2015 MLB Preview and Unbiased Predictions
For as well as I've done in my NFL predictions the last couple of years, I've done just as poorly when it comes to my MLB predictions. Last year I had the Cardinals beating the Rays so that is all you need to know on how well I did. There are only two divisions that I would be money on knowing the division winner and they're both in the National League. I could easily see 12 American League teams vying for the five playoff spots. The National League isn't quite as up for grabs with only 8-9 teams with a real shot at making the playoffs in my humble and usually wrong opinion. This year I'm correct though about everything, I swear.
AL East
To be honest, I could pick any of the four teams not named the Rays and be able to make a case for it. The Blue Jays have re-loaded in the hopes of finally getting back to the playoffs. The Red Sox have a great offense but question marks galore in their new starting rotation. The Yankees saw Derek Jeter retire, but welcome back (no laughing) A-Rod and a stout bullpen as they try and emulate the Royals path to the playoffs. Then there are the defending champion Orioles who did jack squat in the off-season, losing Nelson Cruz, but getting back Manny Machado and possibly Matt Wieters from injury. Each team has some strengths and multiple weaknesses so I suppose it comes down to which team can hide those weaknesses long enough to make some deadline deals and make a run for the playoffs.
New York Yankees 86-76 (#3 Seed)
Baltimore Orioles 85-77
Toronto Blue Jays 83-79
Boston Red Sox 83-79
Tampa Bay Rays 74-88
AL Central
Just like the AL East (and spoiler alert the AL West too) this will be another division that could be won by all but one team. The Twins will try and steal a few games here and there, but will be an afterthought be Memorial Day. The Tigers added Yoenis Cespedes to an already potent lineup and have basically traded away Max Scherzer for David Price for the 2015 season. Their biggest question, again, will be the bullpen. The Royals were on the cusp of being one of the most improbable World Series champions last October with their speed, defense and bullpen. Not much has changed other than losing 200+ innings from James Shields. The White Sox added Jeff Samardzija and Adam LaRoche to be paired with Chris Sale and Jose Abreu to create an intriguing core. Will they still be a piece or two short remains the question. The Indians have enough offense, starting pitching and bullpen to win, but can they break through the mental hurdle of believing they can win similarly to the way Kansas City did a year ago. I say yes, yes they can.
Cleveland Indians 88-74 (#2 Seed)
Detroit Tigers 86-76 (#2 Wild Card)
Chicago White Sox 81-81
Kansas City Royals 79-83
Minnesota Twins 70-92
AL West
The Angels were the class of the West last year, but may be without Josh Hamilton while Albert Pujols is another year older. Of course they still have Mike Trout and that might just be enough. The Seattle Mariners made some key off season moves adding Nelson Cruz and Seth Smith and have a very deep starting rotation. The Athletics have made the playoffs three straight years and turned over 2/3 of their roster, but now have a young stable of pitching that could surprise or be a disaster. The Rangers have already been snake bit to the injury bug yet again this year by losing Yu Darvish, the one person they couldn't afford to lose. The Astros have acquired some more ex-Athletics and Evan Gattis in the hopes to outscore opponents every game. Their bullpen won't be nearly as laughable as it was last year.
Seattle Mariners 90-72 (#1 Seed)
Los Angeles Angels 88-74 (#1 Wild Card)
Oakland Athletics 83-79
Houston Astros 76-86
Texas Rangers 72-90
NL East
Once again the Nationals are primed to run away with the division where they will get to face their playoff demons head on once again. Outside of early season injuries, their doesn't seem to be a weakness on the roster. Well there is Matt Williams. The Marlins have Giancarlo Stanton and will get back Jose Fernandez just in time to make a run at a wild card where nobody will want to play them. The Mets are building through their young pitching, but have already lost Zach Wheeler for the season the same way Matt Harvey went down last season. Another year away, again. The Phillies and Braves will be battling for the basement with their horribly constructed rosters. Both teams are stuck in a rebuilding mode, but neither have a clue of how to do it.
Washington Nationals 91-71 (#2 Seed)
Miami Marlins 87-75 (#1 Wild Card)
New York Mets 78-84
Atlanta Braves 71-91
Philadelphia Phillies 69-93
NL Central
This will be the most hotly contested division in the National League and really the only thing to pay attention to playoff wise come September. The Cubs are everyone's trendy pick to win with Joe Maddon running the ship and their cavalcade of young stud hitters. Oh yeah John Lester is there too. The Reds have a nicely construct lineup, a true ace and a stud closer, but something just doesn't seem to mesh over a six month season. The Pirates will see how much Russell Martin really meant to the team, but have a great core of young players that should challenge again for the division. The Brewers, well they play in Milwaukee and have Ryan Braun, Matt Lucroy and Carlos Gomez. The pitching staff on the other hand is, not good (Mike Fiers, I do like though). Then there are the Cardinals, the perennial division winning Cardinals. How can we forget about them? They'll be the odds on favorite to win the division yet again.
St. Louis Cardinals 89-73 (#3 Seed)
Chicago Cubs 84-78 (#2 Wild Card)
Pittsburgh Pirates 83-79
Cincinnati Reds 78-84
Milwaukee Brewers 72-90
NL West
Home of the defending World Series champion Giants (again), this is another division like the NL East where almost everybody will be picking one team to win and it won't be San Francisco. The Dodgers should again win this division by 5-10 games with ease. The Giants haven't gotten any better, but are a plucky bunch. The Padres went crazy in the off season with a flurry of trades and free agent signings, but will it be enough to make up 11 games which is how many games they were out of a playoff spot in 2014? The Diamondbacks are still stuck in between young and old, good and bad, rebuilding and contending. Good pieces but not enough of them. The Rockies are in trouble this year. They need a healthy Troy Tulowitzki, not in order to win a World Series, but in order to trade him away for more bodies.
