Playoffs!

NHL and NBA playoffs are in full swing! I’ll be posting my round by round picks eventually (part of the special announcement).  But it is just really exciting because these seasons have been unusually drama-free, with the exception of the Sidney Crosby fiasco.  PR nightmare: Sidney Crosby being forced to retire due to head trauma.  Funny thing is: it could be happening all over the league.  In Colorado, Peter Meuller has been out since the pre-season with a head injury that started DURING LAST SEASON!!!!  The NFL has been pushing for new concussion rules, but the NHL are the ones who need to reevaluate their helmets and policies.  The NFL could probably take some cues from the NHL in policies, but the NHL desperately needs to improve their helmets.  That tiny piece of plastic is not going to protect you from Zedeno Chara’s massive body being thrown at you.  And if anyone blames this on fighting, I’m goin postal.

NFL Lockout

Not sure when this will be resolved.  It could be seasons before one party or the other starts running out of money.  Quite a few players have found alternative sports, and only a couple have been in law trouble.  I would really like to see some stars, or almost stars, jump to the UFL.  I think it could jumpstart the league and put the NFL in a bind where they have to listen to the players.  The NFL gets off too easily too often.  Roger Goodell claims he cares about player safety, but he only cares when it becomes an issue.  He won’t actively push for new safety until he has to.  Seems like every commish needs to be replaced…

NBA Relocation Committee

Clay Bennett, the slimy bastard that stole the Seattle Supersonics, has been named HEAD OF THE NBA RELOCATION COMMITTEE!!!  Who appointed him? His wife…I mean the commish, David Stern.  This has to pretty much guarantee that the Sacramento Kings will become the Kansas City Kings or the Anaheim Kings or even the Las Vegas Kings.  Oh, and more salt on Sonics fans wounds:  Lester Munson passed this bit along to ESPN radio Seattle about what Howard Shultz (Starbucks CEO, former Sonics owner, sold the Sonics to Bennett) had to say about the Sonics.

So Shultz is going through his routine, ‘Teamwork this, teamwork that, we are a team at Starbucks, our store managers operate these teams and this is how we’re going to succeed.’ Then (the emcee) says, ‘What about teamwork on the Sonics?’ and Schultz says, ‘I was afraid you were going to ask me about that.’

And then he says teamwork on the Sonics did not happen; there’s nobody who can tell Gary Payton what to do. That’s what he said. He probably didn’t think anyone at that dinner would be talking to anyone in Seattle anytime soon.

Just ridiculous. This will also be touched on in my special announcement.

The Red Devils

My Manchester United Red Devils are coming to Seattle! And touring other parts of the US, but SEATTLE!!!  Chicarito, Berbatov, Giggs, Scholes, Bebe, Ferdinand, and Rooney! They probably won’t all be playing, but it is still an exciting time for a man who has been a fan since childhood.  Speaking of ManU, it has been refreshing to not have issues with the ownership this year.  Sure the issues are there, but as long as we win it won’t be a problem.  Except we lost to freaking Manchester City.  Problem: Man City has been terrible in recent history and is only decent now because they are buying everyone good.  Problem: This game was part of the FA cup. Man City hasn’t defeated ManU in the FA Cup since 1955.  At least we have the EPL locked up so long as we don’t collapse…darn that better not make them lose.  Champions League finals here we come! Defeated Chelsea in the quarterfinals, now semis vs Real Madrid, Barcelona, or FC Schalke.  Seems like another Champions League could be in the cards!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Now that you sat through my ranting, here is the special announcement.  Drumroll please?

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I don’t hear you!

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I’m going to try to post daily.  Not via wordpress, which I do love with all my heart, but by tumblr.  Yes, I’ve gone to the dark side.  I’m sorry.  But it is easier to rationalize posting daily on tumblr than wordpress for some reason.  I will give you the heads up on facebook as well.

Oh no, I’m not done with wordpress.  There will still be extended thoughts on topics on here, but tumblr will become my go-to site for random thoughts.

So…until next time:  Check the facebook (LIKE US!!!), tumblr, and here for new updates!

NBA All-Star Weekend

I love the major activities that the NBA includes such as the Dunk Contest and 3-point Shootout.  I think the Dunk Contest has been better than it currently is, they need to encourage more superstars to participate like Clyde Drexler, MJ, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady all did.  They also need to do away with ridiculous fan voting.  The event was better when Dunk Contest Legends did all the judging.  Maybe we could mic the judges to get some insight instead of wasting money on the fan voting.  The game itself is good in that it inspires inter-conference rivalry.  Where it falls short is encouraging intra-conference rivalry.  Sure the stars have to coexist, but you can’t tell me that this year Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo will go the entire weekend without sharing a few laughs.  The greatest All-Star games bring out the best in the players and can even result in little known stars becoming Alpha Dogs.

