It's that time, folks. Time to take the Pro-Bowl out to the woods, tie it to the tree and give it the Old Yeller treatment. Yes, we all love football and an extra week of it is always good but the Pro-Bowl has rabies, and it's spreading. The NFL is doing everything it can think of to save their All-Star game, but this year could truly show that it's time to put the old dog down.
Instead of having the Pro-Bowl the week after the Super Bowl, in the tropical sun of Hawaii, they have decided to hold it the week BEFORE the Super Bowl, on the same turf as the Super Bowl. Now, the positive in this is that no one will completely forget about the Pro-Bowl like they do most years. Instead, it's thrust into our faces like the specials at Applebee's. ESPN and the NFL will not LET us forget about the Pro-Bowl.
Now, let's look at the negative aspects this could have on the NFL. First, there's the turf. I know there is a full week between the games but did anyone see what numerous games did to the Citrus Bowl in Florida this year? A couple NCAA Bowl Games, a few High School Football games and we had a field that looked like the Battle of Gettysburg had been waged on. I can see it now, Peyton Manning dropping back to pass and stumbling over a huge chunk of sod that has been supplanted from the field by a 350 pound lineman.
And what do we do if this changing of the date DOESN'T boost ratings for the game? The NFL will then realize that it doesn't matter when this poor excuse for a football game is played. No one is going to watch it. What's the next step? I honestly can't think of another way that the NFL can make the Pro-Bowl matter.
Then there's the players. Having the Pro-Bowl the week BEFORE the Super Bowl guarantees that the biggest stars, on the best teams, will NOT participate! There is no chance in hell that Peyton Manning or Drew Brees are going to risk getting injured, in a game that doesn't matter, with the possibility of raising the Lombardi Trophy looming. What's the point of an All-Star game that doesn't have all the All-Stars?
I think I have a solution. The NFL needs to take the route of Baseball, Basketball and Hockey. Put it in the middle of the season. Give every NFL team two weeks off after week eight. Then you've got a week for the Pro-Bowl and a week off for everyone. Not only does this make the Pro-Bowl a better game to watch, you can also push the Super Bowl back a whole week, making the NFL season last just a little bit longer. Maybe it's not the best idea, but it's better than what is in place now.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Super Bowl 44 Set to Excite
What a great Sunday it was. Both Conference Championship games were absolutely amazing and neither one disappointed. After the dust settled and the Overtime field goal was kicked, knocking the ageless wonder out of the playoffs, and possibly the NFL, we have a great matchup for Super Bowl 44 (I'm tired of the Roman Numerals, and I think the NFL will be too once we hit "50." I mean, seriously, who wants to watch "Super Bowl L?"). Peyton Manning and the high flying offense of the Colts against Drew Brees and the high flying offense of the Saints.
So, we've got two high octane offenses led by two quarterback's with great arms, one of which is a sure fire Hall-of-Famer and one who is continually making his case as one of the best field generals in the league. Peyton Manning has a trio of reliable receivers in Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and the Haitian Sensation, Pierre Garcon. Drew Brees has Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush, not to mention the running of Pierre Thomas.
I think the only thing that really seperates the Colts and the Saints is their defensive units. I've seen the Colts step-up when the absolutely have to, like Sunday when they were down to the Jets and dug in their heels and came back to win. The Saints, while giving up 28 points, were still able to fly around on every play, pressure the quarterback (hitting Favre on numerous occasions), and get five turnovers, including an interception with under 15 seconds left in the game to send it to overtime. I think, overall, the Saints have a better defense, especially when it comes to creating turnovers.
So, who will win this game? Well, we've got two good stories here. First, as mentioned before, is the fact that Pierre Garcon is Haitian. He draped the flag of Haiti over the AFC Championship trophy during the presentation. As for the Saints, we've got the recovering city of New Orleans that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, forcing the Saints to play almost all road games one season. And intertwined in all these stories is Archie Manning: the man who played for the Saints during their only other successful period in franchise history, whose son is Peyton Manning. I can't even begin to imagine the way his heart is pulling in two different directions.