Los Angeles Dodgers 93-69 (#1 Seed)
San Diego Padres 83-79
San Francisco Giants 82-80
Arizona Diamondbacks 77-85
Colorado Rockies 69-93
Awards
AL ROY: Daniel Norris over Rusney Castillo
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez over Carlos Carrasco
AL MVP: Mike Trout over Michael Brantley
NL ROY: Joc Pederson over Jorge Soler
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw over Max Scherzer
NL MVP: Giancarlo Stanton over Andrew McCutchen
Playoffs
American League
Tigers over the Angels in the play-in game
Mariners over the Tigers in 4 games
Indians over the Yankees in 4 game
Mariners over the Indians in 6 games
National League
Marlins over the Cubs in the play-in game
Dodgers over the Marlins in 4 games
Nationals over the Cardinals in 5 games
Nationals over the Dodgers in 6 games
World Series
Nationals over the Mariners in 6 games
World Series MVP Jordan Zimmermann
Showing posts with label st. louis cardinals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label st. louis cardinals. Show all posts
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Thursday, March 27, 2014
2014 MLB Preview and Unbiased Predictions
MLB Preview and Unbiased Predictions
AL East
Tampa Bay Rays 92-70 (#1 Seed)
Boston Red Sox 88-74 (Wild Card #1)
New York Yankees 83-79
Toronto Blue Jays 79-83
Baltimore Orioles 78-84
Quick thoughts: The AL East is up for grabs, but I think the Rays flaws are less than that of the rest and I don't think the Red Sox have the exact same magic from a year before.
Quick thoughts: The AL East is up for grabs, but I think the Rays flaws are less than that of the rest and I don't think the Red Sox have the exact same magic from a year before.
AL Central
Detroit Tigers 90-72 (#2 Seed)
Kansas City Royals 86-76 (Wild Card #2)
Cleveland Indians 78-84
Chicago White Sox 73-89
Minnesota Twins 71-91
Quick thoughts: Again its the Tigers to lose, but the gap over the Royals is possibly gone and I wouldn't be surprised if they overtake Detroit if Cabrera is hampered by injury again.
Quick thoughts: Again its the Tigers to lose, but the gap over the Royals is possibly gone and I wouldn't be surprised if they overtake Detroit if Cabrera is hampered by injury again.
AL West
Los Angeles Angels 87-75 (#3 Seed)
Oakland Athletics 84-78
Texas Rangers 83-79Seattle Mariners 79-83
Houston Astos 69-93
Quick thoughts: I wanted to pick Oakland, but Jarrod Parker going down eliminated that. I wanted to pick Texas, but look at their injury concerns. I defaulted to the Angels because of Mike Trout and Jered Weaver.
Quick thoughts: I wanted to pick Oakland, but Jarrod Parker going down eliminated that. I wanted to pick Texas, but look at their injury concerns. I defaulted to the Angels because of Mike Trout and Jered Weaver.
NL East
Washington Nationals 89-73 (#3 Seed)
Atlanta Braves 86-76 (Wild Card #2)
New York Mets 77-85
Philadelphia Phillies 72-90
Miami Marlins 71-91
Quick thoughts: Two horse race and right now the Nationals are the heathier team and should be able to hold off the Braves.
Quick thoughts: Two horse race and right now the Nationals are the heathier team and should be able to hold off the Braves.
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals 94-68 (#1 Seed)
Cincinnati Reds 88-74 (Wild Card #1)
Pittsburgh Pirates 85-77
Milwaukee Brewers 74-88
Chicago Cubs 66-96
Quick thoughts: St. Louis is so deep and talented that I just can't see Cincinnati or Pittsburgh keeping pace. All three will feast off the Brewers and lowly Cubs.
Quick thoughts: St. Louis is so deep and talented that I just can't see Cincinnati or Pittsburgh keeping pace. All three will feast off the Brewers and lowly Cubs.
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers 93-69 (#2 Seed)
Arizona Diamondbacks 84-78
Colorado Rockies 81-81
San Francisco Giants 78-84
San Diego Padres 72-90
Quick thoughts: The only no-brainer division winner. The Dodgers will have nearly two weeks to rest up after clinching in September.
Awards
AL ROY: Masahiro Tanaka (Yordano Ventura 2nd)
AL Cy Young: David Price (Yu Darvish 2nd)
AL MVP: Mike Trout (Prince Fielder 2nd)
Quick thoughts: Tanaka wins because he's on the Yankees and already will have the world watching although Ventura and Jose Abreu of the White Sox will fare well. I'm all in on Tampa Bay and David Price this year. Mike Trout finally wins what he deserves.
NL ROY: Billy Hamilton (by default b/c there are a ton of guys who could win IMO)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Stephen Strasburg 2nd)
NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt (Andrew McCutchen 2nd)
Quick thoughts: I really don't think the NL ROY is going to start on a major league roster in April. That being the case, anyone can win. As for Cy Young, the NL is very deep at stud pitchers, but I think Kershaw/Strasburg will get the most ink thoughout the season. I couldn't go with Bryce Harper at MVP because I don't think he's well liked enough to win.
Playoffs
American Leauge
Royals over Red Sox in the play-in game
Rays over Royals in 6 games
Tigers over Rangers in 7 games
Rays over Tigers in 6 games
National League
Braves over Reds in the play-in game
Cardinals over Braves in 5 games
Nationals over Dodgers in 7 games (Please be Strasburg vs. Kershaw!!!)
Cardinals over Nationals in 6 games
World Series
Cardinals over Rays in 6 games
World Series MVP Matt Carpenter
Quick thoughts: The only no-brainer division winner. The Dodgers will have nearly two weeks to rest up after clinching in September.
Awards
AL ROY: Masahiro Tanaka (Yordano Ventura 2nd)
AL Cy Young: David Price (Yu Darvish 2nd)
AL MVP: Mike Trout (Prince Fielder 2nd)
Quick thoughts: Tanaka wins because he's on the Yankees and already will have the world watching although Ventura and Jose Abreu of the White Sox will fare well. I'm all in on Tampa Bay and David Price this year. Mike Trout finally wins what he deserves.
