Just a quick post today, and I mean quick!
Georgetown over Ohio State
UCLA over Florida
Did you notice my NIT prediction came through? I guess I'm better with that loser tournament than I am with the real one.
Well, I have just about lost all hope of winning in my tourney pool. When Butler failed to knock off the defending champ Florida, and Tennessee squandered away a 20 point lead to the Buckeyes, I knew that I was going to have to hope for the PAC-10 to come on strong in this round in order for me to have a shot. North Carolina losing to Georgetown wouldn't be all that bad either.
I love a pair of the match ups in this round, namely UCLA and Kansas squaring off in the West region. UCLA is my pick to win it all, but I love the way Kansas plays. Add in the fact all of the history and tradition behind the Bruins and the Jayhawks, and this makes for the most storied game. I like how Oregon plays and that is why I'm picking them in the Midwest region over Florida. But maybe I'm just mad because I had Florida losing a while ago. Shame on me.
Same goes for Ohio State. There is no way the Buckeyes should still be playing but, probably to spite me, they find ways to win. No way that continues against Memphis though, the team I've got playing the Bruins in the Final.
I didn't pick North Carolina or Georgetown to make it this far, but they did. For the sake of the pool though, I'm rooting for those Big East dogs, Georgetown. Go Hoyas.
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Bracket I'm most confident with heading into round three: Still the West region (UCLA knocking off Kansas). It's the only match up I have guessed correctly this far.
Bracket I'm least confident with: Forget the East region because I don't have either team playing. I'm going to say the Midwest region because Florida is the team I would least like to see win (for pool purposes only) otherwise it'd be DUH Ohio State University. I feel confident that Memphis won't squander away a game to the Buckeyes like Xavier and Tennessee have already done.
Final Four picks: Oregon, UCLA, Memphis, Texas
Elite Eight Teams remaining: 5
Today's bold prediction: Oregon will beat Florida. Maybe not that bold, but everybody else is picking Florida. Quack. Quack. Quack. Watch for the Flying V!
Raise your hand if you have your Final Four teams remaining.
Let the record show that I did not raise my hand, thanks to USC drubbing my
I still feel good about half of my Final Four, but the sake of my pool, I'm a huge
Nervous about my Florida-Maryland Butler match-up? Definitely. Would I be surprised if
On a side note, I never did comment on how I'm pleased that the NCAA went back to calling each region by one of the cardinal directions, rather than after a city. Instead of the
Take a look at my most and least confident regions below and compare them to my previous post. Funny how one round changes everything.
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Bracket I'm most confident with heading into round three: West region (UCLA and Kansas moving on)
Bracket I'm least confident with: East region (I've got Texas beating UNC and Boston College beating Washington State)
Final Four picks: Oregon, UCLA, Memphis, Texas
Sweet 16 teams remaining: 9
Elite Eight Teams remaining: 5
Today's bold prediction: Take Clemson to beat the Syracuse Crybabies, er....Orangemen in the battle of the Orange in the NIT, but take West Virginia to win it all.
Anybody who thought Penn had a chance at beating Texas A&M after their comeback was probably just caught up in the momentum. Sure enough, it didn't last long. I love the Philly teams and would love to see Penn stop teasing us with their close games in which they don't have enough steam to go the distance. That is why the first round was a little dissappointing for the local fans.
Some good games out there in the first round, but no real eye openers I believe. I got only 22 games right in my bracket in the first round. I initially picked Michigan State to beat Marquette before learning that Marquette's top scorer would be out with an injury. However, fo some reason, on my pool with a couple buddies I picked Marquette. That cost me as now I'm behind by two instead of one. The Big Ten did me in actually as Purdue had an easier time with Arizona than I wanted and Indiana was able to get by Gonzaga in Sacramento. My upset picks of Arkansas over USC, Albany over Virginia and Creighton over Nevada also fell apart on me.
I, like everyone in my pool, picked Villanova over Kentucky. But watching the game last night, I got the sense pretty early on that Kentucky would pull away eventually. Nova's problem was finding an answer to the big man and finding some consistent scoring. So Villanova's season is over in the first round, but I still think they had a good year and they'll be a good team again for a long time coming as long coach Jay Wright stays there doing what he is doing. Whoever won the game, I was still picking Kansas in round two.
