As the title suggests, this was a very busy sports weekend, football and otherwise.
The biggest news from the football world this weekend occurred yesterday, and it involved none other than Timothy Richard Tebow, who if you recall almost had a cult following the last time he was in the league especially when the Broncos went to the playoffs under his watch. It was a cult following that included, amongst others, Skip Bayless of ESPN.
One thing we've already seen is that Chip Kelly isn't afraid to do things his way, and this is just another example. He's already dealt away his two top offensive weapons, Shady McCoy and Nick Foles (although, to be honest, most average quarterbacks could probably do well in that system) and now he's got Frank Gore and whoever the Eagles QB is going to be - and it looks like TRT is going to be at least in the mix for a bit. Since they signed Tebow, my feeling that Kelly will go after Mariota is waning. But you never know with him.
In other football news, a possibility talked about in recent weeks in some NFL circles is that Philip Rivers might get dealt from San Diego to the Tennessee Titans. Fueling these rumors is the news that the Chargers sent people to the home of the Oregon Ducks, Eugene, to work out Marcus Mariota.
Now, I'm not sure whether the Chargers will deal Philip Rivers and take a chance on Mariota (who I am not sold on as an NFL QB to begin with). I do know this; I am no fan of Philip Rivers, but that guy is a gamer and has a lot of heart and talent. I would say it would be really stupid of the Chargers to trade Rivers, but as I mentioned in the last blog, there is at least a possibility the Chargers could move to LA in the near future. And according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, Rivers "ain't about LA." So maybe if the Chargers are going to move to LA, they trade Rivers and both teams get what they want.
Also from the NFL, Andre Johnson said recently that he didn't sign with the Colts to get back at the Texans. Yeah, that's reaaaaaalllll believable, Andre. If it weren't about revenge, then you wouldn't have signed with a division rival. You could have gone to the Pats or someplace else and had a chance to win a Super Bowl. But where did you go...to a Texans division rival.
On college football; it is ridiculous that the Big 10 and Delany are still pushing for freshmen to be ineligible in football and basketball. In case you missed it, Delany sent out a 12 page treatise Friday explaining why he favors freshmen ineligibility.
One thing that caught my eye was from an article in Friday's USA Today, where it is noted that Delany believes the balance between academics and athletics has tilted too far in the wrong direction. Now I'm not the best translator in the world, but I think what this really is, is a move against the SEC.
It's a move against the SEC and most notably the Kentucky basketballs of the world; as most fans who follow college basketball know, Kentucky has probably benefited the most from college basketball's one and done system as they sent seven players to the NBA draft this year and probably will still be ranked top 5 preseason next year. Football obviously pays the bills in college athletics, but I think the way Calipari runs his program at Kentucky has really gotten under Delany's skin.
Thing is though, there is an easier way to solve this problem and keep freshmen eligible at the same time (which is how it should be). They should use the NCAA baseball model, which I really like. In that first year draft, the guys who go into that draft are either straight out of high school or have completed at least three or four years in college and are 21 years old (and junior college players can be eligible any time). But wait, I forgot, the Big 10 doesn't care about college baseball all that much except for schools like Nebraska, which is truly a shame.
Also from college football, Ohio State gets over 99,000 for their spring game. I can't stand Ohio State but that's an impressive accomplishment. Their stadium holds between 104,000 and 105,000 so they did a good job almost filling the place up. They were part of a weekend where a lot of the SEC's heavyweights (Alabama, LSU, Auburn) also had their spring games.
Time to double back now and go to the Masters and golf; yeah, I know they played at Hilton Head this past weekend and Furyk won in a playoff but to be honest, not many of the top players played this weekend. Speaking of Spieth, there's your answer to the future of golf.
I've heard lots of chatter from talking heads in recent years that golf won't be the same without Tiger and Phil playing well. Bottom line is, golf will carry on just fine no matter who is leading it, even for as good as Tiger and Phil have been throughout their careers, and Spieth appears to be the flag bearer for the next generation. How many guys who are 21 can go do what Jordan Spieth just did at Augusta? Even more impressive was that every single one of the top golfers in the world took a run at him at one point but he had an answer for everything.
Perhaps the most appropriate thing about this Masters was that as legendary University of Texas golfer Ben Crenshaw played his final Masters, Jordan Spieth, the next generation of Texas golf and golf in general, has taken the torch and ran with it. That will not be the only major he wins, by the way.
Not a whole lot of surprises from the NBA playoffs this weekend, but I will touch on two things briefly. #1, Mavericks fans should be very concerned. Harden had a fairly quiet night and Howard played just 17 minutes Saturday and the Rockets still beat them by 10. #2, I'm not 100 percent sure the Clippers can knock out the Spurs, it's tough to knock them out 4 of 7, but the Clippers made a very large statement last night in the first game.
