Well the Vikings are in and get a favorable 1st round match up with the Eagles so my interest will be peaked at least through the upcoming weekend. Lets look at the match-ups:
AFC: Ravens Vs. Miami- Looks like a yawn fest for my likings. An aging and highly overrated Ravens Defense will get to clobber the slow white weak armed Chad Pennington for 4 quarters while Joe footsteps Flacco throws dink and dunk passes to move the chains. I like Baltimore's ability to run the ball with John McClain and Ray Rice. I like Baltimore 17-10.
Indianapolis vs. San Diego- Best match-up the entire weekend for me, we get to see some first ballot HOFers squaring off in Peyton Manning and LT, and keep in mind the Chargers owned Manning last season. Should be high scoring for the most part, both offenses move the ball pretty well, but I still don't consider Phillip Rivers anything more than a system QB. I like the Colts 31-25.
Now to the NFC.
Atlanta vs. Arizona- Other than the Vikings game this will be the game I tune into watch. The reason is both offenses have a shot to score 40 points on Saturday. Arizona's passing game is that good, and their D is that bad. A somewhat pathetic Cardinals team backed into the playoffs and has a chance to steal one at home from the Falcons who have more talent all over the field except at Wideout and QB. I like the Falcons 34-27
Eagles Vs. Vikings- Game of the Childress era. The Vikings have more talent than the Eagles do, plain and simple. This game should be controlled by the Vikings ability to run the ball and their ability to keep Brian Westbrook and Corell Buckhalter in check. Of course all of this is assuming Chilly decides to put on his coaching hat Sunday and call a decent game. If he stays out of AP's and Jared Allen's way the Vikes win 24-13.... if Chilly does what he's prone to do and try to overcoach and out scheme himself, the Eagles win 27-20.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
MLB Offseason- The Yankee Effect
As I'm sure everyone is aware, the New York Yankees have gone on an unprecedented spending spree in the past month, causing many around the baseball world to question the fairness in the game. While I don't see it as a matter of "fairness", but instead a question of morality. How can any fan of baseball be ok with one team having the inside track on any big name free agent? Let me say that again, ONE team. That's right, contrary to popular belief, the Red Sox do not fall into the same economic category as the Yankees do. Once you take in consideration that the Red Sox have only given out 4 contacts of over 4 years since the year 2000. Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Julio Lugo and Daiuske Matzusaka. Now consider that the New York Yankees this offseason has already dished out 4+ year contracts to CC Sabithia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Texiera. Spending over 400 million dollars on 3 players would seem ridiculous to most people... unless you're from New York of course. Despite spending that much cash, they are still in contract talks with Derek Lowe, Andy Pettite, Ben Sheets and Manny Ramirez. Disgusting.
Now lets look at what these signings actually mean on the field. The Yankees will run out a lineup that will look like this.
1. Johnny Damon- LF
2. Derek Jeter- SS
3. Mark Texiera- 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez- 3b
5. Xavier Nady- RF
6. Nick Swisher- DH
7. Jorge Posada- C
8. Robinson Cano- 2B
9. Melky Cabrera- CF
Not exactly a World Series winning lineup, but it should still prodcue 0over 100HRs and 300+RBI from the 3,4, and 5 guys. The rotation looks very good,
1. CC Sabithia
2. A.J. Burnett
3. Chien-Ming Wang
4. Joba Chamberlin
5. Andy Pettite/Phil Hughes
Looks great on paper but what have these 5 ever accomplished? CC has 2+ great years and a history of forgetting to show up in October. Burnett has had 2 good seasons, coincidently in contract years and is always injured. Wang has 1 good year and has been hurt. Joba is an out of shape head case who hasn't pitched a full year as a starter.. and oh ya a history of injuries. Petttie is the surest bet of the 6 guys listed above, and he's not even under contract yet. Phil Hughes is a promising young guy but if you remember he was getting shelled last year because of oh ya MORE INJURIES. This team is still a 2-3 place team in the loaded AL East, with the potential to win it all if everyone stays healthy and plays up to potential.
Now lets look at what these signings actually mean on the field. The Yankees will run out a lineup that will look like this.
1. Johnny Damon- LF
2. Derek Jeter- SS
3. Mark Texiera- 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez- 3b
5. Xavier Nady- RF
6. Nick Swisher- DH
7. Jorge Posada- C
8. Robinson Cano- 2B
9. Melky Cabrera- CF
Not exactly a World Series winning lineup, but it should still prodcue 0over 100HRs and 300+RBI from the 3,4, and 5 guys. The rotation looks very good,
1. CC Sabithia
2. A.J. Burnett
3. Chien-Ming Wang
4. Joba Chamberlin
5. Andy Pettite/Phil Hughes
Looks great on paper but what have these 5 ever accomplished? CC has 2+ great years and a history of forgetting to show up in October. Burnett has had 2 good seasons, coincidently in contract years and is always injured. Wang has 1 good year and has been hurt. Joba is an out of shape head case who hasn't pitched a full year as a starter.. and oh ya a history of injuries. Petttie is the surest bet of the 6 guys listed above, and he's not even under contract yet. Phil Hughes is a promising young guy but if you remember he was getting shelled last year because of oh ya MORE INJURIES. This team is still a 2-3 place team in the loaded AL East, with the potential to win it all if everyone stays healthy and plays up to potential.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Pedroia gets the MVP
Well deserved as he was the most "qualified" candidate. He led the AL in hits, runs scored, doubles, and his VORP(Value over Replacement Player) was highest among AL players. He hit great all season long, and despite being 5'6" on a good day hit 17bombs, doubling the 6'5" Joe Mauer. I know most Minnesota homers will spew about Morneau deserving it, but let me ask you this, where was he in September?? His BA dropped 10 points in the month, and he completely tanked against the White Sox. Pedroia was the most consistent player over the course of the year, and he carried the Soux while Papi was out and Manny was gone. Congrats D-Ped, you deserved it.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Mid-Season Vikings Update
Well going into week 8 the Queens are 3-4, but could easily be 6-1. The primary reason for the struggles early this season have been coaching mistakes and special teams blunders. The most obvious coaching mistake was starting T-Jack without having an open Quarterback competition. Childress cost the team wins over Green Bay and Indy before wising up and starting Gus who won his first start over Carolina. Since then Gus has lead the team to wins over New Orleans and Detroit, and his only at fault loss was to the 7-0 Titans. The game against the Bears was just despicable and Childress should have gotten the axe immediately following the game.
