The record will tell us some things are facts, but many others can certainly be argued when it comes to the Ohio State football team. For example, they're playing tonight against Oregon for the national championship. No sane person would argue otherwise. Also, at the beginning of the year, the Buckeyes were considered amongst the favorites to wind up where they are now.
But then a chain of events happened to that program over the season which raises some interesting points. In roughly chronological order, it could certainly be argued......
When then starting QB Braxton Miller went down before the season even started, most at the time wrote off the Buckeyes chances. They went from an 8 or 10 to one shot to a whopping 50:1. No doubt, a few bettors plopped down a C-note just for kicks at those odds, but pretty much kissed it good-bye. I'll get back to that.
Then second-stringer J.T. Barrett stepped up and it could be argued he was every bit as good, if not better, than Miller.
But when the Buckeyes got trounced at home by Virginia Tech, any national aspirations went poof. It was over.
Alas, Barrett himself would succumb to a season-ending injury. Next up, third-stringer Cardale Jones. It could be argued he was/is even better than Barrett and Miller. Making his first starts, he led the Buckeyes to a 59-0 thrashing of Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game, and followed up by knocking off then #1 mighty Alabama 42-35 in Sugar Bowl national semi-finals. This was very impressive stuff. No argument about it.
Considering the above, it could be argued that OSU head coach Urban Meyer had his QB depth chart bass-ackwards all along.
Certainly there was a huge argument whether or not OSU should have leap-frogged other one-loss teams like Baylor and TCU at the last second to land in the Final Four. But that's history as well, It happened. Further, given the results of the Wisconsin and Bama games, would anyone now seriously argue OSU is "out of place" or "over their heads" playing for the championship? I think not. Whether they can knock off Oregon remains to be seen. Indeed, they're a 6.5 point underdog.
Urban Meyer and his Buckeyes certainly run the gamut of emotions when it comes to fans. Some people love them. Others, for various reasons, hate them with a passion. There's not a whole lot of middle ground when it comes to fandom regarding OSU football. Either your fer-em or agin-em.
Conversely, it could be argued that nobody totally despises Oregon. Yeah, there's jealousy, sour grapes, and even rivalries here and there, but c'mon, can anybody really hate a bunch of Road Runnerish Ducks?
What is fact is those people that plopped the C-notes down months ago at 50:1 on Ohio State are feeling pretty good right now. A $100 basically thrown to the wind a while back might just be worth 5 grand in a few hours.
Best case scenario for the bookies? Oregon wins, but doesn't cover the 6.5. Don't be surprised. They don't call them wise guys for nothing.
We'll see.
On to the game.
Monday, January 12, 2015
NFL refs and more dumb things
Many Detroit Lions' fans continue to whine about how their team got "jobbed" in Dallas last week. Given a few highly questionable calls (or non-calls), to say the least, maybe they did.
Yours truly was in a local watering hole earlier today while the Dallas/Green Bay game was showing on the Godzilla screen. As cosmic payback forces sometimes go, it appeared the Cowboys were on the short end of a bad call. Wide receiver Dez Bryant caught a pass, had both feet inbounds, and went to the ground less than a yard short of a touchdown. The ref on the spot ruled it a catch. But upon "further review" it was determined Bryant didn't maintain "full control" of the ball throughout. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass.
A hard-core Lions' fan -- hey, when someone is wearing a Lions' cap, Lions' jacket, and has his beer in a Lions' cup holder, it's not a stretch to make such an assumption -- jumped up, shook his fist, and screamed, "Damn right. That's what I'm talking about!!!!".
So after giving him a couple seconds to wipe away his Honolulu blue and silver drool on his Lions' terrible towel, I edged up and dared to ask the following question:
"No offense my man, but are you a Packers' fan too?"
"Hell no", he replied. "We got screwed last week by Dallas and I effing-A want to see THEM get screwed this week. They just did. Bartender, gimme another double shot of Blue Suh Maui.".
Well now. This was a serious, if misguided Lions' fan. Whether or not if the Bryant call or the ones the week before in Big D had gone the other way would have produced a different outcome in the final score is merely a matter of speculation. Maybe. Maybe not. We'll never know. But Detroit went down to Dallas, and Da Boys went down to Green Bay. That much we DO know. And I hope that dude found his way home safely in his blue and silver pick-up truck with Lions decals all over it. As he sped away, I noticed something unusual. Dual exhaust is cool, but yours truly had never seen one pipe painted blue and the other silver before. There's fans, and then there's ridiculous fans.
[Incredibly dumb commercial dept. What is it with those three bimbos and their "push it" ad? I'll get back to that.]
Nevertheless, such calls, or not, are what happens sometimes given the on-field officials, the rule book, and the "guys in the booth".
First of all, most NFL refs and other on-field officials aren't even full-time employees. There's a reason why the vast majority of them have other "regular" jobs through the week. Because while countless millions of dollars, the hopes of fans of the teams, and even championships may come into play by the calls they make -- the NFL doesn't pay them enough money to quit their "day jobs". In and of itself, this is preposterous. While many players on the fields are making over a million bucks a game, you're telling me the league and owners can't afford full-time officials at, say, a sliding scale ranging from $100,000 to maybe $250,000 for an entire season, depending on seniority and which on-field jobs they actually perform? I don't believe it. If you want really good officials, make it so they can devote their entire year studying their craft. In particular, this refers to ---
The NFL rule book. Once in a while, we'll hear some talking head or other geek actually quote a rule from this monstrosity. You know, Chapter 4, paragraph 7, subsection 3(b) or whatever. But the NFL rule book is much like the IRS tax code in a couple ways. For every rule in one section that says a certain action is legal -- there's another rule in a different clause that says it's not. Thousands of pages of conflicting gibberish and, in the end, nobody knows what the hell the rules actually are. It's all up to interpretation.
Look at it this way. If you were on trial in court for a serious crime, and were paying hot-shot lawyers (the players) $500 an hour to represent you, would you really want the jury box (the refs) to be full of a bunch of folks that were dragged away from their regular jobs and are making a paltry $20 bucks a day to sit there while worrying more about their regular lives than your case? Hmm. Come to think of it, that's pretty much how it works.
