2009 April | Midwest Sports Fans

4/23/09 Game 3 NBA Playoff Betting Odds and Predictions: Celtics-Bulls, Spurs-Mavericks, Lakers-Jazz

April 23, 2009 By BetOnline Leave a Comment

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Many people are starting to shift their focus to boxing betting and the huge Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao fight next Saturday but for now, we have some NBA playoffs in front of us.

Three games are on the card for tonight as the home court advantage switches. The series shift to Utah, Dallas and Chicago, and thereâ€™s plenty at stake. Hereâ€™s a look at the three games tonight:

Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls

Celtics vs Bulls odds: Bulls -3

The Boston Celtics are beaten down and bruised, but they are still the defending champions. Already missing Kevin Garnett, the Celtics lost another key cog as forward Leon Powe tore his ACL in Game 2 and will now miss the rest of the season.

The Celtics could very easily be up 2-0 in this series but could also be down 0-2. The real concern is that Chicago was unfazed by playing on the road but now have their home court advantage, which could lead to a couple of blowouts. The Bulls won 12 of their last 17 home games.

Paul Pierce will need to assert himself in Game Three but if the Celtics canâ€™t find a way to slow down the Bulls offense, they might not advance.

Pick: Bulls -3

San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks

Spurs vs Mavericks odds: Mavericks -4.5

The San Antonio Spurs will be looking to steal back home court advantage on Thursday night but winning in Dallas isnâ€™t an easy feat. The Mavs won 32 of 41 home games this season.

With Tim Duncan battling knee problems and the Spurs battling depth problems, the difference in this series has to be Tony Parker.

Game 2 was a layup drill for Parker as he scored 38 points. Parker had 24 points in Game 1 but was just 9-for-22 from the field. When Parker is on, it creates opportunities for everyone else on the Spurs.

Look for the Mavericks to make some adjustments on Parker and slow him down. The Mavericks have been far more capable of dictating the style of play at home than on the road.

Pick: Mavericks -4.5

Los Angeles Lakers @ Utah Jazz

Lakers vs Jazz odds: Lakers -1.5

The Jazz have come to a fork in the road and they better take it. The Jazz, who have lacked the team chemistry that helped them put up a fight against the Lakers last year, must win on Thursday night or their series with the Lakers will be over.

The Lakers have used the Jazz as their personal piÃ±ata in Games One and Two, and it has been far from just the Kobe Bryant show.

The Lakers have averaged 116 points per game while Bryant has averaged just 25 points per game. In Game 1, the Lakers had three scorers with 20 points or more and all but one starter scored. Meanwhile, in Game 2, the Lakers had seven scorers in double figures.

The Jazz will put up a valiant effort tonight but hoops betting fans know that might not be enough.

Pick: Lakers -1.5

Filed Under: Featured Column, NBA Tagged With: 2009 NBA Playoffs, Chicago Bulls, Sports Betting

MSF Mothers Day Contest: Nominate Your Mom for Coolest Sports Mom Ever

April 23, 2009 By Jerod Morris 3 Comments

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I am taking a quick break from fantasy baseball, the NBA Playoffs, and NFL Draft rumination to announce a Mothers Day contest beginning immediately: The MSF Coolest Sports Mom Ever Contest.

We’ll be accepting nominations (details below) up until the Friday before Mother’s Day (May 8th), with the winner to be announced on Sunday, May 10th. Then, that following week, the winning mom (a.k.a. the coolest sports mom ever) will be receiving a bouquet of flowers courtesy of MSF, along with a headlining post highlighting the qualities that made her the winner.

Before I talk about my own mom a little bit, and then give you the official Mothers Days contest details, I do want to pass along a few Mothers Day gift ideas and deals from the de facto sponsors of the The MSF Coolest Sports Mom Ever Contest. If you’re still wondering what to get your mom for Mother’s Day, perhaps the links below can help. (And we thank each of these companies for allowing us to bring these offers your way.)

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Mothers Day Contest

Now back to the Mothers Day Contest.

The way I see it, dads always get lots of recognition for their sports influence, and rightfully so — and, in fact, we’ll be doing another contest come Father’s Day — but the influence that moms have o mercury morris - mothers day contest - coolest sports mom ever - mother sport fan recognition n young athletes and sports fans should not go unnoticed, unrecognized, or uncelebrated. For example, while my dad was always the one who would go out and shoot hoops with me, or throw batting practice, or take me to QB camps when I was young, it was Mom who really showed me what being a passionate and dedicated sports fan was all about.

There were her stories of going to Dolphins games back in the glory days of the early 19XX’s (out of respect and fear for my life if I do otherwise, dates have been redacted so as not to give away any age information) to cheer on her favorite player: Mercury Morris. And there was her superstitious insistence on wearing the same earrings or socks or other accessory if the Dolphins were winning and playing well, something I do to this day.

There was her complete and unyielding support for whatever team my dad was coaching, as well as her constant support and attendance at every single athletic event I ever participated in.

There was her willingness and desire to always plan weekend duties and meals around whatever major sporting events were going on, plus her understanding that unless it was a matter of life and death, nothing came before IU basketball games.

Plus, and this is perhaps her greatest contribution to my life as a sports fans, she gave up her season ticket to IU basketball games so I could go to every game with my dad and become the IU fanatic I am today. (Bob Knight grabbing then-IU freshman Delray Brooks by the jersey might have had something do with that one, but it’s neither here nor there.)

So, I will leave my own mom out of the running, because I’m not sure anyone else’s would stand a chance. But I want to read as many stories as possible about your moms, or moms that may not be your own but that you would like to submit, before we ultimately settle on the official MSF Coolest Sports Mom Ever.

So over the next few weeks, leading up to Mothers Day on May 10th, we will be in search of the coolest sports mom out there. I am leaving the criteria and description relatively vague specifically because I do not want to discourage anyone from submitting a nomination.

Here are your rules for The MSF Coolest Sports Mom Ever Contest.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 8th, at 12:00 PM Central Time.

Email your nomination to jerod [ at ] midwestsportsfans.com or use our contact form.

Your nomination prompt is simple: tell us why your mom is the coolest sports mom ever. Whatever that means to you, whatever the reasoning, and however in-depth you want to get. Take it and run with it. Obviously the more detailed and compelling your entry, the better your sports mom nominee’s chance of being considered the coolest.

Understand that anything you write in your nomination can and probably will be reposted here at Midwest Sports Fans. Even if your entry isn’t chosen as the winner, we’ll be posting excerpts of the most compelling and interesting stories.

If your nomination wins, please be prepared to send us a picture we can use when the winner is announced as well as an address to where we can send the flowers, which will be sent in your name courtesy of MSF.

We have not decided specifically how the winner will be chosen. It will all depend on how many entries we get and how soon. If we get enough entries in the next ten or so days, we will post the best stories and allow readers to vote on the winner. If entries are not that plentiful, or if they all come rushing in before the deadline, the Mothers Day contest winner will be chosen by our editorial staff.

If you have questions (unless they are somehow personal in nature), ask them in the comments section. That way I can reply and it will answer the question for anyone else who may have it.

I think that about covers it. I’ll update this post if I can think of anything later. Now, go get busy writing your nominations.

Filed Under: Contests, Featured Column Tagged With: contest, sports moms

The Browns Should Go Defense, Not Michael Crabtree, With #5 Pick

April 23, 2009 By Jerod Morris 3 Comments

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(FYI…if you caught this article during the first 10 or so minutes it was posted, you’ll realize it’s been edited. I should have made the edits before posting the article live, but I’m making them now.

I originally went off on a pretty big rant about Michael Crabtree and his ego, before realizing that I don’t know him and don’t legitimately have a basis to make such judgments. I still speculate a bit below, based on some of the rumors I’ve been reading online, but define it more specifically as speculation. There are a lot of reports floating around from teams and “draft gurus” that Crabtree is a bit full of himself, but we are also at the time of year when almost nothing should be trusted as teams jockey for draft leverage.

I’ve been burned by trusting vague reports before, so I’d rather err on the side of caution and keep the discussion related mostly to football, as opposed to judgments on ego and character for which I have no first-hand basis to make. So my apologies for the publish-and-change, but I’m much more comfortable with the post as it is now.)

Cleveland Browns Michael Crabtree analysis #5 pick, 2009 NFL Draft I have yet to decide who I want to see the Cleveland Browns end up with on Saturday when they pick 5th in the 2009 NFL Draft. I think as Browns fans we all know that the most desirable scenario, and probably the most preferred scenario in Berea, is to trade out of the #5 slot; but probably all teams and fans in the top 10 are thinking the same thing. Unfortunately for the Browns, the current economic realities of the NFL combined with the lack of super-stud prospects at the top of the draft mean that they more than likely have to pick at #5.

Who should they take? I don’t pretend to have a definitive answer to that question. There are a lot of hardworking people in the Browns war room right now who have been studying these prospects and the draft landscape all year, and even they probably do not yet have a definitive answer. I’ll leave the sorting to those guys and the predicting to the mock draft mavens across the web.

Plus, there have been so many rumors floating around regarding potential trades involving Braylon Edwards (a possibility still with the Giants, although it’s not looking great) and Brady Quinn (I don’t buy it) that I have been waiting for something to come to fruition that will help to stabilize the Browns’ most immediate need with their first selection. Right now there are more variables than an algebra book.

(Coincidentally, that last sentence easily ranks among the ten worst I’ve ever written for simply being lame and pathetic. I was about to hit backspace when I decided that something so God awfully putrid should maintain its existence so as to serve as a reminder and hopefully a lesson learned. In that respect, I compare it to the Browns 2008 season. We’d all love to erase last year and pretend it didn’t happen, but just as I will be motivated to never offer another public display of such elementary prose, hopefully the Browns will be motivated to not offer another such and elementary, and equally putrid, display of professional football.)

Without question, there are many possibilities that should or could be available at #5 that would fill one of the many gaping holes in the Browns’ starting roster; that is, assuming the guy picked can ac Cleveland Browns 2009 NFL Draft #5 Michael Crabtree, Aaron Curry, BJ Raji, Brian Orakpo tually play at the NFL level. Tim Couch and Courtney Brown, among others, make even the most optimistic Browns fan (and readers of this site know that I am exactly that, perhaps to a fault sometimes) a little weary at the thought of counting on a high draft pick to be a franchise player.

Aaron Curry appears to be a safe bet to be a solid linebacker for 10+ years. BJ Raji certainly has the talent and athletic girth to form a pretty formidable inside duo with Shaun Rogers. Brian Orakpo is an incredible talent who could be a superstar if he also develops a consistent motor and the requisite football acumen. And Brian Hartline is a field-stretching future superstar who conjures hallucinations of a Steve Largent-Randy Moss hybrid when you see him on film.

Just kidding. We’re your biggest fans Hartline. Seriously. No…really. (Just wait…surely our resident Buckeye apologist KVB will come leaping to Hartline’s defense.)

Bringing it back to serious mode, if you have been paying attention to the latest draft “speculation” — and I use even that loose term loosely because “disinformation” and/or “strategic gamesmanship” are more accurate — then you know that Mark Sanchez has joined Michael Crabtree as a hot name attached to the Browns at #5. I addressed the Browns-Sanchez-Crabtree rumors this past weekend.

Let me get my thoughts on Mark Sanchez out of the way real quickly here: I think the Browns would be beyond foolish to take him. First, they would have to trade Brady Quinn to even make it plausible, and though I am not sold on Brady Quinn as a future franchise quarterback I certainly think he will be a better pro than Mark Sanchez. The USC QB is entering the draft early (the history of which we analyzed this week) with only 16 starts to his name. So unless the Browns want to wait three or four years for their #5 pick to start paying dividends, they should file Mark Sanchez under the “too absurd to consider” column.

