Better performance:
9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 20 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP 30 batters faced
Vs
9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 10 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP 29 batters faced
What an amazing night for Zambrano.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Fellow Cubs (and baseball) fans:
We get to debate it in bars for the rest of our lives
Better performance:
9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 20 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP 30 batters faced
Vs
9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 10 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP 29 batters faced
What an amazing night for Zambrano.
Better performance:
9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 20 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP 30 batters faced
Vs
9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 10 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP 29 batters faced
What an amazing night for Zambrano.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Bellwether's NFL Musings Week 1 - 2
- Billy McMullen, Samie Parker, Courtney Taylor, and Logan Payne.
Everyone who's heard of one of those guys, raise your hand
Now, now, keep em up so I can count...
nobody?
Yeah, me either. Those are the four active Wide Receivers on the Seattle Seahawks' roster.
Perhaps I'm basing my opinion on familiarity, but I'd take any 4 of the Bears 6 receivers over those 4 schlubs any day of the week. Arizona's going to win the NFC West.
- It's funny to me that Vince Young has realized what many in the national media still fail to, that he's bad at football.
- If you're New England, don't you have to feel like Hubris has come to bite you in the ass? I'm not one who actively roots against the Pats, I actually kinda like Bill Bellechek and his whole "cold, heartless, arrogant, bastard" personality. I still think they're one of, if not the best team in football, but Matt Cassel? Really? That's your backup plan? I understand you can't go out and sign a mulit-million dollar backup, but there are better options than Matt Cassel. Like Chris Simms, who they weren't interested in.
Back when the Favre saga was in the "maybe he'll take 20MM from Green Bay to go away" phase, I told a few people that if I was the Pats, I'd have called him and asked if he'd be interested in being Tom Brady's backup. If Favre had a price to go away, maybe he had a price just to stay off the field. The Patriots would have given him the BEST chance to win another title, and there would have been plenty of opportunity for him to play when they were up 55-7 in the 4th quarter.
Now realize, I don't think Favre ever, ever, ever would have agreed to this, but it would have been worth a phone call. Regardless, I'm sure the Pats can still win the Superbowl with Matt Cassel (seriously) but they could be in a much better position if they'd have signed a known commodity to back up Brady. - I'm so pissed at the Bears for resigning Fred Miller. What the hell, guys? Fred Miller blows. Keep Kirk Barton and go with it. He's a backup tackle. Offensive tackles are so expensive that your #3 is almost certainly going to be bad. It's so much better to be bad and young than bad and old.
- I can't wait for MNF this week. Eagles at Cowboys? Yes sir!
- Kudos to the Falcons. At no point this season did I ever think they'd look as impressive as they did on Sunday. It just goes to show, the more things change, the more they stay the same the Lions still can't win on the road.
- I really enjoyed watching the Giants on Thursday night. They remind me of a late 80s early 90s NFL team... I can't fully qualify this. The Jacobs/Ward combo has a lot to do with it. The last team I remember who succeeded with Thunder/Thunder as their 1/2 combo were the Bettis/Fuamatu-Ma'afala Steeler teams. Again, though completely unqualifiable, this Giants team feels more like it would fit in Tecmo Super Bowl than any other team in the league.
- I think Denver will beat San Diego, San Francisco will beat Seattle, Buffalo will beat Jacksonville and Cincinnati will beat Tennessee.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
State of the Bears: Week 1
Well... nobody saw that coming.
Not only did the Bears go down to Indy, while they were opening their new stadium, and beat them, they flat out kicked the Colts asses for 60 minutes.
The Bears defensive line was dominant. I'm sure the loss of Jeff Saturday had a lot to do with this, but no matter who the Bears rotated out there, they pressured Manning and stopped Addai. The Bears also did a lot of cool stuff strategically. Lots of different looks, lots of fronts, they walked the safeties up, they backed the LBs off, they stunted... they did everything possible to try and throw Manning off his game and I think they succeeded as much as one can against Peyton. This was the first time this Bears defense has been healthy since the San Diego game last season and it showed. It's a lot easier to blitz when you can trust a cornerback to be ok with only one guy over the top.
The most shocking aspect of this performance was the fact that the Bears, honest to goodness, outcoached the Colts. Babbich and Lovie came up with a way to beat that crusty old troll Tom Moore, which is more than most can say.
