Wow, does Big Ten football in Illinois stink.
I only saw the first quarter of the Illinois-Rutgers game on the tube. Going in, I thought that Rutgers was a trap game for the Illini. Rutgers is a downtrodden Big East team that is improved, and could give the Illini trouble.
Rutgers blew threw Illinois like nuthin'. How is Illinois going to play Ohio State or Iowa? And Rutgers will win the National Championship! OK, probably not. But they made Illinois look slow and small.
The reason I only saw the first quarter was that I took the fam to Northwestern-New Hampshire game. NHU rolled up 300 and some odd yards againt the Northwestern defense. On the pregame radio show on WGN, new coach Pat Fitzgerald kept talking about how he wanted NW to be physical, but it was NHU that took the game to the Big Ten team.
Rutgers creams Illinois, 33-0. Division I-AA team New Hampshire gives Northwestern a beat-down, 34-17. Yesterday was a black day in Illinois football.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Friday, September 08, 2006
How Should Marion Jones Be Viewed?
The Marion Jones case of the "A" test and the "B" test is a tough one.
I assumed, as I think many people did, that Jones was finally caught, and that was that.
There is a story in the L.A. Times that discusses her problems.
Then the unthinkable, at least to me, happened. Jones's "B" sample of the test didn't match the "A" sample of the test, and thus she was cleared. At least of this one test.
And, to quote Jones, "I have always maintained that I have never, ever taken performance-enhancing drugs, and I am pleased that a scientific process has now demonstrated that fact."
So, given her history, what to think?
Well, Jon Saraceno of USA Today, for one, doesn't believe her.
I agree, but with reservations.
When athletes fail one drug test, they are automatically suspended. Many of these suspensions are long term. Many thus are banned basically for life because of the nature of their sports.
By that logic, if Jones passes one drug test, doesn't it follow that she should get to claim that she is completely drug free, any evidence to the contrary? But the drug-testing standard, Marion Jones is a clean athlete.
While to me that really doesn't pass the sniff test, I think that she needs to be considered clean as of now. Especially considering that while this was a drug test that got some publicity, this wasn't the only drug test that she has ever passed. Up until now, she's passed all of her tests.
Mark McGwire has been accused of using steroids (mostly by that paragon of virtue, Jose Canseco), and it is confirmed that he used "andro," which was banned by most other sports organizations but not HIS ruling body, Major League Baseball. He seemed evasive in front of Congress when asked point-blank if he had ever used steroids.
Having said all of that, I think that, historically, Mark McGwire, never having failed a drug test, never admitting to using steroids, should be considered a clean athlete. You can bring the circumstantial issues up when discussing him. But to me, he's clean.
As is, as of this moment, Marion Jones.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
I assumed, as I think many people did, that Jones was finally caught, and that was that.
There is a story in the L.A. Times that discusses her problems.
The 30-year-old sprinter had fallen on hard times after winning three gold
medals and two bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Her ex-husband C.J. Hunter and ex-boyfriend Tim Montgomery had been
suspended for doping violations, and her former coach Trevor Graham had been
sanctioned.
Jones also had been swept up in the BALCO scandal,
confronted with allegations of steroid use, which she steadfastly
denied.
Then the unthinkable, at least to me, happened. Jones's "B" sample of the test didn't match the "A" sample of the test, and thus she was cleared. At least of this one test.
And, to quote Jones, "I have always maintained that I have never, ever taken performance-enhancing drugs, and I am pleased that a scientific process has now demonstrated that fact."
So, given her history, what to think?
Well, Jon Saraceno of USA Today, for one, doesn't believe her.
... It is an Olympian leap of logic to be cleared of any doping in one meet and
then claim that means you never used performance-enhancing drugs.
I agree, but with reservations.
When athletes fail one drug test, they are automatically suspended. Many of these suspensions are long term. Many thus are banned basically for life because of the nature of their sports.
By that logic, if Jones passes one drug test, doesn't it follow that she should get to claim that she is completely drug free, any evidence to the contrary? But the drug-testing standard, Marion Jones is a clean athlete.
While to me that really doesn't pass the sniff test, I think that she needs to be considered clean as of now. Especially considering that while this was a drug test that got some publicity, this wasn't the only drug test that she has ever passed. Up until now, she's passed all of her tests.
Mark McGwire has been accused of using steroids (mostly by that paragon of virtue, Jose Canseco), and it is confirmed that he used "andro," which was banned by most other sports organizations but not HIS ruling body, Major League Baseball. He seemed evasive in front of Congress when asked point-blank if he had ever used steroids.
Having said all of that, I think that, historically, Mark McGwire, never having failed a drug test, never admitting to using steroids, should be considered a clean athlete. You can bring the circumstantial issues up when discussing him. But to me, he's clean.
As is, as of this moment, Marion Jones.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Damon Allen's Passing Yards Mark Flies Under Radar
Damon Allen, who is the younger brother of NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, broke Warren Moon's all-time professional passing yards mark over the weekend. Allen now has 70,596 yards passing. As is the case with almost all Canadian Football League news, this flew under the radar here in the States.
Moon's mark stood at 70,553 yards combined in the NFL and the CFL. The Hall of Fame doens't really recognize any of the yardage of course, so you can't really tell that Moon had the combined mark. The NFL's policy seems to be that AFL records are in, but all other records are to be kept separate.
They do, however, mention Moon's five Grey Cup victories ... pretty much almost in passing.
I like CFL football. I like football. I wish that the U.S. press would pay more attention to the CFL. I had hoped that the internet was going to help the situation, and it has, but only marginally. I have occasionally watched some action on my satellite, but I haven't seen that much CFL.
Here are Allen's career stats.
Career Passing Statistics
YEAR TEAM ATT COMP % YDS TD INT RATING
1985 EDM 98 48 49.0 661 3 3 68.4
1986 EDM 87 49 56.3 878 8 3 107.4
1987 EDM 287 150 52.3 2,670 17 13 85.3
1988 EDM 218 94 43.1 1,309 4 12 46.2
1989 OTT 434 209 48.2 3,093 17 16 69.6
1990 OTT 528 276 52.3 3,883 34 23 79.6
1991 OTT 546 282 51.6 4,275 24 31 68.7
1992 HAM 523 266 50.9 3,858 19 14 76.2
1993 EDM 400 214 53.5 3,394 25 10 92.4
1994 EDM 493 254 51.5 3,554 19 15 75.2
1995 MEM 90 228 58.5 3,211 11 13 80.6
1996 BC 368 219 59.5 2,772 13 10 83.5
1997 BC 583 378 64.8 4,653 21 11 93.5
1998 BC 479 282 58.9 3,519 16 16 79.0
1999 BC 521 315 60.5 4,219 22 13 89.9
2000 BC 525 324 61.7 4,840 24 11 98.4
2001 BC 471 251 53.3 3,631 18 14 79.0
2002 BC 474 268 56.5 3,987 22 10 90.9
2003 TOR 450 267 59.3 3,395 17 10 86.3
2004 TOR 312 189 60.6 2,438 12 4 92.6
2005 TOR 549 52 64.1 5,082 33 15 102.7
2006 TOR 145 85 58.6 1,274 6 4 85.7
TOTALS 8,881 5,000 56.3 70,596 385 271 --
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Moon's mark stood at 70,553 yards combined in the NFL and the CFL. The Hall of Fame doens't really recognize any of the yardage of course, so you can't really tell that Moon had the combined mark. The NFL's policy seems to be that AFL records are in, but all other records are to be kept separate.
They do, however, mention Moon's five Grey Cup victories ... pretty much almost in passing.
I like CFL football. I like football. I wish that the U.S. press would pay more attention to the CFL. I had hoped that the internet was going to help the situation, and it has, but only marginally. I have occasionally watched some action on my satellite, but I haven't seen that much CFL.
Here are Allen's career stats.
