The Death of Sean Taylor: An Awful Tragedy

Brian here to share some thoughts of the tragic death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor. As a Redskins fan and a lifelong Washington D.C. area resident, the news that Sean Taylor had been shot hit me like a ton of bricks. I could not do work the entire day and sat at my desk refreshing Hailredskins.com and other websites for the latest information. I went to bed that night, like many other people, encouraged by the news that Taylor was responsive. When I woke up the next morning I immediately went to my computer for the latest news. The headline Sean Taylor dead at the age of 24 jumped out and smacked me in the face. I felt like I was going to throw up. I went to work and was as unproductive as the day before. I have never seen the D.C. area in such a state of shock and mourning. The shock of 9/11 was pretty awful but it felt like such an international and surreal thing that it affected me in a different way.

I have never before been upset over a celebrity death. I think the reason is that Sean Taylor represented so much to the Washington Redskins and the D.C. area. He was someone who gave a team that hadn't had success in over 10-years something to be proud of on Sundays. When I would watch the games with my dad we would always enjoy watching Taylor make the big hit or big interception. Even though the team has a long way to go, at least we have Taylor. He was the promise of great things to come. He was a man who could do things athletically that none of us could ever even fathom doing. Taylor gave the Redskins defense and the entire team an identity. #21 also was someone who you could relate to in some ways. He had made mistakes in the past like all of us had. He had also turned his life around when he became a father and also become a better player on the field. This was something that Redskins fans had been talking about all year.

The world lost someone who was just beginning to become a great player and even better person. The worst part is there is no upside to this tragedy. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. A little girl has lost her father. A mother and father have lost a son. The Redskins organization has lost its best player. Players have lost a friend, teacher, and teammate.

I just hope that the punks who did this are brought to justice and never take another breath as free men. At least that will make it easier to sleep at night. The only other good thing I can think of is that G-d drafted one hell of a safety.

RIP

Sean Taylor.

As a Cowboy fan I hated Sean Taylor, because he was so good. I feared him picking off a Tony Romo pass or knocking the crap out of TO.

I am genuinely saddened by his death. I was happy when, for a brief moment, it looked like he may pull through. But when I awoke to the news that the passed during the night I was left speechless.

I pray for his family, especially his one year old daughter who was in the house at the time, and hope that the murderer is quickly apprehended and brought to justice.

Bonds

Barry might be in some real trouble now...

I'll have more info/my own crazy opinions up later.

***UPDATE

When news broke last night of the indictment, I assumed that it was because Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, finally got tired of using soap on a rope and agreed to testify that Bonds knew what he was using.

That did NOT happen.

The Grand Jury has the same information that it's had for a year and half.

So why now? This coming out at the beginning of the free agency period virtually guarantees that Bonds will not have any offers and will force him to retire.

The Great Joe Sheehan is one of the very few people who is willing to point out this fact:

"So what’s interesting here isn’t that Barry Bonds was indicted. What’s interesting is that it took so long to get an indictment, to the point of extending the grand jury more than once, and that the indictment fails to mention the most serious of the legal questions, the accusations of tax evasion. If it took so long to convince a grand jury to indict Bonds of, basically, lying, what are we looking at in terms of a trial, and how strong will the case be?"

The lack of a tax evasion charge is very interesting. The reason that charge was not included seems to be because of trouble with prosecutorial witnesses -- the same witnesses who will be asked to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Bonds knew he was taking steroids.

The prosecution is putting all its eggs in the basket of an ex-girlfriend, a pissed off business partner and a 6 year old drug test -- that even if proved valid is in no way is proof of knowing use.

The Feds usually don't mess around...but they have the same info that wasn't good enough for 4 years -- to the point where Anderson spent time in prison because the case couldn't be made without him -- and is suddenly enough to throw Bonds away for 30 years?

An unusual amount of time, energy and money has been spent on this investigation...do people hate Bonds that much? The answer is yes, and it saddens me.

He's a prick and a diva. If Bonds' were Jason Giambi or Jason Grimsely or Gary Sheffield or Sammy Sosa or any of the 98 guys that testes positive in 2003 would this be happening? If he was Shawne Merriman or Marion Jones?

Babe Ruth is still the greatest baseball player of all time...and Ruth was a womanizer and an alcoholic who "cared enough about the integrity of the game" to routinely show up hungover or still drunk to games, who didn't care enough about his body and relegated himself to a side-show for his last few years.

Bonds in some ways is the anti Ruth or Mickey Mantle -- two of my all time favorite players -- in that he made use of his body to get the most out of what he had. He didn't waste any of his gifts. I think the Eric Davises, Doc Goodenes, and Strawberryes of the game are the saddest stories...guys who had all the talent in the world and threw it all away.

In no other sport do people get this worked up about 'roids. Why baseball?

Rangers Offseason Rough Draft

As part of my on going quest to prove that you could do more with some knowledge, half an hour of prep and a committed owner than the Rangers organization can do in a whole year here is my quick and dirty rough draft of what the Rangers' off season plans ought to be. The team I have put together would be at least 10 games better than last year incarnation of baseball that played in Arlington. Fans would come back, this prolly isn't a playoff team but at least they would keep the hearts and minds of Dallas fans -- coming off of parades for the Cowboys and Mavs -- into the month of September. The free agent market seems ripe to over pay mediocre starters and past their prime players for whom defense is a big part of their value. That doesn't mean that there won't be some bargains out there. Ideally you'd like to fill all your holes from within, but the Rangers' currently aren't capable of doing that. So strap on your overalls, put the kids in the pick-up cuz we're going to baseball Sack-N-Save for discount ballplayers. But first, we need to stop by the high-end Asian Market down the street. I've expressed my affinity for Kosuke Fukudome on these virtual pages before and I believe he remains an integral part of the rebuilding process (doesn't that imply you were good to begin with...I guess those late 90's get-swept-by-the-Yankees-in-the-first-round Rangers count.) Fukudome is not without his warts. An elbow problem ended his year in Japan this season and since I wonder about his power making the trip with him across the Pacific the injury only exacerbates those concerns. But there is not a huge need for corner outfielders around the league and teams may spend themselves crazy for Hunter/Jones/Rowand and leave the auction for Kosuke's services less heated. He will very likely want a three year deal with a clause allowing him to become a free agent afterwards -- instead of the usual 6 years of service time needed. Let's say 3 years and 27 mil stands a good shot at getting the deal done. Now back to Thrifty-Mart!!! I propose bringing in several players with Texas ties and one former star to help out with DH/COF/1B. First item on the list will take us to the platoon outfielder isle and the irregularly shaped section. BRING BACK MENCH!!! Mench would surely be open to returning to Texas and while he's a limited player people should focus on what he can do, as opposed to what he can't. His sojourn into the land of Beer and Cheese was less than thrilling but Shrek can do one thing really well...he crushes lefties! Playing him in left field with Franky Cat who gets on base in spades versus righties but struggles mightily against southpaws would give Texas top-notch performance from left field for below market value salary. Kevin gets added bonuses for boosting team chemistry and being a Returning-Fan-Favorite (RFF.) I'm hoping for a Menchalanatto platoon! Now that we've added two corner outfielders let's head down the broken down pitchers isle. Who wants an College Hall-of-Famer, a high school legend and a Cy Young winner?!?!?? Jason Jennings, Kerry Wood and Eric Gagne would all look good in Rangers' blue -- better in Rangers' Red, but that's a different rant. There's an outside chance that someone goes all Adam Eaton about Jennings but I really think he's a premium discount pitcher this year. He had a crazy outlier year and really think he can bounce back. The Baylor alumnus has shown he can produce in a hitter's haven even worse the the Temple. If the Rangers sign Kerry Wood and no one else this winter I'll be happy. I'll buy extra tickets by the home pen and just watch him break the glove of the warm-up catcher. Where else can you find that kind of marketability and upside for the low low cost of only a couple million dollars?? Red Sox fans seem to think that 6 outing reverses a career worth stellar work, but even if Bostonians feel differently, Eric Gagne can still pitch. Aki on the other hand may not and the Rangers need someone with some closing experience. So how about the last closer to win the Cy? He really liked his stay with the Rangers -- seemingly -- and at worst would be a great tutor to CJ and the other young relievers. Swinging back over to the former slugger section of the store -- I always do that, forget what all I need and end up having to back track in the middle of the grocery store -- I suggest picking up their freshest Cliff Floyd. Floyd is still a high OBP lefty with a some pop. He's getting up there in age and isn't near the defensive player he once was but putting Bottsy at first means there's a need for a DH. It's hard to find guys coming off of .370 OBP years that can come this cheap, and fill a need for the team. He can fill in in the outfield every once in a while and I'm sure he's capable of playing first a few times during the year. So you're adding three guys with really good upside to the pitching staff and two COF/DH's who can be effective in stightly restrained roles. ...Still that pesky centerfield conundrum. Since we have spent some money - though everyone minus Fukudome could be had for less than one year of A-Rod's new deal - I think we should try and save some money here. TRADE the flying Juaquin Brothers, Arias and Benoit to Kansas City for Joey Gathright and Brent Fisher. Gathright is a phenomenal defensive player with well above average OBP for a center fielder. Joey should hit something like 282/361/387 next year and be worth 40 runs more than Marlon Byrd with the glove. I think Gathright could benefit from Ron Washington as manager and should still be subbed for David Murphy every once in a while. Gathright and Fukudome by themselves give Texas the best defensive outfield they've EVER had and helps the pitching staff as much as any one free agent signing would. Rotation: Millwood B Mac Jennings Gabbard Padilla Bullpen: Gagne CJ Kerry Wood Kam Loe Wes Littleton Toby Keith Robby Tejeda Lineup: C- Salty 1B- Bottsy 2B- Kinsler SS- MY 3B- Hank "The Hawk" Blalock LF- Cat vs righties and Mench vs lefties CF- Gathright RF- Fukudome Bench: Laird Vazquez Murphy This lineup could score up to 888 runs, but would likely settle in the 865-870 range -- a marked improvement over the 816 from last year. On the pitching side Texas gave up 844 runs last year and while I expect Millwood, B Mac and Padilla to all bounce back to varying degrees defense and a potential Jennings break out are reasons to be more excited. Let's say 820-ish RA with this squad. Injuries are always a concern with any club and maybe slightly more so with this club. BUT this would at least be a .500 team re-energize the team and the community and set up the organization for a surgical strike in the big free agency class next year. If the team gets off to a bad start then just trade the Floyds, Gagnes and Jennings in a repeat of last years pretty successful deadline deals. These low money, short term, high upside free agency buys will either help you win now or win later by moving desirable contracts for prospects.

