Proven Wrong...In A Good Way

Yes folks, I was proven wrong and called out on it...twice. Steely McDonati in his "What an awful football weekend" post and E, in comments on Donati's post, have pointed out that I said the Phillies wouldn't make the playoffs. Boy was I wrong. Do I care? Not at all. I'd much rather look like an idiot and have my team in the playoffs than be right and watching other teams in the Fall Classic. The post E refers to will not be found on this site. It was posted on Sports Fountainhead's old home. But for reference and the chance for everyone to make fun of me, here it is:

"Can the Phillies make the playoffs? Absolutely. Will they? I'm saying it now, NO. Quote me. I don't care. They do not have the starting or relief pitching, unless Cole Hamels goes 1900 on us and pitches every game."

-- Me on June 11th, 2007

Oops.

What an awful football weekend.

• I'm not gonna comment too much on the Penn State debacle, since everyone else already touched on it. I will say this though: Morelli was incredibly awful in the 4th quarter, but let's not be putting the blame entirely. If our highly regarded defense (and special teams) would have shown up to play in the first half, there wouldn't have been a need to throw 3 int's late in the game. Plus, given the defense's inexcusable 1st half performance, it was thanks to Morelli that we weren't blown out at halftime. That said, the kid performs under pressure like a Ford Taurus. But it's not all on him. This is just a team that doesn't appear to be able to put a complete game together on both sides of the ball. This is scary, but they remind me a lot of the 2003-2004 teams that combined for 7 wins - just finding different ways to lose each week. With Iowa coming into town, seniors here will be having horrible flashbacks to the 6-4 game in 04. With both teams at 0-2 in the Big Ten, this game could be just as ugly.

Just remember Penn State fans, it could be worse, you could be Pitt fans.

• So I was hoping that on Sunday, much like last weekend after the Michigan loss, that the Steelers could ease the pain a bit, with a good ass whoopin. Well, that wasn't happening either. Just an awfully ugly second half against the Cardinals turned a 7-0 halftime lead into a 21-14 loss. Everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong. Willie Parker was contained all day. Polamalu left with an injury, and with Hines already out, that meant the leaders on both offense and defense were out. Ben played well for the most part, but a pick in the red zone proved very costly. Santonio Holmes had the game of his life filling in for Hines, scoring both touchdowns, but none of the other receivers showed up. Steve Breaston of all people returned a punt for a touchdown (Michigan sucks). And at the end, we got beat by a team that couldn't even pick a QB and stick with it, as they went back and forth between Leinart and Kurt Warner the whole game.

So yeah, the Steelers game was not very pleasant, but I think it's more of a throw away game than anything else. I dont like to make predictions, especially this early in the season, but when I saw this game on the schedule it immediately jumped out as a trap game, for the following reasons:

• It was at that weird new stadium in Glendale, where a bunch of crazy stuff has happened in just its first year (think Devin Hester, Boise State, and Gators/Buckeyes)
• The obvious storyline of Ken Whisenhunt and assistant, dicked over by the Steelers coaching vacancy, so you know they would have their team ready. Plus they were probably very familiar with our personnel and various signals, especially on defense.
• A number of Pittsburgh connections on the Cardinals, including Larry Fitzgerald who messed up the Heinz Field playing surface for Pitt, and Breaston who grew up in the Pittsburgh area. You know they were jacked to play the Steelers, and both had big games.
• Add to that not having Hines Ward, and later losing Polamalu, and we had a lot going against us.

If we can beat the Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch at home next week, we'll go into the bye at 4-1. After the bye we have a lot of games that are winnable until we play the Patriots on the road in December. So the season is certainly not lost, and the division is still under our control (see below). See, this is why being an NFL fan is so much less stressful than college!

And yes Steeler fans, you should also be happy that you're not Eagles fans.

Elsewhere around sports on this very busy Sunday...

