Work has forced me to delay this until late in the day, but hopefully I can get the most out of another opportunity to look silly this weekend- and no, I am not talking about my Halloween costume. Though maybe that too, we’ll see. Lots to get to, so let’s line up for the kick…
Yanks Even the Series at 1-1
This was still a great start for the Phillies, who have wrested homefield advantage from the Yankees and had a chance to win last night. That was an exemplary performance from Pedro Martinez where I expected him to implode last night, but the Phillies were unable to get runners across when they needed to and that right field wall was again kind to the New York hitters. Of course, it was that same jet stream that helped Utley homer twice in the opener. Now we travel to Philadelphia where the park will again be friendly to power hitters of both teams, and Cole Hamels will look to rediscover his magic from last year’s postseason.
I still don’t trust the back end of the Phil’s rotation, and if they have to go into that bullpen with a tied game in the 8th, I have to think that the Yankees will score first. Not that the Yankees bullpen has been lights out either… Still, the pressure is on Philadelphia to make the most out of their 3 games at home. It won’t be easy to take one (much less two) games in New York in Games 6 or 7.
Brett Favre Returns to Green Bay
Just kidding, I will let every single other sports outlet cover this story. They can have it, I am burned out on Favre.
Jeff Datz Hired as O’s Bench Coach
I am no expert on MLB coaching staffs (though I wouldn’t be surprised if Falco knew all about them), but this seems like a solid hire to me. He has 29 years of major league experience, he has been a player (something Trembley was not and at times could have taken away from his legitimacy in the clubhouse), and most importantly, he played as a catcher. He will be able to serve as a mentor to Matt Wieters but is not a “hot” manager-in-waiting who will threaten Dave Trembley’s authority. Yes, he was with the Indians when they went into free fall over the last couple seasons, but I won’t fault the bench coach for the team’s failure. Datz is a good pickup, and seems to know the game. He isn’t a flashy name, but who were you expecting, Davey Johnson?
Sports Leagues Silencing Critics Instead of Changing for the Better
Okay, so the SEC is now fining coaches who criticize the refs following a set of massive gaffes that helped Alabama and Florida stay undefeated in recent games. The Redskins have banned signs in the stadium after fans started criticizing the ownership. Bud Selig has shut the door on expanded replay right as his umpires commit horrible mistakes in the postseason. Earlier this season, the Coaches Poll mulled making their ballots secret to avoid criticizing coaches for their individual ballots that were self-serving or uninformed. It seems like every league is electing to punish their critics or hide their acknowledged failings rather than confront them and make change for the better. They would rather sit back and hope that nothing goes wrong for the rest of the season, and we over time forget until the next controversial move.
Believe it or not, the SEC, Redskins, MLB, and the Coaches Poll officials could learn something from an unlikely league- the NHL. Hockey has not been afraid of changing rules- even in the middle of the postseason- in order to make the game better. When did these leagues forget that there was a game involved, a sport that needed to be nurtured and maintained even as players, coaches, and schemes changed? The integrity of sports has been violated by their only arbiters, the leagues and conferences that support them. We the fans are left with this intentionally imperfect product, with the commissioners’ pride taking precedence over what made the games great to begin with.
And the lack of signs in the stadium? Come on Dan Snyder, a big boy like you should be able to handle a little bit of criticism. If you can handle watching the team you put together, you should have a pretty thick skin by now.
Weekend Prediction:
Should I even do this anymore? Okay, I will take another shot at this after getting burned since my first attempt. Looking at the sports landscape, I try to take picks that I still think will happen but are a little bit of a stretch. I am not going to sit here and predict Arizona over Carolina or Jacksonville over Tennessee, but how about taking another stab at college football? I am drinking the Oregon Kool-Aid, as they have thumped every team since Boise State, and regardless of the Pete Carroll love-fest USC has not looked consistently great for any stretch this season. The nod goes to the Ducks, 38-35.
Showing posts with label Southern Cal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Southern Cal. Show all posts
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, September 26, 2008
Free Kicks
I saw it. I flipped over to the USC-Oregon State game as an afterthought when I realized I had already seen that episode of “First 48”. Then things got interesting. In the summer you forget the sudden-ness of football, the feeling that you know on that play that things will change for one way or the other. There are no fouling off pitches in football. There was nothing more exciting than watching USC line up for the onside kick...
God I Love Thursday Football
I shuddered when I saw the students start to claw over the walls with 2:39 left to go in the game. I winced when I saw Mike Riley doused with Gatorade with 1:40 left and an onside kick yet to play, clinging to a 6 point lead. I had seen all of this before. USC would somehow come back and steal a game they had no business winning. But then Oregon State recovered the onside kick and the celebration could begin in Corvallis. How incredible is college football? Let’s be honest, no one really thought that Oregon State could beat Southern Cal… again. This team that was throttled by Penn State and Stanford took apart the Trojans from start to finish.
Then again, USC has had a tendency to give away the easy one lately- be it to Stanford or Oregon State, they seem to wilt when facing a team that refuses to be intimidated. Either way, I love games like this. In the NFL, a 1-9 team beating an 8-2 team is unusual, but not Earth shattering; the league is built on parity. College Football is built on a hierarchy, of Storied Programs, Major Conferences, Mid-Majors, FBS, etc etc. It is so much sweeter to watch that hierarchy turned on its head.
