OK, so almost immediately after posting my thoughts on the sports world...several things happened that I had to express my feelings on.
Edgar Renteria traded for Jair Jurjjens and Gorkys Hernandez.
This is one of those few trades where I really don't see a winning side...at least not immediately. Renty played a bit above his head in 2007, but is still quite a bargain for his price. But it's pretty clear he was the one to go amongst the extremely crowded middle infield in the Braves System.
The tigers got exactly what they needed...a shortstop that can play defense (wait...are we still talking about Renteria?) allowing Guillen to move to first.
The Braves also got exactly what they needed (besides restocking on minor leaguers with ridiculous names). We got pitcher who can immediately jump into the rotation and pitch (average?) innings. He is a youngster with middle of the rotation potential.
The part of the trade I do not understand is Hernandez. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have a great young CF prospect in our organization (drawing Elvis Andrus comparisons in age and ability) but the problem is our outfield is too crowded. We are developing the same problem in the outfield that we had recently at shortstop. Jordan Schafer looks to be the best we have among OF prospects but we also have Gregor Blanco who is as major league ready as he'll probably ever be, Brandon Jones saw time with the Big club at the end of 2007, Cody Johnson, newly acquired Heyward, possibly even Lillibrige getting time in CF. It's getting kind crowded!
Although new GM Frank Wren denies it...I don't see how Gorkys is anything but trade bait.
Dallas cowboys resigned Tony Romo to a 6 year/67.5 million contract
I knew he was auditioning for the part of "franchise quarterback" played most recently by Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach and has also had other familiar names. What I didn't expect was that the audition would be so short. Makes me nervous that they signed him after seeing him play half a season against below average defenses (two teams excluded) expecially after his late season decline last year.
The good news is that half of that contract is based on performance...only guaranteeing him 30 million. I like the idea of paying players based on performance...something I wish I'd see more of. But the idea that he is still guaranteed 30 million still makes it interesting.
By comparing this 30 mill with other QBs, I notice two things. One makes me smile...the other frown.
Comparison #1...his contract guarantees him a just a little more than Jamarcus Russell will receive.
That makes me smile, although it's pretty clear JayRuss is overpaid. Knowing that Romo will got just a hair more than Russell, even though russell has hardly proven himself, seems to me like the Cowboys did they're HW.
Comparison #2...his contract guarantees him just a little LESS than Peyton Manning.
OK, this one makes me frown. Romo is good, but he's no Manning. Looking at it this way makes it seem like way, way overpayment.
So, is this a good deal or not? My answer -- depends on how many rings he can bring to Big D.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
It was a bye week so i might as well talk about other stuff
As the subject says, The Cowboys didn't play this weekend so instead of my analysis of the Cowboys game, I will post about my feelings towards other happenings in sports...
MLB:
Red Sox swept the NL for the world series crown. But I could name about 5 other AL teams that could have done the same thing. Everyone saw this coming and to my knowledge most people predicted the Red Sox dominating from the get-go. My prediction was Sox in 5, I gave the Rox too much credit. Even though the Rockies were riding a hot streak into the World Series, everyone knows that Talent will eventually trump luck/hot streak/desire, whatever you want to call it.
This week will not be fun because Red Sox nation will be going crazy.
College Football:
For years and year now, we've been laughing at how ridiculous the BCS system is. This year will be no different from a BCS standpoint, but what is becoming even more interesting is the conference standings. As a Volunteer Fan, it's tough for me to tell you how this season is going. From one point, I can see that it has been a pretty good year, from another, it also appears to be a pretty disappointing year. I honestly struggle with my answer when asked about Tennessee's season.
It got so bad...that I actually had to look at the standings. Normally I'm able to keep track of the standings without having to look at them. I'm able to do the counting in my head and acknowledge the chances that so and so team has. But there have been so many crazy upsets, and not soo many undefeated/one loss teams in the SEC that I actually had to look at the standings. Wow it's going to be a crazy finish in the SEC.
The GA/FL game was great, really exciting, what I had hoped for. The TN game this past Sat. however was embarassing. We won, but i don't think a win has ever felt more like a loss than this past Sat. I rolled my eyes when Fulmer was interviewed at halftime saying, 'They won't come back'...sure enough...well...just look at the game summary.
