I've been noticing much talk lately about Ray Lewis and his
prediction that the Ravens will win the Super Bowl because of as he puts
it, (not an exact quote) "all he's sacrificed for God."
I'm
not going to get into a major theological discussion here, but because
of Ray, more and and more people are talking about if God cares about
who wins the Super Bowl.
I'm going to change the
discussion somewhat so that I can talk about what the Bible says about
God. I'm not going to give you my INTERPRETATION of what it says, but a
basic summary of some verses and their teaching which results in some
conclusive principles about WHO God Is. In other words I'm simply going
to tell you what the Bible says, NOT what I THINK it means. Once we start telling people what we think it means, we start saying incorrect things (like Ray Lewis.)
The first point I want to make is that God determines the
outcome of EVERYTHING. There are no exceptions. The book of Job tells
us every SINGLE rain drop falls and every last lightening strike happens
exactly when and where God determines.
The theological term is "sovereignty." Everything happens within God's control to accomplish His sovereign purpose.
God says (I won't list the verses but will provide the references
if you ask) that he determines the victors in every war or battle. The
Bible says God determines the outcome of every single roll of the dice.
He determines the exact amount of hairs on every single person's head,
and He determines the exact number of days that each of us lives.
WE make plans, God decides the actual direction they take and
their outcome. Even when we choose to do the wrong thing (sin) God will
use that wrong thing in such a way that His plan will still be
accomplished. What we did was still wrong and we will be held
accountable for that wrong act, thought or deed, but NOTHING we do can
thwart any of His plans.
Some people say God CONTROLS all things. The Bible refines that
way of thinking. It's not exactly accurate. God doesn't control us to
sin. We do that ourselves. God makes no one sin. But sovereignty allows
for us to sin in such a way that God's plan will still be accomplished.
(That's as deep as I'm going to get in this area. If you want to know
more, join a good Bible study or join a church that gets seriously deep
into the discussion.)
Getting back to Ray Lewis and the
Super Bowl. God does NOT grant favors based on how we serve Him.
People who say those things have an improper view of God and the Bible.
We
can do nothing to gain God's favor. We can't somehow "buy" his good
graces. God's blessings and gifts to us come with no strings attached.
He gives us these things because He loves us. This is called GRACE.
Grace is a totally free gift from God given to us out of complete
altruistic love.
We don't bargain with God. We don't barter with God. We may TRY,
but that's just something we do wrong. God does not and never will
bargain with us. He expects certain things. He tells us what those
expectations are in His Word (the Bible) and IF we love Him, we will
accomplish most of those things on a regular basis because He will also
give us the ability to accomplish those tasks.
It's never about what we want. It's always about what HE wants. Always.
Getting back to the game on Sunday...
God has already determined the winner of this year's Super Bowl
(and next year's Super Bowl, and the year after that, and every World
Series Championship winner as well.)
But he doesn't determine the outcome based on His 'favorite team," or on which
team has "the most faithful Christians." He determines the winner based
on His sovereign plan for the universe. The winner, and how they win,
will accomplish a very small part of His overall purpose. God always
works out every single event in such a way that He ultimately will get
the most glory. He's the only one who knows what must happen in order to
accomplish that goal.
Ray Lewis and the Ravens may very well win the Super Bowl on
Sunday. The Niners may win as well. But the team that wins won't be
winning simply because God is "favoring them" in some way.
The outcome will affect hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. Those people are also part of God's equation. It's not just the players on the field. But for God, this is just a normal day in which He's sovereign. Monday will be that way, too.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wolves Lose to Clippers
Coach Adelman was back last night. So was Pekovic.
The result was the same as MOST of their games lately, but consisdering the opponent was the Clippers, it was a much better game.
Small steps. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
The result was the same as MOST of their games lately, but consisdering the opponent was the Clippers, it was a much better game.
Small steps. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Wild Win
I turned the game on just after the Wild scored their first goal, so I missed it. I left the room just before the end of the first period and when I came back I found out they had scored again.
I hate hockey. There's no rhyme or reason to the scoring.
In football, you have long drives and you can enjoy the build-up for the score. When the other team is on offense, you can usually take a quick break knowing your team isn't going to score while you are gone.
In baseball, it's a gradual loading of the bases with the occasional homerun, and you know your team isn't going to score while the other team is batting. Constant viewing isn't necessary.
Hockey is like waiting for water to boil. You can watch it closely, intently for 10 minutes and nothing happens. You turn to ask a question and you missed the boiling point.
Except that with hockey, no matter how closely you watch, you don't even KNOW if the water is going to boil. You might end up watching it for hours with no bubbles at all.
I'm guessing most people who watch hockey miss most of the goals. They won't admit it, but they aren't watching when someone scores either.
I reiterate. I hate hockey.
I hate hockey. There's no rhyme or reason to the scoring.
In football, you have long drives and you can enjoy the build-up for the score. When the other team is on offense, you can usually take a quick break knowing your team isn't going to score while you are gone.
In baseball, it's a gradual loading of the bases with the occasional homerun, and you know your team isn't going to score while the other team is batting. Constant viewing isn't necessary.
Hockey is like waiting for water to boil. You can watch it closely, intently for 10 minutes and nothing happens. You turn to ask a question and you missed the boiling point.
Except that with hockey, no matter how closely you watch, you don't even KNOW if the water is going to boil. You might end up watching it for hours with no bubbles at all.
I'm guessing most people who watch hockey miss most of the goals. They won't admit it, but they aren't watching when someone scores either.
I reiterate. I hate hockey.
Media Licensing
College football stars and basketball stars don't get paid by their universities.
BUT these universities get billions of dollars by selling the rights to these games to television. They also proudly display the IMAGES of these unpaid players to promote their games.
There's now a lawsuit afoot.
SHOULD the players receive compensation for the use of their images during the promotion and telecasts of their games? Not the university paying them, per se, but some type of media fund set up through licencing agreements that gives them a percentage of the billions that the universities receive for using them this way.
I LOVE the idea. Big time colleges get billions of dollars and never have to share it with the players who are responsible for them receiving that money. They literally get rich off players who get nothing other than room, board, and tuition in return.
Times are changing. The current lawsuit may go nowhere. But the next one will have more success. And these lawsuits aren't going to quit coming. Eventually the NCAA will be forced to come up with something that is equitable for their slave labor.
Major colleges are like pro sports franchises except they have little of the operating costs. All of that is about to change.
And that's a change I can really get behind.
BUT these universities get billions of dollars by selling the rights to these games to television. They also proudly display the IMAGES of these unpaid players to promote their games.
There's now a lawsuit afoot.
SHOULD the players receive compensation for the use of their images during the promotion and telecasts of their games? Not the university paying them, per se, but some type of media fund set up through licencing agreements that gives them a percentage of the billions that the universities receive for using them this way.
I LOVE the idea. Big time colleges get billions of dollars and never have to share it with the players who are responsible for them receiving that money. They literally get rich off players who get nothing other than room, board, and tuition in return.
Times are changing. The current lawsuit may go nowhere. But the next one will have more success. And these lawsuits aren't going to quit coming. Eventually the NCAA will be forced to come up with something that is equitable for their slave labor.
Major colleges are like pro sports franchises except they have little of the operating costs. All of that is about to change.
And that's a change I can really get behind.
Football and Violent Contact
I've been putting off writing this blog until somebody other than me says it.
Yesterday, Ravens safety Ed Reed said it. He says he does feel for all of those NFL players who have had major concussion syndromes and are having to deal with it now that they are retired.
BUT, and I agree with him here, he also added "you signed up for it when you joined the NFL."
Remember the old saying. "Football isn't a contact sport, it's a collision sport." That saying has been around for at least 50 years, and everybody who has ever played in the NFL KNOWS the reality of it.
I'm not saying I don't feel sorry for those players, what I'm saying is that they KNEW going in that this game was potentially health-threatening. They all talk to older players. They all notice the slurring of words. Yet they now want to blame the game itself for not being safer, even though the game itself is always trying to improve player safety.
The days of clocking a wide receiver from behind just to take him out of the game is long gone. There are no more Fred "The Hammer" Williamsons roaming the defensive backfields.
Helmets have improved. New rules are constantly being added to protect players. And players themselves are getting more instruction on what to look for in cases of brain trauma.
But guess what? Football is still a collision sport and its best players aren't leaving the game when hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake.
They KNOW the risks. No one FORCES them to play the game. They are literaly trading long-term health for money that that they could never hope of getting anywhere else.
Those are individual decisions.
How about this rule? You get a concussion of ANY kind or type and, for your long-term health, you must retire and forfeit your contract. You no longer have the choice. The league makes it FOR you.
IF players want to be protected, they can be protected. It's just that NONE will give up their job for long-term health. How do I know this? NONE have quit so far.
Coal miners continue to mine coal despite the risks. NFL players have much better working conditions and salaries. They signed up for it. The problem is that they don't want to take responsibility for their decisions. They want the right to blame others for the consequences of their decisions.
I don't think they should have it both ways. Play the game or quit the game. Football IS a collision sport. And some of those collisions are really, really dangerous.
Yesterday, Ravens safety Ed Reed said it. He says he does feel for all of those NFL players who have had major concussion syndromes and are having to deal with it now that they are retired.
BUT, and I agree with him here, he also added "you signed up for it when you joined the NFL."
Remember the old saying. "Football isn't a contact sport, it's a collision sport." That saying has been around for at least 50 years, and everybody who has ever played in the NFL KNOWS the reality of it.
I'm not saying I don't feel sorry for those players, what I'm saying is that they KNEW going in that this game was potentially health-threatening. They all talk to older players. They all notice the slurring of words. Yet they now want to blame the game itself for not being safer, even though the game itself is always trying to improve player safety.
The days of clocking a wide receiver from behind just to take him out of the game is long gone. There are no more Fred "The Hammer" Williamsons roaming the defensive backfields.
Helmets have improved. New rules are constantly being added to protect players. And players themselves are getting more instruction on what to look for in cases of brain trauma.
But guess what? Football is still a collision sport and its best players aren't leaving the game when hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake.
They KNOW the risks. No one FORCES them to play the game. They are literaly trading long-term health for money that that they could never hope of getting anywhere else.
Those are individual decisions.
How about this rule? You get a concussion of ANY kind or type and, for your long-term health, you must retire and forfeit your contract. You no longer have the choice. The league makes it FOR you.
IF players want to be protected, they can be protected. It's just that NONE will give up their job for long-term health. How do I know this? NONE have quit so far.
Coal miners continue to mine coal despite the risks. NFL players have much better working conditions and salaries. They signed up for it. The problem is that they don't want to take responsibility for their decisions. They want the right to blame others for the consequences of their decisions.
I don't think they should have it both ways. Play the game or quit the game. Football IS a collision sport. And some of those collisions are really, really dangerous.
Baseball and PEDs
Here we go again. This time a disgruntled employee at a wellness clinic in Miami decided to release confidential records to a local newspaper.
A-Rod is on the list. So is the Nationals fantastic pitcher Gio Gonzalez.
HGH is the term being bandied about the most, the drug that baseball is going to be testing for regularly this season.
Newer drugs, not currently being tested for like IGF-1 and GHRP are also being mentioned.
Is this a game of cat and mouse? Players always looking for advantages in drugs that aren't screened for in regular testing and using them until they too have quit and find something else.
Baseball isn't really cleaning up its sport. What it's really doing is getting players to try more and more exotic drugs that cannot be tested for. That's scary. And it's only going to get worse.
In a sport that pays hundreds of millions to its greatest stars, some are going to take every advantage they can to make sure they get that money. That's the reality.
That's the sad reality.
And baseball isn't going to get better. It's just going to get more dangerous for players who break the rules.
No solutions are going to be offered here today. I don't think there are any.
You can't change human nature. And human nature has a very, very dark side.
A-Rod is on the list. So is the Nationals fantastic pitcher Gio Gonzalez.
HGH is the term being bandied about the most, the drug that baseball is going to be testing for regularly this season.
Newer drugs, not currently being tested for like IGF-1 and GHRP are also being mentioned.
Is this a game of cat and mouse? Players always looking for advantages in drugs that aren't screened for in regular testing and using them until they too have quit and find something else.
Baseball isn't really cleaning up its sport. What it's really doing is getting players to try more and more exotic drugs that cannot be tested for. That's scary. And it's only going to get worse.
In a sport that pays hundreds of millions to its greatest stars, some are going to take every advantage they can to make sure they get that money. That's the reality.
That's the sad reality.
And baseball isn't going to get better. It's just going to get more dangerous for players who break the rules.
No solutions are going to be offered here today. I don't think there are any.
You can't change human nature. And human nature has a very, very dark side.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Target Field
You know how everybody, at this point seems to like outdoor baseball at Target Field?
A problem has developed.
Because there is NO dome on THAT building, the new Vikings Field being planned is now going through some radical design changes. In order to accommodate all the baseball games that are normally played INSIDE at the Metrodome, the Vikings new stadium is no longer going to be designed for fans of football. Instead it will be designed to hold all of those late winter, early spring baseball games from the soon to be missing Metrodome instead.
In effect, it's going to a multi-purpose stadium that needs to accomodate baseball.
Target Field got what IT wanted for baseball fans. Vikings fans will have to settle.
TWO separate stadiums and they STILL can't get this right?
What a waste.
Vikings fans who STILL can't get close to the action can blame the Twins and their fans. Since our baseball stadium can't accommodate baseball games, our football stadium is going to have to.
State of the art? Hardly. It'll basically be another Metrodome. Isn't that what we tried to get RID of in the first place?
A problem has developed.
Because there is NO dome on THAT building, the new Vikings Field being planned is now going through some radical design changes. In order to accommodate all the baseball games that are normally played INSIDE at the Metrodome, the Vikings new stadium is no longer going to be designed for fans of football. Instead it will be designed to hold all of those late winter, early spring baseball games from the soon to be missing Metrodome instead.
In effect, it's going to a multi-purpose stadium that needs to accomodate baseball.
Target Field got what IT wanted for baseball fans. Vikings fans will have to settle.
TWO separate stadiums and they STILL can't get this right?
What a waste.
Vikings fans who STILL can't get close to the action can blame the Twins and their fans. Since our baseball stadium can't accommodate baseball games, our football stadium is going to have to.
State of the art? Hardly. It'll basically be another Metrodome. Isn't that what we tried to get RID of in the first place?
Monday, January 28, 2013
MVP
The NFC was unstoppable. The AFC was incompetent. The game was actually blacked-out locally because of the empty seats.
And Viking Kyle Rudolph was named MVP in a game where virtually every NFC player had fantasy numbers to be proud of. The final was 62-35.
Like most football fans, I skipped it. The REAL game is next Sunday.
And Viking Kyle Rudolph was named MVP in a game where virtually every NFC player had fantasy numbers to be proud of. The final was 62-35.
Like most football fans, I skipped it. The REAL game is next Sunday.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Gophers Lose, T-Wolves Lose
7 Vikings are scheduled for the Pro Bowl today, though.
You know the game that no one cares about and very few watch?
The NFL has stated that if nobody looks like they are trying today, they'll just probably cancel the game from here on out.
Let's all hope no one tries at all.
Did I mention that the team the Wolves LOST to last night had lost SIXTEEN straight home games going into last night? We are NOT getting beat by good teams. folks. We're getting BEAT by the WORST of the WORST.
I called this blog sports and life for a reason. Sometimes (especially in Minnesota) there simply are no sports worth spending time on.
Last night, my wife and I decided to watch a movie instead. "The Other Boleyn Girl" was fascinating. King Henry thought he needed a male heir. What happened as a result of that need became one of history's greatest soap operas. No swearing, no nudity, no on-screen violence, but "adult" in every other way.
