Bobby Petrino-Meet Nick Saban

Welcome back and thanks for reading (apparently we're on the 1 post a month cycle).

I've never been more appauled at an athletic department than I am at the Arkansas Razorbacks. You call a press conference at 11:30pm at night to announce your new coach. Your media members hoot and hollar at the new coaches every word. And you cap it off by bringing up your cheerleaders to lead the new coach and the media members in a "Pig Suey" call.

Welcome to Fayetteville, Arkansas-home of the pompous Razerback fans, boosters, athletic department, and now coach.

Did anyone really think Bobby Petrino would work out in Atlanta? Does anyone believe any college coach will ever work out again?

But, back to Mr. Petrino. Here is a guy who coaches his team on national television one night, and then jets off to be the head coach of a college team the next. Apparently, Arthur Blank had no idea his coach was leaving after endorsing him on Monday Night Football. Classy Bobby, really classy.

This is the man that his players publicly stated they disliked. He said Byron Leftwich was his QB even after Joey Harrington won two straight games. He cut DT Grady Jackson with no explaination. And he attempted to bully his players into his philsophy. And, as of last night he was still trying to get his team to buy into his philsophy...as he was already booking his flight out of town.

But, I guess DeAngelo Hall summed it up best when he stated in an interview on ESPN after watching his coach accept another job, "Its obvious he was using us as a stepping stone to another job. But thats okay, they already have a bunch of problems. They ain't even that good"

So, when is that Alabama/Arkansas game next year?

We're Back...With Breaking News

(Yea...I still hate Boston...but we're back)

"LLLoyd" Carr Is out as coach of the Michigan Wolverines, so says MGoBlog. According to their sources, Carr will announce his retirement sometime after the conclusion of this weekend's game. I checked out a few random Michigan fan forums and the consensus there seems to be that this was decided before the year ever even started. What a way to go out LLLoyd.

Now speculation will start about who will be the next Wolverine coach. Early candidates: LSU's Les Miles (a UM alum), Navy's Paul Johnson, and even Bill Cowher. Our bet, Miles is smart enough to turn down the gig and Michigan ends up staying in house by hiring defensive coordinator Ron English.

Somewhere in suburban Columbus Jim Tressel is shedding a tear...now he might actually have to outsmart a coach in the last game of the year.

http://mgoblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/carr-retiring-announcement-coming-next.html

Screw You Boston

We're taking a hiatus for a while to recover. See you when we see you.

Note to Boston fans, congrats to the biggest bunch of whiny aholes I've ever met. You are terrible fans and your team is full of guys who are even worse than you.

Don't celebrate too hard, your payroll is about tripple the size of the Indians, you should win every year dumbasses.

Josh Beckett is "Classy"

Josh Beckett may be the best post season pitcher ever. But, he's arrogant, cocky, and overall just not a very good person. The man needs put a filter on himself. F bombs in the middle of a presser isn't the way to go.

BTW, his ex singing the National Anthem....classic

Wedge Blew This Game-Kind Of

Top of the 7th innings, your ace has given you a workmen's like effort. Six innings pitched, 2 runs, stranding a ton of base runners. He's had over 100 pitchers, so you pull him right? Not Wedgie. And that my friends was the end of the game.

So how could it have been different? Well, CC is done after 6. Raffy righty pitches your 7th and 8th innings-giving up most likely zero runs. Then, you still have a 2-1 deficit. Its a different mindset with a one run deficit as opposed to a five or 6 run deficit. Who knows if they could have pushed one across. But, its a chance I would have taken.

Granted, I understand Wedgie's reasoning. He didn't want to push Raffy too much again with possibly 2 big back to back games coming up. I still don't like seeing Sabathia left in there though. Go to Mastny or someone like that then if you must. But CC was gassed. Oh, and as for Raffy Perez...why did they bring him in the 8th? Easy, it was a 3 run BoSox lead and Perez needed to get some work/confidence back. I get that. He was a dumb mistake (on his part) away from getting out of that inning.

Don't get me wrong. Wedge has been great this year and in the playoffs. You can't be mad at the guy, everyone makes mistakes. Its easy for me, the fan, to sit here and say why didn't you do (blank). I just saw CC staying in as a rather huge, evident mistake that could have been avoided, and could have changed the face of that ballgame.

One to Go with an Ace in the Hole

Thursday night all eyes will be on this man as he looks to pitch the Indians to their first World Series in 10 long years. Odds are good that he can get it done. What are the chances that CC would pitch 3 straight bad games? You're talking about a guy who was good for 7 solid innings every night during the year. The man's going to be the Indians first Cy Young winner since Gaylord Perry! CC should get the job done. If the Indians bats get enough done off of Beckett and co, it could be a night to remember(remember he was pulled from game 1 with a tight back).

Somewhere above Casey Coleman is looking down and smiling on all of us....

LeBron Shows His True Colors

How about that? Courtesy of the AP, this photo of LeBron James in a Tribe hat. True to his word, he said that if the Yankees were out of it, he would root for the Indians.

Smart Move Kid

Brief AFL Cleveland Update

Tomorrow it will be official. There will be a 1pm press conference at The Q to announce our new arena league team. However, I recently haven't heard anything about the team being called the Bulldawgs. Could this be a marketing opportunity? I.E. hey fans you vote on the team name...which would probably be the bulldawgs anyway.

Offically (bank on it) here is the front office for our new Cleveland AFL Franchise:

Jim Ferraro: Owner
-Nothing surprising here. Its been his team and will continue to be. Lawyer with ties to Cleveland and The U-where he met...

Bernie Kosar: Team President
-Will oversee the operations of the team. Also, most likely the public face of the team.

