TnT Sports with Tyler Radecki and Tony Herman

For Nats, Riggleman far from the answer

2009-11-17T19:50:00.003-05:00

Last week, the Nationals removed the interim tag from Jim Riggleman and made him their permanent manager. It was a move that disappointed some - including this blogger - because names such as Buck Showalter and Bobby Valentine were being thrown out as possible candidates.

My first choice? Valentine. He's had success before in the major leagues and, if nothing else, would make the season entertaining. He thought he would be given the job, but GM Mike Rizzo decided to stick with the in-house candidate, Riggleman.

His reasoning was pretty simple: Riggleman knew the team, went 33-42 as their manager, and improved the team's fundamentals.

Well, that's sound logic. I can't really argue with any of that, other than to say that their 33-42 record was more of a result of the team finally hitting its stride and playing to its capabilities. Nyjer Morgan had a big role in that. While Riggleman was manager I was not really impressed with him. He mismanaged the bullpen just about every night and made some comments that really rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't like how he refused to start prospect Ian Desmond; he did, however, become a big Desmond supporter by the end of the season. So, at least he isn't opposed to changing his ways.

I did like some things Riggleman did - he was better than Acta, that much is true - but overall, I was hoping the team would bring in a winner to the organization to change up the losing culture that has already begun to develop. The team got behind Riggleman, though, and I'll trust Mike Rizzo in this move; he hasn't done anything to break my confidence..yet.

Which leads me to my next point: hiring the manager was just the first step to improving the team. The manager is only as good as the players you give him. If Rizzo fails to acquire pitching help and defensive help, Riggleman will fail as a manager. If Rizzo acquires 1-2 quality starters, some solid defensive players, and bullpen help, the Nats could be .500 next year (a big leap, I know).

If I was Rizzo, I target these types of players this offseason: sub-4.50 ERA starters, middle-of-the-road relievers, good defensive middle infielders, a good defensive backup 1B, and a veteran backup catcher who could play 80-90 games.

Really, that isn't that much. Their outfield is essentially set with Willingham-Morgan-Dukes and Maxwell as the primary backup. Willie Harris can also play if needed. On the infield, the team really needs to try to move Cristian Guzman so they can start Desmond full-time and start a guy like Adam Everett or Alex Gonzalez. The last two guys aren't offensive threats, but are quality defensive infielders. I'd like the team to go after a veteran like Mark DeRosa who can start if needed but is a great utility player.

On the mound, the team just needs MLB-quality talent. There just isn't enough there right now. John Lannan is a good pitcher and players like JD Martin, Ross Detwiler, and Craig Stammen are decent young options, but a veteran ace would add so much. As for the bullpen - well, there's just a need for every role.

All in all, the team needs a lot of work. Rizzo has a lot of holes to fill and may or may not have a tight budget to do so. It will be interesting to see who he goes after and who he can actually reel in. He's been talking the talk, now can he walk the walk?

NFL Midseason Awards 2

2009-11-14T12:16:00.001-05:00

NFL Midseason Awards

2009-11-12T16:30:00.008-05:00

In case you missed it, last week Tyler and I talked about our NFL midseason awards. Now that most teams have actually played the full 8 games, its time to recap those (I'll do half today, half tomorrow) and look at some others to consider.

Defensive Rookie of the Year
Tony: Jairus Byrd, FS, Buffalo (32 tackle, 16 p def, 7 int)
Tyler: Brian Cushing, LB, Houston (78 tackle, 1 safety, 10 p def, 2 int, 2 ff)
SI.com's Peter King: Cushing
Others considered: none
--> This is a tw0 man race and will continue to be so until the end. At the end of the season, I have a hard time seeing anyone but Cushing coming away with it because 6 of Byrd's 7 interceptions have come in three games. If Byrd (pictured) can snag a few more before the end of the year and possibly lead the NFL in picks, however, he'll be impossible to ignore.

Offensive Rookie of the Year
Tony: Percy Harvin, WR, Minnesota (28 rec, 369 yds, 3 rec TD, 2 KR TD)
Tyler: Harvin
CBS Sport's Clark Judge: Harvin
Others considered: Michael Oher, RT, Baltimore; Mark Sanchez, QB, New York Jets; Austin Collie, WR, Indianapolis; Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver
--> Despite the gluttony of other people to talk about, this is Harvin's (pictured) award to lose, 100%. On pace for 10 total touchdowns and 750 yards, even if Collie puts up the same numbers, Harvin will win because, after all, it's Peyton Manning throwing to Collie. Oher won't get it because he's a lineman and Sanchez won't get it unless the Jets make the playoffs. Moreno would have to have a huge second half to be under real consideration.

Comeback Player of the Year
Tony: Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati (198 att, 837 yds, 6 tds)
Tyler: Benson
SI.com's Don Banks: Tom Brady, QB, New England (204/310 com/att, 2364 yds, 16 td, 5 int)
Others considered: Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota; Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati
--> Preface here: During our show, Tyler and I said that nobody else was under consideration for this award but Cedric Benson (pictured). However, Mr. Banks of SI didn't even mention Benson when he talked about this award. I'm sticking to what I said. Yeah, Tom Brady's having a good season, but he's not playing like hes one of the top 5 QB's in the league this year. I know he didn't play after the first game last year, but before that, the man was the best quarterback in football. So, yes, a comeback from last year, but not a comeback to his career. Benson on the other hand, through 8 games, has more yards this year than any other year during his career. Here's a guy completely left for dead on a completely left for dead franchise and he - way more than Carson Palmer - has turned them into a contender in the AFC. Respectfully, this award is Benson's and Benson's only.

One Week Later, Does Anyone Care?

2009-11-11T12:59:00.004-05:00

It was one week ago today that the Yankees defeated the Phillies 7-3 for their 27th world championship.

It was a fitting end for the postseason it was in: lots of hype, a bad baseball game, and then talk about that city's respective NFL team.

Who could be excited/worked up at all about this outcome? Yankee fans? "Woo hoo, we won our 27th title, and the 5th since I've been alive." I mean I'm sure it was good for a "27th heaven" facebook status, but most I talked to spent the next day complaining about how bad the Giants' defense was.

What about Philly fans? Is there some inescapable grief? No, because they won it last year and were all still too giddy about that. Philadelphians (not a word; go with it anyway) love the Phillies more than any other team. They're deservedly proud of their squad and were okay with losing in the grand finale to the best team in baseball.

... Which leads me to why nobody else was excited about this series. Besides the rest of the country having both rational and irrational hatreds toward everything sports-related in the cities of New York and Philadelphia, this series was the best team in baseball against the second best team in baseball. I know NOTHING when it comes to predicting the MLB. I'm the guy who predicted at the beginning of September that the Angels wouldn't make the playoffs. I'm pretty sure I predicted the Indians to go to the playoffs at the beginning of the season. Yet I said before the first pitch of the 2009 MLB postseason was thrown that it would come down to the Yankees beating the Phillies in 6. If I could predict it, surely most people at least could see there was a real possibility of it happening.

Last point: You can ask, "Isn't that what it's supposed to be all about? The two best teams in baseball squaring off?" The answer: sure, if you want to decide who the best team in baseball between those two is. The problem: that wasn't the case here. Every person who followed a lick of baseball the entire season knew the Yankees were the best team in baseball. They bought their way to the top better than anyone else did but still managed to play like a team. This outcome was predetermined. Throw that in with a World Series that featured a total of zero 1-run games and you're left with a city that stopped celebrating a World Championship hours after it happened and sports media that would rather talk about Eli Manning's plantar fasciitis than Hideki Matsui's clutchness.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 10

2009-11-10T11:39:00.004-05:00

Sigh. I fail spectacularly. After that impassioned blog post about how regularly I'm going to be doing this ... I didn't. No more promises, but I will try my best. Anyway, how about that AFC? 5 of the top 7 teams, still 3 of the top 4 divisions (the NFC South's big week had to be thrown in there) and looking to win in interconference play for about the millionth time in a row. By the way, if it feels like the Steelers are better than 6th and the Cowboys are better than 8th, it's because they probably are. It's a very top heavy league though right now.

1. New Orleans Saints (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): The Saints certainly look beatable, but nobody's done it yet. Drew Brees needs to stop fumbling (he's fumbled 8 times and lost 4) or it could hurt them by playoff time.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): Oh, boy. Indy-New England. Which is not the MNF game because that's Baltimore at Cleveland. ... What?
3. Minnesota Vikings (3; 0): I graciously keep them here even though the Steelers (who beat them) are waiting a few spots behind. Their schedule is absurdly easy; it would shock me to see them not get a first round bye.
4. New England Patriots (5; +1): If NE beats Indianapolis this week, Minnesota will have to shrug it off because NE is moving into the two spot. Gee, we've never seen New England, Pittsburgh and Indy be the three best teams in the AFC this decade, have we?
5. Cincinnati Bengals (6; +1): But wait! Cry the Bengals fans. We already beat the Steelers this week; surely we are better than they! Well, for now, Bengals fans, you are. Win this coming weekend and you'll stay that way.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7; +1): Watching the Steelers' second half performance against the Broncos ... Well, all I'll say is this: If there's one team I would not bet AGAINST making the Super Bowl, it would be Pittsburgh.
7. Denver Broncos (3; -4): They hold onto a spot in the top 10 with trembling fingers, just praying that the pseudo-expected collapse hasn't begun. San Diego fans are snickering so loudly Josh McDaniels can hear it in his office.
8. Dallas Cowboys (9; +1): Dallas flexes its muscle and grabs sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Tony Romo rips the month of December out of his personal calendar.
9. Atlanta Falcons (11; +2): It kind of feels like last year for this team. They're good, and nobody would be surprised to see them in the playoffs, but they're not Super Bowl contenders yet.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (8; -2): I'm a bit surprised Philadelphia's offense couldn't get more going at home. They have a huge game this week at San Diego; I don't even know what it is, but I would be betting on the "over."
11. San Diego Chargers (15; +4): Everyone (well, maybe not Tyler) thought they would eventually get hot, but few thought it would be so soon. If they take care of the Eagles this weekend, there won't be any more doubters.
12. Arizona Cardinals (16; +4): Is anyone going to be surprised if they get knocked out of the first round of the playoffs? Will anyone be surprised if they go to the Super Bowl?
13. Baltimore Ravens (10; -3): The bad news for the Ravens? The division is basically out of reach. The good news? They're in the thick of the dogfight that will be the race for the 6th seed in the AFC.
14. Houston Texans (14; 0): The Texans finally get a bye (what is the point of having two teams with byes in week 10?) as they prepare to grab their first playoff berth in franchise history.
15. Miami Dolphins (13; -2): I stubbornly keep the Dolphins in my top 15 for only one more week (if they lose). That playoff spot I predicted for them looks far-fetched, but I'm telling you, still possible.
16. New York Giants (17; +1): Nothing about losing at home merits a raise of one point, but the epic failure of a certain Wisconsin football team says they have to move up one.
17. Chicago Bears (18; +1): See above.
18. New York Jets (19; +1): See above, replace "losing at home" with "having a bye."
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (20; +1): See above, replace "having a bye" with "struggling with Kansas City."
20. Green Bay Packers (12; -8): Ah, that certain Wisconsin football team. So much potential, so little reward. There's no excuse for losing to any team ranked 26-32.
21. Tennessee Titans (25; +1): I'm not even going to say it, but you know what I'm thinking. Mum is the word on this team until they pick up two more losses, then everyone can exhale.
22. Carolina Panthers (22; 0): Blast. My upset pick of the year didn't come through for me. When they were up 14-0, I have to tell you, I was feeling pretty darn good.
23. Buffalo Bills (23; 0): Is there a team that receives less publicity than the Buffalo Bills? Even with T.O, you hear nothing about them - except that they're probably going to leave Buffalo.
24. Seattle Seahawks (24; 0): They won! ... at home ... against Detroit ... clinching it in the last 45 seconds ...
25. San Francisco 49ers (21; -4): Ouch, San Fran. I don't believe in you one bit, except for Patrick Willis, Frank Gore and Vernon Davis.
26. Oakland Raiders (26; 0): It's bad enough the world has to stomach one KC-Oakland game a year, but two? Really?
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (32; +5): Good for you, Tampa Bay. Good for you, Josh Freeman. If they can get even two or three more wins this year, they have to feel okay about their future.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (27; -1): Does anyone else think that the KC front office was listening to our show on Wednesday when we said they should release Larry Johnson?
29. Washington Redskins (28; -1): Washington could get a morale boost with a win over struggling Denver at home this weekend. Not saying it could happen, but I wouldn't be surprised.
30. Cleveland Browns (29; -1): The Browns have every single reason to win this Monday night game. The Ravens will probably play undisciplined because they're mad. The Browns are home underdogs on a Monday night, the safest bet in sports. The players are going to be playing angry because of their fans. Mangini has something to prove. If there's a perfect storm for upset, this is it. ... And they're still going to lose by 20.
31. St. Louis Rams (30; -1): I drop the Rams on their bye week just because they're really, really bad. I still can't get that safety out of my head.
32. Detroit Lions (31; -1): Sigh. The Lions. I hope you enjoyed your 6 weeks out of the cellar. I hope you don't spend the rest of the season in here.

Division Rankings: With the Bucs being the biggest movers this week, the NFC South catapults itself into the top 3. The AFC North remains in the lead, and that shouldn't change too much this week unless Cleveland pulls the Baltimore upset. I broke the NFC North/AFC West tiebreak because the NFC North had the best team between the two.
1. AFC North (last week: 1): 13.50 average rank amongst the four teams
2. AFC South (3): 14.00
3. NFC South (6): 14.75
4. AFC East (2): 15.00
5. NFC East (4): 15.75
6. NFC North (5): 18.00
7. AFC West (7): 18.00
8. NFC West (8): 23.00

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 9

2009-11-04T09:40:00.002-05:00

After I failed to post the rankings last week, I'm back at it. You're still going to hate my Miami ranking, but I'm telling you, the Dolphins are dangerous. There was actually some shake-up on the back end this week, too, so don't stop reading after number 10. Oh, and the "last week" and "change" categories are actually talking about last week. Remember, I had them done, but couldn't get them up here. So, here we go ...

1. New Orleans Saints (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): They've been living on the edge the past two weeks, but still managing to win nonetheless. The defense isn't great, but with that offense, it doesn't need to be.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): Many other teams with they were in the position where a "bad game" consists of beating a desperate, motivated team without playing that well.
3. Minnesota Vikings (7; +3): The Vikings leapfrog three teams with byes with their impressive win in Lambeau. Is you-know-who's arm going to hold out?
4. Denver Broncos (3; -1): This is a temporary one point fall, but don't you get the feeling this is only the beginning of the deluge?
5. New England Patriots (4; -1): By the end of the next four weeks (games against Miami, Indianapolis, New York Jets and New Orleans), it's not unrealistic to think New England could be at the top of these rankings.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (5; -1): The Bengals are 1-4-1 coming off of bye weeks under Marvin Lewis. If they make it 1-5-1 this week, the 2009 Bengals doubters will return in full force.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6; -1): Denver didn't look very good against Baltimore, but Pittsbugh fans would be foolish to think that going into Denver on a Monday night will be an easy win.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (9; +1): Philadelphia's "A" game is better than anyone else in the league's "A" game. They don't bring it consistently during the regular season, but it's something to watch for come playoff time.
9. Dallas Cowboys (10; +1): I hate to be that guy, but it's no surprise Dallas is moving up in the top 10: it's November, not December.
10. Baltimore Ravens (14; +4): That was a season-saving victory against the Broncos this week. Now they just need another one in Cincinnati.
11. Atlanta Falcons (11; 0): On NFL GameDay Final on the NFL Network, Deion Sanders said that Joe Flacco is starting to leave Matt Ryan behind. After watching the Falcons-Saints game, I think I believe him.
12. Green Bay Packers (12; 0): There's no need for them to be upset about their 4-3 mark after week 8. If they win the games they're supposed to win (starting this week at Tampa Bay), they'll be fine.
13. Miami Dolphins (15; +2): Ted Ginn, Jr. What a game. It's great to see guys get bounce-back games like that. Maybe Miami's running game will have one against New England this week.
14. Houston Texans (18; +4): See "Stat of the Week 3." I really, REALLY, can't wrap my head around that.
15. San Diego Chargers (19; +4): An average ranking for an average team. 4-0 against sub-.500 teams, 0-3 against +.500.
16. Arizona Cardinals (13; -3): Arizona, I just don't understand. As the rest of the NFC West continues to be terrible, I suppose their bad losses don't matter that much, though.
17. New York Giants (8; -9): And the Giants get dropped into the bottom half of the league. Their defense hasn't been showing up and their offense isn't good enough to compensate.
18. Chicago Bears (20; +2): The Bears hope that their blowout against Cleveland got them back on track, and wasn't just an abberation because it was against Cleveland.
19. New York Jets (16; -3): And now New York fans are starting to feel a little bit of the pain Baltimore fans have felt for the past four years ... Just shut up, Bart Scott.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (17; -3): That was a bad loss for Jacksonville to take. How could Maurice Jones-Drew only get eight carries in that game?
21. San Francisco 49ers (21; 0): Alex Smith played fairly well in San Francisco's tough loss to the Colts. Their defense sure played tough, tough.
22. Carolina Panthers (23; +1): Don't look now, but the Panthers are 3-4. You don't want your team to face them when they have their running game going.
23. Buffalo Bills (22; -1): Buffalo could have made a big statement against Houston, but they didn't. It's a shame Trent Edwards can't ever seem to stay healthy.
24. Seattle Seahawks (25; +1): Yea, they moved up one after losing by double digits to Dallas. I couldn't stomach Oakland being above them.
25. Tennessee Titans (30; +5): I respect Jeff Fisher for pulling the plug on Kerry Collins and I respect Vince Young for - at least temporarily - seeming to get it all together. I respect the Titans organization in general.
26. Oakland Raiders (24; -2): Donovan McNabb has 1/6 of the number of pass/catches to himself as Russell to Heyward-Bey.
27. Kansas City Chiefs (27; 0): I'll be sick if Larry Johnson gets another chance. Jamaal Charles has promise and should be playing.
28. Washington Redskins (29; +1): They get moved up one A) because the Browns are the Browns and B) because there's a resemblance of talent there that gives you a fleeting suspicion they could play better after their bye.
29. Cleveland Browns (28; -1): What good will firing your GM during the middle of the season possibly do? Someone find me this answer.
30. St. Louis Rams (32; +2): Their victory was overshadowed by one of the dumbest plays I have ever seen in professional football.
31. Detroit Lions (26; -5): Oh, Lions. You better pray Tampa goes winless or else you'll take your usual perch back.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31; -1): Dumbest call I've ever seen that I knew was going to be the dumbest call I would ever see when it was made: Jon Gruden, during the preseason, saying the Bucs would win 9 games.

Division Rankings: Woah! After three NFC divisions took numbers 1-3 a few weeks ago, this week, it's thee AFC divisions. There are a bunch of big interconference games the next few weeks that will be bound to shake this up.
1. AFC North (last week: 1): 13.00 average rank amongst the four teams
2. AFC East (3): 15.00
3. AFC South (6): 15.25
4. NFC East (2): 15.50
5. NFC North (4): 16.00
6. NFC South (5): 16.50
7. AFC West (7): 18.00
8. NFC West (8): 22.75

Last Week's Power Rankings:

2009-11-02T18:57:00.003-05:00

As promised, here's a brief overview of the power rankings I had assembled from last week that never got up here. I hate to post these right after Tyler puts the work into an actual post, so please scroll down.

Anyway, the top 10 was as follows:
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Denver Broncos
4. New England Patriots
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Minnesota Vikings
8. New York Giants
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Dallas Cowboys

The bottom 10 ... eh. You don't care about the bottom 10. Anyway, the "bye" question really comes in this week, with numbers 4, 5, and 6 all not playing. Minnesota certainly looked very good and had a great win at a good Green Bay team, but does that win make them better than the Steelers - who they just lost to - or the Bengals - who had beaten the Steelers? So you have to look at it that way. Meanwhile, Denver could fall a lot. Not really fair considering their one loss was on the road to a truly desperate team, but such is life. Everyone's still rooting for them, but I'm not sure anyone had their heart into rooting for the Broncos 100%.

Other teams I may not know what to do with this week:
13. Arizona Cardinals: All of a sudden, the Giants win doesn't look so great, does it?
18. Texans: If the playoffs started today, the Texans would be in them.
23. Carolina Panthers: They're 3-4, which means - assuming Atlanta loses tonight - they're a game back in the loss column behind other NFC playoff "contenders."

All this and more tomorrow.

Caps Face New Challenge

2009-11-02T17:17:00.004-05:00

Sunday night, the Caps lost to the Blue Jackets in overtime. Not really a big deal. They got a point, and in the first 2 months of the season, the key thing is to maximize the number of points you can get. Yea, it's never good to lose, but the team can certainly bounce back and is still in good shape (only 2 regulation losses in 14 games).

But the bigger story, without a doubt, was that Alex Ovechkin left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. You can read my game story here.

After the game, the big question was: "How long is he out for?"

Naturally, the Caps said he was day-to-day with an upper body injury. If you follow the team, you know that means that it could be anything from a minor foot injury to a season-ending neck injury.

On Monday, the team announced that Ovechkin's injury was an upper body strain and that he was "week-to-week." This was an interesting announcement, considering earlier that day Bruce Boudreau said he could play this weekend and Ovechkin said the injury wasn't serious. So, which one is it?

No matter what, the team has to figure out how to play without the best player in the world. The reigning MVP, Ovechkin was off to one of the best starts in his career - he led the league with 14 goals and 23 points in the month of October. They played the third period without him, and scored 3 goals. But that's a small sample size. Now they have to play New Jersey without their biggest threat and emotional leader. On paper, it sounds like a disaster.

But what if I told you it could be a good thing? You'd say I'm crazy, right? Well, maybe I am, but I think this could do wonders for this Caps team.

First of all, the team is forced to rally and learn how to score the gritty goals that they rarely get. 3 of their 4 goals were what I would call gritty goals. Laich's first one was a textbook rebound goal, his second one was a weak, low shot through a screen by Mike Knuble (who I'll get to in a second), and Quintin Laing's almost-game-winner was pretty much the definition of a garbage goal. As long as Ovechkin is out, the team is going to need the secondary scoring to really, really pick up. Not only do Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom have to shoulder more of the load, but guys like Chris Clark, Laich, Tomas Fleischmann, and Keith Aucoin all have to become more dangerous. Ovechkin's 20 minutes a night is going to be filled by someone. But who?

Well, last night, Boudreau ran these lines after the injury:

Laich-Morrison-Knuble
Fleischmann-Backstrom-Semin
Laing-Steckel-Bradley
Clark-Aucoin

If Ovechkin goes on the long-term IR, then they'll have to call up someone. I would bet they call up Alexandre Giroux, who always tears up the AHL but can't stick in the NHL. Personally, I'd like to see a guy like Francois Bouchard, Oskar Osala, or Andrew Gordon get a shot. All three put up good numbers and all add a little something different. But that still depends on whether or not Ovechkin actually visits the IR for the first time in his career.

Another solution is to put Michael Nylander into the lineup. His conditioning stint with AHL Grand Rapids is just about finished. Would they put him in? They don't need another center, but they could probably move some people around and make it work. But based on what the team's done so far, I don't think we'll be seeing #92 in the lineup.

No matter what, the absence of Ovechkin gives the team a chance to learn how to play without their superstar. Too many times have I seen the team get complacent and rely on a great game/play by Ovechkin to bail them out. Now, they're all going to have to dig deep and work harder for their goals. Especially on the powerplay. I really liked what I saw from the Laich-Morrison-Knuble line in the third period Sunday, and I loved that Knuble and Laich were all over Steve Mason on each goal. Knuble's play is such a boost to the offense, and not because he's some dynamic scorer. He just knows where to be when the skilled players have the puck: in front of the goaltender. He's perfected that role and he's definitely teaching it to guys like Laich and Fleischmann. If those guys can continue to step up offensively, it could go a long way to making the team that much closer to being a Cup winner. The secondary scoring is what has been lacking in some key situations/games.

A couple games without #8 out there to score his usual goal(s) may give other players a chance to play more playoff-style hockey; that is, dump it in, work hard in the corners, play good defense, and get the boring, ugly goals that the elite teams can get. We saw it in the third period yesterday and I am interested to see if the team changes up its gameplan without Ovechkin. There's still loads of offensive talent out there, but Semin has been far too cute lately and while Backstrom has played well, he could show just how good he really is by playing well without Ovechkin.

This team is good enough to win the Southeast division, even if Ovechkin misses a week or two. The division is terrible and there is enough talent to end up on top. It's all about learning to play playoff hockey and this is the kind of test a talented, but sometimes immature/lazy team may need to get it going. And while I never like to hear the words "Ovechkin" and "injured" in the same sentence, the Caps could turn it into an opportunity to show just how good they really are.

Revamped Blogging Mindset

2009-11-02T14:01:00.002-05:00

I'm ashamed to say that my (our, if I can speak for Tyler) blogging has been quite subpar lately. I didn't even post power rankings this past week (shock-gasp-cry of disappointment). It's a new month, though, and with that I'm going to try to get a post up on this thing every single day of November. You know, except for November 1, which I already missed. Anyway, things to keep an eye out for ...

A recap of last week's power rankings. I won't bother posting them because most teams have played another game since then. I will go over, though, who moved the most, and a preview of this week's rankings.
This week's power rankings. Where do the Ravens and Broncos fit in after the beatdown in Baltimore? How low will the Giants fall? Are the Vikings completely back?
A World Series recap when it's over (which might be tonight). Unless the Phillies make a comeback, it will certainly be a disappointing series in terms of game quality.
A recap of Wednesday's show: It's either going to be NFL midseason awards or an NCAA basketball preview. Either way, I'll recap the action since I know a lot of you can't listen to the show.

Any other suggestions, I'll take them. I've posted things like this before and I always get sidetracked. November will be different. I like this blog too much.

As Much As We All Complain, This Series Should Be Good

2009-10-26T14:28:00.004-04:00

Let's face it. If you don't love the Yankees, you hate the Yankees. You hate them because of all the money they spend. You hate them because their fans wet themselves whenever they get a two out single already up 8-1 in the 8th inning. You hate them because Derek Jeter (pictured right) is just so freaking good. You hate them because their best player is a cheater you would want on your team every day. You hate them because they represent everything wrong with baseball. You hate them because Joe Girardi is younger than some of his players. The list goes on.

Let's face it. If you don't love the Phillies, you hate them because - after all, they're from Philly. These are the worst fans in the world. THEY BOOED SANTA CLAUS, THOSE JERKS! THEY CHEERED WHEN MICHAEL IRVIN LITERALLY DIED! And even though you think the Phillies are a pretty cool team, you still have to hate them, because, after all, they are from Philadelphia.

All that aside ... if you actually call yourself a baseball fan (and even if you don't), this should be a great series. Think of the pitching match-ups. Sabbathia vs. Lee in an Indian rematch? Hamels vs. Burnett featuring the best number two pitchers in baseball? Pedro vs. Pettitte in a "I swear I'm not too old" game 3? It's great stuff. And who has the closer advantage? Seemingly Rivera, the best closer of all time, but postseason 2009 Brad Lidge is looking a lot like 2008 Brad Lidge.

