Friday, March 30, 2007

Yankees Still the Team to Beat in AL East

Special by The Bleeding Sports resident GM

I am sick and tired of these baseball idiots year after year saying the Yankees will miss the playoffs then switch over to the National League and pick the Braves every year because "You can't pick against them until they don't make it". The Yankees haven't missed the playoffs since 1993 (1994 was a strike year and they would have won the World Series) but every year since 2001 was supposed to be the year the Yankees miss the playoffs and the Red Sox win the division. Well that hasn't happened my friends because every year those idiots in Boston choke around the All-Star game and the Yankees over take them en route to another AL East Division title.

This year is no different with everyone picking the Red Sox on the basis of a pitcher from Japan who hasn't thrown a pitch in the major leagues let alone in the toughest division. I agree, however, that this could be the year the Red Sox win the division because of their starting pitching but don't even try to explain to me that their overall staff is so much better than the Yankees. Yes the Yankees have question marks in Mussina and Pettitte regarding their age and durability especially since Pettitte already has a stiff back and had elbow surgery in the past, but the Red Sox have these problems as well. Schilling and Wakefield, for example, are both 40 years old and have missed time the last few seasons due to injury. Wakefield was put on the DL last season and missed a month and a half because of back and rib cage injuries. Schilling is FAT and out of shape so who says this can't be the year he starts to show his age and hurts his ankle again due to his obesity.

The quality of each team's starting rotation becomes more apparent when you look at the other members of the staff:

Beckett vs. Wang - Red Sox have a very slight edge here for now because Wang will miss the first three weeks of the season because of a grade 1 hamstring strain and even though Beckett had a 5.00+ ERA last year he should be better than that his second time around. Wang, however, has a devastating 94 mph sinker that is un-hittable when he has his good stuff, he just needs to stay healthy.

Dice-K vs. Michael Kay Igawa - Dice-K has the edge here in the unknown of Japanese pitchers (reference Hideki Irabu, Hideo Nomo). All the scouts say that he is a front end of the rotation guy while Igawa is kind of a soft tossing lefty who might struggle to get his fastball by major league hitters.

Pavano (Clemens) vs. Tavarez or Lester - This is a toss up, Tavarez is an ace at punching walls and Lester is coming off chemotherapy so he wont make his '07 debut until the end of April or early May. I will not even address Pavano and his fake injuries and his crybaby attitude that the media created his problems in the clubhouse, but you better pitch well opening day or you will be utterly HATED by all Yankee fans.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Hoya Heaven, Carolina Blues

After having to come from behind to defeat Boston College, then needing a fantastic shot by Jeff Greene to take down Vanderbilt, Georgetown once again provided the drama on Sunday night in shocking North Carolina. With 6:02 left in the second half, the Hoyas trailed 75-65 before mounting a furious comeback. Georgetown outscored the Tar Heels 16-6 to tie the game at 81 at the end of regulation. During the Georgetown comeback, CBS analyst Billy Packer threw out a prophetic warning – Carolina was 0 for their last 6 in overtime games. The Tar Heels didn’t have a prayer.

The Georgetown defense, missing for the first 30 minutes of the game, overwhelmed UNC down the stretch. In overtime, the Tar Heels were completely lost on offense, playing at a frantic pace without running anything that resembled a half-court set. They were in complete panic mode like a boxer who had just been stunned by a right cross and then realized he’d been cut. The Tar Heels didn’t know how to react once Georgetown opened the wound.

All season long, the “experts” raved about Carolina’s 10 man rotation and how their depth gave them an enormous advantage at the end of the game. Not this time. During crunch time it was the Tar Heels who wilted under the late game pressure. It doesn’t make a difference how many guys you play if you don’t play defense or make shots. The Tar Heels rely on outscoring opponents by getting out on the break for high percentage shots. Carolina’s perimeter shooting is mediocre at best and their defense has been a concern all season. While Carolina racked up the points in the first half and had a huge advantage at the free throw line they allowed Georgetown to shoot 58% from the field keeping the Hoyas in the game.

Down the stretch, when the game became a half court battle North Carolina’s flaws were exposed. Defensively, Carolina couldn’t stop Georgetown and on offense they couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean. That Tar Heels fans, is how a 10 point lead turned into a 12 point defeat in a matter of 11 minutes. Make that 0 for their last 7 in overtime.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Madness: Day 2

What we hope is the last snowstorm of the season in the northeast prevented Bleeding Sports from posting its viewers guide for the early games here for Day 2 for the NCAA Tournament. So before we get to tonight’s action let’s recap the first day and a half.

Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament left much to be desired as only one favorite lost. With that being said, VCU taking down Duke and literally pummeling them in the process nearly made up for the rest of the day’s underwhelming action. The fact that I completely forgot to mention that game as one to watch yesterday is unforgivable.

Secondly, Bleeding Sports would like to take this time to recognize the selection committee because without them the viewing public would have missed out on a chance to see the Stanford’s feeble about to prove they belong in the field of 64. While we’re at it let’s thank the Cardinal for showing up. It showed a lot of guts on their part to even return to court for the second half after the beat down Louisville gave them. Louisville could have won that game by 50 if they had wanted. It’s funny because just last West Virginia has Louisville all but beaten in the Big East tourney. The game probably cost the Mountaineers a trip to the big dance. West Virginia is now busy blowing teams out in the NIT, which is exactly where Stanford should have been. So who still believes the Pac 10 is better than the Big East? Anybody?

The early games here on day 2 have been much more competitive than yesterday. However, that statement isn’t saying much. The second upset of the tourney came by another 11 seed as everybody’s new favorite team, Winthrop, blew a 20-point lead before pulling the upset over Notre Dame. It was a nice comeback by the Irish, but performances like today are the reason everyone and their mother picked Winthrop in this game. Wisconsin looked terrible in the first half against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before finding their shooting stoke in the second 20 minutes. The Badgers looked destine to be upset for much of the game and had to expend a lot of energy to comeback. It should be interesting to see how they come out on Saturday against a tough UNLV squad who squeaked by Georgia Tech after blowing a seven-point halftime lead.

Looking at the remaining games today, it is unbelievable to me just how many mediocre teams made the tournament this year. What is even more amazing is how many of them are actually matched up against one another. Try staying awake watching these classics:

7:10pm – (12) Illinois vs. (5) Virginia Tech

I’ve heard a few analysts as of late rave about how the Illini are a strong defensive team. I’d say you’d have to be good defensively with the offense they possess. Like Stanford, not sure why Illinois made the tournament. Their opponent Virginia Tech, a former Big East cellar dweller who moved to the ACC and became a perennial tournament team almost overnight, is the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde. They can beat North Carolina, but they can also lose to any team in the country.

7 :20pm – (9) Purdue vs. (8) Arizona

A match-up of two non-descript teams that have no chance of making any noise in this tournament yet one of them has to advance. The tournament committee may as well have given #1 overall seed Florida a bye into the Sweet 16.

9:40pm – (12) Arkansas vs. (5) USC

Saying that Arkansas sucks is an understatement. Seriously, the fact that the Razorbacks are in the NCAA tournament is indefensible. Their “impressive” run through the SEC tournament consisted of wins against juggernaut South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and the basketball powerhouse Mississippi before Florida exploited them for the fraud they are. Does the committee even watch any games? God only knows what to expect from USC considering they come from the same conference as Stanford.

Other than the #8 vs. #9 match-up between Kentucky and Villanova (9:30 pm), your best bet for a quality college basketball game tonight is the second round NIT battle between Marist and NC State. 9:30 pm on ESPNU.


The good news: Tomorrow the snow ends and the second round begins.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

So Many Games, So Little Time

Let the countdown begin. We are just minutes away from the opening round of the Road to the Final Four. At this moment, 64 teams from across the country all believe they have a shot to play in Atlanta for the National Championship. If last year’s tournament taught us anything it’s that every team in the field has a chance to win. You never know where Cinderella is hiding, but you don’t have to wait much longer to find out. It’s time to sit back and enjoy all the drama, intrigue, and excitement of the NCAA Tournament. Looking for the best storylines from Day 1? Here is Bleeding Sports’ rundown of your best bets from the first day of action.

12:20pm – (13) Davidson vs. (4) Maryland

The first game of the 2007 tournament is out of the Midwest region and tips off from Buffalo, NY. I like that NCAA decided to bring back the geographic names for each region this year even though you have teams in the West and Midwest regions playing games in Buffalo. It sounds much better than calling something the St. Louis region or the East Rutherford region. Maryland is an interesting team that was a strong run before their shocking loss to Miami in the ACC tournament. Look for the Terrapins to get back on track and make a run.

