It's October. Next to March it is my favorite sports month of the year. With the NHL being locked out and already canceling the start of the season it is a bit tempered this year, but thanks to the Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals making the playoffs, I'll have plenty to watch.
The NFL is past the quarter pole, college football is loaded with big games this month and of course the playoffs in baseball are about to get underway. What more could a kid ask for?
Here's what I'll be watching:
10. Atlanta Falcons at Washington Redskins
Defenses
need not apply to this game. The Falcons have been the offensive
juggernaut that I expected them to be and the Redskins have been the
surprise of the league on offense behind star rookie RGIII. The two
teams are ranked 3rd and 4th respectively in the NFL in scoring this
season and nothing should change on Sunday. Matt Ryan has done nothing
to dispel my prediction of league MVP and with Roddy White and Julio
Jones playing against a terrible secondary, it's not a question of how,
but how many times will they score. So it will be up to the arm and
legs of RGIII to keep the Redskins competitive and as of yet he has not
disappointed. This will be a big test for Washington to avoid giving up
the big play and to use fellow rookie Alfred Morris to shorten the
game, but the Falcons have just too good a passing game to expect an
upset. Final Score: Atlanta 34 Washington 24
9. MLB Wild Card Games: Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves
One and done. After six months and 162 games the fate of these four teams will come down to nine innings (barring extra innings of course). Anything can happen in a single game and that has to scare each player the most. One bad start, one dropped fly ball (yeah I'm looking at you Josh), one strikeout with the bases loaded, it won't take much to win or lose this game. Even though Baltimore has been playing better baseball down the stretch than have the Rangers, the experience factor of the last two seasons has to give them the edge. Add that to being at home and having a better starting pitcher (Yu Darvish versus Joe Saunders) and I expect Texas to out slug Baltimore. In the senior circuit Atlanta has a chance to do what they couldn't do to St. Louis last year when they lost their final five games of the season and that is to eliminate them. They will have their biggest lucky charm, and best pitcher to boot on the mound in Kris Medlen. The Braves have won 23 consecutive games with him starting. What could possibly go wrong? Not to be outdone, the Cardinals turn to Kyle Lohse who has had himself a fantastic season. He went 16-3 which is eye opening, but he has not pitched to the level of Kris Medlen. Until I see him and the Braves lose with him on the mound, I'm picking Atlanta.
8. #4 LSU Tigers at #10 Florida Gators
I'm
not really sure what to expect when these two teams meet on Saturday.
At times both teams have looked downright awful and nowhere near top 10
teams. Last week LSU fell down early to Towson before rallying to win
with some cushion. Florida played much better in their last game two
weeks ago against Kentucky, but underwhelmed against the likes of
Bowling Green and Texas A&M. This will be a defensive struggle as
neither team has a stout offense. They're both ranked in the top 10
nationally in points against and that trend should continue. Hopefully
it won't be a snoozefest like the National Championship game, but it
definitely won't be WVU v. Baylor. I give Florida the slight advantage
for not only being at home, but have a full week to rest and prepare.
They take down LSU in a game that will not be for the faint of heart
16-13.
7. Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco Giants
As with most postseason match ups, pitching is usually key and this series will prove to be no different. I feel bad for quality hitters like Joey Votto and Buster Posey as they will be over shadowed by Matt Cain, Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, Arodlis Chapman and Sergio Romo. Usually it is the unsung hero, the slap hitter with the limited skill set that comes through when pitchers take the forefront. All the focus is on shutting down the main weapons that players like Drew Stubbs or Brandon Crawford that come out of nowhere to surprise. I will also have my eye on the erratic Tim Lincecum to see what if anything he can provide to the Giants. Fun fact: these two teams combined to have only 3 starts all season long not from their original starting five rotation. Cincinnati continues to be underestimated, but they will knock out the Giants in four games.
6. New York Yankees at AL Wild Card Winner
I for one am really hoping the Orioles get another shot, 15 years later, at vanquishing some Jeffrey Meier nightmares. Of course watching some 8-7 games between New York and Texas would be quite fun as well, but that doesn't hold a candle to the animosity that the two east cost cities hold towards each other. Since I already picked Texas to beat Baltimore, I certainly can't let myself get caught up in what might be. I've seen a lot of both the Yankees and Rangers down the stretch being an Athletics fan and I haven't been that impressed with the pitching. The hitting on both sides can be unmatched at times and for casual viewers that will be the biggest draw. The Yankees advance against either Texas or Baltimore in four games.
5. Denver Broncos at New England Patriots
Welcome
back Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning. The NFL missed this annual get
together of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks that don't much like each
other. Both teams have already had their struggles, but both played
exceptional last weekend combining to score 89 points. This is what I
am hoping for again this weekend. A good old fashioned shootout that
will come down to the final play of the game. Unlike in years past
where neither team seemed to use their running game with much
effectiveness this year both are keeping good balance. The Patriots had
two running backs eclipse 100 yards rushing in the same game for the
first time since 1980 last week. Willis McGahee did the same for
Denver. In the four games this season he has alternated 100+ yards
rushing with at least one touchdown with crap outputs. He might want to
switch that up if the Broncos have a chance. Final Score: New England
31 Denver 23
4. Washington Nationals at NL Wild Card Winner
Living just outside of DC I've watched the Nationals more than any team outside of Oakland and my two favorite teams have mirrored each other in a reverse type of way. The Nationals started the season in a major hitting slump but their pitching was top notch. They infused a young prospect and all of a sudden it clicked. They played really well all season long until they lost their front end starter. That's where the Nationals started to struggle. They went just 10-10 down the stretch and couldn't put away the pesky Braves until game 160 when Atlanta matched Washington's loss that night. That being said I won't count them out against Atlanta or even St. Louis, but I think their run ends quicker than most believe it will. Atlanta matches up well against them and I think they take down the Nationals in five games.
3. Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers
Everything
points to Detroit winning this series easily. They have the better
front line starters, they have the better lineup, they have postseason
experience and for some godforsaken reason get to start at home. The
Athletics will need to get a great start from Brett Anderson if he is
indeed healthy enough to pitch. They will need at least a few of their
young power hitters to him home runs, because I can't see them stringing
together hits against Verland, Scherzer and Fister. All Detroit will
need to do is ride Justin Verlander to victory in Game 1, steal one of
the middle games and have Verlander shut the door in Game 5. This is
not the best possible match up for the plucky Athletics and I think they
fall in five games again.
2. #8 West Virginia Mountaineers at #11 Texas Longhorns
Last weekend was fun for undefeated West Virginia scoring at will in front of their home crowd. This weekend they might just find out that the Big 12 isn't going to be a cake walk. They head deep in the heart of Texas to face the Longhorns who undefeated as well. The good news for West Virginia is that Texas loves to play offense just about as much as they do. The Mountaineers are 3rd in the nation at 53 points scored per game while the Longhorns are averaging just a shade over 47 a game. With Gus Johnson at the mic on Fox, this can only end in tears of joy. I've already waxed poetic on the abilities of Geno Smith as he continues his march to the Heisman Trophy, but Texas uses a far more balanced approach to score their points. They average 267 yards through the air and 228 on the ground and they will need to be able to run the ball to keep Geno off the field. I see Texas using their home field advantage to stave off West Virginia this time around although it guarantees to be fun. Final Score: Texas 45 West Virginia 42
1. #5 Georgia Bulldogs at #6 South Carolina Gamecocks
Welcome to the forefront SEC. College football fans have had to suffer through Big 10 and Pac 10 games long enough. It's time for the big boys to strut. They're not messing around with this battle of Goliath's who are looking to give perennial power houses LSU and Alabama a run for their money. The winner of this game will have the inside track to represent the SEC East in the SEC Championship game which always leads to a BCS Championship appearance. Georgia has found a dynamic freshman duo of running back in Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall who have combined for nearly 1000 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns in their first five games. Unfortunately the Bulldogs lost their top receiver Michael Bennett to a torn ACL at practice on Tuesday which will further increase the workload of the the two backs. South Carolina is led by their defense which currently ranks 6th in the nation giving up just over 11 points per game. They will need their defense to stay strong this weekend and the rest of the month as their next two opponents, LSU and Florida are also currently in the top 10. Georgia goes on the road and ekes out a close game 23-20.
Showing posts with label Orioles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orioles. Show all posts
Friday, October 5, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Weekend Viewing Recap 9/30/12
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That's the old saying, but I'm saying that in the sports world, that's a bunch of crap. Nothing was predictable this weekend. Absolutely nothing. On a scale of 1-10 this weekend was eleventy billion on drama, excitement and awesomeness.
Here are some things not covered by my Top 10:
RGIII and the Redskins finding a way to win with kicker Billy Cundiff saving his job on a last second field goal
The Atlanta Falcons pulling victory out of defeat with a last second drive to stay undefeated against the Carolina Panthers
The Green Bay Packers getting screwed by another set of officials, but surviving at home sending New Orleans to an 0-4 start.
The University of Texas outlasting Oklahoma St. on the road with a last minute touchdown run.
The University of Georgia combining with Tennessee to score 88 points in the first 3 quarters before running out of steam and only scoring 7 in the final 15 minutes with Georgia hanging on between the hedges.
The University of Nebraska winning a close game against Wisconsin despite being forced to wear Scrabble tiles for uniforms.
Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds throwing a no hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates matching the MLB record of 7 total no hitters pitched in a single season.
Outside of that, nothing much else happened...but I'll still cover the 10 things I was watching this weekend:
10. #14 Ohio St. Buckeyes at #20 Michigan St. Spartans
7-3 at the half. Yup, another riveting Big 10 game. I don't give a damn that it ended up being a 1 point game the two teams were a combined 10-28 on third downs. They couldn't sustain a drive to save their lives. The 3rd quarter was the only watchable quarter where *gasp* 20 whole points were scored. Defensive dominance?? No. More like putrid, slow, outdated offenses. The worst part about it is that Ohio St. won to stay undefeated meaning the Big 10 will still stay on the radar for another couple of weeks.
9. Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals
Beware of the trap games. I tried to warn everyone that this looked too good to be true for Arizona. Everything was in their favor and it took Kevin Kolb pulling a rabbit out of the hat to survive. Miami held a 13-0 lead into the 3rd quarter when Arizona finally woke up putting together 14 consecutive points to take a lead. It lasted just over two minutes. Brian Hartline caught an 80 yard touchdown pass en route to 253 yards receiving while collecting dust on my fantasy football bench. Arizona answered back, scoring the game tying touchdown with only :22 left. In overtime, Jay Feely blasted a game winning 46 yard field goal to keep the Cardinals undefeated heading into their prime time, nationally televised game on the Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams. I had the game being 20-17 Arizona and it finished 24-21...not too shabby.