MLB All-Star Game and Festivities

Having attended an All-Star Fanfest as a boy in 2001 in Seattle, I can appreciate some of the events, but others do need to go away.  Celebrity games are really dumb and have nothing to do with MLB other than that they are playing baseball.  Celebs always end up hurt and it becomes a big deal.  The Home Run Derby is a major draw, but it isn’t entertaining and diminishes the magic of a great home run.  As I stated in a past post, I move that the MLB changes its format to an All-Star Series.  If the game is going to mean something and have ramifications towards the World Series, then the game should be played like other MLB games.  In a three game series.  The winners of two games would host the majority of the World Series games, and in the event of a two-game sweep, they could do a Home Run Derby for some kicks.  We could do away with the ridiculous mentality of, “Let’s use every single pitcher in the game and let every player get a fair amount of playing time” and have managers do their job a little more realistically.

NHL All-Star Game and Festivities

I like the switch this year to have captains pick teams, it allows for rivalries to remain intact.  As we all know, rivalries and rage are big parts of hockey.  The skills competition is great, too.  It showcases the best players and answers fan debates.  The Rev and I were talking this week and of course happened upon this subject.  He proposed the idea where the NHL has a game of just the captains of all the teams.  I would add that this could include Assistant Captains as well.  Someone will be stuck with a terrible goalie (Roberto Luongo), but  goaltending doesn’t really help in the All-Star game as it is.  I do, however, think that this is a sport that should have a Celebrity game.  Canadian Stars vs USA Stars with some International pickups (like Arnold?)  would probably be on par with the actual All-Star game.  I would pay to watch a fight between Justin Bieber and pretty much anyone as long as he gets pummeled.  This could be the greatest thing since Brett Favre retiring (joke pending).

NFL Pro Bowl

This game is pretty much meaningless to the players, it basically equals a nice payday from their team in exchange for a weekend in a tropical environment.  I don’t see anyway to improve it for the NFL.  Maybe instead they could have a 3rd place game between the two semifinalists that lost.  I’m truly at a loss.

Super Bowl Weekend

Welcome to the greatest weekend in sports (and advertising)!  Black Eyed Peas as the entertainment, Steelers (most hated team in the country) vs Packers (the only publicly traded team, and therefore a product of the fans).  Two of the best defensive teams that just happen to have sufficient offenses (when not suspended and healthy).  My only question is how someone outside of Pittsburgh and not originally from Pittsburgh can root for the Steelers.  They are the new Oakland Raiders: Fans who are too far over the top and obnoxiously present everywhere.  But hey, isn’t that why normal people love sports?  Watching great athletes and insane fans?

Was That It?

Did anyone else feel like the BCS National Championship left a lot to be desired?  We were promised offense, but when the two top programs have over a month to prep and gameplan, I suppose we should have expected defense to rule.  Then the last two minutes happened along with this “gem”:

Absolutely unforeseen, probably won’t happen again, and just plain ridiculous.  Auburn made it to the 1 on another Dyer run and then ran the clock down for a field goal.  After settling in for an overtime thriller right before the 2 minute warning i was left to think, “Was that it?”  If Vince Young single-handedly beating the USC powerhouse in LA was the best BCS Title game, this was somewhere on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Can We Do This?

The question every person who was remotely a Seahawks fan asked themselves on Saturday around 2 PM Pacific Time.  Everyone except the few diehards had written of the Seahawks even after the top New Orleans rushers went down with injury.  This game ended up being arguably the game of the week due to the crazy fans (who caused some seismic activity), the underdog story, and, of course, Pom-pom Pete Carrol.  The seismic activity was a result of this monster of a run:

A few things factored into this run being so huge.

1.  Lynch kept his legs going the whole time.  Even after he threw a guy off himself.

2.  Everyone blocked.  From the linemen, to the wide receivers, and even QB Matt Hasselbeck (kinda).

3. Lynch refused to quit.  He could have gone out of bounds, could have laid down to keep the clock going, but he churned and burned his way to the end zone.

Definitely got added to the list of greatest rushes in Playoff history.

Can We Play Chicago Again? (And have the Packers beat the Falcons?)

Seattle already beat the Bears this year, and they have a secondary comparable to the Saints. Also, Packers beat the Falcons and then we get the NFC Championship game in Sea-town.  Talk about reviving a dead city.

Looking Ahead: Who do the Seahawks draft if Mark Ingram and Jake Locker are still on the board?

