Oregon Proves They Are For Real

Before the college football season started many people looked at the Oregon Ducks as one of the top teams in the country. Then came their season opening loss at Boise State. In a nationally televised game, the Oregon Ducks were dominated by Boise State and then lost their top running back to suspension for punching a Boise State player after the game. Since that loss, Oregon has gained momentum again by dominating every opponent they have faced. Many people would have told you that coming into tonight's game against USC, they were playing better than anyone in the country. Watching them go up and down the field against USC, it would be hard to argue with that idea. They took it to a USC defense that came into the game as the Pac 10's number 1 rush defense and pass rush. Oregon has officially announced that they are a force to be reckoned with. A win over perennial power USC will make everyone pay attention. With Texas' victory over Oklahoma State, Oregon is likely headed to the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. USC will now likely be looking at a non BCS bowl game for the first time in 7 seasons.

Police on Alert in San Diego

The Oakland Raiders and their fans invade Qualcomm Stadium to take on the Chargers. At 3-3, the Chargers are considered by most to have underachieved. On paper they have more talent than most teams, but the defense has not held up. They are in the bottom third of the league in both total yardage and points allowed. The Raiders offense, however, may be just what they need. Led by ridiculously inept QB Jamarcus Russell, the Raiders are last in the NFL in total yards and next to last in points. Russell was pulled in the first half last week against the Jets, so expect the leash to be short again. With a struggling defense as well, the Raiders are going to a very hard time keeping this game close. Look for Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson to carry over last week's rhythm and lead the Chargers to a fairly easy victory. The big question for this game. Which number will be higher, Raiders points or Raider fan arrests?

NFL Preview

While the game of the week is clearly the winless St Louis rams at the 1-5 Detroit Lions, we are going to take a look at a few others.

Denver at Baltimore: The Broncos will put their undefeated record on the line at Baltimore. The Ravens started the season looking like possibly the best team in the NFL. Teams have since found that the Ravens' secondary has lost a step and can be taken advantage of. While the defense is still one of the hardest hitting in the league, they no longer have the ability to win a game without some help from the offense. Second year quarterback Joe Flacco will face a stiff test against the Broncos defense. The Denver defense has allowed fewer points than anyone in the league and is second in yards allowed. Look for this game to stay close through the 3rd quarter and the Broncos offense to pull through in the end.

NY Giants at Philadelphia: The Giants come into Philadelphia looking to end a two game losing streak. The Eagles are coming off two uninspiring games of their own, a loss to the Raiders and a win over the dysfunctional Redskins. Against the Redskin, the defense was able to take advantage of an inept Jason Campbell and put some points on board. The Eagles offense connected on a couple of big plays, but again failed to find any consistency. They will find it tough to move the ball against a Giants defense that allows fewer yards than anyone in the league. Look for the Giants offense to rebound from last weeks performance as well. The Giants will leave Philadelphia with a two score victory.

Minnesota at Green Bay: Brett Favre returns to Lambeau in the purple and gold of the hated Vikings. In week 4, Favre led the Vikings to a 30-23 victory over his former team on a Monday night in the Metrodome. This time, he will be in Green Bay as a visitor for the first time. He will have to work to control his emotions and play within himself. If Favre focuses too much on revenge, it could result in some early turnovers and have the Vikings playing from behind. The difference in this game could be the Vikings' previous 2 games. They are coming off games against two of the most physical teams in football, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, which is sure to have them a bit banged up. The Packers, on the other hand, are coming off of easy victories over the Browns and Lions. Look for Aaron Rodgers to take advantage of a tired Minnesota defense which will be without star DB Antoine Winfield. The PAckers will wear the Vikings down and come away with the win.

Yankees Come Through in Game 2

Game 2 was a game the Yankees had to have, and they came through. The Phillies got out to an early 1-0 lead on a second inning single by Matt Stairs that scored Raul Ibanez. Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui gave the Yankees the lead with solo home runs and they would go on to win 3-1. After dropping game 1, the Yankees had to win this game. They now travel to Philadelphia for 3 games where they will need to win at least one game to get the series back to the Bronx. The Philadelphia crowd will make things much more difficult, especially with a Halloween night game. The insane Philly fans do not need any extra incentive to be out of control, but Halloween might just give them some. The Phillies should be able to ride the home field advantage to two wins and head back to New York with a chance to close out their second consecutive World Series title.

