The Royals have made 4 off-season transactions. Time for a quick analysis
1. Trade Relief Pitcher Leo Nunez to Florida for 1B Mike Jacobs
The Royals gave up part of their solid relief core last year to acquire a big bat that can slide in at the 4 or 5 slot of the lineup. Last year, Jacobs hit .247 with 32 home runs and 93 RBI's with the Marlins; however, his .299 on-base percentage was downright pitiful and something that is going to have to improve. Jacobs played in a bigger ballpark in Florida and comes to a ballpark with similar dimensions in Kansas City. He definitely has the potential to break the single season home run record held by Steve Balboni (36). Former Royal Kevin Seitzer was brought in to serve as the team's hitting coach and hopefully he can improve the OBP for not only Jacobs, but Jose Guillen, Mark Teahan, and Co.
2. Trade Relief Pitcher Ramon Ramirez to Boston for OF Coco Crisp
The Royals gave up yet another part of their solid relief core last year to acquire a true leadoff hitter in Crisp. General Manager Dayton Moore is hoping Crisp will provide the spark at the top of the lineup which will help the Royals improve on their 12th place finish in the American League in total runs. In 118 games for the Sox last year, Crisp hit .283 with an OBP of .344 with 7 homers, 43 RBI's and 20 stolen base. Look for the Royals to run Crisp a lot and you will see that stolen base total go up.
KEY ANALYSIS OF THE HITTING ACQUISITIONS: The Royals added two fresh bats to their lineup for about $9-$10 million in payroll. They likely would not have gotten the caliber of players in Jacobs and Crisp in the free agent market. Crisp, David DeJesus, and Mark Teahan will likely makeup the outfield this year with Jose Guillen serving as designated hitter. Oddman out? Perhaps Billy Butler, who will probably be a bench player/part time starter for the Royals.
3. Acquisition of Relief Pitcher Kyle Farnsworth for 2 years, $9.25 million.
Now, I understand what Dayton Moore is doing. He traded away two key components of his team, in order to acquire what he called cheap, quality hitters. He could then use some money to pay what some consider as "good money" to a top reliever in the marketplace. But Kyle Farnsworth? This guy may be one of the most overrated players in the history of baseball. I mean, the guy can throw 100 MPH, but his pitches have about as much movement on them as Joe Paterno on one leg. Farnsworth has a life-time 4.47 ERA in ten major league seasons, with his best season coming in 2005, when he had a 2.19 ERA splitting time with Detroit and Atlanta. Hopefully Farnsworth can rekindle the magic he had in 2005.
4. Acquisition of Relief Pitcher Horacio Ramirez for 1 year.
Dayton Moore traded Ramirez to the White Sox at the trade deadline last year but ended up getting him back in the free agent market. Ramirez was effective for the Royals last year in limited action as a reliever; however, Dayton Moore has said that Ramirez would compete for the fifth spot in the Kansas City rotation.
WHAT IS LEFT TO DO
The Royals missed out on Rafael Furcal, who elected to sign with the Dodgers. Had Furcal signed with the Royals, Mike Aviles would have moved from shortstop to second base; however, it now appears that Alberto Callaspo will be on the opening day second baseman next year. There are still a lot of free agents out on the market, don't expect the Royals to sit through the rest of the offseason in a quiet mode. After all, you never know when the next Mark Teahan trade rumor may pop up agai
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
JB Sez a new day is dawning in Kansas City..........
Well the semester has finally ended, school is 26 days away from returning, and I got some free time on my hands. What better way to spend that time but to blog, and what better way to start the blog up again by sharing my thoughts on what transpired yesterday in Kansas City. After 20 years of serving as General Manager, President, and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, Carl Peterson announced he was resigning effective at the end of the season. Whether Peterson actually resigned or was fired remains a question, but the bottom line is that a new mind will be in charge of player personnel decisions in Kansas City and this decision probably should have been made a long time ago.
Now, Carl Peterson has done some great things in Kansas City. He has overseen a home sellout of every game since 1991 (well technically every ticket was sold), he went 176-141-1 as General Manager and oversaw 4 AFC West Titles and 9 playoff berths. He made a Chiefs tickets one of the hottest commodities in the country and ensured that if Chiefs fans could not go to a home game, they could watch them on TV in their home market with that sellout streak.
In the end, King Carl could not escape from the shortfalls of himself as a General Manager. In 20 years, King Carl failed to draft and develop a quarterback as a franchise quarterback. He made the ill-fated decision to release Rich Gannon and keep Elvis Grbac. We then saw Gannon take the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and Grbac flunk out of the NFL. The most important stat in the Carl Peterson era was the date of Kansas City's last playoff victory: January 1994. The scene? Well, it was Houston, Texas against an Oiler team that no longer plays in Houston but rather in Tennessee. The quarterback? Joe Montana, who retired one year later after a two year stint with the Chiefs. Now, how many teams in the NFL have a longer playoff win drought than the Chiefs? Well, you cannot count the Houston Texans, because they are a recently new franchise. That leaves you with two teams: The Detroit Lions (1991) and The Cincinnati Bengals (1990). Considering that these are two of the worst run franchises in all of sports for some time (even though the Bengals have had recent success), this does not put King Carl in good company.
Lamar Hunt was very loyal to King Carl over the years. I knew as long as Lamar was in charge that a change would not be made. As great of a person to the NFL as Lamar was, he failed to manage the team he owned, only caring about making money and only money. Clark Hunt has made it a point to tell the NFL world that he is not his dad, and his first big decision, free-ing himself from King Carl, was the right one.
Now, Clark Hunt has indicated the next General Manager will be only a General Manager and there will be a separate President and CEO. Whoever the next General Manager will have the daunting task of determing if Herm Edwards is the right man to coach this team, and will likely have to sign or draft two, or possibly three quarterbacks. Regardless of the decisions made, Chiefs fans should feel vindicated, that we are free from King Carl!!!!!!
Now, Carl Peterson has done some great things in Kansas City. He has overseen a home sellout of every game since 1991 (well technically every ticket was sold), he went 176-141-1 as General Manager and oversaw 4 AFC West Titles and 9 playoff berths. He made a Chiefs tickets one of the hottest commodities in the country and ensured that if Chiefs fans could not go to a home game, they could watch them on TV in their home market with that sellout streak.
In the end, King Carl could not escape from the shortfalls of himself as a General Manager. In 20 years, King Carl failed to draft and develop a quarterback as a franchise quarterback. He made the ill-fated decision to release Rich Gannon and keep Elvis Grbac. We then saw Gannon take the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and Grbac flunk out of the NFL. The most important stat in the Carl Peterson era was the date of Kansas City's last playoff victory: January 1994. The scene? Well, it was Houston, Texas against an Oiler team that no longer plays in Houston but rather in Tennessee. The quarterback? Joe Montana, who retired one year later after a two year stint with the Chiefs. Now, how many teams in the NFL have a longer playoff win drought than the Chiefs? Well, you cannot count the Houston Texans, because they are a recently new franchise. That leaves you with two teams: The Detroit Lions (1991) and The Cincinnati Bengals (1990). Considering that these are two of the worst run franchises in all of sports for some time (even though the Bengals have had recent success), this does not put King Carl in good company.
Lamar Hunt was very loyal to King Carl over the years. I knew as long as Lamar was in charge that a change would not be made. As great of a person to the NFL as Lamar was, he failed to manage the team he owned, only caring about making money and only money. Clark Hunt has made it a point to tell the NFL world that he is not his dad, and his first big decision, free-ing himself from King Carl, was the right one.
Now, Clark Hunt has indicated the next General Manager will be only a General Manager and there will be a separate President and CEO. Whoever the next General Manager will have the daunting task of determing if Herm Edwards is the right man to coach this team, and will likely have to sign or draft two, or possibly three quarterbacks. Regardless of the decisions made, Chiefs fans should feel vindicated, that we are free from King Carl!!!!!!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Suspension of Blog
I've enjoyed blogging my thoughts over the last couple of months. Right now things are a little busy and I would rather just focus on work and school and not worry about posting a blog one time a week or so. I will leave people with my baseball predictions for the rest of the postseason. Keep in mind I was correct in predicting all 4 division series
NLCS: Dodgers over Phillies in 6
ALCS: Red Sox over Rays in 7
World Series: Dodgers over Red Sox in 6
For the rest of Nebraska's football season, I predict a 2-6 finish with Nebraska winning games at home versus Baylor and Colorado.
NLCS: Dodgers over Phillies in 6
ALCS: Red Sox over Rays in 7
World Series: Dodgers over Red Sox in 6
For the rest of Nebraska's football season, I predict a 2-6 finish with Nebraska winning games at home versus Baylor and Colorado.
Monday, September 29, 2008
MLB Awards
AL MVP
This was a tough call. There were a lot of good candidates, but I am going to go ahead with Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox. While many other Sox were injured or quitting on their team, Pedroia was a constant hitting .326 with 17 homeruns and 83 RBI's. Pedroia raised his batting average from .279 to .326 since June 1 and helped the Red Sox get back to the playoffs. Pedroia also led the league in hits and swiped 20 bases.
NL MVP
Albert Pujols should be a no doubter. Pujols kept the Cardinals in the Wild Card Race down the stretch by hitting .357 with 37 Home Runs and 116 RBI's. Now, Ryan Howard had a great September to help improve his mediocre average with ended up at .251 with 48 HR's and 146 RBI's. The difference between Pujols and Howard (mainly 100 points) also includes strikeouts (Howard's 199 to Pujols 54) and Walks (Howards 81 to Pujols 104).
AL Manager of the Year
Joe Madden, Tampa Bay. Is there really a need to explain it?
