Ranting Room Only

Not enough seats at Heisman table

2008-12-11T00:35:00.002-05:00

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is outraged that his quarterback, Graham Harrell, was not invited to the Heisman dinner this week as a finalist.
They base the invites on the voting results, and obviously, Harrell was not even close in the voting or he would have gotten a ticket to NYC.
I agree with Leach in that the Heisman has a history of bring in guys for the dinner who have absolutely no shot at winning the award. Last year, Chase Daniel and Colt Brennan were as likely to win the award as I was, but they got to sit at the table and have their seasons recognized. I agree that Harrell - and maybe even his teammate Michael Crabtree, too - got hosed on the New York trip.
What is interesting about Harrell being frozen out is that he went from Heisman favorite to having no chance in one foul swoop - that's right, the beating by Oklahoma.
Yes, Tech lost 65-21 to Oklahoma and it could have been worse, but Harrell does not play defense, and he was behind the 8-ball from the start of the game. I know that loss was painful and on national television, and the Red Raiders got embarrassed, no doubt, but was that really Harrell's fault? He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and deservedly so.
Truthfully, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford are the only three guys who could possily get the Heisman - not because they are the only three who deserve it, but because they rode the PR machine to the finish line. In my opinion (I am first on the waiting list in Jersey for a Heisman vote, but no vote this year), Bradford is the next Ken Dorsey, who has great numbers behind a great line. He should win the Davey O'Brien Award for quarterbacks, but Tebow and McCoy are complete football players. They would be 1-2 on my ballot, with Crabtree probably third, even though Rutgers' Kenny Britt had better numbers than him. Percy Harvin of Florida and DeMarco Murray of Oklahoma are probably the two best athletes I saw this year on offense, but neither had the big numbers or enough PR momentum to win the award.
I think this will be a close race among the big three, but there was probably room for one more seat at the table, at least for dinner.

Give some of these coaches a shot

2008-12-11T00:25:00.000-05:00

I don’t want to pile onto the large group already decrying the lack of minority coaches in major college football, but shame on Toledo for rushing to hire Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Tim Beckman. The Cowboys gave up 61 points to Oklahoma and allowed 27 per game this season – not exactly Buddy Ryan type numbers.
Kudos to New Mexico for giving Mike Locksley a shot. He is a terrific recruiter (he rounded up most of the guys from Florida’s 2006 national championship team) and he knows offense, which the Lobos will need to survive the wild west.
There are now four black coaches in the FBS, or whatever you call it now, and that is too few. Here’s hoping Turner Gill gets a shot at Auburn or Syracuse, as well as guys like Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, whose D by the way yielded just 12.8 ppg, less if you take out scrub TDs when the backups were in.

Bowl full of jelly - and crap

2008-12-11T00:22:00.000-05:00

The bowl season is here, and there are plenty of signs that there are too many games.

I mean, come on, nothing says “Great season, fellas!” like a berth in the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl. People complain about the BCS system for determining a champion, but there are flaws in the entire bowl selection system.

First, the conference tie-ins screw up the whole lineup. The six major conferences and their leaders are the architects of the system to begin with, and they want to make sure they control the big bowl dollars.

With Boise State being excluded from the BCS, the Broncos were forced all the way down to the Poinsettia Bowl, which is the secondary bowl in its own town. As it turns out this year, fellow Top 12 BCS reject TCU was matched up with Boise, making this one of the most appealing early bowls.

But the game will be played on Dec. 23. Why couldn’t we get these teams matched up in a New Year’s Day Bowl of some sort? Because somehow, somewhere, someone thinks Iowa vs. South Carolina is a more interesting game.

By the way, speaking of Boise and the BCS, how does a team that finished ahead of Ohio State by three times the margin that Florida beat out Texas in the standings get frozen out of the Fiesta Bowl? While we are on the topic, follow me here. If the Big Ten is so bad that Penn State is No. 8 after just a one-point loss on the road to a Jan. 1 team, why does it need two teams in the BCS? Further, if Ohio State is a full point behind the Lions in BCS average despite playing USC on its schedule, I repeat the same question. Boise proved its mettle as a Fiesta Bowl team, and it should have been given another shot.

