All it takes is September to remind me why I love baseball. It is certainly true that my team did mount a historic comeback and the team I most enjoy watching lose found a way to mount a historic collapse. But the essence of baseball and what makes it really different than the other sports is the pennant race and the ultimate tie breaker, the one game playoff. In the end baseball is king because the regular season means something and over a 162 game season you can run but you can't hide. The cream does rise to the top and mediocrity is left to play golf not allowed to serve as first round fodder to generate and extra round of playoff revenue. October is for the elite.
I can hear you muttering, the NFL is not the NBA or NHL, it only has 6 teams per conference make it to the second season. Certainly, you will have 10-6 NFL teams fail to make the playoffs, but for every one of them there are plenty of 8-8 teams that enter as wild cards. The NFL flaunts its parity with pride, the great Alan Selig has tried to emulate this with his prescriptions for "competitive balance", which on balance seem to have worked as you have not had a repeat world series champion this decade. But the greatness of baseball lies in the fact that only 4 teams per league are playing as of October 2.
Baseball's brilliance also lies in the fact that while the regular season is the best at selecting the worthy teams, it is a lousy predictor of who will ultimately reign as champion. Short series are predicated on dominant starting pitching, hot relievers and timely hitting. Baseball is the only sport where pure physicality is not dispositive. Often the "less talented" team will prevail based on key hits and an average pitcher with uncharacteristically good stuff. The only postseason that comes close is the NCAA tournament where a hot team can knock off the better team (see George Mason v. UConn). And while buzzer beaters are nice, nothing beats the walk off home run.
Objectively it is impossible to say that the best team truly wins every year and that is why postseason baseball is the best and most consistent of the playoffs in the major sports.
I cannot say that I have enjoyed a collapse more than the Mets the last few weeks. How stupid can you be to take a team that just wants to go back to South Beach and wake them up. The problem with the Mets all year has been a total lack of focus and leadership. Naturally you blame the manager. You would be wrong to do so. Willie has never gotten a fair shake from the Wilpons, being stuck with coaches he didn't choose and spies from the front office he cannot be held accountable. You have to look first at Omar Minaya.
One of the smart things the Yankees have done the past few years is bring in older players to help mentor the younger up and coming latin stars like Luis Sojo, Jose Vizcaino, Miguel Cairo, Chili Davis, Tim Raines, Ruben Sierra, all good clubhouse guys by the end of their tenure. The clubhouse is also ruled by Jorge Posada's hot temper and iron will. You think a Yankee would be allowed to get away with the antics the Mets displayed? You think Jeter or Posada would allow Cano to stand at home plate while the ball trickles down the base line in a must game? Would never happen.
Earlier in the season many Met fans proclaimed Reyes as the best shortstop in NY, he isn't even the best in his division. Jimmy Rollins, who should be the NL MVP, imposed his will on the stretch run the way Reyes did in the early season before the Mets became disinterested with the season. Rollins, knowing the Mets were down big, stole both second and third in the first inning, Reyes has failed to steal a base since September 15, in fact he had only 1 attempt since then.
A few other thoughts
Sherm Ave Fantasy Football - not to brag but I have rallied the troops after an abysmal 0-2 start to do what the Jets couldn't and square my record at 2-2. I suffered one of the all time worst defeats in the history of Fantasy Football where if you totaled my starters and bench points I still would have lost to my opponents starters. Look out
Boxing - it was great to be able to see a real live fight and not have to drop fifty bucks. Pavlik vs. Taylor was a refreshing trip to the fights of our youth where the two guys actually try to punch each other more than once a round.
Giants - great to see the new D coordinator Steve Spagnoulo exploiting the strengths of his unit by mixing blitz packages and making sure he had more guys rushing than could be blocked. ITs the only way to disguise the awful secondary play. Even Corey Webster can cover for 2-3 seconds. I'm still not sold on Eli, he makes too many dumb mistakes per game. I know his completion pct is up but he has thrown some of the most god awful intercepts I have ever seen and he still would rather try to float a pass off balance rather than step into a throw and take a hit or toss the ball out of bounds and live to fight another day. The offensive line is one fo the most underappreciated units in the game. The border war with the Jets Sunday will allow one team's season to continue and one will come to an end. Two enter, one leaves.