NL Manager of the Year
I was gonna give this award to Joe Torre. Then I realized the Dodgers only improved 2games from last year's record. So I'm gonna roll the dice and give the award to Cecil Cooper. Now, you will probably ask me, who is Cecil Cooper? Well, he is the Manager for the Houston Astros. Cooper took over last year in the middle of the year for Phil Garner and the Astros finished 73-89. This year, the Astros got off to a terrible start and even lost Carlos Lee to a season ending hand injury. All the Astros did was finish 3.5 games out of the Wild Card Slot while finishing RED HOT down the stretch. With the Cubs and Phillies expected to make playoff runs, and the Brewers firing their manager two weeks ago, I'll go with Cooper.
AL Rookie of the Year
Despite missing part of the year, Evan Longoria led all AL Rookies in nearly every hitting statistical category (.272, 27 HR's, and 85 RBI's) helping lead Tampa Bay to their first playoff berth ever en route to the AL East title.
NL Rookie of the Year
Geovanny Soto, Cubs, Catcher. (.286, 23 HR, 86 RBI's). Should be unaminous, no debate here
AL Cy Young Award
With all due respect to Fransisco Rodriguez and his 66 saves, he didn't even have the best year for an AL Reliever (Mariano Rivera did). I'll go with Cliff Lee here who went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 223.1 IP. He also had a very impressive 1.11 WHIP.
NL Cy Young Award
CC Sabathia was incredible for Milwaukee. He went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and an unreal 7 complete games for Milwaukee. Unfortunately for Sabathia, Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants had an overall superb season for a subpar team throwing 265 strikeouts in 227 innings, while going 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA
This was a tough call. There were a lot of good candidates, but I am going to go ahead with Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox. While many other Sox were injured or quitting on their team, Pedroia was a constant hitting .326 with 17 homeruns and 83 RBI's. Pedroia raised his batting average from .279 to .326 since June 1 and helped the Red Sox get back to the playoffs. Pedroia also led the league in hits and swiped 20 bases.
NL MVP
Albert Pujols should be a no doubter. Pujols kept the Cardinals in the Wild Card Race down the stretch by hitting .357 with 37 Home Runs and 116 RBI's. Now, Ryan Howard had a great September to help improve his mediocre average with ended up at .251 with 48 HR's and 146 RBI's. The difference between Pujols and Howard (mainly 100 points) also includes strikeouts (Howard's 199 to Pujols 54) and Walks (Howards 81 to Pujols 104).
AL Manager of the Year
Joe Madden, Tampa Bay. Is there really a need to explain it?
NL Manager of the Year
I was gonna give this award to Joe Torre. Then I realized the Dodgers only improved 2games from last year's record. So I'm gonna roll the dice and give the award to Cecil Cooper. Now, you will probably ask me, who is Cecil Cooper? Well, he is the Manager for the Houston Astros. Cooper took over last year in the middle of the year for Phil Garner and the Astros finished 73-89. This year, the Astros got off to a terrible start and even lost Carlos Lee to a season ending hand injury. All the Astros did was finish 3.5 games out of the Wild Card Slot while finishing RED HOT down the stretch. With the Cubs and Phillies expected to make playoff runs, and the Brewers firing their manager two weeks ago, I'll go with Cooper.
AL Rookie of the Year
Despite missing part of the year, Evan Longoria led all AL Rookies in nearly every hitting statistical category (.272, 27 HR's, and 85 RBI's) helping lead Tampa Bay to their first playoff berth ever en route to the AL East title.
NL Rookie of the Year
Geovanny Soto, Cubs, Catcher. (.286, 23 HR, 86 RBI's). Should be unaminous, no debate here
AL Cy Young Award
With all due respect to Fransisco Rodriguez and his 66 saves, he didn't even have the best year for an AL Reliever (Mariano Rivera did). I'll go with Cliff Lee here who went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 223.1 IP. He also had a very impressive 1.11 WHIP.
NL Cy Young Award
CC Sabathia was incredible for Milwaukee. He went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and an unreal 7 complete games for Milwaukee. Unfortunately for Sabathia, Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants had an overall superb season for a subpar team throwing 265 strikeouts in 227 innings, while going 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA
Thursday, September 25, 2008
No posts this week
Been a little busy this week. I'll be back on Tuesday of next week with my predictions for the MLB Playoffs and I will also rundown my picks for the MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year for both leagues.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
no Beanie? didn't matter....
If you listened to Ohio State fans this week, they would argue that if Beanie Wells was able to play last Saturday against USC that it would have made a difference. Yeah, maybe instead of losing 35-3 you would lose 35-10. Maybe instead of recruiting one blue chip running back, Ohio State should recruit 5 or 6 like USC does. That way when one guy gets hurt, the next guy can go right in (see 1995 Nebraska for example). Now, i'm not goig to sit here and crown USC the National Champion after that performance. The Buckeyes once again showed they were slow and stale in a matchup with a big time school outside the Big 10. If USC were to make it to the BCS title game, they will likely face an undefeated or one less SEC school (which has a lot of power in speed). USC will have an easy road as all major games the rest of the year are at home. Furthermore, the Pac 10 is looking very very mediocre after their performance last Saturday.
Holy Crap. Did BYU really beat UCLA 59-0? The same UCLA team that beat Tennessee on Labor Day? Let me tell you something Vol fan, you have a home game against Florida this week. Get ready for potentially the worst home loss in the history of your program. I will have the pleasure of seeing it in person as I am flying down to Knoxivlle on Friday.
Elsewhere in the spors world. JB Sez that the Milwaukee Brewers made the right decision in firing Manager Ned Yost. Although Yost has let the Brewers from the bottom of the Major Leagues to playoff contention, it appeared that the Brewers were in the midst of giving away a playoff spot for the second straight year after getting swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in 4 games this past weekend. The Brewers looked lifeless in that 4 games series and something had to be done to shake things up. Not only is this a wake up call to the team, but it has to be a wakeup call to the players as well. The Brewers have the finest minor league system in baseball and there is a lot of young talent ready to go. With CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets likely leaving after this year, the Brewers may not have a shot to make the playoffs for a couple years when all the young minor league talent is playing too its potential.
OK, i'm going to flat out say this. The Kansas City Chiefs are the worst organization in pro football. Now, I understand that the Chiefs are committed to a youth movement, a rebuilding phase; however, you cannot go through a youth movement with no real quarterback. The Chiefs planned on playing Brodie Croyle at QB during the year, but to nobody's surprise, Croyle got hurt in week one. What happened last Sunday was embarrasing. The Chiefs trotted out three different QB's against Oakland, including someone who on the practice squad earlier in the week. What makes things worse were reports that Lane Kiffin was about to get fired as Oakland coach, yet the Chiefs were the team playing like its coach was about to get fired. If Kansas City wants to commit to a rebuilding period, they need to draft a quarterback in the first round next year and make a commitment to that QB. As long as Clark Hunt allows Carl Peterson to act as general manager, this team will go nowhere.
Holy Crap. Did BYU really beat UCLA 59-0? The same UCLA team that beat Tennessee on Labor Day? Let me tell you something Vol fan, you have a home game against Florida this week. Get ready for potentially the worst home loss in the history of your program. I will have the pleasure of seeing it in person as I am flying down to Knoxivlle on Friday.
Elsewhere in the spors world. JB Sez that the Milwaukee Brewers made the right decision in firing Manager Ned Yost. Although Yost has let the Brewers from the bottom of the Major Leagues to playoff contention, it appeared that the Brewers were in the midst of giving away a playoff spot for the second straight year after getting swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in 4 games this past weekend. The Brewers looked lifeless in that 4 games series and something had to be done to shake things up. Not only is this a wake up call to the team, but it has to be a wakeup call to the players as well. The Brewers have the finest minor league system in baseball and there is a lot of young talent ready to go. With CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets likely leaving after this year, the Brewers may not have a shot to make the playoffs for a couple years when all the young minor league talent is playing too its potential.
OK, i'm going to flat out say this. The Kansas City Chiefs are the worst organization in pro football. Now, I understand that the Chiefs are committed to a youth movement, a rebuilding phase; however, you cannot go through a youth movement with no real quarterback. The Chiefs planned on playing Brodie Croyle at QB during the year, but to nobody's surprise, Croyle got hurt in week one. What happened last Sunday was embarrasing. The Chiefs trotted out three different QB's against Oakland, including someone who on the practice squad earlier in the week. What makes things worse were reports that Lane Kiffin was about to get fired as Oakland coach, yet the Chiefs were the team playing like its coach was about to get fired. If Kansas City wants to commit to a rebuilding period, they need to draft a quarterback in the first round next year and make a commitment to that QB. As long as Clark Hunt allows Carl Peterson to act as general manager, this team will go nowhere.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Republican Party at its finest......
Bravo!!! Bravo!!! Thank you Jon Stewart for running this video.
Nebraska Football Review
In this edition of Husker recap, JB will review the Good, the Bad, and the downright Ugly in the first 2 weeks of Husker football. In order to start this review on a positive note, lets start with "the Good"
The Good
1. Nebraska is 2-0. Pretty short and sweet, but its important. Nebraska ended last year losing 5 of 6 games. Getting wins over anyone at this point helps build confidence in the team. Shouldn't be too much of an issue being 3-0 heading into a bye week and then a home game against Virginia Tech. Although Bo Pelini and Jeff Jamrog don't like the current schedule, its serving as a confidence builder.
2. Niles Paul as a return weapon. Paul exploded through the San Jose Special Teams Unit for a kickoff return touchdown in the 4th quarter. It took the wind out of the sails of San Jose State, setting the stage for a dominant Husker 4th quarter. Paul also has 3 additional kick off returns averaging 25 yards per return, tops on the team. Look for Paul to remain as the main kickoff return threat this fall. Its too bad Bill Callahan burned his redshirt for no reason.
