The Indians were left for dead on Tuesday night. They had won four straight games but closer Chris Perez had just given up two solo homers in the top of the ninth to turn a one-run lead into a one-run deficit. Through the boobirds voicing their frustration as Perez was pulled, you could hear the air being deflated out of the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
The Indians were dead in the water. When you watch enough baseball games, you can feel when a team will make a rally in the ninth. They might not come through but you at least can tell when they will put a little game pressure on the closer. Last night felt like 1-2-3.
And this loss felt like more than that. The Rangers aren't losing to the Astros and a deflating loss in the last week of the season, hello Grady Sizemore, can send you into a quick tailspin that has you making tee times on Monday.
Maybe it was the two pitching changes that Terry Francona made in the inning that allowed his team to rally itself. Maybe it was the hug Jason Giambi made Perez give him as he came into the dugout. Or maybe it was just a little of that old Jacobs Field magic.
It didn't look good as the Indians were down to their last out in the bottom of the ninth. Giambi then came through with the biggest hit of any Cleveland Indians' player this season, crushing the 1-1 curveball deep into the right-field seats.
Play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton lost his mind. I had goosebumps for like two minutes. Chaos ensued on the diamond and all of a sudden the Indians went from staring at a tie with the Rangers for the last playoff spot into holding serve and staying one back of Tampa Bay and one ahead of Texas.
Pennant races are awesome. They are even more awesome when your teams win games. This season has been one heck of a ride for Tribe fans. The team has been counted out a number of times but they are about as hot as a team can be in the month of September. Teams that get hits like Giambi's late in the season don't see their season end in Game 162.
Francona said it best when he had a man-crush on Giambi. I think there are a lot of male Cleveland Indians fans who would admit to the same thing this morning.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
The Trent Richardson Trade
There aren't many stories that make me go WHOA (the last one was Brad Stevens to the Celtics), but this one certainly did. I was eating dinner and came back to about 10 texts on my phone. Let's break it down:
Obviously the Browns management wanted to maximize the value of an asset. If Richardson had another disappointing season like 2012, then Lombardi and Banner felt they wouldn't get a first-round pick for Richardson in a trade. Rumors would come out that the Browns don't like Richardson in the long term and his value plummets to a Marshawn Lynch value
For whatever reason, Trent Richardson hasn't been as productive in the pros as he was in the SEC. You can make a number of arguments (rib injury as a rookie, bad QB, defenses stacking the box) but he hasn't been anywhere near worthy of a top-three pick. Running backs in the NFL rarely need time to adjust. You know quickly (unlike wide receivers) if they are superstars.
Whether you like the trade or think the Browns should have gotten more, as a fan, this stinks. Just under a year and a half ago, Richardson was hailed as a building block. Now he is in Indianapolis and the Browns are hitting the reboot button again. The 2013 season is pretty much over. Granted, things can't get much worse than the production this offense got from Weeden and Richardson in the first two games, but it's not realistic to expect very many wins with Hoyer and whoever is in the backfield.
So now we are on to building for the 2014 season. What makes us optimistic? The area (front seven) the Browns management focused on during the offseason is greatly improved. The Browns are accumulating a lot of assets — two first-round picks, two third-round picks and two fourth-round picks — for what is looking like a very strong 2014 quarterback class.
In 2014, the Browns are going to have a potential franchise QB, an upgraded stadium, a possible uniform re-design and more free agents (a high-level wide receiver and defensive back are very possible). It always feels like we are waiting for next year withthe team any team in the city, but I am cautiously optimistic. Banner and Lombardi put a lot of faith in themselves with this trade and pretty much called out Holmgren and Heckert for making a bad trade.
I stole all of these from other people, but here we go:
SellForManziel/JohnnyDawgpound
WetTheBeddyForTeddy/BlowForBridgewater
SuckForTheDuck
TankForTajh/BombForBoyd
FailForFales
Obviously the Browns management wanted to maximize the value of an asset. If Richardson had another disappointing season like 2012, then Lombardi and Banner felt they wouldn't get a first-round pick for Richardson in a trade. Rumors would come out that the Browns don't like Richardson in the long term and his value plummets to a Marshawn Lynch value
For whatever reason, Trent Richardson hasn't been as productive in the pros as he was in the SEC. You can make a number of arguments (rib injury as a rookie, bad QB, defenses stacking the box) but he hasn't been anywhere near worthy of a top-three pick. Running backs in the NFL rarely need time to adjust. You know quickly (unlike wide receivers) if they are superstars.