Career Passing Statistics
YEAR TEAM ATT COMP % YDS TD INT RATING
1985 EDM 98 48 49.0 661 3 3 68.4
1986 EDM 87 49 56.3 878 8 3 107.4
1987 EDM 287 150 52.3 2,670 17 13 85.3
1988 EDM 218 94 43.1 1,309 4 12 46.2
1989 OTT 434 209 48.2 3,093 17 16 69.6
1990 OTT 528 276 52.3 3,883 34 23 79.6
1991 OTT 546 282 51.6 4,275 24 31 68.7
1992 HAM 523 266 50.9 3,858 19 14 76.2
1993 EDM 400 214 53.5 3,394 25 10 92.4
1994 EDM 493 254 51.5 3,554 19 15 75.2
1995 MEM 90 228 58.5 3,211 11 13 80.6
1996 BC 368 219 59.5 2,772 13 10 83.5
1997 BC 583 378 64.8 4,653 21 11 93.5
1998 BC 479 282 58.9 3,519 16 16 79.0
1999 BC 521 315 60.5 4,219 22 13 89.9
2000 BC 525 324 61.7 4,840 24 11 98.4
2001 BC 471 251 53.3 3,631 18 14 79.0
2002 BC 474 268 56.5 3,987 22 10 90.9
2003 TOR 450 267 59.3 3,395 17 10 86.3
2004 TOR 312 189 60.6 2,438 12 4 92.6
2005 TOR 549 52 64.1 5,082 33 15 102.7
2006 TOR 145 85 58.6 1,274 6 4 85.7
TOTALS 8,881 5,000 56.3 70,596 385 271 --
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Anibal Sanchez Hurls No-No as a Rookie
Last night, Anibal Sanchez pitched a no-hitter as a rookie. He gets added to the list.
Anibal Sanchez, Florida, beat Arizona, 2-0, Sept. 6,2006.
Here are a couple of lists of rookie no-hitters in the past century or so. I have several different lists because there are some disagreements about who should be on and who shouldn't.
This first list is circa 1983, and it came from the New York Times (or, as I like to call it, the paper of records - HA!). I've added it because it includes the pitcher's career won-loss record.
Pitcher, team Yrs. W L
'01 Earl Moore, Indians 14 161 153
'07 Nick Maddox, Pirates 4 43 20
'12 Jeff Tesreau, Giants 7 119 72
'22 Charles Robertson, W. Sox* 8 49 80
'34 Paul Dean, Cardinals 9 50 34
'35 Vern Kennedy, W. Sox 12 104 132
'47 B. McCahan, Athletics 4 16 14
'53 B. Holloman, Browns 1 3 7
'55 Sam Jones, Cubs 12 102 101
'62 Bo Belinsky, Angels 8 28 51
'67 Don Wilson, Astros 9 104 92
'70 Vida Blue, Athletics 17 209 161
'72 Burt Hooton, Cubs 15 151 136
'73 Jim Bibby, Rangers 12 111 101
'73 Steve Busby, Royals 8 70 54
'83 M. Warren, Athletics 3 9 13
*Perfect game.
This list is from ESPN.
Rookie no-hitters since 1900
Pitcher Team Opponent Result Date
Bud Smith St. Louis San Diego 4-0 9/3/01
Jose Jimenez St. Louis Arizona 1-0 6/25/99
Wilson Alvarez Chicago (AL) Baltimore 7-0 8/11/91
Mike Warren Oakland Chicago (AL) 3-0 9/29/83
Jim Bibby Texas Oakland 6-0 7/30/73
Steve Busby Kansas City Detroit 3-0 4/27/73
Burt Hooton Chicago (NL) Philadelphia 4-0 4/16/72
Vida Blue Oakland Minnesota 6-0 9/21/70
Don Wilson Houston Atlanta 2-0 6/18/67
Bo Belinsky L.A. (AL) Baltimore 2-0 5/5/62
x-Bobo Holloman St. Louis (AL) Philadelphia 6-0 5/6/53
William McCahan Phila. (AL) Washington 3-0 9/3/47
Vernon Kennedy Chicago (AL) Cleveland 5-0 8/31/35
Paul Dean St. Louis (NL) Brooklyn 3-0 9/21/34
Charles C. Robertson Chicago (AL) Detroit 2-0 4/30/22
Charles Tesreau New York (NL) Philadelphia 3-0 9/6/12
Nicholas Maddox Pittsburgh Brooklyn 2-1 9/20/07
Christy Mathewson New York (NL) St Louis 5-0 7/12/1900
x -- first major-league start
For a synopsis of at least one of the rule changes for a no-hitter, click here.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Anibal Sanchez, Florida, beat Arizona, 2-0, Sept. 6,2006.
Here are a couple of lists of rookie no-hitters in the past century or so. I have several different lists because there are some disagreements about who should be on and who shouldn't.
This first list is circa 1983, and it came from the New York Times (or, as I like to call it, the paper of records - HA!). I've added it because it includes the pitcher's career won-loss record.
Pitcher, team Yrs. W L
'01 Earl Moore, Indians 14 161 153
'07 Nick Maddox, Pirates 4 43 20
'12 Jeff Tesreau, Giants 7 119 72
'22 Charles Robertson, W. Sox* 8 49 80
'34 Paul Dean, Cardinals 9 50 34
'35 Vern Kennedy, W. Sox 12 104 132
'47 B. McCahan, Athletics 4 16 14
'53 B. Holloman, Browns 1 3 7
'55 Sam Jones, Cubs 12 102 101
'62 Bo Belinsky, Angels 8 28 51
'67 Don Wilson, Astros 9 104 92
'70 Vida Blue, Athletics 17 209 161
'72 Burt Hooton, Cubs 15 151 136
'73 Jim Bibby, Rangers 12 111 101
'73 Steve Busby, Royals 8 70 54
'83 M. Warren, Athletics 3 9 13
*Perfect game.
This list is from ESPN.
Rookie no-hitters since 1900
Pitcher Team Opponent Result Date
Bud Smith St. Louis San Diego 4-0 9/3/01
Jose Jimenez St. Louis Arizona 1-0 6/25/99
Wilson Alvarez Chicago (AL) Baltimore 7-0 8/11/91
Mike Warren Oakland Chicago (AL) 3-0 9/29/83
Jim Bibby Texas Oakland 6-0 7/30/73
Steve Busby Kansas City Detroit 3-0 4/27/73
Burt Hooton Chicago (NL) Philadelphia 4-0 4/16/72
Vida Blue Oakland Minnesota 6-0 9/21/70
Don Wilson Houston Atlanta 2-0 6/18/67
Bo Belinsky L.A. (AL) Baltimore 2-0 5/5/62
x-Bobo Holloman St. Louis (AL) Philadelphia 6-0 5/6/53
William McCahan Phila. (AL) Washington 3-0 9/3/47
Vernon Kennedy Chicago (AL) Cleveland 5-0 8/31/35
Paul Dean St. Louis (NL) Brooklyn 3-0 9/21/34
Charles C. Robertson Chicago (AL) Detroit 2-0 4/30/22
Charles Tesreau New York (NL) Philadelphia 3-0 9/6/12
Nicholas Maddox Pittsburgh Brooklyn 2-1 9/20/07
Christy Mathewson New York (NL) St Louis 5-0 7/12/1900
x -- first major-league start
For a synopsis of at least one of the rule changes for a no-hitter, click here.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Brining Your Pork Chops
Pork chops are among the perfect foods for a barbeque or a tailgate. They are delicious, they are relatively quick to prepare, they are delicious, they have some wiggle room as to being well prepared, and they are delicious.
One of the techniques to preparing great pork chops is to brine the chops.
Here are some tips to brining pork chops. Many of these tips came from James P. DeWan's article in the Chicago Tribune.
* Brining makes meat juicer. The meat has more liquid when you start grilling, and thus is juicier when grilling is finished.
* Brining seasons the inside of the chops, so while you may be a big proponent of rubs, as I am, this will get the whole chop tasty.
* The brining time for most regular-sized pork chops takes only about an hour.
* Make sure you have enough liquid to cover all the chops.
* About 1/4 cup of table salt per quart of water.
* Dissolve salt in a little hot water first. Add the rest of the cold liquid solution to cool the temp of the liquid.
* BRINE IN THE REFRIGERATOR. Don't send your guests to the hospital. While funny, it's not that nice.
