Week of November 16th, 2009

Sorry it is late. It has been a hectic couple of weeks at the Bahm household. Let me know how you feel about the new format.


The Good:

Let’s begin the week with the best team in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts. Many would argue, myself included, that the Saints are better and have a better chance at running the table. However, the Colts get it done. This week against the New England Patriots, which I will have my way them later, they came from being down 17 points at halftime to win the game in the closing seconds with a touchdown to Reggie Wayne. Belicheck made a horrible decision; one that I feel was a bad on-field and off-field choice, in not punting the ball with 2:08 left on their own 28 yard line. Give the ball to your defense and trust they can get the job done. Brady is good, and I understand not wanting to give Manning the ball back since he is the best quarterback of the last 10 years, but have some faith in your defense that has been playing well all season. This mistake kept the Colts undefeated and instead of manning having to take the ball 80 yards in 2 minutes, he was able to take his time and take it 29 yards in 2 minutes and find Reggie Wayne on a one yard touchdown pass with very little time left on the clock. The Colts were without their entire secondary. Bob Sanders is done for the year, Marlin Jackson was out, and the other starting corner was out, so they turned to veteran safety Antoine Bathea, 2 rookie corners and nickelback Aaron Francisco. The secondary played very well with the rookies in the game, Mathis and Freeney kept pressure on Tom Brady, and the defense was able to keep Peyton Manning and the offense in the game late. This team is solid and will continue to get better as long as they do not have any further injuries

College basketball is now officially underway. In fact, for the first time ever, ESPN is going to have a 24-hour college basketball marathon. They are spanning 5 time zones with 18 games in 24 hours. There is a game in New Jersey scheduled for 6 AM (Eastern time). This year, however, will be similar to most when the big time college basketball programs get all of the publicity until tournament time when a “Cinderella” emerges. North Carolina, Duke, Michigan State, UCLA, Kansas, and, once again, Kentucky will carry the headlines whether they are deserving or not, but we will be watching teams like Gonzaga, Davidson, Bradley and other mid-majors as they move up and down the top 25 polls. The best part of college basketball is that it always reminds you of why it is so great. In early March we will be glued to obscure conference tournaments and take days off from work to watch the NCAA Tournament, I can hear the theme music playing in my head right now. My only criticism of the NCAA Tournament, and maybe I’m on my own on this, is that the underdog in the tournament who is the last one to exit is usually the last I pay attention to college basketball and get ready for baseball season.

The Bad:

Now, we all know Bill Belichick is a good coach. Since he has been the head coach for the New England Patriots they have won 72% of his games (116-45 coming into 2009) and 3 super bowls. However, he has got to be one of the poorest losers in NFL history, cheaters, and crybabies in NFL history. We all remember “Spygate,” the Mangini handshake, and now is the post game walk off of the field after a great football game with the Indianapolis Colts. “Spygate,” yeah, I get it. Spying on opposing teams has been around since the beginning of football. The Auburn Tigers used to send random community members to Tuscaloosa to watch the Crimson Tide practice from cars, treetops, or through the fence wearing Alabama shirts and hats. This is not a new idea. In fact, that is why teams share film, legally, to get a look at what the other team may do in order to prepare. The Mangini shake is a classic. This is a guy who loses a football game to one of his former assistants, and instead of showing some pride in what he has help develop, he big leagues him and gives him a limp-wristed, no eye contact, weak handshake because he is angry that he lost. Now, after he makes a horrible decision on 4th and 2 from his own 28 that costs his team a game he shoves a cameraman to the ground on his way to the locker room. By the way, the guy he shoved was from NFL Films, one of the major marketing partners for the NFL. I’m getting tired of Belichick acting like a dejected 10 year-old that just lost at checkers to his younger sister and throwing a fit. Come on. What kind of example is that for young players or young coaches? Is it not enough to have the league make rules specifically to protect the face of the NFL in Tom Brady? Do they need to make rules to protect Bill Belichick’s ego as well? What a baby. Win with class, lose with class. You can't pick and choose based on the outcome of the game.

Alright, Cincinnati, what the heck are you doing? I know you are the franchise that tries to “fix” troubled players, but Larry Johnson? If Joe Paterno couldn’t “fix” this guy, then you sure as hell won’t be able to. Larry Johnson is a trouble maker. I know the Bengals specialize in trouble makers (Chris Henry, Cedric Benson, Odell Thurman, Frostee Rucker, AJ Nicholson, Delta O’Neal, etc.), but come on. The Bengals are in the lead in the AFC North, having swept Pittsburgh and Baltimore for the first time in years, and they bring this cancer into the locker room. I hope it works out for you because, all in all, despite my hatred for the Bengals as a Steeler rival, I hope they are successful because I like Marvin Lewis and Carson Palmer. There is even a little bit of me that likes Chad Ochocinco for his over the top antics, but he is at least not a legal headache. LJ, not “grandmamma”, is going to disrupt that locker room and is going to send the Bengals into a tailspin. You have already signed Tank Johnson and the closet arsenal that comes with him, so why would you add Larry Johnson? Cedric Benson is not a bright guy, but at least he is not an outspoken idiot. Good luck, Cincinnati.

The Ugly:

Allen Iverson has decided to part ways with the Memphis Grizzlies as of early this week. It truly is unfortunate things work like this in the current era in sports. NBA superstars, and other sports for that matter, have a very difficult time letting go of their careers. I don’t blame them, if I could continue to play a game that has supported me and my family I would, but the last few years of a former NBA superstar’s career is becoming a sad trend. It has happened before, Iverson is definitely not the first, nor will he be the last. The end of Michael Jordan’s career was difficult to watch unfold as he wore a Washington Wizards jersey and became an average 6th man. Dominique Wilkins went from being the “human highlight film” slam dunk champ of the Atlanta Hawks to a basketball playing version of Herman Munster with the Clippers, Celtics, Spurs, and Magic over a 4 year period. This is common for some of these guys. If Iverson signs a contract this season it will be his 4th team since the 2005-2006 season. Iverson has always been a bit rough around the edges and carries that “thug” label, he doesn’t like to practice, and isn’t afraid to pop-off to the media, but I like him. He always plays hard, plays injured, and is fun to watch. The problem with Iverson is that he doesn’t win. His game is selfish and he is hard to play with, so teams are reluctant to bring him in or sign him long term. I honestly would not be surprised if Iverson played for another 5 years, for 5 different franchises. Iverson will carry the sad torch of a onetime illustrious NBA career through every NBA city that will let him call home for all those players who could not let go of their careers. Iverson, as he slows down, due to age (this season is number 14) will fall into obscurity when it comes to NBA elite and will not be remembered for his early years, but his older ones.

