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November 30, 2005

MLB Jeopardizes 2006 Season For Nationals

"Given my travel schedule and steroids and everything else, I've been sidetracked."

This was a quote from Major League Baseball's Commissioner, Bud Selig, as given to the Washington Times on November 18, 2005. He was referring to the ongoing interview process of potential ownership for the Washington Nationals baseball team, which was relocated to Washington, DC from Montreal, Canada, just prior to the 2005 season and now makes RFK Memorial Stadium its temporary home. But Mr. Selig's quote only references part of the ongoing troubles of a ball club in total limbo, forcing it into a state of unpreparedness for the 2006 MLB season.

Not unlike the on-again off-again dash to finalize an agreement with the city of Washington, DC in December of 2004, the end of 2005 looms as a potential death knell to getting a stadium built, a lease agreement finalized, and the installation of an owner or ownership group in the near future. In order for a general manager, field manager, and coaches to be named, the future owner must be chosen and ratified by 29 MLB owners. As long as MLB continues to haggle over the 2004 agreement with the city of Washington, DC, which was rushed and was arguably a poorly-drafted document according to DC City Council members and community activists, the Washington Nationals have less and less opportunities to sign free agents and attract management personnel.

The agreement made between the city of Washington, DC and MLB last December was dependent upon the city to build a stadium for the Nationals by 2008. In order to do so, the city must raise the capital through the sale of bonds to publicly finance the $535 million price tag. However, the cost of the stadium has risen due to unanticipated construction and raw material expenditures and now the key features which the original plans called for such as an underground parking garage, escalators and elevators, improved roads outside the stadium, and expanded Metro train platforms jeopardize the success of not only the stadium, but the gentrified area surrounding it.

The aides of Mayor Anthony Williams, who negotiated the stadium agreement with MLB, estimated that the stadium of 41,000 seats would cost $395 million. However, no money was allocated for infrastructure such as the roads and Metro platforms as they assumed that the federal government or Metro itself would pick up the tab. Additionally, Natwar M. Gandhi, the city's CFO, raised the estimated cost since the water for the stadium was not included in the original agreement. The architects chosen for the stadium's design also escalated the original cost of $244 million to $337 million as land costs could now be as high as $98 million, but not certain. The ceiling now for the stadium, based upon whose calculator you believe, but supposedly set by the City Council, now stands at $535 million.

With a final stadium architectural plan still yet to be approved, the mayor believes that either MLB, the federal government, private developers, or even the new owner should pick up the tab on the ancillary costs not accounted for in the $535 million bargain. Should MLB, private developers, or the federal government not chip in, then the taxpayers of Washington, DC will be left holding the bill for the balance, which was what started all of the arguments a year ago. Therefore, millions of dollars earmarked for other projects for the city of Washington, DC, such as improvements in homeland security first-responders, would be sacrificed.

But it gets better. Have your eyes glazed over yet trying to comprehend the numbers? Well, here are some more. Also holding this whole thing up is a $6 million lease agreement that the city says that MLB is responsible for, but is being contested by MLB. And the stadium's financing is contingent upon the lease agreement, as bond raters will not provide grade ratings until the agreement has been executed. The complete financing plan must be in place prior to Christmas 2005 in order to begin the process of selling bonds. It will be another race to the finish line much like last year.

However, had not Bud Selig procrastinated last year, there would not have been such a rush in the end and the agreement would have had more time given for better cost estimates and more time for bids on an architectural design. Such failures have come back to haunt the Nationals a year later.

At issue with the lease agreement is MLB's argument that the lease agreement must be in place prior to selecting a new owner for the team, while the city wants a guarantee in writing that MLB will pay $6 million a year for the lease of the stadium. Yet, MLB says the agreement was to have included money for the lease. In addition, the city is asking for a $24 million letter of credit from MLB in the event the stadium cannot be completed due to a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or even a MLB strike. And should other resources fail to come through, they are also requesting MLB for an agreement of $20 million for the underground parking.

But the missing quotient in this whole scenario is the missing owner. Had there be an owner in place by now, it would then be up to such owner whether or not they want to pay for a lease. At the very least, they could offer input on the design of the stadium and cost containment and work directly with the city rather than the city indirectly asking promises of MLB, which may never come to pass.

But Selig has been "sidetracked." MLB has missed six of its own self-imposed deadlines to appoint a buyer for the team. To date, Commissioner Selig has only interviewed five of the eight interested groups having failed to address any more prospective candidates since September. So is that the fault of the city of Washington, DC, too? First, Selig said he would choose an owner by the spring of 2005, then it was the 4th of July, only to replaced by the date of the All-Star Game, and since then, we have seen the date of the beginning of the MLB playoffs, the World Series, and the November owners' meetings come and go as other promised deadlines, to no avail.

The reality is that regardless of the details of the agreements on construction and financing, the longer MLB drags its feet on getting an owner in place for the Nationals, the closer it gets to the 2006 season without management in place. And as it is, the prerogative of the new owner to choose new management, without it, deals and trades cannot be accomplished. Manager Frank Robinson, as well as General Manager Jim Bowden, is twisting in the wind regarding their jobs. But even more importantly, and even if they are dismissed, it will take time for any new manager or General Manager to get organized, let alone basically re-build the team all over again. New players are not looking to go to a team with no management or guarantees of potential salaries or management's ability to ensure that a good team awaits blue-chip free agents.

As good as the Nationals were in their overachieving first half of 2005, with a 50-31 record, they tailed off dramatically after the All-Star Break with a record of 31-50. Nevertheless, they finished with a .500 record. But trading for additional personnel was part of the problem during the season and is crucial to the Nationals now. For a team being sold by MLB in the amount of $450 million, a payroll of $50 million pales in comparison.

"It's not fair to this ball-club and this organization to be put in this position for the coming season because we're behind on moves and things we can do and approaching players, the free agent market, either signing free agents or even really seriously talking to them. Just overall, the feeling and the atmosphere around this ball club is that we're at a disadvantage," according to manager Frank Robinson. He has been the consummate professional in taking over the helm of the disenfranchised Montreal Expos and now Washington Nationals during the past four seasons, which initially was to be a one-year deal for him and then perhaps going to the front office to help manage the transition between cities and the release of MLB ownership of the club to a new owner.

Frank Robinson's coaching staff has been directed by Jim Bowden to start looking for new jobs. This has also angered Frank, and the Nationals are very close to losing Robinson, even if the new owners wish to retain his services. He has worked with virtually no payroll, and in two different cities in two different countries, for four years. And in one of those years his team played a third of their games in Puerto Rico. But Robinson is not the only upset party in this twisted tale, which could largely have been avoided. The Mayor of Washington, DC is upset, certain members of the City Council are at odds, the residents of Washington, DC are concerned with absorbing potential cost overruns, and the candidates who want own the team are anxious.

Finally, the players, manager, and coaches of the 2005 Nationals deserve better and fans of MLB are being taken for granted. Without ticket prices set nor a television contract in place, it will be difficult to continue to generate as much interest in 2006 as in 2005 in Washington, DC, since fans want a good team put on the field, too. And now that its maiden voyage is over, any success the Washington Nationals enjoy in 2006 will be in spite of Commissioner Selig, not because of him.

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 6:51 PM | Comments (0)

The NFL's Transition Years

Before the salary cap, some NFL teams would dominate the professional football landscape for a number of years. As aging veterans retired and coaches moved on however, the team would recede back into the pack only to rise again some years later.

As dominate teams started to fade, a noticeable transition could be seen. Other teams would step up as start their era of elite-team status. In the salary cap era, the transition period can be one season instead of a slow progression.

This NFL season is proving to be a transition year as some notable contenders may very well be on their way to pretender status instead of contender. The first 33 years of the Super Bowl (1967-1999) saw 13 different teams win the big game. Since 2000, four different teams have won the last six Super Bowls, with teams like the Ravens, Buccaneers, Rams, and Patriots taking the title.

Those names are not among the winners on the Lombardi Trophy for any of the previous 33 championships. From 1967-1999, certain teams would be dominate, then recede, only to rise again in a kind of championship cycle. Why? Was the cause of this cycle for these 13 teams a "commitment to excellence," more money to pay star players, and top-notch football savy throughout the team operations?

Probably a little of each.

We all know that NFL was a different era then. Big market teams with big pockets had an advantage over the Houstons and Minnesotas. While these cities could produce some winning years, a continued presence in the big games was reserved for Dallas, Pittsburgh, Miami, New York, Washington, and Los Angeles/Oakland.

However, even in this era of dynasty football, transitions took place.

While the saying, "the road to the Super Bowl runs through Dallas" was probably created in Dallas, there isn't disputing that the Cowboys were a historically important team when it comes to talking about NFL playoff history.

The Ice Bowl, Jackie Smith's drop, and Danny White deciding to call a play instead of just drawing the Redskins off-sides are a part of the Dallas mystique and memories of a team with an expectation for winning.

But Dallas had its down periods. QB Roger Staubach was never really replaced until the Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson years.

The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s also stepped back into the shadows after Terry Bradshaw and the Steel Curtain turned into mortal football players.

It isn't a surprise then to see that in today's salary cap NFL, teams also fade away from being "the big game on the schedule" to "any given Sunday."

The biggest fall this season is, without a doubt, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Even without the Terrell Owens mess and before Donovan McNabb was lost for the season, the window on the Eagles was closing. The Eagles had been to four consecutive NFC Championship Games and that streak was due to end, just like similar streaks for the 1975-1977 Los Angeles Rams, 1981-1983 Dallas Cowboys, 1991-1994 Buffalo Bills, and 1974-1978 Oakland Raiders.

No one wins forever, and the Eagles were due to start losing. The running game was becoming non-existent, veterans got older, and other teams just start catching up.

The reasons why the days of Eagle dominance are over for now may be more complicated, but the job now is to return to the top and make their winning a cycle instead of a blip on the radar screen.

While the Eagles struggle in a tough division, the New England Patriots are almost being given a pass in their division as they struggle almost as much as the Eagles.

While the Patriots don't have the headline stories of player discontent like the Eagles do, they are also beginning a downswing. The Patriots managed their injuries last season, but are having more trouble this year. Where WR Troy Brown could step in and play DB last season, there aren't many stories this year of heroic Patriots other than the return of Tedy Bruschi. While this is a great story, the ending doesn't have Bruschi making a big-play interception or pass reception that will result in a championship.

The Patriots have simply taken on too much damage to recover. The playoffs are in the future because of the weak division, but the strong AFC has too many teams ready to knock off the champs.

While we all can speculate on the kind of season the Patriots could have had without key injuries, the loss of both coordinators can't be ignored and in the past has also been an indication that a team is closer to fading than coming on.

Every time a team loses a Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, or Brian Billick, another head coach capable of taking a team to a championship and beating your team is created. Often, the successor is simply not able to imitate or duplicate the success of the former coach and this kind of loss can be devastating for a team.

While the downfall of teams is an interesting story, what is more interesting is who fills that void. A couple of surprises have emerged this season and may be ready to begin a term as the "big dog."

Eli Manning has made a quick transition to a "big game" quarterback. Head coach Tom Coughlin made all the right moves with Manning and took a situation where lots of people were ready to see him fail (especially in San Diego) and allowed him to develop.

The New York Giants are the surprise team of NFC and while talk of a Manning Bowl in Detroit is a bit premature, the Giants are back.

While the Giants are a surprise, likely, their improvement was seen likely given the draft picks and free agents they signed. If Manning performs (and he has) and WR Plaxico Burress can make an impact (and he has), the Giants should have been ready to take the next step.

RB Tiki Barber is one of the best in the business and the defense is also a good one. The Giants saw their plan come together.

How about the Chicago Bears?

They thought QB Rex Grossman was their man (again), but he was injured (again). It looked like another cold season for the Bears as rookie Kyle Orton was going to take the reins, a place where the coaching staff wasn't looking to go.

But after 11 games, the Bears are looking down at the rest of their division and look the favorite to come out on top of the NFC North. Do the Bears have what it takes to stay of top?

We won't know for a few seasons, but if they do become a perennial contender, this could be another example of an injury that gives rise to another Kurt Warner/Trent Green story.

The AFC has their share of transition teams, also.

Marvin Lewis was one of the best coordinators without a head-coaching job on his resume. When he gets his chance, he'll be good one, many thought. When he was brought aboard as the Cincinnati Bengals head coach, Lewis put his plan in place and has the Bengals sitting on top of their division holding their own against the likes of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The formula is similar as that of the Giants. Bring your rookie QB along slowly, don't throw him in the fire immediately. Get a solid RB, find a game-breaking WR, and get rid of those who think losing is a privilege.

No one is comparing Carson Palmer to Boomer Esiason yet, but after a decade of losing records, those who take the Bengals lightly just might be one of the teams on their way down (see: Baltimore Ravens).

While the Indianapolis Colts can't be looked on as a surprise team, the question is if they don't win it this year, is the window still opening or starting to close? Sure, Peyton Manning is the best in the business, but Brett Favre was also, and look what happens when the running game goes into the tank the pass defense resembles a touch-football team.

The Colts have Manning and WR Marvin Harrison for life. But what about Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley? How long will they be happy playing second and third fiddle?

There are teams ready to throw money at these players to be their number one guy and often that will start the fall.

The Colts are only leasing RB Edgerrin James right now. He is their franchise player and has made it clear he isn't happy about that.

DE Dwight Freeney is one of the best in the league, but he can't do it by himself. The Colts' defense looked great early in the year, but has shown that it can still turn games into more of a basketball score.

Beware, Colts fans, Super Bowl or bust means just that.

Posted by Jeff Moore at 6:27 PM | Comments (2)

A Playoff in College Football?

So after last weekend's games, in which Notre Dame managed to qualify for a BCS spot with a 38-31 win over Stanford, there is lots of talk about whether they deserve a BCS berth as opposed to a 9-2 Ohio State team, a 9-2 Auburn team, or a 10-1 Oregon team.

The truth is, they don't. None of those four teams really deserves a berth in the BCS over any of the other ones. All four teams have played very well this season, and they all have shown their merit as a solid football team and should be allowed to play in one of the biggest postseason games this year.

The issue is that since Notre Dame is the only team in major sports in the United States today with an exclusive television deal (outside of franchises where the owner of said team also owns a cable television network), they obviously have a large national following. Now with said large national following, the advertising for their game is going to be rather expensive, so the organizers of the bowl are going to want to make as much money as possible through advertising, and they'll of course pick Notre Dame. Are they better than any of the other four teams? Not necessarily. All four teams have shown shades of being very good, but also shades of being horrible.

The debate is all a moot point if FSU and Georgia somehow manage to win their conference championship games against Virginia Tech and LSU, respectively. If that happens, then the latter two teams should definitely get the last two bowl berths and the argument is dead. Notice, though, I said they should get the last two bowl berths, not a given that they would, and this is all assuming that Texas doesn't have much of a problem with Colorado in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Now comes the argument of a playoff system, and why it would be so much better than having the bowls. There are two types of playoff systems that are brought to the table more often than not. The first is the idea that the winners of the BCS bowls have a four-team playoff after the bowl games or something of the like. That doesn't really eliminate any kind of issues with teams being left out because it leaves the BCS in place, so there's no point in even really talking about that.

The second is the standard playoff system. Have a three- or four-round system of eight or 16 teams, and have one team come out on top. This is another good idea, but it is also flawed. The first reason that this type of playoff wouldn't work is because there would need to be a general ranking system that would give us the top eight or 16 teams.

We'll use this season as an example. We'll start by taking the top eight teams and go from there for our first playoff system. The top eight teams in the BCS are USC, Texas, Penn State, LSU, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame. One of the many arguments here is why would Notre Dame make it in instead of a team like Miami, who gave the Hokies their only loss of the season pretty handily? They'd make a very nice miniature "bracket-buster" in this mix.

Also, what about West Virginia? They're the class of their conference, and they've had a great season. Are you to tell me that the Big 10 and Pac-10 deserve two teams while the Big East gets none? Then we'll go to the top 16 teams instead to make sure that all of the deserving teams get invited to our little playoff soirée.

So, we take the above teams and add Miami, Auburn, West Virginia, UCLA, TCU, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas Tech. What, then, makes Texas Tech and Alabama so much better than Wisconsin and Louisville? Texas Tech lost to Oklahoma State! Alabama is on its way to mediocrity, and if the season had three more games and they had to play decent teams, their record at the end of the season could easily be 10-5. The debate that would come with the playoff system is just like the debate that accompanies the bowl system and the debate that goes along with March Madness in college basketball.

Like it or not, there is no fool-proof way to decide a national champion. People have problems left and right with the bowl system as it is, but the BCS has done some things correctly. I mean, we could go back in time seven years where USC would be playing Penn State, and Texas would go up against Virginia Tech or LSU and we'd have two national champions. At least this way, there will only be one. Stop complaining and just enjoy the games.

Random Notes

* Even with Byron Leftwich breaking his ankle in Sunday's game, the Jags can be pretty confident that they can finish with a 12-4 or 11-5 record for the season with games coming up at Cleveland, vs. Indy, vs. San Fran, at Houston, and vs. Tennessee.

* Just bought "NCAA Football" over the weekend for XBox. I'm 11-0 and I need to beat USC in the last game of the season to have a chance for the national title. Should be a good game.

Posted by Jeff Pohlmeyer at 5:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 29, 2005

NFL Week 12 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Jeff Feagles is the NFL's new iron man, having eclipsed Jim Marshall's record of 282 consecutive games. Having this mark held by a punter doesn't feel right.

* Hall of Fame semifinalists have been announced. My 13 choices to advance: Warren Moon, Thurman Thomas, Art Monk, Dermontti Dawson, Russ Grimm, Bob Kuechenberg, Reggie White, Harry Carson, Randy Gradishar, Derrick Thomas, Lester Hayes, Roger Wehrli, and George Young.

* It doesn't affect my view, but Michael Irvin's drug arrest probably ends his chances of induction this year. He still might be a finalist, but he won't get elected.

* Tom Jackson is definitely the talking head of the week, for having the "Chi-attle Bearhawks" fifth in his power rankings.

* The Rolling Stones are performing the halftime show at this year's Super Bowl. I might actually watch.

***

Monday morning, the Lions fired head coach Steve Mariucci, who was 15-28 in Detroit (.349), but has a winning record for his career and got fewer than three seasons to prove himself in the Motor City. And let's remember that .349 is actually an improvement over .156, the team's winning percentage in the two seasons before Mooch arrived.

Lions GM Matt Millen broke several unwritten rules by firing Mariucci. First, you don't fire a coach during the season. It's hard to see what Millen hopes to accomplish at this point in the season. Second, he violated the "three year rule." If a coach is good enough to hire in the first place, he deserves a minimum of three full seasons to show what he can do. Third, Millen canned his own hand-picked coach, the guy he broke the NFL's minority-hiring policies to get. A lot of league observers are wondering whether the Lions kept the wrong guy.

Mariucci's firing was precipitated by Thursday's 27-7 loss in front of a home crowd and a national television audience. Turnovers put Detroit in an early 17-0 hole, but the team was playing well, moving the ball and making plays on defense. At that point, though, Mooch pulled starting QB Joey Harrington, whom Troy Aikman usually calls Joey Galloway.

Aikman has the same problem with the Eagles' Brian Westbrook, who is usually misidentified as former Washington WR Michael Westbrook. I complain about the media a lot, but I find Aikman's name problems amusing, not bothersome. Besides, you have to go easy on guys who have been hit in the head as many times as Aikman.

Harrington was replaced by Jeff Garcia, who is still recovering from a broken leg. By the time the Falcons extended their lead to 27-0, it was clear that Detroit was out of the game, but Mariucci kept Garcia in, risking the health of his best quarterback because he didn't want to reinsert Harrington in front of a hostile home crowd or play the emergency third quarterback, rookie Dan Orlovsky, with over a quarter left to go.

The word is that personnel management was the deciding factor in management's decision to terminate Mariucci. Millen reportedly didn't feel that young players — in particular, Harrington and the team's young wide receivers — were being brought along. Interim head coach Dick Jauron has a defensive background, so it's unlikely that he'll spark their development, and a midseason reorganization like this probably rules out anything beyond the basics for the next few weeks. I can't say I agree with this firing.

On to the power rankings. As always, brackets indicate previous rank.

1. Indianapolis Colts [1] — Overcame a season-high in penalties, including five 15-yard personal fouls, to dominate the Steelers. Bob Sanders had a monster game, and the unheralded offensive line gave Edgerrin James holes to run and Peyton Manning time to pass. The crowd was way too loud when Indianapolis had the ball. I don't know if the fans didn't realize Manning needs quiet so he can make his calls at the line, or if there were just a lot of Steelers fans.

2. Denver Broncos [2] — Forget about their fluke loss to Miami in Week 1, and the Broncos have outscored their opponents 273-156. They'd have no games with fewer than 20 points, and none in which they allowed more than 24. Their victory at Dallas on Thursday was hardly decisive, but on the road against a good team, it was good enough. I still can't believe Ron Dayne played well.

3. San Diego Chargers [4] — I wanted Pittsburgh to win, so that I wouldn't have to rank San Diego this high. No team has a great case to be ranked third, but this week I'm taking the Chargers, who have won four straight. In Washington on Sunday, Antonio Gates was less than 100%, Nate Kaeding missed two field goals, and the Chargers lost the turnover battle, but they outplayed their opponent and still won.

4. Seattle Seahawks [3] — Shaun Alexander usually comes out of the game in obvious passing situations. When you bring in a third receiver, someone has to come out, and it makes sense to save Alexander for other downs, but he's a good blocker and receiver. Alexander only has 10 catches this year — less than one per game — but from 2001-2003, he had over 40 receptions every season, with a high of 59 for 460 yards and two touchdowns in 2002. I'd like to see the Seahawks use Alexander more like the Chargers use LaDainian Tomlinson, with short passes to get him into the open field, where he's just devastating.

5. New York Giants [7] — Until this weekend, Jay Feely was having an awfully good season, and that's probably the only reason he still has a job today. Feely missed three field goals at the end of Sunday's game, any one of which would have given the Giants a win and a one-game lead in the NFC East. No one can fault Feely for missing a 54-yarder, but his missed 40-yard try at the end of regulation is harder to ignore. The Giants had 11 false start penalties, including five on the first series of the second quarter. New York had a ton of opportunities to put this game away.

6. Dallas Cowboys [8] — Normally, teams in the top 10 drop if they lose, but the Giants and Cowboys rose this week. Both took top teams to overtime, and Pitt and Carolina dropped behind them. Terence Newman sure brings his "A" game on Thanksgiving. He had a big interception last year, and against Denver he had a fumble recovery and another interception.

7. Chicago Bears [9] — We all know about the defense, but there is no way this team can win three postseason games against good teams. Kyle Orton's 62.3 passer rating is last in the NFL among qualifiers, behind Anthony Wright (71.7), Joey Harrington (66.5), and J.P. Losman (65.3). The Bears are being compared to the 2000 Ravens, but even Trent Dilfer had a 76.6 rating that season, and Baltimore's Super Bowl offense was solidly middle-of-the-pack, ranking 16th in yards and 14th in scoring. The Bears are 28th and 24th, respectively, and have scored more than 20 points only twice all season, the most recent coming seven weeks ago. You can't win without some kind of offense.

8. Carolina Panthers [6] — Nice defensive effort against the Bills, but still too close for comfort against a team they shouldn't have struggled with. They're averaging three yards per rush, last in the league. Huge matchups at home the next two weeks, against Atlanta and Tampa. If the Panthers win both, they'll probably take the NFC South. I say they go 1-1 and keep things interesting.

9. Cincinnati Bengals [10] — Took a 34-0 lead before Baltimore's comeback made the score respectable. Chad Johnson is starting to annoy me. I think he's fun, and frequently funny, but the contrived celebrations bother me. Not every TD needs an act to follow it. Couldn't his time be better spent preparing for the game itself?

10. Pittsburgh Steelers [5] — Haven't looked really impressive since Week 6, and I think they'll lose to Cincinnati at home next week, finish 10-6, and miss the playoffs. Early in the Monday night game, the Colts picked on Bryant McFadden the same way they did Roc Alexander in last year's playoff against Denver. Ike Taylor pulled his game together later on, but in the first period, he seemed badly overmatched against Marvin Harrison. ABC infuriated me by showing Ben Roethlisberger walking onto the field instead of replaying an important 15-yard penalty on the opening kickoff.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars [11] — Byron Leftwich probably won't play again in the 2005 regular season, but I can't see the Jags missing the postseason. They have a home game against the Colts, which isn't an automatic loss, plus four games against teams with a combined record of 10-34. Even if they drop one of those and lose to Indianapolis, that puts Jacksonville 11-5, with a tiebreaker over whoever places second in the AFC North. My guess is that the Jaguars travel to Foxborough this January.

12. Kansas City Chiefs [12] — Clearly the hardest remaining schedule of any playoff contender. None of their opponents is worse than 7-4, with a combined record of 38-17. So far this season, the Chiefs are 1-2 against teams over .500. Kansas City won't be a factor in the playoff race.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [13] — Allowed less than four yards per play and got a good game from Cadillac Williams, but couldn't pull out a victory at home. My faith in the Bucs is very limited, but the same is true of Carolina and Atlanta, and Tampa Bay has a favorable schedule down the stretch. The Buccaneers have as good a chance as anyone to win the NFC South.

14. Minnesota Vikings [20] — Defense has stepped up in a big way. After allowing 27.6 points per game during the team's 2-5 start, they've held the last four to an average of 16.0. That double-digit swing has been more important than anything the offense is doing. Minnesota has a winning record for the first time this season, but remains -59 in points for/against.

15. Atlanta Falcons [15] — Dominated the line against Detroit. Offensive guard Kynan Forney and defensive end Patrick Kerney, in particular, played well. FOX failed to show Kevin Jones' false start penalty or Forney's personal foul in the second quarter, when the game was still in question. Pam Oliver was pretty rude to Michael Vick when he tried to be gracious in his postgame interview.

16. New England Patriots [14] — Tom Brady's passer rating is 105.5 at home, but only 80.7 on the road. The lack of running game is just ruining the Patriots. New England is 28th in time of possession, which is probably part of why so many defensive players have gotten hurt.

17. Philadelphia Eagles [18] — Andy Reid is not in a position to bench Mike McMahon, but the Eagles won in spite of the quarterback's 12-of-28, 91 yards performance — not because of it. McMahon averaged 3.3 yards per attempt against Green Bay. Seven even is good, and six is about average. Three is almost unheard of.

18. Washington Redskins [17] — Rookie first-round pick Carlos Rogers had a big game and should take over the starting cornerback position from Walt Harris, who continues to underwhelm. Washington played from behind on the field position battle all day: Derrick Frost had nine punts, none of which went inside San Diego's 20-yard-line.

19. Oakland Raiders [16] — Shot themselves in the foot against Miami, with 13 penalties, three turnovers, and a safety. The Raiders are in prime time at San Diego next week, and a loss will drop them to 0-5 in their division.

20. St. Louis Rams [19] — Needing overtime to make up a 17-point deficit against Houston is like losing to anyone else. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a Kurt Warner-esque debut, but I don't think he'll do quite as well against Washington in Week 13.

21. Buffalo Bills [22] — Willis McGahee was ineffective — there's no passing game to open things up — but the defense stepped up. When you hold the opponent to 13 points, you should win. If you look down the defensive roster, there are a lot of playmakers there.

22. Cleveland Browns [25] — When someone loses to an average team, but rises three places in the rankings, it tells you that there are a lot of really bad teams this season. It also tells you that I had Cleveland too low last week.

23. Miami Dolphins [29] — Seven sacks against Oakland, plus a nice game from Ricky Williams. After being outscored 62-26 in their previous three games, including an embarrassing shutout against Cleveland, the Dolphins rebounded with 33 points, their highest since Week 1.

24. Green Bay Packers [23] — If Brett Favre starts for the Packers next season, he'll probably break Dan Marino's career record for touchdown passes and George Blanda's career record for interceptions. Favre's at 19 this season, putting him on pace for a career-high 28, the highest total by any player since Peyton Manning's rookie season in 1998. He's been picked in five straight games, averaging over two per game during that stretch.

25. Baltimore Ravens [24] — Haven't played a team under 7-4 since Week 6, when they beat Cleveland. Things ease up from here on, and a strong finish would probably guarantee Brian Billick another year in Baltimore.

26. Detroit Lions [21] — Obviously won't contend for the playoffs —they can be mathematically-eliminated from division contention as soon as next week — but do you remember when people were talking about the winner of the NFC North being 7-9? Now Minnesota is a wildcard contender, and many ESPN types are calling the Bears the best team in the conference.

27. Arizona Cardinals [26] — Combined with the Jaguars for 22 penalties and almost 200 penalty yards. For all the offense this team generates through the air, it doesn't seem to produce points. The Cardinals have topped 21 points only twice all season, against the 29th-ranked Rams and 32nd-ranked Niners.

28. New Orleans Saints [28] — Joe Theismann's assertion that Jim Haslett should be Coach of the Year was probably the most ridiculous thing he's said this season, which is a strong statement. His team was 2-8 and had the league's longest active losing streak. This was also shortly after Ernie Conwell admitted that the Saints are "tired." Would a team coached by Tony Dungy or Bill Belichick ever make excuses like that?

29. Tennessee Titans [27] — Potential trap game for Indianapolis, pinned between the Steelers and Jags, but the talent differential is just too big. The next week, though, Tennessee gets Houston at home, which could really hurt the Titans' draft position.

30. San Francisco 49ers [31] — Alex Smith, barring injury, will start the rest of the season. Not that it matters. Check this out, though: in Week 17, the 49ers play the Texans. That could be a legitimately exciting game, in a sad sort of way.

31. Houston Texans [32] — Their winning percentage is .091, but four of the last five games are against teams at or under 3-8. Dom Capers probably needs a couple wins in that stretch to save his job. I think Bob McNair would be willing to give him another year, but the fans will revolt if Capers sticks around after a 1-15 season.

32. New York Jets [30] — Had a rough night with the officials. Terry McAulay made a terrible replay reversal on Laveranues Coles' touchdown catch at the end of the first half, and his crew made an awful intentional grounding call against Brooks Bollinger with 3:31 remaining in the game. If either of those calls had gone New York's way, the Jets probably would have won.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 6:42 PM | Comments (1)

NHL Surprises and Disappointments

We're approaching the quarter-point of the NHL season. Thankfully, the lockout now seems like ancient history, and the new game is grabbing fans with its speed and offense — something that should only grow the game as long as the refs continue to stay consistent. Like every season, this year's NHL isn't without its share of surprises. Let's look at some of the surprise booms and busts in the NHL — and just how and why these things occurred.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Everyone knew the departure of Nikolai Khabibulin would give Tampa problems in net, but no one expected a team with as much forward talent as the Lightning to be struggling on the power play. Special teams and poor defensive coverage, along with shaky goaltending from John Grahame and Sean Burke, led to an ugly start for the defending champs. In the past few weeks, the Lightning have been better, but they still lack the championship swagger that they are capable of (perhaps it is hiding along with Martin St. Louis' game). It's way too early to count the defending champs out, as they have too much talent to be hovering around .500.

San Jose Sharks

With an unbeaten preseason record and a full head of steam, the Sharks were rolling into the 2005-2006 season with momentum on their side. GM Doug Wilson was widely chastised by fans and observers for standing pat when the free agent market opened up, but Wilson was confident that the Sharks crop of rookies could handle the minutes from the departures of Mike Ricci, Vincent Damphousse, Alex Korolyuk, and Mike Rathje. Built with speed, the Sharks seemed to be a lock to succeed.

Yet a quarter of the way through the season, the Sharks are struggling mightily. Their once reliable goaltending has become horribly suspect and, not so surprisingly, seven rookies (four forwards and three defensemen) in the lineup have not been able to produce results. Wilson's overconfidence has led the team to a point now where they must deal from a position of weakness to try to bolster their struggling attack before it is too late. If you hear clanging around in the woodshed, it's Wilson trying to build a time machine so he could actually try and sign some free agents.

Dominik Hasek

Two years away from the NHL and one roller hockey assault later, Dominik Hasek returned to the NHL. Everyone scoffed at Senators GM John Muckler for bringing the wily Czech out of retirement — there was no way he could be the Dominator of old, could he? While Hasek is aided by Ottawa's electrifying offense, he certainly is holding his own between the pipes for the Senators. The true test remains when the playoffs arrive. That's the time when the Senators typically implode from a lack of offense and poor goaltending. Both problems appear to be remedied so far, but only time will tell if the Hasek's troublesome groin will keep him healthy and ready to go.

Phoenix Coyotes

Raise your hand if you thought Wayne Gretzky's Coyotes would be above .500 when December rolled around. The only person with a raised hand is the Great One himself, but the Coyotes have defied expectations and are actually playing well. After a very shaky start, along with the sudden retirement of Brett Hull, the Coyotes have found their sea legs.

Defenseman Paul Mara is finally getting recognition for his all-around play, but it is Curtis Joseph who is surprising everyone. Joseph, considered by many to be too old and too fragile to win many more games, has bailed the Coyotes out on more than one occasion. On Joseph's nights off, rookie David Lenevue has proven to be NHL worthy, and rookie Keith Ballard is quietly having a great season. There's still doubt that the young Coyotes can make the playoffs, but who knows where a little Gretzky magic can take them?

Carolina Hurricanes

Raise your hand if you thought the Caroline Hurricanes would be one of the top teams in the East come December. No one should have a raised hand — not even Carolina coach Peter Laviolette. How in the world did the Hurricanes get this good this fast?

A key component is the accelerated maturation of Eric Staal, a prime example of what playing in the minors can do for a learning curve. Newcomers Cory Stillman and Ray Whitney have played to expectations while Laviolette's coaching style, with an emphasis on speed and forecheck, seems to have completely won over the Carolina locker room. Rookie Cam Ward impressed enough to make it on to Canada's Olympic long list, and even cagey veteran Rod Brind'amour has a jump in his step. If the Hurricanes continue to play at the furious tempo they bring to each game, Carolina should have another chance to showcase just how loud their arena can be during the playoffs.

New York Rangers

Who would have guessed that the New York Rangers, masters of the free agent mistake, would be one of the best teams in the league after a salary cap was instituted? Not only is the team getting great goaltending from rookie Henrik Lundquist and Kevin Weekes, but somewhere along the line, Jaromir Jagr found his heart and his head and decided to reclaim the title of "Best Player in the World."

The Rangers have fully bought into coach Tom Renney's system — something that hasn't happened in Madison Square Garden since the last season that Gretzky and Mark Messier played together. Barring a complete collapse by the team's defense and goaltending, the Rangers should actually make the playoffs again — this time, without any big guarantees from Messier.

Posted by Mike Chen at 6:11 PM | Comments (1)

Looking For Common Sense

Sometimes, people don't use common sense. It happens far too often and it seems like it would be easy enough to solve, but some people just don't get it. Am I missing something? Is it too much to ask for just a little common sense every now and then? Let me clear up two big misconceptions for anyone in the sports world. Number one, you are never allowed on the field at a professional sporting event if you are a spectator. Number two, you cannot drive if you have had too much to drink.

Hopefully, that will help clear things up in the future and we won't have a repeat of the incidents seen this weekend. For starters, there was a fan that ran onto the field during the Eagles/Packers game to spread his late mother's ashes. He claimed he was fulfilling his mother's last wish. Brilliant. Hopefully, this moron gets what he deserves and lands some good jail time, as the Philly police claimed not to be big supporters of people running on the field during a game and spreading a mysterious powder. The problem is that the idiot doesn't even seem to think he did something wrong.

"I know that the last handful of ashes I had are laying on the field, and will never be taken away," the moron told a Philly TV station. "She'll always be part of Lincoln Financial Field and of the Eagles," he said.

Really? How will she always be part of the Eagles? Is it because they played on her ashes? That guy is just sick and the fact that it never occurred to him that it may not be a good idea to spread his dead mother on the field during a game just reinforces that. As far as it being his mother's last wish, that is just a horrible rationalization. I don't know how old she was, but, believe it or not, there are times when older people just don't always think straight.

Case in point: I was at a shopping mall the other day and walked past a pretzel stand. Sitting outside the stand in a wheelchair was a mentally-handicapped employee who was responsible for handing out free samples to potential customers. I started thinking about how that job must be a really good thing for him, giving a chance for him to feel more normal and just like everyone else. No sooner had that thought left my mind did an elderly woman walk up to the guy and not only refuse to take any samples, but instead decided to slide some money towards him and walked away.

Now, I know her intentions were good, but what the hell? It's not like he was slumped against a wall with a cup and a "homeless please help God Bless" sign, he was a guy doing a job. He was handing out free pretzel samples, wearing a uniform — it's not like he was breaking out a delightful rendition of "The Simpsons" theme song on his saxophone. Something tells me he had the job in an effort to be more normal rather than out of an overwhelming financial need (maybe the fact that his hat was on his head and not in front of him filled with miscellaneous coins tipped me off).

Bottom line, old people don't always make the best decisions (especially as far as last wishes are concerned, which is why Ted Williams is a popsicle now) and for him to think that this is what would have made his mother happy is a joke. What if my last wish was for my ashes to be baked into a pie and then thrown in Gary Bettman's face? Or what if my last wish was that all of my friends and family would hit anyone named Gary in the face with a pie and repeat this process every June? I think at some point, my family would realize that I was just getting senile or that I was completely insane and ignore it.

Old people can be crazy and even if they are perfectly sane and also happen to be the biggest football fan in the world, there is still no justification for a loved one to be spreading their ashes on the field during a game. It's a simple concept, really — stay off the field and dispose of your loved ones in a more appropriate fashion.

If that is a simple concept, this next one has to be even simpler. If you drink heavily, do not get behind the wheel of a car. One would think this would be easy to follow, especially if you were a coach at a Division I sports program. Yet, over the weekend, two Ohio coaches were charged with drinking and driving.

Keith LeGree, an assistant at Cincinnati, was hit with a second DUI in less than a year. He was a coach with Bob Huggins, whose infamous DUI tape played a major role in costing him his job, so you think LeGree would know better. How could he be stupid enough to do it twice (at least two times that he got caught, and I have a hard time believing that he was caught the only two times he did it), especially after there was so much media attention when it happened to Huggins?

The problem hit a little closer to home when the Frank Solich, head coach of my Ohio Bobcats football team, was convicted of drunken driving on Monday. The police found him over the weekend with his car facing the wrong way on a one-way street with Solich slumped over the wheel and with his foot on the brake. He was intoxicated to the point he couldn't even roll down his car window. Unbelievable. When could it have possibly seemed like a good idea to get in a car if you are that far-gone? How do things like this happen?

I guess the only thing you can really say is I hope that it was worth it. I hope the guy throwing his mother around Lincoln Field enjoys his jail time. I hope Solich enjoyed his night of boozing, because it's going to cost him the respect of much of the country (what will really make me sick is when Ohio fans, who were some of the first to take shots at Cincinnati when Huggins was hit with his DUI, will try to rationalize this and spin it when it is completely inexcusable and is a terrible disgrace to the university). And I hope LeGree had a great night, because it cost him his job.

All I want is for people to use a little bit of common sense. Well, that, or that Gary Bettman will get hit in the face with a pie.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. BetOnSports.com gives you the greatest sports action to bet on. Wager on football, cricket, boxing, Rugby, horse racing, and more. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 5:45 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2005

Random Thoughts on the NBA Season

As I sit down to write this, there are a lot of things going through my mind when I think about the start of the 2005-06 NBA season. The league is completing its first full month of action and there are several things that stick out when I think about the young season.

Does Kobe, Phil, and Lamar Equal a Championship?

I don't think so. The Lakers look lost on offense. The triangle offense is mystifying the young squad, especially Lamar Odom, who Phil Jackson has asked to play a Magic Johnson-type roll by playing point guard. Odom has the size to mirror Magic's. At 6-10, he's an obvious matchup problem for any opposing team, but he doesn't look comfortable in the offense. He's a player that needs the ball in hands to succeed, but this offense doesn't suit the former Rhode Island star.

While Odom struggles and newcomer Kwame Brown continues to stink, Kobe Bryant is flourishing. Heading into the season, Phil sat down with Kobe to talk about his shot selection. Last season, Bryant took an abundance of three-point shots and Phil wanted to make sure Bryant was smarter in his shot selection. And that seemed to work for the first couple of games. Bryant was averaging over 30 points per game, while taking fewer shots.

But seeing Odom's struggles, Phil decided to turn Kobe loose and Bryant's shot count has increased dramatically over the last few weeks. Can this formula work for the Lakers? Many observers thought this was a playoff team heading into the season. But Bryant wore down towards the end of last season and if the Lakers continue to give Bryant the bulk of the shots, Odom will continue to look lost.

While the Lakers look inconsistent, their co-Staples Center tenants look anything but. The L.A. Clippers are the surprise of the NBA. The Clippers are off to the best start in franchise history and after an offseason of spending money, the Clippers have the players to win for the first time in a decade. Sam Cassell is having a brilliant season, resurrecting his career after being let go by the Timberwolves in the offseason. The Clippers have a stable of young talent in Chris Kaman, Corey Maggette, Chris Wilcox, and Elton Brand, and coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. is getting the most out of his young players, while also maximizing the effort out of veterans Cassell and Cuttino Mobley. Mobley is playing like he did when he and Steve Francis formed one of the best backcourts in the NBA in Houston.

But will all this last? Of course Dunleavy is the front-runner for Coach of the Year with the job he's done, but these are still the Clippers. A team that was voted the most losing franchise in sports. Some say the franchise is cursed, but the start the team has had and the great young talent at the Clippers' disposal, the woeful franchise might finally turn the corner.

Can Anybody Stop the Detroit Pistons?

I don't think the so. The Pistons are clicking on all cylinders right now and new coach Flip Saunders is looking like he's getting more out of this group than Larry Brown did. All the things that Larry Brown put in place are still evident, but Flip Saunders has brought in an offense that best suits this team. But the biggest surprise with this team has been the emergence of Darko Milicic. While Larry Brown refused to play the former second pick in the draft, he's fit right into Saunders' system and has become a regular contributor off the Pistons bench.

I don't see anything stopping the Pistons from making their third consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals to face the Spurs for the second straight year. Both teams appear unstoppable.

What's wrong with the Miami Heat?

I knew this would happen. This team just has too many weapons — and egos. Of course, Shaq being out doesn't help things, but they're getting nothing from Antoine Walker and Jason Williams. Bringing these two in was a mistake. They are great players, but they don't fit here. Walker is a crybaby, selfish, and constantly needs the ball. His stock went down after that ridiculous scene at the All-Star Game a couple of years ago in which he whined and cried about not getting enough playing time in the game. Williams is also a great player, but he's not the typical point guard. He likes to shoot and that doesn't fit in Miami. It wasn't that long ago when Williams shot his way out of Sacramento and his play in Miami is mirroring that to a certain degree.

The Heat shouldn't have broken up last year's squad. The window on Shaq's career is closing, but last year's team fit Shaq the best. The Heat had shooters and O'Neal plays his best when he has shooters around him. I mean, he did win three championships with some great shooters in L.A. and letting Damon Jones, Eddie Jones, and Rasual Butler go was a big mistake and the Heat are paying for it now. Both Walker and Williams are capable hitting shots, but they are erratic and inconsistent and that doesn't look good for a team that is trying to win a championship.

My advice to the Heat: go out and find a shooter before the trade deadline or you will be embarrassed by the Pistons in the Eastern Conference — if you make it that far.

He's Back

Ron Artest is having a great start to the season. After missing most of last year after the Brawl in the Palace, Artest is playing with a new dedication to the game. And the Pacers are once again one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. Artest seems like he finally gets it — sort of. He changed his number back to No. 15 and that was a start. Wearing No. 91 last year in a tribute to Dennis Rodman, might have been the dumbest thing I've seen since the "Worm" head-butted a referee back when he played for the Bulls.

I think the Brawl in Deteroit made Artest realize the league, namely David Stern, doesn't want another Rodman and his antics needed to stop. So Artest went away for a year, produced an album and apparently is doing another, but his play on the court has improved. He's proven to be a threat on both ends of the floor and with all the emotions the Pacers organization have been through in the last year, with Reggie Miller's farewell tour, and Artest's suspension, Artest is doing and saying all the right things this year and the Pacers are a better team. Look for them to challenge the Heat for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.

What About the San Antonio Spurs?

What about them? They're the champs and already have their finals ticket punched.

Posted by Andre Watson at 3:44 PM | Comments (1)

Early Tourneys Over the BCS?

The good folks at ESPN have taken this past week and labeled it for all us college basketball fans. "Feast Week" is not only a take on our most gluttonous holiday, but it's also the first opportunity of the hoops season to handle a massive amount of rainbow shots, floor burns, and alley oops. While some of these games are scheduled beforehand, most of the interesting contests at this time happen in those delightful little "preseason" tournaments.

From the heart of New York to the sands of Maui, universities send their most prolific hoopsters to those wonderful competitions where squads can gauge their abilities heading into the meat of their seasons. And hey, what's wrong with taking in the scenery of the Big Apple or an Alaskan Glacier?

I know that this is football season, and everybody's pumped up for the BCS. However, as blasphemous as it may sound, I think I prefer these small hoops gatherings to the late-season pigskin craze. Now, in my mind, March Madness has the BCS beat, hands-down. But there just seems to be more potential for excitement and hope right now, when sneakers squeak for the first time in months.

Maybe that's why I'm enjoying this week so much, despite my lack of watching many games due to my early morning schedule. So, why the lack of postseason love, you ask? I'll try to open your minds.

I will admit that several football games have made the 2005 season very interesting lately. Fresno State/USC was a classic shootout. Miami, with that new division title in hand, was bogged down at the wrong time by Georgia Tech. Heck, even LSU had a tough time hanging on against Arkansas on Friday.

Then again, could these games top Duke's nail-biter against Memphis in the NIT finals? How about LaMarcus Aldridge saving Texas from an early season loss against West Virginia at the Guardians Classic? Don't forget about the runs of Gonzaga and Michigan State in Maui, including their 109-106 triple-overtime meeting in the semis.

They all ended up to be just one win or loss in columns that will add up to 25 or 30 games as the season ends, but these losses don't sting right now. Perhaps the best news from these matchups, though, is that we may very well see them again come March, when everything will be on the line.

That's a problem with the BCS. With the bowls running who comes into their stadium after the New Year, you aren't as likely to see some of the better games replayed in the postseason. A Texas/Ohio State rematch seems pretty impossible right now. How about USC and Notre Dame hooking up again? I wouldn't waste your wishes. That's the beauty of these tourneys. The billing of a national championship preview could be a true statement.

At the moment, you might be thinking, "How crazy is he? Early basketball against the BCS race? Haven't the white coat guys come in and strapped him up, yet? Every single game in the college football season matters, especially right now."

Sure, I hear ya, but I ain't buying the argument. True, the basketball regular season holds the attention less than football's equivalent. But don't give me the line that "every game matters." Tell me, how big was that Tennessee/Kentucky battle? Then there's this year's Egg Bowl, where Ole Miss and Mississippi State had one SEC win between them going into the game. Even the normally important Nebraska/Colorado tilt might have sealed up spots in the Houston and Champs Sports Bowls.

Even in an early basketball tournament, mediocre teams get to place themselves in a situation where they play over a consecutive number of days. It's an opportunity to see flaws and strengths against different styles of play. Michigan State may be 2-2 after leaving Hawaii, but you have to believe that those two losses will help them more than any early loss would benefit USC's football squad.

Now, I will admit that there are a lot of those illegitimate school tournaments. You know, the ones where one big-time program invites three schools from the MEAC, Southland, and Big Sky Conferences (or the like). Those piddly excuses for games should basically go the way of the former August football games.

However, give teams a chance to go up against strong competition, and they can find out more about their capabilities. Who knows, maybe they could turn a few heads, just like Florida did in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

But overall, these tournaments let players determine their championships by ... well, playing. The politicking and headaches of the current bowling system can bring an annoying feeling to the month of November. So, isn't it nice to see someone enjoy playing a game for once?

Sure, you can take the preceding sentiments as those of a basketball nut. But I tell you, I wouldn't mind taking an island vacation right about now? You?

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

I Hate Mondays: King of the Ring

With the recent ruling against the favor of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens, we are now certain that he will not be playing in the NFL this season.

That marks the end of his fighting with team leaders, his disrespecting of authority, and his arrogant celebrations for this year — or does it?

With No. 81 sidelined for the season, the media's focus has shifted to speculating about where he will land next season and while the Vegas favorites are the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, and Atlanta Falcons are the favorites, there is a much better home for Owens than any NFL team.

Just let the hamster run the treadmill in your head for a little bit and think about it:

What kind of environment would be perfect for a clamorous, conceited, and cocksure athlete? What sort of a league would encourage the incessant trash-talking, taunting, and tactlessness that is stapled to Owens' persona? What type of an organization would smile upon every single action that the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers so vehemently frowned upon?

Is the light bulb flickering yet?

It's the WWE and it's a match made in heaven.

The evidence has already been laid out for us.

For starters, T.O. loves attention and he loves drama. Cue the tape of Owens wiping tears from his eyes on a CNBC show called "The Big Idea" or the tape of Owens doing sit-ups, shirtless, in his driveway.

Obviously, he's comfortable working with his shirt off, so he'll have no problem once he steps into the ring.

Another skill and proficiency that makes Owens a qualified candidate is his ability to mudsling behind closed doors. Stick a microphone in his face and you're bound to hear him question someone's sexuality or commitment. Obviously, he's been somewhat censored as a member of the NFL, but once he gets to the WWE, he'll take the training wheels off and really unleash his feelings.

But the key for wrestlers in the WWE is not necessarily one's skill in the squared-circle. That is important, but the other essential is the ability to market and self-promote.

In the past, some wrestlers have lacked that ingredient and have been teamed with colorful managers to add some excitement. Even though Owens is flamboyant enough on his own, he would have a manager to rival the best the WWE has had to offer.

If you thought Jimmy Hart was "The Mouth of The South," wait until you hear a few words slip out of the mouth of super-agent Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus is louder and he can promote better. Maybe his prop would be a cell phone instead of a megaphone.

If you thought that a sports athlete joining a wrestling roster is a novel concept, you'd be wrong. It's definitely not a first.

Lawrence Taylor had a serious confrontation with Bam Bam Bigelow that peaked at WrestleMania XI and Karl Malone tag-teamed with Diamond Dallas Page to take on Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman at the 1998 WCW Bash at The Beach. Even Mike Tyson was a special guest referee for a Shawn Michaels/Stone Cold Steve Austin tilt.

So why is T.O. still lingering in the NFL, especially since he is so misunderstood there?

It's time for him to come home to where he belongs. It's time for him to come join a family that truly appreciates him and embraces him.

And they could really use a guy who lies, cheats, and steals right now.

Terrell Owens and the WWE mix like Mondays and me.

"I highly recommend worrying. It's much more effective than dieting." — William Powell

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)

November 27, 2005

40 MLB Offseason Moves That Make Sense

UPDATED

Major League Baseball's Hot Stove League kicked off recently with the general manager meetings in California and, as suspected, big talk about trades that may or may not occur. And, as always, there was the idle banter about the year's thin free agent class that dominated the media's interest while the yearly debates over the designated hitter rule, instant replay, and the proposed change in date for the league's amateur draft were all put on hold until December's meetings in Dallas.

While fandom certainly has some interest in possible changes in rules for America's Favorite Pastime, it is no surprise that the media force feeds the public the rumors de jour on anything involving player movement, since this most directly alters one's perception of his or her team of choice relative to their chances for championship glory in 2006.

In homage to this reality, it would be remiss of myself (and Sports Central on the whole) to not put forth some iteration of our own predictions relating to any change of address forms that some notable players may or may not be filling out come mid-winter. This article serves as such a vehicle, as it takes a look at the 40 most interesting possibilities relating to player movement that my crystal ball divines for the 2005-2006 offseason transition.

Players on the Move

(2005 team in parenthesis)

Nomar Garciaparra (Cubs) — No-mah and his legendary footballer wife, Mia Hamm, seemed destined for sunny California in 2006. The Dodgers, by all indications, are quite intrigued with the possibility of Nomar's acceptance of manning the hot corner for any potential suitor, and his bat would fit nicely in the hitting-challenged Los Angeles lineup. It is a safe bet that Garciaparra will not be back in the Windy City regardless of where he winds up, but L.A. is where the smart money lies.

Paul Konerko (White Sox) — While most pundits continue to insist that Konerko will wind up back on the South Side, I can't see Pauly passing up the huge pile of dollars that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will throw his way. This will be a huge loss for the defending World Champs, so it may not be a slam dunk move as Kenny Williams and Co. may bend over backwards to retain Konerko's bat ... however, in the end, the ever-expanding Angels payroll should trump any offer the ChiSox make.

Update: Human nature may not be as cut-and-dried as we all thought. Paully nixed all others by announcing his desire to return to the ChiSox relatively early on in what would certainly have grown into an ugly bidding war. While not well-played in terms of leverage, you've got to hand it to Konerko for being true to his heart ... oh, and five years, $6 mil isn't so bad, either.

Lyle Overbay (Brewers) — This move is tied closely to Konerko's ultimate decision, but if Paul does indeed bolt to greener pastures (and a greener wallet), Chicago would be fools not to jump headlong into the bidding for Milwaukee's all-star first baseman. With a very deep farm system, the White Sox would have no problem meeting the Brew Crew's demands, especially considering the inevitability of a move involving Lyle with superstar-in-waiting Prince Fielder chomping at the bit for a full-time job. As an aside to this particular move, expect maligned lefty reliever Damaso Marte to be shipped to Wisconsin along with a prospect or two from the Sox system.

Update: Toronto continued their offseason overhaul by trading some prospects for Overbay. Obviously, the re-signing of Konerko left the ChiSox out of this equation.

Alfonso Soriano (Rangers) — While Soriano made it past the '05 trade deadline, don't expect to see him donning the Ranger colors come next April. As was the case last year, Soriano appears to be heading to the New York Mets in a deal that may involve a high-paid outfielder named either [Mike] Cameron or [Cliff] Floyd. This move may be contingent on an agreed change in position for Soriano (likely to the outfield), but don't be surprised if they keep Alfonso at second and try moving Kaz Matsui into the oversized Shea outfield.

Update: Another correct call on the trade, but a loser relative to the destination. Soriano will be a solid addition to a Washington Nationals team that could be a very nice sleeper pick for the NL wild card in '06.

A.J. Burnett (Marlins) — Many outlets are beginning to champion Toronto as a possible landing site for one of the few legit big-time free agent players, but my sources (comprised mostly of various voices inside my own head) see Burnett in an Oriole uniform come the onset of the '06 season. With many suitors, money should be the deciding factor here and Baltimore has shown a recklessness in spending that just can't be overlooked. If an Oriole deal doesn't work out, though, Burnett will indeed be in Toronto for the '06 season.

Update: This is a recording ... Blue Jays overpay for one of the few highly-regarded free agent arms on the market. Give me half credit on this one ... an Oriole deal didn't work out and A.J. wound up north of the border.

Billy Wagner (Phillies) — Wagner's demands are clear — $10 million a season for no less than three years. Philadelphia has no intention of meeting these demands and seems comfortable with the prospect of picking up a less-expensive free agent closer for the ninth inning next season, a frightening thought to be sure if you are a Philly backer, especially considering the reality that such players are few and far between in this year's market. One team's loss is another team's gain, though, and the Mets have made no secret of their desire to have Wagner on board. Look for Wagner to be closing games out in New York next season in a relatively typical active offseason for Omar Minaya and his Mets.

Update: Attention B.J. Ryan, you've actually just signed the second most lucrative relief pitcher contract in history thanks to Mr. Wagner and the New York Mets. Billy Wagner has indeed signed with the Mets for an unfathomably large bag of cash.

Manny Ramirez (Red Sox) — As unbelievable as it may seem, the Red Sox and Ramirez are destined to part ways, at least in my estimation. Cleveland is a good landing spot for Ramirez. He knows the area, will be an instant fan favorite, and won't have to adjust to any overbearing superstar that may currently be on the roster. While the terms of a trade relative to what the BoSox will demand are unclear, it seems Cleveland has enough arms and young bats to work out those details to Boston's liking and the Indians certainly have some money to play with, unlike the Mets and Angels, who may well be maxed out financially sooner rather than later.

Jeremy Burnitz (Cubs) — Bernie had a solid year in Chicago with both the bat and the glove and with the impending loss of Ramirez, he would be a relatively inexpensive stop gap power solution in the Red Sox outfield. He can play any of the three outfield spots effectively and his easygoing attitude would be a nice fit in the Boston clubhouse. St. Louis may enter the bidding for Jeremy's services, which may well drive the Red Sox off, but my assumption is for the Cards to look elsewhere for Larry Walker's replacement, leaving the Sox as Jeremy's most serious suitor.

Mike Piazza (Mets) — This may be a stretch, and I'm sure all the loyal readers will tell me just that in their feedback, but I see Piazza setting up camp in Beantown next season. Now if some team like the Angels or Tigers throw mad money at Mike, Boston certainly would back down, but if Manny does indeed get traded, Piazza makes good sense if they can get him for fair market value. He can spell an overused Jason Varitek behind the dish, get some time in at first, and play some at DH (assuming Boston's new GM will be comfortable with the worst fielding percentage in baseball). Granted, there are a lot of "ifs" associated to such a move, but don't be surprised if and when this one comes across the AP ticker.

Rafael Furcal (Braves) — Let's see ... capable leadoff man, nice pop, great glove ... perfect fit for the Chicago Cubs, who have openly coveted Furcal's services. I don't see any organization outbidding Chicago once the bidding does begin in earnest and Furcal would be well worth the investment to the Cubbies who are desperate for consistency high up in their order and a solid glove-man up the middle.

Update: I was about 12 hours from hitting this one on the head ... all indications had Furcal heading to the Northsiders until an 11th hour plea came from the Dodger camp to hear them out. Money talks, and Rafael made himself a killing to don Dodger blue.

