January 30, 2012

Top Goals of Jan. 24-31

Top 5 Goals of Jan. 24-31

  1. Barry Robson’s goal for Middleborough vs. Sunderland in the FA Cup 4th round. Who says the Championship has no quality?
  1. Go to 1:20 to see Theo Walcott’s odd but awesome goal vs. Aston Villa in Arsenal’s fierce comeback win of 3-2.
  1. Park Ji Sung’s nice volley vs. Liverpool gives Pepe Reina no chance, but in the end Liverpool prevailed 2-1 thanks to our No. 5 goal of the week.
  1. Goal by Mesut Özil in Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Real Zaragoza. (How did he fit that in there!?)
  1. This sweet goal by Dirk Kuyt pushed Liverpool through past Manchester United to the 5th round of the FA Cup.

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January 29, 2012

LBJ

Just watch in amazement. This guy is crazy. He just can’t succeed in the fourth quarter. 

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January 28, 2012

‘Sporting’ New Personnel

 As a loyal Arsenal fan, a team notorious for sitting on their laurels come transfer time (a tendency that has finally come back to bite them, as they sit just out of the top 4, and will need to fight to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in years), nothing warms my heart like seeing a team go after young talent and experienced veterans to improve their chances for the upcoming season.  Sporting Kansas City has been keeping my heart nice and cozy all offseason.

 The good news is, Sporting is widely seen as a team that has no pressing needs in order to improve the team after a monumental season that came with a new name, a new stadium, and a deep run into the post season.

Nonetheless, Peter Vermes and his team have been hard at work over at 1 Sporting Way, to keep the fans happy, and to do as best he can to keep Sporting in contention next year, and for years to come.  Here’s just a few of the more important off-season moves from the people at Livestrong.

 Dom Dwyer

            Sporting’s pick in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft was Englishman Dom Dwyer, an attacker out of the University of South Florida. First, some stats: 16 goals and 2 assists in 21 matches, Big East Offensive Player of the Year, leading goal scorer in the Big East conference, and a member of the NSCAA’s All-American Second team.

The Big East Conference Player of the year, Dom Dwyer, looks to crack the Starting 11 this season.

Previous to his time at South Florida, Dwyer played at Tyler Junior College, where he scored 52 goals in 2 seasons, and won back-to-back Junior College National Championships.  The man is a goal-scoring monster, but I don’t see him starting anytime soon.  As I said earlier, Sporting is a team with very few pressing needs, and the front line is the least of Vermes’ problems, with the so-called “#StrikeForce” (as they like to call themselves), consisting of C.J. Sapong, Teal Bunbury, and Kei Kamara, all three of whom play at the international level.  As an added bonus, Dwyer is a Generation Adidas player, meaning he doesn’t get counted against Sporting’s salary budget, which, says Vermes, “doesn’t put a lot of pressure on him to have an impact right away, and it keeps him off-budget for us.”  With the loss of Omar Bravo, however, Sporting gains a solid forward presence off the bench in Dwyer, and more importantly, an attacker who can grow into a starting player over time.

 Cyprian Hedrick

One of Sporting’s main weaknesses this past season, especially early on, lay in its defense.  This was the inspiration behind Sporting’s second MLS SuperDraft pick, central defender Cyprian Hedrick.  Coming out of Coastal Carolina University, Hedrick was primarily picked, according to Vermes, as “someone we can develop.”  Again, since Sporting has few holes to fill, the coaching staff and Vermes looked mainly for raw, talented players like Hedrick, who received All Big South First Team honors, and Big South player of the year.  Hedrick gives Sporting room to breathe on the injury front and keeps us in good shape for the future with the back line.

 Seth Sinovic

Sinovic, a native of Leawood, KS, and a former Rockhurst Hawklet, played a tremendous role in Sporting’s amazing season last year.  As a wing defender, Sinovic was a rock (no pun intended) both on Sporting’s back line and as an attacking winger.  Sporting left Sinovic open in the MLS Expansion Draft, where he was picked up by the Montreal Impact, much to the dismay of many of Sporting’s fans, with whom Sinovic is a favorite.  Five days later, however, Sinovic was back on his way to KC in exchange for Davy Arnaud.  By retaining Sinovic, Vermes essentially keeps his entire back line, with a full season of experience together, intact, and important move to keep our defense strong.

In addition to these three, Sporting holds on to Graham Zusi, Teal Bunbury, and C.J. Sapong, who are all three currently featuring for the USMNT (with Zusi providing the game-winning goal in the team’s third straight win over Panama).  Chance Meyers, the White Puma (Jimmy Nielsen), and Aurelien Collin also return to provide solid defense.  The future looks bright at Sporting Park, and look for me in the front row of the Cauldron this upcoming season. #IBelieve.

