Week 5 Review of the NFL

Missed A Win By That Much

It has been a dreadful start to the Atlanta Falcons season. Under the tenure of their current head coach Mike Smith the Falcons have not had a losing record and have only missed the playoffs once. They are now in danger of having both a losing record and missing the playoffs for the only the second time under Mike Smith. It doesn’t help that the Falcons have some injuries at key positions. WR Julio Jones will now miss the entire season with a foot injury. RB Steven Jackson has missed some time with a quad injury. Their best defensive player, LB Sean Weatherspoon hasn’t played this season, but is eligible to return later this year. Even with the setback the Falcons have managed to stay competitive, but the losses are starting to mount. Coming up short against the New Orleans Saints to start the season. Losing late to the Dolphins, Patriots and Jets in consecutive weeks could put a damper on their Super Bowl aspirations. Their schedule will get a little easier, but they still have the Seahawks, Saints, Packers and 49ers later in the season. If Atlanta didn’t lose to the New York Jets on Monday night I wouldn’t be writing them off, but it’s hard not to when they lose another game at home and Julio Jones is lost for the season.

They’re On A Roll

Here’s the scary thing about the Indianapolis Colts. They are just about to get through the toughest part of their schedule. Their next two games are against the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. The rest of their schedule has them playing the Tennessee Titans twice and the Kansas City Chiefs. Those two teams are their toughest opponents. I would have put the Houston Texans in that category, but the Texans are falling faster than the Atlanta Falcons. If the Colts defeat the Chargers and the Broncos they will be looked at as Super Bowl contenders the rest of the way. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth saying again. It is amazing to see that the Colts with QB Andrew Luck look like the same team with Peyton Manning as their quarterback. It’s only Luck’s second year, but he looks even better than his great rookie season. It’s a different looking Colts team than in years past, but they would like to win another Super Bowl and prove they don’t need Peyton to do it.

Impressive, But Let’s Be Realistic

Since their struggles against the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts in consecutive weeks, the 49ers have dominated their opponents. They are back to looking like the Super Bowl contenders that they’re supposed to be, but looking at their last two opponents we should wait a little bit. The St. Louis Rams and the Houston Texans have been rather suspect early in the season and they were ill prepared for the 49ers. I’m first and foremost a Niners fan, but I’m holding back any kind of assumption that they will coast through the rest of the season. They still have to play the Seattle Seahawks one more time. Also the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Another division opponent, the Arizona Cardinals have had a good start to the season and the Niners will host them next week. If the 49ers win their next three games before their bye week they will be sitting pretty at 6-2. It will be interesting to see, but make no mistake that the 49ers are playing great football right now and they want to prove everyone wrong about their early season struggles.

2013 MLB Division Series Preview

National League Division Series

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals

It’s quite simple to explain the matchup between the Pirates and the Cardinals. Pittsburgh is the story of the 2013 baseball season. St. Louis has been one of the best teams in all of baseball. The Pirates have been on the heels of the Cardinals for much of the season, but St. Louis was able to pull away at the end. Pittsburgh boasts a good lineup and a solid rotation that will help them set the tone early. The Pirates bullpen is among the best in baseball and has been a big reason why they are playing postseason baseball. Can NL MVP candidate OF Andrew McCutchen lead the Pirates to a NLCS berth? Or will it be someone else that steps forward to lead them? All eyes will be on Pittsburgh this postseason. It will be interesting to see how they deal with their first test in the Division Series.

It doesn’t surprise anyone that the Cardinals had the best record in the National League. What is surprising is they accomplished that feat with some of their best players missing some time with injuries, namely their NL MVP candidate C Yadier Molina. Although he hasn’t shown any signs of fatigue, Molina is a workhorse and doesn’t shy away from the spotlight or big moment in a game. Like Pittsburgh, St. Louis has a solid rotation and a great bullpen. One of the many factors in the Cardinals most recent success. They’ll have to be near perfect to stump the best story in baseball. Everyone will be rooting for the Pirates, but if the Cardinals do emerge victorious it should come as no surprise to anyone.

Cardinals in 4 games

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves

The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to run away with the NL West Division, but they won’t be able to run over the Atlanta Braves the same way. The one thing the Dodgers have going for them is their rotation which is among the best in baseball with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke at the top. The Dodgers bullpen isn’t the strongest, but they have been a consistent group during their hot streak to take the NL West. Los Angeles’ lineup is stacked. They are able to beat you in many different ways. Either on the basepaths, the long ball or by playing small ball. They have many players that can play to many different strengths. This is why the Dodgers were considered a World Series contender at the beginning of the season only to realize their potential starting in June.