Mid Season Grades:
QB: Gus- B+, room for improvement but has been able to move the ball efficiently. Look for Zygi to try and get a Mark Sanchez or Matthew Stafford in the 2009 Draft.
RB: AP and Chestor- A-, have been great as always but not spectacular. This is due primarily to Childress not using them very much in the passing game, particualry not using any screen plays which lets D-Ends take free shots on Gus all day long.
WR: Berrian, Rice, Wade, Allison- B-, Bernard has been great and worth every penny. I am yet to see him drop a ball. Sidney hasn't been healthy yet at any point in his career, but when he plays he is almost impossible to cover. Bobby Wade is slow, short and has average hands, cut him. Allison has been a pleasent suprise with some good YAC plays.\
TE: Shiancoe and Garret Mills: D+, Although they have been better as of late, Shiancoe is a worthless pile who drops touchdowns like their going out of style.
OL: C+, for the all the money we've spent it would be nice to get a right side of the line. Not to mention Mount McKinnie is a crimminal who hasn't been a dominant pass blocker since he was at Crimminal "U". Draft a new LT and RT and RG.
DL: A-, Fat Pat and K-Will are the best tandem of Tackles in the league, and Jared "I love to chew and eat posinous snakes" Allen is a beast at end. No changes needed here, although Pat and Kevin failed drug tests.
LB: F, worst part of our defense and yet every Sunday I'm forced to hear the Fox guys talk about the linebackers as a strength of the D. With EJ Henderson out not one linebacker on our roster save Erin Henderson can light anybody up. Ben Leber should be playing in the Arena Football League, and Chad Greenway should move to safety. Definitely a position that needs to be addressed in the draft.
DB- B, despite what people will tell you the Vikings have a solid secondary. Cedric Griffen and Antoine Winfield are perfect Cover 2 Corners, but Darren Sharper needs to go. Sure he's good for some picks, but he's slow in and out of coverage and never steps up to make a big hit. Tyrell Johsnon and Madieu Williams need to start and play every down on D.
Overall Team Grade- C, we are an average team right now but if our D steps up and dominates like it should we will win the NFC North.
Mid Season Grades:
QB: Gus- B+, room for improvement but has been able to move the ball efficiently. Look for Zygi to try and get a Mark Sanchez or Matthew Stafford in the 2009 Draft.
RB: AP and Chestor- A-, have been great as always but not spectacular. This is due primarily to Childress not using them very much in the passing game, particualry not using any screen plays which lets D-Ends take free shots on Gus all day long.
WR: Berrian, Rice, Wade, Allison- B-, Bernard has been great and worth every penny. I am yet to see him drop a ball. Sidney hasn't been healthy yet at any point in his career, but when he plays he is almost impossible to cover. Bobby Wade is slow, short and has average hands, cut him. Allison has been a pleasent suprise with some good YAC plays.\
TE: Shiancoe and Garret Mills: D+, Although they have been better as of late, Shiancoe is a worthless pile who drops touchdowns like their going out of style.
OL: C+, for the all the money we've spent it would be nice to get a right side of the line. Not to mention Mount McKinnie is a crimminal who hasn't been a dominant pass blocker since he was at Crimminal "U". Draft a new LT and RT and RG.
DL: A-, Fat Pat and K-Will are the best tandem of Tackles in the league, and Jared "I love to chew and eat posinous snakes" Allen is a beast at end. No changes needed here, although Pat and Kevin failed drug tests.
LB: F, worst part of our defense and yet every Sunday I'm forced to hear the Fox guys talk about the linebackers as a strength of the D. With EJ Henderson out not one linebacker on our roster save Erin Henderson can light anybody up. Ben Leber should be playing in the Arena Football League, and Chad Greenway should move to safety. Definitely a position that needs to be addressed in the draft.
DB- B, despite what people will tell you the Vikings have a solid secondary. Cedric Griffen and Antoine Winfield are perfect Cover 2 Corners, but Darren Sharper needs to go. Sure he's good for some picks, but he's slow in and out of coverage and never steps up to make a big hit. Tyrell Johsnon and Madieu Williams need to start and play every down on D.
Overall Team Grade- C, we are an average team right now but if our D steps up and dominates like it should we will win the NFC North.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
2009 Red Sox Preview
It's never too early to look forward to next season!
Great season, but any that doesn't end in a WS win for me is disappointing. So now lets take a look for next season, which should be right on par with this year; meaning a chance to win it all again!
Pitching Staff:
1. Josh Beckett- Get healthy this off-season Josh, you're still an ace and a top 5 guy when you're right. Look for a bounce back year from Beckett, 17-20 wins.
2. Jon Lester- One of the best young lefties in the game today, proved he's going to be a stud for years to come. Should continue to ascend with the game's elite pitchers. 15-18 wins.
3. Dice K- A great guy to have as the number 3 starter. Gives me tantrums when I watch him walk 4 guys a game but you can't complain with a sub 3 ERA and almost winning 20 games. 15-18 wins.
4. Clay Buchholz- The wild card guy here, because I see Masterson staying in the bullpen. I like him as the set up guy long term because of his ability to throw 95MPH and use his sinker effectively. Buchholz still has loads of potential, and this year I believe helps him in the long run. I always want to see a young guy fail at some point so he has something to work on for the future. 12-15 wins.
5. Michael Bowden/Wake/Peavy/Burnett- First off Michael Bowden is future 2-4 type of pitcher. Pretty solid stuff but a great demeanor but he might be another year away from being an every 5th day major leaguer. Wake is always a guy that can be counted on to eat innings and get guys out. I think he's better served to be the 6th guy to make spot starts and pitch the mop up games. Now Jake Peavy has been dangled lately, and a few sources have listed the Red Sox as possible suitors. Personally I am not very high on Peavy with injury problems and some decline in velocity, but nonetheless he wins ball games and I would love to have him in Boston. AJ Burnett is a free agent to be and I have always been high on him. Guy just loves to throw cheese and have a big snuff in his mouth. Some injury problems but if they take a run at him and sign him he could give this team a potential 4th ace on the staff. 12-16 wins here depending on who they go with.