Keeping and wielding power is no easy matter. And it always comes at great cost. A jealous older sister, seeking her own recognition, while denying the jealousy that consumed her, was placated time and again until an entire family was ruined. The emotional support they showed her only made matters worse, but they didn't realize that until it was too late. She didn't need support. She needed to be corrected. Short term "peace" was in reality the seeding of long term devastation.
It would make a great story today as well.
You know the game that no one cares about and very few watch?
The NFL has stated that if nobody looks like they are trying today, they'll just probably cancel the game from here on out.
Let's all hope no one tries at all.
Did I mention that the team the Wolves LOST to last night had lost SIXTEEN straight home games going into last night? We are NOT getting beat by good teams. folks. We're getting BEAT by the WORST of the WORST.
I called this blog sports and life for a reason. Sometimes (especially in Minnesota) there simply are no sports worth spending time on.
Last night, my wife and I decided to watch a movie instead. "The Other Boleyn Girl" was fascinating. King Henry thought he needed a male heir. What happened as a result of that need became one of history's greatest soap operas. No swearing, no nudity, no on-screen violence, but "adult" in every other way.
Keeping and wielding power is no easy matter. And it always comes at great cost. A jealous older sister, seeking her own recognition, while denying the jealousy that consumed her, was placated time and again until an entire family was ruined. The emotional support they showed her only made matters worse, but they didn't realize that until it was too late. She didn't need support. She needed to be corrected. Short term "peace" was in reality the seeding of long term devastation.
It would make a great story today as well.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
We're Number One
The Gopher WOMEN now have the longest unbeaten streak in women's college hockey history.
The Gophers stopped the Wisconsin women's unbeaten streak at 32 last year. That started an impressive streak of their own. After winning AT Wisconsin yesterday they now have a streak of 33 and counting.
They are ranked number one in the country.
Why is it that the sports I care about LEAST are the only ones that Minnesotans are any good at?
The Gophers stopped the Wisconsin women's unbeaten streak at 32 last year. That started an impressive streak of their own. After winning AT Wisconsin yesterday they now have a streak of 33 and counting.
They are ranked number one in the country.
Why is it that the sports I care about LEAST are the only ones that Minnesotans are any good at?
Wild, Wolves Lose
Where to start?
I watched 55 seconds of the Wild game last night. It was the beginning of the second period and the Wild gave up TWO goals in that short time. I switched channels...
I then found the Wolves on our other Fox North channel. They were getting clobbered by the worst team in basketball.
Ricky Rubio may pass like Pistol Pete Maravich but he sure doesn't shoot like him. If anything, he shoots a lot like me. His one for eight shooting last night was just pathetic. He's an over-hyped mess. Come to think of it, he doesn't even pass like Maravich. HALF of his passes end up in the OPPONENTS hands.
The Wolves are worthless. Rubio is a failed experiment and substitute head coach Terry Porter may have to be fired before the real caoch shows back up. Worse? The season is now half over and Adelman may not be back this season.
I watched 55 seconds of the Wild game last night. It was the beginning of the second period and the Wild gave up TWO goals in that short time. I switched channels...
I then found the Wolves on our other Fox North channel. They were getting clobbered by the worst team in basketball.
Ricky Rubio may pass like Pistol Pete Maravich but he sure doesn't shoot like him. If anything, he shoots a lot like me. His one for eight shooting last night was just pathetic. He's an over-hyped mess. Come to think of it, he doesn't even pass like Maravich. HALF of his passes end up in the OPPONENTS hands.
The Wolves are worthless. Rubio is a failed experiment and substitute head coach Terry Porter may have to be fired before the real caoch shows back up. Worse? The season is now half over and Adelman may not be back this season.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Kapernicking
Aaron Rodgers has made a fortune from stealing Triple H's championship belt maneuver. Now known as the "Discount Double Check," he's made both State Farm and himself very happy.
Of course, Triple H stole that move from other past wrestlers as well. Things like that have been around for a long time. I'm not sure anybody can really give credit to the one wrestler who REALLY invented it. Wrestling and showboating go back a long, long way. (Ed "Strangler" Lewis and Frank Gotch anyone?)
That brings us to Colin Kaepernick.
Or more precisely "Kaepernicking."
Colin Kaepernick has decided to TRADEMARK his touchdown celebration ( the kissing of his biceps muscles after a score.) I don't blame him. It's just that, just like Aaron Rodgers, he didn't invent the maneuver.
Was it a bodybuilder who did it first? I'm not sure. It wouldn't surprise me. Bodybuilders are the same breed as pro wrestlers. They train and they love to perform. And the best showman are often the guys who win the event.
But I'm still GUESSING the first person to perform the move publicly was probably a pro wrestler. I KNOW variations of the maneuver have been around as long as the early-seventies when Superstar Graham hit the WWWF (yes there was an extra "W" in the name back then, before it later became WWF and most recently WWE.)
Since that time, variations of the move have come from basically every "heel" performer in wrestling who was muscular. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ken Patera, Hercules Hernadez, Ravishing Rick Rude, and Big Poppa Pump (Scott Steiner) come to mind but there were obviously others.
My point? It took a football player to actually trademark the maneuver. He also gave it a NAME. I've been Kaepernicking my own arms for YEARS now, just as two of my brothers have been Kaepernicking their own biceps for years. But now, that's right, NOW, we can finally say what we've doing because it finally has a name.
Thanks Colin! This is from all the narcissists out there who have been doing this for years. You are our hero. You gave us a voice.
We are forever in your debt.
Of course, Triple H stole that move from other past wrestlers as well. Things like that have been around for a long time. I'm not sure anybody can really give credit to the one wrestler who REALLY invented it. Wrestling and showboating go back a long, long way. (Ed "Strangler" Lewis and Frank Gotch anyone?)
That brings us to Colin Kaepernick.
Or more precisely "Kaepernicking."
Colin Kaepernick has decided to TRADEMARK his touchdown celebration ( the kissing of his biceps muscles after a score.) I don't blame him. It's just that, just like Aaron Rodgers, he didn't invent the maneuver.
Was it a bodybuilder who did it first? I'm not sure. It wouldn't surprise me. Bodybuilders are the same breed as pro wrestlers. They train and they love to perform. And the best showman are often the guys who win the event.
But I'm still GUESSING the first person to perform the move publicly was probably a pro wrestler. I KNOW variations of the maneuver have been around as long as the early-seventies when Superstar Graham hit the WWWF (yes there was an extra "W" in the name back then, before it later became WWF and most recently WWE.)
Since that time, variations of the move have come from basically every "heel" performer in wrestling who was muscular. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ken Patera, Hercules Hernadez, Ravishing Rick Rude, and Big Poppa Pump (Scott Steiner) come to mind but there were obviously others.
My point? It took a football player to actually trademark the maneuver. He also gave it a NAME. I've been Kaepernicking my own arms for YEARS now, just as two of my brothers have been Kaepernicking their own biceps for years. But now, that's right, NOW, we can finally say what we've doing because it finally has a name.
Thanks Colin! This is from all the narcissists out there who have been doing this for years. You are our hero. You gave us a voice.
We are forever in your debt.
College Basketball
The more I follow college basketball, the less I like college basketball. Number one Duke got killed by Miami a couple of nights ago. The Gophers have now lost 3 straight and, and number six Arizona got beat by unranked UCLA last night.
This is nowhere NEAR as good as college football. I think part of the problem is that the rankings come out too early. I'd suggest they not even bother with any kind of rankings until the end of January.
You know, let the teams play some big games before anybody decides how good anybody really is. It might even add some excitement to the "let's invite everybody to the year-end tournament" known as March Madness. IF anybody really can beat anybody else at this level, then only rankings at the end really matter anyway, and they would just be used for setting seeds in the tournament.
Early season play would mean more if losses meant more. Right now, wins and losses are pretty much meaningless. Everybody already knows all the teams I already mentioned today are going to be IN the tournament. The only real excitement is where they'll be seeded. By waiting to announce those rankings they'd actually be building anticipation FOR the tournament. Which is the only thing any college basketball fan really cares about anyway.
OR, you could turn the ENTIRE season into a tournament. As soon as YOUR team has been beaten ten (pick a number-maybe that's too many, maybe that's too few) times for the year, you are officially eliminated from the NCAAs in March. EVERY game would then matter again.
Only teams with less than 10 (again pick a number, any reasonable number) losses would even be INVITED to the tournament. The number of entries would vary from year to year based on record and record alone. Games in November would matter. Games in December would matter. Games in January... okay you get the idea.
Imagine that your favorite team has 8 losses with two weeks to go in the season and two tough road games coming up. Do you think you'd care MORE about watching those two games if the season was at stake? Right now random voters determine their entrance into the tournament. Let their RECORD decide instead. Give them concrete goals instead of voters in a back room.
The season will matter. The tournament will matter.
Easy, peasy.
This is nowhere NEAR as good as college football. I think part of the problem is that the rankings come out too early. I'd suggest they not even bother with any kind of rankings until the end of January.
You know, let the teams play some big games before anybody decides how good anybody really is. It might even add some excitement to the "let's invite everybody to the year-end tournament" known as March Madness. IF anybody really can beat anybody else at this level, then only rankings at the end really matter anyway, and they would just be used for setting seeds in the tournament.
Early season play would mean more if losses meant more. Right now, wins and losses are pretty much meaningless. Everybody already knows all the teams I already mentioned today are going to be IN the tournament. The only real excitement is where they'll be seeded. By waiting to announce those rankings they'd actually be building anticipation FOR the tournament. Which is the only thing any college basketball fan really cares about anyway.
OR, you could turn the ENTIRE season into a tournament. As soon as YOUR team has been beaten ten (pick a number-maybe that's too many, maybe that's too few) times for the year, you are officially eliminated from the NCAAs in March. EVERY game would then matter again.
Only teams with less than 10 (again pick a number, any reasonable number) losses would even be INVITED to the tournament. The number of entries would vary from year to year based on record and record alone. Games in November would matter. Games in December would matter. Games in January... okay you get the idea.
Imagine that your favorite team has 8 losses with two weeks to go in the season and two tough road games coming up. Do you think you'd care MORE about watching those two games if the season was at stake? Right now random voters determine their entrance into the tournament. Let their RECORD decide instead. Give them concrete goals instead of voters in a back room.
The season will matter. The tournament will matter.
Easy, peasy.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Wild Lose
I'm going to have abbreviated blogs the next few days. I got one of those flus that are floating around. It's more than the 24 hour kind.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Wolves Lose
It's just too hard to win when you keep losing players to injury, and your really good head coach is taking time off to be with his sick wife.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Wild BEAT Stars
I'm not wild about the Wild yet, BUT I did watch 10 or 12 seconds of last night's game.
The Wild are actually Stanley Cup favorites this season because of the incredible free agents they picked up this off-season. Zach Parise had two assists on Saturday night and the only goal last night.
Like a typical soccer game, the final was 1-0. IF they keep winning as projected, I may have to break down and start watching them.
I grew up watching Zach's father (J.P.) play for the North Stars, so I have to admit the pull is strong to start watching hockey again. And it may happen sooner than I expected.
Go Wild!
The Wild are actually Stanley Cup favorites this season because of the incredible free agents they picked up this off-season. Zach Parise had two assists on Saturday night and the only goal last night.
Like a typical soccer game, the final was 1-0. IF they keep winning as projected, I may have to break down and start watching them.
I grew up watching Zach's father (J.P.) play for the North Stars, so I have to admit the pull is strong to start watching hockey again. And it may happen sooner than I expected.
Go Wild!
The Brothers Harbaugh
I admit that I really wanted Brady to get back to the Super Bowl, but at the same time I want the Niners and their offense to win it all, anyway, so what happened in new England yesterday didn't bother me that much. I didn't even bother watching the fourth quarter.
But what DID happen was pretty cool anyway. The two Harbaugh brothers will be facing each other from opposing sidelines in two weeks. We all knew that might happen, but with all those teams in the playoffs and so many possible matchups, this actually kind of took me by surprise.
Joe Flacco was super impressive yesterday. He's got a great arm, but primarily he was hitting a lot of receivers in short patterns looking more like Tom Brady yesterday than Tom Brady himself.
The Niners came back from a 17 point deficit. That was pretty amazing in itself. They didn't have the same offense they had on the field against the Packers, but they still mamaged to score alot of points FAST oncde they got started. The ending had me on the edge of my seat. Atlanta has won SO MANY games this year on their last drive, I was actually afraid they were going to do it again.
Thankfully the right team won.
And now we have a Russian novel to look forward to in just two short weeks.
The Brothers Harbaugh.
Okay, it doesn't quite have the ring of "The Brothers Karamazov" but it should still have a lot of drama.
(Side note: My favorite character name in the above mentioned novel? This really weenie character who had no spine for standing up to anyone. Marmadalov. The Russian word for marmalade. Literally, he was jelly. Don't tell me Dostoyevsky didn't have a sense of humor.)
But what DID happen was pretty cool anyway. The two Harbaugh brothers will be facing each other from opposing sidelines in two weeks. We all knew that might happen, but with all those teams in the playoffs and so many possible matchups, this actually kind of took me by surprise.
Joe Flacco was super impressive yesterday. He's got a great arm, but primarily he was hitting a lot of receivers in short patterns looking more like Tom Brady yesterday than Tom Brady himself.
The Niners came back from a 17 point deficit. That was pretty amazing in itself. They didn't have the same offense they had on the field against the Packers, but they still mamaged to score alot of points FAST oncde they got started. The ending had me on the edge of my seat. Atlanta has won SO MANY games this year on their last drive, I was actually afraid they were going to do it again.
Thankfully the right team won.
And now we have a Russian novel to look forward to in just two short weeks.
The Brothers Harbaugh.
Okay, it doesn't quite have the ring of "The Brothers Karamazov" but it should still have a lot of drama.
(Side note: My favorite character name in the above mentioned novel? This really weenie character who had no spine for standing up to anyone. Marmadalov. The Russian word for marmalade. Literally, he was jelly. Don't tell me Dostoyevsky didn't have a sense of humor.)
Sunday, January 20, 2013
NHL Returns: Nobody Cares
SportsNation is one of the more popular television shows on ESPN nowadays. I honestly don't understand the appeal. They ask opinion poll questions. Viewers vote and then the hosts try to predict which way most fans will vote.
HUH?
However, once in a great while they ask just the right question, and the results reveal more about some sports than you can possibly imagine.
One such question was asked late last week and the results were positively hilarious. Hockey is back and the average sports fan doesn't remotely care. The ONLY people who watch SportsNation are fanatical young sports fans. You know the ones that buy all the crap and go to most of the games? I'd say based on this one REALLY GOOD question that the NHL is in trouble. It's no wonder nobody watches their playoff games when they are on network television.
In a nation that lives and breathes sports, this poll was as compelling as any I've ever seen.
Every State. Every Region. Only the smallest minority of sports fans cared at all. I've never seen any question asked on any poll (not just sports) before where the vast majority of people EVERYWHERE agreed on something. The verdict? NHL hockey isn't very interesting.
I watched 8 seconds of the Wild game last night, lost interest and switched channels. The Wild were down 1-0 at the time. They ended up winning 4-2. Maybe in a few more weeks I''ll try watching another game. Maybe.
HUH?
However, once in a great while they ask just the right question, and the results reveal more about some sports than you can possibly imagine.
One such question was asked late last week and the results were positively hilarious. Hockey is back and the average sports fan doesn't remotely care. The ONLY people who watch SportsNation are fanatical young sports fans. You know the ones that buy all the crap and go to most of the games? I'd say based on this one REALLY GOOD question that the NHL is in trouble. It's no wonder nobody watches their playoff games when they are on network television.
