The Sports Fan Blog

MLB Preseason Power Rankings

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:33:00 -0500

1. New York Yankees

The good: Offseason assisted robberies of Javier Vazquez and Curtis Granderson from the Braves and Tigers respectively add new talent to last year’s World Series team.

The bad: Every one in the league is going to be gunning for them. There’s a reason no one has repeated since the Yankees of the late 90’s and most of the players from those teams are no longer on this roster.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

The good: The entire core, with the exception of a few players, from their ’08 championship team is still in tact, as is most of the core from last season’s runner up team.

The bad: Cliff Lee is gone. I know they get Roy Halladay in exchange for him, but if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Lee was the only pitcher that they had that beat the Yankees last year in the World Series and he did it twice.

3. Boston Red Sox

The good: Possibly the best rotation in baseball with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, John Lackey, a maturing Clay Buchholz and hopefully Dice-K Matsuzaka, whose 2009 was lost do to injuries.

The bad: Many of their hitters are over 30 and injury prone and Victor Martinez behind the plate has one of the worst arms in baseball.

4. St. Louis Cardinals

The good: Matt Holliday protecting Albert Pujols gives them the best 3-4 lineup punch in the bigs and the pitching is always good no matter what. Two of the top 3 in 2009 NL Cy Young voting last season should make sure that they don’t have to struggle to find good pitching either.

The bad: Besides the middle of their order, their lineup doesn’t match up with the 3 teams above them on this list and maybe even a few of the teams below them on this list.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers

The good: Their offense was so much better last season with Manny in the lineup and assuming he doesn’t try to impregnate himself again, they should have him for 150 games. Since he came to town in ’08, the Dodgers have made the CS twice.

The bad: An offseason plagued by martial disputes between Owner Frank McCourt and his ex-wife and CEO Jamie made any offseason additions tough. Losing Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson hurts. They only really started making signings recently when they brought back Eric “Gag Me” Gagne on a minor league deal, but it could be too little too late in a competitive NL West.

6. Los Angeles Angels

The good: They win this division every single year. They always find some way to get the job done, while the teams below them in the division are known for their awful luck.

The bad: No team has been hurt more by free agency in the past 2 years than this team. After losing both Mark Teixiera and Francisco Rodriguez in 2008, they lost Chone Figgens, the energy of their lineup, Vladimir Guerrero, the former face of the franchise, and John Lackey, their ace, this offseason. It doesn’t help that the first two guys I mentioned went to division rivals while Lackey went to the one team they always seem to face in the playoffs.

7. Seattle Mariners

The good: The best 1-2 pitcher combo in the league with Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee add to a team that appeared to be on the verge of good things last season.

The bad: Every time they are on the verge of good things, they suck. King Felix has a history of injuries issues and their lineup overall lacks pop.

8. Minnesota Twins

The good: They return most of the core from their 2009 playoff team and get slugger Justin Morneau back from injury. Francisco Liriano should be better this year than last as that Tommy John surgery moves farther and farther into his past.

The bad: The team, overall, looks like a .500 team talent wise. I know that’s always the case, but you have to figure eventually once, they might not overachieve.

9. Chicago Cubs

The good: The talent is there and if they stay healthy and out of fights with each other, they have the talent to do good things. With Milton Bradley gone, they almost have the exact same core as their 2008 playoff team. Say what you want about Carlos Silva, who they got for Bradley in a trade, he isn’t going to cause any problems in the clubhouse. Just as long as they don’t let him on the field.

The bad: They haven’t won for 102 years. Why would this year be any different? Something always goes wrong.

10. New York Mets

The good: Getting David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Johan Santana back from injury helps, as does the addition of Jason Bay. After all, they can’t have worse luck than they did last season.

The bad: Or can they?

11. Tampa Bay Rays

The good: Teams who have a sophomore slump often do better things the next season. Their young bats are still the same for the most part as they were in ’08 when they made the series.

The bad: The difference between 2008 and 2009 was not necessarily a sophomore slump. Their bullpen just went from great to awful. They didn’t fix their ‘pen that much this offseason so its hard to predict better things from it.

12. Texas Rangers

The good: This is a 95 win team if you combine their 2008 offense with their 2009 pitching.

The bad: Their pitching staff overall lacks proven guys and the bullpen isn’t much better. I could see them struggling in the deep summer in Arlington when the ball is flying.

13. San Francisco Giants

The good: If Matt Cain continues what he did in 2009 and Jonathan Sanchez builds on his late season success and finally fulfills his potential, their rotation is going to be the best in the NL.

The bad: They did the best they could adding Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa to their lineup, but I don’t think it’s enough for them to improve what was a very subpar offense in 2009, at least not enough.

14. Colorado Rockies

The good: They always seem to surprise. Last season they started off awful and made it to October. A few years ago they made the World Series when no one gave them a shot.

The bad: This team has sophomore slump written all over it. Jim Tracy cannot continue to have this success. It just doesn’t make sense. Their pitching staff lacks an ace and could struggle after losing Jason Marquis to free agency.

15. Florida Marlins

The good: They have young talent up to their eyeballs once again and are always in position to make a surprise run.

