Gordon Keith and Nestor Aparacio Get Into Fight on Radio Row at the Super Bowl

January 30, 2009 By 2 Comments
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Gordon Keith Attacked by Nasty Nestor AparicioGotta be quick as duties at the day job are calling, but a great catch by our buddy Robert over at Dallas Sports Fans this morning. Apparently popular Dallas-area radio host Gordon Keith was attacked by “Nasty” Nestor Aparicio:

The incident is the latest in an on-going feud between Nasty Nestor and the Ticket. Apparently, Gordon Keith went over to Nasty Nestor Aparicio with a wireless microphone to attempt to bury the hatchet between the two parties, when Nasty Nestor became angry, grabbed Gordon Keith around the throat and attempted to strangle him. The two were then separated and the police were called.

Click over to DSF for more. Crazy story.


Filed Under: Featured Column Tagged With: fight

Where Have you Gone Rich Hill? Trade Rumors Between Cubs-Orioles Swirl

January 30, 2009 By 6 Comments
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Rich Hill Trade Rumors - Cubs-OriolesRich Hill, the once promising middle of the rotation starter as recently as the Fall of 2007, is likely on the verge of being traded to the Cubs’ primary trading partner the Baltimore Orioles, according to the Baltimore Sun for the ever popular “Player to be Named Later” (PTBNL).

Blessed with one of the best curveballs in baseball, as well as one of the most deceptive fastballs, the rise and fall of Rich Hill has been sudden and brings back images of Steve Blass, Mark Wohlers and Rick Ankiel. In this article, I will dicuss why I don’t think it is a mental flaw, but more mechanical at this stage.

Drafted by the Cubs in the 4th round of the 2002 draft, Rich Hill was considered a raw LH’er with a developing curve who had hot and cold streaks with untapped potential. After signing with the Cubs, he was sent to Short-Season Boise and struggled with his command and his overall numbers, posting an ERA of 8.36 in 6 games (5 starts) in only 14.1IP with 14BBs, 12Ks, and 4 wild pitches. The following year he returned to Boise and improved, throwing 68IP while walking 32 and striking out 99, before finishing at Lansing where he struggled with his command again walking 36 in 29IP but only allowing 14 hits and striking out 50. He improved his control at Daytona in 2004 while still striking out over 11 per 9IP and holding opponents to around .200. The questions still lingered as far as how outstanding could he be if he had better command and control. Finally, that question was about to be answered.

2005 was Hill’s breakout season as far as his prospect status. He was about to face AA, which usually consist of every organization’s top prospects, as well as the more advanced at AAA later on in the year. Finally able to improve his command and control to where it needed to be to advance to the majors, Hill dominated AA and AAA, throwing a combined 123IP allowing 97 hits while only allowing 35BBs and striking out 182 hitters. In September, Hill received his first taste of the majors and, as expected with most rookie pitchers, he was fatigued and a bit shell shocked.

2006 was Hill’s 1st legit chance at cracking the major league rotation, but that delayed after a poor showing at Mesa. Undeterred by the slow start, Hill was the best pitcher in all of the minors going 7-1 with a 1.80 ERA while throwing 100IP only allowing 62 hits and walking 21 with 135 strikeouts. In July of ’06, he was called up again as injuries ravaged the Cubs starting rotation and the team collapsed to 90+ losses, allowing the Cubs to call-up Hill. He struggled at first again posting a 1-3 record with a 9+ ERA before being send down to Iowa again and being called up in Sept. after a solid run again at Iowa, it finally clicked in the majors as he went 3-1 with an ERA under 4 that final month.

Hill was a favorite in 2007 to earn a rotation spot given the continuing health problems of Kerry Wood, as well as Hill’s strong showing the previous eptember. He did not disappoint in 2007, while likely being the team’s 2nd most productive starter behind Zambrano and looking like one of baseball’s better young pitchers.

The following year it took a turn for the worse as mechanical issues began to take place. Hill was quickly sent to Iowa where he continued to not throw strikes, and he was shuttled between Iowa, Rookie Ball, and High-A. He was sent down to the Dominican Republic to work out his issues and had not shown any improvement and regressed as the year went on.

As to why I think Hill’s struggles so much with his command, I think it is mainly mechanical and NOT MENTAL as many tend to believe.

Rich Hill - Chicago Cubs - Mechanical Flaws

Mechanically, he has severe shoulder tilt with his glove arm (right arm) severely higher than his throwing shoulder. The reason why he does this to get on top of his 12-6 curve which is why he it is one of the best in the game when it is on. Also, it makes it much more difficult to pick up his FB coming out his hand. One of the side effects on having this throwing mention is that it is very difficult to repeat your delivery, which is the key to throwing strikes since your balance and center of gravity often changes each pitch.

To further illustrate that shoulder tilt, compare him to Greg Maddux who is likely the most mechanically sound pitcher of our generation:

Greg Maddux

With Maddux you can see a slight shoulder tilt, but he still has the same balance point and his center of gravity is still over his midsection. Not only has his throwing motion kept his healthy all these years, it has allowed to be one of the best control pitchers in MLB history.

Back to Hill and some more illustrations, here is Hill in July of 2006 at Iowa, where he was pitching very well and on one of his hot streaks.

Rich Hill - Chicago Cubs

As you can see there is still a shoulder tilt, but given how well he was pitching during this stretch and game, it didn’t throw him off mechanically.

This next picture is a picture from Spring Training of 2008 where he didn’t last long and ended up walking 6 in this short outing.

Rich Hill - Chicago Cubs

As you can see, there is a much more pronounced shoulder tilt in the second picture as his pitching hand is well below the knee, compared to the 1st picture where it is well above the knee. I do believe that these mechanical flaws are partially and likely the most important reason why he has struggled so greatly recently.

It is worth noting that Baltimore’s pitching coach is Rick Kranitz, who is outstanding at analyzing pitchers’ mechanics and has spent time in the Cubs organization as a pitching coach. I don’t think it is ironic that Kranitz was the pitching coach at Iowa in 2004 and 2005, which is right when Hill was at his best mechanically, as well as the best he has been as far as his command and control. While this is the worst case scenario, having to unload such a gifted pitcher for so cheap, it is probably the best for RIch Hill to go to Baltimore and work with Kranitz again.


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: chicago cubs, hot stove, MLB, rich hill

LOTD: Some Pretty Ridiculous Real Super Bowl Prop Bets

January 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Super Bowl Prop Bets | Super Bowl 43Thanks to the wonderful thing that is BallHype, I came across this post from Coed Magazine, detailing some of the more ridiculous — but real — prop bets that you can place money on for this Sunday’s Super Bowl 43. As the author of the post writes, “Personally, I think betting on anything other than who’s going to win is ridiculous.” I tend too agree. I actually kind of think that betting on the NFL at all is ridiculous. I realize that a lot of people are able to make money betting on the NFL (although not as many as who lose money), but you better have a damn good system plus a good bankroll — or just get really, really lucky.

The NFL just seems to be totally random on most weekends. Teams you think are horrible will rise up and beat teams that are supposed to be powerhouses. And then when you add the spread into the mix…well it’s just a big money sucking quagmire that I like to stay away from.

With that said, if you’re going to bet on the actual game — and all the randomness that comes with it — I guess putting money on the following Super Bowl 43 prop bets isn’t really all that ridiculous. Per Coed Magazine, a few of the more interesting Super Bowl prop bets that are available at places like Bodog.com:

Super Bowl prop bet: How many types of food will John Madden mention during the game?

  • Over: 2
  • Under: 2

Super Bowl prop bet: How long will it take Jennifer Hudson to sing the National Anthem?

  • Over: 2:01
  • Under: 2:01

Super Bowl prop bet: Which Super Bowl commercial will have a higher rating on USA Today’s annual Ad Meter?