This one really depends on the combine and need of teams ahead of Seattle, but I can see Pete Carrol trading for some draft picks and jumping up in the draft order.  On the one hand, Ingram can immediately be a factor.  It would allow for the Seahawks to trade Lynch, Forsett, or one of the other dozen backs Carrol collects, for a draft pick.  Ingram can carry the run game, after maybe one or two seasons of split time (similar to how Adrian Peterson was used after he was drafted).  Locker, on the other hand, would need a season, two, three, four, who knows how long to learn under a vet (like Hasselbeck).  After that, he could be a new breed of Quarterback, a combination of speed, power, and throwing.  He and Tebow could end up being the new model for QB.  A healthy rivalry for the ages.

Still Looking Ahead: What have the Mariners done to solve their hitting problems?

Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  Sure, they signed some guy who is supposedly underrated, but we need a big name at this point.  Underrated does not cut it.  Carl Crawford was on the market and we didn’t make any overtures whatsoever.  It seems like Jack Z is unwilling to do anything about the problem.  Or he is waiting for Albert Pujols to be available.  As long as we can keep King Felix and Ichiro, the next season won’t be a lost cause.  Trading our future and our biggest stars would turn the season into a torturous road.  I don’t see how the M’s would turn a profit or even sell tickets.

What ever happened to those basketball teams that were going to move?

Funny you should ask.  New Orleans is currently owned by the NBA and Sacramento may move because it’s owners aren’t good with their previous business ventures.  There are really about 5 possible destinations at this point.

1. Seattle.  Not sure how likely this is considering David Stern hates us even more, but hey, OPTIMISM!!!

2. Kansas City.  It’s been rumored for awhile now, but you never hear any names attached to the rumors.

3. Anaheim.  Possible for the Kings being that it is a larger market and they already have an arena.  Unfortunately, it is too close to the Lakers and Clippers.

4. San Jose.  Another one for the Kings that is close to their current location, but California may be on basketball overload anyway.

5. Las Vegas.  The one that scares me the most.  Stern has wanted a team here for forever.  Meaning he will sell the team to pretty much anyone who will put them in Vegas.  Still no names attached to these rumors.

This is still a little early, but Ballmer needs to step up before he gets beat to the punch.  Stern won’t move a team if there is nowhere to move it.  Oh wait, OKC is nowhere isn’t it?

Honorable Mentions:

Vancouver, B.C.

The ‘Couve hosts the NHL’s Canucks and formerly the NBA’s Vancouver Grizzlies (now in Memphis, one of the first “Sonicsgate”-type moves by Stern).  The torture of being the forgotten western city in Canada and hardly getting a sniff of the Stanley Cup is surely getting annoying to Vancouver fans, but they don’t make the top (or bottom) two due to their successful hosting of the Olympic Winter Games this past year.  Keep up the mediocrity Vancouver!

Buffalo, NY

Buffalo may own the rights to Ryan Miller, star netminder for the USA Olympic Hockey team, but what else do they have going for them?  The Bills are constantly at the bottom of their division, and always battle rumors of being moved to Toronto.  The Sabres may have Miller, but they can’t seem to beat good teams and make a run at the Cup.  Fortunately for Buffalo fans, Ryan Fitzpatrick appears to be the answer to their QB question, and Steve Johnson has emerged as his go-to receiver.  If the new regime in Buffalo can collect some good, young talent the next couple years, they have a shot at toppling the evil rule of the Patriots and Jets.  As for the Sabres, they are only a few moves away from a legit shot at the Cup.  Let’s hope both teams can step it up.  For Buffalo’s sake.

Toronto, Ontario

The city’s favorite sons, the Maple Leafs (yes Leafs, apparently Canadians failed Elementary English) can’t seem to improve.  If mediocrity doesn’t take them out of the running, then injuries will.  Yet fans continue to attend games and relentlessly support their boys in typical “This could be our year” fashion.  Hopefully the largest group of fans in denial can have something to cheer for in the next years.

Miami, Florida

SURPRISE!!!  Unexpected recipients of an honorable mention, Miami has quickly become the most hated sports fan base in the nation (as voted by the majority of the country).  My best guess is this stems from the days of “The U” and their dominance (/cheating) in NCAA Football.  But what really pushed America over the edge about this city was “The Decision” of this past summer.  The Three Kings, Lebron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, signing to the same team was deemed a cop-out by some, and extremely unfair (in terms of spreading talent around) by all.  Maybe some losing will garner the city some much-needed sympathy.

Portland, Oregon

The Blazers committed the biggest draft blunder since the Jordan draft in selecting Greg Oden before Kevin Durant.  Since then, they can’t catch a break injury-wise.  Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldrige, and the rest of the team seem to be constantly battling nagging injuries.  Not to mention Oden has played in about 5 games per year and seems to enjoy sending revealing pictures.  At least the Jail Blazers era is over, right?  And that baseball team they were supposed to get?  Yeah, not happening anytime soon. Sorry Portland.

