The first of my monthly MLB check-ins...not a lot of other baseball discussion on this site, so I figured I'd try to stay on top of it at the beginning of each month with a check-in.
AL EAST
TB - great start, will be in a 2 horse race for the division crown with NYY, but loser should end up with the WC either way.
NYY - Nice .680 start, they can just put it on cruise control until we hit September.
TOR - 5 back, kind of s surprise so far, but I really don't think it can last. This club will fade sooner rather than later.
BOS - 6.5 back. Trainwreck. Already 6.5 back, I bet by next month I will be discussing the massive trade that they have made/will make because their 2010 plan of pitching, speed, and defense is not working out too well. Mainly because their pitching has been horrible and they are allowing 5.5 rpg! They are terrible against RHP and have been bad (1-5) in extra innings. I don't see this team getting any better no matter what they do. Rebuilding year - but they'll be back in 2011.
BAL - we thought they would suck...and they do. They've cemented their 5th place finish in the East once again.
AL CENTRAL
TWINS - this team is very good. They should not have any problem reaching the playoffs and even having a chance to make a run through some of the heavy hitters they would match up against...(TB/NYY loser). Twins have the only good pitching & defense combo in the division.
DET - 1.5 back: Playing better than expected, but I really don't think it will last the whole year. They play well at home, but I am not overaly impressed with the lineup. They might hang around, but I don't like their WC chances or their division chances.
SOX - 6 back: Everyone was in love with this pitching staff going into the season, well...what do you think of their pitching now?!? Peavy has been average, Buerhle has been horrible, and the rest of their staff is average. Jenks is not a dominant closer any more and the lineup has less punch than any SOX lineup the last 5 years! The are averaging 4.28 rpg and can't win on the road = not going anywhere in 2010.
CLE - 6.5 back: they'll be in quite a battle with KC for the 4 spot in the division. They've only scored 86 runs (3.44 rpg), tough to win when you have a starter making a QS and you still lose most of the time! Very young and not worth any more space this month.
KC - 7 back: same story, different year. They are scoring some runs, which has been a problem in the past, but I don't think they have any kind of run in them.
AL WEST
TEXAS - they've won 4 straight to take a 1.5 game lead in the division. The pitching is doing okay, and the offense is strong. This division will be wide open until the end.
OAK - 1.5 back: My least favorite team in the division, I think they depend on too many young guys for too many things to be considered a serious threat in this division or WC race.
LAA - 2.5 back: Worst pitching in the AL right now. Ouch. Offense is near the bottom as well. I think they've lost too much the last few years to be a contender this season. The division has enough parody, and they have the best manager, so I think they could hang until the end.
SEA - 2.5 back: People were in love with this club as well in the pre-season, and granted they have been without Lee most of the month...but this is not a very good team. Major late game struggles have stung them many times, and the lineup lacks much punch outside of the top 3-4 guys. Worst offense in the AL makes their nice pitching staff look bad because they can't win every game 2-1. Unless Lee and Felix win every time out this team won't make any noise this year.
PICKS - NYY, MIN, TEX, TB
NL EAST
PHIL - the favorite coming into the season ends the first month on top. They've played well, struggled unexpectedly at times, but should be well on their way to a division title. Halladay is ridiculous.
NYM - 1/2 game back: Playing very well at home this season, and pitching extremely well right now. They score enough to be a contender, but I'm not totally sure I trust their staff down the stretch. And these are the Mets, they will likely find a way to become a non-factor by September.
FLA - 1 back: this is another young club that's fun to watch. But I'm just waiting for the stretch where they lose 15 of 20 and knock themselves out of the race. Not a threat for the post-season at this point in my opinion.
WAS - 1 back: the Nats? Really? Nope. Next.
ATL - 3 back: the Braves have the talent to be a contender in this league. I think their pitching might be 2nd to only PHIL in the division and I like their lineup as well. Look for this team to make a run and be in the 2 spot by the time the stretch run starts.
NL CENTRAL
CARDS - your 2010 NL Central champs. Congrats! Great pitching, a nice lineup, and maybe the best hitter of all-time. I like their chances.
CUBS - 5 back: all of these teams are playing for the WC already. The Cubbies actually might have the best chance at it from this division. The bats have come alive lately, and the pitching hasn't been terrible...yet. It's early, but I think we'll all be tuning into WGN in September for some meaningful games this season.
CIN - 5 back: Pitching has been too suspect for me to like these guys chances. Lots of potential but very little in the form of results. Not hitting extremely well either, and they have a ton of injury risk guys that haven't got hurt yet. They'll fade quickly.
