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 Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Congratulations to last week's winner Kevin Cross.
Cross posted a score of 10 and won the prize by virtue of his
tiebreaker and he'll be receiving a signed 8-by-10 photo for his
efforts.
This
week's
matchups are posted below with the Blogger's picks to follow later today so make
sure you get your picks posted prior to the
week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word
and help grow the contest.
While I
enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly
winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants
will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the
list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest,
the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then
selects his  choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants
enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler"
and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget
to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning.
If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter
and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for
the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.
This week's Matchups with winning picks in parenthesis
College FB
Saturday, Sept. 26
Miami at Virginia Tech
Michigan State at Wisconsin
NFL Football
Sunday, Sept. 27
Washington at Detroit
San Francisco at Minnesota
Atlanta at New England
Tennessee at N.Y. Jets
Jacksonville at Houston
Chicago at Seattle
Denver at Oakland
Indianapolis at Arizona
Tie-breaker Total points in Indianapolis/Arizona game
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 4:28:09 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
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Not So Deep Thoughts: Twitter, is this thing on?
Posted by Tuff Stuff
By now, we've all heard of Twitter. You know the social networking
forum that allows us to instantly access the thoughts and feelings of
our friends, favorite musicians, celebrities and our favorite athletes.
The idea is simple. You log on, list the people you'd like to "follow"
and when they have something to say, you're alerted that they've posted
a message. For the most part it's all good, innocent enough, and
sometimes even informative.
We've all seen athletes being interviewed regarding a hot-button topic
like a devastating loss, or worse yet, a devastating loss caused by a
player's mistake. You know the drill. The player is often relegated to
one-word answers which provides little insight into the situation and
we as fans are left to wonder what truly happened. The interviewer
continues to dig in and rephrase the questions but the athlete doesn't
budge. It will sometimes lead to a "no-comment" response and in some
situations, it escalates into a profanity-laced shouting match that
never provides any answers at all and often leads athletes to shy away
from the media altogether. But that's where Twitter is different.
The beauty of Twitter from a sports fan's perspective is that because
the posts are made away from the media in a non-confrontational
setting, athletes tend to open up more and say a lot more than they
typically would in an interview session. Because the setup of making a
post is the same as texting a buddy, we often get the thoughts and
feelings the player is really thinking versus the canned responses
we've all become accustomed to hearing and I for one am all for
true-speak versus BS. And we in the media are always looking for the
truth rather than the same ole cliche-riddled responses we've come to
expect.
But for whatever reason, those "twittering" or making "tweets" often
encounter a disconnect with the very same public their opening
themselves up to. Some don't understand just like when you say
something stupid or controversial during an interview and it will
quickly becomes public and spreads like wildfire around the country,
the same holds true when you make a stupid post on Twitter.
I find it hard to believe that athletes don't realize this as they're
telling their fan base to f-off or stereotyping us all into
minimum-wage Fryolater operators. And Twitter doesn't discriminate
either. Whether you're a Pro Bowl player or a guy who has yet to see
any on-field action, the power of the "tweets" you make and the
consequent repercussions are equally damning. Sure, you can later
delete the post, but by then the damage has been done or you wouldn't
be deleting it.
This recent rash of NFL "tweets" has already caused many teams to ban
its players from making posts and it won't be long before the NFL and
the other leagues expand the no-Tweet zone across the board. If players
could just learn to provide us fans with the insider knowledge we all
crave and leave the disparaging comments inside like they've been doing
before all this modern technology came along, we could all learn to
embrace Twitter and what it offers. Until then, keep it simple guys and
learn from the mistakes of others. Tweet about how pissed you got when
the oposing left tackle chop blocked you on the fourth-and-inches play
at the goaline and leave the finger-flipping, fan-base hating for your
private e-mails to your teammates.
For ESPN's take on this topic, click here.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 3:19:15 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Sorry for not posting the results sooner but after a wild Badger-Packer
game weekend, I needed a day off to recovery from all the festivities.
For one lucky contestant, Kevin Cross, it was worth the wait.
Cross posted a score of 10 and won the prize by virtue of his
tiebreaker and he'll be receiving a signed 8-by-10 photo for his
efforts.
This
week's
matchups will be posted later today or first thing Wednesday so make
sure you get your picks posted prior to the
week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word
and help grow the contest.
While I
enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly
winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants
will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the
list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest,
the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then
selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants
enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler"
and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget
to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning.
If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter
and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for
the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.