Twin Cities, Minnesota

Sure, they have the most popular MLB player in Joe Mauer, and a very good RB in Adrian Peterson.  What else?  Hmmm…there’s that new ballpark?  Yeah, that’s about it.  The Favre scandal and unfulfilled expectations by both teams beat the city down.  Not to mention the Metrodome Collapse, which won’t be fixed until March 2011.  Oh yeah, did you know they have a hockey team? Neither did they, since the one they want got moved to Dallas and they got this crappy expansion team that couldn’t win a playoff series to save Obama.

Sacramento, California

Cali’s capital is having to endure constant rumors about their NBA team being moved, and they have no other major sports teams.  What could be worse?  At least their team is decent and if a new arena wasn’t so expensive they would be all-out in supporting their Kings.  Good luck beating Stern, Sac-town.  Seattle knows you’ll need it.

New Orleans, Louisiana

A late addition to my list simply due to the NBA purchasing their team (and the inevitable move that will follow).  But the Saints success keeps them out of the bottom.  For now.

Houston, Texas

Houston had a great football team in the good old days.  Now they are stuck with the Texans and being in the Cowboys’ shadow even if they have a better record.  Not to mention their star NBA player can’t stay healthy.  In fact Yao has been reduced to trade bait simply for his expiring contract.  Things are looking up with the emergence of Louis Scola, Aaron Brooks, and Kevin Martin.  Look for the Rockets to be Playoff Cinderellas this year and a major contender next season.  The Texans will be getting a long-awaited coaching change and hopefully the new coach will bring in a legit number 2 receiver to Andre Johnson.  If the new coach can use Arian Foster, Mat Schaub, and Johnson effectively, he will surely lead them to their first post-season win.

Runner-Up:

Cleveland, Ohio

What does this city have going for them? LeBron is gone in dramatic fashion, the Browns are still a few years away from contention in their division, and there is really nothing else worth mentioning.  LeBron’s FU to Cleveland put the city in a funk.  He was their savior, and he has quickly turned a city proud of its favorite son into a city with a personal vendetta against one man.  Back in the day, the Cavs would have toppled LeBron in their first game against him by sending a tough guy at him, like Ron Artest on crack.  Oh, and good luck with that whole “we will win a championship before LeBron” thing.  But remember Cleveland, it could be worse.  You could be…

The Most Tortured City:

Seattle, Washington

Sonicsgate, the terrible (yet somehow almost division champs) Seahawks, the M’s can’t buy a bat, and no NHL team.  Oh yeah, the cherry on top/final nail in the Seattle sports coffin:  The beloved voice of the Mariners, Dave Niehaus, is gone.  The city is left to pretending they have a shot at getting a new NBA team, pretending winning the NFC West will be an accomplishment, and pretending that it doesn’t matter that the M’s aren’t going to win 116 games again.  Mediocrity doesn’t exist in the city, it’s just awful.  In the name of all things athletic, someone throw this city a life raft.

Disappointed you didn’t see your tortured city?  Throw down a comment or email me.  Also, check the facebook page and feel free to throw out some future ideas.

InVINCEable No Longer

Not sure if anyone actually saw this happen, since it isn’t on YouTube or anything, but apparently Vince Young threw half his uniform into the stands on Sunday.  Then he allegedly told off his coach in front of the entire team and ignored his best friend.  Now he has been put on injured reserve for a thumb injury (which I’m sure made Brett Favre turn over in his grave) and thus barred from the team practice facility.  I’m waiting to hear that he has been caught with drugs or housing a meth lab or some sort of illegal activity.  It seemed like his life was on the upswing after McNair died, as if he was living like McNair to honor him.  Now it seems like he is missing his friend more than ever.  He needs a new mentor to step in.  Enter: Mike Vick.  Go on, shake your head or laugh or whatever you prefer to do, but check this.  Vick has been where Young is, and he can help him become a better person without the jail time.  Vick can show Young that he doesn’t have to be the center of attention and that everything in life won’t be handed to him.  Since high school Young has been a winner.  Whenever his Titans struggle, he becomes a moody teenager.  He needs someone like Vick to show him the terrible side of life as a wakeup call, so he can appreciate all he has been given and learn that life is about more than just Vince.  The UFL may be the perfect place for that.  The Titans should release him and the rest of the NFL will surely have blacklisted him for all his incidents, so falling to the UFL to rehab his image and improve his game will be a huge help.  Until he can become a better citizen, the NFL will be UnVINCEable.