MIL - 7.5 back: 7.5 back in 1 month! Not so hot for a team with post-season aspirations. Their bullpen is scary, and I don't like their starters that much more. Lineup is packed with power, but they're still being outscored. Brewers...dead!
PIT - 7.5 back: This team is 10-15 and giving up 7 rpg! How have they won 10 games? Well, they are 5-1 in 1 run battles...that won't last. They are probably heading for the cellar unless the pitching improves. But they're not in the basement right now because...
HOU - 9.5 back: The honeymoon is over for HOU. They got off to a terrible start, then rebounded slightly, now have lost 7 in a row and counting. Bad, bad team with no offense (2.92 rpg) and very average pitching. Start planning for football season if you live in Houston.
NL WEST
SD - 1 game lead: surprise! this team always has a roster of no-namers, but they are playing pretty well this season. 3rd best pitching in NL at this point, partly because they play in the largest park in the history of the world, but partly because they have some talent. The bats are improving from years past, but I still don't think they have enough firepower to make this last.
SF - 1 back: Pitching, Pitching, Pitching, and the Kung Fu Panda. That's all they got, but it's working. Their staff is ridiculous. They've given up 70 runs (2.9 rpg). If the staff stays healthy and they start winning some of the close ones (1-5 in 1 run games) they will walk away with this division. Did I mention that I love their pitching?
COL - 3 back: this is the club that I am picking to actually win the division. i don't think the GIANTS ridiculous pitching can stay at this level, so I am taking the Rockies to win the West right now. Pitching has been good, hitting is very good as well. This team will just continue to get better.
ARI - 4 back: Lots of pop in this lineup (5.88 rpg), but not a lot of pitching (6 rpg). A great bet for a few overs here and there, but I don't think I'd pick them for much else. Not a post-season threat in my mind.
LAD - 4.5 back: the lowly, last place Dodgers. Their own fans are already done with this team. But I'm not willing to count them out yet. The pitching has been really bad, but I think that will change. Torre is a great manager, and he'll get these good arms turned around and they will be in the 3 team race by the dog days of summer.
PICKS: PHIL, STL, COL, SF
Okay. That's enough baseball for this month.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
B10 Expansion Buzz
The latest rumor has the B10 adding MIZZOU, NEB, PITT, RUT and splitting into 4 divisions of 4! Gophers would be with WIS, MICH, MSU...not exactly the best draw, but it would be interesting.
In other news...
Gophers are graduating football players!! Woo-hoo! Scholarship restrictions should be gone once the new results are announced. I can't remember the number, but something like 90% of the seniors this past year.
In even better Gopher news, 9 guys from last year's club have signed an NFL contract! That blows away the Mason numbers from year's past. You have to believe that the caliber of player coming out of the U is getting better on average, so hopefully this will translate into better overall teams and overall records really soon.
In other news...
Gophers are graduating football players!! Woo-hoo! Scholarship restrictions should be gone once the new results are announced. I can't remember the number, but something like 90% of the seniors this past year.
In even better Gopher news, 9 guys from last year's club have signed an NFL contract! That blows away the Mason numbers from year's past. You have to believe that the caliber of player coming out of the U is getting better on average, so hopefully this will translate into better overall teams and overall records really soon.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Spring Game / Draft Weekend
Just a quick recap from the weekend:
1. NFL Draft - Purple
Chris Cook, I told you...just 4 picks later than I had thought. Too tough to tell how they made out overall, but I have to give Spielman and company the benefit of the doubt. The track record has been pretty good, and they seem to be confident in the players they pick so we'll see what happens over the next season or two. I hate the grading/winners & losers breakdowns, so I'll just say I think they did okay. Nothing jumps out at me as a great choice, but I think everyone they picked could fit a need potentially and have a chance to make the team.
2. SPRING GAME!
Turned into a lovely day out at TCF for the game. I watched when I wasn't tracking down Jace or his yellow Gopher football that he thought he should throw on the ground every 3rd second. Brew summed it up on the radio..."it was good vs. good. we didn't want to show anything because we know MDTN will be studying this for the opener." Really? This is comical. Good vs. Good...IALTO. Now for the good, the bad, and the ugly.
GOOD
- OL looked to be okay. The backs had some room to move around and we ran the ball effectively at times.
- QB, well at least one QB. AWEB looked the best of the 3 and he will clearly be your starter come September.
- Defensive line played pretty well against the run. They didn't have much of a pass rush, which is concerning, but overall I thought they were okay.
- LB depth looks solid. There's a lot of inexperience still in this unit, but I was happy with how most of them looked.