NL ROY: Billy Hamilton (by default b/c there are a ton of guys who could win IMO)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Stephen Strasburg 2nd)
NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt (Andrew McCutchen 2nd)
Quick thoughts: I really don't think the NL ROY is going to start on a major league roster in April. That being the case, anyone can win. As for Cy Young, the NL is very deep at stud pitchers, but I think Kershaw/Strasburg will get the most ink thoughout the season. I couldn't go with Bryce Harper at MVP because I don't think he's well liked enough to win.
Playoffs
American Leauge
Royals over Red Sox in the play-in game
Rays over Royals in 6 games
Tigers over Rangers in 7 games
Rays over Tigers in 6 games
National League
Braves over Reds in the play-in game
Cardinals over Braves in 5 games
Nationals over Dodgers in 7 games (Please be Strasburg vs. Kershaw!!!)
Cardinals over Nationals in 6 games
World Series
Cardinals over Rays in 6 games
World Series MVP Matt Carpenter
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.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Weekend Viewing Guide 9/14/12
No tennis, no golf, no soccer...no worries. There is still a glutton of sports to watch this weekend. I'm not even going to highlight the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears I'm watching as I type that was played last night or the mouth-watering Monday Night Football game between my MVP choice, Matt Ryan and the expected Comeback Player of the Year, Peyton Manning. If you're a betting person...take the over. Either of those games would have cracked my top 3 of the weekend, but I push on, there are still enough main courses to satisfy even the Burgerdays crew.
Let's roll our sleeves up and get right into it:
10. James Madison University vs. West Virginia University (FedEx Field)
Okay don't stop reading, I haven't gone crazy. I went to JMU and I know some guys who went to West Virginia so there's a little more at stake if JMU can keep it close. If you remember, JMU went down to Virginia Tech just two years ago and won so be careful Mountaineer fans. In all actuality this will be a 60-17 type score, but you have two schools that have a ton of alumni in the DC/Maryland area and a 90,000 seat stadium to fill. With a 4:30pm start, the only real question is how many fans will be sober enough to remember to go into the stadium? Let's go Dukes!
9. St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers
What the hell is going on with the National League Wild Card standings? The Cardinals suck, the Dodgers stink and the Pirates are terrible. The only teams that seem to want to play Atlanta in the one game playoff are the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers who have each shaved about 10 games in the standings in the last month. This four game series that started (right about now) Thursday has the chance to make a gruesome mess of everything. By Monday there could be five teams within two games of the second Wild Card. When St. Louis and Los Angeles split these four games they will be at 77 and 76 wins respectively. The Pirates play the crappy Cubs, the Phillies will crush the abysmal Astros and the Brewers should manhandle the Mets. This puts all three of them at 75 wins with sweeps. All five will have either 70-72 losses as well with just over two weeks to go...just how we want it.
8. New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
Neither team expected to be facing an 0-2 start. Both teams were given a tasty cupcake of an opening week game by the NFL and yet both lost. In a division that I expect the Atlanta Falcons to win easily both of these teams are playing for a Wild Card spot in my opinion. This elevates a rather middling week 2 game into a pretty tasty pressure test. I'm sure if I had the Elias Sports Bureau working for me I could tell you what the chances are for 0-2 teams to make the playoffs, but I can promise you it's not that good. Dammit, I'm calling it...the loser of this game does not make the playoffs. Done. Final Score: Saints 31 Panthers 23
7. Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers
Welcome back from obscurity Tennessee. This game used to be the highlight of the SEC schedule. Then Tennessee disappeared into oblivion while Florida had up and down seasons (with some Tim Tebow greatness as well) and everyone forgot about these teams. Now even though they are relegated to a Week 3 meeting in mid-September, its good to see both schools getting good again at the same time. Both teams are ranked, ESPN is headed to Knoxville and they made my exclusive list of things to watch! Yes rivalry games in college football are exciting and this one has been ignored for far too long. Final Score Tennessee 31 Florida 21
6. Baltimore Ravens at Philadelphia Eagles
Did you see how good the Ravens looked on Monday? Did you see how bad the Eagles looked on Sunday? All that and Philadelphia is still a 2 point favorite at home this week. A short week and having to play on the road might have a bit to do with that for Baltimore. Something tell me each team will regress to the mean this weekend even if the Eagles are without Jeremy Maclin or DeSean Jackson or both. Michael Vick can't throw 4 more interceptions can he? Joe Flacco isn't going to be an MVP candidate is he? No I don't think either of these will be true. I still have the Ravens squeaking out a 23-20 win.
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan St. Spartans
This is a perfect September game. Two really good September teams that real fans of college football understand have no frickin' shot at being relevant come mid-November. The fans can only hope for another memorable finish like in 2010:
That highlight was made even better with the Star Wars cameo. Notre Dame has not been in the championship picture since the late 80's and the Big Ten is only good when not playing teams from real conferences like the SEC. That makes this game a perfect match up...for September. Final Score Michigan St. 30 Notre Dame 24
4. Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
I don't understand Tampa Bay. Well I take that back, they can't hit worth a damn. Even though they resemble the Oakland Athletics both on the mound and at the plate and how bad their stadium is, something is missing. There is no magic spark. Time is now beginning to run out on the Rays and unless they walk into New York and win this series, they could be missing the playoffs this year. Things are not looking much better in New York. The age of their core players is starting to become an issue as the injuries continue to mount. Mark Teixeira is injured, Derek Jeter narrowly avoided a bad ankle injury, C.C. Sabathia is hurting and the team just looks sluggish. This starts a 9 game home stand with both the Rays and the Athletics coming to town and we should know the fate of New York by the end of that.
3. USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal
I bet you didn't realize that senior quarterback Matt Barkley has yet to defeat Stanford. He's 0-3 thanks to Andrew Luck, but unlike Luck, Barkley stayed in school toparty, hang out with co-eds, be the big man on campus
win a BCS Championship. This is the game that USC has to have had
circled on its calendar ever since Barkley decided to return. They owe
the Cardinal some payback for the recent domination that they have had
on their neighbors to the south. The cupboard isn't completely bare for
Stanford as Junior quarterback Josh Nunes has filed in quite admirably,
albeit against lesser competition (yup I'm talking about you Duke).