* Remove chops from fridge, pat dry, add rub, grill.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
One of the techniques to preparing great pork chops is to brine the chops.
Here are some tips to brining pork chops. Many of these tips came from James P. DeWan's article in the Chicago Tribune.
* Brining makes meat juicer. The meat has more liquid when you start grilling, and thus is juicier when grilling is finished.
* Brining seasons the inside of the chops, so while you may be a big proponent of rubs, as I am, this will get the whole chop tasty.
* The brining time for most regular-sized pork chops takes only about an hour.
* Make sure you have enough liquid to cover all the chops.
* About 1/4 cup of table salt per quart of water.
* Dissolve salt in a little hot water first. Add the rest of the cold liquid solution to cool the temp of the liquid.
* BRINE IN THE REFRIGERATOR. Don't send your guests to the hospital. While funny, it's not that nice.
* Remove chops from fridge, pat dry, add rub, grill.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Bronson Arroyo Does His Stopper Bit
Bronson Arroyo proved to be a stopper. Boy, did he step up big, holding the Giants to three singles in a 3-0 shutout last night.
Despite it all, I'm still not in favor of the Wily Mo trade. Every time that Arroyo pitches well, it softens up my staunch opposition to the deal. But Pena can smoke the horsehide, and he is soooo young.
I do understand, however, that if you want to change the culture of a team, you have to make some hard decisions.
The Reds are floundering. Junior is hurt, but this time, they aren't overflowing with outfielders to cover his loss. Thank heavens for Todd Hollandsworth.
Despite it all, I'm still not in favor of the Wily Mo trade. Every time that Arroyo pitches well, it softens up my staunch opposition to the deal. But Pena can smoke the horsehide, and he is soooo young.
I do understand, however, that if you want to change the culture of a team, you have to make some hard decisions.
The Reds are floundering. Junior is hurt, but this time, they aren't overflowing with outfielders to cover his loss. Thank heavens for Todd Hollandsworth.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
I'd Like To Buy The World A Coker
Can't beat the real thing.
But, hey, lose twice in a row to your rivals, and, as Larry Coker is finding out, not All the 'Cane World Loves a Coke-r.
Winning a national championship and over 80 percent of your games just doesn't buy the same happiness that it used to.
The long knives are already out for Larry Coker.
'Cane mutiny? by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports put it pretty well: The U Nation is not happy.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=AnQht1iGWuBL_jY8TaF69E45nYcB?slug=dw-coker090406&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Dan Le Betard of the Miami Herald has a column sure to infuriate some of the faithful. He says Miami is just not good enough anymore.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/colleges/florida_state_university/15440236.htm
Matt Zemek of College Football News makes the point that the Canes didn't just lose to the Noles by being beaten, but that Miami's new-look offense "was limp, lame and panicky."
http://cfn.scout.com/2/564659.html
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
But, hey, lose twice in a row to your rivals, and, as Larry Coker is finding out, not All the 'Cane World Loves a Coke-r.
Winning a national championship and over 80 percent of your games just doesn't buy the same happiness that it used to.
The long knives are already out for Larry Coker.
'Cane mutiny? by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports put it pretty well: The U Nation is not happy.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=AnQht1iGWuBL_jY8TaF69E45nYcB?slug=dw-coker090406&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Dan Le Betard of the Miami Herald has a column sure to infuriate some of the faithful. He says Miami is just not good enough anymore.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/colleges/florida_state_university/15440236.htm
Matt Zemek of College Football News makes the point that the Canes didn't just lose to the Noles by being beaten, but that Miami's new-look offense "was limp, lame and panicky."
http://cfn.scout.com/2/564659.html
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Monday, September 04, 2006
The OTHER other Bush
This is a bad story about Bush -- not Reggie, and certainly not this guy, but Michael Bush.
Before his broken leg, Michael Bush looked like he had it all. A big, strong, tough, and fast running back, he had to work for a starting job at Louisville against near NFL-quality backs Lionel Gates and Eric Shelton. Bush is 6-3 and about 245 or 250 pounds. He led the Big East in rushing in 2005 with 1,143 yards, and he had 23 rushing TDs. He also had a TD reception, and his 144 points on 24 TDs led the nation.
In the story it says that Bush has to decide whether to redshirt or not. The way the pros draft, I don't see that his missing the entire 2006 season will be a big issue. Knowing them, they will probably think that the fewer carries he had will mean that he is a little more highly regarded.
The ESPN story said that Bush didn't want to go back to Louisville in 2006, but he didn't enter the draft because he didn't project to the first round. Truthfully, I think he was a better prospect as an NFL running back than DeAngelo Williams or Joseph Addai.
There are some mock drafts or rankings for 2007, such as NFL Draft Countdown, About.com football guy, DraftDaddy, Fox Sports, TheFootballExpert, and others that have Bush going pretty high.
Before his broken leg, Michael Bush looked like he had it all. A big, strong, tough, and fast running back, he had to work for a starting job at Louisville against near NFL-quality backs Lionel Gates and Eric Shelton. Bush is 6-3 and about 245 or 250 pounds. He led the Big East in rushing in 2005 with 1,143 yards, and he had 23 rushing TDs. He also had a TD reception, and his 144 points on 24 TDs led the nation.
In the story it says that Bush has to decide whether to redshirt or not. The way the pros draft, I don't see that his missing the entire 2006 season will be a big issue. Knowing them, they will probably think that the fewer carries he had will mean that he is a little more highly regarded.
The ESPN story said that Bush didn't want to go back to Louisville in 2006, but he didn't enter the draft because he didn't project to the first round. Truthfully, I think he was a better prospect as an NFL running back than DeAngelo Williams or Joseph Addai.
There are some mock drafts or rankings for 2007, such as NFL Draft Countdown, About.com football guy, DraftDaddy, Fox Sports, TheFootballExpert, and others that have Bush going pretty high.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Walker Looks to be Irish MVP
The thing that hit me over the head while watching the Notre Dame-Georgia Tech game last night was that while Brady Quinn may be the Heisman Trophy winner and Jeff Samardzija may be the two-sport threat, the MVP of the Irish offense (and thus probably the whole Notre Dame Eleven) is Darius Walker.
The Irish were lucky (where have we heard that before) that the Georgia Tech linebacker Philip Wheeler was called for a helmet to helment hit on Quinn -- a questionable call at best. But the Irish prevailed.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
The Irish were lucky (where have we heard that before) that the Georgia Tech linebacker Philip Wheeler was called for a helmet to helment hit on Quinn -- a questionable call at best. But the Irish prevailed.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Friday, September 01, 2006
RedHawks Drop Opener in Randy Walker Game
Well, it didn't go quite as I had hoped.
The RedHawks dropped the opener, 21-3, to Northwestern in the Randy Walker game. The game was preceded by tributes to Randy Walker, who was the winningest coach in Miami University history who died suddenly on June 29 at the age of 52. Walker was honored with a plaque at Miami's "Cradle of Coaches" plaza.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060901/SPT02/609010326/1035/SPT
Of course, Northwestern was Walker's team now, not Miami. And the game seemed to prove more than anything that a somewhat experienced squad from the Big Ten can beat an inexperienced squad from the Mid-American Conference. Despite losing quarterback Brett Basanez and Zach Strief, the Wildcats have seven returning starters on offense and eight on defense. The RedHawks have four returning starters on offense (and Brandon Murphy, their tailback, was out last night) and only two (or two and a half, if you count Frank Wiwo who as been a nickel corner for a couple of years) on defense.
Pat Fitzgerald (who I am still amazed didn't make an NFL squad coming out of Northwestern) gave Tammy Walker, Randy's wife, the game ball. It all seemed so fitting.
Quick observation about the two new starting quarterbacks. Mike Kafka of Northwestern, who is a redshirt freshman, is very athletic and looks to have a good future. Mike Kokal of Miami, who is a junior, didn't appear as athletic, and he didn't appear all that comfortable passing the ball. Could be a long season.
