SimonOnSports

Degrees of Loss Separation: Penn State > Ohio State

2009-11-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

The Degrees of Loss Separation is a simple concept, I go out and find a highly rated team with some losses playing against a crappy team with lots of losses. Next I find a chain of losses which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt (not at all) that the underdog is going to pull the major upset and storm the field. The Final Outcome is calculated simply: Add up the scores of the losers, add up the scores of the winners in the degrees of loss separation and divide both by the # of degrees.

The Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

At the start of the season this is the game that was marked on the Big 10 calendar. What people did not realize was that Iowa was going to be the team that is undefeated and these squads would be sitting with a loss a piece. Regardless the game is still huge as either of these teams will likely get into the BCS if they win out.

3º of Loss Separation : Penn State > Minnesota > Purdon't > Ohio State

The chain of command really begins with the stunning victory by Purdon't over Ohio State. No one really saw it coming but they stifled Terrelle Pryor and co and took home a 26-18 win. Purdon't has lost to many a Big 10 team including Minnesota back on October 10th by a score of 35-20. The loop was completed by a 20-0 shutout of Minnesota by Penn State.

Final Outcome: Penn State 23 Ohio State 13

Joe Pa gets another victory and another step closer to a 2nd consecutive BCS trip. If Northwestern can shock Iowa this weekend, he just might be one step closer to another Rose Bowl.

Hockey in the South is Flat Out Stupid

2009-11-06T10:39:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I read A Look at NHL's October Attendance on Fanhouse. What it essentially said was that average NHL attendance is down this season almost league wide. While looking at the stats they posted I noticed three teams had not change in their attendance per game. The meaning behind this lack of movement is simple. They sell out every single game, no questions asked. What did all of these teams have in common? They all play in Canada.

So I decided to take a little deeper dive into the attendance stats and seperate them by regions. The regions are very generic but I think they get the job done. What you gather from the numbers is that hockeys relocation and expansion was completely baffling if not entirely moronic. [Click to expand]

The South's best attendance is Dallas at 17. Five of the Six worst NHL attendance spots are located in the South*. The lone team who breaks the South's crap shutout is the Islanders who play in the NHL's worst arena, as said by Gary Bettman himself, play in a relatively small market#, and they've been atrocious for as long as I can remember. Meanwhile the lowest ranked Canadian team is Edmonton at 18. Edmonton has sold out their arena every game the past three years, they simply have a smaller arena than other teams. They do not lack support.

When you move to loss of attendance this year it again shifts the South way. The South overall is experiencing a 15% attendance decrease this year. Canada is experiencing a 0.5 % decrease and this is sparked on mostly because Ottawa has gone from good to not so good.

Gary it's time to move some hockey teams back to where they belong and that is not in Florida, Georgia or Phoenix it's to a place where people actually give a shit about hockey, Canada.

*I grouped Phoenix in the South instead of the West.

#No one likes the Islanders other than people on Long Island and no one goes to their games other than fans.

Week 9 NFL Pick Suggestions

2009-11-06T10:05:00.000-05:00

After a horrendous week, I feel like just guessing.

1. Carolina Panthers (+14 1/2) at New Orleans Saints
The Panthers are going to rush for 2 hundred plus yards and the Del Homie is going to throw for less than 2 interceptions. They're still going to lose, but not by more than two touchdowns.

2. Green Bay Packers (-10 1/2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are truly atrocious. They are starting Josh Freeman fro the first time. The Packers desperately need a win to get back on track. The Packers have to kill them right?

3. Atlanta Falcons (-10 1/2) vs. Washington Redskins
The Redskins are also terrible. The are surrounded by non-stop bitching and controversy. They just lost their Tight End for the season. The Falcons like the Packers are desperate and need a win. They win by double digits right?

4. Kansas City Chiefs (+6.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are a team of confusion. I don't get them. The Chiefs just suck. But I'm picking them anyway cause I don't trust the Jags to win any game by a touchdown.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (-3 1/2) at Denver Broncos
Honestly fuck the Broncos. I think I've gotten every single game they played wrong this season. I finally change my tune and pick them to cover the spread last week and they get fucking killed. I'm back to picking against them.