In a nation that lives and breathes sports, this poll was as compelling as any I've ever seen.
Every State. Every Region. Only the smallest minority of sports fans cared at all. I've never seen any question asked on any poll (not just sports) before where the vast majority of people EVERYWHERE agreed on something. The verdict? NHL hockey isn't very interesting.
I watched 8 seconds of the Wild game last night, lost interest and switched channels. The Wild were down 1-0 at the time. They ended up winning 4-2. Maybe in a few more weeks I''ll try watching another game. Maybe.
Lindsey Vonn Wins Downhill
Lindsey Vonn showed she's back in form Saturday, winning a World Cup downhill in Italy for her first victory in more than five weeks, beating overall leader Tina Maze by nearly half a second.
Bad Lip-Reading: NFL Style
These folks are getting pretty good at bad lip-reading:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zce-QT7MGSE&feature=player_embedded#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zce-QT7MGSE&feature=player_embedded#!
Maria Sharapova
Sharapova made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open yesterday. Here you see the winning shot, and the subsequent celebration.
NFL
There are only three games left this season. I have to admit I'd be more excited if the cloud of sexual assault wasn't hanging over the Niners and their top receiver. It's hard to enjoy sports when the real world slaps you in the face right in the middle of the excitement.
I don't want to assume that anybody did anything wrong. But I don't want a real creep to get away with something that is just heinous either. Kobe did that once in the NBA, and I'm still not sure why the rest of the league talks about him as a hall-of-famer. (kind of like Ray Lewis being talked about as a hall-of-famer even though he was directly involved with a murder. The only reason HE wasn't prosecuted was because he squealed on the other two involved FIRST. I think I just remembered why I want the Ravens to lose today...)
I'm still planning on watching both games. It's just harder to have a rooting interest for the Niners like I did a week ago. It's possible everybody questioned from the team is innocent, but those nagging doubts and the possibility of wrong-doing will make the game more difficult to watch. And the OTHER game features Ray Lewis.
Go Patriots!
I don't want to assume that anybody did anything wrong. But I don't want a real creep to get away with something that is just heinous either. Kobe did that once in the NBA, and I'm still not sure why the rest of the league talks about him as a hall-of-famer. (kind of like Ray Lewis being talked about as a hall-of-famer even though he was directly involved with a murder. The only reason HE wasn't prosecuted was because he squealed on the other two involved FIRST. I think I just remembered why I want the Ravens to lose today...)
I'm still planning on watching both games. It's just harder to have a rooting interest for the Niners like I did a week ago. It's possible everybody questioned from the team is innocent, but those nagging doubts and the possibility of wrong-doing will make the game more difficult to watch. And the OTHER game features Ray Lewis.
Go Patriots!
My Six Foot Ten Inch Nephew
My wife has a very tall sister. She married a pretty big guy. They have very tall children.
The youngest is excelling at basketball. At least he's excelling at basketball LATELY...
Like most talented players on losing teams, he's got a really, really dumb coach. I know the average basketball coach would put my nephew deep under the basket somewhere if he were playing either defense or offense. That's just the natural place you put a tall guy who can shoot, jump, and rebound.
In fact that's where he played most of the summer as he played some amateur ball throughout the U.S. with other top high school players. His team this past summer was amazing. Carter was amazing, too.
Back to the more recent past. WHERE did Carter's high school coach have him playing? The best description would be a worthless wing on either side of the point guard. If he ever went NEAR the basket (out of position) the coach would yank him and put him on the bench.
Then the coach would actually complain to the local media that Carter wasn't being "aggressive enough" and that's why his team was losing. SOMEWHERE in the last couple weeks this coach has "discovered" that Carter is actually better playing the low post position. Just as "suddenly" Carter's team started winning.
The coach still thinks he's had something to do with Carter becoming "good." We'll let him think that, just so he let's him play around the basket.
What he doesn't know won't hurt him.
Here's an article on his most recent game:
http://www.postbulletin.com/sports/localsports/evans-century-overpower-mayo/article_17e44980-3a49-5fcd-8265-38a705b3e02b.html
The youngest is excelling at basketball. At least he's excelling at basketball LATELY...
Like most talented players on losing teams, he's got a really, really dumb coach. I know the average basketball coach would put my nephew deep under the basket somewhere if he were playing either defense or offense. That's just the natural place you put a tall guy who can shoot, jump, and rebound.
In fact that's where he played most of the summer as he played some amateur ball throughout the U.S. with other top high school players. His team this past summer was amazing. Carter was amazing, too.
Back to the more recent past. WHERE did Carter's high school coach have him playing? The best description would be a worthless wing on either side of the point guard. If he ever went NEAR the basket (out of position) the coach would yank him and put him on the bench.
Then the coach would actually complain to the local media that Carter wasn't being "aggressive enough" and that's why his team was losing. SOMEWHERE in the last couple weeks this coach has "discovered" that Carter is actually better playing the low post position. Just as "suddenly" Carter's team started winning.
The coach still thinks he's had something to do with Carter becoming "good." We'll let him think that, just so he let's him play around the basket.
What he doesn't know won't hurt him.
Here's an article on his most recent game:
http://www.postbulletin.com/sports/localsports/evans-century-overpower-mayo/article_17e44980-3a49-5fcd-8265-38a705b3e02b.html
Saturday, January 19, 2013
The Sad Side of Sports
The NFL is disappointed. This past season, the NFL had 6 BLACK head coaches. Since three of them were fired, they only have three now. Their disappointment was that no new Black head coaches were hired with the eight openings available.
According to the U.S. Census bureau, 13.1% of the U.S. population is Black. The NFL has 32 teams. That means IF you don't want racial disparity, you need to have a little less than 4 Black head coaches in the NFL to meet the general population ratio. 3 would be a tad too little. 4 would be a tad too much. The six they had this year was 18.75% of the league's total. By any measure of fairness, that was too many...
Obviously, I'm playing with numbers and joking here to make a point. IF racial parity is your goal, then these types of numbers should mean something BOTH ways. If you want a really good head coach, skin color really shouldn't matter. If you want to FIRE your head coach, skin color shouldn't really matter.
I've watched the movie "The Help" just like everybody else. Though fictional, it did show how bad discrimination was in America, especially in the South, as late as the sixties. I'm willing to bet that discrimination still exists in most of America today. BUT being disappointed that an NFL team didn't hire a Black head coach this season isn't a big deal. YET. I'll be more concerned if the growing trend is that NONE are hired the next couple of seasons as well. The Rooney Rule that requires teams to at least interview one minority candidate for every GM or head coaching job has been working great for about a decade. Don't get all excited when it suddenly lays an egg ONE season. That's not a trend. It's an event.
And I'm still wondering why Kansas City hired Andy Reid as soon as he was avaiable, or why Rex Ryan is still the head coach of the Jets. I don't find that disappointing. I find that disturbing.
In other disturbing NFL news, Michael Crabtree, the sensational receiver for the San Francisco 49ers was questioned by police yesterday about a sexual assault that allegedly took place Sunday morning after the Niners destroyed the Packers.
Though Crabtree has not been arrested or detained at this time by police, this is not a good situation. I won't be commenting until more news is available.
According to the U.S. Census bureau, 13.1% of the U.S. population is Black. The NFL has 32 teams. That means IF you don't want racial disparity, you need to have a little less than 4 Black head coaches in the NFL to meet the general population ratio. 3 would be a tad too little. 4 would be a tad too much. The six they had this year was 18.75% of the league's total. By any measure of fairness, that was too many...
Obviously, I'm playing with numbers and joking here to make a point. IF racial parity is your goal, then these types of numbers should mean something BOTH ways. If you want a really good head coach, skin color really shouldn't matter. If you want to FIRE your head coach, skin color shouldn't really matter.
I've watched the movie "The Help" just like everybody else. Though fictional, it did show how bad discrimination was in America, especially in the South, as late as the sixties. I'm willing to bet that discrimination still exists in most of America today. BUT being disappointed that an NFL team didn't hire a Black head coach this season isn't a big deal. YET. I'll be more concerned if the growing trend is that NONE are hired the next couple of seasons as well. The Rooney Rule that requires teams to at least interview one minority candidate for every GM or head coaching job has been working great for about a decade. Don't get all excited when it suddenly lays an egg ONE season. That's not a trend. It's an event.
And I'm still wondering why Kansas City hired Andy Reid as soon as he was avaiable, or why Rex Ryan is still the head coach of the Jets. I don't find that disappointing. I find that disturbing.
In other disturbing NFL news, Michael Crabtree, the sensational receiver for the San Francisco 49ers was questioned by police yesterday about a sexual assault that allegedly took place Sunday morning after the Niners destroyed the Packers.
Though Crabtree has not been arrested or detained at this time by police, this is not a good situation. I won't be commenting until more news is available.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Pitching in Baseball
The game has changed dramatically over the years. A team used to have 4 starters and all of them were supposed to pitch 9 innings. The only exception? If the game went extra innings, they were supposed to pitch those, too. Each starter got 40 starts a year, and many teams had multiple 20-game winners.
Remember that 10 inning shutout that Jack Morris pitched in the 1991 World Series? That was the norm for every starter in the league until the the mid-1960's. Obviously shutouts weren't thrown on every occasion, but you were in there as if you had a shutout going in today's game.
If you had a bad inning, you were expected to pitch through it. The manager didn't pull you in the fourth just because you'd already given up 4 runs and the bases were still loaded with just one out. Your job was to keep pitching because there were still 5 innings to go and those innings were yours.
A transition occurred from the late sixties into the seventies. Closers started springing up. A starter was no longer required to go 9 innings because if your team had the lead, a specialized pitcher, usually with a great fastball and great control, would take that ninth inning and make it his own. "Saves" became a common new stat in the world of baseball, and certain pitchers thrived in that closing environment.
It was a good move. All the sudden, players were facing a guy throwing a 95 MPH fastball at the end of a game rather than a guy who was struggling to finish. Tired hitters were not ready for that fresh arm and teams with good closers started to dominate their divisions.
It didn't take long for managers to start using set-up men as well. The thought was, "Why should I keep a guy in there if he's having a miserable day? If I get him out EARLY, we might still have a chance at winning?" That this thought didn't occur to managers the first 70 years of the games existence is a bit baffling. Primarily, I guess the reason was more simple than we think. It's Tuesday. Joe supposed to pitch today, so Joe pitched. It was his job and he just did it. Like eveybody else who has a job, some days are just better than others.
A certain bit of a macho attitude was also there. This is MY game, good or bad, I'm finishing it. One other reason? Baseball free agency hadn't arrived yet. Owners were tight with their purse strings, and the last thing you were going to to was pay somebody else to FINISH someone else's job. Picture Mr. Burns from the Simpsons being the owner of every ball club and you'd have a pretty good idea of the situation.
Even the terms "starter," "set-up man," and "closer" weren't used in baseball. Sometimes relievers were necessary, but their use was not common. You didn't have a starter. You had a pitcher. You always asked, "Who is pitching today?" not "Who is starting today?"
Over the last 40 years, pitching has become more specialized. You now have starters, middle relief men, set-up men, closers, AND the guy who faces ONE batter just because he has the ability to get that one particular batter out.
Like I said, the game has changed dramatically. But as dramatic as the changes have been, they really have not taken the next logical step. That's what I'll be talking about today.
Since the Twins are having a tough time finding good STARTING pitchers this year, they should try this. It's the perfect time to do it, especially since all hope of winning this season is in the sewer.
I've talked about this before, so it isn't anything new for those who know me, but I have refined the way it should be implemented.
Your SECOND step? Get rid of ALL of your starters. From now on, your staff of 11 or 12 pitchers will all be really good set-up men and middle relievers. If you have a great closer, he will remain your closer.
Okay, but what's the FIRST step? You really do have to plan ahead for this one. MOST teams have one or two really good middle relievers or set-up guys. YOUR job as GM and manager is to pinpoint the very BEST of them and sign them as your pitching staff in the offseason. Sign the best who are free agents. Trade your best starters for the best of those on other teams. Trade your third and fourth starter to get a few more. Keep the two or three that you already have and sign them all to GOOD long term contracts. Most of these guys will be in the two to three million dollar a year range. A couple may be paid as much as 5 million a year, but you should be able to get your whole pitching staff (including closer) for less than $40 million a year. That leaves you a lot of money to pay your everyday players. This system will work and it will not break the bank.
The rest is simple. You no longer have starters, but you have a rotation. Each of your pitchers has an assigned role in the rotation and you use them in order. It's just that the rotation is for two or three INNINGS rather than individual games. A typical game? Your first pitcher starts the game. He throws 28 pitches and goes 3 innings. He's a righty and known for his fastball. The next guy comes in, a lefty, and he pitches 24 pitches in two and a third innings. He's known for great control and his off speed magic. Another righty comes in. The guys got a great curve or slider. He pitches 29 pitches and goes 2 2/3 innings. At that point (7 innings are already gone) you have the option of a one inning set-up man and a one inning closer, OR just bringing in your closer for two innings. Depending on who your closer IS, you could do either.
A total of 5 pitchers MAY have pitched in the game. NONE of them wore their arms out and all could easily pitch the next day again. BUT because you have 11 (12?) pitchers in this "rotation" NONE will have to pitch the next day. That's what the rest of your rotation is for.
In effect you will have a staff of pitchers who will normally throw 25-35 pitches every two or three games. You don't always HAVE to start the same guy each game. In fact, it would be better if you switched up the curve-baller, with the fast-baller, with the breaking ball specialist every single game just to keep your opponents off guard. You wouldn't even have to NAME your official starter until just before game time. That advantage alone should give you a few extra wins a year. IF you only use THREE pitchers one game, some would get an extra day of rest once in a while. One guy, who may be pitching great, may go 4 or 5 innings once in a while. Managing innings and pitches thrown wouldn't be any different than it is now except that no one will have to pitch more than 35-40 pitches an outing. Most outings will be way less. Less stress. More energy. More great outings. More rested arms.
This staff on the average would pitch 3 games a week each, throwing about 80-90 pitches a week. This translates to about 150 innings and 55 games each year. It would produce a new breed of pitchers. Guys who KNOW their roll an excel at it. And guys who could pitch for YEARS without any major arm trouble. I've talked about the revolution that's about to start in the NFL over the next couple of years, but I'm really excited about what the possibilities of baseball changing into a league where great starters are no longer neccesary to win. THIS system will be the great equalizer for teams that don't have the money to compete with the big money boys.
AND the Twins could lead the charge.
Once they get rid of Gardy, of course.
Remember that 10 inning shutout that Jack Morris pitched in the 1991 World Series? That was the norm for every starter in the league until the the mid-1960's. Obviously shutouts weren't thrown on every occasion, but you were in there as if you had a shutout going in today's game.
If you had a bad inning, you were expected to pitch through it. The manager didn't pull you in the fourth just because you'd already given up 4 runs and the bases were still loaded with just one out. Your job was to keep pitching because there were still 5 innings to go and those innings were yours.
A transition occurred from the late sixties into the seventies. Closers started springing up. A starter was no longer required to go 9 innings because if your team had the lead, a specialized pitcher, usually with a great fastball and great control, would take that ninth inning and make it his own. "Saves" became a common new stat in the world of baseball, and certain pitchers thrived in that closing environment.
It was a good move. All the sudden, players were facing a guy throwing a 95 MPH fastball at the end of a game rather than a guy who was struggling to finish. Tired hitters were not ready for that fresh arm and teams with good closers started to dominate their divisions.
It didn't take long for managers to start using set-up men as well. The thought was, "Why should I keep a guy in there if he's having a miserable day? If I get him out EARLY, we might still have a chance at winning?" That this thought didn't occur to managers the first 70 years of the games existence is a bit baffling. Primarily, I guess the reason was more simple than we think. It's Tuesday. Joe supposed to pitch today, so Joe pitched. It was his job and he just did it. Like eveybody else who has a job, some days are just better than others.