Briek Pauwels

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January 26, 2012

“The Old Man” Jeff Francoeur

On most teams the veterans are 35-38 years old, but for the Kansas City Royals, Jeff Francoeur at 28, is the leader of the clubhouse. Frenchy has the challenge of leading the youngest team in baseball to the playoffs. Dayton Moore and the Royals saw the excellent Francoeur did for the young squad last year and rewarded him to a 2-year deal worth $12.5 million. While this may be overpaying for the stats he may put up, his leadership abilities will be priceless when showing the “kids” how to go about doing their job of playing baseball at a championship level.

http://royalsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/902

When GM Dayton Moore signed Francoeur to a 1-year deal with the Royals, he had an idea of the productivity he might receive. Along with the Melky Cabrera signing, Moore cashed in with the two 1-year deals. While the Royals had an idea of what Francoeur could do on and off the field for the club, I don’t think anyone expected the stats Frenchy managed to put up. He managed to surprise almost everyone by hitting .285 with 20 homeruns and 87 runs batted in.

Leadership can be described in numerous ways and Francoeur would fit every mold of leadership. He demands respect of the young players and unlike some leaders who are hard on others, Francoeur is an easygoing guy who leads mostly by action. When watching Frenchy play you can’t help but notice the little kid in him. He is actually doing what he always dreamed of. How many people can say they are getting paid to do what they always dreamed of. With the pressure surrounding the prospects that the Royals have, Francoeur shows that it’s just a game and the young players need to stay loose but still play hard. Francoeur is a huge fan favorite because he is not flashy; he just gets the job done.

I expect Frenchy to duplicate numbers close to the ones showed earlier in his career. I see nearly everything staying the same except the outfield assists; teams won’t be likely to run on him again after this throw.

            When most fans think of key players for the Royals their first thought will be Eric Hosmer, but no fan will forget what Francoeur means to the success of players such as Hosmer and Moustakas. Fans have high expectations due to the weak central division the Royals are in. The addition of Prince Fielder clearly puts the  Detroit Tigers as the contender, I just hope the Royals do not fit the mold of a “playoff pretender”.

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January 26, 2012

Liverpool: A Cup Team?

Less than 3 days after advancing to the Carling Cup final after defeating Manchester City on aggregate, 3-2, Liverpool will play City’s cross-town rivals Manchester United in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Liverpool played United in a similar fixture last year in the FA Cup and was disappointingly knocked out by the Red Devils.

Picture From: http://www.uefa.com/teamsandplayers/teams/club=7889/profile/index.html

Despite being on a proverbial high after this win, Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool’s manager, is keeping both feet on the ground even with all of the excitement around him. In an effort to quell his players ahead of Saturday’s match, “King” Kenny acknowledged the fact that this is a major achievement in the rebuilding process, but was quick to point out that Liverpool still has much to play for yet, and that his players should be keen in their quest to find success elsewhere as well.

“We’ve got to Wembley. That’s all we’ve achieved so far. We’ve not been there for a while, so I think that in itself is an achievement – but that’s not where our ambitions stop. We want to continue and do as well as we can between now and the end of the season,” Dalglish said.

Liverpool may be experiencing a difficult year, horrifically highlighted by their inept display against Bolton this last weekend when they lost 3-1 to the Trotters, but their runs in the domestic cups should give hope to Reds’ fans that there is indeed progress being made. If they do win on Saturday against their league rivals Man. United, then Liverpool could see themselves in the final of the League Cup and 2 rounds away from the semis in the FA Cup.

Jonathan Zinser

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January 24, 2012

Chatting with Zach Herriott

Let's face it. The real question, Zach, is where can we buy a pair of those sunglasses? Picture from: mo.milesplit.com

In this week’s edition of Chatting with… we sat down with the two time Boy’s Gatorade Runner of the Year Zach Herriott. The All-American, coming off a State Championship his junior year, had a historic senior season for Rockhurst High School, winning most of his races, setting numerous course records, and helping the Rockhurst Cross Country Team finish its best ever at State with a second place finish. He continued this success into the latter stages of the season, placing 4th at the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regionals, which was good enough to qualify for the NXN meet (Nationals). At Nationals, he finished 9th place out of 200 in a race filled with some of the best runners in the country.

kcyoungguns: Thanks for taking the time Zach. Let’s start with the beginning of this season. After winning state last year, how did you deal with the expectations heading into this season as the State Champion?

Zach Herriott: Obviously, there is a lot of pressure being a defending state champion. But most of that pressure came from myself. After winning state, I set very high expectations for myself. But my downfall was that I couldn’t live with anything less than first. Of course I want to win every race I’m in. But the reality is you can’t win every single race, and being able to accept that was a big part in my maturation as a runner.