Survivor Pick of the Week: Falcons
I'm not too comfortable with this pick as the Redskins are coming off a bye and the Falcons aren't exactly king shit. But I think i get to 9-0.

The Rest of the Picks

Spreadless

I Think You Might Get Suspended

2009-11-06T09:44:00.000-05:00

Who knew that women's college soccer is the place to find random acts of violence? My question is how the hell did she not get a card on the flying challenge right before the hair pull? That had to be something the refs saw right?

Courtesy of TBL

The Big 5 College Football Games of Week 10

2009-11-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

This weekend is all about Nick Saban. It's Nick Saban's world and he'll where a stupid straw hat if he wants to.

5. Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal
The Cardinal aren't a terrible team and coming off the high of beating USC last weekend perhaps the Ducks are in store for a let down. Or not. The Pick: Ducks by 13

4. Oklahoma Sooners at Nebraska Cornhuskers
These teams were supposed to be good at the beginning of the season. Too bad neither really is. The Pick: Oklahoma by 7

3. Oregon State Beavers at California Golden Bears
Yes I'm reaching a bit. There's really two big games this weekend and that's it. Anyway, both of these teams have two Pac 10 losses so perhaps they still have a moderate shot of getting into the Rose Bowl. The Beavers still have the Civil War opportunity ahead but it won't matter after they lose this weekend. The Pick: Cal by 7

2. Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions
The Buckeyes are still alive for a Big 10 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl despite their loss to Purdon't. Win out and they get the honor of giving up 400 rush yards to Oregon. Penn State however is going to need some help as they will need multiple Iowa defeats to get there however if they finish with just 1 loss they will play in a BCS game somewhere. The Pick: Joe Pas by 3.

1. Louisiana State Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide
It's Nick Saban vs. the guy who inherited Nick Saban's players and won a National Championship. Advantage Nick Saban. If Les Miles does find a way to upset the Crimson Tide it would likely throw a dagger in Bama's BCS title hopes as an LSU trip to the SEC title game would likely eliminate voters from choosing Bama. Alas, they will win on saturay and it will be moot. The Pick: Bama by 6.

The Tough Luck Former Yankees

2009-11-05T11:55:00.001-05:00

Let's take a quick look back at some of the players from 2001-2008 that never got to lift up a World Series trophy with the Yankees.

Mike Mussina (2001-2008)

The man is sandwiched between World Series victories. Is there anything worse? He's a borderline Hall of Famer (I don't think he gets in) and he left after his first and only 20 win season. His departure, in part, led the Yankees to bring in CC and Burnett. 8 seasons in pin stripes for Muss. 7 trips to the playoffs. 1 epic relief appearance. 2 World Series Trips. Zero Rings.

Gary Sheffield (2004-2006)

The Sheff came into the Bronx coming off a terrific year with the Bravos. He then dominated AL pitching finishing 2nd in the MVP voting in 2004. Unfortunately he was a part of the epic collapse against Boston. After being ravaged by injuries in 2006 the Yanks let him find employment elsewhere. 3 Years in Pin Stripes. Zero Rings.

Alphonso Soriano (1999-2003)

I'm not sure Soriano counts because he was a September call up in both 1999 and 2000, so he likely has a ring, but his first full time role came in 2001. He proceeded to hit what we thought was the game winning homer in Game 7 of the World Series to jump him into Yankee lore, but somehow Mo lost the game. Bad year for New York. Soriano was then sent packing to bring in ~~Kate Hudson~~ Clutch-Rod.

Jason Giambi (2002-2008)

The gold thong was brought in to be a hero and he was pretty damn good for a time. He was a key performer in the 2003 series win over the Red Sox and all was looking good, until they lost to the Marlins. Giambi eventually got busted for Roids and morphed into a very fat and slow first baseman. He was let go for an upgrade at first in Big Tex. 7 Years in Pin Stripes. 1 World Series trip. Zero Rings.

Bobby Abreu (2006-2008)

Abreu was traded for at the 2006 deadline. With him he brought a giggling hispanic man who was a afraid of the wall. He also hit relatively well.

