To say that the Bruins looked better in the second game would be an understatement of the obvious. The hit the ice with more intensity and energy with Krejci, Ryder and Chara all just missing some early goals. The first power play showed some great movement and tons of shots even though only 4 were credited as being on goal it seemed like the team put 10 or more into the area. But then the giveaway reared it’s ugly head and Boychuk lets Korpikovsky loose on a shorthanded breakaway. Thomas took over where Rask left off stopping it and keeping the Coyotes off the board. This would be the theme for the game, Thomas doing everything he can to keep the turnover’s and poor defense from turning into Coyote points.
The bright spot for the Bruins was that their work in the offensive zone was much more consistent. The Krejci line still was a force and Phoenix had a hard time throughout the game keeping them in check. The rest of the team really needs to work hard to keep up with their intensity throughout the game. Other offensive standouts were Wheeler working with Caron and Recchi working with Seguin. The power play was solid even though they didn’t get any points off of it, I can see that if they work this hard on it all year long they will improve on last years numbers. Having Seguin with Recchi on the second power play line will help as well. Two of the three goals were scored by the first line, in fact 4 of the 5 Bruins goals are from the first line which is disturbing. The goal everyone is talking about, and rightly so, is Seguin’s breakaway which was started by an even more impressive pass from Ryder. I noticed that Seidenberg started to get involved in the offensive end in the third period as well and hustled back at one point to stop a 4 on 3.
The biggest issue in the game was that the Bruins defense was too soft and the team turned the puck over too much and gave up too many breakaways. I counted at least 3 in the first period alone and neither goalie will be able to stop them all, just look at Rask the night before. Thomas was lucky that the Coyotes missed an empty net twice in the third period. The Bruins were not very physical in their own end either, The defense likes to follow the puck and try to poke check instead of knocking the player off of the puck. At one point in the Second period Seguin was battling for the puck in the Phoenix end and when Yandle was able to get the puck on a pass and walk it through to Thomas with three Bruins watching him and not hitting him. Earlier in the period Marchand, Chara, and Campbell all watched as Stempniak skated the puck into the Bruins zone and was able to get a shot off about 1o feet from Thomas. It just seems like they are afraid to get a penalty called on them or would rather trust that the goalie will stop the puck if they don’t block his view.
The Bruins announcers gave the team a perfect 10 but there were way too many easy chance for the Coyotes to give the team more than a 7 out of 10 rating. The team was credited with 42 hits which is actually more than Phoenix but I would say they need to get more physical and it goes with out saying that the odd man rush turnovers need to stop or else this will be a long season. The first line has 9 points, rest of the team 6, not a good ratio to start the season. But there is definitely a ton of positives to take out of this game as well as the first and the season is young and if the turn around after the second period of the first game is an indication they will only get better an fix the problems.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Bruins opening night
Disappointing is the first word that came to mind after watching the Bruins game when I got home from work. OK, maybe not the first word, but the first word that I would want my son to read when he reads my blog. The first line of Krejci, Lucic, and Horton were great all game long and I can’t wait to see what the Seguin, Recchi, and Bergeron line will do will do on the power play as well. Wheeler was another standout all game long, throwing his body around and taking shots, very nice to see. Rask was solid in net even though he gave up 4 goals because it easily could have been worse.
The first period started well for the Bruins, the first line fought hard and moved the puck well but couldn’t get anything going. In fact early on the Bruins offense was moving the puck well and patiently waiting for something to open up, trying hard to take advantage of the Phoenix giveaways. Unfortunately patience is what did them in all night long on offense, at times no one wanted to shoot the puck. The first goal of the game by Phoenix came off of a weird bounce that popped out over the goal from behind on a shot from near the blue line. Vrbata was patient enough to wait for it to come below the top of the net and poked it home. It was a pretty goal and not Rask’s fault. After that Rask was able to stop two different breakaways that came about after giveaways by Chara and Recchi.
Boston got three power play chances in the period and couldn’t get anything going on any of them, lots of passing and dumping but very few shots to show for it. Phoenix was lead by Hanzal, Prucha, and Vrbata as they set the tone for the team and were forces all game long.
If the Bruins played like they did in the first and third periods for the entire game they will have a ton of success all year long. But then there was the second period, lazy play throughout for all but the first line, Wheeler and Rask. The defense couldn’t decide if they wanted to watch the puck or follow the puck and neither was the correct answer. The second goal of the game, this one by Pyatt on a pass from behind the net was way too easy for the Coyotes. Then came another giveaway, this one by Paille, and the third one was the charm for Phoenix as Upshall takes it in on a breakaway and gets it by Rask on the right side. That wasn’t the end of the poor defense, it took just under minute on their first power play for the Coyotes to go up by 4 goals. The Bruins left too much room in the middle of the zone and Belanger just walked in and put it by Rask who had no shot as the puck went from right to left and back again with ease.
The third period saw a new Bruins team come out lead again by the Krejci line and some heavy hitting by Wheeler, Chara and Campbell but it wasn’t enough to get them back into the game. Horton got the first Bruin goal of the year with an assist from both of his line-mates and gives us all something to look forward too. Campbell then tried to get tough but it ended up being a spin fight and he and Fiddler fought, I use the term loosely here, to a draw after they got dizzy and fell down. Horton came through again, this time on the power play and got them within 2 goals with 11 minutes left in the game but the team couldn’t get anything else going.