- DB, Lewis, a JUCO transfer, put a huge hit on McKnight which was a surprise to me. I didn't think he would be much of a hitter. I feel okay about our S situation going into the year, especially if/when Theret comes back.
BAD
- I still don't think either of our current backs has any kind of explosiveness. Bennett and Eskridge will be fighting for 3rd or 4th string when the new kids hit campus.
- WR drops were a problem throughout the game. AWEB and the QB's struggle enough without adding a few incompletions due to drops, this was kind of frightening.
UGLY
- #5 is not good at throwing the ball. He did hit a TD pass late in the game from about 38, but the guy was all alone and I think the 3rd string DB was covering. He missed a lot of short throws and threw a pick. He's at his best on the roll out and throwing or running outside of the pocket - if he's going to play we have to do more of this.
- Crowd = less than 5,000...ouch. I know it was a crappy day, or at least looked like it was going to be, but that's a really low number. I think they should be able to draw 10K, but their marketing dept sucks. Seriously, I know the product isn't super great, but promote it - it's college football and people will come!
So the next step is actual Summer practice leading up to the season, and I have to say I'm really not sure what to think of this year's club. I believe the offensive scheme change will be a good thing and we will have a bit of a running game this season...unlike the past 2 years. The defense, despite having basically a whole new group of players on the field, will be fine. Cosgrove is maybe the only sure thing this club has on the staff, can you believe it...a 2nd! year DC on our team!! Woo-hoo! He didn't leave! Brew continues to talk a big game and say all the right things, but this truly is the year where we have to see it. At least 2 victories over good teams might be mandatory with the home schedule they have in order for him to keep a job. We'll learn more on September 2nd when we travel to MDTN to play a pretty nice team on a Thursday night. Right now, I think it could be anywhere from 3 to 8 wins...but regardless, it will be fun.
1. NFL Draft - Purple
Chris Cook, I told you...just 4 picks later than I had thought. Too tough to tell how they made out overall, but I have to give Spielman and company the benefit of the doubt. The track record has been pretty good, and they seem to be confident in the players they pick so we'll see what happens over the next season or two. I hate the grading/winners & losers breakdowns, so I'll just say I think they did okay. Nothing jumps out at me as a great choice, but I think everyone they picked could fit a need potentially and have a chance to make the team.
2. SPRING GAME!
Turned into a lovely day out at TCF for the game. I watched when I wasn't tracking down Jace or his yellow Gopher football that he thought he should throw on the ground every 3rd second. Brew summed it up on the radio..."it was good vs. good. we didn't want to show anything because we know MDTN will be studying this for the opener." Really? This is comical. Good vs. Good...IALTO. Now for the good, the bad, and the ugly.
GOOD
- OL looked to be okay. The backs had some room to move around and we ran the ball effectively at times.
- QB, well at least one QB. AWEB looked the best of the 3 and he will clearly be your starter come September.
- Defensive line played pretty well against the run. They didn't have much of a pass rush, which is concerning, but overall I thought they were okay.
- LB depth looks solid. There's a lot of inexperience still in this unit, but I was happy with how most of them looked.
- DB, Lewis, a JUCO transfer, put a huge hit on McKnight which was a surprise to me. I didn't think he would be much of a hitter. I feel okay about our S situation going into the year, especially if/when Theret comes back.
BAD
- I still don't think either of our current backs has any kind of explosiveness. Bennett and Eskridge will be fighting for 3rd or 4th string when the new kids hit campus.
- WR drops were a problem throughout the game. AWEB and the QB's struggle enough without adding a few incompletions due to drops, this was kind of frightening.
UGLY
- #5 is not good at throwing the ball. He did hit a TD pass late in the game from about 38, but the guy was all alone and I think the 3rd string DB was covering. He missed a lot of short throws and threw a pick. He's at his best on the roll out and throwing or running outside of the pocket - if he's going to play we have to do more of this.
- Crowd = less than 5,000...ouch. I know it was a crappy day, or at least looked like it was going to be, but that's a really low number. I think they should be able to draw 10K, but their marketing dept sucks. Seriously, I know the product isn't super great, but promote it - it's college football and people will come!
So the next step is actual Summer practice leading up to the season, and I have to say I'm really not sure what to think of this year's club. I believe the offensive scheme change will be a good thing and we will have a bit of a running game this season...unlike the past 2 years. The defense, despite having basically a whole new group of players on the field, will be fine. Cosgrove is maybe the only sure thing this club has on the staff, can you believe it...a 2nd! year DC on our team!! Woo-hoo! He didn't leave! Brew continues to talk a big game and say all the right things, but this truly is the year where we have to see it. At least 2 victories over good teams might be mandatory with the home schedule they have in order for him to keep a job. We'll learn more on September 2nd when we travel to MDTN to play a pretty nice team on a Thursday night. Right now, I think it could be anywhere from 3 to 8 wins...but regardless, it will be fun.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
NFL Draft Night
Draft day wouldn't be complete without some kind of commentary or mock draft writeup, so I'll throw together a little of both here for today but keep it to 5 points...need to find a good name for my daily 5 lists...send me a suggestion if you have it.