Vince Young Gets a Second Chance

With a not so subtle nudge from ownership, Jeff Fisher announced today that Vince Young will be the starting quarterback this week as the Titans welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans have now gone from stomping on the "Terrible Towel" to waving the white flag. The Titans would owe Young a 4.5 million dollar roster bonus if he were to stay with them next season. Ownership wants to get a look at him before they make that decision. You can not blame them for wanting to take a look, but the fact that longtime head coach Jeff Fisher has not put Young in before this week should be all they need to know. Kerry Collins has thrown only 5 touchdowns with 8 interceptions while leading Tennessee to an 0-6 record. If Fisher had any thought that Vince Young gave them a chance to win, he would have been on the field by now. The biggest challenge Jeff Fisher will face now is convincing the rest of the team that the organization is still playing to win. In an interview earlier this season, analyst and eight time pro bowler James Lofton talked about how surprised he was to see Vince Young paying no attention on the sidelines while the offense was on the field. Nearly every other backup QB in the NFL has a headset on listening to the play calls and watching every offensive play to learn and prepare to start. You know all of his teammates noticed the same thing. If he does not care enough to learn and prepare, how is he supposed to lead? Vince Young, with his 33 career interceptions compared to only 22 touchdowns, clearly does not give Tennessee the best chance to win. The best explanation for the move. At this point, what is there to lose?

Cliff Lee Cruises

Cliff Lee completely dominated the Yankees tonight. The whole lineup was completely off balance. You've got to think the Yankees are praying that Charlie Manuel will go with a four man rotation. CC Sabathia starting 3 of a possible 7 games looked like a huge advantage for the Yankees. Watching tonight's game, it looks like Lee can completely neutralize Sabathia. How about that second home run from Utley? Has it landed?

A Look at Some of Saturday's Key Games

This Saturday's college football schedule features 3 big games. Let's take a quick look at each of them.

Texas at Oklahoma State: The number 5 Longhorns travel to Stillwater to take on number 14 Oklahoma State. This will be the last big test for an undefeated Texas team looking to return to the BCS title game. The Cowboys are led by quarterback Zach Robinson, who is among the best in the country. They will, however, be without star wide receiver Dez Bryant who remains suspended for the balance of the season. Texas comes in fresh off of their best offensive performance of the season, a 41 - 7 victory over Missouri. If the offense can carry it's rhythm into this game, the Longhorns should be able to escape with their undefeated record in tact. Aside from last week, however, the offense has struggled to stay consistent. Look for the hostile Stillwater crowd to keep the offense off balance and help keep this game close. Oklahoma State will have a chance to win this game late, and I would not be surprised to see an upset.

USC at Oregon: In a battle of top 10 teams, USC travels to Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks. You could make the argument that Oregon is playing better football than anyone in the country right now. After a season opening loss at Boise State, the Ducks have come back to look like the team they were thought to be prior to the season. The winner of this game will likely end the year as the Pac 10 champion and guarantee themselves a spot in a BCS game. Autzen Stadium is one of the tougher places in the country for visiting teams. A prime time, Saturday night game should have the crowd at a fevered pitch all night. USC and freshman quarterback can look to their experience at Ohio State to help deal with the crowd noise. I would give a slight edge to USC on both the sides of the ball, but special teams could play a big role in this game. USC has a dynamic punt returner in Damian Williams, but their kicking game has struggled at times this year. The USC offense could also be without tight end Anthony McCoy, who is nursing a sore ankle. McCoy has proven to be the safety valve for Matt Barkley all season. Oregon will look to run the football with quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and speedster LaMichael James. If the Trojans fill the box against the run, look out for Oregon tight end Ed Dickson to make some key catches. USC's balanced offense should be able to run the ball early to help setup the passing game. Overall, the difference will be the wide receiver's from USC taking advantage of the Oregon secondary to win a close game.

Georgia at Florida: Georgia will take on top ranked Florida in the annual showdown known as the "Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." Florida has shown signs of vulnerability the last couple of weeks as the offense has struggled to be as dynamic as we are used to. You could easily make the argument that if it were not for some very questionable officiating, we would be looking at a Gator team with at least one loss. The lack of a big time receiver has been more of a problem than most thought. Fortunately, they have one of the best defenses in the country. Georgia does not have the talent to match Florida, but anything can happen in a rivalry game. If Georgia can force Florida into a couple of turnovers as Mississippi State did last week, they can stay in this game and give themselves a chance to win. In the end, I expect Florida's talent to be too much for Georgia to handle.

An Interesting Baseball Read

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/28/baseball.mud/index.html

Is the NHL a Better Watch Than the NBA?

