My Friends Call Me Dee

2006-2007 Raptors

2006-11-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Man, that rookie of the year prediction was money....The exact opposite of how money my Cubs to win the World Series pick was. At least I picked an NL Central team. Anyways, I am head-first into the NBA season so far, and it's been incredible, no matter how bad the new ball is. The Raptors have played the fewest games of any team in the league so far, but they are one of the more exciting teams to watch style-wise. As a fan, some of the shots they take are mind-numbing, but it's usually up and down and high scoring, even when it's the most boring team in the NBA to watch; the San Antonio Spurs.

The thing is, the Raptors are one of the most obscure teams in the 3 major sports. They are the Expos of the NBA, but it's a shame, because they have one of the three best big men in the league and they run an exciting offense. So watch the NBA, and if you can, watch the Raptors. Bosh is phenomenal, T.J Ford is a lot of fun too, and since they don't play defense, you're going to see some points.

Season Preview

2006-04-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's Opening Day, kind of. The White Sox and Indians play tonight, a refreshing break from having the Red Sox and Yankees jammed down our troats again by ESPN. It's time for my season predictions. Having UCLA in the championship game of my brackets is the highlight of my life, but it's baseball season -- here we go:

AL EAST
1. NY Yankees -- Robinson Cano hits 9th in this lineup; that's insane.
2. Toronto Blue Jays -- Biased pick as a semi-season ticket holder, but with or without AJ Burnett, the staff is very solid, and their offense is good and their bench is deep.
3. Boston Red Sox -- I just don't see the lineup being anywhere near as good as it's been and I just have a feeling Schilling and Beckett aren't going to give this team 50 starts combined.
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays -- I love this team's lineup, but call them a sleeper in a few years when their ace isn't Seth McClung, and they get Casey Fossum out of their rotation.
5. Baltimore Orioles -- Great, but is Leo Mazzone also a hitting coach?

AL CENTRAL
1. Cleveland Indians -- The White Sox were flat out lucky last year, not taking anything away from them, but as lucky as the Sox were, the Indians were as unlucky. Young, deep and talented, 2006 is the Indians year to finally break out.
2. Chicago White Sox -- That staff wins this team 90 games in their sleep, but Jon Garland can't be as good as he was last year, Javier Vasquez is pitching in a division that actually has teams who can hit, and Scott Podsednik's girlfriend (picture) is hot.
3. Detroit Tigers -- HOMER PICK, but find me a weak spot in their lineup. The pitching will be the reason that this team only wins 80 games.
4. Minnesota Twins -- Where is the offense here? Torii Hunter is a joke offensively, but he jumps over walls to catch baseballs, so he must be God. I hate Lew Ford, a lot.
5. Kansas City Royals -- Ummmm, Rza and Izzy urinated on the Kaufmann Stadium when we were in KC. They were right.

AL WEST
1. Oakland A's -- WOW! Imagine this for 2006, they win the division with good pitching and average offense, then lose in the first round of the playoffs. Nice contract to Esteban Loaiza, yeah, Beane is a genius!
2. Anaheim Angels of Wherever -- Great pitching, but again, I don't see the offense outside of Pimp Daddy Vladdy.
3. Seattle Mariners -- Adrian Beltre is going to hurt people this year. He shortened his swing, so hello Beltre from 2004, but can you pitch? Jamie Moyer is in fact older than Jesus.
4. Texas Rangers -- Greatest Texas Ranger ever? Chuck Norris, errrr, Walker. Rza and Izzy need to urinate on Ameriquest Field in Arlington next. Maybe the real Texas Rangers can arrest Kevin Millwood for robbery.

AL Playoffs: White Sox beat the Yankees, Indians beat the A's. White Sox beat the Indians in ALCS.

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez, OF, Red Sox. After all the crap this off-season, he still wants to be traded. He'll make it happen next winter by destroying the baseball all summer.

AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays. People really don't have a clue how good he is because he plays in T.O.

AL Rookie of the Year: Justin Verlander, P, Detroit Tigers. I am a freaking homer. What do you want from me. Here's a 99 MPH fastball -- whooop, here's a 75 MPH 12-6 curveball.

NL EAST
1. NY Mets -- If you pick the Braves because they have won 14 in a row, that's cute, but it doesn't make any freaking sense. They have to lose sometime, and if the Mets are close in July, they're going to be the team to add an arm if and when they need one for the stretch run.
2. Philadelphia Phillies -- The offense is amazing, their outfield finally has some depth, but their pitching depth will hold them back from taking the division.
3. Atlanta Braves -- I love Chipper, I like Bobby Cox, but this is getting ridiculous. And why don't more people talk about how awful the Braves broadcasters are???
4. Florida Marlins -- They did not give away everyone. They got bona fide players in exchange, plus Miguel Cabrera is disgustingly good. They'll still lose 92-95 games, but they won't be worse than the.....
5. Washington Nationals -- Their chemistry was a huge problem down the stretch last year. A well-documented, well-defined line in the locker room between the Latin players and the rest. So what do you do, trade a team leader and fan favorite for another Latin mal-content. Great job!!!

NL CENTRAL
1. Chicago Cubs -- I have zero, zero, zero reason for this, but doesn't it seem like they win one year, then with the same players, suck the next? They screwed up by not paying for Furcal, and on the field there is no reason for this pick, I just have a gut feeling on this.
2. St. Louis Cardinals -- Tony LaRussa thinks he is better than you, Joe Buck thinks he is better than you, Jim Edmonds thinks he is better than you. David Eckstein is my second favorite player, but my opinion on the Cardinals is like my opinion on peas. I'll be at dinner, and they're just there. There's nothing wrong with them, but I don't love 'em either, and if I never ate another pea again, I'd be OK with it too. (their fans however are not over-rated....best fans in baseball).
3. Milwaukee Breweres -- Best TV Broadcast team in baseball. If you don't like the way Brady Clark plays baseball, I hate you.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates -- Their team slogan this year -- Win it for the Gnomer. Nate McClouth -- my future favorite player in baseball.
5. Cincinnatti Reds -- Adam Dunn mashes, Griffey is good when healthy, Austin Kearns is on the verge of a breakout.....I copy and pasted that from the Reds 2003 preview. It's the same story every damn year.
6. Houston Astros -- Phil Garner loves wearing out his welcome. He'll do it in H-Town this year.

NL WEST
1. San Diego Padres -- I like this team a lot from a pitching standpoint. Offensively I think the division is equal, but the Padres have the best pitching, always follow the pitching.
2. LA Dodgers -- The 2003 Red Sox don't have the pitching depth, and if Ned Coletti keeps handing out ridiculous extensions like the he just gave Jeff Kent, then I have a feeling I know where Pudge is going to wind up in 2008.
3. San Francisco Giants -- Bonds has to be way too big of a distraction. Schmidt is good, but getting older and losing velocity. Or wait, did I mean Matt Morris? Their best pitchers will be Lowry and Cain, but I think those are their only players under the age of 50.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks -- Brandon Webb is the best pitcher that noone knows. Al Leiter was on the US WBC team, but not Brandon Webb. Makes sense. The pitching depth is non-existent though outside of Webb, but I dig that the D Backs could be competitive this season, while the future looks very, very bright.
5. Colorado Rockies -- They stink. I have nothing to say about them other than, Bronco preseason games start in 4 months.

NL Playoffs: Mets beat Cardinals. Cubs beat Padres. Cubs beat Mets.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals. For the same reasons as A Rod. No reason he shouldn't win it every year.

NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy, P, San Diego Padres. He's filthy, his division can't hit, his stadium is the best pitcher's park in baseball, and he's just no learning how to pitch.

NL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Nationals. Bright-spot in their awful season. He'll go 25-90 and hit .300.

WORLD SERIES: A Windy City Seies and a lot of people will be able to die happy. CUBS WIN CUBS WIN!!

Detroit Tigers Season Preview -- Pitching

2006-03-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

In a year where a lot of major publications and media outlets are calling the Tigers a sleeper team, fans of the Tigers know better.

After a promising 2004 that saw the Tigers finish 72-90, coupled with the signing of Magglio Ordonez before the 2005 season, a lot of people were saying the same things this time last March. It didn't happen.

After a brutal September that saw the Tigers lose 22 of their 30 games in the month, they finished with one less win they had in 2004, but things were looking up.

The star of September was Curtis Granderson, who flourished with a chance to play everyday. Chris Shelton continued to spray the ball all over the outfield and occasionally over the fence, and Craig Monroe kept up a pace that led to the best season of his career.

GM Dave Dombrowski had reason to be optimistic about the long-term future of the club from what he saw from Granderson, Monroe and Shelton late in the season, but as for the immediate future, 2006, there was definitely some tweaking that needed to happen.

Jason Johnson would be gone from the rotation, as would Sean Douglass, who was for better or worse the Tigers fifth starter for most of the season. That meant the immediate need on this team would be starting pitching. Also, a trade deadline deal that sent Kyle Farnsworth to Atlanta left a large hole in the bullpen that would need to be addressed in the winter. The gameplan was to add veteran pitching, and that's what Dombrowski did.

The Tigers filled their needs within the first week of December, adding veteran lefty Kenny Rogers to the rotation, and signing old Tiger fan favorite Todd Jones to close games out.

Rogers did nothing more than start the All-Star game for the American League last year before the media attention surrounding him for the incident where he shoved a cameraman was too much for him. His second half numbers last year are evidence of that. In Detroit he will have a fresh start, and that change of scenery has already done him good by most reports. He is in camp all smiles, golfing with Bonderman, raving about the other guys on the team, and has pitched well in his Spring Training starts.

Moving from hitter-friendly Ameriquest Field in Arlington, to spacious Comerica Park will do nothing but help Rogers statistically, and he doesn't have big shoes to fill when considering Jason Johnson was downright awful last year (8-13, 4.54 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 98 Ks in 210 IP). All Rogers has to do is be what he has been for the last 10 years. Start 30 games, give us 200 innings, an ERA around 4, and pass his bulldog mentality on to the rest of this very young staff.

Last year, the fifth starter never was a position that really got consistently filled for this club. There were games where Sean Douglass looked like Walter Johnson on the mound, and there were other games where he looked like Walter Matthau on the mound. Roman Colon was given a few starts in that slot, and all he had to do was be average, and he couldn't even do that. The fifth starter is the biggest question mark coming into 2006, but their options at that spot is where the Detroit Tigers are head and shoulders above most other teams in baseball.

Remember the names Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya. Verlander is Baseball America's 3rd rated pitching prospect in all of baseball, and Zumaya is the eighth rated pitcher in the minors. After last year's Sean Douglass/Jason Grilli/Roman Colon experiment at the five spot, Manager Jim Leyland seemingly can't go wrong if he chooses Verlander or Zumaya for that spot coming out of camp.

Reports out of Lakeland this spring on Zumaya have used the words "impressive, wow, unbelievable, and spectacular." The same words were used about Verlander last summer in his first major league start against Cleveland where he struggled early, but showed the tenacity to get through a bumpy first inning, calm down, and consistently get out a lineup filled with phenomenal hitters. He showed that same grit in a later start against Minnesota, where he started off rocky, but got through six innings. Dombrowski talks about how he loves Verlander's make-up, and his two starts last year show exactly what Dombrowski is talking about.

The bullpen in Detroit is a spot that could emerge as the strength of the team, or it could be this team's downfall. If we get the 2005 Todd Jones, the guy who led the NL in saves last year, then this team does have a legitimate shot at .500. If he doesn't work out, then this team could again be back to the seventy wins mark.

Fernando Rodney seemed to be ready to assume the full-time closing duties for the Tigers, after having a very good year last year (2.86 ERA, 42 Ks in 44 IP, and a career best 1.27 WHIP), but Dave Dombrowski wanted veteran leadership on this club that had so many leadership problems last year. Jones' job as the closer is not written in stone, and if he struggles, the Fernando Rodney is waiting in the wings to close, but the middle relief is an under-rated strength of the Tigers.