This week's Matchups with winning picks in parenthesis
College FB
Saturday, Sept. 19
Nebraska at Virginia Tech (Virginia Tech)
Florida State at BYU (Florida State)
NFL Football
Sunday, Sept. 20
Carolina at Atlanta (Atlanta)
New England at NY Jets (NY Jets)
New Orleans at Philadelphia (New Orleans)
Baltimore at San Diego (Baltimore)
Seattle at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Cleveland at Denver (Denver)
Tampa Bay at Buffalo (Buffalo)
NY Giants at Dallas (NY Giants)
Tie-breaker Total points in NY Giants/Dallas game (63)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 3:58:37 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Friday, September 18, 2009
Beat The Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff
This
week's
matchups are will again be NFL or college football games which will hopefully allow the Blogger a
chance to get back to respectability. The matchups and the Blogger picks are below in parenthesis so you know what you're up against.Make sure you get your picks posted prior to the
week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word
and help grow the contest.
While I
enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly
winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants
will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the
list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest,
the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then
selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants
enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler"
and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget
to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning.
If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter
and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for
the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.
This week's Matchups with winning picks in parenthesis
College FB
Saturday, Sept. 19
Nebraska at Virginia Tech (Virginia Tech)
Florida State at BYU (BYU)
NFL Football
Sunday, Sept. 20
Carolina at Atlanta (Carolina)
New England at NY Jets (New England)
New Orleans at Philadelphia (New Orleans)
Baltimore at San Diego (San Diego)
Seattle at San Francisco (Seattle)
Cleveland at Denver (Cleveland)(doubler)
Tampa Bay at Buffalo (Buffalo)
NY Giants at Dallas (Dallas)
Tie-breaker Total points in NY Giants/Dallas game (42)
Friday, September 18, 2009 6:38:13 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
This
week's
matchups are will again be NFL or college football games which will hopefully allow the Blogger a
chance to get back to respectability. The matchups will be posted soon so make sure you
check back andget your picks posted prior to the
week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word
and help grow the contest.
While I
enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly
winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants
will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the
list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest,
the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then
selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants
enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler"
and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget
to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning.
If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter
and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for
the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.
This week's Matchups with winning picks in parenthesis
College FB
Saturday, Sept. 19
Nebraska at Virginia Tech
Florida State at BYU
NFL Football
Sunday, Sept. 20
Carolina at Atlanta
New England at NY Jets
New Orleans at Philadelphia
Baltimore at San Diego
Seattle at San Francisco
Cleveland at Denver
Tampa Bay at Buffalo
NY Giants at Dallas
Tie-breaker Total points in NY Giants/Dallas game
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 4:18:05 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Not So Deep Thoughts: NFL's Week 1 Proves Only One Thing
Posted by Tuff Stuff
I watched as much NFL football as humanly possible this past week and after all the smoke cleared, I didn't see anything that makes me believe there will be a clear-cut favorite to win the Super Bowl once December and January roll around. Former commissioner Pete Rozelle was always a big proponent of parity in the league and if the Week 1 results are any indication, Rozelle and anybody else who believes in the "On any given Sunday (and Thursday and Monday) philosophy would/will love the 2009 campaign.
I realize its only the first week of the season and it often takes time for teams to gel and develop the continuity needed to make an extended postseason run, but usually a team or two will shine right out of the gate, making others stand up and take notice and that didn't happen. While some might say "what about the Saints and Eagles, they both won convincingly?" Sure, but considering their lopsided victories came against the Lions and a Carolina team that gift-wrapped the win with seven turnovers, the jury is still out on those two.
The defending champion Steelers eked out a 13-10 win over a good Tennessee team but managed just 36 rushing yards and needed an overtime rally to do so. And speaking of gift-wrapped wins, the Patriots were outplayed for 58 minutes by a Bills team many estimated to win four games all year and only pulled out the victory because of a huge mistake made in the final two minutes. Likewise for San Diego who needed a last-minute drive to get the win against an Oakland squad picked by many to finish last in one of the worst divisions in the NFL.
Seattle looked dominating in a 28-0 win at home but let's face it, the win came against the Rams and their battling the Chiefs and Lions for basement supremacy. Somehow Kansas City managed to stick around with a highly favored Baltimore team, with the Ravens breaking a 24-24 tie in the final five minutes to avoid the upset. The defending NFC champion Cardinals lost 20-16 at home to the "upstart" 49ers and preseason darling Green Bay needed a late fourth-quarter rally to survive at home against a depleted Bears squad. The Giants picked up a big divisional win against Washington but if there is a more-predictable offense in the league than the Redskins I'd hate to see it.
So, there must have been atleast one team that stood out from the rest in Week 1, wasn't there? Actually there was and it was the New York Jets. Fueled by a balanced attack that produced 462 total yards while allowing just 183 to Houston, the Jets were easily the most impressive team I saw in Week 1. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez did what he had to and Thomas Jones proved he's stiill one of the 10 best running backs in the league and the Jets defense limited Texans running back Steve Slaton to 19 yards on the ground and held the game's top receiever, Andre Johnson, to 35 yards.
