(As you may have noticed, I'm still playing around with the format for this thing. Getting there, but it's still not quite right. If you read this and have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment or send an email to onemoredyingquail@gmail.com.)
To be honest, I'm half-tempted to throw away a dollar or twenty on the national anthem one. The over seems like a sure thing there.
The Most Ridiculous Super Bowl XLII Props (Vegas Watch)
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
If You See This Girl, Keep Your Phone as Far Away From Her as Possible (Why Don't We Get Drunk and Blog?)
Thoughts on the difficulties of getting to really know one's father, backlit by a story on the death of Bear Bryant.
Slippery People: A Moment, Please (Every Day Should Be Saturday)
Brian Bannister offers fascinating insight into the way a major league pitcher's mind works
Brian Bannister Q&A, Part 3 (MLB Trade Rumors)
I worked at Target once. Stocked the hardware aisle. Nasty work, Crash, nasty.
Target Thinks Bloggers are Irrelevant (Oriole Post)
Best wishes to Mike Wilbon for a quick recovery.
Get Well Soon, Mike (The Big Lead)
Chris Hansen and Carl Monday need to have their own television show, and it needs to happen as soon as possible.
Carl Monday: Catch This Man (The Sporting Orange)
This year's Pro Football Hall of Fame voting will take place on Saturday. Thoughts on a few players who deserve a spot.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists - My Vote (Stiles Points)
If you're a prostitute, and you're not in Arizona this week...well, you're just not trying.
Are You Ready For Some Hookers? (Deuce of Davenport)
I used to blog at Fox Sports. As someone who once saw the word "suspicious" appear on screen as "suBLEEPious", this post about out-of-control censors does not surprise me.
This date in sports history: First baseball HOF class (Randball)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Links: Is There A Way To Bet Money On Brady Throwing A Sixty-Yard Bomb To Moss On The First Series?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Hall of Fame Quarterbacks and the Super Bowl
Heading into the conference championship games eleven days ago, fans seemed likely to be treated to one of the all-time great quarterback matchups in Super Bowl history: New England's Tom Brady, winner of three Big Games in seven seasons, versus Green Bay's Brett Favre, holder of just about every major passing record a quarterback could ever want.
Brady held up his end of the bargain, leading his Patriots to a 21-12 victory over San Diego, but Favre dropped the proverbial ball, throwing a costly interception in overtime as the Packers lost to the Giants, 23-20. Just like that, "Brady v. Favre" became "Brady v. Manning...no, the other Manning."
This made me wonder: counting the one this coming Sunday, 42 Super Bowls will have been played since the Packers and Chiefs squared off in 1966. Which of those games featured the best quarterback matchups - not necessarily performance-wise, mind you, but perceptually; which matchups make us look back today and say, "Wow, that would have broken all previous standards for hype if it had been held today," and which ones wouldn't have been worth our time and effort?
I went through all 42 Super Bowls and noted the starters for each team (or, in several cases, the starter and a reserve who came in following an injury or general ineffectiveness), then broke them down into several different categories. The results are below:
Head-to-Head Hall of Famers
(For the sake of this conversation, I'm including Tom Brady, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning as Hall of Famers, as they are pretty clearly headed there when they retire.)
To date, ten Super Bowls have featured opposing quarterbacks who are both members of the Hall of Fame (games in which a Hall of Famer split time with a non-HOF teammate aren't included here; those are in a separate section). The most impressive guy on the list below is probably Terry Bradshaw, who earned three of his four Super Bowl wins against teams led by Roger Staubach (twice) and Fran Tarkenton. Joe Montana is the only other quarterback to beat two Hall of Famers (Marino and Elway).
Notable in his absence? Tom Brady, who has played against Kurt Warner, Jake Delhomme, Donovan McNabb, and Eli Manning in his four Super Bowl appearances. While Bradshaw and Montana deserve respect for beating top-notch opponents, however, Brady (or any other quarterback) can't really be downgraded for failing to do so; the other quarterbacks likely to reach the Hall of Fame from this generation are Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. Manning and Brady play in the same conference and can't meet in the Super Bowl (but have had several epic playoff matchups) and Favre's Packers haven't reached the big game since the late 1990s.
Super Bowl I (1966)
Bart Starr (Green Bay) vs. Len Dawson (Kansas City)
Super Bowl VI (1971)
Roger Staubach (Dallas) vs. Bob Griese (Miami)
Super Bowl VIII (1973)
Bob Griese (Miami) vs. Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota)
Super Bowl IX (1974)
Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh) vs. Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota)
Super Bowl X (1975)
Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh) vs. Roger Staubach (Dallas)
Super Bowl XIII (1978)
Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh) vs. Roger Staubach (Dallas)
Super Bowl XIX (1984)
Joe Montana (San Francisco) vs. Dan Marino (Miami)
Super Bowl XXIV (1989)
Joe Montana (San Francisco) vs. John Elway (Denver)
Super Bowl XXVIII (1993)
Troy Aikman (Dallas) vs. Jim Kelly (Buffalo)
Super Bowl XXXII (1997)
John Elway (Denver) vs. Brett Favre (Green Bay)
One Hall of Famer Ain't Too Bad
Exactly half of the 42 Super Bowls thus far have featured one Hall of Fame-bound quarterback. (Again, not counting the teams that used multiple quarterbacks in the big game, like the 1968 Baltimore Colts.) Fifteen have led their teams to the win, with Brady's 2007 Patriots still to play.
Super Bowl II (1967)
Bart Starr (Green Bay) vs. Daryle Lamonica (Oakland)
Super Bowl IV (1969)
Len Dawson (Kansas City) vs. Joe Kapp (Minnesota)
Super Bowl VII (1972)
Bob Griese (Miami) vs. Billy Kilmer (Washington)
Super Bowl XI (1976)
Ken Stabler (Oakland) vs. Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota)
Super Bowl XII (1977)
Roger Staubach (Dallas) vs. Craig Morton (Denver)
Super Bowl XIV (1979)
Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh) vs. Vince Ferragamo (Los Angeles Rams)
Super Bowl XVI (1981)
Joe Montana (San Francisco) vs. Ken Anderson (Cincinnati)
Super Bowl XXI (1986)
Phil Simms (New York Giants) vs. John Elway (Denver)
Super Bowl XXII (1987)
Doug Williams (Washington) vs. John Elway (Denver)
Super Bowl XXIII (1988)
Joe Montana (San Francisco) vs. Boomer Esiason (Cincinnati)
Super Bowl XXV (1990)
Jeff Hostetler (New York Giants) vs. Jim Kelly (Buffalo)
Super Bowl XXVI (1991)
Mark Rypien (Washington) vs. Jim Kelly (Buffalo)
Super Bowl XXIX (1994)
Steve Young (San Francisco) vs. Stan Humphries (San Diego)
Super Bowl XXX (1995)
Troy Aikman (Dallas) vs. Neil O'Donnell (Pittsburgh)
Super Bowl XXXI (1996)
Brett Favre (Green Bay) vs. Drew Bledsoe (New England)
Super Bowl XXXIII (1998)
John Elway (Denver) vs. Chris Chandler (Atlanta)
Super Bowl XXXVI (2001)
Tom Brady (New England) vs. Kurt Warner (St. Louis)
Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003)
Tom Brady (New England) vs. Jake Delhomme (Carolina)
Super Bowl XXXIX (2004)
Tom Brady (New England) vs. Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia)
Super Bowl XLI (2006)
Peyton Manning (Indianapolis) vs. Rex Grossman (Chicago)
Super Bowl XLII (2007)
Tom Brady (New England) vs. Eli Manning (New York)
No Hall of Famers
Super Bowl XV (1980)
Jim Plunkett (Oakland) vs. Ron Jaworski (Philadelphia)
Super Bowl XVII (1982)
Joe Theismann (Washington) vs. David Woodley (Miami)
Super Bowl XVIII (1983)
Jim Plunkett (Los Angeles Raiders) vs. Joe Theismann (Washington)
Super Bowl XXXIV (1999)
Kurt Warner (St. Louis) vs. Steve McNair (Tennessee)
Super Bowl XXXV (2000)
Trent Dilfer (Baltimore) vs. Kerry Collins (New York Giants)
Super Bowl XXXVII (2002)
Brad Johnson (Tampa Bay) vs. Rich Gannon (Oakland)
Super Bowl XL (2005)
Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) vs. Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle)
Special Cases
Super Bowl III (1968)
Joe Namath (New York) vs. Earl Morrall/Johnny Unitas* (Baltimore)
Super Bowl V (1970)
Johnny Unitas/Earl Morrall* (Baltimore) vs. Craig Morton (Dallas)
Super Bowl XX (1985)
Jim McMahon (Chicago) vs. Tony Eason/Steve Grogan (New England)
Super Bowl XXVII (1992)
Troy Aikman (Dallas) vs. Jim Kelly/Frank Reich (Buffal0)
Super Bowl History
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Stop Hyperventilating, Matt Cassel; You Won't Be Playing On Sunday After All
Via Michael David Smith at The FanHouse:
NFL reporter John Clayton just made a rather stunning comment on ESPN Radio: According to Clayton, the ankle injury suffered by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is serious enough that if the Super Bowl had been yesterday, Brady wouldn't have played.
So that means that if the NFL had decided to schedule just one week off between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, Brady would have finished one of the greatest seasons in NFL history by standing on the sidelines and watching his undefeated team play the Super Bowl without him. What would the Patriots' offense look like without Brady? Would the Patriots even be favored to beat the Giants with Matt Cassel under center?
Okay - let's everybody just take a second to breathe. In...out. In...out. In...out. There you go. Now we're ready to talk about this clearly and rationally...
Are you fucking kidding me, John Clayton? You actually think that if the Super Bowl had been played last night, Tom Brady would have hung out on the sidelines and hoped for the best? Really?
I don't have the same sources as reporters such as yourself and Chris Mortensen, but I can say with approximately 1,000,000,000% certainty that if the Super Bowl had been held immediately following the AFC Championship Game, and instead of a high ankle sprain Brady's right arm had been detached completely from his body, he still would have played in the game. Left-handed. To paraphrase Dan Hawkins, "THIS IS THE SUPER BOWL! IT'S THE NFL! IT AIN'T INTRAMURALS!"
Four reasons Brady would have played under any and all circumstances:
1) Philip Rivers played in the AFC Championship Game without an ACL. Do you really think Tom Brady would allow himself to live in a world in which he was considered less tough than Philip Rivers?
2) His backup, Matt Cassel, backed up two Heisman Trophy winners at USC (never starting a game at quarterback there) and has attempted 39 passes in three NFL seasons. He's one of the few people who envies the amount of playing time Jim Sorgi gets. Do you really think Tom Brady would allow himself to live in a world in which he guides the New England Patriots to an 18-0 record, then decides to throw Matt Cassel a bone and let him play? Let me answer that: no, he would not. He would sooner give Cassel a weekend with Gisele than a start in the Super Bowl.
(That said, how awesome would The Matt Cassel Story be if he backed up Carson Palmer, backed up Matt Leinart, backed up Tom Brady, started and won the Super Bowl to cap a perfect 19-0 season, then went back to backing up Brady for the rest of his career? Not to venture too far into Dan Shanoff "instant history" territory here, but that would automatically qualify him for the most amazing career ever.)
3) If the turnaround time had been one week instead of two, the initial treatment would have been a wee bit different. Basically, TMZ never would have caught Brady and the boot in New York because he would have been in Foxborough with the Patriots training staff, doctors, orthopedists, psychics, faith healers, shamans, witch doctors - anyone and everyone who could have had him ready to play in seven days.
4) Bill Belichick is having way, way too much fun fucking around with the media for this to actually be a serious injury. Have you seen the way his face lights up every time he does a press conference or interview and says that the injury report will be out on Wednesday? He's positively giddy. I'm convinced the man has never had more fun in his entire life.
Okay, I'm done. Back to enjoying Clayton's overall body of work and working on the screenplay for The Matt Cassel Story while waiting patiently for the game to start.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Visual Crack: Donna Martin Graduates!
ESPN's Bill Simmons has been mentioning the "Donna Martin Graduates!" episode of Beverly Hills 90210 for years now, but I had never actually seen it. Last week, however, my wife was watching the show on Soap Net when I realized there was a lot of talk about Donna and how she wasn't going to graduate because she had been caught drinking, which was terrible because a) all teenage kids drink and b) due to fact previously stated in Point A, Donna's friends had all been drinking, but she was the only one who had been caught and punished.
You know what happens next. That's right, kids - Brandon Walsh is taking up Donna's cause and leading a protest! And Kelly's there, and Steve, and On-dray-ah, and David, and even Dylan, that loveable little scamp who teased us all into thinking he was gonna blow off the walkout and take his final anyway, only to flawlessly pull off the rare double reverse and walk out while earning the continued respect of his teacher. That's why Dylan was infinitely cooler than Brandon - somehow, he figured out a way to be rebellious whether he stayed in the classroom or not.
I wish I knew how to quit this show.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Reverse Survivor: At Last...The Gathering
The last week featured minimal movement on the Reverse Survivor front, with nothing unexpected happening. Princeton won its third game to remove itself from the running (for now, the fact that it was against a non-Division 1 school is unimportant). Grambling State distanced itself from the rest of the pack by winning its second game of the year; the Tigers have assumed the role of Princeton, with a 2-12 record and 0.05% chance of losing its remaining games.
Six teams are currently alive in the competion: NJIT, North Florida, North Carolina Central, Presbyterian, Maryland Eastern Shore, and Grambling State. As noted last week, the Highlanders took home the season's first award as the last team to win a game, but are still in a position to avoid the ultimate title of Reverse Survivor champion.
Most interesting development this week: after holding onto a glimmer of hope for several weeks, NJIT now has a projected record of 0-29 in the Pomeroy Ratings.
Zero (1)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (Independent, 0-21)
- Pomeroy Rank: 341 (--)
- Projected Record: 0-29
- Highest Win Probability (D1 Opponents Only): 25%
- Games Remaining: 8
- Against Teams Ranked Below 300: 2
- Chances of Finishing Winless: 57.97%
North Florida (Atlantic Sun, 1-18)
- Pomeroy Rank: 335 (--)
- Projected Record: 3-26
- Highest Win Probability (D1 Opponents Only): 41%
- Games Remaining: 10
- Against Teams Ranked Below 300: 2
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 14.72%
- Pomeroy Rank: 340 (--)
- Projected Record: 3-26
- Highest Win Probability (D1 Opponents Only): 13%
- Games Remaining: 5
- Against Teams Ranked Below 300: 1
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 81.8% (not including two games against non-Division 1 opponents)
Presbyterian (Independent, 2-21)
- Pomeroy Rank: 301 (--)
- Projected Record: 5-25
- Highest Win Probability (D1 Opponents Only): 4%
- Games Remaining: 7
- Against Teams Ranked Below 300: 0
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 90.4% (not including three games against non-Division 1 opponents)
- Pomeroy Rank: 339 (-1)
- Projected Record: 4-27
- Highest Win Probability (D1 Opponents Only): 43%
- Games Remaining: 11
- Against Teams Ranked Below 300: 7
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 15.0%
- Pomeroy Rank: 338 (+1)
- Projected Record: 4-21
- Highest Win Probability (D1 Opponents Only): 51%
- Games Remaining: 11
- Against Teams Ranked Below 300: 10
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 0.05%
Princeton (Ivy League, 3-12)
Eastern Illinois (Ohio Valley, 3-17)
Women's Reverse Survivor
And you thought the men's side was wide open...