Then you look at their lineups. Who do you want batting cleanup for you: A-Rod or Howard? You don't know? Yeah, me neither. I see your Teixeira over Utley batting third and raise you a Werth over Posada batting 5th.

Bottom line: I'm sticking to what I said before the postseason started: Yankees in 6. That being said, I would not be surprised for a second if this went 7, and I have the feeling this will be a MUCH better matchup than Phils-Rays last year.

Black and Gold Love

2009-10-20T22:20:00.007-04:00

Disclaimer: this is going to be the most homer post I'll ever make in my life, and that's the way I want it to be. It may sound like rambling, but it's something I've always wanted to write out because people do wonder how I can be both a Steelers and Capitals fan. I hope you enjoy it.

When I was younger, I wasn't a big NFL fan. I watched it casually and played NFL video games, but never really felt attached to any team. I enjoyed watching it but would never have considered myself a hardcore fan despite going to a couple Redskins games. The only sport I really dove into was ice hockey. That was until 2004. In that year, the NHL canceled a season. For me, it was devastating. The Capitals had just drafted Alex Ovechkin and I really wanted to see him play. Now, I had to hope the NHL and the NHLPA would agree to a new CBA and I could see my Washington Capitals play again. When the season officially was delayed, I needed to find a sport to watch. So, naturally, I turned to football and the NFL.

Like most kids, I looked to my parents for what teams to like. My dad is from Detroit and is a Lions fan, but is more of a Redskins fan. He isn't a hardcore fan but he watched every Sunday and even went to a couple games. My mom is from Pittsburgh and grew up going to Pitt Panthers football games and watching Franco Harris and Terry Bradshaw. She watched the Steelers any time they were on TV at home.

So, when the NHL canceled the season, I decided I'd become a Steelers fan. I had watched them casually and knew a handful of players on the team and some of the history. My mom and her family (all from Pittsburgh) would teach me whatever else I needed. Yes, it was weird that I would be a Caps fan and Steelers fan. The Caps and Pens had played in the playoffs and were definitely rivals. They still are. Trust me, I hear about it.

Well, I've been pretty lucky. Since 2004, they've been incredibly successful. In 2004, the Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger. I had watched that draft and was pretty disgusted at what Eli Manning did. When the Steelers took Roethlisberger, I was really happy: he had an awesome name, he went to a small school that went under the radar, and he seemed like a cool guy. So, as the NFL season began, I watched the Steelers and watched Roethlisberger have a magical rookie campaign. I watched Jerome Bettis have a great season and learned to absolutely fall in love with Hines Ward's smile. I was heartbroken when the Steelers got beat by Tom Brady and the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. It was a terrible way to end a great season.

The NHL may have locked out but the NFL opened up my eyes to a whole world I had barely touched. After that season, I, like so many others before me, fell in love with the NFL. It in no way replaced the NHL: when the season resumed in fall 2005, I watched it and loved the Caps with the same amount of enthusiasim as I had before the lockout. Ovechkin helped. But the NFL gave me another sport to really enjoy, and the Steelers gave me another team to love.

As the next couple years went by, I divulged deeper and deeper into the NFL and the Steelers. I watched the Steelers ride the Bus home to a Lombardi Trophy in 2006. I defended Ben Roethlisberger's touchdown run and subsequently freaked out when he was nearly killed in a motorcylce accident. I watched Bill Cowher finish his Steelers career with an 8-8 season. I went to Latrobe, Pa., for training camp and I visited Heinz Field for the first time in 2006 for a pre-season game against the Vikings. It was more than I ever could have imagined.

The terrible towels, the scenery, the excitement...captured me. It was different than anything I had ever experienced. I walked through Steelers history and saw pictures and videos of Swann, Stallworth, Bradshaw, Lambert, Greene - a whole generation I had never experienced. I felt a little bit out of it. So many Steelers fans had lived that dynasty or had grown up learning about it. I hadn't. The more I studied, the more I watched, the more I wish I could have watched those teams.

In January of 2009, I drove to Pittsburgh to watch the Steelers take on the Chargers in their first playoff game. I had never been to a Steelers regular season game and had no idea what to expect. It was going to be sub-freezing and I didn't really know where to go or where my seats were. Once I got situated, everything changed. I went from feeling like an outsider to feeling like a family. For the first time, I felt like a part of Steeler Nation. I waved my Terrible Towel with 60,000 people and high-fived the random guys in their mid-twenties who sat behind me. I may have left the game frozen, but it was definitely worth it.

Watching last year's team win a Super Bowl was an emotional roller coaster, mostly because the Steelers loved taking every game down to the wire. It was a wonderful experience. I knew Tomlin was a great coach and Big Ben shut up every single critic with his legendary drive. I loved it. The Steelers were the class of the NFL.

And this past Sunday, as I watched Big Ben tear apart the Cleveland defense yet again, I kept repeating to myself the following phrase: I love this team. I really do. I love watching the black and gold play every Sunday and I love everything the team is and stands for. I love the Rooneys, I love Tomlin, I love the fact that the team is such a reflection of the city of Pittsburgh. I may not be from there and I may not have been a member of Steeler Nation since my birth like so many have, but I really love the team.

I can't really put a finger on it, but everything about the team draws me to it. It starts up top with the Rooneys, goes down to the players on the field, on to the coaches, to Heinz Field, and all the way to the city itself. I love the way the offense is run, the personalities they have, the history. I think the defense is the best in the NFL and that Troy Polamalu is the best safety in the NFL. I love the fact that the team produces star linebackers like no other team in history. It's not like I just started feeling this way this week - trust me, I loved watching the team from the moment I started to. But whatever it was, this weekend really made me think about all that's happened the last four years or so.

I'm sure it's normal for hardcore NFL fans to feel like this about their team; I can just about guarantee you that Tony feels this way about the Ravens.

But it took me longer and I usually feel I have to prove myself to people who don't get that I can be a Caps fan and a Steelers fan. It's not orthodox, but I don't care. I love both teams. But watching the Steelers every Sunday, watching Tomlin, Big Ben, Troy, and Hines out there feels perfect for me. And even if the team struggles, I still love watching them. Luckily, there have been few consistent struggles. They'll come, and I'll enjoy following the team just as much.

I'll love swinging my Terrible Towel until the day I die and I'll Unleash the Fury until my voice is gone, and there's nothing that will change that. I'll argue with people who hate everything about the team, the city, and the people for probably the rest of my life. I'll be forced to defend my DC-Pittsburgh fandom for a long time, but that doesn't bother me. My blood can and will run Steelers Black and Gold and Capitals Red.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 7

2009-10-20T19:19:00.005-04:00

Oh, baby. We had some movers and some shakers this week, from the top to the (almost) bottom and virtually everything in between. The division rankings have been completely turned upside down. This week also marked just about the first week that you have to factor in fluke games: We know by week 7 Oakland is not better than Philadelphia, nor is Buffalo better than the Jets. Comment and tell me what you think ...

1. New Orleans Saints (last week's rank: 3; change: +1): I said last week that the Saints would leapfrog the Colts if the Saints took down the Giants, and boy did they ever fulfill there. You didn't take Drew Brees in the first round of your fantasy draft why?
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): With games at St. Louis, home against San Francisco and home against Houston, you think Indy is already looking forward to week 10 against the Patriots or what?
3. Minnesota Vikings (4; +1): They're just as lucky as they are good, but you have to be both to be a successful team in this league. Brett Favre has turned Sidney Rice into a star.
4. Denver Broncos (5; +1): Forget doubting whether they're good or not. It's time to start thinking whether they're actually the best defense in the NFL. They're playing like it.
5. New York Giants (1; -4): Obviously, it's no easy task to come into New Orleans and win, so the loss is no surprise. I am a bit taken aback by how easy the Saints made it look, though.
6. New England Patriots (8; +2): Make no mistake. Keith Bulluck is a bad, bad man. Bill Belichick should have thought about that before putting Tom Brady in to start the second half.
7. Atlanta Falcons (9; +2): Their defense is playing just good enough to win games with that great offense of theirs. The playoffs - albeit probably as a wild card - are definitely in sight.
8. Chicago Bears (10; +2): Yeah, I know. They lost. As everyone else around them crumbled, I respected their tough loss on the road during prime time the most.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (7; -2): I don't think the loss to Houston told us anything about this Bengals team that we didn't already know. Of course they're still the Bengals. It will need to take a few more bad losses for me to believe they're not good this year, though.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (11; +1): They've quietly won 3 in a row and they definitely don't look like they've hit their stride yet. They're clearly the favorites in the North this year.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (6; -5): The Eagles are going to be playing a game this coming week very similar to the one this past week: against a weak opponent (Washington) with a lot to prove after lots of criticism the previous week. Hopefully they don't overlook this one.
12. Green Bay Packers (17; +5): They have to make sure not to overlook Cleveland before the you-know-who reunion part II.
13. Miami Dolphins (13; 0): Their game against New Orleans this week will be fascinating to watch. If they get down early, how much (if at all) are they going to abandon their incredible running game?
14. Baltimore Ravens (14; -2): Is Frank Walker the worst player in the NFL? No? You think Chris Carr is?
15. Dallas Cowboys (16; +1): They have a chance for a huge statement game this week against Atlanta. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being one of the games of the week; Dallas, off their bye, should come out fired up.
16. San Francisco 49ers (18; +2): The beneficiaries of a bye week, San Fran gets bumped back into the top half. Who would have thought them and Arizona may actually have an interesting division title race?
17. Arizona Cardinals (19; +2): They can definitely turn some heads if they play with - they don't even have to win - the Giants this weekend. Everyone wrote them off after their 1-2 start but they're 3-2 now.
18. New York Jets (18; -4): Hmm, I don't look so dumb now for having the Jets at 14 last week. With the run support he was getting, a bad performance by Mark Sanchez would have won that game. It just so happens he turned in a God-awful performance.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (21; +2): They have to feel pretty good going into their bye week at 3-3. If they can keep flying in under the radar, they are certainly a playoff sleeper.
20. Houston Texans (22; +2): Like Jacksonville, the division title is out of reach this year. There's a sixth spot in the playoffs begging for someone to claim it, though.
21. San Diego Chargers (16; -5): Division race over? You would have to think so. I fully expect them to make a late-season charge into a crowded AFC wild card race, however. (Sense a theme?)
22. Carolina Panthers (23; +1): The invisible line has been moved! The Panthers still lead the pack of "so terrible I should be competing for the number one pick" teams but this week they're at 22! Who's the addition to the pack? ...
23. Seattle Seahawks (20; -3): It's Seattle! Sorry, when you lose by 20+ at home to a division rival that's not even that good, you belong in here. I don't care what you did to Jacksonville the previous week.
24. Buffalo Bills (28; +4): You know, at 2-4, the Bills are only a game out of a playoff spot 6 games into the season. Just saying.
25. Oakland Raiders (29; +4): You know, at 2-4, the Raiders are only a game out ... Okay, no I really take it too far this time. If the Raiders make the playoffs I will quit being a football fan.
26. Detroit Lions (24; -2): You forgot just how bad the Lions were last year until you watched them with Daunte Culpepper back in, didn't you? What's that? You didn't watch the Packers-Lions game? ... Yeah, me neither.
27. Kansas City Chiefs (30; +3): Remember when people were talking about the Chiefs being a sleeper team with Matt Cassel as their quarterback?
28. Cleveland Browns (27; -1): Things aren't looking up when your quarterback goes 9 for 24 and it's considered a vast improvement over the previous week.
29. Washington Redskins (25; -4): Jim Zorn, you're being humiliated. End it.
30. Tennessee Titans (26; -4): The Titans have played worse in every single one of their games so far this year. Which was the fluke? Last season or this one?
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31; 0): How come I can name 3 quarterbacks and 3 runningbacks on this team, but a total of 3 other players on the rest of the squad?
32. St. Louis Rams (32; 0): Fine, I lied. They're not better with Kyle Boller as their quarterback. Do you think they've already conceded the game against Indy this week because they're thinking about Detroit the following week?

Division Rankings: Wow, what a logjam in the middle. One team with a 15.00 average and three others with a 15.25. I broke the tie by giving the division with the best team the highest ranking, and down from there. As such, the NFC now has the best three divisions in football. It is tough to argue ...
1. NFC North (last week: 2): 12.25 average rank amongst the four teams
2. NFC East (1): 15.00
3. NFC South (5): 15.25
4. AFC East (4): 15.25
5. AFC North (3): 15.25
6. AFC South (6): 17.75
7. AFC West (7): 19.25
8. NFC West (8): 22.00

The Runningback Class of 08 Making Its Presence Felt

2009-10-19T13:34:00.006-04:00

Last year, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco got most of the talk about NFL rookies, and deservedly so.
Both took struggling teams and turned them into playoff teams at the most important position in the NFL.

The rookie runningbacks did pretty good for themselves too, though.

Steve Slaton was 6th in the league in rushing yards, with Matt Forte and Chris Johnson right behind him at 7th and 8th, respectively.

This year, things are looking up even more.

Chris Johnson (pictured, left) is the only one in the top 10, but second year runningbacks are scattered across the top 40. Ray Rice is 14th. Felix Jones is 16th. Matt Forte is 20th. Rashard Mendenhall is 26th. Kevin Smith is 27th. Jonathan Stewart is 31st. Steve Slaton is 36th. Once Darren McFadden gets out of Oakland, he's going to be a player in this league. Don't sleep on Kansas City Chief Jamaal Charles, either.

While that may not overwhelm you, keep in mind the NFL is almost exclusively a runningback by committee league, and these guys are still not even midway through their second season. For some, like Rice and Mendenhall, it's not even that because of injuries during their rookie season. Most of these guys, and again I point to Rice and Mendenhall, along with Jones, Choice and Stewart, were brought in to be the change of pace back who will eventually replace back "1" of their two-back system.

There are certainly a lot of great young quarterbacks in this league, but there's a lot of good young runners, too.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 6

2009-10-13T13:43:00.005-04:00

The power rankings were actually pretty easy this week; a lot of things seemed to fall into place. The huge mover was the Jets, who I still had optimistically high after their showing against New Orleans. I could have kept them ahead of the Dolphins on the premise of a completely fluke win, but watching that game last night, the Dolphins looked every bit the team that the Jets did. Hope you enjoy ...

1. New York Giants (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): Ho hum, a 37 point win by the Giants. There are a lot of great teams in the league, but starting here is as good of a place as any.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): I haven't seen a lot of the Colts this year, because they always play in primetime against teams I know they're going to crush. Have they clinched the South already?
3. New Orleans Saints (3; 0): Sorry Colts fans. If the Saints beat the Giants this week in what could be the game of the year so far, the Saints are taking the top spot.
4. Minnesota Vikings (4; 0): Brett Favre has been known to be egregiously confident in his arm. He'll throw it anywhere. That could either translate to a Viking blowout victory this week or a multiple interception day for Ed Reed. Based on the Ravens play this week, the former is more likely.
5. Denver Broncos (8; +3): After hating on Josh McDaniels earlier this summer, he's making me eat my words. I find myself rooting for him more every week.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (9; +3): Donovan sure looked rusty after missing a few weeks, didn't he? (sarcasm) They have one of the fastest wide receiving corps ever.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (13; +6): A truly impressive 3-0 sweep of the AFC North the past three weeks. Carson Palmer is playing some of the best fourth quarter ball you will ever see.
8. New England Patriots (6; -2): New England is really good, but didn't it just look like Denver wanted that game a bit more?
9. Atlanta Falcons (11; +2): That was a beat-down. Atlanta played like it used the bye week very well. With only one loss, they're obviously right in it for the NFC South race.
10. Chicago Bears (10; 0): NBC's getting a good one on Sunday night. Chicago-Atlanta should be a great, high-scoring game.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (14; +3): They move up three not for how they played against Detroit but for how much better they instantly become now that Troy Polamalu is back.
12. Baltimore Ravens (7; -5): Cam Cameron's lack of mid-game adjustments has crippled the offense two weeks in a row. He gameplans as well as anyone. He's being outcoached during the game, though.
13. Miami Dolphins (20; +7): This is a completely different team with Henne as their quarterback. I still think last year's 11-5 was a fluke because they had Chad Pennington, but with a strong-armed quarterback back there now, it looks like the playoffs are realistic again.
14. New York Jets (5; -9): This is absolutely the pick that most experts would disagree with me the most. They're 3-2, but they've lost 2 in a row, and they lost the first one because of their offense and the second because of their defense. They don't look like the team that beat New England in week 2.
15. San Diego Chargers (15; 0): Not to make too much of a game in mid-October, but who knew that the Denver-San Diego matchup on Monday night would mean 10 times more to San Diego than Denver?
16. Dallas Cowboys (16; 0): They go into the bye week scratching their heads as to why they needed overtime to beat the Chiefs. They have to love getting an extra week to prepare for Atlanta.
17. Green Bay Packers (17; 0): They have must-wins against Detroit and at Cleveland before they "welcome" back you-know-who.
18. San Francisco 49ers (12; -6): Ouch. That was about as humbling of a loss as there is. It's going to be a long bye week for them.
19. Arizona Cardinals (21; +2): You had to love watching Fitzgerald on one side of the ball and Andre Johnson on the other. In the end, though, the Cardinals defense won the game.
20. Seattle Seahawks (23; +3): If you believe MVP actually means the most valuable player to his team, Peyton Manning would obviously win the award. Matt Hasselebeck might be number two.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (18; -3): In a savage beating, the Jags (number 21) lose by 41 to the Seahawks (number 20). There should really be more separation than this, but they already beat Houston and then you get into Carolina and Detroit. It gets thin down here.
22. Houston Texans (19; -3): Deion Sanders may not make sense most of the time, but you have to agree with him here: Why was Andre Johnson not on the field for either the 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 at the end of the game?
23. Carolina Panthers (24; +1): Draw an imaginary line between 22 and 23. The 10 worst teams in the league - starting here at Carolina - are all fantastically awful.
24. Detroit Lions (25; +1): In fact, they're so bad that you can lose by 8 at home to a team without its best player and move up one.
25. Washington Redskins (26; +1): In fact, they're SO bad you can lose to an 0-3 team and still move up one.
26. Tennessee Titans (27; +1): They're 0-5. They've lost their past two games by a combined 42 points. And they're not one of the six worst teams in this league.
27. Cleveland Browns (29; +2): You know what else gets you a promotion down here? Completing two passes in a game!
28. Buffalo Bills (22; -6): Tyler, I'm fascinated to hear your defense for Trent Edwards after this week.
29. Oakland Raiders (28; -1): Have you read the allegations on Tom Cable? Oh, only in Oakland. (quote is almost at the bottom of the page)
30. Kansas City Chiefs (30; 0): Will Washington give Kansas City their first win of the season, too?
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31; 0): I love football. A lot. And you would actually have to pay me to willingly watch the Panthers-Bucs game this weekend.
32. St. Louis Rams (32; 0): Insert Rush Limbaugh joke here.

Division Rankings: The AFC East took a hard fall this week, going 1-3 (including a loss to the Browns.) The rest stayed the same, with the exception of an NFC South/AFC South flip flop.
1. NFC East (last week: 1): 12.00 average rank amongst the four teams
2. NFC North (3): 13.75
3. AFC North (4): 14.25
4. AFC East (2): 15.75
5. NFC South (6): 16.50
6. AFC South (5): 17.75
7. AFC West (7): 19.75
8. NFC West (8): 22.25

The Wild AFC North

2009-10-12T21:19:00.002-04:00

Coming into this season, most people predicted the following for the AFC North: the Ravens and Steelers battling for 1st place all season, led by their elite defenses. The Bengals would finish 3rd but play decently and the Browns would finish in 4th, like usual.

5 weeks in, the only prediction that is looking accurate is the fact that the Browns are one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Right now, the Bengals are in first place in the AFC North after beating the Ravens in Baltimore. Yes, in Baltimore. One of the toughest places to win the NFL. They're now 4-1 and would be 5-0 if not for a fluke hail mary. The strangest part of it is that the Bengals have done it behind a 9th-ranked defense (points-wise). This past weekend, they shut down the explosive Ravens offense. They held Joe Flacco to 186 yards passing on 22 completions. The Ravens rushing game was neutralized and they forced turnovers at key moments. And, oh yea, Carson Palmer led yet another last-second, game-winning drive.

The Bengals are looking legitimate right now. They have a good defense, a good running game, and a clutch quarterback. It's early, but you have to respect a 4-1 record and a road win at Baltimore.

Behind them, the Ravens and Steelers are facing some pretty big issues. Both teams are 3-2. Both teams' offenses are showing serious signs of being elite. The big problem for both teams? The defense. Yes, the defense. For the two teams that take pride in having a defense at the top of the league, it's a surprise to see both teams so beatable.

A close examination of both defenses shows that the secondaries of each team are terrible. The Ravens are giving up passing yards like crazy and even gave up a 100-yard rusher for the first time since a Bush was in the White House. Their rush defense is the same it's always been: elite. But they're 25th against the pass. It's a problem area and the Ravens know it. Is it because of Rex Ryan jumping ship? Is it just poor players? The pass rush not getting there quick enough? Whatever it is, the Ravens must fix it soon. They play the Vikings this weekend and have a brutal schedule the rest of the year.

The Steelers are in a similar situation. They're only 14th against the pass, but they're struggling on third down and are still giving up some big plays - especially in the fourth quarter. Since week one, the defense has collapsed in the fourth quarter. Their stats don't look too bad at first glance because they played so well in the first three quarters against Chicago, San Diego, and Cinciannti. But in the fourth quarter of those games, they gave up tons of yards and against the Bears and Bengals, they lost the game in the final seconds due to poor defense. This past Sunday against Detroit, they had tons of sacks and even had an interception, but still gave up tons of yardage and overall was unimpressive. Luckily, Lamarr Woodley and James Harrison combined for 4.5 sacks and were able to hold off a late Lions comback.

But still, the trend is troubling. In key moments, the Steelers defense is giving up big plays and not creating turnovers. Statistically, they're the 5th best defense in yards against. But any Steelers fan will tell you that there are problems. The root of the problems? Two words: Troy Polamalu. The last four weeks have shown just how important he is to that defense. Without him, the secondary is average at best. They have no depth at safety. Without him, they have to drop Woodley into coverage much more to make up for all the ground Tyrone Carter can't cover in Polamalu's place. Without him, they lose their biggest playmaker and turnover machine.

Luckily for the Steelers, Polamalu comes back next week to face the Browns. If he's 100% healthy, the Steelers defense could return to form, which would mean bad, bad things for the NFL. Their offense is lighting teams up through the air (Ben Roethlisberger leads the NFL in completion % at 73.5%) and they may have found a decent running back in Rashard Mendenhall. Still, they have a lot of questions to answer. Will Polamalu be healthy? Will the defense step it up in the fourth quarter? Can Ben keep it up? Is Mendenhall for real?

No matter what, the matchups between the Ravens and Steelers will be very, very interesting. Even if they are shootouts. And even if they are for second place in the AFC North.

3 out of 4 Division Series Wrapped Up

2009-10-11T21:58:00.007-04:00

We thought the crazy Twins-Tigers game was going to be an omen for a great opening round of baseball playoffs.

Well, at least it's been great for the favorites' fans.

The only series that hasn't ended in a sweep is the Phillies-Rockies, who play tonight in the freezing cold of Colorado. Other than that, it's been a lot of brooms.

A lot of people thought the Cardinals were a better team than the Dodgers coming in; the Dodgers put that to rest in 3.

The Red Sox were supposed to have the Angels number, right? Surely this was going to be a great series. If anything, it was going to be a Red Sox sweep. Oops.

The only thing that's gone according to plan is the Yankees crushing the spirits - one A-Rod homer at a time - of the Twins.

Don't get me wrong, there's been at least one good game on every day of the postseason thus far. On Thursday, the Dodgers beat the Cardinals 5-3. Thursday saw the Rockies pulling off the upset in Philadelphia 5-4 and the most memorable play of the postseason so far in Matt Holliday's error (brutal still image sequence here). The play extended the game and gave the Dodgers the opportunity to go up 2 games to 0. Friday had the first extra inning game of the series, culminated by Mark Teixeira's walk-off (pictured right) for the Bombers. Saturday we all watched in disbelief as the Dodgers just pounded the Cardinals in St. Louis to complete the sweep. And, finally, the Yanks were just better than Minnesota in their quest to sweep the Twins at the Metrodome.

So while there have been good games, there's only been one (and we don't know how that will end up) good series. One has to assume the championship series will be different. Yanks-Angels especially should be great drama.

National Media Siding with Ravens

2009-10-09T18:55:00.002-04:00

I'm in a journalism class where we have to set up a weekly blog. The purpose of said blog is to blog about something - anything - media-related. Naturally, my topic is how the media views the Ravens. I thought I would shamelessly promote the latest article here. http://tonyherman.org/

It's actually pretty interesting because the last time the Ravens played the Patriots in 2007, the Ravens had a lot to say about the officials then, too. After that game, everyone outside of Baltimore was just telling the Ravens to shut up. This time it's a different story.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 5

2009-10-06T16:19:00.003-04:00

My bad for not posting too much other than power rankings lately. I have a few ideas lined up for the week to do about one a day until next Tuesday. Here's hoping I can actually get to it. Without further ado, the quite difficult week 5 power rankings (I really felt like a prisoner to my own rules this week; you'll see):

1. New York Giants (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): There just aren't many holes in this team. In what could be a crowded NFC championship race, they have just as many weapons as anyone.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): While Brett Favre and Drew Brees are getting all the hype, Peyton Manning's having a career year. That's saying something.
3. New Orleans Saints (3; 0): You can really just label them "1c." They've won with passing, running, and now defense. Darren Sharper is the free agent acquisition of the year.
4. Minnesota Vikings (6; +2): If Brett Favre's arm actually does hold up this year, the NFC is in trouble.
5. New York Jets (5; 0): Ugh. Just two weeks ago, the Jets beat the Patriots. Since then, I think New England has gotten their groove back and the Jets' suspect offense has been discovered. Nonetheless, ranking laws are ranking laws.
6. New England Patriots (7; +1): They're just so good at maintaining time of possession. They always could with their short passing game; now they have that and a running game.
7. Baltimore Ravens (3; -4): Things are looking up in Baltimore when you can play a mistake-plagued, horrid-luck game and still come within a drop of winning at Foxboro.
8. Denver Broncos (9; +1): The offense isn't anything special. Overrated. At this point in time, I don't think we can say the same thing about the defense.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (8; -1): The bye week really screws with you doesn't it? I feel like the Eagles haven't played in a month. They have a great chance to be 5-1 heading into their showdown with the Giants.
10. Chicago Bears (14; +4): After the ugly beginning in Green Bay, Chicago has won a quiet 3 in a row. The less you hear about Jay Cutler, the better this team is doing.
11. Atlanta Falcons (12; +1): They took the bye week to hopefully improve their run defense. Huge game at San Francisco this week.
12. San Francisco 49ers (15; +3): Good teams dominate inferior opponents in all three phases of the game. The 49ers did that to the Rams.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (13; 0): I let the Bears and 49ers leapfrog them because of how inept they looked at times against the Browns. They need to learn to play four quarters of football.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (17; +3): Speaking of playing four quarters of football, it's not like the Steelers to give up all of those late points. The mojo of this team isn't there right now.
15. San Diego Chargers (10; -5): I knew they were horrid against the run, but that was just embarrassing.
16. Dallas Cowboys (11; -5): All of a sudden the Cowboys have gone from the team with all the talent in the world that couldn't get it done to a team that's just not that good.
17. Green Bay Packers (16; -1): The defense isn't that good. Ryan Grant doesn't look that good. The offensive line just looks bad. Aaron Rodgers is the only thing keeping this season from being a disaster.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (19; +1): The Jags rebounded nicely from 0-2 with 2 wins against divisional opponents. It'll take a lot to catch Indy, though.
19. Houston Texans (20; +1): The Texans played like they were supposed to stomp the Raiders, and they were. This week's game at Arizona may be fun to watch.
20. Miami Dolphins (24; +4): Fantasy note: If Ricky Williams is a free agent in your league, take a look at his numbers. I think you'll be surprised.
21. Arizona Cardinals (21; 0): They needed the early bye about as much as anyone could. With the way San Francisco is playing, they're going to need to turn it around soon.
22. Buffalo Bills (18; -4): That was ugly. Both scoring only 10 against Miami and giving up 38 to Miami are not good things.
23. Seattle Seahawks (23; 0): You gotta feel bad for Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks. The NFC West race would be a lot more fun with him in it.
24. Carolina Panthers (25; +1): Perhaps I'm too nice to Carolina, but I just think they have too much on offense to be that bad this season.
25. Detroit Lions (26; +1): Not that I condone giving up 48 points in a game, but I'm bitter at Tennessee, so they get the bump up despite the loss.
26. Washington Redskins (28; +2): You do realize they get Carolina and Kansas City the next two weeks, right? They could be 4-2 at that point. Unless they beat Philadelphia after that, they stay down here.
27. Tennessee Titans (22; -5): Tennessee, I can't rank on talent alone. You're down here with the dredges of the league because you started playing like them.
28. Oakland Raiders (27; -1): Is there anyone in the NFL you would want to play for less than the Raiders?
29. Cleveland Browns (32; +3): Derek Anderson gives them a better shot at winning than Quinn does, that's for sure. Derek Anderson is really, really bad, by the way.
30. Kansas City Chiefs (29; -1): If I'm Todd Haley, I'm convincing my guys this is the week they get in the win column. They're not better than Dallas, but they'll probably play harder.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (30; -1): Fun fact: The Bucs have dropped one spot for the third week in a row. Does this mean the Rams are getting lucky this week?
32. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): They're playing Minnesota. I highly doubt this is the one.