And that brings us to Michael Crabtree, a name that many a mock draft has had penciled in for the Browns. Our very own Ryan Russell even made his own plea for the Browns to draft Crabtree last night in his attempt at Clevelander optimism. (And a mighty fine attempt it was, save for the nonsense about the Indians.)

Cleveland Browns 2009 NFL Draft #5 pick Michael Crabtree Just so we’re clear, let me emphatically state for the record right now: I absolutely, positively DO NOT want the Browns to draft Michael Crabtree.

And it’s nothing personal against Crabtree. I have no vendetta of any type against him. But I think the Browns would be making a huge mistake by even considering him at #5, the reasons for which I am about to get into.

In his column at SI.com yesterday, Peter King outlined the terrible odds of picking a WR in the first round who can come in and produce early. I realize that the Browns do not exactly fit the description of having a “win-now” roster — and a reasonable argument could be made that the Browns are in a great position to roll the dice on a WR since they are not under pressure to win a Super Bowl next season — but I still don’t like it, not this high in the draft with so many other problems to fix.

If we couldn’t make it work with Braylon Edwards, whose one very good season coincided with the Browns one good recent season, what makes the Browns think that anything will be different with Crabtree? All we’ll be doing is eliminating the development time that Braylon has had to make the transition from college to pro, which is especially difficult at WR. How does subbing in a rookie Crabtree for a now-veteran Braylon make us better in the next 2-3 years?

This season should be about progression, not regression.

Besides, if this draft is deep at one position it’s WR. The Browns have a 2nd round pick to grab a solid WR (Brian Robiskie, for instance) and perhaps other first day or early second day picks should they consummate a trade. Why not strengthen the defense, and the locker room, with the first pick? I’ve never heard anyone say that “wide receivers win championships” but defenses certainly do.

For the Browns to play Mangini-style football and be successful, the egos must be kept to a minimum and the defense must make significant improvement. The Browns are a team still searching for an identity and last year proved that the locker room is lacking in true leaders. Bringing a guy like Crabtree into such an environment will not, in my opinion, provide the checks his young but reportedly growing ego needs to become a true team-first WR that fulfills his potential. He’ll walk in with little talent at the WR position to challenge him and could believe in his own head that he’s the Browns’ savior. Add in money, plus his increasing profile and level of fame, and any narcissistic Cleveland Browns 2009 nfl draft #5 michael crabtree tendencies he may have will only grow and become more prominent. And this is not necessarily a judgment on Crabtree as much as it is a generalized judgment of many young, talented WRs in the NFL. And if any of such speculation were to come to fruition, that is decidedly not what the Browns need, and one of the primary reasons, I thought, why we were trying to purge ourselves of Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards this offseason.

Plus, after watching Browns fans turn on Braylon last year, it’s pretty obvious that self-absorbed shenanigans will not be tolerated. At least Crabtree isn’t from Michigan, but where there is smoke there could be fire. And the Browns need to minimize risk with their #5 selection. Thus, I just don’t think Crabtree in Cleveland seems like a good fit.

My advice to the Browns is to stay away from Michael Crabtree. I think he’ll be a productive NFL WR, but not a great one on the level of Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, or even Calvin Johnson or Terrell Owens. And if he isn’t going to be a top-flight, game-breaking WR, which is my humble opinion and that of others, then I believe that makes him not worth the #5 pick. WRs need to be home runs if you pick them that high in the draft. I see Michael Crabtree as a double…that tries to get stretched into a triple by someone who thinks they have more speed than they do, and who ultimately gets thrown out at third.

My advice to Michael Crabtree? Call up Braylon for advice on which of your five suits to pick.

If Saturday goes my way, Michael Crabtree won’t be coming to Cleveland. I wish him the best in his NFL career, and I think whoever drafts him will be getting a productive WR, but not the kind of production that warrants a top-5 pick. I think the Browns can be better served, and the franchise will be better off in the long-run, by choosing the best defensive player available at #5.

Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: 2009 nfl draft, Cleveland Browns, michael crabtree

Derrick Rose Adds Name to All-Time List of NBA Rookie of the Year Award Winners

April 22, 2009 By Jerod Morris 6 Comments

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Derrick Rose - 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year | All-Time List of Past NBA Rookie of the Year Award Winners What a year (plus a few weeks) it’s been for Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

First, the phenom from Chicago led Memphis to within a Mario Chalmers 3-pointer of the NCAA Title. Then, Rose was the #1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He followed that up by proving the Bulls’ choice of he over Michael Beasley correct with a consistent and outstanding rookie season in which he led the turbulent Bulls to the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, Rose had his NBA coming out part in the Bulls’ Game 1 upset over defending champion Boston in which he tied the NBA record for most points by a rookie in a playoff debut.

And today, with the Bulls entrenched in a 1-1 series against Boston that is heading back to the Windy City for Game 3, Derrick Rose was named 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year, adding his name to a prestigious list of players who have excelled in their first NBA seasons.

Look at the list below. Is there any Rookie of the Year list in any professional sport that is such an accurate predictor of future stardom? There are very few names on the list that did not ultimately become tremendous NBA players and/or Hall of Famers.

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For the season, Derrick Rose averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. he also shot 47.5% from the field and 78.8% from the line while playing in 81 games and averaging 37.0 minutes per game. Good stats for any point guard, but other-worldly for a rookie point guard.

And Rose, according to ESPN.com, is only the 4th player since 1990 to win the Rookie of the Year award and lead his team to the playoffs. The others are Tim Duncan, Chris Webber, and David Robinson.

Congratulations to Derrick Rose. This has been an outstanding rookie class in 2008-09, but Rose was clearly head and shoulders above everyone else.

Here is all-time list of past NBA Rookie of the Year Award Winners:

Year	NBA Rookie of the Year	Team	Draft Pick
2008-09	Derrick Rose	Chicago Bulls	1
2007-08	Kevin Durant	Seattle SuperSonics	2
2006-07	Brandon Roy	Portland Trail Blazers	6
2005-06	Chris Paul	NO/OKC Hornets	4
2004-05	Emeka Okafor	Charlotte Bobcats	2
2003-04	LeBron James	Cleveland Cavaliers	1
2002-03	Amare Stoudemire	Phoenix Suns	9
2001-02	Pau Gasol	Memphis Grizzlies	3
2000-01	Mike Miller	Orlando Magic	5
1999-00	Steve Francis (tie)	Houston Rockets	2
	Elton Brand (tie)	Chicago Bulls	1
1998-99	Vince Carter	Toronto Raptors	5
1997-98	Tim Duncan	San Antonio Spurs	1
1996-97	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	1
1995-96	Damon Stoudamire	Toronto Raptors	7
1994-95	Grant Hill (tie)	Detroit Pistons	3
	Jason Kidd (tie)	Dallas Mavericks	2
1993-94	Chris Webber	Golden State Warriors	1
1992-93	Shaquille O'Neal	Orlando Magic	1
1991-92	Larry Johnson	Charlotte Hornets	1
1990-91	Derrick Coleman	New Jersey Nets	2
1989-90	David Robinson	San Antonio Spurs	1
1988-89	Mitch Richmond	Golden State Warriors	5
1987-88	Mark Jackson	New York Knicks	18
1986-87	Chuck Person	Indiana Pacers	4
1985-86	Patrick Ewing	New York Knicks	1
1984-85	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	3
1983-84	Ralph Sampson	Houston Rockets	1
1982-83	Terry Cummings	San Diego Clippers	2
1981-82	Buck Williams	New Jersey Nets	3
1980-81	Darrell Griffith	Utah Jazz	2
1979-80	Larry Bird	Boston Celtics	6
1978-79	Phil Ford	Kansas City Kings	2
1977-78	Walter Davis	Phoenix Suns	5
1976-77	Adrian Dantley	Buffalo Braves	6
1975-76	Alvan Adams	Phoenix Suns	4
1974-75	Jamaal Wilkes	Golden State Warriors	11
1973-74	Ernie DiGregorio	Buffalo Braves	3
1972-73	Bob McAdoo	Buffalo braves	2
1971-72	Sidney Wicks	Portland Trail Blazers	2
1970-71	Geoff Petrie (tie)	Portland Trail Blazers	8
	Dave Cowens (tie)	Boston Celtics	4
1969-70	Lew Alcindor	Milwaukee Bucks	1
1968-69	Wes Unseld	Baltimore Bullets	2
1967-68	Earl Monroe	Baltimore Bullets	2
1966-67	Dave Bing	Detroit Pistons	2
1965-66	Rick Barry	San Francisco Warriors	2
1964-65	Willis Reed	New York Knicks	8
1963-64	Jerry Lucas	Cincinnati Royals	T*
1962-63	Terry Dischinger	Chicago Zephyrs	8
1961-62	Walt Bellamy	Chicago Packers	1
1960-61	Oscar Robertson	Cincinnati Royals	1
1959-60	Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia Warriors	T*
1958-59	Elgin Baylor	Minneapolis Lakers	1
1957-58	Woody Sauldsberry	Philadelphia Warriors	60
1956-57	Tom Heinsohn	Boston Celtics	T*
1955-56	Maurice Stokes	Rochester Royals	2
1954-55	Bob Pettit	Milwaukee Hawks	2
1953-54	Ray Felix	Baltimore Bullets	1
1952-53	Don Meineke	Fort Wayne Pistons	35

	* - Territorial Pick

NBA History: All-Time List of NBA Rookie of the Year Award Winners

Year NBA Rookie of the Year Team Draft Pick

2008-09 Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls 1

2007-08 Kevin Durant Seattle SuperSonics 2

2006-07 Brandon Roy Portland Trail Blazers 6

2005-06 Chris Paul NO/OKC Hornets 4

2004-05 Emeka Okafor Charlotte Bobcats 2

2003-04 LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers 1

2002-03 Amare Stoudemire Phoenix Suns 9

2001-02 Pau Gasol Memphis Grizzlies 3

2000-01 Mike Miller Orlando Magic 5

1999-00 Steve Francis (tie) Houston Rockets 2

Elton Brand (tie) Chicago Bulls 1

1998-99 Vince Carter Toronto Raptors 5

1997-98 Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs 1

1996-97 Allen Iverson Philadelphia 76ers 1

1995-96 Damon Stoudamire Toronto Raptors 7

1994-95 Grant Hill (tie) Detroit Pistons 3

Jason Kidd (tie) Dallas Mavericks 2

1993-94 Chris Webber Golden State Warriors 1

1992-93 Shaquille O'Neal Orlando Magic 1

1991-92 Larry Johnson Charlotte Hornets 1

1990-91 Derrick Coleman New Jersey Nets 2

1989-90 David Robinson San Antonio Spurs 1

1988-89 Mitch Richmond Golden State Warriors 5

1987-88 Mark Jackson New York Knicks 18

1986-87 Chuck Person Indiana Pacers 4

1985-86 Patrick Ewing New York Knicks 1

1984-85 Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 3

1983-84 Ralph Sampson Houston Rockets 1

1982-83 Terry Cummings San Diego Clippers 2

1981-82 Buck Williams New Jersey Nets 3

1980-81 Darrell Griffith Utah Jazz 2

1979-80 Larry Bird Boston Celtics 6

1978-79 Phil Ford Kansas City Kings 2

1977-78 Walter Davis Phoenix Suns 5

1976-77 Adrian Dantley Buffalo Braves 6

1975-76 Alvan Adams Phoenix Suns 4

1974-75 Jamaal Wilkes Golden State Warriors 11

1973-74 Ernie DiGregorio Buffalo Braves 3

1972-73 Bob McAdoo Buffalo braves 2

1971-72 Sidney Wicks Portland Trail Blazers 2

1970-71 Geoff Petrie (tie) Portland Trail Blazers 8

Dave Cowens (tie) Boston Celtics 4

1969-70 Lew Alcindor Milwaukee Bucks 1

1968-69 Wes Unseld Baltimore Bullets 2

1967-68 Earl Monroe Baltimore Bullets 2

1966-67 Dave Bing Detroit Pistons 2

1965-66 Rick Barry San Francisco Warriors 2

1964-65 Willis Reed New York Knicks 8

1963-64 Jerry Lucas Cincinnati Royals T*

1962-63 Terry Dischinger Chicago Zephyrs 8

1961-62 Walt Bellamy Chicago Packers 1

1960-61 Oscar Robertson Cincinnati Royals 1

1959-60 Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors T*

1958-59 Elgin Baylor Minneapolis Lakers 1

1957-58 Woody Sauldsberry Philadelphia Warriors 60

1956-57 Tom Heinsohn Boston Celtics T*

1955-56 Maurice Stokes Rochester Royals 2

1954-55 Bob Pettit Milwaukee Hawks 2

1953-54 Ray Felix Baltimore Bullets 1

1952-53 Don Meineke Fort Wayne Pistons 35

* - Territorial Pick

Filed Under: Featured Column, NBA, Sports Writers and Reporters Tagged With: Chicago Bulls, derrick rose, NBA, Rookie of the Year