On the other side of the ball, it's all about Matt Forte, and that's both good and bad. I love this kid, and really, how can you not? Vision, moves, speed, durability. Four things this kid has in droves that have been hard to find in the Bears backfield recently. You can't really fault his performance. The problem is, there's not a whole lot else to be happy about. Yes the tight ends are good, but the quarterback isn't, and I don't believe either TE will be utalized nearly as often as they could or should be because of the guy behind center.
As for the guys on the ends, well... it doesn't get much worse than the 6 they trot out there on a weekly basis (though Seattle is going to give them a run for their money.) The Bears WRs caught a grand total of 6 balls for 50 yards. If I'm John Fox, I put eight in the box on every play against Forte until Orton finds a way to move the ball on his own, and if eight isn't enough to stop him, I'll go with nine. I have zero confidence in the Bears passing game, in any form, until they prove otherwise, which is why I'm still picking the Panthers this weekend.
So all in all... the state of the Bears is a hell of a lot better now than it was just last week. I still don't think this is a playoff team, but I do think we're now trending much closer to 'best case senario' than anyone could have predicted.
Not only did the Bears go down to Indy, while they were opening their new stadium, and beat them, they flat out kicked the Colts asses for 60 minutes.
The Bears defensive line was dominant. I'm sure the loss of Jeff Saturday had a lot to do with this, but no matter who the Bears rotated out there, they pressured Manning and stopped Addai. The Bears also did a lot of cool stuff strategically. Lots of different looks, lots of fronts, they walked the safeties up, they backed the LBs off, they stunted... they did everything possible to try and throw Manning off his game and I think they succeeded as much as one can against Peyton. This was the first time this Bears defense has been healthy since the San Diego game last season and it showed. It's a lot easier to blitz when you can trust a cornerback to be ok with only one guy over the top.
The most shocking aspect of this performance was the fact that the Bears, honest to goodness, outcoached the Colts. Babbich and Lovie came up with a way to beat that crusty old troll Tom Moore, which is more than most can say.
On the other side of the ball, it's all about Matt Forte, and that's both good and bad. I love this kid, and really, how can you not? Vision, moves, speed, durability. Four things this kid has in droves that have been hard to find in the Bears backfield recently. You can't really fault his performance. The problem is, there's not a whole lot else to be happy about. Yes the tight ends are good, but the quarterback isn't, and I don't believe either TE will be utalized nearly as often as they could or should be because of the guy behind center.
As for the guys on the ends, well... it doesn't get much worse than the 6 they trot out there on a weekly basis (though Seattle is going to give them a run for their money.) The Bears WRs caught a grand total of 6 balls for 50 yards. If I'm John Fox, I put eight in the box on every play against Forte until Orton finds a way to move the ball on his own, and if eight isn't enough to stop him, I'll go with nine. I have zero confidence in the Bears passing game, in any form, until they prove otherwise, which is why I'm still picking the Panthers this weekend.
So all in all... the state of the Bears is a hell of a lot better now than it was just last week. I still don't think this is a playoff team, but I do think we're now trending much closer to 'best case senario' than anyone could have predicted.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Who's Laughing Now?
HUGE UPSET!
29-13 Bears over Indy
First star goes to the defense. D-Line owned the Colts O-Line. Peanut played like...well, Peanut. He's really good at football. Gameplan was solid, kept Peyton on his toes the whole game. Defense needed not only to stop the Colts, but they needed to score too. Gave up 13 points. Scored 9. Check and check.
Second Star --> Matt Forte. Mark one down for Jerry Angelo (don't worry +1 -3, he's still down on the season). 23 carries, 123 yards, 1 TD. Ran downhill the whole game. Made great cuts, has very solid speed. Offensive line actually created big holes for him to run through, and he saw the field well and ran though them.
also, this is hilarious
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Bellwether's 2008 NFL Preview
NFC West
Champions: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals seem to be everyone’s breakout darling every single year, this year, I think they actually will. 10 wins will definitely take this division, and I think 9 will do it too. In my opinion, the Seahawks have run out of gas, Maurice Morris is their starting RB, backed up by Julius Jones and TJ Duckett. Hasselbeck is a year older, and their best WR is Nate Burleson. I think their defense is still strong, but I don’t see them finishing any better than 8-8. San Francisco and St. Louis are going to be two of the worst teams in football.