It’s Almost Funny… Nope, Still Depressing
Matt Millen is gone. I will spare you the diatribe about how terrible a General Manager he was, that will be all over the news. The more important thing to consider is the future of the Lions. The city of Detroit will shrug their shoulders and give a weak smile, but the problems of the Lions will likely remain for years to come. This is a team that just seems snake-bitten with incompetence at all levels. People will applaud Bill Ford Jr. for his statements and subsequent pressure to remove Millen, but we shouldn’t be too excited. The Fords have never cared much about the quality of their product on the field.
Like Peter Angelos, they care about keeping butts in the seats. They knew that the fan base had reached its breaking point. Lions fans are loyal fans, but even their spirits have limits- a statewide depression lasting over a decade long and 8.9% unemployment will drag down the willingness to shell out a few thousand to watch a football team go 4-12. The Fords are following in Angelos’ footsteps- do nothing until the fans start to turn away, and then fire some executives to make it look like real changes are being made. It won’t be until the Lions enjoy a couple more seasons of failure that a complete overhaul will be made. The slogan for this year’s Lions reads “Do You Believe in Now?” No, we don’t. Don't ask again for another few years.
Now That’s Some Job Security
The Mets have awarded GM Omar Minaya a 4-year extension, and I actually don’t have a huge problem with giving him an extension. I do raise an eyebrow about giving him an extension NOW. I mean, this tells the fans that where they are is okay, that possibly missing the playoffs after a sizeable September lead is more than acceptable. I am not arguing that Minaya is to blame for the 2007 or 2008 collapses, but that the organization cannot start patting itself on the back just yet. Remember, the only reason they are still tied for the wildcard is because the Brewers decided to lose 5 out of 14 during one stretch earlier this month. Minaya put this team together, and if this team fails to make the playoffs with a $140,000,000 payroll, fans will have to question what they are paying for. If you have the second highest payroll in the majors to work with, you better be able to put together a playoff team. If not, then maybe there IS a problem with the GM.
God I Love Thursday Football
I shuddered when I saw the students start to claw over the walls with 2:39 left to go in the game. I winced when I saw Mike Riley doused with Gatorade with 1:40 left and an onside kick yet to play, clinging to a 6 point lead. I had seen all of this before. USC would somehow come back and steal a game they had no business winning. But then Oregon State recovered the onside kick and the celebration could begin in Corvallis. How incredible is college football? Let’s be honest, no one really thought that Oregon State could beat Southern Cal… again. This team that was throttled by Penn State and Stanford took apart the Trojans from start to finish.
Then again, USC has had a tendency to give away the easy one lately- be it to Stanford or Oregon State, they seem to wilt when facing a team that refuses to be intimidated. Either way, I love games like this. In the NFL, a 1-9 team beating an 8-2 team is unusual, but not Earth shattering; the league is built on parity. College Football is built on a hierarchy, of Storied Programs, Major Conferences, Mid-Majors, FBS, etc etc. It is so much sweeter to watch that hierarchy turned on its head.
It’s Almost Funny… Nope, Still Depressing Matt Millen is gone. I will spare you the diatribe about how terrible a General Manager he was, that will be all over the news. The more important thing to consider is the future of the Lions. The city of Detroit will shrug their shoulders and give a weak smile, but the problems of the Lions will likely remain for years to come. This is a team that just seems snake-bitten with incompetence at all levels. People will applaud Bill Ford Jr. for his statements and subsequent pressure to remove Millen, but we shouldn’t be too excited. The Fords have never cared much about the quality of their product on the field.
Like Peter Angelos, they care about keeping butts in the seats. They knew that the fan base had reached its breaking point. Lions fans are loyal fans, but even their spirits have limits- a statewide depression lasting over a decade long and 8.9% unemployment will drag down the willingness to shell out a few thousand to watch a football team go 4-12. The Fords are following in Angelos’ footsteps- do nothing until the fans start to turn away, and then fire some executives to make it look like real changes are being made. It won’t be until the Lions enjoy a couple more seasons of failure that a complete overhaul will be made. The slogan for this year’s Lions reads “Do You Believe in Now?” No, we don’t. Don't ask again for another few years.
Now That’s Some Job Security
The Mets have awarded GM Omar Minaya a 4-year extension, and I actually don’t have a huge problem with giving him an extension. I do raise an eyebrow about giving him an extension NOW. I mean, this tells the fans that where they are is okay, that possibly missing the playoffs after a sizeable September lead is more than acceptable. I am not arguing that Minaya is to blame for the 2007 or 2008 collapses, but that the organization cannot start patting itself on the back just yet. Remember, the only reason they are still tied for the wildcard is because the Brewers decided to lose 5 out of 14 during one stretch earlier this month. Minaya put this team together, and if this team fails to make the playoffs with a $140,000,000 payroll, fans will have to question what they are paying for. If you have the second highest payroll in the majors to work with, you better be able to put together a playoff team. If not, then maybe there IS a problem with the GM.
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