A few baseball things now:
1. Probably the biggest thing in baseball this weekend was the debut of highly publicized talent Kris Bryant, who made his MLB debut for the Cubs Friday against San Diego and went 0 for 4. He got a hero's welcome though, from Chicago dignitaries such as Mike Ditka. Astros fans may remember that the Astros were scouting him in the draft two years ago before they took Mark Appel instead.
2. A's/Royals looked and felt a bit like Chiefs/Raiders this weekend; there were skirmishes in all three of those games, for those who missed it. The whole thing started Friday with this play, when A's player Brett Lawrie slid into second base with his spikes up as Royals shortsop Alcides Escobar is trying to cover second. You can see the play here: http://deadspin.com/brett-lawrie-alcides-escobar-and-the-case-of-the-text-1698799891#
Now, Lawrie claims he texted Escobar after the game, Escobar claims he didn't and called Lawrie out for his slide. Personally, whether Lawrie did apologize or not, you absolutely cannot slide into second base with your spikes up. Those spikes on those cleats are dangerous. In any event, there were skirmishes on Saturday and Sunday as well. All I can say is it's going to be interesting when those teams meet again in June.
3. Like I said last week, the Mets intrigue me. They've won eight games in a row and currently sit in first in the NL East. The Nats will probably come back and take over first place, but the Mets should be a good team the whole year.
4. Almost as hot are Don Mattingly's Dodgers, who have used a seven game win streak to grab an early NL West lead and end the Rockies undefeated run of six in a row on the road.
5. Early on there is at least reason for careful optimism regarding the local nine in Houston; so far the division is playing mediocre. Even the division favorite (for a lot of people) the Seattle Mariners have had their struggles early this season. If the division continues to play mediocre, the summer could be pretty fun at Minute Maid Park.
Finally, the Boston Marathon is today. I have friends who are competing in that event. Best wishes to all the athletes in that event.
Until next time....
Monday, April 20, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Aaron Hernandez and other thoughts 4/16/15
Back here on a Thursday with several thoughts to chew on. And yes, Rockets fans I'll get to the first division title in 21 years, but lots of football to get to first.
Of course, the biggest story in sports yesterday was Aaron Hernandez, which honestly has transcended far beyond sports at this point. This isn't even a Patriots or NFL thing anymore. Yesterday, he was found guilty of first degree murder in the killing of his friend Odin Lloyd and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Honestly, there are two sad things about this whole deal to me; the first thing is that the man actually had talent...elite talent. Two years ago, this guy was catching footballs from Tom Brady and was an integral part of the Patriots offense. Now, he's behind bars...permanently. As a Husker alum and lifetime fan, I've sadly seen this movie before thanks to a guy by the name of Lawrence Phillips; a massively talented running back who could have played 15 years in the NFL but wasted it, just like Hernandez has done. Very sad.
The second sad part about this is that he isn't done. That's because this guy faces double murder charges in Boston, as well as civil lawsuits over the killings and not only that, he faces a lawsuit in Florida from a former friend who claims he was shot in the face and left for dead after an argument.
That said, I'm moving on to other football stuff.
Elsewhere in the NFL, Von Miller is apparently on a diet, and is already running his mouth about how the Broncos could be the NFL's top defense next year. The Broncos are switching from a 4-3 to 3-4 defense, which should at least be interesting. That said, Miller really should stop running his mouth until the Broncos back that claim up. Manning's never really had a top defense anywhere he's been since college, so why should we believe this is going to be any different?
Meanwhile, the quest to get the NFL back in Los Angeles took a huge step forward Wednesday when a proposed stadium that could become home for both the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers hit a huge milestone; sufficient petition signatures have been verified by election officials to qualify the proposal for the ballot in Carson, where the stadium would be built. They have been trying to get the NFL back in Los Angeles for over 20 years, and now there may be some serious progress.
From college football, it seems College Football Playoff committee member Condoleezza Rice is against expanding the current four team college football playoff, citing the importance of the regular season as a major factor.
As ESPN's Heather Dinich notes, Rice said, "I feel pretty strongly about four now becuase I thought that the rivalry weekend - the Saturday after Thanksgiving - almost felt like a play-in game," Rice said. "Now, the Iron Bowl, Alabama has to beat Auburn. You could imagine the circumstances in another year where the Civil War, Oregon has to beat Oregon State. There are questions whether they will."
I appreciate the passion that Rice displays in those quotes, but honestly, the playoff is going to expand if and when it wants to, regardless of her opinion.
