By Matt Smith and Ben Malley
Armed Forces Bowl- Cal (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3), Dec. 31: This is one last chance for the Cal Bears to salvage what remains of a devastated season. Once No. 2 in the country and primed to claim the top spot, Cal went into a tailspin, losing six of seven and was lucky enough to fall into the Armed Forces Bowl. For Air Force, it’s the chance to end the year with 10 wins and put the icing on what has been a very good season, which has gone mostly unnoticed nationally.
The Falcons are going to run the ball, and that doesn’t bode well for a Cal defense that doesn’t stop the run very well. Air Force is second in the country in rushing, averaging nearly 300 yards a game. Cal will need to focus on Chad Hall, who leads the team in rushing and receiving.
The Bears need to make a change at quarterback, and Jeff Tedford probably won’t do it. Nate Longshore, still battling an ankle injury, has completed just 57 percent of his passes and has thrown 11 interceptions since missing the Oregon State game. What’s worse is that twice in the last three games, he has been well under 50 percent. If he can just get the ball to DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins or Robert Jordan, then the Bears will be fine. Justin Forsett has been a workhorse all year, but has his work cut out against a team allowing just 3.3 yards per carry. The Bears are bigger up front, and that should help.
Predictions:
Matt- Cal
Ben- Air Force
Mike- Cal
Humanitarian Bowl- Georgia Tech (7-5) vs. Fresno St. (8-4), Dec. 31: This is a game with a couple of good running attacks and abysmal passing attacks. The Jackets have 1300 yard rusher and ACC leader Tashard Choice, while the Bulldogs have the young duo of Ryan Matthews and Lonyae Miller who combined for over 1300 yards of their own this year.
Georgia Tech of course will be without fired head coach Chan Gailey. They will be coached by Defensive Coordinator John Tentua whose defense is 11th in the nation and 12th against the run. Fresno St. with all due respect, play in the WAC so their defense does not exactly compare.
If Fresno St. has a chance they are going to have to hold Choice down, and they haven't exactly been able to do that against good backs this year. They gave up over 300 yards on the ground in a loss to Oregon and another 300 yards against the Texas A&M option offense.
Predictions:
Matt- Georgia Tech
Ben- Georgia Tech
Mike- Georgia Tech
Sun Bowl- South Florida (9-3) vs. Oregon (8-4), Dec. 31: It still makes me feel bad to think of what the Oregon Ducks were just over a month ago. They were in control of their own destiny as far as going to the national title game, but too many injuries turned them into a below average team.
An above average team might have trouble against a South Florida squad that has shown a lot of resilience in coming back from a mid-season slide. Matt Grothe is a dual threat to run and throw and the fact that Oregon doesn’t get to the quarterback much could mean a big game for him. He will open it up for Mike Ford, who has been running the ball very well lately.
Scoring points is where Oregon is going to have problems. Jonathan Stewart is a great running back, but Oregon has three quarterbacks injured which means freshman Justin Roper will be under center if a concussion keeps fellow freshman Cody Kempt out. South Florida will be able to focus on Stewart with an inexperienced QB going against one of the top secondaries in the country in Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams. Expect George Selvie to be pressuring the QB and making life hard for Stewart all game long.
Predictions:
Matt- South Florida
Ben- South Florida
Mike- South Florida
Music City Bowl- Kentucky (7-5) vs. Florida St. (7-5), Dec. 31: Obviously the story here is that Florida St. is missing half their team because they cheated in a music history class. A fucking music history class! It's not like it was a class on the German hyperinflation following World War I. Music fucking-history. I wrote that and then I read Bobby Bowden's opinion on the matter, "I can't believe, a music course," coach Bobby Bowden said Friday. "It's not physiology, it's a music course. Open book, online. Anybody could pass an open book test, gee whiz." Gee whiz, that guy is old.
Anyway to the game. Unfortunately for the Seminoles their biggest losses are on the defensive side of the ball which they will need to stop Andre' Woodson and his top 20 ranked offense. Look for Woodson to be flinging the ball Chris Leak style all over the field.
On the offensive side of the ball Florida St neither has a dependable quarterback (Drew Weatherford/Xavier Lee) or a running game, junior tailback Antone Smith only ran for 663 yards this year, good for 3.8 yards a carry. It was already going to be difficult for Florida St. to beat a solid Kentucky team who beat LSU and lost very close games to Florida and Tennessee. Without so many key players it's looking even less likely.
Predictions:
Matt- Kentucky
Ben- Kentucky
Mike- Kentucky
Insight Bowl- Indiana (7-5) vs. Oklahoma State (6-6), Dec. 31: Indiana has trouble stopping people and Oklahoma State can score. This sounds like bad news for the Hoosiers, especially when you consider Pokes quarterback Zac Robinson threw for over 2,500 yards and rushed for nearly 800 more. They are a three-pronged attack as Robinson is joined by Dantrell Savage in the backfield along with wideout Adarius Bowman.
Expect Savage to have a big, big day. Indiana is allowing over 150 yards a game on the ground and Savage is averaging 5.9 yards a carry this year and has gone over 100 yards in nine straight games. Indiana is going to have to crowd the box, and make the Cowboys win by going to the air.
Speaking of going to the air, this is where Indiana thrives on offense. The Hoosiers have an explosive playmaker in quarterback Kellen Lewis, who is only a sophomore. Lewis threw for almost 3,000 yards and rushed for close to 600, leading the team in both departments. When he drops back to throw, he is a threat to take off and run, which will force Oklahoma State to spy him for much of the game. The Cowboys might also think about double covering his favorite target, James Hardy, who is ginormous at 6-7 and 220 pounds. He caught 74 passes for over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns this year.
Predictions:
Matt- Oklahoma State
Ben- Oklahoma State
Mike- Oklahoma State
Chick-Fil-A Bowl- Clemson (9-3) vs. Auburn (8-4), Dec. 31: This feels like an SEC game. Clemson gets these awesome recruits in every year and then isn't that good. That's why they are playing in a bowl named for a fast food chicken restaurant (albeit a very good one, my meat-eating Southern friends tell me).
Auburn has a just plain horrible offense. Al Borges agrees, that's why he resigned from the OC position a couple weeks ago. There is good news and bad news for War Eagles/Tigers/whatever-they-are fans. The bad news is that 24-year-old Brandon Cox is still the team's starting quarterback. The good news is that it will be his last game and Auburn has the sixth rated scoring defense in the country. They will need to establish the running game with Ben Tate and rely on their defense to shutdown Clemson's Cullen Harper and the dual running attack of James Davis and C.J. Spiller.
If Auburn wins it will be because they kept it low scoring and got some special teams help, because Clemson's defense is just as formidable, ranked sixth in the nation in total defense. However, they'll be missing a couple of key players because of academic problems.
Predictions:
Matt- Auburn
Ben- Clemson
Mike- Clemson
12/29/07
College Bowl Game Previews - Part Four
12/27/07
College Bowl Game Previews - Part Three
By Ben Malley and Matt Smith
Car Care Bowl- Connecticut (9-3) vs. Wake Forest (8-4), Dec. 29: We have a team that likes to run the ball (Connecticut) against a team that is very good in stopping the ball (Wake Forest), but we also have a Wake Forest team that is not very good at running the ball playing against a UConn defense that is not all that good against the run. This seems to spell disaster for the Huskies. Wake likes to try and run the ball, and if it's there early expect the Demon Deacons to keep going with the run game led by Josh Adams. Expect the Huskies to try and establish the run behind their two very good backs in Andre Dixon and Donald Brown II, but if it gets stuffed early that will put a lot of pressure on Tyler Lorenzen who isn't a guy that wins games, just manages them. That's where the difference will likely be, at quarterback as Wake Forest has Riley Skinner, who is more of a playmaker and is very good at making big plays through the air.
Predictions:
Matt- Wake Forest
Ben- Wake Forest
Mike- Connecticut
Liberty Bowl- UCF (10-3) vs. Mississippi St. (7-5), Dec. 29: The Liberty Bowl is the Kevin Smith showcase game. UCF's junior running back leads the nation in rushing with 2,448 yards, only 180 behind Barry Sanders' all-time mark. On the Mississippi State side is coach Sylvester Croom, one of the feel good stories of this year's college football season. Croom has led a Bulldogs squad which hasn't won more than 3 games in the last five years to a bowl game, their first appearance in seven years.
The UCF Knights have won seven games in a row since their 52 point drubbing by then highly ranked USF. Obviously the story will be Smith on the ground who has only been held under 100 yards once, that being the USF game. With the focus on stopping Smith quarterback Kyle Israel will have to perform well. He has shown that he can manage a game well, limiting his mistakes, having only thrown 8 interceptions all season. If he can do what little is asked of him, Smith should be able to do the heavy lifting.
On the Mississippi St side the offense is a little less inspiring. Quarterback Wesley Carroll has taken most of the snaps. His 1353 passing yards and 9 TDs show why the Bulldogs are near the bottom among SEC offenses at 22 points per game.
On paper it looks like Mississippi State doesn't have the offense to compete in this game, but taking into account their SEC schedule they are certainly the better tested team.
Predictions:
Ben- UCF
Matt- UCF
Mike- UCF
Alamo Bowl- Penn State (8-4) vs. Texas A&M (7-5), Dec. 29: Anthony Morelli has big games against bad teams, thus making him look better than he is. When it's time to play Ohio State and Michigan, the glass slipper comes off his foot but when he plays teams like Texas A&M, he is Cinderella.
Not to say that Texas A&M is bad, but its pass defense is horrible, ranking 100th in the nation. Rodney Kinlaw has been great for the Nittany Lions in Austin Scott's absence, and he should be able to chew up some much needed yardage, but Jordan Norwood, Derrick Williams and Deon Butler should all have big games catching the ball. Morelli should be able to pick apart the bad Aggies secondary, despite his tendancy to force the ball and throw off his back foot.
Don't let Stephen McGee and his 362 yards passing against Texas fool you, because A&M's signal caller likes to run the ball. With him and 270-pounder Jorvorskie Lane in the backfield, the Aggies are going to try and pound the ball at Penn State. Dan Connor leads a Penn State defense that is ranked sixth against the run, but they will have their hands full.