Atlanta has been an afterthought for most of the summer and into September. They have had a commanding lead of their division all year and with lackluster competition coming from the NL East this year, the Braves have been forgotten. They shouldn’t be as they have been able to beat teams with stellar pitching from their rotation and bullpen. Also they have had many come from behind victories to put them in a position to host the Dodgers instead of the oppostie way around. Atlanta is just starting to get healthier in their lineup with the return of OF Jason Heyward from a broken jaw. With him and 1B Freddie Freeman planted in the middle of the lineup they could give the Dodgers pitchers fits. The Braves rotation doesn’t look as good as the Dodgers without Tim Hudson, but Atlanta has a beavy of talented arms in their bullpen to help offset any rotation issues.

Dodgers in 4 games

American League Division Series

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox

These two division rivals have had some history since the Rays have become a competitive organization. Boston has had an amazing transformation since last season’s debacle with Bobby Valentine. Tampa Bay has had an amazing road as well having to play the Texas Rangers in a 163rd regular season game and then beat a hot Cleveland Indians team for the AL Wild Card spot. If not for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Tampa Bay Rays would be the talk of baseball. It seems that every year no one wants them to succeed, but yet they find a way. They have a good rotation and a bullpen of mostly outcasts from other teams that have blossomed into a solid pitching squad. Tampa Bay’s lineup isn’t stacked by any means, but they are adequate and they seem to love playing against the Boston Red Sox.

Boston needed some key players to bounce back after subpar seasons last year. DH David Ortiz and P John Lackey were two of the biggest ones. They have both stabilized their lineup and rotation respectively and in turn have transformed the Red Sox into contenders once again. Boston’s two key players are OF Jacoby Ellsbury and closer Koji Uehara. If Ellsbury can set the tone with his base stealing ability and if Uehara can continue his success during the season in closing games the Red Sox should be fine in this series. If one or both falter, Boston will be doomed to an early exit. That’s something the Fenway faithful don’t want to see, but at least the Red Sox will have the ability to say they have righted the ship in 2013.

Ray in 4 games

Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics

It seems like the Detroit Tigers have played the Oakland Athletics in almost every postseason series the last few years. In actuality they have only played each other twice in the postseason. The 2006 American League Championship Series and the 2012 American League Division Series. Both resulted in a series victory for the Tigers. Detroit did struggle down the stretch in September, but did have a big enough lead to avoid any kind of a collapse. One of the big reasons for their struggles has been the health of AL MVP candidate 3B Miguel Cabrera. He’s had an abdominal injury that has been nagging him through the summer and into the fall. If he’s not right for this series the Tigers could be looking at an early exit. Detroit’s rotation will have to step up in a big way this postseason. Their rotation is highly regarded, but their bullpen is a little suspect. They’ll have to find ways to win without having the game be to close late in the game.
The Oakland Athletics have gotten no respect and that’s a mistake. Yes, they are a young rag-tag group that no knows about or cares to know about, but they all play as a team. They are very similar to the Tampa Bay Rays, but Oakland still doesn’t get that same kind of respect. Their rotation is solid and has excellent depth. Oakland’s bullpen is by far their biggest advantage over the Tigers. Detroit has been able to get over that fact in their last few postseason meetings, but something has to give. The Athletics lineup is streaky at times, but they have solid RBI producers in 3B Josh Donaldson and OF Yoenis Cespedes. If those two are able to click early and often this will be a relatively quick series unless Oakland’s pitchers can’t keep the Tigers batters at bay.

Athletics in 5 games

Week 4 Review of the NFL

The Greatest Quarterback Ever

Now I know I’ve mentioned it before. Who is the better quarterback? Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Which ever you choose you can’t lose. They are among the best of not just this generation, but of all-time. I’ve always leaned towards picking Peyton Manning rather than Tom Brady. Reason being is that when I watch Peyton make his pre-snap adjustments he seems to always be one step ahead of the defense and it no only helps himself and his playmakers, but his offensive line as well to better protect him. That’s no knock on Tom Brady who does it as well, but when you see Manning do it he already knows what you’re going to do and will even fool you into thinking that he doesn’t. If that makes sense. Either way I’ve had the luxury of seeing some great quarterbacks in my time. John Elway, Dan Marino, Steve Young, Joe Montana (with Kansas City). Those quarterbacks and others that played in that era I saw at the end of their careers, but they were still great nonetheless. What I have seen in watching Peyton Manning since he first entered the league has proven to me that he is the greatest quarterback the NFL has ever seen. He is able to do what he wants, even with decent pressure coming at him from the defense, but he is able to get rid of the ball in a timely manner to make a play at a crucial moment. I’m willing to listen on any other quarterback being better, but I will find it hard to put anyone ahead of Peyton Manning.