3. Andy Christensen is back on the team. Christensen was reinstated to the team by Bo Pelini after he was cleared of sexual assault charges. Christensen did plead guilty to two misdemeanors and is definitely on a "one more strike and you are out policy" with the program. Christensen will sit out New Mexico State as part of his suspension but will be in the lineup for Virginia Tech. Christensen will hopefully bring some much needed depth and continuity to the offensive line, something it has been lacking.
4. Cody Glenn's play at linebacker. Now, Pelini will admit that Glenn can do better (and Glenn even admitted it himself), but Glenn has been a pleasant surprise at the position this year. He leads the team with 17 tackles including 13 solo tackles. Glenn volunteered to move to the linebacker spot, where depth is a big issue this year.
5. The kicking game. Alex Henery is 4-4 in field goals this year (all over 40 yards) and is 10-10 in extra point attempts. Adi Kunalic has 9 touchbacks in 16 kickoff attempts. Kunalic has been affected by some wind in his face, but overall is doing a good job.
The Bad
1. Barry Turner is out for the year. Now, Turner has not been himself the last two years. After a superb freshman year, he has dissapeared the last two years and struggled a bit through the first game. Don't think for a second that an injury is ever good for a team. Defensive Line is another position where Nebraska is thin and the Turner injury does not help. Right now Clayton Sievers is listed as the backup at the Right End and Left End position. Time will tell if Nebraska can continue to operate 3 players at 2 positions, especially heading into Big 12 play.
2. The Overall Play of the Defense. Last year the defense was 112th in the nation in total yards allowed. This year they have given up 351.5 yards per game, good enough for 69th in the nation. Improvement right? Um, wrong. This is Western Michigan and San Jose State doing this to Nebraska. What's gonna happen when Nebraska goes up against the likes of Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Kansas? As Carl Lewis would say, UH OH!!!
The Downright Ugly
1. The most dissapointing stat of the last weekend was 12 penalties for 103 yards, including 3 STRAIGHT FALSE STATE/ILLEGAL PROCEDURE PENALTIES. I don't care how bad the contunity is on the offensive line. You can't commit those penalties, especially at home, when the crowd is QUIET while you play on offense. Then again, if we are talking about Memorial Stadium, the crowd has the ability to be quiet when the Husker defense takes the field.
2. Offensive Line/Rushing Game. Nebraska is averaging a paltry 3.0 yards per carry if you take out the 27 yard run by Roy Helu against San Jose State and the 32 yard broken play run by Joe Ganz against Western Michigan. Nebraska has to establish some sort of running game to control the clock and help keep the defense off the field. Quick 3 and out do nothing to help time management and resting the defense. Hopefully the return of Andy Christensen helps fuel a resurgence in the offensive line.
The Good
1. Nebraska is 2-0. Pretty short and sweet, but its important. Nebraska ended last year losing 5 of 6 games. Getting wins over anyone at this point helps build confidence in the team. Shouldn't be too much of an issue being 3-0 heading into a bye week and then a home game against Virginia Tech. Although Bo Pelini and Jeff Jamrog don't like the current schedule, its serving as a confidence builder.
2. Niles Paul as a return weapon. Paul exploded through the San Jose Special Teams Unit for a kickoff return touchdown in the 4th quarter. It took the wind out of the sails of San Jose State, setting the stage for a dominant Husker 4th quarter. Paul also has 3 additional kick off returns averaging 25 yards per return, tops on the team. Look for Paul to remain as the main kickoff return threat this fall. Its too bad Bill Callahan burned his redshirt for no reason.
3. Andy Christensen is back on the team. Christensen was reinstated to the team by Bo Pelini after he was cleared of sexual assault charges. Christensen did plead guilty to two misdemeanors and is definitely on a "one more strike and you are out policy" with the program. Christensen will sit out New Mexico State as part of his suspension but will be in the lineup for Virginia Tech. Christensen will hopefully bring some much needed depth and continuity to the offensive line, something it has been lacking.
4. Cody Glenn's play at linebacker. Now, Pelini will admit that Glenn can do better (and Glenn even admitted it himself), but Glenn has been a pleasant surprise at the position this year. He leads the team with 17 tackles including 13 solo tackles. Glenn volunteered to move to the linebacker spot, where depth is a big issue this year.
5. The kicking game. Alex Henery is 4-4 in field goals this year (all over 40 yards) and is 10-10 in extra point attempts. Adi Kunalic has 9 touchbacks in 16 kickoff attempts. Kunalic has been affected by some wind in his face, but overall is doing a good job.
The Bad
1. Barry Turner is out for the year. Now, Turner has not been himself the last two years. After a superb freshman year, he has dissapeared the last two years and struggled a bit through the first game. Don't think for a second that an injury is ever good for a team. Defensive Line is another position where Nebraska is thin and the Turner injury does not help. Right now Clayton Sievers is listed as the backup at the Right End and Left End position. Time will tell if Nebraska can continue to operate 3 players at 2 positions, especially heading into Big 12 play.
2. The Overall Play of the Defense. Last year the defense was 112th in the nation in total yards allowed. This year they have given up 351.5 yards per game, good enough for 69th in the nation. Improvement right? Um, wrong. This is Western Michigan and San Jose State doing this to Nebraska. What's gonna happen when Nebraska goes up against the likes of Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Kansas? As Carl Lewis would say, UH OH!!!
The Downright Ugly
1. The most dissapointing stat of the last weekend was 12 penalties for 103 yards, including 3 STRAIGHT FALSE STATE/ILLEGAL PROCEDURE PENALTIES. I don't care how bad the contunity is on the offensive line. You can't commit those penalties, especially at home, when the crowd is QUIET while you play on offense. Then again, if we are talking about Memorial Stadium, the crowd has the ability to be quiet when the Husker defense takes the field.
2. Offensive Line/Rushing Game. Nebraska is averaging a paltry 3.0 yards per carry if you take out the 27 yard run by Roy Helu against San Jose State and the 32 yard broken play run by Joe Ganz against Western Michigan. Nebraska has to establish some sort of running game to control the clock and help keep the defense off the field. Quick 3 and out do nothing to help time management and resting the defense. Hopefully the return of Andy Christensen helps fuel a resurgence in the offensive line.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
College Football Week 2 Review
I'll devote a separate blog entry to Nebraska and have that posted on either Monday or Tuesday.
Well, unless you are really out of touch with College Football, you would realize that the story of the year so far are the East Carolina Pirates. In just two weeks, the Pirates have dethroned Virginia Tech by taking a page out of Frank Beamer's playbook (a blocked punt returned for a TD) and then in front of the fourth largest crowd in school history, knocked off West Virginia and Heisman Trophy Candidates Pat White and Noel Devine 24-3. Now, its only been 2 weeks, but it doesn't take much of a football fan to know that the Conference USA is not a college football powerhouse. If the Pirates are able to knock off North Carolina State next week they will set the tone for a possible undefeated season on their way to crashing the BCS party.
Should Ohio State be concerned? They trailed Ohio 14-12 in the fourth quarter before taking advantage of some Ohio mistakes and escaping with a 26-14 victory. Was the score closer because Chris "Beanie" Wells was unavailable for the game? Perhaps the Buckeyes were looking forward to USC? Well, probably a combination of both. You can guarantee that Jim Tresell will have the full focus of his team in practice this week but for Ohio State to have ANY chance of beating USC, they will need Beanie Wells healthy.
Believe it or not, Notre Dame has actually won 3 football games in a row dating back to last season. Now, the Irish didn't really show too many signs of improvement on offense, although Jimmy Clausen did throw 3 touchdown passes verus 2 interceptions. The Irish only mustered up a paltry 3.1 yards per rush against a San Diego State team that lost to a division 1AA team last week. Throwing statistics aside, the most important thing for this Irish team to do right now is to win football games, something they have done 3 times in a row. In what is perhaps the most interesting game of the week outside of USC-Ohio State, Notre Dame hosts Michigan this week. Now, Michigan has had trouble with their new spread offense, but had a major defensive improvement against Miami of Ohio next week. Look for a low scoring affair this week but in the end look for Michigan to win a close scoring affair.
What a travesty in the Pacific Northwest. In case you missed it, Washington trailed #15 BYU 28-21 with seconds left. Washington QB Jake Locker scored a touchdown with 2 seconds left and flipped the ball in the air in celebration. One official thought this was too much and called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration. Now, in NO WAY was Locker trying to show up BYU. He was just happy to put his team in position to tie the game. Instead, the referees make Washington kick a 35 yard extra point and it is blocked. the game ends, 28-27 Washington. I don't know if the referees will be reprimanded in anyway, but I think a suspension is warranted for the one who made that stupid call.
Well, unless you are really out of touch with College Football, you would realize that the story of the year so far are the East Carolina Pirates. In just two weeks, the Pirates have dethroned Virginia Tech by taking a page out of Frank Beamer's playbook (a blocked punt returned for a TD) and then in front of the fourth largest crowd in school history, knocked off West Virginia and Heisman Trophy Candidates Pat White and Noel Devine 24-3. Now, its only been 2 weeks, but it doesn't take much of a football fan to know that the Conference USA is not a college football powerhouse. If the Pirates are able to knock off North Carolina State next week they will set the tone for a possible undefeated season on their way to crashing the BCS party.
Should Ohio State be concerned? They trailed Ohio 14-12 in the fourth quarter before taking advantage of some Ohio mistakes and escaping with a 26-14 victory. Was the score closer because Chris "Beanie" Wells was unavailable for the game? Perhaps the Buckeyes were looking forward to USC? Well, probably a combination of both. You can guarantee that Jim Tresell will have the full focus of his team in practice this week but for Ohio State to have ANY chance of beating USC, they will need Beanie Wells healthy.
