Ok I get the whole Jeremy Lin thing. He has come on the scene out of nowhere in the last few weeks to claim the top spot in the sports news. Mind you after the Super Bowl there has been no significant news so the timing has been perfect. Lin is a great story having been cut by the Warriors after last season and by the Rockets before this season started. Frankly if the Knicks didn't have all the injuries in the last month or so Lin would still be sitting on the end of the bench. None the less the 2nd year player has taken advantage of his situation...that in of itself is a great lesson.
Lin's meteoric rise has led to unintended consequences. 1 ESPN employee has been fired and another suspended after racial slurs, related to Lin's Asian American background, were uttered. In both cases the ESPN web employee and the News Anchor were just trying to be clever. I get clever but that doesn't excuse stupid. In both these cases the pair were trying to find something new to add to the Lin-sanity. The move cost the Web employee his job while the anchor was suspended. I'm sure both regret their "slips" but that is not an excuse. If you are a professional you have to stay within the boundaries. It is just that simple.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Lefty swamps Tiger
Sunday at Pebble Beach showed me 1 thing and that is Phil Mickelson loves a challenge. Trailing by a handful of strokes heading into the final round of the PGA event, at the famed links, Lefty threw up his best round in years and wins the event going away. To top it all Lefty played with Tiger on Sunday and Woods was awful firing a final round 3 over 75. Mickelson was 11 shots better than Woods in winning. It looked like Mickelson was inspired by playing with Woods on Sunday and as Lefty starting pulling away Woods began to lose interest. The biggest blow was a 30 footer for par that Mickelson drained on the 12th just moments after Woods had holed out from a bunker for a birdie to cut Mickelson's lead to 3 shots. If Phil misses the par putt and bogeys the hole...the lead is 2 with 6 holes to go...game on. It wasn't to be.
The one thing Mickelson commented on after the round is that Woods appears to be driving very well and hitting solid irons. Now if Tiger can figure out the flat stick he might be dangerous, again. Until Woods startings making some significant putts he will not be a threat. On Sunday Tiger putted 31 times--to Mickelson's 26--and missed at least 5 putts under 5 feet! You can't do that on the PGA Tour and win.
If Mickelson continues to putt like he did on Sunday look out Augusta!
The one thing Mickelson commented on after the round is that Woods appears to be driving very well and hitting solid irons. Now if Tiger can figure out the flat stick he might be dangerous, again. Until Woods startings making some significant putts he will not be a threat. On Sunday Tiger putted 31 times--to Mickelson's 26--and missed at least 5 putts under 5 feet! You can't do that on the PGA Tour and win.
If Mickelson continues to putt like he did on Sunday look out Augusta!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Moving on
Now that the Super Bowl has been put to rest it is time to set our sites on the warmer weather sports. Orioles and Phillies pitchers and catchers are just about a week and a half away from reporting but my attention this weekend will be on the return of Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour. For the first time in years Tiger will play in the tour stop at Pebble Beach. One reason he hasn't played at the famed course is because of the format. You play 3 and possibly 4 rounds with an amateur partner. This can make for 6 hour rounds. However Tiger is breaking with his routine and will play with Cowboys QB Tony Romo. I think Tiger is willing to play because Romo is a + golfer. He carries a below par handicap and could help Tiger win the Pro/Am portion of the event. The tournament is also sponsored by AT&T a long-time supporter of his foundation and also the Title sponsor of his Tour event in July. I'm sure Tiger would like to stay on the good side of the AT&T folks to get them to re-up their support for the event that returns to Congressional Country Club in DC this year after a couple of years at Aronimink in Philly. I want to see the state of Tiger's game. He says he is healthy for the first time in a couple of years and that he has been really able to practice his new swing. At his only event this year Woods finished 3rd at the Euro Tour stop in Abu Dhabi. However he was tied for the lead after 54 holes then shot even par in the final round. He did not play well in that final round hitting only 2 fairways and 6 greens in regulation. If he plays like that starting Thursday at Pebble he is in for a difficult time. I do look for Tiger to be in contention this weekend and wouldn't be surprised if he wins. He loves Pebble having won a couple of times as a Pro including the 2000 U-S Open but he also played the course numerous times in his Junior days.
I'm going to make some comments in the next week or so about the start of Spring Training. 1 thing I will say is I'm not sure what the Orioles and new GM Dan Duquette are doing. Shipping the most experienced starter in Jeremy Guthrie to the Rockies for a couple of mediocre pitchers is weird. The other move I don't understand is the interest in Manny Ramirez. The 39 year old would fill the roll of DH but he won't be available to the team for the first 50 games of the season as he serves a suspension for violating the league drug policy. This is a RED flag in my books. Management (read Peter Angelos) feels they need to make a splash to get the fans attention and put cheeks in the seats. I get that...but Manny ain't the right choice unless he is going to play for FREE.