At the conclusion of the most poorly scheduled Monday Night Football game in history, the ugliest franchise of 2009 may have made their biggest mistake yet. Josh Cribbs, arguably the Cleveland Browns best player, is taken off the field on a stretcher at the conclusion of the Browns 16 point defeat by the Baltimore Ravens. As of this morning, it was still unclear as to what his injury was, but if you were watching the game last night it did not look good. First of all, what the hell are the Browns doing running a hook and lateral play with no time on the clock and down 16 points? Were they magically going to defy the rules of football and be awarded 16 pity points by the NFL and extend the game into overtime if they scored? No. So, why put your only possible Pro-Bowler in that situation at the end of a game in a meaningless play? Mangini needs to figure it out or get the hell out of football. If I was in an administrative position for the Cleveland Browns, Mangini would not have gotten out of the stadium last night without a pink slip. Then I would welcome Mike Holmgren, John Gruden, Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Shanahan, or Bill Cowher to the Cleveland Browns. I wouldn’t care how much control they want or how much money they want. Cleveland deserves better than a jackass who puts the face of the franchise in harm’s way at the end of meaningless game in a meaningless play. I know Cleveland doesn’t have a lot going for it right now, but Josh Cribbs is the reason people are still coming to watch that team. If he is hurt bad enough to miss some time, Mangini needs to go, because they will need to figure out some way to get people in the stadium.

Until next week.

Week of November 9th, 2009

The Good:
First off, the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts are in the driver seat in their respective divisions and conferences. So much so, that they could easily wind up as the representatives in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. The Saints, coming off of their victory over the Carolina Panthers, are looking to go 9-0 for the first time, passing a 7-0 best start in 1991. The weird thing is they are doing it in a way that nobody expected. We all expected them to come out firing, outlast their opponents by simply outscoring them, guessing that Drew Brees would have 28 touchdown passes now, but in reality they are winning with an all-around team concept. Brees has 17 touchdowns (still 1st in the league), but also 7 interceptions placing him in the middle of the league at 14th. The running game has been consistent, coming in at 6th in the league. The offense is good, but not in the way we all expected. Their defense has made a lot of improvement.

The Colts are also doing what they seem to do each season, and remain unbeaten going into the second half of the season. The Colts have began at least 5-0 in 5 of the last 7 seasons. What makes this season so remarkable is that it is under a new head coach, Jim Caldwell. It has also helped the Colts brought back the recently retired Tom Moore and Howard Mudd. Peyton Manning has been terrific, completing 71% of his passes and throwing for 16 td’s to five different receivers. The defense has also done a good job of hanging on despite some injuries that could have been costly in a number of games, most recently the loss of safety Bob Sanders for the remainder of the season. The annual matchup between Tom Brady’s Patriots and the Colts will one of the best games of the year and say a lot about the Colts.

In case you missed it, the Pittsburgh Steelers absolutely dominated the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football last night. The Steelers defense is looking like the defense from years past and is at full strength with the comeback of a healthy Troy Polamalu. They held the Broncos to a dismal 242 total yards, only 27 on the ground, and the only offensive score they allowed was a field goal on the first drive of the game. The Steelers running game also had a vintage look to it as Rashard Mendenhall carried the rushing attack with 155 yards on 22 carries. Ben Roethlisberger had a decent game (233 yard, 3 td’s and an interception) and continued to show that he is the best quarterback picked in the infamous 2004 draft. The Steelers will look for some revenge when the Bengals come back to Pittsburgh next week for 1st place in the division. Pay close attention next week to this game as it is the second best game of the week and will be a physical matchup between two teams who hate each other.

This seems like it happened weeks ago already, but the final “good” thing in sports this week was the World Series victory for the New York Yankees. Some of you may be asking, “Why is this in the good category?” Well, I learned a couple of things from this year’s series that justify its placement. First, Alex Rodriguez is capable of hitting in the playoffs, so we get a full winter of not hearing about how bad of a deal the Yankees made to keep him in New York. Second, the season is over and we will get to see the Yankees throw money at free agents while casting away their used goods to teams who think they will have a legitimate opportunity to compete for a world championship next year. For example, Jason Bay will be a Yankee, possibly Roy Halladay will be a Yankee, Johnny Damon could possibly go back to the Red Sox, and Hideki Matsui could go back to Japan. And finally, baseball isn’t what it is unless the Yankees are winning world championships. It was 2000 since their last title and it felt like forever. Listen, I know there are a lot of Yankee haters out there, but you and I both know that we need the Yankees to be successful for the value of the sport. If the Yankees are bad, or not in the playoffs, the sport suffers. I heard a guy on the radio the other day say baseball has had the most turnover in teams that make the playoffs in the last 15 years than any other of the professional sports, so it’s not like the Yankees are hurting baseball with all of their spending and driving market values up to a point where small market teams cannot compete, look at the Twins.

The Bad:

I really only have one “bad” thing to mention about the previous week in sports, and that is the Big Ten Conference in football. Now, as many of you know, I love the Big Ten. I have been a Michigan sports fan for as long as I can remember, but in recent years it has fallen from grace, and it is going to take a lot for it to come back. Many of you are probably saying the Big Ten is just fine, even without Michigan, but you are mistaken. Yeah, Ohio State and Penn State have vastly improved and Iowa was #4 in the BCS last week, but if the game at the end of the season between OSU and Michigan isn’t for a conference championship then the conference as a whole is not going to have a shot at BCS title game. You need Michigan to be successful as much as I want them to be because as they go, so does the conference. If you’ll remember, in 2006 Michigan and Ohio State were #1 and #2 in the BCS going into the final game of the season. Many felt that regardless of outcome, they were the two best teams and could easily matchup in the BCS title game in January if certain things happened in other games in the final weeks of the season. Ohio State won 42-39 and eventually was beaten in the BCS National Championship game by Florida. If Michigan isn’t the number 2 team in the rankings at the time they played, Ohio State may not play in that game because some even had them leapfrogged at the end of the season in the BCS by Florida. As we know, strength of schedule comes into play in the BCS, which is why Boise, TCU, and other schools form non-BCS conferences will not get an opportunity to play for a national title, so if Michigan isn’t #2 Ohio State could have been leaped over by, not only Florida, but possibly another 1 loss team. In addition, the Big Ten is terrible right now because their university presidents are not letting them play games beyond the weekend of Thanksgiving. This is a “what have you done for me lately” system, and, frankly, teams that play two or three weeks later than the Big Ten are going to have stronger resume’s then an undefeated team from the Big Ten, sorry Iowa but you never had a chance. So, unless Michigan improves greatly over the next few years or the Big Ten adjusts its schedule to compete with the SEC, Pac-10, Big 12, or other conferences they are going to be the odd one out.