The NBA opened the season tonight with 4 games. The 2 nationally televised games put the two biggest stars, Kobe and Lebron, on display. Nobody can dispute their greatness, and most can appreciate watching their immense talent. The problem, however, is that the rest of the league just is not that good. The pace of the game has slowed terribly with constant fouls and timeouts seemingly every time one team scores consecutive baskets. It seems like every possession turns into one player holding the ball and eventually driving to the basket to get fouled or kick it out to a teammate who misses the shot. While this era may feature some great individual athletes, team basketball is not at the level it used to be. The NHL, on the other hand, has taken great strides toward making it's game much more watchable. The biggest difference is the number of games broadcast in HD. Virtually every game is now broadcast in HD, which makes the game much easier to follow on TV. Recent rules changes have also opened the ice up, allowing the speed and skill of the players to really show. It has allowed for increased scoring and end to end action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you have not watched a Washington Capitals game, do yourself a favor and make time to. Alexander Ovechkin is one of the most exciting players to come around in a long time, in any sport. Not only is he the best player on the ice, he also has the most fun. He shoots the puck harder,faster and way more often than anyone else, but is just as happy to run through an opposing player with a devastating body check. At the same time, the league features a collection of young, talented players like never before. It is safe to say that any game you turn on will treat you to some fast paced excitement and more than a few plays that make you say "wow." You will also see some of the most violent collisions in sports, and the player will just get back up and skate back to his position without any hesitation. It is easily the best combination of speed, skill and power that you will see. While the NBA seems to have slowed the pace with constant whistles and stoppages, the NHL has allowed the pace and scoring to pick up, and the great skill of its players to shine. Now, if they could just get Versus back on DirecTV so the rest of the world can see it.

NBA Tips Off Tuesday Night

The NBA opens the 2009-10 season with 4 games Tuesday night. The marquee games feature the new look Cleveland Cavaliers welcoming the Boston Celtics to town, while the Lakers will host the Clippers at Staples Center. This will be the first regular season game for the Cavs new duo of Lebron James and Shaquille O'neal. Cleveland fans are hoping Shaq can finally provide King James with the support to help lead them to a long awaited championship. Time will tell, but I am a bit skeptical of the move. James' success comes largely from his ability to get to the rim, and he will now have to contend with Shaq taking up space in the lane. Unless Shaq shows a new found quickness, I just do not see how it is going to work out. Meanwhile, the Celtics have added veteran forward Rasheed Wallace to the mix. Wallace should provide them with another deep threat to help stretch opposing defenses, and give them insurance behind Kevin Garnett. Their season will depend greatly on Garnett's ability to stay healthy. In Los Angeles, the big question is Ron Artest. You can really only describe him as a question. If Artest stays focused and behaves, the Lakers could be even better than last year. He is one of the best defenders in the game and has a better than average offensive game as well, but will he stay focused? You would have to think Phil and Kobe have as good a chance as anyone to keep him on track. Look for the other Staples Center tenant, the Clippers, to return to the playoffs behind a rededicated Baron Davis and number 1 pick Blake Griffin.
Overall, the West looks to be a two team race between the Spurs and Lakers. Ron Artest should give the Lakers the ability to rest Kobe Bryant more and keep him fresh for the playoffs. At the same time, the Spurs have arguably the deepest team in the league and should be able to keep their veterans fresher and healthier than past years. The East looks to be a three team race with Cleveland, Boston and Orlando battling it out all season. Ultimately, I think the Celtics' acquisition of Rasheed Wallace trumps the Shaq to Cleveland and Vince Carter to Orland moves. I'll take a rematch of the 2008 Finals with the Lakers taking on the Celtics. This time, the Lakers come out on top.

Lane Kiffin Reprimanded by SEC

University of Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin, along with Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen, was reprimanded Monday by SEC officials for criticizing referees. Dan Mullen had a legitimate gripe. Florida linebacker Dustin Doe intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to extend Florida's lead to 29-13. Replays clearly showed that Doe was stripped of the ball at about the 2 yard line, while prematurely celebrating (and no, there is not a pill for that). While the outcome of the game likely would not have changed, it certainly would have made things much more interesting. Kiffin, on the other hand, seems to be using his gripe as an excuse to cover up for poor coaching. With Tennessee trailing by 2 and 38 seconds remaining, Kiffin elected to run the clock down and attempt a 46 yard field goal rather than run a 3rd down play. His kicker had already missed from 48 yards and had a 44 yard attempt blocked earlier in the game. Kiffin claimed he did not want to run another play for fear of an interception or the ref's "losing a game for us there and some magical flag appear." Here's an idea. Hand the ball to your best offensive player, Montario Hardesty, and let him try to grind out a few more yards to help out your obviously struggling kicker. Kiffin also complained about no flag being thrown for Terrence Cody removing his helmet after blocking the field goal. Even if the referee had thrown a flag, Tennessee would not have had another chance at the field goal. The penalty would have been enforced on the next play, which would have been an Alabama offensive play. Had Kiffin done a better job of coaching his players, it may have made a difference. Because the blocked field goal did not cross the line of scrimmage, Tennessee could have recovered the ball and tried to run with it. Had they recovered it, the non-call would have made a difference because Tennessee would have had possession of the ball. Perhaps, Lane should stop worrying so much about everyone else and worry about coaching his team.