Believe it or not, Notre Dame has actually won 3 football games in a row dating back to last season. Now, the Irish didn't really show too many signs of improvement on offense, although Jimmy Clausen did throw 3 touchdown passes verus 2 interceptions. The Irish only mustered up a paltry 3.1 yards per rush against a San Diego State team that lost to a division 1AA team last week. Throwing statistics aside, the most important thing for this Irish team to do right now is to win football games, something they have done 3 times in a row. In what is perhaps the most interesting game of the week outside of USC-Ohio State, Notre Dame hosts Michigan this week. Now, Michigan has had trouble with their new spread offense, but had a major defensive improvement against Miami of Ohio next week. Look for a low scoring affair this week but in the end look for Michigan to win a close scoring affair.
What a travesty in the Pacific Northwest. In case you missed it, Washington trailed #15 BYU 28-21 with seconds left. Washington QB Jake Locker scored a touchdown with 2 seconds left and flipped the ball in the air in celebration. One official thought this was too much and called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration. Now, in NO WAY was Locker trying to show up BYU. He was just happy to put his team in position to tie the game. Instead, the referees make Washington kick a 35 yard extra point and it is blocked. the game ends, 28-27 Washington. I don't know if the referees will be reprimanded in anyway, but I think a suspension is warranted for the one who made that stupid call.
College Football Predictions
just saving my predictions for this year's season.
JB Sez..........
That Kansas will follow up its 12-1 campaign in 2007 with an 8-5 record this year. Kansas lost key players in CB Aqib Talib and OT Anthony Collins to the NFL and also inherit Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech to their schedule, with two of the three games on the road.
That Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow will not win the Heisman Trophy for a second time. His money is on Chase Daniel, Chris "Beanie" Wells, or Graham Harrell.
That Notre Dame will improve but will still end up with a 6-6 record, but they will lose their bowl game and finish the year 6-7.
That Baylor will not finish last in the Big 12 south. That honor will go to Texas A&M.
That Tommy Bowden will finally lead the Clemson Tigers to the ACC Title.
That Appalachin State has no chance to beat LSU on August 30th. Nobody will ever take them lightly again.
That this will be the final year for Kirk Ferentz at Iowa.
That Alabama desperately needs a season opening win against Clemson to show the College Football world they are ready to be among the elite again.
That South Florida will finally win the Big East.
That Michigan will surprise people and go at least 8-4 this year.
That the Sweater Vest will once again own Michigan.
That Tennessee will lose at least 5 games this year, including the season opener at UCLA.
JB Sez..........
That Kansas will follow up its 12-1 campaign in 2007 with an 8-5 record this year. Kansas lost key players in CB Aqib Talib and OT Anthony Collins to the NFL and also inherit Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech to their schedule, with two of the three games on the road.
That Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow will not win the Heisman Trophy for a second time. His money is on Chase Daniel, Chris "Beanie" Wells, or Graham Harrell.
That Notre Dame will improve but will still end up with a 6-6 record, but they will lose their bowl game and finish the year 6-7.
That Baylor will not finish last in the Big 12 south. That honor will go to Texas A&M.
That Tommy Bowden will finally lead the Clemson Tigers to the ACC Title.
That Appalachin State has no chance to beat LSU on August 30th. Nobody will ever take them lightly again.
That this will be the final year for Kirk Ferentz at Iowa.
That Alabama desperately needs a season opening win against Clemson to show the College Football world they are ready to be among the elite again.
That South Florida will finally win the Big East.
That Michigan will surprise people and go at least 8-4 this year.
That the Sweater Vest will once again own Michigan.
That Tennessee will lose at least 5 games this year, including the season opener at UCLA.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
College Football Week 1
Normally I would try to have a review of each week up by Sunday; however, I wanted to wait for the outcome of last night's UCLA-Tennessee game in the Rose Bowl. In my "JB Sez" column to the right, I predicted that Tennessee would lose 5 games, including the season opener at UCLA. Well, if you watched the game last night, you witnessed my "shot heard around Omaha" as I successfully predicted the 27-24 overtime upset. What a way for the Rick Neuheisel era to begin at UCLA and certainly Phil Fulmer will once again land on the "hot seat" for this performance. Don't look now, but Florida (and myself) roll into Knoxville in 2 weeks and Fullmer has never needed a win over Florida this bad since the 1998 season. As for UCLA, that win did not "end the football monopoly in Los Angeles" but it certainly sent a message to Pete Carroll and Co.
For the last few years, the Big East conference has taken flack for being a terrible conference. Well, that's over now, because the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is now the worst conference. Check out how the ACC fared this past weekend in some of their big matchups. The ACC has not won a BCS game since 1999 and I do not expect that stat to change this year. Whoever wins that title this year can drop an asterik on it.
Alabama 34 Clemson 10
East Carolina 27 Va Tech 22
South Carolina 34 NC State 0
USC 52 Virginia 7
What in the world is Jim Tressel thinking? Why are you even playing Chris "Beanie" Wells in the 3rd quarter of a 26-0 blowout of Youngstown State? Wells went down in the 3rd quarter of the contest and has been ruled "doubtful" for this weeks contest against Ohio. Even if Wells thinks he can play, he won't, as the Buckeyes need him 100% for any chance to beat USC in 2 weeks in Los Angeles. Did Jim Tressell make the coaching blunder of the year by continuing to play Wells? Stay tuned...
We knew Missouri was going to score points (52) but if they want to be considered a National Championship contendor they are going to have to shore up that defense as they surrendered 42 points to Illinois on Saturday.
Ok, fine, I was wrong about Michigan. They are not going to go 8-4 this year. But, I said Alabama desperately needed a win over Clemson and they got it with their 34-10 throttling of the Tigers. I also said LSU had a 0% chance of losing to Appalachin State. I was right. I may want to re-think Clemson winning the ACC.
As for this next week, I am interested in seeing how Notre Dame looks against San Diego State and I will also blog about Nebraska after their second game against San Jose State.
Who is my Heisman pick after week 1? Well, Mark Sanchez, 338 yards and 3 TD's in USC's 52-7 win against Virginia. USC is off this week but if Sanchez has a great game against Ohio State, his name will move to the top of a lot of people's lists.
For the last few years, the Big East conference has taken flack for being a terrible conference. Well, that's over now, because the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is now the worst conference. Check out how the ACC fared this past weekend in some of their big matchups. The ACC has not won a BCS game since 1999 and I do not expect that stat to change this year. Whoever wins that title this year can drop an asterik on it.
Alabama 34 Clemson 10
East Carolina 27 Va Tech 22
South Carolina 34 NC State 0
USC 52 Virginia 7
What in the world is Jim Tressel thinking? Why are you even playing Chris "Beanie" Wells in the 3rd quarter of a 26-0 blowout of Youngstown State? Wells went down in the 3rd quarter of the contest and has been ruled "doubtful" for this weeks contest against Ohio. Even if Wells thinks he can play, he won't, as the Buckeyes need him 100% for any chance to beat USC in 2 weeks in Los Angeles. Did Jim Tressell make the coaching blunder of the year by continuing to play Wells? Stay tuned...
We knew Missouri was going to score points (52) but if they want to be considered a National Championship contendor they are going to have to shore up that defense as they surrendered 42 points to Illinois on Saturday.
Ok, fine, I was wrong about Michigan. They are not going to go 8-4 this year. But, I said Alabama desperately needed a win over Clemson and they got it with their 34-10 throttling of the Tigers. I also said LSU had a 0% chance of losing to Appalachin State. I was right. I may want to re-think Clemson winning the ACC.
As for this next week, I am interested in seeing how Notre Dame looks against San Diego State and I will also blog about Nebraska after their second game against San Jose State.
Who is my Heisman pick after week 1? Well, Mark Sanchez, 338 yards and 3 TD's in USC's 52-7 win against Virginia. USC is off this week but if Sanchez has a great game against Ohio State, his name will move to the top of a lot of people's lists.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Nebraska Football Preview
Over 4 years ago I was sitting in a New York City Hotel Room when word came that Bill Callahan was hired as head coach. My buddy was in the same room and within 15 seconds we were battling over if it was the right hire. I applauded the hire, he hated it. Well 4 years later, he was right, I was wrong. The Callahan experiment is over and the Bo Pelini experiment begins.
Pelini enters Nebraska with some good talent left behind by Callahan. While at Nebraska, Callahan loaded up on recruits that were highly ranked by recruiting services; however, he failed to coach those recruits into superstars. Oddly enough, one little known recruit will open the season as Nebraska's most dangerous weapon.
Joe Ganz opens the season as Nebraska's starting quarterback. For four years, Ganz studied, practiced, and waited, and waited, and waited. Then last year, when starting quarterback Sam Keller went down, Ganz was thrown into the fold and all he did was pass for 15 touchdowns and 1,400 yards in three games including a school record seven touchdown passes against Kansas State. Ganz will need to cut down on the interceptions (7) and will not have as many experienced receivers to throw to. Ganz is also mobile and we saw that mobility shine in last year's game with Colorado when Ganz took off for a 29 yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Marlon Lucky, a once heralded recruit out of Southern California, returns for his senior year to Nebraska to lead a trio of running backs which also features sophomores Roy Helu, Jr. and Quentin Castille. Pelini did not name a starter after fall camp; however, Lucky has the most experience and has also shown he can catch the ball coming out of the backfield. Look for Lucky to get the most carries and action early on.
