Turns out I was a day ahead of what is going to turn out to be a stampede to run over Nats GM Mike Rizzo when the Nationals' season ends today with Strasburg replacement Ross Detwiler.
(Whew: It's a good thing Rizzo guaranteed that we would win at least a couple of World Series championships in exchange for accepting him tanking our best shot to win a title right now.)
But let's get to the name of the day: Raul Ibanez.
Now, let's be clear: I hate the Yankees. And I am entirely partial to the Orioles franchise I grew up following from 45 minutes away.
But it is impossible to not marvel at the circumstances on Wednesday night: A-Rod sucks just enough to get benched, then his replacement not only hits the game-tying HR in the bottom of the 9th, but comes back around in the bottom of the 12th to win the game with a walk-off HR.
It is as dramatic of a single effort as any Yankee has produced since Reggie Jackson's 3-HR game in 1977.
Translation: No one born anytime after Ibanez -- that would be 40 years ago -- has any recollection of anything that insane.
Not those walk-off Yankee home runs in 2001 (which didn't even result in a championship, so who cares?) Not Aaron Boone in the '03 ALCS. Not O'Neill or Tino or Bernie or Jeter or Rivera.
Nope: Raul Ibanez. 40-year-old Raul Ibanez, plucked from obscurity for a little more than a million bucks, replacing a guy still owed more than a hundred million bucks.
As someone turning 40 in just a few short months, I appreciate the unlikely uber-contribution of a 40-year-old more than I can muster my typical loathing for Yankees success (or even my disappointment that it probably cost the Orioles any shot at winning this series).
Raul Ibanez, with an instant classic moment of baseball history that fans will remember and talk about for years. Let's overlook that he is a Yankee and celebrate that sometimes the most marvelously insane things happen in a baseball game.
-- D.S.
UPDATE: It is impossible (unless you are a Tigers fan) not to root for these amazing A's. Watch last night's 9th-inning rally.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
10/10 (Nats Mania) Quickie
Phew! In what feels like a must-win game for the Nationals in Game 3 this afternoon, it sure is reassuring to know that the team will be sending out its ace, Stephen Strasburg.
Wait...what?
Oh, sorry: Instead of Strasburg, they will be sending out this season's No. 4 pitcher -- Edwin Jackson -- to face his old Cards mates, who are entirely familiar with Jackson's postseason pitching. It might have made them cringe last October, but this year, it is cause for celebration.
This is it: The moment that the Great Strasburg Shutdown goes from being a theoretical debate to having entirely practical -- perhaps brutal -- consequences.
There is no guarantee that Strasburg -- had he been saved over the regular season for this very moment -- would pitch a Game 3 gem.
There is no guarantee that Jackson won't pitch well (after all: most Nats observers didn't think Jordan Zimmermann would get hammered in Game 2), but no guarantee he won't get shellacked.
The point of agreement in the Strasburg debate is that Strasburg would give the Nats a better chance of winning his game in a 5-game series (or his two games in a 7-game series) than Jackson/Detwiler.
This afternoon, in the first MLB playoff game that DC has hosted since 1933, it feels less like a moment to flex home-field advantage with cheers than a moment where fans will be whistling past the graveyard, hoping the team's stop-gap Strasburg-free solution can hold up against a nasty Cards lineup.
Nats fans will be hoping for the best, but this is the moment to recognize the trade-off that was made by GM Mike Rizzo back in April when he had no faith his team would be playing in October, a trade-off he doubled down on after the team's hot start by not creating a scenario where his team's ace would be available for precisely a game such as this.
Thanks to (or perhaps irregardless of) Rizzo's foresight, Steven Strasburg may yet win 200 games in his career, en route to the Hall of Fame. None of those games could possibly be as important to the franchise as this damn-near-must-win Game 3 today.
It should be Strasburg out there today, leading the Nats to a pivotal win that carries them into the NLCS, one step closer to a World Series championship. It won't be.
As a Nats fan, I hope this isn't the moment where Rizzo's original sin of the springtime -- a fundamental lack of faith in his team's chances to contend this year -- punishes the rest of us.
-- D.S.
Wait...what?
Oh, sorry: Instead of Strasburg, they will be sending out this season's No. 4 pitcher -- Edwin Jackson -- to face his old Cards mates, who are entirely familiar with Jackson's postseason pitching. It might have made them cringe last October, but this year, it is cause for celebration.
This is it: The moment that the Great Strasburg Shutdown goes from being a theoretical debate to having entirely practical -- perhaps brutal -- consequences.
There is no guarantee that Strasburg -- had he been saved over the regular season for this very moment -- would pitch a Game 3 gem.
There is no guarantee that Jackson won't pitch well (after all: most Nats observers didn't think Jordan Zimmermann would get hammered in Game 2), but no guarantee he won't get shellacked.
The point of agreement in the Strasburg debate is that Strasburg would give the Nats a better chance of winning his game in a 5-game series (or his two games in a 7-game series) than Jackson/Detwiler.
This afternoon, in the first MLB playoff game that DC has hosted since 1933, it feels less like a moment to flex home-field advantage with cheers than a moment where fans will be whistling past the graveyard, hoping the team's stop-gap Strasburg-free solution can hold up against a nasty Cards lineup.
Nats fans will be hoping for the best, but this is the moment to recognize the trade-off that was made by GM Mike Rizzo back in April when he had no faith his team would be playing in October, a trade-off he doubled down on after the team's hot start by not creating a scenario where his team's ace would be available for precisely a game such as this.
Thanks to (or perhaps irregardless of) Rizzo's foresight, Steven Strasburg may yet win 200 games in his career, en route to the Hall of Fame. None of those games could possibly be as important to the franchise as this damn-near-must-win Game 3 today.
It should be Strasburg out there today, leading the Nats to a pivotal win that carries them into the NLCS, one step closer to a World Series championship. It won't be.
As a Nats fan, I hope this isn't the moment where Rizzo's original sin of the springtime -- a fundamental lack of faith in his team's chances to contend this year -- punishes the rest of us.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
10/09 (LDS-ish) Quickie
As a Nats fan, I'm new to this: At what point do we get to freak out that the absence of Strasburg will result in the Nationals being bounced from the playoffs during the NLDS round?
I'm not saying that starting Strasburg over Zimmermann on the road in St. Louis for Game 2 would have ended in a different result -- although it's hard to imagine how Stras would have pitched worse.
But if you stipulate that even if Stras was healthy that Zimmermann would have gotten the call in Game 2, then Game 3 in D.C. becomes the moment where Strasburg's absence is officially acute.
The Nats' starting pitching -- the strength of the team throughout the season -- has, thus far, abandoned them. Gio flailed and Jordan failed.
Game 3 starter Edwin Jackson is a mystery -- his performance in last year's postseason (as Cards fans themselves will giddily tell you) hardly inspires confidence.
And Ross Detwiler -- instead of being available for long relief on the off-chance (or, as it turns out, the reality) that Gonzalez or Zimmermann truly struggled -- is suddenly the Game 4 firewall.
It's not fair to panic -- it's too early. Then again, if/when the Nationals lose at home in Game 3 tomorrow, it may be too late to panic. The series might effectively be over.
So why not start the panic now?
More:
*Regardless of how the Orioles finish their LDS series vs. the Yankees, they will always have Game 2, where they gutted out a W and split the opening two games at home. It was the kind of gritty win that has defined their entire season. There will be no shame if Baltimore loses to the Yankees -- the AL's top seed. And maybe -- just maybe -- last night's win puts just enough doubt in New York's mind that Baltimore can steal Game 3 in the Bronx and turn Game 4 into the most must-see game of the MLB season so far.
*Texans go to 5-0 at expense of Jets: Is it better or worse that the Jets basically gave that game away? Houston was clearly the superior team, but New York had plenty of chances to grind out a win. His receivers didn't help him much, but Mark Sanchez is clearly unnerved by the QB rotation with Tebow, who -- as always -- seems energized every time he comes onto the field, regardless of whether or not he gets yanked right back out.
Consider that it wasn't until Week 7 a year ago that Tebow was installed as the Broncos starter and the team proceeded to turn their season around. Denver was 1-4 heading into a Week 6 bye -- New York's 2-3 record seems more despondent than Denver's, which is all the more reason they should shelve Sanchez (who clearly isn't a top-tier QB the team can rely on, ludicrous offseason contract extension notwithstanding) and go with Tebow full-time, perhaps with Sanchez rotating in occasionally to mix up the defense. A year ago, it worked for Tebow's last team -- the Jets shouldn't be so conventional that they ignore the potential. At this point, they have nothing to lose.
*Brian Cushing injury: As with the Falcons, I had no faith that the Texans were going to win the Super Bowl anyway, so Cushing's injury merely provides a quality excuse when Houston falls short. (Apparently, I feel so sure about there not being an Atlanta-Houston Super Bowl that I should probably find some small way to bet myself about it, perhaps with a small donation to a charity in the city of the team that makes it to the SB -- two donations if both make it.)