Predictions:
Matt- Penn State
Ben- Penn State
Mike- Penn State
Independence Bowl- Colorado (6-6) vs. Alabama (6-6), Dec. 30: This is one of those bowls that didn't exist 20 years ago and shouldn't exist now. Two mediocre teams in BCS conferences going at it in a game that both teams will tell you means so much and it's very important to end an underwhelming season on a positive note, but they are LYING to you. The Nick Saban investment wasn't for the purposes of playing Colorado in Shreveport. Since their blowout win against Tennessee the Tide have failed to win a game, even falling to Louisiana-Monroe.
Things are pretty even across the board. Colorado is the 78th ranked offense in the country, Alabama is 79th. Colorado is 60th in passing, Alabama is 61st. You get the idea. When the talent is even we like to look at how the teams are playing, and how much they care about the game. With Bama on the decline and playing in a game that many of their fans probably consider beneath them, that may give the edge to Colorado. The Dan Hawkins era at Colorado seems to be starting to take shape. This year their downfall has been inconsistancy. A win over Oklahoma and a loss to lowly Iowa St.
Predictions:
Ben- Alabama
Matt- Alabama
Mike- Colorado
12/20/07
College Bowl Game Previews- Part Two
By Matt Smith
With Navy and Utah kicking off very shortly to start Bowl Season, here are the second wave of breakdowns.
Motor City Bowl- Purdue (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (8-5), Dec. 26: When Purdue was busy sprinting to a 5-0 start, a 45-22 victory over Central Michigan was part of the hot start. Since then, the Boilermakers have gone 2-5 while CMU has gone 7-3 and their recent run has led to Butch Jones emerging as a top candidate for the West Virginia job. Two things have changed since that first matchup: Purdue is without receiver Selwyn Young who was dismissed from the team and Central Michigan has started to run the ball much better, which is the achilles heel of the Purdue defense. Chippewas quarterback Dan LeFevour ran for over 1,000 yards and they should have starting running back Justin Hoskins back. But, even without Young, Curtis Painter is still a dangerous quarterback with some good receivers and backs. There are a couple of questions that surround this bowl: will Purdue be able to stop the run and will Jones still be the coach when it starts? Purdue will move the ball, but can they stop someone?
Predictions:
Matt- Purdue
Ben- Purdue
Mike- Central Michigan
Holiday Bowl- Arizona State (10-2) vs. Texas (9-3), Dec. 27: Arizona can easily be expected to go two ways, and that is they will play very well or very poorly after being the biggest snub for a BCS Bowl outside of Missouri. The Devils seemed to fit perfectly in the Fiesta Bowl, especially considering their losses were to two top ten teams. With big name quarterbacks, Rudy Carpentar for Arizonsa State and Colt McCoy for Texas, expect this game to come down to the running game. Jamaal Charles has really emerged as a threat on the ground especially after Mack Brown realized that McCoy is not good enough to rely on. The Sun Devils line is an anomoly; horrible at pass blocking but great at run blocking. They average 315 pounds, but apparently prefer forward blocking to blocking while retreating. Ryan Torain will still be out, but Arizona State is loaded at the running back position and Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance should combine to have a big day.
Predictions:
Matt- Arizona State
Ben- Texas
Mike- Texas
Champs Sports Bowl- Boston College (10-3) vs. Michigan State (7-5), Dec. 28: This game should be the story of one quarterback trying to win the game for his team and the other trying not to lose it. BC's Matt Ryan should have to carry his team while Sparties Brian Hoyer should be asked to manage the game. MSU should continue to hand the ball to its version of thunder and lightning in Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick, but the Spartans might not be smart enough to do that. They are going to remember a BC team that looked vulverable against Sean Glennon, but with cornberback DeJuan Tribble returning, they get a whole lot better. The Sparties would be smart to pound it. The Eagles would be smart to dance with who brought them and leave it to the right arm of Matty Ice. He has played poorly at times (like against VT) and he has a bit of a gunslinger's attitude, but he has made more plays to help win thatn the other way around. In what should be a contrast in style will likely turn into an aerial battle.
Predictions:
Matt- Boston College
Ben- Boston College
Mike- Boston College
Texas Bowl- TCU (7-5) vs. Houston (8-4). Dec. 28: When I think of Houston, I think of it throwing the ball all over the field, but they have relied more on running back Anthony Alridge than they have freshman quarterback Case Keenum. TCU has a pretty strong run defense, so Keenum's ability to stay composed and make decisions could be put to the test. The Horned Frogs have an incosistent offense that also relies heavily on the running game, so expect these two teams to try and establish dominance on the ground, early and often. Whichever team can control the ground game and the line of scrimmage early will likely take control of the game, forcing the other team's quarterback to beat them. Keenum nor TCU's Andy Dalton seem to have the ability to do that.
Predictions:
Matt- Houston
Ben- TCU
Mike- TCU
Emerald Bowl- Maryland (6-6) vs. Oregon State (8-4), Dec. 28: Both teams love to run the ball, and they dread relying on their quarterbacks. The Terrapins have two very good running backs in Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball who have combined for 25 touchdowns. The Terps quarterback....not so much. Chris Turner has thrown just five TDs to go with five picks. The Beavers should have their stud back return in Yvenson Bernard, who missed the Oregon game after a minor knee surgery. Oregon State, which has really been on a roll since beating then No. 2 Cal, will have to decide which quarterback to go with; Sean Canfield who is returning from a shoulder injury or Lyle Moevao. Really, it doesn't matter because neither one is particularly amazing. Forgive me if I sound like broken record, but these again are two teams that want to establish the run. Look for who does so to take a step in the right direction towards leaving San Francisco with a win.
Predictions:
Matt- Oregon State
Ben- Oregon State
Mike- Oregon State
12/18/07
College Bowl Game Previews- Part One
Here are the Bowl game predictions and previews for the games that will be played from Dec. 20-23. Other installments will follow.
Poinsettia Bowl- Utah (8-4) vs. Navy (8-4), Dec. 20: Expect a lot of points to be scored in this game. Only once this season did the Midshipmen hold an opponent under 19 points and that was in their season finale with Army. Utah’s defense is a little stouter, but don’t let shutouts against offensive juggernauts Wyoming and UNLV fool you into thinking they can shut the Navy option attack down. Utah did give up 12 points or less nine teams, but against less than spectacular offenses. Utah has shown the ability to put up big points, twice scoring 44 and once scoring 50. Navy’s offense, on the other hand, is scoring 43.8 points a game and has cracked 40 points seven times, once scoring 74 in a win over North Texas. Expect a shootout and expect Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada to be too much through the air and on the ground.
Predictions:
Matt- Navy
Ben- Navy
Mike- Navy
New Orleans Bowl- Memphis (7-5) vs. Florida Atlantic (7-5), Dec. 21: If it weren’t for the big brawl against Miami, I might not even know Florida Atlantic had a team (I’m kidding, of course I know it was Florida International, how could I get these two powerhouses confused). Seriously, the Owls are in a Bowl game? Apparently. This should also be a high scoring game, matching a strong running game for FAU and a very good passing game from Memphis that ranked 13th in the country. Martin Hankins threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 22 TDs for the Tigers. The key in this game will be Memphis’ ability to take care of the ball. In a surprising stat, the Owls lead FCS teams with a +19 turnover margin.
Predictions:
Matt- Memphis
Ben- Memphis
Mike- Memphis
Papjohns.com Bowl- Southern Miss (7-5) vs. Cincinnati (9-3), Dec. 22: The Big East has to get some stronger Bowl ties because you are talking about a Cincy team that is top 20 in the country and should be playing no earlier than Dec. 27. With all due respect to the joke that is Missouri being left out of a BCS game and LSU getting to play for the title, this is the biggest farce of a bowl selection for any team. Ben Mauk is going to have a big game for the Bearcats while the Golden Eagles will have trouble even moving the ball. They like to run with Damion Fletcher and Cincy’s run defense has allowed teams to go over 100 yards only three times all year.
Predictions:
Matt- Cincy
Ben- Cincy
Mike- Cincy
New Mexico Bowl- Nevada (6-6) vs. New Mexico (8-4), Dec. 22: Nevada is the good team that was almost very good, losing four games by a touchdown or less. Three of those games were in WCC play and two of them were two-point losses to Hawaii and Boise State. The non-conference loss was a five-point defeat to a BCS team, Northwestern. New Mexico also had some close losses, but had a pair of wins over good teams, beating Arizona and Air Force. This game could come down to the running backs with the battle between Nevada’s Luke Lippincott and NM’s Rodney Ferguson. Both of them are very big, physical backs who can carry the load, and whoever has the bigger day will probably lead their team to a win.
Predictions:
Matt- Nevada
Ben- New Mexico
Mike- Nevada
Las Vegas Bowl- UCLA (6-6) vs. BYU (10-2), Dec. 22: Somehow, someway, UCLA beat BYU in an earlier matchup this season. But that was in week two when UCLA was ranked and hadn’t had time to be exposed for the fraud it was, while BYU was unranked and still just coming together as a team. In that game Ben Olson threw five TDs for the Bruins, but that was just a façade as UCLA’s pass offense has been horrendous. With Khalil Bell out, Chris Markey will get most of the carries, and will have to do so against a very good BYU run defense. The UCLA team we know now is the one that lost four of its final five games and fired its head coach. BYU, on the other hand, hasn’t lost since Sep. 15 and has been led by a sophomore quarterback in Max Hall and a freshman running back in Harvey Unga. The duo, as well as the team, is getting better and better each time out.
Predictions:
Matt- BYU
Ben- BYU
Mike- BYU
Hawaii Bowl- Boise State (10-2) vs. East Carolina (7-5), Dec. 23: East Carolina’s two quarterback rotation might have a big day against a Boise State secondary that got nicked up in the Hawaii game and has not recovered. If the Pirates are going to stay in this game, it will be throwing the ball because it appears the Broncos have the advantage everywhere else. BSU will be able to run the ball more effectively, dominate up front on both sides and probably make fewer mistakes. Look for Ian Johnson to have a very big day in his final game, after what was supposed to be a Heisman-esque season turned into just a pretty good one. He is going to want to end his career with a big game and a big win and he will probably do both.