12:30pm – (11) Stanford vs. (6) Louisville

This is a huge game and not just because it pits The Cardinal vs. The Cardinals. This match up epitomizes the job done by tournament selection committee. No conference was more disrespected than the Big East. Louisville finished second in the conference and yet they were awarded a 6 seed. On the other side, way too much love was given to the Pac-10. How Stanford, losers of 4 of their last 5 games, even made the filed over the likes of Syracuse and West Virginia is maddening.

2:40pm (12) Old Dominion vs. (5) Butler

An interesting match-up between two mid-major at-large teams and it just so happens to be a contest between a 5 seed and 12 seed. This game has upset written all over it. Right? Seems like everybody is hopping on the ODU bandwagon for this game yet the best argument for ODU is because they won at Georgetown early in the season. That was a nice win and all, but Georgetown was a very different team then than they are now. Butler, meanwhile, has been the better team all season. Should be a good contest.

7:20pm – (9) Michigan St. vs. (8) Marquette

A classic 8 vs. 9 battle between two evenly matched teams and a coach (MSU’s Tom Izzo) going up against his former assistant (MU’s Tom Crean). Another sub-plot here is the Big Ten vs. the Big East. It is clear by the seeding and the records of the team that got in the tournament that the selection committee obviously held the Big Ten in higher regard. Yet I can’t imagine any unbiased party who watched the quality of play in the Big Ten would seriously believe that the Big East wasn’t the better conference. This game is another chance for a Big East team to prove the committee wrong.


9:45pm – (10) Gonzaga vs. (7) Indiana

The final game scheduled for the evening comes out of the West Region and will actually be played out West in Sacramento, CA. What are the odds? The Hoosier another prime example of a Big Ten team viewed in much higher regard than they should just because they played in a conference with Ohio St. and Wisconsin. This is where too much attention is paid to the RPI. Just because a team plays in a conference with two top 5 teams doesn’t mean the rest of the league is any good. In fact, the rest of the Big Ten is awful and Indiana is part of that group. Gonzaga’s guard play should cause problems for Kelvin Sampson’s squad.

Here Comes the Madness

The Bleeding Sports hiatus is over. Even while on vacation Bleeding Sports couldn’t stop thinking college basketball. There isn’t a more exciting time in sports than the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The excitement starts Thursday at high noon, but before the games begin make sure you are prepared. The key to an enjoyable tourney experience is having the right bracket. Luckily, Bleeding Sports has got it covered.

Here is the bracket straight from NCAA Sports

If you want to know the times for each then this is the bracket for you

If you are particular about having the records of each team then look no further

Now just remember to call out sick from work. Let the Madness begin.

Friday, March 2, 2007

Things Begin to Heat Up

The dreaded month of February is over and with it ends the four-week slumber the sports world dozes into after the Super Bowl. Never fear, March is here. The artic freeze in the northeast has begun to fade and bright sunny days are just around the corner. Well, let’s hope so.

Bleeding Sports will be on Spring Break hiatus for the week, but before that we leave you, our loyal readers, with some things to watch for over the next week in the world of sports:

· The new NFL year has officially kicked off. Today is the start of free agency in the NFL and the wheeling and dealing has already begun. Jake Plummer will be filing his retirement papers, the Steelers said goodbye to Joey Porter, and the Jaguars signed their kicker and some guy named Pathos who used to play for the Ravens. And those are just the highlights!!

· Speaking of new years, Major League Baseball spring training is underway. We already got a new steroid scandal, an injured World Series MVP, and enough A-Rod stories to cover an entire season. Baseball, Baseball…Catch The Fever Now!!!

· America’s Game is back on the NFL Network counting down all 40 Super Bowl Champions prior to this season. NFL Films has produced an hour-long program for each team with the story of their season told by three of its members. If you’re a football fan then you need to be watching this show. New episodes of America’s game air Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm on NFL Network.

· Let the Madness begin. This weekend marks the end of the college basketball regular season for the power conferences while mid-majors begin postseason conference tournament play. By this time next week we will be in the middle of college basketball heaven when the big boys begin their conference tournies. College basketball every day at any time! Just thinking about it makes me gitty.

I LOVE MARCH!!!