Some other gripes I have about the bowls this year:
- Why is Clemson playing on New Year’s Day? They barely qualified for a bowl at all, and they haven’t had an impressive win all season.
- I don’t like the fact that everyone assumed – even during the MAC championship game last week – that Ball State would beat Buffalo. That assumption screwed up all the MAC bowl pairings because the Bulls already were essentially committed to the International Bowl before the game. They deserved better.
- Wake Forest vs. Navy was not a terrific game to watch the first time. Do we have to watch it again? And to kick off bowl season no less…
- Texas Tech should have been a BCS team, but the Red Raiders might get a better game from Ole Miss than they expect.
- Vanderbilt didn’t get a true bowl “trip” in its return to the postseason, but it did get homefield advantage. There is a team that was a win over Duke away from the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.
- Western Michigan vs. Rice – where do I get my tickets?
- The Independence Bowl has a proud tradition, one that is not bolstered by Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech.

More on these games as the bowls crank up. Next week, I will do my bowl picks against the spread and I will link the column here.

College spreads

2008-12-03T23:12:00.002-05:00

Well, I am back in the same spot as last season. If I go 5-0 this week in my college picks, I can finish the season above .500 after what seems like a miserable journey in prognosticating.

Tough choices, though, especially since there are so many disparate lines.

Florida being favored by 9 1/2 points against Alabama is full-on ridiculous. Obviously, the oddsmakers in Vegas do not believe the Crimson Tide's 12 wins were that impressive. Because the other 10 teams in the SEC were so far down this year, the best wins by the Tide this year were over Clemson (who ended up 6-6), Georgia (who they dominated for a half, and by the way, didn't look impressive against anyone defensively) and Ole Miss (who they beat by three). They also struggled to beat LSU, who everyone else with any talent at all handled pretty easily.

Florida, meanwhile, had an unusual season in that they went 10-1 in I-A games and also went 10-1 against the spread. In 2006, the year the Gators won the national title, they were 5-7 against the number. This year, they covered every spread in games they won, which the Gators are not known for.

In the Big 12, while No. 2 Texas sits at home, Missouri is sent to be sacfrificed to Oklahoma. The line shot up from an opening 14 to a current 17, and it may rise some more. I originally thought it would be 20, so I am sticking with the Sooners. They are too powerful, and Missouri has not shown enough defense this season.

Tulsa is a 13-point favorite in the CUSA championship game, seemingly another anticlimactic finish to a conference season. It depends on which East Carolina shows up, though.

At least the ACC, which has been the most competitive league this season, has a title game with a close line. Boston College or Virginia Tech are favored by one, depending on who you ask, or some have it as a pick game.

I think there is the potential for some ridiculous bowl spreads, too. If Florida ends up playing Utah, look for an 18-point spread or more. In the Rose Bowl, don't be surprised if Penn State is a double-digit underdog to USC.

If Florida and Oklahoma play in the title game, I expect Florida to be a 1 or 1 1/2 point favorite, but the Sooners will likely be favored against Texas or Alabama, possibly more than a TD against the Tide even if they beat Florida.

Saturday should be interesting in any case. I am leaning toward picking Florida, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Boston College, and Pittsburgh to give me a chance at a winning record. Stay tuned for my picks in Friday's edition.

MLB cold stove

2008-11-30T02:05:00.002-05:00

Is anyone interesting ever going to sign in Major League Baseball?

And what of this report that there are no takers for Francisco Rodriguez? That seems ridiculous, but if the Mets get him, they will be dangerous.

I would just like to see somebody sign a deal somewhere, besides Mike Koplove that is.

