Where the Bleep is Jumbo Furyk?

The First Four Matches Aren't Practice, Corey.

Can’t help myself, here.  Going to have to go back to the golf for a second.  Plus, outside we have tropical depression Julio blowing up some wind and rain something fierce.  Not too much to do today.  The pairings for the first session of the Ryder Cup have come out, and I’ve got some…issues.  Jim Furyk isn’t playing.  Perhaps you’ve heard of him.  He just won the Tour Championship.  I thought that 4 Americans would play all 5 sessions.  Tiger, Phil, Stricker and Furyk.  Now, with Furyk out,  I have my doubts about the rest too.  We’ll see.  Also, no Ricky Fowler in the opening session.  I thought he’d be with Bubba Watson, but instead that falls to Jeff Overton, perhaps the American’s biggest question mark and wild-card.  He’s streaky…in both directions.  I’m going to pick the matches, because since I can’t pick the NFL, might as well try something new…warm me up for week 4 picks tomorrow.  The opening 4-ball matches:

Phil Mickelson & Dustin Johnson vs. Lee Westwood &  Martin Kaymer.

Yikes.  Right out of the gate, heavyweight match-up.  The way the other matches break down, and just for the purposes of momentum it’ll be important that the US gets something out of this one.  Mickelson hearts DJ like a younger brother, and I have a feeling DJ hearts Philly Mick, because of his aggressive predisposition to gambling.  They should match-up well together.  The question mark is Westwood.  Kaymer’s a tough draw, but Westwood hasn’t played competitively in a while.  It’s the US’s glimmer of hope.  Prediction:  Halved.

Stewart Cink & Matt Kuchar vs. Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy.

No Woods vs. McIlroy, yet.  This is a classic example of a non-golf fan looking at a match-up and saying, “Oh my god, the US is going to get killed.”  Well, McIlroy hasn’t been playing too well, McDowell is living off the fat of the US Open, and Kuchar almost won the Fed Ex Cup.  Made up award or not, it’s an indication of his recent play.  Everyone just assumes Rory is ready to be this dominant force ala Sergio at 19.  For all the heat Sergio takes, he was made for this environment, not sure about mop top.  Too easy?  Go the other way…Prediction: Cink & Kuchar 3 & 2.

Steve Stricker & Tiger Woods vs. Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.

Even with Tiger’s struggles here’s a perceived advantage for the United States.  Tiger sounds a little feisty this week, which could mean he could go off on a club twirling binge.  The pairing with Stricker was good for 4-0 at the President’s Cup last year.  TW’s bad holes won’t be so penal in the 4-ball format, and I am actually expecting one of his best Ryder Cup showings.  On the other side, Poulter has good history and his teaming with Fisher has also been successful.  I think this could end up being the match of the morning (3:00 Am eastern time, set your alarms!).  Prediction:  Stricker & Woods 1 up.

Bubba Watson & Jeff Overton vs. Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington.

Uh, oh.  This doesn’t look so good for the United States.  Interesting note, I wonder if this speaks to the form of guys like Hunter Mahan and Ricky Fowler.  I expected to see them in the better ball format, but they are benched.  Does this mean they could miss the entire first day?  I know we’ll see Furyk in the afternoon, and I’d expect Zach Johnson to slide into Overton’s spot next to Stewart Cink, but what about the other guys?  Maybe they’ll replace this entire pairing.  For the Euros, this is a strong side.  Consistent and possibly lethal.  Harrington hasn’t had the results he’d like of late, but was practicing brilliantly according to reports.  Someone tweet Watson’s followers and prepare them for bad news.  Prediction:  Donald & Harrington 5 & 3.

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Troy and Rodney Should Be Proud.

PAC 10 Glory Days.

Someone nudged my chair last weekend and said, “Hey, remember college football?”  I did remember, but it is easy to shuffle it into the background when you are trying to balance the end of the baseball season with the Vick experience.  College football starts so early, and with games so meaningless, that I find it easy to push aside.  Remind me about it later.  Well, last week I checked in for the ‘Bama/Arkansas game, and this week college football comes back with another good line-up of games, probably superior to the match-ups you’ll see on Sunday.  I’m sure the majority of the country isn’t too concerned about the “Dirty 30″ showing up to give McNabb “the final boo,” on Sunday.  They look at the match-up, and say, “Puke, the NFC East.”  And, rightfully so.  The college slate has some eye-catchers.

Of course, you are immediately drawn to Florida at Alabama.  That number one that resides next to Alabama is a magnet for the eyes.  Florida is the game, their biggest rival of late.  It’s a meeting that has decided national championships before the BCS even gets their hands on things.  Florida is ranked in the top-10 in the country as well, and it’s the 2nd straight such match-up for Alabama.  I touched on their schedule strength a few days back, and they are right in the heart of it.  At home against a Tebow-less Gator team actually might not be their toughest test.  Shouldn’t they let Tebow come back for this one?  He’s not really busy in Denver.  Let’s spice this game up a bit.  I’ll tell you what would impress me, Greg McElroy doing something aside from not losing the game.  Make a play.  What can I say?  The guy wins too much.  It’s aggravating.

