So I have my first day back at school tomorrow, and what better way to prepare than spending all day watching sports?
I was able to watch the Baltimore Ravens dominate the Miami Dolphins to advance on to the next round of the AFC race, while my Philadelphia Eagles held on and used a late Brian Westbrook touchdown to beat the Minnesota Vikings. I also caught the final ten minutes of Boston College's upset of #1 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Now, the Ravens-Dolphins game showed me once again that the Ravens' defense is back and as dominant as it was in their Super Bowl run of 2001. Every year this defense just seemingly reloads with talent, though when Ray Lewis takes his final bow his replacement will have some giant-sized shoes to fill. The game also reminded me how freakishly good Ed Reed is. You will undoubtedly see the highlight of his two picks on the day. Also, the Ravens clearly made the right pick of Joe Flacco. It seems like they finally have a quarterback who can pilot an offense well enough that the defense is no longer the sole means of scoring.
What surprised me with the Eagles-Vikings game was that the Eagles went into halftime with a two point lead thanks to three David Akers field goals and an Asante Samuel pick-six, and did not let that lead shrink anymore. They kept up their solid defense against the run, and did not allow Adrian Peterson any other big plays. The Birds also put more pressure on Tarvaris Jackson, who kept up the trend of young quarterbacks showing great poise thus far in the playoffs, and forced several wild throws and should-be-interceptions. Bravo, Birds, and on to the Meadowlands and the New York Giants.
Finally, I'm still shocked that Boston College knocked off unanimous #1 North Carolina. It will be interesting to see how far the Heels fall, though I do see this as being a "wake up" moment that will spur the Heels on for the rest of the season. The loss, combined with Pitt's drubbing of Georgetown, should ultimately give the Pittsburgh Panthers some much-needed exposure as the new #1.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
College Football Madness
Why does it seem like this happens every year?
We have seen, once again, a team come into bowl season undefeated, and they are not given a shot at a national title. This year, we saw the Utah Utes go and "shock the world" by beating the Alabama Crimson Tide 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. They outscored a team in Alabama that was ranked #1 in the country for five weeks this season 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
So the Utes have finished the season a perfect 13-0, but will most likely not be in the top three in the final rankings, as Florida and Oklahoma will most likely be one and two, and computer favorite USC will probably take the final spot in the top three. The Utes have a chance to be in the top five, as Texas will most likely take the number four spot with a win over big-game-choke-artist Ohio State.
There was much discussion heading into this post-season about whether the undefeated teams of Boise State and Utah should deserve a shot at a national title. I feel that the teams with the best overall record should deserve a shot at the national title. Utah is honestly lucky that they got to show what they can do and beat a championship contender in Alabama.
I feel that keeping this BCS system as the means of deciding who gets to play for the National Championship is just a poor idea, as it narrows down a list of contestants that is not just two or three schools. I feel it could be used to determine the seedings for a playoff, that would truly allow the teams like Utah, or Boise State, to show what they can do against these powerhouses of Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and Alabama.
It would also give each team more to play for, as not only would they get the chance to face these vaunted foes but they also get closer to a national title in the process.
The National Championship is supposed to go to THE BEST team in the country, and a playoff is the only way we can truly see who THE BEST team in the country truly is. Congratulations
Utes on a perfect season, too bad that a team with one loss will be crowned the National Champion.
We have seen, once again, a team come into bowl season undefeated, and they are not given a shot at a national title. This year, we saw the Utah Utes go and "shock the world" by beating the Alabama Crimson Tide 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. They outscored a team in Alabama that was ranked #1 in the country for five weeks this season 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
So the Utes have finished the season a perfect 13-0, but will most likely not be in the top three in the final rankings, as Florida and Oklahoma will most likely be one and two, and computer favorite USC will probably take the final spot in the top three. The Utes have a chance to be in the top five, as Texas will most likely take the number four spot with a win over big-game-choke-artist Ohio State.
There was much discussion heading into this post-season about whether the undefeated teams of Boise State and Utah should deserve a shot at a national title. I feel that the teams with the best overall record should deserve a shot at the national title. Utah is honestly lucky that they got to show what they can do and beat a championship contender in Alabama.
I feel that keeping this BCS system as the means of deciding who gets to play for the National Championship is just a poor idea, as it narrows down a list of contestants that is not just two or three schools. I feel it could be used to determine the seedings for a playoff, that would truly allow the teams like Utah, or Boise State, to show what they can do against these powerhouses of Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and Alabama.
It would also give each team more to play for, as not only would they get the chance to face these vaunted foes but they also get closer to a national title in the process.