The Ugly:

The Kansas City Chiefs are in complete disarray and they have reached an all-time low this past week. They have released Larry Johnson from his contract, and it was a request by the fans of the Chiefs. It got so bad that the fans actually proposed that the team release Larry Johnson instead of letting him have a chance at breaking the Chiefs all-time rushing record, held currently by Priest Holmes. I don’t know why LJ thought it was okay to publicly bash his head coach, the organization, and the homosexual community for good measure, but if he was trying to get out of town, good move. However, it is going to be difficult for LJ to get signed on by another team for the amount of money he was making in KC. I predict LJ will end up with either the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, or Washington Redskins because they are the only franchises stupid enough to sign him to what he wants with no conditions in his contract that are behavior based. And let's not forget that his production is way down since he signed that contract with the Chiefs.  The way I see it, Larry Johnson and the Redskins deserve each other more than they know. At least with LJ in Washington, DeAngelo Hall has someone to tweet their problems with, and possibly someone to fight on the sideline.

The DeAngelo Hall incident brings me to my last ugly point of the week. How many times can this guy act like he does before someone cuts him loose. I understand his frustration and desire to win, but I find it coincidental that the last 3 teams he has played for have been absolutely garbage. DeAngelo, maybe you are the problem. Starting a fight with the opposing bench, and then going after the head coach, Mike Smith? Are you kidding? When you begin to go after the opposing teams coaching staff you have bigger problems than being frustrated. Hall has shown his problems throughout his career. He cried about not winning in Atlanta, he cried about playing for a terrible team in Oakland, and he is moments away from crying about Jim Zorn and the Redskins. In all actuality, it is really Dan Snyder’s fault for thinking that talent outweighs character. If that were true, the Redskins would be a dynasty because Snyder is always quick to pick up the high talent, low character player. DeAngelo Hall, Albert Haynesworth (if you remember Haynesworth stepped on Andre Gurode’s face during a game), and Jeremy Bridges (assault) all within the last year. The Redskins are a circus and will continue to be for some time. Like I said before, it is not Jim Zorn’s fault, but the owner’s.

Until next week.

Week of November 2nd, 2009

Happy November, everybody! November means Turkey dinner, Thanksgiving football, drunk family members sleeping off the beginnings of their Holiday binges on your couch, but more imporantly, it means FOOTBALL!! The college season is becoming more and more interesting as the weeks go by and the NFL is starting to firmly establish the who's who of the league going into the final stretch run. We are almost at the mid-point of the season and things are getting interesting. Also, the World Series is coming to a close, but baseball will moving into the direction of astronomical free agent contracts and the next name on the steroid list will be revealed. Also, the NBA is rolling and college basketball teams will stop playing 6th grade girls AAU teams and begin playing teams that can compete with them. It's going to be a good month.

The World Series

This series has lived up to its billing. The Yankees have a 3-2 lead over the Phillies with the series heading back to New York tomorrow. However, instead of these great pitching duels we expected, timely hitting, and power, has been the deciding factor over the dominant pitching that we have seen throughout the playoffs. Chase Utley has been the story from the offensive standpoint of the Phillies. Utley is hitting everything he sees, and hitting it hard. As of now, through game 5, Utley has 5 HR’s (tying a postseason record for homers in a World Series, with none other than Reggie Jackson in 1977), 8 RBI’s, and is currently hitting .314 for the series. If the Phillies manage to come back and win this thing Chase Utley will be the World Series MVP. For the Yankees, however, A-Rod started out like the A-Rod we are used to seeing in the playoffs, going 0 for 8 in games 1 and 2. In games 3 through 5, in Philadelphia, Rodriguez has blown up. He was 4 for 10, all of them clutch hits, with a homer, 3 doubles, and 6 RBI’s. If A-Rod can keep this up back in New York they will win one of the two games and be World Series champs.

The pitching in the World Series has been interesting, too. Cliff Lee has remained solid through his 2 starts, adding to his MLB lead in postseason wins this year (4), and having a 1.41 ERA, but won’t get another start this series, however, look for him to come out of the bullpen if there is a game 7. For the Yankees, it has been the C.C. Sabathia show. Sabathia has been pitching on 3 days rest for the Yankees since playoffs began and is sporting a 3.00 ERA and will have an opportunity to close the series out in game 7. But, game 6 has to take place and that features the historical Yankee killer, Pedro Martinez, against the postseason history leader in series clinching wins (5), Andy Pettitte. For you Yankee fans out there, this is going to be a tough one. Pedro isn’t like he used to be, but he is still enemy #1 for the city of New York, whether it was his time in Boston or the New York Mets experiment that failed miserably. Look for him to have a great outing in a huge game, just like he always does.

My only complaint about the World Series to this point is the continuous conversation regarding instant replay.  Let's put this to bed right now.  Instant replay does not belong in baseball and this is why: baseball players play the game understanding that there is a human element of it that makes it great.  Whether the calls or good, bad, or they got some and missed some, the same understanding is felt by all who play the game: if you take away the human element of the game it won't be the same.  I understand that a lot of people are talking about this because of ratings for television and radio, but come on, let the game be played the way it is supposed to be.  There have been a number of horrible calls this postseason, I'll be the first to side with you on that, but it doesn't mean instant replay is going to fix it.  Are they just talking about having it for the postseason?  Well, then what happens during the regular season?  These umpires are supposed to be the best in the game, which is why they are working the World Series.  A team could easily say they could have made the playoffs had it not been for a couple of poor calls.  Just look at the Detroit Tigers this year who blew a 4 game lead in a span of 6 days to find themselves on the outside looking in.  If baseball opens their doors to instant replay, and only make it specific to certain plays, they will do what football has done with theirs, make exceptions every season, and eventually have everything reviewable.  Baseball doesn't need this, and it would hurt the game as a whole.  People are already complaining that games take too long, so why allow them to take longer with an instant replay?  A three hour game will now turn into a 3 and 1/2 hour game, and so on.  The last thing I want to see in baseball is a red hanky fly onto the field because the manager feels that his guy was safe on a play at first base.  Home runs v. doubles are one thing, but expanding it beyond that is going to take baseball down.