Free Agency

The obligatory time has passed and major league clubs are now officially able to sign free agents.

I'm very conflicted on what I want the Rangers to do, the immediate gratification part of me wants them to go out and make a big splash but the part of me that uses a logical thinking process wants them to be fairly inactive.

Signing Barry Bonds would be fantastic...if this team was going to contend next year. But they're not so there's no need in committing big money to guys that will be well past their primes (if they aren't already) when this team may actually contend.

Centerfield is a huge area of need, as great a story as Marlon Byrd was last year he's just not a starting ML centerfielder.

Torii is a the kind of person you want to build your franchise around and while him and Mike Young sure are awesome guys signing Hunter would mean that your two big money players would be old, probably bad defensively, questionable offensively, and crazy overpaid in two-three years.

Rowand is coming off a legit All-Star season but I kind of see him as maybe 10% better than GMJ -- and that's not really a compliment. He's going to be paid like an All-Star but for his entire career up til last year he hasn't been.

Andruw Jones is a legit Hall-of-Fame candidate coming off of an aberrant terrible year. While his defense may have slipped from the Mays-esque levels of a few years ago it is still among the very best in the game. He's the only one of the big 3 whose bat could stand the shift to a corner outfield spot. JD and the Rangers' brass seem scared off by his year long slump but he should provide the best value to whichever team signs him of this CF class. Although that discount may be mitigated by the $200 a day McDonalds per diem.

Milton Bradley would have had the catbird seat on my Rangers Offseason Wishlist if not for the first base ump acting like a rec league softball ump and goading him into a fight. He's one of the very few on-base machines that can play a passable center. Texas needs a top notch defender out there and after his injury the Board Game should loose further range. There's no guarantee that you get anything out of him this year anyway.

Since this club is still a few years away, it makes much more sense to try and get a young CF via a trade. Covelli Crisp and Joey Gathright are 1-2 on my wish list. Both can cover crazy amounts of room in center, both are assets on the base paths, neither will completely embarrass themselves at the plate, both are young with upside and are under club control for multiple seasons at below market value prices. Most importantly both should still be valuable players a few years down the road. Maybe just as important neither would cost your first born to pry away from their current clubs.

Rangers do still need another outfielder since Nelly Cruz has proven that he is not the chosen one in right. For right field I think the Texas needs to look left...far left. Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome who sits at #10 on Keith Law's Top 50 Free Agent List which is an ESPN Insider piece but they are currently running a free preview. Law compares Fukudome to Bobby Abreu and I love that comparison, great on-base, really good defense, doubles power, good runner...basically a very good all around player who helps you in ever facet of the game. Best of all about Fukudome is that the team signing him will not have to forfeit any draft picks or post a fee up front (like with Dice-K last year.) How cool would it be to have a guy named Fuk-u-dome anyway? I've been on the Fukudome bandwagon for a while, naming him the starting right fielder on my All-Future Team.

Then the pitching...always the pitching. This market is going to suck for everyone and pitchers in particular are in short supply. Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse...really? That's the best you can offer. The only pitchers who stand a chance of a positive return on investment are guys with major risks associated with them. Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Jason Jennings at the beginning of the year you might think that they could be the crown jewels of a mediocre crop of free agent pitchers. Injury and ineffectiveness plagued each man to varying degrees but each has been a good pitcher in the past and stand at least a chance of regaining past glory. One certainly couldn't sign Colon and Andruw Jones since no one else on the team would get any of the post game meals. Jennings does a little something for me..but just a little. When 100% he's pretty much Kevin Millwood (that's not meant as an insult.) I'd say he has the best shot of pitching effectively on his new deal.

Relievers are somewhat the same story. I would really like to see Kerry Wood AND Eric Gagne in Arlington next year. Medium-to-low risk and high reward with both guys. Both have Texas ties which should give the Rangers a leg up in negotiations -- similar to Jennings, a Baylor alumnus.

If the Rangers don't go too crazy in free agency this year -- which I doubt they will, I mean to we have to beg Hicks to save money? Next year's free agent group should be loaded with ultra premium brands. Save money now so you can spend it then. Emphasis on spending it then.

The sacristy of quality pitchers in free agency and the quantity of good young pitchers on rebuilding teams means that there is an unusual number of guys up on the trading block. Texas has a revamped farm system that now gives them enough trade fodder to at least make inquiries on whomever they wish. Don't go blowing your wad on a guy like Santana who's just going to bolt for big dollars next year. Tim Linecum still really intrigues me. I doubt he gets moved, but if San Fran is willing to at least listen to a Salty, Chris Davis, Volquez, Arias package then you see where it goes. He could give you 5 more years of legit ace quality performance for crazy below market prices. If San Fran wants Salty, Kinsler and Hurley then it doesn't make sense but if it doesn't completely destroy your farmsystem to bring this guy in you do it.

Until my next post I'll be attending school in the UK, because of this.

Dallas Cowboys Insider

After a first half against New York in which Dallas penelties were as big a foe as the Giants, we here at SportsBullies have used our insider sources to grant you (SportsBullies Nation Member) a look at the Cowboys locker room at half time.

Crazy Sports Hair (Throwback Edition)

He's really got it all, doesn't he? Amazing facial hair, beard, moustache, side burns and of course one of the top 10 'fros of all time.

Who is he you ask?

Well for shame on you! A hair style this amazing should be instantly recognizable.

For those of you under 35 years old who never saw this man play (I am in that group but I still recognize greatness when I see it) the picture on my left -- your right as you look at your comp -- is Artis Gilmore!

I felt like the former Kentucky Colonel Great needed some love. So congrats Artis, you are this weeks winner of Crazy Sports Hair (Throwback Edition)

Random Sportsy Thoughts

Elias just came out with their free agent rankings: AL and NL

...Take a minute and look at the crazy ridiculous job that these guys do. I'm not going to lay all the blame with Elias since they just plug-and-chug the formula that was agreed on by the players and owners in the collective bargaining agreement. But that agreement came in 1981 and they haven't changed it all since then.

Cano ahead of A-Rod? Nice to know that intangibles are factored in.

For what ever reason the specific formula used to determine the rankings has been hidden, but after some sleuthing I was able to find it.

The rankings use two-year samples that are averaged out.

The rating system groups players into five categories -- catchers, starting pitchers, relief pitchers, infielders other than first basemen, and first basemen/outfielders/designated hitters. Players are ranked in five to seven statistical categories, with the specific categories varying by their position grouping (e.g., there are no fielding stats used in the 1B/OF/DH group, but the catcher and infielder groups each include two defensive stats). Cumulative statistics may be adjusted for players who spent time on the disabled list, restoring stats for up to 60 days of missed playing time.