Four's a crowd for BCS

2008-11-30T02:00:00.002-05:00

College football is just starting to get interesting.
As it stands right now, there are only four teams who can seriously entertain dreams of winning the BCS national title – Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma and Florida.
USC and Penn State needed upsets on Saturday to stay in the hunt, but there is almost no way for them to advance now.
The SEC winner will finish ahead of the Trojans no matter what, and even if Texas/Oklahoma is upset by Missouri somehow, the other one that stays home in the clubhouse will, too.
So, we’re down to football’s version of the Final Four, except only one half of it will play itself out, if that. Pundits keep saying Florida vs. Alabama is a quasi-national semifinal, but I still think it is possible that Texas and Oklahoma will have a rematch in the BCS title game.
If Alabama beats Florida, it’s simple – The Tide vs. the Big 12 champ.
If Florida wins, picking among the Gators, Longhorns and Sooners will be controversial.
Interestingly enough, though, Florida is No. 2 in the AP poll behind Alabama. If the Gators win next week, they will enter the bowl season at No. 1 in the AP rankings. If they are frozen out of the title game, they will likely face Boise State or Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. Florida could win that game and be crowned AP champions, while one of the Big 12 teams becomes BCS champion, and we are back to Split Champion Land.
The Sooners looked devastating on offense again last night, and Texas didn’t look bad either in routing Texas A&M. Florida crushed a good Florida State team by 30 in their house.
Picking between those three will not be easy if the two that get to play next week win their games. Texas would have the most to gripe about, as the Horns headed into this week No. 2 in the BCS and won their last game by 40. They could not only fall behind Oklahoma, but be jumped by Florida as well.
Other notes from this weekend:
* Forget Oregon State's missing running back - how do you let Oregon drop 65 on you in your house when you can make the Rose Bowl? It may be a while before the Beavers get anywhere near this opportunity again.
* Kansas beating Missouri will just drive up the point spread for the Big 12 title game. My guess is that Texas will be favored by 12 over Mizzou, with Oklahoma potentially being a two-touchdown favorite at least.
* Speaking of spreads Chris Fowler of ESPN said his sources in Vegas said Florida would be an 8-1/2 point favorite over unbeaten Alabama this week. My guess is that was an exaggeration, and Percy Harvin's injury will make sure Florida is at most a slight favorite.

ESPN blackout

2008-11-30T01:59:00.000-05:00

For anyone who attempted to watch football Saturday afternoon, ESPN had a surprise for football fans.
Many areas that received the Maryland-Boston College game on ABC (including the Northeast) were supposed to get Florida-Florida State on ESPN2. Instead, many cable and satellite systems saw the game blacked out. On DirecTV, part of the game was aired before it was suddenly cut off.
This was an unusual move, since ESPN rarely blacks out games with no logical reason. Representatives at DirecTV said it was ESPN’s decision to not make the games available, and no one at ESPN could be reached for comment last night.
This was annoying, particularly for fans of the Gators and Seminoles. This was probably the second or third most important game of the entire day, and it was not seen in its entirety by most markets in the East. This may end up hurting Tim Tebow’s chances to repeat as the Heisman winner, as many voters did not see the game.
Let's hope this was an aberration.

BCS title game

2008-11-22T01:42:00.003-05:00

It is interesting that parity is least evident in college football than any other major sport. Consider that, since 1992, only 13 different schools have played for the national title in major college football. (This is not counting Arizona State in 96, which should have been allowed to play for it but was not.)

That number in other sports is 18 for the World Series and NBA Finals (even with the Yankee-Bull effect), 19 for the NCAA basketball title game and 20 each for the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup Finals.

The BCS/Bowl Alliance title has been in the hands of the very few elite in the mega-conference era (i.e. when conference championships began), and that makes tomorrow's Texas Tech game that much more vital for the Red Raiders.

They are not likely to get many chances to break through in the Big 12 South, which has been won by Texas or Oklahoma every year but two (Texas A&M won it in 1997 and was Big 12 champ in 1998). This division, like the SEC East, is tough to break through from the bottom tier, and this is a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Red Raiders.

If Texas Tech gets beat tonight, it could very easily find itself at 11-1 and playing in the Cotton Bowl. There the Raiders could face an SEC team as bad as Vanderbilt, depending on how things break in that league.

It would be an unfortunate fate for a team that has had a terrific season so far, so here's hoping Texas Tech gets it done against a tough Oklahoma squad.

Bookie's poll

2008-11-15T03:30:00.002-05:00

There is no "Bookie's Poll" in college football, but if they did, things in the BCS would be different.

According to a recent article by Chris Fowler of ESPN, the Bookie's top six would look something like this:
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas Tech
5. Texas
6. Alabama

This is almost directly upside down from the reality. According to the article, which cites Vegas sources, USC would be more than a touchdown favorite against the Crimson Tide. In fact, if Florida and Alabama win out, the Gators could be as uch as an 8 1/2-point favorite in the SEC title game, which makes no sense.