I liked the energy of the first 10 minutes of the game and the entire third period but a team that only plays half of the game will not be in the playoffs at the end of the year. At least it looked like the team got straightened out in the second intermission so we will have to hope that continues. The Krejci, Horton and Lucic line look like they will be a force and if Wheeler can keep it up that will be a big help as well. Seguin made some pretty passes, that one in the first period to Recchi on the power play was great and should have been put home, but we will have to give them some time to gell. It’s only the first game out of 82 and they won’t win them all but the second period was very disturbing.
The first period started well for the Bruins, the first line fought hard and moved the puck well but couldn’t get anything going. In fact early on the Bruins offense was moving the puck well and patiently waiting for something to open up, trying hard to take advantage of the Phoenix giveaways. Unfortunately patience is what did them in all night long on offense, at times no one wanted to shoot the puck. The first goal of the game by Phoenix came off of a weird bounce that popped out over the goal from behind on a shot from near the blue line. Vrbata was patient enough to wait for it to come below the top of the net and poked it home. It was a pretty goal and not Rask’s fault. After that Rask was able to stop two different breakaways that came about after giveaways by Chara and Recchi.
Boston got three power play chances in the period and couldn’t get anything going on any of them, lots of passing and dumping but very few shots to show for it. Phoenix was lead by Hanzal, Prucha, and Vrbata as they set the tone for the team and were forces all game long.
If the Bruins played like they did in the first and third periods for the entire game they will have a ton of success all year long. But then there was the second period, lazy play throughout for all but the first line, Wheeler and Rask. The defense couldn’t decide if they wanted to watch the puck or follow the puck and neither was the correct answer. The second goal of the game, this one by Pyatt on a pass from behind the net was way too easy for the Coyotes. Then came another giveaway, this one by Paille, and the third one was the charm for Phoenix as Upshall takes it in on a breakaway and gets it by Rask on the right side. That wasn’t the end of the poor defense, it took just under minute on their first power play for the Coyotes to go up by 4 goals. The Bruins left too much room in the middle of the zone and Belanger just walked in and put it by Rask who had no shot as the puck went from right to left and back again with ease.
The third period saw a new Bruins team come out lead again by the Krejci line and some heavy hitting by Wheeler, Chara and Campbell but it wasn’t enough to get them back into the game. Horton got the first Bruin goal of the year with an assist from both of his line-mates and gives us all something to look forward too. Campbell then tried to get tough but it ended up being a spin fight and he and Fiddler fought, I use the term loosely here, to a draw after they got dizzy and fell down. Horton came through again, this time on the power play and got them within 2 goals with 11 minutes left in the game but the team couldn’t get anything else going.
I liked the energy of the first 10 minutes of the game and the entire third period but a team that only plays half of the game will not be in the playoffs at the end of the year. At least it looked like the team got straightened out in the second intermission so we will have to hope that continues. The Krejci, Horton and Lucic line look like they will be a force and if Wheeler can keep it up that will be a big help as well. Seguin made some pretty passes, that one in the first period to Recchi on the power play was great and should have been put home, but we will have to give them some time to gell. It’s only the first game out of 82 and they won’t win them all but the second period was very disturbing.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sharks vs. Blue Jackets period 1
It really looked like the Sharks were going to run away with this game and not look back. But 2 goals in under a minute got them back into it and gave them lots of life. Thornton and the sharks were pushing them around all over the place and taking advantage of the power play early. They also killed off 3 minutes 55 seconds of consecutive power play minutes by the Jackets before scoring when they got up a man. The only early bright spot for Columbus was they won the first fight by a TKO as Boll knocked McLaren went down twice before the Refs stepped in.
Then Huselius scored on the power play to get the Blue Jackets on the board and 15 seconds later Umberger got a gift and tied the game. The Sharks were definitely getting more chances on offense in the first period and Marleau just missed an open net towards the end of the period. The goalies both had good and bad points but Niemi looked better as a whole, the second goal was not his fault as the defense let him down and gave up the puck in their own end.
Then Huselius scored on the power play to get the Blue Jackets on the board and 15 seconds later Umberger got a gift and tied the game. The Sharks were definitely getting more chances on offense in the first period and Marleau just missed an open net towards the end of the period. The goalies both had good and bad points but Niemi looked better as a whole, the second goal was not his fault as the defense let him down and gave up the puck in their own end.
Wild vs. Hurricanes 1st period
I have to dvr the rest of the game but here are my thoughts on the first period. The Hurricanes defense apparently feel that Cam Ward needs some extra exercise because they are just letting the Wild and Koivu especially pepper the net from all angles. The score could just as easily be 3-0 instead of 1-0. Minnesota is definitely being more aggressive and showing that they are better than what they showed yesterday.