And, of course, the division rankings. Only one change this week: the AFC North and AFC South flip flop.
1. NFC East (last week: 1): 13.00 average rank amongst the four teams
2. AFC East (2): 13.25
3. NFC North (3): 14.00
4. AFC North (5): 15.75
5. AFC South (4): 16.50
6. NFC South (6): 17.25
7. AFC West (7): 20.25
8. NFC West (8): 22.00

Terrapins Win First ACC Matchup

2009-10-03T18:37:00.002-04:00

The Maryland Terrapins sure love to make it interesting. In a game with multiple momentum shifts, missed field goals, and high-pressure moments, the Terrapins came away with their first Atlantic Coast Conference win against the Clemson Tigers, 24-21. Both teams made mistakes at critical junctions in the game and the game swung in the balance for the last five minutes.

"I was working my rosary pretty good," head coach Ralph Friedgen said after the game.

For a team that had lost two consecutive games and was being left for dead, a win against Clemson seemed like a tall task.

Clemson got on the board first with a field goal by Richard Jackson following a muffed punt return by Anthony Wiseman. Five minutes later, the Tigers scored on a touchdown run by wide receiver Jacoby Ford to take a 10-0 lead. It looked as though the Terrapins would find themselves on the wrong side of a blowout for the second week in a row.

The Terrapins would fight back, however, with a 43-yard field goal by Nick Ferrara early in the second quarter. Jackson would kick a 51-yard field goal to make the score 13-3 to put the Tigers up 10.

The Maryland offense would come to life, however, and capped off a 76-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Torrey Smith. Following a defensive stop, the Terrapins would get the ball back with 2:15 remaining in the half and drive 81 yards to take the lead 17-13 into the half.

In the third quarter, Tony Logan returned a short punt to the Clemson 1-yard line to give the Terrapins a chance to add to their lead. Three plays later, Davin Meggett took an option pitch from Turner and dodged a tackler to give the Terrapins a 24-13 lead with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Spiller broke multiple tackles and went 93 yards to swing the momentum back in Clemson's favor. A two-point conversion brought the Tigers back within three points. The two teams would continue to trade possessions until late in the fourth quarter. With less than five minutes remaining, Friedgen decided to go for it on a forth and short from his own 30 yard line. He called for a QB sneak.

"James [Franklin] wanted to go for it. The kids wanted to go for it. I knew our defense was tired, and I went for it," Friedgen said. "I wanted to think about it. I probably changed my mind three times."

Chris Turner was stopped and lost yardage. Friedgen left his defense to face a good Clemson offense already in field goal range. It looked like the game would either be tied or the Terrapins would find themselves trailing with little time remaining.

His defense stepped up, however, and forced a three-and-out by the Tigers. Richard Jackson went out and kicked a long field goal to tie the game. There was one problem: Friedgen had called a timeout right before Clemson hiked the ball. Jackson was forced to try again, and missed.

The Terrapins had dodged a bullet and had a chance to ice the game with a couple first downs. On their first play, however, Meggett fumbled the ball and gave the ball right back to the Tigers. The defense, yet again, stopped the Tigers in their tracks and forced a field goal attempt. Surely Jackson, one of the best kickers in the ACC, would not miss twice from the same spot.

He did. He missed the kick again, and gave the Terrapins another chance to end the game. The Maryland offense, however, was forced to punt after another three and out.

With the ball back and 1:30 left on the clock, the Clemson offense had a chance to march down the field and tie or win the game. After three plays, they were already in field goal range in Maryland territory. On third down, however, Terrapin linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield capped off a 10-tackle day by breaking free and sacking Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker. Hartsfield forced Parker to drop the ball, and, after a review, Maryland had the ball and their first ACC victory.

Still, the Terrapins have problems on both sides of the ball. They had costly fumbles, untimely penalties, and missed assignments.

"I know what's wrong and I'm trying to fix it," Friedgen said. "But it was better today."

The running game also continued to struggle. The Terrapinsonly had 28 total yards on the ground last week vs. Rutgers. Turner was the Terrapins' leading rusher at the half with 7 carries for 31 yards. Da'Rel Scott, who lead the Terrapins in rushing last season and came into the game with 297 yards on the ground, had no carries in the first half and sustained an injury on his first carry of the second half. Meggett ended up with 10 attempts for 29 yards and Gary Douglas had 7 carries for 24 yards.

Defensively, the Terrapins had their best game of the season. Clemson running back C.J. Spiller was held in check (18 attempts for 72 yards) despite his kickoff return and first-year defensive coordinator Don Brown was finally able to use the blitz effectively to stop the powerful Clemson offense, especially in crucial moments in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Brown saw his defense become closer as a unit and better at running his defense.

"We're really getting comfortable now in terms of guys disguising. We're running the pressures. Even though we only sacked [Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker] twice today, we chased him around all day long," Brown said. He also felt his defense finally put together a solid, full game, which is something he preached all week long.

"The proof is in the pudding. We played 60 minutes today."

(Photo: Washington Post)

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 4

2009-09-29T17:18:00.003-04:00

There was a lot less movement this week, although we did have one double digit move. Sorry, Pittsburgh, enough's enough. The NFC North made the biggest move of the week, not because they did anything really special, but because I didn't realize the Bengals were actually good when I dropped the Packers so far last week and because there are so, so many bad teams in this league that I had to reward the Lions. With no other introduction needed ...

1. New York Giants (last week: 1; change: 0): That was about as dominant as it gets. They play in too tough a division to feel too comfortable up here, though.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): Don't you get the feeling when watching Peyton Manning throw to Pierre Garcon that Marvin Harrison's entire career was completely overrated?
3. Baltimore Ravens (3; 0): The gauntlet begins. It doesn't get too much tougher than at New England, home against the suddenly potent Bengals and then at Minnesota three weeks in a row.
4. New Orleans Saints (4; 0): They face maybe the best defense in the league this week with the Jets. If they score at will on them, then the rest of the league will take notice.
5. New York Jets (5; 0): You think they have swagger now? Imagine if they beat the Saints in New Orleans.
6. Minnesota Vikings (8; +2): Brett Favre ... Touche.
7. New England Patriots (9; +2): Atlanta's a good team, so that was a good win. The Patriots need Wes Welker because Joey Galloway isn't working out.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (10; +2): How used does Jeff Garcia feel? They bring him in in case the Kolb experiment didn't work out. It did. Kudos to him for proving everyone wrong.
9. Denver Broncos (15; +6): Eh. They're probably too high. At some point, though, you have to reward wins. I still can't believe how well their defense is playing.
10. San Diego Chargers (12; +2): Philip Rivers is a step below Brees/Brady/Manning, but I do believe he is the top of the second tier of quarterbacks in this league.
11. Dallas Cowboys (13; +2): Conservative Tony Romo just can't last, can it? Either way, they have a heck of a ground game there.
12. Atlanta Falcons (6; -6): A little tough for dropping a hard fought game at New England, but there's a strong crop of 2-1 teams out there. They'll be in the battle for the postseason at the end.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (19; +6): Cedric Benson. What a story. This team wants to win, and it shows.
14. Chicago Bears (14; 0): None of their games seem convincing. I image they'll be hanging around the mid-teens for most of the year.
15. San Francisco 49ers (11; -4): There is absolutely no shame in how they lost that game. Vernon Davis is playing like never before.
16. Green Bay Packers (21; +5): No, they don't deserve to be up 5 for beating the Rams. In retrospect, they didn't deserve to drop double digits for losing to Cincinnati. This is a compromise.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (7; -10): They have issues. Fourth quarter collapses on defense. Lack of pressure on the quarterback. Patchy offensive line play. Questionable playcalling. That being said, they'll still make the playoffs.
18. Buffalo Bills (16; -2): You already know my thoughts on the T.O. situation. What's more interesting to me is how they incorporate Marshawn Lynch.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (26; +7): It gets really, really muddled down here. This won't be the first leapfrog between the 19 and 26 spots.
20. Houston Texans (17; -3): Houston being mediocre is about as predictable as Oakland being bad.
21. Arizona Cardinals (18; -3): It's hard to consider a season when you get to the Super Bowl to be a fluke, but unless they put this bye week to good use, I think we can do just that.
22. Tennessee Titans (22; 0): They're not playing good defense, and they definitely don't have the offense to be compensate.
23. Seattle Seahawks (23; 0): Kudos to this team for playing hard with Seneca Wallace at quarterback. It just seems like this isn't Seattle's year for the second consecutive time.
24. Miami Dolphins (24; 0): Can we talk for one second about the fact the Ravens - because they were in second place in the North last year - play the combined 5-1 Patriots and Colts this year while the Steelers play the combined 0-6 Titans and Dolphins?
25. Carolina Panthers (25; 0): You know there are some bad teams in this league when the Panthers are 25th here.
26. Detroit Lions (32; +6): You knew and I knew they weren't the single worst team in the league, but I had to keep them there until they won. I think this is more like it.
27. Oakland Raiders (27; 0): I broke my own rule last week. I just realized that I dropped the Raiders 2 spots in my rankings when they beat the Chiefs. I notice nobody complained.
28. Washington Redskins (20; -8): Albert Haynesworth. Brian Orakpo. Clinton Portis. Santana Moss. Chris Cooley. LaRon Landry. These are good players. How are they so bad?
29. Kansas City Chiefs (28; -1): Their offense is bad, but their defense is worse. A lot worse.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29; -1): Have they not noticed that this whole rookie quarterback/rookie coach thing seems to be working? Why is Josh Freeman not playing?
31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): I'm telling you, they have a better chance to win with Kyle Boller playing than Mark Bulger.
32. Cleveland Browns (32; 0): They just make consistently bad decisions. Hmm, I kind of want to write a post about that now.

Division Rankings
1. NFC East (last week: 1): 12.00 average ranking amongst the four teams
2. AFC East (2): 13.50
3. NFC North (6): 15.50
4. AFC South (5): 15.75
5. AFC North (3): 16.25
6. NFC South (4): 17.75
7. AFC West (7): 18.75
8. NFC West (8): 22.50

Don't Get Too Excited About Week 3

2009-09-28T13:20:00.003-04:00

Week 3 in the NFL was a sensational one ... that is already being way too sensationalized. Brett Favre is 28, not 38! The defending champs are no more! Tom Brady is great again! Drew Brees is a schlub, but Pierre Thomas will carry New Orleans all the way! (Okay, nobody's said that, but after what Brees didn't do for my fantasy team this week, I'm bitter.) Here's a few things to keep in mind when sifting through your NFL stories this week.

The NFC North looked strong at 4-0 this week ... But most divisions could do that with 3 games against the NFC West and 1 against the Redskins.

Titans and Dolphins apologists will tell you at 0-3, all is not yet lost. They're wrong. The Dolphins have to catch up to two AFC title contenders in their division and the Titans have to go 12-1 to catch up to the perennial 12-win Colts. Some food for thought for Tennessee fans: your schedule hasn't been that though. Neither the Steelers nor the Texans have a win outside of their game against you.

ESPN is going to try all week to convince you Terrell Owens is on the verge of a major breakdown in Buffalo. I don't like T.O. (pictured, right), but his press conference after the Bills' loss to the Saints made me angry, and not towards him. Terrible, terrible journalism. I've never heard so many loaded questions in my life.

Darrius Heyward-Bey is already being labeled as a colossal first round bust. For where he was taken in this year's NFL Draft, Heyward-Bey has been and will continue to be a bust. However, everyone knew that ahead of time, so is it fair? Did Heyward-Bey come out and say he was the best wide receiver in the draft? Or was he just a late first round prospect that the Raiders stupidly took at number 7? You already know this answer. Having the single worst starting quarterback in the NFL can't help his chances either.

Image source: http://media.photobucket.com/image/Terrell%20Owens%20Bills/Blainorama/terrell-owens2.jpg

Without Polamalu, Steelers defense disappears

2009-09-27T19:42:00.002-04:00

The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl for two reasons: clutch quarterback play and probably the best defense since the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. They scored just enough points and gave up very few. The defense created big plays all season long, sacked the quarterback, and was always reliable.

Through 3 games in 2009, it's a whole different story. The difference? Troy Polamalu. Since his injury against the Tennessee Titans in week one, the Steelers defense has been average. At best. They've created very little pressure on the quarterback and forced few turnovers (none, in fact, since the Titans game). The defense has given up long drives to lose games in consecutive weeks and has given me, as a Steelers fan, reason to worry late in the game. The result? A 1-2 record and third place in the division.

I know, I know, it's only 3 games and there's no reason to worry. Well, I think there is. James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley have been 100% invisible. Yes, they've been double-teamed, but that should free up others, and it hasn't. When they're not double-teamed, they haven't created pressure. The secondary has given up big plays in crucial situations and even other teams' runing games have had success. Right now, I don't trust the defense.

Which means the offense has to play nearly perfect. And they won't. They have an inconsistent running game. Ben Roethlisberger still makes mistakes. Limas Sweed dropped a touchdown pass that would have iced the game today. Mistakes happen, and the offense isn't built to score 25-30 points a week. The defense, statistically, hasn't played that poorly. The Titans only scored 10 points, the Bears 17, and the Bengals 17 (Bengals had a pick-6). The disturbing trend is that, in the fourth quarter, they fall apart. Carson Palmer and Jay Cutler have picked the apart late in games to lead their respective teams to victory.

The 2009 Steelers are looking a little too much like the 2006 Steelers for my liking. There are noticible differences - the offense isn't turning the ball over as much and Ben is playing well, Mike Tomlin still has the fire that Cowher lost, and the team didn't lose multiple contributers - but I'm still having flashbacks of losing games because the defense choked late in games and the offense could not punch the ball in.

Unfortuantely, it does not get much easier for the Steelers defense. They play the Chargers next week (luckily, at home, and on primetime, where they usually step up), who have an explosive offense. Last year, they shut down Sproles, but it's always a challenge. After that, they have the Lions and Browns, followed by the Vikings, who look to be a very good team this year. If they can go into the bye week with a 4-3 record, they will be in decent shape. They just need to keep up with the Ravens (and Bengals) so that they have a chance for the division. Polamalu is set to try to come back against the Lions in week five, but that may be only in limited action. Either way, it will be a boost.

But until then, the Steelers need to find a way to play better on both sides of the ball. The defense needs to make more turnovers and get more sacks. The talent is there outside of Polamalu (I'm looking at you, James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley). I'm sure Tomlin and Dick Labeau will be working hard this week to fix it, but, regardless, they need to put the loss behind them and focus on going back to the 2008 version of the Steel Curtain. Until then, the team will continue to play like a mediocre team.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 3

2009-09-22T21:53:00.003-04:00

Wow. After week 2 knocked gave 4 of the top 6 teams in the rankings losses, week 3 is looking quite different. A lot of teams fell what may seem a disproportionate amount based on their week 1 performances (but won anyway), and a lot of teams rose based on the fact I'm a lot more sold on them 2 weeks in than 1. So, without further ado ...

1. New York Giants (last week: 3; change: +2): To beat two divisional rivals in the first two weeks is huge. Eli Manning has finally proven to the doubters he's an upper echelon quarterback.

2. Indianapolis Colts (4; +2): The run defense looks horrid, but they're 2-0. They're one of the few teams in the league you're never going to want to bet against.

3. Baltimore Ravens (7; +4): ESPN and Peter King's number one team, the Ravens scored a huge win cross country in San Diego. They need to improve their pass defense, though.

4. New Orleans Saints (13; +9): The way they manhandled a stout Philadelphia defense was certainly eye-opening. What happens on defense when they're not facing Jake Delhomme or Kevin Kolb?

5. New York Jets (14; +9): They talked the talk, and then walked the walk. Mark Sanchez is going to be a great player in this league.

6. Atlanta Falcons (10; +4): In the same boat as the Saints. We know what they have offensively. Their defense has yet to be tested (until this week at New England).

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (1; -6): They need to be better offensively in just about every way. Don't sleep on the Steelers-Bengals game this weekend.

8. Minnesota Vikings (12; +4): Perhaps they're better than this, but their first two opponents (the Browns and the Lions) will have a combined total of 4 wins this year, so I can't take them seriously yet.

9. New England Patriots (2; -7): We knew they didn't have any leadership on defense. It's truly stunning how different of a quarterback Tom Brady is this year.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (5; -5): They reside here for a little bit. Once McNabb comes back, they will climb back up the rankings.

11. San Francisco 49ers (17; +6): Well, they certainly got Frank Gore going, and he showed why, when healthy, he's a top 5 running back in this league. I still can't believe Shaun Hill is quarterbacking a 2-0 team.

12. San Diego Chargers (6; -6): Philip Rivers can definitely throw the ball. It's too bad their linebackers can't tackle anybody and their coach can't coach anybody.

13. Dallas Cowboys (8; -5): I hate to pile on, but has Tony Romo ever won a game of any significance? Their running game looked great, though.

14. Chicago Bears (16; +2): Hmm. As you see, I don't know what to do with the Bears. They could just as easily be 2-0 as 0-2. Matt Forte's been awfully quiet this year.

15. Denver Broncos (23; +8): I know, I know. They played the Bengals and the Browns. That being said, the defense is playing hard and fast, and Kyle Orton has a sort of moxie about him, no?

16. Buffalo Bills (24; +8): They're a Leodis McKelvin fumble away from 2-0. Trent Edwards can sling the ball around, but most impressive is the way Fred Jackson's been running.

17. Houston Texans (26; +9): So there's the offense we remember from last year. They're going to hang around this spot all year because we also saw the defense from last year again.

18. Arizona Cardinals (18; 0): What can be said about Kurt Warner that hasn't already been said? How is 24 for 26 even possible?

19. Cincinnati Bengals (27; +8): They're one of the flukiest plays ever away from being 2-0 themselves. That was an impressive win at Green Bay. If they can beat Pittsburgh this week, look for them to soar up these rankings.

20. Washington Redskins (20; 0): They may have one of the worst offenses I have ever seen in my entire life. It's a good thing their defense will keep them in a lot of games.

21. Green Bay Packers (11; -10): The rare double digit move. You can't consider yourself to be a top half team in this league with losses like that. The offensive line is horrid.

22. Tennesee Titans (9; -13): I will probably never have a team move 13 spots one way or the other ever again. I just thought they could pull it together to win at Houston, and I recognize that Houston has a good offense. I was still stunned to see all the missed assignments.

23. Seattle Seahawks (15; -8): I really shouldn't have had them as high as 15 after week 1 anyway. Losing Matt Hasselbeck really hurts (wow, shocker of the week).

24. Miami Dolphins (22; -2): It looked like they didn't show up for week 1 because they were too busy getting prepared for week 2. And they still lost. What does that say?

25. Carolina Panthers (21; -4): Good to see Jake Delhomme have a "normal" game again. Now we're just faced with the conclusion that he's not that good.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (19; -7): Not that I was 100% sure the Jags were going to win, but they really got tossed around by the Cardinals. It's only week 3, but they need to turn things around in a hurry.

27. Oakland Raiders (25; -2): Heading into the last drive of the game, JaMarcus Russell had 3 completions. That's an astonishing statistic.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (29; +1): They've been in two games in a row, but haven't figured out how to win yet. I like some of the players on this team, especially Dwayne Bowe.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28; -1): Similarly to how Shaun Hill keeps winning and you don't know why, Byron Leftwich just keeps losing and you're not sure why. Of course, he really doesn't have much around him.

30. Cleveland Browns (30; 0): They're certainly bad enough to be the worst team in the league.

31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): At least they were competitive this week.

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): I'm not sure I would bet against the Lions this week. I'm being serious, too.

Division Rankings! (Sorry, I forgot these last week.)

1. NFC East (average rank: 11.0): As usual, they sit perched atop the division rankings. Having 3 upper echelon teams helps.

2. AFC East (13.5): The Pats and Dolphins fall a bit, but the ascent of the Bills and Jets more than makes up for it.

3. AFC North (14.75): They probably won't get too much above this no matter what because the only place the Browns are destined to go is down.

4. NFC South (16.0): Two real good teams, two real bad teams. We'll see if the Panthers can turn things around, because the Bucs probably won't.

5. AFC South (16.75): Definitely the division with the most potential for upward movement.

6. NFC North (18.75): My brutal ranking of the Pack contributed to this. They definitely have a lot more room to go up than down, too.

7. AFC West (20.5): And here come the western divisions. The AFC (buoyed by Denver's rise) gets the slight nod this week.

8. NFC West (20.75): I do think they're a better division than the AFC West, but the numbers don't lie.

Quick Correction

2009-09-18T15:41:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday's show, I said Keyshawn Johnson made his inflammatory remark toward Raven wide receivers during ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown." I was wrong, it was during a conference call on ESPN earlier that day. My bad.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 2

2009-09-16T14:06:00.005-04:00

Sorry about the little delay here. If you were looking for the AL Division races post, it came up on blogger before the power rankings post, so check it out here. Sorry about the font issues with that one, by the way. But anyway, here are week 2 power rankings. You will notice one thing immediately: I, 100%, will not drop a team if they won their game. That means the Steelers, Patriots, Ravens and Chargers, among others, can breathe a little easier after some obvious flaws were shown in week 1. The mark of a good team is 1) to be able to win games despite your flaws, and 2) to be able to learn from your mistakes and correct them for the next week. So, if the problems persist and any of those teams fall because of them, we could see significant droppage. With that made-up word, I give you week 2.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (last week: 1; change: 0): With Santonio Holmes emerging as a star in this league, Pittsburgh will be able to get away with throwing the ball more. It's not going to do anything for Big Ben's health, though.

2. New England Patriots (2; 0): Their defense, as we thought, isn't too much. That being said, the offense is only beginning to click. By the end of the year, they'll be consistently putting up 30+ again.

3. New York Giants (3; 0): If Ahmad Bradshaw can continue being effective (he put up pretty good numbers against what will be a very good Redskins rush D), the Giants shouldn't even notice Derrick Ward is gone.

4. Indianapolis Colts (4; 0): Sure, the win against Jacksonville wasn't the prettiest of things, but the Colts were slow out of the gates last year, too. They have Peyton Manning.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (5; 0): It's a shame McNabb got hurt. I don't care what the experts are saying, it's competitive instinct to go diving into the end zone there.

6. San Diego Chargers (6; 0): Analyzing LaDainian Tomlinson's ability/role in San Diego's offense is befuddling. It doesn't do him any favors that Darren Sproles is a heck of a football player.

7. Baltimore Ravens (7; 0): Which team are they? The team that's top 3 in the league in both offense and defense? Or the team that was tied with a 2-14 team at home with 3:00 left in the game? You'll find out in San Diego this week.

8. Dallas Cowboys (9; +1): Tony Romo appears happy and comfortable. It will be interesting to see if Patrick Crayton can continue to shine behind Roy Williams.

9. Tennesee Titans (8; -1): They played tough and almost won a game they weren't supposed to win. The Kerry Collins jokes need to stop. He's effective enough to be a top-half QB in this league.

10. Atlanta Falcons (10; 0): If they can get that kind of performance from their defense consistently, Atlanta will be in the NFC title race. I just don't think they can.

11. Green Bay Packers (11; 0): The Bears put up some points, but I still liked what I saw in the Packers defense. Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings is a beautiful thing.

12. Minnesota Vikings (16; +4): Okay, my bad. I got too focused on you-know-who. I apologize to Adrian Peterson for not respecting his preposterous abilities.

13. New Orleans Saints (17; +4): He scores 6 TD's and Drew Brees gets up to the podium and starts talking about all of their missed opportunities. This Philly game could get real interesting.

14. New York Jets (21; +7): Tied with the team below them for my biggest jump of the week. Rex Ryan is going to take this rookie coach with rookie qb thing and run like the wind with it.

15. Seattle Seahawks (22; +7): 28-0 is 28-0 no matter who you play against. Matt Hasselbeck is confirming what a few people forgot; when he has some weapons around him, he's a darn good quarterback.

16. Chicago Bears (12; -4): To still be in that Packer game considering everything in that game is remarkable. They have a real opportunity against Pittsburgh with Polamalu out.

17. San Francisco 49ers (23; +6): There aren't many teams in the NFL who are doing more with less than the 49ers. Mike Singletary gets his guys to play as hard as anyone.

18. Arizona Cardinals (13; -5): Oh, dear. Warner started to look old and their play was generally uninspired. With Seattle and San Francisco stepping up, Arizona will have to do the same if they want back in the playoffs.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (18; -1): Nothing wrong with losing a close game to the Colts. It's games like those, though, that the Jags just never seem to be able to pull out.

20. Washington Redskins (19; -1): If the Redskins were down 4 to the Eagles with 3:00 left and the ball, would you feel confident Jason Campbell could lead them down the field? Me neither.

21. Carolina Panthers (14; -7): Ouch. If Delhomme struggles mightily again this week, we can officially start to say that one game has ruined the career of an otherwise good NFL quarterback. Not much reason for optimism around Carolina.