Predictions:
Matt- Boise State
Ben- Boise State
Mike- Boise State
12/12/07
NBA Power Rankings
By Mike Walsh
1. Celtics (17-2)- So good that I was shocked when they lost a game. Once we see them against the top 8 in the West on the road, we’ll know if they are ready this year to actually win a title and not be finals fodder for the Western Conference representative.
2. Spurs (17-4)- They are a machine. With Duncan down Ginobili has been great. We all know they will be in the Western Conference Finals whether we like it or not.
3. Magic (16-6)- Dwight Howard is an MVP candidate. As advertised, they have the best frontline in the east and maybe in the league. They play together well and everyone on the team knows their roll.
4. Suns (16-6)- Chugging along like the last few years. They don’t look as good as last year, but they are still damn good. Still, I feel like their window of opportunity closed last year with Robert Horry’s cheap shot on Nash and the subsequent suspensions.
5. Pistons (15-6)- I hate them. They don’t have anyone that I am interested in watching. They have gone away from grinding out games and opened up the offense under Flip. Unfortunately for them, they still essentially have the same team that has come up short the last few years. And Lebron single handedly beat them last year.
6. Jazz (13-9)- A little bit inconsistent and a much different look for a Jerry Sloan team has me a little confused (both scoring and giving up a lot more points). Still, they can match up favorably with just about everyone in the West.
7. Hornets (14-7)- CP3! I’m not sure that there is an adequate adjective to describe the combination of youth, talent and athleticism that Paul possesses. I don’t trust the Hornets as a team, but as long as they have Paul healthy, they have to be up here.
8. Mavericks (14-8)- As long as Dirk finds his stroke the Mavs will be a top 4 seed. Although after watching him so far this year, he doesn’t look hungry. I am anxious to see if Cuban goes after Kidd.
9. Nuggets (13-8)- I watched part of a Nuggets game the other night and Najera was launching threes, Iverson was passing, and Camby looked old. I have no idea what to make of this team, but I think they are good and possibly scary when running on all cylinders.
10. Lakers (12-8)- You know what you are getting from Kobe every night; namely passionate play from the best player in the league. The question is what will his teammates bring from game to game? So far it’s been consistently inconsistent.
11. Warriors (12-9)- The most entertaining team in the league. The big question is can they keep winning with such bad rebounding and FT numbers. Or if they can improve those numbers.
12. Raptors (12-10)- They were hanging around and looking feisty without TJ Ford and Chris Bosh. Ford comes back, looks good, and then he almost gets decapitated last night. If Bosh is healthy they are good. If he’s not, look for them to drop in the rankings.
13. Cavs (10-12)- Witness.
14. Rockets (11-11)- I’m not convinced the Rockets will be an elite Western Conference team. If they regress this year, someone needs to go. But no one will because they will never trade Yao or T-Mac. And so it goes.
15. Wizards (11-10)- Caron Butler is damn good. The Lakers have to be upset about giving him up. Although he would only get 5 shots a game in LA. If only Agent Zero wasn’t hurt so they could trade him for a true point guard and some more help for Caron and Antawn. The ESPN trade machine was down, so I couldn’t see if a Bibby for Arenas trade is feasible.
16. Pacers (10-11)- I hate Dunleavy Jr. He haunted my dreams during his tenure at Golden State. Of course now he is more confident and is becoming a scorer. Still, I don’t trust this team to keep up this pace. And it’s not even that great of a pace.
17. Bulls (7-12)- OK, we’re back on track, right? Um…right? I think so, but we’ll see. If you shoot under .400 as a team you won’t win many games. It’s science.
18. Hawks (10-11)- You have to love the eastern conference. A conference in which the Hawks can emerge as a playoff contender when they still aren’t really ready for prime time. They do have a lot of young talent. I guess that is bound to happen when you pick in the lottery for 15 straight years. Al Horford is a double-double waiting to happen every night. Could you imagine if they had Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams? *Gulp*
19. Blazers (9-12)- The Warriors play them tonight at Portland and I am horrified. They are playing great at home and seem to have good chemistry. They will only get better. They could be scary next year with another lottery pick in their future.
20. Kings (8-12)- They are battling without two of their three best players. This either means they will go on a run when they are healthy or, more likely, they are better off without Bibby.
21. Nets ( 9-13)- Stuck being too good for the lottery and too bad to do anything in the spring. A Kidd trade makes less sense than a Carter or Jefferson trade to me, considering they are the same exact player. However, since good point guards are like good pitchers in baseball, Kidd will get them more in return.
22. Grizzlies (6-15)- All they do is lose close games. Someone once said that any game that is decided by less than ten points is on the coaches. Hmmm….They might be a playoff team in the east.
23. Bucks (8-12)- This team is hard to figure. They seem to have a lot of good pieces, but it’s not coming together on the court. Has anyone figured out why Charlie Villanueva shaves his eye brows? What if Yi and Bogut shave their eye brows as a team unity thing? Can one of the 11 Bucks fans make this happen?
24. Heat (6-15)- With Wade coming back and being well, himself, things should improve for the Heat, even if Shaq smells like formaldehyde. At least he’s only getting paid 20 million a year through 2010. Yikes.
25. Bobcats (7-12)- They’re so young and talented! They have assets! They suck.
26. Clippers (8-12)- After a fast start, its back to reality. No Brand and no Livingston was bound to catch up to them. If they end up with the #1 pick and get Brand and Livingston back at full strength next year? Dear God.
27. 76ers (8-13)- Sifting through the wreckage that was the Billy King era should be fun to watch. I am surprised they have 8 wins.
28. Sonics (5-17)- It’s been difficult to watch Kevin Durant get thrown to the wolves every night. I feel like the Sonics are owned by Rachel Phelps, the owner of the Indians in Major League. They will be bad enough that the city will be disinterested enough to let them move. Maybe Durant’s intro music should be ‘Wild Thing’.
29. Knicks (6-14)- Just an abomination. The mecca of basketball in the United States has turned into a cavern of boos and chants calling for the firing of various coaches and execs throughout the organization. And if Stephon Marbury asks you to get into the back seat of his car, bring something to sit on.
30. Timberwolves (3-16)- Um, go Vikings?
12/10/07
It's time for a playoff in college football
By Paul Hunt
It’s time for a national championship game in college football folks. Have you ever heard a single friend, ESPN analyist, sportswriter, fellow blogger, or massively drunk fellow sports bar patron has ever speculated to you the need for a BCS style system in any other sport.? Outside of perhaps "The Onion" the idea hasn’t been floated even once. So here is the 2007 twelve-team playoff. Here is an example (NOT A PREDICTION) of how it would look if all the highest seeds won each game.
2007
First Round- Dec. 9
No. 8 Kansas vs. No. 9 West Virginia- Lawrence, Kansas
No. 7 USC vs. No. 10 Hawaii- Los Angeles, California
No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Arizona State (Option A)- Columbia, Missouri
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 12 BYU (Option B)- Athens, Georgia
Elite 8- Dec. 16
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Kansas- Columbus, Ohio
No. 2 LSU vs. No. 7 USC- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Missouri- Blacksburg, Virginia
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 5 Georgia- Orange Bowl
Semifinals- Dec. 23
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Oklahoma- Rose Bowl
No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Virginia Tech- Fiesta Bowl
Championship Game- Jan. 1
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 LSU- Sugar Bowl
Seedings- Following the conclusion of the regular season and all conference championship games, the top ten teams in the BCS poll fill the top 10.
Next the option A and B teams need to be determined. Option A and B selection starts with the No. 11 team and moves down the BCS poll. Both option A&B teams must be:
1. The highest ranked independent team or
2. A Conference champion or Co-Champion or
3. The highest ranked team in it’s conference
Locations- The Sugar, Rose, Orange and Fiesta Bowls shall be locked into 4 four year cycle hosting the championship game, semi finals and the No. 4 team versus the No. 5/Option B in the first round, which respects and continues the current national championship cycle.
For example:
Sugar Bowl as National Championship in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
Orange Bowl as National Championship in 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017
Rose Bowl as National Championship in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018
Fiesta Bowl as National Championship in 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019
The three highest ranked teams get a bye and a second round home game. No. 4 gets a bye but plays at a neutral sight, the first bowl game. The first round games would be hosted by the higher ranked teams. I originally planned to have all games at a pre-determined bowl location but it would have been a logistical nightmare especially for fans.
Advantages
1. Familiarity- A twelve team playoff with a first round bye week for the four strongest teams, would be immediately comfortable and recognizable to Pro-football fans. The national champion will always be one of the top four teams in the country or will have to get through one of the top four teams in the country.
2. Selectivity- I’ve seen other playoff proposals in the works including Dan Wetzel’s 16 team of them he feels the need to guarantee all conference winners a spot, but occasionally you get a real logjam of mediocre teams or a conference champion who slips by. Take a look at the 2005 season using this structure.
2005
1. USC, Pac-10 Champ
2. Texas, Big 12 Champ
3. Penn State, Big 10 Champ
4. Ohio St., Big 10
5. Oregon, Pac-10
6. Notre Dame, Ind.
7. Georgia, SEC Champ
8. Miami, ACC
9. Auburn, SEC
10. Virginia Tech, ACC
+
11. West Virginia, Big East Champ-Option A
14. TCU, Mountain West Champ-Option B
Under my playoff system a BCS conference champion isn’t guaranteed a spot, for example the respectable but hardly spectacular 2005 Florida State Seminoles. Even after Florida State beat No. 5 Virginia Tech 27-22 in the ACC Championship game their new No. 22 ranking and (5-3) (8-4) records still ranked no better then 4th in the ACC below No. 8 Miami (6-2) (9-2), No. 10 Virginia Tech (7-1) (10-2), No. 21 Boston College (5-3) (8-3). The new twelve team playoff would have still included the ACC through Miami and Virginia Tech. Rarely but occasionally an entire BCS conference might be shut out. Most every year the six BCS conferences are all included, a few at large teams and the only the top few non-BCS conferences.
3. New Year’s day- The National Championship game would always fall on New Years Day which would allow the entire country to watch more readily then on January 6th, 7th or 8th.
