had scouted Willie Mays?"

That's right. Willie Mays could have been in the same outfield as either Hank Aaron or Roberto Clemente. Scary thought, eh? From James Hirsch's biography Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend:

Some scouts blew their chance for immortality simply because they couldn't judge talent. In 1949, a Pittsburgh Pirate scout... Piper Davis approached [Birmingham Black Barons' owner Tom Hayes] in a hotel lobby in New Orleans.

"Give us $2000 and you can have that kid," [Hayes] said.

"Nah," the scout said. "Even if he got him, we'd make a pitcher out of him"

Could you imagine that outfield? If I were the Pirates manager I would have put Mays in left center, Clemente in right center, and had the third outfielder stand behind second. That would easily be the best outfield in baseball, even with only two out there, and it would be as good or better than Aaron and Eddie Mathews batting-wise. Yikes.

The Boston Braves had an even better shot at The Say Hey Kid. One scout, Bill Maughn, absolutely loved Mays, but could not sign him until he graduated from school. He wrote to the Braves' front office "here is the best standout prospect available in the nation." After waiting a year for Willie to graduate school another scout was sent out, Mays went just 1-for-8 in a doubleheader, and no offer was ever made. As good as Mays and Clemente would have been, Mays and Aaron would have been better. That's 1415 home runs, 7054 hits, and 4200 runs batted in. That's 49 All-Star Game selections and 15 Gold Gloves. Along with Mathews in the lineup and Warren Spahn on the mound, that team would have been damn near unbeatable. The dogfights the Yankees and Braves would have had throughout the '50s would have been ridiculous. And Mays would have more than one World Series ring, while Aaron would have had his. Betcha that scout felt pretty damn stupid, eh?

What if Barry Bonds threw out Sid Bream?

It is one of the more famous baseball plays of the last twenty years. Bottom 9, 1992 NLCS Game 7. The Braves' Francisco Cabrera gets a basehit to left. The tying run scored, and charging around third was Sid Bream, who would score to win the game, and for the third consecutive year the division-winning Pirates were denied a trip to the World Series. But if Bream is out, then what happens? If the Pirates go to the World Series, Bonds and other starters might stay in Pittsburgh (between 1992 and '93 seven starters left). Bonds might not get into steroids, and as Bill Simmons' wrote a few years back, "retire with a respectable 550 home runs and go quietly into Cooperstown". The Pirates might have remained relevant for a few more years instead of being a laughingstock since that fateful night in Atlanta. (Random trivia question: What 25-year-old went 8-1 in 13 starts with a 2.15 ERA for the '92 Pirates? Tim Wakefield)

What if Roberto Clemente's plane was looked at closely?

In one of the most tragic sports stories ever, Roberto Clemente died on New Year's Eve 1972 when his plane crashed going to Nicaragua, with the intention of helping victims of an earthquake. Reading David Maraniss's Clemente, the DC-7 that Clemente boarded that day was in desperate need of engine replacement. A few weeks prior the pilot of the plane, Arthur Rivera, was told by an FAA officer that one was necessary, however the officer "did not issue a condition notice requiring that engine repairs be made before the next flight, instead marking 'satisfactory' and 'no further action required' on the FAA inspection forms." When recommended that he take a test run, there was one problem: Rivera did not know how to fly the plane. It was no wonder the plane went down. But what if that plane does not take off? From a baseball standpoint, Clemente already had 3000 hits (exactly), and at 37 he probably could have added a good 200-300 more. Today he is in the discussion for best ever all-around player. With the extra few years, there would be no doubt -- the best ever players would be Henry Aaron, William Mays, and Roberto Clemente.

Darrelle Revis Has More Leverage Than You, And He Knows It!

2010-08-05T08:55:00.004-04:00

Vegas oddsmakers start early in guessing who will win the Super Bowl. Perhaps too early. Because shortly after the Super Bowl the New York Jets were a 14-1 shot to lift the Lombardi Trophy this February, and as of May 3rd they were at 10-1. But there's an issue with these relatively high odds. Vegas included the fact that the league's best defensive player, Darrelle Revis, was actually going to play, instead of deciding to hold-out for what looks like to be a very long time. Revis wants to be the league's highest paid cornerback. The Jets do not want to pay him $17 million a year. Both sides have legitimate arguments, which is why little to no progress has been made since January. Ultimately, though, it is Revis who will win out and get what he wants, because he is the one with all the leverage. If the Jets want a shot at winning a title, they can't do it without him.

There is no denying Revis's importance. He makes the league's best receivers look insignificant. Last year he took on six of the best in the NFL, and none could survive the wrath of Revis Island:

Andre Johnson (best receiver in the game): 4 catches, 35 yards
Randy Moss* (one of the top 5-10 greatest receivers ever): 9 catches, 58 yards, TD
Marques Colston (should have been a Pro Bowler): 2 catches, 33 yards
Terrell Owens (still dominant when he wants to be): 3 catches, 13 yards
Mike Sims-Walker (sleeper WR of 2009): 3 catches, 49 yards, TD
Roddy White (Pro Bowler): 4 catches, 33 yards

*in 2 games

The fact that Revis was not Defensive Player of the Year was an aberration, even more so because another cornerback, Green Bay's Charles Woodson, won the award. He is the best corner in the league. And although New York also has Antonio Cromartie, who is a solid defensive back, he is probably more well known for his 109-yard return or his one-handed interception of three years ago. Or some of you might even get him mistaken with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a cornerback for Arizona. Yeah, he's made a Pro Bowl, but he is not the playmaker Revis is. Facing off against Moss and Wes Welker, knee problems or not, twice a season -- plus seeing the likes of Sidney Rice, Greg Jennings/Donald Driver, Calvin Johnson, and Andre Johnson -- Revis will be needed. He's too much of a difference maker for Gang Green to survive without him for a long period of time. Revis knows this. The Jets probably have more pressure on them to perform than any team this season. It will only be a matter of time before the front office has no choice but to give in and give Revis the money he wants. It could be any of a number of things: an injury, a slow start (Baltimore, New England, Miami to start the year), pressure from places unknown. In terms of importance, Revis Island has all the leverage.

Then there's the part where the Jets shoved a Shaq-sized foot deep in their own mouths. On Tuesday coach Rex Ryan told the Associated Press, "You're taking the best corner in the league out of your defense." The front office has repeatedly given Revis the same title. So basically the team is willing to call Revis the best at his position, but they won't give him the money that goes along with the accolades. Seems a little unfair to me. I can see where the Jets would be unwilling to pay him $17 million a year, which would be $1 million more than the Raiders' Nnamdi Asomugha, because that is extremely high (blame Al Davis for that, because the top cornerback would probably be around $10 million without that crazy old man). If Oakland wasn't paying that amount, this probably would not be an issue. But that is not the case. The best cornerback in the league deserves to be the highest paid cornerback in the league. The Jets themselves called Revis the best, so they should have acknowledged that they are willing to pay him the most. This is in a lot of ways their own fault. If they kept their mouths shut, or at the very least if general manager Mike Tannenbaum and his front office did, then they would have more leverage in this situation. Oops.

There's no telling when Darrelle Revis will agree to a contract. It could be tomorrow, it could be during the pre-season, it could be in Week 5. Who knows. However, the longer the Jets argue and fight over money with someone who has a lot more power than them, the more detrimental it will be to the team. And for a team who is expected to challenge Justin Beiber's wannabe and the Patriots for the AFC East title, abandoning Revis Island and letting receivers roam free will most certainly stall the Jets' engines.

Williams' Shoulders Just Got Heavier

2010-07-28T10:40:00.005-04:00

Ah, only a few days into training camp and already there is drama with deep, subtle meanings. Coming out of the Dallas Cowboys' camp, the topic on the surface is that of rookie hazing. Wide receiver Roy E. Williams told rookie wideout Dez Bryant to carry his pads, which Bryant refused to do. This led to a brief distraction, but ultimately the spat was resolved. With the problem behind the team now, there were strong implications made. And for Williams, they aren't good.

First, let's look at hazing. The event has been a long-standing tradition in sports, especially football. In Dallas alone the lineman are often given very attractive haircuts, and former coach Bill Parcells would make the rookies fetch him water during practice. Heck, on my high school baseball team the freshmen carried all the heavy equipment and then some, then when they could carry no more the sophomores would get the rest. It's just a part of sports. Now, if the required rituals could possibly cause injury, that's one thing. Athletes get hurt in stupid ways enough as is. But to make a player get water, do an embarrassing song-and-dance routine, or carry pads -- activities which only baseball players could find a way to get hurt -- the rookie should just suck it up and do it. Even tying players to the goalpost with toilet paper is fairly harmless. (Williams, by the way, said he will not ask Bryant to carry his pads. However, when the rookie pays for a team dinner, Williams threatened to be "a little more hungry and a little more thirsty.") The acts are harmless, it is not personal since it happens to every rookie, and it's a right of way. Bryant used the ignorance card and said he was unaware of the rituals, which might have come from the big man upstairs (Jerry Jones). It had to, considering that's a joke. Undoubtedly his high school and college teams made the freshmen do stuff just like everywhere else. Plus, he's friends with Deion Sanders, who was probably the Michael Jordan of hazing. To claim to be unaware of its existence in sports is a lie, and the fact of the matter is he should have carried the pads and gotten it over with. That was not the case here, though, as coach Wade Phillips publicly favored Bryant in this debate, saying:

"I don't believe we should need to initiate anybody. They need to come out and play football and be a part of the team... If [hazing] makes a guy uncomfortable, he shouldn't have to."

Here's where things could become cloudy for Williams. On the surface this could be a coach simply saying the right thing to protect his rookie wideout. After all, Bryant hasn't played in a game since September 19 of last year, and if he is more concerned with hazing than catching passes, it could be detrimental to a team that has been looking for a quality #2 receiver. But the far more likely case is that Phillips would choose Bryant over Williams, and therefore sided with the better player with far more potential. If it was Tony Romo, Jason Witten, or Miles Austin, all among the best at their respective positions, telling Bryant to carry their pads, I believe Phillips would have told Bryant to shut up and carry them. Williams, though, is not a star. Last year he only caught 38 passes and did not surpass 600 yards, while being credited with eight drops. In ten games the year before he only grabbed 19 balls for a shade under 200 yards. He has been an overwhelming disappointment in his time in the Big D, and most writers say they will be shocked if Williams, not Bryant, is the number two receiver by Week 1. Williams himself admits that Bryant is an amazing talent, saying, "The dude is scary. The dude is good and he doesn't even know it yet. Once the light bulb goes on he will probably be the best in the league. He's a man among boys." Even he knows it is only a matter of time before Bryant joins Austin as the starters, and soon becomes Romo's go-to guy.

This goes far beyond Phillips siding with Bryant over something as trivial as carrying pads. This is Phillips knowing that Bryant will soon surpass Williams on the depth chart, if he hasn't done so already, and is basically telling Williams that his place in the Cowboys organization is not as prized as he had thought. (Hmm.... doesn't that sound awfully familiar to another certain receiver who played for Dallas? One who just signed with the Bengals? Just thought it was worth mentioning.) Calling the 8th year man out of Texas an afterthought doesn't seem appropriate, since he hasn't made a significant impact on the field. I'm thinking he's a "never-thought", and soon enough him and his remaining 5-year/$45 million contract will be out of Dallas.

TO vs. the NFL

2010-07-19T11:29:00.008-04:00

"Why won't anyone sign me?"

The last kernel of popcorn might have popped for Terrell Eldorado Owens. As big a distraction as he is a playmaker, the free agent wide receiver has been looking for offers for months, with no success. And with voluntary and mandatory organized team activities a thing of the past and the start of training camp looming, it seems as though time is ticking for TO to sign with a team, learn the play book, and have an immediate positive impact. I, for one, cannot believe someone as good as Owens is still available. All of the things that have been labeled as "negative" cannot be blamed on Owens. It is everyone else's fault! Let's take a look-sie and find out just why teams aren't signing the star, and see where he will possibly end up this season. We start with 32 candidates:

Mediocre performance: Ok, sure, his stats have declined rapidly since 2007 (see below).

Year (Team)

Receptions

Yards

Touchdowns

2007 (Dallas)

81

1355

15

2008 (Dallas)

69

1052

10

2009 (Buffalo)

55

829

5

But it most certainly is not Owens's fault! Firstly, Bill Parcells obviously devised a complex, multi-year scheme to drive Owens out of Dallas. After his retirement in 2007, when asked what he learned from the Big Tuna, Owens stated quite frankly, "Nothing really." Infuriated, Parcells then called quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten and the following discussion took place:

BP: You hear TO's comments?