[Back to the bimbos and their pushing folly. Next time you see that ad, ask yourself a couple questions. Why would any office or business install exterior doors that push inwards from the outside, and also have large "PUSH" signs prominantly displayed -- have handles on the outside of the door? What are they good for? Cut to the next scene on an elevator. Ever hop into an elevator and have three stooges, one playing an electric piano of all things, simultaneously exhorting you to "push" the buttons? Ever seen an elevator with "pull" buttons? I don't know who's running the company responsible for such ads, but these are evidently very stupid people. It kind of ranks right up there with an old Gallagher joke referring to signs on the doors of businesses regarding blind people. "Only leader dogs allowed beyond this point". That's great but who, exactly, is reading such postings?]
Then there's the "guys in the booth", aka replay officials. Nobody's knows who these people are. Evidently, it's a matter of national security that their identities be kept secret. One never knows what band of (name the team) terrorists might spring up and wreak mass havoc if a call doesn't go their way.
For that matter, we don't know if they're guys at all let alone, what, if any, level of expertise they have in interpreting NFL rules. They might be teenaged girls that were plucked from the local mall. Or chimpanzees on loan from the local zoo. Give them a few bananas to eat, monitors to watch, buttons to push, and either would likely be happy. Let THEM make the final calls through their headsets. "Ooh, ooh, ooh" means the original call was confirmed. "Ack, ack, ack" means it's overturned. And hard telling what the monkeys might say, given the same chance. No wonder it takes the officials on the field so long to finally come to a decision. Ever tried to decipher grunting primates through headphones while 80,000 people were roaring all around you? Good luck getting it right.
So why not pay the NFL on-field officials a living wage so they can afford to study their craft full-time? The "expertise" of the guys, girls, or Cheetahs in the booth would no longer be necessary. You don't see NBA refs having to consult the "booth", nor Major League umpires. When a disputed call arises, they put their heads together, huddle up to watch all the angles and slo-mos of the particular play, and make a call. They KNOW the rules and don't need anonymous others interpreting them. Yes, despite the venue they might be at thousands of miles away, the NHL refs still defer to the gods, girls or silverbacks in Toronto on such matters. But, hey, Gary Bettman is still the Commissioner, so one can't expect a Judge Judy to morph into an Angelina Jolie overnight.
[And if those girls ever follow me around telling me to "push it" when I'm mowing the lawn, somebody's likely to wind up missing a few toes when I "pull" a quick U-turn. I don't need that aggravation. Let the replay officials sort it out. I will forever maintain it was "incidental contact".]
Yours truly was in a local watering hole earlier today while the Dallas/Green Bay game was showing on the Godzilla screen. As cosmic payback forces sometimes go, it appeared the Cowboys were on the short end of a bad call. Wide receiver Dez Bryant caught a pass, had both feet inbounds, and went to the ground less than a yard short of a touchdown. The ref on the spot ruled it a catch. But upon "further review" it was determined Bryant didn't maintain "full control" of the ball throughout. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass.
A hard-core Lions' fan -- hey, when someone is wearing a Lions' cap, Lions' jacket, and has his beer in a Lions' cup holder, it's not a stretch to make such an assumption -- jumped up, shook his fist, and screamed, "Damn right. That's what I'm talking about!!!!".
So after giving him a couple seconds to wipe away his Honolulu blue and silver drool on his Lions' terrible towel, I edged up and dared to ask the following question:
"No offense my man, but are you a Packers' fan too?"
"Hell no", he replied. "We got screwed last week by Dallas and I effing-A want to see THEM get screwed this week. They just did. Bartender, gimme another double shot of Blue Suh Maui.".
Well now. This was a serious, if misguided Lions' fan. Whether or not if the Bryant call or the ones the week before in Big D had gone the other way would have produced a different outcome in the final score is merely a matter of speculation. Maybe. Maybe not. We'll never know. But Detroit went down to Dallas, and Da Boys went down to Green Bay. That much we DO know. And I hope that dude found his way home safely in his blue and silver pick-up truck with Lions decals all over it. As he sped away, I noticed something unusual. Dual exhaust is cool, but yours truly had never seen one pipe painted blue and the other silver before. There's fans, and then there's ridiculous fans.
[Incredibly dumb commercial dept. What is it with those three bimbos and their "push it" ad? I'll get back to that.]
Nevertheless, such calls, or not, are what happens sometimes given the on-field officials, the rule book, and the "guys in the booth".
First of all, most NFL refs and other on-field officials aren't even full-time employees. There's a reason why the vast majority of them have other "regular" jobs through the week. Because while countless millions of dollars, the hopes of fans of the teams, and even championships may come into play by the calls they make -- the NFL doesn't pay them enough money to quit their "day jobs". In and of itself, this is preposterous. While many players on the fields are making over a million bucks a game, you're telling me the league and owners can't afford full-time officials at, say, a sliding scale ranging from $100,000 to maybe $250,000 for an entire season, depending on seniority and which on-field jobs they actually perform? I don't believe it. If you want really good officials, make it so they can devote their entire year studying their craft. In particular, this refers to ---
The NFL rule book. Once in a while, we'll hear some talking head or other geek actually quote a rule from this monstrosity. You know, Chapter 4, paragraph 7, subsection 3(b) or whatever. But the NFL rule book is much like the IRS tax code in a couple ways. For every rule in one section that says a certain action is legal -- there's another rule in a different clause that says it's not. Thousands of pages of conflicting gibberish and, in the end, nobody knows what the hell the rules actually are. It's all up to interpretation.
Look at it this way. If you were on trial in court for a serious crime, and were paying hot-shot lawyers (the players) $500 an hour to represent you, would you really want the jury box (the refs) to be full of a bunch of folks that were dragged away from their regular jobs and are making a paltry $20 bucks a day to sit there while worrying more about their regular lives than your case? Hmm. Come to think of it, that's pretty much how it works.