The bad: They lack any veteran leadership. Very few of their players have even made the playoffs and I can’t see them stacking up well head-to-head against some of the NL’s powerhouses.

16. Chicago White Sox

The good: A full season of Jake Peavy in that rotation is a good thing for a team that almost won the division last year.

The bad: The powerhouse that won the World Series is all but gone and replaced with a lot of new faces. The talent is there, but how will it all work together?

17. Arizona Diamondbacks

The good: Brandon Webb is back from injury, to go with Dan Haren and the recently acquired Edwin Jackson in what should be a very good rotation. Their offense has its moments too.

The bad: Their offense lacks consistency and strikes out way too much. Their defense was awful last season.

18. Cincinnati Reds

The good: After finishing 6 games under .500 last season, the Reds quietly had a good offseason adding guys like Aroldis Chapman to a mix of already good young talent and appear on the verge of being above .500.

The bad: Lack of veteran leadership, plus they been on the cusp of .500 for a while talent wise and have never gotten there.

19. Detroit Lions

The good: A good young pitching staff lead by Justin Verlander who is under contract for the future after signing an extension. Plus they have a few potential bounce back guys in their lineup.

The bad: Losing Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson hurts. They didn’t even make the playoffs last year and now they are without two of their best players. That is not good.

20. Atlanta Braves

The good: A bunch of talented young prospects almost ready for the show could add some new life to this team and mix with some of the young talent they already have up in the majors.

The bad: They seem to be unnecessarily rebuilding after trading their ace Javier Vazquez to the Yankees for 35 cents on the dollar.

21. Milwaukee Brewers

The good: That addition of Randy Wolf to their pitching staff and one of the best farm systems in the majors which is full of talent almost ready to be plucked.

The bad: Most of those prospects play positions already taken care of at the major league level. Their rotation is still thin and their bullpen could have issues bridging the gap to Trevor Hoffman.

22. Cleveland Indians

The good: A lot of young talent in a lineup that could have a nice bounce back year. With the exception of a few players, their lineup is the same one that 96 games in 2007 and was a sleeper pick of mine last year (oops).

The bad: The pitching staff lacks an ace, and for that matter a good #2 starter, and the bullpen isn’t much better so while they have upside, their downside is very clear.

23. Houston Astros

The good: Two powerful bats in the middle of their lineup in Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee and one of the most interesting ballparks in the majors.

The bad: Their pitching staff is a joke after Roy Oswalt, who had his share of issues last year. Their offense has promise but is nowhere near as formidable as it once was. Even losing Miguel Tejada will hurt.

24. Baltimore Orioles

The good: A lot of good young talent coming in from the Miguel Tejada and Eric Bedard trades a few offseasons ago, both of which they won. Plus, Tejada is back as a free agent, adding a veteran leader to their offense and fixing a shortstop position that has been struggling to produce runs since Tejada was traded. He’s not his MVP self, but he’ll help.

The bad: They're not ready yet. They have a lot of promise, but they aren’t ready yet. They’ll climb out of the cellar, but they’re still looking up at the Yanks, Sox, and Rays.

25. Oakland Athletics

The good: The addition of two veteran guys atop their rotation who weren’t there last year, Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer, adds to a young pitching staff full of talent.

The bad: I’ve never even heard of most of those guys in their lineup. Plus, neither Sheets nor Justin Duchscherer threw a pitch last year so their talent is only upside based on what they done in the past.

26. Kansas City Royals

The good: A lot of young talent led by Zach Greinke, 2009 AL Cy Young award winner, has them on the cusp of good things.

The bad: We say the same thing about them every year and they still end up in last place.

27. Toronto Blue Jays

The good: Young talent from the Roy Halladay deals adds to a core of young talent that could surprise.

The bad: But most likely they won’t surprise until 2012. Losing your ace hurts. Halladay carried that team last year and I don’t see anyone in that pitching staff who can do that. Their offense also lacks major pop, so much so that they were considering bringing back Carlos Delgado. Barring a major turn around from Vernon Wells, they will also struggle to score runs.

28. Washington Nationals

The good: Intriguing offseason additions of Chien Ming Wang and Jason Marquis help their young pitching staff while Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn add some nice pop to the middle of their lineup. Stephen Strasburg should be ready by midseason and they have the upcoming #1 pick in the draft.

The bad: Pure lack of talent in uniform. Besides the guys I named previously, they don’t have enough talented guys to do much this year, as was the case last year.

29. San Diego Padres

The good: Adrian Gonzalez

The bad: Everything else

30. Pittsburgh Pirates

The good: As far as I can tell, there are no talented players on the roster that the team can trade for pennies on the dollar at the deadline.

The bad: They did that so much last year that the team lacks any talent whatsoever.

