Baseball Hall of Fame Class 2011

Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven get in the Hall.

Can't believe that it took Bert 14 years to make it, but I'm glad he is finally in. The guy endured some terrible teams and mostly pitched in hitter's ballparks and still almost made 300 wins with a 3.3 ERA. He was a work horse eating up a lot of innings. 5th all time in strikeouts, 9th in shutouts. 5-1 in the post season. Thanks for pitching my Twins to a title.

Roberto Alomar should have been a first balloter. His had the bat, the glove and the speed. .300 batting average, 10 gold gloves at 2nd base, 474 stolen basses (41st all-time), and 12 all-star games. .313 post season batting.

I've hashed my opinion on the steroid guys here. Sorry Mark and Palmeiro. It stinks that your careers are ignored. I sure hope that Bagwell is not being batched with the 'roid guys. The guy was a perennial pain in the rear to the Dodgers and one of the best guys to play first in recent history (Yes, Albert will probably pass him up). Jeff hit 449 homers while batting .297. He was an RBI and double machine and an MVP. Career .408 OBP. Not the best with the glove, but definitely one of the better first basemen. The picture of consistency, he had 4 years where he played all 162 games. Only 3 seasons did he play less that 140. Only getting 41% of the voters is way too low for him.

I'm pullin' for Jack Morris and Lee Smith, too. They are borderline players, but I would like to see them in. Especially Jack Morris for his incredible WS game for the Twins.

Another Undefeated Team That Will Not Win a Title

College football and BCS are killin' me. Here is a list of undefeated teams that didn't win the national championship in the last 7 years. This is ridiculous that this many teams have been undefeated with no chance of winning the title.

2010 TCU 13-0
2009 Boise State 14-0
2008 Utah 13-0
2006 Boise State 13-0
2004 Auburn 13-0
2004 Utah 12-0

Interesting NFL stats after nearly 5 weeks

Bottom 6 teams in terms of points scored – points against compared to their win-loss record their record. I expected the first 3, but not the next 3.
Buffalo: -74 ------------ 0-5
Carolina: -58 -----------0-5
San Francisco: -54 --- 0-5
Arizona: -50 ----------- 3-2
Jacksonville: -30------ 3-2
Miami: -26------------- 2-2

Here are some other interesting ones:
Detroit: +14 ---- 1-4
Chicago: +18 --- 4-1

All of the NFC North teams have outscored their opponents. Combined record of the teams in the division is 9-9.

None of the NFC West teams have outscored their opponents. Combined record of the teams in the division is 8-12.

The whole AFC South division is 3-2 and they have 2 of the 3 worst defenses in terms of points against.

This was written before the MNF game of week 5.

General NFL thoughts after Week 2

The Favre will not do well this year until either his ankle improves so that he is more mobile or they solve their o-line issues. A new receiver might help some, but it will not solve the issue of Favre having to spend too much time and energy trying to save his own life.

I marvel that with a program that will anonymously drive you home from anywhere for any reason, NFL players still get DWIs.

I wish I had a good solution to the concussion problem. It is a violent sport and it seems to me that concussions are not just happening on the massive hits. It pains me every time I hear about someone having one.

I hate the media asking Vick questions that would intentionally drive a wedge between he and Reid and Kolb. The team spent the whole offseason prepping for Kolb to be the starter. He has shown promise and has earned his shot at this. He played for a few minutes in the first game and didn’t do well, then got injured. Vick played very well backing him up, but you don’t ignore Kolb based on less than 1/8th of a game. Kolb is the future of the team. That doesn’t change after a few minutes of struggling. Vick is the backup and is doing a great job of it. If the status changes, Andy Reid will let you know. Let it be.

Lots of QBs were pulled pretty early this season.

I wonder if Al Davis will ever let the Raiders really put their team in Gradkowski’s hands. He has done very well with his opportunities. Though just like the Eagles situation. It is time to give the ball back to Jason Campbell and see if he learned anything from how Bruce handled a team with a weak o-line. If Jason can’t figure out how to move in the pocket and they won’t give Bruce a shot then perhaps Raiders should try to get Vick. He has the mobility to survive while they work on their o-line. Then, draft a QB who is very disciplined to bring up and lead the team for many years. They need a Peyton/Brees type who are very cerebral and will really do their homework and lead their team by example.