*I will say this: Arian Foster is so fun to watch. I love that he was undrafted and yet has emerged as the NFL's best RB, and I love that he just pummels opposing defenses. As NFL fans, we could do a lot worse than having Foster carry Houston to a Super Bowl.
*RGIII Mania: Anyone else have a problem with the Redskins rushing RGIII back for this Sunday's game against the Vikings following his concussion on Sunday? What happened to "The NFL takes brain injuries seriously." If the team will disregard common sense, isn't it incumbent on the league to step in and say "No go. He has to sit out this weekend."
Aside from a sense of decency -- that no opposing team in the NFL has ever felt particularly obligated to offer, mind you -- why wouldn't the Vikings go straight for RGIII's noggin to try to knock him out of the game? Is a fine -- even a suspension -- worth what would almost assuredly be a guaranteed win, in a season where Minnesota is suddenly in playoff contention?
I make myself sick even suggesting that, but I think that speaks more to the absolute insanity of playing Griffin next week than it does anything else. Even if the Vikings don't target Griffin's head, what if -- as with last week -- he gets an inadvertent shoulder to the helmet? Different intentions, same result -- and possibly far longer-term implications. I just don't see why the Redskins are messing around here with their franchise future.
*The most interesting thing I read yesterday: Grantland's Bryan Curtis on Josh Hamilton -- Hamilton isn't much of a story this week, but as closure on his Texas career, it's a fascinating read.
-- D.S.
I'm not saying that starting Strasburg over Zimmermann on the road in St. Louis for Game 2 would have ended in a different result -- although it's hard to imagine how Stras would have pitched worse.
But if you stipulate that even if Stras was healthy that Zimmermann would have gotten the call in Game 2, then Game 3 in D.C. becomes the moment where Strasburg's absence is officially acute.
The Nats' starting pitching -- the strength of the team throughout the season -- has, thus far, abandoned them. Gio flailed and Jordan failed.
Game 3 starter Edwin Jackson is a mystery -- his performance in last year's postseason (as Cards fans themselves will giddily tell you) hardly inspires confidence.
And Ross Detwiler -- instead of being available for long relief on the off-chance (or, as it turns out, the reality) that Gonzalez or Zimmermann truly struggled -- is suddenly the Game 4 firewall.
It's not fair to panic -- it's too early. Then again, if/when the Nationals lose at home in Game 3 tomorrow, it may be too late to panic. The series might effectively be over.
So why not start the panic now?
More:
*Regardless of how the Orioles finish their LDS series vs. the Yankees, they will always have Game 2, where they gutted out a W and split the opening two games at home. It was the kind of gritty win that has defined their entire season. There will be no shame if Baltimore loses to the Yankees -- the AL's top seed. And maybe -- just maybe -- last night's win puts just enough doubt in New York's mind that Baltimore can steal Game 3 in the Bronx and turn Game 4 into the most must-see game of the MLB season so far.
*Texans go to 5-0 at expense of Jets: Is it better or worse that the Jets basically gave that game away? Houston was clearly the superior team, but New York had plenty of chances to grind out a win. His receivers didn't help him much, but Mark Sanchez is clearly unnerved by the QB rotation with Tebow, who -- as always -- seems energized every time he comes onto the field, regardless of whether or not he gets yanked right back out.
Consider that it wasn't until Week 7 a year ago that Tebow was installed as the Broncos starter and the team proceeded to turn their season around. Denver was 1-4 heading into a Week 6 bye -- New York's 2-3 record seems more despondent than Denver's, which is all the more reason they should shelve Sanchez (who clearly isn't a top-tier QB the team can rely on, ludicrous offseason contract extension notwithstanding) and go with Tebow full-time, perhaps with Sanchez rotating in occasionally to mix up the defense. A year ago, it worked for Tebow's last team -- the Jets shouldn't be so conventional that they ignore the potential. At this point, they have nothing to lose.
*Brian Cushing injury: As with the Falcons, I had no faith that the Texans were going to win the Super Bowl anyway, so Cushing's injury merely provides a quality excuse when Houston falls short. (Apparently, I feel so sure about there not being an Atlanta-Houston Super Bowl that I should probably find some small way to bet myself about it, perhaps with a small donation to a charity in the city of the team that makes it to the SB -- two donations if both make it.)
*I will say this: Arian Foster is so fun to watch. I love that he was undrafted and yet has emerged as the NFL's best RB, and I love that he just pummels opposing defenses. As NFL fans, we could do a lot worse than having Foster carry Houston to a Super Bowl.
*RGIII Mania: Anyone else have a problem with the Redskins rushing RGIII back for this Sunday's game against the Vikings following his concussion on Sunday? What happened to "The NFL takes brain injuries seriously." If the team will disregard common sense, isn't it incumbent on the league to step in and say "No go. He has to sit out this weekend."
Aside from a sense of decency -- that no opposing team in the NFL has ever felt particularly obligated to offer, mind you -- why wouldn't the Vikings go straight for RGIII's noggin to try to knock him out of the game? Is a fine -- even a suspension -- worth what would almost assuredly be a guaranteed win, in a season where Minnesota is suddenly in playoff contention?
I make myself sick even suggesting that, but I think that speaks more to the absolute insanity of playing Griffin next week than it does anything else. Even if the Vikings don't target Griffin's head, what if -- as with last week -- he gets an inadvertent shoulder to the helmet? Different intentions, same result -- and possibly far longer-term implications. I just don't see why the Redskins are messing around here with their franchise future.
*The most interesting thing I read yesterday: Grantland's Bryan Curtis on Josh Hamilton -- Hamilton isn't much of a story this week, but as closure on his Texas career, it's a fascinating read.
-- D.S.
Monday, October 08, 2012
10/08 (Chuckstrong) Quickie
Two words: Chuck. Strong.
The worst news out of the NFL this season -- Colts coach Chuck Pagano's leukemia diagnosis -- was book-ended by the most emotionally heart-warming storyline we'll get this season:
The ageless Reggie Wayne -- a Pagano protege dating back to college -- coming up with a career-best performance to lead the Colts to a thrilling comeback win over the Packers.
Wayne's touchdown lunge in the game's final seconds, capping an incredible drive managed by Andrew Luck, was so incredible, it was almost as if you could feel his inspiration through the TV.
Obviously, you wish there was no need for the inspiration -- that Pagano would be healthy and the Colts would be continuing their rebuild with their focus entirely on the field.
But that's not real life -- and when real life impacted the franchise in a meaningful way, they delivered a meaningful response, both off the field and on it.
NFL, briefly:
*Congrats to Brees on the TD milestone. Curious if Sean Payton did any coaching when Brees met with him briefly in the owner's box after the game.
*An RG3 concussion is a worst-case scenario. Yes, worse than a torn ACL, because it forces fans to confront the NFL head-injury conundrum: You want him out there, sure, but at what cost?
*Do the Falcons look unbeatable? Hardly. This fast start is all one big set-up for the inevitable playoff implosion. (If it can happen to the Packers last year, it can totally happen to Atlanta this year.)
*The 49ers, on the other hand, look like the toughest out in the league, come playoff-time. The league's most balanced offense combined with its best D (and best head coach).
*Anyone else feel like the Brady-Peyton game was a total let-down? Possibly not even a Top 5 most interesting storyline coming out of Sunday.
*I don't know what's wrong with Cam Newton and the Panthers, but my 6-year-old Gabe still loves him and the team -- he can't understand what is going on (and I can't explain it to him).
*I'm a "booing as essential right of fandom" person, but still, there are times it is entirely bad form, as with KC fans jeering the head injury to Matt Cassel.
MLB Playoffs: Yankees show the Orioles what's what. I dislike (but regularly deploy) hindsight narratives -- back-filling the analysis based on the result -- but it is hard not to watch the Yankees slam the door on the Orioles last night and not see the difference between a perennial playoff team and a team whose fan base defines "just happy to be here."
That said: Look at the Nats and Cards. Save for Tyler Moore's incredible at-bat that gave the Nats their game-tying and -winning runs, we are totally talking today about the grit of the defending champs wearing out the nouveau-riche Nats and Gio Gonzalez. Instead, the Nats double-down on the vibe of being a team of destiny. (And it WAS an incredible pinch-hit moment by Moore.)
Meanwhile: The Reds are (relatively) quietly rolling their way to the NLCS, and there's no reason to think that they will stop there.
And finally: Tough break for the A's, who will have to win 3 straight in Oakland to take down the Tigers. That said: It's not like they haven't been in this position before -- they were there just last week. So it's not like the moment is strange or new for them. They just need to do what they do.
Takeaways from a wild weekend in college football:
*Does the uncertainty among unbeatens matter if Alabama-Oregon feels like a foregone conclusion?
*New "Game of the Year": South Carolina at Florida, in two weeks.
*Last night I was going through the "Wins of the Year," and four results from Saturday -- WVU, S. Carolina, Florida and -- most incredibly -- NC State -- all made the list.
*Oregon's weak schedule gives it an advantage -- presuming Alabama throttles whoever comes out of the SEC East, I would give a title-game nod to the West Virginia-Kansas State winner, if that team ends up going unbeaten (which they won't.)