B.J. Ryan (Orioles) — Ryan will be in New York as a Met if Wagner doesn't wind up there, but since we've already decided he will, B.J.'s final destination should be elsewhere. If Hoffman winds up calling San Diego's bluff and does leave town, look for Ryan to surface in Southern California as a Padre. But if the status quo prevails for the Padres (which is exactly what will happen, if you ask me), look for teams like Arizona, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Philadelphia to put the full court press on Ryan. My gut tells me that Ryan ends up in Cleveland to replace Bob Wickman, but Atlanta would be a great fit, too.

Update: Ryan has reportedly accepted an offer from Toronto that will make him the highest-paid relief pitcher ever ... a suspect decision to say the least for the young and relatively unproven lefty.

Kyle Farnsworth (Braves) — "The Farns," as he was nicknamed by one-time Chicago Cub play-by-play man Chip Carey, seemed to find himself under the tutelage of Leo Mazzone (now there's a recurring storyline for major league pitchers). With Mazzone bolting to Baltimore, expect Kyle to follow suit. His stuff is as good as you get and if he made as solid a connection with Mazzone as his late season results indicated, Farnsworth would be committing professional suicide if he left Leo now.

Update: I must admit, this one came as a surprise. Farnsworth would rather hook on with the Yanks as a middle-man than continue his development as a closer. Financially, the deal makes sense, but from a developmental standpoint, this is a definate step backwards for the young, wild-armed pitcher.

Geoff Jenkins (Brewers) — Milwaukee has made no secret their desire to trade the streaky-hitting outfielder. Conventional wisdom has the Brewers dealing Jenkins to the AL, where his powerful left-handed bat can't cause them any turmoil or regret ... but the deal that makes the most sense would send Geoff to a divisional foe, namely the Houston Astros. Houston needs a big bat desperately, but also has to be mindful of their salary situation with the possibility of both Roger Clemens and Jeff Bagwell sticking around another season so they cannot spend heavily on the likes of Jacque Jones or Brian Giles. Jenkins would be a good fit as he sports a solid glove and a big lefty stick that would fit nicely into the order between Lance Berkman and Jason Lane.

Bengie Molina (Angels) — With the New York Mets showing interest in most every free agent on the market, it is difficult to discern which ones they are serious about acquiring. All indications point to Molina as being a legit target for the Mets, but don't be surprised to see his name surface in Houston, especially if Clemens does indeed announce his retirement before the end of the calendar year. With Brad Ausmus likely to either retire or move west to San Diego, Houston will be desperate for a catcher to handle their talented pitching staff. If the Astros do find some money, most likely in the form of a Rocket departure, Molina makes good sense. If Houston isn't in the mix, however, Molina will be a Met.

Carlos Delgado (Marlins) — Surprisingly enough, the Marlins are looking to trade their highly-paid, power-hitting free agent acquisition from last year's offseason. Few teams can fit his salary into their budget and it is a safe bet that Florida will not trade Carlos to a divisional foe like the Mets, who (surprise, surprise) have shown a strong interest. This leaves Baltimore, who coveted Delgado last winter, and Seattle, who seem willing to pay anything for power hitters these days, as the major players. The Mariners make good sense, and the deal involving Delgado may wind up being a reality.

Update: Carlos Delgado will apparently be handling the first base duties for the Mets this season, as the Marlins and Mets completed a trade ... not good news for the rest of the NL East.

Javier Vazquez (Diamondbacks) — This up-and-down starting pitcher has expressed an interest in being dealt back to the East Coast, and it is a likely scenario. Look for Vazquez to wind up in either Baltimore or Toronto, wherever A.J. Burnett doesn't go.

Brian Giles (Padres) — Giles is another one of the very few big-ticket free agent commodities that will be worth the investment. While Houston is a possibility (albeit unlikely with the financial commitments the Astros have to wait out), it is more likely that Giles will wind up in either St. Louis or Chicago with the Cubs. The Cardinals have never been a team that enjoys a good bidding war, so the Cubbies will likely win any such war, filling another big need with a quality left-handed bat.

Update: Choosing to stay in comfy San Diego, Giles defied popular opinion and eschewed a shot at a more lucrative contract by waiting the market out a bit.

Jacque Jones (Twins) — It is pretty much a certainty that Giles is out in San Diego, which means they will be in the market for his replacement. Jones is as good a replacement as there is and will be a solid fit in the spacious outfield of Petco Park. Assuming the inevitability of the Giles move, you can pencil Jacque Jones in as a Padre come 2006 Opening Day.

Ramon Hernandez (Padres) — With Piazza undoubtedly leaving town and the aforementioned Bengie Molina-to-Houston idea, Ramon Hernandez is left as the most available catching hand on the market. The Mets, therefore, will pay whatever has to be paid to enlist his services.

Update: The Marlin firesale really threw a monkey wrench in this call ... Paul LoDuca wound up in New York even after offers were on the table from the Mets for both Ramon and Benji Molina. Thusly, Martinez winds up catching in Baltimore.

Alex Gonzalez (Marlins) — Not to be confused with the other Alex Gonzalez (you know, the one that cost the Cubs a World Series berth), the ex-Marlin shortstop is as good a "get" as there is on the market. He won't demand the money of a Furcal and he has every bit as good a glove and only a slightly less effective bat, assuming his injury woes are behind him. Look for the slick-fielder to wind up replacing Rafael in Atlanta for much less money.

Preston Wilson (Nationals) — Wilson has some detractors, but he is a productive bat man and a solid fielder. The Detroit Tigers will miss out on many of the year's top free agents because they have such an unsettled management situation, but Wilson will be one they get and his bat will be a great addition to the Tiger lineup.

Sammy Sosa (Orioles) — From the "Why do we even still care?" department comes Slammin' (or is that "Slimmin'") Sammy. Sosa is a liability with the glove and the bat, but brings instant name recognition to a team willing to swallow overblown sense of self. Enter the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Match made in heaven, as Sammy will get to play every day and blast his boom box without the pesky concerns of his 150-plus strikeouts ruining a contender's chances.

Matt Morris (Cardinals) — Morris has been a stand-up pro for the Cardinals for several years and St. Louis will not like seeing him leave, but his reputation is not worth the money he will demand on the open market, especially for a team like the Cards who are yearly contenders. Look for Morris to wind up being the big acquisition for a mid-market club like Detroit, Cleveland, or Seattle. One other possibility, though much less likely, is for the Houston Astros to make a play for Morris if Roger Clemens announces his retirement sooner rather than later. For the sake of this article, let's put Morris in Detroit.

Update: I certainly didn't see the San Francisco Giants as a possibility for Morris at all, especially for the length and terms of the contract he accepted. One thing I will add here is if the Giants don't show marked improvement early, this surely will mean the end of the Jason Schmidt era by the trade deadline.

Kevin Millwood (Indians) — The AL's ERA leader wants a longer deal, and the Indians aren't budging. Cleveland doesn't want to lose Millwood, but may make a play early in free agency for Jarrod Washburn, Jeff Weaver, or Burnett, which would make Millwood's camp start looking elsewhere. The St. Louis Cardinals will be in the market for a solid veteran replacement for Morris, and Millwood makes great sense here.

Jeff Weaver (Dodgers) — Speaking of Mr. Weaver ... though his results have mostly been less reliable than tech stocks, Jeff should demand a handsome salary as a starter with good stuff and some experience in a market relatively bereft of such types. Cleveland will make a play for Weaver and should land him as Millwood's replacement unless Anaheim gets into the bidding and is willing to overpay.

Kevin Millar (Red Sox) — All indications have Millar going to the Twins for 2006. I can't argue with that — he's a good, cheap bat for a team that likes good, cheap bats. The Tigers may also slide into the bidding for Millar, but only if they offer a second year on a deal.

Kenny Rogers (Rangers) — The Gambler pretty much punched his ticket out of town by waylaying that cameraman right around all-star time last season. The crafty, aging left-hander still has something to give, but only in the right situation. Much of the general media has Rogers slated for the L.A. rotation, and I don't disagree, but I think he's more apt to be in the Angels top five than Dodger blue. The Angels of Anaheim will want to make a splash somewhere, and with some of the other moves going down, adding a solid fifth arm makes good sense for the organization.

Update: Another big surprise ... the Indians threw a boatload of money at Rogers and he accepted. Can't predict ignorance, which seems to be the motivation behind this move.

Bob Wickman (Indians) — With Kyle Farnsworth following pitching coach Mazzone to Baltimore, Atlanta will be in the market for a proven closer to anchor their pen. Enter Bob Wickman, who likely will be replaced by the younger B.J. Ryan in Cleveland. The Braves are a good landing spot for this vet, unless Atlanta decides Danny Kolb is the answer (unlikely), in which case Wickman may wind up in one of the other closer-desperate markets like Philly or Boston.

Juan Encarnacion (Marlins) — Encarnacion is a decent bat and an exceptional outfielder. St. Louis is a solid organization with a great eye for talent. They see Encarnacion, you can be sure of that, and he makes a lot of sense as Larry Walker's replacement in right field. If the Cards to snatch him up, watch for Juan to emerge in Washington's outfield, but my money is still going on a deal with the Cardinals.

Brad Ausmus (Astros) — One more in a long litany of moves more or less directly tied to the decision of Roger Clemens. If Clemens opts to retire, Ausmus is as sure to move to San Diego as the sun is to rise. Otherwise, it's 50/25/25 between staying in Houston, retiring, or becoming a Padre. Since I'm banking on the Rocket to retire, I see long surfing weekends for Ausmus in beautiful San Diego.

Update: Wow. Of all my other oversights, this is the most surprising. Roger is out (at least for now), and the 'Stros still insist on keeping the aging, offensively-challenged Ausmus on board. For a team that will be defending an NL pennant, they don't seem too concerned with upgrading a shoddy offense by replacing the most egregious weak spots in the lineup.

Staying Put

Johnny Damon (Red Sox) — If I wasn't so convinced that Man-Ram was leaving town, this wouldn't be such a slam dunk. The Sox would be hung out to dry by their passionate fan base if they lost them both, and, as of writing, rumors are swirling that Damon has already been offered a fine deal to stay by the Red Sox brass.

Jarrod Washburn (Angels) —Washburn isn't as big a name as there is out there, but he is a solid pitcher and could be on the verge of erupting onto the scene as a big-time ace. The Angels will hold on to the lefty more as a fall-back option than a priority get, but the move ultimately will work in their favor.

Hideki Matsui (Yankees) — Another that fits the "slam dunk" category, Matsui is going nowhere. Team Yankee is far too conscious of their international appeal to let one of a very small handful of marketable Asian players walk. It may cost them, but Hideki's a Yankee for life.

Update: After this article was written, Matsui was signed to a multi-year deal with the Yankees.

Esteban Loaiza (Nationals) — A solid contributor as a middle of the rotation guy, Loaiza earned an extended stay in the Nation's Capitol. The market may overpay for Esteban to move elsewhere, but he is very cognizant of the struggles he had dealing with New York's media, so don't expect Loaiza to be in too large a hurry to risk making another bad decision anytime soon.

Update: Loaiza, having not received a tangible offer from the Nats, signed a multi-year deal with the Oakland Athletics.

Trevor Hoffman (Padres) — This isn't as big a slam-dunk as you would think ... in fact, at the time of this article's writing, the airwaves are abuzz with talk between Hoffman's camp and the New York Mets. Alas, this just doesn't make much sense unless the Mets scrap their head-over-heals infatuation with Billy Wagner, so it plays much better as a hard-ball tactic meant to send a message of defiance to a San Diego front office that may be taking Hoffman for granted. Ultimately, sanity will prevail and Trevor Hoffman will remain right where he belongs.

Update: Okay, got another one ... though there was some tentative moments, Trevor stays right where he belongs.

Todd Jones (Marlins) — Not every Marlin is destined for new scenery in '06. The veteran closer with substandard stuff but incredible control certainly pitched well enough to deserve a longer tenure in Florida. With some key losses for the Marlins, the front office will pay to keep Jones in town.

Update: Chalk another one up to the firesale that I didn't fully understand the depth of in Florida. Jones winds up getting fat bank from the Indians ... which seems odd, since Wickman is a better option and wouldn't have cost much more.

Mark Grudzielanek (Cardinals) — Proving to be a very underrated commodity, Grudzy flashed a solid glove in '05 and a consistent enough bat to merit a second go-round in St. Louis.

Reggie Sanders (Cardinals) — With the Larry Walker retirement staring the Cards in the face, So Taguchi is not exactly the option they wish to go with everyday in the outfield. Sanders will stay put for at least one more season.

It's Been a Good Ride

Roger Clemens (Astros) — Cy Young or no Cy Young, the Rocket was amazing last season. An ERA under two and a stoic composition that didn't let the frustration of his mates not bothering to bring their bats to the games he started showed us all just what kind of professional Clemens is. Still, every great ride must end, and the way that Roger broke down late last season was hard to watch. Though it is a certainty that Clemens would put up another improbably successful season in 2006 if he so chooses, it is time for him to step aside and let his hometown team begin their rebuilding.

Update: It remains to be seen if the Rocket does retire for good, but kudos for the Astros for at least making a move here. If he doesn't retire, it seems reasonable to assume that Roger will suit up for Houston come early May, though he certainly will tease the markets in Boston in New York a bit to make the Houston ownership sweat a bit.

Rafael Palmeiro (Orioles) — Yes, Raffy will stubbornly try to catch on with some club in 2006. Heck, he may even make the team out of spring training. But it won't take long for him to realize that the fans don't have patience for liars and cheats and his best move is to quietly ride into the sunset with the little dignity he still has. Batting .280 as a part-time DH for the Kansas City Royals won't do anything to help his legacy, and even a man dumb enough to (allegedly) lie to Congress must know this.

There you have it — 40 juicy tidbits for you to chew on between now and April. While it is a strong possibility that less than half of what you read here will actually occur, it does make good food for thought in an otherwise dismal stretch of the MLB offseason.

No matter what happens, just remember where you read it first.

Posted by Matt Thomas at 2:57 PM | Comments (13)

McNabb Was Not the Problem

Heading into Week 12, the Eagles are 4-6. They are 0-4 in the division. They are 1-5 in the conference. Quarterback Donovan McNabb was put on injured reserve last Tuesday. The season, for all intensive purposes, is over. It is time to point fingers.

This process has already begun in Philadelphia. In fact, it probably started three weeks ago, but the Eagles weren't officially done until they lost to the Giants. That was their last glimmer of hope. If they swept the Giants and some things went their way, maybe they could have snuck in the back door of the playoffs.

So where did it all go wrong? Who is to blame for the possible end of the Eagles as we know them? McNabb? T.O.? Andy Reid? All of these people are partially responsible, but the main contributor to the demise of the 2005 Philadelphia is the defense.

For years, dating back to the Buddy Ryan era, the defense has been the catalyst of the Eagles. Until last season, when the offense became explosive for the first and perhaps last time under Andy Reid, the Eagles went as far as the defense would take them. There has been a significant drop-off in the level of play of the defense this season.

This season the Eagles are giving up 333.9 yards a game, good for 27th in the NFL. That stat isn't alarming considering the Eagles have been known to give up yards, but in the past that was all they gave up. The Eagles made it a point to put the pressure on when teams got a sniff of the red zone. That is not the case this season. The Eagles are ranked 24th in the NFL in scoring defense, giving up 23.2 points a game. Compared to 2003 and 2004 when the Eagles gave up 17.9 and 16.3 points a game, respectively, it is easy to understand why the Eagles are 4-6 this year.

To succeed in today's NFL a team needs, at the bare minimum, a mediocre defense. The only two teams that have overcome bad defenses in recent memory are the Indianapolis Colts prior to this season and the 2003 Kansas City Chiefs.

It is much easier to win with a great defense and a sub-par offense. Just look at the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and this year's Chicago Bears. Both of those offenses make the Eagles' offense look like the 1984 Miami Dolphins.

The problems with the Eagles defense starts up front. Other than Jevon Kearse, when he is not getting doubled and tripled team, the defensive line has been getting zero pressure on the quarterbacks. N.D. Kalu is a pass rushing specialist who has one sack. Darwin Walker is starting to show his wear and tear. Sam Rayburn is a former truck driver. Mike Patterson is a promising rookie, but he only has two sacks. Besides Kearse, the only other defensive lineman playing good is rookie Trent Cole, who played well in his first career start Sunday against the Giants and has five sacks.

The Eagles have just as many problems at linebacker. Jeremiah Trotter is a great run-defender, but is a liability in pass coverage. Dhani Jones is just an average linebacker and neither Keith Adams nor Mark Simoneau is a starting linebacker in the NFL. It has always been Andy Reid's philosophy that linebackers aren't important to his defensive scheme, but it may be time to have a major overhaul to their linebacking core.

The strength of the Eagles' defense has always been their defensive backs. Last season, Brian Dawkins, Michael Lewis, and Lito Sheppard all went to the Pro Bowl. This season, the only one that is playing good is the only one who didn't go to the Pro Bowl last year, Sheldon Brown. Dawkins has lost a step and seems to always be a split second too late. Lewis only has one interception. Sheppard, before he was hurt Sunday, was getting beat consistently for touchdowns.

Instead of the defense, most of the criticism about the team has fell on McNabb's shoulders, which is unfair. The man has thrown for over 2,500 yards, 16 touchdowns, has had four 300-yard games, and has 85.0 passer rating. Do you think Daunte Culpepper would like to have those numbers? McNabb has been inconsistent, but he has not played as poorly as Eagles fans would have you believe.

In three out of the last four games, the offense has played well enough to win, with the exception being the 17-10 loss to Washington.

Against Denver, McNabb almost brought the Eagles back from 28-0 deficit. He did throw a crucial interception in the end zone as the Eagles were about to tie the game, but the defense, in turn, allowed the Broncos to go right down the field right for three touchdowns after that.

In the Dallas game, McNabb threw another crucial interception that gave the Cowboys the go-ahead touchdown, and many believe that cost the Eagles the game. People forget that on the Cowboys' drive right before the interception, the Eagles defense allowed them to score on four plays.

Last Sunday, the Eagles scored a touchdown with 8:13 left in the game to cut the giants lead to 20-17. The Eagles defense responded by giving up a 61-yard bomb to Plaxico Burress. Game over.

Combine the fact that Eagles are giving up more points this season and that they are not coming up with stops at the most crucial points of games, it is very hard to win football games. If the Bears played the Giants last Sunday, the offense would have gotten the ball back with the score 20-17.

If the Eagles don't want to finish the season 5-11, then the defense must improve and quickly. That means the defense better show up on Sunday and not let Brett Favre throw for 350 yards and four touchdowns for the last time. Of course, we wouldn't be having this discussion if Nick Barnett was their middle linebacker instead of Trotter.

What do you think, T.O.?

Posted by Mike Griffenberg at 1:20 PM | Comments (1)

November 25, 2005

Steelers/Colts Preview From Heinz Field

The Indianapolis Colts are a perfect 10. The Pittsburgh Steelers' road winning streak was halted at 11. Peyton Manning threw for a season-high 365 yards and three touchdowns to lead the unbeaten Colts to a 45-37 victory over the first-place Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday.

Indianapolis (10-0) became the first team to start a season with 10-straight wins since the 1998 Denver Broncos, who made it to 13-0 before losing.

Like the Colts, the Steelers will be making their third MNF appearance of the season. Like the Colts, they will be looking to go 3-0 on ABC's prime-time stage. That's been achieved only 12 times since MNF hit the nation in 1970.

After suffering a nail-biting defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers (7-3) will attempt to smudge the Colts' spotless 10-0 record. The Steelers could have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back in the lineup and they will need him if they are to counter the offensive surge that's sure go come from Peyton Manning and the Colts.

Eye-Opening Stat

The Steelers' record with Roethlisberger starting at quarterback the last two seasons: 18-1. Their record with Tommy Maddox starting: 2-3, including 0-2 this season.

This very well could be a matchup revisited in the playoffs. In the meantime, the nation will get an opportunity to see a Pittsburgh Steelers team that went 15-1 in the regular season last year and unbeaten Indianapolis Colts team that is in for their toughest test of the season in this highly-anticipated North vs. South AFC battle.

Keys to the Game

* Big Ben's return: Is there any question the Steelers need quarterback Ben Roethlisberger running the show? They've lost four of their past 26 regular-season games, three with Roethlisberger on the sideline. He's missed the past three games after undergoing knee surgery on Nov. 3. Veteran Tommy Maddox has been ineffective and error-prone. Everything points to Roethlisberger returning to the lineup against the Colts. On Tuesday, Cowher listed him as probable, indicating a 75% chance of play.

* Handling the run: Cincinnati exploited the Colts' glaring weakness, averaging 6.3 yards on 26 rushing attempts and pulling off six runs of at least 10 yards. And that falls right into Pittsburgh's strength.. They're the most run-committed team in the NFL, running 56 percent of the time. It appears that all the running backs will be healthy for the first time this year. Willie Parker, Jerome Bettis, and Duce Staley might draw numbers to see who lines up in the backfield.

Regardless of how well they throw the ball, Pittsburgh always expects to be able to run it. That didn't happen last week in Baltimore, and that was critical in the loss. They managed only 70 yards rushing, the fewest this season or last. They were held under 100 yards just once last season when the Ravens limited them to 93 in the second game. The Steelers already have been under that three times this season: Sunday's game and ones against New England (79) and Jacksonville (73). Not surprisingly, those are their only three losses. Simply put, it all depends on the run game.

The Steelers want to own the time of possession, that's the only way they will keep the highly-potent Colt's offense out of the end zone. On defense, the Steelers will have to contend with an offense that ranks second in the NFL in total production, led by quarterback Peyton Manning (104.6 passer rating) and running back Edgerrin James (1,116 yards).

It actually doesn't get much easier when the Colts are on defense, as they rank eighth in total defense, led by a defensive front that is among the best in the game.

Dungy knows that the Steelers will bring their "A" game and is well aware of the team's 18-6 record on Monday Night Football under head coach Bill Cowher.

Pittsburgh also owns a 13-4 regular-season series edge and has emerged victors in four playoffs contests between the teams.

On Tuesday, Cowher was asked if "this a role that your team will relish going against a 10-0 team?"

He responded, "If you can't get excited about a game like this, then why are you in this business? I look at our football team after 10 games and we lost three games on the last play of the game. All three losses came on the last play of the game and we hopefully are now starting to get some people back and we have an opportunity to go into a place where it is a team that is undefeated and they are playing at home, which compounds a little bit of that challenge. It is a great opportunity.

"If you are a competitor and you want to have an opportunity to play the best, how can you not relish an opportunity like that and not look forward to it? We are looking forward to it. It is a big-time challenge. They are a good football team. They are sound in every element of the game. It is also what I think you play this game to do, get an opportunity to measure yourself against the best."

To accomplish such a difficult task, the Steelers will have to find a way to tame a Manning and Harrison combination that has combined for 90 touchdowns, the most potent touchdown duo in NFL history.

The other goal is to keep the game within striking reach until the fourth quarter. If not, they are settling in for a long night. As a head coach, Dungy is 83-21 when his teams have scored 17+ points, while his record is 72-7 when his teams open a 10+ point lead. Dungy is 53-0 in games when his team earns a 14+ point lead.

The Steelers would actually like to have the game play out the last time these two teams met. Pittsburgh took the last meeting on October 21, 2002, 28-10. Indianapolis fell into a 21-0 first-half hole at Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football.

The win gave Pittsburgh triumphs in the last seven regular-season meetings.

Taking that streak to eight is a tall request for a team that just lost an overtime match with the rival Ravens. Taking that streak to eight is what a championship teams does.

Posted by Kevin Ferra at 7:47 PM | Comments (2)

Heisman 2005: Young vs. Bush

After last weekend's games, it is safe to say that the Heisman Trophy is going to go to either Vince Young or Reggie Bush. It could be argued that after this past Saturday's performance from Mr. Bush the Heisman race is all but over.

Just in case anyone reading this was living in a cave last weekend, Reggie ran for 294 yards, caught for 68 yards, and had 151 return yards, for a grand total of 513 all-purpose yards. Also, in case anyone was living in a cave, the previous record at USC for yards in a game previously belonged to Anthony Davis and the number was 368 yards. This leads into a brief look at both players game-by-game to see statistically who should win the award.

Game 1

Bush runs for 86 yards and two touchdowns, catches four passes for 58 yards, and returns a kickoff 14 yards in a 63-17 win over Hawaii. Vince Young is 13-for-17 for 173 yards, three touchdowns, and one pick. He also runs seven times for 49 yards and one touchdown in a 60-3 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Decent days for both, but better numbers for Vince.

Edge: Vince Young.

Game 2

Reggie averages 15.6 yards per carry, running for 125 yards with a touchdown, catches three passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, and returns two kickoffs for 16 yards in a 70-17 win over Arkansas. Vince goes 18-for-29 for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, while running for 76 yards in a huge 25-22 win at Ohio State. Another high-profile game for the QB.

Edge: Vince Young.

Game 3

Bush runs for 122 yards and a touchdown, catches three times for 43 yards and a touchdown, and has 102 total return yards in a 45-13 win at Oregon. Young is 8-for-14 with 101 yards, one interception, and 77 yards rushing in a 51-10 win over Rice. He's upstaged by a huge Jamaal Charles day and loses ground in the race.

Edge: Reggie Bush.

Game 4

Reggie gets upstaged by LenDale White while managing to run for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also catches one pass for four yards and has 31 return yards in a 38-28 win at Arizona State. Vince throws for 231 yards on 15-for-22 passing with two touchdowns and one pick. He also leads the Longhorns in rushing with 108 and a touchdown in a 51-20 win over Missouri. More receiving would have given this one to Reggie.

Edge: Vince Young.

Game 5

Reggie is again upstaged by White and his four-touchdown day when he runs for 110 yards, catches two passes for 16 yards, and returns a kickoff 17 yards in a 42-21 win over Arizona. Vince has another solid day, going 14-for-27 for 241 yards and three touchdowns while running for 45 yards in a 45-12 win over Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout. A touchdown or two would have helped Reggie's cause.

Edge: Vince Young.

Game 6

Reggie's biggest game up to this point in the season where he runs for 160 yards and three touchdowns, catches four passes for 35 yards, and has 70 return yards. He also goes 0-for-1 passing in a 34-31 test at Notre Dame. Vince has a great game himself, going 25-for-29 with 336 passing yards and two touchdowns, while running for 58 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-17 win over Colorado. Reggie would have picked up some ground if Vince didn't have such a huge game.

Edge: Vince Young.

Game 7

Reggie only runs for 51 yards and one touchdown, and only has 18 receiving yards, but he has 116 return yards, including an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown in a 51-24 win over Washington. Vince goes 12-for-22 with 239 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also runs for 45 yards and a touchdown in a 52-17 win over previously unbeaten Texas Tech. Not a great game by either player, but the return yards propel Reggie a little bit.

Edge: Reggie Bush.

Game 8

Bush runs for 97 yards, catches four passes for 40 yards, and has 19 return yards without any touchdowns whatsoever in a 55-13 win over Washington State. Young throws for 239 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on 15-for-30 passing. That's enough to make this week a close week, except that Vince also runs for 267 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-28 win over hapless Oklahoma State.

Edge: Vince Young.

Game 9

Bush has 113 rushing yards with a touchdown, has 27 receiving yards on four catches, and has 21 return yards in a 51-21 win over Stanford. Young is 16-for-27 passing for 298 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 53 yards in a 62-0 rout of Baylor. An average day for both, with Reggie's 9.4 average carrying him this week.

Edge: Reggie Bush.

Game 10

Reggie gets upstaged by LenDale yet again, only rushing for 82 yards and catching one pass for four yards. USC manages to handle Cal 35-10 because of all of the weapons they have. Vince goes 19-for-27 for 281 yards and four touchdowns while beating Kansas 66-14. He has -4 yards running, but it doesn't matter; four touchdowns is great when Reggie didn't have any.

Edge: Vince Young.

Game 11

Reggie has his career day. He runs 23 times for 294 yards (a 12.8 average) with two touchdowns, he catches three passes for 68 yards (a 22.7 average), he returns one punt for 16 yards, and he returns seven kickoffs for 135 yards for a grand total of 513 yards in a 50-42 win over Fresno State. Vince has yet to play game number 11 this Saturday at Texas A&M, but unless he has seven total touchdowns, there's no way he's going to take this one from Bush.

Edge: Reggie Bush.

Game 12

Call this one a helper for Reggie. Vince has had better games seven out of the previous 11 (possibly eight if he has a record-breaking day Saturday) and he should be the front-runner for the Heisman. Reggie's last game garnered him a big boost in support for the award, but he's still trailing. USC plays at home against UCLA in two weeks, and Bush needs to take center stage. UCLA's "defense" is giving up 220.2 rushing yards per game and unless LenDale has the huge game instead of Reggie, then this should be the place where Bush locks up the award.

Most people are ready to bow to Bush and just throw the trophy at him right now because of all of the hype that was surrounding him in the beginning of the year. The truth is, Vince Young has had a better season than Reggie has, and he is more deserving of the award as of right now. This Saturday might secure him the trophy, but in reality, the next Saturday should secure the trophy for Reggie Bush.

Random Notes

Tony Stewart won his second career Nextel Points Cup title with a 15th-place finish in the Ford 400 while race-winner Greg Biffle finishes second in the points standings. Real sports fans continue to not care at all about this.

Stephon Marbury received a standing ovation in the Knicks' first home win of the season over the Trail Blazers. Real basketball fans and even NBA fans continue to not care at all about the Knicks.

Posted by Jeff Pohlmeyer at 6:54 PM | Comments (8)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 36

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Tony Stewart — Stewart's 15th-place finish at Homestead was plenty to clinch the points and his second Nextel Cup title. Stewart virtually clinched on lap 125, when closest pursuer Jimmie Johnson blew a tire and hit the wall. He finished the year as the series' leader in top-fives (17) and top-10s (25).

"That made my day much easier," says Stewart. "After I saw Jimmie wreck, I hit that cruise control button to '15th place' and got comfortable."

Stewart joins a list of six other drivers with two championships, and, next year, will look to place his name alongside David Pearson, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Cale Yarborough as winners of three.

2. Greg Biffle — With his second consecutive season-ending win at Homestead, Biffle charged to second from fourth in the points and finished 35 points behind Stewart. Biffle edged teammate Mark Martin at the finish for his sixth win of the year, a series-high, and led a Roush sweep of the top four spots.

"Second place in the standings is nothing to sneeze at," says Biffle. "I'm not even sure I know what that means, but it sure doesn't make me feel better. Does second-place mean I have to introduce Tony Stewart at the NASCAR awards banquet?"

Biffle will be one of the favorites for the title next year in what should be a wide-open race.

3. Carl Edwards — Edwards completed his improbable run at the title with a fourth-place finish at Homestead, and remained third in the points. Edwards started on the pole and led the most laps, but took four tires on the final pit stop while all of the other leaders took two. He passed eight cars in the remaining laps, but was unable to run down his three teammates ahead of him.

"Maybe I didn't win the title this year," says Edwards, "but I am one of People magazine's '50 Hottest Bachelors' and my signature backflip will be one of the hottest upcoming marketing tools."

Edwards won't sneak up on anyone next year, and, with a full year of experience under his belt, will again be a player in the Chase for the Cup.

4. Mark Martin — Martin captured his fifth top-five finish of the Chase, finishing second behind teammate Greg Biffle by just inches at the tape to cap his year fourth in the points. Martin moved up a spot in the points, 105 behind champion Tony Stewart.

"Man, I never would have expected the Viagra car to come up short," says Martin. "But we had a great year. Maybe after next year, Jack Roush will let me retire."

Next year, probably his last as a full-time driver, Martin will shoot for the Cup one more time as the most senior driver of a strong Roush team.

5. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson's dream of a Nextel Cup title came to an abrupt end near the midway point of the Ford 400 at Homestead. After losing a tire, Johnson slammed the wall on lap 125, and his day came to a disappointing end.

"It happens," says Johnson. "Not only does 'it' happen, but ... I better not say it. NASCAR could be listening. Anyway, at least I didn't finish second in the points for the second straight year. That would have been really heartbreaking."

Johnson will certainly be a contender for next year's Cup, but, as was the case this year, anything less than a championship will be disappointing.

6. Ryan Newman — Newman finished the Chase on a high note, finishing seventh to maintain his points position of sixth. After qualifying second behind Carl Edwards, Newman recorded his sixth top-10 finish of the Chase. For the year, he started on the pole eight times, but only collected one win.

"That's what we'll be looking into this off-season," says Newman. "Why is it that I'm the fastest in qualifying, then, when the race starts, I'm not? Is it me, or is it the car? I've got to have the worst start-to-finish ratio in racing."

Next year, maybe Newman's team will have a working relationship with new teammate Kurt Busch and share information. Newman had only eight top-five results last year, well below those of the drivers ahead of him in the final standings.

7. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth was the third driver in a Roush 1-2-3-4 sweep at Homestead, a result that allowed him to hold on to seventh place in the final Cup standings. He finished his year with 17 top-10 results and one win, at Bristol in August.

"It easily could have been a Roush one through five finish," says Kenseth, "but Kurt Busch ruined that notion. He didn't get a 'DWI' all right. Except it wasn't 'driving while impaired,' it was 'driving while idiot.'"

Kenseth and his Roush teammates will welcome Jamie McMurray into the fold next year, who takes over the wheel of the No. 97 car.

8. Rusty Wallace — Wallace concluded a disappointing second half of the Chase with a 13th at Homestead to finish eighth in the final Cup standings, 393 behind Tony Stewart. After three top-10s in the Chase's first four races, Wallace had none in the remaining six races.

"With a tear in my eye," says Wallace, "I've got three words for everybody who's been a Rusty fan: I'm outta here."

Wallace ends his Nextel Cup career, and will hand over the famous No. 2 car to Kurt Busch.

9. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield finished the Chase with a tenth at Homestead, one of the few positive moments of his Chase experience. He logged only one other top-10 in the Chase, with four of his last five results 24th or worse.

"Hey, at least I didn't finish last in the points," says Mayfield. "It may have taken me two more races to do it, but I finished higher than Kurt Busch."

Mayfield has finished 10th and ninth in the Chase, and hopes next year to make more of an impact.

10. Kurt Busch — Kenny Wallace took over for the suspended Busch in the No. 97 car and drove to a 21st-place finish.

"All within the limits of the law," says Wallace. "It's funny, though. I had to blow into some tube before I could start the darn car."

Busch will start anew in 2006 as driver of the No. 2 Penske Dodge, with the added bonus of being Ryan Newman's new teammate.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:59 AM | Comments (8)

November 24, 2005

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 12 (Pt. 2)

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

Baltimore @ Cincinnati

Baltimore's Brian Billick pulled off what's known in the coaching business as a "Mike Tice."

"What's that?" asks Billick. "Is that allowing your players to get freaky on a boat and do nothing about it? Then I'm guilty as charged. Deion Sanders has a boat called the S.S. Prime Time that puts the 'naughty' in 'nautical.'"

Actually, a "Mike Tice" is winning a game just when it looks as though you'll be fired if you don't win. Tice does it three or four times a season, therefore it is named after him.

The Ravens stunned the Steelers with a 16-13 overtime win, handing the Steelers their first loss on the road. The Steelers still lead the NFC North over the Bengals by virtue of a win over Cincinnati, who lost at home 45-37 to the Colts.

"Why did we lose that game, you may ask?" says Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. "Okay, besides our defense's total inability to stop the Colts from gaining many yards on every play? We scored seven times, just like the Colts. Unfortunately, three of our scores were field goals, and the Colts only kicked one. So, while on the surface, it looks like our defense was the problem, it was actually the offense."

Bengals receiver Chad Johnson backed up his guarantee of a huge game with an eight-catch, 189-yard day, including a 68-yard touchdown catch. Johnson then celebrated with a mock marriage proposal to a Bengals cheerleader.

"Oh, I didn't ask her to marry me," says Johnson. "She's not marriage material. She's damaged goods. I did ask her to join me on a summer cruise hosted by the Minnesota Vikings team and the Carolina Panthers cheerleaders, where each room is outfitted with a bathroom stall furnished with several gymnastics apparatus."

This time, Johnson guarantees a win and a big game. He delivers, as do the Bengals. Johnson serves the same cheerleader with divorce papers after a second-quarter touchdown.

Cincinnati wins, 27-16.

Carolina @ Buffalo

Carolina had its six-game winning streak snapped like a pretzel as the Bears delivered a Chi-town beat-down, whipping the Panthers, 13-3. Jake Delhomme was sacked eight times and threw two interceptions.

"I haven't spent that much time on my back since I lost a wrestling match to a 'gator in the Bayou," says Delhomme. "You haven't been pinned until you've been pinned by a reptile. At least, I believed that until the Bears turned the back of my jersey green."

The loss dropped the Panthers from the second seed to the fourth seed in the tentative playoff seedings. So, the loss could cost the Panthers a first-round bye.

The Bills had their hides handed to them by Drew Brees and the Chargers, 48-10. Bills running back Willis McGahee gained only 39 yards on 10 carries, and lately has been outplayed by Lamont Jordan, Larry Johnson, and the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson.

"This time," says McGahee, "I'm issuing a challenge to Stephen Davis, the master of the one-yard touchdown run. It seems as though last Sunday against the Bears, he was master of the one-yard run, without the touchdown. Four carries, six yards. My 3.9 yards-per-carry average against the Chargers easily tops that."

McGahee out-gains Davis, but the Panthers out-gain the Bills, particularly on the scoreboard. Steve Smith grabs a touchdown catch, and the Carolina defense gets some support from the offense.

Panthers win, 24-19.

Chicago @ Tampa Bay

After manhandling the Panthers, a team many experts thought was the NFC's best team, the Bears may have convinced many of their doubters that they are better than expected.

"Is this when I hear such crappy clichés like 'the Bears are for real,' or 'the Bears have to be taken seriously?'" asks Chicago head coach Lovie Smith.

I'm afraid so, Lovie. But if it bothers you that much, just lose.

The Bucs have won two straight, averaging 33 points, to reclaim a first-place tie in the NFC South.

"So, once again, the Bears face a NFC North leader," says the Bucs John Gruden. "We're playing at home, so we know exactly where the stadium is, so we'll show up, unlike the Panthers. And I've analyzed hours and hours of tape, and I've come to the conclusion that to beat the Bears, you can't play from behind. If you play from behind, then it's almost impossible for a quarterback, such as Chris Simms, to make the plays necessary to win."

Gruden asks just one thing of Simms.

"Don't screw up."

Simms obliges, and makes several nice handoffs to Cadillac Williams and Mike Alstott. The Bucs get a lead, then pound the running game and milk the clock. Matt Bryant kicks three field goals, and the Bucs end Chicago's six-game winning streak, 16-14.

Cleveland @ Minnesota

The Browns waxed the Dolphins last week with a 22-0 shutout, thanks in part to running back Reuben Droughn's 166 yards rushing, including a 75-yard touchdown run on the game's first play from scrimmage. It was the longest TD run of Droughns' career, although afterwards, a winded Droughns was unable to stand on one foot, touch his nose with his index finger, and recite the alphabet backwards.

The Browns held the Miami passing attack to 55 yards, as neither starter Sage Rosenfels nor backup Gus Frerotte could find their rhythm, much less a receiver.

"Suffice it to say that we will address the need for a quarterback in the 2006 NFL draft," says Dolphins coach Nick Saban.

The Vikings have won three-straight to even their record at 5-5, two games behind the Bears. Two of those wins came against the Packers, including Monday night's 20-17 win. On both occasions, kicker Paul Edinger nailed game-winning field goals as time expired.

"I guess that new employee handbook is paying immediate dividends," explains Minnesota coach Mike Tice. "My favorite chapter is the one I authored, 'Just Say No to Scalping Your Super Bowl Tickets.' I also like the centerfold. She is hot, and that's a nice cruise ship she's on."

The Vikings stay hot, and keep an eye on the scoreboard for the Chicago/Tampa score, as they defeat the Browns, 17-16.

New England @ Kansas City

The Patriots have won two-straight for the first time this year, and have taken control of the paltry AFC East, opening up a two game lead on the Bills. Last week, Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns as New England turned back the Saints 24-17.

"We are definitely the most resilient team in the NFL," says Brady. "We have most heart, the most guts, two types of fortitude, intestinal and testicular, plus more entrails and viscera than any team in the league. Like Ric Flair, we're not afraid to bleed, sweat, and pay the price. And that's the bottom line. Belichick 3:16 says 'I just put another guy on injured reserve.'"

The Chiefs are 3-1 at home, and face a key two-game stretch, hosting the Patriots and the Broncos next week. At 6-4, K.C. is likely to be scrapping for the final wildcard spot, likely with AFC West opponent San Diego.

"It's like those juiced-up freaks in those Under Armor sports apparel commercials say," says Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil. "'We must protect this house.' I'm not sure what that means, and those Under Armor guys really seem to be totally against houseguests, but we absulutely need to win these two home games."

Trent Green throws three touchdown passes, and a Lawrence Tynes' fourth-quarter field goal seals the win.

Kansas City wins, 26-23.

San Diego @ Washington

Last week, San Diego continued its dominance of the AFC East, whipping the Bills 48-10 as Drew Brees torched the usually-good Bills pass defense for 339 yards and four touchdowns.

"The AFC East is our personal whipping boy," says Brees. "We're averaging 30 points a game overall, but 40 against East competition. We've been taking the East out to the woodshed for a West Coast beating. I see the fear in their eyes when I flash this West Coast gang signal. We can't wait to see the Dolphins in Week 14."

Joe Gibbs and the Redskins dropped to 5-5 with a painful loss at home to the Raiders, 16-13.

"We were driving for the game-tying field goal," says Gibbs, "but we just came up short. Which wasn't such a bad thing because I was able to get home to see my driver, Tony Stewart, win the NASCAR Nextel Cup title. Now, I can fully devote myself to coaching the Redskins. Is it too late to make the playoffs?"

Not for the Chargers. San Diego has won three in a row, and needs to continue that run to position themselves for their final three games (at Indy, at Kansas City, and Denver).

Drew Brees throws two touchdowns, and LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for a score.

Chargers win, 24-17.

San Francisco @ Tennessee

The 49ers took the heavily-favored Seahawks to the limit last Sunday, finally losing 27-25 when their two-point conversion attempt failed to tie the game. The Seahawks almost blew a fifteen point fourth quarter lead, a near-collapse that is bound to affect their standing in the latest BCS polls.

"BCS? Man, what are you talking about?" says Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, the NFL's leading rusher. "This is the NFL. We don't need no stinking computers and idiotic pollsters to tell us who should play for the title. We have something called the 'playoffs' that year in and year out always seems to put the two best teams in the Super Bowl. Look into it, NCAA."

Thank you, Shaun. Now, get back into your own team's write-up.

Anyway, the 49ers seem to be a particularly tough team at home, having already beaten the Buccaneers and the Rams. Away from home, they're not so tough, surrendering an average of 35 points per game in four losses. And Tennessee is not home. Of course, the Titans are only 1-4 at home, giving up 32 a game in those four losses.

"It's not what you'd call a home-field advantage," says Titans' coach Jeff Fisher. "This isn't much of a football town. It's a country music town. Whereas Eagles fans may through eggs at the Cowboys bus, fan here are likely to throw tickets to the Grand Ole Opry at the opposing team. However, we do have the advantage of the player with the coolest nickname: Adam 'Pac Man' Jones. Isn't that cool? I've made Adam promise that is he ever has a son, that he's aware of, he has to name him 'Game Boy.' Or, if the kid is half-Italian, then 'Super Mario.'"

Steve McNair throws two touchdowns, and the Titans defense forces three turnovers as Tennessee wins, 24-10.

St. Louis @ Houston

If Mike Martz isn't calling plays for the Rams, then why did the Rams only run the ball 12 times in their loss to the Cardinals last week?

"Well, if you had to relay plays via smoke signals, sign language, and outer space satellites," says Martz, "then sweet-talk a Rams receptionist, then the plays are bound to get mixed up along the way. I called thirteen runs, dad gummit."

The Texans were run over by the Chiefs and running back Larry Johnson, who rushed for a team record 221 yards. The Texans are now 1-9, and all eyes point to a Week 17 matchup with the 49ers, which could determine who gets the first pick in the 2006 draft.

"If there's one thing for which I could take responsibility," says Texans coach Dom Capers, "it's getting this team the number one pick in the draft. I'm very proud of my accomplishment."

The Rams will be without starting quarterback Marc Bulger, who re-injured his shoulder against the Cardinals and is out for at least three weeks. Jamie Martin is a capable replacement whose greatest contribution could be reminding the Rams coaching staff of the presence of a running back named Steven Jackson.

Jackson gets the ball 25 times, and rushes for 131 yards. Martin throws one touchdown, and St. Louis prevails, 27-20.

Jacksonville @ Arizona

After going 58 games without scoring 30 points, the Jags have now broken 30 in two-straight games, the latest in their 31-28 win over the Titans.

"Approximately three weeks ago," says Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio, "I challenged my team with a question. I asked them, 'Are you ready to throw down?' They eagerly replied, 'Yes we are!' I repeated my query. 'I say, are you ready to throw down?' Again, they responded, 'Yes we are!' That meant only one thing: it was time to turn this mother out."

Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich started the game one for nine for minus nine yards before finishing 22-for-38 for 258 yards and three touchdowns.

"Sure, it was a slow start," says Leftwich. "But we made the proper adjustments. Actually, I made one adjustment, and that was to complete passes across the line of scrimmage."

The Cardinals will counter with Kurt Warner and his duo of big time receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Boldin plays receiver like a fullback, and Fitzgerald is an expert at the end zone, jump ball touchdown catch, and he could easily pass for one of Bob Marley's sons.

"I love throwing to those guys," says Warner. "It reminds me of my days in St. Louis with Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, except Larry and Anquan aren't afraid to punish defenders as opposed to just sliding to the turf after a catch."

Warner will find his targets a little harder to find this Sunday, as Jacksonville certainly won't give the Arizona rushing attack much respect and drop more defenders into coverage. And Warner will see plenty of blitzes.

Jacksonville sacks Warner five times and forces three turnovers. Leftwich throws for two touchdowns, and Jacksonville wins, 23-13.

Miami @ Oakland

What should you do if Ricky Williams, Randy Moss, and Sebastian Janikowski are in the same place at the same time?

"Uh, hide your stash and your girlfriend?" answers Raiders quarterback Kerry Collins.

That's right, Kerry. And you should probably make sure you don't fall asleep, lest ye might wake up missing a kidney or some other vital organ.

"Good advice," replies Collins. "So, how do we beat the Dolphins?"

Play them.

The Raiders ended a two-game skid with a 16-13 win over the Redskins, thanks to 142 yards receiving from Jerry Porter, including a 49-yard TD pass from Collins.

"There were two Moss' in that game," says Porter, "Randy and Santana. And I easily had more yardage than both of them combined. I think Randy makes a better decoy than receiver."

The Raiders should find success against a Miami defense that gave up 181 yards rushing to Cleveland. The Dolphins are also without middle linebacker Zach Thomas. And the Raiders wear silver and black, which is much more intimidating than orange and teal.

Lamont Jordan rushes for 110 yards and Collins throws for 275.

Raiders win, 30-14.

Green Bay @ Philadelphia

In their first game without both Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens, the Eagles lost anyway, succumbing to the Giants 27-17 to fall to 4-6, and 0-4 in the division. It wasn't all bad, though, because they 'lost as a team.'

And they should get used to life without McNabb and T.O. McNabb will have season-ending hernia surgery, and an arbitrator ruled Wednesday that the Eagles are perfectly within their rights to suspend Owens.

"I haven't seen such mistreatment for a Philadelphia sports icon since Greg Anthony chose Doc of the Seven Dwarfs over the real 'Doc,' Dr. J, Julius Erving for a game of pick-up basketball at Disney World," a dejected Owens explains. "I will see the Eagles next year as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In the meantime, I'm dispatching my boys, Philly guinea goons Vinny and Joey to booby trap Andy Reid's car."

"Okay, T.O., it's wired," Vinny says in a cell phone call to Owens. "When Reid turns the key to the ignition, kaboom!"

"Wait! I don't want to kill him!" a nervous Owens replies.

"Kill him? We've never killed anyone in our life. Wait, yes we have. Anyway, we're not blowing up his car. We he starts his car, the driver's side airbag will deploy. We've replaced the airbag with a giant, inflatable replica of your head."

In all this Owen's drama, I forgot there's a game to be played. Mike McMahon, no relation to Jim, Ed, or Vince, replaced McNabb last week versus the Giants, and threw for 298 yards. In his second start of the year, he will try to outgun Brett Favre. Favre throws for 300 yards, but McMahon's two TD passes lead the Eagles to a 27-21 win.

N.Y. Giants @ Seattle

"You may not know this, Eli," says Matt Hasselbeck, "but I have a brother in the NFL, as well."

"Yeah, I think I know him," says Manning. "He's almost as famous as my brother, Peyton, and maybe more famous in Germany. You must be talking about David Hasselhoff."

"No, I'm not," replies Hasselbeck, liberally applying Rogaine to his balding dome. "My name's Hasselbeck, not Hasselhoff. The same applies to my brother, Tim, who plays for the Giants. He's your teammate."

"Yeah, he was great in Baywatch, but even better in Knight Rider," says Manning.

The Hasselbeck's don't have the pedigree of the Mannings, but Hasselbeck has one thing Manning doesn't: an 8-2 record. And Shaun Alexander.

The Seahawks can strengthen their grip on home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Seattle already has a victory over Dallas, who has the same 7-3 record as the Giants. A win over the Giants would give Seattle the tiebreaker edge over both teams should they end up with the same record.

Alexander rushes for one touchdown and catches a pass for another. The Seattle defense stifles a late New York drive, and the Seahawks hold on for a 28-24 win.

New Orleans @ N.Y. Jets

In their last two games, the Jets have averaged 1.5 points per game on their way to consecutive demolitions at the hands of the Panthers and the Broncos, who shut out New York, 27-0.

"We're struggling on offense, and it's very difficult to win in this league if you can't score," Jets coach Herman Edwards said after the game.

What? It's difficult to win in this league if you can't score? If possible, I'd like to make an even more obvious statement, Herman. You can't win in any league if you can't score. Your statement implies that it is possible to win without scoring. Well, it's not, Herman. Have you ever thought of a career in politics? There's a name for people like you: spin-doctors.

"Oh, I love that band," says Edwards.

Against the Broncos, Jets starter Brooks Bollinger was knocked out of the game with a concussion, which left him vomiting on the sideline. Vinny Testaverde replaced him, and threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles before injuring his ankle. He was replaced by third-stringer Kliff Kingsbury, who was dragged kicking and screaming onto the field.

"I did overhear Coach Edwards tell Brooks before the game 'not to be afraid to let it fly,'" says Kingsbury. "He certainly gave it a hurl."

Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks didn't throw up, but he did throw two TD passes against the Patriots to give him 116 for his career, which broke Archie Manning's record.

"Next up is Manning's career interception record," says Brooks. "That one has my name written all over it."

Brooks gets closer by throwing two interceptions, but the Saints defense puts the offense in position for some easy scores.

New Orleans wins, 20-9.

Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis

Will the Steelers be the team to blemish the Colts' perfect 10-0 record?

"There's only one way that can happen," says Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. "And that's if Tommy Maddox suits up as quarterback of the Colts. Then we're sure to lose. You know how home field is worth about three points in the point spread? Well, Maddox is like that, except he's worth about six, for the opposition. So, if the Steelers want to deal Maddox, I'm sure we'd be willing to give up 33rd and 35th picks in 2076, some loose change, and a player to be named never. That seems fair."

"I'd have to veto that trade," replies Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher. "You guys just take him as my gift to you. And I'll throw in this 45-piece cutlery set and a Terry Bradshaw bobblehead doll."

Manning and the Colts outscored the Bengals 45-37 to repel Cincinnati's bid to knock off the NFL's only undefeated team. As a testament to the offensive theme of the game, the Colts and Bengals combined for only three punts, and a whopping 15 kickoffs.

"I spent Monday with my right arm in ice," says Manning, who threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns. "Not because it was sore. The darn thing was still smoking."

Ben Roethlisberger starts, and keeps the Steelers close, while the Pitt defense, unlike Cincinnati's, makes a few stops. Manning throws two touchdowns, and the Colts win, 29-24.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 3:26 PM | Comments (3)

A Special Slant Pattern Thanksgiving

There's been more than a few Thanksgiving-themed columns on Sports Central this year, and one thing I'm thankful for is that I'm a better writer than everyone else published here.

Just kidding, of course. I remember in my very first article for the Sports Central site (can it really have been three years ago now?), I raised resident NFL expert Brad Oremland in debate (I think my ulterior motive was to ingratiate myself to my new colleagues). He could've flicked me away like a mosquito — surely, he's forgotten more about pro football than I will ever know, but he graciously took the bait and responded. Since then, he's never stopped being a must-read for me.

I owe a great deal more to Marc James, the site founder, publisher, and administrator. It's really quite amazing what he has been able to accomplish. New sports sites and message boards crop up daily, but most of them are abandoned, almost entirely unnoticed. Not this site. If you ever want a primer on how to make a website (or, probably, even a business), work, ask Marc.

Of course, good luck putting together the talent Marc has assembled her, either technically or editorially. I am proud and grateful to be a part of it ... and equally so to be a member of the Sports Central Message Boards, which is the only all-sports message board I've seen that is well-populated, well-run, and successfully dedicated to sports debate, not flame wars. Anyone regular reader of Sports Central content who isn't clicking on the "Community" banner near the top is doing themselves a disservice.

But you're tired of reading this Academy Award speech, here are the sports-related items I'm thankful for.

1. I'm grateful for the alter egos Clinton Portis portrays during his press conferences, particularly Sheriff Gonna Getcha.

2. I'm grateful my alma mater, Ohio State, have just beaten Michigan for the fourth time in five years (this time in Ann Arbor) and are Big 10 co-champs.

3. I'm grateful the university of my hometown, the University of Akron, is (as I write this) two quarters away from being MAC East champs.

4. I'm grateful that both schools have a great deal of optimism for their basketball program. Ohio State landed the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the country for '06-'07, and every preseason publications I've read predict Akron to finish either first or second in the MAC East this year.

5. I'm grateful I stayed up to watch the USC/Fresno State barnburner last week. Wow, what a game!

6. I'm grateful I've discovered the fun way the Canadian Football League plays the game, and I'm grateful the team I adopted as my favorite at the season's onset, the Montreal Alouettes, has made the Grey Cup.

7. I'm grateful I've discovered the joys of No Limit Hold'Em.

8. I'm grateful that the Cleveland Indians, my MLB team of choice, surprised everyone and came this close to snagging a wildcard berth.

9. I'm grateful that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, my NFL team of choice, is 7-3 and should at very least back into the playoffs.

10. I'm grateful that there's still a dying breed of non-mainstream athletes to look up to, like Gonzaga's Adam Morrison.

11. Most of all, I'm grateful to my readers. Without you, even the detractors (maybe especially the detractors), none of this would be worth anything. So keep the hate mail (and the love letters) coming. Thank you so much.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 2:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 23, 2005

Sports Central Pro Bowl Selections

Pro Bowl voting has been open for over a month, but now every team has played more than half of its games, which means it's finally reasonable to vote for each conference's representatives. Here's a look at my ballot, with AFC players listed first. I didn't vote for anyone on injured reserve.

Quarterback

Peyton Manning (IND), Tom Brady (NE), Carson Palmer (CIN); Matt Hasselbeck (SEA), Drew Bledsoe (DAL), Mark Brunell (WAS)

I say this every year, but the AFC has a huge edge at this position. I'd take Drew Brees (SD), Jake Plummer (DEN), and Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) ahead of anyone from the NFC. There are a lot of borderline candidates in the NFC, and I don't feel bad about leaving any of them out. I'm just sorry I had to vote for any.

Running Back

LaDainian Tomlinson (SD), Edgerrin James (IND), Reuben Droughns (CLE); Shaun Alexander (SEA), Tiki Barber (NYG), Warrick Dunn (ATL)

The top two in each conference were easy, but the third player was a tough call. In the AFC, Droughns barely edged Lamont Jordan (OAK) and Willis McGahee (BUF). I like all-around backs who can catch and block, and I really wanted to find a way to vote for Brian Westbrook (PHI).

Wide Receiver

Chad Johnson (CIN), Hines Ward (PIT), Rod Smith (DEN), Marvin Harrison (IND); Steve Smith (CAR), Brandon Lloyd (SF), Santana Moss (WAS), Torry Holt (STL)

It was painful narrowing these lists to four each. I checked names, unchecked names, changed my mind at the last minute more than once. Johnson, Ward, and Steve Smith were locks. The last two spots in the AFC were between Rod Smith, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne (IND), and Deion Branch (NE), whom I really wanted to find a spot for. In the end, though, I felt that Smith had to make it, and I couldn't leave Indianapolis off the ballot at this position. In the NFC, I dissed Arizona and Dallas, and I'm still upset there wasn't a fifth spot for Plaxico Burress (NYG), who is having a breakout season as his team's featured receiver.

Fullback

Lorenzo Neal (SD); Mack Strong (SEA)

In the four years I've made Pro Bowl picks for Sports Central, this is the first time I haven't voted for Tony Richardson (KC). One day he and Neal will retire and I'll finally vote for Dan Kreider (PIT).

Tight End

Antonio Gates (SD), Tony Gonzalez (KC); Alge Crumpler (ATL), Jeremy Shockey (NYG)

Gates is having the same impact for San Diego that Kellen Winslow had 25 years ago. I loathe Shockey, and really wanted to take L.J. Smith (PHI) instead, on character and route-running, but Shockey's just too explosive downfield, and he fights for yards in a way that's reminiscent of Mark Bavaro.

Kicker

Nate Kaeding (SD); Neil Rackers (ARI)

Choices don't get easier than taking Rackers in the NFC, but I'm not real happy about Kaeding. It was close.

Punter

Shane Lechler (OAK); Mitch Berger (NO)

Berger is performing at a stunning level. He has 20 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, against just one touchback, and only 16 of his 43 punts (37%) have been returned. He's the only punter in the NFL with more fair catches than returns, and no one else in the NFC is even close. Lechler leads the NFL in net average (39.8).

