Can the NFL just cancel the NFC's #6 playoff seed this season? 5 teams are 7-8 heading into the final weekend; amazingly, none of them play one another. That means there could be a 7-9 playoff team for the first time in league history. And the late Lamar Hunt wanted to add two more playoff teams! It's the NFL, not the NHL!
The pretenders:
NY Giants - they have won once since November 5th, over a Carolina team that hadn't learned the best way to win with Chris Weinke at QB was to take him OFF the field on 3rd downs and run the single wing offense with an extra TE to block. The Giants are without a bunch of top players, they haven't been playing to the level of their opponent, the Redskins, the past 2 months. Outcome: LOSS.
St Louis - they face the Vikings, who amassed 3 first downs and about 100 yards last week in Green Bay. The Rams got close to that in OVERTIME last week against the Redskins. This game will be in a dome; outcome: WIN.
Carolina - last week they learned how to win with Chris Weinke at QB... bench him on 3rd downs to prevent the possibility of interceptions. He did throw a 1 TD pass for the winning margin in a 10-3 win over the Falcons. The bad news: they will need more than 1 TD to defeat the high-scoring Saints. Outcome: LOSS.
Atlanta - they couldn't extend Weinke's losing streak to 18 games because they were as bad offensively. The Eagles are due for a letdown after sweeping all 3 NFC East rivals on the road, but the division title is in sight for them and I don't see the Falcons showing up ready to play in this one. Outcome: LOSS.
Green Bay - they'll know their fate when they take the field in the PrimeTime Game on NBC. The Bears didn't play last season's "meaningless" finale to win, will they do the same this year? Outcome: WIN.
SEATTLE - they are 8-7 and clinched their division title the Mike Tice way - by losing! They dropped games to powerhouses Arizona and San Francisco before coming from ahead to lose to San Diego last week. Aizona's victory over SF clinched the division title for Seattle, will they show up to play in Tampa, on the East Coast? Outcome: LOSS. The result: an 8-8 division champion to host a 9-7 or 10-6 wild card team (PHI or DAL)!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Justin Timberlake?
What is CBS thinking having him perform next week during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show? Don't they remember what happened the last time that he appeared on national TV with a woman not wearing much clothing, maybe even some Victoria's Secret clothing? Carolina v. New England in the Super Bowl... a Super Bowl that aired on CBS!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Baseball HOF Voting
Mark McGwire - no way. He hit a very significant portion (42%) of his career home runs between 1996 and 1999 while he was on the juice. He had to be on the juice, the only logical conclusion one could draw following his Congressional Testimony before the 2005 season "I'm not here to talk about the past." His career numbers from 1987 to 1995 weren't above average for the league. He had some nice home run totals, but didn't hit for a respectable average from 1989-91 (.235 OR LESS). He missed most of 1993 and 1994 due to injuries. When the steriod wing of the Hall of Fame opens in Tijuana (late Padres 3B Ken Caminiti's source), McGwire can be inducted in the innaugural class. Similarly, hit leader Pete Rose can go in with Joe Jackson to the Vegas wing.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Thanksgiving Football
There is a third game in the 8ET timeslot. It's Denver at Kansas City, of note is an AFC team hosting a game. It will air on the NFL Network (available in HD depending on satellite/cable service provider) instead of broadcast or ESPN (though I think the DEN and KC network affiliates will have the opportunity to air the game locally. I wonder if it will draw a higher rating than the lame Lions in the 12ET time slot.
12:30 PM ET - Miami 23 Detroit 10. I'm wondering if the NFL is going to cancel the Lions' hosting Thanksgiving football if GM Matt Millen isn't gone before the next schedule is made. Maybe they can threaten Detroit with Flex Scheduling for THEIR Thanksgiving game. I'm not too disappointed that I'll be in the car for the start of this game!
4:15 PM ET - Dallas 27 Tampa Bay 13. Tampa will have to come up with a Herculean effort to defeat the surging Cowboys. I fear having to listen to Joe Buck announce this game.
I'm not surprised by Cowboy PK Mike Vanderjagt's struggles, search for his name (CTRL-F) in my post following the Steelers-Colts game last season:
http://webjavaworld.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_webjavaworld_archive.html
2005 Playoffs - Steelers 20, Colts 17. MV missed way wide right at end of regulation (46 yds)
2004 Opener - Patriots 30, Colts 27. MV missed way wide right at end of regulation (44 yds)
2000 Playoffs - MV missed way wide right in overtime (42 yds).
Once, an isolated incident. Twice, a trend. Three times, ... Houston, we have a problem.
8:00 ET Denver 23 Kansas City 17. Al Davis can't be happy that the AFC West rivalry being showcased in this one doesn't involve his Raiders, but I can't remember the last time they won an AFC West game. OK, it was in the snow against the Broncos in 2004 (the snow is the only reason I remember that). The Broncos were ambushed by LaDanian Tomlinson and the Chargers in the second half last week, the East Coast newspaper audience had to think that the writers just changed some names and numebrs from the Cincinnati game the week before! QB Jake Plummer hasn't played well this season and needs to rediscover his 2005 form.
BCS - Michigan played well enough in my mind that they could end up behind USC, Florida, Arkansas, or maybe West Virginia should those teams win out. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, college football polling isn't like a golf competition where a low score can be posted early and hold up on its own merit. USC, Florida, and Arkansas all have games left against good (UCLA, Florida State) and excellent (Notre Dame, LSU, Ark-Fla: each other) teams on their schedule that offer the opportunity to leave a strong impression with the voters. The challengers to #2 ranked according to the probability they can pass Michigan:
USC - Still has to win two more games, and this team has been winning ugly. They called on a backup kicker to kick a 49-yard field goal to tie up Cal at 9-9 in the 3rd quarter. Their last TD came on a 4th and 2 downfield pass (I was happy to see a formation with WR's in it, unlike last year's alignment agianst Texas).
Fla - They cleaned up on Western Carolina last week. I-AA opponent? This week's game against FSU shouldn't be a difficult victory, even if it's a rivalry game.
WV - Their one loss was on the road to Louisville, stud RB Steve Slaton was injured in the second half, they fell behind while he was out. If they beat Rutgers at home they might (unlikely based on current BCS rankings) challenge the Wolverines.
Ark - They lost 50-14 to USC, and their SEC road wasn't as challenging as Florida's.
ND - They won't be able to overcome their 47-21 loss to Michigan; the Wolverines are in the BCS clubhouse ahead of the Irish.
12:30 PM ET - Miami 23 Detroit 10. I'm wondering if the NFL is going to cancel the Lions' hosting Thanksgiving football if GM Matt Millen isn't gone before the next schedule is made. Maybe they can threaten Detroit with Flex Scheduling for THEIR Thanksgiving game. I'm not too disappointed that I'll be in the car for the start of this game!
4:15 PM ET - Dallas 27 Tampa Bay 13. Tampa will have to come up with a Herculean effort to defeat the surging Cowboys. I fear having to listen to Joe Buck announce this game.
I'm not surprised by Cowboy PK Mike Vanderjagt's struggles, search for his name (CTRL-F) in my post following the Steelers-Colts game last season:
http://webjavaworld.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_webjavaworld_archive.html
2005 Playoffs - Steelers 20, Colts 17. MV missed way wide right at end of regulation (46 yds)
2004 Opener - Patriots 30, Colts 27. MV missed way wide right at end of regulation (44 yds)
2000 Playoffs - MV missed way wide right in overtime (42 yds).
Once, an isolated incident. Twice, a trend. Three times, ... Houston, we have a problem.
8:00 ET Denver 23 Kansas City 17. Al Davis can't be happy that the AFC West rivalry being showcased in this one doesn't involve his Raiders, but I can't remember the last time they won an AFC West game. OK, it was in the snow against the Broncos in 2004 (the snow is the only reason I remember that). The Broncos were ambushed by LaDanian Tomlinson and the Chargers in the second half last week, the East Coast newspaper audience had to think that the writers just changed some names and numebrs from the Cincinnati game the week before! QB Jake Plummer hasn't played well this season and needs to rediscover his 2005 form.
BCS - Michigan played well enough in my mind that they could end up behind USC, Florida, Arkansas, or maybe West Virginia should those teams win out. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, college football polling isn't like a golf competition where a low score can be posted early and hold up on its own merit. USC, Florida, and Arkansas all have games left against good (UCLA, Florida State) and excellent (Notre Dame, LSU, Ark-Fla: each other) teams on their schedule that offer the opportunity to leave a strong impression with the voters. The challengers to #2 ranked according to the probability they can pass Michigan:
USC - Still has to win two more games, and this team has been winning ugly. They called on a backup kicker to kick a 49-yard field goal to tie up Cal at 9-9 in the 3rd quarter. Their last TD came on a 4th and 2 downfield pass (I was happy to see a formation with WR's in it, unlike last year's alignment agianst Texas).
Fla - They cleaned up on Western Carolina last week. I-AA opponent? This week's game against FSU shouldn't be a difficult victory, even if it's a rivalry game.
WV - Their one loss was on the road to Louisville, stud RB Steve Slaton was injured in the second half, they fell behind while he was out. If they beat Rutgers at home they might (unlikely based on current BCS rankings) challenge the Wolverines.
Ark - They lost 50-14 to USC, and their SEC road wasn't as challenging as Florida's.
ND - They won't be able to overcome their 47-21 loss to Michigan; the Wolverines are in the BCS clubhouse ahead of the Irish.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
BCS Analysis and Forecast
#1 Ohio State v. #2 Michigan - The winner is in the title game, the loser goes to the Rose Bowl unless every other Division 1 team has at least 2 losses. The loser might be #2, but I don't think that it has distinguished itself so much from the other 115 Div I-A teams to get two shots at the #1 team before the other 1-loss teams get a 1st (save for ND v. Michigan rematch. If Ohio State is competitive w/ the Wolverines and ND is 10-1, then I would consider a rematch since ND was trounced by Michigan).
#3 USC - I think that they are correctly ranked here. I am a fan, but believe that their non-conference schedule of likely SEC West Champ Arkansas, likely Big 12 North Champ Nebraska, and Notre Dame (see #5) more than overcomes the difference between the Pac-10 and the SEC, Big 10, etc. That being said, I don't see this team winning its reamining 3 games in LA. Cal, Notre Dame, and UCLA are all much better than the triumverate of Arizona State, Washington State, and Washington, all of whom were within a TD of USC in the 4th quarter and had possession of the football.
#4 Florida - They have stumbled since their loss to Auburn but have avoided a second loss. Non-conference schedule: Florida State (which hasn't lost LESS than 4 games since 2000), Southern Miss (ok), Central Florida (?), and Western Carolina (??). No non-conference games against a quality BCS conference team? Did Bill Snyder of Kansas State make this schedule?
