Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to any gentiles who read this blog.

here's a present for all, very cool article

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3165287&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1

Some excitement still left for Week 17

The NFL has seen an unprecedented lack of parody this year, and for the first team in recent memory, there seem to be several dominant teams. Starting with the 15-0 Pats, the 13-2 Colts and Cowboys, and the 12-3 Packers, there could be 4 teams with 13 wins for the first time since the turn of the century. However, despite the fact that 10 of the 12 playoff spots have been filled, several games still have playoff implications. Tennessee and Cleveland are both still alive for the AFC's 6th and final playoff sport. The Titans travel to Indianapolis to play a Colts team with nothing to play for (Dungy has already admitted that Manning and Addai will both play a half at most), and the Browns host the 4-11 Niners. Should both teams win or both teams lose, the Titans have the tiebreaker.

Over in the NFC, the Redskins, Vikings and Saints are all still alive. The 'Skins are in the driver's seat, and are in a with a win. The Vikings need a win and a Skins loss or tie, while the Saints need a win and losses from both teams. The Redskins host the Cowboys (also playing a meaningless game), who will certainly be resting an already injured Terrell Owens. Minnesota finishes in Denver and the Saints will travel to Chicago.

Here are the games to watch in Week 17,

(Games with playoff implications)
Tennessee @ Indianapolis
San Fransisco @ Tennessee
Dallas @ Washington
Minnesota @ Denver
New Orleans @ Chicago

(Games with historic implications)
New England @ New York Giants

(Games to determine #3 and #4 seeds)
San Diego @ Oakland
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore



"Getcha Popcorn Ready"

The honeymoon is over..

I think it's safe to say America's obsession with Boise State is over. After their stunning win in last year's Fiesta Bowl, both America and the voters fell in love with the Broncos. A 2 loss team in the WAC, they still managed to stay in the top 25 at #24. After Broncos dropped the Hawaii Bowl to 7-5 East Carolina tonight, expect Chris Peterson's bunch to fall out of popular opinion and back into the sea of mid-major mediocrity. Not even another Ian Johnson on-screen proposal can save them.

NBA Rumblings

1) Don't look now, but the Oden-less Portland Trailblazers have won 10 in a row, and sit just one game behind division leading Denver. The young core of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, Channing Frye and Jarrett Jack have brought Portland back into contention. Vets Steve Blake and Joel Przybilla have fit nicely into their roles, as the team is enjoying shocking success. With a strong young nucleus, this is a team that will compete in the West for the next 5 years. Imagine this 2008 lineup:

Blake, Roy, Webster, Aldrige and Oden: With Frye, Jack and Outlaw coming of the bench

This team is a better PG away from being the class of the West.

2) Unfortunately, it appears another Boston team is truly dominant. As much as I tried to write off the quick start as a hot streak, the Celtics really are this good. At 22-3, they have already built themselves a 9 game division lead, and are currently outscoring opponents by an average of 14 points per game. Rajon Rondo is developing into a very solid player, giving the Celtics the role player they needed. However, be wary if one of the Big Three goes down, as the teams only weakness is its lack of depth.

3) Today, Kobe became the youngest player ever to score 20,000 points, beating Wilt Chamberlain by approximately two weeks. Quite an impressive achievement, but Kobe is still just over half way to Wilt's all time record. Somehow, I don't see Kobe playing another 10-12 season and breaking this record. However, Kobe has to considered the most dominant scorer of this era. While guys like Shaq, Duncan, and LeBron will go down as better players, Kobe holds the title as the best scorer of the post-Jordan era, and there's still no one I'd rather have taking the big shot with the game on the line.

Week Wrap-Up

Apologies for the lack of posts the past few days, things have gotten hectic as I ended semester 7/8. Here's a few comments on some recent stories:

1) Gotta love the brilliance of Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts and Fernando Vina. "I admit I took HGH once, but it was only to heal from an injury, and I NEVER took steroids." Their PR personnel is magnificent, as Andy came off smelling like a sweet rose. I'll leave it up to you whether or not these guys are full of crap, but regardless, this was the best way to explain the rumors and save face. Still no word from the Rocket yet, who has infinitely more explaining to do.

2) Florida State gets caught in an academic cheating scandal. In other shocking news, the sun rose this morning, and set later this evening. Surprise, surprise. I've been dubbing this team as a group of cheater since 1999, when they boasted several illegitimate players. Peter Warrick gets caught red handed in a robbery, and only misses TWO games. Chris Weinke shows up at the age of 26, and Sebastian Janikowski manages to maintain a 2.0 GPA while knowing approximately 4 words of English and never being spotted on campus. This has been a corrupt program for decades, and it is about time they got caught.

3) Rich Rodriguez to Michigan. If I am to take credit for Petrino's departure, I'll have to take a hit here, as this one surprised me. I honestly don't buy into the fact that Rodriguez is a great coach. He took over a successful program with a ton of incoming talent, and despite playing in a weak conference with a weak OOC schedule, could not land a BCS championship. Not to mention coaching his team to one of the biggest choke jobs in NCAA history, a final week loss to hapless Pittsburgh (led by Dave Wannestedt) to fall out of a guaranteed national championship berth. With Miles and even Greg Schiano saying no, it appears they didn't have more attractive options, but I personally don't love this fit for the maize and blue.

Kudos to Schiano by the way. Here's a guy in the midst of creating a national powerhouse from scratch and having the opportunity to hear his name mentioned with Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno and Frank Beamer, as coaches who have single handedly built college football powerhouses. The allure of the big name job did not sway him, and give credit to Shiano for staying loyal.