Fourteen teams are still alive for the women, including two that have not won a game yet this season. One of those schools, CSU Northridge, has two programs that are polar opposites: the gals are 0-16 on the year, the guys are 14-4 and leading the Big West conference (thanks to Eric from Storming the Floor for pointing out that odd fact).
Zero (2)
Fordham (Atlantic 10, 0-20): nine games remaining
CSU Northridge (Big West, 0-16): eleven games remaining
One (6)
Winston-Salem (Independent, 1-14): thirteen games remaining
Presbyterian (Independent, 1-21): four games remaining - two of which are against South Carolina-Aiken (all I can imagine is a team consisting entirely of Clay Aiken clones) and Converse All-Stars; the Team Reverse Survivor Award, for joint men's and women's futility, is well within the Blue Hose's reach (in related news, Liz Blue is still averaging 0.0 PPG for the Blue Hose).
Brown (Ivy League, 1-15): twelve games remaining
Colgate (Patriot League, 1-19): nine games remaining
Sam Houston State (Southland-West, 1-17): eleven games remaining
Grambling State (Southwestern Athletic, 1-16): eleven games remaining - Presbyterian's closest remaining competitor for the Team award; they might have a chance, but the SWAC is so weak on the men's side that it's hard to see them winning less than five games in the end.
Two (6)
Howard (Mid-Eastern, 2-15): twelve games remaining
Norfolk State (Mid-Eastern, 2-13): twelve games remaining
Colorado State (Mountain West, 2-16): eleven games remaining
Wagner (Northeast, 2-16): eleven games remaining
Idaho (Western Athletic, 2-17): nine games remaining
San Jose State (Western Athletic, 2-17): ten games remaining
Dropped Out (1)
Central Arkansas (Southland-East, 3-16)
2008 NCAA Football Virtual Playoffs First Round: More Games of Sunday, January 27, 2008
Miami (OH) (69) @ Indiana (60)
Final Score: Indiana 24, Miami (OH) 19
Indiana will play Brigham Young (5) in the second round.
UCLA (70) @ Texas A&M (59)
Final Score: UCLA 20, Texas A&M 0
UCLA will play Ohio State (6) in the second round.
Colorado (71) @ Oklahoma State (58)
Final Score: Oklahoma State 21, Colorado 3
Oklahoma State will play USC (7) in the second round.
Santana Trade Talks Nearing Resolution...Maybe
According to a post on MLB Trade Rumors earlier today, the Minnesota Twins are expected to finally trade two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana to the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, or New York Mets at some point within the next ten days.
I can't get to either link included in the post (one requires a length registration process I'm not willing to endure, the other is ESPN Insider), but two things stood out from the information that was provided: one, Santana would likely require a huger-than-I-expected extension from the team that acquires him (six years, $150 million is tossed out rather casually), and two, the Red Sox may have removed Jon Lester from their offer.
Ironically, I was looking at Manny Ramirez's contract information this afternoon and remembering a time when the Red Sox couldn't give him away because his $20 million annual salary was deemed too high. You remember those days, don't you, when Major League Baseball experienced its famous "market correction" and started paying players more reasonably? Seems that the owners and players are both over that little bit of silliness.
Honestly, I can't say whether or not I'd like it if the Red Sox made a $150 million commitment to Santana. On the one hand, you're acquiring and locking up the best pitcher in baseball. On the other hand, are you going to regret spending all that money when the market again "corrects" in a few years and Santana is way overpaid, or if he hurts himself within, say, the first half of the deal and practices his Mike Hampton impression for the remainder of his contract? Given those questions, it's no surprise the sides are having trouble completing a deal.
2008 NCAA Football Virtual Playoffs First Round: Games of Sunday, January 27
Arizona (78) @ Western Kentucky (51)
Final Score: Arizona 56, Western Kentucky 0
(A bit of a disclaimer: in the video game, Western Kentucky is still represented as an FCS school, and therefore has a significantly lower rating than most FBS teams. Arizona, on the other hand, has a halfway decent rating, which helps explain why the Wildcats won by such a huge margin despite having a much lower rank. Also, Western Kentucky's ranking was somewhat misleading due to its light schedule; as the program continues its transition to FBS and begins playing a more representative schedule, we'll know more about the team's ability. But that's another argument for another season.)
Arizona will play in-state rival Arizona State (14) in the second round.
Louisville (66) @ Louisiana-Monroe (63)
Final Score: Louisville 10, Louisiana-Monroe 3
Louisville will play Kansas (2) in the second round.
Northwestern (67) @ California (62)
Final Score: California 20, Northwestern 14
California will play LSU (3) in the second round.
South Carolina (68) @ Michigan State (61)
Final Score: South Carolina 13, Michigan State 9
South Carolina will play Missouri (4) in the secound round.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
For Belichick, Is The Second Time The Charm?
One of the statistics that I've heard in the past and will surely hear next week deals with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his success when facing a team for the second time in a season. I forget the exact numbers or time frame, but the general consensus of late has been that any time Belichick gets a second shot at a team, they might as well not show up, which begs the question: just how good is Bill Belichick in these situations?
In compiling the information below, it became clear that this isn't just a question that involves one or two cut-and-dry situations. There are actually several different situations that must be considered:
- The team Belichick was coaching: during his time with the Browns, Belichick was an uninspiring 6-12 when given a second chance against an opponent; with the Patriots, he is 25-10.
- Won both games: 22 times (five with Cleveland, 17 with New England)
- Won the first game, lost the second: 11 times (five with Cleveland, six with New England). Three of the last four times this has happened, the opponent has been the Miami Dolphins. The fourth was the 2006 New York Jets, against whom the Patriots won the first, lost the second, and won a playoff game.
- Lost the first game, won the second: nine times (once with Cleveland, eight with New England). The New England total includes that 2006 playoff game against the Jets.
- Lost both games: nine times (five with Cleveland, four with New England). The last two times this has happened, the second loss has knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs (2005 Denver, 2006 Indianapolis).
- Played three games against one team: twice (once with Cleveland, once with New England). The three games against the Jets have been mentioned a couple of times above. The three against Pittsburgh came in 1994, when the Browns lost to the Steelers twice during the regular season and again in the divisional playoffs.
- Played a team in the regular season and again in the playoffs: 1-1 with Cleveland, 7-2 with the Patriots. Three times - St. Louis in 2001, Pittsburgh in 2004, New York in 2006 - a playoff win followed a regular season loss. Before beating San Diego in the AFC Championship game last week, Belichick's Patriots had lost two consecutive playoff games to repeat opponents (Denver in the 2005 divisional playoffs, Indianapolis in the 2006 AFC Championship), both of which had already beaten New England during the regular season. During the 2003 and 2004 Super Bowl runs, both AFC playoff opponents were regular season foes (Tennessee and Indianapolis, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh), but neither Super Bowl opponent had been seen during the season.
Cincinnati Bengals
September 15: Won, 14-13
November 3: Lost, 23-21
Pittsburgh Steelers
October 27: Won, 17-14
December 22: Lost, 17-10
Houston Oilers
November 17: Lost, 28-24
December 15: Lost, 17-14
1992 Cleveland Browns (1-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers
October 11: Won, 17-9
December 27: Lost, 23-13
Cincinnati Bengals
November 1: Lost, 30-10
December 6: Won, 37-21
Houston Oilers
November 8: Won, 24-14
December 20: Lost, 17-14
1993 Cleveland Browns (1-2)
Cincinnati Bengals
September 5: Won, 27-14
October 17: Won, 28-17
Pittsburgh Steelers
October 24: Won, 28-23
January 2: Lost, 16-9
Houston Oilers
November 21: Lost, 27-20
December 12: Lost, 19-17
1994 Cleveland Browns (3-2)
Cincinnati Bengals
September 4: Won, 28-20
October 23: Won, 37-23
Pittsburgh Steelers
September 11: Lost, 17-10
December 18: Lost, 17-7
January 7: Lost, 29-9 (Divisional playoff game)
Houston Oilers
October 13: Won, 11-8
November 27: Won, 34-10
New England Patriots
November 6: Won, 13-6
January 1: Won, 20-13 (Wild card playoff game)
1995 Cleveland Browns (1-3)
Houston Oilers
September 17: Won, 14-7
November 5: Lost, 37-10
Jacksonville Jaguars
October 22: Lost, 23-15
December 24: Lost, 24-21
Cincinnati Bengals
October 29: Won, 29-26
December 17: Won, 26-10
Pittsburgh Steelers
November 13: Lost, 20-3
November 26: Lost, 20-17
2000 New England Patriots (1-3)
New York Jets
September 11: Lost, 20-19
October 15: Lost, 34-17
Miami Dolphins
September 24: Lost, 10-3
December 24: Lost, 27-24
Indianapolis Colts
October 8: Won, 24-16
October 22: Lost, 30-23
Buffalo Bills
November 5: Lost, 16-13
December 17: Won, 13-10
2001 New England Patriots (5-0)
New York Jets
September 23: Lost, 10-3
December 2: Won, 17-16
Indianapolis Colts
September 30: Won, 44-13
October 21: Won, 38-17
Miami Dolphins
October 7: Lost, 30-10
December 22: Won, 20-13
Buffalo Bills
November 11: Won, 21-11
December 16: Won, 12-9
St. Louis Rams
November 18: Lost, 24-17
February 3: Won, 20-17 (Super Bowl)
2002 New England Patriots (2-1)
New York Jets
September 15: Won, 44-7
December 22: Lost, 30-17
Miami Dolphins
October 6: Lost, 26-13
December 29: Won, 27-24
Buffalo Bills
November 3: Won, 38-7
December 8: Won, 27-17
2003 New England Patriots (5-0)
Buffalo Bills
September 7: Lost, 31-0
December 27: Won, 31-0
New York Jets
September 21: Won, 23-16
December 20: Won, 21-16
Tennessee Titans
October 5: Won, 38-30
January 10: Won, 17-14 (Divisional playoff game)
Miami Dolphins
October 19: Won, 19-13
December 7: Won, 12-0
Indianapolis Colts
November 30: Won, 38-34
January 18: Won, 24-14 (AFC Championship game)
2004 New England Patriots (4-1)
Indianapolis Colts
September 9: Won, 27-24
January 16: Won, 20-3 (Divisional playoff game)
Buffalo Bills
October 3: Won, 31-17
November 14: Won, 29-6
Miami Dolphins
October 10: Won, 29-10
December 20: Lost, 29-28
New York Jets
October 24: Won, 13-7
December 26: Won, 23-7
Pittsburgh Steelers
October 31: Lost, 34-20
January 23: Won, 41-27 (AFC Championship game)
2005 New England Patriots (2-2)
Denver Broncos
October 16: Lost, 28-20
January 14: Lost, 27-13 (Divisional playoff game)
Buffalo Bills
October 30: Won, 21-16
December 11: Won, 35-7
Miami Dolphins
November 13: Won, 23-16
January 1: Lost, 28-26
New York Jets
December 4: Won, 16-3
December 26: Won, 31-21
2006 New England Patriots (2-3)
Buffalo Bills
September 10: Won, 19-17
October 22: Won, 28-6
New York Jets
September 17: Won, 24-17
November 12: Lost, 17-14
January 7: Won, 37-16 (Wild card playoff game)
Miami Dolphins
October 8: Won, 20-10
December 10: Lost, 21-0
Indianapolis Colts
November 5: Lost, 27-20
January 21: Lost, 38-34 (AFC Championship game)
2007 New England Patriots (4-0)
New York Jets
September 9: Won, 38-14
December 16: Won, 20-10
San Diego Chargers
September 16: Won, 38-14
January 20: Won, 21-12 (AFC Championship game)
Buffalo Bills
September 23: Won, 38-7
November 18: Won, 56-10
Miami Dolphins
October 21: Won, 49-28
December 23: Won, 28-7
2008 NCAA Football Virtual Playoff First Round: More Games of Saturday, January 26, 2008
Idaho (118) @ Oklahoma (11)
Final Score: Oklahoma 20, Idaho 0
Oklahoma will play the winner of Southern Miss (54) vs. Middle Tennessee (75) in the second round
New Mexico State (99) @ New Mexico (30)
Final Score: New Mexico State 28, New Mexico 16
New Mexico State will play the winner of South Florida (35) vs. San Diego State (94) in the second round
Southern Methodist (120) @ West Virginia (9)
Final Score: West Virginia 28, Southern Methodist 21
West Virginia will play the winner of Florida State (56) vs. Maryland (73) in the second round
2008 NCAA Football Virtual Playoff First Round: Games of Saturday, January 26, 2008
Something I forgot from last year: the first round of this tournament takes a really, really long time. So in the interest of pounding through a bunch of games this weekend, I'm doing away with the Player To Watch section and including a few games in each post.
Delaware (122) @ USC (7)
Final Score: USC 65, Delaware 0
USC will play the winner of Oklahoma State (58) vs. Colorado (71) in the second round
Florida International (116) @ Boise State (13)
Final Score: Florida International 24, Boise State 14
Florida International will play the winner of Memphis (52) vs. San Jose State (77) in the second round
Ohio (65) @ Iowa (64)
Final Score: Ohio 17, Iowa 0
Ohio will play Hawaii (1) in the second round
Richmond (123) @ Ohio State (6)
Final Score: Ohio State 52, Richmond 7
Ohio State will play the winner of Texas A&M (59) vs. UCLA (70) in the second round
Miami (FL) (86) @ Arkansas (43)
Final Score: Miami 13, Arkansas 7
Miami (FL) will play Notre Dame (107) in the second round
By my count, the Miami-Arkansas tilt was the sixteenth game played thus far, leaving us a quarter of the way through the first round.
Could Gerald Green Come Back To Boston?
Interesting story in the Boston Globe's Celtics Notebook today: Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Gerald Green is disappointed with his lack of playing time this season and would like to be traded before the February 21 deadline. Even if a deal isn't made, he likely won't be back with the Timberwolves next season; he will be an unrestricted free agent after the team declined his 2008-09 option.
Here's my question: Gerald Green was drafted by the Celtics in 2005 and played his first two seasons with the team. Should the Celtics attempt to bring him back to Boston next season?
Count me in for a "yes" vote. As a basketball player, Green has two very big things going for him: his athleticism is off the charts (he won the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend)and he is still remarkably young for a four-year veteran (today is his 22nd birthday). His numbers and playing time are down this season, but Celtics fans should remember the 10.4 PPG he averaged last year while playing 81 games in a lost season.
Two things that might count against Green: he "plays selfish" and "doesn't play defense". One thing that could fix those problems: Kevin Garnett. Not only is Garnett a beast who plays hard at both ends of the floor and makes everyone around him better, he has accomplished something that Green is still attempting to do: become a successful NBA player after entering the draft straight out of high school. Gerald has played with plenty of those types; last year's Celtics featured four such players (Kendrick Perkins, Sebastian Telfair, Al Jefferson, and Green). All of them are his contemporaries, however, just a year or two older (Perkins was drafted in 2003, Telfair and Jefferson the following year). For him to play alongside Garnett, who has built a Hall of Fame career after making the same leap, would at worst an interesting experiment, at best a career-changing experience for Green.
I know what you're thinking: "Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum have spent three seasons in that precise situation and it hasn't exactly been all roses and sunshine. Why should a Garnett-Green pairing be any different?" One, Kevin Garnett is in his best situation in recent memory, on a team that has a realistic shot at advancing deep into the postseason, maybe even winning a championship. He's happy, a mindset that would likely make him more willing to lend a helping hand to a young player. Second, his perceived weaknesses and Green's perceived weaknesses mesh surprisingly well. Green plays selfish? Garnett is sometimes accused of being too unselfish. Green doesn't play defense? Garnett is an eight-time NBA First or Second Team Defensive Player.
