Cy Young!!

Earlier last week the Cy Young votes were tallied and the winners announced—in the AL, it was David Price beating out defending winner Justin Verlander by the slimmest of margins, and in the NL it was R.A. Dickey completing his year of destiny over once again the defender, Clayton Kershaw, and breakout star Gio Gonzalez. Do I agree with the sportswriters and other higher-ups in baseball on these two choices? Well, yes and no. David Price—he would have been my decision too. I liked the combo of the lower ERA and the wins on an arguably worse team than Verlander over Verlanders’ K’s. Would Verlander have deserved it had he won? Absolutely! Would I have thought he was the best pitcher in the AL? No.

                As for the NL, Dickey won this as a popularity vote. Really that’s all it was. Not to take away from a generally fantastic season, but in all honesty he wasn’t the best pitcher in the NL. Especially in the second half. There was some major regression in the second half for him, although during that time he did have some really good starts. But “some really good starts” shouldn’t win you the Cy. I felt that even in a worse year by his standards, as he led the NL in ERA and WHIP and was second in K’s (even though he missed some time in the second half), Kershaw would have been my choice. Yes, he “only” won 14 games. Too bad…we gave the Cy to Felix Hernandez a few years back when he won less than that—13 to be exact. In this day and age, we give the award to the best pitcher—not the one who racks up the most wins. Also, yes, Gio was a brilliant pitcher. But in my mind he has too many holes to win the Cy Young—he doesn’t throw enough innings, is too easily rattled, and is predictable in the way he pitches. Maybe that’s because he basically throws 2 pitches—which is an incredible ability and also a curse.

                It seems as though the Cy award has gone through a major renovation in thought in the last few years. When King Felix won the award in 2010 with 13 wins and 12 losses, it was just about as close to a coup as you can get in baseball. Generally, you had to go something along the lines of 20-5 to even be considered. But Hernandez won it based on pure dominance, and the advent of Sabermetrics (a special mathematical set of statistics developed for analyzing baseball players) helped him win. Now, are we to the point of just going by the numbers to determine the winner? No. And hopefully never will be. But I really think that the advanced data set that sabermetrics provide give us a greater insight into seeing just how dominant a pitcher really is.

And that's all I got.

Update...news...etc

So as you all may have noticed, my blog hasn't *ehem, ehem* been updated with new stuff as often as I'd like. Stupid college. Why does it have to infringe on stuff that really counts like sports, facebook, and girls? So here the deal: While I took my little sabbatical, I had time to do some thinking about what I wanted to touch on in my blog and where I wanted to go with it. To sum it up: miniseries. I'm going to, in the next few weeks or so, be kind of light on here while I write several miniseries for this blog. I'm still not 100% sure on the topics, although I do know one for sure: the story of Pete Rose, all-time hits leader, star utilityman for the Big Red Machine and deposed gambler. Other than that...taking suggestions for a couple others.
Hopefully you'll like what is going to pop up on here in the next few weeks and I sure am excited for what is coming after that-and I think you should be too. It's gonna be good.
And that's all I got.

What a postseason...

Welp. They're done. Happy offseason to the Reds as they were eliminated by the Giants...even though they more than should have won the series. I mean...up 2-0 in a best of 5 series ON THE ROAD and coming home should have been more than enough of a lead to win the series. I mean...good gravy. Win ONE game at home? Should have been easy enough. Then Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey happened. 6 IP of shutout relief ball in 2 games for the rejuvenated Freak (or Franchise...whichever you prefer) and a right hook of a grand slam in game 5 for Posey (aka MVP) basically ended it for my Redlegs. Sorry Dad...sorry Joe...I guess we'll have to pick up rooting for em in the spring...2013 World Series or Bust!!!!

The Cardiac Cards did it again. What the heck. Down 6-0 to the Nats in an elimination game and won. Just...what?
...Can ANYBODY close them out?
...Not the Rangers.
...Not the Nationals.
...Enter the next contestant.
...Wait for it...
...Wait for it...
...Go Giants!!!
I just wanna see somebody beat the Cardinals. Yep. I'm not a Cards fan. At all. But that should be obvious (see who I'm rooting for in my first paragraph). But I have to say...props to them for having not just icewater in their veins but freaking liquid helium. *What goes up must come down*-->here's hoping.