That's the end of the "Express Ballot," bringing us to the offensive line selections. I'm fairly good at judging play on the line, but having watched a limited number of games, I'm reduced to some guesswork at these positions. Other guys get highlights and statistics to help you choose, but not the offensive linemen. That disclaimer aside, here are my picks:

Offensive Guard

Alan Faneca (PIT), Brian Waters (KC), Logan Mankins (NE); Steve Hutchinson (SEA), Kynan Forney (ATL), Adam Timmerman (STL)

Hutchinson is the best. I'm not crazy about Forney or Timmerman, and lots of other players got consideration. I'll have a better idea at the end of the season, when I've gotten a couple more looks at these guys, whether or not these selections make any sense. Waters remains one of the best in the game, but his teammate Will Shields (KC), whom I've selected each of the last three years, has dropped off a little. Mankins just edged Eric Steinbach (CIN).

Offensive Tackle

Tarik Glenn (IND), Willie Anderson (CIN), Matt Lepsis (DEN); Walter Jones (SEA), Jordan Gross (CAR), Tra Thomas (PHI)

The top two in each conference were pretty easy, but I struggled with the third spots. In the AFC, perennials missed out because of injury (Willie Roaf, KC) or a rapid dropoff in performance (Baltimore's Jonathan Ogden hasn't been the same since he returned from the injury that forced him to miss the beginning of the 2004 season).

Center

Jeff Hartings (PIT), Casey Wiegmann (KC); Olin Kreutz (CHI), Robbie Tobeck (SEA)

This is always a tough position, especially in the deep AFC. Jeff Saturday (IND) and Tom Nalen (DEN) would probably make the cut in the NFC, and injuries eliminated annual contenders like Kevin Mawae (NYJ) and Dan Koppen (NE). In the NFC, Hank Fraley (PHI) is on injured reserve and Shaun O'Hara (NYG) has an ankle injury, so character be damned, I'm taking Olin Kreutz.

Cornerback

Rashean Mathis (JAC), Deltha O'Neal (CIN), Ike Taylor (PIT); Ronde Barber (TB), Ken Lucas (CAR), Anthony Henry (DAL)

One early-season star from each conference has dropped off, Nick Harper (IND) in the AFC and DeAngelo Hall (ATL) in the NFC. It's not that they're bad now, but just a notch below Pro Bowl level. Champ Bailey (DEN) has looked great at times, but he missed two games with injuries and was burned repeatedly in another. Tory James (CIN) was the last player I cut from the AFC ballot. Henry was a close call over, in alphabetical order, Sheldon Brown (PHI), Hall, Shawn Springs (WAS), Charles Tillman (CHI), and Nathan Vasher (CHI).

Strong Safety

Troy Polamalu (PIT); Mike Brown (CHI)

Polamalu is a big-play guy, this year's version of Ed Reed (BAL). Brown contributes to every phase of Chicago's league-leading defense. He's third in tackles, tied for second in interceptions, and leads the team in interception return yards.

Free Safety

Chris Hope (PIT); Sean Taylor (WAS)

Eugene Wilson (NE) is the sole survivor in New England's defensive backfield, and I almost took him. Taylor is a little undisciplined, and he's too focused on the big hit, but he's a money player, the only big-play guy on that defense. Brian Dawkins (PHI) has been the best for years, but it seems like he's lost a step.

Defensive End

Dwight Freeney (IND), Aaron Schobel (BUF), Jared Allen (KC); Simeon Rice (TB), Osi Umenyiora (NYG), Bryce Fisher (SEA)

Taking sack specialists is like turning to the dark side, and it's a diss at guys like Aaron Smith (PIT) and Kimo von Oelhoffen (PIT), who don't put up big numbers in the 3-4. Freeney and Rice are inconsistent at times, but they probably create more problems for offenses than anyone else in the league.

Inside Linebacker

Mike Peterson (JAC), Donnie Edwards (SD); Antonio Pierce (NYG), Brian Urlacher (CHI)

Possibly the hardest position to narrow down. Peterson and Urlacher benefit from the great lines in front of them, but they make the most of their opportunities. A couple years ago, I called Urlacher the most overrated player in the NFL, and this is only the second time I've voted for him. Honestly, he won a tiebreaker over Keith Brooking (ATL), who missed my ballot for the first time, and Jeremiah Trotter (PHI), who got thrown out of the opener and publicly defied his coach about a receiver's suspension. Keep an eye on young up-and-comers Odell Thurman (CIN) and Jonathan Vilma (NYJ).

Outside Linebacker

Cato June (IND), Joey Porter (PIT); Derrick Brooks (TB), DeMarcus Ware (DAL)

I've never figured out why you can't choose three OLBs. June beat out Keith Bulluck (TEN) and Brian Simmons (CIN) as a rover, while Porter edged Shawne Merriman (SD) and Willie McGinest (NE) as a pass rusher. Demorrio Williams (ATL) is one of many Falcons defenders who just missed the cut, largely because the defense is less than the sum of its parts. There are lots of talented players, but they're middle-of-the-pack in total defense (16th) and points allowed (19th).

Defensive Tackle

Kelly Gregg (BAL), John Henderson (JAC), Casey Hampton (PIT); Rod Coleman (ATL), Tommie Harris (CHI), La'Roi Glover (DAL)

Individual stats aren't much help at this position, but teams with good overall defensive numbers usually have someone doing the dirty work here. Marcus Stroud (JAC) comes out of the game less often than Henderson, but he's also slightly less explosive. Richard Seymour (NE) is the best, but he's been hurt. Chartric Darby (SEA), Booger McFarland (TB), and Pat Williams (MIN) almost beat out Glover for the last spot in the NFC.

And if anyone wonders, yes, I feel bad that I didn't take any Bronco defenders. Bailey, Trevor Pryce, and the whole linebacking corps were all pretty close.

Kick Returner

Dante Hall (KC); Reggie Swinton (ARI)

Jerome Mathis (HOU), the only statistical standout in the AFC, isn't on the ballot, which makes Hall an easy choice. If the Pro Bowl is about who you want to see, I think Hall is one of the most exciting players in the NFL.

Special Teamer

I never vote at this position — not enough information — but some of the guys I like are Sean Morey (PIT), Mike Furrey (STL), Fred McAfee (NO), and David Tyree (NYG).

This is the fourth time in four years that I have voted for Ronde Barber (TB), Derrick Brooks (TB), Alan Faneca (PIT), Tony Gonzalez (KC), Marvin Harrison (IND), and Hines Ward (PIT).

Midseason Awards

Offensive Player of the Year — Shaun Alexander (SEA)

Defensive Player of the Year — Troy Polamalu (PIT)

MVP — LaDainian Tomlinson (SD)

Coach of the Year — Jon Gruden (TB)

Assistant — Cam Cameron (SD)

Rookie of the Year — Shawne Merriman (SD)

Posted by Brad Oremland at 2:58 PM | Comments (1)

Early-Season Matchups Provide Insight

Lost among BCS arguments, the AFC's domination, and the beginning of the NBA season, college basketball opens its season quietly in November. The tournaments to begin November give an interesting insight in the teams and players to watch for in 2005-06. Eight tournaments tip off the season.

The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic was the first tournament grab national attention. Syracuse thrilled the crowd with a dominating 81-46 victory over Texas Tech in the first semi. The Orange settled for second after a 75-70 loss to Florida in the championship game. Jim Boeheim's task early in the season will be to find his team's identity with Hakim Warrick. The offense will likely go through senior point guard Gerry McNamara. In the victory over Tech, the Orange placed four players in double figures. The other player to watch for Syracuse will be freshman Eric Devendorf. So far, Syracuse has had excellent balance with four players in double figures in both games in New York.

Texas Tech will look to recapture last season's magical run to the Sweet 16. Wings Martin Zeno and Jarrius Jackson will assume Ronald Ross' role as the team leader and go to players. If they struggle, so could the Raiders. In the loss against the 'Cuse, Zeno and Jackson combined to hit only 7-of-28 from the floor. In a 78-73 overtime loss to Wake Forest for third place, Jackson and Zeno combined for 50.

Without Chris Paul, Taron Downey, and Jamaal Levy, Skip Prosser is looking for some of his role players to step up. Justin Gray and Kyle Visser came up big in New York. Gray scored 37, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 9 assists in the two games at the World's most famous arena. Gray will have to take better care of the ball for Wake to be among the ACC's elite teams this season. He committed 17 turnovers in two games. Visser had 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the victory over Tech. Trent Strickland and Eric Williams with Visser gives Prosser an excellent front line. How the guards develop around Gray could determine Wake's future.

Florida pulled off consecutive upsets over ranked teams to emerge with the gold trophy from New York. Taurean Green was the player of the game consecutive nights with 23 points in each game. Corey Brewer and Al Horford will also be keys for whatever success the Gators have this season. Florida should be more balanced this season without David Lee, Matt Walsh, and Anthony Roberson looking for their own shots.

The 2005 Maui invitational might be the most competitive field that they have ever had. Michigan State opened the tournament with an 89-67 victory over Chaminade. Paul Davis should have a breakout year breakout year inside with Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown complementing him on the wings. Gonzaga defeated Maryland 88-76 in the other afternoon game in the openers.

Adam Morrison showed he is ready for an All-American season with 25 points and 9 rebounds in the victory over the Terrapins. J.P. Batista gives the Bulldogs a potent inside threat and Derek Raivio is one of the best shooting point guards in the country. Freshman Jeremy Pargo also impressed.

Maryland looks to return to the NCAA tournament after missing it for the first time in 12 years in 2005. Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison, and Chris McCray should pace the Maryland attack.

Arizona and Kansas have had some epic meetings in the past. Their first-round game is a testament to how strong this year's field is. Arizona reloads this year behind Hassan Adams. Adams is a solid all-around player that provides a few highlight reel dunks per game. To bring the 'Cats back to last year's level, he will have to assume the role of leader and the man the Arizona goes to. Pay attention to freshman Marcus Williams on the wing. Inside, Arizona will look to Isaiah Fox and Ivan Radinovic.

Kansas is extremely young and Bill Self is going to have to rely heavily on his freshman. Julian Wright is an extremely talented, versatile player with outstanding court vision. USC transfer Rodrick Stewart will be looked upon for leadership and scoring.

Connecticut is the highest ranked team entered at Maui. Jim Calhoun will learn a lot about his team early without point guards Marcus Williams and A.J. price. Sophomore forward Rudy Gay (6-9) is the projected number one pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. Josh Boone is one of the best interior players in the country. Rashad Anderson and Denham Brown are also returning double-figure scorers.

Arkansas should have its best team in at least five years. Wing Ronnie brewer is one of the favorites to capture SEC Player of the Year. Jonathon Modica is a dangerous shooter and Darian Townes is a load at power forward. The Hogs have the size to match UConn in what should provide an NCAA like atmosphere and level of play.

The Preseason NIT usually competes with Maui for national attention. This year's field is not as competitive as Maui or past NITs. The NIT has already has a major upset and a game matching top 20 teams. Sam Houston State shocked Missouri in Columbia, 80-77. They then fell 72-61 at Drexel in the quarterfinals. The Dragons will meet Duke in the first semifinal. The other will pit Memphis and UCLA. The Tigers earned an important road victory at Alabama in their quarter to reach NY.

Madison Square Garden always provides an electric atmosphere and the talent will bear watching. Duke's Shelden Williams and J.J. Reddick give Duke the best inside-outside tandem in the nation. Current freshmen Josh McRoberts and Greg Paulus will look to take that mantle from Reddick and Williams next season.

Drexel benefited from Sam Houston State's upset and are picked in the middle of the pack in the Colonial Conference. Shooting guard Dominick Mejia has excellent range and will hope to get hot to keep Drexel in the game.

Memphis and UCLA are both young and talented. Darius Washington is one of the most talented point guards in college basketball. Rodney Carney compliments Washington by giving the Tigers an inside presence.

Ben Howland has UCLA poised to return to the nation's elite with the sophomore trio Aaron Afflalo, Jordan Farmar, and Josh Shipp, and Cedric Bozeman returns after missing last season with an injury to give the Bruins veteran leadership.

The Guardians Classic is only a few years old, but is starting to earn its place among the elite early season tournaments. West Virginia and Texas played in the first semifinal, followed by Iowa and Kentucky.

Texas comes in with their highest ranking ever and might be better than the 2003 team that reached the Final Four. Daniel Gibson is dangerous at point guard either scoring or running Rick Barnes' offense. LaMarcus Aldridge, P.J. Tucker, and Brad Buckman gives Barnes a formidable frontline.

West Virginia will try to build on improbable runs to the Big East tournament championship game and the Elite Eight. The star of those runs, Kevin Pittsnoggle, returns. Tough-minded guard Mike Gansey gives the Mountaineers a pair of gunners who can consistently hit the three.

Kentucky will try to build on last year's run to the Elite Eight to get to its first Final Four since 1998. The return of Patrick Sparks and Rajon Rondo in the backcourt gives Tubby Smith a good place to start. How well the frontline develops will go along way towards determining the 'Cats' success in '06.

Playing Iowa will be an excellent measuring stick early in the season. Steve Alford will have excellent balance and is finally going to be able to put the Pierre Pierce saga behind himself and his team. Erek Hansen, Mike Henderson, and Greg Brunner give Alford and excellent frontline and Jeff Horner and Adam Haluska have excellent range.

The Great Alaska Shootout caps off Thanksgiving weekend. The Artic hasn't produced the fields it used to, but still gives teams an early season indication of where they stand against other good teams. USC, Marquette, South Carolina, and Southern Illinois should cruise in their openers. Tim Floyd hopes to turn around the USC program behind sophomore star Gabe Pruitt. Entering the Big East, Marquette hopes to get some confidence early in the season. The other semifinal should feature the Gamecocks and Salukis. SIU would like to show that they are still one of the best mid-majors and South Carolina has five players averaging in double figures led by senior wing Tarence Kinsey.

When the tournaments are over and students return to campus after Thanksgiving, the Big 10/ACC Challenge will be ready to take center stage. Duke at Indiana, Wisconsin at Wake Forest, and the rematch of last year's NCAA Championship Game, Illinois at North Carolina should provide more insight into what is coming later in the year. The ACC has dominated the Challenge every year. If the Big 10 is truly going to reclaim its place as one of the top three or four conferences, its will need a strong showing.

Posted by Alan Rubenstein at 2:43 PM | Comments (0)

2005 Heisman Trophy: Fearless Predictions

As the autumn leaves fall to the ground and the snow starts to fly in college football stadiums across the country, sportswriters across the country begin to make their case for who should be the 2005 Heisman trophy winner. Debates between writers, fans, coaches, and even players revolve around individual statistics, BCS rankings, strength of schedules, East Coast vs. West Coast bias (real or perceived), and a myriad of other factors.

If I had top pick the five finalists, they would be (in no particular order):

* Matt Leinart (QB, USC): 3,217 yards passing, 24 TDs/7 INTs, 66.4% completion ratio, 161.9 QB rating

* Reggie Bush (RB/WR, USC): 1,398 yards rushing, 383 yards receiving, 15 total TDs

* Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame): 3,201 yards passing, 29 TDs/5 INTs, 64.9% completion ratio, 161.5 QB rating

* Vince Young (QB, Texas): 2,414 yards passing, 22 TDs/8 INTs, 774 yard rushing/8 TDs, 169.8 QB rating

* Jerome Harrison (RB, Wash St): 1,900 yards rushing, 16 TDs, averages 28 carries/172 yards per game

Why isn't Jerome Harrison getting more publicity? He is leading the nation in rushing yards by 301 yards and has been an absolute workhorse for the Cougars. How is Harrison not mentioned in the Heisman debates? And please don't tell me that it's because he plays for a 4-7 Washington State team. He is the Cougars' only go-to guy, so opposing defenses are putting eight or nine men in the box to stop him, yet he keeps getting his yards. Unfortunately for Jerome, I doubt he will be invited to the party.

The next pretender on the list is Brady Quinn. Yes, he's been at the helm of a Notre Dame team that has re-emerged on the national title scene. Yes, he has put up impressive statistics in leading his team to a 8-2 record. However, does he have more passing yards than Matt Leinart? No. Does he have a higher QB rating than Matt Leinart? No. Did his team beat Matt Leinart's team? No. Strike three, Brady, and you're out.

Reggie Bush is the best collegiate football player, period. He can dominate a game from three positions (wideout, running back, and kick returner). His performance in the Notre Dame game this year was phenomenal. His performance on Saturday against Fresno State was jaw-dropping.

So why isn't Bush running away with the Heisman trophy this year? Unfortunately for Bush (and fortunately for USC), he shares the backfield with another 1,000-yard rusher in LenDale White, and lines up next to two quality receivers in Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith. While the depth of USC has been a major factor in their 33-game winning streak, it has also been the main reason for Bush's lack of eye-dropping total statistics (other than yards per carry). Can you imagine what kind of numbers Bush would put up if he were the only go-to-guy on his team?

Sportswriters across the country are now declaring that Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy solely on his performance in the Fresno State game. Last time I checked, the sports writers were supposed to judge the candidates based on their entire body of work, not just what happened in one game. If you were to judge Bush on the merits of a single game, wouldn't he be out of the running because of his lack of production against Washington (69 yards) or California (86 yards)?

As I stated earlier, Reggie Bush is the best player in the country, but his overall numbers don't hold up against Matt Leinart or Vince Young. I believe that 2005 will mark the second straight year that the best football player in the country will not win the Heisman Trophy.

Vince Young has been nearly unstoppable this year in leading the Texas Longhorns to a projected BCS showdown with USC. His 169.82 QB rating ranks him fourth in the country, and he is on track to finish with over 2,650 yards passing and 800 yards rushing. Young's total yardage (3,218) is very close to Leinart's (3,248), and he has a higher QB rating than Leinart (169.82 to 165.55). Both Young and Leinart have chalked up 30 total touchdowns. So what differentiates the two?

It all comes down to strength of schedule. USC's opponents have a combined winning percentage of .526 (60/54), while Texas's opponents have a .548 (57/47), so it's basically a wash. However, when you look at the number of BCS opponents for each team, USC is clearly at an advantage. Using the current BCS rankings, USC has defeated No. 7 Oregon (at Oregon), No. 8 Notre Dame (at South Bend), No. 19 Fresno State (at home), and will play No. 12 UCLA this weekend. Texas has defeated BCS No. 6 Ohio State (at Columbus), and No. 16 Texas Tech (at home). Advantage: USC.

If USC is able to run the table and defeat UCLA this weekend, I believe the Heisman Trophy will go to Matt Leinart. USC has played every game this year with a target on their heads and they haven't blinked. There are sportswriters who are downplaying Leinart's chances of winning this year, when he is in fact putting up better numbers than he did last year when he won the trophy. Are you kidding me? Let me repeat — he's putting up better numbers this year than he did last year! He's led his team to 33 straight wins, two straight national championships, and he's well on his way to a third championship. How can a sportswriter who voted for Leinart last year not vote for him this year when nobody has put up more impressive numbers than him?

In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. Matt Leinart is the best quarterback in the country playing on a team that is on the verge of becoming a dynasty. He's won the Heisman Trophy last year and is putting up better numbers this year. How can any sportswriter that voted for Leinart last year not vote for him this year and have a clear conscience? Thanks to Reggie Bush's lesser amount of touches, the Heisman Trophy belongs to him.

Posted by Rich Carlson at 1:45 PM | Comments (3)

November 22, 2005

NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* In their first four road games, Minnesota went 0-4 and was outscored 133-34. Since Brad Johnson became the starter, they're 2-0 away from home.

* The Chargers finally retired Lance Alworth's No. 19. Better late than never.

* Washington's defense is overrated. Only three teams have fewer sacks, only two have fewer interceptions, and no one has fewer fumble recoveries or total takeaways.

* Brandon Jacobs went 0-for-3 from the one-yard line on Sunday. Goal-line situations should equal Tiki Time.

* My annual Pro Bowl column will be posted this week. There are some really close calls this year; check in for a mid-season evaluation of each conference's best performers.

***

In their first three games this season, the Indianapolis Colts scored an average of 15.7 points per game. Since then, they're averaging 36.9, far more than last year's Colts (32.6). Seldom, if ever, has the league seen such a collection of offensive firepower. Indianapolis is now second in total offense and first in scoring. The team has allowed by far the fewest sacks in the NFL and is converting over half of its third downs, giving it a wide lead in that category as well. Peyton Manning remains the best quarterback in the league and is currently second in passer rating.

With so much about the offense going right, there's enough credit to go around. Start with the offensive line. Tarik Glenn, Ryan Lilja, Jeff Saturday, Jake Scott, and Ryan Diem are all playing at or near Pro Bowl level, and Glenn is probably the best offensive tackle in the AFC right now. Tight end Dallas Clark is big enough to be effective as a blocker, and he creates matchup problems downfield for defenses.

Edgerrin James holds everything together. He can run inside and outside, he can pass-block, and he's a good receiver. James is a good short-yardage and goal-line back, but he also has moves and breakaway potential. Manning's play-fakes to James hold defenses and create opportunities in the passing game. The receiving corps of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Brandon Stokley is one of the best the league has ever seen. Harrison tallied his 900th career reception this week, becoming the fastest player ever to reach the mark.

The coaching staff is the final ingredient. Tony Dungy, of course, is the man at the top, but the offensive staff is headed by coordinator Tom Moore and assistant head coach/quarterbacks Jim Caldwell. This may not seem like news, but when you put all of these individual components together, the product is nearly unstoppable. It may be the most offensive talent on one team since Paul Brown's early Cleveland teams and Sid Gillman's 1950s Rams. I've said it before: enjoy this while you can. Units this good come along very rarely.

On to the power rankings. As always, brackets indicate previous rank.

1. Indianapolis Colts [1] — The 2005 Colts really aren't that different from the 2004 Colts. The defense is better, with some of last year's young players with potential having evolved into quality starters, and a stronger commitment to running the ball has helped keep the defense off the field. Dwight Freeney is the unquestioned star, but he's still inconsistent, drawing frequent double-teams early in games and wearing down late. If the Colts are still undefeated when they clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, I think you'll see the starters in the first half and mostly backups thereafter.

2. Denver Broncos [2] — This is their fourth week in a row in this position, and no one's close. In 1998, when the Broncos won their first 13 games and went on to a Super Bowl victory, the focus was on Denver and 15-1 Minnesota. In the NFC Championship Game, though, the Vikings were upset by 14-2 Atlanta, whom many had discounted. This year, everyone's talking about the Colts, and rightfully so, but the Broncos could easily finish 13-3, with the losses a Week 1 fluke against Miami, the last-minute one-point loss at the Giants, and a meaningless Week 17. Denver's excellence, like Atlanta's seven years ago, is flying beneath the radar.

3. Seattle Seahawks [3] — There's a large gap between second and third, and I'm not thrilled about having Seattle so high, but there's no one else to move up. The Seahawks have the best record in the NFC, and a 7-1 conference mark gives them the inside track to home field advantage in the playoffs. They have a big matchup this week at home against the Giants.

4. San Diego Chargers [6] — Antonio Gates is day-to-day with a foot injury, and he's an essential part of their offense. If the Chargers can get by Washington this week, they have should-win home games against Oakland and Miami that could put the team at 9-4 heading into a brutal three-game stretch against the Colts and Chiefs at home, followed by Denver on the road. If the Broncos sit their starters in Week 17, that could be the difference in whether or not San Diego makes the postseason.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers [5] — Embarrassing loss to Baltimore, but Ben Roethlisberger and James Farrior should be back next week. My rankings are based on how good teams are right now, and with those guys back, this is immediately a better team. Still, I don't see them beating the Colts, or even coming close, on Monday night. I know I said otherwise just two weeks ago, but the Steelers look pretty lost right now. The loss at Baltimore and the return of their quarterback should help them refocus, but not enough to knock off Indianapolis.

6. Carolina Panthers [4] — The offense is all Steve Smith, and the lack of a running game is really starting to hurt them. No one on the roster is averaging four yards per carry. Smith has almost as many catches (72) as the rest of the team combined (96). Jake Delhomme is on pace for a career-high 19 interceptions. Teams like this can win, but they can't consistently beat top competition. Just ask last year's Colts.

7. New York Giants [8] — Their two best offensive linemen were injured against Philadelphia, and Eli Manning was sacked five times, fumbling twice (although both were recovered by the Giants). Luke Petitgout's injury apparently wasn't serious, but Shaun O'Hara is scheduled for an MRI and could miss some time. Little Manning's 52.1 completion percentage is 28th out of the 29 quarterbacks with at least 150 passing attempts this season. He's throwing the ball to playmakers — Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress, and Jeremy Shockey will probably play with their quarterback in Honolulu this February — but he's got to do a better job of getting it to them. Michael Vick (57.3) and Joey Harrington (57.5) are significantly more accurate than Little Manning right now.

8. Dallas Cowboys [7] — They've won three in a row and five of their last six, but Thursday brings a matchup against 8-2 Denver. The Cowboys are good at home, and the Broncos are only 2-2 on the road this season, but this is a crucial game for Dallas. The head coaching matchup between Bill Parcells and Mike Shanahan should be interesting. Denver by six.

9. Chicago Bears [13] — After their Week 1 loss to Washington, I ranked the Bears last, and I've had them in the bottom half of the rankings almost all season, but please don't count me among those shocked by Chicago's victory over Carolina this week. The Bears haven't allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points since Week 3, when Kyle Orton threw five interceptions against Cincinnati.

10. Cincinnati Bengals [11] — Their game against the Colts was a lot like Notre Dame's loss to USC this fall, validating the Bengals even in defeat. Chad Johnson backed up his guarantee of a big game and topped it off with a funny celebration, but the real stars were the Cincinnati offensive linemen. I've always hated his work in the past, and I never thought I would say this, but Phil Simms did a great job working this game for CBS. Someone asked me this week which booth announcers I like, and Simms was the only one I could come up with. He's worlds better now that Greg Gumbel is on the other side of the country.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars [9] — Averaged 1.6 yards per carry against Tennessee, and that includes backup QB David Garrard's 12-yard scramble, their only run over five yards. Byron Leftwich had a nice game against the youngest team in the league, but the Titans' 11 penalties (to Jacksonville's three) may have been the difference in a 31-28 shootout.

12. Kansas City Chiefs [12] — They stomped Houston without him, but this is a much different team with Willie Roaf. A perennial all-pro, Roaf may well be the most valuable player on the team. An OT the MVP? It's not crazy.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [19] — When I don't get to see a game, I try to figure out what happened by watching highlights, listening to analysis, and examining the statistics. In the highlights, I saw a nice run by Cadillac Williams, some nice throws by Michael Vick, and defensive pressure on Vick. I heard an analyst say that Atlanta has the better team, but the Bucs wanted it more. And the stats seem to indicate that the Falcons dominated the game, and I'm still trying to figure out how they lost. Tampa has stolen two in a row.

14. New England Patriots [15] — Likely to win the AFC East, but these aren't the '03 or '04 Patriots. This year's group is 31st in total defense, ahead of only the 49ers. They're up to 26th in scoring defense, but that's still the worst of any team with a winning record.

15. Atlanta Falcons [10] — I said this last week, too, but the defense has become a liability, and the Falcons need it to be a strength. Atlanta still controls its own destiny in the NFC South, but if the defense can't pick things up, these guys will be watching the playoffs from their couches.

16. Oakland Raiders [18] — Norv Turner got a win against his former team. The Raiders didn't play a great game, but they came up with big plays when they had to and took advantage of Washington's weaknesses. Oakland's downfield passing attack matches up well against a weak pass rush and vulnerabilities in the secondary.

17. Washington Redskins [14] — Went into half-time up 13-3 and didn't lose the lead until 1:13 remained, but in the second half, Joe Gibbs called 20 passes and just 7 runs, including 12 and one in the fourth quarter. Mark Brunell completed just 44% of his passes, with a miserable 4.8 yards per attempt. Gibbs is too caught up in the passing game — this is the second week in a row he's neglected the run in a close game and possibly cost his team the game.

18. Philadelphia Eagles [16] — Donovan McNabb and Lito Sheppard are done for the season. The Eagles went 5-1 without McNabb in 2002, but that defense was much better than this year's. If Philadelphia is going to remain even an average team for the remainder of this season, the defense will have to pick things up.

19. St. Louis Rams [17] — The offensive line allowed five sacks, and Marc Bulger is injured again. He's out for at least two games, probably more, and maybe even the rest of the season. At least he's not taking Torry Holt with him this time.

20. Minnesota Vikings [23] — I really like their interior defensive line, and the offensive line looked great in the second half, following a rough start. Most analysts picked against Minnesota this week, and a lot of people still cite Brett Favre's record in cold weather, but the Packers were really good every year he was compiling that record. They're 2-8 this season, and when you're that bad, the temperature won't save you.

21. Detroit Lions [22] — The Lions won't make the playoffs this year, but they can affect who else does when the Falcons come to Detroit on Thursday. The team has filed a $10 million grievance against former first-round draft choice Charles Rogers, which means his career with the team is probably over. Rogers will probably get another chance from someone else this season, but the odds are against his ever being anything but a headache for his employer.

22. Buffalo Bills [20] — Humiliation is: losing by 38 points. The Bills are 0-5 on the road this season, outscored 145-53. The Bills' road opponents are scoring nearly three times as many points as Buffalo.

23. Green Bay Packers [24] — Brett Favre has 17 interceptions, 31% more than anyone else (Aaron Brooks has 13). Favre's interception percentage this season is a career-high 4.62%, and his passer rating of 82.3 is his lowest since his thumb injury in 1999 and 2000. He's still a playmaker, incredible at the top of his game, but we see the bottom — the bad decisions, the forced throws — more often these days. I don't think Favre will retire at the end of the season. He enjoys playing, and he wants to break Dan Marino's touchdown record and put his own consecutive games streak well out of reach. Favre did give the Packer organization an out if they want to start rebuilding, when he declared that he would retire if Mike Sherman is fired. I think that's the only way he leaves, though.

24. Baltimore Ravens [25] — They play lights-out against Pittsburgh, but the Ravens can't sustain that kind of production on a week-to-week basis. They're last in the NFL in points, and haven't scored 20 in a game all season. Baltimore is 0-5 on the road, and this week the team goes to Cincinnati. The Ravens' 96 penalties are second-most in the league (Oakland, 100).

25. Cleveland Browns [28] — Two wins in their last three. Everyone in the AFC North is 3-2 at home. Reuben Droughns has really come on lately, and he and Braylon Edwards give the team a nice offensive base to build around. The defense shut out an opponent for only the second time since the Browns returned to Cleveland.

26. Arizona Cardinals [30] — Allowed at least 28 points for the fourth game in a row. Maybe Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald can play defense for them. Heck, get Neil Rackers out there, too.

27. Tennessee Titans [29] — Beat Baltimore at home in Week 2 and Houston on the road in Week 5. Since, they've lost five in a row. Tennessee has shown potential, and it's not getting blown out — none of those five losses were by more than 10 points — but the wins just aren't there. The remaining schedule, though, features San Francisco and Houston at home. If the Titans lose this weekend, I swear they will be in the 30s next week.

28. New Orleans Saints [27] — One of four teams to be outscored by over 100 points this season (the others are the Jets, 49ers, and Texans). The Saints have an NFL-worst six-game losing streak.

29. Miami Dolphins [21] — Nick Saban is cracking. This is the second week in a row that he's been edgy and weird at his Monday press conference, and this time he even insisted that it doesn't matter whether or not his team wins. It's one thing to be realistic about your team's potential and long-term goals, but it's another to say you don't care whether or not you win.

30. New York Jets [26] — It's hard to find words to express how utterly dominated the Jets were in Week 11. The last two weeks, the team has been outscored 60-3. The offense is totally broken, and the defense has yielded at least 27 points in five consecutive contests. The Jets have used five quarterbacks this year, and they're last in the NFL in passing TDs. The team is 30th in yards, 31st in scoring — only five points ahead of the Ravens — and 32nd in time of possession. The Jets aren't just last in time of possession, though: they're last by almost a full minute. This team is a disaster.

31. San Francisco 49ers [32] — Ken Dorsey looked slightly less lost than Alex Smith and Cody Pickett. Brandon Lloyd may have the best hands in the NFL. Those are bright points. This is only the fourth week, including preseason, that I haven't had the 49ers last in the power rankings. They've yet to go higher than 30th. I have never had a team spend an entire season in the 30s.

32. Houston Texans [31] — The first team officially eliminated from playoff contention. They were 1-for-11 on third downs Sunday night. Someone needs to tell Domanick Davis that you don't dance when your team is losing 31-13.

Remember to check in later this week for my Pro Bowl selections. Enjoy the holiday and the Thursday football!

Posted by Brad Oremland at 8:39 PM | Comments (1)

Things to Be Thankful For

Every year, we list the things we are most thankful for in the sports world, so here is what I came up with:

1. Steroids — Let's be honest here, without performance enhancers, no one would have watched baseball in the mid-'90s. Also, without them, Jose Canseco never gets to write a book, which means he never would have known there was another use for books other than as a footrest.

2. Terrell Owens — Just because he is able to play everyone so well. He has never killed anyone, no drinking and driving, no skipping out on his child support, no paying auto-mechanics half of what they are owed because "that's all Jesus told him he had to pay" (thanks, Deion Sanders). Yet he is still the most hated person in sports. Anything T.O. does is breaking news on all ESPN channels and in all sports media outlets.

3. Chad Johnson/Steve Smith — On that same note, it's good to have two guys who know how to have fun in the No Fun League without turning into mini-T.O.s. These are both great teammates and great players to watch.

4. Carolina cheerleaders/sex boat parties — The NFL is a crazy, crazy league, but wouldn't be the same without all the sex. It lets old guys fail miserably in trying to make clever, sex-related jokes and that the sex boat cruise helped turn Minnesota's season around. This could be a new trend for football teams everywhere. San Francisco can't move the ball or play defense? Not until they take their team on a boat with some hookers, drugs, and live sex acts.

This is going to influence the way teams train for ages as I predict this could be even more influential for sports teams than those Tom Emanski defensive drills videos (and those back-to-back-to-back AAU championships were damn impressive). This will work its way down the pipeline to the college ranks (I'm looking at you, Colorado) and even a tamer version in the high school ranks (cheerleaders on canoes, maybe?). Either way, it gives us more to talk about.

5. My readers — God help them.

6. Sports talk radio — I'm not going to lie, sports is a great way to make money. There isn't anything more fun than arguing with someone you know is wrong and letting them self-destruct in the process. It's also a lot of fun to do interviews and we've had a great range of guests during my time talking sports on some sort of radio (special thanks to Warrick Dunn, Bruce Weber, Andy Katz, Dee Brown, Craig Smith, Bob Ryan, Mike Gansey, Nate Robinson, Dion Byrum, John Buccigross, Randy Cross, Sean O'haire, Dave Zastudil, and anyone who helped us make those happen).

7. J.W. and Phil from the Plains — On that same note, I have to be thankful for the two most loyal callers to the show. Even on days when my co-host and I are debating what mascots would serve this nation the best in governmental roles, these guys still call in to voice their two cents. They may not always be right, but they are usually pretty reasonable people and sports talk radio can be boring if it's just me being right all the time.

8. 35-cent Wings at Buffalo Wild Wings — Sundays wouldn't be nearly as sweet without having a great, great place to watch the games with the token Buffalo or Detroit fan yelling at the top of his lungs every week. Also, the food and drink specials are hard to beat. And the place is so clean and everyone is so friendly and when I think of heaven, I know it will be great, kind of like Buffalo Wild Wings. That should be enough to get me some free food.

9. College basketball and the new NHL — It's a great time of the year. Now, if only Sidney Crosby could knock down a 15-foot jumper consistently or if Rajon Rondo could kill off a penalty, I could combine the best of both worlds. I guess I will have to make do with my Ohio Bobcats going to the Elite 8 and with the (whatever team I start following because the Blue Jackets blow) winning the Stanley Cup.

10. Charlie Weis — It's pretty clear that if Jesus was going to pick a football coach, he'd pick Charlie Weis. That means that, given my current state of caving to peer-pressure, I would pick Charlie Weis, too. It all works out though because Charlie is the man and will finally bring Notre Dame back to glory. People actually respect Notre Dame now, which is something that hasn't happened since Lou Holtz left (except for a brief time when Ty Willingham collected the wool of the world and pulled it over everyone's eyes, that was fun).

10a. Sports fans — They are loyal. They are crazy. They are crazily loyal. But without them and their blind devotion, things would be much boringer (I'm going to make this a word by the time Webster's comes out with a new edition). It's more fun to work in the toy department of life than to work in a real toy department (you know, like the ones in China where they don't let you go to the bathroom more than once a week).

10b. The troops — It may be lame to close with something serious, but you have to have a hell of a lot of respect for them and the sacrifice they make. All politics aside (vote for me in 2024!), these brave men and women are pretty sweet. For that, I doff my cap. Also, like I do every year around this time, go do your part by sending our troops a care package. You can find out more info at AnySoldier.com.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. BetOnSports.com gives you the greatest sports action to bet on. Wager on football, cricket, boxing, Rugby, horse racing, and more. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 7:49 PM | Comments (0)

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 12 (Pt. 1)

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

Atlanta @ Detroit

How do the Falcons lose a game in which they out-gain the Bucs 443 yards to 258, have 11 more first downs, and hold the ball for over 12 more minutes?

"That's simple," says Falcons coach Jim Mora. "Anytime your two quarterbacks combine for two fumbles, one of which is recovered for a touchdown, the other which leads to the game-winning field goal, then you can point the finger right there. But since Michael Vick signed a $100 million contract last year, we'll only assign him 20 percent of the blame. And, since his backup, Matt Schaub, is a peasant by Vick financial standards, Schaub gets 80 percent of the blame."

Okay, that makes sense. All right, then. If the regular season ended today, the Falcons would be out of the playoffs. Are you worried about making the playoffs?

"Okay, I see what's going on here," says Mora. "You're just trying to get me to repeat my father, Jim Mora, Sr.'s famous quote when he was coach of the Colts. Well, he copyrighted that quote and gets cash money every time someone says it, so here goes. 'Playoffs?! Playoffs!? You're talking about playoffs?! Playoffs?!' That quote should be on a U.S. coin, or at least tattooed across some rapper's stomach."

As if being 4-6 and having a shaky quarterback situation wasn't enough, the Lions now have to deal with the Charles Rogers situation, in which they hope to recoup some of Roger's signing bonus since he was suspended for violation of the league's drug policy.

"I think Cheech and Chong made a movie about where that money has gone," says Rogers. "It's called 'Up in Smoke.'"

Losers of two straight, the Falcons desperately need a win. The three-pronged rushing attack of Vick, Warrick Dunn, and T.J. Duckett will give the Falcons an early lead, and their defense will pressure Harrington into mistakes.

Atlanta wins, 23-17.

After the game at a Thanksgiving dinner, Rogers breaks his collarbone yanking on a turkey wishbone.

Denver @ Dallas

Before the Cowboys began preparing for the Lions, coach Bill Parcells hung a giant, Detroit-blue mousetrap from the ceiling in the Dallas locker room as a reminder to his players not to get overconfident.

"It was a 'trap' game," says Parcells. "I didn't want my guys to fall into the 'trap' of overconfidence and then get upset by the Lions."

"Whew! That's a relief to hear," says Cowboys receiver Terry Glenn. "I thought we had a problem with 40-pound, flying rodents."

Well, the mousetrap worked, somewhat. The large, flying rat is still on the loose, but the Cowboys beat the Lions 20-7 to remain in a first-place tie with the Giants in the NFC East. Running back Marion Barber III had two short TD runs to lead the charge, then was filmed by the FBI smoking crack, and later elected mayor of Washington, DC.

"That's not me," says Barber. "You're thinking of Marion Barry. Crack kills, but it also re-elects."

Now, the competition gets a little tougher as the Broncos gallop into town, led by quarterback Jake Plummer and running back Mike Anderson.

"The only thing I want to see hanging in our locker room is mistletoe," says Plummer, "so, when I emerge from this game without an interceptions, all of you Jake Plummer critics can kiss my behind."

Denver brings the second-best rushing offense in the league, which helped them control the ball for over 42 minutes against the Jets. The Broncos also sport the NFL's second-best rush defense. Denver and Dallas have both thrived when their quarterbacks are under no pressure to produce big plays. Denver's rush attack, on both sides of the ball, will be the difference. The Cowboys will find little success on the ground, and Drew Bledsoe will be forced to pass more than desired. The Broncos defensive backfield will pounce on that.

Anderson rushes for 95 yards and a touchdown, and Plummer runs one in himself.

Broncos win, 20-16.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 7:20 PM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2005

I Hate Mondays: Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, here's 10 things I am thankful for:

10. Isiah Thomas is Not My Financial Manager

I am thankful that this guy does not manage my finances. If that were the case, my pockets would be broke as hell and my money would be locked up in shoddy investments like Dunkin' Donuts. Is that the stock equivalent of Jerome James?

9. Thankful That Drew Rosenhaus Does Not Have a Reality Show

I get the feeling that it is only a matter of time until Rosenhaus is on TV more often than he currently is. He's always yapping and he's always mixed up in controversy — perfect for a FOX reality show. I just hope it doesn't happen.

8. Thankful That College Sports Are More Pure Than the Pro Game

Smaller egos, the players actually listen to the coaches, nobody complains about dress codes, salary squabbles are not an issue, there's more emotion involved, and the cheerleaders are younger. I'm glad that the NCAA basketball and football are as big as they are because sometimes all the drama of the pro game gets to me.

7. Thankful That the Champions Golf Tour is the Only Nationally-Televised Senior Sporting Event

Can you imagine if there was a Champions Tour equivalent in the four major sports? That's right, Mark McGwire retires from the MLB and steps right into the Senior MLB, which is the same as the MLB only the players are too old and worn down to play in the regular league. What I really want to see is Kevin McHale getting dunked on or the John Stockton/Karl Malone connection continuing for at least another 10 years in a slower, less athletic Senior NBA league. I guess I'd be more thankful if the Champions Tour didn't exist — or if it existed and I never ever had to hear about it.

6. Thankful For the NHL Rule Changes

There was no doubt that the sport of hockey would return, but the decision to change the rules and, so far, stick to the no obstruction plan has worked out for the better. More teams have swapped their fourth line of checkers and goons for younger skilled prospects and the amount of fighting has decreased significantly. Now if they could only mend their relationship with ESPN...

5. Thankful For the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees

Without these two big-spenders, baseball might be one boring game. There is such a love-hate relationship when it comes to liking or disliking these two teams that it has become the main source of baseball interest nowadays. Even when a team like the Chicago White Sox complete an amazing season, no one seems to care unless it's Yankees or Red Sox — including me. White Sox won? Great. I just want to know which one of these teams will make the first big splash in the offseason and which team will get to $300 million first.

4. Thankful That Mike Tice is Not My Dad

On one hand, anything goes while this guy is on the watch, but something tells me that in the long run, discipline is a good thing and that I would be severely lacking that if he was my pop. Around-the-house chores wouldn't be necessary, giving a lackadaisical effort would be acceptable and there would never be a concern about being reprimanded. And, of course, there's the annual father-son sex boat ride...

3. Thankful For Cheerleaders

Sometimes I ponder to myself: what do cheerleaders really offer to society? Sure, they are eye candy, but what if somebody asks them about their career? Do you tell people that you cheer for a living?

"You're daughter is a lawyer, that's fantastic. Mine cheers for a living."

Are they ever unhappy? Maybe all those years of cheerfulness lead to chronic depression once they retire. Speaking of which, what happens to the older cheerleaders? Maybe they cheer on the Champions Tour. Okay, okay ... I'm thankful for the eye candy.

2. Thankful For Football Sundays

In between my horde of different fantasy teams, parlays, teasers, straight bets, suicide pools, reverse suicide pools, pick 'em pools, commissioner pools, and Pro Line tickets, my Sundays are more emotional than supermodel Janice Dickinson during her time of the month. Every time someone scores a touchdown, I cheer for one pool and I cry for another and I pray that it doesn't screw my bets. Funny, I never sleep well on Sunday nights...

1. Thankful For Having a Voice in Sports

The opportunity to write about sports, and more importantly, have someone read your compositions who is not directly related to you is something I cherish. For that, I am truly thankful this Thanksgiving.

Being thankful and Thanksgiving mix like Mondays and me.

"The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief." — William Shakespeare

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 4:24 PM | Comments (0)

Are Knicks Headed For Divorce Court?

This was a mismatch from the start. Isiah Thomas came in to save the New York Knicks, but he has made too many moves to really be judged. He has not given either a head coach or a player a long enough period to be evaluated properly. The lineup is constantly changed via trades and coaching preferences. He has not given the team salary cap breathing room, but that would have been a tall order for any GM. He has made the team younger and more exciting. He can at least hang his hat on that.

Stephon Marbury is the player that has all these great numbers except for his team's record while he ran the show on the court. Everywhere he has gone (and left) has had a common denominator. When he was running the floor, his team struggled. When he was traded away, his former team improved while his current team had difficulties. It is unfair to put the blame on his shoulders. But it is what it is.

He only had one year of college experience. But that was a long time ago. He basically forced his way out of Minnesota because Kevin Garnett signed the big contract and he would not have been able to also. He wanted to be the top Timberwolve, and that was not about to happen with "The Kid" wearing their jersey.

So he grumbled his way out of town. He went to New Jersey and did not make a big impact with the Nets. He then moved onto Phoenix in exchange for Jason Kidd. Basketball was alive again in Jersey with Kidd. Phoenix then traded him to New York and improved the next season. It is not fair to say he brought down the Knicks because they were a terrible team when he arrived.

Larry Brown is a coach that wants it done his way. Marbury does not seem comfortable in his offense and this past week, the quotes in the newspaper have shown that. Marbury is not the type of point guard for a Larry Brown-run team. Isiah had to think of this prior to signing the coach. Maybe he figured just putting a lot of big names in one place would be justified eventually.

It may be early in the season, but the handwriting is on the wall for a rocky marriage. Someone has to give. Either Isiah has to admit that it may have been a mistake either in trading for Marbury to begin with or pairing him with Brown. It will not be easy to find a taker for Marbury because of his big contract. He will have to take on another salary cap hit player to do so. And we have seen where that will get them.

Larry Brown is not going anywhere for the time being. But should Isiah risk putting together a team to suit the coach only to see him pack up and leave after two or three seasons? A tough decision for him, indeed.

Posted by Joe Pietaro at 4:01 PM | Comments (0)

Is the BCS Really All Bad?

It was decided long ago by men on high horses that the Bowl Championship Series is a sham. Reporters, columnists, analysts, anchors, you, me — we pretty much all agree. From the moment the computers churned out the rankings that stuck Nebraska in the national championship a few years back, we had a travesty on our hands.

Since then, BCS bashing has become an annual event. And that's fair. The system has major flaws.

But the thing is, it's kind of a good idea.

Well, maybe not the BCS itself. It has too many problems to mention. But the general idea — that of not having any playoffs and just putting two teams in the national title game — sits better with me than I thought it did. Maybe college football has had it right all along.

For as long as I can remember staring at box scores and reading sports pages, I've wondered why the concept of playoffs is the modus operandi for every major sport. I've never really understood.

It's not that I don't like playoff atmospheres. March Madness is like a holiday for me. Baseball playoffs define the fall season.

But just because I enjoy watching it doesn't mean I understand it.

See, I don't get how a baseball team can play 162 games and then have their entire season come down to a five-game series. I don't get how a college basketball team can go 27-4 and then see their season end in horrible disappointment with a first-round upset.

That's the way it is, though, and apparently the way it's supposed to be, if you listen to the advocates of a playoff in college football. But, while I would love to see a playoff, maybe it isn't the best option.

In college football, the regular season means more than postseason positioning. It means everything. And I kind of like that.

Of course, the BCS throws a major kink in the works. It's about a million times worse to see a team denied the chance at a national championship because of a computer than to see a team denied the chance at a title because of a postseason loss.

But, man, if the BCS actually worked, if it guarantee the two best teams would meet in the championship, then I think I'd really like that system.

Unfortunately, no system can make those kinds of guarantees. If there are three undefeated teams, who's to decide which two will make it? And I guess that's why playoffs exist.

So maybe I'm way off base here. Maybe college football does need a playoff.

But I don't know. There's something special about a season that matters. And that's what we have in college football.

Maybe it should stay that way.

Posted by William Geoghegan at 3:41 PM | Comments (6)

November 19, 2005

Herm on Wry: Life as a Jets Fan

It's become a nonchalant, mechanical question the morning after a football Sunday.

"So, how'd your team do yesterday?"

Typically, you get this question when you're a stranger in a strange land — a fan of an out-of-town team. Everyone knows how the home team did. Here in Washington, the fate of the Redskins every Sunday has a ripple effect on everything from the local news cycle to the price of Papa John's pizza the following day.

It's well-known within my circle of friends, as well as in my office, that I'm a New York Jets fan. And it's equally as well-known throughout the same factions that the Jets completely suck this year.

Each Monday morning offers the same ritualistic query from an acquaintance:

"So, how'd the Jets do yesterday?"

I can only answer honestly:

"I'm sorry. I don't follow football."

But of course I do. You can't shake your pigskin loyalties, no matter how many geographic or psychological complexities enter your fanaticism. When I was a kid, I used to think I would drop the Jets if I moved to a city with a huge football tradition, like Chicago for example. But it doesn't work like that. I haven't lived in New Jersey for over a decade, but I still live and die with that stupid franchise every weekend during the fall and winter.

Okay, stupid isn't the right word. Inept? Maybe inept. I had a roommate in college named Shirtless Joe. He was called Shirtless Joe because (shocker) he hardly ever wore a shirt. (It was those frat parties in which he'd become Pants-less Joe that really irked us.)

He was a big Steelers fan ("Stillers" to Joe, a native of the Steel City) and he never understood what was so debilitating about being a Jets fan. I guess, in his eyes, we were the team that was always just "there." And, unlike some other franchises, we did have The Ring, courtesy of Joe "I Juss Wanna Kizz You" Namath.

One night, I decided to give Joe a Gang Green education. He was in his bed across the room in our dorm, and I was in mine. The lights were out for a few minutes before I broke the silence.

"Know what sucks about being a Jets fan?"

At that point I regaled him with gruesome tales of New York football history. Having Richard Todd at quarterback. Drafting Ken O'Brien ahead of Dan Marino in 1983. Chanting "Joe Must Go" while Walton bumbled his way on the sidelines for seven (!) years. Watching Al Toon suffer more concussions than the Lindros brothers combined. Being stunned when Mark Gastineau retired without warning. Dennis Byrd's paralysis. Taking Blair Thomas ahead of Junior Seau, and then watching that idiot run horizontally between the tackles for four long years. Drafting Browning Nagle after the Falcons traded up to draft Brett Favre with the previous selection. Using two No. 1 picks in four years on tight ends — one of them being Johnny Mitchell and the other being Kyle Brady, who was taken three spots ahead of Warren Sapp. Hiring Rich Kotite and going 1-15 in 1996. And I went on and on and on...

Joe didn't make a sound during this history lesson. I think a little piece of him died that night — bringing him closer to being a Jets fan than he ever wanted to be, I'm sure.

So this nightmare season unfolding right now for the Jets isn't anything new, nor were the positive expectations I had coming into the season that have now been crushed like a child stomping on a helpless insect.

Because the Jets aren't stupid and they're not inept — they're simply the biggest C-teases in the history of sports.

It's one thing to suck. It's another thing to offer a glimmer of greatness and then wallow in suckatude. The Mets are usually masters of this domain, but the Jets have a certain knack for it, too. What other team could pull off what the Jets pulled off against Pittsburgh last season in the playoffs: missing two potentially game-winning field goals with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter? And then, in true Jets' tradition, using their first pick on a place kicker the following offseason — because, you know, you can never find a veteran kicker who needs a job, right?

The 2005 season began as they all begin: with hope. A healthy Chad Pennington in back of the best offensive line in the AFC East, with his favorite target (Laveranues Coles) back on the wing and a Hall of Fame running back (Curtis Martin) behind him.

Now, the Jets are 2-7. Pennington is done for the season. The anchor of that offensive line, center Kevin Mawae, is done, as is tackle Jason Fabini. Coles has as many receiving touchdowns as fullback Jerald Sowell, while the player he was traded for — Santana Moss — could be headed to the Pro Bowl with the Redskins. And Martin has finally looked his age, while his former understudy LaMont Jordan had blossomed into a featured back for the Raiders.

Right now, the Jets' quarterbacks are Brooks Bollinger, Vinny Testaverde, and Kliff Kingsbury.

Right now, I'm looking around my office for the closest thing to a noose.

This week, the Jets got even more stellar news: coach Herman Edwards tap-danced around reporters' questions regarding his leaving the team after the season to succeed Dick Vermeil as Kansas City head coach.

Edwards has several strong ties to the Chiefs. He's also grown increasing tired of the slings and arrows from the New York media, believing that three playoff appearances (and two playoff wins) in four years as Jets coach should have earned him some slack. (Perhaps he hasn't noticed that even Joe Torre gets slammed by the NY press, and he's one World Series away from sainthood in many Bronx churches.)

"At the end, if I'm not holding up my (end of the) bargain or they feel they need to go in another direction, they've got to do that," Edwards said. "They have to do whatever is best for the team. I'm okay with that, I really am."

Herm softened his stance in further conversations, hinting that he wanted to remain coach. But why? I think all Jets fans assumed that this team needed to win in the next two years — basically Martin's shelf-life — before facing some major upheaval. Now it appears the time table has moved up. Pennington's days as a porcelain quarterback could be numbered in New York, and while the defense remains strong, the offense could be rebuilding for years. In one sweeping offseason, the Jets might need a new running back, quarterback, and head coach.

That's why a part of me wants this team to go completely in the tank and hopefully land a top pick - meaning either USC's Reggie Bush or Matt Lienart could be wearing the green and white in 2006. At least then you'd have something to build around, rather than giving it one last shot with a glass-jawed QB and a running back with an AARP card.

But these are the Jets, C-teases to the end. A team that could end up atop the draft ... or in the postseason.

They're 2-7 overall, but just 1-1 in the AFC East. They have four games left in the division: sweep them, and New York's in the playoffs, as unbelievably crazy as that sounds.

Is that hope I just felt while writing that, or is it false hope?

It's neither. It's being a Jets fan.

Random Thoughts

Is there anything more pathetic than the NFL's recent "rewarding" of the Super Bowl to Kansas City?

First of all, what's with the NFL wielding the Bowl like it's some political tool? It was used that way in the New York stadium tussle with the Jets, and now it's a carrot to get the county to help fund a massive stadium project for the Chiefs.

It's not good for football when the NFL starts to look like the USOC.

Second, when is the NFL going to stop dropping to its knees for TV executives and its corporate whores and finally give the Super Bowl back to the fans? Kansas City needs a dome before it gets a Bowl game? Bullshit. Chiefs fans, Steelers fans, Giants fans, Eagles fans, Bears fans ... all of these people deserve to see a Super Bowl in their town 100 times before the damn Jaguars and Falcons fans do. But they get screwed because it might be chilly willy during the game. Poor P. Diddy might need to throw on an extra fur coat.

The games that decide who plays in the Super Bowl can be held in a fracking blizzard, but God forbid the Bowl isn't played in a vacuum. What a joke...

Two little tidbits I came across this week about the NHL shootout: did you know that shootout goals can't be reviewed? And that teams aren't allowed to measure opponents' sticks during the shootout for legality?

Why are the rules different in the shootout than they are in the rest of the game?

Oh, that's right: BECAUSE A SHOOTOUT ISN'T HOCKEY!

Finally, I wanted to note that the column takes a Turkey Break next week. I, for one, am supremely thankful that all of you continue to read this nonsense on a weekly basis. May your biscuits be buttered, and your yams forever remain candied...

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History" will be published in Spring 2006. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 8:54 PM | Comments (0)

This Season, Give Black League Basketball

Thanksgiving looms at the back end of the week, and we all know what that means. Yes, Santa will soon be marching past Times Square with his Macy's cohorts to open the floodgates of another Christmas shopping season.

But this year needn't be so bad. Why not take the frenzy and stress out of shopping for that basketball fan on your list and get him or her the newest in BLB designs from Eric Williams Apparel?

Join the Toronto Raptors forward as he captures past glories of Black League Basketball. Celebrate the rich heritage of the game's founding fathers that flourished during those formative years before the advent of our modern-day National Basketball Association.

Yes, it's the Negro Basketball League, the Mecca of professional basketball in the 1920s and 1930s.

Each leather jacket in this commemorative line is emblazoned with the logos of all twelve franchises — six eastern division teams sported on the left sleeve, six western teams on the right. Slip on one of these bad boys and journey into the past. Cheer the teams your great-grandfather enjoyed in his youth.

Before there ever was a Minneapolis Lakers or a Fort Wayne Pistons or a St. Louis Hawks, the Negro Basketball League was there. In cities like Cleveland and Washington and Detroit, it was there. In poverty-stricken neighborhoods like West Philly and Harlem and Roxbury, it was there.

During the difficult days of Prohibition, the stock market crash, and the Spanish Civil War, they offered our ancestors an escape from the harsh realities of everyday life.

In the Nation's Capital, as a country mourned the loss of Warren G. Harding, its 29th President, anticipation of the upcoming Washington Reps season offered residents their only distraction from grief.

After Al Capone executed seven hoodlums one St. Valentine's Day morning, fearful neighborhoods could at least take stock in knowing the Chicago SouthSiders were hosting the Detroit Engineers later that evening. And there were always seats available.

That fateful day when the Hindenburg went down and claimed 36 lives in the process, the playoff run of the Camden Earls surely consoled those afflicted residents of Central Jersey.

Like baseball's Negro Leagues — the alma mater of superstars Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige — the Negro Basketball League produced some of the greatest players of its day. Among the rolls that would shape the game for years to come were pioneers with such colorful names as James "Windmill" Jones and Lenny "Three Fingers" Willis, the godfather of the no-look pass.

Given the plight of African-Americans in this dark part of our nation's past, one can only shudder at the prospects of how the latter acquired his nickname.

What? You don't recall the Camden Earls or old Three Fingers? Apparently, you are not alone, ye of little faith.