Nick Johnson (2001-2003)

Nick the not so quick was a balding 20 something year with a decent stick while with the Yanks. His glove was also a billion times better than Giambi's. He looked like he might create a solid 1-2 punch at first/DH. Then the Yankees traded him for Javy Vazquez in an effort to strengthen the rotation. Didn't work.

Carl Pavano (2005-2008)

I love jokes. Carl Pavano sucked the life out of the Yankees. He stole money and everyone disliked him. Too bad someone can't strip away his Marlins World Series ring.

Kyle Farnsworth (2006-2008)

Everyone loved to hate Farny, but the dude definitely cared. He was actually finding a bit of a groove in 2008 with Girardi as manager. That is until they traded him for Pudge and he started crying. 3 years in Pin Stripes. Zero Rings.

Scott Proctor (2004-2007)

Proctor was Joe Torre's little bullpen toy to use every single day. His arm as since fallen off.

Kevin Brown (2004-2005)

Steroids and at the tail end of his career. Ya good trade Cashman.

I'm sure I missed a couple good ones please fill me in.

Thaaaaa Yankees Win Quick Notes

2009-11-05T11:11:00.001-05:00

~The main cogs in the game 6 wheel were very fitting. Andy Pettitte picking up the victory. Mariano closing the door. Jeter going 3-5. Matsui picking up his first World Series ring and doing it in style. Oh and Pedro lost.

~Mr. Pettitte tied a record that Derek Lowe also shares and probably somebody else too. He was the winning pitcher in each of the series clinchers.

~Everyone making a big deal about 3 days rest can all shut up now. What a stupid topic. Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett have all pitched on 3 days rest before. They are all massive men. They have gotten ample rest the entire postseason. They weren't going to be asked to throw 8 innings. Each and all of them could pitch on 3-days rest without being significantly diminished or diminished at all. Pitching Gaudin would have been stupid. AJ Burnett pitched bad because he's AJ Burnett. He also pitched like crap on full rest in his 2nd start against the Angels.

~Can Mo continue to dominate into his 90s? I hope so. Perhaps the Steinbrenners can just clone him, that'll be the next way to increase payroll.

~Someone paint A-Rod a mural of the team as centaurs, he deserves it.

~If A-Rod did not get busted for steroids, would he now qualify for the greatest player of all time? What would he need to do to garner that distinction? He was the best player this playoffs, he's been arguably the best player in baseball for a decade and a half, he might set the all-time home run record, he's won MVPs, Gold Gloves, etc. etc.

~Swisher had sex with ___ women last night? Over/Under is set at 2.5.

~Think Mike Mussina is angry today? He was a Yankee from 2001-2008. Picked up zero world series titles and left after a 20 win season. (H/T FackYouk)

~And don't forget about Giambi, a Yankee from 2002-2008. The Giambino has zero world series rings and one gold thong.

~Japanese electronic stores saw a boom in business with each 2 RBI hit by Matsui. They are in awe of his clutchness or moles or both.

~What will the Yankees do with the money that's coming off their payroll this offseason? Matsui, Nady and Damon are all off the books. Matty and Damon were both heroes of the World Series. Do they let either or both walk? Damon's already proved that he'll move to where the money is, so if someone offers him a 4 or 5 year deal I bet he goes there. Matty might have the Japanese loyalty and be willing to sign for a year.

~Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Brett Gardner were a combined 2 for 243 this series. Or something like that.

~The Phillies could use a sidekick for Lee. Perhaps Hamels can wake up and stop being a lady.

~Thank you Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard for being mostly useless this series.

~Is Steinbrenner alive?

~Shall I go to the parade tomorrow? Hmm...

~I'm gonna miss this...
<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&from=metadatawidget_en-us_foxpsorts_videocentral&vid=d89a3be6-000a-455f-988b-e08f6e1072e9" target="_new" title="MLB on FOX: Phillies fall in 6">Video: MLB on FOX: Phillies fall in 6</a>

~World Series games 6 and 7 should really be on friday and saturday. I desired to get drunk last night and not have to go to work this morning.

It's a Celebration Bitches

2009-11-05T08:48:00.013-05:00

In the words of Dave Chappelle as Rick James... "It's a Celebration Bitches!"