1. QB's
Taking a QB is a crap shoot, and personally I don't see one sure thing in the mix this season. Bradford has a lot of questions at the top, I really don't think Clausen is NFL level, Tebow is not a QB, and there's a bunch of others that might have some value later in the draft. The guy I like the most is probably Colt McCoy. Character-wise he's a Tebow-lite, I don't think he's performed any circumcisions in foreign countries, but other than that he's got all the same leader qualities. And get this - he can really throw and run and projects to actually be a QB in the NFL. I don't really like him at 30, but I think if you can move to mid-2nd and grab him it would be worth it.
2. PURPLE
What do I think will happen? Well, I think they don't take a QB in R1. If they stay in there and pick someone I would like help at DB (CB and/or S), LB depth, OL depth, backup RB (although I'd like to grab this in R2 or R3), or DT depth. I fully believe in the "best player available" cliche, but please don't take TEBOW or CLAUSEN if they are available at 30. Official prediction...keep the pick and take Chris Cook CB VIR.
3. Local Fellas
I've looked through a couple today, both have the great Bryan Bulaga in the Top 5. Remember the last can't miss Hogeye OL prospect? The great Robert Gallery...I know he went to a horrible franchise, but that just hasn't worked out well. I'm hoping Bulaga fails miserably the same way. Beyond that, it looks like EDECK will be a late 2nd or early 3rd guy. I'm sure he'll go to a good team and be a contributor on a playoff caliber club this season...the typical white guy WR path. Cedric McKinley is supposedly hoping to be picked, hope you're not holding your breath big guy. Triplett is on the radar as the 14th best ILB on one site - he'll be a FA. Simoni will also likely end up as a FA.
4. 6:30 - ???
10 minutes per pick, 32 picks tonight, we pick 30th...how late am I going to have to stay up in order to actually see WTF is going to happen tonight?
I'm guessing 11:02pm the pick will be made...Chris Cook, that's my call.
5. Trades
Of course there is all the trade speculation leading up to the draft like there is every year. Anything worth it for the Purple??? Well, probably not. The team is set for the most part, but we are missing just a few guys to provide some depth and/or be a minor contributor for 2010. I'm guessing if any deals happen with the Purple it is to move out of R1 or up in a later round to grab a guy they love.
Finally - some names I like and wouldn't mind getting in Purple:
Dexter McCluster - RB OLE MISS
Taylor Mays - S USC
Corey Wooton - DE NORTHWESTERN
Eric Norwood - OLB South Carolina
Sean Weatherspoon - OLB MIZZOU
That's all I got - enjoy the festivities!
1. QB's
Taking a QB is a crap shoot, and personally I don't see one sure thing in the mix this season. Bradford has a lot of questions at the top, I really don't think Clausen is NFL level, Tebow is not a QB, and there's a bunch of others that might have some value later in the draft. The guy I like the most is probably Colt McCoy. Character-wise he's a Tebow-lite, I don't think he's performed any circumcisions in foreign countries, but other than that he's got all the same leader qualities. And get this - he can really throw and run and projects to actually be a QB in the NFL. I don't really like him at 30, but I think if you can move to mid-2nd and grab him it would be worth it.
2. PURPLE
What do I think will happen? Well, I think they don't take a QB in R1. If they stay in there and pick someone I would like help at DB (CB and/or S), LB depth, OL depth, backup RB (although I'd like to grab this in R2 or R3), or DT depth. I fully believe in the "best player available" cliche, but please don't take TEBOW or CLAUSEN if they are available at 30. Official prediction...keep the pick and take Chris Cook CB VIR.
3. Local Fellas
I've looked through a couple today, both have the great Bryan Bulaga in the Top 5. Remember the last can't miss Hogeye OL prospect? The great Robert Gallery...I know he went to a horrible franchise, but that just hasn't worked out well. I'm hoping Bulaga fails miserably the same way. Beyond that, it looks like EDECK will be a late 2nd or early 3rd guy. I'm sure he'll go to a good team and be a contributor on a playoff caliber club this season...the typical white guy WR path. Cedric McKinley is supposedly hoping to be picked, hope you're not holding your breath big guy. Triplett is on the radar as the 14th best ILB on one site - he'll be a FA. Simoni will also likely end up as a FA.