*Folks, it looks like we are an Oregon upset loss to, say, USC (or Oregon State) from being dangerously close to Notre Dame being the title-game pairing with Alabama. We're many weeks away and college football is amazing precisely because of the uncertainty that flows all the way through conference-championship weekend, but the fact that the Notre Dame scenario is even on the brain is absurd enough.
NBA preseason: If there is one reason I'm picking the Heat to repeat, it's because Ray Allen makes it a Big Four... Limited debut for Steve Nash with the Lakers (5 pts, 3 ast in 15 min), but LA won't be judged until at least late May... Anthony Davis is going to be awesome... Michael Kidd-Gilchrist may already be one of my top 5 favorite players in the NBA... Bradley Beal is going to be just fine (even if his team isn't.)
Soccer: Even if it ended in an unsatisfying tie, you can't ask for more than what the latest Clasico delivered, with pairs of goals from Ronaldo and Messi both.
Today's must-see: Nats-Cards Game 2, starting in the late-afternoon... And on MNF tonight, the only question is how much Tebow we'll see. If the game is out of hand (and it might be, pretty quickly), let's hope Rex Ryan is ready to give the fans (and the media) what we want: Tebow Time.
-- D.S.
The worst news out of the NFL this season -- Colts coach Chuck Pagano's leukemia diagnosis -- was book-ended by the most emotionally heart-warming storyline we'll get this season:
The ageless Reggie Wayne -- a Pagano protege dating back to college -- coming up with a career-best performance to lead the Colts to a thrilling comeback win over the Packers.
Wayne's touchdown lunge in the game's final seconds, capping an incredible drive managed by Andrew Luck, was so incredible, it was almost as if you could feel his inspiration through the TV.
Obviously, you wish there was no need for the inspiration -- that Pagano would be healthy and the Colts would be continuing their rebuild with their focus entirely on the field.
But that's not real life -- and when real life impacted the franchise in a meaningful way, they delivered a meaningful response, both off the field and on it.
NFL, briefly:
*Congrats to Brees on the TD milestone. Curious if Sean Payton did any coaching when Brees met with him briefly in the owner's box after the game.
*An RG3 concussion is a worst-case scenario. Yes, worse than a torn ACL, because it forces fans to confront the NFL head-injury conundrum: You want him out there, sure, but at what cost?
*Do the Falcons look unbeatable? Hardly. This fast start is all one big set-up for the inevitable playoff implosion. (If it can happen to the Packers last year, it can totally happen to Atlanta this year.)
*The 49ers, on the other hand, look like the toughest out in the league, come playoff-time. The league's most balanced offense combined with its best D (and best head coach).
*Anyone else feel like the Brady-Peyton game was a total let-down? Possibly not even a Top 5 most interesting storyline coming out of Sunday.
*I don't know what's wrong with Cam Newton and the Panthers, but my 6-year-old Gabe still loves him and the team -- he can't understand what is going on (and I can't explain it to him).
*I'm a "booing as essential right of fandom" person, but still, there are times it is entirely bad form, as with KC fans jeering the head injury to Matt Cassel.
MLB Playoffs: Yankees show the Orioles what's what. I dislike (but regularly deploy) hindsight narratives -- back-filling the analysis based on the result -- but it is hard not to watch the Yankees slam the door on the Orioles last night and not see the difference between a perennial playoff team and a team whose fan base defines "just happy to be here."
That said: Look at the Nats and Cards. Save for Tyler Moore's incredible at-bat that gave the Nats their game-tying and -winning runs, we are totally talking today about the grit of the defending champs wearing out the nouveau-riche Nats and Gio Gonzalez. Instead, the Nats double-down on the vibe of being a team of destiny. (And it WAS an incredible pinch-hit moment by Moore.)
Meanwhile: The Reds are (relatively) quietly rolling their way to the NLCS, and there's no reason to think that they will stop there.
And finally: Tough break for the A's, who will have to win 3 straight in Oakland to take down the Tigers. That said: It's not like they haven't been in this position before -- they were there just last week. So it's not like the moment is strange or new for them. They just need to do what they do.
Takeaways from a wild weekend in college football:
*Does the uncertainty among unbeatens matter if Alabama-Oregon feels like a foregone conclusion?
*New "Game of the Year": South Carolina at Florida, in two weeks.
*Last night I was going through the "Wins of the Year," and four results from Saturday -- WVU, S. Carolina, Florida and -- most incredibly -- NC State -- all made the list.
*Oregon's weak schedule gives it an advantage -- presuming Alabama throttles whoever comes out of the SEC East, I would give a title-game nod to the West Virginia-Kansas State winner, if that team ends up going unbeaten (which they won't.)
*Folks, it looks like we are an Oregon upset loss to, say, USC (or Oregon State) from being dangerously close to Notre Dame being the title-game pairing with Alabama. We're many weeks away and college football is amazing precisely because of the uncertainty that flows all the way through conference-championship weekend, but the fact that the Notre Dame scenario is even on the brain is absurd enough.
NBA preseason: If there is one reason I'm picking the Heat to repeat, it's because Ray Allen makes it a Big Four... Limited debut for Steve Nash with the Lakers (5 pts, 3 ast in 15 min), but LA won't be judged until at least late May... Anthony Davis is going to be awesome... Michael Kidd-Gilchrist may already be one of my top 5 favorite players in the NBA... Bradley Beal is going to be just fine (even if his team isn't.)
Soccer: Even if it ended in an unsatisfying tie, you can't ask for more than what the latest Clasico delivered, with pairs of goals from Ronaldo and Messi both.
Today's must-see: Nats-Cards Game 2, starting in the late-afternoon... And on MNF tonight, the only question is how much Tebow we'll see. If the game is out of hand (and it might be, pretty quickly), let's hope Rex Ryan is ready to give the fans (and the media) what we want: Tebow Time.
-- D.S.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
This Week's BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot
Alabama, as always, joined by Oregon, although I'm going against my "resume-based" voting philosophy to vault Oregon over South Carolina or West Virginia or even Florida.
But, like Alabama, you watch Oregon and you just wonder how even a tough D like South Carolina or Florida could stop them. (Then again, that's kind of the point: Oregon and all of those crazy Big 12 offenses of the past few years turned out to be foiled by the brand of defense played at the very top of the SEC.) Let's rank the best wins of the season so far:
(1) Kansas State (at Oklahoma)
(2) Florida (vs. LSU)
(3) South Carolina (vs. Georgia)
(4) West Virginia (at Texas)
(5) Stanford (vs. USC)
(6) N.C. State (vs. Florida St.)
(7) Iowa State (vs. TCU)
(8) Washington (vs. Stanford)
(9) Florida St. (vs. Clemson)
(10) Florida (at Texas A&M)
Anyway, I add Florida to the Top 5 a bit begrudgingly -- their resume merits it, but I'm too much of a fan to want to jinx them. Guess by putting South Carolina ahead of them, I even it out for the big game two weeks from now. Nevertheless, this week's ballot:
But, like Alabama, you watch Oregon and you just wonder how even a tough D like South Carolina or Florida could stop them. (Then again, that's kind of the point: Oregon and all of those crazy Big 12 offenses of the past few years turned out to be foiled by the brand of defense played at the very top of the SEC.) Let's rank the best wins of the season so far:
(1) Kansas State (at Oklahoma)
(2) Florida (vs. LSU)
(3) South Carolina (vs. Georgia)
(4) West Virginia (at Texas)
(5) Stanford (vs. USC)
(6) N.C. State (vs. Florida St.)
(7) Iowa State (vs. TCU)
(8) Washington (vs. Stanford)
(9) Florida St. (vs. Clemson)
(10) Florida (at Texas A&M)
Anyway, I add Florida to the Top 5 a bit begrudgingly -- their resume merits it, but I'm too much of a fan to want to jinx them. Guess by putting South Carolina ahead of them, I even it out for the big game two weeks from now. Nevertheless, this week's ballot:
DanShanoff.com Ballot - Week 6
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 2 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 3 | West Virginia Mountaineers |  1 |
| 4 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 6 |
| 5 | Florida Gators | 7 |
| 6 | Kansas St. Wildcats |  -3 |
| 7 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | 2 |
| 8 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 8 |
| 9 | Oklahoma Sooners | 6 |
| 10 | LSU Tigers | -4 |
| 11 | Georgia Bulldogs | -4 |
| 12 | Florida St. Seminoles | -7 |
| 13 | TCU Horned Frogs | -5 |
| 14 | Oregon St. Beavers | -- |
| 15 | Clemson Tigers | -2 |
| 16 | Texas Longhorns | -5 |
| 17 | Stanford Cardinal | -- |
| 18 | USC Trojans | -- |
| 19 | Mississippi St. Bulldogs | 1 |
| 20 | Louisville Cardinals | -1 |
| 21 | Ohio Bobcats | 1 |
| 22 | Texas A&M Aggies | 3 |
| 23 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | -- |
| 24 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | -- |
| 25 | N.C. State Wolfpack | -- |
| Dropouts: Nebraska Cornhuskers, Miami Hurricanes, Northwestern Wildcats | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
10/7 (CFB Hangover) Quickie
The original visceral appeal of becoming a Florida fan was the expectations -- win or failure.
