University of Kentucky freshman forward Patrick Patterson will be out for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his ankle. Read the ESPN story here.
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As disappointed as I am to read this story, I have to admit that I am probably just as curious to see how the Wildcats will perform the rest of this season without Patterson. I know that Patterson's injury will probably kill any chance Kentucky would have had at making the NCAA Tournament at season's end. But, sometimes adversity brings out the best in people. So, I'm not going to write off this year's version of the Wildcats just yet. Especially since Billy Gillespie is still calling the shots and Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley are still running up and down the court.
This will be a Kentucky basketball season that I will always remember for the rest of my life, regardless of how the Cats perform from here on out. But, can you imagine the pedestal that Joe Crawford and/or Ramel Bradley will be placed on in Kentucky basketball lore if they somehow manage to lead the Wildcats on a memorable post season run without Patterson? I know I am probably just dreaming, but after what I have seen this team accomplish this year I would not be surprised if it happened.
Go Big Blue!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
02/27/08: UK Basketball Update
With Tennessee's loss last night to Vanderbilt, the University of Kentucky Wildcats now find themselves only one game out of first place in the SEC East behind Tennessee. The Wildcats face a struggling Ole Miss team (losers of 7 of their last 10 games) tonight at 8:00 PM in Lexington, then they travel to Knoxville on Sunday for a game with the Volunteers that suddenly has the potential to decide a #1 seed in the SEC Tournament. If you can't get a local feed for tonight's game, don't panic. The game is scheduled to be shown on ESPN 360. Sunday's matchup with the Volunteers is scheduled to be aired on CBS.
In other UK basketball news:
Seth Davis, of SI.com, is reporting that he is hearing rumors that Patrick Patterson is considering turning pro after this season. While I think Patrick Patterson will someday be successful in the NBA, I'm not sure he is ready yet. But, its just a rumor at this point.
UK recruit Tyrone Appleton has verbally committed to Kansas. Appleton is a 6'3" junior college player from Midland Community College in Texas. Its a shame he didn't choose UK, but I can't say I blame him. Appleton would have had some pretty stiff competition for playing time at UK next season.
Patrick Patterson was named Freshman of the Week in the SEC for the third time this season. Patrick averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds in Kentucky's victories over Arkansas and Georgia last week.
The Courier-Journal reported on Monday that UK assistant coach Tracy Webster has been in contact with former Ballard High's Twany Beckham. Beckham is currently enrolled at New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire. Kentucky hasn't offered Beckham a scholarship, but it looks like Twany would be interested if UK made the offer.
I still haven't heard anything new on Jodie Meeks. Jerry Tipton reported on Monday that Jodie's father still thinks Jodie could return to the court this season.
More JUCO's considering UK? The Courier-Journal reported in their Sunday edition that 6'6" Kevin Galloway of Southern Idaho has UK on his list of schools that he is considering. Galloway had originally committed to Southern California. The newspaper also reported that North Texas' Roderick Flemings is also interested in UK. Flemings had originally committed to Oklahoma State.
Did you guys see this? Kentucky received 3 votes from sportswriters in this weeks AP Top 25 poll and 4 votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
In other UK basketball news:
Seth Davis, of SI.com, is reporting that he is hearing rumors that Patrick Patterson is considering turning pro after this season. While I think Patrick Patterson will someday be successful in the NBA, I'm not sure he is ready yet. But, its just a rumor at this point.
UK recruit Tyrone Appleton has verbally committed to Kansas. Appleton is a 6'3" junior college player from Midland Community College in Texas. Its a shame he didn't choose UK, but I can't say I blame him. Appleton would have had some pretty stiff competition for playing time at UK next season.
Patrick Patterson was named Freshman of the Week in the SEC for the third time this season. Patrick averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds in Kentucky's victories over Arkansas and Georgia last week.
The Courier-Journal reported on Monday that UK assistant coach Tracy Webster has been in contact with former Ballard High's Twany Beckham. Beckham is currently enrolled at New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire. Kentucky hasn't offered Beckham a scholarship, but it looks like Twany would be interested if UK made the offer.
I still haven't heard anything new on Jodie Meeks. Jerry Tipton reported on Monday that Jodie's father still thinks Jodie could return to the court this season.
More JUCO's considering UK? The Courier-Journal reported in their Sunday edition that 6'6" Kevin Galloway of Southern Idaho has UK on his list of schools that he is considering. Galloway had originally committed to Southern California. The newspaper also reported that North Texas' Roderick Flemings is also interested in UK. Flemings had originally committed to Oklahoma State.
