JerseySounder

It Can't Get Any Worse

2012-03-08T16:51:00.003-08:00

And just like that, the worst 24 hours of my college basketball eternity has come and gone.

I'm still not sure what happened or how it happened, but both schools that I attended and graduated from are now going to the NIT. Both schools won their regular season titles and choked in the conference tournament.

For Bucknell, the loss was unbelievable. In a rare show of cockiness, I was so confident that they were going to win that I told everyone about it. No way would Mike Muscala let this team lose I said. And yet somehow even with 30 points and 14 rebounds, I felt like he could have done so much more. Credit to CJ McCollum for getting his points - 29 in all - but I think the real difference was the 23 points and 7 rebounds put up by some guy named Gabe Knutson. No disrespect to Knutson, a 12/6 guy during the regular season, but there was no way he should have put up those numbers against Muscala. I know most will point to the lack of production by Joe Willman, Cameron Ayers and Brian Cohen, but Muscala couldn't lead the team when they needed him the most. It sucks that I am putting a lot of blame on his shoulders, considering the great numbers he put up, but when it came down to it, CJ McCollum showed why he was the 2012 PL POY and not Muscala. he got the job done when his needed it. Bucknell came out flat and never led. It was a gut punch because we essentially wasted away a golden opportunity.

As for UW, man what can you say. I said how a single win over OSU would not mean they were any more deserving than they were the day before, but a loss? Man, that hurts. The committee was looking for a reason to keep them out and I think they found one. I still believe in my heart that they deserve a bid, but wow, you CANNOT lose to OSU and expect to make it in. Credit the team with coming back from a 13 point halftime deficit. They could have easily folded up shot. Instead, Tony Wroten showed us all why he is so highly thought of. He dominated the Beavers and wrestled back the lead for the Dawgs. Up by 6 points with as little as 3:22 to go in the game, it looked like the Dawgs were going to escape. Up to that point Wroten had hit 9-12 free throws including 7 straight and they looked in control. Then they got a little sloppy and pooof!, the game was out of their hands. A turnover, 4 missed free throws from Wroten, a few fouls and all of a sudden OSU was up 1. I didn't get to watch the game, but I did intently study the play-by-play and I'm not sure you could draw up anything worse. In the final 1:03 the Huskies shot 0-1 from the field, 1-5 from the line and committed 5 fouls and 1 turnover. Amazingly they only lost by 1 because OSU in that same time only shot 1-1 from the field and 2-7 from the field! 2 for freaking 7 and somehow they won. That is simply amazing and a HUGELY damning mark on the Huskies resume. This team still deserves a shot, but damn they dropped the ball.

So yeah, two losses by #1 seeds in the past 24 hours. I have never felt so worse about college hoops as I do right now. Thank goodness the Sounders won or you might never have heard from me again.

It's a No Brainer: UW Deserves At-Large Bid

2012-03-06T10:45:00.002-08:00

I'm not gonna lie. This is the start of my three favorite sports weeks every year. It's not just the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it's Conference Championship Week that makes it so good. Ever year, there is a team that gets hot at the right time and wins its conference tournament with a losing conference record. Some might not like it (ie - fans of the teams that get upset) because seemingly more deserving teams are left home, but the fact is that America loves underdogs.

For one-bid conferences, upsets don't really mean anything to the entire field. But for other leagues, such as the Missouri Valley, an upset will have major ramifications for the entire field. You see, Wichita St and Creighton are locks for the tournament. Even if neither had won the MVC tournament, they both would be going to the Big Dance. Had Illinois St pulled the upset over Creighton in the finals, the league would then have 3 bids rather than 2. And that of course means that someone was going to get squeezed. Or more appropriately someone's bubble would be burst.

Now most pundits are suggesting that UW is actually one of those teams on the bubble. They would suggest that UW needs the Creighton's, Gonzaga's, Murray St's of the worlds to win their conference championships. They would suggest that I shouldn't be excited about upsets.

Here is the thing - I think they are absolutely out-of-their-mind crazy. I'm sorry, but UW just won the Pac-12 conference with a 14-4 conference record. Let me repeat that, they won the outright conference regular season title in a Power 6 conference. I know all of their warts - no wins over top 25 teams, a 4-8 record against top 100 RPI schools, a home loss to South Dakota St and Pac-12 runner up Cal and road losses to Nevada and St Louis. But the biggest wart is something they have no control over - the Pac 12 simply sucks this year. Back when I was writing blog entries on a regular basis, I would have looked up the exact specifics, but right now I'm just winging it. Pac 12 teams went something like 1-30 against the other Power 6 conferences. They have no teams even close to the Top 25 and it is ranked something like 10th in conference RPI.

I know the conference is down, but they finished 10 games over .500. I know the Big East and Big 10 are better conferences, but how can you tell me that Seton Hall, a team with a 8-10 conference record is more deserving than UW? I know they have some quality wins, but I am absolutely sure that UW could have a few quality wins on their resume if they played the same schedule. I know they had their shots against Duke and Marquette in December, but they are simply a better team now. If they had the opportunity to switch February schedules with the Hall, I think they would have a signature win as well. I'm not saying they would go 14-4 in the Big East, but they could definitely have won 9 games. If these two particular teams are the same, I think the edge should rightly go to the conference winner. I'm not sure the same should count for a team like Cal, but certainly the conference winner. (btw - I love you Seton Hall, you just helped me make my argument...Jersey pride).

Here is one thing that annoys me - people say that UW needs to win a game in the Pac-12 tournament in order to make the Big Dance. I understand the idea, but the presentation is all wrong. They don't need to win a game - there is no difference between 21-9 and 22-9 with the 22nd win against Wazzoo - they simply need to not lose the game. If they were to lose to Wazzoo (or OSU) that would be damning - a sign that they don't deserve an at large bid. Somehow 0-2 in their final 2 games means much more than 10-3 in their final 13 games or 16-5 in their final 21 games. The Pac-12 tournament is actually a no-win situation (unless they actually do win). When I see a top seed lose in the first round, my first thought isn't that they don't deserve a tournament bid. Instead, I tend to think that it could be a sign that they won't go very far in the Big Dance. One game isn't enough to wipe away 20 games. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Reward the team that was best in the regular season.

I can handle a 11 seed - that is fair, but to imply that there are 37 better at-large teams than UW is simply insane. They don't need to be given a birth at the expense of a team from the Atlantic 10, Mountain West, Colonial, West Coast or Missouri Valley. No, they need to be in because they are a good team that won a Power 6 title. It shouldn't be at anyone expense - it should simply be because they are a better team than the Big East's 9th best team. You want to know why the 9th Big East team has a high RPI? It's because their Strength of Schedule is so damn good. Every week they play a top-10 team. That doesn't necessarily mean they are any good or more deserving than the Pac-12 champion.

Don't reward teams for simply being in the same league as some damn fine teams. That says nothing about the tea, but rather the league. Take UW. Keep Seton Hall at home.

***********

On a totally unrelated note, my Bucknell Bison play Lehigh for a birth to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night. Normally I would be very complimentary of their opponent and very scared of the game, but I have 100% confidence that we are going to win. Part of it could be that I am officially becoming a snob due to their recent success (remember, we are the only league school to win a NCAA Tournament game...and we did it twice!), but the real reason is simply elementary.

Lehigh came to Bucknell a few weeks ago and knocked us off on a last second 3 pointer. We won at their place. They won at our place. Now we get Game 3 at home. Some will say that Lehigh has a chance because they know that they can do it, but I see it the other way. Bucknell is the superior team. After they lost to Lehigh they dropped one at Holy Cross. No disrespect to the Ass Crusaders from Wochester, but they didn't beat us - we had a letdown. It was a mental lapse and they took advantage of it. I believe in Mike Muscala, the should have been 2-time defending Player of the Year. He is going to take the team on his shoulders and will them to victory. He will not let them come out sluggish. In fact, I expect them to be pissed off and focused. They know what happened the first time around. They are not scared of it happening again - I truly believe they are angry and motivated to show that it was a fluke. I think we not only get the job done, but we win by at least double digits.

[Now with all that being said, let me channel my inner 2005 self and say that we could use all the support and positive vibes. 'Ray Bucknell]

Wow. I Didn't See That Coming..

2012-02-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

It was a few days ago when I heard that Eddie Johnson would be returning to MLS. I didn't give it any thought until I heard that Colorado was a potential landing point. Then I got giddy knowing that I would be able to give my cousin Jason some shit for signing a player who has not only always underwhelmed, but one who I felt had a serious attitude problem. Having just lost their back-up striker and with their franchise striker still battling injuries, it reeked of desperation.

I got on the bus today assuming Johnson was going to Montreal or New England after hearing that the rapids were no longer interested. Then in an instance, the guillotine dropped as I learned that not only was EJ coming to the Sounders, but that they somehow were duped into giving Montreal both Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle. I know I speak for the rest of the supporters when I say I was shocked. There was NO indication at all that either fucito or Neagle would be traded. Hell, there was every indication that they could be opening night starters.

I didn't go to the message boards or blogs for the next two hours as my 2-year old told me what to do and how to act. Instead, I thought it over in my own head and consulted my boy J-Will for his thoughts. And you know what happened? I somehow talked myself into this. First, let's get his history out of the way.

Most US soccer supporters know about Johnson's past. He entered MLS as a potential savior. He scored 41 goals in 7 seasons. He has played in a World Cup and has represented the National Team 42 times (scoring 12 times). But after MLS, he has bounced around Europe with 4 different clubs. He hasn't scored since 2010. He flirted with MLS last year but never signed. Then this off-season he was set to sign with Mexican side Puebla only to have them publicly say that he was out of shape. Somehow, his career had derailed and it seemed that he only had himself to blame. Lazy, out of shape, malcontent were all words I had heard to describe him.

So how the hell am I feeling ok about this? Well, let's count the ways.

1. I believe in Sigi. Going into last season I was a little skeptical, but after seeing him masterfully guide the team to 2nd in MLS, CCL Quarterfinals and a 3rd straight US Open Cup title, I was reminded about how damn good he is. Let's face it, the guy is a good coach and he seems to have a great relationship with the front office. There is NO way they make this trade if Sigi didn't see something in EJ. If you listen to EJ, he has not only been working out in California for the past 2.5 months but he never failed a physical because he never took one. If you listen to Sigi, he says that EJ will play a role in the Santos Laguna series. Time will tell if he does, but I have never seen Sigi hold back in press conferences. He obviously has seen EJ and believes him to be in shape. Otherwise there would be no way he even is in the final 18 for the tie against Santos Laguna.

2. EJ will not be commanding DP money. In fact, he will only be making $100k in 2012 with a club option for $150k in 2013. I believe that this is still more than Fucito and Neagle combined, but the importance of his low salary cannot be understated. Besides the obvious salary cap issue, it is important that he gets paid less than Fredy. There is a pecking order in sports. it doesn't matter what level you play at - players know where they stand amongst their peers. Fredy Montero is the most talented (and most frustrating) player on this team. He needs to be paid like it. If the Sounders were to pay EJ more than Fredy when clearly he is not better than Fredy, then I guarantee the disenchanted Fredy will return (just ask DeRo who was getting paid less than Julian DeGuzman in Toronto but was clearly the best player in the league). I actually believe in Fredy this year. I think he is hungry to show he can lead a team. I think he believes that he is the best player. I think EJ's skills match up nicely with Fredy. I think it can be a nice partnership.

3. Fan favorites are often not the best players on the teams. We loved Mike Fucito because he was an underdog. He is shorter than my wife. He was drafted in the 4th round. He joined Sounders camp as a nobody. He worked his way up and gave it maximum effort at all times. We loved him for it. but the stats speak for themselves - while he has scored at a high rate in CCL matches, he was never able to find his form (or his luck) in MLS matches. He was overmatched and and an overachiever. Lamar Neagle was another underdog. After being drafted and released by the Sounders, he paid his dues in the USL. When he signed with the Sounders the following off-season, not even his own mother could have imagined what was in store. Not only did he start to see some quality minutes, but he scored some of the biggest goals of the 2011 season. It wasn't always pretty with him, but he worked his ass off and of course, he was a local boy.

But they weren't the best players on the team nor were they players that could carry the team once the current core leaves for greener pastures. Think about it...Montero, Mauro, Flaco, Ozzie, Zakuani, Parke, Johannson and Hurtado are more valuable to this team. Some might even suggest Ochoa and Evans. While we hate to see them go, it's not like we traded away our franchise.

4. This team is in win-now mode. Sigi hinted to it the day they were eliminated from the playoffs. He believes in this core group of players, but it is time they got over the hump and won MLS Cup. All the moves this off-season were made to make the starting 11 stronger at the expense of some of their depth. They lost a lot of quality players but were able to replace with some higher end parts. Fucito and Neagle were not going to win MLS Cup for the Sounders, but it is entirely possible that EJ can. It is a big gamble, but if somehow EJ can find his form from 6 years ago, he could score 10-14 goals. It is a big if, but he has that potential.

5. Again, I think Sigi knows what he is doing. I don't think this trade was solely about getting EJ. I think he felt that he could replace both Fucito and Neagle with guys who are already on the roster. First and foremost, I think Cristian Sivebaeck is going to have a really really nice year. The guy is a physical freak and even at a young age brings a lot of experience. He will fill the back-up wing role just fine. Another guy having a nice spring is David Estrada, who appears to be in line for minutes not only at wing but striker as well. Add in Mike Seamon, a hopefully returning Steve Zakuani and possibly even Michael Tetteh or Cornell Cato and I think there is some talent there. Oh, and call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that draft picks Andy Rose and Babyele Sodade will see the field this season.

6. I am going to believe that EJ is actually motivated. Here is what I am going to believe (and you know what, I could be totally wrong). I am going to believe that EJ did indeed have a bad attitude while in Europe. He has been told how awesome he is his whole life. When he went to Europe he struggled and instead of reacting positively, I bet he became a malcontent. He was shipped around but had not hit rock bottom until this past off-season. He said that he was torn last year when he decided to bail on an MLS offer at the last minute. That is totally believable - he probably felt that he could be a star in Europe and that going back to MLS was below him. Then he couldn't find a team to play for and a Mexican team declined signing him because they said he was out of shape. Now I don't put much stock in what Puebla said, especially considering Mauro's experience with a Mexican team last year, but the public comments were totally damning. I mean, EJ was officially more of a bust than Fredy Adu. I think it finally hit him that his European stay was over and that MLS offered him the best shot at making the National Team again. We aren't talking about a 35 year old. EJ is a 27 year old striker who at one point had a great future with this team. You don't play for your national team that many times without being good. EJ saw the opportunity to come back stateside and get starters minutes - something new coach Jurgen Klinsmann said is a must. I truly am going to believe that he is motivated as hell to show that he be a big time goal scorer in league play, but that he deserves a shot at the 2014 World Cup. I really really think that is the case.

7. I think he just fits well and will let Fredy try to be the playmaker that he wants to be. When Fredy entered the league, he was purely a goalscorer, but over time you saw him want to be more of a playmaker. I think he is still good for 10-12 goals this year, but I also think he can have 8-10 assists as well. Fucito wasn't scoring last year, but I think EJ will. Questions about his emotional state aside, the kid physically gifted. While not huge, he is no Fucito - opposing defenses won't be able to treat him the same.

***

Ok, so there are the reasons I have not jumped out a window. However, I do want to take the opportunity to voice my concerns.I am obviously concerned that EJ has duped the front office into paying him $50k more than he is worth. While the FO has generally done an amazing job, there have been some poor decisions - Ljungberg, Nkufo, LeToux. This could certainly be one.

But the biggest concern I have is with the fans. The attitude expressed towards both Jaqua and Noonan last year was toxic. Every time they touched the ball the crowd groaned. I don't have inside knowledge, I've never met Jaqua before and the most we get to see of him is a few 30-second interviews, but I'm pretty sure it affected him. It in no way should - he is a professional athlete - but I'm sure it did.

I am afraid that the fans will not give EJ a fair shot and will boo him on opening day. I know that it hurts to lose Fuciro and Neagle (hell, Mar Neagle was my 2-year olds favorite player) but we need to get over it. Part of what makes sports so great is the emotions we feel. But sometimes we need to take a step back and think objectively. I may not have been overly objective in convincing myself this was a good trade, but I guarantee I will give EJ every shot to become a favorite of mine. I will not hold it against him and I hope the rest of the fans don't either.

For all we know, EJ might have a career revival. He might mix perfectly with Mauro and Fredy and score 13 goals. Alvaro might finally step in and play the attacking central midfielder role we all want him to. Zakuani might be back to 90% in August. We might score more goals than we did last year. There is some history saying this won't happen, but the ceiling is unlimited with EJ in our attack. I applaud the front office for at least taking the initiative and trying to upgrade our team. Last year fans got on Adrian for not bringing in a player at the transfer deadline. While bringing in EJ wasn't as splashy as signing a Prince Tagoe or a Michael Ballack and while it did cost us two players, it shows a plan and the confidence to act on it. Let's see the season out. If EJ ends up being a bust, if Fredy turns unhappy and leaves for Spain and this team gets tossed out of the playoffs again, then we as a fan base have every right to riot. But for now, let's move aside the emotion of one's lost and look forward to a great season.

One More Thing

2012-01-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

I forget one last thing for this week:

Am I the only one who thinks it is ridiculous that recently retired Tony LaRussa is going to be managing the NL All-Stars next year? Look, if the game meant nothing then it would be a great idea to have some of the games greatest coaches come back for a day. But the thing is, this game means something. It is for home field advantage in the World Series. We can debate until we are blue whether determining home field in this manner is a good thing (here are my thoughts), but I don't think anyone can argue with me on this one.

No matter how informed LaRussa stays during his retirement he won't know as much about all the players as he did if he was coaching. It just doesn't work like that. He won't be able to monitor everyone from the opposing dugout. He won't be able to have access to the same scouting reports. He won't get to physically see on the field. AND he won't have anything at stake. If he loses it's no big deal: he can go home and put his feet up (btw - the thought of LaRussa at home is an equally boring, equally curmudgeonly thought) and watch the World Series on tv. It just won't be the same. If my team makes it to the World Series and they don't have home field advantage because some retired manager made an uninformed decision, I would be pissed. This is ridiculous.

I'm Back...Again

2012-01-27T22:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm back again. I'm starting to think that a weekly post might be completely doable. Who knows, we'll see how it goes. For now, though, let's get to it.

When I was growing up, Rutgers football was a laughin stock. You wouldn't admit to liking them because the reality was, there was no way you could like them. It wasn't that they were bad, they were terrible.

In 2001 when Greg Schiano was hired to be their new head coach, I was stoked. The truth is - I was excited because he is a Bucknell alum. That was it - I knew nothing of him besides that he was the Miami DC at the time. I always assumed that if he was successful in his first few years that he would leave for a bigger program and he never did. Even when the Miami and Penn St jobs became available, he didn't bite.

He turned the program into a winner and actually made it cool to support Rutgers. When they beat Louisville on national TV a few years ago I openly bragged about being from Jersey. It was a great moment - one that I never thought I would see. Anyways, in his 11 years in Piscataway, Schiano was 68-67. In his past 7 years, he had 6 winning seasons, 5 bowl victories and a .629 winning percentage.

I have nothing good to say about Schiano. And yet, I can't help but think that his decision to become the Tampa Bay Bucs coach is bad one on so many levels. First, college coaches never succeed in the NFL. And most of those who have tried are/were better coaches than Schiano. Second, Rutgers is now in a really bad positoin. They are coming off a 9 win year when they predicted to finish last in the Big East. They have a good recruiting class and have kept the best two Jersey high schoolers in state. They suddenly had some positive momentum AND were playing in a depleted Big East. Winning the conference would not have been sexy, but it would have gotten them a BCS birth. Now, a week away from Signing Day, Rutgers is without their coach. That sucking sound you hear coming from jersey is the sound of rival programs sucking out the talent. The timing just sucked. You can't fault him for taking the opp, but wow, it could have come at a better time.

When I was in college, I would occasionally stay up to watch the midnight WCC game between Gonzaga and Pepperdine (who at the time was their big rival). I really loved those Zags teams. Now I love that I don't have to stay up until midnight to watch them anymore - thank you West Coast!
Bucknell is now 6-0 in the conference with only one test remaining. I'm not gonna say what I'm thinking, because I'm sure you know what it is.
I feel like the Winter X Games were a competition put together to simply make Americans feel better about themselves. I mean, seriously, freestyle snowmobiling? What other country than the US would that be popular in?
Jeff Parke got his first cap for the US Men's National Team on Wednesday. He came off the bench for 35 minutes of action. I don't think that he is in their long-term plans, but definitely deserved a look. Good for him.
Here is some news that I know you are unaware of. In an attempt to get younger, the Seattle Storm recently traded Swin Cash and Camille Little to Chicago for the 2nd pick in the WNBA Draft. There is a very good chance that Delaware's Elena Della Donne will be the pick. She is leading the nation with 29.8 points a game and can do it all. It would be an amazing pick...or would it? Della Donne signed with UConn after being the top ranked recruit but only stayed on campus for 2 days before going home. Some people called her a spoiled quitter with emotional problems. The real reason was that she missed her family and her sister Lizzie who is blind and deaf and has cerebral palsy. It truly is a great story. I respect her for that and think she is probably a quality person. BUT, if living in Connecticut was too much for her, how the hell would she handle living in Seattle? I'm not sure that the Storm can take that chance.
I have not watched Sportscenter since Sunday. I simply don't want to watch the Tyree catch or listen to all the hype surrounding the Super Bowl.
UW hoops picked up a nice win on Thursday. It wasn't as convincing as most Dawgs fans would like, but at the end of the day, it is a win. I really like what Seferian-Jenkins has brought to the team and if they can just get CJ Wilcox back to full strength then suddenly they will have a bench. They still have long road ahead of them if they want to make the tourney, but finishing 7-3 down the stretch (13-5 overall) might get it done.
Last year, the NHL thought outside of the box and came up with the very creative idea of having two captains pick their teams for the All-Star Game. Even though certain players and GM's spoke out against the idea, it was one that was met with very positive reactions from the fans. I was certainly one to applaud the idea, but now a year later it seems old and boring. I don't know what it is, but after watching 2 minutes of the Fantasy Draft last night, I was ready to go to sleep. Maybe it was the lame attempt to bring in some hot blond to discuss what was trending on Twitter or maybe it was seeing hockey players in suite, but something was just wrong. Oh wait, I know what it is. I just can't get behind something where Erik Carlsson and Jason Spezza were the first two picks for one of the teams. I understand that these two fine gentleman were teammates of the Captain and I understand that they represent the hometown team, but come on. That just throws credibility out the window. I want the captains to put together the best possible teams, not to be loyal. (an interesting fact - Alfredsson then picked another teammate in the 12th round. Apparently Milan Michalek doesn't mean as much to Alfredsson as the other two...)
Have I ever told you how much I love Maria Sharapova?
I don't have tons of time to discuss all the new international signings in the MLS, but I definitely see a positive trend. In an effort to improve the quality of their roster, MLS teams are really hitting Central and South America hard these days. While some may say that it is unfair for the league to be poaching talent from the Colombian League in light of the countries financial problems (6 signings alone this year to go with established stars like Fredy Montero, David Ferreira and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado), but the simple truth is that soccer players will go where the money is. MLS can't afford to lure rising European talent, but it can certainly flex some muscle in this part of the world. Getting the big names like Beckham, Henry and Keane might be good from the publicity side of things, but it is going to be young players from North, Central and South America that really improve the quality of this league. I am very happy about this.
Let me see if I have this right. Victor Martinez is out for the year, so the Tigers decided to sign Prince Fielder...for 9 years?!? Forget 5 years from now, he hasn't even played a game yet and it is a bad contract. Oh well, at least he isn't in Pinstripes.
By the way, the Mets signed ... um, they signed ... hmph. They signed no one. They trimmed about $50 million off their payroll.
To follow up from before, from 1987 to 1997, aka my informative years, Rutgers won an average of 4 games a season including 0-11 in 1997. Now that I actually did the math, it doesn't seem too bad.
Speaking of not seeming too bad, I looked at realtimerpi.com today and found out that none of UW's losses this year were against teams with RPIs>100. Yes, amazingly, St Louis (42), Nevada (72), South Dakota St (66), and Colorado (69) are all below 100.
Let's get this Tim Thomas controversy out of the way. I won't lie - I had no problem with Theo Epstein skipping his version with Bush a few years back, so I'm not overly objective on this one. I have two issues. First, how can you say this isn't about politics and then rail on the politicians and big government? Second, sometimes you just have to do shit that you don't want to. That's life. You and your teammates were being honored for something you accomplished together. The president of the US was taking time out of his amazingly busy schedule to get together. If you can't give the president sometime, at least go with your teammates to be honored. You might never get that moment back.