8. A.L. Central Race (Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins & Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox)
Ding dong the White Sox are dead...almost. After a very promising start to the weekend with Detroit losing and Chicago winning Friday night, it was all down hill for the White Sox the rest of the way. Chicago was shut down as the Tampa Bay Rays rolled out Matt Moore and David Price who combined to give up just 2 runs in 12.1 innings. The Minnesota Twins didn't help Chicago either against Detroit as Justin Verlander dominated them on Saturday and Prince Fielder hit a go ahead 2 run home run in the 8th inning Sunday. This leaves the A.L. Central exactly as I predicted at a 3 game spread with 3 to go. Get the champagne ready Detroit.
7. Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals
In a potential playoff preview, the Washington Nationals continued to show some cracks in the mighty exterior against a quality opponent. Their starting pitching struggled (Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler gave up 16 runs, 11 earned in just 4 total innings) and when Jordan Zimmermann actually gave them a good start, Drew Storen blew a 9th inning lead. The Nationals survived in the Storen game, but they lost 2 of 3 and are now 7-9 in their last 16 games. Because the Dodgers swept the Rockies while giving up just 1 run all weekend, the Cardinals didn't clinch a playoff spot and the Nationals are still stuck with a magic number of 1 because the Braves won 2 of 3 against the Mets. Washington welcomes Philadelphia to D.C. with the champagne still on ice while St. Louis plays their main rival, the Cincinnati Reds to end the regular season with the playoff hopes on the line.
6. #25 Baylor Bears at #9 West Virginia Mountaineers
There were no rational words to describe this game. The scoring came easier than {insert racy, adult joke here}. 133 total points. I pray to God you all bet the over. Each team scored double digits in each quarter except the 3rd where Baylor only mustered 7 points. Luckily West Virginia scored 21. It was 35-35 at the half thanks to your average, run of the mill 67 yard (non Hail Mary) touchdown pass on the final play of the second quarter. You name an offensive record and it was probably broken. I had predicted the score to be 38-27, but I forgot that they play two halves and not just one in the Big 12. Geno Smith, the quarterback for the Mountaineers, made his Heisman statement by going 45-51 for 656 yards (not a typo), 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He also added 31 yards on the ground, but who is counting? He now has 20 passing touchdowns and only 28 INCOMPLETIONS on the season with no interceptions. That's absurd. Nick Florence did his best to keep pace for Baylor throwing for 581 yards, 5 touchdowns and rushing for a score as well, but the Bears ran out of time. Somewhere between this and what the Big 10 produces is good, quality college football. (Hint: its called the SEC).
5. New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
For more than half of this game, it looked as though Buffalo was ready to take control of the AFC East and put a boot to the throats of the Patriots. Then reality set in. New England reeled off 35 straight points after falling behind 21-7 in about 13 minutes of game time. In all the Patriots scorched the Bills for 45 second half points and climbed back to 2-2 along with Buffalo by winning 52-28. My score of 27-20 New England was spot on if the game had ended after the 1st minute of play in the 4th quarter. Somehow I keep underestimating the quality of offenses and the lack of defense in both college and pro football. Not only did New England get 340 yards passing and 3 touchdowns from Tom Brady, but they had two running backs (Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden) eclipse 100 yards while scoring three times total. Buffalo had both of their running backs (Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller) quasi-healthy for the game, but they were held in check rushing for only 62 total yards on 21 carries.
4. New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
What started out as a snooze fest, turned into another dramatic, down to the last play, controversial ending, classic NFC East grudge match. The keys for Philadelphia (per me) was to involve LeSean McCoy more and he had 26 touches for 140 yards. Michael Vick didn't turn the ball over and since both of my two keys came true it only meant that the Eagles were destined to win a close game. Down by just a point late in the 4th quarter, the Eagles were forced to settle for a field goal after having a 1st and goal. This left just under 2 minutes to play and Eli Manning with yet another chance to win a game late. Thanks to a very, very questionable pass interference call, the Giants moved to within field goal range with only seconds to play. That didn't stop them from taking one last shot to the end zone, but Manning under threw the receiver and he was forced to tackle Nnamdi Asomugha for offensive pass interference. The Giants were now forced into attempting a 54 yard field goal which they missed. But wait...Andy Reid called a timeout. The Giants got a second chance and this time the kick split the uprights, but fell two yards short. The Eagles won 19-17 which was kind of close to my 27-26 prediction.
3. A.L. West Race/Wild Card (Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics & Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers)
Both of these series were incredible. The Athletics took care of business easily on Friday night, but looked to be dead in the water on Saturday. Heading into the 8th inning they trailed Seattle 4-1 and the half empty (shocker) O.co Coliseum crown was listless. They scored a run in that inning, but the rally was squashed when the potential third run was gunned down at the plate. But the 9th inning in Oakland is when the magic begins for these Athletics. After a walk to Josh Reddick, Josh Donaldson hit a game tying 2 run homer and in the 10th inning, Brandon Moss hit the game winning 3 run homer to give Oakland its 14th walk off victory of the season. Sunday saw the Athletics hit two more home runs in the 8th inning to break open a 2-2 tie to sweep the Mariners. In Texas, the Angels survived a late rally to win game one of their series. Saturday was rained out forcing the two teams to play a double header on Sunday. The Rangers were an out away from evening the series at a game apiece when Torii Hunter smashed a two run double and the Angels won game two in dramatic fashion. Game 3 was more of the same at the start as the Angels raced out to a 4-0 lead. The Rangers were staring at a one game lead heading to Oakland, but rallied to score the next 8 runs. Los Angeles hit a 3 run homer to close the gap to 8-7, but that was all she wrote. Texas goes into Oakland needing just one win to clinch the West while Oakland needs a win or a loss by both Tampa Bay and Los Angeles to clinch a playoff berth. With the Rangers win, they are in the playoffs as are the Orioles and Yankees.
2. A.L. East Race (Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles & New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays)
So I called for the Orioles to sweep the Red Sox. Yup. So I called for the Yankees to take two of three from the Blue Jays (after losing game one of the 4 game set Thursday). Yup. Nailed it. Baltimore and New York are tied atop the A.L East (and Wild Card #1 for the matter) with only three games left. Baltimore has by far the tougher road as they go to Tampa Bay for their games, although they will miss both David Price and Matt Moore. The Yankees get to head home and welcome the horrid Red Sox to town. Now nothing would make Boston fans somewhat happier than watching the Red Sox cost New York a division crown, but I don't know if the players on the field have enough talent to even make it close. Their heart may be in it, but the current Red Sox suck to put it bluntly. They have lost 9 of 10 as they limp to the end of a disastrous season. As much as it pains me to do so, I think the Yankees win the division outright by a game as Baltimore has to settle for a one game playoff against (probably Oakland) someone.
1. The Ryder Cup
I don't think even the most talented writer would be able to piece enough glorious prose together to give what actually happened justice. To put it simply, the USA got beat by the better team in remarkable fashion. After the first two days, the Americans held a very commanding 10-6 lead. Only once (in 1999) had either side come back to win on Sunday when trailing by 4 points or more. That lead was 10-6 for Europe and the Americans made a outrageous comeback on home soil. This time, with the tables turned, but still on American soil, nobody gave Europe much of a chance to win away from home. The strategy that was employed by captain Jose Maria Olazabal was to put his best players out first to try and quiet the raucous crowd. It worked perfectly. The Europeans won the first four matches out of the gate and the score was even at 10. Since Europe had won the previous Cup they only needed 14 total points to retain it, while the Americans needed 14 1/2 to win it. The next two groups split victories to keep the score knotted at 11. The Americans took a 12-11 lead, but Europe erased that quickly winning two straight and took their first lead of the weekend 13-12. All they needed was one more point. It wasn't going to come easy as Jason Dufner won to tie the score at 13. It came down to the final two matches and with Europe leading in one and trailing in the other things were looking good for them. American Steve Stricker holed a par putt to force Martin Kaymer to sink a six foot putt to win and that's just what he did. It was an epic collapse, but the tension was unmatched. I had predicted a 16-12 American victory and that's how it should have happened, but sports doesn't work that way. Win, lose or draw that's the way I like them.
Here are some things not covered by my Top 10:
RGIII and the Redskins finding a way to win with kicker Billy Cundiff saving his job on a last second field goal
The Atlanta Falcons pulling victory out of defeat with a last second drive to stay undefeated against the Carolina Panthers
The Green Bay Packers getting screwed by another set of officials, but surviving at home sending New Orleans to an 0-4 start.
The University of Texas outlasting Oklahoma St. on the road with a last minute touchdown run.
The University of Georgia combining with Tennessee to score 88 points in the first 3 quarters before running out of steam and only scoring 7 in the final 15 minutes with Georgia hanging on between the hedges.
The University of Nebraska winning a close game against Wisconsin despite being forced to wear Scrabble tiles for uniforms.
Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds throwing a no hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates matching the MLB record of 7 total no hitters pitched in a single season.
Outside of that, nothing much else happened...but I'll still cover the 10 things I was watching this weekend:
10. #14 Ohio St. Buckeyes at #20 Michigan St. Spartans
7-3 at the half. Yup, another riveting Big 10 game. I don't give a damn that it ended up being a 1 point game the two teams were a combined 10-28 on third downs. They couldn't sustain a drive to save their lives. The 3rd quarter was the only watchable quarter where *gasp* 20 whole points were scored. Defensive dominance?? No. More like putrid, slow, outdated offenses. The worst part about it is that Ohio St. won to stay undefeated meaning the Big 10 will still stay on the radar for another couple of weeks.
9. Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals
Beware of the trap games. I tried to warn everyone that this looked too good to be true for Arizona. Everything was in their favor and it took Kevin Kolb pulling a rabbit out of the hat to survive. Miami held a 13-0 lead into the 3rd quarter when Arizona finally woke up putting together 14 consecutive points to take a lead. It lasted just over two minutes. Brian Hartline caught an 80 yard touchdown pass en route to 253 yards receiving while collecting dust on my fantasy football bench. Arizona answered back, scoring the game tying touchdown with only :22 left. In overtime, Jay Feely blasted a game winning 46 yard field goal to keep the Cardinals undefeated heading into their prime time, nationally televised game on the Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams. I had the game being 20-17 Arizona and it finished 24-21...not too shabby.