KC: I think it’s hard for someone who isn’t familiar with cross country to understand how cross country runners motivate themselves to run every day (sometimes even twice a day). How did you motivate yourself to become better when you already were the best in the state?

ZH: If anything, state motivated me to work harder. After state, there was a huge target on my back. I knew that everyone was gunning for me. Because of that, I had to work even harder than I was before, because I knew all my competition was doing the same. And I also realized that in the huge world of high school running, there are hundreds of state champions because there are multiple classes per state. So instead of being a state champion, I had to take it to the next level and work to be an All-American.
KC: It seems like the Rockhurst Cross Country team was a really close knit group of guys, almost like a family. What do you think attributed to this closeness as a team?

ZH: Our team was so close because we all wanted to be great. We all wanted to win state. To do that, everyone understood we needed to forge a trust between each other. That trust includes things like always thinking of your teammates before yourself and making sure that everyone is always making the best decisions. As teenagers there are obviously a lot of opportunities to do stupid things that could be detrimental to our training. But we made a commitment and promise to each other that we would stay out of situations like that, and for the most part we were successful.
KC: Throughout the season, you won most of your races and set numerous course records, what are you thinking about before a race, and can you tell before a race if it will be a good or bad one?

ZH: Before a race, I just remind myself that at the end of the day, that’s all it is: another race. I’ve done all the hard work and I’m always physically ready. I just had to go out there and execute. That’s something Coach Dierks always stressed. He reminded me the hard work was already done, I just had to go out there and do my thing. Sickness, lack of focus, and nerves are the three bad signs for me before a race. Sickness is obvious. If I’m not focused and ready to race, then I might go out too fast or slow and that can ruin the rest of the race. I learned that lesson my junior year and that wasn’t an issue this past season. Nerves can be good to an extent. But at State this past season, I was so nervous that I was having difficulty talking and breathing. That’s when I knew that wasn’t going to be my day. It’s important to be able to channel those nerves into positive energy

KC: I’m sure you’ve explained this countless times, but I must ask. You were in the lead at State this year with 2 miles left. Can you describe what happened after those 2 miles?

ZH: I felt the shutdown coming. Even after one mile, I knew I was going downhill. But at the two mile mark, my whole body basically locked up. My arms were incredibly weak and my legs felt like concrete. It was the worst feeling in the world because I was pretty conscious of what was going on, but I couldn’t do anything about it. People just kept flying past me and I couldn’t pick up my legs at all to stay with them. At that point, I knew I just had to finish so that I wouldn’t let down my teammates.

KC:Despite the tough race, the Rockhurst Cross Country team placed 2nd at state. What did that mean to you?

ZH: Getting second as a team was better than winning individually. It would’ve been even better if I had done better individually of course. But once we found out we got second, we huddled together and were just so happy. I can’t even explain the feeling in words. We just looked at each other and knew that we did something very significant. We left our mark on the Rockhurst cross country program, and no one will ever forget our class, because we started a tradition of excellence. That is something really special to all of us that we’ll treasure forever.

KC: After the State meet, you bounced back with a 4th place finish at the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional? How were you able to look past the previous meet and succeed at the Regionals Meet?

ZH: To be honest, I think the failure at state led to my success at Nike Regionals. I realized that I was way too tense at state. So at Regionals, I simply relaxed. Instead of focusing about the race too much, I just focused on enjoying the time with my team. Before the race when we huddle up to pray and wish each other luck, it’s normally really serious. But at Regionals, we were all joking and laughing the whole time. That took my mind off the race and forced me to focus on simply enjoying the moment because I knew that might have been my last high school cross country race if I didn’t get top five. But I raced very patiently and before I knew it I found myself in second place with 400 meters left. I fell back to fourth but I didn’t care. I qualified and that’s all that mattered.

KC: After Regionals, you qualified for the NXN meet (Nationals) and placed 9th. What was it like running in that kind of big time setting?

ZH: Nike Cross Nationals was one of the most memorable experiences of my high school career. Honestly, I was a bit intimidated by the number of good runners there. But I got to know a lot of them, and realized most of them are just like me. That gave me a lot of confidence going into the race. I used the patience that I learned at Nike Regionals to my advantage at Nationals. The race went out really fast but I stayed at the very back of the race and slowly worked my way up. With about one mile left, I looked around and realized that all of the top runners were around me. That was when it finally hit me that I was having the race of my life. So I just stayed up with them until the end. Finishing and being able to say that I got 9th out of 200 of the nation’s best runners and can now be called an All-American was an amazing feeling and I’m proud of it because I’ve worked incredibly hard and have had to sacrifice a lot to get to this level.