#5 Notre Dame - Beat Georgia Tech, tops in ACC. 3-1 against the Big 11, but was mauled by Michigan 47-21, so I don't like the idea of putting them in a rematch. 2-0 against the Pac 10 w/ USC remaining. 2-0 against the Service Academies w/ Army remaining. They might want to look into playing SEC teams more frequently to take away some the SEC fodder "it's the best conference"... they don't (need to play) Army and Air Force every year.
#6 Rutgers - This probably is where they should be until we see them play West Virginia. Before any of their supporters point out that they defeated Illinois by 33 while Ohio State won by 7, they only beat a horrific North Carolina team by 5. The Big East is easliy the weakest of all the BCS conferences and Rutgers' non-conference schedule isn't that tough (Hey Florida, at least it has some BCS conference teams!): North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Howard, and Navy. Navy is the only team heading to a bowl, but they don't earn many of the required 6 wins against BCS conference teams.
#7 Arkansas - They were taken behind the woodshed by USC in their opener 50-14. The rest of the non-conference slate: Utah St. (?), SE Mo St.(??), Lousiana Monroe (???). They are probably even with Notre Dame in my mind.
#8 West Virginia - I think that they will defeat Rutgers at home. Many BCS suits will be pulling for them as well to prevent the playoff talk that will erupt if an undefeated Rutgers team is displaced in the title game by a 1-loss USC, Florida, or Notre Dame team.
This season is a great example to me of why a playoff isn't in college football's best interest. USC had 1 too many turnovers against Oregon State and had no shot at the championship game until FOUR 1-loss teams lost last Saturday. Florida's lackluster non-conference schedule has it behind a similar 1-loss USC team. Rutgers is undefeated, but there might be more than 3 undefeated Div I-A teams if they played the Scarlet Knights' schedule. I'd be intrigued by a 12-0 Rutgers team, I need to see that first.
Forecast:
#1 Ohio State over Michigan (Jim Tressel owns the Wolverines the way they owned John Cooper).
#3 USC loses at least once to Cal, ND, or UCLA.
#4 Florida wins out over Western Carloina, Florida State, and Arkansas.
#5 Notre Dame wins out.. If the over/under for USC is in the 50s, go under. The two offenses will try to limit the amount of time their defenses are on the field.
#6 Rutgers - loses to West Virginia.
#7 Arkansas - loses to LSU and Florida.
Title Game - Ohio State v. Florida (****FOX, PLEASE SPARE US FROM JOE BUCK. JUST ONCE!****)
#3 USC - I think that they are correctly ranked here. I am a fan, but believe that their non-conference schedule of likely SEC West Champ Arkansas, likely Big 12 North Champ Nebraska, and Notre Dame (see #5) more than overcomes the difference between the Pac-10 and the SEC, Big 10, etc. That being said, I don't see this team winning its reamining 3 games in LA. Cal, Notre Dame, and UCLA are all much better than the triumverate of Arizona State, Washington State, and Washington, all of whom were within a TD of USC in the 4th quarter and had possession of the football.
#4 Florida - They have stumbled since their loss to Auburn but have avoided a second loss. Non-conference schedule: Florida State (which hasn't lost LESS than 4 games since 2000), Southern Miss (ok), Central Florida (?), and Western Carolina (??). No non-conference games against a quality BCS conference team? Did Bill Snyder of Kansas State make this schedule?
#5 Notre Dame - Beat Georgia Tech, tops in ACC. 3-1 against the Big 11, but was mauled by Michigan 47-21, so I don't like the idea of putting them in a rematch. 2-0 against the Pac 10 w/ USC remaining. 2-0 against the Service Academies w/ Army remaining. They might want to look into playing SEC teams more frequently to take away some the SEC fodder "it's the best conference"... they don't (need to play) Army and Air Force every year.
#6 Rutgers - This probably is where they should be until we see them play West Virginia. Before any of their supporters point out that they defeated Illinois by 33 while Ohio State won by 7, they only beat a horrific North Carolina team by 5. The Big East is easliy the weakest of all the BCS conferences and Rutgers' non-conference schedule isn't that tough (Hey Florida, at least it has some BCS conference teams!): North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Howard, and Navy. Navy is the only team heading to a bowl, but they don't earn many of the required 6 wins against BCS conference teams.
#7 Arkansas - They were taken behind the woodshed by USC in their opener 50-14. The rest of the non-conference slate: Utah St. (?), SE Mo St.(??), Lousiana Monroe (???). They are probably even with Notre Dame in my mind.
#8 West Virginia - I think that they will defeat Rutgers at home. Many BCS suits will be pulling for them as well to prevent the playoff talk that will erupt if an undefeated Rutgers team is displaced in the title game by a 1-loss USC, Florida, or Notre Dame team.
This season is a great example to me of why a playoff isn't in college football's best interest. USC had 1 too many turnovers against Oregon State and had no shot at the championship game until FOUR 1-loss teams lost last Saturday. Florida's lackluster non-conference schedule has it behind a similar 1-loss USC team. Rutgers is undefeated, but there might be more than 3 undefeated Div I-A teams if they played the Scarlet Knights' schedule. I'd be intrigued by a 12-0 Rutgers team, I need to see that first.
Forecast:
#1 Ohio State over Michigan (Jim Tressel owns the Wolverines the way they owned John Cooper).
#3 USC loses at least once to Cal, ND, or UCLA.
#4 Florida wins out over Western Carloina, Florida State, and Arkansas.
#5 Notre Dame wins out.. If the over/under for USC is in the 50s, go under. The two offenses will try to limit the amount of time their defenses are on the field.
#6 Rutgers - loses to West Virginia.
#7 Arkansas - loses to LSU and Florida.
Title Game - Ohio State v. Florida (****FOX, PLEASE SPARE US FROM JOE BUCK. JUST ONCE!****)
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
R.I.P. John F. Kerry
This JFK is a complete IDIOT. I've heard hime attempt to tell jokes and his delivery of "Stuck in Iraq" doesn't sound at all like his joke-telling delivery, honed over the course of his 60-year (estimated) life. I'm not satisfied with our current President, but every time a reporter puts a microphone in front of Kerry, he gives me another reason to be satisfied with the 2004 Presidential Election result. Listening to JFK explain the losers, dummies, and disadvantaged that serve in our military, I have no idea how our military was able to win WWI or WWII. The way that JFK sees things, our military is the equivalent of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, MLB's Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and the NBA's/Isiah Thomas' New York Knicks. But our country TRULY VALUES patriotism, something that clearly escapes JFK. MY QUESTION: How does he not grasp the concept of patriotism after serving in the Armed Forces and then holding office in our national government for the past 20+ years? "Reporting for Duty" at the 2004 DNC Convention, YEAH RIGHT! He ought to retreat to one of his mansions NOW and spend a lot of time fishing, windsurfing, skiing, golfing, SUV touring, etc. What are the Jerry Lewis Telethon info-babes at MSNBC going to do with this one? Especially since JFK won't apologize! They had better find some cheerleading outfits complete w/ pom-pom's if they aren't going to report this event with zeal. Stick a fork in you JFK, you are done. Will Massachusetts have the dignity to run a different candidate for Senate in 2008 when JFK's term is up? Too bad it's a rhetorical question.
Monday, October 30, 2006
The Dark Season is Here
The end of Daylight Savings means that the sun goes down to early. I'll be ready to spring ahead in a couple of weeks!
World Series - The Tigers finally played their age and experience level. They didn't need the DH, they needed a DF... their pitchers set a record with 5 errors in 5 games, 1 in each! National TV ratings were down, I'm not surprised since neither DET or STL is a huge TV market, and the Tigers certainly haven't been maintaining their fan base over the past 15 years. Add in the 8:30 first pitch times, Joe Buck (I've never liked), Tim McCarver (I like him but I know that most don't), 2:30 between innings and pitching changes, and it's no surprise that ratings are down. Next year the WS starts on a TUE, I'm figuring that there will be a 3-day shift to the right to include a travel day in between games 4 and 5 in the first round. The other 2 days, I guess 1 before the start of the playoffs and 1 between the LCS and the WS. I've heard that TBS will have an LCS and FOX will have one similar to the NBA arrangement w/ ESPN and TNT; hopefully that will be an improvement.
NFL Sunday Ticket should be comp'ed for any fan that goes to 1 Raider OR 49er game in person. The 49ers fell behind to CHI 41-0 in first half before making the final score a respectable 41-10! The Niners must have been blinded by those orange jerseys. The Raiders were sacked more often than they completed a pass (6 to 5). They finished with 14 yards passing, 98 yards of total offense. Their offense earned more first downs (5) by penalty than by actually gaining yardage (4). Most importantly, their defense had 1 less catch (4) than the offense (5) and OUTGAINED that offense on one play! Two INT returns for TDs (100, 24) were enough to beat the Steelers 20-13. I listened to the DEN-IND game on the radio to remember what a quality NFL game sounds like.
Good Games This Week:
NCAA: #3 West Virginia at #5 Louisville 7:30 ET Thursday on ESPN HD
NFL: Indianapolis (7-0) at New England (6-1) 8:00 ET Sunday on NBC HD
World Series - The Tigers finally played their age and experience level. They didn't need the DH, they needed a DF... their pitchers set a record with 5 errors in 5 games, 1 in each! National TV ratings were down, I'm not surprised since neither DET or STL is a huge TV market, and the Tigers certainly haven't been maintaining their fan base over the past 15 years. Add in the 8:30 first pitch times, Joe Buck (I've never liked), Tim McCarver (I like him but I know that most don't), 2:30 between innings and pitching changes, and it's no surprise that ratings are down. Next year the WS starts on a TUE, I'm figuring that there will be a 3-day shift to the right to include a travel day in between games 4 and 5 in the first round. The other 2 days, I guess 1 before the start of the playoffs and 1 between the LCS and the WS. I've heard that TBS will have an LCS and FOX will have one similar to the NBA arrangement w/ ESPN and TNT; hopefully that will be an improvement.
NFL Sunday Ticket should be comp'ed for any fan that goes to 1 Raider OR 49er game in person. The 49ers fell behind to CHI 41-0 in first half before making the final score a respectable 41-10! The Niners must have been blinded by those orange jerseys. The Raiders were sacked more often than they completed a pass (6 to 5). They finished with 14 yards passing, 98 yards of total offense. Their offense earned more first downs (5) by penalty than by actually gaining yardage (4). Most importantly, their defense had 1 less catch (4) than the offense (5) and OUTGAINED that offense on one play! Two INT returns for TDs (100, 24) were enough to beat the Steelers 20-13. I listened to the DEN-IND game on the radio to remember what a quality NFL game sounds like.