The Trainer’s Room: Sprained Ankle Treatment, Rehab, and Recovery Time

April 22, 2009 By Mountain View Pain Center 110 Comments

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(The Trainer’s Room is a regular column at Midwest Sports Fans by Denver chiropractors Dr. Niall McNally and Dr. Ihsan Erhuy, the pain and rehabilitation experts at the Mountain View Pain Center in Denver, CO.

All treatment options provided in this article should not be taken as specific advice, but rather as a general guide regarding what is typically done to treat the injury being described.

You should always consult your doctor before beginning any pain management or rehab program.)

______________________________

Ankle Sprains

For this article we will discuss one the most common sports related injuries, the ankle sprain. This type of injury can happen in all sports, to any player, and makes any activity nearly impossible until the pain is gone and the ankle heals.

Inversion injuries, or acute lateral ligament sprains, are the most common form of sporting injury, accounting for 40% of all injuries and up to 85% of ankle sprains, which in themselves are responsible for over 15% of all time lost from sport.

The injury occurs when the athlete lands with the foot plantar flexed and slightly inverted. This position unlocks the joint. What this means is simply rolling your ankle.

sprained ankle treatment, rehab, recovery time - ankle sprains, ligaments - plantar flexion and inversion sprain

Plantar flexion inversion sprain

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Sprained Ankle: The Ligaments, Ankle Sprain Grades, and Recovery Time

The lateral (outside) ankle ligaments are: the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL), the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL), and the posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL). The medial (inside) ankle ligaments are the deep and superficial portions of the deltoid ligament.

The most commonly sprained ankle ligament is the ATFL, followed by the CFL. An isolated CFL tear is rare, and is almost always preceded by a tear of the ATFL. These injuries are caused by running on uneven terrain, stepping in a hole, stepping on another athleteâ€™s foot during play, or landing from a jump in an unbalanced position.

A syndesmotic ankle sprain, or high ankle sprain, occurs as a result of forced external rotation of the foot or during internal rotation of the tibia on a fixed, planted foot. A common mechanism is a direct blow to the back of the ankle while the foot is externally rotated.

Classification of lateral ligamentous injuries is variable. Injuries are described as primary, secondary, or tertiary, or grade 1, 2, or 3, in order of increasing severity, as illustrated in the ankle sprain grade chart below. The grading of ankle sprains helps to guide treatment, rehabilitation, and prognosis. The ankle sprain grade is based on the number of ligaments injured, degree of ligament tearing (partial vs. complete tear), and amount of swelling and ecchymosis (bruising).

	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3
Edems/Ecchymosis (Bruising)	Localized/Slight	Localized/Moderate	Diffuse/Significant
Weight Bearing Ability	Full or Partial Without Significant Pain	Difficult Without Crutches	Impossible Significant Pain
Ligament Pathology (ligament damage)	Ligament Stretch	Partial Tear	Complete Tear
Return to Sporting Activities (recovery time)	11 days	2-6 weeks	4-26 weeks

West Point Ankle Spain Grading System

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Edems/Ecchymosis (Bruising) Localized/Slight Localized/Moderate Diffuse/Significant

Weight Bearing Ability Full or Partial Without Significant Pain Difficult Without Crutches Impossible Significant Pain

Ligament Pathology (ligament damage) Ligament Stretch Partial Tear Complete Tear

Return to Sporting Activities (recovery time) 11 days 2-6 weeks 4-26 weeks

Please note this chart provides only a rough estimate of sprain ankle recovery time. Other factors must be weighed in such as previous injuries, age, weight, health status, and your sprained ankle treatment plan to give a more exact prognosis of recovery.

Two easy tests to determine when your previously sprained ankle is stable enough to get back in the game are to stand on the ankle in question for one minute with eyes closed, or jump up and down ten times in a row. If you can perform these without pain then you should be ready for action. However, even if you can perform these tests, your ankle may still be damaged, so take caution and protect yourself. Have the sprained ankle taped or wear some form of ankle support until it has healed.

Be aware there may also be an underlying fracture as well with an ankle sprain. This could contribute to the intense pain and swelling. It is possible to fracture the malleoli, cuboid, navicular, talus, or calcaneus. This is why it is important to see your doctor for an X-ray after an injury. An MRI might be needed because some fractures do not show up on conventional X-ray; MRI is also the best way to rule out underlying ligament damage.

sprained ankle treatment, rehab, recovery time - ankle sprains, ligaments - ligaments of the ankle

Ligaments of the ankle

While most ankle sprains will heal without complication, 20% of all sprains will lead to further chronic instability. Ligaments and tendons are stretched and damaged in an ankle sprain, but with the appropriate treatments we can heal and strengthen the area. If the ankle is left to heal on its own, you run the risk of developing an unstable joint. This can leading to multiple ankle injuries and even more complications down the road.

Sprained Ankle Treatment and Rehab

Before we get into treatment, we must first understand what is happening to the ligament. In the initial injury for example, the inversion sprain, the ATFL is stretched and torn. When this occurs the area will hemorrhage and will become inflamed. The body’s natural healing process will kick in and lay down more collagen to the affected area. If the appropriate steps are taken the collagen will lay down in the correct fashion reducing scar tissue and decrease the risk of future sprains.
sprained ankle treatment, rehab, recovery time - ankle sprains, ligaments - lateral ankle sprain

Lateral ankle sprain

Sprained Ankle Treatment

Initial treatment or the acute phase (0-24 hours) of the inversion injury/simple ankle sprain follows the usual regime of protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation (PRICE). Although a very simple step, it is commonly overlooked, creating a longer recovery process.

Ice is most beneficial immediately after the injury, as it decreases swelling and helps with pain relief. Blood flow does not decrease significantly for about 10 minutes after the application of ice (but DO NOT ice longer than 20 minutes), by which time considerable bleeding may already have occurred, so the compressive element becomes equally important as an aid to restricting hemorrhage. The ankle should be taped in the opposite fashion of the injury. This will help to shorten the stretched ligaments and begin the healing process. If sports related, the athlete should be removed from the field of play without placing weight on the joint. The limb should be elevated as soon as possible and compression applied.

After you pick yourself up off the sidelines, go see your doctor. It is important to perform the appropriate orthopedics examination to determine the ankle’s stability and if there is any other underlying tendon ruptures or fractures. The majority of ankle sprains respond well to conservative care, and surgery is generally avoided in this type of injury. However it is recommended to see a doctor and let him/her make the call. You do not want to push an unstable ankle, or you can further damage the already weakened ankle.

Many think that because the ankle was injured the best course of action is to brace it and leave it alone. However, research shows that early mobilization of the joint will stimulate collagen bundle orientation and therefore stimulate healing. At Mountain View Pain Center we recognize the importance of adjusting and restore biomechanics to the joint while applying the other therapies. It is important to work with your doctor or trainer to properly rehab the area to strengthen and prevent from further sprains.

Early sprained ankle treatment will focus on moving out the edema (swelling) of the area, which will also promote healing. At Mountain View Pain Center we perform this process in several different ways. The first is an electrotherapy called hi-volt. Hi-volt is a direct current applied to the body through pads. In this type of injury the polarity should be set to positive (acts like ice). The hi-volt treatment has several benefits for an ankle sprain. The electric current will pump out the swelling and decrease pain.

The next step we take at Mountain View Pain Center is to apply kinesio-tape to the area. This allows the healing process to continue while the patient is at home. The tape also assists in the removal of inflammation and swelling. In the first 72 hours the kinesio-tape will be applied in a fan-like fashion across the foot with two strips, one facing towards the middle of the foot and one fanning out. This will open the lymphatic channels thus allowing the edema to move out of the area.

Another great way to move out swelling is a soft tissue technique aided with a specialized instrument. This specific technique is great for breaking spasms, removing adhesions (scar tissue), and in this case pushing out swelling. Your doctor should perform this to assist the lymphatic flow in the ankle. Adding this technique to our treatment has helped patients get back on their feet much quicker.

Sprained Ankle Rehab

After the removal of the pain and swelling, the next step is to begin rehab and work to prevent future ankle sprains. We do this by therapeutic exercises designed to strengthen the injured and weakened area. We also continue the use of kinesio-tape to help support the area, as well as allowing the patient the freedom to move the ankle, while still getting the therapeutic benefits. This is done with the same technique with tape to the outside of the foot, as well as stabilization tape up the calf muscle to aid the ankle in flexion of the foot.

Supplements

As mentioned in previous articles Omega fatty acids or fish oils help with inflammation in the body. Flavanoids, which give fruit their pigment, work exceptionally well with the reduction of inflammation, the increase of stabilizing collagen structures, and thus decrease pain. Collagen is a major protein in the tendons, so if you are trying to avoid future sprains, it is a good idea to take this supplement to help enforce the tendons.

Another important supplement to take for the prevention of future strains is vitamin C. Vitamin C deficiency is associated with defective formation of the tendons, making you more susceptible to an injury. (Side note: smokers are often deficient in vitamin C, so if you smoke you may be inhibiting your bodyâ€™s ability to heal itself.)

Chronic Ankle Sprains

Without the appropriate care for an ankle sprain you may develop an unstable joint. When the joint becomes unstable the risk of further and more severe ankle sprains increases drastically. From here you must address the buildup of scar tissue as well as the instability. If you find yourself suffering from a chronic ankle sprain, let us know. We can help you develop a modified treatment plan.

These are the opinions and examples of treatment plans for sprained ankles from Mountain View Pain Center. If you have any further questions or concerns feel free to contact our office or leave a comment below. Additional home exercises can be prescribed by your physician to speed up the healing process.

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The Trainer’s Room is written exclusively for Midwest Sports Fans by Denver chiropractors Dr. Niall McNally and Dr. Ihsan Erhuy of the Mountain View Pain Center in Denver, CO. You can contact them by leaving a comment below or sending an email to info@mountainviewpaincenter.com.

Dr. Niall McNally is certified in chiropractic neurology and has a strong background in sports injuries and in the rehabilitation of common nagging athletic problems. Dr. McNally also is trained in pediatrics, orthopedics, and nutrition.

He graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma and successfully completed his Doctor of Chiropractic degree at the Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas, TX. A very active athlete, Dr. McNally played hockey up into the junior level. In fact, it was his love for hockey, and the Colorado Avalanche, that originally gave him the idea to one day practice sports medicine and chiropractics in the area.

Dr. Ihsan Erhuy specializes in motor vehicle accident injures, back, neck, and extremity problems, as well as treating pregnant patients and children. He is certified in the Diversified, Gonstead, Thompson, Upper Cervical, Activator, Sacral Occipital, Applied Kinesiology, Soft Tissue techniques.

Originally from Adana, Turkey, Dr. Erhuy graduated from the University of Arizona and also susuccessfully completed his Doctor of Chiropractic degree, along with his bachelor of science in health and wellness, at the Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas, TX.

Filed Under: Featured Column, The Trainer's Room Tagged With: sports injuries, sprained ankle

The Greatest Name in NFL Draft History and a List of the All-Time #1 Overall NFL Draft Picks

April 22, 2009 By Jerod Morris 4 Comments

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Yesterday, I attempted a serious discussion about the history of underclassmen QBs who have been picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. Needless to say, the history of such QBs is far more infamous than it is famous; and unfortunately for many NFL fans, a number of teams appear poised to draft Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman (all juniors) in the first round of the 2009 Draft.

With yesterday’s post I feel like I made a pretty significant deposit into the “serious sports talk” bank account that we like to maintain here at Midwest Sports Fans. And that can only mean one thing: it’s time to become a “real” sports fan for a moment and dabble in something juvenile, immature, and sophomoric.

Thus, it gives me great pleasure on this fine Wednesday morning to present you with the greatest name in the history of the NFL Draft:

Dickless Riffle - all time list of #1 overall picks in NFL draft, first overall nfl draft picks

That’s right. Dickless Riffle. A back out of Albright chosen with the 12th overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles. (So…do you think when Eagles call T.O. “dickless” that they are really just paying homage to their old time second-round pick? No? Okay, me either.) I defy you to find another name that even comes close to packing the humor, irony, and complete ridiculousness of this one.

It should be noted that I looked for secondary confirmation of the existence of Dickless Riffle. However, all I was able to find was another website that had essentially just copy/pasted the Wikipedia table for the 1938 draft. So I’m trusting Wikipedia that Dickless Riffle is not just someone’s idea of a joke inconspicuously slipped into a random draft chart from the Early Era of the NFL, found only because of freak sports bloggers who research this stuff at 12:30 in the morning.

As you will see below, the genesis for this post was actually something legitimate and informative. We have created a table listing the #1 overall draft pick for every professional football draft since 1936. During the course of going to the Wikipedia page for each individual draft to get all of the information I needed for the table, I stumbled across more than a few interesting names. Without question, Dickless Riffle is the greatest.

How in the hell do you get a name like Dickless? I have to assume that it did not have the same context back then that it does now. Or perhaps his name was Richardfewer and he just wanted to shorten it. Or perhaps his parents really wanted a girl and simply could not accept the fact that little Dickless had man parts, so they gave him a name in hopes that it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It would make a great band name, don’t you think? Or a stage name for an effeminate male singer who wears tight pants and hits high notes with ease. I can see the marquee now: Dickless Riffle and the Morsels of Tenderness, like tonight at The Vogue.

And I’ve officially taken this too far.

Anyway, before we jump into the all-time list of #1 overall NFL draft picks, here are a few other names from the Early Era of the NFL that I thought were…entertaining:

Bill Shakespeare (1936 NFL Draft – Round 1 – Pittsburgh Steelers)
Dick Crayne (1936 – Round 1 – Brooklyn Dodgers)
Pepper Constable (1936 – Round 8 – Philadelphia Eagles)
Dick Plasman (1937 NFL Draft – Round 3 – Chicago Bears)
Byron “Whizzer” White (1938 NFL Draft – Round 1 – Pittsburgh Pirates) — Is this guy related to Onterrio Smith?
Kelly Moan (1938 – Round 7 – New York Giants)
Dick Nardi (1938 – Round 8 – Detroit Lions)
Dick Johnston (1938 – Round 11 – Washington Redskins) – one letter away from being the polar opposite of Dickless Riffle.
Bill Daddio (1939 NFL Draft – Round 5 – Chicago Cardinals)
Dick Farman (1939 – Round 16 – Washington Redskins)
Dick Favor (1940 NFL Draft – Round 3 – Philadelphia Eagles) – The question becomes what is the difference between a Dick Favor and a Dickless Riffle? They sound like complete opposites to me.
Cary Cox (1940 – Round 11 – Pittsburgh Steelers) – Umm…once again, the complete opposite of Dickless Riffle. But it would certainly help out with a Dick Favor.
Earl Fullilove (1941 NFL Draft – Round 19 – Washington Redskins)
Jack Hunt (1942 NFL Draft – Round 13 – Chicago Bears)
Dick Wildung (1943 NFL Draft – Round 1 – Green Bay Packers)
Bob Coutchie (1943 – Round 21 – Brooklyn Dodgers)

Yep, that seems like a good one to end on.

My goodness, who knew that the old school NFL drafts were such a rich source of humor? I had no idea. Anyway, I have to cut myself off there as actual work beckons.

Before I go, here is the all-time list of #1 overall NFL draft picks. My apologies for diverting so far off track from what this post was originally intended to be. But come on — Dickless Riffle? It was just too much ignore.

NFL Draft History: All-Time List of #1 Overall Picks

Year	Team	Player	College
	MODERN ERA
2009	Detroit Lions	???	???
2008	Miami Dolphins	OL - Jake Long	Michigan
2007	Oakland Raiders	QB - JaMarcus Russell	LSU
2006	Houston Texans	DL - Mario Williams	NC State
2005	San Francisco 49ers	QB - Alex Smith	Utah
2004	San Diego Chargers	QB - Eli Manning	Ole Miss
2003	Cincinnati Bengals	QB - Carson Palmer	USC
2002	Houston Texans	QB - David Carr	Fresno State
2001	Atlanta Falcons	QB - Michael Vick	Virginia Tech
2000	Cleveland Browns	DL - Courtney Brown	Penn State
1999	Cleveland Browns	QB - Tim Couch	Kentucky
1998	Indianapolis Colts	QB - Peyton Manning	Tennessee
1997	St. Louis Rams	OL - Orlando Pace	Ohio State
1996	New York Jets	WR - Keyshawn Johnson	USC
1995	Cincinnati Bengals	RB - Ki-Jana Carter	Penn State
1994	Cincinnati Benglals	DL - Dan Wilkinson	Ohio State
1993	New England Patriots	QB - Drew Bledsoe	Washington State
1992	Indianapolis Colts	DL - Steve Emtman	Washington
1991	Dallas Cowboys	DL - Russell Maryland	Miami (FL)
1990	Indianapolis Colts	QB - Jeff George	Illinois
1989	Dallas Cowboys	QB - Troy Aikman	UCLA
1988	Atlanta Falcons	LB - Aundray Bruce	Auburn
1987	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	QB - Vinny Testaverde	Miami (FL)
1986	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	RB - Bo Jackson	Auburn
1985	Buffalo Bills	DL - Bruce Smith	Virginia Tech
1984	New England Patriots	WR - Irving Fryar	Nebraska
1983	Baltimore Colts	QB - John Elway	Stanford
1982	New England Patriots	DL - Kenneth Sims	Texas
1981	New Orleans Saints	RB - George Rogers	South Carolina
1980	Detroit Lions	RB - Billy Sims	Oklahoma
1979	Buffalo Bills	LB - Tom Cousineau	Ohio State
1978	Houston Oilers	RB - Earl Campbell	Texas
1977	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	RB - Ricky Bell	USC
1976	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	DL - Lee Roy Selmon	Oklahoma
1975	Atlanta Falcons	QB - Steve Bartkowski	California
1974	Dallas Cowboys	DL - Ed "Too Tall" Jones	Tennessee State
1973	Houston Oilers	DL - John Matuszak	Tampa
1972	Buffalo Bills	DL - Walt Patulski	Notre Dame
1971	New England Patriots	QB - Jim Plunkett	Stanford
1970	Pittsburgh Steelers	QB - Terry Bradshaw	Louisiana Tech
	COMMON DRAFT
1969	Buffalo Bills	RB - O.J. Simpson	USC
1968	Minnesota Vikings	DL - Ron Yary	USC
1967	Baltimore Colts	DL - Charles "Bubba" Smith	Michigan State
	AFL & NFL ERA
1966	Atlanta Falcons	LB - Tommy Nobis	Texas
1965	New York Giants	RB - Tucker Frederickson	Auburn
1964	San Francisco 49ers	DL - Dave Parks	Texas Tech
1963	Los Angeles Rams	RB - Terry Baker	Oregon State
1962	Washington Redskins	RB - Ernie Davis	Syracuse
1961	Minnesota Vikings	RB - Tommy Mason	Tulane
1960	Los Angeles Rams	RB - Billy Cannon	LSU
	EARLY ERA
1959	Green Bay Packers	QB - Randy Duncan	Iowa
1958	Chicago Cardinals	QB - King Hill	Rice
1957	Green Bay Packers	HB - Paul Hornung	Notre Dame
1956	Pittsburgh Steelers	QB - Gary Glick	Colorado State
1955	Baltimore Colts	QB - George Shaw	Oregon
1954	Cleveland Browns	QB - Bobby Garrett	Stanford
1953	San Francisco 49ers	DL - Harry Babcock	Georgia
1952	Los Angeles Rams	QB - Bill Wade	Vanderbilt
1951	New York Giants	HB - Kyle Rote	SMU
1950	Detroit Lions	DL - Leon Hart	Notre Dame
1949	Philadelphia Eagles	C - Chuck Bednarik	Pennsylvania
1948	Washington Redskins	HB - Harry Gilmer	Alabama
1947	Chicago Bears	Back - Bob Fenimore	Oklahoma
1946	Boston Yanks	QB - Frank Dancewicz	Notre Dame
1945	Chicago Cardinals	HB - Charley Trippi	Georgia
1944	Boston Yanks	QB - Angelo Bertelli	Notre Dame
1943	Detroit Lions	RB - Frank Sinkwich	Georgia
1942	Pittsburgh Steelers	HB - Bill Dudley	Virginia
1941	Chicago Bears	HB - Tom Harmon	Michigan
1940	Chicago Cardinals	TB - George Cafego	Tennessee
1939	Chicago Cardinals	C - Charles "Ki" Aldrich	TCU
1938	Cleveland Rams	Back - Corbett Davis	Indiana
1937	Philadelphia Eagles	Back - Sam Francis	Nebraska
1936	Philadelphia Eagles	HB - Jay Berwanger	Chicago

Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL, Random Thoughts Tagged With: humor, NFL, nfl draft

Optimistic In O-H-I-O

April 21, 2009 By Ryan Russell Leave a Comment

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cleveland cityscape After recently moving back to my beloved hometown of Cleveland, I was amazed to discover the amount of apathy that lies within SOME Cleveland sports fans. Granted, Cleveland sports teams have not done much of anything to dissuade that kind of attitude, but it makes me wonder why anyone would choose to adopt such a defeatist attitude at a time when there are so many reasons to be optimistic.

My favorite part about living here again is reading the Plain-Dealer sports page every morning. All the Cavs, Browns, Indians, and Buckeyes info all together in one paper saves me hours of scouring PFT and bucknuts.com. My only problem is that Terry Pluto is not allowed to write every single article in the sports page. Instead I am forced to read the pathetically pessimistic views that are so often expressed by Bill Livingston and Bud Shaw. In my opinion, both Shaw and Livingstion do more harm than good, and could use either an attitude adjustment, or a new line of work.