Leafs Habs
All of Montreal was waiting for Carey Price to show how terrible a move it was getting rid of Halak but it was the defense that let them down instead. Hal Gill and Tomas Plekanec both helped in giving up the first two goals. Gill pinched on a give-away and gave up the one on one with Kessel in which Price did well but couldn't keep his left leg from moving into the goal and letting in the puck. Price was great the rest of the game giving up only one more goal and keeping the Habs close. The last goal by MacArthur was possible because both Kostitsyn and Spacek let him walk right through the middle and he had his choice of which part of the net he should hit with the puck. If the Canadiens don't play better defense this year then it won't matter who is in the between the pipes it will be a long season.
For the Leafs it was a great win that set's them up for a much better start on the season. For whatever reason the team was never able to recover from last year's loss in OT.But the Leafs defense was solid for most of the time and what few lapses they had Giguere was there to keep the puck out of the net. They at least have matched last years win total for October after game 1, gives them a lot of time to improve.
For the Leafs it was a great win that set's them up for a much better start on the season. For whatever reason the team was never able to recover from last year's loss in OT.But the Leafs defense was solid for most of the time and what few lapses they had Giguere was there to keep the puck out of the net. They at least have matched last years win total for October after game 1, gives them a lot of time to improve.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Penguins vs. Flyers
The pre-game ceremony was all about the new Penguin arena, the game ended up being about the Flyers rookie goalie Bobrovsky. The Penguins had the early energy and peppered the Flyers goalie with 15 shots in the first period but he held tough and got a couple lucky breaks as well. The Penguins couldn't get anything through and gave up the first 2 goals of the game and the arena to the Flyers and couldn't come back. They were able to get within 1 goal under a minute into the 3rd period but gave up a shorthanded goal about 4 minutes later which took some of the air out of the building. Even when they got the next goal you still had a feeling this would be Bobrovsky's night. Fleury did well in the Penguin's net and made some stellar saves but the Penguin's defense was overmatched by the Flyer's physicality and gave up a few too many breakaway's including the shorthander. If the Penguin's defense plays like this throughout the season then the offense will need to be getting 4 or more goals a night to give themselves a winning record.
The Flyer defense was the unit setting the tone of the game, it seemed like players were diving in front of every shot and you could tell that they were all making an effort to help their rookie goalie get comfortable early. It's only the first game and as opening night home games go the pre-game ceremonies may have done more to hurt the Penguins than give them a home edge because the Flyer's did a better job focusing their energy.
The Flyer defense was the unit setting the tone of the game, it seemed like players were diving in front of every shot and you could tell that they were all making an effort to help their rookie goalie get comfortable early. It's only the first game and as opening night home games go the pre-game ceremonies may have done more to hurt the Penguins than give them a home edge because the Flyer's did a better job focusing their energy.
Hockey game 1
And so it begins!!!!
The hockey season has officially started...woohoo!!!
So Carolina wins 4-3 over the Minnesota Wild, good game but Minnesota gave up a three goals in the second period with some shoddy and lazy defense. The stars of the game for Minnesota were Guillaume Latendresse, Mikko Koivu, Brent Burn, and Cal Clutterbuck. For the Hurricanes it was Anton Babchuk, Joni Pitkanen, Brandon Sutter, and Cam Ward.
Sutter scored two of the Huricane's goals and Babchuk seemed to be all over the ice on the power play when he was out there. Clutterbuck was making his presence known whenever he was out on the ice with seven hits and zero penalty minutes. Koivu and Matt Cullen look like they will be logging a lot of ice time for the Wild this year as they were both over 21 minutes, Cullen was over 23 minutes, and were on the ice more than all but 3 of the Hurricanes players (all defensmen).
Both goalies did well to keep the scoring what it was, with Ward having to get a couple acrobatic saves to keep the win for the 'Canes. Backstrom was under the gun in the second period when the defense let him down but other than that he was steady and made the saves he was supposed to.
The hockey season has officially started...woohoo!!!
So Carolina wins 4-3 over the Minnesota Wild, good game but Minnesota gave up a three goals in the second period with some shoddy and lazy defense. The stars of the game for Minnesota were Guillaume Latendresse, Mikko Koivu, Brent Burn, and Cal Clutterbuck. For the Hurricanes it was Anton Babchuk, Joni Pitkanen, Brandon Sutter, and Cam Ward.
Sutter scored two of the Huricane's goals and Babchuk seemed to be all over the ice on the power play when he was out there. Clutterbuck was making his presence known whenever he was out on the ice with seven hits and zero penalty minutes. Koivu and Matt Cullen look like they will be logging a lot of ice time for the Wild this year as they were both over 21 minutes, Cullen was over 23 minutes, and were on the ice more than all but 3 of the Hurricanes players (all defensmen).
Both goalies did well to keep the scoring what it was, with Ward having to get a couple acrobatic saves to keep the win for the 'Canes. Backstrom was under the gun in the second period when the defense let him down but other than that he was steady and made the saves he was supposed to.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
College Football is Here!!!
So the fun has arrived, I am a huge fan of college sports, especially football and basketball as I feel the players care more about the team and school then when they hit the pro's. This is especially true when the smaller conference schools play the BCS conference schools. So here is a run down of my thoughts on a couple of the games I watched Thursday night.
