It is probably my oldest reoccurring segment of the blog, I've logged on in the past just to do this post. It's my Tale of the Tape, where we go position by position and determine who the winner of the Super Bowl will be, there is usually a catch though, as I often predict against the team with the advantage. This year I haven't watched a game of the NFL so let's see how I do. Here is how the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers stack up.
Quarterback: The most important position on the field is the QB, this game features 2 of the better ones in the league. Patrick Mahomes won the MVP a season ago and even though he threw for 1,000 less yards and just above half his TD's this year he still put up solid numbers. He also cut his interceptions in more than half this season. He did miss 2 games due to injury this season but he still put up solid numbers and lead the Chiefs offense. Jimmy Garoppolo recovered from last year's injuries, when he only played 3 games, started all 16 games this season and put up some great numbers. Nearly 4,000 yards and 27 TDs, nothing to sniff at, a few less yards than Mahomes and 1 more TD. In the playoffs though the 49ers have leaned heavily on the run game and Jimmy G hasn't had to be the difference maker. That said I gotta give the nod to the former MVP, Advantage Chiefs.
Running Back: The 49ers have a strong backfield led by Tevin Coleman in the divisional round vs Minnesota and Raheem Mostert in the NFC Championship game vs Green Bay. They can also lean on Matt Breida for carries. The Chiefs have Damien Williams to line up next to Mahomes, but they don't lean on him much for rushing yards, vs Tennessee he had 45 rushing yards and 44 receiving yards, in fact Mahomes out rushed him in the game. Running the ball isn't the Chiefs MO, but the 49ers have ran the ball all the way to Miami, Advantage 49ers.
Wide Receiver: The Chiefs roll with a great group of receiving targets, lead by Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins. Watkins has bloomed in Kansas City and Hill has been a playmaker since entering the league. He does have some off the field issues but he's overcome those and become a huge piece for the Chiefs success. The 49ers as said above don't lean on the receiving corp as much, but they will get the ball to 3 different receivers in Emmanuel Sanders, Deebo Samuel, and Kendrick Bourne. They all can contribute but aren't the threats that Hill and Watkins are, Advantage Chiefs.
Tight End: The 2 guys are so damn good they need their own segment. Travis Kelce and George Kittle are the 2 best tight ends in football. They can do everything that is required of them, they run great routes, catch everything, and block like lineman. They will be match-up nightmares for the defensive coordinators on each team. Stopping the tight ends will be a major key, as Kelce is a great target on 3rd down and Kittle can strike anytime. I don't think I can pick a winner here, Advantage Push.
Offensive Line: When looking at the O-line you have to think about what they do best, obviously the 49ers with Joe Staley and his group, they run you over. The Chiefs with Eric Fisher and his posse, protect Mahomes well. So this will come down to who can do their job, and I think the 49ers line is more equipped and have done the more impressive job in the playoffs, Advantage 49ers.
Defensive Line: The 49ers built an amazing young line. The team tied for 5th in sacks in the NFL this season with 48, where the Chiefs came in with 45. For the 49ers, getting to and bringing Mahomes down will be the most important part, where the Chiefs will have to keep gap integrity, and try to slow down the running back for the linebackers to fill. When defending the zone scheme, the defensive lineman have to try to beat the o-lineman to his spot and try to avoid being cut. I think both groups have their work cut out for them, Advantage 49ers.
Linebackers: Much like the defensive line the linebackers will each have different tasks. For the Chiefs they will have to fill the gaps and not let the San Francisco running backs hit the 3rd level. If they can do that, plus get a pass rush off the blitz when Jimmy G does throw they can be the difference makers. For the 49ers, they will have to play coverage, and try to shutdown Travis Kelce on 3rd down will be the biggest hurdle for them. They play a lot of zone so the LBs getting their drops and tackling any crossing routes will be huge, Advantage Chiefs (only because Anthony Hitchens)
Secondary: The Chiefs passing game will put the pressure on the 49ers secondary, and will force them to make plays. The 49ers play cover 4 and cover 3 so they will protect the deep routes. The 49ers only created 12 interceptions this year, so I'm not sure they'll force Mahomes into many bad passes. The Chiefs secondary were 5th in the league with 16 interceptions, so they do get after it. Their main focus will have to be discipline in the run game and not be fooled by play action. The 49ers have experience in Richard Scherman, but I still think the play making of Kansas City says, Advantage: Chiefs.
Special Teams: With Tyreek Hill returning kicks I think the edge goes to Kansas City, both teams will have to use punters to flip the field, and kicking will only matter if the conditions aren't favorable. This is one where not watching either team play really doesn't help, but again Tyreek Hill is electric, Advantage Chiefs.
Coach: These two coaches are both looking for Super Bowl redemption. Andy Reid could be "the greatest coach without a Super Bowl win." He is a great regular season coach but often stumbles in the playoffs. Kyle Shannahan was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons when they blew the 28-3 lead vs the Patriots. He called the pass play on 2nd and 11 that doomed the Falcons. So neither coach has a reputation of being clutch, and where Andy Reid has the longevity, Kyle Shannahan has the pedigree and has been around Super Bowls most of his life. When it comes to clock management and the game is close Reid has a reputation of turtleing, Advantage 49ers.
Final Score Chiefs 5 49ers 4, so the Chiefs win this game on paper, and I think they win on the field as well, my prediction Kansas City 38 San Francisco 28. I think Andy Reid pushes the right buttons and his past of bumbling late game situations doesn't haunt him. I for one have no rooting interest and just hope for a better game than last year. Let me know how wrong I am on twitter @derekbredeson.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Hall of Blame
In the baseball universe there are 5 times a year when people lose their minds on the internet. Opening Day for the excitement of the new season. All Star game for the snubs. Trade deadline for the speculation. Awards week for the complaining. Finally, the Hall of Fame vote announcement, for everything, excitement, snubs, speculation, and of course complaining. This is my 8th year of "worrying" about the Hall of Fame vote. As a Barry Bonds fanboy I've been invested in his vote totals, the way it's voted on, and the aftermath of the vote announcement. I've gone from rage to sort of an acceptance and a little bit of hope, but that hope is fading. In recent years I've taken an approach of being happy for those enshrined at least a day before complaining about who didn't get in. That has treated me well, and it's helped me come to terms with reality that Bonds probably won't ever get in. I looked into my archives and I did write about Barry way back in 2013 so I'm not going to dwell on him tonight. Instead let's work through some of the bitching and moaning that you see on social media and talking heads on the television (in the rare case they actually talk baseball).
I can't believe (Insert Player Name) didn't get 100% of the vote, that guy should lose his vote.
This is a common complaint, especially since Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous selection last year. I couldn't help myself tonight when Derek Jeter fell 1 vote short tonight. I basically predicted the backlash that this 1 writer was going to get for not voting for him. We need to end this internet shaming of people being mad for not getting their votes how they think they should go. Losing a vote for voting or not voting for someone is a silly argument. If someone writes in Scooby-Doo for president, they don't lose their vote, it's that guys vote he should be able to use it how he wants. Just because you disagree doesn't mean you're right, and that person should lose their vote. If you are someone who is upset about Jeter, think about these names, Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, Mantle, Mayes, Aaron, Ryan, Morgan, Maddux, Pedro, Unit, and Griffey Jr. They are all better baseball players than Derek Jeter was none of them were unanimous, they got into the Hall of Fame just fine. Don't let 1 person ruin what should be a great celebration.
The BBWAA is broken, these guys have their votes for too long.
The Baseball Writers Association of America, have changed their procedures in recent years. In 2014 when the Hall of Fame reduced the # of years a player would be on the ballot, they also changed how long a writer got to keep his vote. If a writer hasn't been on the baseball beat in 10 years that person no longer gets a vote, it's a great rule and has lowered the voting population from over 530 in 2013 to 397 votes cast this year. That is a significant drop and one I applaud. The voting population will continue to evolve and perhaps change the narrative on certain players. I am a fan of many members of the BBWAA, all of the Giants beat writers are outstanding, and the national guys like Ken Rosenthal, Jayson Stark, and Joel Schermann are excellent stewards of the game. Again, just because you don't like how they vote doesn't mean they should lose their vote, but if they don't cover the game anymore they shouldn't judge the game anymore.
Put Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe in, they deserve it.
I have 2 problems with this statement. #1 they can't just be "put" in, they need to be held to the vote, just like other players who were suspended or thought of as "cheaters" and judging by how the voters are looking at "cheaters" I doubt there would be enough votes to put either in. Secondly, Pete Rose broke the rules, he knew what the consequences were when he did what he did. I've changed my stance on Pete Rose in recent years, I thought he belonged, but have gave it more thought and the dude knew what he was doing and has changed his story 3 times. Now Joe Jackson has a different case, every World Series of the "Dead Ball" era was shrouded in gambling controversy. The White Sox may have schemed and plotted to throw the 1919 World Series but they were hardly the only team to do so, in fact the grand jury that was convened to prosecute the White Sox were originally there to investigate the 1918 Cubs. So Shoeless Joe is the martyr of the Black Sox and he was actually on the ballot as the Hall of Fame didn't exempt players on the ineligible list until 1991. Now in recent months it has come to light that Shoeless Joe is no longer on the ineligible list as he is deceased and was banned for life by the commissioner. Well he isn't living anymore so I guess Shoeless Joe should get his day on the ballot or at least considered by a committee. What we need to do though is let this play out, every time I say something about the Hall of Fame, these 2 names get shot out, like I should consider them OK since I'm a Bonds mark. Like I said though, the rules were 60 years old when Pete Rose broke it, not nonexistent like when Bonds used.
My final point of the post is a case for Bonds, Clemens, and anyone else with suspicions of drug use. Aside from the fact they were never suspended, they also didn't break any rules that were in place by MLB. The Hall of Fame is full of racists, drug users, and plenty of other crimes, they've even let some modern day PED users in. The gatekeepers have done a terrible job. The only fault of Bonds and Clemens is that they were already better than everyone, so when they juiced they became super humans and crushed the record books. If Bonds had just been an average Hall of Fame player like say Jeff Bagwell, instead he broke the home run record. If we're going to hold Bonds and Clemens to this high of standard they need to reexamine who they've already allowed in. Now I will contend they are already in the HOF, as their accomplishments, along with Pete Rose's are there, they just didn't have their day to be enshrined. As the Shoeless Joe Jackson historian Mike Nola said " Joe Jackson didn't care about the Hall of Fame, he's more famous on the outside of the Hall of Fame than he ever would be in it." So maybe that's the mentality these guys can use as well, perhaps 100 years from now, someone will talk about Barry Bonds being more famous because he isn't there.
That's it for the week. Remember you are entitled to your opinion on these matters and it's probably a valid point. But also remember to celebrate for the guys who get in, like Larry Walker who was so far away but put up so many good numbers the last 3 years he made a huge leap in votes. Hit me up on twitter @derekbredeson and let's hash it out.
I can't believe (Insert Player Name) didn't get 100% of the vote, that guy should lose his vote.
This is a common complaint, especially since Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous selection last year. I couldn't help myself tonight when Derek Jeter fell 1 vote short tonight. I basically predicted the backlash that this 1 writer was going to get for not voting for him. We need to end this internet shaming of people being mad for not getting their votes how they think they should go. Losing a vote for voting or not voting for someone is a silly argument. If someone writes in Scooby-Doo for president, they don't lose their vote, it's that guys vote he should be able to use it how he wants. Just because you disagree doesn't mean you're right, and that person should lose their vote. If you are someone who is upset about Jeter, think about these names, Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, Mantle, Mayes, Aaron, Ryan, Morgan, Maddux, Pedro, Unit, and Griffey Jr. They are all better baseball players than Derek Jeter was none of them were unanimous, they got into the Hall of Fame just fine. Don't let 1 person ruin what should be a great celebration.
The BBWAA is broken, these guys have their votes for too long.
The Baseball Writers Association of America, have changed their procedures in recent years. In 2014 when the Hall of Fame reduced the # of years a player would be on the ballot, they also changed how long a writer got to keep his vote. If a writer hasn't been on the baseball beat in 10 years that person no longer gets a vote, it's a great rule and has lowered the voting population from over 530 in 2013 to 397 votes cast this year. That is a significant drop and one I applaud. The voting population will continue to evolve and perhaps change the narrative on certain players. I am a fan of many members of the BBWAA, all of the Giants beat writers are outstanding, and the national guys like Ken Rosenthal, Jayson Stark, and Joel Schermann are excellent stewards of the game. Again, just because you don't like how they vote doesn't mean they should lose their vote, but if they don't cover the game anymore they shouldn't judge the game anymore.
Put Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe in, they deserve it.