RIP

A couple weeks ago, Seattle lost its last slice of heaven.  Dave Niehaus passed away after a great life as the voice of the Mariners.  I can remember not being able to watch 2 out of every 3 Mariners games (we didn’t get FSN) and having to listen on the radio.  The radio was more enjoyable than the TV though.  Dave made the games seem alive in my living room and the only thing better was being at the game.  He has always seemed like one of the things Seattle would never lose.  We lost A-Rod, we lost Griffey (kinda), we lost Buhner, Edgar, the Sonics, Kevin Calabro, and the Kingdome.  Niehaus never took his accomplishments as his own, but shared them with the fans.  If you don’t believe me, just check out the YouTube videos of his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.  Without Dave Niehaus, Seattle baseball will not be the same.  My family was sad when Ernie Harwell, the voice of the Tigers, passed away, but I didn’t understand why.  He was just an announcer right?  No, play-by-play guys become a part of your life, sometimes even your family.  Niehaus was just another nail in the Seattle sports coffin, and it will take an act of God to open that coffin back up.  Thanks for all the great years Dave, and rest in peace.

Let me repeat part of that.  The best COLLEGE football player.

The most prestigious trophy in college sports

That does not mean the best NFL prospect, nor does it mean the best player on a good team.  It means the best player on any given team in the NCAA Division I.  Now that we have established that, let me ask you this: what happens when a player wins the Heisman?

Well, they tend to be taken early in the draft and have a huge load of expectations put on them in the NFL.  Apparently, when you win the Heisman, you automatically have to be good in the NFL.  Some examples of Heisman winners who had issues once they got to the NFL:  Ricky Williams (1998), Eric Crouch (2001), Ron Dayne (1999), Chris Weinke (2000), and Matt Leinart (2004). Jason White (2003) wasn’t even drafted.

Once the Heisman is awarded to a player, they have a high expectation to reach for.  Some players reach their peak in college, making that mark unattainable.  Others get sick of all the media attention or simply crash and burn like Crouch.  Dayne became lazy and refused to cut weight.  Weinke was simply past his prime, being 28 years old when he won the award.  Leinart didn’t have the skills to make it as a Quarterback in the NFL and is constantly being shuffled around the NFL now.

Other players who have won can reinvent themselves in the NFL.  Reggie Bush is a prime example.  He was drafted to a great team and has been given a small enough workload to manage.  Injuries have hurt his career, but comparatively he is in a great position.  Ricky Williams also managed to reinvent himself, albeit a couple years later.  He had to hit rock bottom to come back up.  He also is managing a lesser workload in Miami by splitting time with Ronnie Brown.

Even some college players can’t live up to expectations to even win the Heisman.  After he won the Heisman, Tim Tebow had far more pressure to win again, but once Sam Bradford joined him in trying for number two, the pressure lessened and he was able to focus on football.  Colt McCoy was just cursed with playing against two great QBs in Tebow and Bradford.  Currently, Jake Locker is on his way to the Heisman casualty list.  He was expected to run away with the award this year, but unfortunately for us UW fans, he has had to battle injuries and consistent defensive pressure this year.

With all the pressure put on these players and so many casualties of the Heisman, should we just eliminate the trophy altogether?  It seems to me that with the broad range of Division I teams, we cannot truly choose the BEST college football player.  If a player is truly the best, they will distance themselves with their play.

Werd on the Street, vol. 3

[Due to a huge writing assignment in school last week and an upcoming assignment, I am combining the Werd on the Street for the past week and this week.]

What happened to the World Cup bidding process?  The committee combines two years of bidding and scandals erupt every which way.  Personally, I’m rooting for the USA bid in 2022 and the England bid in 2018 (wouldn’t that be a great excuse to go to England?).  The Belgium/Holland bid also has some European appeal, but I think the Iberian Alliance of Spain and Portugal has a great shot.  Hopefully we learn results soon and the actual voting process isn’t as marred by scandal as the pre-voting process has been.

Dear Randy Moss,

Don’t you realize that ordering custom jerseys is much faster and less scathing to your reputation than trying to be traded to or sign with every team in the NFL?  If you were hoping to get a head start on your UFL collection, you chose the right way to get started.  Maybe we can see “Dennis Green – Daunte Culpepper – Randy Moss” version 2?  Either way, ridiculousness has ensued.

How about those Giants?  Apparently they are better than the Yankees, who couldn’t seem to figure out Cliff Lee.  I think Barry Bonds wanted a title in 2002, but the fans don’t really care since they all seem to be too high to notice that he is gone according to Josh Hamilton.  Speaking of the Yankees…good luck getting Lee now that your idiot fans berated his wife.  Even CC Sabathia won’t be able to convince his old friend now that the Mrs. is against having to sit with those inconsiderate Yanks fans.  And how much do you want to bet that Lee gets a no-trade clause in his new contract?

Oregon finally got to number one in the BCS.  Does Auburn count as a BCS casualty even though they didn’t lose after becoming number one?  And when is Boise State’s turn at the top?  Or TCU?  Or Utah?  Do any of the NCAA Division I teams even deserve a BCS title shot this year?  Oregon-Boise would be amazing, but not a title game.  Again, we have to play wait-and-see with the BCS.