Nonetheless, a win is a win and I'll take it.
That special announcement that I was talking about is coming next week, I promise. I haven't forgetten...don't think it is possible for me to forget this. Stay tuned. I'll most likely post again between now and the special announcement.
MLB:
Red Sox swept the NL for the world series crown. But I could name about 5 other AL teams that could have done the same thing. Everyone saw this coming and to my knowledge most people predicted the Red Sox dominating from the get-go. My prediction was Sox in 5, I gave the Rox too much credit. Even though the Rockies were riding a hot streak into the World Series, everyone knows that Talent will eventually trump luck/hot streak/desire, whatever you want to call it.
This week will not be fun because Red Sox nation will be going crazy.
College Football:
For years and year now, we've been laughing at how ridiculous the BCS system is. This year will be no different from a BCS standpoint, but what is becoming even more interesting is the conference standings. As a Volunteer Fan, it's tough for me to tell you how this season is going. From one point, I can see that it has been a pretty good year, from another, it also appears to be a pretty disappointing year. I honestly struggle with my answer when asked about Tennessee's season.
It got so bad...that I actually had to look at the standings. Normally I'm able to keep track of the standings without having to look at them. I'm able to do the counting in my head and acknowledge the chances that so and so team has. But there have been so many crazy upsets, and not soo many undefeated/one loss teams in the SEC that I actually had to look at the standings. Wow it's going to be a crazy finish in the SEC.
The GA/FL game was great, really exciting, what I had hoped for. The TN game this past Sat. however was embarassing. We won, but i don't think a win has ever felt more like a loss than this past Sat. I rolled my eyes when Fulmer was interviewed at halftime saying, 'They won't come back'...sure enough...well...just look at the game summary.
Nonetheless, a win is a win and I'll take it.
That special announcement that I was talking about is coming next week, I promise. I haven't forgetten...don't think it is possible for me to forget this. Stay tuned. I'll most likely post again between now and the special announcement.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
A new world series motivation...
I wasn't planning on watching that much of the fall classic this year...mostly because I find Red Sox fans obnoxious. I mean, c'mon, they've done everything they possibly could to make sure America doesn't forget what happened in 2004. I'm not looking forward to going through that again.
anyways, I have a new motivation to watch the world series. I'll be rooting for someone to swipe a base so I can get me a free taco.
anyways, I have a new motivation to watch the world series. I'll be rooting for someone to swipe a base so I can get me a free taco.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
1 Thess 5:22
One of the simplest verses in the Bible, in my opinion, happens to be one of extreme power and helpfulness. If you are a highlighter/underliner/circler or any other form of marking verses, I highly recommend you mark this one. It is found in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 22 and it simply says, Avoid every kind of evil. I’m not sure that it can be said any simpler than that.
We are to avoid every kind of evil. Imagine how much greater our lives would be we practiced this very simple command. But note however that it doesn’t say “avoid evil”. Paul needed to add “every kind” of evil. It is everywhere and has many different varieties. It is at our jobs, at our schools, at the mall, Paul tells us to avoid it all, not just some or most of it.
As we live our lives, may we practice avoiding every kind of evil. It will be tough, but with God on our side great things can happen. Once we do that, we will see great things happen in our lives.
We are to avoid every kind of evil. Imagine how much greater our lives would be we practiced this very simple command. But note however that it doesn’t say “avoid evil”. Paul needed to add “every kind” of evil. It is everywhere and has many different varieties. It is at our jobs, at our schools, at the mall, Paul tells us to avoid it all, not just some or most of it.
As we live our lives, may we practice avoiding every kind of evil. It will be tough, but with God on our side great things can happen. Once we do that, we will see great things happen in our lives.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Week 7 Analysis: 6-1
Well, that was odd.
Quite an unusual game was played by both teams. Dallas did some things that they normally don't do, and Minnesota didn't do some things they normally do. I guess it all works out. Here's how they did:
Offense:
For the first time this year, MB3 got considerably more carries than JJ. MB3 had 19 rushes for 96 yds and Double J only carried it 9 times for 28 dinky yards. It'll be interesting to see if that is a permanent change or only a trial. Hopefully we'll start seeing more yards produced on the ground, nonetheless. Our run game has complimented Romo very well this season, but now it seems like Wade wants more than just a compliment. It's fun, so let's see where it goes.