The RedHawks dropped the opener, 21-3, to Northwestern in the Randy Walker game. The game was preceded by tributes to Randy Walker, who was the winningest coach in Miami University history who died suddenly on June 29 at the age of 52. Walker was honored with a plaque at Miami's "Cradle of Coaches" plaza.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060901/SPT02/609010326/1035/SPT
Of course, Northwestern was Walker's team now, not Miami. And the game seemed to prove more than anything that a somewhat experienced squad from the Big Ten can beat an inexperienced squad from the Mid-American Conference. Despite losing quarterback Brett Basanez and Zach Strief, the Wildcats have seven returning starters on offense and eight on defense. The RedHawks have four returning starters on offense (and Brandon Murphy, their tailback, was out last night) and only two (or two and a half, if you count Frank Wiwo who as been a nickel corner for a couple of years) on defense.
Pat Fitzgerald (who I am still amazed didn't make an NFL squad coming out of Northwestern) gave Tammy Walker, Randy's wife, the game ball. It all seemed so fitting.
Quick observation about the two new starting quarterbacks. Mike Kafka of Northwestern, who is a redshirt freshman, is very athletic and looks to have a good future. Mike Kokal of Miami, who is a junior, didn't appear as athletic, and he didn't appear all that comfortable passing the ball. Could be a long season.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Fight to the Very End
Fight to the very end.
Northwestern travels to Oxford, Ohio, to play Miami University in a season-opening game tonight at 7:30 Eastern. This game was supposed to be a homecoming forRandy Walker.
Instead, it will turn into a memorial for RandyWalker.
The earliest I can remember Randy Walker was when he was a running back for Miami in the 1970s.
But one of my most vivid memories was a quote about Walker in one of the Cincinnati papers after he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1977. He was picked No. 371 overall in round 13. In training camp that year (they lasted a whole lot longer then), the running backs coach for the Bengals, I believe, commented on how Walker filled notebook after notebook with info.
They were commenting that even then, he knew that he wanted to be a coach.
Walker took over the program at Miami from Tim Rose, a handsome young man who was not a great football coach. The RedHawks (or whatever they were called) were 0-10-1 and 2-8-1 in the two years before Walker took over.
When Walk took the program over, he brought back sometoughness to the team.
In 1995, he brought the RedHawks to Dyche Stadium to face Gary Barnett's Northwestern team that had just beaten Notre Dame at Notre Dame. The Hawks had a pretty good QB in Neil Dougherty. The Wildcats were in control of the game, leading 28-7 in the third quarter. But Dougherty brought them back, scored some easy TDs. And then Northwestern had two fumbled snaps from their backup long snapper to lose to Miami, 30-28.
After that game, Gary Barnett was distraught, and really didn't give Miami any credit. But Walker was having none of it. He was calm, and he said the right thing, that his team just kept fighting.
I remember when Walker was coaching the Northwestern 11 years later and they beat Michigan State in a great game in Dyche Stadium, in 2001. Charles Rogers returned a punt for a TD in the fourth quarter to put State up 20-17. Northwestern had a long drive and scored a TD with only 29 seconds left to go in the game, to go up 24-20.
Northwestern kicked off, and Herb Haygood of Michigan State returned the kick 84 yards for a TD, with only 18 seconds left to go in the game. The Spartans were up 26-24.
But Northwestern wasn't done. They got a paw on the point after, making it go wide. Michigan State only had a two-point lead. They kicked off, and Zak Kustok of Northwestern had the ball on his own 15. Game over?
Kustok threw a huge pass that was almost intercepted but was in fact completed, in State territory. Nortwestern sent in a kicker, with almost no time left, and he got it through. The Cats won the game, 27-26.
And all the years that I watched Miami football, then Northwestern football, that is the one thing that really is foremost in my memory. Any Randy Walker team would keep fighting. Fight to the very end.
http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/walker_randy00.html
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/SPT0103/608310391/-1/CINCI
Northwestern travels to Oxford, Ohio, to play Miami University in a season-opening game tonight at 7:30 Eastern. This game was supposed to be a homecoming forRandy Walker.
Instead, it will turn into a memorial for RandyWalker.
The earliest I can remember Randy Walker was when he was a running back for Miami in the 1970s.
But one of my most vivid memories was a quote about Walker in one of the Cincinnati papers after he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1977. He was picked No. 371 overall in round 13. In training camp that year (they lasted a whole lot longer then), the running backs coach for the Bengals, I believe, commented on how Walker filled notebook after notebook with info.
They were commenting that even then, he knew that he wanted to be a coach.
Walker took over the program at Miami from Tim Rose, a handsome young man who was not a great football coach. The RedHawks (or whatever they were called) were 0-10-1 and 2-8-1 in the two years before Walker took over.
When Walk took the program over, he brought back sometoughness to the team.
In 1995, he brought the RedHawks to Dyche Stadium to face Gary Barnett's Northwestern team that had just beaten Notre Dame at Notre Dame. The Hawks had a pretty good QB in Neil Dougherty. The Wildcats were in control of the game, leading 28-7 in the third quarter. But Dougherty brought them back, scored some easy TDs. And then Northwestern had two fumbled snaps from their backup long snapper to lose to Miami, 30-28.
After that game, Gary Barnett was distraught, and really didn't give Miami any credit. But Walker was having none of it. He was calm, and he said the right thing, that his team just kept fighting.
I remember when Walker was coaching the Northwestern 11 years later and they beat Michigan State in a great game in Dyche Stadium, in 2001. Charles Rogers returned a punt for a TD in the fourth quarter to put State up 20-17. Northwestern had a long drive and scored a TD with only 29 seconds left to go in the game, to go up 24-20.
Northwestern kicked off, and Herb Haygood of Michigan State returned the kick 84 yards for a TD, with only 18 seconds left to go in the game. The Spartans were up 26-24.
But Northwestern wasn't done. They got a paw on the point after, making it go wide. Michigan State only had a two-point lead. They kicked off, and Zak Kustok of Northwestern had the ball on his own 15. Game over?
Kustok threw a huge pass that was almost intercepted but was in fact completed, in State territory. Nortwestern sent in a kicker, with almost no time left, and he got it through. The Cats won the game, 27-26.
And all the years that I watched Miami football, then Northwestern football, that is the one thing that really is foremost in my memory. Any Randy Walker team would keep fighting. Fight to the very end.
http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/walker_randy00.html
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/SPT0103/608310391/-1/CINCI
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Milwaukee Brewers and the Reds
My family and I went to the Reds and Brewers game July 3 in Milwaukee. The Brewers won the game 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth off of the Reds closer, Todd Coffey. Of course, the Brewers closer, Derrick Turnbow, blew the save in the top of the ninth.
The game was fun, had everything (except good defense), and the hot dog won the sausage race.
The game was fun, had everything (except good defense), and the hot dog won the sausage race.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Super Bowl XVI (16) and Dan Ross
I was just looking over the obits for Dan Ross, one of my favorite players. And I started looking into Super Bowl XVI, or as I like to call it, Super Bowl 16.
Ross had 11 catches that game, as the Bengals tried to come back from a 20-0 halftime deficit. And they did a pretty good job, losing the game 26-21. Ross caught a TD pass, his second of the game, with less than 20 seconds left in the game, but the onside kick was recovered by the Niners.
The Super Bowl was played in the expanse that was the Pontiac, MI, Silverdome. Different stadia mean different things, and the Silverdome always reminds me of Barry Sanders, Wayne Fontes, and the wacky Lions of that era.
Ross was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. He must have been some college player. And he is one of the all-time great Bengals.
Looking into Super Bowl 16, I was struck that the leading rusher for the 49ers that season was none other than Ricky Patton. Patton gained 543 yards for the Niners. It took a while to get the Roger Craig kill ya running or passing thing down, I guess.
Ross had 11 catches that game, as the Bengals tried to come back from a 20-0 halftime deficit. And they did a pretty good job, losing the game 26-21. Ross caught a TD pass, his second of the game, with less than 20 seconds left in the game, but the onside kick was recovered by the Niners.
The Super Bowl was played in the expanse that was the Pontiac, MI, Silverdome. Different stadia mean different things, and the Silverdome always reminds me of Barry Sanders, Wayne Fontes, and the wacky Lions of that era.