I may not be nearly as old as those guys, but I have seen my fair share of disappointment regarding Cleveland’s epic failure in sports over the years. I vividly remember “The Drive” & “The Shot”, and I attended hundreds of Indians games (including World Series) throughout the mid-90s. It seems after enduring letdown after letdown after letdown, the typical Cleveland fan is forced to adopt one of the following attitudes regarding the teams he has loved over the years:

1) Maintain optimism, look at the bright side, and hope for the best;

2) Become a miserable piece of crap who would rather be right about losing than wrong about winning.

Both Shaw and Livingston were the ones who said last year that Mike Brown was a terrible coach who should be dismissed. Wrong again, a$$holes. The worst part is that neither douchebag offered any ideas on how THEY would improve the team, other than firing Brown. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

Less than a year later Brown received 55 first place votes as the NBA’s best coach. Houston’s Rick Adelman came in second place with 13 votes. Bill and Bud, you don’t know anything about coaching in the NBA…so what do you get out of being overly critical of someone who does?

(Editor’s Note: We had hoped to bring you a picture of Bud Shaw, however we were unable to use an actual picture because of copyright considerations. When informed of this Ryan said, “Just put some douche with a molestache and say it is him.” So we did.)

cleveland plain-dealer writer bud shaw Last week Bud Shaw (pictured, left) actually had the stones to say that he thinks the Cavs will make it to the NBA Finals, but lose to the Lakers in the end. He ended the piece by saying, “you’ll thank me later.”

I don’t know where to begin with how screwed up in the head this SMUG SON OF A BITCH has to be to think that in the first place, let alone collect paychecks for distributing such drivel to the fans.

What is it about the Lakers that makes Shaw so confident that they can beat the hottest team with the best record and home court advantage throughout the playoffs? What the hell is, “you’ll thank me later,” supposed to mean? Is he suggesting that we bet that the Cavs lose in the Finals, cash in, and then thank him for his prophetic “wisdom?”

Does he think we should root for the Lakers instead of the Cavaliers so that we will be happy when the Cavs lose?

The answer to all of these questions is “NO”.

Bud Shaw was simply attempting to look like he knows what he is talking about by taking the safest bet in sports: that Cleveland will not win it all, regardless of what sport you want to talk about. If having the best team in the NBA is not enough to make Bud Shaw a Cavs fan, then why on Earth is he being paid to write about them? Why does he even watch the games (maybe he doesn’t), other than to pray that we lose and prove that he was right?

Anyway, my intent when I sat down to write this was to provide my optimistic spin on the current state of each of Cleveland’s major sports teams (and Sizemore just went yard as I write this!). So let’s go, one by one:

As far as I’m concerned, if you can’t get excited about this year’s team, then you have no business being a Cavs fan in the first place.

This year’s Cavs team might very well be the finest team that Cleveland has assembled in the history of the city’s professional sports teams. Perhaps the 1964 Browns, or the 1995 Indians could give them a run for the money, but I seriously doubt that is the case.

If we don’t win the championship, it will be a tremendous disappointment, but no one can take away how good we were this year. This year’s Cavaliers demolished another franchise record seemingly every night this month; and LeBron, Mo, Delonte, Z, and Varejao are simultaneously having what could be called their best seasons to date.

If you witnessed this season, and still want to try to poke holes in the Cavs, point out what you think are flaws, and convince yourself that they will find a way to lose, then I suggest that you just leave Cleveland right now, because you are a sad, pathetic individual and we don’t need or want you.

If you are waiting for a Cleveland championship before you believe and support our teams, then please just piss off, because you are exactly what is wrong with with most fans today (see: Indianapolis Colts).

This year’s Indians team is very young; but very talented. Additionally, we could benefit from the fact that the AL Central is so weak right now that even Kansas City stands a chance (just kidding, Coco). Just because we started off 4-9 though, many pessimistic “fans” (including my very own brother) have already given up on the Tribe.

This is ridiculous.

In 1997 the Indians started out 5-8 and went on to win the pennant. {By the way, bottom of 7th right now, 6-1 good guys; Laffey looks great!} If we win tonight, we are only a half game away from where we were the last time we went to the World Series. That, plus Wood closing, plus the fact that the division is not as strong as usual, suggests that it’s not crazy to be optimistic about the Indians’ chances in 2009.

Come on, Believeland!

I have never been less excited about having such a high draft pick.

The economy sucks, rookie salaries are higher than ever, and the talent pool isn’t nearly as deep as it was in years past, but I am still confident that Mangini and Kokinis know what they are doing based on their track records. EVERYONE is looking to trade down, which would be ideal but unlikely. I hope that a team like Philly, who is seriously considering Knowshon Moreno, might opt to take the hit and trade up to ensure getting him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if no team traded up in the first round.

That said, if we do pick in the #5 spot, I’d like to see us pickup Michael Crabtree. I know there is a ton of hype surrounding him, and that this year’s draft class is exceptionally backloaded with talented WR’s, but this kid seems too good to pass up. I should note that I felt completely different about who the Browns should draft when I thought that Winslow, Stallworth, and Jurevicius would be making contributions to next year’s offense. (Also, Braylon Edwards must have been pulling tubes with Michael Phelps, or caught VD from Ann Arbor (WHORE!); because he is no longer good at catching footballs.)

Anyone who thinks that they can predict how the Browns will fare next season is full of [baloney-sauce]. We went 10-6 in 2007 when we were supposed to suck, and 4-12 when we had high expectations for the team. And all of this happened when we actually knew a little bit about what was going on within the organization. Anything can happen in the NFL, and ManKok isn’t saying peep, so no one really knows what plans are in place and what expectations we should have for team personnel or outcome of the season.

My guess is that Bud Shaw and Bill Livingston, who is highly critical of Lerner, are only negative about the team because they don’t have any idea what to write about anymore. They have grown accustomed to having head coaches and general managers hand them their stories for years, and now Mangini is making them earn their inflated paychecks.

I know that journalists, even sports journalists, are supposed to be unbiased, and I agree completely. I just think that Shaw and Livingston are often negatively biased, for whatever reason, as opposed to unbiased. Like I said, it doesen’t seem to be a effectTerry Pluto, who has no problem balancing being both a legitimate jounalist, as well as a fan.

~ Ryan Russell

Filed Under: Featured Column Tagged With: Cleveland, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, cleveland indians

Sports Agent Corner: What Draft Week Is Like for a Sports Agent

April 21, 2009 By Jerod Morris 1 Comment

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Gary Glick, sports agent - what draft week is like for a sports agent Editorâ€™s Note: Welcome to the latest edition of the Sports Agents Corner, our regular feature here at MSF in which we run through a list of hot topics with Dallas-based sports agent Gary Glick of Synergy Sports, Inc.Â The Sports Agent Corner has been on hiatus for a few weeks (my fault, not Gary’s), but Gary has been nice enough to take a quick breather during draft week to answer a few questions.

Go to the Sports Agent Corner page to view past editions, and feel free to send an email to the Sports Agent Corner if there is a specific question you would like Gary to address in future weeks. You can also respond in the comments section and Iâ€™ll be sure that Gary sees your responses.)

——————–

MSF: What players are you representing this year in the 2009 NFL Draft?

Gary Glick: Kirby Freeman (QB); Joe Ganz (QB); Dexton Fields (WR); Aubrey Bell (WR); Thomas White (WR); Braxton Kelly (LB); Andrew Mooney (TE/FB); Jake Ratcliff (DE/LB); Dan Titchener (P); Cory Long (K)

MSF: Describe what the week leading up to the draft is like?

Gary Glick: It’s VERY hectic. There is a great deal of last-minute marketing and maneuvering as well as speaking to the teams about draft day contact information. Also talking to the players to keep up their confidence as well as speaking with the press. The Dallas Morning News (Todd Archer) did a nice article on Thomas White after his workout with the Cowboys and the press from the various cities in the colleges where the players attended have draft questions.

MSF: How will you spend your Saturday and Sunday this weekend?

Gary Glick: Saturday is more laid back than Sunday. I will be manning the phones and watching the draft somewhere other than the office.

On Sunday, I will start with a mass e-mail to all of the teams again reminding them of them of my players. I will be at the office monitoring the draft and making contact with whoever I can with the teams. The â€œfunâ€ starts IMMEDIATELY after the last pick in the draft. For players who are not drafted, it is the time to try and have them signed as Free Agents. We have a team of people making calls to every contact we have in the league.

MSF: What do you find yourself doing more: managing the expectations of players who think they will be drafted higher than they probably will, or pumping up guys who think they have no chance to get picked — but who might?

Gary Glick: A little of both but probably the focus is on calming nerves and keeping the guys pumped up. Even if they are not immediately signed, there is always the chance.

MSF: For all of the fans who do not understand it, describe a little more about what happens after the last pick of the second day. What is the ensuing scramble to get your undrafted players into camps like?.

Gary Glick: Most of the Undrafted Rookie Free Agents (those players not drafted) are signed within 2-3 hours after the draft. It is imperative that we start calling at the end of the 7th round and make as many calls and as quickly as possible to all of the NFL contacts we have. I usually have 2 phones going at the same time! I have never seen so many calls being made so quickly.

Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL, Sports Agent Corner Tagged With: 2009 nfl draft, gary glick, sports agent

4/21/09 Game 2 NBA Playoff Betting Odds and Predictions: Cavs-Pistons, Rockets-Blazers, Lakers-Jazz

April 21, 2009 By BetOnline Leave a Comment

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The games below are obviously already over, but I’m still seeing traffic come in from search engines. If you’re looking for the updated lines and odds for games after 4/21, here you go:

BetUS Sportsbook
Join the leaders in online betting at BetUS.com sportsbook offering most attractive bonuses for sports bettors. Join BetUS.com today and start betting!

Game 2: Detroit Pistons @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Pistons vs Cavaliers odds: Cavaliers -11

The Detroit Pistons had no answer for LeBron James in Game 1 and itâ€™s hard to fathom what kind of strategy theyâ€™ve concocted between games to slow him down. In Game 1, they practically tried every possible approach.

They used several different defenders on him, which failed miserably. Tayshaun Princeâ€™s length didnâ€™t help as James ran right past him while Richard Hamiltonâ€™s speed didnâ€™t help as James outmuscled him. When James was double-teamed, he quickly found his teammates, which led to four of them hitting double-figures in scoring.

The Pistons see the white light and they arenâ€™t resisting. The Cavs should protect their home court again tonight as the series heads back to Detroit.

Online betting pick: Cavaliers

Game 2: Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers

Rockets vs Trail Blazers odds: Trail Blazers -6

The Houston Rockets stole home court advantage in their Western Conference Quarter-Final by handing the Portland Trail Blazers their worst loss of the season. A number of the Blazers were making their playoff debuts in Game 1 so expect them to be far more poised in Game Two.

The Blazers starters were outscored 94-43 and head coach Nate McMillan ended up benching them for the fourth quarter.

For the Trail Blazers to come up victorious tonight, theyâ€™ll have to find a way to contain Yao Ming, who carved up both Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden for 24 points and nine rebounds. Yao didnâ€™t even miss a shot from the floor (nine for nine), which further indicates just how dominant he was.

NBA betting fans know that itâ€™s unlikely that the Rockets shoot 58.5 per cent from the field in back-to-back road games and itâ€™s unlikely for the Blazers, who won 34 of 41 home games in the regular season, to lose back-to-back home games. Look for the Blazers to even things up in Game Two.