Ok, I'm out. Have a great weekend and enjoy the pro Bowl. Oh, speaking of Pro Bowl, check out my post from last year when I gave Roger Goodell some ways to fix it.

I'm An Addict

2012-01-17T23:22:00.000-08:00

It's been 10 days since my last post. I have missed it, but at the same time feel a little free. It has been nice not to force out posts just to stay current. Of course, that doesn't mean I haven't had stuff on my mind. In fact, it is the exact opposite. All I continue to think about all day long is sports. I'm an addict.

All the talk on KJR in recent weeks has been what the Seahawks are going to do at the QB spot. Will they trade up to get Robert Griffin III in the NFL Draft? Will they throw a boatload of money at free agent Matt Flynn? Or will they stick with Tavaris Jackson for another year? I have listened to all the considerations and I think the decision is an easy one: they need to throw the money at Matt Flynn. Now I realize it is risky to put that much faith in someone who is a back-up QB and has started only 2 , albeit really successful, games in his career. I mean, the dude is a back-up for a reason. Given the situation each of his monster games occurred in, I am not going to put too much faith into either. The thing is though - we don't know what he could be. Sure, he could be the next Rob Johnson...but he could also be the next Matt Hasselback. They need to take the risk because it could be better than what they already have. Here's the biggest thing though - if they trade up to get RG3 they will be mortgaging their future. They are really really close to being a playoff team. They CANNOT trade away any draft picks to get the right to draft RG3. If Flynn fails, the team is out of money. If RG3 fails, they are out money and picks. Whiffing on a rookie QB will put them back years. They won't be able to recover. They need to go the Flynn route.
I have no problem with the M's trading pitching for hitting, but I'm not quite sure that Jesus Montero is the answer for their struggling lineup. Look, I know that Montero is one of the top prospects in the game, but a prospect is a prospect until they become a star. He has only played 18 games so far and while the results have been good, I'm not sure how they will extrapolate to an entire year.

Now I get the risk that Jack Z took might be a good one. He traded away a strength to strengthen his weakness. They have a shitload of pitching in the organization - I just thought that trading King Felix and building around Michael Pineda might have been the better move. Obviously that is crazy talk because of what King Felix means to this team, but you know Boston and the Yanks would have given an arm, a leg, a kidney and a liver to get his services. They would have hurt the fans, but helped the team.

Ok, so they didn't trade Felix. They traded Pineda instead. I think the Yanks actually won the trade - not because I think Montero will be a bust but because they simply had to move him. He isn't a catcher - he is a hitter. The only thing is that he can't DH for the Yanks because of A-Rod and Tex. Instead of sitting in the minors, he gets to play every day AND the Yanks get a damn good pitcher. Here is the thing though - I think there is a good chance he throws out his arm. He is only 22 years old and he threw 171 innings last year. He needs to be on an inning count this coming year - something I don't think the Yanks will be willing to do. Do you actually think that they will shut him down in September if he gives them the chance to beat the Red Sox for the division title? I'm calling it now - he blows out his arm
Let's talk a little Hall of Fame. One of the guys on ESPN.com suggested that Mike Piazza won't make it in next year on his first year of eligibility. He felt that he will get in eventually but that the writers will make a statement in year 1. Let me tell you something - that is absolutely crazy. If Piazza, the greatest hitting catcher in baseball history, doesn't make it in on his first try, then the voters are assholes. I don't care about his admission of PED's early in his career...hands down, he was the best player at his position during his career (not to mention that he 'captained' a NY team before and after 911).

Speaking of being the best at his position, Edgar Martinez, the best player at his position, got only 36.5% of votes in his 3rd year of eligibility. It is not looking too good. This is a tough one for me. I mean, I'm an NL guy who doesn't believe in the DH. I don't think you should be able to hit if you can't play the field. It just goes against everything you are taught in the schoolyard. BUT, I can't argue that it is a legitimate position. And Edgar was the best at it. You might not believe that kickers or punters belong in the NFL Hall of Fame, but they are pro athletes who play an important position. They deserve some credit...and unfortunately the same holds for the DH. Put Edgar in.
I don't know who will make the Super Bowl (although I claim the Giants to be the favorites), but all 4 possibilities are going to be the media's dream. Giants-Pats is obviously the most intriguing because of the Super Bowl from 3 years ago. Giants-Ravens is another Super Bowl rematch. Ravens-49ers will be the Harbaugh Bowl. Pats-49ers will be a match-up of the Team of the 80's vs the Team of the 2000's. I will get sick of all the build-up, but know they will be happy.
The Nets suck. Really Suck. D-Will is as good as gone. Howard is not coming. They will win 8 games this season and go to Brookyln as the worst team in the league.
I applaud both the USSF and CONCACAF for the changes to the US Open Cup and Champions League. The Open cup will now consist of 32 teams including all 16 domestic MLS teams and home field will now be based on a random draw. The best part though is knowing the dates of each round prior to the season. Champions League has also changed for the better, eliminating 2 games from the round robin part. Now instead of a 2 game playoff for 16 teams followed by 4 groups of 4, the 24 qualifying teams will be placed into 8 groups of 3. Only the winner of each group will advance. Whereas before the Sounders were playing 8 total games (4 home, 4 road) they will now play 4. Flying from Dallas to Central America might not be terrible, but Seattle to Central America was killing us. I also like that in order to advance to the Quarterfinals, teams must be the best team in at least 3 of the 4 games. If you advance, you know you earned it
Finally, terrible job by MLS in scheduling the Sounders on the road for 4 Cascadia Cup games in 2012. I find it completely unfathomable that in a year when they want to promote local rivalries, they allow 1 Cascadia team, regardless of whether it was Seattle or not, to have to be on the road for 4 of 6. This wasn't rocket science guys - it could go one of two ways: 1. Seattle home twice vs PTL, PTL home twice vs VAN, VAN home twice vs Seattle OR 2. PTL home twice vs Seattle, Seattle home twice vs VAN, VAN home twice vs PTL. Ok, two simple ways. Way to eff it up.

I think that's it for now. Hope everyone is doing well.

The End...or Close to It

2012-01-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

I think the time has come to take a much needed vacation from the blog. Ok, that's not really the truth. A vacation would imply that this is my job and that it is something I need a break from. Really, that's not the case. I try to blog on the side because I enjoy writing and frankly, because I don't have the opportunity to sit around, watch games with my buddies and then discuss them at the caf the next day. This was my way of expressing my thoughts on whatever sports item I was interested in at the time.

When I started the blog back in April 2010, I didn't exactly know where it would go. I had hoped that it would not only be a place for me, but a place for my friends too. Ultimately, that didn't work out. I found that it was one thing to send emails back and forth about the Mets, but when it came to actually posting something on the blog, no one besides my faithful Devils blogger Jay Walker-Martin was actually interested. And you know what, that turned out to be fine. Instead of having this blog be something that a lot of strangers read, it quickly became apparent that this was something that only a handful of my close friends read.

So to all of you who have read and provided comments, I thank you. Nothing made me happier than seeing a message in my inbox saying that someone commented on one of my posts. I always appreciated that.

The fact is that I am not only watching less sports these days but I just don't have the disposable time I once did. I can find time to blog, but it means I am taking away from my sleep. And it means that I am just getting sloppy. Last week I posted something on UW and made 2 mistakes. It obviously wasn't a huge deal, but it was to me. I simply didn't take the time to do any research because I wanted to get to bed at a reasonable hour. (to be fair, forgetting UW was at Qwest next year was simply an oversight - no research should have been needed for that).

I could simply continue to throw opinions around without anything to back them up, but then I would become a blowhard. Part of the reason I enjoy writing about sports is that I am a stats junkie and I love spending random Thursday nights on baseballreference.com to research a story on whether Justin Turner deserves to be the Mets everyday second baseman. I want my writing to be passionate. I am not a fan of errors.

But this isn't about one simple entry with mistakes. Nah, it's just that this is becoming more a chore than it is fun. I think I still will want to blog when something big happens with the Sounders or Mets, but having 4-5 unique columns a week just isn't going to happen. So if you're reading this and want to check in occasionally to see if anything new is up, then great...I would love it. But if not, then I appreciate the time you have spent reading.

The bottom line - I have other things going on in my life. So for the time being, I am going to step away from blogging. But like all the previous times I have done so, I expect to be back. Why? Well, because I always come back. I just can't stay away.

No Excuses for UW

2012-01-04T22:48:00.001-08:00

Here's a little secret for ya - The Wife and I like to watch The Biggest Loser. Yeah, I probably shouldn't be proud of it, but whatever - I'm old and have a kid. Anyways...this season's theme is No Excuses, which was exactly what I thought when I saw the newly released 2012 UW football schedule. For those who haven't seen, the 12 game schedule contains non-conference games against Div 1-AA Portland St, San Diego St and likely defending national champion LSU on the road. As for the conference schedule, the Huskies play all teams except Arizona St and UCLA (with new coach, former Husky Jim Mora Jr). The actual schedule is as follows:

Sat Sept. 1 --- San Diego State
Sat Sept. 8 --- at LSU
Sat Sept. 15 --- Portland State
Thu Sept. 27 --- Stanford
Sat Oct. 6 --- at Oregon
Sat Oct. 13 --- USC
Sat Oct. 20 --- at Arizona
Sat Oct. 27 --- Oregon State
Fri Nov. 2 --- at Cal
Sat Nov. 10 --- Utah
Sat Nov. 17 --- at Colorado
Fri Nov. 23 --- at Washington State

The 2012 schedule presents an absolute BRUTAL opening set of games, with 4 of the first 6 opponents likely to finish in the Top 10 this year. I know it will be easy to complain about how the Dawgs open up, but I think it is time to put all excuses aside. I don't know what it is like to be in this town when the Huskies are a ranked team, but I can't imagine that the 1991 team backed down from a challenge. If the Huskies are really back - and I mean 9 or 10 wins - then they need to get the job done. It's simple as that. This isn't the SEC West where a team like Ole Miss will have to play Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn and rival Miss St every year and then Georgia or Florida every other year. No, this is the Pac-12, where currently there are only 3 ranked teams. I don't want to rip on the league, but after Stanford and Oregon, we had Washington, UCLA and Arizona st playing in bowls. Not exactly Murderers Row.

No excuses. Get the job done. And you know what? I think the Dawgs might actually have a shot at 9 wins. I'm going to assume wins against San Diego st and Portland St (although the latter won't count towards Bowl eligibility) and a loss on the road against LSU. At 2-1 the Dawgs then open up the conference schedule at home against Stanford on a Thursday night. Stanford is a damn good team but they will be losing not only Andrew Luck but two lineman who are projected to be top 10 picks, a highly rated TE and 6 other starters. They are going to be good (projected top 10 in 2012), but not 10-1 good. The Cardinal will also be coming off a BYE week, but I think they will be ripe for the picking. I think coming into a rowdy, raucous Husky Stadium on a Thursday night will be a tough go for the Cardinal. The atmosphere will be ridiculous and I think the Huskies get the upset win.

The next two weeks will be tough but the USC game will be at home as well. They have won 2 of 3 against the Trojans, so who knows. After USC, the Dawgs won't play another ranked opponent the rest of the year, although road games at Colorado and WSU to end the year could be trap games.

Here is the other thing - if the Huskies do end up at 9-3, it probably means that they won 6 in a row to end the season. That would be good enough for a Top 25 ranking and a birth in another quality bowl game.

I know it is wayyy to early to talk about the upcoming season (especially with a new defensive coordinator coming in and a less than favorable recruiting class), but it doesn't hurt to see what the team is in for. It will be a rough go at first, but this is the type of thing that separates good teams from special teams. If the Huskies want to become an elite program again, it must take the bad with the good and just get the job done. It is that simple. No excuses.

Hate for the 2012 Winter Classic

2012-01-01T22:39:00.001-08:00

Boys and girls across Canada and the northern US grow up shoveling off snow from frozen lakes and playing hockey every night until the sun sets. That is why the yearly outdoor NHL game is a perfect idea...it is the closest the players will ever come to going back to simpler times.

For the past 4 years the NHL Winter Classic has provided not only the players but the fans the opportunity to go back to their childhood. They might not be played on random lakes in the middle of the wilderness, but they are played in some pretty cool locales. first it was Ralph Willard Stadium in Buffalo. Then Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Heinz Field. It has all been perfect..until now.

See, this year, they decided to not only go to Philadelphia for Ranger v Flyers. It is a match-up that was going to happen at some time (after all, New York-Philly is one of the fiercest rivalries in sports), but one that just pisses me off. In almost every other sport, I would value this is an awesome match-up, but when you are a Devils fan, this game just doesn't do it for you. I don't want either team to win - I want them all to get a 24-hour bug and not be able to play.

I know I am off my rocker in suggesting that the match-up should be any different. It will be great for tv ratings and really, it is a match-up of top 5 teams. It should be great, but really...Flyers-Rangers?? They aren't even the biggest rivals. Maybe twenty years ago, but now? Nah, I'm pretty certain both Flyers and Rangers fans would rather beat the Devils.

The reason? It's because the Devils have been the alpha dog for the past 15 years. Since the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, the Devils have made the playoffs for 14 of 16 seasons with 9 division titles and 3 Stanley Cups. The Flyers have made the playoffs 15 times with 2 Stanley Cup losses and the Rangers have made the playoffs only 8 times. During that stretch, the Devils played the Flyers 4 times in the playoffs and the Rangers thrice. Meanwhile, the Flyers and Rangers have played only twice in the playoffs.

So the Devils have not only played the Flyers and Rangers more times in the playoffs, but they have been the most successful of the three. They need to be in the Winter Classic. But here is the problem - they are the New Jersey Devils, the team that killed the NHL, the team with less than 30 years of history, the team that no one wants to watch.

It's the reason why the Devils have been on NBC 0 times over the past three years while the Rangers and Flyers have combined to be on NBC 24 times. It's no different on Versus - the Devils have averaged 6.3 appearances over the past three seasons compared to 12 for the Rangers and 9.3 for the Flyers. The national media and the NHL hates the Devils. Last year might have been a down year, but the Devils are a playoff team again this year and would have been a great participant.

When the Winter Classic inevitably moves to Yankee Stadium in a year or two, I expect the Devils to be involved. It is only right (and it is much better than having to go to the city of Philadelphia to breath the air). As for this year, I will not watch a single second of the game and hope that it not only rains but that the ice conditions are terrible. Oh, and maybe the Philly fans will throw crap on the ice. That would be amazing and terrible at the same time.

Great NFL Weekend

2012-01-01T22:29:00.000-08:00

I might be wrong, but I feel like this season's NFL playoff picture was clearer going into Week 17 than it has been in a long time. Of a total of 12 playoff spots, only 3 were still up for grabs - the AFC West, AFC Wild Card and the NFC East. Pretty tame if you ask me...and yet we were treated to a week rich with storylines.

The biggest story to me didn't even involve a team gunning for a playoff spot, but rather the team with the worst record in the league. The Indianapolis Colts, with a 2-13 record, needed to win and a Rams loss to avoid the distinction of being a division winner in 2010 and holding the top pick in the 2012 draft. Going into the week, we had heard that the veterans on the team were playing to win. They were not in it to Suck for Luck but rather were playing for their injured leader, Peyton Manning. By losing to the hapless 4-11 Jacksonville Jaguars, they clinched the worst record in the league.

Now the good times begin. The Colts have a 35 year old QB who has had 3 neck surgeries in the past 18 months. He is not getting any younger and who knows if he will ever be the same. A lot of experts suggest that Peyton was the reason for the significant drop-off in record, but the truth is that it was a perfect storm. Yes, losing Peyton hurt, but this team is a mess. They were not going to win the Super Bowl even if he had been there. Their ceiling with Manning is a few more 10-6 records over the next few years, followed by another drop-off and then rebuilding. I think they would be crazy not to draft Luck and start rebuilding now. They will never get this chance again. They have to do it now - they have to let go of Manning. He might not deserve to be dropped because of an injury, but sports is a cruel business.

The second biggest story is that of Mr Tim Tebow. I recently wrote how I was a full-fledged member of the Church of Tebow. It just seemed crazy to think a player with below than average skill could go 6-1 in his first seven starts and put his team on the brink of the playoffs if not for something divine. After a two game losing streak, the recently released Kyle Orton was back in Denver to try to knock out the man who replaced him. It was a perfect scenario that would have made for great revenge. At the end of the day, Orton didn't have a great day but got the win because Tebow couldn't help his team score more than 6 points. I honestly can't believe it - after making me believe, he dropped the ball in the most important game of the season. Luckily for him, Oakland couldn't beat San Diego and the Broncos are in the playoffs. however, if they can't beat Poittsburgh this coming weekend, I think Elway and Co need to really re-think this Tebow thing. Who would have thought that possible four weeks ago?

And there were a lot of other great stories:

The Jets joined the Eagles as pre-season Super Bowl favorites who are outside the playoffs looking in. What a pathetic collapse and one that will undoubtedly lead to tons of debate over the next few months.
The Bengals, a team I pegged for 2 wins this season, made the playoffs with a 9-7 record. A simply amazing coaching job by Marvin Lewis. They won the tiebreaker over the Tennessee Titans who somehow won 9 games with Chris Johnson being absolutely terrible. Kudos to Mike Munchak on the job he did but now the question remains where they go at the QB position next year. Will Hasselbeck be back to lead a possible playoff team or do they give the reigns to Jake Locker and hope he doesn't blow it?
I don't want to take anything away from Aaron Rodgers, but his back-up Matt Flynn just threw for 400+ yards and 6 td's against the Lions. I'm not ready to suggest that he is ready to lead a team, but does this help the "Aaron Rodgers is Not the best QB ever" debate.
The Giants got a huge win over their key rivals. The Cowboys have go in another direction, right? Romo can't possibly be their guy moving forward.
The passing records set this year are just insane. The NFL saw not 1, not 2, but 3 QB's throw for more than 5000 yards (Brees, Brady, Stafford) and 3 threw more than 40 TD's (Rodgers, Brees, Stafford) Can someone help me understand why this is happening? My father-in-law suggests that it is because no one is allowed to hit anyone any more...it can't be that simple can it?
Finally, what is going to happen to the Seahawks? I feel like they are actually pretty close to being relevant again, but they have a major decision to make, not just about Tarvaris (who I don't think is going anywhere in the offseason) abut about Marshawn Lynch. I know that his situation is a lot different than Shaun Alexander's, but I have to wonder whether it would be wise to spend a shit ton of money on him. I am just weary of guys in contract years and who take a ton of hits. It is going to be interesting to see what they do.

Thoughts on the Alamo Bowl

2011-12-29T22:22:00.000-08:00

When I told the Wife that I was leaving only an hour early to go to the Apple cup, she thought I was crazy. She knows that I don't like being late or leaving early from games and surely an hour was not enough time. i told her it was no big deal because even if I missed 2 scoring drives, there were probably going to be 8 more once I got inside the stadium. The Huskies have no defense. Whenever they play a team with an equally defense, it is going to be a shootout. Last night was no different.

It's amazing to admit, but I was actually bored by a good portion of the second half. To me, a total of 43 points in one quarter isn't suspenseful. I know that many people will argue that the 9-6 LSU-Bama game earlier this year was the most boring 60 minutes of their lives, but at least their was suspense. At least there was a chance that one of the offenses could score. In the Alamo Bowl last night, I never once thought either team could get stop. it was like an Arena League game.

Ok, with that being said, I did watch the entire second half and have the following random comments about the game

I get that striking The Superman pose is the new fad, but I think it is going a little far. I saw the fullback break it out last night after a 4th down conversion, a DB break it out after an open field tackle and of course countless guys do it after TD's. Give it a break guys.
My favorite part of the game was clearly when listening to former defensive stud Chris Spielman say anything positive about the game. Early in the third quarter he was asked if the offense deserves any credit and his response was great - "I'm not gonna give either offense any credit. They don't get credit. The defenses are just bad." Then later he said this was "really unbelievable" when speaking about the 100+ points and the 1000+ yards. He even suggested that both teams try onsides kicks, cut the field down and use the endzone as a 12th defender and hope for a FG. I was fully expecting him at any time to take off the headsets, run down to the field, rip off his shirt and beat the crap out of the defensive coordinators.
In case there was any question, Keith Price is the man. With his 7 total TD and 438 yard performance, he is now the owner of the most impressive season ever by UW QB. Over 3000 yards passing, 36 total td's and only 11 interceptions. Oh, and he is only a Sophomore.
Early in the year the Huskies couldn't stop the pass. Then when they went against Stanford and Andrew Luck, they only gave up 169 passing yards compared to 446 running yards. The same thing happened tonight as the "held" RG3 to 295 passing, but gave up 482 yards on the ground (including 3 rushers with 100+ yards!!).
Anyone else really like the white helmets? I know I am not the UW traditionalist like many others, but I thought they were really sharp. Interesting that neither team went with their traditional gold helmets.
Halfway through the game, my thought was that Chris Polk was off to the NFL. But now, after realizing that he is a mere 31 yards short of breaking Napoleon Kaufman's all-time school rushing record combined with the bad taste left in his mouth from the crucial third quarter fumble, I think he comes back to be part of what could be one of the special offensive units in college football. Or at least let's hope so.
In none Huskies football stuff, a nice win by the Dawgs on the hardwood. They may have given up 80 points, but there was no way that the Beavers were going to outscore them. Also, I got to watch an exciting game between Rutgers and #10 Florida in which the Scarlet Knights overcame a late 7 point deficit to get the upset win in 2OT. The most amazing thing was that 0 points were scored by seniors. On the season, freshman and sophomores have accounted for 82% of their total points. It is going to be a up and down season this year, but they may be on to something for the future.
Ok, back to the Alamo Bowl - I think RG3 can be successful in the NFL. I actually think he is still a bit green, but the dude has some freakish athleticism. In the past many successful dual-threat college QB's haven't been very successful in the pros but Cam Newton is showing that sometimes it doesn't matter - if you're a physical freak you can get things done.
I love the freshman Seferian-Jenkins and Kasen Williams.
Best of luck to Jermaine Kearse who ends his 4 year career with 2871 total receiving yards and 29 td's, both 2nd in school history. He was a part of that historically bad 2008 team but stuck with it and can say he was a key part of the UW revival.
The offense may even be better next year and should be great for a long while. If I'm a potential recruit and I play offense, I have to seriously think about UW. I mean, they are going to score some points
On the other side of the ball, I have no idea how Nick Holt keeps his job. I know that the administration isn't going to force Sarkisian to do anything, but how can he not go in another direction? I know that they are friends, but this defense kept them from winning 9 games in only his third season at the helm. I know there was a lot of leftover players from the old regime, but the offense was able to retool, why not the defense? This isn't USC. UW doesn't have the athletic freaks on defense that just blow up people.
Jeopardy style...Answer: 13. Question: How many more points did Oregon St score than Baylor did against the Huskies?

My Favorite NBA Jerseys

2011-12-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

In April 2010, one of my first posts on the blog was a list of the ten NBA jerseys I most wanted to have. It was a list not just of my favorite players in the league, but a combo of players I like to watch and jerseys that I just think are cool to look at. Well, since then a lot has happened in the NBA and I thought it was time once again to put out my list of top 10 (make that 11) jerseys I want to own. Let's get to it.

1. Brandon Roy (2010: #1) - This one is simple. Roy will always rank high on my list of favorite players, I love the Blazers road blacks and with his recent retirement, the jersey is suddenly retro.
2. Blake Griffin (NA) - Isn't this everyone's favorite?
3. Jon Brockman (#2) - I love the Brockness Monster and I really like the Bucks uni's a lot better than his old Kings jersey.
4. Deron Williams (NA) - This should be higher since he is the best player on my favorite team, but I just have the feeling he is leaving at the end of the year. Why get the jersey if it will be obsolete in a year.
5. Kevin Love (NA) - I love, love Kevin Love. Something about 20/20 lines just does it for me.
6. Tim Duncan/Manu Ginobili (#4) - I just love the classic look of their home whites. Oh, and I like the players.
7. David Lee (NA) - I really love his occasional 15/15 lines, but really what does it for me is the jersey. I love the logo on the front.
8. Danny Granger (#6) - Alternate yellow's are just ballin.
9. John Wall (NA) - I don't necessarily like the player, but I love the old school Bullets colors that the franchise is once again sporting.
10. Danilo Galinari (NA) - Picking a player was arbitrary, I just really like the powder blues.
11. Kevin Durant (NA) - I know all my Seattle friends will hate me for even suggesting this, but it is a proven fact - this team is super exciting and Durant is a stud.

