Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1355 of 1503)

      MLB predictions with a musical twist

      October 4, 2007 /

      Analyzing over stats, trends and pie charts in an effort to predict baseball’s playoff winners? Well stop, because while that might be a more accurate way to go, it certainly isn’t more fun.

      Shoutmouth.com went the unconventional route in determining which teams would win their respective divisional series: by comparing what closers had the better theme song.

      Mariano Rivera – New York Yankees – “Enter Sandman” by Metallica vs. Joe Borowski – Cleveland Indians – Various

      Verdict: While Rivera’s “Sandman” is intimidating and he is an originator of the entrance song art form, Borowski’s odd song behavior is unpredictable and downright scary (and there’s more on him to come). There’s something weird and it don’t look good…

      Winner: Cleveland

      What’s more important in trying to predict the winner of a playoff baseball game? The match up between Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Beckett, or F-Rod’s “Sandungueoso” theme music vs. Jonathan Papelbon’s “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”? The choice is an easy one when you really think about it.

      MLB

      ‘Zona, BoSox and Rockies go up 1-0

      October 4, 2007 /

      The MLB postseason has officially kicked off with the D-backs, Red Sox and Rockies taking 1-0 leads in their respective series. Below is what some of the local papers are saying about each series.

      Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 1
      Carlos Zambrano was dominant for the Cubs, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out eight through six innings. With how well he was pitching, Jay Mariotti of The Chicago Sun Times wonders why manager Lou Piniella tried to win Game 4 instead of Game 1 by taking Zambrano out…In Arizona, Dan Brickley of The Arizona Republic concurs with Mariotti and believes Piniella’s blunder was all the D-Backs needed to steal Game 1.

      Red Sox 4, Angels 0
      While David Ortiz (2 for 3, 2 RBI, 1 HR) sparked the BoSox in the third inning with a two-run home run, Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe would rather marvel at Josh Beckett’s nine-innings of shutout baseball…In L.A., Bill Plashke of The L.A. Times warns John Lackey that the next time he whines about not pitching in a marquee match up, he better be ready because he certainly wasn’t Wednesday night against Beckett.

      Rockies 4, Phillies 2
      The Rockies jumped on Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels in the second inning, scoring three runs and sealing the victory with a solid effort from the bullpen. With the win, there’s postseason baseball to be enjoyed in Colorado writes The Denver Post…While in Philadelphia, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer is already pissed that the Phils are in a 1-0 hole and thinks getting out of it is unlikely…

      MLB

      Columnist Smack 10/2

      October 3, 2007 /

      Here’s a look at what the local NFL columnist are saying this week:

      – Stan Olson of the Charlotte Observer notes that Steve Smith is angry about not getting the ball more, and at the media, and at Kris Jenkins, and at…

      – In the wake of Cadillac Williams’ season-ending knee injury, Joe Henderson of the Tampa Bay Observer marvels at how united the Bucs are this season.

      – Mark Curnutee of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes (with help from ESPN’s John Clayton) that the Bengals season is already slipping away after their embarrassing loss to the Patriots Monday night, and how the locker room is still filled with selfish players.

      – Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News details how contrasting the coaching styles are between current Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips and former front man Bill Parcells.

      – Mike Winters of the Green Bay Post Gazette comes to the realization that Troy Aikman was right all along about Brett Favre.

      – Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post Dispatch obviously agrees with the Rams’ decision to bench Marc Bulger.

      – Nancy Gay of the San Francisco Chronicle notes that 49ers quarterback Trent Dilfer is still pissed at Ravens’ head coach Brian Billick for benching him after winning the 2001 Super Bowl.

      NFL

      The power of having just one leader

      October 3, 2007 /

      There’s a great article in this month’s issue of ESPN The Magazine about Jon Kitna. The article mainly focuses on his relationship with God both on and off the field, but there’s an underlining message of how Kitna has completely turned around the mentality of Lions players.

      Walking into the Lions’ locker room a few days before the Vikings game, Kitna was greeted by silence. The Lions have three iPod docks that plug into their speaker system. But when someone began blasting Christian music, a tense standoff ensued. It was noted, loudly, that a majority of people in the room didn’t want to listen to God rock. And so the speakers remained mute until Kitna arrived. “Everyone’s music should be heard,” he said, “or no one’s.” The Christian rock was resurrected, followed by a heavy dose of hip-hop.

      “Learning about each other, understanding each other, compromising for each other — that’s what it’s like in a good locker room,” says Lions wideout Roy Williams.

      “That’s some real s… that went down with the music and Jon’s response. And that’s the stuff we never had around here in years past. Is that religion? I don’t know. Jon talks to everybody, I know that. And the last quarterback we had didn’t do that.”

      It never ceases to amaze me how one strong leader can change the mindset of an entire team. Kitna was mocked nationally for predicting 10-wins for the Lions this year, but all it takes is one guy to believe for an entire team to come together. Kitna’s one of those players that doesn’t get enough respect for what he brings to the game.

      NFL

      Braves say adios to Andruw

      October 2, 2007 /

      The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting the Atlanta Braves have decided that they will not re-sign centerfielder Andruw Jones when his contract expires at the end of the year.

      Schuerholz would not divulge the contract parameters he received from Boras in December but confirmed they were in the “top-tier” of contract in terms of salary and length. It is believed that Boras was asking for at least seven years at close to $20 million annually.

      If the report is accurate, $20 million a year for seven years is quite a hefty asking price for a guy that hit .222 this season and will turn 31 next April. He’s still a nine-time Gold Glover, however, so some team will pony up and pray that his average this past season was a fluke.

      Any predictions on where Jones ends up next season?

      MLB

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