There's not one thing going on that I'm really excited or disappointed about, so I'm going to take a page out of Frankie's book and discuss a few things in the wide world of sports that have caught some of my easily distracted attention.
James Harrison
If you want to discuss a guy getting a raw deal, you need look no further that one Mr. James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He put a big hit on Colt McCoy in last Thursday night's game. Commissioner Roger Goodell, in his infinite wisdom, as suspended him for one game, Monday's matchup against the 49ers. This is the first time in 25 years that a player has been suspended for a hit delivered during a live play. Watch it again. It was absolutely a brutal knock, but, it was clean. Football is a physical game. During the play, McCoy tucked the ball and began to run. He threw it just before he crossed the line of scrimmage. Harrison never had a chance to stop. Now watch again. Harrison didn't really lead with the head. He didn't really launch himself into the tackle. He made a tough tackle. I wouldn't want anything less from my All-Pro linebacker.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
BCS Championship Announced, Everyone Outside of SEC Upset
Yeah, we are. We already saw the game. It was awful. We really think that Alabama deserves another try?
Who did Alabama beat to get here? A 6-6 Florida team, a decent Penn State team, and an Arkansas team that beat everyone else in the SEC and three other bad programs. Those are their three wins against "ranked" teams. Only one finished the season that way. Just because a team beats up on their conference doesn't mean they're the second best team in the country. I won't deny that they are good, or even that the SEC is probably an above average conference. But, shouldn't a "NATIONAL" championship be decided from two teams around the country? Wouldn't it validate the Bayou Bengals more to beat a team they didn't play, rather than one they already did? Wouldn't the rest of the country respect the SEC as the dominant conference if they beat a team other than one from their own conference?
This seems like a very short-sighted decision. Oklahoma State deserves every opportunity to be in that game. It's not like their schedule was that much more difficult, but at least they beat the other marquee program in their conference. Even stanfurd, as much as I hate to admit it, should have been in the conversation.
In a column posted by an esteemed ESPN writer after the announcement, the points are made that clearly display the bias.
LINK HERE
But here it is:
Point 1:
Alabama started at No. 2 in that same poll, and that's where the Crimson Tide are now: No. 2 in the coaches' poll, the Harris poll, and, most important, the final BCS standings. They did it by having the least offensive loss of the one-loss teams, which isn't exactly the same thing as erasing all doubt.
Point 2:
No. 1 LSU was going to the Allstate BCS National Championship Game no matter what. It could have lost the SEC championship game (and for a while there, as the Tigers ended the first half against Georgia with zero first downs and trailing by three points, it seemed they might), but it wouldn't have changed the rankings math:
LSU = No. 1. Everybody else < LSU. Much less.
....So, because Alabama lost to the number one team and Okie St. laid the egg against Iowa St., the Tide should roll in a rematch. But then point two refutes that. If LSU lost to Georgia, they still would have been in the national championship?
Maybe we'll get an entertaining game. But when it's said and done, the BCS could have done a lot better to determine who was the national champion, and not just the champion of one conference, because now, that's all we'll know.
Who did Alabama beat to get here? A 6-6 Florida team, a decent Penn State team, and an Arkansas team that beat everyone else in the SEC and three other bad programs. Those are their three wins against "ranked" teams. Only one finished the season that way. Just because a team beats up on their conference doesn't mean they're the second best team in the country. I won't deny that they are good, or even that the SEC is probably an above average conference. But, shouldn't a "NATIONAL" championship be decided from two teams around the country? Wouldn't it validate the Bayou Bengals more to beat a team they didn't play, rather than one they already did? Wouldn't the rest of the country respect the SEC as the dominant conference if they beat a team other than one from their own conference?
This seems like a very short-sighted decision. Oklahoma State deserves every opportunity to be in that game. It's not like their schedule was that much more difficult, but at least they beat the other marquee program in their conference. Even stanfurd, as much as I hate to admit it, should have been in the conversation.
In a column posted by an esteemed ESPN writer after the announcement, the points are made that clearly display the bias.
LINK HERE
But here it is:
Point 1:
Alabama started at No. 2 in that same poll, and that's where the Crimson Tide are now: No. 2 in the coaches' poll, the Harris poll, and, most important, the final BCS standings. They did it by having the least offensive loss of the one-loss teams, which isn't exactly the same thing as erasing all doubt.