4) 1-13!! The Dolphins finally pulled one out, with an overtime victory over the Baltimore Ravens. I did not celebrate like we won the Super Bowl as the team did, but I am certainly glad the team will stay out of the record books for eternal infamy. I give the guys credit, as it has looked the previous two weeks as if the team had given up. Cam Cameron somehow kept the team motivated, and may have saved his job in the process. The win takes a lot of pressure of the team, and will allow them to play with slightly more confidence. Next up: play with a tremendous amount of pride defending the '72 Dolphins as the only undefeated team ever. For the Phish to have a shot in New England, they will have to play a flawless game, with incredible passion and hope to catch the Pats on an off day. I would bet infinite money against it, but oh boy, what a story it would be...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Shanahan

Erratic teams are a norm in sports, and the phrase "You never know which team will show up" has been beaten to death. But this year's Denver Broncos have taken this to a new level. Every week it seems a different team has shown up, as I have pegged the Broncos at some point in the year as anything from a Superbowl contender to a team worthy of a top 5 draft pick. Granted, this is a team with an inexperienced quarterback, a running back by committee approach, and is still grieving the death of Darrent Williams from New Years. However, explain the volatility in some their performances this year.

Week 5: San Diego 41, Denver 3
Week 7: Denver 31, Pittsburgh 28

Week 9: Detroit 44, Denver 7
Week 11: Denver 34, Tennessee 20

Week 14: Denver 41, Kansas City 7
Week 15: Houston 31, Denver 13

A nightmare team for gamblers, the Broncos are simply a crapshoot. Here are their 2 remaining games and my predictions:

Week 16: @ San Diego. Denver 55, SD 10
Week 17: Minnesota. Min 62, Denver 3.

The 'Mitch' Hunt

All things considered, I think the MLB dodged a bit of a bullet yesterday. Regardless of Senator Mitchell's request, the names are, and will continue to be the story. As I said in my previous post, baseball could not afford an iconic player to be named in these investigations. Granted, Bonds and Clemens are about as big as you can get, but both of these guys had already been convicted in the public eye. The judgment has been out on Bonds for years and anyone who doesn;t suspected a 40+ year old pitcher winning Cy Youngs is not in touch with reality. Additionally, while great players, both Bonds and Clemens are hated figures. Arguments can be made for both as the greatest hitter and pitcher of all time, but neither is loved nor revered. The saddest name is Andy Pettitte, a star pitcher with a reputation as clean as a whistle. Pettitte is a guy no one had pegged, and is the most surprising name in the lot of all-stars including Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagne and Paul Lo Duca. Obviously, Paulie being named is a dissapointment to those Mets fans that learned to love him over the past few years. But with his incredible passion for the game, and psychotic competitive nature, I can't say I'm shocked he tried to get an edge. It's certainly not a good day for baseball, but my initial reaction, and one that appears to be echoed around the league is, "It could have been a lot worse."

The Mitchell Report Looms...

I can't even fathom how many professional baseball players will be sitting home tonight waiting for the other shoe to drop. This would be the real story, how many baseball players are wondering whether or not they will named tomorrow? It's like waiting for a jail sentence, a career ending jail sentence. I will not begin to speculate who will be named, because that's all it would be, speculation. However, nothing said tomorrow will be good for baseball, and some news could be potentially devastating. The best that the MLB can hope for is that no iconic players (Jeter, A-Rod, Ortiz, Vlad, DWright, etc) get named in the report. The Jose Guillens and Jay Gibbons' can be absorbed, but if a role model type player gets named in the Mitchell Report tomorrow, it could be a deadly blow.

Bobby Saban, er, Petrino

As predicted on this very blog a weeks ago, Bobby Petrino has jettisoned from the NFL to take the Arkansas head coaching job. You will read several articles over the next few days bashing Petrino for leaving, explaining how he only cares about himself and always looks for the better job. However, in this case, can you truly blame him for wanting out of Hotlanta? He was brought to to Atlanta solely to bring his run and gun offense to Michael Vick and Co. The Falcons dumped Schaub, brought int Joe Horn, and hired Bobby Petrino all to make Michael Vick all the more comfortable. As it turns out, quick Vick was most comfortable in a bark-a-lounger (pun intended) watching two dogs fight until death. So instead of getting an enormously talented, yet slightly under achieving franchise player, Petrino got Joey Harrington, a washing up Byron Leftwich and gulp, Chris Redman. (Not to mention half a season without Warrick Dunn).

Can you really blame Petrino for leaving because 'this isn't what he signed up for'? Can't the team fire him without any public scrutiny because it 'wasn't what the signed up for'? If the Dolphins fire Cam Cameron because they didn't 'sign up for 0-16', will anybody blame them? I am not one to defend 'scoundrel coaches' as I despise Nick Saban about as much as the '07 Patriots. ( I still laugh every time Les Miles says 'I will be the LSU coach'). However, in this case, I give Petrino a pass, because he was brought in here to work with Mike Vick, and the only thing Vick will be working on for the next 23 months is lawnscaping duty. Not to mention, he took about a $2 million per year pay cut to head back to college, so the greedy argument doesn't work here either.

P.S. Can we get a better Monday night game than New Orleans/Atlanta? Can someone force ESPN to adopt the flex system, because I really don't think Chicago/Minnesota next week will be much better, especially when it could be Jacksonville/Pittsburgh.

The inevitable..