Elsewhere in college football, Ohio State lost a highly prized quarterback recruit Jarrett Guarantano on Wednesday; the pro-style quarterback chose the Volunteers over the Buckeyes and Rutgers. He didn't commit to Tennessee without one of the Buckeye coaches taking a jab at him though; Buckeyes wide receivers coach Zach Smith didn't mince words when he tweeted the following:
"Great players THRIVE in competition...Not amidst mediocrity...We hope you remember this."
Honestly, I can't blame the kid for choosing Tennessee. I mean, Ohio State only has three of the top 10 quarterbacks in all the land. They are as deep in that position as any team in America. However, I'd love to see Tennessee shock the world in the SEC and meet Ohio State in a bowl game. Some bad blood that already may be brewing there.
Also from the college game, but related to the NFL Draft, wide receiver prospect Jaelen Strong from Arizona State is fighting through a fractured bone in his wrist, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. He is considered by many to be a first round pick in this upcoming draft, and if the Texans were going to go wideout first, he'd probably be one of the guys they look at.
Big night in Houston Rockets franchise history last night; the Rockets, thanks to a win over Utah and San Antonio's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, win their first division title since the 1993-94 season. Honestly, this is unbelievable what they did. If you'd have asked me before the season, I'd have said there's a decent chance they'd be a lottery team and they probably should have been with all the injuries they went through. No matter what happens in the playoffs 56 wins and a division flag is a tremendous achievement.
That said, they face some very tough mountains starting with the rival Dallas Mavericks in the first round. I'm not sure anyone who watches basketball would be surprised if the Mavs win that series. It may be a 2/7 matchup but this one's going 6 or 7 I think.
As a side benefit, no OKC Thunder in the playoffs thanks to the Pelicans win. It's only right and just that after Seattle had their team taken away from them and moved to OKC (ala the Oilers being taken from Houston and moved to Tennessee), that OKC at the least doesn't win a title till Seattle gets a team again.
On baseball, I like to wait a week or two before commenting on games, so 10 games or so in I do have a few things.
1. The Detroit Tigers are the most talented team in the American League, top to bottom. That said, their success as always will come down to their bullpen. So far, Joakim Soria, former Kansas City closer, has been very good for the Motor City. If he can continue to close games there's no reason the Tigers shouldn't win 95 to 100.
2. The Astros are playing crappy offensively yet they are 4-5. They need to channel Pedro Cerrano from Major League and "wake up bats."
3. It's only 10 games or so in but I'm intrigued by the Mets so far. I don't think they're better than the Nationals (though they beat the Nats two of three to open the year), but they have some integral parts necessary for a playoff run.
4. It's notable that the Colorado Rockies are 6-0 on the road to open the year; they are normally not a good team outside their mile-high paradise, but they swept the Brewers and Giants to open the year on the road and allowed the defending World Champs only three runs in the three games in the Bay Area. The West appears to be very tough so far, with Colorado, LA and San Diego all off to nice starts.
5. The Cubs are in first, yes I said the Cubs are in first. Hope they enjoy it while it lasts, although I can see them making the playoffs as a wild card.
Until next time....
Of course, the biggest story in sports yesterday was Aaron Hernandez, which honestly has transcended far beyond sports at this point. This isn't even a Patriots or NFL thing anymore. Yesterday, he was found guilty of first degree murder in the killing of his friend Odin Lloyd and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Honestly, there are two sad things about this whole deal to me; the first thing is that the man actually had talent...elite talent. Two years ago, this guy was catching footballs from Tom Brady and was an integral part of the Patriots offense. Now, he's behind bars...permanently. As a Husker alum and lifetime fan, I've sadly seen this movie before thanks to a guy by the name of Lawrence Phillips; a massively talented running back who could have played 15 years in the NFL but wasted it, just like Hernandez has done. Very sad.
The second sad part about this is that he isn't done. That's because this guy faces double murder charges in Boston, as well as civil lawsuits over the killings and not only that, he faces a lawsuit in Florida from a former friend who claims he was shot in the face and left for dead after an argument.
That said, I'm moving on to other football stuff.
Elsewhere in the NFL, Von Miller is apparently on a diet, and is already running his mouth about how the Broncos could be the NFL's top defense next year. The Broncos are switching from a 4-3 to 3-4 defense, which should at least be interesting. That said, Miller really should stop running his mouth until the Broncos back that claim up. Manning's never really had a top defense anywhere he's been since college, so why should we believe this is going to be any different?