Restricted Free Agency

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:03:00 -0500

Restricted free agency. Most NFL fans have heard of it, but have never really quite needed to know what it means. After all, so few players were actually restricted free agents that fans could just assume that it meant that they were a free agency, but their original team had both the first and last say as to whether or not they would be part of the team the next year. This offseason, it will be a big deal. There is about a 99.9% chance that there will be no salary cap next year and that will come with a few rules. Teams that made the final 8 in the playoffs can only sign as many free agents as they lose. There is no maximum or minimum to your payroll, as long as you meet the minimum salary figure for all of your players. And, instead of players becoming restricted free agents if their contract runs out after 3 years with their original team, they will become restricted free agents if their contract runs out after 3-5 years with their original team. And all of a sudden, there will be a lot more restricted free agents, so I believe it is important for the fans to know what exactly that means.

Restricted free agency works like this. There is a certain amount of time a team has to give their restricted free agent a tender. If they don’t, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. The team can choose from 4 different tenders, each is worth a certain amount of money, which has yet to be announced for the 2010 NFL offseason. The first one, worth the most, is a 1^st/3^rd tender. The 2^nd, worth the 2^nd most, is a 1^st round tender. Continuing to fall in value, the 3^rd is a 2^nd round tender. And the least valuable is the so called default tender.

Now, any team can sign these restricted free agents after they have been tendered. However, to sign someone with a 1^st/3^rd round tender, you must give up a 1^st and a 3^rd round pick. To sign someone with a 1^st round tender, you must give up a 1^st round pick, and so forth. To sign someone with a default tender, you must give up a draft pick that equals the round the player was drafted in, with a maximum of a 3^rd round pick. To sign someone with a default tender that was undrafted, you don’t have to give up anything. Then, the original team has a week a match the offer their restricted free agent receives. They can choose to match the contract, or let him walk and take the draft picks.

Most Valuable Positions (11-20)

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:36:00 -0500

11. Outside Linebacker (4-3 only)

Not quite as much of a versatile defensive player as a middle linebacker, and you can get away without great outside linebackers as shown by the fact that neither the Saints nor the Colts have good outside linebackers this year. Their main job is cleaning up the messes of the defensive line and chasing down running backs out of the backfield. They can also be blitzed.

Best in the league: Daryl Smith, Brian Cushing, Lance Briggs

12. Tight End

They may be more important to rookie quarterbacks than veterans, but most quarterbacks enjoying having a good safety value tight end who can catch the ball over the middle. Their job description includes both catching the ball like a receiver and blocking like a lineman, but because of their hybrid type status, they aren’t extremely important.

Best in the league: Jason Witten, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez

13. Center

The most underrated position on the field, there’s a reason that Peyton Manning does so well, he has had the same center snapping him the ball for his entire career. That definitely helps. They are also the smartest offensive linemen in terms of football knowledge, oh, and they also have to do some blocking. Just look at what happened to the Eagles after Jamaal Jackson got hurt for the first time in many seasons, Donovan McNabb looked uncomfortable and the entire offensive line fell apart.

Best in the league: Jamaal Jackson, Jeff Saturday, Nick Mangold

14. Safety

They aren’t necessary to a good team, but they certainly help. The Steelers have given up 10 more points per game over the last 2 years in games in which safety Troy Polamalu missed than in games he played in.

Best in the league: Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Nick Collins

15. Kick Returner

Nothing energizes a team more than a kick return touchdown, and they also give you good field position, the only issues, the difference between good ones and bad ones in terms of yards per return is minimal and even a good one will only score like once or twice a year. Their career length also isn’t very long.

Best in the league: Joshua Cribbs, Clifton Smith, Johnny Knox

16. Punt Returner

Basically the same as a kick returner, but because of the situation, they often get a much smaller chunk of yards per return. 10 yards is good. Their career doesn’t last long either.

Best in the league: DeSean Jackson, Joshua Cribbs, Quan Cosby

17. Full Back

Not all offenses even use one, but having a big fullback that can run and catch the ball, in addition to block, adds an extra little element to your offense.

Best in the league: Leonard Weaver, Le’Ron McClain, Ovie Mughelli

18. Punter

A good punter can make a good defense even better by setting them up with good field position, the only issue, they are only used when struggling so if you’re a good team, they aren’t extremely necessary.

Best in the league: Shane Lechler, Andy Lee, Ben Graham

19. Kicker

They can kill you or not kill you, the issue, one who doesn’t kill you one game, can kill you the next. They are extremely inconsistent.

Best in the league: Matt Prater, Sebastian Janikowski, Stephen Gostkowski

20. Special Teams

There’s a reason all the special teamers are the backups of other position that you can risk getting hurt. Much love for the position, it takes a lot to suck up your pride and play special teams, but they aren’t super important. You can only really tell when they are bad and miss a tackle. The holder and the long snapper are a little bit more important, but not much.

Best in the league: Tim Shaw, HB Blades, John Wendling

Most Valuable Positions (1-10)

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:22:00 -0500

1. Quarterback

If you have a bad quarterback, one who throws a lot of interceptions, you most likely are not going to make the playoffs. If you have a decent game manager, you can win but you need a hell of a support cast. A good quarterback, not only creates more yards than any other position on the field, but also opens up lanes for running backs, makes his receivers look better, and keeps his defense off of the field and rested, making them better. In fact, 18 of the 19 last Super Bowl winning quarterbacks made a Pro Bowl before winning the Super Bowl. Eli Manning is the only one to not make the Pro Bowl before winning the Super Bowl and he eventually made it the next year. There’s a reason for that.