Like Ganz, Senior Wide Receivers Nate Swift and Todd Peterson enter their fifth year in the Nebraska program. Only Swift returns as a bona-fide starter although Peterson has shown signs of excellence. A plethera of talent wait in the wings including Juniors Menelink Holt and local Omaha product Niles Paul. At this point, there is no wide receiver like big, strong, wideout like Maurice Purify on this team, so Ganz will have to make do with this group this year. Hunter Teafatiller was counted on to lead the Huskers tight end corps this year but two DUI arrests have led to the dismissal of Hunter. Sophomore Mike McNeil will likely start the year, but expect others to get a look.
Going into the start of the year, Nebraska is moving on without Senior Guard Andy Christensen, who is on trial in Lincoln for sexual assault charges. Although Christensen has not been convicted of the sexual assault at a bar, he did plead guilty to two misdemeanors and will likely not play this season, convicted or not. The good news for Nebraska is that four starters return on the offensive line, led by Senior Left Tackle Lydon Murtha. Sophomore Mike Smith, a converted defensive end, came out of nowhere in fall camp to grab the other starting spot at tackle.
There was no denying that Nebraska could score points last year. In fact, in their last three games of the season, Nebraska averaged 51 points per game, even though they lost 2 of the 3 games. The points may not come in those number this year, as Nebraska is expected to control the game more on the ground, hoping to keep its own defense off the field. When needed though, this offense can turn it on in an instant.
As for the defense....well....that's the main reason that Beau Bridges stunt double is out and Bo Pelini is in. Last year, for the first time in about ever, Nebraska was ranked near the bottom of the country in total defense. Even Kansas racked up 76 points on Nebraska, which is more points than in one game than Kansas scored on Nebraska during the entire decade of the 70s and the entire decade of the 80s. Pelini will have a challenge on his hand as inexperience reigns all across the defense. As of posting time, Pelini had yet to award any blackshirts to players.
The defensive line is the one area of the defense that actually carried experience. Nebraska returns all 4 starters on the defensive line that had major trouble getting to the quarterback last year. Barry Turner returns for his senior season at defensive end. Turner had a fabulous freshman year but has been non-existent the last two years. The most talent player, Ndamukong Suh, returns to anchor the defensive tackle position. At 6-4, 300, Suh has the size to block up the middle of the field and the speed to get to the quarterback at the same time. Among other plsyers returning that have seen significant action the last two years include Clayton Siever, Pierre Allen, and Ty Steinkuhler. Look for Baker Steinkuhler, the gem of Nebraska's recruiting class (and who also ran down Terrell Pryor in the US Army All American Game) to redshirt this year.
This year's Linebacking corp is as Carl Lewis would say..."uh oh" Out of three starters, one is a former walk-on, and one is a former runningback. Only Phillip Dillard returns with any experience and its limited at that. Dillard, another former heralded recruit, has potential to be a great Nebraska linebacker. Cody Glenn moves from the runningback position and earned himself a starting spot in spring ball, and then held onto it in the fall. Look for Tyler Wortman to start at the other linebacker spot, with true freshman Sean Fisher and Will Compton seeing significant playing time.
THe last four years you have probably noticed Nebraska corners and safeties face guarding wide receivers. Throw that philosophy out the window. This year the players will be taught to turn to look for the ball, in an effort to force more turnovers. Expect a lot of more interceptions and a lot more consistency among Husker defensive back this year. Out of the top 8 listed on the depth chart, only two starters return in Armando Murillo at corner and Larry Asante at strong safety. Rickey Thenarse is a star waiting to be born and he will anchor the free safety position this year. Anthony West won the other starting cornerback job in fall camp but expect to see Eric Hagg and Prince Amukamara see extensive playing time.
So, how will Nebraska do this year? I'll say 7-5. Here is my breakdown of the schedule
Western Michigan-win
San Jose State-win
New Mexico State-win
Va Tech-loss
Missouri-loss
at Texas Tech-loss
at Iowa State-loss
Baylor-win
Oklahoma-loss
Kansas-win
at Kansas State-win
Colorado-loss
Pelini enters Nebraska with some good talent left behind by Callahan. While at Nebraska, Callahan loaded up on recruits that were highly ranked by recruiting services; however, he failed to coach those recruits into superstars. Oddly enough, one little known recruit will open the season as Nebraska's most dangerous weapon.
Joe Ganz opens the season as Nebraska's starting quarterback. For four years, Ganz studied, practiced, and waited, and waited, and waited. Then last year, when starting quarterback Sam Keller went down, Ganz was thrown into the fold and all he did was pass for 15 touchdowns and 1,400 yards in three games including a school record seven touchdown passes against Kansas State. Ganz will need to cut down on the interceptions (7) and will not have as many experienced receivers to throw to. Ganz is also mobile and we saw that mobility shine in last year's game with Colorado when Ganz took off for a 29 yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Marlon Lucky, a once heralded recruit out of Southern California, returns for his senior year to Nebraska to lead a trio of running backs which also features sophomores Roy Helu, Jr. and Quentin Castille. Pelini did not name a starter after fall camp; however, Lucky has the most experience and has also shown he can catch the ball coming out of the backfield. Look for Lucky to get the most carries and action early on.
Like Ganz, Senior Wide Receivers Nate Swift and Todd Peterson enter their fifth year in the Nebraska program. Only Swift returns as a bona-fide starter although Peterson has shown signs of excellence. A plethera of talent wait in the wings including Juniors Menelink Holt and local Omaha product Niles Paul. At this point, there is no wide receiver like big, strong, wideout like Maurice Purify on this team, so Ganz will have to make do with this group this year. Hunter Teafatiller was counted on to lead the Huskers tight end corps this year but two DUI arrests have led to the dismissal of Hunter. Sophomore Mike McNeil will likely start the year, but expect others to get a look.
Going into the start of the year, Nebraska is moving on without Senior Guard Andy Christensen, who is on trial in Lincoln for sexual assault charges. Although Christensen has not been convicted of the sexual assault at a bar, he did plead guilty to two misdemeanors and will likely not play this season, convicted or not. The good news for Nebraska is that four starters return on the offensive line, led by Senior Left Tackle Lydon Murtha. Sophomore Mike Smith, a converted defensive end, came out of nowhere in fall camp to grab the other starting spot at tackle.
There was no denying that Nebraska could score points last year. In fact, in their last three games of the season, Nebraska averaged 51 points per game, even though they lost 2 of the 3 games. The points may not come in those number this year, as Nebraska is expected to control the game more on the ground, hoping to keep its own defense off the field. When needed though, this offense can turn it on in an instant.
As for the defense....well....that's the main reason that Beau Bridges stunt double is out and Bo Pelini is in. Last year, for the first time in about ever, Nebraska was ranked near the bottom of the country in total defense. Even Kansas racked up 76 points on Nebraska, which is more points than in one game than Kansas scored on Nebraska during the entire decade of the 70s and the entire decade of the 80s. Pelini will have a challenge on his hand as inexperience reigns all across the defense. As of posting time, Pelini had yet to award any blackshirts to players.
The defensive line is the one area of the defense that actually carried experience. Nebraska returns all 4 starters on the defensive line that had major trouble getting to the quarterback last year. Barry Turner returns for his senior season at defensive end. Turner had a fabulous freshman year but has been non-existent the last two years. The most talent player, Ndamukong Suh, returns to anchor the defensive tackle position. At 6-4, 300, Suh has the size to block up the middle of the field and the speed to get to the quarterback at the same time. Among other plsyers returning that have seen significant action the last two years include Clayton Siever, Pierre Allen, and Ty Steinkuhler. Look for Baker Steinkuhler, the gem of Nebraska's recruiting class (and who also ran down Terrell Pryor in the US Army All American Game) to redshirt this year.
This year's Linebacking corp is as Carl Lewis would say..."uh oh" Out of three starters, one is a former walk-on, and one is a former runningback. Only Phillip Dillard returns with any experience and its limited at that. Dillard, another former heralded recruit, has potential to be a great Nebraska linebacker. Cody Glenn moves from the runningback position and earned himself a starting spot in spring ball, and then held onto it in the fall. Look for Tyler Wortman to start at the other linebacker spot, with true freshman Sean Fisher and Will Compton seeing significant playing time.
THe last four years you have probably noticed Nebraska corners and safeties face guarding wide receivers. Throw that philosophy out the window. This year the players will be taught to turn to look for the ball, in an effort to force more turnovers. Expect a lot of more interceptions and a lot more consistency among Husker defensive back this year. Out of the top 8 listed on the depth chart, only two starters return in Armando Murillo at corner and Larry Asante at strong safety. Rickey Thenarse is a star waiting to be born and he will anchor the free safety position this year. Anthony West won the other starting cornerback job in fall camp but expect to see Eric Hagg and Prince Amukamara see extensive playing time.
So, how will Nebraska do this year? I'll say 7-5. Here is my breakdown of the schedule
Western Michigan-win
San Jose State-win
New Mexico State-win
Va Tech-loss
Missouri-loss
at Texas Tech-loss
at Iowa State-loss
Baylor-win
Oklahoma-loss
Kansas-win
at Kansas State-win
Colorado-loss
Sunday, August 24, 2008
College Football 2008
From today through Wednesday, I'll be updating my blog with College Football predictions for 2008. I'll preview the Nebraska Cornhuskers specifically on Wednesday. For now, JB will break down his top 10 teams and will also provide some predictions for the season in the "JB Sez" column. Without further ado, here is my top 10 (the top 10 will be updated through Tuesday).