So who dropped out from a year ago? Well, Brooke Lopez got bumped simply because he is not the same player he once was. I still love Steve Nash, but I grew tired of the Suns jerseys. Gerald Wallace and Andrew Bogut were replaced by other teammates on the list. And I'm waiting for Dwight Howard to get traded first.

Who almost made the cut - Kris Humphries, Kemba Walker, Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge, Quincy Pondexter, Isaiah Thomas, Ricky Rubio, Dirk Nowitzki, Nate Robinson, Eric Gordon

Big Day for Huskies

2011-12-28T21:32:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday with your families. Mine was especially nice this year, but I am glad to get back to blogging. The holiday is officially over so it's time to get back to work. This goes doubly for the Huskies, who have both a key basketball game against Oregon St on Thursday at 6pm and a nationally televised Alamo Bowl game against Baylor at the same time.

Both games are important to the sports program, but I think the basketball game is the more important of the two. I know beating Baylor and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III would be a great way to not only end 2011 but gain momentum going into 2012, but I don't think it is a must-win game. I had a hunch heading into last year's game against Nebraska that the Dawgs were going to step up and get the win - there were just too many signs - but this year feels a lot different. Whereas Nebraska was upset at being bumped to the Holiday Bowl to play a team they had already beat, Baylor is genuinely excited to have been invited to the Alamo Bowl. The reason is simple - it's Baylor. It's not exactly the most decorated football program, having played in only 8 bowl games in the past 30 years. Oh, and one other reason - Baylor has RG3.

I don't think many Huskies fans are expecting a win - not with our porous defense. I think a lot of fans are happy to be going to a second straight bowl game, even if it is not a New Years Day Bowl. Don't get me wrong, beating the newly crowned Heisman winner on national television would certainly be great for recruiting and morale. It would signal that indeed UW football has turned the corner. BUT, a loss won't cripple the program.

On the other hand, a loss on the hardwood would be disastrous. I'm sorry, I know Oregon St has been impressive in their first 11 games (9-2), but this is a team that Huskies should and need to beat, especially at home (OSU only has 1 win against a RPI Top 100 team, so take the 9 wins with a grain of salt). The Huskies are one of the most talented, if not THE most talented team, in the conference, but so far they have been incredibly underwhelming, limping into the conference schedule with a 6-5 record (RPI: 107). Losses to Duke and Marquette showed what they could become, but losses to St Louis, Nevada and South Dakota St exposed their flaws. Talent alone will certainly win games, but this team just seems to be lacking something. Their three leading scores are underclassmen. Their three captains have been non-existent. Their frontcourt is led by a guy who can't stay on the court and when he is on the court can't get out of his own way. And their most talented player is a freshman who is expected to leave for the NBA at the end of the season, who can't play with their second best player, who turns the ball over way too much and who just appears to be a wrong fit. Ok, maybe 'wrong fit' is a little too much, but he certainly isn't buying into the team concept like other big name recruits have.

UW needs to win either the conference regular season or conference titles. With a 6-5 out of conference record (which should go to 7-5 after playing Seattle U), I think they will need to go at least 13-5 in PAc-12 play plus win 1 or 2 games in the tournament to be in the dance. That would put them with a record of roughly 22-11. A loss to Oregon St would make things really tough. They get a nice break with avoiding a trip to the Bay Area, but I could see either Cal or Stanford picking up a win at Hed Ec when they visit in late January. I think they will probably drop 1 game on the road in Oregon and could possibly lose both games on the road at USC and UCLA late in the year. Add in potential road losses in Tucson and the Pullman and suddenly this team is looking at their 5-6 conference losses. If this holds true, that means every other game must be a win. Thus, the importance of the conference opener against Oregon st.

It is a shame that both games will be on at the same time tomorrow night as each deserve my attention. When faced with simultaneous start times, I will be watching the Alamo Bowl simply because there will be no more football until September. BUT, I will be keeping a close eye on the more important of the two - the home tilt against the Beavers.

Bow Down.

Christmas Wish Lists

2011-12-23T23:28:00.001-08:00

For sports fans, this is a great time of year - the NFL playoffs chase is on, the NHL and NBA are finally up and running, College Bowl Week is in full swing and MLB is merely a few weeks away. It has been a rough year for most of my teams, but at this current moment, I am at peace with the sports world. Instead of giving my extensive wish list for the next year, I thought instead I would ask the man in the red suite to bring some of my most lotal friends and readers what they want (or at least what I assume they want)

For my boy J-Will, that the Seahawks finally get some respect around the NFL. He is tired of them being a punching bag.

For my boy Irish Mike, revenge on City. That home loss really hurt.

For my boy D-Lib, more La Liga and Bundesliga and less Series A on Fox Soccer at all hours of the night.

For my boy Walker-Martin, consistent effort from the Devs. He is ok with losing, but he is not ok with a lack of effort. Oh, and he would like a long-term replacement for Brodeur.

For my boy T-Wetz, another Patriot League title for the Bison. I know a championship for the Phillies or Eagles would mean more, but I simply can't wish for that.

For my boy Gorman, having the Syracuse Orange avoid Bucknell in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.

For my boy Stebo, a reason to watch Mets games in September (this will probably be the most difficult of all requests)

For The Wife, a chance to have dinner and a drink with Kaery Keller. And one with Zach Scott, too.

For my boy Stollercoaster, that the Bears select the best Michigan player, whoever that may be.

Ok, I can't resist one wish for myself - I wish for a first round win in the MLS Playoffs for the Sounders.

TuesdayTweets

2011-12-20T08:51:00.000-08:00

I don't tweet, but if I did, here is what I would have been saying over the past week...

-Congrats to Scott Niedermayer. 3rd retired Devils jersey. Classy guy. Best skater I ever saw. 3 Cups with NJ

-Patrick Elias now all-time Devils leader in goals, assists, points AND games played. Third best player in franchise history??

-Scott Stevens, Marty Brodeur 1-2 in some order. Niedermayer, MacLean, Elias 3-5 in some order

-Now can listen to KJR on FM. Enjoy all the Seahawks talk. Really like Doug Baldwin and Marshawn Lynch. Bought a hat for cheap…Conversion?

-Devils = offensive juggernauts

-Cards and Seahawks both now 7-7. Kudos for not rolling over after starting 2-6

-#Fantasyfootballhate. Brees, Colston, Chris Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Mike Wallace

-Funny SNL Tebow clip over weekend. God must have been at Country Music Christmas Special

-Packers better off with loss in game 14 than in game 19

-Sad to hear about Brandon Roy. Expected the day to come someday. Glad he got out now before destroying future. Never forget UW days

-Might be something really wrong with UW hoops. Might be more than just growing pains/chemistry…

-Nets need to get Howard. Just don’t see it happening. #BigMenLoveLakers

-Nets WAGs might have lost Sharapova and Kim K, but received consolation prize of Candace Parker. Girl can ball.

-Parker a favorite of mine, but will always be behind Sue Bird

-Alex Morgan looks really great in those Nike Cold Winter ads.

-Possible that NBA teams r not signing Humphries because of his terrible reality show stint? Maybe but 4.7/3.1 pre-2011 average doesn’t help

-Don’t care if Battier has lost a step. Perfect signing for Heat. Title favorites

-My two year old is perfecting the art of soccer diving. Practices 5 times a day when told to put toys away or go to bed. Ronaldo is proud

-Best way to save money at Christmas: find unopened stuff in garage and give them to 2-year old as gift

-Kid got a King Felix book for Xmas. All fun and games until they talked about his grand slam against the Mets. Not cool

-Check out @BrikDesign for all your graphic design needs

-Mets signings not sexy, but will help. Improve pitching by strengthening bullpen. Francisco, Ramirez, Rauch, Parnell, Acosta, Byrdak, Beato

-Mets ERA in losses – 6.69. Decrease by a run and probably win 5-10 more games. Oh, offense needs to help too

-Sandy praying for HUGE years from Ike, Duda, Bay, Wright, Murphy. Possible signings Jack Wilson, Ronny Cedeno won’t help

-Just getting to see some 30 for 30 reruns. Loved Run Ricky Run. Dude is interesting, complex.

-Can’t help but think media has changed their mind about Ricky after seeing this

-How bad was Nets’ Outlaw contract? New contract with Kings – 4yr/$12m is terrible…AND $33m less than Nets original

-Worse loss this weekend? Giants? Ravens? Jets? Titans? Close call but I go Giants. Just can’t lose that game.

-Favorite kits in EPL – Norwich City. LOVE yellow-green. Same scheme as my NBA Live ‘02 Tamarack Turtles. Favorite relegated kits-Blackpool

-Speaking of kits, really like Montreal whites and (gulp!) Timbers 3rd. No judgment on Sounders 3rd. Might be ok in person

-Love WWE direction right now. Have a feeling it might be short lived with current champs, but a great step forward for the company.

-CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Zack Ryder, Cody Rhodes, Miz, Del Rio, Ziggler, Kingston. Love new era. WOO WOO WOO You know it!

-Great bowl match-ups this year. Def hard to win Bowl Pick-Em. Best pre-Christmas bowl – So Miss v Nevada. Both Top 15 in total yards

-I still love the bowl system – not the BCS, but the smaller bowls between Christmas and New Years. No Bowls after Jan 1

-Teams with interim coaches for bowls: UCLA, Illinois, Pitt, OSU, PSU, Houston

-NBA Conference Finals I want: Miami-Knicks, Clippers-Thunder

Come On, Lunardi

2011-12-17T21:04:00.000-08:00

Every so often, I like to check out Joe Lunardi's Bracketology to see what seed Bucknell is likely to get come tournament time. This week I scanned the 15's and didn't see them. Then I looked at the 14s and didn't see them. Then I went to the 13s, a seed that I think might be a bit too high, and didn't see them. So (gulp!) I looked at the 16s and saw a weird name - the American Eagles representing the Patriot League...

I'm sorry Joe, I know there are over 300 teams in D1 basketball and I know you know more about each team than 99.9% of the world, but I'm sorry...you are an idiot. I'd like to admit that I am being a homer here, but it's not the case. I don't care about their record, but American is NOT a better team the Bucknell. They will not win the Patriot League title this year. It is just not going to happen.

It's clear that Joe really does all his homework on the big leagues, spending his time deciding whether the Big East gets 10 teams in or not. He doesn't have time to carefully study the small leagues, so he goes with record. So let me do the work for him and go over the two seasons to date.

With a 26 loss to #17 Georgetown, American is now 8-4 on the season. As of his last update, they were 8-3 with their 3 losses coming to Richmond, Maryland-Eastern Shore and St. Francis. RPI's for those three are 77, 279 and 310 respectively. They have a quality win against RPI 22 St Joseph's (and non other than Joe Lunardi's employer). They had only played 4 teams with RPI's <200. Three of their wins were against Howard (313), Maryland Baltimore County (336) and Hampton (335).

Prior to Bucknell's win at home against Richmond (a team that made the Sweet 16 last year) they were 5-4 against D1 schools with their losses all coming on the road to Minnesota (RPI 21), Vanderbilt (RPI 7), George Mason (RPI 182) and LaSalle (RPI 132). While they had no signature win, they had no terrible loss to a team in the 300s. Oh, and their losses to Minnesota and Vandy were by 12 points. This isn't Maryland Eastern Shore- these are two teams from power conferences.

If that isn't enough, they have two common opponents - St Francis and now Richmond. Bucknell is 2-0 and American is 0-2. With a high profile game against #1 Syracuse on Wednesday, I expect to see their RPI surpass American's and I expect it to stay that way for the rest of the season.

The Bison returned 4 starters including League POY Mike Muscala and league Defensive POY Brian Cohen from a team that went 13-1 in conference. American lost 4 starters from a team that went 11-3 in conference, but didn't even make it to the PL Tournament final. I could have handled it had Lehigh been the prediction - at least they have the leading scorer in the league - but American? Come on. That is a joke.

Some NBA Truths

2011-12-16T06:58:00.001-08:00

For the second time in a year, it looks like the Nets will not be getting their man. For the second time in a year, the Nets have alienated their current players. For the second time in history, they are pointed in a really, really, really bad direction.

Last year, the trade offer from the Nets to the Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony were made really public. The Nets appeared to have two strong trades - one including 4 teams in January and then one straight up with Denver in mid-February. Both deals centered around the Nets sending Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and some of their stockpile of first-round picks to Denver.

While most Nets fans (and probably playes too) were excited by the possibilities, all the rumors really got to Devin Harris. In the 20 games after the first trade fell through, he saw his scoring (12.4 vs 16.6), shooting (40.3% vs 42.6%) and rebounding (2.0 vs 2.6) go down (interestingly though his assists went up from 6.8 to 9.0). Ever since his name was first mentioned in trade talks in November 2010, Harris felt betrayed by Avery Johnson, who he had pushed to hire. He sulked and was miserable. It was clear that something needed to be done before he poisoned the rest of the team. Luckily for the Nets they not only found a trade partner, but they were able to net Deron Williams in return. Things were suddenly bright. They had a boat load of cap space and a bonafied star.

But here is where things get dicey. Williams was unable to re-sign until January and under the new CBA who be a fool not to opt out once that date comes. He is going to be a free agent after this year. While moving to Brooklyn and being the face of the franchise is an exciting thing, Williams wants to win. He will not be sticking around if his supporting cast is not upgraded. That is the truth.

Ok, so the Nets know this. They know they need to make a splash. Aside from trading for LeBron or Wade, there is single player who could have a bigger affect on the Nets than Dwight Howard. He is the most dominant center in the game and if combined with a franchise PG, the possibilities would be endless. The problem as in the past is finalizing the deal.

Howard has made his trade request public. But unlike Carmelo, he actually wants to come to NJ (or the Lakers or Mavs). He wants to join forces with D-Will. He wants to be a member of the Brooklyn Nets. And yet somehow, for the second time in a year, the Nets were unable to make the trade. I know that after failing to convince Melo to come to the Nets, they turned around and traded for D-Will, but the difference is that NO ONE saw that Utah trade coming. No one had their feelings hurt by the Utah rumors because no one knew about them. The Melo rumors killed the team and if the Nets aren't careful, the Howard rumors are going to kill them too.

Teams are within their right to shop and inquire about players. It is part of the game, but when those talks become public and when the talks then break down, the teams need some damage control. Brook Lopez is now in a similar spot to Harris last year. He knows the team wants to replace him. He knows that they are not committing to him. He knows that he is trade bait. It is certainly an unenviable place to be in. Considering the rumors of his unhappiness with Johnson, I can't believe that this is going to end well. Once considered a cornerstone of this organization, he is coming off a disappointing year and has now been publicly disgraced. The Nets are going to need to do something - whether damage control with Lopez or somehow getting Orlando to pull the trigger.

And that leads me to the second truth: the Nets are not going to get Howard. I know that Howard wants to come here, but Orlando is asking for a ransom. Acquiring Lopez and a draft pick (plus Gerald Wallace from Portland) and shedding itself of Hedo Turkoglu's contract is not going to be enough for Orlando. They want more. And now they have another serious bidder - the LA Lakers. You know, the team with all the NBA titles; the team who's center lineage include Shaq, Kareem and Wilt; the team who just were upstaged by the Clippers; the team that can offer Gasol and/or Bynum. Yeah, the simple truth is the Nets don't have enough to keep up. They are not ready for primetime. They will not get Howard.

And finally, the last truth: the Nets, without Dwight Howard, will lose Deron Williams after the year. He will realize by game 40 that leading a team made up of Brook Lopez, Andrei Kirilenko, Anthony Morrow and 6 of his namesakes is not the situation he deserves. He will bolt and they will become miserable again. It is as simple as that.

The World Might End

2011-12-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am writing this, but I am officially in love not only with Tim Tebow, but (GULP!) Cam Newton as well. As many of you know, I am a NFL Fan Free Agent. My early life was spent loving Phil Simms and the NY Giants. After a few years of the Dave Brown experience (and seeing Simms break down physically) I decided to jump ship and go with an expansion team, the Carolina Panthers. There have been some really tough times over the years (1-15 in 2001 with the amazing Chris Weinke under center!), but I have been faithful. Last year was a little different though. The anti-Christ himself, Jimmy Clausen started 10 games, winning 1 and compiling a 58.4 rating. Johnathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams combined for 3 rushing td's, Steve Smith led the team with 554 receiving yards and Julius Peppers was making the Pro Bowl for the Bears. In addition to having no favorite players on the team and living 4000+ miles away fantasy football has made me not care. It has affected me in ways I never expected - I now root for players from different teams and no longer have a favorite franchise.

So I officially cut ties with Carolina. Then in April when they drafted Cam Newton, I knew I made the right choice...I mean, come on, I really really disliked Cam Newton during his time in Auburn. Not only did I not believe that he was that good, but he just seemed really smug. I'm not sure what it was about him - he just was really unlikable.

Now fast forward 8 months and I officially am sold on Newton. I'm sure it's only because I own him in one of my fantasy leagues, but wow, he is totally an amazing player. Unlike other QB's who used their legs to win games in college, Newton has actually carried over that success to the pros. It is crazy, but somehow Newton is not only a threat with his legs, but he has a cannon for an arm. The dude is a freak - 6'5", 248 pounds and he can run a 4.59 40-yard. On the season he has thrown for 3573 yards and 15 td's (vs 16 int's), but has an amazing 13 rushing td's. I can't remember when the press conference was, but when asked who was the goal line back, head coach Ron Rivera emphatically stated it would be Cam Newton - not the 'franchise' RB who they had just re-signed in the offseason for $43 million or the 235 pound beast who had 10 td's in both 2008 and 2009. Nope, not DeAngelo Williams or Jon Stewart. Cam Newton was the goal line back. Rivera blatantly told teams his strategy, but yet he has 6 td's over the past 4 games. I kind of wish I hadn't cut my ties...until I realize how bad this team is. Then I remember that I can continue to like Newton from afar and not have to be a Panthers fan.

Then, there is the growing legend known as Tim Tebow. I recently wrote about him after the Detroit game, saying that I needed a few more weeks of amazing comebacks before I fully converted to the Church of Tebow. Well, after this past Sunday's game against Chicago, I am a believer. I turned the game off with 5 minutes left and Denver losing 10-0 to Chicago. There was NO WAY Denver was coming back. I went over to a family party and my brother-in-law tells me that they won. Somehow Tebow led them down the field for a td with 2 minutes left. Then after some poor clock management by Chicago, Matt Prater hit a 59 yard FG to tie and then a 51 yard FG to win it in OT. A lot of people will credit the Denver D. Some will credit Prater for crushing two clutch FG's. Some will blame Marion Barber. Me? I am officially giving credit to Tebow. Tebow has made a pact with GOD and has turned the 1-4 Broncos into a division winning 8-5 team. How else can you explain it? Through the first 55 minutes on Sunday, Tebow completed 8 of 24 passes for 106 yards. Then on the final 3 drives he went 13-16 for 130 yards and 1 td. How is it possible to suck that long and then all of a sudden pull something out of your ass? It is not humanly possible. There has to be some sort of divine intervention.

So there ya have it - I love Tim Tebow and Cam Newton. The world might be coming to an end.

The NHL is officially on notice.

2011-12-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

That's right, the New Jersey Devils just traded 2 glorified paperweights (Rod "Nobody Calls Me the Bod" Pelley and Mark "Who?" Fraser) to the less than mighty Ducks of Anaheim County Incorporated of Los Angeles proper, CA.

The return? Defenseman Kurtis Foster and Goaltender Timo Pielmeier. That's right, minor league goalie Timo Pielmeier. Now that minor league goaltender Timo Pielmeier is in the system the Devils will stop giving up shorthanded goals and treading water at .500.

Translation: the Devils are about to start kicking ass and taking names. The rest of the league is officially on notice. All because we traded 2 guys that passed through waivers twice this year because nobody wanted them and got minor league goalie Timo Pielmeier.

What I Missed...

2011-12-10T23:42:00.000-08:00

As many of you know by now, my last week was spent in Jersey away from the family. Apparently that time away did something to my brain as I tried to take The Incident to soccer practice this morning with no shoes on. I drove all the way to Edmonds, got out of the car to get her, noticed she had none on and then got back in the car. Apparently I forgot how to be a dad in only 6 days. Crazy.

Anyways, it seems that a lot of stuff has gone on in the past week. I have been fairly present on the blog over the past week, but definitely missed out on a lot. This is my opportunity to quickly address some of them

-I always like to lead off with Sounders' news (even in December) as we have found Keller's replacement. Oh wait, Sigi refuses to call him that. Instead, Michael Gspurning is the Sounders' new goalie. I will be honest - I had never heard of the guy (he's an Austrian playing in Greece) and have gotten all my info on him from SounderAtHeart. With that being said, I am pleasantly optimistic as it sounds like Gspurning might be able to present the team with something Keller didn't - confident play out of the back. I can't remember how many times I winced watching Kasey kick a ball played to his feet - it just wasn't a strong point of his game. If the G-Man (we learned that the G is not silent) can help start the build-up and be merely solid in the pipes, then this should be a good thing.

-Wait, so both Manchester United and Manchester City failed to make it out of the Champions League group stage, but Arsenal did? I knew City was in trouble, but I somehow missed that United was struggling. Wow, what a crazy result.

-Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson spurned the Marlins to sign with the Angels. I know I am not the only one who was shocked by this. After Pujols failed to meet the Marlins' deadline, it was assumed he would be taking the Cardinals 10 year, $220 million contract. Yet it was the Angels who swooped in to sign him for $255 million over 10 years. It is simply an amazing turn of events considering the Angels had never even been rumored as in the mix. I know Pujols has been the best player over the past 10 years, but assuming he will keep it up for the next 7 years (let alone 10 years) is a gamble (just ask A-Rod how his lat 30's are treating him). I know he is the best player in the game, but a contract like this could end up killing them, especially since their is a no-trade clause. Personally, I would have been upset had the Mets signed him for that much. As for Wilson, I think it is a perfect place for him. I don't believe he is a true #1 starter and he won't have to be in Anaheim, where Jered Weaver and Dan Haren are firmly the top two. Wilson should get 18-20 wins again as pitching third in the rotation will cover up some of his blemishes.

-UW lost a heart breaker to #11 Marquette and then by 6 to #5 Duke over the past week. Bottom line is that Huskies sit at 4-4 on the season, but I honestly think the recent results are something to be optimistic about. Marquette and Duke are quality teams and while they weren't true road games, UW did step out of it's home comfort zone and played fairly well. I think this is a young team with too much talent to miss the NCAA Tournament - it just might take a while to gel.

-David Stern stepped in to veto the three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul to LA, Pau Gasol to Houston and Lamar Odom, Luis Scola and others to New Orleans. Apparently, many small market owners were upset that another big market team strong-armed a small market team into trading their star. I get it. It sucks, but the fact is that all three teams agreed to the trade. New Orleans can't afford to re-sign Paul at the end of the year, so they are trying to move on before the year starts. It is their prerogative to make the trade. The problem I have will the whole thing is that New Orleans is owned and run by the NBA. They have no owner. I understand that some moves need to be made in order to keep the team somewhat competitive, but this trade is one that will drastically change the league. This is Chris Paul we are talking about, not Darren Collison. I think the BA has a major conflict of interest here, but I'm not sure where to go since they do legally own the team.

-The rumor in Nets-land is that Dwight Howard is asking the Magic to trade him to the Nets after having spent some time talking to D-Will in the off-season (and after allegedly meeting against the rules with the Nets last week) about teaming up. The trade would be Howard and Hedo Turkoglu's contract for Brook Lopez and two1st round draft picks. This will be the only time I will comment until it becomes official (if at all). Obviously this would be amazing for the Nets, but they would still be a few open roster spots that they would need to fill. Howard, D-Will, Turkoglu and Morrow would be 4 of the starters, but I don't know who plays PF and who comes off the bench besides the horrible Travis Outlaw. I like Brook a lot and think it might be a good thing for him too - I have this feeling he wasn't a huge fan of Avery Johnson and think he can still be that 22/11 guy we thought he could be at one time.

-Brandon Roy retired at the age of 27. He was one of my favorite players in the league because his game was really like none other. He could have been a top-10 player if not for those terrible knees. Every time I thought about him running around with bone-on-bone friction, I cringed and prayed he would get out before he injured himself beyond repair. While he will be missed, it is the right move.

