College Football Preview

College Football Preview

 

The big college football news this week was the unveiling of the first ranking system from the playoff committee. The list was met with criticism, just as the BCS was, virtually guaranteeing that there really is no way to rank these teams and making everyone happy. For now it’s just the first list, as the weeks go on and teams start taking each other out and the picture gets clearer, if there is still a problem with the list then some tweaks will have to be made going into next season. However, thanks to the initial list we are pretty much looking at our first elimination game this weekend. Let’s take a look at the big games and how I see things playing out for these teams.

First, in the Pac-12 we have the No. 17 Utes of Utah visiting the No. 14 ranked Sun Devils of Arizona State. Utah is looking to end an absolutely brutal losing streak against Arizona St. having gone winless in the series since 1976 (10 straight loses). This could be the year Utah ends the streak as their defense is playing fantastic, leading the nation in sacks, and their special teams, anchored by their great punter, Tom Hackett, is playing well also. The formula is there for an upset to occur, but I am going to give the edge to Arizona State because of the home field advantage. Expect a close, hard fought game with the winner guaranteed a share of first place in the Pac-12 South Division.

In the Big 12, the second best conference in the nation, there is a huge showdown in Morgantown, West Virginia. The No. 7 ranked Horned Frogs of TCU face off against the No. 20 Mountaineers in a huge conference showdown. Not much was expected from West Virginia this season but thanks to victories over Baylor and Oklahoma State they’ve climbed into the national rankings and have a shot at the conference title. Clint Trickett has come back from injury to play extremely well for the Mountaineers and their defense has improved tremendously. TCU will be a tough test. Trevone Boykin is having a great year leading the team in passing and rushing, and the Horned Frogs are coming off an explosive 82 point performance. I expect this to be a shootout but I think TCU comes out on top on the road. Being ranked No. 7 and knowing that the highly ranked teams in the SEC are going to beat up on each other, this is a big opportunity to cement their status as a playoff sleeper. Next week, they face conference leading Kansas State, so they need this game big time. Unfortunately for the Morgantown faithful there will be no singing of Country Roads this week, and hopefully no couches will be harmed in the aftermath.

In the Main Event of the Day, and our first unofficial elimination game of the season, the No. 3 Auburn Tigers travel to The Grove to face No. 4 Ole Miss. Ole Miss somehow garnered a number 4 ranking in the initial release despite coming off a loss to LSU, who thus far, has not been the typical LSU team we are used to seeing. Despite being at home and coming off a loss that makes this a fight for their season I don’t see Ole Miss coming away with a victory. I expect a lot of scoring but in the end Auburn will come out victorious.

That’s all for this week in the College Football Preview. Join us tomorrow as we take a look at the best games of the weekend in the NFL.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Weekend Wrap-Up

 

This weekend was a big weekend for the Giants of San Francisco as they are on the verge of winning their third World Series in five years. Thanks to an offense outburst in Game 4 and a dominating performance from Madison Bumgarner who is quietly becoming one of the greatest big game pitchers of this generation. Kansas City is facing elimination but cannot be counted out just yet with the next two games at home. However, the offense needs to wake up, and fast, if they want to have a chance for a Game 7.

If the Giants can wrap this series up and claim their third World Series I feel Buster Posey needs to enter the conversation and for the moment at least end it as well in regard to the future face of baseball/next Derek Jeter. Everyone wants to talk about Trout and Harper but Posey’s resume would put their combined resumes to shame. This would be a three time champion, Rookie of the Year Winner, Batting Champion, and MVP. Add in the fact he plays the game the right way and is a model citizen and player and I feel there’s no argument to even be made. Give Posey his due.

This week in the world of College Football nothing happened to clear up the muddy playoff picture but with the first rankings due out this Tuesday from the committee, we will have a better idea on where they stand and if they were telling the truth that their rankings won’t really take the polls into too much consideration.

The biggest upset of the weekend was Ole Miss going into Baton Rouge and getting beat by the Tigers of LSU. LSU played a phenomenal game defensively and effectively ran the ball down the throats of the best defense in the country. TCU opened some eyes by putting up 82 points on Texas Tech and serving further notice that they want in on the playoffs. Oregon has gotten its offensive swagger back but defensively they need to clean their act up. They shouldn’t be giving up 42 points to Cal. Mississippi St. survived a road game in Lexington against the much improved Wildcats, and Auburn got all it could handle from South Carolina.

