Big Ten Power Rankings

As I watch my Yankees choke this series away, I'll try something new for a college football post. After getting embarrassed with my picks last week, I think I'll settle for just ranking the Big Ten. Here we go...

1-Ohio State

Easily the most dominant team in the Big Ten this year. Their defense eats running backs alive and has only gic up 4 TDs all year (two of those in garbage time). With Wells providing a solid ground game and the passing game continuing to develop, OSU is currently the team to beat in the conference

2-Illinois

Where do you begin with these guys. Their offense has been very impressive en route to a 5-1 record. Their one loss was a very close game at a neutral site against a still undefeated Missouri club. Juice Williams leads this attack with Benn and a formidable defense. Only Ohio State should pose a major threat to them as they've already knocked off PSU and Wisconsin.

3-Penn State

Is this ranking a little high? Maybe. Will they beat Wisconsin on Saturday? They should. Currently, they sit as 6.5 point favorites over the Badgers. This team is close to being something special. Their defense is led by an insanely good pair of linebackers in Dan Connor and Sean Lee while their offense is filled with playmakers. While Morelli still needs to pull his head out of the sand, Rodney Kinlaw could do some special things for this team now that Austin Scott is off the team.

4-Wisconsin

4th might even be too high for these guys. Last week, they were #5 and still dogs @Illinois. They had a chance to prove people wrong, but didn't. This week, they're still road dogs and things won't get any easier in the unfriendly confines of Beaver Stadium. If the Lions can shut down P.J. Hill, watch out, things could get ugly.

5-Purdue

Chris Painter is a solid quarterback and their defense has been respectable throughout the year. They lost handily to Ohio State but should still have a solid year in the Big Ten.

6-Michigan State

How do you lose at home to Northwestern?? Especially after almost coming out of Camp Randall with a W.

7-Mike Hart

Wait, there are more people on this team? Without Hart, Michigan could have a Notre Dame like record at this point.

8-Indiana

Haven't really beaten anyone of note yet. Their next two games against MSU and PSU will be very telling.

9-Northwestern

I honestly don't even know what to think of these guys. One week they look pretty damn good, the next they look like FIU.

10-Iowa

They sit 0-3 in the Big Ten and lost to Iowa State earlier in the season. To me, they seem like the Notre Dame of the Big Ten. Plenty of hype, a good defense, solid young quarterback...but no offensive line.

11-Minnesota

These guys are just bad. They only have one win, and that came against Miami...of Ohio. Losses to Bowling Green and FAU solidify this spot.

Crapshoot: College Football Top 25

The most recent version of our Top 25 has been released (located on the right panel). Since no one knows what is happening in the college world, the rankings were crazy this week. A team was ranked as high as 5th or as low as 24th (Florida). Teams were all over the place. As you can see, the rankings fell off after 20th (from 41 points at 20th down to 18 at 21st). We have a new number one after USC fell to Stanford. Welcome to the life of NCAA Football in 2007. No one knows anything!

Awesome sports weekend.

I got a reprieve from a depressing last weekend of September with a pretty awesome sports weekend, just about everything going right:

• PSU beating Iowa soundly for their first Big Ten win.
• The Steelers CRUSHING the Seahawks in the Super Bowl XL rematch 21-0, proving that they were in fact the better team two years ago. Oh yeah, and they did it while missing Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, and Santonio Holmes to injuries. The ability of the team to play like gods despite having 3 Pro Bowlers and both starting wideouts missing shows how Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff is really doing awesome.
• The Pens rebound from a disappointing opening night game in Carolina to beat the defending Cup champion Ducks on home ice, 5-4.
• My MLB bandwagon team, the Rockies, sweep the Phillies, and now all the Philadelphia natives in State College will put away their Phillie shirts for the next 14 years.
• The other team with the annoying fanbase in the NL, the Cubs, also got swept.
• Manny Ramirez hit a monster 3 run home run off K-Rod Friday night, the first home run K-Rod has ever allowed.*
• USC somehow lost to Stanford. Now, this wasn't entirely awesome because I actually like USC, but anytime I hear the words "greatest upset ever" and Penn State's not involved, it's exciting.