College football wants nothing to do with Vegas or gambling, and rightfully so. But those guys put their money where their mouth is, and they say USC is the top team. I'm not sure if anyone will listen, but it is an interesting viewpoint.

Time to center my chi for Gators v. Spurrier today.....

Shaq's new role

2008-11-15T03:28:00.002-05:00

Shaquille O'Neal has some good games left in him, but not many. His best bet is to be a rich man's Luc Longley alongside the talented Amare Stoudemire.

That's right - a rich man's Luc Longley. Does that make him a billionaire's Bill Wennington?

Hot stove turned on

2008-11-15T03:21:00.002-05:00

CC Sabathia was offered more than $150 million by the Yankees, and the fact that he has to even think about it should tell you that he is not sold on playing in the Bronx.

He may still take it just because it is foolish to turn down that much money. But he wants to see what else is out there first. If he can get, say, $130 million from the Dodgers or Angels, he may go back home.

A couple of other hot stove thoughts:
* How good would The Big Unit look in red pinstripes as the Phils' No. 4 starter? Not bad, I say, not bad at all. Something to think about.
* Speaking of the Phils, Pat Burrell is on the market, but Jayson Stark of ESPN does not seem to think anyone wants him. He wrote an article about the shopping lists for all 30 teams that did not mention the name of The Bat anywhere. Hmm ... if no one wants him, the Phils should have no trouble resigning him, right?
* Rocco Baldelli would be a good right-hander to platoon with Geoff Jenkins next year if Burrell leaves the Phils.
* If the Yankees do land Sabathia, Derek Lowe AND AJ Burnett, as they are trying to, they would be fools not to groom Joba Chamberlain as a replacement for Mariano Rivera in the near future.
* Also, memo to Yankees - don't trade Austin Jackson. He is the real deal.

Rutgers basketball's new era

2008-11-15T03:18:00.002-05:00

Beating Marist by two points does not a new era make. Sure, this was one game, and North Carolina lost to Santa Clara a couple of years ago and won the national title.

But the Knights really had their hands full with Marist, a B-list MAAC team. (Read all about the MAAC on Ben Doody's college basketball blog, also offered by The Trentonian.) They seriously lacked in assists and free-throw shooting, and they will have to get better to face real teams.

It is not too early to start thinking about starting www.firefredhill.com.

Latest on College Football

2008-11-10T00:38:00.002-05:00

First of all, my 0-5 week in picks this week was a total disgrace. When you're hot, you're hot, and when you're not....

The last time I went 5-0, I wrote down 15 games I liked and my record in those games was 13-2. This week, I wrote down eight games and was 2-6, picking all the wrong ones for my column.

It is tough to pick college football these days. There are so many athletes on different teams that upsets can, will and have happened.

As for the BCS title chase, only two things are currently certain.
1. Penn State is completely done. The Lions were only sustained by the fact that they were undefeated.
2. Wait, actually that is the only thing that is certain.

With the Big 12, there are a lot of issues, because no one ever thought three teams from one division of one conference could be in the Top 5. The question will be whether Oklahoma cn beat Texas Tech. If that happens, there are two unpleasant scenarios that could cause uproar.
First, Oklahoma could jump No. 3 Texas in the rankings, which would be illogical since Texas beat the Sooners this year. Such a jump would put the Sooners in position to play for the Big 12 title and lock up a spot in the national title game.

If Oklahoma wins and jumps Texas and Florida, you have a possible rankings that follows two weeks from now:
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Florida
5. Texas Tech or USC
6. The other one of those two

Now, that next week, Oklahoma plays at Oklahoma State. What if the Sooners lose that game?

You could have rankings like this heading to championship weekend:
1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Texas Tech
5. USC
6. Oklahoma State
7. Oklahoma

In this scenario, Texas Tech would play for the Big 12 title based on their win over Texas, but the Longhorns would sit at home at No. 2. How could Texas drop out of the title picture without playing, but then again, what if Florida beats Alabama and Texas Tech wins the Big 12?

Who goes then? All three would be deserving, but Texas Tech could be Big 12 champ and left out of the title game while the team they beat plays for it.

This is just one of a handful of ridiculous things that could happen. Stay tuned.