Ross was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. He must have been some college player. And he is one of the all-time great Bengals.
Looking into Super Bowl 16, I was struck that the leading rusher for the 49ers that season was none other than Ricky Patton. Patton gained 543 yards for the Niners. It took a while to get the Roger Craig kill ya running or passing thing down, I guess.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Raider Who May Have Lost His Arc
Aaron Brooks is the new Raider starting quarterback. The plan seems to be let him start for a little while, then let Andrew Walter will take over. (I think being a starter for the Raiders is over for Marques Tuasisopo, at least in their minds).
Brooks had it all going for him, but for the last year and a half, he seems like a below average quarterback who occasionally has a good game.
Of course, this also could be said for Gus Ferotte, and he went out and had a good season for the Dolphins. And Brooks' numbers aren't that bad, taken as a whole.
Season Team G QBRat Comp Att Pct Yds Y/G Y/A TD Int
2000-01 New Orleans 8 85.7 113 194 58.2 1514 189.3 7.8 9 6
2001-02 New Orleans 16 76.4 312 558 55.9 3832 239.5 6.9 26 22
2002-03 New Orleans 16 80.1 283 528 53.6 3572 223.3 6.8 27 15
2003-04 New Orleans 16 88.8 306 518 59.1 3546 221.6 6.8 24 8
2004-05 New Orleans 16 79.5 309 542 57.0 3810 238.1 7.0 21 16
2005-06 New Orleans 13 70.0 240 431 55.7 2882 221.7 6.7 13 17
Career 85 79.7 1563 2771 56.4 19156 225.4 6.9 120 84
Aaron Brooks took over a newly reconfigured Saints team for Jeff Blake, who was doing a great job, and he led them to the playoffs his first year, winning the franchise's only playoff game. But the past few years, it hasn't been the same. Last year, the entire season was just a bad year for the Saints. With Katrina, one is inclined to give the whole franchise and all of the players a pass. I know I am.
It'll be interesting to see what the Raiders can do with Brooks. He has a strong arm, and they want to throw the ball downfield. And they have Randy Moss and Jerry Porter.
Andrew Walter should be ready to start in the NFL soon. He was a fine pick by the Raiders, and he will be the guy for Art Shell at some point.
Here are Walter's numbers at Arizona State.
Year G/GS Comp/Att Yds. Pct. TD/Int. Lg. Avg./G Eff.
2001 11/2 38/86 546 44.2 3/2 53 49.6 104.4
2002 14/10 274/483 3877 56.7 28/15 85 276.9 137.1
2003 12/12 221/421 3044 52.5 24/10 80 253.7 127.3
2004 11/11 244/426 3150 57.3 30/9 79 286.4 138.4
Total 48/35 777/1416 10617 54.9 85/36 85 221.2 132.6
Brooks had it all going for him, but for the last year and a half, he seems like a below average quarterback who occasionally has a good game.
Of course, this also could be said for Gus Ferotte, and he went out and had a good season for the Dolphins. And Brooks' numbers aren't that bad, taken as a whole.
Season Team G QBRat Comp Att Pct Yds Y/G Y/A TD Int
2000-01 New Orleans 8 85.7 113 194 58.2 1514 189.3 7.8 9 6
2001-02 New Orleans 16 76.4 312 558 55.9 3832 239.5 6.9 26 22
2002-03 New Orleans 16 80.1 283 528 53.6 3572 223.3 6.8 27 15
2003-04 New Orleans 16 88.8 306 518 59.1 3546 221.6 6.8 24 8
2004-05 New Orleans 16 79.5 309 542 57.0 3810 238.1 7.0 21 16
2005-06 New Orleans 13 70.0 240 431 55.7 2882 221.7 6.7 13 17
Career 85 79.7 1563 2771 56.4 19156 225.4 6.9 120 84
Aaron Brooks took over a newly reconfigured Saints team for Jeff Blake, who was doing a great job, and he led them to the playoffs his first year, winning the franchise's only playoff game. But the past few years, it hasn't been the same. Last year, the entire season was just a bad year for the Saints. With Katrina, one is inclined to give the whole franchise and all of the players a pass. I know I am.
It'll be interesting to see what the Raiders can do with Brooks. He has a strong arm, and they want to throw the ball downfield. And they have Randy Moss and Jerry Porter.
Andrew Walter should be ready to start in the NFL soon. He was a fine pick by the Raiders, and he will be the guy for Art Shell at some point.
Here are Walter's numbers at Arizona State.
Year G/GS Comp/Att Yds. Pct. TD/Int. Lg. Avg./G Eff.
2001 11/2 38/86 546 44.2 3/2 53 49.6 104.4
2002 14/10 274/483 3877 56.7 28/15 85 276.9 137.1
2003 12/12 221/421 3044 52.5 24/10 80 253.7 127.3
2004 11/11 244/426 3150 57.3 30/9 79 286.4 138.4
Total 48/35 777/1416 10617 54.9 85/36 85 221.2 132.6
Bears Win Race for Griese Monkey
In the race for Brian Griese, it appears the Bears beat out the Bengals. Don Pierson of the Chicago Tribune, one of the best football writers in the country, said (at least by implication if not outright) that he likes Griese better than Jay Fiedler, Jeff Blake, Gus Ferotte, Jeff Garcia, and Jon Kitna.
The one thing this does is move Kyle Orton back to third string. I am a huge Kyle Orton fan, and I think that the Bears ain't really treating him right after his stint as the starter last year. Another thing this does is give some competition to Rex Grossman. Is Brian Griese better than Sexy Rexy? I don't know, and neither, really, does anyone else.
How much does a quarterback like Brian Griese cost? It seems that he is a five year, at least $14 million with at least a $4 million signing bonus.
Brad Biggs of the Suntimes reports that Griese signed with the Bears because of Lovie Smith's quick hook for quarterbacks. Fair enough.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-bear22.html
Geoff Hobson's story on Bengals dot com says that Aaron Brooks considers himself a starter, so the Bengals don't fit. They may be down to Joey Harrington and Jaimie Martin. I still want them to explore the Jay Fiedler option. But I am fine with Joey Harrington.
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5149
The one thing this does is move Kyle Orton back to third string. I am a huge Kyle Orton fan, and I think that the Bears ain't really treating him right after his stint as the starter last year. Another thing this does is give some competition to Rex Grossman. Is Brian Griese better than Sexy Rexy? I don't know, and neither, really, does anyone else.
How much does a quarterback like Brian Griese cost? It seems that he is a five year, at least $14 million with at least a $4 million signing bonus.
Brad Biggs of the Suntimes reports that Griese signed with the Bears because of Lovie Smith's quick hook for quarterbacks. Fair enough.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-bear22.html
Geoff Hobson's story on Bengals dot com says that Aaron Brooks considers himself a starter, so the Bengals don't fit. They may be down to Joey Harrington and Jaimie Martin. I still want them to explore the Jay Fiedler option. But I am fine with Joey Harrington.
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5149
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
John Sandusky, longtime NFL assistant, dies at 80
John Sandusky died recently. If you were from Ohio, you knew of John Sandusky. If you were a lineman, you knew of John Sandusky.
He was a line coach in the NFL for 35 years. He coached some of the best offensive lines in the history of the NFL.
Again, I would like to state: There is a real need for referees in the pro football hall of fame. Can't have a game without them, and we all notice the real good ones from the average ones.
And there is a real need for assistant coaches in the pro football hall of fame. No team doesn't have them. And we all can spot the real good ones from the average ones.
Baltimore Sun
He was a line coach in the NFL for 35 years. He coached some of the best offensive lines in the history of the NFL.
Again, I would like to state: There is a real need for referees in the pro football hall of fame. Can't have a game without them, and we all notice the real good ones from the average ones.
And there is a real need for assistant coaches in the pro football hall of fame. No team doesn't have them. And we all can spot the real good ones from the average ones.
Baltimore Sun
"He was part Irish, part Polish," [Don Shula] the former Miami Dolphins and
Colts coach said of Sandusky. "But the Irish part, he had that great Irish voice
and he sang those great Irish songs like 'Danny Boy.' Invariably when we went
out together as a staff, John would burst out in song. And I never got tired of
listening to it."John was a great teacher, and on top of that, he was just a
wonderful human being."