The BCS is like the houseguest that everyone knows will show up late and try to rule the party because of it, so we all talk about uninviting it every year so we don’t have to deal with it.  Unfortunately, the BCS has friends who won’t let us uninvite it.  Better luck next year maybe…doubtful.

In a press conference after Monday Night Football, Jeff Fischer half-jokingly states that ESPN may have asked Jack Del Rio to use timeouts early in the game for network timeouts.  He even says they asked him to do it as well.  It isn’t that I don’t see the humor, but how do you come up with that joke?  What was the inspiration?  All we, as fans, can do is speculate on if this is something that ESPN could do, or if Jeff is funnier than we give him credit for.  You can check out the video of the press conference here.

Aged Quarterbacks

Is it just me or does Kerry Collins look way older than Brett Favre?  Maybe if Brett decided to be a backup the whole retirement thing wouldn’t be such a huge deal.  Then again, Brett can’t stand being out of the spotlight, so that is out of the question.  What I really can’t wrap my head around is Collins backing up Vince Young.  They are such different breeds of Quarterback that Collins can’t have much to offer Young.  Maybe for a season or two he taught Young some leadership skills and how not to kill yourself under the stress of an NFL QB, but now they need to bring in a QB that has more to offer Vince.  Collins is still a solid backup, probably one of the top in the league, but once everyone realizes that Donovan McNabb is useless as a starter, I would suggest bringing him in instead of Collins. 

BCS and Heisman Race

So Oklahoma is the BCS number 1?  The computer gave them a .950?  In what world is this year’s Oklahoma team that good?  Oregon, on the other hand, is destroying everything in their path and they are hardly even considered for the top spot in the BCS.  Too much of this is based on computers.  A 6-team playoff would solve everyone’s problems and allow for a more entertaining post-season. 

NCAA Football is in such a rut this season that there isn’t even a good choice for Heisman.  Mark Ingram pretty much withdrew his name a couple weeks ago with a sorry performance, and for some reason people decide that Denard Robinson is nothing special because he lost one game.  Matt Barkley has a field day against a Cal team that may as well have been the zombies from Shaun of the Dead and suddenly he is a front-runner.  Then we have Terrelle Pryor, who is still riding his high school recruiting profile into the race.  I hope someone has three magical games in a row to knock off all of these pretenders and show that there is going to be a clear-cut Heisman, or at least a good race. 

Rooney on the Outs?

Apparently Wayne Rooney wants out of Manchester United…what???  I cannot even fathom why he would want to play anywhere else.  Other than United’s cruddy American owners, but he doesn’t have to deal with them, only Sir Alex Ferguson does.  Fergie is saying that Rooney stopped negotiations with United for a new deal back in August, but his contract isn’t up until 2012.  So the club showed initiative to resign him and get him more money and then suddenly he wants out.  It’s being reported that he wants a 100% pay raise, and I’m sure United would pay it if he played like the star he is being built up to be.  Either way, the next transfer period isn’t until January.  The way I see it, there are two possibilities. We could see a possessed Rooney try and build up his stock for when he gets transferred and the team will be low on morale because they know their star is leaving, or Rooney will tough out the season and hardly play (which would make United want to transfer him anyway), while the team tries to convince him to stay by stepping it up for the remainder of the season.  I hope we see the latter, because Rooney’s best years are right ahead.

The new key for the map is as follows: Green dots represent teams that will be staying in their respective locations, yellow dots represent teams that will be moving, dark blue dots represent where those teams will be moved, and light blue dots represent the two expansion franchises.  The Rev and I decided that 32 is a better number than 30 and two 16-team divisions makes more sense than two 15-team divisions, that is why there are two new teams that weren’t in the last column. 

1. Move the LA Kings to Seattle

No new reasons to move a team here, just a different team being moved.  We decided not to destroy the hopes and dreams of two great franchises.

2. Move the Phoenix Coyotes to Salt Lake City

I guess I never realized that SLC didn’t have a team.  It seems like a great place for one, considering they support the Jazz (NBA) so hardcore.

3. Move the Dallas Stars to Kansas City, Missouri

The Rev may disagree, but I like this move still.

4. Move the Nashville Predators to St. Paul, Minnesota

Not sure why the team being moved changed, maybe it was just a more convenient move?

5. Move the Atlanta Thrashers to Green Bay, Wisconson

Seeing as The Rev and I agreed so much that Atlanta doesn’t deserve a team and Green Bay does, this move makes a ton of sense.

6. Move the Tampa Bay Lightning to London, Ontario, Canada

The Rev pointed out to me that London’s citizens are hardcore supporters of their minor-league team; they support the Knights more than some NHL cities support their teams.  Be that as it may, I can make this the “suburb of Toronto” that I wanted to move a team to.