1. Southern California-A favorable scheduele for USC this year features all tough non-conference and conference games at home (including a September 13th showdown against The Ohio State University). Quarterback Mark Sanchez, who was injured in fall camp appears to be healthy and ready to take the full reigns as the next great Trojan QB. He is surrounded by tremendous talent which include Wide Receiver's Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazelton (former five star rivals recruits) and tailback Joe McKnight (another former five star rivals recruit.) Brian Cushing and Rey Maulauga lead what is undoubtedly the best linebacking core in college football Stoday and both could be top 10 picks in the NFL Draft come next spring. With it becoming ever harder to go undefeated in college football, it would be hard to argue that a one loss USC team would not belong in the BCS National Championship game.
2. Ohio State-In reality, Florida or Georgia should probably be #2, but the SEC is the toughest conference in the country, and this is the year I think they will finally all cancel each other out and keep each other out of the national championship game. Ohio State is clearly the class of the Big 10 and they return 9 starters on offense and defense including Junior Runningback Chris "Beanie" Wells. Terrell Pryor, the consensus #1 recruit in the country, will arrive on campus this fall and is expected to provide an immediate impact to the Buckeyes. Don't expect him to start, but his role could be similar to what Tim Tebow did in Florida in 2006.Expect the Buckeyes and Trojans to have a rematch in the Orange Bowl in Miami this coming January.
3. Florida-All day I debated between Georgia and Florida for this spot. In the end, I chose Florida thanks to a softer schedule and the presence of defending Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow. Florida does have some issues on the defensive side of the ball (see Michigan torch the Gators in the Citrus Bowl); however, Florida overhauled their defensive staff and return at least 9 players who started on defense last year. I don't know if Florida will beat Georgia on November 1; however, a softer schedule bodes well for Florida to return to the SEC Title game on the first Saturday in December.
4. Georgia-The Bulldogs were undoubtedly the best team at the end of the college football season last year. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they had some tough losses early on and failed to qualify for the SEC title game. The Bulldogs return key offensive players at all positions, lead by QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno. What could doom Georgia is a tough tough schedule which features road games at LSU, at Auburn, along with the traditional Jacksonville contest with the Gators.
5. Oklahoma-Although the Sooners flamed out in the BCS, they yet again won the Big 12 title, handing Missouri their only two losses in the season, including a 38-17 thrashing in the Big 12 title game. The Sooners are loaded on the offense side of the ball, returning Sophomore QB Sam Bradford and RB Demarco Murray, who is a star waiting to be born. The Sooners also return all 5 starters on an experienced offensive line. With the offense in place, defensive minded Bob Stoops should have no issue getting his defense in order, along the way to another Big 12 title. Its a definite possibility that as long as Oklahoma can avoid losing more than one game, they have a good shot at the National Championship come this January.
Rest of the Top 10.
6. Missouri-Heisman Trophy Candidate Chase Daniel and All American Candidate Jeremy Maclin return to lead the Tigers. With Kansas having the toughest schedule in the north, and no other contendor in site, the Tigers will have no problem returning to the Big 12 title game.
7. Clemson-Features the best Runningback combo in College Football with James Davis and CJ Spiller. Can Tommy Bowden finally cash in on a weak ACC conference?
8. West Virginia-With Pat White returning to run the offense and super sophomore Noel Devine, the Mountaineers should see no immediate drop off in their first year with Rich Rodriguez as Head Coach
9. LSU-The Tigers have a lot of talent, but a lot of inexperience. Its still unknown who will be the QB for LSU, but don't count out Les Miles making stars out of his loaded recruiting classes.
10. Texas Tech-10 starters return on offense including QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree, who both are likely Heisman Trophy candidates. Tech's commitment to defense slide them into my top 10 for the first time ever.
1. Southern California-A favorable scheduele for USC this year features all tough non-conference and conference games at home (including a September 13th showdown against The Ohio State University). Quarterback Mark Sanchez, who was injured in fall camp appears to be healthy and ready to take the full reigns as the next great Trojan QB. He is surrounded by tremendous talent which include Wide Receiver's Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazelton (former five star rivals recruits) and tailback Joe McKnight (another former five star rivals recruit.) Brian Cushing and Rey Maulauga lead what is undoubtedly the best linebacking core in college football Stoday and both could be top 10 picks in the NFL Draft come next spring. With it becoming ever harder to go undefeated in college football, it would be hard to argue that a one loss USC team would not belong in the BCS National Championship game.
2. Ohio State-In reality, Florida or Georgia should probably be #2, but the SEC is the toughest conference in the country, and this is the year I think they will finally all cancel each other out and keep each other out of the national championship game. Ohio State is clearly the class of the Big 10 and they return 9 starters on offense and defense including Junior Runningback Chris "Beanie" Wells. Terrell Pryor, the consensus #1 recruit in the country, will arrive on campus this fall and is expected to provide an immediate impact to the Buckeyes. Don't expect him to start, but his role could be similar to what Tim Tebow did in Florida in 2006.Expect the Buckeyes and Trojans to have a rematch in the Orange Bowl in Miami this coming January.
3. Florida-All day I debated between Georgia and Florida for this spot. In the end, I chose Florida thanks to a softer schedule and the presence of defending Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow. Florida does have some issues on the defensive side of the ball (see Michigan torch the Gators in the Citrus Bowl); however, Florida overhauled their defensive staff and return at least 9 players who started on defense last year. I don't know if Florida will beat Georgia on November 1; however, a softer schedule bodes well for Florida to return to the SEC Title game on the first Saturday in December.
4. Georgia-The Bulldogs were undoubtedly the best team at the end of the college football season last year. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they had some tough losses early on and failed to qualify for the SEC title game. The Bulldogs return key offensive players at all positions, lead by QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno. What could doom Georgia is a tough tough schedule which features road games at LSU, at Auburn, along with the traditional Jacksonville contest with the Gators.
5. Oklahoma-Although the Sooners flamed out in the BCS, they yet again won the Big 12 title, handing Missouri their only two losses in the season, including a 38-17 thrashing in the Big 12 title game. The Sooners are loaded on the offense side of the ball, returning Sophomore QB Sam Bradford and RB Demarco Murray, who is a star waiting to be born. The Sooners also return all 5 starters on an experienced offensive line. With the offense in place, defensive minded Bob Stoops should have no issue getting his defense in order, along the way to another Big 12 title. Its a definite possibility that as long as Oklahoma can avoid losing more than one game, they have a good shot at the National Championship come this January.
Rest of the Top 10.
6. Missouri-Heisman Trophy Candidate Chase Daniel and All American Candidate Jeremy Maclin return to lead the Tigers. With Kansas having the toughest schedule in the north, and no other contendor in site, the Tigers will have no problem returning to the Big 12 title game.
7. Clemson-Features the best Runningback combo in College Football with James Davis and CJ Spiller. Can Tommy Bowden finally cash in on a weak ACC conference?
8. West Virginia-With Pat White returning to run the offense and super sophomore Noel Devine, the Mountaineers should see no immediate drop off in their first year with Rich Rodriguez as Head Coach
9. LSU-The Tigers have a lot of talent, but a lot of inexperience. Its still unknown who will be the QB for LSU, but don't count out Les Miles making stars out of his loaded recruiting classes.
10. Texas Tech-10 starters return on offense including QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree, who both are likely Heisman Trophy candidates. Tech's commitment to defense slide them into my top 10 for the first time ever.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
New York.....New York.....
On Friday, August 15, I arrived in New York City uncertain if I would fulfill a goal of mine in seeing a game at Yankee Stadium. The forecast for rain and thunderstorms was 80% and the radar around New York City showed a line of storms to the west. With the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern, my dad and I headed up on the 4 train for the Bronx. We arrived shortly before 5:00 p.m. and decided to head into the park to see Monument Row. After several failed attempts to walk down to momument row, I headed to get a beer ($9.50 for a 24 oz) and head to my seat. As i sat down, someone next to me said, "you know, we are under a tornado warning." I figured the threat wasn't too great, as they were not evacuating the stadium, but nonetheless I kept an eye on the sky. Nothing happened and the rain was still pouring and the tarp covered the field at 7:00 p.m. Things looked bleak, but the rain stopped and baseball began at 8:30p.m. Finally, a game at Yankee stadium featuring my favorite team, the hapless Kansas City Royals. It was a very good game with both teams leaving a lot of runners on base. About the 7th inning we left our seats down the right field line in search of better seats. We eventually snuck down about 25 rows behind the third base dugout and sat in these padded seats, which probably retail for $200 or more.
With the score tied at 3 heading into the top of the 9th, "enter sandman" began to play, meaning only one thing, Mariano Rivera time. Now, Rivera has not been his best this year with the game tied, so I held out hope the Royals could scratch across a run; however, I was less than optimistic with the bottom of the Royals order coming up. To my shock, Esteban German doubled in the right field gap with 1 out and moved to third on an infield single by leadoff hitter Mitch Maier. Mike Aviles stepped to the plate with 1 out and on the very first pitch, Rivera threw a wild pitch (his 2nd in 6 years). The ball bounced behind the catcher, and German scored from 3rd. The bottom of the 9th was very dramatic. Jakim Soria, "the mexicutioner", came on and walked the leadoff batter but was able to somehow pick the runner off 1st. After getting the 2nd out of the inning, Soria gave up a single to Derek Jeter, a walk to Bobby Abreu, and a little dink infield hit to A-Rod. From my vantage point, Soria had plenty of time to throw out A-Rod, but probably didn't trust his fielding ability. With my heart pounding, Jason Giambi lined an 1-0 pitch to center, Mitch Maier made the catch, and the Royals celebrated a well earned 4-3 victory. After the game, my dad and I took the times square as we partied near the 4 a.m. bar closing times.