The good news for my bracket is every team that I picked to win in round one that lost, I picked them to lose their next game (except for Illinois), so I still have a decent chance heading into round two.
Check back for my round two recap on Monday night and we'll see how I'm doing heading into the Sweet 16.
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Bracket I'm most confident with heading into round two: East region (Texas advancing past Boston College
Bracket I'm least confident with: West region (missed four games already)
Final Four picks: Oregon, UCLA, Memphis, Texas
Sweet 16 teams remaining: 16
Today's bold prediction: Despite a 5-1 record, the Big Ten will be shut out of the Elite Eight
Well actually, it already has! This week get ready for conference tournaments going left and right. This is when the bubble teams really decide their fate. I think Villanova is already in but a win or two in the Big East tournament would just solidify their spot in the tourney even more. MY early season prediction of Drexel making it may have fallen a little short and been a victim to their early season success. Look for Drexel to make a run in the NIT.
And here's another prediction; Syracuse will win a Big East tourney game and everybody will think the Orangemen should get a spot in the NCAA tournament and Jim Boeheim will be interviewed on ESPN every three and a half hours on Sportscenter, PTI, halftimes and pregames. It just wouldn't be March without it.
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Phillies Spring Training Thoughts...
Anybody who thinks Ryan Howard got shunned with his $900,000 contract doesn't understand how baseball contracts work. This isn't the NBA where you can come right out of high school (or freshman year of college now) and earn a $25 million shoe contract and make millions without ever suiting up for your team. The good thing about baseball is you have to serve your time and prove yourself worthy of the big money. Howard had a great year last year and deserves more money. He will get it, as long as he proves to the Phillies that he is the man that earns the money. Critics of the deal should take note of the Sixers organization. Howard's not going anywhere and he will get millions... in due time.
What am I looking for this spring training?
1.) Middle relief pitching to develop
2.) Tom Gordon to be healthy as the closer
3.) Possible trade of Jon Lieber for some middle relief
4.) Pat Burrell getting a good start and getting his swing together
5.) Aaron Rowand memorizing how far it is until the walls and Chase Utley
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And a couple off-topic topics...not there is ever a set topic or topics. Too many topics?
- It is good seeing Lisa Thomas Laury back on Action News. I know many of my friends prefer Action News BY FAR over the others in the Philadelphia area, and for me it is good to see one of the older familiar faces back.
- You know mayoral elections are reaching a new heights when they start inviting you to be their friends on MySpace. True story.
Once upon a time Donovan McNabb got injured and Koy Detmer stepped into his place. Detmer proceeded to get injured and young AJ Feeley became the starter of an Eagles team that went to the NFC championship (although under McNabb in the postseason). Fans loved Feeley and some were even dull enough to believe the Eagles were a better team with him as the starter rather than McNabb. Feeley then went off to play in San Diego and Miami, before returning to Philadelphia.
In the meantime a man named Jeff Garcia signed a contract with the Eagles to be the backup for McNabb. The deal was if McNabb were to go down, Garcia would command the ship on the field in his absence. Sure enough McNabb went down and the fans clamored for Feeley to play. Garcia got the nod, heard the boos in his first full game, and the AJ fever continued. But then a funny thing happened. Garcia lead the Eagles to five straight wins, clinched the NFC East, a home playoff victory and came down to the wire on the road in a playoff loss. Along the way Garcia became the most popular athlete in town since Ryan Howard won the MVP in baseball. Garcia was everywhere. T-shirts were made. Public appearances were scheduled. Garcia was the most popular Eagle since T.O. Admit it.
But now I'm listening to people dogging the Eagles, and perhaps over blowing the situation where the Eagles did not offer Garcia a contract but signed Feeley to a three year deal. I would have liked to see Garcia stay here, but is it really worth the time and energy to debate who the backup quarterback is going to be? Does anybody really think the starting job could possibly go to anybody besides McNabb? If you honestly think McNabb has reason to worry about losing his starting spot, look at the money. Stop worrying about who the backup is. Garcia was fun to watch but in the end he lost in the second round of the playoffs.