I wish I had more time to elaborate on everything, but I have actual college work to do today, so we may be SOL. :( But seriously, great weekend.

*Not true.

Buy or Sell verification update

Updating my "buy or sell" tally...

Texas Longhorns (4-2)
What did I say? Sell. Already chalked that one up last week, but the Sooners helped solidify my pick.

Arizona State (6-0)
What did I say? Buy. Barely got by Wazzu to make it six straight. The Huskies and Golden Bears are next.
Verdict: Holding out.

Clemson (4-2)
What did I say? Sell. Clemson loses in a game of Beamer Ball to solidify what I said about the Tigers back when.

Kentucky (5-1)
What did I say? Buy. I said Kentucky would have to post a 2-1 record against Spurrier, Miles, and Meyer to confirm my "buy" pick. They start the stretch 0-1. I also said UK-Florida would be the determining factor in the SEC East race. Oops.
Verdict: Leaning towards a miscue here.

Cincinnati (6-0)
What did I say? Sell. Curses! The Bearcats hung with Rutgers and ran away from Piscataway with a win for my first missed pick.
Verdict: Incorrect, sir.

Wisconsin (5-1)
What did I say? Sell. I rebound with a "sell" pick on the Badgers, who fell on the road to the Illini. PSU and OSU still wait in the wings.
Verdict: I'll give myself credit for this one for now, unless they come back and sweep the Lions and Buckeyes.

Missouri (5-0)
What did I say? Buy. Bing bing! The Tigers destroyed the Huskers at home and now have the inside track in the Big 12 North.
Verdict: Another in my favor.

South Florida (5-0)
What did I say? Buy. Shaky against FAU, but still the Big East favorites with Cincinnati.

Purdue (5-1)
What did I say? Sell. Joe Tiller folds in a marquee game? Who woulda thunk?
Verdict: Ding ding!

Kansas (5-0)
What did I say? Sell. Uhm, oops?
Verdict: Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeech. Crash. Burn.

Connecticut (5-0)
What did I say? Sell. My bad, Virginia took on Middle Tennessee this week. The Huskies were off and will play at Virginia next week.
Verdict: Waiting on UConn-UVA.

Michigan State (4-2)
What did I say? Buy. Well, they won't be 6-1 rolling into Columbus thanks to a win in OT by Northwestern.
Verdict: Another crash and burn.

So I go from 3-0 last week to 6-3, with 3 teams still in limbo (Arizona State, Kentucky, and Connecticut). Leaning towards a missed pick on UK, though. We'll know by next week. I'd be more than happy with 8-4 for my first go around, just like Joe Paterno would be.

Overheard before Saturday's PSU-Iowa game

"Programs! Get your programs! Hey, this is a collector's item! It's the last time Austin Scott's name is in the program! Now if only he called Morelli up to come out with him... we could've gotten a twofer!"
-PSU program vendor

Head spinning

Apologies for the lack of recent posts from yours truly. I've been introducing my mother to the finer points of Penn State football this weekend.

However, I wanted to pop in quickly to echo EEW's "holy crap." That Stanford score completely snuck up on me. I knew it was close but I thought USC's lead became more comfortable than that. Wow.

Also, if LSU loses, I think it will be a horserace between Cal and Ohio State for #1. BC might even get a first place vote or two. Ohio State is looking fantastic against Purdue. Cal had a bye this week but has still looked pretty decent.

You better believe we'll have further comment on this stuff tomorrow.

The sky = falling

Stanford has just defeated #1 ranked USC.

On the road.

Go Jim Harbaugh.

Notre Dame won.

Austin Scott is (possibly) going to jail. (wait...PSU player in jail? that's not a shocker...)

Back-to-back weeks where 4+ Top 10 teams go down.

Holy. Crap.

(that wasn't a haiku was it?)

Austin Scott Done in Happy Valley?