We spent Saturday in New York City, visiting Central Park, Times Square, and what may be my new favorite bar, McSorley's Pub, located near New York University. I recommend everyone go there to try out their light and dark beer. Sunday was the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where I took a lot of good pictures, with some great artificats (see the links below). Monday, may have been the best/worst day of the trip. It started out with a visit to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, where special connections got me to the floor (no public visits are allowed, just invited guests). After that, my dad and I headed to Times Square and then took a trip to visit the Hello Deli, located right near the Ed Sullivan Theater, home of Dave Letterman. I took a photo with Rupert G, the owner of the place, and then made a quick visit to Shea Stadium.
Then, about the worst thing happened. Some douchebag mechanic from United somehow incorrectly filled out the fuel tank of the plane incorrectly, thus ending that flight for the night. I tried so hard to get on standby with other flights to Chicago, but to no avail. Finally, at 8 p.m. I got on to one, but I missed my connecting flight. Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled about spending the night in Chicago. United was nice enough to put me up in the Hyatt at O'Haire and I headed there. Now, I knew the WWE was in town at Rosemont for Monday Night Raw. I figured there was a slight chance they may stay at the Hyatt and when I arrived at 11p.m., several wrestlers and announcers were hanging at the bar. I got some very good photos including John Cena and Harley Race and got to briefly see Vince McMahon. It was a nice consolation prize to end a horrible day.
So, what happens the next morning? Delayed again!!! This time there's a pressure problem with the plane. I was able to get on a plane with American (at United's expense) and get back to Kansas City, to drive three hours back to Omaha. What a mess. No wonder United is always bankrupt. They are always delayed, and always having to comp people. What a terrible airline. I am never flying them again. Overall, it was a very great trip and I want to get back to NYC soon (just not on United)
Check out the links to the photos
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056226&l=566ef&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056227&l=d2ea6&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056229&l=46fbc&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056231&l=ec9b7&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056232&l=bd959&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056233&l=0b2bb&id=32503236
Wow I smile terribly in that last one
With the score tied at 3 heading into the top of the 9th, "enter sandman" began to play, meaning only one thing, Mariano Rivera time. Now, Rivera has not been his best this year with the game tied, so I held out hope the Royals could scratch across a run; however, I was less than optimistic with the bottom of the Royals order coming up. To my shock, Esteban German doubled in the right field gap with 1 out and moved to third on an infield single by leadoff hitter Mitch Maier. Mike Aviles stepped to the plate with 1 out and on the very first pitch, Rivera threw a wild pitch (his 2nd in 6 years). The ball bounced behind the catcher, and German scored from 3rd. The bottom of the 9th was very dramatic. Jakim Soria, "the mexicutioner", came on and walked the leadoff batter but was able to somehow pick the runner off 1st. After getting the 2nd out of the inning, Soria gave up a single to Derek Jeter, a walk to Bobby Abreu, and a little dink infield hit to A-Rod. From my vantage point, Soria had plenty of time to throw out A-Rod, but probably didn't trust his fielding ability. With my heart pounding, Jason Giambi lined an 1-0 pitch to center, Mitch Maier made the catch, and the Royals celebrated a well earned 4-3 victory. After the game, my dad and I took the times square as we partied near the 4 a.m. bar closing times.
We spent Saturday in New York City, visiting Central Park, Times Square, and what may be my new favorite bar, McSorley's Pub, located near New York University. I recommend everyone go there to try out their light and dark beer. Sunday was the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where I took a lot of good pictures, with some great artificats (see the links below). Monday, may have been the best/worst day of the trip. It started out with a visit to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, where special connections got me to the floor (no public visits are allowed, just invited guests). After that, my dad and I headed to Times Square and then took a trip to visit the Hello Deli, located right near the Ed Sullivan Theater, home of Dave Letterman. I took a photo with Rupert G, the owner of the place, and then made a quick visit to Shea Stadium.
Then, about the worst thing happened. Some douchebag mechanic from United somehow incorrectly filled out the fuel tank of the plane incorrectly, thus ending that flight for the night. I tried so hard to get on standby with other flights to Chicago, but to no avail. Finally, at 8 p.m. I got on to one, but I missed my connecting flight. Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled about spending the night in Chicago. United was nice enough to put me up in the Hyatt at O'Haire and I headed there. Now, I knew the WWE was in town at Rosemont for Monday Night Raw. I figured there was a slight chance they may stay at the Hyatt and when I arrived at 11p.m., several wrestlers and announcers were hanging at the bar. I got some very good photos including John Cena and Harley Race and got to briefly see Vince McMahon. It was a nice consolation prize to end a horrible day.
So, what happens the next morning? Delayed again!!! This time there's a pressure problem with the plane. I was able to get on a plane with American (at United's expense) and get back to Kansas City, to drive three hours back to Omaha. What a mess. No wonder United is always bankrupt. They are always delayed, and always having to comp people. What a terrible airline. I am never flying them again. Overall, it was a very great trip and I want to get back to NYC soon (just not on United)
Check out the links to the photos
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056226&l=566ef&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056227&l=d2ea6&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056229&l=46fbc&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056231&l=ec9b7&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056232&l=bd959&id=32503236
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056233&l=0b2bb&id=32503236
Wow I smile terribly in that last one
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Off to New York
I'm off to New York until next Monday. i'll blog about it Tuesday night. Yankee Stadium Friday, Cooperstown on Sunday, and perhaps something good on Monday, don't want to jinx it though.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
JB Sez No Tiger? No problem........
Padraig Harrington has shown this year that he can pick up the slack with a Tiger-less PGA Tour. Harrington shot a 3 under on the back 9 today at the PGA Championship to win by two shots over Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis. In addition to winning the PGA and British Open this year, Harrington finished in a tie for 5th at the Masters and has had two other top three finishes on tour this year. Its clearly the best year of his career and it gives the European Ryder Cup Team a very very hot golfer heading into the Cup next month, something the United States just does not have right now. Although it was nice to see Padraig win, wouldn't it have been better to see Sergio win? That way everyone can clown on Sergio for winning his one major, in an event that did not have Tiger Woods. To me, it would almost be better for Sergio to get his major without Tiger, than with him. Time will tell if this young, stubborn Spaniard will ever put together four solid rounds in a major to take home one of golf's most prestigious prizes. If I'm Sergio, I'm making a trip back to the putting green tonight. The difference in today's tournament was Harrington making three clutch putts on 16, 17, and 18 while Garcia missed puts on 17 and 18 which could have kept him in the tournament.
Brett Favre is now a New York Jet. I don't think there's a happier person to have a resolution to this matter other than me. I was at a point where I was not going to listen to any sports radio, visit any sports Web site, or watch any Sportscenter. For one month we were subject to "Brett Favre all the time" and it drove me nuts. That being said, I don't see the media circus ending anytime soon, but it should die off a little bit. After all, the NFL season is upon us and there are 30 other teams not named the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers.
I'll probably have some more thoughts later in the week prior to my trip to New York to watch the Yankees play the Royals. I need to make sure I visit Yankee Stadium once, before they move to the new park.
For now, enjoy this video. This is one of the best pranks I have ever seen. Check it out.
Brett Favre is now a New York Jet. I don't think there's a happier person to have a resolution to this matter other than me. I was at a point where I was not going to listen to any sports radio, visit any sports Web site, or watch any Sportscenter. For one month we were subject to "Brett Favre all the time" and it drove me nuts. That being said, I don't see the media circus ending anytime soon, but it should die off a little bit. After all, the NFL season is upon us and there are 30 other teams not named the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers.
I'll probably have some more thoughts later in the week prior to my trip to New York to watch the Yankees play the Royals. I need to make sure I visit Yankee Stadium once, before they move to the new park.
For now, enjoy this video. This is one of the best pranks I have ever seen. Check it out.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
A few things on my mind....
Right now I am in the midst of a research project that I hope to have posted this week. It involves Oakland Athletics and their General Manager Billy Beane and his "Moneyball" philosophy. For now, just a few thoughts on my mind.
Big Brown defeated a field of six inferior horses to take the $1 million Haskell Invitation on Sunday. Big Brown struggled throughout the race but finally came on strong at the end to take the race by a length. There are still concerns in the Big Brown camp, as Big Brown did not initally respond to the jockey's commands to "go" and Big Brown drifted to the center of the track as he came down the stretch. More than likely, Big Brown will not run until The Breeders Cup Classic on October 25th before being retired to stud.
So far The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers have benefited from the trade last Thursday. Manny is 8-13 in 3 games with Boston with 2 homeruns, helping L.A. take 2 of the remaining 3 games in the series versus Arizona. Jason Bay scored both runs in a 2-1 win Friday night and hit a 3 run homer on Saturday as Boston swept Oakland last weekend. We'll see how things turn in the long run. So far, so good.
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy was still meeting with Brett Favre as of 9:15 p.m. Central Monday Night. Nobody is sure what is being said but I'm sure McCarthy is pressuring Favre not to come back. Unfortunately for the Packers, Brett Favre holds all the cards because he has 3 years left on his contract and if he wanted to come back, NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell had no choice but to reinstate him. The sooner this gets cleared up the better, as the Packers franchise is in major turmoil. Then again, as a guy who hates the Packers, I am enjoying this.
The PGA Championship is this week. Does it really mean anything with Tiger in it? Well, no, but I'll still watch. Who's gonna win? I have no idea, but I'll pick KJ Choi for the hell of it. A lot of "no-names" will play in this event too, so watch out for one of those "no-names"
Back later this week, for now, enjoy this youtube video
Big Brown defeated a field of six inferior horses to take the $1 million Haskell Invitation on Sunday. Big Brown struggled throughout the race but finally came on strong at the end to take the race by a length. There are still concerns in the Big Brown camp, as Big Brown did not initally respond to the jockey's commands to "go" and Big Brown drifted to the center of the track as he came down the stretch. More than likely, Big Brown will not run until The Breeders Cup Classic on October 25th before being retired to stud.