[Back to the bimbos and their pushing folly. Next time you see that ad, ask yourself a couple questions. Why would any office or business install exterior doors that push inwards from the outside, and also have large "PUSH" signs prominantly displayed -- have handles on the outside of the door? What are they good for? Cut to the next scene on an elevator. Ever hop into an elevator and have three stooges, one playing an electric piano of all things, simultaneously exhorting you to "push" the buttons? Ever seen an elevator with "pull" buttons? I don't know who's running the company responsible for such ads, but these are evidently very stupid people. It kind of ranks right up there with an old Gallagher joke referring to signs on the doors of businesses regarding blind people. "Only leader dogs allowed beyond this point". That's great but who, exactly, is reading such postings?]
Then there's the "guys in the booth", aka replay officials. Nobody's knows who these people are. Evidently, it's a matter of national security that their identities be kept secret. One never knows what band of (name the team) terrorists might spring up and wreak mass havoc if a call doesn't go their way.
For that matter, we don't know if they're guys at all let alone, what, if any, level of expertise they have in interpreting NFL rules. They might be teenaged girls that were plucked from the local mall. Or chimpanzees on loan from the local zoo. Give them a few bananas to eat, monitors to watch, buttons to push, and either would likely be happy. Let THEM make the final calls through their headsets. "Ooh, ooh, ooh" means the original call was confirmed. "Ack, ack, ack" means it's overturned. And hard telling what the monkeys might say, given the same chance. No wonder it takes the officials on the field so long to finally come to a decision. Ever tried to decipher grunting primates through headphones while 80,000 people were roaring all around you? Good luck getting it right.
So why not pay the NFL on-field officials a living wage so they can afford to study their craft full-time? The "expertise" of the guys, girls, or Cheetahs in the booth would no longer be necessary. You don't see NBA refs having to consult the "booth", nor Major League umpires. When a disputed call arises, they put their heads together, huddle up to watch all the angles and slo-mos of the particular play, and make a call. They KNOW the rules and don't need anonymous others interpreting them. Yes, despite the venue they might be at thousands of miles away, the NHL refs still defer to the gods, girls or silverbacks in Toronto on such matters. But, hey, Gary Bettman is still the Commissioner, so one can't expect a Judge Judy to morph into an Angelina Jolie overnight.
[And if those girls ever follow me around telling me to "push it" when I'm mowing the lawn, somebody's likely to wind up missing a few toes when I "pull" a quick U-turn. I don't need that aggravation. Let the replay officials sort it out. I will forever maintain it was "incidental contact".]
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Peyton Manning. Can he pull off another Super Bowl?
Odds are -- no, for a variety of reasons. Now 38, Archie's boy would be the oldest QB in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. This is not to say the "man of a billion stupid commercials" is a geezer and has no chance. Indeed, he remains highly effective on the field and has a great team around him -- on both sides of the ball.
But to win another Super Bowl (Manning has only done it once) first you have to get there. And that's where the hard part comes in. The playoffs are quite the gauntlet/minefield where one misstep can spell disaster. The also-rans and patsies have been sent packing and only the cream of the crop teams remain. Besides, it's the NFL, and you know what they say about "on any given Sunday". Upsets happen. Even in the playoffs and Super Bowl. Who would have thought Eli Manning and the barely playoff-worthy NY Giants had a chance a few years back against Tom Brady and the mighty Patriots who had gone undefeated all season? Yet the Giants not only ran the playoff gauntlet, but pulled off a huge upset in the Super Bowl. Stuff happens.
[Idle weird stat. By virtue of knocking off the Carolina Panthers, the Seattle Seahawks became the first defending Super Bowl champions to win a SINGLE playoff game the following year since the Patriots did it in 2005 -- as in nine years worth. This post-season business is no cakewalk, especially when one has a target on their back. Throw in star free agents having jumped ship for more money and the complacency thing and being defending champions doesn't guarantee squat the following year]
As this is written, Manning and the Denver Broncos have yet to play the Indy Colts in the playoffs. Denver is favored at home, no surprise, and will likely prevail. As mentioned in a previous post, Indy QB Andrew Luck is a phenomenal talent and his day might come -- but it ain't gonna be this year. The old man in mile high still finds time between all the moronic endorsements to play some pretty damn good football. So let's assume the Broncos move on. What happens next?
They travel to New England where the BB boys and company await. In head-to-head match-ups over the years, Tom Brady has pretty much owned Peyton Manning. Gisele's man is 11-5 over Papa John's pizza buddy. That includes 8-4 during Manning's heyday with the Colts, and 3-1 since he joined the Broncos. The Patriots would certainly be favored, but let's further hypothesize that somehow Peyton and his crew find a way to defeat them. Could happen. After all, 11-5 is far different than 16-0, and even if it was the latter -- stranger things have happen. See the above mentioned Giants/Pats Super Bowl game.
Yes, this is getting way ahead of things, and Dallas still has to play at Green Bay. Both are excellent teams. Yet regardless of who wins, they have to visit the house of the Legion of Boom in the northwest in the NFC finals. Given the roll the defending champs have been on of late, does anybody really think the Pack or Da Boys can actually win there with a Super Bowl berth at stake? Not me.
So if all the above fairy tale came true, the Broncos would be off to face, drum roll please, the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Again.
What was the score last year? 43-8? A total beatdown. Given the same two teams, could we expect an entirely different result? Not likely.
In other words, Peyton Manning has some serious mountains yet to climb this year if he wants another Super Bowl ring. Is it possible? Sure. Joe Namath and the upstart Jets knocked off the mighty Baltimore Colts. A bunch of college kids defeated the invincible Soviet Red Army Team a few decades ago in Olympic hockey. Remember the Miracle Mets of 1969? Not counting the Cubs winning the World Series or the Detroit Lions hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy, anything's theoretically possible. Even my ex someday returning my roto-tiller, which she took with her into a second story luxury apartment. Figure THAT one out.
But I wouldn't bet on it.
Nevertheless, here's wishing Peyton Manning all the best in his quest for a second ring. The dude's got money, Buicks and pizza coming out of his ears, and even Nationwide is on his side.