1B/OF/DH: PA, AVG, OBP, HR, RBI

2B/3B/SS: PA, AVG, OBP, HR, RBI, Fielding percentage, Total chances at designated position

C: PA, AVG, OBP, HR, RBI, Fielding percentage, Assists

SP: Total games (total starts + 0.5 * total relief appearances), IP, Wins, W-L Percentage, ERA, Strikeouts

RP: Total games (total relief appearances + 2 * total starts), IP (weighted slightly less than other categories), Wins + Saves, IP/H ratio, K/BB, ERA

Each player is then given a point total for each statistical category that is inversely related to his actual ranking. For example, if there are 100 starting pitchers in the ranking, then the pitcher with the lowest ERA gets 100 points, the pitcher with the second-lowest ERA gets 99 points, and so on, until it reaches the pitcher with the highest ERA, who gets one point just for writing his name. This system has several obvious flaws, of course, as it gives no weight to the distance between any two players: If the top pitcher's ERA is 0.1 or 0.01 or 1.0 runs better than the ERA of the next-best pitcher, it doesn't matter, as he still only gets one extra point - the stats used have little reliability and great variance from year to year and do not accurately reflect a players value, age and market forces are not taken into account at all. Point totals within each position are then scaled to make 100 a perfect score

Moises Alou over Prince Fielder...moving on before my head explodes

******

Jason Witten is an absolute beast. He's now the second best tight end in the game.

I would hate to tackle Marion the Barbarian.

What were the reasons 6 teams gave for passing on All-Day again??

He had 250 yards more than LaDainain in that game.

He was great in college but Vince Young is awful in the pros...hrmmmmmm I wonder who could have seen that one coming??

I would love to see Kerry Wood pitching for the Rangers this year, more because I love the dude than anything else.

Rather than spending a billion dollars on Torii Hunter how about trading something like Laird to Boston for Coco Crisp?

There's been talk that Tim Linecum could be had...if that is true (and I don't believe it is)... you call up the Giants and don't let them off the phone until tiny tim is pitching in Arlington.

Timmy, Santana, Bedard, Kazmir, D-Train are all said to be on the trading block.

Nice time for JD to have added a lot of young talent over the summer.

Great Mavs win last night v the Rockets. Devin, Damp, George and Bass were all hurt...refs made a couple indefensible calls and you're playing a really tough team. Dallas came through, the AAC crowd was really into it. Sweet Action.

Jet has really taken to his new role.

JJB ... all-star...?

Glad that Gana Diop no longer feels that the ball is made of lava.

Dirk is playing harder and more aggressively than ever. That is a great sign.

College hoops just started. Go to BasketballProspectus for the best coverage/analysis on the interweb.

Before I die...

... I want to see a Cowboys/Eagles game in Philly. I will pay whatever it takes for tickets - as close to the Eagles' bench as possible - and buy a TO jersey...and a bullet proof vest.

Last night was awesome! I still think Philly is a dangerous team and for Dallas to go into their house for a nationally televised night game -- when everyone there had been drinkin for 8 hours+ -- and dominate in every single facet of the game is pretty amazing.

The words "walrus", "drug", "emporium", "family", and "crisis" were yelled so many times by me and JJ that I completely lost count. We stopped using they typical conjunctions and just started yelling each of the 5 words together, in any order.

A play would go as such:

1. The Cowboys -- usually Romo/TO/Witten -- would do something awesome
2. The Eagles would suck
3. Their fans would be fat and ugly
4. We would yell "DRUG WALRUS EMPORIUM IN CRISIS!!!!"

Savor that win fans of the Cows! It is not often that you get to destroy a rival like that -- pretty much knocking them out of the hunt for the NFC East in the process. I keep getting the feeling that this season could be special.

...and then I watch the Pats.

Oh well, an NFC Conference Championship Game would be pretty sweet!

Football picks

Iowa (+1.5) @ Northwestern Navy @ Notre Dame (-3) Cincinnati @ South Florida (-5.5) Texas @ OK State (+3) UCLA (-1) @ Arizona LSU (-6.5) @ Alabama New Mexico (+3.5) @ TCU Washington (-3) @ Stanford Missouri (-3.5) @ Colorado Rutgers @ UConn (-1) Washington State @ Cal (-14) Texas A&M @ OU (-20) ********* NFL Denver (+3) @ Detroit Jacksonville @ New Orleans (-3) Seattle (+1) @ Cleveland Arizona @ Tampa Bay (-3.5) Dallas @ Philly (+3.5)

Looking back

Congrats to the Sox on their second World Series victory in 89 years. A tremendous amount has been written about the new Sox dynasty so I wanted to look back at the 1918 Sox.

While looking at the championship Sox team I stumbled onto a pretty interesting story.

Boston started the season with a 7-1 victory over Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's at Shibe Field. 23 year old ace left-hander Babe Ruth pitched a four hitter. Shortly after manager Ed Barrow started Ruth's conversion to slugger - he lead the team batting .325 in 1917 - by working him into seventy-two games as an outfielder-first baseman. Ruth would end up starting 19 games for the BoSox that season, while spending 47 games in left field, 13 at first base and even 12 in center -- this was in his more svelte/fit days.

As the cloud of World War I hung over the nation, baseball provided a valuable escape. Sunday baseball was officially legalized in Washington, D.C. on May 14th after district commissioners finally rescinded the ban in response to the large increase in the city's wartime population and the need for more recreational activities.

But not an escape from duty for the players. Secretary of War Newton D. Baker ruled that baseball was not considered an essential occupation and that all players of draft age were subject to the "work-in-essential-industries-or-fight" rule. Several players were shipped overseas. On October 5th, National League infielder Eddie Grant became the first Major League player killed in wartime action while leading a mission in the Argonne Forest offensive to rescue the "Lost Battalion" who was trapped behind German lines.

The World Series featured the Boston Red Sox versus the Chicago Cubs - who ran away with the National League totaling a baseball best 84-45 record.

During the 7th-inning stretch in Game 1 of the World Series, a military band played "The Star Spangled Banner" as a tribute to all servicemen on leave and in attendance. From then on, the song was played at every World Series outing and every season opener (though it was not yet adopted as the national anthem).

The World Series took a down turn when players threatened to strike prior to Game 5.

Chicago would take Game 5 - on the strength of a shut out from Cubs ace Hippo Vaughn - after players relented.

Boston would finish off the Cubbies in Game 6, 2-1. The Sox scored both runs in the third inning when left fielder George Whiteman - a spare backup who got the start over Ruth in left and hitting fourth - knocked a liner into right. Ruth did see action late in the game but Whiteman came up big as two runners scored. However Whiteman did not receive any RBI's for his work because the ball was hit right at Cubs right fielder Max Flack. The 5'7'' Flack had the ball tip off his glove for the game, and series, costing error.

Ed Barrow's move to bench Ruth payed off but there is no doubt that the Sox would have just been an ordinary club if not for the Babe. Despite hitting in just half of the team's games Ruth was at or near the top in virtually every offensive stat including home runs where he tied Philly slugger Tilly Walker with 11.

The only problem is that Ruth actually hit 12.

Prior to 1920 games were considered over immediately after the last out or winning run scored. On July 8th, 1918 the Red Sox went into a double header against rival Cleveland with only a half game edge in the pennant race. Boston sent 16 game winner Sam Jones to the hill against future Hall of Famer Stan Coleveski.

Coleveski (or Coleveske) was born Stanislaus Kowalewski in rural coal-mining Pennsylvania. Covey, as he was affectionately known, began working the coal mines at age 12 and after work would set up tin cans on a fence post and knock them off by pitching rocks. As he recalled some eighty years later, "The plate's a lot bigger than a tin can to throw at. When it come to throwing a baseball, why, it was easy to pitch."

The semi-pro ballclub in Shamokin heard about the aim he had developed and, short a pitcher one day, invited him to pitch for them. He only hurled in five outings for the semi-pro club but off the strength of his performance he signed a deal with the Lancaster Red Roses in 1909 at age 19. He made it to the bigs in 1922 for Connie Mack's A's but stayed there only briefly despite throwing a three hit shutout in his debut. The A's were in the midst of building a dynasty and Mack - known for his temper - had no room for a young rube. Coleveski was sent to the minors and it was there, in 1915 that he career changed.

Covey was introduced to the spitball in the Pacific Coast League he mastered it shortly thereafter and was back up in the show by 1916 with Cleveland.

On July 8th, 1918 Cleveland and Boston squared off for AL supremacy. In the important game, neither pitcher gave an inch and the score remained tied at 0 thru 9 innings. This was back in the days when men were men and pitchers regularly threw as long as their arms were still attached to their bodies. In fact the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves went head-to-head on August 1st for a Major League record of twenty scoreless innings. Marathon man Art Nehf went the distance for Boston, but was eventually beaten 2-0 in the twenty-first inning.

Each manager left in his starter in the game and Sam Jones set Cleveland down for a tenth straight inning - an impressive feat considering that the Indians lead the league in scoring and their lineup contained Hall of Famers "Smokey" Joe Wood and Tris Speaker.

Covey however had to face Babe Ruth with a runner on in the bottom of the 10th. The Great Bambino knocked a Coveleski offering over the right field fence in Fenway Park for a walk off home run.

But thanks to the official scoring rules at the time, Babe only got one of his 11 triples on the season and not one of his "11" home runs.

Finally

This took way too long, but at least justice prevailed.