Criticisms:
1. Too many teams- It’s pretty hard to say this system allows to many teams in. Pro football has 12 of 32 teams in the playoffs. Major League Baseball has 8 of 30. The NBA and NFL both have 16 out of 30. Here only 12 out of 119 qualify.
2. A conference champion could be left out- Sometimes the system might exclude one of the six BCS Conference champions, and occasionally one of the conferences itself, but only in a year where the conference and it’s champion and it’s conference is truly mediocre.
3. A non BCS Champion- It could happen but that team would face a collosal test that would remove any doubt about their legitamacy. This year Hawaii would have travel to L.A. to play USC in the first round, then play a rested LSU team in Baton Rouge then two additional games against higher ranked teams and concluding the season at 16-0.
4. Deminishing the regular season- I don’t think any team would feel they can let up. Take the Missouri Tigers now a former No. 1 team. Under the new system instead of a first round bye and then a home game, they have to play in the first round and if they win go to Blacksburg Virginia to play a rested Virginia Tech. For many teams the final few weeks would not be a fight for a lucrative BCS bowl but a fight for the national title itself.
12/4/07
College Football Top 25
By Matt Smith
A load of crap.
1. Georgia (10-2): I think they are playing as well as anybody down the stretch. Maybe good enough for top billing in this poll, but playing for a national title is a different story.
2. Ohio State (11-1): By default this middle of the road team is going to be playing in the BCS title game.
3. Oklahoma (11-2): The Sooners were the most impressive team of any on championship game Saturday.
4. USC (10-2): Playing extremely well right now. Six straight Pac-10 titles is nothing to sneeze at.
5. Missouri (11-2): The Tigers two losses are to a team ranked in the top three. Their BCS snub is the biggest of all.
6. Kansas (11-1): Everyone wants to give them a crack at the Sooners, but they will fare worse than Mizzou, that I will tell you.
7. LSU (11-2): A bunch of glorified escape artists, that’s all the Paper Tigers are.
8. West Virginia (10-2): The Mouintaneers ripped my heart out. I know that going by the point spread, the Stanford upset of USC was bigger, but the title game was at stake. This was the year’s biggest shocker.
9. Florida (9-3): Tim Tebow is probably going to be the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.
10. Hawaii (12-0): Now, we get to see exactly how legit they are. Showed a lot of heart in coming back against Washington.
11. Virginia Tech (11-2): I thought they were overrated heading into this past weekend, but they have a legitimate gripe based on where they were ranked.
12. Illinois (9-3): The Illini in the Rose Bowl is a pile of vomit. They are going to get destroyed.
13. Arizona State (10-2): They got screwed badly. It was a terrific season that deserved to end in a BCS game.
14. Clemson (9-3): Tommy Bowden isn’t going to Arkansas. Does anyone care what Tommy Bowden does or doesn’t do?
15. Cincinnati (9-3): The Bearcats in the Papjohns bowl is maybe the biggest farce of the bowl season.
16. Boston College (10-3): Boston College had VT dead to rights, and Matty Ice wasn’t exactly cool under pressure this time around.
17. Tennessee (9-4): Erik Ainge’s fourth quarter implosion keeps them from a BCS game and being ranked in the top ten.
18. Texas (9-3): The Horns are the most irrelevant ranked, big time program this season.
19. Virginia (9-3): I can’t wait for their bowl game to see how many times we will be reminded who Chris Long’s dad is.
20. Wisconsin (9-3): I hate how the Big Ten season ends so early. It seems like these teams are off for three months before bowl season.
21. South Florida (9-3): The Big East was a very good conference this season.
22. Arkansas (8-4): Another year, another Heisman runner up for Darren McFadden. The only problem for Hogs fans is that he won’t be coming back this time.
23. Auburn (8-4): The more I thought about it and the more time off Texas Tech had, the more I liked the Tigers.
24. Boise State (10-2): The annual Boise State coach leaving for a bigger program rumors are alive and well.
25. BYU (10-2): Looking for some revenge in a rematch with UCLA this bowl season.
11/25/07
College Football Top 25
By Matt Smith
Who wants to play for the national title?
1. West Virginia (10-1): Playing like a team that can sense a national title bid is just around the corner.
2. Missouri (11-1): I really hope they beat Oklahoma because it would be a fun championship game and it means both they and Kansas would get a BCS game.
3. Kansas (11-1): The fact they hadn’t been in a big game all year showed early, then they showed what they are capable of in the second half.
4. Ohio State (11-1): I hope they don’t sneak into the title game.
5. Georgia (10-2): Georgia is probably the best two-loss team in college football.
6. USC (9-2): USC is starting to look like an elite team again and now they are in line for the Rose Bowl.
7. Oklahoma (10-2): The Sooners still have a chance to get a BCS berth, and they beat Missouri once before.
8. LSU (10-2): They almost pulled off a patented LSU win, where they don’t deserve to win, but somehow find a way.
9. Florida (9-3): There aren’t too many years where a three-loss team winds up in the top ten with more games still to be played.
10. Hawaii (11-0): One more win, and then there won’t be a reason to keep them out of a BCS game.
11. Virginia Tech (10-2): Payback has to be on the Hokies mind with the rematch against BC coming up.
12. Boston College (10-2): Can Matt Ryan pull off a miracle against VT again? Will a BCS berth equal a Heisman invite? We shall see.
13. Illinois (9-3): They had a bye and don’t play for a while, but I can’t go a week without at least mentioning Juice Williams.
14. Tennessee (9-3): This team actually has some backbone and has not been folding in close games down the stretch. That could come in handy against LSU.
15. Arizona State (9-2): A win against Arizona and there is no reason the Sun Devils shouldn’t get a BCS game.
16. Clemson (9-3): The Tigers were poised to be upset against South Carolina, but pulled it out and assured themselves a pretty good bowl.
17. Cincinnati (9-3): If Arizona State slips, would the Bearcats get an invite as the second best team in the Big East? Will they get slighted for a three-loss team from the ACC?
18. Texas (9-3): Don’t have to hear about them in a major bowl, and now they suck even worse because Texas A&M beat them.
19. Oregon (8-3): Without Dennis Dixon (and the plethora of other players that are hurt) the Ducks are a shell of the team they once were.
20. Virginia (9-3): The Cavs showed some heart against VT, but they just weren’t good enough.
21. Wisconsin (9-3): Badger, badger, badger. England, England, England. Football, football, football. Ohh, it’s a snake!
22. South Florida (9-3): Nice end to the season for the Bulls who bounced back nicely from a rough stretch in the middle of the year.
23. Arkansas (8-4): I hope I get to play Madden next year so I can have Darren McFadden on my team.
24. Boise State (10-2): I kept them ranked because I think they are better than BYU and Auburn wasn’t too impressive against Bama.
25. Texas Tech (8-4): A big win over Texas followed by a bye, means a long time before playing in their next game.
11/20/07
MLB teams off-season needs and moves
By Matt Smith
AL East
Red Sox: The Red Sox probably don't need to make another move, after bringing back Mike Lowell. Sure they'd love a better shortstop than Julio Lugo, but they have his ridiculous contract for three more years. J.D. Drew is pretty much worthless, but because he and Lugo are in the lineup they are in, they get chances to do what they did in the playoffs. They would have been in the market to replace Coco Crisp in center, but Jacoby Ellsbury showed he is a star in the making. With Mike Timlin getting older and Eric Gagne gone (like it matters) the Sox will count on Manny Delcarmen and perhaps Craig Hansen. If they don't feel that can work, a late reliever is someone they might be in the market for, someone like Ron Mahay.
Yankees: They are very lucky A-Rod turned out to be so sentimental, because had he left you are looking at a lineup with aging players like Jorge Posada (who is still good), Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon (who are shells of their former selves). Lineup-wise, they are probably fine if they can continue to get solid contributions from Wilson Betemit and Melky Cabrera. The Yankees need pitching....badly. They need at least one starter considering that Mike Mussina is nearly ready to go out to pasture. This is assuming that Phillip Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain are all ready to contribute 150-180 innings at the Major League level. Rumor is they are pushing hard to get Johan Santana from the Twins, but that would involve trading ast least two of those three youngsters I just mentioned. Expect them to overpay for someone like Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Silva or Kyle Lohse.
Blue Jays: The Jays have a solid nucleus, but could probably use a shortstop and an arm or two. A mid-level guy like Josh Fogg could be a possibility and a guy like Cesar Izturis or a David Eckstein would make sense.
Orioles: Where to begin? They need to stop overpaying guys, for one. They should not sign another position player until the contracts of Miguel Tejada and Aubrey Huff expire. They need pitching in a bad way, especially bullpen help with Danys Baez and Chris Ray out for next season. They might go after Eric Gagne or Octavio Dotel to close or a guy like Scott Linebrink, Doug Brocail, David Riske or Troy Percival to stabilize the pen.
Rays: Disaster. They need starting pitching but aren't in the market to pay 10 mil per for a guy like Silva or Lohse. Matt Clement, Joe Kennedy or Eric Milton are guys I could see them going after.
AL Central
Indians: They are pretty well set with plenty of youngsters to choose from for the fifth starter spot and the infield situation is settled with the emergence of Azdrubal Cabrera. With Kenny Lofton gone, they might consider bringing in a guy in that same mold (if not re-signing Lofton himself).
Tigers: They filled a big void by trading for Edgar Renteria, because Carlos Guillen is at first base which gives them a great infield. They were very instable in left field but picked up Jacque Jones. It looks right now like the Tigers might be happy re-signing Kenny Rogers and going with who they have.
Twins: They badly need a third baseman, and if they don't want to pay the big money for a guy they should consider Pedro Feliz or maybe bringing back Corey Koskie. They obviously have a huge hole in centerfield but won't be able to afford Torii Hunter, Andrew Jones and the likes, so they could go for a short term solution with somebody like Kenny Lofton.
White Sox: Well, they pillaged the Angels for a very good shortstop and it cost them a pretty quality arm. So now, obviously, they will look for a fourth or fifth starter. The usual suspects (Lohse, Silva, Garcia, etc...) might get looks from the Sox, but they really need to sure up their second base spot. They got rid of Tad Iguchi, but with him now a free agent I could see him coming back. They suddenly got in the market for an outfielder by cutting Scott Podsednik. Will they spend the big cash to reverse this losing trend since the 2005 World Series?