But the odds aren't, and his window of opportunity is rapidly closing. 38 is 38 and if he doesn't get it done this year things won't get easier in the future. That's assuming there IS a future beyond just hanging on in name value only to collect obscene paychecks. Perhaps a chat with Tiger Woods would prove enlightening. Just a thought.....
But to win another Super Bowl (Manning has only done it once) first you have to get there. And that's where the hard part comes in. The playoffs are quite the gauntlet/minefield where one misstep can spell disaster. The also-rans and patsies have been sent packing and only the cream of the crop teams remain. Besides, it's the NFL, and you know what they say about "on any given Sunday". Upsets happen. Even in the playoffs and Super Bowl. Who would have thought Eli Manning and the barely playoff-worthy NY Giants had a chance a few years back against Tom Brady and the mighty Patriots who had gone undefeated all season? Yet the Giants not only ran the playoff gauntlet, but pulled off a huge upset in the Super Bowl. Stuff happens.
[Idle weird stat. By virtue of knocking off the Carolina Panthers, the Seattle Seahawks became the first defending Super Bowl champions to win a SINGLE playoff game the following year since the Patriots did it in 2005 -- as in nine years worth. This post-season business is no cakewalk, especially when one has a target on their back. Throw in star free agents having jumped ship for more money and the complacency thing and being defending champions doesn't guarantee squat the following year]
As this is written, Manning and the Denver Broncos have yet to play the Indy Colts in the playoffs. Denver is favored at home, no surprise, and will likely prevail. As mentioned in a previous post, Indy QB Andrew Luck is a phenomenal talent and his day might come -- but it ain't gonna be this year. The old man in mile high still finds time between all the moronic endorsements to play some pretty damn good football. So let's assume the Broncos move on. What happens next?
They travel to New England where the BB boys and company await. In head-to-head match-ups over the years, Tom Brady has pretty much owned Peyton Manning. Gisele's man is 11-5 over Papa John's pizza buddy. That includes 8-4 during Manning's heyday with the Colts, and 3-1 since he joined the Broncos. The Patriots would certainly be favored, but let's further hypothesize that somehow Peyton and his crew find a way to defeat them. Could happen. After all, 11-5 is far different than 16-0, and even if it was the latter -- stranger things have happen. See the above mentioned Giants/Pats Super Bowl game.
Yes, this is getting way ahead of things, and Dallas still has to play at Green Bay. Both are excellent teams. Yet regardless of who wins, they have to visit the house of the Legion of Boom in the northwest in the NFC finals. Given the roll the defending champs have been on of late, does anybody really think the Pack or Da Boys can actually win there with a Super Bowl berth at stake? Not me.
So if all the above fairy tale came true, the Broncos would be off to face, drum roll please, the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Again.
What was the score last year? 43-8? A total beatdown. Given the same two teams, could we expect an entirely different result? Not likely.
In other words, Peyton Manning has some serious mountains yet to climb this year if he wants another Super Bowl ring. Is it possible? Sure. Joe Namath and the upstart Jets knocked off the mighty Baltimore Colts. A bunch of college kids defeated the invincible Soviet Red Army Team a few decades ago in Olympic hockey. Remember the Miracle Mets of 1969? Not counting the Cubs winning the World Series or the Detroit Lions hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy, anything's theoretically possible. Even my ex someday returning my roto-tiller, which she took with her into a second story luxury apartment. Figure THAT one out.
But I wouldn't bet on it.
Nevertheless, here's wishing Peyton Manning all the best in his quest for a second ring. The dude's got money, Buicks and pizza coming out of his ears, and even Nationwide is on his side.
But the odds aren't, and his window of opportunity is rapidly closing. 38 is 38 and if he doesn't get it done this year things won't get easier in the future. That's assuming there IS a future beyond just hanging on in name value only to collect obscene paychecks. Perhaps a chat with Tiger Woods would prove enlightening. Just a thought.....
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Ravens/Pats. What a game
Yours truly told anybody who would listen (few do anymore) that the Ravens getting 7 points against the Patriots was as close to a lock as it gets. Jump on it. Bet the house. The significant other. Besides their college education funds, throw the kids in the pot too.
Actually, I thought the Ravens would win outright. We all know of the mad genius of Bill Bellichick and Tom Brady has certainly become legendary over the years. But if any team was going to knock the Pats off at home -- it was the Ravens. Baltimore's not flashy. They just get down to the nitty-gritty and get the job done, and also have a history of being totally unfazed playing pressure-packed playoff games on the road. They seldom make mistakes and QB Joe Flacco is every bit as unflappable as Tom Brady. To boot, they'd beaten the Patriots 2 out of the last 3 times they met -- including in Foxborough. For that matter, the Ravens have the most road playoff wins in NFL history. Despite being 7 point underdogs, thinking they could march into Patville and methodically grind out another victory wasn't much of a stretch.
And what a game it turned out to be. The Ravens quickly jumped ahead by 14 points. Uh-oh, the Pats were in trouble. Not quite. They would rally to tie the score. Baltimore put two more touchdowns on the board for another 14 point lead. New England would respond with two TDs of their own to even it up again. The Ravens added a field goal to lead 31-28. The Brady Bunch came back with another touchdown to go ahead 35-31, their first lead of the game. With time getting short, the Ravens got the ball back. Could they punch in another touchdown to win the game? On a crucial 4th and 3 from their own territory, the Ravens converted. They still had a shot. Alas, New England would take possession of the ball again, and all that remained was "taking a knee" to run the clock out. Baltimore had already burned two of their three timeouts, and it appeared they were doomed.
But not so fast. After the two minute warning, Brady indeed took a couple knees. The clock was winding down. 90 seconds, 60 seconds, 30 seconds. Tick, tick, tick. Many, including yours truly, likely wondered -- why doesn't Raven head coach John Harbaugh use his final time out? Sure, it's likely futile anyway, but you never know what might happen. Or was he content to let the clock run out and concede defeat?
This is when one of the most brilliant strategies yours truly has ever seen happened. Turned out, Harbaugh had calculated EXACTLY how many seconds remained and found a way to give his team a chance to pull out a last second victory after all. He used his final time-out when New England eventually was faced with fourth down deep in their own territory and their punter would have to kick from near his own goal line. A mere 14 seconds remained on the clock.
