My Day at the Apple Cup

Thanks to my boy Nattie Ice, I got to experience the Apple Cup in person for the first time on Saturday. It was a great time and one that I thought I would give a recap of.

• I get the call saying we are leaving at 3:30 for a 4:30 game. The Wife says we are crazy, but I didn't care - I wasn't driving. AND even though I assumed we would be late, there was sure to be lots of scoring, so we wouldn't miss too much.
• Nattie knows of a sweet place to park for free. Amazingly the lot was not full and we were on time.
• After walking towards the NW end of the stadium, we realize we made a mistake an turn around. We get in the NE line and stayed there for over 30 minutes. It was a shit storm. At the beginning, people were creating multiple lines and then merging. Once the official line was established, people started walking on the grass to bypass the line. they got away with it for about 10 minutes before a drunk woman with a phone and cigarette starting bitching out everyone that passed by. She and a dude then got security involved and we stopped getting cut.
  
• We find out that every person is getting patted down and that the women's line is quicker. It's simple - when the ratio of men to women in the stadium is 4:1 but the ratio of male security guards is 2:1, the women are certainly gonna get the advantage.
• When we got within 10 feet of the pat down, some dbags found another way to cut. It led to my favorite exchange of the day:
  
  Nattie: What are you gonna cut?
  DBag: Yes
  Nattie: No.
  
  It was that simple.
• We both somehow got into the stadium with our alcohol even though the patter clearly ran his hand over my airline bottle. Either he was sensing the ever growing anger from the line or he thought it was my belt buckle. Who knows. I'm just glad I got through.
• Qwest HAS to do avoid this situation next year when the Huskies move in. It was a disaster.
• Finally we get to our seats and realize we have missed the blocked punt. The next WSU drive ends in a fumble and the Huskies score to go up 14-0. Somehow it didn't feel convincing...oh, maybe it was because WSU was outgaining us on the day. All I knew was that we were two simple plays from being tied at 0 or down a td.
• After WSU scored late in the first half to tie the game, the Huskies responded with a td drive of their own. I remember thinking that 2:05 was a lot of time on the clock and it turned out to be.
• Play of the day goes to Kasen Williams for hurdling over some would-be tackler. I could take the time to find out his name, but really I don't care. And I'm sure he is ok with it that way. Williams just owned him. He is a freak of nature.
• Nattie has a definite man-crush on Austin Sefarian-Jenkins (and it's well deserved)
• Keith Price didn't look right the entire second half and actually took himself out of the game prior to the first play of a drive. It was definitely weird as their was no reason for him to be injured. (Turns out it was a hurt thumb on his throwing hand). He came back in and broke the single season UW record for td passes later in the game.
• Just a side note, but I have heard numerous times about the great lineage of UW QB's over the years...yet if you look at the single-season td leaders, only 5 have ever thrown more than 20 tds in a single season. That is kind of shocking to me.
  
• About halfway through the half I realized that Keith price and Eric Folk wore the same number. Same thing with Chris Polk and Sean Parker. I know this is common knowledge to most fans, but I had not noticed it until then. I understand that with >100 players on the roster, someone is going to have to share numbers, but your two best players? Really? Really?
• Speaking of Chris Polk, he had a really quiet 100 yard game. I would have put it at 65 tops.
• I definitely didn't feel comfortable with a 31-21 lead in the 4th. (and I know I wasn't the only one). The problem with a bad defense in late game situations is that if they are winning they have to stop 4 plays rather than only 3. Earlier in the game, if the defense holds the offense to less than 10 yards on 3 plays, the team punts. In the fourth that team will go for it...and stopping them on 4 plays is way harder.
  
• The defense then came up with a huge play at the end of the game, intercepting a desparate flea-flicker. The offense then mached down the field and the game was over. 38-21. Huskies keep the Apple Cup for another year.
  
  
• Now a few words about WSU. I really liked their QB Marshall Lobbestael and think he is going to be a star. He was really poised for a freshman playing in his first AppleCup. There are rumors that Mike Leach will be on the top of the wish list (although some are speculating that he will be going to ASU) to replace Paul Wolff and I have to be honest, I think it would be a spectacular hire for them. I think the QB could be really really successful with Leach's type of offense.
• I was really amazed by the WSU fans. I never have been at a game where the away crwod rivaled the home crowd (well, anything outside of 500 person Patriot League tournament games) and it was a great atmosphere. I now see why the game is so important to everyone involved. I loved it.

So the Huskies ended a 3 game losing streak and finished 7-5 on the season. However, it is entirely possible that they will be going to second highest bowl for Pac-12 teams - the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. It's really amazing if you think about it. Stanford is going to the BCS. Oregon won't lose to UCLA in the Pac-12 title game and will be going to the Rose Bowl. USC is on probation. That leaves UW, Cal, Utah and UCLA as the only remaining conference teams with a winning record. Considering UW beat both Cal and Utah, they HAVE to be the most attractive of the teams. If not, then it's probably the Holiday Bowl or the Sun Bowl. I know 7-5 is a bit of a disappointment (they easily could have been 9-3) but the Alamo Bowl would be a quality bowl to be invited to.

There were weeks during the season when the sports writers around here were claiming the Huskies to be taking a step back. At other times, they were on the right track. It seemed like most of them weren't taking the whole body of work into account and instead making their proclamation on one game. I know it's an easy thing to do - as fans and writers we are reactionary - but really we need to take a step back to appreciate where this team has come and where it is going. From 0-12 four years ago to 2 successive bowl trips, the program is definitely on the upswing.

I wondered where the team would go this year with Price under center, but he proved to be the real deal. The best thing is that he will be here two more years and have a plethora of weapons to throw to - Williams, Seferian-Jenkins and Bishop Sankey are all freshman, Jesse Callier a Sophomore - which will undoubtedly make the offense as explosive as it was this year (oh, and there is the possibility that Polk could return). As for the much-maligned defense - I think they can only improve and might actually do so next year with the foundation of Sean Parker, Princeton Fuimaono, Hau'oli Jamora, Thomas Tutogi (all Sophomores) and Demond Trufant and Nate Fellner (Juniors). It will be tough to replace Alameda Ta'Amu and Cort Dennison, but I think their is some talent on that side of the ball. Now the team just needs to think about it's game plan (um, talking to you, Nick Holt) and 9-10 wins might be sooner than we think.

Thanks again to Nattie. Bow Down.

Let's Give Thanks

Life is good. There is a s-ton of stuff to be thankful...so much so that I couldn't even begin to list them. So instead, I want to take a few moments to state what I am thankful for in the world of sports.

I am thankful...

...for the Mets always keeping me humble
...that Mets fans have something to hopeful for with Ike Davis, Jon Niese, Lucas Duda and Bobby Parnell
...that Mets fans have even more to be hopeful for with their plethora of minor league pitchers
...for Wally Backman being a part of the Mets organization
...that I am not a Yankees fan
...that even though their 15 year playoff streak ended last year, the Devils have won 3 Stanley Cups since the Rangers last did
...that I got to witness the entire career of the greatest goalie ever
...for the 2004-05 Bucknell season (still)
...for Mike Muscala as he leads the Bison to another league title
...that I am part of the best soccer fanbase in the country
...that I get to watch every Sounders game from the comfort of row W with The Wife
...for Ozzie Alonso, Mauro Rosales, Fredy Montero, Roger Levesque and the rest of the Sounders
...that the Sounders have found a role for Taylor Graham even though he doesn't actually play
...for Steve Zakuani's recovery and subsequent return in 2012
...that I only have to look at the sports bra Sounders jerseys for one more year
...for the plethora of Sounders blogs for me to read all day long
...that Jon Brockman still remains an integral part of my basketball memories
...that Tim Tebow is in the NFL even though I don't like the guy
...that I still love watching WWE (and that I am not afraid to admit it)
...for the upcoming Peyton Manning vs Andrew Luck debate
...that college hoops have a legitimate way to crown a champion
...for the glutten of bowl games during the week after Christmas)
...Rivalry Week (Go Huskies, Go Dawgs)
...for Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard
...for NFL RedZone, Fox Soccer Channel and the NHL Network
...for soccer with my daughter
...NFL on Thanksgiving

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Spend the entire day eating, laughing with your family and remembering all that their is to be thankful for.

Sometimes I Amaze Myself

Ok, so this was a little shocking. Apparently I know a little bit about this league, or I got entirely lucky. In my last post, I gave a list of players that I would be interested if I was Montreal: Victor Estupian, Sanna Nyassi, Josh Gardner, Maykel Gallindo, Paolo Cardozo, Ryan Guy, John Rooney, Collen Warner (RSL), Ellis McLoughlin, Servando Carrasco, Soony Saad, Jev Brovsky. It wasn't the list that I thought they would select, but one that I would offer up assuming I was the GM (which would be really damn cool even if it was for Montreal). Then today, about 15 minutes before the Expansion Draft, I submitted a list to SoundersFC.com in hopes of winning some sort of Samsung smart phone thingy. For that list, I tried to think more about who they might take and came up with the following names: Blair Gaven, Sanna Nyassi, Paolo Cardoza, Mike Fucito, Seth Sinovic, Ned Grabavoy, John Thorrington, Jev Brovsky, Chris Seitz, Darrius Barnes. The only one I really spent a lot of time thinking about was Zarek Valentin of Chivas USA. I remember Ives saying that something could be up (ie - Chivas could have had a handshake deal with Montreal) because leaving Valentin unprotected was a crazy thought. I went with that logic and didn't put him down. I also decided that Montreal wouldn't select Brian Ching. For those who didn't know, Ching said he would retire rather than play in Montreal. While it would be a smart business move to select Ching and hold Houston hostage, I just didn't think they would do it. Finally, I went with Ned Grabavoy from RSL as it seemed like a he would be a player Jesse Marsch would love.