It seems some of basketball's greatest scholars, such as Matt Zeysing of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Claude Johnson of the Association of Professional Basketball Researchers, and Susan Rayl, a Ph.D. who teaches sports history in the State University of New York system, are having some misgivings as well.

Their search for this elusive Negro Basketball League can be likened to an episode from CBS's Cold Case, albeit with a slightly longer subtitle: "65 Years, 7 Months, 12 Hours Missing". During interviews given to the Toronto Star's Jim Byers, who help cast light on Eric Williams' endeavors, each expert goes so far as to imply the league never existed.

"There's never been a black African-American or Negro Basketball League," Dr. Rayl recently confided to Byers.

Preposterous!

Just because no one can find it does not mean it never was. In this regard, the Negro Basketball League is a bit like Santa Claus. None of us has seen him – excepting on his Thanksgiving morning march, and even then it may be merely a Macy's employee incognito - but we nonetheless believe.

Besides, we have as Certificate of Authenticity the words of Mr. Williams himself.

"Those logos had to come from somewhere," the fashion mogul points out. "Those leagues and those logos, to me they sound like they exist. The story sounds good to me so I'm rolling with it."

Williams, of course, raises a valid point. It's not like computers on millions of desktops across the country could simply produce these things from some inserted magical disc.

As in baseball, efforts of grassroots movements like the Negro Basketball League were eventually successful in breaking through the color barrier. Within a decade after Eric says his league disbanded, Earl Lloyd became the Jackie Robinson of basketball when he entered a Washington Capitols game on Halloween night, 1950.

Somewhere in a crowded bar among costumed patrons that evening, a tall lanky pitcher by the name of Satchell Paige sat around a transistor radio listening to that Capitols broadcast. A man next to him with two missing fingers lifted a heavy mug to his lips and muttered how it should have been him.

It is for the memories of men like Three Fingers Willis, whose career shall not be in vain, that Eric Williams now toils.

Granted, there is a consumer cost involved. Leather is not as inexpensive as it was in 1940, nor are desktop publishing kits and those iron-on sheets you buy at Staples.

This Christmas, Eric's teammates will be blessed. The Raptors forward has promised an authentic Detroit Engineers BLB jacket to Detroit native Jalen Rose. Charlie Villanueva, the rookie from Queens, will be the proud wearer of a Harlem Knights edition. Being from New England, a Roxbury Patriots jacket is atop my own list.

For those of you who persist in your unbelief, Santa will be bringing you coal.

As for me and Eric, we believe.

Posted by Bob Ekstrom at 8:39 PM | Comments (7)

A-Rod and Bartolo: Definitely Valuable

Boston's hatred of Alex Rodriguez ends with the fans of their beloved team. On Monday, A-Rod was rightfully voted the Most Valuable Player in the American League by the baseball writers for the second time in three years.

This year's vote was not as close as was expected between Alex and David Ortiz, as A-Rod received 331 points on 16 first-place votes and 11 second-place votes, with one for third. Big Papi received only 11 first-place votes, but also got 17 second-place votes, for a total of 301 points.

The two were obviously head and shoulders above the rest of the competition, as third place belonged to the reigning MVP, Vladimir Guerrero, who received only 196 points. People have been arguing for weeks now that the numbers between A-Rod and Big Papi were so close that it just depended on how valuable the voters thought of a defensive role. It would seem that they value playing defense very much.

This vote is consistent with the AL Cy Young award, given out last week to Bartolo Colon over Mariano Rivera, where one of the deciding factors was possibly that Rivera only pitches an inning a game, maybe two every once in a while. The numbers between the two players were very similar, with A-Rod's being better in most of the major categories, but Ortiz was touted as being the ultimate clutch player of the year this season, which swayed some votes his way.

Since signing with the Yankees, A-Rod has become the new aim of Red Sox Nation's disdain, relieving Derek Jeter of that role. It seems, though, that the team doesn't necessarily share the same feelings as their fans. Curt Schilling was quoted as saying, "Congratulations to Alex. Either one of them could have won it. Both had MVP years," speaking of Ortiz as the other one that could have won it. The way the Red Sox are handling this shows the class of the organization, by simply congratulating A-Rod and further praising their support of their big star. I'm not sure the radio and TV stations in the Boston area will be reacting in the same manner.

A-Rod displayed the pinnacle of class and why he is a great ambassador for the game over and over during interviews once he won the award. He showed nothing but respect for his "opponent" in this race, saying "Ortiz is an unbelievable offensive player. I'm privileged to play against him, and when I do play against him, he motivates my game to go to new heights. He's a special player like Barry Bonds who can change a game around simply with a bat in his hands. I didn't know coming into today — I've been in a lot of these races and come in second and third place, so I thought David had as good a chance as I did."

He showed what an upstanding baseball player he is also, "I would certainly trade his World Series championship for this MVP trophy," since he has never won a World Series with the Yankees and he watched the Red Sox do it last year. He continued, "That's the only reason I play baseball. It's what I'm consumed to do right now." One can assume that that's not the only reason he plays baseball, $25,000,000 a year might have something to do with it, but the fact that he's not even necessarily looking at this as an acceptable end to this season further displays his phenomenal competitive attitude and his will to help his team.

David Ortiz had a great season, but like him or not, one of the classiest guys in the league won this year's MVP and A-Rod will now further be recognized as one of the greatest players in the league today.

Posted by Jeff Pohlmeyer at 8:07 PM | Comments (1)

November 18, 2005

Why You Don't Want to Face Duke

Maybe it's the banners bragging of three men's basketball championships ('91, '92, '01) and the innumerous ACC titles, trips to the NCAA tournament, and Final Fours at that place. Maybe it's the 677 wins to 112 losses (.858) at that place. Maybe it's the perfect little town of Durham, North Carolina, population 227,000, which comes together at that place.

Maybe it's the most feared college basketball coach in the country stalking the sidelines with 25 years of coaching experience and the winningest coach ever at that place. Maybe it's the most feared student section in the country, dripping sweat, hot breath, and curse words down the necks of their opponents at that place. Maybe it's America's most feared sixth man at that place. No, not Ben Gordon and the United Center. This is Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University, and everything about it makes it the toughest sports venue for opponents.

Just like most brilliant, successful, historical figures of the past, Edmund McCullough Cameron didn't know what he was getting into when he became a member of Duke's football coaching staff and head basketball coach in 1929 at 27-years-old. After seeing the University of Pennsylvania's Palestra, which at the time was the largest basketball arena, Cameron thought it would be a good idea to build a new haven for Duke basketball with a comparable seating capacity.

Rumor has it that Cameron, who also served as the school's Athletic Director, drew up the plans on the back of a matchbook and that an early proposal was a dome-shaped building. When it was finally built in 1940 for $400,000, it was nothing like a dome, but it was actually financed by the football team's first appearance in the Rose Bowl in 1939.

Located on Duke's west campus, Duke Indoor Stadium, as it was called, boasted 8,800 seats and was the largest basketball arena south of the Palestra. It wasn't until 1972 that it was renamed Cameron Indoor Stadium for its legendary athletic administrator, a name that still makes visiting teams shudder at the thought. While the word "stadium" is usually meant for football, baseball, or soccer, this place is an exception. It's also an exception in the fact that it remains one of the few sports venues that hasn't sold out to commercialism. That makes the name "Cameron Indoor Stadium" even more synonymous with the trials, tribulations, and overall agony that visiting teams face when they step foot onto Coach K Court.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski, for whom the court is dedicated, earned his name on that court for having built the most successful basketball program over the years. Call him Coach K if you can't say his last name, but don't call him a fluke. His records of 648-187 at Duke and 721-246 overall put him in the same sentence as former coaching greats John Wooden and Dean Smith, and Duke is therefore always an annual contender for a national championship.

Last season, led by senior Daniel Ewing and juniors J.J. Redick and Sheldon Williams, the Blue Devils finished 27-6, capturing the sixth ACC championship in seven years. Although Duke fell to Michigan State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, it's the knowledge and proof that the product put out on the court will be successful year in and year out mixed with loyalty and fanaticism that sells out all 15 home games each year. After renovations, the arena currently packs in 9,314 Blue Devil fanatics, and not a single seat is left open come game day, even though the arena actually holds more people than Duke even enrolls (6,347).

One of the most infamous aspects of this place is the Cameron Crazies, the student section that practically sits right on the court along the sidelines. Given the best seats in the house, the Crazies have not let the university down, earning themselves quite a reputation and putting Duke in the top 10 nationally for home-court winning percentage (.858). In the 2004-05 year, Coach K's boys were 14-1 at home and 5-4 on the road, an obvious margin of difference.

Jay Bilas, who played for Duke in the 1980s and currently is an ESPN college basketball analyst, called the Crazies the "the rowdiest, wittiest, best-organized basketball fans in the land ... and for many years, their chants and antics turned Cameron into a hellhole for visiting players and coaches."

The Cameron mystique carries over outside of the "stadium," as well into a popular town known as Krzyzewskiville. Coach K doesn't live there — the Crazies do. K-ville is the town built of tents in which students camp out for hours on end awaiting a ticket to the most exciting show on hardwood. Rarely is there a time without laughter or cheering, but it does have its serious side — laws and requirements, regulated by the university. In order to keep its place in line for tickets, a tent has to have a certain number of students in it during the checks held on a regular basis. It is, however, a fair process.

Many schools have their own unique social event. Ohio University in Athens has its Halloween celebration. Well, Krzyzewskiville at Duke is theirs. However, while OU might discourage the party-school reputation, Duke University actually encourages students to partake in this event, realizing that it's a distinctive way for people to meet one another and become friends. In fact, the university went so far as to install Wi-Fi and Ethernet ports in light posts so students can still do their "homework." (Or their game notes.)

Whenever a university supports athletics, sports teams are better off. Whenever a coach supports the fans, everyone is better off. Coach K is not only an exceptional coach, but he is also an exceptional ambassador and promoter of Duke basketball. He balances out his notable scowl and facial expression of a serial killer on the court with taking time of his own to meet with the fans. He understands how important they can be to a game, and he's known to buy pizza for the K-ville residents and hold open forum meetings with the Crazies before certain big games. But Coach K also knows the importance of being a responsible fan, and he has often advised them to stay "classy."

Though he feels that the Crazies used to be even worse in terms of rowdiness, Bilas still says that Cameron has the best basketball atmosphere ever and is the all-time best place to play. And I'm just going to assume that's only if you play for Duke.

"I played there for four years, and was an assistant coach there for three," Bilas wrote, "and there is no other place like it. Where else can world-class athletes be intimidated by an unruly mob of MENSA members? It was dark and hot, the crowd would throw tennis balls back and forth during warm-ups, and some of the chants were politically incorrect, to say the least.

"[Cameron Indoor Stadium is] the only place I have been where the players routinely laugh at what the crowd is doing. The best places in the country have real character, and Cameron has character."

... character enough to put the living fear in even the toughest of opponents.

There's a reason why Sports Illustrated, in its issue on June 7, 1999, ranked Cameron Indoor Stadium fourth on its list of the top 20 sporting venues of the 20th century in the world. Fourth on the list! Fourth on the list, ahead of the legendary Wrigley Field in Chicago, Fenway Park in Boston, Pebble Beach Golf Club, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, and Notre Dame Stadium!

This year, Duke's men's basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the polls, and at one point their women's team was, too, until they dropped to second behind Tennessee. Oh, how K-ville must be stirring as both seasons approach. March is a long way off, but Cameron Indoor Stadium's tight little quarters won't stop dribbling.

Camp out all night in Krzyzewskiville, and you might pee your pants from excitement. Squeeze yourself in with the Crazies, and you'll bleed blue forever. Step foot on Coach K court in a visitor's uniform, and you might pee your bed from nightmares. But play one single minute against the Duke Blue Devils and Cameron Crazies, and you won't ever want to go back.

Posted by Sara Normand at 9:03 PM | Comments (9)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 35

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Tony Stewart — Stewart all but clinched his second Cup title with a fourth-place finish in Phoenix. Finishing ahead of all Chase competitors except for one, Greg Biffle, Stewart extended his points lead from 38 to 52 over second-place Jimmie Johnson.

"Now comes the fun part," says Stewart, "my extended victory lap at Homestead."

Stewart needs only to finish ninth or better this Sunday and the championship is his. He has top-10 finishes in 25 of 35 races, including seven of nine Chase races, so the outlook is bleak for the competition.

2. Jimmie Johnson — After running near the front for most of the day, Johnson suffered handling problems in the latter stages of the Phoenix race and finished seventh. Not a bad finish, but not so good when Tony Stewart finishes fourth. Johnson lost 14 points, and now trails Stewart by 52.

"I've got my concession speech written," says Johnson, "but I'm not quite ready to read it. It's simple: we need Tony to finish 43rd. I think we could manage a top-30 finish after that."

In his last three races at Homestead, Johnson has top-10 results on each occasion. Ideally, he would like to get up front and put a little pressure on Stewart, and hope for the best, or worst, in Stewart's case.

3. Carl Edwards — Edwards collected his third straight top-10 finish with a strong sixth at Phoenix, but dropped 10 points to Stewart. Edwards now sits 87 points back, and needs a lot of help to grab the Cup.

"The sad reality is we need two guys, Stewart and Johnson, to have miserable days," says Edwards. "What even sadder is I don't feel the least bit ashamed about wishing for it. All I want to do is listen 'Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys."

Edwards finished 14th last year in the season finale at Homestead. A win would force Stewart and Johnson to finish in the top 20.

4. Greg Biffle — Biffle led the most laps in Phoenix, 189 out of 312, but came up short at the finish, unable to overtake Kyle Busch. Biffle gained 20 points on Stewart, but still has a near-insurmountable 102 point deficit.

"I was never good at math," says Biffle, "but they tell me it's still mathematically possible for me to win this thing. I guess 'mathematically possible' means Stewart, Johnson, and Edwards crashing on the first lap."

Biffle has one more incentive to win the race: a win gives him six on the year, which would give him the series' lead.

5. Mark Martin — Martin finished a disappointing 14th in Phoenix, and fell 162 points behind Stewart. That officially eliminated his possibilities of winning the Cup.

"I can't complain," says Martin. "We here at Roush still one driver alive for the Cup, and three others, myself, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth racing for personal glory. And the other driver? Well, NASCAR did tell Jack he couldn't have a five-car team anymore. So he suspended Kurt Busch."

Martin hopes to close out the year with his second points race win. He has three top-five results in six starts there.

6. Ryan Newman — Newman failed to finish in the top 10 for the third straight race, but did finish 12th after an 11th-place qualifying effort. He now stands sixth in the points, 207 behind Stewart.

"As you know, they call me 'Rocket Man,'" says Newman. "In this case, I think they are referring to how I 'rocketed' out of contention after starting the Chase with three straight top-five finishes."

In three starts at Homestead, Newman's best is a sixth. His last two efforts have been no better than 30th.

7. Matt Kenseth — Brake problems led to a frustrating day for Kenseth and the No. 17 Ford, as several pit stops for repairs cost him three laps. He eventually finished 32nd, two laps down, which dropped him to seventh in the points, 228 out of first.

"But at least I'm not bringing up the rear for Roush Racing," says Kenseth. "That would be the job of Kurt Busch, who had his license revoked by Jack Roush."

Kenseth could finish as high as third in the standings, an unlikely scenario considering he's never finished higher than 19th there.

8. Rusty Wallawce — Wallace suffered a flat left-rear tire with about twenty laps to go, and the subsequent green flag pit stop cost him two laps. He finished 29th, and is now 399 points behind leader Tony Stewart. Wallace's start at Homestead on Sunday will be his final on the Nextel Cup circuit.

"I'm not sure I want to hand over the keys to Kurt Busch, now," says Wallace. "I think he took the 'Rusty's Last Call' deal a bit too far."

Wallace and the Miller Lite team tested at Homestead on November 8th and 9th. They hope to cash that in for a win in Wallace's last race.

9. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield finished 24th in Phoenix, and, remarkably, remained in 10th place although Kurt Busch didn't ever race. Mayfield should get out of the cellar at Homestead and pass Busch in the standings and finish ninth.

"I'm moving on up," says Mayfield. "Last year, I finished 10th. This year, I should pull out a ninth. Pretty soon, in a decade or so, I'll be challenging for the Cup."

Mayfield hasn't had a top-10 finish since the Chase's second race. He hopes to break that streak with a strong run at Homestead.

10. Kurt Busch — Busch was suspended for the final two races of the year by Roush Racing after a traffic stop in which he was suspected of driving while intoxicated. He was eventually issued a citation for reckless driving.

"It's not the best circumstances under which to make a move to the Miller Lite car," says Busch. "But I'll survive. Are people going to stop drinking Miller Lite because I'm driving the car? Of course, but not because of a traffic citation."

Busch will watch the season finale from home, and will finish 10th in the Chase a year after winning the title.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 8:49 PM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2005

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 11

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

Arizona @ St. Louis

How do you know when your defense is bad? If you ask Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, you'll get your answer, after Warner says three Hail Mary's and gives his usual props to the man upstairs.

"I know our defense is bad," says Warner, "when I throw for 359 yards and a touchdown and we lose. 359 yards passing is usually a good sign that you'll win. Unless you play for the Cardinals. Then, you're likely to lose 29-21 to the Lions, or worse to better teams. But I'm looking forward to torching the St. Louis secondary for 334 yards, albeit in a losing effort. Then I'm interested in comparing notes with Mike Martz on what it's like to be unwanted in St. Louis."

Did someone say "Mike Martz?" I think Martz finally sneaked a play in against the Seahawks when the Rams faked a field goal that resulted in a four-yard loss when kicker Jeff Wilkins was tackled trying to pass.

"I knew it!" says Rams coach Joe Vitt. "Wilkins is the mole! Only Martz is dumb enough to believe Wilkins could complete a pass, and only Wilkins is naive enough to believe he could do it. Now, I think we should begin the Arizona game with an onside kick, then run a double reverse flea-flicker on our first offensive play."

Warner and Rams quarterback Marc Bulger both break 300 yards passing on the day. Bulger throws three touchdowns to Warner's one.

St. Louis wins, 32-23.

Carolina @ Chicago

In a battle of division leaders, the Bears welcome the NFC South leading Panthers to Soldier Field for a game that could possibly have playoff-seeding implications. Carolina is 7-2, while Chicago leads the North with a 6-3 record. With a win over the Panthers, the Bears would have a tie-breaking edge over the Panthers if both ended with the same record.

"You darn skippy we're treating this like a playoff game," says Bears coach Lovie Smith. "Like a playoff game in Chicago in January, we'll be hosting a better team. And hopefully, after Sunday's game, we'll find ourselves in the same bar as the Carolina cheerleaders."

The Bears beat the 49ers, 17-9, thanks in part to the swirling winds in Soldier Field, which threw a Joe Nedney field goal way off course. Bears safety Nathan Vasher caught the ball in the end zone and returned it 108 yards for a touchdown, an NFL record for longest touchdown play.

Sunday's game against the Panthers marks a difficult second half of the season for the Bears. With games at Tampa, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and Minnesota, plus home games against Atlanta and Green Bay, the NFC North could get very tight. Heck, the Packers, at 2-7, still have a shot.

The Panthers are much like the Bears, with an attacking defense and a strong running game. The difference is the passing game. The Panthers have Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith. The Bears have Kyle Orton and former Panther Muhsin Muhammed. Big advantage, Panthers. Smith scores one TD, and Stephen Davis adds another one-yard TD to his total.

Carolina wins, 20-13.

Detroit @ Dallas

What's it like choosing a quarterback for the Detroit Lions? Well, if you ask Forrest Gump, he'll tell you, then whip your tail in ping pong.

"It's like a box of chocolates," says Gump. "You never know what you're going to get."

Lions coach Steve Mariucci knows the feeling.

"Was I expecting three touchdown passes from Joey Harrington last week against the Cardinals?" asks Mariucci. "Yes, but to the other team. Now, I guess he's earned the start against the Cowboys, but I foresee something that could be a problem. Joey threw three TD passes to Roy Williams last week. Dallas has a safety named Roy Williams. I know they'll be in different uniforms, but Joey's always had a problem distinguishing receivers from defensive backs. This could take that to a new level of difficulty."

"Joey, just a reminder," says the receiver Roy Williams, before the game. "I wear No. 11 and I have a lion on my helmet. That other Roy Williams is an imposter. Don't throw him the ball."

In a game full of Roy-on-Roy action, Dallas' Roy picks off Harrington late to preserve a Cowboy lead. Detroit's Roy has 100 yards receiving and a touchdown, but the Cowboys hold on for a 24-17 win.

Jacksonville @ Tennessee

Jacksonville is 6-3, second in the AFC South, and in firm position for playoff qualification. The Jags finally cracked thirty points after 58 games of failing to do so. It was a deceptive thirty points against the Ravens, as linebacker Mike Peterson returned a Kyle Boller interception for the Jaguars' final points.

"Hey, pal, don't rain on my parade," says Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio. "Points are points, no matter how you come by them. If you win the lottery, you're obligated to report that as income. At least, according to the Internal Revenue Service. According to Jack Del Rio, you're not obligated to report jack squat. As far as the IRS is concerned, Jack Del Rio is the sole proprietor of a rum factory on the fictional South Pacific island of Jaguargaritaville. In any case, I don't care who scores points for us; the points are ours to keep."

The Jaguars face division rival Tennessee, fresh off a bye week. No one appreciates a bye week more than Titans quarterback Steve McNair, whose career list of injuries would make daredevil extraordinaire Evel Knievel shudder.

"These days," says McNair, "it hurts just to watch film. On the plus side, I've visited every massage parlor in the greater Nashville area several times over."

McNair can't get much done against the Jaguars defense, and throws two interceptions. Byron Leftwich throws two touchdown passes, and the Jags win, 25-17.

Miami @ Cleveland

The Dolphins lost their home showdown with the Patriots last week, Ricky Williams got jacked up, and Miami fell to 3-6. Miami had four shots at the end zone for a chance to tie the Patriots, but four passes netted them negative yards, and the Dolphins lost their second straight.

"Yeah. Ricky did get jacked up pretty good," says Dolphins coach Nick Saban. "I doubt he's ever taken a hit quite like that one, at least not from a football player. He was a little groggy when he got back to the sideline, but I'm sure he's awoken to high tide on a beach in Cambodia before and experienced the same feeling."

Like the Dolphins, Cleveland sports an identical 3-6 record. Among the Browns' problems is a lack of scoring punch. One bright spot for the offense has been the play of running back Reuben Doughns, who is 11th in the league in rushing.

"We're very proud of what Reuben has done," explains Browns coach Romeo Crenel, "especially the way he's handled his DWI situation. He's very intimidating on the field, but not so intimidating when he pulls up to practice on his moped. The spinners add a nice touch, though."

Despite their record, the Dolphins are only two games out of the East lead, and are looking to break their two-game slide. The offense should find room to throw and run against the Cleveland defense. Ronnie Brown rushes for a score and Gus Frerotte throws a touchdown pass to Randy McMichael.

Dolphins win, 24-13.

New Orleans @ New England

You know the children's book series called "Where's Waldo?" If you do, then you know how hard that son of a gun is to find in those pictures. And if you're a Saints' fan, you would understand the frustration, because you never know where your favorite team will be. First, they're in New Orleans, then they're in San Antonio. Then they're in Baton Rouge. And, on a bye week, who knows where in the heck they were.

"This week, we'll be playing in New England," says Saints receiver Joe "Me So" Horn. "At least there's a 'new' in the name. That's as close to New Orleans as we've been. We might as well consider this a home game. Gillette Stadium is pretty much the Superdome, just without the roof, and a much greater chance of snow. The following week, we go to New Jersey to face the Jets. After that, it's off to New Jack City. Those NFL schedulers are really looking out for us."

The New England pass defense should also be welcoming to the Saints. The Patriots are 31st in pass defense, and the Saints' Aaron Brooks is a much more adapt passer when no one is guarding his receivers. Of course, the Saints defense will have to stop Tom Brady and the Patriots new secret weapon: fullback Heath Evans, who rushed for 84 yards last week against the Dolphins. Evans is the rarest of rare breeds: the white fullback who gets more than the one token carry that usually results in a one-yard gain.

"Hey, honky cat!" says Brady. "Heath's not white. He's albino. See, he's got pink eyes. And no gold teeth."

Brady throws two touchdowns, and the Pats win, 24-20.

Oakland @ Washington

The Raiders/Redskins contest marks a meeting between two of the most eccentric owners in the league, Oakland's silky sweat suit-wearing septuagenarian Al Davis and Washington's four-eyed suit and tie-wearing nerd Daniel Snyder.

"In my glory days, about 75 years ago," says Davis, "I would have given Snyder the five knuckle shuffle to the face, just for being a candy boy. But I've got to hand it to little Danny. He's kept his nose out of Joe Gibbs' business, and the Redskins are winning. Me? I'm up in Norv Turner's grill every day asking Raider business. If I don't like what I hear, I get the real story from Randy Moss."

The Raiders and Redskins took two very different paths to defeat last Sunday. The Raiders fell behind the Broncos 23-0 en route to a 31-17 defeat, while the Redskins fell to the Buccaneers 36-35 on Mike Alstott's two-point conversion rush. The loss cost the Redskins the opportunity to move into a three-way tie in the NFC East with the Giants and Cowboys.

"Do I look worried?" asks Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. "I do? Well, I'm not. I've got three Super Bowl rings, and, come late Sunday afternoon, I'll have my third NASCAR championship. Al Davis may have three Super Bowl wins as an owner, but he doesn't know a restrictor plate from a plate of spaghetti."

The 'Skins should control the game with the running of Clinton Portis. The Raiders will stay in it thanks to their big-play potential, and the 'Skins have been guilty of surrendering the big play. But the Washington defense will solidify when it counts, and the 'Skins take a 23-19 win.

Philadelphia @ N.Y. Giants

How's this for a shocking statistic? The Eagles have gone two games without a turnover, yet have lost both of those games. What's that? I'm sorry. There's been a correction. That is, the Eagles have gone two games without T.O., Terrell Owens, not a turnover, TO, and have lost both games. That's not nearly as surprising a statistic.

"It's a bit gratifying to watch the Eagles lose without me," says Eagles receiver Terrell Owens, "and still get paid. I guess my apologies weren't good enough for the Eagles. Can't people learn to ignore me like I ignore everyone else? I produce on the field. Bottom line. Now, if you send your so-called 'locker room ambassador' to challenge my performance, then there might be a problem. I'm just saying."

The Eagles will start Mike McMahon at quarterback after Donovan McNabb's Monday night injury. McMahon will face a Giants team that gave up three return touchdowns to the Vikings last week. That kind of performance makes Giants coach Tom Coughlin right ornery.

"Coach Coughlin gave us a good blessing out," says Eli Manning, "which is what he does even when we win. The he punished us by restricting our Internet access to footage of the Vikings' infamous cruise."

The Giants learn their lesson. Tiki Barber rushes for a touchdown, and Manning throws two TDs.

Giants win, 27-14.

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore

There are three sure things in life: death, taxes, and Pittsburgh road wins. That is, unless you are Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller, then you can add interceptions and incompletions to that list. And, pretty soon, he may be able to remove taxes from that list. Because, to pay taxes, you must have a job. And Boller could lose his job pretty soon if his play doesn't improve.

Jacksonville beat the Ravens 30-3 last week, and ended a 58-game streak of scoring less than thirty points. The Ravens had trouble keeping up with the Joneses, namely Greg and Matt, who scored a touchdown each for the Jags.

"We'd have trouble keeping up with the Joneses," says Ravens coach Brian Billick, "against a team with no one named Jones. Of course, our defense right now is playing with no one named Lewis and no one named Reed."

That would be Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, who have missed the last three and four games, respectively, with injuries. And that's the problem with the Ravens: their playmakers are on defense, and they're not even playing.

The Steelers, along with the Colts, are the league's only two teams with unblemished road records. The Steelers will face their most difficult road test next Monday night at Indianapolis, and if Pittsburgh's NFC North pals in Cincinnati can do them a favor and beat the Colts, then the Pittsburgh/Indy game becomes absolutely huge.

"Absolutely monstrous," says Steelers coach Bill Cowher. "And when I say 'monstrous,' I mean it could have playoff homefield implications out the wazoo. Monstrous! Now, I better stop saying 'monstrous' because the front of my shirt is soaking wet."

The Steelers look ahead, but don't discount the Ravens, who nearly beat them in Pittsburgh in Week 8. Jeff Reed kicks two field goals, and Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley rush for a score apiece.

Pittsburgh wins, 20-12.

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta

Are gutsy coaching decisions making a comeback? A week after Kansas City's Dick Vermeil rolled the dice and went for the win against Oakland, Tampa's John Gruden decided to forego an extra point and attempt a two-point conversion. Mike Alstott sneaked in from the one, and the Bucs shocked the Redskins 36-35.

"Who's Dick Vermeil?" asks Gruden. "Never heard of the guy. Must have been before my time. Anyway, after Washington's off-sides penalty, we had the ball on the one. Allstott's much better at bulling in from the one than he is at calling a coin flip, so we went for it. I didn't want to leave myself at the mercy of a coin flip. I thought to myself, 'If we can't make a one yard run, then I don't deserve to be coach.'"

Well, Chuckie, maybe you don't deserve to be coach, because it's questionable whether Alstott made it into the end zone. But since when has an NFL official made a bad call?

The Falcons, on the other hand, were treated like a misbehaving first grader by the Packers. They got spanked. Three touchdowns from Packers running back Samkon Gado and six Falcons fumbles, three of which were lost, knocked Atlanta out of a tie for first in the NFC South.

"How on earth are we supposed to stop Samkon Gado?" asks Falcons coach Jim Mora, Jr. "He's a Jedi warrior, for Christ's sake. The doggone force is with that guy. What? He's not a Jedi warrior? Well, the name sure sounds like a Jedi warrior."

No, Jim, he's not a Jedi warrior. He's the next best thing, a graduate of Liberty University. And, according to founder Jerry Falwell, any opponent of a Liberty grad is headed straight to Hell. So see you there.

The Falcons should be able to establish the run against a Tampa team that gave up 144 yards to Clinton Portis last week. And the Atlanta front four will go after Simms.

Falcons win, 26-23.

Seattle @ San Francisco

Seattle's Shaun Alexander rushed for three touchdowns last week against the Rams, giving him 17 rushing touchdowns on the year, making him the first player in history with five seasons of 15 or more touchdowns. The Seahawks beat the Rams 31-16, their second defeat of the Rams this year.

"We owe them one more," says Seattle coach Mike Holmgren. "They beat us three times last year. After they beat us the second time, we gave them the common courtesy of a playoff meeting, so they could whip us a third time. I doubt they'll be able to return the favor, although we'll probably be looking for a team to scrimmage during our first round playoff bye."

The 49ers were kept out of their end zone for the third straight game, and lost to the Bears, 17-9. San Fran quarterback Cody Pickett completed only 1-of-13 passes for 28 yards and one interception in windy Chicago. That calculates to a 7.7% completion percentage, which is only slightly higher than Pickett's quarterback rating of 7.5.

"Okay, so I guess we'll be running the ball against the Seahawks," says San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan. "I must reiterate to our offense that the objective of the game is to cross the goal line, not avoid it."

Nolan goes with Ken Dorsey at quarterback, and the 49ers finally score a touchdown, but the Seahawks own the West, and Shaun Alexander crosses goal lines in his sleep. Alexander rushes for 115 and two scores, as Seattle wins, 27-10.

Buffalo @ San Diego

How does Bills running back Willis McGahee stack up against the Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson?

"Let's put it this way," says Tomlinson. "If we were pancakes, Willis would be a short stack, and I would be one of those six feet-high stacks that only Scooby Doo and Shaggy could eat for a meal. It's like professional wrestler Bret 'The Hitman' Hart says: I'm the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.' And there's also this thing about rushing touchdowns. I have 13, and Willis has four."

The Bills got a boost from quarterback J.P. Losman, who relieved the injured Kelly Holcomb and threw two touchdowns to Lee Evans to give the Bills a 14-3 win over the Chiefs.

"Wow! I felt like Joey Harrington out there," says Losman. "It's nothing short of a miracle that Harrington and I combined for five touchdowns and no interceptions for the day."

Buffalo's rushing defense allows an average of over 150 yards per game. Tomlinson returns from a bye week, and the Chargers are at home. It would be a miracle if L.T. doesn't rush for 200 yards.

Chargers jump on the Bills early, and Tomlinson "only" runs for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

San Diego wins, 29-17.

Indianapolis @ Cincinnati

The last time a 9-0 team dared enter Cincinnati, Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson guaranteed a victory over the Chiefs, and Cincinnati delivered with a 24-19 win. Now, the 9-0 Colts are coming to town looking to remain undefeated. Does Johnson have any guarantees to make?

"Only a few," replies Johnson. "I guarantee that former Cincinnati Reds great Pete Rose will have some action on this game, and I guarantee that his son, Pete, Jr., has handled more juice than his father. Finally, I guarantee a victory, but I won't say for which team."

"If I have to hear Guns 'N Roses sing 'Welcome to the Jungle' one more time," says Peyton Manning, "I'm going to throw up. And, speaking of 'throw,' I'm going to throw the ball over, around, under, and through the Bengals secondary. Here's a guarantee: I won't throw five interceptions."

If there's one knock against the Bengals, it's that they have beaten only one team with a winning record on their way to a 7-2 record. This will be the their best chance to dispel that notion. It will take a few turnovers from their secondary, and the huge game that Chad Johnson is promising. Carson Palmer throws three touchdowns, and the Bengals pull off the upset, 24-21.

N.Y. Jets @ Denver

Remember when that guy impersonated Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger just so he could impress women? I bet she was easy. Anyway, for all you guys with no moral fiber, you should try the imposter bit as a New York Jet quarterback. You've got five to choose from, and it's not like you have to impress with your football skills. For you older gentlemen with no moral fiber, try impersonating former Jets great Joe Namath. Just don't try it on Suzy Kolber.

"We welcome all Jets quarterback impersonation attempts," says New York head coach Herm Edwards. "In fact, if you do a good job, you might even get a tryout for a starting position. If you're already injured, you need not apply."

Last week, Brooks Bollinger threw four interceptions in a 30-3 loss to the Panthers. And the forecast doesn't look much better, as he'll face a Denver defensive unit that will force the pass. The Denver offense likes to run. And guess what? The Jets have the fourth worst rush defense in the league.

"Did I hear a rumor that I will be taking over for Dick Vermeil when he hangs it up with the Chiefs?" says Edwards. "Because I really need something to look forward to."

Denver runs running back Mike Anderson right at the Jets, then runs Tatum Bell around them.

Broncos win, 27-13.

Kansas City @ Houston

After averaging over 24 points in their previous eight games, the Chiefs were only able to muster three points against the Bills, and lost 14-3 as J.P. Losman hooked up with Lee Evans twice. It was the only time the Chiefs have been held to single digit scoring this year.

"I would tell you to check out this single digit," says Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, "but I'm practically a man of the cloth, so I'll practice restraint. I think my players misunderstood me when I said 'Let's get three' when our drive stalled. They apparently thought I meant get three for the entire game. Three points in a game is entirely unacceptable. That won't beat most hockey teams."

And it won't beat the Texans, but if you tack on three touchdowns and a field goal to that three points, you'll have 27, which is what the Texans normally give up per game. That should be plenty to win. Larry Johnson is the Chiefs' full-time back now, and against Houston's league-worst run defense, he should dominate.

Johnson rushes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and Trent Green rebounds from his miserable performance against the Bills.

Kansas City wins, 26-14.

Minnesota @ Green Bay

The biggest question in the sporting world was answered last week. Does Scoop Jackson have any teeth? Okay, the second biggest question. Can Minnesota head coach Mike Tice take a hit? Well, the answer is a resounding "yes." Tice sprained a knee ligament when a New York Giant was blocked into him on the sideline during last week's Minnesota-New York game. But he hopped right up and coached the Vikes to a 24-21 upset win.

"That was a blatant clip," says Tice, "and a very good one, at that. When I played tight end for the Vikings, I was used to delivering clips, not taking them. I hope I set a good example for my players. Not on how to clip, but how to play through pain."

Green Bay's stunning 33-25 win over the Falcons may have revived their slim playoff hopes, despite their 2-7 record. Of course, should the Packers make the playoffs, it would have to be as NFC North champion, and that would entail several Chicago losses.

"And we've got two shots at them," says Brett Favre. "One of those is Week 16 at Lambeau Field. If we win that one, then have the Seahawks hand us a freebie in Week 17, we could be in business. Nothing would make us prouder than to be the first 7-9 team to make the playoffs."

Favre throws three touchdown passes, and Samkon Gado rushes for a score.

Green Bay wins, 31-21.

"No humans were mooned in the making of this game," Favre says in an impromptu public service announcement.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:02 PM | Comments (1)

Bluebook Notes #9: Leinart Second in L.A.

Matt Leinart is a great college quarterback who will go down as one of the best to don the cardinal and gold. However, he is not the best quarterback in the country. He's not even the best in the city of Los Angeles. That honor has to go to Drew Olson.

Olson is quietly having the most impressive year of any quarterback in the land. He leads the nation in passing efficiency, quarterback rating, and has an absolutely staggering 30-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He is a cinch to throw for over 3,000 yards and has an opportunity to lead the UCLA Bruins to their first double-digit win total since 1998.

The Trojans are currently at 10 wins already, and have had yet another banner season. Matt Leinart is a major factor in USC's success, but is anyone really surprised? All credit to the ballroom dancer aside, USC has more talent than a strip bar in Atlanta.

When Leinart takes his five-step drop, he has Dwayne Jarrett, who is probably the best receiver in the country and Steve Smith, the best number two wideout in the Pac-10. If they are covered, he can dump it off to some guy named Reggie Bush, or Dominique Byrd, who is probably being covered by some hopeless linebacker. Leinart has all of this time to go through his reads because his offensive line is one of the best in America. Drew Olson has no such luxury.

Olson has led the Bruins to nine victories by making stars out of average receivers. Due to his pinpoint accuracy, Marcus Everett and Gavin Ketchum have exceeded expectations and Joe Cowan, a virtual unknown until this season, now looks like the next coming of Danny Farmer. Olson has had to contend with an offensive line is barely a notch above adequate as Mike McCloskey, their best lineman, has been out due to injury for several weeks now. Of course, Maurice Drew has been spectacular and Marcedes Lewis is heating up, but Drew Olson has put up better numbers than Leinart with far less at his disposal.

Of course, many will argue that Leinart would have posted much better numbers if he played almost every down as Olson has. There is no debating that due to SC's many blowouts, Leinart has not had as many chances to throw the ball as he could if the games were closer. However, he has only thrown four less passes than Drew Olson all season. Therefore, with their opportunities being equal, Olson's seven more touchdowns and four fewer interceptions than Leinart become even more impressive.

The effect of publicity can also not be minimized. Everyone in the country saw Leinart's pass to Dwayne Jarrett against Notre Dame, but how many saw Olson's toss to Brandon Braezell against Stanford? Both passes were in equally critical moments in the game, but only Leinart's will be remembered outside of Westwood. Whether we like it or not, the national media plays a major role in shaping public opinion. This is just another case where the media has tricked the nation into thinking the best quarterback suits up in the Coliseum, when in fact he's actually in the Rose Bowl. At least they were close.

As stated before, this is not a slight on Matt Leinart. Leinart has led USC to a spectacular season, while cementing his own legacy at the same time. His audible and subsequent pass on 4th-and-9 against Notre Dame will go down as one of the best plays in college football history. He has all of the intangibles, and that is what makes a truly superior quarterback. Nonetheless, Drew Olson has been even better in the clutch, and his performance in UCLA's four come from behind victories has been spectacular.

Olson has had to be perfect on no less than nine drives in order for UCLA to be at the current record of 9-1. His level of success in the most critical part of the game is what sets him apart from any other quarterback in the country. Without Matt Leinart, USC is probably still in the top 10 pursuing a national championship, without Drew Olson, UCLA looks a lot more like UC-Davis.

As always, the final say in this argument will be settled on the field. On December 3rd, these two teams will meet in the final regular season game of both Matt Leinart's and Drew Olson's careers. If history is any indicator, this game could be decided in the final minutes. Guys like John Barnes and Todd Marinovich have become local legends in this fierce rivalry with gutty fourth quarter performances.

Speaking of the fourth quarter, as good as Leinart has been, I'd rather have Olson in the clutch. Even though Leinart has been remarkable throughout his career, his team's initials revert to "Second Choice" when picking the best signal-caller in the city of Angels.

The HeisDAQ

The race for the Heisman Trophy fluctuates week by week. The HeisDAQ will let you know whose Heisman "stock" is rising and falling. Now that the race is winding down, I will highlight the five guys with the best chances of taking home the hardware.

1) Vince Young, QB Texas (strong buy) — V.Y. has finally overtaken Reggie Bush and is now in the top spot for the Heisman. He has a good chance to be the first quarterback to run for 1,000 yards and pass for over 2,500 in the same season. If he does this, they might as well just fly him to New York and leave everyone else at home.

2) Reggie Bush, RB/KR/PR USC (buy) — Bush has slipped a bit in the Heisman race, but it is really no fault of his own. He had a solid game against Cal last Saturday, but the absence of game-breaking plays has hurt him. Bush still has a very good chance to regain his lead for the trophy, as the next two games for USC will be nationally-televised against top opponents.

3) Matt Leinart, QB USC (hold) — Even though I feel that Drew Olson is the better QB, the HeisDAQ will always reflect who has the best shot of winning the Heisman. Leinart has led the Trojans to another fantastic season, and even though his chances of winning the Heisman are fairly slim, his odds of being a multimillionaire aren't.

4) Brady Quinn, QB Notre Dame (hold) — Quinn has played fantastic this season, but the "Push By Bush" ended his hopes of winning the Heisman. He had a solid game against Navy, but it is just not enough to move him up in the rankings. Unfortunately for Irish fans, the next two games (against Syracuse and Stanford) offer little hope for Quinn to gain any traction in the race.

5) Drew Olson, QB UCLA (speculative buy) — Olson has a slugger's chance to win the Heisman. Of course, Gerry Cooney was considered a slugger, as well. Realistically speaking, the Bruins would have to trounce USC on December 3rd, and I just don't see that happening. UCLA has had an aversion to blowing teams out since September, and it certainly won't happen against the Trojans. Olson's only hope to win the trophy is a magical come from behind victory, coupled with upsets against Texas and Notre Dame.

Games to Watch/Picks to Click

(Season Record: 12-10 ATS; Last Week: 1-2 ATS)

Ohio State @ Michigan (+3)

I have picked against Michigan the last couple of weeks and they have finally proven to me that they have jelled. They are playing good football and with the return of Mike Hart, they have a chance to pull off the upset. I believe that this game might just come down to special teams, and the Buckeyes have the ace in the hole with Teddy Ginn. I'm still hardheaded, because I'm going with OSU.

Woody 24, Desmond 20

Alabama (+7) @ Auburn

I like how Auburn has played recently. Al Borges is one of the best offensive minds in the country, and I think the Tigers will be able to score on the Tide. They won't score very much, but I think it'll be enough to cover as Alabama has looked horrible on offense without Tyrone Prothro.

Bo 24, Joe Willie 14

Fresno State @ USC (+24)

USC has the most prolific offense in the nation, and they will definitely win this game. However, Fresno State is a very underrated team, with a pesky defense that will give USC some problems. Fresno can also move the ball offensively with Wendell Mathis and chew up some clock. I think the Trojans will win, but they will not cover.

O.J. 35, Dilfer 20

Do you think that I'm "off my rocker," or did I hit the proverbial "nail on the head?" Let me know! Send an e-mail to [email protected] and include your name and hometown. I'll do my best to include it in the next week's column.

Posted by Avery Smith at 6:33 PM | Comments (2)

Best and Worst of ATP Tour in 2005

One more season has passed and while the top men are battling it out for the year-end Masters Cup title in Shanghai, it is time once again to look at the ins and outs of 2005 on the men's tour.

Player of the Year: Roger Federer

Under normal circumstances, Rafael Nadal's year would be considered an excellent season, well-deserving of the number one status. But where there is Roger Federer, there are no "normal circumstances."

Not only was Roger Federer the best player of 2005, but he had arguably the best ever year in the Open era by any player. Dominating on all surfaces and winning 11 titles, including two Slams is nothing more than astonishing. But if numbers mean anything, 77-3 going into the Masters Cup should be enough.

So why did I say "arguably"? Jimmy Connors in 1974 won 15 singles titles, including three Slams. He did not win on every single surface, however, he was not allowed to compete in the French Open, either, the only Slam that escaped him that year. Thus, the term "arguably." But no need to drift away from the topic. Federer ruled in 2005.

Best Match of the Year: Rafael Nadal def. Guillermo Coria

The Australian Open semifinal clash between Safin and Federer was exciting, including match points for both players. The Miami finals between Federer and Nadal had a lot of drama, including an amazing turnaround by Federer. Shot-making quality of the Madrid finals between Ivan Ljubicic and Nadal was fantastic. Andre Agassi vs. James Blake at the U.S. Open was one for all ages.

However, the finals of Rome tournament had all the above qualities multiplied by three. The match (6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 ) included three major turnarounds, last one with Nadal being down 3-0 in the fifth and looking completely exhausted. It had overwhelming drama, with each player having multiple match points. The athleticism and the scrambling ability displayed by both players drew many "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd. Coria's whining antics were ever present. As if that was not enough, the final set tiebreaker went to 8-6, featuring match-points by each player. Did I mention the match lasted five hours and 14 minutes?

"Who is this Guy?" Award: Ivan Ljubicic, Croatia

In the beginning of the year, most tennis fans around the world could not pronounce his name. American tennis fans did not even know him. They learned quickly in March when he single-handedly took out United States in Davis Cup competition, by defeating both Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick on American soil.

He went on to lead his country to its first-ever Davis Cup finals to be played later this month. Gaining more confidence as the year went by, the big-serving Croatian went 20-3 in the last two months of the season and won two titles, which put him in the Masters Cup. Currently, he is the third-best player on the tour behind Nadal and Federer.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year: Marat Safin, Russia

This is not a knock on the entertaining Russian, injuries can't be helped. In a time where one player is so dominating like Federer, inevitably tennis world needs a worthy opponent to create a rivalry. Most all critics agree that at his best Marat Safin is the only one with a chance to give Federer a run for the number one ranking. Following a very promising start to the year by winning the Australian Open, including a semifinal win over Federer, Safin battled more injuries than opponents, playing sparsely, not winning another title and going 20-11 in the process.

Tim Henman clearly had the worst year of his career since mid-'90s, and hyped-up Croatian Mario Ancic's dismal year was upstaged by his compatriot Ljubicic's performance. Nevertheless, the "what could have been" factor makes Marat's year the biggest disappointment for the year not only for him, but also for tennis fans.

Rising Star: Andy Murray, Scotland

Last year, Mario Ancic grabbed this spot. Now that super Mario won one title only and had an average year, Andy Murray better hope that I don't jinx him in the same manner. Perhaps I read the British media too much and like them. I am guilty of overrating Andy Murray who went only 14-10 this year. But it's not just the hype. I really like his competitive spirit and the variety of shot-making that he brings to the table every time he steps on the court.

"Quiet" Performer of the Year: Lleyton Hewitt, Australia

No, no, of course this does not mean that Lleyton is a quiet guy, anyone knows better than that! It does mean however that he managed to stay under the radar most of the year. This guy finished the year ranked No. 4, reached the semis of two Slams, and reached the finals of another. He also won a title in Australia and reached the semis of three Masters Series tournaments. Considering all that, we hardly heard about this guy throughout the year. And it is not like he just came around the corner. He has been number one in two of the last five years.

"Biggest Mystery" of the Year: Roddick's Success on Grass

You take Roger Federer out of the equation, and Roddick was clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the field on grass. Hey, it is not a fluke, either. For three years in a row, he has won Queen's Club Tournament and only lost to Federer in Wimbledon, reaching the finals twice. Without a doubt, he is the best grass court player behind Federer for three years.

As clueless as Roddick is at the net, can someone please explain to me how he is so dominant on grass? Would it be an exaggeration to say that some of the club players have better form on their volleys? Maybe!

The "big serve and big forehand" explanation does not cut it, either. Ivan Lendl and Jim Courier also had those, and they never solved the grass puzzle.

"Comeback" Player of the Year: James Blake, USA

Yes, nice guys do finish first sometimes. James Blake takes the cake in this category. After personal, emotional, and physical tragedies of the last two years, including the loss of his father and a life-threatening injury, classy Blake came back with a vengeance, finishing the year ranked No. 25. To top all that, he is a bright shining light in terms of an example player after whom American junior players can model themselves.

"Are You Kidding Me?" Award: ATP's New Doubles Scoring

Errr, how does this sound: Max Mirnyiand Mikhail Youzhny defeated Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko 5-1, 5-1 in the finals of ATP Kremlin Cup? There are no typos, that was indeed the real score of the match. Don't take my word for it, go look it up yourself.

As usual, let me know what you think. Maybe at the end of 2006, I will add a few more categories.

Until next time, take care, everyone!

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 4:17 PM | Comments (8)

November 16, 2005

The Dodger Way Leading to a Blind Alley

The Dodgers attract a lot more media attention than their achievements merit, but there is no denying this is an interesting franchise. Despite the heady days of the 1980s, when the team won four division titles and two World Series, in their 121-year history the Dodgers have only made the postseason on two consecutive occasions. Not even in the Tommy Lasorda days did they appear in three consecutive playoffs.

Finding stability has been a recurring problem for the modern Dodgers. The team has lurched from the old tradition of homegrown players to high-priced imports and back to a predominantly homegrown team. Constantly swapping GMs, executives, and managers under a succession of owners has mudded the waters at Dodger Stadium.

So it was no surprise that Frank McCourt fired his GM a few days after asking him to find the team a new manager. The McCourt family has gutted the higher echelons of the Dodger management since they brought the franchise from FOX less than two-years ago. Frank McCourt's wife, Jamie, is Vice Chairman and President. Their son, Drew, is Director of Marketing. The Dodger's have replaced Moneyball with Nepotismball.

Paul DePodesta took his pink slip from McCourt with dignity.

"I truly believe that this franchise is poised to begin the next great era of Dodger baseball. I have a tremendous amount of affection for the players, staff, and front office and I wish everyone the best of luck. More importantly, I want to thank the fans for their unparalleled support of the team."

Why fire a guy after less than two years of a five-year plan? After a NL West division title in 2004, with a mediocre roster that rode a career year from Adrian Beltre, the Dodgers struggled to 71-91 in 2005. If last year's record was the problem, why wasn't DePodesta shown the door as soon as the season ended? Why wait until almost November? Surely, cleaning up after Kevin Malone takes more than two years?

Injuries, some mediocre pitching, and (Jeff Kent excepted) woeful hitting, condemned the Dodgers to a last-place finish. Still, McCourt gave no indication that his GM's job was on the line. Instead, he handed him the task of firing Jim Tracy and hiring his replacement.

Los Angeles Times insiders are pointing to this as the straw that broke the camels back. Apparently, McCourt was so disappointed with the list DePodesta presented him with that he decided to fire him.

Admittedly, at first glance, the list of alleged candidates is ugly.

Terry Collins, supposedly the first choice of DePodesta, is six years removed from the bench in Anaheim, has "self-control" issues and a reputation for quickly wearing out his welcome with veterans.

Minor league managers Ron Wofus and Torey Lovullo are strictly "who?" candidates.

Alan Trammell is fresh off a mediocre spell in Detroit.

Jerry Royster was hardly a success in Milwaukee.

That said, picking a new manager is hardly an exact science. Mike Scoiscia, Terry Francona, and Ozzie Guillen came into their jobs with sketchy resumes, but all have bagged World Series rings in the last four years. And let's not forget Joe Torre bounced around the NL and the announcing booth for years before sealing his place in the HOF at Yankee Stadium.

If McCourt took a snap decision to fire DePodesta on the strength of a list of potential managers and one disappointing season, then he's an even worse owner than anyone could have feared.

The idea to fire his GM was already in his head before he saw any list or checked the division table. Other forces are at work in Chavez Ravine besides the capricious McCourt's. Forces that were against DePodesta's appointment from day one — and not just Bill Plaschke.

Tommy Lasorda has the ear of the McCourt's as a "Special Advisor" and was undoubtedly a key player in the firing of DePodesta. Don't be fooled into thinking that Lasorda has morphed into a quaint 78-year-old who's happy to sit in front the TV with the grandkids at his feet.

Lasorda has sniped, backstabbed, and done his utmost to undermine anyone who has come into the organization without his personal seal of approval. Fred Claire, Bill Russell, Al Campanis, and DePodesta, amongst others, have all fell victim to the scheming Lasorda.

Ken Rosenthal, of the Sporting News, felt the full force of the aging blowhard while at the press conference to announce the firing of the GM. In an embarrassing display of invective and rage, Lasorda labeled Rosenthal a liar for reporting that he had been "sniping" about DePodesta at Dodger games while sat next to Frank McCourt.

McCourt himself is at pains to point out the influence of Lasorda around Dodger Stadium.

"I appreciate his advice and counsel. I encourage it. I named him Special Advisor to the chairman last year and it wasn't just a title. I want to know what he is thinking. This is a man with almost 60 years of baseball experience, someone who truly loves the organization. Shame on me if I don't reach out to Tommy and say, 'what do you think?'"

The problem with asking Lasorda what he thinks is that he'll tell you — and it won't always be beneficial to "the organization he loves." Lasorda wants cronies and admirers in Dodger Stadium. He wants Bobby Valentine as manager because Valentine worships the ground Lasorda walks on. He wants Orel Hershiser in the organization in some capacity because he knows he can exert influence on his old faithful bulldog.

Maybe both would be good additions to the Dodgers' staff. But let's not anoint Valentine with a particularly outstanding record as a manager. It took him a record 1,704 games to reach the playoffs as a manager, more than any manager since divisional play began in 1969. He was a tired act by the end of his stay in New York but Lasorda loves a blowhard — especially a Tommy-worshipping one.

Lasorda can hardly rip DePodesta for his roster moves. Remember, this is the man who thought it was a good idea to trade a young Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields. Then, when interim GM after the departure of Claire, Lasorda traded young slugger Paul Konerko to Cincinnati for closer Jeff Shaw, who promptly pointed to the clause in his contract that allowed him a trade at the end of the season. The Dodgers had to cough up $8.1 million to keep him.

It's tough to see exactly what moves DePodesta made, except for upsetting Lasorda and the marketing folk, which anyone could take exception to. Much is made of the Dodgers' collapse after midseason 2004 (104-118 since), but can anyone really pick holes in the moves DePodesta made?

Paul LoDuca and Guillermo Mota for Brad Penny was the one that brought the most flak but LoDuca, whilst being great in the clubhouse, is a light hitter who wears down significantly as the season goes on. Dioner Navarro, who was acquired from Arizona, is a significantly better catcher and comes with a low salary, unlike LoDuca. Penny didn't exactly set Dodger Stadium on fire but he was respectable when fit. Mota, who was having a great season setting up for Eric Gagne, wanted to close and he got his wish in Florida. He soon lost the job in 2005.

Juan Encarnacion and his $4 million plus salary was dumped — nobody missed him. Shawn Green took his bloated salary to Arizona and flopped. Steve Finley batted .220 in Anaheim after DePodesta let him go. Adrian Beltre wanted to cash in on his one good year with a $12 million per contract — DePodesta let him walk. He hit .255 with 87 RBIs in 603 ABs.

Kaz Ishii, Hideo Nomo, Alex Cora, Jose Lima, and Dave Roberts were sent packing. None of them did anything in 2005.

Acquiring cheap alternatives to expensive flops is every GMs dream and DePodesta didn't do badly on that score. Jose Cruz, Jr. for Dave Roberts, anyone? Cruz played well and was rewarded with a new contract. Roberts is a one-dimensional player who can't throw. Hee Seop Choi might not be a fan-favorite, but his 15 homers and 42 RBIs in 320 ABs only cost $350K per. Jason Phillips was a steal as a backup C/1B from the Mets for the worthless walk machine Ishii. Jayson Werth for Jason Frasor looks a good trade, as was Milton Bradley for basically nothing, despite his attitude.

The marquee free agent signings of 2005 were a mixed bag. J.D. Drew lived up to his injury-plagued reputation by only playing 72 games, but he was having a solid year up until hitting the DL. Derek Lowe wasn't great, but wasn't particularly bad, except for allowing 28 homers and Jeff Kent carried the team offensively.

Losing Gagne early and Drew in midseason killed the team for 2005, but DePodesta was surely right not to trade away prized farmhands for short-term and expensive veteran help. The Dodger tradition, of which Plaschke and Lasorda are so proud, is to build through the minor league system and endure the hard times rather than pony up for rent-a-vet.

The next GM will at least inherit a semblance of fiscal sanity, after Malone wasted millions on failures like Darren Dreifort and Shawn Green. What the McCourts need to do now is show Dodger fans they aren't the idiotic owners they seem to be. Sadly, the omens are not good on this score.

Where does this once-proud franchise go now? Surely not to Theo Epstein, who is cut from the exact same cloth as DePodesta only comes with more noughts on his paycheck? My own feeling is that Jamie McCourt will get her wish and Kim Ng will be appointed baseball's first female GM. Orel Hershiser will probably be offered a role, but whether it will carry enough status to tempt him from Texas is another question. He could become a managerial candidate if Bobby Valentine proves to be too expensive for the Dodgers.

If McCourt is going to leave Tommy Lasorda in his role as Special Advisor, then he needs to make some managerial and front office choices Lasorda actually approves of, or else the team will be in the same position it's been in for years, with Lasorda and his L.A. Times buddies bitching behind the scenes. The only other alternative is to severe the link with Lasorda, which seems highly unlikely, given McCourt's admiration for the man.

Whoever comes in to replace Tracy and DePodesta needs to be given time to build a foundation. The Angels are a box office threat, something the Dodgers aren't used to in Southern California. McCourt wants to get butts on seats by winning now to take the momentum away from the upstart Angels. To do so, he may have to pay a high price in the future.