From Calling BINGO to Calling Plays

The Philadelphia Eagles travel to Washington to take on the Redskins tonight. The Redskins have been embarrassingly bad so far this season. Their first six games have come against teams looking for their first win. Four of those teams got their first win, including the lowly Detroit Lions. How bad is it in Washington? After last week's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, owner Daniel Snyder stripped Head Coach Jim Zorn of his play calling duties and passed them off to newly hired offensive consultant, Sherm Lewis. Lewis has been calling BINGO games at a senior center in Michigan for the past five years and after just two weeks back in the league, he will be calling the plays. The Redskins are quickly becoming the Raiders of the East.

BCS Review

The latest BCS standings were released Sunday afternoon, with the top 3 spots remaining unchanged. Florida, Alabama and Texas hold down the first three positions, while Iowa and USC round out the top five. Florida and Alabama will likely meet in the SEC championship game, meaning one of them will have at least one loss. Unbeaten Texas and Iowa control their own destiny for the second spot in the title game. Texas' only real test left is at Oklahoma State, while Iowa still has to travel to Columbus for a showdown with Ohio State. USC's toughest remaining game will come this weekend at Oregon. Two of these five teams will likely meet for the BCS title, but which two will it be? You could probably make a case for any of them. The top 4 are undefeated, but all have looked beatable at times. My guess is that we have either an undefeated Florida or Alabama taking on a one loss USC in the title game.

QB Changes in the Bay Area

The 49ers pulled QB Shaun Hill and replaced him with former #1 pick Alex Smith. Smith made Head Coach Mike Singletary look good throwing for 3 touchdowns and giving the team a chance to win. We'll see who gets the starting nod next week.
Meanwhile, in Oakland, Tom Cable has finally seen enough of Jamarcus Russell. After 3 first quarter turnovers, Cable put the hefty QB on the sideline in favor of journeyman Bruce Gradkowski. The only question you can have regarding this move. What took so long?

Florida Jumps Alabama

Florida has moved ahead of Alabama in the AP poll to once again claim the top spot in both the AP and Coaches' polls. Texas and USC are 3 and 4 respectively in both polls, while Cincinnati is in the five spot in the AP and Boise State claims the five spot in the Coaches. It's hard to argue with the top four teams in whatever order you want to put them. Personally, I would have USC ahead of Texas based on overall talent and offensive balance. So again, the human polls put USC ahead of the other unbeaten teams. We'll see where the computers put them when the BCS standings are released this afternoon. A win next week in Eugene would certainly help.

Girardi Taking a Big Chance

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has decided to stick with scheduled game 6 starter Andy Pettitte, despite CC Sabathia now being available on full rest. Throughout the series, Girardi has changed pitchers 20 times in 5 games, and now, with a chance to close the series out, he decides not to. He was quoted as saying "I don't think you can afford to look ahead. You have to worry about this series." If that is the case, how can you take the chance of the series going to a game 7, where anything can happen, with your best pitcher sitting in the dugout. The Angels have proven they can put the ball in play against Pettitte, but they certainly have not against Sabathia. The other chance he now takes is the Yankees winning the series in game 7 and then not having Sabathia or Pettite available until game 3 of the World Series. If the Angels beat Pettitte in game 6, Girardi will certainly be second guessed for this decision.

Quick Hits From Today's Action

• Not sure why Lane Kiffin would not run another play with 38 seconds left on the clock before attempting the field goal. Tennessee had already missed from 47 yards and had a 43 yard attempt easily blocked. A 44 yard attempt was anything but a sure thing. He may be thinking about that decision for a while.
  
• Florida again had a critical call go their way. It certainly looked as though Dustin Doe had the ball knocked out of his hands had about the 2 yard line. Hard to say if the outcome would have changed, but the momentum certainly would have changed sides.
• USC's offense, particularly Alan Bradford, seemed to really find its stride. They look to be the top offense as far as balance is concerned. Matt Barkley threw a couple of aggressive passes that were intercepted, but he certainly looks to be the real deal. Tough test ahead of them next week at Oregon.
• Does another close Notre Dame win over a mediocre team mean we have to listen to Charlie Weiss complain about not being in the top 25 again?
  