I have 2 problems with this statement. #1 they can't just be "put" in, they need to be held to the vote, just like other players who were suspended or thought of as "cheaters" and judging by how the voters are looking at "cheaters" I doubt there would be enough votes to put either in. Secondly, Pete Rose broke the rules, he knew what the consequences were when he did what he did. I've changed my stance on Pete Rose in recent years, I thought he belonged, but have gave it more thought and the dude knew what he was doing and has changed his story 3 times. Now Joe Jackson has a different case, every World Series of the "Dead Ball" era was shrouded in gambling controversy. The White Sox may have schemed and plotted to throw the 1919 World Series but they were hardly the only team to do so, in fact the grand jury that was convened to prosecute the White Sox were originally there to investigate the 1918 Cubs. So Shoeless Joe is the martyr of the Black Sox and he was actually on the ballot as the Hall of Fame didn't exempt players on the ineligible list until 1991. Now in recent months it has come to light that Shoeless Joe is no longer on the ineligible list as he is deceased and was banned for life by the commissioner. Well he isn't living anymore so I guess Shoeless Joe should get his day on the ballot or at least considered by a committee. What we need to do though is let this play out, every time I say something about the Hall of Fame, these 2 names get shot out, like I should consider them OK since I'm a Bonds mark. Like I said though, the rules were 60 years old when Pete Rose broke it, not nonexistent like when Bonds used.
My final point of the post is a case for Bonds, Clemens, and anyone else with suspicions of drug use. Aside from the fact they were never suspended, they also didn't break any rules that were in place by MLB. The Hall of Fame is full of racists, drug users, and plenty of other crimes, they've even let some modern day PED users in. The gatekeepers have done a terrible job. The only fault of Bonds and Clemens is that they were already better than everyone, so when they juiced they became super humans and crushed the record books. If Bonds had just been an average Hall of Fame player like say Jeff Bagwell, instead he broke the home run record. If we're going to hold Bonds and Clemens to this high of standard they need to reexamine who they've already allowed in. Now I will contend they are already in the HOF, as their accomplishments, along with Pete Rose's are there, they just didn't have their day to be enshrined. As the Shoeless Joe Jackson historian Mike Nola said " Joe Jackson didn't care about the Hall of Fame, he's more famous on the outside of the Hall of Fame than he ever would be in it." So maybe that's the mentality these guys can use as well, perhaps 100 years from now, someone will talk about Barry Bonds being more famous because he isn't there.
That's it for the week. Remember you are entitled to your opinion on these matters and it's probably a valid point. But also remember to celebrate for the guys who get in, like Larry Walker who was so far away but put up so many good numbers the last 3 years he made a huge leap in votes. Hit me up on twitter @derekbredeson and let's hash it out.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Them Cheating Cheaters Part 2
When I wrote my first post about the Houston Astros situation I thought, hey that's most of the story. Well it turns out there is so much more, after MLB released their findings from their investigation and levied punishments on Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and Manager AJ Hinch the entire baseball world has been turned upside down.
Monday, January 13th, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released a 9 page report detailing the MLB findings and suspensions. I suggest reading it. In the report Manfred explained a couple reasons why the punishments he was about to levy were on who he put them on. Manfred explained in 2017 MLB offices were informed that MLB teams were using the replay offices and cameras to steal signs, those signs were being relayed to the dugout in game and the players were using them to steal intel. He didn't say who reported who, or who cheated but it seems like it was pretty universal. He then told the teams to stop and if he found proof of anyone else doing it, he would hold the GM and Manager responsible. Well apparently the Astros didn't change their ways, and nobody told them to stop their ways. The Astros continued the sign stealing and relaying it to the hitters in the way described in the original report in November. Manfed also reported the Astros before using the monitor and garbage can also sent the signs to a smart watch worn by Alex Cora in the dugout, and Cora then relayed the signs to the players, which the players found to slow so they went to the trashcan relay system. Another revelation was the Astros continued their system into the Postseason and used it, possibly to win the World Series. In the report Manfred announced a 1 season suspension for Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch, he claims he told teams that would be the punishment so that's why he punished those two. MLB also fined the Astros 5 million dollars, the max allowed, and 4 draft picks, 1st and 2nd round picks in the next 2 drafts. If you read the report there are 5 names in it, owner Jim Crane, Luhnow, Hinch, Cora, and the only player mentioned is Carlos Beltran. Manfred also said suspending players wouldn't be fair since some players are on other teams now. I for one think he didn't want to involve the union but that's just my opinion, the report didn't name a single active player, just Beltran who is now retired and at the time the new manager of the Mets. After the suspensions were announced Crane announced that Hinch and Luhnow were fired. Some think Manfred let Crane save face by firing them. Luhnow and Hinch each released statements of their firings afterward and we'll come back to those. So that was a heavy day.
Tuesday, June 14th, The story wasn't over after Monday's events, the Astros began looking for a new manager and suddenly there was another team looking to fill their bench. The 2018 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, who lead by new manager Alex Cora, and are currently under investigation by MLB for using camera's to steal signs in 2018. The Red Sox and Cora parted ways. I was at first alarmed but after thinking about it realized it had to be done. Boston is still being investigated and after the report named Cora multiple times he was obviously the fall guy for Houston. I think Cora will get a lifetime suspension from MLB and put on their ineligible list, or as I tweeted, the full Pete Rose. Boston's move was a preemptive strike and a good idea, Cora will get the hammer and they already have a new GM so he won't be getting punished. The Astros made sure Cora was the name you knew as the "cheater."
Thursday, June 16th, Well the shit really hit the fan on Thursday. First of all the New York Mets announced the parting of ways with new manager Carlos Beltran. Beltran was hired November 1st, which was before the report of the cheating became public, Beltran did however deny any involvement. After the report came out, again only naming him, he felt he must step down. MLB won't be bringing any punishment down on him as no players were reprimanded for their involvement in the scheme. After the Beltran news baseball twitter lost their minds as reports came out that 2 Astros players, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve were wearing buzzers on their chests and knew what pitches were coming. This lead to a video of the walk off home run Altuve hit off Aroldis Chapman in the ALCS where he told his teammates don't rip off the jersey. This has lead to a shitload of speculation. MLB released a statement that they investigated 2019 and wearable tech the Astros might be wearing and claim they found nothing. I will give the benefit of the doubt to MLB, but things look fishy. Many times in the postseason you hear that pitchers were tipping pitches to the Astros players and that's why they were being hit hard. I remember a game from this year where it seemed Alex Bregman got to the dugout and told players something about the pitcher, as if he knew what was coming. If this is found to be true, Bregman and Altuve need to be suspended and for a long time. I love Bregman he's my favorite non-Giants player, but if he's a cheater not sure how much I can support him. The buzzer tech has been put forth by several sources, no media, but players and a podcast host who claim they have several sources about the buzzers being real.
So that's the news of the week, let's dig into a couple angles.
Luhnow and Hinch's statements they released both claimed they did nothing wrong, but accepted their fate because of their lack of oversight. I find both of those statements bullshit. Luhnow squarely blamed the players and Cora, he made sure everyone knew he was a good guy, and the players and Cora were evil. Hinch's statement claimed he didn't participate and he even broke the monitor in the hallway twice, but never told them to stop. I call bullshit, he sat between the garbage can and the batter's box, he would've heard the constant banging, and if he didn't like it he could've easily stopped it. So sorry AJ Hinch you're a liar and a fraud. The suspensions for both men aren't long enough, Luhnow should've gotten years and Hinch should've gotten another season. They knew exactly what was happening, the frequency and who the key players were in the scheme. They are both getting off easy and I'm sure will both be back in baseball with 3 years.
The players being let off the hook is another concern. They will continue to play and the numbers they put up for 2017 and 2018 will help them in arbitration and free agency. I've read they were given immunity by MLB to reveal everything, which could be true, but MLB was never going to suspend players. They are a year away from the new CBA and didn't want to disrupt the union, also there are rumors of other teams doing this so suspending players would lead to appeals and at appeal hearings the players could contend MLB knows other teams used the practice and didn't punish those players. The Astros also get to keep their championship, which is fine to me. Taking titles away doesn't do anything, we all know who won the games Reggie Bush played in, it doesn't erase the games. 2017 was a great World Series with so many twists and turns, and the Dodgers players are claiming they did it right, well there is no way to prove that. Also would MLB confiscate all the players rings and the Dodgers buy their players rings? To me that's silly.
Of course MLB isn't innocent in this. Their institution of replay caused this mess, they allowed teams to have cameras on the field and monitors in the clubhouse. Sign stealing is the side effect to the terrible installment of replay in baseball. Replay is a great tool, but MLB's use is downright stupid. They don't announce the call, just make and out or safe sign, they use it for the dumbest things, like a guys foot coming off the base an inch, which is plain stupid. So if they want replay they have to understand it's going to be used for nefarious reasons. They can fix this by making managers challenge based solely on what they see and not the guy in the back room telling him, or removing the managers challenge and going with a college type system where a review official can buzz down. Either way the system sucks and it's the root of all the evil in this entire story.
Finally, I ask who else did it. If you believe reports that at least 8 teams were using tech to steal signs in 2017, who was it. I feel that unless MLB or reporters name the others it will be like the steroids era, where the biggest fish will wear the brunt of the punishment while others who have suspicions will get off free (cough Mike Piazza cough cough). We need to know the tactics used and more players need to speak out. Much like steroids it's on the players to police themselves, if you're cool with the other team stealing signs then keep your mouth shut, but if you're like Mike Fiers and worry about guys losing their shots at the bigs because the Astros kicked their ass stealing signs, then speak out. Trevor Bauer has been vocal, but only against the Astros. If other teams cheated we need to know, and I hope more players have the courage that Fiers showed.
This can be fixed with either more tech or less tech. More tech by allowing the catcher and pitcher to communicate through an ear piece (like NFL QB's and OC's) or wearable tech like a watch. Or they can take away the tech, remove the video monitors from the clubhouse and go back to stealing signs the old fashioned way like real men. I was an Astros guy, I rooted for them against the Dodgers, I like Bregman, Springer, and Verlander. I enjoy listening to their radio guys announce games, but this story has soured me on all of them. They were so quick to defend their pitchers and call others out who claimed they cheat, they were defiant that they were the next great dynasty, that they weren't the Cubs and wouldn't be happy just winning one title. They crossed the line of gamesmenship to cheating, and they didn't tip toe over, they triple jumped that bitch and took it to another level, then another level. Now all they have is a shitload of negative buzz and a title they can throw in the trashcan.
@derekbredeson
Monday, January 13th, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released a 9 page report detailing the MLB findings and suspensions. I suggest reading it. In the report Manfred explained a couple reasons why the punishments he was about to levy were on who he put them on. Manfred explained in 2017 MLB offices were informed that MLB teams were using the replay offices and cameras to steal signs, those signs were being relayed to the dugout in game and the players were using them to steal intel. He didn't say who reported who, or who cheated but it seems like it was pretty universal. He then told the teams to stop and if he found proof of anyone else doing it, he would hold the GM and Manager responsible. Well apparently the Astros didn't change their ways, and nobody told them to stop their ways. The Astros continued the sign stealing and relaying it to the hitters in the way described in the original report in November. Manfed also reported the Astros before using the monitor and garbage can also sent the signs to a smart watch worn by Alex Cora in the dugout, and Cora then relayed the signs to the players, which the players found to slow so they went to the trashcan relay system. Another revelation was the Astros continued their system into the Postseason and used it, possibly to win the World Series. In the report Manfred announced a 1 season suspension for Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch, he claims he told teams that would be the punishment so that's why he punished those two. MLB also fined the Astros 5 million dollars, the max allowed, and 4 draft picks, 1st and 2nd round picks in the next 2 drafts. If you read the report there are 5 names in it, owner Jim Crane, Luhnow, Hinch, Cora, and the only player mentioned is Carlos Beltran. Manfred also said suspending players wouldn't be fair since some players are on other teams now. I for one think he didn't want to involve the union but that's just my opinion, the report didn't name a single active player, just Beltran who is now retired and at the time the new manager of the Mets. After the suspensions were announced Crane announced that Hinch and Luhnow were fired. Some think Manfred let Crane save face by firing them. Luhnow and Hinch each released statements of their firings afterward and we'll come back to those. So that was a heavy day.
Tuesday, June 14th, The story wasn't over after Monday's events, the Astros began looking for a new manager and suddenly there was another team looking to fill their bench. The 2018 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, who lead by new manager Alex Cora, and are currently under investigation by MLB for using camera's to steal signs in 2018. The Red Sox and Cora parted ways. I was at first alarmed but after thinking about it realized it had to be done. Boston is still being investigated and after the report named Cora multiple times he was obviously the fall guy for Houston. I think Cora will get a lifetime suspension from MLB and put on their ineligible list, or as I tweeted, the full Pete Rose. Boston's move was a preemptive strike and a good idea, Cora will get the hammer and they already have a new GM so he won't be getting punished. The Astros made sure Cora was the name you knew as the "cheater."
Thursday, June 16th, Well the shit really hit the fan on Thursday. First of all the New York Mets announced the parting of ways with new manager Carlos Beltran. Beltran was hired November 1st, which was before the report of the cheating became public, Beltran did however deny any involvement. After the report came out, again only naming him, he felt he must step down. MLB won't be bringing any punishment down on him as no players were reprimanded for their involvement in the scheme. After the Beltran news baseball twitter lost their minds as reports came out that 2 Astros players, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve were wearing buzzers on their chests and knew what pitches were coming. This lead to a video of the walk off home run Altuve hit off Aroldis Chapman in the ALCS where he told his teammates don't rip off the jersey. This has lead to a shitload of speculation. MLB released a statement that they investigated 2019 and wearable tech the Astros might be wearing and claim they found nothing. I will give the benefit of the doubt to MLB, but things look fishy. Many times in the postseason you hear that pitchers were tipping pitches to the Astros players and that's why they were being hit hard. I remember a game from this year where it seemed Alex Bregman got to the dugout and told players something about the pitcher, as if he knew what was coming. If this is found to be true, Bregman and Altuve need to be suspended and for a long time. I love Bregman he's my favorite non-Giants player, but if he's a cheater not sure how much I can support him. The buzzer tech has been put forth by several sources, no media, but players and a podcast host who claim they have several sources about the buzzers being real.