Posted by Mike Round at 7:23 PM | Comments (3)

Eagles Running Away From Owens

Terrell Owens may have the last laugh after all.

The Eagles have lost two straight without him, and it appears that his four-game suspension will be reduced and the team may be forced to release him.

After watching three Eagles receivers combine for 7 catches and 62 yards against the Cowboys on Monday night, Owens left a message for Donovan McNabb, according to ESPN reporter Sal Palantonio. There is no word yet on what he said.

Maybe he felt for his "former" teammate, and expressed some kind and comforting words. Or maybe he rubbed it in McNabb's face that this was the third game in a row McNabb had a thrown a game-changing interception.

Regardless, without Owens, the Eagles' offense has changed from the most pass-dependent offense in the history of the NFL to a much more conservative and run-oriented attack.

While this approach failed against the Redskins, the Eagles were able to dominate the Cowboys for 56 minutes on Monday night, an effort that should have been good enough to win.

The Eagles rushed 36 times for 181 yards, a truly impressive statistic considering they had been averaging only 59 yards rushing in the first eight games, good for last in the NFL.

Philadelphia ran early and often, taking the Cowboys by surprise, and built what seemed to be an insurmountable 20-7 lead late in the fourth quarter.

After being shut down for the most of the game, the Cowboys went 72 yards in only four plays, scoring a touchdown with 3:04 remaining. On the Eagles' ensuing possession, McNabb threw an interception right to Dallas safety Roy Williams, and to add injury to insult, McNabb was injured on the play, unsuccessfully trying to tackle Williams on his 46-yard return for a touchdown.

I applaud the Eagles for not just running the ball three times and punting, as most teams would do. It showed that the team has confidence in McNabb to make the right decision.

However, with three inexperienced wide receivers on the field, it was a questionable decision to throw the ball in the manner that they did. A quick screen would have been the right play in this instance, which would have the chance to pick up the first down, and at the least, would have kept the clock running.

Now despite undergoing a successful transformation on offense, the Eagles are 4-5, and the playoffs are a distant possibility. Owens can revel in the fact that the team most likely would have won both the Washington and Dallas games if they had merely allowed him to suit up.

Despite his immense talents and value on the field, I would argue that the Eagles are better off without Owens. They no longer need to focus the offense on throwing the ball to one player, and can strive for a more balanced offense that allows the defense time to rest. The defense certainly looked solid against Dallas, holding the Cowboys to only 58 yards rushing and 254 total yards. Only five weeks ago the Cowboys blew out the Eagles (with Owens) 30-10, as the Eagles did not even try to establish the run.

The Eagles proved on Monday night that the best defense is an offense that can hold the ball for long stretches by running the ball, something the offense has not been able to consistently do this season with Owens.

While Owens laughs at the Eagles' failures on the field, the Eagles are developing into a multi-dimensional team. With an injured McNabb, this team may not even make the playoffs, but if they continue to develop the balance they showed on Monday night, they won't even need Owens.

For more Stephen McFadden, visit his blog at nflhq.blogspot.com.

Posted by Stephen McFadden at 6:56 PM | Comments (1)

November 15, 2005

NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Huzzah for Bill Vinovich, whose crew let Tampa and Washington play, and who upheld several borderline replay challenges in the absence of indisputable evidence to the contrary.

* ESPN needs to stop using lengthy highlight segments accompanied by pop music right now. Especially that damn twins song. I hate that song.

* The NFL threatened to disqualify Clinton Portis for any uniform violation this week. I didn't like his socks, either, but that still seems a bit extreme.

* Why does Michael Irvin have a microphone? He's so concerned about his connections that he's completely untrustworthy as an analyst.

* So far this season, CBS has the best NFL coverage. That's not saying much, but congratulations, I guess.

***

Having to put up with the sports media has become the worst part of being a sports fan. This week, FOX cut away from Giants/Vikings immediately before New York's two-point conversion to tie the game. I know that the NFL's broadcast rules said they had to show the beginning of Tampa/Washington in my area, but there's no reason they had to run four minutes of commercials first. Put the commercials in later instead of cutting a decisive play at the end of the game.

During the feature broadcast, Joe Buck called Mike Alstott "one of the unsung heroes" of the Buccaneers. Uh, Joe? Alstott is the most famous player on that offense. And no one who's been to six Pro Bowls is "unsung." Buck also stated that Chris Simms "clearly" has the most upside of Tampa Bay's quarterbacks. That's at least debatable, but I think Brian Griese has shown tremendous upside if he can stay healthy.

Earlier that day, a CBS camera zeroed in on Ray Lewis and the announcers talked about his leadership and ability to inspire his team even from the sidelines. This is the same team that completely fell apart in Week 5 (with 21 penalties and two ejections) and as the comments were being made broke Jacksonville's streak of 58 games without scoring 30 points. If that's leadership, who needs it?

The worst, of course, is ESPN. Something that particularly annoyed me this week was the repetition of the same story on different shows. I mean, NFL Live was pretty pointless even before they started running the same segments on SportsCenter and Countdown.

One of the highlights of my weekend was my roommate walking through the room during Primetime and asking, "Why does he keep making that sound?" You know, Chris Berman's high-pitched "whoop!" Her boyfriend and I answered together. "Because he's a jackass."

On that note, let's get to the power rankings. Brackets show last week's rank.

1. Indianapolis Colts [1] — Scored more than 30 points for the fourth consecutive game, and haven't had fewer than four TDs since September. The Colts are strong Super Bowl front-runners right now (Indianapolis 34, Seattle 24), and a fat ring is about all Tony Dungy would need to punch his ticket to Canton. Dungy, Bill Cowher, and Mike Shanahan could all guarantee themselves Hall of Fame busts with a Super Bowl win this year. So could Marty Schottenheimer and Dick Vermeil, but their teams aren't serious contenders at this point.

2. Denver Broncos [2] — One of four teams undefeated at home, and next week's opponent, the Jets, are 0-5 on the road. The consensus right now seems to be that to beat the Broncos, a team has to put pressure on Jake Plummer and force him into mistakes, which the Jets are capable of doing, but I wouldn't count on a lot of Plummer against New York: the Jets are 29th in run defense, and Denver is second in rushing offense.

3. Seattle Seahawks [4] — Shaun Alexander continues to make a compelling MVP case, but I'm becoming concerned about his workload. Alexander is on pace for a career-high 370 carries, which isn't suicidally high, but does place him clearly in the red. I hope Mike Holmgren will ease up Alexander's workload as the season goes on.

4. Carolina Panthers [9] — Haven't scored under 20 points all season, put up at least 30 for the third time in a row, and since the bye they're winning by an average of 24 points. Carolina has won six games in a row, the best mark this side of Indianapolis. Preseason, I picked Carolina to win the Super Bowl, but I worry about it now. The Panthers are last in the NFL in rushing average, and if you take away Steve Smith, the offense can't do anything. Teams that one-dimensional seldom succeed in the playoffs.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers [3] — With Ben Roethlisberger healthy, they're third. With Charlie Batch, they're fourth. With Tommy Maddox, they're fifth.

6. San Diego Chargers [6] — By the end of this season, either LaDainian Tomlinson or Shaun Alexander will score 30 touchdowns. The Chargers are only half a game over .500, but they're +60 in points for/against.

7. Dallas Cowboys [7] — Problems with the running game are quickly becoming a major issue, and the Eagles did naughty things to their offense by double-teaming Terry Glenn. Longtime readers know I've never been a Drew Bledsoe fan, and he continues to hurt the team by his refusal to throw the ball away, instead taking sacks or tossing interceptions.

8. New York Giants [5] — In the last three weeks, Tiki Barber has 520 yards from scrimmage. He's a good runner inside, a good runner outside, a great receiver, and a good blocker. Alexander, Edgerrin James, and Tomlinson are the only RBs better than Barber right now. The Giants are +87 in point differential, ahead of everyone but the Colts.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars [8] — More than doubled Baltimore's offensive output, but if they were any good they'd have quadrupled it. The Jags have to be encouraged by Matt Jones' increasing role in the offense.

10. Atlanta Falcons [10] — At the beginning of the season, when Atlanta looked like a top-five team and a strong Super Bowl contender, the defense carried a mistake-free, run-heavy offense, allowing only 57 points through four games. In the last five games, Atlanta has allowed more than 30 points three times. They've had a couple of injuries, but excuses don't win games.

11. Cincinnati Bengals [14] — Can put themselves in a good position for a playoff spot if they beat Indianapolis this weekend, but Cincinnati's not assured of a postseason berth yet. If the Steelers win the AFC North and the Chargers finish strong, the Bengals could have a race on their hands. I think Cincinnati gets the last wild card, but use pencil for now.

12. Kansas City Chiefs [12] — Against Buffalo, they had substantial advantages in yards from scrimmage, first downs, and time of possession. Trent Green, who was sacked six times and threw three interceptions, basically blew it, although a lot of the blame has to go to the offensive line, which was once again without Willie Roaf. K.C. has lost two of its last three, both on the road, and the win was a last-second gamble against Oakland.

13. Chicago Bears [18] — Lead the NFL in scoring defense, and this weekend held Cody Pickett to 8% completion percentage in the gusting winds at Soldier Field. Brian Urlacher may have made my Pro Bowl ballot with his hustle on Nathan Vasher's 108-yard field goal return.

14. Washington Redskins [11] — Fell to 1-4 on the road, and it's time to admit that the defense has major problems. Up front, there's no pass rush. Pro Bowl LB Marcus Washington frequently gets out of position or overruns plays, and CB Walt Harris is a greater liability every week. Against Tampa Bay, Washington was very thoroughly outcoached.

15. New England Patriots [13] — Injuries have decimated the secondary, which on Sunday made Gus Frerotte look like Dan Marino. Richard Seymour's return should help, but at this point, nothing will do more good than an effective rushing attack.

16. Philadelphia Eagles [15] — I know Donovan McNabb is a warrior, but you have to wonder if he shouldn't have had surgery after he was injured in Week 1. Putting off surgery for a whole season is a pretty major deal. It was nice to see McNabb running again on Monday night. The Eagles have lost three in a row and are getting killed in their division (0-3) and conference (1-4).

17. St. Louis Rams [17] — The Rams are undoubtedly in trouble, but don't count them out of the NFC playoff picture yet. Seattle has effectively wrapped up the West title, and either the Falcons or Panthers will get the top wildcard, but the last spot is still wide open. The NFC East and South will beat up on each other, and the Rams might be able to sneak in if they can win six of their last seven, which isn't out of the question against a light schedule.

18. Oakland Raiders [16] — 0-4 in their division, the Raiders are just good enough to lose. Oakland has a pretty good team, and it's playing tough, but can't come up with actual wins. The Raiders will probably finish around 6-10, but they won't go quietly.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [21] — Couldn't run the ball, couldn't stop the run, and won anyway because Jon Gruden and his assistants outcoached Washington's staff, protecting their quarterback and attacking downfield. Tampa had 36 points against Washington, its most since Super Bowl XXXVII.

20. Buffalo Bills [19] — J.P. Losman had a nice game filling in for Kelly Holcomb, but I think this team immediately gets worse if Losman becomes the starting QB again.

21. Miami Dolphins [20] — Since going into the bye at 2-1, they've lost five of their last six, averaging under 16 points per game during that stretch. That's despite the emergence of Ronnie Brown, a strong contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

22. Detroit Lions [22] — Detroit is a fairly good home team. Arizona is miserable on the road. Don't read too much into Sunday's victory.

23. Minnesota Vikings [24] — Three wins in their last four games, and the most recent one was against a good team and done in historic fashion. Darren Sharper stepped up with a nice game, and the return game was great, but the offense stunk and the defense had no answer for Barber. Minnesota gained more yards on interception returns than offense. There are rumblings about the Vikings chasing Chicago for the NFC North title, but it's not going to happen.

24. Green Bay Packers [30] — Undefeated when they score at least 30 points. All they need to do is have monster games from their middle linebacker and unknown running back every week, and they'll win the North!

25. Baltimore Ravens [23] — I'm still trying to figure out why they cut Kordell Stewart, the only quarterback who has given them a spark all season. Kyle Boller will never stay healthy, and he's not exactly John Unitas in there to begin with. The more time passes, the more it looks like Brian Billick's success in Baltimore had an awful lot to do with Marvin Lewis.

26. New York Jets [25] — The defense did a nice job against Carolina, and Brooks Bollinger probably won't throw four interceptions next week. The Jets won't win at Denver, but they could cause problems for some of the other teams remaining on their schedule.

27. New Orleans Saints [26] — They've got to be worn down from so much travel, and hopefully the bye will help them put together some good games in the season's second half.

28. Cleveland Browns [27] — This week, Reuben Droughns was the best RB in the NFL. Next week, it will be Larry Johnson. ESPN's Sunday Night announcers are very easily impressed, and they lack any perspective. I love Hines Ward — he's one of my favorite players — but did we really need to hear about his team record a dozen times during Sunday night's broadcast?

29. Tennessee Titans [28] — I don't really feel like the Titans should be this low, but it's really close between 25th and 29th, and someone needs to be at the bottom. For now, that's Tennessee.

30. Arizona Cardinals [29] — Made Joey Harrington look like Gus Frerotte. In case you skipped the New England section, Frerotte looked like Dan Marino this weekend. Basically, I'm insulting the Cardinals' defense.

31. Houston Texans [31] — Mathematically eliminated in their division. We're barely halfway through the season, but Houston can be definitively eliminated from playoff contention as soon as next week.

32. San Francisco 49ers [32] — Combined with the Bears for 95 passing yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The 49ers have given up more than twice as many points as they have scored this season.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 6:20 PM | Comments (0)

Making the Cut as a Fan

Everyone has been cut by a sports team before, even Michael Jordan. It's one of those things that everyone has gone through and it never feels good to be told you aren't good enough to play on the team. As bad as that hurts, it has to be even worse to be told you aren't even good enough to make the cut as a fan.

At the beginning of the season, Celtics forward Ricky Davis held an American Idol-esque competition to win a seat in the Get Buckets Brigade (Ricky's cheering section at the TD Banknorth Garden). The tryout attracted 26 fans — each had a minute to win over Davis. He was planning to buy season tickets for the 12 winners, but ended up buying them for the final 15, saying "I'm too nice to be a judge." Which begs the question, just how bad were the 11 that couldn't make the cut?

They had to have had some desire to be in the section. After all, they did find out about the competition, sent in their essay on why they deserved a tryout, and they did drag themselves out of bed to show up for it, so how did they blow it? How bad do you have to be to get cut by a guy who confesses to be "too nice to be a judge?"

Did the contestants not know who Ricky Davis was? Did they sit down and start reading a book during their one minute to impress him? Did they dress as an empty seat (like so many of the New Orleans Saints fans who make the trek to watch them at Tiger Stadium)? Maybe they didn't understand the concept behind a cheering section and started heckling him.

(Celtics Official: Okay, fan No. 17, you are up.)

17: Now?
Celtics Official: Yep, go ahead.
17: (flustered). Um. Okay. BOOOO! You suck, Ricky! You call that hustle? My grandmother runs the floor harder. I think you are a terrible person and not much better at basketball. BOOOO. I've seen better shots at the allergist's office. BOOOO!
Celtics Official: Please leave.
17: Well, wait ... when are cuts announced?
Celtics Official:: We'll send you a letter.
17: Okay, but you don't even have my address or anything, I could write it down real qui—
Celtics Official: We'll look it up.)

Maybe the fans started rooting for the wrong team or confused Ricky Davis for Ricky Martin. I think another possible explanation might be that out of 26 fans, 15 were people, nine were of the oscillating variety, and two were those paper fans that cost about seven cents to make. Still, you have to tip your cap to the lucky 15 members of the Get Buckets Brigade, who I imagine must have worked hard to get to the pinnacle of cheering.

It's going to be interesting to see how his section unfolds, after all, I'm sure every guy in that section was the alpha-male in the section he came up from, how will they be able to co-exist? Forget the trouble Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal had, this is like Kobe, Shaq, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest, and Darko Milic all on the same team (actually, the guy in the section who is Milic is probably the one who read the book during his minute to impress Davis, so he is watching this cheering section from home).

I can just see the odd man out getting ignored when trying to start cheers and then showing up at the next game in a Ricky Davis Cavs jersey and cheering every time Davis misses a shot or turns it over. I predict T.O.-level drama in the Get Buckets Brigade by the All-Star Break.

Let's be honest here, though, Ricky went about this all wrong. For starters, he said he was most impressed by a girl with "CELTICS #12" tattooed on her ankle. What the hell is that going to do for a cheering section? Is she going to point to her ankle when Ricky needs a boost? I bet she only showed up to the audition because she missed the groupie tryout. Either way, any cheering section worth its salt isn't going to be anchored by some girl who has some pro-Davis ink. That just won't fly.

And where did these 15 come from? If I'm making the section, my 15 are coming from the best of the great college cheering sections (Cameron's Crazies, Izzone, O-Zone, etc.). Those kids are all probably from some sort of great high school cheering section (in Cincinnati, those are the GCL schools and, of course, the greatest cheering section I've ever seen, The Tribe), so they know how to cheer.

Ricky was too rash with his decision, especially if he was impressed with a temporary tattoo. He should've been breaking down game film of the contestants cheering at their local high school football games or at community college basketball games, judging them on things such as their responsiveness to cheers, their ability to clap properly, their creativity, and of course, their ability to complain about officiating on every call that doesn't go their way (extra points for ejections and being banned from all school sporting events). At least that way you can weed out the guy who leaves early to beat traffic and anyone who thinks of doing the wave ever.

I guess the last question with this is what happens to the 11 who didn't make the cut as a fan? Do they spend the season trying to get better so they can make the cut this year? Are they forced to go to WNBA games and form some sort of cheering section for Sue Bird? Do they spend their entire winter walking around, asking what if questions about how they spent their minute? Will they be able to go to Celtics games without becoming completely dejected after seeing the Get Buckets Brigade?

I think there is only one clear thing for them to do — form their own cheering section. Just as Chad Johnson made a list of everyone who is guarding him this season, this new section should do the same for Ricky Davis. Every night, the Get No Buckets Brigade (this is a working title, I'm sure they will think of a better nickname) becomes the cheering section for the player going against Davis. Being cut will only make them better fans, maybe even better than the GBB, and then we are left with only one glorious option — a cheer off.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. BetOnSports.com gives you the greatest sports action to bet on. Wager on football, cricket, boxing, Rugby, horse racing, and more. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 5:48 PM | Comments (2)

I Hate Mondays: Contenders, Pretenders

The four major North American sports fall into two categories:

Predictable and unpredictable.

The unpredictable ones include the NFL and the NHL, where a firm salary cap forces the talent to be dispersed among all of the teams which therefore produces more parity.

The predictable sports include MLB and the NBA, where team spending is not limited and the talent flocks to the big spenders.

Enter the 2005-06 NBA season.

It falls under the second category, and although there is a ton of individual talent worth watching throughout the season, there are really only five or six teams who are a real threat to win the championship.

It's simple, let's go by process of elimination.

Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks — rebuilding is a positive way to describe these teams.

Charlotte Bobcats — let's start with the playoffs first.

New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics — they need to learn to crawl before they can learn to walk.

Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks — out in the first round, maybe the second round, of the playoffs.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets — second-tier Eastern Conference teams.

Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Hornets — they are still playing in the sandbox.

Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers — finally ascending, but nowhere near the top.

Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks — I believe the correct term is fogasie.

Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, Utah Jazz — competing for seventh and eighth in the Western Conference.

Denver Nuggets — see last year's results in the playoffs.

Phoenix Suns — see last year's results in the playoffs, now without Amare Stoudemire.

So after separating the playgirls from the playboys, here is what we have left:

The San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and the Sacramento Kings.

That is the six-horse race we are faced with this season.

You can keep the Kings at the back of the pack for now. They have the depth and the personnel to hang with the mentioned teams, but they are the weakest team defensively, hence their slow start.

The Houston Rockets are the Spurs' main competition in the West. Last year, the Rockets flashed what they were capable of with a starting lineup of Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and three bench players. Now with legitimate starters at point guard (Rafer Alston), shooting guard (Derek Anderson), and power forward (Stromile Swift), their starting five is stronger and their bench is deeper.

The Spurs, for obvious reasons, are the clear-cut favorite. Not only are they the reigning champions and have kept all their key ingredients intact, they have added a few more exotic flavors to the recipe with Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel. You would be hard-pressed to find a deeper team.

It's pretty clear that both conferences are top-heavy. Teams like the Nets and the Nuggets may be somewhat talented, but they are still no match for their conference giants like the Heat or the Spurs.

In the East, the Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, and Indiana Pacers reign supreme.

The Heat should be considered the favorites in this conference considering they came within a game of the finals and added Antoine Walker, James Posey, Jason Williams, and Gary Payton in the offseason. With Shaquille O'Neal, they have an advantage over the Pacers and Pistons, but one area of concern may be team chemistry. Williams, Walker, and Payton don't have a track record of being the best teammates. Can they keep it together as the season wears down?

On the other hand, chemistry is the exact strength of the Pacers and Pistons. The fibers of those teams are tightly knit since they have played together for several seasons.

The Pistons have always been a strong defensive team with their main weaknesses stemming from their offensive game, but with new head coach Flip Saunders, the Pistons have been averaging over 100 points per game. The Pacers also look like a stellar outfit and are extremely motivated after last year's disappointment.

But the bottom line is that the flashy Vince Carter and Jason Richardson dunks may impress you in the regular season, but the championship run doesn't really include their teams or any other teams outside of the six mentioned above.

Contenders and pretenders mix like Mondays and me.

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 5:22 PM | Comments (0)

November 14, 2005

Keys on the Road to Super Bowl XL

This has been, like most NFL campaigns, a season whose fate largely lay in the status of body parts. Big Ben Roethlisberger's knee. Mike Martz's heart. Terrell Owens' mouth. With a little less than half a season to play, what are the crucial factors that will determine playoff positioning, homefield advantage, and the combatants for Super Bowl XL?

While many would argue that the 9-0 Indianapolis Colts are the class of the NFL, one must remember that the 7-2 Steelers have played three games without the services of the poised-beyond-his-years Ben Roethlisbeger. It is true that the Colts have re-made themselves into a team spurred by the ground attack of Edgerrin James and a solid defense, rather than last year's imitation of the 1985 Chargers.

Still, Pittsburgh has three solid runners in Duce Staley, Jerome Bettis, and Willie Parker, and a defense that was already established. Safety Troy Polamalu is doing is own interpretation of Ed Reed. Although Pittsburgh is locked in a divisional race with the takeaway-happy Bengals, they are almost assured of at least a wildcard berth. Of course, should Indy secure dome-field advantage, their turf superiority will come into play.

In the AFC East, the Patriots are wading above .500 as they await the return of defensive stars such as Richard Seymour and Teddy Bruschi to full strength. Last year, they were a clock-killing unit led by Corey Dillon, this year the running game has let them down, largely due to Dillon's playing hurt. Motivational players such as Bruschi and Ty Law are impossible to replace, and hurt the team more than the defections of coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. With Dillon banged up and the defense short-handed, the legend of Tom Brady loses its gilded edge. The saving factor is the weakness of a division featuring the Dolphins, Bills, and Jets.

The Broncos are a mile above the competition in the AFC West, as San Diego and Kansas City continue their mystery seasons. In Denver, any back shines in the succession of Terrell Davis-Mike Anderson-Olandis Gary-Clinton Portis-Ruben Droughns-Tatum Bell, but in S.D. and K.C., not even stars such as Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, and LaDainian Tomlinson ensure postseason success. Charger QB Drew Brees could not have been expected to post career numbers two years in a row. The biggest question for Oakland is, will A.D. go after T.O.?

The Colts will lose a game, maybe even two, to come back to the field a bit. They will still secure home field advantage, as Cincy and Pitt must meet again in the regular season. Denver benefits from the mediocrity of its division, and will not be a factor past one playoff round. Jake Plummer has earned a lot of respect this season, but Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Roethlisberger already had. The conference title will go to the team whose defense shows up in January — the smart money is on the Steelers.

The Giants and Cowboys will make it a two-team NFC East race for the balance of the year, as Mark Brunell's costly turnovers continue to doom Washington. Bill Parcells' teams tend to come on late, but it would be nice to have RB Julius Jones return to be the factor he was late last season. Keyshawn Johnson has become a threat for the first time in three years. Lovie Smith's sturdy defense has turned the Bears around — the 6-3 club has revived the Windy City's rooting interest — but Kyle Orton is too green to be a playoff star.

The NFC South battle may be traced to the comeback years of two talented wideouts — the Buccaneers' Joey Galloway and the Panthers' Steve Smith. Smith leads the NFL in receiving yards with 937, Galloway is third with 862. Smith as 9 TDs, and speedster Galloway 7. Their strong recoveries have made life easy for QBs Jake Delhomme and Chris Simms. The Bucs need Cadillac Williams to return to early season form to break their 6-3 deadlock with Atlanta, and catch the 7-2 Panthers. The Falcons rest assured that both Matt Schaub and Michael Vick, their young QBs from Virginia colleges, can lead the team.

Seattle holds a three-game lead in the NFC West, as Shaun Alexander piles up MVP votes as easily as he does touchdowns. With 2-7 clubs in New Orleans and San Francisco, the Seahawks' challenge is to stay motivated.

The conference title is up for grabs, and loaded with question marks. Is Eli Manning too young for big games? How will Dallas close? Will Cadillac get an overhaul? How far can the Falcons go? Are the Seahawks a team of destiny? Seattle has a strong shot at homefield. Carolina has players that have "been there" before. Parcells has the coaching resume. Look for a title game between the South division champ and the Seahawks, with an edge to the team from Dixie.

This is the AFC's year. No Patriots in the realistic picture, but Indy, Pittsburgh, Denver, and Cincinnati all strong, balanced teams. Peyton Manning looks to shed the big game jinx, which will manifest as a Big Ben jinx.

Posted by Bijan C. Bayne at 3:57 PM | Comments (4)

Catching Up With Mr. Talented

One-dimensional students don't appeal to college admissions. One-dimensional workers don't appeal to employers. One-dimensional personalities don't appeal to their dinner dates. So why would a one-dimensional baseball player appeal to a Major League Baseball team?

Matt Lauderdale of the Fort Wayne Wizards, a Low-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, doesn't have to worry too much about that, as he is far from one-dimensional.

The 24-year-old catcher from Georgia knew since his freshman year in high school that he wanted to play professional baseball, and he knew since then that he had to make up for his lack of size in other ways to make that dream come true.

"When I was in preschool, my parents wanted me to be active and asked me what I wanted to play," Lauderdale recalled. "I chose baseball. My granddad played college baseball at Emory and my brother plays at North Georgia, but that's as far as anyone has gotten.

"I get didn't too many looks in high school because I was still really small," Lauderdale admitted. "I hadn't completely finished growing. I was about 165 pounds, and it was hard enough getting into college. The head coach at the University of Georgia said I was too small and turned around and left. He didn't even watch me play."

The moment Lauderdale signed with the College of Charleston in South Carolina for a partial scholarship, it was already the Bulldogs' loss. They lost a player who developed a reputation for his defense. They lost a ninth-round draft pick by the Padres in 2003. They lost a leader. They lost someone who developed a talent in something other than baseball — art.

"Eventually I'd like to go into something that has to do with art," he said. "I'm interested in architecture and design, and I stick mostly to drawing and sculpture. I thought about (getting published) before, but I mostly enjoy drawing for people — portraits, tattoos, etc."

At 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, his favorite artist is Gianlorenzo Bernini, an Italian sculptor from the Baroque Era in the 17th century. Lauderdale already designed a tattoo for one of his Wizards teammates — infielder Peter Ciofrone. The tattoo was in remembrance of Ciofrone's father, who passed away during the 2005 baseball season.

Lauderdale went through a similar experience of his own in the middle of his junior college season when he lost his father to pancreatic cancer.

"I can definitely relate to what Peter was going through," he said. "I remember how I felt when my dad passed away. I didn't want to talk to anybody, didn't want to see anybody. I just wanted to be left alone.

"I told him that if he ever wanted to talk about anything that I'd be there for him. There's really not much you can do in a situation like that even though you've been through it."

Lauderdale also said his father was always a big motivator in his life.

"He always told me to establish my goals and never fall short of them. He was just a really big inspiration for me, and both of my parents really just backed me and the decisions that I've made and the career path that I wanted to take. They said not to ever settle for anything less than what I wanted and that if I wanted something to go out and get it. I made a promise to him that I was going to make it to baseball.

"But even with something like this, you still have to get the job done regardless of what's happened. It definitely pushes me when things get tough, but I really have to think about not just doing it for him, but doing it for me and for my family, too."

As the oldest member of the Wizards team, Lauderdale was able to share his knowledge of life and baseball with the less experienced players.

"Everyone looked to me as the veteran, and I kind of showed the ropes to the younger guys. I didn't really feel like the oldest one on the team because since I started with baseball, I've always been one of the oldest ones on every team because I matured really late."

But as for himself, he admires professional catchers Damian Miller (Milwaukee Brewers) and Brad Ausmus (Houston Astros).

"I actually kind of discovered (catching) by accident. When I was about 11, one of the players on our team broke his leg, and the coach asked us if anyone knew how to catch. I said I had no idea, but I'd try. After catching for one game I was hooked on it."

Last season with the Wizards, he was the backup for Colt Morton until Morton strained a hamstring on July 7. He took over the starting role and did not relinquish it the rest of the way. He's becoming a more balanced player and a more consistent and reliable hitter thanks to a different mindset.

"The past couple years that I've been backing up, I've never had the opportunity to start. To tell you the truth, I was kind of upset about it because I thought I was a commodity for San Diego. I started looking at other catchers and getting upset that they were getting the opportunity and I wasn't, instead of taking advantage of the opportunities that I had.

"This year I changed that mentality to just playing my game when I got the opportunity to and taking advantage the catches that I got, which definitely worked out for me. I'm just trying to worry a more about myself instead of what other people are doing. I think that's probably the one thing that helped the most. I don't think I physically or mechanically changed."

In 75 games last year, he hit .282 with a .370 on-base percentage, 10 homers, 54 RBI, 25 doubles, and two stolen bases.

Did I mention he even got a hit off Chicago pitcher Kerry Wood in a rehab assignment on July 31? To him, it was to some extent an achievement to get a two-out single off a 2003 National League all-star.

"I really try not to pay attention to who's pitching," he said. "I try to take every at-bat the same no matter who's on the mound, but I was a little bit nervous. It was definitely a milestone that I had somewhat achieved. It made me realize what's possible, that I do have what it takes. If I can get a hit off Kerry Wood, I believe that I can get a hit of pretty much anyone."

A catcher has the huge responsibility of leading a pitching staff and controlling the running game, but hitting is an important facet of Lauderdale's game. He doesn't want to be a catcher who focuses too much on his defensive game that he can't produce when called upon with a bat at the plate. Last year, he proved himself a clutch hitter, batting .371 with runners in scoring position, going 7-12 with the bases loaded.

"A prototypical catcher is not fast," he said, "and everyone just uses the excuse that he uses his knees so much. Over the years, they wear down, so you don't really look for speed out of a catcher. But why not have speed behind the plate? It's just another weapon you can definitely use.

"There really aren't many five-tool catchers, and that's what I want to be considered. I want to be a guy that can steal bases, a guy that can end up on second, or a guy who can clear the bases altogether. And I want to be someone that people don't want to run on. I pretty much just want to be the all-around best catcher that's ever played the game." Take that, Georgia Bulldogs. Bigger isn't always better.

Posted by Sara Normand at 3:15 PM | Comments (0)

For Once, BCS is Avoiding Controversy

With the college football season coming to a close, the participants for this year's national championship game are pretty close to being finalized. Victories by the USC Trojans and Texas Longhorns moved them one step closer to making the trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, while another team fell from the ranks of the unbeaten.

The Alabama Crimson Tide lost to the LSU Tigers by a score of 16-13 in overtime giving them their first loss. Their loss leaves Texas and USC as the only teams without a loss in Division 1 football.

With only these two teams left, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has finally seemed to get if right. Watching the games this past weekend, it became evident that USC and Texas are the two most complete teams in college football. The Trojans have faced great adversity this season with close games against Notre Dame, Arizona State, and Oregon. They have stood tall through it all and now, after defeating California on Saturday, the Trojans have a 32-game winning streak.

The Longhorns also appear to be heading towards a second straight Rose Bowl appearance. Texas has won 17-straight games, including a 42-17 victory over archrival Oklahoma. This was Texas's first defeat of Oklahoma in five years.

What Texas and USC have done is, for this moment, free the BCS of any controversy. Controversy has followed and plagued the BCS ever since its inception in 1998. In the seven years of its existence, the BCS has had controversies in at least five of those years.

Two weeks ago, this season looked to continue a recent trend of BCS controversies. In 2003, the Trojans finished 10-1 on to see the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners, both 10-1, play for the national championship. The next year, in 2004, three teams, Oklahoma, USC, and Auburn finished undefeated, but only have USC and Oklahoma play in the national championship game.

However, former unbeaten teams Virginia Tech, UCLA, and Alabama all have lost over the past two weekends, creating the two-team system that was envisioned when the BCS was created.

This season will not answer the critics of the BCS, who feel that a playoff system would be better for college football. The critics are correct, a playoff system is needed in college football but in the absence of one, the BCS is the best available thing. As one of my good friends stated, "The championship of college football is not decided on the field, but rather in polls."

While the BCS has helped to make an improvement upon that, it was never intended to be the final solution to a problem that has been around college football for over 100 years. The first contract with the BCS was signed only from 1998 until the end of the 2006 bowl season. So while the BCS can be classified as a failure, this failure can pull the university presidents and such closer to having an actual playoff.

The BCS is already moving closer to a playoff, with the addition of an extra bowl game at the end of the season next year. There are those who say that the BCS is a flawed system that only works when there are two teams to make it work, but the BCS proposes the best non-playoff idea that college football has. And while the BCS benefits from this year, the tide will quickly turn if USC or Texas loses, and create the havoc that no one wants to see.

How long this havoc stays away depends on the ability of Texas and USC to continue winning and remain the top two teams in America. Judging from their performances, the Trojans and the Longhorns appear to be the perfect medicine for any BCS headache.

Posted by Alfons Prince at 3:13 PM | Comments (1)

November 12, 2005

It's D-i-v-o-r-c-e

There were two significant divorces finalized this week: that of the Philadelphia Eagles and Terrell Owens, and that of Mr. and Mrs. Greg Wyshynski.

I have a feeling mine was the more congenial split. Hell, it was a laugh-riot. It's amazing how much gallows humor can spring forth in the lobby of a judicial center when there's enough coffee and anxiety in your system.

In Maryland, you have to wait a full year to get a no-fault divorce — meaning you live in separate dwellings; you never cohabitate, even for a night; and you never kill a bottle of Cuervo, stumble back to her place, and take the log to the mill. There was never a danger of any of those conditions being met by myself and the ex over the last 365, mainly because one of us would have smashed the bottle before it was finished and tried to assault the other with a jagged glass weapon.

So many changes in a year. I'm in love with someone else, someone with whom I truly feel I was meant to be. She's finally living the life she wants to live, without the restraints of domesticity binding her. We're both reasonably happy people, and that can be attributed to the painful decision over a year ago to end our nearly four-year partnership.

My ex-wife and I finalized things this week, and it was easy. We didn't have any kids together, we didn't have any shared assets, and we didn't even have a joint bank account. Which, looking back on it all, should have told you something about how "committed" we were to this venture, I suppose.

Our divorce was a learning experience. Sometimes, for example, these things don't happen in a courtroom, but in a room the size of dentist's office, minus that giant adjustable light that looks like the metal snake probe from "War of the Worlds." And sometimes you're forced to wait an extra 30 minutes to get into that room because the people before you need to find a court-appointed interpreter to continue their proceedings. (I mean, c'mon, we're in a judicial center located in the suburbs of Washington, DC — what's the delay here? Do these people speak Klingon?)

A bit of advice I'd like to pass along to any of you who might one day find yourselves in a divorce hearing: never have a law student as a witness. The judge asked me and my ex-wife, under oath, what date we split up. We both gave the same date, which was also the date we supplied on our written documents. Then she asks Lawyer Boy, my witness, the same thing, and all of sudden he's some hood on "Law and Order," shaking in his shoes about perjury. "Well, I, uh, this is the first time I heard an actual date, uh, I can only, uh, speak to the fact that, uh, it was sometime last year."

Judge: "In the fall?"

"Again, uh, I can't speak to the fact that it was on or off an actual date, for I don't have the evidentiary relevance on my person, but, uh, I can confirm that I believe it might have been in the fall, yes, potentially in the fall."

Jesus ... put a guy under oath, and all of a sudden he turns into Hugh Grant after getting caught with that hooker.

But, after about 10 minutes of verification and a judge asking you if you "really, really, really want to get a divorce," everything's over and everyone goes home happy, though somewhat empty inside — just like after an NHL shootout.

I couldn't help but think of my own predicament as I watched the Philadelphia Eagles cut ties with T.O. over the last week.

There was that early courtship, thinking that a certain someone can complete you. Sometimes you have to fight for the one you love, and sometimes you have to wait until it becomes apparent that an independent arbitrator isn't going to send them to the Baltimore Ravens before you can complete a trade.

Then comes that cute time before the actual wedding. You use pet names, like "T.O." You start a collection of mementos, like stuffed animals, pictures of each other in exotic locales (like Jacksonville), and black No. 81 jerseys that you can't go two blocks in Philly without seeing some dude wearing. In the bitter end, all of this stuff either ends up in a box in the back of the closet or in a dumpster behind the supermarket.

The wedding arrives, and the two of you enter into a solemn bond of legality and emotional commitment — a contract, if you will. The only difference being that in T.O. World, contracts are made to be renegotiated. (Come to think of it, my ex-wife did some revisions of her own on our vows, too...)

The relationship has its ups, but it's mostly downs. Baggage that you tried to ignore, and hoped your partnership could overcome, continues to weigh you down. Maybe you thought that bit with the pom-poms and the Sharpie was good-natured fun instead of a pathetic cry for attention from a seriously psychologically-damaged individual. Maybe you thought that sort of immaturity wouldn't have a chance to flourish when there's so much time being spent building towards a bigger picture — whether it's a stable family or a Super Bowl ring.

You try to make the relationship work, even though you know it's causing more distraction and pain and frustration than a successful one should. The most important people in your life don't like the person you're with. You're spending more time on their antics and obsessions than on your own goals. You're a blue-collar team; he's showboating egomaniacal malcontent, the kind of locker room cancer that eventually ends up on Al Davis's payroll in the waning years of his career.

Finally, it comes to a head, and the bond breaks. You both say things to hurt the other — out of anger, out of desperation, out of ego. If only Drew Rosenhaus had been there to simply say "next question" every time there was another explosion of antagonism.

Maybe they come back with a mea culpa, an apology so sweeping in its scope that it resembles Chunk's tear-filled confessions about fake vomit to Mama Fratelli in "The Goonies." It's a last ditch effort for reconciliation, the sort of panicky delirium that comes when one realizes their own actions have cost them their solidity.

It may crack old doors for a moment, but it will never reopen them. In the end, both divorces finish the same way: with the principals moving on, allowing old wounds to heal and striving to find whatever it was they couldn't find in each other.

The only difference being that if my ex-wife and I are 6-6 after the next four games, we're not going to patch things up.

I can't say the same thing for the Eagles and T.O.

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History" will be published in Spring 2006. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 8:35 PM | Comments (0)

NBA Dollars and Sense

All right, for you hoopsheads out there, I'm sure you've heard enough already about the NBA dress code and am glad the season is underway. Recently, though, I spoke with some NBA players about their feelings and came up with a suggestion. Although it will probably never come to fruition, I think there may have been a better solution to this whole conflict.

First off, I feel that I must state my position on the whole issue. Is there anything wrong asking players to put on a suit when representing your sport? No. But I do find a problem with the owners and David Stern "dressing up" their players to appeal to a largely white audience. Or in other words, listen to what the master says, or else you will be punished.

I don't care when people make analogies like, "if you showed up to work at T.D. Waterhouse, would you have on a doo-rag?" How many times have you gone to Rucker Park or your local playground, showing up in a suit before you played? Many times, college or high school teams wear suits when traveling and that is fine, but these NBA players are grown men. If you're willing to pay a man millions of dollars to do what he does on the court, bearing your team's name, appearing in your commercials to promote the league, I think the least you could do is allow him to be comfortable getting on a plane or while being interviewed.

Anyways, back to the matter at hand. If this whole thing is about money in the first place, then Daddy Warbucks Stern himself missed an easy way to cash in. What if instead of the dress code, they disallowed jerseys/t-shirts, hats, etc. and made players sitting on the bench or being interviewed post-game to simply be allowed to wear team apparel. Whether it be a sweatsuit, a t-shirt or a polo shirt with the team's insignia, it would be much more comfortable for the players and also flash those NBA logos on the screen even more than before.

I'm sure the same apparel, sweatpants, sweatshirts, would be available to sell, as well, with fans being able to purchase the same "official" team gear as their favorite players. Maybe wearing a Fubu shirt on the sidelines isn't too fitting, but would anyone complain, even corporate businessmen, if those players were wearing simple team apparel?

Looks like Commissioner Stern hasn't cashed in on everything he could ... yet.

Free Throws: Tidbits From Around the League

* This thing in Miami doesn't look too good from the get-go. J-Will and 'Toine already arguing and the Diesel out for up to a month. All they need is Kobe [Bryant], Karl [Malone], and Phil [Jackson], and you have the '04 Lakers — South Beach-style.

* Larry Brown, welcome back to New York. Expect trigger-happy Isiah Thomas to make some moves soon.

* Michael Jordan's interview on 60 Minutes a few week back was mostly boring and uninformative. Is it possible that the G.O.A.T.'s legacy has taken such a hit since leaving the Bulls?

* Andre Iguodala is going to do some scary things this season. With Amare Stoudemire gone for a while, he takes over as most ferocious dunker in the league.

* Speaking of dunks, it's good to see V.C. hasn't lost his touch. He should send 'Zo a card with his condolences.

* Maybe Sam Cassell was onto something when he predicted a Clipper postseason ... then again, maybe not.

* The Bucks sure have hit a bump after everyone was declaring them playoff contenders after the first two games.

* Would the Tar Heel boys have had more fun if they stayed in school? Just imagine what the Duke/UNC rivalry would have been like this year.

* Kirk Hinrich is the truth. No matter what they do, Chicago cannot let him and Ben Gordon go.

* Is there anything better than Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson at halftime? Forget dancing kids or clowns — every arena halftime show should just be them on the scoreboard.

* San Antonio will not be stopped.

Posted by Seth Berkman at 8:10 PM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2005

The Coaches That Define Their Programs

The perception in college basketball is that most players choose to attend a college first and foremost for their school's coach. Many schools have a dream season every few years or once in a lifetime and other schools have had established programs for decades. The schools that are in between can attribute their success to star coaches that bring name recognition and attract players that might have gone elsewhere.

Mike Kryzyzewski, at Duke, Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, Rick Pitino at Louisville, Lute Olson at Arizona, Gary Williams at Maryland, and Tom Izzo at Michigan State have all elevated their programs from schools that have had limited or no success before their tenure and have restored the lost tradition at their institutions before their arrival. Schools with big-time coaches and programs that have decades of history behind them in most cases do not have to rebuild coming off stellar seasons, they simply reload.

Mike Krzyzewski is the leading is the leading example of a coach's influence on a program. Coach K, Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the Cameron Crazies are the face of Duke basketball. Before Krzyzewski arrived in 1980, Duke had success in prior regimes, but he took Duke to a higher level. Before the Krzyzewski era, Duke had nine top-10 finishes, eight NCAA tournament appearances, four Final Fours, and two national runner-up finishes.

Since then, the Blue Devils have been in 21 NCAAs, 10 Final Fours, and have made seven trips to the National Championship Game with three championships. Since Krzyzewski's first Final Four appearance in 1986, the Devils have the most appearances in the Elite Eight, Final Four, championship games, and titles.

The Duke mystique has been able to take hold in large part to Coach K's ability to recruit nationally. He has had players from coast to coast and prior to 1999, he was able to escape mass early defections to the NBA. After Duke lost the NCAA title game to Connecticut in '99, Duke faced early defections for the first time. Elton Brand, William Avery, and Corey Maggette left with a total of seven years of eligibility remaining. All Krzyzewski did was bring in a recruiting class that included future NBAers Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, and Carlos Boozer. They won the NCAA title as sophomores in 2001. With J.J. Reddick and Shelden Williams returning for their senior seasons, and another highly-ranked recruiting class, Duke will remain among the nation's elite for the foreseeable future.

Before Jim Calhoun's arrival, Connecticut had limited success. Thirteen NCAA tournament appearances culminated with a trip to the Elite Eight in 1964. After a seven-year drought of NCAA trips, Calhoun was hired to transform the culture of UConn basketball. The Huskies started turning things in around with an NIT championship in Calhoun's second season.

The NCAA drought ended in his fourth year in Storrs. It took a Christian Laettner shot at the buzzer to prevent their first ever trip to the Final Four. It would take three more Sweet 16 appearances and two more trips to the Elite before UConn would materialize before UConn earned its first trip to the Final Four in Calhoun's 13th season. In an epic National Championship Game, UConn survived Duke 77-74 to capture the school's first national championship.

Five years later, All-Americans Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor recaptured the magic with a second championship in Storrs. During Calhoun's tenure, he has turned an average program into one with a national standing. In addition to the two national champions, the Huskies have won 15 Big East Titles, appeared in 18 consecutive postseasons, and sent 14 players to the NBA. Success builds success. The Huskies' greatness has allowed Calhoun to recruit nationally. Okafor came from Houston, Ray Allen from South Carolina, and Caron Butler from Wisconsin. Only two years removed from a national championship, UConn is expected to challenge for a national title in 2006.

In the 1980s, the Big East was ruled by Georgetown and in the '90s and first half of this decade, by UConn, but the most consistent team in the conference's first 25 years has been Syracuse. The Orange is the only school from the Big East to appear in the Final Four in each of the last three decades.

Behind that success, Jim Boeheim has been the face of Syracuse basketball for 30 years and a big part of their basketball program for 43 years. Boeheim has been able to get some of the best players in the nation to come to upstate New York. Players have hailed from Baltimore, DC, California, Detroit, and even Lebanon. His stamp on the Orangemen and now the Orange has made Syracuse into a national power over the last 25 years. No one has been associated with their school longer than Boeheim has been was Syracuse. He went from a walk-on in 1962 to the backcourt mate and co-captain with Hall of Famer Dave Bing as senior.

Beginning his 30th season, Boeheim has posted a 703-241 record including a 40-23 record in NCAA tournament games. He was inducted as part of the 2005 Hall of Fame class with Calhoun and taken Syracuse to three national championship games, winning his and the school's first national championship in 2003.

The stability Boeheim has provided has helped make them one of the biggest programs in college basketball. They are among the leaders in attendance on an annual basis, many of Boeheim's assistants have moved on to lead their own programs and he has sent 22 players to the NBA. The biggest testament to his success is the success of his former assistants heading their own programs. Louis Orr at Seton Hall, Tim Welsh at Providence, and Rick Pitino have all taken their own programs to the NCAA tournament.

After Louisville started slipping and lost the shine at the end of the Denny Crum era, UL Athletic Director Tom Jurich tabbed a former enemy to bring the prestige back to Derby City. Jurich wanted a high-profile coach with experience and in Pitino he got one of the most successful coaches in the history of college basketball.

Hall of Famer Crum built Louisville into a national power. During the 1980s, the Cardinals made four trips to the Final Four, including national championships in 1980 and 1986. Louisville fell off in the early 1990s before Crum's last stand with a trip to the Elite Eight behind Dejuan Wheat in 1997. Crum wasn't able to build on that final success and retired at the end of the 2001 season.

Pitino's time with Jim Boeheim at Syracuse was well-documented during their match up in the 1996 NCAA Championship while he was at Kentucky. His second coaching job was as an assistant at Syracuse under Boeheim in 1976-78.

Pitino left the 'Cuse for a head coaching job at Boston University and led the Terriers to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 24 years in 1983. The accomplishment that made Pitino a household name to college basketball fans and followers nationally was Providence's improbable run to the Final Four in 1987. That team was led by Billy Donovan, who now front's the Florida program.

NBA stints with the Knicks and Celtics book-ended around Pitino rebuilding Kentucky into a national power after a string of scandals in the late 1980s. While in Lexington, Pitino took the Wildcats to three Final Fours in his last five seasons. Included were a national championship in 1996 and a runner-up in 1997. He also set the stage for the 1998 national championship. An overtime loss to Arizona in '97 was all that prevented Kentucky from capturing three straight national championships.

Pitino's hiring set off alarms in Kentucky. The once enemy went from hero to villain in Lexington and villain to hero in Louisville. A trip to the 2005 Final Four in his fourth season at UL matched the same accomplishment at Kentucky. Pitino's presence on the sideline has Louisville poised to become a national power once again. The Cardinals should become a regular fixture on national TV and make frequent trips deep into March. Their move to the Big East is a perfect match.

Many people are surprised that Arizona has the best record in college basketball since 1988. Lute Olson has also led his teams to 21 consecutive NCAA tournament (the nation's longest current streak and second longest ever), and been seeded lower than fifth only once during that span. Before Olson took the reign in the Tucson following the 1983 season, the Wildcats had only limited success. They had only three NCAA tournament appearances and their trip to the Elite Eight in 1976 accounted for the only two tournament wins in school history.

Olson's mission was to change the culture and expectations in Southern Arizona. He led the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament in only his second season. After three straight first round defeats (including a loss at home to UTEP in the 1987 tournament), Arizona entered the national scene to stay in 1988. Behind Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, and Tom Tolbert, Arizona cruised to its first Final Four in school history. A 26.7 average margin of victory dispelled any doubters. That team set the stage for Arizona to become a program with a national profile.

Since 1988, the Cats have had six more trips to the Elite Eight, three more to the Final Four and have appeared in two National Championship Games, culminating with the '97 national championship. In 22 years in Tucson, Olson has compiled a 549-164 record, sent 26 players to the NBA, and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2002.

Olson has built in Arizona into a national power in a place that many thought to be impossible. Players flock to Tucson for his guidance. Despite the loss of his two best players from last season, Olson has the 'Cats back in the preseason top-10. Reloading, rather than rebuilding, is the norm at UA.

The loyalty shown by his former players have helped build the program. Former stars Reggie Geary and Miles Simon have joined the coaching staff as assistants this season. Geary was a starter on Olson's second Final Four team at UA and Simon was the Most Outstanding Player in the 1997 NCAA tournament. With possibly the most talent the Wildcats have ever had, the success should continue for Olson.

Jim Boeheim is not the only successful coach who has brought the spotlight to his alma mater. After building successful programs at American, Boston College, and Ohio State, Gary Williams landed his dream job at the end of the 1989 season. He was tabbed to rescue a scandal-ridden program at Maryland.

The Terrapins had success prior to Williams' arrival, but it took the feisty coach to elevate the school to heights it hadn't reached in the eras that preceded him. Williams took time to drive Maryland in the right direction. The Terrapins didn't reach the NCAA tournament until Williams' fifth year in College Park. By season five, the Terps became a staple in the NCAAs. They made a splash with a trip to the Sweet 16 in the 1994 NCAAs. The run in 1994 began a stretch of seven Sweet 16 appearances in 10 years.

In 2001, Williams's and Maryland finally landed in their first-ever Final Four. The Terrapins bowed out to archrival Duke, their fourth loss to the Blue Devils that season. That loss would propel Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, and company to a national championship the following season.

Williams has been able to apply his own Bulldog approach in his own teams. Maryland always plays hard, tough-minded, team basketball. The past two seasons haven't been up to recent Maryland standards, but in 2006, they should be improved. Williams provides Maryland with stability, intensity, and loyalty. Few coaches can match his dedication and caring for the university they coach at. As long as he in College Park, the Terrapins should be able to compete for the nation's best players.

As Rick Pitino found out at Louisville, replacing a legend is never easy. When Tom Izzo replaced Judd Heathcote at Michigan State, not much was known about the Michigan native. Izzo was an assistant under Heathcote with no head coaching experience when he took over. Other than the 1979 national championship team led by Magic Johnson, MSU was a school with limited success before Izzo took control.

With Izzo, the accomplishments were elevated. He eschewed the formula of bringing in players from all over the country and internationally to build a dominant program. The path to glory in the Big 10 and deep runs into the NCAA tournament began with the "Flintstones." Mateen Cleaves and Maurice Peterson formed the core of Izzo teams of the late-'90s and 2000 that captured the national championship and appeared in the 1999 Final Four. After they moved on, the Spartans went to the Final Four again in 2001. Their appearance this past season was their fourth Final Four in seven seasons. That success gave Michigan State a national profile and allowed Izzo to bring in players from all over the nation and internationally.

Izzo has made MSU into one of the nation's elite programs. They are frequently on national television and played in front of the largest crowd in college basketball history two years ago. MSU and Kentucky drew 75,000 to Ford Field in Detroit. With last year's Final Four trip, Izzo has his team poised to return to the elite teams nationally. The core of that team returns and they are picked in the top five for 2006.

Players first and foremost make their decision to attend their chosen school for the coach. These seven coaches have proven success in improving their players, sending them to the NBA and virtually guaranteeing runs deep into March. They are legends, Hall of Famers, and have the programs the networks want to televise. How their schools will fare once they move on will be the ultimate test for the University that they coach for. The next step is to become a successful program perennially no matter who the coach is. That company is very small.

Posted by Alan Rubenstein at 9:24 PM | Comments (0)

Why the Saints Belong in N.O.

Katrina was an absolute Catastrophe.

There is no doubt about the capital C.

The big C came to the Big Easy and in a matter of days, turned it into a big wasteland.

Add up the billions of dollars in damage, the lives lost, the families separated, the houses destroyed, the memories washed away, the communities displaced, and the degrading, humiliating, and lowly conditions survivors had to endure as they waited for rescue and you have, perhaps, the single greatest natural disaster of the last century.

Many more eloquent and educated writers have tried to do justice to the impact of Hurricane Katrina before, and the fact that even they cannot do justice to what residents of Louisiana must have endured means that I should stop trying at the moment.

Instead, I would like to momentarily ponder the role the NFL, the Saints, and specifically Tom Benson have had, and will have on the city of New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Superdome, and the fact that the site was used as a makeshift refugee camp for thousands of survivors has made the idea of playing football in the Superdome a non-reality for the foreseeable future.

Enter Tom Benson.

Citing falling revenue, a soiled Superdome, and a laundry list of other excuses (pardon me, "reasons"), owner Tom Benson has publicly made known his intention of eventually moving the New Orleans Saints franchise to another city. Among the prospects, San Antonio, where the Saints will play some of their home games this year and next, and Los Angeles, the big American city without an NFL team.

Just a couple of weeks ago in Baton Rouge, where the Saints also play a portion of their home games, Benson argued with and attempted to strike a cameraman following a game. He also screamed obscenities at a fan, and then had the gall to chastise the city, and tell the commissioner in an e-mail that he would not return for any future Saints home games in fear of safety for himself and his family.

Yes, tell the people of Louisiana about the fear of a threatening fan and a cameraman. I'm sure they will understand.

Forget all of the surrounding circumstances for one second, and answer this...

If the Giants or the Jets was a "failing" franchise like the Saints, in the year after 9/11, would anyone have even breathed a hint that either team leave New York?

The answer, of course, is no.

Would there be a more fundamental way to further damage the psyche and emotional base of the New Orleans community than to take their NFL franchise and move it to another city in the next two years?

Sure, they've sustained all of the physical damage they can possibly take, and many of them endured the furthest bounds of psychological punishment, but they still have a couple of things to look forward to — a couple of things to give them hope. And sixteen Sundays a year have to be part of it.

The country has reached out to them, through donations and volunteering, in an effort to rebuild a great and prosperous community. After allegations of racism, and discrimination based on class, and governmental lack of response, and poor planning, and poor response, we now seem to be set on rectifying the wrong, no matter the source.

The one further wrong that could be done is to allow Tom Benson to move the New Orleans Saints out of the city.

Yes, there are times, some of them recent, when sports can represent all that is wrong in society. However, there are multitudes of times when sports can be representative of everything that is good and decent and kind and fair in our country.

If charity and goodwill are the codes of our civic duty, then surely the responsibility of the athletic world, and specifically the NFL, is to ensure that we remain loyal and dedicated to the citizens of New Orleans.

If MLB can plaster the number for donations to the Red Cross on the backstop of every ballpark for every game in an effort to raise money for the victims and the community, then shouldn't the NFL make a strong move to keep the team from the city from moving?

I'm not saying nearly enough donations have been made, and I'm not saying nearly enough time has been put into even beginning to organize the rebuilding, but I am saying that the NFL and Tom Benson are in a unique position to do for the city that which no one else can do.

Every one of the sixteen Sundays that the Saints play representing the city of New Orleans can heal, unite, rally, uplift, and any other positive verb that has any emotional impact.

Every name for a professional team has two parts: 1) a name, logo, nickname, etc., and 2) a city, state, or region that the team represents.

What could be more detrimental, after all the region has gone through, than to take away the organization that bears its name?

It's time for Tom Benson to play the role of the namesake of his team to the city that so desperately needs it.

Posted by Vince Grzegorek at 7:04 PM | Comments (3)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 34

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Tony Stewart — Stewart held on to his points lead despite being ran into the wall by Mark Martin with about 30 laps to go. Stewart recovered to finish sixth, and lost only five points to Jimmie Johnson, his closest pursuer, who finished fifth.

"That's a clear case of team orders right there," says Stewart. "Martin was trying to take me out for the benefit of the three Roush Racing cars still chasing me. Sure, I was angry at Mark, but not for long. How can you stay mad at Mark? He's just so darn cute. Now, if that would have been a Jeff Gordon, a Kurt Busch, or Kevin Harvick, someone would have got punched."

Stewart finished 33rd at Phoenix in April, and a repeat of such a finish could prove disastrous. But don't count on it. He has top-10s in six of eight Chase races, and odds are those numbers will be seven of nine.

2. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson finished fifth at Texas, and chipped five points off of Stewarts' points lead. Johnson now trails Stewart by 38 points with two races remaining. By taking four tires in the pits during the final caution, Johnson was able to pass eight cars, including Stewart's, in the last 13 laps to salvage a pivotal result.

"There's a lot of coin flipping in the pits during situations like that," says Johnson. "Heads, two tires, or tails, four tires. And if you don't have a coin, you stay out."

In four career starts at Phoenix, Johnson has two top-10s and has never finished lower than 15th. He hopes to take at least double digits from Johnson's lead when the day is done.

3. Carl Edwards — Edwards won his second consecutive race, leading 82 laps on his way to leading teammates Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth across the line. Edwards knocked 30 more points off of Stewart's points lead, and has taken 72 points off of his lead in the last two races.

"Two wins, two backflips," says Edwards. "That can easily be four wins and four backflips. And if one of my teammates can successfully run Stewart off the track and keep him there, I just might have a chance."

Edwards finished seventh in April at Phoenix in a race won by teammate Kurt Busch. Can Edwards surprise with his third straight victory? That may be his only hope of positioning himself for a run at the title at Homestead next week.

4. Mark Martin — Martin was the middle man in a one-two-three Roush racing sweep, finishing second to Carl Edwards. Martin moved up a spot in the points to fifth. He added to the Chase excitement by sending Stewart into the wall with about 30 laps to go.

"One race without Tony calling someone an 'idiot' is just too many," says Martin. "It's not the racing that makes NASCAR popular. It's the bickering. You get these guys going, it's like junior high out there."

Martin is 123 points behind Stewart and needs wins, along with trouble for Stewart and Johnson. Martin has been at both ends of the spectrum — a 41st at Talladega and a 34th at Martinsville, but all other results in the Chase have been seventh or better.

5. Greg Biffle — With a 20th-place finish in Texas, Biffle is likely out of the running for the Chase. A loose wheel led to a green flag pit stop that left Biffle in last place, a lap down early in the race. He was unable to get the lap back until lap 319 when he was recipient of the "lucky dog" free pass. From there, he worked his way up to the 20th position by race's end.

"Everybody said at the beginning of the Chase," says Biffle, "that it would be Stewart, Johnson, and a Roush driver battling for the lead. They were right. It's just that the Roush driver is not me; it's Carl Edwards."

Biffle is 122 behind Stewart, and, like Martin, needs wins and a lot of help, or a lot of luck.

6. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth led 149 of 334 laps, finishing third behind Edwards and Martin for his fifth top-five of the Chase. He picked up one spot in the Chase standings, and now resides in sixth, 135 behind Stewart.

"I just realized something," says Kenseth. "Five of the Chase results have been either third or fifth. One was a 35th. A three and a five. Another finish was a 26th. Three and five make eight. Two and six equals eight. Our other Chase finish was a 12th. One and two is three. What does all that mean? Probably that I should spend more time driving and less time counting."

It would take a minor miracle for Kenseth to make up that much ground on Stewart in just two races. And Stewart doesn't believe in miracles.

7. Ryan Newman — Newman began the weekend with a bang, taking the pole on his first qualifying lap, that quickly became a bust when he crashed on his second qualifying lap. As a result, Newman had to start at the back of the field, and could only manage a 25th place finish.

"I went from hero to zero in one qualifying session," says Newman. "Kind of like my Chase experience. Did I win the first race in the Chase, or was I just dreaming?"

That was reality, Ryan. As is this: you raced your way out of contention in the last two weeks. He is 174 points down after two straight finishes outside of the top 20.

8. Kurt Busch — Busch scored only his fourth top-10 of the Chase, finishing 10th after starting 18th. He steadily climbed up the standings throughout the day, making a pass to gain 10th on lap 324 and held that position of the final 10 laps.

"If it takes nearly a full race to reach the top ten," says Busch, "then you know your car is mediocre. That's been the story of our Chase, mediocrity."

Busch was anything but mediocre earlier this year in Phoenix, where he won the Subway Fresh 500 convincingly, leading 219 of 312 laps.

9. Rusty Wallace — Wallace was only 76 points off the lead after three Chase races. Since then, he's lost 239 points, and now stands 315 out. A 22nd-place finish in Texas gives him four straight results of 19th or worse.

"It's not what I'd call a retirement party," says Wallace. "But at least now Kurt Busch can take over in the No. 2 car next year without having to finish his contract with Roush. Cup dreams were made to be broken, as were contracts."

Wallace has two more farewell races left, so there is still time for a retirement/victory celebration.

10. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield experienced mechanical problems for the second race in a row, and has almost guaranteed himself a 10th-place finish in the Chase. This time, the culprit was a vibration caused by an out of balance tire that required a green flag pit stop to remedy. Mayfield fell two laps down and was never able to recover, finishing 35th, four laps down.

"You can't fault my consistency," says Mayfield. "That'll be two years in a row I've finished 10th in the Chase. That's not luck. It's all skill."

Mayfield finished 13th earlier this year at Phoenix, and has nothing to lose, certainly not a position in the points, so he can let it all hang out.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 3:27 PM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2005

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 10

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

Arizona @ Detroit

Before the game, Cardinals coach Dennis Green and Lions coach Steve Mariucci agree to allow each other to choose the opposition's starter at quarterback.

"Okay, Denny," says Mariucci, "you're starting [Kurt] Warner."

"Sucker," replies Green. "I was starting Warner anyway. Steve-O, you're starting Joey Harrington."

"You're a bozo," replies Mariucci. "I was starting Joey anyway. I think this just proves one thing, Denny: we're both capable of making our own hapless decisions. How about we trade jobs and see if it makes a difference?"

"No dice, Mooch," replies Green. "Coaching here in Arizona affords me the luxury of coaching a team whose best player is their kicker. Who's your best player? Do you have one? Besides, I made myself a promise when I was a youngster: never coach a team whose general manager is named Matt Millen."

You can't blame Green for not wanting to leave Neil Rackers, who is a perfect 26-for-26 on field goals and leads all kickers in scoring.

"It's a good thing I've got range," says Rackers. "That way, I only need the offense to get to the 35-yard line, then I can drill a 52-yard kick. The only contact our offense has with the red zone is when they apply their morning deodorant. I guess that's why I have 26 field goals and only eight extra points. By comparison, Indianapolis' Mike Vanderjagt has nine field goals and 28 extra points."

Rackers is perfect in Detroit, nailing four field goals, including a 57-yarder off the pristine Ford Field turf.

"Nice Rack!" an impressed and jealous Mariucci yells across the field to Green.

"Uhh ... thanks," replies Green. "Geez, I guess I haven't lost enough weight. I must still have man-boobs."

Once again, Rackers outscores his offense. And, once again, Arizona loses.

Lions win, 24-19.

Baltimore @ Jacksonville

Are the Jaguars contenders, or are they pretenders? Their 5-3 record says "contender," but a 21-14 win over the lowly Texans, at home, says "pretender."

"Hey, those words rhyme," says Jacksonville coach and purveyor of good taste Jack Del Rio. "As do the words 'Jack' and 'smack.' As in, 'If you don't stop badmouthing my team, 'Jack' will 'smack' you upside the head. Why bother scoring unnecessary points. We had enough to win. The Jaguar motto is: 'Just do enough to win, baby.' And we do."

Okay, the Jags are good, good enough to win. Especially in their upcoming four games, in which none of their opponents have winning records. That should set them up nicely, assuming they win those four, for a playoff position.

The Ravens welcome Kyle Boller back in the saddle, as he will return from a foot injury to reclaim the starting quarterback position. On Wednesday, Boller was the recipient of a ticker tape parade through downtown Baltimore to herald his return.

"Yes, what a spectacle that was," says Ravens coach Brian Billick. "It truly was a ticker 'tape' parade. 'Tape' being singular. I saw one piece of ticker tape floating down. Just one. And I think it had one D-cell battery attached to it. It just missed Kyle, but he was able to retrieve it get his favorite flashlight working again."

This game will likely be a defensive battle, with both teams combining for about ten sacks. The Jags will have more success establishing the run, even without Fred Taylor. Once again, the Ravens will be without linebacker ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed. Toss in a defensive touchdown and a few field goals, and the Jags come away with a 20-13 win.

Houston @ Indianapolis

When a team plays badly and wins, it's called "winning ugly." So, when a team plays well and loses, can we call that "losing pretty?" The Texans hung tough with the Jags, finally losing 21-14 after leading 14-7.

"Yes, that was a pretty loss," says Texans coach Dom Capers. "So pretty, I'd kiss it if I could. Like my team, I haven't got lucky in a while. But it was a heartbreaking loss. How do we recover four fumbles and still lose?"

Here's how, Dom. Those four fumbles were recovered by your offense, not your defense.

"Oh, that's unfortunate," says Capers. "By the way, I don't appreciate those italics. My Texans are 1-1 in our last two games, and 1-0 in our last two games excluding losses. We're going in to Indianapolis fully intending to win. If we don't, we will be mathematically eliminated from winning the division."

The Colts, on the other hand, are winning pretty, and are undefeated at the halfway point. Peyton Manning has rid himself of the 0-for-Tom Brady and 0-for-Foxborough slumps. Next on his agenda: the 0-for-Super Bowl slump.

"Wow. Winning in New England was such a relief," says Manning. "I feel like a case of clam chowder has been lifted from my shoulders and tossed into the Boston Harbor. I think it's safe to say we won't have to play in New England again this year. The next time we see a Patriot may be at the Pro Bowl. Or, maybe not."

Manning and company, as you would expect, avoid the letdown, and beat the Texans, 34-17.

Edgerrin James rushes for 145 yards and two TDs.

Kansas City @ Buffalo

Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil laid it all on the line last Sunday against the Raiders, calling a running play with five seconds left, down 23-20 to the Raiders. Running back Larry Johnson dove in from the one-yard line, giving the Chiefs a thrilling 27-23 win. The crowd at Arrowhead Stadium broke into wild celebration, and Vermeil broke into tears.

"I think Terrell Owens said it best," says Vermeil, "when he said, 'I love me some me.' I'm going to change that up a bit to honor the un-Owens-like unselfish nature of these Chiefs, and say, 'I love me some we.' I gave the game ball to Trent Green, in honor of his father, but Larry gets my soaking wet handkerchief. That kid just went from size four diapers right into number fives. He's like a great-grandson to me."

The Bills return from their bye week at 3-5, only one game behind the Patriots in the AFC East race, which is looking a lot like the NFC North. The Patriots' 4-4 leads the division, so a Bills win and a Miami win over the Pats would result in a three-way tie at the top. The Bills' Willis McGahee is averaging nearly 100 yards per game, while the Bills' run defense is the second worst in the league.

"I learned my lesson last time," says McGahee, "when I claimed to be the game's best back before we played the Raiders. Lamont Jordan outdid me that day. So, I won't say I'm the best back in the game, even though I am. I'll say this: I'm better than Larry Johnson. At least in football."

If you're having trouble choosing a winner for this game, go find yourself a wooden nickel, preferably with an Indian on one side and a buffalo on the other. Flip it. There's your winner.

The Chiefs win on the ground, as Johnson rushes for 145 yards and two TDs.

Kansas City wins, 23-19.

Minnesota @ N.Y. Giants

Faster than you can say, "Mike Tice still has a job?" the Vikings are back on the very outer fringes the playoff hunt, beating the Lions 27-14 to remain two games behind the division-leading Bears. Of course, we all know the Vikes can play themselves out of playoff contention faster than you can say, "3-5 is in the playoff hunt?" Brad Johnson led the Vikings with two touchdown passes and no interceptions, which is 12 fewer than Daunte Culpepper threw in the first seven games.

"I think Daunte's been in shock all year," says Johnson. "If you spend your first six years throwing to Randy Moss, only to have him yanked away from you, then you're bound to have difficulties. It's not like throwing to Randy requires precision. You throw it up, he gets it. This year, Daunte had to make passes, not throws. He wasn't quite ready. Me, I'm not known for my arm strength, but I can hit the numbers on my receiver between two defenders from eight yards out any day."

This will be a rematch of the 2001 NFC Championship Game, in which the Giants blasted the Vikings 41-0.

"And just like in that one," says Giants' defensive end Michael Strahan, in training for his championship final in the NFL Network's Sexiest Gap-Toothed Smile against Seattle's Shaun Alexander, "Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss won't be showing up for this one."

No, they won't. But Eli Manning, Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress, and Jeremy Shockey do. Unfortunately for the Vikes, they play for the Giants. New York puts the clamps on the Vikings, and Barber rushes for 123 and a score.

Giants win, 31-21.

New England @ Miami

What's big news in Miami? The Dolphins contention in the AFC East? Ricky Williams' first touchdown of the year? Shaquille O'Neal's giant sprained ankle?

No, none of that. It's those 1972 Dolphins stirring in their graves, starting to worry because the Colts are 8-0. Oh, those guys aren't dead? Well, tell them not to worry, because the Colts are a long way from undefeated for the year. Now, if the Colts survive Week 14 at Jacksonville and Week 15 at home against the Chargers, then Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, Nick Buoniconti, and the boys can start to panic, and beg Dan Marino to intervene.

Anyway, should the Dolphins win, they would be in a tie for first place at 4-5. And the defending Super Bowls champions would be 4-5 as well. And Tom Brady may go into another fit of cursing like he did last Monday against the Colts. Sure, your defense gave up 41 points, and sure, it looked like Peyton Manning outplayed you. Look at it this way, if you would have been playing against the Patriots' secondary, you easily could have scored 41 points and thrown for 300 yards, like Manning.

"You're right," says Brady. "I torch those guys in practice everyday."

The Dolphins will try to attack the Patriots with their two running back system of Williams and Ronnie Brown. It's clear the Patriots are more vulnerable through the air, but with Gus Frerotte under center, the AFC's 15th lowest-rated quarterback, coach Nick Saban would rather take his chances on the ground.

The Patriots have won every other game this year, which means they have rebounded from each of their previous three losses with a win. Sounds like a pattern to me. Brady throws for 275 yards and two touchdowns.

New England wins, 27-23.

San Francisco @ Chicago

Twenty years ago, the Bears sported a smothering defense, and dominated what was then known as the NFC Central. This year, the Bears lead the NFC North by two games, and a dominating defense is the key. Is this a case of history repeating itself?

"Let's see," says Chicago coach Lovie Smith. "Mike Ditka coached that team. In twenty years, if you find me on ESPN on Monday nights bickering with a former player known as 'The Playmaker,' then I guess history will have repeated itself. Or, if we currently featured a 350-pound defensive lineman known as the 'Refrigerator,' history may have repeated. Or, if my team was brazen enough to cut a rap called 'The Super Bowl Shuffle,' then history may have repeated."

"Does this mean twenty years from now," says 49ers quarterback Cody Pickett, "I'll be endorsing FedEx in a commercial in which I make hard, shoe-squeaking cuts in an airport concourse, like Joe Montana? Or, I'll be pitching some silly football-on-a-string contraption called the 'RZ Trainer,' a la Montana?"

Only if you're lucky.

The Bears will rely on their usual formula for success: an early Kyle Orton touchdown pass, followed by a few Robbie Gould field goals, a Thomas Jones or Cedric Benson rush touchdown, and defense. The 49ers' formula? Another road loss.

Chicago wins, 23-6.

Denver @ Oakland

Last week, the Raiders were dealt a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Chiefs, as Larry Johnson scored from one yard out to give Kansas City a last-second, 27-23 win. The loss left the Raiders at 3-5, and 0-3 in the AFC West.

"I guess you could say that puts us in a 'black hole,'" says Raiders' coach Norv Turner. "And I'm not talking about our home stadium, although this game does take place in 'The Black Hole," known officially as, uh, well, I'm not sure what this stadium's real name is. But I'm sure it's named after some corporation that paid way too much to have its name on the stadium, even though no one calls it that. It's too bad there's not a company, legitimate or otherwise, that can pay to have this dump officially named 'The Black Hole."

Indeed, the Raiders are desperate for a win, not only to keep their pencil thin playoff hopes alive, but also to knock the Broncos down a notch from their high horse. And I'm sure the Chiefs and Chargers would appreciate the favor.

I'm sure the Broncos didn't want to follow their bye week with a visit to Oakland, but they have to start playing AFC West road games at some point. This week's Raider game will be the first of three West road tests the Broncos will face in their final eight games. The Broncos' running game has been their strength, and Jake Plummer has nearly eliminated the bad decisions that plagued him last year. Plummer has thrown 12 touchdown passes against only three interceptions. Can the Broncos keep the pace?

"I know I can," says Plummer. "Not only have I cut down on my interceptions, I've also totally eliminated middle fingers from my game. No, I haven't cut them off with garden shears, I simply have resisted the edge to shoot the bird to any fans, especially my own. Playing at Oakland will be a test. The fans there are probably the league's best hecklers, and certainly the most profane. Hopefully, the only finger I extend won't be the middle, but the index, letting all those Raider fans know who's number one."

Plummer is a man of his finger, and word. Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell combine for 160 yards rushing, and Plummer throws two touchdowns.

Broncos win, 31-27.

N.Y. Jets @ Carolina

The Panthers, with last Sunday's victory at Tampa Bay, moved into a tie with the Falcons atop the NFC South, and now share the NFC's best record with the Falcons, Giants, and Seahawks at 6-2.

"Yeah, and we also lead the league in offense," says coach John Fox. "That is, illegal offenses committed by two of our cheerleaders. Sex in the women's bathroom stall of a bar. Who exactly had a problem with that? I'd really like to breakdown the game film of that incident. By the way, what, or should I say who, was the over/under? Some of you hip hop old-schoolers may be familiar with the words of Digital Underground rapper Humpty Hump, who claimed to have once gotten busy in a Burger King bathroom. Now, these two chicks can top Humpty's claim, because they got busy in a Banana Joe's bathroom stall. Here's a little advice, ladies. If you feel the urge to get busy in a bathroom stall and wish not to be interrupted, try the men's room. Take it from a man, we won't stop you."

I love football.

The Panthers are riding two players with a nose for the end zone to the top of the NFC. Wide receiver Steve Smith leads the league in receiving touchdowns, while running back Stephen Davis is third in the league with 11 rushing TDs. Those two score one touchdown apiece, and the Panther defense forces three Brooks Bollinger turnovers.

Carolina wins, 29-13.

Green Bay @ Atlanta

"If I were quarterbacking the Eagles," say Brett Favre, "I surely wouldn't have fresh cornrows like Donovan McNabb, and I would have given Terrell Owens a good country ass whuppin' early last year. In any case, I'm not quarterbacking the Eagles, and I have no idea why Michael Irvin would suggest such a thing. All he did was get Owens suspended. My guess is so T.O. wouldn't be able to play Monday's game against Irvin's beloved Cowboys. Mission accomplished, Playmaker."

The Packers lost a tough 20-10 game to the Steelers last Sunday, and now face a Falcons' team headed in the opposite direction. Last week, Atlanta beat the Dolphins 17-10 behind a season-high 228 yards passing from Michael Vick.

"Wow. Did you say 'season-high' 228 yards?" asks Favre. "That's passing, right? That would be like me rushing for 150 yards. Which, I soon may have to do if our running backs keep dropping like flies. But I think we may have found a keeper in young Samkon Gado. With apologies to former Chiefs' running back Christian Okoye, we're calling Samkon the 'New Nigerian Nightmare.'"

The real nightmare is that Gado is the Packers' fifth-string tailback, but he proved to be sturdy against the physical Steelers' defense, with 26 rushing attempts. So, if Green Bay can get a rushing attack started, and Brett Favre stops turning the ball over, then Packers coach Mike Sherman may burn Atlanta to the ground in celebration.

But that won't happen. Favre will struggle against a tough Falcons defense, and Vick will get back to what he does best: making up for inadequate passing with 20- and 30-yard scrambles. Warrick Dunn rushes for 110 yards, and the Falcons win, 27-21.

St. Louis @ Seattle

If you're the St. Louis Rams, number one in your game plan on defeating the Seahawks is stopping Shaun Alexander. The NFL's leading rusher, with 949 yards, also leads the league with 14 rushing touchdowns.

"I've devised a scheme to combat Alexander," says Rams head coach Mike Martz, from his secret laboratory in the boiler room of the Edward Jones Dome. "It's simple. It's the same master plan the Rams front office has used to shut me out: lock me out of the building. If we can lock Alexander out of Quest Stadium, we've got a shot. If that doesn't work, we can look up my good friend and Portland native Tonya Harding. I'm sure she knows some goons who would be willing to bust Alexander's knee cap for a low price."

A loss could be devastating to the Rams' cause; should the Seahawks win, they'll hold a three game lead on the Rams, and the Rams will fall to 1-3 in the division. And, right now, it looks like the NFC wildcards will come from the East and South, so if you don't win the West, you go home.

If the Rams have a shot, it will have to be with quarterback Marc Bulger and wide receiver Torry Holt in the lineup. In Week 5 in Seattle, Bulger threw for 336 yards, 126 of those to Holt. Without Bulger and Holt, it's doubtful the Rams can score enough to beat the Seahawks. Wait a minute. They couldn't even win with them. So scratch that analysis. Let's analyze something else. Who does the dumber Fathead.com commercial, Holt or Ben Roethlisberger?

"That's a toss up," says Chad Johnson. "They both are pretty goofy in those commercials. Mine has to be the coolest, 'cause I got gold teeth, and I put 'em right in the camera."

Bulger and Holt play, as does Isaac Bruce, but Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck play better. Alexander rushes for a score, and Hasselbeck throws for two.

Seahawks win, 30-24.

Washington @ Tampa Bay

What moves faster than Bucs' receiver Joey Galloway sprinting downfield for a 50-yard touchdown score?

"Ah, curse words out of my mouth when Chris Simms is at quarterback?" answers Tampa coach John Gruden.

That is fast, Coach, but I was thinking that something faster is Tim Rattay's ascension in the quarterback depth chart.

"Not so fast, my friend," says ESPN college football analyst/clown Lee Corso. "Chris Simms is still the quarterback, and he will lead the Texas Longhorns into the Rose Bowl against the USC Trojans."

Corso's right about one thing: Simms is still the starter. And if he doesn't pick up the pace, he may find himself the victim in Gruden's next horror flick, Chuckie Benches Chris Simms.

For the second week in a row, Simms will face one of the NFL's toughest defenses. Last week, the Redskins shut down the Eagles, thanks in part to the return to the starting lineup of linebacker LaVar Arrington, who had been in defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' doghouse.

"The dog is loose now," says Arrington, "and I'm going to fetch me some quarterback."

Arrington records a sack and forces a fumble, while Mark Brunell produces an efficient 220-yard passing day.

Redskins win, 20-16.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh

Last week, the Steelers vanquished the Packers for their 11th-straight road win, only the fourth team to accomplish that feat. Pittsburgh is now 4-0 on the road, and now head home to Heinz Field, where they are 2-2.

"Guess what?" says Browns head coach Romeo Crennel. "One of those two teams to beat you at home was the Patriots. And last year, your only home loss was to, you guessed it, the Patriots. And guess who was defensive coordinator for that team. Yours truly. And guess who's coaching the Browns, the team you face this Sunday?"

"Sam Rutigliano?" answers Steelers' coach Bill Cowher.

No, Bill. It's Crennel.

"You can tell by the way my lower jaw protrudes that I'm not happy," explains Cowher.

The Browns got a big game from running back Reuben Droughns, who rushed for 116 yards and caught four passes for 73 yards, to defeat the Titans, 20-14. Earlier last week, Droughns was arrested for driving while intoxicated, a charge to which he later pleaded not guilty. To a professional athlete, pleading not guilty essentially means, "I'm guilty as sin, but I've got the money to hire a brilliant, yet unscrupulous lawyer to bail me out." And Droughns can afford a chauffeur even if he is convicted.

Minutes before kickoff, as the Steelers take the field, the sneaky Droughns hops on the back of Jerome Bettis as Bettis makes his way toward the Steelers' sideline.

"Hey, man!" cries Bettis. "What are you doing?"

"Well, Jerome," replies Droughns, "as you know, my license has been suspended. With no other means of transportation, I have no other alternative than to take the 'Bus.'"

"Here's your stop," says Bettis, as he tosses Droughns over to the Browns' bench.

Charlie Batch again gets the start for the Steelers, while Ben Roethlisberger recovers from knee surgery. Again, Batch will thank his lucky stars that Pittsburgh has a defense and a running game, so he won't be pressured to outdo his numbers against Green Bay (9-for-16, 65 yards, one interception). Duce Staley will get a load of carries with Willie Parker and Bettis not fully healthy. Staley rushes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while the Pitt defense forces four turnovers.

Steelers win, 20-13.

Dallas @ Philadelphia

How do you spell turmoil? Give me a 'T'! Give me an 'O'! What does that spell? 'T.O.!' And, oh yeah, you'll need a 'U,' and 'R,' an 'M,' an 'I,' and an 'L.' And how do you spell "Eagles?"

"Well," says Philly quarterback Donovan McNabb, "there is no 'T.O.' in Eagles. I think I speak for the entire Eagles' organization when I say, 'Sha na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye. You piece of trash.' We can lose with T. O. And we can lose without T.O. We made it all the way to the Super Bowl last year without Owens. Then, in the Super Bowl, he plays, and we lose."

Owens was suspended for four games without pay, and the Eagles will continue to pay Owens after that, but he won't play for the rest of the year.

"First, I'm slapped with a one-game suspension," says Owens, "after I apologize. So, that's more like getting bitch-slapped with a one-game suspension. Then, I get the four-game suspension and I'm done for the year. Ouch! Pimp slapped."

Dallas returns from a bye week trailing the division-leading Giants by one game. And Keyshawn Johnson is looking like an angel.

"It's too bad T.O. couldn't be here for this one," says Johnson. "I'll be in Philly. Michael Irvin will be in Philly with the ESPN Monday Night Countdown crew. If only T.O. could be here, it would be the greatest collection of loud-mouthed receivers ever assembled in one place."

Monday night's game is crucial for both teams. With a loss, Philly could face a three-game deficit to the Giants, and will be 0-3 in division games. If Dallas loses, and the Giants and Redskins win, Dallas would be in last place with the Eagles. And Bill Parcells will be steaming mad.

The Eagles will look to avenge their 33-10 Week 5 beating at the hands of Dallas. And they want to prove that they can win without Owens. And they do.

David Akers kicks a late field goal to give the Eagles a dramatic 24-23 win.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 7:26 PM | Comments (0)

College Football Third Quarter Report

SEC

Did anyone catch the thriller between Vanderbilt and Florida and the constant reaction shots off Jay Cutler's dad? When the gifted Vanderbilt QB would make a big play, Dad had the classlessness to start doing a mocking version of the Gator Chomp. Then it appeared that a Florida fan said something to him, and Dad started to walk confrontationally towards the man until his wife pulled him back.

What an incredible jerk. He might as well start wearing t-shirts to road games that say, "My son is Jay Cutler. Yours is not. He's gonna make me rich someday. Your team sucks. Wanna fight about it?"

It's an unfortunate chapter in what has been a dream season by Vanderbilt standards. They represent a middle ground team in a conference where everyone seems to be either world-class (Florida, LSU, Alabama, Georgia) or terrible (the Mississippi schools, Kentucky, Arkansas). Alabama is the college football version of a lame-duck president, an undefeated team that absolutely nobody outside of the Crimson faithful expects to stay that way.

Predicted Champion: LSU

ACC

The Athletic Coast Conference is not only the strongest conference in the land, and the deepest, but also the conference boasting the most parity. Yes, that was basement-dwelling North Carolina State going into Tallahassee and knocking off the 'Noles. Any one of these teams, except for Duke, is capable of knocking off any of the other teams, anywhere, any time.

So, those uniforms that Florida and Virginia Tech have worn recently, where one jersey shoulder is a different color than the other one (Miami and USC will reportedly be following in the next few weeks) is part of a disturbing trend. I don't personally dislike the look, although many others do, and say it makes the players look like their arm is in a sling. What I do dislike is these designs are not coming from the schools themselves. It's a Nike design, and they are basically modeling their new designs on the game jerseys of several teams.

I had no idea that the shoe companies held artistic control over the uniforms they produce. I never had a problem with Nike putting a small swoosh on the uniforms they put out, but if the schools they have contracted do not maintain creative control over the uniform's designs, that's a travesty. Colleges are fountains of creativity and if the school wants a cutting-edge uniform, there is an abundance of free ideas for it to be found in the student body itself.

But no, the schools take a pass on the ingenuity of their own students and pass it off to the shoe companies instead. And Nike, not satisfied with the swoosh being everywhere we look, has to create their own imprint on the entirety of the uniform and put it in place across the country. Words cannot express how horrified I would be if my alma mater, Ohio State, followed Florida and Virginia Tech's lead.

Predicted Champion: Miami

Big 10

It's Penn State's to lose now, and so it comes down to a trip to East Lansing in two weeks. To be sure, if the Spartans post the kind of game they did against Notre Dame, the upset is possible. But even then, Penn State has already defeated three of the four teams that could tie or overtake them in the standings, so you would have to like Penn State's chances even if they do lay an egg at Michigan State.

Ohio State is the only team that can still finish with a better record outright, but for that to happen (besides needing Penn State to lose their last game), Ohio State would have win two very tough games — home to Northwestern and at Michigan. And Penn State is so charged up right now, JoePa's not going to let them stumble on themselves.

With the strides that Rutgers, Arizona, Vanderbilt, and even Baylor have made, Illinois is now the worst BCS team in the country. Two years ago, I put that odious crown on Arizona's heads. So that's twice in three years that a huge state school with lots of resources has been the team to be surpassed by every other BCS school in the country. There's no excuse for that. Illinois won the Big 10 just four years ago.

Predicted Champion: Penn State

Big 12

Probably not quite as bad as everyone thinks, although certainly the worst BCS conference (excluding, of course, the Big East, who is soon to be kicked off the BCS island and I'm not even going to review for this column). The domination of Texas, the decline of Oklahoma, and the improvement of Baylor and Iowa State makes the conference look worse than they actually is. Baylor is a couple of overtime losses (to Oklahoma and Texas A&M) from being one hell of a great feel-good story — maybe next year. The next Longhorn game that does not end in a blowout may not take place until the fall of 2006.

It doesn't make sense because I was never a big follower of it anyway, but lately, I've been feeling nostalgic for the old "SWC," the Southwestern Conference. For the kids in the audience, the SWC used to house every large school in Texas, plus Arkansas, but after Arkansas defected to the SEC, it was bitten in half by the Big 12 (then called the Big 8, who took Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech) and the WAC (who took Rice, SMU, TCU, and UTEP, and then split into two conferences, as well, with the weaker conference keeping the WAC name and the stronger schools forming the Mountain West Conference). This made an orphan of Houston, who went on to join Conference USA. History lesson complete.

Predicted Champion: Texas

Pac-10

I still think USC is the best team in the nation and will defeat Texas in the Rose Bowl, but I now feel shaky about that prediction and I backed off claims that they might be on par with some of the dominant teams of all time long ago. Cal, Oregon, and UCLA (and Fresno State, who for the purposes of this article, are an honorary, one-year member of the Pac-10) are all about equally second-best, with both Arizona schools (Wildcats rising, Sun Devils fading) right behind them. Stanford comes next, then Oregon State. The Washington schools bring up the rear, with the Cougs a leg up on the Huskies.

I do have a point to this rundown: the Pac-10 is indeed underrated, but a bit lacking in parity.

Has anyone else noticed that Arizona State seems to use their end zones as a canvas for creativity? They honored Pat Tillman in the end zones last year. They honored LSU and Hurricane Katrina victims with a map of Louisiana and a fleur-de-lis this year. Then against USC, they rolled out end zones featuring a close-up of their mascot's face and a pitchfork forming the E in "State" in one end zone and in "Devils" in the other." I'm sure the design was way too gaudy for the purists who prefer the Notre Dame end zone style, but I'm no purist. Big thumbs up to the ASU field maintenance staff.

Predicted Champion: USC

Posted by Kevin Beane at 6:30 PM | Comments (8)

ESPN: Every Sports Person's Nightmare

Remember the days when ESPN was revolutionary? Who would of thought you could ever have the ability to wake up at anytime in the morning, and every hour, catch all of the previous night's highlights in every major sport? Sure, the shtick was around then, but the guys like Craig Kilborn, Keith Olberman, and pre-2000 Dan Patrick were as entertaining as anyone on TV. I can even vaguely remember a time when Stuart Scott was worth listening to.

Oh, how those days have gone by fast. The only time to turn on ESPN now are when they show actual games and even that needs to be accompanied by a mute button most of the time.

Case in point, last week's game between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. You would've thought that Tedy Bruschi had just came back from service in Iraq and was deserving of his own tickertape parade all the way to Bristol. The way they praised him as a hero and as an ultimate warrior, as WWE wrestler Razor Ramon would say, "Oozing in Machismo," was almost sickening. The man was risking his life after coming back on the field after a stroke, caring less about his family or his life in favor of proving his capacity of testosterone.

Bruschi's comeback is admirable, but sometimes there are things bigger than sports, like health. With Jason Collier's recent death, the illness of Ronny Turiaf, and the preseason collapse of Thomas Herrion, you would think Bruschi, the announcers, and the Patriots' staff would re-examine the value of life over football.

Mike Patrick, one of ESPN's crew, had triple-bypass surgery as recently as last year, but not once did anyone try to ward against what Bruschi was doing, only building up the hype even more, most likely for the next week's matchup on ESPN sister station, ABC, for Monday Night Football.

The rest of the station's programming is despicable, as well. Hearing to 40-year-old-plus Stuart Scott spew trendy catch phrases as if he was on BET's Rap City goes beyond atrocious, as well as Chris Berman's everlasting attempt to gain his own sitcom. While one-time cohort Keith Olbermann has finally become a respected member of the broadcasting community, Dan Patrick wallows away on his perch as the face of the what has become the commercially-driven crapfest known as SportsCenter.

NFL PrimeTime's "Jacked Up" segment where they show the game's best bone-crushing hits borderlines the absurd, the "I Love Week (place number here)" music montage on Monday's are the biggest waste of three-plus minutes in television history, and the Budweiser Hot Seat (it's never too early to pitch alcohol to the kids) provides as much journalistic insight as the National Enquirer.

Too bad there is no competition for ESPN, they are run by media giant Disney and will be going nowhere soon. I guess all there is to do is to sit back with the mute button in hand and remember the days when you looked towards ESPN for sports — and sports only.

Posted by Seth Berkman at 5:24 PM | Comments (0)

November 9, 2005

Notre Dame Not as Good as Advertised

It is early November and Notre Dame is ranked in the top 10 and on the fast track to a BCS bowl. The Irish's first-year coach has the alumni dreaming of national championships to come. Notre Dame means something again.

The year is ... 2002. Sound familiar?

This was the last time that a team has been as overrated as this year's Notre Dame team.

The similarities of these two teams are astounding. Both had first-year coaches, Tyrone Willingham in 2002 and Charlie Weis this season. Both years one side of the ball carried the other. In 2002, the Irish were led by a dominating defense. This year, the offense has been going up and down the field, while the defense has struggled. Both teams were not as good as their record would imply.

In 2002, Notre Dame jumped out to 8-0 start, which eventually fizzled into a 10-3 finish. This season, the Irish are 6-2 and ranked seventh in both polls. If they can beat Navy, Syracuse, and Stanford, which they should, the Irish will finish 9-2 and will meet the nine-win and top-12 finish in the BCS requirements they need to play in a BCS bowl.

A team must be pretty darn good to play in a BCS bowl, and Notre Dame is pretty darn good, but they are the most overrated team in the country.

Now, most Notre Dame fans will say that they are underrated, and if they weren't screwed, the Irish would have beaten USC. They played brilliantly in that game, but they lost. Most people forget this, but they had already lost at home to another overrated team, Michigan State.

Before the season started many experts looked at Notre Dame's schedule and said it would have a tough time winning six games. Michigan and Tennessee had hopes of a trip to the Rose Bowl. Pittsburgh and Purdue were said to be among the favorites to win the Big East and Big 10, respectively. Pittsburgh has to win its next two games to become bowl eligible while Purdue already knows it will be sitting at home during the holidays.

Notre Dame's best win has come against a highly-underachieving 6-3 Michigan team. Notre Dame's only other win against a team with a winning record was a 49-23 victory over 5-4 Brigham Young.

In fact, the opponents Notre Dame has already played are a combined 36-35. Take away USC and that record drops to 27-35. At most schools, going 6-2 against that type of competition isn't going to get the coach a 10-year extension. Ten years ago, that wouldn't have gotten the coach a one-year extension.

Don't be mistaken, Notre Dame is a good football team led by a very good coach, but they aren't great as some people suggest.

The Irish have one of the most explosive offenses in school history. They are averaging 334.4 yards passing and 38.2 points per game, but their defense could be considered below-average at best, especially against the pass. They are giving up 409.4 total yards a game and 291.6 through the air.

In Notre Dame's two losses, it has given up 964 yards and 78 points. Without Brady Quinn and the rest of the offense, it could have been long year in South Bend.

In 2002, Notre Dame's luck and schedule caught up to them at the end of the year. It didn't even make a BCS bowl. That will not happen this season. Navy, Syracuse, and Stanford are not exactly USC and Boston College, which were the two teams that beat Notre Dame at the end of 2002.

The Irish will get a dose of reality in whatever BCS bowl they play in. Their defense is not good enough to keep up with a good team on a neutral site.

With that being said, Notre Dame will be a major player in the college football world as long as Charlie Weis is there, just not this year.

Posted by Mike Griffenberg at 4:12 PM | Comments (21)

MartyBall Costing the Chargers Shot at Glory

Let me set the stage right now. I love almost all things San Diego Chargers. From the dopey '70s fight song to the greatest running back the game has to offer today. But one thing, and one thing only, may turn me from a Charger lover to a Charger fan who is about to take the plunge from the Coronado Bridge into Mission Bay — MartyBall. Freaking Martyball.

I began my love affair with the Chargers during the Air Coryell days at the tender age of six. I remember watching the Ice Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals for the AFC Championship. I remember crying into my Cheerios and not understanding how a team from Southern California couldn't man up and play in -20-degree weather.

I remember the brutal AFC playoff game in which the Raiders literally fumbled their way to an AFC championship and thus forced the NFL to change the rules about advancing a fumble.

I remember the greatest game I have ever seen. The epic Chargers/Dolphins game, where Kellen Winslow blocked a potential game-winning field and Rolf Benirschke (he of the ill-advised Wheel of Fortune daytime version after Pat Sajak moved his gig to primetime) nailing the game-winner.

I have lived through the lean years of Babe Laufenberg and Chuck Long as Chargers QBs. The disastrous run post-Don Coryell and Dan Fouts. The glory of the Super Bowl year and the pain and humiliation of the Ryan Leaf era. I have lived through all of this and lifted my head year in and year out, proudly displaying my Charger Blue and Gold.

But nothing has prepared me for the test, the pure intestinal fortitude, that is MartyBall.

The Chargers head into their bye week as a 5-4 team, essentially a middle-of-the-road team that has its work cut out for them just to make the playoffs. The saddest part about their current predicament is that they are an infinitely better team than the 12-4 squad that made an improbable run to the playoffs last year.

Many will blame their plight on their brutal, inhuman schedule in the first half of the season. True, the Chargers have had to play a Job-like test of wills schedule so far. Four of their past five games have been against teams coming off byes. They have already made three East Coast trips (with one more scheduled), will play the Indianapolis Colts in Indy, and must determine a way to resolve the crisis in the Middle East as a reward for their run last season. Okay, so this last part is not true, but you get the point. The Chargers have had the odds stacked against them at the midway point of the season. No question. But this is not what is costing them.

MartyBall has cost the Chargers this season. For those of you that are unclear on the term, let me explain. MartyBall has been described as a coach's proclivity to run the ball and become conservative once a lead has been established. It is this coach's belief that said strategy will prevent costly mistakes and lead the team to victory. The only problem with this philosophy is quite simple. It does not work. Never has, never will. In truth, MartyBall really is a synonym for locking up and freezing like a deer in the headlights in big moments. It is pulling defeat from the grasps of victory.

You don't believe this phenomenon truly exists. Please refer to Exhibit A.

On opening day, the Chargers go into the fourth quarter with a lead against a gutsy Cowboys team. The Chargers make a huge defensive stand midway through the fourth. Throughout the second half, they have proven they can move the ball through the air against the Cowboys. In the fourth quarter, with the lead, Marty revamps his style, thus letting the Cowboys get the ball back and ultimately drive for the game-winner.

I could repeat the same scenario for each of the Chargers other three losses. In each instance, the Chargers have blown fourth-quarter leads. Some on fluke plays, others from inexplicably abandoning the play calls that gave them the lead in the first place. This team just can't seem to close out the tight games.

In their two recent victories, the Chargers held sizeable leads going into the fourth quarter, almost squandering each. As a Charger fan, it is maddening. It is maddening to watch a team with awesome talent on offense suddenly turn into the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth quarter just to protect a lead. It is a maddening to see a defense have to constantly have its back against the wall because the head coach won't go for the jugular. And it is maddening to see a team with this much talent be mired in mediocrity.

The Chargers have a chance to do something special this season. Their offense is Super Bowl-caliber and their defense is beginning to gel. Shawn Merriman will be a monster in the second half. His pass-rushing abilities will only help the secondary. And teams already know they can't run the ball against the Chargers. The Chargers already have one adage for success wrapped up: Run the ball well and defend the ball well. They do both.

What needs to happen during the bye week is a transfusion of guts into the coaching staff. Namely, one Marty Schottenheimer. The Chargers are the verge. The experts know it. The players on the opposite sidelines know it. Now Marty needs to get on board. Scrap Martyball and the Bolts could be playing into February. Keep it and Mission Bay will become flooded with the tears of Chargers fans.

Posted by Derek Daggett at 3:55 PM | Comments (4)

November 8, 2005

NFL Week 9 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Jeff Triplette is this week's bad ref, for his interpretation of "irrefutable visual evidence" on Chris Henry's third-quarter TD. That was pretty clearly a make-up call.

* It was awesome when Dan Marino did it, but quarterbacks have got to stop faking the spike.

* No one talks about parity in the NFL any more. That was pretty much a three-year fad.

* Halfway through the season, my choice for defensive player of the year is Troy Polamalu. He'll have to keep up this level of play while James Farrior is out.

* Kudos to CBS for picking up the end of the Chargers/Jets and Chiefs/Raiders games.

***

I don't like writing about Terrell Owens, and with any luck, this is the last time you'll read his name in my column this year. That said, his suspension this week merits attention. For those who somehow missed it, the Eagles have suspended Owens without pay for four games — the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement — pending a challenge from the union. When the suspension is over, Owens will not return to the team. Most likely, the team will de-activate him for the remainder of the season and release him at the end of the year.

Owens' latest offenses — insulting the Eagles organization and Donovan McNabb, in separate incidents — were not, taken alone, unforgivable offenses. But as part of a pattern of behavior, and specifically a pattern of failure to respect his coach's warnings and requests, Owens had to go. The guy just doesn't get it. Everyone respects him as an athlete and a player, but I don't think anyone in the NFL respects Owens as a person.

T.O. is emotionally immature to the point of ridiculousness. He's the Michael Jackson of the NFL, living in a fantasy world where only his own desires matter. It's normal for children to go through an egocentric stage, perceiving the world only as it relates to themselves, but in a grown man, it's somewhere between sad and frightening.

I tried to think this weekend of a team where Owens would be happy. As in, Owens wants every team he plays on to be the Joe Montana 49ers. But even Montana's Niners had down years, so I thought of the John Unitas Colts, but that's not any better, and Vince Lombardi's Packers didn't throw enough. Paul Brown's Cleveland teams had too much talent to go around, so Owens wouldn't have gotten much credit. In short, I don't think professional football ever has or ever will see a team on which Owens would be happy for any extended period of time.

Some team will overpay for him this offseason, but the sooner he goes away, the better everyone will be. The NFL is hugely popular, and while Owens has been a rollercoaster sideshow the last few years, the league doesn't need him. I may be mesmerized by a train wreck, but that doesn't mean I want it to happen. Terrell Owens is a train wreck.

On to the Week 9 power rankings. As usual, brackets indicate last week's rank.

1. Indianapolis Colts [1] — Haven't won by fewer than 17 points since Week 3. Their opponents this season have a combined record of 27-42 (.391), and their only game against a winning team was Week 2 at home against 5-3 Jacksonville, a 10-3 victory. I loved their second play from scrimmage on Monday night, the long pass to Marvin Harrison. It was vintage Manning, exactly the kind of play he hasn't been able to make against the Patriots in the past. The Colts are the best team in the NFL, with breathing room, but they aren't going 16-0. I think they'll win at Cincinnati, but watch out for Pittsburgh on MNF, at Jacksonville in Week 14, and San Diego at home the week afterwards.

2. Denver Broncos [2] — Mike Shanahan's squad can put itself in great position in the AFC West with a win this week, which would move them to 3-0 in the division. I'll do my annual Pro Bowl column in a couple weeks, and a number of Broncos will be getting a close look, particularly the offensive line and linebacking corps.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers [3] — Clearly not the same team without Ben Roethlisberger, but they can still beat the league's Green Bays, and probably its Clevelands. I'd sit Big Ben against the Browns next week, line up Antwaan Randle El at QB, and make sure Roethlisberger is going to be healthy for big games at the end of the season. And yes, I am joking about Randle El. Kind of.

4. Seattle Seahawks [5] — LaDainian Tomlinson is having an MVP-caliber season, but Shaun Alexander is Jim Taylor to Tomlinson's Jim Brown, or Marcus Allen to Tomlinson's Eric Dickerson. Alexander is sensational, the total package. The Seahawks have won four in a row and can effectively clinch the division with wins at home against the Rams and at San Francisco in the next two weeks.

5. New York Giants [7] — Good no-call by Peter Morelli's crew late in the second quarter, when the crowd wanted pass interference on Gibril Wilson's incidental contact with Brandon Lloyd. The Giants continue to use Brandon Jacobs in short-yardage situations, and while I think it makes sense to give Tiki Barber a rest, it's a mistake to take him out of the game in key situations. On 4th-and-1 or near the goal line, the ball should be going to Barber. On important downs, you go to your money player, not the guy who replaced Ron Dayne.

6. San Diego Chargers [4] — At the midpoint of the season, Tomlinson is my choice for league MVP. Drew Brees is having another solid season, and Antonio Gates, whom I wasn't crazy about last year, is clearly the best tight end in the NFL. I would like to see a little more from the defense, and it would help if they ran the ball more often. You don't want to wear Tomlinson out, but Michael Turner or Darren Sproles could probably take a few more carries.

7. Dallas Cowboys [10] — Won three of their last four, including two division games and a blowout win against Arizona. The loss was by a field goal at Seattle, the game decided by Drew Bledsoe's late interception and Josh Brown's 50-yard field goal. I don't have a great deal of faith in Dallas — the top six are pretty solid and it's closely bunched after that — but they can show something big with a season sweep over Philadelphia Monday night.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars [6] — Let Houston stick around much too long, taking their first lead with under three minutes left in the game. The Jags came back from their bye totally deflated. In Weeks 5 and 6, they beat the Bengals and Steelers. They were off in Week 7, and since then they've lost to the Rams and barely beat the Texans. If they don't put away the Ravens on Sunday, I'll probably drop them out of the top 10.

9. Carolina Panthers [15] — If the real Panthers are the ones who have outscored opponents 72-27 the last two weeks, Carolina should probably be ranked sixth or seventh. If the real Panthers are the ones who barely beat Arizona in Week 5 and needed a controversial replay ruling to defeat the Lions in Week 6, they should still be 15th. Their next test of any kind is at Chicago in two weeks, but the game everyone wants to see is the division matchup against Atlanta in Week 13.

10. Atlanta Falcons [8] — Dominated Sunday's game in a way the score doesn't reflect, but lost the turnover battle to keep things close. The Falcons have three should-win games before the showdown against Carolina, which they'll have extra time to prepare for because of a Thursday Thanksgiving matchup in Detroit.

11. Washington Redskins [11] — Undefeated at home, including wins against 5-3 Chicago, 6-2 Seattle, and the Eagles, plus the 52-17 humiliation of the 49ers. The whole division is strong at home, a combined 14-1, with the sole loss being Washington's last-minute defeat of the Cowboys on MNF in Week 2.

12. Kansas City Chiefs [13] — Gutsy call at the end of the game, one I probably wouldn't have made. The Chiefs have allowed at least 20 points in six consecutive games and are in the middle of a five-game stretch in which they play on the road four times. When it's over, they play New England, followed by five straight games against teams with winning records to close the season. Ouch.

13. New England Patriots [9] — They eased up later in the game, but for the entire first quarter, Dwight Freeney was double-teamed on every play, and New England did a pretty nice job against the Colts' defensive line. I didn't care for Bill Belichick's gamesmanship on his replay challenge in the fourth quarter, the one that puzzled the announcers so much. Belichick threw the red flag to buy some time for his defense to prepare for the two-point conversion. It's as good as a timeout, but it takes even longer and there's a chance someone like Triplette will overturn the TD.

14. Cincinnati Bengals [14] — Haven't beaten anyone. They won at Chicago way back in Week 3, but the Bengals lost to Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, and I don't see anything special to show that they can play with the big boys. Carson Palmer's having a nice season, but he hasn't been great in either of the games I've seen this year.

15. Philadelphia Eagles [12] — I feel bad for McNabb. He's a classy guy and one of the best players in the NFL, but he's run into unfair criticisms ever since he was booed when his name was called on draft day. I've talked to lots of Eagles fans who claimed that they were booing the pick, not Donovan, but that's a pretty subtle distinction. If you see tape of that day, his face fell and his smile faltered. It still makes me sad. Now Terrell Owens is treating McNabb the same way he did Jeff Garcia, and McNabb is handling the incident with class and surprising restraint. Even if you don't like the Eagles, it's tough not to like McNabb. The Eagles aren't going to the playoffs this season, and L.J. Smith's injury won't make things any easier, but I look forward to the old Donovan and the old Eagles, pre-T.O., who you may recall were pretty good.

16. Oakland Raiders [16] — I actually heard rumblings this week about Norv Turner's job, which is ridiculous. The Raiders haven't lost to anyone they shouldn't have, and they're keeping things close against everyone, playing hard, and showing progress. This won't be a playoff season for them, but they're worlds better than the last two years.

17. St. Louis Rams [17] — I don't have anything to say about the Rams this week (bye), but CBS had the double-header this weekend, and I've been seeing more of their studio crew this year. Shannon Sharpe is a clever guy, quick on his feet, and his talent is wasted in the studio. Shannon should be in the broadcast booth. I'd like to hear FOX's Howie Long and ESPN's Ron Jaworski do games, as well.

18. Chicago Bears [18] — Last week, I said nice things about Kyle Orton, so this week, he sucked, with a 43.3 passer rating and three turnovers. The defense bailed him out, as usual, and the Bears have won four straight. Thomas Jones' status for next week's game is up in the air, and Chicago will miss him if he can't go.

19. Buffalo Bills [20] — New England will probably win the AFC East, but Buffalo and Miami are only one game out. Don't look now, but the winner of this division could be every bit as bad as the winner of the NFC North.

20. Miami Dolphins [22] — Best point differential in the AFC East, at -5. The whole division is below zero. Miami went 0-for-9 on third downs against Atlanta.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [19] — At the beginning of the season, they had a soft schedule (opponents with a combined record of 17-39, .304) and some luck. The second-half schedule isn't devastating, but it's tougher, and Brian Griese is out for the season. This team is in huge trouble, and I don't expect it to make the playoffs.

22. Detroit Lions [21] — Lost three of their last four, all winnable games, to fall out of realistic contention for a playoff spot. To make matters worse, Garcia probably won't be ready for next week's game, and he was their best hope to turn things around. Kevin Jones is also banged up, so their matchup against the Cardinals could end up much more exciting than it should be.

23. Baltimore Ravens [23] — The official screwed up on that inadvertent whistle that negated Will Demps' fumble runback, but it wasn't the crime against humanity that some are making it out to be. The whistle had clearly blown, so Cincinnati's defenders didn't put much effort into their pursuit of Demps, and it's likely he wouldn't really have scored a touchdown if they'd been trying.

24. Minnesota Vikings [28] — I'm not jumping on the Brad Johnson bandwagon, it's just that someone has to be ranked 24th. The Vikings have won two of their last three, so they get the nod.

25. New York Jets [29] — Topped 20 points for the first time this season, with 26 against San Diego. Brooks Bollinger was effective in relief of Vinny Testaverde and should remain the team's quarterback until Jay Fiedler returns, but Wayne Chrebet and Chris Baker were both lost for the season, and the Jets' running game ranks 29th in both yards and average. This is really a pretty charitable ranking.

26. New Orleans Saints [25] — Not surprisingly, the team without a home has the worst "home" record in the NFL this season. The Saints have lost five in a row, starting with that 52-3 thrashing in Green Bay.

27. Cleveland Browns [27] — The Browns are 3-0 this season when they score at least 20 points, but that's been a challenge for them. Cleveland is 30th in the NFL in points per game, ahead of Houston and Baltimore, but behind offensive powerhouses like the Lions and 49ers.

28. Tennessee Titans [26] — Four losses in a row. If you don't count beating Houston, and you probably shouldn't, they've lost six straight. Steve McNair seems like his best days are behind him.

29. Arizona Cardinals [24] — In two games against the Cardinals this season, Alexander rushed for 313 yards and 6 touchdowns with a 7.0 average. Arizona's offensive line is terrible, and the best player on defense, Bertrand Berry, is now out for the season.

30. Green Bay Packers [30] — The team is 1-7, but it leads the NFC North in points for (168) by a wide margin (Chicago is next with 139), and has outscored opponents this season.

31. Houston Texans [31] — Haven't topped 20 points all season, and David Carr got sacked six times on Sunday, more than Peyton Manning has all year. That brings the team's total to 43, and only one other team (Minnesota) is above 28.

32. San Francisco 49ers [32] — Worst point differential in the NFL, at -129. The 49ers lose by an average of more than 16 points, and haven't scored over 17 in a game since September.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 8:47 PM | Comments (0)

How the Eagles Screwed Themselves

"The Eagles had to know what they were getting into when they signed him, and I was surprised that they didn't plan for this better. If they had drafted a WR or picked up a few FAs, his leaving wouldn't be such a big deal, but the fact of the matter now is that Philly is screwed at the WR spot." — Mark Chalifoux, August 2005

I thought about handing in the same column I wrote last August, about how the Eagles had to give Owens a new deal or trade him, just as a giant "I told you so." Then again, about the only person who wouldn't have been able to see this coming is Stevie Wonder. Of course, that begs the question — how could the Eagles be so stupid?

There is no question in my mind that the most ignorant decision in this entire process came from the Philadelphia Eagles. What made them think that T.O. wouldn't be a complete cancer? Was it when he complained about his quarterback in San Francisco and then questioned his sexuality in a later interview? Was it when he whined his way out of a trade to Baltimore because he didn't want to play there?

No one should be confused here — Philly knew exactly what they were getting with Owens. After all, it was T.O. that said "if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat." Owens definitely didn't look like a good teammate, so unless he has some unquestionable team-oriented scent, the Eagles are the ones to blame for this situation. It was their pride that ended up burning them.

Make no mistake, Owens is a horrible teammate, and I will get to him later, but the Eagles acted just as childish in the end. They went out of their way to show Owens up and prove to him that they couldn't be messed with. They didn't give him a new deal when he deserved one because that's not how they do things. As the "whip it out and let's see whose is bigger" contest went back and forth, Philly threatened to suspend him if he didn't fall in line and tried further to show that they were for real by sending him to time out during training camp. The coup de grace was when they didn't make any mention of his 100th TD reception, which really was classless.

What were they trying to prove? Sure, they wanted to make a statement that no man was bigger than the team and couldn't force the hand of management. Great, well done Philly, but what now? As I said in August, if you don't want to give him a new deal because that's against your business practices, fine, but then deal him. Get something for him instead of sacrificing your season to make a point.

Many people are applauding the Eagles for putting Owens in his place, and they do deserve some praise for that. Props to you, Philadelphia, you showed the selfish loudmouth who calls the shots. I hope it was worth it. I hope it was worth it to go from playing in the postseason to watching it just to make a point. The only chance the Eagles now have of going to the Super Bowl is if Mike Tice can score them some tickets.

I know the Eagles were a good football team before Owens, but because of the overwhelming arrogance of that organization, there is no backup plan. This isn't the same Eagles team as it was pre-T.O., these Eagles cannot make the postseason. It's mind-boggling that, in a league where winning is more important than anything, the Eagles would do nothing when it was so obvious this would happen. The Eagles have no one to blame but themselves for missing the playoffs, it has nothing to do with Owens. Not a thing.

As far as Owens goes, it is sad. I know everyone is tired of him and wants him to go away, but I can't help but feel sorry for the guy. Isn't there a gamer in him somewhere? He's been playing sports for so long — shouldn't there be a part of him that understands what it takes to be on a team and what it takes for a team to win? Doesn't he have to care on some level? I can't accept that it is purely business for him — no one can get to that level without having an intense desire to be the best and to win a championship.

I guess I just can't believe how selfish he is. Part of me always wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that he could be a team player somewhere, that maybe a change of scenery was all he needed. In the end, though, it's probably not the scenery that's the problem, it's him. Still, the Eagles are the ones to blame for the situation they are in now. I hate to say it (only because it was so freaking obvious and should never have come to his), but we all told you so.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. BetOnSports.com gives you the greatest sports action to bet on. Wager on football, cricket, boxing, Rugby, horse racing, and more. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 8:19 PM | Comments (1)

November 7, 2005

I Hate Mondays: The Eagle Way

Regrets? The Philadelphia Eagles have had a few. But then again, considering their success over the past half-decade, too few to mention. But there were times, I'm sure you knew, when they bit off more than they could chew.

That appears to be the case right now as they fight through their never-ending soap opera with Terrell Owens.

To say that the Eagles regret acquiring Owens would be inaccurate.

