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.