Detroit is rolling. Even though Valverde is doing his best to wreck the World Series train for them...I wouldn't put him in unless you're up by 10 runs. Even that's a little to close for my comfort. Call him "The Waiter" cause he tends to serve up runs.
On the opposite side of the fence from Valverde is Verlander. Justin has been LIGHTS OUT this postseason. 3-0, 24.1 IP, 10 H, 25 K. #ShutdownMode.

In general and overall I think this postseason has to be one of the craziest and most intense postseasons ever. Last year was PRIME. This year has got to be right up there with it and has the potential to be even better overall. No, it might not have a game thats lauded as best ever like last year's World Series did, but I think this year overall might be shaping up to be better.

#HappyOffseason to the Orioles, A's, Reds, and Nationals. Also earlier to the Rangers and the Braves.
And that's all I got.

Dame. Notre Dame.

Thanks to my Dad for requesting this post.
No thanks to my buddy Jake for his hating on this team like a boss.
And no...I'm not gonna sit here and troll ND because I think they're the best team ever. Because they're not. Not even close. Yeah, they're 4-0, and have beaten ranked Michigan State and Michigan. Two words about those teams: Big Ten. Meaning they're slightly, if not grossly, overranked and overrated. So don't take too much from those wins.
What I AM here to do today is to analyze how they got to 4-0. Statistical analysis, if you will. Numbers don't lie...as long as you don't misconstrue them as you are analyzing. They can be biased if you want them to be.
Let's start off by taking a look at their overall FBS rankings, both offense and defense (ESPN):
Pass yards: 85th (211.0)
Rush yards: 89th (140.3)
Points for: 86th (25.8)
Points against: 4th (9.0)

In English:

Pass yards: nothing special
Rush yards: more nothing special
Points for: decent, still nothing special
Points against: shutdown mode

 So the basic stats show one thing and one thing only: teams don't score against them. Whether that's can't (ND's D is beast) or just don't (offenses need not apply) is still unknown. All the other stats are fair to middling as they don't score in bunches and don't chew up a lot of yardage. Let's go deeper into the defensive stats:

Team statistics leaders(CBS and ESPN):

Sacks: T-8th (14.0)
Interceptions: T-2nd (8.0)
Pass Defense: 23rd (178.8)
Rush Defense: 29th (112.5)

In English:
Sacks: good
Interceptions: too early to tell. there are about 6 teams tied for 2nd so nobody has pulled away yet
Pass D: good, not great
Rush D: good, not great

The deeper stats show that although teams aren't scoring against them, their defense isn't really leading the league in anything or everything, meaning that the D is getting a little lucky when it comes to avoiding the opposing team scoring on them. Take last weekend's Michigan game: twice in the first half the Irish picked off MICH QB Denard Robinson in the end zone. Is that because the Irish's D was that good or was it just Denard being an idiot? Might be both. From the reactions I got from MICH fans, it was more of the latter, but they're always entitled to their opinions.

Final reactions: 4 words: "Regression to the Mean". What that means is that the Irish are playing above their stat level, and that in the future their record will fall back to their playing level. This phrase is mostly used in baseball, but it really is appropriate here. Are the Irish National Title contenders? Not just "no", but "hell no". BCS bowl team? Probably not, although with the number of ranked teams on their schedule its not too far off if they keep winning. Bowl team? Definitely. I would say that a 7-4 record is about right. I see them losing to #8 Stanford and closing out the season with a loss to #13 USC, and I could definitely see losses next week to Miami (FL) and later to #16 Oklahoma.
And that's all I got.