Bullpen: Timlin is gone, loved him his whole career but he's lost the ability to get guys out. Okajima is fine showing he can step up when needed, and Javier Lopez is still fairly effective. Manny Delcarman is inconsistent but can bring the heat and gets guys out. Justin Masterson is a great set up guy in the making, one of the guys I look for to be a member of the nation for life. Papelbon will be the closer for 15 years as long as the Red Sox remain a franchise, the guy is simply the best when it matters. The only new addition I see coming from within the organization is fireballer Daniel Bard. This guy is a Joel Zumaya waiting to happen. Fast ball 97-100 with a good curveball and a heavy slider. Next year should be his coming out party. It would be nice to add quality middle innings guy, or possibly go after Brian Fuentes from Colorado.
Lineup: I truly believe some changes needed to be made in Boston at some very key positions.
Catcher: Jason Varitek is one of the greatest Red Sox players ever... but no stat could ever tell you that. He is the ultimate leader and game caller, and has always been one of my favorite players in the league. However, his skills have declined to a point where he is now an automatic out in the lineup. His catching ability has also declined somewhat over the past few years, and was evident in the ALCS not only failing to throw guys out, but his pitch calling was very suspect in games 2-7. It's time to move on for Boston, unless Tek would be content on being the backup. So where to go from here? Kevin Cash is an ok option, George Kotteras showed some decent skills in AAA, but I really think they need to look outside of Boston for their next back stop. Some options are: Pudge, Kenji Johjima, Bengie Molina. I realize these aren't every attractive options, but Pudge and Bengie would provide a stable bat and throw out a high % of base stealers. Age with those guys is also a factor, but at least it would give Boston another year or 2 to find the long term answer.
1st Base: Kevin Youkilis is great on D and great with the bat, no change here is necessary. Sean Casey as a fine player for a season, but really makes no sense to keep him here another year. Mark Kotsay is a fun player to watch, and might be worth keeping him as a pinch hitter and situational starter every now and then. Lars Anderson is a future impact player for the Sox and I look for him to get a shot next season as well. Now lets talk Big Papi. He isn't even a below average fielder, because that would give below average fielders a bad name. He sucks plain and simple. His hitting skills have also started to decline for a few reasons. Number one is the injury bug keeps biting him, and when's not right he looks lost at the plate. Not having Manny behind him also had a huge effect on the type of pitches he was seeing. Don't get me wrong, Youk is a great hitter but does not provide the same protection Manny did. So what do you do with Papi? Keep him for now, but if somebody is willing to make a deal for him I don't see it being out of the realm of possibility to trade David Ortiz.
2nd Base: Dustin Pedroia, MVP, enough said.
SS: Jed Lowrie is a fine young player. Good in the field and reliable with the stick, no no need to mess around here. Alex Cora is a serviceable backup, and I'm not sure there is anyone knocking at the door as far as middle infielders are concerned.
3B: I'm a big Mike Lowell fan, and I think they can get another productive season out of him.... but I don't see it as impossible that the Red Sox brass might use Youk at third and let Lars Anderson get a shot at 1st base. If Anderson hits that lineup goes from being good to being great with solid hitters 1-9.
LF: Jason Bay is a good player, not great but steady and is fine and relatively cheap option there.
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury had a great regular season, but faltered in the post season. I still love his speed and future power potential, and I see no reason why he wouldn't be the opening day starter. Having Coco Crisp as an insurance policy is nice to have, he's a gold glove defensive player and ok with the stick.
RF: JD Drew is awesome, just a pure baseball player that I want Boston to keep forever.
So there you have it, Boston's 2009 World Series winning team is:
Ellsbury- CF
Pedroia- 2B
Drew- RF
Youkilis- 1B
Ortiz- DH
Bay- LF
Lowell- 3B
Lowrie- SS
Pudge/Cash- C
Beckett- P
Great season, but any that doesn't end in a WS win for me is disappointing. So now lets take a look for next season, which should be right on par with this year; meaning a chance to win it all again!
Pitching Staff:
1. Josh Beckett- Get healthy this off-season Josh, you're still an ace and a top 5 guy when you're right. Look for a bounce back year from Beckett, 17-20 wins.
2. Jon Lester- One of the best young lefties in the game today, proved he's going to be a stud for years to come. Should continue to ascend with the game's elite pitchers. 15-18 wins.
3. Dice K- A great guy to have as the number 3 starter. Gives me tantrums when I watch him walk 4 guys a game but you can't complain with a sub 3 ERA and almost winning 20 games. 15-18 wins.
4. Clay Buchholz- The wild card guy here, because I see Masterson staying in the bullpen. I like him as the set up guy long term because of his ability to throw 95MPH and use his sinker effectively. Buchholz still has loads of potential, and this year I believe helps him in the long run. I always want to see a young guy fail at some point so he has something to work on for the future. 12-15 wins.
5. Michael Bowden/Wake/Peavy/Burnett- First off Michael Bowden is future 2-4 type of pitcher. Pretty solid stuff but a great demeanor but he might be another year away from being an every 5th day major leaguer. Wake is always a guy that can be counted on to eat innings and get guys out. I think he's better served to be the 6th guy to make spot starts and pitch the mop up games. Now Jake Peavy has been dangled lately, and a few sources have listed the Red Sox as possible suitors. Personally I am not very high on Peavy with injury problems and some decline in velocity, but nonetheless he wins ball games and I would love to have him in Boston. AJ Burnett is a free agent to be and I have always been high on him. Guy just loves to throw cheese and have a big snuff in his mouth. Some injury problems but if they take a run at him and sign him he could give this team a potential 4th ace on the staff. 12-16 wins here depending on who they go with.