The odds of Green once again wearing The Green seem to be good. His agent, Byron Irvin, is Doc Rivers' cousin (and Rivers is no longer on the hot seat, thanks to the arrivals of Garnett and Ray Allen). In the Globe article, Rivers is quoted as speaking very highly of Green, lauding the young man for his work ethic and willingness to better himself, as well as providing insight into the way he believed someone like Green should be handled by the coaching staff:
We've got to let him play. We've got to let him grow. We've got to allow him to be coached.(Rivers also said, "He's the Slam Dunk champion, not the basketball champion," which is true but for some reason makes me chuckle. I think it's the "basketball champion" part. It just sounds awkward.)
"He has to keep improving and want to improve. Here, he was doing that. And from what I hear, he was working his butt off there. His time will come."
Celtics fans were sorry to see Green leave Boston last summer, partly because he was such a phenomenal young talent and partly because it seemed like all the youth on the roster was being shipped west (how Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins escaped this deal and the one that brought Allen in from Seattle, I'll never know). If he could be brought back, at no cost to the team besides a $1.5 million contract, there would be much happiness in Beantown.
Now if only we can figure out some way to swindle Kevin McHale out of Al Jefferson...
Friday, January 25, 2008
Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
Morneau gets 6-year, $80M extension
I almost failed Economics in college and the business of baseball has never really been my "thing"...but given Minnesota's financial situation and the fact that Michael Cuddyer was also resigned at an average of $8 million per for the next three years, doesn't this put a serious damper on the idea of Johan Santana being a member of the Twins this season? Or does this contract just replace the money that could have been paid to Torii Hunter? And where does Joe Mauer's deal, with its escalating salaries from now through 2010, factor in?
I could and should look up the current salaries, compare them to last year's, and get to the bottom of this. All this thinking is making my head hurt, however, so I think I'm just going to say: Theo...Omar...Brian...get those final offers ready. Sounds like the Twins are in the mood to deal.
The Links: If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right
Originally, I planned to do a link dump once a week - a nice, no-pressure way to pass around some great writing, and occasionally thank someone who linked me at some point. This week, however, a ton of good stuff has found its way into my mailbox and reader, so much so that a special link dump is now required. And I've included half-assed jokes! Enjoy.
You may look at this post, consisting primarily of a picture of ESPN's Dana Jacobsen and her most loyal friend, and say, "Not much content there, right?" Wrong. Check out the tags and join me in celebrating the genius of "inexplicable lust" (Signal to Noise)
I wanted to do this list myself. These guys did it much, much better (Cold, Hard Football Facts)
You have to love Lozo. You have to (The Big Picture)
Just added award-winning writer Joe Posnanski to my reader yesterday. Long, long overdue (Joe Posnanski)
When I was nine, I wrote a story that ended with me hitting one over the right field roof at Fenway. Yaz, that jerk, beat me to it (maybe) (Yanksfan vs Soxfan)
Some justice for Dernell Stenson (Baseball Musings)
Any excuse to use the "free tacos make me angry" tag (Basketbawful)
Eric and Marco hit the big time (Deadspin)
Kyle Lohse? Really? (Oriole Post)
Is Jed Lowrie the real deal? (Minor League Ball)
And finally, this article, originally seen in a Bill Simmons link dump, messed me up more than anything I have ever read. Just the thought of a mother using her child in this way for no reason other than to attempt the total destruction of her estranged husband's will to live is absolutely horrifying. "That's Ryan sayin bye-bye, Dada," is going to haunt me for a long time (CBS Sports)
Bonus Reverse Survivor: I'm Sure Bill Simmons Has Been Eagerly Awaiting This Update
Considering the amount of attention given to college football and college basketball teams over the past several months, it seemed only fair to address the Reverse Survivor situation as it currently applies to women’s college basketball. Think of this as a quick introduction; the more in-depth breakdown will share space with the regular men’s update over the weekend.
Some quick thoughts:
1) The Fordham Lady Rams are the NJIT of the women’s game, with an 0-19 mark and ten games left.
2) Speaking of NJIT…the women are absolutely shaming their male counterparts this year. They’ve put up a 4-12 record thus far and will have nine chances to add to that win total. I’m just disappointed that they aren’t called the Lady Highlanders.
3) This relates to the men’s game, but I have to pass along the link to The Angry T’s five things that NJIT can do to win some games and salvage the season.
4) Two common names between the men’s and women’s competitors: Presbyterian and Grambling State. Sadly, that will probably change soon, as the Presbyterian men still have two non-Division 1 games on the schedule and the Grambling State fellas play in a terrible conference. On the bright side, Presbyterian’s team nickname is the Blue Hose and they have a player named Liz Blue. I find that amusing, even if she is currently averaging 0.0 points per game.
Zero (2)
Fordham (Atlantic 10, 0-19)
CSU Northridge (Big West, 0-15)
One (7)
Winston-Salem (Independent, 1-13)
Presbyterian (Independent, 1-20)
Brown (Ivy League, 1-14)
Colgate (Patriot League, 1-18)
Sam Houston State (Southland-West, 1-16)
Grambling State (Southwestern Athletic, 1-15)
San Jose State (Western Athletic, 1-16)
Two (6)
Howard (Mid-Eastern, 2-14)
Norfolk State (Mid-Eastern, 2-12)
Colorado State (Mountain West, 2-15)
Wagner (Northeast, 2-15)
Central Arkansas (Southland-East, 2-15)
Idaho (Western Athletic, 2-15)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Visual Crack: There Will Be Other Live-Blogs Someday
It kills me that I can't even attempt to stick around for a live-blog of the Roger Federer-James Blake match that will air live on ESPN2 at 3:30 Wednesday morning*. The world's top player against the second-highest ranked player in the United States? Definitely worth the late night and possible "sick day" - if tomorrow wasn't the first day of a new semester and missing a day wouldn't set me back right off the bat. I blame my unwillingness to skip work on my father for driving the concepts of "hard work" and "personal responsibility" into my head from an early age (though admittedly, I'm still very much a work in progress with regards to the latter).
So for the time being, the "live-blog" tag over on the right side of the page will continue to have but one lonely entry. (I hope to remedy that this weekend. We'll see how that goes.) Until I manage to set aside such petty responsibilities as "work" and "family", feel free to turn your attention to the videos below. The first revisits the final moments of that classic showdown between Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic; the second shows Blake getting creative to win a point over Feliciano Lopez.
*If the baby (who up to this point has slept well through the night but recently learned to turn himself over and is now doing so in his sleep and waking up three or four times a night wondering how in the hell he ended up on his belly) doesn't cooperate, everything you are about to read may be rendered moot. He's usually pretty good, but it wouldn't be the first time I called my boss at five in the morning because the baby had a rough night and I would have been totally useless to everyone involved.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Links: FOX Officials Must Be Hoping For Snow In Arizona
Does Snow Really Provide Better Ratings? (Awful Announcing)
STF Road Trip: Cornell at NJIT (Storming the Floor)
AO Interview: Janko Tipsarevic (Mesh Tennis)
Mike Carey Will Make History (Deadspin)
The Ice Sheet: Willie O'Ree Edition (The FanHouse)
Never Again, Never Again (No Mas)
Joakim Noah as Muhammad Ali (TrueHoop)
Magic's Odd Anti-Obama Logic (The FanHouse)
Sports Regions and Championships (PV's Sports Toothache)
HawkEye system fails at Australian Open (Mesh Tennis)
Cheapest Shots of the 2007 Season (The Wizard of Odds)
Reverse Survivor: There Can Be Only One
Roughly five weeks remain before the start of this year's March Madness and we can finally hand out the "Last Team Standing" award, given annually* to the last Division 1 basketball team to win a game. This year's winner is the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The 0-20 Highlanders are threatening to become just the second team since 1992 to finish a season without a win.
NJIT's opening came when Grambling State, the only other winless team in Division 1, defeated Texas Southern on Saturday for its first win of the season. The Tigers' win capped a big week for the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which had its other three remaining teams removed from consideration following their third wins of the season. With twelve of its thirteen remaining games against teams ranked 300 or lower in the most recent Pomeroy Ratings, Grambling is a good bet to join them before long.
So we have a winner; does that mean Reverse Survivor is over? Heck no - not by a longshot. NJIT may have been the last remaining winless school, but it remains to be seen if they can hold on to that title for the rest of the regular season. Several others, most notably North Carolina Central and Presbyterian, have a very real chance of finishing the year without another win; if that happens, and NJIT pulls off an upset or two, we could have a different overall winner.
(A note on the "very real chance" mentioned above: at the suggestion of Vegas Watch, I have included the chance each school has of going without a win for the rest of the season. NJIT is at 54.8% to finish winless, while the other two schools mentioned in the last paragraph are both 80%+ to lose out. My favorite percentage, however, is Princeton. The Tigers are currently 2-12, but have fifteen games remaining against some suspect teams. Their chances of losing all fifteen games (which would give them a remarkable 27-game losing streak): 0.01%. I do not think they will be winning the overall Reverse Survivor competition. Just a hunch.)
Zero (1)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (Independent, 0-20)
- Pomeroy Rank: 341 (-1)
- Projected Record: 1-28
- Highest Win Probability (Division 1 Opponents Only): 23%
- Games Remaining: 9
- Against Teams Below 300 Rank: 2
- Chance of Finishing Winless: 54.8%
North Florida (Atlantic Sun, 1-16)
- Pomeroy Rank: 335 (-2)
- Projected Record: 3-26
- Highest Win Probability (Division 1 Opponents Only): 48%
- Games Remaining: 12
- Against Teams Below 300 Rank: 3
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 11.6%
- Pomeroy Rank: 340 (-1)
- Projected Record: 3-26
- Highest Win Probability (Division 1 Opponents Only): 12%
- Games Remaining: 6
- Against Teams Below 300 Rank: 1
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 82.8% (not including two games against non-Division 1 opponents)
- Pomeroy Rank: 339 (+2)
- Projected Record: 4-21
- Highest Win Probability (Division 1 Opponents Only): 48%
- Games Remaining: 13
- Against Teams Below 300 Rank: 12
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 4.7%
Presbyterian (Independent, 2-20)
- Pomeroy Rank: 301 (-4)
- Projected Record: 5-25
- Highest Win Probability (Division 1 Opponents Only): 4%
- Games Remaining: 8
- Against Teams Below 300 Rank: 0
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 85.8% (not including three games against non-Division 1 opponents)
- Pomeroy Rank: 300 (+1)
- Projected Record: 8-21
- Highest Win Probability (Division 1 Opponents Only): 77%
- Games Remaining: 15
- Against Teams Below 300 Rank: 4
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 0.01% (not including game against non-Division 1 opponent)
- Pomeroy Rank: 338 (--)
- Projected Record: 4-27
- Highest Win Probability (Division 1 Opponents): 50%
- Games Remaining: 14
- Against Teams Below 300 Rank: 11
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 0.05%
- Pomeroy Rank: 322 (-4)
- Projected Record: 5-23
- Highest Win Probability (Division 1 Opponents): 68%
- Games Remaining: 9
- Against Teams Below 300 Rank: 4
- Chances of Losing Remaining Games: 0.03%
Dropped Out (7)
Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun, 3-14)
Canisius (Metro-Atlantic, 3-14)
Ball State (Mid-American West, 3-13)
Alcorn State (Southwestern Athletic, 3-14)
Mississippi Valley State (Southwestern Athletic, 3-11)
Prairie View A&M (Southwestern Athletic, 2-13)
Furman (Southern South, 3-15)
*I hate when someone describes something as "annual" when it is only in the first year - so of course, I'm gonna do exactly that in this situation
Monday, January 21, 2008
I Always Wanted To Have A Band With A Kick Ass Name
I read about this "Create-A-Band" idea tonight over at Cynical Bastard and immediately gave it a try. The results on the first run-through were so great that I just knew I had to post them here.
Band Name (go to Wikipedia and use the Random Article feature; the first article that appears is the name of your band): Skeptic's Dictionary
Album Name (go to The Quotations Page and use the Random Quote feature; the last four words of the last quote on the page is the name of your album): The Cup of Silence
Cover Art (go to Flickr and Explore the last seven days; the third photo is the cover art for your album):
"The Cup of Silence" by Skeptic's Dictionary? I smell Grammy, people.
I Needed A Hero, And I Got One
Ever since Willie McGinest left the New England Patriots as a free agent following the 2005 season, I have lamented the loss of his ability to make big defensive plays precisely when they were needed the most, an intangible talent that I believe would have been the difference in last year's AFC Championship Game loss to the Colts.
Yesterday, for the first time that I can recall since McGinest's last game in Foxborough, a Patriots defensive player stepped up and produced in a big moment.
It happened midway through the third quarter. With the Chargers trailing 14-9 and facing a short field, Philip Rivers led his team from the New England 49 to its 13 in four plays. First down was a pass to Vincent Jackson for six yards, followed by a Michael Turner run for three yards to set up third-and-1 at the Patriots 4.
The Chargers tried running the ball again, sending Turner to the left. He took the handoff, hit the hole...and there was Junior Seau, flying up to plug the gap. Turner tried to take it outside, outrun Seau to the corner and pick up the first, but Junior tracked him down and dropped him for a two-yard loss. On fourth-and-3 from the six, San Diego settled for a Nate Kaeding field goal that cut the lead to 14-12. They didn't score again.
As a Patriots fan, even a bandwagon one, I can never forget Willie McGinest and his contributions to the team's recent success. But when I tell my son about the roots of my Patriots fandom someday, there will definitely be a mention of the time Junior Seau knifed through the middle to make the play that might have changed the course of the game.
Mea Culpa
During an email interview with NESN's Tina Cervasio last September, the following exchange took place:
Four months later, Eli is headed to the Super Bowl while Peyton sits at home, Toomer had 59 catches for 760 yards and three touchdowns (yeah, drafting him might've been a mistake), and the words "long term contract extension" have been thrown around in the same sentences as Coughlin's name. So, um, yeah...Tina and I are both eating some crow right now.OMDQ: Your web site says you're a New York Giants fan. Three questions: a) is this the year you guys finally accept that Eli Manning is NOT equal to his brother, b) did I make a mistake drafting Amani Toomer in two different fantasy leagues, and c) how long until Tom Coughlin loses control of the team (again) and is finally shown the door?
TC: a) Yes, but didn’t we all know that already.b) Yes, the guy is older than me & coming off a torn ACL. Bet you were thrilled when he missed that TD by a toe.c)No playoffs: Mr. Coughlin, I would like you to meet, the door.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Janko Tipsarevic Absolutely Does Not Appear To Fear Roger Federer: An Impromptu Live-Blog
Roger Federer is locked in a fierce early struggle with Serbia-Montenegro's Janko Tipsarevic, who overcame a couple of early mental errors to take the first set from the defending champion, 7-6 (7-5). It is the first set Federer has lost in this year's tournament.
The best quote so far came from veteran commentator Bud Collins, who earlier in the set said,
"I'm thinking that you know sometimes, this is supposed to be a foregone conclusion. Federer may be the greatest player on earth, but he has to share that earth right now with a scuffler, a battler, a guy who wants his head. And that's what makes sports great."When you're Roger Federer, I imagine you run into a lot of guys like that. Tipsarevic is playing well, but it's far too early for Federer to be concerned. I've often thought that one of his greatest strengths is his ability to wear down an opponent over the course of a match. He's so strong and so well-conditioned that when other players are starting to wear down, he is still able to maintain the same heightened level of play.
Update 2:00 AM: So far in the second set, Federer's service games have been dominant. He hasn't been able to break Tipsarevic, however, and trails 4-3. The announcers keep referencing how "worried" he looks.