Weekend Recap: NFL Week 3

How bout dem Saints and Refs.............????
This weekend was full of games that were crazy with comebacks and teams losing games they had no business losing (Saints, Lions, Niners). Ugly reffing was prevalent again, especially visible in the Lions/Titans game and also the Patriots/Ravens. Pats/Ravens multiple times looked like they were about to clear the benches and someone was about to get punched out...all in the first quarter. The replacements either have to get their act together and call games correctly or the NFL better think about cutting the regulars some kind of deal quick--this is getting way to far out of hand, and coaches and players alike are about to fly off the handle...
"Can someone please tell these ****ing zebras foot locker called and they’re needed Back at work !!!!"--BrandonSpikes55 (Twitter.com)
Bout sums it up.

The Lions forked one over to the Titans in Tennessee 44-41 in overtime thanks to their center who hiked the ball on 4th and 1 on the Titans' 7-yard line rather than following Jim Schwartz' game plan and drawing the Titans offsides or, if not, kicking the field goal...

Saints lost again. Is Sean Payton worth that much to the Saints or was it Jamaal Charles (33 carries, 233 yards, TD)? At 0-3 I think it's time to hit the panic button, especially with the Falcons rolling like they are. IF the Saints are gonna make the playoffs they have to stop turning the ball over and just not executing. Oh...and they have to find a defense. Mebbe they can't tackle if they aren't trying to snap someone in half to make an easy 10k.

Speaking of the Falcons, they followed up an impressive win over Denver by steamrolling San Diego on the road 27-3. Is Matt Ryan finally becoming elite (275 yards/3 TD /1 INT)? I think so. With Julio Jones really coming out this season and with consistent performers Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White to throw to...this is a formidable passing attack.

The Bears clubbed Saint Louis in a good rebound effort after getting whipped in Green Bay.

The Christian Ponder-led Vikings stunned the 49ers. Ponder is quietly putting up numbers that the more recognized QB's in his division are not doing consistently this year (Rodgers, Stafford, Cutler are all struggling). He's earned the Vikes' trust and with Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart to run the ball...this team may actually be underrated. I won't say playoff dark horse, but a 7-8 record or even 8-8 isn't too far off.

Andy Dalton aired it out to beat RGIII and the Redskins. A.J. Green was the best receiver in the NFL this week (9 Rec, 183 Yards, TD)

Philly just keeps putting the rock on the ground.It finally caught up to  them in a 27-6  loss to the surprising Cardinals.

And that's all I got.

Rookie Review...part 2!

A few days back I took a look at the performance this year of breakout rookies Yu Darvish, Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper. I'll finish up this 2-part series with a couple lesser-known rookies, yet ones that are not to be overlooked:

Yoenis Cespedes.
The Cuban defector known  for his big bat and his penchant for whiffs really had wide ranging expectations when he signed with the Oakland Athletics in the offseason. His power was never in question; his overall performance was a wild card. So far he has been a staple in the resurgent A's season.
Stats:
GP: 114
AVG: .291
SLG: .491
OBP: .355
HR: 19
SB: 16
WAR:  2.1
Analysis: Well...for being a massive wild card going into the season, he has been a very pleasant surprise for the A's. His AVG is a surprise too; most critics said he was too strikeout-prone to put up very high averages--especially one that is pushing .300. He has been in and out some due to injury, but when he has been in he's killed it. Will he be worth the large  sum of money the A's paid for him come 3 years from now? If this season has any indication of future performance...heck yes. Big time hitter.

Matt Moore.
Moore is the most heralded SP since someone by the name of "Strasburg". Known for his ability to punch out hitters at a startling rate and with a fantastic performance in last year's playoffs vs. the potent Texas Rangers, his stock couldn't have been any higher going into this year. The Rays rewarded his potential with a sizeable long-term contract early this year as they have done with several of their young stars.
Stats:
GS: 29
W/L: 10-11
ERA: 3.88
WHIP: 1.36
K: 169
WAR: 0.8
K/9: 8.98
Analysis: Plain and simple, this was not the season we thought he'd have. Yes, the strikeouts are there but maybe not quite even up to what we thought he'd get (barely a K an inning) and he just flat hasn't shut down teams as expected. Given he has shown flashes of greatness, but the consistency is not there. Even recently he's struggled (0-4, 5.61 ERA in the last month) so its not like he's been getting better or even showing improvement against big league hitters. At this point only time will tell if he will become the pitcher everyone thought he'd be, and what the Rays need him to be if they want to continue to compete with the AL East powerhouses.