But before we cram into the Jets bandwagon like college kids piling into a volkswagon in search of a new Guinness-book record, let's remember that the theme of the 2009 NFL season is parity. While a team or two will eventually post a record that would reflect domination, this year will likely end just like it started with a ton of nail bitters, last-second heroics and no clear-cut favorites. In other words, a season for Rozelle and bookies everywhere to cherish for years to come.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 2:54:30 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Monday, September 14, 2009
Beat the Blogger results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
We had an unusual situtation in this week's Beat the Blogger contest. We had two contestants post scores of 10 but one forgot to post his tie-breaker. But instead of being a stickler, I've decided that a score of 10 is prize worthy despite the mental lapse. Because of that, James and robslope will both be receiving a prize. Congrats to both.
This
week's
matchups are will again be NFL or college football games which will hopefully allow the Blogger a
chance to get back to respectability. The matchups will be posted soon so make sure you
check back andget your picks posted prior to the
week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word
and help grow the contest.
While I
enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly
winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants
will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the
list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest,
the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then
selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants
enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler"
and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget
to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning.
If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter
and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for
the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.
This week's Matchups with winning picks in parenthesis
College FB
Saturday, Sept. 12
Notre Dame at Michigan (Michigan)
USC at Ohio State (USC)
Sunday, Sept. 13
Jacksonville at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Dallas at Tampa Bay (Dallas)
Philadelphia at Carolina (Philadelphia)
NY Jets at Houston (NY Jets)
Washington at NY Giants (NY Giants)
San Francisco at Arizona (San Francisco)
St. Louis at Seattle (Seattle)
Chicago at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Tie-breaker Total points in Chicago/Green Bay game (36)
Monday, September 14, 2009 11:13:37 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Friday, September 11, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: Stuff Happens in Pittsburgh
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Hello, my name is Scott and I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I've been on
the bandwagon ever since I was four or five years old after watching
the Steelers defeat the Vikings in Super Bowl IX and I have no plans of
ever leaving Steeler Nation. I make that announcement for all of you
who read the first line and said "Here we go, another guy who likes
Pittsburgh because their the Super Bowl champs."
I have to admit I was very surprised when the Steelers rattled off wins
in nine of their last 10 games to claim the Lombardi Trophy for the
sixth time last year. I guess I just didn't think they had the "Stuff"
Super Bowl  champions are made of. You know the "Stuff," it's the
ability to switch on the fly in the middle of game, the ability to
shrug off disaster and focus on what's next instead of what might have
been. It's the ability to bear down when the game is on the line and
get it done, someway, somehow.
The Steelers did exactly that last year during their title run and no better example of my point was Santonio Holmes' toe-tapping, game-winner in last year's big game. Not only was it one of
the best catches you'll ever see, Super Bowl or otherwise, it was also the epitomy of the Steelers character.
What
made Holme's catch even more spectacular was the fact that just three plays
earlier, Holmes had dropped a very catchable ball and it briefly
appeared that the miscue could lead to one of those haunting moments that
defines a player's career (see Jackie Smith, Dallas Cowboys SB XIII).
But seconds later, Holmes put the setback in the rear view and
concentrated on the task at hand and made a catch other receivers can
only dream, erasing the drop and etching the catch in our minds forever.
Fast forward to Thursday Night's 2009 opener against Tennessee and the
"Stuff" the Steelers are made of came shining through once again.
Despite a running game as non-existent as Chris Berman's
insightfulness, several costly penalties and turnovers, and a defensive
effort that looked mediocre at best, Pittsburgh still managed to pull
out the 13-10 win.
A prime example of the Steelers "Stuff" was displayed by Pittsburgh
receiver Hines Ward. During the final two minutes of a 10-10 game, Ward
caught a pass over the middle around the Titans' 20 yard line, broke
free and was one missed tackle from scoring the game-winner. Instead,
Ward was ball-jacked from behind by Tennessee's Michael Griffin near
the five yard line and fumbled with the Titans recovering to end the
threat. Ward was obviously distraught after going from hero to goat in
the matter of seconds and had to be consoled by teammates on the
sidelines in the plays leading up to the overtime session.
But unlike others who had come up empty in similar clutch moments, Ward
was able to stop sulking and put the disaster behind him long enough to
contribute two first-down receptions in overtime which helped set up the game-winning field goal. How many times have you
seen a player in a similarly adverse situation compound the problem by
losing focus, losing his cool, and he and his team ultimately losing the game?
Other examples of the Steelers "Stuff" were demonstrated by the
Pittsburgh coaching staff for abandoning its anemic running game in favor
of an up-tempo, no-huddle offense down the stretch. Not really Pittsburgh's preferred style of play but recognizing the situation and adjusting before its too late are always preferred over losing. Now this move
didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out but we've all see the
bull-headed coach who continues to run the ball despite having no
success and Mike Tomlin and his staff deserve credit for recognizing
their team's inefficiencies and changing gears.
