World Series Sweep

Hey All,

Last night was game four of the MLB World Series, and it was one for the ages. It was San Francisco's to loss from game one. After they gave Verlander a run for his money, I knew that the Giants would have yet another World Series Title.

The Giants were able to sweep the Tigers and take home their second Title in just 3 years. Their win Sunday was do in large part to their pitching. It was outstanding throughout the playoffs. Now let's take a look at who produced in critical times for the Giants.

 Marco Scutaro, who else? delivered one more key hit this October, a go-ahead single with two outs in the 10th inning that lifted the Giants to a 4-3 win.

On a night of biting cold, stiff breezes and some rain, the Giants combined the most important elements of championship baseball. After three straight wins that looked relatively easy, they sealed this victory when Sergio Romo got Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to look at strike three for the final out. ''Tonight was a battle,'' Giants star Buster Posey said. ''And I think tonight was a fitting way for us to end it because those guys played hard. They didn't stop, and it's an unbelievable feeling.'' ''Detroit probably didn't know what it was in for,'' Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. ''Our guys had a date with destiny.''


''Tonight was a battle,'' Giants star Buster Posey said. ''And I think tonight was a fitting way for us to end it because those guys played hard. They didn't stop, and it's an unbelievable feeling.''

Posey, the only player who was in the starting lineup when San Francisco beat Texas in the 2010 clincher, and the underdog Giants celebrated in the center of the diamond at Comerica Park.

Posey put the Giants ahead 3-2 with a two-run homer in the sixth and Delmon Young hit a tying home run in the bottom half. It then became a matchup of bullpens, and the Giants prevailed. Ryan Theriot led off the 10th with a single against Phil Coke, moved up on Brandon Crawford's sacrifice and scored on a shallow single by Scutaro, the MVP of the NL championship series. Center fielder Austin Jackson made a throw home, to no avail.


I think what happened to Detroit was the layoff that they had from sweeping the Yankee's in the ALCS. They had more than a week off, and you would think that would help a team, yet it did not. The only thing the layoff did for the Tigers was make them sloppy. The pitching was horrendous, they bats disappeared, and  the players just looked like they didn't care anymore. But what surprised me the most, was how quick this postseason went for the MLB. It was over in a blink of an eye. The excitement of late inning games, and game 7's, just didn't happen this season. It's quite sad to see, if you love baseball, you just don't want it to end.

I'm sorry to have to say this to you baseball lovers out there, but it's Football season, and hopefully soon it will be Hockey season. All good things must come to an end, and for the Tigers, it ended in extra innings in game four of the World Series.

Read more at http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/san-francisco-giants-beat-detroit-tigers-four-games-win-world-series-02812

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Fantasy Football Surprises

Hey All,

Today, I want to talk about some of the players that have surprised me in the NFL as of late. That could either be a good surprise, or a bad one. Also I think this will help out many of you in the Fantasy Football world.

So as we hit the midway part of the season, let's get down to some mid-season business.

The first person I think that everyone can agree on, that's QB Robert Griffin III. Many expected Robert Griffin III would do well, but I'm not sure anyone anticipated he would be a dominant fantasy quarterback. Through Week 7 he leads the league in completion percentage and yards per attempt, and trails only Arian Foster in rushing scores.


I imagine someone will say Peyton Manning, but I was not surprised at all. Better, he's getting more comfortable with his team, the offense, the coaches and his own limitations. He's going to be scary in the second half. Peyton Manning has been surprisingly close to his elite form. Griffin is out-Cam Newton-ing the famed "greatest rookie quarterback ever," and late-round rookie Alfred Morris is rolling with the big boys, producing near the level of Arian Foster and Ray Rice.


My biggest surprise has been Mike Shanahan, who committed to a rookie backfield that has allowed two of fantasy football's brightest stars, Griffin III and his unheralded-yet-equally valuable running back, Morris, to thrive. Given improvements and better health at wide receiver over the offseason Griffin and Morris will find themselves among the fantasy elite for years to come. And they may even put to rest Shanahan's anti-fantasy owner reputation. I did not expect to write about the Redskins as much as I have and that's a good thing for them.


The other major surprise has been Adrian Peterson's comeback. Around now is when we all thought we'd start seeing the "real" Peterson starting to round into shape. Instead, he's been valuable from Day 1,ranking as the league's third-best back this year so far. A miracle of modern sports medicine and training is what Peterson has been.

That has been the players, fantasy wise, that have surprised me. Now let's take a look at who has been a bit of a disappointment fantasy wise this season




LeSean McCoy was a top-3 pick in most fantasy drafts this summer, but he hasn't lived up to that billing. He has averaged just 4.1 yards per carry, just 4.5 yards per reception, and has reached 100 yards from scrimmage just once in his last five outings (he reached that mark in 10 of 15 games last year). Throw Darren McFadden, Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford into the debate, as well.