Mike Wilpot: Head Coach
-Was announced previously as the new head coach. He stated he was looking forward to going back out west....oops. Well, he's staying and he has a good resume. Was an interm coach one year for the Indiana Firebirds and almost lead them to a championship. Also, recently was a defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Avengers.

Tom Goodhines: Exec. VP and General Manager
-Former GM of the Utah Blaze, also has been involved in communications. Broadcasted and wrote about the AFL for many years before moving up. Will make the football decisions along with Bernie.

Half Way to the Fall Classic

Momentum has shifted, and the Tribe is on the war path. This team just has that look, its just their year. A friend of mine predicted that Jake Westbrook would pitch the game of his life. Well guess what? 6 2/3 innings and 2 runs given up. The fantastic bullpen did their job too. And lets not forget about The Mayor of Cleveland Kenny Lofton.

Is it too much to ask to see them clinch it in Cleveland in game 5? Maybe, but we're one bad outting by a guy with a bad back (Wakefield) or one good outing by a guy who lives for these moments (Byrd) away from getting a chance to talk about it.

As for Boston, it was revealed that Ortiz almost had to sit out the remainder of the series due to his bad knee. He suddenly doesn't look like Big Papi. He looks the David Oritz, the old first basemen from the Twins. Manny is starting to be Manny again. That being, the emotional player who can turn it on and off whenever he feels like. He doesn't look to motivated. In general, somehow the BoSox just aren't hitting. Byrd throws strikes, that eliminates walks and more guys on base. I like the Indians chances.

Two more wins and the Indians get a chance to do something no Cleveland team has done since 64'. It feels like its finally...next year.

Is This Heaven?

...No its Iowa...I mean Cleveland Ohio. Forgive me if I'm a bit new to this whole "winning thing" around here, but damn it feels good! We haven't won a championship (yet), but lets just reset exactly what Cleveland fans have experienced in the last 12+ months:

1. Ohio State (our adopted college football team) went to the BCS Championship Game and is back atop the BCS standings again this year poised to revenge last year's loss.

2. Cleveland native Troy Smith wins the Heisman Trophy.

3. Ohio State basketball is lead by a group of freshman to the NCAA tournament final.

4. The Cleveland Cavaliers win the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history.

5. The Browns are 3-3 headed in to the bye week. For most cities this wouldn't be much, but in a town starving for a winning football team it means the world.

6. The Tribe is in the ALCS in a series deadlocked at 1-1 and looking like a team to be reckoned with after a record setting 7 runs in extra innings to knock the BoSox back to earth.

I feel like a kid in a candy store right now. And, we all know that sports is the candy store of life.

Do I want a championship? Absolutely. But isn't being a fan all about the ride? The experience of consistently winning? Slapping high fives with complete strangers and downing a beer with your grandfather as he tells you stories of Jim Brown and Bob Feller...thats the essence of being a sports fan. And right now, in Cleveland Ohio, it doesn't get any better.

The Indians look like a team of destiny after last night. Its about time the arrogant Bostonians learn that baseball universe doesn't revolve around them. They will after 3 more Indian victories. Then, think about this....we may get a shot to win a championship against the Rockies, who come from Denver. How appropriate would that be? We could put to rest years of misery caused by that city and break our curse. Its all within our grasp.

The Browns were down and out. Jerry Jones was already contemplating how much he would have to pay Darren McFadden after he drafted him with our number one pick. Well, don't look now, but the Browns look like a, dare I say it, playoff caliber football team. Derek Anderson is third in the league in TD passes! We have an offensive line and running game! Braylon and Kellen look like Pro Bowlers! Romeo remembered how to coach! !Hallelujah!

The Cavs are admittedly the 3rd wheel in this town. But, they may have its biggest star. Maybe the biggest star in sports in King James. When was the last time Cleveland could say that? Not since we had Jim Brown. This town has rallied around what was once the ugly step child of franchises in this city. Almost every game is sold out. The Q has become one of the best atmospheres in the NBA. The team is set up to win championships for years with San Antonio disciples Danny Ferry and Mike Brown leading the way.

Cleveland, this may be the beginning of the golden era of sports in this town.

Lets just all enjoy the ride.

Every Dirt Dog Has His Day

What in the name of Bill Buckner was that? Karma is a b*tch isn't it Theo? Trot Nixon, former hometown hero and originator of the Dirt Dogs gets the key hit that began the record 7 run rally in the 11th. Some guys by the name of Peralta, Hafner, Martinez, and Sizmore helped a little too. So did the bullpen starring...Tom Mastny? Yup Tribe fans, you won't forget this one for a looong time...I know I won't.

Now lets show them what a real home field advantage is!

Back to Baseball...

T-Minus 3 hours until first pitch of the ALCS. Cleveland is stoked and ready for their first American League Pennant since 97' (channeling Tony Fernandez...). Boston...not so much.

Out of curiosity, I tuned into Boston sports station WEEI this morning. I was listening to a show hosted by ESPN castoff, Michael Holley (note to self, never pin my career on Max Kellerman or anything called "I, Max"). It literally took about 1/2 hour before there was any substantial talk about the baseball game. What was the dominant topic? The Cowboys/Patriots game. So its apparent to me Boston is no longer a baseball town, its Patriots Nation. Most of what I heard was dominated by the football game and the callers taking offense to Wade Phillips saying their 3 Superbowl victories were tainted because they cheated. Of course, they were caught cheating, so naturally they are tainted. So basically...Boston fans are not very bright and don't deserve another chance to win a World Series. Therefore, its our job as Clevelanders to do everything we can to make sure that happens.

Note to self, if at a game at Jacobs Field, scream math equations at Manny Ramirez while at the plate, that should confuse him. 2+2=4 is a good place to start.

BOSTON, ITS OUR YEAR GET OVER IT! WE HAVE THE BUGS AND THE BASEBALL GODS ON OUR SIDE!