KC: Looking toward the future, what colleges are you considering, and is there any one college you’re leaning toward?

ZH: The college process has been very hectic but it is definitely almost done. I visited Georgetown and Notre Dame in the fall, and have visited Oklahoma and Wisconsin this winter. All are great programs and schools, so the decision will be very difficult. I’m not leaning towards any one in particular at this point because I just finished my visits, so I’m going to sit down and evaluate them all and hopefully have a decision in a couple weeks.


KC: You were just recently named the Boy’s Gatorade Runner of the Year for the second year in a row. What does it mean for you to win that award for a second time in a row?

ZH: Winning the Gatorade award was very important to me because it only recognizes all-around student athletes. Simply being a good runner is not enough to win the award, as the award’s history shows. Recipients must be good students and contributing citizens in their communities. Because of all the factors that are considered when deciding a winner, I am especially proud of this award and to be a two time recipient is incredible. I am very grateful to everyone that’s supported me in my running, especially my parents and Coach Dierks. Without them, I wouldn’t be half the person I am today and I am proud to say they have been huge influences in my life.

We want to thank Zach again for taking the time to complete this interview. Also, if by chance you missed our previous Chatting with… segment, check out our inteview with Blue Springs South do-it-all football standout Connor Harris. And remember, if you know someone who should be recognized for the week in our Chatting with… segment, email Blase Capelli at bcapelli10@gmail.com or Spencer Montgomery at smontgomery2012@gmail.com.

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January 23, 2012

AFC Championship Review

The combo of Gronk and Brady are one scary duo. Picture from http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Rob+Gronkowski/Kansas+City+Chiefs+v+New+England+Patriots/wvCUdmhR_J8

Wow, what a day of exhilarating action on the gridiron. Championship Sunday in the NFL has concluded, Super Bowl XLVI is set, and it will feature a rematch of Super Bowl XLII as the New England Patriots will clash with the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The Patriots did not play their most complete game of the season Sunday, but it was enough to down the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 23-20 in Foxbrough. The Giants rode their white-hot all-pro quarterback Eli Manning to a 20-17 victory in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers. Let’s take a deeper look at how both New York and New England reached Super Bowl XLVI.

Tom Brady, Bill Belechick and the New England Patriots need to send Billy Cundiff a thank you card. No, seriously. And Billy Cundiff…you’re as good as dead to Ravens fans everywhere. Nick Lowry, anyone?

Usually the Patriots don’t need any help in vintage championship game settings, but they sure got it Sunday as they defeated the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 23-20 to reach the Super Bowl for the 5th time in the last decade, and the 7th time in franchise history. Both Tom Brady and Joe Flacco played well, but in the end it was Brady’s bunch that came out on top.

Two plays separated the Baltimore Ravens from reaching the Super Bowl. But it was those two plays that secured the Ravens’ place in the NFL history of heartbreak. Cundiff’s missed field goal and Lee Evan’s drop in the end zone in the waning seconds sealed Baltimore’s fate on this day.

Cundiff should have made the 32 yard field goal. Evans should have caught the ball in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. Baltimore should be going to Indianapolis representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. The scoreboard, however, said otherwise.

Give New England credit, though. They did everything they had to do to win the football game. Tom Brady didn’t play his greatest game (22/36, 236 yards, 2 INT’s, and a passer rating of 57.5) and was actually outplayed by Joe Flacco (22/36, 308 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT, and a passer rating of 95.4.) But the Patriots made the plays when they needed to, and the Ravens did not.

Of all the heartbreaking games the Ravens and their fans have endured over the past 4 or 5 years, this one has to sting the most. Baltimore outgained New England, controlled the ball for nearly 8 more minutes than the Patriots, and won the turnover battle. They did everything they had to do, except win.

Many thought this game could be future hall of famer Ray Lewis’ last. However, after the game, Lewis had these comments on his future. “Is this my last time as a Raven? Absolutely not. Let me answer that question before somebody asks me. Absolutely not. It’s just too much. Life offers too much. Every time you step on this field, it’s a true blessing.”

So New England moves on and will look to avenge their loss in Super Bowl XLII when they face the New York Giants, a team that beat the Patriots at Foxbrough back on November 6th by a score of 24-20 while the Ravens are watching, once again, from the couch. I’m beginning to wonder – will Baltimore ever get over the hump?

NFC

It seems as if the New York Giants have their own formula for winning big games; in overtime and on the road is preferred. And with the foot of one Lawrence Tynes.

Eli Manning and the Giants escaped Candlestick Park with a 20-17 victory in the NFC Championship game over the San Francisco 49ers; another classic slugfest in this decades-old postseason rivalry.