  • Anheuser-Busch/Budweister: 5/6
  • GoDaddy.com: 17/2
  • Pepsi: 13/4
  • Coca-Cola: 21/4
  • McDonald’s: 29/4
  • Doritos: 7/2
  • Other: 9/4

Super Bowl prop bet: How many times will Al Michaels and John Madden reference Ben Roethlisberger as “Big Ben” during the game?

  • Over: 5
  • Under: 5

Super Bowl prop bet: Who will be tackled by his hair first in the game?

  • Larry Fitzgerald
  • Troy Polamalu

And the list goes on and on. It’s definitely worth a read. There are other Super Bowl prop bets for whether or not Matt Millen will pick the correct winner, what color the Gatorade will be that gets dumped on the winning coach, and what the first end zone celebration will be.

Good luck if you actually place bets on any of these. If so, as a cliche goes, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Iowa to show you…

LOTD: Absurd and Ridiculous Super Bowl prop bets — (Coed Magazine)

And now, more great links that I implore you to check out. In fact, I will judge you and look down upon you if you don’t. Seriously. Okay, I’m just kidding. But check them out anyway.

Hilarious “Separated at Birth” Super Bowl 43 photo gallery (thanks Kaner) — SI.com

Bye Week Buckets: A Little Cavs Magic — (Cleveland Frowns)

Thursday Metcalf-up-the-Middles — (Orange and Brown Report)

A very specific Super Bowl 43 prediction — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Help the Detroit Lions design a new logo — (Real Clear Sports)

Joe Torre’s book is already being made into a movie — (Cuzoogle)

Photo essay of Super Bowl Media Day hotties — (The World of Isaac)

Ben Roethlisberger is a human wrecking ball — (PSAMP)

NFL Coaching Turnover: Youth Prevails — (Sparty and Friends)

GoDaddy’s new commercial is sure to offend — (Deadspin)

Where’s Matt Millen? — (The Big Lead)

NBA All-Star Reserves Announced — (Black Sports Online)


Filed Under: NFL Tagged With: links, super bowl

LeBron James Upset at Mo Williams All-Star Game Snub

January 30, 2009 By 3 Comments
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LeBron James Upset a Mo Williams All-Star Game SnubUpon hearing that Mo Williams’ name was left off the All Star Team, and that the Cavaliers, the team with the best record in the NBA, would only be sending one All Star to the game in Phoenix, LeBron James had the following to say:

“It just shows a disrespect to Cleveland, Cleveland Basketball, Cleveland everything. I haven’t seen the All Star list yet, so I cannot comment on who’s in it who’s not in it, but it is definitely disrespectful that we continue to do work, every year, but nothing shows up for it. They always say that when you win, individual accolades take care of themselves, but that doesn’t happen for us most of the time. “

My first thought here is a question to all the NBA coaches who voted. Do you really want LeBron James coming into your gym feeling as though you disrespected him? Not the best move.

With regards to the comment, I couldn’t agree more with LeBron, and am glad he said that. The snub is disrespectful towards the Cavaliers and Cleveland, there is no way around that. I am not the Elias Sports Bureau, but has the team with the best record in the NBA ever sent only one All Star? And Mo was certainly deserving. All he has done this season is average over 17 points per game, shoot 40% from the three-point line, and elevate the play of his team from a good team, to a title contender right now.

What do you think?  The guys over at LeBron2010, I’m sure, agree with The King.

Should Mo Williams have made the All-Star Team?

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———-

JD Shaver is a featured columnist at Midwest Sports Fans who also runs Shaver Sports, where they discuss everything you ever wanted to know about Cleveland sports.


Filed Under: Featured Column, NBA Tagged With: Cleveland Cavaliers, lebron james, Mo Williams, NBA, nba all-star game

Aaron Rodgers Says He Hasn’t Spoken to Brett Favre in a Year – Interview Transcript from Michael Irvin Show

January 29, 2009 By 21 Comments
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Aaron Rodgers Interview on Michael Irvin Show - Has Not Spoken to Brett Favre in a YearEarlier today on 103.3 ESPN Radio in Dallas, Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was a guest on the Michael Irvin show. Naturally, Irvin and his sycophant co-host Kevin Kiley talked about Brett Favre while introducing Aaron Rodgers, and then peppered him with questions about Brett Favre throughout the interview.

It was actually relatively interesting though, considering the candor with which Rodgers answered their questions, and his palpable reluctance to broach the subject. The nearly-complete transcript of the interview is below. (Note: I left out some of the stuff towards the end, and I guess I shouldn’t make fun of Irvin and Kiley for getting hung up on the Favre angle, because it’s the non-Favre stuff I left out).

The highlights are Aaron Rodgers saying that Brett Favre’s will-I-won’t-I saga last offseason definitely affected the team, and that he has not spoken to Favre since they left Lambeau Field after their disappointing NFC Championship Game loss to the Giants last year. Of course Favre’s offseason primmadonna show affected the team, but it is somewhat unexpected for Rodgers to be so blunt in saying so on a semi-national stage.

The other highlight, for me anyway, is Kevin Kiley saying “I don’t want this to be about me, I want this to be about you,” and then Rodgers saying, “Well you’re the one talking.” For anyone who lives in Dallas and listens to the Michael Irvin show, you know that while they are able to get athletes to open up and be relatively candid, they barely give their guests a chance to speak in between in their rambling questions/comments/mumbles. As you will see from the transcript, Kiley and Irvin do most of the talking, but Rodgers does make an impact with the few words he gets in edgewise.

Onto the transcript:

(FYI…you can listen to the podcast at the ESPNRadio.com.)

Kevin Kiley (KK): My position on the GB Packers were, was, is – Aaron Rodgers coulda waited, they shoulda kept Brett Favre, he took ‘em to the NFL title game last year, it was DUMB to let him get away, and that AaronMichael irvin Show | Aaron Rodgers Interview on Brett Favre Rodgers was put in a position unlike any other quarterback that has ever played the game.

Michael Irvin (MI): And I was the first to say after watching Aaron Rodgers step on that field in Dallas TWO years ago – I came in the next day and said “Ooh, oh my God, do you see what GB has.” And everybody thought I was crazy then, ‘cuz when you stepped on the field Aaron, and you started bringing the Packers back against the Cowboys I said Oh get him off the field and bring Brett back in so we could win this game. And from that day on I thought they shoulda made the move THEN to Aaron Rodgers.

KK: Yeah, and that’s exactly right. He did say that.

MI: And let this team grow as a young team together with a nucleus and move forward and do great things herein. Aaron Rodgers it’s a pleasure to have you on the Michael Irvin show man.

Aaaron Rodgers (AR): I’m glad one of you guys actually likes me.

MI: Yeah!

KK: Now don’t go there. It’s not like or dislike. I thought you’re a terrific quarterback. I just thought they shoulda kept Brett another year because –

MI: Aww, stop it, stop it.

AR: Where were you between like…March, and June?

KK: How do you mean? What, when he was retiring?

MI: When he was retired, came back, retired, came back, retired.

KK: I was feeling that Brett Favre, and I don’t want this to be about me, I want this to be about you–

AR: Well you’re the one talking.

KK: — but I thought that Brett Favre had the right –

MI: The right!?

KK: — to do whatever he wanted to do.

MI: The right?

KK: That was my feeling. What was your feeling on that Aaron?

MI: It amazes me – the right!? – isn’t, what, aren’t we’re talking about football teams?

KK: He earned the right to do in Green Bay anything he wanted to do – he wanted to retire, unretired, yes, no, yeh eh, when it’s time to play ball, if he wanted to come back and play ball, he should have been allowed to play ball.

MI: How can that not affect your football team? How can you say – and I’m asking you this Aaron – to find out; he’s in, he’s out, he’s in, he’s out, he’s in, he’s out, he’s in, he’s out, how can – how can that not – how does that affect your football team?