Point 2:
No. 1 LSU was going to the Allstate BCS National Championship Game no matter what. It could have lost the SEC championship game (and for a while there, as the Tigers ended the first half against Georgia with zero first downs and trailing by three points, it seemed they might), but it wouldn't have changed the rankings math:
LSU = No. 1. Everybody else < LSU. Much less.
....So, because Alabama lost to the number one team and Okie St. laid the egg against Iowa St., the Tide should roll in a rematch. But then point two refutes that. If LSU lost to Georgia, they still would have been in the national championship?
Maybe we'll get an entertaining game. But when it's said and done, the BCS could have done a lot better to determine who was the national champion, and not just the champion of one conference, because now, that's all we'll know.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Bud Selig Doing His Best To Ruin Baseball
I completely disagree with the decision to extend the playoffs to ten teams. That's pretty much the crux of it.
If you haven't yet heard, Selig is going to have the wildcard berth be decided by a one game playoff between the top two non-division record teams in each league. It cheapens everything.
Baseball has the greatest playoff system of North American professional sports. Only eight out of thirty teams make the playoffs. At 27%, it's the lowest percentage of playoff teams of any major sport, and it makes the long 162 game season mean something. In the NBA, does anyone pay attention to the regular season until there's about 30 games left? No. It doesn't matter. Do people always pay attention to all 162 games of the MLB? No, but every one of those games matter. Adding the two teams only cheapens it.
Flash back to the last day of the regular season this year. With Tampa Bay and St. Louis completing impossible comebacks in dramatic fashion to secure their wildcard births. That night doesn't happen. Both all of those teams rest their starters to wait for the playoff. Now, maybe the playoff provides drama of its own, but why fix what ain't broke?
Next argument: it means that more teams are competitive longer. Meaning September attendance numbers should be up at a few more stadiums. Maybe. But when I looked at the top three finishers in the Wildcard in each league over the last ten years, more often then not the disparity is wide enough that adding a fifth team doesn't add much in the way of competitiveness. Also, there are plenty of times where a team gets penalized for winning. Take the 2002 Angels, for example. If a fifth team was in the playoffs, their 99 regular season wins would have meant nothing if they lose one game against the 93 win Red Sox or Mariners, who would have had to play their own playoff. So yeah, it creates some drama of its own. But the next best team? The 81 win White Sox. Not too much more drama late in the season.
And it penalizes that wild card team. Remember, the wildcard was created after expansion had happened long before, and really occurred because the 103 win Giants lost the West division crown to the 104 win Braves (East Division champion Phillies only won 97 games). Why should the Wildcard team have to trot out its ace against a team that won 6 games less than them in the regular season. I suppose you could argue that the division winners should have some sort of advantage, however, this system almost guarantees that you won't see a 02 Angels, 01 Diamondbacks, 11 Cardinals, or 04 Red Sox. Imagine playing the best team in your league and not getting to use your ace twice while the other teams get an extra day to rest up. Ridiculous.
I know just the fact that the playoffs exist, no matter what the format, there will be drama, there will be fun. However, when you look at what has happened since the expansion to the 8 team format, there's not much argument for a second wild card team. And when you get down to it, and you ask why is baseball doing this, you come to the obvious answer. Money.
More butts in seats, more television contracts, more advertising, more sponsorships. More dough. Another set of tradition set aside for the sole purpose of generating more money. It's sickening. So, to Mr. Selig and the baseball owners, I hope you sleep better at night after deciding to cheapen America's pastime.
If you haven't yet heard, Selig is going to have the wildcard berth be decided by a one game playoff between the top two non-division record teams in each league. It cheapens everything.
Baseball has the greatest playoff system of North American professional sports. Only eight out of thirty teams make the playoffs. At 27%, it's the lowest percentage of playoff teams of any major sport, and it makes the long 162 game season mean something. In the NBA, does anyone pay attention to the regular season until there's about 30 games left? No. It doesn't matter. Do people always pay attention to all 162 games of the MLB? No, but every one of those games matter. Adding the two teams only cheapens it.
Flash back to the last day of the regular season this year. With Tampa Bay and St. Louis completing impossible comebacks in dramatic fashion to secure their wildcard births. That night doesn't happen. Both all of those teams rest their starters to wait for the playoff. Now, maybe the playoff provides drama of its own, but why fix what ain't broke?