4. 6:30 - ???
10 minutes per pick, 32 picks tonight, we pick 30th...how late am I going to have to stay up in order to actually see WTF is going to happen tonight?
I'm guessing 11:02pm the pick will be made...Chris Cook, that's my call.
5. Trades
Of course there is all the trade speculation leading up to the draft like there is every year. Anything worth it for the Purple??? Well, probably not. The team is set for the most part, but we are missing just a few guys to provide some depth and/or be a minor contributor for 2010. I'm guessing if any deals happen with the Purple it is to move out of R1 or up in a later round to grab a guy they love.
Finally - some names I like and wouldn't mind getting in Purple:
Dexter McCluster - RB OLE MISS
Taylor Mays - S USC
Corey Wooton - DE NORTHWESTERN
Eric Norwood - OLB South Carolina
Sean Weatherspoon - OLB MIZZOU
That's all I got - enjoy the festivities!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
June 19th - Golf & Poker
It's official, June 19 will be the date of the all day golf and poker
festival. Details to be worked out, but I'm thinking around 10am,
playing 18 or 27, rolling that into Cards on the porch all evening.
Everyone is welcome-let me know if you can make it. Hoping for 6-10
guys to keep it interesting.
festival. Details to be worked out, but I'm thinking around 10am,
playing 18 or 27, rolling that into Cards on the porch all evening.
Everyone is welcome-let me know if you can make it. Hoping for 6-10
guys to keep it interesting.
Sent from my iPhone
Football Season!!!!!
The Football news is coming fast and furious lately...some of the best of the best:
1. VIKES at GB Sunday Night football OCT 24th...just happens to be Vegas week for 2010!! I think it's safe to say we're staying an extra night and heading out on Monday rather than red-eyeing it this year.
2. GOPHERS games times being announced...here we go:
N.ILL and the OHIOST games will be in Primetime at the Bank on BTN!
We'll know the NW gametime by May 1st, and the SD and USC times by July 1st.
3. NFL DRAFT
This is tomorrow, but the hype just isn't there this year because #1 we're picking 30th and #2 it's in primetime. KFAN picked Tebow this morning for the Purple...if that happens I might have a tough time watching them this season. Seriously, how does that make any sense at all. Get someone who can help you win right now and not be a side show circus for 2 years before being the worst Purple QB since the Spurgeon Wynn Experience. It's tough to predict who will be there at 30, but I'm hoping/believing all this Tebow steam is just a smokescreen in hopes that they can get someone to trade up to get him and allow them to trade out because they actually don't like anyone in that spot. We'll see tomorrow night.
4. Baseball picks are slowing down...broke even last night, which has been the case for the last few days. It's getting a little tougher to predict I guess. Maybe I'll have to switch to the NBA/NHL playoffs....and lose all of them instead of only 1/2 of them! I'm switching over to full-on football mode already, MLB held my interest for about a month...but it's time to start some football prep work. When do you get ready for a street fight, you have to start getting ready right now.
Finally, the final topic of the Daily 5...VEGAS baby VEGAS! As mentioned above the date for this year is OCT 22-23-24 returning on the morning of the 25th (Monday). I've talked to a few of you already, but I want to send this out as an open invite to anyone who is willing to come and watch sports, gamble your ass off, and drink until you can't see. I'll be booking in mid-summer for some of us, but I'm not putting 12 Vegas trips on my card, that could be a bad thing. Once we are locked in, and if you're still up in the air, I will send out our plan and you can feel free to book your own or together with another group and hook up with us out in Vegas. It's an amazingly good time - cost just depends on what you plan on gambling with...average trip is usually about $500 for all accommodations.
I'd love to have a large group to join in the "Who Hates Iowa!" chant this season...3 of us last year, but I'm hoping for at least 6-8 of us for 2010. Anyway, please let me know if you are interested so I have an idea of what to expect (I know it's 6 months away...but get it on your calendar now to lock yourself in).
I'm going to be scanning the air fares and hotel pricing over the next couple of months looking for a hot deal before everyone else realizes that fall is coming and rates start to go up.
Let's shut it down with a little PJ...haven't done this for a while:
Loving this song right now...UNTHOUGHT KNOWN
All the thoughts you never see
You are always thinking
Brain is wide, the brain is deep
Oh, are you sinking?
Feel the path of every day
Which road you taking?
Breathing hard, making hay
Yeah, this is living
1. VIKES at GB Sunday Night football OCT 24th...just happens to be Vegas week for 2010!! I think it's safe to say we're staying an extra night and heading out on Monday rather than red-eyeing it this year.