Bullpen: Timlin is gone, loved him his whole career but he's lost the ability to get guys out. Okajima is fine showing he can step up when needed, and Javier Lopez is still fairly effective. Manny Delcarman is inconsistent but can bring the heat and gets guys out. Justin Masterson is a great set up guy in the making, one of the guys I look for to be a member of the nation for life. Papelbon will be the closer for 15 years as long as the Red Sox remain a franchise, the guy is simply the best when it matters. The only new addition I see coming from within the organization is fireballer Daniel Bard. This guy is a Joel Zumaya waiting to happen. Fast ball 97-100 with a good curveball and a heavy slider. Next year should be his coming out party. It would be nice to add quality middle innings guy, or possibly go after Brian Fuentes from Colorado.
Lineup: I truly believe some changes needed to be made in Boston at some very key positions.
Catcher: Jason Varitek is one of the greatest Red Sox players ever... but no stat could ever tell you that. He is the ultimate leader and game caller, and has always been one of my favorite players in the league. However, his skills have declined to a point where he is now an automatic out in the lineup. His catching ability has also declined somewhat over the past few years, and was evident in the ALCS not only failing to throw guys out, but his pitch calling was very suspect in games 2-7. It's time to move on for Boston, unless Tek would be content on being the backup. So where to go from here? Kevin Cash is an ok option, George Kotteras showed some decent skills in AAA, but I really think they need to look outside of Boston for their next back stop. Some options are: Pudge, Kenji Johjima, Bengie Molina. I realize these aren't every attractive options, but Pudge and Bengie would provide a stable bat and throw out a high % of base stealers. Age with those guys is also a factor, but at least it would give Boston another year or 2 to find the long term answer.
1st Base: Kevin Youkilis is great on D and great with the bat, no change here is necessary. Sean Casey as a fine player for a season, but really makes no sense to keep him here another year. Mark Kotsay is a fun player to watch, and might be worth keeping him as a pinch hitter and situational starter every now and then. Lars Anderson is a future impact player for the Sox and I look for him to get a shot next season as well. Now lets talk Big Papi. He isn't even a below average fielder, because that would give below average fielders a bad name. He sucks plain and simple. His hitting skills have also started to decline for a few reasons. Number one is the injury bug keeps biting him, and when's not right he looks lost at the plate. Not having Manny behind him also had a huge effect on the type of pitches he was seeing. Don't get me wrong, Youk is a great hitter but does not provide the same protection Manny did. So what do you do with Papi? Keep him for now, but if somebody is willing to make a deal for him I don't see it being out of the realm of possibility to trade David Ortiz.
2nd Base: Dustin Pedroia, MVP, enough said.
SS: Jed Lowrie is a fine young player. Good in the field and reliable with the stick, no no need to mess around here. Alex Cora is a serviceable backup, and I'm not sure there is anyone knocking at the door as far as middle infielders are concerned.
3B: I'm a big Mike Lowell fan, and I think they can get another productive season out of him.... but I don't see it as impossible that the Red Sox brass might use Youk at third and let Lars Anderson get a shot at 1st base. If Anderson hits that lineup goes from being good to being great with solid hitters 1-9.
LF: Jason Bay is a good player, not great but steady and is fine and relatively cheap option there.
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury had a great regular season, but faltered in the post season. I still love his speed and future power potential, and I see no reason why he wouldn't be the opening day starter. Having Coco Crisp as an insurance policy is nice to have, he's a gold glove defensive player and ok with the stick.
RF: JD Drew is awesome, just a pure baseball player that I want Boston to keep forever.
So there you have it, Boston's 2009 World Series winning team is:
Ellsbury- CF
Pedroia- 2B
Drew- RF
Youkilis- 1B
Ortiz- DH
Bay- LF
Lowell- 3B
Lowrie- SS
Pudge/Cash- C
Beckett- P
2008 World Series
Rays over Phillies in 6.... but Phillies might win games 1 and 2 because Garza will be held back to game 3.
I'm not gonna lie, I wanted Sox and Dodgers, that was the dream WS for me and the media and America. So now I'm forced to watch 2 pretty solid teams with no big name players outside of Utley and Howard. Young guys like Longoria, Upton, Hamels and Price will be fun to watch, but their is no excitement for me without Boston in the series.
I'm not gonna lie, I wanted Sox and Dodgers, that was the dream WS for me and the media and America. So now I'm forced to watch 2 pretty solid teams with no big name players outside of Utley and Howard. Young guys like Longoria, Upton, Hamels and Price will be fun to watch, but their is no excitement for me without Boston in the series.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Playoff Update
Well I have been somewhat correct in my predictions(minus the Brew Crew) due to an injury to Ben Sheets and overworking CC, but all in all its been pretty exciting no matter who you have been rooting for. Jon Lester looks like the Josh Beckett of last year's playoffs, and Manny Ramirez looks like the Manny Ramirez of..... well his entire post season career. As of right now the Dodgers trail the Phillies 2 games to 1, but square off tonight in what should be a nice bean ball fest after last night's debacle. The Red Sox and Rays are tied at 1 game a piece. Now this series is the most hotly contested and followed since the 04 Sox Yanks historic series. And for good reason as were seeing the best story of the this season against the defending world champs. Mind you that these 2 teams also hate each other, and each roster is full of bright young talent that should keep these two teams meeting in the playoffs year after year.
My updated predictions:
Red Sox win game 3, lost 4 and 5, Win 6 with Beckett returning to form, and winning game 7 to get to the series.
The Phillies get it done in 5, love the Dodgers but Manny can't hit .500 forever(or can he?).
Red Sox over the Phillies in 6.
My updated predictions:
Red Sox win game 3, lost 4 and 5, Win 6 with Beckett returning to form, and winning game 7 to get to the series.
The Phillies get it done in 5, love the Dodgers but Manny can't hit .500 forever(or can he?).
Red Sox over the Phillies in 6.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Twins Crap Themselves
John Danks. I don't think anymore has to be said other than JOHN FUCKING DANKS. Who in the hell is John Danks and why did he throw 8 scoreless innings tonight? I'll tell you why, because the Twins are perverbial bed shitters and always have been. Name the last great Twins clutch hitter in the posteason... oh wait his name was Kirby and he's no longer with us. The Minnesota Twins are made up of singles hitters coupled with Morneau and Jason Kubel when he decides to get up from his naps. This team is not built for post-season success much like the Oakland A's were not a few years ago. Why you ask? It's simple, power pitching and high late inning SLG % hitting wins in post season. The Boston Red Sox last season had Josh Beckett Curt Schilling and Dice K Matzusaka all being power pitchers and dominating in the playoffs. Going along with the great starting pitching they had Jonathan Papelbon at the back end of the rotation, another power pitcher to shut the door. The Twins organization has always had the motto of having pitchers that throw strikes and can get into the 7th inning... thats great in the regular season, just like a pitching rotation of Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder was great to win 95 games a year in Oakland only to see that trio of all-star pitchers get shelled come Septemeber.
