Weekly Rant

A few side notes on football, baseball, basketball, college sports, and the Olympics.

NFL: Last week the Raiders signed Sebastian Janikowski to the largest contract for a kicker in NFL history. This is a year after they signed Shane Lechler to the largest contract for a punter in NFL history. That's great news for those two guys, but are these the best decision for a team with the #31-ranked offense and a defense near the bottom? In a quarterback league they have THE worst starting quarterback in the NFL and they are throwing their money to their kickers. This does NOTHING to improve the team! This is further evidence that Al Davis is the worst owner in professional sports.

Baseball: Johnny Damon signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers. Some quotes: "This is where I wanted to be. The Tigers were my first choice." "[Detroit] is where my family wanted to be." I wanted a place where I could win right away."
Let's rewind a few years. Johnny Damon was one of the most popular players in baseball and the most beloved Red Sox. He looked like Jesus. Right after they win the World Series he signs with the hated rival Yankees, becoming the most hated man in Boston (and the offers were like $12M and $11M, not worth the blow to his image). Right after the Yankees win the World Series his agent demands a raise that alienates him to that franchise. He's leaving a team that just won the World Series to play on a team that hasn't won a championship in 26 years and most recently missed the playoffs. And as to Detroit being his family's top choice, don't they realize Detroit is the deadest big city in the US?
I think he's full of crap.

NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers were the top team in the NBA and LeBron is the clear-cut league MVP. He has shown that every time he drives to the basket he can either make it, draw the foul, or both. He's unstoppable, a monster. So why does he keep taking long jump shots, especially in the 4th quarter? James has attempted the 5th-most 3-point shots in the whole NBA this season. He's #86 in percentage, less than 35% made. In their overtime loss to the Nuggets last week, he took 11 deep jump shots (mostly in 4th quarter and OT) and made 2. Take less shots and they win the game. In their next two games he took 12 3-pt shots and made 3. In the loss to the Magic, 3 of his 4 shots in the final period were around the 3-pt line.
I really like LeBron James, he's one of the most exciting players in all of sports, and I want to see him win a championship, but until he stops taking so many dumb shots and drives to the hoop more I don't think it will happen.

NCAA: Right now in college basketball there are more teams from the Mountain West Conference represented in the AP Top 25 than the PAC-10 and ACC combined. Only Duke appears from these "power conferences" in the rankings. Back up a few months, and in the recent college football season there were three MWC teams represented in the final Top 25, as many as the Big 12 and Big East, and more than the PAC-10. Mountain West is an all-around strong conference that deserves the same funding, opportunities, and respect as the so-called "power conferences."

Olympics: Russian skater Evgeny Plushenko is the worst sore loser I've ever seen (honorable mention to rapper Chris Brown). After coming in 2nd behind American Evan Lysacek, he immediately removed his silver medal upon leaving the podium. Some quote: "I was positive that I won. But I suppose Evan needs a medal more than I do." "If the Olympic champion doesn't know how to jump a quad, now it's not men's figure skating, now it's dancing." "I think we need to change the judging system because quad is quad." "Without the quad men's skating is women's skating."
Let's get something straight, this is not the competition to see who can do the best quadruple spin jump, this is a competition to see who can do the best 5 minute skating routine. There are lots of different elements. The new scoring system, put in place after the Salt Lake City judging scandal of 2002, does not reward a quad sufficiently to offset the deduction given if a skater doesn't land it well. I watched the competition and Lysacek's skate was amaaaazing, way better start-to-finish that Plushenko's. Sure, the Russian did a great quad. What about the other four a half minutes? Lysacek was better. Period.

One more thing: Who's butt got kissed in order for ice dancing to become an olympic sport?

Opening Day please come soon!

Pitchers and catchers reported to camp, which means that baseball is coming soon. And with football done that is not soon enough.

Just a few notes on the offseason and upcoming season.

1. Yankees. They are the reigning champs and it seems they got better. Granderson adds a spark to the offense and defense, Nick Johnson should produce nicely, and Javier Vazquez, if he does nothing more than eat innings, is a huge pickup that brings a lot of relief to an overworked rotation. I like Teixeira to really boom in his second season with the team and compete for the MVP again, especially with ARod healthy for April. Damon and Matsui were incredibly clutch in the World Series and throughout the season (Melky Cabrera too) and it seems unreasonable that a team could maintain strength after losing such important pieces, but this team can. If Posada can stay healthy and play at least 110 games then 103 wins and a World Series should again be well within reach.