7. Move the Florida Panthers to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Florida is still a ridiculous place to play hockey, so I guess nothing ever changes with me.  I can save you all the rant this time.

8. Start expansion franchise in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Moving a team from Winnipeg was ludicrous to begin with, but see the previous version of this column for that rant.  I went with an expansion team this time because I didn’t think many of the other cities would support an expansion as well as Winnipeg.

9. Start expansion franchise in Indianapolis, Indiana

The Rev doesn’t agree with me on this city getting a team, but I am sold on the area going all-out in their support of this new franchise.

Why More Teams?

I’m sure you all were thinking this question, even I was when the issue first came up.  In our discussions, the Rev and I decided that since most other leagues have 32 teams it makes more sense for competitive purposes and it allows expansion into untapped markets.  I’m not going to get into the whole scheduling issue or how to divide the rosters, but this would help those things.

Tournaments

For some reason, the Rev and I decided that since we started with a soccer theme, it should keep going.  I love the in-season tournaments that soccer teams have.  It allows for more players to get experience, and expands interest in the sport to other areas.  We could create an NHL-wide tournament that was conducted during the season (since the teams are split into an upper and lower division and won’t play very often), this would create more games (always a plus for a hockey fan) and allow for inter-division play. The other tournament would be a world-wide tournament that included the champions from the upper and lower NHL division, along with the champions from the Czech, Swedish, Russian, and Finnish leagues.  The runner-ups would also be invited, and the tournament could be conducted with group play and a single-elimination tournament to follow.  It would probably be in the offseason, and in lieu of the World Championships (which nobody pays attention to; I bet you didn’t even know there was such a thing). 

I apologize for my tardiness in posting this latest piece, just know that I hope to give you two posts this weekend, so not all is lost!  The weekend shall be that much better.

How to fix a broken league

The above map will be the reference point for this piece.  The green dots represent teams that are in cities I approve of.  The yellow dots represent teams that are in cities that I think need to move.  The blue dots represent the cities that I think deserve a team from the cities that don’t deserve them.  The green cities are: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Denver (Colorado Avalanche), Minneapolis (Minnesota Wild), St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Ottawa, Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Newark (New Jersey Devils), Manhattan (NY Rangers), Long Island (NY Islanders), Buffalo, Montreal, and Boston.  I will explain where each team will move from, and where it will move to.  As you can see, the warmer the climate during winter, the less likely the city is to have a team.  Let’s start at one.

1. Move San Jose Sharks to Seattle

Sure, I realize this is biased, but what did you expect?  At least Seattle already has a Stanley Cup.  Seriously, google it.  Although, I’m not sure I would bring back the “Metropolitans” nickname.  Seattle already has more Cup appearances than some teams that are actually in the league.  Also, this could help the city renovate Key Arena and maybe get a basketball team out of this whole thing.  (You didn’t think I could talk about Seattle without mentioning basketball, did you?)

2. Move Anaheim Ducks to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Also, rename the team the Jets, like the old franchise.  Winnipeg had a great thing going with hockey until stupid America demanded their team. 

3. Move LA Kings to Billings, Montana

Yes, I know this is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too small of a market for a professional sports team, but hold that thought.  We will get back to that issue, I promise.

4. Move Phoenix Coyotes to Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Again, small market, but wait for the solution.

5. Move Dallas Stars to Kansas City, Missouri

I know it gets hot in KC, but it snows and is sub-zero in the winter.  And it makes for a good rivalry with St. Louis.

6. Move Florida Panthers to St. Paul, Minnesota

The most ridiculous place for a team has to be Florida.  And they even have two teams.  So terrible.  But this move enables a Twin City rivalry that I wish existed in other sports, too. 

7. Move Nashville Predators to Green Bay, Wisconsin

 Who did people in Wisconsin root for before this move?  Detroit is too far, and Minneapolis is a rival for everything else.  Maybe Chicago, but they are pretty big rivals in some things too.  Either way, for being such a great football city, GB gets a team.

8. Move Atlanta Thrashers to Indianapolis, Indiana

I realize that a lot of Indy citizens probably root for Chicago, but I think they would jump at the chance to root against them. 

9. Move Carolina Hurricanes to Toronto, Ontario, Canada or a nearby suburb with an arena

There is a huge market for hockey in Toronto.  When the Maple Leafs have a game, school is cancelled for the day.  Getting another team in a nearby town will not convert a ton of fans, but I think I can cover this issue along with the small market issue, which was previously mentioned, later. 

10. Move the Tampa Bay Lightning to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Quebec houses the greatest franchise in all of pro sports, or at least the most dominant one.  Montreal holds the record for most Stanley Cups, and all the Frenchies in Quebec support them.  QC used to have a team, and hopefully we can encourage a provincial rivalry versus Montreal. 