Best in the league: Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers

2. Offensive Tackle

A franchise quarterback isn’t much good if he’s on the ground every play. Not only do sacks and hits disrupt a quarterbacks rhythm, but too many over a long period of time can cause a young quarterback to develop David Carr syndrome and a veteran quarterback to develop Marc Bulger syndrome. Offensive Tackle also support the running game as well.

Best in the league: Joe Thomas, Jake Long, Jared Gaither

3. Defensive End/ Rush Linebacker

Well if hits can do things that bad to quarterbacks, it only makes sense that the guys who hit them are of great importance. It is an old and time tested football saying that in order to win you need a quarterback, to protect your quarterback, and to get to the other teams quarterback. Defensive ends are not the only players who accumulate sacks and hits and pressures, but they are the only ones whose first priority is getting to the quarterback. Rush Linebackers are essentially the same, only they line up at different spots on the field in different schemes and more often have to drop back into coverage. Nonetheless, rush linebackers normally lead their team in sacks, pressures, and hits.

Best in the league: Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware, Dwight Freeney

4. Running Back

Well if you don’t have a franchise quarterback is the next best thing in terms of gaining yards. Franchise running backs don’t win you Super Bowls like quarterback do, but they certainly help. They can tire out the opponents defense and open up passing lanes for the quarterbacks and also catch passes and even do some blocking.

Best in the league: Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson

5. Wide Receiver

Quarterbacks can win without great wide receivers, in fact some can even argue that quarterbacks make great wide receivers, but it certainly will help any quarterback to have a speedy deep threat and a reliable possession guy at his disposal to help him guide his team. Just ask Eli Manning how he likes playing without Plaxico Burress (10-11 including playoffs since Plax shot himself in the leg).

Best in the league: Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson

6. Cornerback

That being said, if you have a great #1 cornerback, he will nullify the opposing #1 wide receiver. Darrelle Revis shutdown every #1 wide receiver he faced last year. Don’t think that didn’t win them some games. If your quarterback is forced to essentially play 10 on 10 without his best receiver, he’s going to struggle.

Best in the league: Darrelle Revis, Charles Woodson, Leon Hall

7. Nose Tackle (3-4 only)

Other than rush linebacker, no front 7 position is more important to a 3-4 than nose tackle, even more than a defensive tackle to a 4-3. They don’t put up huge stats, but having a huge shield of a nose tackle than can occupy two blockers and also move around some makes everyone on the defense better.

Best in the league: Vince Wilfork, Kelly Gregg, Shaun Rogers

8. Defensive Tackle/3-4 Defensive End

Essentially the same position, only a 3-4 end lines up a little farther outside, but the job description is the same. Be a big body against the run and also get to the quarterback if you can.

Best in the league: Albert Haynesworth, Kevin Williams, Haloti Ngata

9. Middle Linebacker

Slightly more important in the 3-4, but they are the heart and soul of a defense and while they aren’t the most important, they are usually they most outspoken and the most versatile defenders on the field.

Best in the league: Patrick Willis, Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher

10. Offensive Guard

Just two offensive tackles alone isn’t going to be enough to protect your quarterback, though guards are primarily designed to get the big defensive lineman away from your running back and are not as used against the pass rush because of their size and position on the field, and for that reason they are ranked lower than offensive tackles.

Best in the league: Jahri Evans, Steve Neal, Chris Snee

Rooney Rule: Helping or Hurting?

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:38:00 -0500

The Rooney Rule was established in 2003 by the NFL as a type of affirmative action. The rule basically said that an NFL team must interview a minority candidate for an open NFL head coaching job or Senior Football operation opening. At the time the rule seemed like a good idea. There were only 2 minority coaches in the NFL (Tony Dungy, Herm Edwards) at the time the rule was put in place and the rule has definitely done its job.

However, it has also had some negative consequences. Though it does help minorities, as do most things that help minorities, it can also be viewed as racist in its own sense. A possible interpreted message from the rule is that minorities need to be treated differently on the basis of their skin color because of the rough history of minorities in America. Though, I can not actually speak as a minority (and I would actually like to get the opinion of someone who has dealt by being an ethnic minority in America on this issue) but I do think that treating anyone any different on the basis of their skin color, whether it be better or worse, is a bad thing. Unless there were a rule put in that required a team to interview a non-minority before hiring someone, and I do strongly believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that a bunch of a people would have something to say against that rule, but unless there were a rule that like, I don’t think that there is true ethnic equality in the NFL.

Another negative side effect of this rule is tokenism. It doesn’t always happen, but a lot of times a minority coaching candidate will be brought in just to satisfy the rule. Correct if I’m wrong, but I don’t think tokenism is a good thing. Nowhere has this been more glaring than with the recent hiring of Pete Carroll by the Seattle Seahawks. Carroll had basically had a deal in place to coach the Seahawks, a deal which leaked out of the Seahawks organization and into the public before it could be made official, but before the deal could be made official, the Seahawks had to satisfy the Rooney Rule. So, they interviewed Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, an African-American, who, for whatever reason, maybe he didn’t read the news that said Carroll had all but had the job locked up. A day later, Carroll was hired, and Frazier was left as just a token.