Did you guys see this? Kentucky received 3 votes from sportswriters in this weeks AP Top 25 poll and 4 votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Reds Sign Fogg
The Cincinnati Reds have announced the signing of 31 year old Josh Fogg to a one year contract reportedly worth $1 million dollars.
The free agent right hander has been a starting pitcher in the Major Leagues for 7 years, most recently with the Colorado Rockies. It is being reported that Fogg recently turned down a 1 year contract worth $5 million dollars that was offered for him to remain with the Rockies. Fogg has started 179 games in his career and has an overall record of 60-60 with a 4.90 ERA.
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While Josh Fogg certainly isn't the greatest pitcher to ever put on a Major League uniform, I think this was another great signing by Wayne Krivsky. Fogg has 7 years of big league pitching under his belt and is a proven commodity. I think it would be fair to assume that the Reds have now found their #3 starter behind Harang and Arroyo. I'm not sure if Krivsky is done dealing for pitchers yet, but I think the Reds are definitely looking better on the mound now than they were at any time last year.
Matt Belisle, Homer Bailey, Jeremy Affeldt, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, and Matt Maloney will probably be competing for the final 2 spots in the Reds starting rotation. If I were a betting man, I'd probably place my money on Belisle and Affeldt to at least start the season as the #4 and #5 starters for the Reds. But, I'm sure Volquez will get a strong shot to make the rotation as well. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
The free agent right hander has been a starting pitcher in the Major Leagues for 7 years, most recently with the Colorado Rockies. It is being reported that Fogg recently turned down a 1 year contract worth $5 million dollars that was offered for him to remain with the Rockies. Fogg has started 179 games in his career and has an overall record of 60-60 with a 4.90 ERA.
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While Josh Fogg certainly isn't the greatest pitcher to ever put on a Major League uniform, I think this was another great signing by Wayne Krivsky. Fogg has 7 years of big league pitching under his belt and is a proven commodity. I think it would be fair to assume that the Reds have now found their #3 starter behind Harang and Arroyo. I'm not sure if Krivsky is done dealing for pitchers yet, but I think the Reds are definitely looking better on the mound now than they were at any time last year.
Matt Belisle, Homer Bailey, Jeremy Affeldt, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, and Matt Maloney will probably be competing for the final 2 spots in the Reds starting rotation. If I were a betting man, I'd probably place my money on Belisle and Affeldt to at least start the season as the #4 and #5 starters for the Reds. But, I'm sure Volquez will get a strong shot to make the rotation as well. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Kentucky Recruiting
I got an email this morning asking me a few questions about the current status of Billy Gillespie's recruiting efforts and about which players he has already offered scholarships. Below is a list of players that Billy Gillespie has offered scholarships according to Scout.com.
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Class of 2008
DeAndre Liggins ***** (Henderson, NV), 6'6" 180 pounds, verbally committed to UK
Darius Miller **** (Maysville, KY), 6'6" 185 pounds, verbally committed to UK
Scotty Hopson ***** (Hopkinsville, KY), 6'5" 180 pounds, still undecided
Wesley Witherspoon **** (Lilburn, GA), 6'7" 185 pounds, still undecided
Atur Majok **** (Carlingfoed, AU), 6'9" 215 pounds, still undecided
Tyrone Appleton *** (Midland, TX) Junior College, 6'3" 200 pounds, still undecided
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Class of 2009
John Wall ***** (Raleigh, NC), 6'3" 170 pounds, still undecided
Demarcus Cousins ***** (Mobile, AL), 6'10" 245 pounds, still undecided
Shawn Williams **** (Duncanville, TX), 6'6" 185 pounds, still undecided
Stephan Van Treese **** (Indianapolis, IN), 6'9" 220 pounds, still undecided
AJ Walton *** (Little Rock, AR), 6'0" 175 pounds, still undecided
GJ Vilarino *** (McKinney, TX), 5'9" Unknown, verbally committed to UK
Junior Cadougan *** (Houston, TX), 6'1" 190 pounds, still undecided