College Football Picks

We started off the NCAA action right with BC beating Va Tech outright, much like we predicted. Honestly I didn't not think the game would be that close but that's because I didn't know that Matt Ryan-Leaf would be QBing Boston College. A win is a win and we'll move onto more wins.

Colorado (+13.5) @ Texas Tech -- The Buffalos could easily win outright

Ball State @ Illinois (-13)

Akron @ Buffalo

Memphis @ Tulane (-1)

Kansas (-3) @ Texas A&M

Virginia (-3.5) @ NCST

If you want the winning picks to the South Florida/UConn, Clemson/Maryland, Georgia/Florida, South Carolina/Tennessee, or Ohio State/Penn State leave contact info in the comments section.

This will be a winning weekend.

[51-29-2 against the spread]

Sports!

Thought I'd start things off with the Thursday night college football pick!

Boston College (+3) @ Va Tech

This game features "two" top 8 teams squaring off...I put two in "'s because Va Tech is not really a top 8 or 10 or maybe even 20 team for me. Their only quality win is over a two loss Clemson team and against their only really tough foe (LSU) they had no business being on the field. BC on the other hand has had one of the most efficient offenses in the country, lead by Heisman/#1 pick hopeful Matt Ryan. Tech has a good home field advantage, but give me the much better team WITH POINTS!!

A few random thoughts before we must adjourn...

Beckett should have been pulled after 5 innings in Game 1

Avery said in an interview with Norm on the Ticket that Jet Terry would be the 6th man this year... I love that idea

Bodog currently has Luis Scola as 75/1 to win the MVP...not a good bet

The Mavs o/u season win total is 56.5...have to be crazy to take the under

Watching the Stars game last weekend I got a new column idea - Crazy Sports Hair of the Week! The first winner is Ducks winger George Parros. He looks like the love child of Lawrence from Office Space and Earl

NFL Picks

We just made it through the first loosing Saturday of the year but no worry I have the NFL picks to make things right. Now let's all move on from that hell day (in which we only went 6-7) and start looking at some winners:

Jets @ Cincy (-6.5)

Pats @ Miami (+17)

Tampa Bay (+1) @ Detroit

Pitt (-3.5) @ Denver

Kansas City (+1) @ Oakland

College Football Picks

Ok...so that whole USF/Rutgers game didn't work out like I planned, but it took the Scarlet Knights reaching d-e-e-p into the playbook to win.

We haven't had a loosing session (college or pro weekend), and don't plan on starting now!

Penn State (-7) @ Indiana

Cincinnati (-9) @ Pittsburgh

Arkansas (-4.5) @ Ole Miss

Tulane (+6) @ SMU

Cal (-1) @ UCLA

Florida @ Kentucky (+6.5)

Iowa (+7) @ Purdue

Vandy @ South Carolina (-13.5)

Memphis pk @ Rice

Tennessee @ Bama pk

Texas Tech @ Mizzou (+3.5)

USC (-18) @ Notre Dame

Michigan @ Illinois (+1)



[27-13-2 NCAA vs spread]
[42-19-2 total vs spread]

Torre

It's almost hard to believe how little the Yankees and Steinbrenner in particular know about baseball.

In general I believe that the impact a manager has on a baseball team is very overrated and that most managers loose games for their teams with incorrect situational strategy and pitcher usage.

Torre is one of the few managers who has a tangible benefit to the team, to the organization, to the city both on and off the field. Maybe he over uses his bullpen, but the majority of the blame has to go to Cashman and the Baseball Ops people for allocating $200 million in payroll and only finding 2 reliable relievers. The ravenous fan base he has, his ability to work with the toughest media better than absolutely anybody, his ability to manage 25 different egos on a team composed with nothing but stars - the reasons for Torre's greatness stretch well beyond his record.

I'm a die hard Yankee hater, but I respect the hell out of Joe Torre...apparently much more than the Yankees do. For Steinbrenner and family to offer the most accomplished man in the game to take a 30% pay cut, give him no long term job security, to publicly announce while the ALDS was still on going that he would be fired if the team didn't win, and to have the gall to offer him incentive clauses in his contract -- pitchers coming off arm problems get incentive laden contracts, people who have to PROVE something get incentives. Torre has nothing left to prove to anyone -- either shows that the Yankees are completely ignorant about the difficulty in winning an championship or they were threatened by Torre's iconic stature in NYC. Either way it's atrocious.

Personally I feel it's the latter, that Steinbrenner & Sons are just incompetent. Remember the 80's and early 90's George? Steinbrenner seems beholden to the good old day when winning was preordained, when Paul O'Neills and Scott Brosius...Brosii?...roamed the earth.

Playoff baseball is different than regular season baseball, but the best teams don't always win in either. The Yankees weren't the best team in baseball this year, not even the best in their division.

But that's not Joe Torre's fault. I can't believe that I just got another reason to hate the Yankees.

College Football Pick

USF is legit and Rutgers doesn't haven enough talent, outside of Ray Rice, to have a real chance at winning. In general I don't like taking road favorites against in-conference foes, but its the friggin #2 team in the country against an unranked team...and the spread is only 3!! Rice will run early, but Grothe will lead the Bulls to a lead and force Rutgers to try and catch up throwing the ball - something they don't do well.

South Florida (-3) @ Rutgers

I really think everyone should be rooting for USF in this game, and all season long. For a school that didn't have a football team 10 years ago to now have a realistic shot at a national championship is just too good a story to root against. Even if they win out and get stubbed for the big game that's just all the more reason more a playoff!

PS I just saw an episode of the new FSN show Sport Science which is pretty much a Mythbusters for sports fan. I enjoyed the show, which focused this episode on measuring the hardest hits in sports.

The definitive highlight came when Rampage Jackson was summoned to body slam a crash test dummy. The scientists were trying to explain to Jackson how the sensors in the dummy worked while Rampage just stood there with a look similar to how Manny Ramirez would look at you if you tried to describe that playoff games are important and if you loose you go home. The vacant look was the highest of high comedy but I would never dare tell him that to his face. I don't want 400 G's of force on the back of skull.

[3-0 NFL past week]
[6-4-2 NCAA past week]
[27-12-2 NCAA overall]
[15-6 NFL overall]
{42-18-2 total vs spread}

Aggy Roundball

There has been a tremendous amount of hubbub surrounding Coach Fran and the brevity of his stay in College Station. While replacing Fran with a warm body that has seen a football game in the last 30 years would be an upgrade, the faithful Ags face a tougher road in replacing their hoops coach.

The new Kentucky coach made basketball A&M's best sport...but were they as good as we thought they were?

The new site Basketball Prospectus posted a very interesting article centering on the differences in official scoring for some teams at home vs. on the road. Turns out that A&M had the biggest discrepancy from home to road in their assist rate. As in biggest out of all 337 teams that play D-I basketball.

"So to summarize: At home, Texas A&M was one of the best assisting teams in college basketball history. Away from home, they were the worst major conference team in sharing the ball."

I love Acie Law IV as a player, I think he's an amazing talent who has the ability to take over games and is the best clutch shooter I've seen in NCAA ball since Laettner. Law was not a 'pass-first' point guard in college...whether that was by design of the offense, lack of skill around him, or an intrinsic part of his character is up for debate.

Hawks fans will be waiting anxiously for an answer.