It's going to happen. Both of them. The Dolphins are going to go 0-16. The Patriots are going to go 16-0. And there is nothing Eric Mangini, Don Shula, Anthony Smith, John Beck or Cleo Lemon can do about it. The Dolphins had their chances, 6 games decided by 3 points or less. They got a gift from God in the form of the great equalizer, an unplayable turf and a scoreless game late into the 4th quarter. Nothing seems to be able to derail destiny, the first 0-16 team in NFL history. The team has given up, and you can see it on the field. While early in the season they fought hard, and kept it close, they have lost all motivation on both sides of the ball. They don't want to be playing football, and they want this to come to an end. Well luckily for them, in three weeks time, they'll get their wish, along with the historic distinction.

As for the Pats, it seems their mini-slump has passed, and days of steamrolling opponents have returned. With two upcoming home games against the lowly Jets and the hapless Dolphins, the only semi-test will come in East Rutherford in Week 17 against the G-Men. Although the Giants front 4 is a tough match-up for the New England Offense, Eli Manning vs Belichick is a frightening thought. This team will go 16-0, but the playoffs may get interesting. Both Dallas and Indianapolis get better by the week, and although this has been one of the dullest regular seasons in recent memory, January may just make up for it.

Tebow wins the Heisman

As predicted by my flawlessly accurate poll, Tim Tebow took home the Heisman Trophy tonight. It's hard to argue with the pick, considering he had 41 total TDs, became the first QB in history with 20 rushing and 20 passing TDs, and did in the toughest conference in college football. His performance and statistics speak for themselves, and he lead the Gators to a 9-3 record and a spot in a New Year's Day bowl game as a sophomore. However, it begs the question, what is the Heisman Trophy for? Like the MVP in baseball, there seems to be certain qualifications for the award.

1) You must be a skill position player
2) You must play in a BCS conference
3) Your team must have a successful year
4) You must have eye-popping statistics
5) You must be an upperclassmen

Occasionally, we've seen one of these qualifications left unmet, and this year Tebow became the first exception to to rule #5. Interestingly enough, there doesn't seem to be a qualification "You must be the most outstanding player in the country." For if this were a qualification, the award could only go to Darren McFadden. Yes he missed a few games, and yes his team doesn't have the prestige of Florida, but in this blogger's opinion, the award should go to the most outstanding player in college football, and that is Darren McFadden. (It was Dennis Dixon but his injury cost his team a shot at the national title, a Pac-10 championship, and a bowl outside of El Paso, Texas). Congratulations to Tebow, who is certainly not undeserving of the award, but McFadden would have gotten my vote. Well, maybe 2nd after Jo-Lonn "Bone Crusher" Dunbar.

From the Winter Meetings

To my dozens of readers:

The last few, and next few days are hectic for me, as they are the last of my academic career. Posts will appear more frequently starting Friday. Terrible timing with the winter meetings and all, but such is life. A few comments so you can get your fix:

1) I'm extremely dissappointed that the Ravens didn't pull off the upset last night. They badly outplayed the Patriots, and seemingly had the game won on 3 different occasions. However, as much as the Ravens want to blame the refs, they have no one to blame for themselves. After taking a 7 point lead, they had the ball inside the Pats 30, and Boller threw an awful interception. They had two more chances to eat clock after that, and went 3 and out both times. The holding call on Scott was a very tough call, but not necessarily the wrong one. It looked like holding, but I don't agree with making that call in that situation. Nonetheless, the Ravens need to stop whining and learn how to close out a game.

2) I can't stand the Santana rumors any more, and don't believe anything you hear until there is a press conference. I still think the Twins are holding out to get Ellsbury and Lester, and I think that's why a deal has not been struck. And although Steinbrenner claims the Yanks are "out of it", if the Twins call and say they are willing to except Hughes, Cabrera and Prospect X, we'll see how out of it they are. However, I do think its a two team race.

3) Kudos to the Tigers for pulling off a deal like that. They get two studs in their prime for a group of prospects of which it would be shocking if two of them approach level of Willis and Cabrera. This puts the Tigers right at the top of the AL with the Red Sox, and if Willis returns to form, have fun facing Verlander-Willis-Bonderman in the playoffs, not to mention a middle of the lineup with Cabrera and Magglio. Yikes.

4) Sadly, it's beginning to look bleak for the Mets chances of acquiring an ace. The fact is simple, our prospects are weak, and no one wants them in any combination. Let this be a lesson to the team. As I stated in one of my earliest posts, the Mets need to spend more focus on scouting, and with 2 first rounders and a sandwich pick, what a great year to start. Nevertheless, I'm still holding out hope Omar pulls something off..

- Scott
That's all for now. Check back on Friday for more.

Wow

There's very few other appropriate responses, than Wow. When I put concocted my VT into the National Championship game scenario, I could never have predicted I was a Tennessee TD away from its fruition.

First, LSU plays a mediocre game against Tennessee, but holds on for the win, securing the SEC title. In a conference which is universally regarded as the toughest, the Tigers lost 2 games, both in triple overtime. A home loss to unranked Arkansas on the last day of the regular season is a very tough pill to swallow, but clearly the voters found a way.

Second, West Virginia lays one of the biggest eggs in college football history. Of all the losses by top ranked team to unranked teams in 2007, this one has to be the biggest choke job. With a BCS title shot in their future, and nothing but a 4-win, Dave Wannestedt led Pittsburgh team at home left in their way, the Mountaineers score just 7 points and lose 13-7 to Pitt. I read earlier that even had WV pulled that game out in the final seconds, many voters would likely have ousted them from the #2 spot. To play that poorly with so much at stake against a flat out bad football team at home, is the ultimate choke job. Kudos to Pitt and the worst head football coach in America for pulling the upset, but the Mountaineers won't soon forget this missed opportunity.