In the end, the following ten players were picked: Brian Ching, Zarek Valentin, Justin Mapp, Bobby Burling, Jeb Brovsky, Collen Warner, Josh Gardner, Sanna Nyassi, James Riley, Seth Sinovic. Combining my two lists, I got a total of 5 players right! I don't want to brag, but that is pretty amazing. I wish I had followed through with Warner and Gardner and I wish I had had the foresight to put Ching and Valentin down. If so, I might be sitting here next week with a shiny new phone!


Anyways, moving past how great I am, let's talk about how the Sounders were effected. It turns out that we just didn't lose Riley, but we then sent Tyson Wahl to the Impact for some allocation money. So that means in less than 5 minutes we lost 1.5 starters in our defense, leaving Leo Gonzalez and Zach Scott as our starting fullbacks if the season were to start today. It also means that we saved $150k plus whatever the allocation amount will turn out to be. I have to think that Seattle has a replacement for Riley already in place (as a certain friend of mine tells me all the time, it is super easy to find a serviceable RB). In my mind, there is no way they even make him available if they didn't have a plan. I know some people will debate me on who is more valuable to the team - Riley or Evans/Friberg, but in terms of depth, it is Riley. Simply put: there is no one on the team that can replace Riley at the current time. I know he is thought to be an ironman, but really it is out of necessity. Yes, he is in great physical shape and recovers well after games, but it's not like they had another viable option to put back there. As for Wahl, I think he will be missed, which is an amazing statement considering where he was a mere year ago. At that time, the thought of Wahl on the field was a nightmare, but he ended up being a very capable starter for us (apparently, he was a center defender his whole life and needed some time not only to adjust mentally to playing on the left but needed to change his body as well). His defense wasn't the best, but I really loved his crosses. That will be missed. Now it looks like Leo will be the full-time starter which is fine given who is currently in line to start at RB, but not ideal.

I have to wonder though if we got outsmarted on this one. Seconds after he was picked, we learned that Riley actually won't be going to Montreal but was instead traded to chivas USA for Gerson Mayen and Ryan Braun. I assume that if Montreal was able to pull off this trade that we could have done so too. Braun was on the hook for $87 in 2011 while Riley was on the hook for $97 which means it wouldn't have been a financial hit to the Sounders (of course it might be that Chivas was only willing to do a 2 for 1 trade to drop some salary). If Chivas was simply were down on Braun, then why the hell didn't we pull the trigger? Honestly, I would love to have Braun. Again, I have to assume that Seattle has something in place for RB, but what if they don't? What if they protected Fucito, Friberg and Evans because they assumed Montreal was more interested in attackers? What if they agreed to the Wahl deal before knowing Riley was on his way out? I doubt it's the case, but if so, then wow...

I am willing to hold back judgement on how much this will hurt until March when we take the field. However, if The Gymnast is starting at RB on opening night, then I will be the first to say that we officially got caught with our pants down.

****

Oh, and in response to Montreal picking Brian Ching, ultimately I think it was a smart move. Here's the thing- I think Ching totally effed this situation up by saying he would retire if picked. I honestly doubt Montreal picks him because of his salary ($400+k) and age (33) if he hadn't said a word about wanting to remain in Houston. In doing so, he totally gave Montreal some leverage. They now had a large bargaining chip in that Ching would have to call his own bluff and retire if he didn't want to play for them. At 33 years old though, you can't imagine he was ready to retire. Montreal is assuming this and is now putting the pressure on Houston to do something about it. They either need to trade something to Montreal to reacquire him or they will risk alienating Ching by not doing so. I'm sure Houston would love Ching to come back, but they will need to be smart with what they do. Yes, having him in the line-up is a good thing for the organization both on and off the field, but they can't risk their future by paying more for him than he is worth. There is going to be some price that will be too high - if Montreal asks for that then they will need to let him retire in Montreal. It's that simple. And yeah, its a dick move by Montreal to possibly force a wedge inbetween the player and the team he has been with for nearly a decade, but at the end of the day, it's smart business. They acted in a time of strength - a very smart move for a team that will find themselves on the other end for the rest of the season.

Use Some Protection, Volume 2

Now that we have the list of players that the Montreal Impact can choose from, the next step would be to do a mock draft. Fortunately for myself, I am gonna leave that up to the experts because, well, it's impossible to do. I bet if I through down 11 names I might get 1 right. The thing is - a player that I think is a good value is probably not protected for a reason. It might be that their salary is higher than expected. It could be that they are coming off an injury filled season. Or worse, it could just be that they are not that good.

So I will leave the prognosticating to others. There will be no calls for Fredy Adu or Brian Ching. Instead, I will take this opportunity to review our picks. It turns out that none of the 7 of us who tried to predict the safe list were exactly right. We all named Montero, Alonso, Rosales, Zakuani, El Flaco, Hurtado, Ochoa and Neagle. One person left off Parke, but to me he was an obvious choice. As we all noted, the final two spots would come down to Fucito, Evans, Riley and Friberg. Turns out that Sigi valued the contributions of Evans and Friberg the most as they were the final two players to be protected. That means Fucito and Evans are available to be drafted.

I don't claim to know all, so I am not going to confidently say that Fucito is gone. The fact is, the Sounders might have a feeling what type of player the Impact are looking for. Maybe they were hearing that Montreal was looking for a Midfielder who can play in the center of the park. Maybe they are hearing that Montreal coach Jesse Marsch likes to play a direct style with a target forward to hold the ball up. Maybe Mike Fucito isn't what they want. maybe James Riley isn't what the want. Maybe this was all a plan. Maybe they will either look to skip the Sounders, or maybe they'll go after a younger player like Montano (who was on loan with them last year) or Carrasco (a young CM) or maybe even Sanyang (a Canadian international).

And yet, here is the thing. Maybe Montreal knew this was coming and has a trade worked out with another MLS team that is interested in Mike Fucito. Maybe they call the Sounders bluff and select Fucito and ship him elsewhere. Who knows what is going to happen. I just Wednesday to come so that I don't have to worry any more.

*****

Ok, I can't help it. Here is a small list of players I would find to be very attractive if I was Montreal: Victor Estupian (CHV), Sanna Nyassi (COL), Josh Gardner (CLB), Maykel Gallindo (FCD), Paolo Cardozo (LA), Ryan Guy (NE), John Rooney (NY), Collen Warner (RSL), Ellis McLoughlin (SJ), Servando Carrasco (SEA), Soony Saad (SKC), Jev Brovsky (VAN)

Of these, I bet none get picked because I have a feeling Montreal will take on the style of their coach, Jesse Marsch, and be tough, gritty SOB's.

MLS and Other Stuff

Before I get into some MLS enws, I wanted to take a few seconds to talk football - specifically college football. Wow, what an amazing weekend. First, #2 OK State blew their shot at the title game by losing to Iowa St on Friday night. Then #4 Oklahoma lost to #22 Baylor (Robert griffin III for Heisman!) Saturday night. All of a sudden, the road was open for Oregon to make the title game and amazingly they lost to USC later that night. In all, 4 of the top 10 teams lost over the weekend, meaning that the SEC now has the top 3 teams in the BCS - LSU, Alabama and Arkansas. Next week LSU plays Arkansas while Alabama plays Auburn. Alabama virtually has no shot at winning the SEC West, but being is almost assured to make the title game as long as they beat their rivals. The LSU-Arkansas game then might be for the other birth. Either way, it looks like an all-SEC match-up in the title game (unless my Dawgs get the job done in the SEC Title game).

I think weekends like this remind us all how necessary a playoff is. The BCS works when there are two undefeated teams (ok, two undefeated teams from power conferences), but when there are 1-loss teams to sort from, it just doesn't get the job done. Correct that - it gets a job done, but the reality is that in most years, it will always leave someone out. Yesterday went a long way in helping to sort the title picture out as now Oregon and Oklahoma have two losses, but sitting with 1 loss are OK State, Alabama, Arkansas, Stanford, Boise St and Va Tech. Say what you want about the last two teams, but some believe they deserve a shot too.

Anyway you look at it, I can't help but be reminded how amazing a tournament would be. Some say it might diminish the importance of the regular season, but wins by ISU and Baylor over Ok St and Oklahoma would still mean a heck of a lot to the schools. Fans would still rush the field even if their school didn't effectively ruin the title chances of their foes. If you had a 16-team tournament, the drama would be unparalleled. The football would be amazing. There would be no losers - except for the bowl games themselves.

Ok, now on to MLS.
Some of you may have heard that MLS Cup was yesterday. I unfortunately have to admit that I did not watch the game, but I am happy that the best team won. I am in no way a Galaxy fan, but I am content with their win since they were clearly the best team in the league this year. I respect that a US based league needs to have playoffs, but allowing teams like RSL and Colorado to win championships in the past two years certainly diminished the reputation of the league. Sure, it makes it interesting for fans of mediocre teams knowing that anyone can win, but having a team like the Galaxy, who went 19-5-10 in the regular season and who boast interntional stars like Beckham, Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan (ok, he is barely known in other areas of the world, but still a damn good player), is the best result.