Ballgame Over, World Series Over, Yankees Win, Thaaaaaaaaaaaa Yankees Win

2009-11-05T08:15:00.002-05:00

Music to my ears...

Courtesy of the wonderful It Is High It Is Far It Is Caught

NFL Week 8 Awards

2009-11-04T14:22:00.000-05:00

Wow You Guys Suck: Detroit Lions, You lose to a team that is 0-7 and has pretty much won the Wow You Guys Suck award every single week. I guess the Lions are lucky that they had the Redskins on their schedule this season, else they might just me looking at another 0-16. Runners Up: the Giants I never thought they would be here but they were dreadful on sunday, the Packers O-Line is going to need to cover Rodgers medical bills after the season.

Cough Cough Cough: New York Jets, Your defense gives up 10 points and holds the opposing offense to about 130 yards of total offense, yet you still manage to lose the game thanks to three return touchdowns. Then the offense can't get it done when driving and in the redzone with under 2 minutes left. Choke job. Runners Up: Randy Lerner and his hiring skills, Kurt Warner went whoopsies with a lot of his throws.

The Shocker: The Ravens, The Broncos are who we thought they are? I'm not sure given the fact that they are still 6-1 but they did get absolutely positively beaten to shreds on sunday. So maybe they are in for an epic collapse. Then again they do play in a division that includes the Raiders and Chiefs. Runners Up: the Panthers just need to run a lot and avoid the Del Homie passing at all costs, Ted Ginn is good?

The Pimp: Brett Favre, Yes, its finally over. No more Favre games vs. the Packers this season. The media can stop talking about it non-stop. The Packer fans booed him he dominated the Packers. Now we can move on, yes? Runners Up: Chris Johnson gets the Titans on the board with 220 yards, Donovan McNabb won the Eagles game by half time.

This Scarecrow Needs a Brain: James Butler, Just Watch at the 50 second mark...

Runners Up: the Jags OC should give Jones-Drew the ball more than 8 times, if you're playing the Rams just put 9 in the box.

You Got JAKKED UP: Danny Ammendola,

My Fantasy Anti-MVP: The Gunslinger, It was a good week to be a gunslinger owner.

New York Jets Anti-MVP: Kick Coverage, Pretty simple. You give up 2 tds that should be 20 yard games and you lose.

My Picks

My Picks: 8-5
Preseason Picks: 9-4
Picks Vs. Spread: 5-8
Pick Suggestions: 1-4

Wow...

Week 9 Blogpoll

2009-11-04T09:09:00.002-05:00

Before you yell and say where is so and so team, please read my polling philosophy and then yell afterwards.

1. Alabama - I almost jumped Florida over the Crimson Tide this week thanks to the Hokies losing yet again, but after I looked at it some more Bama still deserves to remain at the top. Quality Wins: Virginia Tech(n), @Ole Miss, South Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee

2. Florida - The Gators put another beatdown on the Richts in the cocktail party. The Bama Gator showdown is only a month away. Quality Wins: Tennessee, @LSU, Arkansas, Georgia (n)

3. Texas - If only Texas had a beneficial OOC win. Quality Wins: TT, Oklahoma (n), @Oklahoma St.

4. Iowa - If only the Big 10 had some impressive OOC wins outside of Arizona. Quality Wins: @Penn State, @Wisconsin, Arizona

5. Boise State - It's the debate in your head that says how can I rank team A over team B when team B has a better record and beat team A even though team A has 4 better wins than team B. For one more week I'm holding with team B, Boise St. Quality Wins: Oregon

6. Oregon- The crushing of USC was quite imptessive. It's too bad the Ducks choked in Boise else I would probably be voting them #1 in the country right now. Quality Wins: Utah, Cal, @UCLA, USC

7. Cincinnati - I moved up Cincy because Rutgers, BeaverU and USF all one this weekend and improved to 6-2, 5-3. 6-2 respectively. When they beat Pitt and WVU I'm gonna have a hard time not having them jump Oregon, Boise, Iowa and perhaps Texas. Quality Wins: @Rutgers, @Oregon State, @USF

8. TCU - Quality Wins: @Clemson, @BYU

9. LSU - .Quality Wins: Auburn, @Georgia

10. Georgia Tech - So Duke is essentially the only team that can dethrone from their ACC Coastal perch... I think it's safe to say their in the ACC Title Game in a few weeks. Quality Wins: Clemson, UNC, VT

11. Southern Cal -This weekend was embarrassing but they still do have three huge road victories over ranked opponents. Quality Wins: @Ohio St., @Cal, @Notre Dame - Bad Losses: Washington, Oregon

12-25 is just a massive I have no idea whats going on disaster that I likely just made a lot of mistakes because I didn't have a ton of time to analyze this... Next week there might be a bit of a reshuffle as I take the time to analyze team by team a little bit better.