There are still quite a few games left that can help shed some light on the playoff picture especially in the SEC, but come December there will still be fan bases unhappy with where their team ranks. Right now I would personally rank my top 4 as Mississippi St., Florida St., Oregon, and Alabama but I definitely see that changing by the end of the season. Mississippi St. gives up way too many yards and still has to play Alabama and Ole Miss, Oregon has to fend off Stanford, a team that has had its number as of late, Florida St. needs to escape Louisville this Thursday (I don’t think they will), and Alabama has to play LSU,  Mississippi St. and Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Allow me for a minute to break out my crystal ball and predict that come the end of the season the top 4 will be Alabama, Michigan St., Kansas St. and Ole Miss. So in other words, it will be none of those four teams.

Offense was the name of the game in the NFL yesterday as Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Drew Brees all put up monster numbers. Brees and the Saints still need to prove they can consistently win on the road but if they keep playing like they did last night and sneak in as the NFC South winner they can be a team to be reckoned with, especially considering if Arizona and Dallas maintain the top two seeds as both play indoors.

Tom Brady continued his torrid play against the Bears yesterday throwing as many touchdowns as he had incompletions (5). Brady and the Pats are getting hot at a good time with Denver coming to Foxborough on Sunday in what could be a game of the year contender. Rob Gronkowski also showed that he is back to being 100% catching every pass thrown his way and accumulating 3 TDs.

Ben Roethlisberger had the best day of anyone in football yesterday throwing for 522 yards and 6 TDs against the best pass defense in the NFL. A lot was said this week in the media and by Coach Mike Tomlin about Roethlisberger needing to keep up with Luck, the arguable MVP frontrunner and gunslinger of the year. Ben answered the challenge and passed the test with flying colors. The Steelers have a rivalry game this week with Baltimore, and this game will be everything the Colts game wasn’t. The Steelers threw their names back into the AFC North circus but a follow up win against the Ravens will cement their status as a division contender.

In the game of the day yesterday, Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals won a nail biter against Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles. Arizona was trailing with a minute or so to go when Palmer saw a coverage he liked and signaled John Brown to go deep. Palmer threw a bomb, Brown beat his defender, hauled in the pass and got into the end zone with the go ahead score. Philly was able to march down the field but with one second left the pass was incomplete giving Arizona the win. Arizona improved their record to 6-1 and head to Dallas this week to face the likely 7-1 Cowboys. 

With a slate of games including Arizona-Dallas, Denver-New England, and Baltimore-Pittsburgh, Week 9 is shaping up to be must see. The Dallas-Arizona winner will put themselves in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the NFC, the Denver-New England winner will put themselves in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the AFC, and the Baltimore-Pittsburgh winner will put themselves in the driver’s seat for the AFC North crown and a first round home game. This Sunday will be a great day to be a football fan.

Weekend Wrap-Up and World Series Preview

Weekend Wrap-Up and World Series Preview

 

 

This weekend was another exciting one in the world of football, both college and professionally. The playoff committee in college football is going to have one hell of a decision to make when the vote comes around if this season keeps going the way it is. In the NFL, we seen an all time record broken at the hands of one of the greatest to ever play the game; or should I say at the arm? In addition to all the pigskin excitement, the World Series starts tomorrow night in Kansas City and it should be a series to remember. Let’s get to the wrap-up.

