World Series Preview

New York Yankees versus the Philadelphia Phillies. 'Nuff said. Sort of. 

Written by: MJK

The Breakdown- These two teams represent almost mirror images of one another.  The similarities between them are pretty remarkable and as such makes it a bit more difficult to define differences between the two to exploit.

The Lineups- If the Divisional and Championship series’ weren’t example enough, maybe now would be the appropriate time to recognize that it is time to let the statistics of the regular season fly right out the window.  The cliché, “make every pitch count” never rings truer than at this point in the season, and both of these teams will look to make that a reality.

Both shortstops play integral roles on their respective teams.  Not only do Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter assert themselves as clubhouse leaders, but they also play the role of top of the order table setters for the potent lineups that lurk behind them.  While it would be interesting to harp on the all the little things that make up a complete lineup, there is no ignoring the immense power potential that oozes top to bottom of either of these teams. 

The 3-4 hitters will be sure to provide pitching matchup nightmares, as four of the games best sluggers will be on display in this series. For the Phillies, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are almost the perfect complement to each other.  Utley has a pure stroke with few holes in his swing and can drive the ball to any part of the field with relative ease. He will undoubtedly be the toughest out for the Yankees to get due to his short swing and near perfect mechanics, especially in high-pressure situations with men on base. Now, none of this is to discredit the threat that Ryan Howard poses. Obviously, he is one of the games best power hitters and can hit the ball a mile. While his stroke and his eye at the plate have improved a great deal over the course of this season, he still lacks much of the discipline that makes pitchers truly fear him. The problem with the Dodgers pitchers in the NLCS was that they kept missing their location with pitches on the inside half of the plate. A huge no-no against Howard.  They missed badly on the inner half of the plate with so many important pitches, they basically gift wrapped every battle versus Howard. If the Yankees don’t allow the slugger to extend on pitches and are able to execute properly on the inner half, then they will have a great deal of success against him. Easier said then done of course.

 With the Yankees you get two of the most complete bats in the league in Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Sure, lots of people are looking to A-Rod’s so –called “clutch” at bats this postseason, but I don’t see it.  He’s been locked in more so than at any other point in his postseason career but nothing has been extraordinarily high pressure. The mere fact that he is as locked in at the plate right now as he is, is enough reason for the Yankees to feel confident when he steps in to the box.  This is a far cry from his previous struggles in the postseason.  It will be interesting to see how he reacts to continued success or if certain demons begin to creep up on him once again. One thing is for sure, he is not getting a free pass from me for hitting a few game tying home runs. After all that is essentially what he is paid to do. Its time to take it to the next level.  Big Tex on the other hand has been a near godsend for the Yankees this season, however, much of that production seemed to taper off against the Angels in the ALCS. He did spring to life a bit in the final few games, but he really needs a strong showing in this series for the Yankees to operate as they would like to. I really feel strongly about the outcome of this series being decided by these four batters.

The Rotation- It appears as though both teams will move forward with three-man rotations for the balance of this series.  If that is the case then the pitcher to pitcher matchups are nearly identical. Not necessarily when mashed into a game to game basis but more along the lines of available content.

CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee have been lights out this postseason, with Lee arguably being the best pitcher in the playoffs to this point.  Both pitchers will square off in Game 1 and will surely set the pace for the rest of the series.

AJ Burnett and Pedro Martinez look to face off in a Game 2 that should be one of the more intriguing of the season. AJ’s electric stuff is well documented but his inconsistency (as noted by his lackluster 6 inning-6 earned run performance in the ALCS) should not be tolerated in this series. We all know the history between the Yankees and Pedro when he was with the Red Sox. Of course, he is not even close to the pitcher he was when dodging flailing Don Zimmer punches but that’s not to say he wont be getting a ringing chorus of “who’s your daddy” chants from the Bronx faithful as well. Should be a party.

Andy Pettitte will play the roll of Pedro Martinez in Game 3 when he matches up with Cole Hamels. Pettite relies heavily on his ability to control the strike zone much like Martinez as his lack of over powering stuff can be a draw back if pitches aren’t executed well.  Cole Hamels has been an anomaly this season as he seems completely unable to restore the magic he was able to harness during last years championship run. It really is a shame. He has more upside than any pitcher in this series but his inability to locate his curveball with any sort of consistency has been a huge setback as he now finds himself a two-pitch pitcher going forward. His changeup remains one of the best in the game but teams have been able to sit on it without having to worry about the threat of another out pitch. 

Both of these rotations provide a good amount of quality pitchers, two aces and an uphill battle in facing the two best lineups in all of baseball.  The Yankees will have to rely on their ability to get left handed batters out and not allow the bottom of the order beat them as the Angels did.  If the heart of the Phillies order gets to bat with men on base, they will make you pay. The Phillies on the other hand will look to attack, attack, attack.  It would be unrealistic to think that just throwing strikes would be the key to their success but in all reality it will be very important if they want to continue to keep pitch counts down and innings quick.  The starters will need to go deep into the game as manager Charlie Manuel will surely not want to tap too much into his bullpen.