While nothing concrete seems to be coming out, Austin Scott may be done playing for the Blue and White. A sexual assault was reported in the Nittany Apartment area of campus Friday morning and Scott is apparently the prime suspect. For those that don't know, Nittany Apartments is pretty much where most, if not all, the football team lives. This story is pretty much the most convincing one that he's done. If anything, Scott has been more of a burden then help for the Lions this season but this is not how you would want him to go. It's a sad story but you can't feel bad for a guy that does something like that at all. Well, Kinlaw did run for 160+ yards and 2 TDs against a good defense today so I can't say I'm too worried about all of this. It's a shame that this story has to loom over an impressive victory over Iowa. The defense looked fantastic on all but one drive (the Iowa TD drive) as they helped get the 1st down battle to a staggering 20-2 advantage for PSU at one point. The offense took a little while to get the wheels going but looked very solid in the 2nd quarter and most of the third. Morelli did throw his quota 2 boneheaded interceptions but looked ok otherwise. It's very feasible at this point for the Lions to defeat Wisconsin next week and Indiana the week after setting up a crucial date with Ohio State to end October.

All Hail King James

LeBron James is at Jacobs Field tonight. Wearing a Yankee hat. I love that guy.

Other random observations...

Does anyone else always notice the camera guy that chases a home run hitter down the third base line? Whoever is doing the chasing always looks like he is struggling to keep up with a guy doing a light jog down the line.

The play-by-play guy for the NYY-CLE game apparently loves the work 'spank.' Anything that's not a pop up is a ball 'spanked' by the hitter.

Ohlendorf??

I must admit, I haven't been following the Yankees too closely through the past month but when they brought in some guy named Ross Ohlendorf to relieve the utterly ineffective Chien-Ming Wang, I thought I was watching a soccer substitution in a game with Bayern Munich and Hanover 96. While he came in and didn't totally implode in relief, he did give up an ER while letting a few more of Wang's batters LOB cross the plate. I don't know where Torre is getting off pitching a guy who has 6 career MLB appearances in a tough spot, on the road, in the playoffs. You have no idea how he'll react and unfortunately in this case, it wasn't too well. If anything, at least the Yanks worked the heck out of Sabathia so the Indians have to dip into their pen early too. A 6 run comeback for this lineup is certainly doable.

Top 25/Hot 12 Updated

The updates are on the right panel. They'd come out sooner if everyone remembered to email me ASAP :-)

You Know what would be nice?

Some updated college football and NFL rankings. I realize the Phillies are in the playoffs, but some of us are still interested in football ;)

Pick 12 (v 3.0)

Last week was an ok one for me. I went 9-4 (18-7 overall), but I get to hang my hat on the fact that I picked Auburn to go into the swamp and win. But that's in the past; week 6 is upon us with many more intriguing matchups than last week.

As always, winners in bold

#8 Kentucky @ #11 South Carolina

With Andre Woodson running the Kentucky offense, the Wildcats have put up a plethora of points (46.6 ppg). South Carolina's offense isn't too shabby either and they have a decent D as well. This game is incredibly hard to choose. On one hand the game is at SC, but their starting quarterback only has one game under his belt. Kentucky is on fire...and really has no glaring negatives. Granted, SC's one loss was @LSU, Kentucky has done less wrong this year and are riding an incredible wave of momentum. UK by 9.

#5 Wisconsin @ Illinois

After this week, Illinois will finally crack the rankings. Wisconsin is primed to fall as they have looked unimpressive in 4 of their 5 wins. Plus, they finally leave the friendly confines of Camp Randall and hit the road again. Their only other road game this season was at UNLV and they barely made it out of there alive. Illinois is a lot better than UNLV. Illini by 3.

Kansas @ #24 Kansas State

Kansas State is coming off a thrashing of the Longhorns in Austin while the Jayhawks are riding high at 4-0. While the Jayhawks have annihilated everyone that has stepped on the same surface as them, this week will be different. Mainly because they're not playing Central Michigan, SE Louisiana, Toledo, or FIU. Penn State beat up on lowly opponents. Look at them now. KSU by 12.

#10 Oklahoma @ #19 Texas (...well, kinda @Texas)

First off, since when was this not the Red River Shootout??? Seems like these teams sold their souls and now play against each other in what is called the "AT&T Red River Rivalry." They couldn't even keep the word shootout? Anyway, to the game...Texas got smashed on their home turf. Oklahoma barely lost on the road to a team that honestly (after watching some of it) looked destined to win. Both teams know that they can't afford to lose 2 Big 12 games in a row but OU will play with more urgency. Not even Colt McInjured can stop them. Oklahoma is just a flat out better team and should rout Texas. Sooners by 17.

