Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 612 of 1503)

      Saints looking for ultimate respect on Monday night

      November 30, 2009 /

      The New Orleans Saints have done everything right so far. They’re averaging over 35 points a game, they’ve played well defensively and they haven’t lost a game.

      The Saints don’t need anyone’s respect because they’ve earned it to this point. But beat the Patriots tonight and they’ll go from Super Bowl contenders to Super Bowl favorites.

      Even though they didn’t make the playoffs last season, the Pats are still the gold standard in terms of how teams measure themselves. Beat New England and you don’t need anything more in terms of confidence. Lose to New England and you might find out how far you still have to go in order to compete with the best.

      Personally, I think the Saints will come out victorious tonight. While the Falcons and Panthers gave them somewhat of a scare, no team has come close to beating the Saints in New Orleans. The team feeds off the energy of the Superdome and it’s hard for opponents to reach the same emotional level that the Saints do when they play at home.

      That said, Bill Belichick is still one of the greatest game planners in the game and if anyone is going to figure out a way to slow down Sean Payton’s offense, it’s Belichick. Even if New England doesn’t have the personnel to stop Drew Brees and company (which they don’t), Belichick will still put his players in the best position to win.

      I’d be shocked if the game tonight doesn’t live up to its hype. It’s going to be fun to see if Belichick and Tom Brady can march into New Orleans and earn a win, or if the Saints will rise to the challenge and overcome the most elite team on their regular season schedule.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Are the Red Sox targeting Holliday over Bay?

      November 30, 2009 /

      According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Red Sox may be more interested in outfielder Matt Holliday than Jason Bay.

      Under baseball’s warped draft-pick compensation system, a high-revenue team that exchanges one Type A free agent for another actually nets an extra pick — a supplemental choice between the first and second rounds.
      Oh, but this gets better.

      If the Sox lose Bay and sign both Holliday and free-agent shortstop Marco Scutaro, they not only will receive the same number of selections, but also might end up in better draft positions.

      Signing Holliday would cost the Sox their first-round pick. Signing Scutaro, a lower-ranking free agent, would cost them their second- round selection.

      But, if the Sox lose Bay after offering him salary arbitration, they will gain two picks — a likely first-rounder and the sandwich pick.

      The only ways the Sox would wind up with a second-rounder for Bay is if (a) the team that signed him ranked in the bottom 15 of the overall standings last season or (b) the team that signed him added a higher- ranking free agent as well.

      Well, isn’t this an interesting web that Boston is weaving. If Theo Epstein can land a Type A outfielder on top of landing two draft picks then he’ll set up the Red Sox for both the present and future.

      But would they be making the right decision in going with Holliday over Bay? Holliday was fantastic as soon as he got to St. Louis, but he had a hard time adjusting to American League pitching when he first got to Oakland and could struggle long-term in Boston. On the flip side, Bay has already proven that he can hit in both leagues and appears willing to stay in Boston for the right price.

      Epstein has some big decisions to make over the next month or two.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      MLB

      How the BCS breaks down heading into championship week

      November 30, 2009 /

      After Florida, Alabama and Texas all escaped rivals week with victories, the BCS standings remained unchanged this week. The Gators still hold the top spot, while the Crimson Tide are second and the Longhorns are third.

      Heading into the final week of the season, here is how everything breaks down for each of the five BCS title contenders:

      Florida: Tim Tebow and the Gators play Alabama in the SEC championship on Saturday and with a win, they’ll play in the title game. There’s always an outside chance that even if Florida losses this weekend, they could still play for a national title if Nebraska beats Texas and voters don’t rank an undefeated TCU or Cincinnati team in the No. 2 spot.

      Alabama: A win over Florida on Saturday would catapult the Tide into the top spot in the BCS standings, which means they’ll play for a national championship. And just like Florida, ‘Bama still has an outside shot to play in the title game if Texas losses and voters decide to screw TCU or Cincinnati.