The Twins since the year 2001 seem to resemble the A's teams in that they are built on nothing more than above average pitching and above average hitting. Which most teams would love because yes it wins REGULAR SEASON GAMES, but what is needed to win in the post season is GREAT POWER PITCHING and or GREAT LATE GAME POWER HITTING.
Next season should be a better year seeing as they return everbody from the pitching staff as well as a few late season callups.
The Twins since the year 2001 seem to resemble the A's teams in that they are built on nothing more than above average pitching and above average hitting. Which most teams would love because yes it wins REGULAR SEASON GAMES, but what is needed to win in the post season is GREAT POWER PITCHING and or GREAT LATE GAME POWER HITTING.
Next season should be a better year seeing as they return everbody from the pitching staff as well as a few late season callups.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Gus wins!
As expected, the Vikings' Offense looked somewhat productive on Sunday with a workman like effort from Gus and some nice runs by AP and Chester Taylor. The D was absolutely suffocating, and other than a 17yard reception by Steve "I punch my own teammates in the face" Smith, the Panthers had only 2 plays over 15 yards. That's impressive. Jared Allen looks like the 2nd coming of Bruce Smith, just a brute DE who's motor never stops. The secondary looked better although they did still give up the dink and dunk crap to Jake DaylightcomeandyougottaDelhomme.
Overall a very impressive W over a solid team. My prediction still stands for this team, 11-5 and draft Mark Sanchez as the QB of the future.
Overall a very impressive W over a solid team. My prediction still stands for this team, 11-5 and draft Mark Sanchez as the QB of the future.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
T-Jack Benched!
Finally its happend, the Minnesota Vikings have declared their season one dedicated to winning!! And thank god for the fans of the Purple is happend now before the season was a total loss.
Gus is now the starter and I expect his weekly stat line to look something like this: 19-26 200yards 1 TD 0INTs, an the most important stat A WIN.
Predicted Record: 11-5, NFC Championship game is very likely now that we have a smart veteran at the QB position.
Gus is now the starter and I expect his weekly stat line to look something like this: 19-26 200yards 1 TD 0INTs, an the most important stat A WIN.
Predicted Record: 11-5, NFC Championship game is very likely now that we have a smart veteran at the QB position.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Vikings blow it...
Time and time again the Vikings find ways to lose ball games, and today was no different. T-Jack continues to look like dogshit which is unfortunate because our D played great today. We made Addai look like a 3rd string RB, and Adrian Peterson continued his march towards 2,000 yards. It's time for a new QB in Minnesota, and we could do so without entirely giving up on Jackson. How you ask, its simple. By starting Gus or Booty it would give Jackson more time to learn the offense in practice while a QB with fundamentals and a football IQ could go out and win some ball games. After time if T-Jack shows improvement he could win the job back, and if he fails to do so he will ride the pine plain and simple.
Before the season started I really believed this was a super bowl contender. Now, I believe this team could go 4-12 if T-Jack continues to start.
Before the season started I really believed this was a super bowl contender. Now, I believe this team could go 4-12 if T-Jack continues to start.
FIGHT ON!
Just got home from a party in which we watched USC earlier on. I have a few things to say about the game, but as a summation; USC is the best team in the country.
On offense they showed they can run or pass at anytime,it really does not matter with the talent they have. OSU was out manned at every position and simply got out athleted throughout the game. Mark Sanchez is a clear Heisman candidate as well as Joe McKnight. The USC defense is the best in the land while tOSU's is very very overrated and slow. James Laurintitis is weak and small and he really did get abused up the field by pulling lineman.
I took one basic thing from this game, and that is USC is able to compete for a national title every season while tOSU is not. USC just simply plugs the next 5* recruit into a position and makes them a star, and its truly amazing to watch.
Great game Trojans, Fight On and get to the title game!
On offense they showed they can run or pass at anytime,it really does not matter with the talent they have. OSU was out manned at every position and simply got out athleted throughout the game. Mark Sanchez is a clear Heisman candidate as well as Joe McKnight. The USC defense is the best in the land while tOSU's is very very overrated and slow. James Laurintitis is weak and small and he really did get abused up the field by pulling lineman.
I took one basic thing from this game, and that is USC is able to compete for a national title every season while tOSU is not. USC just simply plugs the next 5* recruit into a position and makes them a star, and its truly amazing to watch.
Great game Trojans, Fight On and get to the title game!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
USC vs. tOSU
It's not often when a great football match up like this takes place so early in the season, but this year college football fans are treated to a game that features more NFL talent on one football field than a Dolphins and Rams game. Let it be known that I am a big time USC fan and will be bleeding Cardinal and Gold Saturday night, but I can still break the game down objectively.
Offense: For USC it comes down to whether or not they can win the battle up front. If they can neutralize the Buckeyes front 7 they should be able to go up and down the field with ease. They feature a future NFL 1st round pick at QB in Mark Sanchez, with a rocket and arm good scrambling ability should be able to pick apart the OSU secondary if given time. The Trojans have a plethora of running backs that they will utilize Saturday night including Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight, CJ Gable, Allen Bradford and Marc Tyler. Each of these 5 would start for any team in the country, but instead they get to share carries at SC and be fresh for both halves of football. At wide receiver they also have plenty of All-American caliber options. Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazelton, Ronald Johnson, David Ausberry, Damian Williams and Travon Patterson. Expect all of these guys to get on the field at one point or another during this game. Now as I mentioned before the amazing amount of talent at the skill positions will mean nothing if the O-line does not protect Sanchez, which would make this game more like a Big Ten style of game... boring and slow.