The NFL is now at a point where the negatives of the Rooney Rule now outweigh the positives. There are currently 7 minority head coaches in the NFL who identify as minorities, or 22%. In America, currently 31% of the population identifies as an ethic minority. I know those numbers aren’t exactly the same, but I think its at the point where you can say the Rooney Rule has served its purpose in terms of giving minority coaches their fair representation in the NFL coaching pool. With a higher percentage of today’s coordinators and assistants being minorities, I think we can expect that number to increase in the near future. 2 of the last 3 Super Bowl winning coaches were African Americans and that number has a chance to grow to 3 out of 4 if Jim Caldwell and the Colts win this year over the Saints. In 2007, both Super Bowl head coaches were African Americans. I think it’s safe to say that the amount of good that the Rooney Rule still needs to do for the NFL is less than the negative side effects that come with a rule like the Rooney Rule. I just hope the NFL and the world in general can find a way to be as a racially equally as possible and I think eliminating the Rooney Rule might do that for the NFL. Again, I may be wrong with my assumptions and I would definitely enjoy hearing different opinions on this matter and on race issues in general, especially from someone with experience dealing with issues of race.

Allen Iverson deserves to be an All-Star

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:32:00 -0500

Allen Iverson has certainly had an interesting season. He began the year in Memphis, ready to prove to people that he could handle a limited role with a struggling team, but was cut three games into the season after leaving the team for personal reasons and being really upset with his 22.3 MPG playing time. Iverson then announced his retirement at age 34, but returned less than a month later with the Philadelphia 76ers, u9s former team, who traded him away a few years ago after a ugly breakup between the team and its star player.

Since returning to Philadelphia, Iverson has been a shell of his former self averaging just 14.3 PPG (a career low), on 43% shooting, to go with just 3 RPG, and career lows in assists per game and steals per game, with 4.3 and 0.7 respectively. However, Iverson has kept his mouth shut because the 76ers are giving him 32.5 MPG.

Recently, in an interesting twist, Allen Iverson was named to the All-Star game, voted in as a starter by the fans, convincing some “experts” around the game to question whether or not fans should have as much say as they do, a proposition backed by Celtics multi time All-Star guard Ray Allen. On the issue, ESPN NBA analyst Chris Broussard said that the fans should not get as much of a say because it is not an exhibition because many times, contract negotiations are made on the basis of number of All Star Games played/started. He also added that All Star Game appearances, especially starts, are a huge part of a players Hall of Fame credentials. I have to disagree with his thoughts.

Yes, players can make more money in negotiations and it will boost your Hall of Fame credentials, and I’m certainly not going to argue that Iverson, in terms of value and statistics is having an All Star type year. However, I will argue that players making money and boosting their Hall of Fame credentials through All Star Game appearances is not a bad thing.

Basketball, like all professional sports, is a business first, though this is often forgotten. Allen Iverson was voted into the All Star Games because fans know his name. For that reason, he will also sell more tickets and jerseys and thus making his organization more money. Despite his down year, Iverson actually ranks 14^th in the league in jersey sales. Why shouldn’t he command more money in a negotiation if he’s bringing guys to the arena and selling jerseys?

A player’s Hall of Fame credentials are based on a lot of things, but one of them is how popular they are, as it should continue to be. Yes, being a Hall of Famer is about more than popularity but a player’s Hall of Fame credentials are about more than how many All-Star games they have been voted into. Why shouldn’t your popularity among the fans be a part of your Hall of Fame credentials?

Lastly, I believe the fans should still continue have all the say in voting in the starters because the fans make the league go around. Without them, there would be no league, no sports, and I would have no job. Why not give them an opportunity to see their favorite players in the All-Star game. It’s how all major professional sports do it. Do you think Brett Favre made the Pro Bowl in 2008 because he had a great year, no, it fact he led the league in interceptions that year. He made it because he’s a huge name and a huge star and I see nothing wrong with that either, and strangely enough no one else did either (explain that one to me). Fans just like him just like they like Iverson.

Barry Bonds is a Hall of Famer

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:23:00 -0500

There is no denying it. Barry Bonds took steroids. Tests and documents from Bonds' perjury case have confirmed what many have believed for years to be true. The all-time Homerun King took steroids and the record is tainted. However, Barry Bonds still belongs in Cooperstown.

According to reports from the book "Game of Shadows," which have likely been confirmed by the tests that have surfaced over the past few days, Bonds took steroids starting after the 1998 season. Going into the 1999 season, Bonds had 411 homeruns, 1216 RBIs, 445 stolen bases, and 1927 hits. If you ignore every possible tainted stat, meaning everything he did after 1998, and just say he retired after 1998, he still is a Hall of Famer.

I don't care if you put him into Cooperstown with those stats, saying he retired after 1998. If don't care if you put him into Cooperstown with an asterisk next to every single one of his stats saying that he took steroids. I don't care. But, he belongs in, based off of everything he did before the ‘roids. This is a guy with tremendous baseball talent. He messed up, likely feel into peer pressure trying to keep up with the McGwires and Sosas of the world who were overshadowing him at the time, but based off of his baseball ability and his pre-steroids production, which included 3 MVP awards, and 7 gold gloves, and 8 all-star appearances, he belongs in.