The National Championship is supposed to go to THE BEST team in the country, and a playoff is the only way we can truly see who THE BEST team in the country truly is. Congratulations
Utes on a perfect season, too bad that a team with one loss will be crowned the National Champion.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Other Little Tid Bits
- Today the Texas Rangers signed former Milwaukee Brewer closer Derrick Turnbow to a one year deal, worth $925K if he makes the Major League Roster. A low-risk, high-reward move by a team in need of a lot of pitching help.
- I was disappointed by how poorly South Carolina played in the Outback Bowl...they lost 31-10 and let Shonn Green run all over them. Oh well, at least the REAL bowls are finally starting now.
- Speaking of Bowls, I think Penn State has a good shot at beating the University of Spoiled Children, even though I must say I'm impressed with Ray Maualuga. 21-17, Penn State.
More Hot Stove News: Angels Sign Brian Fuentes, Cubs Sign Aaron Miles
Also occurring yesterday were the signings of closer Brian Fuentes by the Los Angeles Angels, and second baseman Aaron Miles by the Chicago Cubs.
Fuentes had been rumored to be the Angels' top choice of closer for quite some time now, and it was only a matter of time once K-Rod signed and once Teixeira signed that the Angels would look to ink the electric lefty. They signed him to a two year, $17.5M deal with a third year vesting option worth $9M.
Fuentes has spent his last seven years pitching in Coors Field, and has kept a respectable sub 3.50 ERA since being named the Rox' closer in 2005. During that time period, he also had more strikeouts than innings pitched for three of those four years, all while holding opponents to a sub .220 BAA.
I like the Fuentes signing for the Angels, because it gives them a replacement strikeout arm to close out games, while also giving them a lefty in a bullpen full of righties.
The Cubbies signed Aaron Miles to a two year, $4.9M deal yesterday as well. Miles has spent his last three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, with a gradual improvement in his numbers across the board, resulting in a .317/4/31/49 year last year.
This signing just puzzles me, as the Cubs have so much talent up the middle even with Mark DeRosa now in Cleveland that locking up a guy who is not the best of the group offensively to try and replace DeRosa's production is just foolish. I do not see Miles getting more than 300 at-bats this year, if he does I'll be surprised.
Fuentes had been rumored to be the Angels' top choice of closer for quite some time now, and it was only a matter of time once K-Rod signed and once Teixeira signed that the Angels would look to ink the electric lefty. They signed him to a two year, $17.5M deal with a third year vesting option worth $9M.
Fuentes has spent his last seven years pitching in Coors Field, and has kept a respectable sub 3.50 ERA since being named the Rox' closer in 2005. During that time period, he also had more strikeouts than innings pitched for three of those four years, all while holding opponents to a sub .220 BAA.
I like the Fuentes signing for the Angels, because it gives them a replacement strikeout arm to close out games, while also giving them a lefty in a bullpen full of righties.
The Cubbies signed Aaron Miles to a two year, $4.9M deal yesterday as well. Miles has spent his last three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, with a gradual improvement in his numbers across the board, resulting in a .317/4/31/49 year last year.
This signing just puzzles me, as the Cubs have so much talent up the middle even with Mark DeRosa now in Cleveland that locking up a guy who is not the best of the group offensively to try and replace DeRosa's production is just foolish. I do not see Miles getting more than 300 at-bats this year, if he does I'll be surprised.
MLB Hot Stove Reaction: Mark DeRosa Traded
Yesterday the news broke that the Chicago Cubs decided to free up some money by trading their ultimate utility man Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians for three young pitchers. The only way that this trade would make any sense from the Cubs' perspective is that they are looking to clear salary space on the payroll for a big-time addition.
DeRosa is entering the last year of his contract, and is owed $5.5M. That is money well spent, seeing DeRosa played in 149 games last season and came up with a line of .285/21/87/103 for a guy who played just about every position on the diamond for the Cubbies last year. He should add a bit of an offensive spark to a Cleveland team that suddenly couldn't hit its way out of a paper bag. DeRosa also can exert a veteran influence on the young Indians infield, as well as replace the offensively-challenged Josh Barfield in the every-day lineup. While DeRosa won't be able to match Barfield's appearances on "Web Gems", he will easily make up for the drop-off in flashy leather with a solid bat in the top half of the lineup.
In addition, the Cubs had a plethora of middle infielders with DeRosa, Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, and Ronny Cedeno who all deserved plenty of playing time.