• Germany wins the women's World Cup, U.S. finishes third with the much less attractive goalie.
• Cowboys, Packers, Colts all remain undefeated; Patriots try tomorrow against Bengals (meaning they will remain undefeated as well). I don't care about Favre.
• The Browns have been Man's (aka Steeler fans) best friend this year, beating the Ravens at home today. If keeping score at home, that's a win at Cleveland for the Steelers, and losses at Cleveland for both the Ravens and Bengals. And what is up with the NFL scheduling all of the Browns' home division games in September? If I was a fan I'd be pissed. That's way too many crucial games early in the season. But theyre 2-1 in those games so I guess it worked out.
• Joey Mays Hays may be celebrating tonight, but I seem to remember a post earlier this summer, on the originial SFH site, in which he definitively assured us that the Phillies would NOT make the post-season. I would link, but I'm lazy.
• Lost in the Mets' collapse was the Padres blowing the last two games at demoralized Milwaukee, and the Rockies took the last two from the D-backs to force the one game playoff at Coors. If the Rockies win, they will be my official bandwagon team of the playoffs. The pitching matchup is not favorable for the Rocks though: Jake Peavy vs. Josh Fogg. OUCH. The saving grace for the Rockies may be that the game is in the rarified air of Denver. Note to the Coors' Field staff: Shut the humidor off. It may be your team's best chance to make the playoffs. If the Padres win the wildcard, then I will be cheering for The Angels Angels of Anaheim.
• Pirates lose their final game of the season, 6-5 to the Cardinals. 68-94 final record, as I mentioned a few days ago, it's improvement!
• As an avid Pirates fan, I've seen a lot of Craig Biggio over the years, both in person and on TV. I've always rooted against him, but now that he's retiring I tip my hat to what should be a Hall of Fame career, 20 years all spent with the Houston Astros.
• The national networks have yet to figure out that the NFC East is a terrible division, outside of the Cowboys this year. This after a horribly ugly Sunday night game where the Giants beat the Eagles 16-3. Philly fans likely don't care tonight, but their team looked very awful, with the Giants looking just slightly less awful. McNabb got sacked an NFL record 12 times. Seriously though, I'm tired of TV networks picking primetime games solely on big market teams rather than actual talent on the field. I'd rather watch the Patriots at this point.

Is a technicality the only way we'll beat Michigan?

Not that we deserved this win or anything, but it looks like Michigan's 14-9 victory over Penn State is suddenly under review. It looks like Michigan may have used an ineligible player.

Turbulent Weekend Ends on High Note

What started amazing on Friday (Phillies won, Mets lost, take over 1st in NL East; West Virginia loses to South Florida) turned terrible on Saturday (Phillies lose, Mets win, tied for 1st in East with 1 game left; Penn State loses to Illinois, dropping to 3-2 and out of the Top 25). But Sunday was better. Even though the Dolphins lost to a bad Raiders team (35-17) and Culpepper had a hand in all 5 Raiders TDs (2 passing, 3 rushing - I questioned why we gave up on him, so glad we did!), that couldn't even ruin my day. Sunday was great. Why? The Phillies beat the Nationals 6-1 and the Mets lost to the Marlins 8-1, which means...THE PHILLIES ARE THE 2007 NL EAST CHAMPIONS and in the playoffs for only the 2nd time in my lifetime and for the 10th time in franchise history. It is an amazing feeling, especially since they come just short in 2005 and 2006. Jimmy Rollins said this would be our year; we were the team to beat in the East. And he was right. As crazy as it sounded when the Phils started 4-11 and when they were 7 back of the Mets with 17 to play. This is a rare but wonderful feeling. Now it's time to take care of San Diego or Colorado, whoever takes the Wild Card.

LET'S GO PHILLIES!!!

A bad weekend gets worse

The Jets just lost to the Bills. Yes, the Bills that are 0-3, have lost about 90823094 starters due to injury, have the worst ranked offense in the NFL and start a rookie QB and RB, the QB starting his first career game in the NFL. At least the Browns are in the process of embarrassing the Ravens.

My take on the Morelli issue

I don't really want to talk specifics of the game (such as, why didn't we throw like we did today in the first half when we were playing Michigan?), because let's face it, Penn State didn't deserve a W. Not with 5 turnovers and critical red-zone mistakes. But if I may, I'll weigh in on the Morelli issue...

First of all, I'm not gonna even talk about the possibility of him being benched, because if you think JoePa's benching Morelli, you're dreaming. Anthony Morelli will start on Saturday against Iowa. However, I admit that I agree with my colleagues that it might behoove Paterno to take the route that, so far, has worked well for Frank Beamer and Steve Spurrier. Both have switched their starting QBs in favor of younger players, and it seems to have worked well in their favor. I know Smelley has only started this once for the Gamecocks, but we'll see how he does down the road.

