Month: September 2008 (Page 37 of 61)

      College Football Preview: Ohio State at USC

      September 13, 2008 /

      Kickoff: Saturday @ 8:00 PM ET, ABC
      Records: Ohio State (2-0); USC (1-0)
      Spread: USC –12.5

      Mark Sanchez       Game Matchup:
      The biggest question surrounding this game is whether or not Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells will see the field. Wells injured his leg in the opener, missed last week’s win over Ohio and has been deemed “doubtful” by Buckeyes’ head coach Jim Tressel for Saturday night’s grudge match. If Wells can’t play, Daniel Herron, Mauirce Wells (who struggled against Ohio last week) and Brandon Saine will all see action Saturday night.
      The Trojans are coming off a bye after dismantling Virginia 52-7 in the opening week of the season. QB Mark Sanchez threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, but he’ll face a much greater challenge against a talented, and highly experienced Buckeye defense. One thing to keep an eye on is how Sanchez and an inexperienced USC offensive line holds up against the pressure OSU will likely bring for the entire game.

      Prediction:
      Don’t make the mistake most will in assuming that just because Ohio State struggled with Ohio last week that they’ll get smoked by USC. The Trojans looked good against Virginia, but the Cavaliers’ talent level has dipped dramatically from last year and the Buckeyes match up very well against USC’s pro-style offense. The issue for OSU is whether or not their run game can be effective without Beanie Wells. The Trojans have the best linebacker corps in the nation and an outstanding front seven. If they shut down the Buckeye running game and force QB Todd Boeckman to beat them through the air, OSU is going to be in trouble. Pete Carroll’s Trojans are also incredibly tough to beat at home, but forget the blowout; this should be a tight game. USC 24, Ohio State 20.

      Also be sure to check out our official Ohio State-USC smack talk thread.

      College Football

      Top 10 Active MLB Rally Killers

      September 13, 2008 /

      In baseball, nothing kills a rally like an inning-ending double play. Well, this list of the Top 10 active players who hit into double plays does not take the inning-ending variety into account, but it sure does give some insight into who erases base runners. And a lot of these guys are also some of the game’s best sluggers. With that, here we go….

      1. Ivan Rodriguez, New York Yankees (284)—What’s most amazing about the fact that Pudge leads everyone in double plays among active players, is the fact that he did it 31 times in 1999. That’s not a record (Jim Rice holds that distinction with 36), but what’s crazy is that is the same year Pudge won the AL MVP with Texas….he hit .332, and had career highs in homers (35), RBI (113), and double plays.

      2. Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (229)—The way Manny Being Manny runs to first base most of the time, it’s a wonder he only has 229 of these.

      3. Frank Thomas, Oakland Athletics (225)—I guess a lifetime .301 hitter with 521 homers has to hit a few ground balls too. But with 32 career stolen bases, you have to think this dude is also a pretty slow runner.

      4. Jeff Kent, Los Angeles Dodgers (224)—It seems like Jeff Kent gets better with age as a hitter, but on top of that he has increased his double play numbers the more his career wears on. He’s also become a bit grumpier.

      5. Gary Sheffield, Detroit Tigers (222)—Okay, look back over the first five names on this list. All five are volatile personalities who are also quite bitter. The fact that they top this list might have something to do with that.

      6. Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles Angels (220)—Of any name on here, Vlad is the first guy I’d welcome on my team, all 220 double plays and all. The guy is just an amazing hitter.

      7. Miguel Tejada, Houston Astros (212)—In 144 games this season, Tejada has already tied his own single-season record with 28 double plays. For a guy earning eight figures, that just doesn’t seem right.

      8. Luis Gonzalez, Florida Marlins (211)—At 40, Gonzo is slowing down a bit. Still, for a guy who once stole 20 bases in a season and hit .336 in another, 211 double plays is just a tad excessive.

      9. Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox (209)—Forget about Konerko’s double plays for a second. He hit 41 homers in 2004, 40 in 2005, 35 in 2006, 31 in 2007, and in 109 games this year has 16. I’m just sayin’……

      10. Edgar Renteria, Detroit Tigers (207)—You’d think a guy with 280 career stolen bases would be hard to double up. That’s what makes this statistic for Edgar a little puzzling.