So that's the news of the week, let's dig into a couple angles.
Luhnow and Hinch's statements they released both claimed they did nothing wrong, but accepted their fate because of their lack of oversight. I find both of those statements bullshit. Luhnow squarely blamed the players and Cora, he made sure everyone knew he was a good guy, and the players and Cora were evil. Hinch's statement claimed he didn't participate and he even broke the monitor in the hallway twice, but never told them to stop. I call bullshit, he sat between the garbage can and the batter's box, he would've heard the constant banging, and if he didn't like it he could've easily stopped it. So sorry AJ Hinch you're a liar and a fraud. The suspensions for both men aren't long enough, Luhnow should've gotten years and Hinch should've gotten another season. They knew exactly what was happening, the frequency and who the key players were in the scheme. They are both getting off easy and I'm sure will both be back in baseball with 3 years.
The players being let off the hook is another concern. They will continue to play and the numbers they put up for 2017 and 2018 will help them in arbitration and free agency. I've read they were given immunity by MLB to reveal everything, which could be true, but MLB was never going to suspend players. They are a year away from the new CBA and didn't want to disrupt the union, also there are rumors of other teams doing this so suspending players would lead to appeals and at appeal hearings the players could contend MLB knows other teams used the practice and didn't punish those players. The Astros also get to keep their championship, which is fine to me. Taking titles away doesn't do anything, we all know who won the games Reggie Bush played in, it doesn't erase the games. 2017 was a great World Series with so many twists and turns, and the Dodgers players are claiming they did it right, well there is no way to prove that. Also would MLB confiscate all the players rings and the Dodgers buy their players rings? To me that's silly.
Of course MLB isn't innocent in this. Their institution of replay caused this mess, they allowed teams to have cameras on the field and monitors in the clubhouse. Sign stealing is the side effect to the terrible installment of replay in baseball. Replay is a great tool, but MLB's use is downright stupid. They don't announce the call, just make and out or safe sign, they use it for the dumbest things, like a guys foot coming off the base an inch, which is plain stupid. So if they want replay they have to understand it's going to be used for nefarious reasons. They can fix this by making managers challenge based solely on what they see and not the guy in the back room telling him, or removing the managers challenge and going with a college type system where a review official can buzz down. Either way the system sucks and it's the root of all the evil in this entire story.
Finally, I ask who else did it. If you believe reports that at least 8 teams were using tech to steal signs in 2017, who was it. I feel that unless MLB or reporters name the others it will be like the steroids era, where the biggest fish will wear the brunt of the punishment while others who have suspicions will get off free (cough Mike Piazza cough cough). We need to know the tactics used and more players need to speak out. Much like steroids it's on the players to police themselves, if you're cool with the other team stealing signs then keep your mouth shut, but if you're like Mike Fiers and worry about guys losing their shots at the bigs because the Astros kicked their ass stealing signs, then speak out. Trevor Bauer has been vocal, but only against the Astros. If other teams cheated we need to know, and I hope more players have the courage that Fiers showed.
This can be fixed with either more tech or less tech. More tech by allowing the catcher and pitcher to communicate through an ear piece (like NFL QB's and OC's) or wearable tech like a watch. Or they can take away the tech, remove the video monitors from the clubhouse and go back to stealing signs the old fashioned way like real men. I was an Astros guy, I rooted for them against the Dodgers, I like Bregman, Springer, and Verlander. I enjoy listening to their radio guys announce games, but this story has soured me on all of them. They were so quick to defend their pitchers and call others out who claimed they cheat, they were defiant that they were the next great dynasty, that they weren't the Cubs and wouldn't be happy just winning one title. They crossed the line of gamesmenship to cheating, and they didn't tip toe over, they triple jumped that bitch and took it to another level, then another level. Now all they have is a shitload of negative buzz and a title they can throw in the trashcan.
@derekbredeson
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Natty Diary
Like all people who grew up with the internet and like sports I read Bill Simmons and part of this blog emulates him. So tonight I'm going to steal his bit again. A running diary of a huge sports event, I've done it before on Super Bowls, but it's been a few years. The rules are no editing and I'll time stamp every entry as the game unfolds. I will have to use the game clock as opposed to real time since I'll have to pause the game for kids bedtime. I'm sticking to the main broadcast, the megacast is fun but not tonight. So I'll put a header for each quarter and fill in from there, let's go................
Pregame: We're live in the basement, Chris Fowler just welcomed us to the Superdome after Lil Wayne rapped. Oh look it's Herbie, hi Herbie you're pretty great. Discussing if Clemson is a dynasty, if they win, yes, if they lose, still probably for me. LSU wearing white, thought they might go with purple, I like when they wear purple. Clemson wearing orange, was thinking they might try something purple, don't think Clemson uses purple enough. For the record I'm rooting for LSU but picking Clemson. Any guesses who "Bigfan" is? I only liked the grilling commercial for Fansville this year, the rest sucked. The President is here, he goes to a lot of football games but has yet to throw out a first pitch, that's all I'm gonna say about that. The anthem was good, but the players weren't on the field, that kind of sucks. If you're a college football coach, don't lead your team out of the tunnel, let them do it. Dabo lead his guys out, it isn't about the team it's about him. Pac-12 officials so this will be fun, who am I kidding all officials suck. Clemson has been "doubted" all season? Not a chance Maria Taylor. Who doesn't love Coach O, imagine if USC had kept him. My daughter just said LSU is wild, they might be a little hyped.
1st quarter
15:00 Tigers vs Tigers, now even Fowler has made the joke, we can stop, I'm guilty myself. Trevor Lawrence 25-0 as a starter. And Dabo runs a hook and ladder on the first play, whoa. It didn't work.
14:11 Clemson is using LSU's energy against them. Inside the 25 after 4 plays.
13:02 Big 3rd down, LSU brings the blitz and get a huge sack, great delayed blitz.
12:00 Clemson elects to punt from the plus side of the field, chickens.
11:47 The Heisman will take the field after this commercial. Did you know Joe Burrow wasn't recruited by Nebraska? Joe Burrow just made an amazing escape that got negated by lineman downfield.
11:14 Will Venables is a genius right now, we'll see if that changes.
11:00 Who had 2 punts to start the game, thought for sure this game would be crazy early.
10:25 Punting from plus territory works, Clemson gets it back at the 42.
9:47 Another punt, DBs getting away with a lot so far.
9:38 Average starting position for LSU is the 5.5 yard line
9:10 LSU finally gain yards, then hurry and miss on 3rd down, another punt. Terrible field position is biggest factor. LSU punter gets the roll and flips the field.
8:28 Clemson hits the TE on a seam route and the WR gets called for a blindside block after a huge block by Tee Higgins, I have no idea how a guy chasing the ball carrier is defenseless. Kenny Bell agrees with me.
7:28 Big gain by Clemson and weak hands to the face call, gives Clemson the ball at the 6. Direct snap to Ettiene to the 1.
6:34 TD Clemson, Lawrence keeps it and runs off the edge, XP good Clemson 7 LSU 0, interesting to see what LSU does with better field position. LSU offense has 6 yards total, whoof.
6:25 Herbie hammering home the point Clemson is going 3-1-7 on defense.
5:37 Clemson gets a sack bringing 4, LSU has to run the ball.
5:00 LSU looks broken, I haven't watched them much but Clemson has them very confused, and the receivers can't catch. Another LSU punt.
4:34 Clemson dials up the deep ball, CB trips the WR and the safety almost made the pick but PI.
4:06 3rd and 4 and you got Travis Ettiene who Dabo talks up constantly and you throw the ball, dumb, incomplete so another punt. Then delay of game.
3:30 A LSU 1st down, PROGRESS
2:47 LSU running the ball to get yards on first down, if they insist on 7 DBs gotta run
2:20 Burrow goes deep to Chase, just flat out beats the DB for a long TD Clemson 7 LSU 7 Been a long 1st quarter, Clemson about to have their 5th possession. LSU defense is fired up again, looks like 1st play of the game.
1:10 LSU defense looked confused and 1st down throw to the TE, who was suspended for a year apparently.
:10 Clemson runs Lawrence more than I thought they would. End of 1st Quarter Clemson 7 LSU 7
2nd Quarter
14:32 Tigers vs Tigers again, come on guys.
13:43 52 yard FG attempt is good, why not do that earlier if he has it? Clemson 10 LSU 7 At this point FG's are losses. Burrow takes off on 1st down and gets 30+ yards on 1st down, sneaky fast QBs.
12:21 Another punt, I think LSU has hit the over for punts tonight. What a beauty, they down it at the 4.
12:10 Lawrence throws a seed out of his own end zone, great play on 1st down.
11:31 Then Etienne breaks a big run, they really need to use him more.
10:38 Reverse by Clemson and Tee Higgins houses it, Clemson goes 96 yards in 4 fucking plays, damn, had a feeling Clemson could do this vs LSU Clemson 17 LSU 7. I still hate Dabo, he's a tool.
10:30 The beauty of Fowler and Herbie, LSU hits a little slant get a 1st down Fowler says how do you defend that pass, these guys stay in the moment so well.
10:05 Burrow goes deep again, Chase again, LSU will never be out of this game with these 2. 1st and goal after 2 plays.
9:21 timeout LSU on 3rd down, so I ask are the 4 best WRs in the country in this game? These guys are all awesome.
9:17 QB draw on 3rd down leads to Burrow scoring a TD, that drive took 5 plays, the 2nd quarter has been fun Clemson 17 LSU 14.
9:08 Talking about Etienne going to Clemson and LSU fans sending him death threats on twitter, don't be that fan guys. Big run by Etienne and a facemask penalty added on. Dude grabbed the back of the helmet.
8:13 #3 from LSU lays out #3 from Clemson on a missed pass, if that block earlier was a penalty then that's a penalty, dude wasn't able to protect himself, no call though.
7:45 another big 3rd down, very few conversions so far and Lawrence misfires. Punt coming.
6:50 Burrow looking a little more comfortable, but still with happy feet. Then he hits the RB who made a miraculous spin move, then Jefferson does a stop and go, LSU is flying right now.
5:54 The fake injuries have started, LSU was going so fast Clemson had to stop the clock, they reshow the RB spin move, he put his hand down but LSU went so quick the replay official couldn't buzz. Smart job by LSU that wins games when you go that fast.
5:19 Burrow hits Chase on the fade route, Chase faked a block off the line then ran right past the DB. Chase is the match up nightmare for Clemson. Clemson 17 LSU 21
5:01 Replay official is on it this time, gets the buzz down before Clemson can run a play, gotta be quick in this game. I can't tell if the toe hit the ground or not, but justice would be served if they didn't overturn it. Play is overturned, great play by LSU DB.
5:14 The replay made us go back in time, seriously though get Etienne the ball more, he makes plays. Lawrence gets crunched on a deep ball. LSU defense has been very physical.
4:37 Delayed RPO play, that was stupid, don't run that again.
3:49 LSU defense forces a punt, they are playing better as their offense figures this out.
3:38 LSU starting inside the 10 again, Clemson killing the field position game. But Edwards-Helair breaks a big run on first down. Followed by a sack.
2:29 3rd and 19 coming up, this play will determine who scores last before half. Time out Coach O, Venables had some crazy blitz dialed up. Burrow goes deep and the Clemson DB tackles the WR before the ball gets there, good play saved Clemson probably 20 yards.
1:42 LSU has 222 yards of offense in the 2nd quarter, told you this quarter has been fun.
:40 Jefferson just trucked a DB, holy shit that was cool. Love when offense players lay the hits down.
:21 3rd and 10 coming up, LSU needs more yards for a FG, they never settle though, LSU burns final TO that might cost them a FG. Designed QB draw works again and Burrow gets down to the 6, what a play call, no time outs and you let the QB run.
:10 TD to Randy Moss's kid Thaddeus, and Burrow got crunched when he threw the ball, has plenty of time to get healthy Clemson 17 LSU 28. LSU on a 21-0 run. Halftime
Halftime: 150 years ago the only time Rutgers was relevant at football. Not sure how you decide who the top 150 players are, but sure. Seems like they used mostly great pro's and Archie Griffin. I'll always remember a story that Jim Brown was a better Lacrosse player than football player. Thanks to halftime, I'm back live. My first half thoughts, think LSU got field positioned a little, Clemson sort of Ohio Stated it by not getting more points when LSU was struggling. Will be interested to see if Burrow really is hurt.
3rd Quarter
15:00 Burrow comes out throwing, he's fine.
14:06 Clemson brings the house on 3rd down and get the sack, LSU punting for first time in a while, then get nailed on a 15 yard catch interference. Dabo reminded his players that games are 60 minutes.
12:36 Lawrence hits Higgins who gets popped by the safety, Higgins is down, the Ohio State game seemed like Higgins or Ross were hurt every other play.