Online betting pick: Trail Blazers

Game 2: Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers

Jazz vs Lakers odds: Lakers -11.5

The Utah Jazz are starting to face the music and it doesnâ€™t sound so good. They have lost 10 straight games at the Staples Center but the bigger concern right now is that they have lost eight of their last 10 games overall.

The Jazz might again be without starting center Mehmet Okur, who is a game-time decision for Tuesdayâ€™s contest.

Hoops betting fans know that the Lakers didnâ€™t even play a full game on Sunday and still drilled the Jazz. The Lakers were up by 22 at halftime and took their foot off the pedal, which resulted in a 13-point win.

The Jazz just donâ€™t have the rhythm they had last season, and that was when they lost to the Lakers in six games. Now that theyâ€™re coming apart at the seams, it appears this series might not even make it that far.

The Lakers should have a 2-0 series lead after tonightâ€™s contest.

Online betting pick: Lakers

Filed Under: NBA, Sports Betting Tagged With: 2009 NBA Playoffs, Cleveland Cavaliers, detroit pistons, lebron james, NBA, Sports Betting

LOTD: Joe Mauer Injury Update – ‘Man Muscles’ Nearing Return from DL

April 21, 2009 By Jerod Morris 13 Comments

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There has been lots of love coming our way in recent days (link from Rob Neyer at ESPN.com, front page status on YardBarker, links from our other friends around the sports blogosphere) and, in fact, MSF writer Ryan Russell just called to tell me that SportsCenter gave Midwest Sports Fans a shout out this morning while discussing Mike Brown being named NBA Coach of the Year.

Sounds like the perfect time to give a little love back, so we’ll roll out a Thursday edition of LOTD.

Our highlight link today goes to a first-timer at MSF: Fantasy Pros 911. Earlier today FP911 writer Sooze posted about the “imminent return” of Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who has been doing nothing for one of my fantasy teams while stuck on the DL to start the season.

LOTD: The Imminent Return of ‘Man Muscles’ — (Fantasy Pros 911)

Currently on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his lower back, Joe has been in a constant state of rehab down at the Twins training facility in Fort Myers, Florida. The first time he’ll see some baseball-related action will come in a simulated intrasquad game on Monday before he joins the Gulf Coast League Twins for a few extended Spring Training games.

This is good news, considering it was painful for him to do things like bend over and tie his shoelaces ever since having offseason kidney surgery back in December.

If all goes well on the GCL front, the plan is to have Man Muscles join the Class A Fort Myers Miracle by the end of the week. He’ll participate in six games (catching in three or so) and hopefully return to the Twins lineup by May 1st after recording around 50 at bats in all.

In his Joe Mauer injury update, Sooze also relays the story of how she came to refer to Mauer as “Man Muscles”. I’d tell you, but I’d rather you use the link above to hop over to FP911 to find out.

Now some other great links for your procrastinating pleasure on this lovely Tuesday:

Who is Ricky Thurman? SI Letter Fraud Update — (Cleveland Frowns)

The Big House Taking a Big Hit — (Sparty and Friends)

Some Wonder Whether Positive Combine Drug Test Results Were Expunged — (PFT)

Little Leaguers Come to the Defense of Elijah Dukes — (The Big Lead)

Joe Smith has a Rap MixTape Out…Yes, That Joe Smith — (Black Sports Online)

Blame Vinny for Bulls Game 2 Loss — (Not Qualified to Comment)

Ravens willing to give up first rounder to acquire Boldin – (The Scores Report)

Kokinis and Mangini’s Draft Mystery — (Waiting for Next Year)

High School Baseball Player Throws 4 No-Hitters in a Row — (Deadspin)

Young Stars Generate NBA Playoff Suspense — (WSJ Daily Fix)

Have a great day everyone.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: joe mauer, links, minnesota twins, MLB

Ohio MLB Update: Indians in AL Central Cellar, Reds Staying Above Ground

April 21, 2009 By AJ Kaufman Leave a Comment

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The Indians come home from playing ten of their first 13 games away from Cleveland at 4-9, and buried in the AL Central cellar, where they’ve resided all season.

Despite outscoring the Yankees 40-19 in the first series at the new stadium in the Bronx, Sunday’s loss meant the Tribe split four there, and went 3-4 on the road trip overall after losing two of three to the resurgent Royals. Anyway you slice it, this is a porous beginning for a team with playoff aspirations, as some have noted. Their team ERA is nearly seven, and MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince has broken it down further.

The Reds are staying above ground, after taking five of seven on their current road trip to stand at 7-5 overall. Despite not scoring a single run off Houston starters in the first three of the wrap-around four game weekend set — and just two scores off reclamation project Mike Hampton last night — winning three of four in Houston was a rarity for the RedLegs, as they often struggle in Houston. Although the team batting average stands barely above .210, the pitching has been consistent and the bullpen has been lights out. Joey Votto continues to be a stud in the three hole.

Speaking of young gems, I saw yet another Cincy super prospect, Adam Rosales, last Thursday night from the third row in Indianapolis. Playing for AAA Louisville, the shortstop homered and had two other rocket shots. At this time last year I saw Jay Bruce homer twice from the same seats. Dusty Baker, who to his credit has not been obstinate with lineup changes in 2009, brought up Jay soon after; but as for Adam, not so fast.

Some asides, following up from last week:

1. The Padres and their young hurlers continue to roll, despite blowing a lead and losing in heartbreak, walk-off fashion Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. I said last week that a 4-5 road trip would be ideal; thus far, San Diego is 4-2, with just two games in the Bay Area to go as they fly cross-country after last night’s rain out in Philly. Jake Peavy goes tonight. Problem is, they’re still in second, behind the Dodgers, who may be the NL’s best team. LA’s line-up is so stacked. Joe Torre is the Phil Jackson of baseball: he’s always given loaded teams.

2. In the end, Boston won out as there’s no justice in the Josh Beckett debacle. The team cleverly had his suspension reduced to just five games for hurling a ball at defenseless Bobby Abreu on April 12. He won’t miss a start. The Boston media, naturally, thinks this is a tragedy and that their top pitcher is being oh so mature in not appealing further. Beckett feels otherwise; he’s still angry (bold by me):

“Everybody has to answer to somebody, and my boss told me this was the best thing for the ball club,” Beckett said. “If it was up to me, obviously, we would have gone through with this whole thing, because I don’t think I deserve even one game. When your boss tells you that something is best for the whole group, that’s what we do. I don’t support this at all.”

Josh, that you won’t miss a single start defeats the entire purpose of the suspension. What’s there not to support? Apparently, like the New England region, Red Sox nation thinks general rules don’t apply to them. They’ve won their last five games nonetheless. No worries, this is the last time Boston will be mentioned in these columns.

Lastly, the baseball season is over two weeks old, and therefore, the steroid talk in the sports media needs to stop now. Yahoo! Sports is the main culprit, looking to bash baseball as often as possible. The fatuous Jeff Passan did it over the weekend and Tim Brown did it again yesterday. The irresponsible media’s anti-baseball agenda is so transparent and unnecessary. Do the NFL and NBA national writers bash their sport for having endless playoffs, thugs, drug users or women abusers? Not nearly as often.

When they’re not bringing up non-issues like steroids, the AP is all too eager to write baseball’s “demise” by publishing attendance numbers that “dip.” Good grief.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Cincinnati Reds, cleveland indians, MLB

A Historical Perspective on the Unsuccessful History of Drafting Junior QBs in the First Round

April 21, 2009 By Jerod Morris 8 Comments

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The Unsuccessful History of Drafting Junior QBs in First Round of NFL Draft - mcshay-kiper hair swap - george santayana quotes For the next week or so, the counsel of purportedly wise and learned men will be sought by NFL fans far and wide as we all search for ways to understand and predict what might happen this Saturday in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Mel Kiper Jr. Todd McShay. Mike Mayock. Don Banks. Peter King. Matt Mil– wait, never mind on that one.

(The hilarious McShay-Kiper hair swap picture to the left is courtesy of The Sports Hernia, by the way.)

Everywhere you turn there is another draft junkie who has the 40 times memorized for the top 150 players, is constantly shuffling his own personal draft board, and who is creating endless amounts of mock drafts that are, for all intents and purposes, meaningless (not all that unlike pre-draft blog posts…).

So in this uncertain time of guesswork and projection, as we are forced to sift through consistent streams of disinformation, perhaps we should look outside the typical network of draft “experts” to gain some perspective on what will — or, to be more apt, what should — happen this Saturday and Sunday at the 2009 NFL Draft.

Ladies and gentleman of the sports world, I present to you the official NFL draft guru of Midwest Sports Fans: George Santayana. george santayana quotes - The Unsuccessful History of Drafting Junior QBs in First Round of NFL Draft

Who is George Santayana? No, he is not the new late night anchor on ESPNNews. Nor is he one of the endless stream of columnists that seem to pop up out of nowhere on SI.com or ESPN.com.

George Santayana is actually not even alive. In fact, the Spanish-born philospher, essayist, poet, and novelist died in 1952. Coincidentally, the 1952 season brought one of the four NFL championships ever won by the Detroit Lions, all of which came in 1957 or earlier, the team that holds the #1 draft pick in this weekend’s draft. And if the Lions are wise (perhaps the biggest if in all of sports) they will listen to the sage words of George Santayana, a man whose many aphorisms provide a road map to NFL draft success.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

~ George Santayana

Apparently, according to Tom Kowalski at MLive.com, the Detroit Lions have settled on Georgia QB Matthew Stafford, who declared for the draft after his junior season, as their choice at #1 overall in the 2009 NFL draft. Kowalski believes this based on comments made by Lions team president Tom Lewand, while also offering the unconvincing caveat that Lewand’s comments could possibly be some kind of smoke screen. For a while now the conventional wisdom has been that the Lions will take Stafford at #1, and nothing has really led anyone “in the know” to believe that a name other than Stafford’s will be called first on Saturday afternoon.

But the Detroit Lions, and all of the other NFL teams thinking about drafting one of the underclassmen QBs projected to go in the first round (Stafford, plus USC junior Mark Sanchez and Kansas State junior Josh Freeman) would be wise to heed the advice of George Santayana. Past drafts offer a wealth of wisdom that could mitigate the chances of NFL teams wasting their first round pick on a QB that history says will not turn into a franchise — or even solid — player.

And is there any reason to draft a QB in the first round other than if you think he will become your franchise QB?

A recent article by Vic Carucci, a senior columnist at NFL.com who is not a wise as George Santayana but is adept at offering useful wisdom specific to matters of professional football, lays out the historical perspective that should be required reading for any NFL team considering the underclassmen QBs as potential first round picks. (And Browns’ brass, if you really are considering Mark Sanchez at #5, then I’m talking to you here.)

Carucci’s article highlights the importance of maturity in the development of young NFL quarterbacks. And while he does not specifically state that NFL teams would be foolish to draft Stafford, Sanchez, or Freeman in the first round this year, the table accompanying his post (screen grabbed and included below to the right) speaks volumes about the underlying point. george santayana quotes - The Unsuccessful History of Drafting Junior QBs in First Round of NFL Draft

Let’s break the table down into three general categories: successes, failures, and incompletes.

Successes

Ben Roethlisberger
Drew Bledsoe

Failures

Alex Smith
Rex Grossman (yes, he made a Super Bowl, but does anyone really consider him anything other than a failure in Chicago?)
Michael Vick (if maturity is what keeps underclassmen QBs from succeeding, then I think Vick has to be considered a failure despite his flashes of success.)
Tim Couch
Ryan Leaf
Heath Shuler
Tommy Maddox
Todd Marinovich
Jeff George
Andre Ware

Incompletes

JaMarcus Russell
Vince Young
Trent Dilfer (gets bonus points for winning a Super Bowl, but didn’t win it for the team that drafted him.)