2. GOPHERS games times being announced...here we go:
N.ILL and the OHIOST games will be in Primetime at the Bank on BTN!
We'll know the NW gametime by May 1st, and the SD and USC times by July 1st.
3. NFL DRAFT
This is tomorrow, but the hype just isn't there this year because #1 we're picking 30th and #2 it's in primetime. KFAN picked Tebow this morning for the Purple...if that happens I might have a tough time watching them this season. Seriously, how does that make any sense at all. Get someone who can help you win right now and not be a side show circus for 2 years before being the worst Purple QB since the Spurgeon Wynn Experience. It's tough to predict who will be there at 30, but I'm hoping/believing all this Tebow steam is just a smokescreen in hopes that they can get someone to trade up to get him and allow them to trade out because they actually don't like anyone in that spot. We'll see tomorrow night.
4. Baseball picks are slowing down...broke even last night, which has been the case for the last few days. It's getting a little tougher to predict I guess. Maybe I'll have to switch to the NBA/NHL playoffs....and lose all of them instead of only 1/2 of them! I'm switching over to full-on football mode already, MLB held my interest for about a month...but it's time to start some football prep work. When do you get ready for a street fight, you have to start getting ready right now.
Finally, the final topic of the Daily 5...VEGAS baby VEGAS! As mentioned above the date for this year is OCT 22-23-24 returning on the morning of the 25th (Monday). I've talked to a few of you already, but I want to send this out as an open invite to anyone who is willing to come and watch sports, gamble your ass off, and drink until you can't see. I'll be booking in mid-summer for some of us, but I'm not putting 12 Vegas trips on my card, that could be a bad thing. Once we are locked in, and if you're still up in the air, I will send out our plan and you can feel free to book your own or together with another group and hook up with us out in Vegas. It's an amazingly good time - cost just depends on what you plan on gambling with...average trip is usually about $500 for all accommodations.
I'd love to have a large group to join in the "Who Hates Iowa!" chant this season...3 of us last year, but I'm hoping for at least 6-8 of us for 2010. Anyway, please let me know if you are interested so I have an idea of what to expect (I know it's 6 months away...but get it on your calendar now to lock yourself in).
I'm going to be scanning the air fares and hotel pricing over the next couple of months looking for a hot deal before everyone else realizes that fall is coming and rates start to go up.
Let's shut it down with a little PJ...haven't done this for a while:
Loving this song right now...UNTHOUGHT KNOWN
All the thoughts you never see
You are always thinking
Brain is wide, the brain is deep
Oh, are you sinking?
Feel the path of every day
Which road you taking?
Breathing hard, making hay
Yeah, this is living
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Big 10 (12 or 14) Newest Rumors + Gary Tinsley
The Herd is reporting that UCONN will be the next member of the B10 and PITT and RUT could be coming over as well. I'm kind of indifferent to this news, assuming all of these rumors are true. I was really hoping ND would finally cave and come into the B10 - I read something last week that said currently the NBC deal makes less for ND than each B10 school gets from the BTN deal. And the BTN deal is expected to double over the next 5 years while ND is losing leverage fast with NBC. They actually appear to need us or another conference at this point more than we need them.
Thoughts on the proposed expansion? Obviously, this will shift the B10 into Championship Game mode and 2 divisions. My guess is that it's MIN, IOWA, WIS, MICH, MSU, PUR, IND - then ILL, NW, OHIOST, PSU, PITT, RUT, UCONN. Teams would get 6 inter-division games each year and then likely 2 conference non-division games...unless they expand that to 3. The biggest question in all of this has been the plan for MICH and OHIOST. If they decide to go with the alignment I have listed, the 2 would be in separate divisions but still likely play every year. This is why I think the 9 conference games makes sense...each team can play one of the other division teams every year and then rotate every 3 years between the other 6.
I know what you're asking, what about the Governor's Bell?? Well, I'm hoping the worst trophy in the history of college football would just disappear. Seriously, you can't just create trophy games with other schools for the sake of having it be called a rivalry. This would give PSU some nice natural rivals on the east coast as well, while making the Gophers half of the conference very interesting.
Overall, I like it. The expansion is the right move and whether it's just UCONN or all 3 from the Big East, it's the right thing to do. The first super-conference might be coming together. These 3 teams might not do a ton for B10 football...but how about the hoops teams that are coming over!?!? Wow! Definitely much more on this as more concrete info comes out.