TR and JW (in unison): Yes, sir.

BP: How can that fool say he learned nothing from me? ME?! I'm Bill Parcells! I won a Super Bowl with freaking Phil Simms, and then another with Jeff Hostetler. I'm the guy who paid Scott Norwood to miss wide left! I mean, sure, he missed wide right, but it still did the trick. I even taught Bill Belichick how to ruin franchises! I'm pretty much a god, a combination of Vince Lombardi's mind, Johnny Depp's charm, and of course, Bill Parcells' striking good looks. Right fellas?

TR: Of course, sir, you are the greatest thing to ever happen to football.

JW: I agree with him.

BP: Good. Now, I brought you two here to get TO out of Dallas. As you know, he has a bit of an ego. So I was thinking let's boost up his ego in 2007. Tony, you will throw to him a lot. He'll get 12, maybe 1300 yards and he'll think he's the greatest thing to ever happen to Cowboys football. But then this is when my devious plan will begin. In 2008 you will not throw to him as much, and in the process you will spend all of your free time with Jason here so he gets mad. Got it?

TR: Yes, sir. Anything for you. But won't Wade Phillips notice?

BP: Are you stupid? That idiot thinks he's a good coach. Someone that dumb could not possibly catch on to my genius plan.

This plan was put into place, TO only caught ten TDs, and he was released in the off-season. The decline has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he is in his mid-30s and that he dropped 10 passed in '08. To think it was his performance that drove him out of Dallas is absurd. Just absurd. And because Parcells has connections around the league, teams are collectively turning against him. Eliminate: Dallas, Miami, New York Giants and Jets, New England... 27 candidates left.

From there he went to Buffalo. BUFFALO!!! He had Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing to him all season. Why don't you try catching their crap passes for a season and see if you can catch more than five touchdowns and more than 51 balls. Go ahead, I dare you. In fact, when you compare 36-year-old Owens' stats to those of other great receivers at that age, he's among the best!

Player (Team)	Catches	Yards	TDs
Owens	51	829	5
Jerry Rice (San Francisco)	82	1157	9
Tim Brown (Oakland)	81	930	2
Cris Carter (Minnesota)	73	871	6

The nine passes he dropped were not his fault. Maybe if his quarterbacks learned to throw a spiral he would have caught more. General managers have to take that into consideration before signing him. If you want results at receiver, you need a good quarterback. Sheesh. Take out all the teams with bad/inexperienced passers who don't respect TO's obvious greatness. Eliminate: Buffalo, Oakland, San Francisco, Denver, Cleveland, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Kansas City, Carolina, Pittsburgh (at least until Week 5 to 7), Detroit, St. Louis... 12 candidates left.

Then there was an interesting quote brought up by San Diego GM AJ Smith, who said "We're all set with wide receivers." Good point. I mean, after all their star receiver Vincent Jackson is suspended the first three games of the season, and then could sit out after that to get a new contract. And Malcolm Floyd, the number three receiver behind TE Antonio Gates, is pretty good (45 catches, 776 yards, 1 TD). You can't blame Owens because there are teams out there like the Chargers who have such a solid receiving corps. This is a pass-happy league now, so there are plenty of teams who are as set at receiver as San Diego. Plus, TO is a #1 receiver. Someone with his ability cannot possibly settle for a role as #2 on the depth charts. He simply won't fit on a team with an established go-to guy. Eliminate: San Diego, Green Bay, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Atlanta, Houston, Indianapolis... 4 teams left.

That leaves Baltimore, Cincinnati, Washington, and Seattle. Well he definitely cannot play for the Redskins because Donovan McNabb is the quarterback there now. McNabb is the baby who whined about a sports hernia while he was playing. Cry me a river Donovan. Everyone knows sports hernias are the mosquito bites of sports injuries. They're bothersome, and only little kids complain about them. Don't go blaming someone as tough as TO and driving him out of Philly. And for that matter, forget Cincy, too. Carson Palmer is not tough enough, either. He had to leave the 2005 AFC Wild-Card round on the team's first pass play because 300-lb lineman Kimo von Oelhoffen landed on his knee and tore his ACL, MCL, and the meniscus. A real man would have gotten up and kept throwing. How can someone as good as Owens possibly be expected to play with someone so weak? Plus, he watched Chad Ochocinco's new VH1 show "Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch" and thought to himself "Please, that's just a publicity stunt for an aging receiver. Now 'The T.O. Show', that has class." Eliminate: Washington, Cincinnati... 2 teams left.

So now there are two teams, and both seem good enough for TO to deem them worthy of his presence, right? WRONG. Drew Rosenhaus is his agent. He is loud, obnoxious, and teams hate dealing with the man. The NFLPA has investigated him for signing clients who already had other agents, however they found nothing concrete. It still doesn't change the fact that they dislike him. So what could they do? Sabotage, that's what. Kevin Mawae is the president of the Players' Association. Mawae was drafted by the Seahawks in 1994, and he performed well for them. He won't allow a player like TO, who is a "troublemaker" (psh) to "burden" the team. The powers that be won't let him go to Seattle, which leaves only Baltimore. But the problem with the Ravens is that their QB, Joe Flacco, went to Delaware. That's an FCS school, and a mediocre one at that. If you're going to attend an FCS school, at least go somewhere respectable, like per se, Tennessee-Chattanooga. Owens spent four years playing against FCS-quality opponents. He doesn't deserve to have FCS-quality quarterbacks throw to him. Eliminate: Seattle, Baltimore... 0 teams left.

So there you have it. No one is a candidate to sign TO. But just remember, it's not him, it's everyone else. Over the course of this post I figured out just why no one has signed him. No one is worthy, that's why. Terrell Owens is too good for their deceitful or mediocre ways. He needs a real team, one that will put up with his rambunctious ways. One that will encourage this, and at the same time give him plenty of that. Let the bidding begin, and the waiting to continue.

'Twas the Night of The Decision

2010-07-09T09:35:00.006-04:00

'Twas the night of The Decision, when all through the bar
Not a creature was stirring, they were waiting for their star.
The jerseys were worn as people gathered in prayer,
In hopes that LeBron James would soon return there.

The Clevelandites were nestled all snug on their stools,
While visions of championships came, Oh what fools.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, her son in his cap,
Had just turned the tube to the King's big trap.

Out in the city there awaited such a clatter,
If James went elsewhere, windows would shatter.
Outside to join them he would fly like a flash,
To tear open garbage and throw up the trash.

The moon on the breast of the down-trodden town,
Gave the lustre to the James poster on the arena down.
When, what to his wondering eyes should appear,
LeBron on TV, what's there to hear?

With a jig in his step, so lively and quick,
The boy knew in a moment it wasn't a trick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers he came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called Miami by name!

After all this time he made his decision,
It was harsher than anything the boy could ever envision!

He was going to South Beach to play basketball,
Telling Cleveland "F--- you! F--- you! F--- you all!"

As reality set in things started to fly,
People meet with the police, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the boxes full of jerseys, matches and gasoline too.

And then, in a twinkling, the boy heard on the news
That owner Dan Gilbert was blowing his fuse.
As he drew in his head, and was turning around,
Gilbert and his letter came with a bound.

On the Cavaliers' website the tirade was put,
As those jerseys became nothing but ashes and soot.
A bundle of grievances he had on his back,
And he looked like a looney, ready to crack.

His words how they twinkled! his promises how merry!
The "self-titled former King" fired Coach Brown and Danny Ferry,
But now he's leaving in a "narcissistic" decision,
And thus the thrashing began with quaint precision.

"A heartless and callous action" the bastard lied through his teeth!
And the backlash it encircled James' head like a wreath.
"A shameful display of selfishness and betrayal"

Enemy number one is LeBron's new portrayal.

Gilbert was joyous and determined, a right jolly old elf,
But I laughed when I heard him, in spite of myself!
A title before the Heat! a promise! he said,
With Shaq and Antawn Jamison, I foresee losing instead.

He was talking crazy, while Miami went straight to work,
They had Wade, Bosh, and now LeBron, Pat Riley you jerk!
The King basically laid his finger on the side of his nose,
And with regards to Cleveland, the middle finger it rose!

James fled to the South, to the Cavs gave a whistle,
And away he went, the city recovering from the missile.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Cleveland you're f---ed on this very night!"

Some More of the Same

2010-07-07T09:55:00.008-04:00

The pieces are beginning to fall in the NBA. The Heat are the big winners thus far, as they re-signed Dwyane Wade and added Chris Bosh. Dallas and Atlanta kept their stars in Dirk Nowitzki and Joe Johnson, respectively, so while they didn't improve, they didn't get worse either. And on Thursday night, LeBron James will announce where he's headed. With the amount of coverage it's going to get you would think the president, pope, and Jesus would be there. That will essentially determine the future of many NBA teams. There is the potential that Cleveland becomes a bottom-feeder once again, that New Jersey continues to be a bad team, that Miami could go on superstar overload, or that Chicago could become the best team in the league.

And then there are the Knicks. Oh, the Knicks. For two years they cleared cap space, got rid of talent, did everything short of scoring points for the other team (though Nate Robinson tried his best in that department), all in an effort to get the King. Now with each day I find it harder and harder to believe James will sign with New York, and times are getting desperate. They have $33 million in cap space for this season, and they plan on spending it whether the player is deserving of the money or not. Enter Amar'e Stoudemire, who signed a 5-year, $100 million contract on Sunday. In response to his signing, Stoudemire told reporters "The Knicks are back." Back to what? Sucking? Because this move did absolutely nothing to improve their team. It had to be done because if they didn't land a big-name free agent, there's a 99% chance no one would show up to Madison Square Garden next season, except for Spike Lee, of course. But in terms of basketball, this is just another desperate move that will end in more futility. Does this seem a little familiar?

There's no questioning that Stoudemire is an offensive force to be reckoned with. He has been called one of the most ferocious dunkers in the league. He averaged 23 points last year, and for his career averages 21. But the Knickerbockers don't need an improvement on offense. They were tenth in the league in scoring. Plus, his 23 points isn't that much of an improvement over the 20 points David Lee averaged. To go along with those 20 points, Lee grabbed nearly 12 rebounds a game. His 52 double-doubles were fourth in the league, behind only Dwight Howard, Zach Randolph, and Carlos Boozer. Stoudemire, meanwhile, had only 31 double-doubles, and in the postseason averaged only 6.6 boards a game. He reached double digits in rebounds only three times, and in Games 5 and 6 of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers he grabbed four boards. That's a pathetic number for a 6-10 power forward. He might occasionally go off for 40 points, and 20 points are pretty guaranteed every night, but then again, Lee is one of the most consistent centers in the league, and a double-double is all but assured. That consistency may not be sexy, but it's still pretty darn good. And look at how Stoudemire got a lot of those points. He would set a screen for 2-time MVP Steve Nash, roll to the basket, get a nice no-look pass, and have an easy dunk. He had the luxury of playing with a Top-3 point guard who averaged 10 assists a game. The Knicks' leading assist man was the now-departed Chris Duhon, who had a mere 5.6 dimes per game. Stoudemire is downgrading by monumental amounts in terms of the skill around him, and now has no one to get the ball from. Hmmm...

Then there is the whole defensive debacle. Stoudemire plays none. Had he played even a little defense, he would have been on the floor when Ron Artest hit his game-winner in Game 5 of the Conference Finals, instead of on the bench. That's right, a proclaimed superstar player in a superstar moment in the team's biggest game of the season, and he's sitting on the bench because he is a defensive liability. New York gave up 106 points a game last year, good for third-worst in the league.

So let's recap: He's not improving their defense (though Lee is just as bad a defender as him, but at least he rebounds), and he's not really improving the offense. For those of you keeping score at home, Stoudemire and Lee are about the same offensively and defensively, and Lee rebounds much better. And I didn't even mention that Lee is a better free throw shooter (81% to Amar'e's 77%), and has a better assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6 compared to Stoudemire's 0.4). Oh, and he did all this without another offensive force or decent point guard. Amar'e had Nash to give him the ball all the time. Now there is no one who is even mediocre, let alone talented, to give him the basketball. How will he score? He's on pace to become just another overpaid player, and replacing David Lee in favor of him seems pretty stupid from a basketball standpoint. It's not as bad as some of the other overpaid players president James Dolan has allowed to come in (like Eddy Curry, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, Malik Rose, Jalen Rose, Jerome Williams, and Renaldo Balkman, to name a few), but I foresee more criticism in the coming years as the Knicks do not return to their former glory of the early '70s, or even the semi-success of the Patrick Ewing Era. The team with a winning percentage of .378 since 2003 seems much more likely.

