Training camps open up later this month and soon the NFL season will commence. It will be another season for me to root against Payton Manning, hate Herm Edwards, watch the Texans miss the playoffs and wait another year to go piss in the confluence of the rivers in Pittsburgh. Oh yeah and figure out how to make a Joe Pisarcik reference each week.
It will also be another season in which old man Ford tries to figure out how to fire Matt Millen from beyond. Maybe Tony Romo will remember to start his vacation after the season. And just maybe the Patriots will remember if you're going to lose a one game all year it shouldn't be the Super Bowl.
Being a Texans fan hasn't been easy but I scan the NFL landscape and rejoice I'm not a Dolphins or Bears fan. The Bear quarterback situation is a disaster. Only Miami fans can look at the Bears quarterbacks and be envious.
It's a shame Brett Farve didn't ride off into the sunset. At first I thought it was the media stirring up all the unretirement mess. Green Bay should have taken the high road and given Farve his release. Farve is a fierce competator and last year showed he can still be a good player. Realistically though where can Farve step into the starters role and make the team a serious Super Bowl contender? Minnesota comes to mind. Combine Farve with Adrian Peterson and the Vikings defense and the Vikes become a instant threat to win the NFC. However, I don't see Green Bay releasing him to play for a division archrival. The only other teams where Farve might be a good fit are Washington or Buffalo.
As much as it pains me to admit, Dallas is the class of the NFC but the Giants and Vikings are half a step behind. In the AFC it's the Pats and Colts with the Chargers and Jaguars a hair below.
Pittsburgh just has too many questions to be considered an elite team anymore. Age and free agency have caught up with the O-line. Denver and Jacksonville showed the Steelers can be pushed around. The Steelers can still win it all but it is a tough road with the Pats, Colts, Chargers and Jags standing in the way. An interesting side show will be if the Rooney brothers turn the ownership issue into an old man pissing match. As much as I like chaos, I'd hate to see the Rooneys no longer majority owners of the Steelers.
As usual I save my Texans comments for last. The hype is that the this might be the year the Texans make a playoff push. I don't see it happening it all. First of all the Colts and Jags reside in the same division. The Titans will have a big say on how the Texans season will go. The offensive line remains a big question mark. Matt Schaub needs to stay upright all season an running back needs to emerge. The defense has a nice base of young players in Mario Williams, Amobi Akoye and DeMeco Ryans but Dunta Robinson's injury keeps the second player off the field until November. To top it off the first five games are brutal. The first game is at Pittsburgh, first home game with the Ravens and on the road for games @Tennessee and @Jacksonville and the home to face the Colts. A 1-4 start isn't unrealistic and 0-5 is quiet possible.
The early predictions range from 7-9 to 9-7 with a rare 10-6. I'm jumping in on the early prediction business. My bold fearless prognostication is that they go 7-9. They start the season 1-4 with the Ravens the lone victory. The will split the season with the Jags and Titans with two losses to the Colts. Here's to hoping I'm wrong and they make the playoffs.
For the third season I'll be on my perch near the twenty five yard line yelling and wishing bad things on the opponent. In spite of my prediction....BRING ON THE STEELER!!!! That hatred still burns from the Oiler days.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Spurs & Penguins, Steve Chacon
I'm slowly coming out of my self imposed sports moratorium. It's been my way of the Spurs not winning the NBA title. It's my way of the Pens losing in the Stanley Cup finals. It's my way of coping on how really bad the Astros are. As NFL camps open up, I'll emerge and enmesh myself in the sports I truly love.
Briefly on the Spurs and Pens
You know how far the Spurs have come as a franchise when a season is considered a failure when they don't win the NBA title. Winning four titles will do that to a team and it's fans. That's four more titles than most teams can claim. Obviously expectations will have to come down sometime. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobilli are on the downside of their careers. The window for a title is probably two, maybe three, years unless the team can add some top notch bona fide youth. I've heard fans and message boards talk about Plan 2010. Seems they believe the team has a plan to reload in 2010 and continue the success. That remains to be seen.