A certain bit of a macho attitude was also there. This is MY game, good or bad, I'm finishing it. One other reason? Baseball free agency hadn't arrived yet. Owners were tight with their purse strings, and the last thing you were going to to was pay somebody else to FINISH someone else's job. Picture Mr. Burns from the Simpsons being the owner of every ball club and you'd have a pretty good idea of the situation.
Even the terms "starter," "set-up man," and "closer" weren't used in baseball. Sometimes relievers were necessary, but their use was not common. You didn't have a starter. You had a pitcher. You always asked, "Who is pitching today?" not "Who is starting today?"
Over the last 40 years, pitching has become more specialized. You now have starters, middle relief men, set-up men, closers, AND the guy who faces ONE batter just because he has the ability to get that one particular batter out.
Like I said, the game has changed dramatically. But as dramatic as the changes have been, they really have not taken the next logical step. That's what I'll be talking about today.
Since the Twins are having a tough time finding good STARTING pitchers this year, they should try this. It's the perfect time to do it, especially since all hope of winning this season is in the sewer.
I've talked about this before, so it isn't anything new for those who know me, but I have refined the way it should be implemented.
Your SECOND step? Get rid of ALL of your starters. From now on, your staff of 11 or 12 pitchers will all be really good set-up men and middle relievers. If you have a great closer, he will remain your closer.
Okay, but what's the FIRST step? You really do have to plan ahead for this one. MOST teams have one or two really good middle relievers or set-up guys. YOUR job as GM and manager is to pinpoint the very BEST of them and sign them as your pitching staff in the offseason. Sign the best who are free agents. Trade your best starters for the best of those on other teams. Trade your third and fourth starter to get a few more. Keep the two or three that you already have and sign them all to GOOD long term contracts. Most of these guys will be in the two to three million dollar a year range. A couple may be paid as much as 5 million a year, but you should be able to get your whole pitching staff (including closer) for less than $40 million a year. That leaves you a lot of money to pay your everyday players. This system will work and it will not break the bank.
The rest is simple. You no longer have starters, but you have a rotation. Each of your pitchers has an assigned role in the rotation and you use them in order. It's just that the rotation is for two or three INNINGS rather than individual games. A typical game? Your first pitcher starts the game. He throws 28 pitches and goes 3 innings. He's a righty and known for his fastball. The next guy comes in, a lefty, and he pitches 24 pitches in two and a third innings. He's known for great control and his off speed magic. Another righty comes in. The guys got a great curve or slider. He pitches 29 pitches and goes 2 2/3 innings. At that point (7 innings are already gone) you have the option of a one inning set-up man and a one inning closer, OR just bringing in your closer for two innings. Depending on who your closer IS, you could do either.
A total of 5 pitchers MAY have pitched in the game. NONE of them wore their arms out and all could easily pitch the next day again. BUT because you have 11 (12?) pitchers in this "rotation" NONE will have to pitch the next day. That's what the rest of your rotation is for.
In effect you will have a staff of pitchers who will normally throw 25-35 pitches every two or three games. You don't always HAVE to start the same guy each game. In fact, it would be better if you switched up the curve-baller, with the fast-baller, with the breaking ball specialist every single game just to keep your opponents off guard. You wouldn't even have to NAME your official starter until just before game time. That advantage alone should give you a few extra wins a year. IF you only use THREE pitchers one game, some would get an extra day of rest once in a while. One guy, who may be pitching great, may go 4 or 5 innings once in a while. Managing innings and pitches thrown wouldn't be any different than it is now except that no one will have to pitch more than 35-40 pitches an outing. Most outings will be way less. Less stress. More energy. More great outings. More rested arms.
This staff on the average would pitch 3 games a week each, throwing about 80-90 pitches a week. This translates to about 150 innings and 55 games each year. It would produce a new breed of pitchers. Guys who KNOW their roll an excel at it. And guys who could pitch for YEARS without any major arm trouble. I've talked about the revolution that's about to start in the NFL over the next couple of years, but I'm really excited about what the possibilities of baseball changing into a league where great starters are no longer neccesary to win. THIS system will be the great equalizer for teams that don't have the money to compete with the big money boys.
AND the Twins could lead the charge.
Once they get rid of Gardy, of course.
My Take
The Te'o saga overwhelmed the media yesterday,
My Take: If you have a girlfriend, make sure she's real. It's the best way to save both pain and embarrassment later.
My Take: If you have a girlfriend, make sure she's real. It's the best way to save both pain and embarrassment later.
Minnesota Basketball
The injury depleted Wolves, who are still without a head coach, lost to the best team in the league, the Clippers.
The number 9 Gophers lost at home to number 5 ranked Michigan.
I decided to watch neither.
The number 9 Gophers lost at home to number 5 ranked Michigan.
I decided to watch neither.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The Revolution Part II
A few days ago, I mentioned how excited I was that San Francisco was ushering in a whole new ERA of NFL football. I haven't seen any other commentator anywhere make a big deal out of the offense that San Fran is now using. They are only talking about how good Colin Kaepernick is. All are missing the bigger picture: Offenses are about to change dramatically in the NFL.
Well, as of yesterday, the revolution just got bigger. One of my favorite college teams to watch the last four years has been the Oregon Ducks. They have the most explosive offense on the planet. Their coach makes more use of his running backs, receivers and QBs than any other coach in the game. He makes the fantastically cool offenses of Alabama and Texas A & M look average. And believe me, by any stretch, Alabama and A & M are light years beyond MOST college offenses.
It's just that Oregon has no equal in its innovative offenses. Coach Kelly is the most inventive offensive genius that football has ever seen. Period.
I was extremely excited when I found out that coach Kelly was being interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles last week. It was a long shot that he'd take the job since he was in a great position at Oregon and was being well-compensated. As expected he tuned them down.
Yesterday became the second part of the story. He went back for another interview, this time demanding that he be given more control of the personnel decisions. They agreed and he got the job. In effect, he's going to have some of the GM responsibilities. A college coach asking for this much power, having never coached in the NFL, is without precedent.
The cool part? It's not because he's an ego-maniac who craves power, it's because he wants to have the ability to transform the Eagles the same way he did the Ducks. You can't just coach the players the GM gives you. You have to have the ability to SELECT the players that will make your offensive schemes WORK. If you can't select the player for this type of system, it simply will not work. In effect, he's bringing the Oregon Ducks offense to the NFL, with the very best players available to run HIS offense.
Of course, I'm just speculating. I don't have any real reason to believe that he won't turn into your average NFL coach (run it up the middle twice, pass on third and long, and hope that that series of plays gives you at least 10 yards.) At the same time, WHY would this guy leave one of the cushiest, well-paid jobs in college to become an average professional coach?
Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick have opened the door for the option in NFL football. Coach Kelly is going to kick the door off its hinges, quite possibly bringing down the entire wall in the process. I will always be a Vikings fan, but I'm going to be rooting for San Fran and the Eagles as well. Suddenly, the NFL has become a very interesting place. Coach Belichick and the Patriots may have finally met their match. And pro football will never be the same.
I'm running out of time today. I'll talk about baseball and pitching tomorrow if I have more time.
Well, as of yesterday, the revolution just got bigger. One of my favorite college teams to watch the last four years has been the Oregon Ducks. They have the most explosive offense on the planet. Their coach makes more use of his running backs, receivers and QBs than any other coach in the game. He makes the fantastically cool offenses of Alabama and Texas A & M look average. And believe me, by any stretch, Alabama and A & M are light years beyond MOST college offenses.
It's just that Oregon has no equal in its innovative offenses. Coach Kelly is the most inventive offensive genius that football has ever seen. Period.
I was extremely excited when I found out that coach Kelly was being interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles last week. It was a long shot that he'd take the job since he was in a great position at Oregon and was being well-compensated. As expected he tuned them down.
Yesterday became the second part of the story. He went back for another interview, this time demanding that he be given more control of the personnel decisions. They agreed and he got the job. In effect, he's going to have some of the GM responsibilities. A college coach asking for this much power, having never coached in the NFL, is without precedent.
The cool part? It's not because he's an ego-maniac who craves power, it's because he wants to have the ability to transform the Eagles the same way he did the Ducks. You can't just coach the players the GM gives you. You have to have the ability to SELECT the players that will make your offensive schemes WORK. If you can't select the player for this type of system, it simply will not work. In effect, he's bringing the Oregon Ducks offense to the NFL, with the very best players available to run HIS offense.
Of course, I'm just speculating. I don't have any real reason to believe that he won't turn into your average NFL coach (run it up the middle twice, pass on third and long, and hope that that series of plays gives you at least 10 yards.) At the same time, WHY would this guy leave one of the cushiest, well-paid jobs in college to become an average professional coach?
Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick have opened the door for the option in NFL football. Coach Kelly is going to kick the door off its hinges, quite possibly bringing down the entire wall in the process. I will always be a Vikings fan, but I'm going to be rooting for San Fran and the Eagles as well. Suddenly, the NFL has become a very interesting place. Coach Belichick and the Patriots may have finally met their match. And pro football will never be the same.
I'm running out of time today. I'll talk about baseball and pitching tomorrow if I have more time.
Youngest to 20,000
I'm probably repeating myself here, but I'll say it anyway.
Being the youngest to score 20,000 points isn't that big of a deal. Kobe became that player a few years back and Le Bron became the youngest last night. They both beat Wilt Chamberlain by about a year.
The thing is, Wilt went to FOUR years of college before entering the NBA. Both Kobe and LeBron entered the NBA right out of high school. By anybody's account, Wilt did it in much fewer games.
Will anybody "break" this record by Le Bron?
Probably not, at least not for a long while. ALL players now have to go to college for at least one year before entering the NBA. In effect, to beat LeBron, they'd have to do it one full year faster.
One more tidbit? Wilt did it without the benefit of a three-point play. Kobe and Le Bron live on the outside shooting threes. Wilt had to do it the old-fashioned way, two points at a time.
Apples and oranges. And the shiniest red apple will always be Wilt Chamberlain. Orange you glad I'm here to set the record straight?
Being the youngest to score 20,000 points isn't that big of a deal. Kobe became that player a few years back and Le Bron became the youngest last night. They both beat Wilt Chamberlain by about a year.
The thing is, Wilt went to FOUR years of college before entering the NBA. Both Kobe and LeBron entered the NBA right out of high school. By anybody's account, Wilt did it in much fewer games.
Will anybody "break" this record by Le Bron?
Probably not, at least not for a long while. ALL players now have to go to college for at least one year before entering the NBA. In effect, to beat LeBron, they'd have to do it one full year faster.
One more tidbit? Wilt did it without the benefit of a three-point play. Kobe and Le Bron live on the outside shooting threes. Wilt had to do it the old-fashioned way, two points at a time.
Apples and oranges. And the shiniest red apple will always be Wilt Chamberlain. Orange you glad I'm here to set the record straight?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Blackburn
Nick Blackburn had the worst stats of any starter in baseball last season with at least 15 starts. His ERA was over 7.
Considering he had a bone chip on his elbow that needed to be removed, that was understandable.
The problem is, even though that surgery was done way back in October, he still wasn't feeling comfortable throwing. A couple days ago he had more surgery. This time it was his wrist.
Optimistically, he'll be ready to pitch just after spring training starts. Pessimistically, it could be a lot longer. Worse? His original procedure is usually the same procedure that nearly every pitcher gets just before Tommy John surgery is required.
It's possible we'll finally see a healthy Nick Blackburn by the time spring training wraps up. It's more likely that we will never see the Nick Blackburn we liked to see pitch just a short couple of seasons ago.
Pitching is tough on a player's arm. Careers can go south in a hurry. Maybe Nick will beats the odds. But I'm starting to see why the Twins new formula for success is to hire 7 or 8 guys for the job and hope at least 5 stay healthy. It's a long season and the more arms you have, the better your chances of getting through it.
That's baseball's new reality. It's hard to believe that teams used to have 4 man rotations and many of them threw complete games on a regular basis. 250 to 300 innings a year per starter was actually pretty normal. And many of these guys had 15-20 year careers.
I've mentioned in the past that baseball needs a new way of looking at pitching. If I have time, I'll revisit that approach (with a few tweaks) tomorrow.
Considering he had a bone chip on his elbow that needed to be removed, that was understandable.
The problem is, even though that surgery was done way back in October, he still wasn't feeling comfortable throwing. A couple days ago he had more surgery. This time it was his wrist.
Optimistically, he'll be ready to pitch just after spring training starts. Pessimistically, it could be a lot longer. Worse? His original procedure is usually the same procedure that nearly every pitcher gets just before Tommy John surgery is required.
It's possible we'll finally see a healthy Nick Blackburn by the time spring training wraps up. It's more likely that we will never see the Nick Blackburn we liked to see pitch just a short couple of seasons ago.
Pitching is tough on a player's arm. Careers can go south in a hurry. Maybe Nick will beats the odds. But I'm starting to see why the Twins new formula for success is to hire 7 or 8 guys for the job and hope at least 5 stay healthy. It's a long season and the more arms you have, the better your chances of getting through it.
That's baseball's new reality. It's hard to believe that teams used to have 4 man rotations and many of them threw complete games on a regular basis. 250 to 300 innings a year per starter was actually pretty normal. And many of these guys had 15-20 year careers.
I've mentioned in the past that baseball needs a new way of looking at pitching. If I have time, I'll revisit that approach (with a few tweaks) tomorrow.
Big Ten Basketball
Indiana had moved up to number two in the rankings with their win over Minnesota. Now they lost to Wisconsin at home. Michigan, which was all ready to move up to number one with a win on Saturday, LOST instead. The Gophers are still ranked in the top 10 at number nine BUT it looks like everybody can beat everybody this year in the Big Ten.
What does that mean? Most of the Big Ten could probably finish in the top 20 this year. But because they'll keep knocking each other off, none will go much higher than 5 by the time the season is done.
Seven are in the top 25 right now depending on which poll you use.
For the Gophers, it means a long tough season. They need to win at home and they need to pull off some close road wins. It finally seems like old times. It's been two decades since they've had the opportunity to have a shot at the Big Ten title.
I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks. It's been along time since I've been interested in Gopher basketball. Please keep winning.
What does that mean? Most of the Big Ten could probably finish in the top 20 this year. But because they'll keep knocking each other off, none will go much higher than 5 by the time the season is done.
Seven are in the top 25 right now depending on which poll you use.
For the Gophers, it means a long tough season. They need to win at home and they need to pull off some close road wins. It finally seems like old times. It's been two decades since they've had the opportunity to have a shot at the Big Ten title.
I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks. It's been along time since I've been interested in Gopher basketball. Please keep winning.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Lance Armstrong
He's finally admitted that he did what people said he did. Oprah will have the exclusive interview soon.
I guess that officially makes everybody who competed in that era of that pseudo-sport as having confessed to performance enhancement.
Can this "sport" just go away now?
I guess that officially makes everybody who competed in that era of that pseudo-sport as having confessed to performance enhancement.
Can this "sport" just go away now?
Rick Adelman
Without their coach, the Wolves simply do not look like the same team. Rick Adelman's wife is in the hospital and the Wolves have now lost 4 straight games on the road.
No one is reporting the reason she's there, but it's possible that the Wolves will not have him for the foreseeable future. I used to think Love was the most important person on this team. After getting beat soundly by a very average Dallas team last night, I'm thinking they may be missing Rick Adelman more.
The Wolves are officially off my radar for now. Not sure if I'll be interested in them any more this season or not.