The difference between JoePa and Beamer/Spurrier is that the latter coaches made the switch before their conference (ACC for VT) or division (SEC East for South Carolina) titles were out of reach. I like the idea of starting a new QB to gain momentum for a 2008 campaign, especially because certainly our MNC and probably our Big Ten hopes are gone. But if you think Devlin's starting, you're raving mad. If anyone is replacing Morelli this year, it's Darryl Clark, and I think that's the right decision. Why? Well, in a year that the O-line is struggling (doesn't that seem like every year?), we need a mobile QB who can respond when the line collapses and make a good play with his legs. That's why Michael Robinson was so successful in the 2005 campaign. The O-line was probably just as bad as it's been for the last five years, but Mills and Morelli aren't mobile QBs. (At least, they never played Mills as one.) As far as I know, Devlin can't do that and wouldn't be a good fit right now. As the O-line matures, it may become a better match. Just not right now.

But as much as I've written about it, it's not worth wasting our time debating. Morelli is going to be our starter through the rest of this season and in our appearance in the Alamo Bowl, and Joe is perfectly okay with that.

Something to cheer you up

I know some of us need cheering up today and reading this (courtesy of the guys from www.firejoemorgan.com) did just the thing for me. I'll just copy and paste the brief article for you here:

Red Sox Clubhouse Celebration Or Gay Porno?

Our dear friend Ronny Dubs points us to this disturbing recap from the Boston Globe.

"So much for wearing these clothes home," Francona cracked, the beer-and-champagne mix dripping down his bald head, into his eyes, past his chin, and onto the red underclothes that he still wore.

But that was nothing compared to the double dose of champagne Theo Epstein took from Schilling and Papelbon, an explosion of the sticky liquid sending him shooting across the clubhouse floor, with Schilling whispering a warning to reporters standing close to watch out.

I second that

I absolutely second J Mays' calling to bench Morelli. Leaving him in at this juncture is pointless. You're supposed to start the quarterback that gives you the best chance to win. Honestly, I feel like any quarterback on this roster gives us an equal chance to win. All Morelli has proven this season is that he's a guy with a rocket arm that makes absolutely horrendous decisions (and can't hold on to the ball). I understand that Illinois is a pretty decent football team but turning the ball over 4 times is unacceptable, no matter who you are playing. The play calling today was much, much better than it has been in the past few games and the Lions just couldn't capitalize. They pieced together a few impressive drives but the wheels would just come off by the end. Killer #1 was Morelli's terrible INT at the Illinois 1 yard line. It was just a terrible throw that thwarted an impressive late game drive. Killer #2 was Morelli's fumble after getting the first down on 4th and long with less than a minute to go in the game. Kudos for having the courage to run that but if you're going to run it HOLD ON TO THE FOOTBALL. I agree that Devlin should get the nod, at least for a game or two. Let's see what he can do. Leaving in Morelli would be like the Giants re-signing Barry Bonds after this year. Sure, he can do some things for you, but getting cutting ties is for the good of the club. PSU isn't winning a national title and a Big Ten title is a long shot at this point. For the future...

Morelli Must Be Benched

As the Nittany Lions lose for the 2nd straight week, it has become glaring that changes are needed at QB. Anthony Morelli must be benched. He should be relegated to 4th string behind Clark, Devlin, and Cianciolo. Not just because of his horrendous game today. But because of his horrendous career. In the 18 games Morelli has started, Penn State is 12-6. Mediocre considering 6 of those wins are against cupcakes (Akron, Yougnstown State, Temple, FIU, Notre Dame (2007), and Buffalo). In those 6 wins hes thrown for 12 TDs and 2 INTs. Not bad. Except that the statistic most important to any QB is his rating. Morelli has topped 100 in those 12 games ONLY 3 times (Akron 2006, FIU 2007, Buffalo 2007). Even against inferior opponents he's statistically terrible. In important, meaningful games he's 6-6 and has had a QB rating under 70 in 6 of those 12 contests. Also in those 12 games he has thrown just 8 TDs versus 9 INTs. Wow. He is not a good QB. He has shown no signs of improvement. He can't beat good teams. He makes terrible decisions. He can't hold onto the ball. He MUST be removed. If he can't lead this team someone else must get a chance. Personally I think it should be Pat Devlin, the prize recruit of the 2005 class who rescinded on his verbal commitment to Miami to sign with Penn State. Devlin redshirted last year. He must start and the staff has to evaluate his raw skills and determine if he is the QB for the rest of this year and 2008, 2009, and 2010. He would gain massive amounts of experience this year and be poised for a steady campaign in 2008. The Penn State team this year is not devoid of talent (excluding the offensive line). Devlin wouldn't be playing on a bad team (like Jimmy Clausen). It would build his game management skills and he would gain live action experience, the most important component to building a successful QB. Devlin must get the start Saturday versus Iowa in Happy Valley.