22. Miami Dolphins (15; -7): They probably don't deserve this drop, but I was discouraged by their game against Atlanta. Turner was ineffective, Elam missed two fgs, but the Dolphins still couldn't make things real interesting. Not good.

23. Denver Broncos (26; +3): Who wouldn't rather be lucky than good? Cincinnati's offense should be okay this year, so that was a real good sign for Denver's defense.

24. Buffalo Bills (25; +1): Oh, Buffalo. You really do find ways to lose games like none other. Well, not quite as bad as Cincinnati but still. Fred Jackson, by the way, looks terrific.

25. Oakland Raiders (27; +2): I don't believe I'm exaggerating for a moment when I say the Raiders 1) have one of the three worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and 2) would compete with the Chargers to make the playoffs if they had even an average quarterback.

26. Houston Texans (20; -6): There is absolutely no excuse for this team not to score 20+ every single week. Disappointing doesn't even begin to describe week 1.

27. Cincinnati Bengals (24; -3): Words can't begin to cover what Bengals fans must have felt Sunday night. A bigger issue: How did their finally healthy offense only put up 7 on the Broncos?

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28; 0): A surprisingly game Bucs team did what they could against Dallas. They just ... can't do much.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (29; 0): The Chiefs took advantage of every opportunity they were given on Sunday. They will have to continue to do so to scratch out a few wins this year.

30. Cleveland Browns (30; 0): Half of me wants to scold the Browns for not being able to tackle. The other half of me wants to thank the Browns for all the good times I've had at their expense.

31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): Simply put, they're the worst team in the league. I want to put them at 32 but ...

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): Then I look at the stat of the week.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 1

2009-09-09T23:01:00.005-04:00

Oh, it's that time again. POWER RANKINGS. Yes, in caps. There's a few surprised thrown in the bag here, especially when you look down at division rankings. Comments, both good and bad, are of course appreciated.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers: They return basically the same team that won the Super Bowl ... and might be better. With their schedule, they have the best chance in the league to go 16-0 (but still unlikely).

2. New England Patriots: They have a few questions on the defensive side of the ball after this week, but any Tom Brady-led team will usually be in the top 3.

3. New York Giants: Don't forget how good of a season they had last year. They could have the best defense in the NFC.

4. Indianapolis Colts: Donald Brown should get the running game going again, and they should put up more points because of it.

5. Philadelphia Eagles: They could be in the running with the Patriots and Saints for the best offense in the league. A historically stout defense could be a weakness this year, though.

6. San Diego Chargers: Enough talent to be in the top 3. Will it all actually come together this year?

7. Baltimore Ravens: They don't need a huge year out of Mark Clayton/Demetrius Williams/Kelley Washington. They just need them to stretch the field.

8. Tennesee Titans: It will be hard to duplicate their success from last year with a quarterback who's only gotten older and minus their best defensive player.

9. Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo needs the playoffs this year to be taken seriously as a top-flight NFL quarterback.

10. Atlanta Falcons: Plenty to love about their offense, but their lack of defensive leadership (losing Keith Brooking and Lawyer Milloy) is troublesome.

11. Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers may have the best fantasy year of any quarterback in the league. Will the transition to 3-4 on defense work?

12. Chicago Bears: Gave up a ton, but are counting on Cutler to pay huge dividends this year. To go all the way, though, they will need a better defensive performance than last year.

13. Arizona Cardinals: I had them as the 12th best team out of 12 heading into the postseason last year. I guess I don't learn from my mistakes.

14. Carolina Panthers: Seemingly way too low for a team with a first round playoff bye last year. The NFC South is too tumultuous to think they will duplicate that success.

15. Miami Dolphins: If the Dolphins are successful this year, it will be because Pat White has revolutionized the already revolutionary Wildcat.

16. Minnesota Vikings: I don't believe in Brett Favre. At all. At least Tavaris Jackson could scramble.

17. New Orleans Saints: My pick to win the NFC South at the end of the year. There's a lot to like about their defensive improvements.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars: A common sleeper pick for the postseason this year. David Garrard is a better quarterback than he is given credit for being.

19. Washington Redskins: Optimism abounds in D.C. - again. I think nothing about their offense, but I think Brian Orakpo will be the defensive rookie of the year.

20. Houston Texans: Will this be the year? They have a young, talented front seven on defense, but the secondary could be a liability.

21. New York Jets: Rex Ryan runs a high risk, high reward defense. It works when you have two future hall of famers playing up the middle. Memo: Jenkins/Scott/Rhodes does not equal Ngata/Lewis/Reed.

22. Seattle Seahawks: I think the world of Matt Hasselbeck, and I love the Houshmandzadeh signing. The offensive line is beyond bad, though.

23. San Francisco 49ers: Talent abounds in every position except for quarterback ... the most important position.

24. Cincinnati Bengals: If Palmer is healthy, Cincy could make some noise this year. They need him upright, though, because they won't be able to run the ball.

25. Buffalo Bills: Questions abound. TO's health? New offensive coordinator? How will the holdout affect Maybin? Are they moving to Toronto?

26. Denver Broncos: Their defense didn't get much upgrading, and they downgraded significantly at quarterback.

27. Oakland Raiders: Essentially wasted 2009 and 2011 first round choices on a second round talent and a guy they should have traded a third rounder for. Thanks Oakland.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They may be able to run the ball between Cadillac, Graham and Ward ... but that's about it.

29. Kansas City Chiefs: With Cassel in, they could win a few games. Without Cassel, they may be number 32.

30. Cleveland Browns: No running game. No quarterback. Scant receivers. No defensive line. No secondary. At least they have Joshua Cribbs.

31. St. Louis Rams: The Rams - with Sam Bradford - will be a team to watch ... next year.

32. Detroit Lions: They just didn't do much to a defense that gave up 30+ points 11 times last year.

And, of course, the division rankings ...

1. NFC East: 9.00

2. AFC South: 12.50

3. AFC North: 15.50

4. AFC East: 15.75

5. NFC South: 17.25

6. NFC North: 17.75

7. AFC West: 22.25

8. NFC West: 22.50

Post Schedule

2009-09-08T18:57:00.002-04:00

I'm changing things up a bit this week. I was planning on doing the rest of my baseball post today, but I like my AL part too much and am dividing the one post into a separate one for each league.

So, because I obviously need to get power rankings in before the Steelers-Titans game Thursday, the schedule is as follows:

Wednesday - Power Rankings

Thursday - AL home stretch preview

Friday - NL home stretch preview

Wild Wild West - AL Edition

2009-09-08T18:18:00.007-04:00

I talked earlier in the week about how listless the playoff races have been in baseball so far; four spots are all but clinched by the Yankees, Tigers, Phillies, and Cardinals.

That, of course, leaves two spots in each league. Here's a look at the American League.

American League

Team 1: Boston Red Sox

- Initial reaction: When Boston's playoff chances aren't 100% by this time, you have to be a little surprised. It's not exactly like they're slumping either, as they're on pace for a win total in the mid-90's. There are a lot of good teams in the American League this year.

- Why they are they here: Injuries have really hurt a pitching staff that's usually top 5 in pitching. This year, they're only 6th in the AL in ERA, 6th in BAA, and 7th in WHIP. That's average, not excellent. Their hitting has made up for it, though, landing in the top 3 in the league in most major categories.

- Will they make it? Yes. They have some tough series remaining - a Tampa team that's more than desperate to make this list, the always-strong Angels and a trip up to New York - but make up for it with enough cupcakes to finish in a wild card position.

Team 2: Texas Rangers

- Initial reaction: Texas has always been a team you want to play with when you're playing XBox. After all, winning 10-8 is always so much more fun than 4-2. Sadly, that's not practical in today's game. However, this year the Rangers appear to have the pitching to match their always potent hitting.

- Why they are here: A terrific lineup, top to bottom - their BA, HR, OPS and RBI leaders are four different guys, none named Josh Hamilton (pictured, right) - is joined by a staff ranking 4th in the AL in wins.

- Will that make it? Yes. They have six home games against the out-of-it Mariners and A's. Then they have a home series against the Angels, before going on the road against basically the same set of teams.

Team 3: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

- Initial reaction: Similar to the Red Sox, a team you would expect to basically be locked up by now. The Angles sport a good team every year, with good pitching, great base running, great fielding and timely hitting. This year is the same.

- Why they are here: See above. Great hitting, great base running, except this year without the fielding and the pitching - to the tune of 12th in the AL in BAA and 12th in errors.

- Will they make it: No. Yeah, I said it. 22 games left and 5.5 games in the lead, but I don't see this team in the playoffs. They're getting hot at the right time, but their schedule (at NY, at Boston) should cool them off. Not to mention, they still have seven games left against the Rangers, who they are 3-9 against.

Image Source: http://betweenthepoles.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/josh-hamilton.jpg

The Insanity of College Football

2009-09-07T17:07:00.004-04:00

Every Saturday, the college football landscape changes dramatically and, at times, unexpectedly. This past Saturday - the first one of the season - saw National Championship contender Oklahoma essentially end its season before it even got off the ground.

The severity of Sam Bradford's shoulder injury will likely decide whether OU will be able to rebound and contend for a Big-12 championship or have to pack it in and look toward 2010. They now have one loss, and with the way the season has started, that may be all it takes for a team like OU to be knocked out of the National Championship picture.

Boise State beat 16th-ranked Oregon Thursday night, which paves the way for the Broncos to potentially go undefeated and demand a chance at being the best team in the country. They went into the weekend ranked 14th, and now may be in the top 10. If they go undefeated, OU will have to a tough time claiming they deserve to be in the final game - if they can even stay a one-loss team (and that will not be easy, even with Bradford).

Next, 20th ranked BYU just beat Oklahoma, which would likely give them the edge in any scenario where it would be down to those two teams. BYU's schedule is much more difficult that Boise State's (they play Florida State, TCU, and Utah), but if BYU were to go undefeated, they would be ahead of Oklahoma.

Then you look at the rest of the top teams - Alabama, Florida, Texas, Ohio State, USC, etc - and it's possible that all of those teams finish with no more than one loss. In fact, I think Florida will go undefeated and one of USC, Ohio State, or Texas will join them. I haven't even added in potential sleeper teams like Ole Miss, O.K. State, Penn State, LSU, or Cal. A one-loss OU team will have a tough time sticking around the top 5.

Again, this assumes OU can even stay in the picture and remain at just one loss.

And I'm going to take them out of the picture. They're now a one-loss team and I have a hard time believing that they will have a shot at the title, for the reasons stated above. There are too many good teams who will be at either one-loss or undefeated for OU to leapfrog them, especially if Bradford misses significant time, which I think he will.

But you know what the best part about all this is? I have absolutely no idea what will happen. This weekend proved what a crazy sport college football is. We had Navy being 2 yards away from overtime against Ohio State (in Columbus!). Northern Iowa, an FCS team, had two chances to kick a game-winning field goal vs. Iowa, but Iowa blocked the kick - TWICE! Matt Barkley looked impressive as USC's starter (even though it was against San Jose St.) and he may prove to be the best USC QB in a long time (yes, better than Palmer, Leinart, Sanchez, etc). College football is so unpredictable and each week produces a huge shift in the top of the polls.

I'm excited to see what will happen next and I'm excited to see what changes next weekend will bring. For all I know, Tim Tebow could tear an ACL or Matt Barkley could lead the Trojans into Columbus and tear up Ohio State. Any predictions people make about the season can go out the window in seconds. One of the two teams in most expert's National Championship game already has one loss and may have lost their quarterback for the season. What else can happen? I don't know, you don't know, no one knows. And I wouldn't want to have it any other way.

(Photo: TSN.ca/Getty images)

Most MLB Division Races Long Over

2009-09-07T16:32:00.009-04:00

Saturday night gave me far too big of a headache to write about college football, so here's your "baseball still matters" post of the month. I recognize that this week is the commencement of the NFL season, and my wonderful power rankings will debut sometime before the Titans-Steelers game on Thursday night. That being said, any other thing I could write about the NFL will undoubtedly be covered during the first TNT broadcast of the semester on Wednesday. So, for now, baseball.

Except there's really not a lot to talk about.

The Yankees' huge signings in the offseason? They worked out. CC Sabathia? He may be the favorite for the AL Cy Young. AJ Burnett? (pictured right) Not brilliant, but 4.29 and 10-8 ain't exactly bad. Mark Teixeira? He could hit 40 home runs this year. Remember way back when when everyone was up in a tizzy because the Orioles took 2 of 3 from them to lead off the season? That was a long time ago.

The Tigers are starting to play exactly like everyone thought the Tigers would play last year. They've won six in a row and eight of their last ten. The Twins are slightly above average and won't play any better than slightly above average. They're out of it.

The Phillies won the World Series last year because of their great lineup, top to bottom. They still have a great lineup, except now they have an even better rotation. Cliff Lee is the umpteenth pitcher to make NL hitters look like AAA hitters compared to AL hitters (although he has fallen off in his past two starts).

The Cardinals? Only 11.5 games ahead in the central. Not bad. Fun fact: They have 39 road wins this season. The Pirates have less than half of that, at 18.

So that leads us to the Wild Cards and the West. You've lost your attention by now, so look for it tomorrow.

Image Source: http://blog.nj.com/yankees_main/2009/03/large_aj-burnett303.jpg

Lots of Screwy NFL Things

2009-08-31T18:33:00.006-04:00

The NFL season officially begins in 10 days when the Tennessee Titans travel to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The only NFL talk going on right now should be preview-related; you know, who's going to the Super Bowl, who's winning MVP, all that nonsense that nobody can really predict (yes, sadly, including us) but try to anyway.

So why, every time you turn on your TV, is there another NFL storyline?

A few of the odd ones:

Brett Keisel signs an extension with the Steelers. I'm not one to challenge the Steelers front office; they have amassed 6 Super Bowls and I work at Burger King. It just seems that with their extensive list of 2010 free agents (Willie Parker, Casey Hampton, Hines Ward, Ryan Clark, William Gay, Dan Sepulveda), the Steelers would go out of their way to resign an average defensive end on the downside of his career.

And now Brett Keisel (pictured, left) is going to go to the Pro Bowl.

Ravens put Samari Rolle on the PUP list to start the season. At first glance, odd? No. Then you remember Samari Rolle was actually a free agent this offseason. The Ravens are stacked at cornerback - a recent SI article called their talent at the position "embarrassingly deep" - with starters Fabian Washington and Domonique Foxworth, ex-starter Frank Walker, nickelback Chris Carr and highly touted third round pick Lardarius Webb. Rolle hasn't even practiced yet. Sources close to the team are wondering whether he's going to play at all. So how does that merit the $3 million he's earning this year?

Brandon Marshall, the entire NFL world thinks you're a joke. Josh McDaniels, you're really not far behind. In suspending Brandon Marshall (pictured, right) for a puny 14 days, all McDaniels is doing is keeping him out of preseason and training camp - which nobody wants to go through anyway. Suspend the guy the entire season or trade him for a second round pick to some desperate time. How can you start a guy who basically boycotted training camp merely because he didn't want to be there? It would have been better if he didn't show up. Instead, he's there walking, batting down passes thrown to him, punting balls handed to him. He's six years old, and he gets a slap on the wrist.

Broncos: You're going to be terrible. Kyle Orton is an awful, awful quarterback. I still maintain you got the better end of the Jay Cutler deal - first round draft picks in the NFL are huge. That being said, this year ain't it. Develop Eddie Royal more. Brandon Stokley is serviceable. So is Jabar Gaffney. Point being: your receivers aren't that bad anyway, but it wouldn't matter if Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald were lining up for you, anyway. You would still be bad. Crack down on Marshall.

Now that that rant is done, Osi Umenyiora walks out of Giants camp because of a dispute with his defensive coordinator? I think I speak for everyone when I say ... please, please just let the NFL season start so we can have games to talk about.

Image Sources:

http://www.epicathlete.com/images/bodyImage_coachesKeisel.gif

http://www.roblongshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/brandon_marshall_blog1.jpg

Maryland Football: What to Expect

2009-08-29T22:54:00.007-04:00

There are few teams over the last couple college football seasons that have been more of an enigma than the Maryland Terrapins. We've seen the Terps beat five ranked teams in one year, only to lose to teams like Middle Tennessee State. We've seen ACC upsets and near I-AA loses. With that in mind, it's extremely difficult to predict how this season will go for the Terps.

A quick scan of the roster shows a team loaded with talent at many positions. You have Chris Turner returning at quarterback, who is firmly entrenched in the starting role, unlike past seasons, where there would be controversy. All-ACC running back Da'Rel Scott returns at tailback and his backup, true sophomore Davin Meggett, should continue to provide plenty of solid runs. The receiving corps is just about 8 players deep, highlighted by sophomore Torrey Smith, who has proven to be a dynamic kick returner in addition to a solid, and developing, receiver. Behind him, players like Ronnie Tyler, Emani Lee-Odai, and Laquan Williams (who started some games in 2007) are all capable. Tight end Landsford Watson is proving to be yet another solid Maryland tight end, following in the footsteps of Vernon Davis, Joey Haynos, and Dan Gronkowski.

Defensively, there are many changes, none bigger than the new defensive coordinator Don Brown, who was previously the head coach at U-Mass. Brown's system is a stark contrast to that of former defensive coordinator Chris Cosh, who is now at Kansas State. This year's defense will feature numerous packages, utilizing both 3 and 4-down lineman sets and heavy pressure. The players seem to really enjoy it so far in camp and it has highlighted the team's speed and athleticism. The leader of the defense, junior linebacker Alex Wujciak, is setting himself up to be a future NFL linebacker. He led the team in tackles a season ago and should do the same this year, barring injury. Adrian Moten also returns at outside linebacker and senior Travis Ivey is the veteran on the defensive line, which has redshirt freshman A.J. Francis starting alongside Ivey. Seniors Nolan Carroll and Anthony Wiseman return to lead the cornerbacks while Terrell Skinner returns at safety. The other safety position is a battle between sophomore Kenny Tate, who, as a freshman, played well last season, and senior Jamari Mccollough, who is a veteran and a solid all-around safety. Tate has been very impressive in camp so far and it will be tough for the coaching staff to keep him off the field. He has the makings of an elite safety and is arguably the most athletic player on the team.

On paper, the team sounds pretty good, right? If you notice, I left out one significant aspect of the team: the offensive line. It is, without a doubt, the team's biggest question mark. There is only one starter returning from last year's squad (LT Bruce Campbell) and young players could be thrust into being reliable linemen. The line could end up playing well, but it is unlikely given their inexperience and the fact that last year's veteran squad was not exactly the best in the ACC.

Still, with all the talent surrounding the questionable offensive line, there is certainly potential for a solid season and a bowl win. Here's their schedule:

09/05/09	at California	Berkeley, Calif.	10:00 p.m. ET
09/12/09	vs. James Madison	College Park, Md.	6:00 p.m. ET
09/19/09	vs. Middle Tennessee State	College Park, Md.	3:30 p.m. ET
09/26/09	vs. Rutgers	College Park, Md.	TBA
10/03/09	vs. Clemson	College Park, Md.	TBA
10/10/09	at Wake Forest	Winston-Salem, N.C.	TBA
10/17/09	vs. Virginia (Homecoming)	College Park, Md.	TBA
10/24/09	at Duke	Durham, N.C.	TBA
11/07/09	at North Carolina State	Raleigh, N.C.	TBA
11/14/09	vs. Virginia Tech	College Park, Md.	TBA
11/21/09	at Florida State	Tallahassee, Fla.	TBA
11/28/09	vs. Boston College	College Park, Md.	TBA

That schedule is manageable. Week one will be a difficult game against Cal and traveling to FSU is never an easy task, but the rest of the schedule is winnable. That said, Maryland will trip up against teams that are similar in ability (Rugters, UVA, Clemson, Wake, NC State, Boston College). Luckily, Virginia Tech comes to College Park; when it's the other away around, Maryland's chances at a win are slim. The James Madison game will be interesting for the Terps, not only because of JMU's local ties, but because of the Terps' annual "playing down to lesser schools" funk it goes into that usually happens early on in the season. It's not out of the realm of possibility to see the Terps beat Cal, only to lose to JMU. With the Terps, you just never know.

What I do know is that this team should win, at worst, 5 games. James Madison, Boston College, Duke, Middle Tennessee State, and one of (UVA/Wake/Clemson/Rutgers/NC State) is the bare minimum. If they finish with less, the season was a failure. If they finish with 5, it's a disappoiting result but understandable. They have the potential to finish with 8 or 9. My prediction: 7. The Terps are one of those teams that just sticks with mediocrity for a while and usually wins its bowl game. There's nothing wrong with that, and I'd be surprised to see them with more than 7.

Terps Land Third Basketball Recruit

2009-08-23T15:09:00.005-04:00

The Terps are quietly forming a very solid 2010 basketball recruiting class. Their latest commitment, Mychal Parker, joins Terrance Ross and Terrell Stoglin as future Terps.

Parker, a 6'6" forward from Charlottesville, Virginia, is listed as a 4-star recruit on both Scout and Rivals.com. He is in Rivals' Top-50 recruit list. Ross is also a 4-star recruit while Stoglin is a 3-star recruit.

I watched Parker play at the end of last year and he was very impressive. Terrance Ross said he was working on Parker to commit to Maryland and it appears his work paid off. Ross and Parker will be instrumental in replacing senior Landon Milbourne.

Gary Williams' class of 2009 was solid and it looks like 2010 will be more of the same.

Since We've Been Gone ...

2009-08-22T15:08:00.004-04:00

You know, summer is one of those times of year that's always so conflicting. School's out; yay! Baseball season is being dominated by the Yankees and Red Sox; boo! We're going to the beach; yay! Your sole source of NFL news is about your team's seventh string running back; boo! ... And so it goes. This summer, however, has been quite an exciting one for the sports world. Here's a brief recap of what you've missed if you haven't seen a minute of ESPN since school ended.

Brett Favre announced he was coming back. But then everyone thought he was going to retire because of his arm. But then he made it clear he was coming back ... and then announced he was retiring for good. Finally, it's clear he's coming back for good (or at least until his arm gives way in week 6). The winners during this situation: the 13 teams on the Vikings' schedule. Brett Favre (pictured, left) is a joke. He can't throw the ball accurate more than 30 yards in the air,

and at this stage in his life, makes poorer decisions than ever. The losers during this situation? Everyone else. The Vikings, for having to put up with this distraction all summer. The fans, who used to be very pro-Favre around America, and now hate the guy. Sage Rosenfels and Tavaris Jackson. One of those guys thought he was going to be the starting quarterback of a Super Bowl contending team this fall. That same guy is about to be a third stringer. Brad Childress, perhaps the biggest goat of all, who has admitted that he will sell his soul to the devil and abandon his team for a risky player. And, of course Favre. Brett, you're still going to the hall of fame; I just don't know whos going to be there to support you.

Elsewhere in the NFL, draft picks are showing why their teams drafted them. Except Michael Crabtree, because he thinks he deserves top three, not top ten, money because he feels he was a top three, not top ten, player. Oh, and Andre Smith, because who honestly thought the Bengals' organization could do anything right? Oh, and Tyson Jackson, because people are still wondering why the hell the Chiefs took him.

In the NBA, Shaq and LeBron are now together ... And every single fair-weather NBA fan in the entire world has become a Cavs fan, because you have no sense of humor at all if you dislike both of those players. I'm proud to say one of the very few predictions I got right last year was predicting LA would go all the way and win the NBA championship, and I made that prediction because of how much better LA was inside than Cleveland. Of course, I didn't realize that the Magic were that much better inside than Cleveland, too. If the big Shaqtus (pictured, right) has anything left in the tank, this should put Cleveland over the hump.

Of course, baseball is still in progress, and things are starting to get good, so there will be more on that soon. Maryland football is about to start up their regular season, and even though they're not supposed to be good, there will be more on that soon, too. And Maryland basketball is still months away, but they're supposed to be really good, so it's never too soon to start thinking about them either.

As Strasburg Signs, Nationals Move Forward

2009-08-18T17:54:00.004-04:00

I'll be honest here. I got a little nervous. It was 12:15, and I had heard nothing. I figured we wouldn't hear until after midnight and I 100% expected Stephen Strasburg to be a Washington National, but, at 12:15, I was getting antsy. My web browser on a Nationals forum I belong to was incredibly slow due to the number of visitors. I don't have a twitter account and I didn't feel like searching the multiple baseball websites and blogs for info.

So I went to get ready for bed, and, after hours of watching TV and reading every possible story about the negotiations, the deal is reported as I'm away from the TV. It isn't some magnificent announcement, full of videos, graphics, and images. It's just two Sportscenter anchors reporting it before they sign off to NFL Live. I struggle to find confirmation online, but, after some frantic moments of refreshing that Nationals forum, I finally can relax: Stephen Strasburg is a Washington National. The thoughts of him sitting out a season to play in Japan or an independent league (or even college) were finally gone. Finally, I knew that when the listings of the top prospects in baseball come out in the winter, Strasburg's name will be near the top of the list, with the name "WASHINGTON" right next to him.

Finally, the Nationals had their Alex Ovechkin. Finally, they had a player that every fan could recognize by name, even the casual fans who only know the Nationals as the baseball team that has major-league prices but minor-league product. Even Ryan Zimmerman isn't Stephen Strasburg. The new "face of the franchise" would save the team and be their ace, something no one in the system has the potential to be.

Until 11:58:43 on August 17th. At that second, the Nationals had their stud. They had their ace.

At least we hope so. There is still a lot of work to be done before Strasburg is actually the team's ace, but, for right now, Natstown is riding high. Thoughts of previous #1 overall pitchers who became busts - far too many to name - are pushed to the wayside. For the first time in a very long time, nobody laughed at the Nationals. They had done something right for once: they signed the top draft pick, a Scott Boras client, for a lot less than was originally expected - a feat that few teams can claim.

It's a momentus step forward for the franchise. The Lerner family finally put their money where their mouth is and spent more money on bonuses than any team has ever given in the draft. The team finally had it's #1 prospect and future "ace."Interim GM Mike Rizzo made a big step toward being named permanent GM. The franchise actually followed "the Plan" that Stan Kasten dreamed off all the way back in 2006. Even if Strasburg never amounts to the hype - which is very much a real possibility - it was the right move for the franchise and a big leap forward, which is something Nationals fans haven't been able to say for a long time.

Content Coming Soon

2009-07-26T12:05:00.003-04:00

So I may be preaching to nobody here, because you've had better things to do with your time than look at a blog that hasn't been updated in two months, but just as a general FYI, I think I speak for Tyler and myself when I say that content is about to start popping up here. The month of August will mostly be devoted to football training camp tidbits (although I do have a lot of news to catch you up on when it comes to the Maryland recruiting scene), and then September will roll around and we'll have baseball playoff races, baseball major league debuts, and, of course, the real NFL season. So, thanks for your patience this summer, because we're coming back in earnest.

Update: Tyler here. As I finish up my summer job, I will have much more free time. I'll be writing for insidehockey.com this fall so I will be sure to post tons of Caps stuff here (hopefully some video clips of interviews, that's my goal for the semester) and will be covering MD football for WMUC, so hopefully I'll be able to add some posts about that as well. And, of course, the NFL season is just days away as camps are starting up, so look more for of that.