The past two seasons, that eroded. The frustrating Addazio offense of that final pitiful year of the Meyer Era begat the frustrating Weis offense of that first frustrating year of the Muschamp Era.
Yesterday, as I danced around the living room with my 6-month-old daughter accompanying every productive Florida play throughout that staggeringly effective second half in the win over LSU, I felt a jubilation that I hadn't since the night Florida beat Oklahoma for the national title.
It wasn't just because of the stout effort against a formidable opponent. It was because I felt the return of those "win or failure" expectations.
Those renewed expectations will make any loss on the 2012 schedule all the more painful -- South Carolina in two weeks at The Swamp suddenly has me very nervous -- but I would rather feel let-down because I expected too much than let-down because I expected too little.
Speaking of "win or fail": Florida State, suddenly entirely out of the national-title picture and irrelevant on the national scene for the rest of 2012. Congrats to NC State fans on a signature win.
And suddenly South Carolina is in "win or fail" territory: They have to beat a wounded and angry LSU team in Death Valley next Saturday, then beat a surging Florida team in Gainesville the Saturday after that, then fend of Clemson and THEN topple Alabama in the SEC title game. But after last night, it feels possible -- which is a hell of a statement.
Meanwhile: West Virginia staked its claim as the best of the Big 12 and as one of the four teams that would qualify for a mythical four-team college football playoff. They waltzed into DKR and steamrolled a Texas defense that even WVU doubters will acknowledge was much, much better than Baylor's. Is WVU's defense still suspect? Sure. Does it matter if they keep out-scoring their opponents? Not at all. I tabbed WVU as Big 12 champs in the preseason -- feeling very good about that now. The only question is how we could be denied a WVU-Oregon bowl game. Rather than see Oregon get shellacked by Alabama, couldn't we just line them up against the 'Eers for the most entertaining single-game match-up in the sport's history?
Early BlogPoll Top 25 ballot: (1) Alabama, (2) Oregon, (3) West Virginia, (4) South Carolina, (5) Florida, (6) K-State, (7) Ohio St, (8) Notre Dame, (9) Oklahoma, (10) LSU.
And a few quick notes about the MLB playoffs:
*Does Justin Verlander beat the A's in front of the rabid fans of Oakland if the LDS round had a proper home-field advantage? Maybe, maybe not. But in Detroit, he cruises and Oakland will find itself unable to dig out of an 0-2 hole if they lose today.
*The Reds' path to victory in Game 1 was non-traditional to say the least, but fascinating -- Cueto out (but possibly available for Game 3), substitutes in... a victory follows. It's almost like the Giants were more thrown off than Cincy.
*Let's go O's. Can't believe anyone outside of Yankee Nation wouldn't be pulling like crazy for Baltimore.
*And please: Let's go Nats. If they lose this opener in St. Louis, suddenly the decision to sit Stephen Strasburg will be under a lot more pressure.
-- D.S.
The past two seasons, that eroded. The frustrating Addazio offense of that final pitiful year of the Meyer Era begat the frustrating Weis offense of that first frustrating year of the Muschamp Era.
Yesterday, as I danced around the living room with my 6-month-old daughter accompanying every productive Florida play throughout that staggeringly effective second half in the win over LSU, I felt a jubilation that I hadn't since the night Florida beat Oklahoma for the national title.
It wasn't just because of the stout effort against a formidable opponent. It was because I felt the return of those "win or failure" expectations.
Those renewed expectations will make any loss on the 2012 schedule all the more painful -- South Carolina in two weeks at The Swamp suddenly has me very nervous -- but I would rather feel let-down because I expected too much than let-down because I expected too little.
Speaking of "win or fail": Florida State, suddenly entirely out of the national-title picture and irrelevant on the national scene for the rest of 2012. Congrats to NC State fans on a signature win.
And suddenly South Carolina is in "win or fail" territory: They have to beat a wounded and angry LSU team in Death Valley next Saturday, then beat a surging Florida team in Gainesville the Saturday after that, then fend of Clemson and THEN topple Alabama in the SEC title game. But after last night, it feels possible -- which is a hell of a statement.
Meanwhile: West Virginia staked its claim as the best of the Big 12 and as one of the four teams that would qualify for a mythical four-team college football playoff. They waltzed into DKR and steamrolled a Texas defense that even WVU doubters will acknowledge was much, much better than Baylor's. Is WVU's defense still suspect? Sure. Does it matter if they keep out-scoring their opponents? Not at all. I tabbed WVU as Big 12 champs in the preseason -- feeling very good about that now. The only question is how we could be denied a WVU-Oregon bowl game. Rather than see Oregon get shellacked by Alabama, couldn't we just line them up against the 'Eers for the most entertaining single-game match-up in the sport's history?
Early BlogPoll Top 25 ballot: (1) Alabama, (2) Oregon, (3) West Virginia, (4) South Carolina, (5) Florida, (6) K-State, (7) Ohio St, (8) Notre Dame, (9) Oklahoma, (10) LSU.
And a few quick notes about the MLB playoffs:
*Does Justin Verlander beat the A's in front of the rabid fans of Oakland if the LDS round had a proper home-field advantage? Maybe, maybe not. But in Detroit, he cruises and Oakland will find itself unable to dig out of an 0-2 hole if they lose today.
*The Reds' path to victory in Game 1 was non-traditional to say the least, but fascinating -- Cueto out (but possibly available for Game 3), substitutes in... a victory follows. It's almost like the Giants were more thrown off than Cincy.
*Let's go O's. Can't believe anyone outside of Yankee Nation wouldn't be pulling like crazy for Baltimore.
*And please: Let's go Nats. If they lose this opener in St. Louis, suddenly the decision to sit Stephen Strasburg will be under a lot more pressure.
-- D.S.
Friday, October 05, 2012
10/05 (What a Weekend) Quickie
Most jam-packed sports weekend of the year? Pretty close to it...
Novelty in sports is interesting. Institutional novelty -- like today's first-ever MLB "Wild Card" single-elimination game -- is fascinating. For two teams today, their hard-earned trip to the playoffs is over, more briefly than any team in the history of the league.
I'm not sure we will see any unintended consequences, but watching two managers work with their bullpens and bench players in a win-or-go-home game (even with a tough five-game LDS series starting in 48 hours) is going to be fun to watch.
Nowhere is that more obvious than in Atlanta, where the Braves will start the unbeatable Kris Medlen against the defending World Series champs. Medlen will only be available in the LDS as of Game 3 -- then again, without him winning today, Atlanta doesn't get a Game 3 in the LDS.
The American League Wild Card is no less awesome: It's unclear how anyone outside of Texas could not be rooting for the plucky (possibly lucky) Baltimore Orioles. I grew up going to Orioles games, and I know I'm pulling like crazy for them to pull it off -- their fans deserve it.
We roll from the Wild Cards today right into the LDS series, which by a questionable league decision will feature the team with the better regular-season record having to start with two games on the road. Playing 3 of 5 at home isn't quite as helpful if you are down 0-2 when you get there.
Let's get to the picks:
AL Wild Card: Rangers over Orioles.
NL Wild Card: Braves over Cardinals.
ALDS: Yankees over Rangers in 4; A's over Tigers in 4.
NLDS: Nationals over Braves in 5; Giants over Reds in 5.
ALCS: Yankees over A's in 6.
NLCS: Nationals over Giants in 7.
World Series: Nationals over Yankees in 6.
Huge weekend in college football: Plenty of "separation" storylines.
*West Virginia at Texas: Geno Smith's true Heisman moment.
*LSU at Florida: Put up or shut up for the Tigers; how far has Florida come?
*Georgia at South Carolina: De facto SEC East title game?
And some intriguing others:
*Nebraska at Ohio State: More data Urban's team is B1G's best.
*Miami at Notre Dame (at Soldier Field): What an amazing rivalry.
*Northwestern at Penn State: Arguably THE test for unbeaten Wildcats in '12.
USC survives trip to Utah: Still, Trojans are such an afterthought right now.
NFL Week 5: This week's SI cover notwithstanding, it's nice to no longer have the refs be the central storyline of the season. My five favorite storylines for Sunday:
*Peyton vs. Brady: Won't be any closer than Tebow vs. Brady was.
*Winless Saints: Sean Payton watching, San Diego ready to make it 0-5.
*Sneaky-interesting game: Eagles at Steelers. Dare to say "must-win" for Pittsburgh?
*RG3 Mania: Couldn't be a bigger win for DC than beating best-of-NFC Falcons.
*Tebow Time: If the Texans are drilling NY on MNF, it could/should be.
TNF: Rams stifle the Cardinals, and it's a signature win for Jeff Fisher in St. Louis, on national TV against a team that might have been a soft unbeaten, but unbeaten nonetheless.
Kentucky's Calipari wins again: This time landing the top-rated PG and top-rated SG of the 2013 HS class (who just happen to be twin brothers), yoinking them away from Maryland, whose coach has been recruiting them for the past 7 years and whose lead sponsor (Under Armour) has outfitted their AAU team for years.