South Carolina versus Southern Mississippi started out looking like it would be a great game and relatively evenly matched but South Carolina started taking control in the first quarter and never looked back. It looks like the other USC has the running game they didn't have last year and even though their offensive line is a little suspect their possession receivers should be able to make them a 10 win team. I need to see how they do against a better defense before I would give them a chance to battle for the SEC title against Bama. Spurrier loves to pass the ball and even though Garcia did pretty well with his decision making it's not the same as an Alabama or Auburn.Georgia should let everyone know what their season will be like. If they can win that game then they will be legit contenders for the SEC title.
Middle Tennessee State looked good against Minnesota but they are too small to stay with the large conference teams for too long. They will however make it to a bowl game which is something Minnesota will not do. Minnesota will start off 3-1 but may win only one more game the rest of the year. They just didn't seem to have a good enough offense or defense to beat the Big Ten teams.
Best game of the night was Pitt versus Utah. Pitt is a legit top 25 team as is Utah and both teams were fun to watch. Pittsburgh has a great running back in Dion Lewis, he will be a great NFL back when he comes out. Very powerful and fast with a great stiff arm and balance. Utah has a very athletic team, kind of small especially up front, but they will definitely give teams fits and should be able to run the table in their conference until they hit TCU. I was a little surprised at the amount of penalties in the game but that comes with the first game of the season and most of the games were a little more penalty filled then normal. Both quarterback's in the game played well and had some moments of glory, it was tough to see the interception at the end but I was rooting for Utah anyway.
The first half of the USC, Hawaii game has been fun to watch, at least what I have seen after the Utah game ended. I would love to see USC lose but it just isn't gonna happen, their receivers are too fast and tall for the Warriors. Hawaii should be able to win about 8 games this year as they are always going to put up a fight and have enough of a passing attack to keep them close, and if their running game stays a threat then they may even surpass the 8 win mark. It is hard to tell how USC is doing, there offense is very good but their defense is giving up some big plays.
South Carolina versus Southern Mississippi started out looking like it would be a great game and relatively evenly matched but South Carolina started taking control in the first quarter and never looked back. It looks like the other USC has the running game they didn't have last year and even though their offensive line is a little suspect their possession receivers should be able to make them a 10 win team. I need to see how they do against a better defense before I would give them a chance to battle for the SEC title against Bama. Spurrier loves to pass the ball and even though Garcia did pretty well with his decision making it's not the same as an Alabama or Auburn.Georgia should let everyone know what their season will be like. If they can win that game then they will be legit contenders for the SEC title.
Middle Tennessee State looked good against Minnesota but they are too small to stay with the large conference teams for too long. They will however make it to a bowl game which is something Minnesota will not do. Minnesota will start off 3-1 but may win only one more game the rest of the year. They just didn't seem to have a good enough offense or defense to beat the Big Ten teams.
Best game of the night was Pitt versus Utah. Pitt is a legit top 25 team as is Utah and both teams were fun to watch. Pittsburgh has a great running back in Dion Lewis, he will be a great NFL back when he comes out. Very powerful and fast with a great stiff arm and balance. Utah has a very athletic team, kind of small especially up front, but they will definitely give teams fits and should be able to run the table in their conference until they hit TCU. I was a little surprised at the amount of penalties in the game but that comes with the first game of the season and most of the games were a little more penalty filled then normal. Both quarterback's in the game played well and had some moments of glory, it was tough to see the interception at the end but I was rooting for Utah anyway.
The first half of the USC, Hawaii game has been fun to watch, at least what I have seen after the Utah game ended. I would love to see USC lose but it just isn't gonna happen, their receivers are too fast and tall for the Warriors. Hawaii should be able to win about 8 games this year as they are always going to put up a fight and have enough of a passing attack to keep them close, and if their running game stays a threat then they may even surpass the 8 win mark. It is hard to tell how USC is doing, there offense is very good but their defense is giving up some big plays.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
My 65
OK,
So here are my picks for the 65 teams that should be in the tournament. As of my post there are 4 automatic bids that are not played yet and those are empty on the top part and the teams that I expect to win are in the "at large" part of the list. I have also picked my 4 "number 1" seeds. If there is an upset in the ACC or Big 10 game then my list is incorrect and I will delete the following teams in this order: Clemson and URI.
There are a couple teams I didn't include that probably should be in, Louisville didn't make it because they beat 2 teams that are in the tourney, Syracuse twice and Notre Dame once. Considering they are in the Big East and had a 11-7 record in conference it would look good, but they lost to Georgetown, Pitt, Villanova, and West Virginia. The same can be said for Marquette they beat Georgetown once and lost the same amount of games to tournament teams. Both of these teams also lost in the first round of the conference tournament.
Illinois also had a good run but didn't win many big games when they needed to. Of course you could make the case that they belong instead of URI but the Big 10 is not that strong and don't need 5 teams. Those are my picks, let the arguments begin.