Intangibles- While the Yankees offer a much more balanced lineup top to bottom, the Phillies possess an element of speed, which can quickly change the pace of any game in a short series.  It might go without saying that considering the potency of both of these lineups, the series will fall into the hands of the bullpen.  While the Yankees looked to have a stranglehold on this aspect in the ALCS, both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain got knocked around quite a bit and now manager Joe Girardi cant be nearly as confident as he was coming into the postseason.  That being said they still have a considerable amount more depth than the Phillies, even with the relegation of former Phillies starters JA Happ and Joe Blanton to the bullpen.  Brad Lidge has shown signs of coming out of his season long funk but I feel like I have told myself this one too many times throughout the season. Only time will tell.  The Yankees will be able to make any game a 7 inning game with Mariano Rivera’s penchant for the two-inning save.

The Verdict- Its tough because the Yankees have been the best team in baseball all season long but the Phillies are riding real high right now and have probably been the most impressive team thus far in the playoffs. Momentum could play a very important role but that being said could also be vastly overrated, especially in a short series versus two quality teams.  This series will not go less than 6 games. Period. But it won’t go more either. The Yankees take home the crown in 6 games and bring the title back to the Bronx.

UFC 104 Recap

Dominant Victories, Top Heavy Weights Square Off, and A Controversial Decision

Written by: D.Wash.


Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

When this fight was announced, many people were outraged. Shogun getting a title shot already? What had he done recently to earn it? His only UFC wins were against the should-have-retired -years-ago hall of famer Mark Coleman and a quickly aging Chuck Liddell. That’s clearly not worthy of a chance at Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida’s belt right? Regardless of what the fans thought, Shogun got his chance at UFC 104 and provided quite a surprise for most everyone in the Staples Center. Shogun came out not overly aggressive as he usually is, but at the same time not passive like Rashad Evans looked during his fight against Machida. He utilized kicks, especially leg kicks, throughout the fight and by the third round it was clear that the damage had taken its toll on Machida as the quick karate expert lost some of his explosiveness. Though the first two rounds were quite questionable, third round was definitely Machida’s. When it came to the announcement of the final decision, many people expected to hear that it was Shogun who pulled out the victory, tainted “The Dragon’s” unbeaten record, and stolen Machida’s belt. When the decision was announced that it was Machida who won the 48-47 unanimous decision, there was a mixture of shock, outrage, and joy throughout the Arena. After the fight even Dana White went into the ring to exchange words with Shogun (possibly to tell Shogun that Dana thought Shogun won the fight). Machida’s post fight comments were overshadowed by a deafening chorus of boo’s from the crowd, while Shogun post fight interview was met with cheers and applause. Though I am among those who believe that the judges made right call by granting the decision to Machida, I know that there are many more people out there who will now consider Shogun Rua a “dragon slayer”.

Cain Velasquez vs Ben Rothwell

It was clear coming in that this fight would have huge implications in the heavyweight title picture. Velasquez, who came in with all but one win by TKO, has looked very impressive throughout his career. Rothwell has a wealth of experience that could not be overlooked. The winner of this fight would almost definitely be considered next in line for the title after the UFC 106 match between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. So how did it go? Well, let me just say that calling it “one sided” would be an understatement. Velasquez came in firing and repeatedly hit Rothwell with blows all over. Rothwell looked completely unable to stop Cain, and the fight was somewhat reminiscent of a school yard bully beating on a large but unathletic bookworm. After barely escaping the first round, Rothwell came out in the second hoping that perhaps Cain had tired himself out in the first. Unfortunately for Rothwell, Cain looked even more energized in the second round than he did in the first. Less than a minute into the second, Cain had Rothwell pinned up against the cage and was mercilessly beating on his face, causing Herb Dean to stop the fight. Though Rothwell was upset and Velasquez said that the fight could have gone longer, it was clear who the victor would be, as Rothwell didn’t even look to be in the same league as Velasquez. Next for Cain, a title shot against the winner of the Lesnar-Carwin fight. It should be quite entertaining, as regardless who wins between Lesnar and Carwin, it will be against somebody extremely violent and brimming with potential.

Gleison Tibau vs Josh Neer

Honestly, this fight didn’t deserve to be on the main card. Both of these fighters are young guys with some potential, but have yet to really step their game up to the point where they are pay per view material. Throughout the fight, Gleison took down (often via slam) Josh Neer, but wasn’t able to keep Neer on the ground or advance his position any further than the up down. Neer was able to get a few punches in, but the pure volume of takedowns from Gleison was enough to get the judges to give him the decision. Gleison will still have to prove himself to be considered a good lightweight in my eyes, so he’ll have to fight someone who has shown more than just potential before anyone will take him seriously.