If the Eagles are in a situation where we need to know who's filling in for McNabb, the season is very likely a lost cause anyway. So calm down people! It's not exactly like the Eagles are passing on Joe Montana or John Elway here.
Yeah, I know it. I have once again been lacking in the consistency aspect of posting to this wonderful blog, which I am proud that many of you actually read from time to time! Which reminds me, I'm looking to find out exactly who my audience is. So if you are reading this right now, you are required to email me in the next five minutes to let me know that you do indeed read my blog on occasion. If you do not e-mail me you have bad luck in love for the next seven years. Or a piano will fall on your head. It's true. Do you really want to risk that pain and suffering? Email me now.
But in any event, I would like to propose to you, the loyal readers from the great state of Pennsylvania the "Pennsylvania Sports Mt Rushmore", in honor of President's Day. The concept is simple. Like the tourist attraction and landmark, we will carve four profiles of the greatest icons from each of the four major sports (sorry golfers and gearheads) into the side of the Appalachian Mountains. These icons will each have a very important part in Pennsylvania sports for any number of reasons. It is open to people all over the state, from Pittsburgh, to Philadelphia, from Scranton, to Wilkes Barre (Wait, aren't they the same thing? Eh, who cares?). Feel free to debate, although you won't be able to with this one.
Representing the sport of football is none other than Penn State football head coach Joe Paterno. Longevity, honor, and class, not to mention the second all time winningest division 1-a football coach. What will college football (if not just Penn State) be like when Paterno is not on the sidelines anymore?
Hockey is represented by the pride of Pittsburgh, Mario Lemieux. Not only did the man lead the hockey franchise on the ice for so long, when the team was in financial troubles he bought the team! When people think Penguins hockey, they think Mario.
When it comes to baseball, the answer is clearly Mike Schmidt. The best third baseman of all time, ten gold gloves, MVP honors, post season mvp honors, all star games galore, and all for the Phillies of all teams.
And finally basketball. Did you ever know that Wilt Chamberlin once scored 100 points in Hershey? The game wasn't even on tv. To this day over a million people say they were there in the Hershey arena, which hosts about 2,000 people. Wilt is still regarded as the best ever...well, some people argue that point with Michael Jordan. Still though, Wilt is the best of all time and wins his spot on Mt Rushmore in this topic, hands down.
Anybody want to give me a Mt Rushmore for any specific city or state? I'd be interested to hear somebody's take for Maryland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, etc.
After watching the Colts-Patriots AFC Championship game, all I have to say is wow. I say that this was the most exciting conference championship game I've ever watched. It was far more entertaining than the NFC game featuring Da Bears and the feel good New Orleans Saints. The Saints hung in there for a while and looked like they were about to take the game over, but that game just unraveled too fast for them in the fourth quarter. I was rooting for the Saints, but as soon as I saw rookie Reggie Bush scamper for 80+ yards, pointed towards Brian Urlacher on the way before he somersaulted into the end zone, and capped it off with a little jig, I wanted the Bears to be the ones doing the Super Bowl Shuffle.
I must say I'm surprised at how I felt about the Colts winning their game. I've never been a big Peyton Manning fan, but I did find myself feeling good for him once the game was all but wrapped up. With all the pressure and criticism he's gotten since his college days (never being able to beat Florida, and also losing to Penn State twice in bowl games), and all the talk about not winning a big one in the pros, you have to feel good for a guy who finally gets past all of that. Having said that though, if he plays a stinker against the Bears, all of this talk is hogwash.
Who I feel better for actually is Tony Dungy. Dungy has been through pretty much the same deal as Peyton, but form the coaching perspective. Dungy has always had good defenses with Tampa Bay and good offenses with Indianapolis but never could get them past a certain point. The Eagles beat up on Dungy's Bucs time and time again, and the Patriots and Jets put a hurting on his Colts. Tony Dungy is a class act on and off the field. His family has been through a lot in the past few years and I hope he does well in the Super Bowl.