Assuming Jones works the ninth and Rodney works the eighth, the Tigers have four starters who have all shown the ability to make it through seven innings, but reliever Chris Spurling (1.13 WHIP, 3.44 ERA) and left-handed specialist Jamie Walker (1.27 WHIP, 3.70 ERA) are good options in middle relief who can bridge the gap from starter to Rodney and Jones. Roman Colon and Franklyn German are prospects who also add some depth to the bullpen, but they are also guys who could easily emerge as viable, dependable stars in the 2006 pen.

Games Start Next Weekend Baby!

2006-02-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

So, we've established that Jim Leyland is the new boss in Detroit, and amateur night is now over. The Tigs now have a manager who has won one World Series in his career, the same number that Tony LaRussa and Bobby Cox have won.

There really wasn't a huge splash this winter as far as free agent signings are concerned, especially when you stack this winter up against the magnitude of their last two winters which scored Magglio Ordonez after 2004 and Pudge Rodriguez after their dreadful 2003 season.

The trouble is, Tiger fans have no idea what to feel coming into Spring Training. After the best turnaround in one season in franchise history, and adding Troy Percival and Magglio, there was every reason to head into 2005 optimistically, but after flirting with .500 into August, the Tigers fell on their face down the stretch and ended the season with one more loss than they did in 2004.

Should there be optimism? A new manager with a World Series ring, and a ton of playoff experience, a hitting coach (Don Slaught) whose system was used by the White Sox in 2005 and is praised up and down by the insiders in baseball circles. 2005 All-Star game starter Kenny Rogers comes over through free agency to essentially fill the not-so-big shoes of Jason Johnson who left for Cleveland this winter. Todd Jones steps back as the Tigers closer, back to a city and team that loved him in the late 90's. Perhaps Todd Jones is a microcosm of what the 2006 Tigers are as a whole. There is a ton of reason to think happy thoughts, but every positive notion has a grey cloud hanging over it.

Todd Jones was fantastic in 2005 with the Marlins, leading the National League with 40 saves, with a 2.10 ERA, and a WHIP barely over 1, at 1.02. But last winter he accepted a non-roster guaranteed minor league deal with the Marlins after being shot down by other teams, and the light of his career was seemingly fizzling out. Was 2005 the last strong grasp of life from that candle that's been around forever and doesn't have much wax left to burn, or does he finally get "it?"

Pudge. The guy who was, and in my eyes still is, Tiger fans' favorite player. Did last year seriously happen? Are the personal issues with his divorce really the reason he struggled so unbelievably much last year? How DID he lose all that weight? Nevermind that he had hip pointers that nagged him all year in 2004, and the fact that because of that Pudge knew he had to lose some weight to extend his career, is there really anything to the steroid whispers?

Rondell White's absence. How important was he? He was great, and he produced runs when he was in the lineup, but he really had zero impact on the lineup after the shoulder in injury in late July. Defensively, he won't be missed, but it was great to be able to pencil him in at the five hole when he was ready to go. He and Magglio never were in the lineup together consistently all year.

The bullpen. Already terrible news out of Lakeland as far as Craig Dingman's career possibly being over. From all accounts he is out for this season, and it really is a big blow. He could have challenged for setup duties in the pen, instead, it's probably Rodney setting up (gulp), and Jones closing. With Jim Leyland already saying 12 pithers are coming up north in April when camp breaks, that means we're looking at LOOGY Jamie Walker, Frank the Tank German, Chris Spurling (3.44 ERA, 1.13 WHIP in 2005), Roman Colon and take your pick of Matt Mantei, Bobby Seay or my mom (she is a lefty) as the last guy in the pen.

First Base/DH. Um, is Carlos Pena the next Barry Bonds or the next Eric Munson? Last year he looked better than Bonds at times and again, he looked worse than Munson. Chris Shelton isn't going anywhere, but what is the deal going to be with Pena? He won't be happy sitting for long, again, and I don't think he wants to go to Toledo again, who does?

...But don't forget about contract year Dmitri Young who has dropped anywhere from 20 to 25 pounds according to reports. He's seeing time at third base already this winter, and is a better option defensively in rightfield than Magglio, though that's not saying much. Here's what I am thinking so I can wrap this up before the season starts, mother lover am I long-winded!

VS. lefties:
1. Carlos Guillen, SS -- yes, seriously
2. Polanco, 2B -- he'll see 162 games in the 2 hole if he wants to this year
3. Chris Shelton, 1B -- why has he not been on "The Bachelor" yet?
4. Magglio, DH/RF -- I love when guys have something to prove.
5. Monroe, LF -- I like what he does against lefties (.909 OPS vs. lefties last year).
6. Pudge, C -- if he hits seventh he will go T.O on the clubhouse. Also, see Magglio
7. Brandon Inge, 3B -- .281 BA/.843 OPS last year vs. lefties. High Socks, yada, yada, yada
8. Dmitri, DH/RF -- I love the man, but the #'s last year don't warrant him being higher.
9. Curtis Granderson, CF -- At least to start the year, every chance to lead off if he gets rolling

VS. righties
1. Carlos Guillen, SS -- He was the Tigers MVP in 2004. Healthy, he is ideal for the top spot.
2. Eggplanthead Polanco, 2B -- just love the guy. He plays baseball, well, every day
3. Chris Shelton, 1B -- he and Polanco -- ugliest one-two punch in baseball
4. Magglio, DH/RF -- Ozzie Guillen called u a Venezuelan pussy! GET FIRED UP
5. Dmitri, DH/RF -- still love him hitting from the WEST SIDE of the plate.
6. Pudge, C -- I'd love to love ya Pudge. Give me reason to love you again baby
7. Monroe, LF -- 2006 - the year of Craig Monroe breaking out
8. Inge, 3B -- I think his newborn son looks older than B.I
9. Granderson, CF -- if you don't like Grandy, you don't like baseball

#21/#20

2006-01-30T19:29:00.000-08:00

I won't even waste my time worrying how Michigan State, who lost to Michigan and barely survived against an awful Penn State team (one that lost by 30 at Wisconsin earlier this year) at home stayed at #12 and didn't move down in the polls. Tom Izzo has the voters in his pocket because I guess he's a nice guy or something? Is there a team in the country with more talent that just isn't as good as we're being told they are????

I can't do it, I won't dwell, because for the first time since I was a Freshman at Hilbert, eight years ago, Michigan is ranked among the Top 25 College Basketball teams in the country (#21 in the AP and #20 in ESPN/USA Today).

The only blemishes are road losses in coference AT Indiana and AT Illionois, and a home-loss to UCLA, not exactly a Hawaii or North Dakota State on that list. Michigan had a legitmate shot to win in the final two minutes of each of those games. All three schools have Top 20 RPIs, so add it all up and the Wolverines are poised to make the NCAA Tourney in 2006!!! We'll overlook the fact that on top of how well they are playing, Lester Abram has missed the last two wins versus Michigan State and Wisconsin, arguably the team's second-best scorer. This team defends and rebounds, and in the rugged Big 10, you're going to be in every game if you can win the rebounding battle.

The win Saturday in which they flat handled a terrific Wisconsin team from start to finish took Michigan from a 31 RPI to a 17 RPI, and with 9 games left in the season Big Blue has a legitimate chance to claim a share of the regular season conference title.

A road game at Penn State Wednesday is a dangerous game that the old Michigan teams look past with a roadie at Iowa on the horizon, but there is too much senior leadership to fall into that trap this year, it's a different team in Ann Arbor. I doubt they'll be playing in the Auburn Hills draw of the NCAAs (only Duke gets home games in the NCAA tournament) but Philly and Dayton are on the map, and if Big Blue makes the dance, I may be busting over to either Auburn Hills, Dayton or Philly. Who's coming with me?!?!!?

2 Months -- Sorry

2006-01-13T21:52:00.000-08:00

My hiatus is over...my bad.

So, Illinois hosts Michigan tomorrow in basketball, and arguably, if Michigan wins this game AT Illinois, they'll be damn close to locking up a tourney bid in January. That's not the easiest task though, Assembly Hall is the Big 10's version of Thunderdome. It's all orange, and it's loud from tip to the final buzzer. It can happen. Horton and Harris need to play perimeter defense like they care. If you can pin-point one reason for their losses to UCLA and Indiana it would have to fall on their lack of ability the guards have shown to get out on the outside shooters of the Bruins and Hoosiers. They lost to UCLA because Harris could not fight through screens and get out in his zone assignment to get a hand in Afflalo's face. Indiana didn't kill Michigan with 3's, but they hit big 3's wide open at key moments in the game. Michigan would get close, and IU would hit a three to end the run. They contained Killingsworth and White, but their perimeter defense let them down.

Dee Brown will be the biggest part of this game. If they can hold him down, and PROTECT THE BALL, they win this game. The ugliest big men in the country will see a lot of each other with Graham Brown and James Augustine battling in the blocks, but Illinois' interior offense and defense aren't going to be where this game is won or lost. The Michigan basketball team is a mirror image of their football team, We hear about this big, bad defense, but when it counts the defense has broken down and given up big shots. We out-talent the weaker teams in football and basketball, but when talent is even, the execution just needs to be better. Indiana has nothing comparable to Daniel Horton in their backcourt, yet Vaden, Monroe, and Wilmont (not Killingsworth and White) are the reasons this team lost in Bloomington.

This is the biggest game in Michigan basketball over the last 3 years, and a win should get them in the top 25. GO BLUE!

Sims and Horton on a mission

2005-11-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well, after reading the game recap, cause God forbid Michigan gets put on TV when they play a solid team like Butler, it appears that Daniel Horton and Courtney Sims aren't messing around. The Great Alaska Shootout featured a wonderful South Carolina versus Monomouth match-up, nobody wants to see Michigan/Butler, give me Monmouth and I want them NOW!

ANYWAYS -- When Courtney Sims plays with intensity, he's one of the most difficult match-ups in the Big 10. The problem is that he looks lethargic at times, as evidenced by him taking two shots at Boston U last week. He's a good passer, a dominant rebounder, a great shot-blocker and his scoring touch has slowly developed since his first days in Ann Arbor. If he steps up and lives to see his potential, then Michigan should be going dancing in March.

Jerret Smith has been a nice surprise early too. Michigan hasn't had a point guard who the offense can flow through since Jalen, and Jerret Smith looks like he'll be that guy eventually for Big Blue. I love the 3 guard starting lineup of Harris, Horton and Abram, with Graham Brown and Courtney Sims playing the 4 and 5. It should be interesting to see how they handle national television tomorrow night, and dangerous scorer Guillermo Diaz. Diaz is the best player in the ACC that nobody has heard about, and he can put up 30 any night. If Coach Amaker's trademark is defense, then Diaz should be contained by Abram. The Canes are coming off a bad loss at Temple, and they may be a little fiesty, but the Wolverines should eat up the glass and beat the U tomorrow night. ESPN 2 @ 9:30

Michigan Basketball 2005-2006

2005-11-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

It hurts that Michigan's basketball team, for lack of a better term, sucks. Daniel Horton's expression in this picture sums up his last three seasons in Ann Arbor perfectly. How is it possibly this bad? Last year was as bad as it's been, not simply because of their record (13-18, 4-12 Big Ten), but there was seemingly nothing Coach Tommy Amaker could do to right the ship. In their 31 games last season, Michigan used 16 different starting lineups, which is hard to do if you tried.

These weren't tweaked ankles that had a guy missing a game or two, Lester Abram and Daniel Horton, their two leading scorers, missed the majority of the conference schedule, and Graham Brown, Chris Hunter and Brent Pettway, 3 main cogs in the froncourt all missed considerable time.