I don't think you need to worry about Bonds being a convicted felon in Cooperstown, though I would still want him in even if he is convicted of perjury. Bonds said he never knowingly took steroids. It’s kind of obvious right now that he took them. However, how can anyone prove legally that he did know? He probably did know and he probably did lie, but legally that can not be proven unless someone finds a lost tape of him injecting himself with steroids saying, "these are steroids."

Even with everything that I have said about Bonds deserving to be a Hall of Famer, as far as I am considered, Hank Aaron is still the all-time Homerun King.

NFL Playoff scenarios

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:43:00 -0500

Even with only one week left in the NFL season, the NFL playoff picture is still about as complicated as human cloning with so many different scenarios involving seeding order and even just who makes the playoffs. Hopefully I can make sense of it here.

AFC

Indianapolis Colts

Already clinched #1 seed in AFC

San Diego Chargers

Already clinched #2 seed in AFC

New England Patriots

If they win and they’re the #3 seed, if they lose, they would need a Cincinnati loss to get the #3 seed. If they tie, they would need Cincinnati to also tie or to lose. The farthest they can fall is #4.

Cincinnati Bengals

If they win and New England doesn’t (loss or tie), they are the #3 seed. If they tie and New England loses, they are the #3 seed. Any other scenario, the are the #4.

New York Jets

If they win, they are in the playoffs and get the #5 seed. If they lose, they would need, the Ravens to lose, the Steelers to lose, the Broncos to lose, the Texans to lose, the Jaguars to lose or tie to get the #5 seed. If the above scenario happens with the exception of the Ravens winning, they would get the #6 seed. Anything else and they are out of the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens

If they win, they are in the playoffs. If they win and the Jets lose, they get the 5^th seed. If they lose, they would need the Steelers to lose, the Broncos to lose, the Texans to lose, the Jaguars to lose or tie to get the 6^th seed.

Denver Broncos

If they win, they need either the Jets or Ravens to lose, plus one other team from the following group: the Jets, the Ravens, the Steelers, and Texans, to make the playoffs. However, they can actually lose and get the 5^th seed. If everyone else alive in the playoff hunt, except Miami, also loses. They can get the 6^th seed if everyone else alive in the playoff hunt, except Miami and one other team, also loses.

Houston Texans (I did forget this, thanks Eric, my bad)

They need a win and either the Ravens and Broncos or the Jets and Broncos to lose to make the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers

They need a win and the Texans and Jets to lose, the Texans and the Ravens to lose, or the Jets, Ravens, and Broncos to lose to make the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars

They need a win and one of the following scenarios to happen

1. Steelers, Broncos, Texans and Jets all lose.

2. Steelers, Ravens, Broncos and Jets all lose.

3. Steelers, Texans, Jets and Ravens all lose.

4. Jets, Ravens, Texans and Broncos all lose.

5. Ravens, Broncos, Steelers and Texans all lose.

Miami Dolphins

They need a win and the Jets, the Texans, the Jaguars, and the Ravens all to lose

NFC

New Orleans Saints

Already clinched the #1 seed in the NFC

Minnesota Vikings

Can clinch the #2 seed with a win and a Philadelphia loss or tie, or if they tie and Philadelphia losses. If they lose, and Arizona loses, they are in the #3 seed. If they lose and Arizona wins, they are in the #4 seed.

Philadelphia Eagles

Can clinch the #2 seed with a win or a Minnesota and Arizona loss or with a tie and a Minnesota loss or tie and an Arizona loss or tie. If they lose, they drop down to the #5 seed. If they lose and Green Bay wins, they get #6 seed. If they tie and Minnesota wins, they get #3 seed. They can’t get the #4 seed.

Arizona Cardinals

Gets #2 seed with a win and a Philadelphia and Minnesota loss. Gets #3 seed with a win and if Philadelphia or Minnesota loses. All other scenarios they get #4 seed.

Dallas Cowboys

Gets #2 seed with a win and a Minnesota and an Arizona loss. If they win and Minnesota ties or wins and Arizona loses or ties, they get #3 seed. If they win and Arizona and Minnesota win, they get the #4 seed. If they lose and Green Bay wins, they get the #6 seed. If they lose and Green Bay loses, they get the #5 seed. If they tie and Green Bay wins, they get the #6 seed.

Green Bay Packers

If they win they get the #5 seed. If they tie and Dallas losses, they get the #5 seed. Anything else and they get the #6 seed.

Wow! My head hurts!

Chad Ochocinco expected to wear Chris Henry's #15 against Chargers

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:02:00 -0500

After the tragic death of Chris Henry on Thursday, teammate and close friend Chad Ochocinco wanted to wear Henry’s #15 on his jersey in his honor this Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. The commissioner of the No Fun League, Roger Goddell, immediately nixed the idea because it is against the rules and possibly even threatened fines against Chad Ochocinco. Like Chad always does, he is going to do it anyway.

