Your Weekly BCS Anarchy Update

Just an update on what needs to happen to see complete mayhem at the end of the college football season:

1. Thank you to Utah and Boise State for finishing the regular season undefeated. We ask that you each win one more game in your bowl games. Undoubtedly the BCS will not give us what we want, either the two of you playing each other or one of you with a shot at the championship. While not many people are claiming you are the best teams in the country, it's always funny to see the BCS crown a team with 1 or 2 losses, when there are two undefeateds out there.


2. Alabama needs to beat Auburn and then lose to Florida in the SEC Championship Game. This seems like a distinct possibility to me.


3. Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State or in Big XII Championship Game to Mizzou. This seems less likely.

If these pieces fall into place, it's more than likely that Florida will get one of the spots in the BCS Championship Game, which I think is hard to argue. But looking at the rest of the BCS standing right now, it'd be really hard to pick a second team. Texas? Oklahoma? USC? None of them would have won their conferences. Penn State played n'an-body to get to where they are. Could we see Utah get the nod? I doubt it because no one would watch. BC$. I just came up with that. Seriously, it would be a spin of the wheel and in turn wicked fun to watch the talking heads scream for a month about who is right and who could not be more wrong.

Update: My bad, Boise State has one more game left against Fresno State. They are 20+ point favorites. As you were.

I Love Miami, Part I

Part I in a series of unabashed homer posts chronicling my love affair with the Miami Hurricanes.

THUG LYFFE!

After two long years in purgatory the Canes are back in the Top 25, with their sights firmly set on getting two more wins and meeting Florida State for what would be a memorable ACC Championship game. Spirits are high amongst the Hurricane faithful, and for good reason. Head coach Randy Shannon finally has a group of (quality) players he recruited and he's showing the nation why he was one of the most sought after coaches in the country. He has the team focused, confident, and playing loose. I can't help but be physically excited when I watch this team play. It brings back memories of the recent-but-long-since-forgotten glory days of the Santana Moss, Dan Morgan, and Ed Reed-led teams. These were guys with talent and swagger who all carried giant chips on their shoulder. Guys that strapped in their grillz and brought the lunch pail to work. Blue-collar bad-asses.

It's only now, in mid-November that I miss seeing this new team play in the Orange Bowl; that decrepit pit of ghettoness in a neighborhood where you'd be terrified to look someone in the eye unless you were paying them 20 bucks to park in their front yard. Players like Javarris James deserve to hear the dulcet tones of Ludacris through a shitty PA system mashed-up with drunken marine science majors all shouting "MOVE BITCH, GET OUT THE WAY!" when they convert a third-and-one. Opposing marching bands should fear for their very lives when they enter the stadium. Students should be deprived of water starting in the third quarter-- Okay, so there are some definite pluses to playing in a pro stadium. I digress...

I need not provide any more proof other than the players' style that this team is going back to the Miami of old. Check Travis Benjamin's natty dreads. Check Jacory Harris' WTF haircut. Check Robert Marve's aRM tatts. Also this picture of him dressed like a pirate. See? This team isn't far from where it was about 10 years ago... It's a beautiful thing, dawg.

Update:

Yeah.

YOUR Colorado Rockies, Part I

As of today, here's my projected Rockies starting lineup for Opening Day (WWCD = What Will Clint Do):

1. CF - Willy Taveras
   Chances are Willy will get traded before Opening Day. He has not consistently produced the way the Rockies would have liked, which is a trend for center fielders at Coors. Rumor has it the Rockies have Ryan Spilborghs practicing the position in winter ball.
   WWCD: Taveras


2. SS - Troy Tulowitzki
   Take two for Tulo. the guy had a rough season in 2008, but with his tough-as-nails demeanor, look for Tulo to bounce back in 2009. While I don't expect him to meet or exceed his 2007 totals, I think we'll see him back above the .275 mark.
   WWCD: Tulowitzki


3. 3B - Garrett Atkins
   With Holliday gone, Atkins is now the best pure hitter on the team. Like most of the team in 2008, Atkins didn't produce like he did in the past, especially down the stretch (.259/7/45 after the all-star break). Fans should expect to see him back above the .300 mark and, provided Willy and Tulo are doing their jobs, driving in over 100 runs.
   WWCD: Todd Helton


4. RF - Brad Hawpe
   Hawpe had decent power numbers last year and is the biggest long-ball threat on the team without Holliday. Clint Hurdle will never bat Hawpe in the clean-up spot. Make me a liar, Clint.
   WWCD: Atkins


5. LF - Ryan Spilborghs
   The time has come to free Spilly. He's not only proven to be a reliable hitter in the clutch, but he's also put in his time giving off days to everyone in the outfield. He would start for many teams in baseball and with Holliday gone there's no reason he shouldn't start for the Rockies. He's become a fan favorite in Denver; it would make a lot of people happy to see Spilly in the starting lineup. Best facial hair, best walk-up music, best 5-hole hitter.
   WWCD: Hawpe