AFL UPDATE: ITS FERRARO

LeBron said he would light up Cleveland like Vegas...well, at least we have their football team to play in the arena King James calls home.

Its official, Attorney James Ferraro and Bernie Kosar are bringing AFL to Cleveland.

This email was sent to members of the Las Vegas Gladiators boosters club:

The AFL owners approved the move to Cleveland today. Thank you to everyone who took part in the Gladiaddicts. We did our part. Ferraro can bite us one and all.
Maybe Vegas will get a new team when the new arena is built. I'll definitely
contact the fan base when and if that day comes. It would be great to see what
Vegas can do with respectable, local ownership.The site and forum will be gone
in about a week. It's been real.Thanks,Max

So what kind of owner is Cleveland getting? Well, from everything I gather-not one who is widely respected by the league and his former city's fans. But, lets give the man a chance. He has Bernie on board, already a huge plus. Bernie has been a very successful businessman out side of football. I don't think he'll mess this up.

Ferraro and Bernie both played ball at "The U" (thats University of Miami Florida). Ferraro on the scout team and Bernie the starting QB. Ferraro though has admittedly gone on to quite a nice career as a lawyer. He has offices in Cleveland, so he is committed in some way to the city. The two were also smart enough to get a chance to play at The Q. This is a much better venue than the Wolstein Center.

More on the state of our new team, the Bulldogs (or is it Bulldawgs?) tomorrow when we take a look at the new coach, current players, and viability of AFL in Cleveland.

BTW Please check out some of the other posts, such as our thoughts on RedSox/Indians. Or at least watch the ridiculous video of the BoSox dancing...its a treat

ARENA FOOTBALL COMING TO CLEVELAND

Word out of Las Vegas is that there will soon be an Arena Football League team in Cleveland. There are conflicting reports as to whether this will be an existing team or expansion team and who the main owner will be, but this is what is known. Bernie Kosar and Cavaliers executive Len Komorowski headed to Chicago for the AFL meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. They are expected to announce a team will be playing in The Q next year owner by Bernie Kosar and Jim Ferraro...or Randy Lerner. The team will be called the Cleveland Bulldogs.

Jim Ferraro is currently the owner of the Las Vegas Gladiators. If the name is familiar, he is a lawyer, who has had multiple ads on local TV, and has offices in both Cleveland and Miami. He bought the New Jersey AFL franchise a few years back and moved them to Vegas, with disappointing results. The team averaged about 5,000 fans a game this year. He is also a former football player at Miami and also graduated from there, hence the tie to Bernie.

Ferraro would like to move his team to Cleveland and have an expansion team replace his in Vegas. However, AFL execs reportedly balked at this because he would in effect be getting a new team, without paying the expansion fee (which is reportedly between $30-40 million). Also, Ferraro is not beloved by his fellow owners due to the fact he was unsuccessful in 2 locations(Vegas and New Jersey) and 3 different arenas(1 in Jersey, 2 in Vegas) already. They are afraid he will mess up what is considered as a viable market in Cleveland.

Kosar, determined to land a team in Cleveland, has a back up plan in Browns owner Randy Lerner. The Lerner family has previously stated that they are not interested in owning an AFL team. However, it is believed that Randy Lerner (a close friend of Kosar's) has been convinced that Bernie could run a viable, profitable team in Cleveland. However, Lerner knows he is the backup plan and would only be counted on if Ferraro is stonewalled in his attempt to move his team.

And how do the Cavs play into all of this? It had previously been reported that Dan Gilbert would not be interested in hosting an AFL team since it would create competition for his other minor league franchise, the Lake Erie Monsters. The smaller Wolstein Center on the Cleveland State Campus was considered the front runner to host a team. However, the almighty dollar seems to have convinced Mr. Gilbert to allow another team in his venue. Simply, more dates he can use the arena, the more profitable the Q will be. Plus, there will be opportunity for cross marketing between the three franchises in the arena.

The official announcement of a franchise is expected soon. However, no exact date has been set. Details must be worked out behind the scenes first. Kosar's recent candid comments about attending the meetings this week leads me to believe we will be hearing something sooner, rather than later.

Welcome to Cleveland, Bulldogs!

And They're The Favorites?

"That guy right over here is supposed to take you to the promise land"

The New Look

When I threw this blog together I just wanted to get some content out there. Now with a little bit of time, I made some changes to spruce it up. Hopefully everyone enjoys this new and improved look!

Indians/Red Sox

So, the last post, the analysis...what does it mean? Well, first off I realize its incredibly subjective. Even so, the most logical sports fan would not be able to change my analysis by that much. Essentially, the Red Sox and Indians are (despite a large gap in payroll) playing on an level field. This series will go seven, or will have the opportunity to go seven. It will be a tremendous series. Both clubs respect the hell out of each other. They are THE TWO BEST TEAMS IN BASEBALL. Indians and Red Sox fans alike, sit back and enjoy. Its going to be a wild ride. One nation will be banished to the offseason and the other will be on the verge of a championship...

Are the Indians Really the Underdogs?

143-61. No, thats not the score of an Hawaii/BGSU football game. Its the difference in payroll between the two contenders for the crown of American League Champion. The Red Sox spent approximately 143 million dollars for their 96 victories. The Indians spent 61 million dollars for their 96 wins. Naturally, the Indians would be looked at as the underdogs in this series. However, a closer look at the talent on both rosters reveals a different story.

I used a system to rate each player expected to be on their respective 25 man rosters. They were given a ranking in one these categories:

MVP: (5 points) The very top in terms of talent and performance.
All Star: (4 points) A great player, in the top 5 or 10 at his position
Solid: (3 points) Is in the top half of the league at his position.
Average: (2 points) Does well enough, but not considered a standout.
Below Average: (1 points) An ERA above 5.00 or BA below .250.