8. A.L. Central Race (Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins & Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox)
Ding dong the White Sox are dead...almost. After a very promising start to the weekend with Detroit losing and Chicago winning Friday night, it was all down hill for the White Sox the rest of the way. Chicago was shut down as the Tampa Bay Rays rolled out Matt Moore and David Price who combined to give up just 2 runs in 12.1 innings. The Minnesota Twins didn't help Chicago either against Detroit as Justin Verlander dominated them on Saturday and Prince Fielder hit a go ahead 2 run home run in the 8th inning Sunday. This leaves the A.L. Central exactly as I predicted at a 3 game spread with 3 to go. Get the champagne ready Detroit.
7. Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals
In a potential playoff preview, the Washington Nationals continued to show some cracks in the mighty exterior against a quality opponent. Their starting pitching struggled (Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler gave up 16 runs, 11 earned in just 4 total innings) and when Jordan Zimmermann actually gave them a good start, Drew Storen blew a 9th inning lead. The Nationals survived in the Storen game, but they lost 2 of 3 and are now 7-9 in their last 16 games. Because the Dodgers swept the Rockies while giving up just 1 run all weekend, the Cardinals didn't clinch a playoff spot and the Nationals are still stuck with a magic number of 1 because the Braves won 2 of 3 against the Mets. Washington welcomes Philadelphia to D.C. with the champagne still on ice while St. Louis plays their main rival, the Cincinnati Reds to end the regular season with the playoff hopes on the line.
6. #25 Baylor Bears at #9 West Virginia Mountaineers
There were no rational words to describe this game. The scoring came easier than {insert racy, adult joke here}. 133 total points. I pray to God you all bet the over. Each team scored double digits in each quarter except the 3rd where Baylor only mustered 7 points. Luckily West Virginia scored 21. It was 35-35 at the half thanks to your average, run of the mill 67 yard (non Hail Mary) touchdown pass on the final play of the second quarter. You name an offensive record and it was probably broken. I had predicted the score to be 38-27, but I forgot that they play two halves and not just one in the Big 12. Geno Smith, the quarterback for the Mountaineers, made his Heisman statement by going 45-51 for 656 yards (not a typo), 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He also added 31 yards on the ground, but who is counting? He now has 20 passing touchdowns and only 28 INCOMPLETIONS on the season with no interceptions. That's absurd. Nick Florence did his best to keep pace for Baylor throwing for 581 yards, 5 touchdowns and rushing for a score as well, but the Bears ran out of time. Somewhere between this and what the Big 10 produces is good, quality college football. (Hint: its called the SEC).
5. New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
For more than half of this game, it looked as though Buffalo was ready to take control of the AFC East and put a boot to the throats of the Patriots. Then reality set in. New England reeled off 35 straight points after falling behind 21-7 in about 13 minutes of game time. In all the Patriots scorched the Bills for 45 second half points and climbed back to 2-2 along with Buffalo by winning 52-28. My score of 27-20 New England was spot on if the game had ended after the 1st minute of play in the 4th quarter. Somehow I keep underestimating the quality of offenses and the lack of defense in both college and pro football. Not only did New England get 340 yards passing and 3 touchdowns from Tom Brady, but they had two running backs (Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden) eclipse 100 yards while scoring three times total. Buffalo had both of their running backs (Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller) quasi-healthy for the game, but they were held in check rushing for only 62 total yards on 21 carries.
4. New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
What started out as a snooze fest, turned into another dramatic, down to the last play, controversial ending, classic NFC East grudge match. The keys for Philadelphia (per me) was to involve LeSean McCoy more and he had 26 touches for 140 yards. Michael Vick didn't turn the ball over and since both of my two keys came true it only meant that the Eagles were destined to win a close game. Down by just a point late in the 4th quarter, the Eagles were forced to settle for a field goal after having a 1st and goal. This left just under 2 minutes to play and Eli Manning with yet another chance to win a game late. Thanks to a very, very questionable pass interference call, the Giants moved to within field goal range with only seconds to play. That didn't stop them from taking one last shot to the end zone, but Manning under threw the receiver and he was forced to tackle Nnamdi Asomugha for offensive pass interference. The Giants were now forced into attempting a 54 yard field goal which they missed. But wait...Andy Reid called a timeout. The Giants got a second chance and this time the kick split the uprights, but fell two yards short. The Eagles won 19-17 which was kind of close to my 27-26 prediction.
3. A.L. West Race/Wild Card (Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics & Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers)
Both of these series were incredible. The Athletics took care of business easily on Friday night, but looked to be dead in the water on Saturday. Heading into the 8th inning they trailed Seattle 4-1 and the half empty (shocker) O.co Coliseum crown was listless. They scored a run in that inning, but the rally was squashed when the potential third run was gunned down at the plate. But the 9th inning in Oakland is when the magic begins for these Athletics. After a walk to Josh Reddick, Josh Donaldson hit a game tying 2 run homer and in the 10th inning, Brandon Moss hit the game winning 3 run homer to give Oakland its 14th walk off victory of the season. Sunday saw the Athletics hit two more home runs in the 8th inning to break open a 2-2 tie to sweep the Mariners. In Texas, the Angels survived a late rally to win game one of their series. Saturday was rained out forcing the two teams to play a double header on Sunday. The Rangers were an out away from evening the series at a game apiece when Torii Hunter smashed a two run double and the Angels won game two in dramatic fashion. Game 3 was more of the same at the start as the Angels raced out to a 4-0 lead. The Rangers were staring at a one game lead heading to Oakland, but rallied to score the next 8 runs. Los Angeles hit a 3 run homer to close the gap to 8-7, but that was all she wrote. Texas goes into Oakland needing just one win to clinch the West while Oakland needs a win or a loss by both Tampa Bay and Los Angeles to clinch a playoff berth. With the Rangers win, they are in the playoffs as are the Orioles and Yankees.
2. A.L. East Race (Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles & New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays)
So I called for the Orioles to sweep the Red Sox. Yup. So I called for the Yankees to take two of three from the Blue Jays (after losing game one of the 4 game set Thursday). Yup. Nailed it. Baltimore and New York are tied atop the A.L East (and Wild Card #1 for the matter) with only three games left. Baltimore has by far the tougher road as they go to Tampa Bay for their games, although they will miss both David Price and Matt Moore. The Yankees get to head home and welcome the horrid Red Sox to town. Now nothing would make Boston fans somewhat happier than watching the Red Sox cost New York a division crown, but I don't know if the players on the field have enough talent to even make it close. Their heart may be in it, but the current Red Sox suck to put it bluntly. They have lost 9 of 10 as they limp to the end of a disastrous season. As much as it pains me to do so, I think the Yankees win the division outright by a game as Baltimore has to settle for a one game playoff against (probably Oakland) someone.
1. The Ryder Cup
I don't think even the most talented writer would be able to piece enough glorious prose together to give what actually happened justice. To put it simply, the USA got beat by the better team in remarkable fashion. After the first two days, the Americans held a very commanding 10-6 lead. Only once (in 1999) had either side come back to win on Sunday when trailing by 4 points or more. That lead was 10-6 for Europe and the Americans made a outrageous comeback on home soil. This time, with the tables turned, but still on American soil, nobody gave Europe much of a chance to win away from home. The strategy that was employed by captain Jose Maria Olazabal was to put his best players out first to try and quiet the raucous crowd. It worked perfectly. The Europeans won the first four matches out of the gate and the score was even at 10. Since Europe had won the previous Cup they only needed 14 total points to retain it, while the Americans needed 14 1/2 to win it. The next two groups split victories to keep the score knotted at 11. The Americans took a 12-11 lead, but Europe erased that quickly winning two straight and took their first lead of the weekend 13-12. All they needed was one more point. It wasn't going to come easy as Jason Dufner won to tie the score at 13. It came down to the final two matches and with Europe leading in one and trailing in the other things were looking good for them. American Steve Stricker holed a par putt to force Martin Kaymer to sink a six foot putt to win and that's just what he did. It was an epic collapse, but the tension was unmatched. I had predicted a 16-12 American victory and that's how it should have happened, but sports doesn't work that way. Win, lose or draw that's the way I like them.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Weekend Viewing Guide 9/28/12
This is the week that every baseball team has been working towards since Spring Training started in March. With six games left for everyone it's time to punch your ticket to the postseason or go home. The American League holds all of the drama as none of the divisions have been decided. There are also no less than four teams still vying for the two Wild Card spots. Four of the five playoff teams, including two of the three division winners, have already been decided in the National League and the final Wild Card looks to be all be sewn up, but Washington still has some work left to do and they are still vying for the top record in all of baseball with Cincinnati.
The big news in the NFL is that the real referees are back and started last night in Baltimore. Football is much more boring when you only have to focus on the game. Thank heavens for fantasy football or else I would have turned off the Ravens/Browns game early with the way each team started. Outside of the ref issues it was quite amazing to have a week like the last one where Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Michael Vick and Philip Rivers all lost. That's a big chunk of the face of the NFL going down all at the same time, and you can't even say it was the next generation doing all the work as Cam Newton, RGIII and Andrew Luck all lost too.
College football has a light schedule, but I'm sure there will be a big upset (*Editors note* Did you see Stanford lose late last night??) and some crazy finishes worth noting. Thankfully the PGA has the Ryder Cup going on to balance the weekend out.
Here's what I'll be watching:
10. #14 Ohio St. Buckeyes at #20 Michigan St. Spartans
I realize this is a meeting of two top twenty teams. But this is the Big 10 after all. We've seen what happens to the Big 10 when they play out of conference, it gets quite ugly. You can hype this game up as much as you want, but the fact is neither of these teams are good enough to contend. This game will be exciting like watching paint dry. I hate the Big 10 and I just don't know why I included this on my list. I probably should have stuck with nine games. The winner of this game will be zzzzzzzzzz....sorry fell asleep on my keyboard. Michigan St. 24 Ohio St. 21
9. Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals
In my NFL preview article I predicted the Houston Texans to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl. They are both 3-0. There is only one other 3-0 team in the NFL and that is the Arizona Cardinals. Yup, I'm as shocked as you are. Not only did they lose their 'starting' quarterback John Skelton to injury and had to turn to their real 'starting' quarterback Kevin Kolb (who they paid big bucks for last season, but lost all faith in him real fast and now have no choice but to play him and he is finally producing the way he was supposed to so maybe they should have stuck with him after all because that only makes financial and football sense anyways), but they have already won in New England so it might be time to take them seriously. Their defense has been stellar as they haven't given up more than 18 points in a game. In fact they have only given up 40 points all season which is about one games worth to us Redskins fans. Even without the services of Skelton and newly injured (re-injured? perpetually injured?) running back Beanie Wells, this should be a cake walk for Arizona. Miami is not very good and their only offensive weapon, Reggie Bush is injured. They also have to travel cross country for Ryan Tannehill's second ever road game. This game will be a blowout, won't it? Arizona 20 Miami 17
8. A.L. Central Race (Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins & Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox)
All season long I have been sticking by my prediction that the Tigers would win the A.L. Central by 4-5 games. It finally looks like I may be right. After losing to Tampa Bay last night, the White Sox have now dropped 3 in a row and are 2-8 in their last 10 games. Detroit has won 4 in a row and 7 of their last 10 to take a seemingly insurmountable two game lead with six to go. Detroit plays only the Twins and Royals the rest of the way and at worst they will go 4-2. Chicago is not going 6-0. This race is...how do you say it Hawk???? O-vah!!! You can put that on the board. Detroit will be up by 3 come Monday.
7. Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals
Two teams that have all but wrapped up their playoff seeding meet. This will be fun to see if the Nationals clinch the N.L. East crown on the same day that the Cardinals clinch the 2nd Wild Card. Dual celebrations!! This is a potential NLDS match up so the advanced scouts will be out in full force trying to pick up on any trends that either team might be showing. Rookie Bryce Harper has found his stroke again and is getting hot just at the right time. The Cardinals welcomed back starting pitcher Chris Carpenter who has missed the entire season since pitching in Game 7 of the World Series in last October. Saturday features the marquee match up with Kyle Lohse who is still an astounding 16-3 against Jordan Zimmermann who has been elevated to the #2 man in the rotation with the absence of Stephen Strasburg. I think Washington wins two of three clinching the N.L. East on Sunday. St. Louis must wait a day for their celebration.
6. #25 Baylor Bears at #9 West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia is in the Big 12. West Virginia is in the Big 12. It will take time to remember that one and Saturday they make their debut hosting the Baylor Bears. Geno Smith is a star and on the young season he has 1072 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Baylor has replaced RGIII with Nick Florence and he has responded in kind with 1004 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and 4 interceptions over his first three games. There was a memo sent out to the city of Morgantown where WVU is located reminding fans and students to not burn any couches. Yeah, that will work. Let the couches burn!! West Virginia 38 Baylor 27
5. New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
The Bills have done this recently, the Patriots have not. Last year Buffalo jumped out to a 3-0 record after beating these same Patriots at home. They eventually climbed to 5-2 before injuries took hold and Buffalo dropped seven straight in route to a 6-10 season. The last time the New England Patriots who are 1-2 were below .500 at any point in the season was 2003 when they lost the opening game to the Buffalo Bills. It all comes full circle friends. Buffalo can not only stay atop the AFC East standings with a win, but they can also put two full games between them and New England. I realize that the Patriots aren't worried. After all, when they started 0-1 in 2003 they still won the Super Bowl. But if they lose on Sunday and fall to 1-3 they will be 2 games below .500 for the first time since week 2 of 2001 and that year...oh crap...yeah they won the Super Bowl that year too. New England 27 Buffalo 20
4. New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Now this is an intriguing game. Both teams stand at 2-1, but only the Giants have looked halfway decent doing so. The Eagles have been using smoke and mirrors to offset their 12 turnovers, which is the worst in the NFL, but that won't work this week. The Giants will take full advantage of any sloppy play by Philadelphia which in lies the key to the game. If Michael Vick can play smart and if Andy Reid relies heavily on their best player, LeSean McCoy, the Eagles will win. If not the Giants will roll out of Philadelphia victorious. New York might have found their newest incarnation of Thunder and Lightning with what Andre Brown did last week and with the return of Ahmad Bradshaw. Add that to what we know Eli Manning can do with Victor Cruz and a healthy(ish) Hakeem Nicks and mix in the emergence of Martellus Bennett and this team has the potential to even be better than the Super Bowl winning squad of last year. Final Score: Philadelphia 27 New York 26
3. A.L. West Race/Wild Card (Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics & Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers)
The two races very near and dear to my heart. Oakland missed out on a glorious chance yesterday to put the fear of God into Texas. With a win they would have closed the gap in the A.L. West to two games, but instead sit four back. With three head to head games left in Oakland, nothing is wrapped up just yet for the Rangers but they are getting close. It won't be easy as the red hot Angels stroll into town with Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Zack Greinke pitching. Both teams are in dire need of victories (obviously LA more so) and if the Angels win two of three, the door may be wide open for Oakland to control their own destiny come Monday. The Athletics welcome the Mariners to town which may sound good, but Seattle has been playing with heart. Justin Smoak is on a torrid hot streak, but without Felix Hernandez pitching, I don't see them winning more than a game this weekend. I say both the Angels and Athletics win two of three and the Athletics stay two up on Los Angeles and Tampa Bay while closing the gap in the West to three games.
2. A.L. East Race (Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles & New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays)
Six games left and the surprising Baltimore Orioles refuse to go away. Not only are they leading the first Wild Card by a game over the equally surprising Oakland Athletics, but they trail the mighty Yankees but just a single game. I could make a case for either team winning the East because what I have seen all season long doesn't make sense. Baltimore has roughly used 79 different starting pitchers this season while the future Hall of Fame lineup that New York rolls out every night continues to be hot and cold. Both teams have had devastating injuries, but that is not any different than the rest of MLB. All I know is that the emotion in Charm City this weekend will be palpable. Fans of the Orioles haven't been treated to this since 1997 and they will definitely turn out in droves to sweep away the Red Sox. The atmosphere in Toronto will be a bit more subdued, but it shouldn't stop the Yankees from winning two of three this weekend. Give me a tie atop the standings come Monday morning!
1. The Ryder Cup
If you know anything about me, you know I'm a sucker for high level golf. If you know anything else about me, you know I'm a glutton for country versus country sporting events. The Ryder Cup gets me. USA versus Europe in 72 hours of day long golf with three different formats. The best golfers playing not only for personal pride, but for their country. Yes Rory, Tiger and Phil are all there. So is the FexEx Cup winner Brandt Snedeker. In fact 9 of the top 10 golfers in the world rankings will be partaking in this weekends event. Only Australian Adam Scott is missing. This tournament is only played once every other year and as it rotates between the Unites States and Europe, its only here once every four years. In 2010, Europe held serve by winning 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 so it is imperative for the States to respond on home soil. On paper the United States has the edge, they have home field advantage and I think they win this one with a bit of a cushion 16-12.
The big news in the NFL is that the real referees are back and started last night in Baltimore. Football is much more boring when you only have to focus on the game. Thank heavens for fantasy football or else I would have turned off the Ravens/Browns game early with the way each team started. Outside of the ref issues it was quite amazing to have a week like the last one where Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Michael Vick and Philip Rivers all lost. That's a big chunk of the face of the NFL going down all at the same time, and you can't even say it was the next generation doing all the work as Cam Newton, RGIII and Andrew Luck all lost too.
College football has a light schedule, but I'm sure there will be a big upset (*Editors note* Did you see Stanford lose late last night??) and some crazy finishes worth noting. Thankfully the PGA has the Ryder Cup going on to balance the weekend out.
Here's what I'll be watching:
10. #14 Ohio St. Buckeyes at #20 Michigan St. Spartans
I realize this is a meeting of two top twenty teams. But this is the Big 10 after all. We've seen what happens to the Big 10 when they play out of conference, it gets quite ugly. You can hype this game up as much as you want, but the fact is neither of these teams are good enough to contend. This game will be exciting like watching paint dry. I hate the Big 10 and I just don't know why I included this on my list. I probably should have stuck with nine games. The winner of this game will be zzzzzzzzzz....sorry fell asleep on my keyboard. Michigan St. 24 Ohio St. 21
9. Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals
In my NFL preview article I predicted the Houston Texans to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl. They are both 3-0. There is only one other 3-0 team in the NFL and that is the Arizona Cardinals. Yup, I'm as shocked as you are. Not only did they lose their 'starting' quarterback John Skelton to injury and had to turn to their real 'starting' quarterback Kevin Kolb (who they paid big bucks for last season, but lost all faith in him real fast and now have no choice but to play him and he is finally producing the way he was supposed to so maybe they should have stuck with him after all because that only makes financial and football sense anyways), but they have already won in New England so it might be time to take them seriously. Their defense has been stellar as they haven't given up more than 18 points in a game. In fact they have only given up 40 points all season which is about one games worth to us Redskins fans. Even without the services of Skelton and newly injured (re-injured? perpetually injured?) running back Beanie Wells, this should be a cake walk for Arizona. Miami is not very good and their only offensive weapon, Reggie Bush is injured. They also have to travel cross country for Ryan Tannehill's second ever road game. This game will be a blowout, won't it? Arizona 20 Miami 17
8. A.L. Central Race (Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins & Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox)
All season long I have been sticking by my prediction that the Tigers would win the A.L. Central by 4-5 games. It finally looks like I may be right. After losing to Tampa Bay last night, the White Sox have now dropped 3 in a row and are 2-8 in their last 10 games. Detroit has won 4 in a row and 7 of their last 10 to take a seemingly insurmountable two game lead with six to go. Detroit plays only the Twins and Royals the rest of the way and at worst they will go 4-2. Chicago is not going 6-0. This race is...how do you say it Hawk???? O-vah!!! You can put that on the board. Detroit will be up by 3 come Monday.
7. Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals
Two teams that have all but wrapped up their playoff seeding meet. This will be fun to see if the Nationals clinch the N.L. East crown on the same day that the Cardinals clinch the 2nd Wild Card. Dual celebrations!! This is a potential NLDS match up so the advanced scouts will be out in full force trying to pick up on any trends that either team might be showing. Rookie Bryce Harper has found his stroke again and is getting hot just at the right time. The Cardinals welcomed back starting pitcher Chris Carpenter who has missed the entire season since pitching in Game 7 of the World Series in last October. Saturday features the marquee match up with Kyle Lohse who is still an astounding 16-3 against Jordan Zimmermann who has been elevated to the #2 man in the rotation with the absence of Stephen Strasburg. I think Washington wins two of three clinching the N.L. East on Sunday. St. Louis must wait a day for their celebration.