Flacco got some great new weapons to work with this offseason, but he is looking lost. Hope he figures out what is going on so that he can get back on track.

The Lions, Rams, and Browns are 0-2, no surprise, but they have lost their 6 games by an average of only 3 points per game.

Miami, Saints, and the Chiefs are 2-0, winning by an average of only 4 points a game. That means they were not too far from being on the previous list.

The Bills are really really bad.

The 49ers are the best 0-2 team (sorry Minny and Dallas).

The Steelers are looking really good for a team on their #3 QB or is it #4?

Are the Patriots are having a hard time putting a complete games together? The 2 games were a combined 38-13 at halftime but were outscored 39-14 in the second half. The first game could have been just cruising on a big lead, but the loss to the Jets was not like that at all. Are they missing on their halftime adjustments or are teams figuring them out at half time? Not typical of Bill’s team.

Reggie Bush's Heisman

This is a tough issue. On this specific instance I think that Bush should be stripped of the Heisman. He was not eligible to receive it. That said, it should not be given to anyone else. You can’t just give it to Vince Young because he was second in the voting, because if Bush was not in the voting, a lot of his votes might have gone to Leinart who was 3rd. It gets way too messy and it is far too long ago to revote. Just leave it that nobody gets it.

The whole system is not fair for the students and even worse for the schools who may be completely clueless about what happened and they suffer the biggest penalty. You have a bunch of young adults who are most likely going to make a lot of money in the next couple of years but are dirt poor now. You tell them that they can’t take money from anyone and they can’t even get a job to have a bit of spending money. The penalty for taking money is that it is possible that they could be investigated and if the investigation happens soon enough they will lose their eligibility to play college ball (so they’ll go pro the next year which they are probably doing anyway). Then, you throw them to the wolves who can offer them anything that they want with no consequences.

How is that system supposed to keep the students from not taking what is offered to them? If we feel the need to ensure that these athletes retain their amateur status, the NCAA needs the support of the legal system to have be severe punishments (fines and jail time) for the agents/boosters/whoever that are giving the money to the students. They also need to rethink letting the athletes get jobs. Perhaps they do this through the school so that they can regulate that the students really are working for pay and that they are getting reasonable wages for the work that they do as opposed to paying a stud athlete $150 an hour for washing windows on the basement floor of the buildings downtown.

NBA Finals: 2-2

I don't remember every watching such an evenly matched, back and forth finals. Each game has a different flavor. The first 5 minutes has yet to set the tone for how the rest of the game will go. The hero of the game switches each game and is often more like a hero of a half or quarter that seemed critical to that game's flow than the whole game. Ray Allen's shooting in the first half of game 2 is probably the most dominant any one player has really been in the series and in the great scheme of things, that was only 7 shots. After every game you get the feeling that the team that just win has the advantage, but the next game it all changes and the loser has made some adjustments or has managed to get things in sync to take the momentum back.

How can you not love this matchup and the series that they are putting on?

New MLB Home Run King

MLB has a new home run king just around the corner. He has never hit one, but Jamie Moyer is 4 home runs away from giving up more than anyone else. I'm cheering for the 47 year old who has had good enough stuff to keep him in the major leagues long enough to allow 501 home runs in 41 different parks to 319 diferent players. The 44 year old record is currently 505 held by HOF pitcher Robin Roberts. My hat is off to you, Jamie. An early congrats on a record that is much greater that it seems at first glance.

Go Jamie

49ers Takin' Care of Their QBs

I applaud the 49ers for their 2 first round picks. OT and OG. Yes, there may be some character issues, but Mike Singletary was able to get through to Vernon Davis, so to take on a character project is not he worst thing in the world for them. Alex Smith is starting to come around now that there has been some consistency in the coaching. Now, getting him some better protection should really give him the opportunity to prove that he can be who they drafted him to be or prove that he can't and they can go looking for someone who can.

Raiders didn't screw up their draft (yet)

The last few years (at least) the Raiders first round pick has really been terrible.

2007 Russell was the guy with all the strength and the big body, but lacked the brains and work ethic, now we are paying millions of dollars to a guy who comes to camp out of shape and doesn't put in the work needed to become what his body could become.