Jon Hood *** (Madisonville, KY), 6'6" 180 pounds, still undecided
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Class of 2010
Dakotah Euton *** (Ashland, KY), 6'7" 200 pounds, verbally committed to UK
KC Miller *** (Dallas, TX), 6'1" 170 pounds, verbally committed to UK
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Class of 2008
DeAndre Liggins ***** (Henderson, NV), 6'6" 180 pounds, verbally committed to UK
Darius Miller **** (Maysville, KY), 6'6" 185 pounds, verbally committed to UK
Scotty Hopson ***** (Hopkinsville, KY), 6'5" 180 pounds, still undecided
Wesley Witherspoon **** (Lilburn, GA), 6'7" 185 pounds, still undecided
Atur Majok **** (Carlingfoed, AU), 6'9" 215 pounds, still undecided
Tyrone Appleton *** (Midland, TX) Junior College, 6'3" 200 pounds, still undecided
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Class of 2009
John Wall ***** (Raleigh, NC), 6'3" 170 pounds, still undecided
Demarcus Cousins ***** (Mobile, AL), 6'10" 245 pounds, still undecided
Shawn Williams **** (Duncanville, TX), 6'6" 185 pounds, still undecided
Stephan Van Treese **** (Indianapolis, IN), 6'9" 220 pounds, still undecided
AJ Walton *** (Little Rock, AR), 6'0" 175 pounds, still undecided
GJ Vilarino *** (McKinney, TX), 5'9" Unknown, verbally committed to UK
Junior Cadougan *** (Houston, TX), 6'1" 190 pounds, still undecided
Jon Hood *** (Madisonville, KY), 6'6" 180 pounds, still undecided
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Class of 2010
Dakotah Euton *** (Ashland, KY), 6'7" 200 pounds, verbally committed to UK
KC Miller *** (Dallas, TX), 6'1" 170 pounds, verbally committed to UK
Making The Argument
Here it is, February 19th, and my beloved Kentucky Wildcats have an overall record of 13-10. All the so-called basketball experts have already written off the Wildcats' chances of making the Big Dance, especially after Big Blue's recent humiliating loss to Vanderbilt. But, I think there should still be some hope in the Bluegrass State. Sure, Kentucky has had some embarrassing losses this year. But, has anybody even bothered to look at how the opponents that beat UK this season are doing against everybody else?
There is still no excuse for the losses to Gardner-Webb and San Diego, but I think it is easy to make the argument that none of Kentucky's other losses are looking so bad anymore. If you throw out the losses to Gardner-Webb and San Diego, Kentucky's other 8 losses were to pretty respectable teams:
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North Carolina is 24-2 and currently ranked #3 in the nation. The Tar Heels only beat Kentucky by 9 points. Pretty respectable loss if you ask me.
Indiana is 21-4 and ranked #15 in the nation. The Hoosiers are also 10-2 this season in Big Ten play. UK lost to Indiana by 19 points, but the game was in Bloomington which is a tough place to play.
UAB is 17-8 and sitting in 3rd place in Conference USA behind only Memphis and Houston. Kentucky only lost to UAB by 3 points on a day when Robert Vaden was absolutely on fire scoring 33 points in the game. Maybe somebody should go ask John Calipari and his undefeated and #1 ranked Memphis Tigers if UAB is any good this year.
Did I say Houston? Yes I did. Houston is currently 19-5 and sitting in 2nd place in Conference USA behind only Memphis, who happens to be the #1 ranked team in the country right now.
Louisville currently has a record of 20-6 and is ranked #18 in the nation. The Cardinals have also beaten Marquette, Georgetown, and West Virginia this season.
Mississippi State is sitting at 17-7 overall and currently leads the SEC West with an 8-2 conference record. The Wildcats only lost to the Bulldogs by 5 points in a game that was played at Starkville.
Florida is sitting at 19-7 overall and 6-5 in conference play. The Wildcats may have lost the game, but they did manage to take the Gators into overtime down in Gainesville.
Vanderbilt has a record of 22-4 and is currently ranked #20 in the nation. Yes, Kentucky's loss to Vanderbilt was embarrassing, but let's not forget that Kentucky beat the Commodores in their first meeting of the season. Surely that has to count for something.
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Kentucky has 6 games remaining on their regular season schedule. Those games are against Georgia (12-11) at home, Arkansas (17-7) at home, Mississippi (17-7) at home, Tennessee (23-2) at Knoxville, South Carolina (12-12) at Columbia, and Florida (19-7) at home.