6. #25 Baylor Bears at #9 West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia is in the Big 12. West Virginia is in the Big 12. It will take time to remember that one and Saturday they make their debut hosting the Baylor Bears. Geno Smith is a star and on the young season he has 1072 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Baylor has replaced RGIII with Nick Florence and he has responded in kind with 1004 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and 4 interceptions over his first three games. There was a memo sent out to the city of Morgantown where WVU is located reminding fans and students to not burn any couches. Yeah, that will work. Let the couches burn!! West Virginia 38 Baylor 27
5. New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
The Bills have done this recently, the Patriots have not. Last year Buffalo jumped out to a 3-0 record after beating these same Patriots at home. They eventually climbed to 5-2 before injuries took hold and Buffalo dropped seven straight in route to a 6-10 season. The last time the New England Patriots who are 1-2 were below .500 at any point in the season was 2003 when they lost the opening game to the Buffalo Bills. It all comes full circle friends. Buffalo can not only stay atop the AFC East standings with a win, but they can also put two full games between them and New England. I realize that the Patriots aren't worried. After all, when they started 0-1 in 2003 they still won the Super Bowl. But if they lose on Sunday and fall to 1-3 they will be 2 games below .500 for the first time since week 2 of 2001 and that year...oh crap...yeah they won the Super Bowl that year too. New England 27 Buffalo 20
4. New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Now this is an intriguing game. Both teams stand at 2-1, but only the Giants have looked halfway decent doing so. The Eagles have been using smoke and mirrors to offset their 12 turnovers, which is the worst in the NFL, but that won't work this week. The Giants will take full advantage of any sloppy play by Philadelphia which in lies the key to the game. If Michael Vick can play smart and if Andy Reid relies heavily on their best player, LeSean McCoy, the Eagles will win. If not the Giants will roll out of Philadelphia victorious. New York might have found their newest incarnation of Thunder and Lightning with what Andre Brown did last week and with the return of Ahmad Bradshaw. Add that to what we know Eli Manning can do with Victor Cruz and a healthy(ish) Hakeem Nicks and mix in the emergence of Martellus Bennett and this team has the potential to even be better than the Super Bowl winning squad of last year. Final Score: Philadelphia 27 New York 26
3. A.L. West Race/Wild Card (Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics & Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers)
The two races very near and dear to my heart. Oakland missed out on a glorious chance yesterday to put the fear of God into Texas. With a win they would have closed the gap in the A.L. West to two games, but instead sit four back. With three head to head games left in Oakland, nothing is wrapped up just yet for the Rangers but they are getting close. It won't be easy as the red hot Angels stroll into town with Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Zack Greinke pitching. Both teams are in dire need of victories (obviously LA more so) and if the Angels win two of three, the door may be wide open for Oakland to control their own destiny come Monday. The Athletics welcome the Mariners to town which may sound good, but Seattle has been playing with heart. Justin Smoak is on a torrid hot streak, but without Felix Hernandez pitching, I don't see them winning more than a game this weekend. I say both the Angels and Athletics win two of three and the Athletics stay two up on Los Angeles and Tampa Bay while closing the gap in the West to three games.
2. A.L. East Race (Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles & New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays)
Six games left and the surprising Baltimore Orioles refuse to go away. Not only are they leading the first Wild Card by a game over the equally surprising Oakland Athletics, but they trail the mighty Yankees but just a single game. I could make a case for either team winning the East because what I have seen all season long doesn't make sense. Baltimore has roughly used 79 different starting pitchers this season while the future Hall of Fame lineup that New York rolls out every night continues to be hot and cold. Both teams have had devastating injuries, but that is not any different than the rest of MLB. All I know is that the emotion in Charm City this weekend will be palpable. Fans of the Orioles haven't been treated to this since 1997 and they will definitely turn out in droves to sweep away the Red Sox. The atmosphere in Toronto will be a bit more subdued, but it shouldn't stop the Yankees from winning two of three this weekend. Give me a tie atop the standings come Monday morning!
1. The Ryder Cup
If you know anything about me, you know I'm a sucker for high level golf. If you know anything else about me, you know I'm a glutton for country versus country sporting events. The Ryder Cup gets me. USA versus Europe in 72 hours of day long golf with three different formats. The best golfers playing not only for personal pride, but for their country. Yes Rory, Tiger and Phil are all there. So is the FexEx Cup winner Brandt Snedeker. In fact 9 of the top 10 golfers in the world rankings will be partaking in this weekends event. Only Australian Adam Scott is missing. This tournament is only played once every other year and as it rotates between the Unites States and Europe, its only here once every four years. In 2010, Europe held serve by winning 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 so it is imperative for the States to respond on home soil. On paper the United States has the edge, they have home field advantage and I think they win this one with a bit of a cushion 16-12.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Weekend Viewing Guide 9/6/12
Last week welcomed College Football back and this weekend it is all about the NFL. Wednesday night got it all started as the Dallas Cowboys went into New York and stunned the Giants. I predicted the Cowboys to make the playoffs and the Giants not to, so good start through one game!!
The week in baseball has been a crazy one with the Orioles and Rays continuing to inch closer to the New York Yankees in the A.L. East. The Detroit Tigers stumbled a bit against the lowly Cleveland Indians as the Chicago White Sox regained a one game advantage in the A.L. Central. The Texas Rangers took advantage of playing the Kansas City Royals by extending their lead out west to 5 games as the Los Angeles Angels swept away the once hot Oakland Athletics in Oakland. Not only did the Athletics lose, but they also lost starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy after he took a ball off the head hit back at him. There are now five teams within 3 games of the two Wild Card spots in the American League.
In the National League, the Washington Nationals are in total cruise control even with the impending shutdown of Stephen Strasburg. Their lead is 7.5 games and a divisional crown is only a matter of time now. The same can be said in the Central where the Cincinnati Reds continue to maintain a sizable advantage over both the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Needless to say, both of those divisions are sewed up, but that can't be said about the N.L. West. The Los Angeles Dodgers are trying to hang in the race with the San Francisco Giants with their new $8 billion roster. The Wild Card has four teams within 1.5 games and two others on the fringes at 6.5 games back.
This weekend will continue to paint the playoff picture for baseball fans, but all of that will get overshadowed by the first weekend of the NFL. Mix in some PGA playoffs, the end of the U.S. Open and the second weekend of College Football and boy do we have a fun 72 hours ahead in the world of sports.
Here's what you should be watching:
10. BMW Championship
Last weekend Rory McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank Championship for his 3rd victory of the season and tied Tiger Woods for top spot in that category. He also took the lead in the FedEx Cup standings with this weekend and next weekend as the final two events. I am predicting that Tiger Woods answers back and finally puts together a complete tournament to win this weekend. That should set up a glorious final weekend in Atlanta to decide the Cup winner. Take advantage of this moment in time with both McIlroy and Woods playing high level golf because the window could close anytime as Woods hands the torch to McIlroy as the World's greatest active golfer.
9. College Football-Upset Alert
No marquee games this weekend with the NFL starting, but there are a couple of teams that should be on high alert for an upset. No, I am not talking about Florida St. who is a scant 70.5 point favorite to beat Savannah St. (not that I was looking or anything). Southern Cal might be traveling cross country, but they should handle Syracuse with ease. Missouri is welcomed to the SEC by hosting #7 Georgia and it should be a good test for the Bulldogs. #13 Wisconsin struggled to beat Northern Iowa and now has to go west to face Oregon St. who has yet to play this season. The final game that could bring an upset is #16 Nebraska who heads to Los Angeles to take on UCLA. Not the greatest slate of games, but its still better than nothing.
8. Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
Okay I admit this was has a bit of personal backing to it, but I think everyone is eager to see what RGIII can do in the NFL. With apologies to Andrew Luck, Indianapolis is not Washington D.C. and a match up against New Orleans who is wrought with dramatic story lines themselves is too tasty to pass up. Washington kept the playbook for Griffin under wraps during the preseason which just adds to the intrigue. On the other side of the ball, the Saints will be without head coach Sean Payton and linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the season due to 'Bountygate'. They are also the host city for the Super Bowl and all the curses that go along with that so it will be interesting to track each team this season for two totally different reasons.
7. San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
The defensive stalwart of 2011 versus the offensive juggernaut of 2011 who both came up short last season thanks to the New York Giants. Both teams expect to be in the hunt for this years Super Bowl with the same formula that got them to the playoffs last season. San Francisco did add Randy Moss and Mario Manningham in an attempt to solidify some of their offensive woes, but it will be their defense that wins them games this season again. The Packers will continue to air the ball out and play just enough defense to win, but they had better try and find a running attack for when the weather turns cold or else it could be another early exit for them in the playoffs.
6. Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays
The league's best offense against the league's best pitching staff. Yes this is playoff baseball in September. Yu Darvish who has regained his dominant form will face David Price on Saturday and on Sunday 'Big Game' James Shields will face underrated Matt Harrison. This will be a tough series for hitters and pitchers alike and excellent for fans to watch. If only they could find a better stadium than the dump that is dubbed 'The Trop' for it to take place. Speaking of showing up...where are you Tampa fans? Your team tries so hard and you don't give a damn. (Now if this is not the pot calling the kettle black, as my Athletics constantly play in front of small crowds). Common denominator: crap stadiums.
5. U.S. Open Tennis
Yes it was sad to see the career of Andy Roddick come to an end. Mardy Fish had to withdraw and thus no American male made a run to the title once again. Instead, outside of the unending rain, the story shifted to which of the 'Big 3' would win the seasons final Grand Slam event. But a funny thing happened on the way to glory for Roger Federer. He was upended by Tomas Berdych in the Quarterfinals. That left just Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic left as expected finalists. On the Women's side of the draw three of the top four seeds are still alive in the Semifinals. Maria Sharapova is playing the best tennis of her career and she will face #1 seed Victoria Azarenka while nobody seems to be able to stop Serena Williams on the bottom half of the draw. She has yet to drop a set and will face 10th seeded Sara Errani with a trip to the Finals on the line.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
The lone notable series in the National League deals with the only division that has yet to be decided. Of course all that could change if the Giants, who have a 4.5 game lead, sweep away their rivals from the south. It all starts with two pitchers who have had their share of controversy this season as new arrival Josh Beckett goes for LA and Tim Lincecum starts for San Francisco. Nobody knows what to expect from either pitcher, but they have both pitched big games and it should be a treat...a San Francisco treat (groan). The other two games appear to be mismatches with Matt Cain toeing the slab for the Giants on Saturday against Chris Capuano, while Sunday the tables are turned with Clayton Kershaw having the obvious advantage against Barry Zito.
3. Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels
With the White Sox hosting the Kansas City Royals, this could be a very bad weekend for the Tigers. The Angels have found their groove again as they push back into playoff contention. With a half game separating the two and 3 teams to climb over to secure a playoff spot, neither team can afford to have a bad series. Detroit does have Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander going while the Angels will be without the services of All-Star Jered Weaver who is nursing a bruised shoulder which gives Detroit a much needed advantage on the mound. The Angels can play small ball with their team speed and long ball with the likes of Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo. Oh and don't forget Mike Trout. Verlander vs. Trout...yes please.