Whether you like the trade or think the Browns should have gotten more, as a fan, this stinks. Just under a year and a half ago, Richardson was hailed as a building block. Now he is in Indianapolis and the Browns are hitting the reboot button again. The 2013 season is pretty much over. Granted, things can't get much worse than the production this offense got from Weeden and Richardson in the first two games, but it's not realistic to expect very many wins with Hoyer and whoever is in the backfield.
So now we are on to building for the 2014 season. What makes us optimistic? The area (front seven) the Browns management focused on during the offseason is greatly improved. The Browns are accumulating a lot of assets — two first-round picks, two third-round picks and two fourth-round picks — for what is looking like a very strong 2014 quarterback class.
In 2014, the Browns are going to have a potential franchise QB, an upgraded stadium, a possible uniform re-design and more free agents (a high-level wide receiver and defensive back are very possible). It always feels like we are waiting for next year with
I stole all of these from other people, but here we go:
SellForManziel/JohnnyDawgpound
WetTheBeddyForTeddy/BlowForBridgewater
SuckForTheDuck
TankForTajh/BombForBoyd
FailForFales
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Quick Hits from Notre Dame-Purdue
This Notre Dame team is missing something... Something really big. I don't exactly know what it is but here is what I see:
- The team isn't very physical. We saw glimpses of it on offense (especially on the drive to start the second half). We saw glimpses on defense. But Notre Dame didn't wear Purdue down. The Irish have the talent to do that.
- The tackling in the secondary is atrocious. I am not sure what happened in between the game at Southern Cal and the national championship game, but ever since the 2012 regular season ended, the Irish can't tackle. A strength has turned into a weakness.
- The Irish can't put teams away. We saw it in the opener against Temple. We saw it again tonight. Three TDs in three and a half minutes had Purdue on the ropes and the Irish couldn't finish them off until they absolutely had to.
Watching this game - a predictable offense, a soft defense, not putting teams away, feels just like the first two Kelly seasons (and a number of seasons before Kelly). I hope it turns around, but it doesn't feel like it will.
The trio of Calabrese, Fox and Grace in the middle of the linebacking corps is embarrassingly slow. They couldn't keep up with some of the Purdue (!) skill players. We are learning by the week how much this team misses Te'o, but his speed is a big one.
Also, let's put out a missing person's alert for Stephon Tuitt. Four tackles in three games.
Before I get to the offense, I want to apologize to Louis Nix. He gets double-teamed a ton and it's hard to notice him unless you watch him.
I called last week for more of a balance in the run-pass ratio and we got that a little bit (24 runs and 34 passes before the last drive) this week. However, this offense seems very predictable. It felt like we saw no more than five run designs all night. That works if you run an option-based attack. Purdue had Notre Dame very well-scouted but it doesn't seem that difficult. When Notre Dame runs a play, it rarely surprises me (outside of the Daniels TD).
Before I get to the offense, I want to apologize to Louis Nix. He gets double-teamed a ton and it's hard to notice him unless you watch him.
I called last week for more of a balance in the run-pass ratio and we got that a little bit (24 runs and 34 passes before the last drive) this week. However, this offense seems very predictable. It felt like we saw no more than five run designs all night. That works if you run an option-based attack. Purdue had Notre Dame very well-scouted but it doesn't seem that difficult. When Notre Dame runs a play, it rarely surprises me (outside of the Daniels TD).
The argument that Alabama, when down 14-0, got back in the game by passing isn't as easy as it seems. That works because of Alabama's traditional success in running. That works because they threw the ball against nine in the box on the flea-flicker. That works because Alabama doesn't go five-wide with an empty backfield to totally give up on the threat of a run.
I can get myself to the point of passing to set up the run. I don't agree with it but Kelly believes in it. I just don't think the offense is very good, especially with an immobile quarterback.
I can get myself to the point of passing to set up the run. I don't agree with it but Kelly believes in it. I just don't think the offense is very good, especially with an immobile quarterback.
Notre Dame stretched the field twice and found success both times. More of that please. Hint: it will help with opening up the running game.
We heard a lot of hype about Davaris Daniels and he appears to be living up to it. If he keeps developing, Daniels may play on Sundays.
Amir Carlisle may go into the Jonas Gray doghouse.
I thought Purdue did a good job with delaying the blitzes. We know Rees likes to check at the line but the book on him is to show one defensive look and then change it after he adjusts the play.