Iowa @ Penn State

I'll keep this simple. If the game was in Iowa City, this game goes to the Hawkeyes. It's not, so the game goes to the Nittany Lions. Personally, I hope Morelli throws 7 INTs and the Lions still win just so JoePa is forced to bench him. Unfortunately, the only reliable player on Penn State is the 12th man and he'll be certain to show up on Saturday. That's why they have the edge. Here's to hoping the 12th man doesn't have to experience another 6-4 loss (I still shudder when I think about that game). Nittany Lions by 6.

#15 Virginia Tech @ #22 Clemson

Somewhat of a peculiar game. Nobody knows what to expect from VT or Clemson when they take the field. VT is ranked as high as they are because they started high and lost early (to the #2 team in the country). Clemson was ranked too high but I think high teens-early twenties is more fitting for them. Both teams don't really have particularly good offenses. However, the complete ineptitude of the Hokies offense will burn them here as Clemson also seems to always step up in big games. Clemson in a nail biter by 3.

Wake Forest @ Duke

Oh wait...this isn't basketball. Oh well, I'll take the bye-week rested Deacons by 25. Poor Spurrier still can't vote for his favorite team.

Notre Dame @ UCLA

Neither team is ranked...do the Irish have a chance? No. Bruins have a little bit of fun running up the score for a 31 point victory.

#12 Georgia @ Tennessee

Tennessee hasn't really showed me much this year. Eric Ainge has just been mediocre and in their two losses, albeit to #12 Cal and #5 Florida, their defense forgot to play, giving up 45 and 59 points in those games, respectively. Georgia has been a resilient bunch since getting edge by the Gamecocks earlier in the season. Going into Tuscaloosa and beating a highly motivated Alabama team was no small task and they pulled it off. Look for the dynamic duo in the backfield of Moreno and Brown to give the Volunteers fits. Bulldogs by 6.

#4 Ohio State @ #23 Purdue.

This matchup of Big Ten unbeatens will be sure to entertain. Both teams have impressive offenses but its on defense where things are different. Purdue gives up 20.4 ppg, OSU 7.2. That's a big gap. Boeckman will continue to impress as he throws a couple TDs to Robiskie. Buckeyes (unfortunately) cruise, winning by 14.

#20 Cincinnati @ #21 Rutgers

Cincinnati has looked very impressive in all their wins this season, lighting up the scoreboard. Rutgers had looked decent until falling to Maryland. Honestly, I think they were just very cocky and thought it would be a cakewalk but it wasn't. Maryland is a decent team that you should be able to beat if you're an elite program, but one that you can't take lightly. I think Rutgers wakes up and pounds the Bearcats with revenge for last season's loss on their minds. Scarlet Knights by 17.

#25 Nebraska @ #17 Missouri

I really don't care about this game...it's the Big 12 North for crying out loud. But I saw two ranked opponents and felt the need to pick it. I'll go with Nebraska because I can name one person on their team (Sam Keller). And because Missouri hasn't done anything of note this year...though they did win in Illinois. Who woulda thought that'd be an accomplishment this year? Huskers by 8.

Well that'll do it. Oh, the biggest game this week you ask? I decided to save that for my lucky 13th pick. I'm feeling like a flip-flopper so I'll go with the Gators winning in Baton Rouge. Florida is pretty ticked after losing that game to Auburn and you know Meyer is working the hell out of them this week. Plus, LSU hasn't looked as impressive the past couple weeks as they did at the beginning of the season and they're primed for a letdown. Tebow runs the Gators to a tight 2 point victory on Saturday night.

Buy or Sell Verification

As a scientist, it's almost impossible for me to let a hypothesis go without verifying my results. So, with that said, let's see how I did on my first "buy or sell" extravaganza...

Texas Longhorns (4-1)
What did I say? Sell. And I was right. The Longhorns got steamrolled at home by K-State, exposing the first set of many pretenders. A loss to the Sooners this weekend in Dallas would solidify it.
Verdict: That's one for me.