6. C - Chris Iannetta
   Where's Helton? Ianmetta hit .391 with a .506 OBP with RISP and 2 outs last year. Conversation over.
   WWCD: Spilborghs


7. 1B - Todd Helton
   No, I don't think Helton will play more than 100 games. The problems with this guy are many. Yes, he's been the emotionless face of this franchise for years, but he's pulling in $16.6M next year. He plays a good first base, but he hasn't gone over 20 homers since 2004 (steroids are not out of the question in my mind) or over 100 RBI since 2003. Not to mention he had his worst year ever in 2007. All that says: "Sorry Mr. Helton, you have to go out there and prove yourself like everyone else."
   WWCD: Iannetta


8. 2B - Clint Barmes
   Barmes played the most games at second last year and probably deserves the starting slot in 2009. I can't believe I just wrote that. The competition for the two-bagger spot will be fun to keep track of in Spring Training as Barmes, Jeff Baker, and "God I Hope He Gets The Job" Ian Stewart will all be vying for the spot. Personally, I would love to see Stewart win this job. Assuming Helton, Atkins, Baker, Stewart, and new guy Carlos Gonzalez all make it through spring training healthy and on the roster, the Rockies are going to have a log jam at the 1B/3B slot.
   WWCD: Barmes

Starting Rotation:

1. Aaron Cook
   No argument here. Dick Cook was one of the only Rockies to consistently show up last year, fully ousting Jeff Francis as the team's number one starter. His stuff bordered on ace material at times.
   WWCD: Cook


2. Jeff Francis
   Again, Francis is clearly the number two guy in the rotation. He's solid if unspectacular.
   WWCD: Francis


3. Ubaldo Jimenez
   Baldy need to get his shit on lockdown. He finished last season with a solid 5 starts, but he can be really erratic. He's still young (25 at the start of next season) and he's got some major upside. I think a lot of teams would love to have Jimenez as their number three starter.
   WWCD: Jimenez


4. Greg Smith
   Yes, THE Greg Smith. Whereas the Rockies 1-3 starting slots are not really up for discussion, the 4-5 spots are up for grabs. "Experts" keep talking about how "okay" Smith is and his numbers prove that (7-16, 4.16 ERA, 1.35 WHIP in '08). He'll probably start the season at the 4 spot, hoping that he doesn't choke his way below Greg Reynolds.
   WWCD: Smith


5. Greg Reynolds
   If Rockies fans had their way, the 2007 version of Franklin Morales would show up to spring training. He would push Greg Reynolds and both of them would win spots at the end of the Rockies rotation. As it stands, Hurdle will probably give Reynolds a chance to prove that his last four starts last year went the way they did for some reason other than the fact that he sucks. If Reynolds can't do that, he'll be relegated to the bullpen or Colorado Springs and the 5 spot will go to some shitty old-timer who isn't even on the roster yet.
   WWCD: Reynolds

The Bullpen:

• Lefty Specialist - None
  All of the Rockies lefty pitchers are starters or long-relievers. Dan O'Dowd, go get yourself an Arthur Rhodes.


• Setup Man - Manny Corpas
  Manny has pretty much proven that he can't close any more... which means Clint will give him another one of his infinite chances. Corpas needs to go back to basics and he was filthy as a setup man for Fuentes in 2007. I'd rather blow a lead in the 7th or 8th than in the 9th or later.


• Closer - Huston Street
  I really hope O'Dowd doesn't flip Street for more unestablished talent. His "down year" last season? 3.73 ERA, 69K, 1.21 WHIP in 70 innings. I'll take that along with his career numbers of 2.88 ERA, 271K, 1.07 WHIP and 94 saves in 269.0 innings. Let's not make the mistake of trading our best closer after trading our best hitter.

Holliday Season

TJ said:

And that my friends, is the business of baseball. If this were Football, Basketball, Hockey or even Major League Soccer, Holliday would have been signed to a long term deal years ago. But if the Rox are gonna compete in the NL West, pitching is vastly more important that the long ball. So IF the Rox actually picked up a decent starter and a decent closer, we are already miles ahead of last years poor first half.

What an interesting move for Oakland. This is the team that let Giambi and Tejada go years before steroids allegations surfaced. They let Barry Zito go to SF and promptly lay an egg. They let Tim Hudson go and they traded Dan Haren to Arizona. And yet, Holliday is the guy they actually go after. Kinda makes you wonder if the big fish got away. What really sucks is the fact that Oakland will be able to make the offer the Rockies had hoped to make: Take less money and we will build a core of young talent around you. But if the A’s picked him up just to shop him around, what a fantastic move on their part. The Yankees, Red Sox, and especially the Angels will get a much better look at him and his numbers should improve by playing in the pitching weak AL west.