Like I said, I think the gut reaction to the game of the week question is certainly, “Alabama/Florida.”  That’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe.  But, there are some other games out there as well.  Texas finds itself in a difficult spot and needing to bounce back against Oklahoma.  Here’s another game that is missing some quarterback star power, but the rest of the pieces are still in place.  You’ve got to move even further west to find the game that carries the most significance for me, though.  Way out in the Pac-10.  Yet another meeting of top-10 teams.  Number nine Stanford travels to play number four Oregon.  A big Pac-10 game?  And one that doesn’t include USC?  You’ve got to be kidding me.

I can’t pinpoint the year the Pac-10 lost its glamor.  Sometime after the classic Peete vs. Aikman Heisman race you see above, the air went out of the conference a bit.  Until USC emerged as a national power, the conference had become essentially what we now think of the Big-10.  A lot of history and an annual butt kicking in the Rose Bowl.  Even with USC, the rest of the conference was an afterthought.  Perhaps it took the fall of the superpower to build up the rest of the conference.  Oregon has suddenly become a trendy pick to win the whole thing.  And Stanford?  This team has really pulled itself up from the depths.  For perspective, since 2002 Stanford has lost in Oregon by an average of 4 touchdowns.  That they even have a shot in this game is something to talk about.   What my East Coast biased eyes will be looking for in this one:

1.  Andrew Luck plays quarterback for Stanford.  There was a Sporting News feature on him this year, he’s incredibly hyped, and probably the biggest name at Stanford since John Elway.  He could be everything Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett are not, meaning the best pro prospect in college football.  I’ve only seen highlights, so I’ll be interested to see what the kid looks like for 4 quarters.

2.  Oregon’s offensive machine.  I think the momentum Oregon is building as a national championship contender is based on the video game like stats their offense is putting up.  57.8 points a game.  Is that 5-minute quarters?  Perhaps you remember the 72-0 they hung on New Mexico in the opener.  It included a 59-0 first half.  720 yards of total offense.  This is a little like shooting 62.  I don’t care what course it was on, that’s a pretty good score.  Since that opener Oregon has blown out 3 more teams, and the question is, can anyone stop the Ducks?  Will they just outscore everyone?

3.  On that note, I wonder if any defense will be played in this game.  I think the predominant thinking about West Coast teams and even some of the Big-12 teams is that they can light up the scoreboard, but they can’t stop anyone.  Put them against a fast defense like you see all the time in the SEC and they lose every time because they get contained, but can’t get a stop themselves.  If we’re looking for a possible BCS championship contender, I’m going to have to see some defense, just a shred would be nice.  Perfect place to step up for both teams, too.  Containing Luck, or the Ducks all-around onslaught would be a feather in the cap.

Obviously, I don’t have a ton of insight about the Pac-10.  If there are any die-hard Stanford fans out there that want to break this one down for us, I’d love to hear it.  In the meantime, I’ll just sit back and watch a west coast game…for once.

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Concerns Over J-Roll.

Heal Up, Young Fella.

The Phillies are in garbage time.  Last night in Washington the star was Ben Francisco.  Remember that guy?  Some fans were calling for him to be the everyday left-fielder in the depths of Raul Ibanez’s slump.  Just when a platoon looked inevitable, Raul heated up and Francisco’s at-bats started to dwindle.  If there’s a criticism of Charlie Manuel that holds true over the years it is that he is a little reluctant to play his bench guys.  This season, a lot of those decisions were made for him.  Injuries made a regular out of Wilson Valdez and other substitutes, and with things so close down the stretch, the Phillies couldn’t afford to give the big guns many days off.  Now, for the final weekend we’ll finally get our fill of Francisco, Dobbs, Schneider and company.

The one Phillies regular that will be getting every at-bat possible is Jimmy Rollins.  Rollins has had reoccurring and nagging injuries this season.  The most recent of which had kept him out of the starting lineup until Tuesday.  It will give J Roll just about 20 at-bats or so before the post-season starts.  At this point the rust seems apparent.  Rollins was just coming out of his slump when he suffered his latest set-back, and I’m not sure he’s got enough time before the playoffs to find his rhythm again.

Wilson Valdez has been an adequate replacement all season long, and this time around the Phillies didn’t miss a beat without Jimmy.  They snapped off their longest winnings streak of the season, Shane Victorino got hot in the lead-off hole, and they clinched the division crown.  Valdez for his part got a couple of big hits and playec a nearly flawless short stop.  In fact, you could probably argue that Valdez fields the position better than a slightly hobbled or slowed Rollins, who has won Gold Gloves (always take those for what they are worth).

This isn’t a post that is calling for Jimmy’s benching during the playoffs.  That would be reactionary, even panicky.  Rollins is a proven post-season performer.  The point is, Rollins needs to be as close to 100% as possible when the playoffs start, because he’s going to be inserted into an important role for this team.