Lest we forget their first year of marriage, where No. 81 sparked the Eagles to a 13-3 record and propelled them past the impassable NFC Championship Game to only their second Super Bowl appearance ever.

In his second season, there are qualms, but in his first season, there was only joy, so the Eagles cannot completely regret the acquisition.

But a decision they do regret, is their decision not to establish a contingency plan.

There is no question that the Eagles have done things their way throughout Andy Reid's tenure. They have played hardball with prized free agents, they have managed their salary cap extremely well and they have unexpectedly cut reliable veterans in training camp.

But they have always had a backup plan.

When they parted ways with stalwart cornerbacks Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor, they had Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard lined up. The Eagles have also cut ties with heart-and-soul players like Hugh Douglas, Jeremiah Trotter, and Duce Staley, but they had competent fill-ins who were ready to step in.

But with Owens, the Eagles knew that they were getting themselves into a combustible relationship, which was re-emphasized by Owens prior to this season when he whined about his contract, but they refused to acquired a secondary receiver just in case.

As the season kicked off, former Cincinnati Bengal and first-round pick Peter Warrick became available, but the Eagles showed no interest. The Atlanta Falcons sent a former 1,000-yard receiver packing, as well, when they cut Peerless Price, who was quite familiar with the West Coast Offense (similar to the offense that the Eagles run), but they still were content with their receiving corps.

Even wideouts like Koren Robinson and Andre Davis were on the market.

What makes this a peculiar decision — or non-decision — is that the Eagles feature their passing game so much and they could have invested in one of the aforementioned receivers without compromising their precious salary cap.

A guy like Price was affordable, could have complemented Owens quite well when they did play together, and should Owens flare up, like he is now, the Eagles would have an insurance plan in place.

Instead, as the Eagles face the final curtain, they are dealing from a position of weakness instead of strength.

Right now, Greg Lewis is the team's top target. Although he has improved significantly this year, he is overmatched going against the opposing team's top cornerback. Rookie Reggie Brown has also taken great strides this season, but he too is not ready to be a full-time starter.

Considering the Eagles are throwing the ball twice as many times as they are running it and considering they are playing in a drastically improved division, they have no choice but to look to Owens for help.

Regrets? The Eagles have had a few and right now, they are regretting that they did not add another capable wide receiver when they had the chance.

Frank Sinatra and the Philadelphia Eagles mix like Mondays and me.

"Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night — be it prayer, tranquilizers, or a bottle of Jack Daniels." — Frank Sinatra

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 1:19 PM | Comments (3)

Being a Clipper: Anybody Smell Brimstone?

We all have our little secrets. Multiple personalities. Unsightly rashes.

I'm a Clippers fan. I know, it's embarrassing. Trust me, if there were any other choice, I'd leave them in heartbeat. You think it's easy watching a team devise new and clever ways to waste draft picks? Alas, as we all know, a favorite team isn't so much something you choose as something that chooses you. It's a destiny, really. It just happens that the destinies of people who live in San Antonio and Miami are a little brighter than those of us in San Diego.

In 2005, some experts believe the Clipps' lineup is one that could get to the playoffs. Elton Brand is on autopilot for 20 points and 12 rebounds every night. Corey Maggette is always a threat to go off for 30 or 40, and Chris Kaman has flashed the ability to dominate inside.

Cuttino Mobley? Just another guy who puts up points wherever he goes, and Sam Cassell could give this sorry crew the winning attitude that they've lacked for so many years. But frankly, who are we kidding here? There better not be any mirrors in the Staples Center locker rooms, because as soon as these guys see the name on the fronts of those jerseys, it's all over.

After years of lottery picks, my Clippers should, in theory, have assembled a college all-star team. A juggernaut of the best talent that amateur basketball has to offer, dressed in the red white and blue and flaunting their talent in front of their purple-and-gold neighbors. Instead, they're a punch line. A novelty act.

The word "Clippers" is synonymous with failure, even to people who have never heard of basketball. How can it be that an organization can wander in utter cluelessness for so many years? Thirty-five seasons for five winning records? One since 1979? Is this group even trying?

It got me thinking. Maybe winning just isn't an option for this team. Just as thousands (okay, maybe hundreds) of fans are forced by cosmic fate to hitch their emotional wagons to this tired donkey of a team, perhaps the players themselves have made their way to Los Angeles for some higher purpose. Just as a trade to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is capital punishment for a baseball career, it may be that the Clippers' roster represents NBA purgatory. The Staples Center on game night? Well, I guess that would be the sixth circle of hell.

If playing for the Clippers is a special brand of punishment doled out by the Gods of Basketball, however, it still remains to be seen exactly why each member of the 2005-06 Clippers has been chosen for this latest ride on the Carousel of Suck. Below are listed some members of this year's Clippers squad, along with a brief explanation of what might have precipitated their demotion to Clipperville.

Elton Brand and Corey Maggette

These guys are starters and both pretty talented, so you know they screwed up pretty badly to end up wiling away their careers in the NBA's minor leagues. The bottom line here is that the Gods clearly hate Duke. It's as simple as that. Let's examine the track record, shall we? Christian Laettner? There's a career worth forgetting. Trajan Langdon? Remember when everybody was excited about the Alaskan Assassin? Grant Hill? He's like Achilles with 10 different fatal weaknesses. Jay Williams? Stop me when you get the picture. These guys never had a chance. It's the Gods' way of punishing those who receive unfair blessings in college. Combine these two with Clippers rookie Daniel Ewing, and there's not much doubt. Three Blue Devils on one roster? That ain't coincidence. It's fate.

Cuttino Mobley

The Gods like passing, Cuttino. Perhaps if you'd done more of it in Houston and Orlando, I wouldn't have to be writing this. Now, they've designed a very special torture for you: starting next to Sam Cassell. The Gods will cackle with glee watching you and Sam battle to see who can hoist up the most shots in a five-minute span. The scoreboard crew at Staples can give the shot clock a rest with you two on the floor. Twenty-five seconds won't be necessary, thank you very much.

Sam Cassell

Ditto. Success came awfully fast, didn't it, Sam? Maybe a little too fast, huh, buddy? You weren't exactly the pick of the litter when you left Florida State in 1993, but that worked out just fine. You slid right into Houston Rockets mix, alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe, Robert Horry and picked up a championship ring in 1994 before you knew what losing felt like and for an encore, well, you picked up Clyde the Glide, and cruised to your second title in two years. Think of the Clippers as your latest lesson in the "Learning to Lose With Dignity" series.

Yaroslav Korolev

The Basketball Gods hate Commies, Yaro. Welcome to hell. You just had to come to America, huh?

Shaun Livingston

I'm pretty sure the Gods love the 'fro, so that couldn't be the problem. My only guess is that they also like college, a place Shaun has never been. They'd much rather have seen the youngster take a few classes and learn a few more moves before cashing NBA paychecks. Then again, if he'd gone to Duke, it would have been a moot point. At least he can hope for a trade.

The list of offenders is a long one and too long for the present time. Suffice it to say, if you believe in karma, you wouldn't have liked these guys in their previous lives. Then again, at least they can look forward to something better the next time around. I'm thinking dung beetle.

Posted by Zach Jones at 12:48 PM | Comments (2)

Credible Evidence and a Fresh Beer

The year that began with the Boston Red Sox defending a World Series championship didn't quite make it to the finish before the architect of that championship resigned. Something about the boss undercutting and still trying to underpay him, at least in terms of the money once offered Billy Beane to defect. Before Theo Epstein unsigned his contract extension, another shade of Sox became the new defending World champions.

The last time the Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox won back-to-back World Series, the order was reversed, and it preceded a thrown World Series and the sale of a lout who doubled as a slugging pitcher or a pitching slugger, depending on your point of view. Actual or alleged, the corresponding curses broken in back-to-back seasons gave new hope to Chicago Cub fans. For at least a week.

On paper, the White Sox were 2005's most dominant team. Oops — no they weren't. Not on their own terms, and not across baseball's board. The paper showed the White Sox coming thisclose to one-upping the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies and blowing a 15-game lead to a band of upstart Cleveland Indians. The resurrected Tribe had the Blizzard of Ozz approaching the ropes, and the St. Louis Cardinals ended up one game better with nothing approaching the White Sox swoon on their resume.

Good thing the Indians exhausted themselves in time for the White Sox's road to the World Series to be merely one team of fractured defending world champion Red Sox (how sweet was it to say that all year long?), and one team of fractured and spent Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Houston Astros upended a slightly more powerful band of Cardinals to meet the White Sox and learn the hard way that they had left their best — including their manager's tactical gamesmanship and their dramatic enough pitching — in St. Louis.

"This was an unbelievable World Series," said White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf as the World Series trophy nestled in his left arm. "We won four straight, they could easily have won each and every one of those games. A great battle by a valiant club." Reinsdorf could have been talking about the umpires easily enough. (The early watchword of the American League Championship Series: "One, two, three strikes — you're safe!"). Seeing the architect of the 1994 players' strike accept that trophy from the man who fiddled while baseball burned was equal only to a castor oil over the rocks.

It took only three days following the Series' end for one of the White Sox's postseason bellwethers to file for free agency. Some remember Paul Konerko fiddling at first base while then-Kansas City Royals coach Tom Gamboa burned, under the blindsiding of a pair of father-and-son drunk punks hopping the the U.S. Cellular Field fence and poleaxing him from behind. So much for the gracious host protecting his guests from home invaders.

The nation's least qualified Supreme Court nominee since G. Harrold Carswell (about whom came the unintentional epithet: "Mediocrity deserves representation, too") yielded to one of the nation's better-qualified Supreme Court nominees within a fortnight and a froth of fustian. Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Samuel Alito is an admitted Philadelphia Phillies fan, which serves him right. Ken Griffey, Jr. was the National League's Comeback Player of the Year, which served him right, too: he didn't quite make it to the finish line without yet another season-ending injury on his resume.

"We lack any credible evidence that would indicate how widespread the use of performance-enhancing drugs was at a given time," wrote Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus in his new book, The Juice. "This vague epidemic of steroid users has infiltrated the game at a time of accelerated change, as expansion, realignment, interleague play, and a host of new ballparks have altered the playing field both literally and figuratively. Discerning the impacts of those factors is difficult enough. Add adjustments to the strike zone, changing tastes in baseball bats, and the widespread and oft-refuted charge that the baseball itself has been tampered with, and you have an issue so murky that it’s no wonder so many theories abound."

No wonder people paid more attention to Howard Bryant's Juicing the Game. Carroll should have known better than to let the evidence or the lack thereof get in the way of a spellbinding innuendo. On the other hand, Jose Canseco, who doesn't know better, sent spellbinding innuendo and looseness with the facts to the best-seller lists — for about a fortnight. Juiced turned up in the secondhand shops faster than Gigli turned up on cable television.

Alex Rodriguez hung up an MVP-calibre regular season and got hung up in the postseason — again. Albert Pujols hung up an MVP-caliber regular season and damn near hung the Astros by the pennant he stole from them for one night with one Hobbesian swing. Jason Giambi was the American League's Comeback Player of the Year. Rafael Palmeiro wagged his finger in defiant denial before the House Committee on Sending Great Messages to Kids (thank you yet again, Mr. Will) a couple of months before he turned up a positive steroid tester — and tried to blame a teammate's giving him a vitamin B12 shot. The incumbent Baltimore Orioles told him to take a powder for the final few weeks of the season. Two Orioles emeritus suggested positive steroid testers should have their lifetime's statistics, including Palmeiro's 300+ home runs and 3,000+ base hits, wiped off the books.

Alan Trammell was wiped off the Detroit Tigers' books, at least as their manager. Tony Pena walked away from the Kansas City Royals' throne amidst speculation about his involvement in a local divorce case. The Royals captured the nation's imagination with a 19-game losing streak. One year earlier, streak-ending Royals pitcher Jose Lima pitched a magnificent National League Division Series shutout for the only Dodger win against the St. Louis Cardinals. That'll teach him.

An unwitting television cameraman who just dropped in to see what condition the Texas Rangers' condition was in for a pre-game workout learned the hard way from Kenny Rogers. Rogers' pitching coach, a former Los Angeles Dodgers pitching star, ended the season under consideration enough as the new Dodgers' manager. That was because the old Dodgers' manager left rather than put up with a general manager who retooled a division winning team right out of contention by reading statistics and ignoring the personality issues that can turn a teamload of on-base virtuosi into squabbling siblings. And that, in turn, made the general manager the old general manager — at the ripe old age of young enough to be Tommy Lasorda's great grandson. It also made the still-new Dodger owner resemble the village idiot, even if canning the now-old young general manager was actually the right thing.

Steve Finley ended 2004 by hitting the Dodgers' division-winning grand slam. He finished 2005 as a graciously bewildered Los Angeles Angel, an early-season shoulder injury ruining his swing and making a man with a distinguished resume resemble the clueless. Missing most of the season recuperating and rehabbing from knee surgeries, Barry Bonds just didn't have what it took to be Roy Hobbs down the stretch. The New York Yankees' pitching staff looked so fractured so often that the Bombers were reduced to scouting everyone else's discards for help, including but not necessarily limited to Jim Bunning, Bob Feller, Whitey Ford, Mark (The Bird) Fidrych, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Bill Lee, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, and the late Warren Spahn. (Rumors that they were just a few dollars away from resurrecting either Ford or Perry proved unfounded.)

What are we doing here? The San Diego Padres almost won the worst division in baseball with a losing record, then got swept out of the postseason in round one. For one glorious month the nation's capital could brag, "Washington — First in war, first in peace, and first in the National League East." They had baseball's rude awakening to thank for bringing them to town and baseball's first black manager to thank for putting them into the pennant race. Meanwhile, the man who made him baseball's first black manager in the first place, former Cleveland Indians owner Ted Bonda, died at 88. For a while enough, New York's first black manager actually had the Mets in the pennant race. It took as long for the city which broke the baseball players' color line to see a black manager as it took for Damon Runyon to receive the anthology he richly deserved of his groundbreaking baseball journalism.

The Atlanta Braves lost their usual round one postseason series and a pitching guru. Leo Mazzone answered the tug of friendship and joined his buddy Sam Perlozzo, newly-minted as the permanent Orioles manager. The Braves gained the former Met Most Likely To Be Committed. New pitching coach Roger McDowell is preparing a training regimen including but not necessarily limited to hot feet, upside down uniform calisthenics, John Smoltz wigs, Jimmy Carter masks, whoopie cushions under the team flight seats, roller skating on any leftover artificial turf fields, knockdown pitch drills with a lifelike dummy of Gregg Jefferies in the batter’s box, and perhaps explosives launching trick streamers up from under the pitching rubber.

Roger Clemens led the world in earned run average and filing court orders against his teammates for non-support. A.J. Burnett went 1-7 down the stretch, screamed bloody murder about "negative reinforcement" in the Florida Marlins' clubhouse and from their manager and coaches, and got ... thrown off the team, two days before they were eliminated from the pennant race. Within a week, manager Jack McKeon decided he had had it trying to manage a baseball team and getting the Romper Room instead.

The White Sox triumph made it 19 different teams since the advent of free agency to have won the World Series, and the Yankees ended their fifth consecutive season without a World Series ring. There went the arguments about "competitive balance," and the Yankees being the root of all baseball evil. If they're "cheating the system" they are the most incompetent burglars since Watergate.

Jim Bunning once intimidated batters; now, Senator Bunning tries to intimidate baseball's (admittedly incompetent) government. "We have heard a lot of talk from professional sports leagues that they would do something to clean up this mess, but so far it has been just that: a lot of talk,'' he said, as he and Sen. John McCain re-introduced legislation to standardize drug testing for all professional sports. "Hopefully, Congress' action will light a fire under their feet to come to an agreement before we do it for them.'' Who died and elected them the nation's daddies?

A mayoral hopeful on Washington's city council said anything but local ownership of the Nationals — who are still owned, disgracefully, by Major League Baseball — would be "unacceptable." He offered no similar observation about another externally-owned Washington business: the federal government. Doug Mientkiewicz, who caught the final out of the 2004 World Series, began 2005 under orders to surrender local ownership of that ball — his. He ended it with the Mets declining to pick up his option, after devolving to a good field/little hit first baseman.

The Great Umpire called a few too many safe at home, as usual. Al Lopez died as the next to last man known to have managed the White Sox to the World Series — he had lived just long enough to watch Ozzie Guillen manage them to the World Series ring. Lopez at 97 left the nation Phil Rizzuto (88) as its oldest living Hall of Famer. Chico Carrrra-skellll (as legendary announcer Bob Elson introduced him) was the White Sox's first Latino shortstop. Mickey Owen in Ebbets Field dropped the first most powerful World Series strikeout of all time — to Tommy Henrich, telegraphing a single, a two-RBI double, a walk, and another two-RBI double. The Angels got off easy by comparison.

"I want to be first off. You didn't lose this. I did." So pronounced Gene Mauch to his dead-at-last 1964 Phillies, as their last flight home pulled up to the terminal. Marv Grissom was the answer to this trivia question: "Who was the winning pitcher when Willie Mays made The Catch in Game 1, 1954 World Series?" Dick Dietz tried to steal Don Drysdale's shutout innings streak by trying to get himself hit with the bases loaded, until the umpire ruled his failure to get out of the way. (Juan Marichal eventually ratted him out.) Eddie Miksis slid home laughing when — driven in by Cookie Lavagetto — he scored the winning run that consummated the wreckage of Bill Bevens's would-be first World Series no-hitter.

Future lawyer Donn Clendenon was on deck when Gil Hodges showed home plate umpire Lou DiMuro the shoe polish smudge on the ball that ricocheted from Cleon Jones's foot. Jones took his base, Clendenon shot a two-run homer off the auxiliary scoreboard hanging from Shea Stadium's left field loge, the Miracle Mets were within a run of meeting and passing the Baltimore Orioles for that World Series triumph, and Clendenon had nailed down the Series MVP. Dick Radatz was "The Monster" out of the Red Sox bullpen (the nickname was a gift from Mickey Mantle, who couldn't hit him with a telephone pole) and a gentle giant away from it. "Earl," he once told teammate and starter Earl Wilson, "why don't you go and crack me a beer. I'll be in in a few minutes." Wilson, the first black to pitch for the Olde Towne Team, went to his reward within a month. That was Radatz waiting for Wilson with a freshly-cracked beer.

"I used to argue with him a lot," Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson recalled laughing about longtime St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor and Hall of Fame writer Bob Broeg. "We used to argue about a lot of things. I was right, of course. I don't think anything was ever resolved. I never wanted to back down and I think he appreciated me for not backing away on what I thought about things. I don't know if I appreciated him for not backing down." Broeg, who listened to Brooklyn Dodger fans in nicknaming Stan Musial, also listened to truth and not innuendo in clearing the air about the Cardinals' reputed threat to boycott Jackie Robinson — it was a taken-out-of-context figment of owner Sam Breadon's imagination.

Broeg reportedly wanted his epitaph to read, "He was fair. As in just, not mediocre." Such a pity that he was too old and ill to umpire this postseason, never mind being nominated to the Supreme Court.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

November 6, 2005

Remembering the Glory of Dodgeball

I revisited "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" on cable a few weeks ago, and it stuck with me. It's not the funniest movie I've ever seen — I always find Ben Stiller more amusing when he's playing nebbish rather than outlandish — it certainly has its moments. It also has Vince Vaughn, who has shown an uncanny ability to turn a turd into gold. (Well, except for that "Psycho" remake. That unfortunately remained in turd state for the entire movie.)

So in the spirit of revisiting a pretty funny movie, I'd like to recall some memories of high school (and column) past:

When I think "Dodgeball," I think gym class. I think about the good times, like when I, with the vertical leap of a tree sloth, spiked a volleyball on Stacey Norris' head freshman year of high school. And also about the bad times, like when I fell during the roller skating unit and broke my wrist. (I went straight to the nurse's office with my floppy hand ... and the first thing she does is take my temperature. Sling? Brace? No, I'll just hold the mercury under my tongue with the arm that isn't turning purple, thanks...)

Dodgeball, or Poisonball as we called it in Central Jersey, always had one fatal flaw: people who thought they were too good to get hit. Most of the game, they'd leap out of the way of that red rubber ball like Neo dodging a Matrix machine gun; but, occasionally you'd see one ever-so-slightly brush past their ankle or hip.

"You're out, dude!"

"Nah, man, never touched me!"

And how do you break that stalemate? Some silly concept like the "honor system?" Instant replay with the high-school security cameras?

Okay, Dodgeball actually had another fatal flaw: kids with glasses. Eventually, there's going to be some poor four-eyes who gets cracked in the small-and-beadies with a nerd-seeking missile, sending both he and his peepers crashing down to the floor in a tear-covered heap. Nothing dulls the fun of Dodgeball more than some future accountant crying about shards of glass in his cornea. Suck it up, Poindexter...

Dodgeball was a fun diversion, an excuse for the gym teachers to take a class off, and for the gym students to take their minds off the ever-approaching square-dancing unit.

But Dodgeball was a kid's game.

SPEEDBALL was a man's game.

What was Speedball? A deadly drug cocktail mix of heroin and cocaine? Well, yeah, but it was also a barbaric "sport" created by sadists masquerading as high-school educators as a way to pare down their student population through curricular bloodshed.

Through my extensive research (asking three guys in the newsroom), I was able to deduce that Speedball was primarily big in New Jersey, although variations of it were found under different names across the country. Sort of like White Castle ... and just as dangerous.

For the uninitiated, this was Speedball:

The game was played in a gymnasium split in half by a temporary dividing wall. On each end of the court was an indoor soccer net, and above it a basketball backboard and hoop. The ball was the lovechild of a tennis ball and a soccer ball — soccer-sized, tennis-fuzzy. The teams were comprised of a goalie and everyone who decided not to cut class.

The rules were an amalgamation of lacrosse, basketball, and soccer. You could advance three steps with the ball — a fourth will get you a traveling call and a turnover to the other team. After three steps, you had three options: pass the ball with your hands or with a kick to a teammate; pass it to yourself off the temporary or permanent walls to move down the court; or attempt to score. You score in one of three ways: beating the goalie with a one-bounce throw (for one point), shooting a basket (two points), or unleashing a soccer-like kick into the net from outside the goalie box (three points).

By this time, you're asking, "where's that barbarous violence we've been promised?" And here's where Speedball gets its legendary status.

The gym teachers ran this damn thing like a back-alley brawl. It was Thunderdome — two teams enter, one team leaves. More blood was spilled in high school during Speedball than during the dissection of the aorta in biology class.

If you hit a guy who had the ball, that's a foul. But hit him any time before the ball is about to enter his hands, he's fair game for a bone-crunching open-court check. Or an elbow. Or a knee to the stomach. The last two weren't legal, but most of the teachers officiating the games had the moral dogma of Tyler Durden in "Fight Club."

More dangerous yet were the bodychecks near the walls. When players would try to move down-court with short self-passes, opponents would take full-speed runs at them against the wall. After each check, the temporary partition would ripple like a post-Jet Ski tributary. It was brutal, yet somehow calming.

Noses were bloodied every game. Fingers were sprained, sometimes broken on loose balls and on-the-wall tackles. I once saw a player lose a contact lens and a tooth in the same match.

When there would be an injury or a cut or a player sent to his knees on a hit, the teacher/ref would stop play and make sure it wasn't anything actionable ... er, serious. Then it was off to the nurses' office, where she would take their temperature while blood squirted from their forearms.

As soon as the injured were cleared from the court? GAME ON!

The wonderful thing about this game was that, class after class, a cult-like code developed. We all knew this was violent madness, but we loved it. There was plenty to bitch about gym class, from the weight-lifting unit to the fact they allowed aerosol deodorant in a locker room the size of a Buick. But none of us ever, ever complained about Speedball. Because if you tell somebody that something isn't right, they take the naughty thing away, no matter how much pleasure it gives you. Sort of like telling the cable company about free Cinemax.

I, like many classmates, was not the most athletically-inclined kid. Okay, I sucked at most sports. And by most, I'm considering "Mike Tyson's Punch Out" a sport, and that should tell you something right there.

But in Speedball, I was Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek, and Tony Meola rolled into one. I was the Greg Wall of China. My reputation as a standout keeper grew to the point where opponents were pulling up for a jumper rather than trying to bounce the ball my way.

And oh, I was a nasty goalie. When the play was back down-court and there was an offensive player standing by my crease ... hello ribs, meet elbow.

According to the Lawrence Township (NJ) public schools P.E. handbook, Speedball's educational benefits included "improved self-esteem." I can't argue with that, although I would add "appreciation for good dentistry" to the list, as well.

Everyone has his or her "one shining moment" in high-school gym class. For my old school chum Chas and I, it happened during two Speedball games.

One day, Chas went to kick a loose ball at the same time as this kid Brian Rogan. Chuckie ended up kicking Rogan instead of the ball, and he badly spraining his toe. The pain took him to the sidelines.

As the game continued to be a close one, Dax Pearson — the starting center on the varsity basketball team — walked over to Chas on the bench. "You gotta come back in," said the 6-foot-6 jock, who'd go on to play hoops for Army. "We need you."

It would become the highest complement of the future history major's athletic career.

As for my memory, it was a little more painful, but no less rewarding.

My team was up by two points with time ticking away to the end of class. I was in goal as usual, and had to protect the lead. Suddenly, here was Brian Beyers, a soccer standout, with the ball on his foot, and with a chance to score three points for the win.

He struck that damn thing like he was in a World Cup shootout.

It sailed up, off the ground, and towards the net.

And then it hit me ... right, square in the face.

The ball dropped to the ground in front of me. The gym teacher/referee blew the whistle. Time was up. My team had won.

Under normal circumstances, a David Beckham-like boot to the grill was going to cause me to cry "ouchy" tears. But not that day. I was numb, stunned, and flushed — in my face where the ball impacted, and with victory.

That was Speedball.

And that, my friends, is a "true underdog story."

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History" will be published in Spring 2006. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 1:58 PM | Comments (0)

USC/ND Greatest College Game Ever?

Southern California versus Notre Dame on October 15, 2005 could go down as the greatest four hours in college football history. And the last three minutes could qualify it as the most controversial, as well.

It was a broadcaster's dream. The boys in the booth couldn't have asked for a better primetime Saturday night matchup. Tom Hammond called the plays, and Pat Haden provided the analysis on NBC.

All the hype from the media in the weeks leading up to this meeting fulfilled the expectations, leaving those who were endlessly salivating for some tasty college football home cookin' more than satisfied. In fact, I'm still full (but don't tell my mom). Now all us media members can do is to just sit there with our happy bellies in awe. The students, fans, and alumni who loyally follow Notre Dame football, however, probably didn't have much of any stomach besides an upset one. I'm guessing they were a little more than just awed as the remaining seconds ticked off the clock — both times.

Aww. Undefeated and top-ranked USC (now 9-0) edged out the Irish 34-31 just as the sun began to set on the high hopes of the green-clad Irish backers in South Bend — blanketing any thoughts that Notre Dame (now 6-2) would be the one to knock off the pesky Trojans, stunning the 30 million viewers and every sports fan eager to see Notre Dame drop a big L on USC's record for the first time in 28 games. Nope, the two-time defending champs added one more to the win column that Saturday night, but they didn't do so without dramatic fashion. Or without their biggest scare in two and a half years. Or without confusion for that matter.

There is a reason why this was the most watched regular-season college football game in nine years. There was so much on the line in this game, and that's part of what made it great. Notre Dame, with first-year coach and Irish alumnus Charlie Weis, had the chance to do what no other team could do in 27 straight games, and it appeared as if it were their destiny. Weis made them believers. And he made them dress for the occasion — the good luck green jerseys, the first time they'd been worn since a 2001 loss to Boston College. He also made NBC a 66% increase in ratings since last season. Like I said, big game.

Take one glance at the guest list for this game, and it's clear the magnitude of the event. Reportedly in attendance were actor Martin Short, Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, ambassador to the Vatican Francis Rooney, Eagles coach Andy Reid, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and two other faces Notre Dame may recognize — Joe Montana and Rudy Ruettiger. With a little mix of representatives from the political, religious, entertainment, sports world, and two famed ND football alums, it must have been some game.

That it was. It also happened to be Notre Dame's biggest home game since they upset No. 1 Florida State in 1993. It also happened to earn a 6.7 national rating on NBC, tying with the Ohio State/Notre Dame game in 1996 for the highest rating in over a decade. Boy, oh boy. Trojan Tradition vs. Irish Tradition. Touchdown Jesus vs. well, the Sweater Girls. Two head coaches who stem from the Patriots and Jets. Weis, Patriots' offensive coordinator from 2000-2004 and with the Jets from 1997-1999. Carroll, Patriots' head coach from 1997-1999 and defensive coordinator before head coach with the Jets from 1990-1994. One Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback vs. another. Brady Quinn, playing for a Notre Dame school that has more Heisman Trophy winners than any other (7). Matt Leinart, the defending Heisman Trophy winner.

Aww. What a matchup. But enough about the storylines. Let's get to the game. Notre Dame got the ball first, but midway through the first quarter, Quinn's pass was intercepted by Keith Rivers, setting up a 36-yard touchdown run by the multi-talented Reggie Bush.

No worries. Notre Dame drove from their own 20 all the way down the field, with Travis Thomas rushing for 16 yards and a score late in the first quarter. All tied up at seven. Not for long. In fact, it took only 57 seconds for Leinart to throw a 52-yard bomb to Dominique Byrd before LenDale White rushed for three yards and seven more points. USC 14, ND 7.

Trojans historically not a first-half scoring team? Pssh. Oh wait. There came the Irish driving and finishing with a 32-yard Quinn pass complete to Jeff Samardzija. Touchdown, game tied at 14. After a USC drive went nowhere, the Trojans were forced to punt, where Tom Zbikowski forced an impressive 59-yard punt return to give the Irish their first lead of the night, 21-14. Notre Dame fans were squirming in their seats. Well, that is if any of them were still sitting at this point. The score remained the same at the half, with the Irish heading into halftime with the momentum.

In the third quarter, as Leinart threw an interception and it seemed he was having an off-night, Bush decided he wasn't going to let USC have an off-night. A 45-yard rush to the end zone put him over 100 rushing yards for the fifth straight game and put the Trojans back in the game.

And then came the fourth quarter, when the fun really began. Four seconds in, D.J. Fitzpatrick kicked a 32-yard field goal to put Notre Dame up 24-21. Again, USC went three and out, and Notre Dame got the ball back quickly. It took 12 plays, 48 yards, and nearly six minutes on the clock for the Irish to get downfield, but they couldn't convert on third-and-seven from the USC 17. Fitzpatrick came in for the 34-yard field goal attempt, except this time he didn't have that luck o' the Irish anymore. Half the crowd cheered about the miss, and the other half was agonizing over the fact that it was only two yards longer than the one he just made! Notre Dame could have been up by six. Instead, they were only up by three, and USC took over on downs. Clock: 7:22.

Again, Bush put the team on his back, sneaking around the corner for a nine-yard touchdown (his third of the game) to give USC back the lead, 28-24. Clock: 4:59. Plenty of time for Notre Dame...

Here comes Brady. After getting no help in the kickoff return, Quinn had four straight completions starting from their 13-yard line, scrambling, running, taking hits, doing whatever it took to get the first down. Darius Walker followed with three rushes to set up a 1st-and-goal. There went Brady — to the corner, into the end zone himself. Notre Dame Stadium had never been louder. ND 31, USC 28. Clock: 1:54.

The last two minutes of this game were unlike anything I've ever witnessed. Watching it unfold live on TV make it that much better. I couldn't contain myself, and I wasn't even on the field or in the stadium or in the state of Indiana for that matter.

USC's first play was a Leinart incomplete pass to stop the clock. However, on the next play, he was sacked for a loss of 10, forcing the Trojans to call timeout. The Fighting Irish were pumped up. The game appeared to be over, but the best games are those that appear to be over but are truly far from it.

On 3rd-and-20 from USC's 15, Leinart connected with Bush for a 12-yard gain, but it wasn't enough. USC burned their final timeout. Clock: 1:32. It was 4th-and-9 from the 26. A miserable situation for the Trojans. It looked as if Notre Dame was about to add No. 1 USC to its list of historic streak breakers. Aww.

And then the impossible happened. Leinart, seemingly in a trance, in a one last desperation attempt, facing his biggest loss, called an audible and magically found Dwayne Jarrett for a 61-yard pass, first down at the ND 13, excellent field position, and utter shock of the entire nation. Jarrett wasn't open. His catch was unbelievable, as was the coverage by Ambrose Wooden. I couldn't believe my eyes. The Sea of Green couldn't believe their eyes. I don't even think Leinart himself could believe his eyes. Weis' eyes were fuming. And Jarrett's eyes were scratched at the cornea. He was seeing double when he caught the ball that somehow escaped the outstretched arms of Wooden. Unbelievable.

Pat Haden: "This is as good as it gets." Hey, Pat? Just wait.

Bush got the Trojans got to the ND 2 with 20 seconds left and no timeouts left, USC trailing 31-28. It was score or go home. Leinart had been having a bad game, having been picked off twice and never comfortable. So? Leinart rolled out, scrambled, kept the ball to himself, and dove for the end zone, but was hit by linebacker Corey Mays. The ball fatefully popped loose and went out of bounds.

USC receiver Steve Smith said Leinart was supposed to throw that one so that he couldn't get tackled in bounds and shy of the end zone. Apparently, however, the clock operator thought that that's what happened, and the final seconds ticked off the clock. The Notre Dame fans holding their breaths let out that final sigh of relief and people began rushing the field. Weis raised his hands in the air as if to emulate Touchdown Jesus. The Trojans were upset in South Bend! The Trojans were upset in South Bend! Chaos.

Well, wait. No, not really. There was no instant replay available, so officials put seven seconds back on the clock and gave the ball back to USC inside the 1. When the game is on the line and a team is inches from the end zone, seven seconds is a lot more time than three. Carroll wanted to win the game, not face the hot Irish in overtime, so he opted not to kick the field goal to tie it. That's what makes this great. On the sideline, Carroll was violently motioning to down the ball. The announcer said they would down the ball. Leinart didn't down the ball. Instead, he decided on his own to take it himself up the middle, never even telling anyone in the huddle his plan.

Maybe that confusion was what caused Bush to "aid" him into the end zone, an illegal action that caused an uproar in the days following. By this point Notre Dame fans were choking on air, waiting for the flag was never thrown, and the rest is history. Quinn finished with 285 yards and two touchdowns, Leinart with 290 and one touchdown.

Aww. USC didn't make the extra point after an unsportsmanlike penalty was called, but that didn't matter. Time expired. The team who had an 18-minute possession disadvantage won. The team that managed first downs at all the right times won. The Trojans won, and they kept their winning streak alive at 28.

Aww. I could understand if Notre Dame students could no longer focus on their studies. I could understand if Notre Dame students skipped class the whole week. I could understand if the Notre Dame campus counselors were booked until 2007. It was, indeed, a heartwrencher — but a heartwrencher to be marked in your history books.

So go ahead and mark this game in those history books. If you missed the game live, shame on you. Watch for it on ESPN Classic. Buy some ticket stubs off eBay (they're going for about $20 if you were wondering). Order the DVD (like I did). I don't really care what you do, but whatever it is, you don't want to miss it.

With 3:13 to go in the game, analyst Pat Haden declared, "This is going to be a fun last three minutes."

Fun doesn't even do justice for this game. Hey, Pat? Try best game ever.

Posted by Sara Normand at 11:50 AM | Comments (3)

November 4, 2005

Who Makes the NBA Playoffs in '06?

Has it been five months already? Was it that long ago when San Antonio dusted the Pistons for their third title in seven seasons? I guess time flies when you're whining about the Association's new dress code. Now, it's time to quit the jabbering of offseason trades and rule changes. The players are back on the court for another drawn-out, dunking-highlighted, and more smoothly dressed season of NBA basketball.

Even though it's 82 games into the future, thoughts of the playoff season are the tactic management, players, and fans will use to get through the five-month drudgefest. While more than half of the league's teams will make the postseason, there is a limited number of spaces. Sure, everyone has a shot at the trophy now, but only 16 squads will continue the fight in April.

So, you ask, who might those be? How about an answer, complete with team seedings.

Eastern Conference

1) Miami Heat (Southeast Champs)

You've probably heard about the problems the experts have with chemistry. But when you have Shaquille O'Neal, Dwayne Wade, Antoine Walker, and more, it doesn't matter whether Stan Van Gundy or Pat Riley is leading this team. I have a feeling they're all hungrier than people give them credit for. Plus, they get to beat up on the Southeast Division.

2) Indiana Pacers (Central Champs)

As the sixth seed, this team made it to the second round last year and stole a couple from Detroit. Reggie Miller is gone, but Ron Artest makes his way back from a nearly year-long suspension. Whether you can stand the guy or not, he is a huge presence on the court. Just a word of advice, Ron. Make sure that if you're in stands, you actually bought tickets to the game.

3) New Jersey Nets (Atlantic Champs)

It was hard to believe, but Vince Carter actually injected some energy into the Nets after joining them last year. The team off the Jersey Turnpike still has less inside presence than an empty piñata. However, the perimeter of Carter, Jason Kidd, and Richard Jefferson is extremely potent. In the weak Atlantic Division, that should be enough firepower to push them back to the top after a year off.

4) Detroit Pistons

There's no denying that the force is strong with the two-time defending conference champs. But Jedi Master Larry Brown has departed for the bright lights and dark outlook of the Knicks. It won't be a big deal in the long run. The Pistons won 50 games twice under Rick Carlisle. Flip Saunders captained the Timberwolves to the West's top-seed two years ago. This team has enough weapons and chemistry to be threat, no matter where they land in the top eight.

5) Chicago Bulls

The Baby Bulls grew up fast last season. This squad of collegiate All-Americans got it together under Scott Skiles and finished with the third-best record in the East. The loss of Eddy Curry will be a problem, but veterans Tim Thomas and Malik Allen should provide some needed bulk to help Tyson Chandler in the post. The only reason this team takes a step back is because Indiana's better.

6) Cleveland Cavaliers

King 'Bron might finally have his court setup to make a run at the playoffs. The acquisitions of Larry Hughes and Damon Jones should give LeBron James a little more firepower in his supporting cast. There will be questions with first-year coach Mike Brown, but as we've learned, Mr. James is pretty much a player/coach/manager in that organization.

7) Philadelphia 76ers

This team made it to the playoffs last season amid some chaotic turns at the head coach position. So, what does the organization do? They go out and get a Philly guy and soothing force in Maurice Cheeks. The young talent in Andre Igoudala, Kyle Korver, and Samuel Dalembert (when he gets back) is emerging as a good supporting cast for Chris Webber and that A.I. guy.

8) Boston Celtics

Last year, the Beantown Boys made a late push to win the Atlantic. Sure, they don't have the Walker shimmy to add to their point totals, but Paul Pierce and Ricky Davis are a pretty nice 1-2 punch. If you add in newcomers Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes, I think this team's offensive style, along with gritty coach Doc Rivers, will overcome their matador defense. They slip in at the eighth seed.

Western Conference

1) San Antonio Spurs (Southwest Champs)

Defending champs. A multiple MVP winner in the post. A bench that only got deeper this offseason. The most stifling defense in the Association. What more could you ask from the Riverwalk Gang? Not much. That's why Timmy Duncan, "Manu Manu" Ginobli, and Tony Parker are favored to win yet another Larry O'Brien Trophy.

2) Denver Nuggets (Northwest Champs)

Forget about George Karl's amazing record (33-12) since taking control of the team last year. His regular season record heading into the mountain air spoke for itself. 708 wins with four teams. A better than .500 record in nine or his last ten full seasons. Five division crowns. And just everybody knows the talent level of the new-version Nuggets. Simply put, I really like this team.

3) Sacramento Kings (Pacific Champs)

This is a tough sell. The Suns won't be setting anytime soon, plus you have to factor in the return of arch-nemesis Phil Jackson and what should be a stubborn Warriors squad. Yeah, they may have lost Webber and Bobby Jackson's energy, but Rick Adelman's squad has shifted focus. A tough, grinding mentality in the post (Brad Miller, Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner, Shareef Abdur-Rahim) should be a great compliment to Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic on the perimeter.

4) Phoenix Suns

This was definitely the surprise of last year (well, other than the Wizards making the playoffs). Who knew that MVP Steve Nash could have such an impact on a team? The league's latest version of a three-ring circus sure made the game fun, but losing Joe Johnson might cause these acrobats to fly without a safety net. And the new depth on the bench (headlined by Kurt Thomas) will have to step up for main attraction Amare Stoudemire, who is out for four months.

5) Dallas Mavericks

The run-and-gunners might not have the ammunition they possessed the last few years, but this team can still flat out score. Last year, these guys found out that you do have to play a bit of defense to win a couple games. I believe that change of mind has served them well. Plus, would you try to take on Dirk Nowitzki in a shooting contest? Didn't think so.

6) Houston Rockets

I was surprised to see who the ESPN analysts picked to make it to the Western Conference Finals. Okay, half-surprised. Sure, San Antonio seems to be a lock to represent the West. However, some picked Houston as the eventual runner-up. Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and newly-acquired Stromile Swift will be a tough out in the postseason. If the experts are right, this is about where the Rockets should finish anyway.

7) Minnesota Timberwolves

Two years ago might have been a mirage. Last year didn't seem real, either. This time around, Kevin Garnett and the Wolves should find an oasis in their desert of confusion. Of course, they've got a first-year coach in Dwane Casey, but the organization also got rid of two "cancers" in Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell. Interesting how the tricks to the eye didn't show up until those two got to Minneapolis. The real T-Wolves should show up this time around.

8) Seattle SuperSonics

Can anybody explain to me why Nate McMillan left the shadow of the Space Needle to coach the "Jailblazers?" (Okay, other than the money.) Despite the re-signing of Ray Allen, this team slipped when it lost its conductor. McMillan's win rate of around 44 games per season helped keep the Sonics steady. I think they will miss that presence in the huddle between trying to make rain with all those three-pointers.

Unfortunately, now that I've made these picks, there's nothing left to do but watch all that basketball to see if I'm right come late April. It's a long ways out, but if I don't end up looking like Red after Deebo hit him in "Friday," I think I'll be all right.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 2:59 PM | Comments (0)

Favre to T.O.: A TD?

Lambeau is looking lackluster these days.

The frozen tundra is a lot colder than most Cheeseheads remember, and Brett Favre is still perhaps one of the few reminders of the more successful Packers teams of the last 10 years.

He is not Superman, and he can not throw the ball to himself (although I wouldn't rule out him trying). Injuries and an assorted list of other problems have put Favre in an unenviable position. He's the face of an 8-8 team that will not even get that many wins.

The Packers have won one game, and lost to the ranks of the Cleveland Browns and the Good Time Ship Vikings.

Watching Favre frantically try to pull out every game by himself is akin to watching Al Pacino's performance in Godfather III. Every once in awhile, you are reminded of his brilliance, but more often than not, the wretched situation at hand forces mistakes. Pacino was trying to act next to Sofia Coppola. Favre is trying to play football with a second-string team.

Then why, out of nowhere, does everyone's favorite soundbite, Terrell Owens, come out and say that if Favre was the quarterback for the Eagles this season, they would be undefeated?

I know, Favre is great, a Hall of Famer, and a quarterback that while not in his prime, can still light up the scoreboard and make plays most NFL quarterbacks wouldn't dream of making. We're not talking about a washed up Vinny Testaverde out there.

However, Vinny Testaverde is not the Philadelphia quarterback. That position is held by Donovan McNabb.

Now, sure, McNabb has not had the kind of season that makes fantasy players drool. He's questionable for this Sunday's game due to the 1,456 nagging injuries that he's nursing, including a sports-related hernia that will require offseason surgery.

But McNabb surely can't be much better or worse than Favre. It is silly to assert that Favre would have led the Eagles to a perfect record so far. Last I checked, Philadelphia still needed a defense, and if Favre can't play wide receiver in addition to quarterback, he's surely not going to play defensive end.

Once again, this is a case of T.O. opening his mouth for the sake of exhaling all the air contained within in a whirlwind of nonsense. Perhaps T.O.'s only motivation for having Favre as his quarterback is the idea that he would get the ball thrown to him 35 times a game. Sadly, anyone looking at how Favre spreads the ball around to a myriad of different receivers could tell T.O. he would be wrong.

Or maybe T.O.'s current displeasure with the lack of celebration by the Eagles of his 100th touchdown is the cause for these latest comments, which inevitably distance him from his team and organization.

His explanation that the team's success rises and falls with the performance of Donovan McNabb is at least partially true, but his comments then only allude to a belief that no matter the condition of McNabb Favre would still be a better option. It's a sad way to discuss a teammate that you depend so highly upon.

Then again, with T.O.'s mouth running and the Eagles' patience waning Owens might find himself somewhere else in the coming years.

But if he stays in Philadelphia, it begs the question: can Favre be the quarterback of two teams at one time?

Posted by Vince Grzegorek at 2:14 PM | Comments (5)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 33

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Tony Stewart — Stewart extended his points lead by 28 points with a ninth-place finish in Atlanta. Stewart now leads Jimmie Johnson by 43 points, and has a 75-point edge on Greg Biffle. Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards are 107 back.

"The important thing is we increased our lead," says Stewart, "and I led one lap for the all-important five bonus points. And I went a full race without calling anyone an 'idiot.'"

Stewart has collected bonus points in all but one of the Chase races, for a total of 45 points, which is almost exactly his points lead. Stewart finished 31st in April in Texas, due to a blown engine. It was his only "did not finish" of the year.

2. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson raced in the top 10 for most of the day until a late handling problem arose, possibly caused by falling track temperatures in the ate afternoon shadows. It wasn't a disastrous result by any means, as points leader Tony Stewart finished only seven positions ahead in ninth.

"Anytime you finish behind the points leader," says Johnson, "you haven't done your job. But we're still in position. We still feel like it's a two-car race, and isn't it interesting how it's come down to a battle of home improvement stores?"

Johnson finished third in Texas earlier this year, and in last year's Chase, finished strong with three top-six finishes in the final three races.

3. Greg Biffle — Biffle shaved a meager eight points off of Stewart's points lead with a seventh place finish in Atlanta, the last of four Roush cars in the top ten.

"Stewart left the door slightly ajar," says Biffle, "and instead of slamming it shut, we closed it gently, and didn't wake up a soul. With Stewart finishing ninth, a win would have been the perfect result for us."

Hold that thought, Biffle. Earlier this year, you won in Texas with a dominant win. Duplicate that victory, and you should see more than eight points fall from Stewart's lead.

4. Carl Edwards — Edwards completed his sweep of races in Atlanta, leading 115 of 325 laps to duplicate his Atlanta win in March. He improved one position in the points, to fourth, and sliced 42 points off of his deficit to Stewart. Edwards' third win of his rookie year showed just how much he's improved in just one season.

"I'm twice the driver I was when this season started," says Edwards, "but I'm at least three times the back flipper. There are still some form improvements I could make, and my landing could be better. Next year, I'm hiring a Bulgarian coach."

Realistically, Edwards needs another similar points gain to position himself for a mad dash to the finish. That would necessitate a vast improvement on his 19th-place finish in his first Texas Cup race.

5. Ryan Newman — After starting on the poll, Newman's day went downhill, as he suffered handling problems all day and slammed the wall near the midway point while already a lap down. The result was a drop of two points positions to sixth, and a loss of 44 points to Tony Stewart's lead.

"Hey, but I did lead a lap," says Newman. "The first lap."

Good job, Ryan. Any pole-sitter worth his salt should lead the first lap.

In four previous starts at Texas, Newman has one top-10, a win in 2003. He started on the pole there this April, but managed only a 16th-place finish. In his position, he has no choice but to gun for the win.

6. Mark Martin — Martin rebounded from his 34th place finish at Martinsville with a third in Atlanta, improving his points position one notch to sixth, and holding on to a very slim chance at the Cup. Martin overcame a pit lane speeding penalty to pick up his fourth top five finish of the Chase.

“We're holding on for dear life,” says Martin. “If they made Viagra for cars, now would be the time to take it. But if I don't win it this year, there's always next year, and years after that, depending of how much begging Jack Roush is willing to do.”

In nine starts at Texas, Martin has three top fives. Martin needs wins, and help from others, to have any chance at the Cup.

7. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth's fifth in Atlanta was his fourth top five of the Chase, and moved him up two places in the Chase, to seventh. Kenseth is 155 points behind Stewart.

"Four top-fives in seven races is pretty good," says Kenseth. "There's only one problem. That leaves three races outside of the top-five, and two of those were a 35th and a 26th. Throw those out, and I'm right in the hunt."

In his last two Texas efforts, Kenseth has two top-20 finishes. But with three races left in the Chase and 155 points down, top-20s mean absolutely nothing.

8. Rusty Wallace — Wallace's championship hopes took a brutal hit in Atlanta, where he was sucked into an early race crash, resulting in a 37th-place finish, 67 laps down. Wallace lost 91 points to Tony Stewart, and now stands 257 points down.

"We got caught up in an accident involving the No. 37 and No. 66 cars," says Wallace. "Does anyone know who drives those cars? I didn't think so. I'm sure whoever they are, they shouldn't have any impact in the Chase. Why don't we just put the 10 Chase cars on the track, and let the other 33 race in the parking lot?"

Now, Wallace is racing for ... well, I'm not sure what he's racing for. But it's surely not the cup.

9. Kurt Busch — Busch's up and down Chase run took another turn for the worse with a 36th-place finish in Atlanta, his third finish outside the top 20 in Chase races. A flat tire was the culprit, and it sent Busch into the wall, then behind the wall, for repairs. He finished 55 laps down, and his run of two straight top six finishes came to a halt.

"I'm sick of flat tires, and I'm sick of walls," says Busch. "I'm also sick of NASCAR penalizing anyone named Busch for rough driving. Last week, it was me. This week, it was my brother, Kyle. NASCAR calls it rough driving. We call it passing an inferior car. The anti-Busch conspiracy continues."

Busch finished seventh this April in Texas. He can expect a similar result this time, on a track that favors Roush cars.

10. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield's worst finish of the Chase, a 38th, cost him 94 points to Tony Stewart, and dropped him to last in the standings, 310 back. A faulty flywheel sent Mayfield to the garage early, and lengthy repairs left him 99 laps down at the end.

"I was never good at math," says Mayfield, "but I sense that I will soon be mathematically eliminated from the Chase. But I'm still alive. Three wins in the remaining three races, and I could possibly finish third, or maybe second."

In nine races at Texas, Mayfield has two top-10s and one pole. He finished 11th there this April after starting second.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)

November 3, 2005

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 9

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

Atlanta @ Miami

The Dolphins stuck their dorsal fins back in the AFC East race with a big road win over New Orleans in Baton Rouge. With rushing contributions from Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, who combined for 188 yards, the Dolphins beat the Saints 21-6 to remain one game back of the Patriots. Brown rushed for 106 yards on 23 carries, an effort that turned out to be much more successful than his trick-or-treat haul the following night.

"All I got was a rock!" complained Brown, who then got a bad hold on an extra point attempt from his "friend" Lucy, who moved the ball just as Brown was about to kick it.

Williams, who racked up 82 yards on 17 carries, celebrated his first foray this season into double-digit rushing yardage in a pumpkin patch waiting for the return of the Great Pumpkin, while contemplating life's greater possibilities.

"Is it possible to shotgun a bong hit from the blow hole of a dolphin?" asks Williams.

Absolutely, Ricky. I think that's called an "organic water bong."

In any case, the 'Fins grabbed their first road win of the year, which is more than the Jets and Bills can say. With a win against the Falcons and a Patriots victory over the Colts, Week 10's Patriots at Dolphins game will be for the AFC East lead. Of course, if they both lose, Week 10's game will be just as important.

Atlanta enjoyed a bye week, and it was business as usual except for the case of DeAngelo Hall. Hall, under contract to endorse Reebok products, had his contract terminated for wearing Nike's in last Monday's Jets/Falcons game. Hall also sported a hat with a Nike logo in an interview.

"Where in this contract does it say I can't wear Nike products?" asks Hall, wearing FUBU to a Rocawear function hosted by Jay-Z.

Right there on page one, column one, paragraph one, line one. It says, "DeAngelo Hall is not to be seen wearing any clothing other than that with the Reebok label, unless he is filmed or photographed committing an unlawful act. In that case, we would prefer him to be wearing Nike, adidas, or Fruit of the Loom."

Hall wears Nike, and snatches an interception off of Gus Frerotte, a paid endorser for the Miami Payless Shoe Store No. 9. The Dolphins' defense slows Warrick Dunn on the ground, but the shifty running back scores on a pass from Michael Vick.

Falcons win, 20-16.

Carolina @ Tampa Bay

In pre-game warm-ups last week before the Vikings met the Panthers, Vikings' cornerback Fred Smoot, one of the NFL's premier trash-talkers, had a lot to say to Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith. Apparently, Smoot said that he would not be covering Smith, and Smith was free to catch any pass thrown his way. Smith ended the day with 11 catches for 201 yards and a TD, while Smoot ended the game on the sideline with a shoulder injury, and his pride in much worse shape.

"Smoot's like a chihuahua with a megaphone," explains Smith. "His bark is louder than his bite. I surely don't fear his bark. I'm more frightened by my stomach growling than anything Smoot's got to say. And that was no shoulder injury he left the game with — he was suffering from a condition known as 'third degree burn.' He may talk the smack, but I delivered the smack, right upside his head."

"Steve will accept any challenge," says Panthers' coach John Fox. "I think Steve put it best when he said, 'When somebody is banging on your door, I am not going to hide in the corner ... I am going to open it.' Steve won't hide in the corner, nor will he hide in the trunk of a car, like former Panther felon Rae Carruth."

The Bucs dropped only their second game of the year, a 15-10 majority decision to the 49ers, thanks to five Joe Nedney field goals and three turnovers by quarterback Chris Simms, who probably became the only quarterback ever to lose a game to a team collectively quarterbacked by Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett.

"Cody Pickett. Hmmm," says Tampa coach John Gruden. "It sounds like that kid has heart, unlike my boy Simms. If Cody Pickett wasn't an NFL quarterback, I bet he'd be chewing tobacco and riding nasty bulls on the Professional Bull Riders Tour. And if he can stay in a game for more than eight seconds, he'd be doing better than Alex Smith or Dorsey."

Although fans are not subject to pat downs at the gates to Raymond James Stadium, opposing teams are still subject to a beat down, as the Bucs are surrendering an average of less than 10 points a game at home. Carolina will eclipse that average. Will that be enough to win? Maybe. Unless Tampa can get their running game going, their offense will suffer, especially with Simms and his buggy whip arms at the helm. That's enough to give Carolina the edge. The Panthers have won the last four in the series. Make it five. John Kasay kicks four field goals, and the Panthers win, 19-13.

Cincinnati @ Baltimore

What is the Cincinnati defense's obsession with intercepting quarterbacks five times in a game? Last Sunday, the Bengals added Brett Favre to the "Five Pick Club," along with Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper and Chicago's Kyle Orton. It looks as though NFC North quarterbacks are most prone to achieving this phenomenon.

"We call NFC North quarterbacks 'the gifts that keep on giving,'" says Bengals' cornerback Deltha O'Neal, the NFL's leader with six interceptions. "Christmas will come early for us in Week 15, when we visit the Lions."

Cincinnati's head coach Marvin Lewis built the Raven's defense into the league's most dominant force while serving as the Ravens' defensive coordinator. Now, Lewis is building a defense in Cincinnati that may not be as dominant as the Ravens circa 2000-2001, but the Bengals lead the league in turnovers, and sport three of the top five NFL interception leaders.

"Sure, it's true that a Lewis made that defense," says Lewis. "But it was Marvin Lewis, not Ray Lewis. Isn't it obvious why the Ravens' defense was so successful? It was the scheme, not the talent. Why do you think I got out of there when I did? Rome may be burning, but Baltimore is crumbling. By the way, if Jim Rose was on fire, would anyone put him out?"

I don't know, Marvin. Me, I'd start looking for some marshmallows.

Baltimore fell to 2-5 after last Monday's 20-19 loss to the Steelers. The Ravens can't run the ball successfully, and consequently, are having trouble scoring touchdowns in the red zone.

"We're having problems scoring touchdowns, period," yells Ravens' coach Brian Billick. "And we sure could use some help on offense. Has that Burger King kid been picked up by anyone? From what I've seen on television, he's really dynamic and has a flair for the dramatic. Plus, he can surprise me in the mornings by showing up in my bed with a sausage croissandwich. He's truly a two-way player. Or maybe we need to put Deion Sanders in on offense. The 'Neon' is dimming, and 'Prime Time' is well past his prime, but what do I have to lose? Don't answer that by saying 'my job.' Who's going to fire a Super Bowl-winning coach? It's not my fault we're losing. It's Kyle Boller's. That's why I drafted that sucker. To be the fall guy. When he plays, we lose. It's his fault. When he doesn't play, we lose. It's still his fault."

If Boller played, he might be granted membership in the Bengals' "Five Pick Club." However, Anthony Wright's the starter, and he only throws two interceptions. The Ravens' defense keeps them in it, but their offense takes them out of it. Chad Johnson scores on a TD pass from Carson Palmer, and Cincinnati wins, 23-17.

Detroit @ Minnesota

What must Joey Harrington have been thinking as he watched Jeff Garcia throw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by the Bears, giving Chicago a 19-13 overtime win? Charles Tillman plucked Garcia's ill-advised throw and waltzed 22 yards for the score.

"I'll tell you what I was thinking," says Harrington. "I was thinking, 'Wow. I could have done that. And I could have done it much better than Jeff Garcia.' Then I was thinking, 'That's what you get for starting Garcia and not me.' Then I was thinking, 'Well, that's what you get when you start me.' So, I'll just shut my trap. Who's our third string quarterback? Dan Orlovsky? I hope he's got his game face on."

The Vikings had their worst fears come true when Daunte Culpepper's knee injury was determined to be season-ending.

"That's probably the worst thing that could happen to this franchise," says head coach Mike Tice, "if you throw out trading away Randy Moss for a linebacker and a few measly draft picks. And, oh yeah, if you throw out the whole cruise boat incident on Lake Minnetonka, then Daunte's injury is the worst thing that could happen."