Royals: Slowly but surely they are getting better as they continue to add pieces. They desperately need pitching. They figured out Odalis Perez wasn't good and cut him so they are in the market for two decent starters. They have shown some interest in Jose Guillen, which would give them a solid outfield. They just need to sign some people that can stop the other team from scoring runs.
AL West
Angels: Not sure what they were thinking in trading Cabrera for Garland. I can see the logic behind trading Cabrera, because he was in the last year of his deal and his value wasn't going to get any higher. Garland does solidify their staff, but what will they do on the left side of the infield? They will probably give Maicer Izturis a chance to play shortstop everyday, or perhaps give Brandon Wood the job there or at third base. My feeling is they are going to make a serious push at Miguel Cabrera which means they would end up with Garland and Cabrera, and at the same time giving Maicer Izturis a chance to play every day. Assuming Cabrera costs the Angels Wood and Howie Kendrick, Chone Figgins would probably play second.
Mariners: The Mariners are awfully quiet right now, but they need to address some needs. They need an outfielder to replace Jose Guillen, they need a starter because they will not bring back Weaver and they need to figure out what to do with Richie Sexson. They would probaby like to play Broussard at first more. One time top prospect Jeremy Reed might get a chance to play with Guillen being gone, they might try and bring back someone like Freddy Garcia or bring in Carlos Silva or they might trade Sexson to fill one of these needs if they can shed much of his salary.
A's: The problem with the A's is that they have a bunch of decent players and are happy with all of them for now. They do not have a true leadoff man, and it's unlikey they bring back the closest thing they had to one in Shannon Stewart. If they bring Stewart back, Daric Barton could provide as a nice bargaining chip to get the big right handed bat they need. Questions surrounding the health and the consistency of Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby were made even bigger with the trade of Marco Scutaro and rumors that Billy Beane is shopping Dan Haren and Joe Blanton make no sense unless he gets a king's ransom in return, which (knowing him) he would. So in a nutshell, it's hard to say what the A's will do because they could stand almost completely pat, or they could make a lot of moves.
Rangers: Texas would fill a big need if they brought Torii Hunter in. They will always be in the market for pitching, but signing one arm and a guy like Hunter would be a great start.
NL East
Phillies: Another off-season another winter filled with Pat Burrell rumors that end up unfulfilled. The Phillies could use a third baseman, but with very little options out there they might concentrate on a closer. By signing someone like Gagne or Dotel, they could move Brett Myers back to the rotation and that would be like making two moves. If Rowand leaves, Victorino probably shifts to center and Jose Guillen would probably fit in very nicely in that ballpark. I know I have mentioned him a lot, but teams are probably going to shy away because of his name being thrown around in the steroid talks (but who's hasn't?).
Mets: They solved the need at catcher by acquiring Johnny Estrada from the Brewers for Guillermo Mota. Now if they could find others to replace all the other aging and underachieving players (Delgado, Beltran, Alou, Green). Bringing Luis Castillo back wasn't a bad move, and it didn't cost too much, but they really need pitching. Omar Minaya is willing to part with his big prospects (Lastings Millege, Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey) to acquire someone like Dan Haren, but they will likely go after two starters because their staff is in shambles.
Braves: They will find someone from within to replace Andruw Jones and that person will perform just fine. They will also be okay with Escobar at short in place of the traded Renteria. The Braves will not sign any big name or mid-level free agents, and will be an above average team as usual.
Nationals: Being the only team serious about Andruw Jones right now makes you think they want to get better. They better make a push for a pitcher or two and then keep slowly adding pieces, such as some infielders not named Ryan Zimmerman.
Marlins: They are officially trying to blow it up, which means they will probably stock up so much talent in trading Cabrera and Willis that they will win the world series in five or six years.
NL Central
Cubs: God forbid they spend anymore money. They will try and find a catcher, probably Paul Lo Duca or Michael Barrett, but that will be about it. Perhaps a middle reliever or a closer to displace Ryan Dempster.
Brewers: In trading Estrada for Mota they are still trying to address a bullpen that gave away the division crown last season. It also means they are going to sign a catcher and all signs indicate it will be Jason Kendall. Geoff Jenkins tenure is over, but that means Cory Hart will play more and that's just fine for them. They might want to consider a pitcher after trading several prospects for Linebrink to go along with the fact that Ben Sheets is an injury waiting to happen and Chris Capuano stopped winning.
Cardinals: Who knows what they'll do, but whatever they decide it better consist of some middle infielders. The pickings are slim, so bringing back Eckstein and signing Iguchi would be very good moves. But they shouldn't stop there, they need outfielders to replace Jim Edmonds (who might actually die on the field), Preston Wilson (free agent) and Juan Encarnacion (who's blind). The Cards also have pitching problems. They have too many needs to address.
Astros: Houston is going after everyone right now and has heard back from no one. They are in need of a second baseman (Iguchi) or any able bodied outfielder, perhaps Mike Cameron.
Reds: The Reds need pitching. Plain and simple. They should trade Ken Griffey Jr. to the American League and get an arm or two in return and let Josh Hamilton, Adam Dunn and a couple of the youngsters platoon in the outfield.
Pirates: They need an outfielder and a shortstop that don't suck and they need to replace Matt Morris with anyone. This team hasn't figured it out, so it's not worth wasting my time in talking about who they should get, because they won't do it.
NL West
Diamondbacks: Arizona will probably make a couple small moves, like bringing back Livan Hernandez, as the young kids get better and better. They don't really need to make too many moves.
Rockies: Replacing Matsui won't be easy, but they might just roll with Jamey Carroll. Yorvit Torrealba apparently wants to come back, so that is one less concern. With a healthy Aaron Cook to go with emerging stars Ubaldo Jiminez and Franklin Morales, they won't have to worry about losing Josh Fogg and might not have a hard time replacing him.
Padres: With Mike Cameron likely leaving and Milton Bradley on the shelf, the Pads are going to need some help in the outfield. They will probably try and trade for a mid-level guy like Coco Crisp or lure away a prospect like Matt Kemp. The Marcus Giles expirement didn't work at second base, so maybe a reunion with Mark Loretta.
Dodgers: They will probably sign one decent bat, likely to be an outfielder like Rowand, Hunter or Jones. They are rumored to be the frontrunner for Miguel Cabrera, but probably won't sell the farm for him. Adding a pitcher like Garcia is a possibility.
Giants: They have many needs, but starting pitching isn't one of them. Don't be surprised if they go after Gagne, Dotel or Linebrink to sure up the bullpen. Also, they could try and make a big splash by landing Miguel Cabrera and trying to sign Hunter or Jones, but I think they will bring in another aging veteran like Jenkins. Feliz probably isn't coming back, so whether or not they play Kevin Frandsen at third for a year remains to be seen. They probably go with Rich Aurilia and wait for his and Ray Durham's contracts to expire, making Frandsen the second baseman and then evaluating the third base market. They are really stuck in the outfield with aging vets Dave Roberts and Randy Winn under contract and guys like Nate Schierholtz, Fred Lewis and Raj Davis waiting to play every day. Dumping Durham and Aurilia would make the most sense, allowing Frandsen to play and then going after a third baseman while letting the kids develop. All you Giants fans know that this will not happen.
11/18/07
College Football Top 25
By Matt Smith
I’m not even sure how to explain what is going on.
1. LSU (10-1): Nothing is a certainty this year, but it appears that LSU is going to end up where everyone thought it would.
2. West Virginia (9-1): The Mountaineers are probably in the best shape of any team not called LSU. They have two winnable games and just need Missouri or Kansas to lose in the Big 12 championship game. Both of those things are probable.
3. Kansas (11-0): The Jayhawks keep winning, and are now in complete control to play for the national title.
4. Ohio State (11-1): The Buckeyes are at least going to the Rose Bowl. Must be nice knowing that’s the worst case scenario.
5. Missouri (10-1): If they beat Kansas, they will not only move up a couple of spots in this poll, but could be playing for a national title.
6. Georgia (9-2): Even if Tennessee wins the SEC East, the Bulldogs are still looking pretty to reach a BCS game as long as they beat Georgia Tech (which they will) and the Vols lose to LSU (which they will).
7. Oregon (8-2): Do you think Dennis Dixon means much to this team? Gotta feel bad for such a competitive and hardworking kid. They can still win out and reach the Rose Bowl, but I got a feeling they are going to lose one of their last two with Leaf at the helm.
8. Arizona State (9-1): The Sun Devils are sitting in good shape again, but they have two tough games coming up.
9. USC (8-2): Thanksgiving game against Arizona State could be a game to decide who goes to the Rose Bowl or at least which of the two will get a BCS berth.
10. Oklahoma (9-2): If they can get by Oklahoma State, they should still get a BCS berth.
11. Florida (8-3): Tim Tebow’s nickname is runthrow. It’s gonna be weird not seeing Florida in a BCS game.
12. Hawaii (10-0): Survive and advance…just another week in the chase for a BCS game.
13. Texas (9-2): They had a bye, so I’ve got nothing for them.
14. Virginia Tech (9-2): If they get by West Virginia, a rematch with BC for a BCS game could be a fun game to watch.
15. Boston College (9-2): Never, ever, ever bet against Matt Ryan when the Eagles are within striking distance in the fourth quarter.
16. Illinois (9-3): The Juice just scores touchdowns and now the Illini are heading to a New Year’s day bowl.
17. Virginia (9-2): The rivalry game with VT actually means something this year, and that something is a trip to the ACC title game.
18. Tennessee (8-3): One more win and the Vols turn what could have been a horrible season into a pretty good one.
19. Boise State (10-1): Is a second straight BCS game in order? We’ll see if they can beat Hawaii this weekend.
20. Connecticut (9-2): The Huskies still have BCS hopes if they can take down West Virginia this weekend..
21. Clemson (8-3): Why does Tommy Bowden keep getting blue chip recruits and being expected to be a BCS contender every year? Don’t get me wrong, they are good, but certainly haven’t taken that next step.
22. Cincinnati (8-3): So they are out of the Big East picture, but expect them to get to nine wins and to play in a solid bowl game.