I expect that Rollins will lead-off when everything comes back together.  Just because that is what the Phillies have always done, and there is a certain creature of habit thing going on here.  I think that is what Rollins would prefer as well, and there’s something to be said for that.  The Shane Victorino experiment got off to a rousing start, but he’d cooled off a good bit since that initial outburst.  I’m not sure there’s any real difference there, Victorino vs. Rollins, so in the end, we’ll probably see Jimmy leading off.  And, if Jimmy does end up hitting 6th or down in the order, is that a sign the Phillies aren’t fielding their best line-up?

If Rollins does lead off, he becomes a key part of this offense.  Runs, moving forward, are going to become more scarce.  A potential NLCS could be a very low-scoring affair.  Can the Phillies manufacture a few, or do they just hit 3-run homers?  It’s been an ongoing question, and this year they’ve shown a little more ability to play small ball.  Rollins plays a part in that.  Getting on, using his speed, and just being Jimmy Rollins.  A healthy Jimmy Rollins.  Is that what we’re going to get?  I’m not sure, but for all the attention Lidge and the bullpen get, it may be Rollins who is the lynchpin of this whole thing.  After all, Lidge isn’t a factor unless you can get him a lead.

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Fakin’ It.

Three Simple Steps.

I think it is a rite of passage to fake illness, no?  This is something kids do.  It’s been going on for generations. Fiddling with the thermometer, the whole nine yards.  A movie (see above) was made about the premise, and I’m sure inspired an entire generation to stretch the limits of faking it.  I’m trying to remember if I ever faked an illness to skip school.  I don’t think I did.  The usual reasons I suppose would be to skip a test, or because an assignment hadn’t been completed, or maybe you were just a hard ass and planned to smoke cigarettes outside the Wawa all day.  Well, I wasn’t a hard ass, was a natural test taker, and when I didn’t have assignments done, I simply handed them in late.  No conscience.  Ice cold.  This isn’t to say I never faked being sick, though.  I can remember at least one instance.  It’s a little embarrassing to relay here, but it also ended up helping me in a way.

I once attempted to fake illness to get out of a Little League game.  I want to say I was about eight or nine years old. I don’t know if I was actually good at baseball at this point in my life, or if people just assumed I was good for an unknown reason, but after t-ball I didn’t play baseball with kids my age again until I was about 10 or 11.  They were always a couple of years older than me.  I don’t think I was freakishly big for my age, and to prove that point, I spent my early baseball years hitting at the top of the line-up and playing middle infield.  If you know me now, you’ll probably have to take a moment here to laugh hysterically.  Anyway, the point is, I was eight and playing with kids who were 9 to 11 years old.

This left me at a disadvantage in some respects, but it wasn’t a big deal until I got drilled.  Right in the arm.  Now we didn’t have any LLWS caliber flame throwers in my Little League, but there were a couple of kids who threw hard and dominated, and as mentioned before they were a couple of years older than I was.  So, when one of the hard throwers reared back and clipped me, it wasn’t a near death experience, or anything, but let’s just say it stung a bit.  I don’t think it bothered me right away, but a little time went by and we were scheduled to play the same team with the kid who threw b.b’s.  The more I thought about it that day at school, the more I thought that I didn’t want to get hit again. Maybe I should sit the game out, and no one would be the wiser.

So, when I got home, I broke the news.  Something wasn’t quite right.  Hey, little ill over here, better cancel the trip to VFW field.  Well, I imagine I was a terrible actor, or my story was littered with holes, but it didn’t go over that well.  I was fine that morning and suddenly I was sick?  My mom promptly called Balderdash on me.  Plus, it was her night to work the concession stand.  Can’t shirk that responsibility.  Not on such short notice.  If she was going to sell Fun Dip, Bubble Tape and Swedish Fish all evening, I could certainly drag tail over there and give it a try.  She told me if I got to the game, and I still didn’t feel good, that we could go back home.  Deal.

Well, what happened when we got to the field is that I found out I didn’t have to continue my ruse.  Right away we knew the Nolan Ryan of Malvern, PA wasn’t chucking that night.  It was just another kid who arched lolly pops up there.  As you can imagine the stomach bug I had been fighting in my mind magically stopped bothering me.  I felt good.  Ready to play, coach.  The game went on without incident.  I’ll assume we won (we were awesome!), but I really don’t remember the details.  I remember my mom questioning me after the game, after the last hot dog had been passed out (bet your sweet ass I had mine), and I imagine I just brushed it off.  I’m sure she was congratulating herself on knowing I was faking it all along…

In the end, it doesn’t make me real proud to say that I was afraid of getting hit that day, but I can say that was the last time I was afraid.  Something about getting through that game, even though the kid didn’t pitch, made me stop worrying about it.  I’d go on to take baseballs off various parts of my body, but always would emerge just black and blue and no longer afraid.  I guess the moral of this anecdote is, worry is often wasted, or if you are going to fake it, make sure it isn’t concession stand night.  And, there it is.

