Hatorade
Less than two months ago I had the Mets in the NLCS, the Giants 6-2, and the usual start of season optimism of the Rangers and Knicks. Since that time, things have fallen apart. The Mets ended up losing in seven games to the Cardinals and now a seem to have an infatuation with 40 year outfielders and pitchers. The Rangers have played decently, but still depend too much on one line and still have not gotten out of the first round of the playoffs in nine years. The forefront of my frustration at the moment though is the Knicks and the Giants.
I have gone over my love/hate relationship with these Knicks time and time again. I will always root for the blue and orange, but there are a number of people on the team and within the organization that I hate. Sometimes I wonder what it will be like when Isiah and Marbury are gone from the Garden. Will they have the nerve to ever return and face the fans whose team they drove into perpetuity? Will MSG pretend Isiah never happened, just like they do with Larry Brown? It really doesn't matter though because right now Isiah and his clown-filled team still inhabit the Garden. I won't dwell more on this team, because I have done so too many times, and they are coming of a win last night. My frustration today has been shifted to the Meadowlands.
Through this losing streak I have wondered why I am always looking to defend #10 first. While I described in a previous post all of the virtues of giving baby bro a chance, there is another reason why I feel I am partial to him. The veterans on this team that have been around for a while are all assholes, specifically Jeremy Shockey, Michael Strahan and Tiki Barber. All of them are notorious for throwing coaches/teammates under the bus and not showing up in big games, but also having flashes of brilliance that make you think they have the potential to dominate.
Of the three, I have to attack Shockey the least. He is a very emotional guy and after games he has said stuff while he was still in the moment. In days that followed he would apologize for his comments, and blamed himself, not the media for his actions. In addition, he had pressure upon coming to New York that Tiki and Strahan did not. From the first preseason game that Shockey played with the Giants the fans and media were enamored with him. Early in his career he did not handle it well and said a lot of inappropriate things. The fact remains though that he blows off optional off season camps and is known to say anything after a loss. His mouth does not have a filter.
Strahan has been with the Giants since 1993. He is the one link to the LT/Simms glory days. Somehow in all that time in New York he has not learned how to deal with the media. He has long had a tumultuous relationship with the New York press, culminating in their despicable coverage of his divorce this past summer. When he came to training camp though, Strahan decided to blame all of the beat reporters, who had nothing to do with his divorce coverage. Yesterday, he ripped apart and embarrassed a reporter in front of 35 or so media members and on camera. While I do not support what the reporter did (trying to stir up problems with Burress) Strahan should know better than to try and lecture the press. All it does it cause more problems, and make himself look worse. Can we go one day without having a back page story concerning a member of the team and nothing to do with the game of football???
In my mind Tiki is the worst. A few years back he called out Strahan while he was in a contract dispute. Aren't the players supposed to stick up for one another? More recently he threw Coach Coughlin under the bus on two different occasions. Before Coughlin came around he was fumbling every other game and now he trashes the guy?? He seems more concerned with his life after football than winning a Super Bowl with the Giants. He already thinks he is respected member of the press, and along with Strahan feels he should tell the press how to do their job.
These guys have won nothing in New York. Their most memorable moments are two big playoff meltdowns (1997 against the Vikings and 2002 against the 49ers) and getting killed in Super Bowl XXXVI against the Ravens. I have and will continue to root for them, but they really make it tough when they are so idiotic and arrogant in the press. At least #10 is humble and gracious, even if he is playing like a scared baby right now....
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Jets Day
You asked for it....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rZxNeFLuY98
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IMk5sMHj58I
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TpQa7eIwJZs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MrPVxsGDuA4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=og2Nj6hFGF4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=23dBG27gnuU
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Jets
http://deadspin.com/sports/nfl/in-the-wake-of-chad-127632.php
Alright....Enough of that. I figured that I would provide a nice background for this one of a kind post. In my short blog career I have written mostly about the Knicks and the Giants. I have also written a lot about baseball, mainly the Mets and Yankees. While I love the Mets and dislike the Yankees, I still find it interesting to talk about both teams. For some reason though, I have never really been interested in the Jets, though I do not detest them like I do the Yankees. In any event, a few of the readers are waiting for me to give the Jets their props. With that in mind I will do the right thing and give you all a post dedicated to those lovable New York Football Jets.
Coming into this season the Jets were a franchise in transition. Actually that assessment is way to nice. Let me rephrase, they were a franchise that appeared to be clueless. Their head coach from last season walked out on them for a job with another team. They hired a 34 year old (Eric Mangini) to replace him and proceeded to demote their general manager and promote their 37 year old assistant GM (Mike Tannenbaum) to the GM position. In addition, their "franchise" QB, Chad Pennington was recovering from his second rotator cuff surgery in as many years.
Over the years the Jets have seen many lean years. Years they were supposed to be bad, they usually were and seasons where they had high expectations, bad luck seemed to find them. Their one moment on top of the football world was their victory of Super Bowl III in 1969. Since that time they have had playoff years here and there but never made it back to a Super Bowl. Their closest call came in the 1998 season when they finished 12-4. They had a great defense, a top QB (Vinny Testeverde) and a Hall of Fame head coach (Bill Parcells). They ended up losing in the AFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl champion, Denver Broncos. The next season Testeverde went down with an achilles injury in week one and they did not make the playoffs. Parcells quit after the 1999 season saying he was burnt out. The franchise has seen four head coaches since then (including Bill Belicheck for one day).
Mangini and Mr. T had their work cut out for them in the off season. They were not focused on making the flashy move, but instead they focused on acquiring players of substance. With their two first round picks they drafted two offensive linemen. Through the draft and free agency/trades they added to the depth of the defense and offensive backfield. They brought back Pennington after agreeing to restructure his contract to better help the team financially. As a result of the major inexperience in their head coach and GM, plus the lack of an "impact" personnel moves, many predicted the Jets to be at the bottom of the League like they were a year ago.
The Jet fan base had similar low expectations for the team. The Jet fans are a group who has a biased, unabashed love for their team, but also has a distinct cynicism in the back of their minds. The Jets have let them down time and time again. As a result they are almost jubilantly comfortable at the start of a "rebuilding" year and terrified of having high expectations heaped on them. For this group, 2006 was a season where they did not have to worry about high expectations, and instead they could just root for any sign of improvement.
From the beginning of the season it was clear that the Jets were a team that was hard working, but short on talent. They went into Tennessee and beat the Titans in Week one. After five games the Jets were 2-3, having beaten teams that were under .500 and losing to teams that were over .500. They won their next two games against struggling Miami and Detroit. At this point it was clear that the Jets were a solid, middle of the road team. Since their schedule in the second half was filled with poor teams, fans and media began to mention the word playoffs. That was all muted when in Week six the Jets lost in Cleveland.
Week seven was a bye, but in Week eight the Jets went into New England. This was an important game for the Jets on a number of levels. First of all they were still in the hunt for the division/playoffs and the Patriots were leading the division at the time. Also, New England has been the class of the League over the past five years, winning three Super Bowls. Winning in New England could solidify all of the hard work that the Jets had been putting in all season and send a message to the football world. Lastly, Coach Mangini was an assistant under Bill Belicheck in New England for eight seasons. When Mangini was offered the Jets job it is rumored that Belicheck told him not to take it. Of course, Mangini did and their relationship has been supposedly cold ever since. Mangini led the Jets into New England and pulled out a victory in rainy weather conditions. It has been the signature moment of his coaching tenure so far, and the defining moment of the Jets season. The Jets have split the two games since to make them a very respectable 6-5.
The Jets have won in a number of ways. They have had very good defensive performances. While their defense has not been "dominating", they have forced turnovers and played hard. Jonathan Vilma had been the heart of the defense at middle linebacker and Kerry Rhodes has stepped up big in the secondary. They have used a running back by committee this season since Curtis Martin has been out the entire season with injuries (a knee). While early in the year they struggled running the ball, they have been better as of late with Kevan Barlow, Leon Washington and Cedric Houston splitting caries. In my mind the most important part of the Jets season on the field has been Chad Pennington. While his numbers have not been very impressive he has brought back some stability to the offense. People forget that going into this season Chad was in a four way competition to see who would be the opening day starting QB. Other than Martin, Chad is the longest tenured Jet. He is a respected veteran and leader on this team. Him being healthy and on the field has been a boost to this team in itself.
The biggest positive in this season though has been the coaching of Eric Mangini. It is clear that he has a good relationship with the players and they play hard for him. Following their victory in New England, all of the quotes from the players had to do with winning the game for coach. He has instilled a discipline and focus that this team did not have a season ago. This is not a total knock on former coach Herman Edwards. He had one of the more successful tenures of any Jet coach in history. Two things were clear though at the end of his tenure. At the end of last season he quit on his team and his team quit on him. In addition, he had no clue how to manage the clock/time outs at the end of halfs and games. So far in his short head coaching career Mangini has shown to be very poised a in handling the clock. In addition he has a much stronger relationship with the press than Edwards did. While he tells the media nothing substantive, he is very personable and sometimes even humorous with them.
Looking ahead, the Jets have a very encouraging schedule. They play in Green Bay, home Buffalo, in Minnesota, in Miami, home Oakland. You have to figure at worst a 2-3 finish, but very likely 3-2. That would leave them with a 9-7 record. I don't have the schedules of the other Wild Card contenders, but I would think that 9-7 will not get a team into the AFC playoffs. In addition, the Jets lose a tiebreaker against Jacksonville (head to head loss) who is a contender for that last Wild Card spot. Bottom line is that the Jets will need to finish 10-6 to have a shot at the playoffs. I do not think they will do it, but then again I did not think that they did not be in the position to begin with.
This season has been a tremendous success for the Jets. They have confidence in both their head coach and front office. In addition, they have made significant strides on the field. They have a very young and talented offensive line and a couple young studs on defense. They will probably stick with Pennington for at least one more season, and have a potential successor in Kellen Clemons, a rookie this season. In the off season they will look to upgrade skill positions on offense (RB) and find more players that fit their 3-4 scheme on defense. Lastly, with the tumultuous season that the Giants have had to endure, the Jets have not had much, if any pressure on them from the fans and media. Over all, if you are a Jet fan this season has been better than you could have hoped. Don't kill me for saying this, but the future looks bright and I will be expecting bigger things next season............!
STKAFI
You asked for it....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rZxNeFLuY98
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IMk5sMHj58I
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TpQa7eIwJZs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MrPVxsGDuA4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=og2Nj6hFGF4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=23dBG27gnuU
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Jets
http://deadspin.com/sports/nfl/in-the-wake-of-chad-127632.php
Alright....Enough of that. I figured that I would provide a nice background for this one of a kind post. In my short blog career I have written mostly about the Knicks and the Giants. I have also written a lot about baseball, mainly the Mets and Yankees. While I love the Mets and dislike the Yankees, I still find it interesting to talk about both teams. For some reason though, I have never really been interested in the Jets, though I do not detest them like I do the Yankees. In any event, a few of the readers are waiting for me to give the Jets their props. With that in mind I will do the right thing and give you all a post dedicated to those lovable New York Football Jets.
Coming into this season the Jets were a franchise in transition. Actually that assessment is way to nice. Let me rephrase, they were a franchise that appeared to be clueless. Their head coach from last season walked out on them for a job with another team. They hired a 34 year old (Eric Mangini) to replace him and proceeded to demote their general manager and promote their 37 year old assistant GM (Mike Tannenbaum) to the GM position. In addition, their "franchise" QB, Chad Pennington was recovering from his second rotator cuff surgery in as many years.
Over the years the Jets have seen many lean years. Years they were supposed to be bad, they usually were and seasons where they had high expectations, bad luck seemed to find them. Their one moment on top of the football world was their victory of Super Bowl III in 1969. Since that time they have had playoff years here and there but never made it back to a Super Bowl. Their closest call came in the 1998 season when they finished 12-4. They had a great defense, a top QB (Vinny Testeverde) and a Hall of Fame head coach (Bill Parcells). They ended up losing in the AFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl champion, Denver Broncos. The next season Testeverde went down with an achilles injury in week one and they did not make the playoffs. Parcells quit after the 1999 season saying he was burnt out. The franchise has seen four head coaches since then (including Bill Belicheck for one day).
Mangini and Mr. T had their work cut out for them in the off season. They were not focused on making the flashy move, but instead they focused on acquiring players of substance. With their two first round picks they drafted two offensive linemen. Through the draft and free agency/trades they added to the depth of the defense and offensive backfield. They brought back Pennington after agreeing to restructure his contract to better help the team financially. As a result of the major inexperience in their head coach and GM, plus the lack of an "impact" personnel moves, many predicted the Jets to be at the bottom of the League like they were a year ago.
The Jet fan base had similar low expectations for the team. The Jet fans are a group who has a biased, unabashed love for their team, but also has a distinct cynicism in the back of their minds. The Jets have let them down time and time again. As a result they are almost jubilantly comfortable at the start of a "rebuilding" year and terrified of having high expectations heaped on them. For this group, 2006 was a season where they did not have to worry about high expectations, and instead they could just root for any sign of improvement.
From the beginning of the season it was clear that the Jets were a team that was hard working, but short on talent. They went into Tennessee and beat the Titans in Week one. After five games the Jets were 2-3, having beaten teams that were under .500 and losing to teams that were over .500. They won their next two games against struggling Miami and Detroit. At this point it was clear that the Jets were a solid, middle of the road team. Since their schedule in the second half was filled with poor teams, fans and media began to mention the word playoffs. That was all muted when in Week six the Jets lost in Cleveland.
Week seven was a bye, but in Week eight the Jets went into New England. This was an important game for the Jets on a number of levels. First of all they were still in the hunt for the division/playoffs and the Patriots were leading the division at the time. Also, New England has been the class of the League over the past five years, winning three Super Bowls. Winning in New England could solidify all of the hard work that the Jets had been putting in all season and send a message to the football world. Lastly, Coach Mangini was an assistant under Bill Belicheck in New England for eight seasons. When Mangini was offered the Jets job it is rumored that Belicheck told him not to take it. Of course, Mangini did and their relationship has been supposedly cold ever since. Mangini led the Jets into New England and pulled out a victory in rainy weather conditions. It has been the signature moment of his coaching tenure so far, and the defining moment of the Jets season. The Jets have split the two games since to make them a very respectable 6-5.
The Jets have won in a number of ways. They have had very good defensive performances. While their defense has not been "dominating", they have forced turnovers and played hard. Jonathan Vilma had been the heart of the defense at middle linebacker and Kerry Rhodes has stepped up big in the secondary. They have used a running back by committee this season since Curtis Martin has been out the entire season with injuries (a knee). While early in the year they struggled running the ball, they have been better as of late with Kevan Barlow, Leon Washington and Cedric Houston splitting caries. In my mind the most important part of the Jets season on the field has been Chad Pennington. While his numbers have not been very impressive he has brought back some stability to the offense. People forget that going into this season Chad was in a four way competition to see who would be the opening day starting QB. Other than Martin, Chad is the longest tenured Jet. He is a respected veteran and leader on this team. Him being healthy and on the field has been a boost to this team in itself.
The biggest positive in this season though has been the coaching of Eric Mangini. It is clear that he has a good relationship with the players and they play hard for him. Following their victory in New England, all of the quotes from the players had to do with winning the game for coach. He has instilled a discipline and focus that this team did not have a season ago. This is not a total knock on former coach Herman Edwards. He had one of the more successful tenures of any Jet coach in history. Two things were clear though at the end of his tenure. At the end of last season he quit on his team and his team quit on him. In addition, he had no clue how to manage the clock/time outs at the end of halfs and games. So far in his short head coaching career Mangini has shown to be very poised a in handling the clock. In addition he has a much stronger relationship with the press than Edwards did. While he tells the media nothing substantive, he is very personable and sometimes even humorous with them.
Looking ahead, the Jets have a very encouraging schedule. They play in Green Bay, home Buffalo, in Minnesota, in Miami, home Oakland. You have to figure at worst a 2-3 finish, but very likely 3-2. That would leave them with a 9-7 record. I don't have the schedules of the other Wild Card contenders, but I would think that 9-7 will not get a team into the AFC playoffs. In addition, the Jets lose a tiebreaker against Jacksonville (head to head loss) who is a contender for that last Wild Card spot. Bottom line is that the Jets will need to finish 10-6 to have a shot at the playoffs. I do not think they will do it, but then again I did not think that they did not be in the position to begin with.