Good Games This Week:
NCAA: #3 West Virginia at #5 Louisville 7:30 ET Thursday on ESPN HD
NFL: Indianapolis (7-0) at New England (6-1) 8:00 ET Sunday on NBC HD
Monday, October 23, 2006
Kenny Rogers Pine Tar Roasters
What bothers me the most about this escapade is how soft we've become. It was ok, since he washed the stuff off his hand after the first inning. The Cardinals didn't complain... why? They didn't want to offend the other team's fans? These are the fans that burn their cities, incite riots w/ NBA players, etc. Manager Tony LaRussa should have bolted from the dugout moments after FOX slow-mo'd the close-ups on Rogers' hand. It was apparent in SD that he had something on his pitching hand. I know that it was football weather and not baseball weather, but then document the rules properly for substances allowed on pitcher's hands when the game time temp is less than 40F in swirling rain, sleet, and snow at night. Until then, no hitter should dig in lest one of those pitchers not be able to grip his pitch through the windup to the release point.
West Coast College Football Rant
HD Football availability on the West Coast for ESPN on ABC.
Is essentially 0. While the rest of the nation was able to watch Texas v. Nebraska in HD last Saturday, the West Coast was stuck w/ San Jose St v. Nevada in SD. Is there any means of allowing/enabling/encouraging the West Coast affiliates to air HD Sports feeds on their HD Channels, for both broadcast and cable/satellite providers? I checked the cartoons that were on at 9:30 am PT; those weren't in HD, so it's not as if any alternative programming would be diminished by airing HD sports in its place. That's just one example. Most of the regional 8ET/5PT games have the west coast game in SD and the rest of the nation able to see HD. (Check the map at http://espn-att.starwave.com/espntv/topics/coveragemaps/map102106_12.jpg) The HD games should be simulcast in HD on the west coast affiliates when the regional game won't be broadcast in HD. An HD set, tuner, and subscription is an expensive investment, and the inability to watch HD programming because a viewer lives west of the Rocky Mountains is ridiculous. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Is essentially 0. While the rest of the nation was able to watch Texas v. Nebraska in HD last Saturday, the West Coast was stuck w/ San Jose St v. Nevada in SD. Is there any means of allowing/enabling/encouraging the West Coast affiliates to air HD Sports feeds on their HD Channels, for both broadcast and cable/satellite providers? I checked the cartoons that were on at 9:30 am PT; those weren't in HD, so it's not as if any alternative programming would be diminished by airing HD sports in its place. That's just one example. Most of the regional 8ET/5PT games have the west coast game in SD and the rest of the nation able to see HD. (Check the map at http://espn-att.starwave.com/espntv/topics/coveragemaps/map102106_12.jpg) The HD games should be simulcast in HD on the west coast affiliates when the regional game won't be broadcast in HD. An HD set, tuner, and subscription is an expensive investment, and the inability to watch HD programming because a viewer lives west of the Rocky Mountains is ridiculous. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Kenny Rogers Roasters
Detroit is turning to the 41-year old who hasn't allowed a run in his 2 postseason starts to even the World Series at 1. The game tonight figures to have some interesting plays in it because of the wintery conditions (snow flurries, rain, sleet?, temps in the low 30's). I think the Tigers will win, I don't see their bats being stymied by the Cardinals rotation over the duration of the series. I'll miss Scott Spezio's Cardinal Red Goatee after the series ends.
Oakland - The A's pennance for not taking the tarps off the upper deck of McAffee Colesium was losing in 4 straight. It's too bad that Raider owner Al Davis didn't force his team to win a game before ok'ing sodding over the infield dirt.
New York - The Corey Lidle tragedy took the attention away from 3B Alex Rodriguez. The Mets got to Game 7 of the LCS despite losing SPs Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez right before the playoffs and LF Cliff Floyd during them. Unfortunatley, PH-1B Julio Franco was starting to look his age (48) at the plate in the playoffs.
NCAA - What was Miami HC Larry Coker watching during the fight between his team and FIU? He needs to check the tape to see what really happened? Did he need binoculars to see a helmet being used as part of aroundhouse right to an opposing player? Does he rememeber broadcaster Keith Jackson's comments during an on-field fracas between Miami and Colorado 10-15 years ago "If this is what college football is about now-adays, I'm not sure that I want to be associated with it". The Hurricanes barely beat Duke this weekend, and if the Orange Bowl would be 75% empty for a couple of games that would be nice (it was half-empty for the FIU game).
NBA - Stephen Jackson of the Pacers fired his handgun after leaving a men's entertainment club in the wee hours of the morning. This guy doesn't seem to have had success improving his judgment skills since charging into the stands behind Ron Artest at the Palace a couple of years ago.
NFL - 8:30 ESPN MNF Dallas (-3) 27 NY Giants 20. The home team generally wins this series, TO is happy (at least for a week), and the Giants have a bad tendency this season to fall far behind early in the game.
Oakland - The A's pennance for not taking the tarps off the upper deck of McAffee Colesium was losing in 4 straight. It's too bad that Raider owner Al Davis didn't force his team to win a game before ok'ing sodding over the infield dirt.
New York - The Corey Lidle tragedy took the attention away from 3B Alex Rodriguez. The Mets got to Game 7 of the LCS despite losing SPs Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez right before the playoffs and LF Cliff Floyd during them. Unfortunatley, PH-1B Julio Franco was starting to look his age (48) at the plate in the playoffs.
NCAA - What was Miami HC Larry Coker watching during the fight between his team and FIU? He needs to check the tape to see what really happened? Did he need binoculars to see a helmet being used as part of aroundhouse right to an opposing player? Does he rememeber broadcaster Keith Jackson's comments during an on-field fracas between Miami and Colorado 10-15 years ago "If this is what college football is about now-adays, I'm not sure that I want to be associated with it". The Hurricanes barely beat Duke this weekend, and if the Orange Bowl would be 75% empty for a couple of games that would be nice (it was half-empty for the FIU game).
NBA - Stephen Jackson of the Pacers fired his handgun after leaving a men's entertainment club in the wee hours of the morning. This guy doesn't seem to have had success improving his judgment skills since charging into the stands behind Ron Artest at the Palace a couple of years ago.
NFL - 8:30 ESPN MNF Dallas (-3) 27 NY Giants 20. The home team generally wins this series, TO is happy (at least for a week), and the Giants have a bad tendency this season to fall far behind early in the game.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Division Series Observations
The Yankees face an elimination game against the Tigers and have shaken up their lineup a bit. Highest-paid free agent from the 2001 off-season, 1B/DH Jason Giambi ($119M/7 yrs) is on the bench. Highest-paid free agent from the 2000 off-season, 3B Alex Rodriguez ($250M/10 yrs) is hitting 8th. A-Rod hasn't hit 8th since his first full season in the major leagues. I wonder if George had Torre ask Sheffield if he wanted to try 3B again (his position when Julio Franco was only in his 30s).
The A's broke their ALDS jinx, the tarps over the upper-deck in McAffee Colesium must have been the key. They don't plan on taking the tarps off for the ALCS either. I don't understand it from a financial standpoint, the lower 2 levels sold out right away for the ALDS.
The Padres finally took a lead today, they even retired 1B Albert Pujols in a couple of dangerous situations to keep their lead through the 8th.
Auburn lost to Arkansas this afternoon when the Tigers couldn't prevent big plays, add them to the list of teams that need help to reach the BCS title game.
TO returns to the field in Philadelphia tomorrow with Dallas. The fans who booed Santa Claus will provide plenty of entertainment for the viewers and temptation for TO, how will he respond?
The A's broke their ALDS jinx, the tarps over the upper-deck in McAffee Colesium must have been the key. They don't plan on taking the tarps off for the ALCS either. I don't understand it from a financial standpoint, the lower 2 levels sold out right away for the ALDS.
The Padres finally took a lead today, they even retired 1B Albert Pujols in a couple of dangerous situations to keep their lead through the 8th.
Auburn lost to Arkansas this afternoon when the Tigers couldn't prevent big plays, add them to the list of teams that need help to reach the BCS title game.
TO returns to the field in Philadelphia tomorrow with Dallas. The fans who booed Santa Claus will provide plenty of entertainment for the viewers and temptation for TO, how will he respond?
Monday, October 02, 2006
October Baseball
The first postseason since 1991 that won't include the Atlanta Braves begins tomorrow. The last time that happened, I was in college, Ross Perot wasn't a household name, Julio Franco was an everyday player winning a batting title, ESPN2 didn't exist, let alone ESPNEWS, ESPNU, or ESPN360! SP John Smoltz was the only player on all 14 division winning teams, and his long-time Braves teammates Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine wil face one another when the Mets and Dodgers play Game 2 of their division series. Television note of interest: the Yankees-Tigers series will be at 8 ET for all 5 games, why wouldn't FOX try to get the top 2 media markets (NYM vs. LAD) into the prime-time slot instead of all Yankees all the time. I mean, Tim McCarver is aware that other baseball teams exist. He's not former Yanke broadcaster Phil Rizzuto who talked more about Italian dinners than baseball during 1980's casts. It's too bad that the Tigers limped to the finish line one heartbeat faster than the Cardinals and will likely only play 3 games in October.
NY Mets over LA Dodgers in 5 - I can't remember teh last meaningful games that the Mets played... can they?
SD Padres over StL Cardinals in 4 - If the Cardinals and Tigers played a game right now, would either team win?
NY Yankees over Det Tigers in 3 - See above.
Minnesota over Oakland in 5 - The Twins are a solid team and can score runs more ways than Oakland can.
NFL - Titans DT Albert Haynesworth should have been suspended for the rest of the season for Leattnering an opposing player with his cleats in the head. The bandage on the Cowboys player was the size of a PGA putting green!
Patriots - not dead yet. They Cowboy'ed up and took out the Bengals to stay ahead of the rest of the lackluster AFC East. Maroney ripped off some good runs, Brady had his mind in the game, and the defense silenced the powerful Bengal offense.
TO - was quiet off the field and all posts pertaining to him will be of that varitey. He brought it upon himself, he's now a circus attraction with a sideshow for 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon.
NY Mets over LA Dodgers in 5 - I can't remember teh last meaningful games that the Mets played... can they?
SD Padres over StL Cardinals in 4 - If the Cardinals and Tigers played a game right now, would either team win?
NY Yankees over Det Tigers in 3 - See above.
Minnesota over Oakland in 5 - The Twins are a solid team and can score runs more ways than Oakland can.