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If We Were Smart, We’d Ignore McNabb’s Return.

Air Guitar At the Linc on Sunday.

The biggest story in Philadelphia this week is Donovan McNabb’s return with the Washington Redskins.  Yes, it’s the week that the Phillies clinched another division and likely will find out their first round opponent, but the NFL is always trump, and the drama that has surrounded the quarterback position in this town has occupied the sports media for months.  It was all anyone could talk about this summer, and the story was discussed on everything from racial lines to which quarterback was a better fit for the offense.  The end result, the one we will arrive at on Sunday, is something that almost no one saw coming.  McNabb vs. Vick was not why this game was circled the moment the schedule came out.  Sunday was supposed to be the first chance for Kevin Kolb to prove the Eagles made the right choice.  Instead, Kolb will be wearing that snazzy visor, and #7 will try to perpetuate the nasty case of Vick fever that has overcome the city.

With every game Michael Vick starts at quarterback the vast majority of all the debate from the summer is rendered more and more useless.  If there was ever proof that the outcome on the field was all the fans care about this is the story that provides it.  If Michael Vick wins Sunday you can forget about hearing people complain about Kolb not getting his fair chance.  You can forget about them complaining about Vick not being a long-term solution.  You’ll be looking at a team with a 1.5 game lead in the division, and a fan base that is suddenly evaluating their playoff prospects for this season.  Future Super Bowl potential be damned.

The town should be familiar with cases of once belabored points becoming forgotten.  There are some similarities between the Eagles QB issue and the Cliff Lee trade.  In both cases a proven commodity was shipped out-of-town,and a new game plan was hatched only to be quickly abandoned.  The Eagles had Plan C, Michael Vick, on the roster.  The Phillies had to trade for Roy Oswalt.  Other than that small detail the parallels are pretty strong, and just like the story with these quarterbacks, no one could stop talking about the Cliff Lee trade when it happened.  Or, months after it happened for that matter.  Count me among the ones who wanted to make sure the horse was dead, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  Here I am still referencing it…

It didn’t matter what side of the Lee argument you were on, and it doesn’t matter who you think should be playing quarterback for the Eagles right now.  The point is, all the fans are doing is wearing themselves out with discussion.  A few more months removed from the Cliff Lee trade no one cares anymore.  Lee’s in Texas, but we’ve got a new man, and the wins are still coming.  In the abbreviated world of the NFL, a 3 game winnings streak for Vick would be comparable to what the Phillies just rattled off in September.  McNabb?  Good riddance.  Kolb?  Enjoy that bonus money.

So, I know it is impossible to ignore the fact that McNabb is returning to town, just like I know it is impossible to not debate the topic.  A compelling part of sports is the constant discussion and the desire to be right about something in some way.  The only problem is, we almost never it get it right, not at first, and there are times when I just wish we could say, “Can we shut up about this until Sunday and just see what happens on the field?”  A tall order, I know, but one that would probably keep everyone a bit more sane.

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No WAG for Woods.

Tiger is Apparently Dating....Steve Stricker?

It’s Ryder Cup week.  I’m going to get this post out-of-the-way, because most of the golf fans I know don’t even care about the Ryder Cup.  It happens to be one of my favorite events, though, so here we are.  The event being played in Wales turns it into a bit of a viewing nightmare, but the early action on Sunday will provide the perfect lead-in to football.  This is assuming the Americans haven’t been completely blown out of the water.  The U.S. side has taken its share of beatings lately, but this European is probably as heavily favored as any side they’ve ever assembled (USA +175).  These events have been difficult to predict of late.  They come down to which team is on form, and which team makes the putts, but I don’t think this will be as easy as the Euros expect.  If someone wakes up Phil Mickelson, I think the Americans can pull the upset.  I’ll spare you the detailed breakdown and instead go with a quick front nine of reasons why you should watch this (at least on Sunday morning if it’s close).

1.  Tiger.  Last chance to see Tiger for a while, and the first time in his career he could use a good performance in this event as validation.  He’s had another couple of weeks to work with Sean Foley.  I imagine the real impact won’t be known until next February or so, but a good Ryder Cup would be a great parting shot for Tiger.   Of course the biggest tabloid story early on was, would Tiger arrive stag?  He did (no-brainer), which left him without…

2. The Wives and Girlfriends.  It’s the one-time in the golf season where the cliché sorority mentality penetrates the significant others.  A regular tour stop gets you a shot of the winner’s wife at most, but during the Ryder Cup expect plenty of coverage for the ladies.  They’ll be hard to miss, traveling around in a pack with matching outfits.  Good news is that golfers usually out kick their coverage.  Bad news is that in Wales, they’ll probably be in rain gear all week.

3.  Awkward Celebrations.  No athletes have worse celebrations than golfers.  It’s a fact.  Expect a couple missed high-fives, some forced emotion, and at least one horrid variation on the fist-bump.