South Fucking Florida!

In 1996, the University of South Florida did not have a football team. They started the program in 1997 and joined Division I-FBS-A in 2001. As recently as 2005, they were one of PSU's scheduled cupcakes at the beginning of the season, and we were upset to only beat them by two touchdowns. In 2007, they are one of the best teams in the country. This was proven tonight when they beat the #5 ranked West Virginia Mountain Mama's 21-13 at the Buccaneers' stadium in Tampa. Which brings up the first curious question about South Florida:

Why are they located in Tampa? Tampa appears to be more in Central Florida than South. But then again, Central Florida was already taken, so I guess they just hoped no one would notice. But still, that's kinda like having 11 teams in the Big Ten. Oh wait...

But seriously, how can you explain the rise of this team? They have gone from being a catchy sign at a basketball game (USF Football: undefeated) and ten years later, literally having a chance to go undefeated in the Big East, and maybe even crash the BCS? I thought about this a lot this Friday evening (because that's what an awesome life I have), and there can be only one explanation:

Once upon a time, South Florida was recruiting a very talented, but dumb player. After some courtship, they came to realize that the recruit thought he was being recruited by Southern Cal. Rather than tell him the truth, they didn't deny it because that obviously made them look better. So they employed a "don't ask dont tell" policy about whether they were USC or not, and it turned out a lot of talented players heard the words "South warm state" and were sold. Deceitful bastards.

Phillies in 1st

Yep, that's right! The Phillies have taken over 1st place in the NL East with a dominating 6-0 win over the visiting Nationals. Cole Hamels struck out 13 in 8 innings and Ryan Howard hit his 45th HR of the season in the 7th. The win, coupled with a Mets loss to Florida (7-4), left Philadelphia alone atop pf the East for the first time this season. They haven't lead a division this late in a season since, yep, you guessed it, 1993.

If the Phillies win tomorrow evening, they guarantee themselves a chance for at least a 1 game playoff with the Mets for the NL East title. Of course, if the Mets lose and the Phils win, HELLO PLAYOFFS! HELLO NL EAST CHAMPS!

I'm getting ahead of myself. First we have to survive Adam Eaton pitching tomorrow. Yikes.


LET'S GO PHILLIES!

I <3 Funny/Good/Awesome Quotes

Please note that these are rough quotes (ie, how I remember them). I might not get them exactly but they're pretty close. The sports community was blessed with great quotes this past week and I feel that it's fitting to share them unless you missed them.

We'll start with the PSU alum, Larry Johnson: "Football isn't a game of chess. It's more like checkers....People keep trying to make it like..trigonometry."

-Sure Larry. At PSU it was like checkers because you had a stellar O-line. At KC it used to be checkers because you used to have a stellar O-line. Now you don't. Now you have to be a little more crafty in your play calling and try to make up for that gap in talent. Good luck this year Larry.

Hope Solo's (USA Womens Goalie) rant on not playing and how poorly her replacement did play, including lines such as "There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves."

-Don't get me wrong, I do agree with Hope here. The coach was an absolutely moron for benching her and she probably would have stopped some of those goals that went in. However, you don't say those sorts of things when you're on a team. You just don't. Yes, Hope, you're right, but shut up.

Joe Torre upon hearing his players were hailing him as the reason the team stayed together and made the playoffs: "Now you guys are gonna make me cry."

-Awwwwwwwwwww. Now that that's out of the way, Joe can be very emotional at times. I've seen it plenty of times being a Yankee fan. In that case, he has every right to cry. These guys were buried by absolutely everyone (except me) and they came back with force to grab a playoff bid. Not many managers could keep a team on the same page after what they went through and he deserves all the praise he gets.

Mike Gundy had a lot of quotes in his tirade but the main point was this: He was furious about a reporter who wrote a crappy story (it was, I read it) about how one of his players is basically a chicken. The funniest quote in all this was probably right at the beginning: "This (article) was brought to me by a mother...(pause)...of children."