For other supporters though, the MLS news most on their mind besides expansion lists is the new scheduling and playoff format. We have known for a while that the 2012 MLS schedule was going to be unbalanced (MLS is adding another side, but wanting to keep the number games fixed at 34 for now) and yesterday we finally found out the details.

Focusing solely on the Western Conference which will again have 9 teams, each team will play their conference opponents 3 times and each Eastern Conference opponent once. Of the 8 Western teams that they will play, against 4 of them they will host 2 game and against the other 4 they will be on the road twice. Games against Eastern conference opponents will be split between home and away. Home field will switch year to year.

So what does that mean? Well, from a supporters perspective, this is great great thing. This means that the Sounders will get two home games a year against either Portland or Vancouver (I am assuming MLS will work it so that each Cascadia team has two games against one of their opponents, but then again, that would be a smart thing to do - something MLS is not always known for). This also means more games against LA, RSL and Dallas, which are not a bad thing. Now some are saying that rotating home field advantage from year to year will provide hurt and help some teams, I think it is a necessary evil. As long as the teams know the situation before the season starts (as opposed to being thrown a curveball mid way through the season), then it just comes down to getting the results. Some seasons things don't work out as they should (for example, see 2011 when Seattle and RSL had to play each in the first round even though they were 2nd and 3rd respectively in the league).

As a fan, I can't think of anything better than seeing more games against our local rivals. No offense to NE, Toronto, Columbus and Philly, but they don't exactly do it for me. But here's the thing: they might not be who I want to see, but more games with Philly and DC will undoubtedly be a great thing for NY and vice versa. Attendance is sure to go up. Interest will go up. This is a great thing.

I have been saying it all along - if MLS is going to keep their conferences, then they need to change the schedule. Having a balanced schedule but keeping the conferences means nothing. You could randomly pick conferences and have the same effect. The reason we have conferences is to allow geographic rivals to play each other more often than those on the other side of the country. By having an unbalanced schedule, the league will truly have a team deemed to be the best in the West because they will have played (and beaten) more teams in the West. It means more to be the Western Conference champion if it means you played LA, RSL and the like more often.

The league also got rid of the cross-conference Wild Card system that was just a bad idea. Now 5 teams from each Conference will make the playoffs, with 4 and 5 playing for the right to play #1. This system would have still produced Seattle-RSL in the first round, but at least we would have had nothing to bitch about. There would be no reason to believe in a single table or seeding teams #1-#8 by overall points. Now it is all about Conferences again. To me, that is a great thing. I don't say it much, but....good job MLS.

Ok, expansion lists are due today. I don't know if MLS will release the lists or not this afternoon, but if they do, you know I'll weigh in on them. To remind everyone of the JerseySounder list, it's Montero, Alonso, Rosales, Zakuani, El Flaco, Hurtado, Parke, Neagle, Ochoa, Riley, Fucito.

Enjoy the day!

[Update - I forgot the other reason why LA winning was a good thing...it means the Sounders, get to skip the CONCACAF Champions League play-in games and instead go straight into the group stage. (2 of the US's 4 teams go straight through - normally they are reserved for the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup winners, but since LA won both, it went to the #2 team in MLS. I assume Houston will make it to CCL but will have to win a home-and-home qualifying series to advance to the group stage) That is really positive news, as it means two less games for a team that seems to have continual match congestion. Also, it means I don't have to worry over the humiliating idea of us losing to the likes of San Francisco of Panama or Isidro Metapan of El Salvador being the group stage even begins]

Use Some Protection

While most of the MLS spotlight will be shining on the Home Depot Center over the weekend, in Seattle, the attention is clearly focused on next Wednesday's Expansion, or the day I affectionately call "The Day the Sounders lose some depth so some crap Expansion Team can begin to fill out there crap roster." Ok, maybe that is a bit arrogant considering that the Sounders are only 3 years removed from picking in the Expansion Draft themselves, but seriously, Montreal is not going to be interested in players from NE or SJ or Chivas. No, they will certainly taking someone from our very deep roster, just like Philly, Portland and Vancouver did in the past.

Before I get into who the team should protect this coming Monday, a few comments about Expansion Drafts in general. Those who participate in them have taken one of two approaches. Either they scoured the lists of available players looking for players who they though could start for their team, or they selected players who could either provide some depth or who could be flipped to another team for an asset. The first approach seems like a good idea, but here's the rub: players that are left available are either not one of the best 11 players on the team, they are coming off a big injury, they are said to be on their way to Europe or their salary is undesirable. Normally, teams that go this route might be competitive in year 1, but in the long run will never be able to break through their ceiling (see: San Jose). Teams that go the other route and use the draft to take chances on younger players and flip players desirable to other teams will normally suffer a few years before seeing their true potential realized (see: Vancouver).

When the Sounders entered in 2009, they were in a pretty enviable position as they already had Seb LeToux, Kasey Keller and several USL guys on the roster. They also had Freddie Ljungberg on the way, so their foundation was already being built. When they selected players from the available pool, they were choosing those that could step in and start, but not be required to be the best players on the field. In the end, 8 of the 10 selections played for the Sounders, of which 5 are still on the roster (take a shot at their names - answer at the bottom). They went with a mix of veterans and rookies and I think this is a route that will be followed by Montreal. The Impact have already inked a DP from Colombia, Nelson Rivas, who last was seen playing for Inter Milan - and should be active in signing high priced talent. I expect them not to just go young, but to get players who fit their vision of the team. Now I won't profess to knowing what that vision is, but I do know which 11 players I would protect if I was Adrian, Sigi or Chris Henderson.

To make sure I am not crazy though, I decided to ask some of my fellow Sounders' supporters for their thoughts. The normal crew participated - JWill, Irish Mike and The Cich. This time around though, I got my cousin Anthony, my boy Lucas (a member of the ECS), and a relative who is involved with the team at some level. Those who know me probably know who this guy is, but to keep him anonymous (even though he swears he has no inside info on this) to others, I will call him Pete.

Here is how the voting went down separated by how happy Montreal would be to see them on the available list:

Level 1 - Holy Crap! He is Available? Quick - Get the Commissioner on the phone. I don't care that the draft is 2 days away!
Fredy Montero (7 votes)

Ozzie Alonso (7)

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (7)

Steve Zakuani (7)

There would not be an ounce of hesitation to pick any of these four players. Monteral would gladly eat Montero's DP salary and would gladly take the chance that Zakuani won't return to full strength. These are four of the best players in the league.


Level 2 - Oh Wow. He is an amazing player and we will gladly take him, but...
Alvaro Fernandez (7)

I only put him down here because he does command DP money, he is an international player and because he is still adjusting to MLS. I think Montreal would still gladly select him, but I think there would be more hesitation than those above/

Mauro Rosales (7)

It is almost crazy to suggest that Montreal would hesitate in selecting him, but let's not forget that he is 31 years old and in line for a huge raise. If you're part of their front office, you have to ask yourself if you could find someone cheaper and younger that could be around for several years.

Jeff Parke (6)

I personally think Parke should be in Level 1, but one of the voters did not have him in their list, so I bumped him down. I'm not sure what the hang-up would be though - his European window has already closed, he gets paid roughly $100k and he is steady as they come.


Level 3 - Nothing but smiles
Lamar Neagle (7)

Neagle really had a breakout season last year, but what makes him so attractive is his salary. Montreal would love to have a young player like this.

Sammy Ochoa (7)

Ochoa has a lot of potential. I don't think we know what he will become, but his ceiling is high. And I think his salary is low.


Level 4 - Ok, he's got some warts, but we can find a place for him in our squad
James Riley (5)

I think Riley can start for the majority of teams in the league (certainly for an expansion team). Overall, I think RB is a position that we can improve, but at the current time, Riley is important to keep simply because of who the other option is. I am going under the assumption that the team is not looking at signing a RB in the off-season, so to avoid having Zach Scott starting, we would need to protect him.

Mike Fucito (5)

Fucito is a fan favorite, but an honest assessment is that he has a limited ceiling, is 5'3" and is inconsistent. Last year, Sigi admitted to knowing that PTL was interested in him, so they protected him and ending up losing Sanna Nyassi instead. This year will be no different as we will lose another quality player because we protected him, but I think he is a must protect. To me, Fucito is super valuable because of his salary. In order to stay competitive in a league with a salary cap, teams must pay their stars and hope that they fill in the gaps with cheap talent. Some teams can rely on the draft to bring in these players, but with the second to last pick in the first round, we can't expect to find college players who at the current time are better players than Mike Fucito. Yes, the team got lucky with later draft picks (Neagle, Carrasco, Fucito), but we can't keep expecting to find players in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Fucito might not be the best player, but he is perfect for this team.

Eric Friberg (4)

Friberg is definitely the biggest omission to my Sounders protected list. He is a calming influence, is relatively cheap, fairly injury free and can go box to box. Oh, and he has soccer player hair. To me, the only other option besides keeping Fucito would be to protect Friberg and hope that Montreal is not into small strikers.

Brad Evans (1)

I like Evans, but he was dreadful in our most important games this year. I think he can still have a roll with this team, but considering his recent injury history and his salary cap, I wonder if Montreal would be interested. Add in that Montreal can only pick one of Evans or Friberg and I think the Sounders could easily leave him unprotected.

