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 giants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giants. 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.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Fantasy Football 2012 Preview: Pick 'em
Every year you can look back at your leagues fantasy football draft and see same round picks of a single position where one team got a stud and one team got a dud. Last year in one of my leagues there were two of us that waited to draft a quarterback. My friend and I are notorious for picking our quarterback late and when my turn came up I had two 'sleeper' picks left on the board: Matthew Stafford and Josh Freeman. I couldn't make up my mind and I knew nobody else would take a quarterback by the time it got back to me so I let him make my decision for me.
With the 1st pick in the 7th round (14 teams), my friend drafted Josh Freeman. Five picks later I took Matthew Stafford and wound up winning my league. My friend missed the playoffs. Sometimes it is that simple. Another example was where the team before me drafted LeGarrette Blount which forced me to shift strategy and take Larry Fitzgerald with the very next pick because I didn't like any of the next group of running backs. Later on I took Fred Jackson to compensate for not getting the stud running back in Blount that I wanted. That worked out well too.
This is why the draft is very important and sometimes it has nothing to do what you want to do. You must be prepared to scrap your entire plan on the fly because each year is different, each draft is unique and every competing owner is unpredictable. Not to mention we really have no clue how each player will perform in the upcoming season. All you can do as a fantasy owner is to draft players who you think will have the greatest success and get you the best value for your pick.
I'm going to take a look at some of the decisions you might have to make in your upcoming draft. It could be the difference between playing for a trophy or dancing in a tutu for your friends and coworkers. Don't end up dancing in a tutu for your friends and coworkers.
Quarterbacks:
Eli Manning (ADP 31.9 via ESPN) vs. Michael Vick (ADP 31.9 via ESPN)
One quarterback has won two Super Bowls and one quarterback has hinted that his team is on the verge of a dynasty. Last year Michael Vick went 1st overall in my league and that owner went 3-10. Eli Manning went 93rd overall as a backup and his owner went 10-2-1. Nobody would have predicted that Manning would have 450 points to Vick's 271, but it happened and because of it they are a toss up this season. For years Eli has been seen a great fantasy backup quarterback, but could never be trusted upon to start week in and week out. I think that title has now fallen to Jay Cutler, but we'll discuss that another time.
The Giants have two stud receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and the Eagles receivers, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin aren't too shabby either. Eli Manning hasn't missed a game since becoming the starter in New York, while Michael Vick has played in only 25 of 32 games since the start of the 2010 season. Eli Manning cannot and will not run for points for your fantasy team (4 rushing TD's in his 8 year career) whereas Michael Vick has 12 rushing TD's in the last 3 years alone.
The most difficult words to hear for a fantasy owner when describing a player are 'when healthy'. When healthy Michael Vick is a great fantasy weapon. Same for Darren McFadden and Andre Johnson, but when they aren't healthy...which is A LOT...they are useless to you. I understand why owners are enamored with Vick, hell I drafted him 1st overall in 2003, but that risk is tough to overcome for a 3rd round pick. For Manning owners know what they are going to get. Nothing too flashy, the occasional brain fart game (see Week 15 vs. Washington which eliminated a ton of Manning owners from their playoffs), but a real steady starting quarterback by seasons end.
The ironic thing about these two quarterbacks is that Eli Manning would have been the perfect back up to Michael Vick last year and this year a quarterback in the same mold as Vick, Robert Griffin III, will be a perfect back up for Eli Manning in a 10 team league.
Peyton Manning (ADP 41.9 via ESPN) vs. Tony Romo (ADP 47.9 via ESPN)
So you're telling me that a quarterback coming off of at least 4 neck 'procedures' who is 36 years old and didn't play last season is being drafted ahead of a quarterback who topped 4,000 yards and 30 TD's in a supposed down year for him? Tony Romo has Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to throw to and plays at least half of his games in a dome on turf. Peyton Manning has Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas and Jacob Tamme as his best weapons and will be playing outdoors in the elements where he has seen a significant drop in statistics in his career.
I think people are drafting the name rather than using their brains here. I think Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks to have ever laced them up, but he has played in one system for one team with basically the same cast of characters his entire career. This year he starts all over and nobody can be even certain that he's healthy or will stay healthy after he takes his first big hit.
For all the ridicule that Tony Romo takes for his late game failings, he is still a pretty damn good quarterback. In his 4 years where he started 13 or more games he has averaged 4,081 yards passing and 30 TD's. I don't see Peyton getting anywhere close to those numbers this year.
Running Backs:
Adrian Peterson (ADP 23.3 via ESPN) vs. Darren McFadden (ADP 25.5 via ESPN)
Two running backs who didn't finish the 2011 season healthy. This will be a significant topic of discussion leading up to drafts this year as along with these two Fred Jackson, Matt Forte, DeMarco Murray, Rashard Mendenhall and Jamaal Charles all suffered season ending injuries of some sort. All but Mendenhall are tabbed as their respective teams starters and are being drafted in the top 35 picks. I will not fault owners drafting any one of these backs, but you had better not select two of them in your starting lineup.
Instead of dissecting all seven, I'll highlight 'All Day' and 'Run DMC' because they have cool nicknames. Peterson tore his ACL which is a red flag in itself for running backs. To understand that he did that on Christmas Eve should mean he doesn't play in 2012. Well...here's the thing. Adrian Peterson is a freak of nature and apparently will be making a run (no pun intended) at starting in Week 1. If that happens and he is even just above average you might win your league with him as your possible #2 back. That's in a perfect world. Reality tells me he won't be ready at the start of the season and he won't be more than average at best for the first half of the season. That's too long to wait in the fantasy world. I will be watching him closely and if I see steady improvement he may be a great trading candidate mid-season.
The best news for future owners of Darren McFadden is that Michael Bush is playing in Chicago. The Raiders will not have anybody to steal touches away from McFadden unless you think Mike Goodson is the answer and I don't. What you really need to understand, though is Darren McFadden will not play in 16 games. He just can't do it and has taken over the 'Fragile Fred' moniker from Fred Taylor. Taylor played in 40 of 64 games in his first 4 seasons in the NFL. McFadden has played in 45. I bet you didn't know that played in all 32 of his games over the next two years. Maybe there is hope for McFadden yet.
Trent Richardson (ADP 29.2 via ESPN) vs. Steven Jackson (ADP 31.5 via ESPN)
A tale of two running backs at the opposite ends of their career spectrum. Richardson is a rookie who was drafted 3rd overall and is heading to a team that provides absolutely zero competition for touches. Steven Jackson has had 7 consecutive 1,000+ rushing yard seasons and even though the Rams took a running back (Isaiah Pead) in the 2nd round, his job doesn't look to be in jeopardy once again this season. I was personally burned by drafting a rookie running back in Ryan Mathews two years ago so I can't wrap my head around going all in on Richardson.
The question for fantasy owners is do you like the steady Eddie or do you want to roll the dice on one of the best running prospects the NFL has seen in a very long time? The Cleveland Browns will still be a bad team this season. What that means is they will be playing from behind for the most part. That doesn't usually translate to a lot of rushing attempts. It's unknown whether Richardson will be a good receiving option, but if he is he will stay on the field more and be far more valuable than Steven Jackson by seasons end. The Rams had a horrific season in 2011, but it didn't stop Jackson from having decent production. You would have to believe that they will be better with a healthy Sam Bradford under center and if so Jackson may have one more elite season for fantasy owners.