12:02 LSU pass rusher getting called for a facemask after he couldn't sack Lawrence because he was being held. LSU 6 penalties for 69 yards (nice).
10:49 Etienne hits paydirt, Clemson uses the penalties to move down the field, and Clemson going for 2, and they get it. Clemson 25 LSU 28 Some old guy is at home yelling you don't chase points this early, shut up Grandpa. The Clemson halftime adjustment? Blitz the hell out of em.
9:25 3rd down and Clemson almost gets a pick 6, Clemson defense is fired up in the 2nd half, Venables has made the adjustments.
9:12 ESPN comes back and does a montage of great Superdome moments, can we all agree all National Championships should be played at the Rose Bowl?
7:47 Another so close INT, this game will hinge on a turnover. So many close ones. Clemson punt. Odd quarters are boring, even quarters are fun.
7:39 Burrow hasn't been the same since getting popped, not sure if it's the adjustments by Clemson D or his ribs. He runs a QB draw on 1st down, he must be fine. Good no call on the PI.
6:22 Clemson brings the house on 3rd down again, so what do you do? WR screen, huge run after the catch by Chase.
5:39 Clemson LB being reviewed for targeting, dude lowered his helmet, should be a penalty. And it is, well that changes things. They need to fix that stupid penalty.
5:13 Burrow to Moss again, TD LSU, probably a review coming, looks like a TD to me. Review is great and all but damn does college review really slow the game down. We had 5 looks at that play before they officially reviewed it. Burrow breaks the record for TDs in a season with that one. Colt Brennan threw 58 TDs in 14 games, Burrow gets 59 (and counting) in 15 games. Clemson 25 LSU 35
5:06 Time for Trevor Lawrence to do some shit, and he's picked but looks like PI on the guy who picked it off. Tough call, dude was holding the jersey.
4:30 Nice delayed blitz by LSU forces a long 3rd down, the delayed blitz has worked a few time for them.
3:46 Incomplete and Clemson is punting, they might be done. They don't have their MLB anymore.
3:25 Burrow just made a brilliant scramble and dumps it off to Jefferson who busts it off, then Chase drops a TD that would've been a dagger.
3:06 Another draw if Burrow is hurt he isn't telling anyone.
2:23 Dabo just used a TO on defense in the 3rd quarter, man you need those late. Another screen on 3rd down, snuffed out though, same exact play, may want to find a wrinkle.
1:40 Missed FG by LSU, why do these good teams always have shitty kickers. Clemson runs the option, just give Etienne the ball in space, enough stupid wrinkles.
1:03 Lawrence looks broken, dude doesn't face adversity a lot, this is where a tough schedule comes in handy. Coming back vs North Carolina doesn't do you shit. Quick 3 and out, LSU gets the ball back after 43 seconds. Clemson's mascot looks like a crackhead with a jersey on. I assume they didn't let LSU's Tiger in the dome.
:20 Burrow hits Edwards-Helaire for decent gain, but of course penalty on LSU after the play, late hit, bad penalty. And the 3rd quarter ends. Clemson 25 LSU 35, did I miss "Big Fan" I was fast forwarding a lot, is he real.
4th Quarter
15:00 LSU has lots of jukes in them. Then Burrow to Moss for a fist down.
12:08 Holy shit Marshall just made the best catch of this game, that was so pretty, TD Tigers, Clemson 25 LSU 42 I really think it's over now, Lawrence has looked like shit for all but 1 drive of the 2nd half. He's high on every throw.
11:55 Lawrence might be losing some draft stock, anyone can be a front runner, but what you do when things aren't going well talk more about your skill, he is a tremendous front runner.
11:18 Seems like a ticky tack PI on LSU, for being a great team they sure do get a lot of penalties called on them.
11:09 Lawrence goes deep to Higgins and a TD, but OPI on Higgins as he uses the DB to slow himself down and catch the ball, they never call that. Wish OPI was called more.
10:27 Long 3rd down and Lawrence throws it into the ground. They seriously need to run the ball more.
10:10 left in the game and LSU is pinned deep, they don't turtle, LSU goes for the jugular.
8:43 LSU is sort of working the clock, with 3 straight run plays but they are gashing them, already out to the 35.
6:52 False start on LSU, they are milking this clock, I thought coming in Clemson would at least cover, but they have disappeared since the TD and 2 point conversion.
6:26 Offsetting penalties, the lineman downfield penalty on the RPO, they need to fix that stupid rule, lineman need to be held to 1 yard and be done.
6:21 So far no mention of Venables shirt tugger, that's usually a story during games.
6:00 Herbie just said Burrow takes all online classes and is at the facility just as much as the coaches, wow what a "student athlete" I usually like these guys but dude should have to attend a class. I totally missed "Big Fan" awe shucks, I'm so busted up.
4:37 Lawrence scrambles and gets popped 1st down, not sure 4 minutes down 17 is best time to get hit hard.
3:53 Lawrence scrambles again and fumbles, Delpit from LSU puts the shoulder right on the ball, textbook tackle.
3:45 Edwards-Helaire makes a genius play and goes down on a big run play while staying in bounds, excellent football IQ.
2:22 Dabo isn't going away easily, calling timeout.
1:30 Be happy if you got the O/U at 66 because they didn't hit the opening line of 69.5.
:00 2 kneel downs ends it, and LSU beats Clemson 42-25, fun game, congrats to Coach O, nobody can root against that guy.
Postgame: Coach O doesn't talk about himself, he talks about the players, the coaching staff, and the state of Louisiana, be more like Coach O. Maria Taylor asks Joe Burrow about how he overcame the injury, he hesitated, but he didn't admit to the needle.
The game didn't go as I planned, thought for sure Clemson would play better, LSU was just that damn good, they had so many weapons. I will say neither team ran the ball much and both RBs were electric. That's it, for this one, I'll be back next week. Twitter @derekbredeson for all my great thoughts.
Pregame: We're live in the basement, Chris Fowler just welcomed us to the Superdome after Lil Wayne rapped. Oh look it's Herbie, hi Herbie you're pretty great. Discussing if Clemson is a dynasty, if they win, yes, if they lose, still probably for me. LSU wearing white, thought they might go with purple, I like when they wear purple. Clemson wearing orange, was thinking they might try something purple, don't think Clemson uses purple enough. For the record I'm rooting for LSU but picking Clemson. Any guesses who "Bigfan" is? I only liked the grilling commercial for Fansville this year, the rest sucked. The President is here, he goes to a lot of football games but has yet to throw out a first pitch, that's all I'm gonna say about that. The anthem was good, but the players weren't on the field, that kind of sucks. If you're a college football coach, don't lead your team out of the tunnel, let them do it. Dabo lead his guys out, it isn't about the team it's about him. Pac-12 officials so this will be fun, who am I kidding all officials suck. Clemson has been "doubted" all season? Not a chance Maria Taylor. Who doesn't love Coach O, imagine if USC had kept him. My daughter just said LSU is wild, they might be a little hyped.
1st quarter
15:00 Tigers vs Tigers, now even Fowler has made the joke, we can stop, I'm guilty myself. Trevor Lawrence 25-0 as a starter. And Dabo runs a hook and ladder on the first play, whoa. It didn't work.
14:11 Clemson is using LSU's energy against them. Inside the 25 after 4 plays.
13:02 Big 3rd down, LSU brings the blitz and get a huge sack, great delayed blitz.
12:00 Clemson elects to punt from the plus side of the field, chickens.
11:47 The Heisman will take the field after this commercial. Did you know Joe Burrow wasn't recruited by Nebraska? Joe Burrow just made an amazing escape that got negated by lineman downfield.
11:14 Will Venables is a genius right now, we'll see if that changes.
11:00 Who had 2 punts to start the game, thought for sure this game would be crazy early.
10:25 Punting from plus territory works, Clemson gets it back at the 42.
9:47 Another punt, DBs getting away with a lot so far.
9:38 Average starting position for LSU is the 5.5 yard line
9:10 LSU finally gain yards, then hurry and miss on 3rd down, another punt. Terrible field position is biggest factor. LSU punter gets the roll and flips the field.
8:28 Clemson hits the TE on a seam route and the WR gets called for a blindside block after a huge block by Tee Higgins, I have no idea how a guy chasing the ball carrier is defenseless. Kenny Bell agrees with me.
7:28 Big gain by Clemson and weak hands to the face call, gives Clemson the ball at the 6. Direct snap to Ettiene to the 1.
6:34 TD Clemson, Lawrence keeps it and runs off the edge, XP good Clemson 7 LSU 0, interesting to see what LSU does with better field position. LSU offense has 6 yards total, whoof.
6:25 Herbie hammering home the point Clemson is going 3-1-7 on defense.
5:37 Clemson gets a sack bringing 4, LSU has to run the ball.
5:00 LSU looks broken, I haven't watched them much but Clemson has them very confused, and the receivers can't catch. Another LSU punt.
4:34 Clemson dials up the deep ball, CB trips the WR and the safety almost made the pick but PI.
4:06 3rd and 4 and you got Travis Ettiene who Dabo talks up constantly and you throw the ball, dumb, incomplete so another punt. Then delay of game.
3:30 A LSU 1st down, PROGRESS
2:47 LSU running the ball to get yards on first down, if they insist on 7 DBs gotta run
2:20 Burrow goes deep to Chase, just flat out beats the DB for a long TD Clemson 7 LSU 7 Been a long 1st quarter, Clemson about to have their 5th possession. LSU defense is fired up again, looks like 1st play of the game.
1:10 LSU defense looked confused and 1st down throw to the TE, who was suspended for a year apparently.
:10 Clemson runs Lawrence more than I thought they would. End of 1st Quarter Clemson 7 LSU 7
2nd Quarter
14:32 Tigers vs Tigers again, come on guys.
13:43 52 yard FG attempt is good, why not do that earlier if he has it? Clemson 10 LSU 7 At this point FG's are losses. Burrow takes off on 1st down and gets 30+ yards on 1st down, sneaky fast QBs.
12:21 Another punt, I think LSU has hit the over for punts tonight. What a beauty, they down it at the 4.
12:10 Lawrence throws a seed out of his own end zone, great play on 1st down.
11:31 Then Etienne breaks a big run, they really need to use him more.
10:38 Reverse by Clemson and Tee Higgins houses it, Clemson goes 96 yards in 4 fucking plays, damn, had a feeling Clemson could do this vs LSU Clemson 17 LSU 7. I still hate Dabo, he's a tool.
10:30 The beauty of Fowler and Herbie, LSU hits a little slant get a 1st down Fowler says how do you defend that pass, these guys stay in the moment so well.
10:05 Burrow goes deep again, Chase again, LSU will never be out of this game with these 2. 1st and goal after 2 plays.
9:21 timeout LSU on 3rd down, so I ask are the 4 best WRs in the country in this game? These guys are all awesome.
9:17 QB draw on 3rd down leads to Burrow scoring a TD, that drive took 5 plays, the 2nd quarter has been fun Clemson 17 LSU 14.
9:08 Talking about Etienne going to Clemson and LSU fans sending him death threats on twitter, don't be that fan guys. Big run by Etienne and a facemask penalty added on. Dude grabbed the back of the helmet.
8:13 #3 from LSU lays out #3 from Clemson on a missed pass, if that block earlier was a penalty then that's a penalty, dude wasn't able to protect himself, no call though.
7:45 another big 3rd down, very few conversions so far and Lawrence misfires. Punt coming.
6:50 Burrow looking a little more comfortable, but still with happy feet. Then he hits the RB who made a miraculous spin move, then Jefferson does a stop and go, LSU is flying right now.
5:54 The fake injuries have started, LSU was going so fast Clemson had to stop the clock, they reshow the RB spin move, he put his hand down but LSU went so quick the replay official couldn't buzz. Smart job by LSU that wins games when you go that fast.
5:19 Burrow hits Chase on the fade route, Chase faked a block off the line then ran right past the DB. Chase is the match up nightmare for Clemson. Clemson 17 LSU 21
5:01 Replay official is on it this time, gets the buzz down before Clemson can run a play, gotta be quick in this game. I can't tell if the toe hit the ground or not, but justice would be served if they didn't overturn it. Play is overturned, great play by LSU DB.
5:14 The replay made us go back in time, seriously though get Etienne the ball more, he makes plays. Lawrence gets crunched on a deep ball. LSU defense has been very physical.
4:37 Delayed RPO play, that was stupid, don't run that again.
3:49 LSU defense forces a punt, they are playing better as their offense figures this out.
3:38 LSU starting inside the 10 again, Clemson killing the field position game. But Edwards-Helair breaks a big run on first down. Followed by a sack.
2:29 3rd and 19 coming up, this play will determine who scores last before half. Time out Coach O, Venables had some crazy blitz dialed up. Burrow goes deep and the Clemson DB tackles the WR before the ball gets there, good play saved Clemson probably 20 yards.
1:42 LSU has 222 yards of offense in the 2nd quarter, told you this quarter has been fun.
:40 Jefferson just trucked a DB, holy shit that was cool. Love when offense players lay the hits down.
:21 3rd and 10 coming up, LSU needs more yards for a FG, they never settle though, LSU burns final TO that might cost them a FG. Designed QB draw works again and Burrow gets down to the 6, what a play call, no time outs and you let the QB run.