Servando Carrasco (0)

No votes for Servando because Seattle wouldn't be heartbroken over losing him. I could see Montreal wanting him.


Level 5 - Hmmm. We don't think he is any good, but we'll think about it
Pat Ianni
Tyson Wahl
Leo Gonzalez
O'Brian White
David Estrada
Amadou Sanyang
Miguel Montano

Montano definitely is the wild card here. The Sounders loaned Montano to Montreal so that he could get some game action under his belt. Montreal is familiar with him and might actually be interested in signing him. If they are really enamored with him, then we might have some sort of handshake deal where they select another player and we trade Montano and an allocation to Montreal to get him back. Ya never know.


Level 6 - Yuck. We'll Pass
Nate Jaqua
Pat Noonan
Zach Scott
Roger Levesque
Terry Boss


So there ya go. Consensus among 9 picks. Split votes on Fucito, Friberg and Riley. It will be interesting to see what the Sounders actually do. For your reading pleasure, here are some other attempts at predicting the list.

SB Nation
Sounder at Heart readers
Prost Amerika
WVHooligan
Seattle Times


[UPDATE - JWill alerted me to the fact that I forgot the answer that I promised. From the 2009 Expansion Draft, the players still with the Sounders are: Brad Evans, Nate Jaqua, Jeff Parke, James Riley and Tyson Wahl. Other players to have suited up for the club were Stephen King, Nathan Sturgis and Pete Vagenas. Khano Smith and Jarrod Smith were the two players never to suite up for the Rave Green]

Weird Times for this Mets Fan

For the second straight year, the Mets are pretending to be more like the Oakland A's than the New York Yankees. Instead of continuing to spend like we are a team in the country's biggest market, we are again scouring the bargain bin for players who might contribute more than they cost. Obviously it is a necessary exercise - I mean, this team and franchise has been an absolute mess over the past few years - but one that I know I am still getting used to. I like to think that I am one of the more rational fans of the team, but even I won't be fully comfortable with an off-season haul in 2012 like that of 2011 (Chris Capuano, Chris Young, Ronnie Paulino, Willie Harris, Taylor Buchholz).

All the rumors I am reading is that not only will Jose Reyes sign elsewhere, but that the money we won't be paying him won't be put into other big name free agents. Going into last year, all we heard was that 2011 would be a lost year and that 2012 was the year we should be excited for. After all, the team would have a lot of money coming off the books (Beltran, Reyes, Perez, Castillo, K-Rod) and we would be able to reinvest the money into other free agents (that of course, would be better scouted than in the previous era). However, with the recent financial troubles of the Wilpon's, it is quite clear that 2012 will not be a reloading year, but rather another rebuilding year. Instead of filling in the gaps around Ike, Wright, Niese and Duda with high priced veterans who might help us win 90 games, Sandy Alderson is resigned to build around those guys with young, unproven guys with potential. It is certainly a smart move for the long run, but in the short term, it is a weird place to be in. After all, it's looking more and more like our 2012 season might be lost as well. From what I can tell, Sandy is going to bring in guys with something to prove on 1 or 2 year deals to help the team remain semi-competitive and then look for 2013/2014 to be the years we make the playoffs again.

From what I am reading on metsblog.com, the team is looking to spend about $8-$10 million on the bullpen. Instead of buying a few arms for middle relief and giving Bobby Parnell the closer spot, it looks like they might be looking at a guy like Joe Nathan, Matt Capps or Francisco Cordero. They are also looking for a few arms to compete for the 5th starters spot behind Johan, Dickey, Niese and Pelf. Dillon Gee, the team leader in wins in 2011, is certainly the guy right now, but you don't know what you will get out Johan and you don't know what version of Pelf you will get. Chris Young might be back from injury, and Jason Marquis might be brought in as a #3 or #4, but there will be no big name guys coming in. It also appears that the Mets will tender Angel Pagan as he is cheaper than the alternative (I still think someone like Grady Sizemore might certainly fit Sandy's idea of a signing with a lot of upside, but who knows) so again, no big names coming in.

Ultimately, we don't know who will be signed (tons of players will be linked with the Mets this offseason), but this much I do know: there will be no Prince Fielder. No Albert Pujols. No CJ Wilson. No Big Papi. No Buehrle. Probably no Jose Reyes. We will probably open up the season with Davis, Murphy, Tejada and Wright in the infield with Duda, Pagan and Bay in the outfield. Johan might not be ready, so it might be RA Dickey throwing to Josh Thole.

While I have talked myself into believing in Tejada, Thole, Pagan and Duda, this team certainly could use some upgrades at those positions (I don't include LF because I have not talked myself into believing in Jason Bay). Those upgrades won't be coming this year. So instead, we as fans will need this team to be exciting. We will need them to work hard every day. We will need to see them show some heart. If we win 75 games again yet are successful in all of those, then I can be content with another lost season. After all, a future with Zach Wheeler, Matt Harvey, Jon Niese and Jenry Mejia in our rotation is not that far away. With that foundation in place, the Mets can then again show some of their big city muscle and overpay for those 1-2 players that will improve the team from 92 to 98 wins rather than flexing it to improve from 75 to 83 wins.

Your Bison Preview

Without further ado, here is the Bucknell Bison 2011-2012 preview that you all have been waiting for. Like my recent Devils posts, I decided to get some outside thoughts, so I enlisted help from the biggest Bison fan I know, my boy Timmy. I provided the questions, he provided the answers. I think you will see that he had no problem being excited. (note: this was written before the Minnesota game on Friday night, so please excuse the lack of timeliness on my part)


1. Knowing what we know now about how good UConn actually was, how do you feel about the 1st round loss 6 months later?

Honestly, we all saw it coming after UConn's run in the Big East tournament. (Editor's note: not me. I talked myself into UConn being tired and overlooking us...) It was disheartening that it wasn't ever competitive. They played like an intimidated team. The final buzzer couldn't come soon enough. My hope is that they turn it into a positive stepping stone for this season. I have my doubts though. Nobody stepped up in the UConn game. I think Paulsen's strategy to book a really tough non-conference schedule this season is a good one. They need to play against major conference teams as much as possible this season so the tournament isn't such a shock.

One thing the 04-05 team never lacked was grit and determination. They reveled in the David vs. Goliath games. They were always up for a fight. The list of major conference wins or almost wins by that team is impressive (MSU, Pitt, Syracuse, Kansas, Arkansas...). The only game they didn't show up for was Duke (but really, we were never going to stop Reddick). Even in the losses to Wisconsin and Memphis they never stopped fighting. This year's Bison would do well to borrow some of that underdog workman-like determination.

2. The Bison remain a really young team, but the team did lose it's 3rd and 4th leading scorers. How do they replace Daryl Shazier's scoring and leadership?

There will be an immense amount of pressure on Cameron Ayers to step into the point guard position. Ryan Hill will share the duties with him in his Sophomore season. Interestingly, Shazier was a highly touted scoring point guard from Virginia. He was suffocated ia little n Paulsen's motion offense system. The point guard position in Paulsen's offense is a pass-first floor general role. It will be interesting to see how Ayers fits into that position.

3. Similarly, how do they replace GW Boon, who was the best 6th man in the league last year?

There's really no answer for GW's role at this point. Though, GW really never matured into the solid swingman we expected. This role is certainly a good opportunity for one of the incoming Freshman or young Sophomore's to fill and make an impact.

4. Does Mike Muscala repeat as league POY?

Yes, and I don't think it will be close. If he's willing to be a little more physical inside then he should be marching to the foul line all season. He was a little soft on the boards last year, but another year of maturity should help. He has such a great mid-range game that he's hard to stop in the motion offense.

5. What player steps up his game the most this year?

I think it's Cameron Ayers. Besides being the floor general, Darrel Shazier was our best on-the-ball defender. Cohen gets a lot of media attention as a great defensive stopper, but I always admired Shazier's pressure. Cohen can man-up anyone in the PL, but he's too slow when we step up a level to play mid or major conference teams. Shazier did a good job in this role. Ayers has more size, but less quickness, so he might struggle with the faster point guards in the league.

As a bonus, I'll give you Mike Muscala. But not for his play on the court. This team lost their emotional leader in Stephen Tyree. If this is Muscala's team, he will need to fill the leadership void left by Tyree.

6. Any impact freshman I should know about?

I don't get the sense any of the freshman will make an immediate impact - at least, not in the non-conference schedule. I think Ryan Hill is the guy to watch in his Sophomore season. He should be filling a lot of GW's minutes spelling Cohen and Ayers.

7. Finally, how many league games does the team win? How many overall games does the team win? Does the team get a high profile win against the likes of Minnesota, Vandy or Syracuse? And most importantly, are we dancing again in March?

I think they win 11 league games. Lehigh will have a nice squad this season, and Holy Cross will be back. For overall, I think they get to 20 wins. Their non-conference schedule is really brutal, but if they can come away with 6-8 wins in the early going, then I think they will reach 20 wins on the season (counting PL tourney).

Regarding Minnesota, Syracuse and Vandy, I'll say this - we will learn a lot very quickly about the trajectory for this team. Don't be surprised if they're bad losses. It really won't mean much because they started off terrible last season but still rallied in the PL. I can very easily see the same thing happening this year.

However, if they manage to steal one of those games then it should be a really fun season. I think we dance again this season and make another first round exit - but we put up a good fight this year.