Wide Receivers:
Mike Wallace (ADP 26.6 via ESPN) vs. A.J. Green (ADP 29.4 via ESPN)
You want red flags about Mike Wallace? I've got red flags. He's holding out for more money. His quarterback is the epitome of the walking wounded and now has a 'little torn rotator cuff' per ESPN. He might not even be the #1 WR on his own team. Antonio Brown saw 11 more passes go his way than did Wallace and basically matched him in receptions and yards. The only saving grace for Mike Wallace is that he hauled in 8 touchdowns (to only 2 for Brown), but touchdowns is the one stat that fantasy owners cannot fall in love with.
The Steelers could easily split those 10 touchdowns 6 to 4 instead of 8 to 2 and all of a sudden the fantasy numbers of the two receivers could be even. Right now Antonio Brown's ADP is 70.4 and it is all based on his lack of touchdowns. If Wallace misses any more of training camp it will be interesting to see if he starts slipping and Brown starts rising.
Staying in the AFC North A.J. Green is the unquestioned #1 receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was the same last year during his rookie season and was rather spectacular based off his expectations. He topped 1,000 yards receiving and hauled in 7 touchdowns on only 65 receptions. Another 10 receptions gets him over 1,200 yards and another 7 touchdowns would be the cherry on top.
The 1A's vs. The 1B's in the NFC
The New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons all pose a problem for defenses. They all have two really good receivers that could beat you at anytime. That's all well and good for them, but for fantasy owners deciding on which on to draft could be very difficult.
Let's look at them briefly:
Atlanta - Roddy White (ADP 19.3) vs. Julio Jones (ADP 36.1)
New York - Victor Cruz (ADP 31.9) vs. Hakeem Nicks (ADP 32.2)
Philadelphia - DeSean Jackson (ADP 61.9) vs. Jeremy Maclin (ADP 63.4)
Green Bay - Greg Jennings (ADP 20.0) vs. Jordy Nelson (ADP 39.0)
Dallas - Dez Bryant (ADP 45.3) vs. Miles Austin (ADP 51.0)
That's 10 players on five teams drafted between picks 19 and 64. Not all 10 are going to have an All-Pro season, but they will all, for the most part be a #1 wide receiver on fantasy teams. So which one, and only one, would you draft?
Roddy White is the first of the 'Big 10' coming off the board, but I can easily see Julio Jones outpacing him this season. Last year as a rookie, Jones saw about half the targets, caught about half the balls as the veteran White. Jones proved to be the deep threat averaging nearly 18 yards a catch (to 13 for White) and they both had 8 touchdowns. Imagine if just 10 of those catches by Roddy White end up in Julio Jones' hands. That 1170 yards for White and 1140 for Jones based off of their average yards per catch from 2011.
Victor Cruz came out of nowhere to not only surpass both his teammates in receiving, but finished 3rd in the NFL in yards. He went undrafted in every single fantasy league in the world last year. I'm sure even Victor Cruz didn't draft Victor Cruz. There is really no way he can duplicate his 2011 stat line is there? Well Hakeem Nicks is already injured and Mario Manningham went to San Francisco. The receiver that I'm most worried about on the Giants is Nicks. A broken foot is nothing to sneeze at for a wide receiver and that is what Nicks is coming back from. If he slips due to injury concern I'd feel much better about 2 rounds later.
The Philadelphia Eagles were 'a hot mess' as the kids would say in 2011. They were anointed as Super Bowl champions before the season started and finished 8-8 (even though the actual Super Bowl winners were 9-7). The lack of health and consistency from Michael Vick tempered the numbers that DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin produced, but it wasn't all his fault. Jackson proved to be the leagues foremost prima donna by getting himself suspended after missing a team meeting. Add that to his numerous dropped balls and its a wonder people still have faith in him. Jeremy Maclin quietly caught more passes than Jackson and even had one more touchdown than him. Maybe this is the year Maclin ascends to the top spot in Philadelphia.
Greg Jennings is being drafted almost two rounds ahead of his teammate Jordy Nelson, but why? Name recognition or a longer resume? Aaron Rodgers is currently the best quarterback in the NFL and it probably doesn't matter who lines up next to him in Green Bay. They should all be quality options, but I do know that Jordy Nelson will not catch 15 touchdowns this season. He'll be lucky to do half of that. Five Packers caught six or more touchdowns and that tells me the ball gets spread around. Its the key to the Packers success, murder by numbers. Greg Jennings has had 920+ yards receiving in five straight seasons and averaged 9 touchdowns per season as well. He has easily been the most consistent receiver on the Packers, but the fact that nobody is a true #1 (just like the New Orleans Saints) is the reason why its so difficult to take one of them with your first 2-3 picks.
Neither Dez Bryant nor Miles Austin led the Dallas Cowboys in targets, receptions or yards. It wasn't Laurent Robinson either. It was Jason Witten. Jason Witten is going 60th overall in a much shallower position for fantasy owners yet that is behind both of the wide receivers in Big D. That seems kind of odd, don't you think? To say I don't have faith in either of these two receivers is an understatement. There is not reason that they should be going in rounds 4-5. You just won't get the value you want from them because of the presence of Witten who is obviously the security blanket for Tony Romo. If they fall to rounds 6 or 7 and are your #2 receiver, jump on them immediately, but don't reach for either one.
Tight Ends:
Fred Davis (ADP 103.9 via ESPN) vs. Brandon Pettigrew (ADP 107.9 via ESPN)
On one hand you have a very talented tight end who is one drug bust away from missing a full season. On the other hand you have a great blocking tight end who catches a ton of short passes. They could both potentially put up really good numbers this season and could both be on the waiver wire by mid season. Brandon Pettigrew is a much safer pick, but his ceiling is far lower than that of Fred Davis. With a rookie quarterback who can run and some new speedy wide receivers to stretch the field, the middle of the field could be wide open for him. If he plays all 16 games I expect Fred Davis to challenge for Pro Bowl honors in a very deep position in the NFC. The only thing holding Brandon Pettigrew back is how the Lions use him. He doesn't go down field enough, he doesn't get enough red zone opportunities but and he blocks too much. Outside of that he fits the mold of a very good tight end. He is just on the edge of being a reliable starter.
With the 1st pick in the 7th round (14 teams), my friend drafted Josh Freeman. Five picks later I took Matthew Stafford and wound up winning my league. My friend missed the playoffs. Sometimes it is that simple. Another example was where the team before me drafted LeGarrette Blount which forced me to shift strategy and take Larry Fitzgerald with the very next pick because I didn't like any of the next group of running backs. Later on I took Fred Jackson to compensate for not getting the stud running back in Blount that I wanted. That worked out well too.
This is why the draft is very important and sometimes it has nothing to do what you want to do. You must be prepared to scrap your entire plan on the fly because each year is different, each draft is unique and every competing owner is unpredictable. Not to mention we really have no clue how each player will perform in the upcoming season. All you can do as a fantasy owner is to draft players who you think will have the greatest success and get you the best value for your pick.
I'm going to take a look at some of the decisions you might have to make in your upcoming draft. It could be the difference between playing for a trophy or dancing in a tutu for your friends and coworkers. Don't end up dancing in a tutu for your friends and coworkers.