What were you up to last Sunday night? I think we should have been partying at the U w/uber intelligent Gary Tinsley. After having his 2x4 swinging incident kind of swept under the rug last fall, Gary decided that being the projected starter at MLB just wasn't worth it - so he got hammered and jumped on his moped. Eventually Gary started driving down the wrong way of a one way street, cops saw him, he sped off trying to escape...on a moped. After a bit of a chase, Gary ditched the moped and starting showing off that B10 LB speed...but was eventually caught. He's been charged with 2 felonies and 3 misdemeanors...and I think it's safe to say his days with the Gophs are numebred. I hate to jump to conclusions, but sounds like he doesn't have much of a chance right now. Maybe Brew will look past it all, again, and just suspend him for 1/2 the season or maybe just 3 games. Who knows, but this Spring couldn't have any worse news than we have seen with all the incidents.
The question being posed is, are we recruiting bad people because we need to take the chance? Or is this something that just comes out and couldn't possibly be expected. I tend to lean toward the latter. I can't fault Brew for recruiting these guys and hoping they can keep their nose clean. All of these incidents have been just pure stupidity, and they have all been very avoidable. Hopefully there will be some serious discussion for the rest of the week from the coaching staff and maybe some of the older guys can help these young idiots learn how to have fun and not go to jail once in a while. We have depth at LB, but this sucks. I don't think I'm taking anyone for granted this fall...we'll see who's still on the roster when we lineup on the opening Thursday nighter against MDTN.
Spring Game on Saturday - weather looks brutal, but that could change. Go enjoy the APR 2010 version of the Gophers because the SEPT 2010 version might look a lot different!
Thoughts on the proposed expansion? Obviously, this will shift the B10 into Championship Game mode and 2 divisions. My guess is that it's MIN, IOWA, WIS, MICH, MSU, PUR, IND - then ILL, NW, OHIOST, PSU, PITT, RUT, UCONN. Teams would get 6 inter-division games each year and then likely 2 conference non-division games...unless they expand that to 3. The biggest question in all of this has been the plan for MICH and OHIOST. If they decide to go with the alignment I have listed, the 2 would be in separate divisions but still likely play every year. This is why I think the 9 conference games makes sense...each team can play one of the other division teams every year and then rotate every 3 years between the other 6.
I know what you're asking, what about the Governor's Bell?? Well, I'm hoping the worst trophy in the history of college football would just disappear. Seriously, you can't just create trophy games with other schools for the sake of having it be called a rivalry. This would give PSU some nice natural rivals on the east coast as well, while making the Gophers half of the conference very interesting.
Overall, I like it. The expansion is the right move and whether it's just UCONN or all 3 from the Big East, it's the right thing to do. The first super-conference might be coming together. These 3 teams might not do a ton for B10 football...but how about the hoops teams that are coming over!?!? Wow! Definitely much more on this as more concrete info comes out.
What were you up to last Sunday night? I think we should have been partying at the U w/uber intelligent Gary Tinsley. After having his 2x4 swinging incident kind of swept under the rug last fall, Gary decided that being the projected starter at MLB just wasn't worth it - so he got hammered and jumped on his moped. Eventually Gary started driving down the wrong way of a one way street, cops saw him, he sped off trying to escape...on a moped. After a bit of a chase, Gary ditched the moped and starting showing off that B10 LB speed...but was eventually caught. He's been charged with 2 felonies and 3 misdemeanors...and I think it's safe to say his days with the Gophs are numebred. I hate to jump to conclusions, but sounds like he doesn't have much of a chance right now. Maybe Brew will look past it all, again, and just suspend him for 1/2 the season or maybe just 3 games. Who knows, but this Spring couldn't have any worse news than we have seen with all the incidents.
The question being posed is, are we recruiting bad people because we need to take the chance? Or is this something that just comes out and couldn't possibly be expected. I tend to lean toward the latter. I can't fault Brew for recruiting these guys and hoping they can keep their nose clean. All of these incidents have been just pure stupidity, and they have all been very avoidable. Hopefully there will be some serious discussion for the rest of the week from the coaching staff and maybe some of the older guys can help these young idiots learn how to have fun and not go to jail once in a while. We have depth at LB, but this sucks. I don't think I'm taking anyone for granted this fall...we'll see who's still on the roster when we lineup on the opening Thursday nighter against MDTN.
Spring Game on Saturday - weather looks brutal, but that could change. Go enjoy the APR 2010 version of the Gophers because the SEPT 2010 version might look a lot different!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
NCAA Rule Changes
Just a quick one today around stuff I'm thinking about and reading today.
1. No more eye black messages in NCAA Football
Shoot, those were so fun. I was just waiting for Nike or Subway or someone else to get a "school" sponsorship and have those showing up on these stupid messages. Good thing the NCAA put a stop to this before it got too crazy. Funny that they waited until after the second coming (Tebow) graduated.