Monday Morning Brain Dump

Another great sports weekend has passed and instead of having a longish entry about something that has got my attention, I am going to post another list of my random thoughts. Sometimes I really feel like I should be on Twitter as most of my thoughts are no longer than 140 characters long. However, I'm fairly certain that would be a disaster, so I am going to continue with the list format. Hope there is something in there for ya.

• Let's start off with the biggest game of the weekend - defending Patriot League champions Bucknell @ Minnesota. The Bison have three really big non-conference games this year: Minnesota, Vanderbilt and Syracuse. Out of the three, this was certainly the most winnable game, but you never know what will happen in the first game of the season - either team could lay an egg. After 34 minutes, it was looking like Minnesota was going to be that team as they trailed the Bison by 7. Even after a 6-0 run over the next 2 minutes, the Bison still led by 1 with 3:28 left. I'm not sure what happened over the remaining time, but the Gophers outscored the Bison 20-7 to walk away with a 12 point home win. How does one team score 20 points in three and a half minutes? Man, what a choke job by the Bison. I had really hoped we could get the win. Ok, I know that is obvious, but besides getting a road win against a major conference team, I was just hoping to see them bounce back from their crushing loss to UConn last March.
  
  I didn't get to see any highlights, but in looking at the box score, a two things are apparent. First, they have no depth. Their starting five looks very strong, but after that, there is not much to be said. My boy Timmy says that sophomore Ryan Hill might be a nice surprise after coming off an injury, but I legitimately have never heard of 5 of the 6 guys on the bench. Second, Muscala, who shot 2-10 from the field, can still get his points and rebounds (12/11) even on off nights. I think he will definitely win the league POY award.
  
  
• On to my other alma mater, UW, who started the season as usual, with two cupcakes at home. Their non-conference schedule always amazes. Besides heavyweights georgia St and Florida Atlantic, the Huskies have Portland, St Louis, Houston Baptist (!), UC-Santa Barbara, South Dakota St and Cal St Northridge on the schedule. Ok, ok, they also have Marquette and Duke, but still...
  
  The boys escaped against FAU with a 6 point win. It wasn't impressive, but they got the job done. I think this is definitely going to be an up and down year. They definitely have tons of talent, but in losing Isaiah and MBA, they lost a lot of leadership. I think all the talent will take a while to gel and I think it will take awhile to find out who the alpha-dog is (my guess: Terrence Ross). They should enter league play 9-2 but we will definitely find out more about the team in the two losses than in any of the wins. One thing I do know: they will again be a super fun team to watch.
  
  
• Ok, on to baseball, where rumors are swirling that Jose Reyes is ready to sign with the Miami Marlins (no, that is not a typo. They changed their name, team colors and logo. I know teal and black might be early 90's, but I don't think this is any better...) for what some are saying will be a 3 year, $60 million contract. It would obviously be sad to see Reyes go to a division foe, but I think the writing is on the wall. If he really wanted to stay in NY, he could have done so. He had every opportunity to negotiate during the season (even if Sandy said he wasn't going to), but maintained that he wanted to test the Free Agent markets. Look, I get it - some people want to see if they are missing anything. Reyes has been in the Mets system since he was 17 - he liked it, but maybe there is another city that is even better. I get that, but at the same time, we all know it comes down to money with these guys, so it often seems shallow. I fully expect him to be someplace else and hope that at the very least if the Marlins do become a player in the division (um, hello...the division could be ridiculously difficult with a few moves by Flordia and Washington) that they can continue to afford their players and not have Fire Sale #3.
  
  
• The Georgia Bulldogs continued their resurgence with a 45-7 win over Auburn on Saturday. With a 6-1 conference record, they are one win against Kentucky from making the SEC title game...a huge turn around after starting 0-2. (enter commentary about how they missed playing LSU, Alabama, Arkansas this year) An amazing stat I saw during the game: the Eastern division was 5-15 against the Western division this year, with all 5 wins coming against the two Mississippi schools. With the win, Georgia gave the East it's first non-Mississippi win this year.
  
  
• The last few weeks of the college football season should be amazing. Right now, it is looking like a LSU-Oklahoma st showdown is on the horizon, but both teams still have HUGE games in front of them. For LSU, it's 6th ranked Arkansas in two weeks and then the SEC title game a week later. For OK St, it's their cross-state rival OU. If either should slip, Alabama and Oregon will be waiting. Oregon again looks nearly impossible to stop on offense, but as with all rivalry games, they need to not overlook OSU in a few weeks.
  
  
• I got to watch the entire Devils game on Saturday. After going down 2-0 in the first, they battled back to win 3-2 in shootout. I was super stoked to see them for the first time this year. The big takeaways - they still have NO scoring, even with Parise back, AND they turn the puck over WAY too much. I was honestly shocked over the number of times they made an errant pass in their own zone, only to have it stolen by the Caps. That is not the way to win games. I'm hoping it was just the rookies reaction to playing their first home-and-home series (and thus, being a little fatigued).
  
  
• I picked up Reggie Bush in fantasy this week and joked with a buddy that I hoped I was getting the Kardashian Bump. He had no idea what I was talking about (good for him - he apparently is not a terrible person like me who knows this sort of shit) and so I reminded him of the list: Kim dates Reggie - he wins a Super Bowl. Khloe marries Lamar Odom - he wins the NBA Title. Kim dates Miles Austin - he has the season of this life (ok, I looked up the dates and really they dated in the 2010 offseason after his big year, but who cares..). Kim dates and marries Kris Humphries - he goes from 4.5/3.7 over his first 6 years to 10/11 last year. Finally, rumors are spreading that Kim and Reggie were seen together before the divorce and over the past three weeks, Reggie had back to back 100 yard games and then 2 td's yesterday. I 100% believe in this. Date a Kardashian and excel at sports.
  
  
• Finally, a word on US Soccer. I am trying to give Klinsmann a long leash...I really am. I love that he is trying new guys out and I REALLY love all of the big name friendlies that he is booking. At some point though, the team has to start looking better and finishing chances. I am curious about his love for Kyle Beckerman and Orozco Fiscal, neither who I think should be playing. I just don't get why Michael Bradley isn't playing and I don't know why Mo Edu looks so bad. We have talented guys in the center of the pitch - Bradley, Edu, Jermaine Jones - but none seem to be getting a solid shot. I know Klinsmann knows more than me, but I think this has to change.
  
  Luckily, we play in a weak confederation, so if his system does need a few years to implement, we shouldn't be hurt too much. Look at our initial qualifying group - Guatemala, Jamaica and Antigua & Barbuda. I'm sorry, but I could coach them two a second place finish in order to advance to the Hex. This should give plenty of time to experiment with the newly found players (aka Germericans) Timmy Chandler, Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and Alfredo Morales. I have not lost hope.

Ok, on last note- congrats to my boy Irish Mike for his country's 4-0 win against Estonia on Friday. Here's hoping to another great result on Tuesday.

Non Emotional Thoughts on Penn St

When I think about what Jerry Sandusky might have done to those young boys, I get angry. Really freaking angry. I know in this country we are innocent until proven guilty, but when it comes to something like this, I can't but help but assume that he is a scumbag.

I have a lot of opinions on this situation, but what I am going to do is keep away from my thoughts on Sandusky because most of them are too raw. Instead, I am going to try to focus on Joe Paterno, the cover-up and State College. As with a lot of things, I'm not sure I can provide decent segues, so I am going to write them in list format.

-First, let's talk Joe Paterno. As you may have read, the grand jury felt that he fulfilled his legal obligation of reporting Sandusky to the authorities. He is not the bad guy in this whole thing. If anything, he exhibited some bad judgment. Unfortunately, when it comes to Joe Paterno, I think the bad judgment was damning. This guy is the most popular man in the state of Pennsylvania, so much so that he has convinced the school to let him remain the coach until his mid-80's. He was not just the head football coach, he was the most important man at the university. These allegations are going to rock the entire university and as the public face of the university, he needed to go. To me, it's as simple as that. Some may say that his 61 years at the school should give him some leeway, but this isn't a scandal about illegal benefits to players, academic fraud or recruiting violations. No, this is quite possibly the worst thing eve to happen in college athletics. Ever. He needed to go. The president needed to go. Everyone needed to go. The only way to move on is to clean up the mess and start over.

-Next, let's talk about the cover-up. I have been reading bits and pieces of what happened, but I think ESPN gives a really good (and chilling) timeline of events. When Sandusky is caught assaulting a minor in the shower in 2002, it was not the first time. In fact, Sandusky had already been investigated by the State College police four years earlier in 1998. The grand jury transcript reads that the State College police eavesdropped on a conversation Sandusky had with one of the victim's mothers where Sandusky admitted to showering naked with the boy, asked for forgiveness and said he wished he was dead. The police department at that time decided not to press charges. Four years later, Paterno is told about Sandusky assaulting a boy in the shower. He takes it to the athletic director, Tim Curley, who then takes it to the senior VP for finance and business, Gary Schultz. Neither man reports the incident to police. So either Curley and Schultz saw nothing wrong with what happened or they were covering up for the program. For all I know, they thought this was an isolated incident - one that would go away if they swiped it under the rug. Unfortunately, this was not a single incident. Sandusky had been a sexual predator for years. This cover-up was the WORST possible thing that could have happened. Had they acted at that time, they could have stopped Sandusky from assaulting more boys in the future. It is sickening. I hate the whole situation.