I just spent three paragraphs explaining why David Lee is a better fit for the Knicks than Amar'e. That being said, I can understand why the Knicks needed to sign him. LeBron has been the goal for over two years. That seems more and more like a mere fantasy now, though they are still in the running. Plan B was to get Stoudemire along with Joe Johnson. Well Johnson is no longer available either. That doesn't leave many superstars to go after. Reports say that they are in talks with Carlos Boozer, but that could be quite possibly the dumbest move ever. Having two power forwards, neither big enough to play center, both demanding the ball? That would be a horrible competition, worse than the Redskins signing Brian Westbrook, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker at running back, worse than the Broncos having Kyle Orton, trading for Brady Quinn, and drafting Tim Tebow at quarterback. I cannot see any conceivable way as to how that would work out for the better in the long run. If they had a Nash or a Chris Paul running the point it would be different, but right now the best New York has is Eddie House, who is a role player at best. That would be detrimental.

It's desperation time in New York. They've been telling fans to suffer through these hard times, because there is a bright future. THE LeBron James is coming! Well the time has finally come, and it looks as though King James could be going elsewhere. If I were a Knick fan I would be irate after putting up with lackluster basketball, then not getting James. Stoudemire at least provides some star power, and next year they can go whole-hog after Carmelo Anthony. But that is only a temporary solution. Eventually results will be expected, and when they don't come, problems will arise that will remind Dolan of the Isiah Thomas ordeal. If this isn't the end of James Dolan, it could at least be the beginning of the end for general manager Donnie Walsh. Everything is riding on James' announcement Thursday night. For someone who thinks there's no chance he signs with New York, I say RIP to the next 5 years in the Big Apple. But by now fans have got to be used to it. And for those who are nostalgic, here you go. I hope you enjoy.

Now I Find Them (Bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum) Simply Irreplaceable

2010-06-29T08:42:00.018-04:00

The injury bug is beginning to make its presence felt in Major League Baseball. In May the game's best clutch hitter in Los Angeles' Andre Ethier broke his pinkie. Before the injury he was hitting .392, and since he's hit a lowly .235. For awhile the bug went away, but this weekend it came back with a vengeance, and it took all of its pent-up anger out on the Boston Red Sox. Clay Buchholz will miss his next scheduled start with a strained left hamstring. Victor Martinez broke his thumb Sunday and was placed on the 15-day disabled list (hey, at least his bone wasn't sticking out of the thumb, unlike yours truly). But the biggest blow came Friday, when Dustin Pedroia hit a foul ball off his foot, breaking it. He'll miss six weeks. He is the one player the Sox cannot afford to lose right now, what with Boston being in a heated three-way battle for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox lost their most valuable player, so who can the other 29 teams ill afford to lose? I went team-by-team and picked one player from each whom I deem worthy of being given the title of "Simply Irreplaceable", my crappy spin of Robert Palmer's awesome '80s song. They may not be the most talented player, but they are most certainly the heart-and-soul. That being said, I was cautious to choose a pitcher, because they can only make an impact once every five games, and relievers typically are average at best. On to the results!

Arizona: Brandon Webb -- He became a star two years ago, winning the NL Cy Young and leading the D'Backs to an 82-80 record. Then he got hurt Opening Day last year and hasn't pitched since. The Diamondbacks are at the bottom of the NL West without their ace, and all of their players are strikingly similar stats-wise, to the point that none are bad, but none stand out as irreplaceable. No one, however, has stepped up and taken the place of Webb as team ace, and the results have been poor.

Atlanta: Martin Prado -- Second basemen are not supposed to hit for power. Chase Utley and Dan Uggla were seemingly the exceptions to this, but now Prado has joined his NL East compadres. He is the complete package. He is on his way to a 20-HR season, leads the Braves with a .331 average and 54 runs scored, and is among the league leaders in fielding. With Chipper Jones on the decline, Nate McLouth being an incredible disappointment, and only two teammates hitting above .300, Prado has been a key contributor in the fact that Atlanta is in first place.

Baltimore: Nick Markakis -- No one on this team is valuable or irreplaceable. Every year I jokingly pick one team to be relegated to the minor leagues. It was the Royals from 2004-07, the Nationals in 2008, and the Pirates last year. This year it is the Orioles' turn. They are well on their way to 100 losses, and could hit 110 if they tried hard enough. I chose Markakis because he is the only one that would start no matter what team he played for. His is hitting .306, but he is incredibly patient at the plate, with 44 walks drawn. This ability to get on base, so the Orioles can actually score runs and give themselves a lead before the bullpen blows it, gives Markakis this prestigious honor.

Boston: Dustin Pedroia -- He isn't the most talented player. But the 2008 AL MVP is the epitome of hard work. Saying he's "Tough as nails" doesn't do him justice. He's listed as 5'9", is more like 5'7, but plays like a giant. Before his injury he was starting to heat up, with a .374 average in June. His hustle and passion is impossible to ignore, and his teammates feed off it. Defensively, there are few better in the game at second base. There will be a huge hole missing for the next six weeks. ESPN's Buster Olney considered him one of the 15 most valuable players in all of baseball.

(NOTE: If you have ESPN Insider you can see all of his most valuable players here, or you can see 30 of them here for free. Unless you really want to send me money, which I would not at all be opposed to.)

Chicago (NL): Ryan Theriot -- For a shortstop, his .283 average is pretty good. He is above average defensively, doesn't have the lethargy of Alfonso Soriano, and can steal bases. According to fangraphs.com, he was worth over $10 million between 2008 and 2009. He made $5.2 million. He may not hit for power, but power is never expected out of a shortstop. He's not the most well-known Cub, but he's a huge part of the team.

Chicago (AL): Carlos Quentin -- In 2008 the ChiSox were in contention in the AL Central, and Quentin was among the AL MVP candidates with 36 homers and 100 RBI. Then he got hurt and missed all of September, as the White Sox quietly went down in the ALDS. He missed most of last year and the team finished with a losing record. This year he started incredibly slowly. On June 13 he was hitting .201 with 7 HRs. The team was 28-34. Then they went on to win 11 in a row before losing twice, and it is no coincidence that Quentin raised his average to .233 and hit 6 more homers. His presence in the lineup means more runs for Ozzie Guillen's crew.

Cincinnati: Brandon Phillips -- This is a very balanced group. Five of eight starters (minus pitcher) hit at least .279, and seven players have at least 59 hits. Ultimately I had to choose one, though, and I chose Brandon Phillips. I figured no one expected Scott Rolen to have the season he's having (.301, 17 HR, 53 RBI), and Joey Votto is not as valuable as Phillips. A Gold Glove second baseman, Phillips can do it offensively and defensively. He has hit 30 home runs in a season, is walking more and striking out less, and can steal bases. The Reds are competing for the division title this year, and it starts at the top with their newfound leadoff man, Phillips.

Cleveland: Shin-Soo Choo -- Leads an awful Indians squad in average, hits, home runs, runs batted in, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and runs scored. I don't want to know how horrific the team would be without him.

Colorado: Ubaldo Jimenez -- The 26-year-old is 14-1 and has a 1.83 earned run average. The season isn't even halfway done, and he is already at 14 wins. Are you kidding me? He threw a no-hitter, and in his last start had another one going for six innings. He is easily the favorite to win the NL Cy Young right now. And all of this for just $1.25 million. I think I see a raise in his future.

Detroit: Miguel Cabrera -- He leads the team (by a wide margin, mind you) in average (.335), homers (20), RBI (66), on-base percentage (.412), hits (93), and runs scored (56). He's my AL MVP for the first half of the year. He brings the offense from a mediocre one to a somewhat above-average one. Justin Verlander was a close second, but again, the whole pitcher thing.

Florida: Josh Johnson -- He is 8-3 with an ERA of 1.83 and a walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) of 0.93. His streak of eight starts without allowing more than one earned run was snapped in his last start, a streak that has been seen eight times since 1900. Folks, that is more rare than a perfect game. It hasn't been seen since Bob Gibson had a streak of 11 straight starts in 1968, when his ERA was 1.12. How this kid isn't getting more attention is beyond me. I think he's a better pitcher than Ubaldo Jimenez, but Jimenez has 14 wins to Johnson's 8, so he's the Cy Young winner as of right now.

Houston: Roy Oswalt -- Again, this team has no players that are superstars. Lance Berkman is way past his prime, Carlos Lee is having a bad year (.238 average), and the only position player I considered, Michael Bourn, has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 58:30. Not good for a leadoff hitter. And I can state with absolute certainty that Oswalt is the best 5-10 pitcher in baseball. He record is not representative of how he has pitched. He has an ERA of 3.55, which is up from what it was a month ago. His WHIP is 1.13, and he's struck out 97 batters while walking only 29. The Astros have the worst offense in baseball, which makes their pitching staff look a lot worse than it actually is.

Kansas City: Billy Butler -- Zack Greinke is the most talented and most recognizable Royal. However, when he won the Cy Young last year, the Royals finished in last place at 65-97. This year he is 3-8, and KC is on pace for about 88 losses, so him being electric is fairly insignificant. Butler, however, is the fuel that gets this offense going. He is the only 30 HR, 100 RBI threat. If he doesn't hit, then the Royals have a ton more trouble scoring runs.

Los Angeles of Anaheim: Torii Hunter -- Complete player. Great fielder. Good power and average. Leads the team in average, RBIs, and extra base hits. Will occasionally steal a base here and there. He mans the outfield, he has the experience and the leadership to get the Angels yet another division title.

Los Angeles: Andre Ethier -- Before his injury he was hitting .380 with 11 homers and 38 runs batted in, all among the league leaders. His ability to hit in the clutch is something we haven't seen since David Ortiz in 2004. In his five seasons he has eleven walk-off hits, including six homers. In 2009 alone he had six walk-off hits, and he hit a walk-off grand slam this May against Milwaukee. This talent combined with the ability to come up big in the clutch is something the Dodgers need if they plan on winning the division and going far in the postseason.

Milwaukee: Corey Hart -- Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are the meat and potatoes of the Brewers offense. Hart is the cook. He is the first Brewer to have two consecutive 20 home run, 20 steal seasons. He is a more complete player than Fielder and Braun, because of his ability to steal, hit for power (he currently leads the team in homers and runs batted in, and slugging percentage), contact (he is a lifetime .275 hitter), and be an above average fielder (8th among right fielders in range). Fielder and Braun have established themselves as good hitters. However, both are huge liabilities defensively, with a combined 79 errors in 9 seasons of work. That was ultimately the deciding factor.

Minnesota: Joe Mauer -- He is one of the best catchers baseball has seen in a long time. He can hit for contact ridiculously well, and puts up decent power numbers. The leadership he and Justin Morneau bring to the team is invaluable. For the front office, he is a Minnesota guy who just signed a long-term deal with the Twins, so he'll be around for a while.

New York (NL): The bullpen -- Remember the epic collapses that happened in Queens in '07 and '08? A large reason for those choke jobs were because the bullpen blew leads. Over those two years the pen allowed 4.52 runs per game and only converted 64% of save opportunities. This year Mets relievers are allowing only 3.95 runs per game and converting 70% of save chances. In a stunning correlation, the team is ten games over .500 and are nipping at the heels of Atlanta for first place. The bullpen cannot blow leads again.

New York (AL): Derek Jeter -- Alex Rodriguez is the most naturally gifted, but up until last year has been less than amazing in the postseason. Mark Teixeira is struggling mightily this season for a player of his caliber (.229 average, 13 homers, 48 runs batted in), yet the Yankees still have the best record in baseball. No one expected 10 wins from Phil Hughes, a .359 average from Robinson Cano and a career year from 38-year-old Andy Pettitte. The most irreplaceable, for now, is their captain. Jeter is second on the team in hits and total bases, and his leadership is undeniable. You have to have respect for Derek Jeter. The man knows how to win and come up big at the perfect moment. Even now, at 36, he is still one helluva ballplayer that Joe Girardi cannot afford to lose. Also, anyone who can bag Minka Kelly is okay in my book.

Oakland: Ryan Sweeney -- Is tied for the team lead in runs scored with 34, and is a very average hitter. But then again so is everyone on the Athletics. This is a team that is 25th in runs batted in, so they have to have good defense. Enter Sweeney, who has not made an error this season, and has committed only four in his five seasons. His defensive presence alone is key for this struggling team.