AR: It does. How can it not affect it? I mean, when he flew into Green Bay the day after—or the day of the Family Night scrimmage, I mean that was…talk about an awkward locker room. I mean, I’ve been the guy since March, you know? And then everybody’s like well okay, what’s gonna happen? Brett’s gonna come back, he’s gonna be the guy? Or Aaron’s gonna be the guy? Or they’ll compete for the job? Nobody knowing what’s going on, of course that’s going to affect your football team.

MI: What was the relationship like with you, uh, and Brett?

AR: I was under the impression…that it was good.

MI: Why would you say that you were under the impression?

3 second pause…

AR: You know what — We got along very well, especially the third year. Umm…but…I just wish…at some point he’d reach out to me. Honestly.

KK: In what way? In what way do you mean reach out to you?

AR: Talk to me?

KK: He never talked to you?

AR: No.

KK: Never spoke to you?Aaron Rodgers Interview on Michael Irvin Show | Has Not Talked to Brett Favre in a Year

MI: Wait, wai, wai, wait. When you were playing together, how much speaking did he do with you.

AR: I mean, it was me and him. The last year, ’07, we had no other quarterback on the roster, it was me and him, you know, we’d see each other every day, jog around with eachother every day, you know he knew how I felt about him, that I had the utmost amount of respect for him, you know…and to not have talked to him in over a year? That’s disappointing.

MI: Through all of this, going back and forth, putting you in the position that you were in – and it was a tough position – it was a tough position because now you’re sitting having to respect him for what he has done, dealing with it, and let’s just get real here that the pain of him not calling, or talking, or saying ‘this is what’s happening, this is what’s going on’…after all of that, he still hasn’t talked to you?
Pause…

AR: No.

KK: Why do you think that is?

AR: I’m not gonna speak for him, so I don’t — I’m not sure.

KK: But I mean you must say to yourself, why doesn’t Brett speak to me? What could it possibly be? I can see by the look on your face that clearly you don’t think you did anything to be put in that position. So why do you think – did you become…an automatic…I don’t even want to use the enemy, but, but, you were on the other side because you had that job? But do you think that that’s the way he looked at it? And that you just, just…not speak to you? That seems odd.

AR: I don’t know. That’s a question for him. I’m not gonna put words in his mouth. But I’m – like I said, when we lost to the Giants, I mean, we left as friends, and, and, I haven’t talked to him in year so that’s kinda where we’re at.

MI: Why will you not reach out to him?

AR: Oh, I did. I did.

MI: You called him and he didn’t call you back?

AR: Yep.

MI: I’m recoiling. I gotta come up with a question. You ask him a question.

KK: Yeah, well this is difficult because I don’t wanna put Aaron in a – I can see Aaron struggling with this. If this was television, you could see he’s uncomfortable with these questions. I don’t blame him because Brett Favre is Brett Favre and Aaron was – was he a popular, was he popular on the team? There were reports that he was a little bit separate from the team and all that. Did you feel that when you guys were making that run for the NFC title? That he was separate from the other players?

AR: I’ll be honest with you, I really don’t want to go into that at all.

KK: Okay. Well let’s talk about Aaron.

MI: Let’s talk about Aaron. We appreciate your honesty there man, I appreciate –

AR: No problem.

MI: –your honesty, and I could see how difficult that must be for you because I know you admired him, I admired him, we all admired him. So…and, but you had the opportunity to work so closely with him…and grab the crumbs of the knowledge that falls off his table. So, you know, naturally there’s a closeness there so we appreciate your honesty with that man, but let’s talk about this football season…

Less than thirty seconds later, Irvin asks if Rodgers felt that, after losses, there were people wondering how things would be different if Brett Favre were still the quarterback. Rodgers responds that he’s sure there were outside of the locker room, but not inside. Kevin Kiley then asks him if there was anything else in his life that could have prepared him for what he would face taking over for Favre. Rodgers responds emphatically.

AR: NO.

KK: How did you piece it together, just day by day?

AR: You know what? I just tried to realize that every time I got in front of the camera was an opportunity to get my message out, and to be myself, and to be real, and genuine, and try to handle it with as much grace and class as I could. I had a great support group. My other brothers, my best friend, I just stayed tight with my family, my guys on the team, and my, and my close friends back home.

MI: And you handled it just that way man, with grace and with class man. I can’t tell ya – I was a huge fan before you got here man, but you just grew with me, in a big way man. I appreciate you stopping by, I know everybody’s grabbing on you man

AR: No problem, thank you.

Then there was about 30 more seconds of Irvin and Kiley hanging off of Rodgers’ balls, basically telling Rodgers to clear out a space in Canton for himself. Seriously, you would think that Rodgers was some cross Brett Favre Has Not Talked to Aaron Rodgers in a Yearbetween John Elway and a single father who had just lost his job and was raising ten kids as much as they talked about “what a difficult situation” he was put in. Hmm…let’s see…he is one of 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL, making tons of money, and had the full support of his coaches and teammates. Oh the tragedy! Please.

I realize that I will probably get flamed by somebody for making a mountain out of a molehill — that this interview wasn’t really a big deal; and you know what? You’re probably right. But I was bored and thought it would be fun to transcribe — and some of Rodgers’ comments were relatively interesting.

At the end of the day, Rodgers and Favre haven’t spoken and the legacy of Brett Favre continues to take hits and more and more stories like these get out. He should probably just retire before he can tear down any more of what it took him so long to build up.


Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: aaron rodgers, brett favre, Green Bay Packers, NFL

Chicago Cubs Prospect Corner – Danny McDaniel

January 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Chicago Cubs Prospect Corner - Dan McDanielProspect Corner-Danny McDaniel-RHP

Daniel McDaniel-Right handed pitcher drafted by the Cubs in the 14th round out of Chabot JC in the 2008 amateur draft for 100K (8th round money) and had signed with Oklahoma St.

Physical Description:
Ideal pitcher’s frame at 6’3” 220LBs, strong bodied.

Strengths-Outstanding arm that has his 4 seam FB sitting around 92-93 with sink and can touch 95. Pitches with a mean streak on the mound and is highly competitive. Highly productive at Short-Season Boise throwing 31.1 IP, only allowing 14 H and 1HR, while walking 17 and striking out 45.

Weaknesses-Still very raw as he was mostly a position player before arriving at Chabot, his results were not very good even at the JUCO given that he has never developed a breaking ball or a change-up. McDaniel does not have real good command at this stage as it will hurt him as he faces more advanced hitters.

Major League comparison: Bob Howry

Likely destination: Peoria (Low-A) as a late inning reliever.

Likely career path: Depending on the development of his secondary pitches as well as his command, that will determine how quickly he rises as well as if he makes it to the majors. He has the fastball and the aggressiveness to do so right now.


Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: chicago cubs

Will a Cardinals Victory in Super Bowl 43 Make Kurt Warner a Hall of Famer?

January 29, 2009 By 4 Comments
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Is Kurt Warner a Hall of Famer? | Warner Playoff Record and Stats | Super Bowl Passing RecordAs we approach Super Bowl 43, and the third appearance in the Big Game for Arizona QB Kurt Warner, the Hall of Fame credentials of Warner have become a hot topic of debate.

Warner’s career as a starter began in 1999, when he quarterbacked “The Greatest Show on Turf” in St. Louis to the Super Bowl crown. Along the way that season he racked up 4,353 yards, 41 TDs, and both an NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP trophy. In many ways, considering the complete obscurity from which Warner came, it is one of the great single-season performances by an individual in not just NFL history, but in sports history.