-Ryan Braun, the 2011 NL MVP, has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Apparently he did so a month before winning the award, and since being informed of the results, has has been disputing his case. According to Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn "a source close to Braun said that when he was told about the positive test, he immediately requested to be tested again. That second test, using a different sample that was tested by Braun's camp, the source said, was not positive. Those close to Braun believe that the difference between the two tests will show that the first test was invalid. Although Braun's representatives acknowledge that a non-positive test would not negate a positive one, they believe the second test shows certain anomalies that will suggest problems with the first. They declined to specify." Man, this is a bit of a shocker, although it seems like there might be something sketchy here. I am going to hold back judgment until I find more info on what the anomalies are.

-Congrats to Brad Guzan for earning his first EPL start on Saturday, a 2-1 win over Bolton. Guzan has long been the second string keeper for the US team, but has recently fallen out of favor. He has consistently failed to get any playing time in the EPL, leading many to wonder if his opportunity has passed him by. I still think he is the best option if Howard was to go down tomorrow. Maybe not in 4 years, but certainly now. I imagine he will go back to the bench once starter Shay Given returns in a month, but who knows - maybe he will force the coaches hand.

Gotta Go To Mo's

2011-12-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

One of the underrated things about coming back to Jersey for a few days (besides being able to watch the Devils) are the Jersey version's of Modell's and Sports Authority. I'm not sure anyone really appreciates how awesome the stores are out here, but I certainly do.

You see, whereas the Seattle versions center around outdoor sports, the Jersey versions center around sports gear. Go to any Jersey store and you will see a shit-ton of fan gear from all the major teams (except the Isles of course). I'm talking hats, jackets, jerseys, shirts, sweats as well as beer coozies, playing cards, beer glasses, slippers, signed photos, coasters, magnets, Christmas ornaments and a lot of stuff I can't even remember. It's stuff you just can't find in Seattle.

Yesterday I took a trip to the second largest mall in America, the 4-story Palisades Mall in West Nyack. For those who have never been, this place has a Lowe's Theater, an ice hockey rink, a bowling alley, a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, Dave and Busters and a JC Pennys that is 3 stories high. I met my boy J-Will for lunch and he called the Food court a Food Mall because of all the choices (interestingly they had a place that specialized in Grilled Cheese sandwiches, a food that I have never seen an adult order at a restaurant).

My time spent in the Modell's at Palisades was very enjoyable. They had 2T and 3T Davd Wright jerseys and Mets jackets that would have looked great on The Incident, but I was disciplined and didn't splurge on. They also had a really beautiful Zach Parise jersey and Jose Reyes jerseys marked at only 20% off (I think they will learn that no self-respecting Mets fan will by this for anything more than 80% off). But my favorite items were some Panini sticker books. I'm not sure anyone reading this will know what they are, because the only place I had ever seen them was in South Jersey during, but they brought back some memories. basically, instead of buying cards, you bought packs of stickers and stuck them on the appropriate page. It was like having all your cards on one page to see. I was very tempted to buy one, but they only had 1 stinking pack of stickers left, which means that someone must be enjoying them.

Then I went to Sports Authority and looked at their wall of hats. It had to be 30 wide by 10 high and it was all NY sports teams. At first, it was impressive but then I noticed that you could buy Mets hats in black and white or red and white. If you have ever engaged me in a conversation before, you probably know my feelings on this, but I truly believe you need to wear your teams colors. A green or pink Mets hat is bad enough, but Mets hats in the colors of the Yanks or Phils is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. If you buy one of these and call yourself a fan, you should be ashamed and have your fan card taken away.

After leaving the hat section, I then began to test all the ice hockey sticks - something I did all the time as a teenager in jersey, but something I have not done once in Seattle. The only things I didn't do were try to dunk on the 8 foot hoops and test out all the workout equipment because...well, at sometime you have to grow up. (speaking of growing up, why was I so happy that they had an amazing Lego Store?)

Anyways, the trip to the mall was a good one. I was proud of myself for not blowing our budget...I survived. And yet, I put myself through the agony again the next day as I stopped into another Modell's store. I had a Mets jacket in my hand that I had every intention of buying for The Incident. I walked around the store and then decided to put it back, to instead use my money on white Castle. Two days, multiple sports stores and no purchases. I am happy that I remained disciplined, but know that if I still lived in Jersey things would be different (I'm talking discipline with buying Mets gear, but in general things would be a lot different). So while Seattle sports stores aren't as exciting as their Jersey counterparts, my wallet is thankful that I get to shop in them on a regular basis.

2011-12-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

My grandfather passed away last Friday at the age of 96. I have spent the last few days in new Jersey trying to help my mom sort everything out with my grandmother. It has definitely been an interesting few days, but every time I get a little sad I try to think of all the good times I had with him. One of the things we always had a good time with was talking baseball. My grandfather was a Yankees fan. I obviously am a huge Mets fan.

He would wear his Yankees hat high on his head (with no curve of course) and would always ask me "Robert, did you watch the Yankees last night? They won again." To which I always said "No. I hate the Yankees." He would always laugh and then proceed to tell me about the new players on the team who he hadn't heard of. Then he would try to throw me a bone and tell me that he did actually watch the Mets the other day. At first, I think he was just kidding me, but in the previous few years, I'm pretty sure he would watch the Mets. You see, he didn't have cable and relied on the weekly Yankees games on 11 or the Mets games on 9 to watch baseball. Still, he would always carry on the old conversation and razz me about the Mets.

I opened up his closet today and on the top shelf was his Yankees hat. I took it down and thought for a split second about putting it on my head. Then I looked at the size and luckily it was a 1/4 size too small for me (thus eliminating any chance of me committing adultery) so I didn't put it on. Instead, I just held it in my hands and I couldn't help but smile. While I hate the Yankees more than the Devil himself, I was happy to be holding the hat and have since given serious thought to bringing it home. I'm not sure exactly what I would do with it if Grandma is ok with me having it, but I think it is something I want to do...and I don't think it makes me a bad fan.

Feels Like a Slap in the Face

2011-12-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

So Jose Reyes is no longer batting leadoff for the New York Mets. He is no longer with the only franchise he has known since he was 17. He is now the newest signing of the newly named, newly rich Miami Marlins.

I had a feeling this day would come, and at times I even suggested that I would be ok with it. I feel like I have said it so many times - the Mets were in a shitty situation with Reyes. If he re-signed, his next tenure was bound to be destroyed by injuries. If he left, his tenure with his new team was bound to be highly successful. Simply put, we were damned if we do, damned if we don't.

But now that I sit here knowing that Reyes is officially leaving Flushing, I can't help but be a little sad. Not only does this symbolize the end of a once promising era, but it pretty much signifies the start of our rebuilding process. I thought that we could possibly win 80 games in 2012 and 2013...but now I think we are headed for 65 wins over the next two years (at least). Oh, and I think we trade David Wright. I know Sandy said that Reyes' status did not affect Wright's status, but come on...it obviously does.

I understand that this fan base, which can be hot and cold with players, had it's low moments with Jose Reyes. I understand that he might have been frustrated with the fans and I fully believe that players don't owe anything to the fans, but this just feels like a slap in the face. Jose, it's ok that you wanted to get paid, but to go to the Marlins, an inter-division team, is just insulting. I get that they have a new stadium and new direction. I get that Miami is close to the Caribbean, but come on. The Mets gave you the opportunity to make it to the big leagues. The Mets stuck with you when you were constantly hurt. The Mets were willing to pay you pretty decent money...and yet, it wasn't good enough. You went to the Marlins. the only worse teams would have been the Phils, Yanks and Braves. Come on, Jose.

There is No Debate

2011-12-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

I want to be brief with this because to me there is no debate. Alabama is the second best team in the nation and deserves to be playing in the BCS Title Game. It's not the match-up that I would want - I would love to see high-flying Oklahoma go against the LSU defense - but when you look at the resumes, it's the only option.

I understand that Alabama did not win their conference, let alone their division. But in the world of the BCS, where they award at-large bids to teams who don't win their conference, you don't need to win your conference to play for the title. If you want to mandate that teams must win their conference in order to play for the title, then the BCS needs to get rid of at-large bids. It's as simple as that.

I understand that they already had their shot, but it's not like they got blown out. Everyone making this argument seems to believe that their loss was the definitive statement that they aren't worthy of a shot, but the fact remains that they lost 9-6 in Overtime to the team currently ranked #1. If this had been 1990, we would have had a tie and both teams would still be ranked 1-2. But in 2011, there must be a winner and thanks to a little bit of luck, LSU happened to get the FG in overtime. Had one play gone differently, we might be talking about Alabama being #1.

While Alabama lost by a field goal in overtime to the top ranked team in the nation, Oklahoma St, playing under difficult circumstances following the loss of the schools women's basketball head coach, lost in Ames, IA to Iowa St, a team that is 6-6 on the year. I'm sorry, but they need to win that game. They blew through all the other challenges during the season - Oklahoma, Texas, Baylor, Kansas St, but choked with the finish line in site.

If you throw out the names and conferences of the two schools in question and simply look at the resume, you see one team's only loss was to a 12-0 team while the other lost to a 6-6 team. I'm sorry folks, but it just doesn't add up. While Oklahoma St would be a more interesting opponent, Alabama is the more worthy opponent.

**

In other college football bowl news, how exciting is the Baylor-Washington game gonna be. Three weeks ago I officially backed Robert Griffin III as my Heisman candidate - now I get to see him officially shred my team's defense. Yikes.

Roger Levesque. Zach Scott.

2011-12-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

Following Taylor Graham's retirement today, those are the only two remaining USL Sounders on the team. I'm not sure anyone would have seen that coming - surely the bets would have been on LeToux and Graham but at the end of the day, Graham could only do one thing...and he did that below average. Say what you want about Scott and Levesque, but the two continue to hold on because of their flexibility. Whether it is in the center or on the sides, Zach Scott has shown that he can fill a role. Whether it is as a forward, midfielder or defender, Roger Levesque has shown that he can fill a role. Neither are the best players in the league, but they are versatile. Versatility is a great thing in a league with a salary cap.

There are a lot of other news and rumors going on around the team. I will try to summarize them for those who get all your Sounders information from this site.

First, MLS's convoluted version of free agency, the Re-Entry Draft goes down on Monday. In a nutshell, when a team decides not to exercise an option or sign a player to an extension, the player then becomes available in a draft (because you know, free player movement is too crazy an idea right now). The Re-Entry Draft happens in two stages. In the first stage, players must be signed by the team that selected them at last year's salary (or better). Players that are not selected in Stage 1 are then available in Stage 2. At that time, teams can offer any salary to them that they feel. They have exclusive negotiating rights for a certain amount of time. If they cannot agree to a contract then they become a free agent.

Ok, so the Sounders released Nate Jaqua, Pat Noonan, Terry Boss and the aforementioned Taylor Graham. The same day, Terry Boss retired on his doctor's advice because of reoccurring concussions. I was sad to hear that it came to this, but kudos to him for stepping away before his brain turned to jelly.

As for Jaqua and Noonan being released, I'm not sure there has ever been a sentence involving those two that made more people happy. They have been punching bags for the past two years. Fans hated them and now they are gone. I personally think that they both served a role on this team and wonder if they will be missed. Again, they were not great players, but they allowed Sigi to mix and match his team late in the season without having a huge drop-off. I personally refuse to think that Nate is done - this is MLS. He can still get 5 goals a year. He just needs a change in scenery.

Moving away from the re-Entry Draft (which I personally don't think we will take part in), it appears Mauro Rosales has been re-signed, for a salary some are saying will be comparable to El Flaco and Montero. This is certainly well deserved after he received only 40k last year, but it will be tough on the salary cap. When I wrote my piece last week about not pulling the trigger on Braun for Riley, I said it would have been a straight up trade salary wise, but I forgot to mention that we actually needed to shed salary to re-sign Mauro.

I wondered what they would be doing with the Right Back position since Riley wasn't that highly priced. Some reports say they are looking at Heiner Mora, a RB from Saprissa and the Costa Rican national team. That is great, but I have to think his salary would be as much if not more than Riley's. So what gives. Well, the guys at SounderAtHeart held a chat tonight (check it out, there is a lot of great stuff in it) and suggested that Sigi will look at Evans as a possible starting RB next year. Personally, I think this makes tons of sense since the Midfield will be uber-crowded once Zakuani returns. It is possible that not only Evans would be on the bench, but Friberg as well. Finding an internal replacement for Riley not named Zach Scott would be amazing.

Also in the chat, the guys seem to indicate that Michael Gspurning is indeed going to be our starting keeper next year and that the team would be stupid to trade for Stefan Frei. (personally, I have never seen him the -play, but I really like Frei, regardless of how many goals he gave up last season). They also indicate that the team is looking at Honduras for some talent as well as keeping an eye on the Tanzanian trialist famous for his play in the Manchester UNited friendly.

I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen, but I do think that there is a lot of moves still to be made by Hanauer and company. I don't think it will be a big time signing like Nicholas Anelka or Didier Drogba, but I do see them making one final trade to gain some more financial flexibility. While they won't be giving up any of their core players, I do think there will be some movement. I do know one thing though - whatever they do, I am excited by the possibilities.

*****

Oh, and one final thing, best of luck to Arlo White in his new gig as the voice of MLS on NBC. I know he was only with the club for two years, but I am going to miss him. Even in losses, I would always go to the website Monday morning just to listen to his calls. Some of my favorite moments over the past 2 years included not just the players, but Arlo as well. He will always be etched in my memory for his calls on Fucito's stoppage time winner against KC and Montero's late game winner against Chicago.

I don't want to compare him to the legend Doc Emerick, but this is now the second announcer that NBC has stolen away from me. While I wish him the best, I can only hope that we don't get another Kevin Calabro debacle.

In Tebow I Trust?

2011-12-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

In the NFL there are great QB's, good QB's, average QB's and below average QB's. Then there is Tim Tebow. I simply don't know where to group him because I have never seen anything like him. He is a crappy QB who somehow is winning with a less than spectacular team.

The NFL has it's share of bad QB's - Curtis Painter, Rex Grossman, Matt Moore, Tyler Palko, Tavarius Jackson - yet I might argue that Tebow is at the bottom. Have you ever seen him throw? He is terrible. Yet somehow he is winning.

In the past decade, the NFL has seen Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Jake Delhomme and Rex Grossman start under center in the Super Bowl. All were average QB's who played on great teams. Tebow is a below average QB on a team that drafted 2nd in the draft last year. Yet somehow he is winning.

I don't know how he is doing it but I am starting to come around on him. A few months back it would have been tough to find a bigger Tebow-hater than yours truly, yet somehow this ride he is taking us all on is doing something to me - it is capturing my imagination. Tim Tebow is not a good QB yet his team - a group of professional football players - believes in him like they are in college still. Even if he only completes 5 passes through the first 3 quarters he has instilled confidence in his teammates.

It is just amazing. After all, the Broncos changed their game plan to fit his needs. But unlike the sophisticated wishbone offenses seen in the college ranks (Army, Ga Tech, Air Force), this version of the wishbone leaves little to the imagination. Sure, there are some fake handoffs, direct snaps and reverses but at the end of the day, it's all about having the ball in Tebow's hands and letting him make decisions in the open field. The opposition knows that it is going to be Tebow all the time and yet he is still winning.

This is a team that started 1-4, traded their Pro Bowl WR and have old-man Willis McGahee as their starting tailback. In their last 4 games they have run the ball a total of 179 times (~45 times a game) while only throwing the ball 68 times (~17 times a game) for a ratio of 2:6 to 1. There is no balance and no semblance of a passing game. Opposing defenses aren't kept honest - they can play the run all day long and never be caught off guard by the pass. And when they are, Tebow throws a duck. He is a horrible passer. And yet hey continues to win.

Trust me, I don't want to believe. But when I saw San Diego settle for a 51 yard FG attempt in OT last week, I knew how the game was going to end. Novak would miss the FG. Tebow would drive Denver down the field. Matt Prater would hit the game winner. There was no doubt in my mind...and as expected, that is exactly what happened. Normally I would not buy into this - I mean, it has to be a fluke right? A few good weeks doesn't mean anything. Yet Tebow continues to do it. Aside from the blowout loss to Detroit, Tebow has been directly responsible for all wins - three fourth quarter comebacks (including 2 OT wins) and one comeback from a halftime deficit. He has not only given his team hope, but NFL fans as well. And unlike others, he has not failed yet.

I sometimes mock his image and his beliefs but I think there is something go on here (ok, the Tebow Knee is a bit too much - he is certainly overplaying it right now). He has GOD on his side. How else do you explain that a QB with a 45% completion percentage and an average of 128 yards in his 6 starts is somehow 5-1?

[ok, let's take a step back. The defense is remarkably good and the offense is not turning the ball over. In Tebow's 5 starts excluding the Detroit game, they have turned the ball over 2 times. Tebow himself has only turned it over 3 times in 7 games. It might not be pretty, but it is something the rest of the league hasn't seen yet. Not turning the ball over and winning the possession battle is winning them games]

I don't know if it will last - you have to imagine the rest of the league will catch on sometime - but if it continues for another two weeks, then I will be ALL IN. As for now, I am simply left to question my faith...in Tebow

My Day at the Apple Cup

2011-11-29T08:45:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-23T23:03:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-09T23:19:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-11-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

... 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...

2011-11-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

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.

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.
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.
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.
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

2011-11-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-11-01T22:39:00.001-07:00

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!

Total Domination

2011-10-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

There is nothing to be said about last nights thrashing to RSL besides that we were thoroughly dominated. I'd like to sit here and blame the Sounders for being flat and lacking intensity, but I just think RSL was the better team. Sure, there were a lot of turnovers and some pretty terrible play that the Sounders need to be held accountable for, but there is a huge reason why they played poorly: RSL.

No one besides Kasey Keller and possibly Fredy Montero had a good game. The Midfield was atrocious. It starts with Brad Evans, who I'm not sure I saw on the field at all, and it continued with Neagle, Flaco and Ozzie. The defense was equally bad, as Hurtado and Parke got owned all night. I honestly thought we were playing 2 men down the entire game - RSL was just that good.

And really, I should have seen it coming. Sure, I talked myself into thinking that RSL's late season slump was real and that Morales and Beckerman were somehow not going to mesh after being apart for nearly 5 months. But the reality is that they have the most talented squad from 1-11 in MLS (and this is something I said back in March when they were the clear favorites). I know Los Angeles ran away with the league, but to me, RSL has only one hole in their squad and that is 45 year old Andy Williams, who himself is no slouch.

In the end, RSL beat the Sounders and they frustrated them. Ozzie was lucky to have not been sent off. Putting your hands on an opponents face is a no-no. Retaliating away from the play is even worse. He is lucky.

So now we have a weird situation. We need to win 3-0 or 4-1 at home on Wednesday and you can't imagine the fans are going to be happy. If the team doesn't score early, the atmosphere in the stands is going to be toxic. I don't like to admit it, but it's the truth. They need to get an early goal and have the crowd help them get back into it. It it's 0-0 at half, then they are not going to have a chance because the crowd will have lost faith.

Overall, just a terrible night to be a Sounders fan. Here's hoping for a miracle on Wednesday.

It's Been a Damn Good Year

2011-10-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

The next two games will go a long way in determining whether the 2011 Sounders campaign was a success. It is sad to say considering the regular season success we have had, but if we flame out again in the first round of the MLS Playoffs, there will be a bitter taste left in our mouth. There is no way around it. So I wanted to take the time to write my review of the regular season prior to the playoffs as a reminder of just how great this season has been.

In terms of those on the field, I'm not even sure where to start, so I am going to start by giving Sigi his due. While I certainly respected the job that he did in his first two years in Seattle, I could never get around his love of Pete Vagenas. It was really such a small thing - I mean, Vagenas while not flashy certainly a capable player - but I just never understood why he got playing time over some younger guys who simply lacked experience. I also was dumbfounded how Seba LeToux could go from being a 1 goal guy for us in 2009 to MVP candidate for Philly in 2010 and 2011. Add in his terribly boring press conferences and I just started to have a bad taste in my mouth...well, that all went away this year as I have finally seen his worth. While he might not be the best tactical guy, his team management has been amazing. He was able to integrate the likes of Roger Levesque, Zach Scott, Pat Noonan, Servanda Carrasco and Nate Jaqua into the squad and not have it affect there success in any competition. Not only did they win the US Open Cup, but they finished 2nd in MLS and made it out of their Champions League group. Did I also mention that they were the highest scoring team in the league and the 4th stingiest team in the league? Did I also mention that they Blaise N'kufo, Steve Zakuani and O'Brian White within the first month of the season?? Ummm, yeah, I'm sorry Arena, but I think Sigi HAS to get the nod as coach of the year.

I want to also give some kudos to Adrian Hanauer for building this team. I know a lot of fans are still mad at him for not picking up a big name striker at the transfer deadline, but the fact remains that this team led the league in goals (56 from 15 different scorers(!)) AND they did it without the aforementioned trio of NKufo, Zakuani and White. I also know that a lot of fans are upset at the salaries that Jaqua, Evans and Noonan are carrying around, but he has made it work. Part of it is due to the professionalism of the USL Sounders - Scott, Levesque and Graham (ok, Taylor has never made the field, but I wanted to give him some credit) - for earning close to minimum salary. Part of it is due to Kasey Keller taking less money to play another year in Seattle. Part of it was luck (see Rosales, Mauro). All reasons combined, he has put together a team that not only can compete for the MLS title, but one that is deep enough to be successful in multiple competitions.

Ok, on to the field players, because ultimately they are ones who are respibsible for wins and losses. There is no better place to start than with the guy who retiring at the end of the year. I'm not normally in the 'goalie is the most important position on the field' camp, but it's hard to argue that Kasey Keller has not been the most important player for the Sounders over the past 3 years. A few howlers aside, Keller has been pretty amazing for a 40 year old. In 2011 he led the league in wins (18) and save percentage (76%) and was third in goals against average (1.09) for all keepers who played in more than 20 games. The most important think Kasey has brought however, is his leadership. He demands so much respect and accountability from his teammates and I could really see this team lifting the Cup simply as a homage to Keller.

From there, I think you have to talk about the continued development of both Fredy Montero and Ozzie Alonso. It is strange to say that considering Fredy's consistent scoring touch (12-10-12) over his first 3 years, but seriously, he is a completely different player this year than last. No one has ever doubted his talent, but this year he has mentally and emotionally matured to the point where he won't disappear if he doesn't score for 5 games. Even when he was in his dry spell early in the season, I was saying how well he has been playing. To point, in addition to being tied for 5th in goals, he was tied for 5th in assists. As for Alonso, their is not enough space or time to write about my love. He continues to be the backbone of the team and now has shown that he can contribute offensively. He has been a beast and I love him. (btw - I think both players will get looks from Europe this off-season, but I think they are both back for 2012).

The biggest surprise has of course been Mauro Rosales, aka "The Trialist". For those who don't know his story, it goes as such. Rosales, a former gold-medal winning M from Argentina who played for both Ajax and River Plate, found himself out of a job when his Mexican club Quetara FC in February. The club reports that he was hurt. Rosales contends that the team signed too many foreign players and thus were trying to save face by saying that he was hurt. His agent, former FC Dallas keeper Dario Sala, steered him towards MLS and specifically Seattle. The Sounders had minimal money to offer but somehow convinced him that this was the place he wanted to be. During the pre-season he joined the team under the moniker The Trialist (the team didn't want any other teams to find out about him) and instantly became a crowd favorite because of his work ethic. Once he became game fit, he became even more a favorite because well...he is awesome! For two years I have prayed that we could find a Latin American playmaker ala Javier Morales and David Ferriera and finally we got him. He brings something to this team that has never been seen before - vision and creativity. I am absolutely stoked thinking about him playing on the same pitch as both Montero AND Zakuani next year. Oh man, it is going to be nice.

Ok, in order not to spend entire paragraphs talking each player (and in order not to have a few more terrible transitions), I offer the following bullet points.