Interesting note from ESPN: if Nadal wins the Australian Open championship and Federer loses before the semifinals, Nadal will take over the number one ranking, which has been Federer's for over 200 consecutive weeks.
And again, Federer torches Tipsarevic in his service game, 40-15, tying the second set at 4-4. Huge service game coming up - if Federer breaks Tipsarevic, he gains the upper hand for the first time in awhile.
Update 2:07 AM: Break point, 0-40...15-40...30-40...Deuce...Advantage, Tipsarevic...Game, Tipsarevic. It's amazing how well this kid is playing when his back is up against the wall. He was thisclose to losing serve, which would likely have lost him the set. Now, he's up 5-4 and has not allowed Federer to regain control of the match. Brilliant.
Don't ask me why this has turned into a pseudo-live-blog. It's two o'clock in the morning, so clearly nobody is reading, and chances are about four readers will stumble through tomorrow. It's more for me, I guess, to see if live-blogging tennis is something I feel comfortable doing. So far, it's not bad. The pace allows one to keep up with the action fairly easily.
Update 2:14 AM: Predictably, the tenth game of the set goes to Federer, tying things up at 5-all and setting up another huge service game for Tipsarevic. Two challenges early by the Serbian - he loses the first, wins the second. After the second, he has a few choice words for the chair umpire who originally called the shot long.
In case anyone does read this, acidentally or otherwise, a friendly reminder: do not, under any circumstances, use the tennis section at Yahoo! Sports for information. It is very poorly organized and appears to be horribly outdated (Andre Agassi is still listed as an active player, for example). There's some okay stuff there, like the rankings and match info, but you're probably better off using ESPN if necessary.
Again, Federer fails to break serve and falls behind, 6-5. The announcers are already talking upset - "stunning" upset, if you will.
Update 2:22 AM: When Tipsarevic is serving, I usually have time to catch up and type for a couple minutes. When Federer is serving, the games are over FAST. He's already tied it up at 6-all and we're in a tiebreak.
1-0, Federer...2-0...3-0...3-1...4-1...5-1...6-1, Set Point...
"This is not just by chance, the way he can turn it on, is it?"
...7-1, Game, Federer.
I have a feeling I'm not gonna make it to the end of this one. After two sets, it's 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1). There's no overstating how badly Federer needed that set, and the fashion in which he disposed of Tipsarevic in the tiebreak sends a message for the rest of the match.
Update 2:31 AM: Some bonus coverage of Djokovic-Querrey. The American is holding his own so far, 2-2 in the first set.
The talk has gone from "possible upset" to "if Federer starts to pull away in this match..." Announcers in Federer's matches seem to do this a lot, painting a picture of him as being in trouble early on, then radically shifting gears and discussing his greatness as soon as he shows signs of life.
Neither player has figured out the other's serve yet. Federer takes the first game, quickly, for the 1-0 lead. Federer has an opportunity to break Tipsarevic, but can't do it. Deuce #2. Advantage Federer, pending a challenge...it's out, by a millimeter (literally). Federer returns into the net, Deuce #3.
Great volley - Tipsarevic hits a drop-shot, Federer flicks it over his head, and Tips (that's his name now) can't catch up. Advantage Federer...Game Federer, pending a challenge (again)...it's out - Game Federer, up 2-0 in the third set.
Update 2:41 AM: Tipsarevic is a bitch to type, so I'm going with Tips from now on.
Just what Federer didn't want to happen, happens: he finally breaks Tips' serve, then immediately has his own serve broken. 2-1, Federer.
Update 2:44 AM: Tips still isn't backing down. Nobody told him it's an exhibition, he thinks it's a damn fight. He's responding to the previous service break by immediately going up 40-0.
I'm out of Mountain Dew. Not just within arm's reach, but in the apartment. Not good.
Tips holds serve and ties it at 2-all. As expected, Federer does the same and retakes the one game lead, 3-2. The last two sets have been so predictable that I typed the previous sentence when it was 15-0.
Update 2:49 AM: Anyone who reads later won't realize this, but I just now added that "Janko Tipsarevic" label. The man has earned it.
Djokovic is starting to beat up on poor Sam Querrey, taking the first set 6-3. America's championship hopes might well end up on the shoulders of James Blake and the Williams sisters.
30-all. I feel like a broken record, "Federer needs to break serve here..." Tips doesn't seem to mind playing in close to the net, coming up to flip one over for the 40-30 advantage. And that's game, folks - 3-all.
I have to work at ten, but I'm holding on for as long as possible. This is a remarkable back-and-forth match. I'd hate to miss the ending, no matter who wins.
Update 2:55 AM: Little longer than the previous Federer service games, but he holds. Tips seemed to have a real problem handling the speed of Federer's serve, which I hadn't noticed before. I guess it must've been happening, though, since most of those games have been decided so quickly. Federer leads, 4-3.
Tips has a bunch of tattoos, according to Bud Collins, including his parents' names in Japanese and a Dostoevsky quote in Russian. Interesting. Almost before Collins finishes his story, Tips wins the game. 4-all.
The color analyst likes to refer to Federer as "Fed". It's kind of annoying. On the other hand, I've been called Tipsarevic "Tips" for the last twenty minutes.
Challenge for Tips, he wins, and Federer loses a point. The claim is out there that Federer is annoyed - we'll see if he uses that to his advantage....yep. Game, Federer, 5-4.
Update 3:05 AM: I have to wonder if either of these guys is getting tired yet. They mentioned earlier that Federer is still recovering from a viral infection that kept him out of preparatory tournaments, and Tips has been pushed fairly hard in his first two matches in Australia. I know Federer is usually well-conditioned, and Tips looks to be as well.
Tips is in danger of losing his serve and the set, down 15-40...and he holds. 30-40. And again. Deuce. And again. Advantage Tips.
This is like my own personal Rocky IV. I came into this clearly rooting for Federer...Tips is winning me over, however, with his refusal to roll over, even when trailing. If I can change, and you can change...
Game, Tips. He faced two set points, in serious danger of falling behind two sets to one, and fought back. Remarkable.
Update 3:13: Tips is making good use of his challenges - he saves a point on a Federer serve that just missed. He uses his second one moments later and wins again.
Deuce. Federer misses long, challenges, and he too is correct. Deuce. Crosscourt winner for Tips. Advantage Tips, break point. Federer hits one long, and Tips is up, 6-5. The reversal of fortune is unreal - ten minutes ago, Federer was thisclose to breaking Tips and going up two sets to one. Now, the situation has flipped 180 degrees.
Federer is sending a lot of shots long. If I knew anything about tennis, I could tell you why, but I don't, so I can't. Sorry. Tips rips an ace to go up 30-0. Is he smelling blood in the water? Federer long again and it's set point. The announcers are commenting on the ease with which he has "given away" this game, and it's hard to disagree. Double fault for Tips brings up Set Point #2, 40-15. Federer into the net, Tips wins, 7-5. He leads, two sets to one.
This is terrible news. Despite my newfound respect for Tips, I still want Federer to win. If that's going to happen, he now needs to win two sets, which means that if Federer wins and I watch the whole thing, I'm gonna be up until five o'clock. Yuck.
Update 3:24 AM: Djokovic is still hatin' on Sam Querrey, 6-3, 6-1.
Ana Ivanovic is in the studio with Chris Fowler. Fortunately, the trainer is working on Roger Federer's foot, so we're not missing anything there.
Fowler talks to Ivanovic for a few before turning it back over to The Tips and Fed Show. Federer serves first and takes a 1-0 lead. Would it be an understatement to note that he really needs to break serve right now? Tips up, 40-0...40-15...Federer comes up to play the net and hits a winner, 40-30...Tips is long - Deuce. Federer is long - Advantage Tips. Federer into the net - Game Tipsarevic, tied at 1-all.
Update 3:33 AM: Quickly, it's 30-0 on Federer's serve. Tips isn't having quite as much trouble with it as before. 30-15. Tough shot jams Federer, ends up in the net. 30-30...40-30...Game Federer, up 2-1.
Earlier, I touted the ESPN Tennis site. Weird thing about it - I don't see links to any women's players. I can find out how much money Roger Federer has made in his career, but I can't see how many matches Justine Henin has won in 2008. This makes no sense at all. It's not like ESPN to be misogynistic.
Tips serving, 15-15. I'm just gonna throw this out there - Federer really needs to break Tips' serve in this game. Long volley, 15-30. Double fault for Tips, 15-40, break point. Federer into the net, 30-40. He's converted two out of twelve break points, I think the announcers just said.
And finally, despite the best efforts of Tips, Federer breaks serve. Now, the key is to hold his own serve and actually establish some momentum. Good start, 30-0...30-15...oh good, they're going commercial free for the rest of the set. My fingers thank you, ESPN2. Ace, 40-15. Ace, Game Federer, up 4-1.
Update 3:45 AM: Can Federer break serve twice in a row? Remains to be seen.
Bud Collins is a big Tips fan. He likes the way he has approached this match, without fear. Djokovic is still taking it to Querrey, up 4-3 in the third set.
Federer keeps this one in, 30-30. He's starting to heat it up and hit the types of shots you expect him to hit. 30-40. Ace, Deuce. Tips just misses wide, advantage Federer. Classic volley, Tips slides it past Federer, Deuce #2.
"Looking strong as an ox, both of them." Answers the question from earlier, at least for now, although the other announcer (sorry I don't know the names offhand) thinks Tips is losing steam. Advantage Federer...Ace, Deuce #3...Crosscourt winner, advantage Federer. He's starting to move around more, making Tips work harder, and he gets Tips going the wrong way for the winner. Game Federer, up 5-1. He will be serving for the set.
Update 3:54 AM: Ace, 30-15. Federer into the net, 30-30. Ace, 40-30. Tips returns wide - Federer takes the game and the set, 6-1, to tie the match at two sets apiece.
Update 3:59 AM: Time for Tips to spend a little time with the trainer - he's getting his foot and ankle taped up. Fowler figures it's fairly routine.
I don't know how much Wikipedia can be trusted, but it's telling me that Pam Shriver's middle name is Howard (probably a family name, if true) and she's married to George Lazenby, who played James Bond in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". He's almost 23 years older than her. Relationships with that large of an age gap freak me out a little bit. They also have three kids under the age of four, which freaks me out a little bit more. The man is almost seventy.
Tips is coming back strong from the retaping, winning the first game.
Surprisingly, Federer has an ordinary career record in five-set matches: 10-10. Tips, on the other hand, is 11-4. And Bud Collins just told us that the fifth set stops being about tennis - it's about heart, who wants it more.
Federer holds serve, 1-all. He has more than twice as many aces as Tips, 27-13. The crowd seems to be very much pro-Tips - every time he does something good, it draws a big cheer. 40-0, Tips...Ace, game Tips, and he's up 2-1.
Federer goes to the bench, pulls out a banana, takes one bite, and puts it away. Tips takes out an Evian bottle with something inside that looks like pink lemonade. Why this is important, I don't know.
Update 4:12 AM: Federer serving and making quick work of Tips...40-0...40-15...ace, game Federer, tied again at two, with Tips serving.
As poorly as Federer has played at times, his serve has been excellent: 28 aces, a career-high. 15-30 Federer after a tremendous volley on both sides. Tips finally wins it with a hard overhead shot. 30-30. Federer has been most successful when he's been allowed to approach the net and hit soft shots; when Tips keeps him on the baseline, he has struggled with his shots sailing.
"That is the point of the match!" - Cliff Drysdale - That's the play-by-play guy, I think, and he's not far off. I wish I could describe some of these points, because both guys are leaving it all on the court. Suffice to say that Tips was all over the court and hit two terrific shots before Federer won the point.
Deuce...advantage Federer...ace, Deuce #2, Tips is fired up...advantage Tips...Federer is pissed - a ball came loose during a volley and the chair umpire stopped play...game Tips, up 3-2.
"There's a little bit of lubrication going on." - Pam Shriver - She was talking about the Serbians who are outside the stadium cheering for Tips. Get your minds out of the gutter.
I think Federer won that service game in about twelve seconds. Tips might as well have stayed sitting down - four aces in a row. Games are tied, 3-all, and Tips immediately returns the favor by going up 30-0 in HIS service game. Shot goes wide, 30-15.
It'll be interesting to read this tomorrow and see how much actually makes sense after the fact. Live-blogging this match might have been one of my ten worst ideas ever. 40-15...game, Tips, up 4-3.
Update 4:27 AM: I still have not figured out what that hand gesture was that Tips did after winning the first set. He sort of pointed to himself with his whole hand, then slowly closed it into a fist. Very confusing.
Ace Federer, 15-15. 30-15. Federer into the net, 30-30. Huge game for Tips. A break would be extraordinary. No sooner are the words typed than this happens: ace, 40-30. Tips into the net, game Federer, tied 4-all.
Drysdale is mentioning the possibility of Nadal becoming number one in the world again. It's the third time he's brought it up, although I guess it makes sense because at this point, the possibility of it actually happening is becoming very real.
15-15 pending a Tips challenge...it's well out, the score remains 15-15. Federer is 2-for-5 on challenges, Tips is 7-for-11, so sayeth ESPN. Tips moves Federer back-and-forth on the baseline and forces the long shot, 30-15. 40-15. Federer into the net, game Tips. He's up 5-4. Federer is going to need one more dominant service game to hold off the challenger.
Update 4:35 AM: Bud Collins is in love with Tips...or rather, in love with his name. I'm gonna try to go point-by-point from here on out...
Federer serving...long volley, Tips returns wide, 15-0.
Ace, 30-0.
Serve and volley, Federer is long, 30-15.
Serve and volley, Federer catches Tips going the wrong way, 40-15.
Tips long on his second shot, game Federer, 5-all. The announcers just reminded me that there is no tiebreaker in the fifth set. Playground rules: play until somebody wins by two.
Lengthy volley and Federer puts it into the net, 15-0 Tips.
Ace, 30-0 Tips.
Another lengthy volley and it's Tips' turn to hit it into the net, 30-15 Tips.
Tips hits it long, 30-30.
Federer hits it long, 40-30 Tips.
Tips' serve is too much for Federer to handle, game Tips, up 6-5.
Update 4:43 AM: To win $1 on Federer coming in, you had to bet $100.
Ace Federer, 15-0.
Ace Federer, 30-0.
Long volley, Federer flips one into the net, 30-15.
40-15.
Tips returns long, game Federer, tied 6-all.
Federer picks up a new racket. Tips serving, 15-0.
Tips slices the serve, Federer can't handle it, 30-0.
Sooner or later, somebody has to break serve. I know that's obvious, but I felt it needed to be said, for my own sanity.
Tips into the net, 30-15.
Federer returns long, 40-15.
40-30.
Tips dials it up and crushes the winner, game Tips, up 7-6.
Drysdale doesn't see either player bowing to the pressure, which I think is a valid point. Watching the two of them, you can't tell if it's the first set or the fifth.
Update 4:52 AM: Federer serving...
Federer gets it inside the line, 15-0.
Tips returns the favor, 15-15.
Tips drives it into the net, 30-15.
Ace, 40-15.
Ace, game Federer, tied 7-all.
My wife just came out and yelled at me for being up so late because I'll end up sleeping in the afternoon and not spending time with her. I said I was watching Roger Federer lose. Her response: "That can happen?"
Update 4:55 AM
Tips serving, Federer into the net, 15-0.
Tips has been saving something for this point - he's hitting as hard as he has all night, 30-0.
Tips hits it long, 30-15.
Lengthy volley, Tips hits it wide, 30-30. This is a fucking battle.
Tips forces Federer wide and puts him away, 40-30.
Federer into the net, game Tips, up 8-7.