On Saturday there were many storylines unfolding even before the pass interference, touchdown negating penalty against Notre Dame. First, the Oklahoma Sooners, the preseason favorites in the Big XII, were beaten by Kansas State, a team ready to possibly break the door down on this whole playoff process. Thanks largely to their kicker, who missed two chip shots, Oklahoma fell into a tie for 6th place in the conference and ended any hope they had of securing a playoff spot. Also in the Big XII, West Virginia and the very much underrated Clint Trickett handed #4 Baylor their first loss of the season. The upset was a great moment for the school, but the madness afterwards in the streets of Morgantown was not. When riot police have to be called it’s never a good sign. TCU who should’ve beaten Baylor, rebounded with a win over Oklahoma State, giving themselves a spot in the top 10 and showing just how deep the conference is. Meanwhile, in the SEC, Alabama put an absolute beatdown on Texas A&M. At the half Alabama had already gained over 400 yards of offense and effectively let the world know that they should not be forgotten about, even if their offensive coordinator is Lane Kiffin. Now to the game of the week in Tallahassee. Florida State escaped with a win thanks to a costly pass interference call against the Notre Dame offense. The two things that stood out during this game were the fact that Jameis Winston, despite all his immature, off-field activity, is the real deal. In the second half Winston put on a clinic against the Irish defense. If the kid can get his act together he is going to make an NFL team very happy, even if he couldn’t pass a fourth grade social studies test. Secondly, Notre Dame is a legit team. If they can run the table the rest of the way they should see themselves in the playoff and possibly facing Florida State again in a rematch for the ages.

On Sunday the NFL took center stage in the sports world and there were more than a few things that stood out. The Chicago Bears look to be imploding in front of our eyes. Terrible play, a locker room fight, and a very bad loss to the Miami Dolphins at home are not recipes for future success. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers absolutely destroyed the Carolina Panthers. Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb had their way with the defense and Cam and the Panther offense couldn’t muster anything but garbage time points. The Lions took another step towards legitimacy with their late win against the New Orleans Saints thanks to their #1 defense picking off Drew Brees. The race to 7-9 or 8-8 and a division win for the NFC South is going to be a joke the rest of the season. The whole division should be excommunicated from the league for the rest of the year. Kyle Orton led the Bills to a last second win against Minnesota, literally scoring with one second remaining. The Bills are 2-1 with Orton as the starter and have held a lead in those two wins for a grand total of five seconds. The Ravens easily dispatched of the Atlanta Falcons and look like the best team in the AFC not named the Broncos. Speaking of the Broncos, they dismantled the 49ers and Peyton Manning overtook Brett Favre for the all-time lead in touchdown passes. If their defense can keep playing as well as they are, Peyton will find himself back in a Super Bowl. Finally, The Dallas Cowboys became the team with the best record in the NFL as they defeated the Giants in an NFC East battle. DeMarco Murray broke Jim Brown’s 56 year record for most games over 100 yards to open a season thanks to another absolute manhandling by the offensive line at the line of scrimmage. Dallas has the best offensive line in football by an unbelievable margin. With 913 rushing yards on the season, Murray has more rushing yards than 29 teams. He is cementing his name in the MVP talks and showing that this offense can do what others before it couldn’t; it is sustainable come December and January.

Now onto baseball and the World Series. Tomorrow night the Giants open up in Kansas City and send Madison Bumgarner to the mound to face James Shields. Despite not having lost thus far in the postseason, I see the Royals dropping at least one, maybe two games to San Fran. Something tells me this Series will be one that we will remember for a long time. There is not much difference between the two teams but each has an extreme advantage over the other in one area. Kansas City can run circles around San Fran on the base path but Bruce Bochy could outmanage Ned Yost even if he lost half of his brain capabilities. So the question then is this, which is the bigger advantage? I feel that despite how much better a manager may be, if a team is hitting and can run well, even the smart manager pushing all the right buttons won’t be able to overcome that. I’m going to take the Royals in 6.  

The Secret Service

The Secret Service

 

The job of The Secret Service is providing protection to those in positions of power. On America’s Team there are no bigger positions of power than the quarterback and running back. When your quarterback is staying upright and your running back is taking the league by storm, then you, as The Secret Service are doing your job and doing it extremely well. To serve and protect on the frontlines and to sacrifice your well-being for the sake of others, that is the mantra that is being learned and engrained in the minds of the best of the best. 

Spread offenses and read options may be common practice in the NFL these days but there is one team bucking that trend. There’s one team that isn’t interested whatsoever in gimmicks and reaching into its bag of tricks. There’s one team that isn’t interested in lining up primarily in the shotgun. There’s one team that doesn’t use the pass to set up the run. That team is the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, you read that right. The Dallas Cowboys are going against the grain and having tremendous success in doing so.