On the other end of the spectrum are the Pittsburgh Penguins. They boast youth and scoring in Sidney Crosby and resigned Evgeni Malikin. For the Pens the future looks bright. The plowed throw the Eastern Conference in the playoffs before being brushed aside in the Finals. While it was a disappointing result, it was also an unexpected run. I figured they were a year or two plus a defender and a top notch goalie from nailing it all down. The are obviously on the right track and hope they stay on course. Here's to hoping for a Stanley Cup dynasty.
Steve Chacon
My two cents. By now it's old news what happened in the Astros club house. Steve Chacon is history and Ed Wade has egg on his face. Chacon was already unhappy about his demotion to the bullpen and was agitating for a trade through his agent.
Obviously Chacon's behavior is unacceptable but Wade bares responsibility too. Wade lost his cool and told Chacon that he needed to "go look in the mirror." According the Ken Rosenthal, Ed Wade already has a reputation for his temper from his Philly days. Wade is supposed to be a team lead and should have taken the high road in this. He should have let Chacon throw his tantrum and then later suspend him for insubordination. Chacon had no intention of going to manager Cecil Cooper's office. That should have been the nail in his coffin and not the physical confrontation.
Briefly on the Spurs and Pens
You know how far the Spurs have come as a franchise when a season is considered a failure when they don't win the NBA title. Winning four titles will do that to a team and it's fans. That's four more titles than most teams can claim. Obviously expectations will have to come down sometime. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobilli are on the downside of their careers. The window for a title is probably two, maybe three, years unless the team can add some top notch bona fide youth. I've heard fans and message boards talk about Plan 2010. Seems they believe the team has a plan to reload in 2010 and continue the success. That remains to be seen.
On the other end of the spectrum are the Pittsburgh Penguins. They boast youth and scoring in Sidney Crosby and resigned Evgeni Malikin. For the Pens the future looks bright. The plowed throw the Eastern Conference in the playoffs before being brushed aside in the Finals. While it was a disappointing result, it was also an unexpected run. I figured they were a year or two plus a defender and a top notch goalie from nailing it all down. The are obviously on the right track and hope they stay on course. Here's to hoping for a Stanley Cup dynasty.
Steve Chacon
My two cents. By now it's old news what happened in the Astros club house. Steve Chacon is history and Ed Wade has egg on his face. Chacon was already unhappy about his demotion to the bullpen and was agitating for a trade through his agent.
Obviously Chacon's behavior is unacceptable but Wade bares responsibility too. Wade lost his cool and told Chacon that he needed to "go look in the
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Yankees go home and take your fans with you
I lifted my sports moratorium briefly to attend the Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees game on Saturday night. I've seen the Yankees play. In fact I was there to witness Phil Niekro pitch his 3,000 career strikeout. It's just they've never come to Houston to play a regular season series and are here due to inter league play. So for me it was a minor historic event.
Sitting there in the nose bleed section overlooking third base reminded me why I don't enjoy baseball. I like it better on TV where I can change the channel once the Astros go into self destruct mode. Last nights game was a prime reason of why I just don't enjoy going to see them play.
Starts out great with Carlos Lee slamming a three run homer to stake Wandy Rodriquez a three run lead to start off the game. For the first three innings, Rodriquez lets the first batter he faces get on base. He gave up two lead off doubles. In the course of events, he allowed the Yankees to score 5 runs in the first three innings. He settle downs after a while but the damage is done. The batters finally make some noise but the pen can't hold down the Yanks and soon it gets out of hand.
When Drayton McClain bought the team I thought he would make it a top flight organization that would compete year in and out. Occasionally there would be the years where they struggle. What's been going on instead is McClain is doing just enough to try to keep the team competitive and market the team to get the fans in the seats. He lulls them into thinking the Astros can win ball games and keep them returning to the stands. He'll go out and sign players like Carlos Lee, trade for Miguel Tejada and Kazuo Matsui to create buzz for the fans. He doesn't throw mad money at them. They are enough moves that create the illusion that the team will be competitive. Fans buy into this and come to the games. McClain gets the payroll he wants, the fans show up and he gets the bottom line of money he wants at the end of the year.