Romo had a good day with 277 yards and 1 TD (no picks). The player led the team in yards (7 for 103) but Jason Witten led the team in receptions (10 for 86). Romo really spread the ball very well, used a lot of different weapons, and would have scored a ton more points had it not been for all of those stupid fumbles. In the second half, it really seemed like this team couldn't be stopped on offense. Again, it's just the Vikes D though, so who knows what it really looks like.
Defense:
When you look at the Viking's plan of attack yesterday, it kind of makes you laugh. Adrian Peterson had a good game in the first half, but then game back out in the second half and was hardly used. He's the best offensive weapon on that team, he did good in the first half, why not use him? Odd, but oh well.
We held the Vikes to 196 total yards, Tarvaris Jackson was awful for the Vikings but I don't think you need the Dallas D to tell you that. They really need a QB.
No INTs but we did force a fumble. Overall, strong performance by the D.
Bye Week next week, so there will be no weekly report on the Cowboys. Hopefully by then, I'll have some exciting personal news to report on that only my close family (and a few others) know about. Until then, Peace!
Quite an unusual game was played by both teams. Dallas did some things that they normally don't do, and Minnesota didn't do some things they normally do. I guess it all works out. Here's how they did:
Offense:
For the first time this year, MB3 got considerably more carries than JJ. MB3 had 19 rushes for 96 yds and Double J only carried it 9 times for 28 dinky yards. It'll be interesting to see if that is a permanent change or only a trial. Hopefully we'll start seeing more yards produced on the ground, nonetheless. Our run game has complimented Romo very well this season, but now it seems like Wade wants more than just a compliment. It's fun, so let's see where it goes.
Romo had a good day with 277 yards and 1 TD (no picks). The player led the team in yards (7 for 103) but Jason Witten led the team in receptions (10 for 86). Romo really spread the ball very well, used a lot of different weapons, and would have scored a ton more points had it not been for all of those stupid fumbles. In the second half, it really seemed like this team couldn't be stopped on offense. Again, it's just the Vikes D though, so who knows what it really looks like.
Defense:
When you look at the Viking's plan of attack yesterday, it kind of makes you laugh. Adrian Peterson had a good game in the first half, but then game back out in the second half and was hardly used. He's the best offensive weapon on that team, he did good in the first half, why not use him? Odd, but oh well.
We held the Vikes to 196 total yards, Tarvaris Jackson was awful for the Vikings but I don't think you need the Dallas D to tell you that. They really need a QB.
No INTs but we did force a fumble. Overall, strong performance by the D.
Bye Week next week, so there will be no weekly report on the Cowboys. Hopefully by then, I'll have some exciting personal news to report on that only my close family (and a few others) know about. Until then, Peace!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Week 6 Analysis: 5-1
First, my apologies for not posting on last weeks game. I'll just sum up last week's game by saying this, Romo threw 5 picks, is defense bailed him out consistently, we just barely squeeked by with a win.
Now on to the Duel in Dallas that happened yesterday...
I knew the Patriots were the better team. Their 5-0 was more impressive than our 5-0. There were so many different duels going on that it often got hard to keep up with. Romo vs. Brady (Brady won), The player vs. R. Moss (pretty much a tie), Cowboys D vs. Patriots D. (Patriots won). Let's break it down...
Offense:
Once again, Dallas waited until the 2nd quarter to show up offensively. I kind of want to send Wade Phillips a letter requesting for his team to play a quarter of football before the game technically starts. That might solve a lot of problems.
Romo passed for just under 200 yards (as in, 199 yards). He had 2 TDs and 1 INT, which is quite an improvement from last week and against an even tougher defense. The biggest difference I saw is that Jason Witten was actually covered. Most teams playing defense against Dallas try to focus on taming the player, but New England focused more on Jason Witten than they did the player, and it was quite effective. Witten was constantly doubled and the New England coverage got tighter and tighter as Witten fought for space. They did a great job covering Witten. The receiving leader was The Player with 6 catches for 66 yards and a TD.