The Dallas Cowboys are running the ball down teams’ throats and are extremely successful for two reasons. One, even if they fall behind they are not abandoning their game plan. They know running the ball is their bread and butter and nothing will stop them from doing so. Second, and most importantly, they have the best offensive line in football, and truthfully, it’s not even close. The line is young, powerful, talented, and they are imposing their will on teams. 

I do not want to take anything away from DeMarco Murray because he is a great running back and is having an MVP type season but even he will tell you that his numbers are where they are because of the big, physical line opening up holes for him. Murray leads the league in yards before contact and yards after contact. After contact is all on him because he uses his power and elusiveness well but before contact his line is creating holes that a grandmother could get through untouched.

All 5 members of Dallas’ starting O-Line are young, three are first round picks, and they have allowed DeMarco Murray and also Tony Romo to shine. Last week against the Seahawks Romo had 3 seconds on average to progress through his reads and find the open man. Seattle doesn’t get bullied like that at all. Ever. On Sunday though, the bully got hit bullied back.

Another advantage of such a dominant offensive line is long drives that eat away at the clock and keep the defense off the field. Coming into the season all the talk was that the Cowboys would have the worst defense in the NFL by far. Now certainly the defense is younger and hungrier, but the less time they have to be on the field, the less worn down they are. Make no mistake about it, this defense is still average at best, but DeMarco Murray and the O-Line are turning them into a very confident bunch.

Dallas still has to exercise its demons of December and January, but with Murray running the ball the way he and the O-Line are dominating, there’s no reason to think it can’t happen. This is a different Dallas team than we’ve seen before. The more the wins pile up early and the more confidence that is built up early will only help when December rolls around.

 It’s funny to think of the Dallas Cowboys as an underdog or a feel good story but that is the narrative this season is providing. They are a throwback to a time when teams would punish you up front and run right through you. Their success may be a surprise, but the even bigger surprise is that everyone knows how to stop them; they just can’t do it effectively. Dallas is letting you know here’s what we’re going to do and we dare you to stop it. So far, no one has been successful, and as long as The Secret Service is doing its job, that’s the way it should be. HOW ‘BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!!

This is a Great Weekend to be a Sports Fan

This is a Great Weekend to be a Sports Fan

 

Tonight the Championship Series in the American League will begin in Baltimore when James Shields takes the mound for the Royals to take on Chris Tillman and the Orioles. No matter how this series turns out, either the longest or second longest pennant-less streak in baseball will end. Baltimore is the favorite to win the series but I don’t see it that way. Baltimore has a power advantage but Kansas City is a much better contact team. Kansas City has a deeper rotation and a better bullpen as far as I’m concerned and most importantly, Kansas City has the clutch hitter of the playoffs in Eric Hosmer. Also, Kansas City has an outrageous advantage in speed and if their guys get on they are going to take off at will. This will create more run scoring opportunities and the Kansas City offense will take full advantage. Both home stadiums should provide raucous atmospheres due to the length of time each fan base has gone since being in this moment. I see this series going six and Kansas City reaching the World Series.

Over in the National League, the Championship Series begins on Saturday with the all world pitching matchup of Madison Bumgarner against Adam Wainwright. For the 5th year in a row one of these teams will represent the National League in the World Series but I don’t see this as evenly matched as the American League is. I feel St. Louis can dominate this series with much better hitting and a better all-around pitching staff. After Wainwright the Cardinals can turn to Lance Lynn, possibly the most underrated pitcher in the game, and John Lackey, one of the premiere big game pitchers. San Francisco is too hit or miss offensively to stay with the Cardinals, and we will have an all Missouri World Series. Cardinals in five.

Last Saturday was one of the craziest days in college football history. Starting with Arizona’s win in Oregon on Thursday, ranked teams started dropping like flies, and lower ranked teams seized the moment and took out their higher ranked counterparts. This Saturday will be right up there with it as far as action, suspense, and potential upsets. There are two matchups of undefeated teams, and another undefeated team heads on the road to one of the most hostile environments in college football.