In the final game, Mizzou gets blown out by Oklahoma. Not a shocker here, Oklahoma is more balanced, better coached and more experienced. Mizzou put up a good fight for a half, but the Sooners are just simply the superior team. It would have been a great story to see the Tigers play for the title, but the conference title game came back to bite them in the ass. There's been a lot of talk about giving teams the option to decline a bid to the conference championship, a move that would benefit a team like Mizzou when an extra can only hurt them. I'm not a proponent of this, as I am a fan of the Conference Championships, but I think all leagues should be required to have them. Further, I think Chase Daniel lost his Heisman chances last night, as he didn't play well enough in a must win. It's down to Tebow and McFadden, and regrettably, I'd have to give the nod to Tebow.

This left the BCS in complete disarray, leaving 7 teams with a legitimate argument to play for the National Title.

1-loss teams.

Ohio State- the only conference champion with 1 loss. OSU won a soft Big 10, and played an even softer out of conference schedule. However, the Buckeyes get the de-facto auto bid, despite losing to unranked Illinois and only beating 1 team that finished in the top 25.

Kansas- the only other major conference team with only 1 loss. KU played a schedule ranked 106/119, and its most impressive with came over #24 Kansas State. The Jayhawks failed to win their conference, or even play for their conference title.

2-loss teams

LSU- champions of the best conference in the nation. Both losses came in triple overtime, but the home loss to unranked Arkansas on the last day of the season is tough.

Oklahoma- Big XII champs, and beat the #1 team in the country by 21 points (Just ask Bob Stoops, he'll tell you). But two losses to unranked teams really killed them.

Virginia Tech- going into the day, VT was the next highest conference champion. Further, VT did not lose to an unranked team, and both losses were to the #2 team in the country at the time. Further, VT actually ended up with the toughest strength of schedule of the teams left (4/119). However, a 41 point loss to fellow 2-loss LSU is the argument killer.

Georgia- the next highest ranked team, and one of the hottest teams in the nation. But the Bulldogs, like Jayhawks, failed to even qualify for the conference title game.

USC- many, including myself, feel the Trojans are actually the best team in the country. Both losses came without starter John David Booty, and the team has played extremely well of late. However, any team that loses to Stanford has a tough case to make.

To me, you have to win your conference if you want to play for the national title. The current system is admittedly flawed, but it's what we have to work with right now. The system only allows for 2 teams to play for the title, and as such, both teams should have to be conference champions.

This eliminates Kansas and UGA.

After that it becomes difficult, but to me, it came down to who won the toughest conference. The answer to that is LSU, and I believe that's why the voters put them in at #2. Oklahoma also leapfrogged many teams, going from #9 to #3. Interestingly enough, has VT been ranked #3/#4, they might have edged out LSU in the BCS. Due to their strength of schedule, VT was the #1 team in the land according to the computers, and had the human polls been kinder, the Hokies might have sneaked in.

Nonetheless, if you have to only give two teams a chance, I believe the two most deserving teams got in. I'm glad Hawaii gets a chance to play in a BCS game, and I'm outraged that the Orange Bowl picked Kansas over Mizzou. If this year in college football doesn't push the stubborn powers at be toward a playoff, nothing will. Just for fun, imagine this playoff after 2007.

6 conference champions get in, 2 at large (Georgia and Hawaii). Using the BCS to determine seedings, these would be the match-ups.

#1 Ohio State vs #8 Hawaii
#2 LSU vs #7 West Virginia
#3 Virginia Tech vs #6 USC
#4 Oklahoma vs #5 Georgia

Now tell me that wouldn't be fun...

ACC Champs

In one of the uglier games I've seen in awhile, VT successfully got its revenge on BC, knocking off the Eagles 30-16 for the ACC title. Barring a situation where LSU, West Virginia and Missouri all lose (coupled with some help for the voters) Tech will play in the Orange Bowl, likely against Kansas or Georgia. Tyrod Taylor looked awful for most of the game, except for a 31 yard run in the 4th quarter which set up the game winning touchdown. Glennon was the star of the game, completing 18 of 27 for 174 yards and 3 TDs. As stated before, I am not huge fan of the two headed system, and have been screaming for Beamer to just start Taylor. Glennon has proved me wrong in a big way, looking outstanding the past 4 weeks, after being abysmal in both of VT's losses. The defense was suspect for much of the first half, but shut down Matt Ryan and the BC offense after Tech blocked an extra point and returned it for 2 points in the first half. Going into half tied at 16 was enormous, considering how poorly we played in the first half, as BC controlled the ball for 21 minutes. The defense took over in the second half, and both stud LBs, Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, came up with huge picks after being MIA for most of the game. Kudos to Cam Chancellor for a couple of ferocious hits. A great job by the coaching staff to rally this team down the stretch after a heartbreaking loss to BC. This is a team that although isn't one of the 3 best teams in the country, could give anyone a game, and if Tech did somehow sneak into the BCS title game, I'd love our chances against the Buckeyes.

Also of note, BC's MLB is named Jo-Lonn Dunbar, and introduced himself as "The Bone Crusher". Nullis.

A comeback for the ages...

Monday Night Miracle, Red Sox over Yankees, take a back seat. Last night, I completed a 7 cups to 1 comeback in a game of beer pong. Myself and partner Scott Stern found ourselves down 7 cups to 1 before the comeback began. I sunk the 7 cup, to force the rack, and Scott came back with cups 6 and 5. On the next turn we doubled up (knocking off cups 4 and 3) and on the send back I hit cup 2, earning myself "heating up" status, as per NBA Jam Rules. After our opponents missed, I sunk the last cup to go "on fire" and then hit it again to ice it. I have received word that the match will be played on ESPN Classic tonight at 9:30 CST.