2. Phillies. So the Phillies traded for Cliff Lee who won his first five starts for them and went 4-0 in the postseason (including their only two World Series wins), was basically their MVP after they got him, and rewarded him by trading him away without discussing it first? And yes, they got Roy Halladay. How could ANYONE do MORE than what Cliff Lee did for the Phillies? Are they any better with Halladay? NO! Even if he pitches his best season, it can't be better than what Cliff Lee did for them! 4-0 in the playoffs! Yet if they kept Cliff Lee even for one season with Roy this team would be the unquestioned World Series favorite. He wanted to stay there. Imagine Halladay-Lee-Hamels to go with Howard-Utley-Werth-Rollins-etc.! How is that not worth pursuing?

Anyway, they did get Doc Halladay, my favorite pitcher in baseball. The poor fella has played twelve seasons in the AL East. Over a quarter of his starts have come against the Red Sox and Yankees. He's 18-6 lifetime against the Yankees, a team that made the playoffs 11 of his 12 seasons. And after facing the likes of ARod, Jeter, Teixeira, Damon, Big Papi, Manny, Youkilis, Pedroia, and Evan Longoria (AND SUCCEEDING), he's moving into the division with the Mets, Nationals, Braves, and Marlins. And he has the best lineup in the National League supporting him. Hello 23 wins and another Cy Young.

3. Red Sox. Beckett, Lester and Lackey is as good as any 1-2-3 in baseball. Beltre and Scutaro are big improvements on the left side. The projected lineup with Ellsbury- Pedroia- Victor Martinez- Youkilis- Ortiz- Drew- Cameron- Beltre- Scutaro is not sexy but real strong. 95 wins should be expected.

4. Mariners. The M's won 85 games last year. Since then, they've added Cliff Lee to a rotation with King Felix; Chone Figgins, Milton Bradley, Casey Kotchman, and resigned Erik Bedard for a new start. Those batters might not seem like much but anything is an improvement to last year's lineup. Meanwhile the Angels have lost Figgins, Vlad, and John Lackey. The last time I picked Seattle to win 90 games they ended up losing 100, but this should be the best team in the division.

5. Angels. It's not just that they lost key players; it's that those key players all went to rivals (Lackey to Boston, Figgins to Seattle, Vlad to Texas).

6. Pirates will be the worst team ever to take the field. FYI, their best player is named Andrew McCutchen who hasn't even played a full season.

Saints and Sinners

Back to the Bungles

Just wondering what the Cincinnati Bengals are trying to accomplish. For a whole decade this has been the team without any discipline, lots of legal issues, drugs, arrests, etc. Let's try to clean up the team image, right?

Heck no! Linebacker Rey Maualuga was arrested for drunk driving last month. The Bengals have reached an agreement with WR Matt Jones, who didn't play at all last year "after he violated his plea deal after a cocaine arrest last summer." They are also interested in Adam Pacman Jones, who missed all of 2007, a man with a legal profile longer than some bills in congress. They have considered signing Donté Stallworth, a wide receiver who was suspended the whole year after killing a man while driving drunk. They are also going after Terrell Owens, one of the most psychologically screwed up athletes on the planet. Their star running back this season was Cedric Benson, a play waived by the Bears after being arrested twice for driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest (one of those being on a boat). Their other star player is wide reciever Chad Ochocinco, the biggest mouth in the NFL. I guess they need another wide receiver since they lost Travis Henry (God rest his soul) who had more run-ins with the law than seasons in the NFL.

Who will they go after next, Michael Vick and Maurice Clarett?

This franchise is so screwed up it's amusing.



I haven't written anything new in my blog since the Super Bowl, just in case anybody chanced to check out my pregame notes recently. I believe I was almost exactly accurate in everything I noted and predicted.

- Colts would not put pressure on Brees.
- Brees would be extremely efficient.
- Colts would make a turnover, Saints would not.
- Saints would score 31 points.
- Peyton throws an interception.
- Special teams advantage Saints.
- Saints defense outplay Colts defense.
- Colts disappoint.
- Saints win by at least 7.
- Very few penalties, injuries, bad calls.
- Exciting game.

The game also produced the most memorable picture moment in Super Bowl history.

Why I'm still picking the Saints

Earlier this week I picked the Saints to beat the Colts by a touchdown. Right after that post was published I got very nervous. Picking against Peyton Manning is never a good idea. Especially when he has been as good as he has been this year. The Colts are an incredibly focused team and well disciplined. They are 16-0 in "meaningful" games this season. They have demonstrated a very fast defense and Peyton finds a way to always get the ball in his receivers' hands. Plus, they are not playing against Darelle Revis who can take Reggie Wayne out of the game.