Philadelphia: Chase Utley -- Through 15 games Utley hit .339 and the Phils started 10-5. Then his average dipped to .275, and Philly went to 12-10. By May 15, he raised it back up to .315 and the team was at 22-13. Then his huge slump began, and on June 13 it was at .256. The Phillies were back around .500 and quickly falling in the NL East as their usually explosive offense went Arctic cold. The team goes as Utley goes. Howard strikes out too much to be that irreplaceable, plus Utley, Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez are all capable of having great power.

Pittsburgh: Andrew McCutchen -- Here's the Pirates' situation. Pitching: 29th in ERA, 27th in strikeouts, 22nd in saves, and 30th (dead last) in WHIP. Hitting: 29th in hits and batting average, 28th in home runs hit, and dead last in runs batted in. In short, the Pirates suck. But not their young, electric centerfielder, who is batting a respectable .299 with 48 runs scored. If he didn't play in Pittsburgh, he would be more well-known. He is one of few bright spots in what is quite possibly the worst run organization in all of sports.

San Diego: Adrian Gonzalez -- Following in the footsteps of Choo and Cabrera, Gonzalez leads the Padres in every major offensive category. He is the heart and soul of the offense that without him is nothing (He has 16 homers, no one else has more than 8. He has 50 RBI, 18 more than the next closest Padre). He's a top-10 fielder at first base. No close second here.

San Francisco: Tim Lincecum -- In a tight NL West, a great Linecum means the Giants are in first place. However, that hasn't been the case this year, and because of it the Giants are in third. He may have an 8-3 record, but his 1.25 WHIP is nothing to brag about. The 2-time Cy Young winner has been very solid, but San Fran needs more than that from him in order to win the division. When he's at his best, there are few who can compete with The Freak.

Seattle: Ichiro Suzuki -- The man had made the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove every year since he entered the majors in 2001. I thought the Mariners would be good. They are not. Ichiro, however, is his usual self, manning right field masterfully and hitting .333. For a team that has a worse offense than the Pirates, he is the only good hitter. And for a team that is pretty terrible in general, he is the only good player.

St. Louis: Albert Pujols -- This was the most obvious choice. In terms of being a five-tool player, perhaps only Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente will be better than The Machine when his career is over. Any bad pitch will be hit to the moon. Any mental mistake will turn into an extra base. Any ball hit to first will be gobbled up. He's a lifetime .333 hitter, and is well on his way to 600+, 700+, and maybe, just maybe, 763 home runs.

Tampa Bay: Evan Longoria -- Leads the team in hits, total bases, doubles, and RBIs, and is second in average. Has a Gold Glove at third base. He'll be an MVP candidate every year for the next decade. Why him over someone else? Carlos Pena has been dreadful this year, with a .201 average, yet the Rays got off to a fast start and are battling for first in the AL East. Ben Zobrist seemed like a surprise pick, considering his WAR (a confusing stat that stands for "Wins Above Replacement" and measures how many wins per season a player is worth compared to an average player) is one of the best in baseball. However, looking at how Longoria called out BJ Upton for not hustling after a fly ball put him over the top. That leadership is what the Rays need, and it's good that someone with Longoria's talent stepped up.

Texas: Colby Lewis -- Easily my most controversial pick, but hear me out. Everyone knows Texas can hit the crap out of the ball. They have every year for the past decade. But their downfall has always been their inability to have an ace pitcher. Lewis could step into that role. At 7-5, he is having a solid season, but his 1.05 WHIP is 4th in the American League. If he can keep this up and become the ace Texas has been looking for, it might be enough to push the Rangers into the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Toronto: Vernon Wells -- This one was tough, because the Blue Jays get a fairly balanced effort. However, it has to be noted when Wells hits above .280 and has more than 20 homers (it happened in '02, '03, '06, '08, and now this year) the Jays have always finished with a winning record. When he has an off year (67 RBIs in '04, .269 average in '05, .245 in '07, .260 with 15 HRs last year), Toronto is not very good.

Washington: Stephen Strasburg -- Yes, he's only made five starts in his career. Yes, his offense has let him down, which is why he's 2-2 and not 3-1. But in terms of talent, managers and analysts are already calling the rookie phenom one of the best pitchers in the National League. In five starts he's struck out 48 batters, compared to only 7 walks, with an earned run average of 2.27. He's the real deal, and the only pitcher that I considered a no-brainer for this list. And in terms of PR, he's gold to the lowly Nationals. No one cares about the team, so no one goes to the games. But Strasburg is a different story. He is a revenue machine, as people scramble to get tickets and merchandise when #37 is involved. He will be the face of the franchise until his contract expires at the end of 2013, when he goes to the Red Sox or Yankees for a 6-year, $200 million deal.

Greetings From the Near Future

2010-06-23T19:50:00.010-04:00

I want YOU to stop pledging your fake allegiances!

Hello there. I am writing this from the future. Not like The Jetsons or Futurama future. I'm writing from July 12, 2010. Yesterday was the final of the World Cup, once again ending sports' largest spectacle until 2014. I'm not here to tell you how amazing the final was, and I won't tell you who won (I don't want to spoil it for you all). I am here merely to forewarn you about the nationalistic feelings stirring about now. I know right now you are all still crushed by Team USA's 2-1 extra time loss to Ghana in the Round of 16 in the World Cup. But don't worry, by now you've moved on to the next big thing, and once again, like usual, no one in America gives a crap about soccer.

I know, right now this may seem unusual to you. After all, you probably already went out and bought your awesome, beauty-pageant looking Landon Donovan jersey after his goal in stoppage time to beat Algeria. And after four games, you might even be able to name more than five players on the roster (well, let's see... Donovan... Jozy Altidore... Tim Howard... Clint Dempsey... Bob Bradley. Or is that the coach? Wait, no, that's Bruce Arenas. Ah, got it. Bob Bradley is the coach, and Shawn Bradley is the awesome seven-foot, six-inch mid-fielder who wins all the headers. That's right, isn't it?) By now you are a soccer buff. You bleed red, white, and blue. Those gentlemen left their hearts out there on the pitch, and for that you appreciate and respect them.

Oh how I laugh.

Sure, you enjoyed watching the games and rooting for your country, but it is by no means a life or death situation. We aren't in France, where FIFA threatened to ban Les Bleus from international competition if the French government intervenes in the mutiny debacle that broke out in the Group Stage. We aren't England, where riots break out during games on a somewhat consistent basis. And we are not Brazil, the only country in the world where every match in every tournament and friendly every year is expected to be a win. Not a draw, and certainly not a loss. A win.

This is no different than hockey and the Olympics. For a couple days we got hockey craze because the US beat Canada, then everyone watched the gold medal game, again versus our friendly neighbors to the north. When Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner in overtime for Canada, Americans were crushed. People actually cared about hockey. Then three days later hockey highlights were back to their usual place, squeezed into the last five minutes of SportsCenter. The World Cup is no different. No one will care about the international friendlies starting in October, or the qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, or any other tournament the US will participate in.

Sorry if I'm being Mr. Negativity here, but it's the truth. Here's my theory on the situation: The US needs to prove it's strength in everything. It has to be the best. USA soccer historically has been dreadful. Now that the team is halfway decent when it plays to full potential (i.e. not giving up goals within the first five minutes of a game), Americans jump on the bandwagon not because they care about soccer. If they did, every match would be a big deal, no matter how insignificant it is. They board it because it is yet another opportunity to flex the United States' muscles to the world to prove that, yes, America freaking rocks. Can we please stop hearing about how soccer is on the verge of being as big as football, baseball, and basketball in this country? Face it. It's not happening. Other countries have the same problem. People in Europe like American football. But it will never, ever, come close to being as big as soccer. But unlike in the US, they don't have a bunch of phonies who pretend once every couple of years they looooove football, only to go on dismissing it when games end. They are too busy chanting "Ole, ole, ole, ole" at English Premier League matches to do so.

There are a ton of headlines here on this July 12th. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the other superstar NBA free agents have signed contracts with new teams (or have they???). The 139th Open Championship will be played at St. Andrew's, a course topped in history and beauty by perhaps only Augusta National. Tiger Woods won the last two times it was played at St. Andrews, so of course that's all ESPN is talking about. Baseball has its typical coverage, seeing as no other pro sports are in season. But no one is talking about USA soccer. No one cares anymore. There is a new World Cup champion. Woo-hoo. I love the idea that the country comes together as one for the World Cup. It's a pretty mutual bond between Americans. But get over it, people. You don't care about soccer. Please stop acting like you are die-hard fans. You aren't.

Bzzzzing Excuses

2010-06-15T19:00:00.005-04:00

Bzzzzz......

Thus far the World Cup has been pretty entertaining all around. But that doesn't mean it is free from my wrath of issues. Soccer may be the world's game, but I'm sorry. The world's game is full of whiny babies. I'm upset that no one in the media has formally called out the players for their seemingly endless bag of excuses as to why they can't score or play poorly.

Shut up.

We'll start with the ball. Much balley-hooed even before the tournament started, the Adidas Jabulani soccer ball has been criticized by coaches and players alike. The players cannot grip the ball. It is too light so shots sail above the goal easily. The ball travels too quickly, so even touch passes are hard to handle. Goals are nearly impossible to score. Yet, in what is undoubtedly the most ironic thing since the indestructible Titanic sank on its maiden voyage, the goalies -- and everyone in England -- complain that goals are scored too easily (see: Green, Robert) because of the speed of shots. How it's possible that goals are too hard to come by and scored too easily at the same time is beyond me.

Bzzzzzzzzz...

Admittedly, the players' arguments appear to be legitimate. Through 13 games there have been six ties, all of which were either scoreless or 1-1, and six games have seen one or no goals. At this rate it will be the lowest scoring World Cup ever. However, isn't this argument a bit of a scapegoat for the players? These players are the best in the world, and I don't think it is outside their expertise to adjust to a ball. To complain that they can't score because of the ball is like a baseball player complaining they can't field due to bad bounces. I played 4 years of high school baseball with a 6-inch lip and rocks at 3rd base, and I couldn't say anything if the ball took a bad hop. Do away with the excuses, shut up, and deal with it. Watching the Argentina-Nigeria game, I can explain exactly why the score was only 1-0, and the Jabulani had nothing to do with it. The reason "La Albiceleste" (White and Sky Blue) only scored once was because Nigerian keeper Vincent Enyeama played out of his mind and made at least three sick saves. Lionel Messi alone was robbed of at least two scoring opportunities. Nigeria, meanwhile only put one shot on net in eleven tries. And all ten missed by at least 15-feet. You cannot and will not convince me that the ball made a 15-foot difference in the shot's flight path. But that's okay. These players are fragile. Of course it is not their faults they can't find ways to score. So let's blame the ball.

Bzzzzzz...

But it's not just the balls that are causing issues for the players. It's those damn vuvuzelas. In case you haven't heard -- and judging by the amount of noise the vuvuzelas cause, you probably physically can't hear -- vuvuzelas are the talk of the tournament thus far. It is a plastic blowhorn commonly blown during soccer matches by South Africans. But the problem is that the fans are blowing them before the game. And during the national anthems. And during the games. And during time-outs. And after the game. Incessantly all anyone ever hears is the "Bzzzzzz" of the vuvuzela. Reportedly they peak at 127 decibels. A sound becomes harmful to human ears at 125 decibels. The noise that sounds like a swarm of angry bees is so loud that ESPN had to actually mix the sound so the noise won't drown out the announcers and the action on the field. The reaction around the soccer world is a bit extreme.

Players hate the things. The French actually went as far as to say the reason Les Bleus tied Uruguay nil-nil last Friday was because they couldn't hear each other, and therefore could not execute. Again with the excuses. Every team has had to deal with the noise, so to say only one team's performance is being affected is ludicrous. Fans say they miss the chants and songs so popularly performed during games. I hope they realize this is very much a European tradition, and the World Cup is in South Africa, which last time I checked was 5000 miles away from Europe. And the spoiled, precious Americans don't like the noise from their television sets. (At least the South Africans are wildly passionate about a sport, instead of spending $40 to sit there and check your BlackBerry every fifteen seconds. I went to a Red Sox game a few weeks ago and this woman was there with her boyfriend. Over the course of the game she went on FaceBook at least ten times and at one point sent a picture of her lapdog to everyone in her contact list. Good use of Sox tickets. Not to mention we American fans vomit on cops' 9-year-old daughters and get tasered). Wisely, FIFA has said they will not ban the plastic noisemakers because it is a part of South African culture. I completely agree with their decision. Taking away the vuvuzelas, which represent the hollowed out animal horns used by African tribes to communicate with one another, is taking away a part of the African culture. The only outrage with them is that they cost $1 to make, and are sold for $10-12. See America, you have contributed to the World Cup. , Your greedy ways have leaked into Africa. Let the South Africans have their contribution, the vuvuzela.

