1. Today is the trade deadling which makes it deadline day for me and that is exciting. Deadline day falls right behind NFL Draft Day and Selection Sunday for me in my order of most important none game sports watching days. I will certainly be planted in front of my TV starting at roughly 2 pm watching all of the breaking headlines of trades that just happened, might happen, and most of the time will not happen. The only real decision that I have to make is whether or not I choose to watch ESPN or the MLB Network. Last year I decided to jump back and forth between the two only to realize that I was missing information on both. Today is going to take dedication and mental strength to avoid the channel jumping.
2. Peter King is my favorite journalist to read about football with his Monday Morning Quarterback column and his Tuesday Morning Quarterback column. Well recently, Sports Illustrated made the brilliant move of giving Peter King his own website and he has built a heck of a stable of writers. King is one of the reasons that I enjoy writing so much because I hope to one day have the opportunity to write for an audience such as his. The main article on the website today touches on the comments that Mike Brown made about concussions (the guy is not smart) so I suggest all Bengals fans reading this to check out the website today and everyday if you like sports. You will get more knowledge than you every expected from his ever expanding line of intelligent journalists.
http://mmqb.si.com/
3. It is nearly Fantasy Football time, well OK it hasn't stopped being fantasy football time since last season for me but it's almost time for everyone else to start caring. My fantasy draft is 25 days from today and I have to announce my two keepers by tomorrow but I am not sure that I really want to keep any of my guys. I have the first overall pick this season and am strongly considering keeping no one despite knowing that it seems like a terrible strategy for a keeper league. Anyhow, it's about that time to start reading injury reports, weekly projections, Matthew Berry's love/hate and questioning things like "Is Colin Kaepernick a flash in the pan?", " Can RG3 stay healthy?", "Who will be this season's Cecil Shorts?" I can almost guarantee that I know none of those answers but that I will spend countless hours each week trying to find out and still likely not succeed.
Also, I do not have a fantasy football team name yet for this season. Taking all suggestions and the best five will be put into a poll and voted on for one week during the Thrice is Nice entries!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Help on the Way?
The non-waiver trade deadline is at 4 pm today and with the Cincinnati Reds struggling as bad as they have been struggling, losing 5 in a row while scoring a total of 5 runs, it opens the question of whether they will make a trade today for some offense. There are some obstacles in the way for them to complete a deal for a major upgrade: payroll, lack of quality prospects, lack of teams willing to sell. If you had asked me a week ago, I would have told you that I thought the Reds would stand pat but now as the season progresses and the wild card lead quickly is evaporating, I would say that the Reds have a much better chance of making a move than they did even 72 hours ago. They will have to overcome the obstacles I discussed earlier, but the savvy GM skills of Walt Jocketty leads me to believe that if there is someone out there that he thinks can significantly help this ball club, he will find a way to make it happen. Below are four possibilities that the Reds may be looking at and what it would probably take to get each of them.
1. Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants Outfielder
Salary: 13.8 Million
While I personally believe that Pence would bring a fire and some verbal leadership to the Reds there are just too many problems standing in the way of this trade taking place. Pence to the Reds has been a hot rumor over the last few days, but Brian Sabian (Giants GM) has said that he does not want to trade Pence and Pence has made it clear he would like to stay. All of that changes if the Reds present the Giants with a package of the players that they can not pass up. The Reds may be able to build a package such as this, but would they be able to take on the roughly 4.6 million still owed to Pence?
Estimated Package Needed:
Robert Stephenson
Jesse Winkler
Chris Heisey
Odds of Occurring: 3/10
2. Alex Rios, Chicago White Sox Outfielder
Salary: 12.5 Million (Under contract for 2014)
The White Sox have already shown that they are sellers this season and are willing to make deals after sending Jake Peavy to Boston. Rios would fit in nicely with the Reds, but much like with Pence he comes with a hefty price tag and the issue of once Ryan Ludwick returns of having too many high priced outfielders. Rios would bring a combination of speed (22 steals) and power to a lineup that desperately needs such things. Rios could fit nicely into the death trap that has been the #2 spot in the lineup. It seems like the Reds may be more interested in acquiring Rios because he is under contract for next year as well and could be shifted to center field in 2014 after the expected loss of Shin Shoo Choo. A small problem may have flared up last night as Rios left the White Sox game with a foot injury.
Estimated Package Needed:
Robert Stephenson
Phil Ervin
Neftali Soto
Odds of Occurring: 4/10
3.Marlon Byrd, New York Mets Outfielder
Salary: 700,000
A guy that no team wanted to touch in the off season suddenly has 17 home runs and 60 RBI while batting .282. Byrd is cheap and can play all three outfield positions while bringing some right handed pop to the order. He is not the typical #2 spot hitter but the Reds could position him into the cleanup spot and move Brandon Phillips back up to #2. Byrd has also hit these home runs while playing for the Mets in spacious Citi Field, imagine what he could do with the short fence in left field of GABP. Byrd is a free agent at the end of the season and will receive quite a pay raise so this would be a rental player by definition but may come cheaper than the previous two individuals discussed. Strangely, I have not seen any reports of the Reds connected to Byrd.
Estimated Package Needed:
Jesse Winkler
Low Level Pitcher
Odds of Occurring: 4/10
4. Rajai Davis, Toronto Blue Jays Outfielder
Salary: 2.5 Million
Davis has not been discussed as a possibility to the Reds by any reports that I have come across but I can see how a guy like Davis, who's price tag and required prospects is much lower, can help a Reds team needing to score some runs. The Reds could slot Davis in the leadoff hole (.282 BA, .327 OBP) where he would bring some much needed speed (31 SBs) and then move Choo into the #2 spot in front of Votto where he would see many more fastballs and way less off speed pitches. Davis is above average in the outfield, and once Ludwick comes off the DL would be a very feasible right handed bat off the bench who can steal you an important base late in a game.
Estimated Package Needed:
Ismael Guillon
Odds of Occuring: 2/10
Other Names to Keep an Eye On:
Placido Polanco, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Quentin,
Obviously, I have zero real knowledge as to what the Reds organization is thinking or planning on doing but these are some intriguing thoughts that could help out the ball club. I would almost be willing to bet that if Jocketty pulls the trigger on a trade it will be for someone that we are not expecting and haven't heard anything about, don't forget that he was the mastermind behind the Scott Rolen deal and bringing Jonathon Broxton here out of no where last season. He also brought Rolen, Woody Williams and Jim Edmonds to St. Louis at the deadline when those teams needed help. My gut tells me that the Reds make a move and it will be someone to surprise us all.
1. Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants Outfielder
Salary: 13.8 Million
While I personally believe that Pence would bring a fire and some verbal leadership to the Reds there are just too many problems standing in the way of this trade taking place. Pence to the Reds has been a hot rumor over the last few days, but Brian Sabian (Giants GM) has said that he does not want to trade Pence and Pence has made it clear he would like to stay. All of that changes if the Reds present the Giants with a package of the players that they can not pass up. The Reds may be able to build a package such as this, but would they be able to take on the roughly 4.6 million still owed to Pence?
Estimated Package Needed:
Robert Stephenson
Jesse Winkler
Chris Heisey
Odds of Occurring: 3/10
2. Alex Rios, Chicago White Sox Outfielder
Salary: 12.5 Million (Under contract for 2014)
The White Sox have already shown that they are sellers this season and are willing to make deals after sending Jake Peavy to Boston. Rios would fit in nicely with the Reds, but much like with Pence he comes with a hefty price tag and the issue of once Ryan Ludwick returns of having too many high priced outfielders. Rios would bring a combination of speed (22 steals) and power to a lineup that desperately needs such things. Rios could fit nicely into the death trap that has been the #2 spot in the lineup. It seems like the Reds may be more interested in acquiring Rios because he is under contract for next year as well and could be shifted to center field in 2014 after the expected loss of Shin Shoo Choo. A small problem may have flared up last night as Rios left the White Sox game with a foot injury.
Estimated Package Needed:
Robert Stephenson
Phil Ervin
Neftali Soto
Odds of Occurring: 4/10
3.Marlon Byrd, New York Mets Outfielder
Salary: 700,000
A guy that no team wanted to touch in the off season suddenly has 17 home runs and 60 RBI while batting .282. Byrd is cheap and can play all three outfield positions while bringing some right handed pop to the order. He is not the typical #2 spot hitter but the Reds could position him into the cleanup spot and move Brandon Phillips back up to #2. Byrd has also hit these home runs while playing for the Mets in spacious Citi Field, imagine what he could do with the short fence in left field of GABP. Byrd is a free agent at the end of the season and will receive quite a pay raise so this would be a rental player by definition but may come cheaper than the previous two individuals discussed. Strangely, I have not seen any reports of the Reds connected to Byrd.
Estimated Package Needed:
Jesse Winkler
Low Level Pitcher
Odds of Occurring: 4/10
4. Rajai Davis, Toronto Blue Jays Outfielder
Salary: 2.5 Million
Davis has not been discussed as a possibility to the Reds by any reports that I have come across but I can see how a guy like Davis, who's price tag and required prospects is much lower, can help a Reds team needing to score some runs. The Reds could slot Davis in the leadoff hole (.282 BA, .327 OBP) where he would bring some much needed speed (31 SBs) and then move Choo into the #2 spot in front of Votto where he would see many more fastballs and way less off speed pitches. Davis is above average in the outfield, and once Ludwick comes off the DL would be a very feasible right handed bat off the bench who can steal you an important base late in a game.
Estimated Package Needed:
Ismael Guillon
Odds of Occuring: 2/10
Other Names to Keep an Eye On:
Placido Polanco, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Quentin,
Obviously, I have zero real knowledge as to what the Reds organization is thinking or planning on doing but these are some intriguing thoughts that could help out the ball club. I would almost be willing to bet that if Jocketty pulls the trigger on a trade it will be for someone that we are not expecting and haven't heard anything about, don't forget that he was the mastermind behind the Scott Rolen deal and bringing Jonathon Broxton here out of no where last season. He also brought Rolen, Woody Williams and Jim Edmonds to St. Louis at the deadline when those teams needed help. My gut tells me that the Reds make a move and it will be someone to surprise us all.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Thrice is Nice
1. I am always the optimist when it comes to the Reds and I will always explain out why everything is not an issue, but even I am wondering if we should began to worry a little bit? Naturally, I could say that over the last two games the pitching staff has given up 3 runs in 20 innings, but at the same time the Reds have scored 1. This offense needs a shot in the arm, but I'm not sure where they are going to get it. Personally, I am not sold on Ryan Ludwick coming back and making a huge impact but I also thought Austin Kearns would end up being an All-Star. Hopefully I am wrong. The biggest problem is that the Reds, if they make the post season, will have to face the top of rotations and I am just not sure that they can handle that right now. On the bright side they remain 5 games back with 55 to play, which is certainly capable of overcoming but they need to get on a streak and they need to do it now.
2. How about Mike Leake and his ability to not lose ballgames. Leake went 7 shutout innings again last night and should have been rewarded with his 11th win on the season. At the beginning of the season we were all clamoring for Aroldis Chapman (How does Chris Denorfia own this guy?) to be the fifth starter and send Mike Leake to AAA. Can you imagine where this team would be if Mike Leake was not a starter? Dusty Baker takes a lot of blame on a lot of things, mostly that are not fault, and yet no one wants to give the guy credit for sticking by Leake and keeping him in the rotation. If at the beginning of the year I told you to name a Reds pitcher that will finish in the top 10 in Cy Young voting and you picked Leake, raise your hand. Now, put your hand back down because you are lying. The guy has had an incredible season to this point and does not appear to be stopping, now if only the Reds could start producing a few more runs for him.
3. I like young and fiery coaches because I think that they can get a little more out of their players and they excite the fans more often. Case in point, Rob Chudzinski, who at practice two days ago did not think that crowd at Browns training camp (all recording breaking 4,500 of them) was into the practice enough and that it was too quiet. The Browns were ending practice with an 11 on 11 Redzone drill with the first teamers pitted against each other. Before 4th down, Chud stopped the drill and walked over to the crowd and yelled to them that it's "Fourth down for the game" and began waving his arms up and down to entice the crowd to get all loud and rowdy as they could. I am not just saying this because I am a Browns fan, but rather because I have read articles and seen on the sidelines were coaches like Mike Tomlin and Jim Harbaugh act like they are a 27 year old linebacker celebrating with a player. My point in all of this? I do not really have an overlaying point beyond the fact that I think that a coach that is willing to get pumped up and show emotion will always be better for their players and more successful.