This season has been a tremendous success for the Jets. They have confidence in both their head coach and front office. In addition, they have made significant strides on the field. They have a very young and talented offensive line and a couple young studs on defense. They will probably stick with Pennington for at least one more season, and have a potential successor in Kellen Clemons, a rookie this season. In the off season they will look to upgrade skill positions on offense (RB) and find more players that fit their 3-4 scheme on defense. Lastly, with the tumultuous season that the Giants have had to endure, the Jets have not had much, if any pressure on them from the fans and media. Over all, if you are a Jet fan this season has been better than you could have hoped. Don't kill me for saying this, but the future looks bright and I will be expecting bigger things next season............!
STKAFI
Monday, November 27, 2006
All Over the Ice
I am going to mention a number of different things that are on my mind...
1. The Giant QB....Troy Aikman, Phil Simms, Jim Kelly, Steve Young. All had great NFL careers. They all also had slow starts to their careers. In addition, I appreciate Jordans' comment to yesterdays entry. The aspect of #10's family is a very important aspect of this story though in my mind. He receive many advantages that he may not have otherwise early in his football career (high school, college). Now that he is in the pros though, there is a certain reluctance by many fans to root for him right away no matter his performance. Much of that has to do with the fact that he has never been the underdog and has never blazed his own trail. He followed his bro and father. This is something that I feel he has to overcome to win certain fans over. Not all fans, but a certain group.
2. Brett Favre....Following Bill Parcells leaving the Giants I was in a bad place. Between the years 1991 and 1999 the Giants had only two playoff appearances. During that time Brett Favre became the best and more popular player in the NFL. I loved everything about him. From his cannon arm, to his "I don't give a fuck" attitude to his success and joy in cold weather. I bought a green Favre jersey and I cheered for him and the Packers second only to my (pathetic) Giants. Now that his career is coming to an end, it is fair to say that he is a no doubt Hall of Famer. When you look at his numbers they are amazing. He has done it all from MVPs to Pro Bowls to Super Bowls. His ironman streak is legendary. What I honestly like about him most though is his outright imperfection. He has the most all time INTs. He is known as much for his highlight TDs as for his crazy INTs. While he won Super Bowl XXXI, he threw six picks in a 2001 playoff game against St. Louis. he is known for never missing a game, but also for overcoming a pain killer addiction. I hope he keeps on playing, because I think he is still a decent QB in this league. I still love watching him, and i honestly believe that no matter what records of his last or are broken there will never be anyone close to the QB he was. I am not saying he was the best, but he sure was one of a kind and a legend in his own time. If my Giant QB could be most like any QB in history I would want it to be Brett Favre.
3. Hall of Fames....both the MLB the NFL are at a crossroads in their voting. Baseball has a big problem assessing the steroid generation. The NFL has a major problem with the skewing of stats from more of a run oriented league to a pass oriented league. Over all though, these Halls of Fame are going to have to deal with the issue of over-crowding at some point as well. I fully support the Bill Simmons idea of having a tiered Hall of Fame system. Too many undeserving people are getting in. Within 20 years the Halls of Fame will be a joke, so I hope serious consideration of restructuring happens soon..
4. BCS....I hate it just like every else does. There are a couple important things to remember though. Money controls everything involved in it. There will not be a playoff system in place for at least five years. There will be a "Plus one" system in place if not next season, then the year after. The fact that the National Title game is a week later this year shows that the NCAA and the TV Network (FOX) is ready to schedule it that way. I do not know how to plan a true playoff system though. Remember that the NCAA does not want to go up against the NFL playoffs through out January. I would assume that it would have to be the last three weekends of December and within the first week and a half of January. Any ideas are welcome, but I feel that it is clear that some sort of playoff system is needed. The "Plus One" is a good start, but very flawed.
5. Chicken/Egg (winning/running the football)...What comes first, winning or running the football. Last week Tiki complained about the Giants giving up on the run. Often times though teams are able to run the football because they have leads. I understand teams need to not abandon the run, but don't they also need to be in position to run the ball effectively?
6. Crazy baseball teams....Its like watching a train wreck. Every few years a bunch of teams have money so they decide to overpay players. There is not one contract this off season that I would call a bargain. The closest are the contracts that only run one year (Alou, Wolf), but even those are for higher than expected annual salaries. After the 2000 season there were big contracts signed...(Manny, AROD, Mike Hampton, Denny Naegle, Mike Mussina). Only one of those players have lived up to that contract to the extent that their team never tried to trade them. Even that player (Mussina) is misleading because he signed with the Yankees who have way more money than any other franchise in the league, thus they are able to deal with overpaying players much easier. In any event though, within two years the Cubs, Dodgers, Angels, and probably a number of other teams will be looking to trade the wildly overpaid players they signed this off season.
When I am more focused I will examine one of these or other issues further.
Random question of the week...Dudes, would you rather have a male or female barber?
Link of the week that can help someone else.....thehungersite.com...Everytime you go to this site and click on the link on the site you provide help. You can do this once a day, everyday.
STKAFI
I am going to mention a number of different things that are on my mind...
1. The Giant QB....Troy Aikman, Phil Simms, Jim Kelly, Steve Young. All had great NFL careers. They all also had slow starts to their careers. In addition, I appreciate Jordans' comment to yesterdays entry. The aspect of #10's family is a very important aspect of this story though in my mind. He receive many advantages that he may not have otherwise early in his football career (high school, college). Now that he is in the pros though, there is a certain reluctance by many fans to root for him right away no matter his performance. Much of that has to do with the fact that he has never been the underdog and has never blazed his own trail. He followed his bro and father. This is something that I feel he has to overcome to win certain fans over. Not all fans, but a certain group.
2. Brett Favre....Following Bill Parcells leaving the Giants I was in a bad place. Between the years 1991 and 1999 the Giants had only two playoff appearances. During that time Brett Favre became the best and more popular player in the NFL. I loved everything about him. From his cannon arm, to his "I don't give a fuck" attitude to his success and joy in cold weather. I bought a green Favre jersey and I cheered for him and the Packers second only to my (pathetic) Giants. Now that his career is coming to an end, it is fair to say that he is a no doubt Hall of Famer. When you look at his numbers they are amazing. He has done it all from MVPs to Pro Bowls to Super Bowls. His ironman streak is legendary. What I honestly like about him most though is his outright imperfection. He has the most all time INTs. He is known as much for his highlight TDs as for his crazy INTs. While he won Super Bowl XXXI, he threw six picks in a 2001 playoff game against St. Louis. he is known for never missing a game, but also for overcoming a pain killer addiction. I hope he keeps on playing, because I think he is still a decent QB in this league. I still love watching him, and i honestly believe that no matter what records of his last or are broken there will never be anyone close to the QB he was. I am not saying he was the best, but he sure was one of a kind and a legend in his own time. If my Giant QB could be most like any QB in history I would want it to be Brett Favre.
3. Hall of Fames....both the MLB the NFL are at a crossroads in their voting. Baseball has a big problem assessing the steroid generation. The NFL has a major problem with the skewing of stats from more of a run oriented league to a pass oriented league. Over all though, these Halls of Fame are going to have to deal with the issue of over-crowding at some point as well. I fully support the Bill Simmons idea of having a tiered Hall of Fame system. Too many undeserving people are getting in. Within 20 years the Halls of Fame will be a joke, so I hope serious consideration of restructuring happens soon..
4. BCS....I hate it just like every else does. There are a couple important things to remember though. Money controls everything involved in it. There will not be a playoff system in place for at least five years. There will be a "Plus one" system in place if not next season, then the year after. The fact that the National Title game is a week later this year shows that the NCAA and the TV Network (FOX) is ready to schedule it that way. I do not know how to plan a true playoff system though. Remember that the NCAA does not want to go up against the NFL playoffs through out January. I would assume that it would have to be the last three weekends of December and within the first week and a half of January. Any ideas are welcome, but I feel that it is clear that some sort of playoff system is needed. The "Plus One" is a good start, but very flawed.
5. Chicken/Egg (winning/running the football)...What comes first, winning or running the football. Last week Tiki complained about the Giants giving up on the run. Often times though teams are able to run the football because they have leads. I understand teams need to not abandon the run, but don't they also need to be in position to run the ball effectively?
6. Crazy baseball teams....Its like watching a train wreck. Every few years a bunch of teams have money so they decide to overpay players. There is not one contract this off season that I would call a bargain. The closest are the contracts that only run one year (Alou, Wolf), but even those are for higher than expected annual salaries. After the 2000 season there were big contracts signed...(Manny, AROD, Mike Hampton, Denny Naegle, Mike Mussina). Only one of those players have lived up to that contract to the extent that their team never tried to trade them. Even that player (Mussina) is misleading because he signed with the Yankees who have way more money than any other franchise in the league, thus they are able to deal with overpaying players much easier. In any event though, within two years the Cubs, Dodgers, Angels, and probably a number of other teams will be looking to trade the wildly overpaid players they signed this off season.
When I am more focused I will examine one of these or other issues further.
Random question of the week...Dudes, would you rather have a male or female barber?
Link of the week that can help someone else.....thehungersite.com...Everytime you go to this site and click on the link on the site you provide help. You can do this once a day, everyday.
STKAFI
More Randoms..
- All three major sports have one league significantly better than the other. In the NBA it is a joke how much better the West is.
- The Bulls could be in major trouble. Your bigtime free agent acquisition fueding with the Head Coach 20 games into the season? Plus it is over such stupid shit (headbands, taped ankles). Skiles sounds like a bball version of Coughlin.
- Take away the sniping in the media and this Knick team is the same as last season. Poor record, PG/coach issues, rotation problems, etc. I can't wait until Isiah starts blaming injuries for their poor play (Frye, Richardson)...
- Even though the NFC is so much weaker than the AFC, it is going to be very interesting who gets in. If the Giants get in and their ends get healthy they can beat anyone. Carolina is very dangerous as well. Too bad who ever comes out of the NFC will get trounced by either Indy, San Diego, or New England.
- First month of the season? Carmelo MVP..
- The hot stove have been very boring so far this offseason...we need a real blockbuster trade..
- No way Manny goes to the Giants unless they are very creative. San Fran has nothing to give up, but they do have a lot of money to spend..
- Sorry the blog has been so choppy lately...The spots world has not been very lively...I'll try to get some good stuff goin this week...
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Ugghhh
I have to be honest. I had a family thing and did not get to watch the Giants game. I asked my roommate to DVR it, but he did not get home to do that. Right now though, I am glad that he didn't. I texted my boy to get a score update and he informed me that we were up 14-0 in the first half. I later received an update saying we were now up 21-0. On my way home I texted him one last time to get a report and he said it was 21-14 and "we were playing like shit." At this point I was understandably worried. I told him to text me when it was over or if it went into OT. I received the text "The worst team in football = Giants. Embarrassing." at 7:16 PM. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I still do.
Going into this game I was annoyed with the Giants. They had lost two games in a row following being 6-2 and in prime position to win the division and possibly get the #1 seed in the NFC. The loss to Chicago was tough to take because the Giants had control of that game for much of the first half. After last weeks' sloppy loss to Jacksonville I was fed up with the QB and the team in general. After going through those tough defeats, I was not into really into the game in Tennessee. This was a game they were supposed to win. I needed them to win this game to get me pumped up for next week versus Dallas. They got ahead and blew a 21 point fourth quarter lead to one of the worst teams in the NFL.
While I was disgusted with the Giants prior to this game, I knew they were still in control of the division. If they beat Tennessee and beat Dallas next week, then they were basically two games up on Dallas in the division since they would have swept the season series. I never thought that they would lose in Tennessee. Even with the misery of the past two weeks, I figured they would win this week and be geared up for a showdown next week. Instead, they choked away a victory and could headed for a .500 record after Dallas gets through with them next week. With all this negativity I still feel that the Giants will win next week. First of all I think Dallas is over-rated. Their QB is still in only his first few professional games as a starter. Their secondary is weak, and their O-line is even worse. In addition, Coughlin is 4-1 versus Dallas (Parcells) in his career with the Giants. The only loss going to OT last season in Dallas.
I have a bigger issue right now than the overall play of the Giants. I did not expect this loss, so I did not expect to have to write in such a negative way. In any event, now that I have addressed the game, I can write what I wanted to initially...
I am really pissed off with a certain brand of Giants fan. This kind has to do with #10, the QB. The group does not like little brother and are rooting against him (you know who you are). I know I trashed him last week out of frustration, but that was after me leading the fan club for three seasons. I want him to do well so badly and it has taken its toll on me. There are a number of fans that have trashed his decision making from the beginning and reluctantly given him props when he would lead the team to victory. This is something that really makes me embarrassed as a Giants fan.
The G-men have played a miserable last three games and the QB has been at the center of that misery. In his time as starting QB though the Giants are 17-11. He lead last second drives to tie or win games in four of those victories. His stats though in that time is not impressive and there have been numerous games where he played at a tremendously low level. This type of Giant fan though is waiting for the QB to be either his brother or close before they praise him. THose expectations are unfair.
The Giant QB engineered a trade to New York at the 2004 draft. Actually his father did. Who else had their parent or some sort of connection get them their first job out of college? Archie Manning already had numerous people in the NFL he both liked and disliked from his playing days. For all we know he had grudges against people in the Charger organization. The fact remains though they the Giants loved his son, the Mannings never publicly trashed any person or team. Since the trade the QB has said nothing negative about San Diego, New York or the trade itself.
Baby bro is a guy who has worked hard from the minute he was drafted. He is known as someone always in the film room and always present at all optional or mandatory offseason camps. He signed on time out of the draft and has never missed a start since he was named starting QB. In addition, through all of his ups and downs, no teammate has said one negative word about him. Considering the big mouths on this team, that is saying something. I have to believe if they did not believe he had the ability and/or he was not putting in the effort, we would have heard about it. In addition, no one has ripped him as being held to a different standard than others.
I am not trying to paint this guy as being some sort of "saint" (although his father was...New Orleans that is.....yea relaxo!!). The fact remains that this guy has busted his ass since he got here to play up to his potential. I know he was born into the football family and has been given a lot. Once he reached the big leagues though that all meant nothing. At this level, no one cares who your daddy is. If you are a real Giants fan, root for the kid. If he fucks up, boo him, but give him a chance! He wants to be a Giant, he is working hard, and if he doesn't make it then we can forget him. Look what we have to compare him to over the past 20 years. After the great Phil Simms there was Jeff Hostetler, Dave Brown, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox, Danny Kannell, Kerry Collins, and Kurt Warner. I don't see any of those guys getting enshrined in Canton. The fact is this organization is in as good of shape that it has been in for 15 years. I understand frustration in the QB, but I do not understand meeting him with skepticism from the get go. So far his career is about a C. He is only 25 and this season is far from over.
To all the haters....the kid may end up sucking, I understand that. Don't trash him from the start though. He is still on pace to lead his team to back to back playoffs (something the Giants haven't done since 1989-1990). He is gunna throw more picks and under throw more guys, but he will also make some bigtime throws and lead game-winnning drives. You wont be rid of him for at least once more year though, so sack up and support the guy. It's not like its so easy to do better. Look at our track record. Lastly, do not bring up Big Ben or Rivers. While Ben won a Super Bowl, he has regressed significantly, and if we had him and the situation he is in, the fans might be even more pissed off. As for Rivers, he is where our QB was at this point last year except Rivers has the best player on the planet in his backfield! Let him at least play a full season before we anoint Rivers a better QB than babyface.
More later...
STKAFI
I have to be honest. I had a family thing and did not get to watch the Giants game. I asked my roommate to DVR it, but he did not get home to do that. Right now though, I am glad that he didn't. I texted my boy to get a score update and he informed me that we were up 14-0 in the first half. I later received an update saying we were now up 21-0. On my way home I texted him one last time to get a report and he said it was 21-14 and "we were playing like shit." At this point I was understandably worried. I told him to text me when it was over or if it went into OT. I received the text "The worst team in football = Giants. Embarrassing." at 7:16 PM. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I still do.
