Hawkeyes Take A Tumble

Well the Iowa Hawkeyes fell from the ranks of the unbeaten Saturday when the lost to Northwestern. It was bound to happen. The Hawkeyes had been winning by the skins of their teeth for most of the year. They lost their starting QB Ricki Stanzi in the second quarter, and he was replaced by redshirt freshman James Vandenburg. Given time and experiance I believe that Vandenburg will be a much better QB then Stanzi. But he was not ready to do it today. Maybe the stage was too big. Maybe his team let him down. If he starts next weekend, he'd better be prepared to work some magic, because Ohio State seems to always beat Iowa. The Buckeyes gave a beat down to Penn State today. The entire Hawkeye team will need to step up if they are to have any chance against the Buckeyes. Vandenburg will not be able to do it on his own. The defense will need to get pressure on Ohio St. QB Terrelle Pryor, and the Hawks Offensive line will need to keep the Bucks defense at bay. The game is in Ohio. Hopefully The Hawkeyes will come to play.

Detroit Pistons

I believe that Joe Dumars is a very smart basketball man. Therefore, I also have to believe that he has a plan that he is following which caused him to trade Chauncey Billops to the Nuggets for Allen Iverson. Was it to clear Billops contract off of the Pistons books to make room for someone in the future? Why did the allow Rasheed Wallace to leave as a free agent? Was it for the same reason? It appears to me that Mr. Dumars is looking forward to the 2010 free agent market. Is it a possibility that the Pistons are interested in Lebron James? But the offseason of 2010 is not just the Summer of LeBron. It's also the Summer of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd, each of whom can become an unrestricted free agent in 2010. So as you can see, a team with alot of cap space could really bolster their line up with this group of talented players. So is that why Joe Dumars has been breaking up the Detroit Pistons? We can only hope that he has a good plan, and hasn't been drinking out of Al Davis' glass.

World Series Game 6

Well here it is, Wednesday Nov. 4th. Tonight we will see if the Phillies can extend the Series to a game 7, or if the Yankees can become 27X World Champions. We will have a couple of wrily veterans on the mound. New York sends 37 year old Andy Pettite to the mound with 14 years of MLB experience. 2x All-Star selection (1996, 2001), 4x World Series champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000), 2001 ALCS MVP, 5x Series-Clinching Wins (Record), 17x Career post-season wins (Record) And the Phillies counter with 38 year old Pedro Martinez. 8x All-Star selection (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006), 3x Cy Young Award winner (1997, 1999, 2000), World Series champion in 2004, Won AL Triple crown in 1999, Led AL in wins in 1999, Led NL in ERA in 1997, Led AL in ERA in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, Led AL in strikeouts in 1999, 2000, 2002. They are also two of only three players that have pitched so far in the 2009 season with at least 200 wins, 2,000 strikeouts, and a winning percentage at or above .600. The other one is Randy Johnson. So both teams have plenty of experience, there will be no early game jitters from either pitcher. Both teams however, have bullpen issues. And since neither pitcher will pitch a complete game. The bullpens very well may decide the outcome of this one. Can't wait to sit down and watch what could possibly be the final meeting ever between these two great pitchers. Pettitte and Martinez first squared off 11 years ago, but they've never done so in the postseason. Both pitchers are 3-3 in six matchups, all games between the Yankees and Red Sox from 1998-2003. The visitor has won each time and Martinez has a 3.86 ERA to Pettitte's 5.88, according to STATS LLC.

The Oakland Raiders

Ok, first off, lets get it out in the open. I am a lifelong Raider fan. I enjoyed several years of Raiders dominance. The past 8 years have been absolutley horrible. The team is in the worst shape that I have ever seen it in. Jamarcus Russell is one of the biggest bust ever in the NFL. Ryan Leaf comes to mind. Russell looks dumb at times standing back there in the pocket. Is he so overwhelmed by the complexity of a pro offense? The Raiders run a very basic offense, apparently trying to help Jamarcuss out. But what that does is lets the defenses tee off on the Raiders simple game plan. I don't really know who all is to blame. Al Davis is obviously way past his prime. Tom Cable doesn't seem to be a capable NFL head coach. I think that the Raiders players feel that they are wasting their time and are just waiting for their chance to escape to a more capable franchise. Alot of people sit at home second guessing the play calling and abilities of their favorite teams. However, when a quarterback makes it that obvious that he has not gotten any better. And you can tell that the players around him have no confidence in him. Then why does he get trotted out there every week to embarass himself. The Kid is in way over his head. The Raiders are playing with 2 rookie receivers starting. A bumbling quarterback, and lackluster playcalling. Do they take us (the fans) for granted? Does the organization actually believe that they are headed in the right direction? Or is this actually been just a hoorible dream, and I will wake up to watch Rich Gannon and the Raiders, beat John Grudden and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Superbowl? Please let that be it. The Raiders couldn't have possibly fallen that far could they?

World Series Game 5

Yes the Phillies won. And yes Ryan Madson got the save. But did Charlie Manuel make a very big blunder that caused alot more stress among Phillie fans then what should have been. Picture this scenario. Top of the 9th inning. Ben Francisco enters the game as a defensive replacement for Raul Ibanez instead of going to center field for Shane Victorino. The ball hit to deep left that Ibanez was unable to get to would have been caught by Francisco because he is much younger, faster and better at playing the field then Ibanez. The inning would have been over with much less damage and my ulcer wouldn't be screaming at me right now. I'm in no way saying that Charlie Manuel isn't a great manager. He cares about his people, and he felt that Victorino was in too much pain and could use the rest. Hind sight is 20/20. Us monday morning quarterbacks will always second guess our teams coaches and managers. That's what we do. Just some food for thought.

The World Series

If you have been watching the World Series as I have been then you have noticed the Phillies lack of quality pitchers. The Phillies have an offensive lineup that could potentially win the World Series for a few more years. However, I don't believe that they will win the current Series do to them only having one truly reliable pitcher. I was very nervous last night when they pulled Cliff Lee and replaced him with Ryan Madson. And just as I expected, the ball was flying all over the place. Luckily the Phillies were able to get the Yankees stopped soon enough that they were able to steal a win. The Yankees now lead the Series 3 games to 2. Now what? Cliff Lee can't pitch every game. The Phillies now must rely on an aging Pedro Martinez. Who has had his share of problems with the Yankees in the past. My concern isn't Pedro though, it's who Charlie Manuel will turn to when Pedro gets tired. None of his choices puts me at ease. Park is ok for a short while. Durbin has his moments. Madson always makes me nervous. Which Myers will show up. And then there is always Brad Lidge. Last year he was money in the bank. This year he is anything but. The Phillies know that they have to have the lead late in the game or the Yankees will send in Mariano Rivera and the game is over. The Yankees just hope to keep it close because there is no Phillie reliever that brings fear to the Yankee line up. And if by some magical means the Phillies win game 6, then who do they hand the ball to in game 7? Hamels has said that he just wants the Series to hurry up and be over. What kind of thing is that to say. I think he is angy because last year he was the big man on campus and this year he has had alot of troubles and Cliff Lee came in and took over the ace role. So if the Phillies find their way to a game 7 they may need to rely on a very young J A Happ. But then who else can they really depend on? Maybe Lee will pull a Randy Johnson and come in to a game 7 in relief to save the day for the Phils. Let's hope someone steps up and brings Philly another baseball championship.