AUTO Bids 31
ACC (6)
Vermont (AEC) (1)
East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun) (1)
Atlantic 10 (4)
West Virginia #1 seed (Big East) (6)
Montana (Big Sky) (1)
Winthrop (Big South) (1)
Big 10 (4)
Kansas #1 seed (Big 12) (6)
UCSB (Big West) (1)
Old Dominion (CAA) (1)
Houston (C-USA) (4)
Butler (Horizon) (1)
Cornell (Ivy) (1)
Siena (MAAC) (1)
Ohio (MAC) (1)
Morgan State (MEAC) (1)
Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley) (1)
San Diego State (MT. West) (4)
Robert Morris (Northeast) (1)
Murray State (OVC) (1)
Washington (Pac-10) (3)
Lehigh (Patriot) (1)
SEC (4)
Wofford (SoCon) (1)
Sam Houston State (Southland) (1)
Arkansas Pine Bluff (SWAC) (1)
Oakland (Summit) (1)
North Texas (Sun Belt) (1)
New Mexico ST. WAC (2)
St. Mary's (WCC) (2)
At Large 34
ACC (6)
Maryland
Florida ST
VA Tech
Duke #1 seed
Wake Forest
Clemson
Atlantic 10 (4)
Temple
Xavier
Richmond
URI
Big 12 (6)
Kansas St.
Texas A&M
Baylor
Missouri
Texas
Big East (6)
Syracuse
Pitt
Nova
Georgetown
Notre Dame
Big Ten (4)
Ohio ST
Purdue
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Conf USA (4)
UTEP
Memphis
UAB
MT West (4)
New Mexico
BYU
UNLV
PAC-10 (3)
Cal
AZ State
SEC (4)
Kentucky #1 seed
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Miss. ST
WCC (2)
Gonzaga
WAC (2)
Utah St.
Field of 65
So here are my picks for the 65 teams that should be in the tournament. As of my post there are 4 automatic bids that are not played yet and those are empty on the top part and the teams that I expect to win are in the "at large" part of the list. I have also picked my 4 "number 1" seeds. If there is an upset in the ACC or Big 10 game then my list is incorrect and I will delete the following teams in this order: Clemson and URI.
There are a couple teams I didn't include that probably should be in, Louisville didn't make it because they beat 2 teams that are in the tourney, Syracuse twice and Notre Dame once. Considering they are in the Big East and had a 11-7 record in conference it would look good, but they lost to Georgetown, Pitt, Villanova, and West Virginia. The same can be said for Marquette they beat Georgetown once and lost the same amount of games to tournament teams. Both of these teams also lost in the first round of the conference tournament.
Illinois also had a good run but didn't win many big games when they needed to. Of course you could make the case that they belong instead of URI but the Big 10 is not that strong and don't need 5 teams. Those are my picks, let the arguments begin.
AUTO Bids 31
ACC (6)
Vermont (AEC) (1)
East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun) (1)
Atlantic 10 (4)
West Virginia #1 seed (Big East) (6)
Montana (Big Sky) (1)
Winthrop (Big South) (1)
Big 10 (4)
Kansas #1 seed (Big 12) (6)
UCSB (Big West) (1)
Old Dominion (CAA) (1)
Houston (C-USA) (4)
Butler (Horizon) (1)
Cornell (Ivy) (1)
Siena (MAAC) (1)
Ohio (MAC) (1)
Morgan State (MEAC) (1)
Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley) (1)
San Diego State (MT. West) (4)
Robert Morris (Northeast) (1)
Murray State (OVC) (1)
Washington (Pac-10) (3)
Lehigh (Patriot) (1)
SEC (4)
Wofford (SoCon) (1)
Sam Houston State (Southland) (1)
Arkansas Pine Bluff (SWAC) (1)
Oakland (Summit) (1)
North Texas (Sun Belt) (1)
New Mexico ST. WAC (2)
St. Mary's (WCC) (2)
At Large 34
ACC (6)
Maryland
Florida ST
VA Tech
Duke #1 seed
Wake Forest
Clemson
Atlantic 10 (4)
Temple
Xavier
Richmond
URI
Big 12 (6)
Kansas St.
Texas A&M
Baylor
Missouri
Texas
Big East (6)
Syracuse
Pitt
Nova
Georgetown
Notre Dame
Big Ten (4)
Ohio ST
Purdue
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Conf USA (4)
UTEP
Memphis
UAB
MT West (4)
New Mexico
BYU
UNLV
PAC-10 (3)
Cal
AZ State
SEC (4)
Kentucky #1 seed
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Miss. ST
WCC (2)
Gonzaga
WAC (2)
Utah St.
Field of 65
Thursday, February 4, 2010
96 Teams
Should the NCAA expand March Madness to 96 teams? There are a couple ways to look at this, first would be which teams would get the benefit, second would be what's the use as there will always be teams that feel left out so is it really necessary, and third would be is it just a way to get more money. The answer to the last question is the easiest of them all, of course it is. Money is the same reason the BCS system exists in football and not a playoff.
So with the last question answered lets try to answer the other two. There is no way to tell if any of the smaller conferences would be able to get any extra teams in the tourney especially when the committee goes off of RPI, strength of schedule, and conference rankings that are, to a degree, guess work. There is no way to tell the difference between a team that places out of the top 5 in a power conference and a top 3 team in most of the mid-major conferences. The strength of schedule for a power conference like the Big East or ACC will always be better then the majority of the mid-majors because they will have more top 25 teams. But this is also guess work, just look at how many number 1 teams have fallen in the last month, so that isn't the best way to judge the teams. If you go just by won/loss then the power conferences will cry fowl because they say they play more games against "tougher competition," but is this really true?