NFL

What was evident in the NFL this week is that the Saints are for real. They also have a very easy schedule throughout the rest of the season, and barring injuries, could run the table and be the second undefeated team during the regular season in the last 3 years. Their Monday night contest with the Atlanta Falcons was a good game, but not the best of the Saints this season. Even after having 4 turnovers they were able to hold on for a victory. Had they not turned the ball over that many times, they probably would have been able to score 50 or more points in this game. But, give the defense of the Falcons credit. They came out and played with a lot of heart and energy and were able to keep their team in the game with a fumble recovery late and the recovery of an onside kick by their special teams. The Falcons defense was also responsible for a defensive touchdown, by fellow Montana boy, Kroy Biermann, to bring the Falcons to a 14-7 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. The Saints offense, led again by Drew Brees, has been ridiculous this season, and showed it again on Monday. Last night Brees threw for over 300 yards with 2 touchdowns and they accumulated They are averaging 429 yards per game in total offense and have only turned the ball over 10 times, while their defense has created 18, in 7 games. Reggie Bush may not be the player that everyone expected him to be, but so what. He is still explosive and forces teams to game plan for him, allowing Brees to distribute the ball to a number of weapons in Marques Colston, Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, Jeremy Shockey or Lance Moore. Right now, they are averaging more yards than the 2007 Patriots and are on pace to score 624 points this season, 35 more than the 2007 Patriots. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the NFC representative in the Super Bowl.

Another Super Bowl contender, the Minnesota Vikings, had a huge division game last week as well. Not huge because it was in division, but because it was Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau to play the Packers. I never heard if the Packer faithful stuck to their traditions of mooning the opposing team as they enter Green Bay, but they definitely let him know their current feelings towards them. They had a collective “boo” going from the second he stepped on the field until the game was well underway. The Brett Favre Circus rolled into Green Bay with more hype and coverage than the OJ trial or Michael Jackson’s funeral. The NFL Network even went as far as to have a “Favre Cam” online during the game. The game itself wasn’t even that entertaining. Favre threw 4 touchdowns, not because he is that good or that inspired, but because the Green Bay defense, having moved to a 3-4 instead of their previous 4-3, are not that good and can’t put pressure on anybody. They have a “bend but don’t break” scheme, as most 3-4 teams do, but they only have 12 sacks in 7 games, just over 1.5 per, and those numbers are inflated because they have already played the Lions, Rams, and Browns. Favre finished with 270 and 3 touchdowns, but didn’t turn the ball over. Watch out Vikings fans, Favre did this last year. He started hot and his body didn’t hold up over the long haul. The Jets finished 9-7, losing 4 of their last 5, and it resulted in the firing of Mangini. Favre is good for about 7 to 8 games, although he has had only two 300 yard passing days since week 12 of the 2007 season, so what the Vikings should have done is waited until week 6 to sign him, ride Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels to a 7-3 record through week 10, and then turn the franchise over to Favre and finish the regular season at 12-4, because he’ll fall apart late and the Vikings will underachieve. It has happened before, and don’t be surprised if it happens again.

Other highlights in the NFL last week included Baltimore’s defensive domination of the Denver Broncos at home. The Broncos only accumulated 200 total yards, punted 8 times, and attempted 0 field goals. The final score was 30-7, and the Broncos only drive that went noticeably beyond the 50 yard line was late in the game, and their 86 yard, ten play scoring drive in the third quarter. When you only turn the ball over once and hold it for over 26 minutes and only have 7 points to show for it, something wasn’t working, whether it is game plan, play calling, or unexplainable. Or, the Baltimore defense, which has been criticized for being selfish in recent weeks, finally got it together and returned to the form of a defense that has been dominating the league since they moved to Baltimore. I like seeing NFC North teams play well and beat teams that are supposed to be the new great team, but I was hoping the Broncos would be undefeated with Pittsburgh coming to town next week for Monday Night Football. The only other highlight of note is that, like I predicted in week 1 of the blog, Vince Young was given the keys of the franchise back and earned the Titans their first victory of the season.

NCAA Football

The BCS system is going to be under scrutiny again this season with Florida, Texas, Alabama (off this previous week), TCU, Cincinnatti, and Boise State all rolling though this college football season. We’ll just have to wait until the end of the season to see who the computers feel are deserving of playing for a national championship. It could get interesting if there are 3 or 4 teams, which is possible, end up undefeated.

The top story this week was the absolute annihilation of USC by the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks were dominant at home against the Trojans and looked like the better team from top to bottom. It seems we have all forgotten the LaGarrette Blount incident and moved on, so much so that the Ducks were actually considering bringing him back to the team. How crazy would it be if the Ducks won out in the Pac-10 to finish with 1 loss to Boise State and were able to play them again in a BCS bowl game? Yikes. The loss for the Trojans was their worst loss in the Pete Carroll era, and will most likely take them out of BCS contention. Hello, Trojans. Welcome to the 2009-10 Sun, Holiday, or Emerald Bowl. The Ducks, however, could be the first Pac-10 team to go undefeated in conference play since the 2005 Trojans.

Florida was again dominant this week in their victory over Georgia, but not without some controversy (I know, what else is new) with the 1st half suspension of Brandon Spikes in their upcoming game for gouging Georgia running back Washaun Ealey’s eye. The incident came in what Spikes called “retaliation” for an earlier incident when he had his helmet ripped off and his eye poked. I don’t get it. I have heard multiple people say the punishment is too stiff, including Ealey. This isn’t Any Given Sunday. These are college kids playing football. When is that kind of behavior condoned, regardless, of a one half suspension? In my opinion, this kid should be suspended for at least a game. This incident is just a string of controversial moments involving the Florida program, including the conspiracy that the SEC officials are looking out for the Gators and want them in a national title game. I get it, the Florida Gators are the New York Yankees of college football right now and everybody hates them, but this is a suspension from Urban Meyer, who has shown nothing but class in his tenure at Florida, not the SEC. At what point is the conference going to step in and take control of their conference? Just because they are the most dominant conference in college football, they aren’t exempt from some discipline. The SEC needs to tighten the reins in their conference and pay attention to teams and players, not just officials. Especially with the recent history in the conference. For example, the full 100 man roster of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrating in the end zone after their first touchdown in 2007, and no penalties for anyone were handed down, the fight between Clemson and South Carolina in 2004, or going back even further, the brawl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State in 1997. The SEC has done nothing for their conference in the past 20 years except let it get out of control.

As for the two remaining BCS Buster teams, TCU and Boise State, along with Cincinnati, who I will place in that same category, there is a strong possibility that they will all go undefeated and create the possibility of having five undefeated teams at the end of the season. Now, I have said all along that the two teams who play in the SEC Championship should just have a rematch for the national championship, but we all know that isn’t going to happen. There will surely be an undefeated team from the SEC and Big 12, but does that mean they will automatically take the bids away from the other 3 teams? Most likely, and the lawsuits will again come forward, but over the years haven’t these teams from the smaller conferences proven they belong (i.e. Utah over Alabama, Boise over Oklahoma)? Yes, but I still don’t see it happening. TCU has one more tough game on the schedule in Utah, Boise still has to play Nevada and a much improved Idaho team in the “Potato Bowl” and Cincinnati has three home games against UConn, West Virginia, and Illinois before their toughest game of the season on the road at #13 Pitt. All of these teams could easily run the table and fry the BCS computer. This could be a sign that the BCS system is, in fact, going to be adapted to include these conferences in the future, since the success of these programs has changed recruiting and created a different hierarchy in college football conferences, regardless of the lower level teams in the WAC and Mountain West conferences.