Milledge to the Nationals for Church, Schneider

Sometimes after a deal is done in baseball, it's real obvious why. Other times, you are left just hoping your team knows something that you don't. I know Milledge's value does not appear to be what it once was, but trading him for a 29-year old mediocre OF and a catcher who can't hit a lick?
I can only hope of one of two things:

1) As Cerrone from Metsblog suggested, it's plausible that the A's, Twins and Orioles would prefer Church in a deal, and the Mets have continually insisted that landing a front-line starter is their #1 goal

2) Milledge will be named in the Mitchell Report

Outside of these two possibilities, I have no explanation for this trade. Omar if you're reading, feel free to explain.

Fire I-zay-ah!

Just when you think nothing can get worse for the New York Knickerbockers, it always seems to happen anyway. In the Pre-Henrik Lundquist era, I thought the Rangers were the worst run franchise in professional sports. Now that they have found a star goalie and have returned to respectability, their MSG counterparts own that distinction.

Isiah Thomas has done a remarkable job; he took a bad team, and turned them into a complete catastrophe. His theory of 'lets bring as many overpaid, shoot first guards and throw them on one team' has managed to turn the Knicks into the laughing stock of the league. If that wasn't enough, he lost complete respect of all his player with his off the court discretions (sexual harassment) and personal vendetta with Marbury. This team needs a complete makeover in the worst way. Keep the young kids like Lee, Balkman, Randolph and Nate Robinson, fire the coach/GM and bring in completely new personnel. This is the only way to restore respectability, and it's not like they'll win games in the short run either way. The Dolan-Thomas-Thomas trio has to rank amongst the worst Owner-GM-Coach trios in professional sports history. I'd like to take 2 friends and a few players from the Wash U basketball team and give it a go. Hey, it can't be much worse...

So long Jose?

According to the New York Daily News, there's "speculation in MLB circles" that the Mets are considering parting with Jose Reyes in a potential trade for Johan Santana.

This, I am not OK with. As badly as the Mets need an ace, you absolutely cannot trade a 24-year old star shortstop in his prime. Reyes changes the game, and brings an electricity to the team you can't measure with statistics. He manufactures so many runs with his speed from stealing bases to inducing balks. The Mets have control of him for 3 more years at an absolute steal of around $6 million (less than he would likely have received in arbitration). Dealing Reyes would be a monumental error, and I hope this "speculation" is just that.

On a personal note..

I've been asked to write about something other than sports, so here's a quick personal post.

1) Today I won the 2007 Intramural Arm Wrestling Championship for the 136-150 lbs weight class. Why is this notable? Because it's actually important enough to my life to report. Granted I only had to beat 2 people to get there (I had a bye to the semifinals based on my semifinal appearance last year) but it's an accomplishment nonetheless. Boy I need another hobby. Seen any good movies lately?

2) Today I also randomly ran into someone I met on an cruise 3 years ago. It's quite amazing how the random things in your life never seem to go away, yet the things to wish to keep around fade away oh so quietly. For those interested: Jake dropped out of school, quit his job and is now playing in a band called 'Dead City Dregs'.

3) Can someone find a bar for me where you don't come back wreaking of smoke? This is becoming a major deterrent to going out, and it's quite frustrating. Who would have ever thought that I would be longing for New Jersey (where smoking in bars is illegal)?? Yes, our governors may be gay, and yes, they pay off young girls to keep their mouths shut, but at least our bars are free of smoke!

Odds and Ends

My apologies for the lack of updates, the few assignments I have left were calling my name. A few updates in the world sports:

1) Terrible tragedy regarding Sean Taylor. For some reason, I always liked Taylor. No one will claim he was the most moral guy, or the most upstanding citizen, but he loved football and had great passion for the game. As a VT fan, I remember watching him since college, and this guy struck fear in your heart as an opposing fan. He was a great athlete and a great player, and I am sad to see him go. The more I read, the more I learn about how he was progressing not only as a solid defensive stud in the NFL, but as a human being as well. I think he would have done great things in this league, and the NFL was robbed of a true star. RIP Sean.

2) Pardon my bias, but the Magic are really, really good. They aren't the deepest in the league, but something about their makeup works. A dominant center, a pure scorer, a true point guard, a scrappy 2-guard and a shot-making, role-playing, hard-nosed 3 in Hedo Turkoglu. The combo of Howard, Lewis, Nelson, Bogans and Turkoglu seems to me be working wonders. Throw in a decent bench of Foyle, Arroyo, Redick, Battie, and Garrity, and you have the makings of an Eastern Conference contender. If this Magic team can stay healthy, they will be a major factor in the Eastern Conference, ans have already proven they can play with, and beat, the Celtics.

3) I really can't understand the logic of the Delmon Young for Matt Garza deal. Both are teams that are trying to compete in the short run, as neither will be able to sign either player once the arbitration years end. The Twins will lose Santana, and Carlos Silva, and will need a guy like Garza to front end their rotation. The Rays, more than anything, need to put asses in the seats, and I guarantee you no one in the great state of Florida has the slightest clue who Matt Garza is. Delmon Young, although a controversial figure, is an intriguing player, and one who many would pay to see. I can't see why either team would be motivated to make this deal, but would gladly take either young player in Queens.