In 2001, Warner brought the Rams to another Super Bowl (which they lost to New England) and won his second regular season MVP Award. He was not as dominant, throwing “only” 36 TDs against 22 INTs, but he set a personal record with 4,830 passing yards and still finished with a passer rating over 100 (101.4).

The next five years, however, were lost years for Warner. He battled injuries and ineffectiveness as he bounced from St. Louis to an infamously bad one year in New York and then to Arizona in 2005. While he was never truly terrible (Warner has never had a passer rating below 85.8 in any season in which he has started 10 or more games), Warner fell sharply off the radar screen from his days as the MVP in St. Louis.

This season, however, Kurt Warner has rocketed back to prominence. His regular season numbers were outstanding: 4,583 yards, a completion percentage of 67.1%, 30 TDs, and a passer rating of 96.9. And don’t give me the whole “well he has Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin” argument. Joe Montana had Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, and John Taylor, plus Bill Walsh crafting the offense; and I don’t hear that argument when people extol the greatness of Montana.

Warner’s true greatness, however, can best be viewed through his performance in the 10 biggest games in which he has played: the playoffs. Heading into Super Bowl 43, Warner has a career playoff passer rating of 97.3. This is good for second all-time as the immortal Bart Starr has a rating of 104.8. Joe Montana is third with a rating of 95.6. Additionally, Warner has a 9-1 record as a QB in the playoffs, with his onlKurt Warner Hall of Fame - Playoff and Super Bowl Statsy loss thus far coming to the Patriots in Super Bowl 36. Of all quarterbacks with 10 or more playoff starts, Warner’s winning percentage is the highest.

Sunday night, Kurt Warner can further bolster his Hall of Fame resume. Not only does Warner have a chance to join Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, and Tom Brady as the only two-time Super Bowl MVPs – Montana actually won it three times – but there is a significant Super Bowl record within Warner’s reach:

Kurt Warner needs 364 passing yards to break Joe Montana’s record of 1,142 career passing yards in the Super Bowl, which Montana accumulated in four games. Incidentally, 364 yards would be Kurt Warner’s lowest total in a Super Bowl as he threw for 414 and 365 yards in his previous Super Bowl appearances (good for 1st and 2nd on the single-game Super Bowl record list).

So let’s be hypothetical for a moment, and let’s say the Cardinals and Kurt Warner overcome the odds (literally, as Pittsburgh is a 7-point favorite) to win the Super Bowl and Warner is named MVP. This would be Kurt Warner’s Hall of Fame resume:

  • 10-1 record in the postseason (best playoff winning percentage ever)
  • 2-time NFL MVP
  • 2-time Super Bowl MVP
  • Only QB to be named Super Bowl MVP for two different teams
  • Second-highest career completion percentage
  • Highest career average passing yards per game
  • Second-highest career playoff passer rating
  • Most career yards in Super Bowl (you have to assume he’ll be throwing for a lot of yards if the Cardinals are to win)
  • Intangible: the greatest rags-to-riches story in NFL history

Do the cumulative numbers stack up against the greatest QBs in NFL history? No, and they never will. Kurt Warner is already 37 years old and has maybe a couple more seasons left in him. He can move up the charts for wins, passing yards, TDs, etc., but his career numbers will never stack up against the greats.

What Warner will possess, if the Cardinals win and he plays great, is one of the greatest playoff and Super Bowl resumes of any player in NFL history. With as much emphasis as is placed on getting a Super Bowl ring and coming up Is Kurt Warner a Hall of Fame QB?big in clutch spots, Warner’s playoff resume will give him a tremendous boost when his name is called for HOF voting. Additionally, Warner will have done what no one thought possible: deliver a Super Bowl championship to the long-suffering Cardinals franchise.

If the Cardinals lose, even if Warner plays amazing, his candidacy will take a huge hit. Despite the two NFL MVP awards, Warner simply does not have a substantial enough regular season career to merit Hall consideration. He needs the incredible quality of his playoff resume to compensate for the fact that he has really only had 3 spectacular regular seasons. A 1-2 Super Bowl record and only one Super Bowl MVP award is a significant step back from a 2-1 Super Bowl record and two Super Bowl MVP awards. The rarified air that another Super Bowl win would place him in immediately vaults him into serious Hall of Fame consideration.

Kurt Warner would go into the Hall of Fame as one of the best playoff QBs of all-time – a player who was at his best on the grandest stage when his team needed him the most. His Hall of Fame candidacy will be built upon this clutch dominance. To merit legitimate Hall of Fame consideration, Kurt Warner needs to lead the Arizona Cardinals to a Super Bowl title on Sunday.

If he does, at least in my book, Kurt Warner will make himself a Hall of Famer.

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Is Kurt Warner a Hall of Famer?

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And, for the record, Jason Whitlock has a post today covering the same subject. He thinks even the question is “ridiculous”. If Namath is in the HOF, says Whitlock, then Warner has to be. And with a win Sunday, Whitlock places Warner among the top 10 QBs of all-time.


Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: arizona cardinals, kurt warner, records, St. Louis Rams, super bowl

LOTD: Best Super Bowl Commercials Ever

January 29, 2009 By 2 Comments
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Best Super Bowl Commercials Ever | Mean Joe Greene Coke AdToday’s Link of the Day comes from a site I know well and contribute to on occasion: Dallas Sports Fans. Yesterday, Robert wrote about the best Super Bowl commercials ever.

No matter what your team loyalties, the Super Bowl is always a great time for any football fan. Even if you cannot get into the game, or hate both teams, there is still one great part of the game, the Super Bowl Commercials.

Over the years there have been some real gems. Who can forget the “WAZZUP” commercial, or the “Nothing But Net” spot. As you prepare for the big game on Sunday, stop for a moment and re-live some of the best Super Bowl Commercials from the past.

He also included videos of his top picks, including Terry Tate, Jackie Moon, and a pretty controversial (at the time) Snickers ad that may make you cringe as a man. Head on over to DSF to see Robert’s full list and to remind yourself why getting up to leave during the breaks Sunday night is not a good idea:

LOTD: Best Super Bowl Commericals — (Dallas Sports Fans)

(Oh, and so much for the “economic woes” — MoonDog reports that Super Bowl ads this year are still costing $3 million for every 30 seconds of airtime.)

Now, with all due respect to Robert, I feel like there was one big one that he left off. This is understandable, because there have been a ton of good Super Bowl ads, and choosing just a few of them is particularly difficult. However, there is one Super Bowl commercial that simply cannot be ignored or forgotten. I wasn’t even old enough to watch this Super Bowl ad live, but I have seen the video, oh I don’t know, maybe 2,613 times or so.

Here it is, the classic Mean Joe Greene Coke Super Bowl Ad:

Thanks Mean Joe! Gotta love it. It will be interesting to see what the ad agencies come up with this year. I know that a few companies are buying 1-second spots (Miller High Life, for example) and putting all sort of press about it. We’ll see how that works out. I’m sure there will be plenty of funny and entertaining commercials, but we’ll see if there is one with the timeless, classic appeal of the Mean Joe Greene Super Bowl commercial.

Now onto more links we think you should check out from around the web:

101 Sports Blogs and Bloggers You Should be Following on Twitter — (Hail Mary Jane)

For the record, really found the above post informative and helpful. And I just consolidated my personal account and the MSF Twitter account and took off the auto-feeding. So there will actually be real updates and interaction now. Definitely follow us on Twitter if you are an MSF fan. I’ll be on there pretty regularly and hopefully a lot of our other writers get accounts too.