Five months after declaring he is in the same class as Tom Brady, Manning will get another chance to outdo Brady on the NFL’s biggest stage for the second time in four years. He outplayed Aaron Rodgers and the defending champion Packers last week, then fellow former No. 1 pick Alex Smith and upstart San Francisco the next.

But this game wasn’t all about Manning. With just under 8 minutes remaining in the contest and San Francisco nursing a 14-10 lead, 49ers return man Kyle Williams muffed a punt at his own 32 yard line. Manning and the Giants took advantage and drove 32 yards as Manning hooked up with Mario Manningham on a 17 yard post pattern to put the Giants out front 17-14 with just 6 minutes to play.

San Francisco answered with a 7 play, 48 yard drive highlighted by runs of 17 and 21 yards by rookie running back Kendall Hunter. The Niners failed to reach the end zone, but tied the score on a 25 yard field goal by David Akers with just 4 minutes remaining.

The teams exchanged possessions numerous times in the final 4 minutes of regulation, but neither offense could thwart any significant threat. The game headed to overtime with the two teams nodded 17 each.

The Giants won the coin toss, but failed to move the football on their first possession of the extra period. Alex Smith and the 49ers also failed to put themselves in a position to win the football game on their opening drive of overtime. Upon another 3 and out by the Giants, New York was forced to punt again.

Oops, he did it again. He being Kyle Williams. He fielded the punt and began to run up the seam where he was met by Jacquain Williams who stripped the ball from Williams. Logan Thomas, who had recovered Williams’ previous fumble that set up the last New York touchdown, was right there to pounce on it. The rest was history.

Ahmad Bradshaw galloped down inside the 10 yard line and Eli centered the ball for Lawrence Tynes to kick the Giants to the Super Bowl for the 2nd time in 4 years. As soon as Tynes’ foot glanced the ball, he knew he had hit it.

“It’s my second NFC championship game, my second game-winner,” Tynes said. “It’s amazing. I knew I made it as soon as I kicked it. I had dreams about this last night. It was from 42, not 31, but I was so nervous today before the game just anticipating this kind of game. I’m usually pretty cool, but there was something about tonight where I knew I was going to have to make a kick. Hats off to Eli, offense, defense. Great win.”

Eli Manning went 32 for 56 for 316 and a pair of touchdowns in his record fifth career road playoff win, and New York’s fifth win in a row overall. “Easy E” could potentially claim the title of “best Manning” if he can get a win in Super Bowl XLVI.

Victor Cruz again had another phenomenal game as he caught 10 balls for 142 yards. Hakeem Nicks added 5 catches of his own, accounting for 55 yards. Mario Manningham had only 1 reception, but it was a big one. Bradshaw added 74 yards on the ground on 20 carries.

San Francisco only converted once on third down all night (1 for 13 overall) and Alex Smith failed to get the passing attack going. If not for the 152 yards on the ground for the 49ers, the Niners’ offense likely would have struggled mightily.

Vernon Davis caught touchdown passes of 73 and 28 yards and wound up with three catches for 112 yards for the NFC West champion 49ers (14-4), who went from 6-10 a year ago to a contender and ended an eight-year playoff drought. The future is bright in the Bay Area for Jim Harbaugh and the Niners.

. Let the trash talking begin. Patriots vs. Giants. New York vs. Boston. Rematch of one of the greatest Super Bowl’s ever. Let’s hope Act 2 is as good as Act 1.

Tyler Howard 

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January 21, 2012

AFC, NFC Championship Game Predictions

I’ve got to get something off my chest. My last predictions had some flaws in them, and I apologize. Regardless, I still have four of my six predictions alive, and 4/6 equals 2/3 which is two times 1/3 which happens to be the number of predictions Blase got right in last weeks round of playoff games (Boom). Because of this, I strongly advise you to read this over Blase’s predictions. So, for this round of playoff games, I thought I’d bring in my expertise and give you a proven experts opinion on these games.

Patriots vs. Ravens, Sunday 3:00 pm

This game has quite the odd vibe to it. On one hand, you’ve got the Patriots who had an extremely impressive win against the Broncos and on the other, you’ve got the Ravens who struggled to get by the Texans who was quarterbacked by T.J. Yates. Based on conventional wisdom, one should conclude that the Pats should win, but conventional wisdom is often predictable and under thought. So, I compare the thoughts of the average sports fan with my thinking.