No one is reporting the reason she's there, but it's possible that the Wolves will not have him for the foreseeable future. I used to think Love was the most important person on this team. After getting beat soundly by a very average Dallas team last night, I'm thinking they may be missing Rick Adelman more.
The Wolves are officially off my radar for now. Not sure if I'll be interested in them any more this season or not.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Brendon Ayanbadejo
The war of words has already started. Brendon Ayanbadejo, linebacker for the Ravens, says that New England's trademarked "hurry up offense," the one that that doesn't give a defense a chance to set up or switch players, is like a boxer throwing a cheap shot before the fight. He's says it a gimmick, and that the Patriots don't have to resort to "those types of tactics" to win.
Sounds to me like Brendon Ayanbadejo is a scared little girl.
Go Patriots! It's time to shut up the crybabies.
Sounds to me like Brendon Ayanbadejo is a scared little girl.
Go Patriots! It's time to shut up the crybabies.
Football
Only ONE of the teams I wanted to win going into the weekend won. I was really hoping Manning would get his second ring this year. At the same time a Niner/Patriot matchup would still be good.
I just hope it's not Atlanta/Baltimore. I don't like either team.
Why? I guess it proves I can be as irrational as any other sports fan.
I'm still a little bummed that Seattle managed the go ahead TD yesterday with only 31 seconds left and still lost. The worst part of that? Ryan got them in field goal range so fast that they only needed half that time to win. Seattle's defense on that series was just awful.
Remember how I mentioned that our cable provider had free premium movie channels this past weekend.
Final tally: 4 football games (about 25% of each including three endings) and NINE movies that I was hoping to see.
Overall, a perfect 10 on the coach potato scale. I'm already training for next year.
I just hope it's not Atlanta/Baltimore. I don't like either team.
Why? I guess it proves I can be as irrational as any other sports fan.
I'm still a little bummed that Seattle managed the go ahead TD yesterday with only 31 seconds left and still lost. The worst part of that? Ryan got them in field goal range so fast that they only needed half that time to win. Seattle's defense on that series was just awful.
Remember how I mentioned that our cable provider had free premium movie channels this past weekend.
Final tally: 4 football games (about 25% of each including three endings) and NINE movies that I was hoping to see.
Overall, a perfect 10 on the coach potato scale. I'm already training for next year.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Sports Notes
Yesterday's football games were certainly more fun to watch than all of those awful games last week. I was disappointed that Manning and the Broncos lost to the Ravens, but it sure was a good game to watch. That last TD by Flacco in regulation got to me though. HOW does a defender let a receiver get BY him, deep with 30 seconds left in the game. Mind-blowingly stupid.
The second game was a blowout, but Kaeprnick's record shattering performance made it impossible to stop watching. I do feel sorry for Green Bay fans, but nothing could stop that Niner offense yesterday. Nothing.
The Gophers BB team got beat at Indiana yesterday. They have NEVER beat a top 5 team on the road in the history of the their basketball program. Though annihilated in the first half, they came back to scare Indiana big time with a couple of minutes left. This IS a good basketball team. I'm hoping they continue to play this well and don't let yesterday's loss bother them. In college basketball, a few losses just don't matter. Even the number one ranked team, Duke, got beat yesterday. It happens. Move on.
The second game was a blowout, but Kaeprnick's record shattering performance made it impossible to stop watching. I do feel sorry for Green Bay fans, but nothing could stop that Niner offense yesterday. Nothing.
The Gophers BB team got beat at Indiana yesterday. They have NEVER beat a top 5 team on the road in the history of the their basketball program. Though annihilated in the first half, they came back to scare Indiana big time with a couple of minutes left. This IS a good basketball team. I'm hoping they continue to play this well and don't let yesterday's loss bother them. In college basketball, a few losses just don't matter. Even the number one ranked team, Duke, got beat yesterday. It happens. Move on.
The Future of Football
Anybody who reads this blog on a regular basis knows that I like watching the top college match-ups every week. Their high-powered option offenses can't be seen anywhere else. A team getting 600 yards of offense with those types of systems has actually become the norm.
Pro football experts have said for years that option offenses put pro QBs at too much of a risk. I've always argued that football is football and that pocket passers can get hurt by NOT moving. Both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the best of the best, have missed entire seasons while in the pocket QB roll. Injuries occur wherever you place your QB. Ask Aaron Rodgers, though more mobile than most, he's still primarily a pocket passer who rolls out once in a while to keep defenses honest. As good as HE is, he still gets sacked as much as any QB in the game. And some of those sacks knock the stuffing out of him.
What I witnessed last night in San Francisco was not just a great offensive performance by a really good quarterback. No, what I witnessed was a radical change of pro football's thinking process. Coach Harbaugh has unleashed the option in pro football. We're not talking about flirting with the idea like Denver did with Tim Tebow last year in Denver, or what RG3 did in Washington this season. We're talking about a full-blown frontal assault called the triple option that left Green Bay completely stunned, devastated, and reeling.
Colin Kaepernick has been praised in this blog all season long. He has the rare ability to both throw the ball accurately while running it with power in a such way that makes you think he's also a great running back. And by the time the game was over last night, an entire nation saw why I like the college football offensive mindset.
I've argued for most of this season that I wanted to see Joe Webb used as the Vikings QB. After last week most people thought I was nuts. The problem is that Webb is primarily a great runner who needs an offense that needs to be built from the ground up to feature his mind-boggling physical skills. Putting him in the pocket and expecting him to stay there is the epitome of stupidity.
I'm not suggesting that Webb is as good as Kaepernick. What I'm saying is that Kaepernick wouldn't be as good as HE is if he were the one who always had to stay in the pocket. Harbaugh didn't just unleash his QB last night. He just proved that the NFL way of thinking, the current pro approach, is as antiquated as a car with the crank on the front.
Brady, Manning, and Rodgers may be the great QBs of the present, but I'm guessing that if Kaepernick wins the Super Bowl this year, we'll see more offensive coordinators looking for the next Colon Kaepernick in next year's draft. And just as suddenly, people will finally understand why Tim Tebow was so good in college. Coach Ryan in New York is a dinosaur. His way of thinking will die out before long. The RG3s, the Tim Tebows, and the Colin Kaeperniks are going to transform the pro game.
I'm rooting for a new favorite to win the Super Bowl. Football NEEDS San Francisco to win. The NFL is about to enter a brand new era and Colin Kaepernick is going to lead the charge.
Unless of course he gets hurt on one of those foolish runs of his...
Pro football experts have said for years that option offenses put pro QBs at too much of a risk. I've always argued that football is football and that pocket passers can get hurt by NOT moving. Both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the best of the best, have missed entire seasons while in the pocket QB roll. Injuries occur wherever you place your QB. Ask Aaron Rodgers, though more mobile than most, he's still primarily a pocket passer who rolls out once in a while to keep defenses honest. As good as HE is, he still gets sacked as much as any QB in the game. And some of those sacks knock the stuffing out of him.
What I witnessed last night in San Francisco was not just a great offensive performance by a really good quarterback. No, what I witnessed was a radical change of pro football's thinking process. Coach Harbaugh has unleashed the option in pro football. We're not talking about flirting with the idea like Denver did with Tim Tebow last year in Denver, or what RG3 did in Washington this season. We're talking about a full-blown frontal assault called the triple option that left Green Bay completely stunned, devastated, and reeling.
Colin Kaepernick has been praised in this blog all season long. He has the rare ability to both throw the ball accurately while running it with power in a such way that makes you think he's also a great running back. And by the time the game was over last night, an entire nation saw why I like the college football offensive mindset.
I've argued for most of this season that I wanted to see Joe Webb used as the Vikings QB. After last week most people thought I was nuts. The problem is that Webb is primarily a great runner who needs an offense that needs to be built from the ground up to feature his mind-boggling physical skills. Putting him in the pocket and expecting him to stay there is the epitome of stupidity.
I'm not suggesting that Webb is as good as Kaepernick. What I'm saying is that Kaepernick wouldn't be as good as HE is if he were the one who always had to stay in the pocket. Harbaugh didn't just unleash his QB last night. He just proved that the NFL way of thinking, the current pro approach, is as antiquated as a car with the crank on the front.
Brady, Manning, and Rodgers may be the great QBs of the present, but I'm guessing that if Kaepernick wins the Super Bowl this year, we'll see more offensive coordinators looking for the next Colon Kaepernick in next year's draft. And just as suddenly, people will finally understand why Tim Tebow was so good in college. Coach Ryan in New York is a dinosaur. His way of thinking will die out before long. The RG3s, the Tim Tebows, and the Colin Kaeperniks are going to transform the pro game.
I'm rooting for a new favorite to win the Super Bowl. Football NEEDS San Francisco to win. The NFL is about to enter a brand new era and Colin Kaepernick is going to lead the charge.
Unless of course he gets hurt on one of those foolish runs of his...
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Quick Notes
The Wolves had a 38-21 lead last night and were killing New Orleans. They ended up losing badly 104-92. My interest in the Wolves is just about gone. At least they are having a better season than the Lakers.
I was planning on watching a lot of football this weekend, but I notice that my local cable provider is giving me a free weekend on all of the premium movie channels. There's four or five movies I'd like to catch this weekend SO that means, as much as I love football, I'm not going to see as much of those games as I originally thought.
Either way, I'm thinking it's a couch potato weekend.
With the dramatic change in weather again this morning, I'm thinking that's a good thing.
I was planning on watching a lot of football this weekend, but I notice that my local cable provider is giving me a free weekend on all of the premium movie channels. There's four or five movies I'd like to catch this weekend SO that means, as much as I love football, I'm not going to see as much of those games as I originally thought.
Either way, I'm thinking it's a couch potato weekend.
With the dramatic change in weather again this morning, I'm thinking that's a good thing.
Jack Morris and the Hall of Fame
Did baseball writers do both baseball and Jack a disservice by keeping him out of the Hall of Fame this year?
I know local sport writers like Bob Sansevere seem to think so, and he just HATES it when people bring up Jack's stats to prove he doesn't belong.
I'm going to take a different approach. I'm going to compare him to another pitcher who also had to STRUGGLE to get into the Hall of Fame, and almost didn't make it. This pitcher, to me, represents the bare minimum of what should be be considered acceptable to enter the Hall. If Jack does gets in, I think it would be a disservice to Bert Blyeven and what he accomplished.
First of all, I'd like to mention that Bert and Jack both had long careers and that because of that, about 50% of their careers overlapped. In other words, even though they didn't overlap completely, they did for the most part pitch in the same era.
Sansevere mentioned that Jack had 175 complete games and pitched 18 seasons. Bert had 242 complete games in 22 seasons. Longevity matters and Bert is the clear winner.
Jack had 28 shutouts. That was a very nice figure, but in that nearly same timeframe Bert had 60.
Jack pitched 175 complete games. Bert had 242.
Jack had 254 wins. Bert had 287.
Jack had 2,500 strikeouts. Bert had 3,700. Bert's strikeout to walks ration was also much, much better. Jack had a great forkball, but he didn't have as much control of that pitch as Bert had of his own wicked curve. Because of that, Jack led the league in wild pitches SIX different times in his career. People tend to forget those things. Sports writers and stat freaks like me don't.
Yes, one of the reason Bert's stats are better is because he pitched longer, but longevity should also be a plus in Bert's column.
Let's look at the most telling stat of all.
ERA, for me is the great equalizer. In his 22 year career, Bert's ERA was 3.31. Jack's was 3.90.
No matter what era you pitch in, there is no way that an ERA of nearly 4 should be considered Hall of Fame worthy.
Jack was a tough competitor his entire career. He had more wins than any pitcher in the 80's. He pitched the best World series game I have ever seen, giving the Twins a World Series win in game seven of the 1991 Series.
But Jack is not a Hall of Famer. And only the very best are granted membership in the Hall.
Jack was just very good.
I can't emphasize this enough. Bert was BARELY allowed in. If Bert was just BARELY good enough, Jack can't possibly be good enough. I just can't look at it any other way.
Personally I'm glad that the standard is as high as it is. It wasn't a sad day for baseball when Jack didn't make it this week. It meant that not just anybody will be allowed in. Not even a great guy who had a very good career.
Very good is just not good enough.
Very good is not GREAT.
I know local sport writers like Bob Sansevere seem to think so, and he just HATES it when people bring up Jack's stats to prove he doesn't belong.
I'm going to take a different approach. I'm going to compare him to another pitcher who also had to STRUGGLE to get into the Hall of Fame, and almost didn't make it. This pitcher, to me, represents the bare minimum of what should be be considered acceptable to enter the Hall. If Jack does gets in, I think it would be a disservice to Bert Blyeven and what he accomplished.
First of all, I'd like to mention that Bert and Jack both had long careers and that because of that, about 50% of their careers overlapped. In other words, even though they didn't overlap completely, they did for the most part pitch in the same era.
Sansevere mentioned that Jack had 175 complete games and pitched 18 seasons. Bert had 242 complete games in 22 seasons. Longevity matters and Bert is the clear winner.
Jack had 28 shutouts. That was a very nice figure, but in that nearly same timeframe Bert had 60.
Jack pitched 175 complete games. Bert had 242.
Jack had 254 wins. Bert had 287.
Jack had 2,500 strikeouts. Bert had 3,700. Bert's strikeout to walks ration was also much, much better. Jack had a great forkball, but he didn't have as much control of that pitch as Bert had of his own wicked curve. Because of that, Jack led the league in wild pitches SIX different times in his career. People tend to forget those things. Sports writers and stat freaks like me don't.
Yes, one of the reason Bert's stats are better is because he pitched longer, but longevity should also be a plus in Bert's column.
Let's look at the most telling stat of all.
ERA, for me is the great equalizer. In his 22 year career, Bert's ERA was 3.31. Jack's was 3.90.
No matter what era you pitch in, there is no way that an ERA of nearly 4 should be considered Hall of Fame worthy.
Jack was a tough competitor his entire career. He had more wins than any pitcher in the 80's. He pitched the best World series game I have ever seen, giving the Twins a World Series win in game seven of the 1991 Series.
But Jack is not a Hall of Famer. And only the very best are granted membership in the Hall.
Jack was just very good.
I can't emphasize this enough. Bert was BARELY allowed in. If Bert was just BARELY good enough, Jack can't possibly be good enough. I just can't look at it any other way.
Personally I'm glad that the standard is as high as it is. It wasn't a sad day for baseball when Jack didn't make it this week. It meant that not just anybody will be allowed in. Not even a great guy who had a very good career.
Very good is just not good enough.
Very good is not GREAT.
Friday, January 11, 2013
More on Baseball
In the comments yesterday, Myron mentioned that people "wanted proof" and asked him to "name names" when it came to baseball players using pep pills in the late 50s and most of the 60s and 70s as well.
I'm not an expert on the matter. I've just read a lot and watched a lot of documentaries over the years, but for the most part nearly ALL players from that era used amphetamines at least a few times. For some it was a daily ritual and they became addicted.
What's funny is, that nobody kept it a secret. Most players talked about it freely and never thought about it being WRONG or CHEATING.
It literally was a different era. Players didn't fly on jets from city to city to make their games, at least not very often, especially up through the mid 60's. Players back then didn't make that much more than an average successful businessman and many of them had off-season "Regular Joe" jobs to help support their families.
No, the regular way to journey was by train or bus. Owners, who were far, far poorer than today's billionaires couldn't afford to send their players ANYWHERE by plane. Road trips we're truly that. Long, exhaustive journey's where players literally played poker, drank beer, and smoked cigarettes to pass the time. They did it in their hotels, on the buses and in the trains. And they did it nearly every night.