Any way you slice it, the Super Bowl is going to be very exciting and probably one of the best of my lifetime but we will have to wait and see if that is truly the case.
So, we've got two high octane offenses led by two quarterback's with great arms, one of which is a sure fire Hall-of-Famer and one who is continually making his case as one of the best field generals in the league. Peyton Manning has a trio of reliable receivers in Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and the Haitian Sensation, Pierre Garcon. Drew Brees has Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush, not to mention the running of Pierre Thomas.
I think the only thing that really seperates the Colts and the Saints is their defensive units. I've seen the Colts step-up when the absolutely have to, like Sunday when they were down to the Jets and dug in their heels and came back to win. The Saints, while giving up 28 points, were still able to fly around on every play, pressure the quarterback (hitting Favre on numerous occasions), and get five turnovers, including an interception with under 15 seconds left in the game to send it to overtime. I think, overall, the Saints have a better defense, especially when it comes to creating turnovers.
So, who will win this game? Well, we've got two good stories here. First, as mentioned before, is the fact that Pierre Garcon is Haitian. He draped the flag of Haiti over the AFC Championship trophy during the presentation. As for the Saints, we've got the recovering city of New Orleans that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, forcing the Saints to play almost all road games one season. And intertwined in all these stories is Archie Manning: the man who played for the Saints during their only other successful period in franchise history, whose son is Peyton Manning. I can't even begin to imagine the way his heart is pulling in two different directions.
Any way you slice it, the Super Bowl is going to be very exciting and probably one of the best of my lifetime but we will have to wait and see if that is truly the case.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise...
...but not really.
Mark McGwire has finally admitted that he used Steroids during his playing career, including the 1998 season which saw him break Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs. I guess I am torn about this. I'm glad that Big Mac finally came clean and decided to talk about the past, something he refused to do in front of a Grand Jury in 2005, but I'm also pissed because he lied to us for so long.
Now, we all knew he was lying but rather than keep the charade going, this should have come out a long, long time ago. Maybe if he would have come clean in those court hearings, other superstars would have followed his example. Instead, we still "don't know" whether or not Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens or David Ortiz took steroids.
McGwire decided it was time to come clean because he was going to be coaching young ballplayers for the St. Louis Cardinals, something I am vehemently against as noted in my blog back when this announcement was made. Now, if you're the Cardinals, aren't you rethinking the idea of bringing in McGwire, even just a little bit? Do you really want that media storm around your Clubhouse? Every home run that gets hit by a Cardinals player is going to be questioned. "I wonder how much Mark is 'helping' those players!"
The best part about him coming clean is the fact that we will finally find out what the Baseball Writers Association of America is going to think of steroid using players. Next year, when the Hall of Fame voting comes around, we're going to see what McGwire's fate is. I think he knows what will happen, which is why he waited to make his announcement until AFTER this year's balloting.
Anyway you slice it, the man was a cheater and he has tainted the game forever. If he and Sammy don't have that battle that year, maybe Bonds doesn't feel the need to juice, allegedly, and he doesn't blow up and hit 73 homers. He altered the game and there is no denying that fact. McGwire said in his statement that he wishes he never would have played in the steroid era. I wish he wouldn't have played at all.
Mark McGwire has finally admitted that he used Steroids during his playing career, including the 1998 season which saw him break Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs. I guess I am torn about this. I'm glad that Big Mac finally came clean and decided to talk about the past, something he refused to do in front of a Grand Jury in 2005, but I'm also pissed because he lied to us for so long.
Now, we all knew he was lying but rather than keep the charade going, this should have come out a long, long time ago. Maybe if he would have come clean in those court hearings, other superstars would have followed his example. Instead, we still "don't know" whether or not Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens or David Ortiz took steroids.