Conventional thinking: Wow, this is not going to be a game. God’s nephew vs. T-Sizzle? T-Sizzle, wait a minute, isn’t that Taylor Swift’s rap name? I mean God’s nephew did make the Mile-High Messiah look like Harold Camping (the guy who predicted the world was going to end last May), so Brady will probably make Flacco look like some hillbilly with a hideous Fu Manchu… oh wait. On top of all that, they’re playing in Foxboro, which makes the Ravens chances of succeeding similar to Charles Barkley’s chances of losing weight. The only thing shocking about this matchup is that the Patriots are only 7 point favorites. This will be a blowout.

Dear Joe Flacco, please shave, from all the viewers who don't want to gauge their eyes out watching the game this weekend. Photo from: baltimoresun.com

My thinking: Wow, this is going to be a great game. God’s nephew vs. T-Sizzle… Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, Cheeseburger (Ngata’s nickname for Terrence Cody) and, of course, Ray Rice. Brady has put this team on his back for so long that he probably has some form of chronic back pain that I’m sure one of the Ravens’ defensive menaces will bring out by the end of the game. The Pats may be 13-3 this year, but they haven’t beaten anyone with a winning record all year (even the Broncos finished 9-9). They only played two playoff teams  (besides the Broncos, but their hardly considered playoff caliber) during the regular season (Giants and Steelers) and lost them both. Also, their defense is awful. People (including Ed Reed) have been giving Flacco beef all week for his inability to score against the Texans last weekend, when really no one has been able to score on the Texans all year. The Texans have given up the 4th fewest points all year only behind the Ravens, Steelers, and 49ers, and only 12 points more then the Ravens. I still don’t think the Ravens will light up the Patriots offensively, but I can easily see them scoring over 30 points which will be more then the Ravens are going to give up to the Pats.

Ravens-24 Patriots-20

49ers vs. Giants, Sunday 6:30 pm

What’s not to like about this matchup. Two premier franchises, each led by two back-to-back #1 overall draft picks, going head to head in one of the most historic stadiums around today with stellar defenses on both squads. Just thinking about it gives me a quarter-chub, and if you think that’s weird, you’re right. As you may know from reading my previous article, I have been on the Giants bandwagon for quite some time now, and when I should be saying, “Told you so,” I’m saying  “Get me off this bus.”

Last weekend, I sat down to watch the Packers-Giants game in my basement and something felt really out-of-place. It was a similar feeling to watching Two and a Half Men with Ashton Kutcher instead of Charlie Sheen. I knew something was up and then when the Packers kicked that onside kick in the second quarter, it all clicked. The 15-1 Packers, and #1 seed in the NFC, were playing like they were underdogs. Onside kicks in the second quarter are only acceptable in two situations: a) you’re trying to surprise a team that has been called better then you by everyone all week(i.e. the Saints vs. Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl) or b) you’re clinically insane (there are still no examples of this occurring in the NFL). After doing some research, I figured out that Mike McCarthy isn’t insane and that the Packers were the favorites in the game, so it wasn’t any of those situations. But I thought some more and can now say that the Packers kicked an onside kick because Mike McCarthy is kind of insane and people were kind of saying the Packers might lose. As a result, the Giants were able to beat the former world champions without much of an effort. To most, this was a very convincing win, but to me it just didn’t seem right.

The 49ers, on the other hand, had a very impressive win last weekend. Alex Smith finally looked like the Steve Young that everyone expected him to be as the #1 draft pick back in 2005. On top of that, they beat the Saints, the team that I predicted to win the Super Bowl. Going in to the playoffs, we all knew that the 49ers could play defense. All they needed to become Super Bowl contenders was solid play from Alex Smith, and I saw more than that last week.

In the end, I think the 49ers win this game because of the other Smiths, Justin Smith and Aldon Smith on the defensive line. These two feed of the success of the secondary and likewise for the secondary. If the secondary, lead by sudden stud in Carlos Rogers, is blanketing the Giants receivers, you know one of the Smiths will get to Eli, whereas if the Smiths apply pressure on Eli, their secondary is more then capable then picking off a hurried throw. Because of this, I give the edge to the 49ers.

49ers-20 Giants-17

Chris Caffrey

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January 21, 2012

What to Watch: Handling Devastation

The moment was surreal. Aaron Rodgers had a wide open Jermichael Finley. And when I say wide open, I’m talking as open as my Cadillac windows on a summer day (my air conditioner is broken so the windows are ALWAYS open); I’m talking as open as the Taco Bell drive thru at midnight. Finley was open. But Finley seemed to decelerate and Rodgers threw an errant pass, the ball hit the ground. At that moment I knew. I knew the Packers were going to lose.