Programing Note: The top 50 "This is SportsCenter" commercials will be aired on Thursday at 8pm on ESPN. I highly suggest watching, and setting the DVR so you can watch again later. A sneak peak at my favorite "This is SportsCenter" commercial.
2. How about Mike Leake and his ability to not lose ballgames. Leake went 7 shutout innings again last night and should have been rewarded with his 11th win on the season. At the beginning of the season we were all clamoring for Aroldis Chapman (How does Chris Denorfia own this guy?) to be the fifth starter and send Mike Leake to AAA. Can you imagine where this team would be if Mike Leake was not a starter? Dusty Baker takes a lot of blame on a lot of things, mostly that are not fault, and yet no one wants to give the guy credit for sticking by Leake and keeping him in the rotation. If at the beginning of the year I told you to name a Reds pitcher that will finish in the top 10 in Cy Young voting and you picked Leake, raise your hand. Now, put your hand back down because you are lying. The guy has had an incredible season to this point and does not appear to be stopping, now if only the Reds could start producing a few more runs for him.
3. I like young and fiery coaches because I think that they can get a little more out of their players and they excite the fans more often. Case in point, Rob Chudzinski, who at practice two days ago did not think that crowd at Browns training camp (all recording breaking 4,500 of them) was into the practice enough and that it was too quiet. The Browns were ending practice with an 11 on 11 Redzone drill with the first teamers pitted against each other. Before 4th down, Chud stopped the drill and walked over to the crowd and yelled to them that it's "Fourth down for the game" and began waving his arms up and down to entice the crowd to get all loud and rowdy as they could. I am not just saying this because I am a Browns fan, but rather because I have read articles and seen on the sidelines were coaches like Mike Tomlin and Jim Harbaugh act like they are a 27 year old linebacker celebrating with a player. My point in all of this? I do not really have an overlaying point beyond the fact that I think that a coach that is willing to get pumped up and show emotion will always be better for their players and more successful.
Programing Note: The top 50 "This is SportsCenter" commercials will be aired on Thursday at 8pm on ESPN. I highly suggest watching, and setting the DVR so you can watch again later. A sneak peak at my favorite "This is SportsCenter" commercial.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Thrice is Nice
Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend and hopefully a great next week.
1. Yasiel Puig is going to get hit very hard by a pitcher one day who does not enjoy his antics. I understand that he is just playing "with enthusiasm and excitement" but there is a difference between that and showing up an opposing team. In the 11th inning yesterday, Puig hit a walk off home to beat the Reds, and call me bitter, but I did not like the way he celebrated. Puig tossed the bat threw both hands skyward before jogging around the bases and sliding into home plate. Oh he wasn't finished, as he then leaped straight into the air as if he were superman taking off. You would think that his celebrating would be completed there, but still, it was not. Puig ripped off his jersey in celebration. Simply put, if there is game one of a three game series, Puig is taking one between the numbers tomorrow. And when that happens, any one want to wager with me if he overreacts or not? I'll take 20 that says he does.
2. The NFL training camp injury bug is hitting some teams very hard right now and we are only in the first week. I am not discussing borderline roster players either, I am talking about guys that were going to be vital to certain team's success or lack there of this season. The loss of Jeremy Maclin (torn ACL) is huge for the Eagles because without him, DeSean Jackson really struggles to get open as he has to contend with the number one defensive back on the opposing team. Dennis Pitta, in what sounds like the most painful injury in the world, dislocated his hip this weekend. Yes, his hip is no longer located where it should be. Pitta, lost for the year, is another piece of the defending champs arsenal who will not be playing this year. With the trade of Anquan Boldin, Pitta was expected to step up and become a playmaker for this team. With respect to these two, the most damaging injury sustained this weekend occurred in Englewood, Colorado when Dan Koppen tore his ACL. Koppen, the starting center for the Broncos, was the leader of an offensive line that protects Peyton Manning. The last thing that Broncos need is for Manning to end up on his back a lot.
3. Why are teams fighting each other for Greg Oden? True, he is a 7 foot, 25 year old former number one overall pick, in possibly the second worst decision in a draft ever (Bowie over Jordan, Oden over Durant). While all of that is true, he is also a player who has played a TOTAL of 82 games since the 2007 season. That would equal to one complete season over the span of 6 years. I understand talent and the idea of potential, but I do not understand a team thinking that they have to sign a guy who will give them seven minutes a game and average 2 points and 3 rebounds. Mostly though, I do not understand why ESPN feels the need to tell me all about Greg Oden, oh wait it is because the Heat are considering signing him. Tim Hardaway, now a Heat scout, even went as far as saying that they would win a third straight title if they signed Oden. Why? Because every championship contender needs to have a giant injured man waving towels on the sidelines leading the crowd in celebration?
Please remember once is good enough, twice is OK, but Thrice is Nice.
1. Yasiel Puig is going to get hit very hard by a pitcher one day who does not enjoy his antics. I understand that he is just playing "with enthusiasm and excitement" but there is a difference between that and showing up an opposing team. In the 11th inning yesterday, Puig hit a walk off home to beat the Reds, and call me bitter, but I did not like the way he celebrated. Puig tossed the bat threw both hands skyward before jogging around the bases and sliding into home plate. Oh he wasn't finished, as he then leaped straight into the air as if he were superman taking off. You would think that his celebrating would be completed there, but still, it was not. Puig ripped off his jersey in celebration. Simply put, if there is game one of a three game series, Puig is taking one between the numbers tomorrow. And when that happens, any one want to wager with me if he overreacts or not? I'll take 20 that says he does.
2. The NFL training camp injury bug is hitting some teams very hard right now and we are only in the first week. I am not discussing borderline roster players either, I am talking about guys that were going to be vital to certain team's success or lack there of this season. The loss of Jeremy Maclin (torn ACL) is huge for the Eagles because without him, DeSean Jackson really struggles to get open as he has to contend with the number one defensive back on the opposing team. Dennis Pitta, in what sounds like the most painful injury in the world, dislocated his hip this weekend. Yes, his hip is no longer located where it should be. Pitta, lost for the year, is another piece of the defending champs arsenal who will not be playing this year. With the trade of Anquan Boldin, Pitta was expected to step up and become a playmaker for this team. With respect to these two, the most damaging injury sustained this weekend occurred in Englewood, Colorado when Dan Koppen tore his ACL. Koppen, the starting center for the Broncos, was the leader of an offensive line that protects Peyton Manning. The last thing that Broncos need is for Manning to end up on his back a lot.