23. Wisconsin (9-3): The Badgers might benefit bowl-wise from Michigan’s loss.
24. South Florida (8-3): Creeping back into the rankings after demolishing Louisville.
25. Texas Tech (8-4): The Red Raiders finally got that landmark win that has been avoiding them the last few years.
11/16/07
Panda Watch!!
By Mike Walsh
Brian Fantana: “Panda Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Ching... King is inside right now. I tried to get an interview with him, but they said no, you can't do that he's a live bear, he will literally rip your face off.”Brian Fantana: “Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out of here, Panda Jerk.” Ron Burgundy: “Great story. Compelling, and rich.”
In honor of the media hype that Ling Ling received when she was about to give birth at the San Diego zoo, I am going to use lines from Anchorman to talk about the ongoing, over-hyped media saga that Is Barry Bonds. To quote Luke Wilson’s character Frank Vitchard from Anchorman,
“This is getting to be ri-God Damn-diculous!”
We are way past ridiculous. The only difference is that I’m not talking about getting my arm ripped off. I am talking about Barry Bonds. Now, before you roll your eyes and go check your myspace account, hear me out for a minute. I am a huge Giants fan. I know that, as fans, we are sometimes biased and irrational about our team and our team’s players. Well let me be the first to say, by paraphrasing Wes Mantooth……
“I hate you Ron Burgundy, but damn it do I respect you.”
I hate Barry Bonds. He is an absolutely unredeemable jerk, but damn it I respect him. I realize that he brings most of the scrutiny and hardship on himself. Still, he is able to tune out all of the swirling issues in his life and concentrate on a 9oz. spheroid flying 85-100 mph toward him and, more often than not, he ends up on base if not trotting around the bases as the ball arcs into the now oil filled bay.
“You pooped in the refrigerator?! And you ate the whole wheel of cheese?! Actually I’m not even mad; that’s amazing.”
Ron’s admiration for Baxter is not unlike my admiration for Barry. He’s done things time and time again that should piss me off. It’s hard to be mad at a guy who is the greatest baseball player of my generation and plays for my favorite team. He is amazing. During the 2001-2004 years when Bonds was at his absolute apex of ability even Matt begrudgingly agreed that he was the best player in baseball and top 5 all time. There really shouldn’t be an argument here, but Skip Bayless has different ideas.
“I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal.”
Mark Ecko apparently needs people to know that he is so rich that he can blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on a baseball to brand it with an asterisk and send it to the hall of fame. No one cares about your leather-bound books Mark. Why single out Barry? Hasn’t it been proven that we should take this era with a grain of salt? Why doesn’t he buy every piece of memorabilia that has gone to the hall in the last 30 years and put asterisks on them? I’m not sure what’s worse, that Ecko bought the ball and let fans decide what he should do with the ball, that fans actually decided that or that the hall of fame will accept the ball and display it with an asterisk on it. It’s ludicrous. Can we asterisk every piece in the hall before 1947? None of those players had to play against black players. It seems unfair to me. Someone is going to get punched in the baby maker.
“It's called Sex Panther by Odeon. It's illegal in nine countries...”
Guys will try anything when it comes to attracting women as evidenced by Brian Fantana. In that same vein, athletes will try anything to gain glory and attract a lucrative contract. Of course the substance athletes use has bits of horse, not panther, in it.
“Don’t act like you’re not impressed.”
This is a shout out to all of the other HGH users in baseball who are acting like they have done nothing wrong. Most of them are getting a free pass right now because so much attention is being paid to Bonds. Should we be impressed that Roger Clemens is defying logic by still being able to throw mid 90’s at such an advanced age? Or should we be concerned that he’s not breaking down like every other power pitcher in the history of baseball has once they hit their late 30’s (except maybe Nolan Ryan, but his fastball steadily declined in velocity the last few years of his career)? How’s Brady Anderson doing? Is he still roller blading without a shirt on in Men’s Health magazines? What do we think of Luis Gonzalez hitting 57 HRs out of nowhere? Has anyone heard from Bret Boone lately? He probably needs a job. The list goes on. Even if every baseball player took steroids, what they do and how well they do it is impressive. Even if they are slowly evolving into centaurs.
“You dirtbags have been in third place for five years.”
For all of the Giants fans out there. Our team of dirtbags has pretty much been in a tailspin since the ill-fated game six of the 2002 World Series. The sad part is that third place in the West would be an improvement. We’ve had to deal with an incompetent front office, the worst bullpen in baseball, the oldest team in baseball and, on top of all of that, having our best player raked over the coals at every turn. Yeah, Bonds took HGH or some form of performance enhancing drugs. Of course he did. We aren’t retarded like Brick. Can’t we just move on? This is not an isolated incident! Many baseball players and athletes in general have taken performance enhancing drugs over the last 30 years! It’s true! I am outraged! I am flabbergasted! I am in a state of flabbergast. Let’s change the subject before I stab someone with a trident.
“Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego…which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.”
To the Padres fans that think Barry is the root of all evil. Let me be clear (not like the clear and the cream, just clear…like flaxseed oil), there are crazies in every fan base. The Padres fan base has the record for most hatred of Barry Bonds. Dodger fans hate Barry Bonds because he is a Giant first, which is fine. Padres fans hate him because he is really good…OK, and because he blew up like Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloon after the 1998 season. Dodger fans are grounded by the fact that their best player in recent years also took PEDs. If you want to deny that Eric Gagne took PEDs, then you probably think Tupac is still alive, the world is flat, global warming isn’t real, water boarding isn’t torture and Britney is a good parent.
The Padres announcer went so far as to say that he didn’t want Barry to break the record in San Diego because he didn’t want his call to be associated with the record. Well guess what happened? Barry tied the record in the Whale’s Vagina. The best part? Clay Hensley (not to be confused with Cla or Clae. Why do the Padres have 11 guys named Clay on their team?), the pitcher who gave up No. 755 has been suspended for using steroids more times than Bonds. Don’t forget about pop singer Seal (read: Mike Cameron) getting suspended for using banned substances. And of course, Ken Caminiti. He won the MVP in 1995 and admitted that he used steroids throughout his career. Everyone needs to take a look at their own team before they start acting outraged about Bonds.
“Bob Dylan once wrote, ‘The times, they are a changing’. Ron Burgundy had never heard that song.”
So Padres fans…actually all sports fans…times have changed. Steroids have been prevalent throughout the sporting world for at least 30 years. The odds that your favorite team has had no one using illegal substances in your lifetime is somewhere between zero and none. So let’s just sit back and watch sports for what they are, entertainment.
“Take it easy, Champ. Why don’t you sit this next one out, stop talking for a while.”
This one is for me. I get worked up about this topic because I think people are focused on all the wrong details and that people are all over Bonds because he was so good. Why should players that aren’t as good as Bonds get off easy for cheating just like he did?! I mean it’s-…there I go again.
You stay classy Planet Earth.
11/15/07
BCS party could get crashed
By Matt Smith
As Ben Malley reported, it’s pretty much life or death this year (any year for that matter) for the Michigan Wolverines.
They haven’t beaten Ohio State since 2003, which means that great players such as Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Mario Manningham and Jake Long have never beaten Ohio State.
They must if they want to belong.
They also must so there can be at least some semblance of order in the BCS.
If Michigan does not win that game, thus claiming the Big Ten crown and smelling the roses, chaos will ensue. And by chaos, I mean the winner of the Boise State v. Hawaii game is probably going to get a berth into a BCS game.
Normally, I am all for the little guy getting a chance to play in the BCS games, like Utah in 2004 and Boise last year. But I am only all for it when that team is good enough to compete with the teams from the bigger conferences.
This year, I don’t think the Rainbows (wait, now they’re just the Warriors) or the Broncos are at a caliber where they could stay in a game with West Virginia, Oklahoma or Georgia. I think a team like Kansas Virginia Tech or Boston College would flatten them.
So why is it possible for the winner of that game to get a BCS nod?
That’s a great question and it’s because of the overall competitive balance (that, or teams sucking) in the Big East and the ACC. In the Big East, I think it’s the former and the ACC it’s more of the latter.
With the rule that screwed Wisconsin last year, that each conference can have a maximum of two teams play in a BCS game, there could be a door open if West Virginia wins the Big East outright.
The Big East has some very good teams, but if WV wins it without a tie, Cincy and Connecticut (which are quality teams) are not going to get a berth with three losses. If one of those two teams can beat WV and tie for the Big East title, I think two teams will come out of the Big East. But for now, let’s just assume the Mountaineers are going to win the conference (because they are).
The ACC has no chance of getting two teams. The winner of the Boston College/Clemson game will get a crack at Virginia Tech (or Virginia) for the ACC crown. The loser of that game will have three losses. The loser of the ACC championship game will have three losses as well. No three-loss ACC team is getting a BCS bid this year.
The Pac-10 is going to have Oregon and the winner of the Arizona State/USC game. Let’s just assume Oregon reaches the BCS title game and that USC goes to the Rose Bowl, because Arizona State is still Arizona State.
The Big 12 is going to get two teams, and it will be Oklahoma and probably the winner of the Kansas/Missouri game. If the Tigers win and lose to the Sooners for a second time while Kansas has one loss, then it could get ugly. I am going to assume Mizzou beats Kansas (because I think it will) and so for now let’s assume that OU and Mizzou get BCS berths.
Now comes the SEC where Georgia has a lot to lose by Tennessee losing. If the Vols win out, they will win the SEC East and face LSU in the SEC title game. They will lose that game and be 9-4. Despite pummeling Georgia earlier in the year, four losses will keep them from BCS consideration. Georgia will probably finish the year 10-2 and if they don’t have to play LSU in the SEC title game, they will not earn a third loss and will be ranked in the top six or so and therefore be an easy selection as the second team (to go with LSU) out of the SEC to earn a BCS game.
If the Vols lose one of their next two games, Georgia will likely win the SEC East and a third loss could do them damage, maybe even give the committee an excuse to select a three-loss Florida team that Georgia beat. I think when it’s all said and done, a two-loss Georgia team is going to get picked and even if the Dawgs do lose in the SEC title game, I think 10-3 will be good enough. The SEC will get two teams regardless, but let’s assume LSU and Georgia get the BCS berths.