Peyton is incredible, but I do not believe that the Colts have a big advantage at quarterback. A year ago Drew Brees became only the second player ever to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season. And this season he topped 4300 yards for the fourth straight season. And this was even with a strong running game. Peyton Manning also has thrown 6 more interceptions than Brees.

Offensiv weapons: Outside of the quarterbacks, the Colts have Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, Joseph Addai, and Austin Collie. The Saints have Marques Colston, Reggie Bush, Devery Henderson, Pierre Thomas, Robert Meacham, Jeremy Shockey. I give the slight advantage to the Saints.

Neither of the kickers were kicking for their team at the beginning of the year, and neither punter is great. The Saints return game is Reggie Bush and Courtney Roby (top 5 in KR), versus below average Chad Simpson. Slight advantage in special teams to the Saints.

Defense: Gregg Williams is one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL, transforming a weak defense to one that won 13 straight games and was second in takeaways (turnovers). They abused Warner and Favre. They are very deep at secondary with a bunch of guys led by Darren Sharper and Tracy Porter who can cover man-on-man pretty well. Meanwhile, the Colts' best player on defense is injured and they are sketchy at the cornerback position. They are still very fast and played really well on defense, especially against the Ravens and Jets. Last week was a letdown for the Saints D, but I still give them a slight edge on defense.

And about Peyton Manning and the Colts having the advantage of "experience": For having the best quarterback on the planet and winning 12+ games every year, this is only their second Super Bowl appearance. Coming into this postseason, Peyton's playoff record was not over .500. They fail in the spotlight a lot more often than they have succeeded.

The Colts are big favorites. According to the betting lines, the SB favorite is 3-6-1 in the last 10 years. (Giants, Bucs, Patriots vs. Rams ring a bell?)

My first hope is for a good game. And after that I won't be surprised with the outcome of the game either way. I would be content if the Colts win. But there is no overwhelming factor that would make me want to pick the Indianapolis Colts.

I think there will be some scoring, but not quite as much as everyone is calling for. I keep my pick of Saints by a touchdown.

Saints 31, Colts 24

Super Bowl Prediction

So this week Monday thru Friday is the most boring week of the whole year. Not because there isn't anything going on (which is almost true) but because the only thing you hear about or read is about the Super Bowl. Rehashing the same stories from two weeks ago. Dwight Freeney hurt his foot. I know. Everybody knew the minute it happened a week and a half ago. Peyton Manning is a good quarterback. I know that, too. Drew Brees has transformed a franchise. This also is not news. The Saints and Colts both started 13-0. That was news two months ago. So let's bring in every current or former NFL player or coach and ask them the same questions every half hour.

Oh well, this Sunday is the biggest sports day of the year so I'll cut ESPN et al a little slack. But I won't watch their stuff.

What I'm Really Hoping For This Super Bowl Sunday

Like I wrote last week, I have no allegiance to either team. So I'm rooting for a good game. Action, defense, offense, close score, few penalties, no controvery. Is that too much to ask for?

Who I Want to Win

My friend Ryan did reinforce my suggestion that fans of the Patriots, Titans, and Tom Brady never root for the Colts and Peyton Manning. So yes, I'm hoping for the Saints to win. I hate the "Who Dat" phrase (do these people want to emphasize that an entire city cannot speak proper English?), but the Saints are a good story in New Orleans, they've never won before, and Drew Brees has proven that he's a good quarterback that "deserves" to be a champion.

My Game Prediction

I think the Freeney injury is a huge factor in this game. With him playing hurt or without him, Indy will not be able to get pressure on Drew Brees. Sure, they might sack him once but I doubt he will get hit more than that. Give him time and he will find his targets downfield.

I have been hearing a lot this week that the Saints haved struggled on offense lately. First, may I remind you that the Saints led the NFL in points scored. They also scored 35 in the first half in their playoff game against the Cardinals and 31 more against the Vikings. This is a team that scorched New England. In the Saints' last eight games, Brees has thrown 21 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions. Think about that stat heading into the Super Bowl. And the Saints also had the #6 run offense in the league. Is a Colts defense led by Dwight Freeney who can't even walk going to put pressure on them? Too many weapons.

The Colts have a very strong passing game, duh. The Saints do have a good pass defense though, that allowed one of the smallest completion percentages and intercepted a lot of passes, leading the NFL with 8 defensive scores. Peyton is not immune to throwing an interception; he had 17 picks this year.

Saints 24, Colts 17

Projected stats
Saints: Passing 260, Rushing 130 (390)
Colts: Passing 280, Rushing 60 (340), 1 turnover

a Lifetime movie waiting to happen

Kurt Warner announced his retirement today, ending one of the great storybook careers in sports' history.