This set up all manners of possibilities. The Ravens could go for the punt block. They did, but failed. Perhaps the Baltimore punt return man could break off a miracle play. He didn't. But they were shots and stranger things have happened.
Finally, with time expiring, Joe Flacco heaved a Hail Mary pass into the New England end zone. Had it been caught, the Ravens would have won. It wasn't. But Harbaugh had given his team every conceivable last-ditch chance to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Again, punts have been blocked or returned for touchdowns, and Hail Marys have miraculously found their ways into a receiver's hands.
In the end, the Pats would escape with the 35-31 win and will await the winner of Denver/Indy game.
So yeah, I was wrong thinking the Ravens would win it outright. But ah, the 7 point spread mentioned above.
They should have listened. They could have had another house, doubled the college funds, and how much are are kids worth these days? At least a couple bucks apiece. Most of them. I think.....
Actually, I thought the Ravens would win outright. We all know of the mad genius of Bill Bellichick and Tom Brady has certainly become legendary over the years. But if any team was going to knock the Pats off at home -- it was the Ravens. Baltimore's not flashy. They just get down to the nitty-gritty and get the job done, and also have a history of being totally unfazed playing pressure-packed playoff games on the road. They seldom make mistakes and QB Joe Flacco is every bit as unflappable as Tom Brady. To boot, they'd beaten the Patriots 2 out of the last 3 times they met -- including in Foxborough. For that matter, the Ravens have the most road playoff wins in NFL history. Despite being 7 point underdogs, thinking they could march into Patville and methodically grind out another victory wasn't much of a stretch.
And what a game it turned out to be. The Ravens quickly jumped ahead by 14 points. Uh-oh, the Pats were in trouble. Not quite. They would rally to tie the score. Baltimore put two more touchdowns on the board for another 14 point lead. New England would respond with two TDs of their own to even it up again. The Ravens added a field goal to lead 31-28. The Brady Bunch came back with another touchdown to go ahead 35-31, their first lead of the game. With time getting short, the Ravens got the ball back. Could they punch in another touchdown to win the game? On a crucial 4th and 3 from their own territory, the Ravens converted. They still had a shot. Alas, New England would take possession of the ball again, and all that remained was "taking a knee" to run the clock out. Baltimore had already burned two of their three timeouts, and it appeared they were doomed.
But not so fast. After the two minute warning, Brady indeed took a couple knees. The clock was winding down. 90 seconds, 60 seconds, 30 seconds. Tick, tick, tick. Many, including yours truly, likely wondered -- why doesn't Raven head coach John Harbaugh use his final time out? Sure, it's likely futile anyway, but you never know what might happen. Or was he content to let the clock run out and concede defeat?
This is when one of the most brilliant strategies yours truly has ever seen happened. Turned out, Harbaugh had calculated EXACTLY how many seconds remained and found a way to give his team a chance to pull out a last second victory after all. He used his final time-out when New England eventually was faced with fourth down deep in their own territory and their punter would have to kick from near his own goal line. A mere 14 seconds remained on the clock.
This set up all manners of possibilities. The Ravens could go for the punt block. They did, but failed. Perhaps the Baltimore punt return man could break off a miracle play. He didn't. But they were shots and stranger things have happened.
Finally, with time expiring, Joe Flacco heaved a Hail Mary pass into the New England end zone. Had it been caught, the Ravens would have won. It wasn't. But Harbaugh had given his team every conceivable last-ditch chance to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Again, punts have been blocked or returned for touchdowns, and Hail Marys have miraculously found their ways into a receiver's hands.
In the end, the Pats would escape with the 35-31 win and will await the winner of Denver/Indy game.
So yeah, I was wrong thinking the Ravens would win it outright. But ah, the 7 point spread mentioned above.
They should have listened. They could have had another house, doubled the college funds, and how much are are kids worth these days? At least a couple bucks apiece. Most of them. I think.....
The naming rights game.
Yours truly is too lazy to look them all up, but I dare say elderly sports fans (over the age of, say, 35) can remember a time when most stadiums and arenas had names that we automatically associated with a certain team.
Some are still there. Everybody knows what team plays in Fenway Park. Same with Lambeau Field. Some were named after the teams or towns. Maple Leaf and Boston Gardens. Yankee Stadium. Cowboy Stadium. Others were even dubbed after the structure itself. The Silver, Super, and Astrodomes. Still others had/have names of mysterious origin. Candlestick Park. Arrowhead Stadium. Soldier Field. There were probably good reasons for this at the time but, again, I'm taking a lazy day and don't feel like Googling all that stuff.
But somewhere along the line the light bulb came on and franchise owners realized there were millions of easy bucks to be made by selling the naming rights to their stadiums/arenas to various other deep-pocketed entities. Without naming names, these mostly involve banks, credit card outfits, insurance companies, and the like.
Ever wonder why your interest rate stays low on your bank account, high on your credit card, and your insurance premiums keep going up? It just might have something to do with these companies forking over countless millions to buy naming rights to various venues. They're putting your money to work alright, in the name of advertising themselves.
Just recently, rumors are swirling that the owner(s) of the Detroit Pistons' arena are considering selling out the same way. Let's not forget the late long-time owner of the Pistons, Bill Davidson, purchased the land and built the Palace of Auburn Hills entirely with his own money. "The Palace" was a fitting name. Indeed, 26 years later, it remains a world-class facility.
And let's face it. People that can afford to buy professional sports franchises are typically billionaires already. With mega-TV money flowing in and other endorsements plastered all around their venues, they don't need the "paltry" extra few million that come with whoring out the naming rights of the venue itself to the highest bidder.
If true, one can only wonder what the Palace might be renamed -- and by who. Some of these corporations are comical if one stops to think about it. One has a dopey lady selling insurance policies out of shoeboxes in what appears to be a sanitarium. Others have ducks and lizards as spokespeople. Still another has a cartoon character who can regularly be seen on a blimp flying over stadiums. And what gives with a certain financial institution calling itself the fifth third bank? Think about that name for a second. How many times did these people crash and burn before? Will it be the sixth fourth bank next year? Who knows?