Julius Jones was the rushing leader for Dallas, carrying the rock for 51 yards in 6 attempts. MB3 was just behind him with 48 yards in 8 carries. I love that duo. They are 2 very different backs (one power, one speed) that the defense has to concentrate on. I could care less which one is #1 and which is #2.
Penalties killed us during this game, especially on the offensive game. This marks the 3rd game where Dallas had almost 100 yards of penalties. This is something Wade Phillips must address, we will not be a Super Bowl team if we continue giving away yardage like that. It eventually will catch up with us. We had illegal motions, illegal formations, not to mention the typical holdings and false starts. If I'm Wade Phillips, I'd give special attention to Flozell Adams. Mr. Adams is a penalty machine. He is the false start champion of the NFL and as far as I'm concerned he is more of a liability than an asset, I don't care how good of a blocker he is. He either needs to harness his penalties or someone else needs to see some of his snaps. Flozell's play has been extremely sloppy.
Defense:
Analyzing our defense yesterday is tough. It's tough because we didn't really play bad...but at the same time we couldn't stop them either. I can only think of 1-2 times where we had blown coverage or a big missed tackle. It's just that Brady is that good. He was placing the ball exactly where it needed to be. He squeezed it between two defenders and into the hands of a receiver flawlessly. I'm not exactly sure if Tom Brady cares if his receivers are double teamed. He can still place it where the two defenders can't get it but the receiver can. It's simultaneously amazing and confusing.
I hate blaming stuff on injuries, but this defense really misses A. Glenn. I wonder how different this season would be if we had our 1-2 cornerbacks on the field at the same time for more than 5 quarters this season. Yet that is exactly what it has been. Glenn and Newman have played together for a total of 5 quarters this season. Any other quarter it's been one without the other.
Besides coverage, the Cowboys were good at their run defense. Nobody had bigger than a 9 yard gain on the ground for the patriots. The Patriots averaged 2.5 yards/carry in their rushing attack, which was held to 75 yard total. It was a very solid rush defense but it didn't really matter because by the time they were consistently running the ball the game was already decided.
Closing comments:
Was this a Superbowl preview? I don't think I could give you two better candidates as of right now. This was a closer game than the score indicated. Several times it was a one possesion game and Dallas was winning at one point in the 3rd quarter. As a person who grew up playing organized sports, I know that good things happen when your team is humbled.
Other than horrible penalties and taking awhile for the offense to get going, Dallas didn't really play that bad. But New England is just that good. I take pride in the fact that Big D can play a good, close game with New England. Not many teams can.
Overall, I don't think this loss will hurt the Cowboys that much. They won't drop too much in the power rankings (at least, they shouldn't). The standings will have evened out in two weeks anyways, because big D has a bye week 8, during which the Redskins will have their crack at New England.
Next Week the Cowboys have the Vikings, who aren't the best at pass defense. We'll see if Big D. can rebound from a hard fought battle to pull out a win against the Vikes.
Now on to the Duel in Dallas that happened yesterday...
I knew the Patriots were the better team. Their 5-0 was more impressive than our 5-0. There were so many different duels going on that it often got hard to keep up with. Romo vs. Brady (Brady won), The player vs. R. Moss (pretty much a tie), Cowboys D vs. Patriots D. (Patriots won). Let's break it down...
Offense:
Once again, Dallas waited until the 2nd quarter to show up offensively. I kind of want to send Wade Phillips a letter requesting for his team to play a quarter of football before the game technically starts. That might solve a lot of problems.
Romo passed for just under 200 yards (as in, 199 yards). He had 2 TDs and 1 INT, which is quite an improvement from last week and against an even tougher defense. The biggest difference I saw is that Jason Witten was actually covered. Most teams playing defense against Dallas try to focus on taming the player, but New England focused more on Jason Witten than they did the player, and it was quite effective. Witten was constantly doubled and the New England coverage got tighter and tighter as Witten fought for space. They did a great job covering Witten. The receiving leader was The Player with 6 catches for 66 yards and a TD.
Julius Jones was the rushing leader for Dallas, carrying the rock for 51 yards in 6 attempts. MB3 was just behind him with 48 yards in 8 carries. I love that duo. They are 2 very different backs (one power, one speed) that the defense has to concentrate on. I could care less which one is #1 and which is #2.