The "Battle" of the Beltway

2009-05-21T14:03:00.003-04:00

This weekend, the Nats will have a series with the Baltimore Orioles, the "rival" team from Baltimore. The first four seasons in D.C. saw the teams just about split overall, with no clear "better" team between the two. Last year, Ronnie Belliard capped off the series with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th inning, a game in which I left right before his at-bat, figuring the game was over (and we had really nice seats, too). I'm still kicking myself for that decision. Still, it was probably the second-best moment of the year for Nats fans, only behind Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off on Opening Night.

So there there have been some good games between the team teams. They're pretty equal in futility, though the Nats managed to finish worse than the Orioles did in 2008, partly due to the fact that the O's were looking like contenders for the first 1/3 of the season, before they eventually fell off the face of the earth. Both teams have owners that the fanbases are not particularly fond of (The Lerners are already being labeled as cheap owners, despite being the richest in baseball, and Peter Angelos is arguably the worst owner in sports) and both teams are rebuilding. It's eerie how close the teams are in talent: the Nats have Ryan Zimmerman, the O's have Nick Markakis; the Nats' top prospect will be Stephen Strasburg, who is being called a superstar in the making (they still have to draft him and sign him, though!), while the O's have Matt Weiters, arguably the best prospect in all of baseball. Both have no pitching, but with some bright young prospects coming up and contributing. Overall, the two franchises are very similar, which makes the series between these two interleague opponents usually pretty good. This year should be no different.

But I have to make one thing clear: the "rivalry" between these two teams, and fanbases, is nonexistent. Many Nationals fans cheered for the Orioles before the Nationals arrived (I am one of those fans, though I never considered myself a serious Orioles fan...but ah, Brady Anderson was so dreamy) and many still root for the Orioles to do well in the AL East. Personally, I'd love to see both the Orioles and Nationals become perennial winners. I'm sure there are some Orioles fans who root for the Nationals to at least be decent, but I don't think you'll ever see an O's fan and a Nats fan fighting like you might see between Red Sox and Yankees fans. There's just too much crossover. There are tons of Orioles fans in Nationals Park for this series, and there are usually a good number of Nationals fans at Camden Yards as well.

Also, though Nationals fans despise Peter Angelos for screwing them over with MASN and the whole TV deal, the hate is shared with Orioles fans. Angelos is hated by all. Throw in the fact that the Orioles only come to Nationals Park once a year, and the rivalry really doesn't muster. For that to happen, there will probably need to be some punches thrown or managers tossed in close ball games. Still, it will most likely be years before any kind of rivalry develops; interleague rivalries just are too infrequently played to be significant.

Not to mention it's hard to brew any kind of rivalry when both teams are (usually) in last place by the time the series rolls around. What's there to get worked up about? There's no pennant race in May/June. Like I said, you're probably going to need some kind of fight to start anything. Personally, I'd love to see an Adam Dunn vs. Aubrey Huff fistfight. Two heavyweights, baby. But, until then, these two last place teams will play annually for nothing more than bragging rights, which generally means nothing, because, most likely, the series will not be a sweep.

I just hope that the Nats can avoid a winless 11-game homestand (currently 0-7 I believe) and that Ryan Zimmerman can continue his 38-game on base streak.

James Harrison, You Astound Me

2009-05-18T00:07:00.006-04:00

Don't worry, it's going to go into the "explosive comments" section soon, but what James Harrison (pictured, left) said the other day has stupefied me enough so that I'm going to write a post on it. So, if you haven't heard it, here it is ...

So, James, rumor has it you're not going with your fellow Steelers to the White House. Why?

"If you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don't win the Super Bowl. So, as far as I'm concerned, he would have invited Arizona if they had won, so, I mean, maybe in the next four or five years, maybe year six when we don't win it I guess, I mean we're probably going to try to run for four or five years, get 10 or 11 rings ... no, but really, I don't feel the need to actually go, I don't feel like it's that big a deal to me."

...

Are you serious right now? The man is refusing to go visit the President of the United States because he feels he deserves a special invitation. Winning the Super Bowl wasn't enough; he thinks the Steelers deserve special treatment. HE'S NOT GOING TO SEE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OBAMA WOULD HAVE INVITED ARIZONA IF THEY WON.

You know, there are a lot of socially conscious professional athletes in all sports, so I'm not going to throw NFL players in general under the bus ... but come on. This is astounding. This is immature. This is pompous. This is just plain stupid.

And it's sad, because I respected Harrison a lot - until the Super Bowl. Then, there was the footage of him sucker punching a Cardinals player who was already on the ground. Now, this. I'm a Ravens fan first, but a football fan in general as a close second, so this makes me angry, because it reflects poorly upon the NFL. Very, very poorly.

(Photo Credit: www.postchronicle.com)

A Shock to End the Season

2009-05-17T16:59:00.002-04:00

The Washington Capitals have built a reputation of being a hard-nosed team that fights until the very end. They proved in last season when they went from last to first to win the Southeast Division, and then forced the Flyers to a game seven that they lost in overtime. They proved it in round one this season as they came back from down 3-1 and then forced a game 7 in round 2.

And then, they just ran out of gas. You could see it coming when Alex Ovechkin was robbed on a breakaway early on, followed by a penalty that lead to a Sidney Crosby goal. Then, before anyone could blink, 21-year old Simeon Varlamov let in the softest goal he's ever allowed. The Capitals could not afford a slow start or a soft goal; they let both happen. From there, it was all over. All the energy was sucked out of the arena and the team was visibly deflated. The second period started with 2 more Penguins goals and Varlamov was sent to the bench.

It was all over, just like that. A game seven in a series like this one was supposed to be epic. It was supposed to be another overtime game, another chance for a hero to emerge from either team. Instead, it was an embarrassment. The Capitals played without energy for the final 30 minutes and the defense was still dominated for long stretches. They were booed by the 18,277 at Verizon Center like they deserved to be. They had just folded like a deckchair in game seven against a hated rival.

And yet, for the final two minutes, the Capitals faithful stood up and applauded the team that had just ended their season in the worst way possible. It was a gesture that nearly brought a tear to my eye; despite the terrible performance, the team had still had a great season. They improved on last season's result and, despite numerous holes, made it to game 7 against a team that was clearly superior. They made it to the 2nd round with a bottom-ten defense and a rookie goaltender. They had a Norris Trophy candidate with a separated shoulder and a 30-goal scorer with an undisclosed injury (I think it was something with his hand). Alexander Ovechkin required injections during the pre-game to subside the pain from a groin injury, yet he still lead the NHL in points and averaged two points a game.

It was a season in which the Caps were the best regular-season team in Caps history, where they were the second-best team in the East, saw Mike Green score in eight consecutive games, saw Alex Ovechkin have another possible Hart Trophy season (along with yet another Rocket Richard Trophy), saw Nicklas Backstrom develop into one of the best two-way centers in the game, and saw prospects like Simeon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala, Chris Bourque, and Karl Alzner play and, in some cases, contribute. It was a good season, one in which the team can certainly improve on next year.

The offseason will certainly be a long one for Caps fans. There are plenty of decisions to be made and players to be considered. Sergei Fedorov says that he is not retiring, do they re-sign him? Will they move Michael Nylander and/or Jose Theodore? Will Viktor Kozlov be retained, or will he head home to the KHL to end his career? Do Shaone Morrisonn, Milan Jurcina, and Jeff Schultz deserve qualifying offers? What about Brent Johnson? Where do prospects Francois Bouchard, Karl Alzner, John Carlson, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala, Chris Bourque, Matthieu Perrault, and Andrew Jourdey fit in? Do they spend some money on defense, or hold out for next year so that they can re-sign Alex Semin and Backstrom? Questions abound the Southeast Division Champs.

And yet, I cannot help but think this team is on the way to something special. Ovechkin has proved time and time again that he is a playoff performer. He can nearly single-handedly win games in the playoffs. He is the most dominant player in hockey when he is on his game. Varlamov has shown that he is ready for at least split-time action next season. Players like Dave Steckel and Milan Jurcina proved to be solid role players.

It will be a tough couple of months, but it is comforting to think that this team is so young and is only going to get better. In the meantime, I will enjoy the rest of the playoffs, look forward to the draft, speculate and dream during free agency, and wait in anticipation for any moves that could be made, especially regarding Nylander and Theodore. The sting of losing to the Penguins will last for a long time. Hopefully, next season provides the Caps with an opportunity for revenge.

Baltimore Ravens create their own school

2009-05-15T15:40:00.003-04:00

Well...not really. But their new practice facility looks like it could be a private school in the offseason, no?

Pictures here.

Check out the pictures there. Very impressive. Bisciotti certainly delivers when his team needs a new building. It's basically a mansion-school-field-gym-perfect place to do anything.

... That Didn't Last Long

2009-05-14T12:01:00.004-04:00

DeShawn Painter decided to be a preposterous tease for Maryland fans everywhere by announcing Tuesday that Maryland was in his final two, and then announcing today that he made up his mind ... and NC State it was. So, sorry if I got you all excited on Tuesday thinking that Maryland was going to land a legitimate recruit for 2009, because I really thought they would. Alas, though. What are you gonna do?

Gary's Overcompensating ... And I Love It

2009-05-12T13:00:00.003-04:00

So I know the NHL and NBA are in the middle of great playoff series right now, but I want to do a little timeout to get you updated in the world of Terrapin basketball.

According to ESPN, DeShawn Painter, a top 100 player and top 20 power forward in the nation, has narrowed his college selection down to Maryland and NC State. Painter would be the prize recruit of this year's class and would almost certainly start from the get-go. No information I could provide about him would be unique, so go here for the scoop.

Now I'm not going to do a long post and get all excited, because there's just as good of a chance that he'll be playing for NC State next year as Maryland. But I can't lie and say I'm not thrilled that Maryland is in the running for this. What it really shows is that Gary got a wake-up call last year. Between all the media coverage and what once looked to be nothing short of a disastrous season, Gary for the first time felt a little uneasy under the collar. How has he responded? By taking a team that had no business playing in the ACC and making them into an NCAA tournament team. By not only landing Jordan Williams and James Padgett (who seem to get better ratings by the day), but by already landing one solid and one great recruit for 2010. And now, he led the charge out of nowhere for Maryland to land Painter. It really shows Gary's still got it.

I'll keep you up-to-date as far as any new developments go. He's expected to make his decision by the 20th, so it won't be too long for now that we'll know for sure. If Maryland is in fact the choice, expect a lengthier post with how he'll fit in to the system here.

(Photo Credit: ncstate.rivals.com)

Here We Go Again

2009-05-11T22:48:00.002-04:00

Well, just when I thought the Caps were done for the season, they kept fighting. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't easy, and it sure as hell wasn't without drama. It took overtime and a fluke shot to win, but all that matters was that they live to play at least one more game.

And luckily for the Caps, that one more game will be at Verizon Center, where the team has played well in all 3 games this series. It will give the team to exorcise the demons of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have absolutely dominated the Capitals in playoffs past. Wednesday is this Caps team's chance to prove to its fanbase that the days of getting beaten by the Penguins is over. It is their chance to move onto the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 1998, when they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

And if the six games leading up to game seven are any indication, then game seven will be one for the ages. Every single game this series has been down to the wire or decided in overtime. 3 OTs. 2 hat tricks. The save of the playoffs.

What can game seven possibly have? Who knows. But I do know one thing: it is the biggest game in Washington Capitals history in over a decade. Sure, game 7 against the Rangers was enormous. But this is the Penguins. This is Sidney Crosby. This is the franchise that has sent the Capitals packing many times.

Buckle up, Caps fans. It's going to be a WILD ride.

NHL's Popularity Rising

2009-05-08T12:11:00.006-04:00

I've been a constant promoter of the game of hockey since I was a kid. I love it and think everyone else should, too. I understand the limitations in playing the sport (not enough rinks, expensive, harder to play) and understand the problems with the TV version of the sport, but still think that anyone who attends a hockey game live will absolutely love it.

The NHL lockout in 2004 killed the rise of the NHL and took it off the nation's leading sports network, ESPN. That was a dagger to a sport that was one of the fastest-growing sports in the 90s and had some of the best players of all-time still lacing up the skates. The lockout turned off many fans because a whole season was lost and fans found other interests.

Coming back from the lockout would be a long journey back to respectability. The NHL was mocked, laughed at, and the butt of many jokes by ESPN and was forced to accept a TV deal with the Outdoor Life Network, which was known more for its hunting and fishing shows than anything remotely close to mainstream sports. Well, 4 years later, with a new name (Versus), an HD channel, and expanded programming (college football, UFC, college basketball, "The Sports Soup"), the network is now looking like a respectable sports network. The NHL helped the channel improve and eventually forced VS to create an HD channel, which greatly helps the NHL's popularity on TV, because HD helps no sport more than hockey.

The problem is, 1/3 of the nation does not get VS. It is a Comcast-owned network that can't be found on many cable packages. Compared to ESPN, VS is nothing. That said, while ESPN's quality of programming is decreasing - from more New England Sports coverage to laughing at players during interviews - VS's is improving. The NHL coverage is solid. It is generally unbiased (except for playing the same teams over and over again) analyst-wise (there are exceptions) and it is improving with every broadcast.

With the improving broadcast is an improving product. The days of the trap and boring 1-0 games are gone. Instead, exciting young superstars have emerged and promoted the game to a whole new level. There are intense rivalries developing and the constrasts between superstars creates a great balance: Sidney Crosby is a clean-cut, says all the right things, a leader while Alex Ovechkin looks like a caveman, can barely speak proper english, and is not afraid to speak his mind. Luckily, the two players happen to play on two teams that have had tons of postseason play against one another and in which there is a distinct rivalry between the two teams and, more importanty, the two cities. Hockey fans saw this coming a mile away when the two players began playing their rookie year; they finished 1-2 in Calder Trophy voting with Ovechkin beating out Crosby, who was everyone's lock pick to win the award. Caps fans feel that Ovechkin was disrespected by the media and the NHL early on and is just now getting the coverage and praise that he deserves. It is a gold mine for the NHL and creates one of the best rivalries in sports.

And the rest of the nation is taking notice. Not only has each game been a top story on ESPN, the ratings on VS are skyrocketing. They are still less than the NBA, but when you consider than hockey is still very much regional (certain cities love it, others don't know it exists) in the United States and a huge chunk of the viewing population does not get VS, the ratings are great. The best part is that they are improving and are now at pre-lockout, ESPN days. It is great exposure for the game and the fact that each and every game has been down to the wire makes it even better.

Still, as good as the games have been and as good of coverage as Versus has done, the NHL would be better served to find a way back on ESPN in the coming years. The only thing that would change that would be if VS found its way into every cable TV set in the United States. Then, I would think the NHL would be better served to stay on it because of the coverage that VS gives and the fact that NHL is the premier broadcast on the station. ESPN gives the NHL more national exposure and would be played in many more homes than VS. Also, ESPN would be able to play commercials for the NHL, create a nightly highlight/wrapup show, hire more NHL analysts (Barry Melrose and Matthew Barnaby are great, but it's just TWO guys!), but more importantly it would stop the endless stream of unproffesionalism from the Sportscenter personalities who have laughed at or mocked the NHL the last four years. Oh, and ESPN has 2 HD broadcast channels, and, like I've said, HD hockey is the best HD sport around - and it isn't even a contest.

That may only be a pipedream, but right now, the reality is that the NHL's popularity is continualy rising and should be passed pre-lockout days in the next 1-2 years. The main reason for it? Cities such as Washington, D.C., and Chicago finally fielding exciting, competitive teams. They are two top-ten markets that could not draw well for years. That has changed and both cities should be able to draw well for the next decade. Add in the fact that some small-market, struggling teams could move to cities like Hartford, Winnipeg, Kansas City, or Las Vegas (all of which could and will support a team to the point where 16-17,000 are coming a night), and you've got a league that is becoming more and more popular nation-wide. It helps that the NBA's product is decreasing - the officiating is a joke (worse than the NHL), there is little to no parity, and many players are accused of being prima donnas and playing lazy. The NHL already draws better than the NBA (helped by Canada's constant sell-outs), so it's just a matter of translating that onto the television. This year's NHL playoffs has been one of the best in recent memory; there have been countless great games and all but 2 series so far have been fantastic. And so far, people are beginning to tune in, whether it's because the product is better, they want to see the superstars, or they are bandwagon fans, it doesn't matter. More viewers is more hockey fans, and more hockey fans means more parents getting their children into hockey, which means more youth teams, which means more rinks, which means more generations of hockey families.

And that is ALWAYS good for the NHL.

Really Manny? Really?

2009-05-07T13:10:00.005-04:00

I'm going to keep this short, because, frankly, there's not much information out about it yet. All we know so far is that Manny Ramirez (pictured left after hitting his 500th home run) has been suspended for 50 games by MLB for violating the league's drug policy. In a recently released statement from Ramirez, he claims that the drug in question was prescribed to him by a doctor for a personal health issue. Although not a steroid, the drug was banned by Major League Baseball.

This makes me sad. I had a post a while back about how bad A-Rod's steroid use was for the game of baseball. This is just another blow. It may end up being just the one isolated incident, taking the wrong drug for the right reasons, and maybe that will blow over. But do you actually have any faith that that's what it is? In any case, his name is no longer clean. Which great hitters in baseball still are? Albert Pujols? Ryan Howard? I guess there are still a good handful, but it's just sad to see one of the great hitters in baseball history veer off the straight and narrow.

Don't get me wrong. I think Manny is a goon. I definitely don't think he's a saint, and I think that what he did with Boston last year was just plain wrong. I'm just saying for the game in general, it hurts.

(Photo Credit: www.babble.com)

The Case for the NBA Playoffs

2009-05-06T12:13:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I posted about how, during the month of May, the only sport leagues really available to you are the NHL and the NBA, both of which conveniently are the middle of their playoffs. The NFL draft is over, college football spring games are done, and there's only so much you can do with college basketball recruiting. So, you're left with a choice. Which one do I follow? In all likelihood, neither is your primary league of interest. I made the case for the NHL yesterday; today, it's the NBA's turn. Keep in mind, these are for the casual fan.

1. It's much more relatable. Everyone's played a game of pickup basketball in their life, even if the last time it happened was in middle school. Everyone knows the silent satisfaction you get from making a jump shot that's slightly out of your range, and the frustration and embarrassment that comes with missing a layup. So that makes it all the more awe-inspiring when you see Ray Allen curl off a screen and hurl up a three pointer that magically finds it way into the basket, or when you see a guy only a few inches taller than yourself drive through the lane for a thunderous dunk. I'm about six feet tall and I can barely grab rim on a nine inch rim for crying out loud. Maybe that's just me, though.

But anyway, the fact of the matter is you know how hard it is to play basketball. Odds are, you don't know how hard it is to play hockey. Once again, making generalizations here, but I feel like this is a good one. To me, a Lebron James slam makes me say "I want to do that" more than an Ovechkin wrist shot.

2. True star power in every game. So you know Ovechkin and Crosby. The other hockey players still in the playoffs that are household names? Maybe Malkin. Maybe Cam Ward. Maybe Chris Pronger. Maybe Pavel Datsyuk, and that's a real reach. I'm sorry, but that's not too much. I counter those six with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant (pictured, right), Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki. Now those are household names. Those are players with personalities that are as tall as they are. Dwight Howard may actually believe he's Superman. None of them (um ... replace Carmelo Anthony with Chauncey Billups) are punks, either. They're good, fun players to watch who are good ambassadors of the game. And I haven't even talked about their level of play.

3. A Cavs-Lakers final will go down as one of the best in history. I guarantee that. The first round games? With the exception of the Garnett-less Celtics and the Bulls, they were kind of boring. The second round games? Well, Houston has already shown they're going to go down with a fight, but I don't know if Boston, Atlanta and Dallas will do the same. The semifinals? They'll be fun. Howard keeping LeBron out of the paint, the Nuggets going deep to try to outrun the Lakers, that will be some good basketball. That being said, nothing's going to compare to the inevitable Cleveland-Los Angeles finals. You're going to see two of the top 10 players in the history of the NBA squaring off. It's going to be amazing to watch. Unlike the NHL, whose best matchup is happening right now in the quarterfinals, the NBA's best matchup will happen on the biggest stage.

4. Charles Barkley is the primary NBA analyst. And I don't even like Barkley. But come on. Whenever the guy opens his mouth, something absurd is going to come out of it. That's entertainment value.

(Photo Credit: AP)

In the "No One is Surprised" Department....

2009-05-05T18:05:00.002-04:00

ESPN is reporting that Brett Favre is going to be meeting with Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress about un-retiring and playing for the Vikings.

Don't believe me? Here's the link.

I honestly am beginning to believe that there will never be an offseason that does not have Brett Favre controversy.

Interview with Terrence Ross

2009-05-05T16:12:00.003-04:00

If you have a Scout.com membership, check out the story on 4-star recruit and Maryland commitment Terrence Ross here.

Here's a short preview:

Ross said the biggest reasons for his commitments were, "the crowd, the arena, and the coaching staff."

"Coach Williams said that I could make a major impact as a freshman, and I could start if I really worked hard and really play my first year."

Also check out some highlights here.

The Case for the NHL Playoffs

2009-05-05T15:39:00.006-04:00

It's that time of year in the sporting world. The NFL Draft is over. College football spring games are over. Teams that will be in the playoffs at the end of the year are off to slow starts in MLB - plus, you know you have the entire summer to watch baseball. This leaves you with the NBA and NHL playoffs. As a sports fan, you're obligated to watch some, but, like the majority of sports fans, you don't know that much about either. I'll tell you what merit the NHL playoffs provide the casual viewer (like myself) today, and then do a follow-up about the NBA sometime soon.

1. There's no time like the present. After the 04-05 season was canceled by a lockout, the NHL has been searching for a new identity. It found it in the first true superstars in the game since Gretzky, and yes I mean that. There have been great players since the Great One retired, but none more accessible than Penguins center Sidney Crosby (pictured, left) and Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin (also pictured left). Conveniently, both are engaged against each other in their conference quarterfinals right now, with Ovechkin's Caps up 2-0. Even more conveniently, both had hat tricks (that's three goals in the same game for those of you completely uneducated in the sport) in a thrilling game two last night. Watch one of their games, and you will come to love one and hate the other. New fans generally lean toward loving Ovie.

2. The games are a lot closer. Of course, when both teams combine to score about seven goals per game, the score is likely to be a lot closer than when teams combine to score almost 200 points per game, like the NBA. Games can be dominated by one team in terms of time of possession, but not in the scoreboard. Breakaways and goalies in hockey are the great equalizers. No matter how poorly your team is playing, if your goalie is playing lights out, you're going to be in that game by the end. If you get lucky and make a quick substitution, or get a guy out of the penalty box at the right time, you can get a breakaway, too, which gives you a better scoring chance than any offensive set ever could.

3. Hockey players and fans care. Most hockey players are either from Canada or Europe. Well, I don't know about most, but a significant number are. I love America as much as the next guy, but the average immigrant to the U.S. works harder than the average U.S. born guy. I'm sorry, there are obvious exceptions, but this is a blog and you're reading mine. It shows with hockey. These eastern Europeans don't care about star power. They care about hone thing: hockey. The average NBA player just lacks the general insanity that the average NHL player has. Players constantly crashing into the boards, sticks flying everywhere, goalies sprawled out in every which direction (see picture of Capitals' Varlamov, right), the passion for the game is evident. And, hockey crowds are awesome. The sport is deprived of money, so ticket prices (especially those in the playoffs) aren't cheap. People paid good money to get there, and the places are packed. When a home team player scores, you can barely hear the announcers.

4. Hockey in HD looks better than anything else in HD. Well, maybe Planet Earth has it beat. But that's it. I'm serious. You have to see it.

(Photo Credits: AP)

Save of the year

2009-05-02T16:35:00.002-04:00

Epic.

The Case for Alexander Ovechkin as MVP

2009-04-29T22:32:00.003-04:00

Today, the NHL announced that Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin, and Pavel Datsyuk as the finalists for the winner of the Hart Trophy, given to the league's MVP. The first two are no surprise, the third is somewhat of a surprise. It should be noted that, for the first time in NHL history, all 3 finalists are Russian-born. I'm going to make my case for Alexander Ovechkin as MVP.

First, Ovechkin can absolutely take over a game, both physically and scoring-wise. He almost single-handedly beat the New York Rangers in December, when the team came back from down 4-0 to win 5-4. He is the most physical of the three finalists and is one of the most feared hitters in the game. That's a strange thing to be labeled when you're a scoring, Russian, left-wing. Malkin and Datsyuk can do this - especially Malkin - but neither can at the level that Ovechkin can. Teams gameplan around him and he still beats them. He's scored 3 goals that should be top 10 "goals of the year." He makes defensemen look ridiculous without even trying (or so it seems). His emotion, passion, and drive are unmatched.

Second, not only did he lead the league in goals with 56, he ended up 10 goals higher than the cloesest. He's the best scorer in the NHL and finished with 56 goals, despite missing a couple games due to his grandfather's illness and an early-season slump when his grandfather was near death. Malkin lead the NHL in assists, with 78, eight more than second-place. Assists are easier to get than goals (two assists are given out for every goal), and there's a reason there's a goal-leader award and not an assist-leader award. That's not to say assists are less important than goals, but you can have a goal without an assist. Malkin finished with more points than Ovechkin - 113 to 110 - but the difference is so insignificant than that doesn't really factor in. Ovechkin actually played in less games so had he played, he might have tied or passed him.

Third, Malkin's team underachieved all season long. The reigning Eastern Conference Champions finished 4th in the conference, and needed deadline-pickups Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz (and the firing of a coach) to even get in. Some will compare this year's Penguins to last year's Caps, who got a lot of production out of deadline pickups and fired their coach as well. The difference is this: the Capitals fired Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving. The Penguins fired Therrien on February 15th. Ovechkin was on fire from Thanksgiving until April, at the forefront of a four-month climb from last place to the playoffs. Ovechkin's production was consistent and the Caps overachieved like crazy that season. The deadline additions obviously helped push the Caps over the top, but it is concievable that the Caps may have made it wouth their additions. They certainly had the momentum to do it. Still, Ovechkin led the Caps from last to first. Did Malkin lead the Penguins to the playoffs, or did a new coach, Guerin, and Kunitz do it? It's certainly debatable. This year, the Caps overachieved and finished 2nd in the conference. The had problems on defense and in goal all season long but thanks to an Ovechkin-led offense, the team still won. And let's not forget Ovechkin's 10 game-winning goals to Malkin's 4 or Datsyuk's 3. He's clutch.

I think Malkin and Ovechkin's defense is comprable, considering they play different positions and have different roles. Both get penalty kill time. Datsyuk is obviously the best defender of the three. He will win the Selke, as he should.

But, in my opinion, Datsyuk doesn't dominate like Ovechkin or Malkin does. He's clearly the best two-way player in the game. And when it comes to Ovechkin vs. Malkin, I take Ovechkin to win his second consecutive MVP.

Two Words: Game Seven

2009-04-29T11:18:00.003-04:00

The NHL Playoffs are the best postseason in sports. I will argue that until the day I die. Last night, I experienced exactly why. Game 7. Caps-Rangers. Verizon Center. Tied 1-1 with 5 minutes remaining, Sergei Fedorov, who had had an awful series, took the puck down the right side, stopped at the bottom of the circle, and fired a snapshot top-shelf over Henrik Lundqvist's glove.