NBA

In regards to the NBA, I will write about them 3 or 4 times a year only. I am a fan of basketball; however, I find basketball the most pure and interesting at the college level. I’m tired of the tatted up wannabe thugsters running around on the basketball floor pursuing millions of dollars for dunks rather than defense. Call me a purist if you will, but the NBA isn’t holding up its end of the bargain as far as a quality product goes. Not to mention, when I think of professional basketball I think more Semi-Pro and less NBA. However, this is one of the weeks that I will briefly talk about the NBA, but only as a preview.

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic will all claim their divisions. The Celtics have too much depth and have made some needed additions, specifically, Rasheed Wallace, and having Rajon Rondo sign a contract extension will be an added bonus and less of a distraction. Look for the Celts to go deep in the playoffs. In the Central Division, the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the addition of Shaquille O’Neal, should be better than last year. Shaq finally gives the Cavs a viable offensive weapon in the middle, sorry Zydrunas and Anderson, and allows LeBron to be more creative on the floor. The Cavs will also win the Eastern Conference. The Magic will win the Southeast Division, and go deep into the playoffs, on the shoulders of Dwight Howard and the return of a healthy Jameer Nelson. They also added Vince Carter in the offseason to add depth and a more creative scorer at the 2 or 3 positions.

In the West, look for the Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and San Antonio Spurs to win their respective divisions. The Los Angeles Lakers, for the first time in what seems like a decade, will not have the offseason distractions that have led to slow starts, but instead will be coming off of a dominating NBA Finals appearance from a year ago. The Nuggets, currently being called “one-hit wonders” from a year ago will dominate the Northwest Division for a second straight year. Having Chauncey Billups on their team for a full season, the growth of Carmelo Anthony, and the never say die attitude of the Nuggets is the reason I suspect they will upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals and be the representative from the west. Also, in the west, the San Antonio Spurs, if they can stay healthy, will be a good choice to win the Southwest Division. Other than Dallas, San Antonio is the only team in the west that can compete with the Lakers or Nuggets, with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli. The loss of Bruce Bowen will hurt this team though because they won’t have anyone to defend Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony.

This will be the last post of this style. I am going to change things up a bit and begin writing a "Good, Bad, and Ugly" of the previous week of sports from here on out. Should still be good, but will have fewer recaps of the week and create more discussion of whats actually happening. Until next week.

Week of October 26th, 2009

What a week in the sports world! The World Series field is set, NFL season is well underway and top tier teams are starting to seperate themselves from the others, college football BCS and Heisman buzz is getting louder, college basketball teams are practicing and getting ready for their seasons, and the beginning of the NBA and NHL seasons are stealing headlines from sports that matter.


(Photo: New York Daily News)
I know football is king, but I wanted to begin this entry with Major League Baseball, since it is playoff time. Unfortunately, I had already posted for last week with the ALCS game 4 yet to begin. In case you missed it, C.C. Sabathia had another outstanding outing on 3 days rest for the Yankees. Now in the postseason, C.C. is 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA and is continuing to prove that he was worth every penny the Steinbrenner's are paying him (7 years, $160 million). This looks like the Sabathia that carried the Brewer's into the playoffs last year, not the C.C. that struggled once they got there. Also, Alex Rodriguez is lighting up the stat sheets, much to everyone's surprise. I commented on this last week, but it is definately of note this week. He has now hit 5 HR's and has 11 RBI's this postseason. Kate Hudson must be doing a number on his head because he looks like he is not thinking at all at the plate and just swinging the bat, which if you are not a baseball person, is a good thing. His interviews even look less scripted and more natural. He looks like the guy who is more interested in his collection of dirty magazines, not the guy who wants to show off his Picasso's. I like this A-Rod.

Game 5 was filled with a ton of action, mis-managed situations, and suspense. Why is Girardi bringing Burnett back into the game after he has sat for nearly 30 minutes while the Yankees score 6 runs in the 7th to gain the lead? Trust your bullpen, Joe. If these guys (Joba, Coke) played for any other team they would probably be a #2 starter. Let them earn their money. Don't bring a guy in who has been sitting in the cold air of October in New York City to walk the leadoff hitter (who statistically scores 79% of the time) and open the door for a big inning. With the bases loaded, 2 outs, with the tying run at 3rd, and the winning run at 2nd, Swisher needs to get the ball on the ground. This guy seems to pop out every at bat. He is way out on his front foot and can't control his hands. If he gets the ball on the ground, or at least attempts it, he at least gives himself and his team a chance. Take some notes on your what your opponents are doing in the game: attack the 1st good fastball you see. The Angels did it all night and hit line drive after line drive. They weren't necessarily the best pitch for each hitter to swing at, but they were able to put it in play and find holes.

The Yankees wrapped up the ALCS on Sunday night by way of a collapse by the Los Angeles Angels. A dropped ball by 2nd baseman Kendrick and an overthrow of Kendrick by Scott Kazmir essentially cost the Angels an opportunity to play for the World Series. Do teams not practice bunt coverages and appropriate fielding techniques in the American League? It was awful. It was reminiscent of the Tigers collapse in the World Series a few years ago against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, where Tiger pitchers had similar errors (8 in all) that cost them the series in 5 games. I know they practice with pitcher fielding and bunt coverages in spring training, but come on. Pick the baseball up and throw it over. The Yankees took advantage in game 6 and allowed themselves an opportunity to set up the top of their pitching rotation.

The Philadelphia Phillies absolutely cruised into the World Series on Wednesday night for the second consecutive season. The Dodgers looked overmatched througout the series and look like they will struggle again next year if matched against this same Phillies team in the playoffs. The Phillies have too many horses on the mound and enough quality bats in the lineup for, probably, any team in the National League, and probably the American League as well. (Photo: www.ryanhowardclub.info) Ryan Howard was the series MVP, hitting .333, with 5 runs scored, 2 HR's, and 8 RBI's. Jason Werth also made a case for MVP in the final game hitting 2 HR's (3 total) and 6 RBI's in the series, but was outshined by superstar Howard because Werth hit a light .222. The Phillies are looking to become the first National League team to repeat World Series championships since the "Big Red Machine" of Cincinatti in the 1970's and the Yankees from 1999-2000. Game 1 of the World Series will be a great matchup between Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Two extremely talented and successful left-handers who have pinpoint control and very competitive attitudes on the mound. By winning game 6, the Yankees and Phillies World Series could be the best in a long time, featuring powerful lineups and dominant starting pitchers. We also will not be able to make the cold weather excuse for sloppy play. It should be a good one to watch.