Auburn has looked from top to bottom like the best team in the country. Nick Marshall has improved tremendously and is not nearly as dependent on the run game as he was last season. The defense hasn’t lost a step and Auburn is looking to crash the national championship game once again. First though, they are going to have to travel to Mississippi State and face the surprising Bulldogs. Mississippi State is coming off a dominating performance against Texas A&M, handing them their first loss of the season. Auburn won the last meeting but this is not the same Dak Prescott or Bulldog team. Prescott has improved dramatically and I believe with the home crowd behind him will lead Mississippi State to victory.

Next up is a Big XII showdown between two top five undefeated teams. The Red River Shootout this is not. Neither Texas nor Oklahoma are the undefeated teams doing battle in this matchup. No, that distinction belongs to TCU and Baylor. TCU is a big surprise this year and is coming off a nail biting victory over Oklahoma who was ranked #4 at the time, while Baylor has been playing steadily and avoided the upset that has hit so many teams. TCU is going to need a big game from star QB and all around threat Trevone Boykin if they want to come away with a victory. Bryce Petty will need to rebound from a mediocre game against Texas as well to give Baylor a chance. I’m going to give the edge to TCU here despite Baylor being at home. TCU comes away with the shootout victory and puts themselves in the driver’s seat in the Big XII.

Finally in the other highly anticipated matchup of the weekend, Ole Miss travels to Texas A&M and takes on the Aggies and the 12th Man. Led by one of the top defenses in the country and veteran QB Bo Wallace, the Rebels are on a roll. Coming off a huge win for the program against Alabama with College Gameday in attendance at The Grove, they now travel to one of the most infamous atmospheres in all of college football. Led by freshman Kenny Hill, Texas A&M hasn’t lost a step despite losing Johnny Football. This could very well be the game of the day, and I’m giving the edge to the Rebels. Hill has played very well but being a freshman and facing a defense unlike one he has seen so far will lead to some mistakes. The Rebels will take advantage and keep their magical season going.

This Sunday the NFL doesn’t offer as much intrigue as Saturday in college does but there are still some games that can pique the interest of those in need of a Sunday football fix. The Patriots travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in a divisional matchup, the Bears look to rebound from their collapse against Carolina by traveling to the Georgia Dome and taking on the Falcons, and in the laughingstock game of the day, Peyton Manning and the Broncos travel to MetLife Stadium to dismantle the pathetic Jets and their even more pathetic secondary. We will now take a look at the three games of the day and what they will mean in the long run.

The first game we will look at is one that will make all of you laugh as far as being featured anywhere, but the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to the Music City to take on the Titans. Now why on God’s green earth would anyone consider this to be a feature game? Let me explain. This game will be the showcase for Jaguars fans to see what they have in their future. Blake Bortles has looked more than competent, which is more than can be said about Tennessee as a whole. With Charlie Whitehurst starting and coming off a collapse of epic proportions against Cleveland, Tennessee is all but dead. The Jaguars know this is a very winnable game and will come out hungry and aggressive. Bortles will have a great game and the defense will force some turnovers, leading to Blake Bortles first victory in the NFL.

Next up, we travel to the Emerald City as the surprise Dallas Cowboys take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. Despite being a surprise team thus far, Dallas’ four game win streak will all but likely end. Seattle is a terrible matchup for this team and Seattle should be able to take away the one thing Dallas does very well, which is run the ball. Despite having the best offensive line in football and one that has had its way with every defensive front thus far, Dallas will be brought back down to earth by the Seahawks. Now that my reverse jinx is in effect, my Cowboy fandom has to kick in and say let’s shock the world boys.

Finally, in the game of the day, or should I say night, the New York Giants head to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. The Eagles are tied for first in the NFC East at 4-1 but have not played at all like a 4-1 team. If it wasn’t for defensive or special teams touchdowns, there’s no telling where this team would be. Lesean McCoy has had a terrible year thanks to Philly needing to use a patchwork offensive line and Nick Foles realized the clock struck midnight on his fairy tale so the interceptions are starting to come. The Giants on the other hand are coming in hot and playing as well as any team in the league. They’re hurt by the loss of Rashad Jennings but Andre Williams has played well since Jennings went down. This game will be close due to its rivalry nature but I’m going to give the edge to the Giants. Come Monday morning we should be waking up to a three way tie at 4-2 in the NFC East.