And instead of Championship Drive, what might they rename the road that leads to the Palace? Equity Avenue? Piece of the Rock Parkway? Discover Drive? The not-so-good possibilities are endless.
Though there's absolutely nothing wrong with their current home, the Detroit Red Wings have recently floated the idea of getting a new venue built for their hockey team. This has been met with resistance from some quarters. After all, unlike what Bill Davidson once did, this would likely involve serious tax-payer dollars and -- guess what? Last time I looked Detroit was still bankrupt. They don't HAVE any money.
But from the Red Wings' corporate point of view, it's somewhat understandable. After all, how much money is Joe Louis paying them every year these days to have his name stay on the building?
Some are still there. Everybody knows what team plays in Fenway Park. Same with Lambeau Field. Some were named after the teams or towns. Maple Leaf and Boston Gardens. Yankee Stadium. Cowboy Stadium. Others were even dubbed after the structure itself. The Silver, Super, and Astrodomes. Still others had/have names of mysterious origin. Candlestick Park. Arrowhead Stadium. Soldier Field. There were probably good reasons for this at the time but, again, I'm taking a lazy day and don't feel like Googling all that stuff.
But somewhere along the line the light bulb came on and franchise owners realized there were millions of easy bucks to be made by selling the naming rights to their stadiums/arenas to various other deep-pocketed entities. Without naming names, these mostly involve banks, credit card outfits, insurance companies, and the like.
Ever wonder why your interest rate stays low on your bank account, high on your credit card, and your insurance premiums keep going up? It just might have something to do with these companies forking over countless millions to buy naming rights to various venues. They're putting your money to work alright, in the name of advertising themselves.
Just recently, rumors are swirling that the owner(s) of the Detroit Pistons' arena are considering selling out the same way. Let's not forget the late long-time owner of the Pistons, Bill Davidson, purchased the land and built the Palace of Auburn Hills entirely with his own money. "The Palace" was a fitting name. Indeed, 26 years later, it remains a world-class facility.
And let's face it. People that can afford to buy professional sports franchises are typically billionaires already. With mega-TV money flowing in and other endorsements plastered all around their venues, they don't need the "paltry" extra few million that come with whoring out the naming rights of the venue itself to the highest bidder.
If true, one can only wonder what the Palace might be renamed -- and by who. Some of these corporations are comical if one stops to think about it. One has a dopey lady selling insurance policies out of shoeboxes in what appears to be a sanitarium. Others have ducks and lizards as spokespeople. Still another has a cartoon character who can regularly be seen on a blimp flying over stadiums. And what gives with a certain financial institution calling itself the fifth third bank? Think about that name for a second. How many times did these people crash and burn before? Will it be the sixth fourth bank next year? Who knows?
And instead of Championship Drive, what might they rename the road that leads to the Palace? Equity Avenue? Piece of the Rock Parkway? Discover Drive? The not-so-good possibilities are endless.
Though there's absolutely nothing wrong with their current home, the Detroit Red Wings have recently floated the idea of getting a new venue built for their hockey team. This has been met with resistance from some quarters. After all, unlike what Bill Davidson once did, this would likely involve serious tax-payer dollars and -- guess what? Last time I looked Detroit was still bankrupt. They don't HAVE any money.
But from the Red Wings' corporate point of view, it's somewhat understandable. After all, how much money is Joe Louis paying them every year these days to have his name stay on the building?
Friday, January 9, 2015
Why Ohio State will beat Oregon
Actually, there's two reasons, neither of which has much to do with the actual talent level of the two teams we'll see in the national championship game. There are times when "higher powers" intervene to pre-determine the outcome of any particular game. I'll get back to that.
Both the Ducks and Buckeyes are 13-1 teams. Let's take a brief look at each.
Ohio State. Given what we've seen lately, it seems almost bizarre they could have lost at home to Virgina Tech 35-21. But that was way back on Sept. 6. The Buckeyes are now on their third string quarterback and, instead of getting worse, they seem to keep getting stronger. Go figure. Yes, they had some close calls along the way, notably needing two overtimes to defeat Penn State on the road, but all good teams have nail-biters yet find a way to win. Further, they absolutely obliterated an otherwise very good Wisconsin team in the Big Ten championship game to the tune of 59-0, and went on to defeat #1 ranked Alabama fair and square (42-35) in the Sugar Bowl semi-finals. Very impressive stuff.
Oregon. They too suffered an early season loss (Oct. 2), at home, to Arizona (31-24). Like the Buckeyes, the Ducks survived some other close games throughout the season, but pretty much rolled. Fast forward to Dec. 5 in the Pac 12 championship game. They would exact their revenge in a large way over the very same Arizona Wildcats, at a neutral site, by blistering them 51-13. On New Year's day in the Rose Bowl (the other semi-final), the Ducks ran the defending champion Florida State Seminoles out of the building. The 59-20 final score was even somewhat deceptive as to how lop-sided the game actually was. Oregon sent in their second-stringers for the fourth quarter or they might have scored 80. In short, it was a beatdown. Also very impressive stuff.
So basically, we have two teams on a roll that will lock horns for the championship. What to make of it? A few things.
The wise-guys in Vegas have the Ducks as almost a touchdown favorite. Entirely plausible. They've got a Heisman winning QB and speed galore all over the field. Plus, I dare say, nationally speaking, Oregon is a sentimental favorite. Everybody likes ducks, including yours truly. I go to the local nature center occasionally to feed them cracked corn in the warmer months. Lovable little critters.
Even though I looked it up once, I'm still not sure just what exactly a "buckeye" is. Near as I could tell, it's a species of tree, or the nuts that grow on those trees. Why a fine university like Ohio State would name their teams after such things remains a mystery indeed. They must know something the rest of us don't. Then again, I've travelled through Ohio on many, many occasions and didn't see much else of interest. Maybe Buckeyes was the best name they could come up with. Beats me. Besides, they have other teams in that state called the Zips and Mudhens. Maybe Buckeyes isn't so bad after all.