The combination of this trade, along with the rumored to be almost-done deal that would send Jason Marquis to the Colorado Rockies for Luis Vizcaino, freeing up approximately another $8M of payroll, would presumably allow the Cubs to sign someone like Milton Bradley to play right field and add a left-handed bat to the lineup.
Ultimately I think the trade will work out for both teams, as you can expect DeRosa's numbers to be roughly the same as they were last year, maybe a little bit higher if Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner can remember how to hit again.
DeRosa is entering the last year of his contract, and is owed $5.5M. That is money well spent, seeing DeRosa played in 149 games last season and came up with a line of .285/21/87/103 for a guy who played just about every position on the diamond for the Cubbies last year. He should add a bit of an offensive spark to a Cleveland team that suddenly couldn't hit its way out of a paper bag. DeRosa also can exert a veteran influence on the young Indians infield, as well as replace the offensively-challenged Josh Barfield in the every-day lineup. While DeRosa won't be able to match Barfield's appearances on "Web Gems", he will easily make up for the drop-off in flashy leather with a solid bat in the top half of the lineup.
In addition, the Cubs had a plethora of middle infielders with DeRosa, Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, and Ronny Cedeno who all deserved plenty of playing time.
The combination of this trade, along with the rumored to be almost-done deal that would send Jason Marquis to the Colorado Rockies for Luis Vizcaino, freeing up approximately another $8M of payroll, would presumably allow the Cubs to sign someone like Milton Bradley to play right field and add a left-handed bat to the lineup.
Ultimately I think the trade will work out for both teams, as you can expect DeRosa's numbers to be roughly the same as they were last year, maybe a little bit higher if Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner can remember how to hit again.
Monday, December 29, 2008
MLB Hot Stove Update
There have finally been some free agents signing with teams other than the New York Yankees this past week.
Willy Taveras signed with the Cincinnati Reds for a two-year deal as of December 27th. Taveras should become the Reds new lead-off hitter, and will give this team a speed infusion and a threat on the basepaths, since he stole a league-leading 68 bases last season, despite a measely .308 OBP. He gives the Reds an everyday centerfielder as well, and his AVG and OBP should go up in the friendly confines of Great American Ballpark, as well as his Runs scored.
The Tampa Bay Rays signed Joe Nelson in an effort to help bolster their bullpen, for one year and $1.3M. Nelson spent last year with the Florida Marlins as a primary bridge to the back of the bullpen and Kevin Gregg. He had an ERA of 2.00 through 54.0 IP, allwoing just 42 hits, and an OPP AVG of .207, while striking out 60. The concensus opinion is that the Rays went after him to be an insurance policy for Troy Percival who is coming off of back surgery. We will see whether or not last season's success for Nelson was just a fluke, as his prior two seasons in the American League are unimpressive, with an ERA of 4.43 in his only full AL season in 2006.
The San Francisco Giants are looking to bolster their pitching staff, evidenced by the earlier signing of Bobby Howry, and their efforts continued as they signed Randy Johnson to a one year deal, with $8M guaranteed and the potential to reach $13M based on performance and award bonuses. Johnson gives the Giants a formidable rotation of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, and Jonathan Sanchez. The Big Unit also gives them a rotation with three Cy Young award winners, the first since the Atlanta Braves of the 1990's when they had Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz. I would look for Johnson's numbers to improve in the friendly confines of AT&T Park, as well as facing the dull offenses of the NL West once again. Plus, signing him to a one year deal should not blow up in the face of the Giants like Zito's contract did, ultimately it's a grea signing for the Giants though they still need a power bat.
Mark Hendrickson agreed to a deal with the Baltimore Orioles this past weekend. The 6'9" lefty spent last season with the Florida Marlins, posting a 7-8 W/L record in 19 starts, a 5.45 ERA in 133.2 IP, and a 1.69 K:BB ratio. The main point of this signing is to add a veteran presence to the rotation for the O's, as well as allowing their piching prospects more time to develop in the minor leagues rather than being rushed up to the Major League level. While Hendrickson only made 19 starts, appearing 17 times in relief, I think he should see more starts in Baltimore regardless of his numbers. They simply do not have the pitching depth to try and replace him, especially with Daniel Cabrera now in Washington. I would have to clasify this signing as a bandage, until the pitching situation can heal itself.