4) The college coaching carousel is getting interesting. Houston Nutt has taken the Mississippi job (not surprising) and ex-Packer failure Mike Sherman has accepted the Texas A&M job. The Nebraska slot and the Michigan opening remain the most notable jobs, and most fascinating to follow. If I were to bet on it, I think Les Miles will end up in Ann Arbor, especially after LSU's title chances went down the tubes (and even more so when LSU loses to Tennessee...trust me).

5) Don't look now, but the Devils have won 5 straight. Amazing what happens when one of your top defensive players and veteran scorers/assistant captains return from injury. Magically, Brodeur can play goalie again. Don't be surprised if the Devils find themselves perched atop the Atlantic Division by the time March rolls around, however Detroit and Ottawa remain the class of the league.

Ocean's Eleven

I have never, ever seen a football game quite like the one I witnessed tonight. The kicking game seemed to be completely useless, open field running was impossible, and punts literally plugged into the ground (perhaps the craziest thing about tonight.) Nevertheless, as the Patriots proves a great team always finds a way to win, the Dolphins proved a bad team always finds a way to lose. What a shame too, because the Dolphins played their hearts out. John Beck showed a lot of moxy and made several excellent throws, while avoiding mistakes in a mistake prone environment. The defense came up big on their end of the field on several occasions, keeping the game close until the end. As I have said for weeks, the Dolphins really are not as bad as their 0-11 record would indicate. They're bad, but when you lose 6 games by 3 points or less, a few of which came down to game winning field goals in the final seconds, you are clearly capable of playing competitive football. The defense has improved by leaps and bounds as the season has progressed, but the offense just can't seem to get a break. This season thus far, the Dolphins have lost their starting QB, starting RB, and seen their #1 WR traded away. Then tonight, they lose both Ricky Williams AND Jesse Chatman, and must make ends meat with Patrick Cobbs, who had 0 NFL carries coming into the year. This team just can't catch a break, and seems destined for the #1 pick.

Comments

My loyal reader(s):

Feel free to post comments on any post. The comments link is in the bottom right hand corner of each post.

Santana to the Bronx?

According to ESPN.com, the Twins and Yankees are having preliminary discussions about a deal that would bring ace left-hander Johan Santana to the Bronx. I would expect that at least one big pitching prospect (Joba Chamberlain, Philip Hughes or Ian Kennedy), one position player (Cano or Cabrera) and another prospect. The Yankees have to be the favorites for two reasons. 1) That package of prospects will be as good as any offered, and 2) The Yankees can afford to sign Santana to a 7 year extension, a demand of Santana in order for him to waive his no trade clause.

As a Mets fan, I can only hope that the Yankees refuse to deal Chamberlain or Hughes and that thew Twins demand one of them be included. The Mets simply do not have the young talent to compete with the Yankees in this area, however I believe the Mets are willing to move anyone outside of Reyes and Wright, and this could be their only saving grace.

How the Mighty have (Almost) Fallen

Leave it to Belichick to find a new way to wreak havoc over the Patriot Hater Nation. Beating teams by 40 points? Been there, done that. Running up the score? Old News. The Sweatshirt came up with a new idea: Let's take a game in which we're favored by 20+ points at home, and the opposing team has their backup QB starting (a guy who couldn't hack it for the team that's currently 0-10 mind you), and let them make a game of it. Let's give all the cheater haters false hope that we're beatable, and then flip the switch late in the 4th on the way to 11-0.

As president of the "I Despise the Patriots" fan club, this one hurt. Especially because even after the inevitable Patriots go-ahead TD to make it 31-28, the Eagles went right down the field with little resistance from the Pats D. With the ball inside the 30, the Eagles simply needed to run clock for either a game tying field goal or the TD for the win. Instead, they took a foolish chance in the end zone, and an awful A.J. Feeley pass ended up in the hands of Asante Samuel.


You have to give credit where credit is due, in that for the 2nd time this season, the Pats did not play well and yet found a way to win, a sign of a truly great team. But the fact that a McNabbless Eagles gave them a game ensures the following, although the Pats are great, they ARE beatable.
However, it's starting to get to crunch time and the '72 fins bubbly remains unopened. The question remains who can knock them off, and it would seem the Giants, at home, in week 17 present the biggest challenge. But after a 4 INT performance from Eli Manning and a 41-17 home drubbing to the Vikings, it may be time to accept the fact that the Pats aren't going to lose.

Long live the King

It's always talked about how sports are about the team, and not the individual. Generally, of course, this is true, but I find it increasingly hard to accept as concrete fact when wacthing the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's unbelievable how much that team depends on LeBron James. He's currently averaging 30.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists, and leads the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. It's rare that a player who carried the type of hype that LeBron did ever quite lives up to, but this guy has done it. I continue to marvel as his greatness, and firmly believe he is hands down the best player on the planet.

The picture gets a little clearer

So my scenario didn't quite work out as planned, but Virginia Tech did take care of business with a 33-21 win in Charlottesville for the ACC Coastal title. The Hokie offense looked great, as their offense moved the ball as well as they have all season. It was a little disconcerting to see 4 drives stall in the red zone, but Branden Ore showed flashes of why he was first-team all ACC last year, and the two-headed quarterback system worked perfectly. I really was not in favor of the Spurrier-esque plan, but the change of pace between Glennon's pocket presence and Taylor's athleticism really throws off opposing defenses, as the Hokie offense has scored at least 33 points in their last 3 games. The defense gave up a few big plays, but their speed makes it so difficult to sustain a long drive. Next week's match-up against BC in the ACC Championship game is particularly intriguing as Tech looks to avenge its heartbreaking loss to the Eagles from earlier in the season. I'm very optimistic about this game, as Tech's offense is light years better now than it was a month ago, and Vince Hall and Tyrod Taylor will both play this time. The winner likely gets the Orange Bowl, facing one of the at large teams.