I'm going to make some comments in the next week or so about the start of Spring Training. 1 thing I will say is I'm not sure what the Orioles and new GM Dan Duquette are doing. Shipping the most experienced starter in Jeremy Guthrie to the Rockies for a couple of mediocre pitchers is weird. The other move I don't understand is the interest in Manny Ramirez. The 39 year old would fill the roll of DH but he won't be available to the team for the first 50 games of the season as he serves a suspension for violating the league drug policy. This is a RED flag in my books. Management (read Peter Angelos) feels they need to make a splash to get the fans attention and put cheeks in the seats. I get that...but Manny ain't the right choice unless he is going to play for FREE.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Pick time
Not sure I have waivered very much from my original thought that the Giants would beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 46 on Sunday night. I think things may have shifted more in favor of the G-men in the last week or so. If I'm the Patriots I'm hugely worried about the ankle of Rob Gronkowski. He has been slowed since he was tackled midway through the AFC Championship game and hobbled off the field with a high ankle sprain. It normally takes 5-6 weeks for the ankle to heel properly...the kickoff on Sunday will be the 2 week mark. If you need any evidence about how long high ankle sprains take to heel just think back to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. He was hurt in early December but was still severely hampered a month later in the playoff loss to the Broncos. I think Gronk will try and play but really how effective can he be?
Here is how I see the Giants winning the game. They will actually try and play ball control with the running of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs and Eli Manning will be given enough time to pick apart the Patriots weak secondary. Now the fly in the ointment is Tom Brady. If the Pats offensive line is able to give Brady time to set and pick his targets it could be a long night for the G-Men. I don't think the New York linebackers and defensive backs are good enough to stay with Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch.
I still give the nod to the Giants 28-24.
Here is how I see the Giants winning the game. They will actually try and play ball control with the running of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs and Eli Manning will be given enough time to pick apart the Patriots weak secondary. Now the fly in the ointment is Tom Brady. If the Pats offensive line is able to give Brady time to set and pick his targets it could be a long night for the G-Men. I don't think the New York linebackers and defensive backs are good enough to stay with Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch.
I still give the nod to the Giants 28-24.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Jim Caldwell
Yesterday the Ravens announced they had hired former Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell as their new Quarterback Coach. I like the move. This puts a buffer between QB Joe Flacco and Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron. I'm not thrilled that the Ravens retained Cameron but bringing in Caldwell adds another strong voice to the Ravens offense. Caldwell is famous for helping mold Peyton Manning into a Hall of Famer. Caldwell will make Flacco a better Quarterback.
The most ridiculous thing to come out of this hire is suggestions that Peyton Manning will be coming to Baltimore. The Ravens are not going to "acquire" Manning. First of all his future as a productive player in the NFL is in doubt. He hasn't been cleared to play after surgery on his neck and IF he plays he would get 28 million dollars for the 2012 season. The Ravens have plenty of other needs and one of them is not Quarterback. Joe Flacco is a very good signal caller and will be resigned by the Ravens before his contract expires. The team is not going to invest $28 million in one player with a questionable future.
Calm down Flacco haters. He isn't heading out of town any time soon.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Ravens season
Talked with my son, who lives in Baltimore, this morning and he says the weather matches the gloom in Crabtown about 12 hours after the Ravens lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. It is overcast with light rain and fog. I suspect some Ravens fans are in a fog this morning after the game. Lee Evans' drop/strip of the game winning TD and then Billy Cundiff's miss from 32 yards on a field goal attempt that would have sent the game to OT will go down as the worst moments in Raven's team history.
Joe Flacco played like the elite quarterback everyone said he wasn't. He misfired on a few early throws but after that Fu Manchu Joe was right on. May have tried to get a little to cute on the interception in the 4th quarter but on the next play Tom Brady threw a pick on a fantastic play by Bernard Pollard and Jimmy Smith. Overall Joe outplayed the greatest QB in the history of the world. Maybe he will get some credit.
The future for the Ravens is not as bleak as many think. Yes Ed Reed will probably retire, and maybe Center Matt Birk, but a lot of the core performers on the Ravens will be back. The receiving corps will only get better with a full off-season to work with Flacco. Look for Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson to become a bigger part of the offense. Ray Rice and Vonta Leech aren't going anywhere. I do think that Cam Cameron is done. His vanilla play calling will be a thing of the past. I also think you will see the further development of Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith as cornerbacks.
There are no guarantees, going into a season, but I think the Ravens will be a playoff contender in 2012.
My early thoughts on the Super Bowl is the Giants will surprise the experts and beat the Patriots. Eli Manning is playing very well and the New England defense will not be able to stop the Giants running and passing game. I also think the Ravens showed everyone how to handle Brady. Get him off his spot and you ruin his timing. I think the Giants terrific rush will give New England lots of trouble. I like New York 27-17 over the Patriots.
Joe Flacco played like the elite quarterback everyone said he wasn't. He misfired on a few early throws but after that Fu Manchu Joe was right on. May have tried to get a little to cute on the interception in the 4th quarter but on the next play Tom Brady threw a pick on a fantastic play by Bernard Pollard and Jimmy Smith. Overall Joe outplayed the greatest QB in the history of the world. Maybe he will get some credit.