-Gundy had every right to be pissed off. The article basically called the Oklahoma State QB a sissy by using 'rumors' and 'rumblings'. That's just stupid. Have solid facts before you charge a kid with being weak mentally, don't just go by what you 'hear'. That writer deserved the slamming she got.

Pick 12

So I like predicting college football games whether you care or not. Each week I'll pick 12 of the more interesting games of the week, just as I did last week. Previously I went 9-3...not bad considering I picked Iowa over Wisconsin (choked) and Arkansas over Kentucky (choked). Not that I'm making excuses or anything...

(winners in bold)

#5 WVU @ #18 USF

What will likely end up being one of the biggest Big East matchups of the year. Incredibly difficult game to pick with both teams being hot, and very good. WVU has the duo of White and Slayton and they're sure to give USF fits on defense. However, I just feel like USF is primed for another upset over WVU this year. They've already proven they can win the big game by going into Auburn a few weeks ago and defeating them. They would have won that game a little more easily too had it not been for their kicker. USF by a FG.

#6 Cal @ #11 Oregon

Again, another incredibly tough game to predict. Both teams have incredible offenses and questionable Ds. However, Oregon's defense has played a little bit better than Cal's this year, plus they're at home. I'll go with the Ducks. Ducks by 6.

Louisville @ NC State

Can Louisville rebound from back-to-back crushing losses? That's the question many are asking, even though they're going up against the lowly Wolf Pack. Louisville has a stellar offense, no doubt about it but their D is worse than pathetic. While the teams will be engaged in an entertaining shootout, I see Brohm pulling the Cards of the Pack by at least 3 TDs.

Michigan State @ #9 Wisconsin

I really want to pick the Spartans here but I just can't. They gave up two TDs to Notre Dame last week. PJ Hill will run all over MSU, carrying the Badgers to (unfortunate) victory. Badgers by 4.

Michigan @ Northwestern

The Wolverines finally leave the friendly confines of the Big House and travel to Evanston. They won't find much other than a bruised and battered Wildcats team that played defense at a level comparable to Louisville last week, yielding over 50 points to the Buckeyes. UM by 20.

Kansas State @ #7 Texas

Last year, Kansas State pulled off the shocker by beating the Longhorns in Manhattan. This year, the game moves to Austin. While I believe Texas is one of the more overrated teams in college football, I don't see Kansas State pulling off the upset road win. Texas by 13.

#19 Penn State @ Illinois

A part of me honestly wants to pick Illinois. I have no faith in our offense. This is honestly looking like 2004 all over again: A superb defense, and an offense that needs teams to hand them points (ie 6-4 loss to Iowa in '04). The defense will have its hands full with Juice but I feel that Morelli will rebound and actually play a decent game. Lions by 14.

Appalachian State @ Elon

How will the Mountaineers respond to their first loss of the season (and snapping their long winning streak)? With another loss against their cross state rivals at Elon. Hey, Elon didn't play that poorly against USF in the season opener. Phoenix by 3.

#22 Alabama @ Florida State

Alabama couldn't pull off the big win at home against Georgia last week. Things don't get any easier this week as they have to travel to Tallahassee to take on the Seminoles. I see Weatherford having a big game and beating the Crimson pretty easily. FSU by 11.

Hawaii @ Idaho

I bet everyone is looking forward to this premier WAC matchup. I just like the fact that its the Rainbow Warriors v. Vandals. Interesting matchup...And yes, they're still the Rainbow Warriors, I don't care what you say. Brennan throws 5 (if he plays). Hawaii by 38.

UCLA @ Oregon State

I usually like the Beavers in an upset. Plus, they've been pretty decent at home this year. However, they've been miserable on the road (then again, so has UCLA...). Despite that, Ben Olsen should have a triumphant return to the lineup, beating the home team with relative ease. Bruins by 9.

Ohio State @ Minnesota

STOP NATIONALLY TELEVISING MINNESOTA GAMES....Ohio State by 2380974982736.

I await eagerly to see whether its May or Holtz that will pick the Illini over the Lions tomorrow. While it could happen, my bet is their reasoning is "the Lions' defense is overrated, they have up all those ground yards to Hart." Ahem, yards pile up when you run the ball over 40 times and when you spend 10 more minutes on the field than the other defense. Anyways, I'm betting some crazy upset will happen this week too. My guess (lucky pick 13) is Auburn over the Gators. Happy viewing this weekend everyone.

The Worldwide Leader in Undeserved Hype

This is a hilarious site about the undeserved hype that Notre Dame gets year in and year out. It mimics the ESPN site EXACTLY. Don't believe me? Check it out.