The result: Absolute pandemonium at Verizon Center. The 18,300 fans "rocking the red" were all jumping up and down, high-fiving, hugging anyone around them: it was complete euphoria. The arena was so loud, you could not hear the PA announcer announce the goal. The fans then remained standing and cheering for a solid 5 minutes while the final minutes played out. When the final buzzer finally sounded, Verizon Center erupted yet again. The Caps had finally won a playoff series, in a comeback fashion that they loved last season: they came back from 3-1 in the series and 1-0 in the game.

An hour later, the Carolina Hurricanes, almost to one-up division rival Washington, scored two goals in the final 2 minutes on arguably the best goaltender of all-time. If you have Martin Brodeur in net and a lead with 2 minutes left in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, you can start celebrating. Guess not. It was a complete shocker that let the 19,000 in New Jersey in tears.

I love the NHL Playoffs. Caps vs. Penguins is going to be one of the best series of all-time.

Terps Laying Solid Foundation for Future

2009-04-28T12:38:00.005-04:00

Let's be honest with ourselves for a second. As much as I've tried to stay optimistic on the matter, Maryland is not going to land Lance Stephenson. If Stephenson wanted to come to Maryland, he would be here already. So, it's time to chalk that one up to a good attempt and move on.

Move on Maryland certainly has, as they have already landed a recruit for 2010 who is already much more highly rated than either of the members of their 2009 class. His name is Terrence Ross (pictured, left), and, according to ESPN, he's the number 41 player in the class of '10. At 6'6 and 180 pounds, he's ideally a shooting guard, but could certainly play small forward, especially in Gary's lineup. Most importantly, he's a pure shooter, one of the best in the nation as a high schooler. Originally from Oregon, he transferred to nearby Montrose Christian for academics. Dubbed as the best 2-guard prospect in the west before he came east, Ross was also actively pursued by Washington, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon State.

Maryland has also received a commitment from the number 30 point guard in the country for 2010 in Terrell Stoglin. Stoglin is still in "project" status, and will have to work on his jump shot, because at 6'0, he's not going to find it easy to get to the rim in the ACC. Still, though, he averaged 27.0 ppg and 7.5 apg as a junior this season and was recruited by PAC 10 powerhouses USC and UCLA.

The only questions that remain for the upcoming season lay with Greivis Vasquez, who still doesn't know whether he's coming back to school for his senior season, and 6'9 power forward DeShawn Painter, who was granted a release from his letter of intent to Florida last week, and has scheduled a visit to Maryland. Any update on either of those will instantly be put here.

(Photo Credit: montrosebasketball.com)

Sharks Choke Again

2009-04-28T01:06:00.003-04:00

It's almost an annual ritual. The San Jose Sharks, consistently one of the best teams all year long (and this year's President's Trophy winner), have now lost yet another first-round series. I had them going all the way, under the belief that Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau would stop disappearing in the playoffs and Nabokov would carry them.

I was wrong. It must really hurt to be a Sharks fan, but the best line I heard all weekend was the following from a Sharks poster on a message board:

"I want Joe Thornton to be a pall-bearer at my funeral, so he can let me down one last time."

You have to love playoff hockey, where an 8 seed can upset the best team in the NHL any given season. Tomorrow night the Caps will look to complete their comeback from down 3-1 in the series versus the Rangers. I will be there at Verizon Center to cheer them on, hoping that this year's game seven does not end up like last year's game seven: with Caps fans heartbroken.

Wright, Tyler Hold Bragging Rights

2009-04-25T22:17:00.003-04:00

... And I do not. I really need to stop making predictions on this thing, because as a rule it just doesn't work out. The final count of picks right in the first round (once again, based on the spot players were picked, not the team they were picked by):

Herman: 5

Radecki: 8

Kiper: 6

McShay: 7

Wright: 8

Yeah, I got owned. However, that's not going to stop me from talking about it. Look throughout the coming week, and especially for the show on Monday, for lots of TNT coverage about the crazy first and second rounds of the NFL Draft. Hopefully my analysis will serve you slightly better than my 16% pick percentage did.

Middle of the First Round Update

2009-04-25T18:00:00.003-04:00

Wow, do I have a lot to write about. After pick 16, Maclin is still on the board? The Kansas City Chiefs taking Tyson Jackson at number 3? Larry English at 16? Oh yeah, how about Heyward-Bey being the first wide receiver off the board?

All of those will get their own post, no worries. I just wanted to update on the pick standings, in which it's a four-way battle for first. Kiper, McShay, Tyler and Wright all had 5 picks right in the first 16. I, on the other hand, only got 3 right. I suck, I know. There's still time, though. We'll see.

Xavier Henry is Attending Kansas

2009-04-23T18:50:00.002-04:00

In the completely expected news department, top recruit Xavier Henry held a press conference today announcing his decision to attend the University of Kansas in the fall. Kansas was already supposed to be the best team in the nation, and adding Henry will only make them better. How this pertains to Maryland is through Lance Stephenson, who is expected to completely remove Kansas from his recruiting radar.

Although Kentucky still has a puncher's chance, it's safe to say that Stephenson's decision has come down to either St. John's or Maryland, and it could very well be a 50-50 chance for both schools. It is unknown how much emphasis Stephenson is giving to Greivis Vasquez and his ongoing draft saga. It could go either way there: perhaps Stephenson wants Vasquez to go pro so he could be the lone star at Maryland next season, or perhaps Stephenson wants an elite point guard to get the ball to him. Either way, time is running out for Vasquez and Stephenson to make their final decisions, and I will be the first to let you know when it happens.

Down 3-1, Caps Face Embarrassing First Round Loss

2009-04-23T18:12:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know that last year, the Caps were down 3-1 to the Flyers and forced a seventh game, one they should have won. Yes, I know that this is basically the same team, just more experienced, except for in goal, where 20-year old rookie has been better than Cristobal Huet was last year in round one. Still, down 3-1 against the New York Rangers, the Caps are staring yet another first-round series loss in the face. This one would be especially bad; this was the best Caps team in history (in the regular season) and was absolutely loaded on offense. The problems - the defense and goaltender – would be their Achilles heel in the playoffs. Well, the defense has been fine, and, other than game one, the goaltending has been great. The problem? The offense.

This was one of the best offenses in the regular season, boasting Rocket Richard Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin, 30-goal scorers in Mike Green and Alex Semin, 20-goal scorers in Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich. This team could score on anyone. Well, until the playoffs. The Caps refuse to pay the price it takes to score in the playoffs. The Rangers have done a fantastic job of keeping the Caps to the outside on offense and they have done an even better job blocking the shots. The Caps refuse to park someone in front of the net and disrupt Henrik Lundqvist's sightlines. They refuse to make adjustments against a team that has been completely outplayed all series long.

Too often, the Washington offense revolves around watching Alex Ovechkin skate in, shoot it, and then let the Rangers break out. There is no one crashing the net and there is no secondary scoring. The third and fourth lines have done absolutely nothing all series long and it is absolutely disgusting to watch. Sure, the Caps can take solace in the fact that they have been the better team since the drop of the puck in game 1. But that doesn't matter when you're down 3-1 and must win 3 straight to come back. They seem to play better with their backs against the wall, but 91% of the teams up 3-1 in playoff series go on to win it.

And if that stat holds true in this series, the Caps must make some serious moves in the offseason. George McPhee must be fired; he has yet to win a playoff series as general manager of the Capitals in 11 years (1998 was David Poile's team). The team must find a way to add more grit to the offense and defense. A physical, veteran defenseman must be found, whether via free agency or trade. A playoff-type forward has to be found, and the team should look for a way to trade Jose Theodore and Michael Nylander.

All that can be worried about for a few months in the Caps find a way to come back in this series. But right now, it's not looking good for the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Mock Draft: Picks 25-32

2009-04-23T17:04:00.003-04:00

This is the end of the summary of the mock draft we held on Monday. The draft is officially less than 48 hours from now, so this is all I will say about it. Here's wishing the best possible pick to hometown Darrius Heyward-Bey, and let's see some trades. Trades are exciting.

25. Miami Dolphins

Herman: Evander Brown (DT, Missouri)

Radecki: Vontae Davis (CB, Illinois)

Kiper: Malcolm Jenkins (CB, Ohio State)

McShay: Kenny Britt (WR, Rutgers)

Wright: Everette Brown (DE, Florida State)

- Notes: Another one with all five of us disagreeing, which shows one of two things: either A) the Dolphins are for real from last year and they don't have many holes and can draft for best player available, or B) the Dolphins last year were complete flukes and have tons of holes. I'm going for B.

26. Baltimore Ravens

Herman: Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR, Maryland)

Radecki: Eben Britton (OT, Arizona)

Kiper: Vontae Davis (CB, Illinois)

McShay: Rey Maualuga (ILB, USC)

Wright: Darrius Heyward-Bey

- Notes: All of these make sense. Heyward-Bey is the tall, fast receiver the Ravens need. Britton would add stability to the right tackle position that the Ravens desperately need. Ozzie Newsome has already hinted at taking a corner in the first round, and Davis is a great talent. If Maualuga is still there, he will be hard to pass up.

27. Indianapolis Colts

Herman: Clay Matthews (OLB, USC)

Radecki: Peria Jerry (DT, Mississippi)

Kiper: Peria Jerry

McShay: Evander Hood

Wright: Peria Jerry

- Notes: Defense, and more specifically, defensive tackle, is the running theme here. Only I, who thinks that Clay Matthews is too much of a value to pass up here, doesn't have the Colts taking the best defensive tackle available.

28. Buffalo Bills

Herman: Eben Britton

Radecki: Phil Loadholt (OT, Oklahoma)

Kiper: Eben Britton

McShay: Eben Britton

Wright: Phil Loadholt

- Notes: Sense another theme? Getting rid of Peters makes tackle a glaringly obvious need here. Tyler and Wright had Britton off the board by now, or else I'm sure he would have been the pick.

29. New York Giants

Herman: Hakeem Nicks (WR, North Carolina)

Radecki: Hakeem Nicks

Kiper: Hakeem Nicks

McShay: Hakeem Nicks

Wright: Percy Harvin (WR, Florida)

- Notes: Another seemingly obvious pick. Nicks would fill the void that Plaxico Burress's jailing will leave, and Harvin will give the Giants a dynamic playmaker.

30. Tennessee Titans

Herman: Alphonso Smith (CB, Wake Forest)

Radecki: Darius Butler (CB, Connecticut)

Kiper: Percy Harvin

McShay: Vontae Davis

Wright: Darius Butler

- Notes: Wider receiver and cornerback are the biggest needs for the Titans, and it's not even close. However, wide receiver has been a need for such a long time, it's hard to see them finally addressing that need now, so cornerback is the choice for most.

31. Arizona Cardinals

Herman: Larry English (OLB, Northern Illinois)

Radecki: Knowshon Moreno (RB, Georgia)

Kiper: Larry English

McShay: Donald Brown (RB, Connecticut)

Wright: Chris "Beanie" Wells (RB, Ohio State)

- Notes: If Wells is still there at 31 for the Cardinals, they may seize up out of pure joy. More likely they will go for a runningback like Brown, or they may take the risk and go for Larry English, an underrated pass rush out of Northern Illinois.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers

Herman: Alex Mack (C, California)

Radecki: Alex Mack

Kiper: Eric Wood (C, Louisville)

McShay: Max Unger (C, Oregon)

Wright: Vontae Davis

- Notes: Center is the likely choice for Pittsburgh here, although is Davis is still on the board, Pitt definitely could take him to add a quality cornerback.

And that's that. I'll be following this up on Sunday with the winner and percentages for everyone. Just so everyone knows up front, this is how scoring will work. One point for every player taken in the spot the drafter said he would be taken in. Once again, we're going to work off numbers here, not teams. That's how I'm getting rid of the trade aspect. I'm intrigued to see how this pans out.

Mock Draft: Picks 17-24

2009-04-22T18:38:00.003-04:00

Here we go again, for the third part of the mock draft we had. I stress once again, these picks were the ones made on Monday. Here's how it went ...

17. New York Jets

Herman: Everette Brown (DE, Florida State)

Radecki: Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR, Maryland)

Kiper: Darrius Heyward-Bey

McShay: Darrius Heyward-Bey

Wright: Josh Freeman (QB, Kansas State)

- Notes: Heyward-Bey being the most common pick is not surprising here; the Jets need offensive firepower in the worst way. However, Rex Ryan knows how important pass rush is to a defense's success, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Brown go here instead. The Jets need a quarterback, and Wright thinks they will reach for Freeman.

18. Denver Broncos

Herman: Michael Oher (OT, Mississippi)

Radecki: Robert Ayers (DE, Tennessee)

Kiper: Everette Brown

McShay: Everette Brown

Wright: Robert Ayers

- Notes: All four besides me went with Denver picking up the best available defensive end. I didn't see them spending both of their first round picks on the same position, though, and I thought Oher's value was too good for them to pass up here.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Herman: Peria Jerry (DT, Mississippi)

Radecki: Rey Maualuga (ILB, USC)

Kiper: Josh Freeman

McShay: Peria Jerry

Wright: Michael Johnson (DE, Georgia Tech)

- Notes: Defensive line was the theme here, with three of the five selections being along that front. Kiper thinks the Bucs would reach for Freeman in this position, and Radecki thinks Maualuga would fill their hole at linebacker nicely.

20. Detroit Lions

Herman: Rey Maualuga

Radecku: Michael Oher

Kiper: Michael Oher

McShay: Michael Oher

Wright: Michael Oher

- Notes: Everyone agrees that if Oher is still available in this spot, then the Lions would draft him. The problem is, I don't think he will be here. Because of that, I think they would go for the captain of their defense, like they got the captain of their offense with the first pick.

21. Philadelphia Eagles

Herman: Knowshon Moreno (RB, Georgia)

Radecki: Chris "Beanie" Wells (RB, Ohio State)

Kiper: Knowshon Moreno

McShay: Knowshon Moreno

Wright: Knowshon Moreno

- Notes: Runningback is the obvious choice here for Philadelphia. Moreno is the perfect fit, but if Wells is still there (like in Tyler's draft), Philly may opt for him.

22. Minnesota Vikings

Herman: Percy Harvin (WR, Florida)

Radecki: Josh Freeman

Kiper: Kenny Britt (WR, Rutgers)

McShay: Percy Harvin

Wright: Eben Britton (OT, Arizona)

- Notes: Offense was the obvious choice here. McShay and I, of course, didn't realize that Harvin had failed his drug test; if so, he wouldn't be the Vikings pick here. Freeman is a definite possibility at this point, but I think Britt is a bit of a reach. Britton would make sense, as well.

23. New England Patriots

Herman: Beanie Wells

Radecki: Everette Brown

Kiper: Donald Brown (RB, Connecticut)

McShay: Clay Matthews (OLB, USC)

Wright: Rey Maualuga

- Notes: A rare choice where everyone thought something different. With Wells on the board and New England not having a reliable runningback, I thought Beanie would be too hard to pass up. Kiper had the same thought, but Wells was not on his board. Despite adding Jerod Mayo, New England probably is looking to continue to get younger at linebacker, hence the Matthews and Maualuga picks. Tyler thought they would go for best available player.

24. Atlanta Falcons

Herman: Vontae Davis (CB, Illinois)

Radecki: Evander Hood (DT, Missouri)

Kiper: Brandon Pettigrew (TE, Oklahoma State)

McShay: Brandon Pettigrew

Wright: Evander Hood

- Pettigrew would have been the choice for Tyler, Wright and I were he not long off our board. As it is, we went for defense: Davis for me because I thought they would need to replace Foxworth at cornerback, and Hood for Tyler and Wright to give them some defensive line stability

Vinson to UMASS

2009-04-21T17:28:00.004-04:00

And we interrupt NFL Draft week for a piece of news that should make every Maryland fan a little queasy. A recruiting class that had so much promise now seems destined to be one of mediocrity - at best. Terrell Vinson, ESPN's 8th ranked small forward and 49th ranked overall prospect, had decided to sign with the University of Massachusetts, not the University of Maryland. Although Vinson would likely have backed up Landon Milbourne this year, he could have been the premier player for the Terps in coming years after that. Known for his toughness and defensive rebounding, Vinson went to St. Frances Academy, the same high school as current Terp Sean Mosley.

Unless Maryland can land Lance Stephenson - which, although still possible, is not likely - the only recruits coming in will be Jordan Williams and James Padgett, two promising, but not highly touted, big men. Here's hoping Greivis comes back.

(Photo Credit: capitolhoops.com)

Mock Draft: Picks 11-16

2009-04-21T17:03:00.002-04:00

I could barely get the tags in trying to do 10 at a time, so I'm going to do six here, and then two more sets of eight. Oh, and Todd McShay released a new mock draft today, and I'm sure Kiper will release one before Saturday. I don't care; if Tyler and I can't change our picks before them, then neither can Kiper and McShay in my book. Anyway ...

11. Buffalo Bills

Herman: Brandon Pettigrew (TE, Oklahoma State)

Radecki: Brandon Pettigrew

Kiper: Robert Ayers (DE, Tennessee)

McShay: Aaron Maybin (De/LB, Penn State)

Wright: Brandon Pettigrew

- Notes: Tyler, Wright and I both think the Bills will take the only sure-fire tight end in the draft. Kiper and McShay have Buffalo going with a pass rusher. You'll see how far they think Pettigrew will fall if he doesn't get taken here.

12. Denver Broncos

Herman: Tyson Jackson (DE, Louisiana State)

Radecki: Tyson Jackson

Kiper: Tyson Jackson

McShay: Tyson Jackson

Wright: B.J. Raji

- Notes: Everyone except Wright thinks that Tyson Jackson is the perfect player in this spot for the Broncos, a true 3-4 defensive end. Wright, meanwhile, thinks the Broncos would go for B.J. Raji, whom the other four had going three spots earlier.

13. Washington Redskins

Herman: Andre Smith (OT, Alabama)

Radecki: Brian Cushing (OLB, USC)

Kiper: Mark Sanchez (QB, USC)

McShay: Robert Ayers

Wright: Aaron Maybin

- Notes: It figures that the Redskins would be the first team that every single person disagreed upon. I had Andre Smith falling this far, and the Redskins need tackle help. McShay, Wright and Tyler all banked on the fact the Redskins would want to help their defense off the edge. Kiper was the only one with Sanchez left on his board, and he figured the Redskins would take the risk here.

14. New Orleans Saints

Herman: Brian Cushing

Radecki: Malcolm Jenkins (CB, Ohio State)

Kiper: Chris "Beanie" Wells (RB, Ohio State)

McShay: Chris "Beanie" Wells

Wright: Malcolm Jenkins

- Notes: The Saints need help in the secondary, hence the Beanie Wells picks. They also need help at linebacker, though, and Cushing is the real deal. I would be surprised if the Saints continued to stockpile offensive players, but I suppose that's why they pay Mel Kiper and Todd McShay and not me.

15. Houston Texans

Herman: Robert Ayers

Radecki: Clay Matthews (OLB, USC)

Kiper: Brian Cushing

McShay: Brian Cushing

Wright: Clay Matthews

- Notes: Once again, I was the odd man out. This time, it was because I didn't see the Texans taking an outside linebacker from USC. I just think with Ayers still on the board, the Texans will want to stabilize the other defensive end position across from Mario Williams.

16. San Diego Chargers

Herman: Malcolm Jenkins

Radecki: Aaron Maybin

Kiper: Rey Maualuga (ILB, USC)

McShay: Malcolm Jenkins

Wright: Brian Cushing

- Notes: This was the pick where everyone dumped off the players still on their board that they figured should be off by now. McShay and I still had Jenkins, Aaron Maybin was hanging around for Tyler, and Brian Cushing was still there for Wright. Kiper, meanwhile, starts the Maualuga watch - he could go anywhere from here until the end of the first round.

Mock Draft: Picks 1-10

2009-04-20T18:13:00.005-04:00

I'll be doing a three-part post over the next day or two about the results of our mock draft we held today. Included is the pick number, the team picking, and the player selected for our five contestants (Tony, Tyler, ESPN's Mel Kiper, ESPN's Todd McShay, and draftcountdown.com's Scott Wright). Good luck to all.

1. Detroit Lions

Herman: Matthew Stafford (QB, Georgia)

Radecki: Matthew Stafford

Kiper: Matthew Stafford

McShay: Matthew Stafford

Wright: Matthew Stafford

- Notes: All five believe the Lions can't pass up the opportunity for a franchise quarterback, and a face representing hope for the desolate franchise.

2. St. Louis Rams

Herman: Jason Smith (OT, Baylor)

Radecki: Jason Smith

Kiper: Jason Smith

McShay: Jason Smith

Wright: Jason Smith

- Notes: If the Lions don't take Smith with number one, the Rams certainly will at two as their long-term replacement for Orlando Pace.

3. Kansas City Chiefs

Herman: Aaron Curry (LB, Wake Forest)

Radecki: Eugene Monroe (OT, Virginia)

Kiper: Aaron Curry

McShay: Aaron Curry

Wright: Eugene Monroe

- Notes: The first split decision. Kiper, McShay and I agree that Curry's talent is just too much to pass on, while Tyler and Wright think that the protection of Matt Cassel should be issue number one for Kansas City.

4. Seattle Seahawks

Herman: Eugene Monroe

Radecki: Aaron Curry

Kiper: Eugene Monroe

McShay: Mark Sanchez (QB, Southern California)

Wright: Aaron Curry

- Notes: A few different trains of thought here. Radecki and Wright both think if Curry makes it this far, it's impossible not to take him. McShay thinks Seattle is worried about replacing Matt Hasselbeck. Kiper and I agree that Monroe is too good to fall out of the top five.

5. Cleveland Browns

Herman: Brian Orakpo (DE/LB, Texas)

Radecki: Michael Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech)

Kiper: Michael Crabtree

McShay: Michael Crabtree

Wright: Michael Crabtree

- Notes: Especially with the uncertainty surrounding Braylon Edwards, most of the drafters think that Cleveland will go for Crabtree. I don't think Cleveland will get any kind of deal done before the draft, and because of that, I think they will go defense. In my mind, Orakpo is the best defensive player available.

6. Cincinnati Bengals

Herman: Michael Crabtree

Radecki: Jeremy Maclin (WR, Missouri)

Kiper: Andre Smith (OT, Alabama)

McShay: Eugene Monroe

Wright: Andre Smith

- Notes: There were two trains of thought. Tyler and I think that the Bengals will go with best WR available, while the three draft experts think the Bengals will go with the best offensive tackle available.

7. Oakland Raiders

Herman: Jeremy Maclin

Radecki: Andre Smith

Kiper: Jeremy Maclin

McShay: Andre Smith

Wright: Jeremy Maclin

- Notes: Well, basically the two trains of thought here were the same as the team above this, the Bengals: best available WR or OT.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars

Herman: Mark Sanchez

Radecki: Mark Sanchez

Kiper: Brian Orakpo

McShay: Jeremy Maclin

Wright: Mark Sanchez

- Notes: Tyler, Wright and I all think the Jags will take the plunge and take Sanchez. McShay has the speedy Maclin falling here, and Kiper becomes the second one to take Orakpo off the board.

9. Green Bay Packers

Herman: B.J. Raji (DT, Boston College)

Radecki: B.J. Raji

Kiper: B.J. Raji

McShay: B.J. Raji

Wright: Tyson Jackson (DE, LSU)

- Notes: Everyone agrees on solid defensive line players for the 3-4. Only Wright thinks the Packers will skip their need at DT to go with a DE, the burly Jackson out of LSU.

10. San Francisco 49ers

Herman: Aaron Maybin

Radecki: Brian Orakpo

Kiper: Aaron Maybin

McShay: Brian Orakpo

Wright: Brian Orakpo

- Notes: Pass rush is an obvious need for the 49ers, and everyone has them going with the best available defensive end/linebacker hybrid.

Look for picks 11-20 soon.

Busy Week

2009-04-19T14:22:00.001-04:00

I apologize for the lack of posts recently; I have had the busiest week of the semester and it won't let up until this Wednesday. There's a lot to talk about with the NHL and MLB so I want to post, but have not had the time. Tune in tomorrow, though, for an NFL mock draft!

Surprises Abound to Start Season

2009-04-16T12:50:00.003-04:00

This - other than the playoffs - is really when MLB is exciting. At least it is to me, as an Orioles fan, and I'm sure fans of Toronto, Kansas City, Seattle, Florida and San Diego would agree with me. It's early in the season when the teams playing with less payroll and talent than the New York's and Boston's of the world have a chance to get a fast start. They're playing on adrenaline and hustle and grittiness, and they scrap out wins. The problem with baseball is that it's a marathon. A ridiculously long marathon. So, by September, C.C. Sabathia will have learned exactly how to get each and every Orioles batter out, and he will have perfected the stuff he needs to do that. Meanwhile, When Koji Uehara is pitching to Mark Teixeira, Uehara will know how to get Teixeira out, but Teixeira will already know what Uehara is going to do, and will best him. It's a simple matter of talent.

But maybe I'm just cynical.

That's really all I had for this one, but I would never exit without a few quick hits to catch people up in case you've been too busy mourning the end of the NCAA tournament/anticipating the NFL draft.

So, the Nationals still haven't won a game. They're 26th in the majors in runs scored, 21st in hits and 27th in home runs. They're 29th in ERA, 29th in strikeouts and 29th in batting average against. Oh, by the way, they're 27th in errors and 29th in field percentage. Not being good at anything generally translates into 0-7. Their lone bright spot (Cristian Guzman, hitting a ridiculous .515 to start the season) has a hurt hamstring. It's not looking likely that they will finish anywhere but last in the NL East, especially because ...

The Marlins are playing the best baseball in the league right now. You liked that segue, didn't you? Anyway, the Marlins are 7-1, and even though they're playing in a division with the defending World Series champs, the new-bullpened Mets and the fellow upstart Braves, the Marlins feel they can hang around until the end. Josh Johnson had two brilliant starts to lead off the season (he's 2-0 with 15.2 IP, 15 SO, and an ERA of 0.57). The bullpen has been solid too; the most runs they've given up in a game this year is six. Six, by the way, is less than the average runs given up by the Orioles this year. Oh, hey! Speaking of the Orioles ...

Wow, the Orioles can hit. And wow, the Orioles can not pitch. Make no mistake about it, Baltimore fans see the light at the end of the tunnel - apparently their pitching prospects in the minor leagues are second to none. They will be fixtures for next year, though. This year, the Orioles will have to suffer through watching a rotation consisting of an average number one starter (Jeremy Guthrie), a number two starter who should be a number three (Koji Uehara), a number three starter who should be a number five (Mark Hendrickson), and two other starters who have no business being on a major league roster (Alfredo Simon and Adam Eaton). That being said, the Orioles are still 6-3 because they have arguably the best 1-2-3 hitting trio in baseball. Brian Roberts is perenially underrated. Adam Jones (pictured, right) is one of the best young talents in baseball, and you can book Nick Markakis before the season even begins to hit .300 with 20 HR and 90 RBI. Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora can both knock in runners, and Luke Scott isn't a bum himself. Throw Matt Weiters into the mix come June, and the O's will continue to be one of the better offensive teams in the majors. In the end, though, asking the bullpen to give them at least five innings every game won't be enough for this season.