:10 TD to Randy Moss's kid Thaddeus, and Burrow got crunched when he threw the ball, has plenty of time to get healthy Clemson 17 LSU 28. LSU on a 21-0 run. Halftime
Halftime: 150 years ago the only time Rutgers was relevant at football. Not sure how you decide who the top 150 players are, but sure. Seems like they used mostly great pro's and Archie Griffin. I'll always remember a story that Jim Brown was a better Lacrosse player than football player. Thanks to halftime, I'm back live. My first half thoughts, think LSU got field positioned a little, Clemson sort of Ohio Stated it by not getting more points when LSU was struggling. Will be interested to see if Burrow really is hurt.
3rd Quarter
15:00 Burrow comes out throwing, he's fine.
14:06 Clemson brings the house on 3rd down and get the sack, LSU punting for first time in a while, then get nailed on a 15 yard catch interference. Dabo reminded his players that games are 60 minutes.
12:36 Lawrence hits Higgins who gets popped by the safety, Higgins is down, the Ohio State game seemed like Higgins or Ross were hurt every other play.
12:02 LSU pass rusher getting called for a facemask after he couldn't sack Lawrence because he was being held. LSU 6 penalties for 69 yards (nice).
10:49 Etienne hits paydirt, Clemson uses the penalties to move down the field, and Clemson going for 2, and they get it. Clemson 25 LSU 28 Some old guy is at home yelling you don't chase points this early, shut up Grandpa. The Clemson halftime adjustment? Blitz the hell out of em.
9:25 3rd down and Clemson almost gets a pick 6, Clemson defense is fired up in the 2nd half, Venables has made the adjustments.
9:12 ESPN comes back and does a montage of great Superdome moments, can we all agree all National Championships should be played at the Rose Bowl?
7:47 Another so close INT, this game will hinge on a turnover. So many close ones. Clemson punt. Odd quarters are boring, even quarters are fun.
7:39 Burrow hasn't been the same since getting popped, not sure if it's the adjustments by Clemson D or his ribs. He runs a QB draw on 1st down, he must be fine. Good no call on the PI.
6:22 Clemson brings the house on 3rd down again, so what do you do? WR screen, huge run after the catch by Chase.
5:39 Clemson LB being reviewed for targeting, dude lowered his helmet, should be a penalty. And it is, well that changes things. They need to fix that stupid penalty.
5:13 Burrow to Moss again, TD LSU, probably a review coming, looks like a TD to me. Review is great and all but damn does college review really slow the game down. We had 5 looks at that play before they officially reviewed it. Burrow breaks the record for TDs in a season with that one. Colt Brennan threw 58 TDs in 14 games, Burrow gets 59 (and counting) in 15 games. Clemson 25 LSU 35
5:06 Time for Trevor Lawrence to do some shit, and he's picked but looks like PI on the guy who picked it off. Tough call, dude was holding the jersey.
4:30 Nice delayed blitz by LSU forces a long 3rd down, the delayed blitz has worked a few time for them.
3:46 Incomplete and Clemson is punting, they might be done. They don't have their MLB anymore.
3:25 Burrow just made a brilliant scramble and dumps it off to Jefferson who busts it off, then Chase drops a TD that would've been a dagger.
3:06 Another draw if Burrow is hurt he isn't telling anyone.
2:23 Dabo just used a TO on defense in the 3rd quarter, man you need those late. Another screen on 3rd down, snuffed out though, same exact play, may want to find a wrinkle.
1:40 Missed FG by LSU, why do these good teams always have shitty kickers. Clemson runs the option, just give Etienne the ball in space, enough stupid wrinkles.
1:03 Lawrence looks broken, dude doesn't face adversity a lot, this is where a tough schedule comes in handy. Coming back vs North Carolina doesn't do you shit. Quick 3 and out, LSU gets the ball back after 43 seconds. Clemson's mascot looks like a crackhead with a jersey on. I assume they didn't let LSU's Tiger in the dome.
:20 Burrow hits Edwards-Helaire for decent gain, but of course penalty on LSU after the play, late hit, bad penalty. And the 3rd quarter ends. Clemson 25 LSU 35, did I miss "Big Fan" I was fast forwarding a lot, is he real.
4th Quarter
15:00 LSU has lots of jukes in them. Then Burrow to Moss for a fist down.
12:08 Holy shit Marshall just made the best catch of this game, that was so pretty, TD Tigers, Clemson 25 LSU 42 I really think it's over now, Lawrence has looked like shit for all but 1 drive of the 2nd half. He's high on every throw.
11:55 Lawrence might be losing some draft stock, anyone can be a front runner, but what you do when things aren't going well talk more about your skill, he is a tremendous front runner.
11:18 Seems like a ticky tack PI on LSU, for being a great team they sure do get a lot of penalties called on them.
11:09 Lawrence goes deep to Higgins and a TD, but OPI on Higgins as he uses the DB to slow himself down and catch the ball, they never call that. Wish OPI was called more.
10:27 Long 3rd down and Lawrence throws it into the ground. They seriously need to run the ball more.
10:10 left in the game and LSU is pinned deep, they don't turtle, LSU goes for the jugular.
8:43 LSU is sort of working the clock, with 3 straight run plays but they are gashing them, already out to the 35.
6:52 False start on LSU, they are milking this clock, I thought coming in Clemson would at least cover, but they have disappeared since the TD and 2 point conversion.
6:26 Offsetting penalties, the lineman downfield penalty on the RPO, they need to fix that stupid rule, lineman need to be held to 1 yard and be done.
6:21 So far no mention of Venables shirt tugger, that's usually a story during games.
6:00 Herbie just said Burrow takes all online classes and is at the facility just as much as the coaches, wow what a "student athlete" I usually like these guys but dude should have to attend a class. I totally missed "Big Fan" awe shucks, I'm so busted up.
4:37 Lawrence scrambles and gets popped 1st down, not sure 4 minutes down 17 is best time to get hit hard.
3:53 Lawrence scrambles again and fumbles, Delpit from LSU puts the shoulder right on the ball, textbook tackle.
3:45 Edwards-Helaire makes a genius play and goes down on a big run play while staying in bounds, excellent football IQ.
2:22 Dabo isn't going away easily, calling timeout.
1:30 Be happy if you got the O/U at 66 because they didn't hit the opening line of 69.5.
:00 2 kneel downs ends it, and LSU beats Clemson 42-25, fun game, congrats to Coach O, nobody can root against that guy.
Postgame: Coach O doesn't talk about himself, he talks about the players, the coaching staff, and the state of Louisiana, be more like Coach O. Maria Taylor asks Joe Burrow about how he overcame the injury, he hesitated, but he didn't admit to the needle.
The game didn't go as I planned, thought for sure Clemson would play better, LSU was just that damn good, they had so many weapons. I will say neither team ran the ball much and both RBs were electric. That's it, for this one, I'll be back next week. Twitter @derekbredeson for all my great thoughts.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Mailbag
I wasn't sure what to do this week so I took the easy way out and asked for questions. I got a few responses, so let's get into the mailbag.
Why do Hawkeye fans still support Kirk Ferentz? Minus a couple years ago they have been middle of the road that wins 1 big home game and usually has a terrible loss before or after. Greg-Epworth, IA
Well that's a great way to start this, and I think there is a couple ways to go. First of all I need to put my disclaimer on here, I've only been an Iowa fan for half of Ferentz's tenure at the school. I made the switch in 2009, maybe the height of Kirk's reign. That said let's look at what Feretnz and Iowa are.
Is Iowa "middle of the road?" I guess that depends on what road you're on, the Big Ten West Road, Iowa is right there at the top or near the top, right below Wisconsin. The Big Ten Road, Iowa is in the upper half, maybe the 3rd tier but above at least 7 programs. Nationally, well this might come as a shock but since 2015, Iowa has the 12th most wins in college football, and have won a game vs an opponent from every P5 conference in the last 3 years. Is that middle of the road? I don't think it is. I think the Iowa football program and Kirk Ferentz are right where they need to be, could things be better? Sure, but aside from a few more wins Wisconsin and Penn State, the last 5 years have been pretty good.
Let's look at some of the negatives the anti-Ferentz crowd uses. There is a vocal portion of the fan base that dislikes Ferentz. His offensive scheme, mainly the run game is stuck in the past. If Iowa switched from the zone scheme to more of a gap look, like Wisconsin, perhaps they could be more efficient running the ball. Iowa though prefers more athletic lineman instead of the abnormally large humans Wisconsin puts out. Ferentz also plays things safer than most, his philosophy of protect the defense leads to close games, and sometimes that bites him. Iowa rarely gets blown out which makes the 3-4 losses every year a gut punch because you play what if a lot. He plays with a razor thin margin often against good teams. Greg also brought up the "bad losses," well everyone has bad losses, just this year Wisconsin lost to a bad Illinois team, Ohio State lost to Purdue in 2018, Iowa 2017. Purdue who has a young coach who everyone loves, lost to BYU this year, BYU also beat USC. Oregon lost to Arizona State, should I keep going? Not everyone is Clemson and Alabama, bad losses happen.
So to answer the question, why do we support Ferentz? We don't want to become Nebraska or USC, teams that think they are above Iowa but because of constant chasing of National Titles that are hard to get you end up losing a lot more. I don't want Iowa becoming Arkansas or Mississippi State, I like having 2 coaches over 40 years, I don't mind winning 8-10 games every year, I'm thankful for what we have and I don't want to chase wins while being below .500. Could Ferentz win a few more division titles? Sure, but beating Wisconsin is tough and they have a plan for Iowa every year, hopefully Kirk and Brian Ferentz have a new wrinkle for them next year.
Can you break down the 1974 NHL draft for me? Andy-Lake Mills, WI
Why the hell not Andy, let's open up Wikipedia here. First thing that jumps off the page, the draft was a conference call. All the teams got on speaker phone and talked it out, that's pretty good. Also the Buffalo Sabres used their 183rd pick on a fake player named Taro Tsujmoto of the Tokyo Katanas, guess they didn't need that pick. The 1st pick went to the expansion Washington Capitols and they took defenseman Greg Joly of the Regina Pats, his teammate from the Pats, Clark Gillies went #4 to the Islanders, he became one of the 3 hall of famers in this draft. The 2nd and 3rd picks were held by the Kansas City Scouts and California Golden Seals, they took teammates from the St. Catharines Black Hawks, Wilf Paiement and Rick Hampton. Who the hell are the Scouts and Seals? The expansion Scouts made it a whopping 2 seasons before moving to Colorado for 6 seasons and moving again to New Jersey to become the Devils. The Seals weren't so lucky, they joined the NHL in 1967, changed names a few times, eventually moved to Cleveland and merged, yeah I said merged, with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978. What the hell is that about, could you imagine the Marlins and Rangers merging today, dude the 70's were a trip. Anyway, to keep with the theme, the 5th and 6th picks also played major juniors together with the Canadiens and North Stars selecting teammates from the Flin Flon Bombers, Cam Connor and Doug Hicks. Guys this is the best draft ever, the Flin Flon Bombers, you kidding me. We'll fast forward to the 2nd round where the other 2 hall of famers Brian Trottier (#22 to the Islanders) and Mark Howe (#25 to the Bruins) were taken. There were only 18 picks per round and the draft went 25 rounds with Capitols, I'm assuming filling their roster took 4 of the last 7 picks, in fact rounds 24 and 25 were 1 pick each and rounds 22 and 23 were 2 picks each, guessing the Buffalo GM was not still on the conference call then. This was far more interesting than I imagined.
Do you feel Oklahoma will join the Big Ten this decade? Chris-Monroe, WI
There was time I was certain Oklahoma was coming to the Big Ten, gives Ohio State an equal, throws Nebraska a bone for their history (and their stupid fan bases a real "rival" since Iowa doesn't count even though they talk shit constantly on twitter), plus makes the divisional balance a little better. Then the future happened and all the reasons for conference expansion are kind of blowing up, mainly television revenue. What is the future of sports and television, are the conferences going to be able to count on Fox, ESPN, and CBS giving each school 40 million a year? What about Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, HBO Go, Youtube, what are those streaming services going to bring to the table. We have to remember why the Big Ten added Rutgers and Maryland, not for competition, but for television sets, they wanted that revenue from your local cable provider to put Big Ten Network on your standard package and get $6 a month from each household in New York and Washington DC metros, that's a lot of coin and if you don't believe me check out your favorite teams new practice facility. Since then though cord cutting has begun and I'm not sure how much longer you can count on that $6 dollar a month. Anyway, back to the question, I don't think Oklahoma is coming to the Big Ten anymore. I got a sneaky feeling the Power 5 stays the power 5 and they keep adding teams. Just this week Boise State signed a deal with CBS to air their home games. The need for adding teams could still be about TV sets and if that's the case I think North Carolina is the next target for the Big Ten and maybe Georgia Tech, Charlotte and Atlanta are both growing cities and that's a better chance at $6 a month, and that's all that matters. If it isn't about TV sets I think the Big Ten gets local and again tries to add for Penn State which could mean Syracuse, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, or Boston College.
What do you consider the three biggest upsets of the last decade? Jacob-Des Moines, IA
Seems Jacob enjoyed the 2010's Reflection series, well let's get some upsets.