Losing All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu to a second-quarter knee injury
would have spelled disaster for many lesser teams and initially it did
for the World Champions, too. With Polamalu in the locker room, Ryan
Clark replaced him and Tennessee's offense was quick to take advantage
of the dropoff in talent. But as he has so many times before,
Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau made an adjustment (Steelers blitzed
less and limited Clark's role in the zone coverage schemes) and the
crisis was averted. See, making adjustments and the ability to play with the cards they've been dealt, two more exapmples of the Steelers "Stuff."
I guess my point of all this is the Steelers don't have more talent
than all of the other teams in the league. In fact, it could be argued they'd probably rank
in the middle of the pack as far as star-caliber players go. But what
they do have is tenacity, resiliency, metal toughness and perhaps above
all else, short memories. Oh yeah, and having a cold-blooded pump-faking signal-caller with a propensity to come up big when it matters most also helps but you get my point. That's the kind of "Stuff" needed to win the
big games and that's what Pittsburgh had last year and what 31 other
teams lacked. It appears that despite all the changes made in the
offseason and all the new faces in new places, Pittsburgh still has the
"Stuff" needed to become a champion.
Friday, September 11, 2009 6:51:09 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
The Blogger is embarrassed to report he posted his worst score
in the history of the Beat The Blogger contest, managing to correctly
pick just two of the 10 matchups. Fortunately for the contestants, that
just makes it easier to win and Mike Pattison did just that with a score of 8 to claim this week's weekly prize.
This
week's
matchups are all NFL or college football games which will hopefully allow the Blogger a
chance to get back to respectability. The matchups are posted below so make sure you
get your picks posted prior to the
week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word
and help grow the contest.
While I
enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly
winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants
will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the
list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest,
the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then
selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants
enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler"
and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget
to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning.
If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter
and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for
the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.
This week's Matchups with Blogger picks in parenthesis
College FB
Saturday, Sept. 12
Notre Dame at Michigan (Notre Dame)(Doubler)
USC at Ohio State (Ohio State)
Sunday, Sept. 13
Jacksonville at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Dallas at Tampa Bay (Dallas)
Philadelphia at Carolina (Carolina)
NY Jets at Houston (Houston)
Washington at NY Giants (NY Giants)
San Francisco at Arizona (Arizona)
St. Louis at Seattle (Seattle)
Chicago at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Tie-breaker Total points in Chicago/Green Bay game (41)
Wednesday, September 09, 2009 10:13:29 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Not So Deep Thoughts: Don't Sleep On The Cardinals
Posted by Tuff Stuff
It seems like just yesterday that the all of the baseball experts were handing out their predictions for the 2009 campaign. You remember, the guys that said the Cubs would battle the Brewers for the NL Central crown just like they did in 2008.
Many predicted that because they had better starting pitching, Chicago would end up pulling away late but Milwaukee would likely be the top contender for the Wild Card spot. Fast forward to six months later (ie. now) and those same guys are now singing the praises of the best team in baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals. And although I'm not a big fan of the flip-flopping going on and all the Cardinals bandwagon jumping, they are the best team going so they did get it right, eventually.
Not sure how almost everybody forgot about the Cardinals, but I seem to remember several so-called "experts" predicting the Brewers, Cubs and even the Astros would finish ahead of St. Louis. Fueled by the best starting rotation in the majors, a Hall of Fame manager, arguably the game's best closer, not to mention the best hitter in several decades if not ever, and it's easy to see why the Cardinals are running away with the division so many predicted would come down to the season's final days.
Armed with this year's NL Cy Young winner in Chris Carpenter, one of his top competitors for the award in Adam Wainwright, and unheralded Joel Pineiro and the Cards trio of starters combined for a 47-19 record with a 2.70 ERA. Then factor in Ryan Franklin's 1.67 ERA and the fact that he's converted 37 of 40 save chances and you'll see why St. Louis has been able to open up baseball's biggest lead of any of the divisions.
Offensively, the Yankees and the Phillies might be a little tougher from top to bottom but you won't find any weak spots in the Cards lineup either. If table-setters like Brendan Ryan and Skip Schumaker can consisting get on base as they have all season, St. Louis power hitters, Ryan Ludwick, Mark DeRosa, Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols (not to mention they just got proven postseason veteran Troy Glaus back) will take care of the rest.
If the Cards do have a weakness, it would be that they don't have a lot of team speed. But if you give me the best staff, the best manager, the best closer and the best hitter in the league, I'll take my chances losing the stolen base category with any opponent. As we've seen the last couple of years, any team can get hot down the stretch and go on a postseason tear so who knows. But unlike virtually everybody did in the preseason, I won't overlooking the Cardinals this postseason.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009 2:51:48 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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