Update 5:00 AM: For a second, I thought they were pulling my coverage from ESPN. False alarm. They flashed something up on the screen and I read it wrong.
Ace Federer, 15-0.
Ace Federer, 30-0.
Serve and the return is long, 40-0.
Serve and the return is wide, game Federer, tied at 8-all. If Federer could serve every game, he'd be all set.
Beautiful volley back and forth, capped by Tips lightly flicking one over the next for the winner, 15-0.
This is going to come down to whether or not Federer can break Tips' serve, mark my words. I don't think Tips can break Federer right now, unless he's saving something for the right moment, whenever that is.
Federer into the net, 30-0.
40-0.
Tips gets to 40-whatever and just starts hammering the hell out of the ball. Happens every time.
40-15.
40-30. Federer is trying to fight back.
Federer forces Tips to his right and he hits the return long, Deuce. Who wants it more, fellas?
Tips returns long, advantage Federer. Federer is 4-for-20 on break points.
Federer returns short, Deuce #2.
Federer off the net, Tips flips it back, Federer puts it way, advantage Federer.
Tips returns into the net, game Federer, up 9-8. He'll serve for the match.
Update 5:10 AM: I have an important question: what is Britney doing with her life?
0-15.
Ace Federer, 15-15, pending a challenge...it's just barely in, the point stands.
30-15.
Federer brings Tips to the net, he can't get it, 40-15. Match point. Tips looks like he's just about done.
Federer volleys into the net, 40-30.
Federer serves, Tips returns into the net. Game, set, match, Federer.
The final: 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1), 5-7, 6-1, 10-8.
Update 5:15 AM: I have no idea what made me decide to live-blog this match, but holy shit, am I glad I did. Forget the earlier complaint about all the time spent in front of the computer - this was one of the most exciting sports events in recent memory. It was amazing to watch Tipsarevic walk onto the court, brimming with confidence, and push the number one player in the world, a guy a lot of people have already labeled the greatest of all-time, to the absolute limit. It's not often that we get to see something like that, and I feel privileged to not only have witnessed it, but to have written it all down. Unbelievable.
Almost as unbelievable: After spending more than four hours on this match (much of the later sets without commercials, as well), Cliff Drysdale and Darren Cahill (that was the second man in the booth) get to turn around and work another match. Drysdale drew the short straw and gets Venus Williams upcoming match, which begins shortly, while it's gonna be a long night for Cahill: he's working Lleyton Hewitt's next outing, which begins AFTER the Williams match.
Not me, though. I'm out of here. Good night, gentlemen, and good luck.
That's One Way To End A Long Losing Streak
For my money, there are few things better in sports than when a team suffers through a long, difficult stretch before finally unleashing a collective roar and destroying an unlucky opponent.
The Buffalo Sabres have won 50+ games and advanced to the conference finals in each of the last two seasons, but hit a rough patch recently, going nearly four weeks and ten games without a win. That streak came to an end on Friday, when Buffalo beat the holy hell out of Atlanta, 10-1, for its first victory of 2008.
Derek Roy and Drew Stafford tallied hat tricks for the Sabres, with Stafford adding a pair of assists for five overall points. The most impressive performance for the Thrashers was that of left wing Eric Boulton, who managed to ring up 29 minutes worth of penalties at 12:49 of the third period (cross-check, instigator, fighting, misconduct, and game misconduct, if you're scoring at home).
Friday, January 18, 2008
No Pressure, James
In the last couple years or so, since my wife and I happened to wake up early one Sunday and watch Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal in the men's final at Wimbledon, I've become sort of a casual tennis fan. It can be a very fun game to watch, especially when you have two competitors willing to leave everything on the court to gain victory.
Just moments ago, for instance, I watched James Blake of the United States, down two sets to one, battle back from a 4-1 deficit in the fourth set, only to have France's Sebastien Grosjean rally to tie it at 6-all and force a tie-break. Grosjean led the tie-break at one point, 4-1, but Blake rallied again to win, 7-5, and take the set. This is the sort of match that I'll think of the next time I see "Tennis" on the program guide when I'm trying to find something to watch. Hopefully the fifth set lives up to the promise of the fourth.
If Blake manages to complete the comeback and beat Grosjean, it will be the fourth time he has advanced as far as the fourth round in the Australian Open. (His best finish in any Grand Slam event came in 2005 and 2006, when he reached the quarterfinals in the U.S. Open.) It will also be a huge boost for America's hopes for a men's singles champions; Mardy Fish and sixth-seeded Andy Roddick both lost their third-round matches, leaving Blake and two unseeded players - Sam Querrey and Vincent Spadea, each of whom will face third-round opponents ranked in the top five - bearing the load for the United States.
Update 11:56 PM: Blake's success from the previous two sets has carried over to the fifth - he currently holds a commanding 4-1 lead over Grosjean.
Update 12:05 AM: That escalated quickly - Blake smelled blood in the water and finished off Grosjean, 6-2, in the final set to complete the 4-6, 2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory.
Is Geography A Required Subject In U.S. High Schools? (If Not, Maybe It Should Be)
Watching Miss Congeniality a few minutes ago, one of the beauty pageant contestants responded to the question "Describe your dream date," with the answer, "April 25". Sadly, it was not the worst pageant moment the world has ever seen.
That clip was literally everywhere last year, but I don't think it ever made an appearance on One More Dying Quail. And even if it did, I don't care - sometimes, the presence of greatness outweighs the risk of a double post.
So Wait...There Were OTHER Options For A Cover Photo?
Much has been made this week of Golfweek's controversial decision to run a photo of a noose on its front cover. To many observers, the incident that prompted the photo (in which the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman suggested playfully that the best way for Tiger Woods' competitors to stop him was to, "Lynch him in a back alley,") was beginning to gain some closure; the network had suspended Tilghman for two weeks (with further disciplinary action always a possibility) and she had apologized to Woods. While the choice of words and the manner in which they were delivered was unfortunate, proper penalties had been put in place to guarantee that Tilghman chooses her words more carefully in the future.
Then came that cover, of which Golfweek editor Dave Seanor said:
"Was it an arresting image? Yes, it was. We chose it because it was an image we thought would draw attention to an issue we thought deserved some intelligent dialogue. If you're going to do this story on the cover, you don't have many choices. It's Kelly Tilghman's face or a noose."(As Awful Announcing wrote, "Clearly those were your ONLY choices. Not a picture of Tiger Woods. No why you want to do that and turn your respected publication into a tabloid?")
And therein lies the rub. You see, Golfweek isn't the only weekly golf mag around; it's main competitor is Golf World, which is published by the same company that distributes Golf Digest. Golf World also covered Tilghman's poor choice of words, with senior writer Pete McDaniel delivering an impassioned rant (in a good way) against "the new 'L' word":
I want to talk about the word "lynch," because as an African-American I may think about it differently than you. Many golfers rolled their eyes when Rev. Al Sharpton joined the fray, and you may believe it's only political correctness run amok. But there's a reason, even in a society that believes deeply in free speech and independent thought, that certain words are out-of-bounds. Certain words are so hateful and hurtful that they transcend the importance of sport.The point: lynching was a heinous action, and throwing the word around with such carelessness ought not to be easily tolerated. It stands to reason, then, that images invoking lynching are also offensive, which may be why Golf World chose a much more tempered and appropriate image for this week's cover:
Let the word "lynch" linger in your mind. Can you see the image it evokes? A poor soul hanging from a noose tied to a tree, feet flailing in the air. According to Tuskegee University, 3,466 blacks were lynched in the United States from 1882 to 1968. For no other crime than being born black.
Can't imagine it? Some of us can. That's why some of us never speak the word -- not in impolite conversation nor in the privacy of our homes; not even in prayer sessions; and certainly not in jest.
The man pictured is Bill Spiller, a pioneer who fought as hard as anyone to gain African-American golfers the right to compete on the PGA Tour, but was past his prime by the time the dream of equality was actually realized. If you're looking for an intelligent conversation on the subjects of race and golf, there may be no better starting point than Spiller, who traveled as difficult a path as any other sporting pioneer but has received far less attention for it.
Unfortunately, the powerful nature of Golf World's Spiller cover has been lost in the controversy surrounding Golfweek's noose image. And unfortunately, Dave Seanor's supposed dream of "intelligent dialogue" might be lost along with it.
2008 NCAA Virtual Playoffs First Round: Notre Dame @ Illinois
Notre Dame (107) @ Illinois (22)
Final Score: Notre Dame 10, Illinois 3
Player To Watch: Dwight Stephenson Jr, DE, Notre Dame: 5 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks
Notre Dame advances to play the winner of Arkansas (43) vs. Miami (FL) (86) in the second round.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
2008 NCAA Virtual Playoffs First Round: Ole Miss @ Air Force
Ole Miss (109) @ Air Force (20)
Final Score: Air Force 28, Ole Miss 21
Player To Watch: Chad Hall, RB, Air Force: 12 carries, 169 yards, 2 TD
Air Force advances to face the winner of TCU (45) vs. Toledo (84) in the second round.
(Note: Rather than select an MVP, I've decided to have a "Player To Watch" from now on. It's sort of a "You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to" sort of thing, but I feel like it's more representative of what I wanted from those stat lines - not necessarily the best player, or most valuable, but the guy with the best numbers.)
Merril Hoge: Still Not A Vince Young Fan
I've been reading ESPN's football blog, Hashmarks, for about a month now, and really enjoy the style of its writer, Matt Mosley. Mosley is knowledgeable about the game, and his friendly style allows him to pass that knowledge along to his readers without coming off as a know-it-all. His posts are generally enjoyable reads.
Today, however, he wrote something that caught my attention. Note the bolded sentence below:
I think [new Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Mike] Heimerdinger will make a significant impact, but my colleague Merril Hoge disagrees. I can't say that I've heard Hoge rail on Young in the past, but he made some pretty strong comments in The Tennessean.
"What they've done is the first indicator of what happens when you make a mistake with the quarterback you drafted in the first round and he starts to erode your organization,'' Hoge said. "Norm Chow was not the problem. He did what his quarterback was capable of doing, which is not very much. And it is much easier to fire the offensive coordinator than to get rid of your quarterback.
"If it's your quarterback you're saying 'We made a mistake.' Now you get rid of the offensive coordinator and say the reason he is not playing well is because of him. What you're doing is buying yourself another year and you avoid the public relations hit of actually fessing up and admitting 'We screwed up.'"
If Matt hasn't heard this song and dance before, he hasn't been paying attention because for awhile there, Hoge made it his life's work to blast the hell out of Vince Young.
Read through those links, watch the videos of Hoge writing off Young's career in its infancy, and those most recent samples in the block quote above don't seem so strange, do they? Quite simply, this is what Hoge does: tear down Young as often as possible. I just don't get it. It's one thing to rip somebody who has been in the league for a few years without really delivering, a la David Carr or Alex Smith (in another couple of years, if he doesn't get it together by then). But to start in on a guy as he's leaving college, and continue through his first two years in the league (as he's winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and taking his team to the playoffs, no less)? That's odd.
I guess the silver lining, however, is this: if Vince is the sort of player who gains motivation from bulletin board material, he should have plenty of material in the coming years.
2008 NCAA Virtual Playoffs First Round: Southern Illinois @ Brigham Young
Southern Illinois (124) @ Brigham Young (5)
Final Score: Brigham Young 59, Southern Illinois 30
MVP: Harvey Unga, RB, Brigham Young: 17 carries, 128 yards, 2 TD
Brigham Young advances to play the winner of Indiana (60) vs. Miami (OH) (69) in the second round.
2008 NCAA Virtual Playoffs First Round: Appalachian State @ Georgia
Appalachian State (121) @ Georgia (8)
Final Score: Georgia 63, Appalachian State 0
MVP: Kris Durham, WR, Georgia: 5 catches, 119 yards, 4 TD
Georgia will face the winner of Georgia Tech (57) vs. Nevada (72) in the second round.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Bizarro Hall of Fame: Introducing the Class of 2008
Every January, One More Dying Quail pays homage to those players who enjoyed successful major league careers, were rewarded with a spot on the Hall of Fame ballot five years after retirement, and faded away into history without earning a single vote. To date, more than 180 players have been enshrined.
Brady Anderson - A funny fact about the Baseball Hall of Fame: of the fifteen eligible players who have hit fifty homeruns in a season, only eight are enshrined. Two of the players on the Naughty List, Mark McGwire and Anderson, appeared on this year's ballot. At least McGwire drew some votes (the exact same total as last year, incidentally); Anderson, long considered one of the poster boys for the wonders of steroids, got himself a big fat goose egg.
Anderson, who celebrates his 44th birthday on Thursday, actually turned in one of the more well-rounded fifty homer campaigns in history in 1996, becoming (at the time) just the second member of the completely arbitrary 50-20 Club (Willie Mays was the charter member; Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez have since followed). It was also one of the flukiest - his slugging percentage, for example, which reached .637 that year, never again got higher than .477.
If baseball players were blogs, Anderson would most definitely be One More Dying Quail: we both possess superficially good numbers, but it doesn't take much digging to realize that those results were artificially enhanced (Anderson was rumored to be a steroid user, I interviewed Erin Andrews).
Jose Rijo - Here's what I wrote about Rijo's Bizarro candidacy seven weeks ago:
The most interesting case, in my mind, is Rijo, a dominant righty for Cincinnati in the early 1990s who battled serious arm trouble and went six years between major league appearances later in the decade (he didn't pitch between July 18, 1995 and August 17, 2001). Because he was retired for the required five seasons, Rijo was listed on the 2001 ballot and received a single vote. Considering he did little to bolster his case (aside from being a great inspirational tale) during a two season comeback in 2001-02, there is a good chance he goes without a vote this time around.
Every so often, I get one of these things right (and sometimes, I get them mostly wrong). Rijo showed incredible mental toughness in coming back from multiple Tommy John surgeries, but his performance in 2001 and 2002 hardly warranted a second appearance on the ballot, let alone another vote.
Oddly enough, however, I tend to think that Rijo deserved better treatment back in 2001. He wasn't a Hall of Famer by any stretch, and his win totals were unimpressive (about thirteen a year between 1988 and 1994), but I'd be willing to argue that during his peak, he was one of the National League's best pitchers. It's surprising that he didn't come closer to 5%.
Those interested in the Bizarro Hall of Fame, take note: I have started a new blog dedicated solely to this project. Content is very light right now, with only an introductory post and some links, but updates will be coming shortly.
2008 NCAA Virtual Playoffs First Round: Duke @ Boston College
Duke (117) @ Boston College (12)
Final Score: Boston College 38, Duke 7
MVP: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College: 19-27, 271 yds, 4 TD, INT
Boston College will play the winner of Ball State (53) vs. Louisiana Tech (76) in the second round.
The Links: Counting the Days Until "Fidelity Investments Field at Fenway Park" Becomes A Reality
Farewell, O Jake (The DiaTribe)
Commercial-Filming Season Begins a Little Early This Year (Kissing Suzy Kolber)
The Michigan Man (Run Up The Score!)
Manny Ramirez: Declining, maybe, but far from done (Umpbump)
Completely Unrelated: A Brief Lunchtime Discourse on Bacon (Dawg Sports)
Steinways on Steroids? (Steroid Nation)
Fulmer Cup 2008: It Begins Appropriately. Now With Theme Music (Every Day Should Be Saturday)
Pirates Realize Dominican Republic Is A Source Of Baseball Talent (Bugs & Cranks)
A New Statistic (Vegas Watch)
Wade: Who has my keys? (Hashmarks)
Interested in Purchasing Sports Cards? Well, This Is My New Business (Why Don't We Get Drunk and Blog?)