NFL - Titans DT Albert Haynesworth should have been suspended for the rest of the season for Leattnering an opposing player with his cleats in the head. The bandage on the Cowboys player was the size of a PGA putting green!
Patriots - not dead yet. They Cowboy'ed up and took out the Bengals to stay ahead of the rest of the lackluster AFC East. Maroney ripped off some good runs, Brady had his mind in the game, and the defense silenced the powerful Bengal offense.
TO - was quiet off the field and all posts pertaining to him will be of that varitey. He brought it upon himself, he's now a circus attraction with a sideshow for 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Mr. Clinton and some light fare
I was able to view Mr. Clinton's appearance on the Fox New Channel Sunday in between the NFL games and was disappointed and unsurprised. He expressed the same anger as when asked about Monica Lewinsky and wagged his finger at Chris Wallace as only he and 1B Rafael Palmeiro can. Then he went on and on about trying... when in reality under his command the U.S. never responded to continuing attacks by the Islamic fascists. WTC in 93, Khobar Towers in 96, African Embassies in 98, USS COLE in 2000. His idea was to try the first batch of WTC bombers in court, as a legal matter, not a military one. That didn't do much to deter future attacks. Killing the people responsible would, that is what we are doing now, and it is necessary. Would courtrooms have been successful against the Japanese or Germans? This post would be in a different language if we tried that strategy.
On the lighter side - watched Studio 60 this week. They are poking fun at all things conservative, don't know how long I'll be able to watch the show. I'll remind myself that it's healthy to laugh at oneself.
KAS - thanks for the link to prompt this post. MSNBC - I'll have it on when they have one of their attractive info-babes (Roback, Witt, Brewer, etc) reading the news for a pleasent background noise. Olbermann is interesting talking about sports but why he can't apply the same logic when thinking about current events is an unsolved mystery.
NFL - The Patriots are vulnerable, but Miami isn't taking advantage with new QB Daunte Culpepper struggling. The Jets and Bills are surprisingly strong so the AFC East may be an interesting race.
TO - I heard the 911 audio and don't buy his explanation. Best commentary that I heard was from SF radio host Ralph Barberi - TO's therapist should be the one talking but the problem is that TO doesn't have a therapist. The man needs help, is he smart enough to seek it and follow it?
NCAA - Auburn edged South Carolina tonight 24-17 to stay undefeated. Of note, South Carolina ran 0, that's not a typo, zero, offensive plays in the 3rd quarter. Auburn ran 4 in the 4th quarter, the 4th being the kneel down after stopping the potential game-tying drive at the 6 yard line in the final seconds.
MLB
On the lighter side - watched Studio 60 this week. They are poking fun at all things conservative, don't know how long I'll be able to watch the show. I'll remind myself that it's healthy to laugh at oneself.
KAS - thanks for the link to prompt this post. MSNBC - I'll have it on when they have one of their attractive info-babes (Roback, Witt, Brewer, etc) reading the news for a pleasent background noise. Olbermann is interesting talking about sports but why he can't apply the same logic when thinking about current events is an unsolved mystery.
NFL - The Patriots are vulnerable, but Miami isn't taking advantage with new QB Daunte Culpepper struggling. The Jets and Bills are surprisingly strong so the AFC East may be an interesting race.
TO - I heard the 911 audio and don't buy his explanation. Best commentary that I heard was from SF radio host Ralph Barberi - TO's therapist should be the one talking but the problem is that TO doesn't have a therapist. The man needs help, is he smart enough to seek it and follow it?
NCAA - Auburn edged South Carolina tonight 24-17 to stay undefeated. Of note, South Carolina ran 0, that's not a typo, zero, offensive plays in the 3rd quarter. Auburn ran 4 in the 4th quarter, the 4th being the kneel down after stopping the potential game-tying drive at the 6 yard line in the final seconds.
MLB
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Couch Potato Saturday
NBC HD 3:30 ET Michigan (+7) 20 Notre Dame 16. The Irish got things untracked last week against Penn St, now continue the Big 10 portion of their schedule against Penn St. Michigan HC Lloyd Carr is on the hot seat and it's been a few years since his team has played well against the Irish.
ESPN on ABC HD 3:30 ET Miami (+ 4 1/2) 23 Louisville 20. The Hurricanes aren't that good, but the Cardinals are without star RB Michael Bush (season-ending injury). Pretty soon ESPN will be supplying all of the announcers to the ABC games.
CBS HD 3:30 ET Auburn 16 (-3) LSU 10. What was I thinking buying Navy tickets for the Stanford game on this day? I should upgrade the projector to a multi-input model for this time slot!
CBS HD 8:00 ET Florida 30 (-3 1/2) Tennessee 24. The Gators have owned the Vols in recent years and will offer a tougher opposition than the Cal Bears did.
ABC HD 8:00 ET Nebraska 20 (+19) USC 35. The Trojans got off to a slow start (for them) against Arkansas a couple of weeks ago, but after losing Leinart, White, and Bush, there's no surprise or shame to that. They stopped covering big spreads about the halfway point last season, and I haven't seen their defense improve enough to feel confident giving away more than 2 TDs.
ESPN on ABC HD 3:30 ET Miami (+ 4 1/2) 23 Louisville 20. The Hurricanes aren't that good, but the Cardinals are without star RB Michael Bush (season-ending injury). Pretty soon ESPN will be supplying all of the announcers to the ABC games.
CBS HD 3:30 ET Auburn 16 (-3) LSU 10. What was I thinking buying Navy tickets for the Stanford game on this day? I should upgrade the projector to a multi-input model for this time slot!
CBS HD 8:00 ET Florida 30 (-3 1/2) Tennessee 24. The Gators have owned the Vols in recent years and will offer a tougher opposition than the Cal Bears did.
ABC HD 8:00 ET Nebraska 20 (+19) USC 35. The Trojans got off to a slow start (for them) against Arkansas a couple of weeks ago, but after losing Leinart, White, and Bush, there's no surprise or shame to that. They stopped covering big spreads about the halfway point last season, and I haven't seen their defense improve enough to feel confident giving away more than 2 TDs.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
NFL Week 1
This year offers the biggest change for the TV viewer since FOX grabbed the NFC in 1993 and added the score box for out-of-town games that now includes updates for fantasy football players.
NBC - I like Cris Collinsworth and Sterling Sharpe. I think they'll offer some critical sarcastic humor to the highlight/pregame show before the Sunday Night Game. I'd like to see them do their show a little bit more like NFL PrimeTime and a little bit less like FOX's Terry Bradshaw.
ESPN - Get Ron Jaworksi into Joe Theismann's chair. NOW! He offered the first criticism of Raider WR Randy Moss that I've heard. On a play where the CB covering Moss left him to defend the ball, Moss held his arms up in disgust for not being thrown the ball depsite being open. Jaworksi correctly pointed out that Moss wasn't open until the CB reacted to the ball being thrown to somebody else! Jaws has done some great work using the NFL Films library for ESPN's studio and pre-game shows; I'm ready to listen to him do live games. I'm also inclined to think that Tony Kornheiser will work in the booth, he's very entertaining on PTI. I especially liked his line to getting Monday Night players on his fantasy team so that he'll maintain interest in the game he's being paid to broadcast! I miss Chris Berman and Tom Jackson doing NFL PrimeTime before the Sunday Night game, they did the highlights of a few games in the NFL Blitz segment that was woven into SportsCenter at 11 ET, but it wasn't as good as the old PrimeTime. ESPN has SuperBowl-like pregame show planned for every MNF game, they have some opportunity for PrimeTime highlights, but at a day old in today's information age, I don't know how entertaining it could be.
CBS - I didn't get to see any of their coverage.
FOX - Get Joe Buck off the air. I just don't find his attempts at humor marginally funny and when he does play-by-play he doesn't seem to recognize that he's at a football game instead of a baseball game.
ABC - I noticed that the Ohio St-Texas graphics had an ESPN-on-ABC logo to them; Interesting branding.
NBC - I like Cris Collinsworth and Sterling Sharpe. I think they'll offer some critical sarcastic humor to the highlight/pregame show before the Sunday Night Game. I'd like to see them do their show a little bit more like NFL PrimeTime and a little bit less like FOX's Terry Bradshaw.
ESPN - Get Ron Jaworksi into Joe Theismann's chair. NOW! He offered the first criticism of Raider WR Randy Moss that I've heard. On a play where the CB covering Moss left him to defend the ball, Moss held his arms up in disgust for not being thrown the ball depsite being open. Jaworksi correctly pointed out that Moss wasn't open until the CB reacted to the ball being thrown to somebody else! Jaws has done some great work using the NFL Films library for ESPN's studio and pre-game shows; I'm ready to listen to him do live games. I'm also inclined to think that Tony Kornheiser will work in the booth, he's very entertaining on PTI. I especially liked his line to getting Monday Night players on his fantasy team so that he'll maintain interest in the game he's being paid to broadcast! I miss Chris Berman and Tom Jackson doing NFL PrimeTime before the Sunday Night game, they did the highlights of a few games in the NFL Blitz segment that was woven into SportsCenter at 11 ET, but it wasn't as good as the old PrimeTime. ESPN has SuperBowl-like pregame show planned for every MNF game, they have some opportunity for PrimeTime highlights, but at a day old in today's information age, I don't know how entertaining it could be.
CBS - I didn't get to see any of their coverage.
FOX - Get Joe Buck off the air. I just don't find his attempts at humor marginally funny and when he does play-by-play he doesn't seem to recognize that he's at a football game instead of a baseball game.
ABC - I noticed that the Ohio St-Texas graphics had an ESPN-on-ABC logo to them; Interesting branding.
Friday, September 01, 2006
NCAA Viewing Guide
2006 Football is here!
The NCAA season got started last night with ESPN opening in Starkville, MS. Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks opened with a 15-0 win over Mississippi St. His punter had the big play of the game, running for a first down after deciding he couldn’t get the planned punt off. South Carolina continued that drive for a field goal and a 2-possession lead.
Saturday 8:00 ET ABC HD Notre Dame 34 (-6 ½) Georgia Tech 24. The Irish return QB Brady Quinn, WR Jeff Samardzija, and a whole cast of others from last year’s successful team. Their defense will need to contain Georgia Tech WR Calvin Jackson, who has the skills that USC’s receivers have been displaying under Pete Carroll.
8:45 ET ESPN HD Arkansas 20 (+7 ½) Southern Cal 24. The Trojans have to replace their entire offense except WR Dwayne Jarrett, or so it seems. Last time they had to do that, the replacements were Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White. Will lightning strike twice for Pete Carroll? I don’t think so, but USC will find a way to collect victories.