Finally, the Boston Red Sox have signed C Josh Bard to a one year, $1.6M deal. The Sox also signed Brad Penny to a one year, $5M deal with $3M in incentives. Bard seems to be a possible insurance policy for the catching situation in Boston, as Jason Varitek cannot catch forever. Bard had a previous stint with the Red Sox where they used him to catch Tim Wakefield, which did not turn out so well, resulting in a trade for aging Doug Mirabelli. Should Bard stay healthy, he has shown that he can hit respectibly and do an acceptable job behind the plate. Should Varitek resign with the Sox, 'Tek will most likely handle Wakefield while he splits with Bard for the rest of the rotation. As for Penny, he is a low-risk, high-reward type of signee for the Sox. Coming off a season of forearm and shoulder pain that clearly affected his performance, Penny will be looking to bounce back. Over the course of his career, Penny's ERA has been reliably between 3.00 and 4.50, in addition to getting roughly 30 starts per year, and roughly 150+ IP. He is not a strikeout machine, but will tally some up here and there. He offers depth to the Red Sox rotation, which would now look like: Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Penny, Wakefield and would allow Justin Masterson to stay in the bullpen in middle-relief or setup. Plus it means the Sox don't have to rush Michael Bowden or Clay Buchholz to the Majors to help fill out either the rotation or the bullpen.
Willy Taveras signed with the Cincinnati Reds for a two-year deal as of December 27th. Taveras should become the Reds new lead-off hitter, and will give this team a speed infusion and a threat on the basepaths, since he stole a league-leading 68 bases last season, despite a measely .308 OBP. He gives the Reds an everyday centerfielder as well, and his AVG and OBP should go up in the friendly confines of Great American Ballpark, as well as his Runs scored.
The Tampa Bay Rays signed Joe Nelson in an effort to help bolster their bullpen, for one year and $1.3M. Nelson spent last year with the Florida Marlins as a primary bridge to the back of the bullpen and Kevin Gregg. He had an ERA of 2.00 through 54.0 IP, allwoing just 42 hits, and an OPP AVG of .207, while striking out 60. The concensus opinion is that the Rays went after him to be an insurance policy for Troy Percival who is coming off of back surgery. We will see whether or not last season's success for Nelson was just a fluke, as his prior two seasons in the American League are unimpressive, with an ERA of 4.43 in his only full AL season in 2006.
The San Francisco Giants are looking to bolster their pitching staff, evidenced by the earlier signing of Bobby Howry, and their efforts continued as they signed Randy Johnson to a one year deal, with $8M guaranteed and the potential to reach $13M based on performance and award bonuses. Johnson gives the Giants a formidable rotation of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, and Jonathan Sanchez. The Big Unit also gives them a rotation with three Cy Young award winners, the first since the Atlanta Braves of the 1990's when they had Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz. I would look for Johnson's numbers to improve in the friendly confines of AT&T Park, as well as facing the dull offenses of the NL West once again. Plus, signing him to a one year deal should not blow up in the face of the Giants like Zito's contract did, ultimately it's a grea signing for the Giants though they still need a power bat.
Mark Hendrickson agreed to a deal with the Baltimore Orioles this past weekend. The 6'9" lefty spent last season with the Florida Marlins, posting a 7-8 W/L record in 19 starts, a 5.45 ERA in 133.2 IP, and a 1.69 K:BB ratio. The main point of this signing is to add a veteran presence to the rotation for the O's, as well as allowing their piching prospects more time to develop in the minor leagues rather than being rushed up to the Major League level. While Hendrickson only made 19 starts, appearing 17 times in relief, I think he should see more starts in Baltimore regardless of his numbers. They simply do not have the pitching depth to try and replace him, especially with Daniel Cabrera now in Washington. I would have to clasify this signing as a bandage, until the pitching situation can heal itself.
Finally, the Boston Red Sox have signed C Josh Bard to a one year, $1.6M deal. The Sox also signed Brad Penny to a one year, $5M deal with $3M in incentives. Bard seems to be a possible insurance policy for the catching situation in Boston, as Jason Varitek cannot catch forever. Bard had a previous stint with the Red Sox where they used him to catch Tim Wakefield, which did not turn out so well, resulting in a trade for aging Doug Mirabelli. Should Bard stay healthy, he has shown that he can hit respectibly and do an acceptable job behind the plate. Should Varitek resign with the Sox, 'Tek will most likely handle Wakefield while he splits with Bard for the rest of the rotation. As for Penny, he is a low-risk, high-reward type of signee for the Sox. Coming off a season of forearm and shoulder pain that clearly affected his performance, Penny will be looking to bounce back. Over the course of his career, Penny's ERA has been reliably between 3.00 and 4.50, in addition to getting roughly 30 starts per year, and roughly 150+ IP. He is not a strikeout machine, but will tally some up here and there. He offers depth to the Red Sox rotation, which would now look like: Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Penny, Wakefield and would allow Justin Masterson to stay in the bullpen in middle-relief or setup. Plus it means the Sox don't have to rush Michael Bowden or Clay Buchholz to the Majors to help fill out either the rotation or the bullpen.