We heard a lot of hype about Davaris Daniels and he appears to be living up to it. If he keeps developing, Daniels may play on Sundays.
Amir Carlisle may go into the Jonas Gray doghouse.
I thought Purdue did a good job with delaying the blitzes. We know Rees likes to check at the line but the book on him is to show one defensive look and then change it after he adjusts the play.
Thankfully, Notre Dame was playing a team the caliber of Purdue.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Roll through Kyle Field
Understandably so, there's a lot of hype built up over the A&M/Alabama game this weekend. CBS is going to have one camera designated for Johnny Football - which seems a bit over the top, but on the bright side all of us watching the game will get to see his celebrations in stunning HD.
I'm still not sold on how good A&M is this year - they haven't played anyone yet, but they did look really good doing it (defensively speaking...59 points to Rice and SHSU is a red flag). Alabama is fitting the model of "reloading not rebuilding" but losing three offensive linemen and a tight end to the NFL draft is hard to reload just a few games into the season. Alabama didn't look great against VT, and two return touchdowns padded the scoreline. In terms of matchups/keys for this game, there will be the Alabama rebuilt offensive line against a porous front seven for A&M that gave up 240 yards rushing to SHSU - but the biggest match up to me is Manziel vs. Saban.
With A&M's surprising win in Tuscaloosa last year left Nick Saban looking for answers. Nearly ten months in the making for this rematch I've wondered what a coach of Saban's capabilities with the talent he has on his team can do to game plan for Manziel. Saban has a 7-1 record against the same opponent following a loss and his margin of victory in those rematch games is almost 21 points. On top of that, Alabama is coming off a bye-week, and I know full well what Saban is capable of with time and planning.
I hate to admit this, because I don't want to feel like I'm enabling A&M fans, but game plans go out the window when Manziel goes Comanche. If you watch the Heisman highlight from the Alabama game last year, Alabama had good coverage on the receivers in the end zone until Manziel started creating chaos and distracted the defensive back - allowing his receiver to drift away from coverage. As distracting as Manziel can be to defenders on the field, it seems like his off the field drama is a distraction to himself and his team.
I'm going to side with history - and first hand experience - over chaos and pick Alabama by seven for the win on Saturday.
.
I'm still not sold on how good A&M is this year - they haven't played anyone yet, but they did look really good doing it (defensively speaking...59 points to Rice and SHSU is a red flag). Alabama is fitting the model of "reloading not rebuilding" but losing three offensive linemen and a tight end to the NFL draft is hard to reload just a few games into the season. Alabama didn't look great against VT, and two return touchdowns padded the scoreline. In terms of matchups/keys for this game, there will be the Alabama rebuilt offensive line against a porous front seven for A&M that gave up 240 yards rushing to SHSU - but the biggest match up to me is Manziel vs. Saban.
With A&M's surprising win in Tuscaloosa last year left Nick Saban looking for answers. Nearly ten months in the making for this rematch I've wondered what a coach of Saban's capabilities with the talent he has on his team can do to game plan for Manziel. Saban has a 7-1 record against the same opponent following a loss and his margin of victory in those rematch games is almost 21 points. On top of that, Alabama is coming off a bye-week, and I know full well what Saban is capable of with time and planning.
I hate to admit this, because I don't want to feel like I'm enabling A&M fans, but game plans go out the window when Manziel goes Comanche. If you watch the Heisman highlight from the Alabama game last year, Alabama had good coverage on the receivers in the end zone until Manziel started creating chaos and distracted the defensive back - allowing his receiver to drift away from coverage. As distracting as Manziel can be to defenders on the field, it seems like his off the field drama is a distraction to himself and his team.
I'm going to side with history - and first hand experience - over chaos and pick Alabama by seven for the win on Saturday.
.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Quick hits on the Notre-Dame Michigan game
Devin Gardner was way better than I was expecting. He played exceptionally well until that boneheaded interception in the end zone. He wobbled for a little bit but answered the bell down the stretch. It didn't get much play on the broadcast, but that throw on the last TD pass was very impressive. Gardner had a lot of pressure and put it one the money.