I've got the over/under on Barkley touchdown passes at 4.5...anyone dare
to take the under? Final Score USC 45 Stanford 27
2. Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
Ooooooh I remember how this one ended last year. The two head coaches jawing at each other while racing off the field and a little shove fest. Last week the Lions didn't look like the fun 'n gun offensive video game that was 2011. The 49ers did, on the other hand, resemble their 2011 model of being the best defensive unit in the NFL. They also added a better passing game and currently have a healthy Frank Gore. No matter how much I want this to be a good game, I have a feeling this is where the Lions start to crack a bit and the 49ers surge into Super Bowl contenders. Final Score San Francisco 27 Detroit 13
1. Baltimore Orioles at Oakland Athletics
The two best stories in the American League and possibly the Majors meet in the dump that is the O.co Stadium. If the Orioles allowed the Athletics to be the home team, I'd petition Bud Selig to move the series to Camden Yards. Not only would I be able to attend, but it'd be a setting befitting the importance of this series. I know of nobody who thought this series would receive any national media attention, but with the two darlings of baseball playing in mid-September it will be beat reporters dream for its multitude of story lines. Each team is playing for a fallen teammate, Nick Markakis of the Orioles lost for the regular season with a broken hand and Brandon McCarthy of the Athletics lost for the season with a fractured skull. Both teams are currently in the playoffs and have split the season series 3-3 to date so I expect a low scoring series where the team scoring first will win all three games. The bullpens are just too good and the stadium too big for many comebacks to occur.
*Editor's note* After watching 3 quarters of the Packers/Bears game, I change my mind about it being considered for the Top 10 list. Yaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnn! If your best highlight is a punter pitching a ball to a backup tight end, you have not been entertaining.
Let's roll our sleeves up and get right into it:
10. James Madison University vs. West Virginia University (FedEx Field)
Okay don't stop reading, I haven't gone crazy. I went to JMU and I know some guys who went to West Virginia so there's a little more at stake if JMU can keep it close. If you remember, JMU went down to Virginia Tech just two years ago and won so be careful Mountaineer fans. In all actuality this will be a 60-17 type score, but you have two schools that have a ton of alumni in the DC/Maryland area and a 90,000 seat stadium to fill. With a 4:30pm start, the only real question is how many fans will be sober enough to remember to go into the stadium? Let's go Dukes!
9. St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers
What the hell is going on with the National League Wild Card standings? The Cardinals suck, the Dodgers stink and the Pirates are terrible. The only teams that seem to want to play Atlanta in the one game playoff are the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers who have each shaved about 10 games in the standings in the last month. This four game series that started (right about now) Thursday has the chance to make a gruesome mess of everything. By Monday there could be five teams within two games of the second Wild Card. When St. Louis and Los Angeles split these four games they will be at 77 and 76 wins respectively. The Pirates play the crappy Cubs, the Phillies will crush the abysmal Astros and the Brewers should manhandle the Mets. This puts all three of them at 75 wins with sweeps. All five will have either 70-72 losses as well with just over two weeks to go...just how we want it.
8. New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
Neither team expected to be facing an 0-2 start. Both teams were given a tasty cupcake of an opening week game by the NFL and yet both lost. In a division that I expect the Atlanta Falcons to win easily both of these teams are playing for a Wild Card spot in my opinion. This elevates a rather middling week 2 game into a pretty tasty pressure test. I'm sure if I had the Elias Sports Bureau working for me I could tell you what the chances are for 0-2 teams to make the playoffs, but I can promise you it's not that good. Dammit, I'm calling it...the loser of this game does not make the playoffs. Done. Final Score: Saints 31 Panthers 23
7. Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers
Welcome back from obscurity Tennessee. This game used to be the highlight of the SEC schedule. Then Tennessee disappeared into oblivion while Florida had up and down seasons (with some Tim Tebow greatness as well) and everyone forgot about these teams. Now even though they are relegated to a Week 3 meeting in mid-September, its good to see both schools getting good again at the same time. Both teams are ranked, ESPN is headed to Knoxville and they made my exclusive list of things to watch! Yes rivalry games in college football are exciting and this one has been ignored for far too long. Final Score Tennessee 31 Florida 21
6. Baltimore Ravens at Philadelphia Eagles
Did you see how good the Ravens looked on Monday? Did you see how bad the Eagles looked on Sunday? All that and Philadelphia is still a 2 point favorite at home this week. A short week and having to play on the road might have a bit to do with that for Baltimore. Something tell me each team will regress to the mean this weekend even if the Eagles are without Jeremy Maclin or DeSean Jackson or both. Michael Vick can't throw 4 more interceptions can he? Joe Flacco isn't going to be an MVP candidate is he? No I don't think either of these will be true. I still have the Ravens squeaking out a 23-20 win.
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan St. Spartans
This is a perfect September game. Two really good September teams that real fans of college football understand have no frickin' shot at being relevant come mid-November. The fans can only hope for another memorable finish like in 2010:
That highlight was made even better with the Star Wars cameo. Notre Dame has not been in the championship picture since the late 80's and the Big Ten is only good when not playing teams from real conferences like the SEC. That makes this game a perfect match up...for September. Final Score Michigan St. 30 Notre Dame 24
4. Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
I don't understand Tampa Bay. Well I take that back, they can't hit worth a damn. Even though they resemble the Oakland Athletics both on the mound and at the plate and how bad their stadium is, something is missing. There is no magic spark. Time is now beginning to run out on the Rays and unless they walk into New York and win this series, they could be missing the playoffs this year. Things are not looking much better in New York. The age of their core players is starting to become an issue as the injuries continue to mount. Mark Teixeira is injured, Derek Jeter narrowly avoided a bad ankle injury, C.C. Sabathia is hurting and the team just looks sluggish. This starts a 9 game home stand with both the Rays and the Athletics coming to town and we should know the fate of New York by the end of that.
3. USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal
I bet you didn't realize that senior quarterback Matt Barkley has yet to defeat Stanford. He's 0-3 thanks to Andrew Luck, but unlike Luck, Barkley stayed in school to
2. Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
Ooooooh I remember how this one ended last year. The two head coaches jawing at each other while racing off the field and a little shove fest. Last week the Lions didn't look like the fun 'n gun offensive video game that was 2011. The 49ers did, on the other hand, resemble their 2011 model of being the best defensive unit in the NFL. They also added a better passing game and currently have a healthy Frank Gore. No matter how much I want this to be a good game, I have a feeling this is where the Lions start to crack a bit and the 49ers surge into Super Bowl contenders. Final Score San Francisco 27 Detroit 13
1. Baltimore Orioles at Oakland Athletics
The two best stories in the American League and possibly the Majors meet in the dump that is the O.co Stadium. If the Orioles allowed the Athletics to be the home team, I'd petition Bud Selig to move the series to Camden Yards. Not only would I be able to attend, but it'd be a setting befitting the importance of this series. I know of nobody who thought this series would receive any national media attention, but with the two darlings of baseball playing in mid-September it will be beat reporters dream for its multitude of story lines. Each team is playing for a fallen teammate, Nick Markakis of the Orioles lost for the regular season with a broken hand and Brandon McCarthy of the Athletics lost for the season with a fractured skull. Both teams are currently in the playoffs and have split the season series 3-3 to date so I expect a low scoring series where the team scoring first will win all three games. The bullpens are just too good and the stadium too big for many comebacks to occur.
*Editor's note* After watching 3 quarters of the Packers/Bears game, I change my mind about it being considered for the Top 10 list. Yaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnn! If your best highlight is a punter pitching a ball to a backup tight end, you have not been entertaining.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Weekend Viewing Recap 9/3/12
The weekend for most isn't technically over. You still have the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship (Golf, kids) with both Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods in the hunt, U.S. Open Tennis, Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech in college football later that night and the start of the Athletics/Angels and Yankees/Rays series in baseball. That plus a good barbeque should be enough to tide you over until Wednesday when the NFL begins with the Cowboys heading to New York to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Giants.
The final weekend before the return of profession football did not let us down. Let's take a look back just in case you hit the beach one final weekend and missed out.
7. College Football (Non ranked vs. ranked games)
The most eye opening score came from Pittsburgh as the Panthers lost to I-AA (eff that FCS crap) Youngstown St.. It's not the first Division I team to lose to the smaller schools recently (JMU vs Virginia Tech, Appalachian St. vs. Michigan), but it still is shocking when it happens. Navy went to Ireland to battle the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and got blasted 50-10. Clemson retains the 'Tigers' moniker for this season as they beat Auburn who will now be called the 'Pumas' for the remainder of the year. That would have made the game much more interesting. Penn St. lost on the field after an off season of losing off the field. As noted on Twitter, they lost again Saturday to extend a losing streak that dates back to 1998. USC (not the Gamecocks who are neither USC nor Carolina...just South or Cocks, your choice) rolled over Hawaii in their first game as #1 in the nation. West Virginia claimed their state title as they whooped Marshall and my two favorite colleges (UNC and JMU) won by a combined scored of 117-7.
6. Boise St. Broncos at Michigan St. Spartans
In one of two ranked vs. ranked match ups this weekend, two new look teams squared off in a surprising defensive battle (of sorts). Michigan St. jumped out behind Le'Veon Bell who scored early en route to 265 total yards on the night. Boise St. couldn't muster much offense at all and it was a credit to their defense, who scored their lone touchdown of the night, that the game was as close as it was. In fact Boise St. held the lead going into the 4th quarter, but after Bell scored his second touchdown of the game, Michigan St. took the lead back for good. Both teams looked offensively challenged, save for Bell and he was the difference on Saturday.
5. St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals
What a series these two teams gave us. After a miserable start for the Cardinals, losing the 1st two games by a combined 18-1 score we got two classic games to end the series. After seeing their bats go dormant for 48 hours in Washington, St. Louis spotted Washington 4 runs before scoring 8 over the next three innings to take an 8-6 lead. The Nationals answered back with a three run inning, but gave up single runs in the eighth and ninth to lose 10-9. Sunday, Nationals fans got one of their final looks at Stephen Strasburg this season and he was masterful throwing six scoreless innings and left with a 2-0 lead. That didn't last long as Sean Burnett promptly gave up a 2 run homer to light hitting David Descalso who had previously been 5 for his last 58. This time it was the Nationals that were able to respond as they scratched out two runs in the bottom of the 7th and held on for a 4-3 victory and a 3 games to 1 series victory.
4. Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees
This close. The Orioles were this close to walking into Yankees Stadium and sweeping New York. Mark Reynolds hit two home runs in both the Friday and Sunday games as the Orioles outscored the struggling Yankees 14-4 in those two games. In the middle game, Baltimore was up 3-0 in the 4th and 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh when it all fell apart for them. With two outs and only one man on base, starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen walk a guy and gave up a hit to cut the lead to 3-2. Pedro Strop 'relieved' him and walked the first two batters he faced to knot the game up at 3. Then when he finally threw a hittable pitch, Nick Swisher hit a ball to shortstop J.J. Hardy who booted it and allowed the go ahead, and eventual game winning run to score. Baltimore wins the series and creeps to within 2 games in the A.L. East as their dream season continues with the 4 game rematch in Baltimore starts Thursday.