Keeping it in the east, the Blue Jays are hitting a lot better than we anticipated. Everyone knew they could pitch. And pitch they've been doing well. The magic number early this season for the Blue Jays has been five; they've yet to lose a game when they scored at least five runs. Thankfully for Toronto, they've scored at least five runs in seven of their ten games. Led by the rejuvenated Scott Rolen (no, I didn't know he was still around, either), Toronto is leading the American League in batting average and is second in runs scored. I don't know that they can hit this well for the entire year, but I do think they can pitch this well. Toronto has a far better chance to be around near the top of the AL East come September than the O's do.

That will wrap this one up. Sorry to show my ESPN-like east coast bias, I'll try to do better next time. The college basketball late signing period started yesterday, so look for updates on that, and of course the NFL draft is a mere nine days away. Keep checking back here for info on all that.

(Photo Credit: AP)

Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview

2009-04-14T14:50:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow, the fight for the Stanley Cup finally begins. Tomorrow, records are thrown out the window. Tomorrow, the best playoffs in all of sports begins.

Here are my picks, starting with the East:

1 Boston vs. 8 Montreal: 1 Boston
2 Washington vs. 7 New York: 2 Washington
3 New Jersey vs. 6 Carolina: 6 Carolina
4 Pittsburgh vs. 5 Philadelphia: 4 Pittsburgh

As you can see, I'm not predicting many upsets. It's not that I don't think the series will be close, it's that I think the higher-ranked teams - other than New Jersey - will end up taking care of business. My upset is based on the fact that Carolina was so hot down the stretch and Cam Ward was playing like he did when they won the Cup.

Now, for the West:

1 San Jose vs. 8 Anaheim: 1 San Jose
2 Detroit vs. 7 Columbus: 7 Columbus
3 Vancouver vs. 6 St. Louis: 6 St. Louis
4 Chicago vs. 5 Calgary: 4 Chicago

Here, I have two upsets - Columbus and St. Louis. I think Columbus' goaltending is what wins them this series, and I just really like St. Louis. Just a hunch.

Second round, starting in the east:

1 Boston vs. 6 Carolina: 1 Boston
2 Washington vs. 4 Pittsburgh: 4 Pittsburgh

I think Boston will beat Carolina in a 7-game series, and I think Jose Theodore lets the Caps down in the 2nd round vs. Pittsburgh.

In the west:

1 San Jose vs. 7 Columbus: 1 San Jose
4 Chicago vs. 6 St. Louis: 4 Chicago

San Jose is really good and I don't see Columbus beating them, and I think Chicago takes care of business vs. a young St. Louis team.

Conference Finals:

1 Boston vs. 4 Pittsburgh: 1 Boston

Boston is too well-rounded, too experienced, too good in goal for Pittsburgh. This will be another great series.

1 San Jose vs. 4 Chicago: 1 San Jose

San Jose, like Boston, is too good. I think they win this and go on to play the Bruins in a cross-country battle.

Stanley Cup Finals:

1 Boston vs. 1 San Jose: 1 San Jose

I think San Jose will win...the West is the better conference this season and I think San Jose is the better all-around team.

Steelers re-sign James Harrison

2009-04-13T12:29:00.003-04:00

James Harrison is no longer the biggest bargain in the NFL. His fantastic 2008 season (in which he won Defensive Player of the Year) came at a cost of $1.4 million, the absolute definition of a steal. Harrison had one more year on his contract but he naturally wanted a raise - the Steelers were more than willing to negotiate.

Today, the two sides finally agreed to a new deal. The new contract keeps Harrison under Steelers control for another six years, and even though Harrison is 30, he still has a relatively young football body - he only has two seasons as a full-time starter. It is unlikely that he plays until he is 36, but regardless he is under the team's control.

There were suggestions that the team should trade Harrison (from ProFootballTalk.com) and some thought the Steelers would not given big-time money to a linebacker at the age of 30. Both were possible - the Steelers just released fan favorite Joey Porter a couple years ago instead of giving him a new deal. The Pittsburgh Steelers produce linebackers like Hollywood produces movies, so it would make sense for the Steelers to go with a younger, cheaper player after Harrison leaves in 2010.

Now, however, Harrison is going nowhere. The deal itself is fantastic; I am in the camp that anything over 6 years is ridiculous, unless the player is a franchise player. 6 years is a high number for a 30 year old linebacker, but he most likely will not see all 6 years of the deal in a Steelers uniform. The team obviously does not feel comfortable with the possibility of using another draft pick on a linebacker or throwing 2008 draft pick Bruce Davis into a starting role.

And a little perspective: Harrison, the defensive player of the year, signed for 6 years, $51.75 million ($20 million guaranteed). DeAngelo Hall signed for 6 years, $55 million ($23 million guaranteed). Does anyone consider Hall a franchise player?

(Photo: NFL)

The Frozen Four: An Appetizer for the NHL Playoffs

2009-04-12T18:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's Division-1 college hockey national championship game between Miami and Boston U was one for the ages. BU, down 3-1 with 3+ minutes left, pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker. You'd think Miami would find a way to score an empty-netter in three minutes to ice the game. It looked like the Redhawks would get their first national championship...in any sport (in their bicentennial, nonetheless).

It never happened. BU found a way to keep the puck out of the net for 2 minutes, and then made it 3-2 with 59 seconds left. With 17 seconds left, a fantastic passing play tied the score at 3. Overtime would be needed to decide the national champion.

And what an overtime it was. Boston had all the momentum in the world, but Miami held them off. The Redhawks even had some great scoring chances themselves. A deflected slapshot by Colby Cohen of BU gave BU their 5th national championship and completed the comeback. You can't help but feel bad for Miami, who battled all tournament long only to see their lead evaporate in less than a minute. Their national championship was taken right from their hands. The winning goal itself was actually deflected by Redhawks' defenseman Kevin Roeder, who was sliding to block it - a great defensive play. The highlights are below.

The game was far superior to that of the basketball national championship, which was over after about 10 minutes of play. One of the things that makes playoff/tournament hockey great is the fact that teams never quit and blowouts rarely happen. Teams live off of raw emotion and toughness, and an underdog like Miami always has a chance if they fight until the end. Each goal scored is treated like a game winner, and the actual game-winners are pure euphoria. There is nothing in sports like a sudden-death overtime goal. Absolutely nothing like it.

And the best part is that the insanity that is playoff hockey is not far away - the NHL playoffs begin on Wednesday. They are the best playoffs in sports, for a multitude of reasons. The playoff beards, the game sevens, the triple overtimes, the mobbing of teammates after goals, the pure noise that is an NHL arena, everything about it is amazing. The Caps have been in cruise control for about a month and the team and the fans are ready for round one. I can't wait, and watching an epic Miami-BU national championship game did not help.

Bring on the fight for Lord Stanley's Cup.

ESPN: Maryland Number Two for Stephenson, One for Vinson

2009-04-10T09:27:00.002-04:00

ESPN just launched their spring recruiting preview, in which they discussed the top remaining players in the country who have yet to sign to a school. Oft-talked about recruit Lance Stephenson checked in at the number 12 spot. Because ESPN, like many others, thinks that number three recruit Xavier Henry will commit to Kansas, they have the Jayhawks out of the running for Stephenson. However, they also have St. John's one-upping the Terrapins on the trail. If they had to pick a school today that Stephenson would end up, they say it would be the Red Storm. The Terps check in at the number two spot, though, so all hope should not be lost.

In another surprise, Maryland is said to be the most likely home for top 50 recruit Terrell Vinson next year. A 6'7 small forward who plays bigger than his size, Vinson hails from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, the same high school that produced current Terp Sean Mosley. Described as an Antoine Walker-like player, Vinson would be the third freshman that would compete for playing time as one of the bigs for the Terps.

Currently, with neither Williams nor Padgett being in the top 100 of prospects, Maryland's recruiting class is solid, but nothing to write home about. If the Terps were to land either Stephenson or Vinson, it would immediately put it as one of their best in recent memory.

Thoughts on the First Few Days of the New Season

2009-04-08T14:53:00.004-04:00

The first few days of the 2009 MLB season is in the books, and it's been an interesting few days indeed. A lot has already happened, but, obviously, it's hard to tell much of anything when most teams have still only played one game. You wouldn't judge a football team for the season six minutes into the first quarter, would you? Didn't think so. But still ...

I don't understand what the big deal about booing Mark Teixeira is. Peter Gammons was all sorts of upset about it on ESPN Monday night, and it was the subject of multiple articles in newspapers around the country (Two are here and here. Read the comments on the first if you like to hate on either Yankees or Orioles fans.). "Scum!" "Sellout!" "Corporate whore!" yell angry Baltimore fans. "I like money" whimpers a defeated Teixeira back. Look, I understand Teixeira's decision. To sign with the Orioles, he was going to give up playing for a bona fide contender, as well as sacrificing over $4 mil a year for seven years.

But that being said, if you're not an Oriole fan, put yourself in one's shoes. The team you support has a proud history, but for the past ten years, has been on Royals-Pirates level. Every year you have to play the Yankees for 19 games, and every year you lose most of them. When you play the Yankees in Baltimore, there's usually about 75% Yankees fans in the crowd. But it's opening day. You saw the Rays go from last to first last year, why not you this year? There's a renewed interest in the team from the exciting young hitters they have, and the exciting young pitchers that probably won't appear until August or September. There's reason - albeit very little - for optimism. And up first is the hometown guy who spurned your team's offer to play for the most hated of all teams. If I were there, I would have booed him until I was hoarse, too. ESPN needs to get over itself.

Now that that rant is over ... Johan Santana (pictured, right) is going to win a lot of games this year. Not that that's unusual, but when I say a lot, I mean 20+. If he gets decent run support and is throwing his stuff at an average level for him, the Mets are going to be virtually unbeatable. Putz in the 8th and K-Rod in the 9th is an absolutely nasty back end. It won't matter unless starts 2-5 of the Mets rotation step up, but you can virtually pencil in a "W" every time Santana takes the mound.

Keeping it in the NL East, the Braves should take a lot more out of beating the Phillies 8-1 in the first two games than the Phillies should. The Braves want to believe they're a contender in the NL East this year, and theres no better way to bolster their confidence than by running over the defending champs in the first two games, holding that vaunted lineup to only one run in 18 innings. The Phillies and their fans have no reason to fret, though. They know they're going to hit this year; there's too much talent there to deny that. The starting pitching has been poor, but the bullpen has pitched admirably. It would have been nice to keep the momentum from last October going, but it's no reason for alarm.

And just a few quick hits ...

Ouch, Tyler. The Nats begin the season at 0-3, losing all three games to the Marlins, the only team in the division they had a chance to finish above.

Ken Griffey, Jr., in a Mariners uniform again, is awesome. How could his home run not remind you of the old days? It's good for Griffey, good for the M's, and good for baseball.

(Photo Credit: AP)

New Season, Same Old Nats

2009-04-07T20:49:00.004-04:00

I know it's been only two games, but the games have been such laughingstocks that I have to make a ranting post about it.

First, Manny Acta's job as manager is quickly becoming less and less stable. He plays obvious favorites, none more obvious than his handling of the outfield. He has to put Adam Dunn in left field, but he announced Milledge as the center fielder before spring training and named him leadoff hitter a mere week or so in. His stats give no reason to bat him leadoff, but Acta likes Milledge and could use the "he hit well last year" excuse to keep him there, despite the fact that Elijah Dukes was a little better and Josh Willingham was much better. Acta said Dukes is on the bench because of poor ST stats, well Manny, then why isn't the outfield Dunn-Kearns-Willingham, the three players who had the best spring? This only adds to the fact that Acta refuses to show any emotion in the dugout and has never called out his players for terrible performances.

Also, I find it baffling that Willingham can have a solid year last year - BETTER than Milledge's year - but cannot crack our outfield. Amazing. Oh, and he hasn't gotten an AB in two games, despite Acta assuring everyone that they would split at bats. Acta wants to pinch hit third catcher Josh Bard, so that the front office can decide if he's more worthy than Wil Nieves as backup. It's sickening.

Acta also demands that Ryan Zimmerman hit 3rd, which is completely ridiculous. He is far from a number 3 hitter and has never been comfortable there. They SHOULD put someone like Adam Dunn there. Oh, and Lastings Milledge at leadoff is a complete failure. 0/8 so far this year with 4 strikeouts. Guzman hit over .300 last year leading off, WHY CHANGE IT? Nick Johnson would be a perfect #2 hitter but Acta refuses to change it up. The stubborness is absurd and the favortism is prevalent. I'd be shocked if Milledge moves from leadoff before the middle of May. The team has shown a pattern of stubborness with the lineup, and it has hurt their production.

Second, the pitching staff is a joke. John Lannan, the supposed ace, got absolutely rocked yesterday. He was terrible. I know Lannan is better and the nerves could have gotten to him, so I'm not concerned about him. What I am concerned about is the bullpen and the rest of the rotation. Scott Olsen, tonight's starter, was worse than Lannan. He never hit 90 on his fastball and had no control. He was awful. It was embarassing to watch the Marlins tee off on yet another Nationals starter. Lannan and Olsen combined for 6 innings and 14 runs. That's solid production from your starters! After Olsen is Daniel Cabrera, who has never been a consistent starter for the Orioles and was far from good in spring training. Acta loves Cabrera so if he struggles, don't expect him to be demoted or released anytime soon. Behind Cabrera is rookie Shairon Martis, and you never know what you'll get from a rookie. Top prospect Jordan Zimmermann is the number five starter, but he is also a rookie - who knows what he'll be able to do.

The bullpen was terrible yesterday but was more stable Tuesday. Julian Tavarez was bad Monday but was much better Tuesday so I won't complain about him. Will Ledezma was awful on Monday and has a track record of being terrible in major league action, despite good spring training numbers. It does not look good for the Nats' bullpen this year. I'm honestly scared thinking about how many runs they will give up.

It's April 7th, and I'm already wondering if the Nats can win 50 games this year. All of my optimism is completely destroyed, and it's a depressing feeling to know your team could be out of contention by May 1st.

Show Today/Podcast Tomorrow

2009-04-06T12:44:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been on here too much of late, but Tyler's been keeping you up to date with some really good stuff.

Just wanted to send out a quick reminder to tune in today from 5 to 6 to listen as Tyler and I go division-by-division and give our two cents about the 2009 MLB season.

Also, over the next few days I will be posting podcasts of tonight's show, and possibly one or two previous shows so you can laugh at how wrong our predictions generally are.

Thanks for your support.

2009 MLB Preview

2009-04-05T19:20:00.004-04:00

The first official pitch of the 2009 MLB season will be thrown tonight in Philadelphia as the Braves take on the World Series Champions of 2008. Will the Phillies repeat? I don't think so. Take a look at my projected standings for the 2009 season:

National League

East
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
Florida Marlins

Central
Chicago Cubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Houston Astros

West
Los Angeles Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres

Wild Card: Cardinals

American League

East
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles

Central
Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians

West
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland A's
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners

Wild Card: Yankees

On Monday, Tony and I will go through the divisions in our full MLB season preview. I'll go more in-depth with my standings predictions and we'll both offer our predictions for the playoffs and World Series. Tune in!

Nationals Finalize 25-man roster

2009-04-04T17:54:00.002-04:00

My starting rotation preview is below, so just scroll down to take a look. One player in the rotation will not be listed on the 25-man roster to start the season (Jordan Zimmermann) because of free agency/arbitration reasons. The Nationals will have to send someone down (or cut someone) on April 19th, Zimmermann's first start. The roster is below, or found here:

Pitching Rotation
LHP John Lannan
LHP Scott Olsen
RHP Daniel Cabrera
RHP Shairon Martis

Infielders
Ronnie Belliard
Alberto Gonzalez
Cristian Guzman
Willie Harris
Nick Johnson
Ryan Zimmerman

Bullpen
LHP Joe Beimel
RHP Joel Hanrahan
LHP Mike Hinckley
LHP Wil Ledezma
RHP Saul Rivera
RHP Steven Shell
RHP Julian Tavarez

Outfielders
Elijah Dukes
Adam Dunn
Austin Kearns
Lastings Milledge
Josh Willingham

Catchers
Josh Bard
Jesus Flores
Wil Nieves

On the 19th, either Bard or Nieves will be sent down to make room for Zimmermann. When Anderson Hernandez (the projected starting second baseman) comes back in a week, expect Alberto Gonzalez to be sent down.

2009 Washington Nationals Preview: Rotation

2009-04-02T16:22:00.004-04:00

Sorry for not putting this up on Thursday - 2 exams and a cold really hampered me this week. Now I'm feeling better and have some free time to go a good preview of the Nationals' starting rotation.

The opening day starter will be 25-year old John Lannan, who was the ace of the staff last year (if you could call him that). His sub-.500 record (9-15) does not indicate how well he pitched; he finished with a 3.91 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .252 batting average. He was consistent despite receiving no run support from the offense. This spring, Lannan has been fantastic. Prior to his final start, he had not given up more than 2 runs in a start. His ERA finished at 3.97 as he prepares to take on the Marlins on Monday. Lannan is the team's most reliable pitcher despite his age and inexperience, and has proven to be durable. I think Lannan's 2009 campaign will feature at least one injury, if for no other reason than he's due for one. He's tough and talented, and I think he will have a great year. I envision a 12-7 kind of record with a mid-3 ERA.

Following Lannan will be offseason acquisition Scott Olsen, the former Marlins pitcher. Olsen had a respectable season in 2008, finishing with an 8-11 record and a 4.20 ERA. The team was hoping he could stabilize the rotation, but this spring he has been very hittable, giving up 40 hits in 29.2 innings. His velocity is down and he is certainly struggling. Questions about his chain cigarette smoking have come up among fans and if he is struggling early on it will really put a strain on the rotation. Hopefully he can get it together by his first start. I think he will be average this season, probably a below .500 record and around a 5 ERA. The velocity drop worries me.

It doesn't get much better after Olsen. Free agent signing Daniel Cabrera has a 6.39 spring ERA and has overall not been impressive. He hasn't had an ERA lower than 5 in two years and has never had a sub-4 ERA. His strikeout numbers are down and his walks are still up. He is wild, unpredictable, and inconsistent. This spring he has not been good in any of his starts, except for a 5-inning, 2 run start vs. a minor league team. I honestly believe Cabrera will be out of the rotation by June, if not sooner. I don't see pitching coach Randy St. Claire becoming a miracle-worker with this lost cause. I predict a 5+ ERA and eventually he is cut or designated for assignment. He could be moved to the bullpen, but I think that experiment will not result in any great turnaround.

The number four starter may be better than Olsen and Cabrera. It is young Shairon Martis (pictured, right), who was called up in September last season and pitched in five games (four starts), finishing with a 5.66 ERA. The ERA is deceiving, though, because one poor start skewed it. He also had 23 strikeouts in 20 innings. This spring, he has a 2.31 ERA and his velocity has jumped up into the mid-90s. The young 22-year old will probably have an up-and-down year, but the team will rely on him to make lots of starts. I see around a 4.5 ERA for Martis in his rookie year.

The Nationals' fifth starter may end up being the best on the rotation. Jordan Zimmermann will start the season in AAA until April 19th for arbitration reasons. He has had the best spring of any Nationals pitcher, and it isn't even close. He had one poor start - when he had the flu - that ballooned his ERA to 3.14, but for the most part was electric. He had 20 strikeouts and only 2 walks, and I believe all of the runs he gave up came in one start (5 ER). His WHIP was barely above 1, contiuing his dominance from last year's minor leagues, when he shot through the leagues. I expect Zimmermann to be real good this season and compete for the rookie of the year award. He has ace-worthy stuff and great makeup.

The players who will be called up for injuries will include Collin Balester, Tyler Clippard, Kip Wells, Josh Towers, Garrett Mock, Gustavo Chacin, Craig Stanmen and possibly Ross Detwiler (who will need to pitch great to start the season). The rotation is not very deep and if injuries take Lannan or Zimmermann out the Nationals are in trouble. It could be one of the worst in baseball.

Sunday I'll post my division-by-division projected standings!

Events at Kentucky Could Lead to Stephenson at Maryland

2009-04-02T12:58:00.007-04:00

Lance Stephenson has still not given any indication when he will announce what college he will attend next year. Before a solid showing at the McDonald's All-American game (12 points, six assists, three steals), the only thing Stephenson divulged to reporters were that his top three choices were still Kansas, Maryland and St. John's.

He may be holding off because of reasons outside of his control.

Coach John Calipari (pictured, left) leaving Memphis to go to Kentucky will shake up the entire recruiting world, and Stephenson is in the middle of that picture.

Recruits typically choose a school in equal parts because of their relationship with the coaching staff and because of the school itself. So, when a coach goes, it is logical that the recruits for that school, especially if they were torn in their decision-making process to begin with, to attend their second choice school.

Enter Xavier Henry, widely considered to be the single best prospect coming out of high school this year. Henry is a 6'5 shooting guard, who committed to Memphis after limiting his choices down to Memphis and Kansas. Odds are Henry will no longer attend Memphis because of Calipari's absence. One of two choices are then logical for Henry: attend Kansas, his second choice school, or follow his desired coach to Kentucky.

However, Henry may then look at Kentucky's roster and see that Jodie Meeks will likely return for his senior season. Jodie Meeks (pictured, right) is a 6'4 shooting guard who averaged 23.7 ppg last year. No matter how good Henry is, he's not starting over Meeks. Henry also has his reputation to consider: he's a "one and done" player (a player who only intends to play college ball for one year before leaving for the NBA), and he doesn't want to play second fiddle to anyone.

So, it is not unreasonable at all to say Henry ends up at Kansas. Well, if Kansas is bringing in one freshman 6'5 shooting guard in Henry, why bring in another one in Stephenson? This is not to mention Kansas's scholarship situation, and the fact they would have to force some transfers to make room for Stephenson on their roster in the first place.

So, what then for Stephenson? It really leaves Maryland and St. John's, and Maryland is clearly in the lead there. The only other option for Stephenson is Kentucky, even though he neither looked at Kentucky nor Memphis previously. Calipari has that way, however, and will likely try to convince Stephenson to attend, especially if he loses Henry.

It's a domino effect from all over, but the bottom line to take from it all is that Maryland has a better shot of landing Stephenson than they did a week ago. Maybe even a good shot.

(Photo Credits: AP)

2009 Washington Nationals Preview: Bullpen

2009-04-01T13:01:00.003-04:00

This year's bullpen will no doubt be a large question mark for the Nationals. Joel Hanrahan, the current closer, had an up-and-down 2008 after replacing Jon Rauch (who was traded to Arizona). His ERA was relatively high for a closer - 3.95 - and he had 4 blown saves in 13 save opportunities. The one promising stat for Hanrahan is his strikeout numbers; in 2008, he had 93 strikeouts in 84.1 innings. He is far from a sure thing at closer, but if he can work on his control, he could be a reliable closer. Hanrahan pitched for team USA in the World Baseball Classic and has only pitched 4 innings for the Nationals this spring (giving up 2 ER). I look for him to stay the closer all season, picking up 25-30 saves in the process.

Setting up Hanrahan will be new acquistion Joe Beimel. He spent 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting a 2.02 ERA in 71 games. He's a veteran lefty, something that last year's bullpen lacked. He's one of the few pitchers in this group that has a track record of being good. I don't expect Beimel to be the savior of this bullpen, but I think he'll be reliable, something I can't say about most of the pitchers on the staff.

The 7th-inning man will be last year's set up man, Saul Rivera. Rivera has arguably been the Nationals' most consistent reliever since his arrival in 2006, never posing an ERA more than 4. Last year opponents hit .277 off of him - up from .255 in 2007 - but he managed to keep runs off the board and had a respectable 3.96. On a good team, Rivera is a good middle-relief man. On a team like the Nationals, he is their 2nd-best reliever and 7th-inning man. Rivera has shown the ability to pitch lots of innings for a reliever - 93 in 2007 and 84 in 2008 - and is consistent. I expect a sub-4 ERA in 2009 and probably around 75 innings.

Now, to the middle relief. Here is where the question marks begin. First, I'll talk about Steven Shell. Before last season, Shell was an unknown, but he pitched wonderfully down the stretch, posting a 2.16 ERA in 50 innings last year. His WHIP (1.08) was fantastic and he nearly had a strikeout per innings (41 K in 50 IP). It's hard to guage how Shell will do this year because there have been numerous one-year wonders, but to start the season Shell will be in the bullpen. I think his ERA will go up and he'll finish with a mid-3 ERA.

Former starter Jason Bergmann has made his case for a bullpen spot this spring, failing to give up a run in 11 innings of work so far. Bergmann is the definition of an enigma, pitching like an ace one day and a minor leaguer the next. The switch to the bullpen could be a good thing for Bergmann, who seems to have adjusted well. He will most likely be the swingman and could even see a couple starts.

There is a heated competition for the second lefty spot in the bullpen (after Beimel) going on between Mike Hinckley and Will Ledezma. Hinckley was fantastic at the tail end of 2008, pitching 14 shutout innings and a 0.80 WHIP. He has a struggled this spring, posting a 6.52 ERA, and that could mean he will be sent to AAA in favor of Ledezma, a free agent signing who has a 1.69 ERA in 10 innings pitched. I think the team starts with Ledezma in the bullpen, but Hinckley will be see lots of innings this year, because injuries are inevitable.

The last bullpen spot is either going to Jesus Colome or Garrett Mock. Colome has a 0.90 ERA this spring and pitched well in the 2nd half of 2008, but he may be too inconsistent for the team to keep him. Mock, on the other hand, started for the Nationals in 2008 before switching to the bullpen. He had a 4.17 ERA last year and has a 4.22 spring ERA, but the team likes his makeup and his high strikeout numbers. I like his ability as a pitcher and think the team will keep him in the bullpen to start the season.

That makes the opening day bullpen look like this:

CL - Hanrahan
SU - Beimel
MR- Rivera
MR- Shell
MR - Bergmann
MR - Ledezma
MR - Mock

Tomorrow I'll talk about the rotation, and on Sunday I'll make my record prediction. (photo: USA Today)

Lance Stephenson to Delay Announcement

2009-03-31T12:49:00.007-04:00

Tonight is the McDonald's All-American game, which shows off the best high school talent in the country. One player that will be participating is 6'5 shooting guard Lance Stephenson (read about him here) of Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY. Tonight is also the night when Stephenson was supposed to announce which college he will attend next year. He has decided to postpone that, however. Although neither Memphis nor Kentucky seemed to be a likely suitor, ESPN reports that Calipari's uncertain future with the Tigers could play a role.

Right now, Stephenson has made it known that there are still three schools in the running - national powerhouse Kansas, local St. John's out of the Big East, and the somewhere in between University of Maryland.

In early February, especially after his visit to campus to watch the Terps take down the Miami Hurricanes at home, Maryland was considered by many to be the favorite to land Stephenson. He was supposed to be the recruit that would "save Gary Williams' job," back when it seemed that Gary Williams' job needed saving. Players have openly talked about him; Greivis Vasquez got press (surprise) when he announced that if Stephenson came to Maryland, then Vasquez would be back for his senior season.