Rutgers - Its hard to believe that Rutgers was ranked as high as it has been based on its name. Yes, I will repeat that, Rutgers has garnered a high ranking based on its name and a Heisman candidate. Until Schiano finds a way to get his defense to use its speed to beat the bigger opponents it could be a long year. They are truly feeling the loss to graduation of an All Big East Nose Tackle and two linebackers who had been in the system for 4 years and understood the defense in and out. Never underestimate experience at the college level.
Don't forget to pick up your copy of Magic, hitting stores October 2. The new Springsteen Cd is an interesting compilation of pop hits, strong guitar driven rock and some 60s infused sound. There is an underlying political tone to the work but you have to real delve into the lyrics to find it, but it lurks within if you so desire. So far I am partial to Long Walk Home and Devil's Arcade. This album took me a few spins until I really appreciated the nuances and now i find myself singing the hooks.
The play in game just ended and I have a few thoughts:
With so much on the line, amazed at how boring the 8th thru 12th innings were
You had to know that the deadlock was ending when the Rockies brought in Jorge Julio, you know you are bad when you can't even pitch in the Mets bullpen.
How about Kaz Matsui in the playoffs, Jose Reyes at the salon frosting his hair.
Matt Holliday doesn't deserve the MVP just for sliding head first into home.
Seriously, who dresses Craig Sager, did he lose a bet as a child, I am happy I don't have TBS HD just so i dont have to see his ridiculous wardrobe in hi def.
Lastly, I don't care what SI says, Trevor Hoffman is not the greatest closer of all time and does not belong in the same sentence as Mariano Rivera.
Showing posts with label Rutgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rutgers. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
College Football Previews
Make sure you read all the college football previews from this week:
Big Ten / Pac Ten
Big Twelve
ACC
Big East / Mountain West
SEC
NFL previews coming soon.
Plus, I'm sure Josh will say something about the Rutgers opening game as soon as he cleans himself up.
And maybe I'll get around to writing about watching the Cubs in a playoff race.
The Sherman Ave. Block Party - feel the excitement!
Big Ten / Pac Ten
Big Twelve
ACC
Big East / Mountain West
SEC
NFL previews coming soon.
Plus, I'm sure Josh will say something about the Rutgers opening game as soon as he cleans himself up.
And maybe I'll get around to writing about watching the Cubs in a playoff race.
The Sherman Ave. Block Party - feel the excitement!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Big East Preview and a brief preview of something called the mountain west
I have been assigned the Big East Conference Preview. The Big East is difficult for me because of my Rutgers bias but I will do my best.
The BIG EAST is special because of its star power. There are 4 legit Heisman candidates and one in waiting. It is probably the most wide open of the BCS but don't mistake that uncertainty for weakness. The BIG EAST boasts three of the top 15 teams in the nation and any of them could be vying for the national title with the right breaks along the way. Don't let the anti-east bias fool you, the BIG EAST has consistently beaten top BCS teams during the season and has a superb bowl record since the exodus of Miami, BC and Va Tech. Commissioner Tranghese and the member ADs should be commended for their deft selections of USF, Cincy, and Louisville. The influx of these schools coupled with the awakening of the sleeping giant known as Rutgers has served to transform an afterthought into a formidable league deserving of its BCS automatic bid.