Nevertheless, the two compelling (higher power) reasons mentioned above why Ohio State will be crowned champions are as follows ------
First, the latest issue of Sports Illustrated -- on their cover -- predicts Oregon will win 45-41. SI has a lot of great writers who pen a lot of terrific articles. But anyone familiar with their history knows they seldom get it right when it comes to picks, and being featured on their cover is almost like a curse. This is a bad omen for Oregon.
Much more importantly, my boss, aka the dastardly Henry the VIII of sports editors, has weighed in and predicted the Buckeyes will win the game. Far be it from a humble servant such as myself to dare raise his voice in disagreement after royalty has issued a proclamation. Given a choice, I'd much prefer my head remained attached to my torso.
But I'm still going to root for the Ducks. Shhhhhh
Both the Ducks and Buckeyes are 13-1 teams. Let's take a brief look at each.
Ohio State. Given what we've seen lately, it seems almost bizarre they could have lost at home to Virgina Tech 35-21. But that was way back on Sept. 6. The Buckeyes are now on their third string quarterback and, instead of getting worse, they seem to keep getting stronger. Go figure. Yes, they had some close calls along the way, notably needing two overtimes to defeat Penn State on the road, but all good teams have nail-biters yet find a way to win. Further, they absolutely obliterated an otherwise very good Wisconsin team in the Big Ten championship game to the tune of 59-0, and went on to defeat #1 ranked Alabama fair and square (42-35) in the Sugar Bowl semi-finals. Very impressive stuff.
Oregon. They too suffered an early season loss (Oct. 2), at home, to Arizona (31-24). Like the Buckeyes, the Ducks survived some other close games throughout the season, but pretty much rolled. Fast forward to Dec. 5 in the Pac 12 championship game. They would exact their revenge in a large way over the very same Arizona Wildcats, at a neutral site, by blistering them 51-13. On New Year's day in the Rose Bowl (the other semi-final), the Ducks ran the defending champion Florida State Seminoles out of the building. The 59-20 final score was even somewhat deceptive as to how lop-sided the game actually was. Oregon sent in their second-stringers for the fourth quarter or they might have scored 80. In short, it was a beatdown. Also very impressive stuff.
So basically, we have two teams on a roll that will lock horns for the championship. What to make of it? A few things.
The wise-guys in Vegas have the Ducks as almost a touchdown favorite. Entirely plausible. They've got a Heisman winning QB and speed galore all over the field. Plus, I dare say, nationally speaking, Oregon is a sentimental favorite. Everybody likes ducks, including yours truly. I go to the local nature center occasionally to feed them cracked corn in the warmer months. Lovable little critters.
Even though I looked it up once, I'm still not sure just what exactly a "buckeye" is. Near as I could tell, it's a species of tree, or the nuts that grow on those trees. Why a fine university like Ohio State would name their teams after such things remains a mystery indeed. They must know something the rest of us don't. Then again, I've travelled through Ohio on many, many occasions and didn't see much else of interest. Maybe Buckeyes was the best name they could come up with. Beats me. Besides, they have other teams in that state called the Zips and Mudhens. Maybe Buckeyes isn't so bad after all.
Nevertheless, the two compelling (higher power) reasons mentioned above why Ohio State will be crowned champions are as follows ------
First, the latest issue of Sports Illustrated -- on their cover -- predicts Oregon will win 45-41. SI has a lot of great writers who pen a lot of terrific articles. But anyone familiar with their history knows they seldom get it right when it comes to picks, and being featured on their cover is almost like a curse. This is a bad omen for Oregon.
Much more importantly, my boss, aka the dastardly Henry the VIII of sports editors, has weighed in and predicted the Buckeyes will win the game. Far be it from a humble servant such as myself to dare raise his voice in disagreement after royalty has issued a proclamation. Given a choice, I'd much prefer my head remained attached to my torso.
But I'm still going to root for the Ducks. Shhhhhh
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
The Hall of Fame case for Roger Clemens
Just recently, four more ex-baseballers were inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Randy Johnson, Craig Biggio, Pedro Martinez, and John Smolz. The Big Unit was a no-brainer and folks can debate the merits of the others, but it's a done deal. But this isn't about them. It's about the Rocket , AKA Roger Clemens. He got passed over again.
Going purely on career stats, Clemens is even more deserving than Johnson. Consider:
354 wins. Not counting the "old-timers" that used to pitch at least every other day (and sometimes even both ends of a doubleheader -- like Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Christie Mathewson, etc.) , there have only been two pitchers in the "modern" (post WWII era) to record more wins than Clemens. Warren Spahn had 363 and Greg Maddux 355.
Longevity? 24 years.
4672 strikeouts -- the third most ever behind only Nolan Ryan and the above-mentioned Unit.
11-time All-Star.
2-time World Series champ.
7 Cy Young awards -- the most ever.
But wait a second, you say? What about the steroids thing? OK, let's look a little closer at what actually happened.
First, by the time "steroids" reared their ugly heads on the MLB scene (circa late 1990's) Clemens already had well over 200 wins and 3000 strikeouts. Few would question that between roughly 1986-1996 he was the most dominant pitcher in the game. Again, this was BEFORE the cream and the clear, HGH, and other such goodies were known to exist. Standing alone, a phenomenal decade like that may or may not be Hall-worthy, but it would definitely get a pitcher in the conversation.
Idle thought: Had Clemens perished in, say, a car or plane crash in the late 1990's -- be honest -- do you think he would have already long since been in the Hall?
But then, as we all remember, the proverbial doo-doo hit the fan. Jose Canseco attempted to expose the "dark side" in a book, and guys like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Raphael Palmeiro, A-Rod, ad nauseum, got caught up in it. Along with Clemens.
Largely based upon the testimony of one of his former trainers, who at first denied, then flipped his story to avoid federal persecution/prosecution himself, Clemens was hauled before Congress and asked whether or not he had ever used performance enhancing drugs. As we also remember, under oath, Clemens vehemently denied any such use. It was common knowledge both before, and during the steroids era that Clemens was a workout -aholic. He claimed his brutal training regimen kept him in tip-top shape.