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama
2	Florida
3	Texas	1
4	Iowa	1
5	Boise State	1
6	Oregon	1
7	Cincinnati	3
8	TCU
9	LSU
10	Georgia Tech	2
11	Southern Cal	6
12	Penn State	2
13	Houston	2
14	Pittsburgh	1
15	Miami (Florida)	4
16	Ohio State	5
17	Arizona	3
18	Virginia Tech	5
19	Brigham Young	3
20	Oklahoma	4
21	California
22	Notre Dame	3
23	South Florida
24	North Carolina
25	Auburn
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: West Virginia (#16), Oklahoma State (#17), South Carolina (#18), Georgia (#23).

Pressers With Chahlie

2009-11-04T08:08:00.000-05:00

Charlie Manuels press conferences are so epic, they deserve their very own comic strip.

Could Brett Myers Be an Option for Game 7?

2009-11-03T12:37:00.004-05:00

It might be a bit early to discuss game 7, given the fact that there ~~might~~ hopefully won't be one, but a thought popped into my head after reading this. Why not start Brett Myers in Game 7 of the World Series? If you're the Phillies your options are "I can't wait for the season to end" Cole Hamels, Blanton on 3 days rest, rookie J.A. Happ, or former ace of your staff Myers.

Cole Hamels is averaging just under 5 innings per 4 playoff start and is giving up 4 runs per outing. He obviously does not have his shit together now. If you aren't going Cliff Lee on 3-days rest, why would you go with Blanton on 3-days rest? J.A. Happ had a terrific season but in his lone postseason start ever 3 runs in 3 innings. Is that the gamble you want to take?

Starting Brett Myers would be a MASSIVE gamble. He hasn't started since he went on the DL in on May 27th. He hasn't even pitched often this postseason, appearing in just two games. He was just mediocre in his World Series start last year going 7 innings and giving up 3 earned runs. But Myers does have experience, he does have a solid start against the Yankees this season (8 IP, W, 3 ER), he does have K stuff, he certainly would be fired up, and I wouldn't put it past Charlie Manuel to make any decision where he puts faith in one of his veterans.

Fun With Regressions: The NFL Is A Quarterback's League

2009-11-03T10:42:00.002-05:00

Want a simplistic view to show you how the NFL is a pass first league now? Here are the regressions for Rush Rank and Passing Rank to Games Above .500. What you'll notice is the slopes to the two trendlines are vastly different in degree.

The NFL isn't quite to the point where rushing the football is going to be universal hindrance to your team but its obvious that just because you have a top rushing attack you aren't guaranteed victories especially if its paired with a miserable passing attack. You'll notice that 5 of the top 10 rushing attacks in the NFL are .500 or below. This includes the Tennessee Titans who are currently 2nd in the league in rushing and are 1-6. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals rank 30-32 in rushing but are a combined 15-6.

Passing Rank is a very very very different beast. Of the teams ranked 1-18 in passing attack just one team is below .500. That team is the 2-5 Seattle Seahawks who have combined their 15th ranked passing attack with the 29th ranked rushing attack. The teams ranked 19-32 are all under .500 except for the New York Jets who rank 1st in rushing attack.

Sometimes all you need is the simplest data to tell you whats going on the NFL. The NFL is a passing game. It's no longer a play defense and grind out the ball on the ground. You need to put up yardage quick and you need a solid Quarterback to get it done. If you don't have one, you might as well prep for your early draft pick.

Lebron James Will Win ___ MVP Awards

2009-11-03T09:01:00.000-05:00

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Sometimes the most interesting and lines are those that make you look into the distant future. For instance will Lebron James pick up 4 of the next 10 MVP trophies? At face value one would probably say yes, but you still have to dig deeper into it.