The refusal of the Notre Dame coaching staff to run the ball consistently is maddening. The drive that kept Notre Dame in the game (first drive of the second half) was a great combination of runs and passes. Pick your situation - Down 14 and 3rd-and-3 deep in Michigan territory, the run was never an option (especially when you are gonna go for it on fourth down!). Down 7 with the short field after the shanked punt, Carlisle runs it for 16 yards on the first play and then FOUR STRAIGHT PASSES. Notre Dame showed it could control the middle of the line of scrimmage but had a 18-45 run-pass ratio before the last-ditch drive
Troy Niklas is an absolute beast. His route running needs a little work but he is a good blocker and when he gets in space, watch out.
Man does Amir Carlisle run hard. I thought Theo Riddick ran like a senior last year and maybe he rubbed off on Carlisle, who I think is more talented physically than Riddick.
I am not sure what is wrong with the defense, but it should start with Tuitt and Nix losing 20 pounds apiece. That weight might be good for Nix on Sundays but not in college.
The refusal of the Notre Dame coaching staff to run the ball consistently is maddening. The drive that kept Notre Dame in the game (first drive of the second half) was a great combination of runs and passes. Pick your situation - Down 14 and 3rd-and-3 deep in Michigan territory, the run was never an option (especially when you are gonna go for it on fourth down!). Down 7 with the short field after the shanked punt, Carlisle runs it for 16 yards on the first play and then FOUR STRAIGHT PASSES. Notre Dame showed it could control the middle of the line of scrimmage but had a 18-45 run-pass ratio before the last-ditch drive
Troy Niklas is an absolute beast. His route running needs a little work but he is a good blocker and when he gets in space, watch out.
Man does Amir Carlisle run hard. I thought Theo Riddick ran like a senior last year and maybe he rubbed off on Carlisle, who I think is more talented physically than Riddick.
I am not sure what is wrong with the defense, but it should start with Tuitt and Nix losing 20 pounds apiece. That weight might be good for Nix on Sundays but not in college.
Seriously, if anyone can fix the defense, please call Bob Diaco. The loss of Te'o and Lewis-Moore can't be the only thing wrong.
I would love to see some analytics on 2nd-and-18 vs. 3rd-and-8. Obviously it didn't work out for Notre Dame but I would just like to see the percentages on that decision. Intuition says the 2nd-and-18 would be better for the defense but I am curious.
Tommy Rees played fine. He is what he is - a backup quarterback who has improved in his career and knows the offense very well. He never saw the Michigan defender on that interception. Tommy shouldn't be asked to throw the ball 40 or 50 times a game. No college QB should.
Notre Dame got some awful breaks on three pass interference calls. The early one on Russell and the one on Jackson were very tough. If you can't do that, then you can't play defense. I think the call on Farley was correct.
You see why a team doesn't want to rely on passing. Notre Dame got the break in the first half on the tipped ball and Michigan got the break at the end of the game. There are a lot fewer things that can go wrong when you run the ball.
The next two games should be wins for the Irish. Purdue is miserable and Michigan State's defense has scored more touchdowns than its offense through two games. Then the tests come with Oklahoma, Arizona State and Southern Cal.
At least the Rays are losing. The Indians are six outs away from being one game back in the wild card.
I would love to see some analytics on 2nd-and-18 vs. 3rd-and-8. Obviously it didn't work out for Notre Dame but I would just like to see the percentages on that decision. Intuition says the 2nd-and-18 would be better for the defense but I am curious.
Tommy Rees played fine. He is what he is - a backup quarterback who has improved in his career and knows the offense very well. He never saw the Michigan defender on that interception. Tommy shouldn't be asked to throw the ball 40 or 50 times a game. No college QB should.
Notre Dame got some awful breaks on three pass interference calls. The early one on Russell and the one on Jackson were very tough. If you can't do that, then you can't play defense. I think the call on Farley was correct.
You see why a team doesn't want to rely on passing. Notre Dame got the break in the first half on the tipped ball and Michigan got the break at the end of the game. There are a lot fewer things that can go wrong when you run the ball.
The next two games should be wins for the Irish. Purdue is miserable and Michigan State's defense has scored more touchdowns than its offense through two games. Then the tests come with Oklahoma, Arizona State and Southern Cal.
At least the Rays are losing. The Indians are six outs away from being one game back in the wild card.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Guts, Experts or Vegas?