In the mean time, the farm system is in complete shambles. It's an utter disaster. Hunter Pence is the only player to have come up recently. One looks down at the farm and the pipeline is empty. I read one scouts take in Sports Illustrated that the Astros farm system ranks 30th of all major league systems. That's 30 out of 30. McClain's system of signing players to keep the fans in the seats and the trades for the likes of Randy Johnson and Carlos Beltran have hurt the farm system. By signing Andy Petite and Roger Clemens to go along with star Roy Oswalt, the farm system has been neglected. Since they had the veteran arms, the Astros failed to draft and develop young arms to move up the system to be ready to hit the majors when Clemens and Petite finally move on. The trades for Johnson and Beltran were three for one trades. So over the years, the Astros traded six top prospects for two players to make the playoff run. Worse off, the Astros were unable to retain Johnson or Beltran after the post season push was made. So by making two three for one trade and not developing players to move up to the majors, the Astros are looking at years of mediocrity or worse until someone starts paying attention to the minor league teams again.
A major philosophy shift is needed in the organization. The Astros need to draft and develop players through the minor league system. They especially need to develop pitchers. Of course, free agent signings are still going to take place. It's part of the puzzle to remain competitive but not at the expense of decimating the farm system for players that will be here only part of a season to make a playoff push.
I hope one day soon McClain realizes this and puts a strong product on the field in a few years.
Sitting there in the nose bleed section overlooking third base reminded me why I don't enjoy baseball. I like it better on TV where I can change the channel once the Astros go into self destruct mode. Last nights game was a prime reason of why I just don't enjoy going to see them play.
Starts out great with Carlos Lee slamming a three run homer to stake Wandy Rodriquez a three run lead to start off the game. For the first three innings, Rodriquez lets the first batter he faces get on base. He gave up two lead off doubles. In the course of events, he allowed the Yankees to score 5 runs in the first three innings. He settle downs after a while but the damage is done. The batters finally make some noise but the pen can't hold down the Yanks and soon it gets out of hand.
When Drayton McClain bought the team I thought he would make it a top flight organization that would compete year in and out. Occasionally there would be the years where they struggle. What's been going on instead is McClain is doing just enough to try to keep the team competitive and market the team to get the fans in the seats. He lulls them into thinking the Astros can win ball games and keep them returning to the stands. He'll go out and sign players like Carlos Lee, trade for Miguel Tejada and Kazuo Matsui to create buzz for the fans. He doesn't throw mad money at them. They are enough moves that create the illusion that the team will be competitive. Fans buy into this and come to the games. McClain gets the payroll he wants, the fans show up and he gets the bottom line of money he wants at the end of the year.
In the mean time, the farm system is in complete shambles. It's an utter disaster. Hunter Pence is the only player to have come up recently. One looks down at the farm and the pipeline is empty. I read one scouts take in Sports Illustrated that the Astros farm system ranks 30th of all major league systems. That's 30 out of 30. McClain's system of signing players to keep the fans in the seats and the trades for the likes of Randy Johnson and Carlos Beltran have hurt the farm system. By signing Andy Petite and Roger Clemens to go along with star Roy Oswalt, the farm system has been neglected. Since they had the veteran arms, the Astros failed to draft and develop young arms to move up the system to be ready to hit the majors when Clemens and Petite finally move on. The trades for Johnson and Beltran were three for one trades. So over the years, the Astros traded six top prospects for two players to make the playoff run. Worse off, the Astros were unable to retain Johnson or Beltran after the post season push was made. So by making two three for one trade and not developing players to move up to the majors, the Astros are looking at years of mediocrity or worse until someone starts paying attention to the minor league teams again.
A major philosophy shift is needed in the organization. The Astros need to draft and develop players through the minor league system. They especially need to develop pitchers. Of course, free agent signings are still going to take place. It's part of the puzzle to remain competitive but not at the expense of decimating the farm system for players that will be here only part of a season to make a playoff push.
I hope one day soon McClain realizes this and puts a strong product on the field in a few years.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Sports Moratorium
The Great Sports Moratorium continues with one exception: The European 2008 Championships.
With the exclusion of soccer, all other sports topics are banned until further notice. The ban comes courtesy of the following choking teams: San Antonio Spurs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Houston Cougars softball. The crappy play of the Houston Astros also contributes the ban. The sports ban will remain in effect until the beginning of NFL training camps or until such events warrant the lifting of the ban.