2008 DMC was/is a great talent, but the Raiders were ok (not great) at running back. They desperatly needed someone to block for Russell and the backs that they had.

2009 They made Hayward-Bay the first WR in the draft, though he wasn't the best (unless you believe that speed is everything). He had great speed and bad hands and bad route running. Speed is great, but when the QB gets no protection (same problem as the previous year), there is no time to use it. They did have a need at WR, so at least they were trying to address a real need, but it was by no means the biggest hole.

This year, they got a quality linebacker which fills a big hole. The run defense has been terrible and the linebacking corps is very thin and not very good. Glad to see the Raiders do something that addresses a really big need with a player that most acknoledge really is the best available at the position.

Hopefully they will continue by getting o-line help.

MLB admits that teams don't always intend to contend

An MLB committee was formed to consider among other things how to have more competitive balance. Mainly seeming to address the issue that the AL East has the 2 biggest payrolls in Boston and the Yankees and it is extremely difficult to get to the playoffs if you are in that division. It is also very difficult to get the wild card from these 2 teams in the AL. Each of the last 15 years at least one of those 2 teams made the playoffs. This is in part due to the lack of max/min salary cap in MLB which would help to balance talent throughout the league. If you look at the NFL it is clear to see that salary cap doesn't solve the issue all by itself. There are MANY other factors, but when one team spends 2-8 times as much as others on player salaries it sure gives a big advantage. I digress...

The committee is throwing around the idea of teams being able to move between divisions.

"One example of floating realignment, according to one insider, would work this way: Cleveland, which is rebuilding with a reduced payroll, could opt to leave the AL Central to play in the AL East. The Indians would benefit from an unbalanced schedule that would give them a total of 18 lucrative home dates against the Yankees and Red Sox instead of their current eight. A small or mid-market contender, such as Tampa Bay or Baltimore, could move to the AL Central to get a better crack at postseason play instead of continually fighting against the mega-payrolls of New York and Boston." article here

It is actually a logical idea considering the last 15 years in the AL East. At the same time it is also almost horrifying to come out and blatantly state that your team has no intention of doing well this year. I'm not sure if I should laugh, cry, or applaud the MLB committee.

It is laughable to think that there are people getting paid this much money with no expectation for them to win. As an owner (or whoever makes the decision to move the team's division) you are stating to all of your fans, that you are folding before you have even played a game. Why as a fan would you bother going to the games and cheering your team if you know that from the top of the organization they gave up? I can understand that this would happen every so often if you needed to rebuild, but if it happens rarely then it would not be a problem that needs to be fixed. The problem is that this is almost an every year thing for many teams.

At the same time, I do applaud the committee for admitting that there are teams that from the beginning don't intend to contend. They admit that right now nobody has the money to compete regularly with Boston and the Yankees. They admit that it is going to take some radical steps to work around this issue if they aren't allowed to fix it.

If they really want more competitive balance, they need to do some sort of revenue sharing and salary limits (top and bottom). It doesn't have to be as hefty as the NFL, but they need to do more than they are doing, because the division realignment, is like putting a band aid over a broken leg. It doesn't address the real problem.

Watch the Olympics

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I've been having a ball watching the Olympics. Curling is great strategy. Not athletic, but I'm having a blast thinking about the different shot possibilities. Funny to have Vernon Davis as the honorary captain of the USA team and talk about having to endure ribbing from NFL guys about it. The USA men's hockey team has been great to watch. Beating Canada, then against the Swiss, missing getting a goal by about .2 seconds when time ran out at the end of 2 and finally beating them with 2 in the third. The US and Canadian women's hockey teams are completely destroying everyone, each outscoring their opponents by combined scores of around 42-2. The ice dancing was beautiful. What a great story with the Canadian couple and American couple that train together getting gold and silver and the two skaters who just lost their moms being able to put together great performances in their grief bringing honor to their parents who no doubt sacrificed a ton to get them there. The flips and twists of the freestyle ski aerials and snowboarding are just crazy. 90 mph face first on the skeleton is insane. Bode Miller, Vonn, and the rest of the alpine skiers are doing well and carrying themselves well.

They aren't my standard sports, but they are a great change of pace and I love cheering for my country. God bless America.