The most underrated player on the team remains Jeff Parke. I wasn't a huge fan of his at first because of the contract demands, but he has been well worth every penny we are giving him. He has been really great all season and definitely deserves a invitation to the US National Camp later this year.
It is great to have El Presidente back. He was a little shaky at first, but has really come on as of late. He is not the best with the ball at his feet, but I think he is an excellent man marker. Together he and Parke have been rock solid.
Tyson Wahl has been a nice surprise. I never thought I would feel comfortable with him as a starter, but he deserves to be playing over Leo.
James Riley has quietly had another solid season, so much so that Irish Mike is no longer killing him.
Zach Scott, The Cich's (formerly known as The Wife) second favorite player, has filled an important role. I don't like him at right back, but he stepped in nicely at center back when needed. Regardless of what you think of him as a player, he continues to be an inspiration for all those who have ever been told that they can't play.
El Flaco continues to wow me with some of his moves, but I would like to see him become a little more consistent. I am not hating on him in any sense of the word, but I simply think he has a HUGE upside that I would like to see fulfilled in Seattle.
Lamar Neagle is definitely the best story of the season. There is no way anyone could have imagined he would score 1 goal, let alone 5 (especially the game winner against RSL or the hat trick against Columbus). While he really cannot be compared to Zakunai, he did provide the team with much needed pace and his motor never stops running.
I am really excited about Sammy Ochoa and have been so since seeing his first two games (when he didn't score). I think he is a massive upgrade over Jaqua and hope he will be the best under-the-radar pickup of the year.
I like Mike Fucito. He creates a lot of chances, but I would like to see him convert more in MLS play. I think this could be the guy who we lose to Montreal should we not protect him.
Nate Jaqua continues to be on the roster. I was a defender in 2009 and 2010, but after his play this year, I can't say I am in his corner anymore. He has been bad and his salary is killing us.
Terry Boss is athletic and got some more playing time this year, but wow, he can be brutal at times. I like him as a back-up but don't think he can be considered a starter.
Pat Noonan filled a role but should be gone.
Eric Friberg and Brad Evans basically do the same thing, but Friberg is alittle more flashy and Evans is a little more dreamy. I continue to like Brad even though I know all of his warts. I assume he will be left available in the Expansion Draft and wonder if Montreal would indeed take a chance on him.
Roger is Roger. I love him, but only in limited doses. He is a great part of this team's identity.
Finally, a few words on some of the other guys. Servando Carrasco is dating Alex Morgan and has to control his bad tackles. David Estrada has shown some flashes of capability. Michael Tetteh is no where close to seeing the pitch. Josh Ford and Bryan Meredith both have upside but we are a few years from knowing their ceiling.

So yeah, I don't have many negative comments about this team. It has been an amazing year, not just from results, but from style of play. I leave 90% of the games with a huge smile on my face and really really really love this team. Considering that they are in their 3rd season AND that the league is growing, such success has been a blessing. I hope that they can continue their form and march forward into the Western Conference Final. If they don't...well, then I hope I can continue to realize how great this season has been.

Speak of the Devils

2011-10-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

I don't get to watch the Devils on tv, so I asked my boys Jay and Roby there thoughts on the team so far. I hope to make this a semi-regular feature (for all those who care to read this sort of stuff).

1. Are we officially ready to move on without Marty? In the past three years, (not including this year), Brodeur replacements have gone 50-33-4 with a 2.38 goals against while Marty has gone 87-60-12 with a 2.34 goals against. First, Clemmensen 3 years ago and now Hedberg this year and last, make me wonder if it is time for another direction (that being said, I know Hedberg isn't a long term answer)

I think that we are ready to move on from the Brodeur era. For a long time, it seems to me, the fans and team were looking for the next monster goalie that was going to carry the team for the next 15 years. I think this line of thought was erroneous. Obviously we can't rely on Hedberg much longer than this year or the next but the new NHL seems to rely on goalies who are good, that can turn it on when needed, but not necessarily great. There are a few young guys in the system that show some promise but we don't need them to be Brodeur 2.0. We need them to be good (not great) every day because the team that will be built around them will function in a different way.

I think that the team's defense will look much different over the next few years. Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill and Alex Urbom will create a really good blue line, hopefully for years to come. The team has had some really good forechecking moments this year, which comes from Pete DeBoer. There will be some more offensive kind of hockey in NJ, although it will never be confused with the Pens or Caps. Change will happen such that the team can move on without Brodeur, just not in the way people originally envisioned.

2. Thoughts so far on Adam Larrson? I see that he has 0 points through 7 games but I also see that he has the second highest minutes on the team (only behind Kovy).

Larsson is getting a lot of trust with his minutes. I like the way he has been playing and I'm pretty confident the points will come over time. His game will also get better with more confidence, which again, will come over time.

3. Elias has started out nicely. Can he be a 30-35 goal guy this year?

Sure. That will depend on who he plays with. 25-30 might be a little more reasonable, although 30+ is not out of the question.

4. Is Parise the answer at Center? How good does the Kovy-Parise-Palmieri line look?

The Parise-Kovy-RW x line looks good. Lots of energy. Kovy missed a fairly open shot last night. (By the way, I'm getting too old to stay up for an entire west coast game). Maybe Parise at center will last a while, maybe not. I think a secret issue is that the team sucks at RW. Zubrus, Palmieri, Sykora and Clarkson as the top 4 RWs do not inspire confidence. I like Zubrus, but he's also played center sporadicly. I don't think Sykora really brings anything to the team at this time. Clarkson falls down a lot and that sucks. Palmieri is somewhat invisible. One main difference between Kovy and Joe Thornton is that Palmieri has 2 assists playing with Kovy while he would probably have 4 goals and 4 assists playing with Thornton. Too bad.

5. Who has been the biggest surprise so far? biggest disappointment?

The centers have been a disappointment. No Zajac. No Josefson. Henrique hasn't played in 3 games (he looked good last night, though).

6. Thoughts on the team's future after 7 games?

Not a Cup champion right now, but they can play. They are a good team and I think will make the playoffs. Depends on how much they want it. Depends on injuries and what happens when Zajac, Josefson and Brodeur come back.

[In a later email, Jay sent me this link on their prospects. I must say I am excited to someday see Josefson, Larsson and Merril play. Very excited. Also glad to hear that there might be some young talent that will be ready to contribute in a year or two. Developing goalies isn't something the organization has had to do in 15 years]

25th Anniversary of Buckner

2011-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today is the 25th anniversary of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. I got hit heavy with some flu last night so I stayed at home today resting...ESPN Classic actually had the game on, so I watched a bit when not sleeping.

The biggest takeaway is how different everything is in 2011 than it was in 1986. That sounds like an obvious comment, but wow, the technology difference is ridiculous. In 1986, if you weren't at the game, the only way to know what was going on live was to watch on tv or listen to the radio. Now you can follow along on the internet, get updates from people at the game via text and Facebook, watch the game live on your hand-held device or watch it on a 70" LCD tv. (I know I am forgetting some) Oh, and turn in mid game and want to know the score, count and inning? Well, you're gonna have to wait because it was not plastered on the screen like it is today. Nope, you have to listen to the announcer or wait for the producer to put up the count in big bold letters towards the bottom of the screen in between pitches.

I certainly felt like a caveman watching the game, but to be honest, it was kind of nice. Today we are inundated with information on a real time basis. Sometimes it is nice to take a trip back to simpler days and realize why we loved baseball so much.

After having said that, here are some other random comments about the game:

Mustaches. I counted at least 5 for the Red Sox: Boggs, Buckner, Evans, Henderson, Rice. They were all thick and bushy
Lack of power. The Mets started Lenny Dykstra(1), Wally Backman(2), Mookie Wilson(7) and Rafael Santana(8). In comparisno, had they made the playoffs in 2011 (assuming Carlos Beltran was not traded) they would have hit Jose Reyes, Justin Turner, Angel Pagan and Josh Thole in those same spots. Obviously I would rather have the former lineup, but it's not like they were gonna hit it out of the park.
Do you know who led the Mets in batting with RISP in 1986? Scroll down for answer.
You forget what a physical specimen Daryl was until you see him play again. Dude was 6'6" and yet stole 28 bases on the year and hit 27 home runs
Vin Scully called the game. I must say I very much enjoyed the experience. In just the little that I heard, you could tell that he was a master of his craft. He was very subtle and subdued, but was amazing at painting a picture and getting his points across.
I love the Mets Bat Boys with the number 86 and their first name on the back. I think Mike did a better job than Paul.
It's strange watching old games knowing where the players careers would go. Clemens was on the mound and had great powerful stuff. Gooden pitched Game 5 and obviously had amazingly powerful stuff. i wonder who you would have thought would have the better career in 1986...well, we all know where they ended. Clemens won 300+ games and was considered one of the 10 best until the steroid charges hit. Gooden got into some hardcore drugs and was out of the game by 2000. He won 154 games across his first 10 seasons and 40 over his last 5.
Both teams combined for 5 errors in the game.
Replica jerseys were not very common in 1986. Instead, Mets fans had those awesome blue satin Starter jackets. They are classic and really a part of my definition of what it means to be a Mets fan.
Also, a big trend were those blue plastic bag undershirts that some of the guys, most notably 1st base coach bill Robinson wore under their jerseys...anyone have a clue what I am talking about?
I'm sorry, I know I'm probably a homer, but you cannot equal the atmosphere of Shea Stadium when the team was winning. That crowd in 1986 was amazing.
I remember Roger McDowell as a goofball, but the guy could pitch. He had crazy stuff, and one of the greater statlines I have seen. In 196 he appeared in 75 games and pitched 128 innings, going 14-9 with 22 saves. NO ONE does that anymore.
Wade Boggs hit leadoff for the Red Sox. That is strange to me...any idea if it was common?
Finally, the most sobering thing - it has been 25 years since the Mets won the World Series. I know the Cubs, Mariners and Expos have had longer, but it is starting to feel like I might never seen another in the next 25 years (or in my life, but that is a little tooo dramatic)

Oh, and the answer from above. Danny Heap hit .404 with RISP in 1986 to lead the team. Crazy.

Interesting Weekend

2011-10-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

It was an interesting weekend in the world of sports (or at least in the world of sports that I care about). There were a lot of different stories that I cared about, but the two biggest ones were of course the mauling of the Huskies and the mauling of Mauro Rosales.

I didn't think the Huskies had a real chance of beating Stanford on the road. I have so much faith in Andrew Luck that I knew he wouldn't let them lose. I figured he would throw for 400 yards and 5 td's. I figured the Huskies only had a shot to win if the game was somewhere in the range of 55-51. I figured the Huskies defense would give up a lot of yards, but wow, that was painful. The Cardinal ran for 440+ yards and the Huskies lost 65-21. It was so bad that Stanford punted once in the game, were 8-12 on 3rd down conversions and averaged 9.3 yards per play. Let me write that again - 9.3 yards per play. That is unthinkable.

I know it's only one game, but it certainly feels like no progress has been made. It is certainly reactionary for me to say that, but since Sarkisian took over we haven't had too mamny days like this. Our offense is really really solid, but as long as our defense is playing this way, we won't be taken seriously. I think we can still finish 8-4, but that would be a bit of a disappointment considering how well Price, Polk and the rest of the offense is playing. Here's hoping the Dawgs rebound at home next week against an Arizona squad that picked up their first conference win of the season this past Thursday.

The other big story to me is the injury to Mauro Rosales. I have to say that the whole situation just pisses me off. I know that Sounders fans are feeling a bit entitled these days, but their is good reason for that: the Sounders are a damn good team. I mean, damn good - multiple trophies good. You don't have to be a rocket scientist however, to realize that they are not as good without Mauro on the field. When he got hurt a few weeks ago, I wasn't overly concerned because I knew there was enough time left in the season for him to get healthy. When I realized who their final opponent was I knew what was going to happen. Sigi had to play Mauro because he needed to regain his fitness and because he wanted the team to get back some of the chemistry they had as little as a few weeks ago. It was the correct move, I just knew it had the potential to blow up. In my book, Chivas is the dirtiest team in MLS and have been so for a few years. I just knew someone would get hurt in the meaningless game and unfortunately it was Mauro. I really hate those effers (maybe even more than Portland) and pray that this one game doesn't ultimately hurt our playoff chances.

Aside from those two stories, here are some other observations:

I think it is totally apparent who the worst two teams in the NFL are - the Colts and the Dolphins. Shame on the Dolphins for letting Tebow work his magic. Shame on you for adding fuel to the Tebow fire. Shame on you for allowing his legend to grow. Ughhhhh. One the final two drives of regulation, with Denver trailing 15-0, Tebow went 9-13 for 121 yards and 2 td. According to my calculation, up to that point, he was 4-14 for 40 yards. Shame on you, Miami. AND shame on you for going for 2 early in the 4th quarter. Maybe it seemed like the correct move at the time since the score was 12-0, but up to that point, the defense had not given up any points. Have a little confidence in your squad and kick the extra point

Shame on the Colts for just sucking. It is clearly evident how good Peyton Manning is and how much he means to this team. You obviously can't blame Curtis Painter for giving up 62 points, but I just think the team doesn't know how to respond to him. What a huge dropoff between the two....and we are moving closer and closer to the point where the Colts have to choose whether to pick Luck or continue with Manning.
Sorry Mike, but this bullet is all about your teams. I don't know which is worse - giving up 6 goals in soccer and losing to your cross town rivals, or giving up 6 points on the road to a bad team in the NFL and losing. Neither feels good. (Since I am shaming people, shame on the refs for the phantom block in the back call on Leon Washington's return. I'm no Seahawks homer, but that was just bad)
Somehow my Uncle Greg has made me hate Aaron Rodgers. Seriously, he could just struggle the one week I have to go against him in fantasy. Yuck.
I was getting all ready for the two biggest games of the year - LSU/Alabama and Oklahoma/OSU and then something happened. Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech. I know the game will still be a damn good one, but it won't mean as much if they are both not undefeated (of course, this is assuming that OSU gets past undefeated Kansas St next week).
The World Series is tied at 2. Did I get that right? Seriously, I have no idea
In some news that no one cares about, last week my men's soccer team played the Kitsap Pumas reserve team. The Pumas as a pro team based out of Bremerton, WA and recently won the USL PDL title. The guys were really good, but somehow we held them to 2 goals. This week we played 2 men down for 25 minutes until another player showed up. We were down 3-1 at halftime and then our goalie broke his knee brace and had to leave. I went in goal (now down to 9 players) and somehow my boys scored 3 goals and we walked out with a 4-4 tie.
I don't think Carson Palmer and the Raiders are that bad, but I do know they passed up a golden opportunity to move to 5-2 before their bye week. The bye comes at the perfect time, however, as it will give Palmer an additional week to get ready and hopefully give Run DMF a week to recover.
Are the Lions being exposed as frauds? Well, I think they are a good team, but they are not a quality team as you can run on them AND they can't run on you. It will be interesting how the next 5 weeks play out.
Finally, who the hell is DeMarco Murray and why did he run for 253 yards yesterday? (AND how crazy are fantasy players going to be to pick him up?)

That's it for now -I'll be back later this week with a Sounders regular season review.

Internal Conflict

2011-10-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

I was walking through the airport today when I saw some guys wearing green warm-up jackets with fluorescent yellow stripes. First 2 guys, then 5, then about 15. As I walked by one, I saw a Portland Timbers backpack and said to myself, hmmm, I wonder if this is their reserve team or something. I mean, surely it couldn't be their first team. And then I walked by Kenny Cooper and Sal Zizzo. I walked some more and I saw coach John Spencer and owner Merrett Paulson.

Suddenly I didn't know what to do. Generally I act like a 12-year old when it comes to celebrity sightings, especially when those celebrities are athletes. Part of me wanted to go up to one of them and have a chat. I mean, I'm sure they would appreciate being recognized as long as I wasn't invading their space. As a lifelong soccer player, I respect those that can play the game at the highest level. But these weren't just any professional soccer players. ..these were the hated Portland Timbers. There was no way I could go up to any of them to say hi. I dislike them too much to do so. I would be disrespecting not only myself, but the Sounders and all Sounders fans. So I didn't approach them.

But don't think it was an easy decision. I mean these guys do something for a living that I envy. I tried to think if there was anyway I could do it without feeling terrible afterwards. I tried to think if any of them played on the National Team - I could have justified chatting with them if they wore the stars and stripes (like for example, Landycakes), but no dice. No reason to talk to them.

Once I realized that I couldn't chat with them on a friendly basis, I then started to think about antagonizing them. Was I wearing any Sounders stuff or did I have any Sounders stuff? I did! I had my Sounders scarf with me....and then i realized what an ass I would be if I walked part them holding it in the air. So I didn't. Instead, I just looked from afar and called The Wife and J-Will.

I can give you three bits of information.

John Spencer is literally 5'3". Now I know why he has such a large personality.
Darlington Nagbe and another unknown player were in front of me online at McDonalds. He ordered a Medium Strawberry shake.
Troy Perkins and Cooper were in front of one of my co-workers on lineat the gift shop. He is a sports fan, but when asked if he could provide me with any info on what they bought, he told he didn't know because he didn't care. Apparently MLS soccer isn't his thing (or he isn't insane like me).

So there ya go, that's my story of internal conflict and how I can sit on the plane and feel good about myself.

Tuesday Brain Dump

2011-10-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Last week I was uninspired by the sports world. Luckily I have recovered and am excited by some of the goings-on. Here are a few random thoughts as I make my flight from Seattle to DC.

By now you have probably seen the post game handshake between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz (you may have even read different commentary on it) so I am not going to review what happened. instead, I want to look forward and discuss what kind of effect it will have on each team. I have heard both sides of the argument. Tom Jackson felt that each coach lost a little bit of credibility. After all, how can they ask their players to be disciplined, not let the moment get to them and not take stupid penalties when they themselves reacted in the heat of the moment. It makes perfect sense. Jason Whitlock said they are both smug and that Harbaugh and the Niners entered the game with a chip on their shoulders and that the entire league has noticed Schwartz's constant breaking of protocol. Bill Simmons said that Schwartz had to stick up for himself because he is a man. How could he lead a bunch of men in a barbaric, brutal sport if he himself was unwilling to go to battle.

They all make credible points and to be honest, I'm not sure any one of them is correct. In fact, I think it is probably a a combination of each. I think both coaches are brash. I think Harbaugh is an excitable guy and I think he didn't like Schwartz coming into the game. I think he certainly was wrong with how he approached Schwartz after the game. I think schwartz was write to follow after Harbaugh rather than solely complaining in the media. And I think both will need to do a bit of damage control when it comes to their lockerroom. Luckily, it isn't an unfixable problem. Football is an emotional game and each coach should be able to use that moving forward. The pep talks should be able to write themselves.
When I heard the news of Dan Wheldon's untimely death I was shocked, saddened and dumbfounded. I was shocked not only because of the suddenness of his death, but because Wheldon was one of the few stars of the open wheel racing circuit. It simply came out of the blue.

I was saddened for obvious reasons. Wheldon was 33 years old and had a wife and two kids. Plastered over all media outlets was a picture of him with his family (presumably after winning the Indy 500 this year) and I couldn't help but think that is me in 2 years. I can't even fathom having something happen to me or The Wife.

I was dumbfounded because I still don't get the appeal of car racing. Maybe it's just me - maybe I am not wired that way. But I don't need to race a 2-ton metal object to show how much a man I am, or to et an adrenaline high. I am shocked by not only how fast they drive, but how close to each other they drive. Even the slightest mistake can cause a serious wreck. I'm sure that Wheldon's wife always had this day in the back of her mind. I'm sure she loved seeing her husband do something that he loved, but I'm sure she also was scared every day he got in a car. It just seems like a risk that is not worth taking.
It's funny. when the Yanks and Phils were in the playoffs, I was pissed off because I assumed they would steamroll through their opponents and meet again in the World Series. I vowed not to watch or discuss. Now that the Yanks and Phils are out, I am still not watching or discussing because I could care less about either team. I was hoping for a Detroit-Milwaukee series but instead, we have Texas-St Louis. Yuck. I guess you need to be careful what you wish for.

What does piss me off is that the Cards are 4 games from being World Series champs. Somehow, it takes me back to 2006 when the 83-win St Louis Cardinals, beat the best team in the league, the Mets, to make it to the World Series. They had no right being there. While this year's team won 90 games, they benefited from a huge choke by the Braves and slipped into the playoffs. I know they are a solid team, but again, they don't belong there. Stupid Tony LaRussa.
After qualifying for the Quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champiuons League, I said that Sigi HAD to play his reserves. I wanted to see Josh Ford, David Estrada, Michael tetteh, Amadou Sanyang and the rest of the crew. To me, finishing first in the group would be a nice accomplishment and probably help us avoid a Mexican team in the Quarters, but the fatc remains that we will have to beat a Mexican team if we want to win the competition. RSL got lucky last year when all 4 mexican teams were put into the same draw - that won't happen again this year. We will have to beat a Mexican team in March of next year, so why not do what is needed to win the MLS Cup in November.

Now, with the final game of the group stage less than 5 hours away, I am rethinking my original stance. I know I shouldn't be worried, but I am just a little concerned that we might have already peaked. When we were playing 2 games a week we were on a roll - most likely because it helped the team stay in rhythm. We were playing fluid soccer and carrying over to every game. Now after the US Open Cup and with only 1 game a week, we seem to have hit a lull. Some could be psychologcail. Some could be due to some injuries. Whatever the case I want them to get back to the rhythm they had in September. PLaying our starters tonight might just help with that cause.

The Wife Loves Kasey Keller

2011-10-17T07:04:00.001-07:00

64,140. That is how many Sounders fans were at Qwest on Saturday night. Ok, maybe 100 of them were Earthquakes fans, but it doesn't matter. That size crowd for a single match (that is, one that is not part of a doubleheader) is simply staggering. Every time I go to a Sounders game I try to realize how lucky we are. It is always an amazing show.

For those of you who don't know, Saturday was special because it was Kasey Keller's last regular season home game. Every fan in attendance was there to honor the man who came home from Europe to captain this team for the first 3 years of it's existence. Unfortunately, one of his biggest fans, The Wife, was unable to make it. She was out of town since Thursday and did not arrive home until 630 Saturday night. With no time to get to the stadium, I had to bring a buddy. It was a lot of fun, but I have to say it wasn't the same without her. Simply put, she LOVES Kasey Keller and sometimes I think she wishes that he was her baby daddy. Anyways, after putting The Incident to bed, she got to watch the game and complied all her thoughts into one email. In my eyes it was good enough to post as is - I just wanted to make sure to give the proper background.

*************

I agree with Mike about Brad Evans (although is IS still very dreamy.) I don't think he's *bad* per se, I just wish he would fight a little big harder. Run a little bit stronger. Challenge for the ball, not just take a few steps for show and then back off. It seems like he's not playing with any intensity. Like he's trying to convince us all that he is actually playing without doing any real work. Compare that to Mauro Rosales, who comes in for 25 (ish) minutes, and changes the pace of the game entirely. Now, I understand that Rosales was only in for a short time, but I still with Brad would play with a little more vim, because I've SEEN him play that way. And he's good. Even though he was disappointing tonight, he is still VERY dreamy.
I love Kasey Keller. Hands down (or up, or sideways, or wherever he needs to put them to make the save.) The four consecutive saves he made after Ianni's terrible pass-back were AMAZING. I want to watch them again and again and again. I want it to be my desktop image, screen saver, and phone wall-paper. I want that clip to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night. If we have a boy I'm naming him Kasey.
64,000 fans is amazing. It feels amazing to know that the Sounders are at the center of US Soccer right now. We are at a critical time in the development of US soccer as a real, international force. Are we there yet? Certainly not. But we are making progress, and taking the US Open Cup seriously ensures us a spot in CONCACAF for next year which further elevates the status of not only Seattle, but US soccer as a whole.
Why does Fucito just sometimes seem so unimpressive? Is it inexperience? Lack of skill? Because he certainly tries really hard and often has moments of greatness. I wish he had scored on that nice back-post run in the first half.
We have Lamar Neagle's autograph in our house. When we first got it, we thought, "Who is this kid?" and then we didn't see him for a year and a half or so. Now, he's a key player for a really good team. Would he have gotten this chance without Zakuani's injury? Probably not. So while no one (NO ONE) wants to see a break like Zakuani's, it has really opened up the field and created future depth for the Sounders.
Umm...don't forget that the season isn't over. We still have a regular season game left and then play-offs. We certainly can't continue to rely on goals scored in the last 15 minutes. I'd like to see the Sounders figure out how to score an early goal or two as well. It feels really great to have that win, but... we are still fighting for that MLS Cup.
As I write this I realize two things. One: Apparently, I frequently ask questions and answer them myself. I do it a lot when I am teaching, too, and I think it's very annoying. Two: I find myself mimicking Rob's style. Will I start to look like him someday, too? I hope not. [editor's note: I think I should be flattered by the imitation...]

*****

Ok, one final note. They handed out 45,000 Kasey Keller Captain armbands and yet somehow I avoided getting one. Honestly, we did not see anything when we walked into the stadium. Huge props to Irish Mike's wife Terra for giving The Wife her armband. She wore it to bed last night. (kidding...or am I?)

Wait, What???

2011-10-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

The reports have to be a joke, right? There is no way that Conference USA and Mountain West are going to merge for football only and become a 22 team league...right?

That is just insae to think about. I mean, the 16 team Big East basketball conference has a hard time scheduling and those teams play something like 20 league games a year. In football, you play 8 or 9. The scheduling inequality is going to be insane. Not to mention that the league will now span from Hawaii in the West to East Carolina in the East. They have to keep the leagues as separate conferences (or 4 divisions) and allow ECU to play Hawaii only in the championship game, right? Wow. A 22 team league is just nuts to think about.