McGwire decided it was time to come clean because he was going to be coaching young ballplayers for the St. Louis Cardinals, something I am vehemently against as noted in my blog back when this announcement was made. Now, if you're the Cardinals, aren't you rethinking the idea of bringing in McGwire, even just a little bit? Do you really want that media storm around your Clubhouse? Every home run that gets hit by a Cardinals player is going to be questioned. "I wonder how much Mark is 'helping' those players!"
The best part about him coming clean is the fact that we will finally find out what the Baseball Writers Association of America is going to think of steroid using players. Next year, when the Hall of Fame voting comes around, we're going to see what McGwire's fate is. I think he knows what will happen, which is why he waited to make his announcement until AFTER this year's balloting.
Anyway you slice it, the man was a cheater and he has tainted the game forever. If he and Sammy don't have that battle that year, maybe Bonds doesn't feel the need to juice, allegedly, and he doesn't blow up and hit 73 homers. He altered the game and there is no denying that fact. McGwire said in his statement that he wishes he never would have played in the steroid era. I wish he wouldn't have played at all.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Hall Of Fame Edition
Today is the day that the Hall of Fame inductees will be announce by the Baseball Writers of America. There are 26 eligible players up for induction and to gain entry into the Hall and a player needs to receive a vote from at least 75% of the Baseball Writers to become a Hall of Famer. This year, there are ten first timers on the ballot. Included in the group are Roberto Alomar, Edgar Martinez, Barry Larkin and Fred McGriff. All in all, there are 15 first time nominees. Many of them will be a "one and done" vote as you must receive at least 5% of all votes to stay on the ballot. The Writers can vote for up to ten players but don't even have to vote for one. It's quite a procedure and it all comes together today.
So, who should go in? Well, first, let's look at the ballot.
New Candidates Returning Candidates
-Roberto Alomar -Andre Dawson
-Kevin Appier -Bert Blyleven
-Ellis Burks -Lee Smith
-Andres Galarraga -Jack Morris
-Pat Hentgen -Tim Raines
-Mike Jackson -Mark McGwire
-Eric Karros -Alan Trammel
-Ray Lankford -Dave Parker
-Barry Larkin -Don Mattingly
-Edgar Martinez -Dale Murphy
-Fred McGriff -Harold Baines
-Shane Reynolds
-David Segui
-Robin Ventura
-Todd Zeile
Of the returning candidates, I can really only see Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven as finally getting the nod. Dawson is in his ninth year of eligibility and received 67% votes last year while Blyleven received 62.7% of votes, entering his 13th year of eligibility. These are the two I would vote for if I had a vote, but I don't.
As for the newbies, I like Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin to get in on their first ballot. I think there are a few others that will eventually get elected in but they won't be first ballot Hall of Famers. Edgar Martinez and Fred McGriff fall into this category. Ellis Burks is another wild card. I just don't know if he did enough in his career to warrant entrance into the Hall of Fame.
There are also a few guys on this list who will fall short of the 5% needed to stay on the ballot. Mike Jackson, Shane Reynolds and Todd Zeile are three that I think will never be seen on a Hall of Fame ballot again.
Now, as for the future, Randy Johnson announced his retirement yesterday and in five years, he will be a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer. He has the second most strikeouts in history, 303 wins, a World Series title, a better Strikouts per Nine Innings percentage than Nolan Ryan and he obliterated a bird with one of his fastballs. Not to mention his perfect game in 2004, five Cy young Awards and 10 All Star selections. If Randy Johnson doesn't get in on the first ballot, I will eat my shoe.
Hopefully the announcement will come down at some point today as to who the Hall of Fame Inductees are. Once it does, make sure to check out my predictions to see if I'm right!
EDIT - 2:24 p.m.
The votes have been calculated and only Andre Dawson gets in. Really a shame as Blyleven misses by 0.8% and Alomar misses by 1.3% Sometimes I wonder if the Baseball Writers even like the game.