Quarterbacks:
Eli Manning (ADP 31.9 via ESPN) vs. Michael Vick (ADP 31.9 via ESPN)
One quarterback has won two Super Bowls and one quarterback has hinted that his team is on the verge of a dynasty. Last year Michael Vick went 1st overall in my league and that owner went 3-10. Eli Manning went 93rd overall as a backup and his owner went 10-2-1. Nobody would have predicted that Manning would have 450 points to Vick's 271, but it happened and because of it they are a toss up this season. For years Eli has been seen a great fantasy backup quarterback, but could never be trusted upon to start week in and week out. I think that title has now fallen to Jay Cutler, but we'll discuss that another time.
The Giants have two stud receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and the Eagles receivers, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin aren't too shabby either. Eli Manning hasn't missed a game since becoming the starter in New York, while Michael Vick has played in only 25 of 32 games since the start of the 2010 season. Eli Manning cannot and will not run for points for your fantasy team (4 rushing TD's in his 8 year career) whereas Michael Vick has 12 rushing TD's in the last 3 years alone.
The most difficult words to hear for a fantasy owner when describing a player are 'when healthy'. When healthy Michael Vick is a great fantasy weapon. Same for Darren McFadden and Andre Johnson, but when they aren't healthy...which is A LOT...they are useless to you. I understand why owners are enamored with Vick, hell I drafted him 1st overall in 2003, but that risk is tough to overcome for a 3rd round pick. For Manning owners know what they are going to get. Nothing too flashy, the occasional brain fart game (see Week 15 vs. Washington which eliminated a ton of Manning owners from their playoffs), but a real steady starting quarterback by seasons end.
The ironic thing about these two quarterbacks is that Eli Manning would have been the perfect back up to Michael Vick last year and this year a quarterback in the same mold as Vick, Robert Griffin III, will be a perfect back up for Eli Manning in a 10 team league.
Peyton Manning (ADP 41.9 via ESPN) vs. Tony Romo (ADP 47.9 via ESPN)
So you're telling me that a quarterback coming off of at least 4 neck 'procedures' who is 36 years old and didn't play last season is being drafted ahead of a quarterback who topped 4,000 yards and 30 TD's in a supposed down year for him? Tony Romo has Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to throw to and plays at least half of his games in a dome on turf. Peyton Manning has Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas and Jacob Tamme as his best weapons and will be playing outdoors in the elements where he has seen a significant drop in statistics in his career.
I think people are drafting the name rather than using their brains here. I think Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks to have ever laced them up, but he has played in one system for one team with basically the same cast of characters his entire career. This year he starts all over and nobody can be even certain that he's healthy or will stay healthy after he takes his first big hit.
For all the ridicule that Tony Romo takes for his late game failings, he is still a pretty damn good quarterback. In his 4 years where he started 13 or more games he has averaged 4,081 yards passing and 30 TD's. I don't see Peyton getting anywhere close to those numbers this year.
Running Backs:
Adrian Peterson (ADP 23.3 via ESPN) vs. Darren McFadden (ADP 25.5 via ESPN)
Two running backs who didn't finish the 2011 season healthy. This will be a significant topic of discussion leading up to drafts this year as along with these two Fred Jackson, Matt Forte, DeMarco Murray, Rashard Mendenhall and Jamaal Charles all suffered season ending injuries of some sort. All but Mendenhall are tabbed as their respective teams starters and are being drafted in the top 35 picks. I will not fault owners drafting any one of these backs, but you had better not select two of them in your starting lineup.
Instead of dissecting all seven, I'll highlight 'All Day' and 'Run DMC' because they have cool nicknames. Peterson tore his ACL which is a red flag in itself for running backs. To understand that he did that on Christmas Eve should mean he doesn't play in 2012. Well...here's the thing. Adrian Peterson is a freak of nature and apparently will be making a run (no pun intended) at starting in Week 1. If that happens and he is even just above average you might win your league with him as your possible #2 back. That's in a perfect world. Reality tells me he won't be ready at the start of the season and he won't be more than average at best for the first half of the season. That's too long to wait in the fantasy world. I will be watching him closely and if I see steady improvement he may be a great trading candidate mid-season.
The best news for future owners of Darren McFadden is that Michael Bush is playing in Chicago. The Raiders will not have anybody to steal touches away from McFadden unless you think Mike Goodson is the answer and I don't. What you really need to understand, though is Darren McFadden will not play in 16 games. He just can't do it and has taken over the 'Fragile Fred' moniker from Fred Taylor. Taylor played in 40 of 64 games in his first 4 seasons in the NFL. McFadden has played in 45. I bet you didn't know that played in all 32 of his games over the next two years. Maybe there is hope for McFadden yet.
Trent Richardson (ADP 29.2 via ESPN) vs. Steven Jackson (ADP 31.5 via ESPN)
A tale of two running backs at the opposite ends of their career spectrum. Richardson is a rookie who was drafted 3rd overall and is heading to a team that provides absolutely zero competition for touches. Steven Jackson has had 7 consecutive 1,000+ rushing yard seasons and even though the Rams took a running back (Isaiah Pead) in the 2nd round, his job doesn't look to be in jeopardy once again this season. I was personally burned by drafting a rookie running back in Ryan Mathews two years ago so I can't wrap my head around going all in on Richardson.
The question for fantasy owners is do you like the steady Eddie or do you want to roll the dice on one of the best running prospects the NFL has seen in a very long time? The Cleveland Browns will still be a bad team this season. What that means is they will be playing from behind for the most part. That doesn't usually translate to a lot of rushing attempts. It's unknown whether Richardson will be a good receiving option, but if he is he will stay on the field more and be far more valuable than Steven Jackson by seasons end. The Rams had a horrific season in 2011, but it didn't stop Jackson from having decent production. You would have to believe that they will be better with a healthy Sam Bradford under center and if so Jackson may have one more elite season for fantasy owners.
Wide Receivers:
Mike Wallace (ADP 26.6 via ESPN) vs. A.J. Green (ADP 29.4 via ESPN)
You want red flags about Mike Wallace? I've got red flags. He's holding out for more money. His quarterback is the epitome of the walking wounded and now has a 'little torn rotator cuff' per ESPN. He might not even be the #1 WR on his own team. Antonio Brown saw 11 more passes go his way than did Wallace and basically matched him in receptions and yards. The only saving grace for Mike Wallace is that he hauled in 8 touchdowns (to only 2 for Brown), but touchdowns is the one stat that fantasy owners cannot fall in love with.
The Steelers could easily split those 10 touchdowns 6 to 4 instead of 8 to 2 and all of a sudden the fantasy numbers of the two receivers could be even. Right now Antonio Brown's ADP is 70.4 and it is all based on his lack of touchdowns. If Wallace misses any more of training camp it will be interesting to see if he starts slipping and Brown starts rising.
Staying in the AFC North A.J. Green is the unquestioned #1 receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was the same last year during his rookie season and was rather spectacular based off his expectations. He topped 1,000 yards receiving and hauled in 7 touchdowns on only 65 receptions. Another 10 receptions gets him over 1,200 yards and another 7 touchdowns would be the cherry on top.
The 1A's vs. The 1B's in the NFC
The New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons all pose a problem for defenses. They all have two really good receivers that could beat you at anytime. That's all well and good for them, but for fantasy owners deciding on which on to draft could be very difficult.