-Next, let's talk Mike McQueary, the then 28 year old Graduate Assistant Coach who alledgely witnessed Sandusky sexually assaulting a minor in the shower. It is totally baffling to me how McQueary simply walked out of the lockerroom that day without doing anything. Yes, he did report Sandusky to Paterno the next day (after talking it over with his father!), but how he could witness what he did and not at a minimum say something to stop the assault is baffling. How the hell does a 28 year old man not go in there and try to beat the crap out of that scumbag? Seriously I don't get it. Now I know there will be people who will defend McQueary. Perhaps he felt that no one would have believed him. Perhaps he was in such shock to see someone who he felt such respect for involved in such a horrific incident. Whatever the situation, I cannot believe that he didn't do more. I imagine he will have to live with that for the rest of his life, but that is still infinitely better to live with than what that 10 year old boy has to live with.

-Ok, now on to State College. My ex-girlfriend's family was from central PA. They loved JoePa and never saw any problem with him being 75 years old. They never saw any problem with him coaching the team like it was 1970. They never saw a problem with his coke bottle glasses. They never had a problem with his rambling incoherence. In fat, they embraced it all. JoePa could do no wrong. He was the moral backbone of not only the University, but the entire region. I get it that people are mad. Paterno did not commit those horrible acts, but is getting punished. Sure, it sucks that that happened to your idol, but to think that rioting solves anything is just ridiculous. The Board of Trustees won't change their decision. You are just disgracing yourselves. Stop. You are Penn St - you tell us that you're better than that. Let's see it.

-Next, let's talk about how Paterno was fired. In case you hadn't heard, Paterno was sent an envelope Wednesday morning with a number to call inside it. Paterno called the number and on the other end were two board members who told him he was relieved of his duties. Look, I agree with the board firing Paterno now rather than letting him retire at the end of the season, but that is just a cruel way to go about your business. I mean, that sounds like something the Mets would do (or better yet, something the Mets have done - just ask Willie Randolph). While Paterno might be a lightning rod at the current time, he didn't deserve to be fired the way he was. At the very least, the board should have had a face-to-face meeting with Paterno. It was only right.

-Finally, what does the future hold for Penn St football. Man, I don't know. Whoever was going to be the man to replace Paterno would have been in an impossible situation. There is no way that person could have succeeded and that is assuming Paterno was to retire on his own accord. Now that he is forced out, I don't see anyway this program can stay competitive. The current players are never going to get over this. The incoming players, who committed to play for Paterno, will probably go someplace else. I think it is going to get really bad for Penn st in the next couple of years. It might be that they go out this weekend and beat Nebraska and finish the season with 10 or 11 wins and a Big 10 title, but the long-term future is really, really cloudy.

Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!

I started writing about the allegations coming out of Happy Valley, but really it just pissed me off. I hate everything about the situation and I know that I can't calmly right about it. So I am going to collect my thoughts and follow-up in a couple of days.

In the mean time, I am going to turn my attention to the Rocky marathon on AMC tonight. For those who don't know, I LOVE the Rocky movies (as I sit here right now, I can see the 20th anniversary 5-pack of VHS tapes that I bought in 1996). I know I have discussed this with many people in the past, but I'm not sure I have ever put it on paper. So here for the first time, my rankings and favorite things about every movie.


1. Rocky IV
This is all you need to know: Apollo is killed by a Russian boxer. Rocky vows to get revenge, but has to go to Russia on Christmas Day to fight Drago. While in Russia, Rocky has some amazing training scenes. He trains by running up snowy mountains, lifting boulders, chopping wood and doing sit-ups in the barn. Meanwhile, Drago is getting steroid injections and training in a gym with state of the art equipment. During the fight, Rocky is able to turn the Russian crowd against Drago and after he wins, his speech effectively ends the cold War. How many fictional movie characters can say that? Seriously, he ended the Cold War.

Some of my other favorite things about the movie:

• James Brown performs prior to the Apollo Creed-Drago fight. It is so over the top and perfect for the situation (although I didn't understand that for the first 47 times I saw it).
• What is great is how dated this movie is - I mean, a robot...really, a robot? Is that what rich people had back in 1985? A robot?
• Bridget Nielson, who many of you might only know as the woman who was sleeping with Flavor Flav, plays a prominent role as Drago's wife.
• As expected, Rocky's trainer beats the Russian bodyguard in chess. Of course he did. Americans always beat Russians in everything. (sorry, I still call them Russians although technically it was the Soviet Union at the time.)
• Rocky outruns a KGB car in the snow. Then he helps a horse cart that tipped over in the snow.
• No cellphones, so Rocky was totally surprised by Adrian's arrival. If that was 2010, he would have know about it before she left the States and would have totally been distracted thinking about it. She would have single-handedly made him lose. Instead, she shows up and Rocky gets even more motivated because he knows how much she loves and supports him.
• Rocky gets knocked down 6 times, thrown down 1 time and saved by the ropes at least 3 times. At some point, shouldn't the ref have stopped the bout?
  
• How unreal is that the Soviet crowd turns on Drago? There is a 0 chance that happens in real life.
  

Favorite line #1: Before his match with Creed when they tap gloves, Drago simply says "You will lose."

Favorite line #2: After his fight with Apollo. "If he dies, he dies."

Favorite line #3: During the training montage after Adrian arrives in Russia, he runs to the top of the mountain and yells: "Dragooo. Draggooo. Draggggoooo". It is an amazing aerial shot that you have to give the producer kudos for. Does anyone actually know where this was shot?

Favorite line #4: After Round 1, Rocky says he sees three of them out there. Paulie counters with "Hit the one in the middle"

Favorite line #5: After round 2, Rocky's trainer screams at him "You cut him. You see, he's not a machine. He's a man"

Favorite line #6: During THE speech..."Here you had two guys killing each other , but I guess that's better than 20 million"

Favorite line #7: Again during THE speech..."If I can change...and you can change...everybody can change!"

I never cease smiling while watching this masterpiece.



2. Rocky III
Definitely not a masterpiece, but the most bang for your buck if you like fight sequences. Two fights against Clubber Lang. Brief clips against multiple chump challengers and of course, the charity bout against ThunderLips (aka Hulk Hogan). Interestingly enough, this almost ended Hogan's career before it exploded as Vince McMahon was against Hogan doing the movie and actually fired him from the company before the reconciled a few years later. Also, not lost on me was the ending, which is eerily similar to how Ali beat Frazier in Rumble in the Jungle.

Favorite line #1: Clubber Lang before his second fight with Rocky gets asked what his prediction for the bout was. He simply says, "Pain"

Favorite Line #2: Small talk with mickey before the ThunderLips fight, Rocky asks "Wow, he's awful big. Hey, Mick, how much do you think he eats?" Mickey, the quick-whitted guy that he is, says "About 202 pounds" Of course, this is how much Rocky weighs.

Oh, and did I mention that this is the most homoerotic of all the Rocky movies? It never stops - Apollo kisses Paulie at ringside; Apollo and Rocky wearing those short shorts while working out in California (of course at the time there was nothing wrong with them, but now it just seems weird); Apollo saying Rocky owes him something at the end of the fight with a wink and of course, Rocky and Apollo jumping into each others arms in the ocean. I mean, no one can argue with that.



3. Rocky
This is without a doubt the best movie of the 5 (in fact, I think it won an Oscar). Yet, it is only my third favorite. When I was first introduced to the series in high school, it was through Rocky IV and I instantly fell in love with the training montages and of course the music. I mean, it was awesome stuff to train to even if it was cheesy. I know that if I turn on Rocky Iv at any time, I will be treated to some sort of cheap thrill. The original Rocky on the other hand needs to be digested in one sitting. You can't just turn it on halfway through and watch a few scenes. You need to watch the whole thing because it is telling a story.

Worst part: I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure that Rocky should have been investigated for sexual assault on Adrian in the house. The guy basically cornered her.



4. Rocky II
There is nothing wrong with this movie, it's just that it does nothing for me. Here's the thing - Rocky II was a movie lost in transition. Rocky was a brilliant movie in itself. They could have ended the franchise after Rocky lost and it would have been fine. I think the reaction was probably so positive that the directors realized they could milk some more money out of it. So they made Rocky II and had Rocky beat Apollo in the closest of fashions. They both fell down and Rocky got up on 9 while Apollo failed to get up. I know that Apollo was larger than life going into the fight and I'm sure that Rocky winning in that fashion was appropriate at the time, but now, it just doesn't do anything for me. Also, there is the least amount of boxing but the biggest amount of Rocky's home life.



5. Rocky V
The Voldemort of Rocky movies. It is just better if we never mention it. Ok, I do want to mention one thing. The beginning of Rocky V implies that they just got off the plane from Russia when he gets challenged by Union Cane. Ok, so even though there was 5 years in between movies, within the storyline, no time has passed. YET somehow Rocky's son is now 12 or 13 when he was probably 6 or 7 in Rocky IV. I'm no idiot.



NA. Rocky Balboa
I assumed this movie would be terrible, but was pleasantly surprised. Even though the technology was light years ahead of what was available in previous movies, they didn't overdo it. They sprinkled it in to help what was a very credible storyline. I liked the grittiness of the movie and I appreciated how they actually talked about Adrian, instead of just pretending we wouldn't notice that she wasn't in the movie. I also thought they nailed the relationship between Rocky and his son. With Stallone in his 60's, this was the only way for the movie to work. It had to be about the characters and not about fight. I thought it was really good. BUT, I have only seen it twice AND it was shot nearly 18 years after the last edition, so for now, it will get an incomplete ranking. I just don't think I can at this point rate it against the others.