Anyone remember Matt’s speech after being named NLCS mvp? It went along the lines of “Thanks to the Good lord and my teammates..”. That just doesn’t sound like someone who is going to spend his thirties dealing with the east coast media. So I am holding out hope that the A’s trade him, he wins a world series, and somehow decides to come back to Colorado. For those who subscribe, the lord has been known to work in mysterious ways….

I say:

I’ll take a little more cynical view of the situation… Over the last several years the Rockies front office kept saying “bear with us, we’re doing something here.” Many of us were skeptical, but when things came to fruition in 2007 it made O’Dowd and Monforts look, if only for three months, like they knew what they were doing. I think many Rox fans were more disappointed in how 2008 went than the players and management. That’s just the impression that I got from player reactions throughout the regular season and how the front office has handled the beginning to this off-season. Matt Holliday was a the face of this franchise. He’s in Nike ads with the likes of LaDanian Tomlinson and might be the most recognizable Denver celebrity other than Melo. That doesn’t necessarily win ballgames, but attention tends to attract more talent, TV stations, and butts in the seats (all that equals revenue, kids!).

More importantly, Holliday was the cornerstone of the rebuilding movement and proof that if we stayed the course, we could develop our own talent. A couple of years ago people were already worrying about the day that we would have to give up homegrown talent that exceeded our mid-market price range. The hope was that rather than see the players just take off for free agency, we could at least get some decent talent in return. My problem with the trade is that there isn’t anyone remotely close to the star power of Holliday coming from the A’s. True, pitching is more important than hitting, especially in the NL West, but mediocre pitching is more of a liability. I would like to have seen the Rox do a 2-for-1 or 1-for-1 trade for better pitching talent. The bottom line is that the Rockies lost their best player and replaced him with three middle-of-the-road players that might wind up doing more harm than good. I hope, as fans, we don’t give these guys (players and front office) a pass for 2007. Instead we should be holding them accountable for going back to practices that had this franchise in the crapper just a few years ago (The Jeromy Burnitz Era).

The line to say that trade sucked starts here.

Obama For Change

Proof that great minds think alike. Without hesitation, Obama said we need to do away with the current college football system. For future presidential candidates out there, this is the one single issue that my demographic would base a vote on. Watch:

Thank You, Red Raiders

There are two things I think any fan of college football can agree on. First, the BCS sucks. A playoff system is needed and might be the greatest sporting innovation since man first hit a round object with a stick. Second, anyone who supports the BCS system, clearly doesn't know what they're talking about. Every year around this time I hear some numb skull ESPN talking-head spouting off about how great it is that there is discussion every year about who's the best. Huh? As a fan, I don't want to have to listen to people argue about who's the best after all the games have been played, it should be figured out for us. And if you're a player, how would you feel if you busted your ass to get in shape all year only to have your destiny determined by a bunch of computers and nerds, as opposed to knocking heads with another team to settle it on the field? College football fans owe the Texas Tech football program for (hopefully) bring us closer to another late-season BCS implosion. Who else do we root for?

• 11/8: Oklahoma State over Texas Tech
  I'll give Tech a week of praise before I throw them into my "I really hope you lose this week" spot, replacing Texas.


• 11/22: Michigan State over Penn State
  No team in the Big 10 deserves to play for a national championship this year. I think Ohio State has proven that it's the most over-rated conference in the BCS. If it weren't for pre-season rankings, there wouldn't be much difference between the Big 10, Big East, and ACC.


• 12/6: Florida over Alabama in the SEC Championship Game
  A win in this game might be enough to get the Gators into the BCS title game, but it'll cause enough confusion to at least make it debatable.

Philadelphia No Longer Stands

The Phillies won the World Series last night. Good for all of us, I say. One less east coast city that can bitch and moan about not winning a championship.

One thing I don't yet fully understand is the rioting after winning a sporting event. I can understand a riot after losing; even players throw gear and smash up locker rooms after a tough loss. But after a win? Sure, go out and celebrate! Dance in the streets! Pee in the alleys! Drink til you puke blood! I just don't understand the euphoria that comes from tearing down a street sign. "I TOTALLY JUST FUCKED UP SOMEONE'S MAPQUEST TRIP TOMORROW! WOO, GO PHILLIES!" (To all you doubters out there: I've actually torn down a road sign before, not because of a sporting event. It's not too exciting).

That being said, I would love to see a pro sports team completely trash their own stadium after winning. Just get fucking blitzed and start fights with each other. And the whole thing should be televised so we can see the progression from the gay-porn champagne showers to bludgeoning each other with broken bottles and baseball bats.

Anyway, if fans are going to riot, Americans really need to take some notes from the soccer hooligans across the pond:



Throw a scooter next time Phussies.