I've always believed that soccer players were the softest athletes there are. After all, if they get touched they act like they've been shot. Sometimes they don't even have to have been hit to flop. This year's World Cup is only enhancing this belief, because it seems it is everyone and everything else's fault for the lack of scoring and, at times, poor play. Don't get me wrong, this is going to remain a very exciting month for sports. I just wish they would shut up and play the game. Even over the Bzzzzzzzz-ing.

A Whole New World

2010-06-10T16:14:00.004-04:00

I hope you aren't too enamored with the last decade, because it's all about to change. First off, it was announced that filming for The Hangover 2 will start in October, joining Anchorman 2 and Zoolander 2 to the list of comedies that shouldn't get sequels, but are nonetheless. I will most certainly watch all three, but will probably not find any of them funny, considering prior comedic sequels have bombed miserably (notably Major League 2, Major League: Back to the Minors, Caddyshack 2, Slap Shot 2, Dumb and Dumberer, and anything National Lampoon has done in the last fifteen years). But secondly -- and much, much more problematic -- is how we've seen the end of college football as we know it. In a span of three days the nation's second-strongest conference has begun its seemingly inevitable demise, two others are ready to start super-conferences, and the most dominant team of the last decade has been erased from the record books, with a long and dark future ahead of them. At this rate, it's not a matter how much the landscape of the sport will change. It is quite clear the change will be drastic and of massive proportions. The question to eventually look at will be: who is the new power in football?

We'll start with the downfall of the Big 12. Remember two years ago, when Oklahoma played for the national title, while Texas and Texas Tech were right at their heels, vying for a shot at a championship? Oh, how money makes those memories fade away. Because now, the Big 12 is becoming an auction, and everyone in the neighborhood is placing a bid for the items. For weeks there was speculation as to what teams would go where. The Pac-10 was rumored to be reaching out to Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M, with Colorado and Baylor vying for the sixth invitation. The Big Ten, with an abundance of teams from the Big 12, ACC, Big East, and Notre Dame to consider, was leaning towards inviting Nebraska and Missouri, who were given an ultimatum by Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe with a Friday deadline. Wednesday night there were rumors flying that Nebraska was going to depart for the Big Ten, but nothing "official" has been stated by the university. But at this rate it would be far more shocking if the Huskers didn't leave the conference. Then on Thursday morning Colorado became the first team to officially show their hand, announcing they were leaving for the Pac-10. So there's two teams gone. One anonymous coach in the conference said that Nebraska was the key, and if they left, the Big 12 would crumble. That same coach also believes the five previously mentioned teams will join Colorado in their venture west to the Pac-10. Seven teams: good as gone.

Assuming Missouri leaves for the Big Ten with Nebraska, that leaves Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, and Kansas State. Those four schools have good football traditions, with a combined 436 seasons, but a very noticeable number of national championships: zero. The other eight schools? A combined 907 years of football, and eighteen national titles, including sixteen between Oklahoma (7), Nebraska (5), and Texas (4). Even if the Big 12 were to raid a mid-major conference like the Sun Belt, MAC, or Conference USA, much like the Big East did with Conference USA in 2005, it would not be enough to keep the conference alive. There would be no star power, no team good enough next year to pull off a BCS win like West Virginia did in '05, probably saving the Big East from going defunct (for now...). This would essentially become a big name mid-major, one certainly not worthy of an automatic BCS bid. Michael Crabtree's magical last-second scamper to beat Texas seems like light years ago, eh?

To sum it up in short, when all is said is done, the Big 12 will be left in shambles. But for the Big Ten and Pac-10, it means the beginnings of a long reign of terror on the rest of the country. It will be college football's version of Sparta vs. Athens, imperial Spain vs. imperial England, or the Americans vs. the Soviets. Two super-powers competing for power each and every year. It will be old versus new. The Big Ten will have four of the most historic teams in history, with Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Nebraska. The Pac-10, meanwhile, would have the more recent kings in Texas, Oklahoma, and, until they are set back a decade by the NCAA, Southern Cal (more on that in a bit). Add in the ridiculous SEC, by far the best conference in football right now, and this 3-way battle will leave the ACC, Big East, and every other conference trailing in the dust. Imagine that annual BCS predicament. Who do you leave out of the BCS title game? Whoever survives long enough to win a conference title in any of those three leagues will most certainly deserve a shot at the AFCA National Championship Trophy (worst name for a trophy ever, perhaps only seconded by the Larry O'Brien Trophy). If you think the controversy now is bad, just think of the potential firestorm that could -- and probably will -- come from expansion.

Each year for the foreseeable future you can imagine who will be competing for the conference title in the new Pac-10. Texas. Oklahoma. Oregon if they can get over the loss of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. But there is one very obvious absence. USC. Thursday the Trojans were given a two-year postseason ban for recruiting violations going back to Reggie Bush and, for basketball, OJ Mayo. There are three key components to this:

For the Pac-10, this expansion is absolutely brilliant timing. To lose its premiere program to a scandal such as this would have been devastating. But to add the likes of Mack Brown and the Longhorns and Bob Stoops' Sooners would smoothly pave over any damage that will come from SoCal.
It would be the ultimate way to move on from what otherwise would be a dark period for a mediocre conference.
For USC, this is devastating. Lane Kiffin is enough of an idiot as is. He doesn't need another reason for recruits to not go to his school. Now that other top-tiered programs could be joining their conference, expect many 5-star recruits to avoid the Trojans at all costs, because what player doesn't want a chance to go to a bowl game? It will take a long time for the school to regain a good reputation and get enough top-flight recruits if it wants to return to its former glory.
For history, vacated wins and a national championship will mean one of the greatest teams ever assembled will be erased from the record books in the 2004 Trojans. The 12-win team that lost to Texas in the epic 2006 Rose Bowl could also have their wins vacated, unless a last-ditch appeal somehow works. Congratulations, Vince Young. You're famous 9-yard scramble with 19 seconds left now happened against no one. Not impressed. And those 467 yards of total offense (200 rushing, 267 passing)? It's almost as if the USC defense wasn't even on the field. And in the minds of the NCAA, they weren't. Again, even I could do that. Of course I'm being facetious. It is arguably the single-greatest performance in history. He left his heart on the field. Who knew he would get a title either way? And Reggie Bush, one of the most electrifying players on the college level ever, could lose his 2005 Heisman Trophy. Again, history is unfortunately erased, and it could get to the point where the top officials in the NCAA will pretend this never happened.

The greatest team of the past decade, coming off a very bad season comparatively speaking as it is, could very easily get lost in the mix of average teams for a very long time. Think of it as Miami from 2005-now. Only switch "loads of criminals, having crappy coaching, then hiring a good coach" to "loads of greedy teenagers, having a good coach, then downgrading to Lane Kiffin, who has a category all to himself".

The last decade saw USC dominance, Big 12 shootouts, and SEC dogfights. The SEC dogfights will remain the same, as they have for sixty years. But as for those Trojan titles and the Big 12 offensive fire-shows, they will most likely disappear, lost amidst the expansion craze and scandal repercussions. In the span of a week one of the superior conferences will be left in ruins, two others will reign supreme, and one of football's great powers will go from a roaring, vicious lion, to a docile housecat, owned by the NCAA, an incredibly strict and greedy cat-lady that no one wants to deal with.

Welcome to the future. Hope you enjoy...

Beyond Basketball

2010-06-07T17:57:00.007-04:00

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas summed it up perfectly. "There has not been a finer gentleman in sports than John Wooden." At 99, the death of Coach Wooden is by no means unexpected, but that still does not take away from the magnificent loss the sports world faces from here on in. On the court, he is the greatest teacher to ever grace the sidelines. More importantly, however, the man off the court is what every human being should strive to be. He's the gold standard in every sense possible. Here was a man who as close to perfection as there has ever been (though he'd be the first to tell you every mistake he's made in the last ten centuries). He last coached basketball in 1975, but his impact on sports and society will continue to resonate for a long time. For the lessons he taught about life transcend time.

From a basketball standpoint, there is no one better. The Sporting News named him the greatest coach of all-time, and with good reason. After all, he won 10 NCAA titles, including 7 straight from '67-'73 and 10 in a 12- year span, had 4 perfect seasons, an 88-game win streak, and 664 wins. He mentored two of the greatest college basketball players ever in Lew Alcindor (aka Kareem Abdul -Jabaar) and Bill Walton. He never swore, but that doesn't mean he wasn't fiesty. In an HBO interview I watched a few years ago about the UCLA dynasty, the interviewer said "Goodness gracious, sake's alive", Wooden's version of a profanity-laden tirade, to a bunch of his former players. Every one of them cringed. Forty years, and he could still have that same effect on his players, some who went on to basketball greatness. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said, "When I think of a basketball coach the only one I ever thought of was Coach Wooden." But what made Wooden so great was that he was so much more than a coach. He was a teacher, pure and simple. Unlike every other coach, he understood that basketball was a game, and when graduation time came, the character of the person who left his program was a heck of a lot more important than basketball player that left. There was no such thing as a star player, because without the other eleven guys, there is no success. When asked why he didn't retire numbers, specifically that of Alcindor, his response was, "What about the youngster who wore that number before Lewis? Didn't he contribute to the team?" No one was more important than his teammates. His "Pyramid of Success" was created to show how to succeed on the court and in life. And while 'competitive greatness' is at the top of the pyramid, the traits on the very bottom are the most important ones: enthusiasm, cooperation, loyalty, friendship, and industriousness. The message is simple -- Athletic achievement is not possible without the basic core values that all people should have. It's great to win, but to win without humility and class is horrible. He is still ashamed that he let Alcindor score 60 points in a game. Winning was important at Pauly Pavilion, but it wasn't the only thing, because Wooden would take great people over great basketball players every time. It was his job to make those two people one in the same, and no one was better at it.

Even after the Wooden Era at UCLA, his role as teacher never went away. Everyone who interacted with him, even for thirty seconds, was changed for the better. Rick Reilly wrote, "The awful thing about knowing John Wooden was that when you left him, you realized how weak you were as a man." Here is a man who never drank, smoked, or swore. He would attend Bruin games up until this year, but basketball was such a minute part of his life. He knew thousands of poems, read anything and everything, and was a devout Christian. Have a conversation with him, and basketball will rarely come up. Hall of Fame coach Lute Olsen asked Coach Wooden to talk to his team before his Arizona Wildcats played UCLA, and according to Olsen, he "spoke for 20 or 30 minutes. He never said a word about basketball, just talked about his philosophy of life and being the best that you could be."

What impressed me most about Coach Wooden was his eternal love for his wife, Nell. His high school sweetheart, the two were married for 52 years before she died of cancer in 1985. But his love for her didn't die with her. He stopped the clocks in his room to read the exact time she died.No one has been under the covers of their bed, not even Wooden himself, let alone lied down on her side of the bed. And what I have a soft spot for, on the 21st of each month he would visit her grave and write her a letter, telling her how much he loved and missed her. Absolutely no one read the letters. They were his private messages to his sweet Nellie. He would place each letter on her pillow, where it remained, joining letters before and after it. To him, death was not something to fear. It was a chance to be reunited with his wife, a reunion over 25 years in the making. When UCLA wanted to name the court at Pauly Pavilion after him in 2003, Wooden said no because Nell's name was not originally going to be included. Then when the school proposed to name it "John and Nell Wooden Court", again he said no. Nell's name goes first. So now when teams go to play the Bruins, they play on "Nell and John Wooden Court". In a society where half of all marriages end in divorce, it's refreshing to see such unconditional love, eighty years after "I do".

There is no one who doesn't like John Wooden, and I would offer you a million dollars to find someone who is too good for his wealth of knowledge. There is no one who can't learn something from Coach Wooden, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him can most certainly walked away a better person. There are countless quotes I could end this with, but for someone who lived his life so genuinely and with such humility, it seems more fitting to end it with his Seven-Point Creed:

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

It wasn't just UCLA, or just college basketball, or even basketball in general that lost a legend. The world lost a legend, and the world should be in mourning. One of its great men is gone. For someone who disliked the spotlight and all the accolades, there's nothing he would like less than to hear people were grieving over his death. Sorry, Coach. You're too important to not grieve.