I think it is very conceivable that the Wildcats could win 4 of their last 6 regular season games. In fact, I think it is imperative that Kentucky win 4 of those last 6 games. If the Wildcats fail to win 4 of their last 6 regular season games, I think their only chance of making the NCAA tournament would be to win the SEC tournament.
But if the Wildcats win 4 of their last 6 games, that would give Kentucky an overall record of 17-12 and a conference record of 11-5 entering the SEC tournament. I would think that if the Wildcats finish conference play with 11 wins they should draw a first round opponent in the SEC tournament that they have a fairly decent chance of beating. Even if Kentucky were to lose in the second round of the SEC tournament, they would still finish the season with an overall record of 18-13 and have 12 wins inside the SEC. Kentucky had some bad losses (San Diego and Gardner-Webb), but they also had some good wins (Tennessee and Vanderbilt). I think it would be awfully hard for the "Committee" to leave an 18 win Kentucky team out of the Big Dance. Especially if the Committee takes into consideration the number of injuries that Kentucky had to battle through this season.
There may be more riding on Kentucky's last 6 regular season games than you might think. Tennessee and Vanderbilt are probably the only 2 teams in the SEC that are already locks to make the NCAA tournament. I think it would be fair to assume that Mississippi State will probably also be Dancing. That would make only 3 teams from the SEC. History tells us that the SEC usually gets more than 3 teams into the tournament. So, the next logical SEC teams that the NCAA Selection Committee would be considering for inclusion in the tournament would probably be Kentucky (13-10, 7-3) , Arkansas (17-7, 6-4), Florida (19-7, 6-5), and Mississippi (17-7, 3-7). As I mentioned earlier, 3 of Kentucky's last 6 games are against Arkansas, Florida, and Mississippi. All 3 of those games will be in Lexington, and I think it would benefit Kentucky greatly to win all 3 in order to separate themselves from those teams in the eyes of the Selection Committee.
Let's just hope the Wildcats take care of business the rest of the way and win the SEC tournament. But if they don't, let's hope they win at least 18 games and force the Committee to make a tough decision.
Go Big Blue!
There is still no excuse for the losses to Gardner-Webb and San Diego, but I think it is easy to make the argument that none of Kentucky's other losses are looking so bad anymore. If you throw out the losses to Gardner-Webb and San Diego, Kentucky's other 8 losses were to pretty respectable teams:
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North Carolina is 24-2 and currently ranked #3 in the nation. The Tar Heels only beat Kentucky by 9 points. Pretty respectable loss if you ask me.
Indiana is 21-4 and ranked #15 in the nation. The Hoosiers are also 10-2 this season in Big Ten play. UK lost to Indiana by 19 points, but the game was in Bloomington which is a tough place to play.
UAB is 17-8 and sitting in 3rd place in Conference USA behind only Memphis and Houston. Kentucky only lost to UAB by 3 points on a day when Robert Vaden was absolutely on fire scoring 33 points in the game. Maybe somebody should go ask John Calipari and his undefeated and #1 ranked Memphis Tigers if UAB is any good this year.
Did I say Houston? Yes I did. Houston is currently 19-5 and sitting in 2nd place in Conference USA behind only Memphis, who happens to be the #1 ranked team in the country right now.
Louisville currently has a record of 20-6 and is ranked #18 in the nation. The Cardinals have also beaten Marquette, Georgetown, and West Virginia this season.
Mississippi State is sitting at 17-7 overall and currently leads the SEC West with an 8-2 conference record. The Wildcats only lost to the Bulldogs by 5 points in a game that was played at Starkville.
Florida is sitting at 19-7 overall and 6-5 in conference play. The Wildcats may have lost the game, but they did manage to take the Gators into overtime down in Gainesville.
Vanderbilt has a record of 22-4 and is currently ranked #20 in the nation. Yes, Kentucky's loss to Vanderbilt was embarrassing, but let's not forget that Kentucky beat the Commodores in their first meeting of the season. Surely that has to count for something.
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Kentucky has 6 games remaining on their regular season schedule. Those games are against Georgia (12-11) at home, Arkansas (17-7) at home, Mississippi (17-7) at home, Tennessee (23-2) at Knoxville, South Carolina (12-12) at Columbia, and Florida (19-7) at home.
I think it is very conceivable that the Wildcats could win 4 of their last 6 regular season games. In fact, I think it is imperative that Kentucky win 4 of those last 6 games. If the Wildcats fail to win 4 of their last 6 regular season games, I think their only chance of making the NCAA tournament would be to win the SEC tournament.