Going into this game I was annoyed with the Giants. They had lost two games in a row following being 6-2 and in prime position to win the division and possibly get the #1 seed in the NFC. The loss to Chicago was tough to take because the Giants had control of that game for much of the first half. After last weeks' sloppy loss to Jacksonville I was fed up with the QB and the team in general. After going through those tough defeats, I was not into really into the game in Tennessee. This was a game they were supposed to win. I needed them to win this game to get me pumped up for next week versus Dallas. They got ahead and blew a 21 point fourth quarter lead to one of the worst teams in the NFL.
While I was disgusted with the Giants prior to this game, I knew they were still in control of the division. If they beat Tennessee and beat Dallas next week, then they were basically two games up on Dallas in the division since they would have swept the season series. I never thought that they would lose in Tennessee. Even with the misery of the past two weeks, I figured they would win this week and be geared up for a showdown next week. Instead, they choked away a victory and could headed for a .500 record after Dallas gets through with them next week. With all this negativity I still feel that the Giants will win next week. First of all I think Dallas is over-rated. Their QB is still in only his first few professional games as a starter. Their secondary is weak, and their O-line is even worse. In addition, Coughlin is 4-1 versus Dallas (Parcells) in his career with the Giants. The only loss going to OT last season in Dallas.
I have a bigger issue right now than the overall play of the Giants. I did not expect this loss, so I did not expect to have to write in such a negative way. In any event, now that I have addressed the game, I can write what I wanted to initially...
I am really pissed off with a certain brand of Giants fan. This kind has to do with #10, the QB. The group does not like little brother and are rooting against him (you know who you are). I know I trashed him last week out of frustration, but that was after me leading the fan club for three seasons. I want him to do well so badly and it has taken its toll on me. There are a number of fans that have trashed his decision making from the beginning and reluctantly given him props when he would lead the team to victory. This is something that really makes me embarrassed as a Giants fan.
The G-men have played a miserable last three games and the QB has been at the center of that misery. In his time as starting QB though the Giants are 17-11. He lead last second drives to tie or win games in four of those victories. His stats though in that time is not impressive and there have been numerous games where he played at a tremendously low level. This type of Giant fan though is waiting for the QB to be either his brother or close before they praise him. THose expectations are unfair.
The Giant QB engineered a trade to New York at the 2004 draft. Actually his father did. Who else had their parent or some sort of connection get them their first job out of college? Archie Manning already had numerous people in the NFL he both liked and disliked from his playing days. For all we know he had grudges against people in the Charger organization. The fact remains though they the Giants loved his son, the Mannings never publicly trashed any person or team. Since the trade the QB has said nothing negative about San Diego, New York or the trade itself.
Baby bro is a guy who has worked hard from the minute he was drafted. He is known as someone always in the film room and always present at all optional or mandatory offseason camps. He signed on time out of the draft and has never missed a start since he was named starting QB. In addition, through all of his ups and downs, no teammate has said one negative word about him. Considering the big mouths on this team, that is saying something. I have to believe if they did not believe he had the ability and/or he was not putting in the effort, we would have heard about it. In addition, no one has ripped him as being held to a different standard than others.
I am not trying to paint this guy as being some sort of "saint" (although his father was...New Orleans that is.....yea relaxo!!). The fact remains that this guy has busted his ass since he got here to play up to his potential. I know he was born into the football family and has been given a lot. Once he reached the big leagues though that all meant nothing. At this level, no one cares who your daddy is. If you are a real Giants fan, root for the kid. If he fucks up, boo him, but give him a chance! He wants to be a Giant, he is working hard, and if he doesn't make it then we can forget him. Look what we have to compare him to over the past 20 years. After the great Phil Simms there was Jeff Hostetler, Dave Brown, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox, Danny Kannell, Kerry Collins, and Kurt Warner. I don't see any of those guys getting enshrined in Canton. The fact is this organization is in as good of shape that it has been in for 15 years. I understand frustration in the QB, but I do not understand meeting him with skepticism from the get go. So far his career is about a C. He is only 25 and this season is far from over.
To all the haters....the kid may end up sucking, I understand that. Don't trash him from the start though. He is still on pace to lead his team to back to back playoffs (something the Giants haven't done since 1989-1990). He is gunna throw more picks and under throw more guys, but he will also make some bigtime throws and lead game-winnning drives. You wont be rid of him for at least once more year though, so sack up and support the guy. It's not like its so easy to do better. Look at our track record. Lastly, do not bring up Big Ben or Rivers. While Ben won a Super Bowl, he has regressed significantly, and if we had him and the situation he is in, the fans might be even more pissed off. As for Rivers, he is where our QB was at this point last year except Rivers has the best player on the planet in his backfield! Let him at least play a full season before we anoint Rivers a better QB than babyface.
More later...
STKAFI
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Baby Blue
Dear Eli,
This is the last time that I will address you by this name. For so long I have been your biggest supporter, but you continue to disappoint me. Every time we need you to have a big game you some up small. When we think you have "turned the corner" you regress back to your rookie self. The Giants are built under the assumption that you can carry a significant part of the load, and so far you have not consistently been able to do that. Until you do show that and gain my admiration back, I will have to address you by other names. Names such as #10, baby brother, mushie face, and ninny are a few that will be used. If you are able to show the promise that we all see hope for you, I will be right back in your corner. Right now though it is way to frustrating to treat you any way differently.
The Giants aren't built like a team that has a weak QB. They do not have a dominant offensive line or defense. They have a defense that can force turnovers and keep you in the game. Their offensive line can open holes run the ball and beat people up, but they have been known to get penalized and give up pressure on the QB. This team is has a good enough O-line and defense to win a title, but the skill players need to play big for this to happen. This is not a Baltimore of 2000 or a Tampa Bay of 2002 or even a Denver of 2006 . The key to the Giant skill players is the QB. He gets the other guys the ball. Right now you are not doing it with nearly enough efficiency. You even screwed up a hand-off to Tiki last night!
I understand the injury problem, especially to the pass rushers. Last night Gerard had all day on numerous occasions. When there was pressure, he seemed to let GIant players drop off him like flies. Could the outcome have been different if Osi and Strahan were healthy? Without a doubt. Your QB play still may have doomed us though. It was that bad.
I am not asking you to be John Elway or Tom Brady. All I am asking is that you don't kill us. If you aren't ready to put us on your back, then don't! Just don't throw balls in coverage and make stupid reads. Make the plays you are capable of and don't force it. This team as enough talent, even with the injuries, that by making safe passes and running the ball you still have a chance to win and be successful. Plax, Shockmaster, and Tiki can all run after the catch! We saw that on the TD to Plax last night. That was amazing. Can you win a title like this? Probably not. But can you win games like last night like this?? Definitely.
I am just waiting for your "Christmas Story" moment. You know that Christmas movie that is always on TBS in December? The little boy with glasses, and the scene where the kids tough gets frozen to the pole. Through out that movie there is a younger brother who continuously gets picked on by a bully. At a certain point he just loses it and beats the crap out of the bully. Its like, why did not just do that in the first place??? I am waiting for that moment with you baby boy. You are getting kicked around on the field, abused by the media and the fans, all the while have a dumb look on your face. Can you just flip out and dominate?? You are the #1 pick!!! You are the "golden boy"!! You forced a trade from San Diego and now they are the best team in football!!! Either man up, or get out. We need you and want you to do well, but you are testing our patience. You better get a win next week and be ready for Dallas in two weeks at home. If you are not, you will hear boos like you have never heard in your life.
STKAFI
Dear Eli,
This is the last time that I will address you by this name. For so long I have been your biggest supporter, but you continue to disappoint me. Every time we need you to have a big game you some up small. When we think you have "turned the corner" you regress back to your rookie self. The Giants are built under the assumption that you can carry a significant part of the load, and so far you have not consistently been able to do that. Until you do show that and gain my admiration back, I will have to address you by other names. Names such as #10, baby brother, mushie face, and ninny are a few that will be used. If you are able to show the promise that we all see hope for you, I will be right back in your corner. Right now though it is way to frustrating to treat you any way differently.
The Giants aren't built like a team that has a weak QB. They do not have a dominant offensive line or defense. They have a defense that can force turnovers and keep you in the game. Their offensive line can open holes run the ball and beat people up, but they have been known to get penalized and give up pressure on the QB. This team is has a good enough O-line and defense to win a title, but the skill players need to play big for this to happen. This is not a Baltimore of 2000 or a Tampa Bay of 2002 or even a Denver of 2006 . The key to the Giant skill players is the QB. He gets the other guys the ball. Right now you are not doing it with nearly enough efficiency. You even screwed up a hand-off to Tiki last night!
I understand the injury problem, especially to the pass rushers. Last night Gerard had all day on numerous occasions. When there was pressure, he seemed to let GIant players drop off him like flies. Could the outcome have been different if Osi and Strahan were healthy? Without a doubt. Your QB play still may have doomed us though. It was that bad.
I am not asking you to be John Elway or Tom Brady. All I am asking is that you don't kill us. If you aren't ready to put us on your back, then don't! Just don't throw balls in coverage and make stupid reads. Make the plays you are capable of and don't force it. This team as enough talent, even with the injuries, that by making safe passes and running the ball you still have a chance to win and be successful. Plax, Shockmaster, and Tiki can all run after the catch! We saw that on the TD to Plax last night. That was amazing. Can you win a title like this? Probably not. But can you win games like last night like this?? Definitely.
I am just waiting for your "Christmas Story" moment. You know that Christmas movie that is always on TBS in December? The little boy with glasses, and the scene where the kids tough gets frozen to the pole. Through out that movie there is a younger brother who continuously gets picked on by a bully. At a certain point he just loses it and beats the crap out of the bully. Its like, why did not just do that in the first place??? I am waiting for that moment with you baby boy. You are getting kicked around on the field, abused by the media and the fans, all the while have a dumb look on your face. Can you just flip out and dominate?? You are the #1 pick!!! You are the "golden boy"!! You forced a trade from San Diego and now they are the best team in football!!! Either man up, or get out. We need you and want you to do well, but you are testing our patience. You better get a win next week and be ready for Dallas in two weeks at home. If you are not, you will hear boos like you have never heard in your life.
STKAFI
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Fat P*ssy Toad
Famous words uttered by The Boss concerning his famous Japanese import at the time, Hideki Irabu. Irabu came to the US labeled the Japanese Nolan Ryan, with the same dominating fastball and intimidating presence. Instead he got knocked around by the American League and became Carl Pavano before Pavano was Pavano. Irabu never made it in New York and soon was back in Japan having failed in his short lived, buy hyped MLB career.
If Steinbrenner were the owner of the Knicks right now, it is safe to assume that he would have similar words to say concerning the overweight and undereffort of Eddy Curry. Curry came to New York in a blockbuster trade in which the Knicks gave up two first round draft picks and two other players. He had a stigma of a weak heart and weight problems, but the potential of a dominant post presence was too tempting for the Knicks (Isiah Thomas) to pass up. Over a year later, Curry still is overweight, doesn't have the heart of an 80 year old man, but instead of the Lion in the Wizard of Oz. He literally has none. He lumbers up and down the court, barely plays defense, rebounds or hustles. He was given the nickname "Baby Shaq" in high school. I am trying to figure out how he got that. He has all of Shaqs' baby fat maybe? He is 80% baby and 20% Shaq? Either way, he does not deserve to be mentioned in the same paragraph, let alone sentence of Shaq. I will not do that again.
I would be stupid not to mention the potential that everyone has seen in Curry though. FIrst of all he is a beast. He is 6'11", 285 lbs (more like 310 lbs now) and he has soft hands, and quick feet to accompany that. He has the physical gifts to be a dominant low post scorer. These are players that do not come along often. Even in todays up and down style of ball, a dominant big man is a very desired commodity. There are only a handful in the game today. That is Currys' lure. Even with his lack of conditioning and effort, Curry has averaged 15 ppg each of the last two years and is averaging about that same amount again this year. That is pretty remarkable considering he gets almost no "effort" points, ie offensive rebounds, fast break, etc. Curry is the ultimate enigma in the NBA today.
What does this all mean? Curry is only 24, but this is his sixth season since he came into the League directly from high school. Scouts are split over whether he has reached his potential or if he still can be a dominant player. I feel that the entire curve of "prime years" and development has been skewed by players coming into the league so early. The NBA is a grind that college is not. Preseason game, followed by an 82 game regular season and potentially many playoff games. While in the past a players' prime years may have been ages 28-32, now they may be 26-30. Basketball is a high intensity, contact sport and the grind takes it toll more than in a sport such as baseball.
In addition, if you look at the "high school generation". starting with Kevin Garnett, every successful NBA player has reached his "potential" by about his fourth year latest. Obviously players were not the best they could be in the fourth season, but from that season on, "they are who we thought they were", as Denny Green would say. Everyone from Kobe, to T-Mac, to Al Harrington, to Jermaine O'Neal. High school players are like any other prospect, some become all-atars, some role players, and some bums. It looks like Curry fits into the role player mold, even with the frustration that it beings every talent evaluator that watches his skill set.
So the question arises of how do you win with Eddy Curry as your starting center? Usually you want an intimidator who will rebound and block shots, both things that Curry does not do well. I feel that the Bulls had a very good system two years ago. A defensive minded coach, only defensive guys in the starting line-up (exception of Curry) and a team oriented offense. If you look at the Bulls this season and last, what is the main thing that they are missing? A guy who can score on the low post. Curry was that guy for them and they got rid of him. I am not saying it was a bad move for them (they did get two potential top 10 draft picks), but they traded a valuable commodity.
While the Knicks are a mish-mosh of talent, I saw an interesting glimmer of hope last night. They paired Curry with David Lee and Ronaldo Balkman up front. Tow guys that love to hustle and battle inside. The guards were Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford, also two guys who like to push the ball and work hard. This group sealed the victory for the Knicks and I think it is the type of line-up that Curry can thrive in. It is not perfect, but its a start. If the Knicks feel that Curry is the answer at center then they need to have players around him that compliment both his strengths and weaknesses. Do not ignore them, embrace them.
As far as Eddy Curry goes, I honestly like him. He seems like a nice guy, who is stuck in a 6'11" body. I don't know if he loves basketball as much as it came easy to him and he was pushed due to his size. I can not blame him for that. I know he means well and has never had an off the court problem (besides the McDonald's drive thru). In all seriousness, he is a player that has a unique talent, but he will never be the hall of fame center that some projected him as. He is just a good teammate who wants to play well and for people to like him. I hope it works out for him in New York, but he is in a tough spot. His acquisition sits right along side the Marbury deal as Isiahs' two signature trades in New York. Considering Isiahs' place with the fans and media, that is not an enviable place to be.
Hits
Famous words uttered by The Boss concerning his famous Japanese import at the time, Hideki Irabu. Irabu came to the US labeled the Japanese Nolan Ryan, with the same dominating fastball and intimidating presence. Instead he got knocked around by the American League and became Carl Pavano before Pavano was Pavano. Irabu never made it in New York and soon was back in Japan having failed in his short lived, buy hyped MLB career.
If Steinbrenner were the owner of the Knicks right now, it is safe to assume that he would have similar words to say concerning the overweight and undereffort of Eddy Curry. Curry came to New York in a blockbuster trade in which the Knicks gave up two first round draft picks and two other players. He had a stigma of a weak heart and weight problems, but the potential of a dominant post presence was too tempting for the Knicks (Isiah Thomas) to pass up. Over a year later, Curry still is overweight, doesn't have the heart of an 80 year old man, but instead of the Lion in the Wizard of Oz. He literally has none. He lumbers up and down the court, barely plays defense, rebounds or hustles. He was given the nickname "Baby Shaq" in high school. I am trying to figure out how he got that. He has all of Shaqs' baby fat maybe? He is 80% baby and 20% Shaq? Either way, he does not deserve to be mentioned in the same paragraph, let alone sentence of Shaq. I will not do that again.
I would be stupid not to mention the potential that everyone has seen in Curry though. FIrst of all he is a beast. He is 6'11", 285 lbs (more like 310 lbs now) and he has soft hands, and quick feet to accompany that. He has the physical gifts to be a dominant low post scorer. These are players that do not come along often. Even in todays up and down style of ball, a dominant big man is a very desired commodity. There are only a handful in the game today. That is Currys' lure. Even with his lack of conditioning and effort, Curry has averaged 15 ppg each of the last two years and is averaging about that same amount again this year. That is pretty remarkable considering he gets almost no "effort" points, ie offensive rebounds, fast break, etc. Curry is the ultimate enigma in the NBA today.