The First Cut Is the Deepest: Can Any Early Cuts Help the Bengals?
The following players have been waived. Several of these players represent an upgrade at a position, and, depending on cap number, salary, and health, might be good pickups. The Bengals need a defensive tackle (or two) and a safety (or two).
Defensive Tackle
Sam Adams, DT BUFFALO
Brentson Buckner, DT CAROLINA
La'Roi Glover, DT DALLAS
Ted Washington, DT OAKLAND
Let's start at defensive tackle. Three of the four big DTs are just that, big DTs. Washington, Adams, and Buckner are big take-up-two-blockers, two-gap run-stuffers at their best. They all probably have left their best days behind. Washington at his best was a Hall of Fame type DT. Adams was a Pro Bowl level DT. Bucker was a big dude with occasional ability. All would probably be a step up from Bryan Robinson. But the Bengals will probably choose to go the youth route. I would hope, however, that they at least give Ted Washington a call. Glover is 6-2, 285 or 290. He is a one-gap DT, and was probably the premier one-gap DT for a year or two in New Orleans. Had a couple of good years for the Cowboys, but when Dallas went 3-4, Glover became a bad fit. He is too small for a nose, and, at 30-plus, he probably wasn't given the opportunity to win a DE spot. Pittsburgh would have used him as a DE, though. Glover is a step up from John Thorton, but Thorton is probably going to be more value priced. Someone will take Glover. [Note: Glover has already been signed by the Rams, who may have had a worse problem stopping the run than the Bengals]. And I think the Bengals need a two-gap guy more. It would surprise me, however, if they go for one of these older guys.
Safety
Marcus Coleman, S HOUSTON
Tebucky Jones, S MIAMI
Lawyer Milloy, S BUFFALO
To me, this is a no-brainer. After Madieu Williams and Kim Herring got hurt and missed most of the season, the Bengals were left with probably the worst set of starting safeties in the NFL. Kevin Kaesviharn and Ifeanyi Ohalete were the Bengals starters for most of the season. Kaesviharn is a former corner who doesn't have enough speed and can't cover that well. He also is a poor tackler. Ohalete -- who was cut by the Cardinals at the beginning of the season and picked up by Cincy when they put Herring on IR -- is a big safety without enough speed who occasionally hits hard. But he misses more than he hits and tight ends just roam free. I wanted the Bengals to go with Herna Daze-Jones or Patrick Body or both, just to give them experience. It didn't seem that they could be much worse. With Williams coming back, I think the Bengals need to get one veteran safety. Williams was moving toward Ed Reed territory as far as safeties go by the end of his rookie year. I hope that he if fully recovered and ready to start at free safety. As far as strong safety, I would go for Tebucky Jones, a classic strong safety, if he doesn't cost that much. He played in only six games in '05, so he may need some rehab. But he's big, fast, strong, and experienced. Lawyer Milloy is a little small for a strong safety, but he is ultra productive and would be fine. I would take a pass on Marcus Coleman. But, hey, worse comes to worse, so to speak, he's better than nothing.
Defensive End
Trevor Pryce, DE DENVER
Brady Smith, DE ATLANTA
Always pays to look at who else is out there. I like Brady Smith, but someone else will like him more. Trevor Pryce is not my cup of tea. There will probably be better DEs cut later. And this isn't really an area of need.
Quarterback
Tony Banks, QB HOUSTON
Kerry Collins, QB OAKLAND
Jay Fiedler, QB NEW YORK JETS
Tommy Maddox, QB PITTSBURGH
With Jon Kitna set to find a new home, Cincinnati needs a veteran backup QB. I would sign Jay Fiedler in a heartbeat. I like him. He is a lot like Kitna. The only problem is that Fiedler had a shoulder injury and was out for many months. I think the Jets cut him because they didn't want to chance it that he couldn't come back by sometime in training camp to help. But I think the Bengals should look longer term, and Fiedler is the sort of guy that can carry the old clipboard and make everyone feel better. So I would sign him. And, I would sign another veteran. Right now, these are the other guys available. Ouch. Out of the three of these guys, I think I would take Tommy Maddox. He will be cheap, and maybe he could be an OK guy for a couple of games if you needed him. I would feel more comfortable if he was a third-stringer. Same with Banks. Collins would be a good second-stringer, but I don't see him coming cheap. Hopefully there will be better options a little later.
Cornerback
Andre Dyson, CB SEATTLE
Michael Harden, CB SEATTLE
Reggie Howard, CB MIAMI
Sam Madison, CB MIAMI
Denard Walker, CB OAKLAND
Eric Warfield, CB KANSAS CITY
Willie Williams, CB PITTSBURGH
The Bengals have had two straight cornerbacks make the Pro Bowl in two straight years, which shows you what a crock of manure the Pro Bowl is. The base your corner play on interceptions only. On the theory that you can never have too many corners, here's what's available. I like Madison and Dyson from the above list. If value priced, I'd bring 'em in. But they probably won't be value priced. Charles Woodson is also probably going to be available. The Bengals need to suck it up and start trying to get corners through the draft. And is Keiwan Ratliff a starter? I don't know. But I think James may be nearing the end (perhaps he can be a free safety?), and O'Neal is occasionally great, frequently maddening.
Offensive Line
Brad Hopkins, OT TENNESSEE
Kevin Mawae, C N.Y. JETS
Damion McIntosh, OT MIAMI
Ron Stone, G OAKLAND
I like Mawae, and I would bring him in if you could. Hopkins would be a great backup. He can play left tackle, and he is built like a guard, so one would hope that he could play guard. Mawae and Hopkins both are probably better than a starter for the Bengals, and both could probably start. Both will probably cost too much, and are too old. McIntonsh and Stone are backup material only. Both are also probably too expensive.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Defensive Tackle
Sam Adams, DT BUFFALO
Brentson Buckner, DT CAROLINA
La'Roi Glover, DT DALLAS
Ted Washington, DT OAKLAND
Let's start at defensive tackle. Three of the four big DTs are just that, big DTs. Washington, Adams, and Buckner are big take-up-two-blockers, two-gap run-stuffers at their best. They all probably have left their best days behind. Washington at his best was a Hall of Fame type DT. Adams was a Pro Bowl level DT. Bucker was a big dude with occasional ability. All would probably be a step up from Bryan Robinson. But the Bengals will probably choose to go the youth route. I would hope, however, that they at least give Ted Washington a call. Glover is 6-2, 285 or 290. He is a one-gap DT, and was probably the premier one-gap DT for a year or two in New Orleans. Had a couple of good years for the Cowboys, but when Dallas went 3-4, Glover became a bad fit. He is too small for a nose, and, at 30-plus, he probably wasn't given the opportunity to win a DE spot. Pittsburgh would have used him as a DE, though. Glover is a step up from John Thorton, but Thorton is probably going to be more value priced. Someone will take Glover. [Note: Glover has already been signed by the Rams, who may have had a worse problem stopping the run than the Bengals]. And I think the Bengals need a two-gap guy more. It would surprise me, however, if they go for one of these older guys.
Safety
Marcus Coleman, S HOUSTON
Tebucky Jones, S MIAMI
Lawyer Milloy, S BUFFALO
To me, this is a no-brainer. After Madieu Williams and Kim Herring got hurt and missed most of the season, the Bengals were left with probably the worst set of starting safeties in the NFL. Kevin Kaesviharn and Ifeanyi Ohalete were the Bengals starters for most of the season. Kaesviharn is a former corner who doesn't have enough speed and can't cover that well. He also is a poor tackler. Ohalete -- who was cut by the Cardinals at the beginning of the season and picked up by Cincy when they put Herring on IR -- is a big safety without enough speed who occasionally hits hard. But he misses more than he hits and tight ends just roam free. I wanted the Bengals to go with Herna Daze-Jones or Patrick Body or both, just to give them experience. It didn't seem that they could be much worse. With Williams coming back, I think the Bengals need to get one veteran safety. Williams was moving toward Ed Reed territory as far as safeties go by the end of his rookie year. I hope that he if fully recovered and ready to start at free safety. As far as strong safety, I would go for Tebucky Jones, a classic strong safety, if he doesn't cost that much. He played in only six games in '05, so he may need some rehab. But he's big, fast, strong, and experienced. Lawyer Milloy is a little small for a strong safety, but he is ultra productive and would be fine. I would take a pass on Marcus Coleman. But, hey, worse comes to worse, so to speak, he's better than nothing.