Cue the pity music. I’m sure if someone was videotaping me (It’s not like anyone would, but hypothetically speaking) I looked like one of those abandoned or abused animals in those “donate to our cause” commercials– you know, the ones that make you feel really bad about sitting on your comfy couch and enjoying those chocolate chip cookies. My eyes were glossy: glossy, but no tears. I thought about the season, all the good times: the rise of the Discount Double Check move, Rodgers’ historic season, and Jordy Nelson’s emergence. Those memories didn’t help me though; they only made me feel worse. I felt like a hungry teenage male who simply wanted Chick-Fil-A, drove all the way to Chick-Fil-A, and then realized it was Sunday. I was drowning in a sea of sadness.

(Remember the music is still playing)

But there was a chance to help me, all you had to do was call or text my phone, and unlike the animal shelters, I wouldn’t even take your money. I just needed some comfort. Sadly, instead of encouragement, I was greeted at the end of the game by texts asking me, “What happened to your Packers dude????”(Seriously? How am I supposed to know?)

Although the Packers are out of the playoffs, the playoffs (and all sports in general) continue and so does my quest to identify and predict the best games of the week. Last week was filled with sadness, but now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This time I didn’t have a Muscle Milk, and my intuition is feeling strong.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots,  Sun. Jan 22, 2:00 pm

Ah, such an interesting matchup. My heart wants the Ravens to win. I mean who wouldn’t want the Ravens to win after what Belichick and Brady did to Tebow last week. And who can stand the ranting maniac that is Skip Bayless? After debating Terrell Suggs on his show, I’m sure Suggs has Skip’s annoying voice saying “the Ravens defense is too old” on a loop playing in the back of his head. Every play, he’ll probably see a little visual picture of Skip and will proceed to pop the next guy who will get in his way. So, I see Terrell Suggs having a big day. After that, I don’t have much faith in the Ravens. I don’t understand how anyone could.

Suggs graduated from Ball So Hard University with a master's in being a badass. Picture from: larrybrownsports.com

Yesterday, my colleague and I placed a ten dollar bet on this game. I had the Patriots. I couldn’t believe it. So, I asked him all the usual questions when referring to bets.

“You’re not betting doll hairs are you?”

“No”

“What about monopoly dollars?”

“Nope, straight up, ten bucks.”

“Then why are you doing this, you know the Patriots are going to win.”

“Because I hate when people like you are overconfident.”

And that’s the exact reason, why I’m scared about this game. I’m almost 99% sure the Patriots will beat the Ravens. The Ravens are 4-4 on the road, Brady is coming of one of the best performances by a quarterback in the playoffs, and the killer Tight end tandem of Hernandez and Gronk is the coolest thing the NFL has seen since the forward pass. But something tells me that the Ravens will put up a good fight and might event pull off the upset. In the end, though, Brady and Belichick will be returning to the Super Bowl, leaving Terrell Suggs with countless nightmares of Skip Bayless and the Patriots offense.

Patriots-31 Ravens-17

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers, Sun. Jan 22, 5:30 pm

Man, was I wrong about the 49ers. Their stifling defense was a pure joy to watch. I think after watching the whole game, I saw two missed tackles, which in today’s NFL game is like saying I saw Bill Belichick smiling or DeSean Jackson not whining—it’s unheard of. As for the Giants, see the above intro to get my reactions on the game.

The two quarterbacks in last week’s games both proved their respective doubters wrong. Now, for this game, it will be how they handle the success they experienced last week. And for this category, I like Eli, simply because he has had success (I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think Alex Smith has ever experienced success in the NFL. Ever). What stuck out to me about Manning’s game last week was his ability to convert on third and long situations, which, when playing the 49ers defense, will occur frequently. If Manning can replicate last week’s success in those situations the Giants will be able to gut out a win, and set up the classic everyone remembers from four years ago Giants vs. Patriots.

Giants-21 49ers- 17

(5) Missouri at (3) Baylor, Sat. Jan 21, 1:00 pm

This game has serious Big 12 Title implications on the line and also will have National ranking implications as both teams are in the top 5. As I see it, this is the ultimate battle of size vs. speed. The Baylor Bears average height for their starters is almost 77.5 inches, while Missouri’s is less than 75.6 inches. To put that into perspective, Missouri is 303rd in the nation in average height. But what they lack in height, they make up for in speed. Missouri guards can be streaky shooters, but with a hostile crowd in Waco, Texas if Missouri doesn’t come out hot, they’ll have a hard time recovering. And so far, with my Big 12 picks, I’ve been riding the home teams, and I’m not stopping until I see evidence to suggest otherwise. Baylor wins in a shootout

Baylor-85 Mizzou-81

(7) Kansas at Texas, Sat. Jan. 21, 3:00 pm

Kansas is coming off a huge win against Baylor with great performances from Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor. It seems like the win woke up the sleeping giant that is all KU fans. There was a nice serenity to not having to hear KU fans claim their team is “the greatest ever even in a down year.” Please, Kansas fans give it a rest; let’s wait until March to start claiming Kansas is “the best team ever.” Unfortunately, I don’t think these KU fans will quiet down anytime soon, as Kansas will beat a struggling Texas team that recently lost to Kansas State earlier in the week. Although, I said, I wasn’t going to pick against the home team, for this game, I see Kansas winning.