That Michigan team was coming off of a season where they won the post-season NIT and things were looking brighter than they had since they last made the NCAA Tournament in 1998.

They didn't lose much talent after last year, and they come into this season with very realistic expectations of making the NCAA Tournament. Find me a better scoring punch in the conference than Harris, Abram and Horton at the guard spots with Freshman Jerret Smith and 2004-2005 Most Improved Player Ron Coleman coming off of the bench. Mix in a deep rotation of Chris Hunter, Graham Brown, Brent Pettway, and Courtney Sims at the power forward and center spots, and this team can go deeper off the bench than Michigan State or Illinois will be able to go this year.

If there is one bright side from the stuggles of last year, it is that guys like Coleman, Dion Harris, and Courtney Sims got a ton of minutes. If Courtney Sims has put on the weight that they say he has, than he's going to be a force inside against the James Augustine's and Paul Davis' of the world.

The recruiting news from the last week just keeps getting better as well as Michigan landed two Mr. Basketball candidates from Detroit for next season, and just today landed an early commit from rivals.com's #15 ranked Junior basketball player in the entire country. It's time for Coach Amazker to put it together on the floor, as anything less than an NCAA Tourney berth is a disappointment.

Eklund's Got Nothing on Me

2005-11-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

Is someone out there looking at my blog? After posting Tuesday that Craig Monroe to the Yankees seemed to be a good fit, as the Yankees pursue a centerfielder, in back-to-back days, Thursday in the Newark Star-Ledger, and in today's New York Newsday, sources report that the Yankees and Tigers have been working on a trade involving Monroe. Newsday reports there was not a match, probably because Dave Dombrowski asked for way too much. That's fine with me though, Craig Monroe should only be dealt for a major league ready player, and Brian Cashman doesn't readily deal Major League talent. Their farm system may be one of the worst in the majors, so I'm hoping DD asked for at least Scott Proctor and Eric Duncan, and at the most Carl Pavano.

Hot Stove Season

2005-11-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

It's on, as the GM meetings begin, we can start thinking about 2006. By all indications, it will be an eventful winter for the Tigers, and with prospects actually capable of playing in the majors, there are some spare parts in Detroit that other teams may value. My first thought is, as much as I love Craig Monroe, he may be the most valuable card in GM Dave Dombrowski's hand. When I hear that the Yankees are looking for a centerfielder, and that Carl Pavano is on the trade block, the wheels start turning. Pavano has shown nothing that would indicate he's ready and able to pitch under the intense pressure in New York. They have a glut of starting pitching in New York, and Craig Monroe is capable of playing centerfield.

Offensively, Monroe is still on the upswing, and if Mike Illitch is serious about bringing Rondell White back to Detroit, then Craig Monroe (.277, .322 OBP, 20 HR and 89 RBI in 2005) to the Yankees for Pavano, a career record of under .500, isn't that ridiculous of an idea, is it? Monroe is a good dude, especially in comparison to Milton Bradley, who the Yankees are rumored to have and interest in, and at 28 years old, he's what Brian Cashman is looking for, a little youth and he comes a lot cheaper than Pavano or Bradley.

The only thing that bugs me about Monroe though, is how the hell is he allowed to use that glove out there, that thing has got be 16 inches long.

The Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that the Mets may have an interest in trading for Pudge. In some ways I don't want to be greedy thinking that that may be addition by subtraction, but at the same time, it's freaking Pudge, a hall-of-famer who arguably just had his best season defensively. Problem for problem -- we'll take Beltran, you can have Pudge and maybe Joel Zumaya?

You as our President is Torture Enough

2005-11-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

Two days after the Associated Press ran an article on Vice President Cheney asking Republican Congressman to give the CIA an exemption on a new proposed ban on torture of US terrorism suspects, GW is at it again, as this administration keeps talking out of both sides of their mouths.

In a closed-door meeting Friday Cheney asked Republicans to leave the door open for the CIA to interrogate captives by any means necessary. At this particular closed-door meeting Cheney asked all aides and unnecessary persons to exit the meeting, a very rare request for a meeting of this kind.

Guess what? Today, G.W ranted and raved about how the U.S does not torture, yet he spoke out on how he doesn't want Congree to go any further with their desire to condemn torture as a means of interrogation.

As a Republican-controlled Congress moves forward to condemn torture, it's like that chip on the windshield that you see notice one day. A month later that damned chip is a crack that runs over your entire windshield. Perhaps this chip, a Republican-controlled Congress going ahead with a condemnation of torture against their Republican President's wishes to stop them, will grow into the type of dissension that we have seen in the Democratic Party since Bill Clinton got a hummer.

Hitching your wagon to George W at this points appears to be career suicide with an election year approaching. With a huge Congessional election approaching in 2006, are we starting to see Republican Congressman distancing themselves from this train wreck of a presidency?

West Coast Bias Anyone?

2005-11-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

When the talking heads get rolling on the Heisman, it's Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and everybody else. That's a pretty far cry from the days when all you heard about was an East Coast bias inside voting circle both for the Heisman and in the polls. If Bush or Leinart win the Heisman, we're looking at 3 USC Heismans in a 4 year span.....Can we start talking up a West Coast bias conspiracy for Vince Young, the guy who SHOULD win the Heisman going away?

Take Matt Leinart out of USC, and John David Booty steps right in and succeeds, much like Leinart did when Palmer left. Take away Reggie Bush, and arguably, you have a better conventional running back in LenDale White. Take Vince Young away from Texas and they already have at least two losses. He cannot be shut down. The Heisman is meaningless, it's now the MVP of the #1 team award, but it's a great conversation to have, because if it's for the most OUTSTANDING player, like it's supposed to be, Vince Young is it....AND I HATE TEXAS

Game of the Year in the ACC

2005-11-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

Today's the big one. Even with a Miami win, it's unlikely that they make it to the ACC Championship game, but it would go a long way to re-legitimiizing the Canes after a few down years by Miami standards. Lost in all the hype about Marcus Vick and Beamer Ball at Va. Tech is the fact that Miami's defense is pretty damn good. The 2005 Miami defense is currently ranked #1 in the country in total defense, and frankly Marcus Vick hasn't seen anything like the Canes D all season. The Canes speed at linebacker will neutralize any running threat from Vick, and if they're forced to throw the ball, Vick hasn't shown the ability to win with his arm, as great as he has been.

If Miami can stay away from turning the ball over, which killed them against Florida State, this should be a close, great game, with a lot of dirt and trash talk between plays. I don't think there'll will be enough scoring to lay what Tech is laying, so I want Miami getting 6.5 at V Tech.

Mini-NBA Preview

2005-11-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ask my pops if you don't believe me, but as we were driving around Chicago this weekend, we talked about sports and I told him the Milwaukee Bucks are gonna do big things this season. That's normally how it works, my poor girlfriend and step-mom have to sit in silence whenever the four of us are in the car, and listen to this in-person version of sports talk radio hosted by Big Russ and Kev. They aren't going to win the NBA Championship, but I think they're going to be in that second level of the Eastern Conference, behind the big three, Miami, Indiana and Deeeeeee-troit.

There may not be a better story in the NBA than TJ Ford. In today's NBA, if you don't have a good point guard, you don't have a winning squad. Realizing this, Milwaukee took Ford in the lottery of the 2003 NBA Draft. Still, Ford had his doubters, saying he was too small to play point in the NBA, he can't shoot, he'll get hurt, etc.. At 6'0", 165 pounds (the same identical listed size as Iverson!!), his critics may have had a point, but Ford took his Texas high school team to two state titles, and took the Texas Longhorns to their first Final Four in 56 years. TJ Ford's basketball teams win, period.

Ford is coming off of a severe spinal injury that has kept him out a full year and a half, and so far, so great. Tuesday night he took A.I off the dribble, penetrated, scored, and got the foul. Tonight he got the best of Jason Kidd as the Bucks smoked the Nets to go 2-0 early on, winning tough road contests in Philly and Jersey.

Getting Jamaal Magloire right before the season started is enormous for the Bucks. Desmond Mason is a highlight making slasher who shoots a tad better than Manute Bol. The Oklahoma City Hornets needed to make a PR move, and getting the locally-popular Mason in exchange for Magloire is highway robbery for the Bucks. When Joe Smith comes back, the Bucks will have tremendous front-court depth with Dan Gadzuric, Magloire, Smith and #1 overall pick Andrew Bogut. I guess having TJ at the 1 and Michael Redd (41 points Wednesday against the Nets), the best shooter in the NBA for my money, at the 2 is OK too.

Don't be surprised to see the Bucks in the top 4 of the Eastern Conference.

Overall though, nobody is beating the Spurs. They have insane depth, they play defense, they rebound, they are well-coached, and they have the best player in the freaking NBA.

TD and the Hall of Fame

2005-10-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

It was recently Earl Campbell's birthday, and while I am not even remotely arguing that Campbell doesn't deserve his place in Canton, he started me thinking about similar running backs who have made the hall after injury-shortened careers. Most importantly, I got Terrell Davis in my head, personally my favorite back of all time. I got the research bug again, and I can say, unequivocally, Terrell Davis should not only be in the Hall of Fame, he should be without a doubt a first ballot selection.

Campbell played 9 seasons. In 1982 Campbell only played in 9 games, and in his career, Earl Campbell played in 115 regular season contests and 6 postseason games. Gale Sayers, an un-questioned hall-of-fame running back played in only 68 games and the postseason numbers are unavailable for his era. Terrell Davis played in 81 regular season games, and 8 postseason contests.

Campbell played on some garbage teams in Houston, and while he rushed for 9, 407 yards in his career, he averaged 88.1 yards per game. Sayers ran for 4,956 yards in his day, averaging a fairly average 72.9 yards per game, while TD ran for an amazing 7,607 yards in 5 and a half seasons, posting a 94 yards per game average. Keep in mind that from 99 to 2001, his knee was a disaster thus his yards per game was in the 45 per game neighborhood. At TD's peak, from 95-98 TD averaged a mind-boggling 105 yards per game. When you average 105 a game, you're a pretty special player.

Measuring TD's 4 year peak average of 105 a game, I took Campbell's best four years, also his first four, and WOW, Campbell averaged 104.2 a game at his peak, pretty much the same. Taking Sayers prime numbers, he only averaged 80 a game at his best. I had to dig deeper. Emmitt Smith's best 4 years -- 105.4 yards per game. Walter Payton -- 108 per game, and Jim Brown -- a freaking mind-boggling 118 yards per game over his 4 best years. The only other running back even in the ballpark with Jim Brown is Barry Sanders, who averaged 110.8 a game over his 4 best years.

So then what is it that puts Gale Sayers over the top with mediocre numbers over a much shorter career than TD? Is it the criticism that TD played in a flawless running system? Well, how many other running backs have put up 2,000 in Denver if the system is so perfect? TD is a different breed of back, that once-in-a-lifetime for the organization kind of running back. You can't hold it against him that his supporting cast was good. If that's the case then Emmitt doesn't deserve to be in, he played behind one of the most dominant o-lines in NFL history. Terrell Davis is an NFL Hall-of-Famer, no questions asked, no doubt about it, the numbers don't lie. Super Bowl MVP, NFL MVP, and the list goes on...Get TD in the Hall of Fame.

Change of Pace

2005-10-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

I'm slumping with the college picks, so I gotta change things a little. The Eagles getting 3 AT Denver in a game where I have a sinking feeling the Eagles are winning outright. I guarantee Denver wins, but does not cover, that' s just the way these things work. I like the Eagles here though, I don't know that Denver has faced a defense as tough as Philly's D, and Champ Bailey is not 100 percent.