#1 is UMBC beating Virginia in 2018, that was an incredible upset and something you'll probably never witness again. Especially the dismantling, again not only did a 16 seed beat a 1 seed but they embarrassed them by 20 points. Now none of the guys from UMBC are memorable, but still the upset was one for the ages.
#2 was a November Friday night in 2011, a 5-4 Iowa State team beat undefeated #2 Oklahoma State as 28 points underdogs. I liked that Okie State team, they had Brandon Weeden who like 26 years old at QB, Justin Blackmon at WR, dude was awesome. Iowa State was down early scored 17 straight to tie it, Okie State missed a go ahead FG inside a minute of regulation, Iowa State gets the win in Double OT after getting an INT on the first play and scoring a TD to end it. Hopefully everyone at Iowa State remembers the Jared Barnett QB experience fondly.
#3 is the Warriors who won 73 games blowing the 3-1 series lead vs Cleveland. I didn't watch it, but if the greatest regular season team ever has 3 shots to close out a series they damned well better do it. I think it's one of those things that someday should define LeBron James legacy, he made the biggest comeback vs the best team.
Please explain how the Big Ten basketball teams will be evaluated for the tourney with them all seemingly going to beat each other every other night. Eric-Windsor, WI
I'm not the college hoops expert I used to be, but I'm trying to be better this year. Coming into the year I heard the league was down a little, but I also heard how many teams would be decent, seemed the 3-10 range was very close. So far it's 1-14 that are close, one of the best teams in the league Ohio State has 4 losses already. So is the league full of parody and good teams, or is the league bad and full of crappy teams. I really don't have an answer for that, I think the league is down, but also really close. Seems like you don't want to play a road game vs anyone. I think what happens in February will tell the story for the league. If we end up with a bunch of teams around 9-11 conference wins and nobody over 14 then the league will be labeled as bad and maybe they only get 5 teams in, but if the upper teams start winning, then the league can get more in. Things aren't looking good though right now, Penn State gets ranked, quickly loses 2 games, Maryland gets in the top 15, lose 2 games in a row. I can't explain Ohio State and what they are doing, top 15 ranked 4 conference losses. Basically it's up to the top teams to start winning their games, and for the love of god, someone win on the damn road. Parody is cool and all, but not when it costs you positions in the tournament.
That's it for questions this week. Hopefully, I can do this again in the future. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions, it was fun. Till next week follow me on twitter @derekbredeson, and I'll see what we come up with next week, perhaps the Super Bowl Tale of the Tape will make it's return.
Why do Hawkeye fans still support Kirk Ferentz? Minus a couple years ago they have been middle of the road that wins 1 big home game and usually has a terrible loss before or after. Greg-Epworth, IA
Well that's a great way to start this, and I think there is a couple ways to go. First of all I need to put my disclaimer on here, I've only been an Iowa fan for half of Ferentz's tenure at the school. I made the switch in 2009, maybe the height of Kirk's reign. That said let's look at what Feretnz and Iowa are.
Is Iowa "middle of the road?" I guess that depends on what road you're on, the Big Ten West Road, Iowa is right there at the top or near the top, right below Wisconsin. The Big Ten Road, Iowa is in the upper half, maybe the 3rd tier but above at least 7 programs. Nationally, well this might come as a shock but since 2015, Iowa has the 12th most wins in college football, and have won a game vs an opponent from every P5 conference in the last 3 years. Is that middle of the road? I don't think it is. I think the Iowa football program and Kirk Ferentz are right where they need to be, could things be better? Sure, but aside from a few more wins Wisconsin and Penn State, the last 5 years have been pretty good.
Let's look at some of the negatives the anti-Ferentz crowd uses. There is a vocal portion of the fan base that dislikes Ferentz. His offensive scheme, mainly the run game is stuck in the past. If Iowa switched from the zone scheme to more of a gap look, like Wisconsin, perhaps they could be more efficient running the ball. Iowa though prefers more athletic lineman instead of the abnormally large humans Wisconsin puts out. Ferentz also plays things safer than most, his philosophy of protect the defense leads to close games, and sometimes that bites him. Iowa rarely gets blown out which makes the 3-4 losses every year a gut punch because you play what if a lot. He plays with a razor thin margin often against good teams. Greg also brought up the "bad losses," well everyone has bad losses, just this year Wisconsin lost to a bad Illinois team, Ohio State lost to Purdue in 2018, Iowa 2017. Purdue who has a young coach who everyone loves, lost to BYU this year, BYU also beat USC. Oregon lost to Arizona State, should I keep going? Not everyone is Clemson and Alabama, bad losses happen.
So to answer the question, why do we support Ferentz? We don't want to become Nebraska or USC, teams that think they are above Iowa but because of constant chasing of National Titles that are hard to get you end up losing a lot more. I don't want Iowa becoming Arkansas or Mississippi State, I like having 2 coaches over 40 years, I don't mind winning 8-10 games every year, I'm thankful for what we have and I don't want to chase wins while being below .500. Could Ferentz win a few more division titles? Sure, but beating Wisconsin is tough and they have a plan for Iowa every year, hopefully Kirk and Brian Ferentz have a new wrinkle for them next year.
Can you break down the 1974 NHL draft for me? Andy-Lake Mills, WI
Why the hell not Andy, let's open up Wikipedia here. First thing that jumps off the page, the draft was a conference call. All the teams got on speaker phone and talked it out, that's pretty good. Also the Buffalo Sabres used their 183rd pick on a fake player named Taro Tsujmoto of the Tokyo Katanas, guess they didn't need that pick. The 1st pick went to the expansion Washington Capitols and they took defenseman Greg Joly of the Regina Pats, his teammate from the Pats, Clark Gillies went #4 to the Islanders, he became one of the 3 hall of famers in this draft. The 2nd and 3rd picks were held by the Kansas City Scouts and California Golden Seals, they took teammates from the St. Catharines Black Hawks, Wilf Paiement and Rick Hampton. Who the hell are the Scouts and Seals? The expansion Scouts made it a whopping 2 seasons before moving to Colorado for 6 seasons and moving again to New Jersey to become the Devils. The Seals weren't so lucky, they joined the NHL in 1967, changed names a few times, eventually moved to Cleveland and merged, yeah I said merged, with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978. What the hell is that about, could you imagine the Marlins and Rangers merging today, dude the 70's were a trip. Anyway, to keep with the theme, the 5th and 6th picks also played major juniors together with the Canadiens and North Stars selecting teammates from the Flin Flon Bombers, Cam Connor and Doug Hicks. Guys this is the best draft ever, the Flin Flon Bombers, you kidding me. We'll fast forward to the 2nd round where the other 2 hall of famers Brian Trottier (#22 to the Islanders) and Mark Howe (#25 to the Bruins) were taken. There were only 18 picks per round and the draft went 25 rounds with Capitols, I'm assuming filling their roster took 4 of the last 7 picks, in fact rounds 24 and 25 were 1 pick each and rounds 22 and 23 were 2 picks each, guessing the Buffalo GM was not still on the conference call then. This was far more interesting than I imagined.
Do you feel Oklahoma will join the Big Ten this decade? Chris-Monroe, WI
There was time I was certain Oklahoma was coming to the Big Ten, gives Ohio State an equal, throws Nebraska a bone for their history (and their stupid fan bases a real "rival" since Iowa doesn't count even though they talk shit constantly on twitter), plus makes the divisional balance a little better. Then the future happened and all the reasons for conference expansion are kind of blowing up, mainly television revenue. What is the future of sports and television, are the conferences going to be able to count on Fox, ESPN, and CBS giving each school 40 million a year? What about Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, HBO Go, Youtube, what are those streaming services going to bring to the table. We have to remember why the Big Ten added Rutgers and Maryland, not for competition, but for television sets, they wanted that revenue from your local cable provider to put Big Ten Network on your standard package and get $6 a month from each household in New York and Washington DC metros, that's a lot of coin and if you don't believe me check out your favorite teams new practice facility. Since then though cord cutting has begun and I'm not sure how much longer you can count on that $6 dollar a month. Anyway, back to the question, I don't think Oklahoma is coming to the Big Ten anymore. I got a sneaky feeling the Power 5 stays the power 5 and they keep adding teams. Just this week Boise State signed a deal with CBS to air their home games. The need for adding teams could still be about TV sets and if that's the case I think North Carolina is the next target for the Big Ten and maybe Georgia Tech, Charlotte and Atlanta are both growing cities and that's a better chance at $6 a month, and that's all that matters. If it isn't about TV sets I think the Big Ten gets local and again tries to add for Penn State which could mean Syracuse, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, or Boston College.
What do you consider the three biggest upsets of the last decade? Jacob-Des Moines, IA
Seems Jacob enjoyed the 2010's Reflection series, well let's get some upsets.
#1 is UMBC beating Virginia in 2018, that was an incredible upset and something you'll probably never witness again. Especially the dismantling, again not only did a 16 seed beat a 1 seed but they embarrassed them by 20 points. Now none of the guys from UMBC are memorable, but still the upset was one for the ages.
#2 was a November Friday night in 2011, a 5-4 Iowa State team beat undefeated #2 Oklahoma State as 28 points underdogs. I liked that Okie State team, they had Brandon Weeden who like 26 years old at QB, Justin Blackmon at WR, dude was awesome. Iowa State was down early scored 17 straight to tie it, Okie State missed a go ahead FG inside a minute of regulation, Iowa State gets the win in Double OT after getting an INT on the first play and scoring a TD to end it. Hopefully everyone at Iowa State remembers the Jared Barnett QB experience fondly.
#3 is the Warriors who won 73 games blowing the 3-1 series lead vs Cleveland. I didn't watch it, but if the greatest regular season team ever has 3 shots to close out a series they damned well better do it. I think it's one of those things that someday should define LeBron James legacy, he made the biggest comeback vs the best team.
Please explain how the Big Ten basketball teams will be evaluated for the tourney with them all seemingly going to beat each other every other night. Eric-Windsor, WI
I'm not the college hoops expert I used to be, but I'm trying to be better this year. Coming into the year I heard the league was down a little, but I also heard how many teams would be decent, seemed the 3-10 range was very close. So far it's 1-14 that are close, one of the best teams in the league Ohio State has 4 losses already. So is the league full of parody and good teams, or is the league bad and full of crappy teams. I really don't have an answer for that, I think the league is down, but also really close. Seems like you don't want to play a road game vs anyone. I think what happens in February will tell the story for the league. If we end up with a bunch of teams around 9-11 conference wins and nobody over 14 then the league will be labeled as bad and maybe they only get 5 teams in, but if the upper teams start winning, then the league can get more in. Things aren't looking good though right now, Penn State gets ranked, quickly loses 2 games, Maryland gets in the top 15, lose 2 games in a row. I can't explain Ohio State and what they are doing, top 15 ranked 4 conference losses. Basically it's up to the top teams to start winning their games, and for the love of god, someone win on the damn road. Parody is cool and all, but not when it costs you positions in the tournament.
That's it for questions this week. Hopefully, I can do this again in the future. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions, it was fun. Till next week follow me on twitter @derekbredeson, and I'll see what we come up with next week, perhaps the Super Bowl Tale of the Tape will make it's return.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Announcing Kings
Not gonna lie I struggled picking a topic for this week. Coming off the work of the last 3 weeks I couldn't figure out something light and easy that didn't take multiple days to write. I even had something written on Monday night and scrapped it. Anyway this week let's talk about everyone's favorite thing to complain about, sports announcers. I'm not going to bash anyone, even though I would love to write about how much John Smoltz sucks, no I'm going to focus on the good announcers. People who you make the game enjoyable. Let's get into it.
My favorite baseball duo is extremely biased, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper television announcers for the San Francisco Giants. Kruk and Kuip are legends, they have amazing chemistry and are best friends. They've been together for 25 years calling Giants games, with Duane as the play by play guy and Mike with the color commentary. One of the coolest parts of this team is the fact they both played, you're hard pressed to find a former player that can do play by play as good as Kuip. They bring an angle to the game that not many broadcast partners bring, with Kuip being able to talk about hitting and defense, while Kruk can talk about pitching and getting hitters out. It's fantastic, and they have fun, which is also great. Mike has had health problems in recent years and doesn't travel as much, but they make any Giants game a delight. One last point, the guys were used the best MLB video game of my younger days, being the voices on MVP Baseball 2003, 2004, and 2005.
One of my favorite newer voices is Jason Benetti, who works for the White Sox television broadcast and ESPN college football and college basketball. Benetti is so good in the booth, he brings a different voice to games. He's very refreshing and I enjoy him very much. He has cerebal palsy which makes his story even better. Whenever Benetti does and Iowa game I get pretty excited, he isn't some dumb ass in the booth who caters to the color guy, no he asks questions and makes the game better for the viewers.
The torch of best college football color analyst has been passed to Kirk Herbstreit. Herby is outstanding at the desk and in the booth. His chops in the booth are rivaled by nobody, he has the uncanny ability to talk about the moment, but not dwell on it. He does a great job of being excited for whatever team just made a play. That could be taken as homerism, but he isn't a homer, he just talks about the latest big play and what that means for the team that made that play. His work at the desk with Lee Corso is unbelievable, I don't watch Gameday as much anymore but he keeps Corso engaged and energetic during the long broadcast. I enjoy the hell out Herby and hope he keeps this train rolling for many more years, not often the color analyst is the voice you remember from a game, but he stands out.