And here is the breakdown, one through twenty five

Indians Red Sox
1. Sabathia-MVP Beckett-MVP
2. Carmona-MVP Schilling-All Star
3. Westbrook-Solid Dice K-Solid
4. Byrd-Average Wakefield-Average
5. Borowski-Solid Papelbon-MVP
6. Betancourt-MVP Gagne-Solid
7. Perez-MVP Okajima-MVP
8. Lewis-Solid Delcarmen-Solid
9. Mastny-Average Timlin-Average
10. Fultz-Average Lopez-Average
11. Laffey-Average Lester-Average
12. Martinez-All Star Ortiz-MVP
13. Sizemore-All Star Ramirez-MVP
14. Hafner-Solid Lowell-All Star
15. Peralta-Solid Youkilis-Solid
16. Lofton-Solid Pedroia-Solid
17. Garko-Solid Varitek-Average
18. Blake-Average Drew-Average
19. Cabrera-Average Crisp-Average
20. Gutierrez-Average Lugo-Average
21. Shoppach-Average Mirabelli-Below Average
22. Barfield-Below Average Cora-Below Average
23. Gomez-Average Hinske-Below Average
24. Michaels-Average Ellsbury-Solid
25. Nixon-Average Kielty-Below Average

Indians Team Score: 72
Red Sox: 71

Indians Starting Pitchers: 15
Red Sox Starting Pitchers: 14

Indians Bullpen: 22
Red Sox Bullpen 22

Indians Pitching Staff: 37
Red Sox Pitching Staff: 36

Indians Line Up: 26
Red Sox Line Up: 28

Starting Pitchers, Top 4 Relievers, and Line Ups
Indians: 57
Red Sox: 58

Looking Back...And Ahead

Sorry to interrupt the coverage of the Yankees demise...but there were in fact 4 teams that still advanced to the league championship series. Yes, I know ESPN would lead you to believe that the season ended Monday night when Joe Borowski struck out Jorge Posada...but that just isn't the case.

So, the Cubs/DBacks and Indians/Yankees series' both played about exactly how I thought they would. The overrated Cubs got swept by the pitching heavy Diamondbacks. The Yankees hitters were then shut down by the Indians great starters and bullpen. (Do you see a trend there?)

The Red Sox beating the Angels shouldn't surprise me. I had the Angels taking it, but maybe I was picking more with my heart than my brain. I really wanted the Angels to win-because as an Indians fan I knew it would be an easier test for the Tribe in the next round. Safe to say, Boston is the real deal and it will be a hell of an ALCS.

The Phillies/Rockies series really surprised me. These were two hot teams heading into the post season. I really thought that the law of averages would catch up with the Rocks' and they would have to eventually lose. Instead, the post season proved what seems to be the norm lately-expect the unexpected. The Rockies are a good team (I never thought they weren't) but I underestimated the fact that they are just on one of those magical rides.

Looking ahead, I'm still going to stick with my World Series prediction (that I made on April 3rd!) that its going to be the Indians and the Diamondbacks. Boston and Cleveland are about as even as can be. I think this goes 7 games. I'll take my chances with CC and Fausto getting the ball for 5 games of the series. (5 games? Yea, both will be ready to go in some capacity for a game 7-bet on it). But, Boston has Beckett, Schilling, and home field. However, Schilling isn't the same Schilling anymore. He can pitch a great 7 innings one game, but it could be 5 innings and 4 runs in another. The key though I think is going to be Dice-K. He has got shelled in the second half. Westbrook will at least keep the Indians in the game. Dice-K could just blow up on the Sox. Bullpens are about even, lest I remind you JoeBo had more saves this year than Paps. And the hitting...well great pitching neutralizes great hitting in the playoffs. Clutch hitting is what matter, and we know the Indians have that down pat after the ALDS. This will be an epic 7 game series, but I'm sticking by the Tribe to celebrate in bean town in game 7.

The Dbacks and Rockies may be just as intriuging. Both teams are evenly matched, but built completely differently. The Rockies are full of hitter who have some pretty impressive stats. The DBacks have a bunch of young guys whose stats aren't very good, but seem to always come up with the big hit. Starting pitching could be almost considered a wash, but 'Zona has a true ace in Cy Young award winner Brandon Webb. The Rockies may get to see him 3 times if it goes that far. The deciding factor though I think will be the bullpens. Again, Arizona is just lights out when you get into their pen. Valverde is Nasty. The Rockies pen has been on a hot streak, but can you really trust Latroy Hawkins? Matt Herges? Jorge Julio? I wouldn't want to. Thats why I think this goes 6, possibly 7, with the Diamondbacks coming out on top.

But, as I always say...thats why they play the games....

The Anti-Bartman

An Open Letter to Cubs Fans:

So you're a Cubs fan. You've been beaten down every which way by your team. Some years, you are just flat out terrible. The years that you are good, you lose in heart breaking fashion. Then you finally get a year that you are good, and the National League is wide open. You determine you are going to do everything in your power to make sure this is the year the curse is broken. What you you do? You buy a $1000 ticket, sit behind home plate, and put up a red flashing Cubs sign to distract the Diamondbacks closer...

WHAT!?

Yea, some A-Hole actually did that last night. And that my friend is why for every cute grandma that has been rooting for her Cubbies since 08' there is some beer guzzling, stuck up, over zealous fan who represents the team on the north side. I mean, seriously Mr. Latte drinking, caviar eating, bandwagon Cubbie fan-you are a disgrace to the game. I have no idea how you did not get kicked out of that game last night. I looked at you once and already knew you were some high class snobby business man who probably used his expense account from his company to fly out to Phoenix to watch his team collapse....again. So you know what? Sorry grandma, because of A-Holes like this guy, I hope the Cubs don't win a pennant for another 100 years.