NFC East
Champions: Philadelphia Eagles
Wild Card: Dallas Cowboys
Maybe Wild Card: New York Giants
Call me crazy, but I really believe the Eagles are the best team in the AFC, for once, they’re reasonably healthy, Brian Westbrook might be the second most productive player in football behind LdT. Their defense is one of the most well coached in the NFL, and even though you’re probably not familiar with any of their names outside of Cole and Dawkins, they’re a rock solid core. This combined with Dallas’s current cast of characters which is just begging to implode gives the Eagles an edge in my book. I think Dallas is a good team and I’m sure they make the playoffs, I just think the Eagles are better. The Giants are a very good team as well, but I think they’re yet another step below the Cowboys. They’ll fight with the Bucs for the last playoff spot in the NFC. The Redskins will be lucky to win six games.
NFC North
Champions: Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota has the best defense in the division, the best player (who happens to also be the best running back,) the best offensive line and a much improved receiver corps. Unfortunately they also have the worst quarterback (yes, even worse than Kyle Orton.) The Vikings could win 11 or 12 games if they stay healthy, if they don’t, they might only win 7 or 8. I think 9 or 10 will be enough to win the division. Green Bay is the second best team in the division, but their quarterbacks will decide their fate. If Aaron Rogers is the goods, they’ll push the Vikings. If not, they’re probably a 7 win team. The Lions are better than the Bears, but not by much. Expect both Chicago and Detroit to finish in the 5-7 win range.
NFC South
Champions: New Orleans Saints
Maybe Wild Card: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I’ve been telling friends that the Bucs are the class of the south for several weeks now, but I’ve had a change of heart over the past few days. Tampa’s got a revolving door at QB, The combined age of their starting WRs is 68, their starting running back is Ernest Graham, and their defense is banged up. The Saints added Jeremy Shocky and Jonathan Vilma. The former gives Drew Brees yet another weapon, and the latter should give the Saints defense the anchor it’s been missing since…. Sam Mills. Carolina could end up in the mix, or they could end up 4-12, and the Falcons are on the clock for the 2009 draft.
AFC West
Champions: San Diego Chargers
I think the Broncos are better, and I think they’ll push the chargers the first half of the year, but in the end, there’s not enough talent on either side of the line of scrimmage for me to take Denver seriously. The Chargers are far and away the best team in the division and still one of the best teams in football. I think both the Chiefs and Raiders are better teams this year, but both of them still draft in the top 10 next year.
AFC East
Champions: New England Patriots
Maybe Wild Card: New York Jets
Watch the Pats go 19-0. They almost did it last year, and you know they still want to. That’d be 37-1 over two seasons, and while I think 13-3 and a Super Bowl appearance is far more likely than another undefeated run, don’t be shocked if they pull off perfection this year. Actually, be shocked, cause it’s still amazing and highly improbable, but probably less so for them than for any other team. As far as the Jets, I’ll admit, I’m buying into the Brett Favre hype. He looked the part in the pre season, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout the years, it’s to never bet against the storybook ending when it comes to #4. Logic doesn’t seem to apply to him. Bills better than the Dolphins, Dolphins still really bad.
AFC North:
Champions: Pittsburgh Steelers
Wild Card: Cleveland Browns
The AFC North and AFC South are the two toughest divisions to pick in all of football, and on balance, they may be the two best. I think the Steelers and Browns have about an equal shot at the division title, and I think both end up going to the playoffs, but history tells me not to bet against the Steelers, who I consider second only to the Boston Red Sox as the best run organization in professional sports. The Steelers never seem to want for talent, they’re constantly reloading and they added two future stars in the draft in Sweed and Mendenhall. Losing Faneca is going to hurt, but when it comes to the Steelers and offensive linemen… the dude abides. It doesn’t really seem to matter what happens to the Steelers, they win 10 or 11 games a year, and that’ll happen again this season. As for the Browns, I don’t think they were a fluke. Derick Anderson probably isn’t as good as his numbers from last year would indicate, but between Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow Jr, Jamal Lewis, and that offensive line anchored by Thomas and Steinbach, he doesn’t have to be great on his own, because those guys will do their part to make him look really good. If he falters, the Browns have Brady Quinn waiting in the wings, which might not be the correct answer, but it gives them a nice option. Cincinnati’s probably no worse than a 7 win team, and the Ravens defense is still a force to be reckoned with, despite the fact that their offense is in as bad a shape as ever. A lot of their problems go away if Joe Flacco is good.