The Issues

We discovered some issues with the new format and locations earlier, namely the small markets some teams play in.  To combat this, I propose that the NHL adopts the British soccer format of having different levels of play, but allowing for promotion to the next level, or relegation to the lower level at the end of each season.  The small market teams could focus on building funds and entertaining fans, while the big market teams could spend like crazy to win the Cup.  There would be two 15-team divisions, and only the upper division would play for the Stanley Cup.  The lower division could play for the President’s Trophy (currently awarded to the team with the best regular season record).   Venturing away from the soccer format just a bit, the divisions could have a four-team playoff for their respective cups at the end of every season.  The Stanley Cup champion (upper division) gets bragging rights, and the lower division champion and runner up get promoted.  The bottom two teams from the upper division would be demoted.  The two divisions would never have “interleague” games, except in the preseason.  The cross-town rivalries (Toronto-nearby Toronto, Twin Cities, NY) would work marketing-wise because some people are ready to support something new, and some just want to stay on what they know.  Also, it works for the English soccer (Manchester United-Manchester City, London has about 5 teams, etc.), so why can’t it work for hockey? 

Do you have any questions? Did I leave something out?  Do you have a better place to move a team?  Feel free to email me at alexjoel92@live.com or look us up on Facebook and start a discussion!

KC Chiefs

Is this for real? The Chiefs are 3-0 going into week 5.  I highly doubt anyone saw this coming, and would take up fisticuffs with anyone who claimed otherwise.  The thing is, the Chiefs have yet to make any amazing plays or have a true star step up.  They are winning the old-fashioned way, by playing as a team and executing a gameplan.  The team isn’t asking too much of any one player; Matt Cassel is doing very little, the running game is split between Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, and the defense is stepping up at the right times.  Granted, this will only work for a limited amount of time, someday a team will force them to make mistakes.  Until then, the Chiefs will grow more confident in themselves and pull tricks like this one:

Ben Return

Ben Roethlisberger returns from hiatus this week because his suspension has been lifted.  One big cloud of carbon dioxide lifts from the Steel City (and LaNasty’s fantasy football team) as they breathe a collective sigh of relief.  Sure, the Steelers survived the first few weeks, but barely. Big Ben will put the Steelers light-years ahead of where they are now.  Maybe, just maybe, he can make them Super Bowl contenders.  The balance of Ben-Ward in the passing game and Rashard Mendenhall in the running game, combined with the ferocity the defense is showing, and we may see an AFC title game appearance from the Steelers.

Liverpool

This story just surfaced today: Liverpool’s soccer team is up for sale and the general assumption is that the owner of the Boston Red Sox will be purchasing the organization in the next few days.  I’d be wary if I were a Liverpool fan, the last team to get purchased by Americans (Manchester United) has a very angry fan base right now.

Detroit Sports Boss

Mike Ilitch, the owner of Detroit’s Red Wings (NHL) and Tigers (MLB) has purchased the Pistons (NBA) according to ESPN.com.  Everyone who has ever worked for an Ilitch-owned team has had nothing but good things to say about their experience, so I can see this being a good transition for the down-trodden organization.  Ilitch keeps his hands off the team, listens to advisors, and spends money when he needs to, so long as it benefits the team.  I can see the Pistons becoming a threat in the East in five years or less under Ilitch’s ownership.  With this purchase, Ilitch has officially given himself leverage in any arena negotiations, too.  The Red Wings have been contemplating renovating Joe Louis Arena/rebuilding the arena, and this gives them a way to move to The Palace at Auburn Hills.  The move could be permanent if Ilitch doesn’t get a new arena in Detroit, but I believe he wants to keep Detroit teams in Detroit, thereby the more likely situation is the Pistons move back into Detroit and out of the suburbs, and Detroit can return the favor by helping renovate or rebuild the Joe. 

NL Playoff Picture

Sorry LaNasty, but your hometown Padres choked (I am so unhappy). Even I didn’t see this coming when I wrote this piece awhile back (scroll towards the bottom if you read the link).  The Giants came out of nowhere to capture the West, and the Padres ended one win off of having a play-in game versus the Atlanta Braves, another choke-job.  For awhile the Padres had the best record in baseball, but a couple stretches of bad play combined with a good run from the Giants did them in.  In the East, the Braves barely held on this last month, losing the lead in the East to the Phillies, and then barely squeaking out a Wild Card berth.  With all the ups and downs in the NL this season, the playoffs will make for an interesting month. 

NEXT POST: I plan on revealing my theory on how to improve the NHL later this week.  Don’t be surprised if it comes a little late, as I want to get it perfect.  Check us out on Facebook for updates when new posts are added to the Werd.