So, who should go in? Well, first, let's look at the ballot.
New Candidates Returning Candidates
-Roberto Alomar -Andre Dawson
-Kevin Appier -Bert Blyleven
-Ellis Burks -Lee Smith
-Andres Galarraga -Jack Morris
-Pat Hentgen -Tim Raines
-Mike Jackson -Mark McGwire
-Eric Karros -Alan Trammel
-Ray Lankford -Dave Parker
-Barry Larkin -Don Mattingly
-Edgar Martinez -Dale Murphy
-Fred McGriff -Harold Baines
-Shane Reynolds
-David Segui
-Robin Ventura
-Todd Zeile
Of the returning candidates, I can really only see Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven as finally getting the nod. Dawson is in his ninth year of eligibility and received 67% votes last year while Blyleven received 62.7% of votes, entering his 13th year of eligibility. These are the two I would vote for if I had a vote, but I don't.
As for the newbies, I like Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin to get in on their first ballot. I think there are a few others that will eventually get elected in but they won't be first ballot Hall of Famers. Edgar Martinez and Fred McGriff fall into this category. Ellis Burks is another wild card. I just don't know if he did enough in his career to warrant entrance into the Hall of Fame.
There are also a few guys on this list who will fall short of the 5% needed to stay on the ballot. Mike Jackson, Shane Reynolds and Todd Zeile are three that I think will never be seen on a Hall of Fame ballot again.
Now, as for the future, Randy Johnson announced his retirement yesterday and in five years, he will be a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer. He has the second most strikeouts in history, 303 wins, a World Series title, a better Strikouts per Nine Innings percentage than Nolan Ryan and he obliterated a bird with one of his fastballs. Not to mention his perfect game in 2004, five Cy young Awards and 10 All Star selections. If Randy Johnson doesn't get in on the first ballot, I will eat my shoe.
Hopefully the announcement will come down at some point today as to who the Hall of Fame Inductees are. Once it does, make sure to check out my predictions to see if I'm right!
EDIT - 2:24 p.m.
The votes have been calculated and only Andre Dawson gets in. Really a shame as Blyleven misses by 0.8% and Alomar misses by 1.3% Sometimes I wonder if the Baseball Writers even like the game.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Boise State: National Champions
Ladies and Gentlemen, last night your BCS Champion was crowned. The Boise State Broncos defeated the TCU Horned Frogs, 17-10 to finish their season (Regular and Bowl) at a record-tying 14-0. They beat the Pac-10 and MWC Champs, both of which went to BCS Bowls, and they also beat a total of five bowl teams in the regular season (Oregon, Bowling Green, Idaho, Nevada, Fresno State).
The Broncos went 12-1 last season, losing only to TCU, by one point, in a bowl game. In 2007, their only loss came on the road, to a Hawaii team that lost only one game, a BCS Bowl, to Georgia. In 2006, Boise State went 13-0 including a BCS Bowl victory over Oklahoma that we all remember. That's two perfect seasons in a four year span with no National Championships to show for it. Until now.
I say the Broncos declare themselves National Champions of all of NCAA Football. Why not? They meet the criteria. They are undefeated, the play in Division 1-FBS and the won a BCS Bowl. How do you not give this team the National Championship? Where is their Crystal Football?
They outscored their opponents 591 to 240. Other Division 1-FBS schools won't even schedule "Home and Home" contests with Boise State. They say it's because their stadium is too small. I say they're scared. They're scared of the blue turf, the fans in Boise and the coaching genius that is Chris Peterson. Oregon found that out first hand, as they were one of the first, if not the first, to schedule a "Home and Home." The result? Boise State-2, Oregon-0. Don't expect them to do that again.