Meanwhile, the quest to get the NFL back in Los Angeles took a huge step forward Wednesday when a proposed stadium that could become home for both the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers hit a huge milestone; sufficient petition signatures have been verified by election officials to qualify the proposal for the ballot in Carson, where the stadium would be built. They have been trying to get the NFL back in Los Angeles for over 20 years, and now there may be some serious progress.
From college football, it seems College Football Playoff committee member Condoleezza Rice is against expanding the current four team college football playoff, citing the importance of the regular season as a major factor.
As ESPN's Heather Dinich notes, Rice said, "I feel pretty strongly about four now becuase I thought that the rivalry weekend - the Saturday after Thanksgiving - almost felt like a play-in game," Rice said. "Now, the Iron Bowl, Alabama has to beat Auburn. You could imagine the circumstances in another year where the Civil War, Oregon has to beat Oregon State. There are questions whether they will."
I appreciate the passion that Rice displays in those quotes, but honestly, the playoff is going to expand if and when it wants to, regardless of her opinion.
Elsewhere in college football, Ohio State lost a highly prized quarterback recruit Jarrett Guarantano on Wednesday; the pro-style quarterback chose the Volunteers over the Buckeyes and Rutgers. He didn't commit to Tennessee without one of the Buckeye coaches taking a jab at him though; Buckeyes wide receivers coach Zach Smith didn't mince words when he tweeted the following:
"Great players THRIVE in competition...Not amidst mediocrity...We hope you remember this."
Honestly, I can't blame the kid for choosing Tennessee. I mean, Ohio State only has three of the top 10 quarterbacks in all the land. They are as deep in that position as any team in America. However, I'd love to see Tennessee shock the world in the SEC and meet Ohio State in a bowl game. Some bad blood that already may be brewing there.
Also from the college game, but related to the NFL Draft, wide receiver prospect Jaelen Strong from Arizona State is fighting through a fractured bone in his wrist, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. He is considered by many to be a first round pick in this upcoming draft, and if the Texans were going to go wideout first, he'd probably be one of the guys they look at.
Big night in Houston Rockets franchise history last night; the Rockets, thanks to a win over Utah and San Antonio's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, win their first division title since the 1993-94 season. Honestly, this is unbelievable what they did. If you'd have asked me before the season, I'd have said there's a decent chance they'd be a lottery team and they probably should have been with all the injuries they went through. No matter what happens in the playoffs 56 wins and a division flag is a tremendous achievement.
That said, they face some very tough mountains starting with the rival Dallas Mavericks in the first round. I'm not sure anyone who watches basketball would be surprised if the Mavs win that series. It may be a 2/7 matchup but this one's going 6 or 7 I think.
As a side benefit, no OKC Thunder in the playoffs thanks to the Pelicans win. It's only right and just that after Seattle had their team taken away from them and moved to OKC (ala the Oilers being taken from Houston and moved to Tennessee), that OKC at the least doesn't win a title till Seattle gets a team again.
On baseball, I like to wait a week or two before commenting on games, so 10 games or so in I do have a few things.
1. The Detroit Tigers are the most talented team in the American League, top to bottom. That said, their success as always will come down to their bullpen. So far, Joakim Soria, former Kansas City closer, has been very good for the Motor City. If he can continue to close games there's no reason the Tigers shouldn't win 95 to 100.
2. The Astros are playing crappy offensively yet they are 4-5. They need to channel Pedro Cerrano from Major League and "wake up bats."
3. It's only 10 games or so in but I'm intrigued by the Mets so far. I don't think they're better than the Nationals (though they beat the Nats two of three to open the year), but they have some integral parts necessary for a playoff run.
4. It's notable that the Colorado Rockies are 6-0 on the road to open the year; they are normally not a good team outside their mile-high paradise, but they swept the Brewers and Giants to open the year on the road and allowed the defending World Champs only three runs in the three games in the Bay Area. The West appears to be very tough so far, with Colorado, LA and San Diego all off to nice starts.
5. The Cubs are in first, yes I said the Cubs are in first. Hope they enjoy it while it lasts, although I can see them making the playoffs as a wild card.
Until next time....
Thursday, April 9, 2015
4/9/2015: Final Four, Masters, and LeVeon Bell
Back on a Thursday with a few thoughts, in the wake of the NCAA Title game and with the granddaddy of golf, The Masters, this weekend.
First, let's go to the Final Four, and in particular, the NCAA Title game. It's the game that's had Wisconsin fans howling since Monday night and it's all because of the guys in stripes. Let's be real, folks, the refs didn't help Wisconsin in the second half for sure, but the Badgers got calls in the first half and they were tied at intermission. And they had a nine point lead with 13 minutes to go, about to make Duke give it up, and they could not hold that lead.