Wade Miley.
Honestly I really didn't know too much about Miley before May or so. He didn't come in with much fanfare, even wasn't the most talked-about rookie pitcher in the Diamondback's camp. He came out with a starting job, though, and has put together a more than solid rookie campaign; out-pitching teammate Ian Kennedy--one of last year's top Cy Young candidates.
Stats:
GS: 26
W/L: 15-10
ERA: 3.10
WHIP: 1.16
K: 127
WAR: 3.8
K/9: 6.30
Analysis: Solid, if not spectacular opening act for the DBacks' young lefty. He's been consistently good throughout the season for a team that underachieved for a good part of the season, enough so that a team that was projected to win the NL West is probably going to miss the playoffs entirely. It's definitely not Miley's fault. Not dominant, just consistent. He came in as a distant number two behind Ian Kennedy and has been the ace of the staff since day 1. His teammate for a few weeks and rookie phenom Trevor Bauer was the sexy pick to steal the show-but it's been Miley that's been the pleasant surprise for an underachieving team.

And that's all I got.

Rookie Review...part 1!

The 2012 MLB season has seen more than its share of remarkable rookies ascend to stardom, or come in with sky-high expectations and not really live up to them. I figured that since the season was drawing to a close I would take analyze the name-brand rookies and see how they fared in their first MLB season-whether they overachieved, underachieved, or just plain lived up to expectations in this first part of a 2-part series:

Yu Darvish.
The Japanese pitching phenom came into the MLB with much fanfare as he signed a massive contract with the Texas Rangers in the offseason. Expectations varied, based on the fact that most scouts consider Japanese baseball to be high-Triple A-level baseball. Also, the baseball used in Japanese pro ball is slightly different than the ball used in American pro ball; so there would be an adjustment period expected for him. There has never been any question of his talent. He was an ace to the 10th degree in Japan, and many expected great things from him in his first season of MLB ball.
Stats:
GS: 26
W/L: 14-9
ERA 4.14
WHIP: 1.33
K: 196
WAR: 2.5
K/9: 10.40
Analysis: A strikeout artist in Japan, Darvish has continued the trend with his massive arsenal in American ball.  Overall, he has been a relative disappointment. He came in and has throughout the season struggled with his control-people couldn't hit him but he gives up way too many free passes, which explains the relatively bloated WHIP. He also struggled out of the stretch, so when he gives first base to someone his troubles were compounded and therefore his ERA is higher than most figured it would, after seeing him post several seasons of sub-2.50 ERA seasons in Japan. He could still be acclimating himself to American ball as his more recent starts have been much better; nevertheless he hasn't quite lived up to preseason expectations as the Ranger's ace that takes over for the departed C.J. Wilson.

Mike Trout.
Two words: holy smokes. Is there ANYTHING this kid can't do? He's putting up numbers most stars would kill to put up, especially in this pitching-dominated era (or at least this decade, as only recently has pitching really started to have the upper hand). He came in with high expectations with his blazing speed, but no one could really say that they saw this season coming--the power, speed, average--it all came together and FAST for the Angel's young rookie.
Stats:
GP: 121
AVG: .331
SLG: .569
OBP: .397
HR: 27
SB: 45
WAR: 7.7 (what?!)
Analysis: Perfection. This is the kind of player that comes around once in a lifetime. We're talking not even The Machine (Albert Pujols) in his best years put up these kind of overall numbers. Yes, some stats from Pujols might have been higher in those years(ex: HR) but overall this has been a season for the ages from this rookie. The only award this kid shouldn't win after the season is over is Cy Young.

