OK, the baseball season is now officially over, and what a finish it was. Who would have thought that the Red Sox would lose after taking a 3-2 lead into the ninth with two outs and two strikes on Nolan Reimold? Who would have figured the Rays would come back from being down 7-0 to the Yankees and win in the 12th inning on an Evan Longoria home run? Who would have figured the Braves would lose out on the playoffs in a similar fashion to the Red Sox and the Cardinals would come back from the dead to sneak in as a Wild Card? Well, let's see if any of my predictions came true:
1. The Braves will win the NL East: Ummm, no they didn't. 0 for 1
2. Curtis Granderson will flirt with 40-40 and have a breakout year: Hell yeah he did! He hit 41 homers but stole only 25 bases and got caught stealing 10 times. Well, he did something he never did before, he hit 40+ homers, that's gotta count for something, right?1 for 2!
3. Adrian Gonzalez will hit 45-50 homers: Nope, he didn't. 1 for 3.
4. The White Sox will beat out the Twins in the Central: Guess I forgot about the Tigers and all. 1 for 4.
5. The Mets will lose 95 games: Nope, they lost 85. 1 for 5.
6. Mark Prior will make an impact on the Yankees. Wow, I must have been drinking. 1 for 6.
7. The Giants will miss the playoffs. Yes, they did. Woohooo 2 for 7.
8. Austin Jackson will hit .300 and strike out 180 times. Well, he hit .249 and struck out 181 times. 2.5 for 8.
9. Jesus Montero will be traded. No he wasn't and thankfully I'm wrong. 2.5 for 9
10. The Red Sox will beat the Reds in World Series. Neither team made the playoffs. Oops. 2.5 for 10.
11. Derek Jeter will bat .309 and Ichiro will fail to reach 200 hits for first time. Jeter hit .297 and Ichiro only had 184 hits. Another half point, 3 for 11.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
2 Minute Drill
-The NFL Season is now truly under way and one thing is evident: Players are paying the price of the lockout. Injuries to key players through the preseason and the first week are really adding up. Chiefs safety Eric Berry joins Carolina LB Jon Beason, Giants LB Jon Goff, CB Terrell Thomas, and a slew of others on injured reserve, their season already over. Conditioning was a major concern among coaching staffs around the NFL and their fears are being realized. This is a violent game and injuries happen but teams will suffer because of the shortened camp and complete lack of mini-camps over the summer.
-The Giants will be terrible this year. Sure, they have the talent to turn it around but the amount of injuries to key personnel have really added up and seems to have devastated this team. It showed in Week 1 against the Redkins. The Giants receivers were not holding onto the football, Eli Manning was still making mistakes, Ahmad Bradshaw is not the answer in short-yardage situations, and the Giants secondary looked lost at times. Throw on top of that, the Giants offensive line is still adjusting to new roles and new faces and it has the makings of a loooong season. I did pick the Giants to make the playoffs and they still could. However, right now, they have a lot of work that needs to get done and it doesn't look like its gonna happen this year.
-The Jets-Cowboys game was a wild one. The Jets didn't do anything great until the second half when the blocked punt was returned for a TD and Darrelle Revis intercepted Tony Romo at a key time. The Jets defense stepped up when it needed to to, forcing turnovers and never giving up despite being down 14 points in the 4th quarter. This is a great win for the Jets and horrible loss for the Cowboys. Tony Romo is less trustworthy in key spots than Eli Manning in any spot. If Romo throws for only 9 interceptions in a season the chances are that all 9 will be significant because they will come at crucial points. The Cowboys are a QB away from being a damned good football team.
-As bad as the Giants looked yesterday there is a lot of talent on that football team. What is even scarier is how good they can be if they are healthy. Think about a secondary with Terrell Thomas, Corey Webster, Prince Amukamara, Aaron Ross, Antrell Rolle, Kenny Phillips, and Deon Grant backing up a defensive line of Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyioura, Marvin Austin, Chris Canty, and Linval Joseph. Think about how good the Giants will be if Mark Herzlich becomes the player many thought he could become before cancer. Think about Greg Jones getting invaluable on-the-job training at middle linebacker and how much potential he has. Mathias Kiwanuka is a pass-rushing nightmare on QB's and O-linemen. This defense can be great. It just needs to be healthy and happy. Next year the Giants will be a playoff team, regardless of who coaches them, and will be back in a Super Bowl within three years. This was a freak offseason for the Giants and if it is Tom Coughlin's last year, the Giants will find a suitable coach who will be able to get the best out of this team. Take it to the bank.