On to the teams:
The inconsequential
Syracuse - Greg Robinson is on the hot seat at the helm of maybe the worst Syracuse era of my lifetime. The Orange have lost their recruiting base in NJ and seen Orange targets Ray Rice, Courtney Greene and Brian Leonard transform Rutgers into a force to be reckoned with. Robinson will depend on the qb Andrew Robinson to develop quickly otherwise Daryl Gross may not be very patient and change course
UConn - Nothing in sports makes me happier than seeing the Mets lose. Second on that list is seeing the Huskies lose. I can't stand UConn, I hate their campus, I hate their school, I even hate their entire state. Randy Edsall deserves a lot of credit for delivering UConn into 1A football and taking them to a bowl with the likes of Dan Orlofsky. Unfortunately for him, he has not been able to sustain that success and faces The Huskies have a chance to emerge from the doldrums of last season on the back of Donald Brown, a big bruising back from NJ who torched Rutgers and Pittsburgh. UConn has also pinned its hopes to JUCO All American QB Tyler Lorenzen, and to save you a few minutes on Google he is no relation to the hefty lefty and future starter for the NY Giants Jared Lorenzen. UConn has a chance to get rolling opening up with Duke Maine and Temple.
Trap Games
Pittsburgh - Pitt is a tough read. They lose their top offensive player in Tyler Palko and top defensive player in HB Blades as well as top special teams player Darrelle Revis. They also lost their top returning wide receiver Derek Kinder to an injury in camp. These losses will thrust Lesean McCoy a true frosh and former Miami commit at RB into the spotlight. The best receiver they return is Teaneck's own Odderrick Turner, son of former Giant Odessa Turner. Wannestadt has done an excellent job recruiting and will return Pitt to prominence but they are most likely a year away.
Cinncinnati - Rutgers learned last year that Cincy is no push over. With an easy out of conference schedule, a new QB transferred in from Wake and an All Big East Defensive Tackle Terrill Byrd, a mediocre season which can be used by Brian Kelly to jump to the Big Ten is not out of the realm of possibilities. Note that they have both Louisville and WVU at home.
The Comer
South Florida - Don't hold the school's apparent inability to read a map (USF is in Tampa, nowhere near the south of florida) against them. They are for real. Jim Leavitt has built a rock solid program from the ground up and in ten years has his team positioned to enter the top 25 and stay. He boasts a future Heisman candidate at Quarterback Matt Grothe and the best secondary in maybe the nation lead by Trae Williams. This is a team that in the past two years beat Louisville and West Virginia and last year came within a 2 pt conversion of sending the Rutgers game into overtime. This team may suffer from being on everyone's sleeper list, but if they are able to make good on their promise the BIG EAST is solidified as a true power conference. They will be tested early on as they travel to Auburn in week 2.
BCS Worthy
West Virginia - Top 5 Talent and a Top 5 coach. Rich Rodriguez is one of the top coaches in the land and is finally receiving his due after his flirtation with the Crimson Tide. WVU boasts two legitimate Heisman candidates in RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White. The Mountaineers are buoyed by their spread offense and immense speed. They can run and score with anyone inthe country and have high powered Noel Devine entering the backfield. They lost All American Center Dan Mozes to graduation and the key will be how easily he is replaced and the line is fortified. The key will be how strong the defense is and can they weather a rematch of last years triple overtime game vs. Rutgers in Piscataway.
Louisville - The Ville boast a Heisman caliber quarterback and an arsenal of weapons on both sides of the ball including two huge and talented receivers in Harry Douglas and Marco Urrutia which helped the Ville to a top 5 ranking nationally in several team offensive categories. Bobby Petrino did anything but leave the cupboard bare for Steve Kragthorpe who showed his recruiting skills by getting Matt Simms to keep his commitment and convincing Brian Brohm to stay for one more year. They should coast through an easy first 9 games before going on the road to play WVU and USF then a final matchup at home with Rutgers. .