Dick Endberg, Thoughts: "Oh My."

4.  A tangible enemy.  It’s easy to root against people in the Ryder Cup.  For me it is, anyway.  Any Spaniard usually suffices, but this year I’ll probably have to focus on Mop Top McIlroy and Captain Montgomerie.  I’m sure fat Colin will give a number of interesting interviews, but he’ll be annoying as well.  He can’t help it. It’s his nature.

5.  The choke factor.  Golfers choke.  All the time.  They also almost universally agree that the Ryder Cup brings with it more pressure than any other event.  You’re going to see some buckles, and better than that you’ll be able to see it on the guy’s faces.  Look out on the first tee and down the stretch on Sunday.

6.  The European Crowd.  The European golf fan is incredibly knowledgeable.  They are also usually quite courteous, but this event can bring out the worst in some fans.  Of course the Euros also use the “song” and the “whistle.”  Two fan devices that any American should find quite grating and tragic.

7.  Americans as the Underdogs.  Rooting for Dream Team in ’92 didn’t do it for you?  Well, here’s a case where you can latch onto the dog and the home side.  I’m a sucker for any time the USA plays in any event, so I suggest wrapping yourself in the flag as well.  It’s the only time all year I’ll root for Tiger Woods, or 3/4 of the American team for that matter.

8.  Old Ryder Cup Highlights.  Lanny Wadkins stuffing the sand wedge in sansabelt pants in ’83, Justin Leonard’s miracle putt, Azinger’s holed bunker shot.  You can’t get enough of that.  Right?

9.  It’s the Closest Golf Gets to Team Sports.  This brings in all the second guessing and armchair quarterbacking that fans love.  Who should be benched?  Which guys should play together?  What strategy should the guys use in different formats?  There’s the element of gamesmanship.  It’s not like watching your average Byron Nelson Classic.

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No Place to Hide.

Eventually the Bull will Get Ya.

There’s an old golf saying that goes something like, “You can either move it, or you cain’t.”  It might not be an old golf saying, but it should be.  It boils everything down to one simple denominator.  Picking games is a similar.  At the end of the day the record isn’t going to lie.  Your winners and losers are right there for everyone to see.  So, we’re three weeks in, and things will start to shake out pretty soon.  Forget the luck, forget the pomp and circumstance, let’s just look at the standings:

NFL Pick ‘Em Standings:

1. Big Dub H 10-3-2
2. Kraft 10-5
3. JCK 9-5-1
4. Grossy 6-7-2
5. Nichols 6-8-1

The “Cheesesteak Stromboli” Pick of the Week: I’m not going to single out just one pick this week.  I’m going to acknowledge the entire 5-0 week that Kraft posted.  We’ve done 5-0 here before, but this is worth noting for two reasons.  One, Kraft picked 33% winners last year.  That’s almost impossible to do.  In fact, I would have said it was impossible until I saw it happen.  But, more noteworthy is the manner in which these games were picked. Go back and read his quick summaries.  Not only did he get all the games, they basically played out as he described.  That’s something that usually doesn’t happen.  Not a bit of luck here.  In a rare moment of seriousness, I’m actually impressed.  So everyone know what to do with Kraft’s pick next week?  That’s right, best against them.

The “Watch Your Backdoor” Idiotic Pick of the Week: I’m sure Nichols deserves some consideration here, and if he’d pulled off the 0-5, well I would have squeezed him in, but the Bengals are cover machines right now.  No, instead I’m going to give it to myself so I can bitch and moan about Shaun Hill.  I picked the Lions, essentially expecting another back door cover.  It was all lining up perfectly.  The Vikings had a nice 14 point lead, they’d packed it in for the day, and Hill was charging down the field in garbage time.  Only, he threw a pick in the red zone.  Furious.  Against all odds the Lions get the ball back, head back into the red zone, and BOOM!  Another pick.  Buh-bye cover.  But, that’s what happens when you bet on Detroit.

DA Fantasy Football Standings and Recaps:

It wasn’t a great week for bad quarterback play.  Unlike last week when half a dozen guys were flat-out awful, this week the bad guys raised their level to a whisker over mediocre.  It probably should be noted that the great Trent Edwards, a DA stalwart from weeks one and two was cut today.  That’s ok.  Chin up, there are always new names on the horizon.

Standings:

1. Team Motorboat 3-0
2. Eli Esses D for Food Stamps 2-1
3. The Slop Jocks 2-1
4. Kraft 2-1
5. Neckbeards and Codeine 1-2
6. Team Horseface 1-2
7. BK 1-2
8. Dan 0-3

Kraft Corners the Market in Arizona, beats Team Horse Face 39.75 to 31.

Kraft had the pleasure of taking both QBs in the epic Arizona/Oakland showdown.  It wasn’t as ugly as expected, but through three weeks what is becoming the underrated stat in DA Fantasy is “inaccuracy.”  This was a staple of DA’s 2 of 17 game after all, and DA has stayed wildly inaccurate.  His 14 points in a win shows his true value.  Horseface was stunned when Jimmy Clausen fell into his lap, and rightfully so.  The rookie showed flair with 2 fumbles and a whopping 34 points, unfortunately the bi-polar Vince Young cost him the win.