College football this week was as dull as it has been since week 1 of the season. There were only 3 good games this week and one emotional rollercoaster: Alabama/Tennessee, Iowa/Michigan St., Miami/Clemson, and UConn/WVU (the rollercoaster). The only thing I really wanted to see was UConn beat West Virginia for their fallen teammate, Jasper Howard, for the first time since joining the Big East Conference. Unfortunately, in an up and down, emotional game, West Virginia scored late to steal the victory from the Huskies. Alabama was tested this week for the second straight week, probably keeping them from the #1 BCS ranking for the week, by beating Tennessee 12-10. This is either a statement game for the BCS, or for Lane Kiffin. (Photo: Wordpress) In terms of the BCS, it goes to show that the SEC should, like I said last week, own the top 2 spots at the end of the season. As for Kiffin and Tennessee, he really is doing some things to show that he belongs in Knoxville and he validates the forcing out of former coach Phil Fulmer. The win/loss doesn't show it, but Tennessee is 3-4 overall (1-3 in the SEC) and has lost all 4 games by a combined 20 points, ten of those coming to Florida in a game that featured a sloppy touchdown late by the Gators. Look out SEC and the nation, Tennessee is going to be a power once again here in a few years.

The Big Ten also showed the tremendous amount of parody in college football, outside of the SEC, this season. The only game of note was the Iowa/Michigan State game, which looked like 2 elephants rolling around in the mud. It was classic Big Ten football with 2 teams that just tried to pound the ball on the ground and jockeyed for field position with their defensive toughness (only 600 total yards between the 2 teams). Iowa escaped with a late score that put them up, but they looked vulnerable offensively against a defense that has been giving up a lot of points this season.

Okay, okay. This always seems to happen to me. Some idiot from one of my favorite teams always seems to get in trouble. For example, Michigan football practice scandal, Fab Five recruiting violations/player benefits which forfeited wins, Roberto Alomar spitting in the face of an umpire, Big Ben accused of rape, etc. Does this mean the teams I like have a tendency to sign troublemakers, or that I like certain franchises/college teams because they are risk-takers or "bad boy" seekers? No. It doesn't. And this is why: the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of, if not the, classiest organizations in sports. So much so, that one of their primary owners is the Ambassador to Ireland for the United States. Teams, companies, or organizations that make bad business/personnel decisions do not have ownership that, in some way, represents their country, unless they are trying to embarass themselves (i.e., North Korea). Also, what is probably the next most recognized rule in the NFL next to any number of the "I'm a girl, don't hit me, 'Tom Brady'" rules? The Rooney Rule, which is meant to protect Civil Rights, not quarterbacks. Point taken? Okay, let's move on. Is this a story because the Steelers were Super Bowl XLIII champs? No, this is a story for one reason and one reason only, because he is a kicker. (Photo: www.footblog.com ) Who else gets put in the news because of a drunk in public citation? It took Donte Stallworth hitting, and killing, a pedestrian with his car to make the news. It took Adam "Pacman" Jones a shooting outside a Las Vegas nightclub to make the news. In this story, Jeff Reed was picked up for "mouthing off to police as they were issuing a public urination ticket to teammate Matt Spaeth." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) I repeat, mouthing off as police were trying to give Matt Spaeth a ticket for pissing in the street! We have heard nothing of Matt Spaeth, except in this article from the Gazette, who only mentions his name (they don't officially say if he was cited or not). Hmm, wierd how that works. Must suck to be, in the words of the comedic jingle by Adam Sandler, the "lonesome kicker." I don't imagine this story was a distraction to the Steelers, who beat the Vikings on Sunday, as Tomlin pointed out, it happened the Sunday right after a game, 4 blocks from the stadium. Most of the team probably was thinking, "it's our kicker, who the hell cares? It's not like he has to be in top physical condition, or remember the playbook. He's probably drunk by half-time anyway."

As for the game featuring Jeff Reed and the Steelers, imagine that as the advertising marquee for an upcoming Monday Night game (say it like Hank Williams, Jr. would say it), the latest off the field issues proved to have no effect on their play this weekend. The defense was dominant against the high-powered Viking offense with 2 defensive touchdowns, a fumble recovery and 77 yard return for Lamar Woodley and an 82 yard interception return for Keyaron Fox. This looked like last year's Steeler defense. Having Troy Polamalu back full time has lit a fire under this defense that has struggled against decent offenses all season. I won't take anything away from the Vikings, because they are a good team, but they haven't really been tested by a team in the upper level of the NFL (Detroit 1-5, Cleveland 1-6, St. Louis 0-7, San Francisco 3-3, Green Bay 4-2, Baltimore 3-3), with their opponents win/loss record coming into the game was 12-26. Brett Favre is good, but as long as teams focus on Adrian Peterson, he is not going to win games for the Vikings if they do not have the dominant running game everyone thinks they have. This victory will carry a lot of momentum going into the bye week and into their November 9th Monday Night showdown with, hopefully still undefeated, Denver at Invesco Field. Look for a healthy, confident Steeler team in a couple of weeks.

Also in the NFL this week, we saw Michael Crabtree's debut get overshadowed by a quaterback change, possibly for the season, against the Houston Texans. Shaun Hill was lifted after a lack luster performance by the former #1 overall selection for the niners, Alex Smith. Smith played particularly well in bringing the Niners back, but fell short because the hole Hill dug was already too deep. Does this mean Smith will get his old job back? Who knows because right now he is the best option they have if they are behind, and Hill is the best option to start the game. Don't ask how this works, but for some reason it does. If Smith could start a game successfully, which in San Francisco isn't difficult (just hand the ball to Gore), and make throws when he has to, he would be the starter and earn all of that rookie contract money he has been paid so far. As for Crabtree, it was an okay debut. He'll get better as he learns the offense and becomes a threat, but it still may take a while. I wouldn't expect Crabtree to be a featured receiver until next season. Rookie wideouts don't usually start becoming impact players right away, and struggle for the first part of the season. Considering the fact that Crabtree's early part of the season is now, he should struggle most of the remainder of this NFL season, but he still may be an upgrade to a disappointing offensive team thus far.


(Photo: ESPN.com) JaMarcus Russell was also benched this week for Bruce Gradkowski. Does this mean Russell will be moved to left tackle, where, according to his offseason program, he belongs? Probably, but it will be awhile before he is committed to protecting a fellow quarterback. The guy takes on the persona of his owner, no leadership. As long as Al Davis owns the Raiders, they'll stink. Be embarrassed Raider fans, your franchise is the butt of every joke on every network and radio show in the country that even mentions the word "football."