BCS debacle

2008-11-04T00:43:00.002-05:00

A lot of folks around here were ticked when Penn State stayed at No. 3 in the BCS this week, but that is to be expected when you play Temple, Syracuse and Coastal Carolina in your non-conference sked.

Texas Tech won an amazing game over Texas, but the Longhorns still only dropped to No. 4 in the standings, leaving them very much alive for a BCS title run.

There are so many scenarios out there right now, but one team that has to be concerned is USC. The Trojans' league stinks and there is no one to challenge them or give them any additional points to their cause. They will cruise to 11-1 but be relegated to a Rose Bowl berth. Unlike Penn State, USC took on some decent games (They can't help it that Notre Dame is not what it used to be, plus they played at Virginia and whipped Ohio State 35-3.) But the Pac-10 is horrid right now and Washington State may be the worst team in BCS conference history. Washington is winless and is almost as bad.

The Nittany Lions will be OK as long as Alabama and Texas Tech lose, which I think they will. Still, both are good teams and are capable of running the table. If they do, Penn State will be frozen out this Christmas and have to settle for the Rose Bowl.

If I had my best guess at the BCS bowls, it would be as follows (it almos certainly will change):
Rose - USC vs. Texas
Fiesta - Boise State vs. Oklahoma, Part II
Sugar - West Virginia vs. Alabama
Orange - Georgia Tech vs. Utah
BCS title - Florida vs. Penn State

By the way, I am on the waiting list for a Heisman vote, but if I had one, here are my top five right now:
1. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech
2. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
3. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
4. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
5. Percy Harvin, WR, Florida (Tim Tebow will likely get to the dinner instead, but Percy is a great player for anyone who has not seen him.)

The Phils

2008-11-04T00:28:00.002-05:00

I have had a few days to take in the Phils' win and it still seems surreal. Every store is packed with Phils World Champs gear, and it almost seems like a dream everyone is trying to wake up from.

Still, it was a heck of a 7-month ride. The World Series meant a lot to people, especially as it relates to fathers and sons, grandfathers and grandsons, etc. For me, my father, my cousins, my young sons and our many friends in this area, this is something we can all share.

As it happens, the Phillies are 43 games over .500 with a World title in the year and a half I have lived here. I dream of a world for my kids where the Phils are not a constant disappointment to everyone around them......

The Phillies had more people at their parade than the Rays had watch their team all year, so you know it was their time.

I was very emotional when Harry Kalas walked across that stage at the ballpark after the parade. You can't help but wonder if he was ever going to get to broadcast a World Series winner. (For those who remember, local radio was barred from doing World Series games in 1980. The uproar by Philly people re: Kalas was the driving force in changing that rule.)

Cole Hamels said he wants to have parades again and again and again. That would be terrific, but there is a lot of work to be done first.

Hamels, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard stand to get rich in arbitration, but all of these guys should get real deals. Hamels played for fractions of what Adam Eaton was paid this year, and Eaton was not even allowed to help warm guys up in the playoffs. Eaton is one of the worst signings in baseball history and a total waste of money.

All three of those guys will likely set records for their positions in arbitration hearings, and Ryan Madson won't come cheap either.

Then there is the Pat Burrell situation. I want Pat to stay. I remember when I interviewed him the day he got off the bus in Clearwater, Fla, after signing his first deal out of The U. Who knew that a decade later, his double would lead to the winning run in a World Series.

Today, it did not sound like Ruben Amaro Jr was focused on resigning Burrell. I hope that was a ruse or a misinterpretation on the part of myself and the radio hosts.

Pat is a good clubhouse guy and a solid hitter. He batted .249, sure, but he drives in runs and is always a threat to go deep. Conventional wisdom says the Phils will scale back by putting Jayson Werth in LF and Victorino in RF, with Greg Golson in CF.

And what about Jamie Moyer? If he wants to come back, I would sign him to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2010. That way it is a low risk situation for a guy who is 46.

I think this World Series title will mean more in a couple of years when I can reflect back to it. So soon after, it is hard to contemplate what these men did for this city and its many fans. The thing I do know, though, is that Philadelphians will be able to name the 25 guys on this roster forever, because this was a special team.

I was privileged to be a part of this season. Now, let's get to the hot stove and see if the Phillies can cook something up for a repeat in 2009.