The arrow points to Jimmy Clausen...
from Wake Me Up When It's Saturday

Jimmy Was Right: PHILLIES IN 1st ... sort of

Jimmy Rollins - soon to be 2007 NL MVP (hopefully) - said it back in January: the Phillies are the team to beat in the NL East. Well today, after they played their 159th game of the season, the Phillies are in 1st place. Well, a tie for one. Will what Jimmy said over 7 months ago hold true come Sunday evening? The next 3 days will tell us. The Phillies stay in the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park to host the Washington Nationals who hope to play the spoilers role. The Mets also remain at home to face off versus another NL East foe, the Marlins. To say these last 3 games are critical is an understatement and, frankly, the last 20 games have been. The Phillies were 7 games back of the Mets in the NL East on September 12, and 2 games behind the Padres for the Wild Card.

Here are a few things that could happen this weekend, one that may be the most exciting of all of 2007:

1. The Phillies & Mets win the same amount of games - this leads to a 1 game playoff on Monday in Philadelphia to determine the NL East champion
2. Fist team to 2 wins...or loses - that is, if the Phillies win 2 and the Mets lose 2, the Phils are in (and vice versa)
3. Keep an eye on San Diego and Colorado...the Wild Card is such a mess! There is no way of explaining the possible scenarios here cause there over about 5,239,451,763 different scenarios (see this)

And what happens if the Phillies fall short? Well then Philadelphia is deprived of post season experience for the 14th consecutive year. And I will die a little inside. After all, the Phillies have made the playoffs ONCE in my lifetime. And let us never speak of that experience (the hero, the zero).

"I think we are the team to beat in the NL East -- finally"
Jimmy Rollins
January 22nd, 2007

Buy or Sell

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the college football swap meet. We have some traditional powers and early season surprises lined up for you, and our job is to tell you whether you should buy or sell. Keep in mind that the Sagarin ratings include Division 1-A and 1-AA teams. And that the schedule rank is only to date.

Texas Longhorns (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 9
Wins over Arkansas State (92), TCU (48), Central Florida (60), and Rice (174)
Schedule Rank: 109th out of 242
What do you do? Sell. And sell quickly, if you can. Texas's most impressive victory came against sputtering Rice, while follies against ASU and UCF have not padded the Longhorns' resume. And with K-State rolling into town and the Red River Rivalry shortly after, this is going to be a long two weeks for Mack Brown.

Arizona State (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 11
Wins over San Jose State (126), Colorado (58), San Diego State (78), and Oregon State (39)
Schedule Rank: 87th out of 242
What do you do? Buy. This is the 4th team that Dennis Erickson has taken into the top 25 in his career. Think he knows a thing or two about coaching? The Sun Devils have looked impressive, and with Stanford, Wazzu, and Washington next on the roster, we could be looking at a 7-0 Arizona State team in the top 15. And they'll need all the momentum they can get for their next four -- Cal, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. At least the Bears and the Trojans come to Tempe.

Clemson (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 12
Wins over Florida State (25), Louisiana-Monroe (136), Furman (146), and NC State (67)
Schedule Rank: 101st out of 242
What do you do? Sell. Just look at the next two -- Georgia Tech at home, followed by a road trip to Blacksburg. Uh oh. Clemson barely held on by a thread at home in the Bowden Bowl, and their storied end-of-the-season meltdowns fall short to only those by Michigan State. The middle of the schedule doesn't seem so bad, before wrapping up against BC and at South Carolina. Look for BC to edge out the Tigers for the Atlantic Division.

Kentucky (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 13
Wins over Eastern Kentucky (131), Kent State (97), Louisville (63), and Arkansas (33)
Schedule Rank: 86th out of 242
What do you do? Buy. Well, at least for this week, as the Wildcats will roll over Florida Atlantic (who, at 3-1, are a surprise in their own right). Then comes a winnable game at South Carolina, followed by home dates with LSU and Florida. Andre Woodson is a fine senior quarterback, and anyone who can out duel Brian Brohm deserves some props. They surprised many by beating McFadden and company in the Nutt House, including yours truly. Mark it down: Florida at Kentucky will be the game that determines the outcome of the SEC East.