AFC South
Champions: Indianapolis Colts
Wild Card Maybe: Jacksonville Jaguars
Wild Card Maybe: Tennessee Titans
Wild Card Maybe: Houston Texans
Yep, I could honestly see any of these teams making the playoffs, but until proven otherwise, nothing will make me bet against the Colts. As long as Peyton is healthy, the Colts have nothing to worry about, and they’ll still find a way to win 12 games. The Jags are the second best team in the division, and they might have the best defense of the four. Questions on offense will continue to dog them, especially when it comes to catching the football, but they’ve made the playoffs with sub par receivers before, there’s no reason they can’t do it again. I still don’t think the Titans are all that good at football, but somehow they continue to surprise me year after year and play much better than everyone’s expectations. I’d like nothing better than to write them off, but their coach is the longest tenured in the NFL for a reason, and that alone prevents me from doing so. I really don’t think the Texans have enough weapons to compete with the other three yet, but strange things happen in the NFL, and the Texans are just one of those teams that kinda sticks out as a possible “team out of nowhere” (despite the fact that they went 8-8 last year, which is hardly nowhere.)
NFC Playoffs
Saints over Giants
Cowboys over Cardinals
Eagles over Cowboys
Saints over Vikings
Eagles over Saints
AFC Playoffs
Steelers over Jaguars
Colts over Jets
Pats over Steelers
Colts over Chargers
Pats over Colts
Super Bowl XXXIX rematch:
Pats over Eagles
Offensive ROY: Jonathan Stewart
Defensive ROY: Jerod Mayo
Offensive Player of the Year/NFL MVP: LaDainian Tomlinson
Defensive player of the Year: Patrick Willis
Most
Pass Yards: Brady
Pass TDs: Romo
Rush Yards: Tomlinson
Rush TDs: Tomlinson
Receiving Yards: Moss
Receiving TDs: Owens
Tackles: Willis
Sacks: Peppers
Champions: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals seem to be everyone’s breakout darling every single year, this year, I think they actually will. 10 wins will definitely take this division, and I think 9 will do it too. In my opinion, the Seahawks have run out of gas, Maurice Morris is their starting RB, backed up by Julius Jones and TJ Duckett. Hasselbeck is a year older, and their best WR is Nate Burleson. I think their defense is still strong, but I don’t see them finishing any better than 8-8. San Francisco and St. Louis are going to be two of the worst teams in football.
NFC East
Champions: Philadelphia Eagles
Wild Card: Dallas Cowboys
Maybe Wild Card: New York Giants
Call me crazy, but I really believe the Eagles are the best team in the AFC, for once, they’re reasonably healthy, Brian Westbrook might be the second most productive player in football behind LdT. Their defense is one of the most well coached in the NFL, and even though you’re probably not familiar with any of their names outside of Cole and Dawkins, they’re a rock solid core. This combined with Dallas’s current cast of characters which is just begging to implode gives the Eagles an edge in my book. I think Dallas is a good team and I’m sure they make the playoffs, I just think the Eagles are better. The Giants are a very good team as well, but I think they’re yet another step below the Cowboys. They’ll fight with the Bucs for the last playoff spot in the NFC. The Redskins will be lucky to win six games.
NFC North
Champions: Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota has the best defense in the division, the best player (who happens to also be the best running back,) the best offensive line and a much improved receiver corps. Unfortunately they also have the worst quarterback (yes, even worse than Kyle Orton.) The Vikings could win 11 or 12 games if they stay healthy, if they don’t, they might only win 7 or 8. I think 9 or 10 will be enough to win the division. Green Bay is the second best team in the division, but their quarterbacks will decide their fate. If Aaron Rogers is the goods, they’ll push the Vikings. If not, they’re probably a 7 win team. The Lions are better than the Bears, but not by much. Expect both Chicago and Detroit to finish in the 5-7 win range.
NFC South
Champions: New Orleans Saints
Maybe Wild Card: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I’ve been telling friends that the Bucs are the class of the south for several weeks now, but I’ve had a change of heart over the past few days. Tampa’s got a revolving door at QB, The combined age of their starting WRs is 68, their starting running back is Ernest Graham, and their defense is banged up. The Saints added Jeremy Shocky and Jonathan Vilma. The former gives Drew Brees yet another weapon, and the latter should give the Saints defense the anchor it’s been missing since…. Sam Mills. Carolina could end up in the mix, or they could end up 4-12, and the Falcons are on the clock for the 2009 draft.
AFC West
Champions: San Diego Chargers
I think the Broncos are better, and I think they’ll push the chargers the first half of the year, but in the end, there’s not enough talent on either side of the line of scrimmage for me to take Denver seriously. The Chargers are far and away the best team in the division and still one of the best teams in football. I think both the Chiefs and Raiders are better teams this year, but both of them still draft in the top 10 next year.