What does this all mean? Curry is only 24, but this is his sixth season since he came into the League directly from high school. Scouts are split over whether he has reached his potential or if he still can be a dominant player. I feel that the entire curve of "prime years" and development has been skewed by players coming into the league so early. The NBA is a grind that college is not. Preseason game, followed by an 82 game regular season and potentially many playoff games. While in the past a players' prime years may have been ages 28-32, now they may be 26-30. Basketball is a high intensity, contact sport and the grind takes it toll more than in a sport such as baseball.
In addition, if you look at the "high school generation". starting with Kevin Garnett, every successful NBA player has reached his "potential" by about his fourth year latest. Obviously players were not the best they could be in the fourth season, but from that season on, "they are who we thought they were", as Denny Green would say. Everyone from Kobe, to T-Mac, to Al Harrington, to Jermaine O'Neal. High school players are like any other prospect, some become all-atars, some role players, and some bums. It looks like Curry fits into the role player mold, even with the frustration that it beings every talent evaluator that watches his skill set.
So the question arises of how do you win with Eddy Curry as your starting center? Usually you want an intimidator who will rebound and block shots, both things that Curry does not do well. I feel that the Bulls had a very good system two years ago. A defensive minded coach, only defensive guys in the starting line-up (exception of Curry) and a team oriented offense. If you look at the Bulls this season and last, what is the main thing that they are missing? A guy who can score on the low post. Curry was that guy for them and they got rid of him. I am not saying it was a bad move for them (they did get two potential top 10 draft picks), but they traded a valuable commodity.
While the Knicks are a mish-mosh of talent, I saw an interesting glimmer of hope last night. They paired Curry with David Lee and Ronaldo Balkman up front. Tow guys that love to hustle and battle inside. The guards were Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford, also two guys who like to push the ball and work hard. This group sealed the victory for the Knicks and I think it is the type of line-up that Curry can thrive in. It is not perfect, but its a start. If the Knicks feel that Curry is the answer at center then they need to have players around him that compliment both his strengths and weaknesses. Do not ignore them, embrace them.
As far as Eddy Curry goes, I honestly like him. He seems like a nice guy, who is stuck in a 6'11" body. I don't know if he loves basketball as much as it came easy to him and he was pushed due to his size. I can not blame him for that. I know he means well and has never had an off the court problem (besides the McDonald's drive thru). In all seriousness, he is a player that has a unique talent, but he will never be the hall of fame center that some projected him as. He is just a good teammate who wants to play well and for people to like him. I hope it works out for him in New York, but he is in a tough spot. His acquisition sits right along side the Marbury deal as Isiahs' two signature trades in New York. Considering Isiahs' place with the fans and media, that is not an enviable place to be.
Hits
- Big win for the Knicks. I got tix again and had a great time. Holler Nelha.
- Thanks for the call leo....Sat night celts/knicks...gunna be a battle!
- Busy yesterday....did not get a chance to write anything...
STKAFI
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Knicks Night
I attended my first Knicks game of the season last night. I was planing on a chill night at home, makin food and catchin up on my DVR when my boy Rambizzle called. He said he came across two tickets to the Knicks game and wanted to know if I would join him. Besides the fact that Lebron was in town, I will rarely pass up a chance to watch my team play. I met my boy, got a beer at a bar around the Garden and went in. It was his first time at the Garden so I was excited for him to see the inside. He is a Celtic fan, so I was not sure what he would think of it. He seemed very impressed and we both were pumped to see old time (yea right) NBA basketball.
The seats were pretty good, but the game was very choppy and slow. There was minimal rhythm and no fast breaks. Lebron looked like he could care less, and the fans are all out of it. Going to Knicks games as a youngster the crowd was into it from the intros until the jumbotron was bein takin down from the roof. During free throws now you can almost hear a pin drop. The highlight of the first half was our first glimpse for the season of the Knick City Dancers. Early in the third quarter the boo birds started to come out at the Knicks fell behind. Marbury was by far the main target of the crowd. Isiah was cleverly mocked by fans, but not with the viciousness of the Marbury attackers. I have to be honest with you. At this point in the game I began to hope the Cavs would continue to build a large lead so there would be some real verbal attacks on the Knicks and their sorry operation.
This did not happen though. Midway through the 4th Quarter Isiah put in his high energy group including David Lee, Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford. Through aggressive play they cut the lead to one with about three minutes to play. The crowd was into it, but not how they used to be. In the 1990's there was a ferociousness to the crowd. The "de-fence" chants were directed toward the opposition in a way thay told them we would collectively not let them score. Now these cheers are said with smiles and laughs because we can't believe we are cheering for such a pitiful group. In any event, the Knick proceeded to fall apart down the stretch. It was the usual scene of defensive breakdowns, poor shot selection off of one-on-one dribble drives. After basically sleeping through much of the game Lebron still ended up with 29 points and 6 assists. Marbury went 0-6, Nasty Nate Robinson energized the crowd for a bit, but the end result was another loss for the now 2-6 Knicks.
I left the arena without any disappointment from the loss. I am filled with such frustration from this team on a daily basis that individual games can not effect me. Rambizzle and I stayed until the very end and slowly made our way out of the arena and over to our respective trains on Sixth Ave. We both had a good time and hope to get more free tickets later in the season. Judging by the throngs of empty seats throughout the Garden, I am confident that this will not be difficult.
Knick Play and ish
I attended my first Knicks game of the season last night. I was planing on a chill night at home, makin food and catchin up on my DVR when my boy Rambizzle called. He said he came across two tickets to the Knicks game and wanted to know if I would join him. Besides the fact that Lebron was in town, I will rarely pass up a chance to watch my team play. I met my boy, got a beer at a bar around the Garden and went in. It was his first time at the Garden so I was excited for him to see the inside. He is a Celtic fan, so I was not sure what he would think of it. He seemed very impressed and we both were pumped to see old time (yea right) NBA basketball.
The seats were pretty good, but the game was very choppy and slow. There was minimal rhythm and no fast breaks. Lebron looked like he could care less, and the fans are all out of it. Going to Knicks games as a youngster the crowd was into it from the intros until the jumbotron was bein takin down from the roof. During free throws now you can almost hear a pin drop. The highlight of the first half was our first glimpse for the season of the Knick City Dancers. Early in the third quarter the boo birds started to come out at the Knicks fell behind. Marbury was by far the main target of the crowd. Isiah was cleverly mocked by fans, but not with the viciousness of the Marbury attackers. I have to be honest with you. At this point in the game I began to hope the Cavs would continue to build a large lead so there would be some real verbal attacks on the Knicks and their sorry operation.
This did not happen though. Midway through the 4th Quarter Isiah put in his high energy group including David Lee, Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford. Through aggressive play they cut the lead to one with about three minutes to play. The crowd was into it, but not how they used to be. In the 1990's there was a ferociousness to the crowd. The "de-fence" chants were directed toward the opposition in a way thay told them we would collectively not let them score. Now these cheers are said with smiles and laughs because we can't believe we are cheering for such a pitiful group. In any event, the Knick proceeded to fall apart down the stretch. It was the usual scene of defensive breakdowns, poor shot selection off of one-on-one dribble drives. After basically sleeping through much of the game Lebron still ended up with 29 points and 6 assists. Marbury went 0-6, Nasty Nate Robinson energized the crowd for a bit, but the end result was another loss for the now 2-6 Knicks.
I left the arena without any disappointment from the loss. I am filled with such frustration from this team on a daily basis that individual games can not effect me. Rambizzle and I stayed until the very end and slowly made our way out of the arena and over to our respective trains on Sixth Ave. We both had a good time and hope to get more free tickets later in the season. Judging by the throngs of empty seats throughout the Garden, I am confident that this will not be difficult.
Knick Play and ish
- It does not look like Isiah called a play all night. Every time-out they would come out and either Crawford, Marbury, or Robinson would create one-on-one. There is no fluidity to the offense. The guards dribble the air out of the ball and the big guys stand still.
- How can Eddy Curry be so large yet be so invisible through out a game?
- I enjoyed showing Rambizzle how the Knicks will stay in any game through lucky shots and poor fundamental ball. They have shot makers, but no defense and even less team players. He knows his basketball so it was fun for me to hear his thoughts on the Knicks play in person.
- Great to see Willie Randolph and David Wright at the game. My boys!!! Willie gave a very inspiring fist pump to the camera. Not sure whether it was for the Knicks, or just to get the crowd to cheer, but it definitely riled me up. When does spring training start again??
- Looks like the Mets will go hard after Zito. Five years 75mm is the minimum that we will prolly get. I do not think I would go over 17mm per year. I know its more than he is worth, but in this market every player is gunna get more than what he normally would.
- http://www.tonyhomo.com/
- Anyone know what famous non-football playing alums went to Mich/OSU? I am just trying to prepare myself for the randoms that the camera will consistently pan to and interview through out the big game on Saturday.
STKAFI
Sunday, November 12, 2006
As Bad as It Gets.....
This loss really sucks. There is honestly no other way to put it. The Giants had so much opportunity for the season and they let it all slip away. Usually after a bad loss I try to watch all the interviews and read all the articles the next day, but right now I don't want to even look at them. What made this really bad was when I got home from watching the game, my roommate had a big poster on my couch of a team picture of the Giants. I honestly considered ripping it apart and throwing it all over the apartment. I did not do that and the picture would be great if I could stand the team at the moment. I just told him that those are the last people in the world I want to look at right now and we can talk in the morning.
Anyway, back to the game. I want to start with the quarterback. I am his biggest fan. I have had his back since he was drafted. I have a couple reasons for this. First, he is our quarterback. The Giants put a lot of money and faith into him, so we should cheer and give him as much chance as we can, because if the Giants are going to win a Super Bowl within the next five years he is going to have to be the man. I addition, I like his attitude and calmness on the field. He has a good arm and pocket presence, as well as having a knack for the clutch. With all that being said though, he needs to put the team on his back when it needs him. This was a huge game with two young QBs. Both looked horrible early. Grossman though got better as the game went on and ended up with a very good day. Eli forced a bad INT on a drive in the 4th Quarter when the Giants had a very good chance to win the game. He played like shit the entire game. SO many throws were high and he never looked comfortable. This was a game where we needed him and he did not show up. At this point in his career that is embarrassing. He really needs to show me something in these upcoming games for me to have confidence in him for the playoffs.
My biggest fear going into this game was the Giants pass rush. Early on they were blitzing, hitting Grossman and really effecting him. As the game wet on though they got to him less and less and he was able to have time in the pocket. Because of this he was much more comfortable and accurate with his passes. The injuries to the DE's are catching up to the Giants and if these guys to not get healthy soon then the fortunes of this season can take a nose dive very quickly.
The field goal attempt that turned into a touchdown angers me on so many levels. First of all I do not agree with kicking a field goal there. At that stage in the game I would punt. Down four points with over 11 minutes to play there is a lot of football still to be played. If they could down the ball inside the Bear 10 or 15 yard line then the Giants would still have momentum and put the Bears in bad field position. The FG attempt was over 50 yards and if he missed it would have given the Bears very good field positions to go in for a FG of their own. It turns out they totally embarrassed the Giants and ran back the FG try for a TD. I understand its a judgement call on Coughlins' part and if the FG was good then no one would say a word. I just feel that the risk did not meet the reward, especially since the Giants still would not have been leading. While the defense did not play well in the second half, I still do not trust Grossman. Make him beat you in a big spot, don't beat yourself!!
Everyone is saying that the big play in the game was the third down and 22 at the end of the first half. I agree that it was a big play, but the Giant offense looked horrible before that. The TD pass at the end of the half was a joke. Barber played well, but Shockey was non-existent and like I said, Eli was horrendous. Even if the Giants went into the half with a 13-3 lead, I did not feel good about the way that the Giants were playing over all.
The Giants had an opportunity to tie the Bears for best record in the NFC. They would have had the tie breaker over the Bears and would have already basically locked up their division. Now they have a tough a tough road ahead and are only one game ahead of the Cowboys and the Eagles. I feel like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men after he found out that one of the defendants wasn't even there when the "code red" was ordered. He gets hammered and goes on a rampage against Demi Moore... "Tell them what they have won captain....games against the Saints, Jaguars, Cowboys, Eagles, and Panthers down the stretch!!!!" This is the most painful Giants defeat since January 2003 in San Francisco when they blew a 30 point lead in the playoffs. The Giants had a golden opportunity with this game, and blew it. This is the best Giants team in a since then, but if they want to go places in the playoffs they need to be at home. I am sorry, but if you can honestly see them winning two games on the road in the playoffs you are a better man than me right now. This quarterback better step up and show his team he can dominate. Right now though, I don't want to see or hear anything about him or this team. The only thing that can make this worse is if I have to watch the Giants play next week on Monday Night Football and listen to Kornheiser and those other two bozos....Oh wait, shoot me now..
Morning After...
As you may have been able to tell, I wrote all of that right after the Giants game. While I still am very bitter about the loss, I have a little more perspective now than I did then. I just have a couple of more things to say on the subject, then I will move on...
1. People will try to point at the two fluke plays (Touchdown off the missed FG and 1st down run on the 3rd and 22 at the end of the first half) as why the Giants lost. I will not cheapen the impact of those plays, but there are two much bigger reasons as to why the Giants lost.
a) The Giants could not get any pressure on Grossman from the front four. They rattled him early in the game with blitzes. In the second half though, they could not get to him at all. He looked like Dan Marino sitting in the pocket in the second half. This is not a surprise due to the Giants injuries, but it is a major concern for upcoming games.
b) Manning had no protection from his blind side after Petigout went out. He was sacked and fumbled twice from the blind side and the Bears were in his face the entire second half beyond that. Petigout will be out at least a month, so the Giants will need to fix this quickly, or the season is in jeopardy. If Manning is going to do anything he needs time to throw.
2. Coughlin can not get murdered for the FG decision. Before every game the kicker kicks to both end zones and the coaches know then what his range is. In addition, unless you were on the field you do not know the wind at that point. There is no way Coughlin would put him out there unless he knew the wind was OK and it was in his range. He kicker did not execute and the coverage after was horrendous. While philosophically I would have punted in that situation, you have to believe that Coughlin knew that Feely had the potential to make that kick if he executed properly.
3. In order to make me feel better I racked my brain to another time the Giants had the season in their hands and let it slip. Back in 1990 the Giants were 10-0 and about to go into Philly and San Francisco. They end up losing both games and two weeks after that losing at home to Buffalo. While I do remember those games, I did not have a concept of what they meant in the long run. I can imagine that the media must have roasted them and the fans felt that while the team was still good, they were not Super Bowl good. Well, they ended up beating San Fran in the NFC title game and Buffalo in the Super Bowl that year. I can only hope that the Giants forget this game, finish 12-4 , get a bye and go into Chicago the the NFC title game and execute better than they did last night. I am sorry, but this is the only way I can look at this that will make me feel better at all...
No More Giants...
This loss really sucks. There is honestly no other way to put it. The Giants had so much opportunity for the season and they let it all slip away. Usually after a bad loss I try to watch all the interviews and read all the articles the next day, but right now I don't want to even look at them. What made this really bad was when I got home from watching the game, my roommate had a big poster on my couch of a team picture of the Giants. I honestly considered ripping it apart and throwing it all over the apartment. I did not do that and the picture would be great if I could stand the team at the moment. I just told him that those are the last people in the world I want to look at right now and we can talk in the morning.
Anyway, back to the game. I want to start with the quarterback. I am his biggest fan. I have had his back since he was drafted. I have a couple reasons for this. First, he is our quarterback. The Giants put a lot of money and faith into him, so we should cheer and give him as much chance as we can, because if the Giants are going to win a Super Bowl within the next five years he is going to have to be the man. I addition, I like his attitude and calmness on the field. He has a good arm and pocket presence, as well as having a knack for the clutch. With all that being said though, he needs to put the team on his back when it needs him. This was a huge game with two young QBs. Both looked horrible early. Grossman though got better as the game went on and ended up with a very good day. Eli forced a bad INT on a drive in the 4th Quarter when the Giants had a very good chance to win the game. He played like shit the entire game. SO many throws were high and he never looked comfortable. This was a game where we needed him and he did not show up. At this point in his career that is embarrassing. He really needs to show me something in these upcoming games for me to have confidence in him for the playoffs.