Next argument: it means that more teams are competitive longer. Meaning September attendance numbers should be up at a few more stadiums. Maybe. But when I looked at the top three finishers in the Wildcard in each league over the last ten years, more often then not the disparity is wide enough that adding a fifth team doesn't add much in the way of competitiveness. Also, there are plenty of times where a team gets penalized for winning. Take the 2002 Angels, for example. If a fifth team was in the playoffs, their 99 regular season wins would have meant nothing if they lose one game against the 93 win Red Sox or Mariners, who would have had to play their own playoff. So yeah, it creates some drama of its own. But the next best team? The 81 win White Sox. Not too much more drama late in the season.
And it penalizes that wild card team. Remember, the wildcard was created after expansion had happened long before, and really occurred because the 103 win Giants lost the West division crown to the 104 win Braves (East Division champion Phillies only won 97 games). Why should the Wildcard team have to trot out its ace against a team that won 6 games less than them in the regular season. I suppose you could argue that the division winners should have some sort of advantage, however, this system almost guarantees that you won't see a 02 Angels, 01 Diamondbacks, 11 Cardinals, or 04 Red Sox. Imagine playing the best team in your league and not getting to use your ace twice while the other teams get an extra day to rest up. Ridiculous.
I know just the fact that the playoffs exist, no matter what the format, there will be drama, there will be fun. However, when you look at what has happened since the expansion to the 8 team format, there's not much argument for a second wild card team. And when you get down to it, and you ask why is baseball doing this, you come to the obvious answer. Money.
More butts in seats, more television contracts, more advertising, more sponsorships. More dough. Another set of tradition set aside for the sole purpose of generating more money. It's sickening. So, to Mr. Selig and the baseball owners, I hope you sleep better at night after deciding to cheapen America's pastime.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Cal Men's Basketball: It's happening
Judging by the amount of people at last nights game, I'm not sure you knew. Cal Basketball, however, is in full swing. People should be paying more attention than they currently are because this year, this team could bring home a Pac-12 title and get pretty deep in the tournament. That's right, you heard correctly. Cal basketball is good.
In the fourth year of his tenure, Mike Montgomery is playing with a team of his design, and it shows. Almost every player on the court is playing with energy and a defense first mindset. I can't look at a single one of them and put them down for being selfish or lazy. In the three games they've played so far, they've crushed their opposition and allowed their bench players to get on the floor for invaluable early season experience. This is maybe the deepest team I've seen since following Cal basketball These guys deserve your attention. They are currently ranked #22 in the nation. These guys are going to make some noise, I highly suggest joining them.
In the fourth year of his tenure, Mike Montgomery is playing with a team of his design, and it shows. Almost every player on the court is playing with energy and a defense first mindset. I can't look at a single one of them and put them down for being selfish or lazy. In the three games they've played so far, they've crushed their opposition and allowed their bench players to get on the floor for invaluable early season experience. This is maybe the deepest team I've seen since following Cal basketball These guys deserve your attention. They are currently ranked #22 in the nation. These guys are going to make some noise, I highly suggest joining them.
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Giants Make A Move
If you haven't heard about it yet, the San Francisco Giants have traded Jonathan Sanchez away to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Melky Cabrera.
Frankie's initial reaction? Despondent.
OK well, not despondent, but he generally assumes the worst on any player movement.
My first thought: "Man, if they had done with last year it would have been Jose Reyes."
Well, maybe it would have been. But instead, the Giants have received an emerging 27 year old outfielder for a pitcher who had so much potential, yet can't always seem to find the strike zone.
Cabrera played 155 games for the Royals last year, and will probably take over the everyday centerfield duties for the Giants.
More after the jump.
Frankie's initial reaction? Despondent.
OK well, not despondent, but he generally assumes the worst on any player movement.
My first thought: "Man, if they had done with last year it would have been Jose Reyes."
Well, maybe it would have been. But instead, the Giants have received an emerging 27 year old outfielder for a pitcher who had so much potential, yet can't always seem to find the strike zone.
Cabrera played 155 games for the Royals last year, and will probably take over the everyday centerfield duties for the Giants.
More after the jump.
Monday, October 24, 2011
It's 3-2 After Five
Wait, of course it is. That's the only way it could be without it being over. Fantastic. I told Frankie I'd post something tonight. So here's something.
The Cardinals, after scoring 16 runs in game 3, have scored two in the last 18 innings. Albert Pujols, after hitting three home runs in his last three at bats in game three, has gone hitless over the last two games. The Cardinals one and two hitters in this World Series: 3 for 37. So how are the Rangers and their vaunted offense winning this World Series? PITCHING.