Let's take Syracuse which is ranked number 3 right now, their non-conference schedule included 4 games against teams in the top 25 and 8 games against teams with a combined record of 81-92, this includes one team that is at the top of their conference. Syracuse's strength of schedule is 9 right now, their non-conference opponents best RPI is California's 24, but includes 7 teams with an RPI of 144 or higher. Cornell, which was one of Syracuse's opponents has a strength of schedule of 138 but played only 6 teams with an RPI over 144. Of course the I am not saying that the Big East and the Ivy League as a whole are comparable top to bottom, but could Princeton or Harvard take out a team in the tourney? How about Cincinnati, right now they are number 6 in the Big East and is slated as a bubble team. Of their 12 non-conference games 7 of them had an RPI over 151, they went 2-3 against the 5 that were under that RPI number.
To further illustrate some of this look at the Pac-10. In several brackets they have 2 teams going to the tournament, in the same brackets the Big East and the Big 12 have 7 and the ACC has 6, are Maryland or Cincinnati really that much better than Washington? Washington has 4 non-conference games against teams with an RPI over 151, Cincinnati had 7 and Maryland had 6. Yes, Oregon and Oregon State are bad and bring down the Pac-10 ratings numbers but Boston College is not much better and the ACC is not hurt as much by it. So back to the original point that all of the numbers are subjective once you get past the top 4 or 5 teams of a power conference, when you play a conference game at home you have a better chance of winning as the crowd is goiong to be louder and more obnoxious.
As far as school's being upset that they get left out of the tournament...who cares, that is half the fun. We all love to argue about stuff and why not have something that starts an argument with no clear answer. The field was expanded to 64 because there was so much parity that more teams needed to get the chance to play. The best way to make 96 work would be to make it so that if a team wins the regular season they are in and if a team wins the conference tournament they are in as well. That would legitimize the move and also allow more teams that should get in and don't make it. Also the teams that normally play the number one seed would change, as adding 32 teams would give the top 16 seeds a buy in the first round and therefore those weaker conference teams may actually have a shot of winning a game in the tournament.
So with the last question answered lets try to answer the other two. There is no way to tell if any of the smaller conferences would be able to get any extra teams in the tourney especially when the committee goes off of RPI, strength of schedule, and conference rankings that are, to a degree, guess work. There is no way to tell the difference between a team that places out of the top 5 in a power conference and a top 3 team in most of the mid-major conferences. The strength of schedule for a power conference like the Big East or ACC will always be better then the majority of the mid-majors because they will have more top 25 teams. But this is also guess work, just look at how many number 1 teams have fallen in the last month, so that isn't the best way to judge the teams. If you go just by won/loss then the power conferences will cry fowl because they say they play more games against "tougher competition," but is this really true?
Let's take Syracuse which is ranked number 3 right now, their non-conference schedule included 4 games against teams in the top 25 and 8 games against teams with a combined record of 81-92, this includes one team that is at the top of their conference. Syracuse's strength of schedule is 9 right now, their non-conference opponents best RPI is California's 24, but includes 7 teams with an RPI of 144 or higher. Cornell, which was one of Syracuse's opponents has a strength of schedule of 138 but played only 6 teams with an RPI over 144. Of course the I am not saying that the Big East and the Ivy League as a whole are comparable top to bottom, but could Princeton or Harvard take out a team in the tourney? How about Cincinnati, right now they are number 6 in the Big East and is slated as a bubble team. Of their 12 non-conference games 7 of them had an RPI over 151, they went 2-3 against the 5 that were under that RPI number.
To further illustrate some of this look at the Pac-10. In several brackets they have 2 teams going to the tournament, in the same brackets the Big East and the Big 12 have 7 and the ACC has 6, are Maryland or Cincinnati really that much better than Washington? Washington has 4 non-conference games against teams with an RPI over 151, Cincinnati had 7 and Maryland had 6. Yes, Oregon and Oregon State are bad and bring down the Pac-10 ratings numbers but Boston College is not much better and the ACC is not hurt as much by it. So back to the original point that all of the numbers are subjective once you get past the top 4 or 5 teams of a power conference, when you play a conference game at home you have a better chance of winning as the crowd is goiong to be louder and more obnoxious.
As far as school's being upset that they get left out of the tournament...who cares, that is half the fun. We all love to argue about stuff and why not have something that starts an argument with no clear answer. The field was expanded to 64 because there was so much parity that more teams needed to get the chance to play. The best way to make 96 work would be to make it so that if a team wins the regular season they are in and if a team wins the conference tournament they are in as well. That would legitimize the move and also allow more teams that should get in and don't make it. Also the teams that normally play the number one seed would change, as adding 32 teams would give the top 16 seeds a buy in the first round and therefore those weaker conference teams may actually have a shot of winning a game in the tournament.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Red Sox preview
So spring training officially starts February 19 for Red Sox fans, at least that is when the pitchers and catchers report. There is still a few weeks for the team to make moves but I might as well start the talk of how the sox will do with what they have now.