Arizona State (5-0)
What did I say? Buy. I said the Sun Devils would be 7-0 before their home date with the Golden Bears. They hit 5-0, but they played Stanford. The Shady Acres Retirement Home could beat Stanford. Notre Dame could bea... well, let's hold off on that one.
Verdict: Let's wait and see what happens in Tempe in two or three weeks.

Clemson (4-1)
What did I say? Sell. First of all, I misread the Tigers' schedule and said they got GTech at home, followed by VTech in Blacksburg. That's not the case. Their game with the Hornets was in Atlanta, and now the Hokies come to Clemson. However, one thing I didn't mess up is the fact that Clemson folded against Georgia Tech, putting up only a field goal in the process. We'll see if Clemson's in classic meltdown phase this weekend against Frank Beamer.
Verdict: Chalk another one up for me.

Kentucky (5-0)
What did I say? Buy. The Wildcats rolled over Florida Atlantic, as predicted, but that clearly doesn't bring down a verdict. Kentucky will be dragged through hell the next three weeks, at South Carolina, vs. LSU, and vs. Florida. Posting a 2-1 record against those three would solidify a "buy" for me.
Verdict: Jury's still out.

Cincinnati (5-0)
What did I say? Sell. The Bearcats played a nobody in SDSU, but Big East play starts this weekend in Piscataway against some angry Scarlet Knights. Watch out!
Verdict: A loss to the Scarlet Knights would be the telltale.

Wisconsin (5-0)
What did I say? Sell. As predicted, they kept it close with MSU. The month of October will decide the fate of this Wisconsin squad, as road trips to Champaign, Happy Valley and Columbus still loom.
Verdict: A 2-1 record against Illinois, Penn State, and Ohio State would be enough for me to forfeit this one.

Missouri (4-0)
What did I say? Buy. The Tigers had a bye this week, but watch out when the Huskers roll into town.
Verdict: The outcome of the Nebraska game would be enough to verify my guess.

South Florida (4-0)
What did I say? Buy. Did you watch last Thursday night? The Bulls are suddenly the Big East favorites.
Verdict: A resounding win for me on this one.

Purdue (5-0)
What did I say? Sell. So they beat Notre Dame. Big whoop. The real test is this weekend in primetime against Ohio State. If they lose to the Buckeyes, we'll see that Joe Tiller's bunch is probably another bunch of pretenders.
Verdict: Still waiting on results from West Lafayette.

Kansas (4-0)
What did I say? Sell. The Jayhawks were off this week, but travel to Manhattan to take on K-State. If they lose this one, they're toast.
Verdict: Waiting on Kansas/K-State.

Connecticut (5-0)
What did I say? Sell. I did, say, however, that the Huskies would resume Big East play at 5-1. They got at least the split I predicted with Akron and Virginia. Let's see how they play against the Cavs on the road.
Verdict: The road date with Virginia looms.

Michigan State (4-1)
What did I say? Buy. This is one where I was a little shaky. I said the game in Madison would be a big test, and the Spartans came up just short. I did say they'd be at least 6-1 before their date with OSU in Columbus. If they don't end up 6-1 or drop the game to the Buckeyes, I'll take the hit.
Verdict: Must win the next two and the one with the Buckeyes to be legit.

So far, looks like I'm 3-0 out of 12, with some big games looming. However, the validity of my Wisconsin and MSU predictions may turn out shaky. We'll know by the end of October where these teams stand.

Reasons to be excited for October

As if that Padres-Rockies thriller on the first of October was any indication, we might be in for a thrilling month. And it's just not the MLB that's gonna have us on the edge of our seats -- oh no, take a look at what's in store for the tenth month of 2007...

The MLB Playoffs
Usually, I don't get very excited about baseball. Anything that forces me to sit in front of a television for nine innings triggers my ADD. I find baseball games way more entertaining when I'm there in person, but that tends to run up a high bill (unless you go to Nationals games). But I'll admit, watching the Padres and Rockies going 13 innings to decide the NL Wild Card got my adrenaline going a little. Hell, even watching the Mets cap off a historic meltdown was pretty exciting. Some great matchups are in store this week and even better story lines. Can the Phighting Phils win the pennant in their first postseason visit since '93, after coming all the way back from 7 games behind? Even though EEW has his money on my boys, the Yanks, they still have a lot to prove, especially A-Rod. Can they deliver and prove they're worth their paychecks?