Joe Stevenson vs Spencer Fischer

Both of these lightweight are guys that like to stand on the feet and put on a show for the fans and for the majority of the first round they did just that. The fight began very even and, though the general consensus was that Stevenson won the first round, it seemed as if it could go either way. Once the second round began, Stevenson began to pull away. After again starting with some good striking from the stand up, the two 155 pounders sprawled, with Joe Stevenson landing on top. Not looking to waste any time, Stevenson slowly progressed from the half guard to the side control and eventually the crucifix position. From there, Joe repeatedly dropped elbows on Fischer’s face, eventually causing Fischer to tap out due to the strikes. While it may be a while for Stevenson to get a title shot in this competitive lightweight division, expect him to fight one of the top lightweights around such as Clay Guida or Frankie Edgar .

Anthony Johnson vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Anthony Johnson always looks big when compared to other welterweights (he cuts to 170lbs from 220 lbs), but against Yoshida (who, as many Japanese fighters, walks around near his fighting weight) he looked like a giant. Add in the fact that Johnson came in outrageous 6 pounds overweight and this fight seemed very unfair. Johnson came out extremely aggressive and less than a minute into the fight, he caught Yoshida with a powerful right hand that sent him into la la land. During the post fight interview, Johnson apologized profusely about not being able to cut weight, stating that a knee injury factored in to his inability to cut down to 170. He said that, while he does eventually plan to move up to middle weight, he will remain at welterweight for know. As a top prospect in the welterweight division, expect Johnson to get a much better opponent next time out, such as a Martin Kampmann.

Ryan Bader vs Eric Schafer

“Darth Bader” is a fan favorite. The winner of TUF 8, he was undefeated coming into the fight and looked like quite a force to be reckoned with. A knee injury sidelined him for a while, but he came back against Eric Schafer on Saturday night. Showing no hesitation, he charged Schafer repeatedly throughout the fight, throwing the wild punches and using the aggressive style that has made him so beloved by the fans. Though he seemed to slow down about halfway through the second round, bringing some questions about his conditioning, Bader was dominant throughout the fight and won every round. Look for him to make his way onto main cards soon, but if he can’t condition better later on, he won’t be able to last very long in this very deep light heavyweight division.

Yushin Okami vs Chael Sonnen

Okami was at once considered one of the best middle weights in the world. He’s one of only four men to have a win against Anderson Silva (Okami’s was controversial, but a win is a win), and was at one point contending for a middle weight title shot in the UFC. Now, it looks like he may be on his way out. Never an exciting fighter, Okami had only one thing going for him, he could win. On Saturday night however, he wasn’t able to win a single round against Sonnen and lost the fight 30-27. It’s hard to say that a 28 year old is over the hill, but if Okami wants to continue to be competitive, he may have to drop down to welterweight.

Jorge Rivera vs. Robert Kimmons

This fight was short, sweet, and to the point. Rivera hit Kimmons early, causing a cut to open on Kimmons’s head. Seconds later, Kimmons was bathed in blood and Jorge was using dominant ground and pound, forcing the referee to stop the fight. A former TUF member, Rivera is much beloved by the fans, and wins like this will help to move him onto the main card for future fights.

*All photos courtesy of Sherdog.com*

NFL Week 7 Quick Hits

Brett Favre took a knee on the thought of an undefeated season in Week 7

Written by: MJK

Defeated in Steeltown- Its about time something slowed down that Brett Favre love train.  I mean seriously, I don’t think anyone has expected him to play as well as he has this year, but do we really want to keep feeding that beast? We all know what this offseason is going to entail so why contribute to the inevitable, ya know? If this Vikings squad was going to make any more of a march towards an undefeated regular season, than my Sunday morning ritual (which is really no different than my 3-S routine on any other day of the week) would have included a fourth S. Self induced vomiting.  The Steelers came to play with their usual “step yo game up” versus a legit opponent attitude and locked down the Vikings on pretty much all fronts.  Sure, the Ole Gunslinger had a comfortable 334 yards passing on 33 completions but the Steelers were able to keep him out of the endzone. Most importantly, they were able to limit running back Adrian Peterson to just 69 yards on the ground while taking advantage of two very opportunistic turnovers that were taken to the house.  All in all it was a recipe that worked as Pittsburgh looks to reassert itself atop the AFC North after a slow start to the year.