2. New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
In what can only be described as the biggest series at Camden Yards since 1997, the Baltimore Orioles could conceivably be all alone in 1st place in the A.L. East by Sunday night. Going into the huge four game series, Baltimore stands only 1 game back of the Bronx Bombers. I only hope fans of Baltimore can forgive Peter Angelos for just one weekend and turn out at the best ballpark in the land and give the Orioles a true home field advantage. If they don't, I'm sure there are plenty of Yankees fans that will flood into Baltimore and turn the city into New York south...show up or shut up Orioles fans.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
The game that everyone is interested to see is on prime time Sunday night. The return of NFL spokesman Peyton Manning, this time in a Broncos jersey, is here. The NFL didn't do him any favors as he tests his oft surgically repaired neck against the always dangerous Pittsburgh defense. The Broncos are trendy favorites to come out of the AFC to be in the Super Bowl, but fans realize that Peyton Manning's career could be over with one James Harrison hit on the first series of the game. Everyone will be holding their breath each time Manning steps back to pass. For Pittsburgh, they have plenty of question marks with the health of Big Ben, the multiple injuries at running back, a new offensive coordinator and a disgruntled diva wide receiver in Mike Wallace.
The week in baseball has been a crazy one with the Orioles and Rays continuing to inch closer to the New York Yankees in the A.L. East. The Detroit Tigers stumbled a bit against the lowly Cleveland Indians as the Chicago White Sox regained a one game advantage in the A.L. Central. The Texas Rangers took advantage of playing the Kansas City Royals by extending their lead out west to 5 games as the Los Angeles Angels swept away the once hot Oakland Athletics in Oakland. Not only did the Athletics lose, but they also lost starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy after he took a ball off the head hit back at him. There are now five teams within 3 games of the two Wild Card spots in the American League.
In the National League, the Washington Nationals are in total cruise control even with the impending shutdown of Stephen Strasburg. Their lead is 7.5 games and a divisional crown is only a matter of time now. The same can be said in the Central where the Cincinnati Reds continue to maintain a sizable advantage over both the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Needless to say, both of those divisions are sewed up, but that can't be said about the N.L. West. The Los Angeles Dodgers are trying to hang in the race with the San Francisco Giants with their new $8 billion roster. The Wild Card has four teams within 1.5 games and two others on the fringes at 6.5 games back.
This weekend will continue to paint the playoff picture for baseball fans, but all of that will get overshadowed by the first weekend of the NFL. Mix in some PGA playoffs, the end of the U.S. Open and the second weekend of College Football and boy do we have a fun 72 hours ahead in the world of sports.
Here's what you should be watching:
10. BMW Championship
Last weekend Rory McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank Championship for his 3rd victory of the season and tied Tiger Woods for top spot in that category. He also took the lead in the FedEx Cup standings with this weekend and next weekend as the final two events. I am predicting that Tiger Woods answers back and finally puts together a complete tournament to win this weekend. That should set up a glorious final weekend in Atlanta to decide the Cup winner. Take advantage of this moment in time with both McIlroy and Woods playing high level golf because the window could close anytime as Woods hands the torch to McIlroy as the World's greatest active golfer.
9. College Football-Upset Alert
No marquee games this weekend with the NFL starting, but there are a couple of teams that should be on high alert for an upset. No, I am not talking about Florida St. who is a scant 70.5 point favorite to beat Savannah St. (not that I was looking or anything). Southern Cal might be traveling cross country, but they should handle Syracuse with ease. Missouri is welcomed to the SEC by hosting #7 Georgia and it should be a good test for the Bulldogs. #13 Wisconsin struggled to beat Northern Iowa and now has to go west to face Oregon St. who has yet to play this season. The final game that could bring an upset is #16 Nebraska who heads to Los Angeles to take on UCLA. Not the greatest slate of games, but its still better than nothing.
8. Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
Okay I admit this was has a bit of personal backing to it, but I think everyone is eager to see what RGIII can do in the NFL. With apologies to Andrew Luck, Indianapolis is not Washington D.C. and a match up against New Orleans who is wrought with dramatic story lines themselves is too tasty to pass up. Washington kept the playbook for Griffin under wraps during the preseason which just adds to the intrigue. On the other side of the ball, the Saints will be without head coach Sean Payton and linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the season due to 'Bountygate'. They are also the host city for the Super Bowl and all the curses that go along with that so it will be interesting to track each team this season for two totally different reasons.
7. San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
The defensive stalwart of 2011 versus the offensive juggernaut of 2011 who both came up short last season thanks to the New York Giants. Both teams expect to be in the hunt for this years Super Bowl with the same formula that got them to the playoffs last season. San Francisco did add Randy Moss and Mario Manningham in an attempt to solidify some of their offensive woes, but it will be their defense that wins them games this season again. The Packers will continue to air the ball out and play just enough defense to win, but they had better try and find a running attack for when the weather turns cold or else it could be another early exit for them in the playoffs.
6. Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays
The league's best offense against the league's best pitching staff. Yes this is playoff baseball in September. Yu Darvish who has regained his dominant form will face David Price on Saturday and on Sunday 'Big Game' James Shields will face underrated Matt Harrison. This will be a tough series for hitters and pitchers alike and excellent for fans to watch. If only they could find a better stadium than the dump that is dubbed 'The Trop' for it to take place. Speaking of showing up...where are you Tampa fans? Your team tries so hard and you don't give a damn. (Now if this is not the pot calling the kettle black, as my Athletics constantly play in front of small crowds). Common denominator: crap stadiums.
5. U.S. Open Tennis
Yes it was sad to see the career of Andy Roddick come to an end. Mardy Fish had to withdraw and thus no American male made a run to the title once again. Instead, outside of the unending rain, the story shifted to which of the 'Big 3' would win the seasons final Grand Slam event. But a funny thing happened on the way to glory for Roger Federer. He was upended by Tomas Berdych in the Quarterfinals. That left just Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic left as expected finalists. On the Women's side of the draw three of the top four seeds are still alive in the Semifinals. Maria Sharapova is playing the best tennis of her career and she will face #1 seed Victoria Azarenka while nobody seems to be able to stop Serena Williams on the bottom half of the draw. She has yet to drop a set and will face 10th seeded Sara Errani with a trip to the Finals on the line.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
The lone notable series in the National League deals with the only division that has yet to be decided. Of course all that could change if the Giants, who have a 4.5 game lead, sweep away their rivals from the south. It all starts with two pitchers who have had their share of controversy this season as new arrival Josh Beckett goes for LA and Tim Lincecum starts for San Francisco. Nobody knows what to expect from either pitcher, but they have both pitched big games and it should be a treat...a San Francisco treat (groan). The other two games appear to be mismatches with Matt Cain toeing the slab for the Giants on Saturday against Chris Capuano, while Sunday the tables are turned with Clayton Kershaw having the obvious advantage against Barry Zito.
3. Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels
With the White Sox hosting the Kansas City Royals, this could be a very bad weekend for the Tigers. The Angels have found their groove again as they push back into playoff contention. With a half game separating the two and 3 teams to climb over to secure a playoff spot, neither team can afford to have a bad series. Detroit does have Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander going while the Angels will be without the services of All-Star Jered Weaver who is nursing a bruised shoulder which gives Detroit a much needed advantage on the mound. The Angels can play small ball with their team speed and long ball with the likes of Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo. Oh and don't forget Mike Trout. Verlander vs. Trout...yes please.
2. New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
In what can only be described as the biggest series at Camden Yards since 1997, the Baltimore Orioles could conceivably be all alone in 1st place in the A.L. East by Sunday night. Going into the huge four game series, Baltimore stands only 1 game back of the Bronx Bombers. I only hope fans of Baltimore can forgive Peter Angelos for just one weekend and turn out at the best ballpark in the land and give the Orioles a true home field advantage. If they don't, I'm sure there are plenty of Yankees fans that will flood into Baltimore and turn the city into New York south...show up or shut up Orioles fans.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
The game that everyone is interested to see is on prime time Sunday night. The return of NFL spokesman Peyton Manning, this time in a Broncos jersey, is here. The NFL didn't do him any favors as he tests his oft surgically repaired neck against the always dangerous Pittsburgh defense. The Broncos are trendy favorites to come out of the AFC to be in the Super Bowl, but fans realize that Peyton Manning's career could be over with one James Harrison hit on the first series of the game. Everyone will be holding their breath each time Manning steps back to pass. For Pittsburgh, they have plenty of question marks with the health of Big Ben, the multiple injuries at running back, a new offensive coordinator and a disgruntled diva wide receiver in Mike Wallace.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Pocket Pair 8/6/12
It's a dreary Monday here outside D.C. with overcast clouds a light drizzle and yet its still overbearingly humid. The day will get better and I'm hoping to head downtown tonight with the wife for the Screen on the Green presentation of Psycho. Outdoor Hitchcock..nighttime, shower scene, evil mom...perfect. That would be a great ending to a Monday. As for the last 72 hours...let's look back at the Weekend that was.
5. Hall of Fame Game
I'll be honest, I watched the 1st two series of this game and that was it. I know, I know you're saying 'Jason you were touting that the NFL is back!!'. That's correct, but since I was out and about all day being a good DC tourist I missed the Olympics so that is what I watched. The Saints drove down the field for a touchdown behind Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram which signified the end of the night for Drew Brees. It wasn't that pretty for the Cardinals as Kevin Kolb threw a wounded duck of a pass that got intercepted on his 1st drive. He also bruised/cracked some ribs last night so there's that as well. Full slate of games start on Thursday as everyone in Washington will be glued to see RGIII.
4. Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
7 runs. That's all that was scored in this series. By both teams. Combined. Each game was a shutout with the Orioles much maligned staff winning the series with two of the shutouts. I guess the old axiom that bad pitching beats horrible hitting is true. Baltimore and Tampa Bay continue their game of leap frog as the Orioles are now a game ahead of the Rays in the standings, but still 6.5 out in the A.L. East and a game out of the Wild Card behind Oakland and Detroit. With the Yankees and Detroit playing each other and the Angels and Athletics playing each other the Rays (vs. Toronto) and Orioles (vs. Seattle) have a chance to make up ground against bad teams.
3. Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox
No worries about a lack of scoring when you involve to really good offenses and no aces are pitching. The White Sox out slugged the Angels in a very competitive series. The Angels are in the middle of a very difficult stretch of games (13 straight against Tampa Bay, Texas, Chicago and Oakland) and are 4-6 in their last 10. Each week I have become more and more of a believer in the White Sox. They can hit with anyone and their pitching has been remarkably better than I thought it would. Chris Sale has had back to back bad starts and that is worrisome as he has entered uncharted territory in innings pitched and I don't know how reliable he'll be down the stretch.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds
I guess it took Clint Hurdle getting ejected on Saturday night to wake the Pirates up in this series. After dropping the first two games in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh was saved with another stellar outing by Cy Young candidate (favorite even??) A.J. Burnett. The series opened with the Reds shutting out the Pirates behind Mat Latos throwing 7 1/3 innings and hitting a two run home run to help his cause. Saturday saw the drama that comes with a pennant chase as the Reds hit Josh Harrison (without intent it seems), but the home plate umpire felt the need to warn both benches, eliminating the chance for the Pirates to respond if they wanted to. Clint Hurdle (the Pirates manager) took exception and tried to fire his team up by arguing, but they still fell a run short. The lead for the Reds may sit at 4.5 games and they may have the easier schedule on paper, but the Pirates have 32 home games left to the Reds 25 home games so it still may get tight again.
1. The Summer Olympics
It was another great weekend of competition. Michael Phelps stole most of the headlines with him winning gold in his final race and subsequent retirement announcement, but the U.S. as a whole did really well in the numerous swimming events. Andy Murray did what he couldn't do in Wimbledon by winning on his home court against Roger Federer for gold. Track and Field started and Jamaica was the big winners as they swept the 'fastest woman' and 'fastest men' titles in the 100m race. This means Usain Bolt joined American Carl Lewis as the only repeat winner of gold in the 100m in Olympic history. That in itself is impressive. That he has done it rather easily is another feat all into itself. The United States is looking to take gold in women's soccer and beach volleyball and the men's basketball team survived a scare as it inches closer to playing for medals.
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I can't make it through the weekend without mentioning the Washington Nationals can I? They once again dipped into their AAA farm system, the Oakland Athletics, and traded for Kurt Suzuki. As the longest tenured member of my favorite team it was sad to see him go, but his offensive skill level had diminished vastly over the last two years that it just didn't make sense for Oakland to keep paying him $6.5 million a year. They had already acquired a younger, better hitting, not nearly as good defensive catcher in Derek Norris from Washington (in the Gio Gonzalez trade). So why not keep with the plan of shedding salary and getting younger? The Nationals have used about 36 catchers this season and while he may not hit, Kurt Suzuki immediately solidifies the position, gives veteran leadership and will continue to mold the Nationals young pitching staff as he did with countless young pitchers in Oakland.
This is another win/win trade between my two favorite teams. I'm very happy that they continue to shuffle talent back and forth to help each franchise. It's much better than losing players to Boston (oh BTW how's Andrew Bailey doing for you, you Boston douches?) and New York.
World Series 2014 Washington vsOakland San Jose...I can't wait.
5. Hall of Fame Game
I'll be honest, I watched the 1st two series of this game and that was it. I know, I know you're saying 'Jason you were touting that the NFL is back!!'. That's correct, but since I was out and about all day being a good DC tourist I missed the Olympics so that is what I watched. The Saints drove down the field for a touchdown behind Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram which signified the end of the night for Drew Brees. It wasn't that pretty for the Cardinals as Kevin Kolb threw a wounded duck of a pass that got intercepted on his 1st drive. He also bruised/cracked some ribs last night so there's that as well. Full slate of games start on Thursday as everyone in Washington will be glued to see RGIII.
4. Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
7 runs. That's all that was scored in this series. By both teams. Combined. Each game was a shutout with the Orioles much maligned staff winning the series with two of the shutouts. I guess the old axiom that bad pitching beats horrible hitting is true. Baltimore and Tampa Bay continue their game of leap frog as the Orioles are now a game ahead of the Rays in the standings, but still 6.5 out in the A.L. East and a game out of the Wild Card behind Oakland and Detroit. With the Yankees and Detroit playing each other and the Angels and Athletics playing each other the Rays (vs. Toronto) and Orioles (vs. Seattle) have a chance to make up ground against bad teams.
3. Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox
No worries about a lack of scoring when you involve to really good offenses and no aces are pitching. The White Sox out slugged the Angels in a very competitive series. The Angels are in the middle of a very difficult stretch of games (13 straight against Tampa Bay, Texas, Chicago and Oakland) and are 4-6 in their last 10. Each week I have become more and more of a believer in the White Sox. They can hit with anyone and their pitching has been remarkably better than I thought it would. Chris Sale has had back to back bad starts and that is worrisome as he has entered uncharted territory in innings pitched and I don't know how reliable he'll be down the stretch.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds
I guess it took Clint Hurdle getting ejected on Saturday night to wake the Pirates up in this series. After dropping the first two games in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh was saved with another stellar outing by Cy Young candidate (favorite even??) A.J. Burnett. The series opened with the Reds shutting out the Pirates behind Mat Latos throwing 7 1/3 innings and hitting a two run home run to help his cause. Saturday saw the drama that comes with a pennant chase as the Reds hit Josh Harrison (without intent it seems), but the home plate umpire felt the need to warn both benches, eliminating the chance for the Pirates to respond if they wanted to. Clint Hurdle (the Pirates manager) took exception and tried to fire his team up by arguing, but they still fell a run short. The lead for the Reds may sit at 4.5 games and they may have the easier schedule on paper, but the Pirates have 32 home games left to the Reds 25 home games so it still may get tight again.
1. The Summer Olympics
It was another great weekend of competition. Michael Phelps stole most of the headlines with him winning gold in his final race and subsequent retirement announcement, but the U.S. as a whole did really well in the numerous swimming events. Andy Murray did what he couldn't do in Wimbledon by winning on his home court against Roger Federer for gold. Track and Field started and Jamaica was the big winners as they swept the 'fastest woman' and 'fastest men' titles in the 100m race. This means Usain Bolt joined American Carl Lewis as the only repeat winner of gold in the 100m in Olympic history. That in itself is impressive. That he has done it rather easily is another feat all into itself. The United States is looking to take gold in women's soccer and beach volleyball and the men's basketball team survived a scare as it inches closer to playing for medals.
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I can't make it through the weekend without mentioning the Washington Nationals can I? They once again dipped into their AAA farm system, the Oakland Athletics, and traded for Kurt Suzuki. As the longest tenured member of my favorite team it was sad to see him go, but his offensive skill level had diminished vastly over the last two years that it just didn't make sense for Oakland to keep paying him $6.5 million a year. They had already acquired a younger, better hitting, not nearly as good defensive catcher in Derek Norris from Washington (in the Gio Gonzalez trade). So why not keep with the plan of shedding salary and getting younger? The Nationals have used about 36 catchers this season and while he may not hit, Kurt Suzuki immediately solidifies the position, gives veteran leadership and will continue to mold the Nationals young pitching staff as he did with countless young pitchers in Oakland.
This is another win/win trade between my two favorite teams. I'm very happy that they continue to shuffle talent back and forth to help each franchise. It's much better than losing players to Boston (oh BTW how's Andrew Bailey doing for you, you Boston douches?) and New York.
World Series 2014 Washington vs
Monday, July 16, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/16/12
This was a fun weekend for baseball fans. The season is now headed toward the playoffs, we are two weeks away from the trade deadline and teams are on a 14 day sprint to establish themselves as playoff contenders or pretenders. I highlighted five series from this weekend that were very important for this time of year, so lets take a look at them and see what transpired.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers
This was an entertaining series where both teams held a lead in each of the three games. The Brewers took two of three despite Andrew McCutchen blistering the ball by going 7-12 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI while hitting a home run in each of the three games. Friday nights pitching match up of McDonald vs Greinke fizzled out, but Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo dominated on Sunday striking out 14 Pirates while walking none in 7 near perfect innings. Each team seems to be short a piece or two for contending. The Pirates need another bat to protect McCutchen while the Brewers have the Leagues third worst bullpen ERA.
4. Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles
I think we might be seeing the beginning of the end for the Orioles strong run this year. What little pitching depth they had in the rotation took yet another hit with Jason Hammel exiting his start early with an injured knee. Baltimore is now 3-4 starters short of a true rotation and they are running out of steam fast. The Tigers on the other hand are finally playing like they should have from day one. By winning 2 of 3 this weekend (only losing in 13 innings) they have vaulted the Cleveland Indians into second place and now can squarely shift their focus to the Chicago White Sox. Justin Verlander erased his memory from his disastrous All-Star game appearance to dominate the Orioles striking out eight over 8 scoreless innings Sunday.
3. St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
On Friday I wrote: "Both teams are just waiting to pounce on the the Pirates at the first sign of trouble and a series win this weekend could find that team in first place by Monday." Apparently the Reds were paying attention as they swept away their bitter rivals thanks in large part to a couple of ex-Cardinals and a Cuban missile. Ryan Ludwick had the game winning hit on Saturday and Scott Rolen did the same on Sunday to help vault Cincinnati into first place in the N.L. Central. Aroldis Chapman struck out 8 batters in his 3 innings of work this weekend touching 100 MPH on the final pitch of the series. The Cardinals did get Lance Berkman back from injury, but this weekend belonged to the Reds.
2. Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins
As a rare wraparound series, the Nationals and Marlins still have one game to play tonight to finish their 4 game set, but the drama is already boiling over. Ozzie Guillen couldn't resist getting himself into the spotlight by challenging the amount of pine tar on Bryce Harpers' bat yesterday. He unleashed a foul-mouthed tirade towards the 19 year old overshadowing another dominant performance by Stephen Strasburg. The Nationals were also able to finally solve Josh Johnson, giving him a loss for the first time in franchise history. Mark Buehrle out dueled Gio Gonzalez on Saturday to give the fish a chance at splitting the series tonight. There have been 13 total runs scored in the series so far, but we may see that many tonight with the unpredictable entities that are Carlos Zambrano and Edwin Jackson.
1. LA Angels of Anaheim at New York Yankees
The trio of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo combined for 16 hits for the Angels while Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano had 12 hits for the Yankees. There is so much star power up and the down the rosters for these teams that fans of baseball would be treated to excellent post season play if they met up in October. Angels reliever Scott Downs had given up only 1 ER this season until the Yankees roughed him up for 4 on Friday night for the loss and he nearly blew a 3 run ninth inning lead having to be relieved with the bases loaded. At this point in the season I think both teams are virtual locks to play in the postseason although the Angels will have to climb past the Rangers to avoid a 1 game play-in game.