Showtime to Show Up

2010-06-01T21:06:00.007-04:00

It's not exactly Russell vs. Chamberlain, and certainly not Magic vs. Bird. But for the twelfth time -- and second time in the past three seasons -- the Celtics and Lakers will meet in the NBA Finals. When comparing both teams to the 2008 versions, the major players are the same, but the attitudes have changed. The Lakers are the defending champions with one of the best player in the world in Kobe Bryant and Boston is an older, slower team at the tail end of the all-too-brief "Big Three" era. And because of this, I don't expect the same outcome that '08 brought us (Celtics in 6). No, I am picking Los Angeles to run away with the series in five games, and hang up banner number fifteen next season at the Staples Center.

Now, I may be picking LA to win the series, but the outcome will be in the hands of the C's. I really, really wanted to put Rasheed Wallace as the key to the series merely for my own amusement. I mean c'mon! The man threatened Tim Donaghy back in 2003. Just think about that for a second: Rasheed Wallace, the goon of all goons, almost could have saved the league years of embarrassment had he acted upon these threats. Lucky for Donaghy that Wallace is so lazy he makes Tim Thomas look like Charlie Hustle both on and off the court. So, no, Sheed isn't the X-factor to this series. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and superstar-in-the-making Rajon Rondo are, however, and ultimately their performance will decide how the series plays out. Bryant is an 8-time All-Defensive First Teamer, and it is likely that Phil Jackson will let him decide who he guards. He has the ability to guard any of those three players. Unfortunately for the Zen Master, he can only guard one person at a time. This is where things could potentially become problematic for LA. Rondo is no longer the semi-underachieving, second-tiered player. This is his team now, and he is the 2nd or 3rd best point guard in the league. He's been on a tear this postseason, and I expect him to continue that this series. If he doesn't, the Celtics stand no chance. Just look at the Magic series. In Game 4, Pierce and Allen combined for 54 points, while Rondo chipped in only 9 of his own. Orlando won by four in overtime. In Game 3, however, Pierce had 28, Rondo had 25, and Allen had just 4 points on 1-for-9 shooting. The end result was a three-point Boston win. Rondo needs to bring his best, because it gives the Celts their best shot at victory. Meanwhile Pierce and Allen have to step up. They may not be the stars on most nights anymore, but their performance and winning go hand-in-hand. Here are the three possible scenarios I've narrowed it down to for Boston:

Rondo plays well, as do Pierce and/or Allen. Kobe can only guard one of them, which leaves the question of: Do you give Walter Ray wide-open threes, leave Pierce room to create shots, or have Rondo drive to the hoop to dish it off or put up that masterful up-and-under scoop shot? It's a pick-your-poison scenario, and it gives the Celtics their best shot at winning.
Rondo doesn't play well, but Pierce and/or Allen do, or vice versa. Either way the Celtics can't overcome the one-dimensional offense, and Kobe will be too much to handle.
None of the three play well, and the Lakers pile-drive Boston into the ground.

3 games ago, I would have chosen the former. But after seeing the re-emergence of the old, slow Celtics team that played for most of the season in Games 4 and 5 of the Magic series, now the middle or last choice seems more logical. Because of the nursing-home appearance, I'm not too optimistic on Boston's chances. (Notice the absence of Kevin Garnett here. I think KG will not do too much offensively).

A big reason for my pessimism is because the Lakers have Kobe, who can single-handedly shut down one of the three offensively. That would mean that Doc Rivers might actually have to coach (Gasp!). And let's be serious: is there a sane Celtics fan that wants a game, and potentially the series, to come down to a Glenn Anton Rivers coaching decision? Kobe's defensive prowess could be the factor. But of course, #24 hasn't always been a team-first player (which is why he will take 30 shots a game on random nights to show off his greatness, even though Pau Gasol has a clear mismatch in the post), and he knows the personal rewards that could come from winning this series. Over the course of his career he has gone from the "Can't-win-without-Shaq" level, graduated last year to the "Don't-doubt-my-greatness" phase, and with another title could see the beginning stages of a "Kobe vs. Jordan" comparison. Personally, I don't think anyone now, and quite possibly ever, will deserve to be considered in the same breath as His Airness, because no one had his combination of skill, competitive drive, and leadership, period. But with a fifth ring, and second in the post-Shaq era, Bryant would have to seriously be considered one of the ten or fifteen greatest players of all-time. And Kobe knows this, too. His ego is big enough that he can put the entire team on his back and win merely for the sake of his own legacy, even if Gasol or Lamar Odom struggle. With 1200 regular season and playoff games under his belt, with nagging back, ankle, and finger injuries to boot, Kobe knows there won't be five or six more tries for rings. This probably won't be his last trip to the Finals, but the opportunities are becoming fewer, and for someone who wants to go down as one of the greatest ever to lace up the sneakers, he will want, he will need, another title. Anyone who has seen his performance this postseason, especially in the Suns series, knows he is playing with a chip on his shoulder. Offensively he is as good as ever. And say what you want about Boston's stingy defense, but look objectively at their playoff opponents thus far. They shut down Miami as a team, but Dwyane Wade averaged 32 points per game. Quite frankly, the rest of the Heat suck, and if the Celtics gave up a lot of points to the rest of the team, it would be bad. Then in Round 2 they took on another one-man show in LeBron James and the Cavs. The Magic have Dwight Howard, who is no offensive force by any stretch of the imagination, and no one else decided to give a damn on offense for Orlando. Kobe is as good as Flash and LBJ, and unlike them he has a supporting cast. The Boston defense is good, but is it good enough to stop Kobe and Gasol and Odom and maybe Derek Fisher? They could be. But they could also finally have met their match.

Expect another classic battle between the NBA's fiercest rivals. But for those who have enjoyed the Celtics' success against the Lakers (9-2 series lead all-time), they might be a little disappointed in a few weeks, as it will be Los Angeles who should come out on top this time and repeat as champions. The Black Mamba simply won't have it any other way.

The Nationals Should Roy-Up

2010-05-25T12:31:00.007-04:00

For the last decade, the Astros Roy Oswalt has quietly been one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League, compiling 140 wins and an earned run average of 3.21 since 2001. In what has been an up and down decade for Houston, Oswalt has been the constant. But the times they are a-changin', and at 16-32, good for last place in the NL Central, Oswalt has gotten fed up and is asking for a trade. You can't blame him, really. After all, his 3-6 record is not nearly indicative of how he has pitched this year. His 2.36 ERA is 7th in the NL, and his walks and hits per inning (WHIP) is 5th. Unfortunately, though, his offense is giving him 2.07 runs of support per game. This shouldn't be so surprising, considered the 'Stros are dead last in batting average, runs scored, home runs, and slugging percentage. Do the math: 2.36 runs allowed is more than 2.07 runs scored, which equates to losses. There are many teams rumored to be interested in his services, including Texas and possibly Los Angeles. The only problem is that he's due $15 million this year and $16 million next. At 32, a team will likely only want him for an October pennant race.

But there is one team out there that has expressed interest in the righty, and I think it would be an absolutely perfect fit: the Washington Nationals.

At 25-24 the Nationals are in 4th place in the competitive NL East, but are only 3 games behind division-leader Philadelphia. In short, no one would have predicted that 50 games into the season Washington would be any good. Adding Oswalt would have monumental effects that could keep the Nationals around in the wild-card race for awhile, and I'm not only talking about 2010.

The Nationals biggest weakness has always been pitching. This year is no different, as they are in the bottom half of the league in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and home runs allowed. Their bullpen is, in a word, atrocious. This is where Oswalt comes in. He can't help the bullpen woes, but by giving 7+ strong innings in 75-80% of his starts, it's a load off for the pen knowing they might not have to clean up a mess when he starts. Add his already stellar statistics and give him an offense can actually hit a baseball (the Nats are 5th in the NL in batting average), and the results might show off right away.

(Random trivia: As of May 29th, who has the highest team batting average in baseball? The Kansas City Royals.)

Then there's the leadership quality that he'll bring to the team. He's been around for a decade, been to the postseason 3 times, including the 2005 World Series. For one of the youngest teams in baseball, he and the surprising 35-year-old Livan Hernandez (4-3, 2.08 ERA) the experience they bring to the rotation can be key in what is appearing to be a tight race for that last playoff spot come September and October. Not to mention, allegedly there is this rookie in the Nationals organization who is creating quite a stir with his dominance in AAA Syracuse. You might have heard of him? Stephen Strasburg is the most talked about rookie we've seen in a looooong time, and having a mentor like Oswalt when he finally gets the call up to the Big Show would be invaluable. Both throw very hard (Strasburg can hit 98 on average, even as his pitch count increases, while Oswalt can somehow get 97 mph out of that 6-foot, 192 lb frame) with good off-speed stuff. Few pitchers in baseball are as good at getting every possible ounce of energy go into a pitch as Oswalt, and to think he might be able to add 1 or 2 miles per hour and/or movement to Strasburg's already incredible fastball should seem scary to opponents who will have to see the phenom soon. And since it seems that he will be the face of the franchise for the next 15 years (He might be already. After all, can you name the Nationals starting line-up? How about just the infield?), the amount of pressure will be enormous right away. A veteran who has been around the block and is still pretty darn good could help the youngster deal with and possibly even take off that pressure.

Roy Oswalt wants out of Houston because he wants to play for a contender. He clearly still has the stuff to improve a good team. And it appears as though the Washington Nationals might be in the race to stay. The two seem like a perfect fit. There are short-term and long-term effects to the deal that work in favor of the Nats' organization. They should be willing to go out and spend the money before it's too late and Oswalt lands somewhere else.

Thanks For the Memories, But...

2010-05-18T19:22:00.005-04:00

With each generation comes a new wave of phenoms and potential superstars. In Major League Baseball, Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward are leading the pack. But with the arrival of new stars means the departure of old ones, and this year in baseball there appears to be numerous ex-superstars to whom teams need to say good-bye. It's one of the most difficult things a manager or GM can do, but it has to be done eventually. The only question is when exactly it should be done. Does a front office let it fester to the point where it becomes sad to watch, hoping for a sign of life when it matters (think the 2010 Boston Celtics)? Or is it a "Thanks for everything, but..." kind of ordeal right away? For two teams in particular, this issue is becoming more and more prevalent each and every day.

Right now there is no better place to look than in Boston, where David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, and Mike Lowell are all at the we-get-playing-time-because-of-our-past stage of their careers. It has got to eat Terry Francona and Theo Epstein up knowing that, at 19-20 and 9 games out of first place in the AL East, now is not the time to get nostalgic. Big Papi is surely the greatest clutch performer in team history, and his heroics in the 2004 playoffs will live in Sox lore forever, but that was six years ago. Now he is a 34-year-old designated hitter with a mega salary who strikes out 40% of the time (literally... 38 K's in 102 at-bats), can only hit the ball to the right side, and has a ridiculously long and slow swing. He has begun to find his power as of late, but with an unstable wrist, I can't see the power being sustained for five months. Jason Varitek is the team captain and has been the mainstay behind the plate for over a decade. But he is 38, which for a catcher might as well be 100. Victor Martinez is (finally) beginning to hit, which means 'Tek is a great fill-in, but unfortunately that is it. The same thing goes for Wakefield. His arm may be that of a 25-year-old, but with the rotation of Beckett-Lester-Lackey-Buchholz-Matsuzaka, there's simply no room left for one of my personal favorite Red Sox. And Mike Lowell, whom I despised at first because he replaced Bill Mueller, turned into another favorite of mine, but a nagging hip injury and the signing of Adrian Beltre means the end of a somewhat short, yet sweet time.

So what can be done with all of these past-their-prime performers? Unfortunately, the bench seems like the most logical place. I can't see Papi's leash being too long anymore, and Beltre, Martinez, and the rotation appears to be pretty set. All except Papi can be used as trade bait for a contender that needs a short-term, experienced answer at a position (perhaps a San Diego, Cincinnati, Texas, or -- dare I say it -- the 20-19 Washington Nationals?). If anything were to actually happen (which I doubt it would), Lowell would be the most likely to go simply because he is the most dispensable, especially if Boston agrees to pay his salary.