My biggest fear going into this game was the Giants pass rush. Early on they were blitzing, hitting Grossman and really effecting him. As the game wet on though they got to him less and less and he was able to have time in the pocket. Because of this he was much more comfortable and accurate with his passes. The injuries to the DE's are catching up to the Giants and if these guys to not get healthy soon then the fortunes of this season can take a nose dive very quickly.
The field goal attempt that turned into a touchdown angers me on so many levels. First of all I do not agree with kicking a field goal there. At that stage in the game I would punt. Down four points with over 11 minutes to play there is a lot of football still to be played. If they could down the ball inside the Bear 10 or 15 yard line then the Giants would still have momentum and put the Bears in bad field position. The FG attempt was over 50 yards and if he missed it would have given the Bears very good field positions to go in for a FG of their own. It turns out they totally embarrassed the Giants and ran back the FG try for a TD. I understand its a judgement call on Coughlins' part and if the FG was good then no one would say a word. I just feel that the risk did not meet the reward, especially since the Giants still would not have been leading. While the defense did not play well in the second half, I still do not trust Grossman. Make him beat you in a big spot, don't beat yourself!!
Everyone is saying that the big play in the game was the third down and 22 at the end of the first half. I agree that it was a big play, but the Giant offense looked horrible before that. The TD pass at the end of the half was a joke. Barber played well, but Shockey was non-existent and like I said, Eli was horrendous. Even if the Giants went into the half with a 13-3 lead, I did not feel good about the way that the Giants were playing over all.
The Giants had an opportunity to tie the Bears for best record in the NFC. They would have had the tie breaker over the Bears and would have already basically locked up their division. Now they have a tough a tough road ahead and are only one game ahead of the Cowboys and the Eagles. I feel like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men after he found out that one of the defendants wasn't even there when the "code red" was ordered. He gets hammered and goes on a rampage against Demi Moore... "Tell them what they have won captain....games against the Saints, Jaguars, Cowboys, Eagles, and Panthers down the stretch!!!!" This is the most painful Giants defeat since January 2003 in San Francisco when they blew a 30 point lead in the playoffs. The Giants had a golden opportunity with this game, and blew it. This is the best Giants team in a since then, but if they want to go places in the playoffs they need to be at home. I am sorry, but if you can honestly see them winning two games on the road in the playoffs you are a better man than me right now. This quarterback better step up and show his team he can dominate. Right now though, I don't want to see or hear anything about him or this team. The only thing that can make this worse is if I have to watch the Giants play next week on Monday Night Football and listen to Kornheiser and those other two bozos....Oh wait, shoot me now..
Morning After...
As you may have been able to tell, I wrote all of that right after the Giants game. While I still am very bitter about the loss, I have a little more perspective now than I did then. I just have a couple of more things to say on the subject, then I will move on...
1. People will try to point at the two fluke plays (Touchdown off the missed FG and 1st down run on the 3rd and 22 at the end of the first half) as why the Giants lost. I will not cheapen the impact of those plays, but there are two much bigger reasons as to why the Giants lost.
a) The Giants could not get any pressure on Grossman from the front four. They rattled him early in the game with blitzes. In the second half though, they could not get to him at all. He looked like Dan Marino sitting in the pocket in the second half. This is not a surprise due to the Giants injuries, but it is a major concern for upcoming games.
b) Manning had no protection from his blind side after Petigout went out. He was sacked and fumbled twice from the blind side and the Bears were in his face the entire second half beyond that. Petigout will be out at least a month, so the Giants will need to fix this quickly, or the season is in jeopardy. If Manning is going to do anything he needs time to throw.
2. Coughlin can not get murdered for the FG decision. Before every game the kicker kicks to both end zones and the coaches know then what his range is. In addition, unless you were on the field you do not know the wind at that point. There is no way Coughlin would put him out there unless he knew the wind was OK and it was in his range. He kicker did not execute and the coverage after was horrendous. While philosophically I would have punted in that situation, you have to believe that Coughlin knew that Feely had the potential to make that kick if he executed properly.
3. In order to make me feel better I racked my brain to another time the Giants had the season in their hands and let it slip. Back in 1990 the Giants were 10-0 and about to go into Philly and San Francisco. They end up losing both games and two weeks after that losing at home to Buffalo. While I do remember those games, I did not have a concept of what they meant in the long run. I can imagine that the media must have roasted them and the fans felt that while the team was still good, they were not Super Bowl good. Well, they ended up beating San Fran in the NFC title game and Buffalo in the Super Bowl that year. I can only hope that the Giants forget this game, finish 12-4 , get a bye and go into Chicago the the NFC title game and execute better than they did last night. I am sorry, but this is the only way I can look at this that will make me feel better at all...
No More Giants...
- I missed most of the games yesterday so I will only comment on a few...
- Big win my the J-E-T-S...I feel good for Mangini beating his mentor. The weather though was brutal and as my boy Z pointed out, anytime the weather is that bad the advantage goes to the inferior team. I take nothing away from the Jets though, as they are firmly entrenched in the playoff race.
- Cincinnati may be done. To be up 21 points at home and lose is a killer. This is their third loss at home and they are now 4-5. They better hope 10-6 gets them in the playoffs, and if is doesn't they need to revamp that defense...
- LDT is the nastiest RB I have seen since Marshall Faulk...
- USC is in great shape at #3 in the BCS. They will be in the top two when they face Notre Dame, but that will not be an easy game to win at all...
- The Bears still turn the ball over way too many times..
- Next time I jump on the Michael Vick bandwagon, drag me off...
- Not sure how much I like these Yankee trades. They have a philosophy though and they are sticking to it. They want young, power arms. They got four of them, two of which can possibly help them this season. Their starting rotation now needs to be rebuilt with depth since Randy Johnson will be recovering from back surgery. It will be interesting to see how they approach this and who they acquire. They are stockpiling power arms to trade if there is a Dontrelle Willis or Jake Peavy available....
- Looks like "The Chad is Back" is going down and "Eli the Great" had one of the nastiest fantasy weeks ever...You do not want me sneaking into those playoffs smurph.....
Friday, November 10, 2006
Woke up this Morning......Got Myself a Gun....
Why you ask?? Only because the the state of New Jersey is on top of the sports world. That's right, Rutgers defeated Louisville last night. Rutgers is now the only undefeated team in the Big East and is in position to play in a BCS Bowl game. Watching the game on TV was entertaining for a couple of reasons. First, it was a great game. Rutgers fell behind by 18 points in the first half, but battled back to win on a field goal with less that 20 seconds to go in the game. Secondly, the crowd was not only loud and exciting, but extremely funny to watch. They were obnoxious, unrelenting, and sang "We Will Rock You" word for word in unison. It was like a cross between the cast of the Sopranos and a Kevin Smith movie. I was just waiting for an announcement that Jackie Jr. and his crew had robbed the ticket office at halftime.
In all seriousness though, this was a huge win for the Rutgers program. They were a laughing stock five years ago and now they are on par with the top football programs in the nation. Their coach is focused on keeping New Jersey players at home and has the fanbase invigorated. At the moment they have a Heisman candidate at running back and a tremendously hard working defense. The Big East is a big winner as well. With Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers this conference now has three teams in top 15.
Do I think that Rutgers will run the table and make a BCS Bowl game? No. They have to go into West Virginia in a couple weeks and will not make it out of there undefeated. Rutgers is good, but it will be much tougher to win in Morgantown. The BCS Committee are very happy that Rutgers won and that the Big East will beat up on each other. Now they do not have to worry about putting a Big East team in the title game and can have a Big Ten team against an SEC team or possibly USC if they run the table.
I honestly am happy for Rutgers though. I shouldn't say for Rutgers, but for the metropolitan area. I have grown up in NYC and never had a bigtime college football team to care about. This is a pro sports town. With Rutgers though things could be changing and I welcome that. I will be up front on the NYC Rutgers bandwagon. Forget Ann Arbor, Lincoln, and Gainsville. Come to Piscataway and see if you make it out alive! No really, win or lose you very well end up sleepin with the fishes!
Why you ask?? Only because the the state of New Jersey is on top of the sports world. That's right, Rutgers defeated Louisville last night. Rutgers is now the only undefeated team in the Big East and is in position to play in a BCS Bowl game. Watching the game on TV was entertaining for a couple of reasons. First, it was a great game. Rutgers fell behind by 18 points in the first half, but battled back to win on a field goal with less that 20 seconds to go in the game. Secondly, the crowd was not only loud and exciting, but extremely funny to watch. They were obnoxious, unrelenting, and sang "We Will Rock You" word for word in unison. It was like a cross between the cast of the Sopranos and a Kevin Smith movie. I was just waiting for an announcement that Jackie Jr. and his crew had robbed the ticket office at halftime.
In all seriousness though, this was a huge win for the Rutgers program. They were a laughing stock five years ago and now they are on par with the top football programs in the nation. Their coach is focused on keeping New Jersey players at home and has the fanbase invigorated. At the moment they have a Heisman candidate at running back and a tremendously hard working defense. The Big East is a big winner as well. With Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers this conference now has three teams in top 15.
Do I think that Rutgers will run the table and make a BCS Bowl game? No. They have to go into West Virginia in a couple weeks and will not make it out of there undefeated. Rutgers is good, but it will be much tougher to win in Morgantown. The BCS Committee are very happy that Rutgers won and that the Big East will beat up on each other. Now they do not have to worry about putting a Big East team in the title game and can have a Big Ten team against an SEC team or possibly USC if they run the table.
I honestly am happy for Rutgers though. I shouldn't say for Rutgers, but for the metropolitan area. I have grown up in NYC and never had a bigtime college football team to care about. This is a pro sports town. With Rutgers though things could be changing and I welcome that. I will be up front on the NYC Rutgers bandwagon. Forget Ann Arbor, Lincoln, and Gainsville. Come to Piscataway and see if you make it out alive! No really, win or lose you very well end up sleepin with the fishes!
- JWS keeps commenting on the Knicks. I agree Lee should play more, but we need to give Frye a chance to get goin as well. Lee provides a lot, but he does not have the scoring touch of Frye. If Frye can get his game going then the Knicks would have two post players that teams would have to fear. As far as Francis...He is going to get a chance to start and play with Marbury still. So far it has not worked, but I doubt either of them are going anywhere so Isiah will continue to try and make it work. I really like Crawford and I see him getting a lot of minutes, but just not starting.
- My favorite Knicks....Crawford, Richardson, Lee, Balkman...And Nasty Nate half the time..
- Short post today....Got a busy day at work....Holler.
STKAFI
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
The Higher They Got The Harder They Fell...
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/469267p-394951c.html
Dwight "Doc" Gooden is being let out of jail on Thursday. He spent seven months in the can following testing positive for cocaine and violating his parole. This was the latest in a series of ups and downs that have followed both him and Darryl Strawberry since their careers peaked in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series. Maybe it is because I am a die-hard Met fan, but the story of these two players is as interesting to me as any over the past 25 years.
Both players were selected in the first round of the Amateur Draft by the New York Mets. Strawberry was the number one overall pick in 1980 and Gooden was picked number five overall in 1982. They hype for each player was incredible, especially Strawberry. He was touted as the "Black Ted Williams" as a high schooler in Los Angeles. He was called up to the Mets early in the 1983 season. The Mets at that point were a down trodden franchise. Strawberry provided the first glimpse of hope that the fans saw since the team traded Tom Seaver back in 1977. Strawberry did not disappoint in his first year, winning Rookie of the year honors.
Gooden reached the Majors in 1984. As a 19 year old rookie he dazzled the National League. He won 17 games and set a rookie record by striking out 276 batters in 218 innings. He made the All Star team and gave the Mets their second consecutive Rookie of the year winner. These two players had the potential to be all-star caliber players for another 15 years. These were the guys that the Mets could build a potential dynasty around.
In 1985 Strawberry made his second consecutive All-Star game and also his second consecutive 20-20 season (20 HRs and 20 SBs). Gooden meanwhile had one of the greatest seasons by a starting pitcher in Major league history. He went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA with 16 complete games and eight shutouts. The Mets finished second in the Eastern division to St. Louis, winning 96 games. Going into 1986 the Mets were the favorites to win it all with their two young superstars front and center.
The Mets cruised through the regular season in 1986 on their way to 108 wins. As a result of this success, many people did not realize that the progress of their two young stars seemed to stagnate a little. Gooden's ERA rose by more that a run, but was still very impressive at 2.84. His strikeout total though was the lowest of his short career thus far. Strawberry had similar statistics of his previous seasons, but was not showing the improvement you would like to see in a young player. In addition, both players did not perform well in the postseason. Strawberry batted under .250 and had 18 K's in 13 games. Gooden had an 0-3 record with an ERA over 5.00. Despite this, the Mets won the World Series and lived up to the high expectations that was placed on them from the beginning of the year.
That 1986 Mets team was notorious for two things. Winning and partying. Players such as Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dykstra, and many others became known for their partying as much as their playing. There are numerous stories such as Tim Teuful, Bobby Ojeda, Ron Darling, and Rick Aguilera getting arrested in Houston after getting in a fight with off-duty police officers. In addition, this team was in New York City at a time of tremendous excess. There was alcohol, drugs and women wherever they looked. For two young athletes like Strawberry and Gooden this was something that was not easy to adjust to. This is a quote from Strawberry concerning being called up to the majors, "When I first came up to the big leagues, a veteran player laid out some lines of cocaine for me. He said, yeah, this is what we do in the big leagues. So I did some coke and was like WOAH, man... Yeah, this IS what we do in the big leagues."
There were rumors through out the 1986 season that Gooden and Strawberry were into drugs. No one in the organization confronted them directly, instead they tried to pretend it was not happening and ignore it. The first sight to the world of their problem was when Gooden did not show up to the ticker tape parade following the game 7 victory over the Red Sox. It was clear that he was too hungover to make it, but there was really no excuse. Following the 1986 season the Mets traded Kevin Mitchell who many in the organization felt was a bad influence on Gooden and Strawberry. This was a misjudgment on the part of the Mets officials. These three young, black players were all friends and partaked in similar activities, but Mitchell was not the one influencing the others. Gooden and Strawberry had drug habits of their own and it was clear now that the Mets would trade one of their so called "influences" before confronting their stars directly.
Prior to the 1987 season Doc Gooden failed a drug test. He tested positive for cocaine and checked himself into rehab. He did not make his first start for the team until June. The team team suffered numerous other pitching injuries and fell short of the playoffs. Strawberry meanwhile had possibly the best year of his career with highs in HRs (39) and AVG (.284). He was a 30-30 man and many thought was finally reaching the potential that everyone had heaped on him years before.
Gooden and Strawberry each had good years in 1988 and the Mets made the playoffs for the second time in three years. They were huge favorites in the NLCS against the LA Dodgers, but lost in seven games. It was clear at this point that the veteran leaders of the 1986 champions (Gary Carter, Hernandez) were over the hill and the young players needed to step up and lead. Gooden and Strawberry never met that challenge. In 1989 when the team was attempting to take the team photo, Strawberry got into a fist fight with Hernandez. Hernandez, while his skills were diminished, was still very well respected on that ballclub. This was a public sign of the private strain that Strawberry was feeling as a part of the Mets. Gooden was injured much of the 1989 season and the Mets once again finished out of the playoffs.
The 1990's began as the Strawberry/Gooden era with the Mets ended. Longtime Mets manager Davey Johnson was fired midway through the 1990 season with Buddy Harellson replacing him. Gooden and Strawberry both had good years as the Mets won 91 games and finished second in their division once again. Strawberry was a free agent at the end of the year and everyone knew he was gone. The Mets had enough of the rumors and his moods, even with his production. He had enough of the Mets executives and the media. He left and signed with the LA Dodgers to become the highest paid player in baseball. He was an all star his first season in LA, but his career floundered after that. He had constant trouble with drugs and the law and found himself out of baseball midway through the 1994 season. He signed on with the Yankees midway through 1995, sent five seasons with them and played a secondary role in four World Series titles.