Back then, drinking beer was what players did, and getting drunk was was more common than than being sober. Players WERE good old boys. At the beginning of the article I mentioned the term "pep pills." For players, they were the magical hangover pill. It never mattered how much you drank the night before, as long as you had your wake up pills the next day. Even players who didn't drink, and there were a few, often took the pills to "wake up." Getting a truly good night's sleep on a train or in a bus was not easy. The players didn't want to play tired and have a bad game or games. Their jobs were at stake, and contracts back then were with YOUR OWNER. Free agency wasn't even a twinkle of any lawyer's eye yet. If you wanted to play ball, you had to do it well. And to do it better, you needed to be alert.
I won't bore you with the details about the advantages of pep pills. I've done that in the past with some of these blogs. But I will mention the ONE thing that they helped players do: FOCUS. In much the same way that kids are given ADD-type medicines to help them focus today, players benefitted from THEIR miracle pills.
The primary difference between a great major league ballplayer and a utility infielder? Focus. I'm not going to to bother to get into the studies that were done in this area, but I can summarize them for you. The truly great players, in any sport, have the ability to shutout ANYTHING that is not primarily important to their success at any given moment. These pills didn't just wake you up, they gave you the ability to block out the distractions. They were the ultimate PED, much more so than steroids or HGH. It's not the body that makes a great player. It's the focus of his mind.
I can't give you names, but players shared their pills freely with other teammates. Winning was of primary importance and players salaries were all a reflection of how well their TEAM did. Helping teammates play better was just part of THEIR job. Most of the players from that first great homerun (the Marris, Mantle) era are dead. And now that amphetamine use IS considered cheating, the players who are left are just as hesitant to speak about their use as current players are about steroids and HGH.
Did Maris and Mantle, and Mays, and Aaron, and Kaline and Killebrew, and Yaz, and... (fill in your favorite) use these pills at least a few times? I don't know, but they lived in an era where a good percentage of the players did.
IF people haven't changed in the last few years, and I don't think they have, we'd have to look at TWO groups of people who probably used them. 1) The very best players (those who had the drive and skills to be better than everyone else already) and 2) The players who were forced to take them if they wanted to be good enough to keep their major league job.
The guys in the middle didn't need them as much. They were good enough to have a big league job for years without being cut and replaced and they KNEW they would never have the ability of some of the Hall-of-Famers already mentioned.
HOWEVER, what if you are a good player getting older and you still want to hold onto your job a while longer? Exactly. Basically every single player eventually fell into one of the two groups. I can't give you names and I can't give you percentages, but the players who have talked over the years (usually to reporters and writers and usually anonymously) have led those who have studied the issue to believe that pep pill usage back then was substantially higher than current PED drugs.
Remember, there was no testing. There was no fear of getting caught. There was no good reason to NOT take these pills.
And many of the guys we are talking about are already in the HALL. If using drugs to enhance performance is wrong NOW, it was just as wrong THEN. Pick your poison. The players certainly did.
And back then you couldn't tell just by "looking at them."
I'm not an expert on the matter. I've just read a lot and watched a lot of documentaries over the years, but for the most part nearly ALL players from that era used amphetamines at least a few times. For some it was a daily ritual and they became addicted.
What's funny is, that nobody kept it a secret. Most players talked about it freely and never thought about it being WRONG or CHEATING.
It literally was a different era. Players didn't fly on jets from city to city to make their games, at least not very often, especially up through the mid 60's. Players back then didn't make that much more than an average successful businessman and many of them had off-season "Regular Joe" jobs to help support their families.
No, the regular way to journey was by train or bus. Owners, who were far, far poorer than today's billionaires couldn't afford to send their players ANYWHERE by plane. Road trips we're truly that. Long, exhaustive journey's where players literally played poker, drank beer, and smoked cigarettes to pass the time. They did it in their hotels, on the buses and in the trains. And they did it nearly every night.
Back then, drinking beer was what players did, and getting drunk was was more common than than being sober. Players WERE good old boys. At the beginning of the article I mentioned the term "pep pills." For players, they were the magical hangover pill. It never mattered how much you drank the night before, as long as you had your wake up pills the next day. Even players who didn't drink, and there were a few, often took the pills to "wake up." Getting a truly good night's sleep on a train or in a bus was not easy. The players didn't want to play tired and have a bad game or games. Their jobs were at stake, and contracts back then were with YOUR OWNER. Free agency wasn't even a twinkle of any lawyer's eye yet. If you wanted to play ball, you had to do it well. And to do it better, you needed to be alert.
I won't bore you with the details about the advantages of pep pills. I've done that in the past with some of these blogs. But I will mention the ONE thing that they helped players do: FOCUS. In much the same way that kids are given ADD-type medicines to help them focus today, players benefitted from THEIR miracle pills.
The primary difference between a great major league ballplayer and a utility infielder? Focus. I'm not going to to bother to get into the studies that were done in this area, but I can summarize them for you. The truly great players, in any sport, have the ability to shutout ANYTHING that is not primarily important to their success at any given moment. These pills didn't just wake you up, they gave you the ability to block out the distractions. They were the ultimate PED, much more so than steroids or HGH. It's not the body that makes a great player. It's the focus of his mind.
I can't give you names, but players shared their pills freely with other teammates. Winning was of primary importance and players salaries were all a reflection of how well their TEAM did. Helping teammates play better was just part of THEIR job. Most of the players from that first great homerun (the Marris, Mantle) era are dead. And now that amphetamine use IS considered cheating, the players who are left are just as hesitant to speak about their use as current players are about steroids and HGH.
Did Maris and Mantle, and Mays, and Aaron, and Kaline and Killebrew, and Yaz, and... (fill in your favorite) use these pills at least a few times? I don't know, but they lived in an era where a good percentage of the players did.
IF people haven't changed in the last few years, and I don't think they have, we'd have to look at TWO groups of people who probably used them. 1) The very best players (those who had the drive and skills to be better than everyone else already) and 2) The players who were forced to take them if they wanted to be good enough to keep their major league job.
The guys in the middle didn't need them as much. They were good enough to have a big league job for years without being cut and replaced and they KNEW they would never have the ability of some of the Hall-of-Famers already mentioned.
HOWEVER, what if you are a good player getting older and you still want to hold onto your job a while longer? Exactly. Basically every single player eventually fell into one of the two groups. I can't give you names and I can't give you percentages, but the players who have talked over the years (usually to reporters and writers and usually anonymously) have led those who have studied the issue to believe that pep pill usage back then was substantially higher than current PED drugs.
Remember, there was no testing. There was no fear of getting caught. There was no good reason to NOT take these pills.
And many of the guys we are talking about are already in the HALL. If using drugs to enhance performance is wrong NOW, it was just as wrong THEN. Pick your poison. The players certainly did.
And back then you couldn't tell just by "looking at them."
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Basketball and the Baseball Hall of Fame
The Wolves got whipped last night at OKC. I still like typing OKC but I did not like that game at all.
Better? The number 8 Gophers clobbered the 11th ranked Illini last night AT Illinois. The Gophers may move up in the rankings again. This is going to be a team I start watching for.
I should mention that the Gopher HOCKEY team is ranked number ONE in the country. I sure wish I liked hockey more. I tried watching the game against number 4-ranked Notre Dame on Tuesday night and simply had no interest. I'm hoping that IF the Wild are as good as projected this season that I can muster some interest there.
Onto better sports.
Baseball writers ignored everybody eligible yesterday for the Hall of Fame.
Now that would make sense if nobody good was eligible, but that simply wasn't the case. Guys like Biggio, Morris, and Bagwell had good stats while playing, and it could be argued that they were not good ENOUGH to make the Hall of Fame. I'll give you that. I don't think guys who are just "good" belong in the Hall.
But Sosa, Bonds, and Clemens WERE eligible for the FIRST time and they were won't voted in either.
Bonds (with the possible exception of Ruth) may be the best player of all-time. Roger Clemens is by far the best pitcher in the last 60 years.
I know the argument. They "cheated." Really? And your proof is...
See, that's the point. There is no proof that ANY of those three did PEDs knowingly. The old, uninformed sportswriters merely THINK these guys did something wrong because of the way they LOOK. If you're thinking the same thing right now ("are you nuts casual sports fan, of course they used steroids, just look at them") you are just as ignorant as the ancient sports' writers.
My proof?
Just so you know, it's logically impossible to prove a negative. In other words you can't prove that Big Foot does not exist. You can only factually prove a positive. If someone ever finds a living, breathing Big Foot, you will have undeniable proof. But you can't do the opposite. By not finding him, you can't say he doesn't exist. It may simply mean that you haven't looked hard enough. You can make the assumption he's not real, but there's no way to ever prove that side of the argument.
So what's my "evidence?" I can only offer logical arguments to get you thinking differently. I'll start with two names for you, Bartolo Colon and Melky Cabrera.
Those two guys are the last two major league players to get nailed for PED use. Just LOOK at them, can't you just TELL they were using steroids?
Well, actually, no. If anything, both look out of shape and pudgy. You'd never dream that either of these players were doing PEDs. In fact, if they had GREAT careers and had never been caught, most sports writers would vote them in on a first round ballot because they LOOK like baseball players. I'm 53-years old and I LOOK in better shape than both of them. I'm not saying I'm in better shape, I'm saying I LOOK like I'm in better shape. My point to all of this is that LOOKS can be deceiving. (That's why I typed the word "LOOK" in capital letters every time I typed it in the last paragraph.)
Something wonderful was discovered in the world of sports 50 years ago, it was called weightlifting. Up until the early 1960's most athletes were told that if they lifted weights that they'd become slower, muscle-bound, and less flexible. That's why most never did it.
Baseball players were especially careful not to lift weights because they were afraid it would "affect their swing." But a few players, who were just average anyway, decided they had nothing to lose by at least trying. They either somehow got "better" or they were going home. These guys were the pioneers. They did get stronger. They did get faster. They started becoming everyday regular players. And others noticed.
Before long, many of the players started lifting weights on a regular basis and the LOOK of a major league player started to change. Dare I say it? For the first time ever, baseball players actually started LOOKING like athletes. The better players, who started lifting even more actually started looking muscular.
There's STILL the mistaken notion out there that looking really muscular is achieved by simply doing steroids. If that were the case, most of the NFL would be suspended from playing the game, and football players would look like baseball players from the 1940's and 1950's.
Tim Tebow, at the beginning of the season, was caught running off the field with his shirt off. Did you SEE that picture. He's just a quarterback and he's built better than bodybuilders from the 1950s. This guy is only in his early 20s, he must be doing steroids, right? Well, no. And that's been my point all along.
If you have the genetics, and you train hard for a while, you can get really muscular, especially if you have a trainer that knows HOW to efficiently put all of that effort into maximum results.
Is Adrain Peterson a steroid-freak or is he a genetic-freak who trains better and harder than anyone else in the game?
Have you seen the movie Thor? Did you see the the first Dark Knight Batman movie? The actors in the lead roles didn't look like this from doing steroids. They trained. And they went from athletic-looking guys to huge rock-hard bodybuilders in a matter of MONTHS. The same goes for the actor who plays the lovable doughboy Andy (Chris Pratt) on Parks and Recreation. He transformed his look to play a special forces soldier in the new movie that shows how Osama Bin Laden was taken down. Again, the transformation was amazing AND he did it quickly.
My question to you is this: If football players can do it, and even ACTORS can do it, why can't baseball players?
Especially baseball players who are every bit as driven as Adrian Peterson?
I'm not saying that PEDs don't exist in pro sports. Someone would have to be naive to say that it never happens.
What I'm saying is that you can't tell by just looking. And if you can't tell by just looking, then you shouldn't let your own prejudices allow you to play judge, jury, and executioner for players who are merely guilty of LOOKING like athletes.
Biggio, Morris, and Bagwell ALL played in the steroid era, how do you, OR the sports writers, know that THEY didn't do steroids? Especially Bagwell, just LOOK at him. Look at his home run totals. If not for the strike shortened season, Bagwell might have broken Ruth's all-time single-season record before McGwire or Bonds. Bagwell left the game early because of injuries. Wasn't that the same reason that McGwire left? Doesn't heavy steroid use cause your body to break down?
The above paragraph was written with the same view that sports writers take when considering players for the Hall of Fame. They trust their eyes and their gut, which quite frankly is the very definition of prejudice.
Eventually SOMEONE else will be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And whoever it is will have played in the steroid era. That alone means that every single modern day player from now on will have to be suspected of steroid use. Short of a confession from the player himself we will never know.
Since that IS the case, and we can never be sure, greats like Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, Clemens, and Thome should be there, too.
Oops, did I say Thome? Well just LOOK at him...
Better? The number 8 Gophers clobbered the 11th ranked Illini last night AT Illinois. The Gophers may move up in the rankings again. This is going to be a team I start watching for.
I should mention that the Gopher HOCKEY team is ranked number ONE in the country. I sure wish I liked hockey more. I tried watching the game against number 4-ranked Notre Dame on Tuesday night and simply had no interest. I'm hoping that IF the Wild are as good as projected this season that I can muster some interest there.
Onto better sports.
Baseball writers ignored everybody eligible yesterday for the Hall of Fame.
Now that would make sense if nobody good was eligible, but that simply wasn't the case. Guys like Biggio, Morris, and Bagwell had good stats while playing, and it could be argued that they were not good ENOUGH to make the Hall of Fame. I'll give you that. I don't think guys who are just "good" belong in the Hall.
But Sosa, Bonds, and Clemens WERE eligible for the FIRST time and they were won't voted in either.
Bonds (with the possible exception of Ruth) may be the best player of all-time. Roger Clemens is by far the best pitcher in the last 60 years.
I know the argument. They "cheated." Really? And your proof is...
See, that's the point. There is no proof that ANY of those three did PEDs knowingly. The old, uninformed sportswriters merely THINK these guys did something wrong because of the way they LOOK. If you're thinking the same thing right now ("are you nuts casual sports fan, of course they used steroids, just look at them") you are just as ignorant as the ancient sports' writers.
My proof?
Just so you know, it's logically impossible to prove a negative. In other words you can't prove that Big Foot does not exist. You can only factually prove a positive. If someone ever finds a living, breathing Big Foot, you will have undeniable proof. But you can't do the opposite. By not finding him, you can't say he doesn't exist. It may simply mean that you haven't looked hard enough. You can make the assumption he's not real, but there's no way to ever prove that side of the argument.
So what's my "evidence?" I can only offer logical arguments to get you thinking differently. I'll start with two names for you, Bartolo Colon and Melky Cabrera.
Those two guys are the last two major league players to get nailed for PED use. Just LOOK at them, can't you just TELL they were using steroids?
Well, actually, no. If anything, both look out of shape and pudgy. You'd never dream that either of these players were doing PEDs. In fact, if they had GREAT careers and had never been caught, most sports writers would vote them in on a first round ballot because they LOOK like baseball players. I'm 53-years old and I LOOK in better shape than both of them. I'm not saying I'm in better shape, I'm saying I LOOK like I'm in better shape. My point to all of this is that LOOKS can be deceiving. (That's why I typed the word "LOOK" in capital letters every time I typed it in the last paragraph.)
Something wonderful was discovered in the world of sports 50 years ago, it was called weightlifting. Up until the early 1960's most athletes were told that if they lifted weights that they'd become slower, muscle-bound, and less flexible. That's why most never did it.
Baseball players were especially careful not to lift weights because they were afraid it would "affect their swing." But a few players, who were just average anyway, decided they had nothing to lose by at least trying. They either somehow got "better" or they were going home. These guys were the pioneers. They did get stronger. They did get faster. They started becoming everyday regular players. And others noticed.
Before long, many of the players started lifting weights on a regular basis and the LOOK of a major league player started to change. Dare I say it? For the first time ever, baseball players actually started LOOKING like athletes. The better players, who started lifting even more actually started looking muscular.