Cedric the Entertainer- Cincinnati running back Cedric Benson’s playing career was left for dead after three seasons in Chicago that probably had the same production equivalencies as a two year old trying to walk before it could crawl. Through his stint in the Windy City, he never eclipsed the 700 yard rushing mark, never garnered more than 4.1 yards per carry, never played all 16 games, and most importantly, was never able to win over his teammates and coaches (most of which probably was his own doing).  Compound that with two alcohol related arrests in a 5-week period and suddenly the former 4th overall draft pick found himself on the scrap heap after the Bears released him before the 2008 season began.  The Bengals swooped and since signing with Cincinnati during the early parts of last season, Benson has been both resurrected and vindicated.  Two weeks after breaking the Ravens 40 game streak of not having allowed a 100-yard rusher (he rushed for 120 yards in a week 5 victory), Benson and the Bengals squared off against his former team.  Not only did the team make Jay Cutler and company look like a pack of girl scouts pretending to know how to play football, but Benson laid out his Windy City demons with a stout 37-carry, 189 yard, 1 TD showcase that easily became his career best performance.  Through the first seven weeks Benson is the NFL’s leading rusher and a huge reason for much of the Bengals offensive success. 

Desert Storm- I find it almost laughable at how many people were writing off the Arizona Cardinals before they even played a down of football this season.  Everyone was pointing to a Super Bowl loser slump, or an aging Kurt Warner or a team that simply caught fire in the playoffs last season as excuses in not believe they could repeat in a NFC West division that is far from over powering.  Hopefully after a 
very impressive showing against the Giants on national television, those doubters will turn into believers once more. They still offer one of the most explosive offenses in the league and an exciting and incredibly athletic defense that remains vastly underrated.  All that being said, I find myself wondering if they really were able to learn certain intangibles from last season’s run…as most good teams do. They have had one of the better home field advantages in the league over the past couple of seasons, but their inability to have consistent success on the road has held them back from making the step to the NFL’s next tier of teams to be reckoned with. Well on the contrary, this season has seen the team get off to a slow start at home with a 1-2 record (a trend that I assure you will reverse as the season carries on, already as many losses at home as all of last year) while also forcing the issue with an undefeated road record of 3-0 after gaining only 3 wins away from home all of last year. The latter I feel will not be a reversing trend. Sure, the team still has a long way to go before laying claim to continued postseason success but the lack of run they were getting before the season began was almost completely unwarranted. If they can keep showing this much poise on the road than...in the words of Kurt Warner…”Thank You Jeeeeeeeebus!.”

Speed round: 70 words or less

The good, the bad and the badder- The Jets, Packers, Chargers, Colts and Patriots all won their games by a combined score of 183-23 versus their opposition this weekend.  All five played teams with 2 wins or less.

Grandmama, oh no you di’int- Surprise, surprise, Larry Johnson is running his mouth more than his feet these days.  The has-been running back apparently felt the need to not only mutter discriminatory words but also felt compelled to defend himself with his riches via Twitter. Stay classy, LJ. He was told to stay away from the team today. Hey look at the bright side, at least hes not spittin on and pushing ladies around anymore…I guess. Will the real Grandmama please stand up?

The Saints doubled down…and hit paint- New Orleans climbed out of a 21 point hole and made yet another statement with a 46-34 victory down in Miami. With 80 combined points, there was more scoring going on here then a Fred Smoot run Minnesota Viking lake party cruise. Heyooooooooooooooo…bada bing.  

The strangest variation of a dude with two first names is…- Miles Austin? Oh yea. Not much to say here. Dallas is 2-0 since he took over as starter and he has accumulated 16 catches, 421 yards and 4 touchdowns the past two weeks. Pretty impressive.

Jake Del-Go-Homme- The Panthers have undoubtedly been one of the most disappointing teams of the season. Jake Delhomme is 99.9% of the reason why. Delhomme has thrown for as many or more picks then touchdowns in every single game this year.  Season totals? 4 TD’s and 13 INT’s. The Panthers just gave him a contract extension because? Awkward silence.

Plays of the Week- This weeks version features Desean Jackson, who may have now over taken Titans running back Chris Johnson as the most exciting player to watch in the NFL and a beautiful catch by Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, in what was probably the teams lone highlight versus the Chargers. 

BCS Analysis

Whether you like it or not...the road to the National Championship goes through the BCS

Written by: D. Wash.

For those not familiar with the system, here's a quick overview. The BCS ranking system is how college football decides who will go to it's national championship game. It is a combination of two human polls (the Harris Poll and USA Today Poll) and one computer analysis of the team. These numbers are then combined and turned into a team’s raw BCS average. The teams are then ranked in order of BCS averages. Though it's not a perfect system, it’s the current one that we have so fans have to get over their problems with the system and just yearn to understand it. Without further ado, here is my analysis of the rankings.