Phils-related links

2008-11-01T03:14:00.002-04:00

Here is the link to my column on the search for regalia.

http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2008/10/31/sports/doc490a97df45f24738328690.txt

Meanwhile, if you missed it, here is the You Tube link to the Chase Utley footage from the parade. Why can't I get this as my ringtone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uIbsVx7lAk

Tomorrow, I will have my definitive essay on the Phils' title and what it means to myself and others.

Phillies win it all

2008-10-30T01:33:00.003-04:00

I don't know how to react to this win by the Phillies. I was 3 when it happened the first time, and I have no memory of it. I vaguely recall the 1983 Series when the Phils lost to Cal Ripken, but I have never seen anything like this.

I witnessed the whole thing at work, so it has not sunk in yet. I am going to update our web site and head out into the night seeking championship regalia.

I do want to say that this win is for Bill Clark, Sr., a man who was like a grandfather to me and was beloved by many in the Philly area. Mr. Clark was a great Phillies fan who spent many years supporting the team, and I hope he is smiling somewhere in Heaven.

More on this later after I get my title-winning hat and reflect a bit.

3 1/2 innings

2008-10-29T03:09:00.002-04:00

I have been thinking about the Game 5 fiasco for a couple of days, and I feel empty inside about it.

I have been waiting a long time for the Phillies to be in this position, but I feel more for the young kids who have waited their whole lives to see a Philly team amount to something. In 126 years, this team has one championship. And if you missed it or were born too late, tough luck.

As a native of Tampa Bay, I can say for a fact that fans there do not deserve a World Series title. Call me in 100 years, then we'll talk. It's a joke of a franchise and, nothing against the guys playing for the Rays, but the fans have so ill supported that team that it is shameful that they have all come out of the woodwork.

Bud Selig and his flunkies are liars. They should have stopped the game after five innings and said they were going to finish the game no matter what the rules said. That would have been a bold move, and Selig didn't have the guts. He knew he would have to face the small minority of media and Philly drunks who would have claimed that the Phils deserved to be world champs because they led after five innings. It's a stupid rule and no self-respecting player or Phillies fan would have claimed the title in that instance.

But Selig had no right to keep that game going until the Rays scored so that he could sleep better at night with a tie game. Selig has always been ill prepared for any type of adversity. Here is the guy who was ready to roll J.D. Drew and David Wright out to the mound in the All-Star Game, but his bravado was not available when it was time to make a stand this time around.

I have not wanted to even think or talk about it since it happened, but somehow, I keep doing so. Tough not to when you work in this business.

No matter what, tonight's ridiculous truncated game fragment is must-see TV.

Singletary is a man's coach

2008-10-27T01:58:00.002-04:00

For years, my dad has been saying, in response to lollygagging in football:
"If I was that coach, I would tell that guy to take his uniform off and head for the showers."

I always thought he was being ridiculous, but 49ers coach Mike Singletary actually did just that Sunday with Vernon Davis. I applaud Singletary for this move and hope more coaches are willing to stand up to players who aren't working under the team concept.

I have wanted to see Singletary get a chance for a while now. Here's hoping he can prove himself as a strong NFL head coach. He is certainly off to a good start.

Closer than ever

2008-10-27T01:52:00.002-04:00

For the generation that experienced the Phillies in 1980, tomorrow night could be a pleasant encore of that wonderful season.

For the generation that experienced the Phillies in 1993 (and since), it could finally be the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow that has been mostly black.

With Cole Hamels pitching at home with a 3-1 Series lead, Philadelphia is as close as it can be to ending its title drought without actually doing so.

Seeing how excited people are in Philly, the suburbs, Jersey and Delaware this fall has been amazing. Seeing my dad excited about the Phils again is incredible. Seeing my sons getting into it is worth all the heartache the Phillies have been through.

But it's not over. When it is, maybe I'll be able to put it into words.

Until then. Same Cole time, same Cole channel....

Mud Hen Magic

2008-10-26T15:08:00.005-04:00

This a late post regarding last night's game, but my computer was on the fritz and getting out of work at 3:45 a.m. is never fun.

My cousin used to live in Toledo, Ohio, and he was a big Mud Hens fan. In 1992, there was a picher who made 20 starts for the Mud Hens while trying to catch on with another Major League team. That pitcher was Jamie Moyer. If you had told me then that the guy would pitch in the World Series for the Phillies 16 years later, I would have bet anything against it.