Let's be clear: John Calipari has executed the most brilliant competitive strategy in all of sports. It is part-Moneyball, part-Yankees, part-celebrity, part-pragmatism -- it is totally unique to college hoops, but more power to him for crafting and executing it. (Want Kentucky to stop winning, college hoops rivals? Convince the NCAA to lobby the NBA to drop its age limit.)
NBA: Royce White. I'm all for the thoughtful way he and the team are dealing with his mental illness and anxiety disorder. I have no problem with him taking a bus to nearby games. But what happens when he HAS to take a plane? Will it be debilitating for him? The team clearly knew all this before they drafted him and kudos to them for working on working around it with him, but I'm skeptical the plan will work out for the long-term.
MLB: Bobby Valentine is out in Boston. Could have called this before he was even hired.
Enjoy what should be an incredible sports weekend: MLB Wild Card games tonight, incredible college football games tomorrow, standard-issue NFL on Sunday and MLB LDS series all weekend long. More updates here over the weekend.
-- D.S.
Novelty in sports is interesting. Institutional novelty -- like today's first-ever MLB "Wild Card" single-elimination game -- is fascinating. For two teams today, their hard-earned trip to the playoffs is over, more briefly than any team in the history of the league.
I'm not sure we will see any unintended consequences, but watching two managers work with their bullpens and bench players in a win-or-go-home game (even with a tough five-game LDS series starting in 48 hours) is going to be fun to watch.
Nowhere is that more obvious than in Atlanta, where the Braves will start the unbeatable Kris Medlen against the defending World Series champs. Medlen will only be available in the LDS as of Game 3 -- then again, without him winning today, Atlanta doesn't get a Game 3 in the LDS.
The American League Wild Card is no less awesome: It's unclear how anyone outside of Texas could not be rooting for the plucky (possibly lucky) Baltimore Orioles. I grew up going to Orioles games, and I know I'm pulling like crazy for them to pull it off -- their fans deserve it.
We roll from the Wild Cards today right into the LDS series, which by a questionable league decision will feature the team with the better regular-season record having to start with two games on the road. Playing 3 of 5 at home isn't quite as helpful if you are down 0-2 when you get there.
Let's get to the picks:
AL Wild Card: Rangers over Orioles.
NL Wild Card: Braves over Cardinals.
ALDS: Yankees over Rangers in 4; A's over Tigers in 4.
NLDS: Nationals over Braves in 5; Giants over Reds in 5.
ALCS: Yankees over A's in 6.
NLCS: Nationals over Giants in 7.
World Series: Nationals over Yankees in 6.
Huge weekend in college football: Plenty of "separation" storylines.
*West Virginia at Texas: Geno Smith's true Heisman moment.
*LSU at Florida: Put up or shut up for the Tigers; how far has Florida come?
*Georgia at South Carolina: De facto SEC East title game?
And some intriguing others:
*Nebraska at Ohio State: More data Urban's team is B1G's best.
*Miami at Notre Dame (at Soldier Field): What an amazing rivalry.
*Northwestern at Penn State: Arguably THE test for unbeaten Wildcats in '12.
USC survives trip to Utah: Still, Trojans are such an afterthought right now.
NFL Week 5: This week's SI cover notwithstanding, it's nice to no longer have the refs be the central storyline of the season. My five favorite storylines for Sunday:
*Peyton vs. Brady: Won't be any closer than Tebow vs. Brady was.
*Winless Saints: Sean Payton watching, San Diego ready to make it 0-5.
*Sneaky-interesting game: Eagles at Steelers. Dare to say "must-win" for Pittsburgh?
*RG3 Mania: Couldn't be a bigger win for DC than beating best-of-NFC Falcons.
*Tebow Time: If the Texans are drilling NY on MNF, it could/should be.
TNF: Rams stifle the Cardinals, and it's a signature win for Jeff Fisher in St. Louis, on national TV against a team that might have been a soft unbeaten, but unbeaten nonetheless.
Kentucky's Calipari wins again: This time landing the top-rated PG and top-rated SG of the 2013 HS class (who just happen to be twin brothers), yoinking them away from Maryland, whose coach has been recruiting them for the past 7 years and whose lead sponsor (Under Armour) has outfitted their AAU team for years.
Let's be clear: John Calipari has executed the most brilliant competitive strategy in all of sports. It is part-Moneyball, part-Yankees, part-celebrity, part-pragmatism -- it is totally unique to college hoops, but more power to him for crafting and executing it. (Want Kentucky to stop winning, college hoops rivals? Convince the NCAA to lobby the NBA to drop its age limit.)
NBA: Royce White. I'm all for the thoughtful way he and the team are dealing with his mental illness and anxiety disorder. I have no problem with him taking a bus to nearby games. But what happens when he HAS to take a plane? Will it be debilitating for him? The team clearly knew all this before they drafted him and kudos to them for working on working around it with him, but I'm skeptical the plan will work out for the long-term.
MLB: Bobby Valentine is out in Boston. Could have called this before he was even hired.
Enjoy what should be an incredible sports weekend: MLB Wild Card games tonight, incredible college football games tomorrow, standard-issue NFL on Sunday and MLB LDS series all weekend long. More updates here over the weekend.
-- D.S.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
10/04 (Wild Card) Quickie
Exhale for a minute (or a day).
There will be no frantic playoff-before-a-playoff. There will only be lead-up to MLB's first one-game "Wild Card" round, featuring the surging Braves and defending-champ Cards in the NL and the stumbling defending AL champs from Texas against the entirely unpredictable Orioles.
What makes the NL game so compelling is that there is a good argument to be made that the team that comes out of the NL Wild Card should be considered the favorite to win the pennant -- both teams are that hot right now.
What makes the AL game so compelling is that the defending league champs -- and prohibitive favorites to repeat from roughly March through August -- have all the pressure in the world, while the Orioles are playing with house money (as they have been since, oh, May).
We can disagree about the fairness of the format. We can argue whether the Rangers (or Cardinals) deserve a spot in the playoff field. But, as with the original introduction of the original Wild Card slot, it makes for compelling games that are as must-see as baseball gets.
For better or worse, it is like fast-forwarding to Game 7.
More:
The A's win the AL West: The most improbable division champ in recent MLB history? If you look at the preseason expectations, the roster, the payroll, the state of the team back in June (or, say, 10 days ago) or any number of other factors: Absolutely.
There is a reason that (outside of Texas) we are having a kind of national love-fest over these A's: They ARE what is awesome about baseball, as Peter Gammons said last night and Tom Verducci echoed this morning. And, as much as anything, they give hope to fans of every other team that might be sitting at home right now, wondering how they fell short this year.
Miguel Cabrera wins the Triple Crown: I'm all for this history-making and the novelty -- again, no fan under the age of 50 has any recollection of this happening before. Is "RBI" an out-dated vanity stat to care about? Absolutely. Does that diminish the milestone? Absolutely not. Despite the fact that Cabrera is (arguably) not as valuable as, say, Mike Trout (or even Justin Verlander on his own team), it's an incredibly fun accomplishment to have happen this season.
NBA Flopping Policy: If the NBA thinks fines will change player habits -- or the advantage that comes from getting opposing players in foul trouble or getting easy points at the free-throw line -- they are mistaken. This feels like a superficial move to speak to some half-hearted "outrage" by some folks in the NBA media about flopping. Fans don't seem to care. Players use it as a standard technique. It hardly degrades the integrity of the game. (Here's a strategy: Train your refs to not fall for it and/or give each coach one "flop challenge" to let refs go to the replay to judge a flop, with a technical foul assessed if they judge a move to be a bonafide flop.)
College Hoops: An interesting day today -- the "Harrison Twins" (5-star siblings) are going to pick a school to attend together, deciding between Kentucky and Maryland, but really it is about Nike vs. Under Armour.
Typically, Kentucky has been racking up the talent through a very efficient system of "Play for us for one year, compete for (or win) a title, then go to the NBA with our blessing and training," but there is one clear counter to that: "Why be just another anonymous cog for Kentucky when you can be a star with us?" And Under Armour has the cachet to pull that off -- it happened last year in football recruiting, when star WR Stefon Diggs picked Maryland (despite Maryland being terrible, with a soul-sucking coach) over Florida (which is, along with Alabama, as close to a football analogue to Kentucky as you'll find). I'm predicting the twins pick Maryland, and it's a new battle line drawn between Nike and UA.
NFL: Doesn't seem like much of a suspension if the NFL is willing to let Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt attend games. Wonder if the NFL would be making the same decision if the Saints were 4-0 versus 0-4.
Sports x Politics: My favorite quip came from the WSJ's Jason Gay: "Nobody's going to remember a darn thing from tonight, other than Miguel Cabrera's Triple Crown. That will live forever."
-- D.S.
There will be no frantic playoff-before-a-playoff. There will only be lead-up to MLB's first one-game "Wild Card" round, featuring the surging Braves and defending-champ Cards in the NL and the stumbling defending AL champs from Texas against the entirely unpredictable Orioles.
What makes the NL game so compelling is that there is a good argument to be made that the team that comes out of the NL Wild Card should be considered the favorite to win the pennant -- both teams are that hot right now.