Hail to the Victors

2005-10-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

Unless you watch the games, keep your mouth shut. Never have I seen a team lose more close games then Michigan, yet, people give me the "Michigan sucks" garbage like it's going out of style. They don't suck, and if you think they honestly do, you are worthless. It sounds trite, but I don't think I have admired and un-abashedly supported a Michigan team like I support the 2005 team. The guts they've shown by getting up off of the floor after devastating losses to Wisconsin, and then to Minnesota means more to me than rolling up on a soft schedule. Barring a catastrophe, Michigan will extend it's streak of consecutive bowl games to 31, the longest streak in the country. OH yeah, today they did it AT Iowa (who had the third longest home winning streak in the nation up to today) without Mike Hart and Lamarr Woodley, their best players on offense and defense. GO BLUE!!!

Doing My Homework

2005-10-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

The last full season in which Roger Clemens pitched in the AL, his numbers were anything but sensational. His switch to the NL has gone the way a lot of good pitchers' numbers go when they jump from the AL to the NL. It's an obvious increase when you face the pitcher slot three times a game, and the worst hitters all are moved up a notch in the batting order. Case in point.

In 2003, Roger's last season in the AL, he had a 3.91 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and struck out 190. That's not terrible, but it's not historically significant by any stretch either. A year later, and pitching in the NL, Roger put up a 2.98 ERA, a WHIP of 1.16, and fanned 218.

His last start in a World Series was memorable because of the standing ovation he got from the Marlins players and fans, but what gets lost is that with the Yankees up 2 to 1 in the series, Roger came out and gave up 3 quick runs in the 1st inning and if it weren't for Urbina blowing a two-run lead for Florida in the ninth to force extra innings, Mr. Clemens would have been the pitcher of record in a game the Yankees eventually blew. The Marlins naturally ended up winning the series at "the house that a womanizing-drunk that never faced hispanic or african-american pitchers built", errrr, "Ruth built."

In comparison, look at Pedro this season as he jumped back to the NL. His numbers in Boston last year were much like Clemens' last season in New York. A 3.9 ERA (which was an entire run lower than the league average, Clemens ERA in New York was only .45 lower than league average), a 1.17 WHIP, with 227 strikeouts. Ridiculously similar to Roger's NY numbers. This season with the Mets, Pedro's ERA dipped to 2.82, with an astonishing WHIP of .95, and 208 K's if ya need 'em.

I think the NL has such a distinct dis-advantage when the World Series rolls around in the current era of baseball. The offense in the AL is just too good, and we saw it last year with the Cardinals folding to the Red Sox.

The AL scored 10,770 runs this season while the NL scored 11,535, with two more teams in the league. On average, that's 4.8 runs per game in the AL, and 4.45 runs per game in the NL. That doesn't look or sound like a lot, but over 162 games, we're talking 41 runs a year difference.

The Anti-SABR Series

It's fashionable to say the White Sox win with great pitching and can barely hit, but it's not an accurate statement. Their pitching is tremendous, especially considering that the ballpark they play in has seen more homeruns in the past decade then any other park. They hit 200 home runs this season (6th most in all of baseball), and had a much higher OPS (.747) then Houston (.730). The SABR stats for a team like the White Sox are so incredibly misleading though.

Think of AJ Pierczynski's ground out to second in the ALDS where he was jacked up because he moved the runner on second over to third. That goes down as a groundout, and AJ is now 0 for 2, reducing his and the teams' OBP and OPS, but a sac fly now scores the run, a run that never would have scored otherwise. That's what the White Sox have done all season, and that's why there needs to be a balance between statistic-based scouting and the "old-fashioned" system.

Billy Beane is a genius in a way not many people give him credit for. He took an ideal that a lot of organizations already valued in their scouting, get guys that get on-base. and made people believe it was his idea. I have a revolutionary idea everyone -- get great pitching and you can win games. Now where is that Michael Lewis' phone number, I've got a book to write!!

I think Houston wins game 3 with Oswalt, and that's it. White Sox win the series in 5.

2005-10-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

LSU -6 at home against Auburn. I need to break out of my mini-slump and get my mark to 7-3. JaMarcus Russell doesn't impress me at all at quarterback for LSU eventhough his numbers are pretty good, especially now that he's dinged up. With that said, I love Skyler Green (pictured) as an X-factor returning kicks and punts, and I also love that they come at you with fresh legs in the backfield Ronnie Brown/Cadillac Williams style with Justin Vincent (who deserves more carries than he gets) and Joseph Addai.

For Auburn Brandon Cox is going to be a good quarterback...next year. For now, he makes a lot of mistakes, and ya can't do that on the road in the SEC. Kenny Irons is a damn good tailback, and Aromashodu and Obomanu make for a great wide reciever duo, but Cox isn't good enough to win the game with his arm once LSU shuts down the AU running game. They haven't played anyone like LSU yet, and that's going to be exposed tomorrow night. If Georgia Tech handed it to AU at AU, then, as Lee Corso would say "LOOK OUT," LSU HUGE at home tomorrow night.

Phat Albert

2005-10-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

First Five Years in the League

Albert Pujols -- 201 home runs, 621 RBI, 982 hits, a .332 batting average, .416 on-base, and a .621 slugging percentage.

Babe Ruth -- 218 home runs, 652 RBI, 909 hits, .357 batting average, .496 on-base, and a .757 slugging percentage.

Henry Aaron -- 166 homers, 548 RBI, 1006 hits, .329 batting average, .379 on-base, and a .576 slugging percentage.

Yes. He's that good, and only getting better. While the post-steroid era has flashed a blinding spotlight on Sosa, Palmeiro, Pudge (I hate to say it), Juan Gonzalez, and Adrian Beltre, we're also seeing just how much more incredible Albert Pujols is.

There was an eight percent decrease in power numbers across the board this season in major league baseball, but you'd never be able to get that if you look at Pujols' remarkably consistent numbers this season. He had eerily similar numbers in 2005 as he had in 2004, and while A-Rod was busy playing poker with Phil Helmuth at underground poker clubs in NYC, or hitting up sex parties with his gold-digging wife (who probably hits better with RISP than her husband), Albert Pujols hit one of the largest homeruns in NLCS history.

It is downright disgusting to think that Albert Pujols is just turning 26 in January. He's moderately priced at 11 million dollars, has never once had any type of off-the-field incident, and get this, his life revolves around his son A.J, his 7 year-old daughter, Isabella, who has downs syndrome and his wife, Deidre. He doesn't have his own website where he sells signed merchandise for astronomical amounts of money ($550 for an autographed ball on A-Rod's website) , he doesn't travel with his own PR person, and after his Texas-sized home run he says this "It was probably the best hit in my career," Pujols said. "But that happened last night. It's over. You need to get it over with." No trash talk, there won't be merchandise or memorabilia commemorating the blast, he hit a home run that won a game versus the Astros, it may as well be a meaningless game in the middle of May. The hurt of last year's World Series sweep is driving Pujols more than maybe anyone else on that team, and maybe that all came out on that poor piece of rawhide that Brad Lidge hung right where Albert likes 'em.

Baseball Reference did a statistical analysis of each of Pujols' first five seasons, and one-by-one, the player throughout history that he most matched was Joe DiMaggio, in every single year. Five separate times they ran the engine, and five different times it stopped at Joe D being who Pujols is in historical terms....Don't fret though Cubs fans, and the rest of the National League, he's only got another 13 to 15 years left in his career.

P.S -- this is from the Cardinals website: Pujols has been named recipient of the St. Louis chapter of BBWAA's Man of the Year award the last four seasons...seated among dignitaries at the 2004 press conference to announce the naming of the new Busch Stadium...was nominated by his teammates for the 2004 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award...was awarded the Larry Doby Award (top N.L. rookie) by the Negro League Hall of Fame in January 2002...received the Missouri Athletic Club's Personality of the Year Award in December, 2002...was named to the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame on August 6, 2004...was also named to the AFL's Team of the Decade in 2002...won the Cardinals' Roberto Clemente Award for community service in 2003...in 2003 he helped sponsor the inaugural St. Louis Down Syndrome Association Golf Benefit and continues to serve as chairman for the event...he and his wife appeared in the 2002 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and have delivered teddy bears to children at Cardinal Glennon Hospital over his four years...Albert and his wife Deidre reside in St. Louis with their daughter Isabella and son A.J. Alberto, Jr

Stone Cold Lock

2005-10-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Gotta take Alabama -13 at Ole Miss. Like the Michigan game for me last week, the highlight of this game for the folks in Oxford, Miss will be the tailgate. Watch Alabama's defense if you get a chance, they look like a damn video game defense with all of the cheat codes activated. Linebacker DeMeco Ryans (pictured making the tackle) is twice the linebacker that AJ Hawk is. Flip on CBS at 3:30 on Saturday to see the game, and most importantly that defense. They get an incredible pass rush on seemingly every pass play, they completely shut down any running game, and are so incredibly quick to the ball when a pass is thrown. Your first reaction will be "Holy shit!" QB Brodie Croyle is finally healthy for more than 2 games, and Tyrone Prothro is what Ted Ginn was supposed to be this year. Did I mention that I hate Ted Ginn Jr.? Ole Miss plays a very similar offense to Florida, and the Gators scored 3 points. UH OH. Bama is confident and are coming off of a bye week. I really like this one this week. Perhaps my lock of the year so far.

The Call

2005-10-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

OK, so maybe the call was the wrong call, but if you've watched more than 2 baseball games in your life, doesn't the catcher tag the batter out on third strikes on more obvious non-dropped balls than the one Josh Paul "caught" Wednesday night. Tag him out no matter what, any catcher will tell you that you learn that in day one of practice and it's hammered in your head all the time. It did not cost them the game, the Angels bullpen was dried up and in worse shape for extra innings than the White Sox bullpen was. Joey Cora had no business sending Rowand home from third with no outs, and who knows, maybe that's the game there and the bottom of the ninth never has to happen? It's a quirky call that if not for the playoffs would be dismissed like it was no big deal in the regular season. There are four other umps on the field, and when Mike Scioscia went to argue the play, nobody overturned the call, so lay off of Doug Eddings, because the other umps could have done something about it too.

I love the self-righteous Angel fans now too. Robinson Cano's iffy "running out of the basepath" out in game 5 of the ALDS was just as bad of a call, and it's a huge reason that the Angels are in the ALCS. It is not the end of the world, or the huge crisis of "can we ever trust umpires, should we have instant replay in baseball?" that everyone is making it out to be. Give some credit to A.J Pierczynski, ask Josh Paul what the hell he was thinking, and lay-off of the umpire....and oh yeah, give Joe Crede a little bit of credit for hitting an 0-2 double against Kelvim Escobar, who up until that pitch was ridiculously filthy.

These first two games of the ALCS have also done a lot to prove to people that there is actually baseball outside of Fenway and Yankee Stadium. There was a lot of "ha ha ha, FOX has got to be pissed about this match-up and not Yankees/Red Sox." Really? Since when did Chicago and Los Angeles turn into minor markets? The baseball is better so far in these two games than it was in games 1 and 2 of the ALCS last year, and it's really refreshing to not hear the whinny fans of New York and Boston talking trash to each other between games.

Whoops

2005-10-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

6-2 but I'd gladly lose a bet if it means Ohio State loses.

P.S Michigan sucks this year

My Pick

2005-10-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

I'll keep this short. Jim Tressel has two weeks to get ready for this game against Penn State, AND Penn State is a fraud. Take Ohio State -3 at Penn State.

Tadahito Perrino

2005-10-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Y'all have to be rooting for the White Sox in this series for one GIANT reason and a few other little reasons. RoPo needs to be thrown a bone with one of his teams winning something, anything. The Raiders will never win a Super Bowl so long as Al Davis owns them, the Suns are the Suns, and I think you need to play a little bit of defense to win ball games, but the White Sox, the flipping White Sox? If I had to pick the team of those three to NOT win, it'd be the White Sox, yet, thanks to Tadahito Iguchi's gigantic homer in game 2, the White Sox are set up to beat Boston and RoPo's first born child shall be named Tadahito Perrino.