3. Why are teams fighting each other for Greg Oden? True, he is a 7 foot, 25 year old former number one overall pick, in possibly the second worst decision in a draft ever (Bowie over Jordan, Oden over Durant). While all of that is true, he is also a player who has played a TOTAL of 82 games since the 2007 season. That would equal to one complete season over the span of 6 years. I understand talent and the idea of potential, but I do not understand a team thinking that they have to sign a guy who will give them seven minutes a game and average 2 points and 3 rebounds. Mostly though, I do not understand why ESPN feels the need to tell me all about Greg Oden, oh wait it is because the Heat are considering signing him. Tim Hardaway, now a Heat scout, even went as far as saying that they would win a third straight title if they signed Oden. Why? Because every championship contender needs to have a giant injured man waving towels on the sidelines leading the crowd in celebration?
Please remember once is good enough, twice is OK, but Thrice is Nice.
Did Someone Mention Football?
Baseball is America's past time, but Football is America's passion. The Reds are in the middle of a heated playoff race and the NBA is in the middle of a free agency period but all America cares about is football. Matthew Berry tweeted this weekend that yesterday was the last Sunday of the calendar year to not have football, and that may be the best news I heard all week.
Training camps have started all over the NFL and the Hall of Fame game will be kicking off in Canton next weekend, so naturally that means that I am more excited than a little kid who just received his birthday key to enter the castle at Johnny's Toys. This also means that you will here every "pundit" and know it all tell you things between now and September 8th that they "know" will happen this football season. I am not so arrogant as to tell you that I will know anything for sure that will happen this season except that some people will win, some will lose and Tim Tebow will get camera time for no apparent reason. Despite this, I am going to tell you some things that I think will happen this season, and even though I am not an expert, I am the writer of this blog. So here are some NFC predictions for he upcoming season: some good, some bad, and some weird.
NFC East
Dallas:
- Dez Bryant enters the elite wide receiver conversation and is discussed with the likes of Calvin Johnson and AJ Green as a top three receiver.
- Someone not named DeMarco Murray leads the Cowboys in rushing yards.
NY Giants:
- Tom Coughlin is on the hot seat by week 8 after a 3-5 start to the season.
- Eli, despite throwing more touchdowns over those 8 weeks than any other quarterback, dodges the majority of the blame
Philadelphia:
- Chip Kelly's offense works and they put up 35 points in week one
- By week four, every team has enough film to stop all of the gimmicks and the offense begins to fail. Think: Wildcat Formation
Washington:
- RG3 starts and plays well in week one despite no playing time in the preseason.
- Alfred Morris proves to be yet another one year stud for Mike Shanahan and is replaced as the starting running back in week 10.
NFC North
Chicago:
- Jay Cutler has the best season of his career and leads the Bears to the NFC Championship game.
- Brandon Marshall gets ejected from a game and suspended two weeks.
Detroit:
- Comparisons to the "greatest show on turf" become legitimate
- Reggie Bush is an All-Pro with 2,000 total yards and double digit touchdowns
Green Bay:
- Eddie Lacy completes the most explosive offense in the NFL and wins Rookie of the Year
- Defeat Detroit in a game comparable to Madden. Final Score: 49- 45.
Minnesota:
- Christian Ponder proves how bad he really is.
- Greg Jennings plays six games
NFC South
Atlanta:
- JazQuizz Rodgers, not Steven Jackson, leads the Falcons in rushing yards
- Matt Ryan finishes third in MVP voting
New Orleans:
- Drew Brees throws for over 5,000 yards, again
- Drew Brees throws for over 30 interceptions
Tampa Bay:
- Revamped secondary helps to propel the Bucs to a top five defensive ranking
- Doug Martin proves to be the real deal and racks up 1,600 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns
Carolina:
- Cam Newton leads the Panthers in passing yards and rushing yards.
- Carolina ends the season with five wins.
NFC West:
Arizona:
- Carson Palmer, back near the West Coast, returns to form and looks like a viable NFL starter again.
- Ryan Williams becomes feature back by week five
San Francisco:
- Michael Crabtree returns in week 11
- Frank Gore gets injured week 1, and opens the door for LaMichael James, who becomes a star
Seattle:
- Percy Harvin never sees the field
- Marshawn Lynch becomes latest running back to run for 2,000 yards
St. Louis:
- Three running backs will each run for at least 500 yards but no one will rush for more than 700
- Tavon Austin = Bust
Playoff Picture
Division Winner:
San Francisco
Atlanta
Green Bay
Dallas
Wild Cards:
Chicago
Seattle
NFC Championship:
Chicago vs Atlanta
Atlanta Falcons will be the NFC Champions
Training camps have started all over the NFL and the Hall of Fame game will be kicking off in Canton next weekend, so naturally that means that I am more excited than a little kid who just received his birthday key to enter the castle at Johnny's Toys. This also means that you will here every "pundit" and know it all tell you things between now and September 8th that they "know" will happen this football season. I am not so arrogant as to tell you that I will know anything for sure that will happen this season except that some people will win, some will lose and Tim Tebow will get camera time for no apparent reason. Despite this, I am going to tell you some things that I think will happen this season, and even though I am not an expert, I am the writer of this blog. So here are some NFC predictions for he upcoming season: some good, some bad, and some weird.
NFC East
Dallas:
- Dez Bryant enters the elite wide receiver conversation and is discussed with the likes of Calvin Johnson and AJ Green as a top three receiver.
- Someone not named DeMarco Murray leads the Cowboys in rushing yards.
NY Giants:
- Tom Coughlin is on the hot seat by week 8 after a 3-5 start to the season.
- Eli, despite throwing more touchdowns over those 8 weeks than any other quarterback, dodges the majority of the blame
Philadelphia:
- Chip Kelly's offense works and they put up 35 points in week one
- By week four, every team has enough film to stop all of the gimmicks and the offense begins to fail. Think: Wildcat Formation
Washington:
- RG3 starts and plays well in week one despite no playing time in the preseason.
- Alfred Morris proves to be yet another one year stud for Mike Shanahan and is replaced as the starting running back in week 10.
