Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 307 of 1503)

      Sweet mother of pearl, the Reds are actually going to the playoffs

      September 29, 2010 /
      Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jay Bruce celebrates hitting a home run against the Houston Astros in the ninth inning of their MLB National League baseball game in Cincinnati, Ohio September 28, 2010. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      For years, MLB writers have had it easy when it came to making season predictions for the Reds.

      4. Cincinnati Reds
      The Reds have loads of young talent and one day, it’ll all come together. But this is still the Reds – they’ll find a way to finish in the middle of the pack. It’s been 10 years since the last time they made the playoffs, so bank on them missing out again.

      Rinse and repeat.

      But that, “one day, it’ll all come together” part is happening right now.

      Jay Bruce hit a walk-off home run in the 9th inning off Astros’ reliever Tim Byrdak on Tuesday as the Reds beat Houston 3-2 to win the NL Central for the first time in over a decade. The win also guarantees that they’ll be heading to the postseason for the first time in 15 years.

      There’s no rest for the weary, however, as the Reds are in a battle with the Giants (and maybe the Padres if they can get their act together) for home field advantage in the NLDS. The Phillies have run away with the top seed in the NL, but home field advantage would obviously be huge for Cincinnati, as it would be for all clubs.

      If the playoffs were to start today, the Phillies would have the top seed, followed by the Giants, then the Reds, then the Wildcard-winning Braves. Since the Braves and Phillies can’t play each other in the first round, Cincinnati would play Philadelphia and San Francisco would host Atlanta.

      Teams aren’t going to back down from any opponent at this point in the year, but avoiding the Phillies would still be beneficial. Thus, the Reds need to finish strong and secure that second spot.

      External Sports, MLB

      2010 College Football Week 5 Odds

      September 28, 2010 /
      GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 25: Florida fans cheer late in the fourth quarter as the Florida Gators take on the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. Florida defeated Kentucky 48-14 for head coach Urban Meyer's 100th career victory. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

      We’re still days away from another Saturday in college football, but here are some point spreads that jumped out at me in this weekend’s slate of action.

      No. 7 Florida vs. No. 1 Alabama, 8:00PM ET
      This is the second of three games the Crimson Tide will play against top 25 teams (assuming South Carolina stays in the top 25 after this week) and their second big SEC challenge. They escaped disaster last weekend in Fayetteville with a come-from-behind win over Arkansas and now take on a Florida team that crushed Kentucky last Saturday. Pundits have noted that the Gators’ offense hasn’t been as explosive as it has in years past and that may be the case. But they’ve scored at least 31 points in each of their first four games, including 48 last week against Kentucky and 31 against Tennessee two weekends ago. Nine points seems a tad high for a game of this magnitude.
      THE LEAN: FLORIDA +9

      No. 21 Texas vs. No. 8 Oklahoma, 3:30PM ET
      Whether they were caught looking ahead or just had an off day, the Longhorns’ loss to UCLA last Saturday was devastating. The good thing is that they can’t dwell on the defeat for too long with the “Red River Rivalry” set to renew this weekend. The Sooners’ have only won by a touchdown or less in three of their four games to start the season, but they could be catching the Longhorns at an opportune time. Texas actually matches up pretty well with OU, but 4.5 points isn’t much to lay with the favorite here and the spread could go down closer to game time.
      THE LEAN: OKLAHOMA –4.5

      No. 11 Wisconsin vs. No. 24 Michigan State, 3:30PM ET
      The Badgers are off to a perfect start on the new year, but have failed to cover against the three FBS teams they’ve faced thus far. The Spartans play tough at home and should get a huge lift with the return of head coach Mark Dantonio, who is expected to coach from the press box after he suffered a heart attack two weeks ago. Wisconsin looks awfully tempting at –1, but I fear this game could be a trap. I like MSU.
      THE LEAN: MICHIGAN STATE +1

      No. 22 Penn State vs. No. 17 Iowa, 8:05PM ET
      I think Penn State is playing exactly how everyone should have expected them to play. They’re a young team overall and while they’ve managed to win three of their first four games, they’ve suffered plenty of ups and downs. They needed a strong second half to knock off Temple last weekend and now they have to go into hostile environment to take on the Hawkeyes team that has looked great at home (albeit against Eastern Illinois, Iowa State and Ball State) thus far. The only time the Nittany Lions played on the road this year they looked completely helpless against Alabama. It shouldn’t be total domination like it was in Tuscaloosa that day, but Iowa should wear PSU down in the fourth quarter and pull away.
      THE LEAN: IOWA -7

      Below is a complete list of point spreads for Week 5 in college football.

      Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      Would the Panthers be open to trading Steve Smith this season?

      September 28, 2010 /
      Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith stands on the field during a break in the action against the Washington Redskins at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 11, 2009. The Panthers won 20-17. UPI/Nell Redmond . Photo via Newscom

      At 0-3 and committed to a rebuilding year in what could be John Fox’s final season as head coach, the Panthers might be wise to trade receiver Steve Smith in order to get something now for him while they still can.

      Actually, Smith doesn’t become a free agent until 2013, so the Panthers have plenty of time to trade him if they inevitably choose too. But at 31, it’s not like he’s getting any younger and his trade value may never be higher than it is right now.

      Carolina isn’t going anywhere this season with the amount of offensive line and quarterback issues they currently have. Thus, Smith is useless to this current team (he’s still a dynamic talent, but what good is he if nobody can get him the ball?), which is why Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer thinks the solution might be to trade him now.

      Sorensen mentions Minnesota as a possible landing spot, which would be a perfect fit. But there are other teams that could definitely use Smith’s services, too.