Yes, They’re Good

Strangely enough it seems like not enough pundits are talking about the Seattle Seahawks. If you haven’t heard they are pretty good. The Houston Texans jumped all over them in the first half of their meeting Sunday. But Seattle’s second half charge led by QB Russell Wilson who doesn’t have a reliable receiver to throw to with their big offseason acquisition, WR Percy Harvin out with a hip injury for the first half of the season. The Seahawks real strength is in their defense though. Even though they gave up some big plays early on they didn’t allow the Texans to do so in the second half and cause Texans QB Matt Schaub to make a boneheaded play to allow the Seahawks to tie the game with a pick-six score. Seattle would win it in overtime and prove that they are still a formidable team, even away from their friendly confines of Century Link Field. They’ll to be more consistent on offense though because they will not be so lucky the next time they are down by two or more touchdowns.

They Find A Way To Win

The New England Patriots certainly aren’t the best team in the NFL. But when you have Tom Brady as your quarterback you’re going to win some games you probably shouldn’t. They were playing in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome against the Falcons. Not an easy place to play. Now the Patriots roster, mainly their receivers consist of some no-names right now with the injury to TE Rob Gronkowski and the free agent departure of WR Wes Welker, but the Patriots are a resilient group. The Atlanta Falcons have been exposed this year on the defensive side of the ball and are in danger of falling flat at a time when they should be contending for a Super Bowl. This game ended up much like the NFC Championship game last year in which the Falcons had a chance to win on the final drive of the game and couldn’t punch it in. It couldn’t get any better for the Patriots as they play the Bengals, Saints and Dolphins in three of their next five games. This was a huge victory for the Patriots and a disappointing defeat for the Falcons. There’s still time for Atlanta, but they’ll to turn it around in a hurry if they want to stay in the race with the Saints going forward.

2013 MLB Postseason Preview

It was another crazy finish as the last American League Wild Card spot went down to the last day of the season. That then in turn resulted in a 163rd game for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers. Alas the Rays won and they will be facing a red hot Cleveland team that won 10 straight games to clinch a playoff spot. The Reds will do battle with the Pirates in what will be their 7th game in 12 days against one another. Let October baseball begin.

National League Wild Card

Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

There wasn’t any doubt that the Reds were going to make it to the postseason. The only doubt was whether they would stay ahead or keep pace with their division foes, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cincinnati is a little banged up heading into this game with 2B Brandon Phillips having fouled a ball off his shin in the second to last game of the season. Their starting pitcher Mat Latos is also unavailable for this game and if they move on to the Division Series he might be out then too. Either way the Reds will need to go all in for this one. 1B Joey Votto and OF Shin-Soo Choo had good Septembers and with the call-up of speedster OF Billy Hamilton the Reds know they won’t be out of any game any time soon. Johnny Cueto will be starting this game. He’ll have to pitch the best game of his career against a Pirates team that has beaten the Reds 4 out of their last 6 meetings at the end of the season.

They are the feel good story of the baseball season. Twenty years of not finishing above .500 and no postseason baseball in the Steel City. No more as these Pirates look to erase any memories of the Barry Bonds era and the promise of what could have been. The Pirates August acquisitions of OF Marlon Byrd from the Mets and 1B Justin Morneau from the Twins have paid off in the final stretch run of the season. Both had solid Septembers and with the NL MVP favorite in CF Andrew McCutchen the Pirates are flying high. Pittsburgh’s starting pitcher for the Wild Card game, Francisco Liriano struggled in September, but his stats at PNC Park at incredible with a 1.47 ERA in 11 starts this season. If he plays like that the Pirates will move on to play the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pirates win

American League Wild Card

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Indians

Once again the Tampa Bay Rays have shocked most by making another Postseason appearance when it wasn’t expected. This will be the Rays fourth Postseason appearance in the last six years. They hope to make another trip to the World Series with the current group they have. The Rays don’t have the most prolific offense in baseball, but they have a few key pieces that have helped them a lot this season. 3B Evan Longoria is the leader and for the first time since 2010 he has played in at least 150 games. This season he played in 160. He has had help along the way with 1B James Loney and 2B Ben Zobrist being good run producers behind Longoria. The biggest help came when AL Rookie of the Year candidate OF Wil Myers was called up and drove in 53 runs in his 88 games played this season. The Rays claim to fame though has been their pitching. They have one of the deepest and most talented starting rotations in all of baseball and their starter for this Wild Card game, Alex Cobb is a big part of that. He had a solid September with 3 wins in his five starts. His 2.70 road ERA is solid. The scary thing about Tampa Bay this year is that they would rather play on the road than at home if that makes any sense.