NFC North
Chicago:
- Jay Cutler has the best season of his career and leads the Bears to the NFC Championship game.
- Brandon Marshall gets ejected from a game and suspended two weeks.
Detroit:
- Comparisons to the "greatest show on turf" become legitimate
- Reggie Bush is an All-Pro with 2,000 total yards and double digit touchdowns
Green Bay:
- Eddie Lacy completes the most explosive offense in the NFL and wins Rookie of the Year
- Defeat Detroit in a game comparable to Madden. Final Score: 49- 45.
Minnesota:
- Christian Ponder proves how bad he really is.
- Greg Jennings plays six games
NFC South
Atlanta:
- JazQuizz Rodgers, not Steven Jackson, leads the Falcons in rushing yards
- Matt Ryan finishes third in MVP voting
New Orleans:
- Drew Brees throws for over 5,000 yards, again
- Drew Brees throws for over 30 interceptions
Tampa Bay:
- Revamped secondary helps to propel the Bucs to a top five defensive ranking
- Doug Martin proves to be the real deal and racks up 1,600 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns
Carolina:
- Cam Newton leads the Panthers in passing yards and rushing yards.
- Carolina ends the season with five wins.
NFC West:
Arizona:
- Carson Palmer, back near the West Coast, returns to form and looks like a viable NFL starter again.
- Ryan Williams becomes feature back by week five
San Francisco:
- Michael Crabtree returns in week 11
- Frank Gore gets injured week 1, and opens the door for LaMichael James, who becomes a star
Seattle:
- Percy Harvin never sees the field
- Marshawn Lynch becomes latest running back to run for 2,000 yards
St. Louis:
- Three running backs will each run for at least 500 yards but no one will rush for more than 700
- Tavon Austin = Bust
Playoff Picture
Division Winner:
San Francisco
Atlanta
Green Bay
Dallas
Wild Cards:
Chicago
Seattle
NFC Championship:
Chicago vs Atlanta
Atlanta Falcons will be the NFC Champions
Friday, July 26, 2013
Thrice is Nice
Starting today I will post a daily "Thrice is Nice" column in which I discuss three of my main sports and non sports related thoughts for the day. I will still make other posts but each day at 3:00pm I will post the Thrice as Nice daily column.
1. I am excited to see how the battle of the AFC North plays out this season (spoiler alert: Previews of each AFC North team are coming soon). There are four teams in this division that I believe are a lot closer in ability than people realize and I firmly believe that all four teams will end the season somewhere between 7-9 and 10-6. I can't help but think how much of a negative impact trading Anquan Boldin mixed with the losses of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will have on the defending champs, while Pittsburgh is relying on rookie running backs, the loss of Mike Wallace, and battling age. Positive youth movements in Cincinnati and, to a lesser effect, in Cleveland create two more very competitive teams. As of today, my pick to win the AFC North plays their homes game on the banks of the Ohio River. (That kills me to say)
2. The Redlegs keep winning and proving that they can now go out to the West Coast and compete with teams three time zones away. From 2005-2010 the Reds went 16-35 against the likes of San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles, but this year the fortunes have certainly changed. The Reds needed to win on this road trip out West and done it to this point. Winning 3 out of 4 in San Francisco and the first in LA has continued to build the recent momentum for the Reds. Winners of 8 out of 10 and 9 out of 12, the Reds are showing how strong of a team they can really be. Oh, and they will soon get Ryan Ludwick, Sean Marshall, Ryan Hanigan, and Jonathon Broxton back. Watch out St. Louis and Pittsburgh, the Redlegs are coming for you.
3. I am a not a fan of these year long retirement celebrations that are taking over major league baseball. Last season we had to watch Chipper Jones, who is one of my least favorite players of all time, receive gift after gift from every team they played. Now this year its Mariano Rivera, who honestly is easier to watch get celebrated on a night basis, but it is outrageous that we have to celebrate a player who does not play for our team simply because they are retiring. They did not do this for Jr. Griffey or Fred McGriff or Pete Rose but we do it for Chipper Jones? I miss the days that players did not like each other and did not want to hug, laugh, and high five each other. Please stop giving away gifts to everyone that retires.
Have a great weekend everyone and remember once is good enough, twice is ok, but Thrice is Nice.
1. I am excited to see how the battle of the AFC North plays out this season (spoiler alert: Previews of each AFC North team are coming soon). There are four teams in this division that I believe are a lot closer in ability than people realize and I firmly believe that all four teams will end the season somewhere between 7-9 and 10-6. I can't help but think how much of a negative impact trading Anquan Boldin mixed with the losses of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will have on the defending champs, while Pittsburgh is relying on rookie running backs, the loss of Mike Wallace, and battling age. Positive youth movements in Cincinnati and, to a lesser effect, in Cleveland create two more very competitive teams. As of today, my pick to win the AFC North plays their homes game on the banks of the Ohio River. (That kills me to say)
2. The Redlegs keep winning and proving that they can now go out to the West Coast and compete with teams three time zones away. From 2005-2010 the Reds went 16-35 against the likes of San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles, but this year the fortunes have certainly changed. The Reds needed to win on this road trip out West and done it to this point. Winning 3 out of 4 in San Francisco and the first in LA has continued to build the recent momentum for the Reds. Winners of 8 out of 10 and 9 out of 12, the Reds are showing how strong of a team they can really be. Oh, and they will soon get Ryan Ludwick, Sean Marshall, Ryan Hanigan, and Jonathon Broxton back. Watch out St. Louis and Pittsburgh, the Redlegs are coming for you.
3. I am a not a fan of these year long retirement celebrations that are taking over major league baseball. Last season we had to watch Chipper Jones, who is one of my least favorite players of all time, receive gift after gift from every team they played. Now this year its Mariano Rivera, who honestly is easier to watch get celebrated on a night basis, but it is outrageous that we have to celebrate a player who does not play for our team simply because they are retiring. They did not do this for Jr. Griffey or Fred McGriff or Pete Rose but we do it for Chipper Jones? I miss the days that players did not like each other and did not want to hug, laugh, and high five each other. Please stop giving away gifts to everyone that retires.
Have a great weekend everyone and remember once is good enough, twice is ok, but Thrice is Nice.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Why Do We Love This Game?