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the breakdown is heavily weighted towards the middle of the table, almost like there is a failure vacuum sucking the potential out of underclassmen QBs, each of whom set back the franchises that drafted them in the first round. Obviously, the successes of Ben Roethlisberger and, to a lesser degree, Drew Bledsoe give teams hope that they can unearth the unlikely junior QB who succeeds. But if I’m studying this piece of history from a war room, I’m looking at the negatives and having a hard time believing that playing 2/15 odds is in the best interests of my organization.

Thus, thee words of George Santayana ring exceedingly true. Whether any NFL teams are listening is another question.

But there are other words by George Santayana that ring true here as well:

Before you contradict an old man, my fair friend, you should endeavor to understand him.

~ George Santayana

With history so blatantly on the side of not drafting underclassmen QBs in the first round, then why do many NFL teams, who invest so much money and so many resources into the scouting and drafting process, continue to make such choices?

The answer is simple: you have to have a good quarterback to win a Super Bowl. (And, ironically, former junior draft pick Trent Dilfer is often held up as the anomalous exception that proves the rule, after he “led” Baltimore to a Super Bowl title by simply not losing games so their defense could win them.)

The importance of having a good QB should not be understated. And when good QBs are so hard to find, it is understandable that teams become intoxicated with players whose skill sets and college production suggest that they might someday possibly become a franchise QB.

A team like the Lions cannot plan ahead until next year and wait to take Sam Bradford. What if they actually stumble into a few wins this season and do not pick first next year? If they squander this year’s pick on a non-QB, and do not have the opportunity to have their pick of next year’s litter, they could enter 2011 with Daunte Culpepper still at QB and no succession line to the future. When considered in this context, a 2/15 roll of the dice almost, maybe, kind of, sort of makes sense.

What to do with this paradox? Well, let’s go back to our good friend George Santayana.

Science is nothing but developed perception, interpreted intent, common sense rounded out and minutely articulated.

~ George Santayana

We often hear the NFL draft discussed as a science, though an imperfect science at best. There are endless measurables used to gauge a players’ ability to compete athletically at the professional level. Tests like the Wonderlic purportedly assess a player’s aptitude. Game tape is dissected and graded, players are poked and prodded, values are assigned to each position on the draft board, and teams devise rating systems based on numbers and colors to group players on their draft boards.

And from this maelstrom of data and analysis comes what teams hope is a minutely articulated and developed perception from which they can interpret a strategic draft day intent that leads to successful common sense decision-making and, thus, draft picks who ultimately contribute to the greater cause of winning championships.

Yet, as we all know, it rarely if ever works out so cleanly. So perhaps that quote by George Santayana really does not clear up anything.

Got another one George?

The truth is cruel, but it can be loved, and it makes free those who have loved it.

~ George Santayana

Ah, the truth. It certainly can be a cruel and tricky little devil.

And with respect to the “science” of the NFL draft, the truth can be especially cruel when it contradicts the “developed perception, interpreted intent, and common sense rounded out and minutely articulated” that NFL teams invest so much time and so many resources in developing, but that can ultimately be flawed and misleading.

NFL teams want to find franchise QBs, they need to find franchise QBs, and I am convinced that they look for “franchise” inside of draft-eligible underclassmen quarterbacks where no franchise probably exists. In a year such as this one, in which no senior quarterbacks possess the talent to suggest “franchise” to NFL teams, those teams desperate for QBs are forced to consider underclassmen and compelled to weigh the cruelty of truth (underclassmen QBs drafted in the first round usually fail) with the reality of the NFL (teams without franchise QBs rarely win Super Bowls).

In business, important but uncertain decisions and investments are assessed along a risk/return continuum in which the assessed risk of failure is weighed against the potential for return and then analyzed within the context of the organization’s overall goals. And the NFL is wholeheartedly a business, perhaps even more than it is a sport (though that is a debate for another day).

As the NFL draft looms closer, teams are weighing the risk/return of drafting underclassmen QBs Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman with more urgency. For example:

The Detroit Lions are asking themselves if they should go safe and choose player more likely to be a solid, consistent NFL contributor (Aaron Curry) or take the guy with the higher upside but far greater risk (Matthew Stafford).
The Jacksonville Jaguars are asking themselves if they should fill a need by targeting a WR in a WR-rich draft or hedge their risky bet on David Garrard with an even more risky bet on a junior QB.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are asking themselves if they should stay at their current pick to take the risky Freeman, or if they should trade away picks to move up and select the only slightly less risky (according to conventional wisdom, at least) Sanchez; or do they forget about QBs altogether and draft a WR or infuse their aging defense with youth.

Here’s a novel idea for all of the teams targeting underclassmen QBs with first round picks: study history, remember it, and vow not to repeat it. And not just the history that says underclassmen QBs drafted in the first round have an absurdly high rate of not being successful, but also the history that proves franchise QBs do not have to be taken in the first round. Sure, many are. But Tom Brady wasn’t. Drew Brees wasn’t. Kurt Warner wasn’t. Joe Montana wasn’t. Brett Favre wasn’t.

Yet, all of these quarterbacks and many other non-1st round QBs have experienced success and become bona fide franchise QBs. Why? Because they came to organizations that were built on a solid foundation and had the pieces in place to allow them to grow into their positions and develop as football players and as leaders.

Peyton Mannings, John Elways, even Matt Ryans, are exceedingly rare. And these guys, plus the many other senior first round QBs who have turned into franchise QBs, have two things that Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman do not have:

Far fewer questions about their abilities and mentalities. More game tape + more experience in college allows NFL scouts to understand a players’ strengths and weaknesses better. Compared to drafting a senior QB, NFL teams almost “draft blind” when taking an underclassmen.
By staying in college through their senior year, these players had the maturity to handle the pressure of being the #1 pick, as well as the advanced skill set and understanding that an extra year in college helps to develop.

The truth is that drafting any QB in the first round is essentially a crap shoot. Seniors drafted #1 overall have failed (Akili Smith, Cade McNown, Dan McGwire…thank you Peter) and juniors drafted later in the first round have succeeded (Ben Roethlisberger). But if, as an organization, you commit yourself to fundamentally sound principles and choose your risks wisely — and fighting 2/15 odds is not what I consider wise — you will be better off in the long run and increase your chances of building a consistent winner.

george santayana quotes - matthew stafford lions - The Unsuccessful History of Drafting Junior QBs in First Round of NFL Draft My humble opinion, if you cannot already figure it out, is that drafting Matthew Stafford (pictured, left) at #1 would not be a bold move by the Detroit Lions; nor would it be, according to history, a wise move. The same goes for the other teams thinking about one of these QBs in the first round. For teams with so many holes, why would you want to select a quarterback that still needs development and that has a 13% chance of succeeding, and then place him on a team that is not currently built to win?

Over the next week, NFL war rooms will be dominated by the voices and egos of GMs, coaches, and scouts, all of whom want to set their respective organizations up for the best chance at future success with their decisions this weekend. And TVs and radios will be dominated by draft gurus and “experts” who think they know what each team should do this weekend to achieve that best chance at future success. Yet with all of the talking, projecting, analyzing, melkipering, posturing, and picking, it would be wise for one particular voice to not be drowned out.

Listen to George Santayana.

The best path to understanding this year’s NFL draft is with a solid understanding of each player available, each team’s needs, plus a healthy dose of historical perspective. The last one, understanding history, is the component that usually gets forgotten. And it is probably the reason why teams end up making many of the same mistakes year after year.

It is also the reason why this final quote from George Santayana perhaps sums up the totality of the NFL draft experience, for both the teams and fans, as well as any:

Why shouldn’t things be largely absurd, futile, and transitory? They are so, and we are so, and they and we go very well together.

~ George Santayana

**********

What do you think?

Should the Detroit Lions take Matthew Stafford #1 overall?

Yes (15%, 4 Votes)

No (85%, 22 Votes)

Total Voters: 26

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Whether it does or not, assuming that your team needs a QB. Would you want them to select one of this year's junior QB prospects in the first round?

Yes (10%, 2 Votes)

Not anywhere in the first round (60%, 12 Votes)

Yes - but only if its in the second half of the first round (30%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 20

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Filed Under: NFL, Sports History Tagged With: 2009 nfl draft, detroit lions, Josh Freeman, Mark Sanchez, matthew stafford, nfl offseason

IndyCar Series: Long Beach Wrap-Up and Indy 500 Entry List

April 20, 2009 By EJWasson Leave a Comment

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The 2007 Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion is back where he belongs. After his one year hiatus to the world of slow cars and four fenders, or as it also known NASCAR, Dario Franchitti made his presence felt. Dario took the #10 Target Chip Ganassi entry to the front for his first win under the TCG banner. Dario ran a great race and used some solid pit strategy to work his way to the front, and held on for a relatively easy win Sunday. Using an off-sequence pit stop, and saving fuel all along the way, he was able to be where he needed to be in the final laps. When he was given the green light to run full rich he pulled out nearly a 4 second lead over Will Power and the rest of the IndyCar field.

After Dario and Will; Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick, Dan Wheldon, Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Raphael Matos, Robert Doornbos and Alex Tagliani rounded out the top ten.

The IndyCar Series has now completed two races for the 2009 season and as of right now here is your top five in points:

Dario Franchitti – 84

Will Power – 69

Ryan Briscoe – 67

Tony Kanaan – 65

Ryan Hunter-Reay – 59

Helio Back in the Saddle:

Helio Castroneves, fresh out of his acquittal on 6 counts of tax evasion, was in the racecar this weekend in the #3 Team Penske machine. He finished 7th in Long Beach and looked very happy to be back on the track. Given the stressful situations he has faced the past 6 weeks or so, I would look for him to look like the Helio of old this weekend. I will not be surprised with a top three finish as the IndyCar series heads for Kansas this coming weekend. The Kansas race will be the first oval of the 2009 season, and the last race before the month long pause that is the Indianapolis 500 during the month of May.

Out of Power:

Will Power, who was a formidable fill-in for Helio while he was out facing his legal issues, will get an undeserved rest this week. Will Power currently sits 2nd in the championship, but his position is likely to slip this weekend. The #12 machine is being parked until Indy. Verizon, who sponsored the #12 at Long Beach, will be back with Team Penske and supporting Will Power during the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at the Brickyard come May. The reason for Power being parked is strictly financial. Will has proven his weight so far this year and I expect him to be a player at Indianapolis. He will be driving for sponsorship for the rest of the season.

The Indy 500 Entry List released:

40 entries of drivers and machines have been released for the Indianapolis 500 to be ran on May 24th, 2009. As of this post, there are 28 drivers named and many more to be named in the coming weeks as teams try to gain enough sponsorship to fill the field. Some notable entries this year are the return of Davey Hamilton, John Andretti, Sarah Fisher and Paul Tracy.

Paul Tracy hasn’t raced in the Indianapolis 500 since 2002 when he lost a controversial call regarding the timing of a yellow flag and rode behind Helio Castroneves to finish 2nd. Paul Tracy ran a one off race last year for Vision Racing and finished 4th at Edmonton. Look for Paul Tracy to make waves all month long. There is no doubt he wants to be back in a racecar, and for much longer than just the month of May.