And yet...somehow it is a brilliant move. The two conferences know that they are going to lose some of their more attractive teams. The Big 12 and Big East are losing their teams to the Pac-12, SEC, ACC and Big 10. They are in survival mode and plan on plucking teams from lesser leagues like C-USA, Mountain West as well as some independents. It is going to happen, so C-USA and the Mountain West decided to launch a preemptive strike. While the remaining members of the Big 12 are unsure what will happen to the league, members of these two leagues know that there will be a league. It might look entirely different in a few years, but with 22 teams, they could lose 10 and still be viable. I think it was a brilliant move.

Ok, so let's speculate a little on who might be gone and who might be staying. If you listen to the rumors, it appears that the Big East will be going after Central Florida, East Carolina, SMU and Houston from C-USA and Boise St and Air Force from MWC. (It seems crazy that the latter four might join a conference called the Big East, but if they all enter together, then again, it could become a national league with two separate divisions.) The Big 12 meanwhile has already swiped TCU and adding SMU and Houston seem like a natural next step.

Assuming those schools leave for greener pastures, that would leave C-USA with 8 teams (Marshall, Memphis, Rice, So. Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UTEP) and MWC with 6 teams (Colorado St, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego St, UNLV, Wyoming). You could easily move UTEP to the West division and have two 7-team divisions. The reputation may take a hit without Boise St, TCU and BYU (which turned independent last year), but it would certainly be above the Sun Belt and MAC and would arguably be on par with whatever the Big East does (or whatever becomes of the Big 12 if Texas, Tech, Oklahoma and OSU eventually move to the Pac-16).

So yeah, originally it was shocking to read. But after careful consideration, I think this was a smart move (and it allowed me to briefly touch on 15 schools that I normally would not)

I Got Nothing

2011-10-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

I meant to write something the past few days, but the truth is that nothing is exciting me right now. Baseball without the Yanks and Phils to hate on is pretty boring. Oh, and the games are still taking 15 hours to complete. The NFL is great on Sundays, but during the week it's information overload. I don't care to listen to all the injury reports or the analysis. The NBA is not coming back. College football is not any better during the week - even with two games on Thursday night. Oh, and WWE, which as recently as two months ago was on the verge of a extra hot storyline, has blown it so badly that I am thinking about not watching for a few weeks. I won't get into specifics, but the writing has been terrible. They totally blew it.

The only thing that comes close to exciting me is the return of the NHL and of course my Sounders. I have really enjoyed watching the nightly highlight show on the NHL Network, but until I actually get to see the Devils in action, it won't be all that exciting. I love watching Hockey Night in Canada - especially my new Western Conference team, the Calgary Flames - but it's not the Devils. It is sad not being able to watch the Devils.

As for the Sounders, I am just coming down off the high of winning the US Open Cup. I am excited for the game on Saturday, when 60,000 fans will show up to honor Kasey Keller, but it is still a few days away. And the final two games of the regular season really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things besides making sure we are in form. We are 6 points ahead of RSL with two games left and a goal difference 9 better than them. That means we have to lose both games AND not only lose big time but have RSL win big time. It's not going to happen. What also won't happen is us catching the Galaxy for first. I wish the regular season was over so we could get ready for the playoffs. Instead, we have two meaningless games. It's great to see the rave green again, but it's not as exciting as it could be.

The only thing I know is that on a night with baseball, college football and hockey, I watched the reboot of Charlie's Angels. It was cheesy as expected, but a fun watch. The most surprising thing was that Minka Kelly's character was not the lead character, or even the best actress. That honor in my mind goes to Rachel Taylor, who I had never heard of. Looking at her IMDB profile, apparently she was in Grey's Anatomy last season and was the cute computer nerd in the original Transformers movie. Hmmm...who knew? Anyways, I would watch again. AND that is a problem.

More About the Sounders

2011-10-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Fredy Montero conducted a live online chat with the Seattle Times readers. Three days before Roger Levesque was a guest on the Mason and Steve Kelley podcast. For those of us without an 'In' with the team, both were unique opportunities to find out more about them and the team (well, of course, all the stuff that 'Ask a Sounder' doesn't get to). Here is a summary of what I learned:

From Roger:
-Sigi really values how hard a player is working in practice. As a player, you need to always be improving and working hard or their will be someone ready to pass you on the depth chart.
-Playing so many games is actually a blessing because it means that 20 guys get playing time as compared to 10-15 if there was only 1 game a week
-Tyson Wahl doesn't want to see any teammates after practice. Apparently he has enough of them in practice and on the long road trips. He lives one block from Levesque/Graham/Fucito on Queen Anne Hill. (I think maybe Wahl, a Cal graduate doesn't like Levesque and Graham, Stanford graduates)
-Coins were thrown from the stands in Guatemala. Jaqua got hit. Schmetzer picked them off the pitch for souvenirs.
-He remembers kicking Ozzie the first time he played against him in Charleston. He says Ozzie is a hard worker who can make it in Europe. Losing him would be bad for the team, but would be happy for him.
-After he is finished with soccer, he thinks he will go into the business world (he has an economics degree from Stanford) or go back to school.
-Taylor Graham's gf graduated from Wazzoo.
-The team makes fun of Fucito when he is taking a free kick because he approaches it as if he was a placekicker.

From Montero:
-No insight on the rat tail besides that he likes to switch things up frequently (this amazingly was the first question fielded)
-Non committal to his future
-When he scores, he kisses his wristband which has the same colors as the Colombian flag.
-His favorite players growing up were Ronaldo and Gabriel Batistuta
-He thinks David Ferreira is the best player in MLS
-His favorite goal amazingly was the second goal against Vancouver this year. However, his two best moments over the past three years were scoring the brace in his debut and the 3rd US Open Cup win
-David Estrada is the toughest competition on FIFA12
-David Estrada is also the most underrated player on the team. His work ethic is unbelievable
-He likes to eat spaghetti and chicken before all games
-He and Ozzie are roommates on the road. He is closest to Ozzie, Flaco and Rosales
-The transition to the league was really tough, but he owes a lot to Sigi. The language, style of play and work rate were all areas that Sigi helped with.
-Tyrone Marshall is the toughest defenders in the league. He has always come at Fredy regardless of if he has the ball or not
-His favorite away pitch is JELD-Wen. He LOVES to score there.
-The portrayal of Colombia in The 2 Escobars told only 80% of the story. Times have changed in Colombia.
-His favorite jersey color is the rave green.
-Fans have always been very respectful to him and his family when he is out in public.
-He follows the M's and Seahawks but is waiting for an invitation to the Storm (why he just doesn't go without an invitation is beyond me...it's not like he couldn't get tickets. Does he really care about being a big wig at a WNBA game?)
-He is learning English through classes at the local community college, his friends and girlfriend.

******************

In a totally unrelated note, Josh Meyers has a poll on Seattle Times asking fans whether they will be sad to see the electricity yellow's go (the two year cycle is done after the Monterrey match next week). I know I was hesitant at first, but they certainly have grown on me. Just like the rave green, I associate these jerseys with the team. I for one will be sad to see them go (especially if they replace them with some uglier, you know, like something with bra straps), but I was surprised that 51.0% of those who voted feel the same way.

NBA Lockout A Good Thing

2011-10-10T22:30:00.001-07:00

Ok, maybe it's not a good thing, but it certainly presents a good opportunity for me.

Tonight, when I heard that David Stern canceled the first two weeks of the NBA season, I was unfazed. At that moment I realized that I don't care about the lockout. I just don't care. I am over being angry - I did that in 1999. Now I am just numb to the whole situation. Bottom line is the owners are greedy and the players are out of touch with reality. They entire system is effed up and I think it will take a prolonged work stoppage to really get the two sides to blow it all up and start again. It the entire season is canceled, I won't be mad.

Sure it's a terrible time for the league to have a work stoppage. For the first time since MJ left in 1998 people care about the league. It's not just that the talent is at an all-time high, but for the first time in decades there is a certifiable villain. Fans tuned in last year not just to watch hoops, but to see the Heat lose. Last year was a monumental year for the league.

And now...all the momentum is done. Again, not ideal, but not overly concerning to me. If anything, it represents a great opportunity. I don't have enough time to watch the NFL, NBA, NHL, college football, college hoops, EPL and MLS. With the NBA away, I can focus all my attention on the Devils, BU hoops, UW hoops and the end of the MLS season.

Really, it's a good thing. If the NBA does come back, then cool - I'll have more to choose from. BUT if it doesn't come back, then I get to devote even more time to my boys. Frankly, I'm looking forward to more time with Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, Martin Brodeur, Adam Larsson, Mike Muscala, Abdul Gaddy, Keith Price and all the guys in rave green.

Damn Good Week

2011-10-07T21:26:00.001-07:00

I think this past week ranks up there in the upper echelon of great sports weeks. First on Tuesday, I was one of 36k fans to watch the Sounders hoist the US Open Cup trophy for the third year in a row. Then on Thursday, I turned on the Yankees game right in time to watch A-Rod strike out. Seeing the faces of those Yankees fans in stunned silence was priceless. (I just wish Sterling was calling the game so I could have heard the famous "And the Yankees win. Theehehehe Yannkeeeeees win...") Then tonight was the icing on the cake. I watched the Cards hit a triple and double in the first inning off of Roy Halladay but somehow only come away with one run. I figured it wouldn't be enough, but when I turned the game on in the 8th the scoreline was unchanged. I sat nervous as the Phils came up in the 9th...and was as shocked as the Phillies' fans when they went away without a fight. It was a perfect trifecta over the course of 72 hours.

I am in no way trying to gloat. I really am not. I am just happy that I don't have to suffer through all the gloating of Phils and Yanks fan. My team did not finish with a winning record so I am not here to talk shit. I get it, the Phils and Yanks made the playoffs. The Mets didn't. I just know that in the end, none of the 3 teams will be World Series champs in 2011. It is a beautiful consolation prize to an otherwise forgettable baseball year.

Random Friday Thoughts

2011-10-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

Even though most, if not all, of my attention has gone to the Soudners this week I still have been following the goings on elsewhere in the world of sports. So as I often do, I present a random brain dump of thoughts - this time to help you procrastinate as you look forward to the weekend.

Terrell Owens retired yesterday...wait, he didn't? It was all just a joke? Either way I don't care. In fact, I think it is really pathetic. His entire career he was a ME-first guy who always loved the media spotlight. That is fine when you're catching 10 touchdowns a year, but now that you can't find a team to play with, it is straight up pathetic. Here's hoping he just goes away.
Speaking of guys who can't stay out of the spotlight, Brett Favre continues to do everything humanly possible to kill any good will left towards him. In talking about Aaron Rodgers winning the Super Bowl last year, Favre said "I'm going to be honest, I was not surprised. The biggest surprise to me would be that he didn't do it sooner." Listen, I get it. Brett is bitter. He gave a lot of great years to that organization and when they drafted Rodgers he was hurt. It happens anytime someone is brought in as your successor. It is human nature. But to makes these comments after being retired is pathetic (wow, using it to describe both Owens and Favre - who would have thought that 5 years ago?). Brett, just go away, please.
Donovan McNabb hasn't been terrible this year (save week 1 where he went 7-15 for 39 yards), but it is clearly obvious that it is time for him to be benched for first round draft pick Christian Ponder. I have nothing against Donovan - in fact, I would rather have him as my teams QB than a handful of other guys, but when you're team is sitting at 0-4 AND you have a highly drafted rookie on the bench, you need to pull the trigger. There is no difference in finishing 4-12 with Ponder and 4-12 with McNabb, so why not get the rookie some experience.
Indy is also sitting at 0-4 and could realistically win only 2-3 games this year if Manning doesn't come back. An interesting subplot is what the team does if they are 2-11 and Manning is ready to come back. I know Manning is the franchise, but if you're management, don't you have to think seriously about keeping him off the field and making a run for Andre Luck? I know it seems weird, but let's all remember where the Packers are now with Rodgers instead of Favre.
Zach Parise was just named the Devils captain. It was the right move for numerous reasons, but it definitely was a gamble. Parise signed a 1-year deal to stay with the Devils and if the team sucks and they are unable to re-sign him to a long-term deal during the year, they will need to seriously think about trading him. That will not be an easy thing for fans to handle. I mean, you put all this money into Kovy and yet Zach is the best player on the team. You need to find a way to keep him in Jersey (here's hoping wearing the C goes long way)
Speaking of the NHL, the Devils favorite opponent, Sean Avery just got released and is going over to Europe. The guy sucks so it shouldn't be a big deal, but I think all Devils' fans are smiling this morning. He just seemed to get under Brodeur's skin like no one else. It will be good to have him gone.
Now that the Yanks are done, I can focus on hating the Rangers. Man I hate John Tortorella. And Lundqvist. And all their other trolls.
Robin Ventura was just named manager of the Chicago White Sox. Read it here first: this is going to end badly.
Apparently TCU is now close to joining the Big 12. I think it is a really smart move for them as it re-ignites some of the old school Southwest Conference rivalries with Texas, Tech and Baylor. However, it definitely sucks for the Big East, who continues to get stood up on the dance floor. Their courtship of the Frogs was smart from a competition standpoint, but having a team from Dallas in a conference with the word 'East' in it's named always seemed weird. This is more fitting (especially if they can get SMU to join with them)
Can the Matthew Stafford - Calvin Johnson connection last all season? Johnson has 8 td's through 4 games, which puts him on pace for 32 for the season. Obviously that won't happen. If I'm a Johnson owner, I think about selling while his value is amazingly high. If he finished with 15 td's that would be a tremendous year, but it also means he finishes with 7 td's over his last 12 games. Not terrible by any stretch, but definitely below his current form. Trade while high. (oh, and who knows if Stafford can stay healthy for the rest of the season?)
Thanks to Twitter, athletes no longer have to be robots who never say anything interesting. In fact, a lot of athletes are now starting to say dumb things and get (rightly or wrongly) criticized for it. Currently, their is a lot of chatter going on in Sounders circles for what Daniel Hernandez, apparently still bitter over losing to the Sounders twice this year, had to say. "Congrats to Seattle Sounders for winning the StarFire Open, and doing it on the road at CenturtyLink Field!" In a vacuum, it was a funny statement. The fact is that we did have all 4 games at home, 3 of which were at Starfire. But considering his recent history with the club, fans are not happy. My one plea to them - please keep his personal life out of it. Argue with him over his comment, but keep his family out of it.
Wait, Vancouver just beat RSL 3-0? And they had 20k+ fans on a night when the Canucks starting their season? Not bad. Not good for RSL though who look locked in to the 3 seed. I'm not convinced that having home field advantage means anything for the Sounders, but recent from definitely seems to give us an advantage.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Doug Fister has to be the happiest man in baseball. No way he pitches an elimination game for the Mariners' over the course of a decade if he doesn't get traded. Gutsy (hate using that word in relation to sports) job last night by the youngster against the Yanks hitters.
I think ESPN handled the Hank Williams Jr situation appropriately. I don't want to delve into politics, but comparing Obama to Hitler is indefensible. (I was not and still am not a George W Bush fan, but I also took offense to all those Lyndon LaRouche people comparing him to Hitler). Kudos to ESPN for taking a stand and letting everyone know that this type of ignorant rhetoric will not be tolerated.
Speaking of ESPN, has anyone watched Dan LeBetard's new show? I haven't seen it, but actually enjoy listening to the Podcast. I'm not sure it is entirely different from PTI and Around the Horn, but the subtleties make it fun to listen to.
USA-Honduras on Saturday. Another chance to see how well Klinsmann new system is progressing. It is a game we should win, but more important to me right now is seeing something new, something exciting from the team.

OK, I think that's it for now. Enjoy the weekend.

About Last Night...

2011-10-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

...Um, yeah it was awesome. I don't really have any words to describe what it feels like seeing 35,000 Sounders fans standing, singing and chanting as our boys lift another trophy. I was once a MetroStars' fan so I appreciate this team and this fan base like few others might. We are living a dream right now.

Before I get to my comments about the game, let me first talk about the suite. Thanks again to my boy Irish Mike - he came through big time. Watching a game in a suite is definitely unlike watching with the rest of the peons on the stands. First, the seats are comfy as all hell. Second, no one is standing up in front of you. Third, it is impossible to get rained on. Fourth, you can watch the replays on the tv OR an entirely different game if you choose. Fifth, there was chips, salsa and beer available inside. Sixth, we had access to our own bathroom. BUT the biggest thing that impressed me was the concession stands available to only those in the suites. It was like a world I had never seen before - the only way you can access them is by having a golden ticket. The food was damn good and the lines were super short. So yeah, very fun. Check out the pics.

Now on to the game. It wasn't very pretty at times (especially when El Flaco and Brad Evans touched the ball), but it was certainly exciting. The Sounders outshot the Fire 27-8 and would have put in at least 4 if not for some athletic saves by Sean Johnson. I started to get a little worried when we weren't able to score in the first 45. From a psyche standpoint, the Fire were able to go into half knowing that the Sounders threw everything at them and they were not only able to counter them but the raucous crowd.

Instead of coming out with confidence, they fell flat on their face. They were flat out garbage and truth be told - we made them play like garbage. We had an amazing 30 seconds of pressure in the 77th minute and when Friberg went to take the corner, Mike predicted a goal. He got it right as Parke won the header and Fredy pounced on the rebound. Qwest went ape shit. Twelve minutes later, Fredy smartly ran to the corner to kill time. When he got triple teamed, he passed to Neagle who then saw Ozzie streaking down the middle of the field. The rest was pure brilliance. Check out the goal for yourself - patience personified. 2-0 GAME OVER.

The celebration that ensued was as expected, a lot of fun. I know it's easy to say that when you are winning, but I just get the sense that they are really tight. You can just see it when when you watch the cup get passed around. Everyone wants to hold it, and everyone is totally willing to give it up. I especially loved when Leo found Stevie Z and reminded everyone that he is still a huge part of this team.

I have no other words, but some video and pictures to offer about the game.

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Ok, so the win brings a few questions to mind:

1. Does this mean anything? Does anyone care besides us?

I know some fan bases will mock us for caring so much about the competition, especially when we haven't been able to get out of the first round of the MLS Playoffs. My response is this: let's ask Red Bulls fans if they wouldn't mind getting some hardware. They have been around since day 1 and have yet to win any silverware. It might not be as prestigious, but it is the countries oldest soccer competition.

Personally, it means a lot to me because not only do we get to see our boys lift a trophy, but it also means automatic qualification into the Champions League. That is huge.

2. Did we buy our way to the title?

To provide some background, the home side in the US Open Cup is determined by the team that bids the most money to host. After having to go to DC in 2009, the team decided from then on that they would outspend all the others. It is perfectly within in the rules. However, some feel that it is unfair since our ownership has resources that others don't. Simply put, they feel we have unfairly used our resources to get 11 of the last 14 games at home.

I understand the argument, but the fact remains that the club did not break any rules. I think Hanauer deserves tons of credit for the stance they took. From day 1, the organization set a goal of becoming an international force. Hanauer was smart enough to realize that you don't do this by only winning MLS Cup. You don't do this by bringing in David Beckham. No, you do this having your team play in international competitions. If you can be successful, then people from other countries will start to notice. It might only be baby steps, but winning in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico is making us well known. The easiest way to get to this point was by winning the US Open Cup and ensuring inclusion in the CCL. Sure it would be cool to qualify by winning MLS Cup or the Supporters Shield, but that is a lot more difficult. This has been a smart move.

3. Will this be all for the Sounders this year?

The team hasn't been able to get out of the first round in both 2009 and 2010 (hell, they only scored 1 goal in 4 career playoff games). Will this year be any different? I obviously have no idea. I think any one of LA, RSL or Seattle could and should win. I think on any given day, any of the three teams could win (of course, you could also have a team with a losing record win like in years past), so it comes down to the particular day. However, with the recent form of not only Mauro, but Fredy and Ozzie, anything is possible. The three of them have been AMAZING this past month. I'm not sure which of the three has been best and it's impossible. Throw in that it's Kasey's last hurrah, and this team could step up and take down mighty LA. I think it is really possible.

4. Should we expect a 4th title next year?

I really can't believe that it will happen. Not only will all the teams be out to end their run (I do think MLS team's will start to take it more seriously), but it appears that the format will be changing. According to the Sporting News, not only will all 16 domestic MLS teams qualify in the main bracket, but it appears that the bidding process will be going away. Instead, they will probably institute a random draw. If we are going to win, it will have to be on the road and not in the comfort of Starfire and Qwest. It is definitely going to be harder than these past 3 years.

Feeling Nervous and Excited

2011-10-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight, thanks to the amazing generosity of my boy Irish Mike, I will be watching the Sounders go for their third straight US Open Cup in the comfort of a suite. It will be the first time in my entire life that I will have this honor. Needless to say, I am so incredibly stoked for the match.

BUT and this is a potentially big BUT, I am really really nervous about the game. Let's count the reasons:

While I don't think Chicago is necessarily a good team, they are a team that is in great form, going 5-1-3 in their last 9 MLS games (including 3-1-0 since beating Richmond to qualify for the USOC Finals).
They have nothing to lose and everything to play for. They aren't going to make the playoffs, so this is their MLS Cup Final. They are going to be fired up.
We might have to start Zach Scott at right back. He won't be able to contain Dom Oduro.
Everyone in the country is hoping the Sounders lose. No one wants to hear us brag about another trophy. No doubt Klopas is painting us as the bad guys and imploring his guys to silence our crowd and send us home unhappy.
We have lived a dream these past 3 years. Something bad HAS to happen, right? (or is that just the Mets fan in me...)

In sum, they could lead to a long night. However, I am trying to put that all aside and remember that this is a damn good team with a damn good coach. Their current form is as good as if not better than Chicago. They have veteran leadership that will not let the team overlook Chicago. They have a goalie who will want another Cup before he retires. They have the support of more than 30,000 fans.

My emotions are all over the place. I don't know what to think and feel. I just hope that they get the job done tonight and send us home happy. I would LOVE to see Kasey lift the trophy one last time.

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On a side note, J-Will, wish you were here kid.

A Lot Has Changed

2011-10-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

With no NBA games to televise because of this stupid lockout, NBATV has been broadcasting a lot of "Hardwood Classics." While the currently airing game (Golden St-Washington in the 1975 NBA Finals...yes, the Warriors and Bullets actually played each other in the NBA Finals at one point) won't be shown in this house, I did treat myself to a little late 80's hoops over the weekend. Specifically, I watched a few minutes of the 1986 and 1989 All-Star Games. Obviously the differences between then and now are too numerous to count. You know them. I know them. Together, we could talk for hours (here's a fun game - start talking about the short shorts and see where it takes you).

What I couldn't stop thinking about after turning off the game was the amazing course of events that have led us from 1989 to 2011. I know all professional sports have changed over the past two decades, but I can't think any more so than the NBA. If we told the 1989 All-Stars that the following would happen to their sport, would they believe you?

The 1987 MVP, who would go on to win the 1989 and 1990 awards, would be diagnosed with HIV in 1991 and subsequently retire
The best collection of basketball talent ever assembled would compete in the 1992 Olympics and win by an average of 45 points
The greatest of all-time would win three straight titles from 1992-1994
The greatest of all-time would retire from the sport for two years and instead play professional minor league baseball
The greatest of all-time would then return and win three more titles before retiring for the second time
The league would suffer their first lockout in 1999 and lose half the season
The team from the countries second leading market would win several more titles in the 2000's thanks to a 7' center and a 6' guard (ok, not much changed there...)
The greatest of all-time would return for a final time, this time with the Wizards
The league's darkest moment would occur when a player jumps into the stands and fight some fans. The player would then be suspended for over 60 games
The league would see a new King enter the league, save a city and then devastate the fan base by leaving to join forces with another top 5 player
Cities such as Memphis, Toronto, Charlotte and Oklahoma City would each become the home to a professional basketball team. The Sonics would no longer call Seattle their home
The league's average salary would be $4.8 million a year
The league would suffer from their second lockout and lose a TBD amount of the season
Players would start to play overseas, including arguably the best player of the past decade

I am sure that I missed something, but the fact that Kobe Bryant is seriously considering playing in Italy is just amazing to me. I know it's not as crazy as playing for the Birmingham Barons, but it is pretty crazy. Think about it a little more: Kobe Bryant, a 5-time NBA Champion, 2-time Finals MVP and 6th all-time leading scorer is heading to Europe to play. It is entirely possible that at age 35, he hurts himself and we never see him play again in the NBA. It is entirely possible that he never gets his sixth championship to tie MJ. It is entirely possible that this is the worst decision of his life (actually, I think it will probably end up being the best decision of his life). There is no way anyone would believe that in 1989...but then again, no one would have ever believed that the greatest of all-time would retire to play baseball.