Bryce Harper.
The most heralded rookie since Stephen Strasburg...and on the same team too. 19-year old phenom, drafted right out of high school, called the most complete position player in a long time with his immense power potential and great awareness of the strike zone. He blew through the minors and found his way into the National's lineup for the first time late last year and came in as the starter this year.
Stats:
GP: 12
AVG: .262
SLG: .454
OBP: .335
HR: 18
SB: 13
WAR: 3.8
Analysis: Well...its his first season. Overall, he has been a minor letdown. He showed his power on occasion, but not to the extent that was expected of him right out of the box. The average is also lower than what the Nat's bargained for when they drafted him first overall. His best aspect is his awareness of the strike zone, but he's had issues putting the bat on the ball consistently. He's going to keep improving, and we can still expect stardom to come to the Nat's young outfielder--probably sooner than later. Honestly, what was expected of him this year was almost unachievable. They expected Mike Trout's season from Harper, and honestly that's not really fair.

The Rocket. Boomerang Style

Alright. So as I was putting stuff together and looking at links for my previous post, this really stuck out to me as something fun to post...mainly because this type of thing never happens. Not "normally doesn't happen", NEVER happens. Nolan Ryan was an old fart when he retired from pitching. He was 46. Buuuutttt....Roger Clemens is 50. He hasn't played in the MLB in close to 5 years. He's gone through court, went through it again, and is still kicking it. He has made 2 starts for the semipro team Sugarland Skeeters this year, and the Houston Astros' owner Jim Crane came out and publicly said that he would sign Clemens but wouldn't start him against a contender. That statement pulled this response out of Clemens:

"I can tell you right now and they would know, too, that if I was going to go do it, I am going to pitch against a contender, that's who I want to knock out. Why would I want to waste my time running around and getting in shape. I get over to Minute Maid (Park), I'll crank it up and get it over 90 for a contender. We'll knock them right out of the playoffs. That would be the fun. Pitching against somebody that's not in contention wouldn't be any fun for me."

Feisty. Clemens style. But dang...I would absolutely PAY to see Clemens pitch in the MLB one more time just for the fun of it! The guy has nothing to lose. Let him have some fun. I mean...his legacy is set as it is--either you see him as one of the greatest pitchers in the modern era or even any era or you see him as a sleazy juicer who really just can't find the decency to admit it--and really, what is one or two starts at age 50 gonna do to change it? He's not Favre-ing. He's having fun. And that's the point of sports anyway, isn't it? I know that isn't so big in the MLB and its farm systems, but I find that sad. So what if a team wants to give an ex-star a chance not so much at redemption but at one more go-round. If it makes them money, what is it to me? And I personally would watch that game. Worth it.

The one thing Clemens needs to weigh is the fact that in a few months he'll be eligible for the Hall of Fame. If he even throws one pitch in a game he will be postponing that for 5 years. Unfortunately for him, that may be irrelevant anyway  because of his juicing scandal and the fact that he might not pull the required support to get elected. So for pete's sake...let the man pitch one-or two-more games!! Let him have some fun. Believe me, the guy probably needs it. Deserves it. Juicer or not, the whole thing is just plain crazy and incredible; and the fact that as many people want to see a 50-year old throw in an actual MLB game just oozes win on so many levels.
And that's all I got.

So I Wanted to Post Something...really

Ok. I have to admit. Not every day is a hot day for news in the sports industry. And not every day is as wide-open for me to dig. So in lieu of me having time to dig, and in lieu of today having much of anything that I'd like to address...here's some links to some articles I think might be good reads for you all. Here's hoping something comes up later today for me to post a more meaningful and useful article...
NFL News:
Packers: the Least Explosive Offense in the NFL
Power Rankings Week 2
MLB News:
Clemens Wants to Pitch vs. Contender (I may go deeper into this later)
Hunt For October
NCAA:
Eye on College Basketball
Top 10 Surprising Stats

And that's all I got...for now

NFL Weekend #1 Notes

Well, something new, something old, something blue, Peyton Manning...?????? Oh well. I was never good at rhyming anyway.
Manning was definitely the story of the weekend,  but there were several other players that really gave him a run for his money. Here's a look at some notable new players on new teams:

• Brandon Marshall made his presence known as he reconnected with old deliveryman Jay Cutler. His Bears debut couldn't have gone much better than this, catching 9 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Cutler went to Marshall early and often, and it was more than obvious he wanted that chemistry back that they had in Denver. And it was back for sure.
• Andrew Luck did alright, although he had several ugly picks in the game, a couple of them in the red zone. He did throw for over 300 yards, though.
• Who Dat? Not the Saints...Robert Griffin III tore them up for 320 yards and a pair of touches in the Redskins' stunning 40-32 upset. Talk about making an early-round pick count. It's too early to say that RG3 is the real deal, but like Cam Newton last year he sure makes it almost too easy to call it.
• AAAAAAaaaand...Peyton Manning killed it.  The guy looked like he never lost a step. It took him a couple drives to get into it, but about the third Bronco's drive of the game the reigns were taken off and the old guy busted up the Steeler's defense like it was Swiss cheese. 253 yards and 2 TD's later, the Bronco's rolled over the Steelers 31-19. Really? a 129.1 rating in his first start in over a year, AND against the top-ranked defense? Shouldn't be possible. I guess Manning really is superhuman. We will see as the season progresses if he can stay healthy and keep up the production, but calling it now--I think he will. The Broncos have made it priority one to protect Manning in the pocket, and it showed. Except for one ugly series in the second quarter when he was sacked twice, Manning was mostly untouched. Oh...and Demarius Thomas can't be guarded. Especially by Ike Taylor. He busted for an 80-yard TD early in the 3rd quarter on a play that Manning really made happen by calling out the Steeler's blizt at the line and changing the play.

Other stories:

• Adrian Peterson is Ba-aaack! Fulfilling his prediction that he would be back for week 1 this season from a gruesome ACL tear, he ran 17 times for 84 yards and 2 TDs. This dude is superhuman.
• Also, Jamaal Charles came back and ran well in a losing effort 
• Matt Ryan (AKA Matty Ice) is a beast. It's finally happened. With a new offensive coordinator in town, the chains were removed and Ryan may finally be well on his way to becoming the QB the Falcons know he can be. 299 yards and 4 total TDs is a good way to start off the season I think.
• Julio Jones said "thanks!" and caught 2 of Ryan's TD passes on his way to a 108-yard effort.
• Matthew Stafford threw 3 picks in a win over the Rams.

And that's all I got.

Giving the Bird!

Which fits best about the Orioles? Bottom-feeders. Cellar-dwellers. Will try but will get crushed under the weight of the division. Tied for the division lead with less than a month to go. Answer? The last one. Wait...what?! Am I serious? A team with suspect pitching and an offense that yes, can club at times, can not only be keeping pace with the mighty Yankees but also coming back and jacking their way over the Yanks last night right into the division lead? I mean this makes sense if it was, say, May, but in September? What the hell happened?!
Lets take a look via some players making this happen for the Orioles:
One name: Mark Reynolds. The guy is mashing the ball against the Yanks this year. He's got 3 multi-homer games against them this year. He's the first guy since 1938 to do that to the Yanks (ESPN.com). Oh...and he hits pretty well against the rest of the league.
Adam Jones started out hot this year then cooled off significantly, but he's coming around again in the last couple weeks. But the one thing that he's never cooled off on is clutch hitting. He leads the league in go-ahead HR in the eighth inning or later with 5 of them (ESPN.com)...including the go-ahead shot last night that put the Orioles up 7-6.
Pitching.
Closer Jim Johnson has been a revelation for them. With 41 saves so far this year, he's been dominant without using the strikeout, which tends to be pretty rare among this generation's closers. In 57.1 innings pitched, hes got a 2.83 ERA and a .98 WHIP...meaning he doesn't give much of anything up in the inning that counts the most.
SP Wei-Yin Chen has been quietly solid for them in the rotation this year. He leads the teams in IP, K, and is tops on the team in starting pitchers' ERA at 3.79. While not Cy-worthy, he's been there all season for the team and just continues to go out and do business.