Hawaii Winter Baseball Update

Here's my second article that can be found at Project Prospect: The Hawaiian Winter Baseball league is heating up. Players are getting acclimated to the time and culture shifts while playing an exciting brand of baseball. Let's take a closer look at some of the players making waves in paradise: Matt Wieters C - Honolulu Sharks (Baltimore) Batting line thru 8 games: .308/.424/.423 These articles could be renamed the "Weekly Matt Wieters Reports." All eyes have been on Wieters in his first foray into professional ball, and in the early going he has been impressive. Wieters got off to a somewhat tepid start in the league's first week of action – batted just .222 – but he’s 6 for his past 17 and has seen his batting average raise almost 100 points in a week. His best game of the young season was on Friday October 12. The talented backstop went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and 3 RBI. Austin Jackson CF - Honolulu Sharks (NY Yankees) 11 games: .244/.333/.341, 5 SB Jackson has showed what makes him an exciting prospect as well as what makes you scratch your head and wonder sometimes. He's hit safely in 5 of the past 6 Sharks games, collecting multiple hits in three of those, but he continues his disturbing strikeout to walk ratio. After whiffing 109 times and drawing 33 free passes across three levels in the Yankees farm system this year, Jackson has a nearly identical 3:1 mark in the HWB with 15 K's and 5 BB's. If the 20-year-old could start laying off a few of the pitches outside the zone, he would catapult himself into the upper echelon of prospects. Brad Suttle 3B - Honolulu Sharks (NY Yankees) 8 games: .000/.222/.000, 6 BB, 8 K The former University of Texas star has had a rough go in the extremely early part of his pro career. Suttle decided to leave college early with the encouragement of his family and the $1.3 million dollar deal that the sophomore 4th round pick inked just prior to the deadline. Suttle got his feet wet in affiliated ball, playing in three games for the Gulf Coast Yankees and going 1-for-8 at the plate. That one hit has been the only one for Suttle now in 29 professional at bats. The switch-hitter should eventually put up some nice averages, as he possesses very good plate discipline. Daniel Bard P - Honolulu Sharks (Red Sox) 5 games: 1.93 ERA, 4.2 IP A first round pick by the Red Sox in 2006, Bard was selected on the strength of a fantastic collegiate career at North Carolina – where he teamed with current Tigers' flame-thrower Andrew Miller – and a fastball that can truly dominate hitters. As tremendous has Bard's stuff is, he has been somewhat erratic on the hill. Bard walked 78 hitters in 75 minor league innings this year. Boston sent him to Hawaii with the hopes that a view filled with the ocean, palm trees, and hula girls would get him in the right frame of mind. In 4.2 innings of work Bard has struck out 4 and walked 3 but none of those freebies have come in his last 3 outings. As much as any facet of any particular player's game, Bard's control is one to keep an eye on this HWB season. Kris Medlen P - Honolulu Sharks (Braves) 5 games: 0.00 ERA, 5.2 IP, 12 K A converted shortstop, Medlen had one of the better minor league seasons that got no attention. He struck out 63 and posted a 1.53 ERA over 47 innings across three levels in the Braves system. Medlen gets docked points for his size, 5-foor-10, 175-pounds, but he throws 92-93 mph with his fastball and both his curve and over hand change-up are good offerings. What makes Medlen really interesting, besides his stuff, is his control. He only walked 12 batters in affiliated action this summer and is yet to walk a single batter this winter. Medlen will probably start next year in Double-A but he could make his way into the Braves bullpen before next year is out. Brett Sinkbeil P - North Shore Honu (Marlins) 2 games: 1.50 ERA, 6 IP, 6 K Selected in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft out of Missouri State, Sinkbeil has posted decent strike out rates, good control, and a demonstrated ability to induce ground balls. Florida had high hopes for Sinkbeil coming into this year, but an oblique injury limited him to just 14 starts. On Monday, the 8th, he started his second game of the year versus Honolulu. He held the Sharks hitless thru his 4.0 innings of work while retiring 5 on strikes. When healthy he's one of the better pitching prospects around, and a team like Florida who has to develop their staff from within will be keeping a close eye on his medical reports as much as his performance. Jamie Romak OF - North Shore Honu (Pittsburgh) 10 games: .273/.429/.424, 8 BB, 13 K Romak is your classic "to heck with batting average" hitter. The big Canadian outfielder hit just .256 this year but got on base at a .383 clip while slugging .496. The good news is that Romak hit 20 homers and walked 64 times, the bad is that he struck out 114 times in 363 at bats. Romak has continued those paces in the first couple weeks for North Shore as he has either walked struck out or homered in 22 of his 41 plate appearances. Romak has three-true-outcome All-Star written all over him, though he may need to alter his take-and-rake approach with two strikes. Bud Norris P - North Shore Honu (Houston) 2 games: 5.2 IP, 4 BB, 12 K Norris is one of the most exciting pitchers to watch in Hawaii, unless you're one of his fielders. He struck out 117 in 96.0 innings of work in the South Atlantic League this year, issuing 41 walks. In his first HWB outing Norris got all 5 outs on strikes over his 1.2 innings pitched, however he also allowed three runs. His second outing was much better as he worked 4 hitless innings, whiffing 7. The Cal Poly alum has one of the best arms in the league and with a little refinement could be special. Anthony Hatch INF - West Oahu CaneFires (Toronto) 8 games: .438/.474/.563 Hatch has been arguably the best hitter in Hawaii so far. He’s coming off a disappointing year in which he only managed a .249/.305/.418 line in Florida State League play, just a year after tearing the Midwest League up to the tune of .314/.406/.548. A second baseman by trade, Toronto gave the executive order to move Hatch around the infield. While the defensive spectrum has broadened for Hatch, his bat has regained its 2006 form. The mixture of good contract ability, zone recognition and power along with defensive flexibility could make him a very valuable utility player in the bigs.

NFL Mock Draft 1.0

The BCS rankings are out, there has finally been enough football played - at both the college and pro levels - for us to have a grip...even a tenuous one...on how good players are and what teams need. With that in mind....DRAFT!!!!

As a Dallas fan I'm dejected after getting killed by the Pats and (temporarily) stunning my delusions of Super Bowl grandeur. I know fans in Miami, Kansas City (but hopefully not Blue Springs...we're still pissed at that town) and Atlanta have been looking forward to each Saturday to see their potential football saviors. So let's get started with a very VERY early mock draft...a billion things can and will change but that's not going to stop me.


#1 St Louis Rams -- Andre' Woodson QB Kentucky

As all teams picking #1, St Louis needs help in lots of areas. The injuries to Marc Bulger and the fact that Gus Ferotte is their back-up means QB is chief among there many concerns. A stud defensive player like Glen Dorsey or Calais Campbell will be looked at hard, as will Jake Long who could be a long term replacement for former #1 pick Orlando Pace. But a rule of the NFL draft is QB's go fast. Woodson is the best QB in college right now AND the best prospect (those two aren't always the same guy...ex: Couch, Eric) Woodson possess an ideal combination of size, arm strength, accuracy, mobility and decision making. He has the best technique of any QB coming out of college since Manning the Elder...not to say he'll be as good as Peyton (maybe no one ever will be) but Woodson has absolutely everything you need to be a championship caliber franchise signal caller for a long long time.

#2 Miami Dolphins -- Glen Dorsey DT LSU

A surprising fact about the Miami Dolphins this year is that their offense is pretty decent -- thank you, Ronnie Brown. The Dolphins' once formidable D is now really old, their two best players are guys that Jimmy Johnson drafted. Adding Dorsey will immediately reverse that and add a couple years to the careers of Thomas and Taylor who, with a huge force in the middle occupying blockers and commanding double teams, will be freed up to make plays. Dorsey is the best defensive tackle prospect to come along in a really long time. He's as big as a mountain, has the strength of many men, amazing speed (with the fat guy caveat: 'for a man of his size') and he could prolly throw a football over them mountains. Fins fans will love this former LSU great...assuming he doesn't go to Alabama after two years.

#3 New York Jets -- Calais Campbell DE Miami

3-4 defenses need big ends, Campbell fits that mold. The 6'8'' 280lb behemoth is almost too big to play D-line...I wonder how well a guy that tall will do against the run since low man wins those battles. But if Too-Tall Jones can play, so can Campbell who has that kind of upside. Campbell notched 20.5 tackles for a loss to go along with 10.0 sacks as a sophomore and is off to a hot start this year. He's a true disruptive force off the edge with the size to play against the run. I'm sure Jets fans will be pissed for passing on McFadden but, then again...when aren't they pissed, I mean they have to root for the Jets.

#4 Buffalo Bills -- Jake Long OT Michigan

Michigan has gotten through a mildly upsetting start to the season - that was the nicest way I could put it - but with Mike Hart running the ball they've gotten right back on track (and even solved their problems vs the spread offense with a sound thrashing of Purdue.) Mike Hart makes the offense go, and Jake Long makes Mike Hart go. Long is so good that he won the award for best offensive lineman in the Big 10 last year...Joe Thomas' senior year. Long prolly would have gone #5 last year to Arizona, since he's better than Levi Brown...another Big 10 tackle..but for going back to school he misses a chance at the national championship but gains a few million bucks by going one slot higher.

#5 Atlanta Falcons -- Brian Brohm QB Louisville

This fits so well that you know there is no way for it to actually happen. Brohm came into the season with the cursed label of #1 senior QB and, despite his team not being as good as some thought, he has performed pretty well. I think Brohm is an outstanding college QB but I have reservations about him in the pros...landing with his former coach would alleviate many of those. Brohm has the size and arm of a pro-bowler but struggles against the rush and is used to playing only out of the shot gun and tossing the ball to wide open receivers. Brohm's biggest worry is injury. He had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in January of 2007. He missed nearly three full games with a thumb injury in 2006 and suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the 10th game of the 2005 season. I'm not completely sold, but there is a lot to like and Atlanta would be as good for him as he would be for Atlanta.

#6 Dallas Cowboys (from Cleveland) -- Darren McFadden RB Arkansas

Another magical, perfect fit. Jules Jones is a free agent after this season and seems to think that he should be paided like he's a good player. Jerry Jones is an Arkansas alumnus and still a huge fan of the 'Backs. And, oh yeah, that McFadden guy is pretty good. With more and more teams going to the tandem running back system, the value of RB's has fallen in recent years. Guys like Bush two years ago and Peterson last year went further down in the draft - even if just a little bit - than there talent would dictate. On talent alone McFadden is the best player in the draft. He's not quite the runner that All-Day is, but he's more versatile...though not as much so as Reggie "please-don't-make-me-give-back-my-Heisman" Bush, but he's better between the tackles. McFadden does have an awesome nickname like those two, Run DMC. There is a good chance he could fall this far and if he does there is no way Dallas passes. If he's gone they'll look for DB help with Kenny Phillips from the U being the only real option.