Penalties killed us during this game, especially on the offensive game. This marks the 3rd game where Dallas had almost 100 yards of penalties. This is something Wade Phillips must address, we will not be a Super Bowl team if we continue giving away yardage like that. It eventually will catch up with us. We had illegal motions, illegal formations, not to mention the typical holdings and false starts. If I'm Wade Phillips, I'd give special attention to Flozell Adams. Mr. Adams is a penalty machine. He is the false start champion of the NFL and as far as I'm concerned he is more of a liability than an asset, I don't care how good of a blocker he is. He either needs to harness his penalties or someone else needs to see some of his snaps. Flozell's play has been extremely sloppy.
Defense:
Analyzing our defense yesterday is tough. It's tough because we didn't really play bad...but at the same time we couldn't stop them either. I can only think of 1-2 times where we had blown coverage or a big missed tackle. It's just that Brady is that good. He was placing the ball exactly where it needed to be. He squeezed it between two defenders and into the hands of a receiver flawlessly. I'm not exactly sure if Tom Brady cares if his receivers are double teamed. He can still place it where the two defenders can't get it but the receiver can. It's simultaneously amazing and confusing.
I hate blaming stuff on injuries, but this defense really misses A. Glenn. I wonder how different this season would be if we had our 1-2 cornerbacks on the field at the same time for more than 5 quarters this season. Yet that is exactly what it has been. Glenn and Newman have played together for a total of 5 quarters this season. Any other quarter it's been one without the other.
Besides coverage, the Cowboys were good at their run defense. Nobody had bigger than a 9 yard gain on the ground for the patriots. The Patriots averaged 2.5 yards/carry in their rushing attack, which was held to 75 yard total. It was a very solid rush defense but it didn't really matter because by the time they were consistently running the ball the game was already decided.
Closing comments:
Was this a Superbowl preview? I don't think I could give you two better candidates as of right now. This was a closer game than the score indicated. Several times it was a one possesion game and Dallas was winning at one point in the 3rd quarter. As a person who grew up playing organized sports, I know that good things happen when your team is humbled.
Other than horrible penalties and taking awhile for the offense to get going, Dallas didn't really play that bad. But New England is just that good. I take pride in the fact that Big D can play a good, close game with New England. Not many teams can.
Overall, I don't think this loss will hurt the Cowboys that much. They won't drop too much in the power rankings (at least, they shouldn't). The standings will have evened out in two weeks anyways, because big D has a bye week 8, during which the Redskins will have their crack at New England.
Next Week the Cowboys have the Vikings, who aren't the best at pass defense. We'll see if Big D. can rebound from a hard fought battle to pull out a win against the Vikes.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Bye, bye, Andruw
So we have now had multiple confirmations that Andruw Jones has played his last game as a Brave. I hate that his last season in ATL was so bad. He had an excellent career in ATL but unfortunately, to a lot of people at least, his horrendous 2007 leaves such a sour note that they forget how valuable he was to the Braves the previous 10 years.
I'll miss Andruw. I know he was terrible this year, but it won't be the same seeing someone else in CF next year. All you can say is, "it's just business". If I was JS, I would have done the same thing. Andruw's price tag is too high (or, the Braves payroll is too low) for us to even consider spending what he will require.
I don't think Andruw will get what Boras is asking, but I feel pretty confident saying that whoever gets Andruw will pay more than he is worth. One of the reasons why Baseball is "suffering" is because there are more bad contracts out there than there are good contracts. Do people really not learn from their mistakes? Apparently not. Most big money free agent contracts aren't worth it (especially pitchers). Zito or Hampton anyone?
Anyways, enough with that rant. I could spend several posts on that topic. But back to Andruw. So where will he end up? I've seen a lot of people predict he'll be an Anaheim/Los Angeles/wherever they play Angel. That's not a bad prediction, but I'm going to go a different route. I predict Andruw will be a.....
San Francisco Giant!!!!!!
Here's why. Barry Bonds (most likely) is cutting ties with San Francisco (or should I say...San Francisco is cutting ties with him). So they'll have the money from not paying Bonds and they have a vacant spot in the outfield. Andruw Jones would begin a youth movement in San Francisco (said semi-sarcastically). He'd bring the average age down and would at least give Giants fans something to get excited about.