1a and 1b (That’s how close they are). Florida and Alabama

Florida: Harris poll- #1, USA Today poll-#1, Computer- #1= BCS AVG-.988
Alabama: Harris-#2, USA Today- #2, Computer- #2= BCS AVG-.952

In the first official BCS rankings, the computers and the people have reached an agreement and placed Florida at #1. The Gators are a very good team and deserve to be ranked #1, but the same can be said about Alabama. Both teams offer solid offenses and stingy defenses. The biggest thing that keeps Florida ahead of Alabama is their darling star QB, Tim Tebow. He is a national fan favorite and one of the best players in college football this year. The closest thing that Alabama has on the Heisman front runner in Gainesville is their star running back Mark Ingram. He has some impressive numbers, and seems to have taken the nations #1 running back spot that Jhavid Best seemingly has vacated. The other thing that Bama lacks is a signature win over a top team. They did beat Virginia Tech and Ole Miss, but both of those teams have disappointed this year by losing to barely above average teams (Georgia Tech and South Carolina). Neither of those wins can even compare to Florida's win over LSU on primetime TV. In the end though, none of those little things will matter. These teams are set for a collision course in the SEC title game and a spot in the national championship. Whoever takes the SEC crown will clearly be the best team in the country, and no other team will be close.

3. Texas: Harris- #3, USA- #3, CPU- #6 = BCS AVG- .891

After a moderate gap in BCS averages, Texas takes their spot at #3. As of now they still deserve being ranked here, but Boise State, Cincinnati, Iowa, and USC are gaining fast on them. If they want to maintain their top 3 ranking they need to begin winning games convincingly, something that they have failed to do for most of the year.  If they do turn things around, then they are guaranteed a spot in the national championship game. One loss though, and they'll fall behind all of the aforementioned teams and possibly even TCU, LSU and The U.

4. Boise State: Harris-#5, USA-#5, CPU-#5= BCS AVG-.808

The perennial BCS buster lies at number 4, praying for a Texas loss. It's unlikely that Boise St. will lose before the season is over, but it'll be hard for them to leapfrog an unbeaten longhorn team. But if Texas does in fact end up losing a game, they are poised for a spot in the national title game (assuming that they don't get leapfrogged by Cincinatti, Iowa, or USC). Interesting note: This year the computers aren't the only ones that like Boise State. Both the Harris Poll and USA Today have Boise as their number 5 team in the nation (USC owns the #4 spot in the human polls).

5. Cincinnati: Harris-#6, USA-#6, CPU-#4, BCS AVG= .787

Despite the weak conference, Cincinnati is definitely deserving of their top 5 rankings. Their quarterback, Tony Pike, is mentioned in every Heisman discussion that includes more than Tim Tebow and Colt Mccoy. Pike is playing just as well as any quarterback in college football, he just hasn't had the opportunity to prove himself against a highly ranked team. He and his star receiver Marshawn Guillard are ready to run the Bearcat's offense to perfection and attempt to surpass Boise State in the polls. Their opportunistic defense is also a force to be reckoned and they will be playing for the respect of the voters for the rest of the year.

6. Iowa: Harris-#7, USA-#8, CPU-#3, BCS AVG= .786

After almost losing to Northern Iowa during week 1, Iowa fell off a lot of people's radars. The past couple of weeks they have worked their way back into the polls and up into the top 10. As expected, their defense has played extremely well and their running game has also made its’ presence felt. Interesting note: Iowa is actually ranked number 3 in the computer rankings. The computers have them as only slightly behind Alabama and easily ahead of Texas. It is the Harris and USA Today polls that are keeping them out of the top 5.

7. USC: Harris-#4, USA-#4, CPU-#11, BCS AVG= .769

USC is everyone's favorite one loss team. The story of true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley leading the Trojans only got better as Barkley played a key roll in beating the Fighting Irish last week. Joe McKnight is starting to look like the Reggie Bush V 2.0 that he was advertised as and safety Taylor Mays is one of the top defensive players in the nation. All that adds up to a huge following in the human polls. If the computers had their way though, USC wouldn't even be in the top 10. That makes me question this USC team and whether they deserve the spot in the national title game if Texas loses.

8. TCU: Harris-#8, USA- #7, CPU-#8, BCS AVG= .713

Despite showing some weakness two weeks ago against Air Force, TCU has continued to maintain their top 10 ranking. Quite impressive for a school from a smaller conference. Their easy schedule sets them up for an undefeated season, but I'm convinced that a lot of teams ahead of them would have to lose to secure them a spot in the national title game. Sorry Horned Frogs...

9. LSU: Harris-#9, USA- #10, CPU-#7, BCS AVG=.708

LSU lost to Florida, but there are some good things that may have come out of that loss. They lost their top 5 ranking, but they did play on national TV and show the voters their potential to be a top team. People will acknowledge that they do play in the tough SEC when they vote for them so look for them to overtake TCU in the rankings soon. Other than that, they'll have to pray for losses amongst the better teams to get into a top bowl game.