Cubs fans revel in their place in baseball lore as the lovable losers....GET OVER YOURSELVES! A team in your own backyard had a championship drought too, but you didn't see their fans sporting that "woe is me" attitude. Even if you are a Cubby fan, you're probably a Bears and Bulls fan too. Ya, you know those two franchises which have won your city 7 championships over the last 2 decades. Ya, woe is me my ass. You've celebrated your fair share of winners and got to witness two of the great players of our generation: Walter Payton and some guy named Jordan.

Cubs fans, I hope you enjoy the next few days when an EXPANSION TEAM blows you out of the playoffs. Your high priced players and rent-a-manager won't take the loss to heart like you will...because they don't care. You really think Alfonso Soriano came to Chicago for the mystic of being a Cubby? Or maybe his that huge contract they gave him that no other team was offering!

We know how you'll react come next week..poor us...maybe next year...lets go buy some more players...

Like they say....theres always next year...or next century in your case

Sincerely

The rest of the fans in major league baseball

And After Day One....

Beckett throws a gem, the Rockies keep rolling, and the Cubs were...well the Cubs. Welcome to the most predictable, boring playoff opening day ever (sans that A-Hole behind the plate at the Cubs/DBacks game). I think the Indians and Yankees may match the total number of runs scored in all of the games yesterday...and thats with both of their aces going tonight. Here's my trifecta of thoughts on yesterday's games:

1. Nothing surprising about the Rockies win. That game could have gone either way. In another place and another time, Cole Hamels doesn't walk 3 guys in one inning. Law of averages dictates that the Rockies have to lose sometime. Today probably will be the day.

2. I'm a little worried about the Angels offense. I guess I should have looked into that line up more and found out that ex Indians and Expos farmhand Macier Iztuiris was batting 5th (yikes!). But, I still like the Angels scrappy style of play. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

3. I saw last night coming with the Cubs and DBacks. That game is exactly how Arizona has won all year. Its inexplicable-but it keeps happening. So I'm not betting against them. They are one Ted Lilly meltdown away from clinching this series.

Now...for the most accurate post season predictions

It was Tuesday April 3rd. It was the middle of the afternoon, and I was bored out of my mind sitting in my ECON 203 class. So what did I do? Of course I wrote down my predictions for the upcoming MLB season. I made a pick for the world series...and what do you know, those two teams are still alive today. So, of course, I have to stick to that prediction today.

ALDS
Indians vs Yankes: Indians in 4
-Anything could happen in the post season. Not everything makes sense. But, with that said, I believe that everything is going the Indians way in this series. It could easily be 2-0 going into Sunday's game with a pitcher with a bad shoulder trying to save their season. Good pitching beats good hitting. Period. The Indians have good pitching.
-X factor: Look at the Yankees bullpen. Outside of Joba and Mariano...who do they have? exactly...

Angels vs Red Sox: Angels in 5
-A toss up, but the deciding factor is the Angels ability to scratch out runs. Mike Sciocia is a proponent of stealing bases, the hit and run, bunting, and going 1st to 3rd on singles. That is going to wear on the Red Sox, a team who lives and dies by the big inning.
-X factor: Will Dice-K show he's worth the money? He'll either be in the position of putting the dagger through the Angels, or needing to save the Red Sox from the brink of elimination. I'm not a believer.

NLDS
Diamondbacks vs Cubs: D-Backs in 3
-Does anyone realize who has the best record in the NL? ITS THE D-BACKS! Shocking, I know. But its not a coincidence. The Cubs are talented, but flawed. They won the division by default. The D-Backs can pitch and come up with clutch hitting. That my friends is the perfect formula for post season success.
-X factor: The D-Backs are incredibly young and unproven. Their manager is too. Does the post season get to them?
Phillies vs Rockies: Phillies in 4
-I love the Rockies. I wish they would win this series. But, I just get the feeling that the ride has to end sometime-soon. Their hitting admittedly is not as good outside of Coors. Plus, the Phillies pitching is hitting its stride at the right time.
-X factor: The Rockies bullpen is filled with a bunch of castoffs from other teams. If needed in a clutch situation, will they perform?

ALCS
Indians vs Angels: Indians in 6
-The Tribe is just the all around better team. There is really nothing that the Angels do that they are better at. The key is that CC/Fausto > Lackey/Escobar. Plus, the Indians back end of the pen is nails. It will be a good series, but this is just the Indians year.
-X factor: Is Vlad healthy? Big players make big plays in the post season. If he's not himself, thats a huge blow to the team.

NLCS
Diamondbacks vs Phillies: Diamondbacks in 7
-This has all the makings of a series where the Phillies come in overconfident, go down 2-0, storm back to take a 3-2 lead, only to lose it. The Phillies will overlook the DBacks. But the DBacks will do what they've done all year, pitch well and and get clutch hitting. The fairy tail season continues (but will anyone in Phoenix notice?).
-X factor: Charlie Manuel makes questionable moves. He will do something that will change the course of the series...for the worse.

World Series
Indians vs Diamondbacks: Indians in 5
-Most of the country will turn off their TV sets, but Cleveland will rejoice, the curse will be broken. The Diamondbacks will just be out of gas. Typical of young teams who are "just happy to be there." The Indians are a team on a mission. They will do what it takes to close it out.
-X factor: The Indians killer instinct must be shown here. The DBacks will give them a series if JoeBo blows a clinching game, or Jhonny makes a crucial error.

So there you have it, my humble opinion. Now watch none of it happen.