It's so amazing it's fun to write about. Warner played college at Nortern Iowa. where he was buried in the depth chart until his senior year. He went on to win Conference Offensive Player of the Year. No NFL scouts seemed to have taken notice and he went undrafted. He was invited to Packers' training camp but was released before any preseason games.

At this point Kurt started working at a grocery store stocking shelves for $5.50 an hour.

Kurt went to the Arena Football League and played for his hometown Iowa Barnstormers. In his two years there he was First-Team All-Arena and the Barnstormers went to the championship twice.

Next he went to NFL Europe and led that league in touchdowns and passing yards.

In 1998 he was finally signed by the St Louis Rams, a team that hadn't been to the playoffs in a decade, and buried again behind legends Tony Banks and Steve Bono (a possible reason they hadn't been to the playoffs in a decade). And after they were cut the Rams signed iron horse Trent Green for 1999, who got hurt in the preseason. Coach Dick Vermeil emotionally and doubtfully exclaimed about his 4-12 team: "We will rally around Kurt Warner and we will play good football."

That season the Warner-led Rams became "The Greatest Show on Turf". They went from twelve losses to thirteen wins, won one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever against the Tenessee Titans, Kurt Warner won NFL MVP honors, and was also named Super Bowl MVP after throwing for a SB-record 414 yards including a long game winning touchdown with two minutes left to break my heart. He also helped me win my first fantasy football league championship when I picked him off waivers after Week 1.

Two years later the Rams won 14 games, Warner won league MVP for the second time, and the Rams again played in the Super Bowl. Warner threw for then-second all-time 365 yards and rallied the Rams back from a two-touchdown 4th quarter deficit (before Adam Viniateri won it for the Patriots) in another one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever.

A few years later Warner got signed by the Arizona Cardinals, a team with one playoff win in the modern era. In 2007 he helped them get to .500 for the first time in nine seasons. Despite the presence of Matt Leinhart, Ken Wisenhunt wisely changed his mind and started Warner under center in 2008, and Warner had another huge year leading the Cardinals to their first ever home playoff win (well, second including 1947). Three weeks later the Cardinals were making their first ever SB trip. Warner threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, including one reminiscent of the winner in his first Super Bowl, before the Steelers had a miracle of their own in another one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever.

And Warner's final season is one to remember. On Sep 20, he broke the NFL single-game completion percentage, going 24 for 26 (92.3%). Nov 8, a week after throwing 5 INTs, Kurt threw for 5 TDs no INTs. And on Jan 10, Kurt Warner had one of the greatest playoff games ever, completing 29/33 passes with 5 touchdowns in the big win over the Packers.

Other than all that, it was a pretty normal career.

The Question: Does Kurt Warner belong in the Hall of Fame?

Argument against: Only had five or six great seasons, with five straight poor seasons in the middle. His NFL career started very late (age 28), and he received significant injuries his whole career. Therefore, he was unable to compile the huge numbers that compare with other quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame.

Argument for: A player virtually unknown when he started, Kurt Warner changed the climate of two terrible franchises, leading them to their only Super Bowl appearances ever. He was the leader of "The Greatest Show on Turf," the only team to score 500 points three seasons in a row. He was a big game player, a winner, holding a 9-4 playoff record. He also has the three highest passing games in Super Bowl history. He is one of the most accurate passers in history, completing 65.5% in his career, and second all-time in passing yards per game. He was incredibly tough; the reason why he got hurt so much was that he would hold onto the ball long enough for Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquain Boldin to get downfield, and he was never afraid to throw the ball knowing that he would get hit hard in the process. He went out on top, playing at as high a level as any in his career. And aside from all that, he is one of the most humble, best people in all of sports, appropriate for the Hall of Fame, and a great family man. Quoting the Cardinals general manager Rod Graves: "I've only had the privilege of being around one other person that I can say was close to him and that was Walter Payton. I think when you have an extraordinary player and one who is just as extraordinary off the field, then you realize you were in the presence of someone special."

Super Bowl Chatter

You know how much I love sports, especially the NFL, and the biggest day of the whole year is coming in a couple weeks. I was accurate in my predictions of last week's games: Colts scoring 17+ points = win (and Garcon and Collie having big days) and Saints winning a high-scoring affair at home.

But now I am in a little predicament: I have no idea who to root for! Patriots are out, my playoff picks Chargers and Cowboys are gone, the other local team (Jets) finally landed. Both remaining teams are over a thousand miles away from my home.