So far The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers have benefited from the trade last Thursday. Manny is 8-13 in 3 games with Boston with 2 homeruns, helping L.A. take 2 of the remaining 3 games in the series versus Arizona. Jason Bay scored both runs in a 2-1 win Friday night and hit a 3 run homer on Saturday as Boston swept Oakland last weekend. We'll see how things turn in the long run. So far, so good.
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy was still meeting with Brett Favre as of 9:15 p.m. Central Monday Night. Nobody is sure what is being said but I'm sure McCarthy is pressuring Favre not to come back. Unfortunately for the Packers, Brett Favre holds all the cards because he has 3 years left on his contract and if he wanted to come back, NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell had no choice but to reinstate him. The sooner this gets cleared up the better, as the Packers franchise is in major turmoil. Then again, as a guy who hates the Packers, I am enjoying this.
The PGA Championship is this week. Does it really mean anything with Tiger in it? Well, no, but I'll still watch. Who's gonna win? I have no idea, but I'll pick KJ Choi for the hell of it. A lot of "no-names" will play in this event too, so watch out for one of those "no-names"
Back later this week, for now, enjoy this youtube video
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Non-Waiver Trade Deadline Has Come and Gone.....
and JB Sez he was right!!! Well, kind of right. Two days ago I posted that the Boston Red Sox should trade disgruntled Left Fielder Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in an attempt to get an outfielder and prospects in return. Well, Boston traded Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles as part of a three way trade which sent Pittsburgh Pirates Outfielder Jason Bay to the Sox and a bunch of players, including Brandon Moss, to Pittsburgh. As part of the trade, Boston agreed to pay the remaining $7 million of Ramirez's salary for the year. The Dodgers did not have to give up any of their very talent young prospects, and the Pirates, well the Pirates will suck with or without Bay.
Now, most people would argue that a contending team should try to improve their team at the trade deadline. From a statistical standpoint, Boston did not get better. Although their numbers are similar, Jason Bay is not Manny Ramirez. He's a quality outfielder that will do his best to fill the void by Man Ram, but it won't quite be what Manny gave to Boston. Now, on the contrary, Manny was being a pest. He was angry. He was rude. He was lazy. He was causing chaos amongst the Red Sox locker room and Red Sox management was tired of it. They had no choice but to trade Manny. Four years ago Theo Epstein made a huge trade to send an unhappy Nomar Garciaparra out of Boston. The Red Sox ended up winning the World Series thanks to that trade. Will this be deva vu all over again? We shall see, but in the end, the Yankees and Rays can breath much easier knowing that Manny won't be in a lineup to face them the rest of the regular season.
Quick question. Tell me, where Ken Griffey Jr will start in the Chicago White Sox lineup? Um, he won't? Yep, right answer. The White Sox made a deadline deal this morning acquiring the 600 homerun man and in all likelyhood, Junior will be a bat on the bench. The White Sox already have an outfield that consists of Carlos Quentin, Jermaine Dye, and Nick Swisher. Not to mention, Jim Thome is serving as the designated hitter and Paul Konerko plays first. Now, Swisher is struggling at the plate this year and you may see Junior fill in at center once in awhile. Keep in mind that Junior is no longer a defensive presence in the outfield and is more likely a defensive liability. The bottom line is that Junior will not have a chance to win the World Series, something he has never won, yet along participated in one.
And as Shaquille would say, Hey Milwaukee, tell me how our ass tastes. Sincerely, The Cubs.
Now, most people would argue that a contending team should try to improve their team at the trade deadline. From a statistical standpoint, Boston did not get better. Although their numbers are similar, Jason Bay is not Manny Ramirez. He's a quality outfielder that will do his best to fill the void by Man Ram, but it won't quite be what Manny gave to Boston. Now, on the contrary, Manny was being a pest. He was angry. He was rude. He was lazy. He was causing chaos amongst the Red Sox locker room and Red Sox management was tired of it. They had no choice but to trade Manny. Four years ago Theo Epstein made a huge trade to send an unhappy Nomar Garciaparra out of Boston. The Red Sox ended up winning the World Series thanks to that trade. Will this be deva vu all over again? We shall see, but in the end, the Yankees and Rays can breath much easier knowing that Manny won't be in a lineup to face them the rest of the regular season.
Quick question. Tell me, where Ken Griffey Jr will start in the Chicago White Sox lineup? Um, he won't? Yep, right answer. The White Sox made a deadline deal this morning acquiring the 600 homerun man and in all likelyhood, Junior will be a bat on the bench. The White Sox already have an outfield that consists of Carlos Quentin, Jermaine Dye, and Nick Swisher. Not to mention, Jim Thome is serving as the designated hitter and Paul Konerko plays first. Now, Swisher is struggling at the plate this year and you may see Junior fill in at center once in awhile. Keep in mind that Junior is no longer a defensive presence in the outfield and is more likely a defensive liability. The bottom line is that Junior will not have a chance to win the World Series, something he has never won, yet along participated in one.
And as Shaquille would say, Hey Milwaukee, tell me how our ass tastes. Sincerely, The Cubs.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
MLB Trade Deadline is upon us........
and JB Sez that the one deal that has to go down before 4:00 p.m. eastern on July 31 is Manny Ramirez being traded to the L.A. Dodgers. Now, before talking about the deal, let me give you a little background on this. Manny Ramirez is not happy. He's pretty outspoken about it. He wants a new contract. He does not like how he is in the final year of an eight year deal with club options for 2009 and 2010. Boston has had not commented on whether or not they will exercise their club option and all indications are they will not. So what does Manny do? Well, Manny goes Manny. He allegedly fakes a knee injury and pulls himself out of the lineup last Friday in the 1-0 loss to the Yankees where Joba Chamberlain and Co. combined for the shutout. Manny returned for the final two games and has been in the lineup for the last two games versus the Angels. Tests down on Manny's knee showed no injuries. So, was that the final straw? If I'm Theo Epstein, I'm making this deal. Manny has publicly commented that he would not mind being traded and I'm sure Red Sox management and some fans are put up with this. Now, can you get equal value for Manny? Probably not, but the one team out there that can provide them the goods is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The likely scenario if the trade occurs would be Manny going to L.A. for either Outfielders Matt Kemp or Andre Eithier and some prospects. Boston may ask L.A. to throw in a relief pitcher, considering their bullpen is looking gassed at this time of the year. The key factor in all of this is Manny accepting a trade. Would Manny be open to playing for Joe Torre and reuniting with Nomar Garciaparra? In addition, Frank McCourt will have to be open to taking on more salary this year as the deal will likely result in an increase in payroll. Will the biggest trade since Alex Rodriguez went to the Yankees go down? Stay tuned.
I was also going to write tonight that the Anaheim Angels need to trade for Atlanta Braves first baseman Mark Texiera and just this afternoon the deal went down. Texiera was sent to Anaheim for 1B Casey Kotchmann and another prospect. The deal now gives Anaheim the bat they need to contend in the AL Playoffs this year. Anaheim appears to have the AL West all but locked up; however, their lineup was not nearly solid enough to compete in the playoffs.
Want a disgruntled outfielder? Well apparently Jose Guillen wants out of Kansas City. Sources close to the situation indicate that Guillen does not get along with Manager Trey Hillman and wants out. Guillen is in the first year of a three year, $36million deal that he signed in the offseason. I questioned this signing, as Guillen has always been a clubhouse cancer; however, GM Dayton Moore took a flyer on Guillen hoping he could provide a spark to a lineup and clean up his act. The spark has not really been there all year and its clear Guillen has not cleaned up his act. Good luck finding someone to take on Guillen, unless you are willing to eat at least half his contract. The Royals may also trade left handed relief pitcher Ron Mahay who has one year left on a two year, $8 million signed in the fall. Left handed RP's are coveted and the Royals should move Mahay if they feel they can get decent prospects.
The likely scenario if the trade occurs would be Manny going to L.A. for either Outfielders Matt Kemp or Andre Eithier and some prospects. Boston may ask L.A. to throw in a relief pitcher, considering their bullpen is looking gassed at this time of the year. The key factor in all of this is Manny accepting a trade. Would Manny be open to playing for Joe Torre and reuniting with Nomar Garciaparra? In addition, Frank McCourt will have to be open to taking on more salary this year as the deal will likely result in an increase in payroll. Will the biggest trade since Alex Rodriguez went to the Yankees go down? Stay tuned.
I was also going to write tonight that the Anaheim Angels need to trade for Atlanta Braves first baseman Mark Texiera and just this afternoon the deal went down. Texiera was sent to Anaheim for 1B Casey Kotchmann and another prospect. The deal now gives Anaheim the bat they need to contend in the AL Playoffs this year. Anaheim appears to have the AL West all but locked up; however, their lineup was not nearly solid enough to compete in the playoffs.
Want a disgruntled outfielder? Well apparently Jose Guillen wants out of Kansas City. Sources close to the situation indicate that Guillen does not get along with Manager Trey Hillman and wants out. Guillen is in the first year of a three year, $36million deal that he signed in the offseason. I questioned this signing, as Guillen has always been a clubhouse cancer; however, GM Dayton Moore took a flyer on Guillen hoping he could provide a spark to a lineup and clean up his act. The spark has not really been there all year and its clear Guillen has not cleaned up his act. Good luck finding someone to take on Guillen, unless you are willing to eat at least half his contract. The Royals may also trade left handed relief pitcher Ron Mahay who has one year left on a two year, $8 million signed in the fall. Left handed RP's are coveted and the Royals should move Mahay if they feel they can get decent prospects.
Monday, July 28, 2008
YouTube Video of the Day
I will post daily videos from YouTube that I enjoy. This is my #1 video ever.
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