There's STILL the mistaken notion out there that looking really muscular is achieved by simply doing steroids. If that were the case, most of the NFL would be suspended from playing the game, and football players would look like baseball players from the 1940's and 1950's.
Tim Tebow, at the beginning of the season, was caught running off the field with his shirt off. Did you SEE that picture. He's just a quarterback and he's built better than bodybuilders from the 1950s. This guy is only in his early 20s, he must be doing steroids, right? Well, no. And that's been my point all along.
If you have the genetics, and you train hard for a while, you can get really muscular, especially if you have a trainer that knows HOW to efficiently put all of that effort into maximum results.
Is Adrain Peterson a steroid-freak or is he a genetic-freak who trains better and harder than anyone else in the game?
Have you seen the movie Thor? Did you see the the first Dark Knight Batman movie? The actors in the lead roles didn't look like this from doing steroids. They trained. And they went from athletic-looking guys to huge rock-hard bodybuilders in a matter of MONTHS. The same goes for the actor who plays the lovable doughboy Andy (Chris Pratt) on Parks and Recreation. He transformed his look to play a special forces soldier in the new movie that shows how Osama Bin Laden was taken down. Again, the transformation was amazing AND he did it quickly.
My question to you is this: If football players can do it, and even ACTORS can do it, why can't baseball players?
Especially baseball players who are every bit as driven as Adrian Peterson?
I'm not saying that PEDs don't exist in pro sports. Someone would have to be naive to say that it never happens.
What I'm saying is that you can't tell by just looking. And if you can't tell by just looking, then you shouldn't let your own prejudices allow you to play judge, jury, and executioner for players who are merely guilty of LOOKING like athletes.
Biggio, Morris, and Bagwell ALL played in the steroid era, how do you, OR the sports writers, know that THEY didn't do steroids? Especially Bagwell, just LOOK at him. Look at his home run totals. If not for the strike shortened season, Bagwell might have broken Ruth's all-time single-season record before McGwire or Bonds. Bagwell left the game early because of injuries. Wasn't that the same reason that McGwire left? Doesn't heavy steroid use cause your body to break down?
The above paragraph was written with the same view that sports writers take when considering players for the Hall of Fame. They trust their eyes and their gut, which quite frankly is the very definition of prejudice.
Eventually SOMEONE else will be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And whoever it is will have played in the steroid era. That alone means that every single modern day player from now on will have to be suspected of steroid use. Short of a confession from the player himself we will never know.
Since that IS the case, and we can never be sure, greats like Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, Clemens, and Thome should be there, too.
Oops, did I say Thome? Well just LOOK at him...
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Longwell
I was kind of shocked that nobody picked up Rtan Longwell after we cut him in camp this year. He was/is one of the best place kickers in NFL history and they ONLY reason we cut him was because Blair Walsh looked to be a great, young replacement. But other teams have had horrible kickers this season and knowing that Longwell was still sitting at home, waiting for a call surprised me.
He finally got the call yesterday. The Seahawks kicker injured his calf in the Redskin's game Sunday and that left the Seahawks with no other option. They got the best replacement possible and now Longwell is in a Super Bowl hunt. Good for him.
He finally got the call yesterday. The Seahawks kicker injured his calf in the Redskin's game Sunday and that left the Seahawks with no other option. They got the best replacement possible and now Longwell is in a Super Bowl hunt. Good for him.
Wovles Down Hawks
At least for one night, the Wolves didn't miss Kevin Love much. Minnesota hadn't beaten the Hawks since 2006. Going into last night's game they had a 20-12 record while the Wolves were just playing .500 ball.
But Pekovic continues to shine with or without Love sharing the court with him. Last night he got 25 points and 18 boards as he led the Wolves to victory. Rubio's back was good enough to let him play 18 minutes and he managed to get 8 assists while in there. Another good TEAM effort and they are still worth watching.
But Pekovic continues to shine with or without Love sharing the court with him. Last night he got 25 points and 18 boards as he led the Wolves to victory. Rubio's back was good enough to let him play 18 minutes and he managed to get 8 assists while in there. Another good TEAM effort and they are still worth watching.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
RG3 and His Knee
Because Robert Griffith III had major knee surgery three years ago, it was impossible to tell how badly his knee is really hurt this time around from just one MRI.
The consensus is that he has a partially torn LCL and that he most likely has a torn ACL as well. The debate is if it's partially torn or completely torn. Since that was his previous knee injury, at this point doctors can not tell the extent of his latest injury.
Two partial tears could heal with minor surgery or just time and rehab. Anything other than that could require surgery much like Adrian Peterson's.
Is RGIII's future up in the air? Most certainly.
What Adrian Peterson did to get ready for this season was super-human. That is clearly not the norm.
We'll just have to wait until more doctors and more tests give everyone a clearer picture of the injury, and what they plan to do next.
The consensus is that he has a partially torn LCL and that he most likely has a torn ACL as well. The debate is if it's partially torn or completely torn. Since that was his previous knee injury, at this point doctors can not tell the extent of his latest injury.
Two partial tears could heal with minor surgery or just time and rehab. Anything other than that could require surgery much like Adrian Peterson's.
Is RGIII's future up in the air? Most certainly.
What Adrian Peterson did to get ready for this season was super-human. That is clearly not the norm.
We'll just have to wait until more doctors and more tests give everyone a clearer picture of the injury, and what they plan to do next.
Roll Tide
I was watching some of the ESPN shows yesterday and most were surprised that Alabama was a 10 point favorite in last night's game. They all thought Alabama would win but that the score would be much closer.
One guy even said, "look this isn't a 10 point game and it's not like Alabama is going to get 500 yards against this Notre Dame defense."
I was thinking the whole time that I'd be surprised if Notre Dame could hold Alabama to just 500 yards.
The final was 42-14 with Alabama just coasting in the fourth quarter and they still got 529 yards of offense. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't close. But if you're an Alabama fan, you just saw them win their third BCS title game in four years.
Their QB, McCarron, was the first quarterback to ever win back to back national titles, and he's already favored to do it again NEXT season.
Alabama's offensive line is the best thing I've ever seen in college football. They can pass protect better than any line and they can run block better than any line. That combination of abilities made Notre Dame's vaunted defense look like soggy mashed potatoes last night.
Roll Tide.
You definitely have at least one fan up here in Minnesota.
Stat of the game:
The longest drive against Notre Dame's defense in the regular season was 75 yards. On Monday, Alabama had drives of 82, 80, 97 and 86 yards.
One guy even said, "look this isn't a 10 point game and it's not like Alabama is going to get 500 yards against this Notre Dame defense."
I was thinking the whole time that I'd be surprised if Notre Dame could hold Alabama to just 500 yards.
The final was 42-14 with Alabama just coasting in the fourth quarter and they still got 529 yards of offense. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't close. But if you're an Alabama fan, you just saw them win their third BCS title game in four years.
Their QB, McCarron, was the first quarterback to ever win back to back national titles, and he's already favored to do it again NEXT season.
Alabama's offensive line is the best thing I've ever seen in college football. They can pass protect better than any line and they can run block better than any line. That combination of abilities made Notre Dame's vaunted defense look like soggy mashed potatoes last night.
Roll Tide.
You definitely have at least one fan up here in Minnesota.
Stat of the game:
The longest drive against Notre Dame's defense in the regular season was 75 yards. On Monday, Alabama had drives of 82, 80, 97 and 86 yards.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Wild
As long as the Wild signed the top TWO free agents from last season I'm actually kind of intrigued about the possibility of trying to watch some hockey this year.
Without Love and Rubio my interest in the Wolves is starting to wane AND the Twins aren't going to be playing for months.
The Wild might be my only hope. I know it's really just another version of soccer, but at least I have a chance of watching a Minnesota team that's good.
The NHL brand of hockey is marketed to fans who like fights
I'd much rather watch Olympic-style, international hockey if I had a choice.
But beggars can't be chosers so I guess I'll give it a try.
Go Wild!
Oh, and the Gophers basketball team won again last night. They are still not on my radar as something I'm seeking out to watch, but they may become that stop gap until spring training as well.
Without Love and Rubio my interest in the Wolves is starting to wane AND the Twins aren't going to be playing for months.
The Wild might be my only hope. I know it's really just another version of soccer, but at least I have a chance of watching a Minnesota team that's good.
The NHL brand of hockey is marketed to fans who like fights
I'd much rather watch Olympic-style, international hockey if I had a choice.
But beggars can't be chosers so I guess I'll give it a try.
Go Wild!
Oh, and the Gophers basketball team won again last night. They are still not on my radar as something I'm seeking out to watch, but they may become that stop gap until spring training as well.
Monday Morning Quarterbacks
RGIII re-injured his knee last night on a simple play of reaching down for a poorly snapped ball.
All I'm reading by sports pundits this morning are that "Griffen should have never been in there," Or, it was a mistake playing Griffen last night."
Huh?
Where were these same guys when Griffen had a concussion earlier this year and then played and killed the Vikings in his best game of the season THE VERY NEXT WEEKEND.
Where were these guys the last TWO weeks when Griffen was playing on a MORE hobbled knee, winning games and getting the Redskins into the playoffs?
Griffen was actually playing much better last night and his knee was looking almost normal, especially in the first half. He tweaked it on a running play in third and then it and he conked out with a little less than 7 minutes left in the game with that terrible twisting attempt at the fumble pick-up.
I actually AGREE that he shouldn't have been in there last night, but I've been saying the same exact thing since he hurt his knee 5 weeks ago. Once the decision was MADE to let him play three weeks ago, and no one COMPLAINED, they lost their right to complain about what happened LAST night.
How bad is the knee? No MRI has been done yet so it could be anything from another sprain to something as horrible as what happened to AD last season.
What REALLY bothers me is that these SAME fans and sports writers were furious that the WASHINGTON Nationals shut down their ace, Stephen Strasburg last season BEFORE the playoffs to protect his recently repaired shoulder. Many think that move cost the Nationals a chance at a World Series title.
You can't have it both ways. One team was extra cautious. The other team played a QB who was supposedly cleared to play.
I would always ere on the side of caution. Careers are way more important than individual games. But if others agree with me on that THEY should have said something earlier. Now you just come across as an idiotic Monday Morning quarterback who can make the OBVIOUS call.
That's like Custer's friends saying he shouldn't have fought the battle at Little Big Horn after they went to his funeral.
Yeah, we all know that now.
All I'm reading by sports pundits this morning are that "Griffen should have never been in there," Or, it was a mistake playing Griffen last night."
Huh?
Where were these same guys when Griffen had a concussion earlier this year and then played and killed the Vikings in his best game of the season THE VERY NEXT WEEKEND.
Where were these guys the last TWO weeks when Griffen was playing on a MORE hobbled knee, winning games and getting the Redskins into the playoffs?
Griffen was actually playing much better last night and his knee was looking almost normal, especially in the first half. He tweaked it on a running play in third and then it and he conked out with a little less than 7 minutes left in the game with that terrible twisting attempt at the fumble pick-up.
I actually AGREE that he shouldn't have been in there last night, but I've been saying the same exact thing since he hurt his knee 5 weeks ago. Once the decision was MADE to let him play three weeks ago, and no one COMPLAINED, they lost their right to complain about what happened LAST night.
How bad is the knee? No MRI has been done yet so it could be anything from another sprain to something as horrible as what happened to AD last season.
What REALLY bothers me is that these SAME fans and sports writers were furious that the WASHINGTON Nationals shut down their ace, Stephen Strasburg last season BEFORE the playoffs to protect his recently repaired shoulder. Many think that move cost the Nationals a chance at a World Series title.
You can't have it both ways. One team was extra cautious. The other team played a QB who was supposedly cleared to play.
I would always ere on the side of caution. Careers are way more important than individual games. But if others agree with me on that THEY should have said something earlier. Now you just come across as an idiotic Monday Morning quarterback who can make the OBVIOUS call.
That's like Custer's friends saying he shouldn't have fought the battle at Little Big Horn after they went to his funeral.
Yeah, we all know that now.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Disappointing Two
The Wolves lost last night even though they had a fantastic comeback.
Worse News? Love's finger is broken, not sprained, and it will probably need surgery. There's a good chance he is done for the season. Between Love's finger and Rubio's bad back, I'm think this season is just about over.
I guess I'll just have to sit back and wait to see if the Twins have any chance of competing at all this year.
I'm pretty sure that will be disappointing three.
sigh
Why do I bother watching sports at all?
Worse News? Love's finger is broken, not sprained, and it will probably need surgery. There's a good chance he is done for the season. Between Love's finger and Rubio's bad back, I'm think this season is just about over.
I guess I'll just have to sit back and wait to see if the Twins have any chance of competing at all this year.
I'm pretty sure that will be disappointing three.
sigh
Why do I bother watching sports at all?
Disappointing
Joe Webb was a deer caught in the headlights last night. The coaches didn't accommodate his strengths and even though he really did look much more comfortable throwing in the fourth quarter, by then it was way too late.
I'm more disappointed than angry. The Packers played great defense and Frazier and crew never came up with a game plan that didn't involve Ponder during the week. It was a recipe for disaster. Inexperience plus lack of preparation equals disappointment.
At least losing this game didn't kill my interest in football. I want the Broncos to win it all this year and if they can't, I wouldn't mind seeing Brady getting another ring for New England. IF they can't do it, I wouldn't mind watching the Packers and Rodgers win either. I'm still looking forward to more football this afternoon and am glad the Vikings had a pretty good season. I'm looking forward to NEXT year and am still hoping that Ponder continues to improve.
And that they find a place for Webb. And that place shouldn't be in the pocket.
If nothing else, the Vikings played the Packers even in that second half. That's something to build on for next year.
Go Broncos. Go Patriots. Go Pack.
I guess I can't end this blog without making one more point. The Vikings had Webb running a weird triple option on that first drive that looked so incredibly good. Vikings fans saw what the combo of Peterson and Webb exchanging running plays was like and it LOOKED GREAT. And then they didn't do it again the rest of the game.
I honestly don't know what the Vikings coaches were thinking forcing Webb to then become a pocket passer for the rest of the game. Forcing a round peg into a square hole automatically makes you look like an idiot on any intelligence test. My assessment of the Vikings coaching staff hasn't changed much throughout the season.
It took them twelve weeks to figure out how best to use Ponder. And last night they pulled the plug on the game plan (they should have used) after just one successful series.
Dumb coaching kills. Just an observation.
I'm more disappointed than angry. The Packers played great defense and Frazier and crew never came up with a game plan that didn't involve Ponder during the week. It was a recipe for disaster. Inexperience plus lack of preparation equals disappointment.
At least losing this game didn't kill my interest in football. I want the Broncos to win it all this year and if they can't, I wouldn't mind seeing Brady getting another ring for New England. IF they can't do it, I wouldn't mind watching the Packers and Rodgers win either. I'm still looking forward to more football this afternoon and am glad the Vikings had a pretty good season. I'm looking forward to NEXT year and am still hoping that Ponder continues to improve.
And that they find a place for Webb. And that place shouldn't be in the pocket.
If nothing else, the Vikings played the Packers even in that second half. That's something to build on for next year.
Go Broncos. Go Patriots. Go Pack.
I guess I can't end this blog without making one more point. The Vikings had Webb running a weird triple option on that first drive that looked so incredibly good. Vikings fans saw what the combo of Peterson and Webb exchanging running plays was like and it LOOKED GREAT. And then they didn't do it again the rest of the game.
I honestly don't know what the Vikings coaches were thinking forcing Webb to then become a pocket passer for the rest of the game. Forcing a round peg into a square hole automatically makes you look like an idiot on any intelligence test. My assessment of the Vikings coaching staff hasn't changed much throughout the season.