In the end, it seemed to me that the Badgers had nothing left. They gave it more than 100 percent to beat Kentucky, and then had to ramp it up 48 hours later and play Duke. Even though Wisconsin is a good team, that's awfully tough to do. They tried to pull a 1980 USA Hockey Team (who beat Finland to win the gold two days after the Miracle win against the Soviets), but it's a tough trick to complete.
As far as where do these teams go from here; ironically, the two teams that lost in the semis probably have a better chance to contend for the championship next year than the teams that played in the Finals. I'd say this is especially true if Duke point guard Tyus Jones goes to the NBA. They'll probably lose Quinn Cook, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow to begin with, so having Tyus Jones will be of supreme importance to Duke.
As for Wisconsin, this year was their one shot to cash it in. They lose Josh Gasser and Traevon Jackson to begin with and Kaminsky and Dekker are likely first round picks. They'll still be good but probably not Final Four good.
Michigan State and Kentucky will be very good, however; Michigan State went to the Final Four in a rebuilding year, and Kentucky is losing seven guys to the draft (just went official, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willy Cauley-Stein, the Harrison twins, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles and Dakari Johnson are all going) but will still be a Final Four team probably; that's just how Coach Cal rolls.
As far as who I might slot as an early favorite to get here to Houston for the 2016 Final Four and win; a lot of things can happen, but one thing I feel I can safely say is that North Carolina will be in the catbird's seat next year to get there. They had an up-and-down year and still got to the Sweet 16 (and had Wisconsin on the ropes).
On The Masters, whether you watch golf or not, this to me marks the beginning of spring. Well, that and the bluebonnets in full bloom here in Texas. It's nice to see some of the older players being able to do some good things throughout the week; Tom Watson shot a one under par for his opening round today, and Jack Nicklaus, he of 18 major wins, hit a hole in one on the par 3 competition yesterday.
One final NFL note, since this is primarily a football blog; LeVeon Bell gets docked three games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. It really is example #4756 of how badly the NFL's enforcement is screwed up. Let me get this straight, Ray Rice can get suspended two games for hitting his then-fiancée, but Bell gets docked for three for weed. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense...not.
Until next time....
First, let's go to the Final Four, and in particular, the NCAA Title game. It's the game that's had Wisconsin fans howling since Monday night and it's all because of the guys in stripes. Let's be real, folks, the refs didn't help Wisconsin in the second half for sure, but the Badgers got calls in the first half and they were tied at intermission. And they had a nine point lead with 13 minutes to go, about to make Duke give it up, and they could not hold that lead.
In the end, it seemed to me that the Badgers had nothing left. They gave it more than 100 percent to beat Kentucky, and then had to ramp it up 48 hours later and play Duke. Even though Wisconsin is a good team, that's awfully tough to do. They tried to pull a 1980 USA Hockey Team (who beat Finland to win the gold two days after the Miracle win against the Soviets), but it's a tough trick to complete.
As far as where do these teams go from here; ironically, the two teams that lost in the semis probably have a better chance to contend for the championship next year than the teams that played in the Finals. I'd say this is especially true if Duke point guard Tyus Jones goes to the NBA. They'll probably lose Quinn Cook, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow to begin with, so having Tyus Jones will be of supreme importance to Duke.
As for Wisconsin, this year was their one shot to cash it in. They lose Josh Gasser and Traevon Jackson to begin with and Kaminsky and Dekker are likely first round picks. They'll still be good but probably not Final Four good.
Michigan State and Kentucky will be very good, however; Michigan State went to the Final Four in a rebuilding year, and Kentucky is losing seven guys to the draft (just went official, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willy Cauley-Stein, the Harrison twins, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles and Dakari Johnson are all going) but will still be a Final Four team probably; that's just how Coach Cal rolls.
As far as who I might slot as an early favorite to get here to Houston for the 2016 Final Four and win; a lot of things can happen, but one thing I feel I can safely say is that North Carolina will be in the catbird's seat next year to get there. They had an up-and-down year and still got to the Sweet 16 (and had Wisconsin on the ropes).
On The Masters, whether you watch golf or not, this to me marks the beginning of spring. Well, that and the bluebonnets in full bloom here in Texas. It's nice to see some of the older players being able to do some good things throughout the week; Tom Watson shot a one under par for his opening round today, and Jack Nicklaus, he of 18 major wins, hit a hole in one on the par 3 competition yesterday.
One final NFL note, since this is primarily a football blog; LeVeon Bell gets docked three games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. It really is example #4756 of how badly the NFL's enforcement is screwed up. Let me get this straight, Ray Rice can get suspended two games for hitting his then-fiancée, but Bell gets docked for three for weed. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense...not.
Until next time....
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