After West Virginia manhandled UConn, dropping 66 points on a supposedly tough defense, it appears as if they are headed to New Orleans for a chance in the title game. They still need to get past a weak Pitt team in backyard brawl, but it would appear they control their own destiny at the moment. I still think they're defense is weak and a team with a few quick linebackers, like the pair in Blacksburg, could neutralize the shifty backfield of White, Slaton and Devine. Nevertheless, you can only beat who's on your schedule, and the Mountaineers earned lots of style points tonight.

The national picture seems clear now, as it appears only 4 teams are realistically still alive.

Missouri now has the inside track to New Orleans, and likely the #1 seed tomorrow morning. I was extremely impressed with Missouri tonight. Its tough to tell how good Kansas actually is, but Missou played such solid football on both sides of the ball for 3 quarters. They did let the Jayhawks back into the game in the 4th, a sign of a team inexperienced in big games, but managed to put the game away with a safety to seal the deal for a 36-28 win.

Assuming the Tigers beat Oklahoma next week in the Big XII title game, they are a lock for a spot in the title game. West Virginia gets in with a win over Pittsburgh, but would be out should they be the next fall victim to the curse of #2. Ohio State is next in line, and would sneak into the title game with either a Missouri loss next week, or a West Virginia loss.

In the unlikely event that West Virginia and Missouri lose next week, your guess is as good as mine as to who Ohio State would play. Georgia, Virginia Tech, LSU, Oklahoma, Kansas, and even Hawaii could be possibilities.

Here's my top 10 and bowl projections after this weeks action:

1. Missouri
2. West Virginia
3. Ohio State
4. LSU
5. Virginia Tech
6. Georgia
7. USC
8. Kansas
9. Oklahoma
10. Hawaii


National Championship: Missouri v West Virginia
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Georgia
Sugar Bowl: LSU vs Hawaii
Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs USC
Fiesta Bowl: Arizona State vs Kansas

Another #1 bites the dust

Unbelievable.

The BCS picture was seemingly set. LSU vs the winner of tomorrow's Missouri/Kansas game. Now, several teams just jumped back into the mix. LSU had been living on the edge week after week, and it finally caught up to them. A great game, but you have to be a little disappointed in LSU's defense, especially in the red zone. They are all but eliminated from National title contention, and don't be shocked if Les Miles to Michigan rumors intensify after this loss.

While on the topic of head coaches, I had been curious why Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt was on the hot seat (rumor has it the school has all but signed his walking papers). It's hard to knock a coach who just upset the #1 team on the road with an unbeaten squad, but I think I see why the folks in Fayetteville are unhappy. After LSU tied it at 28-28, the Razorbacks took the ensuing kickoff to the 47 yard line with 50 seconds left and 1 timeout. They proceeded to run the ball three times, and let the clock run down to 9 seconds, calling a timeout on 4th and 1. They pick this opportunity to finally put the ball in the air, leading to Coby Dick throwing the ball 10 yards out of bounds. Horrendous clock management, which if LSU could play any red zone defense, would have cost Arkansas the upset.

(So far my VT-OSU National Title game scenario is 2 for 2. Here's rooting for the Hokies, Huskies, and Yellow Jackets tomorrow)

Fransisco Cordero to the Reds

4 years, $46 million, the largest deal in MLB history for a reliever. And for Fransisco Cordero. Not to sound like a broken record but, it must be some market out there...

Torii Hunter to the Angels

5 years, 90 million for Torii Hunter. A couple of things stand out here:

1) Hunter is now making more than teammate Vladimir Guerrero.

2) $18 million per annum for a career .271 hitter, with one 30 HR season, and 2 100 RBI seasons? Once again, it must be some market out there.

3) I'm curious how the departure of Hunter will affect the Santana situation. Although it was seemingly a foregone conclusion that Hunter would not re-sign, this has two potential impacts on the Santana sweepstakes. 1) It could free up some money to increase the currently rumored 5 yr, $93 million offer, 2) The loss of Hunter could further prove to Santana that this will never truly be a contending team, and he can't win in Minnesota. Personally, I think there's little chance Johan stays in Minnesota, and I think he'll be dealt before Spring Training.

Thanksgiving Football

A few notes on yesterday's action:

1) USC is a completely different team with a healthy John David Booty. The Pac-10 got slaughtered by injuries this year, as I think Oregon and USC are two of the nation's best teams, but neither were quite the same without their signal caller. An Oregon loss to UCLA seems likely with Brady Leaf at the helm, which sends USC to the Rose Bowl. Watch out OSU.

2) The Cowboys and Packers are really good. I loved the dynamic of Favre in the early game, Romo in the afternoon, and Manning in the nightcap. Kind of a past, future, present type of thing. It's a shame the Patriots are so good, because their dominance is going to overshadow the fact that there are some really great stories in the NFL this year. The Packers 10-1 start is their best since 1962, and considering its an extremely young team with a QB who nearly retired, incredible.

3) Michael Vick really screwed up the Falcons. That offense just doesn't function without him. It's not really a knock on Leftwich or Harrington, but more that everything the Falcons did in the off-season was made to complement Vick. Petrino was brought in for his offense system, which needs a guy like Vick to work. Don't be shocked if Petrino's name get thrown into the ring for major college jobs (Nebraska, Michigan, etc) as I think he'll hop the first plane out of there if possible.