The starting pitching looks like it is in great shape, many of the sports websites list the staff as being number 1 in the league, especially the top three of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey. Clay Buckholtz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Tim Wakefield will have to battle for the 4 and 5 spots unless there is a trade. Relief pitching was a “small” problem at the end of the year last season and it is hard to say if it got fixed in the off season. Jonathon Papelbon and Josh Bard are a steady closer and set-up situation but other than that it is unsure how the rest of the staff will do. Hideki Okajima was off and on all year and was horrible down the stretch with a 7.36 ERA in September and October, 14.73 versus right-handed batter‘s. Manny Delcarmen did well the first half but it looked like he got tired towards the end and had a 7.27 ERA after the all-star game. The slide really started before that, his ERA by month are: April 0.00 in 10 games, May 3.00 in 11 games, June 4.00 in 10 games, July 4.66 in 11 games, August 5.25 in 12 games, and Sept./Oct. 14.14 in 10 games. Ramon Ramirez was a shining star of the relief core with a 2.82 season ERA in 70 games. After these three relievers the team is hoping that newly acquired pitchers Scott Atchison, Ramon A. Ramirez, Boof Bonser, or Fabio Castro will help to fix the problem. It is also thought that with the top three pitchers being innings eaters the relief pitchers won’t have to work as hard early in the season, if that happens then that will do more than anything else.
OK, so lets move to the rest of the team. The starting outfield consists of Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew, and Jacoby Ellsbury. While the loss of Jason Bay will be big to the hitting numbers, the defense will be much better as by all accounts he was not close to being in the same class as Cameron or Ellsbury. The backup outfielder’s are Jeremy Hermida and Bill Hall both are good players and will be able to pick up any slack if there is an injury. Cameron will be an upgrade in speed for the offense and obviously is a great defensive player but if you look at the numbers from last year there wasn’t a huge difference last year, Cameron’s avgerage was .250 and Bay’s was .267, Bay struck out more than Cameron but had more walks and RBI. Of course Cameron played on a team that didn’t score nearly as many runs as the Red Sox, in fact the Red Sox drove in 822 runs as a team and the Brewers 757, so Cameron should have had less.
As far as the infield the major issue is Mike Lowell and what will happen with him. We know he will have to be traded before Spring Training ends and the team won’t get much for him but at this point what can they do. Adrian Beltre is an upgrade in the defense and having watched him play as a Mariner he will shine at that part of his game. As far as batting goes he is good but not great, he did hit 27 points higher away from Safeco field which is a better judge of what he might do at Fenway. Scutero is also a new addition and was brought in more for his defense then his offense, he is a solid hitter with some speed. We know what Youk and Pedroia will give us both defensively and with the bat so there isn‘t any reason to talk about them. Bill Hall will also be able to backup some at third and second with Jed Lowrie available as well.
The only other question marks are what happens with Jason Veritek in his new role as back-up catcher and how will David Ortiz start the season. As far as Ortiz he batted .230 in April, .143 in May, .320 in June, .247 in July, .222 in August, and .284 in Sept./Oct. When you take out the horrible May numbers he actually did OK, but for a DH where the job is to hit OK is not what the team needs. I would rather trade Ortiz and keep Lowell for the DH then the other way around. Victor Martinez will do fine behind the plate defensively and great at the dish offensively.
Overall the team upgraded it’s defense at some key positions and also made a big difference in the starting pitching. Offensively the team will be better then everyone thinks when the season gets going. Cameron and Beltre are solid players and have some clutch hits in their bats and will surprise a lot of fans. It is hard to compare the offensive numbers that the Yankees can put out there but the Red Sox defense will make up for some of that and the should make the playoffs. That is all we can ask right now because once the team get’s into the playoffs then almost anything can happen.
The starting pitching looks like it is in great shape, many of the sports websites list the staff as being number 1 in the league, especially the top three of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey. Clay Buckholtz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Tim Wakefield will have to battle for the 4 and 5 spots unless there is a trade. Relief pitching was a “small” problem at the end of the year last season and it is hard to say if it got fixed in the off season. Jonathon Papelbon and Josh Bard are a steady closer and set-up situation but other than that it is unsure how the rest of the staff will do. Hideki Okajima was off and on all year and was horrible down the stretch with a 7.36 ERA in September and October, 14.73 versus right-handed batter‘s. Manny Delcarmen did well the first half but it looked like he got tired towards the end and had a 7.27 ERA after the all-star game. The slide really started before that, his ERA by month are: April 0.00 in 10 games, May 3.00 in 11 games, June 4.00 in 10 games, July 4.66 in 11 games, August 5.25 in 12 games, and Sept./Oct. 14.14 in 10 games. Ramon Ramirez was a shining star of the relief core with a 2.82 season ERA in 70 games. After these three relievers the team is hoping that newly acquired pitchers Scott Atchison, Ramon A. Ramirez, Boof Bonser, or Fabio Castro will help to fix the problem. It is also thought that with the top three pitchers being innings eaters the relief pitchers won’t have to work as hard early in the season, if that happens then that will do more than anything else.