The Stars Come Out For The Australian Open (Deadspin)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Visual Crack: Mike Gundy is a MAN! He's FORTY!
Despite the fact that Mike Gundy unleashed his epic rant on the media nearly four months ago, I just recently realized that I had never gotten around to posting it here. If there is any video that deserves to be here, it's this one, if only because I am already anxiously awaiting the day twelve years from now when my wife say something and I can shout, "I'M A MAN! I'M FORTY!" and it will be true.
It's good to have goals.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Useless Information: Ever Wonder Which Red Sox Hitter Made The Most Season-Ending Outs?
One of my favorite blogs, Royals Retrospective, is currently working on a massive and thankless undertaking: a listing of the top 100 players in Kansas City Royals history. The author, Max, has been plugging away for ten months now, working his way from #100 (Jay Bell) to #65 (Matt Stairs). #64, Angel Berroa, showed up earlier tonight in my RSS reader. I don't see it on the site right now - there appeared to be some formatting issues, so keep an eye out for it - but a very minor point caught my eye: early in his career, Berroa made the final out of the season for the Royals.
You know where this is going: my love of useless information and the Boston Red Sox dictates that I use the box scores at Baseball-Reference.com to figure out who has made the last out of the year for the team in every season since the mid-1950s. I can't help it - writing about stuff that nobody but me cares about is a compulsion.
September 30, 2007: Doug Mirabelli struck out swinging
October 1, 2006: Alex Cora grounded out to first base
October 2, 2005: John Olerud struck out swinging
October 3, 2004: Kevin Youkilis flied out to right field
September 28, 2003: Lou Merloni struck out swinging
September 29, 2002: Lou Merloni grounded into double play
October 6, 2001: Darren Lewis struck out swinging
October 1, 2000: Donnie Sadler grounded out to third base
October 3, 1999: John Valentin flied out to right field
September 28, 1998: Donnie Sadler struck out looking
September 28, 1997: Jeff Frye popped out to second base
September 29, 1996: Reggie Jefferson singled to right (walk-off)
October 1, 1995: Lee Tinsley fielders choice to third base
August 10, 1994: Carlos Rodriguez popped out to first base in foul territory
October 3, 1993: Steve Lyons struck out swinging
October 4, 1992: Luis Rivera struck out swinging
October 6, 1991: Mike Greenwell grounded out to second base
October 3, 1990: Mike Greenwell grounded into double play
October 1, 1989: Mike Greenwell grounded into double play
October 2, 1988: Ed Romero grounded out to second base
October 4, 1987: John Marzano grounded out to shortstop
October 5, 1986: La Schelle Tarver grounded out to shortstop
October 6, 1985: Mike Easler grounded out to second base
September 30, 1984: Dwight Evans grounded out to first base
October 2, 1983: Jackie Gutierrez grounded out to shortstop
October 3, 1982: Dave Stapleton doubled to left field (RBI, Rick Miller thrown out at home)
October 4, 1981: Carl Yastrzemski grounded out to first base
October 5, 1980: Dave Rader struck out looking
September 30, 1979: Stan Papi flied out to right field
October 2, 1978: Carl Yastrzemski popped out to third base
October 1, 1977: Jim Rice flied out to center field
October 3, 1976: Rick Burleson singled to center (walk-off)
September 28, 1975: Bernie Carbo popped out to second base
October 2, 1974: Rick Miller grounded out to third base
September 30, 1973: Dwight Evans grounded out to shortstop
October 4, 1972: Ben Oglivie grounded out to shortstop
September 29, 1971: Reggie Smith grounded out to first base
September 30, 1970: Mike Andrews grounded out to shortstop
October 1, 1969: Rico Petrocelli grounded out to shortstop
September 29, 1968: Carl Yastrzemski struck out
October 1, 1967: Jim Lonborg grounded out to shortstop
September 27, 1966: Reggie Smith grounded out to shortstop
October 3, 1965: Carl Yastrzemski flied out to left field
October 4, 1964: Eddie Bressoud grounded out to shortstop
September 28, 1963: Lou Clinton singled (walk-off)
September 30, 1962: Don Gile homered (walk-off)
October 1, 1961: Lou Clinton grounded out to second base
October 2, 1960: Marlan Caughtry struck out
September 27, 1959: Don Gile grounded into a double play
September 28, 1958: Ted Williams grounded into double play
September 29, 1957: Ken Aspromonte popped up to the catcher
September 30, 1956: Gene Stephens grounded out to second
I think my favorites are the four walk-off hits and the numerous strikeouts, both looking and swinging. Walk-offs are great at any time, but there's something special about one that happens at the end of a season. Even if your team is terrible, as the 1962 and 1963 teams were, you at least get to take a positive memory into the long offseason.
The really cool thing is that in a way, Don Gile can claim to be one better than Ted Williams. Everyone knows that The Splendid Splinter homered in the final at-bat of his career on September 28, 1960. Roughly six million New Englanders currently claim to have been in Fenway Park on that day, and John Updike wrote an essay about the moment. What most people don't know is that two years later, on September 30, 1962, Don Gile started both ends of a season-ending doubleheader against the Washington Senators. He played first base and hit seventh in both games. A big righhanded hitter known as Bear, Gile was frighteningly bad in 1962, entering the final day of the season with a batting average of .000 (0-for-34). He was 1-for-40 when he came up with one out in the bottom of the ninth and took Jack Jenkins deep for the third and final homerun of his career, breaking a 1-1 tie and sending the Sox home with a 3-1 victory. No one I know claims to have been there that day.
On the other side of the coin are the strikeouts, occurrences that are as maddening as walk-offs are exhilarating. Ten Red Sox seasons since 1956 have ended in that manner, with six swinging, two looking, and two unknown. Weirdly, a pattern has emerged in recent years: from 2001 to 2007, a player has struck out to end every odd-numbered season (Darren Lewis, Lou Merloni, John Olerud, and Doug Mirabelli did the honors).
One of the two unknowns was Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, who finished off the Year of the Pitcher with a strikeout at the hands of Lindy McDaniel. It was the second of a Red Sox record four season ending outs for Yaz - he also flied to left in 1965, popped to third in 1978, and grounded to first in 1981, creating a very diverse portfolio of ways to lose ballgames. The Red Sox lost the first three games, all to the Yankees (including the killer one-game "Bucky Dent" playoff in '78), before winning the final finale.
Finally, it absolutely must be noted that while Yaz personally ended the most Red Sox seasons, Mike Greenwell provided the team and its fans with an admirable consistency. From 1989 to 1991, Gator found himself at the plate in the ninth inning of the season finale; from 1989 to 1991, he made the final outs of the season, hitting into double plays the first two years and grounding out to second in the third. Fortunately, he was pulled early from the 1988 finale and missed the last half of 1992, or this dubious mark could have been extended indefinitely.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Patriots Know How To Start Off On The Right Foot
During my live-blog of the Patriots-Jaguars game on Saturday, a commenter asked a question that I didn't have an answer to: how many times this season did New England begin a half by scoring a touchdown? I looked into it briefly, realized it would take more than the two or three minutes I had to spare, and promised to devote more time after the game was over.
I guarantee somebody else already has this information (whether or not its available online is another story), but I felt like compiling it myself by looking through the first offensive series from each of the 32 halves the Patriots played this season.
Game 1 at New York Jets
First Half: 12 plays, 91 yards, TD
Second Half: 5 plays, 85 yards, TD
Game 2 vs. San Diego Chargers
First Half: 7 plays, 69 yards, TD
Second Half: 7 plays, 75 yards, TD
Game 3 vs. Buffalo Bills
First Half: 10 plays, 28 yards, FG
Second Half: 3 plays, 2 yards, Punt
Game 4 at Cincinnati Bengals
First Half: 11 plays, 66 yards, FG
Second Half: 8 plays, 81 yards, TD
Game 5 vs. Cleveland Browns
First Half: 14 plays, 78 yards, FG
Second Half: 6 plays, 40 yards, Punt
Game 6 at Dallas Cowboys
First Half: 14 plays, 74 yards, TD
Second Half: 3 plays, 0 yards, Punt
Game 7 at Miami Dolphins
First Half: 9 plays, 80 yards, TD
Second Half: 6 plays, 66 yards, Punt
Game 8 vs. Washington Redskins
First Half: 14 plays, 90 yards, TD
Second Half: 13 plays, 85 yards, TD
Game 9 at Indianapolis Colts
First Half: 3 plays, 2 yards, Punt
Second Half: 3 plays, 6 yards, Punt
Game 10 at Buffalo Bills
First Half: 2 plays, 34 yards, TD
Second Half: 12 plays, 73 yards, TD
Game 11 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
First Half: 10 plays, 78 yards, TD
Second Half: 3 plays, -16 yards, Punt
Game 12 at Baltimore Ravens
First Half: 9 plays, 77 yards, FG
Second Half: 11 plays, 72 yards, TD
Game 13 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
First Half: 3 plays, 4 yards, Punt
Second Half: 5 plays, 80 yards, TD
Game 14 vs. New York Jets
First Half: 7 plays, 30 yards, Punt
Second Half: 3 plays, 5 yards, Interception
Game 15 vs. Miami Dolphins
First Half: 10 plays, 70 yards, TD
Second Half: 4 plays, 34 yards, Interception
Game 16 vs. New York Giants
First Half: 12 plays, 54 yards, FG
Second Half: 3 plays, 3 yards, Punt
In sixteen games, the Patriots put points on the board to open a half twenty times (fifteen touchdowns and five field goals). They punted ten times and Tom Brady was intercepted twice. Four times - Games 1, 2, 8 and 10 - they scored a touchdown on their first drive of each half, and only twice did they go without points in both halves (Games 9 and 14). Overall, New England scored on its first possession of the game thirteen times (eight touchdowns, five field goals).
Saturday, January 12, 2008
2008 NCAA Football Virtual Playoffs: Buffalo @ Alabama
Buffalo (74) @ Alabama (55)
Final Score: Alabama 29, Buffalo 16
MVP: Bobby Greenwood, DE, Alabama: 4 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks
Alabama will play the winner of Virginia Tech (10) vs. Minnesota (119) in the second round.
2008 NCAA Virtual Playoffs First Round: UNLV @ Arizona State
UNLV (115) @ Arizona State (14)
Final Score: Arizona State 44, UNLV 10
MVP: Rudy Burgess, Arizona State, WR: 7 catches, 167 yds, 3 TD
Arizona State will play the winner of Western Kentucky (51) vs. Arizona (78) in Round 2
2008 NCAA Virtual Playoffs First Round: James Madison @ LSU
James Madison (126) @ LSU (3)
Final Score: LSU 42, James Madison 10
MVP: Mike Flynn, QB, LSU: 16-27, 276 yds, 5 TD
LSU will play the winner of California (62) vs. Northwestern (67) in Round 2.
Reverse Survivor: "You have the manners of a goat. And you smell like a dung-heap! And you have no knowledge whatsoever of your potential!"
As college basketball teams return from their winter breaks and start settling into conference schedules, fifteen teams remain alive in the Reverse Survivor competition. Two of those - New Jersey Institute of Technology and Grambling State - are so-called "natural" contestants, as neither has won a game so far this season. The plight of the Highlanders was recently documented by the Associated Press. If they can pull this off, they'll be just the third team to do so since the 1991-92 season.
New to the contest this week are the Pomeroy Rankings, which were suggested by Vegas Watch, a fella who knows a bit more about college basketball than I do. There is a ton of stuff to look at if you follow that first link, most of which makes my head spin, but I pulled five categories for each team as a way of measuring their chances at winning this things: overall Pomeroy Rank, Projected Record, Highest Win Probability, Games Remaining, and games remaining against teams with an overall rank higher than 300.
It was noted in an earlier post on this topic that the Southwestern Athletic Conference is terrible. True statement. The SWAC is probably the worst conference in Division 1 basketball. That works against us in a Reverse Survivor sense, however, as the other winless team at this point is Grambling State, which was 0-9 as of Friday. The Tigers are ranked one spot below NJIT and have a comparable projected record, but they hold huge advantages in games remaining (16, compared to NJIT's 12) and games remaining against 300-level teams (a whopping thirteen, a direct result of playing in the SWAC; the Highlanders have two such games left).
Should one of the winless teams falter (can winning a game be considered "faltering"?), there are currently three one-win teams remaining as well: North Florida, North Carolina Central and Ball State. The first two are not-so-good programs, with ranks in the 330s; Ball State, on the other hand, has the best Pomeroy Rank (259) of any team with two or fewer losses.
Zero (2)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (Independent, 0-17)
- Pomeroy Rank: 340
- Projected Record: 1-28
- Highest Win Probability: 24%
- Games Remaining: 12
- Against Teams W/Sub-300 Rank: 2
Grambling State (Southwestern Athletic, 0-9)
- Pomeroy Rank: 341
- Projected Record: 2-23
- Highest Win Probability: 36%
- Games Remaining: 16
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 13
North Florida (Atlantic Sun, 1-14)
- Pomeroy Rank: 333
- Projected Record: 3-26
- Highest Win Probability: 53%
- Games Remaining: 14
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 4
- Pomeroy Rank: 339
- Projected Record: 3-26
- Highest Win Probability: 29%
- Games Remaining: 7
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 4 (including two non-Division 1 teams, which are not included in the rankings)
- Pomeroy Rank: 259
- Projected Record: 5-23
- Highest Win Probability: 75%
- Games Remaining: 15
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 0
Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun, 2-13)
- Pomeroy Rank: 327
- Projected Record: 6-24
- Highest Win Probability: 76%
- Games Remaining: 15
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 5
- Pomeroy Rank: 297
- Projected Record: 6-25
- Highest Win Probability: 5%
- Games Remaining: 9
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 4 (all non-Division 1 teams)
- Pomeroy Rank: 301
- Projected Record: 8-21
- Highest Win Probability: 77%
- Games Remaining: 15
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 5 (one against non-Division 1 opponent)
- Pomeroy Rank: 313
- Projected Record: 4-24
- Highest Win Probability: 33%
- Games Remaining: 13
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 0
- Pomeroy Rank: 338
- Projected Record: 6-25
- Highest Win Probability: 62%
- Games Remaining: 17
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 12
- Pomeroy Rank: 318
- Projected Record: 5-23
- Highest Win Probability: 70%
- Games Remaining: 12
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 2
- Pomeroy Rank: 304
- Projected Record: 5-24
- Highest Win Probability: 81%
- Games Remaining: 14
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 2
- Pomeroy Rank: 335
- Projected Record: 8-23
- Highest Win Probability: 88%
- Games Remaining: 16
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 13
- Pomeroy Rank: 334
- Projected Record: 8-21
- Highest Win Probability: 88%
- Games Remaining: 17
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 13
- Pomeroy Rank: 336
- Projected Rank: 7-23
- Highest Win Probability: 86%
- Games Remaining: 16
- Against Teams w/Sub-300 Rank: 12
South Carolina Upstate (Atlantic Sun, 3-13)
Sacramento State (Big Sky, 3-11)
Hofstra (Colonial Athletic, 3-10)
Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley, 3-12)
Jackson State (Southwestern Athletic, 4-11)
Southern (Southwestern Athletic, 3-10)
Texas Southern (Southwestern Athletic, 3-12)
Friday, January 11, 2008
One More Dying Quail's 2007 Commenter of the Year
As the owner of a fairly small blog, you'd think I would do more to make my commenters feel special. For whatever reason, however, I have not been good at the commenter-writer interaction that helps drive the best blogs. When I ran All The Good Names Are Taken at Fox Sports, my personal policy was to respond to every single comment on every single post (even the one about plagiarism that drew more than sixty responses); it was just my way of telling those who took the time to respond that their opinions were important.