Let's look at them briefly:
Atlanta - Roddy White (ADP 19.3) vs. Julio Jones (ADP 36.1)
New York - Victor Cruz (ADP 31.9) vs. Hakeem Nicks (ADP 32.2)
Philadelphia - DeSean Jackson (ADP 61.9) vs. Jeremy Maclin (ADP 63.4)
Green Bay - Greg Jennings (ADP 20.0) vs. Jordy Nelson (ADP 39.0)
Dallas - Dez Bryant (ADP 45.3) vs. Miles Austin (ADP 51.0)
That's 10 players on five teams drafted between picks 19 and 64. Not all 10 are going to have an All-Pro season, but they will all, for the most part be a #1 wide receiver on fantasy teams. So which one, and only one, would you draft?
Roddy White is the first of the 'Big 10' coming off the board, but I can easily see Julio Jones outpacing him this season. Last year as a rookie, Jones saw about half the targets, caught about half the balls as the veteran White. Jones proved to be the deep threat averaging nearly 18 yards a catch (to 13 for White) and they both had 8 touchdowns. Imagine if just 10 of those catches by Roddy White end up in Julio Jones' hands. That 1170 yards for White and 1140 for Jones based off of their average yards per catch from 2011.
Victor Cruz came out of nowhere to not only surpass both his teammates in receiving, but finished 3rd in the NFL in yards. He went undrafted in every single fantasy league in the world last year. I'm sure even Victor Cruz didn't draft Victor Cruz. There is really no way he can duplicate his 2011 stat line is there? Well Hakeem Nicks is already injured and Mario Manningham went to San Francisco. The receiver that I'm most worried about on the Giants is Nicks. A broken foot is nothing to sneeze at for a wide receiver and that is what Nicks is coming back from. If he slips due to injury concern I'd feel much better about 2 rounds later.
The Philadelphia Eagles were 'a hot mess' as the kids would say in 2011. They were anointed as Super Bowl champions before the season started and finished 8-8 (even though the actual Super Bowl winners were 9-7). The lack of health and consistency from Michael Vick tempered the numbers that DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin produced, but it wasn't all his fault. Jackson proved to be the leagues foremost prima donna by getting himself suspended after missing a team meeting. Add that to his numerous dropped balls and its a wonder people still have faith in him. Jeremy Maclin quietly caught more passes than Jackson and even had one more touchdown than him. Maybe this is the year Maclin ascends to the top spot in Philadelphia.
Greg Jennings is being drafted almost two rounds ahead of his teammate Jordy Nelson, but why? Name recognition or a longer resume? Aaron Rodgers is currently the best quarterback in the NFL and it probably doesn't matter who lines up next to him in Green Bay. They should all be quality options, but I do know that Jordy Nelson will not catch 15 touchdowns this season. He'll be lucky to do half of that. Five Packers caught six or more touchdowns and that tells me the ball gets spread around. Its the key to the Packers success, murder by numbers. Greg Jennings has had 920+ yards receiving in five straight seasons and averaged 9 touchdowns per season as well. He has easily been the most consistent receiver on the Packers, but the fact that nobody is a true #1 (just like the New Orleans Saints) is the reason why its so difficult to take one of them with your first 2-3 picks.
Neither Dez Bryant nor Miles Austin led the Dallas Cowboys in targets, receptions or yards. It wasn't Laurent Robinson either. It was Jason Witten. Jason Witten is going 60th overall in a much shallower position for fantasy owners yet that is behind both of the wide receivers in Big D. That seems kind of odd, don't you think? To say I don't have faith in either of these two receivers is an understatement. There is not reason that they should be going in rounds 4-5. You just won't get the value you want from them because of the presence of Witten who is obviously the security blanket for Tony Romo. If they fall to rounds 6 or 7 and are your #2 receiver, jump on them immediately, but don't reach for either one.
Tight Ends:
Fred Davis (ADP 103.9 via ESPN) vs. Brandon Pettigrew (ADP 107.9 via ESPN)
On one hand you have a very talented tight end who is one drug bust away from missing a full season. On the other hand you have a great blocking tight end who catches a ton of short passes. They could both potentially put up really good numbers this season and could both be on the waiver wire by mid season. Brandon Pettigrew is a much safer pick, but his ceiling is far lower than that of Fred Davis. With a rookie quarterback who can run and some new speedy wide receivers to stretch the field, the middle of the field could be wide open for him. If he plays all 16 games I expect Fred Davis to challenge for Pro Bowl honors in a very deep position in the NFC. The only thing holding Brandon Pettigrew back is how the Lions use him. He doesn't go down field enough, he doesn't get enough red zone opportunities but and he blocks too much. Outside of that he fits the mold of a very good tight end. He is just on the edge of being a reliable starter.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/30/12
The month of July is coming to a close and that can only mean one thing: my focus starts shifting to fantasy football. I will try and get some posts out related to that subject so I might miss a couple days of the ol' Pocket Pair. It was a busy weekend with my family in town for mom's retirement after 38 fun filled years with the government. If you had a busy weekend as well, let me catch you up with what you missed.
5. Baseball Trading Deadline
Zack Greinke was most certainly dealt as he wound up on the west coast with the Angels. He lost in his first start with them getting out dueled by Jeremy Hellickson and the Tampa Bay Rays. Also traded this weekend was lefty pitcher Francisco Liriano who gained 12.5 games in the A.L. Central when he was shipped from Minnesota to the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox have been, by far, the most active trading partner so far as they have acquired Kevin Youkilis and Brett Myers in addition to Liriano already. Chris Johnson and George Kottaras were a couple smaller named players to move as well. Today and tomorrow will be where the deadline definitely ramps up as we find out if Philadelphia unloads their aging roster, if the Marlins have yet another fire sale, if division leaders stand pat or go for it and if a blockbuster is in the works.
4. Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees
After losing on Friday night, the Boston Red Sox took the final two games of the series, not only pushing their record back to .500, but also stayed within arms reach of the Wild Card. The pressure was really on after getting thumped in game 1 and having to face C.C. Sabathia on Saturday, but the Sox struck early and often against the big lefty tagging him for 6 runs in 6 innings. In each of the two wins for Boston they blew leads and had to salvage the games late in the game on the road. Will they be able to build off of this or will this just be another blip on a very uneven year to date? The Yankees appear to be cruise control mode as they are 3-7 in their last 10 games after starting the second half of the season 5-1. They still have a very comfortable 7.5 game lead to play with and nobody else in the A.L. East seems good enough to challenge them.
3. Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers
I admit, it looks like I called the race in the A.L. Central for the Detroit Tigers a wee bit early. Not only did the Tigers have a poor 2-4 week, but the White Sox nearly swept their week going 5-1 losing only on Sunday. They have reestablished their 1.5 game lead over Detroit and now get to play Minnesota again whom they just swept. The Texas Rangers are not playing well. It all starts with Josh Hamilton who is mired in a deep slump and he seems to be bringing the entire team down with him. He was 0-6 in his two games this weekend against the White Sox and was benched on Saturday. I don't want to build up the 4 game series this week against the Angels as do or die, but if Los Angeles comes in and takes 3 of 4 or all 4, it could mark the end of a very strong two year run for the Rangers. They have played a lot of games in the last 2+ years, the heat in Texas will not subside and maybe it's beginning to take a toll on the roster.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
It looks like the Giants will need to make a move to keep pace with the Dodgers after what happened this weekend. Los Angeles waltzed into San Francisco and swept the Giants to create a deadlock atop the N.L. West standings. The Giants mustered only 3 runs in the 28 innings that were played and were shut out in the last two games of the series. Hanley Ramirez was 4-15 with a home run, 3 runs scored and 6 RBI in the series. If that doesn't force the Giants hand, I don't know what will. I was slightly wrong as the finale of the series went 3:03, just slightly longer than The Dark Knight Rises.