I don't watch the NFL anymore, but Tony Romo has definitely taken the top spot as the best color analyst in the NFL. When Tony does a huge game he really shines, he takes advantage of the moment and lets his knowledge shine. I'm not sure how many hours Tony puts in during the week but it must be a ton, he sees adjustments and calls audibles that the team is going to make. This may sound dumb but he might be the perfect defensive coordinator for someone, seems like he knows every play the offense is going to run before they do. He can see a formation and know exactly where the ball is going, just amazing stuff.
When it comes to football play by play I find there is nobody better than Mike Tirico. When Mike was at ESPN and did MNF with Gruden it was the best broadcast of every NFL week. They were perfect together, Tirico isn't afraid to call out mistakes and he played well with Gruden's crazy. Kind of sucks he's stuck on Notre Dame games now but I hope there is still time for him to grab the Sunday Night Football booth and be great in the NFL game again.
Lastly I have to talk about the best radio guy for baseball and it's obvious that Bob Eucker is the king. In the last couple years I started listening to baseball game on my phone, and Euck is the best guy to listen too, his stories are THE BEST. He is a homer, but all radio guys are homers, and he'll give credit when it's due. Did I mention the stories? He tells the best damn stories, last year I was listening to a game and Euck talked about one time a pitcher asked him how his stuff looked and Euck responded, "I don't know I haven't caught one yet." That story had me rolling. Eucker will always hold a special spot in guys hearts for his Harry Doyle "character" which wasn't really a character, just Eucker having fun.
Well that's all for this week, like I said something nice and light. Easy to digest. These are just a few announcers I enjoy, there are plenty more, including Kevin Harlan, Jon Miller, Dave Fleming, Adam Amin, Beth Mowins, Robert Ford, Gary Dolphin, Matt Lepay, Kenny Albert, and of course Joe Buck. Who do you enjoy listening to? Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
My favorite baseball duo is extremely biased, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper television announcers for the San Francisco Giants. Kruk and Kuip are legends, they have amazing chemistry and are best friends. They've been together for 25 years calling Giants games, with Duane as the play by play guy and Mike with the color commentary. One of the coolest parts of this team is the fact they both played, you're hard pressed to find a former player that can do play by play as good as Kuip. They bring an angle to the game that not many broadcast partners bring, with Kuip being able to talk about hitting and defense, while Kruk can talk about pitching and getting hitters out. It's fantastic, and they have fun, which is also great. Mike has had health problems in recent years and doesn't travel as much, but they make any Giants game a delight. One last point, the guys were used the best MLB video game of my younger days, being the voices on MVP Baseball 2003, 2004, and 2005.
One of my favorite newer voices is Jason Benetti, who works for the White Sox television broadcast and ESPN college football and college basketball. Benetti is so good in the booth, he brings a different voice to games. He's very refreshing and I enjoy him very much. He has cerebal palsy which makes his story even better. Whenever Benetti does and Iowa game I get pretty excited, he isn't some dumb ass in the booth who caters to the color guy, no he asks questions and makes the game better for the viewers.
The torch of best college football color analyst has been passed to Kirk Herbstreit. Herby is outstanding at the desk and in the booth. His chops in the booth are rivaled by nobody, he has the uncanny ability to talk about the moment, but not dwell on it. He does a great job of being excited for whatever team just made a play. That could be taken as homerism, but he isn't a homer, he just talks about the latest big play and what that means for the team that made that play. His work at the desk with Lee Corso is unbelievable, I don't watch Gameday as much anymore but he keeps Corso engaged and energetic during the long broadcast. I enjoy the hell out Herby and hope he keeps this train rolling for many more years, not often the color analyst is the voice you remember from a game, but he stands out.
I don't watch the NFL anymore, but Tony Romo has definitely taken the top spot as the best color analyst in the NFL. When Tony does a huge game he really shines, he takes advantage of the moment and lets his knowledge shine. I'm not sure how many hours Tony puts in during the week but it must be a ton, he sees adjustments and calls audibles that the team is going to make. This may sound dumb but he might be the perfect defensive coordinator for someone, seems like he knows every play the offense is going to run before they do. He can see a formation and know exactly where the ball is going, just amazing stuff.
When it comes to football play by play I find there is nobody better than Mike Tirico. When Mike was at ESPN and did MNF with Gruden it was the best broadcast of every NFL week. They were perfect together, Tirico isn't afraid to call out mistakes and he played well with Gruden's crazy. Kind of sucks he's stuck on Notre Dame games now but I hope there is still time for him to grab the Sunday Night Football booth and be great in the NFL game again.
Lastly I have to talk about the best radio guy for baseball and it's obvious that Bob Eucker is the king. In the last couple years I started listening to baseball game on my phone, and Euck is the best guy to listen too, his stories are THE BEST. He is a homer, but all radio guys are homers, and he'll give credit when it's due. Did I mention the stories? He tells the best damn stories, last year I was listening to a game and Euck talked about one time a pitcher asked him how his stuff looked and Euck responded, "I don't know I haven't caught one yet." That story had me rolling. Eucker will always hold a special spot in guys hearts for his Harry Doyle "character" which wasn't really a character, just Eucker having fun.
Well that's all for this week, like I said something nice and light. Easy to digest. These are just a few announcers I enjoy, there are plenty more, including Kevin Harlan, Jon Miller, Dave Fleming, Adam Amin, Beth Mowins, Robert Ford, Gary Dolphin, Matt Lepay, Kenny Albert, and of course Joe Buck. Who do you enjoy listening to? Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
The 2010s Reflection My Favorite Year in Sports
I was trying to decide how to wrap up this series, I figured why not look back at 1 of the years in the past 10. I was going to try to find the most newsworthy year and talk about it, but then realized I didn't want to talk about 2016, where you had 2 of the majors have champions come back from 3-1 series deficits. I then amended my idea to talk about my favorite sports year, which was easy to narrow down, 2010, 2012, or 2014. Obviously those 3 are the 3 championships the Giants won, so my next step was finding something else to differentiate between those 3. I decided on 2012 because that was the year RG III took the Redskins to the playoffs and I actually watched a lot of their games that season. So let's get into it, the year of 2012, my favorite sports year of the last decade.
January: January is championship time for football. NFL playoffs take the entire month and the NCAA has their premier Bowl games. In 2012 the National Championship was a replay of #1 LSU vs #2 Alabama, in New Orleans at the BCS National Championship Game. They had met earlier in the season in November 2011, a game dubbed "The Game of the Century." That game was sluggfest, a 9-6 Overtime win for LSU, Alabama missed 4 FGs that night. But this was the BCS era and the computers decided we needed round 2, the only other contenders were 1 loss Oklahoma State who lost to Iowa State and 1 loss Stanford who lost to Oregon, and man do those computers love a quality loss. Either way, Alabama had a shot at redemption vs their conference rivals. Alabama's defense smothered LSU, holding them under 100 yards of total offense. Alabama won 21-0 on 5 FGs and a Trent Richardson touchdown, they missed the PAT. LSU only managed 5 first downs the entire game.
February: You get two premier events in February, obviously the Super Bowl and then a couple weeks later the Daytona 500. Super Bowl 46 was also a repeat. The Giants and Patriots faced off 4 years after the helmet catch. This game was just as improbable. Eli again threw up a blind prayer that Mario Manningham came down with. The Giants won 21-17, wasn't the greatest Super Bowl ever, but Aaron Hernandez did catch a Touchdown pass, so that's neat. After the Super Bowl it was time for Daytona. The 2012 Daytona 500 was won by Matt Kenseth because Greg Biffle is a coward, but the race isn't remembered for who won. The 2012 Daytona 500 is remembered for the 2+ hour delay because Juan Pablo Montoya hit a jet dryer, spraying jet fuel all over the track and causing a fire on the track. Juan didn't hit it on purpose, his car broke and he had no control of the car and just plowed right into it. The race was already delayed a day because of rain, so the race was on a Monday night. The entire scene was incredible.
March: There is only 1 event in March, (unless you're like me and watch college wrestling) the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This particular tournament brought us all great joy, as not one but two #2 seeds lost to #15 seeds in the 1st round. Lehigh beat Duke 75-70 and Norfolk State took down Missouri 86-84. Kentucky lead by a young player named Anthony Davis won the Championship beating Kansas 67-59. I can't remember much else from that tournament, of course Kentucky was loaded with Freshman.
April: I always think April is the best month, but of course I'm very biased. In April you get Opening Day, the Natty in hoops, the Masters, and the NFL Draft. The Masters was won by Bubba Watson on the 2nd hole of sudden death. Bubba hit one of the most amazing shots I've ever seen. After hitting his drive into the trees, he hit a hook shot with a 52 degree wedge. The ball got out of the woods and curved towards the green, it bounced on the green and rolled past the hole for an easy putt and the win. It truly was outstanding. The 2012 NFL draft was a huge night for me, earlier in March the Redskins traded up to the #2 pick and it was known that they were taking Robert Griffin III after the Colts took Andrew Luck #1. That's exactly how it went down, I was hesitant at the time, and I was probably right, but RGIII did some special things the next fall. This draft was only 7 years ago but 3 guys taken in the top 5 are already out of the league, Luck, Trent Richardson, and Justin Blackmon.
May: There are a couple premier events in May, you get the Kentucky Derby early in the month, a couple weeks later the Preakness Stakes, and then on Memorial Day weekend you get the best day of racing of the year with the Monaco Grand Prix (F1), Indianapolis 500 (Indy Car), and Coke 600 (NASCAR). The Derby and Preakness were swept by "I'll Have Another" rallied from 7th at one point in the first half of the race to take the lead in final furlong and win by a length and a half. In the Preakness, I'll Have Another used the same strategy of holding back and making a run after the final corner, just barely getting past Bodemeister at the line. Unfortunately, I'll Have Another was scratched before the Belmont and we went another year without a Triple Crown winner. Dario Franchitti won his 3rd Indy 500, you may know his ex-wife Ashley Judd. It was a thrilling finish with the 2nd place driver wrecking coming out of turn 1 on the final lap.
June: In June you get 2 Champions crowned, with the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals both happening. For the NBA it was the first championship won by LeBron James, as he lead the Heat to a dominating 4-1 series win over the Thunder and Kevin Durant. Obviously we can't give LeBron credit for winning the title, but it was his first so it's special. On the NHL side the Los Angles Kings followed hot goal tender Jonathan Quick, to a 4-2 series win over the New Jersey Devils. LA got up 3-0, lost 2 before winning it all in Game 6. Quick was named MVP. One extra moment from June, after a game in Toronto a reporter asked Bryce Harper if he would go have a beer since Canada has a lower drinking age, Bryce looked at him and said "that's a clown question, bro." Absolutely amazing, just awesome.
July: July is usually the slowest sports month of the year, you have baseball and that's it. The MLB All Star game is the premiere event of the month. In 2012 the All Star game was in Kansas City and the only thing I remember is Robinson Cano was in charge of picking the AL entrants for the Home Run Derby and he didn't pick Royals slugger Billy Butler. Then when Cano was hitting in the derby, he was showered with boos from the Royals crowd and promptly hit zero home runs in the derby. Now that's justice. The All Star game itself was a snoozer, the NL won 8-0, Matt Cain got the W, and Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera won the MVP. The win would give the eventual NL champs home field in the World Series, but more on that in October.
August: The London Olympics took up the first 2 weeks of August. The Olympics were dominated by 2 men, Michael Phelps in the pool and Usain Bolt on the track. Andy Murray won the tennis gold for his home country, very cool they played the tennis matches at Wimbledon. On the women's side of things, the US Gymnastics teams won America's hearts again winning the team gold, and Gabby Douglas winning the all-around. Serena Williams won tennis gold in individual and pairs, teaming with Venus to win.
September: September is the beginning and the end for so much. Football starts Labor day weekend for NCAA, and the following weekend for NFL. Baseball wraps up it's regular season. The 2012 MLB season had plenty of highlights. The MVP's were Buster Posey and Miguel Carbrera, who claimed the first triple crown since 1967 and the Rookies of the Year were a couple flash in the pan guys named Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. There were 7 no hitters, including 3 perfect games (Phil Humber, Matt Cain, and Felix Hernandez). For the NFL it was a new beginning in Washington and a young rookie who came out slow in the early part of the year. For Iowa, 2012 was the most forgettable season of the decade.