You heard it first here. Andruw Jones, San Francisco Giants, 2008.
As far as who'll be roaming around centerfield for the Braves? Who knows. We'll most likely sign a not too expensive FA that lives as close to ATL as possible. Mike Cameron seems to be the most logical choice, but that's not very exciting. The sad thing is Mike Cameron might raise production a little bit from CF a little bit after the year Andruw just had. Whatever.
I personally won't really care that much. Who we get to play CF in 2008 won't have near as much of an impact on our 08 season as who we get to be a 3rd starter (or 4th). Anybody need a 5th starter? We have about 7 to chose from! Seriously, count them yourself.
I'll miss Andruw. I know he was terrible this year, but it won't be the same seeing someone else in CF next year. All you can say is, "it's just business". If I was JS, I would have done the same thing. Andruw's price tag is too high (or, the Braves payroll is too low) for us to even consider spending what he will require.
I don't think Andruw will get what Boras is asking, but I feel pretty confident saying that whoever gets Andruw will pay more than he is worth. One of the reasons why Baseball is "suffering" is because there are more bad contracts out there than there are good contracts. Do people really not learn from their mistakes? Apparently not. Most big money free agent contracts aren't worth it (especially pitchers). Zito or Hampton anyone?
Anyways, enough with that rant. I could spend several posts on that topic. But back to Andruw. So where will he end up? I've seen a lot of people predict he'll be an Anaheim/Los Angeles/wherever they play Angel. That's not a bad prediction, but I'm going to go a different route. I predict Andruw will be a.....
San Francisco Giant!!!!!!
Here's why. Barry Bonds (most likely) is cutting ties with San Francisco (or should I say...San Francisco is cutting ties with him). So they'll have the money from not paying Bonds and they have a vacant spot in the outfield. Andruw Jones would begin a youth movement in San Francisco (said semi-sarcastically). He'd bring the average age down and would at least give Giants fans something to get excited about.
You heard it first here. Andruw Jones, San Francisco Giants, 2008.
As far as who'll be roaming around centerfield for the Braves? Who knows. We'll most likely sign a not too expensive FA that lives as close to ATL as possible. Mike Cameron seems to be the most logical choice, but that's not very exciting. The sad thing is Mike Cameron might raise production a little bit from CF a little bit after the year Andruw just had. Whatever.
I personally won't really care that much. Who we get to play CF in 2008 won't have near as much of an impact on our 08 season as who we get to be a 3rd starter (or 4th). Anybody need a 5th starter? We have about 7 to chose from! Seriously, count them yourself.
Monday, October 1, 2007
How'd I do?
Here is a look at my preseason MLB predictions vs. what actually happened:
AL East
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Yankees 1. Red Sox
2. RedSox 2. Yankees (WC)
3. Blue Jays 3. Blue Jays
4. Orioles 4. Orioles
5. Devil Rays 5. Devil Rays
AL East comments:
Well, I did pretty good here, but then again, this might be one of the easiest divisions to predict. The only thing I got wrong was the Red Sox/Yankees flip flop. But I can't say I'm complaining (or will ever complain) about the Yankees not taking the division.
AL Central
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Tigers 1. Indians
2. White Sox (WC) 2. Tigers
3. Indians 3. Twins
4. Twins 4. White Sox
5. Royals 5. Royals
AL Central Comments:
Wow, this division was crazy. This was a tough division to pick. Everything that made it tough just added to my incorrectness. There were injuries, bad seasons by star players, good seasons by nobodies, and then there was the Royals.
AL West
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Angels 1. Angels
2. Athletics 2. Mariners
3. Rangers 3. Athletics
4. Mariners 4. Rangers
AL West Comments:
I didn't give the Mariners enough credit. Ichiro stuck around, [signed a bad contract], and helped keep that team fighting. But in the end the Angels were too much for them, or anybody in this division.
NL East
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Mets 1. Phillies
2. Phillies 2. Mets
3. Braves 3. Braves
4. Marlins 4. Nationals
5. Nationals 5. Marlins
NL East comments:
Ha ha! It's bittersweet for me, I loved seeing the Met's choke. Still, as far as the Braves season goes, to quote Weird Al Yankovic, "Oh, man. I hate it when I'm right."
