Cliff Lee

WOW! I can’t believe what happened to Cliff Lee in game one, but all good things come to an end. His streak of lights out post season pitching was shattered by the Giants, but I think the professional that he his will shine through in his next start.

I don’t think the Giants figured him out as much as he had a bad game. The Giants did do a great job though. I don’t want to take anything away from them, but I’m sticking with my prediction that the Rangers will win, and Cliff Lee will win his next game.

NBA Technicals

Has anyone watched the NBA yet? I know it’s early but I watched the Blazers, Clippers game last night and realized a few things. Brandon Roy is amazing, Blake Griffin is going to be a stud if he can stay healthy, and the new Technical Foul rule is ridiculous!

Even the announcers were saying how hard it is to get mugged, get no call, and not be able to turn to an official and raise your hand in the questioning position of ” Where’s your whistle?”

That is all it takes. Not even a word. Or even a swear word if you do say like Andre Miller said “That’s a foul!” He was T’d up as well as many players from both sides for things that are not only not that bad but have been allowed forever in NBA history.

And don’t say it’s not allowed in college or high school. Much more than that is let go even at that high school or middle school age.

What you are telling these grown men, who have played the game their whole lives, is that they cannot react after there is no call after they get mugged. They know when they get fouled, and in the past officials have used players reactions to help with making their calls. which brings me to the only point that might make this worth it, even if it is to drastic now.

People were starting to make the comparison that the NBA was getting like high level soccer. Which is terrible!! Now I enjoy playing soccer, but watching grown men (I think they are at least) throw themselves down in writhing agony, and then when there is no call get up and play like nothing happened, because nothing did!

It is the worst I’ve ever seen in sports the amount of faking and whining that goes on, and frankly it’s pathetic and almost made World Cup soccer unbearable to watch for me.

So, NBA, I see what you are trying to avoid, and good for you, but you might have to tone it down a bit.

World Series Preview

The World Series this year is about a couple of match-ups that people might be overlooking. The Rangers actually have a great pitching staff, which no one has talked about outside of everyone wetting themselves about Cliff Lee (Me included).

The key match-up I believe isn’t only the pitching of the Giants vs. the sluggers of Texas, which is a great match-up, but I think the key to this series will be the under rated pitching staff of the Rangers.

The Rangers’ staff just shut down the two best hitting teams in the MLB. The Rays and the Yankees both crush the ball and have great hitters throughout their line-ups, and they were, for the most part shut down!

If you don’t think Texas can shut down the Giants line-up, then you are a Giants fan and completely bias.

Prediction: Cliff Lee will win both of his starts and the Texas Rangers will win the Series in 6 and end the Giants tremendous run. Expect to see some great pitching performances by the Giants but it won’t be enough to slow down the Rangers.

Celebrate Good Times Come On!

With the fines and penalties that both the NFL and NCAA dole out for celebrations it makes me think, why? Both sports are all about business, and guess what the fans like celebrations, whether it’s a dance or a crazy antic, people love it!

In the college game I can see it, but they even need to tone down the penalty calling. I’ve seen kids score and have fun after and get a penalty thrown on them. Hello! They just scored they are are going to get excited and guess what? College kids are goofy and love to have fun! Let them. No need for T.O.’s or Ochocinco like antics but let them celebrate they just scored.

In the NFL, let it go. Let it all go. This is all business, ratings and making money. The whole league is about entertainment, so… let the players entertain us! Every fan loves to see a crazy receiver pull off a crazy stunt, mostly just for a laugh and something to talk about at the water cooler the next day.

In this the age of the internet, celebrations are perfect for online hits on websites! Get a clue! You can pull in non sports fans with stuff like that flying around on Youtube. A little side note, when sports realize that games being shown online can get commercials views just like TV, they will pick up the many of us who realize that TV is not needed when you have the internet.

A short one today but that’s all I got for now.

Violent Hits

The NFL’s latest problem is the the amount of concussions that have been suffered this year. The NFL is trying to slow these injuries by issuing even more pricey fines for illegal hits.

The issue with this is that these players have built this into their bodies through muscle memory. Also, with these players protected in their own suits of armor they feel safe throwing not only themselves but even worse their heads into people.

As we know a helmet to helmet tackle is illegal in many circumstance in the NFL, what these players need to learn is that you can drill someone without using their heads as battering rams. I personally believe that the NFL must take away some of the protection. Not so much as to put the players in danger, but enough to make them think twice about being a human torpedo.

Have you ever watched a rugby game? Or two? In the games I have seen and participated in I have noticed that the amount of concussions seems to be less than the amount that are suffered in the NFL. In Rugby there are no pads at all! The most you can have is a half inch thick cap on your head.

Rugby players do suffer much more minor injuries such as cuts, but when you’re flying around a field with other guys twice your size you learn how to not only get hit but hit with out causing serious injury.

The main difference in football that makes pads necessary is the breaks between plays that allows for rested players to fly 100 percent into to opponents every down. Also the nature of setting up big hits in front of you with defenseless receivers makes pads necessary as well. But having less pads would not only help with injuries in football.

It would help with tackling!!! How many times in college and pros have you seen dismal tackling when players are just bumping into guys with their shoulder pads? Way too often and it leads to huge plays that should never happen! In Rugby you learn to tackle right. Hit low and wrap up.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am 6 feet high and usually on the bottom side of 160 pounds. Not exactly a guy built to tackle. When i started playing Rugby I was was a terrible defensive player who got run over multiple times. The only reason I played was because I was fast and almost decent on offense. But after almost a month I started to get it. I started to learn that tackling how I saw it on TV would never work. I started to get lower and I noticed I didn’t have to fly into a guy to get him down, or even to make it hurt.