Why do we love the game of golf? You never hear anyone say, "Yeah, I'm pretty good at golf and I love all the shots that I make." In fact, typically what you hear is closer to, "I am terrible at golf and I have no idea why." There is literally no other sport that people routinely participate in, that they know they will not succeed and they know that they will likely leave the course angry and disappointed. So why do we do it? We do it because of "hole 8".
Hole 8 is the one hole that every round of golf has that makes the golfer feel like they can one day become good. Obviously, it is not always hole 8, but it is the hole that you will go home and tell your friends, wife, girl friend, neighbor, homeless guy down the street and everyone on Facebook about. It is the hole that for some reason you managed to hit your driver down the middle of the fairway and backed that up with a great approach shot only to two putt for par, or better yet one putt for birdie. Yes, this will only happen roughly one to two times a round, and yet we will shovel out hundreds of dollars a year to go out and torture ourselves, all for that elusive "hole 8". We do not do this for anything else, I do not pay 30 - 40 dollars to go stand and sing poorly, so why do I consistently pay that amount of money to lose golf ball after golf ball? I do it for that one par, that one birdie, that one drive.
With this in mind, and of course the realization that regardless of how much I focus I will still stink, I went and played a round of golf today. I was sure that I was going to play the best round of my life and be able to tell everyone about it, and you better believe that I was going to tell EVERYONE about it. I already had my list of people to brag to prepared (I would like to point out that playing my best round would be breaking 94).
Yea, I am terrible. Or am I? The average weekend golfer in the United States shoots roughly a 100, or 5.6 strokes a hole, or 28 stokes over PAR! What does this tell us? It tells us that we all stink and we should most likely stop spending money to torture ourselves every Saturday and Sunday. Regardless, I gave it a shot today at Elks Run in Batavia.
(One of the more beautiful courses in Clermont County)
When you are a bad golfer, there is no worse feeling or greater level of anxiety than when people watch you golf and more importantly, watch you tee off. So naturally, as myself and Ben (the guy I was golfing with) went to our first hole, we were greeted by the ranger and a group of guys that were supposed to tee off in front of us. Of course, they were not ready when we got there so we were told to go ahead which only meant that they would be playing directly behind us and creating an unneeded amount of discomfort and terrible playing. Again, why are we spending money to play a game that we do not want anyone to see us playing and if we do, we are automatically more terrible than we already are?
I step up to the first tee box, we decided to play the second longest tees (we are idiots) and I am psyched and sure that I will be able to drive this ball exactly where I want to hit it and I will impress these guys playing behind us (did I mention idiots?). While on that subject, why are we always so certain that the people playing behind us and watching are great golfers? They probably stink too. Anyhow, I swing as hard as possible on the first hole and what do you know? I nearly knock over a tree by ramming the ball off of it as hard as possible and creating a noise that sounds as if lightning also struck the tree at the same time as my ball. In the truest form of being a bad golfer and a hopeless player, my greatest disappointed in this series of events is that my ball did not bounce off of the tree and into the fairway. Lost ball number one.
I decide that I will tee off a second time because it is the first hole and I deserve a practice drive. Wrong. I deserve nothing, in fact I probably deserve to go home and realize that I do not belong on a course that is nice. Despite this, I play and send my second drive roughly 200 yards to the right of the fairway into the parking lot. To my surprise, I do not hear a window shatter or a human scream out in pain. That's a win for me. Lost ball number two.
After roughly 115 more shots, which felt closer to 150 more shots I complete my round and feel like I should never set foot on a putt putt course again, yet alone a golf course. But I will, because on hole 8 I got a par. Sure, it was a par three and I did two putt, but to me that was a hole that I wanted to tell everyone about. That is the reason that we play, that one hole that sticks in our head. We do not remember the details of the terrible drives or the missed putts, but I can tell you that I used my 9 iron and landed my tee shot about 15 feet from the flag and then left my birdie putt about four feet short. Those were my five minutes of glory and I will not forget them, just like you will not forget your "hole 8" during your next round.
This should be embarrassing for me, except that at least half of the people reading this will be thinking to themselves that they know exactly what I am talking about and can imagine everything that I just described. We are all bad, we will all always be bad, and all the young people starting to play will also be bad. It is a game where being "less bad" makes you good. No less than 10 times I found myself today saying that golf was stupid or wanting to throw my clubs, but come Saturday or Sunday I will be ready to go out there again and make a fool of myself. So why do we love this game? We love it because of hole 8.
Hole 8 is the one hole that every round of golf has that makes the golfer feel like they can one day become good. Obviously, it is not always hole 8, but it is the hole that you will go home and tell your friends, wife, girl friend, neighbor, homeless guy down the street and everyone on Facebook about. It is the hole that for some reason you managed to hit your driver down the middle of the fairway and backed that up with a great approach shot only to two putt for par, or better yet one putt for birdie. Yes, this will only happen roughly one to two times a round, and yet we will shovel out hundreds of dollars a year to go out and torture ourselves, all for that elusive "hole 8". We do not do this for anything else, I do not pay 30 - 40 dollars to go stand and sing poorly, so why do I consistently pay that amount of money to lose golf ball after golf ball? I do it for that one par, that one birdie, that one drive.
With this in mind, and of course the realization that regardless of how much I focus I will still stink, I went and played a round of golf today. I was sure that I was going to play the best round of my life and be able to tell everyone about it, and you better believe that I was going to tell EVERYONE about it. I already had my list of people to brag to prepared (I would like to point out that playing my best round would be breaking 94).
Yea, I am terrible. Or am I? The average weekend golfer in the United States shoots roughly a 100, or 5.6 strokes a hole, or 28 stokes over PAR! What does this tell us? It tells us that we all stink and we should most likely stop spending money to torture ourselves every Saturday and Sunday. Regardless, I gave it a shot today at Elks Run in Batavia.
(One of the more beautiful courses in Clermont County)
When you are a bad golfer, there is no worse feeling or greater level of anxiety than when people watch you golf and more importantly, watch you tee off. So naturally, as myself and Ben (the guy I was golfing with) went to our first hole, we were greeted by the ranger and a group of guys that were supposed to tee off in front of us. Of course, they were not ready when we got there so we were told to go ahead which only meant that they would be playing directly behind us and creating an unneeded amount of discomfort and terrible playing. Again, why are we spending money to play a game that we do not want anyone to see us playing and if we do, we are automatically more terrible than we already are?