      The Seahawks are in first place in the worst division in football, but they’re desperate for a receiver after not pulling the trigger on Brandon Marshall and Vincent Jackson over the past couple of months. The Titans are high on Kenny Britt, but they could use another weapon in the passing game, as could the Steelers unless they’re completely sold on Hines Ward and Mike Wallace as their top guns. (I’m certainly not suggesting Ward or Wallace can’t get the job done, but I’m just throwing the idea out there.)

      The wildcard is Atlanta, who has Roddy White but doesn’t have that complement at the No. 2 wideout position. Michael Jenkins is a terrific blocker but he isn’t a threat in the passing game and Harry Douglas is best left in the slot. Teams don’t usually trade within the division, but after the Eagles dealt Donovan McNabb to the Redskins this offseason, nothing would surprise me.

      As of now, this is all just speculation. The Panthers haven’t given any indication that they’re ready to put Smith on the trade block and for all we know, he’s going to finish out his career in Carolina. But given the current state of the franchise, it’s an interesting thought.

      External Sports, NFL

      Longoria and Price call low attendance at Rays’ game “embarrassing”

      September 28, 2010 /
      Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning of their MLB American League baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts September 6, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Following the Rays’ 4-0 loss to the Orioles on Monday night, third baseman Evan Longoria and David Price said it was embarrassing that Tampa could have clinched a playoff spot and only 12,446 fans (the fourth-smallest crowd of the season at Tropicana Field) would have seen it.

      Longoria’s take, Via the St. Petersburg Times:

      “We go out there and play hard for 162 games,” Longoria said, “and for the fans to show the kind of support they’re showing right now, you kind of wonder what else you have to do as a player.”

      Price said:

      “Had a chance to clinch a post season spot tonight with about 10,000 fans in the stands….embarrassing”

      David Brown of Yahoo! Sports had the best take on this situation that I’ve read so far:

      Jeez, what is it with Tampa Bay athletes who live in glass houses?

      No matter their good intentions, no matter their honesty, no matter if they have reason to be upset — even if they were 1000 percent correct — what Longoria (pictured right) and Price did was a mistake.

      It’s a cardinal rule: You don’t criticize your fan base. It’s stupid. It’s ignorant. It won’t get you what you want. It makes you look entitled, spoiled, narrow-minded and short-sighted.

      The timing was poor, too, after losing 4-0 to the Baltimore Orioles. No matter how well you’re doing — and the Rays are having a great season — nobody wants to hear how bad the attendance was on a night when your team is shut out. It’s an obvious lack of perspective.

      Longoria later said he was “just trying to rally the troops and get more people in here,” which I believe.
      Price already backtracked, saying, “If I offended anyone I apologize” — which is the classic non-apology apology. He’s probably sorry, though, for one reason or another.

      There are many reasons the Rays lag at 22nd overall in attendance. Start with: Bad stadium, bad location of stadium, bad economy. There’s more. It’s all irrelevant to Longoria and Price criticizing the fans.

      It’s just bad policy, scolding people for not paying their own money to watch you.

      Sorry for the long blockquote, but Brown made so many good points that I couldn’t cut it down. He hit a home run with his comments and I couldn’t agree more with everything he said.

      Tampa fans should pack the stadium on a night where the Rays could clinch a playoff spot, but Brown is right when he says there’s nothing to be gained by criticizing your fanbase. It’s in poor taste and imagine how the people feel who did go to the game last night. They spent upwards of $100 to attend a game that the Rays didn’t even show up for and now they have to listen to two of the star players bitch about low attendance.

      Dumb.

      External Sports, MLB

      Nick Collins goes bananas on idiot fan after loss to Bears

      September 28, 2010 /
      GREEN BAY, WI - NOVEMBER 16: Safety Nick Collins #36 of the Green Bay Packers makes an interception that was nullified by a penalty against the Chicago Bears during NFL action at Lambeau Field on November 16, 2008 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Bears 37-3. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

      According to a report by FOX 6 Sports, Packers’ safety Nick Collins went nuts on a Chicago Bear fan last night following his team’s 20-17 loss. Collins claims the fan called him a racial slur and there have been other reports that claim the fan spat at him, too.

      From the Chicago Sun-Times:

      Green Bay safety Nick Collins was involved in a post-game altercation with a fan at Soldier Field, according to a report from Fox 6 Sports in Milwaukee.

      The station says it has video of the incident, but can’t air it until later in the day due to NFL restrictions.

      Through a series of tweets, the station claims Collins was “provoked by a Bears fan” and proceeded to throw something at the offending party — possibly a roll of tape.

      He was then reportedly restrained by Packers wide receiver Donald Driver.

      Off-camera in the locker room, Collins said the fan used a racial slur and apologized to all fans for his actions, according to the station.

      I’ve attended Bear games as a fan of the opposing team before and I can say first hand that some of those people are vile and absurd. But idiot fans are idiot fans – they’re in all 32 NFL cities. There are idiots in Chicago, there are idiots in Green Bay, there are idiots in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas and Cleveland. That’s just the way it is and unfortunately some people can’t enjoy a game without being a loudmouth moron. I’m all for a good-natured ribbing if you’re wearing the colors of the opposing team in someone’s stadium. But nobody should have to go to a game and feel disrespected because they’re rooting for the away team.

      I side with the player here. Collins is a human being and if the fan did use a racial slur, then I don’t care if Collins is a football player or not – he has the right to go off. Should he have kept walking and not said anything? Yes, but I would have probably reacted the same way if I were him. Nobody should have to take that kind of abuse.

      Here’s hoping the fan fell down a flight of stairs when he got home and broke every bone in his body.

      External Sports, NFL

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