But this issue extends well beyond the borders of Fenway Park. The Red Sox are certainly not the only team struggling to let go of its aging veterans. In Seattle, one of the greatest players ever in Ken Griffey, Jr. is hitting .182 with 0 home runs, 6 runs batted in, and an on-base percentage of .247. To put it kindly, "The Kid" is no longer that by any stretch of the imagination. He is the most compelling "What if?" story in the history of baseball (as in, "What if injuries hadn't derailed his career?", the answer to which is: "He would be one of the Top 3 greatest players ever alongside Willie Mays and Babe Ruth, and the home run king would not need an asterisk next to his name.") He is now a pudgy 40-year-old who can only DH and, apparently, enjoys a nice in-game nap every once in a while. Right now the Mariners might be giving Junior his grand farewell tour in the city where it all began, but right now Seattle is 10 games under .500 and in last place in the AL West, making those who picked them to win the division look pretty damn stupid. The team can't score runs, and it may be time to get a DH who can produce runs, at the cost of its all-time greatest player.

It's something that no team ever wants to think about or do, yet living in the past doesn't work. There will come a time when, one day, the decision has to be made to bench or trade -- just in general go on without -- the players who were once the face of the franchise. Right now Boston and Seattle are the ones who have to struggle with this. In the coming years it will continue to happen, and for some it will hit home really, really hard (I'm talking to you, New York. Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and Pettitte can't play forever. Life might begin to suck at that point in time). But we move on to the next great generation, and create new memories not with the intention of replacing the old ones, but instead adding to the collection that we as sports fans cherish so much.

Could the King De-Throne Cleveland?

2010-05-12T18:25:00.009-04:00

Another day, another season, another early exit for the Cleveland Cavaliers? While I am certainly enjoying the Cavs being on the verge of elimination yet again (quite thoroughly mind you), I am also a little saddened by what could possibly happen should Boston pull out a win in Game 6 or 7. Come July 1, the most talented -- and hyped -- free agency class ever gets to set sail and roam freely in the NBA waters. King James leads this class, and ever since 2008 teams have been licking their chops waiting to get their hands on him any way possible, even if it means throwing away a few games here or there (see: Knicks, New York). I never really thought LeBron would actually leave Cleveland, considering he grew up in Ohio, is adored beyond belief, wants a championship for the city, all while receiving a maximum contract. However, now I'm not so sure. Looking at the cast around him, there is no reason to believe that the Cavs will be any better next year. If the Celtics advance, I think it will be the last time LeBron James will don the maroon and gold.

Watch the highlights from Game 5 on Monday night. There were times where James was nowhere to be found. For a team with Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, 38-year-old Shaq, and Anderson Varejao, that equates to bad things. There was one sequence where a Cavalier drove as LeBron stood in the far corner, a non-factor in the play. After not charging in for an offensive rebound, he lackadaisically jogged back on defense, didn't know who he was guarding (he asked to guard Rajon Rondo before the game, but didn't here), and stood there as a shot was missed. He started to jog back in anticipation of a teammate getting the rebound, although the ball was right where he was standing, which allowed the C's to grab the ball and swing it to Ray Allen for an open 3-pointer. It was like that for 48 minutes. There was no ferocity, no will to drive to the hoop, nothing. His shot selection was poor, the form was lazy, and he just looked dazed. His first field goal didn't come until the 3rd quarter. In retrospect, how this performance could affect the league is mind-blowing. Now there's a good chance he'll leave Cleveland for a max contract somewhere else. The entire landscape of the league just changed, and it could have happened in one night, because I honestly do not believe he would have left before Monday night. I can't say I would blame him for leaving, but I don't want it to happen (more on that later). But a good question to ask is, was that performance essentially writing his own ticket out of Cleveland?I mean, he has been THE guy since he was drafted 1st overall in 2003. He has had no Pippen to his Jordan in his seven years there -- not even a Derek Fisher to his Kobe, for that matter. Except for that two-game stretch in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals when Daniel Gibson played out of his mind, it has been all LeBron all the time. Shaq was supposed to be the force down low to replace Zydranas Ilgauskas, give it his all for another season and go out on top, winning one for the King. He missed almost 30 games, averaged 12 points during the season, and is grabbing only 5.7 rebounds a game this postseason. Then Antawn Jamison was supposed to be the guy to catapult the Cavs into the Finals, a sweet-shooting #2 scorer. But he has disappointed, too, being streaky at best and shooting only 29% from long range in the playoffs. Having to play an entire regular season, then get all hyped up for another 20+ games for the playoffs does get tiring.

(Ok, that was my rational argument. Truly, I think his performance Monday was unacceptable for a player of his caliber. He rested at the end of the regular season just for this, and probably could have more efficiently expended his energy to be fresh for now considering they clinched their division on March 17. Does Kobe ever take a night off like that? Sure, he has nights where he'll jack up 30 shots because he can, but he doesn't take games off in crunch time. Jordan would never in a hundred million years have done that in the playoffs. If he had lost a playoff series like James did last year to the Magic, he would have averaged 45 a night the next playoffs without a doubt. Dwyane Wade has had to go 100% every game for the past 4 years because, like LeBron, he is the only one on his team with any talent. After a grueling, non-stop regular season in which he had to fight every game, what did Wade do in Round 1? He single-handedly kept the Celtics from winning all 4 games by 35 points by averaging 33.2 points per game. That drive is partly the reason Flash has a ring, Kobe has 4, and Jordan has 6. The best player on the planet needs to go into that game with the mindset of "I'm taking over this game from the opening tip" and rip their hearts out. The other reason the players I mentioned all have rings, by the way, is the fact that all them had at least one other person who could either play or at least had the drive to show up when it mattered.)

But, like I said before, while I am enjoying this more than A-Rod when he looks at himself in the mirror, I am still a little saddened by what is likely to now happen. If the Akron Hammer leaves Cleveland, that means there is a very real chance he will sign with a team with enough money to get a Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh or Amar'e Stoudamire, too. That means a real possibility of LeBron James winning an NBA Championship. To me that would be nearly as bad as when A-Rod won a World Series last year, and the only reason that was worse was because it was with the Yankees. I want James to stay in Cleveland, keep playing with a bunch of nobodies and one or two "it" guys who never come through, continue to do his thing, all without ever winning a ring. I'm not sure why exactly I hate him, but I'm not too concerned with finding the root of the issue. I am perfectly content with my deep, passionate hatred for him, and will be as he continues his climb up the ladder of NBA greatness without the hardware all the others have.

It's bad enough Wade is probably going to leave Miami for somewhere else this summer. Can I at least get LeBron James to stay in Cleveland. I don't ask for much (in my mind I don't, at least). It would please me greatly if I had the honor -- no, no, the privilege -- of witnessing another few historic performances like the one King James gave on Monday. In terms of basketball, nothing would please me more.

Thrilling, Exciting, Amazing, Captivating: The Stanley Cup Playoffs

2010-04-27T18:24:00.005-04:00

It's been a rough couple of months for me in sports. The Yankees won the World Series, and to add to it, Alex Rodriguez finally produced in October (hey, it had to happen eventually). Then I had to witness the atrocity that was the season of the formerly-defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost to the likes of Kansas City, Oakland, and Cleveland in midst of a 5-game losing streak. At least the Super Bowl was good right? I mean I have nothing against the Colts or the Saints, so the NFL season wasn't totally awful. Then March 5 came along, when Ben Roethlisberger had a biiiiiit too much to drink, yada, yada, yada, countless weeks of hearing about it later, he's missing the first 4-6 games of this season. Football happiness = shot. So March Madness comes along, and I feel really good with my bracket. Two hours into the first day and already one of my Final Four teams loses. And in the end freaking Duke wins the championship.

Could it get much worse?

When the New York Rangers were eliminated on the last day of the regular season in a shootout, I thought it could. After all, I had no real reason to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs. But au contraire my friends! I may have no reason to watch the NHL postseason, but it sure is a good thing I am, because what is happening is only reaffirming my belief that the absolute best postseason in sports far and away belongs to the National Hockey League. If you are ignoring what's happening on the ice right now, well I say shame on you.

Think of the absolutely best playoffs you can remember in the MLB or NBA. In a best-of-7 series, did every series except one go at least 6 games? Were both #1 seeds in danger of losing to 8-seeds? Were there 12 overtime games in the 1st round alone? How about 21 games decided by one goal? Because that is what has happened so far. And that does not include the 2 game 7s not played as of 7 pm Tuesday night (Detroit-Phoenix and Washington-Montreal). And this happens pretty much every single year.

Look at any series and you will see pure insanity. Start with the Capitals and Canadiens. Washington was the runaway winner of the Presidents' Trophy. They have the most prolific goal scorer in the league in Alexander Ovechkin, while Niklas Backstrom is one of the best hockey players you probably don't know about (because you know sooooo many hockey players already. I know. Don't lie.). So you would think it would be a fairly easy 4, maybe 5, game series against the Canadiens. 6 games later, the Caps are on the brink of elimination, and all of the pressure is on them. In Game 6 they outshot the Habs 54-24, yet lost 4-1, because they could not get the puck past Jaroslav Halak. It would be an enormous upset if Montreal wins Game 7.

In Boston, the Bruins finished off the Buffalo Sabres in six games. The highlight of that series was the double OT thriller in Game 4, by far the best hockey game of the season. The Sabres, 31-0 in the regular season when leading after 2 periods, blew a two-goal lead in the third as the B's forced the extra session. Boston youngster Tuukka Rask, who ousted Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas during the season, and Olympic hero Ryan Miller played insanely sick in goal, each saving the game multiple times for their teams. The last 40 minutes of the game (last 11 of the 3rd period, all 20 minutes of the first OT, then the 9 minutes in the second OT before Boston scored) were like a track meet. The speed the game was played at was unbelievable. It seemed a little upsetting that Boston's Miroslav Satan, a longtime Sabre mind you, scored on an easy backhand to win the game.

In the San Jose-Colorado series each of the first 4 games were decided by a goal, and Games 2, 3, and 4 went into overtime. And that was another 1 vs. 8 matchup. In the end the Sharks, the biggest playoff disappointment over the last half decade, finally got over the hump and won the series in six games.

I won't even bother going into detail with the other 4 series, which include the Blackhawks getting over their early scoring woes to beat Nashville, the seemingly struggling Flyers kicking the crap out of Marty Brodeur and the Devils (although Brodeur did do this. Disgusting), and the red hot Red Wings being cooled off by the back-from-the-grave Coyotes. You get the point. But did I mention that this all happened in the first round? Just imagine the possible scenarios in Round 2:

If Montreal shocks Washington, 6th seeded Boston will have home ice advantage versus the Flyers. Seeds 1-3 in the East will have been kicked to the curb after Round 1.

If Phoenix beats Detroit, that means 3 of the 4 teams remaining in the West have never raised Lord Stanley's Cup, and the 4th (Chicago) hasn't won it since 1961. The East isn't much better. The Penguins are the defending champions, but other than that, there has been no success. The Bruins haven't won a title since 1972, the Flyers since 1975, the Canadiens since 1993, and the Caps have never won one. To say these organizations are hungry for a Cup is as big an understatement as saying the Broncos were ill-informed to draft Tim Tebow in the first round.

It may seem that I'm a bit all over the place with this post, but there's just so much happening -- mainly lunacy and excitement -- that my mind is spinning in circles. The level of competition is incomprehensible. Compare that to the NBA playoffs. Yes, I am conceding the Los Angeles-Oklahoma City series. All of the intriguing storylines are there: Kobe-Durant, 1 vs. 8, Phil Jackson vs. the referees/league office, etc. And with the NBA's best young team going toe-to-toe with the defending champs, it has been a captivating series. But look at what else has been offered thus far. Every NBA analyst on ESPN said the Orlando-Charlotte series was the one to watch. The Magic swept the series with ease. The Bulls' Joakim Noah talks a big game, but his team is in a 3-1 hole against the Cavaliers, where LeBron James can put up a 40-12-10 with little to no effort. The Celtics are manhandling Dwayne Wade (I would put "the Heat" here, but it seems futile. When the other 4 guys in your lineup are journeyman Carlos Arroyo, former Clipper and Knick, I repeat, Clipper and Knick, Quentin Richardson, ~~stoner~~ ... er... I mean ~~bust~~... er... I mean former #2 pick Michael Beasley, and 31-year-old Jermaine O'Neal, calling them a team is incorrect. Oh, and I'm a Heat fan by the way). The Spurs, the most boring team in a league that depends on flash and excitement, are beating the Mavs. Yawn. Give me the crappiest NHL playoff game over the best NBA playoff game everytime. With no hesitation.

Now that the NFL Draft is over and the anticipation of Major League Baseball's Opening Day is a month behind us, it's time for you to start paying attention to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Why? Because there is nothing more exciting in sports, that's why. I've been watching already. I challenge you to start, too.