It's Only a Fantasy

2011-09-29T14:16:00.001-07:00

Ok, I know fantasy success doesn't mean real life success, but I think the following is pretty telling. ESPN's Tristan Cockroft posted the top 250 fantasy players for the 2012 season. As always, I like to see where Wright and Reyes fall (they were 23 and 33 respectively). As I looked for other Mets players, I came across something disturbing - we only had 1 other player (Angel Pagan - 160) ranked in the top 250. Surely that is a bad sign for next year.

So I decided to see if any other team has as few players in the top 250....and here is what I found

14: Atlanta, Texas
13: NY Yankees
12: Tampa Bay
11: Boston, Detroit, LA Angels, Philly
10: Arizona, Milwaukee, Toronto
9: San Fran, Washington
8: Cleveland, KC, LA Dodgers, St Louis
7: Baltimore, Chicago Cubs, Chicago WS, Cincy, Colorado, Florida
6: Oakland
5: Seattle
4: Houston, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, San Diego
3: NY Mets

So there ya go. Even the 106-loss Astros, the Mariners, the Pirates and the Padres have more players ranked in the top 250 than the Mets. Again, I know this doesn't mean anything in terms of real success, but surely it is a bad sign. I mean, Jason Bay is so bad now that there are 250 players ranked higher than him? Geeeesh. I can understand Johan and Ike not being on that list (although I bet they will be a top 250 player by the end of 2012), but wow, no Bay. That is how far he has fallen.

************
In a bit of related news, don't expect any analysis of the MLB playoffs on JerseySounder until both the Phils and Yankees lose. I will be openly rooting for the Brewers and Tigers but I will not be spending a second writing about them.

Predicting Mets 2011 Success

2011-09-28T22:33:00.001-07:00

Back on March 18, I tried to predict the number of runs scored by the Mets based on anticipated number of games played for each of their players as well as their historical average. My estimate was 756 runs which I said corresponded to about 84 wins.

Specifically, I predicted the following number of runs scored for the top 11 players: Wright (99), Bay (93), Reyes (89), Davis (74), Pagan (70), Beltran (61), Murphy (54), Hairston (29), Harris (29), Thole (21), Paulino (17). I then estimated 120 additional runs from the remaining reserves.
How did I do? Well, first off, the team scored 715 runs and won only 77 games. Apparently the estimate was way high as only one team in the NL - St Louis scored more than 756. The Mets were actually 5th in the league in runs scored.

As for the players, the above players ended with the following number of runs scored: Wright (60), Bay (59), Reyes (101), Davis (20), Pagan (68), Beltran (61), Murphy (49), Hairston (20), Harris (36), Thole (22), Paulino (19). Amazingly, I was within 5 runs on 5 players and within 10 runs on 7. My biggest misses were obviously Wright and Ike who both got injured. Reyes I underestimated even thought I was pretty much right on with the number of games he would play (130 vs actual 126).

Losing both Wright and Ike hurt. But equally as important was the brutal play of Bay all season, the midseason trade of Beltran and losing Murphy for the final 50 games. I know that the offense actually overachieved a little (and that the pitching staff has a lot of blood on their hands), but can you imagine what they could have done if things had gone a little better? Man, they could have been special.

Of course, all actions have an opposite reaction. Losing Ike, Wright, Murphy and Beltran meant that Lucas Duda, Ruben Tejada, Justin Turner, Nick Evans, and Jason Pridie received some major playing times. I don't think the latter two will have a long term place with the team (and the jury is still out on Turner), but Duda and Tejada showed they could play (.288 combined average over 629 at bats, 10 hr, 86 rbi) and will probably be in the lineup on Opening Day 2012.

I am fairly optimistic about what this offense can do in 2012 (of course, if we lose Reyes and both Bay Wright never recover, then we will be in trouble) and can only hope that Johan comes back strong, Gee and Dickey have equally impressive seasons, Niese develops into the strong #2 we think he can be and either Capuano or Young slide in at #5 and relegate Pelf to the bullpen. Even with a lower payroll I think we can win 82 games next year.

It Just Didn't Feel Right

2011-09-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

When I learned that Jose Reyes was taken out of the game after getting a hit in his first at-bat, something just didn't feel right. So I wrote my boys to get their thoughts on it. We discussed it a little, but I never got a real answer out of them. Instead, the talk turned to what to do in the off-season with not just him but Wright as well. I suppose some issues are more pressing than others.

So then on the way home, I asked The Wife, the sports ethicist, for her thoughts on it. The conversation went as such:

Me: So Jose Reyes entered the day with the highest batting average in the league. No Mets player has ever won it. After he got a hit, manager Terry Collins took him out of the game. What are your thoughts?

Wife: Well I don't see anything wrong with it, but I don't think I get why he came out.

Me: Well, he got a hit which increased his average. By leaving the game it meant his average could go no lower since it was the last game of the year. So essentially he took the easy way out.

Wife: I suppose it all depends on how he felt about it.

Me: There were whispers last night that it might happen that way. Some of the bloggers thought he would come out of the game so the Shea faithful could give him an ovation. But instead of getting cheered, a lot of fans booed. They were like...wait, I paid this money to come see you and you're being taken out early?

Wife: That's fine and all, but what did he think about it? It's only wrong if they weren't on the same page.

Me: Good point. Actually, we found out after the game that Reyes asked to be taken out. Collins felt like he had to oblige because of what Reyes means to the team, but was torn because he saw the other side of it too.

Wife: So what do you think?

Me: I think he took the cheap way out, but that's fine. He says that winning the title was important to not only him but to the entire fan base as well. I can't fault him for that even though I think it's lame.

Wife: Yeah, but would you rather have had him play and then lose the title on the last day of the season?

Me: Actually, I think I would rather have had him play. If he lost it at least he went down swinging. Who knows though, maybe he could have gone 2-4 or 3-4...nothing says that 1-1 would have turned into 1-4. Bottom line for me though, is what this says to the fans. There is a really high probability that this was his last game for the Mets, the organization he has been with since he was 16. Our last memory of him was him being taken out of the game early. All the fans that went out to a 1:00 start on a weekday wanted to see him potentially for the last time...and he requested to leave the field. It just doesn't feel right.

Wife: Well, does Reyes have any obligation to the fans?

Me: That right there is the conversation killer. You break out that question and you kill the debate.

Wife: Why?

Me: Well, because Reyes, like any athlete, does not owe anything to the fans or the owners. We expect them to love the team as much as we do. We cheer for them when they do good, but boo them when they do bad. Reyes is no different. Sure he is being cheered now. Fans are pleading with the ownership to re-sign him and they are pleading with him to come back. But not long ago, we were booing him and talk radio was suggesting that he was an injury bust. We don't care about Reyes the person. We care about Reyes the baseball player. Reyes doesn't need to care about the fans. If winning the title was important to him, than he has every right to do what he did. I just think he looks a little selfish, which is not the perception I would want to paint during my free agent year.

Sounders Get the Job Done

2011-09-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

I was commenting to The Wife before tonight's game how great an accomplishment it would have been to advance in the CCL. After finishing the group stage last year with only 1 win in 6 games advancing out of our group would be huge.

I was on Incident duty tonight so I didn't get to turn it on until the 15th minute. I'm not gonna lie - I was discouraged by the scoreline and I didn't feel good about it. I mean, shouldn't I have complete confidence in my boys by now? Haven't they done enough to justify some confidence? The answer is of course yes, but something about playing in Central America just doesn't feel right. I am always expecting the worst. So I just figured we would get screwed over in some way (or that they would bunker in and we wouldn't break it)

Over the next 25 minutes we put in a pretty dominant performance but our crosses were terrible. Check that, terrible is being kind. Insert a word that is even worse than terrible - how about brutal? I want to pour it on Zach Scott (who had an equally sucky game over the weekend), but Lamar Neagle was equally as guilty. The field conditions were really bad, but still, those are crosses that should be no problem.

In the 45th minute, we got a gift goal. Ok, that doesn't give Ozzie enough credit for keeping the volley on frame, but not only should the ball have been cleared, but it deflected off a body in front. At that point I knew we were sitting pretty. We got another nice break in Central America...

Then in the 61st minute, Mike Fucito missed a breakaway and two minutes later Kasey Keller messed up a punch that led to the second goal. It was a definite F-up by the 41 year old. In the 83rd Montero missed a header. Two minutes later he hit the crossbar off a beautiful give and go with El Flacco. I was definitely nervous that we wouldn't be getting the much needed point.

Just when all hope was gone, Ozzie Alonso was camped out in front of the goal and connected on a rebound for the game tying goal. The lead-up was beautiful, highlighted by a cheeky little pass from Montero.

The boys killed out stoppage time and are through to the knockout phase. It is really an amazing result and accomplishment. In a season where we lost Blaise Nkufo before the ball was even kicked; where we lost Steve Zakuani 5 games; where we have seen Zach Scott and Tyson Wahl have featured prominently and in a season where we are still alive in all 3 competitions, all the pieces have fallen in place perfectly.

I said that Hanauer's decision to not bring in a striker (ok, it wasn't a decision as so much as bad luck) during the transfer period would ultimately be judged based on how we did in the 3 competitions. If we were to lose both the US Open Cup Final and not score a goal in the playoffs, then he will bare some of the blame. I am starting to re-think that previous statement.

I mean, this isn't Europe. When we lost Zakuani for the year, we couldn't just go out and bring in a big name transfer. No, in fact, the best we could do was rely more heavily on a no name midfielder from Federal Way. Working the salary cap to build a MLS contender can be done. Building a team that not only can challenge for the league title, but who is deep enough to make it not only to the US Open Cup Final but to advance in Champions League is insanely difficult. Adrian deserves a lot of credit.

Sigi thought probably deserves even more. He has mixed and matched his players brilliantly thus far. Pat Noonan, Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Zach Scott and Sevrando Carrasco might not be the best players in the league, but they serve a purpose and can step in when needed to fill a role. Sigi has never thrown the towel, but instead has planned brilliantly with his time off. And now that we have advanced, he can decide to completely rest all of our first team players against Monterrey. Some might say we should go for first in the group, but I think he HAS to go with a complete B/C team on the 18th.

A year after we played well but couldn't get the results, we turned around and got results when we shouldn't. We went down early to Communicaciones early in August and then scored 4 straight. Then we went down to Mexico with what might have been the weakest starting 11 of the year and got the result. Same for our game in Herediano. Three great results to start the group phase. We might have had a brief letdown in the last two, but in the end we got the job done.

Well done by the boys. I know an MLS title is the ultimate goal, but something about success against teams from other countries just really excites me. Now on to the knockout range where we may or may not have to start Terry Boss in goal. That would be scary, but something I'll worry about after the turn of the year.

On a side note, ~~Ozzie's son turned two today~~[Actually, it was his wife's birthday. El Presidente is the one with a 2 year old son]. I forgot that the mini bulldog was the same age as The Incident. You now I will find a way to get them to meet sometime.

Rooting for the Choke

2011-09-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

My buddy used to have a t-shirt that said "My two favorite teams are the Mets and whoever plays the Yankees." It is a motto I have pretty much lived my life by. So for the past decade that has meant I have supported the Red Sox. I mean, nothing hurts Yankees' fans more than seeing them lose to Boston.

By all means, I support the Sox because I know they are the team every year that has the best chance of beating the Yankees in the playoffs (even though amazingly they have not met in the postseason since 2004). This year I figured it was no different. With the additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford and a rotation that was the deepest in the league, they were the odds on favorites to win the World Series. After jumping out to a miserable 2-10 start, they won 59 of their next 86 game to take a 3 game lead in the division. As late as Aug 31, they were still in first place by 1/2 games.

Then the unthinkable happened. The Sox went 6-18 in September and lost an 9 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. With two games left in the season, they are tied for the Wild Card lead. Their slide has been remarkable and to be perfectly honest, I am kind of hoping it keeps up. I have nothing against the Sox, I just want them to take the title away from the 2007 Mets as the biggest chokers in MLB history. Sure, the Mets may have lost a 7 game lead with 17 left, but that team was not as good as the current Red Sox team. When the Mets choked they were a .572 team...the Red Sox were a .614 team and one of the favorites to win the whole thing.

I know the Sox making the playoffs might mean the Yanks have a better chance at winning, but I feel numb to the whole thing right now. I mean, in my opinion their is a 75% chance that either the Phils or Yanks win the whole thing...so if that is going to happen, why not have someone join us in our misery??

Mets fans, tell me if I'm wrong...

Wonderful!

2011-09-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

It is being confirmed that the 2012 Winter Classic will be Flyers v Rangers. Wonderful! I was just saying the other day that I don't get to watch these two shitty teams enough on NBC and Versus. Thank goodness the league no longer is focusing solely on the Devils, a team that has more playoffs appearances (19) and more Stanley Cups (3) in the past 21 years than both of those teams. Seriously, it's about damn time.

In unrelated, I'm not effing bitter about the effing Flyers and Rangers news, the Devs are going to retire Scott Niedermayer's number on Dec 16. In my opinion, this is well-deserved and entirely appropriate. I am not one of the fans that tell him eff off because he played his last 5 years in Anaheim. Those fans are complete idiots and need to have their head examined. Come on, he went to Anaheim to play with his brother....not the Rangers, not the Flyers, not the Isles, not the Bruins. Stupid Anaheim - 3000 miles and one conference away. He is 3rd in all time games played for the club, is one of 5 players to have won all 3 Cups with the team and has long been a model citizen on and off the ice. Five years as a Duck does not make him anything less than a Devil. In fact, when he goes into the Hockey Hall in a few years, he is going to be wearing red. So get over it.

For more info on Nieds big night, including quotes from Lou, check out the Fire and Ice blog.

Monday Morning Five-Pack

2011-09-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

I have five things I want to talk about this morning, so let's not waste any time.

For me right now, all weekends start and end with the Sounders. After a disapointing loss at home mid-week (in what really was a terrible game to watch), the club rebounded with a 3-1 win at Vancouver to win the Cascadia Cup. First off, the game was really exciting to watch. I know it is easy to say considering we won, but regardless of the score, there was a lot of end to end stuff with a lot of open space. A few things in particular stood out.

First, it's games like that when we are all reminded how special a player Fredy Montero is and can be. I have been saying for a month that he has been playing really well - problem was he wasn't scoring in league play, so there seemed to be no payoff. However, with Mauro out and the team seemingly needing a leader, he stepped up with two big goals for the win. I noted to The Wife that he even looks happier this year - I don't remember any of those sulking moments that he had in the past when he wasn't the one scoring. I know that doesn't mean much, but I think it goes to show how close this team is right now.

Second, we escaped with no injuries to our currently fragile midfield. With both Rosales and Friberg out with injuries and both Evans and Alonso nursing minor ones, things were feeling pretty dicey. I was surprised to see Sigi keep Evans out there for the full 90 considering his recent injury, but this time it worked. I can only guess that he won't be playing B-Rad on Tuesday night and instead will be counting on El Flaco, who was subbed out by Darid Estrada (!), to go the full 90.

Third, I think we found our Nate Jaqua replacement. I know that Sammy Ochoa hasn't actually score in his first two appearances, but that was by luck alone. On Tuesday he was denied by a world class save and Saturday he was denied by the post. If he is able to get to at least one header a game he is going to be scoring some goals. You just don't put those quality shots on without them going in. His continued emergence HAS to spell the end of Big Nate's time in rave.

Finally, I really think this Vancouver team could be good next year. Even though they both had forgettable games, I think the forward pair of Eric Hassli and Mustapha Jarju could become one of the top units in the league. In Camilo and David Chumiento they also have great quality....but it's that defense that is going to kill them. One place to start would be to find someone of the Alonso/Mastroeni/Joseph to sure of the center of the field defensively. The next step would be to get some outside backs who can actually man mark. Final would be to stop making bad mistakes (Jay DeMerit, anyone?). Bottom line - more quality is needed...remember, Pate Vagenas got the start for them
On to the Huskies, who improved to 3-1 with a 31-23 win over at Cal. I don't know where this season is going to go, but I can say one thing - there is never going to be a dull game. I mean, their defense is terrible and their offense looks to be actually pretty good. Keith Price may end up having one of the best seasons in UW history (dare I say it, but he is making us quickly forget Jake) but as long as they keep on giving up 400 yards passing they will never be able to get to the next level.

Next week is going to be a key game. If they can get the win at Utah they will with all likelihood be at 5-1 when they make the trip to Palo Alto (assuming of course that we don't shit the bed against Colorado at home the week before). At 5-1, even if we were to lose all 4 games to Stanford, Zona, USC and Oregon, we could still end the season with 7 wins with OSU and WSU last on the schedule. Games against teams of similar strength are the really important ones because they can mean the difference between going to a bowl game and staying home.

oh, one more thing - that Seferian-Jenkins kid appears to be the real deal.
I really had hoped the Mets could have won yesterday because I could come in this morning and say how we swept the Phils and helped them lose their 8th straight. Unfortunately we had Mike Pelfrey on the mound against Roy Halladay - we never had a chance. Pelfrey has been terrible this year. Their is no doubt about it. Instead of leaving us with something to be hopeful about, he went out and through another dreadful game. I have defended him in the past because of his stuff, but he simply doesn't appear to have the mental stuff to make it in NY.
On to the NFL where the Bills and Lions are definitely the best stories of the season. Of the two however, I think the Lions have the better chance to make the playoffs. For me, it simply comes down to their division. I don't want to take anything away from the Bears because they are a decent team, but the Lions have Chicago and the defending champs in their division - the Bills have the Jets and Pats. I can accept the Lions being the second best team in the NFC north, but I can't accept the Bills being the second best team in the AFC East. I think the Bills were a little fortunate yesterday. Up to now, the Pats had no equal on offense, but their defense was almost as bad as the Huskies. Well, they encountered a team that could not only put points on the board, but they turned the ball over 4 times to help them put points on the board. Tom Brady had a rare bad game and the rest of the team couldn't get the job done.

The one thing that bothers me about the Lions though is the lack of a running game. They had 20 yards on 19 carries yesterday(!). At some point, that is going to come back to bite them in the ass.
Finally, a note on soccer with The Incident. It was really really fun. I did not feel competitive for a second (I made sure not to be That Guy who was decked out in full soccer gear) and I just loved being able to run around with her. I am excited for next Saturday.

One final note- with the NBA locked out, I am hoping the NHL sees a huge influx of viewers. I know personally I am more excited about the season simply because I have more time to focus on it. Opening night for the Devils is Oct 8 - less than two weeks away. I can feel the excitement!

Final Homestand of the Season

2011-09-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

The long MLB regular season is finally coming to an end. After 156 mostly disappointing games, the Mets season will officially be done on Wednesday. Before I look back on the both the good and bad from 2011, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on one Mr. Jose Reyes.

Reyes, in case you live under a rock, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. People around the game feel that he will be asking for Carl Crawford type money. Most people think he will be on his way out of town. Others think that he will take a hometown discount to stay with the organization he has been with since 1999 when he was a 16-year old.

My thoughts on what the organization have been well documented. I thought they should have tried to trade him before the deadline, when his value was highest. It's not that I don't like Reyes or don't value him - it's just that I thought we needed a fresh start. If we signed him to a long term contract, his knee or Achilles or hamstring or quad or ankle was sure to get hurt. If we traded him he was sure to stay healthy.

Regardless, the Mets didn't trade him and now face the possibility that he leaves and all we get are two compensatory draft picks that at best won't be ready to contribute for 3 years. After assuming he was gone early in the season, I actually think that there is a decent chance he might stay in NY. There just seem to be a lot of signs. First, with his recent injury problem I think the Mets have more of the upper hand. Why would any team, they will ask him, want to sign him to a 7 year contract when he can't go the entire year without being hurt. In June it looked like he might - in September, not so much. Second, the number of teams that could afford him are starting to decrease. Philly recently committed to Rollins. The Yanks are moving a recently resurgent Jeter. Boston seems to be tapped out after signing Adrian Gonzalez and Crawford. Cincy and SF are probably interested, but I can't seem them spending the money. Texas and Chicago have their star SS's. Maybe Anaheim? Third, recent reports indicate that Reyes really loves NY and might not want to go anywhere. I don't know...it's just starting to feel like we might be able to re-sign him.

Of course, what happens if we aren't able/willing to re-sign him? Well, first, Mets fans are going to be pissed. Even though Reyes and Wright have blood on their hands for the 2006-2009 season, Reyes is one of us. He came up through the organization and during his best year, provided a level of excitement we hadn't seen in Flushing since 1986. When he was rolling, our team was rolling. He was our catalyst. And long before we were disappointed by the likes of Fernando Martinez, he entered as the BIG prospect and instantly stole the show. But even with all the good moments, he has had some really down times. It is what being a Mets fan is about - in a way, he is one of us. For that, he will always be one of the most popular Mets ever.

If this six game homestand against the Phils and Reds is his last time in blue and orange, I want to thank him for all the exciting moments we had with him. He simply will not look right in red or in pinstripes.

Soccer With My Daughter, Vol 1

2011-09-23T15:01:00.001-07:00

I try my best to keep my family life out of this blog. If you are reading any of my content, I know that you really only want to think about sports - not how amazing I think my daughter is. Well, this is my first venture into talking about my daughter, because, well, it ties into sports perfectly.

Tomorrow I start Daddy & Me soccer with my 2-year old. It is a day I have been excited about for some time and finally it is here.

A year ago The Wife convinced me that I should create a new blog discussing my experience with The Incident as she is introduced to the world of sports. She felt that other fathers might be able to relate and might be interested in reading what I had to say. I gave it some thought and given the success of this blog, I decided to put it on hold. However, since that day I have been writing about all the little moments - the day she first recognized my Mets hat, the day she wanted to go to the Sounders game with us, the day she first kicked a ball - in a journal that maybe one day she will want to read. At the very least it can be something I share with her. At the most, it might be something others care to read.

This is the premise of this entry and any future entries about this: I love my daughter. I love sports. I hope to write about their intersection.

************

I am really excited about tomorrow. I have loved the sport of soccer since I was 5 year old and I hope that someday The Incident will come to appreciate it as much as I do. I know that is probably not a healthy hope, so allow me to alter it slightly: at the very least I hope that she gets satisfaction and enjoyment out of playing the game at some time in her life.

I assume that when she is 5 years old, running around on a grass field and aiming to kick a soccer ball will be fun. What I don't know is how long that will last for her. Will she want to give up the sport at age 8? Will she want to give it up when she enters high school and has other priorities? Will she want to play college soccer? Hell, will she even want to play it age 30?

I don't have those answers, but I hope that she has fun. I have no expectations for tomorrow. Check that, I do have some expectations - I expect her to be on the field with me and 5 other groups from our parenting group. I expect her to kick the ball once and then want to pick dandelions or play on the set of swings in the distance. I think those are the only realistic expectations to have - I mean, she's 2.

If I go into it thinking that she is going to be the best player (or at least the most excited) then I am headed for a letdown. As much as I wish for her to have more talent than her old man, there is not a chance in hell that we will see it tomorrow. No, tomorrow is more about being a dad and having fun outside then it is being a dad teaching the game of soccer to his daughter. Tomorrow is not about showing off my skill and feeling tough because I am better and more knowledgeable than the other dads (already that is in question if my boy Irish Mike shows up), but rather an opportunity to be outside with my daughter and a group of people that I have grown close to.

I am very excited.

Two Bad Losses

2011-09-21T13:36:00.001-07:00

It's times like this when I realize why no one reads this blog: that's right, a post not just dedicated to American soccer, but to the WNBA! I can hear the excitement right now.

Anyways, it's been a rough couple of days for local sports teams. First, there was a shutout loss by the Seahawks on Sunday. I make no comments on this because every time I do, I get accused of being "unfair" towards the 'Hawks. So I am going to wait until they start 0-6 before commenting. The following day, the defending WNBA champions Seattle Storm blew a 17 point second quarter lead at home (a place they have only lost 2 times in the previous 39 games) to the Phoenix Mercury (a team they had beaten in 11 of their last 13).

It was a startling loss - one I couldn't believe when The Wife told me. I mean, blowing a 18 point surely meant that they lost their cool along the way...turns out, I was right. The team couldn't handle the physicality of the game and wilted under the pressure.