Why does another NFC East scheduled game get the Monday Night spotlight. This week it featured the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins. I have been saying all along that the NFC East is the most overrated division in the NFL. The Giants are solid, but got pasted by the Arizona Cardinals this week, the Cowboys won a game against the Falcons, but it was at home, if it were in Atlanta it probably would have been a blowout, and neither the Eagles or Redskins are deserving of a primetime game. (Photo: Sports Illustrated)The NFL should have a flex schedule, similar to the Thursday night contests on the NFL Network, for Monday Night games. How is it that regional coverage maps don't allow for people to see the Minnesota/Pittsburgh, Cincinnatti/Chicago, San Francisco/Houston, or New Orleans/Miami games? These games all featured teams at .500 or above and they were only available with Sunday Ticket cable packages. Don't get me wrong, if I had NFL Sunday Ticket I wouldn't be complaining, but I thought Monday Night Football was supposed to be a huge marketing event for the NFL. Why does the NFL keep rewarding franchises that have given the NFL nothing but negative headlines and mediocre management strategies? This may be one of the lowest rated Monday Night Football games outside of the DC/Philadelphia areas in a long time. I'm not suggesting the NFL select the best game of the week by the 2 best teams each time. I'm suggesting that they at least show games that the entire country may be interested in based on its meaning for the rest of the league. I'm also going to add this: do not start flexing games until at least week 5. This will allow for some teams to emerge that have some type of national interest. The NFL should not be supportive of only the big markets, but to the most interesting and competitive market. The only primetime games that should be established from the beginning of the season are the opening weekend Thursday night game (previous Super Bowl champion) and the first 4 weeks of the scheduled Monday Night games, Thanksgiving Day games are not safe either. What happens if the Lions are blacked out on Thanksgiving because the economy in Detroit is way down and the Lions stink? Are we still going to tune into the CBS presentation of the Lions on Thanksgiving Day? Probably, but I think there are better options.

As for the Monday Night game, the Redskins have bigger problems than who is calling plays for them on offense. Sherman Lewis or Jerry Lee Lewis, it doesn't matter. Jason Campbell is not a good quarterback. He looks panicked in the pocket and tries to throw everything on the run. The Eagles proved they could beat a vulnerable, bad team that they should beat. Other than a touchdown late, it was a game that was completely dominated by a solid Eagle defense that created turnovers and got to the quarterback. The Redskins are a joke and need to quit trying to solve all of their problems with money. Dan Snyder has been throwing money at players for the last several years, comparable to the Steinbrenner's in New York. There is only one problem with that: this isn't baseball. Football teams don't win championships because of high payrolls. They are winning teams because of a balanced mixture of systems, appropriate talent, team first mentalities, chemistry, and a strong front office. The Redskins have none of these ingredients, which is why they are terrible.

In local sports headlines for you Montana natives out there: having nothing to do with the success of the University of Montana football program, the Grizzlies are in the national news. Coach Bobby Hauck is now labeled a "bully" in popular, nationally syndicated sports media outlets. The story goes like this: the Grizzly football team kept two players out of the opening game of the season for what they called "undisclosed injuries." (Photo: www.montanagrizzlies.com) Coincidentally, those same 2 players were involved in a fight with some other students last spring. The college newspaper repeatadly asked Coach Hauck about the "undisclosed injuries" of the two players and he provided nothing in response, about the injury or the fight. In addition, Hauck put a gag-order on the team with the paper, telling them not to say anything to Kaimin (the local University of Montana student newspaper) reporters. As a response, the Kaimin, who prints a gameday paper for each home game, decided it was going to boycott the game. They usually write a feature article about some aspect of Montana football and put it on the cover. Instead, they wrote a feature article about Cal-Poly's head coach. This pissed Hauck off and he is yet to answer any questions from the Kaimin and told them they will be getting nothing from him in future interviews. In Sports Illustrated, he is chastised for not speaking to the Kaimin. On ESPN.com, Pat Forde gives him the "Bum of the Half-year" midseason in college football award for the same thing. You can find both articles at the following links, check them out, they are pretty good: Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com articles.


Until next week.

Week of October 19th, 2009

This is the inaguraul post for this particular blog. You may ask yourself, "why is he writing on Tuesdays?" Well, not a whole lot happens on Tuesday's in the athletic world except probably the NBA and NHL. Since we are at the height of the sports season with the NFL well underway, college football dominating headlines, the MLB playoffs, and the starts of the NBA and NHL seasons, it seemed like the right time to begin writing. Before you continue, be warned that I cannot stand Ohio State because I am a Michigan sports fan, I am a fan of the American League East, and think the NFC East is the most overrated conference in the NFL year in and year out. I am also a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan, so I may homer them from time to time if it is worthy. Also, if you are looking for this to be a baseball blog you have come to the wrong place, unless it is opening week or the playoffs.

It has been an interesting week of sports and there is a lot to cover. But first, I would like to start with the unfortunate death of Jasper Howard at the University of Conneticut. What an unfortunate ordeal. A young man, who according to his coaches and teammates, was an exceptional human being and talent. I don't follow UConn sports too closely, but this has drawn me to learn more about their programs and their institution. When you think of Conneticut, you don't really link it with crime, especially violent crime. Unfortunately, for Howard's family, friends, coaches, teammates, and classmates, it will forever be linked to the thought of violent crime. I find it especially heart-breaking that this young man was going to be a father, and that child will never be able to meet him. It is also unfortunate that he was not able to graduate from such an institution and be able to help his loved ones escape the rough neighborhoods of little Haiti in Miami. I saw a quote yesterday that he went to UConn to escape the crime and violence of his neighborhood. I truly do feel sorry for this young man's family and loved ones. (Photo from New York Daily News 10/18/2009)

On Sunday we possibly had the best matchups of the young NFL season thus far. We were able to see the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints battle it out in New Orleans (albeit a lack luster game), the Bengals and Texans in Cincinatti, a division game in Seattle with the Cardinals coming to play the Seahawks, a sloppy but interesting game between the Bears and the Falcons, and a great Monday Night game featuring the Denver Broncos at the San Diego Chargers. The schedule this week was a highlight among highlights, but some of the games were as advertised as well.

The Sunday night game between was the Bears and Falcons was an excellent opportunity to see Jay Cutler square off against Matt Ryan. Ryan and Cutler both started out slow against some tough defenses, but it was Ryan with the edge late in the game. I'm not a huge fan of Cutler or his talent. If you remember, Rivers of the Chargers played much better in any game the two played against each other, and had this uncanny ability to get under Cutler's skin. Cutler was slow to respond and struggled late in games. In this game, Matt Ryan looked like the 1st overall pick that he was in the 2008 draft. He managed the game well, and was able to find the open receiver, especially with a running game that was was struggling with injuries to Norwood and the focus of stopping Turner throughout the Bears practice all week, with Turner only having 46 total yards and a touchdown.