      Texas: A win over Nebraska in the Big 12 championship would mean that the Longhorns would take on the winner of the SEC title game. A loss to the Cornhuskers would mean Texas has little to no shot of playing for a national title because the loser of the SEC champ game or undefeated TCU or Cincinnati would get the bid.

      TCU: It’s now a waiting game for the Horned Frogs after they finished the regular season 12-0. They’ll be rooting for Texas to lose and they wouldn’t mind seeing either Florida or Alabama get blown out in the SEC title game in order to endure themselves to voters. A Cincinnati loss to Pittsburgh wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

      Cincinnati: The Bearcats might be able to improve their ranking by beating Pittsburgh for the Big East championship on Saturday. With TCU idle, a good showing against a good Panthers team might convince voters that Cincinnati should leap frog over the Horned Frogs if Texas losses. That said, the Bearcats are still hoping for a miracle when it comes to playing in the title game.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football

      Report: Police want search warrant in Tiger Woods case

      November 30, 2009 /

      According to TMZ.com, the Florida Highway Patrol is trying to obtain a search warrant in Tiger Woods’ case after three failed attempts to talk to him about what happened during his accident on Friday morning.

      One big piece of evidence showing probable cause … sources tell us Tiger’s wife, Elin Nordegren told FHP troopers she went looking for Tiger in a golf cart, came upon the accident and then used a golf club to break the window to gain entry. That’s a very different story from what she first told Windemere cops shortly after the accident — she never mentioned a golf cart. Nordegren told Windemere police she had walked out of her house, saw the crash, went back inside to get a golf club and returned to the vehicle.

      And there’s more … although alcohol was not involved, Tiger was in and out of consciousness and TMZ has already reported Tiger told a friend he was taking prescription meds for pain, which could be evidence of DUI. This, too, could constitute probable cause to obtain a warrant.

      The Florida Highway Patrol will have to go to court and show probable cause that a crime had been committed in order to receive a warrant. That may or may not be hard to prove.

      There has been something off about this situation from the start and it may be awhile before the real story comes out (if it every does, that is). The problem is that some media will run with whatever little rumor they uncover (or fabricate) and it’ll muddy what really happened. Either way, Tigers’ rep will likely take a hit for the time being, but the public has a short memory and will eventually forget about this once he starts winning championships again.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      General Sports, Golf, News

      Dixon’s only mistake costs Steelers in loss to Ravens

      November 30, 2009 /

      For all intents and purposes, Dennis Dixon only made one mistake on Sunday night but unfortunately for him and the Steelers, that one mistake cost them a potential victory.

      Dixon’s interception in overtime set the table for the Ravens to kick a game-winning field goal in a 20-17 victory. The win helped Baltimore improve to 6-5 on the season and kept its playoff hopes alive, while Pittsburgh fell to 6-5 and has now lost three in a row.

      Dixon, a third stringer making his first career start, gave the Steelers a chance to win in the second half when he broke off a 24-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. He also threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in the second quarter and had a 31-yard run called back due to a holding call.

      But on the possession following his fourth quarter touchdown run, the Ravens converted on a 4th and 5 from their own 46-yard line when Joe Flacco hit Ray Rice on a 44-yard completion. The drive ended in a field goal, which potentially forced overtime with the score tied 7-7.

      Take away Dixon’s interception and the Steelers’ offense played pretty good – ultra conservative, but good. It was Pittsburgh’s defense that yielded several big plays, including Rice’s fourth down reception and a 54-yard reception by Mark Clayton late in the second half that set up a 10-yard Derrick Mason touchdown. If the Steelers had limited the big plays, Dixon’s effort would have been enough.

      Pittsburgh needs a healthy Troy Polamalu back in the lineup if it has any chance of making another run at a Super Bowl, nevertheless the playoffs. Without him, Pittsburgh’s defense is good but certainly not great, which has been evident the past couple weeks.

      NFL

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