Rutgers - the Cinderella story, the darlings of the nation, all the sudden NY media's favorite team to cover. This past weekend 3 separate NY stations ran Rutgers preview shows. Rutgers has recently signed a deal with MSG for a plethora of cross promotional activities, a clear sign of how far The State Univ of NJ has come. Now they have to back it up between the lines. Don't be suckered into the theory that last year was a fluke. Schiano has been building to this point for several years. Last year was their second straight bowl appearance and they are in line for a third and a possible BCS bowl bid. last year they were a poor officiating call or an end zone drop or a 53 yd FG away from the BCS and a matchup in Tampa. Were they disappointed? yes but the the squad showed deft maturity in easily dispatching Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. This year's team returns several all american candidates including DT Eric Foster, K Jeremy Ito, S Courtney Greene (potentially the highest draft pick on the team), 2 NFL Tackles in Jeremy Zuttah and Pedro Sosa and a heisman candidate running back Ray Rice. The maturation of Mike Teel at the end of 2006 is a harbinger of the potential success of the offense this year. Teel will be equipped with significant weapons at the receiver spot to keep defenses honest. Look for a breakout year from Kenny Britt a 6'4" receiver who made noise first vs. Louisville and has shown a penchant for making big catches. He is complemented by 5'9" Tim Brown with blazing 4.3 speed who provides a deep threat just ask WVU and K State. The question marks on this team are Middle Linebacker, Tight End and Secondary depth. Rutgers graduated 2/3 of its linebacking corps. It relies on a defense that is predicated on reads and swarming reaction lead by the Mike linebacker. Rutgers thought it had its man in Ryan D'Imperio but a broken leg will sideline him for at least the first few weeks. With the graduation of its top two TEs, a school who has graduated several to the NFL is now without an experienced TE. It shouldn't effect the passing game but may stifle the run game especially when teams load up in the box to stop Rice. Expect this team to get on a roll but don't overlook games against Maryland and South Florida early in the season. The Maryland game will be a good barometer for the season ahead.
Mountain West - If anyone can post all the teams in the Mountain West I will do a preview. Must do so w/o cheating and looking it up. Briefly, the Air Force and BYU are down this year as BYU graduated its QB and is waiting for the offspring of Jim McMahon, Steve Young or any of the Detmers to be of college age and the Air Force is still adjusting to the post Fisher DeBarry era. On a side note, I wonder if it is harder for the academies to recruit while the war is going on. Everything I have read says take the Horned Frogs of TCU. So I will do that, plus they are the Horned Frogs.
On a final note Andy Pettitte is a straight up MENSCH, I hope he gets the recognition he deserves. Not sure if the Yanks make the postseason but Brian Cashman deserves a tremendous amount of credit. Here is a guy whose job is clearly on the line and he has still endeavored to take the best long term approach for his team rather than gambling everything on this year. He can run my team anytime.
If you haven't, go see the new Bourne movie, its the best of the action sequels of the summer and may be the best movie I've seen this summer.
A quick Mike Vick note
Here is the thing with Vick. I did not buy his apology at all. My major qualm was his use of the word immature. He did not condemn his acts as vile, despicable, grotesque but claimed they were immature. The use of the word immature leads you to believe that its just a phase he will grow out of. I would have liked to see him apologize to all of the animals he destroyed and maimed and all of the ones who will be euthanized due to his behavior. While both crimes, I think the comparisons to Leonard Little are clearly off base. What Leonard Little did was clearly more morally reprehensible, however, it was not a carefully crafted plan executed to perfection. Little made a mistake, paid his debt to society and the NFL. Vick planned to establish a dog fighting kennel, established a dog fighting kennel and performed horrific acts upon the dogs for years, not one night. Maybe Little should have or should still receive a harsher punishment than he has, but that does not mean Vick should be treated with more leniency.
The BIG EAST is special because of its star power. There are 4 legit Heisman candidates and one in waiting. It is probably the most wide open of the BCS but don't mistake that uncertainty for weakness. The BIG EAST boasts three of the top 15 teams in the nation and any of them could be vying for the national title with the right breaks along the way. Don't let the anti-east bias fool you, the BIG EAST has consistently beaten top BCS teams during the season and has a superb bowl record since the exodus of Miami, BC and Va Tech. Commissioner Tranghese and the member ADs should be commended for their deft selections of USF, Cincy, and Louisville. The influx of these schools coupled with the awakening of the sleeping giant known as Rutgers has served to transform an afterthought into a formidable league deserving of its BCS automatic bid.