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Report: Vince Young mentioned suicide to his therapist

      September 12, 2008 /

      According to the Nashville City Paper, the police report filed after Monday night’s search for Vince Young states that the Tennessee Titans’ quarterback mentioned suicide several times to his therapist.

      Vince Young“I asked him (Fisher), ‘What made her worry about him?’ He stated, ‘His mood, his emotions, he is injured, he wants to quit, and he mentioned suicide several times.’ He (Fisher) went on to state that he (Young) left the house with a gun,” Swisher’s report states.

      In an interview last year, Young told the NFL.com he had considered retiring from football at one point after his rookie season.

      The report goes on to state that Mike Mu, Young’s manager, later appeared at the stadium, telling police he had lost Young on Interstate 65 North from Williamson County with Young driving at a high rate of speed.

      The police report further states Young’s therapist arranged for an on-site evaluation by employees of Parthenon Pavilion, a Nashville psychiatric hospital.

      Fisher eventually heard from a person named “Major” in Houston that Young was safe and at an apartment with a female friend. Young’s agent’s name is Major Adams and is based in Houston. Adams flew in to Nashville to be with Young Tuesday morning.

      The report states Young eventually arrived at a Titans facility to meet with Fisher, spoke with a therapist and eventually left. Previous public statements in the matter from police and the team put that meeting at Baptist Sports Complex. Police have said an unloaded gun was found in Young’s car but that no ammunition was in the vehicle.

      Metro Police have received criticism for mobilizing such highly trained officers to locate the football star. Aaron said given the information the police had received from the team, the response was warranted.

      “Based on the information provided, it was unknown if Vince Young was suicidal,” Metro Police spokesperson Don Aaron said Friday. “At 7 p.m. it was unclear if he was suicidal. …That was the bottom line for the police department’s response in the manner in which it occurred.”

      You pray for this kid’s safety and health if these reports are true. His injury is a blessing in disguise, because clearly he needs a break from all of the pressure. Hopefully Young takes as long as he needs and gets help while he recovers from his knee injury. And hopefully the team shields him from the media because fielding questions about his mental state is the last thing he needs.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Delonte West signs with Cavs

      September 12, 2008 /

      The trade for Mo Williams might have meant the end for Delonte West’s tenure in Cleveland. On Friday, the Cavs made sure that didn’t happen.

      Guard Delonte West signed a multiyear deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, ending concerns the restricted free agent would hold out at training camp.

      General Manager Danny Ferry didn’t disclose terms of the deal Friday.

      The 25-year-old West will compete for time with Mo Williams, the former Milwaukee guard who was Cleveland’s major offseason acquisition, and Daniel Gibson, another Cleveland restricted free agent who signed back with the team.

      I think the idea is for Williams, West and Gibson to play in a three-guard rotation in Cleveland’s backcourt. All three players are capable of playing both point and off guard, so they could make for a potent rotation.

      It’s interesting that the Cavs elected not to disclose the terms of the deal. I think there should be a rule that teams have to report the length and value of the contract when they announce the signing.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Fantasy Sleeper: Justin Gage

      September 12, 2008 /

      There’s one name I’d like to add to this week’s Waiver Wire Watch: Tennessee WR Justin Gage. He’s available in 74% of ESPN leagues and is an interesting pickup this week, especially in PPR leagues.

      Kerry Collins threw 13 or more passes in three games last season – Week 6, Week 7 and Week 17.

      In those games, Justin Gage went for 4-82, 5-48 and 7-104, for an average of 5.3 receptions for 78 yards. In the other 13 games (with Vince Young under center), Gage averaged 3.0 receptions for 40 yards and 0.2 TD. Clearly, Gage is more effective with a traditional pocket quarterback throwing to him (as most WRs would be).

      He’s worth rostering in most PPR leagues and 12-team traditional leagues. Moreover, he has a very nice matchup against a suspect Bengals secondary this week. If you’re looking for WR help, you could do much worse.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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