But if the Wildcats win 4 of their last 6 games, that would give Kentucky an overall record of 17-12 and a conference record of 11-5 entering the SEC tournament. I would think that if the Wildcats finish conference play with 11 wins they should draw a first round opponent in the SEC tournament that they have a fairly decent chance of beating. Even if Kentucky were to lose in the second round of the SEC tournament, they would still finish the season with an overall record of 18-13 and have 12 wins inside the SEC. Kentucky had some bad losses (San Diego and Gardner-Webb), but they also had some good wins (Tennessee and Vanderbilt). I think it would be awfully hard for the "Committee" to leave an 18 win Kentucky team out of the Big Dance. Especially if the Committee takes into consideration the number of injuries that Kentucky had to battle through this season.
There may be more riding on Kentucky's last 6 regular season games than you might think. Tennessee and Vanderbilt are probably the only 2 teams in the SEC that are already locks to make the NCAA tournament. I think it would be fair to assume that Mississippi State will probably also be Dancing. That would make only 3 teams from the SEC. History tells us that the SEC usually gets more than 3 teams into the tournament. So, the next logical SEC teams that the NCAA Selection Committee would be considering for inclusion in the tournament would probably be Kentucky (13-10, 7-3) , Arkansas (17-7, 6-4), Florida (19-7, 6-5), and Mississippi (17-7, 3-7). As I mentioned earlier, 3 of Kentucky's last 6 games are against Arkansas, Florida, and Mississippi. All 3 of those games will be in Lexington, and I think it would benefit Kentucky greatly to win all 3 in order to separate themselves from those teams in the eyes of the Selection Committee.
Let's just hope the Wildcats take care of business the rest of the way and win the SEC tournament. But if they don't, let's hope they win at least 18 games and force the Committee to make a tough decision.
Go Big Blue!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
02/12/08: Reds News
I've been pretty impressed with the off season moves that Wayne Krivsky has made so far this year. But, the latest Reds rumors have me scratching my head.
Foxsports.com apparently reported Sunday night that the Reds might be interested in acquiring 40 year old center fielder Kenny Lofton. I know that Kenny has a bit of a history with Dusty Baker, but I just don't see the need to acquire another center fielder. The Reds already have Norris Hopper and Ryan Freel on the roster, and the highly touted Jay Bruce will surely battle for playing time as well.
On top of the Reds reported interest in Lofton, the Reds also signed outfielder/ first baseman Craig Wilson to a minor league contract last week. Wilson's deal reportedly comes with an automatic invitation to the Reds' big league camp this spring. Wilson is 31 years old and has plenty of major league experience. He is a career .262 hitter in 698 games with 99 home runs. Craig was plagued with shoulder problems last season and was released by Atlanta in May.
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I can only think that if Krivsky signs Lofton that would be a pretty good indication that Wayne may not be done dealing yet. The Reds could still use a few more arms and the addition of Lofton would give the Reds an abundance of center fielders. So, maybe Krivsky is planning on signing Lofton as an insurance policy to give Bruce another year or 2 to fully develop. That might indicate that Hopper and/or Freel may be on their way out via trade for another arm or two.
Foxsports.com apparently reported Sunday night that the Reds might be interested in acquiring 40 year old center fielder Kenny Lofton. I know that Kenny has a bit of a history with Dusty Baker, but I just don't see the need to acquire another center fielder. The Reds already have Norris Hopper and Ryan Freel on the roster, and the highly touted Jay Bruce will surely battle for playing time as well.
On top of the Reds reported interest in Lofton, the Reds also signed outfielder/ first baseman Craig Wilson to a minor league contract last week. Wilson's deal reportedly comes with an automatic invitation to the Reds' big league camp this spring. Wilson is 31 years old and has plenty of major league experience. He is a career .262 hitter in 698 games with 99 home runs. Craig was plagued with shoulder problems last season and was released by Atlanta in May.
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I can only think that if Krivsky signs Lofton that would be a pretty good indication that Wayne may not be done dealing yet. The Reds could still use a few more arms and the addition of Lofton would give the Reds an abundance of center fielders. So, maybe Krivsky is planning on signing Lofton as an insurance policy to give Bruce another year or 2 to fully develop. That might indicate that Hopper and/or Freel may be on their way out via trade for another arm or two.