10. Miami: Harris-#10, USA-#9, CPU-#13, BCS AVG= .627

As far as losses go, you shouldn't expect anymore from The U for the rest of the season. They just began the easy part of their schedule (the ACC conference games), so as long as they can contain CJ Spiller (do-it-all running back from Clemson) and don't let Freshman QB BJ Daniels gut the defense (The true freshman has skill, don't doubt him), then they should go undefeated. When rankings are concerned, they are in the same boat as LSU. They can overtake TCU potentially, but other than that they need a loss to be relevant for the big bowl picture

Bradford Reinjures Shoulder, Getting Surgery

When you come back early from injury, this is exactly what you're praying doesn't happen. Bradford reinjured his shoulder early in the Texas game and looked like he was in unbelievable pain. It's speculated that Bradford will opt for season ending shoulder surgery soon but this re-aggravation of his previous shoulder injury still creates a number of problems for the 2008 Heisman winner. First, his chances of returning to play this season are near zero. Getting injured once is bad, getting injured twice is worse, getting injured three times may be impossible to recover from (as far as the draft is concerned). Secondly, it raises durability questions. The doctor stated that it was unlikely for him to reinjure his shoulder and yet he managed to reinjure it. That could lead some scouts to believe that he's made of glass and will frequent the injured list. Finally, it dramatically increases the importance of Bradford's NFL combine. For a quarterback who should be the top QB pick this year, not playing for the rest of the year could seriously damage his draft status. Without another chance to prove that he's "still got it" and won't be "gun shy", Bradford is going to need to have a PERFECT combine. Everything from his physical attributes, to his throwing drills, to his interviews must go off without a hitch. The scouts are gonna expect him to be rusty. He can't be rusty. He has to look in sync with the receivers that he'll be playing with for the first time. His timing must be near perfect. And of course, his shoulder must appear to be painless. Hopefully Bradford can put together a perfect combine and not lose to many draft positions because of this. I'm hoping he does.

NFL Week 6 Quick Hits

The Saints came marching into the Superdome...and left undefeated

Written by: MJK

Big Ups

Big Statement in the Big Easy- The Saints found more gaps in the NFL’s #1 ranked defense than a dentist finds in the mouth of Michael Strahan.  New Orleans scored early and often and now find themselves as one of four unbeaten teams left with a 6-0 record. The Giants have looked pretty unstoppable in recent weeks, which is why it was even more surprising to see them get whooped up like they did. It will be interesting to see if this beat down was the function of an undermanned Giants secondary simply getting exploited or if Drew Brees and company truly are THIS good.  Its gotta be a lot of both.  Brees was surgical with his passes.  He threw for 369 yards and 4 touchdowns while completing passes to seven different receivers.  Just another day at the office.  Even more impressive has been the stellar play of New Orleans’ defense this season.  Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has taken a scheme that has proven to work with other teams in seasons past and fortified it with guys like Jonathan Vilma, Roman Harper and Darren Sharper to form one of the better ball hawking units in the league.  Suddenly the balance of power in the NFC has taken an otherworldly shift towards the Big Easy. Well, for this week at least.

The Brady Bunch- We all should have known this day was coming. Brady, while being his normally efficient and effective self, has not gotten out of the gates with any sort of the flash that we remember from his insane 2007 season.  Some were questioning the health of his knee, while others just attributed it to the rust of taking a season off.  Well, he finally broke out in a big way in week 6. Brady threw for 5 touchdowns…in the 2^nd quarter, setting a new NFL record in the process while adding a 6^th early in the second half of what would turn out to be a 59-0 shellacking of the Tennessee Titans.  Brady hooked up with wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker for an impressive 18 combined catches, 279 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Titans were without three defensive starters and Brady took full advantage before getting pulled early in the second half due to an overall competitive lack of interest on the Titans behalf. If this is a sign of things to come and not JUST Brady and the Pats taking advantage of an under achieving defense then the rest of the NFL should be on red alert. 

More Mojo than even Austin Powers can handle- It’s always nice when athletes talk the talk and then proceed to walk the walk. A week after voicing his displeasure with Jacksonville’s offense and calling himself the “second highest paid decoy behind Reggie Bush” running back Maurice Jones-Drew proved why he is such a key cog to the success of the Jaguars.  Mojo totaled 178 combined yards (33 carries 133 rushing, 5 catches 45 receiving) and 3 touchdowns in a dominant performance versus the lowly St. Louis Rams.

Low Downs

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…well you know- Mark Sanchez’s fast start seems like a distant memory.  Sanchez found success in the early goings of the season simply by not having to do much of anything.  The gameplan had him checking down and hitting intermediate routes without having to read an extensive amount of coverage downfield.  But it seems like as soon as he started to get comfortable with the learning curve of the NFL, the playbook opened up and since then the wheels have really fallen off.  Sanchez managed a respectable 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions through the teams 3-0 start. However, in 3 losses since Sanchez has only thrown 1 touchdown and a deplorable 8 interceptions, a far cry from the promise he was showing. This just goes to show that no matter how comfortable a rookie quarterback may look, they are simply not to be trusted. Unless of course your name is Matt Ryan.