Defensive End
Trevor Pryce, DE DENVER
Brady Smith, DE ATLANTA
Always pays to look at who else is out there. I like Brady Smith, but someone else will like him more. Trevor Pryce is not my cup of tea. There will probably be better DEs cut later. And this isn't really an area of need.
Quarterback
Tony Banks, QB HOUSTON
Kerry Collins, QB OAKLAND
Jay Fiedler, QB NEW YORK JETS
Tommy Maddox, QB PITTSBURGH
With Jon Kitna set to find a new home, Cincinnati needs a veteran backup QB. I would sign Jay Fiedler in a heartbeat. I like him. He is a lot like Kitna. The only problem is that Fiedler had a shoulder injury and was out for many months. I think the Jets cut him because they didn't want to chance it that he couldn't come back by sometime in training camp to help. But I think the Bengals should look longer term, and Fiedler is the sort of guy that can carry the old clipboard and make everyone feel better. So I would sign him. And, I would sign another veteran. Right now, these are the other guys available. Ouch. Out of the three of these guys, I think I would take Tommy Maddox. He will be cheap, and maybe he could be an OK guy for a couple of games if you needed him. I would feel more comfortable if he was a third-stringer. Same with Banks. Collins would be a good second-stringer, but I don't see him coming cheap. Hopefully there will be better options a little later.
Cornerback
Andre Dyson, CB SEATTLE
Michael Harden, CB SEATTLE
Reggie Howard, CB MIAMI
Sam Madison, CB MIAMI
Denard Walker, CB OAKLAND
Eric Warfield, CB KANSAS CITY
Willie Williams, CB PITTSBURGH
The Bengals have had two straight cornerbacks make the Pro Bowl in two straight years, which shows you what a crock of manure the Pro Bowl is. The base your corner play on interceptions only. On the theory that you can never have too many corners, here's what's available. I like Madison and Dyson from the above list. If value priced, I'd bring 'em in. But they probably won't be value priced. Charles Woodson is also probably going to be available. The Bengals need to suck it up and start trying to get corners through the draft. And is Keiwan Ratliff a starter? I don't know. But I think James may be nearing the end (perhaps he can be a free safety?), and O'Neal is occasionally great, frequently maddening.
Offensive Line
Brad Hopkins, OT TENNESSEE
Kevin Mawae, C N.Y. JETS
Damion McIntosh, OT MIAMI
Ron Stone, G OAKLAND
I like Mawae, and I would bring him in if you could. Hopkins would be a great backup. He can play left tackle, and he is built like a guard, so one would hope that he could play guard. Mawae and Hopkins both are probably better than a starter for the Bengals, and both could probably start. Both will probably cost too much, and are too old. McIntonsh and Stone are backup material only. Both are also probably too expensive.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Reds' Best Lineup?
There is a lineup analysis tool on the Internet (wow, I think this thing may catch on!). It does some cipherin' on the best lineup you can have to score the most runs, based on on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Put in the 2006 Reds lineup, using 2005 stats.
Don't know why I did this, but here are the top 10 results.
Best Lineups Runs per Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4.942 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.941 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Jason LaRue Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.938 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.937 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.937 Adam Dunn Jason LaRue Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.936 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Jason LaRue Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.936 Jason LaRue Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Adam Dunn Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.934 Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.934 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.933 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
http://www.baseballmusings.com/cgi-bin/LineupAnalysis.py?Player0=Jason+LaRue&OBA0=.355&Slug0=.452&Player1=Felipe+Lopez&OBA1=.352&Slug1=.486&Player2=Adam+Dunn&OBA2=.387&Slug2=.540&Player3=Ken+Griffey&OBA3=.369&Slug3=.576&Player4=Austin+Kearns&OBA4=.333&Slug4=.452&Player5=Ryan+Freel&OBA5=.371&Slug5=.371&Player6=Wily+Mo+Pena&OBA6=.304&Slug6=.492&Player7=Edwin+Encarnacion&OBA7=.308&Slug7=.436&Player8=Aaron+Harang&OBA8=.027&Slug8=.027&Model=0
And here's the tipsheet I found at another website.
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/
Put in the 2006 Reds lineup, using 2005 stats.
Don't know why I did this, but here are the top 10 results.
Best Lineups Runs per Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4.942 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.941 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Jason LaRue Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.938 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.937 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.937 Adam Dunn Jason LaRue Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.936 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Jason LaRue Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.936 Jason LaRue Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Adam Dunn Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.934 Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.934 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.933 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
http://www.baseballmusings.com/cgi-bin/LineupAnalysis.py?Player0=Jason+LaRue&OBA0=.355&Slug0=.452&Player1=Felipe+Lopez&OBA1=.352&Slug1=.486&Player2=Adam+Dunn&OBA2=.387&Slug2=.540&Player3=Ken+Griffey&OBA3=.369&Slug3=.576&Player4=Austin+Kearns&OBA4=.333&Slug4=.452&Player5=Ryan+Freel&OBA5=.371&Slug5=.371&Player6=Wily+Mo+Pena&OBA6=.304&Slug6=.492&Player7=Edwin+Encarnacion&OBA7=.308&Slug7=.436&Player8=Aaron+Harang&OBA8=.027&Slug8=.027&Model=0
And here's the tipsheet I found at another website.
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/
1. This is the most OBP-centric spot in the lineup. Your hitter here might very well be your best hitter, IF his best attribute is his OBP. A hitter with a .425 OBP and a .500 SLG would fit in here well, provided that there's not a better OBP threat elsewhere on the roster. When I looked at it, I decided that Derek Jeter is really the optimal leadoff hitter. He has a good OBP and acceptable power, and he's generally a solid hitter.
2. The 2-hitter should be the lineup's most balanced hitter, a good combination of OBP and SLG. David Wright fits the bill here, as does the player I chose, Chase Utley. The first guy I thought of was Mike Lowell in his prime, when I looked at the results and coefficients.
3. This was the biggest surprise: the 3 hitter should be the player that doesn't fit into any of the other spots. Every other spot has some significance, but if I were building a lineup, I would just put the leftover player in the 3 hole. This seemed very counterintuitive to me when I first heard it, but David Pinto noted, "Part of what it's telling us is that you need to spread out your easy outs." I still struggled to get this, but I'm starting to, now. Marc said something to the effect of "the worst players have to go somewhere." I guess this is really it; the other spots just have greater needs. If you can get a good hitter here, it means that your lineup is very deep.
4. This is the bopper. This guy's best attribute should be his power, with OBP being of secondary importance. He should be the foil to the leadoff hitter, in a way; both players could be similar if they're both very complete. Andruw Jones, though, is an ideal #4 hitter: slightly above average OBP, and "phenomenal cosmic power," to quote Aladdin.
5. Picking the 5 hitter is simple: it's the second choice for the two slot. Paul Konerko, who I picked for this spot, had a very similar line to our #2 hitter, Chase Utley.
6. The 6 hitter shows the biggest difference between SLG and OBP on the roster. This is because you're going to want to have guys driving in the leftovers. The 6 hitter is the most exclusively power-dependent hitter of the bunch. His OBP is VERY unimportant. Alfonso Soriano and Jay Gibbons are good picks for this
slot.
7. The 7 hitter is the less extreme version of the 6 hitter, with less of a need for power and more usage for OBP. I picked Vernon Wells here.
8. This is the worst hitter in the lineup. If it's the pitcher, he goes here, unless it's Dontrelle Willis or Jason Marquis or someone similar. This is because you'd rather not put the pitcher close to two of the best hitters in the lineup: the 1 and 2.