Lebron James is coming off an MVP season. He is the best player in the NBA and will be the favorite to win the MVP award the season and likely every season for the near future. And he's still only 24 which if you think about it is remarkable given the impact he has already had. But 5 total MVP trophies is a very very lofty accomplishment done only by Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He has the talent to do it, but there are many risks involved.

1) Injury - Lebron James has for the most part avoided the injury bug. He's big and strong and young. But injury's can rear their ugly head and

2) His Teams Need to Win - Lebron doesn't have more than one MVP award simply because his Cavs didn't win enough games in 07-08 and 06-07. The MVP award is half individual accomplishments and half team accomplishments, if the Cavs suck LBJ won't win.

3) 2010 Free Agency - This could make or break the bet. Lebron could move to New York. He could stay in Cleveland. He could have a super star teammate. He could have Darko as a teammate. No one knows what is going to happen and this could make every difference on whether or not he will cash in 4 MVP awards.

4) Ten Years is a Long Time - The next great NBA player could be a junior in high school right now. He could be better than Lebron for all we know and he could potentially dominate the league from 2015-2019 and make Lebron second fiddle.

At the end of the day, I'm going with Lebron. He should already have more than 1 MVP and after this offseason I think the Cavs will bulk up with an additional A-List free agent that will help the Cavs win for the long haul. Lebron is still very young and he is the best player in the world by a good margin over every but Kobe and Kobe is ready to start the downside of his career. I'm taking LBJ to reach 5 MVP Awards by the start of the 2019-2020 season.

Yay, The Jets Still Suck But Now They're Assholes Too

2009-11-03T08:05:00.000-05:00

The Jets lose in horrendous fashion so naturally its time to rejoice with miserable sarcasm. Take it away Bart:

"They're a great team," Scott said after the 30-25 defeat, per Tim Graham of ESPN.com. "They'll probably contend for the Super Bowl. They have a tremendous offense, great running backs, a great quarterback, a great tight end. They are stacked across the board. I'm serious. They are great.

"Like I said, they have a great team. They have a tremendous offense and they showed it today. They are Super Bowl contenders and they will probably take it all the way." [ESPN]

Memo to the New York Jets, please shut up. Please don't utter a single other word about the Miami Dolphins because you may think you are better than the Dolphins but you are not. You lost two times. The first matchup your defense didn't show up, this past sunday your special teams were abused. If you're pissed off about this Bart, then saddle up, go back to your roots and play kickoff returns. Else, get your ass in gear, keep your mouth shut, and come back from the bye week and win some football games.

The Brains of Football Men Are Strong

2009-11-02T14:59:00.003-05:00

Man... Tackle... Make... Yes... Why Everuhbudy so mad?

Courtesy of Deadspin

This Isn't Sports...

2009-11-02T13:21:00.001-05:00

But Christopher Walken is too entertaining to not post.

World Series Quick Notes

2009-11-02T10:23:00.005-05:00

~The ninth inning for the Phillies was a managerial debacle. First off if you run the shift with a person who has speed on first base someone on your team has to know that they need to cover third base. Whether it be Ruiz sprinting immediately following the throw or it be Lidge. Someone needs to be there. Secondly, after Lidge had given up a hit, a double steal and hit Teixeira someone needed to go to the mound. This is the most important at bat of the season and your closer is obviously rattled. Get to the mound talk strategy and settle him down. Instead, nothing happened, AROD got the winning hit and the Phillies are one loss away to a runner up.

~I would also like to thank Charlie Manuel and Cliff Lee for the decision to not go Cliff Lee in game 4. Joe Blanton pitched a decent game but 4 runs through 6 is not good enough. Cliff Lee gives you the best chance to win a baseball game and you have opted to use him just twice.

~Jorge Posada is literally the slowest man in the entire universe.

~I want Jayson Stark to tell me when the last time a player had 2 steals on a single pitch.

~CC essentially had his B- stuff in two consecutive starts and still with the exception of Chase Utley dominated the Phillies lineup. I'm pretty sure we can stop with the CC can't pitch in the postseason junk that was brought on by the three starts of yesteryear.