Now to Euro 2008. What a fabulous ass kicking the Dutch put on the current World Cup champions. Words cannot describe this glorious victory for the men in orange. If fact I won't try to describe the action. Just enjoy the goals.
The first goal by Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 26 minute. It was a contraversial because the Italian golie pushed an injured defender out of play but the Dutch player was ruled on side.
The second goal put through by Wesley Sneijder minutes later in the 31st minute of play.
For good measure, Giovanni van Bronckhorst finished the scoring and put the hatchet in the Italians in the 79th minute.
Fuerza Azul trips to regroup against the Romanians while Clockwork Oranges hopes to continue the goal scoring against the French.
It's good to find some joy in an otherwise bleak sports landscape.
With the exclusion of soccer, all other sports topics are banned until further notice. The ban comes courtesy of the following choking teams: San Antonio Spurs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Houston Cougars softball. The crappy play of the Houston Astros also contributes the ban. The sports ban will remain in effect until the beginning of NFL training camps or until such events warrant the lifting of the ban.
Now to Euro 2008. What a fabulous ass kicking the Dutch put on the current World Cup champions. Words cannot describe this glorious victory for the men in orange. If fact I won't try to describe the action. Just enjoy the goals.
The first goal by Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 26 minute. It was a contraversial because the Italian golie pushed an injured defender out of play but the Dutch player was ruled on side.
The second goal put through by Wesley Sneijder minutes later in the 31st minute of play.
For good measure, Giovanni van Bronckhorst finished the scoring and put the hatchet in the Italians in the 79th minute.
Fuerza Azul trips to regroup against the Romanians while Clockwork Oranges hopes to continue the goal scoring against the French.
It's good to find some joy in an otherwise bleak sports landscape.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Hell. Are all my favorite teams just trying to piss me off? The only team that hasn't is the Texans.
The Pittsburgh Penguins reach the Stanley Cup Finals. After tearing through the east, they go down 2-0 and haven't scored a goal yet.
I don't even want to talk about the Spurs. Manu Ginobilli's appearance in game three gave me hope. Only he disappears in game four. Oh yeah, it's not an odd numbered year. The gig is up.
The Lady Cougar softball came up short over the weekend. Great team but they couldn't ride the arm of Angel Shamblin through th super regionals. She started all three games for the Coogs. She had an outstanding arm but the way they used her through the season and the conference tournament left nothing in the tank for the Super Regionals. Great season though. I can't complain at all.
The one sliver of hope was the team I had the lowest expectations for. The Houston Cougar baseball team won the Conferfence C-USA tournament and earned the automatic bid to the NCAAs. The Coogs were a bubble team and needed a good showing during the tournament to earn an at large bid. They got hot down the stretch and won the whole thing.
The third seeded Cougars travel to the College Station regional to face Dallas Baptist, A&M and Illinios-Chicago.
The Cougars play the first game against Dallas Baptist 12:30 p.m. Friday. The Coogs getting hot at the ride time. On the other hand, the top seeded Aggies have not been playing their best ball lately. The regional is winnable for the Coogs. For a better perspective visit CoogcrewDustin's Houston Chronicle student blogger.
The rice owls host the Houston regional and face a stronger field than what the Coogs are facing. The Texas Longhorns come to town as a tough number two seed. I have no love for either team. Maybe St. John's or Sam Houston State will do the world a favor and knock them both out. The selection committie should have ranked rice 1A and Texas 1b. The owls really don't have an advantage as the hosts other than playing on their own field. Houston is a home away from home for the 'horns. The fan base and alumni in the area coupled with a group that travels well will show up in numbers for the Longhorns.
The winner of the Houston regional will play the winner of the College Station regional in a best of three series for a spot in the College World Series.
SarCoog2010 has a more detailed look at the Cougar's baseball tournament at Cougar Scratches.
The Longhorn's Houston Chronicle beat writer Jose Duarte has a Houston regional preview.
The Pittsburgh Penguins reach the Stanley Cup Finals. After tearing through the east, they go down 2-0 and haven't scored a goal yet.