Since then, though, it appears that Kansas has overtaken Maryland as Stephenson's college of choice. As warm of a reception as Stephenson got at Maryland, he got a better one at Kansas. Stephenson has also said that the primary factor in his choice of school was his desire to win a national championship. Undoubtedly, Kansas is closer to that goal then Maryland at this point. St. John's is basically out of the running.

Right now, between message boards all over and small hints from Stephenson himself, I would put the percentages at: Kansas, 75%; Maryland, 20%; St. Johns, 5%. So no, I don't think that when Stephenson announces his choice, Maryland fans will be celebrating. I do stil think there's a shot, though. His mother has gone public and said that her choice for her son was Maryland. He fits into Gary Williams' style of play perfectly. He would be "that guy" at Maryland, whereas he would be just another great player at Kansas. He would be closer to home at Maryland. His high school teammate, James Padgett, has already committed to Maryland and wants Stephenson to join him.

If Stephenson does become a Terp for next season, it will immediately make Maryland a top 25 team. A potential starting lineup of Greivis Vasquez, Lance Stephenson, Sean Mosley, Landon Milbourne, and Jordan Williams would be fast, strong, and very solid defensively. Stephenson and Vasquez could both average around 20 ppg for the season. It would be Maryland's highest rated recruit of the past ten years, with the possible exception of bust Mike Jones.

That being said, if Kansas is the choice, Maryland fans should not despair. It was a good sign that Maryland even got this far in the recruiting process, and shows that Gary still has pull when he really feels like it. This is not to mention Stephenson's alleged attitude problems, and the fact he is certainly a "one and done" player, and Williams likes recruiting four year players. This would also open up the team to recruit Baltimore product Terrell Vinson, a 6'7 foward who is a St. Frances product, the same high school Sean Mosley attended. Vinson still apparently has around 10 suitors, and Maryland is one of them. Without Stephenson, they will have the roster spot.

I'll be following it, and you guys will know first thing where Stephenson ends up. If it happens, it will be great for the school. Don't get your hopes up too high, though.

(Photo Credit: lance-stephenson.com ... yes, he has his own website)

Washington Nationals 2009 Preview: Infield

2009-03-30T22:24:00.004-04:00

With all the injuries the Nationals faced in 2008, their infield was a rotating door at all but one position: shortstop. Cristian Guzman had his best year as a National, hitting .316 with 9 home runs and 55 RBIs. He was a model for consistently, hitting .290 or above in every month except for July, in which he hit .250.

Guzman will be the Nationals' 2009 opening day shortstop and should have another solid year. He won't be batting leadoff (Milledge will for the beginning of the season), but will slide to the 2-hole instead. That shouldn't matter much for Guzman, because he hit .311 from there in 2008. He's been a good hitter ever since his laser-eye correction surgery after the 2005 season.

Next to Guzman will be the face of the franchise, Ryan Zimmerman, at third base. Zimmerman was injured for a solid portion of 2008 and only played in 106 games, down from all 162 in 2007. He came on strong at the end and finished with a .283/14/51 line. His defense is still spectacular and should continue to improve, but he needs to work on his discipline and needs to hit for more power. This year, he has support around him, mostly in the form of Adam Dunn, who will give him some protection. Zimmerman should see more pitches to hit but also needs to remember to be patient, because he has a legitimate power threat behind him who can drive him in with one swing. I look for a .285/25/95 kind of season from him, and possibly a gold glove.

At second base, Anderson Hernandez was slated to be the starter before his hamstring injury. It's unsure if he'll be ready for opening day, but regardless, he's the second basemen the team will be counting on for the future. The team traded reliever Luis Ayala for him last season, and Hernandez took full advantage: he hit .333 with 17 RBIs and a 10/8 K/BB ratio in 28 games. He's never had a chance to break the Mets' lineup but now has his chance in Washington. His defense is way above average, and I think he can have a real good year and cement himself as the team's starting second basemen. Behind him is Ronnie Belliard, who had a solid year as a spot starter all over the infield. Belliard's a good bench player because of his power and versatility. If Hernandez cannot go on April 6th, I expect Belliard to start in his place. Willie Harris could also start, so he's a possiblity as well.

First base is the most interesting position on the infield. The oft-injured Nick Johnson will be the opening-day starter, and will be a big boost to the lineup. He has a wonderful batting eye and will draw walks like a fiend. The problem is that he's always injured. I expect him to miss significant time again, which would mean Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham would split time in left field and first base. Neither can match Johnson's defense, especially Dunn. If Johnson can stay healthy, though, they could swing him for a solid prospect at the deadline (if they are out of contention).

Behind the plate will be young Jesus Flores. He was inconsistent last season and got worse as the year went on. He started off fantastic, but struggled and failed to draw many walks to go along with a high strikeout rate. He's still young and has potential, but his ceiling is getting lower and lower with each stretch of batting problems. Luckily his defense is good and pitchers love working with him. I think he'll be pretty good this year, possibly something like .260/15/80. But if he struggles, the Nationals may have to look to prospects Luke Montz and Adrian Nieto as other possible long-term catchers.

On Wednesday I'll go over the bullpen for the Nationals, and on Thursday I'll talk about the rotation. Those two will be the team's weakness. Sunday I will predict a record for the team and division finish. Stay tuned!

Washington Nationals 2009 Preview: Outfield

2009-03-29T21:02:00.003-04:00

Well, Opening Day is in just a week away, so I'm going to start with my 2009 Washington Nationals preview. My first post will be on the outfield, which is the most interesting part of the team going into the season.

The Opening Day roster will have the following players who play outfield: Lastings Milledge, Austin Kearns, Elijah Dukes, Adam Dunn, Willie Harris (though he will play more 2nd base) and Josh Willingham.

Left field will have Adam Dunn as its primary starter. Dunn, who signed just before spring training, has hit 40 home runs in 5 consecutive seasons. He will add a big-time home run threat that the lineup has lacked since 2006, when the team had Alfonso Soriano in left. Dunn may strike out a lot and play poor defense, but he is just about a lock for 40 home runs (barring injury) and will draw tons of walks. Seeing him drive balls into the right field seats will be a great sight. There isn't much to say about Dunn; he's been remarkably consistent

Playing center field will be Lastings Milledge, who will also bat leadoff. Milledge had an inconsistent 2008 but hit .299 after the all-star break and hit .336 with 6 home runs in August. He was hurt for part of the year and hit cleanup when the roster was decimated with injuries. He actually hit over .300 at the 4 spot, but luckily the lineup will be much deeper and he won't be hitting there anymore. Now he is at leadoff, which was an interesting decision by manager Manny Acta. Milledge doesn't draw many walks, but has improved his discipline and is a potential 25/25, which is rare at a leadoff spot. Milledge can hit for power but has had a terrible spring. It will be interesting to see how he does to start the season and how long Acta will keep Milledge at leadoff if he struggles.

Right field is by far the most competitive. The favorite is Elijah Dukes, who had a rough start to 2008 but finished strong and could very well end up being a complete, 5-tool player. Hard to imagine the Nationals got him for a pitcher who will most likely never see the majors. I slot Dukes in at RF to start the season, with Austin Kearns getting one start a week. Kearns was terrible in 2008, but you could attribute that to injury; personally, I think he's just a mediocre hitter but a solid defender. Kearns is an expensive fourth outfielder but he will be on the roster unless the team can swing him in a trade (if he plays well, a team could use him in July). Former Marlin Josh Willingham will also be backing up Dukes (and Dunn) and should be solid off the bench. He will get some starts in both left and right and could see some time at first base as well.

Manager Manny Acta has some juggling to do, and a lot will depend on the health of first baseman Nick Johnson. If Nick gets hurt - and history says he will - then Dunn and Willingham will help out at first, giving everyone more playing time. For the first time in a while, the Nationals have actual depth. Willingham could start on a lot of teams. Having him and Kearns off the bench will be a huge boost.

Look for more previews as the week goes by, and eventually I'll give my prediction for the 2009 Nationals season, and also look for some MLB talk on the show, maybe even tomorrow.

Frozen Four

2009-03-28T18:02:00.003-04:00

This weekend, the men's division-one college hockey tournament started, and it started with a bang. On Friday, Air Force and Miami (OH) upset Michigan and Denver, who were the fourth and third overall seeds, respectively. University of Minnesota-Deluth scored two goals in the final 39 seconds - the last being with 0.8 seconds remaining - against Princeton and ended up winning in overtime. Minnesota-Deluth will face the Redhawks of Miami tonight at 9pm on ESPNU.

Today, New Hampshire came back from a third period 5-3 deficit and one-upped Minnesota-Deluth by tying the game with .3 seconds left. After the intermission at the end of regulation, UNH scored 45 seconds in to advance to play the winner of #1 overall seed Boston University and Ohio State (currently 3-0 BU in the first period as I type this) on Sunday.

The men's basketball tournament may have the national attention (and deservedly so), but this tournament is just as good, if not better. Sure, only sixteen teams get in (and the 16 are decided by a computer), and there really isn't the prospect of a "Cinderella" team, but the emotion and excitement are, in my opinion, only matched by the NHL playoffs. Many of the games go down to the wire and the games get more physical as the tournament goes on. Playoff/tournament hockey overtimes are unmatched in sports because the game could be decided at any point and when the winning goal is scored, the relief and pure joy is amazing to watch.

Oh, and the Frozen Four (the final four teams) is taking place in Washington, D.C. this year. Tickets are at a premium (sold out at this point), but that doesn't mean you won't be able to watch. Games are on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com. If you have nothing else to watch tomorrow evening (there isn't much on), check out the 2nd round of the tournament. The games should be great - every team has a chance in every game and the games usually go down to the wire.

Update

2009-03-27T11:46:00.001-04:00

After a busy week when I didn't get time to do that second part of the Terrapin offseason preview, I decided to hold off on it until March 31 or April 1, when Lance Stephenson makes his decision. That will be one less thing we have to worry about. Until then, good luck Lady Terps and Maryland lacrosse.

A Costly Mistake

2009-03-26T17:22:00.002-04:00

Can you imagine rushing to the hospital to see a dying relative, only to be held up at gunpoint outside the hospital? Well, that happened to Ryan Moats in Dallas today. Officer Robert Powell held up Moats and his wife at gunpoint while Tamishia Moats' mother died.

This story is disturbing on so many levels. I understand that the officer wanted to do his job (Moats ran a red light), but a nurse and security guard confirmed that Moats' mother was dying and the officer still wouldn't let them leave.

Disturbing to say the least. I, for one, hope this cop is fired. He showed no compassion and I hope the Dallas Police show him the same.

Terp Basketball Offseason 1: The Returning Players

2009-03-24T13:05:00.016-04:00

I was going to do a 2009-10 season outlook, but I realized there are way too many question marks still out there about the personnel that will be playing next year. So, I decided to do a two-part post about the possible personnel for next season. The first post will be a discussion on those players definitely returning to contribute to the team next year, and the second post will be about the question marks.

DEFINITE PLAYERS ON THE ROSTER NEXT SEASON

1. Landon Milbourne (SR): Milbourne followed a terrible freshman campaign (1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg) with a so-so sophomore season (8.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg), and just followed that with a good junior season (11.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg). Terp fans can only hope he continues to progress and have a great senior year. Although his level of play diminished in ACC season because he was continually overmatched being a 6'7 power forward, Landon showed great toughness and the rare ability to consistently make a mid-range jumper.

WAY TOO EARLY PROGNOSIS: Milbourne is a definite starter next season. It could be at either forward position, but he will be in the starting lineup from the first to the last game, barring injury.

2. Sean Mosley (SO): Mosley was a fan favorite last season because of his incredible grittiness and determination. In only one season, he established himself as the Terps' best defender. Throughout the course of the season, he was matched up man-to-man with team's leading scorers, whether they were a guard or forward. He played much larger than his size (6'4), and often forced jump balls. Offensively, Mosley needs plenty of work. He showed flashes of terrific spin moves and ability to get into the lane, but rarely finished down low. His jump shot always looks good coming out of his hand, but his 37% FG% and 24% FG% (3-PT) need to improve. It would also be good to see his FT% (70.7%) jump up about five percentage points.

WAY TOO EARLY PROGNOSIS: Mosley started 16 of 35 games this year, including the last 15 games of the season. His role largely depends upon other personnel, but Mosley will probably (75%) start at either the shooting guard or third guard position next season.

3. Eric Hayes (SR): Hayes is almost as big of a "love him or hate him" type player as Greivis Vasquez was for the team this year, largely because it seemed that if you loved GV, you hated Hayes, and if you hated GV, you loved Hayes. Either way, nobody can argue with the seeming revitalization of Hayes, starting in the ACC tournament. After being one of the key factors in the loss to UVA to end the season (he missed his first six three-point attempts), Hayes singlehandedly led the team to victory against Wake Forest, and kept the team fighting against Duke. To Hayes's credit, after losing his starting job to Sean Mosley following the BC loss, Hayes never complained, and embraced his role as sixth man for the Terps. As the team's second best returning three point shooter and one of three seniors, Hayes will have a big role for the team next year.

WAY TOO EARLY PROGNOSIS: This is going to be one of the more interesting cases next year. Hayes will likely start if Vasquez leaves, but likely will come off the bench if Vasquez does indeed leave, so I'll call it 50%. Either way, he will get his minutes.

4. Adrian Bowie (JR): Bowie was arguably the most inconsistent player on an inconsistent team this season. He saw his points and assists greatly improve from his freshman to sophomore season (3.7ppg and 0.9 apg to 9.0 ppg and 3.0 apg) but also saw his FG% decrease from 58% to 45%. Bowie will almost always be the fastest player on the court when he plays, but teams (Memphis especially) were able to game-plan for him by sagging off him in the half-court and forcing him to take jump shots, which he could not consistently convert. His size often was a liability on defense, as he had to fight extra hard to get through screens on the perimeter, but his speed in the transition game was invaluable.

WAY TOO EARLY PROGNOSIS: Bowie started 28 of 35 games as a sophomore, but will likely be squeezed out of a starting spot as a junior because of the team's ability to field a serviceable front-court. Since the Terps will most likely play almost exclusively man-to-man defense next year, Bowie's minutes will largely depend on the opposing team's speed.

5. Cliff Tucker (JR): Tucker returns as the team's best three point shooter, and when he gets in, he is a key part of the team's offense. He didn't see much time during the year, though - a mere 12.2 mpg - because of his lackluster defense and apparent poor practice habits. Coach Williams is known to give minutes to those who do both of those things well, and has hinted that Tucker has disappointed him in both regards. Because of what he gives the team offensively, though, there will be minutes for Tucker if he can step up on the defensive end. As they say, he just needs to pretend he's playing against UNC every game (whom he averaged 20 points against).

WAY TOO EARLY PROGNOSIS: There is likely going to be minutes for either Bowie or Tucker next year, but not both. Because of that, depending on the game, it is very likely that Bowie and Tucker's minutes will come inversely proportional to one another. I have a hard time imagining many scenarios where both are on the court at the same time next year.

6. Dino Gregory (JR): Gregory was bested only by Dave Neal as the team's biggest surprise this season. At 6'7 with not much weight on him, Gregory was undersized every time he stepped on the court, especially because he was forced to play center for a lot of his minutes. He made up for it defensively, though, because of his supreme leaping ability. He also probably took more charges than anyone else on the team. Offensively, he was not able to get much more than about one put-back on an offensive rebound per game, but he showed flashes of an ability shoot a short jumper. He should get with Keith Booth and focus on acquiring some low post moves this summer.

WAY TOO EARLY PROGNOSIS: Dino's going to play next year, and he may play a lot. Ideally, he and the two freshman will play in a three-man rotation at the two big positions, but Gary might be reluctant to constantly fill two positions on the court with three players who have a combined one year playing experience (Gregory only got in 16 games as a freshman). He probably won't start, but he will be one of the first two "bigs" off the bench.

7. Jordan Williams (FR): I have never seen Williams play, so all I can tell you is what I have seen on this page. Instantly, what has to jump out at you is his size: at 6'10, 240, Williams is going to be a big body for the Terps down low. Other than that, we will have to wait and see.

WAY TOO EARLY PROGNOSIS: I see Williams starting next year from day one. Don't get fooled into believing that what Dave Neal did this year (be a serviceable starting center in the ACC at 6'7) can be relied upon to be replicated. Williams is going to be the only player on the Terps with real size, and will be thrown into the fire early and often.

8. James Padgett (FR): Same deal with Williams. I've never seen him in person, so you can know what I know by reading this. At 6'8 with a little weight on him, he has good build for apower forward. I like the comments about him, especially about his toughness. This is the guy that scored 50 in a game this year. I don't care if that means he played against bad competition; I want a guy that can score 50 in a game on my team.

WAY TOO EARLY PROGNOSIS: Padgett has about a 25% chance of starting. He will start if either of the following happens: he outplays Williams in practice, or the Terps want to play a traditional lineup, but don't sign Terrell Vinson. If he doesn't get the starting nod, he will be a contributor for the team off the bench.

I'll be posting soon (likely tomorrow) about the players whose roles on the team are uncertain at this point.

(Photo Credits: umterps.com)

Celebrations

2009-03-23T23:25:00.003-04:00

Anyone who follows the NHL regularly has heard about this topic extensively for the last two weeks or so. It started with this rant from Canadian hockey analyst Don Cherry. The sparknotes version:

Ovechkin's classic celebration (kissing glove, jumping into teammates/glass) is soccer-like and completely over-the-top.
What Ovechkin does is not what we should be teaching young hockey players.
Cherry cites some examples of Ovechkin's celebrations, most of which came from big goals: hat tricks, overtime winners, etc.
Cherry wants players to act like classic Canadians, not Europeans like Ovechkin.
Cherry predicts that someone will send Ovechkin into a million pieces.
Cherry compares Ovechkin to Sean Avery, which basically means Ovechkin is classless.

Well, Cherry is known for being anti-European on his show, and in the past he's favored Canadians over Europeans time and time again. So this is certainly not a surprise move by Cherry. But my rebuttal, which is the rebuttal of every Caps fan out there: Ovechkin's celebrations are spontaneous, full of emotion, excitement, and passion, three qualities every young hockey player should have. Ovechkin exemplifies love of the game. He's not trying to draw attention to himself or anything, he's just having fun and showing his excitement in playing the game he loves. I, personally, love the jumping into the glass, because it involves the fans. I find it interesting that Canadian players have done just what Ovechkin does (if not more), and Cherry fails to notice it. Sidney Crosby has copied the "jump-into-the-glass," but yet not a word is said.

As if to stick it to Cherry, Ovechkin went out of his way to celebrate his record 50th goal in a celebration that mirrored some of the recent NFL celebrations. You can see it here. As you can see from the video, Ovechkin joined elite company with the goal: only Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky have accomplished what he just did.

Tampa Bay players and head coach Rick Tocchet told the media after the game that they felt disrespected and will be looking to get Ovechkin next game (as Cherry predicted). Well, they had two periods to try, and couldn't, and won't be able to this Friday. Also, Ovechkin doesn't mean disrespect, he's just having fun, and the celebration wouldn't have happened if Cherry never said anything in the first place.

Still, people can't help but draw conclusions to players like Chad Johnson or Terrell Owens, two NFL players who had many pre-planned celebrations like Ovechkin. The difference between Alex and those two is that Alex did it to be funny, but CJ and TO do it to get attention. Ovechkin's usual celebrations are not even close to anything those two have done, so that gets thrown out the window. Ovechkin will most likely never do a pre-planned celebration again.

I can't understand why so many people are getting upset over celebrations. The NFL has banned the use of the ball in celebrations so that players won't "taunt" other teams so that they don't "feel bad." The NCAA has dolled out 15-yard penalties for something as simple as a ball flip. Luckily, the NHL hasn't gotten that far. I'll be sick if they ban Ovechkin's celebrations. It will be a sad day in sports, indeed. It's getting kind of ridiculous. I can understand the ban on prop-filled celebrations: they can be over-the-top. But there's too much of an emphasis these days on making sure nothing can be offensive or make someone feel bad.

Before you know it, leagues will be penalizing high-fiving or any sort of congratulatory act. God forbid we make the other team feel bad about giving up a touchdown/goal.

A Round of Applause for Gary Williams

2009-03-22T14:36:00.004-04:00

Gary Williams' 20th season at Maryland was certainly one to remember. Sure, he didn't win the ACC Championship. Nor did he win the NCAA Tournament. But what he managed to do this past season was nothing short of amazing.

Sure, his team lost games they should have won - most notably against Boston College, Miami, Virginia, and Morgan State - and was left for dead after finishing 7-9 in the ACC regular season. All they had to do was beat Virginia, and they would probably be in the tournament. They lost, and many, including Tony and I, believed the team would not show up for the ACC Tournament after choking away their season in Virginia.

Both Gary and the team proved us wrong, and they beat N.C. State and upset Wake Forest before losing to Duke for the third time this season (though the team looked much better in the last two meetings than in the first). It looked as though the Terps had saved their season. They were seeded 10th in the West Region when the NCAA Tournament brackets were announced and would play 7th-seeded California.

Maryland then went out and beat the Golden Bears before falling to 2-seed Memphis, in a game in which every shot the Tigers took went in, especially from 3-point land. The talent difference was obvious, but you have to applaud the Terps for all they accomplished this year, and I believe Gary deserves most, if not all, of the credit.

He took a team that had 6'7" Dave Neal - who probably wouldn't crack the roster on most of the top teams in the nation - as its starting center to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. He had no front court, one established scorer, a freshman who played great defense but couldn't make a layup to save his life, inconsistent backup guards (Bowie, Tucker, Hayes), and disappointing seasons from big men Braxton Dupree and Jerome Burney. Williams had to rely on Neal, Landon Milbourne (who is generally a small #4), and Dino Gregory to handle other teams' centers and fowards, who almost always were bigger, stronger, and better.

Still, Williams got his team to fight every game. He got them to fight for him while questions about his future at the school circulated. He controlled his explosive superstar as much as he could, and helped him develop into a great all-around guard. Next year's outlook is suddenly much more optimistic for Terps fans than it was 2 weeks ago. Williams already has two top recruits coming in, both of which while contribute to the team's front court as freshmen. Oh, and he could end up getting Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson to commit to Maryland as well (who will announce April 1st). Even if Stephenson doesn't come to Maryland, next year looks promising - though Vasquez's senior year is up in the air at this point.

The more I think about it, the more amazed I am at what the Terps did this year. Tony and I thought they had a chance at the tournament because of a soft non-conference schedule. We knew it was a little optimistic to predict a tournament appearance, but they surpassed that and actually won a game. The only thing I can do is tip my hat to Gary and his staff; he really is one of the best in the country at maximizing talent and getting players to fit his system.

(Photo: Washington Post)

March truly is, well, Madness

2009-03-21T12:26:00.005-04:00

I have no problems telling you that I am by no means a hardcore basketball fan. I think the NBA is by far the most boring professional sport to watch and even have a hard time watching a regular college basketball game.

Even if it's Celtics vs. Lakers, I can fall asleep. The constant stoppages, traveling, fouls for getting run over, one-man teams, everything about it bores me and leaves me disinterested. Most college games are more of the same, though top matches can be great for a couple reasons: the emotion, the run-and-gun play that can erupt, the student section, the role players who come up huge, everything. I can really enjoy a good college basketball game.

Luckily for me, the NCAA Tournament combines the best aspects of college basketball (excitement, clutch players, buzzer-beaters, overtimes, emotion, upsets, Cinderella stories) into a couple weeks of action. The first day of play saw a scare for some top teams, such as the Terps' second round oppenent Memphis, but was relatively uneventful in terms of upsets (One could call Maryland's win an upset, but certainly not one on the level of some other games).

The second day was, however, fantastic. Number-one seeded Pittsburgh barely got by East Tennessee State, Cleveland State upset fourth-seeded Wake Forest, Wisconsin beat Florida State in overtime, and Siena's Ronald Moore took Ohio State to double-overtime and then won it himself with 4 seconds remaining.

The Siena game in particular was great. Back-and-forth the whole game, momentum shifts, huge shots, it had everything. And, oh yea, double overtime. Overtime in any sport is exciting. In the NCAA Tournament, it is madness. Every shot is huge and a turnover or foul can be extremely costly. During the Siena-Ohio State game, every fan was standing and I'm sure the players' hearts were pounding about a thousand beats per minute. I can't even tell you what state Siena is, but I was rooting for them to pull it out, and not just because I picked them in my bracket (I always love when a non-BCS school upsets a team like Ohio State, just like most of America does).

Cleveland State's upset of Wake Forest - really, it was a shellacking - was awesome in every sense of the word. A thirteen seed who would not have gotten in if it didn't upset Butler in its conference tournament put a beating on a powerhouse ACC team that at one point was the #1 ranked team in the nation. The game was never even close. The Vikings wanted the game more and, behind their point guard Cedric Jackson, annihilated the Demon Deacons. Usually, I want the underdog to win on a buzzer-beater or something, but yesterday's domination was even better. Wake Forest was shell-shocked. I loved it.

Hopefully we continue to see the teams that are too small and less talented, with no five-star recruits and no all-Americans, play on and make this year's tournament one to remember. Because the more madness that there is, the more I enjoy it.

(Photo credit: Newsday)

Maryland vs. Memphis: You Know the Drill

2009-03-21T01:41:00.003-04:00

I was thinking about doing a long, elaborate post on how it is not likely, but that Maryland can beat Memphis in round two.

But ... you knew that. And you know exactly as I do how it's going to happen. Or how it won't happen.

I'm here to tell you right now that Maryland's second half against California should be considered nothing less than what it was, and that is a thing of beauty. They were running and gunning, and executing their press to perfection. The Greivis Vasquez (pictured, left) show was in full effect, and Dave Neal was proving all the doubters - once again - that they're all completely wrong.

And that's how Maryland can beat Memphis tomorrow.

When Maryland does what it can do, there is not a single team in America that will consistently be able to beat them. Here's a short list of what that is:

1. Get to the line, and when there, make the free throw (the 67% against Cal has to improve).

2. Greivis Vasquez is a star, and he needs to put up 25+, 6+, and 6+. He can. Wheeling and dealing into the lane, he opens up shots for his teammates as well as anyone in the country. When his three point shot is falling, he is impossible to guard.

3. Landon Milbourne can't force his game. Landon needs to be happy taking his shot when he gets a good look, which has been rare of late. Because of this, he has had to overcompensate and take contested shots that often end up blocked. When it's there, take the shot. When it's not, get it out of there.

4. Adrian Bowie and Sean Mosley just need to make their lay-ups. That's all they need to do, because their defense is spectacular.

5. Dave Neal needs to hit the pick-and-pop. It's his greatest asset to the team, and if he can't step outside and drill the open J, Dino Gregory should be in.

6. Eric Hayes needs to play with confidence. I'm not saying anything about making his shots, because I think there's a direct correlation. Hayes has shown over the past week that he's a different, smarter, more confident player coming off the bench. He's a quiet leader on this team.

... That's it. Yeah, I just listed six things, but which one of those is unrealistic? None. I'm telling you, because of the way Maryland rebounds as a unit, particularly in their zone, they can hold their own on the backboard. The players just need to mesh together.

So I ended up doing the long post I promised not to. Bottom line: if the players play like they can play, I do not think for one second that Memphis will trounce Maryland. If Hayes plays scared, Vasquez plays out-of-control, and Milbourne plays frustrated, though, it will be a long day. Time will tell. Go Terps.

(Photo Credit: AP)