Happy 1st Birthday to Sharapova’s Thigh — (Sharapova’s Thigh)

More to the story in “Mural Furor” in Cleveland — (Orange and Brown Report)

Tony Grossi had an interesting “interview” with Phil Savage — (Waiting for Next Year)

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of IU’s loss to Northwestern — (Inside the Hall)

David Cone: They were on “the program” — (Sparty and Friends)

5 Reasons the Steelers will be the Cardinals — (Black Sports Online)

So…Billy Gillespie is kind of a jackass — (The Big Lead)

The Power of LeBron — Lebron2010

Where’s the love for Luke Appling? — (Sox Machine)


Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: links, NFL, super bowl

Alfonso Soriano Says He Is Content Hitting Lower in the Batting Order

January 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Alfonso Soriano Content Moving Down in OrderAccording to the Chicago Tribune today, Alfonso Soriano has publicly stated that he would not object to Lou Piniella using him as more of a middle of the order hitter.

Doing so best suits Soriano’s strengths given that he is a power hitter with a poor approach at the plate, which leads to fewer walks and a lower on-base percentage compared to most good leadoff hitters. While on paper it appears to be the best move possible, especially with someone with a higher on-base percentage like Theriot who can hit leadoff, I will do my best to explain why I don’t think this would be the right move as well as how I would construct the Cubs batting order.

Here is a list of 3 OPS listings over a career (OPS is on-base +slugging percentage). One of these is Soriano hitting leadoff, another is Soriano hitting 3rd, and another when Soriano hit 5th in the order:

  • .892
  • .761
  • .824

The .892 is when he hits leadoff and he has over 3,000 ABs hitting leadoff, with 631 ABs hitting 3rd (.761 OPS) and 583 ABs hitting 5th (.824 OPS). He is simply more comfortable and more productive hitting at the top, for whatever reason, than at any other spot in the lineup.

Instead of shifting him down in the order to cater to his strengths, I suggest they cater to his strengths as a leadoff hitter and not chance having him struggle to find his role as a middle of the order hitter. By catering, I am talking about putting some higher on-base guys at the bottom of the order in a similar manner as Tony LaRussa does with the St. Louis Cardinals by hitting the pitcher 8th and having someone with leadoff characteristics hitting 9th (although, Izturis never had those traits for STL last year). To go along with this, I suggest they also adjust the lineup towards fully taking advantage of one of their main objectives of balancing the lineup with left and right handed batters.

This is my ideal lineup based on the current 25 man roster:

Lineup vs. RH’ers:
1 – Soriano-LF
2 – Fontenot-2B
3 – Ramirez-3B
4 – Bradley-RF
5 – Lee-1B
6 – Soto-C
7 – Fukudome-CF
8 – Staring pitcher
9 – Theriot-SS

Lineup vs. LH’ers
1 – Soriano-LF
2 – Johnson-CF
3 – Ramirez-3B
4 – Bradley-RF
5 – Lee-1B
6 – Soto-C
7 – Miles-2B
8 – Starting pitcher
9 – Theriot-SS

These lineups maximize their offensive potential. With that said, these will never be considered by Lou Piniella given that they would involve hitting the pitcher 8th, which is something he is strictly opposed to even considering. These lineups create create solid R/L alternating match-ups, put a high OBP hitter in Theriot in front of Soriano, and shifts more productive hitters like Ramirez and Bradley in more critical spots in the order and in front of less productive hitters like Lee.


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: alfonso soriano, chicago cubs, lou piniella, MLB

UFC 94: St-Pierre v Penn 2 – Preview, Predictions, and Lines

January 28, 2009 By 1 Comment
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UFC 94 Preview - St Pierre-Penn | Preview and Prediction - Betting LinesLadies and gentlemen it’s finally here.

After three weeks of hype, two weeks of underwhelming PPV’s, and a lucky punch by Fedor, we have now come to UFC 94: St-Pierre Vs. Penn 2. Now I’m going to take a moment and let you all know my predictions have been off the last few months. I have gone a total 2-5 since picking for this site and am 0-2 on my upset specials. This has not only hurt my pride but also my check book.

A quick breakdown of the particulars:

  • What: UFC 94: St-Pierre v Penn
  • When: Saturday, January 31 at 10:00 PM ET
  • Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
  • TV: PPV – $44.95 ($54.95 if you want HD)

Let’s start this preview at the top:

Georges St-Pierre ( Welterweight Champion) -185 Vs. BJ Penn (Lightweight Champion) +130

This is one of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history. It has all the makings of a true blood feud. St-Pierre and Penn legitimately dislike each other, their first fight was won on a split decision, and both men are current UFC champions.

If you look at common opponents both men have fought Sean Sherk, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra. They both beat Sean Sherk by TKO, so no advantage there. They have both beaten Matt Serra, but Penn did it in his first try (decision). St-Pierre got unlucky in their first fight and lost to a TKO, but followed it up with a dominate TKO victory in the rematch. I have to give Penn the advantage there.

Things get interesting as we look at Matt Hughes. Penn submitted a near his prime Hughes in ’04, but then got TKO’ed to a past his prime Hughes in ’06. St-Pierre was submitted by a near his prime Hughes in ’04 and then submitted a past his prime Hughes in ’07. I think St-Pierre gets this one because losing to Hughes in ’04 isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but losing to him in ’06, via TKO no less, is probably a bit of a blemish. While on the subject of Hughes, Saturday night will be the 5 year anniversary of Penn’s win.

The first match between Penn and St-Pierre was a split decision that saw St-Pierre win, but a split decision isn’t much to go off of. Looking at common opponents also wont give you much. I say go with your gut. Mine says St-Pierre wins. He works harder then Penn, seems to take his career more seriously then Penn, and he scares me more then Penn. All that being said, this fight could really go either way. Both are solid standing up and on the ground, both have a blood lust, and both are insanely competitive. I think Penn’s ego gets in his way and St-Pierresomehow pulls it out in the 2nd.. lets say by submission.

My Pick: Georges St-Pierre

What do you think?

Who will win?

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Lyoto Machida -265 Vs. Thiago Silva +200

I’m telling you right now, this will be an upset (but not my special). Both of these fighters stand undefeated with a record of 13-0. It’s my opinion the only reason Lyoto is favored so heavily is because he beat Tito Ortiz. The truth of the matter is that Lyoto won that fight by running away from Tito. He didn’t really land any shots and only seemed to have an advantage once in the fight. He also almost gaveUFC 94 Preview and Prediction and Betting Lines up a triangle to Tito (a man not known for his submission skills). Loyto has won 4 of his 5 UFC fights by decision.

On the other hand you have Thiago Silva. He has won all 4 of his UFC fights by TKO or submission. I don’t think he will let Lyoto run away from him like Tito and others have. Most importantly, Thiago is freaking scary man! I’ve seen all 4 of his UFC fights and he has been dominate. I say this is a first round TKO for Silva

MY Pick: Thiago Silva

Stephan Bonnar -185 Vs. Jon Jones +154

We all know and love “The American Psycho” Stephen Bonnar. His Ultimate Fighter 1 main event against Forrest Griffin helped to cement the UFC as Americas next big sport. He never backs down and he can take a crap load of punishment. We all always pull for the guy, but he hasn’t fought in the UFC since October of 2007 and he is 31 years old. The clock is ticking on Bonnar.

Jon Jones appears to be an up and comer, he’s only 21 and has a record of 7-0. That could be deceiving though as only one of his fights have come in the octagon.

UFC94 Preview, Prediction, LinesThis seems like a developmental fight to me. If Jones loses it wont hurt his stock because Bonnar is a known name with a fan base and a guy who’s only UFC losses come at the hands of the current and former Light Heavy Champions (Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin). Yet, if he wins it is a upset victory and the UFC has the beginnings of a new star.

I don’t know enough about Jones to predict how this fight will go, but I get the feeling someone in the UFC may have decided to groom this guy. I will choose this as my upset special.

My Pick: Jon “Bones” Jones

Nate Diaz -130 Vs. Clay Guida EVEN

If you’re anything like me, chances are you think Nate and his brother Nick are both a waste of talent. Nate isn’t as bad as Nick, but the simple relation to him makes me hope that Clay justifies the way this line has been moving for the last 2 weeks.