I step up to the first tee box, we decided to play the second longest tees (we are idiots) and I am psyched and sure that I will be able to drive this ball exactly where I want to hit it and I will impress these guys playing behind us (did I mention idiots?). While on that subject, why are we always so certain that the people playing behind us and watching are great golfers? They probably stink too. Anyhow, I swing as hard as possible on the first hole and what do you know? I nearly knock over a tree by ramming the ball off of it as hard as possible and creating a noise that sounds as if lightning also struck the tree at the same time as my ball. In the truest form of being a bad golfer and a hopeless player, my greatest disappointed in this series of events is that my ball did not bounce off of the tree and into the fairway. Lost ball number one.
I decide that I will tee off a second time because it is the first hole and I deserve a practice drive. Wrong. I deserve nothing, in fact I probably deserve to go home and realize that I do not belong on a course that is nice. Despite this, I play and send my second drive roughly 200 yards to the right of the fairway into the parking lot. To my surprise, I do not hear a window shatter or a human scream out in pain. That's a win for me. Lost ball number two.
After roughly 115 more shots, which felt closer to 150 more shots I complete my round and feel like I should never set foot on a putt putt course again, yet alone a golf course. But I will, because on hole 8 I got a par. Sure, it was a par three and I did two putt, but to me that was a hole that I wanted to tell everyone about. That is the reason that we play, that one hole that sticks in our head. We do not remember the details of the terrible drives or the missed putts, but I can tell you that I used my 9 iron and landed my tee shot about 15 feet from the flag and then left my birdie putt about four feet short. Those were my five minutes of glory and I will not forget them, just like you will not forget your "hole 8" during your next round.
This should be embarrassing for me, except that at least half of the people reading this will be thinking to themselves that they know exactly what I am talking about and can imagine everything that I just described. We are all bad, we will all always be bad, and all the young people starting to play will also be bad. It is a game where being "less bad" makes you good. No less than 10 times I found myself today saying that golf was stupid or wanting to throw my clubs, but come Saturday or Sunday I will be ready to go out there again and make a fool of myself. So why do we love this game? We love it because of hole 8.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
How to Make Up 4.5 Games with 63 Games to Play
There are two ways to look at being down 4.5 games to the best team in baseball with only 63 games to be played, you can either look at it and think there is no way that we can play five games better than a team with a .615 winning percentage or you can think that you still have 63 games to go to make up only five games. I prefer to take the second approach and here are five things that need to happen for the Reds to be able to win the Central Division.
Before we get this started, I want clarify that these will all be things that the Reds need to happen or need to do and not things that the Pirates or Cardinals need to have happen to them. The only team that the Reds can really worry about is themselves, if they win they will be in a good position and if they lose then they won't its that simple. The hard part is winning, but here are some helpful ways to make that happen:
1. Be Smart at the Trade Deadline
Baseball fans everywhere love the trade deadline because it means that your team might actually make a trade and pick up a big name. More than likely what it means is that your team will give away a prospect for an aging veteran that in two years will not be the player that you traded for this year. Yes, if that player helps put you over the top and sends you to a World Series ring (see Pence, Hunter and San Francisco Giants 2012) then you be all means do it but you do not stretch at the deadline and send great prospects for a mediocre player in return just becasue it will bring about change. Change for change sake is not good. In 2011, the Texas Rangers traded Chris Davis AND Tommy Hunter to the Orioles for Koji Uehara. Yes, that Chris Davis. Did Texas need bullpen help? Yes, but would they have made that same trade in February? No. That is the trickiness of the Trading Deadline, general managers begin thinking that they have to make a trade to make a splash as opposed to saying, "If the trade deadline were 6 months from now as opposed to tomorrow, would I do this?". Luckily for the Cincinnati Reds, they have Walt Jocketty at the helm and he is not one to panic or make a trade to simply make it. I have all the faith in the world that if the Reds make a trade, and I do think they will make a minor one, it will be a very well thought through trade that will not hinder the the future.
2. Get Healthy
Fans will want the Reds to trade for big names for the next couple of weeks and everyday there will be a new name attached to the team that everyone will be excited about, but if the player they are trading for is so good, why are they being traded? What if I told you that the Reds could trade Corky Miller, Curtis Partch, Logan Ondrusek, Denard Robinson, and Tony Cingrani for Ryan Hanigan, Jonathon Broxton, Sean Marshall, Ryan Ludwick and Johnny Cueto? That is exactly what the Reds can do by simply getting healthy over the next two months. For those of you not following along, the Reds can add a number one starter, great defensive catcher, right handed cleanup hitter, and a right and left handed set up guy and lose no one out of the organization. Getting these five individuals back and healthy would be the greatest haul of talent that anyone will get at the trade deadline this season. This team continues to hover without some of its most important pieces, they have a chance to explode when all those pieces finally come back together.
3. Have a Moment
This sounds dumb to begin with, I understand that, but really think about it. This Reds team has not had its signature moment of the season yet. Every great team has an unbelievable come from behind win or a special night that no one saw coming. Think back to the 2010 season, this Reds team had a moment but it is not what you are thinking. This is not Jay Bruce's moment. The 2010 moment was August 31st when Aroldis Chapman made his Major League Debut and the excitement overwhelmed the Cincinnati area. It was at that moment that people became believers and that is what this team needs now, they need a moment. They need that defining moment of the season when suddenly everyone in that dugout and everyone in this city begin to believe that we may have something special here, something along the lines of an unexpected walk off home run for a win that no one saw coming. The tough and amazing thing about predicting the having a moment, is that no one sees it coming.
4. Beat the Pirates and Cardinals
Simple right? You beat the teams that you have to jump over to win the Central. Yes, it is that easy but it also presents a huge opportunity for the Reds the rest of the way this season. There is no easier way to make up ground than to beat the team directly ahead of you. The Reds have 10 games remaining against the Cardinals including 7 at home, where they have more wins than any other team in the National League. The Pirates and Reds only face off 6 more times this season, but all in the last 9 games of the year. Combined that is 16 games against the teams directly ahead of you. If the Reds can go 11-5 or 10-6 in those games then they are right in the thick of things.