Monday 8:00 ET ABC HD Miami 19 (-3) Florida State 13. The Seminoles lucked out last year when they clearly lost the line of scrimmage but managed to win an ugly 10-7 decision because their special teams weren’t as bad as Miami’s. The Seminoles aren’t what they were in the 90’s and it will show in this game.
The NCAA season got started last night with ESPN opening in Starkville, MS. Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks opened with a 15-0 win over Mississippi St. His punter had the big play of the game, running for a first down after deciding he couldn’t get the planned punt off. South Carolina continued that drive for a field goal and a 2-possession lead.
Saturday 8:00 ET ABC HD Notre Dame 34 (-6 ½) Georgia Tech 24. The Irish return QB Brady Quinn, WR Jeff Samardzija, and a whole cast of others from last year’s successful team. Their defense will need to contain Georgia Tech WR Calvin Jackson, who has the skills that USC’s receivers have been displaying under Pete Carroll.
8:45 ET ESPN HD Arkansas 20 (+7 ½) Southern Cal 24. The Trojans have to replace their entire offense except WR Dwayne Jarrett, or so it seems. Last time they had to do that, the replacements were Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White. Will lightning strike twice for Pete Carroll? I don’t think so, but USC will find a way to collect victories.
Monday 8:00 ET ABC HD Miami 19 (-3) Florida State 13. The Seminoles lucked out last year when they clearly lost the line of scrimmage but managed to win an ugly 10-7 decision because their special teams weren’t as bad as Miami’s. The Seminoles aren’t what they were in the 90’s and it will show in this game.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The Red Sox
The Sox didn't win any games against the Yanks in that 5-game set... losing some late leads, unable to get runs across versus Rivera, had a bullpen ERA over 12, it was ugly. Saw them play Monday in Oakland, and it looked more like a spring training lineup - no Manny, No Ortiz, No Manny Ortez, the 2B and SP were wearing #'s in the 60's, castoffs Carlos Pena and Eric Hinske were in the lineup, etc., etc. etc. I saw on ESPN's news crawl that Ortiz was experiencing irregular heartbeat symptoms, so his injury concerns are whole-life, not baseball (don't try to separate the two when speaking to Red Sox fans).
In the National League, none of the teams seems willing to take charge. 8 teams are within 3 games in the loss column, 10 within 5. Even the Marlins with their $14 million payroll are in that group after winning 8 in a row. Consider this: Take SP Dontrelle Willis' salary ($4.35 million) off their books (which might have been attempted in July), and the teams payroll drops below $10 million! The Yankees pay 11 individual players more than that and will pay about $28 million to the leauge office in payroll luxury tax! I wonder how much of that $28 million the Marlins are getting... My Braves didn't make the summer run towards the Wild Card that I thought they would, but any of the teams within 3 in the loss column has a near-equal chance to take the last postseason berth.
NCAA football starts this weekend, and the NFL the following weekend. QB Jeff George is on an NFL roster again, and WR Terrell Owens is vintage 2005, not 2004 for the Cowboys. His response to HC Bill Parcells wanting to see him on the field before playing him: "There's 10 years of film". Actually, TO, there's only 9 1/2. PK Mike Vanderjagt hasn't been on the field in the Dallas games that I've watched; I interpret that as not a good sign for a team where Owner Jerry Jones had more influence in selection of those players than Parcells would have liked.
In the National League, none of the teams seems willing to take charge. 8 teams are within 3 games in the loss column, 10 within 5. Even the Marlins with their $14 million payroll are in that group after winning 8 in a row. Consider this: Take SP Dontrelle Willis' salary ($4.35 million) off their books (which might have been attempted in July), and the teams payroll drops below $10 million! The Yankees pay 11 individual players more than that and will pay about $28 million to the leauge office in payroll luxury tax! I wonder how much of that $28 million the Marlins are getting... My Braves didn't make the summer run towards the Wild Card that I thought they would, but any of the teams within 3 in the loss column has a near-equal chance to take the last postseason berth.
NCAA football starts this weekend, and the NFL the following weekend. QB Jeff George is on an NFL roster again, and WR Terrell Owens is vintage 2005, not 2004 for the Cowboys. His response to HC Bill Parcells wanting to see him on the field before playing him: "There's 10 years of film". Actually, TO, there's only 9 1/2. PK Mike Vanderjagt hasn't been on the field in the Dallas games that I've watched; I interpret that as not a good sign for a team where Owner Jerry Jones had more influence in selection of those players than Parcells would have liked.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Yankees v. Red Sox
It's a 5-game series this weekend with the opener on ESPN @ 1pm ET Friday afternoon. The Sox are without C Jason Varitek and OF Trot Nixon while the Yankees have received good production from trade deadline acquisitions P Corey Lidle and OF Bobby Abreu. RP Octavio Dotel was jsut activated from the DL to setup CL Mariano Rivera. Unlike recent years, the Sox have to sweat the Wild Card race. The White Sox and Twins are much hotter than any of the teams the Sox have had to beat out for the Wild Card the past 4 seasons. There will be plenty of opportunity to catch $320 million payroll during the weekend on national television:
Saturday 1 PM ET - FOX
Sunday 8 PM ET - ESPN
Monday 1 PM ET - ESPN2
Good news for these two: The White Sox and Twins play each other in a 3-game series this weekend.
Saturday 1 PM ET - FOX
Sunday 8 PM ET - ESPN
Monday 1 PM ET - ESPN2
Good news for these two: The White Sox and Twins play each other in a 3-game series this weekend.
Monday, July 31, 2006
MLB Trading Deadline
Well, the Yanks added some pop by getting OF Bobby Abreu from the Phillies. No SP changed teams was better than Corey Lidle, so the Bombers didn't lose any ground in that department. My question, who among Sheffield, Matsui, and Abreu goes into the rotation when they're all healthy enough to play? We know Damon can't reach the plate from the pitcher's mound, so it won't be him!
The Braves are done in the NL East. I was tempted to write them off at the end of June, but their bats were on fire into and out of the All-Star break. But Chipper Jones is on the DL and star SP Tim Hudson is getting hit as hard as a slow-pitch softball pitcher. The 1-5 homestand against the Marlins and Mets closed the deal on the Braves' amazing run of 14 straight divison titles. ESPN.com hailed Leo Mazzone as the best assistant coach of all-time, it should be noted that this year's Atlanta staff is among the league worst in ERA, WHIP, and blown saves. It's too early to pass judgment on new pitching coach Roger McDowell (Hudson didn't come to Atlanta needing Mazzone and #3 and #4 starters Mike Hampton and Horacio Ramirez have spent more time on the DL than J. D. Drew) but Mazzone always seemed to get enough production out of his staff.
Playoff Predictions:
AL: Yankees, Tigers, A's. WC: Red Sox.
NL: Mets, Cardinals, Padres. WC: Braves.
The Braves are done in the NL East. I was tempted to write them off at the end of June, but their bats were on fire into and out of the All-Star break. But Chipper Jones is on the DL and star SP Tim Hudson is getting hit as hard as a slow-pitch softball pitcher. The 1-5 homestand against the Marlins and Mets closed the deal on the Braves' amazing run of 14 straight divison titles. ESPN.com hailed Leo Mazzone as the best assistant coach of all-time, it should be noted that this year's Atlanta staff is among the league worst in ERA, WHIP, and blown saves. It's too early to pass judgment on new pitching coach Roger McDowell (Hudson didn't come to Atlanta needing Mazzone and #3 and #4 starters Mike Hampton and Horacio Ramirez have spent more time on the DL than J. D. Drew) but Mazzone always seemed to get enough production out of his staff.
Playoff Predictions:
AL: Yankees, Tigers, A's. WC: Red Sox.
NL: Mets, Cardinals, Padres. WC: Braves.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Last Man on the Plane!
I just completed my 2-week annual training aboard the USS O'KANE out of Pearl Harbor. Spending some extended time underway on the surface allowed me to realize that the submarine force was the right service selection for me.
I was all set to return this afternoon when the gate agents announced that the plane needed a mechanical part that was located on the mainland. They were trying to rearrange the flight schedules to limit our delay but speculated on a 5-hour delay. I attempted to change to the American flight leaving about 30 min later, but wasn't able to do so over the phone. So I hustled to the gate where the agent said that they were full, but to wait by the gate in case something opened up. Luckily it did when former NFL LB Bill Romanowski upgraded to 1st class and freed up a seat for me. He looked a bit thinner, and older in the face than I'd expect. I didn't get an opportunity to thank him since he was busy w/ his laptop and cell phone at the gate right up until it was closed. This was the 2nd straight year that I got the last seat on an airplane flying east over the Pacific!
Turns out that I may not have been too far eff recommending Laura Ingraham for the CBS News Anchor Chair. Katie Couric told Access Hollywood that she wouldn't go to the Middle East to cover the news becuase "it's dangerous there". Shouldn't Katie have moved over to Access Hollywood if she only wanted to report news from "safe" places? Does "If it bleeds, it leads" ring any bells to her? Was she listening to any of the news headlines that Ann Curry was reading on the Today set? Can CBS get a discount on the $15 million that they're going to pay Katie since now they have to send someone else to go to those "dangerous" places? Leadership by example is strong; as Managing Editor, I deduce leadership is expected/warranted/part of that title, I'm observing some great leadership, Katie.
I was all set to return this afternoon when the gate agents announced that the plane needed a mechanical part that was located on the mainland. They were trying to rearrange the flight schedules to limit our delay but speculated on a 5-hour delay. I attempted to change to the American flight leaving about 30 min later, but wasn't able to do so over the phone. So I hustled to the gate where the agent said that they were full, but to wait by the gate in case something opened up. Luckily it did when former NFL LB Bill Romanowski upgraded to 1st class and freed up a seat for me. He looked a bit thinner, and older in the face than I'd expect. I didn't get an opportunity to thank him since he was busy w/ his laptop and cell phone at the gate right up until it was closed. This was the 2nd straight year that I got the last seat on an airplane flying east over the Pacific!
Turns out that I may not have been too far eff recommending Laura Ingraham for the CBS News Anchor Chair. Katie Couric told Access Hollywood that she wouldn't go to the Middle East to cover the news becuase "it's dangerous there". Shouldn't Katie have moved over to Access Hollywood if she only wanted to report news from "safe" places? Does "If it bleeds, it leads" ring any bells to her? Was she listening to any of the news headlines that Ann Curry was reading on the Today set? Can CBS get a discount on the $15 million that they're going to pay Katie since now they have to send someone else to go to those "dangerous" places? Leadership by example is strong; as Managing Editor, I deduce leadership is expected/warranted/part of that title, I'm observing some great leadership, Katie.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
I'm Keith Hernandez!