I have no horse in this race, and I don’t know much about Clay Guida, but I want to see Nate Diaz loose. That being said, I pick him to win. He may be a mess as a person, but he has talent. It also doesn’t hurt that the few times I have seen Clay in action he has been inconsistent.

My Pick: Nate Diaz


Filed Under: Featured Column, MMA Tagged With: BJ Penn, Clay Guida, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, MMA, Nate Diaz, Stephan Bonnar, Thiago Silva, ufc

From the Sideline with Candice Crawford: Who Will Scott Pioli Choose to be the Next Head Coach of the Chiefs? Take Your Pick

January 28, 2009 By 2 Comments
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From the Sideline with Candice Crawford

———-

Candice Crawford - From the SidelinesSo I hate to say this but I told you so.

Scott Pioli, the newest member to the Chiefs organization, made it official two weeks ago when he fired Herm Edwards.

Word immediately spread that they were talking to none other than Mike Shanahan, the former head coach of the Denver Broncos. I said in my last article that Mike Shanahan, with his expertise in the running game, would make a great fit for the Chiefs. However, they are having problems getting the deal signed, sealed, and delivered, so I don’t want to be disappointed if that doesn’t work out.

What are their other options?

Todd Haley — He is the offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals who have found themselves in Super bowl XLIII. He’s a young and fiery assistant and has been at the helm of one of the NFL’s most high-powered offenses since 2007. Haley has learned from the best, working under Bill Parcells in Dallas for two seasons. The Chiefs are in need of a fresh start, and Haley is right out of the oven. Seeming inexperienced compared to the rest of the candidates, Haley has received recognition because of Arizona’ s recent run. His passion and emotion could be just the thing for the young Chiefs.

Clancy Pendergast — Maybe a better choice than Haley due to his experience and defensive mindset. While most fans do not recognize the Cardinals a strong defensive team, Pendergast improved their dClancy Pendergast - Arizona Cardinalsefense from 26th to 12th in his first year (2004) and improved it to 8th overall in 2005. Recently, their defense has shown a tremendous ability to show up in crucial sports throughout the season and into the playoffs. Pendergast’s specialty seems to be his ability to develop a strong defensive line, showcased by his development of Bertrand Berry and Darnell Dockett into Pro Bowlers, which has fit in very nicely with the Chiefs’ young, but very talented, defensive line.

Clandy Pendergast’s experience began in 1995 when he came into the league with the Houston Oilers, but his recognition started with the Dallas Cowboys in 1996. In his 6+ seasons with the ‘Boys, Pendergast was a defensive assistant working with both the secondary and linebackers and is credited with turning safety Roy Williams in to a perennial Pro Bowler. While most are hot on Haley, Pendergast just might be the real treasure on that Arizona staff.

But what if Pioli wants to go in the direction of established head coaches to steer the Chiefs in the right direction? Here are a few possible names, some more likely than others.

Jon Gruden is an obvious choice after being let go this by the Bucceneers on January 16th. He is known for his offensive focus, which helped them get a 12-5 record and a Super Bowl title in his first year with Tampa. Arguably, he took Super Bowl ready team — cooked and baked by Tony Dungy and Gruden just took them out of the oven.

Gruden is considered a safe choice, because he is a “big-name” in the NFL. But I don’t think he is the spark that would ignite enough change for the Chiefs. His ex-Buc’s players don’t like him — he’s apparently a “scumbag”Could Bill Cowher go to the Kansas City Chiefs? — and even the fans influenced his recent firing. He may have a Super Bowl ring on his finger, but the Bucs turned into a mediocre team on his watch, and the Chiefs are not looking to get worse.

Bill Cowher has expressed some interest in wanting to stay retired for another season, but he would be a perfect fit for the position. Cowher is the face of a traditional football coach, literally. The Chiefs are a similar franchise to the Steelers in terms of history, tradition, and work ethic, and Cowher would make a seemless transition. Cowher’s emotion and excitement would give the Chiefs a much needed reputation makeover and return the edge and grit of the vaunted Chiefs teams of the past.

Dan Reeves- One of the greatest head coaches of all-time has shown interest in returning as a coordinator with the 49ers. Maybe he wants a bigger challenge with more cap room.

Speaking of traditional coaches, how about Mike Holmgren? While most believe he wants to take some time to enjoy retirement, Holgrem might get the itch to come back to the Midwest. He is excellent at mentoring young quarterbacks, which would be exponentially beneficial to Brody Croyle, Tyler Thigpen, or a potential young draft pick (if they choose to go that route….more on that in the coming weeks.)

———-

Candice Crawford is a Featured Author for Midwest Sports Fans and regularly provides her unique perspective into the sports world in her column “From the Sideline.” A native of Dallas, Texas, Candice will graduate from the University of Missouri in May of 2009 with a degree in journalism. You can email Candice with questions or comments about her “From the Sideline” features at candice@midwestsportsfans.com.


Filed Under: Featured Column, From the Sideline, NFL, Uncategorized Tagged With: bill cowher, candice crawford, jon gruden, Kansas City Chiefs, scott pioli

Cubs trade SS Ronny Cedeno and LHP Garrett Olson to the Mariners for RHP Aaron Heilman.

January 28, 2009 By 2 Comments
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Chicago Cubs Trade Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson for Aaron HeilmanIn what appears to be one of more thought provoking moves of the off-season, the Cubs have traded away what possibly could be a coveted piece of the Peavy deal by trading Garrett Olson along with Ronny Cedeno for former Mariners/Mets reliever Aaron Heilman.

Here is the scouting report I had on Olson:

3 pitches:

  • 88-91FB
  • 78-81SL
  • 80-83CH

http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/olsonga01.shtml (major league numbers)
http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=25645 (minor league numbers

As you can see, he appears to be a little gun shy when pitching in the majors, which plagued him at times in the minors. He was trying to pitch perfectly rather than allowing the hitter to get himself which led to the high BB totals in the majors. His slider is probably his best pitch but his FB doesn’t have the command, movement, or velocity to improve his slider and more importantly the 3rd pitch he’ll need (change-up).

Despite good numbers in the minors as well as two average pitches with his FB and slider, I don’t see him making it on the Cubs as a starter. Olson will likely play the role of Marshall last year as the swing/long-relief reliever or hopefully be part of the Peavy trade. Honestly, I don’t see why the trade for Peavy would possibly sway on whether or not Olson is included in the trade as he appears to be a marginal player especially compared to potential stars like Vitters.

With that type of scouting report and Cedeno being out of options to return to Iowa, as well as numerous middle infielders (Fontenot, Miles, Theriot), it was obvious that Cedeno was going to get traded.
As far as Ronny Cedeno’s scouting report, I project Cedeno as a future utility infielder capable of playing SS/2B as well as being able to hit well enough to be that back-up middle infielder. He has a strong arm, good range, fair hands but often lacks the concentration to make the routine plays consistently. At the plate, he generates line drives with fair bat speed but struggles with away pitches, especially low and breaking balls.

He has shown the ability to have a good approach in the minors but that has not carried over to the majors yet. If given a full-time job, I would project him as a .270/.300/.400 hitter while rating slightly below avg. defensively.

Here is my scouting report for Aaron Heilman:

  • 2 seam FB (sink): 91-94 MPH above average velocity and average movement for a sinker.
  • Splitter: 82-85 MPH average velocity and average downward movement for a split-finger.
  • Slider: 82-85 MPH appeared to use it much more in ’08 and was an effective pitch.

Heilman definitely has the stuff to be a set-up man as he has 2-3 plus pitches, but struggled last year with his command and likely his confidence while struggling mightily in the second half of last year. He has never been real solid vs. LH’ers, but last year his splitter and FB whether it was lack of command or mechanical flaw, they were just teeing off on him. In 149 Abs, left-handers hit 8 HRs and drew 24 BBs for a line of (.308/.425/.567).