What makes the AL game so compelling is that the defending league champs -- and prohibitive favorites to repeat from roughly March through August -- have all the pressure in the world, while the Orioles are playing with house money (as they have been since, oh, May).
We can disagree about the fairness of the format. We can argue whether the Rangers (or Cardinals) deserve a spot in the playoff field. But, as with the original introduction of the original Wild Card slot, it makes for compelling games that are as must-see as baseball gets.
For better or worse, it is like fast-forwarding to Game 7.
More:
The A's win the AL West: The most improbable division champ in recent MLB history? If you look at the preseason expectations, the roster, the payroll, the state of the team back in June (or, say, 10 days ago) or any number of other factors: Absolutely.
There is a reason that (outside of Texas) we are having a kind of national love-fest over these A's: They ARE what is awesome about baseball, as Peter Gammons said last night and Tom Verducci echoed this morning. And, as much as anything, they give hope to fans of every other team that might be sitting at home right now, wondering how they fell short this year.
Miguel Cabrera wins the Triple Crown: I'm all for this history-making and the novelty -- again, no fan under the age of 50 has any recollection of this happening before. Is "RBI" an out-dated vanity stat to care about? Absolutely. Does that diminish the milestone? Absolutely not. Despite the fact that Cabrera is (arguably) not as valuable as, say, Mike Trout (or even Justin Verlander on his own team), it's an incredibly fun accomplishment to have happen this season.
NBA Flopping Policy: If the NBA thinks fines will change player habits -- or the advantage that comes from getting opposing players in foul trouble or getting easy points at the free-throw line -- they are mistaken. This feels like a superficial move to speak to some half-hearted "outrage" by some folks in the NBA media about flopping. Fans don't seem to care. Players use it as a standard technique. It hardly degrades the integrity of the game. (Here's a strategy: Train your refs to not fall for it and/or give each coach one "flop challenge" to let refs go to the replay to judge a flop, with a technical foul assessed if they judge a move to be a bonafide flop.)
College Hoops: An interesting day today -- the "Harrison Twins" (5-star siblings) are going to pick a school to attend together, deciding between Kentucky and Maryland, but really it is about Nike vs. Under Armour.
Typically, Kentucky has been racking up the talent through a very efficient system of "Play for us for one year, compete for (or win) a title, then go to the NBA with our blessing and training," but there is one clear counter to that: "Why be just another anonymous cog for Kentucky when you can be a star with us?" And Under Armour has the cachet to pull that off -- it happened last year in football recruiting, when star WR Stefon Diggs picked Maryland (despite Maryland being terrible, with a soul-sucking coach) over Florida (which is, along with Alabama, as close to a football analogue to Kentucky as you'll find). I'm predicting the twins pick Maryland, and it's a new battle line drawn between Nike and UA.
NFL: Doesn't seem like much of a suspension if the NFL is willing to let Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt attend games. Wonder if the NFL would be making the same decision if the Saints were 4-0 versus 0-4.
Sports x Politics: My favorite quip came from the WSJ's Jason Gay: "Nobody's going to remember a darn thing from tonight, other than Miguel Cabrera's Triple Crown. That will live forever."
-- D.S.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
10/03 (Game 162, Take 2) Quickie
There is a debate all good Americans should be wrapped up in tonight:
Sanchez or Tebow?
On the final day of baseball’s regular season, are we better off now than we were a year ago?
If you’ll recall, last year’s “Game 162” took its place next to “Game 6” as one of the most memorable single days in recent baseball history -- almost certainly the most exciting day of regular-season baseball in the game’s long history.
“Game 162, v.2012” has a slightly different vibe. Last year was about the dramatic conclusions of epic collapses by the Braves and, to great schadenfreude over (not to mention the seeming institutional collapse of), the Red Sox.
This year is about affirmation: Playoff places are secure; the new uncertainty is whether teams are headed to the LDS round or the entirely unpredictable one-game Wild Card.
The upstart A’s and quasi-dynastic Rangers are playing today for a division title or -- more specifically -- avoiding playing in the Wild Card. It isn’t quite the same as “Lose today and you’re out,” but adds a new and more intriguing level of pressure.
The magical Orioles are scoreboard-watching: If the Yankees beat the Red Sox, Baltimore will travel to the loser of the A’s-Rangers game for the Wild Card. If the Yankees lose and the Orioles win, the AL East -- and, again, who goes to the Wild Card -- will be decided in a one-game playoff on Thursday in Baltimore.
It is a new dynamic: Competing to avoid having to play a toss-up “one-and-done” game that, at best, drains your best pitching and emotional energy heading into a best-of-five Divisional series and, at worst, ends your season as abruptly as we have ever seen in the sport.
In the absence of the Wild Card game, the Yankees are phoning it in today, knowing they are set for the ALDS. (Instead, we have the unlikely outcome of Raul Ibanez as New York’s latest October hero.)
The Wild Card may remain a contentious debate, but across the spectrum of baseball politics, we can agree that anything that makes the Yankees sweat is good for the nation.
Today’s Games to Watch:
3:35 ET: Rangers at A’s
7:05 ET: Red Sox at Yankees (ESPN)
7:10 ET: Orioles at Rays (ESPN2)
Today's Best of Sports on Earth: Mike Tanier on the NFL at the quarter-turn, including his league-wide power rankings (topped by the Texans) and awards (Ryan, Watt... Kolb?!)
Adam Greenberg Watch: Greenberg’s K in his high-profile appearance last night was fitting -- he was only guaranteed a second chance at a Major League at-bat, nothing more. Once in the batter’s box, he was baffled by R.A. Dickey (no shame there). Greenberg might have side-stepped baseball’s meritocratic process to get back up to The Show, but there is no avoiding it against Cy-level pitching. Hopefully, the experience gives Greenberg a new and welcome sense of closure.
Miguel Cabrera vs. the Triple Crown: AL MVP debate aside, it is thrilling to be on the cusp of seeing something we haven’t since 1967 -- no fan under the age of 50 has any recollection of watching a player put together a Triple Crown season. That the pre-eminent value of RBIs as a vanity statistic has been largely debunked is beside the point, although it would be fun if someone would create a New Triple Crown, featuring HR, OPS and WAR.
Orioles magic, cont’d: As if you needed any more evidence that Baltimore is putting together one of Those Seasons, last night’s win might be the most unlikely yet -- Tampa’s James Shields put together one of the most dominant pitching performances of the season (arguably in Rays franchise history), and yet a single Chris Davis monster shot gave Baltimore the W. It is unquantifiable, but we are about to find out if “sheer self-belief” is enough to win a championship.
Penn State Scandal: As long as Mike McQueary is filing a defamation suit against Penn State, is he planning to donate the entire salary he collected while a Paterno assistant for the decade following the shower incident? He didn’t seem to mind sporting the Penn State colors while he put his nascent coaching career ahead of the welfare of Jerry Sandusky’s victims.
NFL: If we’re being honest, a healthy Santonio Holmes wasn’t exactly going to solve the Jets’ larger problems on offense. It doesn’t help, but a depleted roster of receivers sets the stage for a running-heavy “Jetbone” offense under Tebow. (Don’t laugh: It worked for the Broncos last year.)
Lolo Jones’ misstep: Jones had no idea Eric LeGrand was a quadriplegic when she trash-talked him after he playfully tweeted her that he wanted to race. LeGrand didn’t take it personally, and it’s hard to believe so many people are giving her grief. Should Jones know of LeGrand and his story? Probably, if only because it is one of the most inspiring sports stories of the past decade. But can you hold it against her if she didn’t?
CFB: Looking ahead to Ohio State-TCU in 2018 and 2019. On the one hand, Ohio State will regret signing a series with TCU, because I think TCU is going to sweep the Buckeyes. On the other hand, in a “four-team playoff” world, where a selection committee picks the field, teams in the small cadre of contenders on the bubble will get extra credit for tough scheduling, even if they don’t win the game. In other words, an 11-2 Ohio State team that wins the Big Ten but loses to TCU will get more favorable treatment from the Selection Committee than an ACC champ that went 12-1 with no tough non-conference games to point to. (By the way: 2018 and 2019? Urban Meyer will be long gone.)
In case you missed last night’s “30 For 30” premiere, “Broke,” about pro athletes burning through their money, the lesson is simple, whether you are an athlete or not: Be sensible about your money, and if you can’t, put in some protections to save you from yourself.
Stadia: More teams should follow the Mariners’ strategy and move outfield fences in.
Last thing: Happy anniversary to Mrs. Quickie. Our wedding eight years ago today set us down a path for the three beautiful kids we have today -- not to mention cemented my status as a die-hard Florida Gators fan.
-- D.S.
On the final day of baseball’s regular season, are we better off now than we were a year ago?
If you’ll recall, last year’s “Game 162” took its place next to “Game 6” as one of the most memorable single days in recent baseball history -- almost certainly the most exciting day of regular-season baseball in the game’s long history.