Too early to make my Super Bowl prediction, but I do feel that the Bud Light squad is primed for a victory over Bud in the Bud Bowl.
So we are down to the final four teams in the NFL. We've had some surprises and a lot of excitement thus far and I think we can expect that trend to continue this weekend with the conference championship games. Here's my quick outlook on the match ups.
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots
As has been the case the last few years, the AFC championship is widely being viewed as the "real" Super Bowl. There is no question that these two teams appear stronger than the NFC teams, but let us not get too far ahead of the moment. There will be a lot of talk about Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady (Brady holds a clear advantage in their history). Manning has had another sub-par post season, throwing for five interceptions and one touchdown and has been carried by his defense and the leg of their former Patriot kicker. Brady on the other hand has shown the ability to lead his team and will them to victory as he usually does. Brady hasn't had a flawless post season, but when his team has needed him he has come through. It is no wonder he has a stellar 11-1 post season record. That is just unbelievable.
The Patriots defense will have to come out ready to play and get back to their old ways of frustrating Manning. A couple interceptions, which is likely, would do just that. I don't see the Colts defense holding up the way they have much longer, and if anybody can pick them apart it is Bill Bellicheck. Patriots come out of the RCA Dome AFC Champions for the fourth time in six years. Patriots 27, Colts 17
Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints
This game will concentrate on two major story lines; the magical season the Saints have had and the play of Rex Grossman. The more important story line will be the play of Grossman. Chicago's defense is good but not invincible. Drew Brees is a smart quarterback with a smart coach and a feisty offensive line. With the talents the Saints have at running back it should be a key for them to operate an effective running game even against the Bears. Not that Chicago can't do the same, because the Saints defense is just as vulnerable.
I do believe though that this game will come down more to the elements. I do not believe that it really is a factor when it comes to a championship game, but I can not bypass the history. Teams that play in a dome traditionally do note perform well outside in cold weather, and Chicago is one of the coldest places to play this time of year. I think factors like that bring this game down to the special teams, an area where I believe the Bears have an advantage. We all know the talent the Bears possess on punt and kick returns as well as their kicker Robbie Gould. So, call me nuts if you wish, but I'm picking the Bears to squeak this one out at home, despite Grossman. Bears 27, Saints 24
So today David Beckham signed a $250 million contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. Admit it, you just heard about the Galaxy with this story right?
I love how people actually think this will finally make soccer big in the United States. For anybody who is foolish to believe that, I feel sorry for you. I really do. This could be the absolute worst use of $250 million in this country ever, nudging past Alex Rodriguez. Soccer may be the world's sport, and I'm fine with that, but please don't try to tell me that soccer will finally contend with the sports we already have here for my attention span.
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So Florida demolished Ohio State in the BCS National Championship. Wow. I didn't see that coming, seriously! But now the 41-14 lopsided game is calling the critics of the Big Ten and Ohio State out. ESPN actually did a short story stating why Ohio State should not have even been IN the game! How in the world can anybody be convinced they should NOT have been in the game, before witnessing the beatdown. How insane is that? Ohio State should have been in that game, just as much as Donovan McNabb should be the starting quarterback for the Eagles when he comes back form injury next year. There is no question about it.
Psssst! Ohio State? Your plane for the BCS Championship Game left without you!
I don't know what happened, but the #1 team in the nation all year long got to feel the pain of the Gators chomping on their arteries last night and boy did it hurt! The seven point favorites started falling early when their star receiver, Ted Ginn Jr., left the game with an injury and Heisman trophy winner Troy Smith couldn't do anything to lead the Buckeyes past a faster, hungrier Florida Gator squad. Hats off to Florida coach Urban Meyer, who campaigned for his team to get the BCS title chance nod as the regular season drew to a close. Thumbs down to usually great BCS gameday coach Jim Tressel. I don't care what the circumstances are, you NEVER go for it on 4th and 1 on your own 29 yard line in the first half. Second half is a different story, but NEVER in the first half. I don't care if you're trying to pump your team up. That move right there really did the Buckeyes in for good I believe, as Florida, already up 24-14, went into halftime with a 34-14 lead. Perhaps Tressel was giving the "Charlie Weis" method of not waiting for halftime to make adjustments a whirl. We all know how well that turned out.