College football
Kentucky-South Carolina. Georgia-Tennessee. Florida-LSU. And that's just this week ... in the SEC. Also of note just this week alone, Wisconsin-Illinois, The Red River Rivalry, Nebraska-Missouri, and Ohio State-Purdue. Oh baby! Conference races start to heat up -- how will new Big East Cinderellas Cincinnati and South Florida perform against last year's Cinderella Rutgers ... in Piscataway? How will Andre Woodson and Kentucky perform when they host LSU and Florida in consecutive weeks? Will Notre Dame start 0-8? How will the Pac-10 shake out? Tough road challenges face the top 10 throughout the month. How many more upsets will we see?! I don't know if I can handle it all!

NFL
New England is sure to draw lots of viewers with their October schedule alone, with Cleveland, Dallas, and Washington all on the slate this month (oh, and Miami too, Joey). Indy's got quite the stretch too, with Tampa Bay at home followed later on by road trips to Jacksonville and Carolina. Can Brett Favre keep the magic in Green Bay alive?

NHL
I don't follow hockey, but it looks like their season is starting soon, too. I'm sure it's going to be equally exciting for all you hockey fans, if you still exist.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I can fit much more on my plate this month. But don't take too much time to rest after you've gone trick-or-treating on the 31st, because before you know it, it's November and that means it's college basketball season.

Money in the bank

That's what I feel about the Yankees chances of beating the Indians. Before you pass me off as an arrogant Yankee fan and ignore the rest of this column, check out the following numbers about the Cleveland "Big 3".

Sabathia's Career Stats against the Yankees: 1-7, 7.13 ERA, 9 HR, 30 BB, 24 K
Carmona (In 2 starts): 0-1, 4.15 ERA, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
Westbrook: 2-4, 5.29 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 8 HR, 22 BB, 27 K

As a Yankee fan (especially looking at C.C.'s numbers), I'm not too concerned. Pitching is the one thing that Cleveland has hung their hat on all season. Their offense is mediocre, as the Yankees have scored 157 more runs this season. That's roughly a run more per game. Plus, the Yankees didn't only sweep the season series, they dominated it by outscoring Cleveland 49-11. I know Sabathia didn't face the Yankees this year but looking at his stats lifetime against them, that's probably a good thing for the Indians.

Watch out.

Penn State vs Ohio State Student Ticket For Sale

If you're looking for a student ticket to the game on Saturday, October 27th, 2007 look here. It's starting at $25.00. Check it out!

Phillies Moments: Brought to You by YouTube

BEFORE PHILLIES WERE NL EAST CHAMPS



THE FINAL 3 OUTS



AFTER THE PHILLIES WERE NL EAST CHAMPS

Dane Cook is pissing his pants right now.

There's only one 2007 National League Wild Card Tiebreaker Game presented on TBS, there's only one October!

That was one of the better baseball games I've watched in a long time...definitely the best since the Yankees/Red Sox in 04, and probably better since we didn't have to listen to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver yapping the whole night...the TBS crew, probably doing their first non-Braves game ever, was excellent. I can't name either of those announcers, and that's the way it should be.

Anyways, who gives a flying Tom about the announcers. In case you didn't see it, the Rockies just beat the Padres 9-8 in 13 innings to win the Wild Card and face the Phillies in the first round. It's really unfortunate that one of those teams will have to be eliminated right off the bat. Summary....back and forth game throughout. Former Bucco Josh Fogg (aka Dragonslayer) pitched to expectations (badly), but surprisingly Jake Peavy wasn't much better. The game was deadlocked at 6 and both bullpens were lights out until the 13th, when Rockies manager Clint Hurdle made a curious move putting in very unreliable Jorge Julio to pitch (0-7 on save chances this season, most of those with the Marlins). When Julio entered the game, I muttered to myself, "Ballgame." At first it appeared I was right, as after a leadoff walk and a gopher ball to Scott Hairston the Daddies led 8-6. What I didn't expect was the complete collapse of Padres closer Trevor Hoffman in the bottom half. Hoffman is the alltime MLB saves leader, and I guess that really means one thing: he's old. And the Rockies exposed that. Double by Matsui, double by Tulovitzki, triple by Holliday, intentional walk to Todd Helton, and then light hitting Jamey Carroll ended the game on the always exciting sac fly. Holliday was knocked out on the slide into home, and there will be much debate on whether he touched home plate or not (my opinion: not enough conclusive evidence either way). But it was an amazing game nonetheless.