For Ohio State on offense just like USC it will come down to the battle up front. If OSU wins the trenches and be able to control the clock with their stout running game. If not they will be forced to use Todd Boeckman in more roll out situations which is not his strong suit. If Boeckman can't get the job done look for super Frosh Terrelle Pryor to come in and run the spread formation attack. Beanie Wells has been ruled out which means Dan Herron and Maurice Wells will share the carries for the Buckeyes. This will be the difference in the game. Can these 2 guys keep the chains moving long enough to keep the SC offense off the field? Were gonna have to wait and see but if they cannot do so the anemic OSU passing attack will be exposed. They have little depth or star power at the wide receiver spots. Both Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline are possession type guys, and their only deep threat is the mouthy Ray Small.
Defense: As far as I'm concerned, the USC defense is the best in all the land. Up front they have the best tandem of rush ends in the country with Kyle Moore and Everson Griffen(future top 10 pick) and in the middle they feature Filia Moala and Averell Spcier, both big run stuffers. The linebacking corp is just in training for their tickets to New York for the NFL draft next April. Ray Maualuga is the meanest man in cleats since Ray Lewis' days at Miami, and WLB Brian Cushing is a 4.5 forty guy who can lay the hammer. In terms of depth for the linebackers they have 4 former high school all-americans just waiting their turn in Malcolm Smith, Jordan Campbell, Luther Brown and Chris Gallipo. The Secondary is still solid despite losing Terrell Thomas to the NFL this past April. Cary Harris and Shareece Wright are both capable cover corners who can stick with the Buckeyes all night. SC features 2 of the hardest hitting safties you will ever see on a field together. Taylor Mays(future top 10 pick) is a linebacker with wide out speed and will be flying all over the field. Opposite Mays is Kevin Ellison who despite not having the type of speed Mays has, hits even harder. This is a tough unit to score on or even move the ball on a consistent basis.
Ohio State's defense is very very good, but not on the same level as is USC's. The D-Line is above average with guys like Cameron Hayward and Lawernce Wilson at the ends, but at the tackle spots they lack size needed to stop those USC backs. The linebacking crew is damn good but are slightly overrated due to the media's infatuation with James "The Animal" Laurinaitis. He's a great college backer, but he's not very big listed at 6'2 and a generous 235 pounds and average speed. He has very good instincts and would be perfectly suited to be an WLB in the NFL. Marcus Freeman is the best NFL prospect in the line backing corp, with his great speed and quickness he should be an equalizer when USC uses Joe McKnight out of the backfield. The Secondary is where OSU could have an edge over USC's receivers. They feature Malcolm Jenkins the best cover corner in the country, and Anderson Russell at saftey should reak havok over the middle.
Overall I see this game coming down to the O-Line play by both teams, and OSU needs to find some offense if Beanie Wells does not play.
Prediction: USC 34 tOSU 17
Offense: For USC it comes down to whether or not they can win the battle up front. If they can neutralize the Buckeyes front 7 they should be able to go up and down the field with ease. They feature a future NFL 1st round pick at QB in Mark Sanchez, with a rocket and arm good scrambling ability should be able to pick apart the OSU secondary if given time. The Trojans have a plethora of running backs that they will utilize Saturday night including Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight, CJ Gable, Allen Bradford and Marc Tyler. Each of these 5 would start for any team in the country, but instead they get to share carries at SC and be fresh for both halves of football. At wide receiver they also have plenty of All-American caliber options. Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazelton, Ronald Johnson, David Ausberry, Damian Williams and Travon Patterson. Expect all of these guys to get on the field at one point or another during this game. Now as I mentioned before the amazing amount of talent at the skill positions will mean nothing if the O-line does not protect Sanchez, which would make this game more like a Big Ten style of game... boring and slow.
For Ohio State on offense just like USC it will come down to the battle up front. If OSU wins the trenches and be able to control the clock with their stout running game. If not they will be forced to use Todd Boeckman in more roll out situations which is not his strong suit. If Boeckman can't get the job done look for super Frosh Terrelle Pryor to come in and run the spread formation attack. Beanie Wells has been ruled out which means Dan Herron and Maurice Wells will share the carries for the Buckeyes. This will be the difference in the game. Can these 2 guys keep the chains moving long enough to keep the SC offense off the field? Were gonna have to wait and see but if they cannot do so the anemic OSU passing attack will be exposed. They have little depth or star power at the wide receiver spots. Both Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline are possession type guys, and their only deep threat is the mouthy Ray Small.
Defense: As far as I'm concerned, the USC defense is the best in all the land. Up front they have the best tandem of rush ends in the country with Kyle Moore and Everson Griffen(future top 10 pick) and in the middle they feature Filia Moala and Averell Spcier, both big run stuffers. The linebacking corp is just in training for their tickets to New York for the NFL draft next April. Ray Maualuga is the meanest man in cleats since Ray Lewis' days at Miami, and WLB Brian Cushing is a 4.5 forty guy who can lay the hammer. In terms of depth for the linebackers they have 4 former high school all-americans just waiting their turn in Malcolm Smith, Jordan Campbell, Luther Brown and Chris Gallipo. The Secondary is still solid despite losing Terrell Thomas to the NFL this past April. Cary Harris and Shareece Wright are both capable cover corners who can stick with the Buckeyes all night. SC features 2 of the hardest hitting safties you will ever see on a field together. Taylor Mays(future top 10 pick) is a linebacker with wide out speed and will be flying all over the field. Opposite Mays is Kevin Ellison who despite not having the type of speed Mays has, hits even harder. This is a tough unit to score on or even move the ball on a consistent basis.
Ohio State's defense is very very good, but not on the same level as is USC's. The D-Line is above average with guys like Cameron Hayward and Lawernce Wilson at the ends, but at the tackle spots they lack size needed to stop those USC backs. The linebacking crew is damn good but are slightly overrated due to the media's infatuation with James "The Animal" Laurinaitis. He's a great college backer, but he's not very big listed at 6'2 and a generous 235 pounds and average speed. He has very good instincts and would be perfectly suited to be an WLB in the NFL. Marcus Freeman is the best NFL prospect in the line backing corp, with his great speed and quickness he should be an equalizer when USC uses Joe McKnight out of the backfield. The Secondary is where OSU could have an edge over USC's receivers. They feature Malcolm Jenkins the best cover corner in the country, and Anderson Russell at saftey should reak havok over the middle.