The Cleveland Indians are back in the Postseason for the first time since 2007. They hope this next go round is a lot more memorable than that one when they had a 3-1 series lead over the eventual World Series champions the Boston Red Sox. Cleveland is happy to host this one game Wild Card matchup as they had one of the best home records in baseball at 51-30. The Rays won’t be easy to beat, but the Indians have a lineup that caught fire in September. One of those players that caught fire was 1B Nick Swisher who is the emotional leader of this team. His 7 HR and 17 RBI were a big lift down the stretch and OF Michael Brantley has had a career year with 73 RBI for the season. Their All-Star 2B Jason Kipnis has been a clutch performer for them all year both on offense and defense. Cleveland’s starter for the Wild Card game, Danny Salazar is a lesser known name than Ubaldo Jimenez or Justin Masterson, but Salazar was solid in September with a 2.52 ERA in five starts. His home ERA is 3.13 in four starts for the season, but his strikeout to walk ratio of 33-5 is an encouraging sign going into this important game.

Indians win

Pacific Division

1. Los Angeles Kings
They’re still one of the deepest teams in the NHL.
2. Anaheim Ducks
One more year of Teemu means another run at the Cup.
3. Vancouver Canucks
New coach, new attitude. Need the old Luongo.
4. San Jose Sharks
Probably the last run for the current group of stars.
5. Edmonton Oilers
It’s time to see how this group plays with expectations.
6. Phoenix Coyotes
A stable ownership group will put the focus on hockey.
7. Calgary Flames
Clearly a rebuilding year, but they have some bright spots.

Kings

Head Coach: Darryl Sutter

Key Position: Forward – Losing Dustin Penner takes away some size on the top two lines, but there is enough depth to help offset that. It just means bigger roles for the likes of Kyle Clifford, Dwight King, Trevor Lewis and Jordan Nolan. Whoever out of that bunch can take charge will help this team contend.

Key Acquisitions: RW Matt Frattin, LW Daniel Carcillo, D Jeff Schultz, G Ben Scrivens

Key to Win the Cup: Stay Healthy

Ducks

Head Coach: Bruce Boudreau

Key Position: Defensemen – There is enough young talent to help offset the trade of Bobby Ryan, but the Ducks will need to improve their defense after a disappointing early end to their season last year in the first round. Too many turnovers at inopportune times lead to easy goals for the opposition.

Key Acquisitions: RW Dustin Penner, RW Jakob Silfverberg, D Mark Fistric

Key to Win the Cup: No first round exit

Canucks

Head Coach: John Tortorella

Key Position: Goalie – The last time the Vancouver Canucks were a powerhouse in the NHL, their goaltender Roberto Luongo was without a doubt the best in the game. If Vancouver wants to get back to the Cup Final they will need him at his best and new head coach John Tortorella knows it.

Key Acquisitions: F Brad Richardson, D Yannick Weber

Key to Win the Cup: They need the old Roberto Luongo back

Sharks

Head Coach: Todd McLellan

Key Position: Forward – They were ranked near the bottom half in goals scored per game last year, but their power play was near the top half of the league. That can’t happen again this year if the Sharks want to make one last push with this current group for a Stanley Cup berth.

Key Acquisitions: C Tyler Kennedy

Key to Win the Cup: Don’t listen to the hype

Oilers

Head Coach: Dallas Eakins

Key Position: Defensemen – Edmonton can score with the best teams in the NHL. Their biggest problem isn’t necessarily their goalie position, but rather their shots against per game. Next to last in the league last year. Adding Andrew Ference will help, but the up and comers in this group need to do better.

Key Acquisitions: D Andrew Ference, G Jason LaBarbera, LW David Perron

Key to Win the Cup: Exceed all expectations

Coyotes

Head Coach: Dave Tippett

Key Position: Power Play – Besides not scoring enough goals on even strength, they struggled to score when they had the advantage. They also struggled to stop opponents from taking advantage with a man advantage. With added stability knowing the franchise is definitely going to stay in Arizona the Coyotes focus should be strictly on the ice.

Key Acquisitions: C Mike Ribeiro, G Thomas Greiss

Key to Win the Cup: Score more goals

Flames

Head Coach: Bob Hartley

Key Position: Goalie – With the retirement of long time net-minder Miikka Kiprusoff the Flames now have a huge hole. They were very good on special teams last scoring goals on the power play and preventing goals from being scored on the penalty kill. However, their goals per game average of 3.27 was third worst and with the loss of Kiprusoff it won’t get any better.

Key Acquisitions: LW T.J. Galiardi, D Kris Russell, G Karri Ramo, C Sean Monahan

Key to Win the Cup: Worry about it next year