So Florida is the national champion. But I say Boise State is the national champion. Using the old "Slippery Rock" logic, Boise State beat Wyoming, who beat New Mexico, who beat Colorado State, who beat Fresno State, who beat Southern Methodist, who beat Tulsa, who beat Navy, who beat Connecticut, who beat Pittsburgh, who beat Cincinnati, who beat Rutgers, who beat Louisville, who beat Kentucky, who beat Georgia, who beat Auburn, who beat Florida. Who needs the BCS? Who wants a playoff?
Meanwhile in baseball world, the Hall of Fame formerly announced two new inductees; Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. These two guys may possibly be the last two inductees who are not already on the ballot, who played for only one team his entire career. Are there any more out there? It is a darn shame that Mark McGwire's controversy is overshadowing the induction of two of the absolute most positive influences baseball has had in a very long time. The other shame is the fact that neither of the two were voted for unanimously. Ripken I could understand, but if you don't vote for Tony Gwynn you fall into two categories:
1. You never vote for a player his first time on the ballot, which to me makes no sense. What makes a player that much great one year later, five years later etc.? If he is great enough to be voted for at ANY point in time, he deserves the vote the first time.
2. You are a moron.
Did you see Notre Dame the other night. I have to hand it to them. They hung in there for about a half before the true fraud Notre Dame surfaced in the second half. Everything about Notre Dame infuriates me.
How many times did I have to hear that Charlie Weis wasn't going to wait until halftime to make adjustments in the game? Fact is EVERY coach in football makes adjustments before halftime. This is nothing new. What, are we supposed to bow to Weis because he did the same thing that every coach who has ever won anything has done before? Maybe Weis should have waited for halftime, because he sure didn't seem to make any adjustments then.
Notre Dame is overrated and over-hyped and it is clear. But as long as they beat their weak schedule nine or ten times every year, which they should, then they will weasel their way into a BCS invitation, especially now with the extra BCS game hanging out there. We need more of Wisconsin (who would have played LSU if the Big Ten didn't already have Ohio State and Michigan in BCS games) and Arkansas or Auburn, and less...much less of Notre Dame.
Here are some related links for your reading pleasure:
ESPN.com - RECRUITING - All-American Bowl: RB McKnight narrows choices
ESPN.com - NCF/BOWLS06 - Notre Dame bowl history
The Daily Advertiser
Temple Daily Telegram
Interesting that ND lost a highly touted recruit, who happens to be from Louisiana. Think being blown out by LSU in the Sugar Bowl had anything to do with it? Nah.
As for the BCS, read this article from ESPN.com about the start of the downfall of college football. It centers around the story of the Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Miami, Good vs. Evil, Joe Pa vs. Jimmy the Hair, and more. It's really quite interesting.
The Night College Football Went to Hell
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The Eagles will beat the Giants. They have too. If they lose this game the season will be viewed as a disaster. After everything they did to get to this point they can not lose a home game against a division rival and have their Cinderella title taken from them and headed up north. The Eagles are better in just about every category except maybe linebacker, but nothing about the Giants scares me. Perhaps I should be scared most of my overconfidence. After all, this is Philadelphia.
Bill Cowher retired today from the Steelers. Something tells me though that he'll be back in some capacity and will be heard from without too long of an absence.
And then I read that Ricky Williams is interested in returning to the Dolphins? Please Ricky, if you're going to be running, run away from the NFL. You have more than outgrown your welcome.
ESPN.com - NFL - Ricky Williams seeking return to NFL, Dolphins
I check this site out just about every day and figured it is time to spread the word about it. If you're interested in free ware, give this link a visit. This ticker is supposed to tell you what the giveaway of the day is every time it changes.