When Birds Fly: Eagles Trounce Cowboys for Final Playoff Spot
Last week, the city of Philadelphia, myself included, was left wondering whether our Birds actually could fly. That brutal loss to the Washington Redskins didn't exactly help matters. We saw head coach Andy Reid fail to manage the clock properly once again, to the point that we wondered "How many beers would a fan have to have downed to manage the clock WORSE than Andy Reid?". The calls for Andy's head, as well as a trade of our franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb went back to their usual ferocity of the previous weeks.
But all of that changed Sunday, as we watched the stars align across the NFL to give our Birds one last chance to steer themselves into the Playoffs. We prayed that those hapless Oakland Raiders could beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Tampa Bay. We hoped that those pesky Houston Texans had one last fight in them to beat the Chicago Bears. Finally, we reluctantly hoped that those New York Giants could just beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome.
30 Minutes before Eagles-Cowboys in Philadelphia, the stands of Lincoln-Financial Field were unusually empty. The mass of fans with tickets were all huddled around various T.V. screens in the parking lots, and in the pub across the street, watching to see if this game would actually mean something or not.
Sure enough, the Oakland Raiders scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to topple the declining Bucs, and the Houston Texans eked out a seven point win over the Chicago Bears, giving our Eagles one last chance for the second straight week to control their destiny.
In case you haven't heard, they took advantage of it by routing the egotistical Dallas Cowboys 44-6.
The game sent the residents of the tri-state area into a frenzy: we got the best of both scenarios, by not only beating the Cowboys but also by keeping them out of the playoff picture and seeing ourselves get in.
It also warmed all of our hearts to see the shots of all of the cliques along the Dalas sideline, with every super-ego shouting at somebody else, blaming them, and then returning to a small group of their buddies to whine even more. Truly, they had nobody to blame but themselves.
They turned the ball over way too many times, and while players like Marion Barber and Jason Witten battled through injuries to give this team a win, we saw Tony Romo once again choke in the late season big game.
We saw this egotistical team of maniacs known as the Dallas Cowboys fumble the ball four times, their starting quarterback threw a lovely pick-six to Sheldon Brown and as sacked three times, and saw their prized mid-season acquisition of Roy Williams look lost out on the football field.
Now, we go from a week's worth of funeral and death related headlines for our Eagles to headlines showcasing destiny, and awakening. Now we get to go to Minnesota and play the Vikings. Now we get another chance to see the Eagles finally win the big game.
But all of that changed Sunday, as we watched the stars align across the NFL to give our Birds one last chance to steer themselves into the Playoffs. We prayed that those hapless Oakland Raiders could beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Tampa Bay. We hoped that those pesky Houston Texans had one last fight in them to beat the Chicago Bears. Finally, we reluctantly hoped that those New York Giants could just beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome.
30 Minutes before Eagles-Cowboys in Philadelphia, the stands of Lincoln-Financial Field were unusually empty. The mass of fans with tickets were all huddled around various T.V. screens in the parking lots, and in the pub across the street, watching to see if this game would actually mean something or not.
Sure enough, the Oakland Raiders scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to topple the declining Bucs, and the Houston Texans eked out a seven point win over the Chicago Bears, giving our Eagles one last chance for the second straight week to control their destiny.
In case you haven't heard, they took advantage of it by routing the egotistical Dallas Cowboys 44-6.
The game sent the residents of the tri-state area into a frenzy: we got the best of both scenarios, by not only beating the Cowboys but also by keeping them out of the playoff picture and seeing ourselves get in.
It also warmed all of our hearts to see the shots of all of the cliques along the Dalas sideline, with every super-ego shouting at somebody else, blaming them, and then returning to a small group of their buddies to whine even more. Truly, they had nobody to blame but themselves.
They turned the ball over way too many times, and while players like Marion Barber and Jason Witten battled through injuries to give this team a win, we saw Tony Romo once again choke in the late season big game.
We saw this egotistical team of maniacs known as the Dallas Cowboys fumble the ball four times, their starting quarterback threw a lovely pick-six to Sheldon Brown and as sacked three times, and saw their prized mid-season acquisition of Roy Williams look lost out on the football field.
Now, we go from a week's worth of funeral and death related headlines for our Eagles to headlines showcasing destiny, and awakening. Now we get to go to Minnesota and play the Vikings. Now we get another chance to see the Eagles finally win the big game.
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