Colts Cons
1. I support three NFL teams, and the team in Indy is the biggest rival for two of them (Patriots and Titans). Yankees fans never support the Red Sox.
2. Along with that, as Tom Brady and Peyton are huge rivals, any support I give Peyton brings Brady a little lower, right? If I want to say Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL I can't see Manning win his second SB.
3. I'm still bitter about Jim Caldwell's decision to bench Peyton and most of the other starters in the 3rd quarter in a close game with a 14-0 record. Give history a chance!
4. They have been one of the most boring teams to watch all year.

Pro-Colts
1. They do have a BYU alum starting for them, Austin Collie.
2. They are a well-run franchise that has consistently been among the NFL's best teams for an entire decade. Excellence deserves to be awarded.
3. My wife went to school in Indiana and her brother is studying there now, too.

Ain't Saints
1. I've got no real connection to the team or city.
2. Even with a win last week, they really didn't look very good on offense or defense, and (except for the Cardinals game), it's been like that for about 6 weeks.
3. Never been good before so why now?

For all the Saints
1. It is nice to see a city rally around a team so strongly. The Saints mean more to New Orleans than any other football team can relate. It is very cliché, but the city of New Orleans deserves a championship after going through what they did with Katrina.
2. They've got Drew Brees but no standout players after that so it's a complete team effort.
3. They torched the Patriots and Giants so I have to give them props for that.
4. Saints are a likeable underdog and I tend to pull for underdogs, especially when history won't be made the other way (like Patriots a couple years ago or Roger Federer winning a million straight matches).

Okay, so that is the situation. What do you think? Do you have a case for why I should pull for either team?

Championship Weekend Preview

A few storylines to follow this weekend.

1. The playoffs feature the 3 best quarterbacks in the NFL (apologies to Mr Rivers). Meanwhile, Mark Sanchez was one of the league's 3 worst starting QBs.

2. How much do you trust your kicker? Cardinals, Chargers, Cowboys, Bengals, Packers, and Patriots kickers have missed field goals en route to an early playoff exit. Now we are left with Jay Feely, Garrett Hartley, Matt Stover, and Ryan Longwell, as unlikely a bunch as ever. Especially with the three great quarterbacks remaining, don't expect coaches sending out their kicking team with the game on the line. Plan on a bunch of 4th down plays this week.

3. There is a chance that we could see Brett Favre in the Super Bowl against the team he played for last season, the Jets, which ended in a lot of chaos and disappointment. Wouldn't that be something: the Jets couldn't make the playoffs with Favre but they can make the Super Bowl with a rookie a year later. Oh well, we'll see.

4. The Saints are hosting their first NFC Championship game and trying to make their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The Vikings have been there four times but never won.

5. One of the best matchups to watch this week is Peyton vs. Darelle Revis. It is likely that the Colt's top receiver Reggie Wayne will be on Revis Island, a lonely place. How often will 18 throw his way?

6. Each of the quarterbacks is in an interesting situation.
a.) For Brett, it's go out in glory and stake his claim as the best QB in history. With all of his passing records, one more he can still set is to become the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl with two different teams.
b.) Peyton needs to win this game or he will always play second fiddle to Tom Brady. If he wins the Super Bowl then he likely sits above even Joe Montana.
c.) Drew Brees has had an incredible career so far and some of the best passing seasons ever but has yet to play in a Super Bowl. Doing so elevates him to elite status and in the same category as Peyton, Favre, and Brady (even if Saints lose SB).
d.) Mark Sanchez is trying to become the first rookie QB to win a Super Bowl (I assume), an incredible achievement that would launch his career for a team that has done nothing since Broadway Joe Namath forty years ago.

7. Speaking of rookies, either Rex Ryan or Jim Caldwell will coach in a Super Bowl in their rookie season, and I'm unsure if that's ever happened.

8. Week 16, 3rd quarter: 14-0 Colts up 15-10, Peyton gets benched, and the 7-7 Jets win 29-15 in one of the biggest coaching controversies of the decade. Jets get in because of that. Now we have a rematch that will finally clean up that story forever, either way.

My Predictions

- Vikings and Saints each won last week by a whopping 31 points, so you cannot argue that these aren't the best two teams in the NFC. Percy Harvin has issues and probably won't play. Vikings secondary is thin and Drew Brees will expose that. High-scoring affair.
Saints 41, Vikings 28

- The top rushing offense versus the worst rushing offense. Clark, Garcon, and Collie will be key for the Colts, and if the Jets stop them they have a chance. Rookie Jet Greene can bust a big one, but the Colts defense is too good to allow anything more. Key number is 17: if the Colts reach 17 points they win, any less and the Jets will win.
Colts 24, Jets 10