When One More Dying Quail started getting serious, that policy stopped (although I did, until recently, give a link to anyone who left a comment). And for the past year or so, or whenever it was that people really started dropping the occasional comment here, I've often felt guilty at my overall inability to honor the most loyal visitors in some way (especially with some of the exceptional thoughts that are put forth) - which is why I decided to go back through every post I've ever done, add up all the comments, and pay homage to the guys and gals who have contributed the most between July 2006 and now.
Before I knock off the top five commenters, a couple of random "awards" to hand out:
The "First!" Award: Andrew from 12eight left the first comment after randomly finding an early post in which I linked to his annual Pozo Awards. For a long time, that was one lonely comment.
The "Horse With No Name" Award: About 20% of all comments - roughly 111 - were left by the omnipresent "anonymous". Somewhat surprisingly, most of those contain at least some useful information or constructive criticism.
The "Hello There, It's Just Me" Award: Yours truly has left an unimpressive 66 comments.
The "Records Are Made To Be Broken" Award: The OMDQ record for comments on one post is 17, shared by "Talking With Erin Andrews" and "Global Studies: The New Golf Course Management?".
Now that those are out of the way, on to the top five One More Dying Quail commenters (in reverse order):
5. Forever and Ever, 25 comments: Regular readers know Forever and Ever as Colleen, my friend and coworker who failed in her attempt to meet Barack Obama at a Nashua Pride game last summer. One of the few people at my job who knows about this blog, let alone reads it on a regular basis. Despite a slight falling out late last year, she still reads often and occasionally makes her thoughts public.
4. Extrapolater/Eric, 32 comments: The first of three Channel Four News Teamers in the top five, Eric is a successful freelance writer who currently shares blogs with Marco (the amazingly successful Storming the Floor) and myself (the randomly updated Bus Leagues Baseball). On June 7, 2007, he left a comment on "My Father, My Hero" praising my ability as a writer. It's still saved in my email.
3. Bruce, 37 comments: Bruce was the first person to comment on the post I wrote announcing the birth of my son. Over the past six months, he is far and away the most prolific commenter on my blog, and always has something positive to contribute.
2. Run Up The Score!, 40 comments: News Teamer number two, and something of a surprise entry here. I knew RUTS was always good for a good comment, but had no idea he had contributed so much. He's been busy the last few months, with both blogging and personal stuff, but still finds time to stop by now and again to leave his thoughts.
1. Signal to Noise, 45 comments: The 2007 Commenter of the Year is, not surprisingly, News Team member number three (for the record: Marco had 18 comments, Awful Announcing had 5). Judge for yourself whether or not this is good or bad, but S2N's influence is the main reason I try to keep an interesting featured series running at all times. The guy complimented me once on my creativity in January 2007 and it went straight to my head. So if you hate Reverse Survivor, blame him.
Congratulations to the winners! Thank you, and everyone else who has left a comment here since One More Dying Quail's inception, for your support. I look forward to reading (and hopefully doing a better job responding to) more of your wit and wisdom in the future.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Links: That's...That's...That's "The Links" Music!
For a few weeks last year, I compiled a daily link dump around here. Then, for reasons that have probably been overexplained, I ran short of time and had to give it up. There's definitely something to be said for giving back to the blogging community, however, which is why I decided to follow the lead of Signal to Noise, Vegas Watch, and others and attempt a weekly list. Could be every Wednesday night, or every Thursday - I really don't know how it'll work out. Send your tips to onemoredyingquail@gmail.com, and enjoy the four hits you will receive.
Kelly Ripa's Wrestling Team Loses (Awful Announcing)
COTM: Why American Gladiators Doesn't Work in 2008 (The Postmen)
Willie Pep Rolls Over in His Grave (No Mas)
Jags Web Site Takes Jab at Patriots (Hashmarks)
Mark McGwire and the Hall of Fame (Sabernomics)
Big Kenny Becomes A Household Name (Storming the Floor)
Why Leave Paradise for Purgatory (Signal to Noise)
Yankees Pulling Out of Johan Santana Derby (The FanHouse)
Sir Edmund Hillary Dies at 88 (The FanHouse)
Kenny George is Tall, Really Tall (The Postmen)
It's Always Nice To Laugh After Avoiding A Late-Night Emergency Room Visit
Just before bedtime last night, my son was laying on Mommy and Daddy's bed, on his back, giggling about something, when suddenly his six-month-old brain decided it would be a good idea to flip over onto his stomach as quickly as possible. (This is something he now manages to accomplish quite adroitly. Earlier in the evening, in fact, he managed to turn over in his crib and turn off the baby monitor.) The poorly planned move took him from near the middle of the bed to the edge in a blink of an eye. Good thing Daddy was there to run interference on the little guy, who actually looked a little stunned when he realized he was looking down and the bed wasn't there anymore, only floor.
You're probably wondering if there is a point to this or if I'm just one of those people that can't help raving about every little thing their offspring does. (That's actually my wife's job; she texted me at work last week to tell me that "Joey just had the biggest poop of his life! He is so proud, he wants to name it!" That's an actual quote, people.) But no, there was actually something humorous that I wanted to relay.
When Joey rolled over and found himself staring into the abyss, I looked down as well, curious about what might have broken his fall had he not become lodged against my arm. Dirty laundry and some books were the first things that caught my eye. The laundry was okay (it's soft, anyway) but the books would have been no fun, I thought, because they were resting on the bindings. He easily could have caught a corner in the face or something equally pleasant.
Upon further inspection, however, I found some humor in the situation. The name of the first two books I saw? "You're Okay, It's Just A Bruise" and "What Color Is Your Parachute?" Joey is a little young to appreciate irony, but I got a good laugh out of it.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
2008 NCAA Virtual Playoffs First Round: Eastern Washington @ Missouri
Eastern Washington (125) @ Missouri (4)
Final Score: Missouri 23, Eastern Washington 7
MVP: Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri: 17-28, 212 yds, 2 TD
Missouri will play the winner of Michigan State (61) vs. South Carolina (68) in Round 2.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
It Doesn't Take Much To Make Me Laugh
As previously noted, I'm not very politically savvy. I do, however, have the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old, which is why I found myself giggling uncontrollably in a voting booth at about 2:30 this afternoon.
It started off simply enough: I entered Charlotte Ave. Elementary School, decided to become a Democrat for five minutes, and took my ballot to the booth, where a very nice lady held the curtain open for me. I wandered in, twiddled my thumbs for a minute, read the instructions carefully, and finally got around to reading the names on the ballot.
Again, not a problem, until I got down near the bottom. Forgive me for going strictly on memory here, but in my mind's eye it went something like, "Barack Obama...O. Savior...Mike Skok".
Skok's campaign seems to be legitimate (if New York Assemblyman Greg R. Ball was his running mate, he would've had my vote), but I just can't believe that Mr. or Mrs. "O. Savior", who registered from a P.O. Box in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is an actual candidate. Seems more like some sort of weird statement to me. Regardless, both names were good for a laugh as I put my "fill-in-the-box" skills to work (finely honed by years and years of C.A.T. tests in elementary and junior high schools), completely darkened the box next to "Barack Obama" (do NOT draw an "x", or fill the box in incompletely; the machine doesn't like that, and it knows where you live), dropped my ballot into the crazy ballot-eating machine, and proudly reclaimed my "Undeclared" status before striding confidently back into the unseasonably warm January day.
Bill O'Reilly Is A Classy Individual
I usually steer clear of politics, but this caught my attention over the weekend because I remember seeing that Barack Obama staffer (and making a mental note of how friggin' huge he was) when I almost met the senator at a Nashua Pride game last year. Tonight, my wife happened to flip past just as Bill O'Reilly was showing this clip of the altercation on his show:
He's absolutely correct - that was a terribly low class move, and he should be ashamed of...oh, he meant the Obama guy had no class. Well, that's a horse of a different color. As my wife pointed out, it was sort of a dick move for the guy to keep moving in front of the cameraman. Agreed. But O'Reilly wasn't exactly pleasant in his initial pleas for a clear shot, and he had absolutely no right to put his hands on anyone, for any reason.
This sort of thing reminds me of my one previous brush with a presidential candidate. I was working for the Nashua Pride in 2003 when Dick Gephardt came to Holman Stadium on a campaign stop. Gephardt and his staff weren't a problem at all - actually, one of his aides was a kid I went to high school with - but the media was an absolute nightmare. Never in my life, before or since, have I met a group of people with such an undeserved sense of entitlement. My job that day was to keep the eight or ten photographers off the grass of the infield during the first pitch; they couldn't leave the warning track. They kept sneaking up, I kept pushing back, until one guy finally snapped, "Just get out of the way and let me do my job!"
"I'm just trying to do mine," I replied.
I'm so glad I don't work in media relations anymore.
2008 NCAA Football Virtual Playoffs Game 2: Wofford @ Kansas
Game 2: Wofford (127) @ Kansas (2)
Final Score: Kansas 52, Wofford 0
MVP: Raimond Pendleton, PR, Kansas: 7 returns, 194 yds, 3 TD
Kansas will play the winner of Louisiana-Monroe (63) vs. Louisville (66) in Round 2.
2008 NCAA Football Virtual Playoffs Game 1: Massachusetts @ Hawaii
With the official completion of the 2007 college football season (congratulations LSU), the time has come to begin the 2nd annual NCAA Football Virtual Playoffs, proudly presented by One More Dying Quail.
The 120 FBS teams and the top eight FCS teams have been seeded and placed into an official bracket, which can be viewed by clicking on the link below (it will be on the left sidebar shortly). Updates will be made as each game is completed.
2008 NCAA Football Virtual Playoffs
Also new this year, at least for a first-round trial: a new post for every result. They will be short, just a brief listing of the teams involved, the final score, and the player of the game, but the hope is that it will be more fun to look at than a boring list of score after score. Feedback is welcome.
Game 1: Massachusetts (128) @ Hawaii (1)
Final: Hawaii 22, Massachusetts 0
MVP: Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii: 24-35, 253 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Thoughts On Big Al
A thought crossed my mind tonight: I feel really, really bad for Al Jefferson.
Three days ago, the Timberwolves forward celebrated his 23rd birthday with a 24-point, 15-rebound performance. It was his third consecutive 20-15 game (and tenth of the season, after just three last year) and his 24th double-double of the season. After three promising seasons, he finally appears to have developed into the monster post player everyone thought he could be.
One problem: Jefferson's Timberwolves lost to the Denver Nuggets, 118-107, to fall to 4-28 on the season.
Last season, Jefferson anchored a Boston Celtics team that played without many of its veterans (most notably Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak) for lengthy stretches at a time, drew accusations of late-season tanking, and finished a disappointing 24-58. He became a man with that team, breaking 20-10 per game in April and causing mild anxiety whenever his name came up in trade rumors. Fans wanted the team to improve, but they didn't want to lose Al.
We all know what happened, of course: Danny Ainge had a chance to make the Celtics better and he took it, dealing Jefferson and a handful of other young players to Minnesota for future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett. Garnett has teamed with Pierce and fellow newcomer Ray Allen to form a Big Three for the new millenium, a trio of talented players who make up one of the best foundations in the NBA.
The Celtics, after a hard-fought win over the Pistons on Saturday, are an unbelievable 29-3. Barring a catastrophic collapse the likes of which has never been seen, they will make the playoffs, and most pundits have them matching up against Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, lost again on Sunday, 101-78, to the Dallas Mavericks (Big Al missed the 20-15, but had another double-double: 16 and 11). The loss was the team's eighth straight and fourteenth in the last fifteen games. In the last two seasons, Jefferson's teams have won 28 and lost 87.
The Timberwolves are a young team that may contend in the future. I hope they do, if only because Jefferson is the type of young player that shouldn't have to spend his entire career on a series of terrible teams.
American Gladiators: Take Two
The news of a brand-new American Gladiators show has been out there for awhile; I didn't realize just how exciting it would be until tonight (well, until the end of the women's competition, which was about as clearly rigged as anything I've ever seen). It'll never be equal to the original - I found out who Larry Csonka was through American Gladiators; who knew he played football too - but who am I to complain about an hour of mindless entertainment?
The Best Story I've Read All Week
Though college football is one of my favorite sports to watch, I've never really rooted exclusively for one team. If baseball is on, and there is a choice between a Red Sox game or some random ESPN game, I'm taking the Sox 99% of the time. With college football, it depends more on the conditions: if it's a close game, if the two teams are rivals, stuff like that.
Until tonight, I didn't really have a rooting interest in Monday's national championship game. After reading the Yahoo! Sports story below, however, I'll be keeping an eye on LSU and their left tackle, Ciron Black.
Mikey's Hero
It's hard to learn a lot about someone just by reading a few hundred words about them, but it's clear that Black is a good young man with extraordinary compassion. His parents should be proud. I only hope that he has a chance to meet the young man in the article someday.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Looking Ahead To Future Hall Of Fame Elections
An email conversation with Andrew from The Grand National Championships earlier this week regarding future Baseball Hall of Fame elections sent me scurrying to Baseball-Reference.com to look up the players who should currently be eligible in 2009 and 2010:
2009
Al Martin
Albie Lopez
Bill Haselman
Brian Hunter
Chad Kreuter
Charles Nagy
Craig Paquette
Dan Plesac
Darren Holmes
Dave Veres
David Cone
Dean Palmer
Denny Neagle
Felix Jose
Graeme Lloyd
Greg Vaughn
Jason Bere
Jay Bell
Jeff Reboulet
Jesse Orosco
Joe Girardi
Joey Hamilton
John Burkett
Keith Lockhart
Kevin Young
Lance Painter
Luis Sojo
Mark Grace
Mark Guthrie
Matt Walbeck
Matt Williams
Mike Bordick
Mike Williams
Mo Vaughn
Omar Daal
Orlando Merced
Pat Mahomes
Rich Rodriguez
Rick Reed
Rickey Henderson
Ron Gant
Steve Avery
Terry Shumpert
Todd Hundley
Tom Prince
Trenidad Hubbard
Troy O'Leary
2010
(Note: Rod Beck would have been eligible in this election; his death in 2007, however, resulted in his inclusion on the 2008 ballot.)
Andres Galarraga
Andy Ashby
Barry Larkin
Brent Mayne
Brian Boehringer
Brook Fordyce
Chris Stynes
Curt Leskanic
Danny Bautista
Darren Bragg
Dave Burba
David Segui
Edgar Martinez
Ellis Burks
Eric Karros
Fernando Vina
Fred McGriff
Greg Colbrunn
Jimmy Haynes
John Vander Wal
Josias Manzanillo
Karim Garcia
Kevin Appier
Mark McLemore
Mike Fetters
Mike Jackson
Pat Hentgen
Paul Abbott
Ray Lankford
Ricky Gutierrez
Roberto Alomar
Robin Ventura
Scott Service
Scott Sullivan
Shane Reynolds
Sterling Hitchcock
Todd Van Poppel
Todd Zeile
Tom Goodwin
Turk Wendell
Baseball-Reference doesn't yet have the list of players who played their final season in 2005, so the early list for 2011 will have to wait.
The only guaranteed first-ballot electee in either year is Henderson, who may wind up comprising the entire Class of '09, but several others should have a chance. When the time comes to cast my make-believe ballot in 2010, for instance, I will be looking closely at Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff and Roberto Alomar.
An interesting personal note about Rickey Henderson: he made his debut with Oakland on June 24, 1979, just over four months before I was born. 24 years later, my first day as a media relations intern with the Nashua Pride coincided with his first visit to the city as a member of the Atlantic League's Newark Bears. Later that year, on September 19, he played his final major league game. It's pretty amazing to me that Henderson's career began when I was still a fetus and didn't end until after I graduated from college (and I was even on the five-year plan).