This week is BIG for the O's. Last night's win was the opener of a 4-game series at home against the Yanks for them. This is HUGE for a  team that really wants to prove itself; and not only that but they can put distance between them and their closest competitor in the division. They not only could make the wild card (which, at the beginning of the season would have been more that acceptable for this team) but win their division--the toughest division in baseball. If they can do their business for the rest of the season...can you say "bracket buster"? Baseball's biggest surprise team will be the playoff's biggest sleeper, and the team with nothing to lose is the most dangerous team.
And that's all I got.

MLB.com via Facebook

More links: Stats and Info
                  Maybe The O's Are Just Better than the Yanks

Trine Game 1 Review

So I know I'm probably not going to be able to make all Trine's home games...but I'll try to do recaps of every game I go to. Here's the recap for the season (and home) opener:

Synopsis: Opening game of the season. Home crowd into it and going nuts. 92-yard kickoff return. Trine Thunder were getting some Manchester beatdown action in. Final score: Trine 24 Manchester 14.

Breakdown: Well there were good parts and some bad parts. Luckily for the Thunder I didn’t see any really bad parts. First the good:

·        Defense looked sharp as did special teams. Really kept us in the game while the offense was finding their rhythm. Except for the part where we couldn’t stop them from running the ball in the first quarter.

·        Manchester’s special teams were awful. Not just bad…awful. Two of their punts barely would have gotten them first downs on fourth-and-long (8 and 17 yard punts) and when they did kick the ball downfield Trine regularly ran through the defenders for significant gains, especially on the 92 yard touchdown return. D3 football, anyone?

·        The offense caught on in the second half.

·        JaVonte Hence and Myron Puryear.

Now the bad:

·        QB Ryan Hargraves really looked out of sync. I won’t go so far to say that he can’t throw the ball…might just have not had the timing down with his receivers. It’s the first game of the year. I’ll give him the free pass on that one. But yes, he looked bad.

·        Defense needed a series to get in gear. Manchester ran all over the D on their first possession but luckily we were able to get the stop on them just outside of field goal range.

·        Manchester.

That’s basically the big things I saw. As I said earlier, this was the first game of the season, so there were gonna be bugs and snafus. But there were bright spots…and hope that every game will be an improvement over the previous.

And that's all I got.

Box Score 

             

But why?

Alright so this is old news, but I feel that I have to address this and throw my two cents out on the table on it: Why the heck are the Washington Nationals shutting down Stephen Strasburg???? ...Besides the fact that he is coming back from Tommy John surgury.
Let's take a look at it via the raw data:
2012 Season Stats
Win/Loss: 15-6
Innings Pitched: 156.1
ERA: 2.94
WHIP: 1.12
K: 195
Solid stats, right? The two stats that stick out to me are the ERA and the K's. These two really show his dominance, but the ERA can be manipulated and can give a slightly inaccurate view on success. So, lets look a little closer (if you need help with any of these stats click here):
FIP: 2.64
K/9: 11.23
WAR: 4.6
BABIP: .310
Alright. So yeah. Let me interpret these stats: basically they all show that Strasburg has been getting unlucky so far this year. Yeah. That's right. Unlucky. The FIP means that if his defense behind him was perfect, Strasburg's ERA would drop by three tenths. His BABIP is on the high side--more balls that were put in play fell in for hits than probably should have, be it bad defense or just good placement. The fact that Strasburg can pull a sub-3.00 ERA and have a BABIP this high is incredible. Here's why:
LOB% (Left on base percent): 75.9%
HR/9: .75
Basically Strasburg shuts it down when there are runners on base. He also gives up almost NO home runs: less than 1 HR in a 9 inning game. Going back to the WAR, his rating of 4.6 is crazy good for a starting pitcher.  Basically this means that Strasburg wins close to 5 more games for the Nats than the Nats with a replacement. Being that a SP only plays in 28-32 games a year, winning +5 more games out of 32 is just flat incredible.
So...final thoughts. Yes, I see where the doctors are coming from and why the Nats would want to shut down Strasburg. He's still coming back from Tommy John and therefore an injury risk. In my opinion, he's ALWAYS gonna be an injury risk. His throwing motion is gonna kill his arm and I feel he's a time bomb. Nothing is gonna change that. Not shutting him down early especially. They may cite shutting Jordan Zimmerman down as a valid reason for doing the same to Strasburg, but the dynamics of the seasons are completely and totally different. Last time they weren't a World Series contender. The simple fact is that you don't get the chance to play in a Series every year (except the Yankees...) even if you have basically the same team from year to year.
Basically the Nats, in an idealistic campaign to preserve their ace, are shutting him down right at the most important time in what I feel is their most important season--a season when they finally break through and become contenders. They can show this year that they belong, but not without Strasburg. I think it's a fatal decision, but on September 12, it all becomes irrelevant. He'll be done, and so will the Nats' World Series hopes.