-Cam Newton sure shut his critics up with one of the best week 1 performances I have ever seen out of a rookie QB. I certainly didn't think he was capable. Good job, Cam. Who knows, maybe you are that good.
-Do you think the Colts miss Peyton Manning yet? Do you think Kerry Collins wishes he stayed retired or is just thankful his name is not Donovan McNabb?
-Speaking of McNabb, I don't think he is THAT bad. I still don't think he has much left to offer but he could still be a playoff caliber QB for the Vikings.
-So Tedd Ginn, Jr. still plays football. Great game for him against the Seahawks. He always had the ability but he never allowed to translate. Fantasy owners everywhere are rushing to pick him up.
-George W. Bush performed the coin toss at the Jets-Cowboys game. In a predominantly democratic area the formerly unpopular Bush got a smattered of boos but they were hushed out by thunderous appaluse and chants of "U-S-A!"
-When did Ryan Fitzpatrick learn how to play QB? The Bills QB tossed 4 TD's against the Chiefs on Sunday as Buffalo romped and stomped Kansas City 41-7.
-Enjoy the double-header tonight on Monday Night Football. If the weekend has taught us anything it is to expect anything at anytime. What a crazy beginning to the football season.
-The Giants will be terrible this year. Sure, they have the talent to turn it around but the amount of injuries to key personnel have really added up and seems to have devastated this team. It showed in Week 1 against the Redkins. The Giants receivers were not holding onto the football, Eli Manning was still making mistakes, Ahmad Bradshaw is not the answer in short-yardage situations, and the Giants secondary looked lost at times. Throw on top of that, the Giants offensive line is still adjusting to new roles and new faces and it has the makings of a loooong season. I did pick the Giants to make the playoffs and they still could. However, right now, they have a lot of work that needs to get done and it doesn't look like its gonna happen this year.
-The Jets-Cowboys game was a wild one. The Jets didn't do anything great until the second half when the blocked punt was returned for a TD and Darrelle Revis intercepted Tony Romo at a key time. The Jets defense stepped up when it needed to to, forcing turnovers and never giving up despite being down 14 points in the 4th quarter. This is a great win for the Jets and horrible loss for the Cowboys. Tony Romo is less trustworthy in key spots than Eli Manning in any spot. If Romo throws for only 9 interceptions in a season the chances are that all 9 will be significant because they will come at crucial points. The Cowboys are a QB away from being a damned good football team.
-As bad as the Giants looked yesterday there is a lot of talent on that football team. What is even scarier is how good they can be if they are healthy. Think about a secondary with Terrell Thomas, Corey Webster, Prince Amukamara, Aaron Ross, Antrell Rolle, Kenny Phillips, and Deon Grant backing up a defensive line of Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyioura, Marvin Austin, Chris Canty, and Linval Joseph. Think about how good the Giants will be if Mark Herzlich becomes the player many thought he could become before cancer. Think about Greg Jones getting invaluable on-the-job training at middle linebacker and how much potential he has. Mathias Kiwanuka is a pass-rushing nightmare on QB's and O-linemen. This defense can be great. It just needs to be healthy and happy. Next year the Giants will be a playoff team, regardless of who coaches them, and will be back in a Super Bowl within three years. This was a freak offseason for the Giants and if it is Tom Coughlin's last year, the Giants will find a suitable coach who will be able to get the best out of this team. Take it to the bank.
-Cam Newton sure shut his critics up with one of the best week 1 performances I have ever seen out of a rookie QB. I certainly didn't think he was capable. Good job, Cam. Who knows, maybe you are that good.
-Do you think the Colts miss Peyton Manning yet? Do you think Kerry Collins wishes he stayed retired or is just thankful his name is not Donovan McNabb?
-Speaking of McNabb, I don't think he is THAT bad. I still don't think he has much left to offer but he could still be a playoff caliber QB for the Vikings.
-So Tedd Ginn, Jr. still plays football. Great game for him against the Seahawks. He always had the ability but he never allowed to translate. Fantasy owners everywhere are rushing to pick him up.
-George W. Bush performed the coin toss at the Jets-Cowboys game. In a predominantly democratic area the formerly unpopular Bush got a smattered of boos but they were hushed out by thunderous appaluse and chants of "U-S-A!"
-When did Ryan Fitzpatrick learn how to play QB? The Bills QB tossed 4 TD's against the Chiefs on Sunday as Buffalo romped and stomped Kansas City 41-7.
-Enjoy the double-header tonight on Monday Night Football. If the weekend has taught us anything it is to expect anything at anytime. What a crazy beginning to the football season.
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