You Can't Fix Stupid

2010-04-20T17:24:00.011-04:00

College football is wacky, wild, and unpredictable. Unfortunately, so is the NCAA. In fact, the NCAA might be among the dumbest organizations in sports. Remember, this is the same group that brought you the BCS a dozen years ago, and look at how well that's worked out! But because there isn't enough stupidity already, they had to go and add to it by making rule changes that included taking back touchdowns for taunting. So for all those who love to high-step into the endzone in the Madden or NCAA Football video game series, you probably won't like this. This is not referring to endzone celebrations. That will remain a dead-ball foul, a penalty assessed on the following kick-off. No, this is a spot foul. Starting in 2011, if a player taunts his opponent before the goal line, a flag will be thrown, the TD is taken away, and it is 15-yards from the spot of the foul. Are you kidding me? These players make the NCAA and the schools millions upon millions of dollars each year, and never see a penny of it. They are 18 to 22 year old kids. Let them have some fun! What's the harm in it? Are they making the game look bad? It's not like it happens every game to the point where it is out of control.

This got me thinking. Where else in sports are there rules and regulations that drive me crazy? I found 8:

The NBA timeout rule: In the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter and overtime, when a team calls a timeout they can either 1) inbound the ball from the dead-ball spot or 2) inbound the ball from the 28' mark in the frontcourt. So basically if a team gives up a basket with a second to go, no magical Grant Hill to Christian Laettner prayers will be needed. Simply call a timeout, get the ball outside the 3-point arc, and get a good look. The fact that it takes 25 minutes to play out the last 70 seconds aside, I hate that there is seemingly no punishment for playing crappy defense. If a defensive stand goes for naught, the Kobes, LeBrons, or D-Wades of the league still have a legitimate shot to win. If a team can muster a basket in a key situation, make their opponent go all 94-feet please.

Shootouts: They say a tie is like kissing your sister. Not having a sister myself, I have never experienced such a thing (and for those of you who do, I hope you haven't either... that would be quite creepy). However, in a case of the NHL's shootouts, I would take a tie over the current format. With ties, both teams would receive 1 point. With shootouts, the winners get 2 points and the losers 1. I would like it better if the losers received no points. Maybe that would change my mind a little. But probably not. All I can say is thank goodness they don't do it in the playoffs. Ruining the best postseason in sports would be more than I could take.

Women's Hockey: That's right, an entire sport is one big, idiotic rule. No hitting is allowed. No hitting in hockey? I texted my buddy Zack, who hates hockey with pretty much all his heart, and when I asked him why he would watch, he merely said, "Fights". The physicality is why most people watch hockey. While I am a fan for other reasons, like how awesome it is, the vast majority in America want violence. Taking away hitting would be like taking away bumping in NASCAR or collisions at the plate in baseball -- they happen.

NFL Pre-Season Games: The stars won't play more than a series or two, yet season-ticket holders are forced to go. Basically people are paying half of their salary to watch perennial backups like Kevin O'Connell, Dan Orlovsky, and, in 4 years, Tim Tebow. Call me crazy, but people don't care about them. (What's that? I actually love Dan Orlovsky and would pay good money to see him play? Whoops.) The only reason there are 4 games is because of the revenue that comes in from them. Because the billions they get already isn't enough. Change it to 2 games and get over it.

All-Star Games: I love the idea of having the best players from each sport play in the same game, but the execution in every league is pathetic. In the MLB it decides who gets home-field advantage in the World Series. How about you alternate it each year? Or have the team with the better record have it? The NFL is doubly bad. If it is the week after the Super Bowl, no one cares. If it is the week before the Super Bowl, players from the participating teams won't play, and, still, no one cares. That includes players. This past Pro Bowl Vince Young was the AFC quarterback because Phillip Rivers, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub, and Ben Roethlisberger didn't want to play and Peyton Manning was in the Super Bowl. At this rate JaMarcus Russell will become a perennial Pro Bowler. In the NBA no one tries, but at least there all of the stars play. The NHL doesn't even have an All-Star Game in Olympic years, but when it is played, it gets worse ratings than reruns of According to Jim and, so help me God, Everybody Loves Raymond. WOO!

BCS: No explanation necessary.

The Brady Rule: There is hitting in football. As a result, injuries occur. But because Bernard Pollard hit the golden boy Tom Brady and tore his ACL to open the 2008-09 season, the NFL instituted a rule where quarterbacks cannot be hit below the knee. As sad as it is that stars have this kind of power in the NFL, it's more upsetting that it has essentially become two-hand touch when it comes to QBs. You are asking defensive lineman to find ways to get around 350-lb monsters, locate the quarterback, read his eyes, but slow down to make sure he isn't hit below the knee. All lineman have to do is get their defenders to the ground. Reggie White probably vomited in his grave. Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu was right, the NFL is becoming soft.

The NBA age limit: There is no point in making an 18-year-old go to college for a year before he enters the NBA Draft. None. Be serious here. The kid doesn't care about classes. He misses class during the season, and once the season ends, there is no point in him showing up. The school isn't going to make him do the work during the season because that's the world of college basketball today. He isn't there for the education, and everyone knows it. The schools get horrid graduation rates and are wasting money. The NBA loses potential superstars for a year, and we all know money is the only thing that matters to the league. Either let the kids enter the Association right out of high school or make them attend college for at least 3 years. Don't be in-between, because no one benefits from it. It isn't helping the kid, it isn't helping the schools, it isn't helping the NBA.

None of these are the athletes faults. There is really not much they can do about it. People are stubborn. Stupid people are even more stubborn. It's why you simply can't fix stupid. But I can complain about it, that's for sure.

Innocent, But Not Free

2010-04-13T10:35:00.005-04:00

I'm a Steelers fan. The thought of Dennis Dixon or, even worse (cue spine shivering), Charlie Batch starting the first few weeks of the season is enough to take 5 years off my life. After an incredibly disappointing 2009, nothing could be worse for Pittsburgh than starting the 2010 campaign without their franchise quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. But after seeing how Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney Fred Bright described the sexual assault case surrounding Roethlisberger, it should not matter to commissioner Roger Goodell that no charges will be filed. He has to suspend Roethlisberger, even if it is for one game.

I don't really care that no charges were filed in this case. Here is ESPN.com's summary of the report filed:

Roethlisberger, who was out drinking with friends to celebrate his 28th birthday, bumped into the student and her sorority sisters throughout the night. They linked up at Capital City, where he invited them to a VIP section and bought them a round of shots. As the night wore on, the student walked down a dingy hallway to a small bathroom, and Roethlisberger soon followed. What happened next remained unclear even after a monthlong investigation.

There was not enough evidence to go anywhere with the claims, but it is obvious something happened in that bathroom. Just because there was nothing to accurately prove rape beyond a reasonable doubt does not mean Big Ben is exonerated. Far from it. In listening to Monday's press conference, I could not help but notice how the DA kept calling the 20-year-old girl "the victim". A victim is defined as "one who is harmed or killed by another." There were no other suspects in the case. There never were and never will be any others. That means the "victim", who ended up with a cut and some bruises, could have been harmed by one person and one person only: Roethlisberger. What happened in that bathroom on March 5th will probably never be known. But while his innocence might have been proven by the justice system, to the public it is still very much up in the air.

The most powerful quote I heard in the 10-minutes I was able to see before baseball practice was when Bright said, "We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crime." The police may not have been able to prosecute the crime, but Roger Goodell can surely prosecute the morals. The NFL Player Conduct Policy Goodell put into place in 2007 states:

It is not enough to simply avoid being found guilty of a crime. Instead, as an employee of the NFL or a member club, you are held to a higher standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values upon which the league is based, and is lawful. Persons who fail to live up to this standard of conduct are guilty of conduct detrimental and subject to discipline, even where the conduct itself does not result in conviction of a crime.

There was no conviction, not even a trial, but I have a gut feeling the NFL was does not promote, nor was it based upon, accusations of rape and, at the very least, drunken sex (Of note, however, are the efforts of the Cowboys, who tried really hard in the '90s to change that). But if I'm wrong on that one, let me know. Goodell has to take action. He has no choice. The entire league is watching and expecting him to. On Tuesday's Mike and Mike in the Morning Chris Mortenson said Goodell was upset at the idea he punishes his black players worse than his white players. Yeah, in a league where at least 75% of players are African-American, it may seem that way, because there are more black players arrested than whites. Don't get me wrong: if the league were 75% white, there would undoubtedly be more white players arrested. In 2006 alone, 37 different NFL players were arrested. 33 of those 37 were African-American. While it may appear Goodell is racially biased, the fact is in a league dominated by blacks, more blacks will get arrested. But none of those statistics matter. Perception is everything, and the perception right now is that he coddles white players. Now is his chance to set a standard for all his players, no matter what color skin they have. Roethlisberger made the league look bad. He deserves to be punished. If he is not suspended, that "perception" may very well become reality.

So how long should Roethlisberger be suspended for? That is an interesting question. Anything more than 4 games is a tad much. Tank Johnson was given an 8-game suspension in 2007 for violating his probation when 6 unregistered handguns were found in his apartment, then getting in a fight outside a Chicago nightclub that left his bodyguard dead, then serving a 2-month prison sentence. 8-games for Ben would be too extreme. I think this should be handled the way Brandon Marshall was in 2008. Marshall received a 3-game suspension for domestic violence and DUI arrests. The suspension was later reduced to 1 game and a fine of 2 game-checks because he stayed out of trouble. The fact that Roethlisberger gave the league awful PR, yet no charges were made, both have to go into consideration. 2-3 games seems fair enough.

This should be a signal to all NFL players that even if no charges are filed, it does not mean you are free from the wrath of the commish. Professional athletes are role models, and everything they do is seen and scrutinized. Being held to a higher standard is a part of the responsibility that comes with the job. For Ben Roethlisberger, standing on the sidelines for the first few weeks of the season should remind him of that. And as a die-hard Pittsburgh fan, I have only one thing to say....

Thank God the Steelers don't have any cheerleaders.

A Little Bit of Culture

2010-04-08T18:59:00.008-04:00

I know, I know. Usually I only do one post per week, but this week was different. A few different things irked me. And because I know the 12 people out there who read this are die-hards, the seven days in between posts are a struggle. (What? It's not?....... Well then I'll go on thinking it is). So this week I'm doing two posts, only this one is a tad different from my others. I'm going to culture you people with an awesome poem I wrote while watching the NCAA title game between Butler and Duke. I know it's not as good as, say, the boys from Rezillaient Productions. But it is certainly better than this crap. So here it is. Enjoy:

I turn on the tube,

And what to I see?

A college basketball analyst grinning with glee.

He calls them "awesome" and "perfect"

I really wanna puke,

There are so many reasons I love to hate Duke.

From Singler and Scheyer,

Back to Laettner and Hill,

Everyone gawks,

At Coach K's crew's skill,

But each time I hear it,

I get physically sick,

Sick of hearing about each

And every overrated prick.

"The play defense, make shots, give teams a spook,"

There are so many reasons I love to hate Duke.

They'll throw elbows, grab jerseys,

And nothing gets called,

Yet breathe too hard near them,

The refs get appalled,

"A foul for you!"

They'll yell from afar,

And when asked about the elbows

They cry "Crazy you are."

They could get away with murder,

Maybe even a nuke,

There are so many reasons I love to hate Duke.

Now they have another title,

Let's hear about it some more,

I need to listen to it

Like Tiger needs another whore.

The NCAA is their whipping boy,

And it seems to be no fluke,

That there are oh so many reasons I love to hate Duke.

(Post-game addition):

The championship hats weren't ugly enough,

They needed something more,

And there comes Jon Scheyer,

As gangsta as ever before,

He turned his hat sideways,

Thinking he was cool,

And to that I'm forced to say

Shut up Jon Scheyer. Who are you trying to kid? You are as preppy as all of your other teammates who will never, ever do anything significant in the NBA. Just like JJ Redick. Or Shavlik Randolph. Or Mike Dunleavy. And who can forget Jay Williams, who clearly taught Ben Roethlisberger how to ride a motorcycle. Legendary. So turn the damn hat straight. K?

So there you have it. Are you .001% more cultured now? I know you are. If not, then at least the soothing rapping of Big D will culture the crap out of you. Then, of course, Chilly C will immediately nullify any culturing because of how awful it is, but then again, can you name any famous rappers to ever have come from Coventry, Connecticut?

I thought so.

Year (Team)	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
2007 (Dallas)	81	1355	15
2008 (Dallas)	69	1052	10
2009 (Buffalo)	55	829	5