A couple of real reasons -- This legitimizes the AL Central finally. The Twins were never going anywhere with Brad Radke as their #2 starter in playoff games, but with the White Sox and Indians playing so incredibly well, and being so young, the AL Central has become the very, very poor man's AL East. Other reason -- 1917. Some homo from SNL and some skank that married Tom Green won't be making a movie based on the Chicago White Sox. I won't see a documentary on long-suffering White Sox fans (they are out there, Pat Sajak is a HUGE White Sox fan). Nor will whinny writers like Dan Shaughnessey, Bob Ryan, and Bill Simmons be there to talk about how hard their life is because their team hasn't won in so long. Short of Jay Mariotti, the wimpiest, most big-mouthed writer in the business, the mentality on the South Side is much like it is in Oakland for the Raiders, yeah we lost and yeah, we might suck, but we'll kick your ass, and we aren't afraid to go to jail for it....Go ask Tom Gamboa. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/09/19/royals_whitesox_ap/

If the White Sox win, imagine the possibilities! Hawk Harrelson won't have a reason for that enormous chip on his shoulder any more, and inspired by the victory, White Sox fans may get inspired enough to go find their abandoned children, and maybe even pay their child support.

I'm pulling for the White Sox because of RoPo, because Joe Crede is one of the nicest guys in the world, because Chicago is the greatest, most under-appreciated city in the world, their fans are phenomenal sports fans (try to get a Cubs, Bulls or Bears ticket), and besides the Jordan years, the Chicago sports scene is second to none as far as their history of crappy teams.

Moustache Rides.......Eh, nevermind

2005-10-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

So, bare with me here. I had the goatee rocking, but it was getting long, and I was sick of hearing "hey, you really look like your brother." I decided to go back to the clean look, but before hand, I HAD to play a little and see what life is for those who fill the need to have hair grow under their nostrils. The shirt saves my life in this picture, but on October 2, 2005 I found out that life with a moustache is not a life for me......and I also found that JP Losman is worse than I thought was ever possible. HOW THE HELL do people wake up in the morning, look themselves in the mirror and say "damn, that moustache is niiiiice"????? Here is the pic, I'd love to get some comments on this shit:

Could It Be????

2005-10-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Lloyd Carr can't win big games, when is the last time he won a game he was supposed to lose, they are an arrogant, under-achieving team. Nowhere in all of the hatred directed at Michigan this past week did I read anything about, "oh, maybe Mike Hart being out is really killing Michigan." Instead Lloyd was getting doubted, Henne was getting doubted, and I admit, I was doubting the hell out of them. 9 out of 10 Detroit News sports writers picked Michigan State to win, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit scoffed at the idea that Michigan might win the game, or hell, even play a close game.

Michigan out-gained Wisconsin by 150 yards, and they out-gained Notre Dame by nearly 100 yards. The national media loves to kick people when they're down, and that's what happened here. It happened when Notre Dame hit a rough patch and out came the "you can't win at Notre Dame in this new climate of college football" rhetoric. How's Notre Dame doing now? And don't look yet, but Notre Dame keeps getting early commits from huge high school prospects.

People who have watched all of the Michigan games know that their two losses didn't warrant Michigan being dropped from the Top 25. Bottom line, Michael Hart is the heart and soul of this entire team. We saw it last week at Wisconsin when he suited up knowing he wasn't going to play, and when Chad Henne threw a 4th quarter interception, who was there to rally the defense to go out and get the ball back?? Mike Hart. Guess what? Michigan's defense proceeded to go out and get an interception on the ensuing drive. This Michigan team sets up to run through the rest of their schedule without a loss before Ohio State comes to Ann Arbor, and oops, they win that game and guess who is back in a BCS game?

BTW -- Va Tech won by 17, my college picks are 6-1, and Marcus Vick one-finger saluted the redneck West Virginia fans on camera in what was the best moment of the day outside of the U of M game.

I LOVE MICHAEL HART. Take any other team's best player off of the field for three games and let me know how that goes for ya...

Rumblings and Grumblings

2005-09-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd take this opportunity to make my college point spread pick for this weekend, and gush about Marcus Vick. West Virginia's offense is non-existent, and that's very, very scary against a team with a defense like Virginia Tech. It's not so much Marcus Vick, who IS amazing, but Frank Beamer probably has his best defense since that other Vick guy was in Blacksburg. Marcus is the perfect quarterback for the Hokies, and the amazing thing is that for a sophomore in his first season, he doesn't make the big mistake. Quarterback rating is an iffy stat to fall back on, but in his first year as a starter, Vick has a 171.8 rating, with a 63.5% completion percentage, 703 yards, 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. Rushing stats in college are ridiculous for a QB, because he loses yards on his total for sacks, but Vick hasn't shown the extreme ability to make plays with his legs like Mike, but that's OK, because he's a much better thrower, and still can do a little something-something with his legs if he needs to. With that said, Christmas morning will come Saturday on ESPN at Noon, as Virginia Tech -10 over West Virginia puts money in the bank before dinner time. Their defense has given up an average of 5.8 points a game and a stupid 219.8 yards per game (against pretty decent opponents), and as we established, WVU's offense is atrocious. It's a shame Tech doesn't play Florida State this year.

What a day Saturday sets up to be though. Who knows what happens Friday night with the Indians, Red Sox and Yankees, but between the Va Tech game, Michigan game, and playoff-caliber baseball, I shall be going insane with the remote. It'll be nice to see the Jake sold out in October for meaningful baseball games, since otherwise their fans are the most dis-loyal/fair weather fans in sports. I still have a lot of love for the ex-Bisons on the roster though and I'm pulling for the Indians as if they were the damn Tigers.

The Big Mouth

2005-09-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

There's a school of thought out there that what the White Sox are doing right now, blowing a 15-game lead in a month, is NOT a choke. The people who believe this simply haven't watched the way the White Sox have played in the past month.

The definition of a sports choke appears in Webster's as "To fail to perform effectively because of nervous agitation or tension, especially in an athletic contest." Tuesday night, the White Sox got a great pitching performance from rookie Brandon McCarthy, but they let it go to waste as they stranded 12 base-runners. To further demonstrate how this team is trying everything they can to give Cleveland the division, Aaron Rowand grounded into a double-play to end an inning, and Geoff Blum grounded into a double-play with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 8th inning.

With arguably their weakest pitcher going Tuesday night, Scott Elarton, Cleveland gave up 5 quick runs to go down 5-0 to Tampa Bay, yet they scraped back to lose 5-4, with the winning run reaching first before Ronnie Belliard grounded into yet another double-play to end the game. Cy Young sleeper Cliff Lee (18-4, 3.90 ERA) goes against Seth McClung (6-11, 7.11 ERA) tonight, which looks like a sure thing for Cleveland. The White Sox best pitcher over the last two months goes tonight as Jose Contreras (14-7, 3.66 ERA) who has allowed 2 earned runs over the last 17 innings, faces my Tigers and Sean Douglass (5-4, 5.62 ERA). Douglass has allowed just two runs in his last 15 2/3 innings, and the White Sox are obviously pressing at the plate. It's going to be another night of flipping back and forth between Fox Sports Detroit and Fox Sports Ohio.

What about the AL East you ask? Who gives a shit about those spoiled brats.

The Greatest Show on Earth

2005-09-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about going to see Mike Vick in person Sunday. If it weren't a special weekend with him being here in Buffalo, I may be calling in sick to the game this weekend, but I'm playing hurt. I can't wait for tailgate-Nazi KMack to call me a pussy for not drinking, that's always a good time!

My Notre Dame pick was a lay-up, and I am now 5-1 picking games on my own....obviously it's because I'm not putting money on the games, if I were my record would be reversed.

Michigan just doesn't have it this year, and it's looking more and more like an Outback Bowl type of year. The one positive about the injuries though is that a lot of guys on the offensive line and in the backfield are getting tremendous in-game experience. I am loving David Harris at linebacker and Brandent Engleman at safety, filling-in for Ryan Mundy, who is out for the year. Chad Henne looks lost without Braylon to throw it to, but I think tonight, in the loss to Wisconsin, Mario Manningham emerged as a viable #2 receiver. Is Steve Breaston even on the team this year?? The Michigan State game scares me, and I can't remember the last time Michigan was under .500 in October, but a loss on Saturday equals a 2-3 record for Big Blue. If Chad doesn't start playing better, the Outback Bowl might be far-fetched, and we'll be looking at the Sun Bowl or some other crappy bowl. I was also thinking, does Ohio State play a road game this year? JESUS CHRIST! Who starts the year with four consecutive home games??? It's obscene, but they finally go on the road after their bye week. Unfortunately I think they'll expose Penn State, but who knew the Big 10 game of the year may be October 15th when MSU goes to Columbus?? Speaking of State, is Drew Stanton any good?

The Kirk Herbstreit "It's a joke Ted Ginn wasn't the preseason Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year" update -- Ginn has 13 catches for 149 yards and 1 TD (Jason Avant of Michigan has MUCH better #'s than that) and don't forget those 5 rushes for 2 yards. He has accounted for 1 TD in 4 games...Michigan freshman receiver Mario Manningham has more TDs than that. Kirk Herbstreit is the biggest homer ever and I will not rest until everyone knows it.

This is killing me

2005-09-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

It kills me to do this, but it's the easiest money I'll ever make for you. This line I was expecting to be about double where it is, and I hate these bastards, but take Notre Dame -13.5 AT Washington. I mean, UW lost to Air Force at home, and they were absolutely throttled by Cal at home. ND is arguably better than Cal offensively, and the UW offense is one of the worst in college football. -13.5 should be the half-time line. Lay it all on ND this weekend...I may even throw some money up and get my record to 5-1. Notre Dame may win by 40.

Don't look now...

2005-09-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

Your leading receiver for the 2005 Buffalo Bills (so far) IS...... JOSH REED. I do love the guy, and I swear I am the only Josh Reed supporter not related to him, but he's looked good in the first two games, and he excels in that slot/3rd receiver type role, where his job is to find the soft spots in the zone and exploit them. I do realize that it's more of an indictment of this offense that someone with 77 yards receiving leads the team in production, but clearly he isn't even as close to as bad as some people think he is. I heard one of the idiots on local radio say he is one of the worst receivers on an NFL roster, and if he got cut he'd be shocked if someone picked him up. Is he that bad? NO. Guys who know a lot more about football than any of us kept him on this team. He's going to be fine, and he's the least of this team's worries right now. When is the Willis McGahee we all signed on for going to play for us?

Phenomenal

2005-09-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

So, as I get older, I get a little smarter about not spending every dollar I make on eating out and drinking beer. On a Tuesday night, there's not shit-else to do, so I wanted to check out the new show NBC has been promoting the hell out of, "My Name is Earl." FREAKING PHENOMENAL. I was impressed that a show that smart could be on network television. Jason Lee is incredible as the lead, but the writers are incredible, like a redneck version of Arrested Development, smart, subtle, and just fun to watch. I guess it's not a sitcom, more of a hybrid sitcom/continuing series. I had to throw it in here, it was that outstanding, so if you're near a TV Tuesday night at 9, check it out!

There's No D in Notre Dame

2005-09-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am one cocky bastard. I pick against the home team, so I guess it serves me right. Rutgers won, but didn't cover. Nice of UB to get a defense a week after giving up 200 yards to Damian Rhodes in the first half last week. I'm not going to fall into the trap of picking an NFL game to make up for my loss (I'd go under 33 in the Lions/Bears game if I did). Lions and Bills getting off to 2-0 starts this season would be phenomenal. Two great defenses, lots of weapons on offense, just questions at the quarterback positions for both teams.