1. The Summer Olympics
I'm a bit disappointed because I had DVR issues and missed the opening ceremonies. Twitter kept me up to date about flying monkeys, sperm shaped objects flying through the air and David Beckham on a jet boat. It sounds like a good time was had by all. As for the Games themselves so far so good...save for the crappy tape delay in America. I understand NBC is in a lose/lose situation with the Olympics in Europe. NBC has decided to not show any live swimming medal events...none. They know its their biggest draw in prime time viewing so Americans have two choices: 1) avoid social media and watch the events on tape delay 2) stream the events online or check in with social media for the results. It will be too hard to stay off Twitter for two weeks or not go to ESPN.com or a similar sports site, so I choose to watch live as much as I can. Luckily my work will allow for this, but there are plenty of people who don't get that choice.
Outside of swimming the Twitter world seems to be in love with Archery, Handball and watching the US win at Basketball and Women's Soccer. Cycling is still boring, I saw the Chinese look terrible in Gymnastics, American Kim Rhode won a medal in her 5th straight Olympics and the Australian women wore their bikini tops over a shirt in Beach Volleyball.
That's 3 days down and we've just scraped the surface of what will occur. Live or not, the Olympics are fun to watch and I plan on seeing my fair share over the next two weeks.
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There's probably nothing more enjoyable than a really good M. Night Shyamalan movie. Unfortunately there's probably nothing less enjoyable than a really badd M. Night Shyamalan movie. He's had both. I watched Signs last night for the first time in forever and outside of the gimmicky solution to the problem, I enjoy it from beginning to end. He paces it so well and leaves enough to the imagination that the viewer can feel the same fright as the characters do. This is where he excels in his great films (The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable) being the other two, struggles at time in the average one (The Village) and fails for the most part in the misfires (The Happening and Lady in the Water).
I know that it was all about the big plot twist at the end after The Sixth Sense came out, but it was more than that. The acting by the children made the films. Haley Joel Osment was spectacular, Spence Treat Clark was very engaging and both the children in Signs (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin) stole the show at times. Not to mention that the last two will probably be acting for a very long time if they don't go crazy as they have both proven to be very talented.
This is why I have high hopes for his next project, After Earth, which will release summer of 2013. Not only does it star one of my favorite actors Will Smith, but his son Jaden (Karate Kid) and fellow child actor Isabelle Fuhrman (The Orphan). Fuhrman had a very difficult character to portray in The Orphan and because of her talent kept the movie from being laughable. She was extremely strong and drew me in to the very twisted story line. The remake of The Karate Kid was lauded by critics and audiences, thanks in large part to Jaden Smith. He lights up the screen just like his father and that's what attracts people to his films.
Hopefully this can be a redemption movie for Shyamalan because after the disastrous The Last Airbender, I don't know if he can handle another box office failure. I want him to get back to creepy ghost stories that aren't too complicated but keep the viewers on the edges of their seat and hopefully come with a satisfying ending. It sounds all too simple, but obviously Shyamalan has lost his edge with his recent releases.
5. Baseball Trading Deadline
Zack Greinke was most certainly dealt as he wound up on the west coast with the Angels. He lost in his first start with them getting out dueled by Jeremy Hellickson and the Tampa Bay Rays. Also traded this weekend was lefty pitcher Francisco Liriano who gained 12.5 games in the A.L. Central when he was shipped from Minnesota to the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox have been, by far, the most active trading partner so far as they have acquired Kevin Youkilis and Brett Myers in addition to Liriano already. Chris Johnson and George Kottaras were a couple smaller named players to move as well. Today and tomorrow will be where the deadline definitely ramps up as we find out if Philadelphia unloads their aging roster, if the Marlins have yet another fire sale, if division leaders stand pat or go for it and if a blockbuster is in the works.
4. Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees
After losing on Friday night, the Boston Red Sox took the final two games of the series, not only pushing their record back to .500, but also stayed within arms reach of the Wild Card. The pressure was really on after getting thumped in game 1 and having to face C.C. Sabathia on Saturday, but the Sox struck early and often against the big lefty tagging him for 6 runs in 6 innings. In each of the two wins for Boston they blew leads and had to salvage the games late in the game on the road. Will they be able to build off of this or will this just be another blip on a very uneven year to date? The Yankees appear to be cruise control mode as they are 3-7 in their last 10 games after starting the second half of the season 5-1. They still have a very comfortable 7.5 game lead to play with and nobody else in the A.L. East seems good enough to challenge them.
3. Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers
I admit, it looks like I called the race in the A.L. Central for the Detroit Tigers a wee bit early. Not only did the Tigers have a poor 2-4 week, but the White Sox nearly swept their week going 5-1 losing only on Sunday. They have reestablished their 1.5 game lead over Detroit and now get to play Minnesota again whom they just swept. The Texas Rangers are not playing well. It all starts with Josh Hamilton who is mired in a deep slump and he seems to be bringing the entire team down with him. He was 0-6 in his two games this weekend against the White Sox and was benched on Saturday. I don't want to build up the 4 game series this week against the Angels as do or die, but if Los Angeles comes in and takes 3 of 4 or all 4, it could mark the end of a very strong two year run for the Rangers. They have played a lot of games in the last 2+ years, the heat in Texas will not subside and maybe it's beginning to take a toll on the roster.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
It looks like the Giants will need to make a move to keep pace with the Dodgers after what happened this weekend. Los Angeles waltzed into San Francisco and swept the Giants to create a deadlock atop the N.L. West standings. The Giants mustered only 3 runs in the 28 innings that were played and were shut out in the last two games of the series. Hanley Ramirez was 4-15 with a home run, 3 runs scored and 6 RBI in the series. If that doesn't force the Giants hand, I don't know what will. I was slightly wrong as the finale of the series went 3:03, just slightly longer than The Dark Knight Rises.
1. The Summer Olympics
I'm a bit disappointed because I had DVR issues and missed the opening ceremonies. Twitter kept me up to date about flying monkeys, sperm shaped objects flying through the air and David Beckham on a jet boat. It sounds like a good time was had by all. As for the Games themselves so far so good...save for the crappy tape delay in America. I understand NBC is in a lose/lose situation with the Olympics in Europe. NBC has decided to not show any live swimming medal events...none. They know its their biggest draw in prime time viewing so Americans have two choices: 1) avoid social media and watch the events on tape delay 2) stream the events online or check in with social media for the results. It will be too hard to stay off Twitter for two weeks or not go to ESPN.com or a similar sports site, so I choose to watch live as much as I can. Luckily my work will allow for this, but there are plenty of people who don't get that choice.