“Game 162, v.2012” has a slightly different vibe. Last year was about the dramatic conclusions of epic collapses by the Braves and, to great schadenfreude over (not to mention the seeming institutional collapse of), the Red Sox.
This year is about affirmation: Playoff places are secure; the new uncertainty is whether teams are headed to the LDS round or the entirely unpredictable one-game Wild Card.
The upstart A’s and quasi-dynastic Rangers are playing today for a division title or -- more specifically -- avoiding playing in the Wild Card. It isn’t quite the same as “Lose today and you’re out,” but adds a new and more intriguing level of pressure.
The magical Orioles are scoreboard-watching: If the Yankees beat the Red Sox, Baltimore will travel to the loser of the A’s-Rangers game for the Wild Card. If the Yankees lose and the Orioles win, the AL East -- and, again, who goes to the Wild Card -- will be decided in a one-game playoff on Thursday in Baltimore.
It is a new dynamic: Competing to avoid having to play a toss-up “one-and-done” game that, at best, drains your best pitching and emotional energy heading into a best-of-five Divisional series and, at worst, ends your season as abruptly as we have ever seen in the sport.
In the absence of the Wild Card game, the Yankees are phoning it in today, knowing they are set for the ALDS. (Instead, we have the unlikely outcome of Raul Ibanez as New York’s latest October hero.)
The Wild Card may remain a contentious debate, but across the spectrum of baseball politics, we can agree that anything that makes the Yankees sweat is good for the nation.
Today’s Games to Watch:
3:35 ET: Rangers at A’s
7:05 ET: Red Sox at Yankees (ESPN)
7:10 ET: Orioles at Rays (ESPN2)
Today's Best of Sports on Earth: Mike Tanier on the NFL at the quarter-turn, including his league-wide power rankings (topped by the Texans) and awards (Ryan, Watt... Kolb?!)
Adam Greenberg Watch: Greenberg’s K in his high-profile appearance last night was fitting -- he was only guaranteed a second chance at a Major League at-bat, nothing more. Once in the batter’s box, he was baffled by R.A. Dickey (no shame there). Greenberg might have side-stepped baseball’s meritocratic process to get back up to The Show, but there is no avoiding it against Cy-level pitching. Hopefully, the experience gives Greenberg a new and welcome sense of closure.
Miguel Cabrera vs. the Triple Crown: AL MVP debate aside, it is thrilling to be on the cusp of seeing something we haven’t since 1967 -- no fan under the age of 50 has any recollection of watching a player put together a Triple Crown season. That the pre-eminent value of RBIs as a vanity statistic has been largely debunked is beside the point, although it would be fun if someone would create a New Triple Crown, featuring HR, OPS and WAR.
Orioles magic, cont’d: As if you needed any more evidence that Baltimore is putting together one of Those Seasons, last night’s win might be the most unlikely yet -- Tampa’s James Shields put together one of the most dominant pitching performances of the season (arguably in Rays franchise history), and yet a single Chris Davis monster shot gave Baltimore the W. It is unquantifiable, but we are about to find out if “sheer self-belief” is enough to win a championship.
Penn State Scandal: As long as Mike McQueary is filing a defamation suit against Penn State, is he planning to donate the entire salary he collected while a Paterno assistant for the decade following the shower incident? He didn’t seem to mind sporting the Penn State colors while he put his nascent coaching career ahead of the welfare of Jerry Sandusky’s victims.
NFL: If we’re being honest, a healthy Santonio Holmes wasn’t exactly going to solve the Jets’ larger problems on offense. It doesn’t help, but a depleted roster of receivers sets the stage for a running-heavy “Jetbone” offense under Tebow. (Don’t laugh: It worked for the Broncos last year.)
Lolo Jones’ misstep: Jones had no idea Eric LeGrand was a quadriplegic when she trash-talked him after he playfully tweeted her that he wanted to race. LeGrand didn’t take it personally, and it’s hard to believe so many people are giving her grief. Should Jones know of LeGrand and his story? Probably, if only because it is one of the most inspiring sports stories of the past decade. But can you hold it against her if she didn’t?
CFB: Looking ahead to Ohio State-TCU in 2018 and 2019. On the one hand, Ohio State will regret signing a series with TCU, because I think TCU is going to sweep the Buckeyes. On the other hand, in a “four-team playoff” world, where a selection committee picks the field, teams in the small cadre of contenders on the bubble will get extra credit for tough scheduling, even if they don’t win the game. In other words, an 11-2 Ohio State team that wins the Big Ten but loses to TCU will get more favorable treatment from the Selection Committee than an ACC champ that went 12-1 with no tough non-conference games to point to. (By the way: 2018 and 2019? Urban Meyer will be long gone.)
In case you missed last night’s “30 For 30” premiere, “Broke,” about pro athletes burning through their money, the lesson is simple, whether you are an athlete or not: Be sensible about your money, and if you can’t, put in some protections to save you from yourself.
Stadia: More teams should follow the Mariners’ strategy and move outfield fences in.
Last thing: Happy anniversary to Mrs. Quickie. Our wedding eight years ago today set us down a path for the three beautiful kids we have today -- not to mention cemented my status as a die-hard Florida Gators fan.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
10/02 (Romo! Nats! Kobe!) Quickie
"It's just going to suck for a few days now, obviously." -- Tony Romo
Aside from Romo’s lament -- and he’s not wrong -- let’s flip the traditional “power rankings” on its head and think about the “Sucks to Be You” rankings at the NFL quarter-turn. No unbeaten (and loving it!) Houston Texans or feel-good Arizona Cardinals here. Just Romo-like disappointment:
1. Saints (0-4). The NFL story of the year.
2. Chiefs (1-3). Weren’t they supposed to win the worst division in football?
3. Panthers (1-3). It’s not Cam’s fault. But it’s his face on the front.
4. Steelers (1-2). Feel that whoosh? It’s the window of contention closing.
5 (tie). Jets & Giants (both 2-2). But only one team feels in control of its future.
MLB Playoff Races:
A’s into playoffs: Along with Baltimore and D.C., the best team story of the year.
Nats clinch N.L. East: Over/under on Nats division titles over next 5 years: 4.
Tigers win AL Central: Not a reason to vote Miguel Cabrera AL MVP.
With two games to go, the big storyline: Can Oakland catch Texas in the AL West, either forcing a debilitating one-game playoff to see who goes into the one-game playoff or pushing the defending AL champs into the unpredictable Wild Card round against (presumably) unpredictable Baltimore? And can Baltimore do the same thing to the Yankees in the AL East? (And can you imagine a Yankees-Rangers one-game Wild Card playoff?)
Today’s Must-Read from Sports on Earth: Posnanski on the Nats. (Money quote: “I would say even with the amazing Orioles run and even with the extraordinary drive of the Oakland A’s, the Nationals are the story of the 2012 regular season.”)
NFL: More fun with Jay Cutler. After the Bears QB ignored Chicago offensive coordinator Mike Tice in front of a national-TV audience, USA TODAY Sports’ Chris Chase had this reaction: “Tice looked like a guy getting shot down in a bar. He swoops in and his target shuts it down immediately. The coach's pink-brimmed hat and hipster glasses only added to the hilarity.”
NBA Media Day: “On its face, it’s the best talent I’ve been around.” NBA Media Day is typically a mix of awkward “picture day” in elementary school and banalities about improvement that every team can get away with. But Kobe’s quote is notable for two reasons: (1) He has been on some pretty good teams, and (2) he’s right. Kobe’s most admirable quality is his demand that every season be judged “Championship or Failure.” Yesterday’s stake in the ground lets his new (ringless) teammates know what the expectations are.
Linsanity continues: The answer to the question “Why did the Knicks let Jeremy Lin go?” is pretty simple: Money. Knicks GM Glen Grunwald: “Basically, it comes down to the fact that Houston made a commitment to him that we weren't prepared to make.” In the absence of winning a championship the Knicks have no shot of winning, dumping Lin remains the franchise’s signature move of the post-Isiah era.
Meanwhile: How can you not love the Nuggets canary-yellow alternate jerseys? From the Wizards’ reboot a year ago to Northwestern’s new Under Armour-designed football uniform, the horizontal stripe is totally in.
Sports x Politics, Part 1: “Well, I think so you always have to put country first.” (Jets owner Woody Johnson, asked on Bloomberg TV whether it is more important for his team to win or his preferred candidate, Mitt Romney, to win.)
Sports x Politics, Part 2: “America needs a comeback team – Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are that team.” (John Elway, endorsing Mitt Romney last night in Denver. Colorado is one of the few states considered a “toss-up” -- let’s keep an eye on the Broncos’ win percentage in October against the state of Romney in the state tracking polls.)
Heisman Watch: As of now, it’s West Virginia QB Geno Smith in a runaway, in part because Matt Barkley choked early and in part because of Saturday’s signature stat-line. In USA TODAY Sports’ new Heisman straw poll, all but one of the 30+ voters gave Smith the nod. He is the rightful heir to RGIII and the poster guy for the evolution of the Air Raid offense into college football’s mainstream.
Quote of the Day: “I don't think LeBron James would be too happy with this drug-dealer dude using his name on these street bags.” (Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood, via Philly Daily News.)