Last night's game was one for the ages, and tonight is huge for the Phils. If they win this one and they have Cole Hamels at home to close it out, it could finally be celebration time for Phillies fans.

If the Rays rebound to win tonight, it's anyone's Series.

I am dismayed, though not surprised, that this series has gotten low ratings. There are teams other than Boston and the Yankees in this league, but not many people know that because of the way baseball is marketed. A lot of people are missing a good series.

Game 2

2008-10-24T13:15:00.002-04:00

According to a recent radio ad, the Phillies are the first pro sports team to "go green" all the way. Well, that makes sense, since the wind energy created by the abundance of swing-and-misses by Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz could power Scranton for a week.

I originally said that I wanted Brett Myers to pitch Game 3 and have Jamie Moyer in Game 2. One one hand, Myers did not pitch a bad game at all. On the other, if the Phils had lost this game with Moyer, they would be coming back with Myers tomorrow at home.

Enough with the pitching though. The Phillies' bats were silent, and when Eric Bruntlett has to show you how to hit home runs, it is a sad state of affairs.

The Phils were fortunate to get a split in St. Pete, and we'll see if coming home gets their bats going.

Sliced and diced

2008-10-23T02:15:00.002-04:00

I noted yesterday that the Elite XC mixed martial arts promotion is going out of business. This is the promotion that brought us the two CBS MMA debacles earlier this year, including the recent Kimbo Slice defeat.

The shows were built completely around Kimbo and how he was this invincible monster. When Seth Petruzelli beat him in 14 seconds, he destroyed the marketing machine that was Kimbo.

CBS knew they had to protect the golden goose, and thus Petruzelli alleged that he was offered extra money to trade punches with Kimbo instead of using a better strategy - um, you know, any other strategy. MMA is supposed to be legit, but in order to prevent a Mike Tyson-like fall, the promoters got greedy and tried to fix it, sort of.

When Tyson was on top, people paid $30 and $40 on pay-per-view to watch him destroy people. After he lost to Buster Douglas, he was never the same fighter, nor the same draw. But he made millions while he was dominating, enough to feed bengal tigers daily goat carcasses while they lived in his bedroom. And then it all went away.

Kimbo may go the same way, though he makes a good living at his day job as private security for porn lords in Miami. By the way, I have a feeling that if Slice met Petruzelli on the streets, the fight would come out differently.

There is hope, though. A Ken Shamrock vs. Frank Shamrock bout is in the works. That would be very interesting. Here's hoping boxing promoters can lure the Klitschkos into the ring against each other as well.

Game 1 was a thriller

2008-10-23T02:08:00.002-04:00

Three of my best friends from childhood went to Game 1 tonight in St. Petersburg, and two of them talked some trash about the Rays getting ready to take down the Phils.
(The third guy - Dan "The Man" Trammel - flew down to attend the game with his dad and was very magnanimous despite being a Mets fan. Dan and his father had not been to a game since Rusty Staub was playing, so I am thrilled they got to be there. As a side note, Dan is responsible for many of the brilliant crossword puzzles in The Trentonian lately, and we thank him for that.)

As for the other clowns, I used one of my favorite Star Wars analogies to respond to their smack.
"Cole Hamels will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now."

As for the game, the pitching was magnificent. The Phillies were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, and the Rays' 2-3-4 hitters were 0-for-12. This was a Classic indeed, and I hope the ratings bear out that someone outside of Philly and Florida watched it.

It is clear in this postseason that if Cole Hamels goes 7 innings with the lead, it's lights out with Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge. It reminds me of the Mariano Rivera-John Wetteland combination for the Yankees in 1996.

The Phils are three wins from a World Championship, and it's going to be a wild week.

Stay tuned later tonight.

Joe O'Gorman's Series pick

2008-10-22T18:56:00.003-04:00

Longtime Trentonian staffer Joe O'Gorman was left out of the World Series picks Tuesday night in our special section due to the lateness of the hour and last-minute nature of the picking process.

He wanted folks to know that he picks Rays in 7.

For anyone who doesn't know, nobody covers local college sports and local field hockey better than Joe. Read all his stuff in the print edition, because it is well worth it.