So, that gives us WV, LSU, Georgia, the ACC champ, Oregon, USC, Oklahoma and Missouri (or Kansas) as eight teams likely to get into the big bowl games.
This is why the Michigan/Ohio State game is so big. If Michigan loses, there is no way a four-loss Wolverine team gets a BCS game which means the Big Ten gets one team. That leaves a spot open for the WAC winner.
I know Michigan is not outstanding, but I will take a three-loss Michigan team and a two-loss Buckeye team over the winner of the Hawaii/Boise State game this year.
As Ben is undoubtedly saying numerous times this week while in Ann Arbor: Go Blue!!
Some Thoughts From Ann Arbor
By: Ben Malley
I sat in on a College Sports class taught by journalist and author John Bacon. Bacon wrote a book on coaching and leadership with Bo Schembechler that was published recently. He’s young, and fired up. Bacon knows the names of nearly every one of the 100+ students in the lecture hall. They also all have nicknames, it’s a big show. He tries to run the class like he is Bo and we are the team, my friend Byron tells me. No hats are allowed, no slouching, and of course no cell phones.
When I landed in
11/11/07
College Football Top 25
By Matt Smith
Another one bites the dust.
1. Oregon (8-1): A week off and they are jumping into position to reach the BCS title game and they have moved to the top in these rankings.
2. LSU (9-1): Upset loss to Kentucky and getting breaks in a lot of close games is not important now because LSU is right back in the title game picture.
3. Oklahoma (9-1): The Sooners are quietly going about their business, pounding opponents and waiting for another one-loss team to slip.
4. West Virginia (8-1): The Mountaineers are back in control of the Big East and are still very much in the national title hunt.
5. Kansas (10-0): Are the Jayhawks really still undefeated? You can count on them getting to that Missouri game with the perfect record intact.
6. Ohio State (10-1): Ding, dong the wicked witch is dead. I think everyone was sick of seeing Ohio State at number one.
7. Missouri (9-1): As long as they don’t slip up in Manhattan, the Tigers have a chance to make BCS statement.
8. Georgia (8-2): Georgia is the second best team in the SEC? Could they beat LSU? We may never know.
9. Arizona State (9-1): Arizona State got back to its ways of winning close games as they held off UCLA for a Pac-10 win.
10. USC (8-2): They are not a dominating team, but they are doing what they need to in order to get back to the Rose Bowl.
11. Florida (7-3): The Gators would love for some SEC East teams to slip up so they could get another shot at LSU.
12. Hawaii (9-0): Held on to beat Fresno State, keeping that possible showdown with Boise State in order.
13. Texas (9-2): They own Texas Tech.
14. Virginia Tech (8-2): Frank Beamer beat Bobby Bowden for the first time ever. That’s hard to believe.
15. Kentucky (7-3): It’s so hard to rank the SEC teams because they just keep beating up on each other every week. This week, Kentucky is a top 15 team.
16. Boston College (8-2): They appear to have given up and Matt Ryan’s Heisman chances may have gone poof.
17. Michigan (8-3): They looked like garbage on both sides of the ball against Wisconsin. They hardly played Henne and Hart and may have been looking forward to the Ohio State game.
18. Illinois (8-3): For some people it was a shock that the Illini beat the Buckeyes, but when your QBs name is Juice, anything can happen.
19. Penn State (8-3): Anthony Morelli plays fantastic against teams that aren’t even good.
20. Clemson (8-2): The Tigers are now in prime position to reach the ACC championship game.
21. Cincinnati (8-2): They crashed UCONN’s party and showed that the Big East has some pretty good teams.
22. Virginia (9-2): The Cavs finally destroyed someone. I guess it had to be a horrible Miami team.
23. Boise State (9-1): They treated Utah State like everyone else has…..like a red-headed stepchild.
24. Connecticut (8-2): The dream run in the Big East is over, but they have a chance to make it all come back again against WV.
25. Tennessee (7-3): Back in the rankings for at least a week, until they lose to Kentucky which is bound to happen.
11/9/07
TV: Your College Football Saturday Week #11
By: Ben Malley
Michigan (-2.5) v Wisconsin 9.00am ESPN
Michigan won't be faulted for looking ahead to next weekend going into the game at Camp Randall. A loss won't hurt their Rose Bowl hopes at all, they simply need to beat Ohio State. This game will be all about getting Mike Hart back into game shape for OSU. Hart only carried the ball 15 times at East Lansing, but still managed to rush for 110 yards. He hasn't rushed for less than 100 yards all season, unless you count the two times he didn't play.
Illinois v Ohio St (-15) 12.30 ESPN
Larry Salomon is taking Ohio St. the -15 here. And one thing I've learned at San Francisco State University is you don't bet against Larry Salomon. Other than the 17 unanswered points against Michigan State Ohio State was only briefly challenged by a horrible Washington team, where they trailed 7-3 at the half.
As much as we all want Ohio State to slip up, they won't. The Big 10 championship game is next weekend.
Arizona St (-7) v UCLA 12.30 ABC
Expect UCLA to win this game. Seriously, you know what I'm talking about. If they beat you, then that means you don't suck. (I guess that doesn't work for the Stanford game though) They only lose to crap teams. Wazzu, Arizona, Utah and in what may be the answer to a trivia question one day... In their 1-11 season, which team did Notre Dame beat? On the road no less! (At least we have Kevin Love, see below.)
Osaar Rasshan. He used to be a quarterback, then they turned him into a receiver. Now he is a quarterback again. I will henceforth refer to him as Athlete #156. He's starting this weekend because everyone else is terrible or hurt or in Ben Olsen's case, both.
Why is this game even on TV again? So I can get pissed off a lot and throw shit. That's why.
Auburn v Georgia (-1) 12.30 CBS
If Georgia and Tennessee win out, the Vols get to lose in the SEC Championship game. But Georgia would be ranked in the top 10 with 2 losses, and probably get a BCS at-large bid. If Tennessee does slip up and hands Georgia the SEC East, when they lose to LSU do they lose that BCS at-large bid along with it?
S. Carolina v Florida (-6.5) 4.45 ESPN
Spurrier vs. his old school. Who cares. I know, a lot of rednecks.
I kid. I'll be watching when Cal is on commercials. Florida is still in the hunt for that SEC East. Georgia could very easily slip up to Kentucky and Auburn, while one Tennessee loss between Arkansas and Kentucky is not out of the realm of possibility. Queue Tebow v. LSU: The White Knight's Quest for Revenge.
USC (-4) v Cal 5.00 ABC
One minute and twenty four seconds into the second half against Tennessee, Nate Longshore caught the Vols defense napping and snapped off a quick two yard throw to Lavelle Hawkins to extend the lead to 17 points. "There may be a better offense out there," said Brent Musburger, "but they're gonna have to show me."
"Can you imagine," Herbstreit chimes in. "When USC comes in here in a couple of months, this offense against that team. I'll make you a bet. Both of those teams come in here undefeated, with all the chips on the table, national title hopes at stake."
Congratulations Brent, you win the bet.
To give you an idea of how far this game has fallen in esteem: Tickets have dropped in value by about 66 percent. Only the western half of the country will see the game. Musburger and Herbstreit aren't even going to be at the game. They'll be in Stillwater, hanging out with the Cowboys' 40-year-old coach and one of my favorite professors from my days at Ottawa's Carleton University, Mark Wolfogram.
On that fateful day at the beginning of September, Forsett looked good. Nobody was prepared for Jahvid Best who ran up 66 yards on his first three carries. The receiving corps was all over the field, and of course DeSean Jackson ensured nobody would ever punt to him again. Longshore managed the offense well enough and didn't make any huge screw-ups, except that drive where he fumbled the snap, twice. I even got to give future NFL center Alex Mack a big pat on the back as we walked off the field.
Okay, that's enough of that. What have you done for me lately? If your name is Nate Longshore, the answer is nothing.
Meanwhile USC seemed to get back on their horse with Booty in the QB spot. Sure, they weren't playing so well when he was the starter, but it seems to have gotten kind of lost in the shuffle that Booty was hurt for both of USC's losses.
Longshore has probably one more chance to prove himself in a big game. His performance in this game should go a long way in determining whether or not he gets the starting job next year. We know he couldn't throw the deep ball with any accuracy last week. If he still can't, long night.
Bay Area Sports State of the Union Address
By Mike Walsh
Good evening members of the blog, members of our readership, my fellow Bay Area Sports Fans.
I stand before you tonight and say that the State of our Sports Nation is …dire. I would like to site two recent examples of the current Bay Area Sports climate that I ran across before I tackle each issue head on and explain how we can get our Nation headed in the right direction.
#1) I hail from the little community of Chico, CA. A quick glance around a sports bar Sunday morning here revealed this: 30% dejected Niner fans, 20% Raider fans looking like they got declined for parole, 10% Bandwagon Cowboys fans (no southern drawl and the cowboys jersey looks very new), 10% bandwagon Packer fans (they weren’t morbidly obese) and 30% random fans cheering their teams on. Why should some schmuck in a Tony Gonzalez jersey seem happier than me after 67 year old Brett Favre just stuck a dagger in the Chiefs hearts? Because he doesn’t root for Bay Area Sports teams. There were no expectations for the Chiefs this season, expect maybe the expectation that Larry Johnson might face the first 11-men in the box scheme for an entire game.
#2) After fending off the barrage of Sacramento Kings bandwagon fans over the last eights years, the sports bars are back to being diverse as only the true Kings fans are left to lament the current state of mediocrity that Reggie Theus will not be able to change. At least, not with that roster. So, like every other Warriors fan in Chico, I headed down to a sports bar with satellite to watch the Warriors (since the Maloof’s took over Chico became “Kings Country”, so every Warriors game not on TNT or ESPN is blacked out, no matter what. I hope the Kings move to Vegas, soon). Our table of five is easily the loudest and, unfortunately the most knowledgeable. At one point in the third quarter a guy (who had been rooting for the Warriors, no less) leans in on our table and asks, “Who is #15?” Without skipping a beat I answer, “Matt Harpring. Why are you asking? He hasn’t even played yet.” Then he brings the thunder with, “no, who’s #15 on the Warriors?” I grumble that it’s Biedrins, finish my beer and quickly order another one. As the game wore on all of the Warriors fans carried the look like they knew the Warriors weren’t going to win. It was like last year never happened. Is this what its come to already? Bandwagon fans and the real fans looking catatonic every third quarter when the W’s come out of the locker room flat?