After the game three debacle, the Rangers have given up only 2 runs, highlighted by Holland's eight and one third innings of scoreless ball. Why did the Rangers lose last year? Pitching. Derek Holland, in game two last year, threw thirteen balls in a row. That's right. Thirteen. He has gone from the goat to the stud.
Seriously, this guy is winning World Series games
The Rangers are still hitting, but not a ton, scoring eight runs in the last two games.
I mentioned to Frankie today that this was an interesting World Series in that the two teams earned their spot based on their superior hitting over the course of the year. But that's not what's happening in this fall classic. Except for the anomaly that was game three, this series has been all about pitching.
Yeah, we haven't had the Lee vs. Lincecum matchup, or the Sabathia v. Halladay matchup, or even the Verlander vs. Kennedy matchup. However, it is the Derek Hollands of the world that are keeping the likes of Pujols and Holliday at bay. It's not like the Cardinals are pitching that poorly. They are pitching to their potential. The Rangers have just shown up with the extra pitching boost a team needs to take home the glory.
However, we now return to St. Louis. The Rangers no longer have the DH. On paper, though the Cardinals are now on the ropes, they'll still have every opportunity to win, thanks to CJ Wilson giving up a bomb to Prince Fielder back in July. Home field advantage means a lot. Especially because they'll have a working bullpen phone.
Can we pause and think about that for a moment. The bullpen coach of the Cardinals heard "Lynn" when LaRussa supposedly said "Motte", leading to a parade of pitchers in the eighth inning. I find this misunderstanding hard to believe. This is not a situation like in Houston where they have 4 guys named Rodriguez. These are two completely different names, with different language origins. The great LaRussa mismanaged and won't bite a bullet. Whoops.
Game 6, Wednesday night, is going to be a boatload of fun. Jamie Garcia will square off against Colby Lewis once more. I think this series goes seven. There's no reason not to. Let's enjoy the last bit of baseball while we can, because if the Saints, Ravens, and Raiders games this weekend were any indication of what the rest of the NFL season is going to be, we're in for a long winter.
The Cardinals, after scoring 16 runs in game 3, have scored two in the last 18 innings. Albert Pujols, after hitting three home runs in his last three at bats in game three, has gone hitless over the last two games. The Cardinals one and two hitters in this World Series: 3 for 37. So how are the Rangers and their vaunted offense winning this World Series? PITCHING.
After the game three debacle, the Rangers have given up only 2 runs, highlighted by Holland's eight and one third innings of scoreless ball. Why did the Rangers lose last year? Pitching. Derek Holland, in game two last year, threw thirteen balls in a row. That's right. Thirteen. He has gone from the goat to the stud.
Seriously, this guy is winning World Series games
The Rangers are still hitting, but not a ton, scoring eight runs in the last two games.
I mentioned to Frankie today that this was an interesting World Series in that the two teams earned their spot based on their superior hitting over the course of the year. But that's not what's happening in this fall classic. Except for the anomaly that was game three, this series has been all about pitching.
Yeah, we haven't had the Lee vs. Lincecum matchup, or the Sabathia v. Halladay matchup, or even the Verlander vs. Kennedy matchup. However, it is the Derek Hollands of the world that are keeping the likes of Pujols and Holliday at bay. It's not like the Cardinals are pitching that poorly. They are pitching to their potential. The Rangers have just shown up with the extra pitching boost a team needs to take home the glory.
However, we now return to St. Louis. The Rangers no longer have the DH. On paper, though the Cardinals are now on the ropes, they'll still have every opportunity to win, thanks to CJ Wilson giving up a bomb to Prince Fielder back in July. Home field advantage means a lot. Especially because they'll have a working bullpen phone.
Can we pause and think about that for a moment. The bullpen coach of the Cardinals heard "Lynn" when LaRussa supposedly said "Motte", leading to a parade of pitchers in the eighth inning. I find this misunderstanding hard to believe. This is not a situation like in Houston where they have 4 guys named Rodriguez. These are two completely different names, with different language origins. The great LaRussa mismanaged and won't bite a bullet. Whoops.
Game 6, Wednesday night, is going to be a boatload of fun. Jamie Garcia will square off against Colby Lewis once more. I think this series goes seven. There's no reason not to. Let's enjoy the last bit of baseball while we can, because if the Saints, Ravens, and Raiders games this weekend were any indication of what the rest of the NFL season is going to be, we're in for a long winter.
Screw it if I've already used this, it's a great song.
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