Of course, Jesse Orosco was also impressive, debuting on April 5, 1979 and refusing to hang 'em up until September 27, 2003. He ranks a little behind Rickey, though, mainly because the body of a relief specialist sustains far less wear and tear than the body of a guy who throws himself headfirst into a base several thousand times.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Don't Worry Cam, You'll Land On Your Feet...Probably As A Coordinator Or Something
In a post yesterday about the firing of Cam Cameron, Deadspin's Will Leitch lamented the possibility that Cameron might pursue work elsewhere:
"Please, no. Not because Cameron is inherently a bad coach -- though he might be -- and not because he's a bad guy or anything, but because a lifetime head coaching mark of 1-15 is the stuff of which legends are made. How do you not admire a guy who spends one season in the NFL, goes 1-15, and then never coaches again? It's freaking epic. Cam, you owe it to history to retire. Your name will never be forgotten."
As it happens, the Football Gods have a sense of humor about these things, and Cameron is not actually the first coach to post a 1-15 record in his debut season and then be shown the door without pity, remorse, or a future in the coaching profession. The original member of this exclusive club: New England's Rod Rust, the bridge that connected legendary leaders Raymond Berry and Dick MacPherson. Thank God Kraft and Parcells came along when they did.
So there, Miami. You can have your, "We were the first team to have an undefeated season and nobody can match that." Cam Cameron will always be second to Rod Rust.
In all, eight teams have finished a season 1-15. Two of them changed coaches midway through the year, six waited until the end of the season to start handing out walking papers, and two lived to coach another day.
2007 Miami Dolphins
Coach: Cam Cameron (1-15)*
First Win: Week 15 @ Baltimore, 22-16, in overtime
Started: 0-13
Fun Fact: Assuming the Miami gig was the end of his career as an NFL head coach, Cameron will join New England's Rod Rust as the only coaches with career 1-15 records.
2001 Carolina Panthers
Coach: George Seifert (114-62)*
First Win: Week 1 @ Minnesota, 24-13
Started: 0-0
Fun Fact: Seifert is the only head coach in history to win a Super Bowl in his first season at the helm and finish 1-15 in his final season. His 49ers finished 14-2 in 1989, leaving him one win shy of a perfect 15-1/1-15 bookend.
2000 San Diego Chargers
Coach: Mike Riley (14-34)
First Win: Week 13 vs. Kansas City, 17-16
Started: 0-11
Fun Fact: Actually, Mike Riley gets two fun facts. One, I think his name might be the most common in the world - not only is there a Major League Baseball umpire with the same name, I once worked with two Mike Rileys...at the same job. And two, the 2000 season was officially the Year 1 BLT (Before LaDainian Tomlinson) in San Diego.
1996 New York Jets
Coach: Rich Kotite (40-56)*
First Win: Week 9 vs. Arizona, 31-21
Started: 0-8
Fun Fact: Kotite's two-year won-lost record with the Jets was 4-28. Bill Parcells took over as head coach in 1997 and went 21-11 in his first two seasons.
1991 Indianapolis Colts
Coaches: Ron Meyer (54-50)* and Rick Venturi (2-17)
First Win: Week 11 vs. New York Jets, 28-27
Started: 0-9
Fun Fact: Meyer lost the first five games of the season before being replaced by Venturi. It was his last head coaching job in the NFL. Venturi, on the other hand, later guided the 1996 New Orleans Saints to a 1-7 record, finishing his career with a 2-17 lifetime mark.
1990 New England Patriots
Coach: Rod Rust (1-15)*
First Win: Week 2 @ Indianapolis, 16-14
Started: 0-1
Fun Fact: Content in the knowledge that while Cam Cameron has matched his historic achievement, he can only have the outside pole while Rod takes the inside pole.
1989 Dallas Cowboys
Coach: Jimmy Johnson (80-64)
First Win: Week 9 @ Washington, 13-3
Started: 0-8
Fun Fact: Remains the only coach to finish 1-15 in his first season (or ever) and later win a Super Bowl. And he managed to do it while replacing a legend (Tom Landry) and engaging in a power struggle with the owner (Jerry Jones).
1980 New Orleans Saints
Coaches: Dick Nolan (69-82-5)* and Dick Stanfel (1-3)*
First Win: Week 15 @ New York Jets, 21-20
Started: 0-14
Fun Fact: Dick Nolan coached the NFL's first 1-15 team to an 0-12 record before handing the reigns over to Stanfel, who managed to eke out that slim win over the Jets. Neither man worked as a head coach in the NFL again.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Pop Quiz: What Do Hensley Meulens, Tom Mastny, and Chan Ho Park Have In Common?
Early in David Maraniss' biography on Roberto Clemente, the author provides some background for Clemente's rise to fame by briefly discussing the Puerto Rican stars who came before him: Hiram Bithorn, the first Puerto Rican native to play in the major leagues; Luis Olmo, the catcher and future scout who joined him the following season; and Vic Power, formerly Victor Pellot, the first baseman who probably should have been the New York Yankees first black player.
The mention of Bithorn started the wheels turning (I even pulled out a pen and wrote a note on my hand so I would remember to do this later): baseball in the United States has always had a global flavor to it. According to records at Baseball-Reference.com, players from 56 foreign countries have played professionally since 1871. The list below contains the first (and, in some cases, only) player from each of those countries.
My favorite player on this entire list, by far? The first one, right at the top, Ed Porray - the only player in major league history to be born on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It's somehow fitting that he played his entire career in the Federal League. One of these days, I'll have to do some digging and find the circumstances surrounding his arrival, if possible.
A quick note on the formatting: if the name of the country is hyperlinked, then that country has its own BR.com page. Clicking the link will allow you to see everyone from that specific place. If there is no link, then the player is listed on this page.
(The date listed is the date of the player's major league debut.)
A Ship on the Atlantic Ocean - Ed Porray (unknown); April 17, 1914
Afghanistan - Jeff Bronkey (Kabul); May 2, 1993
American Samoa - Tony Solaita (Nuuuli); September 16, 1968
Aruba - Gene Kingsale (Solito); September 3, 1996
Australia - Joe Quinn (Sydney); April 26, 1884
Austria - Kurt Krieger (Traisen); April 21, 1949
Austria-Hungary - Joe Koukalik (unknown); September 1, 1904
Bahamas - Andre Rodgers (Nassau); April 16, 1957
Belgium - Brian Lesher (Wilrijk); August 25, 1996
British Honduras - Chito Martinez (Belize City); July 5, 1991
Canada - Tom Smith (Guelph, Ontario); September 15, 1875
Canary Islands - Al Cabrera (unknown); May 16, 1913
China - Harry Kingman (Tientsin); July 1, 1914
Colombia - Orlando Ramirez (Cartagena); July 6, 1974
Cuba - Steve Bellan (unknown); May 9, 1871
Curacao - Hensley Meulens (Willemstad); August 23, 1989
Czechoslovakia - John Stedronsky (unknown); September 25, 1879
Denmark - Olaf Henriksen (Kirkerup); August 11, 1911
Dominican Republic - Ozzie Virgil (Monte Cristi); September 23, 1956
England - George Hall (Stepney) and Harry Wright (Sheffield); May 5, 1871
Finland - John Michaelson (Taivalkoski); August 28, 1921
France - Larry Ressler (unknown); April 26, 1875
Germany - George Heubel (unknown); May 20, 1871
Greece - Al Campanis (Kos); September 23, 1943
Guam - John Hattig (Tamuning); August 19, 2006
Honduras - Gerald Young (Tela); July 8, 1987
Indonesia - Tom Mastny (East Bontang); July 30, 2006
Ireland - Andy Leonard (County Cavan); May 5, 1871
Italy - Lou Polli (Baveno); April 18, 1932
Jamaica - Chili Davis (Kingston); April 10, 1981
Japan - Masanori Murakami (Otsuki); September 1, 1964
Mexico - Mel Almada (Huatabampo, Sonora); September 8, 1933
Netherlands - Rynie Wolters (Schantz); May 18, 1871
Netherland Antilles - Jair Jurrjens (Curacao); August 15, 2007
Nicaragua - Dennis Martinez (Granada); September 14, 1976
Norway - John Anderson (Sarpsborg); September 8, 1894
Okinawa - Bobby Fenwick (Naha); April 26, 1972
Philippines - Bobby Chouinard (Manila); May 26, 1996
Poland - Henry Peploski (Garlin); September 19, 1929
Puerto Rico - Hiram Bithorn (Santurce); April 15, 1942
Panama - Humberto Robinson (Colon); April 20, 1955
Russia - Jake Gettman (Frank); August 20, 1897
Saudi Arabia - Craig Stansberry (Dammam); August 25, 2007
Scotland - Jim McCormick (Glasgow); May 20, 1878
Singapore - Robin Jennings (Singapore); April 18, 1996
South Korea - Chan Ho Park (Kongju); April 8, 1994
South Vietnam - Danny Graves (Saigon); July 13, 1996
Spain - Bryan Oelkers (Zaragoza); April 9, 1983
Sweden - Charlie Hallstrom (Jonkoping); September 23, 1885
Switzerland - Otto Hess (Bern); August 3, 1902
Taiwan - Chin-Feng Chen (Tainan City); September 14, 2002
Ukraine - Bill Cristall (Odessa); September 3, 1901
Virgin Islands - Joe Christopher (Frederiksted); May 26, 1959 (Though he was born in Puerto Rico, Valmy Thomas is often considered the majors' first Virgin Islander. His family was from St. Croix and he was raised there, but his mother traveled to Santurce and its better medical conditions to give birth. His debut was April 16, 1957.)
Venezuela - Alex Carrasquel (Caracas); April 23, 1939
Wales - Peter Morris (Rhuddlan); May 14, 1884
W. Germany - Rob Belloir (Heidelberg); August 2, 1975
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
My (Make-Believe) Hall of Fame Ballot
Next week, the Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the voting results for the 2008 election. We already know that five managers and executives - Barney Dreyfuss, Bowie Kuhn, Walter O'Malley Billy Southworth, Dick Williams - will be inducted in late July and the winners of the J.G. Taylor Spink and Ford C. Frick awards will be honored. But will any players join them as permanent residents of Cooperstown?
Everyone with a blog and an interest in baseball has an opinion on this, and I'm no different, which is why I decided tonight to put together my own ballot. I may not have a Hall of Fame vote, but a little pretending never hurt anybody.
Before I start, I have to point out the two biggest problems I encountered: relievers and outfielders. Robb Nen, Lee Smith and Goose Gossage are all on the ballot this year, Nen for the first time, which threw me for a loop because while all three were exceptional closers, I wasn't sure I wanted to devote three spots on the ballot to the position. In the end, as you'll see, I only voted for one.
The outfielders presented the same problem, except there were were a lot more, and most of them are not newcomers to the ballot. Jim Rice, Dale Murphy, Andre Dawson, Harold Baines, Dave Parker - goodness glaciers, this was no easy task. Regardless, I did the best I could. At the very least, I didn't choose anyone because he had a nice moustache or was once nice to my third cousin twice removed (although one vote might have been influenced by a speech at the 2004 New Hampshire Baseball Dinner). The results are below.
Tim Raines - I was all set to vote for Raines, figuring I'd seen and heard enough in support of his candidacy to make a sound decision. Then I decided I didn't know enough, so I read a little bit more. My favorite article was the debate between Jayson Stark and Peter Gammons on ESPN.com. They tout Raines as a leadoff hitter on par with Henderson and Boggs, with Stark finally pushing Gammons over the edge by noting that Raines reached base more often than Tony Gwynn.
Funny thing about numbers: they are what they are, but you can mess with the presentation a bit to suit your purpose. In this case, Stark never mentions that Raines is just one spot higher than Gwynn on the all-time list (40 vs. 41, twenty-two times on base apart), or that the two leadoff hitters to whom Raines is compared, Henderson and Boggs, are fifth and twentieth, respectively.
Ultimately, I looked past that and voted for Raines because he stole a lot of bases with a high success rate, scored a lot of runs, was an excellent player on a team doomed to be forgotten by fans (the Montreal Expos), and Gammons said he was a good character guy who kept people loose in the locker room and has always confronted his history of drug problems head on.
Bert Blyleven - The biggest no-brainer on the ballot. No, Blyleven did not have a lot of twenty-win seasons. No, he did not win 300 games. No, he did not get a lot of Cy Young votes. He did, however, strike out a lot of guys (more than 3,700), win a lot of games (287, not that far from 300) and perform admirably in the post-season. Should have been in at least a couple of years ago, in my opinion.
Jim Rice - What was that about the 2004 New Hampshire Baseball Dinner? Um, never mind. My vote for Rice is based on several things: one, I'm a Red Sox fan, and have a hard time separating that out in a situation like this. Were I a paid writer with journalistic ethics and responsibilities, that would be a problem, but I'm not, so I think any bias my fandom creates can be allowed. It's not like I'm pushing for John Valentin here - the extent to which Rice was "feared" may be up for debate, but Gammons notes that during his peak years, from 1975 to 1986, he was a top-five player in several categories:
Compare that to Jim Rice's best dozen seasons from 1975 through 1986, when he
finished in the top five for MVP six times -- winning once -- while leading the
majors in hits, RBI and total bases, finishing second in extra-base hits and
slugging, third in runs created and homers and fourth in OPS; the only player
who finished ahead of Rice in any of those categories not in Cooperstown was
Dave Kingman, who was second in homers in those dozen years.
The real question with Rice, the one that creates his borderline status, is whether or not his peak was long enough. Me, I say yes. I can understand, however, that others might not agree.
Rich Gossage - Speaking of peaks: from 1975 to 1985 (excluding 1976, when the White Sox inexplicably made him a starter), there may not have been a better reliever in baseball. Gossage, unfortunately, has two things working against him: his best seasons came before closers routinely ran up large save totals, making his career mark of 310 seem rather inadequate; and he hung on for eight seasons after that dominant peak ended, replacing the image of a feared closer with that of a washed-up middle reliever.
If Keith Law is correct, the real voters might be starting to figure out that the former reason for election far outweighs the latter.
One thing that is largely irrelevant but needs to be mentioned: in the strike-shortened 1981 season, Gossage had a 461 ERA+. While not in Joba Chamberlain territory, that's still pretty impressive.
Tommy John - John won a lot of games and was a pretty good postseason pitcher. The reason I'm voting for him, however, is because he took a chance midway through his career and allowed his doctors to use him as a human guinea pig - whatever it took to get prolong a career that was in seriously jeopardy due to arm troubles. The result, of course, was Tommy John Surgery, which kept John himself on the mound for another decade and has since helped save the arms of countless young pitchers. I'm allowed to vote for him for that reason, right? It's not really accounted for in the rules - can we file it under "integrity" or "character", maybe?
If not: he won twenty games in a season three times (all after his elbow was rebuilt, incidentally), and we all know how important twenty-win seasons are.
Dale Murphy - Murphy was great on the field, winning two straight MVPs and five straight Gold Gloves in the 1980s, but he was also a decent, principled guy. The toughest part of deciding his candidacy was, like Gossage and Rice, determining which "career" he should be judged on (the 1980-87 peak or the 1988-91 decline) and how much he should be penalized for an early falloff in production.
Tough Decisions: Harold Baines (maybe next year), Andre Dawson (that .323 OBP kills the ol' OPS - I'll probably vote for him next year), Mark McGwire (he deserves it based on the numbers - I think the writers should use the fifteen year window to their advantage, however, and wait to see how the Steroid Era shakes out before voting him in).
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