I don't hate Michigan Stae, just dislike them a lot, moreso, I hate their redneck coach, but Drew Stanton is scary good. He may be a college gimmick quarterback, but he's f'ing good. THANK YOU for beating Notre Dame!!! Lee Corso has more respect for Notre Dame because they lost???? Notre Dame can't lose, it's incredible, even when they lose, they win...F COLLEGE GAMEDAY -- sorry this post is all over the place, I had a beer for every touchdown Michigan scored (7) and of course, I didn't stop there.

Keep On Rollin'

2005-09-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Call it taking the easy way out this week with my pick, but I am jumping all over this game early, seeing as it's still Friday morning...Take Rutgers -21 AT UB. The Scarlet Knights have senior leadership at key positions, but this is one time where that doesn't even matter...Buffalo BLOWS. They haven't scored a point this season!! Jersey Joe would be a marked upgrade at quarterback for UB. Rutgers should have beat Illinois, AT Illinois in the first week, losing in OT, and they trounced a Division IAA school in Villanova, that sadly has more talent than UB does. Again lay the 3 TDs with Rutgers. If this pick clicks, I may have to open my very own 900 # selling these damn things, so get my picks while they're still free!!!

DEEE-Troit WHINER BALL

2005-09-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

I am so freaking sick of Pudge Rodriguez's crap. The guy's production has slid as much as anyone in baseball this season, and yet, he's squawking about the troubles the Tigers are having. The guy joined a team that two years ago lost the second-most games in the history of baseball. That's not a small history, or "sample-size" if you will. Did he expect to win the World Series two years after a season like that? If he did, he's more dillusional than an Oakland Raiders fan. In 2004 Pudge batted .334 with a .383 on-base percentage. This season, one season after those phenomenal numbers, he's at .289 with a .298 on-base percentage. That hasn't stopped him from recently calling out his teammates and the Tigers front-office.

"I love to win," he repeated. "I love to be in the playoffs. I would love to see my teammates the same way, but I don't know. I don't have their minds. I can talk to you from my heart. I'm not a loser." There are guys in the clubhouse that wouldn't be far off in interpreting this comment as Pudge calling them losers, and questioning their hearts.

Pudge then also prepared for his future as the worst general manager in baseball history with his vocal disapproval of trading Ugueth Urbina and Kyle Farnsworth. "I think those trades pulled this thing apart completely," he said. "That was the key. I don't know why they did that. We were doing so well when those guys were here. They knew Percival was hurt. They (the Tigers front office) should've thought a little bit better." PULLED THIS THING APART COMPLETELY? They got Placido Polanco in the Urbina deal, whose been nothing but the Tigers unquestioned best player since the trade...far and away their best player. Between Philly and Detroit, he is 2 points off of leading all of baseball in batting average. He's since signed a four year extension to stay in Detroit while Urbina is set to become a free agent in November. Urbina will hit the free agent market with a familiar face, whom he is rumored to have fought on a team flight earlier this season, Kyle Farnsworth.

In trading Kyle Farnsworth, a free agent to-be, GM Dave Dombrowski got something for nothing in Roman Colon and Zach Miner. This team was not going to make the playoffs this year, with out without him. The Tigers tried to sign Farnsworth to an extension in-season, but he and his agent justifiably have their sights on the free agent market (picture him in a Mets uniform). In Detroit for the All-Star game this year, scouts were asked which prospects they thought would be in the 2007 All-Star game. Roman Colon was one of the common names in those discussions. Zach Miner, thought to be a throw-in in the trade, has gone on to post tremendous numbers in Toledo this year (6 starts, 34 innings, 28 hits and a 2.36 ERA) and will likely get a September start once Toledo's playoff run finishes up this weekend.

The lesson is, Pudge is a malcontent and is everything we don't need or want. When Polanco got to town and signed his extension, he said he loved Detroit and can't wait to win in the D. Pudge is here, collecting a paycheck and as he puts it, "I'm just gonna play 23 more games, and then I need a vacation," Pudge said, artfully. "I need to go back to the ocean. I need to go back to my boat." Yeah, that kind of talk is going to go over REAL WELL in blue-collar Detroit. Pudge to the Mets for a bag of balls and someone who knows how to work a count.

RoPo as a child

2005-09-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

I hope to have some pics from the tailgate up tomorrow night, but I fear I'll be taking my 12 hour post-game nap when I get home. I really am excited about the season, I don't think we can understand how good, and how important the Bills secondary is this year.

I haven't shared enough about how wonderful our boy RoPo is on the blog, I've saved most of that for http://kpking3032.tripod.com/ (F RoPo's homepage). He will be in attendance tomorrow, and we went to the Po's Thursday for the Raiders game Thursday night. The kid wants to be buried with Oakland Raiders memorabilia when he dies, and sends away for free lubricating gel from ads in Playboy. He also likes to shake baseball bats at girls and scream "you like that shit!?!?" at them during football games. He gets mad, and questions why we he's friends with us, and sometimes I don't blame him, but noone has supplied the stories that RoPo has, and he continues every day to supply more quirky stories. One of RoPo's classmates at Buff State once described him as the most neurotic kid in the world, and that's why we love the kid. One day I, or someone else will write a book about RoPo and that bitch will fly off of the shelves.

4-0!!

2005-09-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Clemson wins 28-24, and I am now a documented 4 wins to 0 losses!!

Keep the streak alive

2005-09-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

The books love Maryland so far. I have no idea why. I am going to take Clemson and the 2 points Saturday against the Terps. Senior quarterbacks, senior quarterbacks, senior quarterbacks!!!! Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst has thrown for more yards than any other active college quarterback...that includes Matt Leinart. This is his fourth year starting, and Maryland struggled against Navy. Clemson has a good defense, and again, senior leadership where it counts.

Pass The Buck

2005-09-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

If you can still defend George W. Bush after the past week and a half, then I'd love to live in your world of sunshine. I really can't articulate my point on the way the federal government disgracefully handled recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast without using the words of others, so I'll attribute as much as I can. The Daily Show on Wednesday showed a sickening montage of video clips where federal officials Brown, Rice, G.W, Dick Cheney, Chertoff, and Senate majority leader Bill Frist said in one breath they didn't want to play the "blame game," while in another breath they blamed the state and local government for the mis-handling of the disaster that swept over four states. On a basic level, did you see how widespread the disaster was? Are local and state governments in areas as dead poor as Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana even remotely capable of reacting to something like that hit the Gulf Coast.

What about intelligent, educated, reasonable folks who live in the area? What do they think, who did botch this, let's play the blame game...The newspaper in New Orleans, the Times-Picayune, is flaming out at the federal government's response, and subsequent blames of local officials, saying that if Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was "gun-shy about giving more power over New OrleansÂ recovery to the likes of FEMA Director Michael Brown, whose previous employer was the International Arabian Horse Association, can anyone fault her?" Blanco then moved quickly to hire James Lee Witt, who was the FEMA Director before Brown, during the Clinton administration, to advise her on the reconstruction process.

The editorial in the Times-Picayune ends it a lot better than I'd be able to, so we'll do a little copy and paste job here: But an independent commission wonÂt address what ought to be everyoneÂs immediate priority: getting New Orleanians to safety and getting the reconstruction under way. New Orleans needs the unified, able, dynamic leadership that FEMA officials so far have been unable to offer. The need for a cooperative spirit among leaders of the metro area has been talked about for years. That has happened in fits and starts in the past. Now, though, everyone has to come together to work for the good of the entire community.

*** I think the good of the community goes a little farther than George and the boys going to every media outlet available and blaming the local and state government for this...

Good weekend, not great

2005-09-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

I told anyone who'd listen, basically noone that cares, Jason Avant would emerge into a Marquise Walker-type this season. Saturday showed a lot of things, but what I take away most from the Michigan game isn't the defnse, it's Jason Avant's emergence. The TD in the picture was vintage Marquise Walker/David Terrell/Braylon. He made a few more catches off of bad throws, and that's what great recievers do. 9 catches for 127 yards and a TD equals "Braylon who??" I don't want to think about the defense yet, NIU is an above average team, and the spread offense just continues to plague Jim Herrman's defense. Big teams make big plays though, and that's what Big Blue did on defense and special teams. Survive and advance, they did it last year against San Diego State, so maybe this one will get the boys warmed up for the Irish next week.

In the old gambling world, I am 3-0, and you can scroll down to document that, not like those tout services that claim to hit 90 percent all year. The secret you ask? Playing NCAA football 2006 I think. For the first time I felt comfortable betting Ga Tech, Vandy and Arizona because I knew they had experience (Reggie Ball of GT, Jay Cutler of Vandy, and Mike Bell of Arizona) in key positions whereas their opponents (Auburn, Wake, and Utah respectively) were starting kids with no experience in very important positions. The loss of Chris Barclay in Wake Forest helped my Vandy pick, but just know the name Jay Cutler from Vanderbily, I can't stress it enough. He's going to take them to a bowl game this year.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2005-09-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

2 - 0 betting college football boys and girls. Let's keep this truck running today with Georgia Tech getting 7 against Auburn.

Picks

2005-09-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm 1-0, and that's a chance to brag in sports betting. My Vandy pick was a lay-up, and tonight, Friday night, I like Arizona covering the 7.5 at Utah.

Please be good, Please be good, Please be good

2005-09-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

This Losman guy better be good. The defense is phenomenal, led by the best back seven in the NFL. Takeo, London Fletcher, and Jeff Posey at linebacker are great, but my God, Troy Vincent and Lawyer Milloy at safety, and Terrence McGee and Nate Clements (in a contract year) at the corners...I'll take it.

Back to Losman and his preseason. I keep playing back in my head the throw he made against the Bears where he went play action to McGahee to his left, then turned around and gunned a beautiful rope to Moulds on a skinny post, double-covered. Then I replay the multiple 15 yard and 20 yard losses he has gotten into because of his happy feet, and I'm scared. Willis will get his, maybe not as easily as he did last year, but you need to have faith in your quarterback, especially in an offense as sophisticated as coach Mike Mularkey's. I love big Mike Williams at right tackle, he's very unsung, and gets a lot of undue criticism because of his stature as a top 4 draft pick. With Chris Villarial at right guard, Willis will be running a whole lot to the right side of the formation this season.

I hated every second of Drew Bledsoe's tenure here. The 6-10 year when they lost to Houston was the most boring season in Bills history because Drew is milquetoast. This year, I can guarantee this team, at worst, will be fun to watch. Losman will make it interesting, and I know I'm going to want to punch myself in the face more than once with JP, but really, if the Bills are fun to watch every Sunday, that's half the battle. Home opener, September 11 -- it's going to be a mess.

American Idiot

2005-08-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

I think most of you guys know I enjoy me some good old "fag sports"; tennis and soccer. I want to believe in Andy Roddick, someone needs to be better than Roger Federer (can he really be this good???), it might as well be an American. Hopefully what happened tonight will get Roddick to lay off of the nightlife, the interviews, Letterman, commercials, etc...and do something crazy...play tennis. American Express planned to launch a huge ad campaign starting over the next two weeks based around Roddick (see the back cover of Sports Illustrated this week) and Roddick loses in straight sets, in the first round to Gilles Miller, Luxembourg's first representative to ever appear in the US Open. To watch Roddick play tennis is to watch Manny Ramirez play baseball. Both guys are top of their field as far as talent goes, and when they are straight in the head, you could make a case that they are the best at what they do. The problem is, times when Roddick and Manny are right in the head are few and far between. Roddick gets rattled much too easily, and teeters on disrespecting the sport with his tantrums, He is the anti-Sampras. Tonight, I was embarassed to see the way he acted on the court, and more embarassed that this guy, with this serve, on this surface, loses a set to Gilles Miller, much less a match. You don't have to kill the ball. Set up your opponent; it's a thinking-man's game before it's anything else, and Roddick is not a thinking-man, and after this loss I don't know that he'll ever be.