Neckbeards and Codeine get on the Board with a 13 to 7 win over The Slop Jocks.

Neckbeards fell into some bad luck last week, but they bounced back this Sunday to hand the Slop Jocks their first loss.  This game was won by Josh Freeman who threw a pick-six, started his aggressive crash back to Earth and posted 20 points.  It was enough to offset the monster debut of Charlie Batch who went for (-7).  The Slop Jocks were done in by Seneca Wallace, who failed to live up to his week 2 promise.  Wallace was simply too accurate on his way to posting -3 points.

BK keeps Dan Winless with a 24.75 to (-1.5) win.

Despite BK’s inability to follow simple instructions, like picking a team name, he’s finally got himself in the win column.  This game was all about David Garrard.  Stunning inaccuracy, and what easily could have been 3 or 4 picks on the way to posting a robust 38 points.  In an interesting note this game featured Sanchez vs. Henne and both guys disappointed their owners on Sunday night.  Not even Henne’s cold competence could derail BK this week, though.  Can’t win the rest of them, unless you win the first.

Team Motorboat Wins Battle of Unbeatens 17-8.

The final game of the week came down to Jay Cutler.  Cutler needed two points for Team Motorboat to eclipse Big Dub H.  Nichols took Cutler with the last pick and needed him to perform after Fitzy could only manage a 6 point effort after being taken first overall.  Cutler threw an important pick, was generally inaccurate, and didn’t dip into the penalty yardage.  It was enough to win another low scoring contest.  Eli Tastes Junk for Food Stamps got an unfortunately accurate performance from Shaun Hill (13 points) despite his two picks.

The Three Putt Territory DA of the Week:

I’m pleased to give this week’s award to David Garrard.  Garrard was considered last week, but the competition was stiff.  This time around Garrard did his job again and separated himself from the field.  I watched this game, and the one interception doesn’t do him any justice.  13 of 30 for 105 yards on the other hand?  That sums it up nicely.  I think this is the first time that the 3PT DA and the highest point getter were the same guy, so congrats to Garrard, not sure how much longer he’ll be in the starting line up at this rate.

Some House Cleaning To Close:

* Congrats to the Phils for clinching the division.  What a signature effort by Halladay.  Very fitting.

**Pat Tillman’s brother was on Real Time with Bill Maher, and it’s an interesting interview (some profanity).  If you have any interest in the Pat Tillman case, I’d suggest taking an hour and poking around YouTube, some interesting stuff on there.

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The SEC: Now, That’s a Schedule.

'Bama Faces Worthy F'ing Adversaries.

The SEC tilt between Alabama and Arkansas on Saturday was the first college game of the season that I paid any attention to. There are a number of reasons for this.  As the years go by I find myself tuning into college football later and later in the year.  The way it is set up with the big Conference Title games and everything else, you can tune in pretty late in the year and still be caught up to speed.  The other reason I had for watching this particular game is that Big Dub reminded me of my only true gambling theory.  I know I wrote a post eschewing the gambling theory and the idiots behind them, but this one has served me pretty well, and it only comes about every once in a while, so it’s not something you can use to pick games every week.  I had practically forgotten about it to the point where I was expecting an Alabama blowout, but then Dub set me straight with my own thinking.  Here’s the deal…

If a team is playing the biggest game in the history of their program at home, and they are getting points…you bet them every time.  Take those points.  The theory is so strong that the underdog on occasion can win this game OUTRIGHT!  Well, talking about the theory got me excited about it again, and I wanted to see it put to the test on Saturday.  In fact, I was convinced that this would be a game that Arkansas would win.  Forget about the 6 to 8 points they were getting.  Not necessary.  So, I caught as much of the action as I could on Saturday and as the game clock wound down, it looked like everything might fall into place.

The atmosphere was everything I expected.  Over the top Arkansas crowd, the Razorbacks scored that first quick TD on pure adrenaline.  Their defense was playing over their heads for most of the day, and they had Alabama 0n the wrong end of the score almost all afternoon.  Then Ryan Mallett the pick machine showed up.  This guy made some nice throws, he’s got a big arm, but I didn’t like much of what I saw in the 4th quarter.  He threw a couple of back-breaking interceptions, Alabama forged ahead and pushed their winning streak up a notch with another classic conference win.  The only consolation was that Arkansas did cover that number, even if they didn’t win outright, so the theory can go on living in my mind.

What struck me with the game, in terms of the bigger picture, was that Alabama plays a heck of a schedule.  I know the Penn State game wasn’t exactly a tough test at home, but it’s a far cry from playing a sub-division team or whatever they are called, and then the SEC schedule kicks in and they get Arkansas and Florida back-t0-back.  That’s a handful, and when you factor in that Alabama probably gets everyone’s best game, it’s hard to believe they could put together two straight undefeated campaigns.  Luckily for them, Florida isn’t the team they were last year, and they might already be past their toughest hurdle of the year in Arkansas.