On to the teams:
The inconsequential
Syracuse - Greg Robinson is on the hot seat at the helm of maybe the worst Syracuse era of my lifetime. The Orange have lost their recruiting base in NJ and seen Orange targets Ray Rice, Courtney Greene and Brian Leonard transform Rutgers into a force to be reckoned with. Robinson will depend on the qb Andrew Robinson to develop quickly otherwise Daryl Gross may not be very patient and change course
UConn - Nothing in sports makes me happier than seeing the Mets lose. Second on that list is seeing the Huskies lose. I can't stand UConn, I hate their campus, I hate their school, I even hate their entire state. Randy Edsall deserves a lot of credit for delivering UConn into 1A football and taking them to a bowl with the likes of Dan Orlofsky. Unfortunately for him, he has not been able to sustain that success and faces The Huskies have a chance to emerge from the doldrums of last season on the back of Donald Brown, a big bruising back from NJ who torched Rutgers and Pittsburgh. UConn has also pinned its hopes to JUCO All American QB Tyler Lorenzen, and to save you a few minutes on Google he is no relation to the hefty lefty and future starter for the NY Giants Jared Lorenzen. UConn has a chance to get rolling opening up with Duke Maine and Temple.
Trap Games
Pittsburgh - Pitt is a tough read. They lose their top offensive player in Tyler Palko and top defensive player in HB Blades as well as top special teams player Darrelle Revis. They also lost their top returning wide receiver Derek Kinder to an injury in camp. These losses will thrust Lesean McCoy a true frosh and former Miami commit at RB into the spotlight. The best receiver they return is Teaneck's own Odderrick Turner, son of former Giant Odessa Turner. Wannestadt has done an excellent job recruiting and will return Pitt to prominence but they are most likely a year away.
Cinncinnati - Rutgers learned last year that Cincy is no push over. With an easy out of conference schedule, a new QB transferred in from Wake and an All Big East Defensive Tackle Terrill Byrd, a mediocre season which can be used by Brian Kelly to jump to the Big Ten is not out of the realm of possibilities. Note that they have both Louisville and WVU at home.
The Comer
South Florida - Don't hold the school's apparent inability to read a map (USF is in Tampa, nowhere near the south of florida) against them. They are for real. Jim Leavitt has built a rock solid program from the ground up and in ten years has his team positioned to enter the top 25 and stay. He boasts a future Heisman candidate at Quarterback Matt Grothe and the best secondary in maybe the nation lead by Trae Williams. This is a team that in the past two years beat Louisville and West Virginia and last year came within a 2 pt conversion of sending the Rutgers game into overtime. This team may suffer from being on everyone's sleeper list, but if they are able to make good on their promise the BIG EAST is solidified as a true power conference. They will be tested early on as they travel to Auburn in week 2.
BCS Worthy
West Virginia - Top 5 Talent and a Top 5 coach. Rich Rodriguez is one of the top coaches in the land and is finally receiving his due after his flirtation with the Crimson Tide. WVU boasts two legitimate Heisman candidates in RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White. The Mountaineers are buoyed by their spread offense and immense speed. They can run and score with anyone inthe country and have high powered Noel Devine entering the backfield. They lost All American Center Dan Mozes to graduation and the key will be how easily he is replaced and the line is fortified. The key will be how strong the defense is and can they weather a rematch of last years triple overtime game vs. Rutgers in Piscataway.
Louisville - The Ville boast a Heisman caliber quarterback and an arsenal of weapons on both sides of the ball including two huge and talented receivers in Harry Douglas and Marco Urrutia which helped the Ville to a top 5 ranking nationally in several team offensive categories. Bobby Petrino did anything but leave the cupboard bare for Steve Kragthorpe who showed his recruiting skills by getting Matt Simms to keep his commitment and convincing Brian Brohm to stay for one more year. They should coast through an easy first 9 games before going on the road to play WVU and USF then a final matchup at home with Rutgers. .