Cincinnati (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 14
Wins over Southeast Missouri State (208), Oregon State (39), Miami-OH (102), and Marshall (134)
Schedule Rank: 149th out of 242
What do you do? Sell. There's room for only one Cinderella in the Big East. The Bearcats played 3 out of their first 4 at home, with the lone road trip to Miami-OH. And the opponents have been less than impressive. The trouncing of the Beavers proved to be clutch, but watch out when Big East action starts in Piscataway. Yikes! Cincy later has to travel to Tampa to wrestle with the Bulls and then West Virginia will come calling.

Wisconsin (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 16
Wins over Washington State (40), UNLV (75), The Citadel (133), and Iowa (43)
Schedule Rank: 77th out of 242
What do you do? Sell. The Badgers apparently like to keep it close. Really close if they're on the road -- say, against UNLV. Even with a primetime win over Iowa under their belt, the Badgers still haven't answered a lot of questions. One question that's sure to be answered after away games at Penn State and at Ohio State and a home date with Michigan is, "Why were these guys in the preseason top 10?"

Missouri (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 19
Wins over Illinois (42), Ole Miss (74), Western Michigan (122), and Illinois State (145)
Schedule Rank: 108th out of 242
What do you do? Buy. The Big 12 North is still up for grabs, and even though Nebraska could still be the front-runner after the USC thumping, there's nothing that says Missouri or K-State still can't snatch it up. The Tigers are idle this week, and they're gonna need their rest -- after the Huskers come to town, Chase Daniel and the gang head out to Norman to face some little team named Oklahoma. The Missouri-Nebraska showdown will determine the early direction of the division.

South Florida (3-0)
Sagarin Rating: 22
Wins over Elon (141), Auburn (38), and North Carolina (84)
Schedule Rank: 93rd out of 242
What do you do? Buy. College football has found its Cinderella this season, and she lives in Tampa. There have been whispers going back to even 2005 about the talent of this South Florida team. We saw a glimpse last season when the Bulls upended West Virginia in Morgantown. Now the Mountaineers travel to Tampa tomorrow to begin conference play, and this one's going to be a doozy. If they pull off another shocker, two of the conference's other three best teams -- Louisville and Cincinnati -- both are at home, but Grothe, et al. will have to face Rutgers on the road. Beating Auburn on the road isn't so easy, you know. South Florida is the new Rutgers.

Purdue (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 23
Wins over Toledo (115), Eastern Illinois (164), Central Michigan (113), and Minnesota (77)
Schedule Rank: 132nd out of 242
What do you do? Sell. Yeah, the Irish are in town this week, but the Buckeyes' impending visit is sure to be a headache for Curtis Painter. I know the Boilermakers keep bringing back the offensive firepower, but the defense is always suspect. How did Minnesota put up 31 on these guys? Plus, Joe Tiller has a history of failing to living up to expectations. Road games in Ann Arbor and Happy Valley loom, too.

Kansas (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 26
Wins over Central Michigan (113), Southeastern Louisiana (190), Toledo (115), and Florida International (160)
Schedule Rank: 177th out of 242 (Eep!)
What do you do? Sell! Please sell! Kinda looks like Purdue's schedule, doesn't it? At least Purdue beat somebody in the top 100... on the road. Kansas hasn't left home, but will do so in two weeks, when they visit Manhattan after a completely undeserved respite. Sure, the Jayhawks will go bowling -- games with Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State could ensure at least .500 -- but even the North division title could be too lofty of a goal.

Connecticut (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 31
Wins over Duke (104), Maine (156), Temple (161) and Pittsburgh (62)
Schedule Rank: 137th out of 242
What do you do? Well, first of all, you giggle because Maine is ranked higher than Temple. Then, you sell the Huskies. Do you think Akron thought UConn would be 4-0 back when they scheduled them? Beating Pitt at Heinz Field is somewhat of an accomplishment, and at least a split isn't unrealistic against Akron and at Virginia, so they could be 5-1 when they resume Big East play. The last six of the year is nothing anybody wants to be put through -- Louisville, South Florida, Rutgers, Cincy, Syracuse, and West Virginia. Eep! At least basketball season starts soon.

Michigan State (4-0)
Sagarin Rating: 34
Wins over UAB (124), Bowling Green (69), Pittsburgh (62), and Notre Dame (114)
What do you do? After you laugh that ND is out of the top 100 (and ranked lower than Bowling Green), you buy the Spartans. Mark Dantonio built a nice little foundation over in Cincinnati, and now he has a chance to make some big changes in a town where John L. Smith messed everything up. A trip to Madison will tell a lot about this Spartan team, but mark my word that they will be at least 6-1 before rolling into Columbus. Michigan and Penn State have to travel to East Lansing. Expect the end-of-the-season slumps to end and a surprising upset to go down.