WEEKEND WRAP-UP

WEEKEND WRAP-UP

 

This past weekend in sports was one for the ages. When Oregon lost at home to Arizona in a game that they were almost four touchdown favorites in, we should’ve known something was up. It began there and ended last night when the Patriots put themselves back on the map and in the driver’s seat in the AFC East. In between we were treated to excitement comparable to being a kid on Christmas morning. Let’s get to the wrap up beginning with Major League Baseball and the wrap up of the two ALDS series.

The Detroit Tigers came into the playoffs with the worst bullpen of all the playoff teams and it showed in their ALDS matchup against the Orioles. In both games 1&2 the bullpen could not hold a lead and put the Tigers in an 0-2 hole heading back to the Motor City. Yesterday the offense showed that it stayed in Baltimore to maybe enjoy a few more days at the Inner Harbor. A 2 run home run by Nelson Cruz in the 6th inning was enough to give the Orioles the win and the series. In the other ALDS series you had the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who ran through the American League and wrapped up home field throughout the playoffs, and the Kansas City Royals. The Royals were coming off their exciting wild card game win against Oakland but most didn’t give them a shot against the Angels, who had the far superior hitters, at least on paper. Thank God they don’t play games on paper though because the Royals went out to Anaheim and brought their hot bats with them. Kansas City completely stole away home field taking the first two games in Anaheim, led by the suddenly unstoppable Eric Hosmer. Coming back to KC with a chance for a sweep had the home crowd in an absolute frenzy and C.J. Wilson never had a chance. Wilson couldn’t even make it out of the first inning after giving up 3 runs and having poor control. The Royals onslaught continued and they became the second team in the ALCS, and also the second team to sweep its opening round series. When Kansas City and Baltimore meet, with game 1 on Friday, it will be the team with the longest pennant drought against the team with the second longest. Something will have to give on the way to the Fall Classic and one of these fan bases will be bearing witness to history.

This week in College Football was the week where anything potentially amazing that could happen did.  There were upsets galore, possible championship dreams shattered, and more excitement than could be humanly handled. It all started Thursday night when Arizona strolled into Oregon and handed the Ducks their first loss of the season in a game they were believed to have no chance in. Then Saturday came along and all hell broke loose. UCLA lost to unranked Utah, Alabama and the most overrated coach/coordinator in the history of the game, Lane Kiffin got embarrassed by Ole Miss, LSU was completely demolished by Auburn (the team that looks the most complete thus far), South Carolina suffered their 3rd loss of the year, burying their championship hopes with a loss to Kentucky, USC lost on a last second Hail Mary against Arizona St., Notre Dame won a wet and sloppy contest against the Cardinal of Stanford, and TCU handed Oklahoma their first loss of the season. This weekend threw the entire playoff picture into shambles and almost all but guarantees at least one single loss team and possibly two could make the playoffs. Right now if the playoffs started I would have to say Auburn, Florida St., Notre Dame, and either Miss. St. or Ole Miss as the fourth team. However that will change once again this weekend when Auburn faces off against Miss. St., Ole Miss travels to A&M, and Baylor and TCU square off in another top ten matchup of undefeated teams. Make sure your seatbelts are buckled folks because we’ve officially hit the point in the season where we need to make sure we’re strapped in tight and keep our hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. 

Sunday in the NFL was another week of action and drama as per usual with this league. There are no undefeated teams left and only three one loss teams. Of those 3 one loss teams, (San Diego, Philadelphia, and Dallas) only San Diego has looked truly championship quality. Dallas and Philadelphia both have their issues but will no doubt take the position they are in right now. The one thing that is certain so far in the season is that the NFC is clearly the far superior and deeper conference. One AFC team who people had left for dead was the New England Patriots, and all they did was come out and dismantle the previously undefeated Bengals. Watching that game early on, when Brady ran for a first down and jumped right up and gave an emphatic fist pump, that’s when I knew New England wasn’t losing this game. With their power running and two tight end formations they may be right back on track to finish atop the AFC. I would also like to extend congratulations to Peyton Manning for throwing his 500th TD pass against the Arizona Cardinals. The individual accomplishments are piling up but hopefully he can get that second ring that has eluded him in order to fully top off his resume as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Also, congratulations to Jason Witten, my absolute favorite player in the NFL by the way, for eclipsing the 10,000 receiving yard mark, joing only Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe in that exclusive club. Tonight on Monday Night Football I see the Redskins keeping things interesting but ultimately falling short against the Seahawks and further burying themselves in the NFC East race. I’m going to end on this note: My top 3 picks right now for the Most Valuable Player through Week 5. I would give Philip Rivers a slight lead over Andrew Luck at the moment with DeMarco Murray coming in 3rd. Rivers is my leader just based on the fact that the Chargers have gone through 183 running backs and 398 offensive lineman, and specifically centers. What he has been able to do even in the face of those shortcomings has been nothing short of brilliant and the award is his to lose right now.