There are some encouraging signs if he does stick with the Cubs.  He used his slider very well against RH’ers and with Rothschild I expect his slider to become an even more effective weapon. I don’t expect Heilman to do as poorly as he did last year, but I don’t expect him to be much better than Luis Vizcaino or Mike Wuertz. Also, I can’t see his plus FB or his plus splitter to be as hittable as they were in ’07, but that will depend on his command more than anything else.

I’m hoping SD covets Heilman more than Olson because that is the only logical explanation I have for this trade from the Cubs’ standpoint. I’m not against this trade as I explained why I’m not that high on Cedeno or Olson just that all previous signs were pointing towards SD wanting Olson which is why I thought the Cubs traded for Olson in the 1st place.


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB, Uncategorized Tagged With: aaron heilman, chicago cubs, hot stove, MLB

Simeon Rice Calls Jon Gruden a Scumbag and Somewhere Charlie Weis is Smiling

January 27, 2009 By 4 Comments
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Simeon Rice Calls Jon Gruden a ScumbagWhile doing my usual late-night perusal of ProFootballTalk before shutting my computer down for the evening, I came across a pretty interesting item containing some rather inflammatory comments made by Simeon Rice earlier today.

It seems that Simeon Rice is not too big a fan of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, who was recently fired and replaced by Raheem Morris.

“How I feel personally? I could tell you that, too. I think he’s a scumbag,” Rice said. “I think he’s a scumbag personally. That’s when he’s telling you one thing and… You know what he told me? ‘Simeon you’ll be here in the next five years.’ I got injured [and] this man’s never said one word to me. I won a Super Bowl for you. I got 13 sacks, 12, 15 every year for you. I balled. I got injured [and] you let me go like it was nothing.”

Wow. Players who have been cut holding grudges is nothing really new, but coming right out and calling the guy a scumbag is pretty surprising.

What do you think?

Is Jon Gruden a scumbag?

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Hop over to PFT to read the rest of Simeon Rice’s comment. He goes on and on listing off players who had beef with Gruden for one reason or another, and describing situations that turned into “debacles” because of how Gruden handled them.Simeon Rice Calls Jon Gruden a Scumbag

Simeon Rice had quite a football career. He shattered the previous Big Ten sack record of 36 by notching 44.5 sacks while at the University of Illinois. He was then picked 3rd in the 1996 NFL draft and was a highly productive player for the Cardinals and Buccaneers (helping Tampa Bay win the 2002 Super Bowl) before suffering a series of nagging injuries. He bounced around after being cut by the Bucs and developed a reputation of being a little bit of a malcontent.

As with anything, I’m sure that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Jon Gruden obviously rubbed some people the wrong way during his Tampa Bay tenure, and I’m sure this won’t be last “scumbag” story that comes out. But Simeon Rice’s comments should probably be taken with at least a little bit of a grain of salt. No doubt there is some animosity there for the unceremonious way that Rice was jettisoned from the Bucs when his production deteriorated, but that’s the way it goes in the salary-cap era NFL.

Still, you have to wonder what the Golden Domers think of the myriad of negative pub that Jon Gruden has been getting recently. It is the worst-kept secret in sports — heck, it’s not even really a secret — that Notre Dome has long coveted Jon Gruden to someday restore the pride of Touchdown Jesus; and the feeling is mutual. But when when of your only public defenders is John Daly, well that has to say something doesn’t it?

One thing is for sure, somewhere Charlie Weis is smiling — and probably feeling just a little bit more secure in his job than he was about a week ago.

Charlie Grimace


Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: charlie weis, jon gruden, NFL

TwinsFest 2009 Recap, Photo Diary and Notes From the Weekend

January 27, 2009 By 3 Comments
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TwinsFest 2009 Recap and Photo DiaryNo major moves were announced last weekend for the Minnesota Twins; maybe that’s because everyone in the state was partying at TwinsFest 2009.

In what could only be called a huge success, thousands upon thousands flocked to the Metrodome to catch a glimpse of their favorite players and take part in the many events and attractions the event had to offer. Even the line getting into the stadium formed hours before the doors were opened. But those willing fight frostbitten hands and frozen feet were rewarded with prized autographs from Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and about 50 other current and former Minnesota Twins.

Even Harmon Killebrew came out to sign for the fans all weekend.

Lines ranged from being 3.5 hours at the longest for Mauer and Morneau, to lines where you could walk right up to the players and within seconds have a signature. It all depended on who was signing at what times, Carlos Gomez - Minnesota Twinslocations, and even who was signing after that group at the same location.

Lines could look deceptively long at any point because everyone could be queuing up for the group signing after the current one. This made for some comedy when the Carlos Gomez line (who was signing after Casilla and Slowey at the same location) was wrapping around the bottom of the stadium prior to him signing, leaving a massive queue for Alexi Casilla and Kevin Slowey with literally no one coming up to ask for their autographs as fans would be jeopardizing their spot in line to grab a Gomez sig (Carlos Gomez is quite the draw among Twins fans). On average the lines would take 45 minutes to get through depending on the time you arrived at the queue, but there was quite a big variation from line to line.

If you were an autograph seeker, ‘hurry up and wait’ was the name of the game all weekend.

Guys who seemed genuinely excited to be there for the fans: Joe Nathan, Ben Revere, Alexi Casilla, and Ron Gardenhire come to mind; and there didn’t seem to be a bad egg among the bunch. It helps that in Minnesota that you seem to always be rooting for a group of ‘good guys’ (not to be confused with Hawk and DJ’s misinterpretation of ‘good guys’).

TwinsFest was an excellent event that certainly raised its share of money for the community fund it sponsors. Nearly every player gave up their weekend to sign autographs, take pictures, and talk with the local radio station. It’s a wonder why more teams don’t do this.

A quick photo diary of the weekend:

TwinsFest 2009 - Stadium

View of Twinsfest from inside the Metrodome. Thousands of fans showed up for the event raising a substantial amount of money for the local community.

TwinsFest 2009 - LaVelle Neal

Local sports writer La Velle Neal chats with former members of the Twins.

TwinsFest 2009 - Justin Morneau

Justin Morneau signing autographs in the press box. Morneau’s line took many over 3 hours on Sunday.

TwinsFest 2009 - Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer signing autographs in the press box. Mauer, fortunately, will be ready for opening day.

TwinsFest 2009 - Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew, the greatest Minnesota Twin ever, signs autographs. Killebrew’s line was relatively short on Sunday taking less than 30 minutes.

TwinsFest2009 - Carlos Gomez

Carlos Gomez signs autographs in the center of the stadium. This area was the chaotic part of TwinFest as hundreds of people lined up for these autographs caused lines and bottlenecks all over the Metrodome floor.

TwinsFest 2009 - Long Lines

An upstairs queue where you would typically find a Mauer, Morneau, or Killebrew signing. These lines were massive and you had to make sure you were close enough to the player in the queue, because when their time for signing was up, everyone who was still in line gets shut out.

In other news:

The team reports to Florida in a few weeks!

Jason Kubel’s deal is rumored to be 2 years and $7M dollars. Solid signing for the Twins.

Brandon Lyon and Russ Springer seem to have signed elsewhere, leaving Eric Gagne as the last remaining free agent reliever with rumors tying to Minnesota.

Joe Crede is still a large target on Minnesota’s radar. He will work out next week for the Giants and Twins. MLBTradeRumors.com believes that he will be in Minnesota when it’s all said and done. We’ll see how much a year on our concrete turf plays a factor as his aging body hasn’t faired too well in recent memory.

Fans have thrown Ben Sheets’ name around with the Twins a few times this week, but there really isn’t any traction there.