Picking sports games seems like it's more of an art than a science. Our modern day oracles fill the airwaves and cyberspace try to consistently predict the future for how each game will turn out using stats, insider access and who knows what else. Given that this is the night of the official kickoff of the NFL season - I think it's fitting to use this as test for art v science. The NFL is a league built on parity and equality like none other and I wonder if Paul could do as well in this league as European football when it comes to picking winners. My goal is to track picks each week based on the following four methods:
- My own intuition and experience that has been honed from years of sports dedication
- ESPN Power Rankings for week one where I pick the higher ranked team according to the ESPN "experts"
- Vegas odds for week one games
- My wife's picks - based on her intuition and experience that has been honed from years of watching Law & Order, Gilmore Girls and yelling at Tony Romo
I'm hoping I can do better than the experts - but if Starr wins out this season - I'm taking her to Vegas. As for week one - games with varying picks are highlighted below in blue.
| Game | My Pick | Power Ranking | Odds | Starr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravens v Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos |
| Patriots v Bills | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots |
| Titans v Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers |
| Falcons v Saints | Saints | Falcons | Saints | Saints |
| Buccaneers v Jets | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Jets |
| Chiefs v Jaguars | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
| Seahawks v Panthers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Bengals v Bears | Bengals | Bengals | Bears | Bengals |
| Dolphins v Browns | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Browns |
| Vikings v Lions | Lions | Vikings | Lions | Vikings |
| Raiders v Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts |
| Packers v 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Packers |
| Cardinals v Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams |
| Giants v Cowboys | Cowboys | Giants | Cowboys | Giants |
| Eagles v Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins |
| Texans v Chargers | Texans | Texas | Texans | Texans |
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Why It Appears Like a Rivalry
(courtesy of Matt Lozar) A major topic this week created by the media (thanks to Brian Kelly's comment) has been "Is Notre Dame-Michigan A Rivalry?"
To me, it feels like a rivalry. And here's why.
Yes, Michigan ducked Notre Dame for decades and did everything it could to keep the Catholics out of the Big Ten. And I agree with Kelly's original comment not his backtracking
Since the "Reunion Game" in 1978, ND-UM haven't played six times — 83-84 (South Carolina), 95-96 (Ohio State) and 00-01 (Nebraska). Unlike Mark May and Skip Bayless, I actually watched these teams play while growing up. There have been a number of memorable games:
I wasn't born but Harry Oliver in 1980 when fans swear the flags on top of the goal posts stopped for the 51-yard field goal for the left-footed, soccer-style kicker out of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Losing 24-23 in Holtz's first season in 1986 and ND becoming the first NCAA team to move into the top 20 after a loss.
Four field goals for Reggie Ho in 1988.
Kicking to the Rocket in 1989. Good move Bo.
The 90s had its fair share - Reggie Brooks getting knocked out when scoring a TD in 92, upsetting the defending champs in 98, poor clock management in 99.
The real reason this has felt like a rivalry to me has been the past 11 seasons.
Granted, I started as an undergraduate at Notre Dame in 2001, but there is no other series that I can easily tell you every single game between Notre Dame and its opponent in the past dozen seasons. You will have take my word for it but I didn't have to look at all for these quick recaps.
- 2002 - the offense finally scores a TD. Students storm the field. The country takes ND for real
- 2003 - Houston's Better - 38-0
- 2004 - Payback Is A... Darius Walker's coming out party. Students storm the field again. I do 38 pushups at midfield and take home a chunk of the turf that lived in a bowl from South Dining Hall for the entire fall semester.
- 2005 - A noon start and a 17-10 win over a top-5 UM team that wasn't that close. Weis gains national attention
- 2006 - An absolute egg after a dominating win over Penn State. There weren't enough beers in Hoboken that afternoon
- 2007 - 38-0 again.
- 2008 - A downpour in Rich Rod's first season and a ton of Michigan turnovers. Let to this photo.
- 2009 - Tate Forcier won the September Heisman
- 2010 - Denard Robinson wins the September Heisman.
- 2011 - An epic fourth quarter collapse at the Big House. Gary Gray's worst game ever. The day I re-evaluated how much I let Notre Dame football affect my life
- 2012 - HeisManti
Is Michigan a traditional rival? No. Do Notre Dame fans few Michigan more as a enemy? Yes. Am I disappointed they aren't on the schedule in the future? Kind of.
But the rivalry between these teams during the past 30 years ranks at the top of the list for Notre Dame. It doesn't have the tradition of Southern Cal, Navy or Michigan State, (hell, even Purdue), but for the last three-plus decades, it has given us its money's worth.
For those of you who read the whole thing, I leave you with this video. Thanks for reading and hopefully you come back in the future as the blog gets rolling.
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