If it’s like this 180 miles from San Francisco, what’s it like there? I will be in the bay next weekend to find out. I will unleash my Marco Belinelli Italian League jersey and my pasty white arms on an unsuspecting sports bar in the San Francisco/Oakland area. Until then, here are my thoughts on the Bay Area’s issues (read: teams) and how they might be fixed (in some cases, there are no feasible solutions, save for riding out the storm) to get our Nation headed in the right direction.
Raiders- With vulgarity laden t-shirts admonishing the tuck rule still in circulation it’s clear that Raider fans are still traumatized by their playoff push that culminated in Chucky treating the Raiders like a hung up ex-girlfriend, leaving and then coming back just to have his way with them. The Super Bowl against the Bucs seems like a long time ago in Oakland.
It seems the NFL has a surplus of teams with good defenses and terrible offenses. The Raiders did what needed to be done by getting rid of Randy Moss, who refused to try in Oakland. Then they shot themselves in the foot by trying to play hardball with JaMarcus Russell and his No. 1 pick contract, thus culminating in the panicked Daunte Culpepper signing. I actually thought Daunte would be a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately Daunte doesn’t look hungry to compete and prove all his doubters wrong. He just looks hungry. It doesn’t help that Jerry Porter is the #1 wide out in Oakland still. The only thing Porter has over-achieved at is under-achieving. That and the fact that the Raiders have former No. 1 draft picks on their roster that include: a drug-addict kicker and a bust on the offensive line reminiscent of Kwame Harris across the bay all adds up to a bad Raiders team that decided to start Josh McCown instead of their 60 million dollar No. 1 pick on Sunday.
Lane Kiffin needs to play Russell now to take stock and figure out where to go from here. Lamont Jordan is serviceable and Fargas offers a nice ‘Thunder & Lightning” option. Unfortunately the line still needs work and with little threat of a passing attack Jordan and Fargas will not be successful against any good defenses. Until Russell plays the Raiders have no direction.
49ers- Joe Montana is not walking through that door! Jerry Rice is not walking through that door! Steve Young is not walking through that door!
For fans my age and up, this was the most spoiled fan base in the NFL. Then, Young got concussed (because Lawrence Phillips didn’t pick up the blitz), Kurt Warner sold his soul to Satan for a few years in the spot light and then the front office hired Dennis Erickson. The current coach admitted in a public interview that he doesn’t know what is wrong and is open to suggestions.
Yikes. I remember trying to argue that the Niners would finish 10-6 this season with Matt. He said they would finish 8-8 or 7-9. Now? 7-9 would be nothing short of a miracle. I would hope for them to lose out, but all that would mean is that the Patriots would get a better pick. And I don’t need anymore more Boston bandwagon fans to brag about “their team.” In year three of the Alex Smith era we know three things: he is tough, he is well respected by the Niners organization and he is woefully inaccurate. Apparently running the crazy wing-T Urban Meyer offense doesn’t translate to NFL success (buyer beware: Tim Tebow). Now is a good time to mention that they could have had Aaron Rodgers, a fellow Chicoan and Cal alum, for one-third the price. For anyone who watched Cal, Aaron ran Tedford’s pro style offense very well, he has a cannon and he is very, VERY accurate (see: USC game, 23 straight completions). The O-line isn’t doing what it did last year. Gore hates the play calling. Darrell Jackson and Ashley Lelie are terrible route runners with alligator arms. The Niners are another team with a solid defense that gets no support from the offense.
So what can they do? For this season they need to apply the “why not?” attitude. They should let Smith air it out, preferably to Vernon Davis (why not?). They should blitz more and move Willis all over the field to see how many different ways he can wreak havoc (why not?). They should also offer Willis an extension right now and give him as much money as he wants. They need to really see who they can count on when the chips are down. Then ship Jackson and Lelie away as fast as possible when the season is over. You think Washington needs more insane, disgruntled wide receivers?
Warriors- My memories of the Warriors in the playoffs pre-2006 include the Sonics beating the Warriors senseless with a young, pre-paternity suit, pre-buffet king Shawn Kemp and a young Gary Payton leading the way. That’s it. Run TMC never got to hit its stride because Richmond was exiled to Sacramento for Billy Owens, who was supposed to be the post threat we were looking for. 16 years later the Warriors are still looking for a post threat.
It doesn’t matter which combination of Bay Area baseball, football and college teams you back, by the time October came around you weren’t excited about the World Series, you weren’t talking about the NFL playoffs much and by Halloween you weren’t talking about any BCS hopes either. You were talking about one thing: the Warriors. After an amazing run that took the Warriors to the second round of the playoffs after vanquishing the evil German Giant, what did we find out about the Warriors? They can’t rebound, they take bad shots and they don’t play a lot of defense. Mullin’s answer? Sign Troy Hudson, a bad defender who takes horrible shots and Austin Croshere. Yes, the same slow, pasty-white, balding Croshere that was a spark plug for Indiana in 2000. The Warriors opened the season against the filthy, cheating Jazz. So what happened? They got shoved around, out rebounded and out executed. Then they went to LA and let Chris Kaman go for 26 and 18 on them. Then…THEN…they go to Utah and get hammered again. Tuesday night? They lose to the Fighting Lebrons at home. So far this season has been a traveshammockery after starting 0-5 with a loss to the Mavs on Thursday night.
Cal- With no history of success and no tradition to fall back on, rooting for the Bears has been a strange life experience. The basketball team used to at least be able to attract some talent such as: Jason Kidd, Abdur-Rahim, Ed Gray and Lamont Murray. These days I can’t name their starters and Matt is having nightmares because of the add campaign on BART. As recently as four years ago Chico State went down and played Cal. They hung around, Cal eventually pulling away for a 20 point victory. Shouldn’t a PAC-10 school beat a crappy division II school by 40 to 50 points? I mean I could have played for Chico State and I’m not even good. The sad part is, that isn’t hyperbole. I could have played for Chico State, which means I could have played against Cal. Once again, I’m not that good at basketball.
The football team has been slowly rising to prominence. Finally this year they had earned national respect, they beat Oregon in Eugene. It was looking like this was their year. Then, after an LSU loss, all they had to do was beat Oregon St. at home to slide into the National Poll Position. Of course, they lost. Then, they lost the next week. Then, they lost the following week. There’s always the Axe game, I guess.
Stanford- The football team beat USC. Too bad Stanford fans don’t exist anymore. 3-5 overall, 2-4 in conference. When was the last time people were excited about this football team? When they had Troy Walters? The basketball team shows flashes from time to time, but is not consistent. Aside a predilection for recruiting smart, 7 foot tall twins, the hoops team hasn’t been good since the Mad Dog was on campus acting like Tyler Hansbrough 1.0 (that may be a slap in the face to Hansbrough, given that his offensive game is more polished. The point is that Madsen and Hansbrough are/were good college players with none chance of being good in the NBA). Bad times for smart kids.
Giants- Where do I even begin? 1989-Giants get swept by the Bash (read: steroid) Brothers. 1993-Giants win 103 games and do not make the playoffs because the Braves are aligned in the National League “West” and win 104. 2002-Up 3 games to 2 the Giants, lead by Russ Ortiz take a 5-0 lead into the 7th inning…*deep breathe*…only to blow the leads thanks to Scott f-ing Spiezio. 2003-JT Snow thrown out at home to end the playoff series against the Marlins. 2004-present. No lead is safe as the Giants pitching staff comes up with new ways to blow games at every turn. With no World Series championship ever for San Francisco and none for the franchise sine the New York Giants swept the Indians in 1954, Giants fans are spiraling towards Cubs fan status. And that’s not good for anyone, except Dodger fans. Shut up, Matt.
As a diehard Giants fan it pains me to say that the Giants were the worst team in baseball last year, but well, they were. The asinine signing of Barry Zito (which I tried to defend until month 3 of the Barry Zito era) looms as the biggest road block to any chance of recovery in the near future. All Sabean can hope for is a Yankee team in the hunt in 2008 or 2009 that is desperate for pitching and trades for him (author’s note: if there is a God, this will happen). The team needs to sign one or two big bats and play all of their young kids and keep their young pitchers. For the love of Pete, keep the young arms.
Knowing that I could do a better job as GM makes me mad. I’m not bragging, I’m saying that GMs are that incompetent.
A’s- For a while, if you were an A’s fan, you knew your team would make a second half surge and make the playoffs. Billy Bean orchestrated a great run and evaluated talent very well for a team that couldn’t afford to throw money at big names. Of course, they haven’t made it to the World Series during this run. heir pitching is still their strength. Some guy name Lenny DiNardo is good even though Matt’s boy Thompson can throw as hard as DiNardo. Their lineup is made up of players that aren’t even real. So that’s not helping matters. What can be done? The window of opportunity is short for a team that can’t lock up its best players long-term. They have to rely on the perfect storm of good young pitching, some call-ups who produce and a crop of players who are making the leap at the same time while still affordable to the A’s (Giambi, Tejada, Chavez, Hudson, Mulder and Zito all at the same time!). Without profit sharing and a hard salary cap (which will never happen in baseball) the A’s chances of winning a title are pretty terrible. Maybe their mojo will improve in Fremont. Although if the Marlins can do it…
Sharks- After starting out as the cool expansion team and new sport in Northern California recent high expectations have left fans disappointed. They have fizzled out in the playoffs for a number of years now amid high expectations and they are floundering their way to a second place tie in the sub-par Pacific Division this year.
My fellow Bay Area sports fans…the situation looks seems grim. We can’t look to the future with any certainty of prosperity. We must come together as a collective unit and remain in support of those who give their blood, sweat and tears for us night in and night out. Sports, like the economy, is cyclical. We know that if we stick by our values as loyal fans that eventually our teams will rise to prominence. It is during that time that our dreams are realized or crushed. So stay the course, hope for smart decisions from the front office, hope for 100% effort and dedication from the players, but most important of all is for us to keep going out and supporting our teams in their times of crisis.