They didn't believe him, so they appointed one of their own ex-members to head up an investigation. The witch hunt was on. Eventually, the George Mitchell report would be forthcoming. Somewhere in those thousands of pages Mitchell concluded Clemens had lied before Congress. So they hauled him up on obstruction of justice, making false statements, and even perjury charges.
Imagine that. High ranking politicians, of all people, trying to bang somebody else for lying to them. The hypocrisy screamed, but I digress.
Ironically, they couldn't charge Clemens with committing a crime for having allegedly used PEDs, because there were no rules against it at the time of his alleged use. It was about having the audacity to lie to a group of proven liars. That little tidbit of reality got lost in the shuffle somewhere along the way.
So what happened? Clemens went to trial. After only a couple days, the prosecutors were found to be guilty of misconduct and a mistrial was declared.
Undeterred, the prosecutors regrouped and tried again. A second trial would happen. Round 2 for Clemens. For days the prosecutors would try everything in the book to get a conviction. They paraded "less than reliable" witnesses to the stand. Circumstantial evidence was presented as proof positive of guilt.
In the meantime, Clemens had sued his former trainer for defamation of character. But that suit was tossed out because, after all, the trainer was now a witness for the prosecution, and hence had immunity. Do you see something wrong with this picture?
Nevertheless, in the end, the jury acquitted Clemens of all charges. If it's true that any person is innocent until proven guilty, then Clemens was, and remains innocent.
So let me see if I have this right. Over his career, Roger Clemens posted stats that put him arguably in the Top 5 pitchers of all time.
Despite all the feds could vengefully throw at him, the typical media circus having jumped on the same bandwagon, and millions of couch potato prosecutors with a lynch mob mentality (he must be guilty of SOMETHING), to date William Roger Clemens has yet to be found guilty of ANY crime. And excuse me, but questionable rumors and conflicting testimony of possible PED use is hardly damning evidence. Far from it.
[I don't want to hear about adultery gossip. Besides being irrelevant, good grief, the late Joe DiMaggio supposedly had a girl in every port, and he remains beloved].
So put all the above together and tell me one more time.....
Why is Roger Clemens not in the Hall of Fame?
Going purely on career stats, Clemens is even more deserving than Johnson. Consider:
354 wins. Not counting the "old-timers" that used to pitch at least every other day (and sometimes even both ends of a doubleheader -- like Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Christie Mathewson, etc.) , there have only been two pitchers in the "modern" (post WWII era) to record more wins than Clemens. Warren Spahn had 363 and Greg Maddux 355.
Longevity? 24 years.
4672 strikeouts -- the third most ever behind only Nolan Ryan and the above-mentioned Unit.
11-time All-Star.
2-time World Series champ.
7 Cy Young awards -- the most ever.
But wait a second, you say? What about the steroids thing? OK, let's look a little closer at what actually happened.
First, by the time "steroids" reared their ugly heads on the MLB scene (circa late 1990's) Clemens already had well over 200 wins and 3000 strikeouts. Few would question that between roughly 1986-1996 he was the most dominant pitcher in the game. Again, this was BEFORE the cream and the clear, HGH, and other such goodies were known to exist. Standing alone, a phenomenal decade like that may or may not be Hall-worthy, but it would definitely get a pitcher in the conversation.
Idle thought: Had Clemens perished in, say, a car or plane crash in the late 1990's -- be honest -- do you think he would have already long since been in the Hall?
But then, as we all remember, the proverbial doo-doo hit the fan. Jose Canseco attempted to expose the "dark side" in a book, and guys like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Raphael Palmeiro, A-Rod, ad nauseum, got caught up in it. Along with Clemens.
Largely based upon the testimony of one of his former trainers, who at first denied, then flipped his story to avoid federal persecution/prosecution himself, Clemens was hauled before Congress and asked whether or not he had ever used performance enhancing drugs. As we also remember, under oath, Clemens vehemently denied any such use. It was common knowledge both before, and during the steroids era that Clemens was a workout -aholic. He claimed his brutal training regimen kept him in tip-top shape.
They didn't believe him, so they appointed one of their own ex-members to head up an investigation. The witch hunt was on. Eventually, the George Mitchell report would be forthcoming. Somewhere in those thousands of pages Mitchell concluded Clemens had lied before Congress. So they hauled him up on obstruction of justice, making false statements, and even perjury charges.
Imagine that. High ranking politicians, of all people, trying to bang somebody else for lying to them. The hypocrisy screamed, but I digress.
Ironically, they couldn't charge Clemens with committing a crime for having allegedly used PEDs, because there were no rules against it at the time of his alleged use. It was about having the audacity to lie to a group of proven liars. That little tidbit of reality got lost in the shuffle somewhere along the way.
So what happened? Clemens went to trial. After only a couple days, the prosecutors were found to be guilty of misconduct and a mistrial was declared.
Undeterred, the prosecutors regrouped and tried again. A second trial would happen. Round 2 for Clemens. For days the prosecutors would try everything in the book to get a conviction. They paraded "less than reliable" witnesses to the stand. Circumstantial evidence was presented as proof positive of guilt.
In the meantime, Clemens had sued his former trainer for defamation of character. But that suit was tossed out because, after all, the trainer was now a witness for the prosecution, and hence had immunity. Do you see something wrong with this picture?
Nevertheless, in the end, the jury acquitted Clemens of all charges. If it's true that any person is innocent until proven guilty, then Clemens was, and remains innocent.
So let me see if I have this right. Over his career, Roger Clemens posted stats that put him arguably in the Top 5 pitchers of all time.
Despite all the feds could vengefully throw at him, the typical media circus having jumped on the same bandwagon, and millions of couch potato prosecutors with a lynch mob mentality (he must be guilty of SOMETHING), to date William Roger Clemens has yet to be found guilty of ANY crime. And excuse me, but questionable rumors and conflicting testimony of possible PED use is hardly damning evidence. Far from it.
[I don't want to hear about adultery gossip. Besides being irrelevant, good grief, the late Joe DiMaggio supposedly had a girl in every port, and he remains beloved].
So put all the above together and tell me one more time.....
Why is Roger Clemens not in the Hall of Fame?
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