I don't even want to talk about the Spurs. Manu Ginobilli's appearance in game three gave me hope. Only he disappears in game four. Oh yeah, it's not an odd numbered year. The gig is up.
The Lady Cougar softball came up short over the weekend. Great team but they couldn't ride the arm of Angel Shamblin through th super regionals. She started all three games for the Coogs. She had an outstanding arm but the way they used her through the season and the conference tournament left nothing in the tank for the Super Regionals. Great season though. I can't complain at all.
The one sliver of hope was the team I had the lowest expectations for. The Houston Cougar baseball team won the Conferfence C-USA tournament and earned the automatic bid to the NCAAs. The Coogs were a bubble team and needed a good showing during the tournament to earn an at large bid. They got hot down the stretch and won the whole thing.
The third seeded Cougars travel to the College Station regional to face Dallas Baptist, A&M and Illinios-Chicago.
The Cougars play the first game against Dallas Baptist 12:30 p.m. Friday. The Coogs getting hot at the ride time. On the other hand, the top seeded Aggies have not been playing their best ball lately. The regional is winnable for the Coogs. For a better perspective visit CoogcrewDustin's Houston Chronicle student blogger.
The rice owls host the Houston regional and face a stronger field than what the Coogs are facing. The Texas Longhorns come to town as a tough number two seed. I have no love for either team. Maybe St. John's or Sam Houston State will do the world a favor and knock them both out. The selection committie should have ranked rice 1A and Texas 1b. The owls really don't have an advantage as the hosts other than playing on their own field. Houston is a home away from home for the 'horns. The fan base and alumni in the area coupled with a group that travels well will show up in numbers for the Longhorns.
The winner of the Houston regional will play the winner of the College Station regional in a best of three series for a spot in the College World Series.
SarCoog2010 has a more detailed look at the Cougar's baseball tournament at Cougar Scratches.
The Longhorn's Houston Chronicle beat writer Jose Duarte has a Houston regional preview.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Spurs roll over, Coogs baseball and softball
This is just a bad sports day for me. The Spurs blew a 20 point lead to the Lakers on Wednesday, get blown out on Friday, the Coogs baseball team loses on a walk off homer and the Lady Coogs lose the first game in the Super Regionals.
The Spurs did their best Phoenix Suns imitation during game one. The lead by as many as 20 points and choked down the stretch to let the Lakers win. Then in game two they just rolled over and died. As much as I love the Spurs, I am pretty disgusted with they way the played. This is the Western Conference finals. I know they came from behind against the Hornets but to I just don't see them doing it against the Lakers. Kobe Bryant has won on the big stage before. Again, I hope the Spurs can take the next two in San Antonio but that's a tall order. Can the veterans pull it off again? Or are they just too tired and old to do it? Let's go Spurs and try to make this a series again.
The Houston Cougar baseball team is in New Orleans for the C-USA tournament. They won the first game against East Carolina. It took a 10th inning 2-run single but the Coogs survived only to lose the second game in similar fashion. The Coogs lost on a walk off homer in the 9th inning to UAB. Despite falling behind in the game 4-0, they rallied to tie it but end they couldn't finish off UAB. The door for the Coogs opened up because top seeded rice went two and out in the tournament. In the late game Friday, the Coogs staved off elimination to defeat East Carolina again. This time they did it by of score of 2-1 and now advance to play UAB again. Once again it's an elimination game for the Coogs. The Cougars must beat UAB twice to advance to the championship game.
The Lady Coogs disappointed in the first game of a best of three against UL-Lafayette. Ace and all universe pitcher Angel Shamblin had her worst outing of the year. She gave up 6 runs on 10 hits to in a 6-4 Cougar loss. Jennifer Klinkert put the Cougars up 4-1 with a grand slam. Normally that would be enough for Shamblin. Not tonight though. Shamblin will pitch game two and if necessary game three. Both games are slated for tomorrow.
It's crunch time for my favorite teams. Two loses eliminate the Spurs. One lose for either team and the Cougars go home. Well at least not for baseball. The will be out for the conference tournament but still have post season hopes for the NCAAs.