There are 4 previous winners as well as 4 rookies on the books so far. We’ll keep an eye on those numbers as the TBA on the entry list turn into actual drivers. The car count looks great and there should be no rumors about the Indy 500 NOT having it’s traditional 33 cars. Remember boys and girls, the Indianapolis 500 is still the worlds largest one day sporting event.

Keep an eye herefor continuing updates on IndyCar news, and look back here at Midwest Sports Fans for our Kansas preview later this week.

Filed Under: Auto Racing Tagged With: dario franchtti, Helio Castroneves, indy 500, IndyCar, long beach, NASCAR, will power

All-Time List of NBA Coach of the Year Award Winners: Mike Brown Named 2009 COY

April 20, 2009 By Jerod Morris 4 Comments

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Congratulations are in order for Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown who was named the 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year today. Among Brown’s many accomplishments this season in Cleveland:

Franchise record 66 victories
Only two losses at home the entire season
#1 overall seed in NBA Playoffs

[Note: Follow the links for great deals on Cavs Playoff Tickets or all NBA Playoff Tickets from Stubhub.]

all-time list of nba coach of the year award winners - mike brown named 2009 nba coach of the year But more important than any quantifiable accomplishment is the close relationship that Mike Brown has built with superstar LeBron James.

This year’s Cavs have amazed NBA observers with their team chemistry and camaraderie. Much of that can be attributed to Mike Brown trusting LeBron James, LeBron James trusting Mike Brown, and the positive vibes trickling down throughout the entire team. Brown obviously trusts his best player to also be a team leader, and LeBron has certainly fulfilled that role as much, if not moreso, than any superstar in recent NBA history.

As to the voting for this year’s award, Mike Brown received 55 first place votes in the NBA Coach of the Year voting and finished with 355 total points. Rick Adelman finished second and Stan Van Gundy finished third. The combined point totals of Adelman and Van Gundy would not equal Brown’s, making Brown the clear winner. The NBA Coach of the Year is voted upon by NBA writers and broadcasters.

Said Cavs owner Dan Gilbert:

“Mike Brown is one of these rare people that has nearly every tool in his tool box,” Gilbert said in a statement. “He is smart, hard working, and selfless. He is curious and hungry to learn. He is philosophically driven and derives his decision making from his strong philosophy.”

Brown becomes only the second Cavaliers head coach ever to be named NBA Coach of the Year. Bill Fitch was also named Coach of the Year when he was in Cleveland during the 1975-76 season. Below is the complete all-time list of past NBA Coach of Year Award winners.

Year	Coach of the Year	Team	Record
1962-63	Harry Gallatin	St. Louis Hawks	48-32
1963-64	Alex Hannum	San Francisco Warriors	48-32
1964-65	Red Auerbach	Boston Celtics	62-18
1965-66	Dolph Schayes	Philadelphia 76ers	55-25
1966-67	Johnny "Red" Kerr	Chicago Bulls	33-48
1967-68	Richie Guerin	St. Louis Hawks	56-26
1968-69	Gene Shue	Baltimore Bullets	57-25
1969-70	Red Holzman	New York Knicks	60-22
1970-71	Dick Motta	Chicago Bulls	51-31
1971-72	Bill Sharman	Los Angeles Lakers	69-13
1972-73	Tom Heinsohn	Boston Celtics	68-14
1973-74	Ray Scott	Detroit Pistons	52-30
1974-75	Phil Johnson	KC-Omaha Kings	44-38
1975-76	Bill Fitch	Cleveland Cavaliers	49-33
1976-77	Tom Nissalke	Houston Rockets	49-33
1977-78	Hubie Brown	Atlanta Hawks	41-41
1978-79	Cotton Fitzsimmons	Kansas City Kings	48-34
1979-80	Bill Fitch	Boston Celtics	61-21
1980-81	Jack McKinney	Indiana Pacers	44-38
1981-82	Gene Shue	Washington Bullets	43-39
1982-83	Don Nelson	Milwaukee Bucks	51-31
1983-84	Frank Layden	Utah Jazz	45-37
1984-85	Don Nelson	Milwaukee Bucks	59-23
1985-86	Mike Fratello	Atlanta Hawks	50-32
1986-87	Mike Schuler	Portland Trail Blazers	49-33
1987-88	Doug Moe	Denver Nuggets	54-28
1988-89	Cotton Fitzsimmons	Phoenix Suns	55-27
1989-90	Pat Riley	Los Angeles Lakers	63-19
1990-91	Don Chaney	Houston Rockets	52-30
1991-92	Don Nelson	Golden State Warriors	55-27
1992-93	Pat Riley	New York Knicks	60-22
1993-94	Lenny Wilkens	Atlanta Hawks	57-25
1994-95	Del Harris	Los Angeles Lakers	48-34
1995-96	Phil Jackson	Chicago Bulls	72-10
1996-97	Pat Riley	Miami Heat	61-21
1997-98	Larry Bird	Indiana Pacers	58-24
1998-99	Mike Dunleavy	Portland Trail Blazers	35-15
1999-00	Doc Rivers	Orlando Magic	41-41
2000-01	Larry Brown	Philadelphia 76ers	56-26
2001-02	Rick Carlisle	Detroit Pistons	50-32
2002-03	Gregg Popovich	San Antonio Spurs	60-22
2003-04	Hubie Brown	Memphis Grizzlies	50-32
2004-05	Mike D'Antoni	Phoenix Suns	62-20
2005-06	Avery Johnson	Dallas Mavericks	60-22
2006-07	Sam Mitchell	Toronto Raptors	47-35
2007-08	Byron Scott	New Orleans Hornets	56-26
2008-09	Mike Brown	Cleveland Cavaliers	66-16

All-Time List of NBA Coach of Year Award Winners

Year Coach of the Year Team Record

1962-63 Harry Gallatin St. Louis Hawks 48-32

1963-64 Alex Hannum San Francisco Warriors 48-32

1964-65 Red Auerbach Boston Celtics 62-18

1965-66 Dolph Schayes Philadelphia 76ers 55-25

1966-67 Johnny "Red" Kerr Chicago Bulls 33-48

1967-68 Richie Guerin St. Louis Hawks 56-26

1968-69 Gene Shue Baltimore Bullets 57-25

1969-70 Red Holzman New York Knicks 60-22

1970-71 Dick Motta Chicago Bulls 51-31

1971-72 Bill Sharman Los Angeles Lakers 69-13

1972-73 Tom Heinsohn Boston Celtics 68-14

1973-74 Ray Scott Detroit Pistons 52-30

1974-75 Phil Johnson KC-Omaha Kings 44-38

1975-76 Bill Fitch Cleveland Cavaliers 49-33

1976-77 Tom Nissalke Houston Rockets 49-33

1977-78 Hubie Brown Atlanta Hawks 41-41

1978-79 Cotton Fitzsimmons Kansas City Kings 48-34

1979-80 Bill Fitch Boston Celtics 61-21

1980-81 Jack McKinney Indiana Pacers 44-38

1981-82 Gene Shue Washington Bullets 43-39

1982-83 Don Nelson Milwaukee Bucks 51-31

1983-84 Frank Layden Utah Jazz 45-37

1984-85 Don Nelson Milwaukee Bucks 59-23

1985-86 Mike Fratello Atlanta Hawks 50-32

1986-87 Mike Schuler Portland Trail Blazers 49-33

1987-88 Doug Moe Denver Nuggets 54-28

1988-89 Cotton Fitzsimmons Phoenix Suns 55-27

1989-90 Pat Riley Los Angeles Lakers 63-19

1990-91 Don Chaney Houston Rockets 52-30

1991-92 Don Nelson Golden State Warriors 55-27

1992-93 Pat Riley New York Knicks 60-22

1993-94 Lenny Wilkens Atlanta Hawks 57-25

1994-95 Del Harris Los Angeles Lakers 48-34

1995-96 Phil Jackson Chicago Bulls 72-10

1996-97 Pat Riley Miami Heat 61-21

1997-98 Larry Bird Indiana Pacers 58-24

1998-99 Mike Dunleavy Portland Trail Blazers 35-15

1999-00 Doc Rivers Orlando Magic 41-41

2000-01 Larry Brown Philadelphia 76ers 56-26

2001-02 Rick Carlisle Detroit Pistons 50-32

2002-03 Gregg Popovich San Antonio Spurs 60-22

2003-04 Hubie Brown Memphis Grizzlies 50-32

2004-05 Mike D'Antoni Phoenix Suns 62-20

2005-06 Avery Johnson Dallas Mavericks 60-22

2006-07 Sam Mitchell Toronto Raptors 47-35

2007-08 Byron Scott New Orleans Hornets 56-26

2008-09 Mike Brown Cleveland Cavaliers 66-16

Now that Mike Brown has earned some hardware, his Cavaliers look to continue their quest for the ultimate piece of hardware. After throttling the Pistons in Game 1, the Cavs host Detroit again Tuesday at 8:00 ET on TNT. Cleveland is favored by 11.5 — and anyone who watched Game 1 will no doubt be leaning towards taking the Cavs with the points.

The more immediate question than the Cavs’ quest for an NBA Title is whether LeBron James can hold off Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade to win his first NBA MVP Award. Follow the link for an analysis of the 2009 NBA MVP Award and a list of the past MVP winners.

(Mike Brown and LeBron James photo above by Drew Hallowell / Getty Images North America)

Filed Under: Featured Column, NBA, Sports History Tagged With: awards, Cleveland Cavaliers, lebron james, mike brown, NBA

Report: No Positive Combine Drug Tests for Raji, Davis, Cushing, Matthews

April 20, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

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nfl combine failed drug test rumors update: bj raji, brian cushing, clay matthews, vontae davis did not test positive Since I posted a few weeks ago about reports by SI.com and NFLDraftBible.com that a number of projected first round picks had failed drug tests at the Combine, I feel compelled to update that report now as the truth begins to come to light.

According to ProFootballTalk today, at least four of the players initially linked to rumors of failed drug tests did not, in fact, test positive at the Combine. As of this afternoon, BJ Raji, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, and Vontae Davis have all been apparently vidicated by PFT and its sources.

Raji, a defensive tackle from Boston College that may end up being picked by Cleveland at #5, was the first player to have rumors of a failed drug test (reportedly for marijuana) attached to his name. SI.com even created a mini-controversy by posting the report, then taking the story down. It appears as if Raji will be vindicated and SI.com will have some ‘splaining to do:

Well, SI.com perhaps will now officially retract its report regarding Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji.

Per a league source, Rajiâ€™s name did not appear on the list of players who tested positive for marijuana at the Scouting Combine.

~ Raji Didn’t Test Positive — (Pro Football Talk)

Soon after the Raji rumors came out, NFLDraftBible.com posted its stories about numerous other players testing positive, including Cushing, Matthews, Vontae Davis, and Percy Harvin. It appears as if at least a few of those rumors have proven to be untrue:

Per a league source, none of the players who reportedly tested positive and then denied testing positive actually tested positive.

This means that Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis did not test positive for marijuana, and that USC linebackers Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing did not test positive for steroids.

~ Davis, Cushing, Matthews not on Positive List Either — (Pro Football Talk)

I haven’t yet seen anything contradicting the reports about Percy Harvin, so we’ll have to wait and see on that one. Certainly Harvin’s draft stock appears to have taken more than a few hits as NFL teams conduct their due diligence. Whether or not a failed Combine drug test is one of the reasons remains to be seen.

According to PFT earlier today, the list of players who tested positive for drugs at the Combine includes less than 10 names. It had previously been speculated that the list could be as long as 25 names.

More to come.

Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: 2009 nfl draft, clay matthews

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Report: No Positive Combine Drug Tests for Raji, Davis, Cushing, Matthews

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