I love Chad Ochocinco. He’s one of my favorite players because I can tell through what he does off the field that he is an amazing person, though a bit misunderstood. He likes to toot his own horn and pump up the fans and energize his teammates with bizarre endzone celebrations after touchdowns and liven things up by doing harmless things that Roger Goddell sees as harmful to the league’s image. He knows Roger Goddell and his no “nonsense” policy will fine him for it, but he doesn’t care. He makes millions of dollars per year. He even has pledged to match the money from every fine he is assessed and give that money to charity. His endzone celebrations are his way of showing that money is not the most important thing to him. Having fun and giving back is.

There was no doubt in my mind that Chad Ochocinco would wear Henry’s #15 this week against the Chargers because that is the type of person he is. He is a modern day cavalier and rebel. He paid 20K to wear a sombrero on the sideline. He would be willing to pay whatever fine Goddell assessed him in order to honor his good friend and teammate and then even likely match that fine with a big charitable donation. Plus, Goddell would look like a huge asshole for fining someone for honoring his dead teammate so Ochocinco would finally come out of something looking like the good guy. And honestly, if Goddell is so concerned about protecting the league’s image, he should think about this. Which looks worse, a guy wearing a different number for a week to honor a teammate and friend, or the commissioner’s office not letting him do that? Goddell may even be breaking his own rules by doing something to hurt the league’s image. He may have to fine himself.

A new development in this saga has come out, the NFL Player Association will play whatever fine Goddell assesses Ochocinco so that he can honor his teammate. Now Goddell definitely looks like the bad guy as everyone is against him and his attempt to shoot down a sort of memorial for Henry on the back of Ochocinco’s jersey. The pressure may make Goddell just say, screw the rules, you can do it, or it may make him look like an even bigger asshole when he does assess the fine to “follow the rules.” Its stories like this, with Ochocinco not caring how much he has to pay to honor his teammates, and the Players’ Association backing Ochocinco in his endeavor, that make me smile.

Another new development: Apparently NFL rules don’t allow the NFLPA to reimburse Chad Ochocinco for the fines, which is once again showing Roger Goddell’s inability to bend the rules for special occasions. If it weren’t for his unwillingness to bend at the rules, the NFLPA wouldn’t have needed to cover Ochocinco’s fines in the first place. I still fully believe Ochocinco will be out there wearing #15 for the Bengals tomorrow in honor of Chris Henry. He will likely be fined and will willingly pay the fine and then give an equal amount of money to the Chris Henry memorial fund. For once, it will ironically be Roger Goddell and his unbending commitment to cleaning up the league’s image that will hurt the NFL's image and Ochocinco, who always seems to be the focus of Goddell's image cleaning, will look like the good guy.

Are you ready for some (more High School) Football?

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:36:00 -0500

A couple of weeks ago I talked about Bellarmine College Prep’s CCS winning game against rival St. Francis and how that would likely be the last high school game I would attend as a student of Bellarmine Prep. However, in the two weeks since, Bellarmine got the surprising call up to play for the Division I state championship, an honor last year’s 12-1 team which had 4 NCAA Division I recruits and is regarded as one of the best football team’s in our school’s history, did not receive. In fact, this was Bellarmine’s first ever call up to the state’s Division I championship game in the long proud history of the school. Though I was not able to attend the game, which took place about 8 hours away from campus, I did watch it TV, as the Bellarmine Bells took on the Oceanside Pirates from San Diego. Oceanside won the state championship back in 2007 and had 5 key guys on this team that played on this team. Oceanside was also on a 38 game winning streak entering the game and has 6 guys expected to get football scholarships to division one schools.

The first thing I noticed about the two teams was the size difference. Bellarmine has a proud history of athletics, 25 straight league swimming championships, among countless other banners that hang in our gym, but our athletics department as a whole, especially football, is more known for being smart, determined, and well coached that naturally athletic. Our top running back and lone division I recruit (Ivy Leagues) is a 6-0 190 pound running back. Our quarterback is 5-10 175 and some of our linemen aren’t even over 230 pounds. The Oceanside Pirates had about 7 guys who looked like they were related to Troy Polamalu. However, as has been the case all year, we didn’t care.

On the strength of our double wing offense, which is a blobby looking, but effective variation of the wildcat, which involves many handoffs between our strong running backs, strong full back, and our good running quarterback, who also occasionally serves as a lead blocker, the Bells took an early 7-3 lead with a long drive that spanned more than 8 minutes and did not feature a single pass. Star senior running back and lone Division I recruit Kyle Olugbode finished the drive with a simple 4 yard touchdown run up the middle.

On the next possession, the Bells forced the Pirates to punt after a three and out and the Bells’ signature double wing offense went back to work. The Bells convert 2 4^th downs en route to an early 13-3 lead after a long 53 yard drive, which featured only one pass attempt, a completion. Run first quarterback Mike McGovern pounded it in for a 2 yard score on a keeper. However, the ensuing extra point was blocked to keep the score at 13-3. The Bells’ lone weakness this season, oddly enough, is the field goal unit. Whether it is a botched snap, a botched hold, a botched kick, or a block kick, it always seems like something is going wrong with the field goal unit such that even extra points have not been so automatic this season.