What I know for sure is that if Alabama makes it through their schedule undefeated, it’ll be an accomplishment, and I’ll know they deserve a chance to play for the National title.  I couldn’t say the same thing for Boise State.  You can call that bias, or whatever you want, but the SEC destroys Boise’s conference on every level.  I don’t need to see the teams play, or look at computer rankings, some things are just facts.  So,  I guess what I am saying is, in this non-playoff era, where we only hope to get the two best teams together at the end, it’s nice to know that the SEC champ will at least be deserving of the opportunity and battle tested.

PS, I know that Greg McElroy is a “winner,” but my goodness, if this team had a better QB just go ahead an cancel the season.  They beat Arkansas by multiple TDs if he does anything more than “manage the game.”

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Phils Quietly Make Post-Season

Four Years in a Row. Shhhh.....

The Phillies winning streak hit 11 over the weekend before they hit a little bump in the road against the Mets and lost two straight.  The losses cost them a chance to wrap up the division at home, but they did clinch at least a wild-card position with a San Diego loss on Sunday.  If the Phillies can win a game in this Nationals series the only thing they might be playing for the last weekend in Atlanta would be a chance to send a division rival home.  The Braves are locked in a battle with the Padres and Giants for the last spot in the post-season.  Four straight years in the playoffs is historic for the Phils, who had previously done 3 straight from ’76 to ’78.  They did 6 of 8 years total during that span from ’76 to ’83, but according to the what’s happening now is always better theory of sports many people already put this Phillies stretch at the pinnacle.  The way to erase any doubt would be to secure a 2nd World Series title.

Assuming the Phillies find a way to win one of their last six, or another team finds a way to lose, they’ll be hosting one of three teams for the NLDS.  Given past history, it pains me to write off the Rockies, but they’re done.  It’ll either be Cincinnati, San Diego, or San Francisco.  If the wild-card emerges from the West (the current scenario), the Phillies will face that team.  If the Braves grab that final spot, the Phillies would likely end up with Cincy who currently has the worst record among the division leaders.  The Phils will be prohibitive favorites entering a 5-game set with any team they face, their starting rotation guarantees that, but some match-ups are more favorable than others.  My preference, in order:

1.  Reds.

The Reds have had a great year, but they aren’t exactly charging across the line.  Some of that may be due to the fact that no one in their division has stepped up to challenge, but the fact remains they played better baseball earlier in the year.  This would also be their first trip to the post-season in some time and as Phillies fans figured out in 2007, sometimes that doesn’t end well.  From a match-up standpoint, the Reds clearly lack the starting pitching depth the other contenders have.  If you are going with pitching beats hitting in the playoffs then Cueto, Arroyo, Baily and the rest don’t exactly stack up.  The core of the line-up centered around Votto can be very good, but the Phils had their success against Cincy this year, including a 4-game sweep in Philadelphia.

2.  Padres

The teams in the NL West are very similar.  The Padres and Giants both lean heavily on their pitching and bullpens to get wins.  I’d rather face the Padres because, for me, they do everything the Giants do, but not quite as well.  Their starting pitching is good, but unproven.  As great as Mat Latos has been, he doesn’t feel like an unbeatable opponent in the post-season.  I also have little doubt the Phillies rotation could keep the Padres in check.  The line-up lacks punch, and the Phillies swept a low-scoring series in San Diego in late August.  The Padres are another team that could have to fight off the “happy to be here,” phenomenon.  They’d be tough, but not the toughest test.

3.  Giants

This was actually a no-brainer for me, and it comes down to one guy.  Jonathan Sanchez.  I don’t want to see Sanchez in a series, and I certainly don’t want to see him twice in a five-gamer.  He’s a nightmare for this team, and with all the publicity that Lincecum and Cain get, that’s the one guy I don’t want to see in the NL right now.  Pitcher for pitcher, the Giants are probably the only team in the NL that can match-up with the Phillies, and eliminating that advantage really levels the field.  The Giants don’t have an offense that scares you, but with the addition of Posey and even Pat Burrell, there is more potential for one damaging swing.  The Giants are also on a roll.  I had all but written them off a month ago, but they’ve rebounded and a lot of that has to do with Lincecum finding a groove again.  Five games against the Giants?  Not that interested.  It’d be a stressful one.

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Where’s The Cream?

A Win Monday Would Separate the Packers.

It’s no secret there is a plenty of parity in the NFL.  The mass of teams in the middle of the pack seems to grow every week.  No one wants to put in back-to-back performances, a team can win one week and then lose by 20 the next.  Even with all that being true there were a few teams last season that were without a doubt above that middling level.  The Colts, Saints, the Vikings, they established themselves early and never looked back.  This year I don’t look around the league and see a team that could start 10-0.  So far, among the teams that were considered chalk early, only the Packers have really lived up to expectations.  They won a semi-tough road game in Philly and blew out the Bills.  If they win in Chicago on Monday, that’d be 2 good road wins in conference, and I’d say they were clearly the best of the few remaining undefeated teams.  If Chicago wins, the league will essentially be on its head.  The way things are going, it might be time to take a long look at the Bears.