NL Central
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Cardinals 1. Cubs
2. Cubs 2. Brewers
3. Astros 3. Cardinals
4. Reds 4. Astros
5. Brewers 5. Reds
6. Pirates 6. Pirates
NL Central Comments:
Where'd the Brewers come from? Eh, they were just playing way over their heads in the first half and rode that hot streak for a long time. I feel as if the second half Brewers gave us a better representation of what that team actually is than the first half Brewers did. Who knows though? Maybe I just don't give enough credit where it belongs.
NL West
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Dodgers 1. Diamondbacks
2. Padres (WC) 2. Rockies (WC)
3. Giants 3. Padres
4. Diamondbacks 4. Dodgers
5. Rockies 5. Giants
NL West Comments:
Eww. That's gross. Did I actually make those predictions? Yes, I did. I imagine I wasn't the only one that was way off in the NL West either. This was a crazy division, as evidenced by the fact that two of the teams played 163 games, instead of the normal 162. And what a game it was. I can't think of a better ending to this year's tight Wild Card race than with a 13 inning, edge of your seat type game.
Award Predictions:
I know award's haven't been presented yet. But I think we can get a pretty general idea of who at least has a shot at an award. So, even though we don't know who won these awards...here is how I predicted them to go...
AL MVP – Jim Thome
AL Cy Young – Johan Santana
AL “Rookie” of the Year – Daisuke Matsuzaka*
NL MVP – Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young – Jason Schmidt (**giggles** Well, I knew the winner would come out of the West. At least I got that part right (most likely)).
NL Rookie of the Year – Chris Young
So..now that you are reminded of what my predictions were...tell me how I did.
AL East
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Yankees 1. Red Sox
2. RedSox 2. Yankees (WC)
3. Blue Jays 3. Blue Jays
4. Orioles 4. Orioles
5. Devil Rays 5. Devil Rays
AL East comments:
Well, I did pretty good here, but then again, this might be one of the easiest divisions to predict. The only thing I got wrong was the Red Sox/Yankees flip flop. But I can't say I'm complaining (or will ever complain) about the Yankees not taking the division.
AL Central
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Tigers 1. Indians
2. White Sox (WC) 2. Tigers
3. Indians 3. Twins
4. Twins 4. White Sox
5. Royals 5. Royals
AL Central Comments:
Wow, this division was crazy. This was a tough division to pick. Everything that made it tough just added to my incorrectness. There were injuries, bad seasons by star players, good seasons by nobodies, and then there was the Royals.
AL West
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Angels 1. Angels
2. Athletics 2. Mariners
3. Rangers 3. Athletics
4. Mariners 4. Rangers
AL West Comments:
I didn't give the Mariners enough credit. Ichiro stuck around, [signed a bad contract], and helped keep that team fighting. But in the end the Angels were too much for them, or anybody in this division.
NL East
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Mets 1. Phillies
2. Phillies 2. Mets
3. Braves 3. Braves
4. Marlins 4. Nationals
5. Nationals 5. Marlins
NL East comments:
Ha ha! It's bittersweet for me, I loved seeing the Met's choke. Still, as far as the Braves season goes, to quote Weird Al Yankovic, "Oh, man. I hate it when I'm right."
NL Central
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Cardinals 1. Cubs
2. Cubs 2. Brewers
3. Astros 3. Cardinals
4. Reds 4. Astros
5. Brewers 5. Reds
6. Pirates 6. Pirates
NL Central Comments:
Where'd the Brewers come from? Eh, they were just playing way over their heads in the first half and rode that hot streak for a long time. I feel as if the second half Brewers gave us a better representation of what that team actually is than the first half Brewers did. Who knows though? Maybe I just don't give enough credit where it belongs.