What the heck was Keith Hernandez thinking when he chastised the Padres for having a woman in the dugout during their game against the Mets last wekeend? She's a member of the training staff, something that Hernandez thought unfathomable before he opened his mouth. I loved the clip of broadcast partner Gary Cohen "I think you should stop talking now" trying to get Hernandez to end his rant. I don't think that Hernandez's comments were in line with today's thinking, but he's entitled to his opinion. He didn't say that a woman couldn't do the job, just that if it were up to him, a woman wouldn't be doing the job... which is why I don't think an apology (he rambled through one later in the game) was necessary.... anyone who heard his rant understood that he just didn't realize he was broadcasting a game in 2006 and not 1906. And it sheds new light on his Just For Men hiar dye commercial... he might actually think that real life plays out just like the script!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Why Katie? Why not Laura Ingraham?
It's been too long since I've posted, but hopefully I'll get some regular opinions on the board.
Katie Couric replaces Dan Rather at CBS... doesn't make much sense from a business standpoint. There is one news outlet that caters to conservative viewers (Fox News Channel) and a slew of them catering to liberal viewers (to varying degrees: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS). With the populace's ideology split pretty evenly between the liberal and conservative camps, why would CBS continue to compete against 5 competitors instead of 1? It would make sense to compete against only the Fox New Channel for conservative viewers... CBS would generate higher ratings, which translates into more ad dollars!
I've been following the real estate market on the blogosphere and in the local news. A 1-BR 722 sq ft Condo down the street from me went for 400K! Supply and demand will eventually determine the outcome of the recent price increases, but rising interest rates and prices will damper both investor and occupier demand for homes.
Katie Couric replaces Dan Rather at CBS... doesn't make much sense from a business standpoint. There is one news outlet that caters to conservative viewers (Fox News Channel) and a slew of them catering to liberal viewers (to varying degrees: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS). With the populace's ideology split pretty evenly between the liberal and conservative camps, why would CBS continue to compete against 5 competitors instead of 1? It would make sense to compete against only the Fox New Channel for conservative viewers... CBS would generate higher ratings, which translates into more ad dollars!
I've been following the real estate market on the blogosphere and in the local news. A 1-BR 722 sq ft Condo down the street from me went for 400K! Supply and demand will eventually determine the outcome of the recent price increases, but rising interest rates and prices will damper both investor and occupier demand for homes.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Super Bowl XL, not “Blue Man Group”
Type/Last Week/Season
NCAA/0-0/11-9
NFL/0-2/30-31-1
Invest/-3.0*/-3.1*
6:30 ET ABC (6) Pittsburgh 31 (-3.5) (1) Seattle 24.
** over 47
** Total FG by both teams under 3.5
* Shaun Alexander under 92.5 yards rushing
When Seattle earned its Super Bowl berth, I thought, at least its an even-numbered Super Bowl, so the Steelers will pick to wear their black jerseys, and the Seahawks won’t be in their Blue Man Group uniforms. But Steelers HC Bill Cowher chose to ride the road success Pittsburgh has sustained and the Steelers will wear their white jerseys. The Steelers are aiming to be the first #6 seed to win the Super Bowl in the 16 seasons of 12 playoff teams. They defeated the top 3 seeds in the AFC playoffs. Closer inspection reveals that they aren’t a typical #6 seed. First is their 11-5 record instead of the average 9-7 mark. Second, they lost 2 games to directly attributable to horrible backup QB play by Tommy Maddox (who hasn’t been the same since suffering a neck injury at Tennessee in 2003). Change those 2 losses to victories, and the Steelers are 13-3 and the #2 seed. Third, they posted impressive victories during the regular season over San Diego and Chicago. Finally, they were 15-1 last season, and their only significant free agent loss was WR Plaxico Burress.
Pittsburgh has had success in the playoffs starting the game with a downfield passing attack. That has enabled them to take quick leads the last 2 weeks at Indianapolis and Denver. I expect Seattle to open defensively keying on that instead of stacking the line to stop the run. RB Willie Parker hasn’t had much success against good defensives this season, Jerome Bettis might get some carries outside of the red zone if Parker continues to struggle (including fumbling the ball).
Seattle followed its poor performance against Washington with an outstanding one against Carolina. QB Matt Hasselbeck has played 2 great games in the postseason. He has moved out of the pocket and spread the ball among his wide receivers and tight ends, making it more difficult for defenses to stop the Seahawks offense. RB Shaun Alexander had his first 100-yard game in the postseason last week. Of the Steelers 3 postseason opponents:
1. The Bengals eventually suffered after All-Pro QB Carson Palmer was knocked out of the game on the first play from scrimmage.
2. The Colts refused to play physically when the Steelers went with speed to counter the Colts’ spread offense.
3. The Broncos’ Jake Plaummer reverted to his historical tendencies in the AFC Championship game.
Of Pittsburgh’s 3 playoff opponents, the Seahawks offense is most like the Bengals’. Matt Hasselbeck isn’t as great downfield as Carson Palmer is (few are), but he has had strong seasons 3 years in a row. RB Shaun Alexander has been the most productive back in football over the past 5 seasons. He isn’t the power runner that Cincinnati’s Rudi Johnson is, but has more speed and better vision to find holes. Seattle doesn’t have any WR that is as explosive (in any form) as Chad Johnson is, but they do get solid production from Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, and Joe Jurevicious as a unit. Jackson and Engram missed significant parts of the season due to injury; but both are healthy now, and don’t have as much wear on them because of the time that they missed.
I expect the Steelers to win the game, but they need to play from ahead. If Seattle gets the lead and forces Pittsburgh to be a one-dimensional passing offense, then the result will be like the 38-31 game that the Bengals won at Heinz Field in December.
Propositons: Even though this game is in a dome, teams don’t tend to kick field goals in Super Bowls. Last week’s game against a Carolina defense that was on the field for the whole game was the only time that Alexander has even gotten close to 90 yards rushing in a playoff game. I’d consider Willie Parker’s under, but expect the Seahawks to open the game pushing the Steelers to run the ball because Roethlisberger has been so effective so far in the playoffs. Thus, Parker could get off to a strong start and make 61 yards on the ground.
NCAA/0-0/11-9
NFL/0-2/30-31-1
Invest/-3.0*/-3.1*
6:30 ET ABC (6) Pittsburgh 31 (-3.5) (1) Seattle 24.
** over 47
** Total FG by both teams under 3.5
* Shaun Alexander under 92.5 yards rushing
When Seattle earned its Super Bowl berth, I thought, at least its an even-numbered Super Bowl, so the Steelers will pick to wear their black jerseys, and the Seahawks won’t be in their Blue Man Group uniforms. But Steelers HC Bill Cowher chose to ride the road success Pittsburgh has sustained and the Steelers will wear their white jerseys. The Steelers are aiming to be the first #6 seed to win the Super Bowl in the 16 seasons of 12 playoff teams. They defeated the top 3 seeds in the AFC playoffs. Closer inspection reveals that they aren’t a typical #6 seed. First is their 11-5 record instead of the average 9-7 mark. Second, they lost 2 games to directly attributable to horrible backup QB play by Tommy Maddox (who hasn’t been the same since suffering a neck injury at Tennessee in 2003). Change those 2 losses to victories, and the Steelers are 13-3 and the #2 seed. Third, they posted impressive victories during the regular season over San Diego and Chicago. Finally, they were 15-1 last season, and their only significant free agent loss was WR Plaxico Burress.
Pittsburgh has had success in the playoffs starting the game with a downfield passing attack. That has enabled them to take quick leads the last 2 weeks at Indianapolis and Denver. I expect Seattle to open defensively keying on that instead of stacking the line to stop the run. RB Willie Parker hasn’t had much success against good defensives this season, Jerome Bettis might get some carries outside of the red zone if Parker continues to struggle (including fumbling the ball).
Seattle followed its poor performance against Washington with an outstanding one against Carolina. QB Matt Hasselbeck has played 2 great games in the postseason. He has moved out of the pocket and spread the ball among his wide receivers and tight ends, making it more difficult for defenses to stop the Seahawks offense. RB Shaun Alexander had his first 100-yard game in the postseason last week. Of the Steelers 3 postseason opponents:
1. The Bengals eventually suffered after All-Pro QB Carson Palmer was knocked out of the game on the first play from scrimmage.
2. The Colts refused to play physically when the Steelers went with speed to counter the Colts’ spread offense.
3. The Broncos’ Jake Plaummer reverted to his historical tendencies in the AFC Championship game.
Of Pittsburgh’s 3 playoff opponents, the Seahawks offense is most like the Bengals’. Matt Hasselbeck isn’t as great downfield as Carson Palmer is (few are), but he has had strong seasons 3 years in a row. RB Shaun Alexander has been the most productive back in football over the past 5 seasons. He isn’t the power runner that Cincinnati’s Rudi Johnson is, but has more speed and better vision to find holes. Seattle doesn’t have any WR that is as explosive (in any form) as Chad Johnson is, but they do get solid production from Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, and Joe Jurevicious as a unit. Jackson and Engram missed significant parts of the season due to injury; but both are healthy now, and don’t have as much wear on them because of the time that they missed.
I expect the Steelers to win the game, but they need to play from ahead. If Seattle gets the lead and forces Pittsburgh to be a one-dimensional passing offense, then the result will be like the 38-31 game that the Bengals won at Heinz Field in December.
Propositons: Even though this game is in a dome, teams don’t tend to kick field goals in Super Bowls. Last week’s game against a Carolina defense that was on the field for the whole game was the only time that Alexander has even gotten close to 90 yards rushing in a playoff game. I’d consider Willie Parker’s under, but expect the Seahawks to open the game pushing the Steelers to run the ball because Roethlisberger has been so effective so far in the playoffs. Thus, Parker could get off to a strong start and make 61 yards on the ground.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
NFC Championship
6:30 FOX HD (5) Carolina (+4) 27 (1) Seattle 20.
Both of these teams have uncertainty at RB. Seattle’s Shaun Alexander suffered a concussion last week against the Redskins. He is expected to play against the Panthers. Carolina RB DeShuan Foster broke his ankle last week against the Bears; he joined fellow RB Stephen Davis on the IR list. Backup RB Nick Goings has almost 100 yards in Carolina’s two playoff games; he had 3 100-yard games for the Panthers last year during their 6-game winning streak when they surged into the NFC playoff picture after a 1-7 start. While he wouldn’t be the RB to carry the load over 16 games, Goings should be capable enough for the 2 games (at most) the Panthers have left this season. The Panthers are playing their 4th straight road game, but I think that they’re up to the task. The first 2 games were over by halftime (Atlanta, NY Giants), and they were able to play from ahead last week at Chicago. Seattle survived its divisional round game last week against Washington despite 3 fumbles and Alexander only gaining 9 yards before suffering a concussion. QB Matt Hasselback carried the offensive load, throwing for 1 TD and running for another. While the Seahawks contained Resdkins RB Clinton Portis (41 yards), they didn’t seem interested in covering WR Santana Moss or TE Chris Cooley. They better have a different plan for Panthers WR Steve Smith. He caught 12 passes for 218 yards and 2 TDs last week. He also carried the ball on end arounds a couple of times. If Carolina can get Smith 15 touches (receptions, punt returns, rushes, direct snaps, etc.), they should generate enough points to win the game.