Took the Weekend Off-Recap

So yeah. Finding out that the little thing known as "Labor Day Weekend" here in America wreaks havok on general schedules and motivation. Especially when you want to watch football...play Halo...and last but not least sleep...rather than blog...do homework...anything productive.
But the good part about this is that-COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK!!! I got to see several good games, but the one that impressed me most is the Oregon vs. Arkansas State game. I discussed it here.
Other thoughts from this weekend's game:

• Anyone think that teams were throwing more than usual? It seemed to my untrained eye that passing yardage was up. Given this is a small sample size (1 weekend) but I sure saw a whole bunch of eye-popping passing stats posted up (see Barkley, M, Mariota, M, Smith, G).
• No, Bell, L and Lattimore, M, we aren't forgetting you. These two were of several backs that carried their teams to victory. I was certainly impressed by MSU's Bell and how he just imposed his will on the normally stout Boise State Broncos. They just had no answer for him. He ran threw tacklers (or even flew over one on one sick run) as if they had no business on the field. I'm sure Lattimore was equally impressive too, although I cant review based on the fact that I didn't personally see the game.
• Other thoughts--most teams did as expected. USC, OSU, OK, FSU and WVU all did their work and left 1-0. Surprise teams: Oregon stunned me with their blowout. No, didn't overestimate ArkSt, but Oregon's total dominance in that game caught me completely off guard. Also I expected more of a fight from Michigan. Didn't really think they were gonna win the game in the first place but really didn't think they would get shown up like they did. Shoutouts to Notre Dame for clubbing Navy.

And that's the recap--and that's all I got.

Oregon...oh boy

So I'm sitting here watching the Oregon vs. Arkansas State game. With two minutes to go in the Second QUARTER, the score is 50-3 Oregon. All I can say is "woooow..........". This is beyond one-sided. Every ORE posession has ended in a touchdown. Every. Single. One. Also, ArkSt can't make it past their own 40. Like...just can't. They have had ONE first down in the entire first half. So, how did it get this bad for them-or how has it been this good for Oregon?
Two names: Marcus Mariota. De'Anthony Thomas. Mariota is Oregon's freshman stud QB and he has shown it. Before being pulled for the (possible) last Oregon drive of the first half, I was absolutely blown away by his combination of poise, accuracy, and leadership. In one stretch in the first half, he connected on 10 straight completions, several (two, I think) for touchdowns. I mean, the guy has NO ceiling. Mariota, to me, is the perfect QB for this high-octane offense that is big-play oriented under head coach Chip Kelly.
Thomas can do it all and did do it all tonight. He showed his famous open-field speed on a 37-yard TD in the second quarter that he broke by just running right by the free safety. He also caught two TDs from Mariota.
UPDATE: ArkSt QB Ryan Apling just threw a dart to WR Julian Jones for a 72-yard TD. Beautiful play. 50-10 Oregon
Speaking of Apling, he's been the bright spot in the game for State. Although he threw an ugly pick, he has looked sharp...when he's given protection. Other than that they really haven't played a bad game; they've just been ultimately overmatched. Yes, they were a little sloppy with the football as they lost a fumble and threw the aforementioned pick, but basically they just don't have the personnel to beat Oregon. That's what it all comes down to.
WHOOPS UPDATE: Oregon WR D.J. Kelly let a ball slide through his hands for Oregon's first turnover. Still 50-10.
<endhalf>50-10 Oregon.
And that's all I got.