Monday, February 11, 2008
02/11/08: Kentucky Basketball
The University of Kentucky men's basketball team improved to 6-2 in Southeastern Conference play and 12-9 overall with their 62-52 victory over Alabama on Saturday. One of the local television channels actually carried the game up here so I was able to watch the Wildcats live, for a change.
I don't know if anybody else read the Associated Press' recap of the game, but the AP article made it almost sound like the only reason UK won was because of the fact that Alabama's Richard Hendrix missed the game because of the flu. The article failed to mention the fact that UK's Jodie Meeks missed the game as well. I don't know who wrote the article for the AP, but it sure looked like it was written by an Alabama grad.
Kentucky won the game and I guess that's all that matters. Ramel Bradley turned in another good performance with 19 points on 4-8 shooting from the field. Patterson had a bit of an off night in my opinion, but still finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Perry Stevenson continued to impress me scoring 8 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in 33 minutes of play. If you ask me, Perry's continued improvement on both ends of the floor has been a big reason why the Wildcats have now won 5 games in a row.
Kentucky's next game is tomorrow night at Vanderbilt. The game is scheduled for a 9:00 PM start. The game is scheduled to be aired on ESPN.
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Did you see this??
According to WDSU in New Orleans, Travis Ford is considered one of the three leading candidates for the now vacant head coaching position at LSU. I'm happy for Travis that he has been so successful at Umass, but I'm not sure how I would handle him being the coach at LSU. Its been hard enough for me watching John Pelphrey roam the Arkansas sidelines. Pelphrey has the Razorbacks looking pretty good this season with a 6-2 record in SEC play and an overall record of 17-5.
I don't know if anybody else read the Associated Press' recap of the game, but the AP article made it almost sound like the only reason UK won was because of the fact that Alabama's Richard Hendrix missed the game because of the flu. The article failed to mention the fact that UK's Jodie Meeks missed the game as well. I don't know who wrote the article for the AP, but it sure looked like it was written by an Alabama grad.
Kentucky won the game and I guess that's all that matters. Ramel Bradley turned in another good performance with 19 points on 4-8 shooting from the field. Patterson had a bit of an off night in my opinion, but still finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Perry Stevenson continued to impress me scoring 8 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in 33 minutes of play. If you ask me, Perry's continued improvement on both ends of the floor has been a big reason why the Wildcats have now won 5 games in a row.
Kentucky's next game is tomorrow night at Vanderbilt. The game is scheduled for a 9:00 PM start. The game is scheduled to be aired on ESPN.
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Did you see this??
According to WDSU in New Orleans, Travis Ford is considered one of the three leading candidates for the now vacant head coaching position at LSU. I'm happy for Travis that he has been so successful at Umass, but I'm not sure how I would handle him being the coach at LSU. Its been hard enough for me watching John Pelphrey roam the Arkansas sidelines. Pelphrey has the Razorbacks looking pretty good this season with a 6-2 record in SEC play and an overall record of 17-5.
2008 Pro Bowl
I'm probably one of the few people out there that actually watches the Pro Bowl. Its not that I think it is great football, but I know it will be the last football that I'm going to see for awhile. So, I sat down yesterday and watched the game. There wasn't anything special about the game, but there were a few things that stood out to me.
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1) Did anybody else notice the dramatic drop-off in the AFC offensive production once Peyton Manning left the game? I'm not sure if the NFC defense just got settled down after the first quarter, but the AFC didn't do much on offense after Peyton left the game.
2) Ben Roethlisberger didn't look great ( 5-9 for 42 yards and a TD), but at least he didn't look as bad as Derek Anderson. Anderson finished the game 10-26 for 103 yards and a interception. It wasn't just Derek's completion percentage that stunk. He was missing receivers by a mile and there was no consistency to his misses. Some passes were short, some were long, and some weren't even in the neighborhood. Maybe it was just nerves, but Derek Anderson definitely looked like he didn't belong in Hawaii.
3) Was Brian Westbrook hurt or something? I can't remember ever watching a Pro Bowl game where one running back was "featured" in the offense as much as Adrian Peterson was featured yesterday. Don't get me wrong, Peterson was the best player on the field. But, how mad would you be if you were Brian Westbrook and you traveled all the way to Hawaii to watch Peterson play almost the entire game? Peterson won the MVP award with 16 carries for 129 yards. Westbrook got 1 carry for 4 yards.