Both of these teams have uncertainty at RB. Seattle’s Shaun Alexander suffered a concussion last week against the Redskins. He is expected to play against the Panthers. Carolina RB DeShuan Foster broke his ankle last week against the Bears; he joined fellow RB Stephen Davis on the IR list. Backup RB Nick Goings has almost 100 yards in Carolina’s two playoff games; he had 3 100-yard games for the Panthers last year during their 6-game winning streak when they surged into the NFC playoff picture after a 1-7 start. While he wouldn’t be the RB to carry the load over 16 games, Goings should be capable enough for the 2 games (at most) the Panthers have left this season. The Panthers are playing their 4th straight road game, but I think that they’re up to the task. The first 2 games were over by halftime (Atlanta, NY Giants), and they were able to play from ahead last week at Chicago. Seattle survived its divisional round game last week against Washington despite 3 fumbles and Alexander only gaining 9 yards before suffering a concussion. QB Matt Hasselback carried the offensive load, throwing for 1 TD and running for another. While the Seahawks contained Resdkins RB Clinton Portis (41 yards), they didn’t seem interested in covering WR Santana Moss or TE Chris Cooley. They better have a different plan for Panthers WR Steve Smith. He caught 12 passes for 218 yards and 2 TDs last week. He also carried the ball on end arounds a couple of times. If Carolina can get Smith 15 touches (receptions, punt returns, rushes, direct snaps, etc.), they should generate enough points to win the game.
AFC Championship
Type/Last Week/Season
NCAA/0-0/11-9
NFL/2-2/30-29-1
Invest/+0.9*/-.1*
The Seachickens less than impressive victory got the investment selections in the black for the season, but the Patriots didn’t score enough points to get their game over so I’m slightly in the red. I thought that Brady and company had 1 TD drive left in them when they took over inside their 20 at the 4-minute mark, but didn’t like seeing the deep throw so quickly. (It was intercepted by the Broncos triple-deep coverage.)
SUNDAY (All Times ET)
**3:00 CBS HD (2) Denver 23 (-3 ½) (6) Pittsburgh 16. *under 41.5
Three straight road victories is almost impossible for an NFL team to win. That has to be magnified in the playoffs. (My introduction for the Washington-Seattle game last week). Pittsburgh is on a real roll right now, their winning streak is at 7 games. They used a Patriots-style defensive strategy (maximize LBs, minimize DLs) to beat the Colts last week. Pittsburgh has balance on offense with Fast Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis at RB to punish a defense in different ways (speed, power). QB Ben Roethlisberger is the best QB that HC Bill Cowher has had during his tenure. The Steelers will go down the field through the air to get points on the board. Roethlisberger injured his hand or arm in the 2nd half of last week’s game, that may have factored into the Steelers running the ball all but 2 plays (about) after leading 21-3. The Broncos are getting great play from QB Jake Plummer. He made fewer mistakes than Tom Brady last week, even with the Patriots doing an outstanding job against the Broncos running game. Denver’s home field advantage is among the best in the NFL and the Steelers have to be road-weary at this point.
NCAA/0-0/11-9
NFL/2-2/30-29-1
Invest/+0.9*/-.1*
The Seachickens less than impressive victory got the investment selections in the black for the season, but the Patriots didn’t score enough points to get their game over so I’m slightly in the red. I thought that Brady and company had 1 TD drive left in them when they took over inside their 20 at the 4-minute mark, but didn’t like seeing the deep throw so quickly. (It was intercepted by the Broncos triple-deep coverage.)
SUNDAY (All Times ET)
**3:00 CBS HD (2) Denver 23 (-3 ½) (6) Pittsburgh 16. *under 41.5
Three straight road victories is almost impossible for an NFL team to win. That has to be magnified in the playoffs. (My introduction for the Washington-Seattle game last week). Pittsburgh is on a real roll right now, their winning streak is at 7 games. They used a Patriots-style defensive strategy (maximize LBs, minimize DLs) to beat the Colts last week. Pittsburgh has balance on offense with Fast Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis at RB to punish a defense in different ways (speed, power). QB Ben Roethlisberger is the best QB that HC Bill Cowher has had during his tenure. The Steelers will go down the field through the air to get points on the board. Roethlisberger injured his hand or arm in the 2nd half of last week’s game, that may have factored into the Steelers running the ball all but 2 plays (about) after leading 21-3. The Broncos are getting great play from QB Jake Plummer. He made fewer mistakes than Tom Brady last week, even with the Patriots doing an outstanding job against the Broncos running game. Denver’s home field advantage is among the best in the NFL and the Steelers have to be road-weary at this point.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Divisional Round Reflections
Thoughts on last weekend’s games:
How do the Seahawks fumble the ball 3 times after practicing in the rain for 27 straight days while the Redskins don’t fumble once? I saw FOX’s Tony Siragusa show buckets full of water on the Redskins’ sidelines, but that couldn’t have been that effective.
I hope the Seachickens don’t plan on leaving S Michael Boulware alone on Panther WR Steve Smith the way they left him alone against Redskin WR Santana Moss last weekend. That strategy won’t work 2 weeks in a row.
Denver forced New England into some turnovers and took care of the football when they had it. They got a couple of breaks to get 2 TDs (Pass interference call against CB Asante Samuel and ruling CB Champ Bailey’s fumble out of bounds at the 1). The Broncos defense always had the full field to work with against the Patriots offense and usually was able to force a mistake before the Patriots reached the end zone.
The Colts didn’t play well against the Steelers’ rush, which often went small. Indy was very late to adjust to it. TE Dallas Clark didn’t move to the backfield too often. RB Edgerrin James didn’t get that many carries. QB Peyton Manning had happy feet from the early moments of the game. Perhaps the Colts should have played their regulars about a half in each of the final 2 regular season games.
The officiating in the 4th quarter had two horrible calls. The “no-call” on the false-start/encroachment should have been one or the other. And S Tory Polamalu’s interception shouldn’t have been overturned. I couldn’t help but think that the official in the booth notified that the Steelers should have been hit for the false start and thus were able to run another 4 to 5 minutes off the clock after the 4th down conversion instead of punting.
Colts K Mike Vanderjagt should be looking for a new employer soon. He might be one of the most accurate kickers of all time, but he has only one type of kick in the clutch. So far wide right that he wouldn’t have won the kicking job at Florida State! Vanderjagt has had two other attempts of similar significance in his career. 2000 Playoffs, wild card round at Miami. Overtime, 49 yards. Wide right by about 20 yards. 2004 opener, at New England. Final play of regulation, 48 yards. Wide right by about 30 yards.
So what was QB Peyton Manning thinking on his 3rd down throw to Reggie Wayne. The pass wasn’t close, the defender actually had a decent chance at an interception. Manning should have checked down to James to get the first down and get the idiot kicker a little closer. I understood the 2nd down pass to Wayne in the end zone. The Steelers’ blitz was picked up, and Wayne was one-on-one with no safety coming over. The play to the end zone was the right decision there. But the 3rd down throw should have been shorter, especially since the Colts still had 2 timeouts.
The Bears and Panthers played much better offensively than expected. Rex Grossman was great the last 30 minutes, but would he have started 3 for 15 (for 2 yards!) if he had played some in the regular season finale to get sharp?
My Joe Buck rant of the week – How come he and Troy Aikman didn’t notice that Chicago WR Justin Gage caught the ball with a knee on the ground in the 1st quarter and that the replay overturn would be as easy as the Polomalu overturn was difficult? Buck and Aikman (and their spotters) never considered the possibility until after the referee announced the overturn, and they were stunned!
How do the Seahawks fumble the ball 3 times after practicing in the rain for 27 straight days while the Redskins don’t fumble once? I saw FOX’s Tony Siragusa show buckets full of water on the Redskins’ sidelines, but that couldn’t have been that effective.
I hope the Seachickens don’t plan on leaving S Michael Boulware alone on Panther WR Steve Smith the way they left him alone against Redskin WR Santana Moss last weekend. That strategy won’t work 2 weeks in a row.
Denver forced New England into some turnovers and took care of the football when they had it. They got a couple of breaks to get 2 TDs (Pass interference call against CB Asante Samuel and ruling CB Champ Bailey’s fumble out of bounds at the 1). The Broncos defense always had the full field to work with against the Patriots offense and usually was able to force a mistake before the Patriots reached the end zone.
The Colts didn’t play well against the Steelers’ rush, which often went small. Indy was very late to adjust to it. TE Dallas Clark didn’t move to the backfield too often. RB Edgerrin James didn’t get that many carries. QB Peyton Manning had happy feet from the early moments of the game. Perhaps the Colts should have played their regulars about a half in each of the final 2 regular season games.
The officiating in the 4th quarter had two horrible calls. The “no-call” on the false-start/encroachment should have been one or the other. And S Tory Polamalu’s interception shouldn’t have been overturned. I couldn’t help but think that the official in the booth notified that the Steelers should have been hit for the false start and thus were able to run another 4 to 5 minutes off the clock after the 4th down conversion instead of punting.
Colts K Mike Vanderjagt should be looking for a new employer soon. He might be one of the most accurate kickers of all time, but he has only one type of kick in the clutch. So far wide right that he wouldn’t have won the kicking job at Florida State! Vanderjagt has had two other attempts of similar significance in his career. 2000 Playoffs, wild card round at Miami. Overtime, 49 yards. Wide right by about 20 yards. 2004 opener, at New England. Final play of regulation, 48 yards. Wide right by about 30 yards.
So what was QB Peyton Manning thinking on his 3rd down throw to Reggie Wayne. The pass wasn’t close, the defender actually had a decent chance at an interception. Manning should have checked down to James to get the first down and get the idiot kicker a little closer. I understood the 2nd down pass to Wayne in the end zone. The Steelers’ blitz was picked up, and Wayne was one-on-one with no safety coming over. The play to the end zone was the right decision there. But the 3rd down throw should have been shorter, especially since the Colts still had 2 timeouts.