3. U.S. Open Tennis
Nothing of note happened this weekend, which is good for the upcoming quarterfinals. Andy Roddick is still alive and plays next on Tuesday. The closest major upset was Maria Sharapova down 2 games to none in the third set, but she stormed back to win. Because of the length of that match and the rain delay last night, American John Isner was forced to start playing after 10 pm local time and of course his match against Philipp Kohschreiber went the full five sets and 3+ hours ending right around 2:30 in the morning. That seems quite ridiculous if I must say so. I don't understand why they can't just bring them back at 8 am because you won't get the television ratings you were expecting either way. Today another American is expected to be ousted as Mardy Fish has to play Roger Federer. Miracles can happen can't they?
2. Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
I asked for a Detroit sweep and by God I got a Detroit sweep. The Tigers held serve on their home field behind strong starting pitching and a timely home run last night. The marquee match up was between Chris Sale and Justin Verlander yesterday and into the 6th inning it lived up to the billing. Tied at one in the bottom of the 6th inning, Sale threw one too many sliders (slurves if you listen to ESPN) to Delmon Young without changing his eye level with a high fastball (who am I to judge?) and he hit a 3 run home run. Even though Detroit has underwhelmed all season, they are still my choice to represent the American League in the World Series. Behind the one-two punches of Verlander and Max Scherzer on the mound and Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder at the plate, if they can play good enough defense I don't see anyone being able to beat them in a short series. Chicago may have seen their cushion slip away this weekend, but they will get their chance to strike back one week from today when they welcome Detroit to town for a huge 4 game series.
1. Michigan Wolverines vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
I tried to time it right on Saturday night as the wife and I watched The Dictator for our weekend movie which was actually disappointing. I figured I'd missed about 15-20 minutes of this game and that would be hardly enough to worry me, but that turned out to be quite incorrect. I flipped the game on and it was already 14-0 Alabama with 5 minutes left in the 1st quarter and I knew it was over. By the time I got back from the bathroom (too much information???) it was 21-0 and that was the last I saw of the game. Michigan kept it within 20 into the 4th quarter which sparked my curiosity knowing one of my friends had a small $1500 wager on Alabama and the 13 1/2 point spread, but the Crimson Tide scored again and he was safe. Lunch on him on Tuesday!!!!! Wake me when Alabama plays in the SEC Championship game which will probably be the BCS Championship game as well (sorry USC).
The final weekend before the return of profession football did not let us down. Let's take a look back just in case you hit the beach one final weekend and missed out.
7. College Football (Non ranked vs. ranked games)
The most eye opening score came from Pittsburgh as the Panthers lost to I-AA (eff that FCS crap) Youngstown St.. It's not the first Division I team to lose to the smaller schools recently (JMU vs Virginia Tech, Appalachian St. vs. Michigan), but it still is shocking when it happens. Navy went to Ireland to battle the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and got blasted 50-10. Clemson retains the 'Tigers' moniker for this season as they beat Auburn who will now be called the 'Pumas' for the remainder of the year. That would have made the game much more interesting. Penn St. lost on the field after an off season of losing off the field. As noted on Twitter, they lost again Saturday to extend a losing streak that dates back to 1998. USC (not the Gamecocks who are neither USC nor Carolina...just South or Cocks, your choice) rolled over Hawaii in their first game as #1 in the nation. West Virginia claimed their state title as they whooped Marshall and my two favorite colleges (UNC and JMU) won by a combined scored of 117-7.
6. Boise St. Broncos at Michigan St. Spartans
In one of two ranked vs. ranked match ups this weekend, two new look teams squared off in a surprising defensive battle (of sorts). Michigan St. jumped out behind Le'Veon Bell who scored early en route to 265 total yards on the night. Boise St. couldn't muster much offense at all and it was a credit to their defense, who scored their lone touchdown of the night, that the game was as close as it was. In fact Boise St. held the lead going into the 4th quarter, but after Bell scored his second touchdown of the game, Michigan St. took the lead back for good. Both teams looked offensively challenged, save for Bell and he was the difference on Saturday.
5. St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals
What a series these two teams gave us. After a miserable start for the Cardinals, losing the 1st two games by a combined 18-1 score we got two classic games to end the series. After seeing their bats go dormant for 48 hours in Washington, St. Louis spotted Washington 4 runs before scoring 8 over the next three innings to take an 8-6 lead. The Nationals answered back with a three run inning, but gave up single runs in the eighth and ninth to lose 10-9. Sunday, Nationals fans got one of their final looks at Stephen Strasburg this season and he was masterful throwing six scoreless innings and left with a 2-0 lead. That didn't last long as Sean Burnett promptly gave up a 2 run homer to light hitting David Descalso who had previously been 5 for his last 58. This time it was the Nationals that were able to respond as they scratched out two runs in the bottom of the 7th and held on for a 4-3 victory and a 3 games to 1 series victory.
4. Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees
This close. The Orioles were this close to walking into Yankees Stadium and sweeping New York. Mark Reynolds hit two home runs in both the Friday and Sunday games as the Orioles outscored the struggling Yankees 14-4 in those two games. In the middle game, Baltimore was up 3-0 in the 4th and 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh when it all fell apart for them. With two outs and only one man on base, starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen walk a guy and gave up a hit to cut the lead to 3-2. Pedro Strop 'relieved' him and walked the first two batters he faced to knot the game up at 3. Then when he finally threw a hittable pitch, Nick Swisher hit a ball to shortstop J.J. Hardy who booted it and allowed the go ahead, and eventual game winning run to score. Baltimore wins the series and creeps to within 2 games in the A.L. East as their dream season continues with the 4 game rematch in Baltimore starts Thursday.
3. U.S. Open Tennis
Nothing of note happened this weekend, which is good for the upcoming quarterfinals. Andy Roddick is still alive and plays next on Tuesday. The closest major upset was Maria Sharapova down 2 games to none in the third set, but she stormed back to win. Because of the length of that match and the rain delay last night, American John Isner was forced to start playing after 10 pm local time and of course his match against Philipp Kohschreiber went the full five sets and 3+ hours ending right around 2:30 in the morning. That seems quite ridiculous if I must say so. I don't understand why they can't just bring them back at 8 am because you won't get the television ratings you were expecting either way. Today another American is expected to be ousted as Mardy Fish has to play Roger Federer. Miracles can happen can't they?
2. Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
I asked for a Detroit sweep and by God I got a Detroit sweep. The Tigers held serve on their home field behind strong starting pitching and a timely home run last night. The marquee match up was between Chris Sale and Justin Verlander yesterday and into the 6th inning it lived up to the billing. Tied at one in the bottom of the 6th inning, Sale threw one too many sliders (slurves if you listen to ESPN) to Delmon Young without changing his eye level with a high fastball (who am I to judge?) and he hit a 3 run home run. Even though Detroit has underwhelmed all season, they are still my choice to represent the American League in the World Series. Behind the one-two punches of Verlander and Max Scherzer on the mound and Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder at the plate, if they can play good enough defense I don't see anyone being able to beat them in a short series. Chicago may have seen their cushion slip away this weekend, but they will get their chance to strike back one week from today when they welcome Detroit to town for a huge 4 game series.
1. Michigan Wolverines vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
I tried to time it right on Saturday night as the wife and I watched The Dictator for our weekend movie which was actually disappointing. I figured I'd missed about 15-20 minutes of this game and that would be hardly enough to worry me, but that turned out to be quite incorrect. I flipped the game on and it was already 14-0 Alabama with 5 minutes left in the 1st quarter and I knew it was over. By the time I got back from the bathroom (too much information???) it was 21-0 and that was the last I saw of the game. Michigan kept it within 20 into the 4th quarter which sparked my curiosity knowing one of my friends had a small $1500 wager on Alabama and the 13 1/2 point spread, but the Crimson Tide scored again and he was safe. Lunch on him on Tuesday!!!!! Wake me when Alabama plays in the SEC Championship game which will probably be the BCS Championship game as well (sorry USC).
Friday, August 31, 2012
Weekend Viewing Guide 8/31/12
Finally. The summer doldrums are just about over and the best time for sports fans is upon us. Not only is baseball headed towards the playoffs, but both college football and the NFL are beginning. In a months time the NBA will be back and hopefully the NHL will be as well.
Let me say thank you to the Olympics, Euro Cup 2012, Golf majors, Tennis Grand Slams, the College World Series and last but not least Major League Baseball for getting us through a very hot summer. Baseball has been especially exciting for me as an Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals fan. I will definitely not forgot about them come September, but with so many other options to choose from I will certainly have plenty of story lines to crow about in the next couple of months.
But enough about the next couple of months...we have a three day weekend ahead of us as the summer torch unofficially changes into the fall torch.
7. College Football (Non ranked vs. ranked games)
The first weekend of College Football is feast or famine when hoping to see a competitive game. Not every game will be LSU winning by 40 points against North Texas. There are some fun match ups to whet our palettes here in late August/early September. Teams that don't like each other very much meet up as Marshall and West Virginia square off. Clemson and Auburn will fight over which mascot gets to keep the name Tigers. Penn St. tries to return to normalcy as they begin their life post-Joe Pa and scandal against Ohio. USC starts the season #1 and welcomes Hawaii in for a warm up. One game I'm intrigued to watch will be Navy and Notre Dame playing in Ireland. With a perfect 9am start time it will be a great way to start the weekend (while at work for me).
6. Boise St. Broncos at Michigan St. Spartans
Gone are Kirk Cousins and Kellen Moore for the respective schools. With both teams starting from scratch it will be interesting to see if either team will be able to be a national contender this season. Whether successful or not this year, it is a fact that Boise St. will be leaving the Mountain West conference and heading to the Big East as of next year. Geographically challenged issues aside, it will be good for their school to finally face better competition to try and prove if they are actually as good as they think they are. This should be a rebuilding year for Boise St., but with a preseason ranking of 13 for Michigan St., hopes are high for a smooth transition from Cousins to senior quarterback Andrew Maxwell.
5. St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals
A possible playoff preview in the Nation's Capital. The defending champions against a team primed to be in contention for the foreseeable future. This is a huge 4 game set for both teams. The Cardinals have been chased out of contention in the N.L. Central due to the continued excellence of the Cincinnati Reds, and are currently trying to fend off both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the L.A. Dodgers for the 2nd Wild Card spot. The Nationals have been slumping of late with a recent 5 game losing streak but starting last night, they have 11 straight games at home. They look to have a comfortable five game lead over the Atlanta Braves, but with the distraction of the Stephen Strasburg shutdown and the fact that they have never been in this position in September anything is still possible.
4. Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees
I don't think anyone had this series circled in April one that could hold the key to who will win the A.L. East, but that's why they play the games. The Orioles sit only 3 games back of the might Yankees and with a miraculous weekend they could be tied by Labor Day. The Tampa Bay Rays are right there as well sitting one game behind Baltimore and are playing lowly Toronto with hopes of keeping this a 3 way race all the way until the end of the season. Maybe this will be the weekend where New York starts to build towards the playoffs. Since going to Oakland in mid-July the Yankees are only 18-21 and have nearly squandered the 10 game lead they had at that point. Nobody seems to understand just how Baltimore is winning. I'll put it simply...their bullpen has been fantastic. Without a great bullpen you can't go 24-6 in one run games and 12-2 in extra innings like the Orioles currently are.
3. U.S. Open Tennis
With the first couple of rounds out of the way, the real tournament can now begin. Even though he probably won't be around much past this weekend, American Andy Roddick has announced he will be retiring after the U.S. Open. For nearly a decade he was the best hope for the U.S. to win in Men's Tennis Grand Slam event after Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi retired. After winning the U.S. Open in 2003, Roddick could never climb that mountain again in a Grand Slam event. As for people who could win this year all the usual suspects are around (save for Rafael Nadal who is once again nursing injuries). Federer, Novak, Serena and Sharapova are all alive and are expected to contend, but when the lights are on in New York City magical things sometimes happen and that is why we watch.
2. Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
I'll admit it, I called the A.L. Central over long ago. I thought for sure the Tigers would have run and hid from the White Sox by now. What do I know anyways? Heading into this series Chicago still holds a 3 game lead with no signs of wavering. This series also brings us Chris Sale vs. Justin Verlander on Sunday night. As the final Sunday without the NFL to compete with, MLB has given fans the ultimate treat as a send off. Two Cy Young candidates facing each other with the division title at stake...niiiiice. I'm still saying the Tigers win the division and I still say it will be by around 4 or 5 games so sweeping Chicago this weekend might be a good start to make me look less foolish.
1. Michigan Wolverines vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
The defending champions get a real test right out of the gate as Alabama and Michigan head to Dallas Cowboys Stadium to get the first weekend of College Football started off with a bang. This will be the first time that these two school meet outside of a Bowl Game and only the fourth time ever. Senior quarterback Denard Robinson will need to be more like he was in 2010 than 2011 for Michigan to keep close. After breaking onto the scene, Robinson regressed in almost all statistical categories last season. Alabama may have lost some key pieces, but they don't rebuild, they just reload and the defense that was NFL worthy last season should be extremely stingy once again.
Let me say thank you to the Olympics, Euro Cup 2012, Golf majors, Tennis Grand Slams, the College World Series and last but not least Major League Baseball for getting us through a very hot summer. Baseball has been especially exciting for me as an Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals fan. I will definitely not forgot about them come September, but with so many other options to choose from I will certainly have plenty of story lines to crow about in the next couple of months.
But enough about the next couple of months...we have a three day weekend ahead of us as the summer torch unofficially changes into the fall torch.
7. College Football (Non ranked vs. ranked games)
The first weekend of College Football is feast or famine when hoping to see a competitive game. Not every game will be LSU winning by 40 points against North Texas. There are some fun match ups to whet our palettes here in late August/early September. Teams that don't like each other very much meet up as Marshall and West Virginia square off. Clemson and Auburn will fight over which mascot gets to keep the name Tigers. Penn St. tries to return to normalcy as they begin their life post-Joe Pa and scandal against Ohio. USC starts the season #1 and welcomes Hawaii in for a warm up. One game I'm intrigued to watch will be Navy and Notre Dame playing in Ireland. With a perfect 9am start time it will be a great way to start the weekend (while at work for me).
6. Boise St. Broncos at Michigan St. Spartans
Gone are Kirk Cousins and Kellen Moore for the respective schools. With both teams starting from scratch it will be interesting to see if either team will be able to be a national contender this season. Whether successful or not this year, it is a fact that Boise St. will be leaving the Mountain West conference and heading to the Big East as of next year. Geographically challenged issues aside, it will be good for their school to finally face better competition to try and prove if they are actually as good as they think they are. This should be a rebuilding year for Boise St., but with a preseason ranking of 13 for Michigan St., hopes are high for a smooth transition from Cousins to senior quarterback Andrew Maxwell.
5. St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals
A possible playoff preview in the Nation's Capital. The defending champions against a team primed to be in contention for the foreseeable future. This is a huge 4 game set for both teams. The Cardinals have been chased out of contention in the N.L. Central due to the continued excellence of the Cincinnati Reds, and are currently trying to fend off both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the L.A. Dodgers for the 2nd Wild Card spot. The Nationals have been slumping of late with a recent 5 game losing streak but starting last night, they have 11 straight games at home. They look to have a comfortable five game lead over the Atlanta Braves, but with the distraction of the Stephen Strasburg shutdown and the fact that they have never been in this position in September anything is still possible.
4. Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees
I don't think anyone had this series circled in April one that could hold the key to who will win the A.L. East, but that's why they play the games. The Orioles sit only 3 games back of the might Yankees and with a miraculous weekend they could be tied by Labor Day. The Tampa Bay Rays are right there as well sitting one game behind Baltimore and are playing lowly Toronto with hopes of keeping this a 3 way race all the way until the end of the season. Maybe this will be the weekend where New York starts to build towards the playoffs. Since going to Oakland in mid-July the Yankees are only 18-21 and have nearly squandered the 10 game lead they had at that point. Nobody seems to understand just how Baltimore is winning. I'll put it simply...their bullpen has been fantastic. Without a great bullpen you can't go 24-6 in one run games and 12-2 in extra innings like the Orioles currently are.
3. U.S. Open Tennis
With the first couple of rounds out of the way, the real tournament can now begin. Even though he probably won't be around much past this weekend, American Andy Roddick has announced he will be retiring after the U.S. Open. For nearly a decade he was the best hope for the U.S. to win in Men's Tennis Grand Slam event after Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi retired. After winning the U.S. Open in 2003, Roddick could never climb that mountain again in a Grand Slam event. As for people who could win this year all the usual suspects are around (save for Rafael Nadal who is once again nursing injuries). Federer, Novak, Serena and Sharapova are all alive and are expected to contend, but when the lights are on in New York City magical things sometimes happen and that is why we watch.
2. Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
I'll admit it, I called the A.L. Central over long ago. I thought for sure the Tigers would have run and hid from the White Sox by now. What do I know anyways? Heading into this series Chicago still holds a 3 game lead with no signs of wavering. This series also brings us Chris Sale vs. Justin Verlander on Sunday night. As the final Sunday without the NFL to compete with, MLB has given fans the ultimate treat as a send off. Two Cy Young candidates facing each other with the division title at stake...niiiiice. I'm still saying the Tigers win the division and I still say it will be by around 4 or 5 games so sweeping Chicago this weekend might be a good start to make me look less foolish.
1. Michigan Wolverines vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
The defending champions get a real test right out of the gate as Alabama and Michigan head to Dallas Cowboys Stadium to get the first weekend of College Football started off with a bang. This will be the first time that these two school meet outside of a Bowl Game and only the fourth time ever. Senior quarterback Denard Robinson will need to be more like he was in 2010 than 2011 for Michigan to keep close. After breaking onto the scene, Robinson regressed in almost all statistical categories last season. Alabama may have lost some key pieces, but they don't rebuild, they just reload and the defense that was NFL worthy last season should be extremely stingy once again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)