Get your head to the ball carriers side so that your cheek is next to his butt cheek, wrap around the legs and drive the him into the ground. I tackled people almost twice my size this way (or at least grabbed on till help arrived). Football players desperately need to learn to tackle properly.

In short, real men play Rugby.

MLB Playoffs

I know that there have been a few assumptions made about this year’s playoffs now that we are down to the final four teams.  A few of which I think are absurd. One of them comes from one of my favorite ESPN Radio hosts, Jason Smith of All Night. He said that it seemed to him that whoever comes out of the NLCS will be the World Series champion. His argument seems valid that he points out the amazing pitching of the Giants and the Phillies. And here’s why he’s wrong. The National cannot hit like the American league. Whether it’s only having to face 8 legitimate hitters in a line up, or the fact that you see it time and again with either old pitchers rejuvenating their careers in the NL or with young pitchers finding theirs in the NL, fact is that the NL just doesn’t hit as well. Now  I am not taking anything away from the staffs of either team they are great. Roy Halladay proved he can pitch in both leagues, but when he was in the AL he was not on the no hitter watch every time he pitched which it seemed like this year. You know who I want in any one game in these playoffs? Cliff Lee! The guy is just a professional and there is nothing greater than seeing him strike out the side and then run off the field with that grin on his face. Yes, that’s right he RUNS off the field.

The next assumption was that the Yankees were going to clean up on the Rangers. Well we saw tonight Lee dominates. It doesn’t matter who he pitching against. He takes care of the Yankees, throwing 8 innings of shut-out ball with only 1 walk and 13 K’s to move to a 7 and 0 record in the post season. It’s like he’s saying to the Phillies, what were you thinking? I was the guy who beat the Yankees in both of my appearances last year and now I’m coming to get you. Anyway, now that I’ve practically started a religion for the guy let’s move to the other reasons the Yankees will not be able to pull it out this year. Age, they are starting to get up there in the years although I still think they have the best hitting line up in the majors their age is going to start being a problem. Pitching, after C.C. who struggled in his first outing, who’s going to stop the bleeding against this line up of mashers in Texas? Phil Hughes? Not likely. As long as the Rangers’ bullpen can hold on and not pull game 1 melt downs the Rangers should be fine in taking this series.

Predictions: the NLCS is pretty much a crap shoot, but I’ll take experience and say that it will win out. Phillies in 7.

ALCS will be a good series because the Yankees will not roll over and they always have magic in the post season but the Rangers will take the series, the question is will they have to use Cliff Lee again or not? My prediction says no. They take in six, because even though Hunter is no ace he still is better than what Burnett has been this year. Rangers in 6.

Polls Problems

Here’s the deal, and yes I know it’s a moot point now, how could the pollsters have Iowa, Arizona, and Oregon State rated where they were after last week? Iowa who lost to Arizona at home was ranked higher than Arizona. Odd. Also OSU beat Arizona at Arizona, and yet Arizona was ranked higher than than OSU. Chalk it up to east coast bias, or whatever conspiracy you want, all I know is that it is absurd. But, like I said earlier it is all moot now because of OSU’s loss to UW. I’ll admit I am a Beaver fan. I’ll try not to let that shade my judgment, just giving you a reason for all the posting I do about Beavers’ games.

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Rugby!

Not much to say at the moment but I will do my best to bring a great sport some needed publicity! WSU Cougars will probably the most posted about. Go Cougs!

Heart Breaker

“The conventional wisdom says kick it and play for overtime, but McGinty is not a conventional guy. And McGinty says with the playoffs ‘Go for it, go for the win!'”  – The Replacements

That is what Mike Riley said as well last night against the UW Huskies in Seattle and here is why I agree with the call even though the outcome was not what was wanted. The game was leaning to UW and the Beavs seemed to be clinging on with their fingernails, and let’s face it, there was no stopping Locker at home with the short overtime field. As a spectator I could feel the Huskies were going to score and in situations like that it comes down to quarterbacks. Now, no offense to Ryan Katz, he’s young and although he had three pics in the game I’m excited for his future, but right now he no match for what some say should be the first overall pick in Locker (That is another topic for another day, but in short, no). The Beavers got the score and they had the chance to end the game with Locker and Kearse on the sideline with nothing to do but watch. In this situation I say GO FOR IT! You’re on the road the crowd is loud and you have two yards to go for the win. GO FOR IT! Now, the play call might be debatable but the ball was in the hands of the receiver for the win so I guess it shouldn’t be discredited. Although, with the game on the line, give it to your play maker! Jaquizz answered the call all night with a great game.  To go to another sports movie, interestingly also starring Gene Hackman, Hoosiers when the game is on the line for the ‘ship give the ball to the star and let him win or lose it with his ability. I know the play worked. This is more for those who are now saying “WHAT WAS RILEY THINKING!?!” You know had Halahuni made that catch, you would be singing coach of the year praises. So to sum up, good call, decent play ok throw, and no catch. Keep your head up Halahuni the Beav’s will need more form you without James Rodgers.

Sorry if the opening quote is some what off between Madden and Summerall.