The Vikings will whip out their Big Johnson, Brad, to fill in as a capable backup for Culpepper, so give the Vikings an edge at the quarterback position. The Lions have the edge at the running back position with Kevin Jones, while home field gives the Vikes a slim advantage in intangibles.

"What's an 'intangible?'" asks Minnesota head coach Mike Tice.

Well, Mike, Webster's defines "intangible" as "incapable of being precisely identified or realized by the mind." So, "intangible" would be something similar to your team management skills.

Johnson throws two touchdowns, and the Vikings beat the Lions, 17-14.

Houston @ Jacksonville

What can Brown do for me? Well, besides unknowingly smuggling shipment after shipment of drugs up and down the east coast, UPS is pretty much useless to me. Now, if you ask Texans' coach Dom Capers the same question, he'll tell that Brown, kicker Kris Brown to be exact, won the Texans their first game of the year with a late 40-yard field goal against the Browns.

"It's good to be back in the win column," says a proud Capers, getting a head start on his imminent firing by packing his office belongings. "Correction, it's good to be in the win column. Now, we can distance ourselves from those Astros, who couldn't even win a World Series game."

Jacksonville lost a tough 24-21 decision to the Rams in St. Louis, giving up 179 yards rushing to Steven Jackson while doing so. Jackson also scored the game-winning touchdown on a 19 yard pass from Jamie Martin.

"I'm perplexed," says Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio. "How did we lose this game? We outran them, we out-passed them, I out-coached them, and Jack Del Rio is definitely a much hipper name than Joe Vitt. I don't understand what happened."

Here's what happened, Jack. Your kicker, Josh Scobee, missed two field goals wide right, and Byron Leftwich's fourth quarter interception led to the Rams' winning score.

"Dang. I missed all that," says Del Rio. "Next time, I'll forget about impersonating Mike Martz and trying to call a play into the St. Louis booth."

The funny thing is, Jack, the call got through. You fooled them. Unfortunately, you called the game-winning play for the Rams. But don't worry. There's nothing better than following a tough road loss with a home game against Houston. And your schedule after that is pretty darn favorable.

The Jags rebound, and devastate the Texans, avenging last year's 21-0 season ending loss to Houston, which kept the Jags out of the playoffs. Fred Taylor rushes for 138 yards and a TD.

Jacksonville wins, 27-7.

Oakland @ Kansas City

After an 0-3 start, the Raiders have won three of their last four, and face a crucial AFC West test at Kansas City. With a win, the Raiders are back in the playoff picture. A loss, and Oakland falls to 3-5, and 0-3 in the division. Last week, two Jerry Porter touchdown receptions, his first of the year, book-ended a 34-25 win over the Titans.

"Randy who?" says Porter. "Nah. I'm just kidding. Everybody knows Moss is the heart and soul of this team. Well, maybe he's not the heart, but he's definitely the soul. Randy's been a little down lately. I think he's upset that his hamstring injury is flaring up again, causing him to miss some time."

"Damn, Jerry," exclaims Moss, "you're a fool! I'm not upset that I'm missing plays. Mad Skillz doesn't mind part-time action. Even when I did play full-time, it was part-time. This way, here in Oakland, when I take a play off, I'm on the bench resting, and not on the field pretending to run a pattern, or throwing a halfhearted block. What's really got me upset is I missed the boat ride in Minnesota. I should have chartered that boat. Shoot, even the Raiders' old coach, Bill Callahan, is giving the throat slash gesture to college officials. That should have been me! I'm the bad guy."

Last week in San Diego, Chiefs' running back Priest Holmes was introduced to a player known as "Jack Dupp." Actually, the player was really Chargers' linebacker Shawne Merriman, who "jacked up" Holmes with a big hit that sent the Chiefs star out of the game with a concussion.

"Then those clowns on ESPN's Monday Night Matchup have to go and rub it in with their 'Jacked Up!' segment," complains Holmes. "I don't mind Tom Jackson telling me I just got jacked up, because he's probably jacked up opponents several times. But Michael Irvin, Ron Jaworski, and especially Stuart Scott? The only thing they've ever jacked up is their car to change a flat tire. You guys need to shut up."

The Chargers slowed the Chiefs' running game, but that allowed Trent Green to finally break out for the first time this year, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Passing lanes should be wide open in this game. The Chiefs win a shootout, 34-30.

San Diego @ N.Y. Jets

Last week versus the Chiefs, LaDainian Tomlinson threw his third touchdown pass of the year, leading all running backs, as well as Jets' quarterbacks. Tomlinson hit Keenan McCardell on a halfback option pass in the second quarter of last week's 28-20 victory over the Chiefs, giving L.T. three touchdowns on three pass attempts this year.

"And Jets' quarterbacks have attempted 207 passes," says Tomlinson. "If they were as accurate and prolific as myself, then they would have 207 touchdown passes. But that's a huge 'if.' I mean huge. Really huge. Besides, I doubt a Jets quarterback could throw three passes without hurting a shoulder, throwing an interception, or fumbling. Actually, if you give them three passes, they might do all three."

The Jets are 2-5, and, believe it or not, have scored fewer points than the Texans. Coach Herman Edwards has said that Vinny Testaverde will be the starter on Sunday, despite Vinny's troubles two Monday's ago in Atlanta, in which he threw an interception and lost three fumbles before leaving with a right Achilles' injury.

"Sure, he might be old and hapless," says Edwards, "but, for now, Vinny is our quarterback. This team has rallied behind Vinny, because if we're behind him, we're in better position to tackle the other team after they snatch one of his fumbles or interceptions."

The Chargers will employ an obvious game plan: stop the run, then pressure the daylights out of Testaverde when he's forced to pass. And he'll pass, because the Chargers will get a lead. Testaverde turns the ball over twice before San Diego knocks him out of the game. Tomlinson rushes for two touchdowns, and Antonio Gates grabs a touchdown pass. Chargers win, 27-13.

In the second quarter, after a Testaverde interception, Edwards injures his right shoulder throwing his arms in the air in exasperation.

Tennessee @ Cleveland

Last week, the Browns didn't do themselves a favor by becoming the first team to lose to the Texans. In fact, by serving Houston with their first win in seven tries, they drew more attention to themselves as possibly the league's worst team.

"We've beaten the Bears, and we've beaten the Packers, who are 1-6," says Browns' quarterback Trent Dilfer. "How can we be the league's worst team?"

Good question, Trent. Okay, maybe the Browns aren't the worst team in the league, but they would be mentioned in the same breath as some of the worst teams in the league.

"Okay, that's better," says Dilfer. "Have you visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame here in Cleveland?"

No, I haven't.

"Hey, speaking of hall of fames," says former Oilers' great Warren Moon, "if I'm elected, which team will I represent, Houston or Tennessee? I played in Houston, but that franchise is now in Tennessee. And neither team sports an oil rig on its helmet."

Hey, Warren, how about the Edmonton Eskimos? That was your first professional team. But really, it doesn't matter. Just wear a No. 1 jersey to the ceremony and we promise not to mention anything about blowing a 35-3 lead in a playoff game in Buffalo.

The Browns bring a formidable defense to the table, but on offense, they're known as the "Orange Slush" offense. Steve McNair should find enough holes in the Browns' defense, and the Browns are victimized by another Brown, Titan back Chris Brown, who rushes for a score.

Titans win, 23-21.

Chicago @ New Orleans

Have the Bears clinched the NFC North division, with nine games left to go in the season? Not officially, but with two wins already over the Lions, and the Vikings and Packers fading into oblivion, Chicago is well on its way to the division crown.

"And I honestly think we can clinch it with just four wins," says Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher. "If the White Sox can win the World Series with just four wins, who's to say we can't win the North with four wins?"

Not me. Obviously, the Lions can't do anything about it, and the Vikings and Packers aren't really striking fear into anyone, except their fans. And I doubt seriously the Saints will put up much of a fight either, unlike their owner, Tom Benson, who took a swing at a camera at the Saints' last home game in San Antonio.

"Hey, I was just answering a question," says Benson. "They wanted to know if I'm moving the Saints to San Antonio. I gave them my answer: 'talk to the hand.'"

Last week, the Dolphins ran all over the Saints, rushing for 188 yards. Like the Dolphins, the Bears will run the ball, and "Mr. Efficiency" Kyle Orton will throw an early touchdown pass. From there, the tenacious Bears' defense takes over, and the Bears win their fourth in a row.

Chicago wins, 23-13.

N.Y. Giants @ San Francisco

Lost in the midst of Tiki Barber's 24-carry, 206-yard rushing day was the play of Giants quarterback Eli Manning in New York's 36-0 thrashing of the Redskins last week.

"Yeah, sometimes good play by the quarterback gets overlooked when a running back goes off," says Manning.

No, I don't mean it that way, Eli. I mean Barber's big day overshadowed your crappy day. 12-for-31 for 146 yards is not too impressive, is it?

"No, it's not impressive," says Manning. "But who needs to impress when my running back is rushing for over 200 yards? With that production, and a big lead, I was free to try a lot of no-look and underhand passes. You know, stuff that Brett Favre and Aaron Brooks do."

San Francisco somehow upset the Buccaneers last week, but lost backup quarterback Ken Dorsey ("from the 'U,' says Michael Irvin) to an ankle injury. That leaves QB duties in the hands of Cody Pickett, and the backup duties fall to reality TV stooge Jesse Palmer, just signed by the 49ers.

"I'm sure Jesse understands that this is not The Bachelor," says San Fran head coach Mike Nolan. "He doesn't get to choose from a roomful of beautiful women the one with whom he would like to have an ultimately doomed relationship. Of course, the 49ers' organization is always looking for talent for future training videos, so if Jesse can direct some desperate ladies this way, I'm sure the front office would be grateful."

The Giants won't commit the costly turnovers that sealed the Bucs' fate last week in 'Frisco. Manning should return to form, and the G-Unit defenders should feast on Pickett. Manning connects for two TD passes, and the Giants avoid a letdown from last week's emotional win.

New York wins, 24-20.

Seattle @ Arizona

Who is the NFL's only real "player?" That would be Arizona punter Scott Player, the NFL's fifth-leading punter, big-time ladies' man, and connoisseur of bling.

"Hold on a second," says Player. "My name may be Player, but I'm no 'player,' or 'playa,' as a real 'player' would say. Being white and a punter precludes me from any player potential. I do like kickin' it with my homies, though."

I guess the real story in Arizona is the quarterback situation. Josh McCown has had two subpar games and may be playing his way back to the bench. Once again, coach Dennis Green has a decision to make.

"One one hand, there's Josh," says Green, "and on the other is Kurt Warner. Gosh, I wish I had more hands."

Seattle controls the NFC West right now, with a two game lead on the Rams. With a win in Arizona, the Seahawks will return home in Week 10 to host the Rams, and a chance to put them three games down with seven games to play.

"If anyone is capable of blowing a lead like that," says Seattle's Mike Holgren, "it's us. Last year, we blew a 17-point lead at home to the Rams and lost in overtime. But let's not overlook the Cardinals. They're 1-2 at home, and undefeated in Mexico City. And I hear Phoenix is a great place to retire."

Warner gets the start, but is without big target Anquan Boldin, who's out with a bruised knee. And the Cards can't run the ball, so unless Warner completes 20 passes to Larry Fitzgerald, it doesn't look good.

Shaun Alexander rushes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seahawks win, 31-17.

Pittsburgh @ Green Bay

Green Bay's Brett Favre tossed a career regular season-worst five interceptions against the Bengals last Sunday, and it would have been six, if you count the one taken by a runaway Benglas' fan, who ran on to the field and snatched the ball right out of Favre's right hand.

"Excuse me," says Favre, "but that would be a fumble, not an interception. Anyway, that guy showed some pretty nifty moves for a drunk, overweight Bengals' fan. He actually avoided a few tacklers out their. Bengals' security tackles about like our secondary: not very well. The guy that finally caught him gave him a pretty good shot, but he held on to the rock. I must commend Bengals security for controlling an ugly situation and not letting it get any uglier. That guy could have been naked!"

Anyway, the final result was a 21-14 loss to Cincinnati, and despite Favre's five interceptions, the Packers still had a chance to tie, after all runaway fans were removed from the field and pummeled. Here's a little advice, Brett, for the next time you try the old "fake spike" play: make sure you let your teammates know you're doing it.

The Steelers squeaked by the Ravens 20-19 last Monday, and Ben Roethlisberger further injured his knee, and won't play against the Packers after minor knee surgery. And that doesn't sit well with Favre.

"There's a word for that," says Favre, "that starts with a 'P.' And it's not 'probable.' I can't remember the last time I played on a knee that wasn't hurt. Go ahead and ask me if you'll ever see Brett Favre's name listed on an injury report. Go ahead, punk. Ask me."

No need, Brett. We know there's 'out,' 'doubtful,' 'questionable,' 'probable,' and then 'Favre.'

If the Packers ever needed some Favre magic, this is it. As always, Favre will keep the Packers in the game. Of course, that may be at the expense of several interceptions, but sometimes, you have to throw interceptions to get touchdowns. If Favre limits his bad throws, the Packers have a chance. But all it takes is one to ruin it all. Favre throws three costly interceptions, but none to runaway fans.

The Steelers remain undefeated on the road with a 27-21 win.

Philadelphia @ Washington

How do you follow up a 52-17 shellacking of the 49ers in Week 7? Well, if you're the Redskins, you get shutout 36-0 by division foe New York.

"That's much like beating the Chargers 20-17 one week," says Eagles' coach Andy Reid, "then getting waxed 49-21 by the Broncos the following week. I wouldn't call that 'building on a win' in either case. The point is that all defeats are bad, and some are worse than others. At least we didn't get shutout by the Giants. We may get shutout rushing the ball, but we will score points."

There were positives on two fronts for the Eagles, despite the lopsided loss to Denver. One, they had limited success running the ball, rushing for 79 yards. That's nothing to brag about, but it certainly beats the 24 yards against the Chargers two weeks ago. And two, the Eagles successfully passed the ball, even down 28-0, when the Broncos defense knew exactly what was coming.

There were no positives in the Redskins' 36-0 loss to the Giants, unless you count every offensive play the Giants ran. Now, the 'Skins find themselves in a must-win situation, as do the Eagles.

The tension is apparent on the field during pre-game warm-ups, when Redskins' quarterback Mark Brunell, in clear view of Donovan McNabb, engages in a regimen of sit-ups and crunches.

"Hey, Donovan," says Brunell, "I call these my 'abominable abdominals.' Don't laugh too hard."

McNabb gets the joke, but is in no laughing mood, since his primary weapon, Terrell Owens, is doubtful with an ankle injury.

"Well, I guess we'll have to run the ball," says McNabb. "Or not."

Without Owens, the Eagles are in trouble. Even with an injured Owens, the Eagles are in trouble.

The 'Skins get a touchdown run from Clinton Portis, and McNabb is forced into another 50-pass day.

Washington wins, 26-21.

Indianapolis @ New England

"I'm better than Tom Brady," says Peyton Manning, "at least as a commercial actor. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think my comic timing is much better than Brady's. Tell me what makes you laugh more. Tom Brady saying, 'Do metaphors pay?' in his Capital One commercial, or me saying 'Cut that meat! Cut that meat!' in my Mastercard ad? I think I win that one."

Yeah, you're right, Peyton. Let's see. That makes the score six to one, in Brady's favor.

It's nearly written in stone. Manning can't beat Brady, and he can't win in New England. Is this the year it all changes?

"What do you think?" asks Brady, listening to the song that always gets him pumped for the Colts, Foreigner's "Head Games." "Have you guys checked the weather forecast? They're calling for snow, and a 60% chance of choke."

The Colts have a zoo's worth of monkeys on their backs, plus a hell's worth of demons to exorcise, and the only way to rid themselves of their baggage is by winning in New England. If it is to be done, this is the year.

The Patriots will test the Colts' defense and Brady will unload the ball quickly to beat the Indy pass rush. The Colts will attack the Pats' defense with Edgerrin James. Expect some early strikes by both teams, with New England jumping out to a 7-0 lead on their first possession. The Colts answer quickly, with a Manning TD pass to Reggie Wayne. In the end, Manning's worst fears are realized — no, the Colts don't lose, but the outcome is left to the right foot of a Canadian. This time, Mike Vanderjagt makes the kick, and the Colts win, 27-24.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 7:43 PM | Comments (1)

The Future of American Women's Tennis?

Okay, so this is supposed to be a professional tennis column. Well, sue me!

Actually, this is a professional tennis column, or at least one inspired by a professional tennis player. I was talking to a former Sony Ericcson WTA Tour player who hails from my neck of the woods, and she reminded me of the times about a decade or so ago when she and a couple of other great players trolled the courts playing high school tennis here on the Jersey Shore.

We talked about where the future of American women's tennis was coming from, and talked in detail about how in the past they used to come from the high school and college system. Even on the men's side, it used to be a right of passage to win or do well in one's high school state tournament, then go off to college for at least a year and dominate at the college level, and then wind up on the pro tour.

Well, with the advent of the huge dollars and the amount of finances at stake, players hit the tour often before they even really begin high school, and never go through the old system. They are getting younger and younger, burning out quicker, and leaving the game without any true or lasting role models, role models so key to sow the seeds of tennis for decades to come.

Yes, Marissa Irvin, Laura Granville, Jenny Hopkins, and Lisa Raymond all had distinguished collegiate careers. But they are clearly the exception on the WTA Tour right now. It's a shame, because hiding on the courts of a local school near you may be a good tour player who will never see the tour.

I have one such team and group of girls right here at my old alma mater, Wall High School, here in Wall Township, New Jersey. Arguably one of the best teams in the state, having won the Central Jersey Group III championship and coming within a set of winning the Group III championship over the number one ranked team in the state, these girls have what it takes to make it on the tour some day. Their names are Carly, Caitlin, Collette, Lauren, Alexis, Julianne, and Brianne. This team is about as deep as a high school team can get (without recruiting), and in my opinion, at least three of these players could be top-200 tour players in time, with some additional coaching and playing time. I was fortunate to be able to watch them play this season.

Most of these girls play USTA tournaments, have USTA rankings, and are regarded as solid players. Some, like senior and team leader Julianne, will be recruited by Div. I teams and will go on to play at the college level. Julianne will do well, but as with other college players, will probably never get a chance at the tour. The decision of the USTA to eliminate the automatic wildcard into the main draw at the U.S. Open for the U.S. collegiate men's and women's champions pretty much sets the tone for how collegiate tennis is regarded currently.

This decision, and many others like it recently, force good, solid players to choose between maturing their games in college or making an ill-timed, ill-fated attempt at the tour. Inevitably, those that choose an education and four years of working on their games will not get to reap the rewards they deserve.

Everyone keeps asking where the next generation of U.S. women on the WTA Tour will come from. Hey, Mr. Kantarian and Mr. Scott, and all of you at the top of the USTA and WTA Tour, the future of American tennis is here, on the courts at Wall High School, and the courts at the high schools and colleges all across this great nation. You just have to look there.

Thanks girls (and Coach Nardino) for giving me a great fall of women's tennis. You are all tour champions to me. Oh, and Brianne, I will always be your biggest fan...

Posted by Tom Kosinski at 6:44 PM | Comments (6)

2005 Shaping Up a Lot Like 1984

For some reason, all seems right with college football this year. It all started as I was watching my beloved Washington State Cougars get trounced by Southern Cal last weekend. During the game, announcer Keith Jackson started to talk about the importance of the USC/UCLA game coming up and reminisce about great Trojan/Bruin games of the past. That got me thinking about the "good ol' days" of college football when I was a kid (including watching WSU "Coug" a bunch of games like they're doing this year — how do you blow so many leads? — but I digress).

Speaking of digressing, looking at the rankings and some of the games coming up makes me think back to my youth when a lot of my favorite teams were always in the polls and going to big bowl games. I grew up rooting for Alabama, Penn State, Ohio State, and UCLA, and subsequently rooting against Auburn, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Southern Cal. With so many of those teams being ranked and in contention for BCS games this season, it seemed very familiar, almost like deja vu.

In 1984, I was a senior in high school. I didn't play sports that year, had a long-distance girlfriend, and had a pretty easy class schedule. Therefore, I had nothing better to do with my time than watch, read, and talk about sports. My best friend at the time and I spent the hour in World Civ playing paper football and picking every USFL game that season. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

When it comes to college football, there are quite a few similarities between this year and 1984, and a number of differences, as well. One of those similarities is the number of teams ranked in the top 20 in both years. When looking at the polls in '84, a dozen teams ranked back then are in the top 20 this year. (Since the AP poll only ranked the top 20 teams, I've only included the top 20 in this year's AP poll for consistency.) A really eerie coincidence is that three teams are ranked in the exact same spot they were at this point in the season 21 years ago: Texas was No. 2, Florida was No. 13, and TCU was No. 20, right where they are today. Another team, No. 5 Miami, is just one place off from where they were in 1984 at No. 6.

In 1984, there were four undefeated teams ranked 1, 2, 4, and 5. This season there are five undefeated teams, ranked 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7. But the biggest difference is three of those unbeaten teams from '84 are not ranked this year: Washington (No. 1), BYU (No. 4) and South Carolina (No. 5). And Texas, 8-0 this year, was 5-0-1 that year. On the flip side, five teams ranked in the top 10 this year were surprisingly missing from the polls altogether in 1984: Virginia Tech, Alabama, UCLA, Notre Dame, and Penn State. Go figure.

Another major difference between this season and 1984 is the number of games remaining between top 20 teams. There are seven games on the schedule that has teams from the top 20 squaring off, including a pair this week (No. 6 Miami at No. 3 Virginia Tech and No. 14 Wisconsin at No. 10 Penn State). The other games include No. 17 Auburn at No. 11 Georgia and No. 6 LSU at No. 4 Alabama next week, Alabama at Auburn on Nov. 19, No. 8 Florida State at No. 13 Florida on Nov. 26, and No. 1 USC at No. 7 UCLA on Dec. 3.

Back in 1984, there were nine games between top-20 teams. Two matchups had notable outcomes. Top-ranked and undefeated Washington lost to USC 16-7, dashing the Huskies' hopes of a national title, and the famous Boston College/Miami game where Doug Flutie's game-ending heave landed in the arms of Gerard Phelan in the end zone to give the Eagles a 47-45 upset win over the Hurricanes.

One element missing from 1984 that is evident this year is the prevalence of rivalry games with "meaning." In '84, the only serious rivalry game that pitted two ranked teams was Florida/Florida State, won by the Gators 27-17. This season, that game along with Alabama/Auburn and USC/UCLA, have top-20 teams squaring off. The latter two games could also have a huge impact on the national championship hunt as three of the four teams are currently undefeated. The Crimson Tide could head into the Iron Bowl unbeaten for the first time since 1994 when the Tigers knocked them out of the championship race with a 21-14 win. The last time Southern Cal and UCLA met when neither had lost a game was in 1969 when both teams were 8-0-1 — USC won 14-12.

So while the past echoes of great games and down-to-the-wire championship races, this year is shaping up to be one to remember. And maybe in 20 years when my high school freshman looks back at 2005, he'll say, "I remember when..." For some reason, all seems right with college football this year. It all started as I was watching my beloved Washington State Cougars get trounced by Southern Cal last weekend. During the game, announcer Keith Jackson started to talk about the importance of the USC/UCLA game coming up and reminisce about great Trojan/Bruin games of the past. That got me thinking about the "good ol' days" of college football when I was a kid (including watching WSU "Coug" a bunch of games like they're doing this year — how do you blow so many leads? — but I digress).

Speaking of digressing, looking at the rankings and some of the games coming up makes me think back to my youth when a lot of my favorite teams were always in the polls and going to big bowl games. I grew up rooting for Alabama, Penn State, Ohio State, and UCLA, and subsequently rooting against Auburn, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Southern Cal. With so many of those teams being ranked and in contention for BCS games this season, it seemed very familiar, almost like deja vu.

In 1984, I was a senior in high school. I didn't play sports that year, had a long-distance girlfriend, and had a pretty easy class schedule. Therefore, I had nothing better to do with my time than watch, read, and talk about sports. My best friend at the time and I spent the hour in World Civ playing paper football and picking every USFL game that season. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

When it comes to college football, there are quite a few similarities between this year and 1984, and a number of differences, as well. One of those similarities is the number of teams ranked in the top 20 in both years. When looking at the polls in '84, a dozen teams ranked back then are in the top 20 this year. (Since the AP poll only ranked the top 20 teams, I've only included the top 20 in this year's AP poll for consistency.) A really eerie coincidence is that three teams are ranked in the exact same spot they were at this point in the season 21 years ago: Texas was No. 2, Florida was No. 13, and TCU was No. 20, right where they are today. Another team, No. 5 Miami, is just one place off from where they were in 1984 at No. 6.

In 1984, there were four undefeated teams ranked 1, 2, 4, and 5. This season there are five undefeated teams, ranked 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7. But the biggest difference is three of those unbeaten teams from '84 are not ranked this year: Washington (No. 1), BYU (No. 4) and South Carolina (No. 5). And Texas, 8-0 this year, was 5-0-1 that year. On the flip side, five teams ranked in the top 10 this year were surprisingly missing from the polls altogether in 1984: Virginia Tech, Alabama, UCLA, Notre Dame, and Penn State. Go figure.

Another major difference between this season and 1984 is the number of games remaining between top 20 teams. There are seven games on the schedule that has teams from the top 20 squaring off, including a pair this week (No. 6 Miami at No. 3 Virginia Tech and No. 14 Wisconsin at No. 10 Penn State). The other games include No. 17 Auburn at No. 11 Georgia and No. 6 LSU at No. 4 Alabama next week, Alabama at Auburn on Nov. 19, No. 8 Florida State at No. 13 Florida on Nov. 26, and No. 1 USC at No. 7 UCLA on Dec. 3.

Back in 1984, there were nine games between top-20 teams. Two matchups had notable outcomes. Top-ranked and undefeated Washington lost to USC 16-7, dashing the Huskies' hopes of a national title, and the famous Boston College/Miami game where Doug Flutie's game-ending heave landed in the arms of Gerard Phelan in the end zone to give the Eagles a 47-45 upset win over the Hurricanes.

One element missing from 1984 that is evident this year is the prevalence of rivalry games with "meaning." In '84, the only serious rivalry game that pitted two ranked teams was Florida/Florida State, won by the Gators 27-17. This season, that game along with Alabama/Auburn and USC/UCLA, have top-20 teams squaring off. The latter two games could also have a huge impact on the national championship hunt as three of the four teams are currently undefeated. The Crimson Tide could head into the Iron Bowl unbeaten for the first time since 1994 when the Tigers knocked them out of the championship race with a 21-14 win. The last time Southern Cal and UCLA met when neither had lost a game was in 1969 when both teams were 8-0-1 — USC won 14-12.

So while the past echoes of great games and down-to-the-wire championship races, this year is shaping up to be one to remember. And maybe in 20 years when my high school freshman looks back at 2005, he'll say, "I remember when..."

Posted by Adam Russell at 6:34 PM | Comments (1)

November 2, 2005

Bluebook Notes #8: Fire Fisher DeBerry?

Should Fisher DeBerry be fired as head coach of the Air Force Academy? This is a question that many columnists have addressed over the past week. It is obvious to me that he should be shown the door, as the damage he has done to his institution is irreparable.

The reason why DeBerry should be terminated is because his comments were extremely irresponsible. His remarks were tinged with racial overtones, and struck at the heart of one of the most sensitive topics in America. There is no place for this in college football, especially at an institution that represents the United States.

Mama always said never trust a man with two last names, and boy, was she right. How can anyone at the Air Force Academy have faith in Fisher DeBerry after this debacle? By stating that he should have concentrated more on recruiting black players, DeBerry has just about slapped his current squad in the face. His comments demonstrate a severe lack of confidence in the players he has brought in, and why would anyone want to play or send their son to attend an institution that inherently endorses him?

I'm sure that recruiting at Air Force is especially challenging. The academic requirements are very stringent, and very exemplary candidates are turned down every year. Also, you just can't go out and send out scholarships to a 330-pound lineman, or a 6-7 tight end. The height and weight limitations only allow for certain types of schemes, and I'm sure this can be taxing to someone whose job depends on the success of the team.

I think that these restrictions in recruiting along with the frustrations of a 3-6 season finally got to Fisher DeBerry and he cracked. These current remarks, along with the insensitive statements regarding religion that he mentioned earlier on this year suggest that he has buckled under the weight of his own program. He is almost looking to get fired, and I believe that Hans Mueh, the athletic director at Air Force, has almost no other option but to oblige.

The HeisDAQ

The race for the Heisman Trophy fluctuates week by week. The HeisDAQ will let you know whose Heisman "stock" is rising and falling. Now that the race is winding down, I will highlight the five guys with the best chances of taking home the hardware.

1) Reggie Bush, RB/KR/PR USC (strong buy) — Bush is still in first place in the Heisman race, and did nothing last week to jeopardize it. I look for more additions to the highlight reel this weekend when a depleted and demoralized Stanford team comes to town.

2) Vince Young, QB Texas (strong buy) — V.Y. was certainly not "still" in Stillwater. He ran all over the OSU defense and had one of the most spectacular games in the history of college football last weekend. He ran for 267 yards and passed for another 239 in an affair that was much closer than previously thought. The margin between VY and Reggie Bush is now very thin, and Young could claim the top spot with another jaw-dropping performance.

3) Matt Leinart, QB USC (hold) — Leinart has done nothing but impress this season, but his Heisman chances are starting to slip even further. He had another day of passing for over 350 yards against Washington State last week, but I just don't think it will be enough to win the trophy.

4) Maurice Drew, RB UCLA (speculative buy) — Drew is still the wildcard in the Heisman race. He played an instrumental role in UCLA's comeback against Stanford, by hurting the Cardinal with several long runs on screens. His biggest contribution to the victory, however, was a huge fumble recovery that kept hopes alive for the eventual UCLA resurgence that won the game. As long as the Bruins stay undefeated, Drew has a chance.

5) Brady Quinn, QB Notre Dame (buy) — Quinn and the rest of the Irish had a bye week, and are now preparing for their battle with Tennessee. It will be interesting to say how well Quinn plays against a team with one of the best pass-rushes in the country. This game could ambush Brady's slim hopes for winning the Heisman.

Games to Watch/Picks to Click

Season Record: 12-10 ATS; Last Week: 1-2 ATS

Wisconsin (+10) @ Penn State

This game will be won or lost at the line of scrimmage. The Badgers have got to open up running lanes for Brian Calhoun and control the time of possession. Penn State should be able to put up some points on Wisconsin's defense, as they have been inconsistent this season. I like Penn State to win this game as they already stopped Laurence Maroney dead in his tracks, and I don't think that John Stocco can win this game with his arm.

Don't Fire JoePa 31, Calhouns 10

California (+1.5) @ Oregon

This has to be the game that Dennis Dixon, Oregon's former backup and now starting quarterback, dreamed of when he signed his LOI. He has a chance to stick it to the team from the area that he grew up as a kid, and become a hero in Eugene. Oregon will need Terence Whitehead to dominate on the ground, in order to take some of the pressure off of the passing game. Speaking of passing, Joe Ayoob, Cal's struggling quarterback, will need to play well throughout if Cal is to pull of the upset. I think Cal wins this game, in an atypical low scoring game in the Pac-10.

Tedford & Lynch 24, Sitting Ducks 21

Miami (+6½) @ Virginia Tech

This has to be one of the most anticipated games of the season. Both of these ACC teams have legitimate BCS hopes and the winner controls their own destiny. Marcus Vick has improved tremendously as a passer this year, and will have his final exam against a Miami defense that might be the best in the country. Of course, the Hokies are no slouch on defense, as well, and Miami has had trouble scoring at times during the year. Virginia Tech will win this year, and being that the game is in Blacksburg makes the outcome slightly more certain.

Beamer Nation 17, Tropical Depression 7

Mailbag

This week's topic comes from Cernig:

UCLA has no shot. Big Ten has a legitimate chance with PSU right now pending the conference championship games. I like the ACC is #1, Big 10 beats up on each other yes, but the ACC is full of high quality top-market teams this year. Can't wait to see how this year plays out, should be a fun one!

Cernig, I agree that this year has been and will continue to be an exciting one for college football. It looks like we also agree on the ACC being the No. 1 conference this season, but it looks like after that is where our opinions diverge. There will be no Big 10 team in the national title game. I believe that Penn State will either end up in either the Capital One or the Fiesta Bowl. As far as UCLA goes, they may have the best shot to get to the title game besides USC and Texas. As long as the Bruins avoid the pitfalls that the Arizona teams present, they have the opportunity to defeat USC and most likely earn a title birth. Thanks for the comment!

Do you think that I'm "off my rocker," or did I hit the proverbial "nail on the head?" Let me know! Send an e-mail to [email protected] and include your name and hometown. I'll do my best to include it in the next week's column.

Posted by Avery Smith at 4:50 PM | Comments (0)

Show Me the Money (List)

On the PGA Tour, winning titles is usually a lot more important than the money you get for becoming a winner. Guys say that they want to win to become a part of a select company and hoist a trophy over your head. But, in a lot of ways, the money is much more important that winning titles. That is true of getting into major championships, World Golf Championship events, and other limited field events.

This week's event, the Tour Championship, is one of those instances. In order to qualify for the season's final tournament, you have to be in the top 30 on the season-long money list. In order to qualify in position 30 this year (Lucas Glover), you had to earn nearly $2 million over the course of the year.

Winning a tournament, in and of itself, is not enough to get you into the Tour Championship. Victories on Tour generally earn players somewhere between $600K and $1 million. Doing simple math, winning would only place a player one-third to one-half of the way to the magic number. Players who earn an opportunity to play in the season finale have to be consistent over the course of the year. The Tour rewards the most consistent players with a guaranteed paycheck in a no-cut event.

But, don't get me wrong — winning can help a man make the leap into the top earnings tier on Tour. For instance, Lucas Glover certainly benefited from a win at the Funai Classic two weeks ago. He picked up over $800,000 for the title. In 26 other events, though, he earned about $1.1 million. That means Lucas must have averaged over $40,000 per his remaining starts. That translates into an average of a top-15 finish over every start.

You have to be that good to get into the No. 30 spot. Imagine what it takes to get higher than that. Most people, even golf fans, have little idea of how consistently excellent a player must be to qualify for the Tour Championship. Certainly, the average fan cannot fully comprehend how hard it is to average a top-15 finish for the whole season.

But, this is par for the course for the Tour. It has a very difficult time in promoting some of its best stars rather than the interesting angles on Tour — like the race for the top 30 on the money list. The race has a lot of meaning with the players and should translate into a strong marketing tool for the Tour with fans.

I have alluded to the NASCAR points race many times and the allure that it has with common fans. People can understand the components of the points system and recognize the year's worth of hard work that goes into getting into the Chase for the Cup. If the Tour was able to do the same thing, and it appears that they will, then it may be able to lure in the more common fan. After all, who would have guessed a decade ago that guys turning left in an oval would become so popular? But, I digress.

The chase for the top 30 on the money list is one of the few times when the Tour season strings together. Often times, there is a lack of continuity in the schedule — each event is to itself and loosely affiliated with the remaining events. After all, it is sorare that most of the field carries over week to week that it is tough to follow who is playing and when and how well they are doing.

The Tour Championship, though, strives to make the season count for something. In the next television contract, hopefully this event will serve to promote and reward the many strong performances across the Tour in any given season.

Posted by Ryan Ballengee at 4:20 PM | Comments (0)

A Journey to the Top

Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit

With all due respect to Journey and former frontman Steve Perry, the story of the 2005 White Sox and their special season had absolutely nothing to do with the Motor City, and everything to do with the city of Chicago.

The world champion White Sox — Chicagoans still pinch themselves when they hear those words uttered — used a combination of grit and guile to take the title. During the postseason, the team adopted Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" as their unofficial theme song. While few actually credited any of the Sox' success to the song, the lyrics proved prophetic.

For a smile, they can share the night

It goes on and on and on and on

Just like the instant classic that was Game 3 of the World Series, the White Sox kept going — all year long.

When Juan Uribe misplayed a ball at short in the bottom of the 14th, visions of former Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez emerged. Gonzalez' error in the 2003 NLCS opened the door for the Marlins, who like the Sox, took advantage of every break presented to them.

But as the Sox drove toward history, fate clearly rode shotgun.

The Sox shared a collective smile with long-suffering fans on several nights, like when third baseman Joe Crede hit his second home run of the game into the Chicago night to win a crucial late-season contest against the charging Indians.

Or the damp night in October when slugger Paul Konerko turned around the first pitch from Astros reliever Chad Qualls for a grand slam. If the smiles were big after that shot, the grins were no doubt ear-to-ear when Great Scott Podsednik ended Game 2 of the World Series in the ninth with a solo smash, sending Sox fans home very wet and very happy.

Boston has Carlton Fisk waving the ball fair. Los Angeles has Kirk Gibson pumping his arms around the bases. And now Chicago has Pods Almighty shaking his fist.

Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard

Not much is stranger than 30-year-old rookie second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, who manager Ozzie Guillen called the team's MVP, coming straight from Japan to contribute with a .278 average and 15 home runs during the regular season.

Or a starting staff that hurled four consecutive complete games in the postseason for the first time since the 1956 World Series, when the Yankees accomplished the feat against Brooklyn.

Working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill

Hard work epitomized the 2005 White Sox, from GM Kenny Williams' vigilant retooling of the team prior to the season, to their league-best 52-29 regular-season road record, to Sox legend Frank Thomas' pursuit to get back on the field and make an impact, which he did in midseason, hitting home runs at a Ruthian pace (12 in 34 games).

Guillen led this group to the ultimate prize, but it was his selflessness that really rubbed off on the team. The former White Sox shortstop and 1985 AL Rookie of the Year routinely deflected praise in the direction of his players, even letting them celebrate on the field after clinchings without him.

A 41-year-old manager in only his second year on the job, Guillen already knew the golden rule: a manager is only as good as his players.

Some will win, some will lose

Some were born to sing the blues

The Sox didn't stop believing, even in a city filled predominantly with Cubby blue. The local and national media insisted on using the other side of town's reaction as a hook, but the Sox turned the Black Sox inside out and won their first pennant since 1959 and captured their first World Series since 1917.

What once was solely a South Side team had morphed into a city team, as the Art Institute of Chicago's bronze lions donned White Sox caps (the first time that had happened since the 1985 Bears ruled the Windy City), as did the Picasso sculpture downtown.

A blues town embraced a white-hot team. Even the lovable losers less than 10 miles north of U.S. Cellular Field sang the Sox' praises. In a sign that the apocalypse may have appeared in Chicago, the electronic sign outside Wrigley Field read, "Congratulations Chicago White Sox."

Don't stop believin'

Hold on to the feelin'

While backup Angels catcher Josh Paul may or may not have held on to the dropped third strike in the ALCS, the Sox definitely held on to the momentum, and never let go.

When a 15-game division lead slipped to one-and-a-half, the Sox in effect began playing playoff baseball games. Williams and others around the team pointed to that late-season pressure as a key to the Sox' mental toughness and success in the postseason.

While the city and the pundits prepared for a historic collapse, the Sox steadied themselves and refused to veer from what got them there, which was strong starting pitching, solid defense and timely hitting.

Almost every World Series champion in history believed they could win, but it was rare to find a team that stood alone in that belief.

It was almost laughable to suggest at the beginning of the playoffs that the Sox would win the World Series. Not only did they have history working against them, they had been pegged 2005's version of the Mariners team that won 116 regular-season games in 2001, only to lose in the ALCS to the Yankees.

As the postseason began, the media argued that playoff-tested teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels would show the Sox a thing or two. Everything would change.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The San Diego Padres limped into the 2005 playoffs looking more like a third-place team than division champs. Meanwhile, the world champion White Sox — it starts to roll off the tongue after a while — entered the postseason on a five-game winning streak, looking very much like a team that won 99 games during the regular season.

The Padres got less than no respect and played true to form, getting swept by the Cardinals while never even holding a lead in the series.

The Sox played true to form as well, thoroughly dominating the postseason and giving the world no choice but to believe in them.

A singer in a smokey room

A smell of wine and cheap perfume

The Sox sang and celebrated throughout the season, first in Detroit, then again in Boston, then a bit rowdier in Anaheim, and finally like little leaguers in Houston when they won it all. And the smell of cigar smoke — created in part by much-maligned Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who added a World Series trophy to his six NBA titles with the Bulls — was ubiquitous.

Perry was in attendance for every game of the World Series, and said before Game 2 of suddenly finding a place in baseball lore, "You could hope maybe things would happen like this, but you can hope, and it never happens."

But it did happen. And as Reinsdorf celebrated with his African American GM and Latin American manager, both of whom he has said he considered sons, the group of three reflected on what they had accomplished.

And also on the journey.

Posted by Danny Sternfield at 4:11 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 1, 2005

NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Three cheers for referee Peter Morelli, who took under a minute to uphold the call on a replay challenge Monday night, for putting the "instant" back in replay.

* There is no way Charlie Weis is going to coach Notre Dame for the next 10 years. You heard it here first.

* Late in the first quarter, with the ball at his own 2½-yard-line, Donovan McNabb called timeout with the play clock running down. The delay of game would've been a one, one-and-a-half-yard penalty. Save your timeouts.

* The loser of Sunday night's Washington/Philadelphia game will miss the playoffs.

* I hate jersey-popping. Paying $70 for a t-shirt makes you a chump, not a badass.

***

Hall of Fame nominees were announced this week, and it's another great class. We're going to have really strong groups up through the end of the decade, because it's going to take years to get all of these guys in. Twenty-five nominees will advance to a second round of voting, then that group of 25 will be narrowed to 13 finalists joining the two seniors nominees (not yet announced). A maximum of six players can be enshrined.

This year's list has one mortal lock — defensive lineman Reggie White — and a few players who are pretty close to the same: Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, and Thurman Thomas. Aikman is overrated, and I wouldn't vote for him, but he's clearly going in. Moon will be the first black quarterback in the Hall, and he's deserving. Thomas is a no-brainer, but he could have trouble this year because QB is a more glamorous position. On the other hand, some voters don't like to take more than one player from a given position, and Aikman and Moon could steal some votes from each other. If any of those guys don't get in this year, they'll make it one or two years down the line.

Narrowing the list to 25 was painful — this year's nominees are great — but here are my choices: Aikman, Moon, Thomas, Herschel Walker, Michael Irvin, Art Monk, Andre Reed, Todd Christiansen, Ben Coates, Dermontti Dawson, Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, Bob Kuechenberg, Chris Doleman, Reggie White, Harry Carson, Randy Gradishar, Derrick Thomas, Kevin Greene, Steve Atwater, Lester Hayes, Roger Wehrli, Ray Guy, Don Coryell, George Young.

There are other candidates, particularly those listed as contributors, who I'd support in less competitive years, but not this time around. If I could send four of these guys in to the class of 2006, I'd vote for Moon, Thurman Thomas, Monk, and White. Carson, Coryell, and the offensive linemen and DBs would be next on my list, not necessarily in that order.

Back to the present and the power rankings, brackets show last week's rank.

1. Indianapolis Colts [1] — I am terrified of this, and actually considered flipping a coin, but I pick the Colts to win at New England next Monday night. I know, fool me once and all that, but this year's Patriots aren't going 14-2. Also, apparently I'm just a sucker.

2. Denver Broncos [3] — Look at the schedule they've played. Seven games in a row against teams at or above .500. In fact, the only .500 team is the Chargers, who are significantly better than their record indicates. If there's a point of concern, it might be whether the Broncos can win on the road (they're 1-2 right now), but barring a major collapse, Denver will win the AFC West with room to spare.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers [2] — Blame the crowd. On that muffed punt attempt, the Steelers' fans were roaring, and players couldn't hear each other: it was like third-and-long on the road. The result was miscommunication, an early snap, a fumble, and a field goal that gave Baltimore the lead with 3:27 to play. On Pittsburgh's next drive, Ben Roethlisberger had to quiet the crowd when the Steelers were trying to run a play.

4. San Diego Chargers [5] — The worst schedule in the league this year. Seven of their eight games so far have been against teams with winning records (combined 36-22), including two trips to the East Coast, three games against teams coming off the bye, and this week's game against Kansas City, which had two extra days. The remaining schedule presents another bye-week opponent, two more trips across the country, and games against my top two teams. It's early to be forecasting for the playoffs, but it isn't unreasonable to guess that Cincinnati and Jacksonville could grab the wildcards and leave San Diego home in January.

5. Seattle Seahawks [6] — Other than the top three, teams at the top aren't really asserting themselves this season, and this is the result. I felt uneasy with Seattle as high as sixth last week, and now they're fifth without having played another game. What's more, this is just as St. Louis seems to be on the verge of a run that could put the NFC West into question again.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars [4] — Gave up a season-high 24 points against the Rams, including 179 on the ground to Steven Jackson. The Jaguars can get themselves right over the next five weeks, with opponents whose combined record is 9-27. Jacksonville's schedule from this point on is cake, with only one game (out of nine) against a team above 2-5.

7. New York Giants [15] — I have the utmost respect for Wellington Mara, and the NFL is better for his participation and love of the game. That does not mean, however, that I believe "emotion" and desire to win for Mr. Mara were behind New York's decisive victory this weekend. The Giants are a good team, and Washington didn't show up.

8. Atlanta Falcons [7] — The bye week came at a good time. Atlanta has suffered some important injuries, particularly on defense, and the extra week should give them time to heal. Also, maybe Michael Vick used the extra time to learn how to pass.

9. New England Patriots [8] — If you watch even half as much football as I do, you're really sick of hearing the same sound bytes about Tedy Bruschi over and over. One more week, and then I think they'll quiet down. Incidentally, I believe that Bruschi helped New England this weekend just as much as I believe that Mara helped the Giants.

10. Dallas Cowboys [13] — Probably should be ranked ahead of New England, but I've already picked the Pats to lose to Indianapolis, and I don't want to seem too stupid when they win. Dallas put together a nice win this weekend, but I think the team may struggle down the stretch. Many key players are over 30, and Drew Bledsoe in particular has struggled late in the season.

11. Washington Redskins [10] — Nauseatingly bad in every phase of the game. They got dominated on the line, the quarterbacking was terrible, the receivers dropped passes, the defense wasn't tackling, and the coaching was awful. Maybe Joe Gibbs should have spent less time hyping up the 49ers and more getting his team to respect the Giants. My local FOX affiliate, which — as longtime readers know — hates football fans, stuck with this game until the bitter end, even missing the beginning of Eagles/Broncos.

12. Philadelphia Eagles [9] — McNabb started the game 0-for-12 with an interception. I'm beginning to get the feeling that Andy Reid continues to call a disproportionate number of pass plays more out of stubbornness than for the good of his team. Everyone says we should run the ball, but I'll show them — 11 passes in the first 13 plays, even if we are getting slaughtered with it! That attitude didn't work too well for Mike Martz, either.

13. Kansas City Chiefs [14] — For years, the offensive line has been the strength of this team. This season, it remains among the league's best, but it isn't dominating games the way it did the last few years. On the other side of the ball, KC's run defense has clearly improved, but they looked awful on Sunday when Drew Brees threw. Especially when Antonio Gates caught.

14. Cincinnati Bengals [11] — Chad Johnson's productivity has dropped off the last couple of weeks, leading me to wonder if he should spend less time coming up with dances and sound bytes, and more time preparing for football games. If the Bengals had only intercepted three passes against Green Bay, the Packers probably would have won. Getting big plays is great, but relying on them is dangerous, because sometimes they're not going to be there, and "sometimes" happens a lot in the playoffs.

15. Carolina Panthers [16] — I don't know if it's lack of faith in guys like Keary Colbert, but Jake Delhomme locks in on one receiver and stays with him. Last year, it was Muhsin Muhammad. This season, it's Steve Smith. Take that one guy away and Delhomme may never pass the ball. Stephen Davis has averaged under three yards per carry in five consecutive games.

16. Oakland Raiders [19] — With Randy Moss gimpy, they're 2-0 and averaging 36 points a game. Don't believe the hype — the Raiders aren't going anywhere this season — but this is a pretty good team, and Norv Turner and Al Davis have to like the base they have in place for next season.

17. St. Louis Rams [23] — With the Rams playing great for Joe Vitt and Jackson looking like the RB of the future, the focus should not be on Mike Martz. But Martz, probably the pettiest coach the NFL has ever seen, won't go away, demanding attention and sympathy — not for his health problems, but for the way the Rams organization has treated him. News flash: Martz is a terrible head coach, an untrustworthy partner in a team, a public relations misstep, and so quirky as to verge on another word that is much less kind. I wouldn't want in him my organization even as offensive coordinator, but if anyone hires him as head coach, that team will regret it. Take it to the bank.

18. Chicago Bears [18] — The Bears are winning with defense and Thomas Jones (in that order), but rookie QB Kyle Orton is coming around, too. In the last month, he has five TDs and only one interception, with a passer rating of 84.3. He's taking too many sacks, but in his only sackless game this year, Orton threw five picks. Rookies make mistakes, and the good ones learn to take sacks instead of turning the ball over. Orton is showing real promise.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [12] — Last week, San Francisco couldn't stop Washington even in the fourth quarter, when the Niners knew what play was coming. This week, against the same defense, Chris Simms had three turnovers and the Bucs' RBs averaged under 1.5 yards per carry. Tampa's much-lauded defense, meanwhile, kept the 49ers out of the end zone, but had no sacks and no turnovers, and allowed San Francisco its first 100-yard rusher of the season.

20. Buffalo Bills [20] — ESPN managed to run Suzy Kolber's pointless interviews with Bruschi and Robert Kraft over Aaron Schobel's sack of Tom Brady and subsequent fumble recovery, and Rosevelt Colvin's equalizer against Kelly Holcomb. That makes FOX look good.

21. Detroit Lions [17] — NFC North teams are 5-13 against non-division teams this season. Four of the wins came against either New Orleans or Baltimore, and the other was Detroit over Cleveland. The Lions have the best non-division record, at 2-2, and their win against the Browns represents the North's only non-division road win this season.

22. Miami Dolphins [21] — Established the running game, controlled the clock, repeatedly put Aaron Brooks on the ground, and picked up their first road win of the 2005 season. Playing the Saints gets everyone right.

23. Baltimore Ravens [22] — The good news is that playing on the road, they were down to six penalties. The bad news is that, playing about as well as the team could, it still lost. The Ravens came out totally hyped for this one, caught the Steelers on an off night, and still couldn't close the deal.

24. Arizona Cardinals [24] — The bottom nine teams are relatively equal, and the only ones that won this week were Houston and San Francisco, so I'm not changing anyone's ranking. Don't be surprised by big movers in this area next week. I had a dream last Tuesday that the Cardinals started Kurt Warner. I think they should stick with Josh McCown the rest of the season and find out if he can take them anywhere.

25. New Orleans Saints [25] — Any time your quarterback is the leading rusher, and you're not the Atlanta Falcons, that's bad. The Saints played in their seventh different stadium of the season this week.

26. Tennessee Titans [26] — Chris Brown has picked things up over the last month, and he's quietly turning in a pretty solid season. The receiving corps doesn't have playmakers, though, and the defense stinks.

27. Cleveland Browns [27] — Out-rushed the Texans, averaged almost five yards a carry, and still lost, basically on fumbles. After opening 2-2, the Browns have dropped three consecutive games, all winnable. I really thought Romeo Crennel would have the Browns fired up to beat Houston, and the upset talk was just talk, but lo and behold. That's why I don't predict individual games in this column very often. I'm not sure why I'm even admitting this one.

28. Minnesota Vikings [28] — Daunte Culpepper is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but his injury can only help the team at this point. The Vikings aren't going to get any worse, and the steady hand of Brad Johnson could actually do some good at this point.

29. New York Jets [29] — This is the one team in the bottom quarter of the rankings that should probably rise, and it didn't even play this weekend. It's reasonable to guess, though, that the Jets used the bye week to sort out some of their problems on the offensive line, plus Curtis Martin got some time to get healthy, and we're a week closer to the return of Jay Fiedler. On the other hand, a quick glance at their upcoming schedule really crushes any potential optimism.

30. Green Bay Packers [30] — Did a pretty nice job defensively, and the offense made lemonade out of Antonio Chatman (8 receptions, 97 yards) and Bubba Franks (season-high 7 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown). Unfortunately, it's hard to win when you throw five interceptions. And what is up with Brett Favre throwing from beyond the line of scrimmage? Is this becoming a habit?

31. Houston Texans [31] — Making the race for first pick in the draft interesting.

32. San Francisco 49ers [32] — Only really bad teams stay in last place after a win. Sunday's game marked the first time since September 25 that San Francisco didn't lose by 17 or more.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 7:06 PM | Comments (3)

Madden Challenge: End of a Saga

Pre-Game

It was a cold, gray morning when I stepped out of the church. Rain was falling softly as the rest of the congregation hurried, under the cover of hundreds of umbrellas, to their cars. I stopped to let the moment soak in (also so I could use this pun when I wrote this column). Today was the day I was going to win the Cincinnati regional of the EA Sports Madden Challenge and begin my quest to win the $100K and immediately donate it to charity.

A little background — back in August, I officially entered the tournament, determined to win the entire thing and donate the winnings to charity. I felt I had to win it to give hope to the common man. Too many sports stories have the same cliché moral — if you want something bad enough and work hard enough to get it, you can have it. Just once, I wanted to change this to "if you want something, you can have it" and skip the work part all together. I didn't have an Xbox or "Madden 2006," but that wasn't going to stop me.

I arrived in Cincinnati late the night before the tournament and went straight to my mentor's house. Nick Hughes, infamous Cincinnati area high school athlete and casual Madden player, was going to teach me the finer points of both the game and the system. I hadn't played a video game in six months and had no clue what I was doing, (which made it surprising that I wasn't immediately offered the head coaching job at the University of Pittsburgh), but I picked it up fairly quickly.

I had a simplistic game plan — control every last bit of the two-minute-quarters I could, keeping the other team's considerably more talented offense off of the field. We decided Baltimore was the best fit as they had a defense that could keep people from scoring and an overrated running back that could chew up the clock. As simple as it sounds, it worked — I won six straight games that night on the back of Jamal Lewis in pre-prison form (averaged around 23 carries for 126 and a TD). That night, I went to bed certain that the simplistic and brief training session would be more than enough to overcome the seven-to-eight hour days of practice that the majority of the challengers were used to.

Before I left for the challenge, I asked myself what Charlie Weis would do before a big game. I decided that he would have scripted his first series, so in an effort to become an even greater coach, I scripted my first 15 plays (I still didn't know much about Madden, so it looked something like this: run, run, run, run, run, run, run, pass, run, run, run, run, pass, run, run, fake field goal pass). That last action put an official end to my months of talking the talk, and it was now time to walk the walk.

Gametime

I arrived to the site of the tournament with Hughes, who was there for both moral support and on a quest of his own for Madden glory, and we were immediately given badges, a wristband, and a hand-stamp. I was waiting for the giant sign that said, "I, like the other 500 of you, am playing in the Madden Challenge," but I guess they forgot those for this trip. Nevertheless, these were all crucial elements to be able to decipher the talent from the spectators. Tournament officials wanted to be able to easily identify where in the building the three spectators were at all times.

After I registered, I immediately began sifting through my notebook and looking at my plays, hoping to intimidate everyone by passing myself off as someone who knew what he was doing. I was so focused on intimidation I didn't see who I was paired up with in the first round. As I glanced at the ridiculously-oversized bracket my heart sank. My first-round opponent was none other than Nick Hughes, the same Nick Hughes that taught me everything I knew about Madden.

I quickly came to terms with it, because I figured that if I wanted to be the man, I had to beat the man (if I was able to narrate my own life as it happened, a la Fred Savage, I would've followed this up with a big Ric Flair-esque "woo!"). I opened the game on offense and immediately began to impose my will on Nick's pitiful defense. I alternated between running Jamal Lewis to the right and then to the left as I marched down the field and then hit Nick with the Pontiac game-changing performance — a 28-yard play-action pass to Todd Heap. Two plays later, Jamal Lewis busted through the line and into the end zone to give me a 7-0 lead.

I then decided to shift all of my effort from the game to my new task — relentlessly taunting Nick. He went a quick three-and-out largely in part to his inability to handle my various jokes and witty comments. We attracted a few spectators as I began to count my chickens before they hatched as loudly and obnoxiously as possible.

I promptly followed that up by turning it over on the very next drive in humiliating fashion with a Jamal Lewis fumble (that I may or may not have caused attempting to turn a 6-yard gain into a TD by pitching the ball to a fullback). After another impressively awful offensive performance by Nick, (he had the Brett Favre "I'm Brett Favre, I Don't Throw Five Interceptions Against the Freakin' Bengals" look on his face, which I enjoyed thoroughly) I took control of my offense and slowly killed the clock.

Feeling an overwhelming sense of pity for my mentor as I was slowly ripping the win from him, I opened up my playbook and decided to end the game in a shoot-out. To the enjoyment of the fans, Nick and I put on an impressive show by immediately trading interceptions and giving the ball back and forth until the clock mercifully ran out. I was able to ride Jamal Lewis and his 17 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown to my first ever Madden Challenge victory.

That's where the story ends. After Madden officials refused to let me retire undefeated, I faced some kid who had traded in his life for his Madden prowess (he had logged over 200 online games in the short few months that the game had been out) in the next game. He soundly and mercifully beat me 21-0. I ended the first half with three yards of total offense and an injured quarterback. Jamal Lewis had magically shifted to post-prison Jamal and my defense was worse because of me (I confused the dive button for the accelerate button, so my defenders first instinct was to fall down when someone ran at them).

In the end, I just didn't have the magic, although I will continue to blame the weather (it was 76 and sunny) and the injuries (losing Kyle Boller, who was 1-for-2 for 28 yards in my victory and 0-for-4 with an INT before he got hurt, was a crushing blow) for my loss. There would be no victory parade, no glory without hard work, no championship trophy, and certainly no trip to Hawaii. But there's always next year.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. BetOnSports.com gives you the greatest sports action to bet on. Wager on football, cricket, boxing, Rugby, horse racing, and more. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 6:02 PM | Comments (0)