Speak of the Devils, Vol 2

One of the major drawbacks to living in Seattle is that I no longer get to watch my Devils on a regular basis. If there was one thing I can say about my early 20's living in Vernon, it was that I did not miss a game (I once canceled a date to watch Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, a decision that was and still is entirely defensible). It is still a bit strange to have hockey only on the periphery. That being the case, i have decided to ask my boys Martin and Duker to fill me in with who they are feeling towards the team. In my second installment of Running with the Devils, I had them tackle the surprises and disappointments as well their overall feeling towards the team after 12 games. So let's get to it.


1. Adam Henrique had a really nice game the other day. If he was to stay with Parise and Kovy all season long, what would his final numbers look like?

I am glad to see Henrique doing well. I think that he will be more of an offensive center, one who will hopefully compliment Kovy well. I think that he, like JJ, can be a two way, defensively responsible player, although he will bring more scoring than JJ. I can totally see him taking a seat in the 2nd line center slot when all is said and done. Not to take anything away from JJ, who will also be very good, although possibly in a different role. Henrique had a chance to step up and that's exactly what he's doing. On a related note, I don't like saying or typing JJ, so I'm going to stop that now.

I think a full season on the first line will put Henrique at around 40-45 points. I think Larsson will finish with around 18-20 points and I will be happy with that.


2. I imagine Zajac will be the first line center once he returns. Do we have a date for that yet?

I think I saw Zajac has begun light skating but nothing serious. he'll return when he does and not a moment before.


3. What was wrong with Kovy the other night?
4. What did you think of the Jets jerseys having seen them for an entire game?

Kovy did something to his hamstring I think. Probably won't play tomorrow. I missed the last few games so I can't comment firsthand, just what I read on Fire and Ice. Also applies to the Jets' uniforms.


5. Do you find it weird that alphabetically, we are first in the Atlantic Division?
[No comments from either. I just think it's weird that our name starts with N and yet is first alphabetically. The chances of that have to be slim, right? (wait, I'm the statistician here)


6. Do you feel any better/worse about the team than you did two weeks ago?

I think that Devils are playing Devils hockey, which is to say they are somewhat inconsistent. They are either really good and maybe just missing some chances or dealing with bad breaks, or they just don't show up for periods at a time. Unfortunately, this is basically a microcosm of their existence the last 7 years and will lead to another 7 game, first round exit. We'll have to see if DeBoer can get more out of them.


7. How did Marty look in his two games back?
[No answer]


Duker then asks the next two questions:
8. Would you trade Parise (provided re-signing looks grim) for either Schneider or J. Bernier? Goalie acquisition has to be a top priority. I feel both goalies will be moved due to high value and in Schneider's case to silence a goalie debate.

If it comes down to trading Parise, which it hopefully will not, we need at least 1 first round pick in 2012. That is my top requirement. I would say load the deal with picks and high level prospects (first round picks from 2009-2011). I don't think the Canucks have cap room to pick up Parise, even as a rental because I don't think the Devils will want to bring back salary if they're forced to trade Parise. The Kings are pretty tight up there, too. I think that the Devils, though, feel very good about their [goalkeeping] prospects going forward (Kinkaid, Clermont and future #1 Scott Wedgewood - it seems like they want him to be the guy) which will probably keep them from trading to one of those 2 teams, especially if the first round pick they get in return is late round in this supposedly stacked draft. Like I said last week, I think that teams can win without an amazing goalie at this point. The goalie has to be amazing at times to be sure, but doesn't have to be a first ballot Hall of Famer to help carry the team, especially if it's Parise's (or Kovy's) team. That said, I don't want to think about Parise getting traded anymore.


9. Was Larsson really the need of the Devils draft? I know he's logging big minutes and starting to get some points but if you looked the Devils prospect needs maybe it was more scoring, I doubt they would have drafted Scheiflele, but at the least Couturier would have helped.

I still think that Strome or Couturier would have been awesome additions to the Devils. That said, I would not change the pick at all. Offense will come from Larsson (or from any defensemen that can actually make good tape-to-tape passes) even if it's not reflected in his point totals. I think he will mean more to the team down the line than either of those 2 players. I actually praise Allah every day for bringing Adam Larsson into my life.



If you have read any of Martin's stuff in the past, you know that he tends to ramble, often skipping from topic to topic. Here are some of his random thoughts:

-I'm still down on Clarkson. He may be raising his stock right now, showing 25 goal potential. I say trade him and hope that the gm only looks at the box score and not footage of him trying to skate. It's kind of painful to see him being a top 2 RW on the team. I think that's one place this team is sneaky weak. Everyone always cites weakness throughout the team but I really feel like D is covered now and center isn't as bad as people think. We kind of have a logjam at LW sometimes, but we mostly have junk and spare parts on the right side which is really making it hard to ice an awesome line. It's more like having an awesome pair + 1. Palmeiri, Clarkson and Sykora (although I might not be giving Peter enough credit...jury is still out) are all 3rd line wings playing more than they should. Zubrus is the only RW I think belongs in the top 6, and that's only compared to the rest of the team. He's just not going to score a lot and he ends up playing center periodically. So yeah, we need more on the right.

-I would really like to see Tedenby playing with Josefson when he returns. I would also like to see them get more minutes. He's really good but is under-utilized right now, possibly because he weighs less than my lunch.

-Alex Urbom - 11 games, 5 assists, +1. He's the quietly good Devils D prospect (behind Larsson and Merrill). He's also 6'4". I'm really excited about the Devils defense in the next few years. I think that Jon Merrill will leave Michigan after this season and play in about 6 games in Albany.

I Have a Gut Feeling...

... that Jose Reyes is playing his home games someplace other than Flushing, NY next year. I have no inside information on the situation. In fact, the only knowledge I have comes from Matt Cerrone and metsblog.com. The guys seem to think it is a toss-up that he comes back. I just have this feeling though that Sandy offers him a fiscally financial deal but that Reyes will want more. I also think Reyes does care about the direction the ballclub is going in and I don't think he will want to wait for 3 years to be competitive again. Call it a hunch, but I just don't think he will be back.

... that Marty Brodeur won't be with the Devils at the end of the year. I think instead of trading Zach Parise, Lou drops the bomb and trades Brodeur to a team that is in need of some veteran netminding. I just have this feeling that the Devils are ready to move on without Brodeur and instead of allowing there to be a messy, drawn out battle, they cut their ties with him before he is a free agent.

... that Manchester City won't win the EPL this year. Sure they look good now, but only 3 of their players have ever won a league crown. I think they crack under the pressure and United wins the league.

... I have a gut feeling that David Beckham's future will be decided in the next few weeks. If the Galaxy win the title, I think he bolts for Paris Saint-Germaine. I think if the galaxy come up short there is a good chance he is back for one more run. I think winning a title in MLS is important to him.

... that Kim Kardashian's wedding was a hoax all along. Ok...that's not a shocker.

... that David Wright will be with the Mets on opening day in 2012, but I think he will eventually be traded. I get the sense that Sandy is not married to anyone on this team and will certainly explore all trades. Wright will be their best asset moving forward.

... that Marcus Hahnemann will not be with the Sounders next year. If you has asked me a month ago, I would have told you the odds were 100% that he was in rave green. All the signs were pointing towards it. He not only has said that he would love to play in Seattle, but he signed a half season contract to remain in England and stay in shape. His contract is up during the transfer window, right in time for the MLS season. It seems to perfect. And that is why I think it doesn't happen. In order to go to Seattle they will need to move up in the priority list and I just don't think other teams will let them do that without giving an arm and a leg. Instead, I think the Sounders either stay inside MLS to acquire a veteran keeper (Jon Busch, Josh Saunders, etc) or they go the obscure European route and sign someone like the Austrian dude who was linked to the club in the past. I don't know, it's just a gut feeling.

... that the NBA will cancel the 2011-2012 season. I know that it's sounding like the owners are split, but ultimately I think money and stubborness rules out and neither side will be willing to budge.

... that Alabama gets the job done against LSU this weekend. I don't know what it is, but I still don't feel like the Tigers are as good as they seem. yes they have been uber impressive, but I don't think Les Miles can handle Nick Saban.

... that UW loses by at least 20 to Oregon this weekend.

... that Reyes signs with Washington. I think Prince Fielder and Roy Oswalt join him there. I think Washington becomes a new super power.


This wasn't meant to be a prediction column, but sometimes your gut just tells ya something (like, hey! stop eating all those peanut butter cups)....

On MLS Playoffs...

Writing about how misguided the MLS Playoffs are probably comes off as sour grapes right now, but I need to put my thoughts down before I forget them. To avoid having to work on segues between each thought, I am going to write them in a list format. Would love to hear people's thoughts.

1. MLS needs to do away with the conferences.
   This is nothing ground breaking - most people who follow the league have been saying this for years. My big issue with conferences is this: the purpose of having conferences and divisions is to ensure that local rivals play more games against each other than against teams from the other side of the country. It not only helps grow the game, but it helps keep travel costs down. In the US, all major sports leagues - NFl, MLB, NBA, NHL - have divisions and conferences. In each instance, the schedule is unbalanced so that division foes play each other the most (in baseball, the Mets play the Phils roughly 18 times but the Giants only 6). When it comes to individual records, teams from the same division can easily be ranked against each other and the winner is naturally awarded a playoff spot. It works.
   