AFC East
Champions: New England Patriots
Maybe Wild Card: New York Jets
Watch the Pats go 19-0. They almost did it last year, and you know they still want to. That’d be 37-1 over two seasons, and while I think 13-3 and a Super Bowl appearance is far more likely than another undefeated run, don’t be shocked if they pull off perfection this year. Actually, be shocked, cause it’s still amazing and highly improbable, but probably less so for them than for any other team. As far as the Jets, I’ll admit, I’m buying into the Brett Favre hype. He looked the part in the pre season, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout the years, it’s to never bet against the storybook ending when it comes to #4. Logic doesn’t seem to apply to him. Bills better than the Dolphins, Dolphins still really bad.
AFC North:
Champions: Pittsburgh Steelers
Wild Card: Cleveland Browns
The AFC North and AFC South are the two toughest divisions to pick in all of football, and on balance, they may be the two best. I think the Steelers and Browns have about an equal shot at the division title, and I think both end up going to the playoffs, but history tells me not to bet against the Steelers, who I consider second only to the Boston Red Sox as the best run organization in professional sports. The Steelers never seem to want for talent, they’re constantly reloading and they added two future stars in the draft in Sweed and Mendenhall. Losing Faneca is going to hurt, but when it comes to the Steelers and offensive linemen… the dude abides. It doesn’t really seem to matter what happens to the Steelers, they win 10 or 11 games a year, and that’ll happen again this season. As for the Browns, I don’t think they were a fluke. Derick Anderson probably isn’t as good as his numbers from last year would indicate, but between Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow Jr, Jamal Lewis, and that offensive line anchored by Thomas and Steinbach, he doesn’t have to be great on his own, because those guys will do their part to make him look really good. If he falters, the Browns have Brady Quinn waiting in the wings, which might not be the correct answer, but it gives them a nice option. Cincinnati’s probably no worse than a 7 win team, and the Ravens defense is still a force to be reckoned with, despite the fact that their offense is in as bad a shape as ever. A lot of their problems go away if Joe Flacco is good.
AFC South
Champions: Indianapolis Colts
Wild Card Maybe: Jacksonville Jaguars
Wild Card Maybe: Tennessee Titans
Wild Card Maybe: Houston Texans
Yep, I could honestly see any of these teams making the playoffs, but until proven otherwise, nothing will make me bet against the Colts. As long as Peyton is healthy, the Colts have nothing to worry about, and they’ll still find a way to win 12 games. The Jags are the second best team in the division, and they might have the best defense of the four. Questions on offense will continue to dog them, especially when it comes to catching the football, but they’ve made the playoffs with sub par receivers before, there’s no reason they can’t do it again. I still don’t think the Titans are all that good at football, but somehow they continue to surprise me year after year and play much better than everyone’s expectations. I’d like nothing better than to write them off, but their coach is the longest tenured in the NFL for a reason, and that alone prevents me from doing so. I really don’t think the Texans have enough weapons to compete with the other three yet, but strange things happen in the NFL, and the Texans are just one of those teams that kinda sticks out as a possible “team out of nowhere” (despite the fact that they went 8-8 last year, which is hardly nowhere.)
NFC Playoffs
Saints over Giants
Cowboys over Cardinals
Eagles over Cowboys
Saints over Vikings
Eagles over Saints
AFC Playoffs
Steelers over Jaguars
Colts over Jets
Pats over Steelers
Colts over Chargers
Pats over Colts
Super Bowl XXXIX rematch:
Pats over Eagles
Offensive ROY: Jonathan Stewart
Defensive ROY: Jerod Mayo
Offensive Player of the Year/NFL MVP: LaDainian Tomlinson
Defensive player of the Year: Patrick Willis
Most
Pass Yards: Brady
Pass TDs: Romo
Rush Yards: Tomlinson
Rush TDs: Tomlinson
Receiving Yards: Moss
Receiving TDs: Owens
Tackles: Willis
Sacks: Peppers
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
OH MY GOD!
THAT IS KOYIE HILL'S RIGHT HAND
Last October Koyie Hill cut off his index, middle, ring finger and thumb. Cut them off. As in not attached. As in HE CUT OFF ALL HIS F&@%ING FINGERS EXCEPT HIS F&@%ING PINKY!
They reattached it, and now it looks all funky. However, they reattached those fingers according to the way he holds a baseball.
"I guess you could say [my hand] was built for baseball now."
Dude has a bionic hand!
Holy freaking crap. Koyie Hill is kind of a badass now.
Check out the whole story here.
Monday, September 1, 2008
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