#7 New Orleans Saints -- Kenny Phillips DB Miami

Amazing how I have Phillips going off the board right after I mentioned him...almost like I planned that. The Saints are in the midst of a really bad year and part of that is because they weren't able to fix the glaring problems in the secondary from last year. Phillips has the ability to play anywhere, corner/strong/free safety, and be really good at any of them. He's not quite in the LaRon Landry class from a year ago as a hitter, but he's a better cover guy. Phillips could step right into the category of "people who are better cover corners than Fred Thomas" - which includes most living humans - and play corner but he's best suited for work at safety where is abilities to ball-hawk and hit are on display.

#8 Kansas City Chiefs -- Sam Baker OT USC

KC needs a QB and could reach for a guy like Matt Ryan but they seem sold on giving Brodie Croyle a chance...for what ever reason. If they are going to give Croyle the reigns to the Herm Edwards "run the ball into 9 man fronts on 2 & 10" offense, they'd better get him some help on the O-line. KC used to have the best line in football, but father time remains undefeated and the current incarnation has their top player as a guy who was out of the game 2 years ago. Baker would be big help and immediate improvement. He's big enough, strong enough and fast enough to play the tackle spot at the highest level and going to KC, working with their excellent line coaches will help him improve his technique which is really all that stands between him and annual trips to Hawaii.

#9 Cincinnati Bengals -- James Laurinaitis MLB THE Ohio State

The Bengals could end up picking much higher than this and the #1 reason is their defense. Coach Marv Lewis is lending credence to the Brian Billick theory that coaches can be assigned the label "offensive" or "defensive gurus" simply by being assistants on teams with outstanding personnel. Lewis was set to upgrade to the defensive unit of team with lots of talent on offense when he took the job...but the team remains one with tons of talent on offense and no clue on D. This team gave up 51 to the Browns for crying out loud. Laurinaitis could give the Bengals something they haven't had in a long...a playmaker on defense. Laurinaitis, a junior, is a sideline to sideline athlete who plays with tremendous passion and aggression. As far as I know he is the only player eligible for this draft whose father was one of my favorite wrestlers as a kid, so he gets brownie points for that.

#10 New England Patriots (from: San Fran) -- Malcolm Jenkins CB THE Ohio State

Back to back buckeyes to round out the top 10. Maybe the Pats only weakness is depth in the secondary, last year's first round pick Brandon Meriweather is good but better at free safety than corner. Jenkins is the top true corner available in this draft and could take over for Asante Samuel should he depart via free agency this year.

#11 Minnesota Vikings -- Chris Long DE Virginia

DeSean Jackson will be very tempting but coach Brad Childress and the Vikings brass loaded up on wide outs in the middle rounds last year and seem to shy away from taking WR's early in round one. What the Vikings don't shy away from is taking defensive linemen. Kevin Williams, Erasmus James, and Kenechi Udeze could add Chris Long to the club come Draft Day. Howie's son plays a lot like his dad, which is high praise. He's incredibly strong and very stout against the run...which the Vikings covet. Long can get after the QB a little bit but it's doubtful that he will be more than a 6-8 sack a year guy. Good but not amazing. Getting to the QB is but one limited part of a DE's duties and Long is great at everything else. He'll fit right in with the Vikings D and form maybe the toughest front four in football vs the run.

#12 Oakland Raiders -- DeSean Jackson WR/KR Cal

Al Davis loves speed and play-making ability, Jackson is the fastest playmaker in college ball. DeSpite a down year receiving wise - currently on pace for about 700 yard with a 9.9 ypc - Jackson has remained maybe the most dangerous weapon in all of NCAA football with his Devin Hester-esque return ability (and I don't throw around that compliment often). Jackson has 7 returns for scores on 34 chances in his career with the Berkley Bears...I have NO IDEA why anyone still kicks to him. Jackson needs to improve his route running as he tends to rely too much on his speed to get open. He would have been my #2 WR last year behind Calvin Johnson and heads a strong receiver class this year.

#13 New York Giants -- Steve Slaton RB West Virginia

Slaton is the fastest back in this draft and would be a perfect match for Brandon Jacobs. With Eli at QB you need all the help you can from skill position players, Slaton represents the big time play making by running back that went grumbling out the door when Tiki left. People knock Slaton for the system that he plays in, but I'm still on the bandwagon. Adding Slaton and McFadden to the NFC East will drastically shoot up the caliber of RB talent in the division.

#14 Detroit Lions -- Derrick Harvey DE Florida

Harvey put himself on the map with a breakout performance against Ohio State in the national championship game...and forcing Troy Smith to fall 3 rounds in the draft. The 6'4'' 265 Harvey runs a 4.7 and is one of the best pass rushers in this draft. It's hard to predict what the Lions will do on draft day but Harvey is big, strong, athletic, fills a need, could start right away, and has big upside. Detriot was reportedly in on Gaines Adams last year, before they decided to take the better player in Calvin Johnson. In my mind Harvey is just as good as Adams, if not better. (note I thought Adams was pretty overrated...but I guess his one sack in 6 games is really showing me)

#15 Arizona Cardinals -- Quentin Groves DE/OLB Auburn

Groves is this year's DeMarcus Ware/Shawn Merrimen/Anthony Spencer type who was a really good end in college but will move to outside linebacker in the pros and be a disruptive pass rusher. The Cards may be switching to a 3-4, but even if they stay at 4-3 Groves could play either rush end or weakside backer. Arizona could end up picking higher than this, and Groves could end up being taken much higher than this. Groves is an excellent athlete who should really wow people at the combine. At 6'3'' 250 Groves runs a 4.4 and plays angry. He's battled some injuries, but plays through them. Groves is a great leader and where ever he goes, in whatever scheme, will be a difference maker.

#16 Chicago Bears -- Matt Ryan QB Boston College

BREAKING NEWS: The Chicago Bears need a quarterback. There is an outside shot that Ryan could end up being the best of the '08 crop. He's big, has a great arm, and while not a scrambler is mobile enough to avoid the rush. Very smart and a good leader, Ryan needs to work on progressing through his reads more quickly - there seems to be a delay when he must go beyond his 2nd read. But quick decisions tend to come with experience and Ryan seems to be a good student of the game and an apt pupil. I've been on the BC bandwagon all year and really like Ryan as a player. He would be a perfect fit for the Bears in the middle of round one.

#17 Denver Broncos -- Dan Conner LB Penn State

Denver is another team that is somewhat hard to pick for, as they like to go off the board from time to time. Conner however would represent a smart, sensible choice for the Broncos. A better athlete than he's given credit for, Conner possesses incredible instincts and is always in the right place at the right time. He doesn't wow you in any one area watching the game from the stands, but Conner is a football player (if you'll allow me to throw out a meaningless cliche). He plays hard, is very smart, and is always around the ball. Drafting Conner would let Denver move DJ William back to the outside linebacker spot where he's better suited.

#18 Carolina Pathers -- Sedrick Ellis DT USC

Ellis is another player that could be taken well before this, but I think the market for the one-gap defensive tackles isn't what it used to be with the prominence of the 3-4 defenses in the NFL. Despite the fact that he may be limited in where he can play, Ellis would be a tremendous fit a team like Carolina who plays the 4-3 and has a dominate force on the outside who will command double/triple teams. When given one on one opportunities Ellis rivals Dorsey in disruptive ability along the interior of the line. Ellis is a bit undersized...I know it's weird calling a guy 6'1'' 300lb too small but in the world of the NFL that is filled with the most freak athletes on earth it is...and may struggle against double teams. He could be shifted to DE by a team that runs the 3-4 but his pass rush ability is really special from the DT spot and pretty mundane for an end. The Panthers need depth along the D-line and if Ellis can get stronger he has a chance to be one of the better tackles in the game.

#19 Philadelphia Eagles -- Gosder Cherilus OT Boston College

Jon Runyan is getting old and Winston Justice apparently sucks. In Cherilus Philly would get a tackle prospect who has a chance to be pretty darned good. BC is known for their linemen and Cherilus is by far the best one this year. The left tackle is big enough, quick enough, and has really good technique. Gosder (really?...who names their kid that?) needs to get stronger but sitting for a year watching Jon Runyan and the-lineman-formerly-known-as-Tra-Thomas, while being in a NFL workout program could do him wonders. Cherilus has been very well coached and with a bit more work could be really good.