Gooden was with the Mets until 1994. He had a record under .500 his last three seasons and was suspended for a year from Major League Baseball in 1994 for tested positive for cocaine once again. Like Strawberry, he ended up signing with the Yankees in 1996. One of the greatest moments of his career happened on May 14, 1996 when he pitched a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. He bounced around a few teams until finally retiring in 2000. Both Strawberry and Gooden have suffered with drugs and relationships since their retirements. They also have each spent portions of time in rehab and jail.
When Strawberry left the Mets as a free agent following the 1991 season he was on pace for a Hall of Fame career. He was 28 and a seven time all star. He has almost 300 HRs and over 800 RBIs, both Met all time franchise records. While his first season in LA was positive, his career took a nose dive after that. He got more involved with drugs and things around him crumbled, from marriage to baseball. It was difficult to watch him when he came back with the Yankees. He showed flashes of that remarkable power hitter he once was with the Mets and the fans loved it. He still had that unique upper cut swing and that tremendous presence at the plate that made fans halt what they were doing when he came ot the plate. He was an older player though, who still had something left, but missed out on what could have been the best years of his career.
Gooden left the Mets under different terms. He tested positive for cocaine early in the 1994 season and was suspended for one year. Gooden never reached the standards that he set for himself with that legendary 1985 season. In the same respect though he had 100 wins before the age of 25. In addition to his off the field problems though, his arm began to break down in the 1989 season. He missed much of that year and part of 1991 as well. He struggled his last two seasons with the Mets and he was never quite the same. The explosive fastball and biting curve that he once featured became a distant memory. His mind would not handle the cocaine, and his arm could not handle his violent delivery. For that one season though, he would always be the best pitcher in the game.
Strawberry and Gooden represent a infamous an infamous part of Mets history. The dramatic rise to greatness in the mid 1980's, the unfulfilled expectations after 1986 and the shut of rock bottom in the early 1990's. Strawberry finally returned to Shea Stadium this past summer to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1986 Champs. He wore a Mets jersey and received a thunderous ovation from the fans. The fans had welcomed him back after 15 years. Gooden meanwhile was sitting in a Florida penitentiary. One can only hope that he will receive his welcome back to Shea this season and receive the same treatment as Strawberry. The fans are ready and hopefully he is as well.
Books about Gooden/Strawberry and the 1980's Mets. They all provide great stories and info if you are interested in this topic:
http://www.amazon.com/Brawling-Bimbo-chasing-Championship-Baseball-Uniform/dp/0060507322/sr=1-1/qid=1163079844/ref=sr_1_1/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/High-Tight-Dwight-Gooden-Strawberry/dp/0679448993/sr=1-1/qid=1163079896/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/Amazin-Miraculous-History-Beloved-Baseball/dp/0312309929/sr=1-3/qid=1163079928/ref=sr_1_3/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books
Random Knick Ish
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/469267p-394951c.html
Dwight "Doc" Gooden is being let out of jail on Thursday. He spent seven months in the can following testing positive for cocaine and violating his parole. This was the latest in a series of ups and downs that have followed both him and Darryl Strawberry since their careers peaked in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series. Maybe it is because I am a die-hard Met fan, but the story of these two players is as interesting to me as any over the past 25 years.
Both players were selected in the first round of the Amateur Draft by the New York Mets. Strawberry was the number one overall pick in 1980 and Gooden was picked number five overall in 1982. They hype for each player was incredible, especially Strawberry. He was touted as the "Black Ted Williams" as a high schooler in Los Angeles. He was called up to the Mets early in the 1983 season. The Mets at that point were a down trodden franchise. Strawberry provided the first glimpse of hope that the fans saw since the team traded Tom Seaver back in 1977. Strawberry did not disappoint in his first year, winning Rookie of the year honors.
Gooden reached the Majors in 1984. As a 19 year old rookie he dazzled the National League. He won 17 games and set a rookie record by striking out 276 batters in 218 innings. He made the All Star team and gave the Mets their second consecutive Rookie of the year winner. These two players had the potential to be all-star caliber players for another 15 years. These were the guys that the Mets could build a potential dynasty around.
In 1985 Strawberry made his second consecutive All-Star game and also his second consecutive 20-20 season (20 HRs and 20 SBs). Gooden meanwhile had one of the greatest seasons by a starting pitcher in Major league history. He went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA with 16 complete games and eight shutouts. The Mets finished second in the Eastern division to St. Louis, winning 96 games. Going into 1986 the Mets were the favorites to win it all with their two young superstars front and center.
The Mets cruised through the regular season in 1986 on their way to 108 wins. As a result of this success, many people did not realize that the progress of their two young stars seemed to stagnate a little. Gooden's ERA rose by more that a run, but was still very impressive at 2.84. His strikeout total though was the lowest of his short career thus far. Strawberry had similar statistics of his previous seasons, but was not showing the improvement you would like to see in a young player. In addition, both players did not perform well in the postseason. Strawberry batted under .250 and had 18 K's in 13 games. Gooden had an 0-3 record with an ERA over 5.00. Despite this, the Mets won the World Series and lived up to the high expectations that was placed on them from the beginning of the year.
That 1986 Mets team was notorious for two things. Winning and partying. Players such as Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dykstra, and many others became known for their partying as much as their playing. There are numerous stories such as Tim Teuful, Bobby Ojeda, Ron Darling, and Rick Aguilera getting arrested in Houston after getting in a fight with off-duty police officers. In addition, this team was in New York City at a time of tremendous excess. There was alcohol, drugs and women wherever they looked. For two young athletes like Strawberry and Gooden this was something that was not easy to adjust to. This is a quote from Strawberry concerning being called up to the majors, "When I first came up to the big leagues, a veteran player laid out some lines of cocaine for me. He said, yeah, this is what we do in the big leagues. So I did some coke and was like WOAH, man... Yeah, this IS what we do in the big leagues."
There were rumors through out the 1986 season that Gooden and Strawberry were into drugs. No one in the organization confronted them directly, instead they tried to pretend it was not happening and ignore it. The first sight to the world of their problem was when Gooden did not show up to the ticker tape parade following the game 7 victory over the Red Sox. It was clear that he was too hungover to make it, but there was really no excuse. Following the 1986 season the Mets traded Kevin Mitchell who many in the organization felt was a bad influence on Gooden and Strawberry. This was a misjudgment on the part of the Mets officials. These three young, black players were all friends and partaked in similar activities, but Mitchell was not the one influencing the others. Gooden and Strawberry had drug habits of their own and it was clear now that the Mets would trade one of their so called "influences" before confronting their stars directly.
Prior to the 1987 season Doc Gooden failed a drug test. He tested positive for cocaine and checked himself into rehab. He did not make his first start for the team until June. The team team suffered numerous other pitching injuries and fell short of the playoffs. Strawberry meanwhile had possibly the best year of his career with highs in HRs (39) and AVG (.284). He was a 30-30 man and many thought was finally reaching the potential that everyone had heaped on him years before.
Gooden and Strawberry each had good years in 1988 and the Mets made the playoffs for the second time in three years. They were huge favorites in the NLCS against the LA Dodgers, but lost in seven games. It was clear at this point that the veteran leaders of the 1986 champions (Gary Carter, Hernandez) were over the hill and the young players needed to step up and lead. Gooden and Strawberry never met that challenge. In 1989 when the team was attempting to take the team photo, Strawberry got into a fist fight with Hernandez. Hernandez, while his skills were diminished, was still very well respected on that ballclub. This was a public sign of the private strain that Strawberry was feeling as a part of the Mets. Gooden was injured much of the 1989 season and the Mets once again finished out of the playoffs.
The 1990's began as the Strawberry/Gooden era with the Mets ended. Longtime Mets manager Davey Johnson was fired midway through the 1990 season with Buddy Harellson replacing him. Gooden and Strawberry both had good years as the Mets won 91 games and finished second in their division once again. Strawberry was a free agent at the end of the year and everyone knew he was gone. The Mets had enough of the rumors and his moods, even with his production. He had enough of the Mets executives and the media. He left and signed with the LA Dodgers to become the highest paid player in baseball. He was an all star his first season in LA, but his career floundered after that. He had constant trouble with drugs and the law and found himself out of baseball midway through the 1994 season. He signed on with the Yankees midway through 1995, sent five seasons with them and played a secondary role in four World Series titles.
Gooden was with the Mets until 1994. He had a record under .500 his last three seasons and was suspended for a year from Major League Baseball in 1994 for tested positive for cocaine once again. Like Strawberry, he ended up signing with the Yankees in 1996. One of the greatest moments of his career happened on May 14, 1996 when he pitched a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. He bounced around a few teams until finally retiring in 2000. Both Strawberry and Gooden have suffered with drugs and relationships since their retirements. They also have each spent portions of time in rehab and jail.
When Strawberry left the Mets as a free agent following the 1991 season he was on pace for a Hall of Fame career. He was 28 and a seven time all star. He has almost 300 HRs and over 800 RBIs, both Met all time franchise records. While his first season in LA was positive, his career took a nose dive after that. He got more involved with drugs and things around him crumbled, from marriage to baseball. It was difficult to watch him when he came back with the Yankees. He showed flashes of that remarkable power hitter he once was with the Mets and the fans loved it. He still had that unique upper cut swing and that tremendous presence at the plate that made fans halt what they were doing when he came ot the plate. He was an older player though, who still had something left, but missed out on what could have been the best years of his career.
Gooden left the Mets under different terms. He tested positive for cocaine early in the 1994 season and was suspended for one year. Gooden never reached the standards that he set for himself with that legendary 1985 season. In the same respect though he had 100 wins before the age of 25. In addition to his off the field problems though, his arm began to break down in the 1989 season. He missed much of that year and part of 1991 as well. He struggled his last two seasons with the Mets and he was never quite the same. The explosive fastball and biting curve that he once featured became a distant memory. His mind would not handle the cocaine, and his arm could not handle his violent delivery. For that one season though, he would always be the best pitcher in the game.
Strawberry and Gooden represent a infamous an infamous part of Mets history. The dramatic rise to greatness in the mid 1980's, the unfulfilled expectations after 1986 and the shut of rock bottom in the early 1990's. Strawberry finally returned to Shea Stadium this past summer to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1986 Champs. He wore a Mets jersey and received a thunderous ovation from the fans. The fans had welcomed him back after 15 years. Gooden meanwhile was sitting in a Florida penitentiary. One can only hope that he will receive his welcome back to Shea this season and receive the same treatment as Strawberry. The fans are ready and hopefully he is as well.
Books about Gooden/Strawberry and the 1980's Mets. They all provide great stories and info if you are interested in this topic:
http://www.amazon.com/Brawling-Bimbo-chasing-Championship-Baseball-Uniform/dp/0060507322/sr=1-1/qid=1163079844/ref=sr_1_1/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/High-Tight-Dwight-Gooden-Strawberry/dp/0679448993/sr=1-1/qid=1163079896/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/Amazin-Miraculous-History-Beloved-Baseball/dp/0312309929/sr=1-3/qid=1163079928/ref=sr_1_3/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books
Random Knick Ish
- Looks like if the Knicks are going to make anything of this season they are going to have to start by winning on the road. The Garden fans are not treating the team well (which is deserved), so it may be easier for them to win on the road early in the year than at home. The fans will come around if the Knicks earn it.
- Larry Brown got $18.5mm in his settlement with the Garden/Knicks. Considering what he was asking for ($50mm), it is clear that he had some significant wrongdoing in this divorce as well. The entire blame can't go on the Knicks.
STKAFI
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Halftime
The NFL season is half way through. As noted in previous posts, the sports scene is in a bit of a lull at the moment. The baseball hot stove will be heating up soon, and then we will be coming down the stretch of the NFL season after that. For now though, I am going to look at how the NFL stacks up at the midway point of the season. I am going to give my three "contenders" of each league to make the Super Bowl.
AFC
1. Indianapolis Colts: The only undefeated team left in the NFL. They are once again the class of the League in the regular season. Their offense seems to score at will, and their defense forces turnovers. They do not look as good as they did last year at this point, but the results are still the same. Their lack of running the ball and stopping the run is a worry though. In close playoff games you need to be able to stop the run to get the ball back and run the ball to keep the ball away from the opponent. They still have time to improve on that though. The quarterback looks as good as ever and the offense is rolling. With homefield advantage through out the AFC playoffs they have to be the hands down favorite to reach the Super Bowl at this point.
2. New England Patriots: This team is exhibit A in a philosophy that I believe in strongly. If your team has a strong coach/QB combo, they will always have a good chance to win in the playoffs. Bill Belicheck is the best head coach in the NFL today and Tom Brady is the most clutch. Bellicheck is a master at defensive schemes and always has his teams prepared. This team has a very good defense from top to bottom. The offense seems to be getting better as the season goes along. The running game is strong and Brady seems to be getting more and more comfortable with his receivers. The bottom line though is that Belicheck and Brady are the key to their fortunes.
3. Baltimore Ravens: This last one is tough. The other two choices are the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers. All three teams have very good defenses and veteran head coaches. Of the three, the Chargers have the best offense, the Broncos have the best coach, but the Ravens are the surest thing. Much of my decision comes down to the fact that I would rather have Brian Billick and Steve McNair than either of the other two coach/QB combos. First off I can not trust Marty Schottenheimer. Secondly, I can not trust Jake Plummer. When you consider those two things, the choice of the Ravens is clear. They have a veteran defense that can win a game for you, and a QB that is as good as they come at driving a team down the field in the fourth quarter. McNair is one of the greatest QBs of all time at looking bad an entire game and then turning into Superman with the game on the line.
The other Playoff teams in the AFC will be the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville will be the best team on the outside looking in.
NFC
1. Chicago Bears: This team has an amazing defense. They have playmakers on every level of their defense. It is very tough to run against them and they force turnovers. Their offense is streaky but productive. The QB can be turnover prone, but he can also have huge games. They can run the ball and have wideouts that can make big plays. This team learned a lot in last years playoffs and seems ready to make a big playoff run. My biggest worry is Rex Grossman. He needs to control the game and not force passes against good defenses. If he can play under control this team is hard to beat.
2. New York Giants: This is a veteran club with good leaders on both sides of the ball. Tiki Barder and Michael Strahan have been through many playoff battles and heartbreak. They are guys younger players can look to. Coughlin is a very good coach, who gets overshadowed by his surely personality and overzealous rules. Eli Manning has had a very good year so far, and has shown a habit for coming up big in the clutch. Over the years though the Giants defense has been known to not get big stops when it counts. If the defense can play aggressive and hold up in the fourth quarter, the offense has too many weapons not to be a leading contender to make it to the Super Bowl.
3. Seattle Seahawks: This is a team that has been ravaged by injuries in the first half of the year. Their QB and star RB have missed significant time. They still are leading their division and in decent shape for the playoffs though. They have a lot of guys that was on last years NFC Championship club and a great head coach. Their bigtime players will get healthy in the second half, and goin into the playoffs they will be a team that will be as dangerous as anyone. They have the best Head Coach/QB/RB combo possibly in all of football.
The other NFC playoff teams will be the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Dallas Cowboys.
Random ish
The NFL season is half way through. As noted in previous posts, the sports scene is in a bit of a lull at the moment. The baseball hot stove will be heating up soon, and then we will be coming down the stretch of the NFL season after that. For now though, I am going to look at how the NFL stacks up at the midway point of the season. I am going to give my three "contenders" of each league to make the Super Bowl.
AFC
1. Indianapolis Colts: The only undefeated team left in the NFL. They are once again the class of the League in the regular season. Their offense seems to score at will, and their defense forces turnovers. They do not look as good as they did last year at this point, but the results are still the same. Their lack of running the ball and stopping the run is a worry though. In close playoff games you need to be able to stop the run to get the ball back and run the ball to keep the ball away from the opponent. They still have time to improve on that though. The quarterback looks as good as ever and the offense is rolling. With homefield advantage through out the AFC playoffs they have to be the hands down favorite to reach the Super Bowl at this point.