Scary

2005-08-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have found that browsing other people's blogs is scary as shit. Check this out http://covertoperations.blogspot.com/

There is a psycho-pathic niche group of people who think 9-11 was staged by Bush and his cronies to build the case against Iraq. The links to numerous websites where people are still obsessed with the events of 9-11 makes me sad to be alive in this world.

Media Mind-fuck of the Day: On Anderson Cooper's wonderfully titled program "Anderson Cooper 360" they featured a story about how three seals were found in the streets of Gulfport, Mississippi in the aftermath of Katrina. He was sad to report "police had to shoot one of the seals twice in the head." Dude, you could have simply said they had to put the seal out of his misery. The mass media makes me physically ill.

What's the scoreboard say now?

2005-08-30T00:49:00.000-07:00

Logging on to CNN.com and Foxnews.com after I got home from work made me physically ill. The headline on cnn.com was "50 Die in Alabama." Fox News went with "Katrina Blamed for Scores of Deaths." It's a race to tally up the dead I guess? With the news on in the background, I'm assaulted by the hot terms, "Killer Katrina," catastrophe, destruction, etc..."CNN is your Hurricane headquarters." Really? Are ya asking me to watch so your ratings go up. Here's an idea, just give me the fucking news.

The lovely sweepers coming in and out of a commercial that read "Hurricane Update" make this feel like a mini series, or new Hollywood feature. In that picture, those are real people. They hold everything they care about, everything they could have salvaged when evacuating their homes, as they walk through water up to their chest, and you're giving me a death toll every ten minutes. I don't know the answer, and I guess that's why this is hard for me to watch and even harder for me to wrap my head around. MSNBC has done a phenomenal job in purely reporting what is going on down there, but that's not what most people want to see. Most people want to know the morbid details that a death toll gives them. The best thing I've seen was Brian Williams in the SuperDome interviewing a family from New Orleans to get their viewpoint on how they're living through this. I'm here and can't fathom what these people are living through, so is it too much to ask to maybe see the human side of the story as opposed to the barrage of pictures showing the destruction that has occurred?

SUPER HOMER!!

2005-08-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

In honor of Kirk Herbstreit, again, picking Ohio State to go to the National Championship game, I threw a picture of Homer up (I couldn't bare to see a picture of Herbstreit on my site). There is no bigger homer in the entire talking head-o-sphere than Mr. Herbstreit. This is the same man who said David Underwood would be a Heisman candidate for Michigan last year (Underwood lost his job to a true freshman two games into the season). Why is this guy allowed to spew his anti-Michigan, OSUtopian garbage on the national airwaves? Lee Corso, the best analyst in all of talkinghead-dom, is completely free of bias...I thought you're supposed to be free of bias to be on a national show such as College Gameday. But please Mr. Herbstreit, keep putting fuel on the fire in Ann Arbor. I am guessing more than one guy on Michigan's defense has your quote about Michigan having "no defense" in their locker. Pick Ohio State to go to the Rose Bowl, I guess that makes your daily life in Columbus easier? I just thought to be a National Championship candidate, you need to have your quarterback and running back situation set firm, especially when Texas rolls into town on September 10 (tell me the last team to go to the National Championship with rotating QBs). And who the hell are your cornerbacks in Columbus? You might need more than Ashton Youboty to defend Vince Young and Drew Tate come September. Vince Young is going to roll all over Ohio State, and I have another suggestion. Keep overlooking Miami of Ohio on September 3rd -- they're only the best team in the MAC this year. There is an extremely long history of Herbstreit's homerdom: 1. Michigan's "no defense" line a year after they win the Big 10 outright and return 18 starters 2. The Ohio State to the Rose Bowl prediction 3. Iowa's Drew Tate was named preseason Offensive Player of the Year in the Big 10....Herbstreit callied it "a joke" that Ted Ginn Jr. wasn't given the title. Kirk -- punt returning doesn't count as offense. Did you watch Drew Tate MURDER the Buckeyes defense last year in a 33-7 ass kicking? Tate put up 331 yards and 4 touchdowns against Ohio State last year. "A joke"??? I hope Drew Tate has that in his locker and takes it with him on the trip to Columbus September 24th. Tate is far and away the best offensive player in the Big 10 coming into the season.

Bottom line -- Kirk Herbstreit is an absolute homer. People who aren't Michigan fans have picked up on it too. It's not just me. Michigan shut down Tate last year with their "no defense," yet Tate tore up Ohio State. Ginn had 25 catches for 395 yards and 2 touchdowns last year as a reciever. Steve Breaston and Jason Avant have better #'s than that. The joke is that this guy has a national forum to spew his OSUtopian rhetoric. It's getting to be sad to watch every week. Thank God for Lee Corso.

2005 Michigan Football -- The Offense

2005-08-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

Look up the history of true freshman quarterbacks at Michigan and you'll see a track record of success only matched by Vanilla Ice's film career. It doesn't happen. Throw on top of that Lloyd Carr throwing the starting running back job to an under-sized true freshman from Onondaga, New York, and you'd be looking at a Michigan team in the early stages of re-building, with the Alamo Bowl as a long shot (Oh, wait, Ohio State was in the Alamo Bowl, whoops!). Not the case. Big Blue was led to a BCS bowl, and an outright Big Ten Championship with two eighteen-year-old kids in the two most important positions on the football field. So do ya think there's a little excitement in Ann Arbor entering the 2005 season? As Curtis Jackson would say, just a lil' bit.
Chad Henne was phenomenal as a freshman, he had as good a year as college football has ever seen a freshman quarterback have, ever. Henne was shaky against Miami of Ohio, and at Notre Dame, and almost cost U of M the game against San Diego State. The kid was 4 months removed from his senior prom, and now he was playing in front of 110,000 people. He got used to it. Against Iowa he managed the game, didn't make mistakes and let his running game and defense do their thing. The Iowa game got Henne rolling, and there won't be any looking back.
Worst case scenario? Give Mike Hart the damn ball. From a 4 game stretch starting with the Minnesota game to the MSU game, he went 35 carries, 40 carries, 33 carries and 33 carries. In those last three games in that stretch he put up a ridiculous 234, 206 and 224.
The biggest question mark is how will they deal with the loss of Braylon? Well, Steve Breaston is flying under the radar amidst all of the Teddy Ginn hype, as the most exciting player in the Big Ten. Jason Avant is a proto-typical Michigan receiver out of the mold of Marquise Walker. By Notre Dame on September 10th, the Michigan faithful will know Adrian Arrington. Arrington was widely thought of as the best prep receiver in the country in 2003, and Michigan landed Arrington along with top 5 prep receiver Doug Dutch on signing day, 2004. They are loaded with a great mix of young talent and experience at wide receiver. Much like Minnesota without Randy Moss, Michigan has so much talent in the wings, waiting for a chance, people may be saying "Braylon who?"
I won't bore you with offensive line details, just know that it will be the best offensive line in the Big Ten. Matt Lentz will play on Sundays, and it's insane to think that Jake Long is only a sophmore. At the end of the o-lines, next to the tackles, are my Dad and mine's favorite players at the U of M, the tight end (I don't mean that to sound as homosexual as it does). I love Jerame Tuman, Jay Riemersma, Mark Campbell, Bennie Joppru, and now TIM MASSAQUOI. He's one of the senior leaders, along with Lentz. I think Michigan still has the patent pending on the Michigan roll, where Henne play fakes, rolls out, and drills the tight end 8 yards downfield. The play was M.I.A in the Navarre era, but it's back, and Massaquoi and Tyler Ecker will be Henne's targets. This offense is going to score a ton of points, that's a given. It's all on the defense in 2005. Kickoff is nine days away -- I am ready to run into a wall I am so damn excited.

SWEEP IN MOTOWN

2005-08-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

Maybe reports of chemistry problems in the Tigers clubhouse were a little premature. The Tigers are far and away playing their best baseball of the season, capped off by a phenomenal 17-6 drubbing of the Blue Jays Sunday, to lock up a 3 game sweep. Each game saw the Tigers win a different kind of ball game. Friday night? Hanging on to a an early 4 run lead while Toronto chipped away and seemingly had the tying runner on deck or at the plate every inning. Saturday night? An extra innings pitchers duel between Jason Johnson, the nicest guy in baseball, and Gustavo Chacin, the ugliest guy in baseball. The game went 13 frames, and Magglio, who missed Friday's game with flu-like symptoms, belted the game-winning double. Sunday? Boat races are more compelling than a baseball game that's 9-0 in the second inning. Maybe the Blue Jays aren't comfortable playing in baseball stadiums that don't resemble parking garages, or maybe the Tigers are just a good, young team that's a year away from doing something special. Either way, we're 2 under .500, 8.5 out of the wild card....crazier things have happened.

Michigan Football Season Preview -- THE DEFENSE

2005-08-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

They didn’t lose last year because of their offense. Even with stud defensive backs Marlin Jackson and Ernest Shazor, Texas, Ohio State and Michigan State shredded Michigan’s defense at the end of the 2004 season. The common thread that runs through those afore-mentioned teams that owned the Wolverines last year? Mobile quarterbacks.
It’s not going to get any better in 2005, as Troy Smith is still at Ohio State, Drew Stanton is still running the show in East Lansing, for Michigan State, and Michigan will see a much different Drew Tate at Iowa then the one they saw early in 2004. Penn State is also back on the schedule this season, and Nittany Lions quarterback Michael Robinson is more mobile than any of those previously mentioned signal callers.
The mind-boggling thing about Michigan’s inability to handle mobile quarterbacks is the fact that the problem spans defensive coordinator’s Jim Herrmann’s tenure at Michigan. Herrmann also coaches the linebackers at Michigan, and has since 1995. There may not be a team in college football that has produced more talent at linebacker than Michigan has in that time. Ian Gold, Larry Foote, Dhani Jones, Eric Brackins, Victor Hobson, Roy Manning, Shantee Orr and Larry Stevens all currently occupy NFL rosters. They have more placed more linebackers on NFL rosters than any other school in the country.
There are tremendous expectations this season in Ann Arbor, as there are every year, but visions of Vince Young in the Rose Bowl still dance in heads of Wolverine Nation. The linebacker core, integral in shutting down mobile quarterbacks, sets up to be as strong as it ever has been under Jim Herrmann. Along with a shift from a hybrid 3-4/4-3 formation, to a set 4-3, there is a ton of speed in the linebacking core this season.
Senior Scott McClintock is one of those hard-nosed, scrappy middle linebackers that all fans fall in love with, but he has tremendous difficulty in pass coverage, and just doesn’t have the foot speed of sophomore Chris Graham who will supplant McClintock at middle linebacker this season. On the outside, you’d be hard-pressed to find better linebacker depth anywhere in the country. Pierre Woods and Lamarr Woodley on the outside are as good as it gets, and Woodley can play DE on passing downs, freeing up Prescott Burgess and Shawn Crable to play a ton. With McClintock, Crable and Burgess as reserves, the linebacker depth is un-matched by any other team in the country.
The linebackers need to share the wealth with the defensive backs this season. The loss of Ernest Shazor at safety and Marlin Jackson at corner could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the Big Blue defense. There is a glut of young talent in the defensive backfield this season. Junior Ryan Mundy was extremely under-rated last year at free safety and will solidify that position for Lloyd Carr’s defense this year. At strong safety, sophomores Brandent Engleman and Jamar Adams have a ton of athletic ability, and a lot more speed and coverage ability than the hard-hitting Ernest Shazor, who left school early to go undrafted (he can’t cover and commits quicker than Jennifer Lopez). The two will compete for the starting strong safety position until game-time September 3rd, when they open up against Northern Illinois.
At corner, Marlin Jackson’s shoes will be a lot harder to fill than Ernest Shazor’s at safety. Jackson was nasty at corner last year, but his physicality got him into trouble with penalties. Junior corner Leon Hall is built from the same mold of Jackson, but has to adjust to corner, after shifting over from strong safety. At the other corner, the Michigan faithful are hoping senior corner Grant Mason plays like he played last year against Iowa, when he picked off 2004 first team Big Ten quarterback, Drew Tate, and returned it for a touchdown. If Mason or Hall struggle, converted running back, junior Darnell Hood will be there to step in, and will play in the nickel, and Michigan has three tremendous freshman prospects at corner, in Johnny Sears, Charles Stewart and Brandon Harrison.
The bread and butter of Michigan’s defense has been, and always will be the defensive line. The d-line this year could make all the question marks in the defensive backfield disappear. Prospects of Gabe Watson and Pat Massey playing both tackle spots in a 4-3 alignment have offensive line coaches in the Big Ten putting their resumes together to look for a job next off-season. On the ends, when Lamarr Woodley isn’t playing rush end on passing downs, senior Jeremy Van Alstyne is an under-sized high energy, Shaun Cody type, Rondell Biggs possesses fantastic speed for a guy that goes 6-2 280 pounds and Tim Jamison, the red-shirt Freshman, is the next big thing at defensive end in Ann Arbor.
Having three home games to open the season is an enormous benefit to this young defense that’s going to need to find an identity before they go on the road at Wisconsin and at Michigan State for the first two Big Ten games. The offense has the ability to outscore any team in the country, but for the team to realistically contend for the National Championship the defense needs to figure out how to keep mobile quarterbacks in check, and need to win a huge game at Iowa on October 22nd.