There is no way that this should have happened. They steamrolled through the league, finishing with a 35-6 record (including 7-0 in the playoffs). They lost no one in the offseason (unlike 2004 when they lost 2/5 of their starting lineup) and actually brought in one of the top 10 players in league history - Katie Smith - to help with the long stretches of offensive ineffectiveness. Now I'm sure that the reason they ultimately did not repeat was lack of urgency, complacency and ego...but I'm going to blame it on Smith. Call me crazy, but from day 1 in the Storm lineup, I thought Smith just didn't fit. I only watched a few games this season, but every time I did, she was throwing up shots. Hell, maybe that's what she has always done, but not what we needed on this team. The fact that she played 30 minutes and went 0-9 from the field on Monday (0-6 3-pt) is no coincidence - I think she let this team down. [Ok, ok, ok...losing LJ for 2 months didn't help - she was never the same all season]

It was a terrible, terrible, terrible loss. There is no other way around it.

Now on to Tuesday, where the Sounders lost 1-0 to Herediano of Costa Rica (or Guatemala according to Tony Ventrella). It was not an entirely inspiring performance and one that I think could come back to bite them in the ass. I found out after the match that due to Monterrey's win against Communicaciones that even had the Sounders won, they would not have clinched a spot. So really, the loss isn't that huge...but I still can't help but feel uneasy about it. Look at their final two fixtures - on the road in Guatemala and then home against the defending CCL champions, a hungry, pissed-off Monterrey team. It is entirely possible that we finish 3-3 and miss out on the knockout stage, so even a point would have been nice last night.

I understand that Hurtado and Keller were the only full-time starters in the first 11 last week. I understand that Sigi had his hands time with respect to who was available. I understand that the team has heavy legs. I get it, I really do. I just know how easier the next few weeks would be had we been able to rest our starters in the final 2 group stage games. I only hope it doesn't come back to bite us.

I won't say it was a terrible loss...it was just a terrible game to watch. Herediano scored a beautiful early goal and then killed time for 50 minutes. I thought Fredy Montero looked great and I thought Sammy Ochoa was a bright spot, but overall, the game was just a letdown.

The boys have a big one this weekend against Vancouver - we owe them one after their miracle 2-2 tie earlier in the year. Come on you Sounders!

Take Nothing for Granted, Part 2

2011-09-20T13:33:00.001-07:00

When I last wrote about the Sounders, I encouraged them to take nothing for granted and to get a win in Costa Rica. Sure they were leading the group and in good position to move on to the knockout stage, but with schedule congestion and injuries to key players, it could get dicey later on in the season. They needed to get it done against a team that had yet to score a goal in 2 CCL games. They could not expect a gingerly stroll in the park.

Well, it turned out that they took my advice (ok, probably they took Sigi's advice) and not only won 2-1 at Herediano but then steamrolled over DC United 3-0 over the weekend. Since I last wrote, they picked up where they left off and seem ready to continue the success.

That brings us to tonight's game at home at Herediano. Convention says they only need a tie to advance. Convention also says that their opponent will have nothing to play for, as they sit 0-3 in the group with 1 goal scored. Here's the rub: anytime you play for a tie at home you're going to lose. And just because you think your opponent has nothing to play for, they can easily find some motivation. How about that the Sounders came into their stadium and beat them? How about that they have a new coach who will need to make personnel decisions? How about that they are paid to play. Bottom line is that it will not be an easy night tonight.

Oh, and did I mention that Mauro is out with an injury, El Flaco is out with yellow cards and both Alonso and Evans went 80+ on Saturday? I believe in Friberg, Carrasco and Neagle, but we obviously won't be starting our A-Team tonight. We need to be careful. Get the job done against the worst team in the group and experiment in the next two games. That is why I think Keller gets the start tonight. Some are suggesting we might see Josh Ford based on Sigi's comments about certain players getting opportunities, but I see that more as Sanyang, Ochoa and maybe even Estrada getting opps at this point. I want to see Ford, but not tonight. Let's get the win and then start him in the final two games.

So boys, let's not take this for granted. Get the job done.

Stop with the 27, Please

2011-09-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have been giving a lot of thought recently to the typical Yankees' fan retort of "27 championships." As a Mets fan, it gets old. I mean, the Yanks won their first World Series in 1921, long before my grandparents were even aware of what baseball was. I get it - the Yanks are an amazing franchise, but I think as a fan, you shouldn't be able to claim championships that you were not involved in (meaning of course for fans, that they were unable to cheer for). The Yankees have 7 titles since 1970 so I think the most any Yankees fan of my generation can claim is 7 - still, way more than the Mets, but not 27.

And really, it goes even further than that. From 1901 to 1960 their were 16 total teams in the league. Based on random chance, that equates to 4 titles, already more than the Mets have in their history. All the credit to the Yanks for winning 17 titles during this span, but really the game was sooo different back then. The biggest difference was the lack of free agency - once a players signed with a club, the essentially owned that player's rights for their career. There was also no draft which meant that the teams with the most money could pay top price for the best players. So if a team had good scouting and their young talent turned out to be amazing, then they were set for the next decade. I won't suggest that signing Mantle, DiMaggio, and Gehrig were all luck, but you know the Yanks were allowed to throw around more money than say the St Louis Browns. And trading for Babe Ruth? Not exactly dumb luck, but there is no way they could have imagined what they were getting. No draft to evenly disperse incoming talent and the smaller player pool (due to the exclusion of black and Hispanic players) meant that rival clubs had no means of acquiring talent to catch the Yanks.

It seems crazy to think that the existence of free agency would have led to Joltin' Joe to take more money from another team, but it is entirely possible. In today's game, players move from team to team with ease. While there are Haves and Have Not's in terms of financial power, free agency has led to an amazing parity in terms of World Series winners. In the previous decade there were 8 different winners (6 during the 1990's and 9 during the 1980's compared to 5 in both the 1940's and 1950's). The Mets have been around since 1962 and really the first 5 years were lost because of expansion hurdles. Starting in 1969, the year that the Mets won their first title (which I don't claim as one of mine because I was not born yet), the league had 24 teams. That same year Curt Flood refused to accept a trade and became the catalyst for free agency. By 1969 the Yanks had won 20 of their titles.

If anything, I think the Mets caught a bad break of being born right on the fringe of free agency, in a league with 24 teams. The Yankees deserve credit for winning all their titles - I didn't do the exact math, but I feel confident in saying that the number was significantly higher than chance alone - but they were fortunate to play in a different era in which their stars didn't leave. Had the Mets been around since 1900, they would have 10 titles too. Less than the Yanks, but much higher.

So please, Yankees fans, please calm down with the "27 title" thing. We get it - you were lucky to be raised in a family that loved pinstripes...chances are your dad watched the team during their heyday when they won 10 titles in 16 years (1947 to 1964). That does not mean that you get to claim those titles. No, the Mick and DiMaggio belong to your dad. Jeter, Rivera and Posada belong to you. Let's agree that Mets fans will forever be allowed to talk about the best baseball team of the past 30 years, the 1986 Mets, AND that you can rub 7 titles in our face. It is the only fair way to go.

Take Nothing for Granted

2011-09-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Last night in CONCACAF Champions League action, LA had a 1-0 lead as late as the 81st minute before losing on the road Morelia 2-1 while Colorado got spanked at home by Santos Laguna 4-1. So much for MLS being undefeated in CCL play (in matches including at least 1 non-MLS team of course)...and so much for feeling invincible heading into the Sounders home tilt against Herediano of Costa Rica. Obviously what LA and Colorado do have no impact on us, but it does help to remind me that nothing should be taken for granted. Just because we are in first place after 4-1 and 1-0 wins over Communicaciones and Monterrey, it doesn't mean tonight's game is going to be a cakewalk. Let's remember, we went 1-5 last year in CCL and looked thoroughly outclassed. I put a positive spin on the experience noting that we were up to the challenge but not quite ready to win. The truth is that Mexican and Central American teams have success in this competition against MLS squads because they match up differently then other league opponents, because the atmosphere is like none seen in the US and because, well, they are good squads. Just because Herediano is 0-2 in group play doesn't mean they aren't able to put a 3-0 whooping on us.

I'm not saying I don't have confidence anymore, I'm just saying, let's be careful tonight, boys.

Ok, so with that out of the way, what should we expect? Well, we know the following: Herediano has hired a new coach in the past week. Over the weekend they won their league game 4-0. The players are hungry to show that they belong in the squad. We also know that Alonso, Evans and Friberg all did not travel.

According to SounderAtHeart, they are going to go with a conservative side to start and then bring in offensive firepower when (if) needed. It's a strategy similar to what Sigi employed in Monterrey and one that I think can be successful, unless of course we give up an early goal and let the crowd get into it. I expect Kasey to be in goal because of the importance of the game. Some may point to it and say that we still have 4 games to get 4 points, but I think this might be the most important game of the group stage simply because we will be able to change our strategy moving forward if we get a full 3. Think about it, if we leave Costa Rica with a 3-0 record, then over the course of the next 3 games (2 at home) we can give Josh Ford, Amadou Sanyang, Taylor Graham and maybe even Sammy Ochoa a start. We can rest the likes of Keller, Rosales, Montero, Alonso and have them fresh for the MLS season. Bottom line: this is an important game, so Kasey should and will be in goal (oh, and I expect him to have forgotten about his gaffe on Saturday).

As for the rest of the team, I am ok with having Jaqua and Noonan on the field at the same time. I know people hate them and I know they are not exciting, but I trust them not to lose the game for us. They are steady if not spectacular. As for the midfield, we will probably need to start Flaco in front of Carrasco and have Neagle and Levesque on the wings. It's not perfect, but I don't think we can start a Carrasco-Sanyang combo. The defense should be fine with Hurtado, Leo, Riley and maybe Pat Ianni in the lineup. Then if for some reason we need a goal, we can bring in Rosales, Montero and Fucito to create some havoc up front.

I'm not in the business of making predictions, but I think 1-1 would be a fair result. Obviously we are capable of getting the win, but I just see something not going our way: an unlucky bounce, a referreeing mistake or an injury are all very likely. Hopefully nothing will happen and I can go into my Jersey trip feeling great about the men in rave.

Come On, You Sounders

NFL Truths After Week 1

2011-09-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

There are gonna be a lot of people jumping to conclusions after just one week of the NFL season. I am not one of them. Instead I will give you some NFL truths (as well as some opinions) as we enter week 2.

First, I loved that the Dolphins sent out two kickers for the on-sides kick. Seriously, how the hell have I never seen that before? It is brilliant. (and I wonder why tackle football purists think seeing that it is so close to what happens in soccer)
The Steelers will be fine. Their line is pretty terrible and might get Big Ben killed out there, but they have too much talent and experience not to make the playoffs. It won't be a Super Bowl year, but playoffs for sure. The 35-7 beating looks bad, but I doubt they will be turning the ball over 7 times anytime in the near future.
The Ravens (and Anquan Boldin specifically) are going to benefit from having Lee Evans in the passing game.
Cam Newton is going to break a lot of people's hearts. I'm not suggesting that he won't be good, but anyone who thinks that they can plug him into their fantasy lineup are going to have a rude awakening. The fact is that all rookie QB's will have up and down seasons. One week they will throw for 400 yards and the next they will throw 4 INT's. You have to take the good with the bad...and I know for sure that Newton got his A+ game out of the way early.
The Giants are another team that I don't think will be terrible. For how much I don't like Tom Coughlin, the guy knows how to coach. Even with all the injuries, I think they will win somewhere between 7 and 9 games. I think Washington caught them on a bad week and road the emotions to a win.
I like Tony Romo as a fantasy guy, but still dont think he has what it takes to win when it counts. Shoddy performances aside, I don't see how you can trust a 31-year old guy who still wears his hat backwards (ok, I wear my Sounders hat backwards and I'm 31, but I'm not the QB for America's Team)
Donovan McNabb's terrible performance (7-15, 39 yards, 1 TD) was of epic proportions - he will undoubtedly be a little better...but notby much. I think he is done and Christian Ponder will be under center by week 10.
Don't be fooled by Rex Grossman. He is still the same guy. Washington is going to wish that they had decided to Suck for Luck because neither Grossman or John Beck are the answer. It's gonna be another losing season in the Nation's Capital.
I think Ryan Fitzgerald is for real. I don't think Buffalo will win more than 6 games, but I think Fitzgerald will put up great fantasy numbers. The dude has got a killer arm.
The Colts streak of playoff appearances will come to an end. Without Peyton, they are as bad as the score indicated. If you're a Colts fan, you have to be pissed at the lockout. Word out of Indy is that Peyton didn't want to see anyone else besides the Colts team doctor, but wasn't allowed to during the lockout. So he waited all summer and didn't have the surgery until the pre-season. Now after his third surgery in a year, he might miss the entire regular season AND because it happened so late in the game, they have no other options besides Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter. They are in trouble.
The announcers of the Carolina/Arizona game talked about how the trio of Beason-Anderson-Davis were playing for the first time since like 2008 or 2009. They spoke highly of the unit, syaing it was one of the league's best...So what happens? Jon Beason injures his ACL and is out all year long. Tough break for that up and coming defense.
KC isn't as bad as their 41-7 home loss, but they are a fraud. I was a fan last year, but they had the advantage of playing a last place schedule and they got lucky. I think this year they get exposed.
Regardless of their opening week win, this Cincy team still stinks. They will be competing for Andrew Luck this year.
This just in - Tom Brady is good. Chad Ochocinco may not have gotten involved in much of his 511 yards and 4 td's in Week 1, but I am not worried... I think he will have a fine season. Brady spreads the ball around too much for him not to get 900+ yards and 6 td's.
Chad Henne is the one QB who I don't know what to think of after one week. He might actually be good, but then again he might actually suck. I do know that the Dolphins are not going anywhere however.
The Reggie Bush as full-time RB idea is not a good one. The guy is already banged up and only gained 38 yards and 11 carries. That being said, he is still the most dangerous open field runner in the game.
Chris Johnson will be fine. Guaranteed he blows up for 150 and 2 td's sometime in the next 2 weeks. As for Matt Hasselbeck and the rest of the Titans? I think 8 wins will be generous. Here's hoping Coach Munchak realizes that Locker needs a little more seasoning before pulling the veteran. However, if they sit at 2-6 after 8 games, he might need to rethink it.
Oakland will finish second in the AFC West. They will finish with a winning record for the first time since Rich Gannon stood under center.
Denver fans, please stop calling for Tim Tebow. I know that you just lost to Oakland and that Kyle Orton didn't have a great game, but it's week 1. You finished with the second worst record in football last year for a reason - you don't have a good team. You're not losing because of Orton...so give him at least half a season before you jump off a cliff. If Tebow does become the starter and he sucks like most think he will, then where do you turn? Brady Quinn? Yikes.
Green Bay is the best team in football. However, I'm not ready to crown them the champions yet. Last year, after week 3 I went with the defending champs, the Saints, to make it back to the Super Bowl. It turns out it is very very hard to repeat. Green Bay got super lucky when Tampa Bay couldn't beat the Lions on the final day of the season and snuck into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. They then went on to run over everyone in their way. This year the Pack look really really solid (man, that offense is awesome) but they are going to need some luck again to repeat.
Finally, the NFL is in a good spot. I'm not talking about revenue and what not - no, they are in a good spot with all the young talent coming into the league. There are still some terrible QB's out there, but this young group of under-25 gunslingers (Bradford, Stafford, Freeman, Flacco, Ryan, Newton, Sanchez) are really ready to step up and take over for Brees, Manning and Brady when they retire (oh, and of course, Aaron Rodgers, the veteran 27 yeard old of the bunch). The NFL will be in good shape with any of these guys becoming the face of the league.

Oh, and a quick update on my NFL Fan Free Agency. I officially am supporting Cleveland, Oakland, Detroit and Buffalo this year. As for exciting players I am interested in - Sam Bradford, Matt Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, AJ Green, Jamaal Charles and Colt McCoy.

Mental Mistakes Doom Sounders

2011-09-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

I went into the Sounders game on Saturday knowing that we were probably going to lose. I mean, it had all the makings of a letdown: Undefeated August; 10 days without a game (including 5 real days off); an underappreciated RSL squad; beautiful weather and a home crowd. Oh, and we stopped their streak at home with a late Lamar Neagle goal so they owed us one. To me, everything was pointing towards starting off sluggishly and not being able to come back.

At the end of the day, we did indeed lose and as expected, I don't feel terrible about it. I know that some people will say that there was nothing positive to take out of it - that under pressure we were unable to beat one of the best teams in the league at home. I say hogwash. I mean, look at their two goals. First one - a terrible gaff by Keller. He seems to make one a season (2000 - at home vs KC, 2010 - at home vs LA) so hopefully it is out of his system. He said after the game that he was caught in between two decisions and it showed. From the minute it happened I knew Saborio's run effed him up. It was unfortunate. Then the second goal came off of some bad clearing. Saborio's original shot pin balled off of Wahl and came right back to him. The finish was clinical, but the fact is he should have never gotten the second chance. Wahl didn't necessarily do anything wrong, he just got unlucky. Again, some might say this is typical, but I can't agree.

On offense, Mauro Rosales missed a PK after the keeper guessed the wrong way and a Tyson Wahl shot hit off of Nick Rimandos' face. I never like to play the IF game for events that are in the past, but seriously, if Keller makes the routine save AND Mauro makes the routine PK it easily could have gone the other way. We got a little unlucky and got hurt by some mental errors.

Of course, a lot of people will come away blasting the ref. I am not one to normally say anything, but I was particularly fired up on Saturday. I told The Wife that in honor of 9/11 and my plea for peace I was going to go the whole game without doing the You Suck @sshole chant, but instead I gave the ref the middle finger and booed him off the pitch. I wasn't so angry with the Hurtado red card (I was sitting right there - Hurtado hit him in the face....it was inadvertent, but there was contact), but just with the overall consistency. He missed a PK later in the first half, almost didn't realize that Tony Beltran was sitting on a yellow already and to show that I'm not too much a homer, missed what I thought could have been a red card against Carrasco. The guy is wreckless and clearly hit one of the RSL guys in the head with an elbow on a header...somehow the ref missed it and only gave him a yellow.

Soccer is a funny sport - one game you get a lucky goal and then ride the wave of excitement for 5 more. Another game you get unlucky with a goal against, miss a PK and have a shot go off the keepers face. After the game, Alan Hinton and Jimmy Gabriel were saying the team would need to put in some extra shooting practice over the next few training sessions - something that would have seemed crazy a week ago. I for one will not panic.

**********
So now we're off to Costa Rica to take on the last place team in the group, Herediano. If we can get a tie on the road and then come home to beat them at Qwest 6days later, we will beat 10 points and pretty much assured of moving on to the knowkcout phase. This would really be awesome for the Sounders (not just the achievement on moving on since they went 1-5-0 last year) because it would mean that they could probably sit Kasey Keller in the final two games. In case you hadn't heard, Terry Boss is out for the season with his second concussion and the team is having to decide what to do with the inexperienced Josh Ford the only other keeper on the roster. If we decide not to bring an experienced goalie in to back-up Keller, I think we will need to pray that Kasey doesn't get hurt, because I for sure don't want a rookie starting in goal for us in the US Open Cup Final, for the final 7 games of the season or for the playoffs.

One other thing that many people haven't talked about Kasey retiring at the end of 2011. He has said that he won't be coming back in 2012, even if the team makes the knockout phase of CCL. That means barring no signings we would either have Josh Ford or a recently concussed Terry Boss as our only options. Marcus Hahnemann, where are you??

My Plea for Peace

2011-09-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

I have given a lot of thought as to whether I wanted to write about 9/11 and have decided that I will never be able to fully articulate my feelings about that infamous day. However, with the 10th anniversary of the attacks this Sunday I did want to say just a few things. Please forgive me for delving into this on what is meant to be a sports blog.

Let me start off by saying that I still remember vividly where I was 10 years ago and the horror that I felt in watching the day unfold. I may have been 4 hours away in central PA and I may have been lucky enough not to have lost anyone on that date, but the attacks still had a profound effect on me.

I remember how the country came together to fight through the pain. The days immediately following 9/11 were ones that all Americans should be proud of. We were down and collectively pulled ourselves back up. We were able to look past the differences in each other and realize that we had the most important thing in common - we were Americans. Unfortunately, 10 years later I no longer see this sense of community as we are once again a nation divided. Not only can't our two political parties function together on purely economic issues, but now there is an underlying difference in religious beliefs between the two.

And that brings me to my overall plea to everyone in this country. Feel free to continue to grieve in whatever way brings you the most peace. If you feel so inclined, be angry at those that attacked you and your country, but please try to separate your hatred. Don't hate the group of honest, good people who happen to share the same religion as those that attacked us. Don't hate people because they look different than you, speak a different language than you, have a different sexual orientation than your or are different in any way than you. In the end, we all just want the same things: the chance to have basic necessities, the chance to raise our kids and the chance to practice our faith. We are the same, just a little different.

To tie this into sports, the Mets were the first NY team to play in NYC after the attacks (even know the Yankees will get all the credit). On Sept 21, 2001 they played the Braves and provided a brief distraction from the pain and suffering. That night Mike Piazza hit a 2-run home run in the 8th inning to help the Mets win 3-2. A link to the moment is provided to the right continuously, but for those who have never seen, here is a link. I have never heard the crowd at Shea sound the way they did that night and still to this day I get choked up.

The Curious Case of Scott Neidermayer

2011-09-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Devils have announced that they will be retiring Scott Neidermayer’s number 27 sometime during this season (rumors suggest it will be December 16). He is one of my favorite players all time, if not THE favorite. It goes without saying that in my biased view, his number should be hanging from the rafters, never to be worn by the likes of the Mottaus or Tallacksons ever again.

Neidermayer was one of the most gifted skaters ever to play in the NHL. I wish that I could do anything half as well as he can skate. Hell, I wish I could walk half as well as he skates. Alas, my destiny is to constantly walk into things while he smoothly skates the periphery of the ice in around 4 seconds. But I digress.

In parts of 13 seasons with the Devils (and parts of 5 with the Mightiful Disney Ducks of Anaheim) he played in 1465 regular season and playoff games, amassing 838 points (197g, 641a). He was a key figure in all 3 of the Devils Stanley Cup championships (as well as the Conn Smythe award winner for the Ducks’ championship season in 2006-07). He finally won the Norris Trophy for best defenseman in 2003-04 (the only Devil ever to win the award). He is also the only player EVER to win every major North American and international championship: Memorial Cup, World Cup, Stanley Cup (4x) and gold medals in the World Junior Championship, IIHF World Championship and the Olympics (2x). So it’s safe to say he’s awesome. No brainer to retire his number, right, seeing how he will be remembered and everything he brought to the franchise for the equivalent of both my elementary and high school careers? He made Colin White look good for years. That has to count for something, right? Right?

Well, believe it or not, there is a lot of anger about this floating around the internet. What, anger and jealousy on the internet you say? Never. Well, maybe just this once (and by once I mean, 900 trillionth time).

The Devils beat the Ducks for the Stanley Cup in June of 2003. Playing on the Ducks’ third line was Scott’s brother, Rob. While winning the Cup is the ultimate prize in hockey and what every little kid hopes to do, it was clearly bittersweet for Scott. It was obvious that he wanted to share that joy with his brother and that it was hard for him to shake his hand afterwards. That was the moment I knew he would leave the Devils if LL couldn’t find a way to get Rob on the team. I believe he had tried to trade for him in the past, but was never able to bring him over. And seeing all of this, then Ducks’ GM Brian Burke overpaid Rob to stay in Anaheim. And so when Scott reached unrestricted free agency after the 2003-04 season, he left to play on the same team as his brother, eventually passing him the Stanley Cup in 2007. In fact, he left money on the table to do this (I think it worked out to a little more than $4 million).

I never blamed him for doing this. I got it. I still get it. He left a huge hole on the Devils’ blue line and in their leadership. He will never be replaced because there is nobody quite like him. But so it goes and like I said, I get it. But there seems to be a surprisingly large contingent of folks on the interwebs that believe he should piss off and his number should either never be retired or, at the very least, should be pushed off until after Brodeur and Elias retire first. It’s hard to understand that kind of bitterness, especially in light of what he did and the circumstances around him leaving. But then maybe I’m a little more rational than most people.

The Red Sox have 3 criteria for retiring a player’s number: 1) election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, 2) at least 10 years played with the Red Sox and 3) finish his career with the club. The Devils have no criteria that I know of for retiring a player’s number. Should there be a reason to withhold this honor from a player who so clearly deserves it? Should there be criteria that MUST always be met?

Anyway, I’m interested in what other people think about this. Not so much the specifics of Scott Neidermayer, but the number retirement in general. Should spitefulness win out in the end as we forget about a player’s complete body of work just because he didn’t spend his entire career with your team? Can the business side of things and the personal side of things be viewed from a rational perspective that includes both? Can’t we all just get along?