The Dreaded C Word

This year we football fans have heard more about concussions than ever before. I think it is a very good thing. The evidence of brain damage in some football players that have suffered multiple concussions as they get older is sobering. We have seen it in boxers, but I don't think that many of us have thought that a concussion here or there was a big deal and we certainly don't want to think about it happening to the football players that we cheer for every week. Growing up if you get 'shaken up' you just take a little break. When you can see and think straight again get back out there. I would not be surprised if in the next 5 years we will take our precaution to an over-kill extreme, but I'm really glad for the direction that we are moving. Having two boys 14 and 7 who love football, I want their brains protected. Neither of them have the wisdom to sit out for a few weeks or months if their bell gets rung. I know that I would not have sat out. So, I'm all for the rules that say in Pop-Warner and high school player have to sit out a month or so if you get a concussion. Their brains are worth it as well as the hundreds of thousands of other brains that will take a pounding playing football.

States consider youth concussion laws

ESPN story on Concussions

Super Bowl XLIV: Great Game for the Saints

The Saints had one early drop and basically no other mistakes. They had a different defense every quarter to keep Peyton off balance. Greg Williams did a great job of switching things up. The onside kick was a great, gutsy move, but very calculated. Even if they don't get it, their defense had done well in the second quarter and it was a great time for that gamble. Porter was sitting on the route for his pick. He watched the Colts setup to do their bread and butter inside route, when he saw Wayne take go outside, that was the tell tale sign he was waiting for. He knew the next move was inside to get the pass that was about to be released. Porter stepped in, stole it, and sealed the ballgame.

Saints did their research and the Colts became a bit predictable. It was a closer game than the score reflected. Hats off to the Saints whose aggressive play foiled the conservative play of the masters of methodical, the Colts.

Peyton was good, but Brees was near perfect. The Saints o-line kept Brees upright the entire second half allowing him to be 29-32 after the first quarter. One was a drop, one was spiking the ball, leaving him with only one legit incomplete pass.

The Colts o-line played a good game as well opening things for Addai to gain 77 yards on just 13 carries.

Congrats Saints. Peyton, we need to see some more of your greatness in top games if you are going to go down as the greatest QB of all time. You will probably retire as the greatest regular season QB, but the playoffs have not been quite so great.

2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees

I wasn't too far off on my look at this year's Hall of Fame Class. I was surprised that Shannon Sharp and Chris Carter will have to wait another year. I especially feel for Carter because many people in the media keep saying that his time should be very soon and he has been past over for the third time now. I'm also partial to the Vikings since I spent elementary school there.

Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith were no brainers. It was great to see them enjoy the fact that they will go in together.

I never really liked the Redskins, but I'm very glad to see Russ Grimm is getting in. The 'Hogs' were a big part of the 80's and Grimm was the founder and anchor.

Rickey Jackson is very fitting for this year. The Saints go to their first Super Bowl and get their first HOF inductee together.

John Randle was a great selection. I thought that he would get passed over this year making room for Sharp or Carter, but I'm glad to see this Viking get his due.

I am so happy for Dick LeBeau. He means so much to the game of football. I know that he is going in as a player and his greatest contribution has been as a coach, but I really don't care how he gets there. I'm happy.

I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing more about Floyd Little. His numbers were very good, but didn't seem to add up to HOF to me, so there must be more about the Denver back than meets the eyes. I'm looking forward to finding out about him.

Super Bowl XLIV: Who and Why

The Saints have a punchers chance because of their propensity to generate turnovers and return them for touchdowns. They have a reasonable running game, a very accurate QB in Brees, and a lot of talented targets to throw to. They were the top scoring team this season.

The Colts have the most in-control explosive offense. They can run the ball, but they usually don’t because Peyton has his own set of very talented targets and prefers to use them. They beat the Dolphins controlling the ball for less than ¼ of the game because they scored so quickly. He shreds defenses and puts them in positions where they don’t have the personnel to defend what he is going to do. The Colts defense is no powerhouse, but they are sure tacklers and fast enough to cover the field well. They held the Jets stud running game to ~70 yards and that is the Colts weak spot. I think that the Saints balanced attack will fair better than the Jets.

The Saints live and die by the turnover. Peyton Manning has not fumbled in … 2 YEARS! Peyton only had 17 turnovers in 18 games this year. I think that the Saints die.

Colts: 38
Saints: 27