9. The 9 hitter should be a "punchless wonder," of sorts. Scott Podsednik, Gregg Zaun, and Brad Ausmus fit into this role nicely: guys with acceptable OBPs and absolutely no power. This is the "stereotypical leadoff hitter" to the extreme. He's not actually leading off because you don't necessarily want these guys to imbibe plate appearances, I think.
This is all very new stuff, and I could have interpreted this wrong. I think that Cyril Morong is onto something because you CAN rationalize these positions, even if there's a high level of initial cognitive dissonance. I would say that you should try to go over this checklist when you try and optimize the lineup for whatever team you want, and see if it checks out or comes close to it.
And They Called It, "Tuffy Love"
Love the Tuffy.
LOVE THE TUFFY!
Tuffy Rhodes is back and badder than ever.
Tuffy Rhodes signs with the Cincinnati Reds. I actually think he has a 1-in-10 shot to make the team (but, really, who knows? It would be a better shot if Jim Bowden were still the GM). Rhodes has been called the greatest American player in the history of Japanese Baseball (at least according to the headline from The Japan Times; I couldn't click on the story).
Tuffy Rhodes: the best ever foreign player in Japan The Japan Times, Japan - Feb 18, 2006 The 10-year Japan career of Tuffy Rhodes has apparently come to an end with the announcement last week he had signed a contract with his hometown team, the ...
Here's another story.
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060222&content_id=1319606&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
http://www.middletownjournal.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2006/03/01/mj030206redsnotes.html
The Reds have signed on a lot of veteran players in the bullpen and on the bench.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/SPT05/603020326/1035
Bullpen: 36-year-old David Weathers, 37-year-old Rick White, 38-year-old Kent Mercker and 40-year-old Chris Hammond.
Bench: 34-year-old Rich Aurilia and 35-year-old Frank Menechino and 35-year-old Quinton McCracken and 36-year-old Scott Hatteberg and 36-year-old Tony Womack and 37-year-old Tuffy Rhodes.
And out of those guys, who do I love? I LOVE THE TUFFY!
Looking at that bench, hells bells, Johnny Bench is only 58.
Last year, it was Aaron Holbert. (Don't worry, Aaron. Still pulling for you this year. But Tuffy's a better story right now.)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/holbeaa01.shtml
This year, so far, it's Tuffy Rhodes.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rhodeka01.shtml
I live in Chicago, surrounded by Cubs fans and (curiously enough, many more) Sox fans. And never will I forget when Karl Tuffy Rhodes took Doc Gooden deep three consecutive times on Opening Day 1994. This was made especially important to me because of an inside joke I had and still have with a coworker regarding Jim Frey, who went to Western Hills High School in Cincinnati (as did Tuffy Rhodes, Don Zimmer, and Pete Rose [you betcha]). (I had a date to a high school dance with Jim Frey's niece back in the Seventies. Still cracks my friend up.) Doc Gooden was still considered a pretty damned good pitcher Opening Day 1994.
Here is the Cubs 1994 Opening Day starters (in alpha order), provided by Baseball Almanac:
1994 Chicago Cubs
Opening Day Starters
Steve Buechele
Shawon Dunston
Mark Grace
Derrick May
Mike Morgan
Karl Rhodes
Ryne Sandberg
Sammy Sosa
Rick Wilkins
And to think they were 49-64.
LOVE THE TUFFY!
Tuffy Rhodes is back and badder than ever.
Tuffy Rhodes signs with the Cincinnati Reds. I actually think he has a 1-in-10 shot to make the team (but, really, who knows? It would be a better shot if Jim Bowden were still the GM). Rhodes has been called the greatest American player in the history of Japanese Baseball (at least according to the headline from The Japan Times; I couldn't click on the story).
Tuffy Rhodes: the best ever foreign player in Japan The Japan Times, Japan - Feb 18, 2006 The 10-year Japan career of Tuffy Rhodes has apparently come to an end with the announcement last week he had signed a contract with his hometown team, the ...
Here's another story.
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060222&content_id=1319606&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
http://www.middletownjournal.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2006/03/01/mj030206redsnotes.html
The Reds have signed on a lot of veteran players in the bullpen and on the bench.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/SPT05/603020326/1035
Bullpen: 36-year-old David Weathers, 37-year-old Rick White, 38-year-old Kent Mercker and 40-year-old Chris Hammond.
Bench: 34-year-old Rich Aurilia and 35-year-old Frank Menechino and 35-year-old Quinton McCracken and 36-year-old Scott Hatteberg and 36-year-old Tony Womack and 37-year-old Tuffy Rhodes.
And out of those guys, who do I love? I LOVE THE TUFFY!
Looking at that bench, hells bells, Johnny Bench is only 58.
Last year, it was Aaron Holbert. (Don't worry, Aaron. Still pulling for you this year. But Tuffy's a better story right now.)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/holbeaa01.shtml
This year, so far, it's Tuffy Rhodes.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rhodeka01.shtml
I live in Chicago, surrounded by Cubs fans and (curiously enough, many more) Sox fans. And never will I forget when Karl Tuffy Rhodes took Doc Gooden deep three consecutive times on Opening Day 1994. This was made especially important to me because of an inside joke I had and still have with a coworker regarding Jim Frey, who went to Western Hills High School in Cincinnati (as did Tuffy Rhodes, Don Zimmer, and Pete Rose [you betcha]). (I had a date to a high school dance with Jim Frey's niece back in the Seventies. Still cracks my friend up.) Doc Gooden was still considered a pretty damned good pitcher Opening Day 1994.
Here is the Cubs 1994 Opening Day starters (in alpha order), provided by Baseball Almanac:
1994 Chicago Cubs
Opening Day Starters
Steve Buechele
Shawon Dunston
Mark Grace
Derrick May
Mike Morgan
Karl Rhodes
Ryne Sandberg
Sammy Sosa
Rick Wilkins
And to think they were 49-64.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
NFL Combine on NFLNetwork
Did you watch the coverage of the combine on the NFL Network?
Oh, Pete Rozelle, what have you wrought?
I have major issues with the NFL combine. I think there are too many people making too many decisions about too many players instead of seeing if these players can play football.
Every time that I think it is easing up, I hear things like Jay Cutler is passing up Vince Young as a higher rated QB, based on what Cutler did in shorts in Indy. I thought that Vince Young was a first-round pick, a top-15 pick, after the Rose Bowl Game. Not the USC-Texas thriller, but the Michigan-Texas thriller in 2005 when Vince ran for 192 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 180 yards and one touchdown.
He had a better season last year, and a better Rose Bowl game for the National Championship.
I don't get it. Not Jay Cutler. Sorry. And maybe Jay Cutler will be a fine NFL quarterback. But what does Vince Young need to do?
Vernon Davis, tight end from Maryland, ran a 4.38 40 at 255 chisled pounds. The speeds of these things just keep getting more ridiculous. Having said that, I like that Leonard Pope of Geogia and would draft him first as a tight end. Probably that Byrd kid from USC would be No. 2.
Joseph Addai as a first-round pick? Not me. I think he's about Mewelde Moore. Which ain't all that bad, but not a first-round pick.
Oh, Pete Rozelle, what have you wrought?
I have major issues with the NFL combine. I think there are too many people making too many decisions about too many players instead of seeing if these players can play football.
Every time that I think it is easing up, I hear things like Jay Cutler is passing up Vince Young as a higher rated QB, based on what Cutler did in shorts in Indy. I thought that Vince Young was a first-round pick, a top-15 pick, after the Rose Bowl Game. Not the USC-Texas thriller, but the Michigan-Texas thriller in 2005 when Vince ran for 192 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 180 yards and one touchdown.
He had a better season last year, and a better Rose Bowl game for the National Championship.
I don't get it. Not Jay Cutler. Sorry. And maybe Jay Cutler will be a fine NFL quarterback. But what does Vince Young need to do?
Vernon Davis, tight end from Maryland, ran a 4.38 40 at 255 chisled pounds. The speeds of these things just keep getting more ridiculous. Having said that, I like that Leonard Pope of Geogia and would draft him first as a tight end. Probably that Byrd kid from USC would be No. 2.
Joseph Addai as a first-round pick? Not me. I think he's about Mewelde Moore. Which ain't all that bad, but not a first-round pick.
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