The Stanley Cup finals can't start soon enough.
The Spurs did their best Phoenix Suns imitation during game one. The lead by as many as 20 points and choked down the stretch to let the Lakers win. Then in game two they just rolled over and died. As much as I love the Spurs, I am pretty disgusted with they way the played. This is the Western Conference finals. I know they came from behind against the Hornets but to I just don't see them doing it against the Lakers. Kobe Bryant has won on the big stage before. Again, I hope the Spurs can take the next two in San Antonio but that's a tall order. Can the veterans pull it off again? Or are they just too tired and old to do it? Let's go Spurs and try to make this a series again.
The Houston Cougar baseball team is in New Orleans for the C-USA tournament. They won the first game against East Carolina. It took a 10th inning 2-run single but the Coogs survived only to lose the second game in similar fashion. The Coogs lost on a walk off homer in the 9th inning to UAB. Despite falling behind in the game 4-0, they rallied to tie it but end they couldn't finish off UAB. The door for the Coogs opened up because top seeded rice went two and out in the tournament. In the late game Friday, the Coogs staved off elimination to defeat East Carolina again. This time they did it by of score of 2-1 and now advance to play UAB again. Once again it's an elimination game for the Coogs. The Cougars must beat UAB twice to advance to the championship game.
The Lady Coogs disappointed in the first game of a best of three against UL-Lafayette. Ace and all universe pitcher Angel Shamblin had her worst outing of the year. She gave up 6 runs on 10 hits to in a 6-4 Cougar loss. Jennifer Klinkert put the Cougars up 4-1 with a grand slam. Normally that would be enough for Shamblin. Not tonight though. Shamblin will pitch game two and if necessary game three. Both games are slated for tomorrow.
It's crunch time for my favorite teams. Two loses eliminate the Spurs. One lose for either team and the Cougars go home. Well at least not for baseball. The will be out for the conference tournament but still have post season hopes for the NCAAs.
The Stanley Cup finals can't start soon enough.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Spurs eliminate Hornets, Pens vs. Red Wings, Lady Coogs host ULL
Spurs eliminate Hornets
Well, as much as I love my Spurs, I didn't think they would pull off the series against the younger Hornets. Losing the first two to have a two game deficit didn't look good for the defending Champs. What it boiled down to is the Spurs experience against the Hornets youth. The Hornets are no pushovers. And I thought the Hornets would run the Spurs into the ground. In game seven, it was pretty much a Spurs controlled game. The Spurs dictated the pace of the game and never let the Hornets threaten until the closing minutes of the game. The Spurs bench also put in some quality minutes to help keep the lead large in the second and third periods. Down the stretch, some of the Hornets took ill advised shots and some desperate shots when they really didn't need to. On the other end, the Spurs worked the clock and scored key baskets to keep the Hornets at bay. Greg Popovich made all the right adjustments through out the series. He solved the Spurs problems in the third period in time for game seven's third period.
Hornets and fans should be proud of their team. I certainly didn't see the Hornets being this good. They held their own against the Mavs and sent them packing. Then they take the defending champs to a game seven. No shame in that.
Stanley Cup Finals
Detroit Red Wings finished of the Dallas Stars to advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs. I'm looking for a great series. The Red Wings have experience and titles but the Penguins are very youthful. They are going to test the Wings defense. They are high flying. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are a powerful one two punch. I'm not surprised the Pens are in the Cup finals. I am surprised they made it this year. I thought they were a least one year away. Instead youth has been served.
It's going to be a hard fought series and will probably come down to who is the hottest goalie. I'm going to go with the Pens in seven.
Lady Cougars host ULL in Super Regionals
The Lady Cougars will be hosting a super regional in softball as they take on Louisiana-Lafayette. It's a best of three series. The 53-9 Coogs will rid the arm of pitcher Amgel Shamblin. She was on fire at the regionals by pitching a 3-0 record with three hits allowed and one run scored for a miniscule .37 ERA.LouisianaLafayette is no slouch. The come in sport a 49-12 record. The are coming off beating a higly ranked LSU team to reach the super regional rounds. It's going to be a though match up for the Lady Coogs.
Go Coogs Go!
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