~Centaurs get clutch hits in the 9th inning, did you not know this Brad Lidge?

~I prefer my October classic to be played in October.

~Ryan Howard could probably light the stadium with the amount of wind power he produces on whiff after whiff after whiff.

~I think tonight is the night that Cano joins the party.

~I feel like an old man as last night I needed to have a cup of tea to get caffeine in my system to keep me awake.

~One more game...

The Boomer and Carton Centaur Photo

2009-11-02T10:00:00.003-05:00

Boomer and Carton said they wanted a centaur photo and that first person that got them a pic got tickets. And I was bored so here it is...

It's more paint masterpiece than photoshop, but oh well. Click on it to expand.

At What Point Does a Head to Head Victory Get Trumped

2009-11-02T08:50:00.000-05:00

In week 1 of the season the Oregon Ducks traveled to the land of the smurf turf and got their asses handed to them. Boise St. handled Oregon's rushing attack throughout the entire night and held the mighty Ducks offense to just one touchdown. On that night it was clear that Boise St. was up to the challenge and that perhaps we hyped up Oregon a bit too much in the offseason. The evening was than stamped with extra embarrasment when star running back LeGarrette Blount threw a straight right at Byron Hout.

Since that moment that fateful moment that Blount lost his cool, it could be argued that Oregon has been the best team in the country. The Ducks ended the Utah Utes 16 game winning streak just two weeks after the Boise defeat. The Utes have since improved to 7-1. The Ducks followed up that huge win with a 42-3 romp of Cal, who is currently 6-2. The exclamation point on the Duck's season came this weekend when they hosted the Trojans of Southern Cal and blitzed them 47-20.

The Broncos on the other hand have ventured into the relm the WAC and OOC cupcake land. In their 7 games since beating Oregon they have played exactly 1 team with a winning record (Fresno St., 5-3). The rest of their schedule is a continouous barage of WAC opponents, opponents who in all likelihood will not beat Boise. So if they remain undefeated where shall they be ranked...

Do I think Boise St. would be Cal, Utah and USC? Honestly no. Do I think the Ducks would beat the Broncos if they played now in Autzen stadium? Yes. But they are still undefeated and beat Oregon when they were on the field, how can I justify ranking them behind Oregon? For right now, I don't think I can.

And now to the preliminary poll...

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama
2	Florida
3	Texas	1
4	Iowa	1
5	Boise State	1
6	Oregon	1
7	TCU	1
8	LSU	1
9	Cincinnati	1
10	Georgia Tech	2
11	Houston
12	Southern Cal	7
13	Penn State	1
14	Pittsburgh	1
15	Miami (Florida)	4
16	Ohio State	5
17	Arizona	3
18	Brigham Young	4
19	Oklahoma	5
20	Virginia Tech	7
21	California
22	Notre Dame	3
23	South Florida
24	North Carolina
25	Auburn
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: West Virginia (#16), Oklahoma State (#17), South Carolina (#18), Georgia (#23).

The NFL Blackout Rule, Beating Detroit While It's Down

2009-10-30T10:50:00.002-04:00

The below image is from the wonderful the506.com, who each week puts together a map of the US and their corresponding NFL broadcasts. As you can see in the image below Detroit fans are getting punched in the nuts. The Lions did not sell out their game, and why would they with the Lions and Rams combining for 1 win, thus the Lions game is blacked out in the local market. What sucks the most is that not only do they not get to watch the Lions game, who cares really, but they don't get to watch any game on FOX, instead they are just stuck with the Cleveland vs. Chicago game, wooo. Can't we just be nice to Detroit and let them watch the Eagles Giants game? I think they have been through enough.

Week 8 NFL Pick Suggestions

2009-10-30T08:04:00.004-04:00

The first 4-1 week of the year came last week so why not improve it to 5-0 this week.

1. Denver Broncos (+3 1/2) at Baltimore Ravens
I've lost on the Broncos I think every week this season, so we're changing gears, the Broncos are great all hail the Broncos. They are being disresepected, give them 3 1/2 points? They won't need it they will win by 1.