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I didn't highlight the series between the Oakland Athletics and the Minnesota Twins for a reason. I didn't know the reason would be that my beloved A's would trounce the home team by hitting moon shots after moon shots. They hit 9 home runs in the series and none of them were cheap shots. Target field is not the easiest place to hit a home run in, but Oakland made it look like Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The Athletics are one of the hottest teams in baseball winning 9 of their last 10 games climbing to a season high 3 games over .500. This could all come crashing down this week as they have six games at home against the Rangers and Yankees.
The two series should be a battle of the immovable object (Oakland's pitching in the Coliseum at a 2.81 ERA) vs the unstoppable force (the hitting of Texas and New York, ranked 1&2 in road OPS). I never thought this years version of the Athletics would contend for any sort of playoff spot, but they sit only 0.5 game out of the newly minted 2nd Wild Card spot.
If the Athletics can somehow manage a 4-2 record this week I will be in full 'buy' mode for this team making a run this season even if they still unload Brandon McCarthy and Bartolo Colon for more young prospects. If only they could get a new stadium and keep some of this young talent for more than a three year stretch.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/13/12
Unless you are a baseball fan, this is the worst time of the year for a sports fan. Football is a couple of a weeks away from being relevant. They Olympics will start around then as well. The NHL is headed for labor issues that could cause the start of the season to be in jeopardy. The NBA can't seem to eliminate the Dwight Howard saga from its headlines and looks to be under the control of the Miami Heat for the foreseeable future. College football still is over a month away from beginning so that leads us back to baseball.
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again." -James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams
There is really only baseball to watch this weekend, save for seeing if Steve Stricker can win his 4th consecutive John Deere Classic. I'll give you the top 5 series to watch and there should be some good ones as the playoff chase officially begins now that the All-Star Game is behind us.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers
Right now the Brewers are in sellers mode. Pitcher Zack Greinke will be making his 3rd consecutive start for Milwaukee tonight which is something baseball hasn't seen since Red Faber did this for the Chicago White Sox back in 1917. He needs to get the Brewers a win against first place Pittsburgh to get them off on the right foot and try to salvage a so far sub-par season. On the other side Pittsburgh sits in rarefied air alone in first place at the midway point of the season. Just being above .500 is something the good people of the Steel City aren't used to with their baseball team. I can only assume there is a lot of nervous confidence in Pittsburgh who are expecting the best, but fearing the worst. A winning series against the Brewers would really help, but if they stumble out of the gates, it could mark the beginning of the end for their dream season.
4. Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles
The American League version of the series above is taking place in Charm City. The Orioles are hanging tough in a tightly contested Wild Card race. The Tigers who were expected to run away and hide in the Central have muddled around average all season long and currently sit 3rd in a very underwhelming division. I would say that Baltimore needs a better showing this weekend than Detroit, but the longer Detroit plays average baseball, the more confidence they will feed the Indians and White Sox. Without a solid start to the second half, the Orioles might not be buyers and aim for pitching help like Greinke or Cole Hamels, but rather be sellers and continue to build upon their successes for next season.
3. St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
This series is usually fun, not matter the time of year. It lost a little luster when Tony LaRussa retired because of the built up animosity between him and Dusty Baker, but I still can foresee some post 4th of July fireworks. Both teams are just waiting to pounce on the the Pirates at the first sign of trouble and a series win this weekend could find that team in first place by Monday. Tonight has two pitchers who didn't pitch for their respective team last season in Adam Wainwright and Mat Latos. Wainwright who missed last season due to injury has been consistently inconsistent this year alternating wins and losses in his last seven decisions. Latos was brought over from San Diego and hasn't lost a decision, while lowering his ERA over 4 points, since April 18th when he was pummeled by the Cardinals.
2. Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins
When the Nationals were last in Miami they were flying high coming off a series sweep in Atlanta and then were promptly swept away by the Marlins. Washington has never fared well against the fighting fish whether in Miami or in D.C.. Josh Johnson downright owns the Nationals has he has gone 8-0 in 16 career starts against them. I guess its only fitting that Jordan Zimmermann will be toeing the slab for Washington tonight as he is famous (infamous??) for not getting any run support. That will certainly not change tonight...first one to score wins. Miami is without slugger Giancarlo Stanton for the next month and might be looking to unload some of their high priced, not performing talent come trade deadline time if things don't turn around quickly. The Nationals will continue to play hard and ignore the elephant in the room of the innings limit of Stephen Strasburg for as long as they can. With 21 of their next 25 games against the N.L. East they had better stay focused on issues that they can control.
1. L.A. Angels of Anaheim via Disneyland off the PCH at New York Yankees
When the regular season is all said and done, I feel that these two teams will be the best in the American League (apologies to Texas). The Yankees are already there because they can hit like no other team and are built to hit home runs in their bandbox of a stadium. The have pitched well enough through injuries to keep their scores from looking like a beer league softball game, but the key to their success is hitting the long ball. The Angels after a wretchedly horrid start have hit their stride with a jolt of energy from rookie phenom Mike Trout. Along with Mark Trumbo's power and Albert Pujols returning to normal, the Angels can match the Yankees in hitting. The difference lies on the mound where the Angels are top 9 in the Majors in four top pitching categories (ERA, Quality starts, WHIP and BAA) while the Yankees top out at #9 in one category while they average out to 16th best in the Majors (7th for the Angels). The axiom has always been, good pitching will be good hitting, and I think the Angels can do that when healthy.
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Today is Friday the 13th, and as a Jason I always enjoy it. It reminds me of the jokes growing up when the Friday the 13th movies were popular about me being a serial killer. It's a great time of year to go back and watch a couple of the slasher movies that made my name coincide with the date.
The first couple are good and then it starts to get silly, but its all fun and games until you get a machete through your spine. I always preferred the Halloween series with comedian Michael Myers who was great long before the Austin Powers series....j/k folks. It's summer, the news is slow and I'm trying to have fun.
I suggest camping out this weekend, and use your newfangled technology to stream a slasher movie to your tent while you cuddle with your special someone and I dare you not to get scared.
Enjoy the weekend and don't forget to look under your bed before laying down to sleep.
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again." -James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams
There is really only baseball to watch this weekend, save for seeing if Steve Stricker can win his 4th consecutive John Deere Classic. I'll give you the top 5 series to watch and there should be some good ones as the playoff chase officially begins now that the All-Star Game is behind us.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers
Right now the Brewers are in sellers mode. Pitcher Zack Greinke will be making his 3rd consecutive start for Milwaukee tonight which is something baseball hasn't seen since Red Faber did this for the Chicago White Sox back in 1917. He needs to get the Brewers a win against first place Pittsburgh to get them off on the right foot and try to salvage a so far sub-par season. On the other side Pittsburgh sits in rarefied air alone in first place at the midway point of the season. Just being above .500 is something the good people of the Steel City aren't used to with their baseball team. I can only assume there is a lot of nervous confidence in Pittsburgh who are expecting the best, but fearing the worst. A winning series against the Brewers would really help, but if they stumble out of the gates, it could mark the beginning of the end for their dream season.
4. Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles
The American League version of the series above is taking place in Charm City. The Orioles are hanging tough in a tightly contested Wild Card race. The Tigers who were expected to run away and hide in the Central have muddled around average all season long and currently sit 3rd in a very underwhelming division. I would say that Baltimore needs a better showing this weekend than Detroit, but the longer Detroit plays average baseball, the more confidence they will feed the Indians and White Sox. Without a solid start to the second half, the Orioles might not be buyers and aim for pitching help like Greinke or Cole Hamels, but rather be sellers and continue to build upon their successes for next season.
3. St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
This series is usually fun, not matter the time of year. It lost a little luster when Tony LaRussa retired because of the built up animosity between him and Dusty Baker, but I still can foresee some post 4th of July fireworks. Both teams are just waiting to pounce on the the Pirates at the first sign of trouble and a series win this weekend could find that team in first place by Monday. Tonight has two pitchers who didn't pitch for their respective team last season in Adam Wainwright and Mat Latos. Wainwright who missed last season due to injury has been consistently inconsistent this year alternating wins and losses in his last seven decisions. Latos was brought over from San Diego and hasn't lost a decision, while lowering his ERA over 4 points, since April 18th when he was pummeled by the Cardinals.
2. Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins
When the Nationals were last in Miami they were flying high coming off a series sweep in Atlanta and then were promptly swept away by the Marlins. Washington has never fared well against the fighting fish whether in Miami or in D.C.. Josh Johnson downright owns the Nationals has he has gone 8-0 in 16 career starts against them. I guess its only fitting that Jordan Zimmermann will be toeing the slab for Washington tonight as he is famous (infamous??) for not getting any run support. That will certainly not change tonight...first one to score wins. Miami is without slugger Giancarlo Stanton for the next month and might be looking to unload some of their high priced, not performing talent come trade deadline time if things don't turn around quickly. The Nationals will continue to play hard and ignore the elephant in the room of the innings limit of Stephen Strasburg for as long as they can. With 21 of their next 25 games against the N.L. East they had better stay focused on issues that they can control.
1. L.A. Angels of Anaheim via Disneyland off the PCH at New York Yankees
When the regular season is all said and done, I feel that these two teams will be the best in the American League (apologies to Texas). The Yankees are already there because they can hit like no other team and are built to hit home runs in their bandbox of a stadium. The have pitched well enough through injuries to keep their scores from looking like a beer league softball game, but the key to their success is hitting the long ball. The Angels after a wretchedly horrid start have hit their stride with a jolt of energy from rookie phenom Mike Trout. Along with Mark Trumbo's power and Albert Pujols returning to normal, the Angels can match the Yankees in hitting. The difference lies on the mound where the Angels are top 9 in the Majors in four top pitching categories (ERA, Quality starts, WHIP and BAA) while the Yankees top out at #9 in one category while they average out to 16th best in the Majors (7th for the Angels). The axiom has always been, good pitching will be good hitting, and I think the Angels can do that when healthy.
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Today is Friday the 13th, and as a Jason I always enjoy it. It reminds me of the jokes growing up when the Friday the 13th movies were popular about me being a serial killer. It's a great time of year to go back and watch a couple of the slasher movies that made my name coincide with the date.
The first couple are good and then it starts to get silly, but its all fun and games until you get a machete through your spine. I always preferred the Halloween series with comedian Michael Myers who was great long before the Austin Powers series....j/k folks. It's summer, the news is slow and I'm trying to have fun.
I suggest camping out this weekend, and use your newfangled technology to stream a slasher movie to your tent while you cuddle with your special someone and I dare you not to get scared.
Enjoy the weekend and don't forget to look under your bed before laying down to sleep.
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