The World Wide Leader's Post Season Predictions

Welcome back ya'll. We've been a bit busy tailgating over the weekend and then that whole studying/working thing during the week. Anyway, we've compiled ESPN's "experts" predictions for the MLB playoffs. Here is the breakdown:

ALDS

Indians vs Yankees

-Indians (11)

-Yankees (9)

Red Sox vs Angels

-Red Sox (16)

-Angels (4)

NLDS

Diamondbacks vs Cubs

-Diamondbacks (4)

-Cubs (16)

Phillies vs Rockies

-Phillies (13)

-Rockies (7)

AL Champion

-Red Sox (8)

-Yankees (5)

-Indians (4)

-Angels (3)

NL Champion

-Phillies (8)

-Cubs (7)

-Rockies (5)

-Diamondbacks (0)

World Series Champion

-Red Sox (6)

-Yankees (5)

-Indians (3)

- Angels (3)

-Cubs (1)

-Rockies (1)

-Phillies (0)

-Diamondbacks (0)

Weekend Hiatus

There will be no posting this weekend since we'll be partaking in homecoming festivities at the alma matter, BGSU. We fully expect that the team from Bowling Green will prevail this weekend. Of course, the opponent is Western Kentucky (located in Bowling Green, Kentucky).

In the mean time, Go Falcons and Go Rockies!

Ay Ziggy Zooma

Is Todd Helton a Hall of Famer?

Here at DHA, we have a favorite baseball team already, but we have officially adopted the Colorado Rockies as the official team of the blog. That got us to thinking about the heart and soul of their team, Todd Helton. Yes, that is a picture of a young Todd playing QB at the University of Tennessee. He quit after he lost the starting job to some other guy. Todd's gotta feel good, he's playing in the majors and that other guy is probably working at Burger King. Think his name was Peyton something...oh well.

Anyway, all Todd has done in his 10 + years in the bigs is hit over .300 every year, knock in over 100 rbi 8 times, and hit 301 home runs. Add to that winning a gold glove 3 times. Yea, he plays half of his games in Coors Field. Well, this was the era of 'roids a few guys are going to get into the hall who used them. So whats the difference? Is it his fault he played in that park? By the way, his numbers on the road are almost just as good. Plus, he's only 34 years old, so he's got probably about 5 more productive years ahead of him. In our eye's, Todd is HOF worthy.

Not bad if you like 1st basemen, 6'2, with a lightening quick bat.

Breaking News: Romeo is a Genius

I just saw this earth shattering piece of news that Mary Kay is reporting in the Plain Dealer. Coach Crennel might be making the greatest move ever by an NFL head coach. Its revolutionary, its ahead of its time, basically we should just start putting together that bronze bust for Romeo, put it in the hall and put the Browns name on the Lombardi trophy. Are you ready for this amazing news? Here goes...

"Crennel said he won't demote rookie corner Eric Wright, but will try to get him to play better."

And that may friends is why he is in the NFL and you and I are merely working our 9-5s.

http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2007/09/winslow_partially_dislocates_l.html

The Dirty Dozen

Part one of our rankings lists the 12 worse franchises in pro sports. These teams have successfully been able to make watching sports...unbearable.

92. New Orleans Hornets
~Why they're here: Congrats to the worst team in pro sports! You have successfully managed to be bad in almost every aspect. George Shinn may be the worst owner in sports. He has already moved this franchise once, and may do so once again do to losing money by moving to a town which cannot support 2 teams. They have on bright spot in Chris Paul, but he is quickly approaching free agency (Hello LA Lakers!). They left for one year and took residence in another city and actually stated how happy they were to be there, only to decide to move back. Their arena is terrible and will not be filled this year. The front office is shaky at best (Tim Floyd for a few years? After coaching the Bulls? Are you even trying??). And now they are locked into a few big money, long term contracts which will keep them from being players in the free agent market. Thanks again to Peja and his bad back.
~How it could change: Chris Paul, David West, and Tyson Chandler. Three young, budding stars who could grow together to make something special. Peja is a big scoring threat, when healthy. And Byron Scott had been to the finals as a coach and player. And really, after seeing the Saints last year, the city could rally around this team-if it plays well.

91. Atlanta Falcons
~Why they're here: The Georgia Dome is...well it isn't anything special. And the fans define what it means to be a bandwagoner. The team really doesn't have much of a tradition. There was of Course the Superbowl (cough...Eugene Robinson...cough). And the best quarterback in the history of the franchise is Steve Bartkowski. Most of the current team is either overpriced, over the hill, or unproven. Bobby Petrino looks like a genius now, but so has every other college coach that has come to the NFL. Oh yea by the way MICHAEL VICK MICHAEL VICK MICHAEL VICK
~How it could change: I really do like Arthur Blank. The man was heart broken over the Vick scandal. He really put his faith in that guy. But now I think he's going to build this franchise the right now. He'll put quality people in charge and Rich McKay will help him do that. Petrino could be the guy to break the trend of college coaches failing in the NFL. And don't forget, the city of Atlanta was hurt by Vick. If, and I mean If the Falcons start winning, it would be one of the best stories in the NFL and these fans may finally start to rally around this team and root for the team, not just individual players.

90. Charlotte Bobcats
~Why they're here: Quite possibly the worst start up of an expansion team since the Tampa Bay Bucs. There isn't much this team has done right. It started its own TV network to air the games (and failed). Drafted Okafur as the cornerstone of the franchise only to see him consistently hurt. They've had salary cap room but have failed to land that big free agent. Talent wise most of the team is young and very inconsistent. Some of the draft picks (Sean "I played great in the national championship game but I look like I ate a house" May) are on the verge of officially being busts. Even the fans aren't consistently showing up, and these are Carolina basketball fans! Some of the best in the country! To top it off, owner Robert Johnson just handed to fate of his franchise to Michael Jordan. Somewhere Abe Pollin, Doug Collins, and Kwame Brown are sharing a bottle of scotch and laughing. At least its not them anymore.
~How it could change: MJ was bad...really bad in Washington. But Bill Bellichek was terrible in Cleveland. So, you never know. The talent, while young, is there. You got to figure with enough of those guys, some of them have to start to come through and develop into proven players. Plus, they already have some nice role players like Matt Carrol. If all of this eventually comes through, you know those Carolina fans will come out and support this team.

89. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
~Why they're here: Does the average fan even know one D-Ray? How about anyone who EVER played for them? And that my friend is the problem. This is a franchise with no identity. It tried to build around veterans (see Alverez, Wilson; Vaughn, Greg; and and Stocker, Kevin). Bad idea. Then it started going for young talent. But at times, you got to wonder where that talent is. (How can Greg Norton be playing every day?) Most of Tampa is. They are too busy following the Yankees to know what the heck the Rays are doing. And who could blame them? Would you go to a game in the Trop? And to think the Indians, Giants, and White all used that Dome as a viable alternative if their cities wouldn't have given them a stadium.
~How it could change: Finally the young talent has arrived. Kazmir is a stud. Delmon Young and BJ Upton are viable cornerstone pieces of a team. Carlos Pena basically fell into their lap. Manager Joe Madden is highly respected and has shown a great amount of patience with his club. I also like the change in who is running the club. Andrew Friedman has big dreams for Tampa. This could definitely be a fun team to watch over the next few years.

88. Florida Marlins
~Why they're here: It seemed like a great idea. Baseball in the state where spring training has thrived for years. Better yet, lets put it in the biggest city in the state which just so happens to have a large Latino population-who love baseball. Oops. What MLB didn't realize is most of these folks already had teams they rooted for-since they moved from the north. And, drawing them into a stadium more suited for football wasn't going to do it. Today, the Marlins play to small crowds and have the small payroll to prove it. There is also a sense of instability in the organization. Firing a manager of the year after his first year on the job would do that. Moving is a possibility, attempts to get a new stadium built in South Florida have been rebuffed. Baseball wise, knowing that inevitably Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis will leave isn't exactly promising. But hey at least they were the first franchise to successfully buy a championship (old feelings die hard as a Tribe supporter)
~How it could change: This franchise has proven time and time again it can produce talent, pitching especially. Since pitching wins championships...the Marlins will be in good shape. Larry Beinfest is incredibly underrated. Its only a matter of time before some large market team steals him away. Progress has also recently been made on the stadium front. If that stadium is built, those fans may finally come. That could be the upturn this franchise so desperately needs.

87. Chicago White Sox
~Why they're here: Can you think of another franchise that fluked their way to a championship more than the Sox? Podsednick? Carl Everett? AJ Pierzinski? Not exactly players GMs look at and go "thats the last piece we need to win it all." The owner seems to care more about the Bulls and getting out of MJ's shadow. Ozzie Guillen is entertaining, and may know baseball, but is there any doubt that one day he's just going to lose it? Kenny Williams seems to make as many good moves, as he does head scratchers. Overall though, it may never matter. Chicago will always be a Cubs town
~How that could change: Does it matter how they won the World Series? Do you think Kenny Williams would care if he "fluked" his way there every year? Obviously something went right that year, and it wasn't that long ago. Namely, what went right is their pitching and Williams knows thats where he has to make some changes. If he does, the offense is good enough to win. With winning will bring back out those fans (they've actually drawn pretty good over the last few years). So while they may not be set up for the long run, a few changes may bring the Sox back into contention next year.

86. Seattle (for now) Sonics
~Why they're here: Man from city looking for pro sports franchise buys team in town looking for a new arena because theirs is greatly outdated. Owner asks for new arena and is denied. Owner decides to look into moving and makes the fan base upset. What is the next logical step here; hello Okalahoma City! Right now, in this city, this franchise is doomed, flat out doomed.
~How that could change: Kevin Durant could grow into a big time star in this league. Kid can flat out ball. With some other young guns around him like Jeff Green and Luke Ridnour this team has a chance to grow into something special. Lets not forget either that Sam Presti is running this team and will mold it in the image of the Spurs. Pretty good model for a franchise.

85. New Jersey Nets:
~Why they're here: J Kidd, RJ, and Vince is a great combination to lead a team....if this was about 5 years ago. Still all very good, none of them have ever won a sausage. Now they are still good players, but vastly overpaid. The team is also playing the will they/won't they move to Brooklyn game. Bruce Ratner wants to, but it seems as if his project there cannot get off the ground. So they too are a franchise in limbo. Jersey fans are okay, but the Arena is terrible. And, does anyone else just get that feeling that they are missing that little something that made their 2 Finals teams so special?
~How it could change: We saw it last year. The Net pushed the eastern conference champion Cavaliers to the brink. There are some young players who have a chance to grow into the role players the Nets need to put around their stars. Josh Boone is big and athletic and their point guard Williams was highly reguarded coming out of college. Lawrence Frank, a very underrated coach, can mold these guys back into winners. Don't forget either, Nenad Kristic will be back next year. If only the Brooklyn deal could just get done, then these Nets would rocket up the rankings.