NL West
My Predicted Order: Actual Order:
1. Dodgers 1. Diamondbacks
2. Padres (WC) 2. Rockies (WC)
3. Giants 3. Padres
4. Diamondbacks 4. Dodgers
5. Rockies 5. Giants
NL West Comments:
Eww. That's gross. Did I actually make those predictions? Yes, I did. I imagine I wasn't the only one that was way off in the NL West either. This was a crazy division, as evidenced by the fact that two of the teams played 163 games, instead of the normal 162. And what a game it was. I can't think of a better ending to this year's tight Wild Card race than with a 13 inning, edge of your seat type game.
Award Predictions:
I know award's haven't been presented yet. But I think we can get a pretty general idea of who at least has a shot at an award. So, even though we don't know who won these awards...here is how I predicted them to go...
AL MVP – Jim Thome
AL Cy Young – Johan Santana
AL “Rookie” of the Year – Daisuke Matsuzaka*
NL MVP – Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young – Jason Schmidt (**giggles** Well, I knew the winner would come out of the West. At least I got that part right (most likely)).
NL Rookie of the Year – Chris Young
So..now that you are reminded of what my predictions were...tell me how I did.
Week 4 Analysis: 4-0
Eh...It's just the Rams.
This week and next week are weaker points in our schedule. Although, when the schedule first was released, it looked like Big D had it tough. But teams that were "supposed" to be good have fallen off the chart. It's kind of funny how how a tough schedule turns into a weak schedule after 3-4 weeks. So, here's the review:
Offense:
Romo not only did it in the air, he did it with his feet. He rushed for 24 yards which includes one of the craziest plays of the year so far. The snap went over Romo's head, he ran back to recover it (most QBs would have fallen on it, but Romo picked it up), picked it up and ran it for a first down. Not bad for a 3rd and 3.
Patrick Crayton!?!?!? led the team with 7 catches for 184 yards (2 TDs). Jason Witten was 6 for 71 with 1 TD. The player was held to 3 for 33.
Julius Jones got the majority of the handoffs. He managed 52 yards in 13 attempts. Marion Barber III was right behind him in yardage with 50, but did it in just 8 carries.
Again I stress, it's just the Rams.
Defense
Newman played. I hope he's at 100% now. If not, rest him up. I'd rather him be 100% at the Patriots game than at the Bills game next week. Henry was injured yesterday. The diagnosis was a sprained ankle, his status next week has not yet been established. Maybe one day we'll get Newman and Henry in the same game.
Ken Hamlin had the lone INT in this game. Jacques Reeves led the team in tackles yesterday, although I'm always more comfortable when the tackles leaders aren't DBs. The defense surrendered a total of 187 yards. But hey...it's just the Rams.
Stat of the game:
3rd down efficiency
St. Louis 3-12
Dallas 8-13
Next week we're on Monday Night football. Big D @ Buffalo.
This week and next week are weaker points in our schedule. Although, when the schedule first was released, it looked like Big D had it tough. But teams that were "supposed" to be good have fallen off the chart. It's kind of funny how how a tough schedule turns into a weak schedule after 3-4 weeks. So, here's the review:
Offense:
Romo not only did it in the air, he did it with his feet. He rushed for 24 yards which includes one of the craziest plays of the year so far. The snap went over Romo's head, he ran back to recover it (most QBs would have fallen on it, but Romo picked it up), picked it up and ran it for a first down. Not bad for a 3rd and 3.
Patrick Crayton!?!?!? led the team with 7 catches for 184 yards (2 TDs). Jason Witten was 6 for 71 with 1 TD. The player was held to 3 for 33.
Julius Jones got the majority of the handoffs. He managed 52 yards in 13 attempts. Marion Barber III was right behind him in yardage with 50, but did it in just 8 carries.
Again I stress, it's just the Rams.
Defense
Newman played. I hope he's at 100% now. If not, rest him up. I'd rather him be 100% at the Patriots game than at the Bills game next week. Henry was injured yesterday. The diagnosis was a sprained ankle, his status next week has not yet been established. Maybe one day we'll get Newman and Henry in the same game.
Ken Hamlin had the lone INT in this game. Jacques Reeves led the team in tackles yesterday, although I'm always more comfortable when the tackles leaders aren't DBs. The defense surrendered a total of 187 yards. But hey...it's just the Rams.
Stat of the game:
3rd down efficiency
St. Louis 3-12
Dallas 8-13
Next week we're on Monday Night football. Big D @ Buffalo.
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