It took them twelve weeks to figure out how best to use Ponder. And last night they pulled the plug on the game plan (they should have used) after just one successful series.
Dumb coaching kills. Just an observation.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Game Comments
1st quarter comments:
Webb had 40 yards rushing in the first quarter without even trying.
But we're going to lose.
Why?
They're making him stay in the pocket, just like they made Ponder stay in the pocket for the first 12 weeks.
What is it with these coaches? Let him roll out. Let him bootleg. We need to score points early. Saddling your stallion when you know he can't throw is just plain stupid, especially when they are playing the middle for Peterson. We should be alternating between running Peterson in the middle and running Webb to the outside just to keep the defense honest.
Coaches need to be better than this. THINK guys. Think. The passing game will open up if they have to play the run that way. THINK!
2nd quarter comments:
Most likely my last comments of the night. Webb can't throw and the coaches make him stay in the pocket. Anybody notice that Rodgers has planned roll outs every 2 or three passing plays? And we make Webb stay in the pocket and throw horribly.
Nothing will open up with anything we are doing right now. The defense is going to be exhausted before long.
Looks like I'll be going to bed early. Maybe I'll watch the Wolves for awhile.
The Packers have got to be the luckiest team in football. It's like being handed a win while our coaching staff tries to make this into a traditional football game.
Good season ending in everything that's wrong with the team being shown to a nationwide audience. Use Webb's strengths, don't make him stay in the pocket. It's never going to work. It didn't work for Ponder either.
Webb had 40 yards rushing in the first quarter without even trying.
But we're going to lose.
Why?
They're making him stay in the pocket, just like they made Ponder stay in the pocket for the first 12 weeks.
What is it with these coaches? Let him roll out. Let him bootleg. We need to score points early. Saddling your stallion when you know he can't throw is just plain stupid, especially when they are playing the middle for Peterson. We should be alternating between running Peterson in the middle and running Webb to the outside just to keep the defense honest.
Coaches need to be better than this. THINK guys. Think. The passing game will open up if they have to play the run that way. THINK!
2nd quarter comments:
Most likely my last comments of the night. Webb can't throw and the coaches make him stay in the pocket. Anybody notice that Rodgers has planned roll outs every 2 or three passing plays? And we make Webb stay in the pocket and throw horribly.
Nothing will open up with anything we are doing right now. The defense is going to be exhausted before long.
Looks like I'll be going to bed early. Maybe I'll watch the Wolves for awhile.
The Packers have got to be the luckiest team in football. It's like being handed a win while our coaching staff tries to make this into a traditional football game.
Good season ending in everything that's wrong with the team being shown to a nationwide audience. Use Webb's strengths, don't make him stay in the pocket. It's never going to work. It didn't work for Ponder either.
The Last Time We We're at Green Bay for the Play-Offs
We were HUGE underdogs going in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmpMxpXfyTs&feature=player_embedded
Can't wait for tonight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmpMxpXfyTs&feature=player_embedded
Can't wait for tonight.
Chiefs Hire Reid
Well, that didn't take long.
I'm really not sure how NFL owners and GMs think, but Andy Reid, who was cast aside as incompetent just 5 days ago in Philly, has now been deemed by Chiefs' management as their best chance to once again become competitive.
I don't get it, but Andy Reid sure has to be happy they think the way the do.
I'm really not sure how NFL owners and GMs think, but Andy Reid, who was cast aside as incompetent just 5 days ago in Philly, has now been deemed by Chiefs' management as their best chance to once again become competitive.
I don't get it, but Andy Reid sure has to be happy they think the way the do.
Lakers Get Clipped
There is now ONE dominant NBA team in Los Angeles, and for a change it's not the Lakers.
The Clippers played great ball last night, and though they only won by 5, they had the lead the entire game.
Kobe said the Lakers are getting older and slower and it's pretty hard to disagree with him. Chris Paul and Blake Griffen have led the Clippers to a 26-8 record so far this season. The Lakers at 15-17 are even trailing the Wolves in winning percentage so far this year.
I like that a lot.
In other good NBA news? The Bulls beat LeBron and the Heat last night.
Maybe I am starting to like the NBA. The right teams just have to lose.
The Clippers played great ball last night, and though they only won by 5, they had the lead the entire game.
Kobe said the Lakers are getting older and slower and it's pretty hard to disagree with him. Chris Paul and Blake Griffen have led the Clippers to a 26-8 record so far this season. The Lakers at 15-17 are even trailing the Wolves in winning percentage so far this year.
I like that a lot.
In other good NBA news? The Bulls beat LeBron and the Heat last night.
Maybe I am starting to like the NBA. The right teams just have to lose.
Johnny Football at the Cotton Bowl
Did anybody happen to catch this year's freshman Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel, at the Cotton Bowl last night? He led his team in passing AND rushing and he personally ended up with 516 total yards of offense. ((287 pass, 229 rush)
I have never seen such a talented player at any level, and I still can't believe he is just a freshman.
Yes, A&M easily won the game, but I'm already eagerly awaiting him playing again next season. He is simply amazing. Kind of like Tom Brady mixed with Adrian Peterson amazing.
The Heisman voters got it right. Boy, did they get this right.
I have never seen such a talented player at any level, and I still can't believe he is just a freshman.
Yes, A&M easily won the game, but I'm already eagerly awaiting him playing again next season. He is simply amazing. Kind of like Tom Brady mixed with Adrian Peterson amazing.
The Heisman voters got it right. Boy, did they get this right.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Vikings
The game is tomorrow night and I'm already getting excited.
Yes, despite all my misgivings about Christian Ponder, I'm still excited about the Vikings making it to the postseason.
The worst news I heard yesterday? Ponder has a bad elbow because of a hit he took last Sunday. That's bad news no matter how you look at it, BUT since the guy only throws 10 yard passes, that injury may not bother him as much as others.
I guess we'll all wait and see if the injury makes a difference. The biggest problem? If his passes ARE bad we really won't know if that's the injury or just Ponder being his old self.
We still don't really have a baseline for this guy, just several short spurts of good and bad QB play.
Still excited, though. Still excited.
Yes, despite all my misgivings about Christian Ponder, I'm still excited about the Vikings making it to the postseason.
The worst news I heard yesterday? Ponder has a bad elbow because of a hit he took last Sunday. That's bad news no matter how you look at it, BUT since the guy only throws 10 yard passes, that injury may not bother him as much as others.
I guess we'll all wait and see if the injury makes a difference. The biggest problem? If his passes ARE bad we really won't know if that's the injury or just Ponder being his old self.
We still don't really have a baseline for this guy, just several short spurts of good and bad QB play.
Still excited, though. Still excited.
Wolves Lose Love (Again) Win
Is it possible that the Wolves are better without Rubio and Love?
Rubio missed another game with back spasms and Love left early with another injury. This time a sprained finger on his shooting hand. At that exact moment, the Wolves started playing better,
They had a rough time in the late third, but were running like awell-oiled machine by game's end.
Two nights earlier, the Nuggets had stopped the Clippers 17-game win-streak. Denver is a very, very good team at home, yet last night without Rubio and Love the Wolves were the team that made plays when it mattered at the end.
The difference between this win and Wednesday's loss? Love wasn't in the game for the good parts.
I don't think this is a trend (yet), but it certainly is something to keep an eye on. ALL of the Wolves shot badly Wednesday, but they may be taking their cues from Love who really hasn't shot the ball well consistently since breaking his hand. His bad shooting is throwing the whole team off. Without him the Wolves were WAY better.
At least they were LAST night.
Rubio missed another game with back spasms and Love left early with another injury. This time a sprained finger on his shooting hand. At that exact moment, the Wolves started playing better,
They had a rough time in the late third, but were running like awell-oiled machine by game's end.
Two nights earlier, the Nuggets had stopped the Clippers 17-game win-streak. Denver is a very, very good team at home, yet last night without Rubio and Love the Wolves were the team that made plays when it mattered at the end.
The difference between this win and Wednesday's loss? Love wasn't in the game for the good parts.
I don't think this is a trend (yet), but it certainly is something to keep an eye on. ALL of the Wolves shot badly Wednesday, but they may be taking their cues from Love who really hasn't shot the ball well consistently since breaking his hand. His bad shooting is throwing the whole team off. Without him the Wolves were WAY better.
At least they were LAST night.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Quote of the Day
Deion Sanders said after Week 17's games concluded this past Sunday, "If Adrian Peterson can't win the MVP award this year, then they should just change the name of the award to the MVQB. Because if Peterson can't win it after the season he's just had, then there's really no case for any running back winning the award."
Stat of the Day 2
In his final ten games, Adrian Peterson rushed for 1,598 yards. The NFL's second-leading rusher, Washington Redskins rookie Alfred Morris, rushed for 1,613 yards. . .in SIXTEEN games. In fact, Morris was the only runner to accomplish in 16 games what Peterson accomplished in 10. (The NFL's third-leading rusher, Seattle's Marshawn Lynch, had a 16-game rushing total of 1,590 yards.)
Stat of the Day
After a disastrous Week 13 performance against the Packers, Ponder quietly turned himself around and had the NFL's second-best QBR (86.8) over the final four games of the season, trailing only Peyton Manning. Over the second half of the season, Ponder's QBR on third down -- measuring not only passes but also his scrambles -- was the league's second best.
These stats came during the toughest last four (and five) game schedule in the league.
These stats came during the toughest last four (and five) game schedule in the league.
T-Wolves Clobbered
Utah isn't even a .500 ball club.
Sure glad I missed that one. Everyone played and shot poorly.
Sure glad I missed that one. Everyone played and shot poorly.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Bothersome Stat of the Day
The Vikings are 0-5 when playing outdoors this season.
The sadder part? They were thinking about practicing outside a couple of days this week BUT decided not to because it's too cold in Minnesota right now. No, they didn't actually say that, but the choice was made to not practice in the colder conditions outside.
Their practice fields are covered in snow and there were subzero wind chills in the Cities yesterday.
0-5 is telling, though.
The sadder part? They were thinking about practicing outside a couple of days this week BUT decided not to because it's too cold in Minnesota right now. No, they didn't actually say that, but the choice was made to not practice in the colder conditions outside.
Their practice fields are covered in snow and there were subzero wind chills in the Cities yesterday.
0-5 is telling, though.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
More Vikings
It's so much easier writing these blogs when your team is having a good year.
The Vikings lost 6 games this season. Four of those losses were to playoff teams, Green Bay, Indy, Washington, and Seattle.
What's cool is that they also BEAT three playoff teams, Green Bay, Houston, and San Francisco.
They also played in a division that had the most wins of any division in football AND they had the toughest schedule of any team in football the month of December and still finished the month 4-1 (their only loss being that tough Green Bay game that started the month.)
What I'm trying to say through all of these stats is that the Vikings ARE as good as most of the teams in the playoffs. They may not be the best team, but neither were the Giants last season when they managed to squeak into the playoffs and then went on to slaughter top seeded Green Bay at Lambeau before going on to win the Super Bowl.
Weirder things have happened (as recently as last season.)
Maybe Green Bay fans ARE losing sleep over this week's game.
After further review, I'm thinking the Vikings DO have a chance this Saturday. The Packers were horrible when it mattered most last year. Maybe, just maybe, they will be again.
And Adrian Peterson still has a lot to prove.
The Vikings lost 6 games this season. Four of those losses were to playoff teams, Green Bay, Indy, Washington, and Seattle.
What's cool is that they also BEAT three playoff teams, Green Bay, Houston, and San Francisco.
They also played in a division that had the most wins of any division in football AND they had the toughest schedule of any team in football the month of December and still finished the month 4-1 (their only loss being that tough Green Bay game that started the month.)
What I'm trying to say through all of these stats is that the Vikings ARE as good as most of the teams in the playoffs. They may not be the best team, but neither were the Giants last season when they managed to squeak into the playoffs and then went on to slaughter top seeded Green Bay at Lambeau before going on to win the Super Bowl.
Weirder things have happened (as recently as last season.)
Maybe Green Bay fans ARE losing sleep over this week's game.
After further review, I'm thinking the Vikings DO have a chance this Saturday. The Packers were horrible when it mattered most last year. Maybe, just maybe, they will be again.
And Adrian Peterson still has a lot to prove.
Vikings
Like most fans, I can't believe how exciting the last few weeks have been. Sunday's game was the first time in ages where I actually had to get up and pace during the fourth quarter. I simply could no longer just sit there and watch. It was too exciting and I was too nervous.
That's how football should be. I've missed enjoying a game like that. Every down mattered. Every play mattered. Every stupid ref call had me yelling at the TV.
That was the greatest game the Vikings have played since their NFC championship game three seasons ago. It's the first game since THAT game that a game really mattered. The Twins have been so awful lately that it's been basically THREE years since I've cared about sports at all.
If you're not a sports fan, you can't know that feeling. If you are a sports fan, you felt it Sunday and it felt good. REAL GOOD.
Man, I've missed that feeling. I'm hoping the game is close enough on Saturday that I feel it again. You can't fake that feeling, but when it's there, you don't want it to leave. That's what being a sports junkie is all about. And you need a good team that wins to feel it.
I'm hoping that the Vikings ARE that team and I get to feel it a while longer.
That's how football should be. I've missed enjoying a game like that. Every down mattered. Every play mattered. Every stupid ref call had me yelling at the TV.
That was the greatest game the Vikings have played since their NFC championship game three seasons ago. It's the first game since THAT game that a game really mattered. The Twins have been so awful lately that it's been basically THREE years since I've cared about sports at all.
If you're not a sports fan, you can't know that feeling. If you are a sports fan, you felt it Sunday and it felt good. REAL GOOD.
Man, I've missed that feeling. I'm hoping the game is close enough on Saturday that I feel it again. You can't fake that feeling, but when it's there, you don't want it to leave. That's what being a sports junkie is all about. And you need a good team that wins to feel it.
I'm hoping that the Vikings ARE that team and I get to feel it a while longer.
Black Monday
Shoppers get all excited when Black Friday hits the day after Thanksgiving.
NFL coaches and GMs get scared on the Monday after the last regular season game is played. That's the day as many as a fourth of them get fired.
Yesterday's Black Monday was no different. A total of 7 head coaches were fired yesterday along with the Jets GM. Somehow, at this point Rex Ryan is still clinging to his job in New York.
Owners are impatient in the NFL. If you don't win, you don't come back. Even Lovie Smith of the Bears found that out yesterday. He may have had 10 wins on the season, but he's only made the playoffs ONCE in the last SIX years.
NFL coaches and GMs get scared on the Monday after the last regular season game is played. That's the day as many as a fourth of them get fired.
Yesterday's Black Monday was no different. A total of 7 head coaches were fired yesterday along with the Jets GM. Somehow, at this point Rex Ryan is still clinging to his job in New York.
Owners are impatient in the NFL. If you don't win, you don't come back. Even Lovie Smith of the Bears found that out yesterday. He may have had 10 wins on the season, but he's only made the playoffs ONCE in the last SIX years.
Gophers B-Ball top 10
The polls came out yesterday and the Gophers were ranked number 9 in the country. They celebrated by beating Michigan State in their Big Ten opener 76-63.
Maybe they are this good. It's been 16 YEARS since they've been in the top ten and they never beat Michigan State.
I may have to to start watching some of their games this season.
Cranky Curtis was right 6 years ago when he got excited about Tubby Smith coming to Minnesota. He's made a big difference in the program.
Maybe they are this good. It's been 16 YEARS since they've been in the top ten and they never beat Michigan State.
I may have to to start watching some of their games this season.
Cranky Curtis was right 6 years ago when he got excited about Tubby Smith coming to Minnesota. He's made a big difference in the program.
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