2. Detroit Lions (-3 1/2) vs. St. Louis Rams
The Lions are favored in a football game, the world is about to melt into its core. It actually does make sense though, they are at home and the Rams are that bad.

3. Minnesota Vikings (+3 1/2) at Green Bay Packers
Simply put the last time these two teams played it was evident that the Vikings were the better team. The Vikings offense was able to move the ball behind Brett Favre and Jared Allen was able to knock Rodgers on his ass at will. I don't see how a change a of scenery has given the Vikings 3 points.

4. Cleveland Browns (+13.5) at Chicago Bears
The Browns are terrible, but its not as if the Bears are blowing teams away on a week to week basis. Last weekend the Bears were disgraced, so I'm banking on the Mangini keeping this game within two touchdowns.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (+2 1/2) at Tennessee Titans
I'm not really in love with a 5th pick this week, but in the end I shall go with the Jaguars because the Titans have simply given up this season. Their defense doesn't look like it cares and now the owner is making Quarterback decisions. Wee.

Survivor Pick of the Week: Chargers
The Raiders have beaten the Eagles this season so I guess this is not a lock, but if the Raiders play anything like they did last week they'll lose by 40.

The Rest of the Picks

Spreadless

Leon Washington Was Mr. October

2009-10-29T16:00:00.001-04:00

Well he was until he broke his leg. Next season I bet Leon requests his picture be represented on the Jet calendar during and offseason month.

Was the Expos Trading for Bartolo Colon the Worst Trade of All Time?

2009-10-29T11:11:00.001-04:00

Let us set the stage...

The Montreal Expos are in disarray, they are owned by Major League baseball and there have been ample talks about contracting both them and the Minnesota Twins. The Expos find themselves in the Wild Card race with the opportunity to add Bartolo Colon, one of the best pitchers in baseball, who also happens to be in the 2nd to last year of his contract. Colon with the Indians in the first half of the season was 10-4 with a 2.55 ERA, but the Indians were out of it and looking to build for the future. In an attempt to try to get the Expos into the playoffs Omar Minaya made the splash move for Colon, also acquiring Tim Drew (brother of Stephen and JD) while giving up three prospects and Lee Stevens in the process.

Fast Forward Three Months...

Bartolo Colon absolutely did his job for the Expos. He replicated his 10-4 record he had with the Indians in the first half of the season and pitched to the tune of 3.31 ERA. The problem was the rest of the rotation did not do their jobs. The combination of a young Javy Vazquez, Carl Pavano, Tony Armas Jr., Tomo Ohka and Masato Yoshii were not nearly enough to get the Expos into the playoffs. The Expos finished 19 games back of the Braves for the AL East and 12.5 behind the Giants for the Wildcard.

The Price That Was Paid

At the time of the deal, the purported major piece traded was 2B Brandon Phillips while the two lesser prospects dealt were Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee. The three would have made up a remarkable core for the Expos/Nats to build upon. Phillips after being traded to the Reds has emerged as one of the top 2nd baseman in the National League. In his 2nd season with the Reds he went 30/30 and won the gold glove. Grady Sizemore has been amongst the best outfielders in baseball. Sizemore has made three all star games, has finished in the top 12 of the MVP voting three times, and like Phillips has accomplished 30/30. Lee took awhile to blossom into a stud but in the past two seasons he has emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball, taking home the AL Cy Young in 2008 and proving to be a fantastic postseason asset to the Phillies this season.

So Why is This Trade So Bad?

A rent-a-player happens all the time, you give up some prospects in hopes of getting an impact player and getting into the postseason. The problem was, at the time of the trade, the Expos were already 6.5 back of the division and 4 games out of the Wild Card. The Expos did not have the team to compete even with Bartolo Colon nor the money to keep him in the offseason. Therefore before the 2003 season the Expos dealt Colon in a three team deal to the White Sox for El Duque, Rocky Biddle, Jeff Liefer and Cash, none of whom ever made a significant impact on their franchise. Meanwhile Lee, Phillips, and Sizemore have all gone on to be excellent players for their respective teams.

The Expos were desperate. They were a team that needed to make a playoff push. They made a big splash trade but in the process they set their franchise back almost a full decade by giving up the cornerstones of their future. Trades don't get much worse than this.