Negatives are never positives…right?- A lot of blame can be passed around the Tennessee Titans locker room after the 59-0 debacle that was their week 6 game versus the Patriots. But when your starting quarterback completes just 2 passes for -7 yards, rushes three times for -1 yards and throws an interception… it seems like a safe place to start the finger pointing.  Last season Kerry Collins was the prototype for NFL game management. This season he has been completely the opposite and has already thrown more interceptions (8) then he did all of last year (7).  Tennessee’s’ defense has been in complete disarray all season long and decimated by injuries. So naturally the team has found its self down and out more often then not and Collins is not a quarterback that can lead a team with his arm if losing late in a game (case in point Week 6).  If Tennessee doesn’t give Vince Young a look at quarterback here very soon (like in week 8 after the bye week soon) then it would be baffling.  You would think they would at least want to know exactly what they have in VY.  You would think.

My ass is on FIRE!- The coaching hot seat is especially warm for a number of seasoned coaches this season and should provide  some interesting storylines down the stretch.  Jim Zorn surely finds himself on the hottest seat right now after the Redskins lost to yet another previously winless team and has now gotten his play calling duties stripped in favor of offensive “consultant” Sherm Lewis, aka “the dude whose gonna jack your job before the season is over.”  Good riddance.  Along those same lines, it is amazing to see how Norv Turner has surivived another dismal start to the season.  The talent on the Chargers is super bowl caliber and how Turner gets away with these under achieving coaching efforts year in and year out is almost the equivalent of getting away with murder. Its tough watching a team with this much talent wait until they have 4 losses and their backs against the wall before they decide to turn it on.  Also feeling the burn,  Dick Jauron (Buffalo),  Eric Mangini (Cleveland), John Fox (Carolina), Tom Cable (should go without saying, Oakland), (dare I say?) Jeff Fisher (Tennessee) and even though he got the dreaded vote of confidence from owner Jerry Jones last week, its tough to ask anyone to delay the inevitable, Wade Phillips (Dallas).

Play of the Week:

It’s a double homer edition this week as the Raiders got a helluva nice block from Louis Murphy to spring this Zach Miller touchdown and some extra help on the kick off coverage team.

American League Championship Series Preview

Will A-Rod's clutch play continue? or is it time to throw in the towel? The ALCS begins tonight.

Written by: MJK


New York Yankees vs. Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles (AA of LA...how annoying is that?)

The Breakdown:  Disciplined on-base machines.

The Lineup: Anaheim’s lineup mimics the annoyance of a small mosquito trapped inside your bedroom at night. You snuggle up under the covers, kill the lights, shut your eyes and suddenly you start smacking yourself in an attempt to kill that damn buzzing in your ear. Yea, its something like that. Anaheim has continuously proven it's effectiveness in manufacturing runs through their efforts on the bases with great team speed and a knack for the big hit.  They say the fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line. The Angels oblige.  Table setter Chone Figgins is a classic singles hitter with almost no power to speak of. He utilizes a slapstick approach that has proven very effective in recent years and when on base look for him to steal every time he has an open base in front him.   Bobby Abreu and Tori Hunter are great hitters that will most certainly take advantage of clutch situational hitting to advance runners and drive in runs. Abreu and Hunter give this Angels team a core of poised veteran leaders that not only can work the count but also hit the occasional home run and look to steal a base more often than not.  If there is one glaring weakness of this lineup it is its' inability to drive in runs via the home run. Even though chicks do (and always will) dig the long ball, Kendry Morales poses the only true threat to go deep on cue. If Anaheim wants to change this they will need Morales to continue his breakout 2009 campaign.  Fan favorite Vladimir Guerrero is a shell of his former self.  He is showing some signs of real age and looks like his knees are about to give in every time he runs the bases.  Still, we all know how dangerous he can be if he can just find even a little bit of that stroke that every pitcher in baseball feared for so long. Manager Mike Scoscia has already commited to giving catcher Jeff Mathis a good amount of playing time this series. Mathis is a defensive stalwart behind the plate but offers nothing in the form of offense. I would like to see the Angels use Mike Napoli a bit more especially against a Yankees offense that the Angels may be trying to keep up with.

The Yankees offer almost the complete opposite in terms of offensive philosophy.  Sure, they use the same level of plate discipline and veteran core that Anaheim does but New York wants to beat you with the long ball.  Alex Rodriguez has (somewhat) shed his post-season demons by showing some clutch hitting of his own right in the divisional series versus the Twins.  That being said, I will refrain from fully jumping on a “changed” A-Rod bandwagon, because the real pressure at bats are still to come.  What I won’t refrain from is fully backing the potency of this lineup top to bottom.  It offers everything a major league lineup could want. High on-base percentage, high average, lots of power and the ability to steal a base when in need.   Angels pitchers will have to execute pitches to perfection for the duration of the series if they want to have a chance versus this explosive offense.  Derek Jeter continues to prove just how important he is to his lineup.  He has had yet another fantastic season and has really set the tempo at the top of this lineup.  Mark Texeira has risen to every occasion in his debut season with the Yankees and he should be very excited about facing an Angels staff he has had very good success with in the past.   It is very hard to find many (if any) holes in this lineup.  It will be interesting to see how the big name big bats hold up as the pressure of the postseason mounts.