Pirates Improving!*

*Slowly.

Tonight, the Battlin Buccos defeated the playoff contending Diamondbacks 5-1 for their 68th win of the season. This ensures that they will finish with a better record than the 67-95 mark they have had each of the past two seasons. If they keep improving at this rate (assuming they lose their final 4), they will reach .500 by the year 2020 and be in playoff contention somewhere around the 2030-2040 range.

"So you're telling me there's a chance..."

NFL Mock Draft 2008, Version 1

Because I love college football, the NFL, and the draft (which may be the best day of the year...seriously), I've decided to do a mock draft. I will try to update it monthly until April when it will then be weekly up until the weekend of the draft (April 26 & 27, 2008 in NYC). It is really early to evaluate college talent and where the NFL teams will finish so bear with me. I think it is a decent representation. And it will change. A lot.

Pick	Team	Player (Position, College)
1	Atlanta Falcons	Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
2	Buffalo Bills	Glenn Dorsey (DT, LSU)
3	Kansas City Chiefs	Jake Long (OT, Michigan)
4	Oakland Raiders	Darren McFadden (RB, Arkansas)
5	Cleveland Browns (to Dallas)	DeSean Jackson (WR, Cal)
6	Miami Dolphins	Calais Campbell (DE, Miami)
7	New York Giants	Dan Connor (LB, Penn State)
8	New Orleans Saints	Aqib Talib (CB, Kansas)
9	Minnesota Vikings	Andre Woodson (QB, Kentucky)
10	St. Louis Rams	Limas Sweed (WR, Texas)
11	Arizona Cardinals	Chris Long (DE, Virginia)
12	Detroit Lions	Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
13	New York Jets	Derrick Harvey (DE/LB, Florida)
14	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Matt Ryan (QB, Boston College)
15	Chicago Bears	Kenny Phillips (S, Miami)
16	Cincinnati Bengals	Sedrick Ellis (DT, USC)
17	Carolina Panthers	Tyson Jackson (DE, LSU)
18	Washington Redskins	Early Docuet (WR, LSU)
19	San Francisco 49ers (to New England)	James Laurinaitis (LB, OSU)
20	Seattle Seahawks	Frank Okam (DT, Texas)
21	San Diego Chargers	Ray Maualuga (LB, USC)
22	Jacksonville Jaguars	Colt Brennan (QB, Hawaii)
23	Baltimore Ravens	Quentin Groves (DE/LB, Auburn)
24	Philadelphia Eagles	Philip Wheeler (LB, Georgia Tech)
25	Tennessee Titans	Sam Baker (OT, USC)
26	Houston Texans	Gosder Cherilus (OT, Boston College)
27	Denver Broncos	Ali Highsmith (OLB, LSU)
28	Green Bay Packers	Mike Jenkins (CB, South Florida)
29	Pittsburgh Steelers	Xavier Adibi (LB, Virginia Tech)
30	Indianapolis Colts (to San Francisco)	DeMario Pressley (DT, N.C. State)
31	Dallas Cowboys	Terrell Thomas (CB, USC)
32	New England Patriots (forfeited)	----------

Why him?

I don't care if Jamie Moyer was tagged for the loss. This is Geoff Geary's fault. Many of the bullpen failures are associated with him. He is awful. He was sent down to the minors in the middle of the year because he was pitching so poorly. He comes back up due to injuries and is still blowing games. Why put him out there? Ever? He is terrible. I'm not saying the Phillies definitely would have won last night if he hadn't pitched. But it makes me wonder every time he blows a lead. Last night Geary pitched 0.2 innings and gave up 2 runs. He had been pitching better but every single time he is put in the game I wince. You feel like he is going to blow it. Last night he delivered. Thank you, Geoff Geary, for blowing the game and quite possibly our chances at the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Don't bother pitching in the next 5 games. We want a chance to win.

GO PHILLIES

Pirates name new GM

And his name is Neal Huntingdon. His prior experience is assistant GM/scout extraordinaire for the Cleveland Indians. I wonder how that's working out for them...

Pretty well, I say. The few Pirates fans left are hoping he can bring that kind of scene to the Pittsburgh clubhouse in the near future. Good luck.