5. Beat Bad Teams
The Reds have been very good against bad teams this season, as you should be. While discussing this, why do so many people get bent out of shape about the fact that the Reds beat up on bad teams? A win is a win, and at the end of the year if you have more wins than the other teams, then you go to the playoffs. There is no such thing as a bad win in baseball. Anyhow, over the remaining 63 games the Reds play the Brewers, Astros, Mets, Cubs, Padres and Giants a combined 31 times. Those teams has a combined record of 250- 336, and that should only get worse as the Brewers will be playing without Ryan Braun and most likely Yovani Gallardo and the Cubs are trading everyone! August 9th-18th the Reds play 10 straight games against the Padres, Cubs, and Brewers and then on September 9th-18th they play 9 straight against the Brewers, Cubs, and Astros. Those are two stretches were the Reds need to put a lot of wins on the board. 31 games against those six teams should result in no less than 20 wins and you would hope closer to 23. I am a firm believer that you win a division by beating bad teams and doing mediocre against good ones.
If the Reds go 20-11 against bad teams and 10-6 against the Pirates and Cardinals that will bring their win total to 87 wins. They then have 16 games against solid, but not great teams remaining so even if they go 8-8 over that stretch, its a 95 win season and a trip to the Playoffs!
Before we get this started, I want clarify that these will all be things that the Reds need to happen or need to do and not things that the Pirates or Cardinals need to have happen to them. The only team that the Reds can really worry about is themselves, if they win they will be in a good position and if they lose then they won't its that simple. The hard part is winning, but here are some helpful ways to make that happen:
1. Be Smart at the Trade Deadline
Baseball fans everywhere love the trade deadline because it means that your team might actually make a trade and pick up a big name. More than likely what it means is that your team will give away a prospect for an aging veteran that in two years will not be the player that you traded for this year. Yes, if that player helps put you over the top and sends you to a World Series ring (see Pence, Hunter and San Francisco Giants 2012) then you be all means do it but you do not stretch at the deadline and send great prospects for a mediocre player in return just becasue it will bring about change. Change for change sake is not good. In 2011, the Texas Rangers traded Chris Davis AND Tommy Hunter to the Orioles for Koji Uehara. Yes, that Chris Davis. Did Texas need bullpen help? Yes, but would they have made that same trade in February? No. That is the trickiness of the Trading Deadline, general managers begin thinking that they have to make a trade to make a splash as opposed to saying, "If the trade deadline were 6 months from now as opposed to tomorrow, would I do this?". Luckily for the Cincinnati Reds, they have Walt Jocketty at the helm and he is not one to panic or make a trade to simply make it. I have all the faith in the world that if the Reds make a trade, and I do think they will make a minor one, it will be a very well thought through trade that will not hinder the the future.
2. Get Healthy
Fans will want the Reds to trade for big names for the next couple of weeks and everyday there will be a new name attached to the team that everyone will be excited about, but if the player they are trading for is so good, why are they being traded? What if I told you that the Reds could trade Corky Miller, Curtis Partch, Logan Ondrusek, Denard Robinson, and Tony Cingrani for Ryan Hanigan, Jonathon Broxton, Sean Marshall, Ryan Ludwick and Johnny Cueto? That is exactly what the Reds can do by simply getting healthy over the next two months. For those of you not following along, the Reds can add a number one starter, great defensive catcher, right handed cleanup hitter, and a right and left handed set up guy and lose no one out of the organization. Getting these five individuals back and healthy would be the greatest haul of talent that anyone will get at the trade deadline this season. This team continues to hover without some of its most important pieces, they have a chance to explode when all those pieces finally come back together.
3. Have a Moment
This sounds dumb to begin with, I understand that, but really think about it. This Reds team has not had its signature moment of the season yet. Every great team has an unbelievable come from behind win or a special night that no one saw coming. Think back to the 2010 season, this Reds team had a moment but it is not what you are thinking. This is not Jay Bruce's moment. The 2010 moment was August 31st when Aroldis Chapman made his Major League Debut and the excitement overwhelmed the Cincinnati area. It was at that moment that people became believers and that is what this team needs now, they need a moment. They need that defining moment of the season when suddenly everyone in that dugout and everyone in this city begin to believe that we may have something special here, something along the lines of an unexpected walk off home run for a win that no one saw coming. The tough and amazing thing about predicting the having a moment, is that no one sees it coming.
4. Beat the Pirates and Cardinals
Simple right? You beat the teams that you have to jump over to win the Central. Yes, it is that easy but it also presents a huge opportunity for the Reds the rest of the way this season. There is no easier way to make up ground than to beat the team directly ahead of you. The Reds have 10 games remaining against the Cardinals including 7 at home, where they have more wins than any other team in the National League. The Pirates and Reds only face off 6 more times this season, but all in the last 9 games of the year. Combined that is 16 games against the teams directly ahead of you. If the Reds can go 11-5 or 10-6 in those games then they are right in the thick of things.
5. Beat Bad Teams
The Reds have been very good against bad teams this season, as you should be. While discussing this, why do so many people get bent out of shape about the fact that the Reds beat up on bad teams? A win is a win, and at the end of the year if you have more wins than the other teams, then you go to the playoffs. There is no such thing as a bad win in baseball. Anyhow, over the remaining 63 games the Reds play the Brewers, Astros, Mets, Cubs, Padres and Giants a combined 31 times. Those teams has a combined record of 250- 336, and that should only get worse as the Brewers will be playing without Ryan Braun and most likely Yovani Gallardo and the Cubs are trading everyone! August 9th-18th the Reds play 10 straight games against the Padres, Cubs, and Brewers and then on September 9th-18th they play 9 straight against the Brewers, Cubs, and Astros. Those are two stretches were the Reds need to put a lot of wins on the board. 31 games against those six teams should result in no less than 20 wins and you would hope closer to 23. I am a firm believer that you win a division by beating bad teams and doing mediocre against good ones.
If the Reds go 20-11 against bad teams and 10-6 against the Pirates and Cardinals that will bring their win total to 87 wins. They then have 16 games against solid, but not great teams remaining so even if they go 8-8 over that stretch, its a 95 win season and a trip to the Playoffs!
IT'S BACK!!!!!
Hello Everyone! Sports According to Strine is making its triumphant, or not so much, return to the blogging world. It has been a while since I have had posted a new blog, but starting today I will be doing my best to write everyday again. I hope that for those of you that are starting to read again, you will begin to follow with as much enthusiasm and interest as you did before. Thanks for reading!
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