I’m sure you saw a number of pre-season power rankings.  They’re never too original.  The list I came up with here, looked like this:

1. New Orleans
2. San Diego
3. Dallas
4. Indy
5. Green Bay
6. Baltimore
7. Jets
8. Minnesota
9. Atlanta
10. Miami
11. New England
12. Pittsburgh
13. Philly
14. Houston
15. San Francisco

I may have taken a small risk or two here (hey look, the Falcons!), but I’m sure most of the rankings you would have seen before the season had these same teams in some order.  How many of them have already been exposed as frauds?  The Saints look Super Bowl hungover, the Chargers just flat stink, Dallas is a train wreck, Minnesota has beaten….Detroit, and San Fran might be the worst team in the league.  They’re just terrible.  Missing from this list would be Kansas City, Chicago, Tampa Bay (?) and other surprise teams.  But, this isn’t really about records.  Throw the numbers out for a second and just look at the teams.  Look at what you’ve seen.  Where are the powerhouse teams?  Are there none, or were we just so wrong before the season that we’ve been looking at the wrong teams?   If I was re-arranging the teams in order now, I’d probably go with the following:

1.  Pittsburgh 3-0.  I put Pittsburgh on top, because they appear to be doing something better than almost every other team, and that is play defense.  I think to be a Super Bowl contender or a truly elite team you need something to separate yourself.  The Steelers have shut down their 3 opponents, and should only get better on offense with the return of Roethlisberger.

2.  Green Bay 2-0.  Their position will rest on what they do Monday night.  If they win, possibly top-ranked, if not, a re-evaluation will be needed.  Unlike the Steelers, the Packers are probably the most well-rounded team out there right now, and with Aaron Rodgers the offense has the potential to be truly elite.

3. Indianapolis 2-1.  What does Indy do?  They throw the ball.  What the Saints captured last year to a certain extent, the Colts seem to do every year.  Put week one aside, they’ve rolled to two straight wins not over impressive opponents, but still forget the notion that the Texans figured out how to beat Indy, or any of that nonsense.

4.  Atlanta 2-1.  I had this spot reserved for the winner of the New Orleans/Atlanta game.  New Orleans could still find a rhythm, but right now they are out of sync.  The Falcons have a solid, balanced offense and their stink bomb against Pittsburgh in week one looks a lot better now than it did at the time.

5. New York Jets 2-1.  The Jets didn’t show up in week one, but since they’ve won 2 tough divisional games.  They completely flipped the momentum (and the season?) against New England, and then on Sunday night they went into Miami and found a way to win.  They are two of the better wins in the league, and while the defense doesn’t look as good as it did, the offense I am hesitant to admit looks better than it did in ’09.

6.  New Orleans 2-1.  Their only loss is a respectable one, and it took a gorked OT field-goal to send them home with a defeat, but you can’t win a home game in your division in regulation, then you’re not top-5.  I think the Saints are suffering from the “taking everyone’s best,” theory.  Even SF got up for them.  So far, they haven’t matched that intensity, and don’t look like the team they were last year.

7.  New England 2-1.  The Patriots are a bad half away from being 3-0, and on the other hand they gave up 30 points to the Bills.  The Buffalo Bills.  Obviously that signifies a massive problem on defense, but the Patriots can and will score…by the truckload.  A passing league, right?  The Pats are certainly top-10.

8.  Houston 2-1.  This might seem a little harsh, considering the Texans beat the Colts, but in all honesty I feel like I am reaching a bit to put them here.  They should have lost to Washington, Dallas came in and slapped them around.  Houston…this is your high-water mark for the season.

9.  Chicago 2-0.  If they can manage to beat Green Bay on Monday Night (why not, right?) then I’d bump the Bears up a few spots at least.  It would be back-to-back very good wins, but there are still a ton of red flags for this team.  Can Matt Forte do anything but catch balls out of the backfield?  Cutler for 16 games?  The receivers?

10. Philadelphia 2-1.  The amount of slop sloshing around the league at 2-1 is incredible.  So, I’m just taking a quick hometown lay-up here.  Keep the readers happy.  Why do I choose Philly?  Well, Michael Vick is looking very dangerous, the defense rebounded to contain Mo-Jo Drew, and they’ve got as good a chance at winning the NFC East as anyone.

11.  Miami 2-1

12.  Dallas 1-2

13.  Tennessee 2-1

14.   Kansas City 3-0

15.  Baltimore 2-1

Now, if you can look at any of these lists or the actual standings and tell me there are more than a couple of teams in this league that rate better than, “good,” I’d love to hear that argument.

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