The future for the Ravens is not as bleak as many think. Yes Ed Reed will probably retire, and maybe Center Matt Birk, but a lot of the core performers on the Ravens will be back. The receiving corps will only get better with a full off-season to work with Flacco. Look for Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson to become a bigger part of the offense. Ray Rice and Vonta Leech aren't going anywhere. I do think that Cam Cameron is done. His vanilla play calling will be a thing of the past. I also think you will see the further development of Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith as cornerbacks.
There are no guarantees, going into a season, but I think the Ravens will be a playoff contender in 2012.
My early thoughts on the Super Bowl is the Giants will surprise the experts and beat the Patriots. Eli Manning is playing very well and the New England defense will not be able to stop the Giants running and passing game. I also think the Ravens showed everyone how to handle Brady. Get him off his spot and you ruin his timing. I think the Giants terrific rush will give New England lots of trouble. I like New York 27-17 over the Patriots.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Championship games
Time to put up and make my picks for this weekend. I think we are looking at a Super Bowl rematch.
The Ravens come in a touchdown underdog in Foxboro on Sunday in the AFC Championship game and I think that is about right. I think the Ravens will have a difficult time slowing down Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. The Pats sport 2 Tight Ends who play like wide receivers and the Ravens have struggled all season against big pass catchers. The only way the Ravens can win is if they control the ball with Ray Rice and if they put incredible pressure on New England QB Tom Brady. I don't think Baltimore can do this enough and lose 30-21.
At Candlestick it will be the Giants and 49ers in the NFC Title tilt. The Giants are clicking on all cylinders right now. The G-men offense can dominate with a strong running game and Eli Manning has become a precision passer of late. The game might fall to Alex Smith and I don't think the 9ers QB can repeat his standout performance like he had last week against the Saints. Go with the Giants 24-17.
So we have a repeat of Super Bowl 42 when the Giants beat the Patriots 17-14 in one of the most thrilling title games in history.
Last Week 3-1 Overall 64-37
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Ravens offense
The Ravens offense has come under a lot of criticism this year for not being explosive enough. I agree they are not the Saints or the Packers and Joe Flacco isn't Drew Brees or Aaron Rogers. However, I think the Ravens offense and Flacco are getting a bum deal.
Flacco has faced a top 10 defense almost every week this season and the team is 13-4 and playing in the AFC Championship game. Not bad if I might say so. Look it up in 12 of the 17 games, the Ravens played this year, they have faced a team in the top 10 of the final defensive statistics this season. 2 games each, in the division, against the Steelers (#1) Bengals (#7) and Browns (#10). Then 2 games against the #2 defense in the Texans, and single games against the 9ers (#4), Jets (#5), Jags (#6) and Seattle (#9). Conversely the Patriots faced 4 top 10 defenses this season having played the Steelers, Jets twice and the Eagles.
Lets see how Tom Brady and the Patriots would have fared against those tough schemes every week. I don't think he would have thrown for over 5000 yards and they wouldn't have been 13-4. Give Flacco some credit for doing what he needs to win and at the end of the day that is what it is all about. For crying out loud the guy has won 48 games in his first 4 years in the league. NO one has done that in the history of the NFL!
We have seen what good defenses can do to good offenses in January. The #4 ranked 9ers pestered Drew Brees and company into 5 turnovers and in Green Bay the Packers turned the ball over 4 times in their loss to the suddenly healthy Gaints defense. The Saints and the Packers will be watching from their couch on Sunday when Fu Manchu Joe is slinging it Sunday afternoon in Foxboro.
Flacco has faced a top 10 defense almost every week this season and the team is 13-4 and playing in the AFC Championship game. Not bad if I might say so. Look it up in 12 of the 17 games, the Ravens played this year, they have faced a team in the top 10 of the final defensive statistics this season. 2 games each, in the division, against the Steelers (#1) Bengals (#7) and Browns (#10). Then 2 games against the #2 defense in the Texans, and single games against the 9ers (#4), Jets (#5), Jags (#6) and Seattle (#9). Conversely the Patriots faced 4 top 10 defenses this season having played the Steelers, Jets twice and the Eagles.
Lets see how Tom Brady and the Patriots would have fared against those tough schemes every week. I don't think he would have thrown for over 5000 yards and they wouldn't have been 13-4. Give Flacco some credit for doing what he needs to win and at the end of the day that is what it is all about. For crying out loud the guy has won 48 games in his first 4 years in the league. NO one has done that in the history of the NFL!
We have seen what good defenses can do to good offenses in January. The #4 ranked 9ers pestered Drew Brees and company into 5 turnovers and in Green Bay the Packers turned the ball over 4 times in their loss to the suddenly healthy Gaints defense. The Saints and the Packers will be watching from their couch on Sunday when Fu Manchu Joe is slinging it Sunday afternoon in Foxboro.
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