OK, so lets move to the rest of the team. The starting outfield consists of Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew, and Jacoby Ellsbury. While the loss of Jason Bay will be big to the hitting numbers, the defense will be much better as by all accounts he was not close to being in the same class as Cameron or Ellsbury. The backup outfielder’s are Jeremy Hermida and Bill Hall both are good players and will be able to pick up any slack if there is an injury. Cameron will be an upgrade in speed for the offense and obviously is a great defensive player but if you look at the numbers from last year there wasn’t a huge difference last year, Cameron’s avgerage was .250 and Bay’s was .267, Bay struck out more than Cameron but had more walks and RBI. Of course Cameron played on a team that didn’t score nearly as many runs as the Red Sox, in fact the Red Sox drove in 822 runs as a team and the Brewers 757, so Cameron should have had less.
As far as the infield the major issue is Mike Lowell and what will happen with him. We know he will have to be traded before Spring Training ends and the team won’t get much for him but at this point what can they do. Adrian Beltre is an upgrade in the defense and having watched him play as a Mariner he will shine at that part of his game. As far as batting goes he is good but not great, he did hit 27 points higher away from Safeco field which is a better judge of what he might do at Fenway. Scutero is also a new addition and was brought in more for his defense then his offense, he is a solid hitter with some speed. We know what Youk and Pedroia will give us both defensively and with the bat so there isn‘t any reason to talk about them. Bill Hall will also be able to backup some at third and second with Jed Lowrie available as well.
The only other question marks are what happens with Jason Veritek in his new role as back-up catcher and how will David Ortiz start the season. As far as Ortiz he batted .230 in April, .143 in May, .320 in June, .247 in July, .222 in August, and .284 in Sept./Oct. When you take out the horrible May numbers he actually did OK, but for a DH where the job is to hit OK is not what the team needs. I would rather trade Ortiz and keep Lowell for the DH then the other way around. Victor Martinez will do fine behind the plate defensively and great at the dish offensively.
Overall the team upgraded it’s defense at some key positions and also made a big difference in the starting pitching. Offensively the team will be better then everyone thinks when the season gets going. Cameron and Beltre are solid players and have some clutch hits in their bats and will surprise a lot of fans. It is hard to compare the offensive numbers that the Yankees can put out there but the Red Sox defense will make up for some of that and the should make the playoffs. That is all we can ask right now because once the team get’s into the playoffs then almost anything can happen.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Welker and Patriots
What would be worse, losing Welker on the first series of the first play-off game or losing him in the last game of the regular season and having a full week to get the other receivers ready? If I had to choose between the two I would want what happened this Sunday afternoon in Houston. There will be some who question why he was playing at all since the Patriots were already in the playoffs, but the way he hurt himself it could have happened in any game. Edelman had 10 receptions for 103 yards after Welker got hurt so the Patriots have another option, and with that extra week of planning and practice he will do just fine filling in for Welker. What might be worse was Aiken getting hurt as well, he had only 2 receptions for 9 yards.
It looks like the Patriots will play the Ravens which will be a tough match-up because of the Ravens running game. Rice ran for 101 yards in the week 4 game and the Ravens lost due to a late turnover. The receiving stats are pretty even that game with Welker, Moss and Watson all around 50 yards receiving each with Moss having the only receiving Touchdown. The New England offense will not be the problem, the defense will make or break their play-off run. The good news is that the Ravens defense has not been much better. The Ravens are 4-2 in their last 6 games, but the Ravens beat 3 teams that all have losing records and are a combined 20 games under .500. The only team they beat with a winning record was Pittsburgh and then they lost to them 4 weeks later.
The Ravens defense has a reputation for being stout and tough, but they are getting a little old and are beatable. Unfortunately the Patriots are a little young and also beatable, as witnessed this week against Houston. The edge should go to the Patriots since they are at home and have an 8-0 record at home. This is a game the Patriots can definitely win and losing Welker is not as important as the stability of the New England defense, lets hope that the players that were inactive on defense for the Patriots will make a difference. Oh, and I hope that Taylor gets more carries then Maroney, actually lets hope Green-Ellis gets more carries then Maroney.
It looks like the Patriots will play the Ravens which will be a tough match-up because of the Ravens running game. Rice ran for 101 yards in the week 4 game and the Ravens lost due to a late turnover. The receiving stats are pretty even that game with Welker, Moss and Watson all around 50 yards receiving each with Moss having the only receiving Touchdown. The New England offense will not be the problem, the defense will make or break their play-off run. The good news is that the Ravens defense has not been much better. The Ravens are 4-2 in their last 6 games, but the Ravens beat 3 teams that all have losing records and are a combined 20 games under .500. The only team they beat with a winning record was Pittsburgh and then they lost to them 4 weeks later.
The Ravens defense has a reputation for being stout and tough, but they are getting a little old and are beatable. Unfortunately the Patriots are a little young and also beatable, as witnessed this week against Houston. The edge should go to the Patriots since they are at home and have an 8-0 record at home. This is a game the Patriots can definitely win and losing Welker is not as important as the stability of the New England defense, lets hope that the players that were inactive on defense for the Patriots will make a difference. Oh, and I hope that Taylor gets more carries then Maroney, actually lets hope Green-Ellis gets more carries then Maroney.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)