Sat., Sep. 3 Northern Illinois

Sat., Sep. 10 Notre Dame

Sat., Sep. 17 Eastern Michigan

Sat., Sep. 24 AT Wisconsin*

Sat., Oct. 1 AT Michigan State*

Sat., Oct. 8 Minnesota*

Sat., Oct. 15 Penn State*

Sat., Oct. 22 AT Iowa*

Sat., Oct. 29 AT Northwestern* ***I'LL BE THERE

Sat., Nov. 12 Indiana* ***I'LL BE THERE

Sat., Nov. 19 Ohio State*

Sorry JJ

2005-08-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

WOW, they took 2 out 3 from the Red Sox, and you could make the case that it should have been a sweep. I think it's evident that the Cardinals are going to win the World Series, the Red Sox just don't have the pitching AT ALL. Schilling looked like a rookie Monday night, but rookie Jon Papplebon held his own Tuesday against the best start in Nate Robertson's career. Nate gave up 2 runs on 2 hits in 8 innings, threw 91 pitches and Alan Trammell pulled him after 8. David Ortiz proceeded to hit a ball across the Ambassador Bridge to tie the game, then hit one in the 10th that landed in Windsor. The bullpen is a mess, and it seems like it has cost the Tigers a ton of games lately, so how is that Alan Trammell's fault? I don't think Tram is a good in-game manager at all, as far as handling the running game, pitching out, positioning defenders, etc...but there is no way the bullpen is his fault. His top 3 relief pitchers to start the year are all long gone...take Rivera, Gordon and Sturtze away from the Yankees or K Rod, Donnelly and Shields from the Angels, and see how they do.
The win today was phenomenal, Chris Shelton is ugly, but good. His home run in the 6th to make it 6-2 ended up being the game-winner as our lovely bullpen almost choked away another win for Bonderman. The Red Sox hit into 5 double plays, so the question needs to be asked, would it kill you yo maybe start a runner, or steal a base? I understand the whole Earl Weaver/MoneyBall/SmallBall philosophy, but JESUS, 5 DOUBLE PLAYS FRANCONA -- FIVE IN NINE INNINGS, bunt, move a runner over, DO SOMETHING!!!! Don't look now, but the Tigers are 4 under .500 and have a pretty easy September schedule.

Why am I doing a gangster lean in this pic with Jason Johnson? BTW -- he was the nicest athlete I have ever met, and I think ever will meet.

Ryno

2005-07-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

The Tigers got swept, which sucks, and they traded Kyle Farnsworth, which is fine with me, but that was the last thing on my mind today. I don't know when the conversion was complete, but at some point I chose the Tigers as my passion (it's a long story but I actually do know where the conversion happened), but as a kid in Kalamazoo, the Cubs and Harry Caray were IT. Coming home from school in May and catching the Cubs games on WGN was the greatest thing in the world to me, and my mom had no problems watching because that Ryne Sandberg was so handsome. I'll always remember staying up way too late as a kid when the Cubs clinched the division in Montreal in 1989. Ryne is, and probably will be my favorite baseball player of all time, he might but 1a with Dmitri being 1b. I always heard he wasn't the most gregarious fella, but I never, ever, ever listen to the media on things like that....I'll even defend Barry Bonds. I admire Ryne more for that when looking back, because it just shows his level of commitment to being a baseball player. He didn't have a marketing company or an image consultant at his side at all times (like A ROD) he went and played baseball with every ounce that he had, he was the anti-Manny Ramirez. Ryno played the game hard, and he did everything well. He was never above bunting with guys on first and second and none out, and nowadays, ask the #3 or 4 hitter to bunt in that situation, see what happens. The guy went 7 seasons without making a throwing error -- 7 SEASONS WITHOUT A THROWING ERROR. He had a stretch over 2 seasons where he went 123 games without a fielding error, he had 582 chances over that stretch!! His .989 fielding percentage is the best ever by any second baseman to ever play the game...not bad for a guy who came up as a centerfielder. A .385 batting average in the playoffs, and 277 career homeruns which was unheard of from any second baseman pre-Sandberg. He should have been a first ballot hall of famer, but screw it, he's in now, and hall of fame voters should set their sights on Alan Trammell's career next. If it weren't for Ryne and Harry Caray, I don't know that baseball would mean what it does to me now.
And oh yeah, click on the pic to get a bigger image of his plaque and notice his middle name.

It's Not Happening

2005-07-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

I was seven years old the last time the Tigers made the playoffs, and while I'd love to reminisce about how I remember those days, I was busy playing Atari and going to bed at 8:00. I have zero recollection of what it is to have the Tigers play a playoff game, much less a meaningful game in September. Thoughts of big games in September danced in my head after the great, albeit misleading, weekend that saw the Tigs take 3 out of 5 from the hated Twins. The truth came out this week, pre trade deadline, when the boys dropped 2 of 3 from Seattle, and are in the process of being schooled by Oakland. 8-4 and 9-5 losses in the past two days, with Bonderman hopefully putting an end to the skid today. Like in 2000 when the Tigers flirted with .500 and were within shouting distance of the wild card, we've been bamboozled again and it's time to sell off some spare parts today. Mike Maroth or Jason Johnson, preferably JJ, need to go, and if they could find somewhere to take Rondell White that'd be phenomenal too. Centerfield is the biggest need on this team. Hopefully Polanco's extension gets done this week to solidfy the middle of the infield, but without a centerfielder that can hit the ball to the outfield this lineup will still have at least one easy out. Craig Monroe in center just isn't gonna fly (see picture below). 35 days untill the Henne and Hart Heisman campaign...

Enough Said

2005-07-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

No post needed, just this pic to sum up how the series in Seattle went....

2005-07-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend, starting with the great news that the Tigers won 12-6 Friday night, as we drove towards Detroit for 3 games in 2 days. We got to the hotel with time to turn on the news to see highlights of Craig Monroe's 5-5, 6 RBI game Friday night. Saturday, we woke up in time for breakfast, which in itself is an un-thinkable task, but not as un-thinkable as what Sean Douglass has brought to the Tigers pitching staff!!!
Sean pitched the first game of the split double-header Saturday and completely over-shadowed a good effort by Carlos Silva. Curtis FREAKING Granderson hits his first major league homerun...believe it if you want, or ask the lovely Tinny, but when Curtis was walking to the plate, I said to noone in particular, "How about your first career homerun right here Curtis." He hits out the first pitch of the at-bat in the bottom of the seventh and the Tigs win 2-1.
The night cap we experienced the new seats in right field (AMAZING seats, I would get season tix there in a hearbeat) and were greeted by Justin Morneau nearly drilling us with a monster homerun to put the game out of reach. Justin Verlander wasn't bad, but he wasn't good, and the Twins earned a split of the DH, 5-2.
Sunday started off AWFUL. The weather was terrible, eastern Michigan was thunderstorm warning central, and we drove through it to get to Photo Day before the game at Comerica. The playaz were all supposed to line up in the outfield, near the warning track and fans could get pictures with them, but the rain led to the players going, in groups of 3, to different sections in the concourse. It was madness, lines were reallllly, really long, but we snuck in for a few pics. No way did we expect the game to start on-time, but it did, and Jeremey Bonderman was brilliant. Maggs, Grandy, Carlos Guillen and the incomprable Chris Shelton were the offensive stars as the Tigs win 5-2 and take 3 of 5 from the hated Twins. Driving home, I was encouraged to hear that talk radio in Detroit is just as negative and idiotic as it is in Buffalo. A great win, a great weekend, and people were calling complaining about Saturday night's loss still and complaining that though they won 5-2, they still left too many guys on base. A win is a win is a win is a win, especially in baseball, where one day you can get 5 runs on 4 hits and the next day you get 3 runs on 13 hits. Reserve criticism for when you lose.

In honor of Fernando Rodney, the crooked hat pic.

Why is Magglio staring at me???????????

It's all over but the crying

2005-07-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

I write this in the 9th inning, with the score 10-3 Twins. I HATE THE GOD DAMN TWINS, I have said it before, and I'll say it again, I hate them as much, if not more than the Yankees. The Tigers got some knocks off Johan Santana, the most hits (9) that Santana has given up all year, but they couldn't get the big hit, other than Chris Shelton. I've thought about this since his call-up, but I can't remember too many guys like Shelton. He looks more like the guy who brought me my mail today than a major league baseball player, yet he gets two hits off of last year's Cy Young winner in his first at-bats against the damn guy. His body resembles mine, he looks like Corky from "Life Goes On" and my 63 year old mother could beat him in a foot race, yet he just hits baseballs better than most people on the planet.

Both benches were warned after Jason Johnson threw behind Nick Punto, and I'm not sure why, but this season the Tigers have had some heat with Kansas City, Texas, Minnesota, the White Sox, and the Yankees. How much influence you think Gibby has on this new fiesty team we have in the D? It's either Gibby, or the fact that the players need to dodge stray bullets when they drive to the park for home games....2 games under .500, we'll get there.

2 out of 3 in Chicago

2005-07-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

While my boy Dmitri Young was busy hitting a meaningless two-run single to get the score to 8-3, I was getting my Dad on the phone to tell them we won. Well, 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth, and the winning run at the plate against a guy who was pitching in Toledo a week ago, and let's just say I got my cardio in for the day pacing around the living room. The good guys won 8-6 to take the series in Chicago, but it should have been a sweep after Tram blew the game Monday by leaving in Spurling. A 5 game set against the Twins is on tap next, 5 games in 4 days, and we trail the Twinkies by 5 in the race for the Wild Card....I won't even say it.

I'll be at the doubleheader Saturday and the single game Sunday. Justin Verlander and Jeremey Bonderman are pitching when I go, and we miss Brad Radke entirely, so I'm expecting 3 out of 5. I'll post some pics when I get back. GO TIGERS. 45 Days untill Michigan Football season!!!!!!!!!!

2005-07-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

That's picture-taking 101 boys and girls....Sox won 7-5 and Indians fans are idiots

I have some chubby cheeks, but this I do say is a good picture taken by our girl Heidi, the friendliest usher in professional sports.

Welcome

2005-07-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

That's me...I am dead sexy

Welcome to my blog. I figured if Barbara Streisand can have one, then why can't I. I know I'll eventually post less and less, but this will be mainly Detroit Tigers and Michigan football/basketball based thoughts. I'll get political on occasion too.