Outside of swimming the Twitter world seems to be in love with Archery, Handball and watching the US win at Basketball and Women's Soccer. Cycling is still boring, I saw the Chinese look terrible in Gymnastics, American Kim Rhode won a medal in her 5th straight Olympics and the Australian women wore their bikini tops over a shirt in Beach Volleyball.
That's 3 days down and we've just scraped the surface of what will occur. Live or not, the Olympics are fun to watch and I plan on seeing my fair share over the next two weeks.
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There's probably nothing more enjoyable than a really good M. Night Shyamalan movie. Unfortunately there's probably nothing less enjoyable than a really badd M. Night Shyamalan movie. He's had both. I watched Signs last night for the first time in forever and outside of the gimmicky solution to the problem, I enjoy it from beginning to end. He paces it so well and leaves enough to the imagination that the viewer can feel the same fright as the characters do. This is where he excels in his great films (The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable) being the other two, struggles at time in the average one (The Village) and fails for the most part in the misfires (The Happening and Lady in the Water).
I know that it was all about the big plot twist at the end after The Sixth Sense came out, but it was more than that. The acting by the children made the films. Haley Joel Osment was spectacular, Spence Treat Clark was very engaging and both the children in Signs (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin) stole the show at times. Not to mention that the last two will probably be acting for a very long time if they don't go crazy as they have both proven to be very talented.
This is why I have high hopes for his next project, After Earth, which will release summer of 2013. Not only does it star one of my favorite actors Will Smith, but his son Jaden (Karate Kid) and fellow child actor Isabelle Fuhrman (The Orphan). Fuhrman had a very difficult character to portray in The Orphan and because of her talent kept the movie from being laughable. She was extremely strong and drew me in to the very twisted story line. The remake of The Karate Kid was lauded by critics and audiences, thanks in large part to Jaden Smith. He lights up the screen just like his father and that's what attracts people to his films.
Hopefully this can be a redemption movie for Shyamalan because after the disastrous The Last Airbender, I don't know if he can handle another box office failure. I want him to get back to creepy ghost stories that aren't too complicated but keep the viewers on the edges of their seat and hopefully come with a satisfying ending. It sounds all too simple, but obviously Shyamalan has lost his edge with his recent releases.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/27/12
Another work week down, another weekend to watch sports. Training camps have started for most of the NFL this week and that can only mean one thing...preseason football is a mere two weeks away. If only there was something to keep our attention during that time span.
Let's get right to it...your limited weekend viewing guide:
5: Baseball Trading Deadline
I'm cheating a little bit here because the deadline isn't officially until Tuesday, but seeing as this is the final weekend for your favorite team to prove they're a buyer or a seller. Hopefully there are a couple of trades this weekend to tide us over. We've already seen Hanley Ramirez and Ichiro traded and yesterday the Brewers announced that pitcher Zack Greinke will most certainly be traded. Because of the 2nd Wild Card there is fear that more teams will avoid selling off key pieces and just stand pat. It will be interesting
to see if there is more or less activity than usual.
4: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Just because I won't be watching this, doesn't mean the rest of America won't be suckered into it. Doesn't this feel like a last stand for Boston? They are in dead last place in the A.L. East at 10.5 behind their bitter rival and 4.5 games out of the Wild Card, but the caveat is that seven teams are ahead of them. They cannot afford to get bludgeoned this weekend and fall further behind. The Yankees had a bad weekend out west and then lost ARod for six weeks with a broken hand midweek. They'll will probably feel like they are playing on a Little League field back at home after spending the week in Oakland and Seattle.
3. Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers
Just so I don't get accused of an east coast bias (or mid-Atlantic for that matter) I head to the middle of the country for this battle of division leading (or co-leading) teams. Just when I thought the White Sox would take a step in reverse they took advantage of playing the Twins by sweeping them. Things should get a bit tougher deep in the heart of Texas against the Rangers who are feeling the heat from both the Angels and Athletics. The week for Texas has been overshadowed by squabbling between Nolan Ryan and Josh Hamilton over the sluggers recent extended struggles. Tonight is the featured match up Chris Sale facing off against Yu Darvish...that should be all kinds of fun. I'm saying Josh Hamilton has a hat trick of K's tonight.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
Just to keep my west coast reader(s) in the loop I head to the other side of the Bay to focus on the Giants as they bring in their biggest rival to AT&T Park. Sitting only three games behind first place, the Dodgers are healthy, have added Hanley Ramirez and feeling kind of salty after losing three of four to St. Louis. The West won't be won or lost this weekend, but both teams are in being given the opportunity to stake their claim for the division title. The marquee pitching duel comes Sunday afternoon when Clayton Kershaw goes up against Ryan Vogelsong. I bet that game will be shorter than the running time of the Dark Knight Rises...just saying.
1. The Summer Olympics
Even though soccer is well underway including the Spain men being stunned by Japan, the Olympics officially get underway with the opening ceremonies tonight. I usually only grab the highlights of that, but this year it is being run by one of my favorite movie directors, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire). Also seeing as London is the only city in Europe I've ever been to I will at least recognize some of the sights around the Olympic village. The biggest disappointment about this years Olympics is that there will be zero live prime time events. I'm fortunate to work around multiple televisions so I'll be able to watch swimming, basketball and soccer live, but in this day and age tape delayed sports just don't cut it. Between web surfing on ESPN, Twitter and watching television at work I should know all the results by 8pm. That sucks. Sure I could cut myself off from the world at work, but I may miss important tweets!!!!! :)
I'm a sucker for the Olympics whereas many of you aren't. I like to get into the mind of the athletes and realize that they have worked their entire lives for these two weeks. For some this will be their only moment of glory. Not all will see four Olympics like Michael Phelps. Not all are multimillionaires like LeBron James. Some will just have their story told for two weeks and have one chance to succeed and get on a box of Wheaties or fail and be forgotten forever. No pressure. There will be tears of joy and tears of sadness and that is what draws me in. It's top level competition with individual accomplishment and national pride at stake. Go USA!!!
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In case your not wanting to watch live sports this weekend, I'll present you with my favorite sports movies of all time. Being good is not a qualification.
Top 10 Favorite Sports Movies:
10. Searching For Bobby Fischer-sweet story about a father trying to connect with his son who is a chess prodigy.
9. Eight Men Out-the story about the 1919 Chicago White Sox who threw the World Series
8. Rocky IV-USA vs USSR; Sylvester Stallone vs. He-Man
7. Happy Gilmore-The price is wrong, bitch. Need I say more?
6. Rounders-Technically not a sport, but it inspired a generation of card players including me
5. The Rookie-The dream I hang onto every new season
4. The Sandlot-If you have to ask, you're not my friend.
3. Major League-Still funny and very quotable almost 25 years later
2. Field of Dreams-If you don't cry, you don't have a soul.
1. Miracle-The sporting event I most wish I was able to watch live (or on tape delay as it was for most). Masterful reenactment and the usage of the live call by Al Michaels is perfection.
Let's get right to it...your limited weekend viewing guide:
5: Baseball Trading Deadline
I'm cheating a little bit here because the deadline isn't officially until Tuesday, but seeing as this is the final weekend for your favorite team to prove they're a buyer or a seller. Hopefully there are a couple of trades this weekend to tide us over. We've already seen Hanley Ramirez and Ichiro traded and yesterday the Brewers announced that pitcher Zack Greinke will most certainly be traded. Because of the 2nd Wild Card there is fear that more teams will avoid selling off key pieces and just stand pat. It will be interesting
to see if there is more or less activity than usual.