2. New England Patriots: This team is exhibit A in a philosophy that I believe in strongly. If your team has a strong coach/QB combo, they will always have a good chance to win in the playoffs. Bill Belicheck is the best head coach in the NFL today and Tom Brady is the most clutch. Bellicheck is a master at defensive schemes and always has his teams prepared. This team has a very good defense from top to bottom. The offense seems to be getting better as the season goes along. The running game is strong and Brady seems to be getting more and more comfortable with his receivers. The bottom line though is that Belicheck and Brady are the key to their fortunes.
3. Baltimore Ravens: This last one is tough. The other two choices are the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers. All three teams have very good defenses and veteran head coaches. Of the three, the Chargers have the best offense, the Broncos have the best coach, but the Ravens are the surest thing. Much of my decision comes down to the fact that I would rather have Brian Billick and Steve McNair than either of the other two coach/QB combos. First off I can not trust Marty Schottenheimer. Secondly, I can not trust Jake Plummer. When you consider those two things, the choice of the Ravens is clear. They have a veteran defense that can win a game for you, and a QB that is as good as they come at driving a team down the field in the fourth quarter. McNair is one of the greatest QBs of all time at looking bad an entire game and then turning into Superman with the game on the line.
The other Playoff teams in the AFC will be the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville will be the best team on the outside looking in.
NFC
1. Chicago Bears: This team has an amazing defense. They have playmakers on every level of their defense. It is very tough to run against them and they force turnovers. Their offense is streaky but productive. The QB can be turnover prone, but he can also have huge games. They can run the ball and have wideouts that can make big plays. This team learned a lot in last years playoffs and seems ready to make a big playoff run. My biggest worry is Rex Grossman. He needs to control the game and not force passes against good defenses. If he can play under control this team is hard to beat.
2. New York Giants: This is a veteran club with good leaders on both sides of the ball. Tiki Barder and Michael Strahan have been through many playoff battles and heartbreak. They are guys younger players can look to. Coughlin is a very good coach, who gets overshadowed by his surely personality and overzealous rules. Eli Manning has had a very good year so far, and has shown a habit for coming up big in the clutch. Over the years though the Giants defense has been known to not get big stops when it counts. If the defense can play aggressive and hold up in the fourth quarter, the offense has too many weapons not to be a leading contender to make it to the Super Bowl.
3. Seattle Seahawks: This is a team that has been ravaged by injuries in the first half of the year. Their QB and star RB have missed significant time. They still are leading their division and in decent shape for the playoffs though. They have a lot of guys that was on last years NFC Championship club and a great head coach. Their bigtime players will get healthy in the second half, and goin into the playoffs they will be a team that will be as dangerous as anyone. They have the best Head Coach/QB/RB combo possibly in all of football.
The other NFC playoff teams will be the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Dallas Cowboys.
Random ish
- I think that the MVP is going to come down to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Two other canidates are Ladanian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson. Last week the Chargers were playing poorly in the first half then they leaned on LDT who exploded in the second half. LJ has played very well for the Chiefs who have won three games in a row without their starting QB.
- Can things get any worse for the U?? By that I mean Miami, not Union....
- As promised, props to "The Chad is Back" for their current seven game winning streak in "The League" fantasy football. You are the hottest team in fantasy sports right now. You better hope that the curse of the #1 seed does not hit you next though....
- New thoughts on the Mets. I was not aware that Jake Peavy may be on the block for less than a premium player, but according to this article he may be....http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/sports/baseball/08chass.html?ref=sports ...In my perfect world now, the Mets sign Matsucki (too lazy to look up his spelling) and trade Oliver Perez (who the Padres still love), Lastings Milledge, and Brian Bannister for Peavy. This would give the Mets a 1-2-3 of Peavy, Glavine and Matsucki, with a chance of Pedro coming back in the second half. In addition they would still have Humber and Pelfrey (top 2 pitching prospects). There are a bunch of second base options, but the biggest obstacle right now appears to be finding a power hitting corner outfielder who is reasonably priced..
- Reading the book Angel of Darkness by Calib Carr at the moment. Very good read if anyone is interested. I read another book of his as well (The Alienist) and this one is similar. I recommend both. They each have to do with a group that is investigating a crime. It is not really a detective novel, but it has to do with the criminals' pattern of behavior and mind. A great part of these books though is that they are both set in 19th Century New York City. The descriptions of it are great. I walk the city streets every day, but NYC is not a place like many European cities that you feel you are walking in history. Reading this book provides a nice perspective on how historic New York really is.
- http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2653700 ...Good to see my boy Reyes can hit in Japan but not in game 7 of the NLCS.....Am I still bitter? Just a little....But I still love Jose (Jose Jose Jose...Jose...JOSE)
- I am getting really lazy about proof reading just to let you all know...
STKAFI
Meet the Mets
I has been 19 days since the Mets were eliminated from the Playoffs. It was very tough to think towards next season at first for obvious reasons. Now I am ready. The World Series is almost a distant memory, offseason awards are being given out and free agency is on the way. Looking at the Mets there are three major issues they need to address. Second baseman, a corner outfielder and starting pitching. Below I am going to list the moves that I think the Mets should make...
1. Sign Barry Zito...I understand that issue with this pitcher. His stats have decreased from 2002 when he won the Cy Young. There are a couple things to consider here though. He is very durable. He has pitched over 200 innings in five straight seasons and his ERA is consistently under 4.00. When you throw him in the NL his ERA could drop half a run. In addition, he has a history with Rick Peterson (pitching coach of the Mets). While you will over pay to get Zito, he is more of a known commodity than the Japanese pitcher and will cost about the same when you factor in bidding price.
2. Sign Mark Loretta or Adam Kennedy...Both of these guys are veteran second basemen. They each are solid hitters and good fielders. They are good guys in the clubhouse who have been around winning ballclubs in the past. They will not command a high salary or a long term contract. These players are both known as guys who are good in the clutch and will do the little things that a club needs to win.
OK....I started this post on the fly and now I don't know what other move the Mets should do. I really like those two a lot, but nothing else is sticking out. I still like Milledge so I am not eager to trade him. I like the power arms of Pelfrey and Humber as well. I want to give Oliver Perez a chance to start, but I am very open to trading John Maine. Endy Chavez is a good fourth outfielder at best. We need a power corner bat either, preferably right handed. Open to suggestions, I really do not know how the Mets should address that at the moment...
Yankee suggestions?
1. Trade AROD...I think he is a lost cause, and not numbers wise. He will have a big year statistically where ever he plays next year. The issue is the unnecessary drama he brings to the clubhouse. His teammates don't like him and neither do the fans. They should cut their ties with him and try to get a young power arm in return for him (Peavy, Ervin Santana, etc..)
2. Sign Aramis Ramirez...He is a bigtime power righthanded bat that will replace AROD. He will hit and play good defense and not be a negative clubhouse presence. He has been known to get off to poor starts, so that might not play well in New York. If the Yanks are winning though, he should be fine and will end up batting .280 30 HRs and 100 RBIs.
3. Trade Sheffield...Again, power arms! In addition a young, defensive minded first baseman would help this team a ton as well. Sheffield is a cancer that this team does not need.
4. Let Bernie go and let Melky be the fourth outfielder...Melky needs to continue to develop, and Bernie would hinder further development from him.
This is a start....prolly go after the Japanese pitcher, bullpen help as always. Not sure about Pavano or Wright and Randy is a huge question mark.
Red Sox??? Why not...
1. Seriously look to trade Manny....If you can get an AROD arm for him (Peavy, Ervin Santana) then go for it. He has only two years left on his contract so teams will be more eager than ever before to acquire him. Not just the Mets this time...
2. Sign Soriano....Dynamic and can play left field vacated by Manny. He will hit 50 HRs in Fenway. He has played in pressure before and has produced.
3. Sign Eric Gagne....Take a shot on him to close if Palpabon is gunna start. He had electric stuff and if he is anything close to what he was he will still dominate. A possible incentive laden two year contract??
4. Pray....That Hanson, Lester, and Palpabon don't all bomb. Lester and Palpabon from injury and Hansen from lack of development. If two of the three can be major contributors in 2007 they can win the division.
The Red Sox have two dynamic offensive players on their roster. They need more youth, speed and explosiveness to compete with the Yanks. They have some good arms that just need to put it together. I would not be against them going after the Japanese pitcher, but it will be a lot of money that they could possible spend better elsewhere...
STKAFI....Sell The Knicks And Fire Isiah...This will be the new sign off to every post.
I has been 19 days since the Mets were eliminated from the Playoffs. It was very tough to think towards next season at first for obvious reasons. Now I am ready. The World Series is almost a distant memory, offseason awards are being given out and free agency is on the way. Looking at the Mets there are three major issues they need to address. Second baseman, a corner outfielder and starting pitching. Below I am going to list the moves that I think the Mets should make...
1. Sign Barry Zito...I understand that issue with this pitcher. His stats have decreased from 2002 when he won the Cy Young. There are a couple things to consider here though. He is very durable. He has pitched over 200 innings in five straight seasons and his ERA is consistently under 4.00. When you throw him in the NL his ERA could drop half a run. In addition, he has a history with Rick Peterson (pitching coach of the Mets). While you will over pay to get Zito, he is more of a known commodity than the Japanese pitcher and will cost about the same when you factor in bidding price.
2. Sign Mark Loretta or Adam Kennedy...Both of these guys are veteran second basemen. They each are solid hitters and good fielders. They are good guys in the clubhouse who have been around winning ballclubs in the past. They will not command a high salary or a long term contract. These players are both known as guys who are good in the clutch and will do the little things that a club needs to win.
OK....I started this post on the fly and now I don't know what other move the Mets should do. I really like those two a lot, but nothing else is sticking out. I still like Milledge so I am not eager to trade him. I like the power arms of Pelfrey and Humber as well. I want to give Oliver Perez a chance to start, but I am very open to trading John Maine. Endy Chavez is a good fourth outfielder at best. We need a power corner bat either, preferably right handed. Open to suggestions, I really do not know how the Mets should address that at the moment...
Yankee suggestions?
1. Trade AROD...I think he is a lost cause, and not numbers wise. He will have a big year statistically where ever he plays next year. The issue is the unnecessary drama he brings to the clubhouse. His teammates don't like him and neither do the fans. They should cut their ties with him and try to get a young power arm in return for him (Peavy, Ervin Santana, etc..)
2. Sign Aramis Ramirez...He is a bigtime power righthanded bat that will replace AROD. He will hit and play good defense and not be a negative clubhouse presence. He has been known to get off to poor starts, so that might not play well in New York. If the Yanks are winning though, he should be fine and will end up batting .280 30 HRs and 100 RBIs.
3. Trade Sheffield...Again, power arms! In addition a young, defensive minded first baseman would help this team a ton as well. Sheffield is a cancer that this team does not need.
4. Let Bernie go and let Melky be the fourth outfielder...Melky needs to continue to develop, and Bernie would hinder further development from him.
This is a start....prolly go after the Japanese pitcher, bullpen help as always. Not sure about Pavano or Wright and Randy is a huge question mark.
Red Sox??? Why not...
1. Seriously look to trade Manny....If you can get an AROD arm for him (Peavy, Ervin Santana) then go for it. He has only two years left on his contract so teams will be more eager than ever before to acquire him. Not just the Mets this time...
2. Sign Soriano....Dynamic and can play left field vacated by Manny. He will hit 50 HRs in Fenway. He has played in pressure before and has produced.
3. Sign Eric Gagne....Take a shot on him to close if Palpabon is gunna start. He had electric stuff and if he is anything close to what he was he will still dominate. A possible incentive laden two year contract??
4. Pray....That Hanson, Lester, and Palpabon don't all bomb. Lester and Palpabon from injury and Hansen from lack of development. If two of the three can be major contributors in 2007 they can win the division.
The Red Sox have two dynamic offensive players on their roster. They need more youth, speed and explosiveness to compete with the Yanks. They have some good arms that just need to put it together. I would not be against them going after the Japanese pitcher, but it will be a lot of money that they could possible spend better elsewhere...
STKAFI....Sell The Knicks And Fire Isiah...This will be the new sign off to every post.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Weekend Hits
- Giants pulled out a close one. Ugly game with the Giants having a lot of players out with injuries. Got by, which is something the Bears did not do against Miami. Next week the Bears are coming into Giants Stadium for a Sunday night game. If the Jints can win, they will be in the drivers seat not only in the division buy in the NFC for home field.
- Congrats Relaxo....Your Phins might not get the #1 pick after all...
- In case anyone missed it...Joe Paterno broke his leg on Saturday...http://youtube.com/watch?v=mwiRKkrg_14 ...I refuse to laugh, but if you do I have no problems with it..
- The NFL is impossible to bet on this year. Detroit, San Fran, and Miami all won outright as dogs gettin more than four.
- Brady played a poor game on Sunday, while Manning played pretty well. Weird game with a lot of turnovers, missed FGs and bad calls. Definitely a sloppier game on both sides than anyone would have predicted. Reminded me of the Giants/Indy game from opening night in the respect that Indy never trailed the entire game and even though it was close, they always seemed in control.
- I think the AFC is going to come down to Pats/Colts AFC title game in Indy. The AFC West will beat each other up, and the Ravens are just not at the level of the elite in my mind. Manning and the Colts have once again set up the AFC playoffs perfectly. Its up to them to win at home in the playoffs...
- Pats/Jets next week. You think Brady will be mad after his four INT performance against Indy? I can see him going off next week... Sorry Smurph.
- Crazy ending to the Dallas/Washington game. Great to see TO mocking himself falling asleep in meetings and then dropping sure TD catches. Also nice hearing Vanderjagt throwing his O-Line under the bus to the media after the blocked kick. Has this guy ever made a clutch kick in his life? Have some class...
- Rutgers/Louisville Thursday night in Jersey....Biggest game in Rutgers' history...You know the BCS is hoping Louisville gets knocked off so they don't have to see them in the title game..
- Steelers are done.
- The Bengals sure talk a lot for a team that has won one division title and no playoff games.
- Are the Celtics just setting themselves up for Greg Odom?
- Very happy to see the unrelenting Knick fans getting all over that pathetic performance on Saturday night. I was hopeful in my preview and jubilation following the first game of the season. I am now back with full rage and disdain for Isiah, Dolan, Marbury and the rest of that pathetic crap they call a basketball team in the Garden. They insult me and every other Knick fan every day with their play and insulting rhetoric to the media. Great to see them charging top dollar to fans for seats the media and announcers used to occupy. Only a few short years ago they renamed the announcing booth after the legendary announcer Marty Glickman (a mentor for Marv Albert and others), and now they are sealing its occupancy. Anything to squeeze more cash out of a team that on opening night had many empty seats and luxury boxes through out the Garden. I better stop now...
- http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/06/sports/basketball/06iverson.html?ref=sports ...Decent article on Iverson. Has been my favorite player in the league for a while now. The ultimate warrior, outspoken, honest and true to himself. You gotta respect him this sure hall of famer. Doubt he will get a title, but it should not matter when you consider the unreal things he has done in this League.
- I recommend you read Michael Lewis' article on Bill Parcells from last weeks' New York Times magazine. Great profile of a very interesting man. I purchased Lewis' new book Blind Side. I haven't started it yet, but he is a great writer and I am sure it is going to be great. I will update once I finish it.
- First big baseball offseason week. MVPs and Cy Youngs announced, and Matsuzaka bid winner...I would not be surprised if the Yankees look to trade Sheffield quick. The more he talks the more his value will drop...
- Big ups to my boy Son for running the NYC Marathon. While he did not keep up wit Lance, he did a great job. No more sittin home and stayin sober my friend!
- Gunna work on a big Knicks post comin soon. As you can tell the frustration has reached an insane level, and I am ready to express the hate to the world.
- http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1554852,00.html ...How I Met Your Father??
- Slow sports scene right now. Hoping the MLB offseason picks up steam, Mich/OSU in a couple weeks, Bears/Giants this weekend, Isiah watch will soon be in full effect as well...
Friday, November 03, 2006
Follow-up to Manning/Brady
- Didn't put Marino in best quarterback list at the end just for spite against Relaxo..
- So far three NBA All-Stars have been ejected under the new zero tolerance arguing policy..