Kansas-70 Texas-62

 And if you have more time, these are some other great games to check out also.

College Basketball

Indiana State at (18) Creighton, Sat. Jan 21, 2:00 pm- The Missouri Valley should be given some serious attention with many quality teams. Doug McDermott is a legitimate player of the year candidate for Creighton and is fun to watch.

(1) Syracuse at Cincinnati, Mon. Jan 23, 6:00 pm- Since the lost and brawl to Xavier, Cincinnati has gone 7-1. This can be a serious threat to Syracuse’s potential perfect season.

(13) Indiana at Wisconsin, Thurs. Jan 26, 8:00 pm- If you’re a fan of slow, grind- it- out- games, Wisconsin is your team of choice. Indiana has beaten Kentucky and Ohio State, but Wisconisn will be tough to beat at the Kohl Center.

NBA

Indiana at LA Lakers, Sun. Jan 22, 8:30 pm- The young Indiana Pacers have suprised NBA experts while the struggling Lakers have been riding on the wearisome shoulders of Kobe Bryant. This can be a big statement game for either team.

LA Clippers at LA Lakers, Wed. Jan 25, 9:30 pm-Battle for LA, part II.

Blase Capelli is 4-5 for his predictions. He hopes to break .500 after this week.

Blase Capelli

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January 20, 2012

Mizzou vs. Baylor: Big 12 basketball at its finest

Call me crazy, but I think the Tigers have a shot to win in Waco. With both teams sitting at 17-1 overall and 4-1 in the big 12, a lot is at stake in this highly anticipated match-up.

The Baylor Bears have been playing amazing basketball this season, but if the Jayhawks taught us anything a few days ago, it’s that they’re not unstoppable. Kansas was able to thump the Bears because of two things: great shooting, a high point total, and a hell of a show by Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson. Luckily, the Tigers excel in these areas.

Kansas shot 57% from the floor. Luckily, the Tigers are second in the nation averaging a 50% field goal percentage. Senior guard Kim English’s three-point percentage even eclipses that with an astounding 51.1%. The Tigers depend on their ability to shoot the basketball more than anything else. If English, Denmon, the Pressey brothers, and Mike Dixon are hot, watch out.

It’s not like Kansas played great defense either. The Bears scored 74 points against the Jayhawks, only three under their season average. Quincy Acy and Perry Jones also met their season averages, scoring in double digits and snatching a significant amount of boards off of the glass. The difference was, simply, Kansas outscored them. Missouri has a chance at this kind of win as well. The Tigers are fourth in the nation is points per game with 83, which shows that if the Tigers can keep the Bears at their average scoring rate, they have a legitimate shot at a W.

The last aspect of the game, which is what separates good teams from great ones, was outstanding play by the team leaders. Thomas Robinson was a man among boys with his 27 points and 14 rebounds, completely dominating the paint throughout the course of the game. Tyshawn Taylor, who has been of a bit of a disappointment this season, also gave the Jayhawks a boost. His 28 points and 6 assists broke the spirit of the Bears, and they were never able to recover from the 10-point deficit at half time.

If Missouri wants to win, a few players need to have an outstanding game: Missouri senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe has flown under the radar this season. What most people don’t know is that his 77.4 field goal percentage is the highest in the country. For the Tigers to compete against Baylor’s 6-11 giant Perry Jones, Ratliffe needs to be outstanding in the post. But Jones isn’t Baylor’s only threat. 6-7 forward Quincy Acy is right behind Jones in rebounding and scoring. Because of these dual big-man threats, Missouri might have to run Steve Moore and Ratliffe on the court at the same time. While the Tigers have done this before, it detracts from the run-and-gun offense their guards are best at.

Ricardo Ratliffe has been under the radar all year, despite shooting a nation leading 77.4 field goal percentage. Picture from kbiasportsextra.com

The guards are also crucial. Seniors Kim English and Marcus Denmon must shoot over 50% from behind the arc. If guard Phil Pressey can create opportunities in transition, he can have a lasting impact on the game as well. This matchup should be a thriller. It’s for second place in the conference, a very high ranking in the country, and respect at the national level. For each side to win, the Bears must capitalize on the Tigers weaknesses in the paint, and the Tigers have to shoot the lights out in Waco. This is what Big 12 basketball is all about.

Zac Hardwick

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