If nothing else, the BCS needs to create a +1 game where, if two or teams finish their BCS bowl undefeated (in this case Boise State and the winner of the Texas/Alabama game), they should play each other to declare the winner the National Champion, otherwise the system remains flawed. The BCS is good at showing which teams do and don't belong in the roll of "Champion." Cincinnati showed us that. But to not give Boise State a crack at the big trophy is a shame.
The Broncos went 12-1 last season, losing only to TCU, by one point, in a bowl game. In 2007, their only loss came on the road, to a Hawaii team that lost only one game, a BCS Bowl, to Georgia. In 2006, Boise State went 13-0 including a BCS Bowl victory over Oklahoma that we all remember. That's two perfect seasons in a four year span with no National Championships to show for it. Until now.
I say the Broncos declare themselves National Champions of all of NCAA Football. Why not? They meet the criteria. They are undefeated, the play in Division 1-FBS and the won a BCS Bowl. How do you not give this team the National Championship? Where is their Crystal Football?
They outscored their opponents 591 to 240. Other Division 1-FBS schools won't even schedule "Home and Home" contests with Boise State. They say it's because their stadium is too small. I say they're scared. They're scared of the blue turf, the fans in Boise and the coaching genius that is Chris Peterson. Oregon found that out first hand, as they were one of the first, if not the first, to schedule a "Home and Home." The result? Boise State-2, Oregon-0. Don't expect them to do that again.
If nothing else, the BCS needs to create a +1 game where, if two or teams finish their BCS bowl undefeated (in this case Boise State and the winner of the Texas/Alabama game), they should play each other to declare the winner the National Champion, otherwise the system remains flawed. The BCS is good at showing which teams do and don't belong in the roll of "Champion." Cincinnati showed us that. But to not give Boise State a crack at the big trophy is a shame.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
The Bowl Season So Far
First and foremost, I want to congratulate my Bowling Green Falcons for a great season that took us to a bowl game and saw us finish the season with a winning record. The new coaching staff that is in place is going to be great for a lot of years and I couldn't be happier with the direction this team is heading. That being said, we just couldn't hold on in the end to win the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl.
With 30+ seconds remaining, Freddie Barnes caught his final collegiate catch, and it was a touchdown to put the Falcons up by seven. Not only that, it was also his 17th catch of the game and 155th catch of the season, breaking Manny Hazard's single season record set back in 1989. FredEx was one of just a few weapons that the Falcons put on the field every week, was triple teamed and still had the talent to catch everything thrown his way. Unfortunately, the season didn't end with a victory. But what a game! Idaho had a 50 yard pass to get them in striking distance, caught a (questionable) touchdown with four seconds remaining and went for the 2-point conversion and got it. A well deserved win for the Vandals.
Speaking of well deserved, the Bearcats of Cincinnati got owned by Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators. Cinci looked like they didn't even belong in a bowl game the way they got manhandled. Tebow, alone, accounted for 531 yards of offense. Are you kidding me? Does the Big lEast know what "defense" is? Had Flordia wanted to put 70 points on the board, they easily could have. I guess the team really wanted to give Urban Meyer an easy time, knowing his heart is in a bit of trouble. "No need to worry or stress, coach. We're playing Cincinnati."
In other Big lEast news, Bobby Bowden went out on top at Florida State, taking down the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Rutgers seems to be one of the only Big East teams that can actually get it done when it counts. Anyways, it was nice to see Bobby Bowden go out on top (kind of). The man made that school's football program what it is and without him, they'd still be a bottom feeder in the ACC. Bowden goes out as one of the best coaches to ever coach the game.
One of the other top five coaches of all time, Joe Paterno, had a great day yesterday as well. The Nittany Lions of Penn State were able to take down LSU in a game played on a disaster of a football field. If I'm Capital One, I'm asking for my money back because my logo was ruined five minutes into the game. Chunks of sod were coming up any time someone tried to plant a foot. The field really helped Penn State slow down the usually fast Tigers.