Given the Angels knack for scrappy and timely base hits, the decision is closer than one would think by looking at the teams on paper but it would be naïve of me to ignore just how good this Yankee lineup really is.  I’ll take the Yankees here.

The Rotation:  With both teams offering up deep and veteran lineups, the pitching staffs will look to manage games while attempting to keep pitch counts in check. This will prove to be very difficult on both sides of the series.  Anaheim’s rotation has made up for its immense lack of overwhelming talent with effective and workhorse like outings that the team has been able to latch onto as an anchor for the better part of the season.  The rotation for the ALCS should be four deep with John Lackey, Scott Kazmir, Joe Saunders, and Jered Weaver.  The quartet has formed one of the more reliable staffs in all of baseball. All of them have the ability to go 7+ innings when effective and will look to slow down this Yankee offense with a steady diet of off-speed and breaking pitches that will help in keeping this lineup off balance.   The series for the Angels will come down to how well this staff can hold up while facing the best lineup in all of baseball. Scott Kazmir has had a good amount of success against the Yankees in his career and John Lackey has held A-Rod under a .200 average when the two matchup against each other. Jered Weaver does not possess any sort of plus pitch but has done very well for himself this season in mixing pitches while really establishing a sense of control in what would seem to be his break out season. 

The Yankees landed two prized pitchers this offseason in CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett solely for the purpose of making a deep run into the playoffs for years to come.  Well here is their first true test at making this a reality.  The Yankees will put their faith in a three-man rotation of Sabathia, Burnett, and Andy Pettite in this series. Sabathia and to a lesser extent Burnett make this rotation extremely top heavy with very little to offer on the back end.  Sabathia has been as advertised in his first full season in pinstripes, but much like A-Rod still has a lot to prove in terms of post-season efficiency.  Burnett has an array of lights out pitches that he uses to great effectiveness when he is locked in.  The problem is, he loses his focus at times and in turn has a hard time regaining control, which ups his pitch count a great deal.  He has been both dominant and extremely ineffective at different points of the season which is both exciting and troublesome all at once.  Andy Pettite is a year older and does not offer the same mix of pitches that he used to in his younger days.  However, he is the only member of this rotation that has won a championship and will use this experience to his advantage.  He still has not lost his knack to be a smart and very controlled pitcher. If he can hit his spots he can prove to be just as effective as any pitcher in the series.

The Yankees paid big money to have this staff come together when the opportunity presented itself.  Well, the opportunity is now.  I just hesitate to pour an overwhelming amount of confidence into this rotation that is not nearly as deep as the Angels’.  If CC can rise to the occasion in games 1 and 4 then it should be smooth sailing for New York. The Angels are a smart lineup that will adjust quickly and on the fly, something that I feel will exploit the disadvantages to having a 3-pitcher rotation in a 7 game series. I like the depth of the Angels staff here.

The Intangibles:  The Angels come to play with the greatest intangible of all, heart. They have always played a style of baseball that showcases scrappy, hard working players who refuse to keep their jerseys clean. This season they have an additional reason to rise to the occasion.  The Nick Adenhart tragedy has brought this team together in ways that few other locker rooms in any professional sport come to experience. They carry his jersey on the road, a locker still graces the clubhouse of the big A and the team truly seems inspired and empowered by the loss of one of their comrades. This story is important on so many levels and it is not to be over looked.  Mike Scosica is a fantastic manager who knows how to take advantage of every situation.  He has had to stress the little things this season and it has led to his Angels scoring the second most runs in the AL. Pretty impressive for a team that doesn’t rely on the home run.

The Yankees have a bullpen that has gone through some serious reform through out the course of the season. What once was a glaring weakness has now become an immediate strength.  The relegation of super prospect Phil Hughes into he bullpen has really worked to the team’s advantage, as he has been electric down the stretch. Although the “Joba Rules” didn’t do Joba Chamberlain or the team any favors during the regular season, he is still possesses a live, exciting arm and is probably best served in a bullpen roll. Throw in the greatest closer of all time in Mariano Rivera and the Yankees should have no qualms about going to the bullpen early and often if they feel the need to. The weather in New York is calling for frigid temperatures and a good chance of rain. Regardless, it will be an atmosphere best suited for the home team as the Angels have been playing in near perfect southern California weather for quite some time now.   While the storylines of the Angels are enticing, its hard to overlook the obvious advantages the Yankees have on multiple levels of this series.

The Pick: It's tough. It really is. I believe the Angels will work the count and get men on base any way possible as they usually do. But the Yankees have not slowed down at any point this season and offer a much more complete team top to bottom. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Angels pull this one out on heart alone, but I think the Yankees will power their way to the World Series. Yankees in 5.