Newton. He's done nothing, but all the talent is still there. I think a lot of the problem is the team -- they've abandoned the run, leaving Newton to do it all and he just can't. I think this could end up being good for him in the long run, but he doesn't seem to be learning and that worries me a bit. The plus is that he's healthy, but that makes it even more confounding that he could vanish like this. Then again, notice that Ponder is a positive surprise and Newton is a bust -- but they're four points apart on the season. The difference is value and clearly Newton was drafted much higher and weighted with unrealistic expectations.


After Monday night, you're going to hear a lot of audible complaints from Stafford and Calvin Johnson owners. Megatron, specifically, came into the season as the most dominant player at his position in fantasy, a lone wolf, but he has barely performed like a starter in a standard 12-team, two-receiver league. A number of second-tier backs can make a case, including one assumed first-tier one in McCoy, and Jimmy Graham certainly qualifies as a bust relative to draft position. But, in the end, those guys should pay their owners back. It's hard to be as certain with the Panthers' Newton. He looks like a beaten man and his fantasy owners are, too. If someone would've told me that Stafford would have fallen so far down the quarterback totem pole that he'd find himself behind the likes of Christian Ponder, Mark Sanchez, Brandon Weeden and Alex Smith, I would've said you were crazy, but Detroit is unraveling and Stafford's less-than-inspired play is a major cause. Also getting dishonorable mention is Darren McFadden (Who would've believed that he'd remain healthy yet still be a bust?).


These are just some of the views of the writes of Sports Illustrated. To be honest I couldn't agree with them more. These players have not impressed me at all. They all had this big buzz around them coming into this seaosn, and they have let everyone down. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/fantasy/10/22/fantasy-football-roundtable/index.html#ixzz2AG58BrTg


Until next time,\
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Top 4 Players To Keep an Eye On

Hey All,

 Today I will like to talk about some key players around the NFL who are either hurt or will not be with the team as of 2013.

First player on my list is Green Bay Packers Charles Woodson, FS. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Silverstein, he believes that this will be Woodson's last year with the team. The reason Silverstein says it will be his last season with the Packers is because Woodson's Salary of $9 Million will be "too odious for the Packers to pay a 36-year-old Corner coming off a broken collarbone."  Truth is I think Woodson's age is finally catching up to him. His play has slipped of the past year, but to say that he won't be able to produce in 2013 is outrageous. If it comes done to it, and he is not on the team, he will make for an interesting open market in the NFL.

Next on my list is Victor Cruz of the New York Giants, WR. Cruz is looking for a long-term deal by the offseason. Cruz is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this offseason. He has gone on record saying "We don't want to drag it along and (have it) become something that blocks the team in the offseason, and something that's in the media every day." He also said "We want to just knock it out halfway through the season, or during the season at the very least, and put it behind." Cruz never considered a holdout last summer, but in the midst of another monster campaign, it wouldn't be surprising if he resisted simply being slapped with the RFA tender. Locking him up is almost certainly a top priority for the G-Men as he is one of Eli's main targets, and a huge deep threat.

Sean Lee, LB, for the Dallas Cowboys is next on my players to watch list. ESPN Dallas reports that the Sean Lee will need season-ending  surgery on his right big toe. Two NFL Network insiders confirm the report, and Fox Sports Southwest is told the injury is similar to Felix Jones' season-ending torn toe ligament in 2008. The Cowboys have a capable backup in veteran Dan Connor, but this would be a devastating loss for their defense. Lee has been arguable the NFL'stop inside linebacker through seven weeks, racking up 58 tackles with four passes defensed. With freakish closing speed, the IDP stud has been elite in run support and above average in coverage. Now I still think this is a huge loss for the boys, as they have not been the best defensive team this year, and this can't do anything but hurt them this season.

The last player I will talk about is QB Kevin Kolb of the Arizona Cardinals. Although he expects to play again this season, Kolb (ribs/shoulder) acknowledges there is no timetable set for him to return. "Unfortunately they can't tell me because of the severity of it," Kolb said. "Every Monday and Wednesday when I meet with the doctors, I ask them 'Hey give me a timetable.' And they won't do it. At least until another couple weeks where things settle back in like they're supposed to." I'm not expecting to see Kolb back on the field until after Thanksgiving. The Cardinals have a very capable backup in Skelton in the time being. Skelton should fill in the roll nicely until Kolb is healthy enough to return to action.