4) Can you imagine how good Terrell Owens could have been in his career if he wasn't a mental basket case and he didn't drop so many passes? He ended up with 8 catches yesterday for 101 yards but he was actually getting booed early in the game when he dropped a couple of easy passes. That guy drops more passes than any receiver I have ever seen.
5) It was nice to see so many Browns in the game. My hat is off to Phil Savage. He has done a great job of drafting up in Cleveland. I thought Joe Thomas, Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow looked pretty good yesterday. Especially Joe Thomas.
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1) Did anybody else notice the dramatic drop-off in the AFC offensive production once Peyton Manning left the game? I'm not sure if the NFC defense just got settled down after the first quarter, but the AFC didn't do much on offense after Peyton left the game.
2) Ben Roethlisberger didn't look great ( 5-9 for 42 yards and a TD), but at least he didn't look as bad as Derek Anderson. Anderson finished the game 10-26 for 103 yards and a interception. It wasn't just Derek's completion percentage that stunk. He was missing receivers by a mile and there was no consistency to his misses. Some passes were short, some were long, and some weren't even in the neighborhood. Maybe it was just nerves, but Derek Anderson definitely looked like he didn't belong in Hawaii.
3) Was Brian Westbrook hurt or something? I can't remember ever watching a Pro Bowl game where one running back was "featured" in the offense as much as Adrian Peterson was featured yesterday. Don't get me wrong, Peterson was the best player on the field. But, how mad would you be if you were Brian Westbrook and you traveled all the way to Hawaii to watch Peterson play almost the entire game? Peterson won the MVP award with 16 carries for 129 yards. Westbrook got 1 carry for 4 yards.
4) Can you imagine how good Terrell Owens could have been in his career if he wasn't a mental basket case and he didn't drop so many passes? He ended up with 8 catches yesterday for 101 yards but he was actually getting booed early in the game when he dropped a couple of easy passes. That guy drops more passes than any receiver I have ever seen.
5) It was nice to see so many Browns in the game. My hat is off to Phil Savage. He has done a great job of drafting up in Cleveland. I thought Joe Thomas, Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow looked pretty good yesterday. Especially Joe Thomas.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Chad Johnson, Shaq Trade, Etc.
This is the time of year that I dread, because all I have to follow is college basketball. Luckily for me, it looks like Billy Gillespie has started to get things turned around in Lexington.
I've been busy at with work the past few weeks and as a result I haven't had much time to post to this blog. So, I've decided to make a short post this morning that covers a few sports related items that have caught my attention over the last few days.
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1) The Super Bowl. The Patriots would probably beat the Giants 9 out of 10 times, but the Giants won the game that counts. Poetic justice if you ask me. But don't count the Patriots out next year. New England only has 4 teams on next year's regular season schedule that finished '07 with a winning record. That means there is a pretty good chance that we will see the Pats finish the regular season undefeated again next year.
2) Chad Johnson. I think Chad Johnson is a really talented guy that just doesn't see the big picture. Chad is apparently upset with the Bengals because he thinks some people within the organization have been "speaking out against him." I don't know if Chad's accusations are true, but I imagine they probably are. The Bengals finished the '07 season with a record of 7-9. I'm sure Chad's self promotion is starting to wear thin on a team that needs all the breaks it can get. All of Johnson's excessive celebration penalties are not helping the cause. In a recent interview with the NFL Network Chad says, "I get out of line at times, but what great one doesn't?" Oh I don't know, let me see if I can name a few: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Emmit Smith, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Tim Duncan, Joe Montana, and Larry Bird. The list goes on and on. Chad seems like a smart guy. I am sure he can find another way to promote himself that doesn't lead to poor field position for the Bengals during their games. Its time Chad grows up and stops being selfish. He will never be considered among the great players of all time until he starts acting like a grown up..
3) Shaquille O'Neal. I understand why the Suns made a trade, I just don't understand why the Suns made this trade. Shaq turns 36 years old next month. The big man missed 42 games last season because of injury, and he has already missed 17 games this season due to injury. He is averaging a career low 14 points a game and the 7'1" behemoth is only getting a little over 7 rebounds a game this season. The Suns needed to get rid of a disgruntled Shawn Marion, but I'm not sure Shaq is going to "fit in" to the Suns' offense. In fact, I'm not sure Shaq will make it past half court when the Suns have the ball on offense. The only things that make sense to me are that Shaq will add a strong defensive presence to the middle for the Suns, and that the Suns weren't going to win the NBA Championship if they didn't make some kind of trade. I'm sure Steve Kerr realized that the window for a Championship was closing with Steve Nash getting older, and this trade was an attempt by Kerr to get a guy who might be able to shut down Tim Duncan in the playoffs this year or next. So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see if Kerr made a wise decision. I think he could have gotten a better deal and obtained a guy who fit in to the Suns' offense a little better, but maybe that isn't what he was looking for.