- Mussina to the Mets?? Thats what it is on the back page of the New York Post this morning. I think that it would be a perfect fit. An aging AL pitcher going to the NL. A creature of habit not having to uproot his home or family by staying in the same city. Do I think it will happen? No...The Boss will not allow this, but you never know...
- Interesting story concerning Isiah and his search to find a coach for the Knicks....http://www.nypost.com/seven/11032006/sports/knicks/thomas_takes_the_frat_house_knicks_peter_vecsey.htm
- How did Jeter win ANOTHER gold glove?? I watch almost every Yankee Game and it is clear that he is not the best defensive shortstop in the AL. Off the top of my head I will say that Orlando Cabrera and Alex Gonzalez are without a doubt better defensively. Jeter is an above average defender who is great at pop-ups/fly balls, but horrendous range to his left. Read Buster Olney's blog on ESPN.com to read further into his poor range factor.
- My pick of the week...Falcons +5 1/2 in Detroit..
- Will Louisville make the BCS Title Game? No
- When the ACC took Miami, Virgina Tech, and BC from the Big East, didn't that mean the ACC was supposed to be the bigtime football conference?? Guess not...
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Records or Super Bowls...The Manning/Brady Debate
Over the course of sports history there have been many great rivalries. Team rivalries such as Michigan/Ohio St, Red Sox/Yankees, and Lakers/Celtics come to mind. Individual rivalries such as Ali/Frazier and Navratalova/Evert were classics as well. The third kind of rivalry is between two individuals within the scope of a team game. Great ones include Magic/Bird, Chamberlain/Russell, and DiMaggio/Williams. This type is unique in that the two competitors do not have to match up directly against each other. The key is they are both great players on great teams that play each other in important games. The question then becomes how to you evaluate who is better? Do you look at their individual numbers or whose team wins? How are the numbers or wins skewed by the other members or the team?
The Brady/Manning comparison fits perfectly in this type of rivalry. They each play on one of the best teams in the AFC, have played each other numberous times over the years and are great QBs. They are similar ages, but have taken very different routes to where they are today. Peyton Manning was the number one overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. His father was an NFL quarterback and he was a top prospect since he was a sophomore in high school. He was handed the NFL Colt starting quarterback job from day one and has not relinquished it since.
Tom Brady was a somewhat unsung high school quarterback from Southern California, at least compared to Manning. He was the starting QB for two years at Michigan, but often had to deal with splitting time with the younger, more hyped prospect, Drew Henson. Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He did not start until early in the 2001 season when the starter, Drew Bledsoe was injured. He has been the New England starting quarterback since that time.
Peyton Manning is in his ninth NFL season. He has 259 career passing TDs with a lifetime 94.3 passer rating and over 35,000 passing yards. In 2004 he broke the single season passing TD record with 49. He is on pace to break every individual QB record out there. He has made six Pro Bowls. Manning has two MVP awards already and is a favorite this season to tie Brett Favre for the record with his third. In addition he has led his team to the playoffs the past four seasons, last year to the number one seed in the AFC.
Brady can not compare to Manning statistically, but only Dan Marino or Brett Favre can in the history of the game. Brady still has some impressive individual stats in his own right though. He has a career passer rating of 88.8 with 137 TDs and almost 20,000 passing yards. It is important to remember that he has been in the league two less years than Manning and a starter three years less. He has led the league in passing TDs and passing yards in different seasons and also made three Pro Bowls. Tom Bradys' true greatness though is not seen in regular season statistics, but through performance in the postseason.
Brady has an amazing 10-1 career record in the playoffs, with a 3-0 record in Super Bowls. He has two Super Bowl MVPs and engineered last second, game winning drives in two of his three Super Bowls victories. He has a 15-5 TD-INT ratio in the playoffs with two rushing TDs as well. He is the definition of clutch. Further proof of this can be seen in Bradys' days at Michigan. He had a 2-0 record in Bowl Games and a 2-0 record against Ohio St, who is Michigan's biggest rival biggest game of each season.
Manning has had trouble in big games over his college and pro career. When he attended the University of Tennessee he was winless against the University of Florida, their main rival. He did go 3-1 in his bowl appearances, but lost a blow-out to Nebraska in the 1998 Orange Bowl (National Championship Game). In addition, Tennessee won the National Title the year after he graduated. In the pros, Manning has a 3-6 record postseason record. He has a 15-8 TD/INT ratio, but that is misleading when you consider that he had nine TDs in two blow-out wins over Denver in 2003 and 2004 at home. In addition, last season the Colts were the overwhelming favorite to win it all and the they lost the Divisional Playoff game at home to Pittsburgh. Following the loss he called out his offensive line to the media on how they did not give him enough time and did not perform the correct protection schemes. That is something Brady would never do. He is notorious for trying to stay just "one of the guys." Proof of this is the contract he signed for six years and $60 million ($40 million less than Manning). He could have gotten more money, but did not want to cripple the franchise. He has had his offensive line in commercials with him and he has never called out a player for their play after a loss.
Their head to head matchups have been just as one sided as their postseason numbers. Brady is 6-1 vs Manning, with two wins in the postseason. Both of those wins were in New England under cold weather conditions. This is where the team aspect comes into play. No one would deny that Brady has had the better Head Coach in Bill Belicheck. Belicheck is an all time great. Tony Dungy is a good coach, but not on the level of Belicheck. In addition, Brady and the Patriots have had great defenses over the years, while the Colts have not. Manning though has had tremendous offensive skill players to work with. Manning has had the same offensive coordinator, wide receivers, and running back for the majority of his career, while Brady has gone through significant changes.
One thing that is true about both quarterbacks is that they are both warriors. Manning has started 144 consecutive games, while Brady has started 96 straight. They have similar dispositions on the field, to go with their matching competitiveness and desire. They are probably the two best QBs at running the two minute drill in the League today.
When these two QBs are compared people make sure to point out the Brady is only 29 and Manning is 30. Whatever they have done up to this point will only be a percentage of their entire careers. They each have about five or six years of prime seasons left where their legacies can change. I can't focus on it like that though. Who knows if Manning will ever win a Super Bowl? Marino never did. Elway only did once he got Terrell Davis and Mike Shanahan. You can't assume anything.
With that being the case you must look at Brady as having the leg up on Manning. Brady is along side of Montana and Bradshaw as QBs to win three or more Super Bowls. While Manning is putting up legendary numbers, until he does it in the big game there will always be doubters. This Sunday the sports world will all turn its attention to the Patriots versus the Colts at Gillette Stadium. The two players that will garner the most attention are the legendary QBs on each side. Will Brady continue his dominance in big games? Will Manning send a message to the world of greater things to come? In reality this game and match up will mean more in January if there is a rematch. For right now though this is as good as we got in QBs and sports.
Over the course of sports history there have been many great rivalries. Team rivalries such as Michigan/Ohio St, Red Sox/Yankees, and Lakers/Celtics come to mind. Individual rivalries such as Ali/Frazier and Navratalova/Evert were classics as well. The third kind of rivalry is between two individuals within the scope of a team game. Great ones include Magic/Bird, Chamberlain/Russell, and DiMaggio/Williams. This type is unique in that the two competitors do not have to match up directly against each other. The key is they are both great players on great teams that play each other in important games. The question then becomes how to you evaluate who is better? Do you look at their individual numbers or whose team wins? How are the numbers or wins skewed by the other members or the team?
The Brady/Manning comparison fits perfectly in this type of rivalry. They each play on one of the best teams in the AFC, have played each other numberous times over the years and are great QBs. They are similar ages, but have taken very different routes to where they are today. Peyton Manning was the number one overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. His father was an NFL quarterback and he was a top prospect since he was a sophomore in high school. He was handed the NFL Colt starting quarterback job from day one and has not relinquished it since.
Tom Brady was a somewhat unsung high school quarterback from Southern California, at least compared to Manning. He was the starting QB for two years at Michigan, but often had to deal with splitting time with the younger, more hyped prospect, Drew Henson. Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He did not start until early in the 2001 season when the starter, Drew Bledsoe was injured. He has been the New England starting quarterback since that time.
Peyton Manning is in his ninth NFL season. He has 259 career passing TDs with a lifetime 94.3 passer rating and over 35,000 passing yards. In 2004 he broke the single season passing TD record with 49. He is on pace to break every individual QB record out there. He has made six Pro Bowls. Manning has two MVP awards already and is a favorite this season to tie Brett Favre for the record with his third. In addition he has led his team to the playoffs the past four seasons, last year to the number one seed in the AFC.
Brady can not compare to Manning statistically, but only Dan Marino or Brett Favre can in the history of the game. Brady still has some impressive individual stats in his own right though. He has a career passer rating of 88.8 with 137 TDs and almost 20,000 passing yards. It is important to remember that he has been in the league two less years than Manning and a starter three years less. He has led the league in passing TDs and passing yards in different seasons and also made three Pro Bowls. Tom Bradys' true greatness though is not seen in regular season statistics, but through performance in the postseason.
Brady has an amazing 10-1 career record in the playoffs, with a 3-0 record in Super Bowls. He has two Super Bowl MVPs and engineered last second, game winning drives in two of his three Super Bowls victories. He has a 15-5 TD-INT ratio in the playoffs with two rushing TDs as well. He is the definition of clutch. Further proof of this can be seen in Bradys' days at Michigan. He had a 2-0 record in Bowl Games and a 2-0 record against Ohio St, who is Michigan's biggest rival biggest game of each season.
Manning has had trouble in big games over his college and pro career. When he attended the University of Tennessee he was winless against the University of Florida, their main rival. He did go 3-1 in his bowl appearances, but lost a blow-out to Nebraska in the 1998 Orange Bowl (National Championship Game). In addition, Tennessee won the National Title the year after he graduated. In the pros, Manning has a 3-6 record postseason record. He has a 15-8 TD/INT ratio, but that is misleading when you consider that he had nine TDs in two blow-out wins over Denver in 2003 and 2004 at home. In addition, last season the Colts were the overwhelming favorite to win it all and the they lost the Divisional Playoff game at home to Pittsburgh. Following the loss he called out his offensive line to the media on how they did not give him enough time and did not perform the correct protection schemes. That is something Brady would never do. He is notorious for trying to stay just "one of the guys." Proof of this is the contract he signed for six years and $60 million ($40 million less than Manning). He could have gotten more money, but did not want to cripple the franchise. He has had his offensive line in commercials with him and he has never called out a player for their play after a loss.
Their head to head matchups have been just as one sided as their postseason numbers. Brady is 6-1 vs Manning, with two wins in the postseason. Both of those wins were in New England under cold weather conditions. This is where the team aspect comes into play. No one would deny that Brady has had the better Head Coach in Bill Belicheck. Belicheck is an all time great. Tony Dungy is a good coach, but not on the level of Belicheck. In addition, Brady and the Patriots have had great defenses over the years, while the Colts have not. Manning though has had tremendous offensive skill players to work with. Manning has had the same offensive coordinator, wide receivers, and running back for the majority of his career, while Brady has gone through significant changes.
One thing that is true about both quarterbacks is that they are both warriors. Manning has started 144 consecutive games, while Brady has started 96 straight. They have similar dispositions on the field, to go with their matching competitiveness and desire. They are probably the two best QBs at running the two minute drill in the League today.
When these two QBs are compared people make sure to point out the Brady is only 29 and Manning is 30. Whatever they have done up to this point will only be a percentage of their entire careers. They each have about five or six years of prime seasons left where their legacies can change. I can't focus on it like that though. Who knows if Manning will ever win a Super Bowl? Marino never did. Elway only did once he got Terrell Davis and Mike Shanahan. You can't assume anything.
With that being the case you must look at Brady as having the leg up on Manning. Brady is along side of Montana and Bradshaw as QBs to win three or more Super Bowls. While Manning is putting up legendary numbers, until he does it in the big game there will always be doubters. This Sunday the sports world will all turn its attention to the Patriots versus the Colts at Gillette Stadium. The two players that will garner the most attention are the legendary QBs on each side. Will Brady continue his dominance in big games? Will Manning send a message to the world of greater things to come? In reality this game and match up will mean more in January if there is a rematch. For right now though this is as good as we got in QBs and sports.
- Frustrating note about writing a blog...I started this Thursday morning. By midday I saw that Michael Smith had wrote almost the same article on ESPN.com. To let out some of this frustration I will rip into part of his article. It pisses me off that he claims Brady and Manning will be the two best QBs of all time when it is set and done. THey have a lot of football still to play. I can rip into each of them to refute this but I won't. Instead I will say this...
- Joe Montana was 4-0 in Super Bowls. He threw 11 TDs and no interceptions in those games. He had a career passer rating of 92.3.
- Johnny Unitis called all of his own plays and threw a TD in 47 straight games.
- John Elway had 147 victories (all-time record) and an insane amount of 4th quarter drives to tie or win games. Not to mention two Super Bowl trophies...
- Brett Favre has played in 230 straight games. He has three MVPs and one Super Bowl MVP.
All of these QBs can make a claim to being the best QB ever. Lets at least let Manning and Brady finish their careers, and then we can debate where they fall in this prestigious group. The fact that Brady and Manning get to play against each other in their prime in big games though is something that not many other QBs get to experience.
Three Times As Sweet!
I can't help but be happy with the performance of my Knicks from last night. While they did blow a 19 point lead, they still won a road game against a team that made the playoffs a year ago. It is the first game of the season so no team should be too excited or too down, but for this team to get the first win under their belt it is significant. After all the turmoil from last season and the crazy offseason, it is essential to get off to a positive start this season. Last night was anything but perfect, but we learned a lot about what how the Knicks will play this season.
I can't help but be happy with the performance of my Knicks from last night. While they did blow a 19 point lead, they still won a road game against a team that made the playoffs a year ago. It is the first game of the season so no team should be too excited or too down, but for this team to get the first win under their belt it is significant. After all the turmoil from last season and the crazy offseason, it is essential to get off to a positive start this season. Last night was anything but perfect, but we learned a lot about what how the Knicks will play this season.
- David Lee is going to be a bigtime contributor to this team. He is by far the most active big man the Knicks have. He works hard on defense and fights for rebounds. He often seems to be in the right spot at the right time on offense, and keeps his head up, which helps him on outlet passes after defensive rebounds. He doesn't need the ball, which is unique on this team of one on one scorers. His ally-oop in one of the overtimes was a (shake your) key play. He got much more burn than Frye last night and was on the floor in crunch time and the OTs.
- Jamal Crawford is going to be on the floor at the end of games. While he had a horrendous shooting night, Isiah kept going to Crawford in isolation at the end of the OTs. Crawford is also the guy that Larry Brown would go to at the end of games last season. He can get a good look one on one better than any guy on the team and he will have the ball at the end of games. Even with his poor shooting last night, he had a key steal in the third OT to help seal the game for the Knicks.
- The offense is going to be up tempo. The Knicks were consistently pushing the ball up the floor after both made baskets and rebounds. The Knicks have the horses to continue to run through out ballgames. Isiah has made it a point of emphasis to open up the offense.
- The defense is still very shaky. Marbury consistently gets broken down by his man. Chucky Atkins had his number all night. Curry and Frye are not good man on man defenders either. The Knicks will struggle against big guards as well.
- Isiah is calm on the sidelines. He is not an animated coach at all.
- Francis looked horrible last night. It will be interesting to watch the development of the Francis/Marbury relationship. Both like the ball, and last night Francis took a couple bad shots when he wasn't feeling it. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.
- Knicks go into Atlanta, so they can potentially be 2-0 for their home opener this weekend...
- I wouldn't go crazy about the Knicks, but since there is soo much hate out there, I figured I would antagonize some people and revel in the Knicks undefeated record!
- The Bulls were brought back down to earth last night...
- The Lakers could be a force this season. A few years back the when Shaq was still in LA, Kobe was injured for the last 12-15 games of a season and he got to sit back and see the team win without him. In feel it helped him fit better within the team and trust his teammates. The same thing could be happening here...Lets not go get ahead of ourselves just yet though..
- Anyone surprised Rasheed Wallace was ejected last night? I saw the Knicks get three technicals last night. This zero tolerance on arguing will have a bigtime effect on the league.
- Had my fantasy bball draft last night. Have not done fantasy bball in about three years, so not sure how my draft was....We will see, at least I know I will beat Relaxo..
- Honestly....I will have a real post tomorrow...NFL ish..
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