Overall I see this game coming down to the O-Line play by both teams, and OSU needs to find some offense if Beanie Wells does not play.
Prediction: USC 34 tOSU 17
Time for a Change
The NFL season opened last weekend and god is it good to watch football on Sundays again. I enjoyed wasting precious homework time in favor of tracking all my fantasy players. A couple things that stood out for me: 1. Tom Brady being injured sucks for all football fans, he's a great player who is good for the game. However, it is nice to see Bill Cheatacheck get whats coming to him. The man is a criminal and a slob as a coach, but he is smart I'll give him that. 2. The parity in the league has become obvious, with the Bears beating the Colts and numerous other close football games. 3. The Vikings need a new Quarterback.... and let the debate begin.
I for one backed Childress' selection and usage of Tarvaris Jackson up until Tuesday morning when I had time to cool down after watching the Vikings get beat by an inferior Green Bay Packers squad. The only position that the Vikings lack sufficient Super Bowl contending talent at is Quarterback. The O-Line is solid, the D-Line is the best in the league and the linebacking and secondary are capable of making plays. Adrian Peterson is the best RB in the NFL and Chester Taylor is the best backup in the NFL. To go along with the great running backs they also have great talent at the Wide Receiver position. Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice are studs, while Bobby Wade is just a solid vet. TE is shaky with Shiancoe dropping anything thrown his way, but we got to see Garret Mills on Monday night and it is clear he has loads of potential.
So why can't T-Jack get it done with the plethora of talent the Vikings posses? One of two reasons: 1. It's only his 3rd year in the league and most QBs take at least that long to become solid contributers. Or 2. He just plain sucks. Right now I'm leaning towards #2 for a number of reasons. His mechanics are miserable, which leads him to throw balls to everyone on the field except guys in purple. I can't even count the number of times he missed guys open over the middle(which Green Bay left open the whole game) due to his inconsistent delivery and timing. The only real thing Jackson would have to do to win ball games is not turn the ball over and complete short and intermediate passes... but as of right now he is incapable of doing so. Which makes me wish Brad Childress would hand the keys to Gus Freotte. Gus isn't the most physically gifted player in the league but at least he can make reads and hit the check down recievers. With Gus we are a 10-6 playoff team that could shut people out in the playoffs to make a run at the Super Bowl. With T-Jack we are a 7-9 or 8-8 team that wins in spite of the QB play.
Childress needs to bite the bullet and admit he was wrong about T-Jack being an NFL caliber QB, and hopefully for the sake of Viking fans he bites the bullet soon.
September Baseball/ Playoff Preview
Now that the regular season is coming to a close, I'd like to take this opportunity to toot my own horn. In the 4 edition of "Get to Know us" on the St.Pats website, I predicted the following for the American League East( http://worknotes.com/mn/stpatrick/irish/hf4.stm). As it stands right now the Sox are 2 1/2 games back of the division crown, but as no sports writer even thought to mention, the Yankees are in 4th place. Now that the tooting is done lets analyze the season to this point.
It has been a great year and as an avid baseball lover I've enjoyed many things about the season thus far. The Tampy Bay Rays are a great great story, and it just goes to show you that bad teams can eventually get better with good draft strategy and smart free agent acquisitions. Teams do not need to spend 10's of millions of dollars via the New York Yankees every off-season. I've been especially impressed by how well the young players(Longoria, Garza, Upton, Shields) have preformed, although down the stretch they have been struggiling. Equipped with a pretty solid bullpen and a few mashers like Carloas Pena and Cliff Floyd, I fully expect the Rays to make push for October baseball.
Now moving on to the hometown Minnesota Twins. I for one did not see this team being in contention come September. But me, like most sportswriters severely under estimates the ability of Gardy and the coaching staff to use players where they can best utilize their abilities. The pitching staff has no business being as great as it has been, considering the oldest pitcher is Scott Baker... he's 26. It is truly amazing what these guys have done, especially Francisco Liriano who pitched an 8 inning gem today only to get a ND. The lineup still concerns me however, with little pop in the order after Morneau. I like that Span got moved to the lead off spot where he is really excelling, and Gomez down to the 9 spot where he's not exposed as much being a free swinger who strikes out a lot. Mauer is having another solid season, although I like many others would like to see more power from a guy who stands at 6'5". Overall a great season with or without a playoff birth, but as it stands I love their chances.
Now on to more familiar and happy territory for me, THE BOSTON RED SOX. I've been a little disappointed in the team lately with their lack of late inning hitting, but nonetheless this is a team built to win in the post season. Let me take this time to get my anger out about the Sox trading Manny... FU*K SH*T BIT*H CO*K!!!!!!!! MOTHER F******** SON OF A CU*T. Alright now thats over and done with. Moving on to the guy they got in return for Manny, Jason Bay. He has played extremely well since joining the club, and other than last night's 0-6 performance I have had few complaints about him. He's a productive hitter and an above average outfielder, a perfect fit in Beantown. The lineup as a whole is the best, bar none, in all of baseball. It starts with speedy Jacoby Ellsbury at the top, and MVP front runner Dustin Pedroia batting behind him. From there you have Big Papi, Kevin I should be MVP but voters don't like Jews Youkilis, Bay, J.D Drew, Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek and Jed Lowrie. A 1-9 lineup with productive hitters at all 9 spots. Thats what you get when you have the best GM in baseball doing the scouting and free agent acquisitions. The pitching staff has been great although not overly dominant thus far. Dice-K has been the ace in terms of wins and ERA, but the true ace is lefty Jon Lester, who if I could vote for CY Young would get mine. They also have Tim Wakefield and Paul Byrd as effective innings eaters at the back end of the rotation that has saved the bullpen from being overworked.
The American League is far and away the better league in my opinion, but the gap has closed fast with this year's firesale of great players from the AL to the NL. First the Clevland Indians traded last year's CY Young winner in CC Sabithia to the Brew Crew for top prospect Matt Laporta. Not long after the Oakland A's sent Rich Harden to the Cubs for a slew of talented young players. Both of these trades made the Cubs and Brewers legitimate World Series contenders, as well as sent 2 of the best young pitchers in the game to the National League. The aformentioned Manny Ramirez trade sent arguably the most productive right handed hitter since the 1950s to the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving them a true power threat in the lineup. The Dodgers as of late have been raking and haven over taken the D-Backs for first place in the NL West.