Those are the players I believe that will affect their teams if something major doesn't happen soon. There are plenty more players to talk about but I don't want to have you fine people bored with that so there's my top 4 players to keep an eye on, and possible loss them from your fantasy team if need be.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

The Collapse of The Pirates

Hey All,

Today is a very sad day in the land of the Burg. It's now October and the battlin buccos should be preparing for the postseason, but yet they are not. Following the worst half of baseball that I have ever seen in my life. The Pirates have now had 20 straight losing seasons. That sets an MLB record, a record no team what's to hold. Unforchantaly the Buccos own that record.

The Pirates fell apart right after the trade deadline. There was no stopping it, the management had made its decision. They should have kept the team as it was when they were winning, instead of trying to bring a new comer in. Pedro Alvarez said it the best, "we should have kept all of us together, and not try and make some big move."

If you look back on when the Bucs were winning, you'll notice that they were just out there to have fun and play baseball. Between throwing up the Zoltan Z after every hit, and the pitchers having more enthusiasm after every pitch, that was when the Pirates were winning games. Then the pressure got to them after the All Star break and they fell apart.

Do I think Wandy Rodriguez was a bad pick up, no, but I don't believe he was a good fit in the Pirates pitching rotation. When manager Clint Hurdle moved around the starting rotation is when he got into pitcher James McDonald's head and his "stuff" wasn't there anymore. He was in the heads of his players. Hurdle shouldn't have picked up a pitcher, but rather pick up a position player to help out the hitting. The Pirates weren't losing games by much, in the first half of the season, just by 1 or 2 runs. If they would have brought in a big bat to help out, I think I'd be talking about how far the Bucs are going to go into the playoffs, rather than them missing it yet again and having an under .500 season.

The last thing the bugs me about the Pirates season was the fans chanting "MVP!! MVP!!! MVP!!!" every time McCutchen got up to bat. Do I think he had a chance at it, in the first half of the season, yes. Do I think he carried that team at that time, yes. Do I think if they had a first half MVP as well as a second half MVP that he would have won it, yes. But that does not mean that he is going to get it. Yes I know he was batting in the 400's and his slugging and on base percentage were outrageous, but by no means was he in MVP forum.

All in all the Pirates had a good season, and have a lot of room for improvement. I've said this countless times but if they can find and put a team together that works, and that is winning an having fun, they will be a nice team and can make a good run for October and the postseason.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Goodell Apologizes For Ref's

Hey All,

Roger Goodell's words couldn't have sounded more heartfelt.

“Obviously, when you go through something painful like this, it’s painful for everybody,” Goodell said of the NFL's negotiations with the no longer locked out officials. “Most importantly, it’s painful for our fans. We are sorry to have to put our fans through that, but it’s something, in the short term, you have to do to get the kind of agreement for the long term and continue to grow the game.”

However, Commissioner Goodell wouldn’t say outright that the Green Bay Packers should have been awarded an interception, a determination that would have avoided Monday night’s fiasco in Seattle.

Goodell, however, clearly stated the botched call — actually two on the Seahawks game-winning Hail Mary — did one thing.

“It may have pushed the parties further along,” he told reporters on a conference call on Thursday. “We were really in intensive negotiations the last few weeks.”

The league and the NFL Referees Association came to an agreement early Thursday morning to end a lockout that began in June and resulted in replacement officials in the preseason and the first three weeks of the regular season. Missed penalties and misinterpretation of the rules followed, calls that infuriated players, coaches and fans alike.




Of course, there was no better example than when the replacement crew missed a clear offensive pass interference call on Seattle receiver Golden Tate and what appeared to be an interception by Packers safety M.D. Jennings. Tate, however, was given credit for the touchdown and the Seahawks won 14-12.

Goodell said he didn’t closely examine the disputed play from Monday Night Football, but added the missed pass interference call “was clearly a mistake.” The interception? Goodell said that “was a close call.”

“That’s the beauty of sports and the beauty of officiating, is that there are controversial calls and people see them differently,” Goodell said. “I understand that. That’s the beauty of sports.”

The regular officials are back starting with Thursday night’s game Cleveland Browns-Baltimore Ravens game with a crew headed by 10-year veteran Gene Steratore. Goodell said the decision to push regular officials into service so quickly — normally a process that includes added training and physicals — was made Wednesday night as the two sides inched toward an agreement.

“Of course, I was very interested in (getting the regular officials) back on the field as quickly as possible,” Goodell said. “The logistics of being able to do that within 24 hours was challenging. I think both parties worked very hard to make sure that got done.”