• With apologies to Texas, Cincinnati and Iowa, I would have to put Alabama, Florida and USC at the top of the list. Not sure I would argue with whatever order you want to put them in.
  

Game 6 Postponed

Game 6 between the Angels and Yankees has been postponed until Sunday at 5:20 Pacific due to rain. this opens up a ton of options for starting pitchers. The Yankees now have the option to start CC Sabathia in an attempt to put the Angels away in game six. If he pitches Sunday and wins, he would then be unavailable to start the first game of the World Series against Cliff Lee. On the other hand, if the series go to game 7 and the Yankees win, he would be unable to pitch until game 3 of the World Series. This also now would allow the Angels to bring back John Lackey on short rest to start a possible game 7. If I'm Joe Girardi, I go to Sabathia in game six. You can't plan on the next series until you get there. You owe it to the team to put them in the best position to win, and Sabathia gives them the best chance.

Upset in the SEC?

Florida escaped Arkansas last week, with a little help from the referees. This week, they may be without star linebacker Brandon Spikes. The Gators' defense has carried them thus far this season, but they may struggle to contain Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon if Spikes can't play.
Meanwhile, down in Tuscaloosa, the Tide welcomes the Tennessee Volunteers to town. Look for Monte Kiffin's defense to contain Mark Ingram and give the Vols a chance to pull off the upset. The Vols inept offense will likely struggle to put up enough points to come out victorious, but Jonathan Crompton should have a renewed confidence after last weeks performance against Georgia.

USC Looking for Revenge

The USC Trojans and Matt Barkley will take the field tonight against the Oregon State Beavers looking to avenge last year's only loss, a loss that kept them out of the BCS National Championship game. Last year, the Trojans traveled to Corvallis after defeating Ohio State and fell victim to the dreaded trap game. They did not come out ready to play and Jacquizz Rodgers and the OSU offensive line took it to the Trojans early and often. With the nations top ranked team in town for a nationally televised Thursday night game, the crowd got going and never let up. In the end, the Trojans fell short in their annual Pac 10 letdown on the road and never recovered in the BCS standings. This year will be a different story. The Beavers no longer have the element of surprise as they look to defeat the Trojans in the Coliseum, something that has not happened since 1960. With the USC offensive staff opening up the offense and Matt Barkley coming into his own, look for the Trojans to get out to an early lead and cruise to victory as they look to win out for a chance to return to the BCS Championship game.

Angels in 7. Seriously.

When C.C. Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez, the apparent new Mr. October, imposed their will on the Angels in a 10-1 game 4 drubbing, the series appeared to be over. The only problem is nobody told the Angels. With their proverbial "backs against the wall," the Angels came out swinging. The first five hitters reached base, four of them scoring before any outs were recorded. The Angels, however, would find themselves again staring at elimination when the Yankees scored six runs in the top of the 7th to take a two run lead. Apparently, the Angels still were not ready to go home. The offense answered right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good and send the series back to the Bronx for game six on Saturday night.

The question now. Who has the pressure shifted to for game six? The answer. It's all on the Yankees. With high priced, free agent acquisitions Sabathia, Teixeira, and Burnett and the league's highest payroll, it is championship or bust for the Yanks. They will turn to an aging Andy Pettite to end the series and send them to a World Series home run derby with the Philadelphia Phillies. This used to be a spot where Yankee fans could feel certain of a victory. The problem is this is not the Andy Pettite of old and everybody knows it, including the Angels. The stadium will be full of fans with memories of the 2004 collapse against the Red Sox running through their heads. When Chone Figgins steals second base, everyone will see Dave Roberts sliding in safely and the roof starting to cave. The fans will be on edge with every pitch, looking to avoid a game seven with a team that has already shown they will not go quietly. The Angels, on the other hand, have already been told the series is over. Every media outlet has been talking up the impending slug fest that would be Phillies/Yankees. The Angles can take the field, in the words of Alex Rodriguez, with a "loosey goosey" attitude. After all, they were not even supposed to be back in New York.

My guess is the Angels get plenty of runners on base against Andy Pettite and show everybody what "Angel Baseball" is. Can they follow it up with a victory against C.C. Sabathia in game 7? That is a tough task, but I would say yes. It is hard to imagine the top hitting lineup in baseball not figuring any pitcher out when they get a chance to face him for the third time in ten days.