Tonight's Best: Adam Greenberg, getting one more Major League at-bat (after his ill-fated first -- and only -- MLB at-bat in 2005, where he was beaned in the head), in the greatest thing the Marlins have done this season.
Best wishes to Chuck Pagano.
-- D.S.
Aside from Romo’s lament -- and he’s not wrong -- let’s flip the traditional “power rankings” on its head and think about the “Sucks to Be You” rankings at the NFL quarter-turn. No unbeaten (and loving it!) Houston Texans or feel-good Arizona Cardinals here. Just Romo-like disappointment:
1. Saints (0-4). The NFL story of the year.
2. Chiefs (1-3). Weren’t they supposed to win the worst division in football?
3. Panthers (1-3). It’s not Cam’s fault. But it’s his face on the front.
4. Steelers (1-2). Feel that whoosh? It’s the window of contention closing.
5 (tie). Jets & Giants (both 2-2). But only one team feels in control of its future.
MLB Playoff Races:
A’s into playoffs: Along with Baltimore and D.C., the best team story of the year.
Nats clinch N.L. East: Over/under on Nats division titles over next 5 years: 4.
Tigers win AL Central: Not a reason to vote Miguel Cabrera AL MVP.
With two games to go, the big storyline: Can Oakland catch Texas in the AL West, either forcing a debilitating one-game playoff to see who goes into the one-game playoff or pushing the defending AL champs into the unpredictable Wild Card round against (presumably) unpredictable Baltimore? And can Baltimore do the same thing to the Yankees in the AL East? (And can you imagine a Yankees-Rangers one-game Wild Card playoff?)
Today’s Must-Read from Sports on Earth: Posnanski on the Nats. (Money quote: “I would say even with the amazing Orioles run and even with the extraordinary drive of the Oakland A’s, the Nationals are the story of the 2012 regular season.”)
NFL: More fun with Jay Cutler. After the Bears QB ignored Chicago offensive coordinator Mike Tice in front of a national-TV audience, USA TODAY Sports’ Chris Chase had this reaction: “Tice looked like a guy getting shot down in a bar. He swoops in and his target shuts it down immediately. The coach's pink-brimmed hat and hipster glasses only added to the hilarity.”
NBA Media Day: “On its face, it’s the best talent I’ve been around.” NBA Media Day is typically a mix of awkward “picture day” in elementary school and banalities about improvement that every team can get away with. But Kobe’s quote is notable for two reasons: (1) He has been on some pretty good teams, and (2) he’s right. Kobe’s most admirable quality is his demand that every season be judged “Championship or Failure.” Yesterday’s stake in the ground lets his new (ringless) teammates know what the expectations are.
Linsanity continues: The answer to the question “Why did the Knicks let Jeremy Lin go?” is pretty simple: Money. Knicks GM Glen Grunwald: “Basically, it comes down to the fact that Houston made a commitment to him that we weren't prepared to make.” In the absence of winning a championship the Knicks have no shot of winning, dumping Lin remains the franchise’s signature move of the post-Isiah era.
Meanwhile: How can you not love the Nuggets canary-yellow alternate jerseys? From the Wizards’ reboot a year ago to Northwestern’s new Under Armour-designed football uniform, the horizontal stripe is totally in.
Sports x Politics, Part 1: “Well, I think so you always have to put country first.” (Jets owner Woody Johnson, asked on Bloomberg TV whether it is more important for his team to win or his preferred candidate, Mitt Romney, to win.)
Sports x Politics, Part 2: “America needs a comeback team – Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are that team.” (John Elway, endorsing Mitt Romney last night in Denver. Colorado is one of the few states considered a “toss-up” -- let’s keep an eye on the Broncos’ win percentage in October against the state of Romney in the state tracking polls.)
Heisman Watch: As of now, it’s West Virginia QB Geno Smith in a runaway, in part because Matt Barkley choked early and in part because of Saturday’s signature stat-line. In USA TODAY Sports’ new Heisman straw poll, all but one of the 30+ voters gave Smith the nod. He is the rightful heir to RGIII and the poster guy for the evolution of the Air Raid offense into college football’s mainstream.
Quote of the Day: “I don't think LeBron James would be too happy with this drug-dealer dude using his name on these street bags.” (Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood, via Philly Daily News.)
Tonight's Best: Adam Greenberg, getting one more Major League at-bat (after his ill-fated first -- and only -- MLB at-bat in 2005, where he was beaned in the head), in the greatest thing the Marlins have done this season.
Best wishes to Chuck Pagano.
-- D.S.
Monday, October 01, 2012
10/1 (NFL Monday) Quickie
Shallow Monday-morning analysis, just like you want it...
*NFL Quarter-Season MVP: Matt Ryan.
*But the best storyline? That the Saints are 0-4.
*Also a lot of fun: That the Cardinals are 4-0.
*Are the Texans the best team in the NFL? Right now? Yes. In 16 weeks? No.
*Surprise of Week 4: The "Refs Return" thing turned out to not be a big deal.
*What's wrong with Cam Newton? Nothing. Seriously, relax, haters.
*Are the Vikings for real? No. I'll still take the under on 8 wins.
*Plenty of games left for... the Eagles to fall apart (and Giants to surge).
*RGIII Mythology, cont'd: His headset was out on the final drive to set up the GW FG.
*RGIII is the NFL's best rookie, but...: That Rams K Zuerlein is damn close.
*If the 2013 NFL Draft was today: I'd take Geno Smith over Matt Barkley.
*I'm in the tank for TT, but what is the downside of the Jets benching Sanchez for Tebow?
MLB: Last year's "Game 162" was just about as thrilling as a single-night of sports gets, but I'm really looking forward to the fun scoreboard-watching over the next three days.
CFB: I'm still ga-ga for Geno Smith's performance. I couldn't care less about "But is WVU really a great team?" because the universal premise is moot: No team is beating Alabama anyway.
Ryder Cup choke: Who's with me in the "Eh, who really cares?" category?
Thoughts with family and friends of Ravens coach Chuck Pagano, who is battling leukemia and is expected to recover enough to get back on the sidelines later this season. We can only hope.
-- D.S.
*NFL Quarter-Season MVP: Matt Ryan.
*But the best storyline? That the Saints are 0-4.
*Also a lot of fun: That the Cardinals are 4-0.
*Are the Texans the best team in the NFL? Right now? Yes. In 16 weeks? No.
*Surprise of Week 4: The "Refs Return" thing turned out to not be a big deal.
*What's wrong with Cam Newton? Nothing. Seriously, relax, haters.
*Are the Vikings for real? No. I'll still take the under on 8 wins.
*Plenty of games left for... the Eagles to fall apart (and Giants to surge).
*RGIII Mythology, cont'd: His headset was out on the final drive to set up the GW FG.
*RGIII is the NFL's best rookie, but...: That Rams K Zuerlein is damn close.
*If the 2013 NFL Draft was today: I'd take Geno Smith over Matt Barkley.
*I'm in the tank for TT, but what is the downside of the Jets benching Sanchez for Tebow?
MLB: Last year's "Game 162" was just about as thrilling as a single-night of sports gets, but I'm really looking forward to the fun scoreboard-watching over the next three days.
CFB: I'm still ga-ga for Geno Smith's performance. I couldn't care less about "But is WVU really a great team?" because the universal premise is moot: No team is beating Alabama anyway.
Ryder Cup choke: Who's with me in the "Eh, who really cares?" category?
Thoughts with family and friends of Ravens coach Chuck Pagano, who is battling leukemia and is expected to recover enough to get back on the sidelines later this season. We can only hope.
-- D.S.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
This Week's BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot
West Virginia put on enough of a show to zoom into the coveted Top 4, and a smidgen of "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" vaults Oregon over last week's No. 2 Kansas State. FSU drops to No. 5. In the end, let's root for entertaining games, because the season is one long lead-up to Alabama throttling Oregon or FSU or West Virginia or whoever.
DanShanoff.com Ballot - Week 5
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 2 | Oregon Ducks | 2 |
| 3 | Kansas St. Wildcats | -1 |
| 4 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 3 |
| 5 | Florida St. Seminoles | -2 |
| 6 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 7 | Georgia Bulldogs | 3 |
| 8 | TCU Horned Frogs | -- |
| 9 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | 8 |
| 10 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -1 |
| 11 | Texas Longhorns | 4 |
| 12 | Florida Gators | 1 |
| 13 | Clemson Tigers | -2 |
| 14 | Oregon St. Beavers | 8 |
| 15 | Oklahoma Sooners | -- |
| 16 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | -2 |
| 17 | Stanford Cardinal | -12 |
| 18 | USC Trojans | -- |
| 19 | Louisville Cardinals | -3 |
| 20 | Mississippi St. Bulldogs | -1 |
| 21 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 2 |
| 22 | Ohio Bobcats | -1 |
| 23 | Miami Hurricanes | -- |
| 24 | Northwestern Wildcats | 1 |
| 25 | Texas A&M Aggies | -- |
| Dropouts: Arizona Wildcats, Michigan St. Spartans, Rutgers Scarlet Knights | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
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