The new eight-year agreement runs through the 2019 season and includes:

-- Current officials will keep their pension plan through the 2016 season (or until the official has 20 years of service accumulated) before the plan is frozen. After that, the pension will be converted into a 401k.

-- Average pay will increase from $149,000 (the average from a season ago) to $205,000 by the end of the agreement.

-- The NFL will be able to hire full-time officials to accompany the current crop, which are able to hold full-time jobs.

“This wasn’t all about economics,” Goodell said. “Clearly, the pension was one of those economic issues. Getting to the point of full-time officiating was one of the last items discussed last night. That was the last piece of the agreement, to move to full-time officiating on a limited basis. It’s new. It’s different. I think that’s positive development.”

Until next time readers,As always readers you keep doing what your doing, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

To read more check out cbssports.com

Test For Arizona

Hey All,

Say what you will about Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb, but this week belongs to him. It doesn't matter if the Cardinals win or lose; Kolb is the story, and here's why:

Philadelphia.

The Eagles are next on the schedule, with critics ready to rehash the deal that sent Kolb to Arizona last summer. But they may not stop there, continuing on to regurgitate the events of this March when the Cards pulled out of the Peyton Manning Sweepstakes to make a $7 million commitment to Kolb.

So he better be good Sunday. Otherwise, get ready for a tsunami of I-told-you-so's.

Of course, that's often the drill with NFL quarterbacks, but it's not often you have one game to prove yourself to detractors. Kolb had one season last year, but injuries and uninspiring play (and a 3-6 record) put him in a competition a year later -- a competition he lost. But when John Skelton bowed out in the season opener, Kolb stepped in, and you know the rest of the story.

Arizona hasn't lost.

So there's a feeling that maybe, just maybe, Kolb has woken up and that Arizona might have found its quarterback to challenge San Francisco in the NFC West. I mean, the Cards have the defense to do it. They have the receivers, too. And they may finally have a running game. What they don't have is a reliable quarterback.

Until now ... maybe.

While it's too early to say Kolb has arrived, you look at his past four games with Arizona and the signs are encouraging. In that time, he has completed 62 percent of his passes for 455 yards, with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 101.5. He also beat Tom Brady in New England's home opener -- something nobody else has accomplished.

But beating the Patriots on the road might be easier than overcoming his former team and teammates at home. I know, Arizona has won its past six there and nine of its past 11 overall, but I remember what Brett Favre said about facing the Packers for the first time. He said he seldom was more nervous.

Then he beat them twice with stellar performances, throwing seven touchdown passes and no interceptions.

I imagine jitters will kick in with Kolb, too, though let's be honest: He didn't have the career in Philadelphia that Favre had in Green Bay. Nowhere close. Favre was an All-Pro, three-time MVP and Super Bowl winner with the Packers. He also was the face of the franchise. Kolb was the quarterback who was supposed to replace Donovan McNabb ... but didn't. Michael Vick did, replacing Kolb after he was hurt in the 2010 season opener vs. Green Bay.

Nevertheless, there must be an anxiety for Kolb that might be absent if he were playing, say, Cleveland or Washington. He knows Philadelphia fans will be tuned in, and I imagine he would like them to know that he's good enough to beat their team. But first things first, and first Kolb must prove to his own teammates, coaches and fans that what they've seen the past six quarters is the quarterback he is.

That sounds easy. I mean, just go out and be yourself, right? Except he's facing a lot of familiar faces Sunday, and I assume that would jack up anyone.

"I'm sure," said one NFC coach, "in the back of his mind he'd like to show them something. It's only natural to be excited. There's not a guy in this league who doesn't get geared up to play his former team. But it's not like he was driven out or they didn't respect the guy."

He's right about that. Eagles coach Andy Reid still talks fondly of Kolb and insists he wouldn't have parted with him if Vick didn't come along. Given the choice, Reid picked Vick and moved Kolb to Arizona. It's not unlike what happened to Philadelphia the year before when Reid moved McNabb to Washington and chose Kolb as his starter.

When McNabb returned, Eagles fans gave him a standing ovation in pregame introductions. Then the contest started and he was booed. McNabb wasn't particularly effective that afternoon (8 of 19 for 125 yards and a touchdown), but he got the job done under duress. Final score: Washington 17, Philadelphia 12.

Kolb isn't returning to Philadelphia. He's home, where he was booed at the team's annual "Fan Fest" in June. That was then, this is now, and now Kevin Kolb has a chance to show people everywhere that he and the Arizona Cardinals are a whole lot better than they thought.

"There's a lot of hidden talent on this team," Kolb told me last month. "I think there are a lot of guys people don't know about. We have weapons all over the place. We have three or four good running backs, and our receiving corps is as stacked as I've seen -- and that's coming from a very talented group in Philadelphia. And, obviously, our defense played well last year. If they can pick up where they were, I don't see why we couldn't win the division and more."