Rutgers - the Cinderella story, the darlings of the nation, all the sudden NY media's favorite team to cover. This past weekend 3 separate NY stations ran Rutgers preview shows. Rutgers has recently signed a deal with MSG for a plethora of cross promotional activities, a clear sign of how far The State Univ of NJ has come. Now they have to back it up between the lines. Don't be suckered into the theory that last year was a fluke. Schiano has been building to this point for several years. Last year was their second straight bowl appearance and they are in line for a third and a possible BCS bowl bid. last year they were a poor officiating call or an end zone drop or a 53 yd FG away from the BCS and a matchup in Tampa. Were they disappointed? yes but the the squad showed deft maturity in easily dispatching Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. This year's team returns several all american candidates including DT Eric Foster, K Jeremy Ito, S Courtney Greene (potentially the highest draft pick on the team), 2 NFL Tackles in Jeremy Zuttah and Pedro Sosa and a heisman candidate running back Ray Rice. The maturation of Mike Teel at the end of 2006 is a harbinger of the potential success of the offense this year. Teel will be equipped with significant weapons at the receiver spot to keep defenses honest. Look for a breakout year from Kenny Britt a 6'4" receiver who made noise first vs. Louisville and has shown a penchant for making big catches. He is complemented by 5'9" Tim Brown with blazing 4.3 speed who provides a deep threat just ask WVU and K State. The question marks on this team are Middle Linebacker, Tight End and Secondary depth. Rutgers graduated 2/3 of its linebacking corps. It relies on a defense that is predicated on reads and swarming reaction lead by the Mike linebacker. Rutgers thought it had its man in Ryan D'Imperio but a broken leg will sideline him for at least the first few weeks. With the graduation of its top two TEs, a school who has graduated several to the NFL is now without an experienced TE. It shouldn't effect the passing game but may stifle the run game especially when teams load up in the box to stop Rice. Expect this team to get on a roll but don't overlook games against Maryland and South Florida early in the season. The Maryland game will be a good barometer for the season ahead.
Mountain West - If anyone can post all the teams in the Mountain West I will do a preview. Must do so w/o cheating and looking it up. Briefly, the Air Force and BYU are down this year as BYU graduated its QB and is waiting for the offspring of Jim McMahon, Steve Young or any of the Detmers to be of college age and the Air Force is still adjusting to the post Fisher DeBarry era. On a side note, I wonder if it is harder for the academies to recruit while the war is going on. Everything I have read says take the Horned Frogs of TCU. So I will do that, plus they are the Horned Frogs.
On a final note Andy Pettitte is a straight up MENSCH, I hope he gets the recognition he deserves. Not sure if the Yanks make the postseason but Brian Cashman deserves a tremendous amount of credit. Here is a guy whose job is clearly on the line and he has still endeavored to take the best long term approach for his team rather than gambling everything on this year. He can run my team anytime.
If you haven't, go see the new Bourne movie, its the best of the action sequels of the summer and may be the best movie I've seen this summer.
A quick Mike Vick note
Here is the thing with Vick. I did not buy his apology at all. My major qualm was his use of the word immature. He did not condemn his acts as vile, despicable, grotesque but claimed they were immature. The use of the word immature leads you to believe that its just a phase he will grow out of. I would have liked to see him apologize to all of the animals he destroyed and maimed and all of the ones who will be euthanized due to his behavior. While both crimes, I think the comparisons to Leonard Little are clearly off base. What Leonard Little did was clearly more morally reprehensible, however, it was not a carefully crafted plan executed to perfection. Little made a mistake, paid his debt to society and the NFL. Vick planned to establish a dog fighting kennel, established a dog fighting kennel and performed horrific acts upon the dogs for years, not one night. Maybe Little should have or should still receive a harsher punishment than he has, but that does not mean Vick should be treated with more leniency.
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