BCS

As much as I hate the BCS, it really does give college football fans so much to talk about. For those of you who are BCS challenged, consider the current situation. The standings are as follows:

1) LSU
2) Kansas
3) West Virginia
4) Missouri
5) Ohio State
6) Arizona State
7) Georgia
8) Virginia Tech
9) Oregon
10) Oklahoma

This coming weekend#2 Kansas plays #4 Missouri (for the Big XII North championship), #1 LSU hosts Arkansas, #3 West Virginia plays #20 UConn (winner gets the Big East crown), #6 Arizona State plays #11 USC (winner likely wins the Pac-10), #7 Georgia faces state rival Georgia Tech and #8 Virginia Tech travels to #16 Virginia (ACC Coastal title at stake). Also a fun matchup, #19 Boise State heads to #15 Hawaii to face the unbeaten Warriors. What an amazing weekend in college football. Go Tech.

Here's my winning scenario. Arizona State has already lost to USC, LSU falls to Arkansas this weekend, and then again in the SEC Championship game, amidst Les Miles to Michigan rumors. Missouri beats Kansas, then falls to Oklahoma, again, in the Big XII Championship game. UConn shocks West Virginia on the road, and Georgia Tech knocks off UGA. The result, Ohio State vs Virginia Tech in the National Championship. You heard it here first.

Mets offseason

Starting off with the bread and butter, here are/were my offseason goals for the Mets, updated with current progress.

1) Bring in an ace starting pitcher, no matter the cost (The stove is very hot..)

Honestly, at this point, every single deal I have heard for Santana that doesn't include Reyes sounds good to me. There is so little out there, that I can see myself rationalizing a deal along the lines of Pelfrey, Humber, Milledge, Gomez, Fernando Martinez and Deolis Guerra for Santana. It's sad, but I really don't have tremendous faith that any of these guys will develop into great players, and I want to see Santana in orange and blue in the worst way. Tell me you care who is in right field next year if Santana takes the mound on opening day for the next 8 years...

2) Upgrade the bullpen ( ??????)

Well the Mets off-season is underway for 53 days now, and I feel like I have made as much effort to upgrade the bullpen, well unless you consider addition by subtraction, which will be discussed in #3. However, how can this not be priority #1. This was so clearly the cause of the meltdown, and I feel like its not being addressed. Yes, Padilla and Sanchez are due to come back healthy, but they need to be treated as pleasant surprised if they're healthy, not be counted on. Get on it Omar..

3) Get rid of Guillermo Mota under any circumstance (Check plus)

Unbelievable, I would have been willing to pay a team to take him AND pay his salary, and somehow we got a team to not only take him off ours hands, not only eat his salary, but send us a decent player at a need position. Estrada for Mota has to go down as one of the biggest head scratching trades in MLB history. Looks like maybe there's a reason Milwaukee has the most bars per capita in America (Meyer, Brian).

4) Upgrade at catcher (Check-ish)

Haven't really done this, however, I don't truly think Omar is done looking yet. Omar will have no problem non-tendering Estrada if a better option becomes available, seeing as we gave away less than nothing (literally) to bring him here. I'm really glad Omar didn't give Posada 4 years, as I think I will be as effective as Posada in 2011. While I'm glad Castro will be back due to his power bat and getting to hear the Imperial March every few games, you know he isn't good for more than 100 games played, and is much better suited for a backup role. Even when filling in full time for Paulie, it was evident he can't handle playing constantly. He's a perennial backup, but a good one at that. As for the second head of Omar's 'two-headed monster, I'll say two things. 1) Yorvit Torrealbea at 3 years/$15 million? Michael Vick is a better investment at this point, maybe G-d is a Mets fan for making that one fall through. 2) I'm OK for now with Estrada being the second half, but I hope Omar keeps his eyes open..

5) Re-sign Castillo (Check)

I know some people disagree with me here, but I thought this was the right move. He's great fit for this team. A perfect 2 hole hitter that allows Reyes to flourish, a solid defender who meshed well with Reyes, and a guy who was surprisingly clutch in his 2 months in New York. However, 4 years, $32 million? It must really be a tough market out there...

6) Pick up the option on Alou. (Check)

.341 with a .916 OPS. He can play on my team any day, even if its only for 100 games. This guy is ageless, must be the ammonia.

7) Bring in a mid-level veteran outfielder

Alou can only be counted on for about 100 games, Beltran is guaranteed at least one DL stint, and who knows what young guys will still be on the roster come April. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with someone that you can feel OK with plugging in when someone goes down. Endy will be around, maybe give Green $3-4 million to break the All-Time Jewish Home Run Record on the Mets, but we need someone who can play every day if needed. Some ideas: Luis Gonzalez, Jose Guillen, Kenny Lofton

8) Improve scouting

It's painful watching the Yankees and Red Sox crank out great young players by the minute. Where's our Joba Chamberlain? Or Clay Buchholz? Or Jon Lester? Or Dustin Pedroia? Or Jacoby Ellsbury? As of this moment, the Mets have two first round picks and a sandwich pick, let's spend some money on scouting and get some young studs.

Numero uno

Attention dozens of people:

I have decided to start this blog for the following reasons.

1) I currently have enormous amounts of free time on my hands
2) I am tired of discussing my sports opinions with myself in the shower
3) The slight possibility lots of people read this blog, I can make it big, and then make millions by sitting on my ass and writing about sports.

Posts will mostly be about sports, but will also include some general ramblings. Expect a few motifs:

1) The Mets
2) From August-January, lots of college football
3) Slightly less bias than a Bill Simmons column, who despite writing solely about sports from the Devil's town, remains incredibly popular.

Happy Thanksgiving and tune in for more.