#20 Houston Texans -- Ryan Clady OT Boise State

This is the year Houston finally takes an OT high, right?...RIGHT!!?!?! Maybe the Texans are still banking on Toni Boselli working out. Either way Ryan Clady would be, really the only logical choice for H-town picking at this spot. Though he's not quite in the Long/Baker class Clady is extremely quick for a man of size, 6'6'' 320. Coach Gary Kubiak loves the Denver system that emphasises mobility for linemen and Clady fits that mold to a T. (where that expression came from I'm not really sure...if you know leave the answer in the comments section) He could stand to gain some strength, but he has the frame to add some bulk without sacrificing any of his quickness. Clady could be the legit franchise left tackle of Texans fan's dreams.

#21 Tennesse Titans -- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma

Limas Sweed could be a real possibility here, due to his close relationship with former college teammate Vince Young, but his season ending injury will likely send him falling down the draft boards baring a quick recovery and good workouts. Titans fans, and VY, should be happy if the team goes for Kelly over Sweed because Kelly is a much better prospect. At 6'4'' 215 lbs Kelly has elite size for a wide out and still manages to run a sub 4.4. Despite being a junior, Kelly already holds virtually every Oklahoma record for receivers and will continue his terrific performance for whichever team is lucky enough to draft him.

#22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Early Doucet III WR LSU

Tampa is not as good as they have played this year and still have holes across most of their roster. Keith Rivers will get lots of attention if he's still on the board but Gruden (assuming this good season means he's still the coach) is an offensive guy and that offense needs more play makers on it. Enter Early Doucet. Doucet was one of the biggest recruits in the nation out of high school but has had to defer the spotlight until this year at LSU due to their outstanding group of WR's that included two first round picks last year. Doucet has good size, outstanding speed, and amazingly soft hands. He's been banged up a bit this year, but his talent is undeniable. The Early Doucet story should have a much happier ending than the Michael Clayton movie does in Tampa.

#23 San Diego Chargers -- Mario Manningham WR Michigan

I really think that Chargers will turn it around and finish with a good record...there's just too much talent on that team not to. One of the few spots that doesn't have tons of talent on the Chargers roster is wide out. Manningham runs nice routes and has great hands to go along with the speed to get down field. I like Craig Davis who they got at the end of the first round last year, and I think Vincent Jackson can be pretty good too. Add a Mario Manningham to that mix and all of a sudden you have a really nice group of young WRs to open things up for Gates and LT.

#24 Seattle Seahawks -- Keith Rivers OLB USC

Seattle is another talented team that I think will really turn it on in the second half of the season...I mean someone has to win all those NFC West games, right? I've seen Rivers' name in the top 10 of lots of drafts. I like him, but I'm not as high on him as some other people. He's got good speed but really needs to bulk up. It's really hard to be 220lbs and a successful linebacker in the NFL (I feel the same way about Ali Highsmith from LSU). Seattle would be a good fit for Rivers because they run a 4-3 and value smaller quick linebackers. Rivers, Peterson and Tatupu would drive opponents nuts with their speed, all three guys are versatile and play hard.

#25 Baltimore Ravens -- Reggie Smith CB Oklahoma

Few teams have as much talent on D as Baltimore, but age is starting to creep up on the Ravens ... including Samari Rolle who has battled injuries lately. Smith is a big physical corner - he played safety early in his college career - who has the speed to run with burners down field. A junior this year, Smith will probably decide to come out early since the senior CB group is pretty thin. Smith could step right in on Sunday and play the nickel for Baltimore and in a year or two could step up and be a full time starter opposite Chris McAllister. An added bonus should the Ravens nab Smith; he could work double duty as their return man thus saving them from a potential catastrophic injury to their current returner, Ed Reed.

#26 Jacksonville Jaguars -- Lawrence Jackson DE USC

Jackson is the type of big, strong, physically imposing defensive lineman that the Jags have built their team around. Jackson isn't a great speed rusher and has had to battle the injury bug but when healthy he's one of the best players in the country. Henderson and Stroud on the inside would help him work his magic on the outside and really bolster an already strong Jags front seven.

#27 Washington Redskins -- Frank Okam DT Texas

Everything has come easy for Frank Okam. At 6'5'', 325 lbs he runs a 5.15 forty and has the strength to easily shed double teams. As a senior, Okam is carrying a 4.0 GPA at Texas and looks to follow in the footsteps of Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers as UT DT's who slipped in the draft but had Pro-Bowl careers. Critics accuse Okam of Alan Branch-ing too much, taking plays off and not dominating every snap despite amazing physical gifts. Okam has all the talent/smarts in the world and could end up being an outstanding pro.

#28 Green Bay Packers -- Mike Hart RB Michigan

Trying to project accurately draft choices this early in the process is almost and exercise in futility. "Almost" because you can chisel in stone that Green Bay will take a running back. Right now Mike Hart would have an edge over Ray Rice - should he decide to come out - and fellow senior Tashard Choice from Georgia Tech. Hart is a very quick back with great patience and vision in the open field. A tremendous natural runner, Hart would start for the Pack from day one and give another dimension to the offense that now consists of just four plays: "Favre pass right", "Favre pass middle", "Favre pass left", and "Favre run around for 10 minutes then make something crazy happen."

#29 Pittsburgh Steelers -- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida

Pittsburgh has gotten by on a lack of talent at corner for a while, mostly because of good safety play and the ability to get pressure on the QB. Passing a talent like Jenkins would be unwise in this spot. Jenkins has good size, 6'0.5'' 200lbs, and runs a 4.4. He's got smooth hips and is strong enough to jam big receivers at the line. Charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and opposing or obstructing an officer without violence during the 2007 off-season, South Florida suspended him indefinitely...character is a concern. Pitt has a strong locker room, a coach that everyone seems to have tons of respect for and with Joey Porter out the door Steeler fans would only have to worry about him hanging out with Santonio Holmes.

#30 Dallas Cowboys -- Justin King CB Penn State

King is a tall, slender, experienced corner who has seemingly been the man at Penn State since first setting foot in the Happy Valley. I suspect the Boys will address WR sometime the early rounds, but guys who can cover are of the utmost importance and King has man to man cover skills. He's not great in run support but has done a really good job of shutting down the opponents best receivers...and in the end isn't that what corners really need to do?

#31 San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis) -- Tommy Blake DE/OLB TCU

The 9ers are building themselves quite the talented roster: adding players like Frank Gore, Vernan Davis, Patrick Willis, Manny Lawson, and Joe Staley through the draft, Dexter Jackson, Larry Allen and Nate Clements via free agency and trades. Tommy Blake could be the next in the line of uber-talented players to suit up for the city by the bay. Blake is a highly disruptive pass rusher with the speed to play outside in a 3-4. Teaming up Blake and Lawson on the outsides would give San Fran two of the best young pass rushers in the league that could be teamed up together for a long time at a fairly low price. Blake has the talent to go higher in the draft but he may slip due to perceived personal problems. Before the season started for TCU, Blake was given a leave of absence from the team for what was only described as "personal reasons." Blake isn't a bad dude by any means but teams will definitely be checking into his background prior to the draft.

#32 New England Patriots -- N/A

Roger Goodell's ruling on the whole "spy-gate" kerfuffle was that the Pats will be docked a first round draft pick if they make the playoffs...I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the first round of the 2008 draft will only consist of 31 picks.

So good news Rams fans...it's like you get two first round picks this year!!

So...is South Florida really the best team in college football? After a day of crazy collegiate action I'm ready for some good ole predicable NFLings.

The thing about it is there's been a ton of talk nationally about the "unpredictable football season so far" and shocking upsets, like #5 Sconsin loosing to unranked Illions...only that wasn't an upset. The Illini were favored in that game. Sure there have been surprises, but in picking games 90% of the one's I've picked wrong have been by one score. But Purdue and Nebraska really put an end to that. LSU loosing at Kentucky isn't a major upset. They were facing a really good SEC team with the best QB in the country...but before I get off on too big a rant or before I go find Cal's QB and kill him for tanking their national championship hopes lets get to the picks.

Philadelphia (-3.5) @ J-E-T-S

Oakland @ San Diego (-9.5)

New England (-5) @ Dallas
It saddens me greatly but I really don't think the Cows have a chance in this one. FootballOutsiders has a really cool preview for all you football X's and O's lovers out there.

[4-2 NFL past week]
[6-4-2 NCAA this week]
[27-12-2 NCAA overall]
[12-6 NFL overall]
{39-18-2 total vs spread}

College Football Picks

Since this last weekend was crazy and I only picked a couple games I'm going to cut to the good stuff...starting with the Thursday night game and then onto Sat:

Florida State @ Wake (+4.5)

Purdue (+5.5) @ Michigan

UCF @ South Florida (-11)

Illinois (-3.5) @ Iowa

Boston College (-13) @ Notre Dame

UConn @ Virginia (-3)

LSU @ Kentucky (+9.5)

Aggy @ Tech (-10)

Louisiana-Monroe @ North Texas (+7)

Mizzu (+10) @ Oklahoma

Louisville (+10.5) @ Cincinnati

Ok State @ Nebraska (-3.5)

The Tradition Continues

The SportsBullies are still recovering from their collective heart attach during the Monday Night Football Game.