Hello and welcome to the year 2007! 2006 finished off better than expected with the Eagles coming back and winning the NFC East division crown and 2007 got off to a good start with Penn State picking up the first win for the Big Ten conference in bowl play (Wisconsin soon after got the 2nd). So what's going to happen this year? Only time will tell but here are ten things I'm going on record with predicting right now. Some are consensus opinions and thoughts with many and some are a little more bold predictions.
1. Eagles ride will continue to the Super Bowl. They should beat the Giants with relatively no problem. And I believe that experience does count when they play the New Orleans Saints, and they could end up hosting the NFC Championship against Seattle...or Dallas. All bets are off against the Baltimore Ravens though.
2. T.O. will remain in Dallas. Parcells will not.
3. Flyers will miss the playoffs for the first time in a while. The shakeup and reformation will continue with letting Forsberg go and one of the goalies being traded or let go (see ya Esche).
4. Sixers will not get the first overall pick in the NBA draft, but will be top three and will generate some enthusiasm with a quality draft.
5. Phillies make the playoffs, clinching the NL East thanks in large part to Mets pitching to start the season due to injuries and the fact that Barry Zito went to San Francisco. Ryan Howard's homerun total drops from 2006 but still hits 40 easily.
6. Penn State returns to a BCS Bowl after 11-1 season, beating Notre Dame and Ohio State along the way...lose at Michigan.
7. Barry Bonds sits out any number of games due to a knee "injury" while the Giants are on the road, and plays in only home games until he breaks Hank Aaron's record.
8. One Philadelphia team (Villanova) out of three (Penn and Drexel) make it to the Sweet 16. Penn State joins them.
9. Bobby Bowden announces his retirement, having already given back the career record for all time coaching victories back to Joe Paterno, and leaves Paterno a clear path to cushioning the space between them.
10. Donovan McNabb wins comeback player of the year.
There you go. We'll check back in 2008 to see how close I got with this list! To everybody, thanks for reading and have a good, safe and pleasant 2007!
So USC officially blew their shot at the national championship game versus Ohio State, so now we all wait to see if 12-1 Florida, the SEC champion, will get the nod over the once-Buckeye-beaten Michigan Wolverines. I have a bad feeling about this. I think that Michigan will get the nod because I think there will be enough voters in the nation to put them ahead of Florida.
Florida fans may say to look at the schedule to make their case for the championship game, so I did;
Date Opponent Result/Time
September 2 Southern Miss W 34-7
September 9 UCF W 42-0
September 16 at No. 13 Tennessee W 21-20
September 23 Kentucky W 26-7
September 30 Alabama W 28-13
October 7 No. 9 LSU W 23-10
October 14 at No. 11 Auburn L 27-17
October 28 at Georgia W 21-14
November 4 at Vanderbilt W 25-19
November 11 South Carolina W 17-16
November 18 Western Carolina W 62-0
November 25 at Florida State W 21-14
December 2 No. 8 Arkansas W 38-28 (SEC Championship)
Sure, the scores may look impressive at first glance, but I noticed a 62-0 beatdown of a 1AA opponent a squeaker against Vanderbilt and South Carolina and a lowly Florida State squad. They did win the games instead of lose them, and the game they did lose was to a tough opponent on the road. Considering the fact that the tough SEC teams knocked each other around this season, the rankings may seem misleading. But even then, there doesn't seem to be anything that really stands out and yell "Florida should play for the championship!" Is there?
Michigan is a tough one too. They exploited the over-hyped Fighting Irish and went down to the last minute against Ohio State. In between? Solid wins in a Big Ten conference that was probably a little down from last year, except for Wisconsin. So you could make that argument either way.
I'll stand by my philosophy that if you didn't win your own conference championship, then you shouldn't be allowed to play for the national championship (ie Nebraska a few years ago against Miami). How can you proclaim to be the best when you're not even the best in your own conference? Florida should be playing for the BCS Championship for this reason.
I know that Notre Dame probably got lucky with their bowl situation with Arkansas losing as well as Rutgers, but once, just once I'd like to see the bowls not take Notre Dame because of their name. Let's look at their schedule real quick...