   In MLS (at least in 2011), there was a balanced schedule like what you see in European soccer: each team plays each twice (home and away). This means that fundamentally, Philly is no different than Seattle because they play the same teams. In this setup, each team can be ranked against each other. The problem is the MLS Commissioner Don Garber is a big fan of awards. He thinks it is important for a city like KC to be named Eastern Conference champions. Somehow that is supposed to mean something.
   
   
2. Keep the playoffs
   Look, I get it. We live in America. Crowning a league champion simply based on regular season merit is not how we do things. Regular season games are played to determine some type of seeding for when the playoffs come. In the end, champions are crowned based on their performance over a set of games at the end of the season. I would love to see the regular season determine the champion, but I am fine with having playoffs.
   
   
3. With that being said, MLS needs to change their playoff structure
   I learn something new every day. Yesterday while listening to the Sounder at Heart podcast, I learned the reason why soccer traditionally has had 2-leg ties. The guys noted that it all has to do with international competitions...you see, it is impossible to accurately rate a team from the EPL against one from Series A or the Bundesliga. Simply put, there it is impossible to determine which team deserves to have home field advantage so as a result they are both afforded a home game. This is totally unlike the aforementioned sports leagues where teams play each other during the year and some sort of rank can be determined. The reason to be successful in the regular season is to gain home field advantage for Game 7 of the series. This is why MLS needs to do away with the two leg ties and either go 1-game or 3-game series. Seattle, by virtue of having more points than RSL should have been rewarded properly. And to show that I'm not just a homer, the two leg tie is totally unfair to LA who had to fly across country twice to play NY on the road even though they ran away with the league.
   
   As for seeding, I think you need to do an overall league ranking. Again, I know this sounds like sour grapes, but there is no difference between Eastern teams and Western teams. They play the same teams - it just so happens that the top 3 teams were from one conference. As a result, instead of Seattle getting Columbus and RSL getting Colorado, they had to play each other. What would have been so bad with having the best match-up (LA vs either Seattle or RSL) in the MLS Cup final. Wouldn't that be a good thing for ratings? Instead, KC or Houston is going to be in the final for LA to slaughter.
   
   As for the number of teams, I get what they are doing. On one hand it sucks that more than half of the teams qualify for the playoffs, but without relegation and promotion, there is not much for the bottom teams to play for. It is clearly apparent that relegation is never going to happen in this country. It makes sense to give the teams on the bottom of the table some incentive to keep playing. If adding two extra teams did anything, it was to ensure that at least 13 teams had something to play for the last weekend of the season.
   
   
4. If conferences are to stay, then make the schedule unbalanced
   Seriously, if Don Garber wants to keep the conferences, then how about this for an idea (considering a 20-team league with NY getting the 20th franchise)? Create 2 divisions within each conference. In the Northwest division, you have Colorado, RSL, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. In the West division, you have LA, Chivas, San Jose, Dallas, Houston. In the Northeast, you have NY, Philly, DC, NE, NY#2. In the Midwest you have KC, Columbus, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal. Teams play division foes 4 times, conference foes 2 times and teams from the other conference once. Treat it like the NFL and rotate home games every year. The advantages of such a system are obvious: more games against local rivals and more meaning to conference play. The drawbacks are less obvious, but deserve some mention: small markets like Columbus might not get to see the likes of David Beckham every year and of course, the separation from traditional European league schedules.
   

Ok, I think those are my thoughts...but I will allow myself to come back and add more if I see fit.

Thank You Sounders

Tonight was definitely a bittersweet one. I went into the game knowing there was a 95% chance that it would be the last time I would see the Sounders until March. Down 3-0 to a quality, quality team after the first leg of the quarterfinal, we were in a deep hole. We would need a miracle to advance. And yet I was at peace. This was an amazing season and really fun team to watch. I went into the match simply wanting to see my boys put up a good fight and I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere for one last time this season.

The first half was everything I hoped for. Apart from the rain and the lack of goals, it was an enjoyable half. If they were to play the same way in the second half as they did in the first, I could go home happy.

Then Salt Lake gave us a gift PK in the 57th minute. Ozzie slotted it past Rimando and the aggregate deficit was down to 2. It felt damn good, but I knew we still had a ways to go. Four minutes later When Fredy Montero found Lamar Neagle for the second goal of the game, it all suddenly seemed real. This was the best situation we could have asked for: down 3-2 in aggregate with 30 minutes left. EVERYONE in the stadium knew the third goal was coming. Over the next half hour the Sounders continued to pour on the pressure and I assumed it was gonna come....and yet, it never did. RSL walked out of Qwest with a win on aggregate. It felt like a gut punch: the Sounders did everything they needed to do to send the series to extra time, but in the end the third goal never came. I am going to rue so many missed chances. In the first half Jeff Parke had a shot cleared off the line by a diving header. Fredy Montero shot high on a breakaway after turning around his defender. In the second half, Ozzie Alonso cracked two volleys into the stands and Lamar Neagle had a shot miraculously saved by Nick Rimando. The boys dominated but just fell short and I know they are not going to soon forget the feeling.

As fans, I think we most appreciate how amazing this season has been. We won 18 regular season games, scored the most goals in the league (56), won a third US Open cup and advanced to the quarterfinals of Champions League. In the end, our MLS season came to end because of 90 nightmarish minutes in Salt Lake City. The boys tried to fight out of it, but for the third straight season are headed home early.

I refuse to let the two game series define the season. It sucks. It is disappointing but it doesn't take away from what they accomplished. And here is the kicker - we are not going anywhere. If anything, I think we might be better next year. We'll have a full season of not only Mauro Rosales but Steve Zakuani as well. Combined with Fredy Montero, Ozzie Alonso and Alvaro Fernandez there attack will be scary good - certainly top 3 in the league again. Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle will only get better (assuming they depart in the expansion draft) and the centerback combo of Parke and Hurtado will be back. Realistically, the only positions we will have to replace are Goalie and possibly the two outside backs. The talent will be there, but more importantly, the fire will be there. Sigi and Kasey said that this season would be different because the team was hungry and that they were not just happy to make the playoffs.

That might have been the case, but ultimately it did not lead to a different result. This next year might just be a little different. I think the feeling in the lockerroom after this most recent disappointment will go a long way. As Sigi said, certain players grew up tonight. In 2012 we will be once again a complete team and this time, one that is mentally prepared for a deep run.

As for this year, the only thing I can say is Thank You Sounders. In a year when the Nets, Devils and Mets didn't make the playoffs, you were the saving grace. A lot of my East Coast friends don't get the whole soccer thing. They think it is crazy that I would even consider the Sounders to be on par with the Mets, but the fact is that I am closer to this team than I have ever been with the Mets or Devils. Don't get me wrong - those two will always be my teams. I have enjoyed not only great success with both but great failure as well. The difference is that my relationship with them is that of worship. I admire them from a far, never knowing what it is like to be at every game. With the Sounders, I sit 20 rows from the field 18 times a year. I feel their pain when they fail and I feel their joy when they succeed. It is easy to become connected with them because they are not larger than life. And it's not just me and a few friends - this is something that has taken over the entire city. Anywhere you go you will find people wanting to talk about the Sounders. It is an amazing situation and one that I am grateful for. Thank you Sounders. Great things are going to happen in 2012.

**********

Somehow I went this whole post without commenting on Kasey Keller. It is going to be strange seeing someone else in the goal next year. Keller has meant so much to not only this organization, but to American soccer as a whole. Anyone who calls themselves a fan of the USMNT, regardless of MLS allegiance, knows how important he was. In his final three years as a pro, he helped make this team legitimate, winning 44 games and leading them to 3 MLS playoff appearances and 3 US Open Cup titles. It is sad to see you go, but I take solace in knowing that you will still be part of the organization for many years to come. Thank you Kasey.

Miracle in Sight?

If you read all the Sounders blogs or listen to Sigi and the boys, you might actually be starting to think that the rave green have a chance tomorrow night. The odds seem insurrmountable given how poorly we played on Saturday. We have had our backs to the wall before, but this is a little different. We didn't show up on Saturday. We were dominated. We not only have to get a win, but it has to be by 3 goals. RSL knows that we will be desperate and they can sit back and defend with all 11 guys. We have problems breaking down teams that bunker in and I can't see how this will be any different. We are in a bad, bad situation.

And yet, I am allowing myself to be slightly talked into thinking it possible. I mean, why the hell not? We have won 6-2 and 4-0 at home already this year. We are the highest scoring team in the league (including 15 goals in the final 15 minutes of games). We have faced adversity before and have overcome it. Why the hell not now? I know the odds are against us, but wouldn't this make for an amazing final chapter of Kasey Keller's career? Doesn't the team owe him one? Can't we only be better than we were on Saturday night? Is it possible that Ozzie has another terrible night? My head tells me we are out of it, but my heart tells me a miracle could happen. I simply don't know what to think.

What I do know is this - I will spend all day at work thinking about the match. I will be nervous. I will have all the emotions that accompany gameday. Tomorrow night I will hold my scarf high. I will lose my voice in support of this team. I will try to help this team to victory. And if we don't win, I will leave the stadium proud of this team and this season. It has been an amazing ride so far - it either ends tomorrow or miraculously continues on for another week. Here's hoping for the latter.

Come on You Sounders!