I do. The Cardinals must find a quarterback, and maybe they just did. This weekend will offer more clues, and it's hard not to root for Kolb. So much has been expected of him for so long, and now he holds center stage, with a chance to excel.

"You have the feeling that the time is right for you to emerge?" I asked him last month.

"It is," he said. "I feel that way. I feel the urgency, and I look forward to getting it done."

So does everyone in Arizona.

WVU Rolls Past James Madison

Hey All,

As fun as they are to watch, Geno Smith and his West Virginia receivers don't play Sam Huff football.

Too much finesse. Too many yards. Too many points.

It was only appropriate, therefore, that on the day the Mountaineers honored their legendary linebacker, the less-heralded defense had a couple of moments that no doubt did him proud.

Give Smith his well-deserved accolades for his five touchdown passes Saturday in the No. 9 Mountaineers' 42-12 win over James Madison, but don't fault the defense if it boasts a bit about a couple of goal line stands that might have looked right at home in the Huff days of the 1960s.

"I bet you he was pretty excited, wasn't he?" West Virginia defensive coordinator Joe DeForest said. "I hope so. I'd like to talk to him about it. ... What they did there, they showed like they're growing up."

With the Mountaineers playing at the Washington Redskins stadium -- they need to maintain an East Coast profile for recruiting now that they've moved to the Big 12 -- former Redskins Hall of Fame linebacker Huff served as the honorary captain and soaked up the cheers as he held up his long-retired No. 75 jersey during the quarter break in the first half.

By then, Smith had already staked West Virginia (2-0) to a 21-0 lead. He went to complete 34 of 39 passes for 411 yards, moving past Marc Bulger (8,153) to set the school record for career yards passing (8,191).

Smith's favorite targets, Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin, both had 100 yards receiving by halftime. Bailey finished with 173 yards on 13 catches and three touchdowns, while Austin had 113 yards on 11 receptions and one score for the Mountaineers, who piled up 569 yards and improved to 13-0 all-time against FCS schools.

What could Smith have done better? Not much.

"I had five incompletions," the quarterback said. "I could've completed all five of those."

He added that he could have made better decisions when the offense hit a lull in the third quarter, but that's when the defense came through, stopping James Madison on four running plays after the Dukes had first-and-goal at the 3, then coming up with a third-down interception in the end zone after a first-and-goal at the 9.

"The two goal line stands were very impressive," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. "As a team we overcame adversity there in the third quarter. We've got to get used to that."

They won't have much if Smith keeps playing like this, working the no-huddle attack with creative tosses, slip screens and scrambles. It was a thing of beauty when he ignored the rusher in his face and draped a pass onto Austin's shoulder for a 24-yard gain in the second quarter.

Much of the time, however, the quarterback found receivers so open that his passes became easy target practice, including his 4-yard touchdown throw to Dante Campbell for the redshirt freshman's first collegiate catch.

Stedman's touchdown catches came in various shapes and sizes -- a 9-yarder on a screen, a 3-yarder on a fade in which no one covered him, and a 30-yarder that Smith lobbed perfectly into a seam between two defensive backs down the sideline.

The Mountaineers have scored 181 points in their past three games -- including 70 in last season's Orange Bowl and 69 in their opener against Marshall.

The Dukes (2-1), remembered for stunning then-No. 13 Virginia Tech two years ago, tried just about everything, but they were never in this one.

"They've shown potential to upset people," Holgorsen said. "I give our guys credit for not falling into that trap."

James Madison got called for 12 men on the field twice on defense in the first quarter, and then successfully converted a fourth-and-1 at their own 34 on the first play of the second quarter -- a ploy that managed to keep the Mountaineers' offense off the field for a least a couple of extra minutes.

"We didn't come out of the chute at all," James Madison coach Mickey Matthews said. "I can't show you why. We didn't show a lot of poise."

The Dukes were also missing leading rusher Dae'Quan Scott, who injured an ankle last week. Then they lost Daniel Brown to a torn ACL in his right knee on the first offensive play, defensive tackle Jordan Stanton to a concussion, and safety Titus Till to an ankle injury.

James Madison's fans roared when their team finally forced West Virginia to punt late in the first half, and again when the Mountaineers' Shawne Alston was tackled for a safety in the third quarter -- although the two points were a bittersweet consolation prize that came after the offense had been halted by the Huff-like stop at the 1.

"The goal line stands by them in the third quarter," Matthews said, "certainly kept it out of reach."

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.