2. Taunting = No TD!
This one is a much bigger deal and could cause some issues this season. For 2010, if you taunt the other team while going in to score a TD it will be called back. I haven't read enough to know the details, but this seems absolutely ridiculous. Another case of the NCAA trying to take the most emotional sport in the world and squeeze the emotion out of it. 15 yards on the kickoff/XP is one thing, but taking away TD's might be a little too far.
3. TEBOW
How is this guy possibly a 1st round pick!!!!???? I just don't understand it...Mike Mayock says, "he has everything you want in a QB except mechanics." Wow, so he does everything well except throw how you need him to? Isn't that kind of critical? If the whole throwing thing didn't matter, then why don't more no talent "leader" types play QB in the NFL? Whoever makes this pick and is counting on him to start within a couple years is setting their franchise back 5 years. Dumb.
4. Baseball Bets
4-1 again yesterday, with a 2-0 slate on the NHL playoffs...I can't be stopped. Actually no games that intrigue me today, but I'll pump it up again for the weekend. If this goes on for too much longer I'm going to have to start selling my services.
5. NFL Draft
This used to be one of the biggest and best days of the year for me...and now I'm at the point where I couldn't really care less. Maybe it's just my freaky love for the NCAA game, but I have looked at zero draft stuff and it's only a week away. I'll probably watch it here and there, but it's far from must see TV like it once was. I'm actually more pumped for next TUES for the schedule release - time to start breaking it down and finding some sneaky plays to identify early in the season. Anyone think the primetime idea is good? It ruins the sacred all day Saturday rube-fest that used to go on all across the country, but they're probably making more $$$ out of the deal...so that seems to be what the NFL is all about.
All right - here are some plays for today, hard to go a whole day without some action:
MLB
TEX is good w/Harrison throwing at CLE
PHI always a good pick over WASH
TOR and Eveland, something about LHP in TOR seems to be working
Sheets and OAK tonight over BAL, who is terrible!
NHL
BOS/BUF - under 5
LA +200 at VAN
There you go - bet the farm on all 6...or don't, my run has to run sometime, could it be today?!?
1. No more eye black messages in NCAA Football
Shoot, those were so fun. I was just waiting for Nike or Subway or someone else to get a "school" sponsorship and have those showing up on these stupid messages. Good thing the NCAA put a stop to this before it got too crazy. Funny that they waited until after the second coming (Tebow) graduated.
2. Taunting = No TD!
This one is a much bigger deal and could cause some issues this season. For 2010, if you taunt the other team while going in to score a TD it will be called back. I haven't read enough to know the details, but this seems absolutely ridiculous. Another case of the NCAA trying to take the most emotional sport in the world and squeeze the emotion out of it. 15 yards on the kickoff/XP is one thing, but taking away TD's might be a little too far.
3. TEBOW
How is this guy possibly a 1st round pick!!!!???? I just don't understand it...Mike Mayock says, "he has everything you want in a QB except mechanics." Wow, so he does everything well except throw how you need him to? Isn't that kind of critical? If the whole throwing thing didn't matter, then why don't more no talent "leader" types play QB in the NFL? Whoever makes this pick and is counting on him to start within a couple years is setting their franchise back 5 years. Dumb.
4. Baseball Bets
4-1 again yesterday, with a 2-0 slate on the NHL playoffs...I can't be stopped. Actually no games that intrigue me today, but I'll pump it up again for the weekend. If this goes on for too much longer I'm going to have to start selling my services.
5. NFL Draft
This used to be one of the biggest and best days of the year for me...and now I'm at the point where I couldn't really care less. Maybe it's just my freaky love for the NCAA game, but I have looked at zero draft stuff and it's only a week away. I'll probably watch it here and there, but it's far from must see TV like it once was. I'm actually more pumped for next TUES for the schedule release - time to start breaking it down and finding some sneaky plays to identify early in the season. Anyone think the primetime idea is good? It ruins the sacred all day Saturday rube-fest that used to go on all across the country, but they're probably making more $$$ out of the deal...so that seems to be what the NFL is all about.
All right - here are some plays for today, hard to go a whole day without some action:
MLB
TEX is good w/Harrison throwing at CLE
PHI always a good pick over WASH
TOR and Eveland, something about LHP in TOR seems to be working
Sheets and OAK tonight over BAL, who is terrible!
NHL
BOS/BUF - under 5
LA +200 at VAN
There you go - bet the farm on all 6...or don't, my run has to run sometime, could it be today?!?
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