In the Monday night game I saw a couple of things. First of all, I saw that the Broncos are for real. Orton does an excellent job of managing the game and McDaniels has proven that he is a good fit in Denver, even if he tries to imitate Bellichik at any possible moment. Knowshon Moreno also showed that he can be a feature back as a rookie, although he didn't have the big numbers, he never seemed to lose yards on any carries. He did an excellent job of keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and falling forward, keeping Denver out of a lot of 2nd or 3rd and long situations. On the other side of the ball, the Chargers looked horrible! Their o-line, although banged up, was not able to stop a 3 and 4 man rush, and if there was a blitz up the middle it was over for Rivers. Also, LT looks like a shadow of the man he once was. Looks like 30 truly is the magic number for NFL running backs, and from watching last night, it is also the year in which you stop picking up blitzing linebackers and pout on the sidelines after not being in the game on goalline and short yardage situations. The Chargers are in trouble, but at least, if you're a Charger fan, you play in the AFC West with the Chiefs and Raiders.

The other thing of note for week 6 is the Patriots absolute drubbing of the Titans. That was an atrocious game to watch. How do you give up 5 touchdown passes in a single quarter? That was brutal and Titan fans, if you had any hope coming into the week, should give up for the rest of the season. Being 5 games behind the Colts in the standings, 2 games away from being eliminated from a possible winning season, and the Texans charging into the upper tiers of the NFL will be nearly impossible to make a playoff run. I know I am stating the obvious, but because of the hype coming into the season, I think it is time to give the keys to the franchise back to Vince Young and let him gain some valuable experience without any expectations. The "flash in the pan" that is Kerry Collins' entire career has officially fizzled. Also, who would have thought the loss of Albert Haynesworth would effect a defense so much that they can't stop anyone this season?

In college football this past weekend we saw a lot of good games, and some not so good ones. Subjects of conversational worth are the loss of Bradford for OU, McCoy's struggles against OU, Ohio State's loss to Purdue, Alabama's dominance, and the squeeker between Arkansas and Florida. There were a some games that told us a lot about the potential BCS rankings and some games that were absolute stinkers.

So far, the news of the college football season has been the disappointing season of Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. I hope this kid has a chance to come back next season and play for Oklahoma, but I don't think it is going to happen this season. If I was a member of the Oklahoma staff I would recommend that he doesn't play another down for the rest of the season. Shoulders are tricky injuries and need a lot of time and rest to heal, especially when it is his throwing shoulder. I hope he decides to stick around for his final season of eligibility because if he were to come out this year he would lose millions of dollars in comparison to his Heisman campaign of a year ago. Instead of being a top 5 pick from a year ago, he will be looking at probably a low 2nd to 3rd round pick in the upcoming draft, unless he can prove that he is 100% healthy at the combine and pro days.

(Photo: wizardofoddsblog)

In addition to Bradford's injury, the OU/Texas Red River Rivalry also showed that McCoy has his struggles as well. He was not the same quarterback that he was in last year's contest between the 2 teams. He only had 127 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception, as well as only having 33 yards on the ground. He averaged only 2.9 yards per play, as the quarterback throwing or running the ball. That is not the McCoy from last year who had a ridiculous completion percentage in the high 60s or low 70s. It is truly too bad that the measurements for the BCS doesn't take into consideration the performances of individuals because even though they won, it was not pretty, and against a down Oklahoma team from a year ago. Is Texas really deserving of a #3 BCS ranking? Are they even going to make it out of the Big 12 this season? Probably on the latter question, but that is because the Big 12, as a whole, is down this season.

Now, the SEC on the other hand is an outstanding conference once again this season. I think the 2 teams who play in the SEC championship game should just have a rematch for the BCS national title game. I know Tebow didn't play as well as people had hoped in the game between Florida and Arkansas, but, looking at the rest of the field, they are still probably one of the 2 best teams in the country. They just have too many weapons and speed all around the field. If Arkansas hits that last field goal to go up by 3, the BCS standings would be on its ear with 2 teams, Cincinnati and Boise St, looking for bids 3 and 4.

Alabama had probably the biggest argument for their BCS ranking this past week. They put on a running game clinic against South Carolina on Saturday to come away with the victory in a 20-6 game that featured Mark Ingram, who rushed for 246 yards and a touchdown. Steve Spurrier teams are usually high scoring, air it out, big play teams, but, since his arrival at South Carolina, they have been mediocre at best. Spurrier can't contend anywhere but Florida because of the dominance of the Gators over the last few years and the recruiting hot bed in the state. Spurrier isn't getting those recruits and his system doesn't work with any kind of athlete other than the Florida speedsters. Sorry, Gamecock fans, but I don't think it is going to happen for you.

Lastly, Ohio State losing to Purdue is really not that big of a surprise. Terrell Pryor is experiencing a "sophomore slump," and doesn't have the weapons he had a year ago with Wells, Robiskie, and Hartline. If this keeps up, the Michigan/Ohio State matchup this Thanksgiving could have Capital One Bowl implications. Winner goes and the loser ends up in the Outback Bowl against one the 2nd or 3rd tier SEC teams. The fact that OSU lost to Purdue makes this loss that much more heart-breaking and concerning for OSU fans. Purdue had 1 win coming into the game (against Toledo in the opening game of the season), and put a whooping on the Buckeyes. Pryor had 4 turnovers (5 total for the Buckeyes) and didn't look comfortable at any point in the game. Purdue, although at home, looked very comfortable against an overrated OSU defense and dominated the time of posession and had more total yards than the Buckeyes.

Just a short mention about the MLB playoffs thus far. What happened to the A-Rod that we all knew and loved, who choked in the postseason? He has become a monster this fall hitting 4 homers and driving in 9 runs. Tuesday night's matchup against Kazmir and the Angels should be an interesting one considering A-Rod is only 3 for 24 lifetime against Kazmir. As for the national league, the Phillies just have too many horses on the mound for the Dodgers. Sorry Dodger fans, I wanted a Joe Torre/Yankee World Series as well, but I don't think it is going to happen. Especially, if they have to go back to Philadelphia where it is about 15 degrees right now.

Next week we'll possibly look at the matchups between Tennessee and Alabama, Texas and Missouri, BCS Buster TCU/BYU, and Penn State and Michigan. In the NFL we'll possibly look at the Vikings and Steelers, Bears and Bengals, Cards and Giants, and the Eagles and Redskins. I'll also be wrapping the AL and NL Championship series'. Until next week.