Joe Mauer will be ready to go on Opening Day after minor kidney surgery. Good news for the Twins faithful as a fast start would be a welcomed change for Minnesota.

Other than that everything’s been pretty quiet in the AL Central this week.


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: hot stove, Joe Crede, joe mauer, Justin Morneau, minnesota twins, TwinsFest 2009

Super Bowl 43: Steelers-Cardinals Prediction – Get Ready For Sadness and Nausea Browns Fans

January 27, 2009 By 5 Comments
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Steelers-Cardinals Prediction - Super Bowl 43 - Over-Under OddsWe are still 4 days and 21 hours away (thanks NFL.com) from the kickoff of Super Bowl 43 as I write this Steelers-Cardinals prediction post. Yet, I feel pretty confident that no one is going to get injured or get in trouble between now and Sunday that could materially affect the outcome of the game.

Earlier today, I updated you on the current injury status of Pittsburgh WR and Super Bowl 40 MVP Hines Ward. His sprained knee is hurting, and he won’t be 100%, but he will play. And seriously, it’s Hines Ward. Would you expect any different? JJ Arrington is a different story for Arizona, but he is obviously far less critical to his team’s success than Hines Ward.


If you want need a refresher of any of the particulars for this Sunday’s game (time, date, location, halftime entertainment, etc) click on over to the Super Bowl 43 Quick Preview that we did last week. It should be able to answer all of your questions.

As far as the point spreads go, here are the latest lines, courtesy of our friends at DocSports:

  • Sportsbook.com Point Spread: Steelers -6.5
  • Bodog Point Spread: Steelers -7
  • BookMaker Point Spread: Steelers -6.5
  • SuperBook Point Spread: Steelers -7

And the Over-Under odds for the Steelers-Cardinals game:

  • Sportsbook.com Steelers-Cardinals Over-Under: 46.5
  • Bodog Steelers-Cardinals Over-Under: 47
  • BookMaker Steelers-Cardinals Over-Under: 46.5
  • SuperBook Steelers-Cardinals Over-Under: 46.5

So, as they have been all week, the Steelers sit at right around a one touchdown favorite with an over-under average just under 47 points. I don’t know whether or not the Steelers will cover — I will leave that up to spread experts like Fraschetti to decide, as he did in his Cardinals-Steelers prediction post — but I do think that the Steelers will win Super Bowl 43, and that the two teams will go above the over.

This, of course, means that all Browns fans will have to once again live in a world in which the Steelers are the Super Bowl champs for an entire year. I know…the thought of it makes me nauseous too.

But as Rasheed Wallace once said, “it is what it is, and it do what it do.” (Side note: who knew that Rasheed Wallace could be so existentially brilliant?)

Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl 43 Prediction

Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl 43 Prediction | Over-Under

Before I get into the three reasons why I think the Pittsburgh Steelers will in Super Bowl 43, let’s discuss three reasons why the Cardinals could win the game.

1 – As Fraschetti pointed out in his first Super Bowl 43 preview article, the achilles heel of the Steelers’ defense throughout the years has been vulnerability through the air. The Steelers are monsters up front, and make it difficult for any team to run the ball, but they have been susceptible to big pass plays. This year, the Steelers ranked #1 across the board in defense, so I’m not sure this reason really holds much water (hence why I think the Steelers will win), but if the Cardinals are going to outscore the Steelers, they will have to do it by throwing the ball.

2 – Piggy-backing off of #1, the Cardinals have an absolutely outstanding passing game. If the Cardinals were a run-first team, I would say they have no chance. But with Kurt Warner and his deadly trio of Larry Fitzgerald, a healthier and probably extremely motivated Anquan Boldin, and the underrated Steve Breaston, the Cardinals will be able to move the ball through the air. In fact, I think the Cardinals will make this a higher scoring game than people think and get the final score above the Over-Under. And Kurt Warner proved in the 4th quarter of the NFC Championship Game that he still has some of the magic that made him a Super Bowl MVP once beforeSteelers-Cardinals Prediction for Super Bowl 43 | Over-Under Odds.

3 – The Cardinals defense has been playing better. I don’t buy into some of the over-hyping of the Cardinals defense that I’ve read this week by some purported “experts”, but this is a defense that has proven itself to be opportunistic. Super Bowls can often turn on defensive serendipity — being in the right place at the right time for turnovers. Just ask the Steelers, who suffered their only Super Bowl loss because Larry Brown just happened to be standing right in the path of two Neil O’Donnell misfires. If the Cardinals are going to win, the defense will have to come up with a couple of key turnovers.

However, I don’t see this happening enough to get the Cardinals over the hump, which leads me to the three main reasons why I think the Steelers will be victorious in Super Bowl 43.

1 – Ben Roethlisberger will have a big game and be named Super Bowl 43 MVP. Big Ben was just an inexperienced youngster in Super Bowl 40. He was managing games for a strong running team with a great defense and he played a pretty poor game individually against the Seahawks. He is older, better, and now the unquestioned offensive leader and lynchpin of this year’s Steelers. He has Santonio Holmes Ben Roethlisberger - Steelers-Cardinals Predictionon one side and Old Reliable Hines Ward on the other, plus a healthy Willie Parker behind him. Roethlisberger will have two or three plays that he will try to force — he always does — and the Cardinals have to turn these plays into turnovers to have a chance.

I don’t see it happening. I think Ben Roethlisberger is extra, extra motivated to have a big game Sunday to erase the memories of his poor performance in Super Bowl 40 (no matter what he might say about not thinking about that game or it being in the past). He’s an athlete and he’s human. He’s thinking about it, and very much wants to compensate for it with a signature Super Bowl win. His legacy and the beginnings of his potential Hall of Fame candidacy — yeah, I said it — are on the line Sunday. He has burned the Browns too often for me to not have confidence that he’ll have a big game.

(For the record, I can’t believe I’ve somehow turned into a huge Ben Roethlisberger cheerleader, especially after writing this horrific post before the season started, but such is life when your team starts Ken Dorsey for half a season.)

2 – Troy Polamalu and James Harrison are two of the 5 best defensive players the Cardinals have faced all season. And this is an unscientific statement; I didn’t go down the Cardinals’ schedule this year. Polamalu and Harrison may very well be the two best defenders they have faced, bar none. Kurt Warner has proven that he is susceptible to fumbles when hit in the pocket — enter James Harrison and the zone-blitzing Steelers. Warner has also proven that he willMike Tomlin - Steelers-Cardinals Preview force throws, especially to Larry Fitzgerald, when the pocket collapses — enter the eye-reader Troy Polamalu.

I have a feeling that both of these guys will be involved in crucial, game-changing turnovers that will prevent the Cardinals from scoring enough points to win.

3 – Mike Tomlin. He’s a Steeler, but I love this guy. In fact, I have absolutely no idea how Eric frickin’ Mangini is every going to beat Tomlin. He is tough, he is old school, and he is absolutely the heartbeat and emotional leader of this Steelers team. I like Ken Whisenhunt and I think he is a very solid coach (better than Eric frickin’ Mangini), but Mike Tomlin just seems to have that extra gear of will and enthusiasm that trickles down to his players and gets the Steelers over the hump.

Mike Tomlin inspires a physical style of play in the Steelers that the Cardinals have not seen this year. I think the Cardinals are too skilled offensively to not score some points, but when push comes to shove — and it will — the Steelers will out-tough the Cardinals to the victory.

So sorry Browns fans, the nightmare continues. I will be rooting for the Cardinals, and hoping to be dead wrong with this prediction — I just don’t think I will be.

My official Steelers-Cardinals prediction:

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Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: arizona cardinals, ben roethlisberger, kurt warner, mike tomlin, NFL, pittsburgh steelers, super bowl
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