4) Bob Knight. I'm not a Bob Knight fan, but I don't think he is half the "raving lunatic" that most people seem to think he is. The reason that Bob gave for his sudden departure at Texas Tech makes sense to me. If he was planning on leaving after this season anyway, what's the difference? I think it will give Pat a head start on his coaching career. And from what I hear, Pat may need the biggest head start he can get.
5) Roger Clemens/Brian McNamee. I still haven't decided if I believe Roger Clemens is innocent yet, but if McNamee's only evidence is photos and some needles with Roger's DNA on them then I think Roger has nothing to worry about. That kind of evidence can be easily faked. Perhaps it is Brian McNamee who is suddenly worried about going to jail for perjury. Does anybody else think it is strange that these photos and needles didn't show up sooner?
I've been busy at with work the past few weeks and as a result I haven't had much time to post to this blog. So, I've decided to make a short post this morning that covers a few sports related items that have caught my attention over the last few days.
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1) The Super Bowl. The Patriots would probably beat the Giants 9 out of 10 times, but the Giants won the game that counts. Poetic justice if you ask me. But don't count the Patriots out next year. New England only has 4 teams on next year's regular season schedule that finished '07 with a winning record. That means there is a pretty good chance that we will see the Pats finish the regular season undefeated again next year.
2) Chad Johnson. I think Chad Johnson is a really talented guy that just doesn't see the big picture. Chad is apparently upset with the Bengals because he thinks some people within the organization have been "speaking out against him." I don't know if Chad's accusations are true, but I imagine they probably are. The Bengals finished the '07 season with a record of 7-9. I'm sure Chad's self promotion is starting to wear thin on a team that needs all the breaks it can get. All of Johnson's excessive celebration penalties are not helping the cause. In a recent interview with the NFL Network Chad says, "I get out of line at times, but what great one doesn't?" Oh I don't know, let me see if I can name a few: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Emmit Smith, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Tim Duncan, Joe Montana, and Larry Bird. The list goes on and on. Chad seems like a smart guy. I am sure he can find another way to promote himself that doesn't lead to poor field position for the Bengals during their games. Its time Chad grows up and stops being selfish. He will never be considered among the great players of all time until he starts acting like a grown up..
3) Shaquille O'Neal. I understand why the Suns made a trade, I just don't understand why the Suns made this trade. Shaq turns 36 years old next month. The big man missed 42 games last season because of injury, and he has already missed 17 games this season due to injury. He is averaging a career low 14 points a game and the 7'1" behemoth is only getting a little over 7 rebounds a game this season. The Suns needed to get rid of a disgruntled Shawn Marion, but I'm not sure Shaq is going to "fit in" to the Suns' offense. In fact, I'm not sure Shaq will make it past half court when the Suns have the ball on offense. The only things that make sense to me are that Shaq will add a strong defensive presence to the middle for the Suns, and that the Suns weren't going to win the NBA Championship if they didn't make some kind of trade. I'm sure Steve Kerr realized that the window for a Championship was closing with Steve Nash getting older, and this trade was an attempt by Kerr to get a guy who might be able to shut down Tim Duncan in the playoffs this year or next. So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see if Kerr made a wise decision. I think he could have gotten a better deal and obtained a guy who fit in to the Suns' offense a little better, but maybe that isn't what he was looking for.
4) Bob Knight. I'm not a Bob Knight fan, but I don't think he is half the "raving lunatic" that most people seem to think he is. The reason that Bob gave for his sudden departure at Texas Tech makes sense to me. If he was planning on leaving after this season anyway, what's the difference? I think it will give Pat a head start on his coaching career. And from what I hear, Pat may need the biggest head start he can get.
5) Roger Clemens/Brian McNamee. I still haven't decided if I believe Roger Clemens is innocent yet, but if McNamee's only evidence is photos and some needles with Roger's DNA on them then I think Roger has nothing to worry about. That kind of evidence can be easily faked. Perhaps it is Brian McNamee who is suddenly worried about going to jail for perjury. Does anybody else think it is strange that these photos and needles didn't show up sooner?
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