4: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Just because I won't be watching this, doesn't mean the rest of America won't be suckered into it. Doesn't this feel like a last stand for Boston? They are in dead last place in the A.L. East at 10.5 behind their bitter rival and 4.5 games out of the Wild Card, but the caveat is that seven teams are ahead of them. They cannot afford to get bludgeoned this weekend and fall further behind. The Yankees had a bad weekend out west and then lost ARod for six weeks with a broken hand midweek. They'll will probably feel like they are playing on a Little League field back at home after spending the week in Oakland and Seattle.
3. Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers
Just so I don't get accused of an east coast bias (or mid-Atlantic for that matter) I head to the middle of the country for this battle of division leading (or co-leading) teams. Just when I thought the White Sox would take a step in reverse they took advantage of playing the Twins by sweeping them. Things should get a bit tougher deep in the heart of Texas against the Rangers who are feeling the heat from both the Angels and Athletics. The week for Texas has been overshadowed by squabbling between Nolan Ryan and Josh Hamilton over the sluggers recent extended struggles. Tonight is the featured match up Chris Sale facing off against Yu Darvish...that should be all kinds of fun. I'm saying Josh Hamilton has a hat trick of K's tonight.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
Just to keep my west coast reader(s) in the loop I head to the other side of the Bay to focus on the Giants as they bring in their biggest rival to AT&T Park. Sitting only three games behind first place, the Dodgers are healthy, have added Hanley Ramirez and feeling kind of salty after losing three of four to St. Louis. The West won't be won or lost this weekend, but both teams are in being given the opportunity to stake their claim for the division title. The marquee pitching duel comes Sunday afternoon when Clayton Kershaw goes up against Ryan Vogelsong. I bet that game will be shorter than the running time of the Dark Knight Rises...just saying.
1. The Summer Olympics
Even though soccer is well underway including the Spain men being stunned by Japan, the Olympics officially get underway with the opening ceremonies tonight. I usually only grab the highlights of that, but this year it is being run by one of my favorite movie directors, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire). Also seeing as London is the only city in Europe I've ever been to I will at least recognize some of the sights around the Olympic village. The biggest disappointment about this years Olympics is that there will be zero live prime time events. I'm fortunate to work around multiple televisions so I'll be able to watch swimming, basketball and soccer live, but in this day and age tape delayed sports just don't cut it. Between web surfing on ESPN, Twitter and watching television at work I should know all the results by 8pm. That sucks. Sure I could cut myself off from the world at work, but I may miss important tweets!!!!! :)
I'm a sucker for the Olympics whereas many of you aren't. I like to get into the mind of the athletes and realize that they have worked their entire lives for these two weeks. For some this will be their only moment of glory. Not all will see four Olympics like Michael Phelps. Not all are multimillionaires like LeBron James. Some will just have their story told for two weeks and have one chance to succeed and get on a box of Wheaties or fail and be forgotten forever. No pressure. There will be tears of joy and tears of sadness and that is what draws me in. It's top level competition with individual accomplishment and national pride at stake. Go USA!!!
-------------------------------------------------------
In case your not wanting to watch live sports this weekend, I'll present you with my favorite sports movies of all time. Being good is not a qualification.
Top 10 Favorite Sports Movies:
10. Searching For Bobby Fischer-sweet story about a father trying to connect with his son who is a chess prodigy.
9. Eight Men Out-the story about the 1919 Chicago White Sox who threw the World Series
8. Rocky IV-USA vs USSR; Sylvester Stallone vs. He-Man
7. Happy Gilmore-The price is wrong, bitch. Need I say more?
6. Rounders-Technically not a sport, but it inspired a generation of card players including me
5. The Rookie-The dream I hang onto every new season
4. The Sandlot-If you have to ask, you're not my friend.
3. Major League-Still funny and very quotable almost 25 years later
2. Field of Dreams-If you don't cry, you don't have a soul.
1. Miracle-The sporting event I most wish I was able to watch live (or on tape delay as it was for most). Masterful reenactment and the usage of the live call by Al Michaels is perfection.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Pocket Pair 6/29/12
With temperatures in the low 100's this week in the D.C. area, it looks like the perfect weekend to stay home and watch sports. Unfortunately it is a slow weekend in sports, but fear not, sports fans, use my guide and you'll find enough to avoid outdoor chores.
10: NHL Free Agency Begins
This counts as sports right? Sure it does. By all accounts it is a shallow pool for free agents this season, but that makes the intrigue all the more. Who will overpay for the likes of Zach Parise and Justin Schultz? I understand this isn't sexy, but teams have holes to fill including my Washington Capitals. Per my insiders (Japers Rink @japersrink and Neil Greenberg @ngreenberg) the two players to hope for in Washington are Shane Doan and Mikael Samuelsson who are both right wingers which is the biggest deficiency of talent on the roster. For more visit Japers Rink and their thoughts on what the Capitals should do here.
9: NBA Free Agency Begins
For fans of a more popular sport, (unfortunate as that is to say) the NBA follows up its draft with Free Agency. Deron Williams is the prized jewel of the free agent class along with aging superstars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The New Orleans Hornets revamped their roster through the draft last night, but the key to improving next season is hanging on to their lone star Eric Gordon.
8. New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
This ship is sinking fast for the Dodgers. Injuries have taken their toll as now Andre Either has been added to the list of casualties. The Mets are trending upwards and even though R.A. Dickey has seen his streak of scoreless pitching come to an end, they are playing really well of late. They also get the nod for the Sunday night national televised game and Dillon Gee will be matched up with Clayton Kershaw. If I were Kershaw I'd be worried about pulling a muscle or straining a hamstring.
7. AT&T National
If you are brave enough to sit through the scorching weather here in the area, head on over to Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD this weekend. Tiger Woods and a slew of relative unknowns are playing on a course that was recently seen hosting last years U.S. Open. According to the people at Congressional, the course will play much harder during this tournament than when Rory McIlroy carved it up last year.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals
Don't look now, but both of these teams are inching towards the Cincinnati Reds for 1st place in the N.L. Central. The defending champion Cardinals are still hitting minus the services of Albert Pujols who left them for Anaheim and Lance Berkman who is injured. The Pirates are being buoyed by A.J. Burnett who has won 8 consecutive starts for the first time in franchise history since Dock Ellis in 1974. It looks as though the move from New York was indeed the perfect thing to reinvigorate his fledgling career.
5. Wimbledon
Usually the first week of a Grand Slam Tournament is rather mundane with the top seeds rolling through qualifiers and youngsters, but this year has already been a shocker. Yesterday 5 time Wimbledon finalist Rafael Nadal was ousted in jaw dropping, dramatic fashion by 100th ranked unknown Lukas Rosol. Less stunning, but still surprising was on the Ladies side of the draw where former #1 and current 7th ranked Caroline Wozniaki was dropped in the first round. Add to the fact that Venus Williams again disappointed losing in the first round and you've got yourself an intriguing tournament for a change during week one.
4. Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees
Two first place teams that I equally don't like, but who are both playing really good baseball right now. The Yankees have lost 2/5 of its starting rotation this week, but they are the Yankees and we all know they will find a way to survive. More than likely they will just hit more home runs to make up for the lack of quality outings by their staff. The White Sox also made noise by acquiring Kevin Youkilis from the Boston Red Sox. Game one of this 4 game set went to the White Sox on a 9th inning 3 run blast by Dayan Viciedo.
3. Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves
The first place Nationals look to stay that way as the All-Star Break approaches. They will throw out both of their aces (Strasburg and Gonzalez) this series in hopes to add a cushion to their 3.5 game lead in the division. The Braves who have lost Brandon Beachy and his 2.00 ERA for this season and probably next year as well with the dreaded, yet all too common Tommy John surgery. The Braves are good, but I have a feeling this could be a possible last stand of sort if they are to contend this season.
2. Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco Giants
Guess which pitching staff is the hottest in the Majors right now? They are located in the Bay area and their colors are green and gold...yes the Oakland Athletics. Over their last 14 game the A's have given up more than 3 runs only three times. That's nice and all, but its their cross bay rivals the Giants that have thrown 4 consecutive shutouts and vaulted the injured Dodgers into 1st place in the N.L. West. The Reds are scuffling as of late, but still hold a slim lead in the N.L. Central. Matt Cain looks to extend the scoreless streak for the Giants tonight.
1. Euro Cup 2012 Final
Spain vs. Italy. Hopefully we get a game like yesterday when Italy scored early at shook Germany to the core. All it takes is an early goal to have the coaches throw out the game plan and get their team scrambling. Mario Balotelli showed all the good that he can bring to a team while leaving all the bad out Spain hasn't given up a goal in a knockout game since 2006 so we know they will have a great defensive structure and it will be interesting to see how the Italians try and break through. If Spain falls behind it should be fun, if they score first it could be a mind numbing 1-0 final score.
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I am headed to Texas to get away from the D.C. heat this upcoming week. The wife and I are headed to visit her sister, but I am looking forward to eating some Texas brisket, some local Mexican food, eating some burgers and gaining 15 pounds. I better walk around and see the sights or else I may not make it back in one piece.
I will probably not be updating the page too much unless I need a reason to stay out of the heat. I will be posting pictures of my gluttonous conquests on my Twitter page so enjoy those.
Enjoy the week ahead including the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on the 4th of July. I do love me some food.
10: NHL Free Agency Begins
This counts as sports right? Sure it does. By all accounts it is a shallow pool for free agents this season, but that makes the intrigue all the more. Who will overpay for the likes of Zach Parise and Justin Schultz? I understand this isn't sexy, but teams have holes to fill including my Washington Capitals. Per my insiders (Japers Rink @japersrink and Neil Greenberg @ngreenberg) the two players to hope for in Washington are Shane Doan and Mikael Samuelsson who are both right wingers which is the biggest deficiency of talent on the roster. For more visit Japers Rink and their thoughts on what the Capitals should do here.
9: NBA Free Agency Begins
For fans of a more popular sport, (unfortunate as that is to say) the NBA follows up its draft with Free Agency. Deron Williams is the prized jewel of the free agent class along with aging superstars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The New Orleans Hornets revamped their roster through the draft last night, but the key to improving next season is hanging on to their lone star Eric Gordon.
8. New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
This ship is sinking fast for the Dodgers. Injuries have taken their toll as now Andre Either has been added to the list of casualties. The Mets are trending upwards and even though R.A. Dickey has seen his streak of scoreless pitching come to an end, they are playing really well of late. They also get the nod for the Sunday night national televised game and Dillon Gee will be matched up with Clayton Kershaw. If I were Kershaw I'd be worried about pulling a muscle or straining a hamstring.
7. AT&T National
If you are brave enough to sit through the scorching weather here in the area, head on over to Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD this weekend. Tiger Woods and a slew of relative unknowns are playing on a course that was recently seen hosting last years U.S. Open. According to the people at Congressional, the course will play much harder during this tournament than when Rory McIlroy carved it up last year.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals
Don't look now, but both of these teams are inching towards the Cincinnati Reds for 1st place in the N.L. Central. The defending champion Cardinals are still hitting minus the services of Albert Pujols who left them for Anaheim and Lance Berkman who is injured. The Pirates are being buoyed by A.J. Burnett who has won 8 consecutive starts for the first time in franchise history since Dock Ellis in 1974. It looks as though the move from New York was indeed the perfect thing to reinvigorate his fledgling career.
5. Wimbledon
Usually the first week of a Grand Slam Tournament is rather mundane with the top seeds rolling through qualifiers and youngsters, but this year has already been a shocker. Yesterday 5 time Wimbledon finalist Rafael Nadal was ousted in jaw dropping, dramatic fashion by 100th ranked unknown Lukas Rosol. Less stunning, but still surprising was on the Ladies side of the draw where former #1 and current 7th ranked Caroline Wozniaki was dropped in the first round. Add to the fact that Venus Williams again disappointed losing in the first round and you've got yourself an intriguing tournament for a change during week one.
4. Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees
Two first place teams that I equally don't like, but who are both playing really good baseball right now. The Yankees have lost 2/5 of its starting rotation this week, but they are the Yankees and we all know they will find a way to survive. More than likely they will just hit more home runs to make up for the lack of quality outings by their staff. The White Sox also made noise by acquiring Kevin Youkilis from the Boston Red Sox. Game one of this 4 game set went to the White Sox on a 9th inning 3 run blast by Dayan Viciedo.
3. Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves
The first place Nationals look to stay that way as the All-Star Break approaches. They will throw out both of their aces (Strasburg and Gonzalez) this series in hopes to add a cushion to their 3.5 game lead in the division. The Braves who have lost Brandon Beachy and his 2.00 ERA for this season and probably next year as well with the dreaded, yet all too common Tommy John surgery. The Braves are good, but I have a feeling this could be a possible last stand of sort if they are to contend this season.
2. Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco Giants
Guess which pitching staff is the hottest in the Majors right now? They are located in the Bay area and their colors are green and gold...yes the Oakland Athletics. Over their last 14 game the A's have given up more than 3 runs only three times. That's nice and all, but its their cross bay rivals the Giants that have thrown 4 consecutive shutouts and vaulted the injured Dodgers into 1st place in the N.L. West. The Reds are scuffling as of late, but still hold a slim lead in the N.L. Central. Matt Cain looks to extend the scoreless streak for the Giants tonight.
1. Euro Cup 2012 Final
Spain vs. Italy. Hopefully we get a game like yesterday when Italy scored early at shook Germany to the core. All it takes is an early goal to have the coaches throw out the game plan and get their team scrambling. Mario Balotelli showed all the good that he can bring to a team while leaving all the bad out Spain hasn't given up a goal in a knockout game since 2006 so we know they will have a great defensive structure and it will be interesting to see how the Italians try and break through. If Spain falls behind it should be fun, if they score first it could be a mind numbing 1-0 final score.
--------------------------------------------
I am headed to Texas to get away from the D.C. heat this upcoming week. The wife and I are headed to visit her sister, but I am looking forward to eating some Texas brisket, some local Mexican food, eating some burgers and gaining 15 pounds. I better walk around and see the sights or else I may not make it back in one piece.
I will probably not be updating the page too much unless I need a reason to stay out of the heat. I will be posting pictures of my gluttonous conquests on my Twitter page so enjoy those.
Enjoy the week ahead including the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on the 4th of July. I do love me some food.
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