September 2 at Georgia Tech W 14-10
September 9 No. 19 Penn State W 41-17
September 16 No. 11 Michigan L 47-21
September 23 at Michigan State W 40-37
September 30 Purdue W 35-21
October 7 Stanford W 31-10
October 21 UCLA W 20-17
October 28 at Navy W 38-14
November 4 North Carolina W 45-26
November 11 at Air Force W 39-17
November 18 Army W 41-9
November 25 at No. 3 USC L 44-24
It is clear that did not rack up their record against quality opponents (and yes I realize Penn State was a win, but have you seen PSU's offense this year?). Navy, North Carolina, Army, Air Force, Stanford are not exactly making anybody shake in their boots these days, are they? But Notre Dame will get invited to a BCS bowl because they are Notre Dame and they did "qualify" with a top 10 BCS ranking. And just like the NCAA basketball tournament, worthy teams will get left out of the big picture (I'm looking your way SEC teams).
The bowl selections will be completed tonight so I'll be eager to write what I think about them in the next couple of days.
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Big Five Prediction!
I realize that Villanova has already played Penn but my Big Five prediction is long overdue! So here it is...
1. Villanova
2. St. Joe's
3. Penn
4. Temple
5. LaSalle
And watch out for the Penn State Nittany Lions to make a run for the NCAA bubble teams because they're off to a good start, while Bucknell, who was supposed to be Top 25 worthy has done nothing to help themselves early in the season.
Well it's Tuesday now so we probably have all had our dose of Thanksgiving leftovers and had a chance to digest the happenings in the sports world and such.
My quick observations and thoughts from the past weekend:
- USC has earned the right to play for the national championship so far, but Florida has a legit argument as to why they should be playing Ohio State instead.
- The Eagles defense is the top problem to deal with, not the offense.
- The Phillies aren't exactly in the World Series talk with the signing of Eaton, but it's not exactly a terrible move.
- The Flyers should start focusing on the draft about two weeks ago.
- With football grabbing the attention on Thanksgiving weekend, you may have missed the college basketball season in full swing.
- If the Red Sox can't sign the Japanese pitcher, then they should be ashamed of themselves to no end (remember, they paid about $50 million just to talk to him).
I know I haven't given my thoughts on the college basketball scene yet, but stay tuned, it'll be up by week's end.
Congratulations Ryan Howard! You have been voted National League MVP! What are you going to do now?
While we'll skip any plug for Mickeytown USA, we should commemorate Howard's first of (maybe of a few) MVP awards. On a day following up another dreadful Eagles loss, a weekend of mediocrity with the Flyers and Sixers, the day that Alfonso Soriano (a player aimed by the Phills to possibly protect Howard in the lineup) signed with the Cubs, and on the same day that former Eagle player from the Buddy Ryan defense that is so heralded in the Philly area, Andre Waters, was found to have committed suicide, it is none other than the genuine, pure, and likeable Ryan Howard who brings a smile to everybody's faces on the cold dreary days of November.
Howard deserved the MVP award without a doubt. You could make a good case for Albert Pujols as well, but Howard is exactly the kind of player and person you want to see win the award. Let's face it, how much more unlike Barry Bonds can he be? Howard is a power hitter and a threat at the plate every chance he gets, but what's more is his genuine relationship with the fans of Philadelphia. In his short time here he has done nothing to alienate the fans and everything to re-energize them. The Phillies may not be World Series contenders anytime soon, but Howard, alongside Chase Utley, provides a reason to be interested in the club from April through September, and possibly October in the future.
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The Greatest Game Ever Played
Did you see the Michigan-Ohio State regular season finale? I was hesitant to think it would live up to the pregame hype. I was wrong. As much as I may dislike the Buckeyes, I am able to put my prejudice aside to state what a great game that was. And because I have seen it, I am in the party that declares that there should be no rematch for the championship game, unless Michigan finds itself as the only one loss team (or tied with Notre Dame). It may be difficult for the rematch to happen with USC and Florida still in prime position to get their shot at the Buckeyes, and I realize that there is a computer system put in place to determine these results for us.