We all know that MNF home dogs are guaranteed covers but Dallas betting Buffalo is just much a cinch (two Super Bowls, Stanley Cup Finals...and yes he maintained control of the puck even though his skate was in the crease which made it a legal goal!!.)

A few really random thoughts....

• A great way to meet your neighbors is to run out of your apt because your roommate has work early in the morning so you have to go outside to scream for 5,000 different times during the game.
• DALLAS ALREADY RAN ANOTHER PLAY!!!! YOU CAN NOT REVIEW!!!!!!!!!
• Nick Folk is the Tony Romo of kickers.
• nickfolklore.com is going to be registered by the SportsBullies!
• Buffalo got every single possible break go their way and still lost.
• Who's excited for Boys v. Pats next week?????

One of the SportsBullies is so excited that he won't be able to sleep and will miss a lecture tomorrow, one is so excited that he will miss giving a lecture...which is worse???

Hawaii Winter League

This article was written for the greatness of Project Prospect, an online in-depth scouting system of which I am now a contributing author. We urge all of you to check it out.

The great thing about prospect hunting is there is someone playing somewhere every single day. While affiliated minor league clubs ended their seasons, baseball does not stop for every team other than the eight big league clubs vying to reign supreme in October. October in the land of prospects is the provenience of developmental leagues in Arizona and Hawaii. This series of articles will keep you abreast of the all the baseball-arific happenings on the big island.

Matt Wieters C – Honolulu Sharks (Baltimore) Batting line thru 4 games: .222/.462/.333 4BBs 1K

Wieters is the alpha male in the league. This past June’s #5 overall pick out of Georgia Tech is making his professional baseball debut for the Sharks as his protracted contract negotiations eliminated the chance for him to start in the minors this year. A two time All-American in college, Wieters doubled as the Yellow Jackets’ closer and, obviously, possess a strong throwing arm behind the plate. While his defense is solid what really makes Wieters special is his bat; hitting .358/.480/.592 last year in NCAA action. Bat control, zone recognition, and power are all plus tools for this 6’5’’ switch hitting stud who currently sits at #22 overall on our big board…and you could make a strong argument based on his skill and positional scarcity that that is too low.

Ryan Harvey OF – Honolulu Sharks (Chicago Cubs) thru 5 games: .353/.353/.353 0BBs 6K

Harvey joins Wieters in the “former #5 overall picks club” for the Sharks. The North-Siders hope the 6’5’’ 240lb slugger can regain the promise that he once showed. Harvey has been mostly a boom or bust type hitter with the emphasis on bust after posting just a .716 OPS this year in the Florida State League. That in and of itself is not terrible, but when a .716 OPS is turned by a 23 year old who struck out 53 times in 224 at bats while only walking 7, the outlook for the future turns dim. The thing that really stands out about Harvey’s HWB batting line is that he has 0 walks and all of his hits are singles making his batting average, on-base and slugging percentages the exact same.

Brian Jeroloman C – West Oahu CaneFires (Toronto) in 2 games: .429/.556/1.143

Conversations of odd batting lines should always lead to Jeroloman who hit an unusual .259/.421/.338 this year in high A ball. Great bat control and a keen eye have always been a part of Brian’s repertoire, going back to his University of Florida playing days where he was among the national leaders in on base percentage. The ball has been flying off of Jeroloman’s bat in the extremely early going of the HWB but if he can add even a modicum of power to his arsenal, he will become of the best catcher prospects around.

Justin Sellers SS/2B – Waikiki Beach Boys (Oakland) 3 games: .182/.308/.273

While Jeroloman remained an extremely productive offensive player despite a lack of pop this year, Justin Sellers has the unfortunate combination of no power and merely a good batting eye. After a solid .274/.350/.378 line in high A, Oakland sent Sellers to Hawaii where his skills and limitations are on display. A fine defensive player with good athleticism and bat control Sellers’ appears to have made a conscience decision to forgo power in-lue of contact. Sellers’ stance is conventional except for the fact that he holds the bat with his hands even with his back ear and far out in front of his head. While many players hold the bat in odd ways before the ball is pitched, Sellers keeps his position and simply pushes the bat out towards the ball. His unique set position makes his swing markedly shorter than most. For all our physics majors out there, shorter distance equals less acceleration which equals less force imparted on the batted ball.

Joshua Bell 3B – West Oahu CaneFires (LA Dodgers) 4 games: .294/.333/.412 1BB 6K

Bell is one of the most exciting prospects in the entire league. A 4th round pick out of high school in ’05, Bell has a tantalizing combination of athleticism and power that let scouts dream on the 6’3’’ switch hitter. Going .308/.367/.544 out of the shoot professionally in rookie ball Bell really opened the eyes of those who had not seen him in high school. While his power is a big league threat, from both sides of the plate, pitch recognition remains a prohibitive problem for the uber-talented Bell; he struck out nearly four times as often as he walked this year. His .412 slugging percentage may not seem like much on the surface but for a league where the average hitter slugged just .357 last year, Bell’s power is more apparent. The Dodgers hope that facing some talented hurlers in this extreme pitchers league will aid Bell in his development.

Austin Jackson CF – Honolulu Sharks (NY Yankees) 5 games: .067/.176/.067 2BB 7K 2SB

Jackson put up one of the best seasons in the minors this year and the Evil Empire rewarded him with a trip to Hawaii. It appears that Jackson is taking the early part of the season as a vacation after his marvelous .345/.398/.566 effort for the Tampa Yankees. Jackson was the beneficiary of a .395 BABIP while playing in Tampa, but he has all the talent in the world and still projects as a good big league player.

Jermaine Mitchell CF – Waikiki Beach Boys (Oakland) 4 games: .500/.588/.643

Mitchell is my early pick to be the break out star of this HWB season. Jermaine Cornelius Mitchell (his actual name) is a strong, speedy centerfielder with an impressive combination of raw talent and polished baseball skill. The A’s nabbed Mitchell in the 5th round of last summer’s draft out of the University of North Carolina…not Chappell Hill, but Greensboro where he lead the Spartans in every important offensive category and most not important ones as well. Always a multi sport athlete, Mitchell is still new to being a baseball player full time. Cornelius is off to a fast start in winter ball after a productive .288/.390/.413 year in Kane Country. The left handed centerfielder looks like Barry Bonds at the plate, the Pittsburg Pirates version, and has plus-plus speed in the outfield.

Mat Gamel 3B – North Shore Honu (Brewers) 5 games: .412/.474/1.059 3HR

Gamel is coming off a .300/.378/.472 triple slash season in the Florida State League and has one of the best bats in a system known for producing top notch hitters. Doug Melvin and the Brew Crew brass gave Gamel a round trip ticket to Hawaii with the express purpose of working on one area of his game, fielding. While playing for the Brevard Country Manatees, Gamel made 53 errors in 128 games. His future may ultimately be as a DH, which does not bode well for his future in the National League, but Milwaukee will give him every chance to prove himself in the field because his bat is for real.

Cale Iorg SS – North Shore Honu (Tigers) 4 games: .176/.222/.176 1BB 7K

Iorg is perhaps the most intriguing player in the league. After a year in which he hit .280/.331/.415 playing everyday as a true freshman for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Iorg left baseball all together for two years to pursue mission work in Portugal. Detroit felt strongly enough about the athletic, slick fielding shortstop to offer up $1.5 million dollars to Cale, who is Mormon. He played fairly well in the eight professional games he got under his belt this year, but playing for the Honu, which means sea turtle, will be Iorg’s first real test at extended playing time in almost three years.

Shane Lindsay P – Waikiki Beach Boys (Rockies) 2 games: 3IP 5K 2BB 3ER

Hitters have been the focus of this article as games have just been going on for a week and the league leader in innings pitched is up to a whapping 7. However, I got the chance to see Lindsay pitch on Wednesday night via the magic of Milb.tv and came away impressed with the Australian right hander. In Lindsay’s first game he did not fair well, giving up 2 runs in just a third of an inning of work. On the night I caught Lindsay however, he showed what makes him special; featuring a mid 90’s fastball that reached 98 mph to dominate hitters to the tune of five whiffs in two and two-thirds work. Shane looks a bit like a tennis player trying to get a serve in when he pitches as he moves his glove arm in a high sweeping arc and follows it with his throwing arm only slightly lower. This deceptive motion helps Lindsay, who is listed at just 6’1’’, throw with a sharp downward plane that when coupled with his velocity makes him especially hard to hit. His arm motion may also have something to do with the fact that Lindsay, despite his elite stuff, has been worthless as a prospect because he has missed most of the past two years, including all of last year, with shoulder problems. The fastball was great and he flashed a plus 11 to 5 breaking curve as well a few sliders that were not much more than rudimentary offerings at this point but the biggest plus for Lindsay is that he looked healthy.