So how do I see the year finishing out?
AL Divison Winners: Twins, Red Sox, Angels
Wild Card: Rays
MVP: Dustin Pedroia HM: Justin Morneau, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Hamilton
CY Young: Cliff Lee (Roy Hallday is the league's best pitcher however) HM: Hallady, Lester, Dice-K, AJ Burnett
NL Divison Winners: Cubs, Mets, Dodgers
Wild Card: Brewers
MVP: Albert Pujols HM: Ryan Howard, Lance Berkman, Ryan Braun
CY Young: Tim Lincecum HM: CC Sabithia, Brandon Webb, Edinson Volquez
ALDS: Sox over Twins, Angels over Rays
ALCS: Sox over Angels
NLDS: Cubs over Dodgers, Brewers over Mets
NLCS: Brewers over Cubs
WS: Brewers over Sox
Thats right folks, I would bet on the Brew Crew over my Sox, why? Simple really, with CC and Ben Sheets the Brewers have a deadly 1-2 punch, and with the uncertain health of Josh Beckett, the Sox don't have their guarnteed 3 wins in a series. I still like it to go 6 or 7 games however and be a fun one to watch.
It has been a great year and as an avid baseball lover I've enjoyed many things about the season thus far. The Tampy Bay Rays are a great great story, and it just goes to show you that bad teams can eventually get better with good draft strategy and smart free agent acquisitions. Teams do not need to spend 10's of millions of dollars via the New York Yankees every off-season. I've been especially impressed by how well the young players(Longoria, Garza, Upton, Shields) have preformed, although down the stretch they have been struggiling. Equipped with a pretty solid bullpen and a few mashers like Carloas Pena and Cliff Floyd, I fully expect the Rays to make push for October baseball.
Now moving on to the hometown Minnesota Twins. I for one did not see this team being in contention come September. But me, like most sportswriters severely under estimates the ability of Gardy and the coaching staff to use players where they can best utilize their abilities. The pitching staff has no business being as great as it has been, considering the oldest pitcher is Scott Baker... he's 26. It is truly amazing what these guys have done, especially Francisco Liriano who pitched an 8 inning gem today only to get a ND. The lineup still concerns me however, with little pop in the order after Morneau. I like that Span got moved to the lead off spot where he is really excelling, and Gomez down to the 9 spot where he's not exposed as much being a free swinger who strikes out a lot. Mauer is having another solid season, although I like many others would like to see more power from a guy who stands at 6'5". Overall a great season with or without a playoff birth, but as it stands I love their chances.
Now on to more familiar and happy territory for me, THE BOSTON RED SOX. I've been a little disappointed in the team lately with their lack of late inning hitting, but nonetheless this is a team built to win in the post season. Let me take this time to get my anger out about the Sox trading Manny... FU*K SH*T BIT*H CO*K!!!!!!!! MOTHER F******** SON OF A CU*T. Alright now thats over and done with. Moving on to the guy they got in return for Manny, Jason Bay. He has played extremely well since joining the club, and other than last night's 0-6 performance I have had few complaints about him. He's a productive hitter and an above average outfielder, a perfect fit in Beantown. The lineup as a whole is the best, bar none, in all of baseball. It starts with speedy Jacoby Ellsbury at the top, and MVP front runner Dustin Pedroia batting behind him. From there you have Big Papi, Kevin I should be MVP but voters don't like Jews Youkilis, Bay, J.D Drew, Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek and Jed Lowrie. A 1-9 lineup with productive hitters at all 9 spots. Thats what you get when you have the best GM in baseball doing the scouting and free agent acquisitions. The pitching staff has been great although not overly dominant thus far. Dice-K has been the ace in terms of wins and ERA, but the true ace is lefty Jon Lester, who if I could vote for CY Young would get mine. They also have Tim Wakefield and Paul Byrd as effective innings eaters at the back end of the rotation that has saved the bullpen from being overworked.
The American League is far and away the better league in my opinion, but the gap has closed fast with this year's firesale of great players from the AL to the NL. First the Clevland Indians traded last year's CY Young winner in CC Sabithia to the Brew Crew for top prospect Matt Laporta. Not long after the Oakland A's sent Rich Harden to the Cubs for a slew of talented young players. Both of these trades made the Cubs and Brewers legitimate World Series contenders, as well as sent 2 of the best young pitchers in the game to the National League. The aformentioned Manny Ramirez trade sent arguably the most productive right handed hitter since the 1950s to the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving them a true power threat in the lineup. The Dodgers as of late have been raking and haven over taken the D-Backs for first place in the NL West.
So how do I see the year finishing out?
AL Divison Winners: Twins, Red Sox, Angels
Wild Card: Rays
MVP: Dustin Pedroia HM: Justin Morneau, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Hamilton
CY Young: Cliff Lee (Roy Hallday is the league's best pitcher however) HM: Hallady, Lester, Dice-K, AJ Burnett
NL Divison Winners: Cubs, Mets, Dodgers
Wild Card: Brewers
MVP: Albert Pujols HM: Ryan Howard, Lance Berkman, Ryan Braun
CY Young: Tim Lincecum HM: CC Sabithia, Brandon Webb, Edinson Volquez
ALDS: Sox over Twins, Angels over Rays
ALCS: Sox over Angels
NLDS: Cubs over Dodgers, Brewers over Mets
NLCS: Brewers over Cubs
WS: Brewers over Sox
Thats right folks, I would bet on the Brew Crew over my Sox, why? Simple really, with CC and Ben Sheets the Brewers have a deadly 1-2 punch, and with the uncertain health of Josh Beckett, the Sox don't have their guarnteed 3 wins in a series. I still like it to go 6 or 7 games however and be a fun one to watch.
Irish Baseball
Well fellas the season is over but we had a hell of a year. Great effort by everybody and we picked up some great draftees with Novy and Big Nuts Schmidty. Great run this year and I can't wait to start the 09 tourney run!
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