84. Orlando Magic
~Why they're here: If you're Disney, why don't you buy this franchise? Its in your backyard, and you wouldn't even have to think twice about dropped $400 million for a new arena in the Wide World of Sports area of the park. But, as it stands this franchise is still seeking a new arena (familiar trend for NBA teams, huh?). Their fans, like most other Florida fans, are transplants who follow other teams, and Florida isn't exactly a hotbed for basketball. The roster as it stands right now is okay, nothing special though. I mean Rashard Lewis is a nice player, but not a max guy. That one single contract will kill this team-mark my words. Their head coach is a former porn star, Ron Jeremy. Oh wait, I'm sorry that Stan van Gundy. Their GM is some guy named Otis Thorpe, but not the former NBA player. Yawn... The Magic are an incredibly ordinary franchise in a city that doesn't seem to care.
~How it could change: Dwight Howard, Dwight Howard, Dwight Howard. Outside of Lebron, this is the man most GM's would pick to start their franchise today. Great player, even better person. He could grow into that guy who can single handedly carry this franchise into greatness. Maybe then Orlando would get over the fact Shaq and Penny aren't coming back and build this team the new facility it needs to survive.

83. Atlanta Hawks
~Why they're here: Does anyone remember Wayne Fontes, former coach of the Lions? Chris Berman used to make jokes about how he always just managed to hang onto his job somehow. Well, I'm starting to believe Billy Knight may be a cousin of his with the way he keeps hanging onto that GM job. I mean, how many young players are they going to stockpile? Every player is a clone, young, athletic, knows nothing about fundamentals, and can't shoot. The city of Atlanta hasn't shown up since Mookie, Stacey Augmen, and Tyrone Corbin were leading the charge to 2nd round playoff defeats year after year. You have to believe that eventually they will put it together in the weak eastern conference...don't you?
~How it could change: Joe Johnson is about as much of an after thought as anyone when it comes to good NBA players. If he stays healthy and some of this guys develop into role players, they Hawks have a shot of improving. Al Horford and Sheldwin Williams finally bring some toughness and grit onto the team. Mike Woodson just needs to put it all together.

82. Texas Rangers
~Why they're here: They've come a long ways since the steroid pumping teams of the late 90's were winning the weak western division each year. But the story is still the same, no pitching. Arlington is the place where pitching goes to die. GM Jon Daniels looks like he's finally got the right idea after pulling off a few nice deals this year (Gagne). The ballpark is still of the best out there, but the fans have understandibly not shown up to watch this last place team. Owner Tom Hicks can also be his own worst enemy, overspending on veterans (Chan Ho Park).
~How it could change: Check the standings, this team could actually climb out of the basement this year. Ron Washington has his boys playing well and the young talent has actually started to produce. And...pitching help may be on the way. So to might be the fans if this team puts it together next year.

81. Arizona Cardinals:
~Why they're here: History says they won't ever consistently win....because its never happened. They have next to no fans out there in the desert either. Bidwell is a joke of an owner.
~How that could change: Put any other name on this franchise I would feel much better. Good coach, better O-Line, young QB, talented defense, state of the art stadium. But, I just can't quite get over the fact they are still the Arizona Cardinals.

The Ultimate Team Rankings Explained

Everyone has an opinion on how good of a franchise their team is. However, rarely do we objectively rate each of those teams. Well that is exactly what I have done here in the Ultimate Team Ranking. And here is how I did it.

-Each team in the 3 major sporting leagues were included (sorry NHL, you are no longer as relevant as you once were)
-I determined based upon popularity and overall success that the ranking of the leagues were: 1. NFL 2. MLB 3. NBA.
-Each franchise was ranked in 5 different areas: Fans, Facilities, Ownership, Ability to win (a combination of players and front office), and Intangibles
- Teams were assigned simply either a positive, negative, or indifferent ranking in each category
-Those rankings were assigned a point total of either +1, -1 or 0.
-The teams were then grouped together based upon their total scores.
-I then subjectively ranked the teams within the groups with the same scores
-Some teams were allowed to jump up one level based upon which league they were in (hense the league rankings
-But Basically....this is just all my opinion. Hopefully it will lead to some discussion amongst you and your friends!

After listing all teams the actual point totals and statistical breakdowns will be listed...eventually

Die Moment of the Day

So I'm sitting at the bar with my friend and we start discussing the most random baseball players we can remember. We each got a favorite (he's a Terry Clark guy-look him up). Its then that I remember that the Indians acquired a hard throwing right handed reliver from the Mets in the Robbie Alomar deal. For the life of us we couldn't remember his name. But, I did my research and found out its none other than Jarrod Riggan. Great arm, good minor league stats, did jack in the majors.

Where oh where have you gone Jerrod Riggan?

The Ultimate Team Rankings

Coming tomorrow....the first part of my "Ultimate Team Rankings." Every NFL, NBA, and MLB team will be on this list. The top teams may surprise you. Check back tomorrow for more

William Shatner-Rocketman

What is a Die Hard?

If you're here...you're probably a die hard fan. Die hards...we stick it out when the casual fan jumps off the bandwagon. We're one of the 1,000 fans that don't give the excuse of LA traffic and actually get to Dodger games on time, and stay for all 9 innings. We are Raider fans that show up in facepaint and shoulderpads (with spikes!) to the 17th game of the year to see if your team can pull of its 3rd win of the season. We are Rutgers football fans who waited...and waited...and finally have a fun team to root for.

We showed up for all 455 games of the sell out steak at Jacobs Field. We cried tears of joy when we saw Cal break the record. And we'll always remember we were alive to see Gretzky, MJ, and Barry (Sanders-not Bonds) in their prime.

So be loud, be proud, and count your self as a die hard fan. Your team thanks you for your support, and I thank you for reading

Welcome To My World

Hello World! Welcome to Die Hard Fans Anonymous. I'll be your guide into the life of die hard sports fans. You'll get a little bit of everything out of me here. We'll cover the news, maybe even eventually break a little. I'll also give you my thoughts on the biggest sports stories out there. I'll throw in some personal thoughts about what its like following teams that take you to the highest highs and back down to the disapointing lows. Finally, I'll statistically analyze the sports, players, and teams we love from a slightly different perspective. But more of that soon.

So sit back and enjoy the show!

Robbie Jay