It was a great day for the Big 10/11 all around as the Ohio State Buckeyes, led by Terrelle Pryor, took down an Oregon offense that was thought to be nearly unstoppable. Well, the Buckeyes held them to just 17 points. OSU dominated every aspect of the game. Ohio State offense racked up 419 yards of offense and held Oregon to 260. Ohio State held the ball for 41:37 while Oregon only had it for 18:23, a result of Ohio State running 89 plays to the Ducks 53. Oregon had 20 more penalty yards and one more turnover, one being a costly fumble into, and out of, the endzone which gave the Buckeyes the ball at the 20. Lagarrette Blount punched a Boise State player to start the season and his entire fan base in the gut to end the season.
And the best part of all of this??? There is MORE to come!!! We still get to see TCU and Boise State lock horns, the Big Ten can win it's 2nd BCS game of the season with a win over Georgia Tech and then on Thursday, Alabama and Texas go at it in a battle for the BCS National Championship. Look, I think the Bowl system is definitely flawed, but this is a fun game to watch and the more games, the better!
With 30+ seconds remaining, Freddie Barnes caught his final collegiate catch, and it was a touchdown to put the Falcons up by seven. Not only that, it was also his 17th catch of the game and 155th catch of the season, breaking Manny Hazard's single season record set back in 1989. FredEx was one of just a few weapons that the Falcons put on the field every week, was triple teamed and still had the talent to catch everything thrown his way. Unfortunately, the season didn't end with a victory. But what a game! Idaho had a 50 yard pass to get them in striking distance, caught a (questionable) touchdown with four seconds remaining and went for the 2-point conversion and got it. A well deserved win for the Vandals.
Speaking of well deserved, the Bearcats of Cincinnati got owned by Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators. Cinci looked like they didn't even belong in a bowl game the way they got manhandled. Tebow, alone, accounted for 531 yards of offense. Are you kidding me? Does the Big lEast know what "defense" is? Had Flordia wanted to put 70 points on the board, they easily could have. I guess the team really wanted to give Urban Meyer an easy time, knowing his heart is in a bit of trouble. "No need to worry or stress, coach. We're playing Cincinnati."
In other Big lEast news, Bobby Bowden went out on top at Florida State, taking down the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Rutgers seems to be one of the only Big East teams that can actually get it done when it counts. Anyways, it was nice to see Bobby Bowden go out on top (kind of). The man made that school's football program what it is and without him, they'd still be a bottom feeder in the ACC. Bowden goes out as one of the best coaches to ever coach the game.
One of the other top five coaches of all time, Joe Paterno, had a great day yesterday as well. The Nittany Lions of Penn State were able to take down LSU in a game played on a disaster of a football field. If I'm Capital One, I'm asking for my money back because my logo was ruined five minutes into the game. Chunks of sod were coming up any time someone tried to plant a foot. The field really helped Penn State slow down the usually fast Tigers.
It was a great day for the Big 10/11 all around as the Ohio State Buckeyes, led by Terrelle Pryor, took down an Oregon offense that was thought to be nearly unstoppable. Well, the Buckeyes held them to just 17 points. OSU dominated every aspect of the game. Ohio State offense racked up 419 yards of offense and held Oregon to 260. Ohio State held the ball for 41:37 while Oregon only had it for 18:23, a result of Ohio State running 89 plays to the Ducks 53. Oregon had 20 more penalty yards and one more turnover, one being a costly fumble into, and out of, the endzone which gave the Buckeyes the ball at the 20. Lagarrette Blount punched a Boise State player to start the season and his entire fan base in the gut to end the season.
And the best part of all of this??? There is MORE to come!!! We still get to see TCU and Boise State lock horns, the Big Ten can win it's 2nd BCS game of the season with a win over Georgia Tech and then on Thursday, Alabama and Texas go at it in a battle for the BCS National Championship. Look, I think the Bowl system is definitely flawed, but this is a fun game to watch and the more games, the better!
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