As a supporter for some form of a playoff system I will always cry fowl at whatever the BCS throws our way, but at the same time, if so many people have a problem with it, then why do their conferences continue to support such a system. If the SEC has a problem with a one loss Florida not playing for the championship, then they should make the first move and pull out of the BCS games all together. Same with the Pac Ten, Big East or whoever. That is the only way a change will ever happen. And because a conference would never give up all the bowl money that would come their way, obviously we will be stuck with this format for quite some time. The BCS does do one thing right though, and that is to create more debates and conversations about college football.
So ESPN is hyping this Saturday as Judgement Day in college football. I find it hard to argue that when the top two teams in the country are meeting in the last regular season game for a spot in the national championship game and the third team in the BCS is battling an in state rival for the Pac 10 championship and the prospect of playing the winner of Ohio State-Michigan. This is an exciting weekend for college football fans, not just for these two games but for a slew of other rivalry games (Alabama-Auburn is a great one, Harvard-Yale is a classic, Lehigh-Lafayette too) and the start of the division two and three playoffs. College football is great, so let's enjoy the games, the rivalry games, the playoffs, the Heisman and Harlon Hill candidates, and the debates about who should be in the championship game. For the record I say that the loser of Ohio State-Michigan should not play for the championship.
As for the Big East, I don't think they will get a team in the championship game, even if Rutgers does go undefeated. First of all, as good as the Rutgers defense is, I don't know if they can contain Steve Slaton or Pat White nearly enough when they play West Virginia. And make no mistake, even if you shut one down, which is near impossible, you won't shut the other down. And if WVU runs the table the rest of the way they need a lot to happen. Louisville has already squandered their opportunity as well.
And for the Notre Dame fans crying their way to the title game, please. Once again Notre Dame has a very respectable record, but compare their record to a one loss team from the SEC and it is easy to determine which team would be more deserving of a shot in the BCS title game. Like last year, and every year, Notre Dame piles up wins and stats against lesser opposition like Navy, Army, Air Force. If Notre Dame beats USC then we have a debate, but if they end up with the same record as Michigan, how do you make that argument?
Speaking of the SEC, their shot at getting a championship game spot are also slim. They will be big Notre Dame fans next week, and I suppose Ohio State fans this week. But don't expect everything to work out the way the SEC seems to always think it should. Their teams have flaws just like everyone else, plus they may all knock each other out along the way through the SEC championship.
And now this weekends six pack of games for you.
Eagles over Titans
Saints over Bengals
Chargers over Broncos
Penn State over Michigan State
Ohio State over Michigan
West Chester over Bryant
Finally, for the first time all season, I won a football pool. My fantasy team may have been blown out of the water, but it feels good to have won the football pool no matter what happens Monday night.
It was nice to see the Eagles pick up a win over the Redskins, and to see the defense play well. Despite scoring 20 points, I still think there were issues with the offense at key times. Playoff teams score ate least once when they get three consecutive drives starting on the opposing team's half of the field, and do not go three and out. I'd like to see improvement in that situation.
I didn't have it in my blog, but my AIM profile can verify that I went 5-1 in my Weekend Six Pack (I picked the Steelers, Eagles, Bears, Penn State, Shippensburg, and Tennessee who lost to Arkansas).
So finally the hoopla can begin for Ohio State - Michigan. I'd rather see Michigan pull it out, but that's just for pure disdain for the Buckeyes. Either way, I'm looking forward to an awesome game from these two bitter rivals. I guess though, that my BCS dream matchup of Rutgers-Boise State is out of the question.
Is anyone else glad to see college basketball getting started up once again? Who wouldn't be? What with Duke about to be shown 50 times this year once more, even though they only play 30 some games, ESPN will find a way to give us more and more Duke. Even though I suppose it's a little late, I'll be putting together my thoughts on some college basketball of local interest in the coming week, so stay tuned.
The more I see, the more I'm confirming my belief that the Flyers really just aren't any good. I'm thinking more and more that they do stink and they can't turn it around to the way the Flyers are accustomed. New rules, new league, same old Flyers. Doesn't quite work.
Remember when the Sixers were undefeated? That was a nice week. Now they're battling it out for the 8th seed. It's a good thing there's a lot of basketball to play!
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