October: This was a crazy month, the Giants insisted on pushing me to the brink and pulling me back. First in the NLDS with the extra Wild Card being implemented but not the extra day MLB decided to flip the travel schedule. So the lower seeded teams hosted games 1&2, and the higher seed hosted games 3,4,&5 thus eliminating a travel day. The Giants did not take advantage of hosting the first 2 games and promptly fell behind 0-2 before heading to Cincinnati. There they won game 3 in extras, game 4 was a blowout and Game 5 the Giants used a 6 run 5th inning, including a Buster Posey grand slam, to cruise to a 6-4 victory. In the NLCS they got down 3-1 to the Cardinals, before outscoring them 20-1 in the last 3 games. The crazy part is Madison Bumgarner was struggling with his mechanics so the Giants only pitched him once the entire series, a game 1 loss. Instead they turned to Barry Zito in the elimination game 5, and #RallyZito was born. By this time the Zito contract was a joke, he was even left off the 2010 postseason roster, but he pitched a great game 5. He went 7 2/3 innings of shutout pitching, brilliant. Game 6 the Giants looked to Ryan Vogelsong, he delivered giving them 7 innings and career high 9 K's. Then in Game 7, the Giants 2012 Ace Matt Cain pitched 5 2/3 innings and let the bullpen take home the Giants 9-0 win. Game 7 also featured one of the oddest hits ever given up as Hunter Pence, broke his bat on the ball and had his bat hit the ball 3 different times causing some crazy english on the ball, it was the break that blew open the game. The World Series was a cake walk compared to the first 2 rounds, Pablo Sandoval homered 3 times in Game 1, then in Game 4 Ryan Theriot scored when the Blockbuster Marco Scutaro knocked him with 2 outs, then in the bottom of the 10th with 2 outs Sergio Romo threw a fastball to Miguel Cabrera and Miggy was caught so off guard he didn't even swing and boom series over, Giants win their 2nd in 3 years. The Giants ended the season with the All Star game MVP, Regular season MVP, NLCS MVP, and World Series MVP being 4 different players, very cool, and one of those guys Melky Cabrera didn't play in the postseason after failing a PED test.
November: The Redskins had started the season off at 3-6 and were looking like the season was going down the path of so many other seasons. Then after a late week 10, they went off, winning 7 straight games, including Thanksgiving Day vs Dallas. Robert Griffin III was electric and the rest of the team followed his lead. In the last 7 games they played 5 division games, plus an OT game vs Baltimore, and Kirk Cousins got his first career start in December vs Cleveland. It was a magical run, something very special. As I said earlier 2012 wasn't great for Iowa but that November they did host their first Black Friday game vs Nebraska, why they lost 7-13.
December: The best part of December is the championship weekend for college football and the drama of the NFL regular season coming to an end. That December in the Big Ten Championship game, while getting their doors blown off by Wisconsin, Nebraska Wide Receiver Kenny Bell laid down the most wonderful, beautiful, awesome backside block I've ever seen. Nebraska ran a crossing route and when the receiver turned upfield the defender chasing him turned into a brick wall that was Bell. He got leveled and Bell got called for unnecessary roughness, bogus call even 7 years later. Gus Johnson calling the game, said "that's terrible, that's terrible, that's terrible, that's football, Charles that's football, what's he supposed to do?" Find the YouTube video and go 6 to midnight. December ended with the Redskins playing the Cowboys with the winner going to the playoffs, and wouldn't you know Tony Romo choked again. The Redskins won, went to the playoffs where Robert Griffin's career forever changed, but that happened in 2013 and honestly I don't want to think of that RG III, I'll keep those memories from 2012.
That's the year, once I started doing this I realized I made a post with a bunch videos way back in 2012 about 2012, it truly was a great sports year for me. This also ends the decade reflection series that was a lot fun for me. I'll try to get back to Tuesday posts next week when it won't take as much research to put these out. Catch me @derekbredeson, and I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did writing them.
January: January is championship time for football. NFL playoffs take the entire month and the NCAA has their premier Bowl games. In 2012 the National Championship was a replay of #1 LSU vs #2 Alabama, in New Orleans at the BCS National Championship Game. They had met earlier in the season in November 2011, a game dubbed "The Game of the Century." That game was sluggfest, a 9-6 Overtime win for LSU, Alabama missed 4 FGs that night. But this was the BCS era and the computers decided we needed round 2, the only other contenders were 1 loss Oklahoma State who lost to Iowa State and 1 loss Stanford who lost to Oregon, and man do those computers love a quality loss. Either way, Alabama had a shot at redemption vs their conference rivals. Alabama's defense smothered LSU, holding them under 100 yards of total offense. Alabama won 21-0 on 5 FGs and a Trent Richardson touchdown, they missed the PAT. LSU only managed 5 first downs the entire game.
February: You get two premier events in February, obviously the Super Bowl and then a couple weeks later the Daytona 500. Super Bowl 46 was also a repeat. The Giants and Patriots faced off 4 years after the helmet catch. This game was just as improbable. Eli again threw up a blind prayer that Mario Manningham came down with. The Giants won 21-17, wasn't the greatest Super Bowl ever, but Aaron Hernandez did catch a Touchdown pass, so that's neat. After the Super Bowl it was time for Daytona. The 2012 Daytona 500 was won by Matt Kenseth because Greg Biffle is a coward, but the race isn't remembered for who won. The 2012 Daytona 500 is remembered for the 2+ hour delay because Juan Pablo Montoya hit a jet dryer, spraying jet fuel all over the track and causing a fire on the track. Juan didn't hit it on purpose, his car broke and he had no control of the car and just plowed right into it. The race was already delayed a day because of rain, so the race was on a Monday night. The entire scene was incredible.
March: There is only 1 event in March, (unless you're like me and watch college wrestling) the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This particular tournament brought us all great joy, as not one but two #2 seeds lost to #15 seeds in the 1st round. Lehigh beat Duke 75-70 and Norfolk State took down Missouri 86-84. Kentucky lead by a young player named Anthony Davis won the Championship beating Kansas 67-59. I can't remember much else from that tournament, of course Kentucky was loaded with Freshman.
April: I always think April is the best month, but of course I'm very biased. In April you get Opening Day, the Natty in hoops, the Masters, and the NFL Draft. The Masters was won by Bubba Watson on the 2nd hole of sudden death. Bubba hit one of the most amazing shots I've ever seen. After hitting his drive into the trees, he hit a hook shot with a 52 degree wedge. The ball got out of the woods and curved towards the green, it bounced on the green and rolled past the hole for an easy putt and the win. It truly was outstanding. The 2012 NFL draft was a huge night for me, earlier in March the Redskins traded up to the #2 pick and it was known that they were taking Robert Griffin III after the Colts took Andrew Luck #1. That's exactly how it went down, I was hesitant at the time, and I was probably right, but RGIII did some special things the next fall. This draft was only 7 years ago but 3 guys taken in the top 5 are already out of the league, Luck, Trent Richardson, and Justin Blackmon.
May: There are a couple premier events in May, you get the Kentucky Derby early in the month, a couple weeks later the Preakness Stakes, and then on Memorial Day weekend you get the best day of racing of the year with the Monaco Grand Prix (F1), Indianapolis 500 (Indy Car), and Coke 600 (NASCAR). The Derby and Preakness were swept by "I'll Have Another" rallied from 7th at one point in the first half of the race to take the lead in final furlong and win by a length and a half. In the Preakness, I'll Have Another used the same strategy of holding back and making a run after the final corner, just barely getting past Bodemeister at the line. Unfortunately, I'll Have Another was scratched before the Belmont and we went another year without a Triple Crown winner. Dario Franchitti won his 3rd Indy 500, you may know his ex-wife Ashley Judd. It was a thrilling finish with the 2nd place driver wrecking coming out of turn 1 on the final lap.
June: In June you get 2 Champions crowned, with the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals both happening. For the NBA it was the first championship won by LeBron James, as he lead the Heat to a dominating 4-1 series win over the Thunder and Kevin Durant. Obviously we can't give LeBron credit for winning the title, but it was his first so it's special. On the NHL side the Los Angles Kings followed hot goal tender Jonathan Quick, to a 4-2 series win over the New Jersey Devils. LA got up 3-0, lost 2 before winning it all in Game 6. Quick was named MVP. One extra moment from June, after a game in Toronto a reporter asked Bryce Harper if he would go have a beer since Canada has a lower drinking age, Bryce looked at him and said "that's a clown question, bro." Absolutely amazing, just awesome.
July: July is usually the slowest sports month of the year, you have baseball and that's it. The MLB All Star game is the premiere event of the month. In 2012 the All Star game was in Kansas City and the only thing I remember is Robinson Cano was in charge of picking the AL entrants for the Home Run Derby and he didn't pick Royals slugger Billy Butler. Then when Cano was hitting in the derby, he was showered with boos from the Royals crowd and promptly hit zero home runs in the derby. Now that's justice. The All Star game itself was a snoozer, the NL won 8-0, Matt Cain got the W, and Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera won the MVP. The win would give the eventual NL champs home field in the World Series, but more on that in October.
August: The London Olympics took up the first 2 weeks of August. The Olympics were dominated by 2 men, Michael Phelps in the pool and Usain Bolt on the track. Andy Murray won the tennis gold for his home country, very cool they played the tennis matches at Wimbledon. On the women's side of things, the US Gymnastics teams won America's hearts again winning the team gold, and Gabby Douglas winning the all-around. Serena Williams won tennis gold in individual and pairs, teaming with Venus to win.
September: September is the beginning and the end for so much. Football starts Labor day weekend for NCAA, and the following weekend for NFL. Baseball wraps up it's regular season. The 2012 MLB season had plenty of highlights. The MVP's were Buster Posey and Miguel Carbrera, who claimed the first triple crown since 1967 and the Rookies of the Year were a couple flash in the pan guys named Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. There were 7 no hitters, including 3 perfect games (Phil Humber, Matt Cain, and Felix Hernandez). For the NFL it was a new beginning in Washington and a young rookie who came out slow in the early part of the year. For Iowa, 2012 was the most forgettable season of the decade.
October: This was a crazy month, the Giants insisted on pushing me to the brink and pulling me back. First in the NLDS with the extra Wild Card being implemented but not the extra day MLB decided to flip the travel schedule. So the lower seeded teams hosted games 1&2, and the higher seed hosted games 3,4,&5 thus eliminating a travel day. The Giants did not take advantage of hosting the first 2 games and promptly fell behind 0-2 before heading to Cincinnati. There they won game 3 in extras, game 4 was a blowout and Game 5 the Giants used a 6 run 5th inning, including a Buster Posey grand slam, to cruise to a 6-4 victory. In the NLCS they got down 3-1 to the Cardinals, before outscoring them 20-1 in the last 3 games. The crazy part is Madison Bumgarner was struggling with his mechanics so the Giants only pitched him once the entire series, a game 1 loss. Instead they turned to Barry Zito in the elimination game 5, and #RallyZito was born. By this time the Zito contract was a joke, he was even left off the 2010 postseason roster, but he pitched a great game 5. He went 7 2/3 innings of shutout pitching, brilliant. Game 6 the Giants looked to Ryan Vogelsong, he delivered giving them 7 innings and career high 9 K's. Then in Game 7, the Giants 2012 Ace Matt Cain pitched 5 2/3 innings and let the bullpen take home the Giants 9-0 win. Game 7 also featured one of the oddest hits ever given up as Hunter Pence, broke his bat on the ball and had his bat hit the ball 3 different times causing some crazy english on the ball, it was the break that blew open the game. The World Series was a cake walk compared to the first 2 rounds, Pablo Sandoval homered 3 times in Game 1, then in Game 4 Ryan Theriot scored when the Blockbuster Marco Scutaro knocked him with 2 outs, then in the bottom of the 10th with 2 outs Sergio Romo threw a fastball to Miguel Cabrera and Miggy was caught so off guard he didn't even swing and boom series over, Giants win their 2nd in 3 years. The Giants ended the season with the All Star game MVP, Regular season MVP, NLCS MVP, and World Series MVP being 4 different players, very cool, and one of those guys Melky Cabrera didn't play in the postseason after failing a PED test.
November: The Redskins had started the season off at 3-6 and were looking like the season was going down the path of so many other seasons. Then after a late week 10, they went off, winning 7 straight games, including Thanksgiving Day vs Dallas. Robert Griffin III was electric and the rest of the team followed his lead. In the last 7 games they played 5 division games, plus an OT game vs Baltimore, and Kirk Cousins got his first career start in December vs Cleveland. It was a magical run, something very special. As I said earlier 2012 wasn't great for Iowa but that November they did host their first Black Friday game vs Nebraska, why they lost 7-13.
December: The best part of December is the championship weekend for college football and the drama of the NFL regular season coming to an end. That December in the Big Ten Championship game, while getting their doors blown off by Wisconsin, Nebraska Wide Receiver Kenny Bell laid down the most wonderful, beautiful, awesome backside block I've ever seen. Nebraska ran a crossing route and when the receiver turned upfield the defender chasing him turned into a brick wall that was Bell. He got leveled and Bell got called for unnecessary roughness, bogus call even 7 years later. Gus Johnson calling the game, said "that's terrible, that's terrible, that's terrible, that's football, Charles that's football, what's he supposed to do?" Find the YouTube video and go 6 to midnight. December ended with the Redskins playing the Cowboys with the winner going to the playoffs, and wouldn't you know Tony Romo choked again. The Redskins won, went to the playoffs where Robert Griffin's career forever changed, but that happened in 2013 and honestly I don't want to think of that RG III, I'll keep those memories from 2012.
That's the year, once I started doing this I realized I made a post with a bunch videos way back in 2012 about 2012, it truly was a great sports year for me. This also ends the decade reflection series that was a lot fun for me. I'll try to get back to Tuesday posts next week when it won't take as much research to put these out. Catch me @derekbredeson, and I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did writing them.
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