The Pirates would mount another drive downfield on their next possession, doing so in the exact opposite way as the Bells, through the air with big plays. However, as was the case during their first long drive, they would be forced to settle for a field goal try, which would be blocked by Kyle Olugbode’s younger brother, Kris, a junior.

The Bells had all the momentum, a 13-3 point lead, and the block after a blocked field goal, but on the next play, Kyle would make a rare error, fumbling the ball right back to the Pirates, who would shortly after score on a short 4 run yard. The Bells would be forced to punt on their next possession, but an interception by Kyle Olugbode, now playing safety, off of a tipped pass by junior cornerback Rufus Wolokolie, would put an end to a threatening Oceanside drive before the end of the half. The Bells would go into the locker room feeling good about themselves, with a 13-10 point lead over favorited Oceanside and getting the ball to start the 2^nd half after deferring the coin toss to start the game. The Bells also held a stunning 16:29 to 7:31 lead in terms of time of possession on the strength of their conservative double wing offense.

The Bells opening drive in the 2^nd half didn’t get them any points, but it could be seen as a bit of a moral victory as they were able to knock another 6 minutes off the clock. Oceanside has an explosive offense, but if they never get the ball, there isn’t much they can do. Further adding to the Bells’ hope was an amazing punt by punter/wide receiver Kyle DeMerritt. After the punt, the Pirates had the ball on their own 1-yard line.

However, the Pirates showed that if you give an explosive offense like theirs the ball anywhere, it could be trouble. After being about 6 inches away from being tackled for a safety, the Pirates drove the ball out into the middle of the field with one play. Eight minutes of game time later, the Pirates held the 17-13 after an 18 play 99 yard touchdown drive, culminated by a 13 yard pass from quarterback Quentis Clark to Arizona bound wide receiver Jerry Whittaker. After the Bells were forced to punt on their next possession, the Pirates showed their big play ability, going 55 yards for the score in one passing play from Clark to San Diego State bound Rene Siluano.

Down by 2 touchdowns with 10:17 left in the game, the Bells had to scrap their double wide offense and go to a more traditional drop back system and many wondered if quarterback Mike McGovern, primarily a runner, had the arm and the playmakers at receiver to get the job done. McGovern answered those questions as the Bells went 84 yards downfield for the score. 53 of those yards, including the 15 on a screen play to Kyle Olugbode for the score, came from McGovern’s arm. However, there was still only 2:31 left in the game and, after failing on a two point conversion, the Pirates still held a 24-19 lead.

The Bells would attempt the on side kick on the ensuing kickoff, but fall just short of recovering. But, this one was far from over. An amazing showing by a Bell defense to force a three and out gave the Bells the ball back with 2 minutes left. The defensive stop gave meaning to what Bellarmine coach Mike Janda said before the game, that his team makes their best plays when they need them. Now, it was up to the Mike McGovern and the Bells’ two minute offense to take home state for Bellarmine, for San Jose, and for all of Northern California. The only question was, did we have a 2 minute offense?

Mike McGovern again answered some of the questions making a few big plays with his arm and some with his feet. No play was bigger and more exciting than a scrambling 24 yard completion to wide receiver Kevin Garish. The Bells had the ball inside the 40 and had some time, though no timeouts. On first down, Mike McGovern spikes it to stop the ball, or so he thinks. Flags are thrown on the play and it is believed by the crowd and the commentators to be encroachment on the Pirates’ defensive line. However, the refs had a different take on the play, intentional grounding.

The refs were for the most part shotty on the day, missing two in bounds/out of bounds calls, one favoring each side, and once actually throwing a flag and then pretty much having to come out and say my bad as no penalty actually occurred. One play the ref called holding, came out to say who it was on, stopped mid sentence before saying who it was on and then just said that the penalty had been declined. What happened on this play was, a defensive tackle from Oceanside encroached on Bellarmine center Rudy Iniquez just before the snap and thus was able to push him back farther than he could have if he had not encroached. This made it look like McGovern, who was past Iniquez when he spiked, was past the line of scrimmage and thus the play was intentional grounding, loss of 3 yards and loss of down.

The Bells now had 3^rd and 13 in their opponent’s territory with 40 seconds left and two straight long throws for incompletions by McGovern would end the game, 24-19 Pirates. Though it is unknown what would have happened if the ref had not made that call, that missed call hurt both sides. It took away from the Bells a chance to win or lose fairly, but also took away the same right from the Pirates.

Even though the Bells didn’t win state, it was still a huge season for a team that after losing 4 Division I recruits from last season, which was arguably their greatest season ever. The Bells were not expected to go 8-1-1 in the regular season. Once they did that, the Bells were not expected to even win our CCS conference, coming into CCS as a 5^thseed, let alone make state for the first time in the school’s history. And once we were there, we were not supposed to win, but we almost did. As the commentators repeatedly and somewhat annoyingly after a while called us throughout the game, we were the little team that could. Though I will not be a part of it as a student fan cheering ever again, I feel proud of Bellarmine’s football tradition and hopeful for next season and the future.