Now You Know My Name

Now You Know My Name

 

Madison Bumgarner was not a name well known around the casual baseball fan circles before last night. Diehard baseball fans and subscribers to Extra Innings knew his name and knew it well, but last night the whole world got to see what the rest of us already knew. Underrated doesn’t even begin to describe Bumgarner. He put his name on the short list of best pitchers in all of baseball.

During the pregame a lot was said about the atmosphere in Pittsburgh and last year’s wild card game was brought up. The Pirates fans got inside the head of Johnny Cueto and took him out of the game before it even started. There was actually talk, and pretty laughable talk at that, about whether the same would happen to Bumgarner. What these analysts forgot was the fact that Bumgarner, despite only being 25, is already in the league since 2010 and is a two time World Series Champion. This is not a guy who is going to get rattled in the moment. In fact, Bumgarner thrives in it. When asked about the crowd in Pittsburgh and how raucous they would be, Bumgarner responded by saying quite simply, “that’s what makes it fun.” Those are the words of a man who I want on the mound for my team in a do or die situation.

From the first pitch Bumgarner dominated an underrated Pirates lineup. He finished the game going complete giving up only 4 hits and striking out 10. While Tuesday’s game in the AL was known for excitement and comebacks, Wednesday night was all about pure dominance. Never knowing what you’re going to get is the beauty of the MLB Playoffs, but with Bumgarner on the mound, everyone now knows exactly what you’re going to get.

WHAT DID I JUST SEE?

WHAT DID I JUST SEE?

 

 
 

 

The question above had to be stated countless times last night during the AL Wildcard Game between the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals. So many things happened, both good and bad to illicit such a reaction, but one thing is for sure, that was one hell of a game.

To get the bad part of the what did I just see equation out of the way, make no mistake that as great and exciting as that game turned out to be last night, it may have been the worst managed game in the playoffs in a long time. Ned Yost would be mostly to blame for that but Bob Melvin certainly didn’t make it easy on him to win the worst manager award. Both Oakland and Kansas City were able to overcome their managerial inefficiencies and produce a game for the ages and one that will not soon be forgotten.

Oakland seemed to find their offense, especially Brandon Moss who has been battling a hip injury for some time now. However, thanks to Kansas City’s speed and heart, no lead was safe. Kansas City was able to capitalize on the injury to Geovany Soto who was starting strictly because of his ability to control the run game over Derek Norris. Once Norris was put in then Kansas City went on the attack. That is of course when they weren’t bunting guys over every chance they got.

Kansas City was the hungrier team and battled their hearts out for a well deserved win. They now move on to face an Angels in a series that will be all about speed versus power. Mike Trout finally gets a taste of the postseason and I feel he will not disappoint, but the Royals can win this series if the defense plays well and Yost gets out of his own way.

Tonight is the NL Wild Card Game between the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Good luck to both of these teams trying to follow the game last night, although to their credit there aren’t many teams who could. For my money the key to this game is the top of the Giants batting order. If Gregor Blanco and Joe Panik can get on base for the heart of the order then I don’t see any way San Francisco can lose. They are sending their 25 year old two-time World Series Champion ace to the mound in Madison Bumgarner and this kid will not feel any pressure or butterflies. He will also make very few mistakes, so Pittsburgh will need to capitalize on those if they want to have a chance. This game should be more of a low scoring affair than last night was, and unlike in the AL where either winner would have a chance against Anaheim, I don’t see either of these NL teams having a chance against Washington come the NLDS. San Francisco gets the W tonight before bowing out to the buzzsaw that is the Washington Nationals next round.