The Bears and Panthers played much better offensively than expected. Rex Grossman was great the last 30 minutes, but would he have started 3 for 15 (for 2 yards!) if he had played some in the regular season finale to get sharp?
My Joe Buck rant of the week – How come he and Troy Aikman didn’t notice that Chicago WR Justin Gage caught the ball with a knee on the ground in the 1st quarter and that the replay overturn would be as easy as the Polomalu overturn was difficult? Buck and Aikman (and their spotters) never considered the possibility until after the referee announced the overturn, and they were stunned!
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Seahawks or Seachickens?
Type/Last Week/Season
NCAA/0-1/11-9
NFL/3-1/28-27-1
Invest/+2*/-1.0*
SATURDAY (All Times ET)
**4:30 FOX HD (1) Seattle 27 (-9 ½) (6) Washington 10.
Three straight road victories is almost impossible for an NFL team to win. That has to be magnified in the playoffs. Seattle has balance on offense with NFL MVP Shaun Alexander at RB and Pro Bowler Matt Hasselback at QB. Seattle has earned its designation as Seachickens in recent years, but this year’s defense is playing markedly better.
8:00 CBS HD (4) New England 27 (+3) (2) Denver 20, *over 44.5
New England has won 10 straight postseason games with HC Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady. Many Patriots that didn’t dress for the October game will be on the field for this one (DL Seymour, RB Dillon – at what speed though?, LB Bruschi – see Dillon ?, CB Samuel). The number that struck me looking at the box score of the first game was that the Patriots did a pretty good job against RB Mike Anderson (15 carries, 57 yards). I think that New England will do a much better job against the Denver WRs and just can’t convince myself to pick Denver QB Jake Plummer to outduel Tom Brady.
SUNDAY
1:00 CBS HD (1) Indianapolis 27 (-10) (6) Pittsburgh 16. The Colts flipped a switch at the start of the regular season, starting 13-0 after an 0-5 preseason. The offense didn’t score much during the first month of the season against some strong defenses (24 v. Baltimore, 10 v. Jacksonville, and 13 v. Cleveland), but the Colts won those games because their defense started the season at a high level. The Colts are just too fast for the Steelers on both sides of the ball and the Steelers may not be able to stay in the game while waiting for their running game to take its toll on the smaller Colts defense.
4:30 FOX HD (5) Carolina 16 (+2 ½) (2) Chicago 13. I think that this Bears team is better than the 2001 unit that had a similar regular season. The Bears did win 13-3 in the regular season game, sacking Panthers QB Jake Delhomme 8 times. It was one of 7 games that the Bears won with their offense scoring 1 TD (or less). What I didn’t like about the way the Bears finished the season against the Vikings was that starting QB Rex Grossman didn’t play. He has started 7 or 8 games in his 3-year career. He didn’t need the week off. He needed the game action to prepare for the playoffs. The key to this game will be avoiding turnovers in their own territory.
NCAA/0-1/11-9
NFL/3-1/28-27-1
Invest/+2*/-1.0*
SATURDAY (All Times ET)
**4:30 FOX HD (1) Seattle 27 (-9 ½) (6) Washington 10.
Three straight road victories is almost impossible for an NFL team to win. That has to be magnified in the playoffs. Seattle has balance on offense with NFL MVP Shaun Alexander at RB and Pro Bowler Matt Hasselback at QB. Seattle has earned its designation as Seachickens in recent years, but this year’s defense is playing markedly better.
8:00 CBS HD (4) New England 27 (+3) (2) Denver 20, *over 44.5
New England has won 10 straight postseason games with HC Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady. Many Patriots that didn’t dress for the October game will be on the field for this one (DL Seymour, RB Dillon – at what speed though?, LB Bruschi – see Dillon ?, CB Samuel). The number that struck me looking at the box score of the first game was that the Patriots did a pretty good job against RB Mike Anderson (15 carries, 57 yards). I think that New England will do a much better job against the Denver WRs and just can’t convince myself to pick Denver QB Jake Plummer to outduel Tom Brady.
SUNDAY
1:00 CBS HD (1) Indianapolis 27 (-10) (6) Pittsburgh 16. The Colts flipped a switch at the start of the regular season, starting 13-0 after an 0-5 preseason. The offense didn’t score much during the first month of the season against some strong defenses (24 v. Baltimore, 10 v. Jacksonville, and 13 v. Cleveland), but the Colts won those games because their defense started the season at a high level. The Colts are just too fast for the Steelers on both sides of the ball and the Steelers may not be able to stay in the game while waiting for their running game to take its toll on the smaller Colts defense.
4:30 FOX HD (5) Carolina 16 (+2 ½) (2) Chicago 13. I think that this Bears team is better than the 2001 unit that had a similar regular season. The Bears did win 13-3 in the regular season game, sacking Panthers QB Jake Delhomme 8 times. It was one of 7 games that the Bears won with their offense scoring 1 TD (or less). What I didn’t like about the way the Bears finished the season against the Vikings was that starting QB Rex Grossman didn’t play. He has started 7 or 8 games in his 3-year career. He didn’t need the week off. He needed the game action to prepare for the playoffs. The key to this game will be avoiding turnovers in their own territory.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Wild Card Weekend
What an outstanding performance by Vince Young for Texas Wednesday night. But I have to ask, why didn’t USC close the running lane outside to the right? Did they watch any of the tapes from Young’s performance in the Rose Bowl last year? I think Pete Carroll did the right thing going for the first down on 4th and 2… his defense hadn’t stopped Young all night… why would that change? Texas only needed 1 timeout on their winning drive. I would have like to have seen some WRs on the field instead of the 2 TE look… Texas had 9 men in the box against RB LenDale White.
SATURDAY (All Times ET)
4:30 ABC HD (3) Tampa Bay 23 (-2 ½) (6) Washington 20.
Because of turnover margin (+3), the Redskins won this game with an offense that produced 120 yards in 60 minutes.
**8:00 ABC HD (4) New England 27 (-8) (5) Jacksonville 13.
The Patriots played a solid game against the Jaguars, reducing their offense to one dimension. WR Jimmy Smith didn’t have a good night, and the Jaguars are still looking for their first postseason touchdown in New England.
SUNDAY
1:00 FOX HD (5) Carolina 27 (+3) (4) N.Y. Giants 16. New York QB Eli Manning has had some impressive moments in his second season, but threw the most interceptions this side of Green Bay QB Brett Favre. Giants RB Tiki Barber will need to have the success that Cowboy RBs Marion Barber and Julius Jones enjoyed 2 weeks ago. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme has had his own interception issues and the Meadowlands can be a difficult place to throw the ball in January.
4:30 CBS HD (6) Pittsburgh 26 (-3) (3) Cincinnati 13. The Steelers won 4 straight to make the playoffs after losing successive games to Cincinnati and Indianapolis. The key to the winning streak (mostly against the lackluster NFC North) was the reliance on the running game with RB Fast Willie Parker outside the 10 and Jerome Bettis inside the 10. Cincinnati wrapped up the AFC North in Week 15, then lost to Buffalo (close) and Kansas City (rout) to close the regular season.
SATURDAY (All Times ET)
4:30 ABC HD (3) Tampa Bay 23 (-2 ½) (6) Washington 20.
Because of turnover margin (+3), the Redskins won this game with an offense that produced 120 yards in 60 minutes.
**8:00 ABC HD (4) New England 27 (-8) (5) Jacksonville 13.
The Patriots played a solid game against the Jaguars, reducing their offense to one dimension. WR Jimmy Smith didn’t have a good night, and the Jaguars are still looking for their first postseason touchdown in New England.
SUNDAY
1:00 FOX HD (5) Carolina 27 (+3) (4) N.Y. Giants 16. New York QB Eli Manning has had some impressive moments in his second season, but threw the most interceptions this side of Green Bay QB Brett Favre. Giants RB Tiki Barber will need to have the success that Cowboy RBs Marion Barber and Julius Jones enjoyed 2 weeks ago. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme has had his own interception issues and the Meadowlands can be a difficult place to throw the ball in January.
4:30 CBS HD (6) Pittsburgh 26 (-3) (3) Cincinnati 13. The Steelers won 4 straight to make the playoffs after losing successive games to Cincinnati and Indianapolis. The key to the winning streak (mostly against the lackluster NFC North) was the reliance on the running game with RB Fast Willie Parker outside the 10 and Jerome Bettis inside the 10. Cincinnati wrapped up the AFC North in Week 15, then lost to Buffalo (close) and Kansas City (rout) to close the regular season.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Texas v. USC is finally here
Type/Last Week/Season
NCAA/0-0/11-8
NFL/1-0/25-26-1
Invest/+2*/-3.0*
WEDNESDAY
8:28 ABC HD #1 USC 27 (-8) #2 Texas 17. I don't like the 8:28 ET kickoff time. That made the 3 OT game between Penn St. and Florida St. end too late for me... on the WEST COAST! After a month of waiting and media attention, the Trojans aim for their 3rd straight national title (or portion of) against the Longhorns behind QB Matt Leinhart (2004 Heisman), RB Reggie Bush (2005 Heisman), RB LenDale White, and WR Dwayne Jarrett. Texas QB Vince Young is as dangerous as USC RB Reggie Bush because he touches the ball on every play while Bush is limited to taking handoffs, catching passes, or returning kicks. Texas’ defense was better statistically than USC’s, but there are more offensively challenged teams at the bottom of the Big 12 than the Pac 10. USC’s offense is so sophisticated (for the college level) that I can’t see Texas being able to shut it down for the whole game unless USC doesn’t set its alarm clock. Halftime won’t cut it for the Trojans as it did at Oregon and Arizona St.
NCAA/0-0/11-8
NFL/1-0/25-26-1
Invest/+2*/-3.0*
WEDNESDAY
8:28 ABC HD #1 USC 27 (-8) #2 Texas 17. I don't like the 8:28 ET kickoff time. That made the 3 OT game between Penn St. and Florida St. end too late for me... on the WEST COAST! After a month of waiting and media attention, the Trojans aim for their 3rd straight national title (or portion of) against the Longhorns behind QB Matt Leinhart (2004 Heisman), RB Reggie Bush (2005 Heisman), RB LenDale White, and WR Dwayne Jarrett. Texas QB Vince Young is as dangerous as USC RB Reggie Bush because he touches the ball on every play while Bush is limited to taking handoffs, catching passes, or returning kicks. Texas’ defense was better statistically than USC’s, but there are more offensively challenged teams at the bottom of the Big 12 than the Pac 10. USC’s offense is so sophisticated (for the college level) that I can’t see Texas being able to shut it down for the whole game unless USC doesn’t set its alarm clock. Halftime won’t cut it for the Trojans as it did at Oregon and Arizona St.
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