The Rockies are easy to root for: a small market team that develops its own talent rather than signing big name free agents. They overcame over 10 years of losing and the handicap of their circus ballpark to go on an amazing tear, overshadowed by the Phillies, to make the playoffs. They remind me a lot of the Pirates for obvious reasons, and watching the game made me imagine that kind of a scene at PNC Park. So the Rockies are officially my bandwagon team for October.

Now that all our first round matchups are set, it's time for my predictions, and who I want to win as well:

National League
Cubs/Diamondbacks: The Cubs are one of the most annoying teams in baseball, sort of like the Red Sox a few years ago. We know you're cursed, we just don't care. The Diamondbacks, after a significant upgrade in uniforms, rode the good karma to an improbable division championship. I will be cheering for the D-backs, but I don't think they have enough hitting (last in NL batting average) to survive facing a playoff rotation. Cubs in 4. ACCC

Rockies/Phillies: This may be the best division series ever. Each of these teams went on incredible winning streaks in the last month of the season to dramatically make the playoffs. It's hard to go against either team right now, as they are both playing amazing baseball. There's no way this series doesn't go 5. The sentimental choice is the Rockies as outlined above. However, the Phillies will have karma on their side, stemming from their regular season game at Coors Field, in which the entire team ran onto the field during a rain delay to help the grounds crew with a tarp that was blowing around everywhere. The home team Rockies were nowhere to be found during that incident, and it will come back to bite them, sadly. Phillies in 5. PCPCP


American League
Angels/Red Sox: This is a great looking series on paper. The Angels are mainly a pitching team, but have the bats to get the job done. The Red Sox are, well, the Red Sox. You pretty much know what they have by now. The biggest question with the Angels is if they'll score enough runs, while the Red Sox have to be worried about their bullpen. Again, hard to go against either team in this series, but someone has to lose. I say the home team wins each game. Btw, I'm cheering for the Angels. Red Sox in 5. BBAAB

Yankees/Indians: The last of what are four captivating series. The Yankees won the season series 6-0. That means one thing: the Indians are due. They clearly have the talent to keep up with the Bombers, and that 6-0 record is an anomaly that has to even out with time. C.C. Sabathia hasn't faced them yet. The Yankees pitching is still a huge concern despite their strong second half. This reminds me a lot of the hockey series between Ottawa and Pittsburgh last year. Since the Pens won 3 of 4 regular season games, everyone was picking them to win the series. Everyone forgot that the Senators had an equally talented team, and that the law of averages would kick in. It did, and the Sens won in 5. I know baseball is different, but the same principles apply. Indians in 3. CCC

No more predictions beyond the first round. I'm tired.

The Demetrius Jones saga rolls along

Taking a quick break from the Padres-Rockies nailbiter (currently in the middle of the 12th, 6-6, 2 outs on the Padres) to bring you this:

This hit the headlines a few days ago, but in case you haven't been following the recent developments in the Demetrius Jones soap opera, he's transferred yet again. Maybe Notre Dame swayed his decision to attend a "suitable" school (AKA one which they'll release his scholarship for him) or maybe it was a message from God, but Jones will now be enrolling at Cincinnati. Apparently he walked right into coach Brian Kelly's office and told him he wanted to play for it. Don't you just love it when that happens?

Jones and Kelly have a history, though. Kelly tried to recruit Jones to play for Central Michigan when he was head coach of the Chippewas.

So, to recap the first five weeks of Brian Kelly's first season at Cincinnati... his team's 5-0 and ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time since the late 60s, and now he's just snagged a highly-touted quarterback from Notre Dame.

Y'think he's on cloud nine right about now?